KnittnChick

Getting back in the saddle

2006-10-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

I finally pulled out the needles and went on a knitting retreat with the Tigard Knitting Guild to our lady of sorrow retreat center. Nancy bush was the instructor, and I had a blast! I got frustrated at a few of the techniques, but found that if I was having particular difficulty, that I needed to go out in the hall and practice without all of the noise.

I admired Nancy Bush before the classes, but I have a newfound respect for her. She's incredibly down to earth and easy to talk to. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I was a little starstruck to be sure. When I told her that, she reminded me that she was just a normal person. I honestly knew that, but I guess that reading her books I found her patterns and techniques to be so amazing, I figured she must float in the air when she walks. I'm teasing a bit, but I do think her designs are fabulous, and she was really incredible to be around.

I did have one thing happen that wasn't so pleasant, but it is par for the course in a diabetic's life. I just wish it would've waited for the retreat to be over. It was a bit embarassing, but nice to know that some in the guild consider me more than just another knitter. I had two spots of cellulitis on my abdomen, and a nurse in the group felt it best if I go to the ER. Probably a good idea, as one had an abscess, but I'm on antibiotics now, so things should be shaping up here soon.

I was a bit concerned going to a Catholic facility. I had hoped that religion wouldn't be the center of attention, and that we could go on knitting uninterrupted. There was no reason for me to be concerned once I met the nuns. They were just people too. There was one nun that I lovingly called 'the rebel nun'. She told us how she was always late to mass, and that all of the nuns went to bed at 10pm, and they'd ask her when she was going to bed. She'd tell them 'Whenever I get there'. She was such a hoot. There was one nun there whose smile seemed to beam across the room like a lighthouse. The lodgings were modest, but very peaceful. The food was incredible! I didn't get a chance to roam the grounds, but heard they have very peaceful trails. I will be going back if ever I need a reflection period. It'd be the perfect place.

We heard that the nuns love ham. They only get it if someone donates a ham to them. So, many of us are going to be buying them a nice ham for Christmas. They very much deserve it.

I guess this weekend was educational in more ways that one. Successful authors and nuns can be people too. I'm not sure why I expected certain things of them, normally I don't think things like that.

Long Awaited

2006-09-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know I've not been posting...it has been a rough few months since my Grandmother passed away. Thank you for caring enough to wonder where I've been. I've not been knitting much at all, and been to very few guild meetings. I'll be back soon.

Goodbye Grandma, I'll miss you

2006-05-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

On May 25th at about 1am my Grandmother, Alta Wilburn passed away from a fatal heart beat. She had broken her shoulder and had had a heart attack, aside from her primary billiary cirrhosis, scoliosis, and polymyositis, which she had suffered from for a long time. This post is dedicated to her and how much she meant to me. She had 4 Children, 7 Grandchildren, and 2 Great Grandchildren. Other survivors include: Her Mother, Step-Father, brother, and her sister.

Alta was born on October 19, 1938 to Grace Mabel Reed-Green and John Marshall Green in Mountain view Arkansas. The family eventually moved to Leedy, Oklahoma, where Alta was soon joined by a baby brother, Robert Hugh, born on September 11, 1941. Unfortunately, the marriage ended somewhere around this time. Alta didn't really remember her father but did get a chance to speak with him shortly before his death in the 1980s. Eventually Alta's mother Grace was remarried to Albert Warden, and Alta was given the present of another sister, Albertine, also known as Tina (or Aunt Tene-Tene). Alta really thought her sister was her present, because she was born on Christmas Day, which was pretty neat for everybody else, but a bit difficult for her (which is a whole 'nother story!).

Alta loved living in the openness of Leedy, Oklahoma. She often recounted times spent running barefoot through the red dirt, feeling the hotness of it beneath her feet. She had much room to run and explore over the family's many homestead acres. She recounted fondly happy times spent riding horseback with her brother Bob and cousin Leon on a horse named Pearl. They all piled on the poor horse, it's a very good thing they were all small at the time.

Alta recounted the perils of being chased by a mother copperhead when she ventured too near her nest, going to the Nazarene Church in Leedy, the Red Star cemetery where all the family is buried, having a treat at the General store, what sitting out a tornado in a shelter feels like and what it's like to pick cotton (and she made it very well known that she didn't like it). She described coming home in the evening brown, bruised, dirty, and very tired, but about as happy as one person could be. When Alta was a sophomore in High School, her family moved to Florence, Oregon. Some of the family had already preceded them because there was work available in the area. The family built homes in a small circle (what would now be called a cul-de-sac) on N. Loftus Rd. in Florence. Alta felt a bit alien at first. She felt like she had moved to a foreign country and wanted to go home. She had an accent and it made her so different from the others at her high school. It was cold and damp in Florence, everything felt so different. But even though Alta would always say she was shy, and even though she felt nervous about meeting new people, because of her openness, honesty and kindness she had a way of making friends, and she soon fit in and was doing quite well. She graduated from Siuslaw High School in 1956.

Alta married Gary Lee Morris Wilburn Sr. in December 1957. Their daughter Debbi soon followed and a year later came their second daughter, Tammy. Lee was in the Navy, and Alta tried to make a home for the new family at the naval bases. Alta's sister Tina recalls a time spent helping her older sister when they lived on the Navy base at Coronado Island. Alta and another Navy wife, (later to become her lifelong friend Pat) were both pregnant at the time and were craving canned Chinese food. It was a warm day and the smell of the Chinese food was getting to the two pregnant women. They asked Tina to shut the doors leading to the area they were in, leaving Tina to deal with the smell of the canned Chinese food, they got a bit of a laugh when it was ultimately the young Tina that got sick, not the two pregnant women. Alta recounted this story of God sending someone to help her in her time of need. She told this story to her daughter several times when they discussed God and how they knew in simple terms that God existed, that he cared for us and what happened to us:

"My father was stationed in Chicago. We were moving there to be with him. He was supposed to meet us at the airport but something went wrong. It turned out at the last minute he was sent somewhere on orders and there was nothing he could do about it. No one was there to meet us and mom was so young and naive, from a very small town, and absolutely lost. She was standing outside, with a small baby, and didn't know what to do. It was very cold. She hadn't prepared us for the cold weather because she didn't know how cold it was. I just had something like a light sweater on and someone went by and made a nasty remark about how "some people take care of their babies." Mom felt so terrible - they didn't stop to notice that she didn't have but the lightest weight clothes on herself and was freezing. She was so scared and was crying, not knowing what would happen next because she didn't know where my dad was and didn't know a soul in Chicago and was scared to be there in that big city by herself. Then she heard someone ask if she needed help. By that time she was sobbing so hard she said it was a miracle that the man could understand her. The gentleman was an off-duty police officer (I don't remember what he was doing there, this part of the story is a bit blurry in my memory). He took us home with him and he and his wife took care of my Mom and I until Dad came and got us. Mom said that she knew without a doubt that God had put these kind people in our paths to take care of us at a time when she was most desperate, and she never forgot them. And I never forgot the story."

Then finally, Alta and Lee had their long-awaited son Gary Lee Morris Wilburn Jr. Lee left the service, Alta became a homemaker and the family lived in Florence, Eugene, and eventually made Portland their home in about 1965.

Alta and Lee bought their first home on SE Raymond Street in about 1966 and paid about $16,000 for it. Their oldest daughter remembers them being very scared about signing the papers for something so expensive. Alta loved tending the garden and growing flowers. She ran the kids to little league, girl scouts, cub scouts, and brownies, served as chairman for the cookie drive one year (which she vowed she would never do again), and shuttled kids to camp when needed. About three years later, the family was given the great gift of all, the last child born to the family, Lori Ann Wilburn.

Alta tried very hard during this time to teach her children, as they were growing, the value of hard work. She enrolled them in a summer program picking berries and beans. Her children would leave home very early in the morning to meet the bus and would work diligently to pick their quota so that they could keep their jobs and earn enough money to pay for their school clothes each fall. That is, until they realized one morning that they just missed the bus. Oh darn. Unfortunately, this gave them the idea that if they hid behind a few cars the bus could pass by them without them being seen and, well, they could just never seem to catch that stupid bus.
A few years down the road the family was doing better financially and, having outgrown their starter home, contracted to build a larger home on acreage in Pleasant Valley. Alta again had a great time putting in her flower gardens (which her children will tell you were built with slave labor). The family enjoyed their new home and the beautiful countryside in Pleasant Valley. Unfortunately there were several things that went wrong about three years later - many pressures conspired to end the marriage and Lee and Alta ultimately divorced. This was a very difficult time for Alta. She felt very lost. She would be the first one to tell you that she made many mistakes during this period. It took some time and the help of some very good friends, but she eventually found her footing, began working and started to make a home for herself and her remaining children. (By this time, two children were no longer at home, and one was just about grown.) Time has a way of slipping by, and before she knew it, all her children were grown. Alta eventually began living with her friend Judi Spence, and it was during this time that she seemed to have some fun and experienced a bit of the freedom and maybe a bit of raucousness that she had missed during her earlier years. It was during this time, that the famous rose tattoo incident took place, for which her oldest daughter teased her mercilessly. Alta often reminded her daughter that the prior Governor Barbara Roberts sported this same tattoo and that if it was good enough for her, well she could have one, too. And that she should probably lighten up a bit. By the way, when did she get so old???

Alta's health began deteriorating very early. She was plagued with scoliosis from childhood, and it worsened so considerably that she could not straighten up to walk. Eventually she moved to Eugene to live with her mother and step father and was granted total medical disability. While she used a wheelchair to get around for distance, she found she could use crutches for short distances. Unfortunately she had a number of health issues that continued to plague her, including the autoimmune illness primary billiary cirrhosis which could eventually lead to liver failure, polymyositis (a severe form of arthritis which continually attacked her muscles and led to severe muscle weakness) and developing heart problems which were leading to congestive heart failure.

When her health continued to deteriorate, Alta moved into Assisted Living in Oregon City. It was a difficult transition for her, but as always, Alta made friends wherever she went, and she fit in well, eventually becoming a bingo-shark and teaching the other residents the game of Skip-Bo.

Unfortunately Alta's health declined further and after hospitalization Alta's daughter was told that because of her frail state (at this point she was about 103 lbs.) she would not be able to stay in assisted living but would need round-the-clock nursing care. Alta's daughter had just a few hours to make this decision, so she went to the director of the Assisted Living Center and asked her where she would put her mother. The Director told her about the Oregon City Health Care Center. After visiting the Center and a few other places, the decision was made. It was a tough decision, but It was the right decision.

Alta went from 103 lbs. To over 140 lbs. It's enough to say that she was worried she was gaining TOO much weight. Mind you, she complained about the food, everybody knew that, but the staff were kind, and snuck food for her from home - the things she liked - within reason. Alta hated institutional food of any kind and she could be pretty resourceful about getting what she wanted! At times it seemed Alta had a difficult time adjusting to living in the nursing home because she loved having all her "things" around her. Her daughter takes editorial license here by noting the fact that her mother was a notorious packrat (her mother, on the other hand, would slap her if she could right now). Alta's family believes even if her health had improved it would have been difficult for her to move because of the kindness of the staff at Oregon City Health Care and the attachment she had formed with them - she had made a home.

A Few things about Alta:

Her favorite flower was the Iris.
She loved music.
She enjoyed going out for Chinese Food.
If you didn't save her some of the stuffing at Thanksgiving you'd better watch out!
She used to force her son to eat liver and onions and tell him "With liver you can live" - it made him gag.
She loved dum-dum lollipops
She had a bear collection
She liked Cheetos and she ran around with orange fingers.
She loved Dr. Pepper
Once she got carried away during a water fight and ran inside the house with the hose on, full blast.
She carried all kinds of stuff in her purse, you never knew what you'd find - often it would be her teeth!
She misplaced her teeth so frequently, her daughters threatened to put ties on them like you would on children's mittens.
She had a nail polish fetish
She loved American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Phil, and Oprah
She liked to read People magazine
She was a great gardener and a good cook
She loved the movie Fried Green Tomatoes

Her Obituary appeared in the Oregonian on Monday 29th, not on the 28th as it says.
Alta Mae Wilburn
Sunday, May 28, 2006
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 1, 2006, in Wilhelm Funeral Home for Alta Mae Wilburn, who died May 25 at age 67.
Alta Green was born Oct. 19, 1938, in Mountain View, Okla. [It was actually Arkansas]She moved to Florence in 1956 and to Portland in 1964. A homemaker, she also lived in Eugene. In 1957, she married Gary; they divorced.
Survivors include her daughters, Debbi Lucas, Tammy Jones and Lori Bjornstrom; son, Gary; mother, Grace Beier; sister, Tina Senften; brother, Jerry Warden; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Remembrances to the Arthritis Foundation.

Hard dives and hard drives

2006-05-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we all know what hard dive stands for. As for hard drive.....

Not to be outdone, my laptop needs surgery too now. It has the death rattle! I did coax it out of the coma long enough to grab some cherished patterns that I hadn't backed up yet, but I was unable to get my purchased sock pattern pdfs. I'll keep working on it. I'm really kicking myself for not backing those up. I kept saying that I'd do it later. I guess because my laptop isn't really that old I didn't expect it to die anytime soon.

I'm healing slowly, but healing. There have been some interesting complications (broken blood vessels in the eyes, peripheral edema, numbness and tingling in the opposite hand, coughlactationcough) but enough about that...how about a bruise photo? Aww, you know you want to see a good bruise. I'm nice enough not to show what's under the bandage though :)

I go get my pain pump taken out tomorrow. If you look closely, you can see there is a tube where the tape is creased. I don't usually post photos of myself, so you can't tell that I am very swollen. I was told this is normal, but my ankles really have the swelling down to an art. I can actually feel the fluid moving as I walk.

I'm not able to knit yet, and I'm really getting antsy to knit something. Anything! I'm getting my fiber fix by keeping soft yarns with me at all times. I can't knit it, but I can become one with it.

What's white and yellow with purple all over?

2006-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Back from Surgery

2006-05-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

This email has been typed up beforehand, and will be sent manually by me when I am home from surgery. Most likely I'll be feeling crummy, but I wanted to notify you that I am home and probably on my way to sleep on the couch. If I feel well enough, I'll add some comments below the dashes.

Heather

------------------------------------------

had to stay overnight, home now. Very sore, but already making progress.

Second try at surgery

2006-05-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Surgery has been rescheduled for tomorrow at 7:30am. Assuming it doesn't get cancelled again, working shoulder, here I come!

Wanna hear something funny? The second I got home my blood sugar and temperature were both normal. They were only abnormal in the hospital. Go figure.

Surgery no-go

2006-05-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

I was all ready for surgery this morning. Don and I were in the little room for a few hours when they told me that my blood sugar was very high and my white cell count was as well. I knew my blood sugar was, but they had told me not to take any insulin...so I didn't. Then they took my temperature...99.5. When my blood sugar gets very high it tends to up my temperature, but I've never seen it go over 99. So....I had some insulin and waited. I started to feel that it was coming down. They rechecked my temperature...100.7. Not. good. My surgeon and anesthesiologist decided it would be best if I get on some antibiotics and then do the surgery on Thursday. I guess this was just a surgery drill.

Heather's gifts

2006-05-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

A very good friend sent me this, and it sent me into a soul-searching journey to find my own gifts.

When God first made the world, He looked at the bare and barren hillsides and thought how nice it would be to cover them with some kind of beautiful tree or flower. So he turned to the Giant Oak, the biggest and strongest of all of the trees he had made, and asked him if he would be willing to go up to the bare hills to help make them look more attractive. But the oak explained that he needed a good depth of soil in order to grow and that the hillsides would be far too rocky for him to take root.
So God left the oak tree and turned to the honeysuckle with its lovely yellow flower and beautiful sweet fragrance. He asked the honeysuckle if she would care to grow on the hillsides and spread her beauty and fragrance amongst the barren slopes. But the honeysuckle explained that she needed a wall or a fence or even another plant to grow against, and for that reason, it would be quite impossible for her to grow in the hills.

So God then turned to one of the sweetest and most beautiful of all the flowers - the rose. God asked the rose if she would care to grace the rugged highlands with her splendour. But the rose explained that the wind and the rain and the cold on the hills would destroy her, and so she would not be able to grow on the hills.

Disappointed with the oak, the honeysuckle and the rose, God turned away. At length, he came across a small, low lying, green shrub with a flower of tiny petals -some purple and some white. It was a heather.

God asked the heather the same question that he’d asked the others. "Will you go and grow upon the hillsides to make them more beautiful?"

The heather thought about the poor soil, the wind and the rain - and wasn’t very sure that she could do a good job. But turning to God she replied that if he wanted her to do it, she would certainly give it a try.

God was very pleased.

He was so pleased in fact that he decided to give the heather some gifts as a reward for her willingness to do as he had asked.

Firstly he gave her the strength of the oak tree - the bark of the heather is the strongest of any tree or shrub in the whole world.

Next he gave her the fragrance of the honeysuckle - a fragrance which is frequently used to gently perfume soaps and potpouris.

Finally he gave her the sweetness of the rose - so much so that heather is one of the bees favourite flowers. And to this day, heather is renowned especially for these three God given gifts.

I realize that my biggest gift is friends who would send me something like this to make me feel special.

Surgery

2006-05-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I'm having shoulder surgery on Monday. My surgeon is a knitter (not to mention a very respected surgeon, lol), so I'm confident that she'll do a great job. I'm having open surgery, not arthroscopy since there is so much instability and likely to be more than one issue that needs fixing.

I'm not really concerned with the procedure itself, I have a lot of confidence in my surgeon. I am concerned with anesthesia though...my family has troubles with anesthesia. I've woken up during surgical procedures before. I've expressed this concern with my anesthesiologist who has assured me that he will monitor me very carefully.

I went in to my surgeon's office today, and she was so impressed with my booga bag. Funny thing is, she's an incredible knitter and could make one in her sleep. She knits all of her clothes that she wears in the office, and brought in this gorgeous sweater she made. It has lots of bobbles and cables and the finishing was incredible. I bet that knitting has helped her dexterity with preforming surgeries...I'll have to ask her about it. I told her I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with a wool shoulder. She commented that it would probably hold together better than my current shoulder.

Okay, off to get ready, not much time.

In lieu of flowers, send yarn. *lol*

Wish me luck...I won't be able to knit for a while....I'll blog when I can.

Wanna know what I've been doing?

2006-05-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Do ya? Really? Are you sure?

Please send food and a port-a-potty.

There's another hank after this one....please send all fiber wishes this way that it isn't nearly as bad as this one's been. It didn't really help that this hank has a knot every foot or so. Okay, enough blogging, back to the hank from hell.

Why my Mom is so wonderful

2006-05-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you guys know, my Mother is a glass artist, bead maker, and all around craft goddess. She went to the Oregon Glass Guild and Portland Bead Society event at the Oregon Convention Center, and the Portland Handweavers Guild was there! She called me tonight and said that she had a surprise for me. Of course, I jumped in the car and raced over there. She bought me two hanks of Teresa Ruch designs 4 oz bamboo in the most gorgeous colorway, and what my Mom thought was some mohair roving, but it is actually just very hairy yarn. It is 60 yards of Yipee tie-dye yarns in Aurora B colorway. It is gorgeous, but Mom was upset that it wasn't roving.

This is the gorgeous bamboo yarn. I'm sorry that the picture is a little blurry, but it was the best picture for showing the color. Mom said it reminded her of a peacock, and I agree. I'm thinking of making a shawl out of this...I have no idea which one to make though!

This is the Mohair Yarn. Gorgeous colors as well!

Separating the singles, so that you can see that it isn't roving. Poor Mom.

:( I'm still trying to convince her that I love this in yarn form!

Uh oh! I took the bamboo label off and it immediately tangled itself into a huge mess. I have a lot of work ahead of me....but it will be worth it in the end! (I think I can...I think I can...I think I can....)

Booga bag and Comments

2006-05-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Karen commented: Your handspun looks great! I really like the green skein. Are you using the drop spindle that you showed on your blog a few months back?

Thank you so much! I think it is by far the most even yarn I've spun, and I'm really proud of it. Yes! I do have another one that I bought a while back because I was having problems with that one. Do you remember how the first one I got in my kit was split, so the hook kept falling out? This one was also split but it didn't have the hook problem. The more I use it, the looser the hook gets. I've only test spun the new one, because I'm rather used to this one. Thank you for getting my yarn and needles to me so fast, that really was incredible service. If anyone in blog land is looking for a customer service oriented supplier, I highly recommend Karen.

Patti commented: As far as I'm concerned, Noro has improved over the years, at least as far as vegetable matter. Some I get no knots, but even when I do get some, not as many as before. I've used Noro (various yarns) for probably 10 years or so and I think they've heard the complaints. I don't worry about the knots if I'm felting as they don't seem to show. I completely agree with your assessment of Marge Wiley. She is the best. Patti

As I was knitting with it, I did come across a few knots, but nothing that would be considered excessive. Yeah, Marge is such a wonderful woman. When I was sitting down with her to go over the Shop Hop stuff, she wasn't just interested in the bottom line of how everything would work, she actually asked about me. She was interested in what I was knitting, how long I have been knitting...it was surprising to me. With the majority of the vendors and stores we have a strictly business relationship (with the exception of Karen, who is also a very friendly woman) so it was surprising that she wanted to get to know me. I hope you had fun on the Shop Hop! I was so tired (not to mention sick) that I think I was mostly just there in a physical sense. My Mother thanks you for your support, by the way. I'm working on getting her website up, and you'll be able to see things she's made in the past, things she's just finished, and her thoughts for future products once it's done. You can see a gallery of sorts on there now.

I finished the Booga bag, and it was such a fun knit! It was really fun watching the beautiful colors of the Noro emerge. I had enough yarn left over for a little coin pouch. Sadly, I got carried away with the felting and created a mini-booga. I still love it though!

This is the bag hanging from my front door after blocking.

This is the coin pouch I made. I thought a zipper might not work, but it really does! The sewing matted the felt down enough that it doesn't get caught in the zipper. You can sort of see how it is connected to the bag. I attached a key ring to the inside handle and had already sewed a key ring to the coin pouch before felting it. I just connected them together.

Open view of the coin pouch

Closer view of the sewing job of the zipper on the side. I started by pinning the zipper on, then used sewing thread to attach it. I went over that with the Noro yarn just because I thought it would be more secure.

Booga Bag and KSH Capelet

2006-05-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

I ordered two balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze and needles from Two Swans Yarns to make a capelet. (Thanks for the super fast shipping Karen!) I think I'll wait until the Booga bag is finished to start this one, because it will need all of my attention. (I'm not great at knitting lace, so I have to be sure to devote my full attention to it)

On the Shop Hop I usually just want to walk around and play with all of the fiber-y goodness, then come back to buy stuff. I went back to Wool 'N Wares yesterday to get the stuff for my booga bag.

I've never knit with Noro Kureyon before, mainly because I've heard many stories of vegetation and knots. I've only gone though one skein, but I haven't encountered any knots, and very minimal vegetation. So far, it is a very fun knit. I love watching the striping because the colors are blended so well.

If you are ever in the West Linn area, be sure to visit Wool 'N Wares. The owner's name is Marge, and she's the sweetest woman you'll ever meet. She wasn't there yesterday, she's having a rough time right now. If you could take a moment and send a nice thought her way, I'd appreciate it :D. Never underestimate the power of knitters!

How not to dye roving with Kool-Aid

2006-05-03T01:45:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the order of the photos, blogger doesn't seem to want to put the way I want them, it must choose some random order.

I thought It'd be fun to try to dye roving with Kool-Aid, so I did a little research and set up in the kitchen. I picked some colors, followed instructions, then knocked over the cups containing the Kool-Aid all over the roving. What should've been a beautiful purple green and yellow turned into a muddy brown and putrid yellow. There are some spots where you can see my intended colors, but boy are they few and far between. In spite of all of this, I spun some of it up and it doesn't look too bad. I know I can use it for something. Maybe. Hopefully.

Here's some of the best spinning I've done yet! I'm so pleased with how I'm doing.

This is how the brown/yellow/purple mess spun up. Really, it wasn't as bad as it looked in roving form.

Well, try and try again. This time I went with a pink, red, and dark red. This one turned out much, much better.

This is the best parts of the mistake dyed roving. The other parts look rather brown and muddy green. I love the purple in it, though.

I also went out and got some more pre-dyed Targhee top roving, and I had bought a pound of Corriedale Cross while on the Shop Hop, so I've got lots of spinning to do.

Now that the Shop Hop is over, I'll have more time to do blogging. It was a great time, but it was a lot of work. See some photos and a synopsis here.

Guild meeting - Spinning!!!

2006-04-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

This month's guild meeting was just up my alley! Trish Andersen from Tanglewood Fiber Creations came and brought lots of roving, handspun, and her spinning wheel. She told us that she was giving each of us a spinning wheel. (be still my heart) I whispered to my tablemates that I hoped she was serious. She gave us paperclips. *lol* I got tired of the paperclip and pulled out my spindle. This is what I spun while there:

Do you see how it is so much more even than what I was doing? I really think it was the roving, to be honest. It just flowed so easily. When I came home and tried to spin with my other roving, it was like trying to spin steel wool. I was more fighting with it than spinning it. It made me want to track Trish down and ask her for more roving! I love the colors it made.

She also generously donated a hank of her own homespun for the shop hop!

DIY Knitting Needles

2006-04-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hubby took me out for Chinese food the other day, and they had the cutest chopsticks. I decided I wanted to try to turn them into knitting needles. I did it! (with a lot of help from hubby, of course) I still want to put something on the ends, but that's the easy part.

This is the chopeedles getting their staining.

This is after putting wax on them. Not too bad if I do say so myself. I can't wait to find something to put on the tops. Maybe fimo clay, or maybe I'll get my mom to make beads. That might be too heavy though....we'll have to see.

Spinning

2006-04-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

I think I'm getting better! It's not too fun trying to spin with my arm on my knee to support my shoulder, but at least I can spin!

This picture shows my progression. From right to left you can see how it is getting more even.

The first handspun yarn is overlapped on the newer parts.

This is how my spinning is now. I still have a lot of room for improvement, but at least I'm not getting slubs that are the size of golfballs ;)

Lookie what my Mom made me!

2006-04-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Aren't they gorgeous? These ones are just for me, but she's made many, many more for the shop hop that I haven't gotten pictures for yet.

I hope you like yours, Karen, they should be arriving any day now!

Quiz time!

2006-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Which Biological Molecule Are You?

You are a neurotransmitter. You believe in the good-naturedness of man's biology and soul. You're happy, everyone's happy, and no one will ever take that away from you. Or else you'll make them go insane.
Take this quiz!

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Your Mood Ring is Purple

Sensual
Clear mind
Purpose is known

Mood Ring Generator

I'm a bad, bad blogger

2006-04-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

I know I've been very sporadic in my postings. I'm sowwy :( I've been busy with the shop hop, but also I've been frustrated with blogger. It just doesn't work as well as I hoped it would. In any case, I've not been knitting a whole lot, since knitting does aggrivate my shoulder. I have been knitting some though.

This is the handspun that I did a while back, and just never took it off of my spindle. Here it is drying. The bigger slubs are on the outside, since they were the first spinning I did. The insde ones are more uniform because I started getting better :)

These are the Hooray For Me Gloves that I did. They fit well, but I had to modify it for my sausage fingers. Next time I think I'll make the cuff longer too. This is made out of KnitPicks Sock Yarn in Flower Power.

This is a sock for my Mother. I'm working on the second one now. The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. It is the same pattern that I used for my Snapdragon socks, but this colorway is Crayons by KnitPicks.

My Mom is so wonderful!

2006-03-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

I realize it has been awhile since I posted. I'm sorry :( My shoulder has been giving me some trouble, I'm working hard on the Shop Hop, and I'm creating a website for my Mother.

She quit smoking, by the way! Please send your congratulatory comments to her via my comments :)

My Mother decided to make some stitch markers with her hand made glass beads for the shop hop, (isn't she wonderful to do this for me?) and you've got to see these to believe them. The big beads are handmade glass, and they feature sterling silver and swarovski crystals. I haven't put the pictures up yet on the shop hop blog, so you're getting a sneak peek here! Since I'm having trouble putting them up with blogger, I'm going to use Hello to put them up, and I can only put one per post in, so please excuse the one picture per post :) Please leave comments about them! My Mom is incredibly humble (in my opinion) and just doesn't see how talented she is. I guess it is just like us with our knitting, we can always see our own mistakes and how much we can improve. Personally, I look at her beads and see incredible talent....do you? I will call her and tell her each and every comment you leave, so please leave comments for her!

Maroon and green stitch markers

2006-03-22T17:22:00.002-08:00

Mom's stitch markers

I think these are my Mom's favorite stitch markers. The camera doesn't do the colors justice really, but the maroon is a very deep color. You can see the trapped bubbles better in this picture. All of the stitch markers feature sterling silver and swarovski crystals. (a couple of them don't have crystals, but they do have sterling silver)They are normally priced at $28, but the shop hop participants will get a 15% discount for $24 a pair. At her gallery, the stitch markers would probably sell for over $40, since the materials alone are worth more than $28.

Blue and green stitch markers

2006-03-22T17:22:00.001-08:00

Mom's stitch markers

I think the hearts at the bottom are just so adorable. I wish I could've gotten a closer picture of them, but the flash kept doing funny things with these.

Pink flower stitch markers

2006-03-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Mom's stitch markers

I really think this pair is so cute. I'm going to have a very hard time letting these go on the shop hop!

Green with create stitch markers

2006-03-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

Mom's stitch markers

These stitch markers are gorgeous, aren't they? If you look closely, you can see that there is a bubble trapped in the white/clear part. That is on purpose, and takes quite a bit of skill. I personally tried these ones out, and it looks like the ring at the top would catch yarn, but it doesn't.

Picture of the lot of stitch markers

2006-03-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Mom's stitch markers

This is a picture of the stitch markers Mom has made so far. I'm not sure is my favorite, I think they're all gorgeous!

I'm here, but not here ;)

2006-03-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

First, just had to add my medal and gloat a little. I worked hard, even injured, and did it. I'm trying to shove the fact that had I not been injured it would've been waaaay too easy out of my mind :P I thought because I would be learning new things that it would be difficult, but I think I either underestimated myself or completely got the gloves wrong *lol*

If you'd like to see the blogging I'm doing for the Tigard Knitting Guild Shop Hop, click here. All of the volunteers are working hard to try to make this the biggest knitventure yet! It really is difficult and challenging to put something like this together, so hug your nearest voluteer today!
(If you want to see pictures of my snack foods and painted toenails, go see the Lorna's Laces I was widing around cards lol)

Injured, but not down for the count

2006-02-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Patti Asked:

Your mittens are great. After seeing you the other night, I'm surprised you can knit at all. How long will you be in the sling?

I've been out of it for the most part now, but I do have to use it now and then. My doctor doesn't want me to get stiff, so I have to move it. I am starting physical therapy soon. It was difficult, but I'd probably knit 5-15 minutes every hour or so. I was determined to finish! I'm very glad I picked this project now. I hope you're going on the shop hop! I'm so excited, I can't wait!

Slow and steady wins the olympics!

2006-02-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

I did it! I knit on them a few minutes each hour and finished the convertible gloves. Yes, the cuff is ginormous, but I like them that way ;) This pair will be given to my Mom. I hope she likes them!

This was my first pair of mittens, and I had to learn several new things. I'm very glad I picked this project, but if I were at 100% I think it would've been a little too easy, and I'd have had to add things to feel like I had accomplished anything. However, with the injury, it added a new barrier, and is probably good for my shoulder to knit.

And don't forget to check out the Tigard Knitting Guild Shop Hop blog! I'm on the committee this year and am helping set it up. It will be so much fun, come join us if you can!

Very little knitting going on

2006-02-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my knitting. I can knit for a few minutes at a time, and I finished the first mitten. I think if I keep knitting for a few minutes and then putting it down, I just might finish.

Don't forget about the Tigard Knitting Guild shop hop y'all! I'm on the committee to help set it up. We're gonna have a great time, and we'd love to have you there. I'll be posting updates on the blog as to what we're doing. click the link to watch our progress!

Knitter Down!

2006-02-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was in the bathroom at Borders, there was an overflowed toilet. Someone deliberately stuffed too much paper down the toilet to take me out of the Knitting Olympics. "Whyyyyyyyyyy? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" I suspect Tonya Harding. Anyway, I slipped on the water and got my arm caught in a rail. My shoulder is dislocated. I go tomorrow to the orthopedic surgeon to find out what needs to be done. Dammit. Keep a sharp eye out for Tonya Harding, people.

JenLa Blog problems

2006-02-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

Debi wrote:

Heather- I told both Jen and La about your problem. Have you emailed Jen directly?

I've been able to find a yahoo address for La and sent her an offline IM about it, but because I can't even access their site, let alone their blog, I can't find any contact info for Jen. It is really driving me nuts. I'm thinking it is a problem between my isp and their host. I've contacted my isp and it was just pointless. I knew they'd blame it on someone else. The error I get is:

ForbiddenYou don't have permission to access /jenlablog/index.php on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.knottygirls.com Port 80

I can't even get to the knottygirls site...I get the same error. It really is driving me crazy, because I loved reading their blog. I can still see the titles of their blog entries because I have it set up on my yahoo page, so it is just heartbreaking.

Day one....

2006-02-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

I got the ribbing done for the cuff. I knew that part would be no problem ;) Now comes the harder part. Hope everyone is doing well in their projects! If Jenifleur or LA are reading this: *sob* I still....can't....*sob*....see....your....*sob*....blog! *sniffle*

The Knitting Olympics in the Oregonian

2006-02-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Did you happen to see the article in the Oregonian about the Knitting Olympics? If not, you can go HERE and view it online. It will ask you for your zipcode, but they don't make you give your life history to view it. If you want to put in another zipcode than your own, put mine in :) 97132. In any case, it is a great article about how Portlanders are gearing up for the Knitting Olympics. It also has locations where you can go to sit with other Olympians and knit. If you haven't signed up for the Knitting Olympics, I'm afraid you are too late to sign up, but you can knit along! See if you can push youself to do something. This is supposed to be something you can possibly accomplish, but something that pushes you, or something new to learn. Some people are going completely psychotic and doing intricate lace or intricate fair isles, which for me would be enough to get me a brand spanking new white straight jacket. If that is a realistic goal for you, than I applaud you. There are now more Knitting Olympians than there are Sport Olympians! Isn't that amazing? The knitting community never ceases to amaze me. Go team DPN!

More Pictures of Leavenworth, WA

2006-02-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

As promised, more pictures of Leavenworth:

Practice proves challenging

2006-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

I decided that I should do a practice project before the knitting olympics. I decided to try the Hooray for me gloves. I understand the concept of double knitting, and I understand the concept of double knitting the fingers. However, there is some break in my ability to do so. First, I frogged the first finger because there was something holding the finger closed (the lifeline DUH) then when I reknit the first finger, I forgot to add the extra cast on stitches. Of course, I remembered the cast on stitches when I was working on the second finger. When I was choosing a project for the knitting olypics I wanted to make sure this would be something I could possibly finish, but something that I would have to push myself to do and to learn something new. The hood over these will be something that I've never done even if I do finish the hooray for me gloves, but I've just gotten so darn upset with this project I feel even more discouraged. *sigh* I guess I'll put the HFM gloves down for a while so I don't psych myself out.

Driving under the knitfluence

2006-02-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

After hours and hours of driving, we got to watch this beautiful sight. We got probably 8 inches of snow, and it was beautiful. I didn't get much knitting done, mostly because I had to watch my back for flying snowballs (I can't tell you how badly I wanted to push my brother into a snow bank) but partly because my hands were so cold. I got home late last night and am now just trying to rest up for the knitting olympics. I have a feeling it will be a little tough, I did something to my shoulder while in Washington. More pictures and blogging later...

We interupt this knitting blog...

2006-01-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

I will be gone for one week starting Thursday. My brother will be graduating his program, and my parents, my brother and I will be going to Leavenworth for a family retreat. I'm bringing my camera to take some pictures, however I am afraid the battery may not last. I am bringing the charger as well, but I just don't get much life out of the battery anymore. I know, I have to replace it, but with one of our cars acting up, I'm afraid to purchase anything that isn't absolutely necessary.

On the knitting front, I've done very little knitting the last week. I'm not sure what I ate, but I've had hives the last few days. Every time I tried to knit, I'd get the urge to scratch and drop a bunch of stitches. It got to be too much. Now I'm packing yarn for the trip and I have no idea which yarns to bring. I just know that the yarns I don't bring I'll end up wishing I had brought them.

Had our guild meeting last Thursday and it was great! Our theme for this year will be "In the garden". That means that we will have to knit something that has to do with a garden. Maybe it will be knee pads or a flowery shawl. My Snapdragon socks qualify, but they will be well worn by the time we bring them in, which will be revealed January 2007.

I've decided to go for the TKGA Masters knitting. Lesson 1 is going to cost $117 That is the $27 or the membership and $90 for the lesson. Ouch. It will be worth it though.

Knitting Olympics

2006-01-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take The Yarn Harlot up on her Knitting Olympics challenge. When my Mother and I were in Leavenworth I got this book of old patterns of gloves and mittens. The pattern is difficult to understand, but I've been wanting to try these fingerless mittens with a mitten hood. Hard to explain, but they are basically like a convertable mitten. I've never done mittens before, and will have to learn several new things on this project.

On the snapdragon front, I did finish the second sock, and I am on to my Mother's colorway of the same pattern.

Hard time

2006-01-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

I see now that I posted that one sock as a FO. D'oh! It was one sock that I had finished, not both of them. Some of you have contacted me privately, and yes, I have been distracted. I got back in town last night. My Mother and I made a trip to take my brother to rehab. It was a very necessary trip, but we had a fun sidetrip as well. We went to Leavenworth, Washington. It is a bavarian village that just has to be seen to be believed. We hit a tail end of a snowstorm, so there was fresh snow on the ground (quite a bit in spots) and it was breathtaking. We stayed for two nights in a beautiful cabin. My mother said the view from our balcony looked like Sweeden. It was quite beautiful. If you have a chance to visit Leavenworth, take it!!

I see I also neglected to thank Kate for sending some spare stash for my project with my Cousin's group home. I'm getting more needles together, and then should be going over when I have enough. Thanks again...it will really help the girls to have something they can make themselves.

Christmas Punishment

2006-01-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my very swollen fingers, but please pay attention to the ring finger. Do you see that little bump? That is my punishment for leaving my knitting to the very end of Christmas. That is a corn from my needles rubbing on my hand. No one ever warned me that if you wait until the last minute, you may end up wearing corn pads on your hands.

Snappy Sockies FO!

2006-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

These pictures are of the first finished snappy sock! The fit is amazing and the pattern was so much fun. I got a little carried away on the foot and when I tried it on, it was wayyyy over my toes, and I hadn't even gotten to the toe decreases yet. I ripped it back about four inches and did the toe decreases. I really love this pattern. I had never done the forethought heel (AKA in-place afterthought heel) and it was much easier than picking up stitches. Not to mention I love the bullseye that it created on the heel. On to the next sockie!

Isn't spam wonderful?

2006-01-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

No, I really mean it! I get a hearty laugh every time I open my inbox and see the rediculous titles on this spam. For instance, some spam I got today:
seat try prexy it
on Killy, it's jog
Nancey, the marsupial
coat coolheaded
soldiery
Re: so cancel as republican
alkaloid see parameter be chairmen
confederate eisner
you swim on promote
handgun on statuette strickland precinct it's pensacola ! as , acidulous

So, I get pictures in my head of Nancey the Marsupial and statuettes with handguns. HA! Ah, nothing better than cheap entertainment. Then again, I am easily amused. Now on to the knitting content.

This washed out picture is of the sock I'm currently doing. I had a hard time at first with the forethought heel (AKA in place afterthought heel) but now that it is done I'm pretty satisfied with it. I wish I could have gotten a profile picture of it, but ze needles just refused. Maybe at a later time. :)

I named the Ipod. Her name is....

*Drumroll please*

Merino!

I thought of naming her Merina, since that was probably a better name for a female Ipod, but I decided she just had to be a little different. (Plus it'll be easier for me to remember) I took Karen's advice...partly. *lol* I don't really have a favorite brand of yarn yet, but I do loooooove Merino wool. So, Merino it is! This is the sweater I knitted for her. Just a little something to keep her scratch-free until I knit the real one. I'm going to be knitting Grumperina's Ipod cozy for her eventually.

Well, I rang in the New Year the usual way, toasting Nyquil with my husband. It's a tradition, why break it? We have bronchitis. Every New Year brings bronchitis to this household. Yippee skipee. So, I'mb ob to beb.

Unnamed Ipod

2005-12-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Unnamed Ipod

This is what hubby bought me for Christmas. It is unnamed as of yet, and I'm just starting to learn how to use it. I did download itunes initially, but when it messed up my laptop, I decided anapod might be a better solution for me. I've subscribed to a few knitting podcasts, and so far I love this thing!!!

New socks started

2005-12-27T17:33:00.000-08:00

Feather and Fan socks in Knitpicks Snapdragon

Did you notice that santa brought me two skeins of every color except one? Well, it wasn't an error, I had to start a pair at my Mom's house. These are also the new addi turbos that Santa brought as well. Santa sure spoiled me this year! This pattern is from the book santa brought "Sensational Knitted Socks" by Charlene Schurch. I love this book! There are tips for how to fit socks to different feet, which will be very nice to know. The yarn here is from Knitpicks (santa told me that they were great to order from btw) in the colorway Snapdragon. If you haven't ordered from Knitpicks before, I encourage you to do so. They have unbeatable prices, and the yarn just has to be felt to be believed. I've bought $15.00 hanks that don't compare to the $3.99 merino yarn at knitpicks.

Yarns Santa brought

2005-12-27T17:31:00.002-08:00

Yarns Santa brought

Santa sure outdid himself this year! I bet he wants more socks ;) These are all from Knitpicks. The colors are:
(clockwise from top left)
Flower Power, Snapdragon, Paper Dolls, Crayons, and Hollyberry.

Santa modeling Mom's scarf

2005-12-27T17:31:00.001-08:00

Santa Modeling Mom's Scarf

This is the yarn that Mom bought at the beach when we went there, and I picked a basketweave pattern to show off the flubbiness of the yarn. It was incredible to work with! It was an incredibly soft imported Italian Merino. Since I had given Mom her Christmas socks early, I decided she had to wait to get this one. I was supposed to bring this to my guild for our themed project of the year, which was by the sea, so it fit perfectly since we bought this yarn at the beach. Unfortunately, before I could bring it, I wrapped it. *smacks forehead* D'oh!

Santa is so generous!

2005-12-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

Tools Santa brought

Santa sure did spoil me this year! Maybe he liked the socks I knitted him this year :)

Snow, socks, and sanity

2005-12-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Karen said...
Aaargh! How frustrating! You must get the gold star, or the purple heart, or something, for Kitchenering under such adverse conditions. BTW, when I was out buying poinsettias at the local florist's today, I discovered that they had "The Scent of Christmas" by Aromatique. So I bought some candles and potpourri of it, on your recommendation. MMmmmmm!

It was very frustrating! When I took the yarn to the guild meeting and showed the ladies at my table how easily it broke, there was an audible gasp. I really do love that Smell of Christmas. It really does make my holiday. I usually get it at Meier and Frank, but they always seem to be sold out now. It just isn't Christmas to me without it anymore.

It's snowing! I love snow, but not on my new paint job *grumble grumble*

I finally finished my brother's socks. See how freakishly long the foot is? They had *better* fit! Those poor stockings....I made those stockings for my husband and myself probably 7 or 8 years ago. To me, they look rather ratty, but my husband loves them. The little bears holding the stockings my mother painted in 1991 and handed them down to me last year, I believe. I love them, but they aren't too sturdy...so I've got double stick tape holding them down ;)

Okay, now on to hubby's last *#&^@* sock. I really do love this yarn, and I think it would be great for some things, but not socks. It is going to take a Christmas miracle to get his socks done on time...he's been forewarned.

One DH Sock down

2005-12-16T12:04:00.001-08:00

DH Sock

This is one completed sock in Silky wool....I don't advise knitting socks in this yarn. I was doing the kitchener stitch on this sock and a thought came in to my mind. What happens if the yarn breaks during this? Of course, just at that time, the yarn broke.

NOOOO!!!!!!!!

Have you ever tried to kitchener with a knot in your yarn? NOT. EASY.

One Brother Sock Down

2005-12-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Brother's Sock

I'm just about at the heel on the second sock. I know I'll be sitting under the tree trying to stay awake while knitting to meet the Christmas deadline this year....heaven help me.

2005-12-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Knitting Guild Secret Santa Gift

What a wonderful night at the Tigard Knitting Guild! We had a potluck and secret santa gift exchange. I brought enough wool for a nice scarf and some Christmasy needles. I couldn't think of anything else :P This is what I got...Opal sockyarn!!! It even smells nice too ;) (think fresh lavender) What was really funny came afterwards. I was getting ready to leave, and a lady comes up to me and asks if I am knittnchick. I think my exact words were "Uh......yeah". Turns out, this lady reads my blog *and* brought the sock yarn that I picked. Talk about a small world! She also had a chocolate santa in there, which sadly I cannot have. So, I passed it to another person at my table who can have it :)

Want to help?

2005-12-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have a relative in a group home for girls who've had very traumatic pasts. I decided that I should teach them to knit, however I don't have the supplies they will need. I'm working to get them, but thought I should ask if anyone has extra needles or yarn in their stashes that are just gathering dust. If you'd like to help, please drop me an email.

So...why no pics?

2005-12-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

First, some comments:

operaknitter said... Just discovered you blog. Love it. I know exactly what you mean about the "fiber zone". I love to be there as much as possible and am very irritated when someone interrupts. What would we do without yarn? I have the book about how to knit socks on two needles, but am still on dpns. Must learn...

You kinda just have to jump in. I read Cat Bordhi's book as well (I assume that is the one you mean) and I just didn't get it from her illustrations. This site helped, and this video. From that, I just kinda learned.

Karen said... Woohooo -- so glad to see those stitch markers put to such good use!Isn't it funny how people can see what you're working on, and decide that they know what it is? I was knitting on a sweater once at Starbucks, and a lady and her little boy came in. The little boy pointed at me and asked his mom, What's she doing? The mom looked at me and said, very authoritatively, "That lady is knitting a scarf." I was just about to answer the kid myself, but since his mom seemed to Know It All . . . I just chuckled to myself.

They are my favorite stitch markers. They don't get in the way, and they're cute :)

I sometimes have to wonder if they (the people who assume almost finished garments are always scarves) are ignorant or just stupid. Seriously.....doesn't that picture look like a sock? Even worse, who thinks a sweater is a scarf? I understand if they can't tell the difference between a cardigan and a pullover, but a sock and a sweater?!?!?!? Okay, enough about that.

So, do you wonder why you've not seen a picture lately? Well, for one, my camera has decided I only get to use it for 27 seconds before shutting off. (need a new battery lol) I tried to take a picture of this mystery scarf I'm making, and I got this:

And believe it or not, this is the best one. I think it is the yarn, since it is a mohair blend. This is a magical yarn. I knit on it for an hour, check it.....and it is the same size it was before. I don't think it will ever get any bigger than this.

I decided that my Brother's Girlfriend may not have my taste in scarves, so I ripped out a foot of feather and fan, and am just going with a garter border with stockinette.

JenLa withdrawls

2005-12-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Will someone please tell Jen or La that I haven't been able to read the blog in a long while. I subscribe to the rss feed, and I get this error when trying to view it:

ForbiddenYou don't have permission to access /jenlablog/index.php on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.knottygirls.com Port 80

Which Reindeer are You?

2005-12-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

You're Rudolph - the leader of the pack! You are
full of Christmas spirit...after all, you lead
the way every Christmas eve!

Which reindeer are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Christmas Rush

2005-12-05T03:45:00.000-08:00

Down to the wire now. Of course, on the way back from the mailbox the other day I tripped over some bunched up cement and fell. I wasn't hurt badly, but my right shoulder is painful and it is now difficult to knit. I'm hoping that this clears up in a few days.

I finished Mom's beach scarf and am blocking it....sort of. This is my first blocking attempt and I never realized how much it smells like wet dog. Hmm. Anyway, I got the scarf all pinned, and then realized that if I pinned it like it was, the curvy shape wouldn't be there anymore, so I switched to plan B and just hung it up to add some length. I've been checking on it, and it seems to be doing okay.

I also started a new scarf for my Brother's Girlfriend in yarn she picked out. I really have no idea what kind of pattern she'd like, so I'm trying out a feather and fan to start with. I may switch to stockinette for the middle and just use the feather and fan on the ends...I haven't decided yet.

I know I'm not posting as much as I usually do, but things have gotten very hectic and it has been a struggle not to pluck every hair off of my head in frustration. I guess when it rains it pours, but it has been just rediculous. I won't bore you with the non-knitting garbage, but let's just say that the car fiasco continues and is getting weirder and weirder, a check written to us (for a large amount) came back NSF after we had already spent it, and a merchant charged another account that they weren't supposed to, which messed the books up. In any case, this is why I am up at 4am, just too much to think about.

Hubby still hasn't made up his mind about whether or not he wants toes on his socks. Since I'm almost at the toe decreases, he'd better hurry up and decide. This silky wool is beautiful and feels great, however I have to pick sharp things out of it every once in a while. I have no idea what it is, but it is obviously not supposed to be there. There have also been occasional knots, but as long as it isn't on the heel or sole I don't worry too much about it.

I went to an open house with Mom this weekend where she sold some of her jewlery. I was there mostly to do the lifting and setting up, so during the open house I got a little bored. I brought out my knitting. Interestingly enough, two ladies were talking about knitting, and one said she was intimidated by double pointed needles, but wanted to knit socks. I was working on hubby's socks on two circulars, so I showed her that if you can ignore the other needles, it is exactly the same as knitting flat. You are still only working with two needles at a time. (or one, in the case of circs) She said that she had the courage to try them, and I'm so glad she can know the joy of knitting socks. There were a couple of ladies that knit there, and we swapped horror stories. One lady had knitted a beautiful cotton sweater and wore it on a humid summer night. Needless to say, it ended up growing four sizes. I think we all have stories like that. I shared my ginormous santa hat I made last year. It is so big that you can't wear it. The fabric is so heavy it pulls off of your head. Oh well. I gave it to my step-dad to use as a decoration.

Hubby's socks and KIP

2005-11-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hubby's socks

I've been working on hubby's silky wool socks since he has waited for so long for a pair of socks. Yes, those are my Two Swans Yarns stitch markers, and I love them!

Okay, I was knitting on these today in the doctor's office while waiting for my brother. I've realized that I really don't like knitting in public. When I'm knitting, I'm in the fiber zone. When someone snaps me out of it to ask me what I'm knitting (for the life of me I can't understand how someone could look at the photo above and still wonder what it is....I'm so tempted to say I'm knitting a sweater) but today was the funniest KIP incident ever. I had a bunch of elderly ladies sit around me to watch me knit. One lady leaned over and asked the other lady (in an attempted whisper) Can you smell that? The other lady said no. The first one said, "Oh good, because I passed gas and I hope it doesn't smell". Well, trying to pretend I didn't hear her admit to it, I could smell what I can only describe as the most disgusting smell ever. I think it must've shown on my face, because that is when she started talking about knitting. It was very awkward...I was relieved when my brother came out.

Teh List

2005-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

1. Nothing makes my winter holidays more than The Smell of Christmas and a glass of eggnog.
2. Walking home from Elementary school, if I saw a cat that looked hungry to me, I'd bring it home and feed it. Little did I know, that I was actually a cat burglar.
3. I've never lived for more than 6 months without an animal with me.
4. When I was a toddler, I had a strange obsession with toilets.
5. I love to cook, but I rarely eat what I've made.
6. I was born deaf in my left ear, and have declining hearing in my right.
7. When the garbage and recycling people come at 4am, I'm glad I'm deaf in one ear.
8. I am an insomniac. I can go for days without sleep, and rarely sleep at night.
9. I have more scars than I can count, mostly on my legs.
10. One doctor that did some stitches in my legs said that the only model I'd ever be is a model for dull razors. I didn't find him funny.
11. I love horror movies.
12. I love going to Red Lobster, but I never order anything other than the Crab Alfredo.
13. I hardly ever wear makeup, but I'm also rarely seen without my toenails painted.
14. I love candles.
15. I have a 13 year old Umbrella Cockatoo named Matilda (Tilly for short) who is my twin soul.
16. I also have a Tri-colored Holland lop rabbit named Snickers. He's the most gentle and cuddly rabbit I've ever met.
17. Snickers and Tilly are good friends. Tilly even feeds him treats.
18. My husband is 18 years older than I am. Some people have a problem with this until they see us together.
19. I don't like the taste of coffee or beer.
20. I do drink my share of cola.
21. I'm always hot.
22. I know what menopause feels like. I was put in a medication-induced menopause for 2 years. I really don't want to do that again.
23. My husband is a gadget man. Secretly, I don't mind all the gadgets as long as I know how to use them.
24. I give pretty good massages.
25. I thrive in "creative chaos".
26. I like to try new things.
27. I don't think I'll ever have children. Mainly because I'm scared to bring them up in today's world.
28. I have a hearing aid, but I never wear it. Many people don't understand that real hearing and hearing aids are not the same.
29. I can speech-read.
30. I know American Sign Language in case I lose my hearing completely someday.
31. I'm not afraid to lose my hearing.
32. I take a first aid kit with me everywhere I go.
33. I stop for car accidents.
34. It is my dream to be a nurse practitioner.
35. I cannot stand people who don't chew with their mouths closed.
36. I love soft, fuzzy blankets.
37. I sleep with a teddy bear.
38. I am diabetic.
39. Never, never eat more than 5 sugar free Jelly Belly Beans within a 5 hour period. TRUST ME.
40. I have one tattoo. It is a permanent sign of temporary insanity. It was supposed to be a smiley face, but my "friend" thought it would be funny to leave the mouth out, so it looks like a gang tattoo or a prison tattoo.
41. I hate wearing shoes.
42. I feel most comfortable in sports t-shirts and jeans.
43. In kindergarten, I led a class revolt where we all stood on our chairs and stomped. I don't remember why, but now that I'm older it's funny as hell.
44. My Mother embarrasses easily. It must've been hard having me for a child.
45. I played soccer in high school, and play tennis now.
46. I never outgrew video games.
47. I seem very strong emotionally, but I'm really quite sensitive.
48. I am quite strong physically.
49. I have a brother who is 7 years younger than I am. Heaven help the person who tries to hurt him.
50. Heaven help the person who tries to hurt any of my loved ones, for that matter.
51. I love to make people laugh.
52. I treasure family heirlooms.
53. I admire people who struggle through adversity and overcome problems.
54. I am fascinated by the human body and how it works.
55. I am also fascinated by psychology and understanding why people behave the way they do.
56. I run an online support group for chronically ill people and their loved ones.
57. I have a photographic long term memory, but a very shoddy short term memory.
58. I love to drive. It is my place to be alone and think.
59. I hate shopping. Except for yarn :)
60. I don't mind spiders or snakes, but I don't like ants.
61. I'm afraid of water, but I force myself to swim.
62. My home is never tidy.
63. I am very eclectic. Most people would never guess I listen to rap.
64. I would love to travel to a third-world country and help in any way I could.
65. I am unable to comprehend violence, discrimination, and intolerance.
66. I am even more confused with violence against children.
67. My favorite thing to do is sit at home with my husband and animals and watch a movie as I knit or spin.

TO BE CONTINUED......

Talk about the punishment fitting the crime....

2005-11-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the punishment just has to fit the crime.

Busy? Yep. Spinning? I wish!

2005-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Karen said "I'm assuming that you are soooo busy spinning that you don't have a spare second to get to the computer to blog about it. :o)"

Well, yes and no. I'm busy, but not all because of spinning. I've gotten some of the new roving spun, very little, but some. It is very nice to work with, and I think I am starting to get the hang of it. Most of the time I can keep the fiber consistent, but then I start feeling cocky and get huge flubs. :D

I'm getting ready to make Thanksgiving dinner at my Mother's house to feed 20, but probably only 6 will show up. In non-knitting and very frustrating news, hubby and I had a clear bra on our Infiniti G35 a few weeks ago. Once the rain stopped enough for us to look at it, we saw that the job was done horribly at a local detailing shop. Today I took it to ClearBra of Oregon (also had to take the BMW in, but that's beside the point) and they said that they don't like to talk bad about others' work, but this was pretty bad. I knew it was, I just wanted them to show me exactly how it should look. We have one on the BMW that they repaired, and they were professional and friendly. Anywho, I took it back to the detailer place, and asked for my money back. They said okay. The guy asked if he could write me a check since he didn't know how to refund money on the credit card machine. (red flag, RED FLAG) I said yes and took the check to the bank it was drawn on. Of course, it was refused for non-sufficient funds. After I became what he called "unreasonable" he decided to deal with hubby. Hubby said you get me cash, or you go to jail. I guess he decided I wasn't so unreasonable after all. He made a lot of excuses and wanted to let his guy handle it. (the same guy who has 25 years of experience, although clear bras haven't been around that long, and the same guy who completely ruined the job) To add insult to injury, he said "listen baby, my guy is good." Baby?!?!?! He is *SO* lucky I left my pepper spray in the car. So, as far as letting his guy handle it, I told him absolutely not. He then told me that for him to get his money back on the clear bra that is on the car, he needs it back. SO, I made an appointment with ClearBra of Oregon to have it done Friday, and I will be giving the other guy the clear bra back. In a huge wad. :)

Broken Spindle

2005-11-19T18:18:00.001-08:00

Broken Spindle

If you look at where the hook is, do you see that line on the spindle? That is the broken part of it. If I pull on the hook the wood will break off completely. I was quite upset, but they sent me a new one, and the top whorl as I asked for.

Spinning Kit

2005-11-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

Spinning Kit

This is a picture of the spinning kit I got, with the roving they sent. The broken spindle is the bottom whorl, and the new one the is the top whorl one.

Roving ready to spin!

2005-11-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Roving

I bought this roving at Woodland Woolworks today. I'm excited about the colors, and since I got my new spindle, I can start trying it out!

First Handspun yarn

2005-11-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

First Handspun

This is my first try at hand spinning. It is very uneven and flubby, some areas are overspun, some are underspun. Overall, I'm really loving this!

Yay!

2005-11-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

I emailed the company that sent me the kit and they will be sending me a new spindle, and in the top whorl. I'll put up pictures when I get it of the whole kit.

As far as knitting content, I've only been working on my Christmas presents and Mom's beach scarf.

I've become aware that some people are having the same problems viewing my blog as I had been, though I thought it was just my computer. It only happens every once in a while, but if the text is ever missing on my blog, either reload the page or highlight it. It seems to be a blogger issue. I'll be contacting them about it.

Spinning kit blues

2005-11-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

Heather wrote:
Oh that is just awful! Especially to be so excited and have it turn out to be crap. Have you contacted the company yet to send it back?

Yes, I sent them an email. I was *very* upset when I saw the spindle. It would've been one thing if it broke in the mail, or was an accident, but it was varnished over, and had extra varnish in that area, and it may have also been glued. That just isn't right.

This proves it...I'm getting older

2005-11-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

You should have grown up during the fifties

You like simpler times when you could go to the malt shop with your sweetie and park down on lover’s lane. You also like change and imagining your bright future.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Will somone please tell these people that I'm 27 years old?!?!?!?

NOT happy with spinning kit

2005-11-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

I got my spinning kit in the mail today. I'm not happy at all. The spindle is supposed to be top whorl, but it is bottom whorl, and the hook isn't centered. It may be off center because the wood is split on one side from the top, where they put the hook in. The varnish on it is also uneven, with scratchy drippy parts all over it. The so called instructions are basically a history of spinning, not much in the way of directions. *sigh*

Cheesy stroking of the ego

2005-11-10T02:33:00.000-08:00

You Should Get a MD (Doctor of Medicine)

You're both compassionate and brilliant - a rare combination.
You were born to be a doctor.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Funny thing is, I'm looking to continue my nursing education. (since we moved back to Oregon, I've been having problems getting transcripts from my school in California, it has been a problem)

From knittn to spinnin

2005-11-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

I ordered an introduction to spinning kit and should be getting it soon. I am pretty excited! I've always wanted to spin, and I hope to someday spin on a wheel. For now, I'm starting on a drop spindle. I've decided to bag my Brother's Girlfriend's socks, as it was knitting up very oogly and stiff. I expected much more from that yarn. I am making some headway on mystery holiday gift #2, AKA Dad's socks. I'd like to make it padded, but I think that one will have to wait until I figure out how to do that. (he has arch and heel pain) I also wish I would've discovered Merino wool when I bought this yarn. I guess I'll just have to make him some more after Christmas.

FO Cherries Jubilee, AKA Mystery Holiday Gift #1

2005-11-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

This was to be Mom's Christmas socks, AKA mystery holiday gift #1, but I thought she could use them now :) I didn't get a pic of the other sock, because I finished it at her house, so I gave them to her then. This was knitpicks sock memories in Flower power, but I renamed it Cherries Jubilee, and Mom calls it Cherry Garcia. They came out great, and are very soft.

I appreciate your comments regarding the knitting police. I don't really care what they think, it is more that I just don't understand it. I had never come together with other knitters before, and it started feeling like everyone was like that, but obviously they aren't. There are one or two that I consider "knitting bullies" where it seems like their intent is to show you how everything you are doing is wrong, and they are hell-bent on showing you how to do it correctly. I've always thought that as long as my knitting stays together, how could it be wrong? I just think it is sad. In any case, I think I'll continue going, but try to stay away from the bullies.

Knitting Stereotypes

2005-11-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Since I've been venturing out more and more lately and getting in touch with other knitters, I've seen my attitudes changing. I don't know exactly how long I've been knitting, but I know it has been at least 5 or 6 years--somewhere around there. I wasn't as interested in the finished product as the therapeutic effects of knitting in the beginning, and I believe that that is why I keep several projects around, just so that when I need some knitting therapy I can grab something that I don't have to think about...it is more like meditative knitting. Everyone knows that there are two long standing stereotypes in knitting. 1-That all knitters are women or gay men. We all know that just isn't true. 2-All knitters are either Grandmothers or Expectant Mothers. Equally ridiculous. Since I've been getting out and actually being around other knitters, I've found far more stereotypes and attitudes that are really grating on my nerves.

1. Either people think I am perpetually lost, or they believe that I just am too young to know anything about knitting. I guess I'm just getting sick of the "Are you getting brave enough to venture from scarves" thing, which has happened on many, many occasions, and without knowing anything about me whatsoever. I don't think I'm doing too badly. I haven't had a single class, I've taught myself from books. The only things I haven't tried is: Mosaic knitting, Entrelac, smocking, and sweaters. You know, I really don't care what a few people think, it is just that it keeps coming up, and I'm wondering what is behind it all.

2. People criticize my knitting projects. I've had a few people comment to me about my projects I've done. No, they aren't grand projects, but it is because right now, I want to keep with things that are simple. I don't have enough confidence to branch out to bigger things, but I'm getting there.

3. Natural vs acrylic. I don't quite understand what the whole issue is. I admit, I love the feel of some of the natural fibers I've felt lately, but you just can't beat acrylic for value, durability, and washability. I might make my Mom socks in something exotic, because I know she'd take care of them, but I'd probably do something in Acrylic for a family member/friend who has a bunch of kids and a hectic career. I guess I just see pros and cons to each, when others seem either blinded or biased. To each their own I guess, but I just don't understand the whole debate. Then, there are the people who detest novelty yarns, and some people won't even shop in places that have them. My feeling is, if you don't like them, then don't buy them. I guess I just love yarn....no matter what it is made of.

Some of these things have really made me rethink the whole idea of getting out with the knitting community. The biggest issue is my age. It seems to be so important for some people to find out who the youngest person in the room is. I just don't understand it, and I really don't like it. I haven't decided what to do yet. If I can separate myself from the people who seem to only want to push their own ideas (mine are all incorrect) then things can work just fine. But...It just isn't fun when I feel so isolated in a crowded room.

I guess I just can't commit to anything...

2005-10-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead...
But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself.
You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place.
You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

How Machiavellian Are You?

Mystery Christmas Presents Time!

2005-10-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time again folks! Because some people that I do Christmas presents for read this blog, I may mention Mystery Holiday Gifts from time to time. I've secretly been working on Mystery Holiday Gift #1 for a while. I want to put a picture of it up so badly! But.....It will have to wait. Though, I must say, it is the cleanest and most professional looking project I've ever done.

Hubby wants toeless socks. (toeless socks?!?!?) I guess it will make things easier though. I've got to think of that one for a bit.

I've halted Mom's beach scarf for a while, until I can show her what it looks like. I tried to explain it to her over the phone, and it sounded like she may prefer something else. (she hasn't seen the pics yet) Like I told her, it is her scarf, and I want her to be happy with it. I really don't mind knitting it again, I LOVE the feel of this yarn. I want to make the scarf that is just perfect for her.

A note to fluffy knitter Deb: I hope things are going well, and I am thinking of you. (for those of you who don't know, her place was hit by hurricaine Wilma)

WIP Beach Scarf

2005-10-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

This is the beach scarf, folded in half. I've got a good two feet done on it, and Mom hasn't seen it to my knowledge. MOM...if you are reading this...please tell me if you like this, or you want me to go with another stitch pattern. Personally, I think it is perfect, but it is your scarf and I want you to be happy with it. This is really fun to make! The yarn is sooo soft. It really is lovely. I halfway want to frog it once I'm done, just so I can knit it again :)

I am going to have a tooth extracted tomorrow--er...today. I guess it is early am here, so later today then. Don't know how much I'll feel like knitting, but I sure will be knitting while I wait for the dentist. Although, I don't want my yarn to get that dentisty smell to it either.

Start of Beach Scarf

2005-10-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

This is the start of the basketweave on Mom's beach scarf. I think she'll like this pattern, I sure do. I think this is the best way to showcase the colors in this scarf.

It is a free pattern from Interweave's staff picks, and it is a fun pattern to do, especially with this yarn. It is so soft and wonderful to knit with. I really love the colors and the interesting texture. It is new merino wool, but it is in varying thicknesses throughout. Looooooovely!

Yarn from the Beach

2005-10-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Mom and I stopped at a yarn store at the beach and got this yarn for a scarf:

We might have gotten more, but the owner seemed not to want to stay. I asked her if she wound yarn, and she said, "Well I would let you wind it yourself, but I'm closing in three minutes, so you can't." Ooookay then. We saw another room of novelty and sock yarns and wanted to look. Since she started coming over to no doubt tap her foot at us we asked if she was open on Sunday. "I sure am not." As we were ushered out the door she said that she has a business card in our bag and she ships, and then shut and locked the door. Hmm. I will not be buying yarn there again. Would it have been too much trouble to stay until closing time to let me wind the yarn? Well, at least we walked out with this yarn here. I'm halfway surprised she even let us buy it, but if you can see the pricetag...it says $31.50.

In any case, it is an Italian new merino in varying thicknesses. I haven't decided what kind of pattern would showcase the yarn best, maybe a basketweave pattern. Any ideas guys?

Back from the Beach!

2005-10-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time at the beach, and the glass festival was great. I finished Mom's socks on the trip, and she seems very happy with them. We went to a glass shop where you can blow your own glass float. The people there assist you quite a bit, but being a novice I was happy that he did.

No, my couch isn't green, just seems that way in the picture :) That glass blob you see is a closed hook for me to hang it up. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, or if I even want to hang it up, but I'm also afraid of it rolling off of wherever I place it. If you ever get a chance to do this, try it! It looks a little intimidating when you are watching it being done, but I felt completely at ease and knew that the staff would help if I got in a bind. My Mother made a paperweight, but it hadn't cooled down in time for us to take it home, so it will be shipped.

We had two days of perfect weather, but Sunday it was very yucky out. I was sad to have to come home, but I am glad to see my stash again :)

I frogged hubby's socks and started it again in a twisted rib pattern. Hopefully this will make it stretchier.

Leigh Radford at the TKG

2005-10-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Leigh Radford brougt along her creations to our meeting of the TKG and gave a presentation to our guild. It really was a treat! We were able to touch her creations, and it was really amazing seeing all of the beautiful and unique things she has come up with. As you know, she is a local designer, author, and art director of Interweave Knits. I bought her book Alterknits, and she signed it for me.

She will be coming out with a new book called One Skein soon, and I can't wait! I love one skein creations, and with her, it has to be something new and exciting.

I had heard that she was a very approachable down-to-earth kind of gal, and it really is true. She was nice enough to unpack her books for me when I caught her to buy a book after she was all packed. (I was gabbing too much, I suppose) So, thank you Leigh for coming to our guild and allowing us to pick your brain and see all of your incredible creations.

Mom and I are going to the coast this weekend to go to the glass art festival at the Chinook winds casino. My mother is a glass artist (as well as a metal artist, painter, crocheter, floral designer, seamstress, jewelry designer, and all around super crafter and mother) and we plan on having a blast. I don't know how much knitting I'll get done, but I guess I could take a break for a couple of days. Maybe. Oh who am I kidding? I'd knit with my toes if I could.

FO Lakers Socks

2005-10-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

Lakers socks are done! The second sock went well and very fast. One of our cars wouldn't start, so after riding in the tow truck from hell (now, what are those red and white octagonal thingies again?) I knitted while I sat and waited for the damage at the car dealership. I measure everything in terms of yarn and supplies now, and I'm pretty sure I could have an entire set of Addi Turbos for the price of fixing our car. Well, in the long run it could save us money, since this is our only car that gets decent gas mileage. C'est la vie.

Have you ever been knitting while stewing over some infuriating thoughts before? I realized that I was upset when I had to frog Mom's sock -yet again- because I was knitting so tightly for so many rows and didn't even realize it. Mom, I'm really not ignoring your sock, it is just bearing the brunt of anger knitting. Funny thing is, the knitting calms me down, so there are two inches of reallllllly tight knitting, and then two inches of loose knitting. Then I get a phone call, and two inches of tight knitting are back. SO...I think I'll pick up a dishcloth project when I'm upset. If I knit the dishcloth too tightly, I'll call it a scrubbie and all is well.

The socks are heel n heel

2005-10-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am currently running a contest to see which sock will finish first, Mom's Second sock, or the Lakers Second sock. So far, Mom's sock is in the lead, but I can see the Lakers sock is planning something sinister to trip Mom's sock up. So, I'm keeping them separated so that there isn't any foul play.

In the meantime, I did another blogthings quiz:

Your Birthdate: October 11

Your birth on the 11th day of the month makes you something of a dreamer and an idealist.
You work well with people because you know how to use persuasion rather than force.
There is a strong spiritual side to your nature, and you may have intuitive qualities inherent in your make up, too.

You are very aware and sensitive, though often temperamental.
Although you have a good mind and you are very analytical, you may not be comfortable in the business world.
You are definitely creative and this influence tends to make you more of a dreamer than a doer.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

And...I saw this on Knitty. I think this is a very important thing. At first I wondered why someone would knit a breast. But, if you read the article with it, it can actually be used as a prosthetic. I wonder if I knitted some of these and gave them to a breast cancer center they'd use them. I certainly wouldn't want to offend anyone, but perhaps they'd see that I am only wanting to support their recovery. Hmm. I'll have to think about it some more. What do you guys think?

So what DOES Heather need?

2005-10-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Wendy's blog, and I just had to try it. Go to Google, and type "your name needs" and see what you get. I realized I could win a contest with the distance that I got when I tried to drink water while reading this.

1. Heather needs men....NOW!
My husband really loved that one. (but I don't think he disagreed either)
2. Heather needs a rest.
From socks?!?!? No way.
3. Heather needs a childhood.
Heather is currently living her childhood :)
4. Heather needs two therapists.
...and I'd probably convince both of them to change career paths.
5. Little Heather needs to be congratulated for defending herself from unkindness and overly high expectations when she was a child.
There isn't a thing about me that is little, but.....okay.
6. Heather needs a family that will commit to her one hundred percent.
Who needs a family to commit 35%?
7. Heather needs an environment that allows her to follow her own instincts and ambitions rather than a formal and structured classroom atmosphere.
This was just spooky. I wish my school teachers had google back then.
8. Heather needs a cape to tire her bull and prepare it for the kill.
Shh...don't tell my apartment manager that I have a bull hiding in the closet.
9. Heather needs to start wearing a brassiere.
...because she's starting to look like she belongs in an issue of National Geographic.
10. I know that might annoy some conservatives, but Heather needs at least two mommies.
It may annoy conservatives, but my Mother is howling with laugter right now.

Lakers Sock Done

2005-10-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Lakers Sock No 1 Done

I was on a finishing streak, so I decided to finish the Lakers sock while I was at it. All in all, I'm rather happy with it. Though, I had forgotten to change the last 10 stitches direction and first did the kitchener stitch in the wrong direction. I had to rip it out and rearrange the stitches. It's a learning experience I guess. This sock fits me pretty well! I think I need to start using scrap yarn as stitch markers, I can see where they were in the knitting. I guess it may have something to do with the fact that I am a very tight knitter. In any case, I'm done with this one, on to the next. Then I'll try hubby's silky wool socks in the 2 socs 2 circs method.

WIP updates and Mom's sock FO!

2005-10-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

I am working on Mom's Second sock, so far so good:

This is the first Mom's sock, all finished and happy:

And here is the progress on the Lakers Sock:

TKG Meeting on the 20th...I'll be there! Can't wait to see you there Lori :D Now that I have an empty set of DPNs, I'm thinking about the next socks I'll make. Hubby has been waiting for some time for his socks to be finished, so I think they'll be for him. I wonder what kind of pattern I'll use. I think I'll ask him tonight, but I'm sure he'll say that he doesn't really care as long as it fits. Although, I bet if I made him a lacy sock he might not wear it outside the house.

Lakers Progress

2005-10-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Lakers progress

I worked on it somewhat last night, and am done with the gusset decreases. I know it looks a little funny with the heel stretched out, but I had just tried it on before taking the picture. I'd like your guys' opinion. Do you see a "W" anywhere in the sock? I'm thinking it is W for WIN! Meaning I'll finish the sock with no problems. Or, it could be that the sock read my blog, and agrees that I'm weird. Who knows :P

Michelle Lim said...
Hey Heather,I just clicked through from Karen's Twoswans site and saw the cool samples you knit up. Glad to see that you're using them!Close Knit made sure to mention to me that the Regal Art Silk has yardage - I think 163 yards ? So, for the price tag, it's not a bad price. Most silk skeins only have about 80 yds or so. so, this is a deal! and handpainted too.of course, the debt is softened by the 15% discount coupon they've extended to us.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I didn't look at the yardage. It sure was beautiful to knit with, that much is for sure! Thanks again for organizing the shop hop. It was the perfect day, and a bit of a vacation for me. I really want to express to you that things have been tough in my life lately, and this really did give me the break I needed. I'm sure you know that you (and your other volunteers...can't forget them!) gave a lot of knitters a joyous day, but I wanted to express that you also helped in other ways. If you have another planned, let me know, I'd be glad to help!

A little flustered with the circs

2005-10-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

I think I'm not going to be looking in the circs book anymore. It is just confusing me. First, the amount of stitches it says to pick up were nowhere near what I really needed to pick up. I don't quite understand why I can't just separate the instep from the gusset/heel for easy decreasing. I'm trying to do it somewhat like the book says, but for some reason the way this book is worded is just not clicking with me. So...I'm improvising. I had the same problems on DPNs when I first started those as well, so I'm not too concerned. Anything new is bound to be difficult I guess.

Designing Diabetic Sockies

2005-10-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have secretly been working on my own sock patterns, taking my experiences and using them to make a sock pattern for diabetic feet. I have two patterns almost finished, and they will be available on my blog once they are finished. This came around because I couldn't find many patterns for diabetic socks, which I think is important. Diabetic feet need lots of care, and that includes wearing socks that fit them perfectly. Being diabetic is the biggest reason I got in to socknitting, and I think it can help many people. There will be a few patterns for the beginning socknitter, and a few that are more advanced. If you are diabetic (or if you have problems wearing commercial socks) and would like to contribute, please measure your feet and leave the measurements in the comments. You would measure around the ankle, around the mid-calf, around the ball of the foot, Length of your foot, and from the back of your mid-calf down to your heel. I'd appreciate that very much!

Lakers sock progress

2005-10-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

Lakers Sock

So far, I am seeing the benefits of socks on 2 circs. Although, there were a couple of times that I had an empty needle, which was a bit scary, but not quite as scary as having an empty DPN, since I still had the stitches on a needle, just not the right one. I'm a bit confused on the gusset pick-ups, mainly because of the pattern I am using. It has me knitting the last stitch on the purl row of the heel flap, and it just isn't the same elongated stitch. I'll figure it out soon, I'm sure.

Mom's Sock at the gusset

2005-10-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Mom's Sock

Here ya go Mom....I'm at the gusset decreases. This is a testament to how much I love you, because I HATE gussets. I wish socks were gusset-less. But, in this picture, I'm past the pick ups, which is the hardest part of a sock for me. So....it is coming along.

Cannibalistic consumption?

2005-10-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Anyone else find this just sick and wrong? (I loooove these tests....now to more knitting content)

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Happy Go Lucky Cannibal.

Where You Lived: Argentina.

How You Died: Consumption.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Guess the Panda was right

2005-10-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

I guess the previous quiz was right...I'm not a logical person. But....this test is obviously flawed. I'm anything but a genius when it comes to Math.

Can you say tangles?

2005-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Lovely mess of silky wool

I got a new ball winder from Mom for my birthday (also the 2006 knitting pattern a day calendar, which is really great, thanks Mom!) I had hubby holding the hank of silky wool, thinking he knew what to do with it. Well, the tension was getting very tight as I wound, and I looked over at him, and the hank was sitting in his lap in an impossible tangled-mangled mess. It took me 6 hours of silent cursing to get it wound.

I just picked up the gussets on Mom's socks, and did the heel turn for the Laker's socks. Mom informed me I'm not to start any more projects until her socks are finished. BUT...we walked into the LYS and now she has her eye on a rainbow ribbon shawl. I am still collecting yarns for her many, many, many different yarns mitred square poncho too. She got three balls of baby alpaca to add to the yarn collected bag for it. It is a great looking pattern, but you need so many different types of yarn, and it will be the biggest knitting challenge undertaken by me, but it should be the most gorgeous poncho ever. Knock on wool.

Anonymous asked:
I think I am looking at a Tigard, OREGON store called "Lint." Am I right? I live in Canada but grew up in Portland. My family still live there. I will have to check it out, if I have the state right?

Yes. Lint was one of the places we went on the shop hop, and that is the store in the pictures that I have further down in the blog. They are tehcnically in Portland, but it is very close to Tigard. It is a wonderful shop! It is very hip and edgy for a LYS in my opinion. I really loved the way they had things arranged. Even the way they stacked yarn seemed artful to me, and I really loved their use of color throughout the store.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Karen! Yeah, I do like acrylic for certain things, but there is something so satisfying knitting with natural fibers. I opted for non-yarn purchases, other than the Alpaca for Mom's poncho that I'm still gathering yarn for.

Moi, weird? Yeah, probably.

2005-10-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

Wendy had this on her blog, so I thought I'd share my results as well. Yeah, I guess I am a little on the weird side....but is that such a bad thing? Okay, so I'll have orange hair. I guess I'll be in season, anyway! All that aside, I want the cool microphone thing too.

Your Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind.
You pull off "weird" well - hardly anyone notices.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Aaaand...to sum it up, another quiz result, which is a little more in depth:

Your Animal Personality

Your Power Animal: Deer

Animal You Were in a Past Life: Panda

You are a fun-seeker - an adventurous, risk-taker.
While you are spontaneous, you are not very rational.

The Animal Personality Test

So....I'm a weird, orange panda bear that is deep, risk taking, expressive, and not rational. Yep. That's pretty accurate.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2005-10-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today is my 27th birthday. The perfect reason to buy more yarn! I woke up this morning and hubby had a card and two bags of candy corn on my laptop. Awww! I think we will be going to dinner tonight as well. Mom wants me to go over to see her so that we can go get some yarn. She really knows the way to a knitter's heart! Last night she was asking me what kind of yarns I wanted. Funny thing is, I'm not picky at all. I can find something to do with any yarn. I've been experimenting with interesting fibers lately, but I don't snub acrylic at all! I firmly believe that acrylic has an important role in my stash. It is soft, washable, and very durable. Not to mention cheaper! Nope, I'm not really a yarn snob. Though, I do someday want to sit in a mound of alpaca skeins and dream of a lovely wrap that I could knit. Teehee!

First 2 circs sock

2005-10-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

First 2 circs sock

This is actually yellow and purple, not yellow and blue, but I just couldn't get it to show up as purple for me. This is the Blue Moon Yarn and it is just wonderful to knit with. I am learning how to do a sock on 2 circular needles, and I'm struggling with it. I imagine this is exactly how I struggled with the DPNs and will just take time to get used to. Eventually I want to do 2 socks on 2 circs, but I figured I'd start with one first ;)

Thanks for the comments from my TKG pals Karen and Shelley, I appreciate your support! Karen: I knitted up all of the samples, even the ones in the registration packet, and those are further back in my blog if you'd like to see what I thought of those too.

Sample yarns 3 from TKGSH

2005-10-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Sample yarns 3

These sample yarns were included in our bags on the day of the shop hop. I knitted them up, and once again will tell you what I think of them. I'm not a yarn critic, just letting you know my feelings as I knit them. By row, left to right:

Artful Yarns Regal (100% Silk) - This yarn was impressive. It was silky soft luxuriousness...I wish I had more of it to knit. It looks stunning, but so is the price tag.
EDIT: I've been shown that this yarn has about twice the amount of yarn as most silks do, and I didn't see that previously. So, for twice the yarn at the same price, this is actually an INCREDIBLE deal. I think I'll go get some now!

Art Yarns Supermerino (100% Hand Painted Merino Wool) - This had great stitch definition, but didn't really stand out.

Louisa Harding Impression ( 84% Nylon, 16% Mohair) - This was inspiring and gorgeous! Fuzzy with iridescent notes that really makes it unique.

Jo Sharp Silkroad (85% Wool, 10% Silk, 5% Cashmere) - This yarn was very interesting. It had a slight nubbly texture to it, but still very soft.

Karabella Yarns Aurora 8 (100% Extra refined Merino Wool) - This yarn was soft and luxurious with excellent stitch definition. Something this beautiful shouldn't be this soft....but it is!

GGH Soft Kid (70% Super Kid Mohair, 25% Nylon, 5% Wool) - This was fuzzy and lofty. Knitted up it looks so delicate and feminine. I see this in a gorgeous wrap or as a beautiful scarf.

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock (100% Superwash Merino lightweight) - This local company has made some incredible yarns. I picked some of this up for myself on our shop hop adventure. This is such a plesant knit and they have the most beautiful colorways. Very inventive and inspiring.

Lang Yarn Pearl (42% Kid Mohair, 54% Acrylic, 4% Polyester) - This was so much fun to knit! It is soft but also iridescent. I would love a great shawl made from this. Also, machine washable!

Louet Sales Euroflax (100% Linen) - This was everything I expected it to be. It was a bit like knitting with twine, as it was very stiff. It split on me a few times, but this is pretty much like most linens I've knit with.

Nashua Handknits Creative Focus (75% Wool, 25% Alpaca) - I could feel the warmth on my hands as I knit with this fuzzy and fun yarn. It has great stitch definition and is very beautiful.

Louet Gems Opal (100% Pure Merino Wool) - This yarn was not my favorite. It is soft like I expect any Merino to be, but it was smelly. You all know how much I abhor smelly yarns. It was a "natural" smell, but not what I like to smell on my hands.

Louisa Harding Sari Ribbon (90% Nylon, 10% Metallic) - This split pretty easily, but it was so much fun to knit with! I think this would be great for embellishments.

Silky Wool from All About Yarn

2005-10-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Silky Wool

I went back to All About Yarn today and got two skeins of the silky wool that I wanted. I talked for a while with one of the staff members, who wished she'd have gone with us on the shop hop. I tried estimating how many of us went, thinking maybe 25-30, and she said she heard it was 35. Wow! There were a lot of people, but it didn't seem like that many. This is the closest yarn shop to me that we visited yesterday, so I think I'll make this one my regular one. There was another knitter there, getting help with her pattern from the staff member. It seems like a great place to knit. I would like to go back to Knit Purl more often, but it looks like parking would be a problem. It was a wonderfully laid out shop, and I loved the selection and layout of the yarns.

I ended up having to frog both Mom's and Don's socks yesterday. Everyone was knitting on the bus, and while I was knitting, I was watching others knit as well. I looked down at my sock, and it appears I was doing their patterns in my socks! I tried correcting them, but it became such a tangled mess of yarn that I just frogged them both.

I hope that the TKG does this again. This really was a great experience, and a chance for me to meet other LYS' staff members and to see the new and different yarns out there. Thanks so much Michelle and the other volunteers who put this on. It really was a great time.

Look at the yarns I got!

2005-10-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

These are the yarns I got during the shop hop. From left to right, by row:

Regia - 75% New Wool, 25% Polyamide
Regia - 75% New Wool, 25% Polyamide
Knit Picks Sock Memories - 100% Merino
Knit Picks Sock Memories - 100% Merino
Lana Grossa - 100% extrafine Merino
Sari Silk
Blue Moon socks that rock - 100% hand painted superwash Merino
Blue Moon socks that rock - 100% hand painted superwash Merino
Scheepjes Invicta extra - 75% Virgin Wool, 25% Polyamide
Scheepjes Invicta extra - 75% Virgin Wool, 25% Polyamide

I also got various notions, including some Addi turbos to do the 2 socks on 2 circs.