Girls in Sheep Clothing

When knitting isn't solace...

2012-02-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

　 Morgen here, just checking in. I’ve been off the radar for the last several weeks, (although I thought of you all every day!) but now I finally have a chance to sit down and write a bit.

Some of you know about my mother who lives with us and who has severe dementia. She is a retired teacher whose focus in teaching was working with/developing curriculum for advanced placement middle-schoolers. She taught Shakespeare and the Constitution, and when students left her class, they Knew. How. To. Write. a paper. Her students loved her. I still receive (well, she receives) letters from former students and their parents letting her know who they’ve become and thanking her for her influence.

She spent much of the last 20 years scheduling her year around traveling back to Minnesota to help care for her parents, specifically her own mother who also suffered from Alzheimer’s.

I think of it as a few years ago, but I guess time passes quickly. It’s been longer than that that I started to recognize my own mother’s “dotty” behavior. My son and I spent nearly every day with her, and although she still lived on her own in her own home, I was slow to recognize just how out of touch she had become. About three years ago I got a call from the Kirkland police. My mother was at a neighbor’s house afraid to go back to her own house because Dustin Hoffman was in her house trying to steal from her. (Dustin Hoffman WAS the cover photo/story of the AARP magazine that was on her coffee table.) She came home with us that night, and has been with us ever since. Until a few weeks ago she had had a very slow downward progression into dementia. She has been very physically active and able, but is completely incapable of caring for herself due to her cognitive deficits. One of the saddest things for me has been that I still do not know precisely when she stopped recognizing me as her daughter. I have figured out that it was likely sometime while she was still living on her own. It haunts me to this day.

Up until a few weeks ago our house resembled Bedlam. (The real Bedlam, not the adjective although I suppose that applies as well.) A 98lb mental-4 -year-old dominated the house causing destruction and havoc from one end to the other.

Then, quite literally overnight, there was a dramatic change in her behavior. Upon waking one Saturday morning she had lost her balance and coordination and whatever little ability she had to respond to others was gone. She was walking, but broke two lamps by walking into them. We knew something was terribly wrong and got her into the Urgent Care of her regular clinic/hospital immediately. 4 tests were ordered, but as she was uncooperative in removing her clothes to have the tests done, she was put into restraints and given a shot of Haldol to calm her down. It didn't work. It took 4 nurses and myself to get a hospital gown on her with her screaming and fighting every step of the way. They never did do the CAT scan or EKG because of her agitation, and due to the fact that she walked in under her own power (though unbalanced) they did not think she had had a stroke. The recommendation was for me to call her regular doc on Monday morning with an urgent request to get her in to be evaluated by the Geriatric Psych department. Uh huh.

We were certain she had had a stroke. She was exhibiting weakness on her right side and confusion that was not normal for her, but the weakness wasn’t pronounced enough for a droop on one side of her face, and as she has been unable to follow directions for some time, they couldn't do the typical evaluation of asking her to smile, or squeeze her hand, etc. But I was pretty damned sure it was a stroke.

On Monday morning when I called her regular doc we were told to get her to the emergency room right away. (Different hospital). There they were able to get the CAT scan and Ekg and other tests. The CAT scan ended up showing a large bleed on the left side of her brain, and a smaller bleed on the right side. (I'm still puzzled by this type of stroke; she has no history of high blood pressure and she hadn't fallen. And I am now horrified at what we put her through at Urgent Care when we first took her in on Saturday. I wonder now how much the ensuing fight with her over getting her into bed and a hospital gown must have spiked her BP and worsened the bleed.) Her enzyme levels also showed she had suffered a heart attack. The location and size of the bleed along with her present cognitive condition did not argue for surgery. The best advice we were given came from her neurosurgeon who recommended letting “nature take its course” with the likely outcome being her eventual death, sooner rather than later, as in a matter of hours or days, and while I had been sure she had had a stroke, I was completely broadsided by the prognosis.

I spent nearly a week in the hospital with her. This was the moment for which knitting was made! Endless hours of worry and sorrow with nothing to do but sit and wait. Bridgewater had one stitch on the needle just waiting for me to pick up and start the horseshoe border, but I knew I wouldn’t have the patience for anything that fiddly. I grabbed the beautiful periwinkle Rowan Felted Tweed out of which I had started the Churchmouse poncho which should have been perfect knitting, plain old stockinette, no thought required.

Nope.

I knit about 6 stitches on it and wanted to throw it across the room. I. Couldn't. Knit. It just wasn’t the distraction I needed and I am still kind of flabbergasted at that.

What did work was my Russian spindling. It is a new passion that I picked up at Sock Summit last year, and that I had set aside before Christmas. But it did the trick. I think the key was that it required my entire focus and attention. I wasn’t able to spin AND think about death and living wills and social workers and hospice and being an orphan. When knitting, my hands move and my mind floats away to other thoughts. With the spindling, both hands and mind are engaged in the process (maybe because I am still learning?) and my mind wasn't allowed to get into trouble by thinking of all the bad stuff.

As it turned out, my Mum stabilized enough for them to recommend hospice and I chose to have her at home. She is technically in hospice right now. But as with my gut feeling early on that she had had a stroke, my gut feeling now is that this is her new normal, and that she is not checking out any time soon. Every doctor and nurse is telling me otherwise. To be fair, they have had much more experience and knowledge about strokes and end-of-life conditions than I have had. But I know her, and much much better than they do. She is tiny, but she is tougher than steel and she has the longevity genes of both of her parents who lived well into their 90’s. (She’ll be 76 in a week or so.) She is at much higher risk for another stroke, and I realize aspiration pneumonia is the other great fear, but she has a good appetite (must be spoon-fed and only pureed foods) and she must remain in bed or in her wheel chair due to her balance issues. She is now a 98 lb 2 year old. “No” is her favorite word, and like a 2 year old she has no understanding of what the word means. She has much nervous energy, but no balance, so keeping her in bed or her chair is the constant battle.

There ARE rays of sunshine however.

I am slowly reclaiming my house. I no longer need a chatelaine of keys to get from one end of the house to the other. Locks are coming off the doors and my pretty things I love to look at are slowly coming back out onto the shelves. The house is quiet again and I haven’t been called names in weeks. I haven’t had things thrown at me. She is so much calmer now, and instead of Bedlam, this is simply becoming a house where a family lives, one of whom has a handicap. The physical work is much harder, but the environment is so much nicer.

And I’ve started knitting again. I started knitting her a bed-jacket (really a February Lady sweater but a short version) and I have finished the horseshoe lace border and will begin the edging on Bridgewater today. I hope to have Bridgewater done by Valentine’s Day as I have a whole calendar full of shawls scheduled to knit for 2012 and I want to move on. (Next up, Point.)

This was the life I envisioned when my Mother first moved in with us. My house would be clean and calm and I could keep my mother company and I could knit to my heart’s content.

Life is what it is. And it is good.

Deception Pass Bridgewater

2012-02-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Just another day in the beautful Northwest. Here I am just 15 minutes away from my house, Deception Pass Bridge. A must see if ever up this way. The shawl helped keep me warm being that it's about 45 degrees outside. It's a breath taking view, snow covered moutains, swirling waters and the long drop as you look down while walking the bridge.

Kelli

Slowpoke's Update

2012-02-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

the end is in sight! only 50 sts left on the needles. i will finish the garter square tonight! woot woot!

Hip to be Square

2012-01-30T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, this may be the last time you hear from me for days and days (I know, promises, promises) so I thought I'd show you my finished center square before I go pick up 700+ stitches for the lace border. I do love Madelinetosh Prairie lace weight in garter ~ it makes such a warm, squishy fabric that's hard to stop fondling. I even made my husband grab a handful and give it a good squeeze so he could feel it. My increase sides each measure about 23 1/2" and my decrease sides measure 25", this despite the fact that I made a good effort of never having any unsupported weight hanging from my needles on the downside and distorting/stretching my stitches. I'm sure I'll get it to even out in the blocking process, but it is definitely a poser why the same number of rows on each side of center would have that much of a size discrepancy. Hmmmmm ~ I've got lots and lots of time to try and figure it out in the next couple hours while I'm getting all those hundreds of new stitches on the needles for my first lace chart....and a color change! ~ Melissa

Geometry and knitting

2012-01-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

I had a Spirograph when I was a kid that I would spend hours with making all these intricate symmetrical designs. I think that's what I love about lace. What do you see when you look at designs by Herbert Niebling? I see such beauty in the minute detailed repetitive order of everything that his brilliant mind came up with. And I see the same beauty in even the simplest symmetry, like my cake of Madelinetosh 'cove' caving into itself as more and more of it disappears into my Bridgewater.

I so love every part of knitting ~ from planning to completion ~ but especially the transformation of your fiber as you select it, wind it, knit it and block it, and all the different forms it takes during each step of the creative process. I might be a faster knitter if I wasn't so darn distracted with every little thing that happens along the way!

If you had to pick one thing, what is your favorite part of a project? Is it the planning? Is it casting on that first stitch? Or maybe wearing your finished piece? What a wonderful craft we all are lucky enough to have discovered and come to love.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend and I can't wait to see the first finished Bridgewater! I'm feeling like it's only a matter of days before there's a FO posted.....and I'm anxiously awaiting it!

~ Melissa

Melissa's 'progress' ? ? ?

2012-01-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

97 stitches of garter this row
97 stitches of garter
I knit 2 together
then knit to the end
96 rows of garter to go.......

96 stitches of garter this row
96 stitches of garter
I knit 2 together
then knit to the end
95 rows of garter to go........

heavy sigh.......

Winter Lace

2012-01-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

The sun shined in the windows this morning,made me want to update my journey~ I seem to say this at each section "man this is a lot of knitting,it's going to take forever" I almost have one side completed. I'm so loving this shawl.

~Kelli

When your OCD gets OCD...

2012-01-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

...it's time to put the knitting down. Stayed up past midnight to watch 'Funny People' with Adam Sandler (great movie) ~ 179 stitches on the needles. Stopping upwards of 14 times every row to go back and make sure.....really sure.....that I did that k2tog at the beginning is really not very productive. It's time for bed! ~ Melissa

It's A Square!

2012-01-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, just finished the center square moments ago. I took a photo with my cellphone, but it isn't uploading correctly so this post will be sans picture.

I am a little frustrated that my decrease half seems to be knit in a larger gauge than the increase half. I toyed with tearing it out and redoing it, but I am convinced that it is a result not so much of my knitting but rather a result of the weight of the shawl and the constant turning round and round row to row that makes the gauge seem wonky. I have a feeling that once the edgings are added and it is blocked that it won't be an issue, so I have decided to leave it as is.

Hope all is well with all of you!

Morgen

Hallelujah!

2012-01-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

205 stitches on the needles.

maybe in another 3 weeks i'll have all the decreases done!

Sugar, Spice and Puppy Dogs

2012-01-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Day 3 of our huge snowstorm has turned into an ice storm. Another day home from work and getting ready to hunker down and hope we don't lose power. We got up long before dawn to watch the news so I decided to bake while the electricity is still on. My grandma used to make the best homemade cake donuts and lacking her pastry skills, I made an old favorite from my childhood. I don't know where my mom got this recipe but I'll share it since it's really easy and fast.

Buttons and Bowknots

2c baking mix (such as Bisquick)

2T sugar

1t nutmeg

1/8t cinnamon

2/3c milk

1 egg

Sift dry ingredients together. Add milk and then egg. Knead dough (add more baking mix if too sticky) and roll out 1/2" thick on lightly floured surface. With donut cutter, cut circles and holes. Twist each circle into a 'figure 8' and place with holes on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on baking rack.

Melt 1/4c butter and dip cooled pastries into butter and then a mixture of cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. Eat with a warm mug of hot cocoa.

Now, it's off to make another pot of coffee and watch Dozer play outside. He loves all this snow ~ his favorite thing is waiting down in the backyard for Jason to throw snowballs at him from the deck so he can try to catch them in midair. It's hilarious. Hope everyone stays safe and warm today! ~ Melissa

Dear Kelli ~

2012-01-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks for my very first teakettle (and yes, that's Churchmouse Yarn and Tea tea for those of you with really good eyes!)....

and also for my very first (and greatest ever!) tea cozy. I'm enjoying a cup with a big spoon of some local wildflower honey while I sit and knit the rest of the day away. You're awesome ;) ~ Melissa

she also knit me the breadbasket liner that everything is sitting on ~ it's good to have friends ;)

Snow Day

2012-01-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

Home from work (with permission) ~ love when it's the bosses idea and not just mine. It's a wintry, whitewashed, peacefully quiet world today....and it's the calm before tomorrow's storm!!!

It's still coming down pretty hard, too. Crazy beautiful. ~ Melissa

....and they told 2 friends

2012-01-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

and so on and so on .....

More visitors in the apple tree today. I can't tear myself away from the kitchen between watching the snow fall and waiting to see what new hungry bird drops down to devour the very last 2 apples still on the branches. I have to take pictures through the window from inside since I realized yesterday that stealth is not one of my strong points. I tried to go out onto our deck more than once but couldn't get more than a step or two before every bird on the block took to flight. As you can guess, I'm not getting much knitting done :) ~ Melissa

Winter Visitors

2012-01-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

Rare Seattle snow this weekend brought some interesting critters to our neighborhood ~ I think they must love frozen apples!

Time to get the bird book out ~ I know the big guy is a woodpecker of some sort but the beauty in the bottom picture is a mystery! ~ Melissa

Building a Bridgewater

2012-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

At last, I'm finished with the Bridgewater square! I feel like throwing a party or something! The first half went very quickly, and the second half took twice as long. I was sustained with healthy doses of Ginger Zinger, and it was a happy, happy knit. I was able to use my Brittany straights throughout, which is a rare thing for me. I'm quite taken with them, and they're a joy to knit with. So light! So smooth! (except for the one that has bite marks on it from a certain little someone.)

Naturally, I ran out of yarn on my first skein with 50 rows to go. The new yarn isn't quite the same color, but I'm trying to live with it. I have a backup plan to dye the lighter portion with chamomile tea, but I'm saving that for another day. Although, I really hope that it won't come to that! Any advice would be appreciated.

I've decided to go down a needle size for the lace section, but I'm taking a little break first to finish up some other projects, read a book, rest my hands, etc. Hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am!

Happy Knitting!
Kelly

a downslope in an uphill battle...

2012-01-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

The uphill battle is that I'm still laboring away on the garter square of my Bridgewater, but I am officially done with increases and onto the decreasing. For some illogical reason, I feel like this second half is going to take less than the 2 weeks it took to do the first half since I'm sure I'll somehow gain momentum with the rows getting shorter and shorter and shorter. I know, it makes no sense, but it's a good mind frame, right? In the meantime, here's a picture of my work in progress, which I'm sure would make a good base for a gorgeous Bridgewater Triangular Shawl.....hmmmmmm. ~ Melissa

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Blog...

2012-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Why hello everyone! Yes, I am here, plugging along.

You know, last summer, my 15 year old son needed a new phone. I did not need a new phone. He ended up getting a smart phone, and somewhow, so did I. A week later my husband got one. An amazing little tool it is too. Funny thing though, I now spend almost no time at all on the actual computer. I read all my blogs and email on my phone. It is fantastic as a gizmo for gathering information but it is very very lousy for the sharing of said information. It is impossible to type more than a note on the thing, hence my absence from this blog. (Rather scary to wistfully look back on typing a full length email or blog post in much the same way that I wistfully view the passing of the handwritten letter.)

Anyway, had I been present and actively blogging, I would have told you all about my excitement over the starting of the Bridgewater KAL and my purchasing of the exact yarn in the exact same color as the original pattern calls for while on a fabulous trip over to Churchmouse with a group of the most hilarious women ever. I can drink all the fattening mochas I want when out with the knitwits because I work every calorie and more off laughing.

And I would have then told you about the Robin's Egg Blue yarn I found at Serial Knitters which I fell in love with (Isager as Kelli's is) but that they didn't have it in the wool, only in the alpaca and so I bought that and pulled my hair out trying to decide which yarn to use.

And then I would have told you about how I really wasn't in love with either choice, mostly because I rarely find myself wanting to wear gossamer weight shawls anymore, I prefer them to have a bit more weight and substance.

And then I would have told you about the lot of Madeline Tosh Merino Light in the color "Well Water" that I found and was perfect for me for this KAL. Angels singing in the background when I found it, the works...

And I would have told you about the pattern Flurry which has been on my list and would be perfect in the original Silky Alpaca yarn I had purchased at Churchmouse, doubled. And I would have told you about my mad dash trying to find the receipt for the Isager Alpaca so I could return it (No luck yet, it must've gone out with the Christmas trash.)

And I would have told you aout how careful I was to cast-on New Year's Eve in pattern just to check gauge and to pointedly make my family watch me tear the whole gauge swatch out lest I be accused of jumping the gun on the KAL.

But I haven't been present and actively blogging.

I HAVE been actively knitting; a sweater, Aeneas; a scarf, Japanese Feather; a poncho (yes, a poncho)Easy Folded Poncho; a fox stole, Mr. Fox; and of course Bridgewater.

And today I even dug out my really really crappy digital camera and took an even crappier picture of the work in progress. I am on the downhill side of the center square, probably around row 212 or so. The yarn is so much prettier than in the picture. It is a clear icy blue that reminds me of the sound of a mountain stream just beginning to thaw, and have thus named this shawl "Just Before the Thaw."

Actually, my abysmal photography skills were the only thing about this KAL to which I was not looking forward. I can learn to knit or I can learn to be a photographer. And if I have to pick, well then...

A hearty thank you to the Girls for hosting this KAL. I am already wondering what their next selection will be??? I also find it a bit unnerving that while my hands are physically knitting my current projects, my mind is racing ahead selecting and casting away future knits. Precious little "joy in the moment" knitting for this knitter. Curses on thee, Ravelry and all your tempatations!

And how goes it with you???

oh, yeah, i'm supposed to write in this bloggy thing, aren't i?

2012-01-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

so... progress has been slow. i had almost 100 stitches on the needles when, oops, the needle came out.

it was late at night and all attempts to salvage the stitches were just making it worse, so a little time out was called for.

today i decided to rip back to just below the booboo. i'm not smart enough to use lifelines (i like to knit dangerously), but at least i was smart enough to pick up the row of stitches below the whoops before i started ripping back.

it worked perfectly, and now i'm back on track to start the never ending garter stitches again.

seriously, what was i smoking when i said yes?

oh - and i'm using JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 i have on a cone as it was the only lace yarn i had enough yardage of. :)

~ jeff in pennsylvania

Evolution

2012-01-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm slowly trudging along on the garter section (130 stitches on the needles and still increasing....slow slow slow):

my Bridgewater is evolving from my first vision, and then my second grand plan, to now my third and I think final idea. I'm still going with the 2 color version I recently came up with:

That's Madelinetosh 'Cove' for my garter section on the left and 'French Grey' on the right for the lace. I think I may have mentioned somewhere that this 'grey' that I got from Knit Purl in Portland is most definitely a pretty shade of brown. I was worried that this one skein was not going to be enough for the entire lace section so I ordered another skein from Jimmy Bean and what do you know, the 'French Grey' that came is absolutely a shade of grey. And instead of freaking out that the 2 batches of madtosh are not even remotely similar in color, I'm so excited! I've decided that the brown (grey) will be the largest first section of lace and then I'm going to use the grey (grey) for the final lace chart. I see both colors in the multi-colored 'cove' so the major difference in dyes is a wonderful misfortune I do believe.

Now if only I could get to the lace sections.......sigh (happy sigh but sigh all the same!). ~ Melissa

Are we there yet?

2012-01-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Nope not yet... not even half. To down size the needle for the lace section? I may add the gold sequence yarn? Lifeline? Will be testing to see what I want.

I'm loving this shawl, can't wait for this part.

Hope you are all well.

The Tale of Two Yarns

2011-12-31T18:49:00.000-08:00

Weeks ago, I decided that I was going to be part of the Girls in Sheep Clothing KAL for Bridgewater. I could think of nothing else I would rather be doing on New Years Day! The very next day I headed out to Borealis Yarns where my yarn guru, Abbie, wound up 2000 yards of the most luscious baby Alpaca from Plymouth Yarns. It was called "Dye for me" and came in a natural color, but as the name implies, you can dye it to whatever color you desire. Now, I was happy with this choice, it was affordable and it had been calling my name for over a year, so it seemed the logical yarn for this project.

Then, after Christmas, I had this nagging feeling that the yarn was all wrong. Why? I'm not sure. Deep down I knew I wanted to make Bridgewater out of a merino blend, like my Beach Glass shawl that I love so much. I knew that if I made it out of alpaca, it would sit untouched in a drawer, and what's the point of knitting something so beautiful if it doesn't get used at all?

Out came the stash, and I found an old skein of Jaggerspun Zephyr wool silk lace. I bought it years ago at the Textile Center Weaving Guild. It was as though it has been waiting patiently until now, like a faithful friend. This morning, I called the original store that supplied it and 1200 more yards are on the way to me. The color is Vanilla...and while it seems like an unadventurous choice, I looked through all the projects on Ravelry, and there weren't any that I liked better than the natural light shades.

As for the beautiful baby alpaca, I'll quote Robert Frost: "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" I chose the one less traveled by, and I know that it will make all the difference.

Happy New Year!
Kelly

Tick Tock

2011-12-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

I see Kelli popped on earlier and posted her yarn choice (I've seen it...it's amazing!). Is everyone as excited as I am to get started on Bridgewater? I had a brainstorm this morning that I think will take my knit from gorgeous to spectacular! Instead of my original choice of Madelinetosh Lace in Winter Wheat, I've decided to use Madelinetosh Prairie and do the center garter stitch section in Cove and all the lace borders in French Grey. I'm afraid that my original choice is too close to the Jared Flood knit I did last year (Rock Island) and with this being twice as big, I decided I didn't want to work with such a similar colorway. What do you think of the new yarns?

I can't wait to cast on tomorrow! It feels like Christmas Eve as a kid! Can't wait to see what yarns Kelly, Morgen and Jeff have chosen and to get this show on the road (don't forget to check for errata ~ there is some if you have the book and not the downloadable version). What a great way to start 2012! And if you haven't joined us yet and would still like to, just leave a comment and we'll get you added so you can kal with us. Be safe tonight everyone and don't stay up too late ~ we've got some knitting to do! Tick tock, tick tock.... ~ Melissa

A New Year

2011-12-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here's my yarn for the Bridgewater knit-a-long for New Years Day 2012. I'm excited to see what yarns others will be knitting. Mine is Spinni, Wool 1, by Isager. It's a deep, dark purple,I've been on a 'blackberry'color kick. When I saw this I just HAD TOO knit with it. I'm iching to knit lace, am always interested in seeing where Jared will take this pattern.

Hoping everybody has a wonderful 2012, we're off to a great start.

Kelli

Santa Meets a Couple o' Dolls

2011-12-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

What a lapful, eh? I'm sure there's a grin under all that beard! Jo and Zoe met Santa for the first time and got to share their elfish wishes for Christmas bounty on this, their first Christmas Eve. And they must have been good little gals this year ~ not a lump of coal to be found in their gift boxes!

Miss Jo was oh, so surprised to discover that Zoe gave her a Mini Nancy Bush Triinu Shawl to match the one her mama was given:

And, little Rasta Zoe was so thrilled to receive some bright red holiday mittens from Jo:

What a pair of fashionistas! I think they'll be the envy of all their little doll friends this season!

Happy holidays to all from The Peeps! ~ Melissa

Growing Pirates

2011-12-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Before the littlest family member joined us 2 years ago, this Auntie made him his first skully sweater ~ size 6 month. Can I get a little bitty 'aaaaargh':

As expected, he quickly grew out of it but this smart Auntie saved the leftover yarn and told his very smart mama that if she wanted me to try to up size it so he could get a little more wear out of it, I would surely try. So, a few weeks ago, that very smart mama gave me a tracing of his best-fitting shirt and returned the wee pirate sweater to me for some modifications:

As I carefully unraveled the ribbing, the tiniest bits of crackers and such that had become embedded in the fibers fell out in my lap and I could picture the little guy happily munching away wearing his cute little hand knit. Very sweet. I picked up my stitches again and crossed my fingers that there would be just enough yarn left and........success! He'll get one more winter from his gift from Auntie!

And just in case you're not completely burned out on this theme (I think this may be the last of the pirate posts.....maybe!) ~ Kelli and I have now officially made three generations of our husband's family skully caps to keep them warm this winter:

Can we get a great big, manly man, family sized 'AAAAAARRRRGHHHHH'! ~ Melissa

Happy Holidays, Friends

2011-12-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

May they find you surrounded by friends and loved ones. ~ Melissa

The Pirates of Pass Lake

2011-12-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

The Brothers took the drift boat out on Pass Lake yesterday and spent the entire day fly fishing and catching up.....
and showing off their newest skully hand knits (I think if you click on the photos they will enlarge so you can check out the hats and the fish)!

So cool! This is Kelli's husband, JR on the left.

This is my husband, Jason, on the right.

Isn't that a pretty trout?

And an awesome hat (at least what you can see behind the head lamp, anyway!)?

How lucky are these brothers? How lucky are we?!

~ Melissa

I should add (very importantly!) that Pass Lake is strictly 'catch and release' and that the 2 fish above were very quickly returned to the chilly water, as were all the rest that were unlucky enough to taste the flies, where they happily went about whatever business trout attend to when they're not being so rudely pulled from their homes!!

Hvala, Maja!

2011-12-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Maja in Croatia did a great post today about fiber inspired wreaths and she shared quite a few fantastic ideas that she found online and a very cute childhood memory as well ~ click here to check it out. You should take a peek and be inspired! Is everyone done with their holiday knits??? I have one more to go but luckily it's for someone that I won't see until after Christmas, so I'm feeling relieved that everyone else is crossed off my list with a few days left to spare! Hopefully, friends, you are feeling the hectic part of the holidays winding down and are gearing up to actually enjoy them! I finally am....whew! ~ Melissa

I found Maja's typo charming and pretty funny when she talks about her tradition of hanging 'decorative wrath' on the door every year ~ we should all learn how to decorate wrath....the world would be a happier place ;)

Also ~ there's still time to join our annual KAL which kicks off January 1st ~ we're up to 5 knitters so far ~ just let us know if you're interested!

Clever Quote

2011-12-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Graniflora is now one of my favorite shops. It's in Lynden Washington. A dreamy housewares store new and used.(I did find a large cone of wool/alpaca mix). Anyways my point to this important information is a quote I saw:

LIFE IS HARD BY THE YARD
BUT A CINCH BY THE INCH

Kinda like my lace knitting too~

Where would we be without our friends and knitting?

Lesson Time

2011-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Maybe you already know this and maybe not... the linen stitch is one of my favorite stitches. It can be a bit tricky but well worth the time.

If you are knitting the linen stitch just back and forth

Cast on an EVEN number of stitches (I think it's smart to 'mark' your RS)

RS(right side) Row 1 : K1, yarn to front, slip the next stitch (as if to purl), reapeat till end of row.

WS(wrong side) Row 2 : P1, yarn in back,slip the next stitch(as if to purl), repeat till end of row.

Repeat these 2 rows. I do 'just knit' a row before my bind off (loose) row.

If you are knitting the linen stitch 'in the round', cast on an ODD number of stitches

Mark the beginning of 'the round'.

K1, slip1 (purlwise) with yarn in front.

When you reach your marker, slip it over and just knit whatever stitch is next.

Repeat till end. I do 'just knit' a row before my bind off(loose)row.

I recommend that if you've never tried the stitch before to try it first 'in the round' and get the rythm of the stitch.
It's a REALLY tight stitch and you'll be surpised how large a needle you can knit with for a medium fabric. This Chickadee Cowl pattern is a good one.

There you go, a wonderful woven look to add to your knits~ Kelli

New Years Day KAL Revealed!

2011-12-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to stray from the norm (how many Calendar Scarves does one girl need ~ 4 is plenty!) and we've chosen Jared Flood's Bridgewater, which can be purchased directly from his website, as a Ravelry download or as part of the booklet Classic Elite #9108 ~ Made in Brooklyn. The pattern calls for 1800 yards of lace weight yarn (my yarn choice is pictured above ~ Madelinetosh Lace in Winter Wheat). Neither Kelli or I have made a square shawl and we both are pretty enamored by all of Jared's patterns and thought this would be a great way to start 2012....knitting some lace with a few good friends.

So far we are 4 ~ Jeff in Pennsylvania (jmkorn on Ravelry), Morgen in Washington (she's joined us before ~ she's acoldwintersnight on Ravelry), Kelli and myself. There's plenty of time between now and when we cast on New Years Day, so if you have Bridgewater on your wish list and you want to join in the fun this year, just let us know! We'll add you to the blog as a guest contributor and we'll have a great time encouraging each other, helping when we get stuck and sharing photos as we go.

Looking forward to knitting with you guys ~ it will be fun as always! ~ Melissa

Holiday Fun at Churchmouse

2011-12-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

We made it!

It was a blast. Spent a couple hours shopping. Ate lunch at the Blackbird Cafe. Had some Whiskey Gingerbread. A new favorite. Better like whiskey if you ever try it. There's a reason it's called that. Drank some coffee, but not enough. Here's how I feel after hanging with this crazy group all day:

All kidding aside, if you've got the blues and need a holiday pick-me-up, make the trip across the water to Churchmouse. It's worth it ~ as usual, the staff was more than welcoming and gracious and patient with the bit of chaos that follows us wherever we go. And the shop....boy, do they know how to decorate. Zoe gladly posed with some of the displays, although sadly Jo decided to stay home today ~ long story, something about a late night, a little too much of the above mentioned whiskey maybe....hmmm. Anywho, enjoy the pics and have a great week! ~ Melissa

Loose Ends

2011-12-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

With the New Year around the corner and an ever-growing list of knitting goals for 2012 (including this year's KAL...stay tuned...I'll share more later this week if you're interested!), I've been hard at work finishing WIP's.

I'll start off with this little 1/2 skein of sweetness that I whipped out for Zoe to wear tomorrow on our girls day to Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.

This cute (free!) doll sweater pattern can be found on Petite Purls website and if you want to see any info on the sweater I made, here's the link. I'm going to love building Zoe's wardrobe ~ it's a great way to use up those random single skeins that we all have buried in the bottom of our stash!

This weekend I also finished this project:

Juliet Scarf by Louisa Harding (pattern can be found free on Ravelry and it's also in her wonderful book, Knitting Little Luxuries). I've made 2 of these now and I love this pattern and the yarn is perfect. If you're tempted to try lace and want an easy project to practice on, this is the one. It's simple, it has written instructions as well as charts, and the result is so worth the effort! Give it a try!

I also finally finished this:

It's the Triinu Scarf from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia. It's another surprisingly simple lace pattern with amazing results (and that Madeline Tosh 'Byzantine' colorway merino light yarn is hands down the best red I've ever seen!!). I love this lace pattern ~ I love everything about this knit. I started this in July and put it down for far too long ~ I should have finished this a LONG time ago!

(One of my friends on Ravelry, as I was posting this project, went online and ordered the exact same yarn and colorway and she's going to make this scarf for herself ~ how's that for enabling!!!)

That's it for now. I'll share our trip to Churchmouse after we go ~ there are 6 of us making the trek (plus Zoe and Jo) so it's certain to be loads of fun! I'll also get some info up soon about our upcoming KAL that will start on January 1st so that there will be time to get patterns and yarns and people added to the blog that want to join us this year. I'm looking forward to knitting with our ever growing little circle of friends across the states.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend ~ Melissa

2 skull caps are better than 1

2011-11-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I think I've started and completed more projects in the last couple weeks than I've done in the whole last year. A woman possessed....obsessed. Call it what you will, but I'm getting things accomplished!

Skull Cap 1 on the left and Skull Cap 2 on the right I managed to eek out of 2 skeins of Peace Fleece (aran weight) yarn. I'd forgotten how much I liked this yarn until I pulled what I had left from 2 felted messenger bags I made a few years ago out of my stash for these hats. Skull Hat is a free pattern available on the Knit Two Together blog (thanks Gina for being so generous!). One aspect of this hat that I LOVE is this folded up ear flap:

which not only provides another layer of warmth, but hides almost all the stranded colorwork floats! If you know me at all, you know how happy that makes me ;).

The hat on the left is made with recommended needle sizes and will fit a larger than average head, so the one on the right was made with 1 size smaller needles and fits an average size head. I love this pattern and I'm positive I'll be making it again, since neither of these is for my husband and he thinks it's keen! ~ Melissa

I'm thankful for....

2011-11-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

A lesson learned ~ when things don't fit, maybe it's because they're meant for someone else:

He wore it all day and refused to take it off....if you ask him who made his hat, he'll tell you 'Lissa' - Sweet!

For an excuse to act like a kid again:

And for a father-in-law who is a great sport:

And, no, that's not Santa ~ he really is just my father-in-law! ~ Melissa

Turkey Day Overdose~

2011-11-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Must have cooked something right~ my middle daughter M'lis and youngest Bella, after thanksgiving dinner. Napping away in the late afternoon.

Hope your day went just as well.

Kelli

Guest of Honor

2011-11-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone has as much to be thankful for today as I do. Happy Thanksgiving ~ Melissa

Pretty Pretty Peerie Flooers

2011-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

So, I look like a major dork in knitted hats and it's dark and stormy outside and the lighting is horrible and I had to take a crummy self-portrait, but just look at this hat!!!! Doesn't it make you smile? It does me. Thanks to Kate Davies for coming up with such an inspiring project ~ she's a genius. This was a challenge from start (picking out 7 yarn colors and then having to decide what combinations worked) to finish (there has to be a trick to weaving in all those ends!). My hat is so different from all the others that have been made that I'm a little leery that my colors don't completely work (my shades are so dark and rustic) but for a first multi-color stranded knit, I don't think it's too bad? This is one of the few things that I've made where every time I look at it I think to myself....I can't believe I did that!!!

Details of my Peerie Flooers Hat can be found here, as well as some more dorky photos. Hopefully my personal photographer (that would be my husband) and a sun break are both on hand this weekend so I can get some better pictures! ~ Melissa

The Fair(isle)est of them all....

2011-11-21T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed (again...) ~ between my new found love of stranded knitting, my 'finish-itis', the icy temps this weekend and hours and hours of me time, I have some new completed projects to share.

First, my crowning (ha!) achievement, Mary Scott Huff's 'Queen of Hearts' Selbuvotter mittens (details of my project including yarn and needle size can be found here on my Ravelry page.

I also started and completed a Christmas gift this weekend ~ I won't share who the recipient is since I don't want to spoil the surprise. 'Fingerless Gloves Musica' is a free pattern that can be found on Ravelry (and my project details can also be found here).

And, I'm just finishing up my Kate Davies 'Peerie Flooers' stranded hat. I just have a few more rows of crown decreases and a few (or more) hours of weaving in all the loose ends and it will be done. I'm so excited to share this hat ~ it's one of my favorite knits ever! Hopefully, by this weekend I'll have some finished photos to post. I can't wait to show you!

Have a great week, all! ~ Melissa

A Mitten and the Moon

2011-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Stranded colorwork. It's been the thing I've struggled the most with since I picked up knitting needles 5 years ago. I've done very little ~ mostly because of the frustration of knowing that I am not perfect at it. I do realize this is a good thing. The things we work the hardest to achieve are sometimes the most rewarding successes. My troubles are the floats. To leave yarn 'drooping' is displeasing to my eye, even on the back side of a piece, so my floats. don't. float. Mine are 'stiff as a board' when they should be 'light as a feather' (I always stunk at that game).

So, this past weekend on a whim I signed up at the last minute for a class at The Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard.

The class was 'Sassy Selbu', taught by a Pacific Northwest local gal, Mary Scott Huff. I learned a little history of Norway's Selbuvotter knitting tradition and started Mary's 'Queen of Hearts' Selbu mittens. I have one nearly done ~ it's missing a thumb and the ends all need to be tied in, but I'm going to get the second done first and finish them at the same time. And I am thrilled to be able to say that my mitten is stretchy! My floats are floating, or 'smiling' as Mary would say. Colorwork is something that I'm going to have to keep working at to get better so I was excited to hear during the class that after the first of the year, Mary will be back at the museum teaching a 4-part stranded sweater class. I will be in it. She is encouraging, entertaining, inspiring and a great teacher. I was sold when it came time to help with something I was stuck on, rather than doing the mirror image method of teaching (which, being a lefty, used to leave me in tears of frustration as a kid), Mary stood behind me and threw her arms over my shoulders and her hands became my hands and voila, I got it! Take a class from her if you haven't ~ you'll laugh alot and learn a little something, too.

And before I forget ~ here's a photo of my almost-finished mitten. Aren't you proud of me? It's not perfect ~ I do see a few things wrong and I'm sure others see more but I'm smitten.

I only got the back side before the light faded since I spent so much time taking pictures of the gorgeous moonrise we had this evening! What a beautiful night. ~ Melissa

Of Spindles and Roving and Wagtail Yarn

2011-11-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

That's the tale I have to share today! A recent care package full of homemade jams and stashed yarn sent to a Ravelry friend in Pennsylvania got me this in return :

I'm quite certain I got the better end of the deal but I'll take it! A skein of Wagtail Yarns sport weight Fine Kid Mohair (enough for a small shawl) in a rich shade of brown from The Tangled Web in Philly, my first bunch (bag, bundle, ????, I don't have the words in my vocabulary yet) of Pencil Roving in a heathered Mountain Laurel shade (4 ounces ~ enough for?) that he got at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, a great card and this (also from Rhinebeck!):

It's made by Kundert Spindles in Wisconsin ~ the type of 'wood on whorl' is Butternut (so much to learn...my head is whorling! what the heck is a 'whorl?' and what do those numbers '1.2' mean?). Thanks Jeff for picking this out for me ~ I love it even more knowing that you went there with a mission to get this girl spinning! It is gorgeous and after I've stared at it for a couple days and am not afraid of breaking it, I think we will become good friends!

My chaotic schedule and a freaking sore elbow have kept me from getting much knitting done (it's not a knitting related injury but I'm thinking I may have to lay down the needles for a bit or it won't get better ~ SHOOT!). I've been working on my Cranberry Capelet ~ I'm just past the halfway mark (it's more like an oversized dickey right now ~ remember those from the 70's and 80's?....shudder). I've had to modify it as I go since my gauge was spot on with swatching but tighter on the actual knit. Not a big deal since it's top down and I can try it on as I go. I'm loving the fit, and the yarn and color are perfect ~ the cables really pop!

Guess that's all I have to share for now. Unless you want to hear more about my awesome spindle ;)

I'll spare you and just add one more picture of my new toy ~ I hear people name their wheels...I might have to find this thing a name! ~ Melissa

They're the BOMB!

2011-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Our local yarn bombers hard at work yet again.....GO SOUNDERS!!!!

Seasons Change

2011-10-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature at her best ~ boy, she has a good eye for color

happy weekend, all

~Melissa

Island Girls

2011-10-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Just returned from our 3rd annual Roche Harbor knitting retreat on San Juan Island. Zoe and Jo came along for the ride and behaved themselves quite nicely:

The weekend was filled with wildlife (these deer were crazy!!) ~

A visit with old friends on the farm:

And meeting some new:

Wardrobe additions from Peru:

Beautiful views from the front porch, morning and night:

Captured moments:

Autumn splendor:

Tons of laughter and sharing with this amazing group of women:

And another adventure shared with my best bud and partner in crime:

There are some good stories that go with the deer, the beads and that dazzling dress but I'll save those for another day. And oh, yeah ~ I did manage to get some knitting done! madeline, madeline, madeline....mmm mmm mmm ~just can't get enough of ya:

I cannot wait for next year! What a fantastic weekend! ~ Melissa

Knitted Bliss

2011-10-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Now, this is what makes me really, really happy! Juliet Scarf from Loisa Harding's Knitting Little Luxuries (this pattern is also available free on Ravelry!)....made with Kimono Angora Pure in Tan (which is really the palest shade of pink I've ever seen). The button on the knitted flower pin is vintage glass from my collection.

This was a good project to work on after this week's Fair Isle Fiasco....Failure....Success. ~ Melissa

Game Day

2011-10-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Houston, we have a problem

2011-09-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

How I managed to get this much done as quickly as I did remains a mystery:

All that's left is the folded hem......which will have to wait until I knit another hat that will actually fit my husband. I was so excited to find this yarn in my stash (it was meant to be ~ you know that feeling ~ the right colors, sport weight like the pattern calls for, exact yardage) that I neglected to double check my pattern notes from his last hat where I clearly noted that I used WORSTED weight yarn. Needless to say, when he tried this on at 11:30 last night he couldn't hide his disappointment that it just doesn't fit. At all. He tried to convince me that after I blocked it everything would be okay but the fact that it doesn't fit me either speaks to the contrary.

So, a quick stop at Great Yarns! on my way home and lucky me, they had the EXACT same yarn I used on his last one, in Seahawks colors so I'm back in business. GAME ON!! Think I can whip out a second one before Sunday morning? Wish me luck ;) ~ Melissa

Cascade Yarns Pure Alpaca ~ ooo, lala!

Hats and Other Things

2011-09-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm making good progress on my Peerie Flooers hat. The knitting is going a bit faster and I seem to be getting into a little rhythm which makes me relax, which is nice! I got to this point yesterday and decided to stop and get started on a hat my husband asked me to make for him (you read that right!). I was on complete lock down for 4 years ~ 'no thanks' was always the polite refusal when I offered to make him something. Then last year, I got a 'I would wear that if you made it for me' as he was looking over my shoulder one day while I was on Ravelry. Shocker! The hat he asked for was done immediately! Fast forward to a year later and he's nicely asked me for 2 of the same hats, one for Seahawks game days so he can wear it to the stadium and one in 'work colors' so he can wear it everyday and not worry about it getting dirty.

So, while he was at the football game yesterday, I started on his next hat & hopefully I'll have it done by Sunday so he can wear it to the game at the end of the week.

It's a fun pattern that you can find on Ravelry for free ~ 'We Call Them Pirates'. It's going much quicker since it's only 2 colors instead of 7 like Peerie Flooers.

On a side note ~ if you haven't checked out America's Knitting, you should. It's a really neat website with maps and locations of fiber shops and festivals across the USA. I've been on Mary's site before and was surprised and a little tickled that she sent me a note over the weekend to ask if she could feature my Vitamin D sweater that I recently finished on her Fall 2011 projects page on the site. I love unexpected things like that ~ makes life more fun! If you want to take a peek, here's the link. Dozer even managed to make it on the page ~ that's his bushy black tail in the photo.

Have a good week, everyone! I've got lots of knitting to do so better get to it! ~ Melissa

Another Peerie~

2011-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

I think we're at the same spot.

I'm loving this hat. Wish I lived closer I'd help you two finger fair isle. I'm the same way with not wanting to put it down.

Your hat is looking great!

Stay loose~

Kelli

Polar Opposites ~ at least for today ;)

2011-09-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Kelli finds peace and poetry in her knitting ~ for me, the last 3 days have been all about tension. Tension in my neck and shoulders from concentrating so hard on trying to get my tension right on this hat:

Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies

Honestly, I can see where I could eventually really, really enjoy fair isle. There is such a rhythm to it and there's never a good spot to put it down and walk away from it because you want to do 'just one more row' to see the magic that happens with the next color changes. Kind of like that last potato chip ~ do you ever stop with your first thought of 'that's the last one' when you have the munchies? Anyway, I'm proud I've gotten this far with no color mistakes (Kathi ~ there will be no sharpies touching THIS project!!) but I wish I could speed up the pace just a bit. I'm a slow knitter by nature but, holy cow, since I don't know how to carry yarn with both hands and I have to stop with every color change, it's taking me twice as long as it should!

There is definitely a colorwork class in my not so distant future. ~ Melissa

PEaCE iN ThE LoOPs

2011-09-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Creating loops with needles.

Something about the rhythm, about the feel of wool, the choice of color.

Next row, rows adding.

Why does it soothe me?

Eyes gaze back checking the pattern.

Wanting to create.

Time slips by, I am creating peace~

Playing Hooky

2011-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

I got to take a personal day at work so went to sit and knit with the 'Thursday Group' that I never get to see. Talk about sensory overload ~ so much chatter and needles flying and projects to see ~ how can I be this tired from just sitting for 4 hours?? I need a nap!

Jo & Zoe got to go and hang out with us at WildFibers:

Is it just me or does Zoe look stoned when she's sitting next to Jo? Between the outrageous locks and the buggy button eyes.....I think some changes are in store. Thoughts???

I cast on Kate Davies' 'Peerie Flooers' while I was there ~ 4 hours and only 7 rows done. Geesh ~ I just can't knit any faster, especially with colorwork. It's hopeless ~ or I am! It's so pretty so far, even just the little bit I've done:

And if you're intrigued by what's underneath my knitting, let's pan out just a bit:

The word had gotten out that I was going to make an appearance today and Linda (THANKS!!!) remembered that I had wanted to borrow her Herbert Niebling books and a few German lace knitting magazines. Pages and pages and pages of inspiration. Linda, I will try very hard not to drool all over them!
~Melissa

Party Girls

2011-09-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Jo and Zoe's first play date!

Tuesday night was our knitting guild's 2nd birthday party and what better place for the girls to meet for the first time?! It was a really fun meeting ~ everyone brought snacks, there were cakes from Snohomish Bakery, members shared their ribbons from the Evergreen State Fair a few weeks ago, there were prizes for UFO's ~ biggest, smallest and oldest! ~ and the new officers were sworn in for our upcoming membership year.

It was great to see our guest blogger Morgen, who surprised me with an unexpected, tremendously generous and oh, so loved already, birthday gift:

Zoe cuddling with my birthday yarn

Yes, that's my favorite yarn ~ madelinetosh ~ in a weight I haven't tried ~ sock ~ in the most beautiful variegated colorway I've ever seen ~ Magnolia Leaf. There's a little over 1000yds which is plenty enough to make a gorgeous shawl. I'm going to have so much fun planning for this yarn!! Thanks again, Morgen ~ I'm still shocked ~ and thanks also for the loan of the book. I can't wait to delve into this one!

There's been little knitting time lately as I've been spending every spare minute getting ready to start my position as 'Knit News' reporter for the guild. I'll have the opportunity every month at our meetings to do a presentation on any topic that happens to strike my fancy. I'm close to done with my first presentation ~ the topic is top secret until October ~ but I have to say, every person that I contacted on Ravelry in regards to project, photo, and pattern sharing has been so generous and encouraging that I think I'll be able to work through all my jitters about speaking in front of the group on a regular basis. I'm excited to see if I'm 'interesting' or if I 'bomb' ~ as a fairly new knitter, what do you talk about that would interest a room full of lifelong amazing crafters. It will certainly be a challenge! I'll let you know how it goes after our next meeting. Wish me luck!

I did manage to finish a project this week ~ just what the doctor ordered since nothing feels 'done' right now (home, knitting, guild, you name it) and I needed to complete something.

This is Vitamin D by Heidi Kirrmaier in one of my top 5 favorite yarns ~ Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Coffee Bean. I'm thrilled with this knit and the drape of the yarn. I'll get a ton of use out of this one this fall and winter. This was a great knit with a little math and short rows, which kept all the stockinette from getting too boring. I loved this pattern.

That's about all that's new for me ~ Kelli just finished a really pretty vest but if you want to see it you'll either have to check her out on Ravelry or razz her a little here to post more often (I'm all for option #2 ~ give her some grief, please!!). Enjoy the last week of summer as we start hunkering down for some cooler weather and prime knitting time. Happy weekend, all! ~ Melissa

[Edited to add: DANG ~ I was just rereading this after I posted and I HAVE finished something this summer ~ look at that awesome deck I'm standing on!!! I stained that all by myself ~ 2 coats of stain and 38 man(or woman!)hours later ~ it took just about every single minute of sunny weather we had this summer that I wasn't at work!!! So proud ~ and so pooped ~ but it is FINISHED!!!! I get excited when it rains now since the water beads up which means I did a good job ~ yeah, for me!]

The Girls Get Around!

2011-09-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

This morning the girls discovered they were featured on Nancy Anderson's blog, Yarn Juleps on the Veranda! What a surprise. Zoe's head swelled a little (maybe her dreads are too tight?) and she thinks she owns the universe now ~ doesn't she look proud? Now if only I could convince her to keep her cute little feet off my new computer ;) ~ Melissa

Playing With Dolls

2011-09-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Meet Zoe Agneline Peep....

Stay tuned for her adventures with her sister, Josephine Elizabeth Peep....

who finally decided what to wear after recently being seen streaking at the Evergreen State Fair. Who said that being older means being 'more mature', eh? Can't wait to see you, Kelli!
~ Melissa

[Nancy Anderson's pattern for Maggie Bean dolls can be found on Petite Purls website ~ thanks to Nancy for sharing such a fun pattern!]

Indian Summer

2011-09-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Can't you feel autumn just around the corner? I do. It's everywhere I look. ~ Melissa

Spanish Lavender

Budding Morning Glory

Bamboo

Fading Hostas Blooms

Changing Lilac Leaves

Charlotte and her web

Cotoneaster Berries

More birthday fun

2011-09-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

I think everyone knows me perfectly ;)

good friends....

Carrie's delicious Carrot Bundt Cake

Kelli didn't think I won enough awards at the fair so she made us all ribbons to wear with my goofy face!

I have the best friends....

2011-09-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day weekend was spent, well, laboring. I finished staining our deck (finally ~ never again to be a one-woman job...what was I thinking?) and we worked on our landscaping. It wasn't all work, though, since I did manage to celebrate my birthday a few times ~ with the hubby on my day, with my folks last night and on Sunday, Kelli planned a girls trip to The Artful Ewe in Port Gamble just for me! Awesome. We had a great time strolling around the one road town and doing a little shopping. We capped the day off with a lovely picnic lunch of fried chicken, watermelon and a homemade carrot cake (thankyou thankyou thankyou, Carrie!) followed by some wonderful gifts. Thanks to everyone that made my birthday one to remember. It was perfect! ~ Melissa

Blown Away at The Evergreen State Fair

2011-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

This left me speechless and I'm still not sure what to say about it so I'll use Kelli's words from yesterday.....I'm completely and utterly Blown Away:

I couldn't find this knit ~ Kelli eventually spied it and freaked out (shared glory, my sister!). The conversation that followed was comical:

Kelli - "look at all your ribbons!!"

Melissa - "those are not all mine"

Kelli - "I've never seen so many ribbons on one thing!"

Melissa - "Kelli, those are not all mine!"

Kelli - "yes they are!"

Melissa - "they can't be all mine"

Kelli - "this blows me away"

Melissa - "did I win ALL those ribbons?!"

You would have laughed if you heard us! So, here's what this lovely BadCatDesigns modified Snow Queen Pi tablecover took home for awards:

~~~~1st Place Blue Ribbon

~~~Best of Class Rosette ["awarded to best item in each class"]

~~~Best of Show Rosette ["awarded to 3 items only ~ overall best lace, best crochet and best knit (that's me!) entered in the fair]

~~~Special Award Rosette ["awarded at the judges discretion to items they feel are of unusual excellence"]

~~~Reserve Grand Champion Rosette [I'm not sure exactly what this one means but it sure is pretty!]

I know it's such a random thing to have someone give you an award over someone else when just as much time and effort was put into many things I saw entered yesterday, but it is soooo cool to be acknowledged as a pretty good knitter when it's something that you absolutely love to do! Here's the link to my Ravelry project page if you want to see where this project started and how far it's come!

~Melissa

Evergreen State Fair Photo Album 2011

2011-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Who is that cutie in the corner.....stay tuned!

The day started perfectly ~ amazing sunny, summer, DRY weather. Free parking pass, free admission tickets for us knitters and half price tickets for the tagalongs:

First stop was Barn 500 to look for the Knitwits' entries and see how we did.......holy cow, it was wonderful to have so many people enter that we had a hard time finding our things!!

HOORAY Washington Fiber Artists ~ what a turnout!!!

Kelli won a 1st Place Blue Ribbon!!!!

...and so did Melissa!!!!

What fun ~ blue ribbons at the State Fair. How cool is that?!?!

Then it was off to the Knit-In ~ they provided us with a lovely windowed tent in a nice shady spot to sit and knit and visit for 3 hours. It was great fun to see many from our Snohomish Knitters Guild, meet some new people from the Eastside Guild and run into a friend from my work. We sat and knit and chatted and ate smoked turkey legs, curly fries and cookies, and had a smashing good time:

The knit-in was over before we knew it and we weren't quite ready to leave, so we strolled around and looked at a few things that we hadn't seen yet:

We had such a great time, from watching the 4H'ers enjoying being part of the fair to witnessing a woman in her 90's participate in the knit-in. We are already looking forward to next year.

Oh yeah, and thanks, Kelli, for teaching me to knit (I don't think I've mentioned that to you at all in the last couple days! Ok - maybe 10 times or so but I do mean it!)
~ Melissa

Girls in Sheep Clothing

2011-08-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

don't we slightly resemble our blog header photo? ~ too funny ;)

Les Miz

2011-08-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

My daughter Isabell and I now understand why this play is the longest running show in Broadway history. Alan Boubil captures Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. This 1832, two day event speaks volumes even today. Adding breath-taking voices, music and acting bring you to tears in this amazing production.

My Rock Island shawl was a perfect dramatic mix to the event, which while I knitted, almost brought me to tears.

Enjoy the endings of summer~

Kelli

Sisterly Shenanigans

2011-08-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Kelli and I had such a fun day yesterday! I want to start off by saying that this:

was most definitely NOT MACHINE MADE and that every stitch was painstakingly and lovingly done by Miss Kelli, contrary to what anyone else may think, and she was very deserving of the ribbons she received at the Skagit County Fair this year. So there.

Back to the beginning of the day yesterday......

We entered a few things in this years Evergreen State Fair and boy, do they know how to do things right! Very organized, welcoming, friendly and encouraging, and we're both really excited to see how we did and to participate in this years Knit-In during the fair.

Then it was off to Kirkland for a shopping spree at Serial Knitter's. That is a great shop! We both highly recommend it and if you love Madelinetosh like we do, it's the place to go! Here's what I came home with:

Tosh Sport in Tern for a sweater

Tosh Merino DK in Wild Mushroom for a capelet

We met up again later in the evening at the Skagit County Fair to sit, knit and visit:

and to pick up our entries when the fair closed last night. We both did really well but hope for many more participants next year, and I think we're going to try and get involved and see what we can do to increase entries in the future. It's a shame that with knitting and fiber arts in general seeing such a boom in interest, that every year there seems to be less and less interest in getting your work out there and trying to encourage more people to try your craft. We're going to have to work on that! I'll leave you with some better photos of my entries and how I did. It was a blast and we really encourage anyone with the slightest interest to check into the fair next year! It's a super easy process and requires very little time or energy and it is FUN!!! We would love to walk anyone through the signups next year if they need help.....you know where to find us! ~ Melissa

DAT DA DA DAAA!

2011-08-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

This years 'fair-time' fun has been another 'done good' year...
Come check out the 2011 Skagit County Fair, if you got that kinda gas money... I live close, so it works for me.
Yes let's not forget you get a ribbon just for participating, thank you, that's my 'fish tale' scarf,thank you, thank you, thank you...um ouch, that hurt a little. But they did hang it wrong! Hello! Let's move right along to Melissa's beauty...Rock Island... it rocked(sorry), with a "Blue ribbon" and "Best of Class" lovely job! And yes I did recieve a "Blue ribbon" and a "Best in Class" also for my Skagit Valley vest...ooh ahh, I love that vest.

But the "Best Of Show","Best of Class", and a "Blue ribbon".... the best of them all!!!~goes to~ drum roll please...

congradulations Melissa for another fabulous scarf!!! It is beautiful!

(Sorry about the crummy picture it was hard to get a good shot.)

Hers were locked up in a glass case. Mine of coarse was sitting right out there for someone to take.

We have a fun time knitting, ribbons or not, it's just icing on our "cakes of knits."

Oh To Be Fourteen~

2011-08-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Summer days being fourteen...this is my youngest daughter, Isabell.

not just fishing but catching salmon in Canada

camping in the backyard with your girlfriends

Oh to be Bella and have a summer birthday!!!

She sure adds to summer joy!

...therapy...

2011-08-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Lousy week at work but I came home to this:

and then spent an hour doing this:

and suddenly I feel much better!

Getting ready to enter a few things in the Skagit County Fair on Sunday ~ hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend! ~ Melissa (& Dozer)

She's done!

2011-08-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Ginger! She and I will be spending a lot of time together this fall....

Pattern: Goodale by Cecily Glowik MacDonald - Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed DK in 'Ginger' - Buttons: Recycled vintage celluloid ~ I modified the pattern quite a bit but not because it needed it! A very well written and fun knit~

~Melissa

Down time ~

2011-07-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm doing nothing today, not even getting out of the pj's. Seriously. I was up at 5:00 yesterday morning getting salmon out of brine and into the smokers...the last piece finished up at about 10:30 last night:

Our freezer is full ~ 32 chunks of silver and 10 good size king pieces. Thanks, again, JR ~ your cooler and some of this is headed your way soon!

I also processed 5lbs of Oregon blueberries. I've got 4c dehydrated in the freezer now and 5 and a 1/2 jars of this left:

My first ever blueberry jam ~ I'm not a fan of blueberry pie (too sweet) but this jam is so good that I've already eaten 1/2 a jar since I finished making it yesterday. Much less labor intensive than the cherry jam I made last week and I'll definitely make multiple batches of this next year. I've enjoyed doing these experimental small batches while I'm learning to can, since I can test recipes as well as figure out all the ins and outs of food preservation.

And if the kitchen projects weren't enough, I finished (almost) my Goodale sweater that I had mostly completed by October of last year. I actually did all the finish work once yesterday but thought I could tweak everything to make it even better so I ripped all my seaming out and did it a second time. It's on the blocking boards right now, so no completely finished photos but you can get an idea:

And finally, while I sat up all night (I'm not exaggerating!) waiting for my husband to get home from a too long day of fly fishing and seeing Soundgarden at The Gorge in Eastern Washington, I cast on for Vitamin D:

My sleepless night was the result of a not so funny at the time comedy of errors ~ I waited up, he got too tired driving home so pulled over to sleep, I normally wouldn't have been up to know that he hadn't made it home on time but I was wide awake, he didn't call to tell me he had pulled off the highway since he thought I was sleeping.....so at 5:30 this morning he got a panicked phone call from me....WHERE ARE YOU!?!?!?!?!

He's fine, we're both tired, and all's well that ends well. I'm spending the rest of today snuggling on the couch with the pup and knitting a little...

or napping a lot! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! ~ Melissa

Rose-Kim Knits

2011-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

My favorite post in a long time comes from Jessica's blog ~ if you knit at all and know of Elizabeth Zimmerman, you have to check out this link. Awesome, eh? What do you think? ~ Melissa

Misty Monday

2011-07-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

I spoke too soon yesterday ~ 2 days of sunny 70 degree weather does not a summer make! Today is rainy and gray (again) and I actually see a few chimneys wafting wood fire smoke in the middle of a late July afternoon. Uncle!!!

But it did make for a good day to stay inside and try my first solo canning adventure:

Getting ready.....

Done! Sweet Cherry Jam

I only made a single batch since I wasn't sure how carried away I wanted to get without any help, so the rest of the Bings went into the dehydrator and I'll vacuum seal those in small bags to use in baking over the winter. It's a great feeling to be stocking up for the cold months when all the foods we love are limited, expensive and definitely not from around here!

I need to find a new way of testing them to see if they're done ~ the taste test thing is a bad idea.... We may not have any dried cherries by the end of the day, let alone this winter!

I also finally sat down and figured out my fair entries and got myself registered for the Skagit County:

and also for my first go at the Evergreen State later in the month:

I'm a bit concerned they won't take my entries at the state level since the registration was a little more involved than at the county level and I'm not certain my knits ended up in the correct categories. We shall see.... Now I need to get everything reblocked and packaged up for delivery in the next couple weeks. What a fun way to wind up the summer and I'm glad that Kelli will be joining me again this year (although she beat me to registration this year so I guess I'm joining her!).

Busy days ahead ~ there's more canning I'd like to try my hand at while local produce is in season and it sounds like there is a huge weekend project showing up this evening that I need to get ready for! Rumor has it there are 4 silver salmon and 1 king salmon freshly plucked from the waters of Canada that I will be smoking and they need to be filleted, cut in pieces and brined by Saturday morning. Or is it 8 silvers and 2 kings ~ I guess I'll find out when the fish changes hands tonight! JR, you rock!! I can't wait to have fish in the house again! ~ Melissa

Birthdays

2011-07-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

My husband and I celebrated the birthday of our marriage this weekend ~ that's what we're calling it from now on since I mistakenly got him a birthday card instead of an anniversary card. Don't ask ~ I have no idea how that happened....I swear I read it when I picked it out!

It's also the first birthday for Girls in Sheep Clothing ~ and it's been a fun filled year. We've come full circle and once again, it's jamming time. Kelli's mom joined us today to help make raspberry jam ~ a much better batch than last year. Or, I should say, all 6 batches we made today turned out much better! Thanks for coming, Judy ~ and thanks for humoring me again this year, Kelli, and suffering through (ha!).

I think summer may have finally arrived to the Pacific Northwest, just as we're on the verge of heading into the downswing towards fall. Better late than never, I guess. Dozer helped me pressure wash the deck yesterday since the sun shone all day long....

He is so much fun ~ he keeps us in stitches all the time. Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather. There's no better place on earth than here when the weather is nice.

~Melissa

Estonian Knitting

2011-07-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

My first official Estonian shawl ~ Miralda's Triangular Shawl ~ from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush.

I used Madelinetosh Lace in 'thyme' on US6 needles and replaced the nupps with size 8 matte metallic khaki seed beeds. I'm in love........ ~Melissa

Completely Random

2011-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

...and possibly of no interest to anyone but me ~

I've always loved the words 'arugula' and 'syncopation'
I can't stand to hear people talk in 'textese' ~ do you know that 'OMG' takes just as much time to say as the actual words?
I've always wondered when I would 'lose touch' with the younger generation (or maybe it's that you just stop caring?). What is the fascination with foul-mouthed, ill-behaving, drama-king/queen based reality tv ~ I miss my witty, laugh inducing, feel good tv programs from back in the day like M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Seinfeld. The majority of television programming today is pure crap.
Contrary to popular belief, Twinkies don't have a shelf life of forever. When I was young, I watched a friend eat most of one before realizing it was moldy and promptly tossing her cookies.
I do knit better than Kelli. Nicky Epstein said so.
Ray Charles and I had a moment. Well, sort of. My husband took me to see him years ago and when we left the show it was raining hard enough that I waited under an eave in back of Parker's in North Seattle while he went and got the car. Little did I know I was standing right beside the door Mr. Charles was being led through after the concert. This is terrible but my impulse was to reach out and touch him since he couldn't see me, only when I put my hand on his arm, he reached over with his other hand and patted the back of my hand like he knew all along I was going to do it, smiled, and went on his merry way. I about keeled over. It was a great concert.
Despite our ongoing 10 month rainy season, the farmer's markets around here are abundant with gorgeous fresh produce. Get out there and check it out ~ you'll fill your pantry and lift your soggy spirits all at once.

Make you hungry?

My mom and I visited the Edmonds Market this morning, in the rain, and had a wonderful time. She wanted to know what I was going to do with all of this bounty but I don't have a plan. Maybe roast the orange beets and the purple carrots? That's half the fun of local produce ~ you never know what you're going to find so you can't plan until after you purchase! And if you're wondering what the mystery green is in the bag, yes, it's arugula! Happy weekend, all ~ Melissa

Travels

2011-07-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in the Adirondack Mountains of NY with this crazy group of relatives:

this is with about a dozen of us munchkins missing from the picture!

It was the best trip ever ~ great flights, a free rental car upgrade, amazing weather (very warm and very little humidity), loads and loads and loads of food, discovered Yuengling Black and Tan (love it!!), got to plan-shop for-cook my first ever meal for 50 (don't ask - it was a lot of work but a lot of fun and the Mexican menu I chose was a hit!), boated, hiked, started to read Walden (Henry David Thoreau...what a great find at the bookstore while we were there...a perfect read for a week at camp in the woods), watched fireworks on the 4th, did a ton of visiting and had some much needed R&R. I didn't get much knitting done ~ what I did do was mostly on the travel days ~ but I did get to sit outside and knit in the sun:

and then on the covered porch while a typical 10 minute thunderstorm rolled through:

We had a wonderful trip and enjoyed all the great scenery everywhere:

We were sorry to leave but we weren't as sad as my nephew was to be going home yesterday morning:

It was good to get home and see the pup. It was hard to leave him for a week but he had a great time at Grandma Camp (thanks to Trudy, Sam, Molly and all the neighbors that came to visit him and make sure he wasn't too lonely without us!). And now it's back to the crummy not-so-summerlike weather of the Pacific Northwest and the grind of work but regardless, it's still always good to come home. Now I can get some knitting done on my Traveling Miralda...here's the NY portion of my latest WIP:

Madelinetosh Lace in Thyme

I'm loving everything about this project ~ the pattern is challenging and interesting and I love working with this yarn again. I'm excited to get this one done and blocked (when am I not excited about this?) to see how it looks in a laceweight yarn on bigger needles. What do you think?

~ Melissa

My Secret Crush....

2011-06-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

So since this is supposed to be a fiber filled blog, before I share my crush I'll take care of a little knitting business first. TA-STINKING-DA!!!!! How cute is this?

Collar up.....

Collar down.....

Check out my new bling!

My husband beat me home tonight and had my anniversary present (3+ weeks early) that he couldn't wait for me to open. It's a little blurry but my necklace is So Cool (and so is he!!). Anyway, this is my finished Watershed in Spud & Chloe 'Sweater'. I love the whole idea of this vest but the really wide stand-up collar doesn't work for me since it's wider than my neck is long (it flops open in back unless I hold really, really, really still. So, I figured out how to wear it with the collar folded down and I love it.

And now that I've mentioned how awesome my husband is, it seems really wrong to share my secret crush...but I will anyway. Steve Martin. Yup, the Steve Martin of 70's SNL fame. The man is hands. down. flat. out. talented. He's hilarious, smart, witty, a funny actor, a great writer, and not that that isn't enough, the man ROCKS the banjo and can write music to boot. I stayed up past my ever-earlier-bedtime a few weeks ago to watch the season finale of Saturday Night Live expecting to fall asleep before it was over but Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga kept me in stitches til 1:00 and then I had to see what was playing on Austin City Limits and there he was, Mr. Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. Made it through the entire hour and even got up to write myself a note to google his music in the morning. Yesterday, my husband downloaded 'Rare Bird Alert' for me off itunes and I've listened to the album 4 times now and love every song on it. If you like bluegrass music at all (it's my favorite genre), check him out. You may find yourself with an old-er man crush, too! (Here's a link to his song 'Jubilation Day' if you want to take a peek & a listen)

~Melissa

~Knitters Strike Again~

2011-06-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

Yes it's true, defacing of public property with knitted things has enhanced the world again~ Frank Varga a reporter from the Skagit Valley Herald caught myself and boss Ana-Cross Stitch owner, Kristi Gabrielse,bombing downtown Anacortes. (A bench cover and the post are covered here in the photo)
The Cultured Purls, Anacortes Knitting Guild had knitted together these panels for a town project for the week of 'Relay For Life' and 'Paint The Town Purple'.
A countless number of people have sat on the bench and taken photos makes the whole thing worth doing.
The yarns are differnt shades of purple mostly donated from Plymoth.
This article was posted in saturdays post.
Makes ya tear up a little huh?

Kelli

Watershed & Watership Down

2011-06-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

This photo is just for Tamra!

Photos of my latest taken in my knitting attic! It's coming together, slowly but surely...I obviously still haven't gotten around to putting my books in the bookcases! ~ Melissa

(If you haven't read Watership Down by Richard Adams, you should. It's a classic and a wonderful read. And if you love bunnies, you should check out this post from Snohomish Shepherdess. Adorable!)

Visting With My Dad

2011-06-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are, my dad and I. My first visit to his home on Anderson Island.
His nice home tucked into the woods.

His backyard were he feeds tons of birds, oats for the deer and corn for the other little critters.

Fathers day wouldn't be without a little target practice, with his scoped out pellet gun, yes those center two shots are mine. My dad was quite proud.

Here's a little critter in the backyard munching away on lunch.

Fathers Day with my dad.

2011-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

My dad and I visited the Johnson Farm. Anderson Island Historical Society has a community "Pea Patch". We toured others works of arts in gardening.

Flags are always good.
The roses are a favorite.

Dad pointed out some raised beds and asked which ways better? Planting in the ground? or in a raised bed?

A family of little plastic frogs my daughter took a picture of.

Vacation ~ Vol 8

2011-06-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today was World Wide Knit in Public Day and of course, we woke up to another drizzly gray Seattle day.

Instead of knitting outside Seattle Center at the fountain, we met everyone inside the Center House where the 5th Annual Iranian Festival was also being held, so we were treated to all sorts of entertainment while we sat and knit. There was a children's parade and singing and dancing and book readings. I also had a great lunch from their catering booth. I had Fesenjan, which is a stew with poultry (mine had chicken) and a sauce of pomegranate, walnuts and spices, served over rice with nan and spiced yogurt on the side. It was wonderful. I love trying new ethnic foods and rarely find something that I don't like.

Back to the knitting ~ we had a wonderful time. Charisa put a lot of hard work into the day and we had new-knitter bags to hand out, filled with yarn and a pattern, and signs to put on our tables about why we knit and we also each scored a free skein of yarn for showing up fairly early.

Here are a few pics from the day ~ it was a blast and a great 1st knit in public day for me!

Oneknitwit & her youngest

Mel & Kel and oo, ah, oh ~ is that Rock Island I see?!

One more day of vacation....sigh. I've had too much fun this week which will make going back to work far too hard. Hope I haven't bored everyone to tears with all my adventures! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 7

2011-06-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I grilled beef ribs and my husband decided it would be a neat thing for Dozer to have his first real bone. He gets very little 'people food' so he wasn't sure what to do with it. Sniff. Lick.

And then, it was like a feline with catnip. He went bonkers! Happy, happy, joy, joy...... He raced all over the back yard and then flopped down and wrestled with it and rolled around in pure ecstasy!

I think he had far more fun playing with it than chewing on it! He sure is a spirited dog ~ he keeps us laughing all the time.

I spent the entire day today unpacking boxes of books ~ 10 to be exact ~ and doing a second purge before putting them in my new bookcases. I donated about 10 boxes last summer and managed to fill one more today to give away. The rest of the day was spent making lists. I am a huge fan of lists (I know, Kelli, you're rolling your eyes and thinking 'VIRGO!'). It's time consuming, but I now have lists of all the books we've read and purged (hate to buy the same thing again!), a list of all the books that I will keep forever (most are classics and a few are just well loved and have been read many times), and a list of books that I'd like to add to our collection. I am so stinking organized now! Well, at least the books are.

I haven't read much since I started knitting. I used to be a voracious reader but I can't seem to finish a book anymore since I put them down for too long a period of time before I've finished with them and then I lose interest or my place or the gist of the storyline. BUT, I did actually finish my first book in over a year last week, The Best Short Stories of the Modern Age ~ edited by Douglas Angus (1962). It was excellent and a keeper so it goes back in the bookcase tonight. AND, I started a new book today, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. I'm already about a quarter of the way through and it is also a good read so I'm certain this one will be read cover to cover and in short order!

I didn't get any knitting done today but with tomorrow being World Wide Knit in Public Day, knitting is all that's on the calendar! Make sure you get out and be seen....and if you're local, come on down to the fountain at Seattle Center (11:00-3:00) and hang out with Kelli & I and the rest of the guild members and whoever shows up with needles and fiber in tow! See you tomorrow! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 6

2011-06-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

I feel my time off winding down and I'm not ready for it to be over with. I'm having too much fun! Today I got to go sit and knit with the group I go on retreat with in October. They meet weekly ~ I meet 4 times a year when I'm on vacation from work. It's always fun to visit with everyone and see what they've been up to. Met Kelli first for coffee and then followed her to the coolest shop in Burlington, Stowe's Shoes and Clothing, where we lucked upon a sidewalk sale. I scored 3 pairs of shoes (badly needed) one of which was on sale. I'll definitely make the trek that far north for shoes in the future ~ they had all my favorite brands. Then we met the gals for knitting at Wildfibers for a few hours. I ran across the street to Easton's Books to try and find a used set of the Anne of Green Gables series. No such luck but I did find the very sweet book in the picture above. It's called The Little Wooden Doll by Margery Williams Bianco (copyright 1925) to add to my old children's book collection. It's about a lonely old fashioned hinged wooden doll that lies neglected in an attic until the spiders knit her a lace dress and the moths give her velvet off their wings for a new cloak and the mice bring her corn silk for new plaits in her hair. Then the birds and mice scoop her up and take her to a lonely little girl that lives in the woods who loves her forever and names her Rose, the name the wooden doll has always longed to be called. I love a good story! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 5

2011-06-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

.....I got nothin'.....

Watched Anne of Green Gables all day and knit ~ good things to do on a rainy spring day. Get to go knit with the girls tomorrow so back in action after today's down day. Here's a few new pics from the WSU Master Garden that I visited on Monday. Have a good night! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 4

2011-06-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

With a northern exposure view, we rarely get the brilliant sunsets but last night was an exception.

Ran errands this morning, which left me with a sense of accomplishment since I took care of a few things that have been on my to-do list for months. Went into Edmonds to use the gift certificate I got from my folks for Christmas...last year...to Spin A Yarn. I didn't bring any yarn home but found a couple of great little leaflets on crocheted edgings and completed my set of KnitPicks Harmony Interchangeable Needles, as well as getting a few other things:

Surprised mom with a drop in visit on the way since I saw she was home ~ thanks for the chat and the goodies above, mom! I also FINALLY got my new watch sized (can I still call it new even though it was a gift from my husband last year? I haven't worn it until today!) and had to wait just long enough that I managed to find myself a little trinket that I just had to have:

Isn't it pretty? It goes so well with the watch that I just had to get it, right? Anyway, capped off today with the monthly meeting of the Snohomish Knitters Guild.

Great presentation tonight by Beth Newfeld and Suzanne Tidwell about knitting on a large scale and where their ideas have led them. Check out Suzanne's website for photos of their first project and also their current project. It's amazing stuff and truly a labor of love (and there is loads of labor involved!). I can't wait to check out their artwork in person this summer. I'm glad that they came to speak to the guild. It's so interesting every month to hear how someones passion for knitting has led them in all these different directions. Where will your knitting lead you? I'm still figuring it out....

Happy Flag Day! ~ Melissa

Busy as a Bee!

2011-06-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you are all well and are enjoying the few sunbreaks we've been having! We finally got our tomatoes planted yesterday...here's hoping for a better crop than last year, although that really wouldn't be a difficult feat.

Anyway, I finshed Juneberry and two other shawls in the last week or so. (Snowdrop and my Grace Kelly Scarf.) Juneberry blocked out well, although I am noticing some asymmetry in the photo. Hmmm.

Thank you again for letting me join in the fun! I will definitely be knitting this one again!

Hugs to you all,

Morgen

Vacation ~ Vol 3

2011-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am having the BEST 'me day'...nothing but fun. Took the car up to Anacortes for a 30K-mile tuneup (ouch$!) and lucky me, Kelli came and picked me up and we went to Starbucks for 3 hours to visit and knit. The time flew by while we both worked on our latest project, Watershed. I'm using Spud & Chloe 'Sweater' in the Grass colorway ~ a bright medium green. Here's what I've done so far today:

Once Kelli dropped me back off at the dealership (thanks so much!), I decided to stray off the beaten path and took the back roads part of the way home and wandered around in farm country ~ lovely!

I decided to finally stop and check out the Skagit County extension of the Washington State University Master Garden demonstration garden. I've passed this place by at least a dozen times and have never stopped. If you're ever in the area, it's worth the time and it's free. You can walk around at your leisure and it's very visitor friendly with benches everywhere and signs identifying just about every plant that's on view.

I took a ton of pictures ~ everything is in full bloom right now and the smells were amazing, from the honeysuckle right down to the skunk cabbage. I need to do things like this more often. I won't overload you with all the pics I took but here are a few of my favorites:

Maybe I'll share a few more later in the week ~ it was hard to narrow it down to just these few. Then, it was on to Skagit Valley Co-op where I scored a yummy ham, egg & broccoli quiche and some tomato, basil & barley soup for dinner tonight:

The final stop of the day was Snow Goose Produce, which I actually had to double back to get to but I was on a mission to get my husband a few of their fresh baked macaroons, which he discovered when he was nice enough to stop there on the way home from fishing, boat trailer and all, to pick up hanging baskets for mother's day and a few for me (one of which I shared on the blog yesterday). One good turn deserves another....he's going to be so excited about those cookies when he gets home. I'm not so sure about the quiche! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 2

2011-06-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

Woke up to sunshine & wonderful weather so I deadheaded and fed the hanging baskets and mowed the lawn. Also got a 3rd batch of handknits washed and dried to put away til next winter. AND, yes, that's the knitting attic & my awesome husband installing my book cabinets! I can unpack my books ~ yippee! Dozer supervised and agreed it was another great day! ~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 1

2011-06-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

Day one was great ~ ended with a campfire in the back yard, playing cribbage with my husband and eating Jiffy Pop. Ahhhh, just what the doctor ordered. Then a quick self-portrait (the freaks come out at night!), a fit of giggles and off to bed. Great way to kick off my week off! Melissa

Rejuvenation

2011-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping for a little....or a lot of that over the next week while I'm on vacation. Work has been a bear the last couple months and I am surely in need of some down time. Things have been stagnant on the knitting front and the attic hasn't been worked on in weeks and weeks. I'm hoping for lots of visiting, lots of knitting, some great weather for yardwork and progress in my craft room. There may be some update pictures of the attic by the end of the week if all goes well! Until then, here's a few pics of what I have managed to get done lately ~ Juneberry has been shared but I finally got a finished photo today and I finally got a finished photo of my Citron (aka rain-rain-goaway), also. What do you think? ;) ~ Melissa

(oh, yeah ~ I also got my hair cut today ~ it is so cute but I haven't styled it myself yet so I'm hoping for even better things tomorrow! I had quite the bouffant going when Bethany was done, enough so that I was in hysterics laughing at the giant poof that was attached to the top of my head (she even admitted that she got carried away with the hair products! Needless to say, I drove home and brushed the heck out of it to flatten it a bit before heading to get groceries!)

Sweet June

2011-06-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I've had this old ~~Partridge Family~~ Brady Bunch (thanks for the correction, anonymous!) song going through my head all morning ~

I think I'll go for a walk outside now

the summer sun's callin my name

I hear ya now

I just can't stay inside all day

I gotta get out get me some of those rays

everybody's smilin

sunshine day

everybody's laughin

sunshine day

everybody seems so happy today

it's a sunshine day

Remember that song? I do like it was yesterday (and it wasn't....) ~ where does the time go? Anyway, here's some proof that blue skies are here (finally) and that even though I haven't gotten much knitting done recently, I did manage to finish my Citron. The rain rain did go away just in time for blocking ~ she's a beauty and I'll get some better pics up when she's dry and wearable.

ENJOY the SUN!!!! We so deserve a few gorgeous days around here, don't you think?

Melissa

Friends in high places

2011-05-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'll make this one short and sweet and let the artwork speak for itself ~ encourage those around you to do the things they love and you never know what you'll get back in return.

Thanks, Penny ~ I can't wait to find a place of honor in the knitting attic when it's time to decorate. You are amazing!

Melissa

~LYS TOUR 2011~

2011-05-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Melissa, Sherry and I had a great time touring a few of our favorite yarn shops. We started out bright and early to Weaving Works, to soon figure out they were not participating in the "tour" and were not open as bright and early as us...a little confused we headed onwards and upwards to Fiber Gallery and remembered Bad Girl Yarns was on the way. We stopped and bought yarn with ease. Can't forget mentioning Fusion Beads, if you haven't been, you should go.

Our final stop was Serial Knitter in Kirkland, Melissa noticed the pattern books that her and my sweaters we test knitted are in. Here we are holding them, it was another exciting knitting memory. (It's the sweaters on the left pages)

We saw new yarns, lots of color, and oh the ever lovely Madelinetosh~

Just checking in!

2011-05-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday everyone!

I just wanted to check in and say hi. It's been a rough couple of weeks for me for reasons unrelated to knitting, but I've been plugging away at both my Snowdrop Shawl (Nancy Bush) and Juneberry. I am almost to the 1/4 point mark on the edging and am enjoying every minute of it. I definitely will knit this one again, although I'm thinking next time in a light fingering weight.

I will try and take some photos soon. Thank you so much for letting me join up again. This has helped keep me sane!

Hugs,

Morgen

Thanks for the Knit-a-long, it's been fun!

2011-05-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies! Thanks for allowing me to be a guest writer on your lovely blog. This knit-a- long has been quite enjoyable and it really kept me on track to finish that edging that seemed to go on for ever and ever!

I love seeing everyone's progress, and can't wait to see them all finished!
Best regards, Kelly Lightbeam

Juneberry Update and the Colors of May

2011-05-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sport weight Juneberry ready for blocking....

Aran weight Juneberry ~ middle Chart B...

Awakening lilacs....

Abundant hanging baskets...

Cousin It is ready for his spring haircut...

Lemon balm in the herb crock...

Struggling Rhody that doesn't grow but blooms every year...

What's not to like about this time of year?
Happy weekend, all
Melissa

Bringing Up the Rear....

2011-05-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd check in and see how everybody is doing! I am amazed at how different each one looks and how very pretty they ALL are.

I have developed a bit of a love/hate relationship with my Juneberry, although the love side is definitely winning out. I am sure this design will join that rare pantheon of knitting projects which I enjoy enough to knit more than once.

The hate portion says more about me than the shawl itself I suppose. While I have completed Charts B and C and am several rows into Chart D, I found myself repeatedly frogging portions of Chart B due to frustrations with my knitting. I find myself constantly disappointed with the various size holes in the lace. Some (the really frustrating ones) seem big enough to drive a semi through. Others looks "just right." And no matter how many times I try I can't seem to relax about it. I have had similar issues with my own knitting when doing cables and being frustrated with the holes that are created where some cables cross others. I remember whining in class one day how I could "stick my finger" through the hole in the cable and my very smart knitting teacher rolled her eyes and told me "well then, stop trying to stick your finger through there."
With Juneberry, I have also been hyper-critical of the way the holes size up on each side of the little medallions that are created in Chart B which, of course, is a function of whether the yo comes before or after the decrease.
In a lace class taught by Franklin Habit last year down at Renaissance Yarns in Kent, I asked him about it and he very bluntly said it's just the way it goes and reminded me that that is the charm and personality of a handmade item, what differentiates it from its uniformly perfect and mass produced cousins. I still find it a very hard lesson to learn though!

But when I put the shawl down and stand away from it, I like it. A Lot!

So, here's to relaxing a bit...

The best way to knit...

2011-05-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, I found myself finished with work early! On the rare occurrence that this actually happens, I have to seize the opportunity and walk right out the door. So I did. But I really didn't want to go home. Instead, I stopped by the new neighborhood restaurant and got some knitting done. I've decided that this is the absolute best way to knit!


Yes, that's Chocolate coconut almond Bread Pudding!

Then I got into a hiccup...As I muddled my way through Chart 4, I found a bobble that was only half-way done in a previous row. What? How could that be? I couldn't think of any way to fix it. I couldn't just leave it, and I decided that the recipient of the shawl is worthy of perfection. After ripping a row and a half, I had some issues. Namely, a dropped stitch or two. After struggling for awhile and threatening my husband's life (I was in the middle of picking up live stitches and he decided it was a good time to pester me) I got back on track. I'm now finished with chart 4 and have effortlessly moved onto the knitted edging. I think before it's all finished, I'll need some more Bread Pudding!

Kelly Lightbeam

Final Touches

2011-05-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was worried the shawl was going to be too small, but this knitted on edging, it's wide! I love it! I think the border is my favorite part of the whole shawl. My yarn choice was a heavy gauge for me when it comes to lace but I know there is a second Juneberry in my future. I want this knit heavier ~ at least worsted weight, but I'm actually thinking of doing an aran weight next, with a different color edging. I can't wait to see how this blocks...

How is everyone else doing? I've had some hiccups with this knit but nothing that I couldn't get past or do correctly next time. I can't wait to see everyone's finished shawls!

Happy Mother's Day to all my motherly friends and especially to my mom ~ enjoy your special day!
Melissa

Update from the tortoise...

2011-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Morgen here. Your Juneberry's are all so pretty!

Kelly, your yarn is simply beautiful! The Robert Frost allusion is perfect! I've never tried any of the Gryphon's yarn, but I have heard that Bugga is particularly delightful.

Kelli, you can't go wrong with Silky Wool! It is such a unique yarn and is so versatile. Add to that the colorway you've chosen and it's a stroke of genius. You'll be able to wear it year round! I am anxious to see how doubling the yarn turns out. I am imagining it to have the weight of a heavier cotton yarn but with a much softer hand?

Melissa, I am anxious to see yours as well since I know it is in a much finer gauge. As I have been working mine I have realized how nicely this particular pattern will translate to different gauges of yarn; they don't always do that. You always do such fine precision work and I love the color!

So, mine. Well, I am using Shelter in the Tent color. I love the yarn. I know a lot of people think it is too coarse and rough a yarn for their tastes, but it suits me to a T. I love its hand, the colors, the gauge, everything about it. All that being said, I have had my usual heckuva time getting started. It always seems to take me a couple of days to start a shawl. Maybe it's because I don't gauge swatch shawls. Anyway, I started on 9's and had to start over at least 6 times just to get the initial tab with the provisional cast-on to look acceptable. I got several rows into the pattern and decided I wanted to move down a needle size. Believe it or not I could not track down a circular size 8 needle in my stash so I started using my size 8 Signature single points. I have very very mixed feelings about Signature needles. The one thing I am quite certain of is that I do not like them at all in any way shape or form for working lace. They are simply too heavy and I think the extra weight distorts the stitches, not to mention the beautiful but weighty end cap will sometimes cause the needle to just slide out of my project if I let go. Then I got to the aforementioned issue with the SSP. (Kelli, I haven't gotten to the bobble part yet, so can't answer on that point.)

Today I picked up some circular size 8's Addi lace and am much much happier. I essentially tore the whole thing back down to the start of chart A and worked back up to the end of chart A and am finally on my way.

Better late than never.

I am REALLY enjoying the yarn and the pattern! Thank you all for letting me join you!

Hugs,
Morgen