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.

Updates, Knitting, Sewing & Family

There's good, bad, and so so news.

The good news first! I've finally made something for my best friend, Martha. Okay, okay, I know.. You'd think I would have made something for her by now. No, I think I've gotten just about every other member of her family instead. She's just turned 31 and I've made for her these lovely pink fingerless gloves. They're based on the Fetching pattern from Knitty.com. I thought they were too short and the cables too far apart so I modified the number of knit rows between the cables to 3 and did 7 rows of the cables. I've also added a 2x2 ribbing to the top, this helped pull in the opening. I also used a 2 row purled edge and then bound off knit wise (thumb only) using the knit 2 pass 1st stitch over the 2nd. On the opening since I was using the 2x2 rib I bound off in pattern.


I've also begun a baby surprise jacket using some left over from the gloves and other scraps of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran. It'll be pink/red with whatever other colors I pick up at the store. I think I'll shoot for brown/cream/orange/fuchsia. I have this idea of that colors I want but don't know how they'll all look together. ** Update: I went for cream and green RYC Cashsoft since my local store didn't have any of the DB Aran.
Also on the knitting front. I enjoyed my trip to the Black Sheep gathering in Eugene Oregon this past month. It wasn't as large an event as I'd hoped, but I still had fun. I picked up some Socks that Rock & some cream dk weight alpaca that is listed as "seconds". The only reason I can see it as there is a bit of "vegetable matter" in the yarn. I can pick it out so it isn't too bad. I hope to make a shawl from the Stahman shawl book. I actually paid full price for it at a shop during the Yarn Shop crawl my friend Susan and I made about 2 months ago. I can't say I have a favorite in the book. They're all wonderful.

I also saw my sister and her new twins for the first time. They're pretty cute.


I've also ordered a few books from Amazon.com recently. They're an early birthday present.

1. & 2 Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac & Knitting Without Tears
3. Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects
4. Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns
5. Last-Minute Fabric Gifts: 30 Hand-Sew, Machine-Sew, and No-Sew Projects
6. Confessions of a Knitting Heretic - Annie Modesitt

This last item is actually for my secret pal. I sent her an email letting her know her package is delayed as I'm waiting for this book to come in. I had actually already purchased a book for her knowing it was a difficult one to find in the UK for a good price. However, she went and bought it for her birthday so I had to choose another one for her.

I've also cast on this One Skein Wonder shrug. So far it's working up quickly. However, I have to admit I've become somewhat of a yarn-snob. This yarn only has 20% wool in it and I don't like it as much as I did when I bought it!

On to sewing, I've worked a bit on the Amy Butler fabric quilt I've had cut up for seaming for over 2 months now. I hope to get the top nearly pieced this weekend. Pictures of that are going to be posted this weekend.

Now on to the bad news.. My brother-in-law, whom we hadn't heard from in over a year and half has surfaced recently and since he has no form of work or income, we are "baby sitting" him, as I like to call it. He does a few things around the condo, but mostly just eats and sleeps on our couch. I really don't know how much longer I can put up with it. I'd like to think of myself as a nice person, however when the person you're dealing with has no desire to change their life it can be very frustrating! I want him to be happy. I want him to be productive. I want him to feel good about himself. This is me talking… not him.. So until he wants this for himself there is little I can do about it. I certainly don't want him on the street, yet its difficult to take care of someone who is able to *do* something about their state of being.

On to my lovely garden! It's it just smashing! The lilies have finally opened and wow, what a surprise. I was told they'd be orange.. oh well. I can't complain.. I didn't "buy" them.


Anyhow.. Rant over now…

My Secret Pal Rocks!

This is just a quick post to let the world know I have the best Secret Pal! She's a secret no longer! Her name is Becca and she lives in the SouthWest. She sent some wonderful yarn and other goodies! I'll post pictures and a whole list once I get home tonight!