snippet ~ posted by Melissa

 

 

here's what's tran-SPIRE-ing at my house :)

 

 

silent fingers ~ posted by Melissa

And O, ye swelling hills, and spacious plains Besprent from shore to shore with steeple-towers, And spires whose ‘silent finger points to heaven’… - William Wordsworth 1770–1850

 



Isager Strik Spinni Wool 1 - soft chartreuse & warm gingerbread

 

 

 

The top photo is the yarn I chose for the Girls in Sheep Clothing New Years Knitalong.

 

My Spire will be green with a cream border - if I ever cast on :).

 

I am so lucky to have won a giveaway on lori's blog & so glad that she knows Karen & Pat at Crows Nest Studios who made the blue pottery yarn bowl that is my prize ~ thank you, Lori & Karen & Pat!

 

...& I went from having no yarn bowls to two (aren't I lucky!) when I received the handmade cherry bowl for Christmas from Kelli ~ it was made by the husband of one of the gals in our knitting group...thanks Kelli & Diane & Mr Diane :).

 

My sister who is not a knitter has been surprising me the last few years with sweet handmade tags for the knits I gift ~ she finds the best shops on etsy (the tags above can be found here and here ~ they're almost too pretty to use, don't you think?

 

That's it for today ~ mostly some eye candy for your enjoyment ~ I hope to have some knitting to share by the end of the weekend!

 

Hope your not per-SPIRE-ing too much from burning up the needles, Kelli & Andrea!

 

~ Melissa

 

 





Fun Times, Ya Ya, Good Times...a post from Kelli

Andrea and I get to see and share once a week, at least, our progress~
 we asked another friend to take a picture of us
 and our Spires so far.  She focused in on us more then the knitting.
Thanks Elaine!

Andrea kept saying "oh got another row done" and I was messing up the
same section for about 2 hours. I can't seem to visit and knit this one.

We set our goals, Andrea wants hers done by Stitches end of February(where she's headed)
and I'd like mine done by Madrona, February 14th.

We'll see?

roadtrip (narrated by Mr Webster) ~ posted by Melissa

waiting - the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)




home - The abiding place of the affections,





embark - To go on board a vessel or a boat for a voyage



awe-inspiring - inspiring awe or admiration or wonder;"this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath"- Melville;



anticipation - pleasurable expectation



church mouse - a fictional mouse created by Lewis Carroll



nirvana - any place of complete bliss and delight and peace



intoxicating - extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic



gracious - Abounding in beauty, loveliness, or amiability




 patience - the power of suffering with fortitude








recompense - To give in return; to pay back; to pay, as something earned or deserved



energize - cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"

 

character - The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit

 

snarf - make off with belongings of others

 

felicity - The state of being happy; blessedness; blissfulness; enjoyment of good

 

A long awaited trip to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas.  A day with my husband spent out and about enjoying each other's company.  Christmas gifts received were carefully plotted, planned and well spent (thank you Trudy and Nanna).  More BT Shelter for hats, bright happy yarn for socks and enough yarn for our just kicked off New Year's Knitalong.  I'll get better yarn photos tomorrow in better light because, no, my Spire will not be golden and peach like you see above in the middle...not even close!  There's still time to join if you're tempted (and if you are following along and want to post (Mara!) ~ don't forget to pm me on Ravelry so I can tell you what I need from you so you can play along :)

 

I love how excited everyone seems to be who has taken time to post...and I know by Kelli's silence she is almost finished (only half kidding!).

 

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful posts and photos and excitement ~ you make doing this every year worthwhile and something to look forward to all year long!

 

I need to wind some yarn so that's all for now ~ more to come tomorrow hopefully! 

 

Happy knitting and happy new year!  Melissa

 

(and I did snarf the drink menu above but only because I plan on trying this at home!)



Spire, at last ~ by guest blogger Kelly Lightbeam

At last, my love has come along.  My lonely days are over, and life is like a song.  Oh yeah, at last.  The skies above are blue.  My heart is wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you.  I found a dream, that I could speak to.  A dream that I could call my own.  I found a thrill to press my cheek to.  A thrill that I have never known....

Ah, this is how happy I am to be knitting Spire.  I've dreamed of it for the last two years, but there was always something else to do first.  At last, it's time to cast on.  My yarn choice changed often, until I finally settled on Shelter, by Brooklyn Tweed in the "Snowbound" colorway.   I had wanted something tweedy, but really cozy and warm, so that the finished Spire could be a blanket at my wee cabin.  I would have liked to begin yesterday,  but unfortunately, I had lost 4 out of 5 of my size 8 DPN's, so I decided to wait until today, when I could pick up a set at my LYS.  In the next few minutes, I'll start up the fireplace with a cup of white hot chocolate in hand, and get down to business! 

I'll be excited to see everyone else's beginnings!
Kelly Lightbeam

SPIRE 2014 KAL - Day 1 ~ guest blogger Andrea

Jan. 1, 2014 - Last night I colored my charts with colored pencils, assigning a color to each stitch maneuver. It really calls attention to the different decreases, etc.

The cast-on took me about 4 attempts. I finally used a different color marker for each of the 4 DPN’s so I could identify them easily. That really helped. I’m not a fan of the cast-on.

Each of my paired markers are the same color. I’m doing everything I can to take the potential problems out of this project. The beginning of round markers are green (for go). I used that technique always to help me identify beginning of round or RS.

I am counting every section between the double markers before I proceed. This is something I learned in a Sivia Harding class. This eliminates forgetting a YO, etc. and not catching it until the next row.
I made my change to circular needles at the beginning of chart B. I’ve made it to around halfway through chart B, but I devoted the entire day to knitting (I never do that). Rose Parade, Coal Miner’s Daughter, and some afternoon fluff. It feels very decadent.

The pattern is pretty straightforward for me. I won’t be able to memorize it but it’s easy to read your work and get into a groove of what to do. I did go online to solidify how to do the sspTBL. Don’t let it throw you. So far, I’m loving this project. Cheers, all

The prodigal knitters... guest bloggers Carolyn and Penny

Carolyn and I opted out of a KAL earlier in the year, and thought we would be sneaky and do our own. However, I forgot and posted my partially completed project on RAV way early (duh); Carolyn kept her's a secret.

She made another "Shetland Triangle Shawl" by Clark, and I made "Lighter Than Perfume" by Tsymbal. She finished over a month ago, and I clocked in just before the New Year, last night.

Lo and behold, Carolyn also made this beauty by Susanna IC,  "Annis".

Last but not least, we both made the Rachel shawl from the same yarn, which we promised Mel we'd model.