Yarnophiliac

Dropped purls

2011-03-15T11:58:00.004-05:00

This weekend, I had the very exciting opportunity (yes, this is my kind of excitement) to teach my cousin and her daughter -- I call her my niece, and no one will tell me otherwise -- to knit. They truly were naturals! Now, however, I am home, and Nikki is an hour away and running into the occasional issue. The error that had her up half the night was a dropped stitch. Oh yes, she got the perfectionist gene. It runs strong in our family. So, I put together a video to help her pick up her stitches from the purl side, as that is the side on which she was working, as well as a video on putting in a life line. Hopefully, it will help out some other folks as well.
On a side note, watching the video I have realized that I desperately need to moisturize my hands. Yikes!

This was my first time making any type of a tutorial or video, so be gentle!

Getting ready for Fiber Festival

2010-11-04T07:44:00.002-05:00

...a little taste of what will be in the booth this weekend... http://www.thebige.com/ese/ESEEvents/Fiber_Festival.asp
Booth #446!
(Please forgive the poor lighting in the pic!)

Contest!

2010-05-28T09:53:00.002-05:00

Just a little quickie post -- How about a little contest? Looking for a name for a new lace yarn line -- 80% merino/20%silk. Lovely stuff (strong, smooth...love!). I'd love a name that evokes the wispy, ethereal feel of lace yarn, possibly something that is musical in nature, to accompany the 50/50 blend, "Ayre". Random name to be chosen from commenters gets a skein of the new line in your choice of available colors (one entry per person, please).
Also, if you haven't yet, head on over to the Facebook fan page to be the first to get news on all things Sereknity.

Thinking about color

2010-05-02T09:23:00.002-05:00

It used to be that I would go through my day thinking about color, or, more specifically, color schemes or colorways. I'd see a lovely flowering tree or a fantastical emerald beetle and begin plotting which colors to pull from the image, what dyes to use to achieve the shade, and what sequence by which to paint the skein. I still think in color, constantly, but there has been a great shift in emphasis. I rarely think in terms of sequencing anymore. The precise sequencing results in a truly variegated skein and is often best left to knits of a simple sort that allows the colors and yarn to speak for itself. A simple stockinette sock, in wild colors, that perhaps pools at whim, or creates lovely little swirly stripes can be a thing of fun and beauty. I have many of these colorways in the repertoire and love them dearly, but my mind just doesn't go there very often, creatively speaking, anymore.
Presently, I am mired in thoughts of semi-solid colors. Subtly shifting stitches of highlights and lowlights, and layers of color giving depth to each strand, enticing a glow of color from within. I am drawn more to colors that I would like to wear and those that suit the patterns that I want to knit. I must confess, I am not much of a sock knitter. I love hand-knit socks, and have a queue loaded with interesting patterns, and have even started a fair number of pairs. Finishing, however, is a whole other story. I am a sweater knitter. I can finish an entire sweater in half the time it takes to make a pair of sock. I tend toward more classic subtle colors in my attire. I love cables, and lace, and marvel at the development of stitch patterns within the knitted piece as they build row by row. I want yarn that compliments this, and enhances it, not yarn that battles for attention. I want yarn that I can paint with, in terms of stranded colorway designs, but that is also interesting enough in its own right.
I think I have made a bit of a reputation for myself for having bold, bright color. I worry if folks will feel some of that is lost with the introduction of so many colors in this new vein? (The established favorites are not going anywhere, tho, rest assured!) Certainly, that need not be the case! Bright and bold and clear -- colors that make me smile (I have always insisted on bright sunshiney colors for my umbrellas, to combat the gloom of a rainy day. My husband thinks I am strange.) -- will always be first and foremost in my mind, followed closely by rich, deep, equally bold but somehow more sophisticated tones that make me want to bite them. As I delve further and further into this art of fiber, I constantly find new and interesting things to try, and to perfect. It is never static. My goodness, how I love my job.
What inspires your knitting and color choices?

Overrun

2010-04-27T09:39:00.004-05:00

For the past week or two, most of my free time has been spent gutting the laundry room/tool room/craft pile/junk depository that abuts the studio. I have simply become so overrun with STUFF and stock and supplies that I can hardly move. Sadly, we (my family and I) are atrocious pack rats, and we have "stored" (losely used term for throwing crap upon crap upon good stuff now turned to crap) so many odds and ends from construction are renovation that really, are they worth it? A resounding "no" is the answer. The clean-out has allowed me to expand the studio a bit, and do some hefty re-organizing, but is certainly bringing out my tendency to overthink every. little. thing. Will the dye jugs be more useful stored in the laundry area or the studio area? What about the trays? Buckets? Should they all be together or split up? Do non-yarn craft supplies even belong in the studio? but if I put them in the laundry area, does that take up too much room for the jugs? and do the jugs really belong there anyway? and what about dyed vs. un-dyed stock? and stash? and and and ...
ahh! Brain explosion imminent. (And so I sit here and blog about it because I can't make a decision. doh.)
I have at least made enough headway that I can put some semi-solids to dye in their base color baths. Finally back to the color! Most of the week will be spent skeining, but I do have some Perfect ready to go, and about 10 lbs. of Verity. Now the color decisions (oh dear, not this again). I'm thinking I need to replenish Rock Lobster and Envy, and then Dionysus (a deeep plum purple),
Purple People Eater (Brighter "true" purple), Floozy (deep, hot pink),
Coal, and Caramel macchiato are all in the running. Or maybe some Margaritaville, or Fallin', or Forbidden Fruit?
Off to make some of those decisions! Pictures when all is said and done.
...and on the colors -- input is always welcome!

Promised linkies!

2010-04-24T15:43:00.005-05:00

First, my Clotilde...

...I love her so. You can find the pattern at Alison's blog or in her Ravelry store. She has such gorgeous things.
My Jaali, also by Alsion, has come much further along than this early picture, and is also being done in Verity. Find Jaali at Twist Collective!

My gorgeous friend Jackie has also knit a stunning Sassymetrical in Verity in the Envy colorway. (I'd post a pic, but haven't asked her yet, so y'all will have to use the Ravelry link -- and if you aren't on Rav yet, why the heck not? lol)

and then there are the up-coming fairs...
NH Sheep and Wool Festival, May 8th and 9th, Hopkinton, NH

Acadia Fiber Fair, Saturday, May 22

Maine Fiber Frolic, Windsor, ME, June 5 & 6

Fiber Revival, Newbury, MA (site is not yet updated, but bookmark it -- it will be!)

and
New England Fiber Festival, Nov. 6 & 7, in West Springfield, MA.

Hey, wow, look at that...

2010-04-23T07:16:00.002-05:00

...I thought I was going to have to do all kinds of crazy changes to the old blog here, but apparently this is not an FTP blog after all (whatever that is) and all my hesitancy to post was for naught. This is a good thing.

SO, been a while. Life, as always, has been a series of ups and downs coming at what seems to be break neck pace. On the business side, I have so much to tell you! On the personal side, much will be left unsaid, but know that the hubster and kids are great -- I could be completely obnoxious and subject you all to home videos, but I think I'll leave that special kind of torture to family for now. I will, however, say that much of 2010 was taken up with my son's training for his Black Belt in Shaolin Kempo (and boy did he train hard!) and subsequent success. I am so crazy proud of him, and at the same time glad the pressure is off. The girl is getting ready to enter middle school next year, and still singing her little heart out at any school event that allows. Perhaps some more drama training this summer?

As for Sereknity, I had a fantastic time at NETA Spa Knit and Spin once again this year (although I was in the throes of bronchitis for the weeks prior, during, and after -- that part? not so much fun). Unfortunately, due to my illness and some worry, illness, concern, and loss in our extended family, it has taken me far too long to get "back to business", but back I am! The Etsy shop is slowly being re-stocked and I even have new lines to list! I debuted two wonderful new yarns at Spa -- Verity, an DK 100% merino superwash that is my absolute FAVORITE new yarn. It is so springy with a fantastic twist, takes color beautifully (although I have found I have to work a bit harder to get the color to soak through to the middle of the twist, but it is oh so worth it)and it has great stitch definition. I am working on Alison Greenwill's Jaali from Twist in Rock Lobster with this yarn, and have also knit another design by Alison, Clotilde, using the Blue Lagoon colorway. LOVE IT. I have so many ideas for this yarn, and it a super versatile gauge. I have also brought in another new sweater yarn, Puro, a 100% wool heavy worsted. This is a perfect go-to yarn for just about any project. I am slowly working up a fun cardi pattern for this that should be ready by fall. Both yarns will be available in semi-solid hand-painted colorways. The Verity has been photoed and will be on the Etsy site by the end of the weekend and I hope to have the Puro up shortly thereafter. Bear with me, tho -- I am also getting the studio cleaned out, reorganized, and expanded to hold more stock and get ready for the boat loads of dyeing I'll be doing in the coming months.

On that note, in addition to a number of wholesale orders on the docket, I'll be vending this year at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival on Mother's Day weekend. Come see me! This is one of my favorite fairs, and I have always attended as my Mother's day Gift to myself, but finally chose to work it this year. For me, "work" is a bit of a misnomer for fair vending. The work is done getting ready for the events, and of course in the set-up and break down (but I have gotten that much more streamlined, and have had great help from friends!), but the fair days themselves -- love them! I have so much fun meeting new folks and seeing "old" friends that I usually walk away on quite a natural high. I am also slated to be at the new Acadia Fiber Fair (May -- ME), the Fiber Frolic (June -- ME), Fiber Revival in Newbury (August -- MA -- I could never miss this one!), and another new event in November that looks to be a big one -- the Fiber Festival of New England (MA).

A little note on patterns -- I'm working on them!! I had a few samples of some original Sereknity designs at Spa that got great reception. The various personal issues alluded to above have contributed to delays in publishing the patterns, but I also found some errors, esp. in the shawlette, after they were test knit. The cowl pattern will be published free here to the blog shortly, but I do want to work up a new version of the shawlette prior to publishing, to be sure the kinks are worked out. I promise -- it will be worth it! I have no desire to cause anyone frustration in his/her knitting, and the end results of the revisions make the garment just that much prettier. I also have a colorwork sock pattern (ring a bell?)that just wasn't making me perfectly happy -- and if you know me at all, it won't be a shock that I can't put it "out there" unless I am perfectly happy -- so that will be re-worked a bit once the others have been published. One step at a time, right?

But I am running out of time now, so I'll put up a separate post later today of pictures and linkies of all the good things mentioned above.

It's good to be back. :)

The Eyes have it

2009-03-20T08:17:00.003-05:00

The Eye of Jupiter took on a bit of a life of its own over the past few months, and has left me with much yarn and fiber to play with.
First, my socks (which for some odd reason, I just can't get done! Perhaps in subconscious protest due to the fact I don't want the show to be done?). Briefly, I am knitting them in the Classica merino/nylon base, they were started over a year ago (I'm just not a quick sock knitter), toe up, plain foot, scrap yarn for afterthought heel, Crusoe pattern for the cuff, two-at-a-time, magic-loop. And I somehow managed, once I picked them up again for "karate knitting", to knit the two socks together. See those little crossed over threads?

Yeah, not good. So a-tinking I went. How on earth did I knit 4 rows without noticing the socks were joined?
Then, there was the tam from my last post. It will be winging its way overseas to a friend who will get a kick -- and hopefully a lift -- from the bright colors.
Lastly, while vending at Spa, a customer in my booth pointed to this colorway stating that, "yeah, but when you spin it, it will look like mud." Being the obsessive person I am, I had to spin some for myself.
As with most space-dyed tops, the spinner actually has many options. The preparation can be stripped out randomly and plied together with little forethought, which may result in "mud" or can create a pleasant blending of colors, depending on the colors present in the top. It can be spun as a single, chain-plied to preserve stretches of color, or stripped in a conscious effort to manipulate the colors. I took a small length of the colorway and broke it out into color sections in an a-b-c-d fashion (yellow-red-orange-blue) as it was painted. Then, I took one length and split it in quarters and spun them in the same a-b-c-d order. Then I took another section and spun without splitting a-b-c-d fashion on a seperate bobbin, and then plied these together.
The result?
No mud!

I knit a fairly large swatch to show all the color shifts.

I do think if I were to make a larger garment, I would only strip the top in half, rather than quarters, to get longer sections of color, but I do think this technique would be great for entrelac. I am debating frogging the sample to make Quant. Or I just may have to spin out some other colorways to play with. What a hardship, huh?
(oh yeah, and guess what? I have a new wheel!! more on the next post)

Back in the Saddle

2009-03-06T13:22:00.007-05:00

Ok, so it has been a long hard winter (but hooray! today is the first day of Spring!). Ice storms, snow storms, illnessafterillnessafterillness. I have been laid-out sick four times -- twice with a stomach bug -- since Christmas, and the kids too many times to count. And when they haven't been home either sick or on another accursed snow day (and I haven't been confined to bed or the couch) I have been DYEING. While one wouldn't know it from stock in the Etsy shop, my little business has kept me very busy. I had the good fortune of being "Harlotted" for my homage to Battlestar Galactica (only 3 -- strike that -- 1! episode left!!) which certainly had me hoping while I was also trying to prepare for NETA Spa Knit and Spin. Busy, busy, busy!
In my silence, I have also been knitting. A lot. In fact I completed nearly two sweaters. The first of which is a major UGH -- made of Patons Bella on size huge needles I attempted to alter the pattern given for the yarn to knit in the round, top-down raglan with waist shaping.

Well, the neck is too tight, the shaping pulls in too much and shows too much belly, I completely messed up the increases, but did find a creative way to stitch over and make them look a bit more matching, but all in all this will be frogged. Buh-bye. I hate it, feel fat in it, and it hurt to knit on big needles with such bulky, heavy yarn. So much for stash busting.
The second sweater more than made up for this one, tho! I knit Francis Revisited in Artful Yarns Fragrance in a lovely deep teal and can't stop wearing it.

It fits beautifully, I love the collar (I didn't tack it down and knit it all on the large size needle. Worked just fine) and the yarn was delightful to work with. Love it!!
Sadly, I haven't felt perky enough for a photo shoot, so all you get is a poorly lit shot of it blocking with inaccurate color, but it is proof of completion!
I have also managed to crank out a few small samples knit with Sereknity Yarn.
(Again, I haven't hauled out the light box, so these photos may be lacking in the color accuracy department, although not too bad.)
First a lovely mitten created form the free chart for Swirly Mittens using a generic wool/nylon sock form the stash and a new color, Rainbow Ripple on the Shimmer base. LOVE THIS MITTEN.

I have cast on for number 2 and will get back to it soon (I swear!). I fear my little girl will run off with them when they are done.
Then, another new color, Winter of my Discontent (told you it has been a rough one) dyed on Perfect Sock and knit up into the Good Luck Cowl.

I used a size 6 needle as I didn't have a 5 in the correct length and it worked out perfectly, lightly blocked. The girl has stolen this one repeatedly.
I also had a remnant skein of Eye of Jupiter in Perfect and knit up a super quick little tam -- La Parisenne Beret by SockPixie.

Fun and easy, and I only used the one color as I wanted to see what the colorway would do. I do wish I had gone down a needle size or two for the ribbing, and perhaps knit it a bit longer. Unblocked, the hat wasn't slouchy enough, and blocked, the ribbing lost its stretch. BUT, it still sits nice and cute and casual on my head (esp. since I have a lot of hair) I just worry it will fall off, although it hasn't yet.
And lastly, I have started Wisteria! I love, love, love this pattern, although my own inattention and attempting to knit on it when I really, really shouldn't has lead to some tinking, I am nearly past the cable yoke section.

Yay! I am using the discontinued Adrienne Vitadini yarn Natasha in a so-pale-it-almost-isn't-a-color green. This yarn has so much life in it. It is very springy, the fabric is soft and spongy, and the halo just lovely. I love the soft effect it gives to the cables. mmmmm. I'm using size seven needles to get gauge (or so my swatch tells me) and knitting a size 40 1/2.
(Man -- wrote this post a week ago, and it has sat here waiting for pictures. So many new things to tell already! Tomorrow? Maybe even again today!)

Update

2008-12-20T08:16:00.002-05:00

Well, things are much better at my house, but I won't gloat as too many friends are STILL without power. I have many thankyou's to give out tho, to all the wonderful friends who offered help in the comments and also in e-mail. You guys are amazing! When leaving Gloucester, I got a small generator from my father to hook up to the furnace so Jim could have a better time heating the house fo rthe pipes and kitties,upbut exhaustion took it's toll and he had "issues" hooking it up and waited 'til the next day for help. A good friend came by the next day (Tuesday) to assess the situation and they managed to work out the electrics. Then, the fabulous blogless KellyR contacted me after the last post with an offer of a HUGE generator that she and her hubs brought up that was able to power nearly the entire house, so the kids and I came home Tuesday night. Internet and cable were intermittent, but who cares! We had heat and lights. No laundry, tho, so I spent the entire night at my sis-in-laws (she is away on vacation) doing laundry, dozing off on the couch between buzzers. Power was (of course) restored to our house Thursday morning and we have since returned the generator to Kelly in case we have more outages in the area since we now have a snow storm, with a nasty Nor'easter on its way on Sunday evening. The kids have not had school all week, and Monday and Tuesday are doubtful. We are slated to host Christmas dinner here at my house, but that is somewhat in jeapardy as my mom doesn't want to travel in the snow predicted for Christmas day. Such is life in New England. I also think I may bodily remove my friends and her children from their home if she does not get heat within the next few days. ENOUGH!
Good news? (Other than that I have electricity!) Jacob seems to be over his bout of ickiness. No pain for over a week now and we seems to be "in the clear." My Christmas shopping is nearly done (as is my bank account...ugh) and Christmas knitting is flying along, being left with little else to do. Both hats for my niece and nephew were completed and already gifted, my MIL's mitts are done -- even blocked with thumbs! -- the larger Kauni poncho for other niece #1 is done, and the oncho for the 2 year old is under way. Fair Isle stocking #1 1/2 done and moving along quite quickly. I'm debating casting on for the MArs scarf for my FIL I've swatched and feel I can get gauge with some nice stash yarn (although I don't like having to figure gauge in 2x2 rib. How much should you stretch it out?) but I just don't know if it can be done by Christmas eve. I'm going to cast on today and see how far I get and determine from there. I'll try to get caught up on pics soon, although I was a dork and forgot to photo the nephew's flame hat before he ran off to Ireland with it. Hopefully, he won't loose it on the plane and I can snap a modeled pic when he returns.

Things are not going well.

2008-12-15T08:20:00.002-05:00

And I'm not talking about the Christmas knitting -- that is moving along surprisingly well. Life, on the other hand, is throwing us far too many curve balls. Firatly, we have been dealing with some minor/major gastrointestinal issues with my poor little boy. Not an uncommon problem, apparently, but it has occupied many days of doctors appointments, ER runs, x-rays and days home from school and activities while we, umm, try to "clear up" the problem and keep his pain at bay. While in the midst of this, NH was hit with a major ice storm and my town is sadly one of the worst hit, with 95% of the town losing power on Thursday, with 60% still out as of Monday morning. The kids, dogs, and I have been vagabonds living on the good graces of friends and family since Friday while hubby does what he can (safely) to keep our pipes (and cats and rabbit) from freezing running a small propane heater at monitored intervals. He has been sleeping in a 47-55 degree house. LAst night while watching the news I saw footage of a National Guardsman warnigna Derry woman that it may be as long as 2 weeks before power is restored. Enough is enough! I am going to do my best to convince him to drain the pipes while I find temporary homes for the animals.
As one I'm sure can imagine, this also means a stand-still with dyeing. I'm very frustrated as I have a large order I had planned to get out the door by Christmas. At this point, I'm just hoping to be home by then.
Sorry for the downer post, but we can use all the good thoughts you can send our way. My heart goes out to all those WITHOUT a warm bed to sleep in.

In the works

2008-11-17T08:47:00.005-05:00

Oh my. My queue and work basket overfloweth. I am actually in the mood for making gifts, and am trying to capitalize on that urge. As it is for most everyone, money is tight, but I actually have many folks in my life whom I deem knit-worthy and I like them to know I think of them. That being said, I am nearly done with mitts started last year (the year of the fingerless mitt -- arg!) for my sis-in-law,

and have to re-start some made for my mom-in-law. I could not for the life of me figure out why the mitts I had nearly completed for her last year -- in the amazingly fantastic Acker's Acres Bunny Blend, bought in Maine -- were so darned tight. I had knit these mitts (my own Smocked Gauntlets -- see sidebar) 3 other times with no problem. Then I discovered that what I thought were size 3 dpns were 2s. Doh. So, they will be for Rachel, whenever I get to the finishing. I am debating using some lovely hand-spun for MIL instead, and perhaps a different pattern this time.
I am also working ponchos for my "nieces" in Kauni EQ on size 8s to make them nice and airy. The girls and their brother live in the Dominican Republic, which makes for difficult gift knitting! My cousin (their mother -- yes, that technically makes the kids my cousins, too, but we don't play that way...lol) has told me that the oldest girl still LOVES the poncho I crocheted her years ago before I knew better about yarn and anything, and that they could both use something lightweight for the cool mornings before school. And what little girl can resist a rainbow?

I've adopted the basic guidelines for the Very Harlot poncho and am throwing a few eyelet rows in for interest.
For my nephew, a Pokemon fan, I'll be picking up the hook again to make him a Pikachu doll, and am nearly done with a Mew for Rachel. I messed up the head, as it should have been in the round, but it will still work.

I'll know better for Noah's.

A scarf for hubby is in the works and nearly half done. I am making him the simple One Row Scarf (again from the Yarn Harlot). (Sorry -- no pic, but it is a very pretty green.) This poor scarf was started and ripped 4 times (in luscious Pear Tree merino) before settling on this design. I had really wanted to make him something super special, but I have little patience for scarves and needed this to be something completely mindless and painless so I could knit it at karate with out a chart to fuss with. My goal is to get this sucker done before the first real snow fall.

Then there are the hats. I have some gorgeous Kathmandu Queensland Aran in a tweedy dark charcoal to make a Gretel for my little sis (I want another one of these for myself!) and I am searching for a pattern to make another niece a hat and mitten set. I want them to have horses on them. (Off to Ravelry!!) I am also going to get working on new hats for my kiddos, a purple Cheetah Beret for Rachel and a hat of my own design for Jacob -- a Bakugan hat. Anyone with a school aged boy has probably heard of these toys, impossible to find in stores right now, and the latest obsession. I have taken one of Jacob's favorite "characters" (Fear Ripper) and charted out a reasonable facsimile, tested a swatch and am nearly good to go. I just need to pop into the yarn shop and pick up the preferred yarn in the right colors -- Debbie Bliss Rialto (nice and soft for the boy) -- and get moving. If it works out well, my young nephew here in the states will get one as well.
In the meantime, I whipped up a few slippers for the kids. They were just big socks, really, and took very little time at all.

Stashbusting for both, I used 3 strands of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes on size 10 needles for Jacob's (but am wishing I had used 2 strands of blue with the yellow and left out the sickly green) and for Rachel I used just over 2 balls of Patons Bella on US 10 1/2 dpns. Both were a cast-on of 24 stitches and then just a standard heel-flap sock from there. Nice, thick, and squishy.
In closing, I was going to say "that's it" but, well, this just may be a bit of an ambitious list, no? Oh well, no pressure. Christmas is only 35 days away. (And let's not forget that I do have to work. gulp.)

Saboteur

2008-11-13T10:38:00.005-05:00

Although I don't often discuss them here, my home is rather happily and warmly filled with company of the soft and furry kind. As I type, I am flanked on either side by my sleeping dogs, and two -- nope, make that three -- of the four family cats are lounging about in sight. The kitties love to "help" with my knitting by keeping my lap warm while I work at night or "guarding" the finished bits of sweater that they may find lying about by, well, lying about on them.
My darling BooBoo, the eldest of our brood, but who will forever be "my baby" as I bottle-fed and weaned him myself, has an interesting quirk. He loves shiny things. I have learned to hide my earrings and other bits of portable sparklies when removed as he has been known to steal these from my nightstand and bring them to the smooth kitchen floor for some hockey-type fun. We found quite an array under the refrigerator when we moved from our last house.
And then there is his protege, Bella, who once, as a 5 month old kitten, bit the earring straight off my ear and swallowed it, earning her a $700 trip to the ER to scope it out.
Given their history, it is a complete wonder that I sat dumbfounded staring at the blocking pieces of my Drops jacket, pins all scattered and askew.
The had been perfectly pinned.

Not an extra pin in site.

BOOBOO. From now on, the kitties get locked out of the room when anything is blocking.

I've been productive

2008-11-11T08:18:00.003-05:00

Although I have been silent, I have been productive. Very productive. In fact, I have two sweaters to show you!
The first is from Cecily Glowick and labeled in Cast On Magazine in the Nov 2007-Jan 2008 issue as the Irresistable Sweater, but on Ravelry is listed as Cable and Lace Pullover. No matter what it is called, the sweater is fantastic. It was a super quick knit, too! I worked this one up in 15 days. 15! I used a yarn, Jo Sharp Silk Road Ultra (mmmm...merino silky goodness. I am obsessed with this combo), that knit up to a larger gauge and didn't want to drop needle sizes and sacrifice the fabric quality, so I did a little math (yes, me and math -- who woulda thunk it?) and knit the smallest size in the round, eliminating the stitches allowed by the pattern for seaming. As I always do, I also added a few inches in the body for length. The only other alteration I made was to drop to an even lower needle size for the final few rows of the neckline to bring it in more, as I am still contemplating the addition of buttons. Without, I can still wear the sweater very comfortably (with a top underneath, which is a given anyway, considering the openness of the lace in the body. I'm not that daring, nor would anyone want me to be! I do wish I had made the body a tad less fitting, but am going to block it a bit more aggressively with the next washing. Or do some sit-ups.

The other sweater, also knit in an insanely short amount of time (for me, anyway) being done in just 20 days, was the ever popular Drops Jacket #103-1. I have worn this non-stop since I have knit it as my fall jacket, as it has been cool, but not cold, here in the northeast thus far this fall. I pushed this up in the queue, even tho I have swatched (and shopped) for a few other sweaters, as I really, really wanted to get to wear it for the fall. Taking the lead from my lovely friend Jackie, I worked this one up in a lovely red Lopi purchased at the JCA Warehouse sale (I got the Silkroad here, too) for pennies on the skein. I think the whole sweater cost me about $12, before buttons. This sweater had no business fitting me at all, frankly, as I was a very naughty knitter and didn't swatch a bit with a yarn I knew would not get gauge. I knew Jackie had come in between the worsted gauge and the bulky gauge for her jacket, and blocked pretty aggressively, so I went up a needle size and knit a bigger size in the pattern (Jackie and I have somewhat similar size requirements up top, although I'm sure my butt would eclipse hers!), figureing if it was too big, I could felt it down a bit -- not a bad thing for a jacket. Well, no need. The darn thing fits me freakishly well. The pictures are terrible, but I did once again add length and stuck with the 3/4 length sleeves, as that is part of the styling I fell for in the original. I picked up buttons for the sweater from Jenny the Potter while at Rhinebeck and they are just perfect. (She was a doll, too!) I finally got the hang of seaming, I do believe, and I was glad to try it out on this project (although I did knit the sleeves in the round, to make them go along quicker) and I am glad for it. I have Jaali in my immediate queue and really want the seams on that one to look just right.

I think that is all for today, but i have so many more things to tell you! I may space them out over the next few days, but no promises. :)

Mad skillz

2008-09-24T09:03:00.003-05:00

So, my needle arts mania has found some far and wide applications this year, and apparently has set me up a notch or two in the opinion of my children, or at least my son. After many a stuffed-animal surgery to repair split seams, my son definitely sees me as his go-to-gal when something -- especially that of the soft and flexible variety -- has come undone. Is it odd that I felt a trifle of pride when he brought home a hacky-sack from a friend at Cub Scout camp that was in need of repair? His friend was forlorn over the unraveling of said sack and Jacob piped up that his mom could fix it (queue the hero music). Cursory examination proved it to be crochet so I got out my tiniest hook and some coned cotton weaving thread (no, I don't weave, but I was a mad cone-yarn stasher for a while. Don't ask.) and went to work.

Not bad, eh?
Then there was the trampoline. The beloved trampoline. The well worn and time tested trampoline. Sadly, the precious injury-preventing net is getting old and brittle and has given way to quite a few holes that just get bigger and BIGGER. Gaping is a word that comes to mind. Stash diving once again to turn up some old black wool/cotton blend and hook in hand, the holes (one about 6 feet long) were summarily repaired. Who knew a little crochet could save kids from a few potential broken bones, and my pocketbook from the price of a new net?

And I get to be super mom. Life is good.
In other wonderful, happy business news, Sereknity Yarns are now live at The Loopy Ewe! YAY! And I also got word that Sereknity was also selected as a vendor at Spa Knit and Spin 2009. Again, YAY! Hope to see you all there.

I'm a very. very. bad girl.

2008-09-19T12:08:00.003-05:00

Ummm...I recall last post mentioning that I had slightly fallen off the no-yarn-buying wagon and was mostly resisting casting on new projects. Remember that? Yeah, not so much, anymore.
First, I went to the JCA warehouse sale in Townsend, MA. And may I say, considering the offerings, I showed amazing -- AMAZING -- restraint. AND I went in with a list! No willy nilly stashing for me! Well, not totally willy nilly. I got two bags of Jo Sharp Silk Road Ultra in a gorgeous brown to make the Irresistible cables sweater by Cecily Glowick from Cast On Nov2007/Jan2008 (listed on Ravelry as Cable and Lace Pullover) that I have been dying to knit, and just waiting for the perfect yarn (I can't believe no on else on Ravelry has knit this!); 2 bags of Adrienne Vitadini Natasha in a pale, pale celery that will either be Wisteria or Sunrise Circle Jacket, a bag of Fragrance in the most be-a-utiful teal that may become Slanted Neck Pullover (yeah, Kate is kinda my go-to-gal, her and Norah G.!), and lastly 4 kit bags of Lopi that had 3 skeins each for $7 that I will use to make the Drops Jacket 103-1. Yes, I went with my list of projects and yarn requirements. But, well, Sunrise, Wisteria, and the Slanted neck weren't on it - but they are in my queue!
And even tho I have cast on my sleeves for Eastlake (this is for knitting at the shop), and Jacob's sweater (easy, mindless karate and soccer knitting, getting close to the divide for the sleeves), and I have started Jim's scarf in an abbreviated version of Kinetic (this one is kicking my ass for no good reason. Time out!), and I have numerous mittens and such to finish from LAST year, I cast on my cable and lace sweater.

LOVE.
I am almost at the point of starting the yoked ribbing, which means putting the rest on hold while I knit the sleeves. I'm debating a provisional cast on for the sleeve openings, and knitting them down, but we'll see. That decision will be made tonight, as I only have one more cable repeat to go. I LOVE this sweater, the pattern, the yarn -- everything. I have made a few minor modifications and am hoping I have judged my gauge properly. The Silk Road Ultra knits up to 12 stitches over 4" on size 10.5US needles and I decided to run with that rather than try to get gauge on smaller needles so as not to sacrifice the feel of the fabric. I am knitting in the round, rather than flat, eliminated 2 edge stitches each side on both the front and back since there will be no seams and am knitting the smallest size. If my math and gauge -- and estimation of what size I truly am -- are all on target, I'll be happily wearing this sweater by next week. YAY!
Now to go sit in the corner for being so bad. But I'm taking my knitting with me.

Phyllo finished!

2008-09-10T10:44:00.003-05:00

o.m.g.
I finished my sweater and I am in love. I don't know whether I love my sweater or Norah more. Genius! But, you all knew that. I wanted a more fitted sweater than the original pictured version (the pattern is from Norah's inspiring book, Knitting Nature) so I knit the smallest size (I am a 38 inch bust) and the resulting sweater has just the look I was going for. It skims the body very nicely without being either tight or baggy. It also came out to be the perfect length for me. I normally add an inch or two to everything I knit to elongate my rather short waist, but I only added about 1/2 of an inch on this knit. I did knit it in the round, and fretted greatly over the front shaping, wondering why Norah would want a decrease across the bust (it isn't actually -- it was just under the bust and does create a nice shape). I decided to trust the master and go with it -- so glad I did) and if my mods for doing this in the round were done properly, but it came out just right in the end. What a quick and easy knit. I did knit the arm sections first and am so very glad I did. Once done with the very long and mindless portion of stockinette for hte body, I had only to join the sleeves and begin the yoke -- I think if I had to knit the sleeves after the body, I may have severely stalled out.
So, here it is -- photos courtesy of DonnaH -- thank you!

I used just under 10 balls of Cascade Pima Tencel -- 10 balls! I had greatly feared running out, and had 3 shipped to me by a wonderful Raveler in Canada who had the same dye lot, but turns out I needn't have feared. I do love this yarn, tho, and will certainly find a use for the remaining three. Perhaps a shrug for Rachel. She likes purple. My only critique of he yarn is that it does shed -- a lot. But, I haven't washed it yet (bad knitter) and I'm hopping the first wash will solve a lot of that.
finishing a sweater always leads me to a grand mal case of startitis, and while I have SOMEWHAT resisted the call of the needles, my queue (and stash) have grown. I did cast on a sweater jacket for Jacob out of some Lion Wool that has been languishing in the stash for this purpose.

Jacob LOVES yellow, so when I saw this wool, and the Jacob-approved companion colors, on clearance at my local W-big-you-know-who-store, I grabbed it. My search for the perfect pattern to fit the insanity in my head cannot be found, so I'll be designing this one myself. Nothing earth shattering, really -- a top-down raglan zip-hoodie, but the differences will be in the details. I may want to submit it somewhere if I am happy with the results, so pictures will be scarce.
Also cast on was the incredibly gorgeous Eastlake sweater from Norah's Norah Gaughan Vol. 3 in the very un-original (for this knitter) choice of yarn and color as that of the original pictured sweater.
I NEVER do that. But, well, Norah knows best, and the marriage of design, fiber, and color just couldn't be beat. HAD to have. I am knitting the sleeves first onthis one as well, as much to be as swatches as anything, but I do like getting the sleeves out of the way. (I did some swatching already, so fear not, but I'll double check after washing the sleeves, I appear to be right on pre-washing, and that is just where I want to be for this one, given the size I am knitting). I bought all at the Yarn and Fiber Co and that will be my in-store knitting. I really had a hard time deciding whether or not to cast this on first or Alison Green Will's Jaali from Twist (for which I have the MOST scrumptious Stacy Charles Dynasty in an amazing wine color, purchased at Sit N' Knit in CT), but Eastlake won out for now, but I have a feeling I just might end up with the two going at once. Of course, I also have that scarf I need to knit for the hubby...and we won't discuss the socks.
In other news, there has been a major update over at the etsy shop -- and I stil have more and yarn to list, so be sure to check it out! I do have multiple quantities of most items, so be sure to PM me if you need more for your project.

The Knits...

2008-08-29T12:39:00.003-05:00

So, yes, there has in fact been some knitting. I decided to jump in on the Ravelympics/WIPs Wrestling as a push to finish the interminable Hip in Hemp skirt for Rachel. I promised her it would be done for the first day of school, and it is! Here she is, very reluctantly modeling it pre-blocking.

It took me while, but once I dedicated myself to the project, the stitch pattern eventually became intuitive and my only real complaint is that the designer has the knitter both starting a lace row AND changing colors in the same row. Not Good. This may for some very messy joins. I was also dreading weaving in all the ends (which ended up to not be so bad at all, and I used the joining to fix some of the nasty gaps in the lace where I joined) until, 3/4 of the way through, wonderful Kate showed me the proper way to weave in ends as I go. Oh, Kate, where have you been all my life? I had to devise my own method of picking up the floated strand on the next row so it didn't hang in the middle of a lace eyelet, but it worked well, and I didn't have to deal with those ends in the end. My advice, tho, would be to knit a row when joining the new color, and then start the lace pattern. Or use Kauni. Wouldn't this skirt be great in Kauni EQ? I also ran a few yards short on the yellow in the last yellow stripe, but one nice jogless join with the subsequent purple, and no-one can see the difference. (and of course, it is in the back!)
As for the Ravelympics, I had bound off the skirt on Friday and let it sit thinking I had plenty of time -- 'til Sunday! -- to finish weaving and blocking, totally oblivious to the time difference. DRAT! But no matter, it is finished. And we won't discuss the socks I hoped to get to as well. Won't. Discuss.
Other "accomplishments" have been the beginning of yet MORE socks (born of a desperate need to try out my own colorways) and the beginning of the Phyllo Yoke Pullover by Norah Gaughan (goddess). The socks are Aquarium colorway on the left in Perfect, and Eye of Jupiter colorway on the right, in Classica.

The Phyllo is being knit in the most gorgeous of plum/eggplant purples in the lovely Cascade Pima Tencel. I bought this yarn originally in the Webs warehouse the fist time I went to see the Harlot talk. Unfortunately, my memory betrayed me as I blithely cast-on thinking I had 20 balls of the stuff. Nope, 10. AHH! Ravelry and a lovely Canadian knitter to the rescue. I found a lovely knitter who was willing to sell me her 3 balls of the same color and dye lot! I should have more than enough now.
As for the socks, the Aquarium socks were cast on simply to see how the dye method worked out, but will likely be for Jacob, provided they fit. They are a bit loose in the leg, but by the time they are done they will likely fit just fine. ;) The Eye of Jupiter socks were talked about here and, well, I didn't like them and did frog, settling instead on a cuff using the Crusoe pattern from Knitty.

I like them much better now, and am determined to maximize the yarn by knitting well into the leg. Sadly, I get really, really bored knitting 2 at a time -- why is that? -- so they haven't been touched for a while. Now that we'll be back in a routine with the kids school and activities, tho, I'll make these my karate/waiting room knitting.
I'll be working steadily on the Phyllo for now, tho. I have sooo many gorgeous patterns in my queue that I want NOW and have promised hubby we will hve a scarf this winter (bought the yarn, too!) and now that I have finished Rachel's skirt I owe Jacob a sweater and ...and...and... well, you get the picture.

My summer, in pictures...

2008-08-28T10:52:00.004-05:00

...So, just what has kept me away all summer?

(This last picture and more is now winging it's wat to the Loopy Ewe! Yippee!)
So, yeah, been a little busy -- and loving it! A good deal of this yarn and fiber will soon be making it's way to the etsy shop and Sereknity.com as well. Now that the kids are heading back to school, I can work in earnest on the web-site. More on that soon!
Hope you all had as great a summer as I did!

Talkin' 'bout my girl...(and yarn. Always yarn)

2008-06-04T14:59:00.005-05:00

I'm squeezing in post between activities and e-mails and orders -- aren't you happy? Stay tuned for the fibery goodness, but first you must suffer through the cuteness of the kiddos...mwoohaha! Yesterday was one of the happiest of all happy days...my little girl's birthday. sigh. I love that kid. She turned nine, and a lovely little nine year old she is. As luck would have it, it is spirit week at her school and yesterday was "Hollywood Day" so my little star got to dress up as, what else? A Cheetah Girl. The before picture, attempting to convince her silken bone-stright hair to do something else...

and the next morn, resplendent in all her Cheetah-licious glory...

(Little brother is sporting a quickly sewn/thrown together Luke Skywalker, Jedi, costume.) She fairly squeed when I produced eye shadow for her to wear. She's such a girl! This weekend, after her first-but-certainly-not-last play performance, she'll have her family party along with her little cousin, and then next weekend, the house will be invaded by 4 other lovely little girls for a slumber party. Wish me luck!
On the fiber front, I have resurrected the Hip in Hemp skirt, and am enjoying it this time around, and it is now the main project of choice.

I have found that the length will be a bit lacking for the size 8 (hmmm...she is nine now...ooops) but she is quite thin, so I am just adding repeats to match the size ten in length. I do hope I have enough yarn. Blogless DonnaD had suggested I switch to Addi lace needles as the M1 left and right stitches, and knitting through the back loops were driving me crazy with this yarn (lovely stuff, but not forgiving like wool). What a difference! I have to say a miss a bit of the slickness of the regular Addi's as the yarn does really stick to the lace needle finish, but it was likewise slipping off too readily with the regular turbos, and the points FAR outweigh the stickiness issue. I wonder if Knit Picks Options would be the perfect choice for this project? One of these days, I will get a set and find out. I am even considering knitting another one of these skirts out of a skein of Kauni EQ (the rainbow colorway) that I have in the stash for the Girl for the winter, and the best part with that will be NO ENDS. I am going to have quite a few ends to weave in at this point.
I've been dyeing quite a bit for upcoming wholesale orders and took the opportunity to try out a new base yarn I think I will be carrying -- a 60% seacell, 40% silk lace/lt.fingering weight yarn (700yrds to 4 oz. -- what do you think? lace? fingering? hmmm) I was skeptical as to how it would take the acid dyes, but I am rather pleased so far! It does take color less deepy than wool (esp. superwash) as I expected, but there is no fading and bleeding and it DID TAKE. I stuck a little bitty skein (less than an ounce) in with a pot of Black Pearl, and then knit it up into a little Perdita Bluebell bracelet. The grays and blacks came out lovely, but the blue in the colorway doesn't show up well, but that could just be where it was in the pot. (I have another skeinlet that I hand-painted today, so I'll see how those colors take. ETA -- it is drying but looks great! no bleeding, not a bit of color in the rinse -- yay!) To knit with though, this yarn is just lovely and so soft when blocked! I can certainly see making a full shawl of this. I will order some to have dyed and ready for Revival this summer. Really, really great stuff. (Horrible, horrible picture). I used swarovski crystals for my Perdita instead of seed beads. Love those crystals.

Lastly, I frogged the RPM cuffs of the Eye of Jupiter socks and instead started Bellatrix (designed by the late and very, very great MommaMonkey, Gigi Silva).

And I screwed them up. I didn't knit enough plain rows between pattern rows and the resulting sock will be all loose and bunchy at the ankles. So, they will be frogged again. I do like how the drop stitch pattern plays with the colors, tho, so I may continue with this stitch, but perhaps put 4 knit rows between pattern rows instead of the called for 3. I'll do the dirty deed tonight, I think, if I don't make it to knit night. (Another Brownie meeting. We've been so darn busy lately that I just haven't had the energy to go back out once I've gotten home.) Unless, of course, I do go and Laurin is there...I just might have to let her pull out a few rows. She really, really loves frogs. lol

Popping in

2008-05-27T09:09:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a while, and I can't say it won't be another while before I post again. (a little note -- I did attend NH Sheep and Wool and just want to say OMG, I had a fantastic time seeing everyone! I was there from about 11 to 5, and saw so many wonderful people -- some major surprises, too, in the form of old friends from my home town -- I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY WERE KNITTERS! Let alone spinners! yay for hometown girls! I confess I browsed lots and shopped little, as I need to be good. This is a recovery year for us. And I took no photos -- bad blogger! but you all know I love you!) This is the crazy, crazy time of year for me. SOOO many year end activities for the kids -- cub scouts cookouts, girl scout outings and ceremonies (I'm her leader -- yikes), soccer, the ever present karate classes and graduations, a play, BIRTHDAYS (apparently there were a lot of little girls born in the spring of 1999, and not only does my Ladybug know them all, but she is one), and, and, phew! I'm out of breath already. This also is the time of year when the wholesale orders come in in earnest, plus I will have my own booths and store to stock, so yeah. I may be silent from time to time! I can't wait for camp. I am in a rush to get everything done before we leave for a two week respite once school is out. And you can bet the wheel, some choice fibers, and a few select knitting projects will be packed along.
I did finish the boob sweater, and it is quite cute, but as today is set to hit 80 degreess, I am thinking it will be put away 'til Fall. I did crank out some very quick little socklettes for the Girl a few weeks ago, and try as I might to convince her that they were just too big around and I should finish them for me and make her a different pair, she just wasn't having it. Smart kid. (This yarn is crazy nice.) I used a remnant skein that had been dyed in the Maui Sunset colorway and cast them on mostly as a sample to see how the hand-painted technique would stand up to different stitch patterns. I just don't have enough pictures of my yarns to show.

I did the cuff in a regular ribbing to start on 64 stitches (sz 1.5 needles) and then went into 2 repeats of the Monkey pattern.

I was so happy at how well it still showed the pattern and there was no crazy flashing -- something I don't always mind, but I know a lot of knitter's go crazy about. (Sock #2 is done, and looks exactly the same, so I didn't bother her for another photo shoot.) I then did an Eye-of-partridge heel and half way down the foot reduced to 60 stitches, then knit on to the toe, all stockinette. I am pleased, and so was The Girl.

Yes, it pooled around the heel and gussets, but again I don't mind and it is to be expected, quite frankly, when you have SO many more stitches in that area. The best way to avoid this, if it bothers the knitter, is to throw in an afterthought heel, so as not to interrupt the stitch count and flow. (More on this later.) The yarn is my Shimmer bamboo blend and it, Perfect, and Satin are all dyed on the same length skein, although each will prob knit to a different gauge. Classica and Good Harbor come pre-skeined in smaller circumferences. The circumference on which the sequence is painted plays into the patterning, as does gauge and stitch pattern, so there is always a bit of mystery. Any three, four, or five knitters could pick up the same skein I used, cast on the same number of stitches on the same needles, and get different results based on their tension. To me, that is the fun of it all!
I've also bee working away on my Eye of Jupiter socks and decided to go toe-up, 2 at a time, 64 stitch circumference on 1's in a stockinette foot with the cuff to be decided later. I have thrown waste yarn in these for an after-thought heel. (see? no pooling interruption.)

I was anxious to get into some patterning on the cuff and I really, really don't like a short-row heel (read as "I suck at it") so this is a great option for me, with, of course, the added bonus that if I wear out the heel, I can just rip it out and replace it! I'll get photos of the process of putting the heel in, but it is easy-peasy. I finally landed on the patterning from RPM for the cuff, but i have to say I'm not loving it. I'm slogging along for now, but slowly, since I'm not sure if I want to change. The knitting and the look just aren't really doing it for me. Stinks to be fickle.
I did update the shop a bit on Saturday, and have a few more things to list today -- including some special orders -- so I think I'm gonna bring the puter outside to my front porch and hang out with my puppies in the fresh air while I work. Yeah, I may be busy, but this life has it's perks.

I'm so steeking excited...

2008-05-09T07:18:00.004-05:00

I cut my first steeks! I'm so thrilled with this technique and am so glad I gave it a whirl. And you know what, I think I might actually like this little sweater. It definitely says, "Hey, look at me! I have boobs!"

(Holy crap is this a bad picture, but you get the idea.)
Thankfully, it becomes a bit more tame when worn over a nice button down shirt, as I intend it to be worn.
Here are a few picks of the big moment, after sewing the edges with the sewing machine.

I have yet to pick up the stitches for the ribbing around the armholes, but the neckline is complete. Then, I need to figure the best way to finish the messy insides, (crochet?) but they are secure, and, hey, I've been known not to weave in ends and just tuck them in, so who knows? It isn't really about being lazy,just impatient. I want to wear what I've done!
The other reason for my great excitement is that the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival is TOMORROW! I can't wait, and will be searching for you all there! Yippee!
Do you think someone had too much coffee this morning?

LOVE!

2008-05-05T09:09:00.004-05:00

YAY! I love, love, love my new shawl! Yes, the Big Red Blob is a blob no more. I was very concerned when it came off the needles that it would be much smaller than I wanted, but no beed to fear. It came out to a fantastic 78inch wingspan so it wraps around me perfectly and stays put. Also, I ended up loving the lighter spots in the uarn. They give just the right amount of variation. I did not have any desire to do the crochet edging, so I instead looked up (on Knitty) the instructions for a picot bind-off and applied this technique. It gave the shawl just the finished look I was aiming for -- a little bit of detail, but nothing too fancy. This is my "casual" shawl. There isn't a single thing about it I don't like. Wanna see?

Next up, I am finishing the little vest that will need to be steeked. I'd like to have it for this weekend as it looks like it will be a bit chilly and may well be the last opportunity I will have to wear it. If the weather holds out for Saturday, I'll be wearing the red shawl, if not, my vestie (under a coat!) at the NH Sheep and Wool. (So who's going?) I fully intend to be there ALL DAY and come home with a nice fleece or two. What is it about spring that makes me crave fleeces and my drum carder? We will be camping again in Maine soon and I have promised to bring my wheel and teach the owner how to spin, so i need to have plenty of supplies and options, right? After all, we will be there for two whole weeks this time! Gotta stock up. :)
(also -- for those who have yarn on order, esp. my Eye of Jupiter fans, I am working on it starting...now! the kids have returned to school today after their vacation, and the yarn has been soaking, so I have a full few days of dyeing ahead. )

Technical difficulties...

2008-05-01T15:25:00.002-05:00

There may be some wonky things going on with the site this afternoon. Fear not! We haven't crashed, nor disappeared. Hubby is updating the shopping cart and I am hoping this fixes some of the bug people were running into registering and checking out. Thanks for your patience! It shouldn't be long.
(knitting note -- on the LAST REPEAT of the BRB...hoping for some photos off the needles by tomorrow!)

Ummm...been a while...

2008-04-28T18:45:00.004-05:00

How are ya? Soooooo...I don't have all that much to tell ya! What have I been doing? hmmm. Well, we have been busy doing yard work ( I am DETERMINED to have a nice yard this year; the past few years have focused on interior and structural renovations, so the yard went TO HELL). Spring cleaning, even. I know -- don't fall over. I said at the beginning of the year I was re-dedicating myself to my home. I meant it!
Lest you be worried that I have entirely gone to the dark side, don't be. It ain't spotless (yet?) and I have been spending equal amounts of time with the kiddos and the yarn. the little girl and I had the most amazing weekend the week before this last when daddy and J went on a sleepover on a battleship with the Cub Scouts. (Needless to say, they had a glorious time, but "sleep"over is a bit of a misnomer.) I gave R the choice of a sleepover at her cousin's (with mommy in tow) or time alone doing anything she wanted. She chose ME and didn't care what we did. Stay home, hang out. Get girlie. So that is what we did, with the exception of going to dinner. We hung out, snuggled, and she slept in my bed after a movie and we chatted and just spent time together. Best time ever. sigh I love that kid.
On the knitting front, I am still plugging away at the BRB (Big Red Blob) and have forsaken the vest for this. I am a bit sad about this, as I am anxious to cut those first steeks, but I really, really want the shawl done for NH Sheep and Wool. I think I'll be moving onto the final border leaf portion in the next row or two, so, provided the kids let me have the time (it is vacation week) I'll have it done in a few days. Then for the blocking and a vigorous de-hairing! My poor boy Chewie is shedding like crazy and his fur is ALL OVER this shawl. I still have not found just the right comb to help me harvest this furry goodness, either (yup, I want Chewie mittens).
I have been dyeing, and have a few fun new colors to show you. I have to say, tho, don't ever come here expecting to see too many calm or neutral colors. I'm finally embracing the fact that I just like. bold. color. CRAZY color. Seriously -- it's socks! why the heck not?? Sure I have some respectable colors (Gothic Rose, Black Forest Fudge and the new Black Pearl), but the wild ones really charge me up. Take Kismet, for instance.

Or maybe the all new Barbie Girl.

I'm tickled that camping season is on its way, so I also came up with this... (Campfire)

And the BSG inspired Eye of Jupiter (presently sold out on etsy, but you can order it here.

I cast on these socks in EoJ the night before heading down to WEBS to see the Lady herself.

I have had this colorway running around in my head since catching up on all th episodes I had missed during a Sci-Fi marathon, and Friday got down to it, knowing Stephanie was a fan of the show and wanting to bring her a little something. I know what a long day it is for her signing and wanted to make her smile the way she always makes all us knitters smile. She seemed thrilled. I hope she likes how it knits (tho I fear they aren't really her colors). In case you had any doubts, she was as funny and charming and wonderful as always. And a big thank you to Caroline for driving and to her, Chris and Ericka for such wonderful company. Oh, and Chris...YARN FIGHT!!!

Kickin' in

2008-04-07T08:24:00.003-05:00

Well, the antibiotics have done their job, and I am 98% back to normal and getting very restless now, anxious to get back to the dye pots and insanely trying to tame the carnage that has beset my house. I did five jumbo loads of laundry yesterday. I have been writing down new color ideas all weekend in anticipation of a big dyeing session -- or lots of them -- this week, but especially today, as I have folks waiting for yarn tomorrow night. And guess what? The boy is home sick. AHHH! possible sinus/ear infection. I'll get a lot of prep done today while he is home and resting, and probably dye into the night tonight. It just can't wait any longer!
As for knitting, I reached an impasse in the vest. As previously stated, I began the vest as a mindless, knit-in-the-round project for sick knitting. I was fairly certain at the time that when I split the project for front and back flat knitting I would be unhappy with the change in stripes, but I wasn't hugely invested in the project so just slogged on. As predicted, I didn't like it.

In actuality, I liked the stripes better this way, and considered frogging, but I knew I wouldn't cast on again since I'm really not super thrilled with the colors, so I ripped back and now...

I'm going to STEEK. What better project to try this on for the first time than one in which I'm not hugely invested? I did some internet research for the best way to approach the armholes and ended up deciding to put the "cast-off" stitches called for in the pattern on waste yarn and then casting on (backward loop) the same number of stitches over the gap before re-joining on the other side. I decided to work the steek stitches in purl to make them easier to differentiate and am working the armhole shapingas directed on each side. Fortunately, the pattern doesn't call for neck shaping to start until the armhole shaping is done, so I don't hav eot worry about all the steps at the same time. I plan to work the neck opening as a steek as well. I'm really excited to be taking this leap. I know some people blanch at the thought of taking scissors to their knitting, but really -- it's just yarn. Yarn is my friend. We can do this. And especially in this case, where I haven't spent hours and hours on an intricate Fair Isle design, I have no worries. I so thoroughly enjoy knitting in the round that I am simply thrilled at the possibilities this opens up for me. So, on with the knitting, and next time...the cutting! (And lest you worry, the big red blob has not been abandoned, but is being worked a bit at a time. The rows are getting much longer now, so progress seems so much slower.)

I'm still standing...and knitting

2008-04-01T12:57:00.004-05:00

Well, it has been a week now and I am starting to get better in some ways, but the cough seemed to be getting deeper, so yes, I went to the doc, and yes, got anti-biotics to head off bronchitis, so let's hope for a big up-swing. I have yarn to dye! I haven't wanted to go anywhere near the dye pots, or rather the citric acid powder and dye powder as they can be respiratory irritants and even tho I have a new respirator, I don't want to prolong this any more than I need to. So, onward and upward. Oh, and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all your concern and well wishes!!
In the mean time, I have had little brain capacity for the big red lacy blob, so I cast on a nice mindless knit, a little cropped vest from Twilley's in some Universal Poems from the stash. This yarn was meant to be the Bar Harbor Bag, but I wasn't feeling the colors there, and quite frankly I'm not too thrilled with them for this project either, but I'm reserving judgment until the end. I'm hoping it will be nice w/ jeans, although the colors are a bit too dull and yellowed out for me. It is serving its purpose, nonetheless, as a nice mindless way to keep my hands busy while I rest. I am knitting it in the round, instead of flat, as called for, because, well, I just don't want to purl. It's my knitting and I'll do what I want to. :P
I also resurrected and old, old knit much in need of finishing. Nearly a year ago I began a Norberta for Jacob -- he picked out the yarn, and I bought many other color combinations for gifts, btw -- and it was knit, but the pieces never sewn. I dug it pout, grabbed some batting and gave it a go. He had no recollection of the project, but was thrilled ot get his new friend nonetheless!

He has been dubbed, fittingly, Spike, and spent his first night as a fully realized toy exactly where he should, in the arms of my boy. I love knitting for my kids.

I have the plague.

2008-03-28T19:15:00.003-05:00

Get thee away from here! Save thyself! You shouldn't even be reading this. Seriously, I feel like sh*t.
Run. Away.

Don't believe...

2008-03-27T07:24:00.006-05:00

...everything you see on TV. Reality shows? Blech. Let's just say I know some things, and things have a way of getting misrepresented through creative editing. That's all I'm sayin'.
In other news, I heard from Eric, and he has told me to keep my eye out for big things in the future, and I'm looking forward to that. In his e-mail he said "I wanted to THANK YOU so much for your support...love the yarn thingy...!!! very cool...! " Yarn thingy. Silly muggle. I've asked for permission to post the e-mail sent to subscribers here on the blog -- it has great info about upcoming projects -- so I hope to share that with you all soon.
I also want to spread the love to some other friends in our lovely little knitting world. Ericka will be participating in the MS walk (read her great story here) and I'd love for you to head to her blog and give her a shout out and any help you can. She will be offering some prizes for donations, including a couple of skeins of Can Do!, so we are getting love all around there.
Also, Holly EQQ of the amazing Oceans of Fiber has been going through some nasty health issues (and getting a very frustrating medical run-around. Ich.) and could use a boost. Head on over, read her story, and if you are in the mood for some GORGEOUS fiber -- esp. her locks, yum! -- Pop on into her store or check out the Circle the Wagons sale that was set up to help defray her medical and travel costs for her upcoming surgeries.
OK, enough ads -- now, the knitting!
I introduce, the big red blob...

I do actually love it, even though I have named it so. As with all lacy-type projects scrunched up on a circular needle, it doesn't look like much now, but I know it will. This pattern has been SO EASY! I have even been able to take it as my travel and chat knitting. I think I am going to do a few more repeats of the leaf lace pattern before moving on to the next lace section (which looks even easier) because I want this to be BIG and I have 11oz. of yarn. My only complaint is that I left some small un-dyed spots in the yarn, knowing it wouldn't be for sale and thinking I would like the variation. In other colors I do -- like Lilacs in Bloom -- but I don't like it as much in the red. I may end up going back with a q-tip and touching up the spots once it is knit. Am I crazy? We'll see how it looks all finished first.
Hip In Hemp? Well, this is all we've got.

I just can't get into this. The thought of all those ends to weave in at the end (Ericka, I seriously don't know HOW you did it...) and I am disliking the awkward maneuvering of the M1L and M1R stitches. I will say the switching from regular Addis to Lace Addis (thank you, Donna!) has made a huge difference in the knitting and forming of these stitches as the sharp points really help, and the yarn previously kept sliding off the needles at inopportune times with the original Addis, but not with the slightly grabby lace finish on the newer version. I think my biggest obstacle right now is that the blob is just so much more fun. I'll have to finish it and then leave the skirt as my only, so I have nothing to fall back on. The girl really should get her skirt. I mean, goodness, I never even put thumbs on her mittens. BAD mommy.
And, as promised, I have sock pics for you! They have already been through the was, because, well, who can resist wearing newly knit socks IMMEDIATELY? I am powerless.

Can Do! in Classica Merino/Nylon cranked on Kelly's CSM on 60 stitches. LOVE them.
In truth, I have knit very little over the past few days, and dyed not a thing. You know I'm sick when I don't want to knit. After sending the kids to school yesterday morning, I went straight back to bed and stayed there until noon. The symptoms of the head cold really aren't all that bad, considering, and the cough only bugs me when I, well, cough, but I just feel generally depleted. I am hoping to be back to myself by tomorrow night so I can make knitting at Y&F with my peeps. I miss my peeps. :(

Brief.

2008-03-25T16:18:00.003-05:00

Today, I am sick. Last week, it was the girl. Such is life with school age children
I have been knitting -- a new shawl -- and loving it, and knitting another -- Hip in Hemp -- barely, and not really enjoying it, but more on that another time. I stopped in for a quick update and a thank you. So far, I have been able to send Can-Do $140 in donations (the first wave of yarn is on its way), with more yarn ordered and waiting to be dyed! Thank you! I am thrilled and so very grateful of the support. My yarny peeps rock! (As for reality TV, it sucks, but again more on that next post.)
Next post, pics of the big red blob, Can do! socks, courtesy of Kelly, and a few more pretties.
Ciao!

Blown Away

2008-03-16T08:56:00.004-05:00

*** First, let me thank you all for your kind comments -- I swear I wasn't fishing for compliments! I was in a bit of a funk and, well, I just thought i would share in the spirit of letting you know that I do care that much about "getting it right" and making beautiful things for you all. You all rock, you know.***
Ok, so why am I blown away? Well, I have to take you back to my hellish night last Sunday. Between the scary dog moment and the comforting little son time, I had an amazing and inspiring surprise. Hubby enjoys watching "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" and left the TV on that channel when the show was over and he left the room. Me, being too engrossed in the knitting of the blue shawl, didn't bother to hunt down the remote and search for a new show and ended up with Oprah's Big Give being the background to my knitting. I half watched as contestants were given $4800 and 8 hours to find SOMEONE of their choosing and make a difference in that person's life. Throughout, I was impressed by three men who, at the very start, decided to pool their resources and find an orphanage in Denver to help. The three men raised $260k in 48 hours for this organization. As I half-heartedly watch, I kept getting a niggling sense that one of these contestants looked familiar, but, no...couldn't be. Couldn't catch a name. Then, the end. The inevitable Survivor like who-will-be-sent-home moment. They called on the familiar face..."Eric?" OMFG. Eric Klein. It was him -- a guy I knew -- my crazy High School crush. Haven't seen the kid in 20 years and here he is. On Oprah. And this isn't even the amazing thing.
I, of course, had to grab my laptop and see what there was to see about this story. Turns out in 2004, Eric was awarded a financial compensation meant to repair his orbital eye socket after it was damaged in by a drunk driver in an accident. But he didn't fix his eye. He hopped a plane with hardly a plan and went to tsunami ravaged Sri Lanka and began to rehab a village. (You can see his video of this here.) His disgust at government inaction and political money=grabbing at our relief dollars prompted him to create Can-Do (Compassion in Action Network -- a Direct Outcome Organization). He is everywhere -- Rwanda, the Katrina Ravaged areas of the US, you name it, he is out there helping people and making a HUGE difference. The Big Give is just a way of getting awareness of his organization out there, and, hopefully, money for it.
I am, absolutely, blown away. It isn't so much that it is Eric, but rather someone -- anyone -- I knew that is doing such amazing selfless things. Someone who, really, was not particularly remarkable in that he'll-do-great-things-future-president kind of way who has had the courage to take a risk and hop on that plane. I mean, who does that?? he has made me believe I can do something. Can I hop a plane and build a school? No. But I can use my resources. What is it that I can do? I can dye yarn. I can sell it, and raise money. I can encourage you, if you don't like the yarn, to help fund the programs Can-do is working on. They'll let you know exactly where your money is going. Let's show the world what we knitters can do!
So, here it is, "Can do!" on new Classica 80% superwash Merino/20% Nylon...

I only have this one skein done right now, and Kelly is cranking out a pair of sample socks that I'll be able to show you soon. $10 from the sale of every skein will go immediately to www.can-do.org. Pre-order sales are being listed on Esty, or you can e-mail me directly at heather@sereknity.com. I will also get it listed soon on the Sereknity.com website and will let you know when that is available. I'm thinking fiber, too.
Let's all do something great! (oh, and "Big Give" is on again tonight. I'll be watching!)

Oh, such random doings, with some pretty things at the end

2008-03-12T08:42:00.007-05:00

(For now, a little tease...if all you want is the fiber and knitting, feel free to scroll ahead...)

I've been feeling very insecure yarn-wise lately. I keep wondering when everyone is going to discover I am a fraud. My colors really suck, resulting knits look like poop, and I should just get the hell out of this business before I bankrupt my family. Anyone else ever get to feeling this way? Perhaps not about yarn, but about whatever their chosen path may be? The wonderful blogless Kelly cranked out a few pair of socks for me on her CSM so I could experiment with painting various skein lengths. And I'm just. not. happy. I just can't seem to get the yarn to do what I want it to do. Now, I know stitch count and gauge have everything to do with a finished project, but I want to see more magic, dammnit! I am beginning to think I may just be overthinking things. Perhaps listening to the anti-pooling faction is getting to me. I am obsessing over this, even though I know there is nearly no way to avoid it (save for the kettle-dyes, which have a lesser chance of this). I haven't dyed to any significance in weeks. My perfectionist nature is taking over and paralyzing me. A friend, going through a rough time, recently got a tattoo on the inside of her wrist that says "Just breathe". I think I might need that. (edited to add -- I actually wrote this post a few days ago, and I think I am in a better place now...working on it!)
In other things, there has been knitting -- lovely knitting -- and I promise more of that later, and also horrors. Unable to bring the dogs with us to a family party on Sunday, I can home to discover that I had left a bottle of Children's Motrin on the coffee table, and Chewie-the-canine-garbage-masher ATE IT. Roughly 16 pills. 1600mg of ibuprofen. I immediately began to cry, killing myself for being careless, and certain that this was going to be IT. He happily jumped in the car for a trip to the Animal ER where they whisked us in to an exam room and after getting the details and doing the math they determined HE WOULD BE OK. Tears of relief -- omg I love this dog. They took him out, gave him charcoal to absorb anything left in his body and a shot of sub-q fluids to help flush his system, and $260 dollars later (that yarn order can wait) and a very drained but relieved mommy later, we left for home. and the store. To buy more Motrin. ug.
Get home; get settled; watch a bit of TV (stay tuned for THAT upcoming post); and hear the desperate cries of "Mommy, my throat hurts!" Remember the Motrin? Yeah, it was coming, but now even that isn't helping. A trip to the doc the next day confirmed my in-denial-worst-fears. Strep throat. He spent two days home with me, so of course, very little has been done around here. Thankfully, I haven't gotten it and at this point think I may be in the clear. I really want to be able to get back in the dye studio, or I'll never get my mojo back.
Now knitting, that is a whole other story. While I haven't been doing much dyeing, I have been knitting. I still have to get a pic of the finished Greenjeans, and I also pulled out the first sweater I had ever knit, but had never finished, as seaming scared the bejeezus out of me. This was from the free Lion Brand Pattern for a family of hoodies. I hated Homespun and so used Woolease Chunky instead (never checked for gauge, darn rookie) and knowing nothing about knitting and being self taught via the computer I began this sweater and my knitting career knitting every stitch through the back loop. A twisted stitch. It is no wonder I used to lament how long knitting took versus crochet. I learned the "proper" way to knit half way through the sweater and had to rip back almost an entire sleeve at one point when I realized I had been doing it "right", which, for the sake of consistency, was now wrong in this instance. 3 years this sweater has languished and been moved from hiding place to hiding place waiting to be completed, and now it is. But, I didn't get a pic, nor do I know yet if it fits the intended recipient. She has promised a picture when she gets a chance to try it on, and was thrilled with the gift, long time coming as it was. I am just glad it is off my back.
In celebration of all of my finishing, I could not resist the call of my most recent spinning project that wanted to be more that just yarn, it wanted to be more, of so much more. So I cast-on and I knit...

and knit...

and knit until it was done.

And blocking.

And finished!

The pattern is the Forest Canopy Shawl (I was inspired by this one of Jackie's) and was knit in my Blue Hawaii Falkland wool handspun, 4 oz., 2 ply, but don't ask me anymore details. I was too anxious to cast on to stop and check WPI or yardage (although I believe it to be a sport weight just under 300yrds.)I kept knitting initial lace pattern until I felt I had just enough for the border and lo-and-behold I was exactly at 195 stitches, right where the designer wanted you to be. So, no mods! Just a lovely little shawlette that I can't wait to wear.
(I'm back at the dye pots today -- if you have requested anything of me while we were at Spa or any other random group, and I may very well have forgotten or not known if you were serious, but you are, PLEASE e-mail me! A think a few people are wanting Blue Hawaii fiber such as I used for me shawl, but I'm not sure who and in what fiber. Gina, Kelly, I have your requests!)

Well, I guess it's about time...

2008-03-02T11:01:00.005-05:00

...for the obligatory Spa post. For me, it was great. The drive up was hell, for certain -- 3 white knuckle hours in the snow. Once we arrived and joined our friends, I happily handed the keys of the people mover over to Chris so we could all head off to Pedro O'Hara's for dinner -- and DRINKS. Muchly needed. Back to the Hilton Bar for a few more, then off to bed. I was happy to turn in a little early as I wanted to make the most of the following day, but was sad to hear I missed a lot of spinning fun in the "Town Hall". Funny thing about me -- when I am at these sort of events, I get so restless, flitting around from place to place and group to group (yeah, wonder where my son gets it!) trying to see as many friends and sights as I can. We (Ericka, Chris and I) did explore the tastes of Freeport a bit taking in a breakfast at a local Stickybuns joint and later, sushi. Mostly, I was lazy, and I liked it. I got very little spinning done, but my one real coup for the weekend was the seaming of Poppy. YAY! I had never seamed a sleeve before and thought it best to wait for expert advice. Blogless Alpaca Kathy gave me a hand Sat. eve while we had huge amounts of fun in the hall with only a few stragglers -- most attendees were at the fashion show -- and later both Terry and Cheryl checked my work and gave it the OK. Terry also gave me some great tips for the future and I will never again avoid a pattern because of the need to seam (although I still love a top-down-in -the-round raglan most). And here she is, Poppy (head cropped to protect the hideous -- seriously, bad pic!)...

It is still in need of a crochet chain edging to combat the under-curl, but I've worn it three times already anyway. It is now drying along with the newly blocked Mr. Greenjeans. Yes, that's right -- sweater #2 is complete, but more on that later.
As for purchases, I was sickeningly good. Finances have been tight, and we certainly aren't out of the hole yet, so if I could make it myself, or wouldn't get to it for some time, it didn't come home. That said, I bought 4 skeins of yarn. 4. And one little jar of my favorite lavender-lemongrass-patchuli hand cream. All these came from Nancy Benda of the Spinning Bunny. The yarn was two lovely skeins each from her cormo and her cvm sheep, the cormo in a natural creamy white, and the cvm in a nice soft oatmeal, both woolen spun for a delighfully springy yarn. Kelly had a laugh at my need to knit with natural colors, after always playing with color. Seriously, I never once looked at this yarn as a canvas, as I do my own base yarns. Something about knowing that they came from her sheep makes the need to leave the yarn natural very strong. I plan to use the two colors to make some nice, subtle fair-isle mittens and maybe a matching hat. I am still in search of just the right pattern.
I did manage to finish a bit of spinning and start a new batch. I finished a skein of solid green plied with a variegated handpaint (my own)

in order to free the bobbins and then started a batch of Blue Hawaii Falkland that I had been saving for myself. I often have a tough time getting the Falkland to take the dye strongly but this batch was SATURATED and oh so bright.

The trade off was that it got a teeny tiny bit felty, so I didn't want to sell it. I got the first bobbin done, splitting the roving in half down the full length and then stripping this out into 6 different smaller strips. Once I got back home, I stripped the remaining portion into two relatively equal strips and spun from those. It seems to have created some rather intersting striping in the finished yarn, which still needs to be transferreed from the bobbin to niddy noddy and set. I'll get pics up soon, as I may need some help deciding just what it will grow up to be. My original plan -- as it always seems to be with 4oz. of fiber -- was for socks, and I do think the bright colors and stripes would be great or this, but depending on WPI, I may lean more toward a small shawl, wrap, or scarf. hmmmm
As for the Mr. Greejeans/Bluejeans/Jericho sweater, I finished this yesterday, a little sad I didn't make it under the wire for Feb., even with the leap day, but am thrilled to have it done none-the-less.

Pics are of the first blocking, which this morning's fitting proved to be too vigorous, once again, as it lost the waist shaping created by the cables, so it is laying out once again, sans blocking pins on the outer edges. I'll try for a modeled photo shoot as soon as it is dry. I am so glad I went for the smaller size, as this still has a fair amount of ease after blocking.

quick update -- I may be a hypochondriac...

2008-02-21T09:06:00.002-05:00

Thank you everyone for your concern! It seems I had you all and myself worried for no reason. I did go to the doctor, and she gave me the all-clear. I probably just irritated the muscles with all this new, unaccustomed walking. She suggested ice, ibuprofin and good shoes and cushioning if needed, but by all means, keep on walking. Which is a good thing, because I did before I went to see her. ;)
Not much else to report...have to get READY FOR SPA! Hope to see lots of you there Friday night at the Hilton Bar! (Nora, book that flight yet?)

Crap. Crap. Crap.

2008-02-18T10:45:00.002-05:00

First, let me premise my post be saying I am NOT a morning person. Not. So not. It takes me a while to rev up the mental engines. A cup of coffee, a cozy kid-snuggle, some mindless e-mail reading and Raveling and I might be ready to get off the couch. Now, that said, a few weeks ago, in the morning, hubby took the dogs outside for their morning business and Ta-shi wandered up to the back deck where a bag of lovely smelling trash was residing, awaiting removal. I noticed her mad sniffing and oh so apparent desire to tear into said bag, and in a truly Neanderthal-ish and primal move made the physical equivalent to a hefty grunt by kicking the door to startle her from her intended course of action. It took a minute or two, but after walking away I noticed a distinct and sharp pain deep in the ball of my foot. It hurt. Bad. I got my trusty block of frozen spinach used for just such occassions and nursed the foot most of the day. Although I didn't kick that hard, I must have hit it just right. The foot seemed to recover after a day or so and all was well until this morning. Once up from the couch, coffee coursing through my veins, I became obsessed with cleaning and decluttering and after about an hour of such began to feel that foot pain once again. (SEE why i don't clean?) Crap! What have I done? I am sitting here now, foot in the air, imagining a hairline fracture and fretting BECAUSE I CAN'T TAKE THE DOG FOR A WALK. Even with the grey, rainy day, I had every intention. We missed out yesterday (although Chewie got to play for hours with Coco and new friend Rosie, a gorgeous yellow lab pup) and it is so hard to develop a routine that I am freaking out. I'll nurse it a while and see how it feels later. Heck, the threat of loosing my walks could even make me go to the doctor.
In the meantime, paperwork for tax prep and Mr Greenjeans will be my companions.
dammnit.

Of Amanda, Jericho, Greenjeans, and long walks...

2008-02-16T08:39:00.005-05:00

First off, I finally made an Amanda hat! Here is my lovely little model and recipient wearing her chapeau...
The only mod was to go down a needle size (I am an average tension knitter) to a size 8 to create a slightly smaller size for the girl. Fits great and she says it is very warm (and soft and cushy, too). Thumbs up, Gina!
Secondly, my Mr. Greenjeans is growing exponentially thanks to a marathon of Jericho.

OMG I love this show. Talk about quality TV -- which we can't often do. The Universal HD channel ran a marathon last weekend of the entire first season and what we couldn't watch or record I watched through on-line streaming at the above link. Seriously -- go watch it. I don't want it to get cancelled! (It was already brought back from the brink once...) This was the perfect pairing of easy knit and intense TV watching. There was no chance of being bored while I purled furiously across the entire inner expense of this sweater while intently watching the denizens of post-apocalyptic Kansas deal with survival and the best and worst it brings out in humans nature. Adding 2.5 inches to the body length had me casting off the body Wednesday morning, and I have now picked up the front ribbing. I am doing this first out of yarn shortage fears. Once this is done, I'll knit the sleeves until I run out. I am confident I'll have at least a 3/4 sleeve out of the rest as I used just a smidge over 2 balls out of four for the body prior to starting the ribbing. I can't believe how quickly this has gone and couldn't be more thrilled.
As for the long walks, I have been converted by Cesar to believe that the key to my puppy's happiness is walks - nice, long, energetic walks. Chewie and I, and sometimes Tashi, have been walking everyday for over a week now (other than during Wednesdays storm -- ICK) and yesterday I drove out our route to calculate the distance. 2.7 miles! As tired as I am, and as much as I hate the cold, I am very excited about this. I'm getting excercise! It doesn't cost anything! And I am already seeing a second digit on the scale I haven't seen in a looong time. I love my puppy.

To frog, or not to frog...

2008-02-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

So I have once again managed to mess up my knitting. yup, that old counting thing. I have no idea how, but I seemed to have been off by 10 or more (18??) when counting stitches before separating sleeves for my Mr.Greenjeans/Bluejeans sweater and did so a bit too early. Which means knitting and increasing on the two front edges now for another 21 rows to get to the proper stitch count to proceed for the medium, rip back and add in the missing rows and increases, or continue on as tho I am knitting the small. Now, the thing is, it fits in the shoulders and with the button band, should do so in the bust, as it is now, but is a much more fitted sweater than the design called for, but I think I like it. And, I am trying to get back to the gym and loose weight, plus I need to start taking the puppy for VIGOROUS walks to curb his energy, and I am soo hoping I slim down.... grrrrr -- what to do! I'm just so mad at my distracted self for messing this up. So much for a simple knit. (well, now that I have tried it on for the picture, I like the fit. I'm gonna go with it.)
On another note, I haven't entirely messed this one up yet...

Yes, I finally cast on for an Amanda hat for Rachel. I bought this Malabrigo in the Dusty colorway from a friend a while back, but I was never thrilled with the color, so I overdyed it red. You can see a hint of the original color variation ( a dirty brown over a dusty rose), but not too much. What an easy stitch pattern to memorize! I went down a needle size to make a slightly smaller hat and it looks like this will be just right for the girl. This one should be finished up today.
Thank you all so much for your input on my club plans! I hope to have finalized details very soon. In the mean time, I have a small update planned for this weekend in the etsy shop, so if you are up for some window shopping or otherwise, do take a peek!
Oh! Before I forget! If you are heading to the NETA Spa, there will be a Blogger/Raveler meet-up in the Hilton Bar on FRIDAY EVENING! Let's start the weekend right! I can't wait! I'll even grab a pack of "Hello, my name is... tags that we can put names/blognames. Always good to know!

calling all knittahs, spinnahs, and techies

2008-01-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hi folks! I am trying to come up with a structure for a yarn club for Sereknity, and would like to bounce my ideas off you folks and take advantage of your collective creativity. My idea is for this to NOT be solely a sock club (get it? sole? ok...moving on...very little sleep last night...) and I was thinking of it being a yearly subscription shipping every 2 months, with various payment options. I want to incorporate all the yarns I currently offer and while there will be at least one sock pattern, I'd like to have patterns for other items for the sock yarns as well.
First -- I need help on the name! I'm thinking Skein Winder Club, but that name doesn't reflect the Sereknity moniker in any way, but I don't want anything corny like "Happy Club" or whatever...SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE???
Second -- Does that structure sound enticing to you? What else would you like to see?
Third -- I'd need a design or two. There's yarn (or fiber)in it for ya. And, when a year has passed, the rights to self publication. Or, I could publish it through the website with you receiving payment for each copy sold. I'm in it for the club pattern, not to make $$ off your design, and I love promoting my friends. I'm hoping to get to a point where I really can!
Last, I want a new look and logo for the company, and am going to start poking around on etsy, but if one of you wonderful peoples has a talent for graphic design or photography and you really, really like free yarn and fiber and/or a little scratch, give me a shout!
Thanks in advance -- you guys rock.

Bleary

2008-01-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

...eyes, not photos, I hope. I have been diligently plugging away at the site revamping pictures and adding or deleting colors. I think it looks SOOOO much better. (Don't you?) I added a new category, as promised, for kettle dyed yarns. I love these! The two newest are Caramel Macchiato and Sweet Baby James (I do so love me some James Taylor. Been wanting to do this one since I went to his amazing concert in August!).

The blue was so very hard to capture, even with the help of photo shop, and when I bounce form one to the other of our many computers in the house, it is a titch different (hey, look at me, making words!). Frustrating. It is gorgeous, tho -- I am so pleased with it. I hope to dye some up for my next pair of socks, but these will head to the shop tomorrow, along with the Caramel M. I have so sorely neglected the Etsy shop lately. If you do want to lay claim before I list them, just give me a shout!
My next big task will be to build the fiber portion of the Sereknity site, which means lots of Photoshop work and futzing with my shop system. I KNOW there are easier ways to do things that what I have been doing, but computers are not nearly as intuitive for me as knitting and coloring. I get so frustrated with the time wasted on the NOT KNOWING. UG. I'll get there! I have so many grand ideas for the site, and I am anxious to get them going, but I need to streamline things for it all to work. Again, I'll get there. (I will get there, I will get there...I WILL GET THERE!....)
Wanna see something pretty? Sure you do...

Anastasia in Crush. I won't claim the pattern has been a breeze for me. It is actually quite straightforward, with nice charts, but I am doing these 2 at a time on magic loop, and, at times, a yarn over is required at the END of a row (ie. where the needle stops before jumping from front to back). This can be done, but I very definitely forgot on at least one occasion to grab this yarn over, causing a faulty stitch count and much confusion. Also, being in my usually distracted state (I think while watching and chatting at the kid's karate class) I managed to reverse direction on my nice little lacy spiral for one round, giving my lovely line a protruding bubble. Again, thanks to my usually distracted knitting, I am becoming quite good at the drop-down-six-rows-and-reknit-on itty-bitty-dpns technique. Why six rows? It took that long for me to realize that, even though the socks were for me and the mistake would be hidden in my shoes, it would grate on me for all eternity. And thus perfectionism rears its ugly head, but, thankfully, the results will be much nicer.

Ready...

2008-01-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

At long last, the sleeves are done, but, as predicted, I had to rip about an inch from both front and back of the sweater to make the armholes fit. I'm going to give the sweater a light blocking today and bring it to "knitting practice" on Wednesday night. I have never seamed a sleeve. I love me a nice top-down raglan with it's happy little kitchener stitch under the arm. But, being the technique junkie I am, I have to get over this fear of mine of seaming. Besides, kind of necessary unless I want to wear this thing as a sweater and not a vest with matchy-matchy armwarmers...although... (Did you notice how close the stripes on the sleeves are, until you get to the top? Just in case, here is another view. Really hope the shift doesn't drive me.)

That being (nearly) done, I, of course, had to cast-on for my next project in waiting -- Mr. Greenjeans (hereby to be known as Mr. Bluejeans).

After a bit of debate, I settled on the Med. This won't leave me with much in the way of ease, according to specs, but I will never have enough yarn if I go to the large. As it is, I'm on a wing and a prayer. My plan is, should I run out, I'll pick up a darker blue in a similar wool and knit 1/2 the cable section on both cuffs and body in that. The ribbed button band will be decided later. I figure Peace Fleece would be a good match for this yarn. I am using a somewhat local wool -- Walpole Wool -- produced by the woman who ran the rescue from which I got my Lil' Big Dog, Chewie. It is rough, but not scratchy, and delightfully woolly. I made a swatch and EVEN WASHED IT (it's ok, breathe...) and then gave it the ultimate test. I stuck it in my bra. If I wear it there for hours and forget it is there, I am good to go. Yup. No itchies. It did soften up a bit with washing, and will be long wearing and durable, I am quite sure. The perfect jeans sweater.
Other news? Well, one wouldn't know it, but I did do quite a bit of dyeing last week, but nothing new made it to the shop -- my buckets have been well pillaged by local knitters. I did manage to get pictures of the new colorways, tho, and am diligently working on the website to get these added. Trying, anyway! I am not a tech girl, so it is a tedious task for me, and, unfortunately, too much time at the computer finds my mind and mouse wandering in Ravelry and many many blogs. FOCUS WOMAN! Like I said, it is a work in progress.

The sweater that won't be knit

2008-01-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, so, I'm really really trying to get Poppy (here and here, as well) done. I want to have it to wear for SPA. I've had to put it aside for soooo many other things, holidays being the biggest culprit, but now, with all clear, for some reason I just. can't. get. it. done. One sleeve left people! ONE SLEEVE! I've been putting in a row here or there, and this morning thought I was finally past the increase section until...
wait a minute...
how many stitches should be here???
Shit.
RIIIIP.
This is why I was an English major -- can't count. Way too many cast-on stitches. UG.
The little girl is home from school on day two with conjunctivitis. (Docs didn't call in her script until mid afternoon! Don't get me going on that frustration.) I'm going to take her to see "The Waterhorse," and am hoping ot get some knitting in there. Problem is, I just KNOW the sleeves aren't going to fit into the armholes. Sigh.

Seriously?

2008-01-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

(please forgive the horrid picture quality of this post -- can't find my good camera. grrr)

So, Cowgirl sock number one is finally finished (well, except for grafting the toe -- shhhh!). Looks great, huh? Look again.

Seriously? WTF? This sock is BUTT UGLY LUMPY off the needles. Is it me? I was confused on a few points of the pattern, but slogged on, and am wondering if this is the problem. Plus, my short row heel is fraught with holes. Good thing I am happy with the colorway. I HAVE TO cast on #2 today or they will never get done, especially since I cast this on.

See my itty bitty toes?? I don't know why I have avoided learning toe up socks for so long -- casting on was super easy using this tutorial on Knitty.com. These wil grow up to be Anastasia socks. The colorway is a new one for Sereknity -- Crush. LOVE IT!! It is a kettle dye, so it has a much more random and subtle tone-on-tone type patterning. I've been very much into the kettle lately (I died up some more Crush, Pharaoh's Gold, Rock Lobster, and Martian in various fibers). I want to perfect the colorways so I can have a complete line of tonal dyes in addition to the hand paints. Gotta work in more blues and neutrals. I am in a bit of a rut insofar as what to dye for the handpaints. Once I dye up colorway, it quickly becomes old hat to me, and I just don't know what to make! Speak up and tell me your favorites, please! I have some Cowgirl and Blue Hawaii in the shop, and some Pumpkin Patch, Lilacs in Bloom and a few others to list. HELP!!!

C'est finis!

2008-01-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

She is beautiful, no? Seriously -- so much better in person than my terrible self-shot photos. I love this hat! I'll try to get hubby to get a better pic of me in it for the Ravelry page. I finished it up at home last night, not at the ManchVegas "knitting practice", because, well, after getting home Wed. nights from running the Brownie troop, I'm done, spent, and don't want to budge from my couch. Next week -- I promise. Seriously!!
Also as promised, the mitts. Sister-in-law, she approved, so they are a go for mitt #2. I have recovered from my initial hatred of the color scheme. Once the orange was added to the top, it sort of worked a bit better for me. And they are warm. Soooo -- onward and upward. I'll cast on mitt 2 sometime tonight if I can fit it in between meetings and karate class. (

Holday knits = Heather 5, Time 2

2008-01-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

Yep, of the 7 planned and hoped for knits, 5 were completed (1 of the five admittedly after the Dec. 25th deadline, but done nonetheless) and two are still in process. The R2D2 hat is presently being worn -- often I am told, and Jason received his Skully hat on Christmas morn when he made me one happy big sister by staying at my house Christmas Eve so he could wake here and be a part of the joy with the Boy and Girl. I had also completed my mother-in-law's mitts (no final pic, darn it) and my lil sis' scarf, seen here on the gorgeous recipient herself.

she, as it turned out, spent the holiday in Aruba with her boyfriend and his fam, which, if I had planned better, would have meant I could have put her scarf on the back-burner and finished the others, but hey, I also could have started in August if we're gonna get picky. (hello, McFly) Slightly belated were my mother's Loving Hands mitts, also modeled by the Gorgeous One, but I did make mom a pair of earrings to tide her over.

Those not completed were the Mosaic Mitts from the 2006 Holiday Issue of IK. I forgot to snap a pic today, and I find the color choices to be a bit lacking, but Sinead is happy with tem, so I will proceed. These are for my sis-in-law and are now nearly 1/2 done, and another pair of mitts -- Smocked Gauntlets -- for my hubby's gran. The real problem here is I AM SICK OF KNITTING MITTS. So what is a girl to do? Cast on a new project and work on it obsessively until completed. I present to you, Gretel.

Oh, how I love her! I began knitting her cable portion the other day with company over and misread a bit of the crossing instructions, so there is a mistake in a crossing row, but I did the same thing all the way around, and since I had already tinked back a number of times due to distracted mis-knitting -- and no, the Mike's had nothing to do with it -- I decided to leave the weird row. I know it is there, but I can live with it, and I will definately be knitting this hat again, so it is a learning experience, right?. Right. (Right?!?) I am knitting her in some lovely Patons SWS given me by Gina, which makes the knitting even nicer, knowing the yarn was from such a great friend. It is lovely to work with, as well, although predictable a bit splitty for cable work, being a single ply, but the final fabric and the sheen and smooth softness is more that worth any trouble. The colors blend so beautifully as well. I am just tickled.
In fact, she is calling me. I will leave you now with some lovely pics of the proud Boy and Girl with their snowman, Alvin. And yes, that is a handspun, handknit scarf around his neck. Lovely tho it may be, it was torture to wear -- horribly scratchy Border Leicester blend spun and knit before I knew better. I think it suits him just fine.

Good-bye 2007...

2008-01-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

...and don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out. For me, 2007 was one of the most difficult years I have had in recent memory, and I am happy to see it done. Enough said on that.
I enter the new year with renewed hope and strength, and the knowledge gained. Things I know? Well, for one, I know the value of great friends, and I am blessed with many (man, I love you guys -- and I know you know who you are!). I also know that I am strong, and have learned once again to have faith -- in myself and the universe. 2007 also saw the start of Sereknity in earnest, and even with great struggles, a swiftky turning learning curve and some certain mistakes, it has done well, and I look forward to an even better year. I've re-dedicated myself to my family and my children and our home, anxious to remove the clutter and chaos that holds us back. (I've joined Fly Lady. I used this program once before and it is fabulous. I'm ready to take control again and even cleared off the top of the refrigerator!) As a knitter, I am also excited to find new challenges. I am now in love with stranded knitting and want to conquer lace. Finding time for spinning is a priority as well. Knitting Daily recently said it best -- I feel Fearless. I've been through fire and come out scorched, but like a farmer may burn a field, I feel ready for new growth.
Thank you my friends for sticking with me and putting up with me. I promise to be much less of a pain in the ass this year. (oh, and the holiday knitting recap is already being written, so stay tuned...)

The force is strong with this one...

2007-12-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

now complete and it is awesome! I am so stinking proud of this, I can't stand it. The score? Scully hat =done, R2D2 = done, MIL Mitts need 1.5 thumbs, mom's mitts need .5 mitt, sister scarf done, hubby's gran's mitts need mitt #2, still hoping to seam a sweater, too. Oh, and I have to wrap EVERYTHING.
Merry Christmas! (oh, and May the Force be with you...)

Look Ma, TWO hands!

2007-12-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

That's right -- I did it! Two-handed knitting. Started this Sunday night, and I can't believe how quickly it is working up. This is for lil' bro Jason and next up -- hopefully to be cast on today -- is a hat using this R2D2 chart for my other lil bro, Zac. I really enjoyed the whole Fairisle, two-handed thing. When I did Jacob's R2D2 hat, I had to stop and switch yarns to throw and my floats ended up a bit too tight and puckery. Somehow, this was much easier to knit loosely and was just all around quicker and more pleasant to work. I can see a lot more colorwork in my future now! Don't count on me going Continental anytime soon, tho. The whole purling thing still mystifies me, and I have got reasonably speedy in my old way.
Oh, and at some point I'll finish my mom's mitts. I have until Christmas eve to see that side of the family, so I am feverishly making use of the time! As for lil sis, her scarf is done (OMG, I want it!) and I'll try to get some modeled shots once I weave in the ends. She is going to Aruba for Xmas, so I am going to give it to my mom for her before hand. Glad that one got done!
all for now -- back to knitting!

Still pluggin'

2007-12-15T08:38:00.001-05:00

Still knitting along on gifties and otehr various small knits. For some reason all the "have-to" knits bring about a desire to cast-on other "frivolous" knits. Some sort of comment about my covertly rebellious nature, I would imagine. I have picked up lil sis' scarf once again (not pictured) and it is nearly done. Finally started the thumb on the MIL mitts, mitt #2 for my mom is underway, and in the meantime I have knit 2 pair of slipper socks for the kids -- Rachel's are pictured, but Jacobs came out a bit too tight, so I'll felt them for my nephew -- and two Calorimetries. Both are from my handspun. The blue/green one was left over from some wonderful Spunky Eclectic Brainfreeze I used for socks, but it is much too itchy for prolonged wear, but good enough to get me from house to the car until it warms up. The pink is a fabulous sparkly confection of BFL, silk, and silver glitz from Holly EQQ spun into singles. THIS one is soft and suits the girl beautifully, don't you agree?

No more excuses to avoid ponytails, either.
I hope to get a bit of a shop update done. Pictures must be taken first. Most of this weeks dyeing was done to fill orders, once again, but I HAVE YARN finally, so will get it wound off the cones and into the proverbial pot soon enough. I hope to reveal a new color soon -- OMG, LOVE IT!!! -- as well as my new base yarn.
We here in NH are gearing up for another lovely bout of snow in the form of a Nor'easter tomorrow, delightfully in time for the ManchVegas group's Holiday Party (at the gracious and lovely Gina's house). I am not pleased. Maybe we'll all be forced to stay the night and knit knit knit. That wouldn't be so bad, I guess. I'm bringing ALL holiday my projects just in case!
So, snow -- yeah, we've got it! Some pics from the bus stop...
(My house is on the right.)

Rachel felt this chunk made a rockin' guitar.

The bus was a good 1/2 hour late this day, so the kids got to get some of their snow fever out before school. They have been lamenting the fact that the have to head inside to the gym in the morning, rather than play outside. My guess is that the administration is not keen on having unprepared-for-the-snow children beginning their day cold and wet. This is New England people! Why can't people dress their kids for it? Ug. Off soap box....
And off course, the happy puppy pictures. Chewie went for a play date with Ms. Cocoa. (Tashi got to stay home warm and toasty. The little princess hates snow between her toes.)

After an hour of frolicking, leaving no inch of BIL's yard untrampled, THIS is what came inside...

Snow encrusted doggies! Chewie had snow balls hanging from every flank and bit of fluff -- butt, front leggs, tummy, chest. (If you look closely at the pics above, chewie is on his back, and all that snow is not flying up around him, it is attached ot him!) How do you get this off??? And Cocoa, well, I'll spare you the pics, but she had BIG snow balls where balls should not be on this sweet little girl!! She fared a bit better, thanks to her longer legs.

Abandoned

2007-12-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

13 days since my last post?? I would imagine y'all are wondering if I had abondoned blog, knitters and knitting, but I assure you this is not the case. The hectic pace of the season is certainly keeping me from my computer and, well, I haven't really felt that I have had much blog worthy news to tell. (I have been, in the evenings, playing far too much Webkinz, however. Mea culpa!) The MIL mitts are done, sans thumbs. (I apparently have an aversion to thumbs. Rachel's mittens are still wanting one. Perhaps tonight?) I have put a sparse few items in the shop, as well as filling a few requests (Wild Side is huge! Can't keep that one in stock!)
My real thrill lately has been the mitts I am working on for my mom. At the start of my knitting career which was shortly followed by the start of my family camping adventured in Maine, I happily discovered a lovely little shop in Bridgton, ME and a locally produced yarn they carried, Bunny Blend from Acker's Acres farm. (I later bought my Lilah from this breeder.) This yarn is AMAZING (40% of her own angora, and 60% local, lovely, soft wool) and I made a habit of purchasing 2 skeins each time we visited. It has been marinating in the stash and from it I picked out some lovely soft pink to design fingerless mitts for my mom, at her request. I am thrilled with how they are turning out, and who wouldn't love knitting with this stuff??

I found this cable motif in Cables Untangled by Melissa Leapman. It looks like little stacked hearts, so what better motif for my mommy? I also felt it was substantial enough to hold its own with the fuzziness of the angora. When they are done, I'll be sure to share the recipe. I am LOVING everything about them, and am so jealous each time I slip them on my hands -- you know, to make sure the sizing is right. Thank goodness I still have 5 skeins in the stash! It has been a nice bit of cabling experience for me. In truth, I have only knit the simplest of cables, so it took me a bit to envision where I was in the chart and had to rip back and start over once as I had mis-crossed too many spots. On the re-knit, however, I found a mis-crossed cable 2 rows back and was able to successfully drop and re-knit. I love it when I can do that! THAT is when I know I've got a technique down. I had also gone into this thinking to cop-out on the thumb and just go with an add-on afterthought type thumb, but went for the gusset since the fit is just so much nicer. I mean, it is ANGORA people. It must be given its due.

She just better not felt them.
(The wonderful Julie nominated me for the Nice Matters Award. I'm so not worthy, but will do my best to do justice to the honor tomorrow. Thank you Julie! all I can say is, "No, you are!!" lol)

Knitting?

2007-11-20T13:02:00.000-05:00

(No, the mitts are not finished. Look at the pretty birdhouse. Move along.)
So while not much knitting is going on, we did have a busy weekend, with the kiddos graduating to the next level of their karate classes. The Girlie is now a blue belt and the Boy is a brown. A brown! My mom and good friend Amber came for the ceremony, and the kids were thrilled. As requested, here are some pics of my dangerous little duo.

And today, we not only received the first snow of the season, but this was also the first snow of Chewie's very short little life. I made sure to arm myself with my camera, fully expecting Chewie to approach this even with his customary delight and gusto. He did not disappoint.

Even his favorite stick was oh-so-much-better.

Tashi is not much of a fan of the cold white stuff, herself, and was less than enthused with the silly puppy's antics. She was happy to come in and warm her paws.

I do have an FO to share, that was actually completed at Grandview and never photoed. As I approached the toe on the second sock -- socks I had been knitting for quite some time FOR ME, that I had been dying to wear -- I had the thought that they would make a lovely gift for my sister. DAMNNIT! Why? I then felt guilty at the thought of keeping them for myself, depriving her of their wooly goodness. The languished in my bag for 2 weeks unworn, their fate uncertain. Yeah, I'm over it.

These were made with my Woolicious Superwash Falkland wool sportweight yarn. So warm and wooly and cushy. I've already washed them, too and they got even softer. mmmmmm (Sorry, Sis!)

Gettin' Chum-my...

2007-11-16T13:11:00.001-05:00

Ok, so that was BAD. Real Bad. But seriously, I'm fading fast here and that was all I could come up with. So what is it all about? WELL, my shop was featured on Lime and Violet's Daily Chum as the Etsy shop of the day yesterday! YAY! Thanks to all the folks who visited as a result.
I also just posted my first official ad on Ravelry! I was quite pleased with the results, not being much of a computer aficionado (beware of falling understatements). Here it is...

I am slowly learning a bit of Photoshop, and with hubby's direction got the above ad done without a terrible amount of trial and error. This little software tool has become my best friend with shop photos, too. I can finally get my colors to look almost right! My purples LOOK LIKE PURPLE!!! Red is red, not orange! I used to dread the photo taking/posting regime, and while it may take me a bit longer to run everything through Photoshop first, it is so worth it.
There will be a fairly decent shop update today, mostly of the fiber variety. I'm low on yarn presently, but have some on order and should be good to go shortly after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, don't forget to head over to Woolgirl, Yarn and Fiber, and One Planet on-line for Sereknity yarns and goodies (see the links in the sidebar), as well as visiting Yarn Sellar (York, ME), Knit Pickings (Plaistow, NH) and Yarn and Fiber (Windham, NH) locally.
I am anxiously awaiting Knit Night at Y&F tonight! I miss my peeps! You see, I've been holding out on you a bit, my blogging faithful -- fear of $4 heating oil prices and the looming visit of that big guy in the red suit I need to subsidize has caused me to run out on y'all a bit. No, I am not simply living and breathing yarn, fiber, and color everyday. I am now a substitute teacher. LORD, I forgot how tiring teaching could be! I have had the pleasure, however, of subbing in my children's school, both days in the same 3rd grade class, and -- never thought I would say this -- I really enjoyed it. Maybe even miss teaching a teensy-tiny bit. (For those who don't know, I used to teach HS English. I honestly don't spread it around because people really scrutinize a persons blogging grammar so much more when they know, and I enjoy being lazy here!) The kids were cute and well behaved -- a testament to their teacher, the school run fabulously, and it was nice to walk down the hall and enjoy a sweet kiss from my excited 7 year old when he ran into me. Sadly, I subbed on Wed. -- knit night -- and then later in the evening wrangled my Brownie troop, and seriously? I was so spent by the time I got home NOTHING was pulling me out the door. So, tonight, watch out, folks, I'm makin' up for lost time.

Status report...

2007-11-12T14:28:00.000-05:00

All other knitting has been paused in favor of Christmas knitting for the time being -- even Poppy, which is SO CLOSE. Lil' sis's scarf is 1/3 done, and I cast on mom-in-law's mitts as planned, and hope to get a lot further on them today while the kids are at karate class. So soft and pretty...

It is so dry now that I actually don't have nearly the sensation in my hands that I normally would, no matter how much lotion I apply. I so hate that about the cold weather. I'm working with cashmere, for goodness sakes! So cruel to take that feeling away. I expect these will be done by the end of the day (crossing fingers) and then I hope to cast on for the Mosaic Mitts from last years Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts issue. I did a bit of stash diving and will use some Knit Picks WOA and some newly purchased Ella Rae Classic.

The light blue and white I am planning to transform into EZ's Snowflake mittens from her Knitter's Almanac, but am still on the fence as to whether or not I want to over-dye the blue to more of an aqua/turquoise. I think time will be the deciding factor there.
In shop news, I've been poking away at the web-site to get the new colorways and all the yarn types listed in the dye-to-order section. You will soon notice some colorways will come with an additional option to choose "mild" or "bold" patterning in regards to how the yarn is dyed. Mild will have smaller color sections and less chance (always with the disclaimer in regards to gauge!) of pooling, whereas the "bold" patterning has longer color repeats that allow, based on gauge, for a nice swirly/stripey effect. I have had such a hard time deciding how to cater to all manner of tastes and thought that this just might be the way to do it. Now I just have to figure out how to post a gallery on the site of knitted objects so everyone can see the difference. Computers are not my forte, for certain.

of Halloween, Hackers, and Horrors...

2007-11-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

So, yup, been a while. I can pretty confidently say you don't need nor want to know about everything that has happened, but I'll give you some high- and low-lights.
Halloween -- great fun. Ain't they cuties??

Daddy took them around the neighborhood with friends while I manned the door, after an hour of which I became paranoid that they were cold and called his cell phone to be sure I shouldn't hunt them down with coats. He laughed me off -- they were fine. Silly mommy. I was getting cold, however, sitting out on the porch, but at least I had my knitting.

As for hackers, well, some of the wildest and most fabulous (and ridiculously generous) knitters I have the pleasure of knowing and myself converged upon Grand View Lodge for a weekend of knitting, shopping, drinking and jell-o-shooting (yum), and encountered all kinds of horrors and mishaps. I, for my part, contributed to the weekend debacle by having my Paypal hacked into the moment I logged onto an unfamiliar and unsecure wireless connection. Yup, they cleaned me out. MAJOR KUDOS to Paypal, however, for speedy action. My account and money was restored by Monday evening. Definitely NOT the stress relief I was looking for, tho. You can read more about our weekend here and here. And there was more, but again, you don't come here for the horror. You just want the knittin'.
I got little done while away -- finished the Mystic Mountain socks pictured in the candy bowl above; got the duplicate stitch and bobbles on Jacob's R2D2 hat finished, and he now proudly wears it to school everyday; I have one last thumb to put on Rachel's mittens, started AGES ago; didn't get to start Hip in Hemp; I did complete one sleeve of Poppy and cast on the second. I did also buy some nice Lamb's Pride Superwash Bulky from the sale bin that is surprisingly soft and cushy. After a few tries at various stitch patterns, I settled on a reversible ribbed cable design on sz13 needles and I am really loving it.

This will be a Christmas present -- lots of those in the next few weeks, I hope. I am going to cast some mitts on today to alternate back and forth from the scarf, so I don't get too bored. I'm going to make some of my Smocked Gauntlets (see side bar) in Posh yarns cashmere from the stash for my mom-in-law. (Yes, yes, pictures later...)

When good gloves (and socks) go bad

2007-10-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

So, I did quite a bit of work this week (see the shop for updates) and I wore gloves, I swear,
but apparently they had holes. le sigh
I came up with a few more new colorways, and dyed up a few old favorites. First is Cowboy (already sold out!)

and Deep Forest (I love this one).

I also tried a new experiment with some lovely South African Fine roving -- Perfect Pairs. I took a semi-solid length of roving and paired it with a handpainted length containing the same color to sell as a duo. And of course, I picked my favorite colorway -- Pomegranate.

(There's only one of these pairings left, so grab it if you can!) I think this is something I'll definitely try this again. This roving is fabulous, soft, and very reasonably priced as well. I can't wait to spin some of this up for myself. But what colors?? Oh, the decisions....
On the knitting front, I still LOVE the Cowgirl sock -- she is beautiful, BUT I am struggling a bit with the pattern.

From my view, the pattern omits some helpful directions (such as stitch counts and "you should be here now" info)and for some very strange reason, although I am following the pattern verbatim, I am getting weird nubbins on my sock...

and ended up with awful holes where there should be no holes after my short row heel.

I am persisting, tho, as the still looks pretty nice on, but this may be the first sock I actually block (darn nubbins). Although I have knit a total of 7 short row sections, for some reason I can't do number eight right!! I have ripped it back 3 times now. No more knitting during the ball game, dozing off sitting up or knitting with screaming kids around. It, and I, am in a time out for today.

I couldn't resist...

2007-10-23T09:05:00.001-05:00

But seriously, is this not the coolest sock ever?? I just had to cast on for the Rainbow Socks from this months Magknits in Sereknity Cowgirl Perfect Sock. I have spent DAYS trying to resist, but I just had to see if the marriage of this colorway and pattern would do what I hoped and it does! It is a very addicting knit, even with all the purling, and is going surprisingly fast. I am using size 2 needles (they were what I had available) and the fabric is soft and the size should be just right. Here a shot of the other side...

I am very definitely going to do 6 short row sections for the longer cuff. Back to knitting (and laundry -- tons of laundry. No dyeing until the machine is free. UG.) I leave you with one other irresistable...

ain't he the cutest??

It's been a long week...

2007-10-21T08:20:00.000-05:00

...of dyeing! I finally made some headway at getting the shop stocked, and had a minor burst of creativity so I came up with a few new colorways (these are all listed in the Etsy shop as I type)...
Fat Tuesday...

Mums...

Bountiful Harvest (this was a tough one to name, with so many different opinions from friends)...

my favorite, Cowgirl,

and Maui Sunset (don't know how this pic got missed the first time around, but it is here now... ),

inspired by a photo sent to me by Donna.
I focused on the bit of color at the horizon, but may need to tweak it a bit for her. I love how this particular version came out, tho. I really like how the dark blue plays against the brighter colors.
And for good measure, I dye a couple skeins of Black Forest Fudge, my old stand-by favorite, since I was doing up some fiber for Knit Pickings as well. I'll also have this in merino/silk roving as soon as it is dry. (drool!)

In knitting news, I am cruising slowly along on Poppy's sleeves, and am feeling better about the striping as they develop. I'll spare you the pics for now, but will show more when they are further along. I did take a break from it to cast on Jacob's R2D2 hat yesterday and literally knit ALL DAY while sitting at the computer doing listings and Photoshop and was therefore able to cast off the main portion this morning. I fudged it a bit. I didn't want to have to go back and duplicate stitch the details on -- I know me, it would never get done. So, I instead knit it as a stranded piece (something I really want to get better at) and just used the existing charts for this. If you try the hat this was, make note that for some reason, the first 15 stitches are omitted from the chart (I used the adult large in a smaller gauge - more stats later). It got a bit sticky in the decreases, again -- it wasn't designed to be knit this way, but I managed it in a fairly presentable fashion. I also got nervous it wasn't going to fit, so I reduced the rate of decrease after a few rows. It shows a bit now while lying flat, but I am confident it will all come out in the blocking. It fits the Boy with plenty of room to spare and he is thrilled. Now, to just knit the little protrubing bits and the "eye" as a patch that I will sew on. (Another personal mod. If I had knit it in, I would have had to carry the yarn all the way around the hat to knit about 12 stitches. Not happening.) So here it is...

and you know what you really want, the inside...

how did I do??

Executive Decisions

2007-10-14T08:52:00.000-05:00

*** A note of thanks to all my friends and fellow bloggers who have expressed concern and support after my last post. You have no idea how much it means to me! I can assure you that I am OK; more importantly, my family is OK, and I will keep getting up each day and getting through. With the support of such wonderful people, I know I can make it. You are all the best! ***

Now, for the most important executive decision of late, not made by me, but by Ericka and Chris, I present to you some images from their big day...
There was a bubbling (and, thankfully, late) bride, caught by surprise in the back of the chapel. Were she not late, I would have missed the whole thing! Isn't she lovely?

There was a smiling and anticipatory groom (the way he looks at his beloved just slays me)...

There were knitters, knitting in the chapel, and later at the reception, as we were required to do...

A lovely couple and wedding party, the bride gorgeous in her hand-knit shawl...

Centerpieces, inspired by the bridal shower...

And the king of all wedding cakes -- a Whoopie Pie cake! YUM.

It was a perfect day for a perfect couple. I hear they are tearing it up in Disney, but -- horror of horrors -- can find no yarn! AHHHHHH!

In other, me-centric, news, I have made the long thought out decision to no longer re-skein my yarns. The reasons are numerous and varied, but I do feel ultimately that this is the right one for me. The debate rages on and on among dyers and customers alike, and while I often like the look of a re-skeined yarn with the colors broken up from the original hand-painted appearance, it doesn't seem to have as much impact on sales as one might think. At this point, I am looking at the time it takes for me to re-skein, not to mention the FRUSTRATION. My equipment, while faster than winding each skein by hand, it incredibly difficult, unreliable and fussy to use, and better models cost far more than I could even conceive of spending. Also, most of my yarns are now coming to me in cones, which I will be sending first to a mill to be wound off into 4oz. cones, cutting down on my time initially skeinning. All this means I can DYE MORE YARN. The Etsy shop has been a snore, as I have been spending so much time on wholesale orders. I really want a balance between the wo, and I want to be able to spend more time developing new colors. TIME. It all comes down to time. So there it is. And seriously, these still look nice, don't you think??

Oh, and here is a new colorway, Freyburg...

I have also made a decision to join the local Planet Fitness gym with a dear friend. I need it. It will be good for my physical and mental health, and while I could do without the initial expense right now, it is cheaper than therapy!
Look for more shop updates this week, as I have no outstanding wholesale orders and can concentrate on retail. I have soem sock bags that have been begging to be photoed for far too long, some hat kits, and lots and lots of stitch markers. I also have boat loads of fiber to dye -- merino/silk, merino superwash and non, South African, some tussah, BFL -- oh the fibery goodness! If there are any colorways you are hoping to see, shoot me an e-mail or comment. Direction is good.
Oh, and there has been some fairly significant knitting (I do still do that) on Poppy. The unevenness of the Noro stripes has been railing against my perfectionist nature, but I am persisting, trusting it will all work out in the end. The issue? No, I don't expect to have even stripes, but with the way the color sequences fall, it looks like the front and back are knit from too different yarns. I figure it will all come together when the sleves are added. We shall see. At least she fits well!

I am also having a bit of confusion at the shoulder directions, which call for some oddly stages decreases and binding off, but I think I am just going to leave them as is and graft together a the top, so I don't have seams. I'm a bit of a weirdo -- I love the kitchener stitch. I should have that completed today, and then cast on for the sleeves. I my actually get to wear this one this fall! WOW!

Uninspired

2007-10-09T11:47:00.001-05:00

Been a bit quiet around here, huh? Truth be told, life is kicking my ass right now, and somedays I am having a bit a trouble knowing which way to turn. I won't bore you with the gory details. I'm working on it, tho, and trying to slog through each day doing at least one positive thing -- to accomplish SOMETHING -- and not just crawl in a hole and hide. THAT certainly doesn't help, although it seems tempting at times. So today, I am working on another wholesale order, starting with some of the simple things. I dyed some yarn yesterday that wasn't quite right, revisited it today, and now it is beautiful again. I feel better. Onward and upward, no?
I don't think I can even hope to catch you all up to the events of the past few weeks. I did head to the Big E to demonstrate spinning with some Island Pond Spinning friends, including the wonderful, newly-wed Ericka (more on that in a bit). It was a long but pleasant day, and I finally gave Navajo plying a good honest try, coached by Carol Spoerl, our fearless leader-of-the-day. She kept telling me she had all the patience in the world to teach me -- problem is, I don't! But I persisted and created the ugliest skein of yarn from the loveliest of fibers (Spunky Eclectic Triple Play Batts purchased at the Fiber Frolic).

I will eventually conquer this technique -- the sacrifice will not be in vain. I also began spinning some Soysilk fiber (hand-dyed by me) and I LOVE it. so smooth and soft and really quite easy to spin. Both Carol and I experimented with this and some bamboo, and the soy won out hands down. Good stuff.
From there, it was back to the busy work/school week. I had the interesting experience of being finger printed as I applied to substitute teach in my town. (I figure this is a good way to bring in a little cash, and yet, if I am busy with work and orders, I can always say "no".) I also spent many days working on a special little flock of sheep for the Sweet Sheep shop. (I neglected to get a pic of the whole crew in-process, but here is a representative pair.)

Michelle will soon have 15 pair of these lovelies in her hot little hands in various lengths and needle sizes. They would make lovely gifts! (Oh yes, folks, that time is rapidly approaching.)
Then, it was off to Maine for our last "hurrah" at camp, and to celebrate my baby boys SEVENTH birthday. 7!!!!!! We spent the day roaming the Freyburg Fair with friends (sorry -- bad mommy -- no pics) and my Boy and his Daddy even went on a helicopter ride, while the Girl and I had some "girlie" time alone. We finished the day with presents and a chocolate chip cookie cake, and all was well in the boy's world. We then enjoyed a family visit to camp on Saturday, grilling for 17 people that evening, ending the season in just the right fashion. Unfortunately for my dear hubby, I deserted him on Sunday, leaving him to break camp, in order to attend the wedding of my dear and wonderful friends, Chris and Ericka (see -- told you I would get to it!) It was a lovely event, and they are an even more beautiful couple.
A few pics from the happy day...

All they best to you, my loves!! (This event warrants more than a mere addendum to a post, so I will give you a full account in the next few days...)

Secret Stash Exchange -- Hey, pal!

2007-09-29T07:23:00.000-05:00

Well, SOMEHOW I missed the e-mail from this swap detailing my match and that the game was on, but I have all the info now, so here goes! Pal, I am glad you posted and were persistent in communicating -- I would never have known.

My questionaire:

1) When is you birthday? Aug. 16
2) How long have you been spinning? Roughly one year.
3) How long have you been blending your fibers? Since NH Sheep and Wool this year, when I got my Schact Petite Drum Carder
4) What types of blends do you like to make and spin? ANYTHING, but esp. something textured with silk, that makes interesting singles
5) What types of fibers do you NOT like? Are you allergic to any kinds of fiber? I have yet to meet a fiber that I don't like - no allegies, thank goodness
6) What are your favorite colors? I'm pretty easy to please here -- I have a hefty love of reds and warm clors, but am equally drawn to cool blues and purples -- and natural colors straight from the animal? amazing. Pretty much, I love 'em all.
7) What are you least favorite colors? none -- but I can't wear yellows, even tho I love them for themselves
8) What type of yarns do you like to spin? (singles, plied, novelty, fingering, bulky, ect.) I mostly spin 2 ply and singles, but love to experiment hen I have time (hehehe -- can you box some of THAT up and send it??)
9) What type of blending equipment do you use? my itty-bitty drum carder
10) What type of wheel or spindle do you spin on? I have an antique flax wheel of unknown origin that spins a seriously fine yarn, and a workhorse Louet S17 that does it all and travels well. Most of my spinning is done on the Louie these days
11) What do you do with your handspun yarn? I actually knit with it!
12) What are your interests outside of spinning? I'm a dyer and knitter, I have 2 kiddos, 2 dogs, 4 cats and my beautiful little angora bunny -- who does sort of play into the spinning thing ;)
13) What types of music do you like? lots, mostly popular music, "mainstream" country, 60's, 70's 80's -- you know, a smattering -- I can appreciate artistry in all forms, really, but don't seek it out -- not an efficionado
14) What types of movies do you like? I love me a good drama
15) Do you collect anything? not avidly, but I do have a thing for sheep, llamas, hedgehogs, and frogs
16) What types of candy and snacks do you like and dislike? again -- easy to please. Chocolate ALWAYS works, but I like fruity and nutty things, too. Oh, and CHEESE. I mostly subsist on cheese and crackers.
17) Do you have any food allergies to common "goodies"? (ie: chocolate, nuts, etc.)NONE!

SO thank you, pal of mine. Hope to get to know you better soon!

Catchin' up

2007-09-26T07:44:00.000-05:00

YIKES! I didn't realize it had been over a week since my last post. As always, busy, busy, busy here. Mostly the normal kid/school/family stuff and I am a bit frustrated on the business side as one supplier has really let me down and either BOed a lot of product, or sent me sub-standard yarn (so I'm not sure how much I do still want to work with them) and I am setting up a new contract with one of my existing suppliers, but that is taking some time, so the gist of it is, I HAVE NOTHING TO DYE!! I have a few random skeins that I got dyed last week that are being listed in the Etsy shop (see side bar) but that is about it for this week. I did manage to pick up some local fiber (story below) that I will be washing, dyeing, and carding this week for some amazingly glorious batts, but again, slow going.
Another item going up in the shop today (finally!) is the felted soap kits which are a combination of carded Sereknity fibers and Down to Hearth amazing homemade soaps and all the instructions needed to make this fun project.

They are great! I have been using some of these felted bars in the shower myself, and I just love them. They are so less messy than regular bar soaps, last longer than those darn body washes, are all nautral, fragrant, creamy (awesome for shaving!), and the felted wool casing is super exfolliating. FABULOUS. I figure these would be great gifts, whether you felt the soaps and tie them up with a nice ribbon for the gift, or give the kit itself to someone crafty. Ericka's soaps really are to die for, and they smell soooooo good.

I am happy to say that I took a trip to Knit Pickings in Plaistow, NH and met with Sue, the wonderful owner there, and she has decided to carry both Sereknity yarns and rovings -- oh! and sock bags and needle felting fibers as well. I'm very excited about this, and as soon as MY yarn and fiber order comes in (grrrr), I'll get some product out to her.
Also, on Saturday, I took a little trip out to Parker River Alpacas to meet with the Newburyport Spinners there for a Spin-in. It was sooo nice! I'm horrible about remembering to take pictures, although I did snap a few.

Cheryl and Chris were both there, and you can read a bit more and see some other pics there. "Alpaca Kathy" e-mailed me an invite, and suggested I bring some of my goodies in case anyone was in a shopping mood, so I packed up what meager stock I had from which Chris found herself a nice mound of Superwash merino to play with, and Cheryl and Kathy both picked out some fibers to have some fun with in the drum carder. Me? I got some 1.5 lbs of alpaca fleece to play with. YAY! Look at the wonderful variation in this...

This is from Saki, a grey alpaca with some wonderful black spots. Kathy informed me that alpaca are not truly grey, but rather more tweedy, like a roan horse, their coloring being made up of a mix of individually colored hairs. Should make for some very interesting dyeing. I also got some white fleece from a little girl named Sugar Baby. I'm going to use some of Lilah's fur in with this alpaca for batts, just trying to think of the colors I want to dye, but alpaca and angora? OH. MY.
Other than the human company, the most enchanting part of the day was sitting there in the yard, spinning, and having these lovely, gentle creatures just wander up to see what we were doing. They didn't necessarily want me to reach out and touch them, but some were curious and comfortable enough to come quite close. Love those little buggers! (Oh man do I want one! "One" meaning a herd, mind you.)
To finish off the weekend, I went into Boston to participate with the rest of the Spun and Run team in the Komen Walk for the Cure. As a team we raised $2500! I raised $300 in just the few weeks since joining and posting, SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO DONATED. My mom was thrilled. I didn't run, although Cheryl and Terry did, but I did get to walk with and meet Martha, Carole (and her hubby, Dale), Manise, Kathy (whom I had had the pleasure of meeting before).

Kathy, Carole, and Martha are pictured here. What a great group of folk, and the walk flew by. I especially had a great time talking Manise's ear off -- I bet she'll run screaming when she sees me in the future! ;) It was a gorgeous day full of super positive energy. And don't let Cheryl fool you -- she hit her desired time just fine, but the start out of the "gate" was so slow due to the volume of people that the official clock has her timed a bit incorrectly. She did great! Kudos to her, Terry, her daughter and her brother in law for NOT taking the easy way out!
And to end this so very long post, a few ubiquitous shots of me, in the mini cardi, in the bathroom mirror. I do love it. MUST work with this yarn again.

LOOK! KNITTING!

2007-09-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

and ooo how I lurv it. I was struck with the desperate need (not obsession, dear hubby, but NEED -- knitters, you understand) to cast on the Anthropologie Inspired capelet in the simply fantastic Cascade Venezia (70% merino/ 30% silk) that had been drifting about the stash since Spa earlier this year. I had bought it from a clearance bin, figuring it would make a lovely gift, if nothing else, but NO! It is mine! I just loved working with it. The result?

I elongated the pattern a bit and added a few stitches to the cast on to be sure it would fit, and not be too tight at the neck. Once I had worked through my second ball, I finished the sleeves in the 3rd, and then knit the body until I was afraid I wouldn't have enough to finish the ribbing. I needn't have worried, as I was able to double the length of ribbing, which I am glad for -- it made the back a bit more attractive than the shorter length. I did not want this ending at the largest (read as WIDEST) part of my back, so this came out a bit better. I'll have modeled shots soon, once the ends are woven and it is blocked. It is amazingly cozy and warm, and I can see it getting plenty of wear this fall.
I also did a bit of reconstruction this morning on the Boy's Wallaby that I had finished last summer. Unfortunately, I hadn't decreased the shoulders enough, so he had a major flash-dance thing going on whenever he wore it, and thusly DID NOT wear it. I ripped it back to the neckline (due to a yarn shortage, I had omitted the hood and just did a nice ribbed collar), added about 5 or six more decrease rounds, and now it really looks like a neck. I think he will be happy.

The additional bonus to doing this it that the arms should have increased in length a bit, which will be helpful a full year after it was originally knit. Kids grow fast, you know?
Last week was spent very much on the road, and doing lots of worky-worky things. Chewie and I took a drive to Springfield to the location of the "Big E" to deliver some items to the NH general store. I didn't get nearly what I wanted done to bring (some of my yarn has been on backorder, and the supplier really let me down on delivery, but I guess that's just a-day-in-the-life of a small business) but I did manage to bring a few sock bags, kits, hat kits and my favorite, Felt-your-own-soap kits with carded fiber and Down to Hearth Soap. The girls at the store were very intrigued by these and set them up on the shelf right away (see them in the photo?), so here's hoping!

I reserved a few for the Etsy shop, but I have to get some photos done before I can post. I did a little Kinnearing of Mr. Chewie on the ride down -- he's just too cute!

He wasn't all that thrilled with spending his day in the car, but better there than at home where his puppiness would have been in full unchecked force. I for one was happy for the company.

A little story about my mom...

2007-09-11T07:18:00.000-05:00

****Warning: Not a stitch of Knitting content. You know that personal stuff I don't normally get into? Well, today, I am, and for a very good cause.****

So let me tell you about my mom. Those who know me well still get confused when I say "my mom" as to who the hell I am talking about. You see, I am a very lucky girl. I have had two mothers in my life who have loved me. My "first" mother, my birth mother, Linda, died when I was only 22 months old, and I never got to know her (the one great hole in my life) but I have always know her love and her presence. My family has been very sure to keep her alive for me as best they could. My "other" mother is Deanna, the woman who met my father when I was 10, fell in love with my brother and I, and chose to be my mother. Not my step-mother (I have never heard her utter those words) but my "mom". My everything. And lest you think she tried to drown out the memory of my mother in some self-serving ploy for love -- NO WAY. From the day she married my father, she would tend my mother's grave out of respect for the woman who gave Scott and I to her. She cried on my wedding day because my other mother, Linda, deserved to be there and she felt that loss for her. (Oh yeah -- you know that wedding dress from a few entries back? She made that.) Yes, I am very much one of the lucky ones.
A few years ago, I got one of those "phone calls you never want to get". My mom had a lump in her breast. I can't even explain the fear I felt that day. The universe had already taken one mother from me, and I'd be damned if it took her! We went to the appointments, discussed the treatments, she had her surgery, stayed the course, and THEY GOT IT. She had found the offending mass early, it was attacked aggressively, and she made it through. And yes, she is still religious about her checks and appointments, her diet, everything. She is truly a survivor, and I admire her all the more today.
The reason I am telling you all this, is not to say that our story is extraordinary, but rather all too ordinary. So many families get that fateful call, and many are not nearly as fortunate as we were. In my mother's honor, I have joined the Spun and Run team (you can read more at Cheryl's blog) to raise money in the Race for the Cure. We will be walking (or running) on her birthday, Sept. 23rd. I know we will most likely never see the end of cancer in my lifetime, but if the fear and foreboding can be taken away from a few families by a couple hours spent with friends and a few dollars of pocket change, how can we say no? Won't you help me? Click this link to donate if you can, and if not, send some good vibes into the cosmos for my mom and all the others. Thanks you all so much.

Apparently, it's just me...

2007-09-09T13:40:00.000-05:00

I was the only one unable to get on my site -- something with the IP address. Go figure!

So I tried my hand at needle felting. I have A TON of medium grade wool -- a Romney cross -- that isn't exactly you luxury type spinning wool, and Romney isn't the best for wet felting. It is OK for my general use, but I think when folks want to buy hand painted wool, they want the soft sumptuous stuff. I use this wool in some of my blends, but I don't like it to dominate, just add some texture. So what to do with the many many many pounds? Well, now I know I can dye it up and make some needle felting packs. It worked great! Here is my first critter...

Rachel has already confiscated the little bun bun. i had initially thought to try to needle felt some of Lilah's fur onto the surface, but opted against it -- I like how this looks.

I have officially put MS3 to bed -- not going to push myself on it. I just wasn't feeling it, as beautiful as the pattern may be. I did pic Poppy back up, tho, and am determined to finish a few more WIPS (at LEAST a sock and Rachel's mittens) b4 I cast on the Hemp skirt. It is tough tho! It is calling me!

Website issues

2007-09-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

For some reason, Sereknity.com has been off-line for a few days now. I have been trying to contact the host to figure out the issue, but in the meantime, please know that I haven't dismantled the site! We'll be back soon, and with a web-site up-date, too. If you placed an order, and didn't receive an e-mail, this is why -- I can't even get into the e-mail right now, but I will contact you as soon as all is right with the world again. Of course, you can always reach me on the blog, at hjspellman@hotmail.com, and in the etsy shop (see side bar). Thanks! Heather

While waiting for the site to return, have fun with this quiz (I got it at Kathy's blog)
From Blue Pyramid, the Book Quiz.

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Rachel, a girl's lacy rib hat with a pretty picot edge

2007-09-07T21:43:00.002-05:00

This pattern is worked from the bottom up, starting with the picot edge and was designed to fit a small child (3-5) or older child (6-10). Stitches from the cast-on edge will be worked into the picot edge leaving virtually no finishing to be done. This is a fairly quick and easy knit. Skills needed are familiarity with circular knitting, yarn-overs, and decreasing.

Materials:
1 ball Sereknity Hand Painted Worsted Weight Superwash Merino, 200yds, 4oz
12” Addi Turbo circular needles, size 6US
One stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches and 34 rows over 4 inches in pattern stitch

Definitions: K2Tog = knit two stitches together
Skp=Slip the first stitch (knitwise) to the righthand needle, knit the next stitch, then slip the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch and off the needle. Decreases one stitch.

M1 = Lift bar from the previous row and knit into the back of the loop.
Loosely cast-on (80)90 stitches (use a larger size needle if necessary to keep your stitches loose. I used the long tail cast-on.) Place marker, and join in the round, being careful not to twist.

Rows 1-3: Knit.
Row 4: *K2tog, yo, repeat from * to the end.
Rows 5-7: Knit.
Row 8: Fold work under at YO row and begin knitting, knitting both the stitch on the left hand needle and the first stitch form the cast on edge together at the same time. Knit all stitches on the needle and cast-on edge together in this manner.

Row 9: Knit (If making the small size, M1 at the beginning of the row to increase the stitch count to 81.)

Begin Lacy Rib Pattern stitch as follows:
Row 1: *k2, p, k2, p, yo, skp, p, repeat from * to the end
Row 2: *K5, p, k2, p, repeat from * to the end
Row 3: *k2, p, k2, p, k2tog, yo, p, repeat from * to the end
Row 4: *k5, p, k2, p, repeat from * to the end.

Work these four rows for 4 ½” (5 ½”) ending with a row 4. ( If desired, add a few extra pattern repeats before decreasing to get an even larger size. The circumference is large enough to fit this adult’s head, so the only adjustment needed should be to the length.)

Begin crown decreasing:
Row 1: *skp, p, k2tog, p, yo, skp, p, repeat from * to end (70 stitches)
Row 2: *k3, p, k2, p, repeat from * to end
Row 3: *skp, k1,p, k2tog, yo, p, repeat from * to end (60 stitches)
Row 4: *k2,p, repeat from * to end
Row 5: *k2tog, p, skp, p, repeat from * to end (40 stitches)
Row 6: *k1,p,1 , repeat from * to end
Row 7: k2tog to end
Row 8: knit even all around to end
Row 9: knit2to to end
Row 10: knit even all around to end
Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Thread tapestry needle with the tail and thread yarn through all stitches. Pull opening tight to close, but not so tight as to cause the hat to buckle. Fasten and weave in ends. If it feels a bit snug, give it a light blocking. Voila!

Please contact me, heather@sereknity.com with any questions or suspected errata. Thank you! I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I did.

Copyright October 27, 2006. Please note this pattern is the property of Sereknity and is copyrighted material and the entire contents of this pattern are copyrighted as a collective work under the copyright laws of the United States. You may print a copy of this pattern for your own personal use and enjoyment, but editing, publishing, transmitting, e-mailing, posting it to a list service or database, or otherwise commercially exploiting this pattern is strictly forbidden without the express permission of Sereknity and/or the author.

A bit too vigorous of a blocking...

2007-09-05T08:15:00.000-05:00

...and Rachel's hat became a mommy hat! (a little self-Kinnearing...)

but at least it isn't too small! when it came off the needles I was afraid it might be a bit too snug, so I gave it a "little" blocking, using the only roundish and "appropriately sized" object I could find -- Rachel's My Little Pony Hot-air balloon. Now I know what to use for my adult hats, anyway. A quick dunking and the hat is back to size, so I will hopefully have new pattern pics today, when the little model herself returns from school. I'm going to put that balloon to work again, tho, on a hat I knit for Jim last year that came in just shy of his ears. I think it will work -- wish me luck!
For some fun and beautiful fiber pics, I did a little searching and found some absolutely gorgeous pics of Sereknity Roving spun up by some clearly talented spinners. Alyson of the YoYo knits at http://www.terribleknitknit.blogspot.com/ has done an amazing job on numerous amounts of my roving, and just bought 4 more! She sells her spun yarns at her etsy shop, so if you are coveting them, haunt her site! This is Rock Chick, spun from Pretty in Punk. And the banner of her Etsy Shop has a picture of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Also, at Revival, the fabulous Kate Gilbert picked up a bit of Escape Falkland, and the spinning job she did with it is just phenomenal! (Like we ever doubted -- sheesh!)

Why, yes, Mother, may I?

2007-09-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

They say Necessity is the Mother of all invention, and while I did not invent this skill, I was forced -- by Mother Necessity -- to un-vent it for myself. I present, circular knitting on two needles! YAY me!

I am re-working the Rachel Hat pattern but had no dpns of the correct size to use for the decreasing crown and had to use what I own. Thankfully, knowledge of the Magic Loop technique and the use of dpns easily merge in this tecnique, and it only took me a few moments to figure out exactly how you are supposed to manipulate the needles. Is it text book? I have no clue -- didn't even google it -- but it works for me (and frankly I can't see any other way) so off I go! The pattern revisions will be completed today.

Also, finished the boys hat, but as expected, I didn't have nearly enough yarn. Luckily, I found a ball of left over singles in my basket and plied those from both ends of the center pull ball and knit it right off the bobbin. See what's left? And guess what -- he says it is "too itchy". le sigh. He loves it tho, and wants to keep trying (the boy is so gratifying to knit for -- he loves things just because mommy made them for him. I heart that boy muchly). If he just can't handle it, it actually fits me, so I will wear it, and he'll get a nice superwash merino. And of course there is always R2D2.

Once the hat is done, I'll proceed with Mitten #2 for Rachel and give this one its thumb. A bit better than the last ones, eh? I have some lovely Spunky Club Stawberry fields roving that will be a warm hat for her -- eventually -- using the same recipe as Jacob's. I'll post it in a day or two -- super simple, but sometimes having the numbers can help.

Ugly Mittens

2007-09-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is a pic of the cute kid, with the ugly mittens. True, they don't look so bad on his hands, but off?

Not so good. See that odd little bumpy part on the mitten on the right? I don't like that. I tried following the pattern chart from the recent issue of Knit Simple, but I really didn't like the decreases they wrote in for the hand of the mitten. In the bulky yarn they are too prominent an stair-steppy, plus it made that odd little pouch. Now, as this was a mitten being knit for a little boy who will most likely loose them, I didn't really bother to rip and re-knit at that point. Moving on to the next mitten, I omitted the weird decreases in the hand, but apparently put one row too many in before grafting the top, leaving on odd little chimney cap sort of thing. A vigorous blocking would undoubtedly solve all of these issues, but seriously -- KIDS MITTENS. Need I say more. However, an FO! YAY!!!

I started a matching hat as well, but I'm not sure I'll have enough yarn to finish. Jacob is very anxious for me to make him the R2D2 hat, but the gray yarn I ordered from Knit Picks was waaayyy too dark for R2, so I am waiting for an order of white to dye. He'll prob. get that one for Christmas, or maybe his b-day (in Oct.) if I am really diligent. (Yeah, you're right, Christmas it is.) I am optimistic that with the kids now in school, and me having the freedom to work day hours like a normal human, that I will actually have time in the evenings for recreational knitting and spinning. Very optimistic. So much so that I bought yarn for another project. (I know! I'm a bad girl with a basket full of WIPs, but it's my knitting, darnit, and I'll knit what I want to!) Any way, I want to start this lovely skirt for Rachel, and I am actually using the recommended yarn, although I did change the colors. Deep purple, pink, minty green, and yellow. I'm shooting for Thanksgiving on this one. At least I'm being somewhat realistic.h

On a final note, the fabulous Melissa, who is being gracious enough to test knit a new pattern for me, stopped by yesterday and gave me these to photo...

They are River Rapids socks by Sock bug in the Sereknity Surf's Up colorway, which I only dyed once, but after seeing it knit, will definitely have to make again. These were done in sport weight and will be such a wonderful warm snuggly sock. Watch out, Melissa, the...ummm....puppy....ummm...just might eat them. Yeah! That's it!

I should be sad...

2007-08-31T07:12:00.000-05:00

...but I'm not! On Wednesday, my youngest officially started First Grade -- his first full day of school. Now, of course I will miss my boy, but it is hard to be sad when they are SO REVVED UP for it! On Tuesday, the day of the school Open House, he was awake and downstairs before Rachel -- NO one is ever up before Rachel -- so excited to go in and see his classroom and get started. We aren't talking anxious nerves here, but uncontainable delightful eagerness.
Here they are running to greet their friend and neighbor...

Rachel dancing

and Jacob getting on the bus (Rachel escaped b4 I could snap a pic).

Jacob was so comfortable, that when the bus made its first stop, he hopped across the isle to introduce himself and sit with another little boy, instead of with his sister (who has been unendingly sweet with him, btw). They arrived home later suitably
exhausted, but in great spirits, and are still going strong on day three. YAY!

We celebrated the week and ended out the summer on Monday by going to the local lake with friends so the kids could get in one good last swimming day,

and then on Tues. went to the Butterfly Place in Nashua. AWESOME! I got so many great pics, and I hope to get a bunch printed to decorate Rachel's room. (Going to be a Christmas present I think.) Here are a few of my favorites...

I have been in a definite fit with my knitting -- restless, dissatisfied, and generally feeling like I am getting no-where (which is exactly true) so I cast on (again! I know!) for some mittens for the kids -- early handspun for Jacob, and Poems for Rachel -- and they are nearly done. Ugly, but nearly done. I'll have pics next time. I won't say "tomorrow" -- we know how that goes!

Gina made me cry!

2007-08-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

OK, I know -- two posts in one day?? But this had to be done. While lounging on the couch w/ hubby, he noticed a shadowy figure attempting to escape my front proch unnoticed. I slipped out the front door, tripping over boxes, to catch Gina in the act. Yes, you, Gina! ;)
Hellos and hugs later, she drove off and I picked up my goodies (the aforementioned boxes) and brought them inside to open.
Don't you love the box?

Inside were some really great new yarns. 2 skeins of Patons SWS in Natural Plum (very scrumptious) and a very new yarn I had never heard of -- Moda Dea Silk n'Wool -- also in plum. Veery nice.

So why did I cry? Well, I also got this...

How thoughtful (and beautiful!) is that?? Now I'll have a sign for my booths, and something to put in the studio as well.
Thank you, Gina! You are the best!!

So, knitting...

2007-08-26T07:51:00.000-05:00

Been doing that. Very, very little, and in my typical fashion, I've been starting rather than finishing, but in my defense, it has been somewhat necessary. I've been re-working the "Rachel" hat to suit the superwash worsted I am now using. While the hat knit last year for Rachel on 8's in a heavey worsted was nice, It did seem to loose it's shape a bit over the season, getting a bit short and it wasn't as snug as it could have been. I am using 6's now, and will add length and it works much better. I want to figure directions for a smaller and lager size for it to for kits for the Big E. I've gotten quite a few more inches done than pictured here.
I really like how the yarn is striping -- it is the Carousel colorway which is dyed differently than any of my other colorways. I think I'll come up with a few other colorways in this style just for the hats.
The shrug I was knitting for Rachel (you know, the mindless knitting?) has been frogged since I totally messed up the directions by trying to work from memory. She really likes it tho and wants it for school, so I have to get it cast back on. I have to say, that Suri Alpaca is a b*tch to frog! Ick. It isn't quite as soft as I tinitially thought either, but I figure a good blocking and subsequent fluffing will help. It isn't too happy at being frogged and is looking a little worse for the wear.
MS3? Let us not speak of this. Clapotis? It is calling me -- from the basket. I so wanted it done earlier in the week, when we were having a very fallish cold spell. But it isn't done -- not even close.
And then of course, there are the socks from the previous post (samples! a must have, right?). LOVING my Mystic Mountain socks -- now THAT is mindless knitting!
Bar Harbor? Weeellll, now ya see, that requires thought, time, and concentration, so, haven't done much. I did finally et the first row of shells connected. Aren't I so speedy? I'm determined to get back to it, maybe even today. (Lora has already finished hers!)
Pretty pathetic, huh? I did spin a little tho -- finally plied my Thistle superwash into this lovely yarn...

I think this is the most even yarn I have ever produced -- it flowed so nicely through my fingers while I was plying. Loved it. I am thrilled with it (yes, I know, I am simple to please), and of course am anxious to see it knit now. (note to self: I WILL NOT CAST ON!) There is actually a small bit left on the bobbin that still needs to be wound into a center pull ball and plied on itself to get the full 4 oz.
BUT THERE IS HOPE!!! The kids go back to school this week! YAY! Jacob starts first grade this year, so I will have a full 7-8 hour day to myself and hope to get in a routine of working while they are at school, and having the evenings for leisurely knitting and spinning after all of our afternoon activities. Cross your fingers!
Also, 12 years ago today, this happened...

Ahh, to be young again...
Happy Anniversary, honey! I love you! And you truly are a saint for putting up with me.

Shop update and my birthday

2007-08-23T16:56:00.000-05:00

First, for those so inclined, let me just say that the etsy shop will undergo a major update today and tomorrow with lots of scrumptious yarn and fiber. I have a few new colorways included -- Sweet Clover (read about it here)and All Hallow's Eve (pictured in-knit above), as well as some of the standards. LOTS AND LOTS of typing to do! But the pictures are all taken, so I can plug away here on the couch sittin' with hubby. Woolgirl and One Planet will be receiving new yarns by next week as well, so if you don't see what you want here, be sure to check them out. I am also introducing a new line of merino/bamboo/nylon yarn. This stuff rocks! AND I got my copy of No Sheep for You today, and it reports that bamboo is anti-bacterial -- definitely a good thing on socks! I really do love this yarn. It is soft and shiny and the added nylon for strength is a huge plus for me. I personally am very rough on my heels, so I love a little nylon in the blend.
A little more yarn p*rn you say? Well sure! Happy to oblige.

I also cast on a much needed mindless sock while at Revival in the Mystic Mountain colorway (Falkland Superwash). I saved this one skein for myself from the first dye batch and I love it! I am thrilled with the way it is knitting up.

I have been doing much shorter color sections in multiple repeats on a lot of the new colorways to avoid serious pooling and I am very happy with the results. Of course, gauge always plays a big part in how anything will knit up, but the smaller sections do seem to help. I do still like me some big bold pooling and striping on the bright and wild colorways tho. Straight stockinette and let the yarn speak (or scream, as it may be). Oh yeah.
Now, lest my peeps think I am a total ingrate, my awesome, amazing, wonderful, fun, and thoughtful friends of the ManchVegas Knitters threw a little party for myself and Blogless Donna to commemorate our birthdays (mine was the 16th - yup, the big 36). I ended up feeling a bit of a schmuck since I had to leave before the cake came out since hubby had to work that night. :( As I understand it, Donna did me proud, tho. So what did I get? Well, Ericka, in her immense wisdom, peeked into my Ravelry and search out a pattern she "knew I would never buy for myself" and what a great pick it was! I love these little dolls!

I may have to make one for Gracie for Christmas (in my spare time, ya know? Right after I sew up Jacob's dragon. le sigh.) Other birthday goodies included...

a lover-ly pet skein of Artyarns in just my colors, an innovative "basket" from Ikea containing my treats and destined for stashy goodness, more patterns -- Thelonius from Cookie A. and Elves and Elms from Madelinetosh -- oh! and Sox Stix from Lantern Moon, already in my knitting bag, and this...

a cloth knit by Lora that is so sweet and pretty I don't want to use it. Seriously. And it is red. I love red. LOVE. RED.
Aren't I lucky?
From my wonderful hubby (and kiddos) I received a super sentimental gift -- tickets to see James Taylor at the Verizon Wireless Center. (You can read an account of the concert here. Terry said it better than I ever could, and then some.) Sadly, as we walked out the front doors, JT was coming back on stage for one of many encores -- this one Copperline -- but Jim was exhausted from working nights all week and I had been vending at Revival all day, so we just couldn't muster the energy to run back to our seats. Getting personal for a minute... I know it may sound odd that this was a "sentimental" gift, but aside from loving JT for being the man himself, and his amazing music, he was also the favorite artist of my big brother whom I lost 13 years ago, and still so desperately miss. (Someday, maybe I'll tell you more. Not normally the type of info I divulge here -- this is meant to be a happy place.) Scott once told me that, when times got tough and he was sorely stressed out, he would put on some JT and sit back and relax. I have taken this advice often, and now with Scott gone, hearing this music always makes me feel close to him. Jim knows this and could have picked no better gift. Yeah, tearing up now. (I love you, honey. Thank you!) And thank you, Mr. Taylor, for a wonderful, wonderful night.

I'm baaaack! And with so much to tell...

2007-08-20T12:23:00.001-05:00

This may actually take a few posts. Life has been pretty crazy lately, and rather than try to cover everything in chronological order, I'll go by topic. Since it is a knitting/fiber blog after all, we might as well start there...
FIBER REVIVAL! wow! what a day! I had such a great time and met so many folks - but next time bloggers MUST WEAR BLOG-TAGS! I know I must have met a ton of you, but darned if I could match the faces to the blogs. Next fair, I'll have these at my table. I really wan tot thank each and every person who came through my booth for helping to make my first vending event such a fun and wonderful day. Was it financially worth it? You bet. But even better was the opportunity to chat with everyone and share an art I love. I was worried, being a vendor, of coming off as some pesky sales person, and having people shy away from me as such (many years ag, I worked int he car business. I guess some wounds take a while to heal!). That so didn't happen -- everyone was wonderful! I had so much fun, even tho I couldn't mingle as much as I would have liked. Kudos and huge thanks to both Cheryl and Julia and all the others in charge (Kathy at Spencer-Pierce Little Farm was simply amazing, too, but I don't have a link for her!) for inviting me and making it such a huge success. Can't wait for next year!
Some pictures of my booth...

How did I do???
The awesome amazing Blogless Kelly also cranked out a sampling of my sock yarn with dyeing remnants...check this out!

that is almost 8 feet of wonderful yarny goodness! I so have to get me one of those machines! (Colorways from top left swirling down to bottom right are...(brown scrap) Summer Blooms, Triple Scoop, Motif#1, Lilacs in Bloom, Martian, Tree Frog, Macintosh, Romance, Autumn Blaze, Summer Blooms again, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Violas, (scrap brown). How cool is that??
And some close ups...

All the yarns were fingering weight, some merino superwash, some Merino/tencel -- it is so great to see them knit up! And to see them do exactly what I wanted them to do -- eps. Tree Frog. YAY! Of course, gauge changes everything, but it is nice to know I hit the mark for the most part.
My dork moment for the day? I met a very sweet and unassuming young woman wearing a simply lovely sweater, which I complimented, to which she replied -- "Thank you! It is my own design." I gushed a little more thinking, "Really? Her design? I could have sworn I have seen that before." I never thought to ask where I could get it. Well, duh! This is the design and this is the designer. Yeah, big dork. We even chatted up the sweater her daughter as wearing made out of her handspun (gorgeous -- and the sweater was nice too...lol). I'm thrilled to have met her.
Ok, back to work for now, but I'll get caught up on all the other family doings later -- and the paltry little teensy bit of knitting. There have been a few stitches here and there. Until next time!

Heading to REVIVAL

2007-08-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't faded into the ether, I have been a dyeing fool -- getting ready for Revival,and my first ever vending booth.
Stop by and wish me luck!!! It is sure to be a great day, and I'll have lots to tell when all is said and done.

ok, so I lied...

2007-08-12T08:58:00.001-05:00

It isn't exactly "tomorrow". I am definitely learning lots about the amount of time I need to calculate for my job, and the weather doesn't always cooperate! I lost a day to wet weather, even with the yarn inside with fans on. The ir was so humid, the moisture just had no where to go. As it is, I left home on Tuesday evening with over 1/2 of the total yarn re-skeined (including the order I needed to deliver to the YArn Sellar on my way to camp) and brought a box to label for Woolgirl with me to finish at camp Wed. AM -- still about 50 skeins to wrap and tag here at home, but those will be out to her soon, along with another special project for her. (lil' squee)
This week will be spent prepping for the Fiber Revival in Newbury, MA. Lots and lots of fiber to dye, and then on to kits for the Big E. In the meantime, I have some pics of the process of last weeks work -- enjoy!
Yarn in the washer waiting to be spun out...

ready for re-skeining...

my wonderfully-ingenious-outdoor-drying-system that had to be moved INDOORS thanks to the rain and humidity...

me, at the end of the dyeing day,

the clock,

documenting the time that this happened...

Yeah, I was thrilled. Called it a night at that point!

By the numbers

2007-08-05T20:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm still here. Sent the family away to camp so I could work.
29 pounds of yarn dyed.
19 colorways.
8 pounds left, in 5 colorways.
1 glass of wine.
Many more to go.
Pictures tomorrow.

Frantic Knitting

2007-07-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

Oh, no! It is happening again! I am busy -- crazy busy -- and it is showing in my knitting. It is a sickness. The symptoms? Startitis, and extreme frogging.
So what am I knitting? Still crawling through the re-knit of clue one on the Mystery Stole. I haven't touched this in over a week now since I have been either working on the studio or with the kids, and I CAN'T knit that with the monsters around. Travel knitting has been Clapotis (I got to the first dropped stitch! woohoo!)
and this little shrug for my Baby Girl in Knit Picks Suri Alpaca, that I cast on as a result of having to go through my stash to move it into the studio.

I bought enough of this yarn ages ago to make a sweater from the first Stitch and Bitch book, but my taste and knitting style has changed so much since then that I have decided to re-purpose the yarn. I'll probably over-dye whatever is left (which will be a lot) and knit the girl another cardi.
I have also been working on a very quick little stealth project that I will reveal at a later date, but it has actually caused me to pick up a crochet hook again. I forgot how fast crochet could be! Very nice when you need some instant gratification, but I still don't think my poor wrist could handle much of it.
I also HAD to start my Bar Harbor bag. I bought some Wisdom Poems in the hope of making the multi-colored Noro-type version, but there are not enough color shifts and the repeats are small, so my bag will likely look more like this one as I won't be seperating out the colors, but with the stitch definition of the Bar Harbor.

I'll probably cast on for another in the style of the Blue Bar Harbor bag in Knit Pics WOA as I have a TON of that in the stash, I just don't know which colors I want to do yet.
A little note on the Wisdom Poems (purchased here -- she has all the colors!) -- I LOVE working with this yarn. It is so soft and gentle on the hands when knitting, and makes a lovely fabric. A knitting friend commented, when she saw my Booga Bag in progress, that I was nuts to be felting with it -- it needed to be a sweater! And I wholeheartedly agree. It definitely will be. As for felting, man! does it felt fast! Nice sturdy fabric, but watch out! One pass through the washing machine gave me a clutch rather than a Booga bag! I never stopped to check it since the Noro bag took 4 passes through the machine. As it is, the bag was perfect for this...

As far as items frogged, I had a cabled sweater of my own simple design I began for the girl about 2 years ago -- back done, and front 1/2 done, and that is now in pretty little balls of Lion Kool Wool waiting for a new purpose.
I do like this yarn, although it is a bit splitty. I was knitting it on size eights, but it will make a better fabric with 9s or 10s I think. I may make a little cardi like this for me with it.
I also ripped a pair of Jaywalkers -- 2 on one circ needle -- that were only 1/2 done the leg. I was using a gorgeous color of Seacoast Handpaint, but the yarn is so thin, it made the knitting so tedious -- 11 stitched to the inch -- and I was certain I would wear through the heels in about 2 wearings. I'll re-use it for a nice lacy scarf.
And then of course there are the 20 balls of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in almost the same color that were partially destined to make this, the Seed Stitch from Hell cardi. I hate knitting it, and she has forgotten she ever asked for it so it is coming out! DONE.
I really want to get something started for the Boy too, but not sure which yet. I have some local wool -- Walpole Wool -- from a small farm in Walpole MA that I got to make a Portuguese Fisherman's sweater for my handsome little man (we are Portuguese, after all) so there is that or a multi color sweater in blue, green, and yellow Lion Wool. He loves yellow -- must have yellow. I'll probably also get a few mittens started for camp knitting for the next trip. I don't want to get caught without having done any this year, and the new Knit Simple has a fantastic chart on knitting mittens for all sizes from different weight yarns. Excellent. Of course, I bought the mag because of this...

YAY, AMY!

A place to call my own...

2007-07-23T20:39:00.000-05:00

I am happily typing from Sereknity's new base of operations -- my home studio! I have been puttering around in here for two days now, slowly setting up and just standing around, admiring. I cried when hubby wrote this...

isn't that sad? I am just so happy to have "arrived" -- (I have to dye about 200 skeins in the next few weeks for orders and Revival! YIKES!). It feels so real now. A real business. ME. My yarn, my colors, (my responsibility!!). My space. WOW. Well, me and the bunny, anyway.

The other girls seem to approve as well...

They have been hanging out in here a lot, but Bella better not get used to those boxes -- they'll be chalk-full in no time.
So you wanna see more?? OKAY!!

Got a bit of work done today -- a little lace re-skeining.
This is on it's way to Cayli...

And these will be posted to Etsy tonight...

This will, if I can ever get a good color shot...

The color is more of a blue-violet. The purple in it is almost luminescent, and the varigation is so subtle. LOVE it.
I can't wait to wake up and go to work! How cool is that????

Sereknity in Action

2007-07-21T08:35:00.000-05:00

Blogless Kendra's Wristers

Not much dyeing going on here. A few batts have been cranked, and a few rows knit, but other than that no direct fibery goodness. BUT, today I move into the studio!! YAY! From there, I will have 3 large wholesale orders to fill, plus preparation for the upcoming Revival, so there won't be a ton of action for you, my pretty readers, in the Etsy shop, save the random skein or two (I do have some zephyr laceweight to re-skein and list...mmmm).
In the meantime, I thought I would share some links of Sereknity yarns in their knitted glory. I love searching other blogs for FO's in Sereknity, since I hardly have time to knit any myself.
Some socks...
Watermelon here and here
Ericka's Pixie Dust Socks
Caroline's Deep Blue Sea
Gina's Tipsy Socks in Pretty in Punk
Jackie's Monkey's in Rock Lobster ... OMG -- I love these!!
Lora's Witchy's and Belladonna's and her mom's Breakfast at Tiffany's

Nichole's footies in Triple Scoop
and Blogless Kendra's footies in Shiraz.

Blogless Amanda also knit the most wonderful pair of socks in Black Forest Fudge, but the pic she sent didn't come through, so I have to hunt one down. SO AWESOME.
Also, few non-sock items...
A Crocheted Scarf from Gigi in Blue Hawaii
Amanda's Opera Scarf in Breakfast at Tiffany's
and Nichole's Smocked Gauntlets (free pattern in the side bar!) in Rock Lobster.

Studio Pics tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, baby!!

2007-07-19T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is Gracie! Over the weekend, we went to her christening -- hubby and I had the incredible honor of being her godparents -- but didn't get much one-on-one time, so the kids and I trekked on over to Chez Cuz's house for some quality time. My Baby Girl apparently has a bit of a talent with the camera, too (and a talent for revealing mommy's cleavage...) as she was the photographer here.

What a cutie! And such a good and happy baby. No interest in crawling yet, but she loves to hold your fingers and bounce, bounce, bounce. I forgot the little jitterbug dance they do at that age -- you know, the one where they tighten one leg like a steel bar and tap the other one in rapid non-rhythm? LOVE THAT. I don't think there is anything this kid does that isn't cute. I did finish her Sunflower Dress by the christening, but I had to take it home for some minor alterations. I took the wing-it approach to knitting the top as my row gauge was 1/2 what it called for, so I worked the shaping as I saw fit and didn't even check the pattern to see which side went where and totally missed that I should have had a button hole. The fish buttons I had bought were too big, so I chose some cute little Angel beads that I had in the stash and sewed those on, fastening both sides of the dress closed. Well, couple that with a slightly non-forgiving cost-off and it barely squeaks over her head. I have the dress at home and have pulled the beads off. I'll attach snaps on the inside and either re-use the Angel beads or continue my search for buttons. I won't be seeing them for a few more weeks as my Cuz and the babe are going to the Dominican Republic to go house hunting. (She is looking for something big enough for a family of guests -- yay!)
In the meantime, here are a few shots of my little man's teddy bear modeling the dress (pic #2 shows the color better, but the flash is just so harsh).

The Boy was horrified that I degraded his oh-so-masculine bear so, but I did explain it was for Grace, so he let it go -- just barely.
The kids spent the night there so I got to go off and see the Newburyport spinners. What a lovely and welcoming group! The gathered at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, MA on this particular night and I had such a great time. This is the location of the upcoming Fiber Revival on August 18th (seen at Julia's blog), and I've been invited to be a vendor -- squeee! SO YOU HAVE TO COME. lol Seriously, tho, some of the workshops/classes look fantastic, and it is a gorgeous place (right next to an Alpaca Farm!), and there will be so many other wonderful spinners, knitters, weavers, and fiber folk of all walks, kinds, and levels, what could be better? I can't wait. I may have to see who I can rope into helping at the table so I can take a class or two. I'll have preview shots of fiber and yarns that I'll be offering there in the upcoming days and weeks, too, if you need any more convincing. I spent the day the other day cranking out some batts, and I must say -- YUM. AND I finally got in my new wool/bamboo sock yarn that will probably make it's debut there. mmmhmmm
Studio is almost done -- just gotta get hubby to put up the counters and shelves. I CAN'T WAIT! I may not even have to be embarrassed about my house anymore! Pics and mystery shawl update tomorrow...(now go to Moth Heaven and check out the Revival stuff -- seriously -- go -- you know you want to!)

Fun w/ Yarn and Fiber at the TKGA

2007-07-14T18:16:00.000-05:00

How fortunate am I to live in this wonderful world of fibery New England goodness? No more than 20 minutes from my from door the TKGA Knit and Crochet show was held this weekend. I made a quick run through of the show yesterday to bring Cyndi of the Yarn and Fiber Company a boat load of product -- sock and lace yarns, batts, roving, bags, and orifice hooks -- and resolved to spend the ENTIRE day there today. I had the pleasure of running into the fabulous Julia and fellow-equally-fabulous-spinner Kelly while there, and we happened to arrive at the booth at the same moment as the designer of the Bar Harbor Bag. I think she was a bit overwhelmed at the way we -- ok, I -- gushed. (Seriously, tho, it isn't often that we see something truly unique in the knitting world anymore. Sure, there is a great deal of beauty out there, for certain, but this is so different.
I returned today and promptly discovered Cheryl, visited once again w/ Cyndi, and ran off to do some browsing. I did my part to enable both Jackie and Cheryl in the purchase of the famous Mermaid Jacket by Helen Falkenberg, or some other lovely design (check out Gina's blog for pics -- seriously -- this jacket was made for Jackie). These girl showed far too much restraint tho, and I don't know what I am going to do with them. sigh. Why won't they let me live vicariously through their purchases? Seriously. As for myself, restraint was my middle name. In my whorl-wind tour through the market on Friday, I made one small purchase of a bag of Plymouth Bella Colour
for Rusted Root, and today's fascination left me prowling The Habu booth, fondling EVERY swatch. What amazing fantastic incredible and surprising yarns! I wanted one of everything! I satisfied myself with these cones...

the deep purple is stainless steel and wool, and the smoke is steel and silk. STEEL AND SILK PEOPLE! Is there anything cooler than this? My dear Nora has had me dreaming of this for quite a while and I am so thrilled to finally get to play with some. (btw -- say a prayer and send her some good thoughts. She could use them right now.)
And that was it folks! What a good girl am I! The rest of the day was spent lunching, chatting and even spinning. I camped out in the Yarn and Fiber Co. booth as a living display and spun up some Sereknity superwash merino roving while schmoozing and answering questions. See how much I got done?

Now, for those wondering, this is the current state of my Mystery Stole...

Thank goodness Melanie will take a break to allow folks to read the new Harry Potter so I can get somewhat caught up. Let us never speak of this again. (I love my puppy, I love my puppy, I love my puppy...)

WTF Wednesday

2007-07-11T07:37:00.000-05:00

I have just been a blogging fool lately, now haven't I? Well, I wish I could post my fix to the MS3 shawl, but I thought I would block it on the needles first so I could see better. Lace in it's -inprogress state tends to be a bit murky asnyway, but add to that the unbalanced twist of a single spun yarn and it is pretty tough. So, when I reached for my bag to retrieve the project...it...wasn't...there. AAAARRRRGGGGGG!!!! I had taken it out of my bag at my sis-in-law's when I took the kids for a swim, and didn't put it back! So, no knitting brilliance to show you today. (What a dumbass.)
Loathe to leave you, my beautiful readers, with negative vibe, however, I give you the cutest puppy on the planet. Seriously. Remember Chewie?

As I said in my last post, we have decided to adopt him. (I went back in the archives and found this. The intense resolve is really remarkable.) I totally caved. Man, he is an awesome puppy! And he loves me. :) What else was a girl to do?? The above pic was 9 weeks ago. This is him now.

Ain't he a cutie?
The only way to get the little booger to sit still long enough for any kind of photo shot is with a good chewy treat. Feet and hats were included for size reference! (Notice the paint splotches on my feet -- got primer, paint, and 1/2 the floor done yesterday, and hubby got rockin' on the ceiling. SQUEE!)

Irony and Truth in blogging

2007-07-10T07:01:00.000-05:00

So, this morning I awoke thrilled to discover that after 7 hours, being awake with my early rising daughter and not having yet gone out, my little puppy had not had any accidents. Yay, Chewie! (Yes, crazy as we are, we have decided the pup stays with us. He is just too sweet.) So after putting him out, grabbing some coffe, and letting the happy-to-see-mommy little pup back in, I gathered my MS3 shawl and sat down to relax and knit a few rows. I was pondering the idea of a life line. Is this truly necessary? I mean, after all, the stole is knit entirely row by row, and when I get to the end of a row, if my stitch count is off, I just tink back until I find the mistake, which I have done successfully a few times. No big. I couldn't see any need to rip back row after row. And then I saw my little pup, starting so lovingly from the end of the couch.
"Hi, baby."
"Yip!" (unusual, he rarely barks?)
"What puppy?"
"YIP!"
"What...?"
And that is when it happened -- he leaped across the couch, over the sleeping Ta-shi, onto my lap and off again, dragging with him my stole, which was in the middle of a row! Oh, the carnage!
I now have this

and will try to determine where in the chart this has dropped to, and re-knit just this section. It only looks to be about 3 or 4 rows, so wish me lick. (And Murphy, you can feel free to move on now. Your job is done here.)
Now for true confession time. I have been lamenting the state of my house for some time. It is embarrassing. Horrifying. And, quite frankly, debilitating. THIS is my "work area" more commonly known as a dining room.

I have kinda outgrown the space, don't you think? So I am working on this...

Wet sanded the plaster yesterday, will prime and paint today, then lay the peel and stick floor. Hubby will be finishing the electrics and then put up the accoustic tile ceiling. (Normally,not my first choice, but they are cheap and quick, and it is only a workroom.) Lilah will reside in the far left corner (where all the junk is right now); the oil tank will be blocked by a room divider. This wall,

will be lined w/ shelves;
this will be the sewing area

a long counter will line the left hand wall and in the center will be a long thin island.

My kids are already in monster-mode and it is only 8:30. Not sure how well that bodes for getting work done today. Hmmm...maybe I'll put them to work! Wish me luck!

Progress

2007-07-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, this MS3 stole thing is quite addicting. My progress is small, but I am happy with it. I made the rash decision to skip swatching and just jump in and knit, as I was already running behind. I figured that is I wasn't happy with the result, I could rip and reknit. But I am. AND I havent made any mistakes yet! I get so excited when I get to the end of a row and my stitch count is correct. PHEW. I actually have a confession. This is my first "real" bit of lace. In fact, I certainly wouldn't call myself an experienced knitter, but I am certainly an adventurous one. I once read that the only difference between a beginner and an experienced knitter is one knows HOW to fix her/his mistakes. THAT is something I have had to learn and learn well! lol I did knit Embossed Leaves socks, and the Party Lace scarf from Magknits (well, I guess that is "real" lace, but it was only a 4 row lace repeat!), so I may be in over my head here, but I don't tend to do things on a small scale. Shocker, I know. A bit of an overacheiver. (If only I was where housework was concerned!)
Here is the first pic, not quite through the first chart...

I had planned to use the purple beads from the last post, but didn't have a crochet hook small enough (fyi -- if you are going to use size 8 beads, you need a sz 12 crochet hook or smaller. Mine is a 10.) At 9:15pm, I knew I wouldn't make it to the nearest craft store for new beads IF the had any I liked and IF they had the right size and/or crochet hook, and I wanted to start NOW. So I went to ye olde bead stash (thank you, stitchmarker business) and found a great mix of triangular blue beads that I had purchased "just because". I had enough to start, but not sure I have enough for the finished project, so I went to the local bead store today -- Le Beaderie -- and picked up more, and then some! (The gals at Le Beaderie rock -- they are so super friendly, and one of the owners, Cheryl, is also an avid knitter.) I grabbed some gold iris seed beads for Ericka just in case (and they were even kind enough to COUNT them for me! 325 in the bag -- score!). They are pictured here next to my beads.

I also raided the 50% off bin and made off with this loot...

I feel some new sock and scarf patterns coming on! (..again, with the little upstart knitter getting a big head...)
I spent quite a few hours clearing out the studio space today, and the goal is to be in it by next weekend, as I'll have a house full of my girlscouts and all of their parents. And, umm, well, right now, no one could fit in, let alone walk through, my living area. The whole yarn-thing has kinda taken over. I'll snap some pics, but I'll have to show them another day, when I am able to laugh about it. Maybe in about 10 years.

It's not my fault...

2007-07-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Seriously. I had no intentions of starting new projects -- the WIPs and queue overfloweth, there are great quantities of yarn to be dyed, fiber to be carded, listings to write, and a studio to finish. I had finished a sweater! What a good girl -- check that off the list. And then, I get THIS e-mail from she-who-will-not-be-named-but-is-the-lackey-NAY!-high-priestess- of-the-yarn-goddess-herself (and you know who you are -- ehem, cough, Amy), and I quoth "I'm so busy all the time, knitting and spinning is my relaxing outlet. If I want to start something new, I will dangit. I'll finish the others eventually but why force myself when I work so hard already. Knitting should be for joy, not because you 'should finish it'."
HERE HERE! (Enabler!)
And so I started Clapotis.

The yarn had been spun, laying about in it's exquisite loveliness, taunting me, whispering sweet "knit me"s whenever I walked by. Fiend. I take no responsibility.
And then there was MS3. For that I blame Cheryl. Mentioning the lovely black alpaca I am anxious to spin and knit into something lacy, she suggested I sign up for MS3 "to get the pattern, anyway. You don't have to start it." O, foolish mortal that I am! How is it that I am surrounded by these Sirens of fiber temptation? I am entirely powerless.

(First 2oz. batch spun at 32wpi, single ply,270yards Sally Fenn Alpaca in natural black, with irridescent plum and gold beads. yum.)
*****Thank you everyone for your wonderful outpourings of support for my last post. Yes, my baby, Jason, is HOME from war, safe, where I can hug him and spoil him as much as he deserves. I hope to have some great pics of him and the kids soon as he may come stay with us this weekend.*****

No words...

2007-07-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

Wicked Awesome Vacation

2007-06-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

Yup, been away in Maine, and yup, I FINISHED THE WICKED SWEATER!
YIPPEE!!

I am mostly pleased with the sweater. I knit it at a slightly smaller gauge since I was knitting with a cotton blend rather than the wool recommended and I was hoping to avoid sag, and this worked out well. I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Blush, and I can't for the life of me remember how many balls I used. I knit this based on the directions for the 40-43 inch bust, adding in the waist decreases and increases, but I did not take into account the notion of negative ease. I never truly understood this, but I recently started receiving e-mails from Knitting Daily, an Interweave publication, and the author, Sandi Wiseheart, described her own battle with negative ease, and the tendency for many of us to think of ourselves as larger than we are. I definitely did in this case. I am finding that even when I buy tops in the store, I tend to get a large 12/14 size, and they hang on me and make me look worse than my slightly overweight frame truly is. Just 'cause my behind is big doesn't mean the rest of me is! So, the next time I knit this -- and I will knit it again, in navy wool as a long sleeve -- I will definitely go down a size. As it stands, it is wearable, and will work nicely with a top underneath for fall as well.
I brought a few other projects with me, including the spinning wheel, and worked on them sporadically, but got no other FO's. My Nightshade/Romney yarn is nearly done and I hope to blog that tomorrow, as is the Sunflower dress for Gracie. I didn't even touch the design sock, sighting lack of concentration, but I did at least turn the heel on a basic handspun sock for Rachel. It is a little tough to design, do math, take notes, and work a patterned stitch when watching at times 5 children swim in a lake, ya know?
FIVE kids you ask? Well, yes. We go camping often with my good friend Amy and her 3 children ("cousin" to my kids) and we all look forward to these trips all year long. The kids have such a wonderful time together, I get to be with one of my dearest friends, and the memories we are all building just makes this mommy's heart swell. I wouldn't give it up for ANYTHING.

I'm hoping to come up with a few new colorways representative of the area, too. I discovered that the mom/daughter team of owners are knitters and Beth, the daughter, even wants to learn to spin when we head back in August! I'll have to bring them some nice fibery treats.

We (Amy, her mom and hubby, and I) were also honored by a mother duck who seemingly entrusted her brood to our care while she took off for about 1/2 an hour. The little buggers wandered up the beach and settled in near our chairs (and feet!) and had a lovely nap. Guess mommy knew suckers when she saw them, huh? Glad we could give the poor girl a break.