With Knitted Brows

Resolved: Moving

2010-01-17T19:03:00.004-05:00

My New Year's blog resolution has begun to take hold: I have moved my blog to WordPress. Click on the link and it should take you to it.

If not, the address is: www.withknittedbrows.wordpress.com

See ya' over there!

A New Year Begins

2010-01-01T21:22:00.005-05:00

And Projects Happen

I've been knitting with color; no plans in advance just knit as I go with Cascade 220. I used a short row heel and it fits quite well. Nice bed socks.

I've been scouring(cleaning) some shetland fleece, one handful at a time. On the right is a lock of the wool before cleaning. And on the left is a lock after soaking in hot water with Dawn dishwashing detergent(15 minutes), a plain water rinse/soak followed by another rinse with a glug of vinegar. Isn't the difference amazing!

to be continued........

Happy New Year!!

Four Becomes Three

2009-03-20T17:14:00.007-04:00

Goodbye Sophie

It is with great sadness that I must change my blog description from "four cats" to "three cats." We have lost our so-loved little feline gremlin sprite, Sophie.

It was sudden -- in mid-step on her way to "hunt" birds outside the window perch she had what seems to be a sudden arrhythmia. I was there, and I stroked her and talked her from this world to beyond. The post-mortem showed her having a thickened left ventricle.

She was just shy of 5 years old.

We miss her and the other cats miss her.

But I know that her life with us was wonderful and full, and we are grateful that we were gifted with her in our lives.

Wonderful Wednesday

2008-09-26T14:21:00.006-04:00

Wednesday was a wonder-filled day.

What a wonderful gift package I received from my Secret Pal! Here's just part of it -- Look at the spa products: Jafra Ginger and Seaweed Body Massage Cream, Massage Oil, and Hand Cream. They smell divine.

The yarns are a pretty green tweed in cotton and acrylic. I 'm intrigued by this yarn: it's soft and pretty. I never would have picked it out, but I'm so glad you did, Karen, my no-longer-a-secret pal!

<--- Here's an close-up

BUT THERE'S MORE

Included and shown in the the foreground is an oh, so lovely skein of 100% BABY ALPACA. The blue is hard to photograph accurately. Believe me, I tried. It is a rich, deep blue with a purple tinge to it. That really comes out it the picture. I did the face snuggle test and this skein passed with flying colors! So soft....ahhhhh.....purrrr.

BUT THERE'S EVEN MORE...SEE!

A really neat bag, that came with the Jafra set of spa products. Oh, I LOVE bags!

~ AND ~

The needles and stitch markers!

Look how pretty:

Thank you so much Karen. I will really enjoy all of it!

Flat Tire Tuesday

2008-09-23T22:30:00.002-04:00

What else is there to say? Except that it was what the AAA guy called a "ghost flat" -- no evidence of a cause. Creepy. A good Halloween car malady. The lucky thing was that I realized there was a problem while I was still on my own block. Turned around and coasted back down the hill -- slowly -- to my house. The frustrating thing was that it made me miss a Dr. appointment, which is not so easy to schedule. All in all, a minor thing in the key of life.

Socks and Lox

2008-09-10T13:27:00.005-04:00

This was one of those moments that are unplanned, when serendipity strikes and a camera is at hand. My niece's Bat Mitzvah weekend culminated with a Sunday brunch. You know the scene:sumptuous buffet line of bagels, lox, cream cheese, omelettes; everyone trickling in, wearing their casual traveling clothes for the long trips homeward. As we sat and ate and schmoozed, somehow the topic of knitting socks came up, and to show my Aunt what is the current trend in sock knittery, I, DH, and my niece all stuck our foot up over the table and CLICK! the photographer caught it -- not on film, but on memory card.

From left to right: DH in Plymouth Sockotta (it faded horribly with the first wash); neice in Opal Petticoat with glass beads around the cufflet; and me in Trekking XXL Aquarelle.

Second Chance

2008-09-08T22:08:00.004-04:00

I couldn't help myself: After all that work weaving in all those ends, choosing which left-overs to use -- well, I just had to post a larger pic. Why the uploaded jpeg was so small, I don't know. Only blogger knows. I'm looking forward to the chilly-er weather so I can wear these babies!

Ongoing and Finished Objects

2008-09-06T15:52:00.009-04:00

It's raining cats and dogs, ducks and geese, fish and ..... well you get the idea. So I thought I'd catch up on my photo editings and posting.

First the ongoing project -- spindling. This is my Golding spindle, made with a vintage enamel bracelet. I just love it! I'm spinning merino -- my first experience with this slippery short staple fine fiber. It's going quite well.

I've already wound off two spindles full. I like to use those ubiquitous toilet paper tubes, remember?

I hope to be able to spin enough for a pair of comfy bed socks. 76 yards so far. I'll keep you posted!

~~~ And now for the FO's ~~~

Finger(tip)less Mitts

As I knit, I often get cold hands. What would be warmer than fingerless mitts but would leave my fingertips free for tactile knitting?

Yes, they are warm. But just a bit too bulky, I think. I used worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220). I'm going to try it again with sock yarn.

MY MONSTERSOCKEN!

Monstersocken are socks made out of scraps of stash yarn left over from other pairs of socks. Here's my pair:

I used 4 different sock

yarn scraps and changed when the mood struck. Because I knit both socks at the same time on one long circular, I can keep up with the changes in yarn so that both socks look "somewhat" the same.

Here's my secret -- the paw print on the sole:

The only problem with making these socks are THE INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF ENDS that need weaving in.

Look at this! 46 ends

to weave and snip!

***And now a message for my Secret Pal: I'm sorry you've had unexpected stuff happening. I look forward to getting your last package and would appreciate any correspondence in the meantime. Thanx!

Viral Crud and Proudest Moment

2008-09-03T19:47:00.002-04:00

Yeah, it's been a while. I took a trip south to visit family. It was a nice trip, but I came back with some viral crud. It never fails! I'm hopefully on the road to recovery.

SP 12 Question of the week:
I’m sure most of us have a proudest moment when it comes to knitting. A project or technique that you’ve tackled and completed beautifully. What is your proudest knitting moment??

My proudest knitting moment: Knitting two socks successfully on one circular needle! It's the only method I use now.

True Colors

2008-08-17T14:54:00.005-04:00

According to this "scientific" quiz, I am aquamarine....Which happens to be my favorite color! Maybee it IS scientific.

you are aquamarine
#7FFFD4

Your dominant hues are cyan and green. Although you definately strive to be logical you care about people and know there's a time and place for thinking emotionally. Your head rules most things but your heart rules others, and getting them to meet in the middle takes a lot of your energy some days.

Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Twisters and Sisters

2008-08-09T19:50:00.008-04:00

TP Tubes

I haven't mentioned spinning in a while. Here's some of my spindle spun yarn. I love using the toilet paper tubes to store singles on. It's very convenient, there's always a new one soon to be available, and it's recycling! By counting the number of times I've gone around the tube (and writing it down on the edge), I can figure how much yardage I have on each tube (after measuring the circumference of the tube) -- simple math!. Here I have three mini skeins of 3 ply. I LOVE this spindle! I bought it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It's a Golding -- I bet you didn't guess that.... He has a "new" line of spindles that he makes out of vintage bracelets. This is a vintage enamel bracelet and it spins like a dream.

Innocence

Isn't this precious? Sophie needed a soft furry friend when she was a baby. This is her "cat," Linguini. He's called that because he's long and thin. Sophie is now 4 years old but she still needs to spend a little bit of every day with her special pal. Usually she kneads his belly while rubbing her little chin whiskers on his fuzzy body. She gets this blissed out look, then she falls asleep.

And Not So Innocent

And Sophie's sister, Dot, naps with her special pal, DH. Yes, I'm afraid that she's "the other woman." Her look says that I am. She's really very sweet, no really! Except with her sister -- but those of us with sisters can understand. It's a girl thang.

"Made in the Shades" Scarf

2008-08-02T22:33:00.015-04:00

My most recent creation I call the "Made in the Shades" Scarf. I've used three colorways of Noro Silk Garden Lite with a mitered squares technique.

I can wear it draped....

I can wear it folded...

It is 88 inches long and 10 inches wide -- 2 squares.

The colors are are

worked so that, when folded in half lengthwise, the orangey colors are on the same side.

Why "Made in the Shades"?

The colorways I chose have color shades that overlap to make the most of the color movement, one shade into the next.

-- I LOVE IT!

Questions, So Many Questions!

2008-07-30T13:33:00.005-04:00

So, I've gotten way behind on the questions of the week for SP12. My bad! In the interest of full disclosure, here are The Questions and The Answers:

Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday? To the beach - - although around here they call it "the shore."

Where is one place you'd like to go? Hawaii, the Beach Par Excellence!

What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation? Socks

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday? I'd like to say sleeping late, but my mother felt that, if she had to get up for work, we should at least "know" when she leaves, so she would wake us up with her yell, "Call me when you get up!"

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash? *There is no perfect amount of stash. "Perfect Stash" is utopian and unattainable.

What yarn do you never want to be without? Suprise...sock yarn!

What yarn *that you don't have/haven't used( would make you stash "complete"? See above * -- but I'd love to have some buffalo.

Secret Pal Gift!

2008-07-28T22:40:00.006-04:00

Thank you Secret Pal! What wonderful stuff!! Pretty light blue cotton yarn and stitch markers, needles and Glove in a Bottle -- I always wanted to try that.

So secret pal, can you tell me a little about yourself? Nothing that would identify you, of course, but....just a little something? Please???

Thank you!!

A Little Catch-Up

2008-06-22T22:10:00.005-04:00

I've finally synced my camera-full of photos and DH gave me the photos that he'd taken when we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (MDSW). So this will be my photo catch-up session.

(1) Beaded Socklets -- these were for my niece, whose foot continues to grow alarmingly quickly. They fit her now...but for how long? It's hard to see the beads, but they're there on the cuff -- what little cuff is there. She likes them short! I used Opal Petticoat sock yarn.

(2) My "haul" from the first day of MDS&W:

The braid is alpaca roving in three shades, there's a ball of Jacob sheep roving in two colors, The Fold sock yarn, niddy noddy (x 2), freebie magazines, Louet mini combs, Optim fiber, etc., etc.

The second day was mostly consumed with watching demos, sheep breed parade, and trying out (and buying) spindles. More pics to come...

What Is My Favorite Summertime Drink?

2008-06-13T16:04:00.002-04:00

This is the question of the week, provided by our Secret Pal 12 (SP12) hostesses. So, in answer:

Iced Coffee!!!! brrrr!!

Although, I'd have to say that I drink iced tea much more often -- it's more available, I think.

Hey Pal!

2008-06-09T18:57:00.007-04:00

I had my first contact from my secret pal today! I haven't gotten my assigned pal yet, but I'm so excited that it's starting. I'm sure we're going to have a sizzling time -- hey, my car's thermometer registered 105 degrees today here in Philly. YUP, SIZZLING!!

So here's my SP12 Info for you, Pal!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Hmmmm... favorites would be wool. I don't really have any absolute no-no fibers.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A yucky fabric roll for my straights; a nifty binder for my circulars; a toothbrush holder for my hooks.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting about 4 years -- I taught myself from a booklet. I guess I'm intermediate, bordering on a young advanced.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, here's my Amazon link. But I need to update it. [Updated but also ongoing process.]

5. What's your favorite scent?
Cinnamon, but the hubster is allergic to scents, so I have to go au naturale.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I have sweet teeth! CHOCOLATE (Hersheys, Snickers, etc) And cinnamon (Hot Tamales).
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Spinning on spindles and wheel,dyeing, polymer clay, starting to play with tapestry weaving.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like Folk rock: Fogelberg, Four Bitchin' Babes. And Wyndham Hill stuff (not holiday though). Oh, and yes I can play MP3s (and I have an iPod).
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Teals, turquoise blues. I like "spring" colors -- pastels and jeweltones. I don't like greens or oranges that are brown-y (those retro colors).
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married with cats: 4 of them
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Theoretically I wear scarves and hats, although I never seem to put them on. I like mittens but am very clumsy when I wear them.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks!!!! I just finished an afghan for my nephew that I'd been working steadily on for 18 months.
13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks, sweatery jacket, just getting ready to start a scarf
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes if made with care.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circular wood -- I have a set of those Knitpicks Harmony needles
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
yes to both
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
The jacket; It's called the Big Easy Jacket and I've been working on it for 2 years
18. What is your favorite holiday?
Hmmm.... Thanksgiving
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Cat figurines, but not the cutesy stuff. Cats with "purrsonality".
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Books: Mosaic Knitting; Yarns: buffalo, quivut. I'd love to get the knitting needles that light up at the tip (Size 7 or 8). I subscribe to Interweave Knits and Spin-Off.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Why yes -- mosaic knitting and fair isle
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yesss. Foot length = 9 3/8 inches; Circumference of ball of foot =8 1/2 inches; circ of ankle = 9 inches
23. When is your birthday?
April 8
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes. JudyBee (I haven't done much with it yet though).

What's Up Pussy Cats?

2008-06-05T23:14:00.006-04:00

It's been quite a while since the catkins showed up here. So let's take a sneak peak: Well, from this angle you can see that these two are definitely sisters. I wonder what they're watching -- it must be darn interesting for them to sit so nicely side -by - side. That's Sophie on the left and Dot on the right.

And the boys must be watching the same thing! Probably Squirrel TV.

Leo is the buff tiger and Mickey is the tuxedo boy.

After a long, hard day scoping the perimeters,

Sophie always likes to nap with her special

friend and stuffed animal, Linguini.

Dot prefers to nap with her "boyfriend," DH.

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

2008-05-30T23:16:00.003-04:00

So, of course I've been knitting socks. Here's my Trekking XXL Red Tweed socks. I used a beaded rib cuff (from Sensational Knitted Socks).

Then I made a pair of socks for my DH. For these I used Plymouth Sockotta for the striped parts and the navy blue toes are Opal Uni. I learned the hard way that this Sockotta yarn fades with the first wash! This pic was taken before they were machine washed. He loves them though (bless his little heart).

Being on a sock roll, I then made myself this lovely pair of Trekking Aquarelle socks. And with this pair I do believe that I've found my perfect fitting sock.....except that I've just GOT to figure out how to do a stretchy bind off on the cuffs, since I knit toe-up. Anyway, I'm proud of these:

Not socks, but --- I decided to try to knit a parrot so that my DH could be suitably adorned for "Talk Like a Pirate" Day. I sort of followed the instructions that I'd found in a British magazine. I

dyed the little guy with green food coloring; I just painted it on. The beak and feet are sculpted out of polymer clay. Isn't he cute?

Yes, he does have an eyepatch. He's a Pirate's parrot after all. Sigh.....

Crawling Out from Under the Rock

2008-05-28T16:38:00.002-04:00

{And....PUSH} -- Yikes, that sun is bright!!! No, I haven't been sleeping for 900 years, but I do feel as if I've been "underground" for way too long. That's not to say that I haven't been knitting and fibering up a storm... I have a lot to show for my blogworldly absence. Let's see, there've been socks knitted, squares woven, fibers spun, and last but definitely not least: a WHOLE blanket knitted square by square, then crocheted together with an EZ (Elizabeth Zimmerman) sideways border knitted all the way around -- using reverse knitting, mind you -- presented to my nephew Alex as a graduation and "going off to college" present. Pictures to follow as soon as I've uploaded them. I don't know how folks manage to both create things and blog about them. There's just not enough hours in the day and energy in the universe for me to accomplish both. So now that my hands are bereft of the blanket project for the first time in a year and a half, I'll try to get this blog back on track and up to date. Then I'll feel my way into the depths of Ravelry; for up till now I've only dipped my toe into that vast pool of creativity. My ravelry ID is JudyBee but I've yet to explore much and I haven't logged in projects etc. Stay tuned for the photo tour of the blanket, square by square, a cable sampler.

j

So Long Summer!

2007-09-05T13:52:00.000-04:00

Boy, that went fast! Now that there's a hint of "cool" in the air, it's time to settle down and be CREATIVE. Not that I haven't been trying -- I've completed a pair of socks and have two other pairs beyond the halfway mark. I'm making a little progress on my Big Easy Jacket, but I VOW to complete that before the weather turns chilly.

And yesterday, I received my invite to join Ravelry.... and I did; that, alone, makes me creative!

And I've been spinning, both spindle and wheel.

Pictures are coming... I swear...really....

j

Where Have You Been, Judy Girl, Judy Girl?

2007-06-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

I hadn't meant to leave things hanging. Really. I just couldn't face switching my account to Google. Now, I like Google. Actually, I LOVE Google. I use it all the time. But I'm one of those people who read the small print. And I just couldn't commit to reading it and understanding it. So I avoided it. Stupid, I know. But I'm better now. I'll just go with the flow.

Meanwhile what have I been doing? knitting, spinning, a bit of dyeing, and spending money. I got a spinning wheel!! Thanks to some gift $$ from my DFIL (dear father-in-law), I bought a Louet Victoria. I realized that if I didn't go for it now when I had the unexpected dough, I'd never allow myself the opportunity again. It's beautiful and small and....I don't know how to use it! I'm going to find me a spinning teacher. Somewhere here in the Philly area there must be someone who can teach me. After all, I'm not stupid (uh, disregard the comment above pertaining to stupidity, if you please).

Okay, I have photos to gather and upload. Patterns to write up. And cute kitty pics to share.

Until then....

pssst! I'm back

2007-01-13T21:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year....a bit late, but better late than never. So what's been happening? A pictorial representation:

My spinning is getting better!

I did some more dyeing. This was using grape Kool Aid.
It's a bit dull looking, but we'll see what it looks like spun up.

I finished the Safari Socks. The yarn is Fortissima Colori in the Safari colorway.

I used US #1 (2.5 mm) 47 " circular Addi turbo needle and knitted both at the same time. Here's a close up of the cuff.

I used the beaded rib pattern in Sensational Knitted Socks.

Sophie wanted to travel, but just couldn't decide where to go:

And Dot chose to sleep a lot...

New Year's resolution? To post more often !!!

I'm Getting Better

2006-11-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

Knitting and spinning and typing -- oh my! All this adds up to flexor tendinitis. But I've used an impressive amount of restraint for the past few weeks. It's paid off, and I'm now virtually pain-free.... as long as I keep my wrist-twisting activities to a minimum; just doing enough to not have fiber withdrawal.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Kool Aid Days

2006-11-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

My next foray into dyeing was the most fun yet. Using a crock pot and 3 packets of Kool Aid and Flavor Aid I got a wonderful, surprising result.

Here's what I started with: beautiful natural wool roving. It's 3 & 3/8 oz. and the length is 10 feet.

I soaked the roving in room temp water with a glug of vinegar while I prepared the dye liquid.
Very simple: using 3 jars, I opened each packet of the KA or FA and poured each into a jar. I added about 4 ounces of warm water to each jar, covered and swirled to mix.

The "flavors" I used were Black Cherry (KA), Lemonade(FA) and Orange (KA).

I pulled the roving out of the water, and I let the majority of the water drip off as I coiled just enough of the roving to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I started in the center and coiled this layer toward the outside. On this layer I used all of the Black Cherry. I mushed the roving down in the pooling liquid just enough to make sure that the dye liquid seeped to the underside of the roving. Because I used only 4 ounces of water for the dye liquid, I needed to be careful that I poured directly on the fiber. I also was careful to use the darkest color on this bottom layer.

I coiled the next layer from the outside to the center and poured the Lemonade liquid carefully on this layer. I chose the Lemonade because I wanted this color to be the one to mix the most on the fiber with the other two colors. I did not jostle this layerI coiled the last layer and poured on the Orange.

Gently, I added about 1 and 1/2 cups of the soaking water -- just enough to submerge the roving in liquid. I poured this at the side so as not to jostle the roving. I placed the cover on and set the crock pot on Low for 2 and a half hours. The water looked completely clear, which meant that all of the dye had been taken up and set into the wool. I turned the crock pot off and leaving the cover on, I let the pot cool down slowly to room temp. That took about 3 hours.

I pulled the roving out of the pot and placed it into a colander. And here's how it looked:

STUNNING!!!! But this is very wet. In fact it's soaking in it --- uh, I mean I rinsed it through by pouring water into a big bowl and submerging the fiber-filled colander into it. I did this about three times. I didn't want to pour the water directly on the fiber because there's always a possibility of accidently felting it. I gently squeezed the water out and here it is just damp. Notice how the color is much more muted than when it was really wet:

I wrapped the roving in a big bath sheet and rolled it up to squeeze the excess water out. Then I hung it up to dry in the shower. And here's the final product:

LUSCIOUS .... MMMM!!!

And just so you don't think that I've forsaken my other fiber flings, here's my current spindle progress. I can't wait to be "good enough" to spin my KA roving!

What's next??????

Cat TV

2006-11-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

The best idea that I've had in a long time: putting up this bird feeder on the bedroom window. It provides HOURS of interactive fun for the 4 puss-wads. Why, here are two now, watching their fearless finchy friend snack on some sunflower seeds. Say that fast 4 times!

When last we met, I'd posted a pic of a couple of skeins of plain old wool that I'd spun. I used the leftover Kool Aid from my previous dyeing project and dyed these 2 skeins. I wound them into balls then soaked them in water to wet them through, then plopped them into jars with the Kool Aid. When the water looked clear, I knew that all the dye had been absorbed into the yarn. I zapped them in the microwave for two minutes in their now-clear water. Then I rinsed the balls, unwound them into skeins, rinsed again and hung them up to dry in the shower on hangers.

I then plied them together with my spindle (spinning the spindle in the direction opposite what I'd used to spin the balls), and this is what I got. Okay, the pic doesn't do it justice; I just wanted to get it up here .

I think this pic of it knitted up shows the variegated color better, don't you? I really need to learn how to use my new digital camera better.

The dyeing saga continues.......... and it just gets better!

Blog Break Busy-ness

2006-10-30T22:28:00.000-05:00

Here (finally) are the finished Yellow Socklets:

I used Fortissima Cotton Colori in yellow and created the bands with leftover wool yarn from other sock projects. Unfortunately, they look better than they fit and feel "on the foot." Sigh...

And here's my newest sock project:

This is Fortissima Colori Socka Color in Safari. It's a wool/nylon sock yarn. I thought that I wasn't going to like the colors, but I've surprised myself -- very autumnal! I'm doing a beaded rib pattern for the cuff (*P1,K1, P1, K1, P1* repeat; *P1, K3, P1* repeat....)

And Now For Something Different...........

Okay. So, as if I didn't have enough fibery irons
in the fire, I added yet another "creative outlet" to the list: spinning! I took a class at my lys (local yarn store) and here's the fugly result:

In my defense, I didn't get to pick the colors of the yarn; I was given the ecru to spin with in class and then had to spin the yellow roving as my "homework." Then in the 2nd class, we learned how to ply the two yarn strands together. I AM totally responsible for the unique thin-thick strands. My teacher tried to convince me that a few months from now I'll want to recreate this free-spirit style of yarn and won't be able to. Somehow I doubt it.

After my class was over I looked around for more wool roving to spin and found some leftover yellow wool. So I finished spinning the yellow:

Notice the cute paws? Those belong to Mickey.

I think the yarn is looking better, don't you? I'm beginning to get the hang of this spinning thing.

I then spun up a little of some plain roving that I'd gotten off of ebay. Just a few yards. Not content to leave it "plain," I used some leftover KoolAid stuff to dye the yarn. What does it look like? What did I do with it then?

To be continued.....

I'm Back!

2006-10-22T22:39:00.000-04:00

So here's the thing. I was so burned out by having to post every week for the Secret Pal 8 that I just needed a blog break. But I didn't take a break from knitting.No, no, no.... except for this tendonitis thing, which has been slowing me down a bit. But it's not the knitting that's causing it; it's this laptop keyboard.

So what have I been up to?

The Big Easy Jacket is coming along. I love the colors! I hate the color of the bathroom tile in the background. But that's another story.

AND

I've finished the Beaded Socklets for my niece....again. This time I hope she can get them on.

OOPS, I think this is the original pic. I'll have to correct that.

I've also finished the Yellow Socklets -- pic to follow tomorrow. I started a new cardigan for a knitalong at my local yarn store. Love the yarn I'm using.

And I'm in to some new stuff related to knitting. A new twist, you might say. More to come....

Secret Pals REVEALED

2006-09-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

So my first Secret Pal adventure draws to a close. My spoilee, Michelle, received her package. There were gifties for all 2-legged and 4-legged family members. I'm not sure if the knitted gift I made is, well, an asset or just an oddity. I admit that, when I started them, I had the best of intentions. But sometimes reality doesn't follow intentions. I think what I succeeded in making were "alien mittens." What I was TRYING to accomplish was a pair of glittens -- when mittens and gloves collide. Okay, here's a picture. Stop laughing.
They are stuffed with plastic bags so that they'd dry blocked to shape. Please.....STOP LAUGHING ALREADY! The top one is the right-hand glitten, and your looking down on them as if your palms are down on the table. I didn't design these (thank God); I got the pattern from Knitting in the Round, edited by Jeanne Stauffer. I knitted these using one long circular needle instead of double-pointeds. I must say, Michelle handled their presentation with tact and grace here.

And I received a final package from my secret pal, Erin! It was full of wonderful things! Opal sock yarn (yayyyy!), a really nifty tape measure with tea party graphics, sock-shaped point protectors, chamomille and thyme scented stitchers hand cream (very appreciated!), cinnamon candy and candles, cute notepads, and for my "catkinderlach" (yes, I just made that up) there's a container of yummy Whisker Lickins treats. Why, I do think Mickey definitely approves.

Thank you, Erin, for being my secret pal and sending such wonderful gifts!

Crawling to the "Finished" Line

2006-08-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

(Fade in "Chariots of Fire" music)

Yes! I've finished my Secret Pal 8 gift and I WILL get it to the post office in time. I WILL not disappoint my pal. I have the rest of...well, life...to heal. It's been a fast 3 1/2 months; but I CAN sprint -- uh, crawl -- to that finish line!

Oh Yarnball, I hardly knew ya! When will I learn who you are? Are you there, Yarnball?

(Fade out "Chariots of Fire music....)

Pics of "interesting" knitted gift to follow...after my pal has had time to receive it.

Tending to Tendons

2006-08-28T18:27:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty quiet here because I'd sustained a cyber-injury. With all the keyboarding for the beta testing, and with all the knitting for SP8 and Mom's surgery socks, I've developed keyboard tendonitis! No, I'm okay....really.... not much pain (wince). The ugly black wrist brace sure does collect a lot of cat hair, thanks to the velcro closures. I hope to finish my secret pal's gift... .... if.... I...... can...... just..... hold...... on...... to...... the... needles.............

Can You See Me Now?

2006-08-23T19:03:00.000-04:00

Okay. I think I've fixed the problem of my blog title background. So do you PC users see the graphic now?

Can You See This?

2006-08-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

So, I'm back from Virginia and my mom is doing very well following her surgery. While I was "down South" I logged on to my blog, and I was surprised to NOT SEE my graphic behind the title words "With Knitted Brows"! I'm particularly proud of my graphic since I created it from scratch myself -- knitting needles shaped like knitted brows on a background of knitted sweater fabric. I can't figure out why it doesn't appear on some computers. Please tell me: CAN YOU SEE IT? Leave a comment below. Thanks!

The beta testing of the Sock Wizard software was a lot of fun and a very interesting way to spend the weekend. It was supposed to occupy about an hour per day for that Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I'd say that I spent about 4 hours each day just trying to keep up with the team messages and the tasks. Dinah asked how I got to be involved. The short answer is that the program writer, Carole Wulster, posted to the Socknitters list (and some other lists, I think) inviting Mac-users to participate in the beta testing. The longer answer is that my DH and I met Leah Wulster, who was representing/selling Software4Knitting products at a knitting convention in King of Prussia PA. We got to talking about Macs and she told me that there was going to be beta testing of this new software in the near future. She took my contact info and....contacted me!

Quick News:

1) My mom loved her socks -- those Trekking XXL "problem-children" turned out to fit her perfectly. Yay!!!!!!

2) I sent my secret pal (8) a package and was so gratified to learn how much she appreciated it. It is fun to give, but......

3) The mysterious Yarnball left me a comment saying that I'm soon to RECEIVE -- even more fun!

4) I'm halfway through knitting a pair of anklets made with Fortissima Cotton and various leftover stripes. Pic forthcoming.

All for now. Please remember to leave a comment to let me know if you see the title graphic -- THANKS!!

Beta Testing

2006-07-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Just so you don't think I'm skipping out of my beta-testing responsibilities to -- oh let's say to go float around in our next door neighbors' new pool (just used for the first time yesterday....not by me)-- here's a pic of me and my "consultant" hard at work.

Yes, Dot wants a pair of tube socks -- uh, 2 pairs of tube socks to fit her "petite but well-endowed" legs.

Come to think of it, those are my criteria too!

Busy, Busy....

2006-07-28T16:52:00.000-04:00

I'm one of a lucky bunch of Mac-using sock-knitters that gets to Beta Test a new Sock Wizard program this weekend! So stay tuned to your favorite internet station (just kiddin') for news about its impending release. It's really quite NIFTY!!

I probably won't have a chance to post anything more for the next week or two due to my upcoming trip to give aid and comfort to the Momster, who's having surgery next week.Please say a prayer of health and wellbeing for her!

Thanks!

Couldn't Resist

2006-07-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

After spending SO much time on those Trekking socks, I just couldn't quit cold turkey.... so I created a "Mini-It"! AAAWWww .......

Socks Finally Finished!

2006-07-22T10:45:00.000-04:00

Here they are -- those sole-sucking socks are done. I still need to learn how to fit a short row heel to my foot, allowing for a high instep (who knew!?!), but I'll approach that "scientifically" with my next pair of Fortissima Cotton socklets.

I've done some more Kool Aid dying (although I used Flavor Aid from the Dollar Store). Here is my VERY RED mini skein in Tropical Punch:

I figured I'd use the sun's power to help "cook" this skein on one of the really hot days this past week. It was fun looking out of the window to see when the color had been sucked up into the skein. Very fruity smelling even though I washed it out.

I think I have one more pic done on my new camera........hmmm, what was it?

Oh yeah, I'd added an earphone pocket to my iPod cozy. I think it looks quite spiffy. I'm writing up the directions for knitting this cozy and will post it here soon.

Bits of Stuff

2006-07-18T22:41:00.000-04:00

Boy, it's been so hot the past few days! Makes it real hard to concentrate on anything for very long. So this post is going to take its own form.

New toys:
(1) I bought myself a present last week: a new type of spindle that spins like a noisemaker (gragger, for you Purim observers). What's really cool about this is that you can be sitting down and spin yarn out to the side instead of vertically down. I'll let you know how it works. It's called the Rakestraw Spinner.

(2) DH gave me the most wonderful anniversary gift -- a new digital camera! This pic of it is hopefully the last picture I take with my old camera. The LCD screen is HUGE compared with that of my loyal but technologically-handicapped Cybershot.

Knitting Progress:

(1) The Trekking socks are in their final stage of knitting. I'm on the cuff ribbing and it looks like I'll have a Ta-Da! pic up by next week. I think that I'll give these to my Mom so that she can wear them into the operating room when she has surgery next month. I always find that a pair of handmade socks helps "breaks the ice" with the OR staff before I'm put under anesthesia. Usually it's the OR nurse who notices first; she can't keep her hands off of them once she realizes (you tell her of course) that they're handmade. Then she apologizes for having fondled your feet without permission. You've just scored a point! No longer are you an anonymous "body" on the surgical slab table; You are that neat person with luscious socks. Or better yet: My mom will be that person who has someone who loves her enough to make her beautiful, handmade socks!

(2) A not-so-successful project was my attempt to knit a mug cozy. It ended up too big for even the biggest mug. Did I do a guage swatch? No, I didn't -- the whole darn mug cozy is about the same size as a guage swatch. Grrrr. Only afterward did I ask myself: why would I want a mug cozy? Idunno...

Box O' Fun from Yarnball

2006-07-11T11:52:00.001-04:00

There's nothing more exciting than coming home and finding a box on your front step....Unless it's a box that has a message on it that says, "From your Secret Pal." Yes, the mysterious Yarnball has struck again!

So what did my Secret Pal gift me with this time? Oh me, oh my -- my sneaky spoilster sent me not only the book Folk Shawls, the book that I'd "snuck a peak" at at Amazon. com and developed a yen for. She ALSO sent me the most beautiful lace weight yarn -- Shimmer 70%alpaca/30%silk in an amazing colorway, "Turquoise Splendor." I'd looked at this yarn when contemplating what to use for the Mystery Stole KAL, but the online pic didn't do it justice. Oy, in person it is amazing!!!
Here's a pic of my "haul":

No, my pic doesn't do it justice either. Just take my word for it....the yarn is glorious!

Now, I realize that I'd given up on the Mystery Stole KAL, saying that lace-weight is too fiddly. I will ammend that statement: Given the patterns in the book, and this wonderful yarn, I WILL knit lace-weight. This yarn is my temptress. First I will "cut my teeth" on a shawl with a thicker yarn. Then -- once I know what I'm doing -- I will go at it. Thank you for the motivation, Yarnball!

What Was I Thinking?

2006-07-06T11:48:00.000-04:00

Lace? What was I thinking? I'm just not that kind of a girl! T-shirts, sweats, jeans, nice tight-knit socks -- that's the kind of girl I am. I got half-way through the swatch for the Mystery Stole KAL 2 and realized that this is just too fiddly for me. The yarn is toooooo thin, and the needles are, relatively speaking, just toooooo big. Okay, so I was using a size 3 circular needle with the Alpaca Cloud lace-weight..... but I'm used to fingering weight yarn on a size 0. And the idea of blocking not just this fiddly little swatch, but a WHOLE stole -- if I got that far. Bye bye lace. Now maybe I'll try it some day using fingering weight yarn. But for now there's just too many other things I'm interested in learning: cables, intarsia, fair isle, spindle spinning, dyeing.... I've got a lot of knitting to do!

Happy Independence Day!

2006-07-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

Just in time for this Red, White, and Blue holiday, I've finished my pair of Magic Stripes socks. As you might remember, I cast on and started this toe-up pair as a "relief" for the "Sole-Sucking Socks," which wouldn't heel. This pair was no slam dunk either; I had to rip out and re-knit the last two rows of the cuffs (I do 2 at once on a long circular needle) because the bind off rows were too tight. I love the garter rib pattern that I used on the leg - it's so easy: Row 1 = K2, P2; Row 2 = K; Rinse, lather, repeat. The cuff rows are a K1P1 rib and the bind off is the Aloha Cast Off (a crochet cast off with an extra stitch). Extra Stretchy!

An update on those SSS: I have AGAIN pulled out and restarted the heel. This time, though, I'll stick with what I know and use the gusset-increase, no-wrap, no gap heel from Crazy Toes and Heels. Hopefully, I've calculated correctly... tune in for further info.

I promised that I would explain Project Swatch Watch. Search as I have, I can't find any source that can tell me how to compare one stitch pattern with the dimensions of another....without having to do the dreaded guage swatch each time. So I thought: if I kept a record of basic stitch swatches, all standardized to the same yarn, needle size, stitch and row numbers -- then I could compare one stitch pattern dimensions to another! I would know, for example, that a swatch 30 stitches across and 40 rows down, using Red Heart's TLC worsted weight yarn with US size 8 needles in a X pattern has the measurements Y inches by Z inches. So this is what I'm going to do. I have already knit up a swatch of garter stitch and one of stockinette stitch (a *itch to block!). I'll post these next time; I'm contemplating adding a border of garter stitches to make the swatches easier to block.

Until then, Happy July 4th!!

Eat.....and drink.....responsibly!

And Now a Word from Your Sponsor

2006-07-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

It is a beautiful Sunday. I'm getting geared up to start my first lace project AND my first Mystery KAL -- the Mystery Stole KAL 2. I'm going to use Alpaca Cloud in Tidepool. I'm working on my test swatch and boy, it IS a learning curve. 2.5 mm Addi Turbos, so comfortable in my hand with sock yarn, is a whole different creature when it comes to using lace weight! I'll post my swatch when it's done. But first, I will visit The Dump....

Raindrops Keep Fallin'....

2006-06-07T21:23:00.000-04:00

What a gray, rainy day! Let's see what the cat-kins have been up to:

Leo?

Mickey?

Sophie?

Dot?
Well at least she hasn't conked out ...yet!

You know, it's pretty fun to be a Spoiler....almost as much fun as to be the Spoilee. I sent my Secret Pal spoilee her first package, and my heart is full knowing how much she enjoyed it! And there's still almost 3 months to go for a spoil-filled summer.

Off to figure out what to pack for my trip. I hope the sun will be in my suitcase. In my next post, the start of project "Swatch Watch."

Sole-Sucking Socks

2006-06-06T19:07:00.000-04:00

Jeezy Peezy! I can't believe that it's been SO long since I last posted. Now where did I put those excuses...? Oh yeah, my allergies have been HORRIBLE this season! Unrelenting. Mickey was sick and needed surgery. My poor boy! He's feeling much better minus 4 teeth and full of antibiotics. He's such a wonderful patient; so wonderful that he's actually been eating his pill for us! And now he's so full of energy that he's now jumping onto places only previously inhabited by Leo our gravity-defying Gumby cat.

Okay. I've been locked into a mortal battle for my sole. Yes, I know that today is 6/6/06, but this has been going on for the past month. And this is the REAL reason for my absence. What could I say about knitting progress...

When I've knitted and ripped out the heel of these socks 4 times now

So, here's heel attempt #4: Looks pretty good, huh?

Now look at it on my actual foot:

GRRRRRR!!!

It should have fit; I'd measured my foot length and adjusted the measurement 4 times. If it doesn't fit, I must quit......BUT then I had a thought: I'd been hearing about this phenomenon called a "high instep"; however, I never understood what that was. I know that I have Morton's foot (even though my name is Judy), given that my second toe is way longer than my first toe. Off the topic a bit, I know, although it does affect my personal taste in toe design. Back to the high instep: I know the circumference of the ball of my foot is 9 inches, so I measured the circumference of the instep and -- WOW! -- it's bigger by an inch or so. So even though I'd knitted the length correctly, my fat instep (i.e. high instep) used some of the length stretching around it. Thus the sock's too short. Now that I know why. I think I will be able to conquer this devil sock pair. Tune in to see who wins...

On another topic, the mysterious Yarnball has struck! Who is Yarnball? My Secret Pal. I received a package with delicious Chai Tea and really cute little sweater needle holders. Thank you, oh mysterious Yarnball! This is how I envision you. I'll use this everytime I "receive contact" from ya'. And if you like it, feel free to use it!

Change Is In the Air

2006-05-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling a bit....unsettled, sort of shpilkes-y. So I thought changing my blog colors a bit might help. After all, it IS spring. I'm not sure if I'll keep things this way. I may still experiment a bit more. Stay tuned....

Spy Girl

2006-05-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been spending so much time "spying" on my secret pal, that I've ignored my own blog. No, it's not like that; I'm just trying to get to know her a bit so that I know how to "spoil" her. This is fun!

Let's see, what's new here? On the knitting front, I got really frustrated with the pair of Trekking XXL socks I'm knitting because I tried a new type of heel. I THOUGHT it was going wonderfully well until I noticed the dropped stitch a few rows down. Try as I might, I could NOT recapture the stitches in the heel below that darned dropped stitch. Not only did I lose the whole heel, I had a heck of a time "remembering" how to recapture a whole circular round. So, painful as it was, I ended up losing a good inch or two of the foot in my bumbling attempts to lasso the stitches.

So what did I learn from this? Two things:

#1) When the going gets rough, start a new sock! Yes... I did -- just to feel a sense of accomplishment. It's out of Magic Stripes and it was like going back a grade or two in school. Easy, peasy....

#2) ALWAYS PUT IN A LIFELINE when trying something new.

I did get my confidence back and I'm back on track with the "sock of contention(SoC)." But I'm also still working on the Magic Stripes socks. When I need to feel like I'm accomplishing something tangible, there's nothing like "fatter yarn" to make you feel like your getting somewhere fast -- or at least faster.

Update on the beaded socklets: after finding my frogging mojo with the SoC, I grabbed up those babies and frogged with confidence back to the beginning of the cuff. I just need to decide what to knit for the cuff now. Hmmmm.....

Sorry no pics today. I'll have some with the next post.

Secret Pal 8 Questionaire

2006-05-10T12:21:00.000-04:00

This is my first time participating in the Secret Pal program! So, here's some info about me, oh mysterious pal of mine....

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Merino, alpaca. I haven't yet met a fiber that I've hated.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
For straight needles, I use a cheapo fabric roll from the craft store. For my circular needles, I have this really cool needle "wallet."

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Only about 2 years; I'm an "intermediate" knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, but I need to update it

*** UPDATED AMAZON.COM LIST *** --> HERE!

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Cinnamon, but my husband can't tolerate scents well, so I don't use or wear much. Bummer!

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes! Anything chocolate(m&ms or kisses), or cinnamon (like Hot Tamales or the Jelly Belly flavor).

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Polymer clay. I'm a beginner at spinning but I have a cheapo bottom whorl spindle and a nice high whorl. Haven't invested the time into learning much yet, though.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like Folk rock: Fogelberg, Four Bitchin' Babes. And Wyndham Hill stuff (not holiday though)
9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Teals, turquoise blues. I like "spring" colors -- pastels and jeweltones. I don't like greens or oranges that are brown-y (those retro colors)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Husband plus 4 wonderful cats. Husband is wonderful too!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Theoretically I wear scarves and hats, although I never seem to put them on. I like mittens but am very clumsy when I wear them. I'd like to make and/or wear a poncho.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
SOCKS

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks, a jacket, felted clogs (Fiber Trends)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, if they are made with care.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circulars; I only have metal, but would love bamboo or other woods

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, I own both

17. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself from a "Learn to Knit" booklet.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
9 months (the jacket)

19. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving; Chanukah

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Cat figurines, but not the cutesy stuff. Cats with "purrsonality".

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I get "Creative Knitting" and "Knitter's" mags. I'd love to get "Spin-Off" magazine. I'd love to have Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. Also, I'd love to try those Bryspun needles.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I want to learn Fair Isle and intarsia, and also cables

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Why, yes I am!! Foot length = 9 3/8 inches; Circumference of ball of foot =8 1/2 inches; circ of ankle = 9 inches

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
April 8

Cool Kool-Aid Yarn Dyeing

2006-05-03T18:28:00.000-04:00

Ages ago I bought some undyed sock yarn from a nice vendor on eBay. My quest: to dye yarn to create "unique" socks. Not so long ago I was totally engrossed by the self-striping yarns; but slowly -- oh, so slowly -- they all started to look alike to me. Bold patterns and bold colors do make for interesting socks, but I'm now more interested in using color in a more subtle, artistic way.

Not that I'm artistic, you understand. The closest I'd ever come to being an "artist" was messing with those "paint by number" sets as a kid.

So for my first effort at dyeing wool: My medium? Kool-Aid of course! I can hardly take myself too seriously if I use the drink of kid-dom. I can probably count on one hand the number of times my family partook of it. Hi-C was the sugary beverage in my house.

Now, how to choose? Kool-Aid comes in such a variety of flavors.... and colors. There are websites and blog pages that describe both the process dyeing with KA and the colors that you could achieve using specific flavors. Woolworks.org and Knitty.com have a good amount of info for the newbie dyer. And this site has a neat color chart!

So here's my first dye job: I used 10 grams of sock yarn and 1 packet of Slammin' Strawberry Kiwi Kool Aid UNSWEETENED. The yarn was wound into a ball and soaked in water for about 20 minutes. I first diluted the Kool-Aid with a little warm water, added hot water to a mason jar, poured the KA liquid in, and added the soaked ball of yarn after gently squeezing out the excess water in it. I placed the lid on the jar and set it out in the sun while I went to the cat shelter for a while. When I got back a couple hours later, all of the color from the liquid was now in the yarn ball and the surrounding liquid was a milky white -- WAY COOL!!

I rinsed the fruity yarn ball, wound the dripping yarn around my bent elbow and hand to make a skein, and blotted out the excess water out of the skein by rolling it in a towel. I then draped the skein on a hanger and hung it in the shower stall to dry. Here's a picture of it dried......

And here's how it looks rewound into a ball. I'm hoping that I have enough here to knit the heels of a pair of socks I'm working on. I think this pinky coral is a perfect match with a color in the Trekking XXL yarn I've used.

It's interesting how the skein sucked up the dye. Even though the yarn was totally saturated before placing in the dye, the surfaces closest to the dye liquid pulled in the most dye.

Was it a fluke? I tried again with Lemonade KA.

Same technique.....Virtually the same results.

More experimentation is warranted. I have Black Cherry, Orange, Cherry, and Swirlin' Strawberry Starfruit waiting in my pantry. And the grocery store is only about a mile away ---

Socklet Dilemma

2006-04-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

So I knitted these as a birthday present for my niece, Sadie. They LOOK great -- knitted with Regia Ringel using Queen Kahuna's method in Crazy Toes and Heels.

Here's an up close look at the cuff with 8/0 beads that I'd pre-strung. I did the cuff in a reverse stockinette stitch.

BIG MISTAKE!!!!

She couldn't get the socklets over her heel. No way, no how!!

So back they came with me and now I need to take out the cuff and replace it with something more elastic; way more elastic. But I need to keep the beads; she LOVES the beads. And I know that by the time I get them fixed she'll probably have outgrown them. Eleven-year-olds just don't stop growing. Sigh....

If anybody has any ideas for me, please leave a comment... Thanks!

Playing Catch-Up

2006-04-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know -- I'm derelict in my blogging duties. I'm sorry. I promise I'll be good from now on. So what's been going on? Well, I had a birthday and Mickey had a birthday. He turned 3 (I'm not saying how old I became). What a beautiful man-cat he is! This is what he does when he's trying to get my attention; he does his "cute" trick. It usually works.
Meanwhile, I received such beautiful yarn from Fyberspates. I was one of the lucky Knitting Olympians who won a prize from Yarn Harlot. This yarn was donated by Fyberspates and it's hand-painted sock yarn. Two skeins, each making one pair of wonderful socks. Here are pics, however they don't do the yarns justice.

IMAGINE THE INCREDIBLE SOCKS THESE WILL MAKE!!!

Birthday Girls

2006-03-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful spring day, my cold is gone, and the forsythia and maple trees are in bloom. And....

The girls are two years old today!!

When they came to us -- just for a short recovery/fostering period -- they were so small, so sick. Especially Sophie, who had lost a pound of weight off of her 3-pound frame. At four months of age, she was the size of a kitten half her age. I took them home from the shelter to nurse them back to health. But they wormed their way into our hearts -- and gave me ringworm in the process. They never went back. And now they're beautiful, happy, active 2 -year olds. And we couldn't imagine our life without them. The "boys" are very fond of them too, and still try (and succeed) in grooming them . Who said boys aren't nurturers!

Here's a pic of when the girls had just been let out of their "sick room." They both look much better than three weeks prior, when I'd first brought them home. Hard to believe, huh? Dot's nose (she's the one with the dot on her nose) is so congested that she's breathing with her mouth open. And Sophie (toward the left) has so much tearing that there's a wet track running down the side of her nose.

BUT.....

Here's a pic of them now. Such beautiful girls!

Unfortunately, the idyllic sisterly love thing just can't last....after all, they ARE sisters!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE AND DOT!!!!

What Am I Doing Now?

2006-03-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

Although I still sound more like Kermit the Frog than Judy the Human, I am feeling much better. I am really behind on listening to the growing numbers of knitting podcasts but did manage to finish listening to Memoirs of a Geisha on audio. What a wonderful book and a great narrator -- I love Audible.com for audiobooks!

In the knitting arena, I'm working on two things. The "macro" project is called the "Big Easy Jacket." It's a pattern by Melissa Leapman, but it's not published as far as I know. How did I get it? Well, I was visiting my in-laws in Omaha, Nebraska. My DMIL (dear Mother-in-Law) took me to String of Purls, a wonderful yarn shop there. As I walked in, I saw this jacket sample hanging up and I tried it on; it looked and felt great, although the color wasn't my fave. In talking to the salespeople, I found out that the jacket was going to be the project in their next class called "Beyond Scarves." If I bought the yarn recommended (Noro Iro) required for the class project, then I could get the pattern free! I couldn't even BUY the pattern because it evidently was created specifically for this class. I looked at the other yarn colorways and fell in love with the one (#21) that had the deep purples, blues, teals in it. I impulsively said that I would make the jacket using this colorway, and the sales staff immediately started pulling skein after skein off the shelf.

"Umm, how many skeins will I need?" I asked, my mouth starting to go dry. Eleven to be on the safe side, they'd said, adding that I could return any unused skeins if I had any left over. Okay, now how to ask the next question, since there was no price tag on the skein I was holding..... I think the space-time continuum halted while the cashier looked up the price.

"Nineteen ninety-five." PER SKEIN. I don't think that I've spent that much on an article of clothing, let alone on just the yarn for an article of clothing. This is knitting in the "big leagues"! I swallowed hard, handed over my credit card and managed to smile as the cashier commented on how pretty the yarn was.

Well, once I got over the sticker shock and the fear of ruining the yarn, I cast on and have knit about 12 inches so far. It IS beautiful yarn: 75% wool and 25% silk. Here's a pic of the overall knitting -- it's all done in garter stitch. So simple! Here's a better idea of the color of the yarn. See how rich the colors are? They're even better up close and personal. And there are these tiny threads of silk that hang loose around the yarn twist. I'm knitting this in one piece from the bottom up to the sleeves. Then I'll work each side separately. There will be a shawl-type collar and, I think, Dolman sleeves. Stay tuned for more updates......

Cold-Hazed Retrospective

2006-03-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I have a super-duper cold, and can't talk, feel crummy, and have no "gumption" to do anything. So I'm just going to post pics of some finished items that I've knit over the past year or so. I think I left off with my iPod cozy, and I do promise to get the pattern up on the blog in the near future. I'm still trying to figure out the "hosting" and "shared server" stuff. Total technogeek stuff. If I've left out any info that you'd like about the projects, just leave a comment and I'll try to fill in the gaps.

Okay, here goes: I have to classify myself as a sock-aholic. I love knitting them and I love the challenge of engineering the sock to fit perfectly. I guess my DB Lou isn't the only family member with "engineering genes." My first socks were bed socks. I'll have to scratch up a pic of these. They're on my feet now, but alas, you can't see them.

My second and first REAL pair was made with Opal Lollipop sock yarn. Since I was still trying to figure out how to make them fit ME, each sock are slightly different sizes.

The second sock is an improvement on the first, being a little snugger.

My third pair of socks I knit for my DH Mike.

I'm proud of the fact that they fit him perfectly. Of course I kept making him try them on as I knit them toe-up, using the Crazy Toes and Heels method in Mary Ann Beattie's excellent book of the same name.

My fourth pair was for me; it started out as another Opal yarn sock but as you can see, something was quite wrong with the skein. Notice the color differences? I had divided the one skein in half, rewinding each half into a 50 gm ball. Imagine my surprise when these otherwise-exactly-matched socks became fraternal twins instead of identical twins! I didn't have the heart to continue them, even though, individually, I love the colors of this Elements colorway.

So, I started a new pair of socks using the much cheaper, but wonderfully consistent Magic Stripes sock yarn by Lion Brand. These are in the purple colorway. Although the yarn is thicker than Opal, (this is more of a sport weight, I guess), these socks fit me extremely well because, again, I used the CT&H method of making socks toe-up to fit.

I then made these house socks for my DS, Cece, and I put puff paint designs on the bottom to make them non-slip on wood flooring. I made these using two strands of worsted weight yarn held together. The yarns were different textures though. Both were Lion Brand but one was Woolease and the other was Jiffy, a mohair-look and softer yarn. I used the pattern called "Joan's Socks" on the Lion Brand website.

On the non-sock front, I've made these other items:

An alpaca scarf for DH. He's lost a phenomenal amount of weight on Weight Watcher's. I'm so proud of him. Why he's like a stick!

Mittens for me. This was the first "real" item that I'd knitted. But I found that I don't like wearing mittens. I keep setting off the alarm on my car trying to push the unlock and lock buttons on the remote. Comfortable mittens though!

This sweater is from a book in The Weekend Crafter series called Knitting. I'd knitted it for me, but it looked horrible on me. I offered it to my DS but it looked just as horrible on her. I offered it to my Mom, whom I thought wouldn't want it. She tried it on and it looked great on her petite little figure. And now she wears it and gets a lot of compliments! I used an up-close picture of the knitted fabric of this sweater for the background of my blog title header. The yarn I'd used was Lion Brand Homespun in the "Waterfall" colorway. This is a nice book, by the way, with many patterns that are both simple and adaptable, covering the gamut of beginner to intermediate skills. The patterns are designed to be completed "sort of" in a weekend.

I hope you've enjoyed this trip down the not-so-distant Memory Lane. I'm feeling rather accomplished at the moment....and very tired. So I think I'll go nap and hope this cold goes away soon. My cats don't know what to make of my voice, or lack of one. By the way, here's a picture that shows you how I've managed to sneak in this knitting without losing my yarn to the felines. I knit when they are occupied by other things. There's nothing like bird feeders to provide cats with hours of viewing entertainment.

From left to right: Dot, Leo, Mickey, and Sophie.Our motto is :Look But Don't Touch.

Technical Difficulties

2006-03-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well, try as I might, I could not get my pictures posted in the correct spots and still allow for more text. So I'm continuing my Olympic post-games wrap-up. Just in case you don't believe that I earned a gold medal, here it is:

I won it for Team Wales.

Not only that, but I was one of the few lucky Olympic knitatheletes who won a prize! I am going to receive two 100 gm skeins of luscious hand-painted sock yarn, courtesy of Yarnharlot Stephanie McPhee -- who did the drawing -- and Fyberspates--who donated the prize! As soon as I get the lovelies, I'll post a picture. Imagine, out of over 4,000 competitors, I won, I won!!

Now, back to the analysis: Below are pictures of my Fiber Trends Felted Clogs. I took a class at my lys (local yarn store) and had knitted up the first slipper. See how it compares in size to my sport sock!

During the Olympic trials, I knitted up the second and felted them.The reason that I didn't medal: I still need to refelt them to get them a little smaller to fit me.

Also, I planned to sew on a suede sole in order to prevent killing myself on our slippery wooden floors. All in all, I think they turned out pretty well, and am happy with them. It's funny how different the felting experience is depending on the type of wool you use. For the sock tote, I used Lopi; I have quite a furry, hairy tote on my hands. The felted clogs, however, were made with Cascade 220 and they are as smooth as can be.

Now to the "Olympic Moment" of Family Crisis, starring Poor Leo!

Leo, our amazingly flexible Gumby-like cat, got into linen closet in the few seconds I'd opened the door to put something away. He managed to climb up to the second shelf -- while the door was closed -- to take a nap. I found him a few hours later when I went back into the linen closet. He got up, stretched and as I lifted him down, I noticed that he had some gummy stuff on his tail. But before I could wash it off, he'd scampered off to climb the kitchen cabinets.

I figured that I'd clean him off later. Bad decision on my part!

While climbing the linen closet shelves, he managed to spray some laundry prewash on his tail fur, and when he groomed himself, he licked some of it off and it burned his tongue. I sensed something was wrong when I found him sitting under the futon in the guestroom at bedtime, when he's usually camped out on the foot of my bed. He was still hiding under the futon the next morning. He was sitting all hunched up, drooling and holding his mouth "funny" -- best way I can describe it as there's no better "medical" term for it. I whisked him up into his carrier, called the hospital and away we went. He was on IV fluids, appetite stimulant and pain meds at the hospital. All the lab tests came back normal, thankfully.

He came home doped up on pain meds. To make matters worse, the two girl cats , Dot and Sophie, hissed and growled at him. He smelled different and acted different -- not the Leo they knew. It took a few days of nursing care to get him so that he could eat on his own without pain meds. The girls would still hiss at him, but their hearts weren't in it -- lackluster hissing at best.

On the fourth day after his "incident," we finally had the sense that all was going to be well. While watching TV in bed, both DH Mike and and I saw our snickerdoodle fluff -tiger flying straight up in the air! He'd decided to climb the bedroom door by jumping up to grab onto the clothes hung on the back of the door, then pulling himself up. But Leo didn't remember that his claws were clipped at the vet hospital. He slid back down and ran into the carrier as if to say, "I didn't do anything, honest!" Mike and I looked at each other and just broke out laughing. Here's a picture of a successful attempt:

A few minutes later, Mike commented to me that he didn't remember leaving two of his dresser drawers open. They were only open an inch or two. Yet, as we're looking over at the dresser, one of the drawers begins to move.... I went over and looked in, but couldn't see anything. I pulled the drawer out of the dresser and there was Leo, sitting BEHIND the drawer I'd pulled out-- in essence, he was sitting IN the drawer below. So Leo was bouncing back....and up....and in....

And I could get back to my Olympic trials. Instead of my Leo trials. Was this whole saga the reason behind my not finishing the scarf? To be honest, no. I guess I just wasn't ready for designing and implementing stage of knitting. When I figure out how to do more than add photographs, I'll put the "would have been" pattern up on the blog. Maybe someone else can make it work. Sigh.

So that's it for my Olympic foray. Although I must say that I've truly become an avid fan of curling in the "real" Olympics. It's a sport well-suited to the knitting viewer. Let's just say that the action is slow enough that I can make progress with my knitting and still keep up with the developments of the match play. Although all that yelling at a stone that's already on its way sliding down the ice -- well that can be a bit...disconcerting.

Post Games Analysis

2006-03-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

No Olympic knitathlete memoir would be complete without a tally of wins/losses and a summary of lessons learned.

Okay, here are my wins/losses. Representing Team Wales:

in the design-and-knit scarf knitathalon: DNF (did not finish)
in the felted tote sprint: GOLD
in the felted clog relay: didn't medal but finished with the pack

Here is the felted tote before felting and after felting:

The before-felting size was 16.5 inches tall and 14 inches wide at the top. After felting it’s 10 inches high and 9.5 inches wide. Felting is magical!

Loneliness of a Long-Distance Knitter

2006-02-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

Olympic Knitathalon update: Day...whatever.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Competition sucks."

There's that little voice that constantly nags: "Come on, you can't just give up; you can't be a LOSER."

Then there's that even smaller voice that cajoles: "Now, it's alright to change your mind. It's all about the personal challenge." Yeah right.

So the scarf bit the dust after the fourth try at making the design knit up smoothly without jagged edges. I have to adjust the pattern design somehow. I'll put the pattern on the blog next week and anyone who wants is welcome to play with it. It's an "unofficial" scarf design for Team Wales -- although any team is invited to substitute their name in the pattern.

After pulling out of the scarf event, I entered the felted bag sprint. Starting out with the "Fulled Lopi Tote" pattern from helloyarn.com, I changed the proportions so that it would felt into a bag sized perfectly for carrying around a 2- socks-on-one-circular project. I believe that I medaled in this competition! Tune in for the pic of this one.

And no Olympic drama would be complete without the "family crisis." Tune in for the details of Leo's series of unfortunate events....

Training for the Olympic Knit-athalon

2006-02-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

Unassociated Press

3:29 pm EST, Philadelphia
Filed by DK Purlman

It's all come down to this moment. There's no turning back; however, frogging and tinking are still possible scenarios. She's sitting at the "starting line," ready to cast on. "I feel good -- my hands are a little cold and stiff, but I've greased up the needles to compensate. After all it's only in the 30's today (okay, 64 degrees inside). But snow is on the way and it matters."

She casts on about 20 stitches and starts to get into her rhythm. But an early glitch: there's a knot in the yarn! The US-made Coats and Clark "TLC" worsted has a KNOT right at the beginning and that would show on the edge of the scarf. Judy tries to go on, but she loses her focus.

"What were you thinking at that moment, Judy?"

"Oh gosh -- that I would hate myself if I continue on as if nothing were wrong. It's just too long a challenge for me to carry the burden of KNOWING that there is a blemish in the very first row..."

So she pulls off the stitches, cuts the yarn beyond the knot, and starts over. Steadily. Smoothly. With deep slow breaths, she casts on again and finishes the first stage cast-on at 3:34 pm.

Asked about her strategy, Judy comments: "I feel good about my decision; the end is a long way off and I think I can make up the loss."

"Your concentration is amazing and you look really confident with your start, faulty that it was - did you swatch in preparation?"

"Oh, yeah!" this newbie knit-athlete responds. "I'm not real good about that in general. But for the Olympics, you bet I swatched. I started with a size 8 bamboo -- wow, too grabby and the scarf would have ended up too wide. I swatched a garter edge but that looked too bumpy. So I swatched again with a really old set of size 7 Boye plastic needles. Easy on the hands and really flexible. Plus, they were my Mom's needles. I know she's rooting for me and using her needles will help sustain my focus and energy. I've decided to do a crochet edge all around the scarf at the end. And the illusion part of this project is just that....an illusion. That was much too difficult for me to handle for these Olympics. It's enough of a challenge to have designed the project and to implement fair isle technique for the first time. I can't imagine how I'd have managed if I hadn't swatched through all of these issues."

This dedicated knit-athlete has her heart and head in the right place. She, along with 4,000 other commitable, (sorry, that is "committed") needle-wielders, has taken the "Knitting Olympics Pledge" as articulated by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot:

********

The Knitting Olympics Athletes Pledge

I, a knitter of able hands and quick wits, to hereby swear that over the course of these Olympics I will uphold the highest standard of knitterly excellence.

I will be deft of hand and sure of pattern, I will overcome troubles of yarn overs and misplaced decreases. I will use the gifts of intelligence and persistence (as well as caffeine and chocolate) and I will execute my art to the highest form, carrying with me the hope for excellence known to every knitter.

I strive to win. To do my best, and to approach the needles with my own best effort in mind, without comparing myself to my fellow knitters, for they have challenges unique to them.

While I engage in this pursuit of excellence and my own personal, individual best, I also swear that I will continue to engage with my family in conversation, care for my pets, speak kindly with those who would ask me to do something other than knit, and above all, above every stitch thrown or picked, above every cable, every heel stitch, every change of colour, I swear this:

That I will remember that this is not the real Olympics, that I'm supposed to be having fun and that my happiness and self-worth ride not on my success....
but on my trying.

******

The Games Have Begun!

2006 Knitting Olympics

2006-02-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

I've joined Team Wales! No, I don't LOOK Welsh. But I did learn how to make Welsh Rarebit in high school home-ec class. I'm planning to run with an illusion-knitted scarf. I thought illusion knitting would be very appropriate for these Olympic "Trials." The design is still to be determined.

It All Started with a Knitting Machine...

2006-02-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

As a college student, I learned to crochet in order to fit in with the other counselors at the summer camp where I worked. Over the years, I crocheted some squares for Warm Up America! but never did much more than that.

When we adopted Mickey, I learned that each kitty goes to their new home with a handmade blankie. There was only one left when we took him home; just an ugly brown thing. So I decided that I could help crochet blankets; I got one done -- hopelessly slowly. The idea of speeding up the process with a knitting machine spurred me on to enter the world of eBay. I bid on and won a Bond Incredible Sweater Machine. Two "easy" scarves later, I realized that machine knitting just wasn't for me, but in the process of "mastering" the machine, I'd learned the rudiments of handknitting so that I could understand what to do when I would drop those blasted stitches! My big realization: Knitting was different than crocheting. What I'd thought was going to be a more burdensome, complex and inefficient process turned out to be somehow more graceful and quite meditative. So I traded my knitting machine for oodles of yarn, and I began my knitting adventure. That was a year ago this past October.

My very first project was this cat toy, called the Wonton. I used skewers as knitting needles. Unfortunately, it came out a bit big; I hadn't learned about gauge yet and it was too big to be much of a mobile toy; that and I didn't put enough catnip in it.

Next, I moved on to knitting a wool hat for my DH, Mike. That went pretty well. I used "normal" needles and it actually looked like a hat! Unfortunately, my hubster is gifted with an incredibly LARGE head. He claims that he loves his hats "snug" -- they stay on better, he says...bless him. And he wears it too!

So, what else was in need of a warm layer? Ah, my Palm needed cozying. So, I summoned all of my artistic and engineering talents (paltry that they were) and designed this Palm Cozy/Carrying Case for the PDA that was already in a leather case. Frankly, I needed a way to carry it with me, leaving my hands free, as I listened to audio books. I love audio books and this was before I got my iPod -- which of course now has its own cozy carrying case.

It's Like Herding Cats

2006-01-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

These are my partners in crime: Leo is three years old, a buff tiger boy who was orphaned with a sister at about 2 1/2 weeks old. It was a good thing too. He had pneumonia at the time, and it turned out that he has a cleft palate -- had he stayed with his feral mom, he would have died. He's smart and affectionate and still a wild child at heart. Mickey is our tuxedo cat. He's two and a half and we got him as a "birthday present" for Leo's first birthday. We adopted Mickey from a cage-free shelter, Kitty Cottage, when he was 6 months old. He's extremely bright, gentle and communicative, and he bonded with Leo immediately. Dot and Sophie joined the family when I brought them home from the KC to nurse back to health. They were 4 months old by then, but very undernourished and sick with kitty colds. I only meant to keep them a week or two....well, you know how that goes. They are now a year -and-a -half, robust and wonderful. Dot, of course is the one with the dot on her nose. She's in love with my husband, much to his delight. Sophie is the littlest one. She has all the others wrapped around her little paw-toe.

2006-01-06T13:49:00.002-05:00

I am trying to get this background pic.

New Year's Resolution

2005-12-31T14:07:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve! Although it seems that I've been "absent" from my newly-created blog, I've been active behind the scenes. Starting a blog is easy, but figuring out what to do with it requires a bit more thought and organization. I've been collecting photos of all my past projects and my works in progress (wips) and readying them to upload for the blog. I've also been learning how to use the software to do all of this. So, starting fresh with the New Year, I resolve to get this show on the road!

For those of you who have iPods and iPod-like devices, and are interested in audio blogs called podcasts, there are two knitting podcasts that I've become quite "addicted" to. The first is called KnitCast (www.knitcast.com), by Marie Irshad, and the other is called Cast On (www.cast-on.com) by Brenda Dayne. Both are downloadable through iTunes or as individual episode downloads through their respective websites. They have very different "flavors," the first being an interview show, and the second an audio version of a knitting magazine, with departments and articles, music to knit by, essays, etc. There are other knitting podcasts but I've not had the chance to listen to them yet. And more are showing up every week -- how wonderful!

Have a very happy and safe New Year. Remember: don't drink and drive. See y'all tomorrow.

Over the Threshold

2005-11-19T02:28:00.000-05:00

I have stepped into the world of blogging! My main purpose is to have a place where I can grow, grumble, entertain, learn, become inspired, become frustrated -- all centering around my new adventure into the world of knitting. I want a place that I can show progress (and regress) pictures, ask questions of anyone out there that might know answers to my dillemmas, and occassionally muse about topics and issues that spring to mind while the needles click and slide.
The meditative quality of knitting.

I'm new to the technical aspects of blogging, and hope to have a steep learning curve, as I get in gear to make this blog take off. As it's edging toward midnight, I'll sign off. More introductions tomorrow.
Judy