Winter Soldier 2008

I can't believe (well, sadly I CAN) that the corporate media isn't covering this.

Winter Soldier: Hundreds of veterans and active-duty soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are gathering today for the Winter Soldier hearings. The soldiers plan to give eyewitness accounts of the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, the gathering is modeled after the 1971 Winter Solider hearings organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

For more information, and to read some transcripts, see these links:

Iraq Veterans Against the War
The War Comes Home (KPFA radio)
Democracy Now


Spread the news. These men and women have given so much. They deserve to be heard by every American.

Smooshy!

Apparently, I have been totally obnoxious at ye olde yarn shoppe. They had a great time talking about me and my constant queries over the status of the Dream in Color order today. One of the managers left a message on my phone. Everyone is also quite shocked that I managed to hang on to my Christmas money this long. They all spent theirs long ago.

I almost panicked when I realized that my store credit receipt had fallen victim to yesterday's purse-purging frenzy. Thank the yarn deities it was on the counter where said frenzy started.

I made sure to get to the shop early enough to grab my long awaited (I requested it right after Christmas; it was ordered at TNNA) Ruby River. Good thing it came on a Tuesday, or it could have sold right out from under my nose. My skeins were in the box with the rest of the order, and the 3rd Ruby, ordered for the shop, was already sold.





Jeanie, here we come!










Erm, as soon as I finish the Boteh (and on Ravelry) I started Saturday.

For my mom's birthday.

Thursday.

Gulp!



(Though we probably won't do an official par-tay until the 16th, which is the first day we'll all be available.)









Ooh, just noticed that both of these fit nicely into March's Project SPectrum theme, too!

Wow, wonder if I'll have this much luck with the next element?


Snuggling my new yarn, working with the luscious ZYG (this yarn, in this color), and hanging with my knit girls was just what I needed today. I spent the morning making some dinners to take to my aunt. My uncle just got moved to hospice. I hope I can take a little of the burden off by making sure she can at least get some healthy food.

Sorry for the abrupt downer. Look, knitting ==>



Bulky Hooded Vest in action.

recap:
Ayany yarn in Savannah Green
pattern from KP&S

E's also wearing Perfection Pants, in Three Irish Girls' Lindon Merino, color Malachy (must be discontinued, as it's not on the site now).

Crochet is calling to me

After (finally!) finishing my Peace Fleece Mid-East Market bag, I have been all hopped up on crochet.

I've been flipping through some mags, and not really finding the perfect project, but now one is smacking me upside the head.

Last week, I saw a Boteh scarf (Interweave Crochet, sp 07) on Crochet Me. Mmm, pretty I thought. I couldn't figure out why I didn't remember seeing it when I bought the mag, so I dug out the issue. Kim's version is so different. The original didn't jump out at me at all, just not my color. I would never have thought to try a variegated yarn.

It's been tickling the back of my mind the past few days, then today I came across another Boteh on Flickr, completely by chance.

Guess I'll be picking out some yarn and tracking down my hooks tonight!

Sweet gifts and sweet little knits

J was off work early, so he picked M up from school so I could get a little cat-nap.

When they came back, they each had a card for me, plus flowers and candy, and a balloon for E.

I gave the boys cards with a little bag of Kissables.

J got a card and the 2-disk version of The Two Towers. I gave him The Fellowship of the Ring for Christmas, and he has been itching for the rest of the story.

This is going to take all the surprise out of things when his birthday rolls around.

We only made it to the end of Side One tonight. We'll have to watch the rest on Saturday night, as J and his nephew are hitting the mountain tomorrow.




On the knitting front, I finished my hat, and I love it. I was afraid it would be too small, but it's almost too big. I think that's good, because it will probably shrink a bit with future wear, especially with the singles yarn.


Pattern:Ring of Fire from Cider Moon
Yarn:Recycled Sweater and Handpainted Yarn Thick & Thin (disc.) in Col China
Needles:Knit Picks Options sz 6
Mods:Left out one repeat to adjust for gauge.


This soaker is a custom order I donated to a raffle for Jess's family.

Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker
Yarn: O-Wool Classic Oatmeal and Peace Fleece Grassroots


I've had this shopping bag for almost 2 years. Every few months I pull it out, work a couple of rounds, realize it's very wrong and put it back in time out. Last week I showed it to a co-worker and she helped me figure out how to make it work. I can't do it too much or my wrists get tired (it's been years since I've crocheted anything that took more than 5 minutes.), but I think it will be perfect to keep in the car for Farmer's Market trips this summer.


There's an A4A deadline coming up. This round, they are collecting newborn items. Since they usually get plenty of hats, I whipped out a couple pairs of socks. I should be able to do one more tomorrow and then pop them in the mail.


Then I have got to finalize my class handouts and outline. I'm teaching 2-at-once Toe-up Socks starting the 23rd. Eek!

Project Spectrum 2008

I didn't even realize there was a third round of PS until this morning, but my current WIP fits in perfectly with the theme for Feb and March.

This year, the theme is Elements, and I just happened to start Cider Moon's Ring of Fire hat this week.




It's been a while since I've done any stranded knitting, and it's addictive. I have no desire to work on any other WIPs, and can't seem to set this down. I'm hoping to get it done today.

I'm using stash yarn for this. The black is from a recycled merino sweater, and the variegated is some discontinued Thick and Thin from Handpainted Yarn, in Col China. The colors are rather jarring in the skein, but perfect when toned down by the black.

I cut out a repeat to compensate for the larger gauge. I didn't swatch this, which is very out of character, so I'm just hoping it will fit. If not, I can tuck it away for future gifting.

Zipper Aggravation

No, not in the sewing it in part. I wish. I can't even find one that will look slightly better than ugly in the KP&S vest I just finished for E.

I've been googling all evening. I looked at JoAnn's and the local quilt shop.

I may have to settle for the wrong color, too boring, Coats & Clark plastic one.

I hate it when something that I think is going to be simple turns into a ridiculous ordeal. I just wanted something slightly fashionable.

If only those Clover purse zippers came in longer, separating styles.

Made my day!

Shelly gave me a








Thanks! It's just what I needed after a grueling 2 hour (!!) wait at the pediatrician's office.

Here are some people who Make My Day. Pass it on to 10 people.
Back atcha, Shelly. Love your blog and your scrumptious yarns;
Knittymama;
Maia Spins;
Aija at sock pr0n;
Earthchick Knits;
Marin at AntiM and the Rickety Blog;
Kristin at Getting Stitched on the Farm;
Larissa at Stitch Marker;
Mariko at super eggplant;
Judy of Persistent Illusion.

Wow, that was hard. I read a lot of wonderful blogs. Taking a page from Shelly, I decided to focus on those that may be less widely known.

Thank you all for sharing your lives and crafts with me.

Wouldn't that solve some problems!

Congress To Raise Alpacas To Aid Struggling Economy

Tikkun Project

Haven't had a chance to read this much, but I am intrigued.
Tikkun Project

Phew, that was exhausting!

December wore me out!

After frantic knitting a couple years ago, I said you couldn't pay me to knit Christmas gifts. Turns out that, actually, you can. I had 2 huge orders of toys to get out in time for the holiday. Plus some instock stuff to ship. (Did I take any pictures? Of COURSE not. Grrr. Doubly frustrating given that some of the items were new designs. At least I managed to write down the patterns this time.)

On top of that and getting ready for my own holidays, I spent a lot of time online hoping a friend would make it through the season. As you can see by my last post, she did not. It's amazing how Internet friendships can have such a deep impact on ones life. Though I never met or even phoned Jess, she had a place in my heart and I will miss her.

I've never been big on resolutions, so I have no specific goals for 2008. I have been inspired to finish some lingering projects.

The Bulky Hooded Vest from KP&S is done and blocking. Bulky 100% wool takes forever to dry, especially shut up in the spare room to prevent cats from stealing the pins. Then zipper time. I've been reading every tutorial I can find on sewing a separating zipper into handknits, but am still nervous.

I mended a couple holes in the knees of the little one's pants, and added length to one pair. He's been outgrowing or tearing them faster than I can knit new ones.

I am almost finish with some convertible gloves for my oldest. He actually asked for something knit! I used the Knucks pattern, then read through Broad Street to figure out how to attach a shell. I'm a bit stuck on how to sew down the ribbing, though. The Knitty photo is very dark.

Jeanie knocked me off track big time. I had been pondering what to knit with the beautiful Dream in Color from my KCS3 box when the Winter Knitty came out. I just knew I had to make Jeanie. A lovely Christmas bonus in the form of a gift certificate sealed the deal. The managers and owner of the store are at TNNA this weekend, and 2 skeins of Ruby River Smooshy will be ordered just for me!

I held out until Friday night. Hopped up on caffeine from making the slog to drop off my oldest for the weekend, and everyone here asleep, I piled up my stitch markers, dug out some waste yarn and got to it. I'm taking it slow, though, as I may have to alternate skeins once I see how different they are from each other.


My most exciting news is that I am teaching two classes at the shop, and one of them is completely sold out, with a waiting list forming! Apparently Toe-up Magic Loop is a hot topic.

I've also been working on a shop blog, and am now going to be sending some layout ideas to the store's web person to liven up the main page, and make it a bit more distinct from the sew and vac store.

Knit blogging is not so fun this time of year in the NW, as my pictures tend to look like crud. I will try to get some next time I see the sun.

Off to work on my class handout for next weekend.

Cancer sucks

Be at peace, sweet friend.

Mmmmmm, coffee!

And goodies, too!

From my KCS3 partner Emiko:


Diablo roast from Caffe Ladro, a book about coffee, Sharon's Soaps N' Stuff Coffee soap, Australian black licorice, a magnetic notepad with little post-its (that somehow missed the photo op), and a lovely coffee card.
The card looks like it was hand stamped with beans and mugs.


A closer look at the yarn. The color is not quite right in either picture. It's a blend of reds and burgundy called Ruby River that is just what I would pick for myself. This yarn is perfectly named, it is totally smoosh- and squeezable.

Sherwood

OK, this has actually been finished for over a month. Just now blogging. Anyway . . .


I love this FO. Maybe more than anything I've done to date. The fabric has a wonderful drape, the texture pops, and there are no obvious (to the non-knitter, anyway) errors.


It actually fits him a bit better than this photo shows. He was wearing a baggy t-shirt under it to brave the chill.

Pattern: Sherwood, Knitty Fall 2006
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton, color Elf
Started: August (?) '07
Finished: September '07

I love it! He loves it, too. He was upset with me when I made him change before eating spaghetti.

Silly me, I thought things would slow down around here as fall arrived. First of all, if the toddler never slows down, chances are the rest of my life won't either.

And I've been working Saturdays at my LYS (Boersma's Knitting Basket). They actually approached me about working. (!!)

I love it! It's so fun helping people find just the right yarn/project/tools. Not to mention getting paid to go to Knit & Chat! I'm working on two projects for the shop.

If/when I find some childcare/preschool thing for E, I'll work another day or two, but only if it falls in my lap. I am going to be teaching two classes in the late winter/spring.

Ravelry is another obstacle to blogging. It definitely hasn't improved my lurker habits, as it's so easy to browse and look things up, without the extra effort (and toddler-free time) blogging requires.

I've been knitting like crazy. I finished the 2nd pair of a4A socks in time to make the deadline.

I sent a SASE with the socks, and they sent back the cutest postcards.

I also finished a YYMN* custom.

Pattern: Perfection Pants
Yarn: Marr Haven dyed by Spiffy Knits, color AMK

I loved this yarn, which came as a total surprise. When I first took it out of the envelope, Isighed and resigned myself to knitting something less pleasant. I usually steer clear of the "fluffy" yarns, like Sweet Grass Targhee and others. They snag on dry skin, and don't slide as smoothly through the fingers. It gives my a feeling like those old fake flannel nighties everyone had in the '80s. But this stuff is different. It is soft and squishy and very nice to work with.

This project was a total adrenaline rush, as I used literally every scrap of the multi-colored yarn. I was prepared for some serious frogging when I remembered the swatch. That little 4x4 square gave me enough yarn to get the last inch or so of leg.
*Your Yarn, My Needles

I knit 6" of the KPS toddler vest when I realized I was going through yarn awful fast. It slowly occurred to me that maybe I had knit the swatch on 9s, not 10s. I stopped, knit a swatch on 10.5s, gave it a dunk, and let it dry. Sure enough, the yarn grew. A lot. Going from 14 st/inch to 12. Sigh.

I love the fabric so rather than going down a needle size, I'm starting over following the numbers for the next smaller size.

It's sort of on hold now, as I'm rushing to finish some stuff for sale, and then some gloves.
M actually asked me to knit him something! Since 11 year-olds are notoriously fickle and short of attention, I better get them done soon. He wants convertible gloves "with a button on the back for the flap". The yarn we picked first is one I'm getting through a coop, and it looks like it will be a while, so if he doesn't like anything in the stash, I'll take him to a yarn store or two and see if he can find another good choice.

OK, it's getting late (yay for school inservice day tomorrow!), more later.

Congrats to Rachael/Yarn-a-go-go

Her novel made it to the top 5 finalists in Gather's First Romance Competition.

Knitter's Coffee Swap Questions

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? Whole bean
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Both! I often drink decaf in the evenings, or if I'm making coffee drinks.
3. Regular or flavored? Regular, please
4. How do you drink your coffee? I make it in a stovetop espresso pot, and usually add just half & half, sometimes with a little syrup (or a little Bailey's on a Saturday night)
5. Favorite coffee ever? I've had a lot of great coffees, can't pick one.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? Fairly fussy. I like dark, oily roasts best.
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Cookies, chocolate, black licorice
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I try to only buy sustainable, fair-trade beans, and I love trying new coffees from small companies.
9. Yarn/fiber you love? Pretty much all animal fibers.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Squeaky acrylics, and most novelty yarns
11. What's on your needles? Eeek! Ok, 2 pairs of socks (Falling Leaves in wildfoote and MaiaSpins' mystery socks in Kroy), KP&S bulky child's vest in Ayany merino, 2 pairs Perfection Pants (one pair in dyed-by-me wool, one in 100purewool) , and a pair of mittens in O-Wool Classic for a shop sample.
12. Favorite colors? Rich tones, dark earthy colors, jewel tones, reds. Just not baby pastels.
13. Allergies? Nope.
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? If there are things that you love (fibers, colors, coffees, treats) that aren't on my list, I'm open to trying new things, too. (just not flavored coffee beans)

Summer shopping extravaganza

If knitting books count as stash, I fell hard!

From the IK Hurt Book Sale. The spinning book has a little dent at the bottom, and the inside cover of Knitting on the Road left a bit of color on the title page.

Knit Picks' summer book sale. Took advantage of the free shipping to add to my needle collection, too.

My LYS has a 25% birthday discount, and a punch card program (once you've spent $250, you get $25 off). After combining the 2, I spent $9.75 for the 4 patterns and book above. Ever have reverse buyer's remorse? I was kicking myself when I got home.

I made up for it with a trip to Woodland Woolworks' "Stash Room" where I snagged a few back issues (and some sock yarn, but that's for another post, this uploading is taking forever!)

After hearing that this lovely book was going out of print, I snatched up a copy (autographed!) from an Amazon seller.

My crafty side joins my inner bookworm in a shiver of delight! I've read all of these at least once, cover to cover.

Socks! And a call for kids' knits. And contests!

Quiddity is having a contest, asking for pictures of your first and last (latest) socks.

My first matching socks were this little pair for afghans for Afghans Spring '06 newborn items campaign.

Blossom Knitwear's Super Quick Baby Socks
Susan Bates sz 7 dpns
Mystery thrift store wool

Coincidentally, my last pair (as well as the ones on the needles now) are also going to a4A.

Children in Common socks (cast on 40)
Knitpicks Options sz 5
Peace Fleece, Baghdad Blue
heels and toes reinforced with thrift store vintage wool/nylon (either Bear Brand or Red Heart)


Children in Common socks (cast-on 40)
Knit Picks Options sz 5
Elann Highland Wool, disc. color 1240

While on the subject of Afghans for Afghans, I want to encourage everyone out there to whip up something quickly for children age 7 to 11.
Mittens, socks, vests, hats or sweaters, from wool or other animal fibers.

If you can get it to them by October 12th, a4A will send these essential winter items to children in rehabilitation centers in Afghanistan. These are kids who are suffering from war-related stress and trauma.

You get a quick FO, karmic bonus points, and an entry in the drawing for a Yarn Market GC.

If you're on Ravelry, check out the Fans of Afghans for Afghans group for another little incentive.

Going Crazy!

Full moon? Change in weather? It's been nuts around here, whatever the reason.

I just remembered that the sign-ups for Coffee Swap Three opened today. Eeek, I hope I made it in.

I have 2 months worth of pix to show, so I'm going to try to post a few every day until I'm caught up again. (we'll see how well that goes)

My first Baby Surprise Jacket, in recycled merino and scraps of Manos.
(Wow, that's a crappy picture. Sorry about that.)

M & E and cousin A frolicking at the park.

A custom toy order, perfect for summer fun.
(I told you I was backlogged with photos! These are from August.)

Pancho Villa in the Laundry
(Yes, we kept him.
E fell for the little guy, and we're just big ol' pushovers.)

Coming next time: Serious stash acquisition thanks to a birthday coinciding with LYS credit plus a store closeout followed by a sock yarn sale.

The Knitters' Farm Aid

Check out Knittymama's blog! She's running a contest and a drive to get donations for Sow the Seeds. The money will go to help the farmers in the midwest who have been devastaded by recent
floods.

If you donate and let her know before Saturday, you'll be entered into the drawing for some really great yarn!

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OFFF report to come soon, plus more FO's!

My swift

I've had a request (hi Deb!) to post the info on my DIY swift.

The original link is no longer working, but a quick Google found the new and improved directions at Crafty Diversions. Great directions, and an affordable way to avoid asking friends and family if they'd mind standing there for an indeterminate period with yarn wrapped around their arms.

I use this swift with a Royal Winder I got with a 40% off coupon from JoAnns.com. I've used them pretty frequently for at least a year, and the winder shows no signs of wear.

When my husband and I first made mine, we skipped the extra holes, just drilling one in each arm to make a 2-yard skein. I do NOT recommend this. After washing or dyeing, especially from cones, the yarn will fluff up, gaining circumference and losing length.

You won't be able to get the skein over the holes you started with. So make sure yours is adjustable.

I'm planning on building a second one in the very near future, so I can re-skein dyed yarns with a lot less mumbling and cursing.

I have some great FO and random pics, but I'm rather annoyed with my camera/software situation and don't have the energy to deal with it all tonight. I know, I keep saying that, but really, I mean it this time.

Until then, a little yarn pr0n to get you by: