Warming Up

Just a quick post to prove that I'm still alive. It's warming up around these parts and we've had a few sunny days to melt most of the snow piles. The ground in our yard is mostly bare now except in areas of extreme shadiness.

I've been working on the India Stole most of the time and I'm about a third of the way through the second half. It's moving right along even though it doesn't seem like I get to work on it very much. I'm thinking it's going to be really beautiful when it's done.

I'm also working on the Evenstar Shawl (part of the Lord of the Rings Series by Susan Pandorf). Clues come out every other Friday and since it's still in it's infancy it's quite easy to finish a clue before the next one comes out. We've finished Clue #2 and are awaiting #3 which will come out this Friday. Here's a photo I took after I finished Clue #1.



It appears that I'm going to have surgery on my left shoulder very soon so the knitting will be on hold for a while. I somehow partially tore my rotator cuff and need to get it fixed and rahabed in time for mowing this spring. I hope the doctor can fit me in soon.

The start of our local minor league season is only a month away and we're looking forward to that as we do each spring. Here's hoping that we get a break and have some warm weather for our first home stand.

Oh, My Aching Head!

Sinuses, do we really need them? Must we have these holes in our faces that fill up with gunk and ache so badly? I got a sinus infection last week. It really put a damper on my activities over the weekend. I took a sick day on Monday and managed to snag a doctor appointment. She listened to me explain that it felt like my upper teeth on the left side were being pushed out of my jaw against their will. Now I'm on antibiotics and sinus meds.

It hurt so bad I didn't even feel like knitting. That's when I know I'm really si....

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG POST FOR THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
I just now received a phone call from someone wanting to verify the model number of the photocopier in our office. Now my momma didn't raise any fools and I didn't just fall of the turnip truck yesterday so I told the dude that I know he's participating in a scam and that he should be ashamed of himself. He says "this is not a scam" and then hangs up on me. Way to protest your innocence there, Buddy.
If you ever get one of these calls, don't give them any information. They will send you supplies for the copier that you didn't order and then bill you or even worse just bill you without sending you anything.
WE NOW RETURN YOU TO THE BLOG POST ALREADY IN PROGRESS...

...ck; I loose interest in doing the things I love.

The snow from last week is still hanging around. Here are some photos of the lacey remnants along our driveway.



I did force myself to knit a little over the weekend but the only thing that kept me going was this beautiful Malabrigo Twist yarn. The pattern is The Amanda Hat (Ravelry link) and I think I did something wrong on the crown. It's a little small. I may open it back up and rip out the crown and add some extra rows between the decrease rows. I really like it though. It fits good around my tiny head and should stay one better when I'm shoveling. Not that I want to do anymore shoveling. I've had enough of that to last me quite some time. But I found that the various hats I've knitted don't stay in place during hard manual labor.


Meanwhile, I've started the Evenstar Mystery Shawl KAL, a pi shawl inspired by Arwen's necklace that she gave to Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings. When I finished my first and only pi shawl last summer (Girasole by Jarad Flood) I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be doing another pi shawl any time soon. I'm just not fond of round shawls. But Susan Pandorf's motif for this shawl was so lovely and I'm such a sucker for all things LotR that I immediately signed up. I commissioned Nicole at No Two Snowflakes to custom dye 1800 yards of lace-weight silk for me and purchased 3000 beads.

The first clue was released Friday night but I didn't start it until Tuesday evening because of the pain in my head and mouth. I didn't even look at the pattern. It hurt just to think about a circular cast-on in 100% silk lace-weight. When I did started it I remembered one of the reasons that I don't care for pi shawls - the circular cast-on. I tried 3 different methods and after starting over at least 10 times and having to cut off the worn-out end of my yarn, I settled on Emily Ocher's method. Now I'm almost done with the first clue. No photo yet.

I'm using a the recommended needle size, US#3 and it's producing a looser, more open lace than I usually allow. I've decided to continue with this needle size though because I want this shawl to be large. I'll get used to the openness, I guess.

Adios, 2009!

Boy, am I glad that 2008 and 2009 are over. Those will be remembered as "the cancer years" here at chez Artz. I hope they're the last. I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions. I never do because I'm not good at following through on things like that.

We had a lot of snowy weather here over the holidays and it's been really cold and windy most of the time. I took the photo above Friday morning from the front of our house. There's a scientific term for that bar of light going straight up from the rising (in this case) or setting sun but it escapes me at the moment. I've seen several of them this winter so it must not be a truly rare phenomena.

The photo below shows our driveway on December 17th, the day after we received 16-18 inches of snow. We don't often get such large snow events here in Washington County. In fact we don't often get much precip at all. We refer to this area as the desert of Maryland. The rain and snow usually go east or west of us but seldom make into the Great Hagerstown Valley. Last summer was also an exception and I guess it just carried on into winter.


It was certainly beautiful, both while falling and the day after. This is a cedar along our driveway. I took lots of photos during the storm and the day after. You can see more on Flickr. Fortunately I don't have to go out and work in this kind of weather. I'm sure I'd sing a different song all together if that were the case.


Here's the snow piled on the shrubbery in front of our house the morning after. It was breathtaking. It was a very light and fluffy snow because of the extreme cold and therefore didn't cause any power outages in our area. And it shoveled easily. We don't do a lot of shoveling because we have all-wheel-drive Subarus and don't have much trouble making it up and down our driveway despite the little hill we have to go up to get to the house. So we only shovel paths to the cars.


In knitting news, I joined the 10 Shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry. My first shawl is the India Stole by Sylvie Beez. I'm using Perchance to Knit Lace in the Lagoon colorway.

I'm not going to obsess over getting all 10 done. My queue is pretty ambitious so I'll do what I can and be satisfied with what I get done. I've also been watching "Cranford" and "Return to Cranford" on PBS Masterpeice Classics and enjoying it immensely. What an amazing cast!

Happy Holidays

Hi, everyone. I wanted to post a project update and wish everyone a happy holiday (whatever that holiday maybe) and a happy new year. I've been knitting every free moment and have finished a shawl and started a couple of new projects. You know me, one is never enough.

I finished the Baltic Blossoms Shawl for my step-mother. It's blocked and all I have to do is weave in the ends. I asked Sarah to model it for me but the camera batteries were dead and then later she was busy so here are pictures of it without a human for scale.



I really love this shawl and will hate to have to gift it but I can always make another one, right? This was quite a journey from beginning to end. But I won out in the end and finished it. The yarn is so pretty. Here's the stats:

Pattern: Baltic Blossoms Lace Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks Atropos Bombyx Silk in a one-of-a-kind colorway
Needles: #2 Knitpicks Harmony
Mods: I added 5 repeats to the body of the shawl and made the rest according to the pattern. I pinned out the points as scallops instead of points. I like that look better. I love nupps!



Meanwhile I've started a scarf from Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. It's the kimono shawl but I cut the repeats from 10 to 6 so it's a little narrower. I'm wondering though if I should have cut them to 4 because it's still pretty wide and I only have 654 yards. I sure hate to rip it out now because I have over 2 feet of it done. I'm using Handmaiden Sea Silk 150g in Ivory. I've long covetted this colorway and finally scored a skein thanks to a generous gift from my wonderful MIL.


This is a boring knit but the yarn is so yummy that it keeps me going. In fact I think it's slowing me down because I keep stopping to admire and fondle. I worked on it at the Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis last Friday while we drank a couple of beers and waited to see the Bacon Brothers.



I'm also working on a scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush out of Filatura di Crosa Superior. I can't remember the name of the pattern right at the moment and I haven't photographed it yet. It's going fast but the Kimono Shawl is my first priority.

That's about it for knitting right now. I have to wrap up some presents tonight and we're ready for Christmas. We going to relatives tomorrow and the LYS is having a Boxing Day Knit-In so I'll probably go to that for a while. I don't intend to do any shopping on the day after.

Monday will be my last chemo treatment and I'll be so glad to get it over with. Thank goodness it fell after Christmas. Then I start radiation sometime after the first of the year.

I hope you all have great holidays and enjoy it however you see fit. Happy New Year, y'all!

I'm still going...

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last update. I've been knitting like crazy so I have a lot to talk about.

I've been on a lace kick lately. I finished the Swallowtail and gifted it to my lovely co-worker. I really enjoyed this knit. The pattern is well written and easy to follow and the yarn I used, Handmaiden Sea Silk, is just beyond words. I think it's the perfect yarn for this pattern. It was a true pleasure to knit with and I wish I could afford to make more projects with it but it's a bit pricey for my budget. This photo shows the actual color of the yarn much better.


This put me on a path to nupp central. I purchased an online pattern that features nupps, Baltic Blossoms by Evelyn A. Clark and started it right away. I started it using Filatura di Crosa Superior of which I have 660 yards. This yarn is my most cherished possession and I didn't want to waste it. The small version of the shawl would have left me with 200 yards, not enough to do much with but not enough to knit the larger size. I did the body of the shawl before I finally made up my mind that I just couldn't live with the thought of wasting those 200 yards. So I ripped it out and started over using Spirit Trail Fiberworks Bombyx Silk Atropos. I have 500 yards of this so I did the body for the smaller size but I also went down a needle size. After knitting 9 repeats of the body and the first two lily of the valley charts I decided that the shawl would be too small. So I ripped out the LOV charts and added 5 more repeats of the the body pattern for a total of 14 repeats. With the smaller needle size I'm hoping that 500 yards will be enough to finish this.


Here's what it looked like before I ripped out the LOV charts. I ripped it back to the where the first lifeline is shown but unfortunately I had already removed the lifeline (I know, I'm an idiot). So I had a lot of fun trying to pick up all those stitches in SILK yarn but I eventually succeeded. I'm now back to where the first lifeline is shown but with 5 extra repeats of the body pattern. I'm ready to start the first lily of the valley chart. I'll have to do some major improvisation if I don't have enough yarn to finish this because the colorway was one of a kind.

Meanwhile, my friends and I went to Stitches East for three wonderful fun-filled days! I took two classes and really enjoyed them both but especially the Cable Variations class taught by Melissa Leapman. She is a really good teacher and kept the class moving even if it meant leaving some folks behind. The class description clearly indicated that it wasn't for beginners. I felt so sorry for the lady who sat beside me. She didn't know what an SSK was! She didn't even really get started on any of the examples before she had to quit and move on to the next one. I think she was in tears at one point. No one should ever cry over knitting. That's just wrong in so many ways.

I made some purchases at the market preview Thursday night. I bought a skein of gorgeous tencel laceweight Almaza from Just Our Yarn. Yes, that's the real color.


It's seems to be a very fine lace weight, perhaps closer to cobweb. I just couldn't resist the color and shine.

I bought two skeins of Jojoland Harmony, which is also a very fine lace weight. I'm into bright colors right now. Maybe it's because of the gray/brown yarn I'm working with right now.


I haven't worked with either of these yarns so I hope they will lend themselves to an enjoyable knitting experience.

I hung around the Windy Valley Muskox booth a little too long and ended up buying two balls of Golden Crown Suri Alpaca with the intention of making some sort of lacy scarf. They also had gorgeous pima cotton and beads to make a beaded scarf so I bought that as well. I forgot to take a photo of the cotton but here's the alpaca. I've started a scarf that I'll talk about later.


My hubby wants a scarf made from muskox but he's going to have to cough up the cash for that yarn because it's not coming out of my budget. It's nice but there's too many other yarns I'd like to have.

Let's see, what else did I buy? Oh yeah, I bought a skein of Creatively Dyed Beaches sock yarn. Probably won't make socks out of it though.


I also bought a couple books I've been planning to get. It Itches by Franklin Habit and Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. I have A Gathering of Lace on my list but I'm saving it for my Christmas list.


I cast on for the Lily of the Valley scarf using the Suri Alpaca from Windy Valley Muskox and I'm working on it off and on. Here's a progress shot.


This yarn feels so luxurious and decadent that it's hard to describe. It has a cool, silky feel and a fuzzy softness both at the same time even though I think those tactile sensations contradict one another. It also stretches a lot. I hope it blocks okay.

Somewhere in the the midst of all that I bought a skein of Malabrigo Worsted from Susan at Y2Knit and made another Better Bucket for me, since Hubby took off with the first one I made. I haven't blocked it yet and it's way too big for my hairless head but it fits over my head wraps and really keeps the cold off my bare head. The colorway it Noviembre, which suits it fine.


I had my fourth chemo treatment last Monday and spent the week on the couch too tired to even knit. No nausea, for which I'm so thankful, but extreme fatigue and weakness. This week I'm doing better. I only worked half a day yesterday but I'm fine today. Two more treatments and I'm done with chemo. My exams have been good. No new lumps in evidence so we just continue to treat all the side effects of the chemo and hope for the best. I've had to go on insulin and blood pressure meds but hopefully once the poisons are out of my body, I'll be able to go off those. I have to admit that I'm enjoying the hair loss. Bath time lasts about 5 minutes now because there's nothing to shampoo or shave. My eyebrows are getting sparse but may actually make it through without completely disappearing. My lashes are hanging in there too but I've read that they will be the very last hair to go.

New Projects

I have about six projects on the needles right now. I'm working on The Clementine Shawlette in some amazing hand painted fingering weight merino with sterling silver that was given to me by a dear friend. I'm also making a pair of socks using some Intention Yarn by Lime & Violet using the Nutkin pattern by Beth LaPensee that was giving to me by another great friend. Yet another friend (I know, I'm so lucky) gave me some Blue Heron Chenille that I haven't found the right pattern for yet but I'm looking. I don't have photos of any of these projects and I haven't added them to Ravelry either.

I've also started Print O' The Wave by Eunny Yang out of some gorgeous Penthouse Silk by Neightborhood Fiber Company that I bought a couple of years ago. I started several projects with this yarn but none stuck until now. I've got about 8 inches of the center panel finished and was going pretty strong on it until the Loopy Ewe got in a shipment of Handmaiden Sea Silk. I've been waiting a long time for some Ivory Sea Silk and there it was in my cart at last. That's when I saw the Moss color. Out flew the Ivory, in went the Moss and that was that. I had been saving my money for Stitches East in November but a skein of Sea Silk might be impossible to find there so I wasn't taking a chance. It came a couple of weeks ago and I fondled it and sniffed it and let it sit on the coffee table for weeks knowing that I wanted to make the Swallowtail Shawl but that I had so many things going right now that I just couldn't start another one.

You know where I'm going with this of course. On Sunday I finaly wound the skein and dug out the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits and started. It's going really fast because this isn't really a "laceweight" yarn.

I'm always working on baby socks and have a pair done. I'm working on matching handsies to go with these socks because I had a request for a set.

I've had two chemo treatments now, one-third of the way done, whew! This one left me tired, so tired. But I can't complain because I can handle tired just fine. I'm back at work this week and next week and then it'll be time for my third treatment. Friends and family are taking such great care of me. How will I ever repay everyone's kindness?

Curved Shawl Finished

My friend and co-worker Karen was kind enough to model the shawl for me today so that I could post photos of the finished object. Here are the details and a blow-by-blow description of the knitting.

Pattern: A Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging from Victorian Lace Today
Yarn: Yubina Laceweight 100% Cashmere, approx. 300-400 yds.
Needles: started on a size 2 Addi Turbo Lace then switched to Knitpicks Harmony

6/12/08: This is a pretty easy knit once you get started. It would be easier still if I had Knitpicks Harmony needles in this size. The metal ones are a little too slippery. I’ll have to place an order soon.

I’m putting in lifelines after every 12 row chart repeat right now. As it gets wider I may do it every six rows.

6/18/08: I’m on the 22nd 4-row repeat and the pattern calls for 42 so I’m over halfway through with the body. Yeah! Still loving the knitting and have a hard time putting it down. I’m knitting much more slowly then I normally would though because the needles are so slick. I think I’ll breakdown and order the KnitPicks Harmonys in size 2.

6/30/08: I have about 35 4-row repeats done now - closing in on 42 very quickly. I did order the Harmony needles and now I’m moving much faster but the rows are getting very long. I can’t wait to start the border because I’ve signed up for another KAL on the Victorian Lace Today group that starts tomorrow.

7/2/08: 11 more rows to go on the center panel.

7/8/08: I have 6 repeats of the border done! It took me several tries to figure out how to attach it to the center panel. It was awkward to knit it onto the big panel and not twist it at the beginning. Then I decided to do it just like the Harebell Fichu and I picked up all the edge loops of the center panel onto my circular needle. This made it very easy to keep the border straight and now I’m sailing along. I think it’ll go quickly if I can just stick with it and not let myself get distracted.

7/21/08: I have about 4 more diamonds to complete and it’s done. I bought 500 extra-long pins yesterday at Joann’s because I knew I didn’t have enough to pin this out.

7/22/08: Finished last night. The pattern miraculously worked out, ending on the last row of the chart just like I had planned it that way. Since I inadvertently skipped a row on at least two repeats this is truly amazing. I’ll wait until Sat. to soak and pin. I have a feeling this process will involve hours of back-breaking work but I know it’ll be worth it in the end.

7/28/08: Blocked it on Saturday. It dried really fast. I put 3 pins in each diamond on the border and ran blocking wires through the picot on the neck edge. I am so happy with how it turned out. I would make this pattern again. It took less than one 500yd ball. I would say between 300 and 400 yards.

Many Irons in the Fire

I know it's been a while since I posted. I just haven't been very talkative lately, I guess. So here's an update on what I've been doing.

I made a pair of socks with Trekking XXL Color 100 that I purchased at Y2Knit with Christmas money. It's my usual recipe based on Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks. Knitpicks Harmony size 0 circs.

Let me sing the praises of the Harmony needles. They have the smoothest joins - I mean that it's like there isn't a join at all. I didn't have any problem seeing this yarn on the stained wood. All in all, an A++ rating.

I also made a baby jacket using Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton. The pattern is Super Natural Stripes by Fawn Pea. Isn't it cute? I followed the directions without deviation and it turned out great. I still have to add a button and a loop.

The yarn has a tendency to fuzz up while you knit and I don't really like that look but I guess that's how it's supposed to be. If I make this again I may use a different yarn. The colors really speak to me though. I'm an earthy kind of girl and I really like this combination.

I also started a new lace project from Victorian Lace Today. It's the Harebell Fichu and I'm making it for a waitress at our local Waffle House who will be graduating from college in May and starting work for the federal government. She's been waiting on us for years and I wanted to give her something that she can use in her new job. This should ward off drafts quite nicely while staying in place. For a lace project, it's a little understated and therefore perfect for office use. She is a natural redhead and I think the emerald green should suit her perfectly. I'm halfway done and should have plenty of time to finish and block it before she leaves.

I'm still making baby cloths and socks. One recipient is due any day now, one in April, and two in mid summer. Doug has suggested that I carry socks with me at all times so I that I can give them out whenever we see a new born or an expectant mother. He calls them random acts of kindness. Whenever we're out he points out babies that I could give socks to if I had them with me. Do I have a great husband? Yes, indeed I do.

I'm Back

Sorry for the long absence from blogland. I've been swamped the last few weeks and just couldn't muster the energy to create a post. My step-mother fell and broke her left hip in August and came to live with us for a few weeks after her rehab was over. She kept me busy, so busy I didn't even have time to knit much. We took her back to her home on Saturday and got her settled in so now we're back to our normal life.

It's amazing how something as simple as an unassuming house guest can turn your life upside down. Anyway, here's one of the projects I've tried to work on over the last month. It's the Bear Claw Scarfette by Olga Buraya-Kefelian in Socks That Rock Oregon Red Clover Honey Medium-weight. I was not sure the needles were large enough to give me the kind of fabric I had in mind so I wet-blocked it on the needles. I think it's going to be ok.

Serpentine Mitts Finished, Beginning Cascading Diamonds

Miriam Felton has done it again. She's created another beautiful pattern and given it to us for free. Here are my version of her Serpentine Mitts.

Pattern: Serpentine Mitts by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Jojoland Melody Superwash
Needles: Size 1.5 dpns
Modifications: none

This yarn works great with this pattern because of the very long color changes. The subtle color shifts add interest without distraction. They even match despite no effort on my part. I made them on Friday and Saturday while sitting at a steam and craft show in McConnellsburg, PA. I will be making more of these as gifts for friends and family. I used less than half a skein of yarn and I bought 4 total at Stitches East so I have plenty of yarn. I may vary the cable pattern on some of them so they're not all alike. I hope Miriam doesn't mind.

I also started Cascading Diamonds Scarf by Deborah Miller on Saturday night while my hubby was watching the tractor pull. I didn't relish sitting on a bleacher in the cold night air getting my ear drums pounded by roaring engines so I opted to sit in the car with my knitting and iPod. I moved the car under a street light and opened the moon roof and got a good start on the scarf. I worked more on it Sunday. It's beautiful and easy to follow but I'm a slow knitter so my progress is a little disappointing.

This will be an incredibly soft scarf and I may have to snag it for myself because it will match my barn coat. Here's the stats:

Pattern: Cascading Diamonds by Deborah Miller
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace Weight Applewood
Needle: Size 4 Addi Turbo Lace circ

I know its nuts to use a circular needle on something that's only 6" wide but I wanted the sharp points of the Addis. I've be practicing knitting backwards on the wrong-side row just so I don't forget what I learned from Candace Strick at Stitches. It goes a little slower than turning and purling but it's really giving me a good opportunity to imprint that technique into my gray matter.

In between I continue to knit baby socks for the ever increasing number of babies that will be entering my life in the next nine months.

We're discussing the possibility of driving to Santa Fe for Christmas this year. We'd be renting a van and there would be six of us. I should get lots of knitting done. Lord knows I'll need something to keep me sane.

The Busiest Season of All (for me anyway)

I've read that many people consider the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to be their busiest time of year. For me it's fall. My husband and I belong to a farm toy collectors club and every year in November and April our club holds a farm toy show that attracts hundreds of visitors. We only have about 15 members and only 8 are really active so this means that a few people do a tremendous amount of work. Our most important activity outside of the two shows is to sell chances on a pedal tractor to raise money for a scholarship. Every year we award a $1,000 scholarship to an area senior. That's a lot of chances for 8 people to sell. Doug, Linda and I take the pedal tractor around to various tractor shows and festivals, most of which are held in the fall. This provides many opportunities for Knitting in Public.

I knit in public all the time so when I learned that many consider this to be an unusual activity I was a little puzzled. Yes, I get comments and questions but I've never had anything other then a positive experience. More often than not, I'm approached by other knitters who want to ask about my yarn or pattern. I love this aspect of knitting in public.

Saturday Doug and I went to Crownsville, Maryland for the Renaissance Festival and I took my baby socks to work on while we're sitting around watching people (and drinking beer). I saw a woman knitting on the bench where I had been sitting and knitting just a few minutes before. I approached her we got to talking and really hit it off. It is amazing how many subjects we touched on during our short conversation. Her name is Sherry and she was there with her family. She was working on a sock but told me that she had only been knitting for a few months. You would have never guessed that by watching her knit. She went to a social knitting group with her daughter in Columbia, Maryland and I think that's how she got pulled into the knitting universe.

The Saturday before, I was knitting at an arts and crafts festival where we were selling chances on the pedal tractor when a little girl about 9 or 10 walked up to me and said, "You're knitting a sock." I was stunned. Not only did she know I was knitting but that I was knitting a sock. She scampered off before I could ask her how she knew what I was knitting. I looked at my knitting and it wasn't really to the point where it looked unmistakably like a sock hanging off my needles but she recognized it as such. I hope whoever the sock knitter is in her life teaches her how to knit.

Being out and about with time on my hands is a wonderful thing right now because I can sit and knit (or stand and knit) and I get to meet new friends like Sherry.

Neighborhood Fiber Company

Last Saturday I went to a trunk show at my lys, Y2Knit, for Neighborhood Fiber Company. This is a small company based in Washington D.C. owned by Karida Collins. She handpaints everything from lace-weight to roving and names her colorways after the neighborhoods of D.C.
Here's a photo of two very hot women, Karida's on the right and I'm the pasty red-head on the left. It was sweltering in the shop that day even with the air and fans. My random hot flashes weren't helping any.

I'm glad I got there early because I had a great selection of fibers to choose from. Not that it was easy to make a choice from so many beautiful skeins. I immediately grabbed a skein of 100% silk lace-weight in the Logan Park colorway.

This yarn is so yummy that I am flummoxed as to what to make with it. I've vowed to make something from Victorian Lace Today but I swatched for the Myrtle Leaf Shawl and decided it was too lacy to show off the yarn. Then I swatched for and started the Handsome Triangle but 40 rows in I decided it was not the right yarn for the project so I frogged it. I want something that will show off the sheen of the silk. I'm sure inspiration will come to me eventually. This subtle variegation is perfect for lace, not enough that the pattern gets lost but enough to lend texture.

I couldn't leave the trunk show without some sock yarn so I bought a skein of Dupont Circle. It's a salmon, carnation, purple colorway that I couldn't resist. It's going to make one wild-ass pair of socks.

Karida was a joy to meet and really seems to love what she's doing. She also loves her home and wants people to see the beauty of Washington.

The colorways are available in each type of yarn she carries so you can coordinate yarns and vary the fiber content in the same project, while maintaining the overall color.

Sockdown: Ravelry Socks

Over on Ravelry, in the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group we're playing a little game.

Sockdown: Ravelry is a year-long personal knitting challenge that will begin on August 1, 2007 and end on September 30, 2008. Members of Sock Knitters Anonymous are NOT required to participate in the KAL.

This month the challenge is Sockbug/Lace. I chose the River Run Socks and started them in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the Champlain Sunset colorway but I got distracted by Wendy's Double Eyelet Rib Socks. I started them in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Spring Frost. They're lacy so they qualify. Sorry for the flash photgraphy but it's raining here today (Yipee! We need it so bad).

These are working up great. I'm not using the heel in the pattern though I am using another of Wendy's heels. I didn't have the pattern in front of me yesterday when I started the heel but I did have Wendy's Southwestern Socks pattern. So I used the heel from that one. I'm going to rip the heel back to the beginning of the gusset and a add a few rows because they're a little short. It's the first time I've made this type of heel and I wasn't sure where to start the gusset.

I think this heel is going to fit my ankle much better than the short-row heels that I've been using. I guess I could even make the gusset a little bigger if need be.

I really love Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn. Thank goodness The Loopy Ewe keeps a good supply on hand. It and the Claudia Hand Painted Yarns that I get from my LYS Y2Knit, seem to be my go-to sock yarns.

Ribbons, I got Ribbons!

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I was entering some things in the local Ag Expo, Washington County's equivalent of a county fair. Thursday before last I took my Icarus shawl by Miriam Felton, a pair of socks based on Wendy's Toe-Up pattern with a feather and fan leg, and a pysanki (Ukrainian) egg down to the Agricultural Education Center and somewhat reluctantly handed them over to strangers.

Friday evening I went back down to pick them up. I really expected the egg to be broken but to my surprise it appears unharmed and it has a blue ribbon (first prize) taped to the stand! The socks had a red second prize ribbon pinned to them. And Icarus? Another first prize! I'm so thrilled. It was my first lace project and it wasn't perfect by any means but it was good enough for FIRST PRIZE!!!



There wasn't a category for shawls so I entered it under scarves. There wasn't a category for socks either. I entered them under "knitted: other". Most of the other entries were gone when I got there so I don't know what I was competing against but I'm sure there were other great knits there. Next year I'll have to go during the week and see the other entries. This year I just didn't have the time.

Lily of the Valley Smoke Ring

This is my current focus right now. I'm on the fifth chart repeat. It's hard to photograph a tubular lace project that's still on the needles. I stretched it out as best I could with a sheet of paper in between the layers. I think it's absolutely lovely and I want to thank Susan Pierce Lawrence and Wooly Wonka Fibers for making it available. I think I'll get a lot of use out of this come winter to ward of the drafts here in my office. I can almost feel it's soft folds around my neck.

It's a fun and portable project. I have the chart memorized so I can whip the project out where ever I happen to be and just knit away. This is my first experience with nupps (knit five together through the back loop) and I've heard horror stories about them but I find that if I keep it loose my Knitpicks 16" US#5 circs are quite pointy enough to get the job done. They don't make 16" Addi Turbo Lace circs. I even worked on it while standing in line Friday night waiting to get my Harry Potter book. When this is done, more socks.

Loopy Ewe Sock Club Scoks Are Done

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Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the long gap in the blog. I've been busy, depressed, distracted, you name it. I do have some knitting to report on though. I finished the Loopy Ewe Sock Club socks last week but just got around to photgraphing them yesterday. Yes, I know I have on two different socks but believe me both Loopy socks are done. I didn't follow the pattern exactly. I made the foot stockingette and only did the pattern on the leg and I did them toe-up using Wendy's Toe-Up pattern with US0/2.0mm Knitpicks dps.

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These were a very fun project! I loved the yarn from All Things Heather (not my first yarn from her, by the way) in the wonderful Skinny Dipping colorway. They fit pretty good and will brighten up my days come fall and winter (I don't often wear socks in the summer).

I also finished one of the Mirabella socks by Mary Jo Gumayagay. I started these socks months ago and worked the first one to the heel and then put them away to work on something else. I picked them up again on Saturday and finished the first one Sunday evening.

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They look a little different than the photo on the pattern because I left off the squiggly section on each side of the lacy. It just didn't look right to me. They are also made of yarn by All Things Heather, her 50/50 merino/tencel in Teal. This yarn is so great to knit with that I will definitely be buying more. I used US1/2.5mm(?) Brittany dps and worked the toe as in Wendy's pattern.

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These could be summer socks, they're so cool and thin and silky. My only problem is that they are tight across my ankle. I'm going to try adding a few increases as I get close to the heel and then decreasing as I start up the leg. I have big ankles because they've both been broken at one time or another.

When I finish the second Mirabella sock I hope to start on the Lily of the Valley smoke ring from Wooly Wonka Fibers. I ordered the needles from Knitpicks and I also ordered a pair of Addi Turbo Lace needles from my lys Y2Knit.

I'm in the mood for lace...simply because it's near me...