It is definitely Summer time!

I there knitting friends! It is officially summer, the middle of June. I am finally blogging again. I had rotator cuff surgery on June 9, and since my injury wasn't to the point where a lot of repair work had to be done, I have the official blessing of the orthopod to type on the computer and knit as much as my pain level permitted. Which isn't as much as I had hoped it would be, oddly enough. I did finish these, with the aid of Vicodin and donut holes.


And I worked on both of these--the coriolis (the one on my foot) I started at Sock Camp and the Monkey KawKaw I started while under the influence of drugs, because if I was thinking clearly I surely would not have cast on yet another pair of socks. Or technically, a sock, since for some reason I am doing only one, another clue that my thinking is clouded.




Speaking of Sock Camp, I came home with no dirty clothes, but a suitcase full of this

After tripping over the suitcase for a month, I was strolling through Joann's looking for ideas about how to display and store this yarn. I found this





which I purchased and turned into this.

I can look at these wonderful Blue Moon colors while new ideas percolate in my mind.


























I have also spawned a couple of monkeys---This one for Aimee's little one who will be here the end of July,















and this little wild dancing monkey for Lilly, whose mom is a wonderful Public Health Nurse that I appreciate greatly!









This monkey's name is Nelly, a combination that Lilly came up with to combine her name and mine. Last I heard, Nelly was much loved and was going to show and tell.



I will spare you the photos of my shoulder. I am getting more range of motion every day and I see the surgeon next Thursday. I have no photos of WWKIP Day, even though it was yesterday. I am envious of everyone who had gatherings in climates conducive to gatherings of knitters. The desert southwest doesn't lend itself to gatherings of this sort when it is 113+ outside.

Till next time, happy knitting!

The Socks from Hell

Remember the blue sock in my last post? I finished it's mate. If I knew how many stitches I knitted in all versions of this sock (since I am gauge-impaired) I am sure that I could have finished at least 2 1/2 pair of socks. Be that as it may---this is undoubtedly the absolute best fitting sock I have ever tried on. I wore them today with my Birkenstock Boston clogs and there was absolutely NO sagging anywhere. Nor were they too tight. Maybe it is the magic of Cat Bordhi's design, but the fit is out of this world.............

Another cast on

Finally finish both of the socks from hell. Cast on the Serendipity design in Dragon's Blood. Cool, cool pattern, going to be a fun knit!

HURRY UP!!! HURRY UP!!!

Whew!!! The plan was to have both of these done before midnight tonight (8 minutes from now). But, as some of you know, I have ripped these things out so many times that I should have 2 1/2 pairs to show for the amount of stitches I knit. But here is one and I LOVE IT!! Gotta go---have to publish this BEFORE midnight!!!!

See you Sunday.......................

WARNING!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!

Halloooooooooooo out there in knitter's land! I know that it is getting warmer, but the knitting bug still persists. Check out DeeDee's Taming of the Ewe Scarf in Socks That Rock (STR) Fire on the Mountain.
Very pretty, eh?

This one is from a new scarf book that DeeDee found and all of the scarves are based around the sea theme. This scarf has a lacy starfish pattern. Very cool, and all of them follow the ocean theme.











Here is Jackie's scarf--it is knitted longways and she fringed as she went. Looks great with her leather jacket!



















IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SUCCUMB TO THE SOCK BUG, READ NO FURTHER!!! FINAL WARNING!!! THIS MIGHT PUSH YOU OVER THE SOCK EDGE!!!




These clear clogs are called sloggers and you can get them from Knitter's Dream (www.knittersdream.com) They were 37.95 including shipping and handling. Knit on!!!

It's About Time!!!

Geezzz... a lot of time has passed since I last posted. I have been trying to use iWeb but I am getting more and more frustrated with it. I decided to come back to blogger again and see how it goes here...

There has been a lot of knitting going on. I have some new knitters with first projects, experienced knitters with new projects, and gifted knits from Christmas past. Read on!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lekki has just finished her hat, in less than a week! Way to go! Who is that in the background knitting behind you? Hmmm....looks like something in red??? Is she wearing scrubs???








And here is Leonda, who is a whiz at all things crafty, AND she was my wonderful Elph in Black this year! She did a scarf and hat in no time--she also did a capelet but my photo didn't turn out nearly as well as the capelet.





These are Salad Wristers knitted by Kathleen, my very artistic TA! Roll your cursor over Salad Wrister on the line above and it will lead you to the link and pattern. They are verrryyy cute. And check out her nails in Cibola colors--very spirited!

Now, for not new knitters with projects (better than saying "old knitters", correct?) Here is Fran AKA "Grasshopper" modeling Barb's Capelet and here she is modeling her shrug and another capelet--I think she may have knitted this one. Or else we asked her to model it because she is so good at it--


















And here is Linda in (I think) some of her yarn from Florence---I know it's Linda, it's the yarn I'm not sure about, after all, we did do a yarn crawl across Italy last spring--















Boein's socks don't want to upload now, for some reason. Maybe because it is midnight and my contacts are filmy? I will try them tomorrow.

And here is the mystery knitter for this post---hiding behind Boein's socks knitted out of Colinette's Jitterbug. I believe his mom has a matching pair, too. Perhaps we can get a photo of his feet and moms to post later?


My next post will be about Christmas gifting. I have a bunch of photos of things i knitted for presents this past Christmas. And I have other ideas lurking in the back of my mind...............until then, happy knitting!

Yarn crawl halfway around the world

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh what we will do for yarn! Here we are in Florence (the one in Italy) with Beatrice Galli in front of her yarn store. I googled "yarn shops in Florence Italy" and up popped Beatrice's store. It was Monday before we left, and I emailed her for the hours for her shop, thinking I wouldn't get an answer before I left for Phoenix on Wednesday. I had an email from her on Tuesday. We looked her up, she has a wonderful view of the Ponte de Vecchio, a notable bridge lined with goldsmith shops. Naturally, we looked her up and dropped some serious coin. If you ever go to Florence, she is easy to find, and quite sweet! ! There were several completed objects on this trip, and one new knitter who cast on and finished a scarf (her first) during this trip. It even drew a nice comment from Beatrice, which is the ultimate compliment!
Here are my miserable Inside-Out socks in the Monsoon colorway from my Rockin' Sock Club. I have to really get busy on them, since my 2nd kit arrived today.
developed some problems with it om the trip, so I put it in time-out. I finallly finished the first and started the second yesterday. I have to get cranking on the second one so that I can dive into the new kit. I cannot knit on these socks in public for an obvious reason when you see the sock in person. Come to knitting on Sunday and I will show you why. Even so, they are very comfortable.

And here is the new yarn! I will bring it Sunday. It is a new blend of merino and silk from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Their sock yarn is proving to be absolutely yummy-delicious.



I can't believe that I haven't posted since February. Bring your knitting on Sunday, if you have any FO's (finished objects, as opposed to unfinished objects), bring them for photo acknowledgement. See you then!

Why we do what we do

Here is why we do what we do. This is Bertha (on the right) and her sisters and niece, all wearing their prayer shawls that Bertha knitted for them this past year.





Here are three of her nieces wearing scarchos that she knitted in 06. She is a prolific knitter, and has at least 3 other shawls, socks, and felted bags. My challenge to all of us is to keep track of everything we knit this year. I think you will be amazed at how many things you make.





Meet Sophie, wearing her her newly finished pink hat! At 10, she is the youngest person that I have ever taught to knit. She and some of her friends like to knit at school recess. It is one of many special things that she does with her grandmother. Way to go Sophie!






Ady is a TA in my office. She is working on a scarf, but check out the scarf she is wearing. I gave my TA's who knit balls of yarn for Christmas, she has knitted hers into this great scarf. Way to go Ady!


Speaking of newly finished objects, here is Louisa running her waterfall--

This was the first project she undertook. She learned quickly and it became a boring knit. She has done several shawls, scarves, even a pair of Ugg booties. Way to go Louisa!






Here at last is my Urban Bubble Scarf! From the nice, pre-felting stockinette stitch, then with all the balls placed with rubber bands, drying on top of my crocs, and lastly, the finished product. It took 400 yards of a fine mohair 90% nylon 10% and about a zillion little wooden balls. It starts with 3 stitches, increases to 35, decrease back to 3 and bind off. Then, you put the balls the purl side, wrap a rubber band around the ball, throw into the lingerie bag and felt away. I will bring it for show and tell on Sunday. It is the most curious thing I have ever knitted. I will explain on Sunday-hope to see you there!

Knitting on Sunday!

Come to Papa San on Sunday--and check out my ruffly-thing!

'Tween 2K6 and 2K7

Hi there! Check out my cool felted Dansko clogs from Carson!



I finished my mom's sweater--here are close ups of the frog closure.




And the completed closure--

I will bring the completed sweater for show and tell on Sunday.

Hope to see you there!

"Tis the Season!

I can't believe it, 2006 is almost over. This is a time when we all reflect on the past year, our triumphs, our sorrows, our life. It is time to take an inventory of our lives, to look at where we have been, where we are now, and where we want to go.

Knitting marks our passage through time. Every item we knit reflects who we are. It is tangible evidence of who we were, where we were, and what we were doing at that particular point in life. I look at my oldest knitted artifact--a pair of mittens knitted for my dad. They are made of ragg wool, grey and black, with a cable running down the top. I knitted at least 3 mittens before I finally got one that was small enough to fit. I thought I had to follow the directions exactly as written, including needle size. I didn't know that it was OK to take a detour from the written instructions. I knew what the finished product was supposed to look like, but the path that was laid out in the instructions didn't take me there. I had to forge ahead with my own ideas. After a couple of attempts, I found out that it was OK to think independently from the pattern, to meld your own ideas with those of the designer. So it goes with life. The route we plan to take frequently takes a detour, yet our ultimate destination stays the same.

As Brenda Dayne says in her "Knitter's Manifesto", knitting becomes a living record of who we were when we began, how we changed along the way, and a record of who we are at completion.

Bertha and I were talking about things we have knitted over the past year. I wrote down her completed projects, but I left the notes at home. This is Christmas Eve and I am at my mom's in Roll. Best as I can remember, she knitted at least 4 prayer shawls by herself, and joined in to knit at least 3 others. She knitted at least 2 drop stitch shawls, no--make that 4. She has two, and she knitted 2 for her mother in law, both in different shades of yellow. Add to that scarves that are too numerous to mention and 4 or 5 scarchos for nieces and Sarah. When you stop to think about everything you have knitted over the past year, you will be amazed.

Linda knitted these fingerless glove/handwarmers in a flash.
She knitted them in chenille, on a large-ish needle (11?), around 20 stitches, knitted a rectangle, then bound off, seaming them, leaving a hole for the thumb. Quick and comfy.


A couple of new things I read about--Denise needles have a breast cancer set that costs $55, comes in a pink case with pink cables. The $5 goes to research. Also, they now have size 17 and 19 needles. I hope Santa took the hint I left for these.

And last but not least, the Sven and Olga Sweaters.

Enjoy the photo, we don't wear them often. Especially not with the shirt that Curt has on. My New Year's resolution is to leave the chubby cheeks and blubbery neck behind in 2007. But right now I have to go get a slice of Italian Creme Cake. New Year's is still a week away.



I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May you surround yourself with beautiful knitted things and people who love you. And Cashmere.

Onward----------

This old sweater..................

Hi there Knit Wit buddies and possibly some Cast-On subscribers! Here are some photos of what I am currently doing with old sweaters. Brenda Dayne brought this sub's colors ject up a couple of weeks ago in her podcast. I painted my house last April and I am still putting everything back together. The location is in my bedroom, but eventually I will have garments all over my house.

My last post shows my scarves and my Elizabeth shawl. They are hung on wooden dowels that are painted white. I hung them on white toggle bolts. This makes them hang away from the wall a bit, which makes it easier to show them. My idea was to hang them as invisibly as possible, making it look like they are floating there on their own.
The lower two sweaters are well-loved. The cardigan's colors were picked out by Carson, who was about 6 years old. It was a lot of fun because he told me what colors go where. The bottom left is the gnarly little sweater made from Aunt Lydia's rug yarn, with crayola buttons on the tab-front. He wore it non-stop during pre-school and first grade. You can see the fuzzies in the close-up.




This close-up shows the sweater I made after taking Horst Schultz' class at Stitches West a few years ago. I used it to work out ideas. I will probably never give it away, because it is a sampler of many techniques I learned at that Stitches.




And lastly, here are the same dowels sporting my Charlotte's Web collection.
I liked the first one so much that I made two more. The lime green is my favorite.

Hope this helps help you pull your favorite things out of their under-the-bed boxes so they can continue being loved by you!

Just in time for Christmas!

Happy Holidays! Hope you are recovered from your turkey-tryptophan feasting activities. This post has a couple of quick to knit holiday ideas for you, plus one bind off technique that will become your favorite!
This cute little scarcho was knitted by Bertha for her niece, Cassie. Cassie is 8 years old, and loves the color pick. Bertha used one skein of Lourdes by Sensations (49 yards) and one of Tropez (38 yards. She cast on 10 stitches, I believe she used a size 11 needle, and knitted 4 scarves from each yarn, 40 ridges long.
That's it! Join them together, fringe, and your niece will nominate you for Aunt of the Year! With some of the sales going on at this time of the year, you can make this for under $10---waaaay under $10!



This is the pattern that Helen had last Sunday--it is called "Scarf in a Flash". And I do mean in a flash. I used one skein of Caron's Simply Soft Tweed(a worsted weight) (150 yds), and one of a "fancy" yarn (I forgot the brand, it was only about 89 yards). Using a size 11 needle, cast on 200 stitches with your basic plain worsted weight. Knit 4 rows. Add the fancy yarn, knit 8 rows. Cut the fancy yarn, knit 4 more rows. I bound off using the Icelandic Bindoff (instructions follow). I finged it sparingly with one strand of the fancy and plain held together. What I did next really sets off the scarf, and it was both inexpensive and quick-I added beads.
To add beads, you need to buy one small skein of the yarn used for needlepoint, some beads, and a small crochet hook. I used a size 13 crochet hook, and one tube of 6/0 Czech glass beads. Between each yarn fringe, I added 2 beaded fringes. Cut the needlepoint yarn, and tie 2 overhand knots at the end. Using the crochet hook, pick up 6 beads on your crochet hook (or however many you want). Pull the yarn through the holes in the beads. Double knot the other end. I moved 3 beads to each end, and added the fringe to the scarf. I put two of these side by side between the yarn fringe. I then tied single overhand knots to position the beads at different levels. They really add a lot to the scarf. The whole venture was less than $12. (read:more money for cashmere!) I will bring it next Sunday.

Also finished and in the fringing stage are my 2 Knit Picks yarn bundle-Afghans. I loved doing them. I will bring them next Sunday as well. Here is a sneak peek:


If you've never done the Icelandic Bindoff, the following instructions may seem daunting. Just work through it one step at a time. It is a great finish, and since each stitch ends up with twice the amount of yarn that a plain bindoff would have, it makes it very stretch-able, great for places like necklines, but also great for scarves or my afghan edges. Here it is:
1. Knit the first stitch on your left hand needle. Instead of sliding it off of the left needle, put the new one you just knitted
back on the left needle.
2. Now, reach your right needle through that stitich on the left needle (the one you just made), and knit into the 2nd stitch.
Go ahead and pull it through both stitches (peek through BOTH windows), then Off Jumps Jack.
3. Now put the stitch on the right needle back onto the left, just like before.
Repeat stelps 2 and 3 until you reach the end of your piece. Cut the yarn and pull through the final stitch. Voila!

Now, for the truly SERIOUS Knitter! You can still listen to this, even if you don't have an iPod. You will need to download iTunes, it is free, and also available for Windows machines. Roll your cursor over the title for this blog entry, and click--it takes you to Cast-on, series 1, episode 2, "The Knitter's Manifesto". It's a GREAT listen. Imagine--what if Knitters took over the World. This podcast is free, and Brenda Dayne has a wonderful voice. You will like it.

That's all for now. Next Sunday, I wil bring the Scarf in a Flash and both afghans. And if I find them, the Sven and Olga sweaters. And the "Sweater Curt Never Wore". Knit on------------

Welcome Knit Sibs!

Hey there--how are your pointy sticks and string? The weather is cooling and our needle are warming up. What's on your needles? Here's what has been on Fran's---

This is Maya's new dress knitted especially for her by her mom. Just in time for the cool weather. The neckline and hem are trimmed with fun fur. It will be really cool and trendy this winter.

This is Maya's sister Sophie---
She doesn't seem to be a bit afraid of the camera either!
Pretty cute, aren't they? Wonder where they get it?

















If you roll your cursor over the title and click on it, it will take you to the website for knitty.com . This is an emagazine with designers that are every day people like us. The patterns are well written and FREE. You can search their archives by type of garment. Check them out---


Helen finished her linen feather and fan shawl. It is a worsted weight linen that softens with handling. The instructions with the yarn actually state that you can wash it in the machine and dry it.


She wet blocked it and decided against the washer and dryer. I agree with her, I would be scared to death to throw it in the washer and dryer. It is a great color, it will go with absolutely everything.


Some of us are in Mexico this weekend, some in Phoenix, some in Yuma, others off to unknown locations. Hope to see you all Sunday after next. Until then, knit on!

I take it back, I take it all back

Did you ever hear me rant about the "mean yarn shop lady" in Encinitas? It's well known that I like Common Threads, it's like a home away from home. Last Friday, I had the yearly doctor stuff in San Diego. In less than an hour I had been pap smeared, pelvically scanned, and boobicably squished. It was only 12 more miles to Encinitas, so damn the horse races, I was bound for yarn shopping!

I was in search of a specific pattern for some cool mohair stuff that I bought in Providence. I had swatched, and it was impossible to pull out, so I decided to go with the yarn manufacturer's suggested pattern, since they know much more than me. I called 3 shops that were supposed to carry this company's patterns--Common Threads first, and The Needlecraft Cottage second. Neither had the pattern. Third and last on the list was The Black Sheep, the shop where I was scolded for touching the felted bag on their wall display.

I called ahead, and a very pleasant lady said that she would hold the pattern for me. OMG. I take back every back thing I said. Mind you---they still have rules here--no touching the display that is still up on the back wall, and a sign stating no cell phones calls allowed while you are in the store. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....so I turned my phone on mute, not wanting to get sent to the corner for bad behavior or 86'd from the place entirely. They had almost a whole wall of Fiesta's La Boheme. I see why Deb opted for the Shimmer Shawl. I've never seen that much of it in one place. A tactile delight.

They also carry Habu Textile's yarns (link is on the title above). This is a Japanese company with very interesting yarn. DeeDee and Linda and I saw it last fall at Arizona Knitting in Scottsdale. I had promised myself that I would not buy any more shawl yarn ( I have 2 shawls-in-progress that are in the time-out room), but didn't have the same sanction against a possible scarf yarn purchase. I bought a scarf kit from Habu that has 3 yarns. Two are called "linen paper" and resemble raffia. The other is a stainless steel yarn wrapped with silk. It is really strange. It is extremely fine, about half the size of sewing machine thread. You hold the steel with whatever color of linen paper you want to knit with, changing colors PRN. Of course, being ADD (or an exceptional multitasker?) I have already cast on and started it. It does scrunch. When you are done knitting, you are supposed to roll it into a ball and "mush" wash by hand in the water, "like you are trying to make a rice ball". Definitely not a functional scarf, just a fashion accessory. I also got some little packets that are combination of paper, linen, and nylon. They haven't spoken to me as yet. I tried to take photos of these, but my camera is on the fritz. I will bring them on Sunday. They definitely need to be put on the Yarn Crawl list. They are open Sundays, tool.

Speaking of Sunday--I hope to see you at the (in)Skeiin Asylum---till then, Knit On!