not much knitting to show

but I have a great excuse! Meet Ozzie.....













he's a feisty little devil, with the meezer looks and the meezer VOICE!
there's been much barking and hissing in the last few days, but we seem to have reached an armed truce. "sigh" and, yes, he is a rescue from the humane society.
He'll fit in just fine.......

In the "I should have gotten more" category. Sanguine Gryphon bugga, blue lobster.
Really, I should have gotten more. It's such a beautiful blue/green, I just want to pet it and spread it out over the computer. Oh, and by the way, 20 percent cashmere.












Also, another round of the loopy ewe sock club. I wanted to do this club so that I could try different yarns and so far it's been great. The yarn is alchemy, the color "fall". It comes with a neck warmer pattern and a sock pattern. I think I like the socks better.......











And last but not least, not all yard sale scores are yarn. I probably scored enough reading material to keep me busy for quite a while.
Two twilight books, eclipse and breaking dawn,
a barbara kingsolver - laguna
Amy tan's the bonesetter's daughter
Dan Brown's the last symbol (this was my summer yard sale quest)
and the girl with the dragon tattoo
all for $6. Can't beat that!

I don't have too much yarn, no not me.......

What is it about hot weather that makes you want to sort your stash. Friday it was nearly 95 degrees here, so, out came the stash. OH MY! I think I liked it better when I didn't know. This is only the sock yarn. Do you think there's enough??? I'm proud of myself, I took it out, sorted it, photo'd it and put it on rav in my stash.













On the mystery shawl front, clue 3 is done and I'm now moving on to clue 4. One more to go next weekend. They only get more complicated as you go, so I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up and finish all in the same week. It's ok, really, since the loopy ewe sock club should ship this week, and I'm still working on the beaded bells socks (although there's not much progress there). The sock CSK also starts in august. I love the yarn the original socks are made with, not so much the color, but the idea that they're bamboo, but I think I'll dig through the stash. Suppose I might have SOMETHING I can use??



I also plan on being a bit busy this week, since hopefully the new baby (kitty) will come home on wed. Still have to deal with the BS at the pound, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. He's the one in the middle of this kitten pig-pile with the brown ears and nose.


It's finally cooler, so yard work today for me.

happy 4th of july

first of all, let me say "bah, humbug". The 4th is quickly becoming one of my least favorite holidays. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I just can't understand the attraction to blowing things up, not to mention how much it just tormets the animals. I'd vote for making individual fireworks illegal and just having the big shows. It would save me a lot of money in doggie downers.

On the knitting front, the mystery shawl is coming along nicely. Clue #1 was easy, #2 nearly kicked my butt into quitting, but after ripping at least 3 times (can you say LIFELINE) I finally figured it out and now #3 is cruising along quite smoothly. I'd definitely do the mystery shawl again, maybe once per quarter?















I also started a sock kit that I bought at Summit (the gift that keeps on giving), beaded bells by dye dreams. There's no pattern or pic on ravelry, so you'll just have to wait until I get enough done to take a pic. Right now there's only about 1" of knitting and beads. I'm working on it between mystery shawl clues.



I made another yard sale score. It's hard to see, but these are some kind of cool "antique" sock blockers. The folks at the sale kept stressing that they were ANTIQUES, but willingly sold them to me for 50cents. I'll use them to block socks for DH, since they're a bit big.





Next up, the loopy ewe july sock club should ship late this week and August brings the beginning of Chrissy Gardiner's CSK. That should be a blast.
I also fell in love with this vest cloud chaser, and am seriously considering starting "bee fields" by anne hanson.

The baby kitty is over 2 lbs now, so he'll get fixed soon and released to go to a home. It's going to be all about the timing. I'll probably have to be there when they open the day they release them for adoption. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

the weather has finally turned around (for today)

There has been some knitting progress, though.
I finished the first clue in the mystery shawl, so far, so good.













I got the needed yarn and finished and blocked johnette's christmas socks.












I also finished the medusa cascade anklets. Kind of cute, aren't they?













and visited this little guy. He's still in foster care with his momma, but I'm hoping he'll get to come home with me in a couple of weeks. There's still some hurdles to jump here with the humane society, so I'm trying not to get too attached, but, how could you resist that face. (minus the devil eyes, of course)













no guarantee of how much knitting will happen this week, I've got clue #2 on the shawl to do....depends on the weather.

It was nearly a washout

Kit in public day was fun but it rained, rained rained. BUCKETS!
Good thing it was in a covered area.


Cinnamon brown made some new friends too.












Here's some UFO's from this week,
Johnette's gumdrop socks. Now I'm out of yarn. Seems to be a theme lately. A nice raveler from Alaska is sending me the little bit I need to finish. Good thing I don't need them until christmas.




The little sock on the top is the Medusa anklets. I needed a really simple project to knit in public, and I though these were really cute and perfect for the rest of the knitter's brewing co. yarn I won in the contest (the color is ... on the beach). There should be JUST enough to finish.

On the bottom is the first installment of the summer mystery shawl. It's coming along fine so far, in spite of being charted only. We'll see what happens when it grows to a couple hundred charted stitches. I'd like to get this clue done this week, there'll be another one next saturday. Looks like the weather's going to cooperate. It's supposed to RAIN BUCKETS some more.
:(

Ok, so, check THIS out......

going to yard sales is kind of like that old saying "you gotta kiss a lot of frogs". But, every once in a while, you find that little gem and the voice in your head says "SCORE!" Here's mine...





It's 4 skeins of Koigu KPPM and a whole bunch of heel reinforcing thread. The price? 50 cents. A good investment, I'd say. It's even yarn I'll use. And, yes, you can come yard sale-ing with me any time. The bus leaves at 7:30, you bring the coffee. I get dibs on the yarn! (I got the shell at a yard sale too - I love sea shells, fossils and rocks, I'm such a geek)


This week brought progress on a couple of things. The shawl is about as far as it will go without more yarn. I have to say I LOVE ravelry, though. When it seemed like there was not going to be enough, I got on the "in search of" board, and had my yarn in about 20 minutes. It won't be the same dye lot, but I'm at the edging and I think I can get away with a bit of a difference. If it matches REALLY well by some chance, I'll do another row of lace, we'll see.




The sock is "goody gumdrops" from the 2008 STR sock club. My friend Johnette fell in love with mine, so little does she know, she's getting 'em for christmas. Again, thanks to rav. I bought the yarn from someone's stash, with just this project in mind.


I'm also looking forward to the first installment of the summer mystery shawl. It starts this coming saturday, which, by the way, is knit in public day for the south sound. We're going up the road a piece to hang in a park, knit, and check out the promised booths and prizes. Should be a fun day.


I was also inspired to joing the CSK this week. It's a fun project by Chrissy Gardiner, designer. She's writing a new indie sock book and had this great idea for a sock pattern club with a year's worth of patterns from her future book. It's pretty cool. All indie dyers. With the pattern club, you get the patterns in pdf in advance and the price also includes a copy of the book when it's published. Couldn't help myself, just couldn't.

Don't know how much knitting will happen this week, the weather here is turning nice again, so, out to the yard before the weeds take over.

a little progress, a little stash enhancement

First the stash enhancement......
The newest Vogue magazine was waiting for me when I finally chased down the mailman.
Don't GET me started on the postal service. They were also hanging on to some yarn that came for me. See, now, it wouldn't have been all that bad, but there was YARN involved. NEVER come between a woman and her yarn!
L to Right, some traveller from the sanguine gryffon. This is a love-child color. I didn't get to pick it, and I'm not sure I love it. I do love the yarn base, though, and it's 560 yards, so a nice amount and good for man socks. The blue is laceweight from spinny bunny fibers. It's for the summer mystery KAL that starts june 19th. A shawl that will be my first attempt at chart knitting. We'll see how that goes. The third, light purple is a skinny bugga, also a love-child, one of a kind. It kind of reminds me of vancouver violet in the STR.













Next, the progress. This is Hamamelis, (rav link) in dream in color smooshy, gothic rose. A little early christmas knitting for my friend amy. It's going fast, or maybe it's just because it won't quit raining! The color is actually a bit darker. I just happened to catch the only 5 minutes of sun yesterday.










Speaking of rain, it's been great for the yard, in one way. It's turning into a jungle. Not so great for the yard in another way, it's turning into a jungle. I haven't been able to get out and weed for about 2 weeks now. I'm feeling like I'm going to have to start all over. The weeds are taking over!

I can't begin to say how much I love the oregon coast

Earlier this week, we packed the doggies in the car and took off for a little beach time, down on the oregon coast around Tillamook. My favorite place in the whole world.
It rained, the sun shone, and a good time was had by all.



We saw the cape mears lighthouse




and hung out on the beach, looking for agates. And, I have to say, found a whole bucketfull. I was one happy rock searcher.









On the way home, we stopped at a cool little yarn shop in portland called Twisted.
They had all their dream in color smooshy on sale 25percent off. Who can resist a good sale? This isn't really as orange as it looks. It's going to be a girasole. (some day)













And, as promised, the finished traveling sweater.....









Later, stash enhancements, Lace KAL, and Hammelies progress. (now where IS that damn mail man!?!)

done, done, done!

The traveling sweater is done! I love, love, love it.
It's probably going to be my favorite sweater ever.
I'll have to post pics later. Need a photographer. It just doesn't do it justice to see it flat. It needs to be on a person.

Thanks to the bad weather, I also finished my endpaper mitts, and started on the "hammelies" shawl for my friend's christmas.

Next week, some new bugga (I think I'm addicted now), and the lace I ordered for the summer mystery shawl KAL.

what IS it about cats and wet wool??

Really!
The first sleeve of the traveling sweater is done and blocked, with no help from the critters. The second one is about 1/2 done. I'll probably block the big piece today and be finished with the second sleeve before the end of the week. All that's left is to put the pieces together. I'm still not sure how that goes, but I'm trying not to stress about it. I think I'll be the first one finished in the KAL, not that it's a race. I can thank the bad weather here for that. No yard work in the rain.













This week I also bought some Malbrigio Lace from a stash on Rav. I think I'll make Anne Hanson's "bee fields" with it. I'm trying to decide if I want to try for another skein. I know it would be a different dye lot, but I could do the edging with it. I really like a larger shawl. We'll see.

Next up, I'm going to finish the second endpaper mitt, and then move on to "hammelies" with the DIC gothic rose I got in the trade for my may sock kit.
It's going to make a nice christmas present shawl for my friend Amy for christmas - don't worry, she doesn't read this blog. I think it'll be a good beach knitting project.

MMMMMMM, Bugga!

Ok, so, all those folks can't be wrong. The Bugga phenom has a definite reason.
I took the opportunity to buy some a couple of weeks ago from the sanguine gryphon site and, it's very nice. L to R, 2 skeins of 'fat' bugga for my birch stole, a mystery skein of skinny bugga, I'm thinking it's going to be a shawl, and some dream in color smooshy in gothic rose, that I traded my may sock club yarn for. That yellow was just not me, and the gothic rose will make a perfect shawl for my friend Amy for christmas. I'd definitely do the bugga again. They're having a special thing on the site where they pick a color and offer it in unlimited quantities on a dye to order basis. It's only good for 24 hrs after the update, but it's a great way to try something new. (and the mystery stuff too) Some gorgeous stuff there.













The traveling sweater is progressing. I've finished the 'wedges' and moved on to a sleeve. It's about 1/2 way done. It's supposed to start raining like crazy by the end of the week, so there it is, some good knitting time.

I'm also looking for the perfect shawl. When we went to sock summit last year, the most impressive thing wasn't the socks (although they were impressive), it was the gorgeous shawls that everyone seemed to have. So......I'm in search of the perfect one. Gotta play with the cool kids. I'll know it when I see it.


Meanwhile, it's out to the garden!

that's a whole lotta rib'n

One more 'wedge' left on the traveling sweater edge. Then it's on to the arms and back, which should go a bit faster. It'll all be determined by the weather, though. When the sun shines, it's outside to play.




This week brought a nice surprise. The next installment of the Loopy Ewe sock club. I joined this club because they offer different yarn companies each time and I really wanted to try something different. I like the kind of yarn, the patterns are great and I love the Namaste bags, but I'm not too sure about the color. I may end up trading for something that's more my style. Just not a big fan of the yellow.











I also bought myself a bit of a treat. I've been wondering for a while what all the excitement is about over the sanguine gryphon bugga. Well, they have a new deal where they pick one color and offer it in unlimited amounts for one day. Then they go and make as many as folks have ordered. I couldn't resist the dark green and brown one they offered this week, and I immediately thought of the Birch that I want to make. The griffon also had some 'mystery skeins' as well, so I couldn't resist the challenge of the surprise. I just hope my mystery skinny bugga is not yellow. I'll probably have to trade it out if it is. Pics when it comes.

I'll leave y'all with some signs that spring is sprung.......

















and a visitor we had early saturday am. We think it's a red-tailed hawk.

knit, knit, purl, purl

Endless k2p2 rib.
Yes, this is the newest "thing", the traveling sweater.
It was love at first sight. Luckily the pattern has just enough to keep some interest and it's not so complicated you can't take it along. Although, it is getting a bit too big. I'm almost through the fourth "wedge" - there's 8 of them, and then it's on to the upper back and arm pieces. The yarn is Wooboo, Thraven color. You can't really tell by this photo, but it has a nice, underlying bit of green. It's coming right along.

There was a bit of excitement this week when the dates for Sock Summit 2011 were announced. Is it wrong to be SO excited about something that's nearly a year away?
Of course, I'll be there. Another knitter and I are thinking about volunteering a day, and shopping a day. I'd kind of like to add a day of classes, and maybe a trip out to the beach with some out of town folks I met at the last summit. We'll have to see how the registration goes. I was extremely lucky last time to get the classes I wanted, but I know how many folks will be trying this time. Bunches. I'm not sure they can have a server big enough.

Today, the weather is nice, so it's out to the garden to get caught up with planting and the annual pressure washing of the deck.

knit, knit, purl, purl, knit knit, purl, purl,.........

A lovely new project

This week was kind of crazy, catching up from being gone for 4 days at the conference. It was also kind of discombobulated, don't know why.
It did finish off well, though. Yesterday, I went to the Arboretum Foundation plant sale in seattle. I love different and odd plants and also the ones that bloom black and chocolate. Imagine scabiosa "ace of spades" and "chocolate" sapigloss. Of course they came home with me.











I also got a chance to stop at Acorn Street Yarn shop. No new yarn, but I was able to get the needles for my 'traveling sweater'. Why is is that when you think you have them all, the pattern calls for one you don't have?
Since the weather was a bit crazy yesterday, I came home from the plant sale and started the sweater. I'm loving the yarn (wooboo) and the color (thraven). You can't really see it much, but it kind of has this underlying light green tone. It's going to be beautiful.
The other thing there is one of the 'endpaper mitts'. I'm putting the other away for a while in favor of the sweater. This one turned out great, though.




Today, it's out to the garden. Make hay and all that!

well, there ya are

I'm back from the conference. A good time was had by all.
This is Mary Bowen. She's a pilates rock star. As a matter of fact, she's kind of the Mick Jagger of pilates. I had the pleasure of spending the better part of 2 days listening to her (me and 25 of my new best friends) Can you believe she's 80?? Perfect skin, perfect posture, we should all look so good. She's positively amazing.
















When I got home, this lovely assortment was waiting for me. It's the "sisterhood of the traveling sweater" and 4 skeins of Wooboo in thraven. It's beautiful. Pam wants to just pet it, but I'm making a sweater, eventually.... Gotta finish the endpaper mitts and recover from traveling all weekend.










We're ALL recovering, just a little bit.....

A little stuck

Ever have "one of those days"? Kinda stuck, knitting-wise. Not really in the mood to make a sweater (although I had to order some yarn for one courtesy of the webs sale), no yarn really speaks to you. I have a couple of projects lined up. A beaded shawl (need to go out to shipwreck and get the beads), I'd love to do a girasole, but I can't decide on the yarn, and Birch is speaking to me too, but the yarn I bought for it at Madrona is just not going to work. Too scratchy and the difference between the dye lots is just too much.
I've had to settle with finishing 'a little jazz' - expertly modeled here by cinnamon brown,















And working on some endpaper mitts. I've wanted to make these for a long time, so it seemed the thing to do.














All in all, it's been pretty lazy around here, what with the crazy snow, rain, sleet hail (and all that in 5 minutes) weather!


This week, off to the annual pilates conference in california to hang with all the pilates superstars. Too bad it's going to be warmer here than it is in california.
BOO!

"a little jazzed" up

Rain, rain, GO AWAY!!
I know, we need it, or at least that's what we say here when it rains, snows, hails and anything else that comes along in the spring. I just want to finish my yard work project I had to abandon a week ago because it started POURING, and hasn't stopped since. (and yes, we've had snow, hail and a whole assortment of weather)

The good news is, Jazz is coming along. This is my 3rd try and I think it's going to be a charm. Pretty mindless knitting - back and forth. I just couldn't get the short rows right, so I kept ripping it out. Frustrating.












Maybe it's because I've been a bit obsessed with Molly the owl

Hopefully the weather will be a bit better this week, so I can finsh my job.
I'm also doing the MS walk on saturday and then spending the afternoon working for the master gardeners at the fuschia planting event. Those would be much better with some sun.