please be kind...

it's been awhile since I've mentioned the knitting attic ...and here's why:

every bit of crafty goodness I own is now laying in the middle of the floor waiting to be put away

every nook and cranny in the house has been purged of knitting and sewing paraphernalia and every box has been opened and lugged upstairs and is spread out bow to stern, port to starboard

I know where everything is right now, but nothing is where it will eventually be

the only thing left to do before organizing is installing my closet shelving and painting my window frame ... and then it's time to put some order to all this disorder!

this is my project for June ... hopefully by July I will not only have a room where you can see the floor, but maybe some of you will actually have been invited over for a knit day in my knitting attic

(for those of you that know me well, be proud of me and please, please don't judge ~ it is a monumental thing for me to post pictures of a mess and prove to the world (or truth be told, our handful of readers) what I've known all along ... I am not perfect even though I strive to be!) ... and if anyone has any ideas what to do with a soon to be 18 year old wedding dress, I'd love to hear them ;)

~ Melissa

Vacation ~ Vol 2

 

 

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

Friends in high places

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

The Artful Ewe

Our trip yesterday turned out to be a huge success.  I decided to share our adventure in 2 separate posts since I think (and I'm sure all 4 of us are in agreement here) that The Artful Ewe in Port Gamble is worthy of so much praise that it would be a shame to lump the rest of our stops into the love fest that's about to follow!  Excuse me for gushing....

We dressed for the inclement weather that we woke up to early yesterday morning, but by the time we met in Edmonds to catch the ferry across Puget Sound to Kingston, the sun was shining and brilliant and we were all wishing we had worn something different.  The drive to Port Gamble is a quick one, about 10 minutes, and it is definitely one of those towns where if you blink you'd miss the entire thing.  I think their saving grace is that there's a sharp 90 degree turn that you have to slow way down for, which gives you time to notice this adorable single street of shops.  Here's where you'll find Heidi's store.

Of course, the cameras popped out as soon as I stopped the car.  I hope Kelli got some pictures that she wants to share.  There was so much to look at from the minute we opened the door and were greeted by sweet Gracie.



Resting after welcoming the Knitwits

Dozer would think he died and went to heaven if we could fix him up a bed such as Gracie's!  I think my jaw literally dropped open when I stepped inside Heidi's store.  If you can imagine the absolute perfect fibery shop, and then multiply it times 100, I'm not even sure that would measure up to what you find once your eyes adjust to the overwhelming amount of beauty everywhere you look.  Heidi said she was fairly wiped out on stock since she had just been to Madrona a few weeks back, so I can't even imagine what the place is like when it's full.  There were beautiful hand spun and hand dyed hanks of yarn along every wall, loose fiber for spinning piled here, there and everywhere, and works in progress with knitting needles still in them on display throughout.  All items for sale were displayed like works of art ~ I drifted through the shop for almost an hour just looking at everything ~ noticing something new each time I circled that I hadn't seen the time before.


Baaaa-sking in the sunlight



My favorite picture

Seeing how things were displayed and how Heidi makes use of every little nook and cranny in her cute shop gave me so much inspiration for my knitting attic and how I want it to feel when it's finished.  I hope my friends that come to sit and knit with me feel as welcome as we did in her shop and don't want to leave when it's time to go home.

We would all love to have stayed and hunkered down in the back of the shop in her comfy chairs, with the sunshine streaming in, and just sit and knit the rest of the day away.  We'll definitely be back again, and The Artful Ewe will probably be our first and last stop of the day, so we can plan to stay a bit longer.  Thanks, Heidi, for creating such a wonderful, inspiring space for fiber lovers to come and shop, visit and dream.  I can't wait to come back!  Oh, and thanks for spinning up the amazing Alpaca that I finally chose to bring home with me ~ I'll let you know what I decide to make with it!



Elemental Affects Natural Shetland Fingering




Handmade shawl pin & buttons and new lace needles

And thanks Kelli, Trudy and Sherry (in your amazing coat of many colors) for coming along ~ you make the adventures all the more fun!  Can't wait for our next excursion....where to, ladies?

Getting to know Haapsalu

Cast-on for the first of many projects from this incredible book today.  You can check out what I'm doing here.  Thanks for the book, Trudy ;)  ~ Melissa

Kathleen Taylor's Tips and Tricks

Yesterday was Kathleen Taylor's class 'Little Tips and Cheater Tricks for Knitting' (that's unaware me, top photo, way in the back corner, in the red shirt ~ when did this photo get snapped?!) at Great Yarns in Everett.  The 2 hours flew by and we learned so many valuable things that only years of experience can provide.  I couldn't wait to come home and pull out some projects, both finished and unfinished, and put some of these great ideas to use.  We learned how to hand-wind a center pull ball (love this tip ~ I've always balled my own yarn up until about a year ago when my husband got me a swift and ball winder but I never knew how to get a center pull going!), spit splicing (thankfully after the demonstration Kathi was nice enough NOT to pass the example around for us to touch ~ yuck!), an amazing embroidery trick to correct an errant cable when you don't want to rip out an entire garment to fix the mistake, adding beads to your knitting with wire (I think I'll stick with the crochet hook method but only because it's the way I was taught and it works for me), and 'knitting back backwards'.  The last one took me a few minutes to wrap my brain around but once you get it, it's the coolest thing.

So, now I have 3 projects pulled out that I want to fix and finish with my new skills:

1. Cabled Piper Purse - I got 1/3 done and put this simple project down since the bobbles were so tedious but now that I know how to 'knit back backwards' bobbles are actually quick and fun so I'm definitely going to finish this up now.
2. My Ingeborg - if you look at the pictures, this vest was great right after I finished it but after one wearing, the yarn on the lower 1/2 is heavy enough that it pulled away from the solid color yarn and there is a gaping sloppy seam that I now know how to stabilize on the inside with a quick single crochet.  I'll be able to wear this again!
3. Hot for Teach - the button band on the sweater has plagued me since I made it ~ my button holes are loose (I've already put bigger buttons on it to make up for this problem) and the button placket ribbing has no structure and I learned yesterday how to tighten a loose ribbing that doesn't need elasticity.  I can use this trick on the button band and the button holes themselves so I can finally get more use out of this really cute sweater, also!

I'm glad Lois from the guild told me about the class or I may have missed it!  And of course, afterwards I had to do a little loitering in the shop and I lucked out and found some lace yarn to make curtains for my knitting attic.

Baruffa Cashwool Decatito

It's Italian 100% extra fine merino laceweight ~ I'll double strand it (the darker color is Cocoa and the lighter color is Latte ~ mmmm, coffee!).  I think I'll come up with my own pattern for this project ~ time to go pull out my lace books and do a little dreaming ;)
Melissa

ETA:  The spit splicing came in handy ~ I wound my yarn tonight and four, yes FOUR snaps, all spit spliced back together, good as new!  Thanks, Kathi!

little things...

It's a lazy pj's kind of day after a really busy weekend.  Things that made me smile today...

a gift from a friend ~ thanks, Kelli!

just enough lace to make a simple project lovely

the hubby installed my switch plates in the attic

the best pup a girl could have

I hope everyone has a great week and is enjoying this wonderful day ~ Melissa

Sunday ~

My date with Uncle Sam has dragged on into day 2.  Seems I didn't have a full deck with which to play cards ~ spent the day gathering up receipts from here, there, and everywhere.  Now I'm ready to sit down and work on our taxes in earnest, BUT, the get up and go feeling has done got up and left.  I'm breaking up with Uncle and maybe we'll try again next weekend.  What a fickle girl....

So, on to more important things....the attic has 1/2 a floor and my wonderful handy man of a husband is working on finishing it today!

Isn't it pretty?  The window trim and baseboards will be bright white and will look great, I think, against the green paint.  Last night my husband suggested that I get skylights installed to help with the lack of natural light....'um, ok?'.  Did you think I'd say no!?  How cool is that?  That's definitely an expense for a later date but to know that I'll eventually get them is awesome ~ and there's an added bonus of there being a sweeping view of Puget Sound on the other side of that darn attic roof......I can't wait!!!

Today I'm casting on a belated birthday gift for my brother's girlfriend ~ I'm making her these Brushed Suri Mitts with BSA Brushed Suri in Lollipop, a hot pink shade I know she'll love! 

My husband was very interested in this yarn when he saw me winding it this morning.  Lots of questions about what type of fiber it was....  Turns out he thinks this would be a perfect material to add to some of the flys he ties for fly fishing.  He's welcome to every last inch I have left over and I'll try to remember to post a photo of what he comes up with.  I still get tickled when I hear him talking about 'chenille' ~ a word I never thought I'd hear come out of his mouth but it is used alot in tying flies ~ and now he wants to raid my yarn stash.  I love it ;)
Melissa

Time to rest...

the attic is painted except for the trim...


Oolong Tea



A room with a view



the shawl is finished (skipped day 23 and went on to day 24 ~ not enough yarn, boohoo)...

Day XXII

Day XXIV



and blocking....

I don't think it's quite long enough...

and Texas Chili Con Carne is bubbling away on the stove ~ a fitting meal since Dallas is hosting the Superbowl today.  Off to relax, watch the game, eat a lot and maybe get a little knitting done ;)

Melissa

(ETA: I did straighten and reblock the wonky edge in the bottom photo ~ I didn't realize how uneven it was until I posted the photo!  It looks much better now, I swear!!!)

The Knitting Attic ~ Part II

Primed and ready for paint!

Rice Paper

Remember the attic before I started?  I finished the primer last weekend and just finished painting the ceiling and the sloped part of the walls with Martha Stewart's 'Rice Paper' ~ it's a creamy, egg custard looking color ~ I love it!  Makes me hungry for a Chocolate Eclair...

Not sure if I'll need a second coat or not since the paint went on really thick.  I'll have to see once it's dry...

Went to IKEA yesterday to look for cabinets for the room.  I thought we had a great plan by showing up 10 minutes before they opened so that we could be in and out before it got crowded.  No such luck.  I have to say that although I did find what I needed for an exceptional price, that store is like hell on earth for me.  I know they give you a map but, dang, to try and find something a second time is ridiculously hard.  The crowds weren't sooo bad, other than the families who truly believe that it takes a village and let their little (and I mean preschool age little!) children run unattended through the maze with their little IKEA shopping carts and expect that you will not accidentally plow over them while you are wheeling a cart loaded with so much junk that you can't see in front of you.  We left there at noon, having found everything we needed but completely stressed and vowing never to return.  I rarely complain, but that was not a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning.

Hate to end a post on a negative note, so I'll share what cabinets I picked out!  We bought 2 Alve Cabinets with Doors to place side by side, and they will almost fill up an entire wall, with room on top to put baskets or pictures or random knitting paraphernalia...

Who wants to come hang out and knit with me when my room is put together?  I can't wait ;)
Melissa

Making the most of every minute...

Day XVIII

Day XVII

Day XVI

 My boss said I could take off early since it was a quiet afternoon ~ so I did!  I managed to get home in time to get some daylight photos of my latest three kal shawl pieces.  Much truer in color than the last batch, not that I didn't like the amber shade they appeared!  I finished the spacer for Day 19 in my car before work this morning while I was drinking my coffee, so I should be able to get that one done tonight.  Three quarters done...or more if my yarn doesn't hold out til the end!).

View from our deck

 Here's proof that the sun does shine around here once in awhile, even if it is just peeking between the hills and the clouds.  That's enough for me!  Can't get enough of that sight this time of year!

Pink Polka Dotted Pre-Primered Attic

Now I still have time to get one last coat of primer on the knitting attic ~ man, those giant pink splotches are tough to cover up ~ before I whip up a batch of Kelli's Tuna Noodle Casserole and then settle down for an evening of knitting.  I love unexpected free time during the week ~ time to go make the most of it!

Half light ~

I feel like the sun is impatiently waiting to burst through this never ending cloudiness and ground saturating rain.  We have huge lakes of standing water in our backyard that Dozer is a little too interested in and it's a constant battle to get him unmuddied when he comes in from stomping in the puddles.  Aside from that, the dreary atmosphere is not the best for great photos but I'll share my newest completed days on the kal shawl.  It really is the same yarn ~ it appears amber (beautiful) in these pics but it's still the same 'rose' yarn I've been slowly knitting away at.

Day XV

Day XIV

Day XIII

I am enthralled with day 15 ~ it proved to be quite the concentration knit.  I'm getting much better at reading my lace instead of counting stitches to keep on track, but I just couldn't see any rhyme or reason do this day until I was close to finished.  But, boy, when I finally got what was going on, I love it!!!  I really do find the more complicated a pattern is to knit up, the more I'm impressed and pleased with what I see at the end.

So, I'm slowly plugging away at this kal and also working on my gift for a friend project so I won't finish either of them quickly, but they'll both get done eventually.  Tomorrow should prove to be a fairly knitless day (sigh) since I'm planning on getting my knitting attic primed and ready to paint.  Very exciting!  Now, to buckle down and pick a paint color....decisions, decisions......

Errata - Spacer section between day 15 & 16  ~ I think the error may have been corrected in copies of the pattern that were downloaded later on in the month of December, but I downloaded mine daily as the pieces were released so I've been finding some errors that may not be on everyone else's copies.  My download for 'Day 16 Spacer Section' said to increase ONE stitch in the first row for a total of 86st, and then decrease THREE stitches evenly on row 8 for a total of 83st.  Row one was easy to figure out since day 15 ended with 83 stitches, so you actually INCREASE 3 STITCHES EVENLY IN ROW 1 (for a total of 86 stitches).  Row 8 was a little more difficult since I had to work backwards from the chart til I got the math correct.  Instead of decreasing by 3st, INCREASE 2 STITCHES EVENLY IN ROW 8 (for a total of 88st).  I have no idea if this will help anybody but I thought I'd share anyway ;)