gimme a........

SWEATER!
Ok, it IS getting colder here, and the weather guy said this week that this is supposed to be the worst winter in 50 years! So, when life gives you crappy weather, what do you do? Make sweaters, of course!
This is the must have cardigan. I've had the yarn and the pattern for some time. After bee fields went to hibernate for a while, I decided I needed to make something big. And, since blue moon hasn't gotten the new yarn for moonstruck yet, I'm going for the cardigan. So far, a pretty easy knit.















I also got a couple of books this week that I had pre-ordered from amazon. Sock yarn one-skein wonders and brave new knits. I've only taken a quick look at them, but I think they're going to be great. I love that the brave new knits also has a little article about each designer.















The critters are all doing great. Puppy's growing like a bad weed.
It's a tough life ya know........
























baby cinnamon brown











baby yogi.
There's just nothing cuter than a boxer baby.....

Happy halloween

new yarn......














I bought this yarn to make a pooling scarf that will match my new coat. I think it's going to be my next project, since the socks I'm working on just aren't feeling the love.......


the puppies are, though, feeling the love, that is.....













I'm expect a LOT of goodies soon, cheshire cat kit, unique sheep shawl gradience set, unique sheep christmas set and the last installment of the loopy ewe sock club should arrive in a couple of weeks. I'll definitely go for another year with this club.
Hopefully some knitting content next week, for now, you'll just have to be satisfied with cute doggies.

bee fields is kicking my butt!!!!

how much knitting CAN you do with an 8-week old puppy helping you???
Well, they DO sleep a lot!
I've made some progress with bee fields, and I love the pattern. It's incredibly difficult, though, I would consider it super advanced lace. It has lace stitches on both sides. I've been checking, adding lifelines and checking again, but I'll be knitting along, look down, and CRAPPERS! 20 rows down is a stitch that didn't get caught. ARGH!!!!!! See that errant stitch marker, way over there on the left?
I'm NOT tinking back that far. I'll have to figure out how to fix it another way.
ARGH!!!!!!!! I think it's going to take a bit of a time out.











Also, I have to quit reading my email......I've fallen in love with this christmas kit from the unique sheep, just not the $80 price tag. I'm thinking on it, though, because it's cool..........



I've been working on birch too, it's almost finished. Love the bugga, it's so soft.
I'll have to start finishing up my christmas knitting soon. A few odds and ends for some folks, nothing too complicated.
Now, where did that puppy go??????

Mini Me

watch out, cuteness overload ahead........











On friday, this little guy joined our zoo...














Say hello to Yogi.
He's been a sweet baby, but there's not much knitting happening, you know......










Ozzie (who deserves his ozzie ozzborne name MORE every day) has made it his personal mission to seek out the puppy and bonk him on the head every chance he can get!


Ok, in knitting news, there's been progress on birch, in spite of finding my yarn unwound all over the rec room one morning, and, I'm also working on bee fields again.
There may be a spot of trouble with this one. Last night, ozzie stole my pattern and removed the markers that noted where I was.
"sigh"

we DID the puyallup!

So, last night we went to the fair to see Heart. I have to say, even after all these years those gals can still rock it out. What amazing voices. I think I'm getting old, though, my ears are still ringing!












At the fair, we saw some of these.......






there's almost nothing cuter than a baby pygmy goat.


Only one thing I can think of......
















A baby boxer puppy!!!
(these are a bit blurry because they just refuse to hold still - imagine!)





Say hello to Yogi.
He'll be coming home with us next week. Check out the cute little wrinkle of skin right above his butt (the dog, not the guy) PUPPY BREATH!!!!!!!!!














Oh, and there was some yarn too......






Unique sheep gradience colorway ascent for the october CSK, purchased from a rav stash.
Birch is growing, nothing new to show there. Hopefully it'll be finished this week, and then I can move on to other stuff.

goodies, goodies and more goodies

This week brought the rain back! That's OK, though. The mailbox had a surprise almost every day.
#1 Loopy ewe sock club
The yarn is mad tosh sock in a beautiful fall color.
Not too hot on the patterns, though. This might have to be a shawl or a man-sock












#2 Blue moon order
yarn is love-in-idleness for a pooling scarf that will match my new winter coat
pattern is moonstruck - love it - now just waiting for the proper yarn to arrive.













If you haven't seen wenat's pooling scarves, you have truly missed something. beautiful! (even barbara walker commented on the one she was wearing at sock summit)


#3 CSK goodie bag. Very nice. Lots of trinkets and some fun stuff.
If it's a sneak peek of future indie dyers in this project, I'm really in trouble. really.






As you can see, it's been ozzie tested and approved........




And, like I need more yarn, I'm absolutely obsessed with these gradience colorways.
They're the october selected dyer for the CSK. I'm planning on making the socks and a shawl would be awesome. Gotta hang with the cool kids.

last but not least, half a birch.I've always wanted to try entrelac, and this was a great introduction.
Done in sanguine gryphon bugga, rainbow scarab.
I may never knit with another kind of yarn again. It's amazing. No wonder the line at sock summit was an hour long......

what I did on my summer vacation

well, we went here......










(the view from the hotel room)
Cannon Beach, Oregon

We saw some of these......







and these.........















and found a bunch of these........














and bought some of these........












when we got back, there were these........












The kitties were quite upset at being left alone, but











A good time was had by all


Next week, progress on Birch and a sock club shipment.

come here, my pretty.......

This week brought the second installment of the CSK, the archery socks. When I saw the pattern I KNEW I had to buy the varigated yarn that was in the sample. I'm not much of a red person myself, so I chose this gorgeous blue/pink/purple. It's the Seattle colorway from abstract fiber. Their website does not do it justice. I just want to pet it and look at it. It's amazing.













This week also brought a FO. Here's the august tulip socks, done in sheepaints bamboolaine that I purchased from a ravelry destash.





I'm also sad to announce the demise of bee fields. Just wasn't working out the way I expected it to. It's a gorgeous pattern, although quite advanced, and the yarn just wasn't doing it justice. I'll start it again with something more appropriate. I have my eye on some lace from the original custom dyed kit that's in a rav destash.


It was a busy yarn buying week here. (don't 'cha just love the internet?)
I was invoiced and paid for my woolgirl cheshire cat kit, and also took advantage of the 10percent off blue moon coupon to buy their new pattern and a skein for a pooling scarf for my new coat. Next week, the loopy ewe sock club will invoice and ship. YIKES! I'd better get to knitting.

Since the demise of bee fields, I'm working on Birch by chrissy gardiner. I've never done entrelac, or entrelac with lace, so I'm really enjoying the challenge. The Yarn is the sanguine gryphon bugga in rainbow scarab, purchased especially for this project. love, love, love it!











Last but not least, look what $5 will get ya. I normally don't do this kind of misc yarn, but there were 2 skeins of alpaca in there, and that made it worth it......

I know, I know, I missed last week

There just wasn't anything to say......
I've been suffering from a little knitting add. The bee fields is at a point where it takes about 1/2 hour to complete a row, and also a great deal of concentration. I've been working on my tulip socks, and they're almost done, but I need to re-do the toe on the first one, and I've been thinking about ripping the whole thing out and starting over. So, what do I do? Buy cheap yarn at michaels and start a baby blankie. Which, by the way is progressing nicely. It's a lot bigger than it looks in the pic right now and, really, almost done. It's a free Rav pattern - radiating star blanket - and I think it's going to be my go-to baby blankie from here on out. It looks hard, but super easy (tv watching easy).

There's also the new vogue and debbie bliss for inspiration. I have waaaaayyyyyy too many projects and waaaayyyyy to little time..........












Next up, the next loopy ewe sock kit should be billing soon. (LOVE the loopy ewe), I also paid for the woolgirl "cheshire cat" kit from the alice in wonderland series, so that should be shipping soon too, and the september CSK pattern will be in the inbox probably next week. I think I'll wait to see the pattern before I pick the yarn.


Last but not least, ozzie is growing like a bad weed, and taking full responsibility in his role of mayor of kitty city.













All that ruling with an iron paw is hard work, ya know.

hot! hot! hot!

well, summer has finally arrived here in the pacific nw. It's supposed to be 95 for at least the next 3 days here. Too hot for comfort for this northwest girl.
I guess there'll be knitting.
SPEAKING of knitting.....
here's a sock.












It's the first installment of the CSK, tulip socks, in sheepaints bamboolaine, color flowertree. I think it turned out pretty well, love the colors, except for the toe.
I may still take the toe apart and re-work it a bit. It came out really pointy and I prefer them a bit flatter. Fits good, though. Just have to make another.


Bee fields is progressing. Took a break to make the sock. It got to be a little boring. I'll be back at it this week.












Kitty city is growing. I'm not sure how. We had a bunch of spare parts and when DH saw them he added 2 more levels. The mayor was VERY pleased.















I'll leave you with a pic of some visitors we had this week. Damn long eared giant flower-eating rats! (there was actually another baby - twins) ARGH!

say hello......

.....to the mayor of kitty city. Mayor Mc Cheeze.
last weekend, we were out running around and we stopped at a yard sale. There it was. Kitty city, and only $1. Of course, you KNOW who had to take up residence and his birthright as the mayor! We have definitely gotten a $1 worth of entertainment from this!
Now we're on the hunt for more kitty city!
(honestly, I think we bought it because we just like saying it, kitty city, kitty city, kitty city.....)

Sorry, not much knitting content to show.....
it's been a difficult week and it's really hard to knit with a little needle-footed pest in your lap biting your yarn. (even if he IS the mayor).
working on bee fields........

this summer is flyin'

Wow! how did it get to be august already???
This week brought some new yarn.......



Someone needs to keep me off of the sanguine gryphon site. This is Z cerulea in skinny bugga. I intended it for an ishbel, but now I'm not sure, it's so beautiful.







After a few feeble attempts, I've finally got some traction on bee fields. Malabrigo lace - pearl ten. It's coming along nicely, but this is going to take a while to do right. That's OK, it's about the challenge of it.


I need to find something easy to knit at the fair. I'll be hanging out at the county fair for the master gardeners on friday. It's usually pretty quiet in the afternoons and good basic knitting time. Haveta search the stash.


Ozzie is fitting in pretty well. He's definitely going to be alpha kitty, although he has to wait his turn at the food dish. He's growing like a bad weed!

ahhh, some peace......

only a week later and the critters seem to be getting along better.













some knitting has been finished.
the mystery shawl - finished and blocked in all it's glory.















I'm trying to decide on my next project. Maybe the bee fields with the mal lace in pearl ten, or the girasole with the dream in color smooshy gold experience, or ishbel with that gorgeous skinny bugga I bought this week. Right now, the bee fields is winning out.........we'll just see.