Sittin' Here Knittin'

Happy Easter, All

2010-04-04T11:35:00.001-06:00

Bragging

2010-01-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

I must take a quick minute (at least) to brag. DH has taken up
spinning and has gotten amazing good after just a couple of weeks. We
bought him a bunch of solid shades of Corriedale rovings and I love
his sense of color. The one on the left is a Shetland and Corriedale
mix. The right is a mix of three shades of orange Corriedale. Gorgeous
stuff. I have to dream up something equally beautiful to make with them.

Reading

2010-01-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

In addition to the alt crafts happening around the house I have
rediscovered my love of reading. And particularly those long running
series of novels. I'm already up to C with lists going for all those
other authors I've been interested in looking at.

Crafty goodness

2010-01-02T15:52:00.001-07:00

I managed to get some crafty goodness in this weekend. I bought a kit
ages ago to make the Tropical Frothy quilt from Kaffe Fasset and
finally cut out most of the top yesterday. I may have to get the
machine out tomorrow just to keep the momentum going.

Guess it was my turn

2009-08-27T07:04:00.000-06:00

Looks like the random spammer got me. That last post was news to me.
But since I'm actually writing this one I will say a big Hello! to
everyone. Still around. Still knitting, though not as much as I'd
like. Hope all is well with the world for you all.

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2009-08-26T16:59:00.001-06:00

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Home again, home again

2009-08-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

With a quick stop in Hot-Lanta and a hello to the little bro.

Traveling

2009-08-14T11:46:00.001-06:00

I'm off traveling again. This time for fun at least. You can anxiously
await some pics of my nephew which I promise to remember to take. I
realized on the way home last visit I hadn't taken a single one.

One of my favorite things about traveling is the mini-bookstores in
the airports. I always seem to find a great book in them without that
overwhelming feeling I can get in a big store with so many choices
available.

I picked this little gem up today. I highly recommend it so far to any
of you mystery lovers. With an 11 year old heroine no less.

Hi There

2009-08-08T10:53:00.002-06:00

Wow. It's been so long since I've been over here to say Hi that I was surprised Blogger even remembered who I was.

July completely flew by and August is fast doing the same thing. At least it was because I was out doing lots of fun stuff and not any boring or dumb reason, like work. Well, work didn't help with they flying by. Ha.

Right at the beginning of the month my DH had surgery on his wrist to scope for why it has been bothering him for quite a while. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of this but is excited about getting it fixed so he can get back to playing.

Right after that the Grrls and I had a grand ol time up in the mountains hanging out and knitting for the weekend. I know it's a knitting blog but I think that is about all the knitting I managed to get in all month. Yowza. Great time though.

Next up was DH second surgery to actually fix his arm up (still waiting to see how that pans out). I do have to give him massive credit though. I can't remember him complaining or whining at all about the pain or how he can't do anything. Though he was getting a little frustrated about not being able to put on socks. Good thing it's summertime.

Then I went to Baltimore. I think I managed about a full 10 minutes of knitting at that point. I was there for work so I didn't get a ton of tourist time but I did manage one dinner over at the Inner Harbor area. It was a really nice area and I got a couple of pictures of the view from the restraunt and a huge boat they have parked in the harbor.

Right after that my dear SIL came out for a visit to grand Colorado (man, I love this state). So we were off and running showing her the sites and all the fun reasons to move out here - we are always working on the family trying to get them to head west.

We got in some hiking, drinking, and general site seeing over the weekend. She wasn't totally convinced though because she opted to go back home. Maybe next time...

And after all that we've arrived at this weekend. Right now I'm planning on recovering from a long night at work. A little more coffee, a little knitting, and some podcasts. Sounds like a plan to me. Hope you all have been doing well.

Finished!

2009-07-05T19:51:00.000-06:00

Meet Pucker.

Zara

2009-06-30T17:27:00.001-06:00

Friends meet Zara. Zara meet friends. This is Zara's front. Hopefully
she doesn't get all embarassed I'm showing her off in pieces. Ha!

I finished her back yesterday and have started on the sleeves. One day
I'll even seam her all up and wear her around.

New tank

2009-05-24T19:44:00.001-06:00

Meant to show you this the other day. Part of my plans this weekend
includes gardening and putting this pretty tank top together. The
pattern is from the latest Rebecca magazine which I knit out of some
Cotton Fleece from my stash.

Hangin out

2009-05-24T19:40:00.001-06:00

Just hanging out. Lovely lazy day. Hope you all have a great long
weekend if it is in your plans.

Ahhh Spring

2009-05-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

Bye bye

2009-04-24T17:38:00.000-06:00

There goes San Francisco.

Ene

2009-04-23T18:41:00.000-06:00

All this time traveling has done great things for my knitting. I
finally finished Ene. She needs blocking of course but it is nice to
have a FO.

Speaking of bags

2009-04-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

I also picked up a bag there. Isn't it cute! It looks like really
steep hills so I thought it fitting to be my San Fran bag. They had
quite a few from this designer (danica studio) and all of them were
adorable. I did well to escape with only one.

Best for last

2009-04-22T13:45:00.000-06:00

And my favorite from yesterdays adventure is this. It is a lace weight
of a base Malabrigo is considering carrying and available nowhere
else. It is lace. Merino. Cashmere. AND Malabrigo. What could be
better??? All together I've got 1720 yards. No idea for what to make
with it just yet but it hopped in my bag when I wasn't looking so I
decided it must really want to come to my house.

Mmmmalabrigo

2009-04-22T13:36:00.000-06:00

This is Organic Cotton from Malabrigo. I only bought a single skein
but I could imagine making a sweater from this stuff. Great feel and
colors worthy of Malabrigo.

Enough suspense

2009-04-22T13:31:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok. I went to ImagiKnit yesterday. It was a beautiful shop and I
easily got distracted a few times. They had a knit version of Tempest
(from Knitty) there so I bought the below Blue Faced Leicester to make
one for myself. I loved the acid green and brown version but sadly
they didn't have those colors anymore. I fell in love with the salmon
though so I am not too sad. :)

Little something

2009-04-22T12:10:00.000-06:00

I decided to bring along something a little more mindless than the
cable tank and Ene that I also brought. This is Clovelly from Martin
Storey. It is knit out of Rowan Cotton Jeans. I love the yarn. And
really love how quickly it is knitting up. At this rate I should have
another new sweater in a couple of weeks. Nice!

Shopping

2009-04-21T15:59:00.000-06:00

What is an out of town trip without a stop in at their LYS?

Year of lace

2009-04-14T19:25:00.001-06:00

I caved last year and signed up for the year of lace again. I knew I'd
be sad if I didn't and boy was I right. I love the first one for this
year too. Maybe next year I will have to knit all lace instead of all
sweaters like this year.

Mixing things up

2009-03-19T19:47:00.001-06:00

With a little cross stitching

Rhubarb

2009-03-14T19:18:00.001-06:00

I saw this pattern knitted up when I was at Madeona and have been
wanting one since. Making decent progress even.

February

2009-02-08T10:37:00.001-07:00

In honor of February I've picked up my February Lady sweater I started
at camp last year. It is going pretty quickly.

Ready for Spring

2009-01-05T15:24:00.003-07:00

So I can use my new Picnic Bag. I ordered the tote called for in the Mason Dixon book to line this pretty thing with. It's ready for the first felting. Whoo hoo. I can't wait to show you the duplicate work of the birdie.

New Year

2009-01-02T10:37:00.002-07:00

Before I start with all my "last year in review" posts I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope this year takes you in positive directions.

I opted to lose my mind and sign up for the Knit a Sweater a Month for the year group. Thankfully the rules really are only that by the end of the year you need to have 12 completed adult sweaters/vests/tank/etc. With so many items on the needles that are very nearly done I think this is actually doable for me.

Aside from that brief moment of insanity, I think I'll be moving along in my usual flow. All the best to you!

He does

2008-12-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

DH hat

2008-12-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

I think he likes it.

Hat

2008-12-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I made a hat for one of my DH friends to wear while ice fishing. I
used the Lifted Twill Hat pattern from the last Interweave and Cascade
Baby Alpaca Chunky. Should be great. But now DH wants one too.

Crafty Videos

2008-12-26T14:52:00.001-07:00

I just came across this site today and thought I'd share. It looks very neat. There are videos of almost anything you can think of up there. Enjoy!
http://www.craftdemos.tv/

Where's FO

2008-12-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

Can you spot the FO in this photo?

Looong leg pants

2008-12-16T09:36:00.002-07:00

I started this back in September for my sweet nephew and finally got around to finishing them.

The pattern is the Cargo Pants from Knitty. They were super simple (and boring) to knit. I made them extra long so hopefully he can get some good wear out of them. I used Cotton Ease so they are machine washable too (hooray!). Now to get them in the mail for the little guy...

Hai

2008-12-11T14:46:00.002-07:00

Well Hai there. So I hear there is some interest in what I found in NYC. I must be clear, I didn't get to do the tourist thing so this is light (very light) on any fab NYC type photos. But I did manage to get some great shots of the yarn I bought while I was there.

I got out there, Long Island, on Sunday afternoon and was certain there would be both 1) no knit shops near me and 2) if there were they wouldn't be open. Wrong on both counts. Hooray for me.

I went to a little shop in Farmingdale called InfiniteYarns. It was a very cute shop. The owner was sweet. And there was a nice little group in the back knitting away.

They only carried big brands, which was a tiny bit disappointing because I had hoped to find something I couldn't get in Colorado. But being the diligent knitter I am I did find a few lines I hadn't seen before and, of course, I had to bring some home.

Two are Araucania yarns. Both are gorgeous (I wouldn't buy something ugly - ha)

and

And as I was leaving there was this *gorgeous* scarf that I Had. To. Have. so I picked up some Karabella to make that

and finally who could walk past this pretty stuff without grabbing a few

E-bide, e-bide, that's all folks.

Quiet

2008-12-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

It may be quiet here but it is mostly because I've been running all
over creation over the past few days. Well, maybe not all over... Just
here. Back home safe and sound and ready to share the yummy yarn I
found while I was away.

Just enough ruffles

2008-12-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

So true. And a quick knit to boot.

Ruffles

2008-11-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

You can't have just one. Unless it's a ruffle scarf anyway. This is
called Just Enough Ruffles and, so far at least, has been a pretty
quick knit. And fun. I may just have a new scarf by the time I get home.

Birdie swing

2008-11-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a little while ago (I think) that I took a sewing class
with Stacey and her sister to make this cool bag. We only got about
half done during class so this past weekend we went back to the store
and I picked up a copy of the pattern (and more fabric I don't need,
of course). I finished this pretty thing Sunday afternoon.

Zara

2008-11-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

I got this kit a little while ago for a beautiful striped sweater. It
has been a bit addicting to work on. I got all this done in just a
week. I have a feeling you might be seeing more of this for a while.
If you are curious, it's from the Dreamer 138 pattern booklet from
Mission Falls.

Ene

2008-11-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Still going

Dying

2008-11-17T07:46:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend! I spent most of the day Saturday with the oh so talented lady of Red Rocks Fiber Works fame dying up some yarns. Check it out.

For my birthday some of the grrls got together a little gift card for me to cover fiber and dying time so I took full advantage. What a hoot. Can I just say again I want to be Mary Kay when I grow up?

I picked out yarn with a specific project in mind for those curious about that particular color combination and allocation. It's a Norah Gaughn pattern (huge surprise there) from the Knitting Nature book (another shocker) called the Serpentine Coat. Here's one that someone else has made that is just stunning. See the draw here people?

I think if I'm ever going to knit everything I want to from dear designer Norah I'm going to have to have one of her knits on the needles at all times. Hmmm. That's not a bad idea anyway...

Madrona!!

2008-11-16T08:09:00.002-07:00

I'm so excited! I got over to the Madrona website quick enough to actually sign up this year!! Just going for the weekend, three different half day classes, but that's enough to have me wishing it was February already.

I'll be in the Yarn Harlot's class on knitting Faster. Whoo hoo! I hope I can pick up some speed. So much to knit. So little time. Even if I don't learn a thing I'd be willing to bet I'll laugh more in this class than any other. Ha.

Then I'm taking a class on double knitting. Should be very cool. I bought a pattern for double knit mittens years ago and still haven't bothered to start it. I know it's not *that* hard, but sitting down with a book to teach myself when I've got a thousand other options of knitting patterns just means I haven't gotten to it and likely won't on my own.

The third class is a spinning class and I really really can't wait for that one. It's about plying, which for some reason I have the hardest time feeling good about. I know I have too much twist in my singles still, which I am certain more practice will help work out, and maybe a class or two. But then I always seem to try and overcompensate for that when I ply. Not to mention that there are tons of different ways to ply and I have only tried one so far.

And best of all? Two of my grrls will also be going. Thank heaven they were online when I signed up or I wouldn't have had anyone to talk into coming along. Not that it took that much arm twisting mind you. It was more about timing. All the classes were full by the end of the day or I bet some more twisting would have happened and it'd be more that two of the grrls going.

Anyway, still really really excited. If you couldn't tell by the rambling. Is it February yet?

Tiny Cute Distractions

2008-11-11T07:42:00.003-07:00

Ok. My nephew is becoming an ever increasing distraction to my knitting plans. Don't get me wrong. This is a good thing. Who knew there were this many cute things to knit for little boys.
Totally have to make this. It's the free pattern from Berroco and knit out of Comfort which is machine washable and dryable (bonus!). Plus it's dang cute. I took some liberties with the color selection so hopefully it'll still be just as cute.

And then these just couldn't be passed by. Entirely too cute. Houston, we are go for goldfish. By the time he grows into them, he'll probably even know what goldfish are. Awesome.

Slow and steady

2008-11-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Knitting over the last couple of weeks has been sporadic at best but I
have made a little progress on the Ene shawl so I thought I'd share
what it looks like now. Hope you are all doing well!

NaKniSweMo

2008-11-03T08:00:00.002-07:00

It's National Knit a Sweater Month. Third annual actually. Wow. I decided to unofficially participate this year. It seems I always sign up for these things and then drop it about 2 weeks in, so I might as well take my time. Not only that, but I cast on for the Winter Wonderland coat from Inspired to Knit and it's not a realistic goal to have it done in a month - though I'd like to get the back done.

Colorful Yarns was kind enough to bring in Berroco Peruvia in a new shade called Chestnut for me (very pretty rusty red/orange - the picture looks a little light to me). The charts at the bottom of the skirt are a bit of a bear. I'm very fond of lace where there isn't anything complicated on the wrong side, but these are charted on both. Just makes it slower going. But i love how it's knitting up so far and the coat is worth the work so I'll just keep plugging away.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T08:06:00.001-06:00

Who? You!

I thought I'd share my first acrylic painting with you. It's not finished yet. But the subject couldn't have been better for a spooky halloween picture. I hope you all have a great evening!

Just Teasin

2008-10-28T08:14:00.000-06:00

I LOVE how this turned out! It is smaller than the one in the book. I
got weird ruffles at each end. And it's in bad need of a shave. But I
still love it.

Party Dress

2008-10-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

After all that work I thought it would be a waste to just shrink this
thing. And the company Christmas party is coming soon...

Birthday boots

2008-10-26T10:39:00.001-06:00

So during my weeks of silence my birthday happened. DH didn't know
till after but he bought me these awesome boots. I'm finally getting
around to weatherproofing them so I can wear them next week. I did
that "I'll put this somewhere I won't lose it" with the
weatherproofing spray. So of course I promptly forgot where that was.
All better now though.

Rug-ged

2008-10-25T15:12:00.000-06:00

Nearly there!

Lie like a rug

2008-10-13T18:35:00.003-06:00

We used to have what I called a kitchen carpet. It was a little rug that sat right in front of the kitchen sink. It was navy blue. But I redecorated a couple years back and blue just didn't fit so I took it to another room for another purpose. My husband is apparently at a loss to what he should do now because I keep coming home to find this

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No matter how many times I tell him that a kitchen towel isn't the same as a rug I find this. I have at least gotten him to start using the stained ones but that isn't much nicer.
So when I got the new Mason Dixon knitting book I knew exactly what needed to happen. I got out my stash of Brown Sheep bulky and picked out the colors I want to use

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and cast on for Kiki Mariko. I'm very excited about this. It knits up fast on size 15 needles and gives me great practice with my fair isle knitting.

I got all this done just yesterday.

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I figure I'll keep working on it this week and we shall see if I can't just get it done. It'll be a great change to what has become the norm.

Red Red and More Red

2008-10-10T13:22:00.000-06:00

I think I'm seeing a trend in all my active works in progress. The one I haven't shown you yet is Cosima. I'm using Cuzco for it, like many of my friends, and have to say I'm really enjoying the knit so far. It's a beautiful yarn and the sweater is just great.

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Ene

2008-10-09T10:11:00.001-06:00

So I mentioned a while ago that I started Ene. I'm really loving this project but I must admit I'll be glad as the decreases start feeling like they are having an effect. I'm still at that one-row-takes-an-hour-to-knit stage and it's getting a little old. I'm nearly done with the outer border though and it's finally starting to look like something.

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If I can't see you

2008-10-08T10:09:00.000-06:00

then you can't see me, right?

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Quick Little Knit

2008-10-07T09:34:00.002-06:00

I felt the need for a quick knit over this past weekend and with all my wandering in gardens "Grassy" seemed to fit the bill. And I've really really been wanting to use Dream In Color in this colorway for a long time. So pretty.

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Pattern: Grassy by Larissa Brown
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in In Vino Veritas

I have a feeling I'll be wanting some more quick knits over the next few months. What is your favorite quick knit?

Botanic Gardens

2008-10-06T09:35:00.003-06:00

I mentioned last week that I managed one more trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens this year. I love that place. It seems like a new place every time I get over there with all the different flowers in bloom and niches that I seem to have missed on the last trip. I love having something like that so close by. They have good classes there too and isn't something I always think of them for.

My only complaint is that the signs for the flowers aren't always the ones I want to know what they are. Like this one. Anyone know what kind of flower this is?

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I love how many colors they came in. And the rich shades.

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These were another of my favorites. They were over 6 feet tall and just beautiful.

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Crocus

2008-10-03T08:38:00.000-06:00

Did you know there are autumn blooming crocus? I didn't until I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens the other day. So pretty. Enjoy your eye candy for today and have a great weekend.

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Oops

2008-10-02T08:35:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't shown you this yet. It's Glint from the Nectar book by Kim Hargreaves. It was a quick and easy knit and I really like it. Now to pair it with the cutest outfit.

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Whiskers on Wednesday

2008-10-01T09:28:00.000-06:00

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What do you think she's thinking?

New Project

2008-09-30T09:21:00.000-06:00

I ran across this Tilli Thomas laceweight yarn the other day (when I accidentally forgot my knitting at knit night - oops!) and decided this would be a great project for the evening. I chose Ene from Scarf Style as the pattern this wanted to be. And I've been loving it ever since. The yarn is luscious. I mean, really, look at that red. It's gorgeous! I've been plugging away at it when I've got some quiet time, which isn't all that often. Slow and steady wins the race though right?

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Signs of Fall

2008-09-29T11:05:00.002-06:00

There are signs of fall popping up all over the place around here. Trees are starting to change, and are stunning in the early morning light. It's a pity the prettiest ones are in my parking lot at work and there isn't a good way (that I've found) to capture how they glow in the mornings without also capturing all the cars parked beneath them. I'm sure all the trees around here will get more photo ops as the month progresses.

My garden is stubbornly hanging on. I love fall blooming plants. They offer one last stunning display before the dreary winter months descend.

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I love that I haven't killed any of these yet. Maybe this gardening thing is finally starting to sink in.

On Guard

2008-09-24T09:55:00.000-06:00

She must have heard me talking about packet loss since she's been guarding the computer all day - trying to find out who's stealing those packets, and if there is food in them...

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Random Monday

2008-09-22T10:13:00.000-06:00

I came across this when trying to catch up on my blog reading. I just had to share. I love the way this was photographed.
Giant Hand-Knit Carpet

And I was never aware at how volatile our lighting could be. Keep an eye on your floor lamps and watch for signs of depression. It would be shocking to come home to this.

Knitting bag fan? Can't ever seem to catch those piddleee bags when they are posted? Check out this alternative. The bags are different sizes and shapes from Piddleloop but they are darn cute!

For those not quite over the felted bag phase there is a new pattern from Skacel that looks amazing. I'm feeling a bit tempted on this one.

Really don't want to throw any of that yarn away? Including leftovers and clipped ends. Here's an idea for ya. Looks fun.

Elephants on Parade

2008-09-18T10:38:00.000-06:00

And the final (and most clever, in my opinion) that we spent time on was decorating the walls. I read on one of the many DIY blogs that contact paper will stick to walls and peel off very nicely making it an easy and fun way to decorate a rented house. Whoo hoo!

My sister adores elephants, and I really don't think the nephew is that particular, so we opted to make cute little elephants and stick them up in his room. I browsed around the web for some ideas and came across a nice elephant silhouette, we went to the grocery store and picked up some contact paper, and then went to town.

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We decided we needed a large one too so I used the grid on the back of the paper to sketch out a larger version, and viola!

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It didn't look quite finished and we wanted his name up there. I had brought some solid blue contact paper with me so we used that for some clouds to spell out his name. Perfect.

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Plum tuckered out

2008-09-17T10:20:00.000-06:00

From all that studying - or from running away from the nephew. You pick.

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Crafty Goodness

2008-09-16T10:22:00.000-06:00

Now onto some crafty goodness... My DS knew of some fabric shops in her little town. We had it down on the agenda to tour them since she hadn't been to them yet and she knows I like crafty goodness.

The first place was a standard small quilt shop with a small selection of fabrics and an almost nice person working there. So we didn't stay very long.

The second place on the other hand ROCKED. It was mostly, well I guess they would be called remnants, yards worth of fabric with very excellent prices (like $2ish per yard kind of excellent). We restrained ourselves from buying a ton of fabrics but did manage to pick up enough to make some very cute curtains for the nephews room. Super simple stuff. And it really brightened up the room.

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A New Form of Attention Deficit

2008-09-15T10:13:00.000-06:00

Reports have it that there is a new form of Attention Deficit disorder, common to very little children. It seems my nephew has a very bad case. It's referred to as ADOK (attention deficit - ooooh Kitty!).

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There he goes...

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And on a side note and because I know you all will appreciate this more than most...
I found these sheep onesies at Target. How could I resist!!!

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Where should we start?

2008-09-12T09:56:00.000-06:00

How about, since this is a knitting blog, we start with knitting? Very good. I actually didn't get much knitting done at all during vacation. I mostly knit during my 7 hour layover in Indianapolis - not my favorite part of the trip, but the knitting helped.

I started the swingy skirt by Norah Gaughen and from the Knit.1 Spring 2008 magazine. I'm using Rowan Cotton Glace in this luscious plum color. I didn't like this pattern at all until MintyFresh made hers and posted about it. It's so darn cute. Since I want to make it a titch longer I decided to knit from the top down. It's such a simple pattern it hasn't been hard at all to reverse the order of making it.

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Like my improvised stitch markers? Necessity really is the mother of invention. Those are all cough drop wrappers. Darn cold had to be good for something...

VACATION

2008-09-11T07:35:00.003-06:00

Man, I needed one of those. It was fab. I planned to get a ton of reading done.

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A ton of knitting (it was just a skirt, jacket, and some baby pants). Actually, I was pleased at my restraint when packing yarn for this trip. You should have seen what I started with. I think I was going to also bring a sweater, tank, and blanket with me too but talked myself out of it since I was also bringing this book:
I picked it up at Fancy Tiger before I left. I *love* this book. There are so many cute ideas in there. DS and I loved the toys most of all and I really am going to make a few things out of this book one day.

And a bunch of crafty goodness too courtesy of the DIY blogs and websites I visit too often.

I didn't get anywhere near all that done. Shocking, yes? But who could with this little monster chasing you around?

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If all monsters were that cute I'd manage to watch horror flicks. He's awesome, and yes I'll be dousing you all with pictures of him for the rest of the week.

Oh HAI

2008-09-10T09:37:00.002-06:00

Hey there! Yes, I'm still alive. Been having a grand old time on vacation. I'll tell you all about it soon. In the mean time here's a photo of the look I got when I got back...

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I'm pretty sure she's more upset that I'm back and she now has to give up her half of the bed than that I was gone for so long. Ha.

I was thiiiiiiis close

2008-08-25T11:12:00.002-06:00

I got a Silver Medal for my Olympic efforts. Is it just me or is it really hard to be honest with yourself? I can almost justify a gold in my mind but I know I didn't give it my all. I seamed that last sweater up, but can't find the buttons so decided not to bother weaving in all those ends, or sewing on the sleeves. So silver it must be...

But I did get three outta four sweaters finished. Hooray for the WIP pile getting smaller!

Eye Candy Friday

2008-08-22T10:22:00.000-06:00

A rose by any other name... These grow at the park I like to go to at lunch. Just part of the draw to get me there.

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Zee Desk

2008-08-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

*And zee desk, she is fin-ished.*

I should say she is finished for now. I doubt I'll ever quit making little changes to make it better, stronger, faster, whatever. But I do love how it looks. Just some quick coats of paint working their magic.

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And some fun buttons to hide those holes.

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What to do with all this space? Reorganize the fabric stash of course. It's so pretty. I really should make something with this stuff...

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Tami

2008-08-20T09:56:00.000-06:00

You'd never guess that she hates to have her nails tended. Maybe I should try filing instead...

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Alt Art

2008-08-19T09:31:00.000-06:00

I bought this book a while back and decided recently I'd love to have a go at it. I have only recently heard of Artist Trading Cards (also called ATCs). I may be the last one on the planet to have heard of them, but just in case I'm not Lolly gave a great explanation over here. And there are some awesome examples here.

There are so many ideas in this book and the projects are so small that I could easily make one set of each example. And then I'd have a bunch of little cards to trade. And get to try a bunch of different techniques. Its a total win situation

I started with the first project in the book (I'm funny that way). It was a watercolor based project and since I'm just playing around I cut up some watercolor paper into the appropriate size. The project was to paint random colors using a LOT of water so the colors flowed together. Once the background dried add some random splotches of color (I went for splatter - man that was fun) and then once everything is dry take a step back and see what there is to see on the page - and work from there. Think cloud animals.

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I've only finished one. I was cleaning off the desk (which I finally finished - will have to show you tomorrow) and the top card caught my attention. I thought I saw a little guy staring at a shooting star. Viola. My first ATC. I think these might get addicting...

One down

2008-08-18T08:17:00.002-06:00

Three to go...
I still feel like I'm limping along but it was nice to finish this up. I got it done yesterday afternoon during one of the many thunderstorms.

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I don't have buttons for it. I'm debating on using a shawl pin instead.

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Ends woven in. All seams done. Wearable. Done. Whew.

Quick reference:
Pattern: Sideways Cardigan from Vogue Knitting, Summer 2008.
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton in a deep olive color.
Mods: None

Limp-ics

2008-08-11T11:03:00.003-06:00

So I also signed up for the Ravelympics (I'm starting to wonder if anyone didn't). I'm feeling a lot more like it should be limp-ics or something. I am a bit worried that I was a bit overambitious with my project selection. Oh, didn't I tell you what I selected? Doh. Here's the list of events I picked...

Team Colorado

WIP Wrestling
Sideways cardigan - Had the back finished already but have both fronts and sleeves to go
Glint - Back and part of one front was already done. Need to finish fronts, sleeves, and collar
Blithe - Needs to be seamed and collar knit
Roundabout Leaf Tank - Had about 30" done (measured around - needs to get to 90" and straps knit)

See why I got freaked? Yowza. I started with the tank - both because it was a pretty simple pattern and because it felt like it had the furthest to go. Between lunch with friends and a birthday party Friday night instead of training like I should have been I got no knitting done at all on Friday. I managed to keep focused on it pretty well over Saturday and Sunday. By Sunday afternoon I was convinced that I should have only picked this dumb tank for my event though. I started feeling much better by Sunday evening when I finished up the body of the tank. I need to get those straps done and block the bugger.

Today I'm focusing on the Sideways Cardigan. It's got a good long way to go too. The back was a really fun knit until I started the large holey section the covers the shoulders. I'm so not looking forward to that part on the fronts. But I'll enjoy the body while it lasts. Hopefully I'll find more knitting time this week than I found last. I'll keep limping along at the very least.

Slow and steady wins the race right?

Random Friday

2008-08-08T10:13:00.002-06:00

Now that I've started spinning I find myself fiber obsessed in a whole new way. It's like a new dimension of fiber obsessed. My favorite find of the day is this hand dyed 100% silk roving. Stunning.

And for my skull loving friends you have to go check out these needle gauge tools. So cool. I love the little yarn bobbins too. What a fun idea.

Registration is open for yarn school. Very slick idea.

These are adorable prints. I'd love to cover my nephews walls with a bunch of them.

For those crafty sewers out there - Who couldn't use a few more pin cushions? Heather Bailey has shared a very cute pattern available here for free.

In line with my crafty table post, here's a great almost-tutorial on a really nice (and cost effective) sewing table.

Craft Room Updates

2008-08-07T06:39:00.000-06:00

I've made a little more progress in the craft room over this past weekend. I had a fab place to read and knit but not really a great place to do any of the rest of my crafty projects. The kitchen table works but it makes any longer term projects difficult since we need to use it to eat off of too. Pesky dinner times.

So... I decided to make something. What I really really wanted was this. Stunning isn't it? So is that price tag. For a craft table particularly. It's going to get paint on it. I'm going to end up scratching it with scissors, exacto knives, or something at some point. So, in honor of it being a craft desk I got crafty with it.

I started with a quick stop at Target for some of their awesome and economical shelving units (same brand as those awesome cube shelves I put in the loft earlier this year). After putting those together it was time to fill them. One side has all my computer and gear in it. The other side is more inspiring.

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The serger, sewing machine, and sewing notions all fit very nicely in this side. With plenty of room to spare for all my cross stitching patterns and floss. Thankfully that stuff is still under control. For now. If Kim keeps posting about such great patterns I may cave in. Again.

And for the finali I topped the desk (or actually made it a desk depending on how you look at it) by using up some boards I couldn't part with when we threw out the old entertainment center. Recycling at it's finest.

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I'm not quite done and will post more photos when it's truly done. Just a coat of paint and some other fun ideas I'm toying with to make it cool. But it's been great to have just as it is. Loving it.

2008-08-06T07:49:00.000-06:00

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What do you mean it's only Wednesday?

Going with the Flow

2008-08-05T07:58:00.000-06:00

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Yes I am. I've been eyeballing this yarn in this shade for a Long time now. After the Yarn Harlot made her flow I realized what I didn't like about that pattern when I first saw it. It needed to be longer. Light bulb! Enablement in action! Yup. Started it this past weekend. It's the perfect knit for evenings when I'm too tired to focus on the lace section of Geno. Hooray.

Soaked

2008-08-04T07:54:00.001-06:00

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I wound up that yarn I showed you last week. I think it's another 70ish yards. I really overspun it when I was plying and it was all kinds of energetic when I pulled it off the niddy noddy so I decided a quick soak and stretch would help. Looks like it has so far. Hooray! Now what to do with it...

Blooming

2008-08-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

I love late summer bloomers. These sweet flowers will keep on going into the fall. They were already attracting a bunch of pretty bees. I don't think I've ever called bees pretty before... must be something in the air.

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Not a black thumb

2008-07-31T11:51:00.001-06:00

I've always claimed a black thumb (as opposed to a green one) but I think I'm beginning to prove myself wrong. Proof positive - the tomato plant actually has tomatoes growing on it.

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I came across this website earlier this week and had to tell you about it - you being anyone that also claims a semi-green thumb. Loads of great info.

Little Project

2008-07-30T11:50:00.000-06:00

Another little project I spent some time on this weekend involved paint.

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Mad Spinner and Tour de Fleece finalist

2008-07-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

I had a spinning bug this weekend and got quite a bit done, which worked out nicely since Sunday was the final day of the Tour de Fleece and that was the day the bug hit.

Before I start going on about the new spinning I finally wound off my lavender dreams and skeined it. So pretty! I love how it turned out. If I did my math right I got 75 yards of this beautiful yarn from the spinning at camp. I may break out my meter reader and double check that. It doesn't quite sound right to me.

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Now, onto the tour finishings. I finished up the fiber I got from Handpainted Yarns. I started this at the beginning of the tour and wasn't having a good time spinning it. I really had to fight with this at first and wasn't getting an even ply at all. I don't recall exactly what sort of fiber it is. I did enjoy the color changes though. And by the end was getting a very lovely consistency from it. Which was the first part of my goal for the tour anyway. The second part was to like what I spun...

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Luckily, I decided to keep on spinning. I was dying to start this beauty. It's Falkland wool that I bought from Fat Cat Knits. The colorway is Siren. Very pretty and was sooo nice to spin. I really really enjoyed it and if I didn't need to ply the Handpainted yarn to free up another bobbin I would have kept right on going with it. I can't wait to see how the yarn turns out. I love how it looks so far though.

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Geno

2008-07-28T11:33:00.001-06:00

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I've been having a great time working on Geno lately. It's from the Rowan 43 and you are looking at the back of it. I don't know why I think knitting 4 ply cotton goes so fast. It's completely illogical since it's fingering weight and I'm knitting on 2s. But it seems fast anyway. Better than seeming slow I suppose. Ha. I hope to finish the back up this week and get started on the fronts.

Winecups

2008-07-25T16:13:00.001-06:00

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Isn't it pretty. I think I'll be hanging out with wine cups (these and the more common sort) this weekend. TGIF.

Startitis

2008-07-21T11:23:00.002-06:00

I feel a bad case of startitis coming on. Inspired mostly by all the previews for the fall magazines that should be out soon.

Rowan 44

Vogue Knitting

The new Knitscene is already available and has some seriously cute projects in it.

And if the new Interweave follows history I will want to make a half dozen things out of it.

Random Friday

2008-07-18T10:00:00.003-06:00

It's back folks. Random Friday. Here's some random, strange, and even crazy cool stuff for you to check out. TGIF!

Check out this metatronic sculpture. The 714 metal balls are suspended by strings that raise and lower the balls creating weightless shapes. It's absolutely amazing. More info here and here.

Been captured by the return of the apron and want to give making one of your own a try? Here's a great tutorial on how to turn two kitchen towels into one, looks easy and very cute.

All this heat has me focused on shade again. Did you know when you join the National Arbor Day Foundation you can get 10 free trees? And even if you don't join, their prices are great! The trade off is that the tress are small, but hey, it's still a tree. Don't tell my DH, but he's going to be digging some holes this fall for some new maple trees. Ha.

I'm sure everyone has heard of the Knitting Olympics but have you seen the UFOlympics? Sounds right up my alley. Sign ups end tomorrow so take a quick look.

A True Friend

2008-07-17T11:08:00.000-06:00

1. When you are sad --I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off.

9. This is my oath...I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask -- because you are my FRIEND!

Heehee. Hope you are having a great day. And if not, I hope this brightened it a bit.

Hooker

2008-07-16T15:10:00.000-06:00

So I told you that I picked up some fabric backing for my own design of a rug right? Well, then I went to Colorful Yarns and noticed they had a killer sale on Cascade 220. What an awesome option for a rug! Tons of colors, variety, I know how to care for it already and the perfect options were right there looking at me. So... here's the plan.

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And the colors. I hope I have enough. I plan to start really soon just in case I need more in the same dye lot. After drawing out the whole thing I'm really wondering if I'm going to be short.

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Is that Crochet?

2008-07-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

Why yes it is. Babbette is another fun little project I've been working on occasionally. It's very fun but it goes so fast you have to have all the colors available for the next square making it less portable than most projects.

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Blanket Updates

2008-07-14T14:45:00.000-06:00

During camp, those that could swapped squares for the Barn Raising quilt. I love the idea of this quilt and amazingly I haven't gotten tired of making the squares yet. Though I am glad to have finished the ones I wanted to swap. I'll have more up for swap later on if anyone is interested. I'll be posting them by colorway as I go. Here are the ones I swapped for. I love how they've turned out, how they are going together, and how each will remind me of a special friend. Yes, I'm that sentimental.

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And if you want to see how great it's going to be one day. Here's a picture of Kim's progress on her blanket. Wow! Motivator.

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And a little more history

2008-07-11T14:21:00.000-06:00

So I told you that I got a spinning wheel, and obviously I picked up some roving some time. It's true! I took the day off of work a few weeks back and spent a lovely morning at the Art Museum with two friend and my DH looking at the quilts of Gees Bend (if they make it to your town, go visit! I'll never think of quilting the same way - very liberating).

Then DH and I headed up to Boulder with a friend to pick up the roving that "came with" my wheel. What a great deal! Maggie Casey (yes the one that just wrote a book on spinning - get a copy) helped me pick out the best stuff to start with and we headed out. We had hurd rumor that Boulder had a new yarn store and we had to go check it out, particularly since I don't make it to Boulder very often. We heard that it's an ice cream shop and yarn store combined.

Different... But what the hey.

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It's in a little stip mall area. From the front it is what you'd expect.

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And that's all folks. You can see the whole shop in that picture.

In her defense, she does carry some very nice yarn brands. Just not much by way of quantity. My DH made the comment as we were leaving that I have more yarn than she does. Doh! The ice cream was awesome though so if you are in the neighborhood, need a little ice cream, and some comfy chairs to knit in it would be worth a stop in.

Yarn and Knitting

2008-07-10T14:14:00.001-06:00

Enough history already. How about some knitting content. Gosh!

Let's start with my very prized yarn I spun during camp shall we?

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The pig is there because she's cute. And I know there are one or two folks that read this that just aren't into yarn like I am. Thinking of you.

And something I've been knitting on? I picked this up from the old WIP pile and decided to work on it. I wish it was finished. It'd be perfect to wear today.

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It's Rusted Root and I'm thankfully to the main body section. I love the knit but I do wish someone would tell me where to pick up some of Mrs. Weasley's knitting needles since I'm a bit over the whole process and am ready for finished product.

Back further

2008-07-09T14:10:00.001-06:00

Ton's of blurred together time... And then... Camp. I love camp. I told the folks I work with it's my "better than Christmas" vacation. Nothing but hanging out with friends, knitting, and eating for a long weekend. Ahhhh.

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I love that we've been able to do this for the past few years. Tons of thanks to the people that make it happen!

Working backwards

2008-07-08T09:50:00.001-06:00

So working back, I had a great 4th of July. My parents stopped in on their way to a Boy Scout training camp for the week. We did the tourist thing and went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. It was fascinating and I got lots of ideas, and yes the motivation it took to get those watercolors out again. It was DARN hot out too though so we took a great long nap after we toured around.

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After our great nap time we headed to one of the local areas to listen to some music, people watch, and enjoy some of those fireworks.

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Hey There

2008-07-07T11:17:00.002-06:00

Oh, Hey there! How have you been doing? Things have been straight up crazy around here lately. Nothing bad. Just busy. I think I knitted. Recently even. Hmmm. Let's start with what I did most recently (since I still remember what that was) HA!

It's not knitterly so you can feel free to come back tomorrow if that is what you are looking for. What I did most recently had to do with Miss Stacey's Summer School. It was our first assignment - and was due a while back but I figured better late than never. The assignment was to paint a self portrait. Woza. I haven't painted in 15 years. But I sured loved it back then. And what the hell. It's like riding a bike right?

Well, I have to say for a 15 year haietus it really wasn't too bad. I found an old photo from when I was around 4 or 5 and busted out the watercolors and just had at it. It was fun at the very least.

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Sittin' Here Knittin'

Happy Easter, All

Bragging

Reading

Crafty goodness

Guess it was my turn

Hi

Home again, home again

Traveling

Hi There

Finished!

Zara

New tank

Hangin out

Ahhh Spring

Bye bye

Ene

Speaking of bags

Best for last

Mmmmalabrigo

Enough suspense

Little something

Shopping

Year of lace

Mixing things up

Rhubarb

February

Ready for Spring

New Year

He does

DH hat

Hat

Crafty Videos

Where's FO

Looong leg pants

Hai

Quiet

Just enough ruffles

Ruffles

Birdie swing

Zara

Ene

Dying

Madrona!!

Tiny Cute Distractions

Slow and steady

NaKniSweMo

Happy Halloween

Just Teasin

Party Dress

Birthday boots

Rug-ged

Lie like a rug

Red Red and More Red

Ene

If I can't see you

Quick Little Knit

Botanic Gardens

Crocus

Oops

Whiskers on Wednesday

New Project

Signs of Fall

On Guard

Random Monday

Elephants on Parade

Plum tuckered out

Crafty Goodness

A New Form of Attention Deficit

Where should we start?

VACATION

Oh HAI

I was *thiiiiiiis* close

Eye Candy Friday

Zee Desk

Tami

Alt Art

One down

Limp-ics

Random Friday

I was thiiiiiiis close