Why You Swatch

This is why you swatch. I took the time to knit "Nakiska", a cabled headband from Knitty, out of beautiful Blue Sky Alpacas alpaca and silk blend.

So what happened? First off, I didn't measure my head circumference. So I knit the "adult small" size. I can barely wear this as a yarmulkah! Maybe a pre-teen could wear it? Someone microcephallic? I don't know. I suppose I could sell it. I think I'll end up mourning it, and ripping it out and starting over, because the yarn is too beautiful (and expensive) to waste. I'll have to make it in the larger size (or SWATCH!!!!!!!!!)

So, tonight, as I start my Cat Bordhi socks- I am going to make one of her Sky Architecture socks from her latest sock book, in STR Rhodonite. :-)

My First Flowers

Here is a pic of some gorgeous flowers that Daniel sent me. They are important because they are the first flowers I've ever received from a boy. Lame I had to wait so long to find the right one, eh? :-)

They are pink roses and alstromeria, in a pink flowered teacup and saucer. I love that it's so girly, and that he thought beyond the flowers to the practicality of the teacup. :-)






Does that mean I've gotten any further on his sock yarn?! Of course not. :-) I am getting to it, though. Tonight I am making a swatch of the Rhodonite midweight STR yarn on size 3 needles (which is what I've got in circulars right now).

OFFF Purchases

As promised, here are the photos of recent purchases from the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival.


The first picture is just the Blue Moon Fiber Arts order I received the day before we went to OFFF...it was like Christmas! :-) (Yes, I couldn't wait and rolled the Rhodonite into a ball):


Here is all the roving I bought. Right now, I am spinning up the Duets roving (third from the left, top row):

And here is the yarn I bought. Two more Blue Moon sock yarns, a Duets sock yarn from A Swell Yarn Shop, and some peacock-colored mohair blend laceweight yarn! I am planning a shawl from the mohair, in a peacock-feather patern.

Joining In

I think I need to join one of the myriad of knitting or spinning contests that spring up online. I was reading my friend Kim's blog, and she was lamenting that joining something would force her to post about her current projects at least once a week. Sounds like a great idea!

I wound the "Rhodonite" color of STR into a ball last night. Of course, what else did I do? Drop $85 (after tax and shipping) on a ball winder and umbrella swift (which is awesome because it can accomodate up to a 5 ft skein). Joann's was having an online sale (SEPA750 is the code) and so that is why I bought them together. Ah..it feels good to buy tools. :-)



I am going to make most of the sock yarns that I bought into socks featured in Cat Bordhi's newest sock architecture book. I figure I followed her directions well enough last time that it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what the heck she's up to.

I think one of the interchangeable circular needle kits would be a great idea, but Liz showed me hers, and I don't like that they don't make points below a size 4 for those kits. I mean, I am using size 3's and 2's for socks these days. I wonder if there is an issue with the joins not working on needles that are too small?

Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival 2007!

Yesterday was Saturday, which was also the day that Liz and I had planned to head down to Canby, Oregon to the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival (OFFF). And did we ever go! :-) Liz also invited her friend, Joanne, to come along. I'm so glad! Joanne is really nice! :-)


Here is a picture we got a nice man to take of us as we perused the outdoor booths. Liz and Joanne are wearing their handmade scarves, and we're showing off some of our purchases:




I always love looking at livestock. I think it comes from growing up in an agricultural place like Tulare, where the county fair and farm equipment shows always feature animals prominently. Here's a sheep (or ram?) with some crazy horns!! Check that out! I don't know what breed of sheep this was; I wasn't checking the ID cards very closely, although I could tell certain breeds like Wensleydale and Lincoln pretty easily, so that was kind of neat:

Here is a pic of Joanne in the livestock barn. :-)

I was very glad to see so many vendors there! I bought SO much crap. I'll post pics of it later. I mostly bought rovings, but I did buy some yarn. I bought one skein of this mohair laceweight yarn (very fuzzy), and it was dyed in a colorway that really reminds me of a peacock feather (despite the colorway's name being 'Pond'), ANNNND it was 30% off. :-) Justification, Achieved! I also bought a skein (well, two skeins) of Duets Sock Yarn from Liz and Joanne's friend, who runs A Swell Yarn Shop (www.aswellyarnshop.com). Apparently you have to stalk this woman's website to buy her yarns, because they sell out in minutes of being posted online. Her Duets series is neat because you get a multicolored "main skein" of yarn for your socks, and then a coordinating solid color skein to do the heels and toes of your socks. The colorway I chose was raspberry shades and olive greens, with an olive green CC skein. So I was glad to have been able to buy some without the pressure! :) And I splurged (some more) and bought two skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Socks That Rock" yarn, one in "Count Cluckula" and one in "Sugarplum". Liz scored a Mill Ends skein from Blue Moon, which meant it was cheap, and we couldn't see anything wrong with it. I am jealous ;-)

Here is a picture of a rainbow that I finally caught as we were driving back to Washington. I kept missing the rainbow by the time I'd get my camera ready, which was a great source of amusement to Liz and Joanne:

Thank god I went with people. It made the drive fly by, and we had a blast! :)

Sock 2 On It's Way + Orchids

My second Simple Sock is coming along nicely. I finished the decreases from the heel last night, and now I am in the home stretch!



This is the weather I awoke to this morning at 7 AM. (I have the day off - gotta love Flex-Time!) ... cold, foggy, and overcast:

In good news, my miltonia orchid (the one I have owned almost since I moved to Seattle), has sprouted a new flower spike! I am so happy that my beautiful flowers are happy with me:

Saturday, Liz and I are going to the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival! I am stoked! I better charge my camera batteries now!! :-) I hopefully will not pick up TOO too much rovings / batts / fleece / yarn... *drool*

Grey Day / New Sock

I don't know how easy it is to tell from the picture below, but the overcast skies have returned to Seattle. (This was taken sitting on my couch, looking out through the only sources of light in my condo):





It is always harder for me to wake up in the wintertime, when it is dark out. I tend to wake up with the sun. This is a great thing in the summer, when the sun is out before 5 AM. However, in the winter, sometimes the sun never shows it's face...thus you can imagine my dilemma. :-)



Thank god for battery operated alarm clocks (although mine failed this morning; apparently the battery was slightly cockeyed and it reset the clock, so the alarm didn't go off at 6 AM like usual).



In lighter news, I finally cast on Simple Sock #2. I have gotten this far:



I'm using the other half of the Trekking XXL yarn (color 100 - I checked a website with Zitron yarns and the color 100 seems to be their "classic" rainbow, although there are some interesting color shifts that aren't exactly classic). Also using two Clover size 3 bamboo circular needles (16" maybe?)



And...I splurged yesterday. I bought a bunch of Socks That Rock. In all fairness, most of them are earmarked for Xmas gifts.


I got:

STR Lightweight in "Fire on the Mountain" and "Knitty Rocks"

STR Mediumweight in "Puck's Mischief", "Rhodonite", "Thistle", and "Titania".

OK...now for the justifications:

Rhodonite is definitely for my sister. Although she eschewed my observation that pink has perennially been her favorite color (I got an email back with "Pink and Purple?! Those were my favorite colors when I was 8..."), I think she will like it nonetheless.

Either Thistle or Titania is going to be for my mom. They just seem like her. I saw one called "Mesa", and almost chose that (there is a central piece of her shaman "toolkit" that is called a Mesa)...it didn't seem like "her" colors (ok, and the canteloupe mixed with turquoise wasn't my favorite, either. I do feel like I want to enjoy the color progression as I knit).

And...there might be socks in there for other people. My sister in law might appreciate some, and I think my friend Kim would, as well.

That is the key - making stuff for people that will appreciate the months it took you to do it.

My friend at work, Jen, likes to use the "knit two socks at once" method, because then you end up with both socks the Same Size, and if you go toe-up, you can use up your yarn in the most efficient manner.

Yes, I know I spent $130 on yarn. But I think of it as each project only cost about $25, and that is a cheap thrill in the world of knitting, unless you are into hats or scarves, or other one-skein projects. :-)

***

My friend Liz and I are thinking of taking a day trip to the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival next Saturday... I finally figured out a sensible plan. I'll drive from my place in Seattle to her place in Auburn (which is already an hour south of Seattle), and then we'll go from there to Canby, OR - home of the OFF! :) ...and I am bringing my checkbook. ;-)