SP9 pal struck again!

I am so lucky to have my secret pal! I actually called in sick today ( but I have to work tomorrow) with a cold. To my surprise I had a package waiting for me! In the box were some chocolate covered strawberries, home baked cookies and some biscotti, very cute snowflake earrings, a book from my wish list (WRAP STYLE), a bag of chocolate caramel squares and a box of teas! I love love love every thing!


I've also included a picture of my first hand dyed hand spun hank of yarn. I used Jacquard acid dyes on superwash merino. It is approximately 44 yards, it's a very bulky yarn. This has been done for over 2 weeks. I've been somewhat lazy at updating my blog!

Holiday pictures and more Molly!

Here are a few pictures that were taken over Halloween, Thanksgiving and at Molbaks ( a local garden/gift shop ). These were our Holiday pictures. Yes, they feature the little imp! The other people in the photos are her Parents Martha and John, her Grandparents Sandy and Jim, and her Great Grandma Dottie. We've had a very windy December so for a few days Molly and her parents were at Grandma and Grandpa's because they didn't have any power, hence the fire going in the background.

Dr Who Scarf progress, dyed roving spun up and snow in Seattle!

I've been working on a Dr Who scarf for my friends dad, Jim. I haven't worked many hours on it but it already 48' long. I have a pattern that haz 4 colums of pattern repeat however, since I'm less then 1/2 way thru the 1st repeat and it's already quite long I doubt I'll get through the end of the 2nd column of pattern. Anyways, here's a pic of it:


There has also been some progress in my spinning of the merino roving I dyed. It turned out a lot more red that I had thought it would. I still really like looking at it so it's okay!:

There's actually a whole spindle of this yarn. I just haven't taken a new picture of it. I'll be plying it with a white single of the same type.

So, it's snowed in Seattle. I've taken a shot of the yarn in front of a condo next to my aparment building ( from my balcony) this morning, then again tonight as it was snowing again.

Spinning, dyeing, knitting, and more spinning

Okay, so I've been a bit lax about posting as of late. I've spent my time knitting, taking a spinning class, and spinning every night. I do find that I have a certain amout of pain the morning after I spin, so I think I'm going to try to spin in the morning and work out the stiffness during the day.

Here are some picture of my spun yarn and dyed roving.

Spinning, socks, a red sweater, and Noro Oh My!

So, I've been lazy these past few weeks. I had a few small projects to get done and gifted ( a green beabie for my husband lyle and a Noro scarf for a friend who watched my cats when we were on vacation) and decide on my next big project.

I still need to get the yarn for the DR who Holiday scarf I'm commited to making, a black hat that's 3 months overdue .. no wait those are my only two projects I have to make by Xmas! Yippee.. now I can really begin on that red sweater I've been meaning to make! I've got a few patterns I'm interested in and a few types of yarn. I can't decide which to use. So, I'll sit on that a few more days and then make a decision.

Since I was gifted with a drop spindle I decided to check out our lys for classes. It happens that there is on on Nov. 12th that I've got a place in. I am sooooo excited to learn how to spin! I also have a discount coupon to use at the same store.

I still have yet to post pics of the fingerless gloves and hat I made on vacation so I'll get to that shortly. Look for a link to flikr soon!

SP9 Pal, she's great!

My week was great but it got better! I was sorta surprised to hear my buzzer this morning. I wasn't expecting anything else in the mail. However to my extreme happiness, I received a package from my SP9 pal. She's on vacation so I figured she'd mail something when she got back. My box contained a 4oz bag of alpaca fiber - from Rhinebeck of all places, a Louet top whorl spindle, some munchies and a bath bomb from lush! What a great package! I was going to buy a spindle this week or the next, now I don't have too! Yippe! I can spin tonight! Pictures to be posted later.

ISE 3 exchange! Ive got the best pal ever!

Here are a few pics of what Debi from Las Vegas sent me! She couldn't have chosen better items!

Molly pics from a few weeks ago!

What can I say, I was sick and had lots of catching up to do!

Scarf Exchange scarves! I'm finally done with them..

Yes, I said "them". I didn't think that the "artistic" dye job, and I use that term loosely, that I did on the original scarf was perfect, so I made an additional scarf. It's my own pattern. It's just garter stitch rows with a seed stitch variation with panels of stockingknit. I like it so much I'll be making another one soon. It's in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran - red. I hope my pal enjoys them both. I'll be sending them out on Saturday the 14th along with some other goodies.

Things I want to buy, or ya know, get as gifts!

I saw this bag and thought it was so darned cute. I happen to want a tatoo and have finally decided on the type and area of my body to get it. Now I just have to go to a tatoo parlor and ask around for prices and sketches!

Anyhow, take a look at the bag! 'Will knit for tatoos!'

scarf - not sure of dye job

It isn't what I'd planned on. I need to overdye it I think or I'll knit another scarf and keep this one!

Secret Pal 9 questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love Alpaca and Debbie Bliss yarns, hand painted yarns like (Socks that Rock, ArtYarns supermerino, & Malabrigo) I hate anything scratchy. Most 100% wool items like Lopi yarns are way tooo itchy. Merino is usually okay.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a plastic pencil box I got at Office Depot.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I taught myself with a bit of help from a few kind LYS employees in June of 06. I consider myself a very adventurous beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes. It's under my regular email address; charitymw@msn.com If you decide to buy a book from it, I am not into new books. I love used books. Infact, I prefer them. I hate to think of things being discarded when they may have few blemishes.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I love Crabtree and Evelynn Savannah Garden, lavender, vanilla. Just about anything from Lush

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I like chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I quilt. I would love to learn how to spin. I plan on getting a drop spindle and try to teach myself sometime by the end of the year.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Depeche Mode, Sarah Mclachlan, Dixie Chicks, 3 Tenors, Pearl Jam, Sting, James Blunt, Dave Matthews, Annie Lennox, Avril Levinge, just about anything 80's, Bob Marley, Creed, Cyndi Lauper, Enrique Iglesias, Santana, Jonny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Inxs, Jewel, Lenny Kravitz, Niel Young, No Doubt, Norah Jones, Patsy Cline, Paula Cole, Pet Shop Boys, Queen, Rem, Ray Charles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robert Palmer, Seal,Sheryl Crow, The Cars, Tina Turner,U2.. uhm, I think that covers about 50% of my MP3 player. I have a Creative Zen Xtra 30gb player.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Blue/Greens(celery - light greens)/ Burgundy/ Rose. I hate dayglo floresent colors. I'm not into stark contrasts like black & white. Tonal variations are great. I'm really into salmon/pink/tan combos or blue/green/purple right now.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married to Lyle and I have 3 cats. Kiki, L'il Bitty and Simon

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, to all.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? hats

13. What are you knitting right now? Hat, scarf, poncho, baby sweater, another felted bag

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Circular/double pointed bamboo? I use circular and Dps, single points are bad.... I currently use mostly bamboo but am interested in metal.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? uhm, about 1 month.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Dunno, they're all fun! The 4th of July is near the bottom of the list and Thanksgiving/Easter is near the top... if only because of the typical color combinations are great!

19. Is there anything that you collect? YARN and Amy Butler fabric.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I do not have any knitting books! I actually just use our local library. They've got just about every new title I could want. I really like, scarfstyle/wrapstyle, any of the barbra walker stitch dictionaries

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I have a pretty standard size 9.5 womens foot. My heel is a bit narrow but that shouldn't matter with socks.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) July 30th

Progress pictures

These are my scarf pictures. I think I want to dye it/paint it after I'm done. Also here's a better picture of my cool-aid dyeing attempt. Its the same yarn as the cream scarf.

Cutest little girl in the whole world!

Dinner September 24th at Grandma Sandy's!

Dyeing adventures!

So I thought I'd try my hand at kool-aid dyeing some yarn I got a good deal on off eBay. I got 9 hanks for 3.00 each. It's very soft natural color, gotta be a mohair blend, fingering/sock yarn. The person selling it wasn't exactly sure of the fiber content. It looked like a wool blend so I figured at that price I could try it. The colors were just something I thought I'd try, no plan in mind. Since I wanted enough to do something with I dyed 2 hanks at once. They sorta look like the Irving Park colorway from Lornas Laces. Gee, I already have some of that! Go figure! Oh, and in the background, is a shower curtain I made.

Progress on a scarf using the Rowan Tapestry yarn

I decided to try the Old Shale pattern. It's coming along quite nicely and isn't giving me the problems it has in the past. A different pattern and larger needle worked wonders. The picture makes the colors seem bright, but they're not. I'll upload a better picture once I've made more progress on it. This was supposed to be the yarn for my scarf exchange but since I've learned more about my pal, I've decided to use different yarn. I may try a solid yarn and add beads to it.

Lunch with Molly and Martha

We tried a new Italian place just of NW Market St here in Ballard. It was awesome. I've tried serveral times to get Lyle to do dinner there but it's usually very busy and there is a wait. This morning though, it was very open. I have to say their bacon was great! I'm a huge lover of bacon, I think I could eat it several times a week and not get tired of it!

Molly is growing so fast, she makes the most adorable sounds and faces! Every time I see her there's something new to watch for.

This past week...

So this past week a family member was in a motorcycle accident, he's okay enough to be at home now. Anyways, I got some knitting done in the Hospital and worked out a lace pattern that I love. Here's a picture of the 2x2 ribbed scarf I've been working on. It's used up 3 balls but I think it'll be a better length once the 4th is done. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Merino chunky. I bought a bag of it at a LYS at a great price though I didn't know at the time what I'd do with it. I've since found the same yarn on sale at Elann. They have several different colors to work with - I see several scarves in my future!

On another front, my cat Kiki has taken it in her head that the sock basket is a great place to find things to carry around and meow with. She constantly has a sock in her mouth and walks around the apartment leaving them like presents for my husband and I to find. I don't mind the present part, but I have to draw the line at the loud meowing that goes on at any time of the day or night! She can wake you out of a dead sleep, even if you're wearing earplugs!

First time dying, over dying to be more clear

So, I decided to try overdying some yarn and the results were better than I could have expected. I didn't follow the directions exactly for proportions so I know I can't get an exact duplicate skein, but I stil enjoyed it immensly. Here are some shots of the test swatch. Once the 2nd batch cools enough to spin in my washer I'll post those too. The orange beast is my cat Simon. He's a 15lb loving machine that sometimes likes to jump into my husbands arms with no warning!

International Scarf Exchange

So it's begun! I found my yarn and isn't it gorgeous! I thought I'd try a new type of yarn. It's from Rowan - tapestry - color potpourri. The colors aren't as vibrant as I saw online, but I still like them! Hope my pal will too.

Molly Pictures!

This is my favorite little girl! She's such a doll! I had a great time with her this past weekend. She is at the stage where she is starting to imitate sounds and smile a lot. She loves to blow bubbles and stick out her tongue. She was born June 3rd weighing 6lb 9 oz now she's approximately 14lbs and just over 3 months old.

My small stash!

I finally decided to post a picture of my stash. This doesn't include projects I have on the needle or my acrylic that I use for utilitarian afgans we keep for the couch. I have a football inspired one in Gold/Purple that I have to finish before my husband kills me.

I have some Debbie Bliss, Reynolds Rapture, Patons Decor, Lorna's Laces, Missions Falls, Knit Picks ( merino, alpaca, cotton, felting wool), Hand Painted Mohair from a gal off Ebay, Plymouth Rimini Rainbow, Lions Brand WoolEase, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride, and some other wool stripe 2 balls. As you can see I have a ways to go when it comes to having a real "stash". My favorites are the Lorna's Lace. I love the handpainted look! I haven't worked with Mohair yarn yet and am hoping to produce a nice lacy scarf from it. It has a some great shades of blue and green.