Christmas afterglow

Ugh, I am trying not to be SICK! I'm also getting ready to celebrate New Years in San Francisco. I hope there will be some good blogable moments. I should be stopping at a yarn shop or two.

Here is the adorable Snickers. The sweater was too small. She did wear it well. She is such a nutty character. She loves to run up your body and try to cuddle your head. I gave her a boost and found out that she has great balance- as you can see in the next photo.




































I look startled in this picture, but I was more amazed that she could balance on my HEAD!

















On the 26th I started a Clapotis for the long car ride. Plus, I casted on for Ice Queen and it went much quicker than I expected. I finished it today



This is Art Yarns Beaded Mohair & Sequins. Ultra super beautiful! A joy to knit, touch and wear. The pattern is fun and easy.

ok...back to the packing and Zicam

Clapotis

So, I guess I can't take a decent picture of my Christmas tree. Instead I will show you that, while I am wrapping presents I am also making a Clapotis. It seems to be going pretty quickly and is good for mostly-mindless knitting.



I will be posting pictures of The Yorkie in her sweater, we will open presents tomorrow night. I thought I'd share my photoshop skills with you in the mean time.











I turned this photo





Into THIS photo.

I think Evan and Rachel look so much nicer in front of the posh Christmas living room. don't you?

Back to the last minute preparations and the Clapotis knitting. Oh...if ya don't know.....it's pronounced Clap-o-tee. It's Frenchy.

dogs need sweaters...right?

This little sweater didn't take as long as I thought it would.



I didn't have a pattern. But, I did make a gauge swatch.




I used Encore DK that I bought on my yarn crawl.






I hope it fits little Snickers.





...off to make sweet treats!

Some Bunny

We had an evening of spinning at the yarn shop. I'd say that this bunny rabbit & friends were the stars of the evening! She sat patiently while yarn was spun from her wool. I found out that their fiber is called wool...I also found out that I get all itchy eyed in the company of these big bunnies.



Just thought I'd throw out some non Christmas content. I have no time to do all the stuff that I have to make time for.

I'm certain you, my dear reader, are busy polishing the mantle and making grandma's fudge recipe and won't miss any new posts from me. Although I am starting a doggy sweater and if it looks good enough to put on a dog I'll let ya see it.

Surprise Baby!

This looks like a whole lotta nuthin'. The Baby Surprise Jacket. I had been meaning to make this little gem for a long time. I just finished it and I must say that I think everybody should make one at least once. Actually, I think once you've made one you will make others! the miracle of it is that Elizabeth Zimmerman figured out how to make it in the first place!

behold with a little folding .....

we get a quite lovely little baby jacket. It's for the shop. I am planning on leaving this one unseamed and I'll make another one and stitch it up for comparison.

Cally and Judy...I posted... so leave a comment why don't ya!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few years ago my favorite Thanksgiving tablecloth and napkins shared the dryer with a black pen. I was so upset and mad ...there was black ink all over it. Then, I was frustrated when I couldn't find a suitable replacement. I used other tablecloths, but never really liked them as much as the ruined one.

This year, I am dressing the table with my best china and silverware that was my Mother's. The meal will be as sumptuous as always...

.. I'm using my favorite tablecloth with the ink stains.

To me it's just a little reminder that it's the people we sit with at the table that are important.

BSJ update

I think I am over half way through this little parabolic baby sweater. With the help of a spreadsheet I can check to see that my stitch count is where it's supposed to be.

It's a kooky pattern. That Elizabeth Zimmerman was a genius, I can't imagine how she came up with it. If you think you'd like to make one, click on the link to see and print the spreadsheet, it's very helpful.

He's Harley Knitting

There is no ordinary boring day at the yarn shop. This fellow was waiting out in front of the shop while his girlfriend was shopping inside. Somehow he came to our attention and I thought I'd take his picture. Someone else grabbed her knitting to put in his hands and this is the result! Matt is his name and I think he was awfully cooperative.

Baby Surprise Jacket

I cleaned all day today to get ready for Thankgiving. I hate housework. To reward myself I am enjoying me a little knit'n.

A student has asked for help with Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby surprise jacket. I have not made it before- So, I checked out the BSJ group on Ravelry and threw a little Marble on the needles. If you notice I have the yarn in my left hand. Normally I Throw, but, as an homage to EZ I am knitting Continental.

the other half of the skein

The cowl in my last post was made for the shop. It was pretty much half of the skein (145 total yards) I had to make something out of the other half and I wondered if I could get a hat out of it. As you can see there was yarn left over and the hat is plenty roomy. I used size 10.75 needles. I know that's an odd size, I bought it a long time ago thinking it might come in handy some day and this was the day! Two great gift ideas out of one skein of yarn.

Mountain Colors!

Here is a little neck warmer. You can make two of these with one skein of Mountain Colors, New 3 Ply Wool. I used a 10.5 needle and cast on 72 stitches. The colors are so lovely, this photo doesn't do it justice. It's a great quickie project.

A change in History!

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!

Today we can exercise our privilege as Americans,
to cast our vote for people and issues of great importance.
I love being an American and never more than on
election day.
Many have sacrificed so we can check a box
and be counted.
I hope you are reading this wearing an
"I voted" sticker.

Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Little doggies like to bark on Halloween Night

Young Snickers gave the kiddies a fright
Minnie took it in stride
We made the Yorkie go hide

had a Dog-Gone good trick-or-treat plight!

My October Yarn Crawl

Karen J. and I went on an yarn crawl. To celebrate my birthday. ...it was a knitter's day of fun. We tried to go to the Yarn Lady first, but they don't open until Noon. So, we went to this lovely cottage in Laguna. Strands and Stitches is a small but well stocked yarn and needlepoint shop. Cozy and friendly it's a nice shop for tourists. They didn't have a large inventory and there was no ordinary (cascade 220 like) yarn. For esthetics and cool yarn they get a 10. I got some Indie hand dyed sock yarn. Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio, hand dyed by Lori Lawson.


For lunch we went to a casual but quite posh restaurant right on the beach. Karen told me a juicy story that took place in this same little eatery when she was a young probation officer. Sounds interesting doesn't it? My lips are sealed!




Then off to The Yarn Lady. It's a big shop with lots of novelty yarn and lots of other good stuff. The ladies that work there are friendly. I bought a little DK weight Encore to make a sweater for a certain Yorkie that I know. And a mega fatty hank of super bulky yarn for which the ball band is currently MIA. Hopefully I am going to make a cool neckwarmer for a Christmas present and you'll all get to see it.


We stopped at this little place (The Red Bee) in Tustin, it was a little nicer than JoAnn's, but we didn't find any yarn we couldn't live without

Ok, this is one of the many isles in Velona. This large store is in Anaheim Hills, a short hop from the 91 frwy. The entire store is packed to the brim much like this photo...not to mention there is 5k square feet of yarn stored overhead! The stock is a little sad and tired. Some of the yarn is older than I am! But, Karen and I had fun wandering around and we did manage to find some goodies.
I bought a sweater's worth of a discontinued yarn that I love "Sir Galli" and another boat load of Jaeger Trinity. they are both white and 100% silk...read that "future sweater set".
I found a flexible tunisian crochet hook. A customer called our shop looking for one and I said I would try to find it. None of our suppliers had them, I was happy to find it and make our customer very happy.

Karen bought a Rowen book that is exquisite and increased her stash a bit too.

This store is not-to-be-missed on any yarn expedition to Orange County.

We were very tired by dinner time. We ate at a nice restaurant that shared a parking lot with Velona. It was a little high in the $ and calorie department, but oh so good!
I had a blast spending a day doing nothing but eating and shopping! Karen is a real pal... she is a true blue friend!

Look to the right! It's a free pattern!

ok, I have a real blog now. Over there on the right side bar is a PDF file with a pattern for a really easy lace scarf that is great for a beginner. Yep, that's a picture of it. The lace pattern is in chart form and in plain English. If you have trouble downloading it let me know.

....now if I only had a boat load of readers!

I went on a yarn crawl yesterday and will post the pictures soon!

I'm corny!

I can be pretty corny and I am knitting with yarn made from CORN! This sock will be a sample for the shop. I must say I really like this yarn. It's Kollage, Cornacopia. It is a little splity (is that spelled right?) but I didn't find that a deal breaker. The on the positive side, this yarn is soooo soft! Thumbs up!

Race For The Cure

This was my first time walking in the Race For The Cure. I was taken back by the number of participants. There were Corporate teams with matching t-shirts and kids cheering the walk/runners. A sea of pink everywhere. I was struck with emotion as my good friend and her daughter walked along with me, by the names and photos of the people affected by breast cancer. Like the lady in this photo...in memory of. So many representing those that have been lost along side of those that survive and rejoice.

Party shenanigans

Um, yes, this is a picture that I took this evening at a party I attended. Most of the people were drinking wine because they either work or hang out at Thornton winery. The parents of a neighbor came to the party after attending a local Octoberfest. Can you guess which ones they are???

I think there is something funny to be said in this post but I'm afraid the shot of tequila is keeping me from finding the funny.

It was a very good birthday week. Everyone checking in with love and a few nice gifties! Some of it was yarn to be revealed later!

55 reasons why it's a great day...

What's on my needles?

All the knitting bloggers have a free pattern and I wanna be just like the popular girls. I am making this scarf for an easy lace class for the shop. When I finish writing the pattern I'm gonna have it as a free download here. Just thought I'd give you a peek.

All in a day's work

Today was a crazy day at the yarn shop. We were busy busy. Lots going on including an automobile collision on the street in front of our window.

What I was struck with on my way home this evening is the humanity that is shared as we sit and knitted this evening...yes..there was a lot of laughing. But, in between the smiles were somber words. Of abandonment, stolen innocence, loss of a child, loss of family. No one is spared.

Sorrow is part of being human. We sit and the needles click click click and compassion is shared along with the stories.

It's more than just selling yarn.

stripey goodness

Hey! Here is the cardigan I finished last week, I love it!
It was fast and easy, I chose the top down pattern because I wanted those stripes to line up.
This yarn is Noro Taiyo, it's mostly cotton and silk with a little wool and nylon thrown in, very soft and yummy!
I made a few modifications to the pattern;
In the close-up bubble you can see that I changed the rib on the bottom to have an extra knit on both edges. When I later picked up stitches for the button band I didn't loose the rib pattern. I remembered to do that after I did the rib for the neck- so it has a k1 where it should have a k2.
I made the sleeves and the body a bit longer than the pattern called for. Also, the pattern wanted 28 repeats of the raglan increase- after trying it on I ripped back to 22 repeats.

Pattern is in Knit 'N Style magazine (April '08)
Cropped Raglan Cardi

Won't you be my neighbor

You know that your kid is all grown up when you are taking a picture of them beaming on the threshold of their very own house!
It's a little ridiculous to say that times flies by so quickly and that it seems like yesterday that both of these two were children. But here I am looking on them with pride and reminiscing.
My fair haired daughter now influencing the lives of other people's children in the classroom. And that dashing son-in-law of ours....he was but a schoolboy and now he's her forever boyfriend. They now have a Home-Sweet-Home

it is the American Dream.

Spa Shenanigans

So, a week or so ago, Karen and I went to the Allo Spa. It was an hour of reflexology. Oh my!! We loved it. They soak your feet in hot water with herbs for about 10-15 minutes while they massage the neck, shoulders, back and arms. Then they go to town on your feet!
As you can see in the photo, the philosophy of reflexology is that your entire body (and it's well being) is represented by places on your feet. Well, I don't know if that is true...but I did enjoy the application of this method. It did hurt at times. Plus, occasionally my "reflexologist", Meena, would stop and say in a charming Chinese accent, hmmm your rotator cuff....no good!











We will definitely be back. It was a bargain at $25 (plus tip) for the hour! I'd rather do this than have a pedicure any day, what do you think?

I finished my Noro cardigan I'll get photos of it up now that I've told you I will.

What makes a good wife?

My Score is 52 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

I guess I would make a good 1930's wife. Hmmm that doesn't seem correct. Evidently I am a good old fashioned kinda girl! Why don't you take the test and let me know how you scored.
(click that link above that says "take the test!")

I have been up to some other shenanigans and will be posting photos soon. But first I have to be a good little wifey and don my pearls and high heels and clean the house!

Must I be clever every time?

Thinking up a clever Post Title is the hardest for me. So many bloggers have such compelling titles. Too much pressure and I am not very eloquent. This post is a hodge podge.

The bracelet is finished and I'm really happy with it. I will make more of them even though it's rough on the wrists to knit the wire.

That gorgeous Passion Flower is in my backyard. It started out as a sad neglected and near dead little twiglet that Lowe's garden shop had reduced to $5. Now it is a robust monster, home to Praying Mantis and a slew of these luscious purple beauties.



I am well into my cardigan. I absolutely LOVE this yarn! Noro, Taiyo. It is so soft and the colors are Noro's usual spectacular spectacular!

Just like Kureyon, I am picking out hay like stuff as I go along.

I am also working on the Fair Isle felted Tote. I'll save a post on it for another day.

Tomorrow Karen J. and I are going for foot reflexology. I am mentioning it here so I will have the nerve to try and take pictures of the event. Will the Chinese reflexologists know what a blog is? They barely speak English.

knitting with wire

I have been busy this weekend. I made myself do some housework. I started the Fair Isle felted tote and the top down cardi. Before I post photos of those projects. Look at this fun little item. It's 26 gauge wire knitted on #2 needles. With a few beads thrown in. When I'm done it will be a cute little bracelet. It' not exactly fun to knit, though. Kinda hard on the wrists. But, it didn't take very long to get this far.

One for the shop and one for ME!

Finally, here is some knitting content! On the left is some Reynolds Lopi yarn. I am going to make the Fair Isle felted tote that is pictured in the pattern. This will be a sample for the shop.

On the right is Noro Taiyo. It is delicious. 40% Cotton, 30% silk, 15% wool, 15% nylon. What's not to like about that! I am going to use the Taiyo for the top-down cardigan pictured on the right. It is in the April '08 issue of Knit'N Style magazine.
Last night when I went to bed I could feel the cool promise of Autumn. Get ready kids, it's almost sweater weather!!!!!!!

A Summer wedding and a country garden

We went to a wedding reception on Saturday. The bride (on the right) met my daughter in the 1st grade and they were best buddies until we moved away when they were in the 5th grade. Now they are married ladies!




I took this picture of the happy couple, the rice looks great flying through the night air.




This reception was in the backyard of my friend Janet's house. She has a great crafty talent for making things look fabulous. Here is a look at her Secret Garden.






She dressed up the side yard of her Orange County home. She is very modest but I can say that her home is as delightful as this happy spot.





Don't you want a fountain like this? I do. So clever!



I have to explain what this is. Janet told her husband that the only thing she needed for her birthday was Time. Well, this is a photo of what he made her, it's a Sun Dial ...right under that flower in the center is the thing that casts the shadow. The markers on the bottom are the numbers for telling time. he researched how to make it accurate and gave her some "time". Very romantic!

I promise that there will be some knitting content soon!