Thursday, July 31, 2003

To continue the tribute to GingGong, stimulated by joining the KnittingKitty web ring, we now have "80 things about me" on the side bar. Read all about her. And a special picture of GingGong doing her silkie imitation:


I must be getting depressed about my husband being away. He was in Santiago all last week, came home for the weekend and then left for Lima (Peru). He said "I'll try to be home Wednesday, but I may not be home until Friday." Haven't heard from him since. Sooooo, I treated daughter and myself to an evening of indulgence on Monday. We had our hair washed and trimmed, then I bought us both manicures, and a pedicure for me.
Aren't my toes pretty? I sort of felt sorry for the pedicure lady, as I've not had my feet worked on for over a year. She needed the power sander for my heels. Daughter is sporting silver blue fingernail polish now, and was quite pleased. First manicure for the little girl who is growing up so so fast.

And now, knitting content. Yesterday, my work friend, who is also the student knitter told me that I needed to come in on Friday, as she had something to show me. I'm so excited. Should I bring in my camera, and document it for all to see? Check the archive for June 18th to see how our last session went down.

Monday, July 28, 2003

Lookie what my Father in Law sent to me:

What a sweetie. His current girl friend has a sister with a sheep farm in W. Virginia. We chatted about it a bit while I was knitting on vacation. They recently visited, and he sent me some fiber samples. I e-mailed her, and asked for enough two ply to make them both socks for Christmas.

And, now for some kitty content. GingGong feels that I need to increase her profile on this blog, now that it is part of the knitting kitty ring. So, here she is on morning porch patrol, making sure that the armildillo gets back to her hole under the house.

We know it's a she because twice in the past three years, she has emerged with four little ones.

Look forward to 100 things about GingGong on the sidebar.

Friday, July 25, 2003

The boys at the branch have been busy. A baby is expected in the next week, another in September and a third in January. Lucky for me I've gotten ahead of them. Here's a peek at the next one:

It's curling so much that it's hard to photograph. When it's feeling flatter, I'll do a better picture.

I love this stitch. It's soooo easy, but with the slips and garter ridges it ends up with a lovely mix of texture and color.

Monday, July 21, 2003

Ooooh a new webring to join.
GingGong approves, as she will be photographed more often now.
Baby sweater all done, except for buttons and a block.

Almost didnt' finish due to huge amount of house cleaning to prepare for my daughters birthday party. We really didn't have to, as we left immediately for the circus, and then I tossed them out on the back porch to make baloon animals and eat hot dogs. They had a good time, and I didn't go nuts, so I call it a resounding success.

The circus was pretty good this year. Barnum and Bailey, 132nd edition. I wasn't too hot about the guy that danced around with the live alligators, but we got David Larible, who is just wonderful. Don't know how others feel about shows with dancing elephants, but this guy is worth the whole show. His "thing" is to pick people out of the audience, then does a skit with them. Sounds lame, but he's so expressive and skilled that it turns out both funny and amazing.

Thursday, July 17, 2003

The current baby sweater is close to finished. The arm below is complete, the other arm has about ten stripes, and will likely be done by the weekend. I got in the mood to sew in the ends, so she's much neater now. No picture today, but look for a FO on Monday.

Wendy did an editorial on knitting magazines today, and I commented back, and find I have more to say. By the way, like some unknown number of others I have coffee with Wendy's blog on a near daily basis.

I see the magazines as "eye candy" and like that they dribble in over the year. I go for years without making a pattern from any of them. That's not the point to me. I often put my own designs together by hacking bits from this and that sweater. Last fall I made a vest for my daughter, and took heart shape cables from a Knitters issue, and side cables from another pattern in the same issue, and did the sides in trinity stitch out of Barbara Walker. I especially love the issues that are over twenty years old. Even better, when my grandmothers died, they had knitting magazines from their knitting era. In fact, sometimes in the Vogue "Then and Now" pattern, I find a remake of a pattern from then. The ones my mother had from the sixties and seventies often had models holding cigarettes.

So, here is my not so secret wierdness. I take stacks of ten old magazines, and look through them in the bath room. I rotate them out about once a month. I'm loving the early 90's Vogue right now. My husband keeps car magazines there as well, but he throws his away when he's done.

I file by magazine type, and this is what I think of each one:
Vogue Knitting - I often can't see the point of most of their designs when the issue is published. However, five years later, they look really interesting.
Knitters - Seems to publish more unusual construction methods than the others. Love the Lilly Chin technical articles.
Interweave Knits - I have a hard time finding all the patterns here, as they have a lot of editorial material. They don't seem to shy away from extremely complicated designs.
Cast On - Not a lot of designs, but some of them are drop dead wonderful.

So, as others whine about the latest issue, I see them all as future inspirations.

Monday, July 14, 2003

High pressure knitting - who'd have thought? I started this project with two partial one ounce skeins of pink in the same dye lot, and another ounce in the same color, but a different dye lot. This is what happens when one buys odds and ends off of e-bay. So I knitted with courage hoping that maybe there was just enough of matching dye lots to do the bodice and edges. Whew, ended the button bands with about twenty feet extra. Now, since the pink stripes on the arms don't touch the rest of the piece the "Case of the Different Dye Lot" will be just between you and me.

Thursday, July 10, 2003

Well, another baby sweater will be my next project. This one is to use up some odd balls of baby yarn that have been in my stash. Don't know why I feel pressure to "use up the odd stuff", but I do.

This is "two color star stitch" from B. Walker's Second Treasury, done in three colors. I like this stitch. In fact, I used it for the Fluffa swatch

Arum is already given away to the work associate whose wife delivered five weeks ago. I gave it to him yesterday, and it was well admired. I love the "oooh, that will be a heirloom" comment. It makes me giggle. Family and baby are going on a car trip to the mountains, so they may put it on her, and send pictures. I'm curious to see if the buttons go in the front or the back.

Along the lines of knitting travel, the "On the Point" vest is leaving tomorrow for a cruise to Alaska. Lucky vest.

And, waiting for me in the mail - the Opal that Lisa so generously sent to me for helping her with her short rows. Thanks! Now, I'm thinking about socks for Christmas gifts. That is, once I stabilize on my baby sweater stash.

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

All done


I'm going on a business trip, and one of my work friends just had a baby girl. The baby sweaters our gone almost as soon as they I finish them.

I've gotten myself in funk trying to decide what to do on the trip. Another baby sweater maybe. I've pulled yarn in fall colors, and also have pastels. Use up those single skeins. I swatched for a vest, and the gauge came out nicely. The fabric looks like I intended it to look, but I'm not sure I like it. Henry8 is just too much to travel with, and I don't feel like swatching more from the GS vest. Humph.

I'll take Shiloh for a walk and think about it.

Monday, July 07, 2003

Almost done.

So, what to do next? Another baby sweater? I have always wanted a box already done so that the new mom or dad can have a lovely choice. Hasn't happened yet. I'm thinking blue on blue or green on green slip stitch. Maybe Paulina? I've got some great fuchia cotton blend that will likely work up fine. Or the vest for my sister for Xmas? Can't start too early on these things.

Power Shopping
Spent Saturday in the mall with my daughter. Apparently, a few girls at camp told her to do the world a favor and get those things growing on her chest under control. It's about time; I've mentioned it to her, but she rejected my suggestion that she may be growing up. So, now, she has found that an athletic bra will smash her chest back down to girlish flatness, and she is quite pleased. I found something for me and my new orange top while we were at it. Perfect!

Friday, July 04, 2003

Ah Ha -
A bad NIC card, fixed for $40.00 kept me distracted from work for most of yesterday. So, pictures:
The finished vest:


The button side of Arum:


The other side of Arum:


The pattern shows the model with the buttons in the back. I think whoever dressed baby gets to decide what side if front and back.

And what I put up with when I work at home:

Thursday, July 03, 2003

Arrrgh. Something is wrong with my laptop ethernet connection. Either a bad cable or a bad NIC, so no pictures today. Too bad, as Arum was off her needle briefly for a photo shoot before I picked up on the sleeve. Very cute. Maybe I can get them up over the weekend.

I KNIT FOR FOOD
I previously mentioned my friend at work who is an organic vegatable gardner. She had given me beautiful cucumbers and green beans in the past, but has a policy of not giving out tomatos, corn or peas. She cans the tomatos, and the corn and peas are like their special candy, and simply not shared. Well, I asked her about colors before I went on vacation, and told her I had something for her on Monday. I knit the "On the Point" vest from the Summer 1999 Knitters out of dark red a wool/mohair/acrylic blend. I put the final seam and buttons on it on Monday night, and gave it to her Tuesday. It fit beautifully, and was her kind of look, and she was delighted.

Well, she knew something was up, because she had a sack of veggies for me, INCLUDING tomatos, AND she sneaked a container of peas into my sack. So, here we are in the office, me jumping up and down over my peas, and she's trying to figure out how to wear her mohair vest in the hot hot summer.

This vest worked up very quickly, and was very easy. A great project to do when having to sit and chat with in-laws.

AND.... I'm a winner
Lisa had a question about short rows, and apparently my answer helped her out. Glad to help, and thanks for the blog plug. I'm really loving watching that cardigan grow up.