It's been a long time...

"I shouldn't of left you, without a doped beat to step to.." Eric B and Rakim, Micraphone fiend.

Yes here is a quick blog post for you all.
I like many others have been making cabled yarn. I like it so much I have finally settled down to making enough yarn for J's sweater.

The push for the farm has begun in earnest. I have decided on Shetland sheep, picked out a Cub Garden tractor and settled on 5 acres but more wouldn't be a problem. Now if I could pick a state and find a plot...

Knitting has taken a turn for the spring. I'm still working on the baby blanket for our family friends. At 8 stitches to the inch I will be knitting all the way to August. Quisha's sweater is at a standstill and the kids sweaters will be vests from now on.

Work is progressing, I'm still having some feast or famine issues but such is life.

Gardening has taken the place of major knitting. I need to move my one rhoddie bush, replace it with a rose and replace the white rose that died. I also need 4 new hostas for the tree in the back and 3 -5 new annuals for the south garden. Everything else is coming up just fine, I laid down some daisy and wildflower seed last week we will see if any of those come up.

One of my "interest Farms " looks like its gone out of business. Tongue River Farm's owner is ill to the point they have dispersed her flock. It was a one woman operation and so it no longer is.
They have my sympathies.

TV: Dr Who, Torchwood, Moonlight and TD Jakes. Soon it will be Eureka, Saving Grace, and who knows what else.
Movies: We are going to see the Spiderwik Chronicles tonight on Imax.

The prodigal blogger

Ok it’s been a long long while.
Spinning
I’ve finished the spinning of the colonial top in green, washed and plied it. It takes a size 10 needle but can take a 7 if I need a tighter stitch. I’ve been knitting gauge swatches in stockinette garter seed moss and twill.
I’ve also learned how to knit pleats.
Now I am spinning Angora I'm done with the grey and on to the white.
Knitting
The praying hands baby blanket is almost done with stage one. I am 20 rows from completing the center piece. Then I will pick up all around it and knit out a square blanket with increases in the corners.

Quisha’s sweater is down to its sleeve and collar. I have to pick out buttons and knit the color/button band and finish ¼ of the sleeve.

I am knitting a skirt for summer out of Katrina A bouncy yarn with great drape. I am doing the hem on thirteen’s then the leg on 10.5’s and finally the hip and upper thigh on 7’s or 8’s

The lace shawl is continuing slowly. It has no deadline.

The socks are at a halt and probably will be frogged. I don’t like the stiffness of the sock. Then I get to re knit it on size 3’s. (Like the original pair of bed socks.) Thinner sock yarns like cottons will be put on 2’s.

Drawing
I have decided I don’t like the drawing class and I have picked out my drawing Goal. I am at the stage were I can draw roughs, working or flat drawings but need more skill to get to the drawing I would use to show to someone in the fashion industry.
Fashion
I have been keeping up with the fashion/color trends in knitting and weaving up to summer 2009. The hand knit scene is scheduled to phase out by then. Fashion is defiantly heading for a more feminine fitted look aiming for elegance and luxury. Think 40’s and 50’s. Bulky knits and yarns are going away. The colors continue to be optimistic getting brighter and lighter. Brown looks as if it will be the new black for the next 2 years.
Blends for fiber combining lightweight and luxury like cashmere and superfine wool are becoming more prevalent and the slant is blending with the new ecological fibers such as milk, bamboo, soy, and tencel.
Weaving is growing, though slowly. I saw many of the Handwoven looks out there in the new optimistic colors still finely tailored but maintaining the handwoven look.

Spin in
The second Saturday in April, the 12th, I will be hosting a spin in at my apt. I haven’t seen many of you for quite a while so here is a chance to get you all together. Minnie tell the girls! I will also be having the Omaha spinners there and my friends from the Fremont guild are invited too.

Well gotta go,
Toodles!

Inch by inch, row by row

How do I make this knitting grow? Figured gauge by stitch and row and now I find I'm off!



Oh yeah, I have a great idea to take the praying hands washcloth and use it as the center of a baby blanket. Problem is I'm using baby weight yarn instead of the worsted weight cotton and there is no gauge on the pattern and it calls for a 4.5 needle. (US or Metric?) So here I did a swatch and figured it at 6 rows per inch and 6 st per inch for a 8x8 square.



My gauge is right stitch wise but wrong row wise, so I've made 11 rows to 1 inch. at this rate the "square" will be 7.5 inch wide and 6 inches tall

So I can up my needle size to a size 7.

I can adjust the pattern so that the motif is in the middle of an 8 inch square.

I can just continue on in knitting denial.

I will start over on size 7's.

Oh and MY BAPTISM IS TOMORROW!

Toodles!

I'm Back!

Back from Cali. It was ok. I have some photos. It rained alot while we were there and mostly we just worked. The population in order was: Caucation, Hispanic, Asian.

I joined my church as a member this morning(Jan 26). I get baptised this month(Feb 24).

J and I picked up some art supplies and some books and have been drawing over the last few days. I've been doing some fashion drawings but I haven't picked up a theme yet. It seems to be mainly business casual and evening wear. The focus is elegance. My best two drawing have been inspired by flowers. (Maybe my theme has been picked out?)

Yesterday we went to the Joslyn and found that they offer lots of art classes for cheap! We will be taking one probably this summer.

Well enough yacking, how about some photos?

.

These are all photos of the mountaniuns surounding us. We were in the Anahiem/ Santa Anna area, and some of these were as we were heading up to Chino . The Yarnstore was in a place called Anaheim Hills.

And I suppose you are wondering what I got here! Well I'll tell you but photos for another day.

4 skeins of white fingering weight superwash wool, (baby blanket) 11 oz of copper brown wool roving, (??) 4 skeins of lilac worsted weight wool yarn (garter stich vest) and a mug (Hot chocolate!).

Last but not least I have still been getting calls about the show. We may wind up doing one next year.

Toodles!

Goin' back to Cali

Alright, I've never been there but I'm going to Anaheim Cal for a week sponsored by the ever useful company I work for. So I won't be about for a while. I was reading the Knitting Curmudgeon and her topic about Knitting audio books. I think they might be a good idea for some books, but not others that you buy for the patterns/projects. I just bought The golden Compass on audio from I tunes(cheaper). I'll discuss it later.

Speaking of Projects we are having an on the needles count and I am at 4:

One set of wool nylon socks on size 2 dpn's with the afterthought heel as the learning spot. I need to finish the toes and make the heels.

One baby blue sweater with the white stranded snowflakes as the learning spot. I'm working on the sleeves, I've got the collar and the button closure to go.

One lace shawl in knit picks bare lace weight merino. I've got that one packed for the trip and 3/4 of the shawl to knit.

The gift baby blanket. EZ's square shawl from February baby things in the knitters almanac. Knit in grey...now normally I would say I need to go buy some yarn cause grey for a baby is not good, so it may be mine and I've got 7 mos to go before the baby is born. Frankly I don't want grey either, maybe red.... something. This one doesn't count yet since it's not on yet.

Love to everyone and I'll have lots of photos.
Toodles

Fiber Festival

I've been getting a couple of e mails and phone calls asking if I'm running a fiber festival for 2008. No Unfortunatly I'm not. Personal issues and lack of funding have made it not feasable.
I'm sorry I was realy looking forward to putting another one on.

I had the Sarpy county fairgrounds picked out, the buildings were both heated and cooled and there was space for live stock. They wanted 1800 per day for 3 days and 2 buildings and the stalls. Advertising needs to be in to Interweave Press by Oct or Nov to run in Dec/Jan issues, this is $50.00 per run per magazine for the classifieds. I had a food vendor set up but no one to donate the lamb. There still was the issue of vendors, fees, teachers, classes, and such that did not get dealt with. I had a lead on $8ooo.00 but I'm not a member of this certain group and they had a change of leadership just when I was about to join and ask. (That and how tacky is it to join a group and ask them for money all in one breath?)

We may try for next year when things aren't so weird. But we need to get started in June. So those of you who would like to be involved, please let me know.

Happy New Year

Those of us who remember Frosty the Snowman the TV special will get this reference.
Have a happy to you all and I hope your End of December religious festival went well.

Knitting and spinning continue though more spinning than knitting. I can thank the Yarn harlot for saving my tube socks. I tried them on and I don't like them. I will be putting in afterthought heels in them.

I continue to attend church(does anyone else weep at the sound of a perfect chord?) and grow in faith. Wish me luck I'm trying to accomplish something.

The farm hunting also is still going. I saw one in MO that was so beautifully I just stared at it. Not at all what I thought I wanted, but still so beautiful.

I also have a cold, and so does everyone else. My husband and I are cooking new dishes. We made spicy Moroccan lamb last night and it was a HIT! J does not like to eat lamb but has found that cooking it different makes it worth the eating. (Phase 2 of the Farm plan complete MWahahah!) The biscottie was good but I won't make it again for a while, it takes too long to eat.

Last but not least...all Hail You Tube! I could spend hours on that site like most knitters spend on Ravelry. Last night I got to hear music from my first instrumental techno band Art Of Noise. I miss their music, and thought no one else had ever heard of them. This thing is better then the radio cause you can hear all your favorite songs (up to a certain point in time) no commercials and no waiting.speaking of which...
Toodles!