MayBea Crafted

End as You Plan to Begin

2011-12-29T18:05:00.001-05:00

I fell short of my NaKniSweMo goals in November, and I got caught up in the preparations for the holiday and wrapping things up for the vacation at school. (There was also a rigid heddle incident, from which im still recovering. . .but that's another post.)As I look over the goals I set for myself, I find myself reaching high, and not always reaching my goals. So I'm going to try something a bit different as I look forward to 2012.I'm going to end strong.I'm working on finishing up what I started. Cleaning the palate, so to speak. I have a shawl blocking that I started in August, and next up is a stole I started last December. I do have some design work that needs to be completed, and I'll keep at it, but I'm going to end the year by cleaning up lose ends, and spend 2012 doing the same. To think it will take a year to do that seems ridiculous, but there are many loose ends. To say my chi is blocked is an understatement. I'll make a dozen pair of mittens this year, and work towards finishing my UFOs and using stash. . .all god things, yes?But my real focus will be on ending. Finishing strong. Staying the course to see all of the projects that need my attention get exactly how much attention they need until the finish line is crossed. How about you?

So Far, So Good

2011-11-17T05:25:00.001-05:00

Knitting brought to you by sleepless nights and bad TV...

Just sleeves to go, and I'll have a new sweater!

Almost There!

2011-11-16T21:48:00.001-05:00

My goal for tonight is to finish the neckline knitting...

It could happen, right?

Can't Stop

2011-11-14T23:02:00.001-05:00

Apparently, I shouldn't stop knitting and leave my sweater sitting for long. Mookie likes it!

Have the back completed and have started working on the fronts. I'm hoping to finish the fronts and collar and get a good start on a sleeve before the weekend.

Since I've gone rogue and am no longer following the pattern, I'm a bit leery about the neckline. I've consulted a few design books, have calculated stitch counts, and looked at samples of other patterns... And am hoping all will go well. I'm shooting for a shawl collar.

To get there, I cast off about four inches of stitches at the center front, and will gradually decrease along the neck edge until I have the number of stitches left on the holders for the shoulders. Then I'll unite the shoulders with a three needle bind off to give them plenty of strength. For the collar, I'll pick up along the neckline and work a wide band of ribbing that will overlap in the front and (hopefully) fold gracefully over into a shawl collar. I think it'll work, but I have to keep knitting to see for sure.

If you've got a better suggestion at how to attack this, pipe up!

Ps, Harriet, keep knitting on the Henley, you will be so glad to have a clean slate when you cast on your PW sweater!

Progress

2011-11-12T21:54:00.001-05:00

House power washed? Check.
Leaves raked? Check.
Garage cleaned? Check.
Yummy food in refrigerator? Check.

We both got a lot done today, and still had time to meet with someone to coordinate installation of a gas fire place, watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, and get a lot of knitting done.

NaKniSweMo is coming along just fine. I'm ready to divide for the arms, and since the yoke will be all black, I think I might just pick up some speed!

Oh, and Harriet? I say cast on the Philosopher's sweater... I'm shooting to have mine done by November 25, when I can cast on another with the rest of the guild. Will you be ready by then?

Falling Behind and Catching Up

2011-11-10T17:11:00.000-05:00

Do two posts in one day help me make my four posts a week goal? I'm thinking not.

It's been a crazy week at school. Students receiving special education services have an annual meeting to review their progress. We call them IEPT meetings (Individualized Education Planning Team), and they're sort of like parent teacher conferences on steroids. As a special education teacher, I need to review the work each student on my caseload has done, see if they are indeed closing the gap between them and their peers who don't require specialized instruction, write a nineteen page document that explains where they are in their progress now, where we'd like them to be next year this time, and how the school team plans to help them get there. Then, we hold the meeting, and I explain all of that to the family and the student. Typically, we like to spread them out. . .give teachers a bit of a breather between each one. . .allow them to carefully consider all that impacts how a student is progressing.

This week? I have had four IEPT meetings. Four. In addition, I have had to teach my classes and score all of the assignments my students have turned in. Tomorrow, I have to teach a training for other staff members in our district, attend a department meeting at lunch, hold the final meeting of the week, and get all of my paperwork completed and mailed out after the training. And I have to write sub plans tonight so that my students are learning while I'm out of the classroom all day.

I love my job. I take what I do seriously. I am SO proud of the progress students in my class are making, and of the students who are on my caseload who are making such good strides. I think I work in a great school district, and that the teachers in my building work hard to help close the achievement gap.

But.

(and you knew that was coming, right?)

I'm tired. It has been a long week, and tomorrow will come early and will only make me more tired by the end. I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. I just want a bit of time for knitting this week, and I don't think it's coming as soon as I'd like.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow at four when I can walk into my house with papers to grade and know that most of the weekend is mine.

I'm looking forward to my NaKniSweMo sweater. I can see a lot of couch knitting time and bad TV in my future. . .Hopefully I'll have pictures for you on Saturday, and you can oooh and aaahh over the beautiful colors. It hasn't changed much since last weekend. . .but it will soon!

How is progress on your sweater coming? What are you working on now? I'm holding tight to the idea that others are working with soft fibers and feeling creative as I continue to plod through the work week.

I won't be behind on my knitting for long. . .I see a warm and wooly sweater in my future. And not a moment too soon, there are snowflakes flying around outside the window at my back! Sweater season is here!

A Lazy Day

2011-11-06T22:09:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's work avoidance, knowing that a crazy week is ahead, maybe I'm just sleepy after a full day yesterday, but I haven't been really productive today.

I finally finished one repeat of a twisty cable swatch.

And made a bit of progress on my NaKniSweMo sweater.

Answered a few emails, graded a few papers, played with Toshi, and napped. No laundry, shopping or cooking.

How was your weekend?

Long Day

2011-11-05T22:06:00.001-04:00

The day started before sunrise and ended after sunset. A long day filled with beautiful friends and beautiful yarn.

Ready, Set, Go!

2011-11-04T20:11:00.001-04:00

A decision has been made, and sweater cast on!

Do Over.

2011-11-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, I really thought I was going to jump in to the crazy pool last night and begin my NaKniSweMo sweater. Really. I have a stockinette swatch, have done some of the math required, plan to get the sweater in my head turned into an actual pattern, and want to put all of the technical reading I've been doing in the past few months to good use, and grade the pattern so others can knit it too.

But you know what they say about the "Best laid plans. . ."

When I was realistic about my time and energy, as well as the commitments I have to my job and to others in the upcoming months, I thought it probably wasn't a good idea to take that leap. I did wind yarn into cakes, and plan to cast on my Philosopher's Wool sweater tonight or Friday so that I have some knitting to do in the car for our long trip. My guild friends will say I'm cheating. . .but rest assured. I plan to finish this sweater in November, and have another kit (and will probably buy a third) that I can keep knitting during the KAL. It just doesn't make sense for me to pull myself into so many directions right now.

I have UFOs in the double digits. I have designs only partially written, with submission deadlines looming. I have lessons and samples to knit along with students in my finishing class. I have annual paperwork to complete for my students at school. I have a family that needs my attention. . .I have a full life. I am just like most of the adults I know. I do not need to add pressure to an already pressure-filled life.

So today is a do-over. I'm reviewing the goals I rashly set for myself yesterday. I'm setting a more realistic goal for myself this month. . .I'll be starting my NaKniSweMo sweater on Friday, so that I'll be ready for up to 10 hours of car knitting time on Saturday. I'll be making a Philosopher's sweater. It may look a little atypical for a Philosopher's sweater, but I think I'll wear it more.

I'm going to shoot for four posts per week. Not daily, not "more regularly". If I want to be a better writer, I need to write. (At least that's what I tell my students, anyway.) So look for me here. Hold me accountable. If you don't see pictures of my sweater in progress, ask for them. If you think the silence is growing long, poke me. I know my life is pretty mundane compared to some, but I'll try to share the "good parts" versions with you. (bonus points if you know that reference. . .)

What goals are you setting for yourself this month?

(And thanks for the comment, Harriet!)

NaNoWriMo, NaKniSweMo, NaBloPoMo

2011-11-02T16:01:00.001-04:00

Huh?

After a long silence, I guess I need to come to the realization that summer is over. With it being National Novel Writing Month, National Knit a Sweater Month, and National Blog Post Month, I figured I should probably come out of my vacuum and say hello. Hello!

Those who take these challenges seriously will have a novel, a sweater, or daily blog posts by November 30. I'm planning to just come out of hiding. (Well, and knit a sweater too. . .why not?)

I've actually been working on some knitting designs that have pulled my attention away from the blog, since I can't really write much about them, and have to keep pictures under wraps. School has been a challenge this year as our schedule has changed, and it's made it tough to find a groove to getting all of my responsibilities handled every day. . .I think I'm almost there, though and report cards were due this week. . .we're one quarter of the way through the school year--Wahoo!!

While I'll continue to work on a few designs that will be submitted later this month or early next, and I didn't actually start yesterday, I'm going to drink the kool-aid, and join in with other knitters this month and crank out a sweater. I'll be casting on today. . . probably in worsted weight, possibly a Philosopher's Wool kit, since I'll be taking a trip to their farm on Saturday.

I'll also strive to be a more regular poster again. . .daily? don't hold your breath. . .but more regular. I've sort of missed this opportunity to share what's going on, even though I don't always think it's that interesting to others!

If you've missed me, leave a comment. . .ask a question. . .post a picture. . .we can encourage each other along as we pick up speed towards the holidays.

Sucking the Life out of Summer

2011-08-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

The countdown is official. Only today and two more school days until I report back to work for the 2010-11 school year. You'd think I'd already started back to work, since I've done some homebound teaching, summer school teaching, have worked on some new curriculum and have been responding to many phone calls and emails since we let out in June. I've also been shopping the back to school sales so that I have supplies for the students who are unable to purchase them on their own. To those who say that a teacher has a cushy job, and doesn't work for three months, we should spend my vacation together next summer!

To be fair, I've also spent much time enjoying myself this summer too. I've kayaked nearly every week, have spent a good amount of time with friends, enjoyed a couple of trips, have taken fiber classes both online and in person, have knitted and spun a TON of fiber into a new fall wardrobe, and have gotten many massages and chiropractic adjustments. I do not take any of my life for granted. I truly live a blessed existence, and enjoy many perks of a reduced summer schedule.

That said. . .I have only a few moments left! I'd hoped to finish a couple of designs that are floating in my head. I'd hoped to spin up the remainder of my fiber stash. I'd hoped to finish a cardigan that is only about half way done, and a vest that is in about the same position. The last few days of vacation always put me in a bit of a frenzy trying to determine what my last, best day of summer will hold. I feel like a kid again, both excited for the new start to the school year, and saddened to see the days grow shorter, and have real responsibilities (and homework) again.

A good friend is in from out of town this week, and we're taking her to see the Stanley Cup this afternoon. . .plenty of knitting time on the drive, but what to take?

YouTube Video

I was informed that we're having a party this Friday too. .
.if you're in town, stop by! (BSKGers, that means you!)

Going, Going, Gone!

2011-08-22T14:07:00.001-04:00

A design of mine was recently accepted by a new magazine in the UK. Today I emailed all of the photos and documents and put the samples in the mail. Wahoo! Now comes the wait until the publication date...

It's Not the Hilton

2011-08-19T17:06:00.001-04:00

But it's my home for the weekend!

A flat spot, close to the showers, and really close to the classrooms and shopping!

Looking forward to learning a lot, and having fun with friends new and old.

Wrapping Up and Ramping Up

2011-07-31T20:30:00.001-04:00

The Fleece to Foot challenge was today at Sock Summit 2011, and the teams started off strong this morning.

Several teams were accepting donations for their favorite charity as they worked...

And all looked to be having a great time.

Each team was allowed to switch up Knitters at lunch, and when I went back towards the end, imagine my surprise to see "The Mitten" represented!

Recognize her? Lorilee Beltman in the HOUSE!!!

I actually don't know what team won, but her team looked to be the furthest along...

I'm you'll be able to find the winners with a quick check of "The Goggle" as someone recently called it.

I'm eager to share all sorts of stories when I get home, as well as add some links, but will be on a media vacation for about a week. I didn't do so bad posting from my phone, eh?

Another quick meal with friends, a bit of time at the airport and soon I'll be home and then in a truck heading to The Land. See you there?

Only One More Day

2011-07-31T08:16:00.001-04:00

Truly, it feels like I've been gone for a month, and while I only have one more day left here, I have another whole week filled with adventures yet to come!

I did a bit of shopping yesterday, and ordered a new pair of shoes.

Bought a pattern booklet fort friend Harriet. (signed by all of the authors)

Picked up a few goodies for friends at home, and still had plenty of time to chat people up in the booth.

At the end of the day, someone was able to guide us to carts for dinner not far from Tori and Hannah's house--only ironic because they were actually at the convention center last night...

On their way home, they picked me up, and we went to Swirl for ice cream. At Swirl, you have a choice of ten different flavors and about a million toppings--it was actually a little overwhelming. I chose a watermelon sorbet, swirled with a tart yogurt that Tori thought tasted like sour cream. I thought it was just perfect topped with strawberries and almonds.

We had customers during the flashmob, but I saw a glimpse of it online, if you care to check... Or here is a video of the rehearsal from Thursday night.

YouTube Video

Likewise, I was busy during the Ravelry meet-up/shower for Eloise. There is just too much going on to pack into one day!

Big Fun

2011-07-30T09:22:00.001-04:00

I don't know how many ways I can say that I'm having a great time...but it's true, it's big fun here at Sock Summit.

Everywhere you look, there is something beautiful and exciting. Had a VERY interesting class about copyright, and spent the rest of the day working the booth, shopping, and people watching.

Goth Socks practically sold out on the first night...

The Signature Needle folks have more needles than you can imagine, all in one place, calling to me EVERY time I walk past their booth.

So far, I have resisted, but there are two more days in the market, and I walk past every time I go to the bathroom... I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold out.

The sock museum is amazing.

Not only are there cool and historically significant socks on display, but great time has been taken to put information about them together so everyone knows WHY they are such important or iconic socks.

Authors are having book signings what seems like all day long...

And because Jennie is so fabulous, and everyone loves her work, famous Knitters and designers keep walking into her booth and chatting her up...or she will point them out to me as they are shopping the market. It's been like a "who's who" of knitting.

We made a trip to Powell's book store last night after dinner.

And don't let the marquee fool you, this book store takes up a full city block. It's an amazing thing to see. Did you know Beverly Cleary is from the area? Love. Love her!

If the past few days weren't enough fun, there is still more fun to be had...and possibly shoes to buy...more about those tomorrow!

Sock Summit

2011-07-29T12:50:00.001-04:00

Today was my first class of two. I had a three hour class with Amy Singer, of Knitty, called "Making the Next Monkey". It was really interesting to see things through the lens of the editor. I took lots of notes and have much to think about!

After arriving at the conference center, checking in, and taking my class, I hooked up with Jennie. We had boxes to unpack, pottery to display. I needed my "worker bee" training so that I knew how to handle things in her booth... It was a busy afternoon. Here are a few pictures of the line waiting to get into the market:

Can you find Diane D?

There was a rumor (actually a truth) that Jennie's limited edition Sock Summit mug would sell out fast.

(Those socks are exploding from Mount Hood.)

Her booth was never empty, and we were both writing sales the entire evening! Lucky for some, she has held back five mugs to be put out each morning for those who didn't make it there last night.

At the opening ceremonies, there was an impromptu flash mob rehearsal...posting my video now would spoil the surprise...lets just say it was a memorable event!

We checked in to the hotel later than expected... And are awake on Midwest time zones...in plenty of time to meet friends for our 7 am breakfast call.

Having an absolute blast. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much!

Another Perfect Day!

2011-07-27T21:36:00.001-04:00

After sweltering hot weather at home, today's high of 69 degrees was perfect!

Started the day at Bob's Red Mill for a fabulous breakfast and some shopping for souvenirs to bring home.

Continued on to Eagle Feather Creek for some quick wading in the icy water.

Tried my first "sour clover" (Hannah said it was a must!)

Stopped at a few farm markets on the way home to find some perfect berries.

And now I'm having a Marion berry spritzer on the porch before dinner. Yum!

Hope your day was just as good!

SO Fun!

2011-07-27T11:30:00.001-04:00

My stimulus for this trip was getting to help Jennie the Potter at Sock Summit. However, good friends live in Portland, so it was an opportunity to visit them too.

Portland has had a number of cart pavilions develop in the past year or so. They are sort of like mobile food courts. . .lots of small trailers selling a variety of foods, with some picnic tables and umbrellas in the center of the lot.

We had a great lunch at one place yesterday where there was a vegan cart! I was even able to get freshly pressed juice!

Everybody got exactly the food they wanted without a long discussion about where to go for lunch, and we all walked away with full bellies!

And went off to do some shopping!

Nothing done at all on the knitting front yesterday, but all in all, it was a GREAT day on vacation!

Feeling Virtuous

2011-07-26T09:29:00.001-04:00

I anticipated watching trashy TV on the flight, and even downloaded a few episodes to have handy... Instead, I found myself watching Moodle tutorials to prepare myself for the fall.

I also spent some time reading an ebook that has been on my list for awhile now...

Hopefully I will be full of good questions for Amy Singer when I take her class later this week! Thank god for technology! I have all sorts if things to entertain me at my fingertips!

I even got a little bit of knitting done...

Vacation Has Begun!!

2011-07-25T19:19:00.001-04:00

Getting ready to board, and the truck is packed! Time to sit back and enjoy!

Stalled

2011-07-24T03:17:00.001-04:00

Knitting and spinning progress seems to have stalled, but I've been enjoying plenty of time in my kayak this summer! How can you blame me with views like these?

Today I finish packing, and tomorrow I head to Oregon! Packing for two back to back vacations has not been a picnic, but now that the time to leave is near, the excitement is starting to overtake my neurotic list making.

Any ideas about travel knitting? What's your favorite project to bring along?

Lapsing. . .

2011-07-17T07:05:00.000-04:00

Even though I wrote this post LAST TUESDAY while sitting in the chiropractor's office waiting for my treatment, it has taken me this long to get it up and posted. I could whine about how much I've been doing, but really? I honestly don't think I'm busier than most. I just think that when I spend four and a half hours monitoring students during summer school on the computer every morning, I'm ready for some time away from technology.

I'm getting wildly excited about time in Portland at Sock Summit. I'll be visiting friends and helping out Jennie the Potter in the vending area while I'm there. This weekend I've done some shopping for that trip, as well as packing for my week in the woods at Michfest that will begin IMMEDIATELY upon my return from the summit.

Somehow, in the midst of that, I thought I'd be able to spin every day, as well as get a cloud chaser vest done prior to leaving. I think I may have taken leave of my senses. No spinning to speak of happened last week, but I was AMAZING during the first week of Tour de Fleece! I may have the vest done up to the collar if I'm lucky, and plan to bring it for knitting while in Portland if that is the case.

As time seems to accelerate, I'm sucking the life out of summer. What with crazy amounts of time for annual checkups (I'm in perfect heath, thank you!), multiple days on the water in my kayak, learning about and becoming a vegan, an online class about knitwear design, and plenty of time with friends, it is turning out to be the best of summers! A friend reminded me recently, that the best is yet to come. . .since my trips are still on the horizon.

I hope that you and your family are enjoying the season as much as I am!

The post I wrote last week? here it is:

Tour de Fleece, and Cleaning up Mistakes
I'm spinning as fast as I can! My first week of spinning looked like this:

And I'm currently working through an alpaca/angora/camel batt. I know I've improved my spinning skills with all of this dedicated spinning time, because I was even able to spin by the firelight of a small campfire on Friday night. To say I'm getting the feel of things may be an understatement.

I'm also working on a Cloud Chaser vest, hoping to have it complete by Sock Summit. I knit just before falling asleep last night, woke up this morning and knit some more, and then I noticed my mistake.

Can you see it? I have a cable crossing in the wrong direction!

So I carefully removed the offending five stitches.

And ripped them back.

Then, using another needle, picked up those five stitches,

And began to knit them up (making sure I crossed the cables properly this time!)

The trick to doing this well, is to use a double ended needle, and to focus in on just the portion of the knitting that you need to repair on the chart or directions you are using. Typically, I use a double point needle, but this morning I happened to have a circular needle handy, so that's what I used.

When you try this on your own knitting, you'll want to work the ladders of ripped knitting in order from the bottom to top. It's easy to get them crossed, so take your time. You will also want to work at distributing the yarn from each ladder over all of the stitches you are re-knitting. You'll see in the finished picture of my repair, that the stitches on the left of the cable area bit looser. I'm not going to stress about that too much, as I know everything will come out in the wash. . .the tension will even up when I give it a good soak during blocking, and over time will become invisible.

Here's hoping you never have to fix a mis-crossed cable, but if you do. . .I hope this helps!

Master Knitter

2011-06-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

I've begun work on my Master Knitter Level II program materials again. I finished the vest last night, and was surprised to find that many of my swatches are already finished, and several questions already answered! My plan is to use Wednesdays to work on these pieces until they are finished, hopefully getting the package in the mail prior to leaving for Sock Summit. I'll try to post some pictures of the swatches and my thoughts about them as the summer moves on.

Have you considered this course? If you haven't, you should. It is a well organized, carefully thought out curriculum that will take a average knitter's skills and move them to the advanced level. . .with more feedback and input than you could imagine! If you're interested in growing your skills, I suggest you check it out!

Summer Vacation!

2011-06-17T12:27:00.001-04:00

Is here! The day started with a way too early wake up, scheduling a meeting with the special ed director to handle some school business that will continue into the summer, as well as an unscheduled appointment at the doctor for an ear ache, followed with a check up for my car, as the check engine light came on as we headed to the doc...

Not one to let anything impede my bliss, I'm sitting in the shade, knitting a sock, waiting for Joanie to finish up at the doctor...

Soon I will be tie dying a few tanks, and enjoying time with friends. Who could ask for more? To quote a colleague, this is the BEST day of my life!

Ready to Go

2011-06-14T07:27:00.002-04:00

One vest is drying, but ready for a button...

And my knitting bag is filled with sweaters awaiting buttons.

Aren't these Beatrix Potter buttons cute?

This little sweater is destined for the gift box, just waiting for the next friend to announce she's pregnant.

These two will be mailed off to first-time grandma, Anita, in D.C. Where she's helping take care of her daughter and twin grandchildren who were born a few weeks ago.

Another vest ready for buttons, and my Juliet will gain a closure tonight too. I almost feel like I'm wishing the warm weather away as I finish all of these cool weather garments...I will have to wait until fall to really enjoy them!

What do you knit in public?

Making Progress

2011-06-13T14:42:00.002-04:00

I have been flying through my UFO pile! I have three baby sweaters, an adult vest band sweater and soon one more vest all awaiting buttons, which is a perfect activity for social knitting with my guild. All of that hard work looks something like this:

When I took stock of things this morning, I was sad to realize that all of that knitting didn't get very much moving off of my to do lust, because they never made it on the list!

Maybe I need to move some projects to hibernating status? That might be a more realistic descriptor!

Picture troubles

2011-06-09T11:30:00.001-04:00

Does anyone use Blogpress for mobile uploads? I'm having issues with getting my pictures to upload :-(

What Light?

2011-06-09T09:17:00.000-04:00

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

The knitting is finished, but I still need a good steam blocking and a few button loops and buttons. . .that will have to wait until this weekend.

And Dr. G is finished too! Really finished. Ready to give away. . .but not until Fritzie sees it in person. She's the one who turned me on to the pattern in the first place!

And the peonies are blooming!

And I have teeny, tiny apples starting to grow.

And today is supposed to be cooler than yesterday. Wahoo! Hope you find somewhere to stay cool and be happy. . .wait, that sounds like something someone wrote in my yearbook. . .do you think that's what they meant?

Done!

2011-06-08T11:59:00.002-04:00

Dr. G is finished. . .pictures soon!

Juliet is nearing the finish line too. . .hopefully tonight!

United.

2011-06-07T16:06:00.002-04:00

The parts of my Dr. G vest were united this morning. I have the ribbing completed around one arm, and am looking forward to finishing the other and possibly the neckline later tonight. I hate to jinx myself, but I anticipate having it completed well in advance of my Father's Day deadline. (yay!)

Additionally, the staff at my school were united today as well. Today the Michigan Education Association declared a "Day of Action". We were asked to wear red for public ed. . .and to share information with community members about how cuts to school funding will impact the students at our school.

Often, when teachers make noise about what is happening in our districts, it appears to directly relate to what is going into our pockets. The perception is that we only care about our raises and job security, but that honestly isn't the case. Think about the teacher in your child's classroom. His or her working conditions are the learning conditions of your child.

Our district has faced many cuts this school year, and as such are facing many changes in the way our schools will do business in the fall.

Students lose when class sizes increase, each student receives less individual attention. For students with IEPs (those that receive special education services) that means it becomes tougher to honor the accommodations each student deserves. When operating budgets are cut, we can't replace broken and outdated technology, nor can we prepare our students to be marketable in the Information Age. When teacher teacher salaries decrease, fewer of the brightest and best college students make the career choice to become educators.

Parents lose when their hard earned tax dollars pay for business tax cuts instead of education.

Communities lose when their school districts face financial ruin.

Local businesses lose when their customers (former school staff) don't have money to support them.

I hope you'll take some time to consider what your hope is for the children in your household and community. Gov. Snyder sends his children to a private school that charges each family nearly $18,000 a year. In 2008, Michigan public schools received less than $13,000 per pupil, and that funding has been cut every year since. The recent changes to the Governor's proposal help, but our budget is still far less than what Greenhills School in Ann Arbor will be using to educate the Snyder children. And did I mention? They're having a fundraiser.

Consider what you think is important. A united community who writes to their legislation is the only thing that is going to make a difference.

Making Progress, Smelly Basements and Blooms

2011-06-06T20:38:00.001-04:00

With Dr. G blocking, I felt just fine working on Juliet. . .and am nearly done with it, if the yardage calculations are correct! I did add a couple of rows before binding off the sleeves, and a few more prior to starting the lace. After consulting with Matlie, we both agree that the original pattern stops the garter stitch either too high, or too low to really be flattering on either of us, so we're making some modifications. I had hoped to use five skeins of yarn. . .if that is to be true, this is what's left.

I knew as soon as I cast this sweater on, it was going to be a super fast knit, and even commented to a few friends how sad I was that it would be over so soon. They thought I was sort of crazy, as I'd only knit a couple of rows when I made the comment. But don't you know that feeling? You love knitting a pattern, because of the yarn, the color, the stitch pattern. . .whatever it is, it just makes you happy. Sometimes, the knitting is the most fun, not the wearing of the garment. I really love the softness of the Cascade 128 superwash that I'm using. I feel thrifty, since I'm using stash yarn to knit it. I enjoy the look of garter stitch, since most commercially made sweaters are in stockinette stitch, I know it looks hand crafted. I am fairly certain the style will look attractive on me, and that makes me love it all the more. While I'm eager to wear it, I'm just loving the process right now. I'm already anticipating the separation pangs I'll feel when I'm done.

I'll take a break from it tomorrow so that I can begin seaming Dr. G. Maybe that will prolong the love.

Most of my weekend was spent cleaning Mike's basement. When we went last weekend, he didn't tell us there was water damage until we were leaving. . .not that we would have wanted to tackle the task alone. Susie and Laurie came from the west side of the state to join us, and the excavation began. Someone with children needs to tell me, do you really need to save a 15 year old hand-print wreath made by your child/grandchild if it's musty, bent up, and not being displayed anywhere? I was told that I didn't understand, and maybe I don't. Help me see the light. It was a struggle to determine what was too damaged to salvage, and many bags of trash and buckets of bleach water later, the basement is drying.

We thought we'd be clever and "share" the construction dumpster of the neighbor to dispose of the smelly, wet garbage. Not exactly the best plan. He went over to Mike's house on Sunday and requested that we remove the garbage. Back to Mike's house to deal with the trash again. Good criminals we are not. Today I was able to get permission to dump it in a local dumpster. Thank goodness! I had no desire to keep it around for much longer, let alone smell it or touch it ever again!

I meant to take some photos of the Centurea Montana in my front yard when it was blooming. . .it was an amazing display this year! I missed the Siberean Iris' big show too. . .and they are my FAVORITE but here are a few pictures of what is blooming in my yard today.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying the blooms this year.

These moonbeam coreopsis are getting ready to pop! I can't wait!

Blocking!

2011-06-04T14:26:00.001-04:00

Dr. G is blocking! I love, love, love this pattern!

And for an acrylic blend, it has really nice stitch definition, don't you think?

While that's drying, I can work on Juliet without guilt!

At least I can tell myself that! Whatever happened to finishing two before casting on one? I blame Matlie. She doesn't have a blog and cant really publicly shame me.

Hoping to get to the armpits before Dr. G is dry!

Graduation

2011-06-03T08:27:00.001-04:00

Another class of graduates out the door last night. While I don't always know many of the graduates, I appreciate seeing their eager faces as they participate in what, for many, is the biggest event in their lives thus far.

The speeches are often repetitive, but last night, the kids did an amazing job. One of the salutatorians gave a politically charged speech that talked about the Michigan economy, and the foolishness of our government to think that spending less for a product (education) would actually yield a better product. As our schools feel the pinch of the shrinking tax base as more and more people lose their jobs and homes, it truly is a tough decision how to best encourage business to come back to our state, and how to best prepare our youth for a competitive college and job market. The three other speeches were more typical. . .here's what our last four years have looked like. . .a nod to the sports teams, the band, parents, and the "mostly good" teachers. (Honestly, I was a little annoyed at that comment. . .couldn't he have said "many good" instead? really, the connotation is so much better!) Our valedictorian is heading to an Ivy League school with 30 credits already under her belt, so her first year in school will be as a Junior! Congrats to her and her family!

I will say that my favorite part of the ceremony by far was when the first student walked across the stage to accept his diploma. His parents are deaf, and he has autism and is blind. The principal announced that he would be the first to accept his diploma, and that loud noises startle and upset him. He asked that the audience show him and his family respect by applauding in sign language. As he walked across the stage, more than 2400 people held their arms in the air and waved their hands. It made me proud to be a part of such a sensitive and caring community.

To this years class of 2011--Congratulations

To the staff at our school--You are all people I'm proud to work with.

Faulty Memory

2011-05-31T15:37:00.000-04:00

The tan Burger King vest?

It's grey. I'm not sure if I should blame Joanie, or if this is my faulty memory, but there it is.

You can see that this one was well loved. Grey, and well loved.

I showed Mike the tan replacement vest I'm working on. . .he loves it. It's not grey, but hopefully it will be loved just as much. Ironic that it's called Dr. G's MEMORY vest. . .and I couldn't even remember the color he wanted! The back is done, and I'm almost up to the armpits on the front. My Father's Day deadline might be reachable.

That is, if I can hold off on casting on for my June KAL with Matlie. . .Juliet is calling, but I need to finish two things before I let myself cast on. If only I had another long weekend, I know I could find two small things to finish and then I could cast on guilt free!

If you live nearby, and are interested in an act of service, a friend is in need. Having been cancer free for just under three years, it has appeared again. Meal delivery is all she's asked for at this time. If you'd like to commit a Random Act of Kindness, please sign up here. Think of it as paying it forward. . .that Karma thing can kick you in the ass.

I'm Besotted

2011-05-26T07:26:00.002-04:00

It's true love. Meet Dr. G.

A F.O.

2011-05-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

Do you know what this pile of yarn means?

Yup. Ends woven in, washed, and dried, and even on my body today!

A new sweater.

Pattern: Zoes Tee

Yarn: AllHemp

While I'm not entirely unhappy with it, I sure wish I would have knit a gauge swatch. . .that would have eliminated the miles of ease that it has. You'd think I'd do this for EVERY project I make, but no. Sometimes I think I know better than the universe.

Also, did you notice how the cable leans a little to my left side? I'm not really sure what happened there. My guess is that maybe the yarn had a little too much energy in it. If a yarn is not evenly plied, it can pull a little to one direction or another. Usually you'll see this in handspun yarn, but occasionally it happens in commercial yarn too. Often, if you notice it earlier than I did (I didn't see it until it was totally off the needles) you can rip back and pull from the other side of the hank or ball of yarn. Sometimes the way you carry your yarn adds a little extra twist to it as you knit, so you could try carrying the yarn in the opposite hand. My project is done, and except for a few close friends and my gentle readers, I don't think anyone is going to comment on how my cable and lace lists a little to the left. What I may do is try to "set" the sweater with a blast of steam from my steamer. I'm sure it won't be perfect, but it will likely improve the appearance somewhat.

My general rule is to finish two projects before starting a new one. I remembered that I finished this Fear of Commitment Cowl last week, and technically, I ripped out a mitten I began this winter changing it from a U.F.O into stash. That counts as three, right? I can cast on the Dr. G's vest tonight, right? Can I? Can I?

I'll keep you posted. I still have some baby sweaters to finish. . .not to mention the vests.

Dr. G's Memory Vest

2011-05-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

Last night at my knitting class Fritzie and I were talking about knitting a vest. My Father in law asked for a replacement to his ancient Burger King Manager's vest. I'm not really sure how to compete with a tan, plaid, acrylic vest that is well worn, and was free to him. It's not exactly this bad. . .but you can imagine, can't you? Keep in mind, he's 88. I cannot safely say that he'll be hand washing his new, hand knit vest.

I think I've found the yarn I'll use. It's a wool/acrylic blend. Tan with flecks of the perfect Burger King red and yellow with a little blue thrown in for good measure. As I mentioned yesterday, I have projects a plenty to finish up. And yet, he's asked about it. More than once. Honestly, my typical holiday knitting strategy is to plan, knit a bunch of things, avoid what I really need to knit, and then stress out when Thanksgiving hits. For Mike, I think I'm going to need a new strategy. I need to start now. He's interested in a new vest. He wants me to knit one for him. I love that. When someone not only admires your work, but asks you to make something for them, and then inquires about it. . .it's time to follow through. I need to cast on, and allow him to watch the process. I think that will be part of the present for him too. . .to be able to see the yarn, and then watch his vest grow in front of his eyes.

So, as Fritzie and I talked last night, she mentioned Dr. G's Memory Vest. I cannot tell you how much I have loved Kirsten Kapur's other patterns. I cannot express how much I enjoy cables. I'm hoping this is going to be as quick of a knit as other's have mentioned on Ravelry. I'm also hoping I have enough yarn to make it work.

The pattern, if you're interested is sold for a great cause. Kristen's dad had Alzheimer's, and she asks that you donate directly to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research. You can find the details on her blog at the above link. I made my donation today, and may find myself casting on before I finish all of my other projects. I'm just that excited about it.

End of the World? Or just end of the school year?

2011-05-23T12:22:00.000-04:00

As I headed out of town for a workshop on Saturday, several friends texted me to find out what my plans were for The Rapture. Did I have dog care arranged for Toshi? Did I leave a will? Where would I be? I was somewhat speechless as I had no idea the world would be ending so abruptly. I guess I really do live in a cave.

Working at a high school, I tend to think of things in terms of our calendar. Right now, we've begun senior finals, and as much as we love our senior class, most teachers are looking for the relative peace that will come when they leave at the end of this week. We'll have a couple of weeks with the remaining students and then final exams. This time of year seems to really speed up for me. I have to have a sort of exit interview with all of my graduating seniors, prepare their exam, continue teaching and holding IEPs for the students who remain, and it seems like I'm constantly submitting grades and paperwork to ensure that no one graduates or leaves our building with a textbook that belongs to us.

I love this time of year with my students. As a caseload teacher, I have the opportunity to develop more intimate relationships with a handful of students and watch them grow over the four years that they're here at our school. I look fondly back and pictures of scrawny fourteen year-old boys and shy girls that walk in as freshmen, and compare them to the young adults that will walk across the stage at graduation next week. As much as anyone who isn't their parent can be, I swell with pride at their accomplishments. For some, it has been a hard road to struggle through high school with a learning disability, for others it's been socially difficult as they try to understand how to navigate friendships with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I can say that they've all grown in ways that I would never have imagined four years ago. I'm so proud to be able to say I've been a witness to their process. I hope that I've helped them achieve their goals, and taught them skills to move independently through the world on their own. Sometimes I think we, as teachers, lose sight of these amazing experiences that we have with our students as we slog through the final push of the semester. These are the times that make me proud to be an educator, and the things I need to remember when half of my class shows up without their homework on a dreary day in March.

In the midst of all of this busy-ness I was totally unaware that I should be preparing for the ever-after. I've been cleaning my classroom and working through some designs and finishing some UFOs. . .Toshi would have been scrounging for food on her own should the predictions have come true!

Tonight is the last class for my May group. We've enjoyed an influx of students this month that have all brought interesting projects, and have inspired me to finish up some projects that require a little TLC so I can begin some new ones! I have less than 100 yards of hemp to knit up, a few ends to weave in, and I'll have a new summer t-shirt that I started way back in August intending for it to be a fall wardrobe addition. Two vests just need some button bands and they'll be done too, those I thought would be good spring additions, but now that we've had a few warm days they'll have to wait until the fall to be worn. I have two socks, but sadly, they're not a pair.

My goal is to spend the better part of this week cleaning up loose ends in the knitting world so I can begin a KAL with my friend Matlie. We've done well recently when we decide to knit the same pattern, and encourage each other along the way. A friend at our guild meeting was wearing a beautiful sweater that was on both of our to-do lists, and we we too jealous to not knit one for ourselves. It's knit in a bulky yarn, and should work up quickly--but we're both trying to decide if we should use a cotton yarn for more likelihood to wear it in summer air-conditioning, or if we should use a wool (I've got Cascade 128 superwash in my stash) and plan ahead for the late fall. (We'll be knitting Juliet, just in case you'd like to join us!)

So, I guess my post is just to let you know that I'm still here. Still knitting. Still blogging. Hope to hear from you soon, and see what you're working on!

Phoebe Finds a Home

2011-04-24T10:42:00.000-04:00

During the blog absence, I've been knitting stuffies, working on UFOs, figuring out how to push some of my pattern ideas into reality, and getting lesson plans together for school. I have a hard time believing that the Princess Sleepover took so much out of me, but maybe it did!

If you're familiar with the knitting story book Phoebe's Sweater by Joanna Johnson, you'll recognized Phoebe Mouse, the first of the stuffies I knit this spring. The story is cute, but the fun part for knitters is that there are patterns in the back to make your own Phoebe, a dress and coat for her, as well as a coat for a little girl who you love. I'm eager to make the coat, but have blue yarn, and at three, Baby O is very into pink and purple these days, so it may have to be made for our neighbor, the Bird. Phoebe found her way into an Easter basket yesterday, and along with a few jelly beans and bits of chocolate, found a new home at the Bird's house. It was love at first sight!

Once I realized how much fun knitting toys was, I set off to make some more. . .that's where the stegosaurus came in. . .but also when I started knitting Bridget. I cannot tell you how clever I think this pattern is! All of the clothing is knit as part of the body of the doll, so you can't change her clothes at all, but I LOVE her. LOVE. The eyes are bobbles made from a different color yarn, the nose is an interesting increase to make the little bump, and then stuffed and gathered. . .and the bloomers? Too cute. Bridget is finding her way to Princess Monkey Toes' house in an Easter basket later today, the stegosaurus is going to Captain Monkey, or Flying Monkey. . .not sure what Jeanna calls him, the princess' twin brother.

Baby O is getting a basket too, and will get one of these Which Came First little chicks that I started last year around Easter, but didn't finish in time for her basket. . .they still need some eyes and a little bit of finishing, but I love the way they flip around. . .and the cute, chubby little legs? Adorable.

We have a basket for Bam Bam, Toshi's "cousin" or would that be uncle, once removed? Since he's the dog of my aunt and uncle? Anyway, it's filled with yummy and fun treats for him, but no hand knits. . .Bam's boy next door gets a couple of treats too, and I haven't decided if this monster is for him, or the lion.

I will say that in some of these toys there has been quite a bit of finishing work, but it's been a nice time to practice seaming, and we all probably need a little work on that. But none of them have required a gauge swatch. Knit at a tighter gauge, stuff it, embroider a little face, and give it to someone to love. I haven't purchased yarn for any of them, so my stash grows leaner with each one I make. . .and like Phoebe, who doesn't need a little more love in their life? Hopefully the parents appreciate a little less candy in the Easter baskets too.

Hopefully your spring baskets are filled with lots of things that make you smile, and you find plenty of challenging projects to keep your knitting skills growing and your mind engaged. Happy Easter!

Knitting a Family

2011-04-19T21:16:00.001-04:00

My latest knitting is for a friend's first grandchildren--twin girls! Her daughter was admitted to the hospital Sunday, but is still too early to deliver. Please keep Stacey and her little girls in your thoughts!

Mobile Blogging

2011-04-19T21:12:00.001-04:00

Testing out a new app that will hopefully get me back to the blog more regularly!

If it works, I can upload pictures as I go, rather than try to add poor quality pictures I email to myself like in the last post!

Fingers crossed!!

My Name is Stegasosaurus

2011-03-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

And here is the Knitting at Knoon version I knit this week. It will go in a special Easter basket next month. . .but I'm trying to be proactive and get things done early!

Technology and Princess Sleepovers

2011-03-15T11:35:00.000-04:00

I added a new bit of technology to my life a little more than a week ago. While I'm absolutely loving learning all of the bells and whistles, finding new apps, and figuring out how to make this a productive item for me, it's also been a bit of a time suck.

So, I guess my question is, how long does it take you to turn a learning experience into a productive experience? I'm willing to put in the time now--I can see the advantages in the long run, but it's seeming like a forever process right now. I can tell I'm already gaining speed, and can quickly navigate between many different tasks. . .but still. I have yet to update my calendar to include all of the things I had on my old phone, and am dreading the task. Once my personal calendar dates are added, I'll have to update all of my school calendar events. . .I know that once it's done, it will make me VERY happy. It's the getting there that is the problem.

On other fronts. . .the "Princess Sleepover" has an official date. Princess Monkey Toes and Baby O (who's not such a baby any more, she just turned 3!) will be spending the night at our house early in April. I have my Glinda costume all ready to wear for the evening, we have The Princess and the Frog ready to go in our NetFlix queue, pink and purple sprinkles for the cupcakes we'll decorate, fairy tattoos and coloring sheets, princess necklaces to make, and at least one mom looking into roller skating for Saturday afternoon. Baby O has renamed Toshi "Princess Brown Cupcake" so that she'll fit right into the themed evening. We may even have twinkle lights and decorations. . .The girls are excited, their parents are planning to send their boys elsewhere so they'll have a free night, and Joanie? well, she's just shaking her head.

I've also begun knitting small toys for Easter baskets--it looks like we'll be making up six of them for friends' children this year. . .hopefully you'll see a knitted dinosaur in the next post!

A Day Late?

2011-03-14T06:50:00.001-04:00

Or maybe a week late? Our monthly guild meeting was last Tuesday, and I cannot believe I haven't taken the time to post anything since then. That one late night early in the week seems to sap me of energy for the rest of the week!

We had a guest speaker, Christa Newhouse who is the owner of Yarn Dreamer and Insel Haus. She told us she knits every day from short bits up to 18 hours a day to complete the designs she's working on. I've seen much of her double knitting work in the past, but still, to see it all in one place is truly awe inspiring. I took a few pictures of some of her newer pieces. She's begun to work with brioche stitch as well, and spent the bulk of the evening showing us how to use the "knit one below" method of producing a brioche sampler scarf. The color is a bit off, but I hope you'll get the idea.

For show and share, many guild members had their Woden hats to share. . .it was flattering and humbling to see how many spent time working on my pattern and to hear their joy with the completed project.

And Jo wasn't at the meeting, but showed me her completed hat later in the week. . .Like it?

Matlie Does it Again

2011-03-07T18:32:00.000-05:00

So, my dear friend Kim seems to get me into things more often than not. I'd say she was a bad influence, but it just isn't so. Kim is the kind who says, "Gee, wouldn't this be fun? Let's do it together!" in a not so sneaky way to enlist my help. To be fair, I've done the same with her. . .as is evidenced by the thriving knitting guild that we both belong to and love so much.

Herein lies the difference. When I say, "Wanna?" to Kim, I actually do. I jump in along with her, and follow through. . .Again, let me cite the Black Sheep Knitting Guild. Kim? Not. So. Much. Need evidence? Just look back to Shalom. Ask Matlie if she has actually knitted a swatch for that sweater. The not so public evidence lies in a pair of firestarter socks that she couldn't turn the heel on. . .I got the heel turned, and then sat waiting for her, and she never (EVER) picked them up again. (She swears she's going to make them. Uh huh.) I have a partially completed Mystery Stole #3 that I was waiting for her to catch up to me. . .she's since thrown it in the trash. Yes, I said she's thrown away wool. Shouldn't she be banned from LYSs everywhere for a crime like that? Heresy I say. Kim swears there was a hole in it that could not be repaired. . .I never saw it. My shawl? It's in my HUGE pile of UFOs.

You'd think I'd learn by now. You'd think when Kim says, "Wanna?" I'd smile a little Mona Lisa smile and say, "Sure" and keep on knitting whatever my heart desired. She must have some sort of spell on me, because I NEVER learn. We decided to do a Liesl KAL this month. I dropped the vest I was working on, and pulled the wool I wanted to use out of hibernation. . .I cast on on March 1, actually AT Kim's house with her. . .I had testing all week. I knit WAY less than I normally do. . .early in the week, she made it sound like she was cruising with comments like "How many repeats did you do to the armpits?" I pulled the knitting out and worked all weekend, trying to catch up.

Guess what I found out on Saturday? KIM is knitting a baby afghan. Not ONE baby afghan, but she needs to have TWO of them done by the beginning of April. . .AND a baby sweater. Seriously? How did I get sucked into this AGAIN? Yes, Kim. This is public shaming here. Public shaming ON YOUR BIRTHDAY no less. (Happy day, by the way!) You were the one texting me this week asking for more blog posts. You were the one who agreed that knitting a Philosopher's sweater this month would be too much with your broken leg. You were the one who said, "Why yes, let's knit a Liesl." Her sweater may not be finished this month she says. . .I'm shocked.

But you know what? All you have is a pile of wool, Kim. And guess what I have. . .

I'll be wearing it to guild tomorrow. I'll miss you, and I wish you could come out to play. . .but I'll be wearing my 7 day Liesl. Thanks for the KAL.

PS. Joanie wants you all to know that she's sick. She has the stomach flu that I had a week ago. She's near death. Seriously. I hope you don't get it too.

ACT Testing

2011-03-01T06:03:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this test? How long ago was it that you had to sit for hours and prove to prospective colleges exactly what you remembered learning, and how quickly you could recall such information, and how well you could synthesize your knowledge and skills?

Every March, Juniors across the state of Michigan get to prove their skills as part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation by taking not only the ACT test, but the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and Work Keys portion of the ACT. This amounts to three days of testing. If you're a capable student, who learns as easily as the kid in the next chair, that means you've got a full day of testing today, and two half days tomorrow and Thursday. . .if you're not so capable and are granted additional time, you may have a full week of testing. . .with no real breaks. Meanwhile, your classmates go to classes in the afternoon and are instructed, given homework and move on in their lessons--you'll have to catch up next week.

To say this is an intense week is to put it mildly. Students are stressed because of the testing. Teachers are stressed on behalf of the students, as well as concerned that they follow the letter of the law with the very stringent testing guidelines. In the past week, I've read nearly 100 pages of testing protocol to make sure the rules haven't changed, and that I'm not going to invalidate anyone's test scores. Administrators are stressed making sure that we're all doing our jobs. . .and parents are stressed hoping their children test well and their scores eventually lead to the college and career of their child's dreams.

While my students test, I have the role of watching them test. I cannot really pace around the room--my accommodated testing location has only a few students. I cannot grade papers. I must watch that students are bubbling correctly. I cannot surf the internet. I must watch that students are not working on an improper section of a test. I cannot text friends on my cell phone. To bring a cell phone into the testing location is a HUGE violation. . .besides, I must be watching to ensure that students are not cheating. Worst of all?

I cannot knit.

Never-mind that I can knit without looking at my hands, and that I could have a beautiful garter stitch scarf completed at the end of the three days, or that my stress level would be reduced if I could move in some way, or that perhaps my students would feel less stressed without such intense scrutiny. If I'm found knitting in a testing room, I invalidate a room full of testers.

I cannot knit.

I normally cannot knit at work. Typically this would not be a huge problem. But for the next three days, I'll be sitting in a room with about six students. They'll be silent. They'll be focused on their tests. I'll be able to do nothing but sit there, watch them, and fill out a few forms.

I cannot knit.

While you're at work for the next few days, hopefully being productive and making the world a better place, please send some zen energy to me. Say "Ahhhh" a few times for me. Think calming thoughts. Maybe knit a few stitches on your lunch break. I'll be proctoring the ACT/MME tests.

If you know a high school junior? Give them a break this week too.

Drive By Blogging. . .

2011-02-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

I'm on vacation this week, but have been spending less time at the computer than I'd hoped. Here are a few pictures of what I've been up to!

A hat for my hairdresser. . .she wanted a slouchy hat in brown--I'm hoping this is brown enough for her, it's Blackstone Tweed Chunky, and a pattern by Ysolda Teague, the Icing Swirl Hat. A super fun, super fast knit. It has interesting decreases, so that all of the slouchy-ness is at the back of the hat, leaving the top relatively smooth. . .I liked it!

A crocheted summer scarf. . .washed and drying. . .

The beginnings of another cotton scarf. . .

I'll tell you more about those when they're done and ready for their own posts.

Snow.M.G.

We were hit with another huge storm on Monday, I spent a good part of the morning shoveling out, and then we got another few inches last night. From the looks of it, it's going to be heavy and wet. My back is already complaining.

The no-name hat has a name! I've decided on Wall Flower. The name is a combination of things that have been posted in the comments or emailed to me over the last couple of weeks. It will be available on Ravelry later today. For those of you following the blog, I'll get your discount code emailed to you as soon as the pattern is posted! This version was knit out of Rowan Felted Tweed, and apparently, I was a little tense as I knit it, as the gauge doesn't match so well, and it's a bit smaller than the one out of Cascade 220 superwash. Meh.

I'm starting to chart some mittens to coordinate. But I'm wondering. . .do you like afterthought thumbs, or gussets? Let me know!

Shopping (or Stash Aquistion Beyond Life Expectancy)

2011-02-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

The annual Chelsea Spinner's Flock Winter Fleece Fair was yesterday. . .here's your peek at what you missed.

It was fun to bump into friends I hadn't seen in a long time at the sale, and to catch up with local friends during our drive. I can't tell you how many times I said, "This is the BEST day!" Check out this yarn that Linda found with feathers spun into it. . .how cool is this?

I was surprised to see handspun yarn and hand dyed fiber from Happy Fuzzy Yarns there. . .I'm working on a lacy beret/slouchy hat with some of her fingering weight yarn, and I love it. The fiber was pretty great too.

There is always a surprising amount of hand spun yarn for those of us who don't spin. . .

And used wheels at great prices for those of us who want to learn.

After the sale, part of our group ate at The Red Pepper Deli, and to my surprise, it was owned by an old friend. I was treated to a special sampler plate, but everyone said their food was amazing. If you're in Northville, you'll want to stop in and try it out! I don't know whether to recommend Carolyn's Pizza or the Vegan Tacos. . .you'll have to order both and decide for yourself. A friend was pretty happy with the cup of soup she ordered too.

After lunch, we stopped at Center Street Knits, Knitting on the Fringe and Knitter's Cove. My pocket book survived. . .I came home with only modest stash enhancement. Center Street Knits is a beautiful store that makes you feel like you're in a gallery. They carry Spud and Cloe yarn, and I'll probably head back there next week while I'm on break to pick up some of their sweater weight to make a baby sweater for a friend. I'd never been to Knitting on the Fringe, and their new location is PACKED with yarns and interesting sample garments. We were only there for a brief moment, as Knitter's Cove was closing and we wanted to get there before they locked up for the day. They are closing for good soon, and have their yarn at 50% off, so we got some great deals. All in all, it was an amazing road trip.

Once home, I discovered Joanie's phone was in two pieces--not exactly the manufacture's recommended way to use it. . .So we headed to the store and found a new phone, that will hopefully be as durable as the last one was. She's pretty hard on her phones, and the broken one has lasted nearly three years. Some day soon, we'll head there and get a new iPhone for me. I want one so badly I can taste it.

Still Kicking

2011-02-18T05:37:00.002-05:00

My "hat with no name" pattern hasn't seen much editing time, and is STILL not ready for publication. Vacation starts today at 3:30, so there's a possibility that I can make it happen by Monday, but I'm not pressuring myself. To those of you who I promised a discount coupon to, please know it's coming! You'll be able to use it on any of the three patterns I'll have in my Ravelry shop.

This week has been filled with trips to the Lutheran Home of Livonia. My grandmother has had some health issues of late, and is doing a stint of rehab there. It's a lovely place, but not too close to home for me. My daily routine this week has been to get to school early, leave as soon as I can, race to Livonia, and then race back home in time for my evening obligations here at home.

I always think I'll be able to knit when I visit Gram, but she has such reduced hearing, that any conversation with her must be written down. That means, I've got pen and paper in hand, and we're passing my notes back and forth, while my knitting sits in a bag. Gram turned 93 this January, and has lived a full life. . .and we think she has some years left in her. I"m not sure she believes the same thing any more. Her comments last night were that the Lutheran Home was "depressing" and that I needed to get her out of there. Her memory has been lapsing for awhile, and being in a strange place has just put a spotlight on it. I pray that she takes a turn for the better in the next couple of days.

I know Gram misses her daughter, Gloria, and when Gloria is back from a quick vacation we'll probably be able to get a better schedule together for her as Gloria coordinates Gram's care. (That's Gram and Glo in their Indian Princess apparel--I guess it was for mom's and daughters at one time. Gram was also a Girl Scout leader and a Den Mother, her kids weren't ever lacking for activities.) Trying to do that from hundreds of miles away via cell phone is tough on everyone. I just hope that Glo is able to come back somewhat rested and relaxed from the time away.

Meanwhile, I'm still here. I'm still kicking. The radio silence isn't intended to be another of my disappearing acts. I actually have some pictures of a Shalom Cardigan that Fritzie is making in my Monday night class, as well as some thoughts about how to make it for yourself. . .remember when Kim got that idea started a few years ago?

Fingers crossed, I'll have no-name up early next week. . .and if you're local and looking for a knitting class, there are spaces in my Monday night group starting in March. Send me an email or comment if you'd like the details.

Hand Knit Socks and a Free Cowl Pattern

2011-02-13T10:29:00.003-05:00

My Friend Sally is a fabulous knitter, and is great about keeping her Ravelry projects updated, and sending inspirational pictures of her knitting to her friends. Recently, she sent out a picture of her socks hanging to dry, asking if she had knit enough socks yet. . .my answer was, "NO!' I say, there is no such thing as too many hand knit socks.

Around here, we wear hand knit socks just about every day. At the end of the day, we throw the socks into a wicker basket, and when the basket is full, we do a full load of socks. And I mean, a FULL LOAD! Our house is somewhat modest, and our utility area is small, so we've purchased hangers from IKEA to clip our socks to and hang them to dry. This is what wash day looked like yesterday.

On the knitting front, I feel like it's been two steps forward and three steps back. I've been working on a couple of designs to submit to magazines, as well as swatching for my Sneaky Sheep exchange for our guild. The design work seems to have stalled a bit while I do some math to calculate for shaping, and I just can't seem to find the right project for my secret pal. I thought I had the perfect pattern, but my yarn was a bit too heavy, so I frogged it. I began working on yet another, and didn't like the color combo, and the pattern was a bit annoying. I started to work on a second color way of the un-named hat (still taking suggestions, if you're feeling clever!) and didn't like the way the colors at the top of the hat were working together. My net knitting for the week is a very small amount.

In rooting around for interesting things in my sewing room/craft studio, I found a couple of cowls I made this winter and haven't put together "official" patterns for. . .I thought I'd send them out to you. They were made with one skein of luxury yarn, and intended as a quick gift. I had them at the ready, and then decided to keep them for another year. Often we think of Valentine's Day as a time to give chocolate and red hearts to those we love, I'll encourage you to knit one of these up quickly for a good friend who warms your heart. . .wrap some luxury yarn around their neck, and they'll love you even more!

I love this stitch pattern and have used it on a number of socks that I've knit. The ribbing makes for cozy, cushy socks, and a quick knit. I think you'll like it for a cowl too.

Garter Rib Cowl Pattern:

Using a size 9 needle and heavy worsted weight to aran weight yarn, cast on 88 stitches and join to knit in the round, placing a marker at the beginning of the round.

Round 1: *K2, P2, Repeat from * around
Round 2: Knit

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until you are nearly out of yarn, bind off in pattern.

Weave in ends, block and give to someone you love.

Mine measured about 20 inches around and 9 inches tall. If you have more yarn, make it longer and cozier. . .smaller gauge? Use smaller needles and cast on a multiple of four by taking the circumference you're shooting for, and multiplying that times the stitches per inch you get in your gauge swatch, and adjusting up or down to get a multiple of four.

Color Work Anyone?

2011-02-08T22:34:00.000-05:00

This blog post may not make much sense to those of you who didn’t attend the Black Sheep Knitting Guild meeting, but I felt it was easier to include hot links here for our members to reference than it was to print out paper copies to get lost in the piles of yarn and knitting patterns we all have at our homes.

For those of you who were struggling to grasp the volumes of information that I spewed at you, here are some resources that will help!

A video for knitting continentally :

I particularly like this one by CraftSanity featuring Lorilee, who used to own City Knitting in Grand Rapids.

If you want to see again how to trap your stitches as I demonstrated at the meeting, you’ll find a wonderful video at Philosopher’s Wool located here.

Knitting Help also has a video to help you out located here.

Knit Simple has an article with varied ways to trap your yarn located here

Knitting Daily just had a quick tutorial on trapping yarns yesterday, if you haven’t signed up for their newsletter, you may want to consider it! I’ll bet if you look through their archives, you’ll be able to find it easily.

Eunny Jang posted a whole series of blog posts about steeking in “The Steeking Chronicles” a few years ago.

Another article you may find helpful is “You Want Me to Cut What?” written by Wendy Johnson on Knitty.com

Great pictures of crocheted steeks can be found on the Bowerbird Knits blog here.

A resource for fair isle charts can be found here. Be careful when you use them, many have more than one color per line, and would be best suited for intarsia.

If you’re interested in a more in depth class or private lesson on color work, I’m happy to help, please just let me know! Paula and I have tried to schedule fair isle classes at PK Yarn Over Knit in the past, I’m sure she’d be happy to include one on the schedule if we let her know what the sheep are interested in using as a focus project and we can schedule it.

I’ve uploaded another Fair Isle Hat pattern to Ravelry if you’re interested, and one more should be coming before the end of the week.

We’ll have this month’s free pattern KAL posted on Ravelry in a couple of days, feel free to suggest patterns!

The Hat with No Name

2011-02-08T06:40:00.002-05:00

I've just finished a proto type for my third fair isle hat pattern, and am in need of a name. I've had a few suggestions, but still, am not sure what to call it. The colors in this version are bright and summery, but I have a darker and more subdued hat planned prior to publishing. Want to help name it? Submit a name suggestion in the comments, and if your name is selected, you'll will a free copy of the pattern.

My hope is to have the pattern ready to go by Monday, so I'll announce the winner then. If you become a follower prior to Sunday evening, I'll be happy to send you a discount code for a pattern purchase of your choice in my Ravelry shop.

I teach tonight at the Black Sheep Knitting Guild. . .are you joining us? Here is a quick picture of still more Woden hats in progress that I'll be using tonight:

I still can't get over how different they look in different colors. Seriously. It's amazing to me.

PS. . .Thanks for the help naming "No Name"

Camera Malfunction :-(

2011-02-07T16:01:00.000-05:00

The best laid plans of mice and men. . .anyone know the poet?

I had loads of things to bring to Knit Michigan on Saturday, and planned ahead. I had my bags and boxes packed and sitting on the porch when my ride arrived to pick me up, and that included my camera! I'd hoped to take loads of pictures of the knitters, and shops, and contest entries, and contestants in the knitting contests. . .I had extra batteries, and I even remembered to grab the memory card out of the computer! I was all set!

When I pulled out the camera for photo ops during the speed knitting contest, I got a message: Memory Card Error It seems that when I use the card in multiple cameras, only the nicer of the two likes it. My inexpensive point and shoot camera was on strike!

Harriet (of the comments) took plenty of pictures, and promises to send them to me, or at the very least post them in the Black Sheep forum on Ravelry. Suzanne has a few posted on her blog, too. Me? I've got nothin'

I did win the design contest (Whoo Hoo!) and had a great time teaching people to knit and chatting with friends all day. The three to six inches of snow we got didn't bug me a bit! I was cozy and happy all day long. Hope you can join us next year!

Tonight is the first night of the Knitting class I'm teaching at my house. There are spots still available if you're interested in joining us--we can figure out a prorated cost if you are--or make plans to join us in March.

Tomorrow is the Black Sheep Guild meeting, and I'm teaching a color work lesson as well as giving a demo on steeking. If you've been interested in how either of those things work, join us! I have my post-meeting post filled with all sorts of links ready to go already.

Looking for Prizes?

2011-02-05T06:24:00.001-05:00

Me too! Today is Knit Michigan. . .and I'll be running the knitting contests at 11:00. You'll be able to try your hand at speed knitting, knitting blindfolded, with a partner and all sorts of other silly things. We have a couple of events cooked up for spinners and hookers too! Prizes abound! There a some really great knitting bags as well as lovely fiber and interesting books. . .all you need to do is compete! I can't win, so I hope you show up and show everyone just how quickly you can knit with garden gloves on. . .

Have you been to Knit Michigan before? Our guild sponsors the Learn to Knit area every year, and it's an event many of us look forward to. This is the fourth year of Knit Michigan, and they've donated over $80,000 to local cancer charities. I love the philanthropic part of it, knitters giving back to the community. The vast majority of the food sold, classes taught and items auctioned are donated by local folks or solicited from vendors across the country, and last I knew, even the school we meet at cuts Knit Michigan a deal on using the space for the day. The overhead for this fabulous event is next to nothing, so nearly ALL of our money heads right to the people who need it. However, it's not without benefit to those of us who love fiber. For me, my donations get me a full day of fiber fun with my friends. The day is packed with classes for you to choose from, many vendors tempting you with samples, kits and new products (several vendors are from the opposite side of the state so we can see all sorts of things we rarely do), a silent auction, LOADS of hand knits, contests, meet-ups, and more!

An event that was new this year was a chemo cap design contest. My friend Matlie and I designed two cute hats and are hoping you'll come and vote for us today! She fell on Thursday and broke a leg. . .and could use some good news! This will be her first year missing Knit Michigan and she's feeling a little blue! A fibery prize would be just the thing to perk up her spirits! One more thing to put on your list for the day: Vote for Matlie and Tanya. . .

The entire day filled with fun is yours for only the $10 it costs to get in the door. If you're in southwest Michigan today, I'm not really sure why you're still reading this blog. . .get in the car and join us! You'll find directions here.

Blizzaster

2011-02-02T17:57:00.000-05:00

One of the perks of my job is taking advantage of snow days. . .Today I slept in, since our superintendent called school off yesterday around 3:00pm. Usually we're one of the last districts to get the call, but this time we were in the lead. Most of my morning was spent shoveling the seven or eight inches that fell in our neighborhood, just north of Detroit. I think the world was expecting "Snomageddon" and all we got was a heavy dumping. Our city services are spectacular, and our streets are pretty clean, but friends report that streets in neighboring communities are still pretty snow covered and slick. My gram--"Beazer" taught me to take pride in a well shoveled driveway. . .I think I can hold my head up today, as ours is as clean as can be.

Our dog, Toshi, is part Husky and part Akita, and LOVES the snow--but she wasn't so sure about the massive amounts she saw this morning when we opened the door. She's had a good day sleeping on her mat in front of the heater while I knit with a friend, and checking out how large the snow piles have become.

I realized I never showed you a picture of the blue version of Woden. . .it's been great to wear while outside for the past week or so. . .nice and cozy!

It's sort of shocking to me how different it can look knit up in different colors! I can't wait to see what others choose to knit for themselves.

My next version will be a combination of these colors, and I have another fair isle hat or two that I should be publishing soon--so if you like Woden, you'll have more coming your way!

I pulled a sock from my UFO pile, and may work on that a bit in between some of the design work that I'm playing with for some upcoming submissions. It seems somewhat unfair that now I have some interesting things to blog about and I have to keep them from you!

I hope you've been warm today, and didn't wear yourselves out cleaning out from under the Blizzaster.

Resolutions

2011-01-31T12:30:00.001-05:00

We're a month into the new year. . .How're you doing on your resolutions for 2011? Did you make any? Officially I didn't. Unofficially? I'm in a group on Ravelry called Knitting Everest.

My goals for 2011:
Prepare and submit 4 items for publication
Weave 11 items from stash
Complete Level 2 of the Master Knitter program
Knit 11 pairs of socks
Have UFOs in single digits

If you know me in real life, you'll know I'm a pretty competitive person. I enjoy pushing the limits of my own ability and seeing how much can be accomplished by hard work and dedication. That said, I don't compete against friends--especially with knitting and creativity. We all come to the table with our own skill set and can all stand to improve our abilities. That's what I think is so amazing about knitting in general. Every time I turn around I see someone "unventing" a new technique or way to accomplish something, or someone else challenging themselves to move to the next set of skills. But holding each other accountable to achieve what we set out to? Two or more friends pushing each other to their goals? I'm all over that!

In 2008 I participated in Summer of Socks to see how many pair of adult socks I could knit from the end of June to the beginning of September, in 2009 I tried to knit twelve adult sweaters in a year, in 2010 I was a slacker without any real goals. I taught classes, went to camp and the BSKG retreat, knitted samples for PK, and mostly knit from stash, but overall, I was somewhat aimless.

The Everest group is a pretty quiet one. . .and I'm not really sure why. Do knitters set goals and then abandon them? I don't think so, given the amount of finished objects are posted in Ravelry and on blogs all over the internet. . .

So on this last day of January 2011, I'm asking you to put it out there in writing. . .what are your goals for the next few months? As a special ed teacher we constantly write new goals and objectives for our students. As you consider your crafting goals make sure you write S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself. And post them somewhere for reference. What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal? I'm so glad you asked!

S.M.A.R.T. goals are this:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results oriented
Time bound

To say you'll knit from stash? not so SMART. . .How much stash? When will you know you've achieved it? When do you want to have achieved it?

To say you'll knit all of your stash? is that SMART? can you actually achieve that worthy pursuit? Will you really stay on a yarn diet for as long as you hope to?

What is your SMART goal for the year, or for the next few months? I hope you'll consider posting it in the comments so that I know that as I push my own creativity to the next level you'll be beside me pushing yourself too. What great knitters we'll be if we keep on learning. . .one stitch at a time.

I have a few submission deadlines looming. . .so I'll be working on proposals for the next month, and have plans to move a loom to the basement to begin my weaving practice. Here's to two completed and submitted proposals and two finished woven objects by the end of February!

Bev Galeskas

2011-01-29T21:47:00.001-05:00

While searching the internet today, I came across the news that Bev Galeskas died last month. Did you know Bev? She was the founder of Fiber Trends, one of the most popular knitting pattern companies around. If you’ve knit a pair of felted clogs, you’ve knit one of her patterns. Bev was a talented designer in her own right, but also published and distributed many independent designer’s patterns under the Fiber Trends name. She may have been the first independent designer, as the majority of the patterns published prior to Fiber Trends were published by yarn companies to promote their yarn.

The news of her passing made me sad. As a new knitter, I was intrigued by the felted clogs pattern and was discouraged from trying it by a LYS owner. She told me the pattern was too challenging for me. Perhaps she hadn’t knitted one of the Fiber Trends patterns before, or perhaps she underestimated the power of desire. She had to know that knitting happens one stitch at a time, and when you are eager to have the finished product, you’re willing to persevere. . .I wish I’d taken the challenge and ignored what that shop keeper told me. . .it took many more scarves and hats until I was willing to attempt the slippers on my own. When I did, I was surprised to learn that Bev included stitch counts after nearly every row. While there were techniques that were new to me, the directions she wrote were clear, and guided me stitch by stitch to a perfectly executed finished object. Actually, many finished products. I think I’ve made about a dozen pair of these in adult sizes, and at least two in children’s sizes. It's too bad that I let someone else's judgment of my skills keep me from such a brilliant pattern.

Later, I cast on for the Pacific Northwest Shawl.

The graphs coupled with written instructions helped me learn to read graphs with confidence. The Fiber Trends' Sheep Shawl is in my pile of UFOs, but has the same appeal—I just can’t seem to find the time to sit with a graph and do some “thinking” knitting. Both of these shawls were designed by Evelyn Clark, but have the same attention to detail that Bev's pattern's have, the quality that so many of us came to expect from Fiber Trends.

I knit a pair of clogs today in Bev’s memory. I hope she’s looking down and approves.

Woden

2011-01-27T20:59:00.002-05:00

I posted my first "for sale" pattern on Ravelry last weekend, and it's been met with a warm response. (A special thanks to those of you who have made the purchase!) I named it Woden. Woden's Day in Old English is our Wednesday. . .Woden being loosely connected to Mercury--a speedy sort of god. I liked it. Wednesdays are good days for me. Every Wednesday for about 18 months, I've had dinner with friends, and have knitted. When we started talking about the things we want to learn this year, and the things I'm teaching at our guild, it seemed a beginner's fair isle hat needed to be designed. Enter Woden.

This hat is great for beginners to begin working with two colors at a time. It truly is a speedy knit. The bits of the chart seem to fly by and before long, you're at the snowflake, and then beginning the decreases for the top. The colors in the initial hat are perfect for Joanie, and since she's already laid claim to it, I guess that's a good thing! Wanting to have one for my own, I cast on another in colors more suited to things I like to wear. I began the facing on Monday during some social knitting at a local restaurant, and before long I was past the point of where I should have joined the facing to the body of the hat.

I know I'm a speedy knitter, but hadn't planned to make it quite so far. I was stuck with a choice. Rip back and install the facing as written, or keep going and sew the facing up differently. I kept knitting. The idea behind the provisional cast on in the pattern is to allow the cast on edge to be lose and stretchy (raise your hand if you cast on tightly!) and to allow it to move with the body of the hat when the stitches are knit together.

I finished the hat last night, and attached the facing this evening. Here are some pictures of how to hem your hat if you too knit past the point of no return. . .

First, remove the provisional cast on for about ten stitches.

Then determine where the hem will land on the hat once sewn up, and take a lose stitch into the back of the stitch in that row.

Following the color on that row will help keep you lined up and have a neat hem, put your needle through one live stitch from the facing. . .

And back into the body of the hat. . .Obviously, I'm using a shocking color choice so it will show up in the pictures, but with a color that actually matches, it blends in nicely.

Be careful not to pull so tight--remember you want this to be somewhat elastic. Once the tension is eased in around the hat, you barely see it--even in a color you wouldn't typically use. . .

. . .even on the right side of the hat.

It's soaking and will be blocking overnight. Pictures of the finished hat tomorrow.

Bummer.

2011-01-25T22:16:00.000-05:00

My first, and only, hand spun socks. Rats.

Hope your day was better than this.

New Beginnings

2011-01-24T16:17:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about my job, and about knitting, is that we get to take things in small bites, and begin again whenever we want.

It's the beginning of a new semester here at my high school, and students are setting new goals for themselves, prepping new folders with promises to stay organized, and reveling in the fact that they all have 100% in my class for at least one day. The school year has such a comforting and predictable cycle. Students rev up for the beginning of the semester, work hard through the term until they get to a hard unit, or forget to turn in an assignment. Each of them deals with the increased stress in different ways. Some give up. Some ask for help. Some buckle down and put forth one extreme effort. But one way or another, the semester comes to an end with one stressful week filled with tests asking them to sum up their knowledge in a 90 minute final exam. This week, our exams are over, and we have a few different faces in our classes just to change the dynamics up a bit. Honestly, I love this. In what other job can you start fresh with a clean slate? Even with the snow flying today, Hope is poking her head up and giving me new enthusiasm for working with my students.

Isn't knitting like that sometimes? You fall in love with a yarn, or a pattern and knit with great gusto until you hit a hard bit. Often I choose projects for social knitting, and when I get to the shaping, I need some quiet time at home to work through the counting parts. . .Sometimes I stall out when I make a mistake and am loathe to rip it out. Other times, I'll leave projects sitting without buttons for months. . .dreading the final finishing work (It takes minutes! What am I thinking?). Or a sleeve can my undoing at times--I've been known to have multiple sweaters done but for the sleeves. Blocking, seaming, repairing, all of these take me away from the project I once loved; but with knitting, I don''t have a teacher encouraging me to muscle through to the end. Don't you think our finished objects a bit like our final exams? When we wear a new scarf or shawl, or slide into that new sweater, we know that we've finished. We've gotten to the end of our "semester" and can proudly (or in the case of some of my students, humbly) say to the world, "Look at what I did! Aren't I clever?"

What final exams haven't you taken yet? A friend is waiting to spend a gift certificate at her LYS until she finishes all of her UFOs. Another must complete two objects before she can cast on one. Yet another promises to have less than three UFOs by the end of 2011. Our guild promised no casting on during Lent for a few years in a row in hopes of clearing away the rubble in our knitting baskets. We all find ways to create intrinsic motivation for pushing ahead to the final exam. Or avoiding it. My UFO pile is somewhat staggering.

I finished a design this weekend and posted it on Ravelry for sale. My mittens have thumbs. A sweater and hat made it to completion, and I frogged a small project I know I'll never finish. I'm eager to start my new semester and find out where my quest for knitting knowledge takes me. . .but instead, I think I'll dig into the UFO pile and finish up at least one final exam first. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mitten Mojo

2011-01-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

I love to knit mittens. Love. So when I encouraged members of the Black Sheep Knitting Guild to join me in a knit along this month, I thought there would be no problems. I suggested three patterns of varying complexity, and figured I’d finally make myself a pair of Hedgerow mitts. (I cannot tell you how many times I’ve printed that pattern, and contemplated what yarn I’d use to knit them!) Eagerly, I finished the sweater I was working on, and dreamt about the mittens I’d be knitting.

Black sheep were casting on mitts left and right. . .Harriet has several pair completed already. Kelley is making a beautiful pair, and I have yarn to match hiding in my stash! Several knitters began talking about Meta Mittens, a pattern I purchased this fall, and have yet to cast on.

But instead of beginning my mitts, I cast on another sweater. I’m eager to burn through some stash yarn this winter. And after all, there is a pair of mittens that matches the sweater. That counts, right?

Also, knowing I’ll be teaching next month at our guild meeting, I began doing some color work designing. I knit one mitten with black sheep on it, and as you can see, the sheep don’t look so much like sheep as they do black blobs with blobby faces.

As the sweater got heavier, I tried to move on the mitten KAL, it would be embarrassing if I didn’t get a pair knit this month, after trying to ramp up everyone else’s excitement. And after all, the sweater wasn’t such good social knitting any more with its weight. I chose two skeins of sock yarn and prepared to cast on my Hedgerows last Monday. Suzanne convinced me that my dark hand spun sock yarn would not be the best choice, so I cast on in a bright yellow.

After a bit of work, the color and pattern just didn’t seem to be a good match. I pulled the needles, chose a new yarn and went back to my sweater. And began work on a hat design. . .The Hedgerows? In a new yarn (Rowan Felted Tweed), but hibernating for a bit.

The sweater is done. A matching hat is done.

The Fair Isle hat pattern is nearly ready for publication.

And a pair of chunky mittens to match the sweater? Waiting for thumbs

Perhaps my mitten mojo is back. It just took knitting other things to find it.

The podcast is up. . .if you're interested in listening, the link is here. Let me know what you think!

Absenteeism

2011-01-22T09:11:00.001-05:00

After a long absence, is it necessary to explain where you've been? Sometimes I wonder how time gets away from us, and how things pull our interest in different directions. Suffice it to say that I've been engaged in knitting lots of wonderful things and learning plenty about life. How about you?

I've spent some time recently thinking about how to best use my knitting time. In the last six months or so I've knit a lot of samples, developed several patterns for workshops at my LYS, and prepared things for gift giving. I've swatched, knit from stash, and have been busy learning how to use some new design software. All of these activities have sparked my imagination, pushed my skills, and had me dreaming about the future. I've begun to label myself differently, both in my head, and out-loud. Where once I thought of myself as just a knitter, I'm now changing that definition of myself. I'm a teacher. I'm innovative. I create things. I'm artistic. I'm a designer.

I've been vision casting a bit, and dreaming about what my life will look like in 5, 10 and 15 years. What do I want to be doing? What do I want my life to be like? Who do I want to be surrounded by? I have some things written down, and things still percolating. I'm not sure how this oft neglected blog will figure in to those plans, but I hope to be spending more time here. . .but I think I say that every year, and then beat myself up about not posting as regularly as I "should". Several new patterns will be posted to Ravelry soon, and one will hopefully be up on the Knit Michigan website sometime in February. I have a couple of design proposals I'm preparing for some publications--so keep your fingers crossed! And will be featured on a podcast this weekend. Listen in, and let me know what you think. I'm a bit anxious about it, but you can be honest and tell me if I sound like an arrogant boob or a bumbling idiot. Hopefully Lara will edit out the stupid bits.

Two sweaters have recently made it to the finished object pile, and several hats and mitts are on their way. Interested in having a peek?

Dear Linda,

2010-07-30T07:19:00.000-04:00

Thanks to you, I am diligently working on my gauge swatch hat, and am previewing the colors. I'm not sure if I'll get it completed prior to leaving, but I am working on it. Are you proud?
Love,
T

For the rest of you?

Hoping your knitting is going well. . .Soon I'll be seeing this:

Wish you were all coming with me. Wish me good weather, good friends, and good fun--see you soon!

Pictures From Camp

2010-07-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

The sheer amount of sweaters there are in our classroom is amazing. Many were knit by Elizabeth, but others by Meg. . .I feel like I want to have about 8 different sweaters knit up to the yoke so that I can try out one of the interesting techniques that were taught today. . .it was sort of like a live version of "Knitting Glossary"! Have a bavarian twisted stitch hat on the needles that I hope to make progress on tonight, but for now, it's nap time!

Wish you were here. . .

Road Trips, Dells, Curds and Knitting

2010-07-15T23:49:00.000-04:00

On the road to knitting camp. Promised to post at least one sentence and one picture each day--and it's midnight at home, but only 11:00 here, so I figure I'm safe.

Spent last night with a friend, Isabella wasn't too happy for the company, but Dorcus and I were pleased to be able to relax in the comfort of a home, rather than a no-tell-motel.

Today was a leisurely trip on the hunt for good shopping, good eating and full of laughter.

Went to Nancy's Notions, and bought some goodies. . .tried to take a picture with Nancy, but aparently she was camera shy!

Found a great place for lunch--or was it our breakfast? with an excellent view of a Piggly Wiggly! Wanted curds, but wanted them fresh, rather than fried, so we're still on the hunt.

Found a local yarn store that will be celebrating it's grand opening this weekend. Really, a super sweet shop, and the owner helped us plan the rest of our day.

We intended to head to three other stops, but time got the best of us, and we needed to get to our destination. We drove past the Dells--and wondered. . .what is a dell anyway? Saw some bogs that were growing cranberries, and many other farms growing undetermined crops (we think they should put up signs on the side of the road for tourists), and a bit of wild life too.

Made it to dinner just in time. . . and ate with Michelle from Schoolhouse Press. Found our seats in the classroom and were delighted to be sitting near Jennie the Potter. . .who had just gotten an email from Suzanne! Several otther nice knitters who've all been to camp more than once made sure to give us the scoop, so we're prepared for tomorrow.

Lots of inspiration in the classroom, and we haven't even begun the instruction yet! We feel like we've put in about a week's worth of a journey and have only been gone for a couple of days. sheesh. More tomorrow, with pictures of EZ's sweaters. . .

TTYL!

Down the Rabbit Hole

2010-07-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

I actually did accomplish many good things in the past couple of weekends. Construction is officially done--as in the poly coat was put on the floor on Friday, and after the floor cures, we can start moving furniture in this weekend--WAHOO!! So that means that I can start to clean and move things back into our living spaces. Over the holiday weekend, I ~~touched~~ washed EVERY surface in my kitchen and dining room including the walls, ceiling and floor. This weekend it was the spare room, sewing room and living room that got our TLC. We've set up the tents in preparation for MichFest, and have hauled all of the gear into a pile in the spare room to begin our packing. We've pulled at least 5 compost bags full of weeds from the garden, taken 7 boxes of books to donate to the local public library, returned cans and bottles, and took a truck load of things to the recycling center and a bunch more to the Salvation Army.

I taught a lace class for this scarf on Saturday morning. . .We've been productive, but I still have a number of things that are calling for my attention.

I should have been working on my nametag. . .Meg Swanson asks that we knit a nametag for camp. Mine is going to be a mobieus sock ring with a letter of my name on each sock. . .obviously, it's not done.

I could have been working on my sweater to take with me. . .I comleted the spiral yoked sweater (although I put in the alternative colorwork instead of the spiral), but wanted to try the steeked sweater too. I'm not gonna get there before I have to leave.

What I wound up doing was making hexagons. Lots and lots of hexagons.

They've become so addictive, I fear I cannot stop. I'm not sure if it's because they're like potato chips, and I can't crochet just one. . .

Or if it's because they're so colorful. . .

Or if it's because they remind me of the granny square afghans that my Gramma made me (that, I should point out, are sitting unused in a cedar chest, so why do I need another?)

All I know is I can't stop making them. I'll let you know when I need an intervention.

Basement Update and More!

2010-06-05T06:19:00.003-04:00

THIRTEEN weeks into the project, it's still not done. Close, but not done yet. We keep hearing it will be just another week. . .Here are some pictures to keep you entertained. (from our older camera, apparently my POS camera needs some TLC to upload pictures)

I now have more cabinets and storage in my basement and bar area than I do in any other room in our house. Maybe more there than in any three rooms combined! I LOVE it!

Notice the new sink?

Our fireplace was refaced, and a few tiles from Pewabic Pottery in Detroit were added as accent pieces.

It still needs a good cleaning, they just grouted yesterday, but here's a closer look at the Pewabic tiles:

The tile in the shower is great--

And my favorite part? The bathroom sink. The sewing machine was Joanie's grandmothers, and we lucked upon finding a beautiful stone bowl for the sink. When the faucet is on, it looks just like an old fashioned water pump!

On the crafting front, I've recovered a few chairs to place in the basement when it's finally finished. LOVE the fabrics we used! And I've uploaded some patterns into Ravelry for simple bags and hats. One pattern isn't an original design, but rather a modification of Danielle LaFramboise's Windmill Bag. Check them out, you may find something fun to knit!

The yarn I had processed at Stonehedge arrived on Tuesday, well ahead of schedule, and I'll start swatching with it this week while my friend Linda begins to play with color and see how it takes dye. We may have some fun kits ready before long!

So, what have YOU been up to?

You Spin Me Right 'Round

2010-06-05T06:01:00.000-04:00

Last week, Joanie was able to score three fleeces--nearly 30 pounds of freshly sheared fleece--from a co-worker! I quickly made some phone calls to find out where I should have it processed--and since I was headed to nearby MacMullan Conference center, it was decided that our car would take a side trip to Stonehedge Farm to have it evaluated for processing.

I was told the sheep was a cross between a Suffolk and Cheviot--both are meat sheep, rather than fleece sheep--but the fleece looked okay to me. . .very clean of VM and not too dirty. Deb at Stonehedge thinks it may have some Romney in it. . .and thinks it will spin up nicely into a very usable yarn. I've asked that 1/3 of the wool be processed into roving, and 2/3 into yarn. Rest assured, I'll be asking for friends to share this yarn when it comes in! By the time the wool is washed and processed I'll have in excess of 20 pounds of wool. . .start thinking about aran sweaters. . .

Kate took some photos of the farm, and we were given a mini tour! Enjoy! Our guild is already planning a trip there next year.

I held this post for awhile trying to upload pictures, but my camera has been a problem for me! I'm posting without. . .sorry!

One Less Knitter

2010-05-10T11:18:00.001-04:00

Mayme J. Olson was buried last Friday. She didn't write patterns, or create new and innovative ways to increase or decrease. . .she just knit. She made hundreds of pairs of mittens. . .maybe thousands. None were fancy, and most were made out of Red Heart acrylic yarn. She actually scorned wool (I know--who could think it?). Each of her grandchildren were blessed with at least a granny square afghan made from scraps of yarn left from the mittens, and many received a "good" afghan made in a ripple stitch pattern in the colors of their choice.

She taught me to knit and crochet, and though I didn't enjoy the knitting, I do remember her chastising me to "stop knitting on the tips" so that my stitches would be loose enough to be knit into on the next row--they never were. When I last saw her, she was proud to tell her friends that she had taught me to knit, although she didn't actually remember who I was. . .her memory and mind were failing her, but still, she was knitting a scarf for the needy. Her hands remembered what to do, and her kindness continued to reach out to others.

As funeral arrangements were planned, no one knew where to direct memorial donations. . .but no one asked me. I know what Mae would have appreciated. Teach someone to knit. . .and if you feel moved, knit a pair of mittens, or a hat or scarf. . .and donate them in the memory of my grandma to someone needy. And use Red Heart, that's what Grandma would have liked.

Construction Begins

2010-03-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

The weekend was spent moving things from the basement to the garage and from the bedroom to the attic in an attempt to clear things for a major basement remodel. In 6-7 weeks (or so I'm promised) an old, partially finished basement will become a highly efficient, eco friendly living space complete with bathroom and steam shower! I cannot express how excited I am for the change. We began the remodel project by getting quotes more than a year ago. . .and then had the driveway re-paved and a privacy fence installed. . .and adopted a puppy. . .our focus has been scattered to say the least. Finally, this morning construction began. I left a basement that looked like this:

And came home to a basement that looked like this:

It's going to be a long month or two.

In the midst of the chaos this weekend, I was able to sneak in some knitting time. Some at the cables class I taught at PK Knit Yarn Over, the new yarn store in Clawson, and some while I was watching the school play this weekend. God bless being able to knit without looking! I finished most of the foot to this sock while watching a HS production (and very good, I might add) of "The Crucible". The sock will be a sample for the class I'll be teaching in April, if you know of someone in need of instruction on double point needles. Loved the yarn--I used Raggi, and size 4 needles. All adds up to a quick knit!

Looking for Prizes?

2010-02-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

And maybe a blogger who posts more often? Join Suzanne and leave a comment for a give away. . .lots of good prizes to be had there. I'm slogging away at the applied i-cord edging of my graduation afghan. . .and watching the closing ceremonies for the Olympic Games! You can find Suzanne here. . .

A Curious Thing

2010-02-22T18:33:00.003-05:00

The internet has made such changes in our lives, it's hard to remember how we actually functioned prior to it being a household staple. I have boxes of books that were kept as reference books, but have been packed away for the past 18 months in hopes of home repairs happening. Now that they are about to start, I'm realizing that I can probably just donate the books and never really miss them. Any research I'll be interested in can just as easily be done on the internet or at the public (or school) library. Can't I just release my belongings and gain a little bit of space in my home? We'll see how much I've been influenced by my family and how much I can actually let go of.

Some research I've done lately has been to look up people I was once friends with. . .due to a variety of circumstances we've drifted apart, and I have no real desire to strike up a friendship with many of them, but I'm interested none-the-less. I found a college roommate has divorced, remarried and apparently has two children and is now a SAHM. . .another is struggling with weight loss. . .another had a significant weight loss and is now married. . .and yet another has done some amazing freelance print designs for companies like Coach. . .While I enjoy finding out what former friends are up to, I find it somewhat creepy that I can learn so much without actually contacting them to let them know I'm looking. I find it a curious thing to be able to be curious. . .and stealth. Google yourself. . .see what you can find out about YOU. . .and then change your security settings.

Challenging

2010-02-19T23:22:00.001-05:00

Really? a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. Editing my posts suddenly became a HUGE Challenge with this new background. . .what was I thinking? Now I have a whole new learning curve to deal with.

Indecision Abounds

2010-02-19T22:42:00.001-05:00

Chelsea Fleece Fair tomorrow? Not sure.

No Casting on for Lent? Not sure. . .but I cast on a new hat today just to see how I felt about it. . .no guilt here!

Craptastic Acrylic

2010-02-18T22:51:00.004-05:00

I cannot complain enough about how hard acrylic yarn is on my hands! Even so, here is the Moderne Baby Blanket--upsized for a teen aged boy. All it needs is a few ends woven in and an applied I cord edging and I can call it done.

Here too is the completed gray afghan started at the beginning of the Olympics. You'll find me with a darning needle in hand tomorrow attempting to finish these both!

Keeping On. . .

2010-02-17T22:02:00.003-05:00

Apparently I cannot stick to a schedule or keep a commitment! I awoke this morning to realize that I had not posted last night, and was frustrated that I wasn't even able to maintain a promise to myself for even three days!

Progress on the afghan is slow. I'm pleased that one is finished and am hopeful that the other will be completed this week prior to the end of my vacation. The VERY old orlon/acrylic yarn is very tough on my hands and I find myself moisturizing far more than I typically do to combat the scratchy, sore spots I'm finding as I work. In an effort to continue making progress, I'm taking small breaks to walk Toshi or to work on my Master Knitter class. I was able to make significant progress answering questions today, and have nearly half of the swatches knit from some time ago. It is unclear if I'll be able to have it ready to mail by the end of the Olympics, but I'll surely be close. Either way, progress is being made and I feel positive about that.

No pictures today, but here is one of the book reviews I've written as part of the Master Knitter curriculum. . .hope you enjoy!

The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, by Nancie Wiseman

Often knitters are stumped when a pattern leaves them only with the directions to “increase evenly”. At times, knitters may become caught in a rut and only use one cast on for all of their projects, or may become stymied by why a designer chose a particular technique that is out of their repertoire. These are the times that The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman comes in handy. Each chapter addresses a specific skill needed to have a well finished garment, and begins with the cast on and works through the bind off and finishes of a project. Clear directions for often unused cast-ons like the picot cast on or tubular cast on are included with small, but clear, pictures and drawings the accompany the text describing how to complete each technique. Everything from increases and decreases to how to treat selvedges, seaming and adding zippers is included in this small, handy reference book. The chapter I turn to most often is the chapter on button holes. Eight different button holes are described and a handy worksheet to determine buttonhole placement is included making this so much clearer than most designers instructions to “place buttonholes evenly”. The hard cover, with internal spiral binding makes the book sit flat as you read and knit through each of the techniques. If all of these features are not enough to convince you to add this book to your knitting library, the list of benefits and drawbacks for each technique may be just enough to tip the scales. As each technique is described, Wiseman teaches knitters to consider carefully why they would use a technique in their project. Gaining an understanding of not only how to complete a certain technique, but why it would be used, or when it would be useful makes this an invaluable addition to a knitter’s own reference library.

First Event Finished

2010-02-15T23:19:00.003-05:00

My first afghan is finished, save weaving in the ends. . .I'll likely do that on Wednesday when I get together with some knitting friends. A relief to have one of the four I'd like to have ready by June completed!

And so, on to the next. The Moderne Log Cabin blanket I'm making out of REALLY OLD acrylic yarn for another student is hurting my hands already. I completed one more block of it today, hope to get another section or two done tomorrow--and take some pictures to post. The garter stitch is enough to make me want to poke my eyes out, but only two sections and miles of applied I-cord and it's done.

Four years ago during the Olympics, I was knitting here:I have to say that while I think our snow is lovely, the cabana on the beach in Tulum was much nicer. . .

Happy Valentines Olympics Day

2010-02-14T23:39:00.003-05:00

A good workout, breakfast with friends, a nap, time with my spouse, and time knitting on the couch. A perfect Sunday. . .and makes this:

Turn into this:

According to the pattern, I've made it long enough, but I'm thinking it should be a wee bit longer. Tommorrow morning will help me make the decision--truth be told, I'm bored with it already and may call it done with the addition of the final edging.

Details can be found on Ravelry.

The Knitting Olympics

2010-02-13T07:05:00.002-05:00

Knitting graduation present afghans. . .two to be exact. And completing my Master Knitter Level 2--boxed and ready to mail. So many knitters here. . .so many beautiful projects to come.

Another challenge? Post to the blog daily. Keep in touch, and good luck with your own Knitting Olympics project.

Thanks, Harlot. . .

At Long Last!

2010-01-19T09:18:00.002-05:00

A goal for quite some time has been to publish some of my original designs. I've never thought that I'm terribly innovative, but I can come up with simple things to use up stash and create something pretty from otherwise unused materials.

Finally, I've gotten around to publishing on Ravelry. You can find my first pattern there, or download now

More about what I've been up to soon. Promise.

Contests and Gadgets and Blog Posts, Oh My!

2009-05-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

While you're knitting away on your swatch, I assume you'll be sitting. . .that way no one will be shocked that I'm posting AGAIN in such a short time.

I'm nothing if not competitive. . .so I thought I might share a bit of info with you! This year is the United Nation's "Year of Natural Fibres" and thus, they have a contest. Like working with natural fibers? Feeling Creative? Head over here and check out all of the categories they have and whip up something and submit it! Really, just do it. It's fun!

Take a peek at the sidebar. . .found a couple of gadgets today on my lunch hour. A calculator to have at hand as you start your calculations for the Salaam Along. Trust me, you'll appreciate having one at hand. I also added a counter to see if I actually have visitors. I was shocked when someone left a comment a couple of days ago. Who knew anyone was listening to me ramble?

But really, can you believe I've got three blog posts this week? I know you're thinking, "Who are you? and What have you done with Tanya?" And here's the real shocker. I have the next post already written. I'm just waiting to hear that someone--anyone--has finished their swatch and is ready for the next bit of info. Could that be you?

I've been a hold out. . .

2009-05-05T17:44:00.001-04:00

Kim has moved on from the Shalom, and I've left you sitting and most of you have forgotten me. . .here's the post I had saved as a draft, I'll get my camera out and take a picture of the finished sweater later this month. Not that Kim is all to blame, but she's who got me working on this sweater and completing the math in the first place!

Time for Math
Usually, I leave the teaching of math to my Aunt--she's really the best math teacher I know, and considering I'm a high school teacher, that says something.

The original Shalom Cardigan has a 5 ridge garter stitch edging. To achieve a 25" circumference at 4 st/in I'll need to cast on 100 stitches and work rows 1-7 as written. (Neckline measurement x stitches per inch = cast on number)

Eventually, I'll need to increase my stitches to my largest measurement (arms and bust, for me that's 55"). That means I'll need to work to 55 x 4 or 220 stitches. These increases will happen at three places in my knitting, with the largest increase first, and more gradual increases as the yoke grows. In the original pattern, the approximate ratios are to increase about 40%, 30%, 30% in row 8, 20 and 32 respectively.

For most people, using the twisted rib called for in the pattern, these row numbers will work out just fine. If you have a particularly low bustline, or are tall, you may want to adjust this. To determine what row numbers you'll use to increase, you'll take your bodice length x rows per inch = total # of rows in the bodice. Subtract the garter edge (7 rows) and divide by 3 for the triple bodice. Here's what that looks like for me:

9" x 4 rows per inch = 36 - 7 garter rows = 29 /3 = 10 ish rows between increases.

To find your stitch numbers to increase:
Largest # of stitches - Cast on stitches = Total increased stitches
Total increased stitches x .40 (for 40% or .30 for 30%) = how many stitches to increase

Depending on the pattern you're using in the yoke, you may need to add or subtract a couple of stitches to match your pattern repeat. In the Shalom Cardigan, it is a 1x1 twisted rib pattern, so you'd only need to add or subtract a stitch or two to keep on track. Should you want to add your own touch to the pattern, you'll need some more cipherin'.

I'll be using an 8 stich +2 repeat. . .increasing 48 stitches, 40 stitches and 32 stitches in my three repeats.

If you're using a lace pattern, don't forget to subtract 5 stitches on each side for the garter edge that you want to include!

The lace pattern I'm using is a 12 row repeat, and I'm tall. . .and honestly? I don't care about stopping the lace EXACTLY at my fullest bust point. Here's what I'm planning to knit:

Cast on 100 stitches
Work rows 1-7 as written
Increase to 148 stitches
Work rows 1-12 of my lace pattern
Knit 1 row
Increase to 188 stitches
Knit 1 row
Work rows 1-12 of my lace pattern
Knit 1 row
Increase to 220 stitches
Knit 1 row
Work rows 1-12 of my lace pattern
Knit 1 row

When I get close to the end of this section, I'll want to start trying on the sweater to make sure my armpits aren't too low. . .I'll post a picture when I get there! Drop me a note when you get there too!

Swatch Done?

2009-05-05T17:31:00.000-04:00

Here's my swatch. . .

I measured it in several places for two or three inches and calculated that my gauge is 4 stitches per inch. Elizabeth Zimmerman insists that we are absolutely honest with ourselves when we measure a gauge swatch--really, no cheating! Notice the pins in the fabric? I placed one pin at the edge of a stitch, laid my ruler on the swatch, and then placed a pin in the fabric two or three inches away. Then, the ruler is moved, and I count my stitches, and divide by the number of inches I've measured. Moving the ruler away from the measurement prevents you from cheating and sneaking a stitch to one side of your inch line or another.

I repeated the process for my row gauge. This may be an important step in your calculations for this sweater--don't leave it out!

After looking through my stitch dictionaries, I thought I'd settled on a simple lace pattern that always seems to look nice. I was committed to Old Shale (or Feather and Fan). I like the bit of ridges in the pattern that will look nice with the ridges where there is an increase. I was ready to cast on.

But wait. One of the nice things about that lace pattern is the wavy edge. On the original pattern, there are increases in the garter ridges--that would adjust my wavy edge, and I think make the lacey area look like crap. Back to the stitch dictionaries.

I found a drop stitch pattern in my vogue book that I like. Twelve row repeat, a bit open, nice clean edges. . .perfect! Now for the measuring.

A good friend and an honest look at your body may be required at this point. Measure your fullest bust point, and write that number down somewhere. Mine is 44.5"--don't spread that around, okay? Now measure around your fullest point, and include your arms, that is, hold your arms at your side, and measure around your bust and arms. . .my measurement is 55". Then place the tape around your neckline. . .how open do you want this sweater to be? How low do you want it to hang? A nice snug neckline to keep you cozy in the winter? A drapey, low and open neckline? You make the call, measure that circumference and then measure the depth from that opening to your fullest bust point. My neckline is intended to be at my collarbone. . .about 25" in diameter. . .distance from collarbone to fullest point of my bust? 9 inches (we'll call this the bodice length).

Go have a cup of tea. Really. Math is coming next.

Salaam. . .along

2009-05-05T13:21:00.000-04:00

Emma's Revolution is one of my favorite groups from a little music festival I go to in August. . .Peace, Shalom, Salaam is one of their most moving pieces. . .check it out.

But I digress.

A friend recently poked me and reminded me that I was ignoring the blog--but honestly? When have I really paid attention to it? I have the best of intentions, but seem to be short on time. Thanks for the motivation Kim T. . .and thanks for letting me know that at least ONE person cares about what I think!

Another friend has asked that I help her upsize the Shalom Cardigan. Both of us have made it once already--mine in a size large enough for me, hers as written. Making the changes to a pattern to have it fit properly can take a bit of math, but isn't really hard. The original calls for a bulky yarn and about 425-475 yards. I made mine out of some handspun--maybe a heavy worsted, and had about 650ish yards. . .I'll get a picture up tomorrow. . .

The new version I'm making won't really be a Shalom, but will use that as a jumping off point for style, since it seems to look so great on so many bodies. . .but will be in a dk-lt worsted handspun. For this, I have about 850 yards. . .should be enough, but I'm a risk taker. I figure I'll do a bit of lace for the yoke instead of the twisted rib. . .I'm thinkin' it will work.

Wanna play along? Kim W? Are you reading?

Here's how you play. Get your yarn and needles, and cast on a big ol' swatch. Honestly. You need it. Mine was knit, washed, and is drying on the napping couch right now. Make your swatch a good 7 or 8 inches square--we'll use it for both stitch and row gauge, and you want to make sure it's pretty accurate. A larger swatch will also give you more information about the drape of your fabric. For me? I want it to be a bit drapier--I used a size 8 needle.

While you're waiting for your swatch to dry, you can pull out a stitch dictionary if you want to make it a Salaam Cardigan, or if you like the original Shalom Cardigan, I'd suggest reading the pattern closely. Either way, you'll need to print out the directions for that. . .and get some notepaper, a calculator, a pencil and your thinking cap ready to go. You can find the pattern here.

That's all. Go knit.

Knitter's Almanac--a review

2009-03-02T15:36:00.001-05:00

Last year, when the February Lady Sweater went viral on Ravelry, I wasn’t surprised. It’s based on a sweet baby sweater found in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac, one of my favorite knitting books of all time.

Two summers ago, I borrowed a copy from my friend Kim, and she has never gotten her copy back! (Don’t worry, I’ve since purchased a replacement for her!) Kelly Petkin began a year long knit-along that promised to build skills along the way. I began with the Pi Shawl in July, did a bit of the Christmas “nothings” in August, dabbled with the Hurry Up Last Minute Sweater in December and made the February Baby Sweater for Ivy. I dropped out of the knit-along well before it was done,but still, I enjoyed the romp through the patterns and the glimpse into Elizabeth's life--she became sort of a friend.

EZ keeps her directions, as she puts it, pithy. The pictures aren’t much to crow about, yet the designs are classic. Woven through the patterns in the book are stories about what was happening in her life—she was the Yarn Harlot of her day, writing about everyday events that all knitters can relate to. Zimmermann encourages knitters to think for themselves, working with gauge and design as though we are each smart enough to “unvent” designs for ourselves as she does. And you know what? We are! I agree with Pamela Wynne’s opening to the February Lady Sweater, “Go get yourself a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac. It’s the best $7 knitting book of All Time.”

The Bookmobile

2009-02-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

When I was in elementary school, the bookmobile from the public library would come to our school on Mondays. It was a great way to see new and exciting books that we didn't have in our school library, and it brought books to our rural school when it was likely that our families wouldn't make the trek into town.

Since this blog needs some jump starting, I thought I'd add a bit of a structure to it, and hopefully make it a meaningful read to those of you out there who may happen upon it. So? Monday's are for book reviews. Here's the first one, hope you like it.

colorSTYLE

I have to admit, I’m a big fan of the –STYLE series of books that Interweave Press has been publishing for the last few years. colorSTYLE by Pam Allen and Ann Budd is no exception. Both Allen and Budd have been editors for Interweave Knits magazine and have a good eye for what their readers enjoy making, as well as what trends are coming to the forefront in the knitting community.

In colorSTYLE, as in the other –STYLE series of books, projects range from small, get-your-feet-wet items to larger garments and epic projects for the more adventurous. This sixth volume in the series has seventeen projects to get a knitter well on the way to being hooked on colorwork.

As much as I have to admit that I’m a sucker for purchasing all books in a series, I do have a litmus test that each book must take. If I can find at least three projects in the book that I’m excited to start right away, the book finds it’s way into my collection. The Peace and Love Gloves alone may have made me break that rule! These gloves use several fair isle patterns in the wrist, palm and thumb, and yet have just a solid color for each of the fingers. The simple hounds tooth pattern that makes up most of the glove is offset by the bright bit of embroidery on the back of one hand. I especially love that each glove is different. As the name implies, peace is on one hand, and love knitted into the other. Looking down at these zen-like gloves might be enough to calm me down on the rare occasion that I’m driving and stuck in traffic! Much like the knucks pattern on knitty.com, I could also see customizing these gloves with a mantra all my own.

Many of the fair isle patterns in the book use a much larger weight of yarn than is traditionally found in this type of color work making them perfect for a beginner to try her or his hand at this technique. The soft mohair recommended for the mohair fair isle blurs the boundaries of stitches just enough to hide a beginners’ mistakes.

While the book is heavy on fair isle patterns, there is also a nod to other types of colorwork as well. The slip stitch (or mosaic) color work in the holi mitts pattern makes me want to give this a whirl, and the enticing designs in intarsia make me want to give that technique another go as well. The felted floral pillow with needle felted embellishments may just be the project to make me take back the “I’ll nevers” I’ve said about intarsia in the past.

My favorite part of this book isn’t the patterns, but rather the technical information that is packed into the last chapter of the book. Descriptions of how to work each of the techniques used in the book, as well as swatches detailing how a stitch can look different by changing only one detail help the reader have a better understanding on how to adapt the technique into their own designing. While this isn’t an exhaustive look at any of the techniques, it does give enough understanding to practice the techniques in the patterns included. The extensive bibliography leads toward other books to answer questions in more detail.

So, the only thing left for me to decide, is what should I cast on first?

Waiting. . .not so patiently

2009-01-24T23:06:00.000-05:00

Having been encouraged to complete a pair of kilt hose for the "Think Outside the Sox" contest, I knitted fast and furious to complete them, block them and mail them in before the extended deadline. They turned out nicely, albeit more expensive than I'd originally expected. FOUR skeins of yarn!! Can you believe it? Now I'm awaiting their arrival in Sioux Falls--and am hopeful I'll receive a phone call telling me I'm a winner.

Waiting isn't so easy, and I'm also waiting for a couple of names to find their way to me. I'm registered for two, one skein project swaps. The Michfest swap exchanges names on Tuesday, and the BSKG swap on February 1. Meanwhile, I'm lurking on Ravelry and looking for fun projects to knit.

I've begun knitting a swatch for Artisan Knitworks--their genius plan to get knitters in their store sucked me in. The lace pattern I was given is very similar to the pattern on the top of the kilt hose, so I'm making quick progress. Rather than knit just the small swatch they've asked for, it's becomming a scarf that will find it's way into the present box for next December. . .Pictures to come soon.

I'm hopeful that Suzanne will spend some time with me deciphering the wowway protocol for hosting documents on my webspace--it's a bit daunting. So, until then, more waiting.

New Year, New Blog

2009-01-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

2009 has begun, and it was my very best intention to begin the new year blogging on my very own blog (since I'm no longer able to hijack the BSKG blog. . .)

I've accumulated a few patterns I've designed over the years and I get a big kick out of seeing my friends knit them. I'm hoping that this can be a space for me to share my creativity, and to keep a log of sorts of my work.

Look for PDF files to be hosted here soon!