It's been a while... Blue Moon Fiber Arts & Molly

I haven't blogged in a while as some of you may have noticed. To make along story short, I had some disappointing news that hurt me and I found that I should refrain from blogging as I didn't want to call people names etc. So, to keep things from escalating, I stopped blogging for a while.

Here is what has been happening with me knit-wise and new Molly pictures. Since she such a j0y in my life, I'll begin with her.
The green and white hat is the newest of knitted items I've made for her. Below is the inspiration for a new sweater I am going to make for myself and the yarn I've dyed for it and a picture of the main body yarn. It's Louet Gems in fern green. The original was found over a year ago on someones blog and for the life of me I can't find my notes as to where I got it from. I remember it was made from left over sock yarn for an infant. I fell in love with the color combination and had to have something similar.

This past weekend I went to Oregon to take part in the destashing sale that Blue Moon Fiber Arts was hosting with two friends Rhonda & Ialiuxh. It was held at a lovely B&B in Scappose Oregon called the Scappose Creek Inn . It was about 3 hours from Seattle, NE from Portland, along the river. We had such a nice time we plan on making a few other yarn excursions together.


They had chickens roaming the property and Llamas corralled for us to feed. I just snapped a few shots of them. The sale was held in a Red Barn like structure that is set up for events, such as weddings and their receptions. I enjoyed myself so much that I hope to take a trip back here with Lyle sometime in the future.


The line outside just before they let us in and me, with my first haul of yarn prior to my reality check.

It's too bad I didn't get any photos of what the racks looked like before people began snatching yanks of yarn from the hooks, it was truly impressive!

Bare racks..
My yarn haul: 10 skeins work of sock goodness! I plan on giving 1 skein away as a gift to a fellow knitter I used to work with. With the change in jobs back in May I haven't seen much of her. We try to get together outside of work but with our busy schedules it hasn't been easy. I'm hoping this gift will convert her to a Socks that Rock groupie!

*smile* Her skein is covered by one of mine! I know she looks at the blog and I want it to truly be a surprise!


This is the first pair of socks I've ever completed. They're Toe-Up with an afterthought heel, also made from Socks that Rock. This was a purchase from Madrona in January 2007.



Lyle's pair is made from Duet Sock yarn( purple and yellow, kinda UW colors ), sold by A Swell Yarn shop. I happen to have the owner and creative genius, Angie, as part of my weekly knit group, RentonStitchers.

The 3rd pair is in the colorway Chicabiddy from the stash sale. It's a lovely combination of yellow, pinks, red, and cream.

ta ta...

Progress picture of my vesty thingy and my new Harmony needles!

My new Harmony Needles are mostly what I expected. I wish the colors were as bright as the photos on the site showed, but hey.. they're very nice otherwise! I can't wait to actually use the on a project.

I as able to work on the never ending ribbed vest this weekend. It just isn't that inspiring to work on. I didn't exactly measure the width of my back, just light stretched the first piece across my chest/shoulder area and cast on the amount to fill that space. The image with below appears to be too narrow. Oh well, if I need to fudge it and crochet on an additional piece I will!

I also spent some time with Molly at the pool. Here she is in her post pool wrap!
On the SP front, I've dyed some lace yarn, wound it into yarn cakes and picked up a few other goodies to post to my pal. That package should be off any day now!

Pioneer Ponco is done!

I was able to finish it at work today. All that's left is sewing in a few ends and washing. I can't wait to wear it! We're nearly cool enough for me to wear it when no one would look at me funny. It's a great length too, I'm able to still be efficient at work while looking very cool at the same time! I also plan to use the left over yarn, about 2/3 a skein to make fingerless gloves to match. If I don't have enough to make them, I'll use what I have as the edging and use a solid color that coordinates for the rest.
Also in knitting news I've completed part 1 of the vesty item I was inspired by the gals at Blue Moon Fibers arts to make. I now have to pick up a section of knitting and work it in the 2x2 ribbing for the back piece. I noticed once I got into that either the skein was dyed in a funky way or my tension changed just enough to alter the appearance of the fabric. It went from having circle like patterns to a subtle zig zag appearance.



In other news.. knitting related that is.. I've been browsing some blogs and came across a very pretty cabled hat. It's from smariek.blogspot.com. It's the Karma Cap. I found it originally on another blog that I had happened upon after looking at the blog links on grumperina's blog.

I plan to make it in a very slightly variegated yarn. I'm hoping to find some medium/dark grey. Perhaps Malabrigo or Lorna's Lace worsted weight.

ta ta

FO's, makeshift swift and football!

So, today was the first regular season Seahawk game, Go Hawks!

My DH had a few friends over and I was able to get in some knitting/crocheting time. I was able to finish the crocheted poncho I began 1.5 years ago. As I washed it by hand a ton of green/brownish dye came out into the water. I was just hoping that wouldn't muddy the other bright colors in it. Luckily it stayed fairly bright!. It also grew about 4 inches in length, not too surprising since it's cotton.
I also mostly complete the Lorna's Lace poncho from the previous post. It turned out a bit too large and instead of frogging it, I'm going to try to weave in several black elastic threads through the top 2x2 ribbing. It hangs a bit low. If this doesn't work, I'm going to pick up the edge of the ribbing and crochet around it. This will keep it from being too stretchy.

I have also spent some time looking at the new fall yarns over at webs (Yarn.com) and found a few I hadn't heard of, but just love the color ways! One of them, Marisol Hacho, seems to be from South America(Peru). I can't seem to stop looking at Tutti Fruti-300,Coral Reef-303 and Northern Nights-307. The intensity of color is eye catching!

I also started attending a new knitting group in my area. They meet at a local Star***ks that is very close to my home. Since they all seem to be avid sock knitters I hope their experience will rub off on me! I still haven't completed a single sock, I always rip it out as I'm never satisfied. To help keep my interest in sock knitting, I've ordered some of the new KnitPicks Harmony multi-colored wood needles. Hey.... I had to have an excuse! You all know I don't *need* them at all! Aren't they just beautiful! They're like a rainbow!

They are similar to another brand I've seen but couldn't afford. Since they're interchangeable with my existing KP Options metal set I couldn't resist trying some of them out. If I like what I feel I'll purchase a few more of the fixed and the sizes I mostly use in the tips. I hope that I can knit the Seasilk more easily with them.

I still haven't seemed to sew anything this weekend either. I did however hyperextend my left leg and my knee isn't too happy, t's a bit puffy and painful. To top things off, I somehow manged to hurt my lower back too.. so... I'm not too happy of a camper right now.

ta ta..

What I've been working on... and buying!

About a week ago I visited Bad Woman Yarn in their new location in Wallingford ( near the University of Washington in Seattle). I found the owners and staff quite friendly and warm. What I didn't like, was their over abundance of Berroco and very small sock/hand dyed yarn selection. They did have a very small selection of Lorna's Laces, which I just adore.

I purchased 3 hanks of the Shepered Worsted in the color way Pioneer.

It's a lovely combination of bright blue that fades to a denim blue, a charcoal grey that seems black in places, and a variety of shades of a warm rich brown. I didn't have a plan in mind when I chose it. I did figure that if I had at least 3 hanks I could work something out! In the end I decided to "wing it" and cast on for a poncho/shawl thingy. I've worked an area that will allow me to steek it should I choose to and add buttons. However, right now, its been worked in the round with 3 inches of ribbing, 4 inches of st st and so far 7 inches of a moss like stitch. I did add some "shoulder" shaping in the st st section.


I also recently found a few great bargains at Lane Bryant when I was actually on my way to JCPenny to pick up some trousers for work. I stumbled upon a rather cute tan cardigan.. It has elbow length sleeves & the sweetest little sections of what I think are butterfly stitches bordered with a purl background along with some standard 1x1 and 2x2 ribbing. I would really like to make a sweater just like it, okay not in the lace weight I'm sure it was knit with, but with something like DK. *pictures posted later*

Another great find of the century was a subtly striped black suiting-like jacket/blazer I can wear to the office. The final price was between $15-$19.00!

This weekend I have a wedding to go to, we're not very close to the couple, in fact I've never met them, so I'm not too worried about what I'm going to wear. I have a few crafty projects to start/complete as well.

1. A simple bag made out of some brown/tan/teal MODA fabric.
2. 2 paper crafted inspirational phase/saying thingies to hang on our new office wall at work
3. The quilt for a friends daughter.

Recently I also purchased Knit Kimono - which I highly recommend, Last Minute Knitted Gifts, One Skein, a ball winder, some items for my SP, plus some new dye.

I still need to hang two sets of shelves, reorganize my knitting books &stash, and weed the garden. I swear the tomato plants from nowhere have really begun to take over!
** They sprouted from seeds left in the soil that was used as a planting bed by the previous owner ** So far they haven't lead to any ripened fruit, but I'm still holding out some hope for my own tomatoes!

Also on the gardening front, I have a pepper plant, not the Green Bell Pepper plant I thought I had purchased, ready to harvest!

Ravelry is addicting!

It's amazing just how much time you can spend on one project. I've been quiet here but busy taking photos & cataloging my stash and projects for Ravelry . Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you see it, work has been so terribly slow and boring these last few days that I've spent many hours.. yes, hours.... reading posts and viewing peoples profiles on Ravelry.

Bitty and some yarn

Picture 1894
Originally uploaded by littlebittyknits

I was finally sent my Ravelry invite and was progressing through photographing my stash when I was visited by 'bitty! She had to see what was going on. Luckily she wasn't in the way and I was able to get quite a bit done. I'm littlebittyknits on Ravelry.

Nearly there!

Found you!
You signed up on July 6, 2007
You are #9975 on the list.
194 people are ahead of you in line.
17728 people are behind you in line.
35% of the list has been invited so

The UPS man is my new favorite person!

So, I'm sitting on my rear watching a program off my TIVO and I hear this little 'tap tap tap'... turns out the UPS man, at 8:45 at night, had the replacement package my SP10 pal sent out.

I just love everything in it!

I can't wait to make the socks and the baby pattern! The hat has ears on it!!

Did you know youtube has knitting content! It's sucking me in!

UPS was at my door! Sweater ideas...

I can't wait..... ohhhhhhhhh I've got a package with UPS and it has to be the one from my SP10 pal! If they don't deliver it tonight when we get home then my husband has the day off Wednesday and can get it for me!

There's nothing like getting packages in the mail! *grin* I've got an order into knitpicks too. One I made for myself and SP11 plus the new knit Kimono book. I saw it at a local book store and it's fab!

I've also scouted out several cardigans that are listed as "kimono sleeved" on two different department store websites. The 3rd, 4th and 5th are similar to what I saw in person when I purchased my plaid jacket earlier this month. I had thought I could make one, I didn't want to spend 80.00 on it.

Here's a few examples of what I'm talking about.This green one is my favorite. I like the ribbing on the cuffs/bottom, the size of the buttons and how it hangs. I'd like to make one very similar to this using a shade of red or blue.

Sunday night & Molly, plus a pic of my Hibiscus tree!

We had Molly over this evening and she is just growing like a weed! I couldn't resist taking a few snap shots of her in her pj's!(pssssst.... you need to click on the photo to read the message!)

I had also succumbed to taking a few pictures of my first house warming plant. It's a Hibiscus tree. I nearly killed it as it isn't hardy below 50 degrees.

Update..

Found you!

• You signed up on July 6, 2007
• You are #9975 on the list.
• 676 people are ahead of you in line.
• 16461 people are behind you in line.
• 35% of the list has been invited so far

Answers for my new Secret Pal

This afternoon I was very pleasantly surprised by a nice card in the mail from my new SP. She asked a few questions... here are the answers!

1. I enjoy all natural fibers. I haven't worked with Bamboo or Tencel yet and would like to.

2. I drink both coffee and tea. I prefer organic medium to dark roasts for coffee and black tea blends. I usually drink Earl Grey or Darjeeling tea. I'm usually not into the fruity teas.

3. When it comes to books, I do have a few amazon.com wish lists. I'll make them all public. Look to the link on the right hand side of my page. It'll show the main list and then once on Amazon you'll see the other lists that I have. It's too difficult to list the sci-fi / trashy romance I read, as I have so many and check quite a few out from the library.

4. I have three cats, Kiki who is approximately 10, Simon who is about 5 and l'il bitty who is around 3. Kiki is the talker of the bunch, the other two are quite. Kiki is a treat fiend, Simon only likes cat food and 'bitty will eat just about anything!

5. When I quilt I usually make bed sized ones. However, I have been known to make baby/child quilts. Due to my fiber obsession I haven't purchased much fabric in the past 1.5 years. The collections I really like that are out now are:

Bleeker Street, pictures at Hancocks Paduchas It's mostly blues/greens/browns/creams.
Fall Back in Time by Sandy Gervais for Moda Fabrics picture here at FatQuaterShop I would specifically like the "Cream Large Floral Yardage" & the "Moss Geometric". These colors are perfect for my new place. I plan on purchasing enough to make a quite eventually. So anything else would be good for pillows etc. The charm packs are great too!
The Thimble Blossom Quilt Patterns are quite lovely as well.

6. Sadly, I never got around to purchasing the yarn or making ANY pillows for the new place yet. My darling husband just can't agree on colors and it's really ticking me off!** See the above fabric though.. he seems to like it!***

What we painted the largest wall in our living room, this great reddish orange color. The rest of our unit is mostly beige and white. See how that fabric matches? It's actually gotten a stamp of approval!! I think I see pigs flying outside my window!

7. It's difficult to say which room is my favorite, I liked them all well enough to purchase the place after all! However, I just love the view of the lawn and trees from my front room. We've hung up two bird feeders and boy oh boy are they used by the local birds! Mostly we see wild finches. We were very lucky to see one of these at our feeder. It's an American Goldfinch. The yellow lilies have dropped all their blooms and the other flowers have taken over. I plan on planting 2-3 other varieties of lilies during the fall as they do well here. As well as some other plants that have reddish leaves etc. Like Heuchera

Just a few more days and I'll be in!

Found you!

• You signed up on July 6, 2007
• You are #9975 on the list.
• 826 people are ahead of you in line.
• 16191 people are behind you in line.
• 34% of the list has been invited so far

ho humm... tiwddle the thumbs...

Found you!
You signed up on July 6, 2007
You are #9975 on the list.
962 people are ahead of you in line.
15841 people are behind you in line.
34% of the list has been invited so far

When I signed up for this site, I wasn't sure I really needed or wanted another place on the web to post about my fiber.. However, I CAN'T STAND THE WAIT!!! I WANNA BE ON THEIR SITE NOW! NOW! NOW!

I suppose I should just photograph my stash ....

Secret Pal updates!

I'm still waiting for the last package from the previous round of SP. Apparently it was mailed and never got here, so a 2nd package was sent in it's place. It should show up this week.... I'm just so excited. I've also just received my new pals information and once she has her questionaire up I'll begin working on a package for her. She's a Christian and makes no bones about it. I just hope she's okay receiving gifts from someone who really doesn't believe in God.

I'm feeling very fiber obsessed at the moment. I just finished up a podcast from knitpicks where they discuss the different breeds of sheep, their fleece and how you determine what type of project the resulting yarn should be used for. It was very interesting hearing how the length and crimp really matter when determining if it's an against the skin or an outterwear item.

The vest thing I mentioned is coming along nicly too. It's grown about 2 ft since I last posted. Pictures to be posted soon!

Oh, and I won a bag of Mission Falls 1824 wool yarn off ebay. The color is Nectar. The color wasn't really what I expected so I'm going to have to overdye it. I'm thinking more redish or perhaps try for a brownish shade. That will have to wait until next week as I really don't have the space to do it with house guests over.

Just waiting around ...where is my Ravelry Invite?!?!?

You signed up on July 6, 2007
You are #9975 on the list.
1196 people are ahead of you in line.
15497 people are behind you in line.
34% of the list has been invited so far

Oh, and I've had some house guests since Saturday 8-11. They're the couple that introduced my hubby and me way back when. Also included in the bargin is their daughter Amanda. I've known her since she was about 18months old. She's one of my favorite little people in the world. We've spent time at the fabric store this past weekend and will be making a quilt for her to take home with her this Sunday. I can't say I like the fabric.. it wont be on my bed.. so I guess it doesn't really matter. Once it's done I'll post a few pictures.

Must buy this yarn!

I was browsing a few blogs, you know how it is... One click leads to another and you forget that you're actually supposed to be working on something... and you find....

Shelridge Farms Wow, just look at their products, I really like their colors.. Oh Mi Gawd! The 100% merino superwash Worsted weight.... the colors Autum Orange, Terra Cotta, Melon and Pumpkin Pie... I'm in love! I have no idea what I'd make out of it, but I have to buy some!

Wow..... double wow......'nough said!

Secret Pall 11 questionaire

I'm so excited! I should have my new match soon! Here's my questionaire. Feel free to email/comment with any additional questions.


1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really like merino and alpaca. I really don't like scratchy yarn. My neck is very very very sensitive.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a blue plastic pencil case for some items and a black KnitPicks needlecase.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
About 2 years. I'm mostly self taught. I'd say I'm an adventurous beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes. Amazon.com. It's linked on my blog.. On the sidebar.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Lavender/sage/lemon grass

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Chocolate!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I sew/quilt and I have a drop spindle. I also enjoying gardening.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I own an MP3 player, 30GB.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I really like browns, blues & magenta. I'm not too fond of neon yellow/green or neon orange. Fall oranges are okay though.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married and have 3 cats.

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

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love to think about sweaters, but I find I knit more hats and fingerless gloves.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A red alpaca sweater, a ribbed vesty thingy based on an item I saw at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth, a baby hat and uhm.. I think that's it.

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

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I only knot on dpns or circulars. I prefer my Options( KnitPicks) or bamboo (Clover)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No, and I really need both!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Erm, I've recently frogged several, so I really don't have much on the needles right now. Uhm, I think my Red Alpaca sweater, based on Glee from Zephyrstyle probably fits the bill. It's actually just about done.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't really have one. My favorite time of year is either spring or fall.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Books!

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 am currently subscribed to Interweave Knits. I have an Amazon wishlist with a ton of knitting, crochet, and needlework books on it. I'd really like to work some some Louet yarns. I'm not into "wild and crazy" artsy yarns. I'm a bit traditional I guess. I prefer less lumpy/bumby, and more uniform. Saying that, I really like Malabrigo.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
No, I really just learn as I go.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I've tried to knit socks a few times. I even have sock needles and yarn. I haven't however, gotten past knitting a few inches of one before moving onto another project. I firmly believe that I will someday persevere and get a pair done…. Eventually.

23. When is your birthday?
July 30th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
No, I'm not. I've signed up for it but am waiting for the invite.

Birthday gifts from my downstream pal in the UK!

I had a lovely time this past round of Secret Pal! My pal live in the UK and was very very very patient with me! We got along very well and she decided to send me a birthday gift as well! She included some beautiful yarn ( from Colinette I believe), some great blue sock yarn, & some alpaca from Debbie Bliss. Last but not least is the great vintage book she also sent along.
I also recently received my newest Interweave knits magazine. On page 66 is a sweater titled the "Placed Cabled Aran". I just love it. I will have this sweater done by the end of September to wear in the office during the Fall/Winter. I've never knit with this yarn, and am anxious to knit the sweater exactly as it appears. The only modification I may make is if I can find organic yarn that is soft enough on my neck I'll choose that instead.
At the top of the first image is one of my wpi. It's a Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted yarn I'm using to make a vesty like thing. In my previous posts, around January - February '07 you'll see the inspiration for it. I've been working on it here and there.. not really adding much to it as it doesn't excite me anylonger. However, I am determined to see it through. Hopefully by the end of August I'll have the main piece worked and can pick up the stitches to work the back of it.

Birthday goodies, working on a friends house and Harry Potter

So, where to begin. Well, I had a birthday this past weekend and had a load of fun. We had many people over for an early dinner then I went over to my best friends home. I went there to assist her husband with a tiling project. Once we get this done we can begin on laying the Bamboo flooring.

On to presents..... I received many knitting books and the latest Harry Potter. I actually just finished it and I have to say that I'm a bit sad. I would like to have had it remained open so other stories could have been written, but hey, that's just how it goes.Much to my surprise my husband actually bought exactly what I'd suggested to him ( as a gift for me). I was the very happy recipient of 9 skeins of Beaverslide wool in a lovely brown shade and 2 skeins in a wonderful shade of blue. I just had to include a close up of the yarn! It's a bit tweedy!
And this isn't the whole lot of them! I can't find a few of them! I have to search a bit more.. I may have left one at Martha's!
I did go through my stash and better organize it yesterday. There are now fewer bagged items and some things visited the frog pile, all in all I'm happy with the organization. Now I can shop in my stash for projects a little easier.

Have you seen the latest posts by brooklyntweed? The adult tomten was the inspiration for the my Beaverslide purchase. I can't start that until I finish at least 2 other projects that are on the needles. The ones I'm rooting for are the baby surprise jacket & a small shrug for a friend.

On the back burner are a few baby items for an expecting friend and at least two shawls.