Two New patterns

Rainfall Lace Scarf

I had fun knitting and designing this one. The lavender on the left is one skein of Louet Gems Merino Pearl (can substitute Artyarns Ultra Merino 4 or Lorna's Laces Sock yarn). The Peach on the right is Louisa Harding's Kashmir yarn, a cashmere/wool/polyester blend yarn that I got at Knitique. I lost the ball band but I remember the name. Very soft and drapey with a little sheen.


Jane's House socks

Sturdy enough to wear like slippers at home. When I visited Yolo Wool Mill in Woodland, CA, I was asked to design something using Jane Deamer's wool yarn. She calls them her "commercial" yarns because the wool comes from local growers, some Merino, Cormo, Romney and CVM sheeps. These socks are very quick to knit because the yarn is heavy worsted to Aran weight. I used size 5 dpns.

I have more pictures to share. My digital camera is almost full of pictures that I haven't downloaded to my computer (either I'm busy or very very lazy, he, he). Of course I'm very busy: knitting up samples for yarn stores and finishing up some other design in the making.

My oldest daughter turns 16 on Dec 13th and we will celebrate her birthday on the 10th, our wedding anniversary. She complains that I haven't given her a party since she turned 7 years old. Okay, so I guess we're giving her one.

My dad's clan is also having a grand reunion this month to be held in Las Vegas! Not really my favorite place to go since I don't gamble and I have little kids. But we'll do our best to enjoy ourselves. Plus, we get to see some cousins, Uncles and Aunts whom I haven't seen since the 70's and 80's.Talk about "long-lost".

The Knitting Zone will now be carrying my patterns in downloadable format. I am very excited about this.More exposure.

Well, there you go. Since I haven't blogged for a while, I am taking advantage of this lapse and pouring out everything that's happening this month.

...18 days 'til Christmas...

Lapghans Part 2

Well, yes, I messed up yesterday. The pictures did not load! Blame it on the slow dial up connection, blogger and picturetrail mess up. So, here they are: 2 lapghans I put together for our local knitting guild. These are donated to a local veterans' home.


I picture veterans as mostly men. I do hope they enjoy the colors, he, he.

Here's another:

Men and pink go together, don't you think so?

This last one is for Warm up America. Now, this time, I picked more manly boring colors:


I enjoyed putting these squares together, mixing and matching the colors, designs, etc, etc. The ladies from the guild were great knitting the squares.

However, I grumbled the whole time I was putting the Warm Up America afghan together. One, because the blocks were not an even 7"x9". And two, the lady who organized the whole thing was no help. She spent the whole time yakking about her life history than sewing. And she had the nerve to tell us to take the blocks home and finish them at home. arghhh...

This was the only finished afghan. I was so mad that I finished it single handed (ha, ha. I showed her!!) Enough venting.

On a side note: The kids and I were watching "Invasion" last night, which I think is a truly fascinating TV show, right after "Lost", another favorite. Anyhoo, we started talking about dolphins and whales. What do you get when you cross the 2 together? Daughter says: " a Dowhale".
I say: "a Wholphin". I like that one better.

Orlando

Totally unrelated to knitting (although I knitted while I watched his movie)... We rented "Kingdom of Heaven". I didn't expect to like it since it is 2 hours long and because I have a short attention span. But I loved it. My husband couldn't figure out who the main actor was. Orlando Bloom! I fell in love with him (who didn't) as Legolas, totally hot elf, in Lord of the Rings. Hubby says he's unrecognizable as Lord Belian in this movie. The movie was very riveting, rather gory, and had unexpected turns that kept you guessing.

This weekend is the Open House at Yolo Wool Mill in Woodland, CA. 10 am - 4 pm, with a barbeque at 1 pm. I will pick up some of the wool I had spun at the mill. I can't keep up with my growing stash and can't hand spin them up by myself. Looking forward to it.

I was able to put together a whole afghan for Warm Up America, measuring 46" by 63" . I do believe I have a career in doing this. Add to that the 2 more lapghans I put together for the guild. Whew!

We have a project at the Knitting guild to knit squares which will be put together to make lapghans. These will then be donated to a Veteran's home or a nursing home in the Sacramento area. I volunteered, as well as 2 other members, to put them together. I had a grand old time doing it. Here are the results:



and another:



I crocheted the squares together. Some were oversized and some were undersized. There was one lady who knitted several fair isle (see the blue lapghan) squares, changing colors each row. Would you believe she cut each color every row instead of carrying them up? I must have had thousands of ends to weave in. My mom helped. I could have thrown the squares out but I persevered. Well, hey, this lady must have been a new knitter and to her, those squares meant something.

The project is ongoing. On the weekend of the 22nd, October, our Crochet Guild will be putting squares together for the Warm Up America organization. This will be held at Michael's on Truxel road in the Natomas area. Knitters are welcome to help.

Regarding my previous post, Lynette asked: "Are the knitters (Sac Guild) nicer to each other these days?"

I hesitate to answer (but I will): Welllll, yes and no. Two months back, there was an outburst from one of the members. I can't blame her and I can't blame the other members for cringing in their seats (me included) when it happened. I'll tell you all about it when I see you. Don't be afraid to come! You're missing out on all the beautiful projects.

Last month, there was an hour discussion on making motions, seconding the motion, making another motion on top of the other one you just made. I stopped listening at this point. It gave me a huge headache and made me dizzy and confused, he, he.

The officers and some members are so deep into making everything formal and politically correct that I think they've forgotten the primary purpose of the Guild. To knit,to enjoy, to learn and be with other knitters and have fun doing it.

see ya...

Sometimes, reading other people's blogs depresses me that there are days I don't even want to read them anymore. Others inspire me. You see something they have created and you get motivated to create as well.

I do realize that problems come and go, and some people vent through their blogs. I also know that it is my choice to read or not to read. I will choose NOT. I have removed some blogs from my list of daily reads, mostly from other knitters who write problems after problems, day after day after day. Enough!

I spent a wonderful 4 day weekend with a dear friend from high school whom I have not seen for 28 years! It was a long overdue reunion. About 4 years ago, we found each other and have been keeping in touch by email. It was around that time that she lost her 18 year old daughter to a car accident. I know Janet is still grieving but you know what? She chooses not to wallow in grief and depression. There you go, CHOICE. She faces each day with wonderment and brings joy to others around her. She knows that she will see her daughter, Jaymie, again, when it is her time to go and she looks forward to that. I am happy to say that we share the same belief.

I also taught her to knit! She went home to Palm Springs with needles and yarns and has since finished a scarf. WE have created a blog for Jaymie and I have started to design a scarf which we will call "Forever Jaymie". Profit from the sale of this scarf will be donated to the Umbrella ministries (for grieving parents who have lost a child). I can't wait to finish it.

I have not posted for a while and have no new pictures to show. But I'm still knitting and crocheting and spinning too. It's kinda hard to get back to blogging again.

I am so disappointed in how Artyarns has bundled my patterns. They are my work of art and each one took a lot of hours to work up. For them to be sold as 3-in-1 patterns is very disappointing. But, we live and learn. It won't happen again. If they want to sell any of my patterns in the future, I will do my own pattern fulfillment. I will move on and design some more. Instead of making this experience a setback, I will use it to motivate me and get the designing juices to flow. One thing I can say is that they truly have beautiful yarns.

I am currently knitting an Elsebeth Lavold sweater out of her latest book called the Take Five Collection (Book 6). It's the Margery sweater with exquisite cables, not overpowering, but just plain classy. I promise to take some pictures. I admire Lavold and Kathy Zimmerman for their classy designs.

I might have abandoned the Master Knitting Level 1 program offered by TKGA. I don't know if I want to pursue it. They've increased their pricing for all 3 levels which makes it financially difficult for me. We'll see.

In the meantime, I have been studying Janet Szabo's books and practicing on knitting Aran designs. I have also ordered the Stitch and Motif maker software from Knitpicks (theirs is the cheapest price) and might eventually go into designing sweaters. Again, we'll see how it goes.

Until next time...

Modular Knitting

I bought the "Modular Knits" book recently from a local Barnes and Noble bookstore and here's one of the scarves I've knitted:



It's called the Sequined Sash. I didn't use any sequins in mine but I added some beads to the tassel by crocheting them in with the chains.

The pattern was easy to follow and I used only one skein of Gems Merino Pearl that I handpainted. There's only 175 yards in this skein.

There are several projects in this book that I want to do. The "Holes Scarf" took several tries and frogging before it finally clicked. I was able to do it in the end.

More pics of some Mitered designs I've done in the past (in review):

Mitered cardigan for my daughter Emily. My own design but not written down. I am re-knitting this one so I can write down the pattern. The sleeves are crocheted. Yarn used was the discontinued Mexican Wave yarn.


Mitered vest that I bought as a kit from some online store. The pattern was poorly written and had to be tweaked. This one used 2 skeins of Opal sock yarn (yes! only 2). Inspite of swatching, the vest came out too big for my frame.

Just Pictures

Crocheted Shawl using laceweight alpaca yarn bought from West Valley alpacas. I used about 500 yards and added beads to the edge. The pattern is from Fiber Trends "Crocheted Cobweb Capelets and Shawls" which I tweaked. I got bored crocheting plain single crochet throughout. So I added several rows of lace and changed some of the stitches to double crochet.





Knitted Moebius scarf from Cat Bordhi's First Treasury of Magical Knitting. Interesting construction! I ran out of the cream yarn so, I added a Moorit colored wool/cashmere blend yarn. I guess it worked out okay.





Danielle's Crocheted purse pattern. I used 2 skeins of Plymouth Fantasy Naturale in a blue/lime green variegated colorway and a small yardage of blue cotton yarn for the trim. This yarn (Fantasy Naturale) has a sheen to it, strong, and cabled. I would say, just perfect for anything crocheted.





And finally, socks. The pattern is my own Snake and Ladders. The yarn is Regia's Nation colorway. The Nation colorway depicts flags of several countries and forms wide stripes. I don't think it sold very well. My little Emily picked this colorway because it reminded her of peppermint sticks.



The sock and bag went on display at Knitique. They provided the yarns for the samples.

I have been lazy and have not blogged for a while.

I have been knitting like crazy, samples of my patterns for Artyarns.

Joel and I took the kids to Six Flags/Marine World and had a ton of fun. Even my hard to please teenager said she couldn't believe she had fun with her family, he, he.

The CA State Fair is on but we haven't gone there yet.

West Nile Virus is at epidemic proportions here and still, they haven't finished spraying because of the windy weather. One good thing is that it has been a lot cooler lately.

I went crazy and dyed some more spinning fiber. It's a lot of work but you're rewarded in the end when you hang up the colorful fibers to dry. My backyard is rainbow colored.

I need to finish knitting these samples.

I have to visit Knitique and finalize the crochet class I'm teaching this fall.

arghhh... I have oral surgery on Tuesday. Now, why in the world did I think of this one. I am really really trying to forget it.

hopefully, some pictures for next time.

Ahh...Peter Jennings (no knitting news today)

I will miss him. I missed him the past few months he hadn't been on the air. He's one classy dude. I watched him all the time. He was the only one I watched because I trusted what he reported. He exuded honesty and trust and humor. He was real and he put people he interviewed at ease.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Jennings. And may God comfort his family during this time. He will be sorely missed.

Colors

Some samples of my handyed fiber. Babetta
sells them in her store.



and some more:



Those silky things running through the fiber is viscose or Rayon, a plant fiber. The blend is Merino/Rayon. A few on the right are Corriedale Cross rovings.

It's about time...

...we had our own yarn store in Elk Grove.

Knitique is located in the Williamson shopping center on Elk Grove Blvd in Elk Grove, CA.



Just check out the yarns inside:



The store is wonderfully hip, with lime green and fuschia walls, and huge soft and pink couch and chairs just inside the store, beside the huge windows. It just invites you to come in, bring your knitting and sit and chat. They also have a little play area for kids, in the back. But my kids are drawn to the pink sofa.





I say hip but it not only draws the younger crowd but the mature knitter as well. The owner, Danielle, and the other people who work there (I've met Teresa and Nancy) will make you want to stay. Talk about friendliness and helpfulness. Thanks, Danielle, for letting me take pictures.

More next time... a visit to other LYS in the Sacramento area.

Check out the new Crochet pattern, Lattice Lace Scarf.





I used a G hook, 2 skeins of what else but Misti worsted weight alpaca yarn. The pattern calls for only 220 yards of soft worsted weight yarn.

Knitique in Elk Grove, CA was the first store to carry this pattern. West Valley Alpacas will also be selling it at the TKGA Convention in Oakland.

Knitique's owner, Danielle , has mentioned that a lot of her customers crochet but there's not a lot of crochet patterns out there. I might have found my niche. I will also be teaching a crochet class come this Fall. The store is way too close to my house that it's scaring my husband, he, he.

If you're interested in purchasing this pattern, just click over to my website. It's found here .


...more later...

More on Aran Obssession

As part of my Master Knitting Level 1 education, I have this urge to knit an Aran sweater. I've been reading up on it, the history of Aran knitting, etc, etc and have been fascinated with Aran sweaters and designs.

I have started, a month ago, the Cafe Cardigan, from the July/Aug 2005 issue of Cast On magazine. A mix of lace and cables. I finished it this month. Here's a picture of the finished back. I will soon post a picture of the completed cardigan, washed and blocked. The pattern is riddled with errors. Do check the TKGA website for all the corrections, if you do decide to knit it. It's a very easy pattern and I do plan on knitting it again. Yarn used: Shine from Knitpicks. 8 skeins.




Another one I started (and have not finished yet) is the Honey Bearan sweater, a freebie at the Knitting Beyond the Hebrides website. It's an Aran sweater for a Teddy bear or an 18" doll. A very enjoyable experience!




Last but not least, also started, is a cabled cardigan from an older issue of Knitters magazine.




Yes, I have, once again, started several projects at the same time, he, he.

I love it!

The Wonders of Blocking

Here's a picture of a lace scarf I just finished.

Before:




See how it curls into itself. I used a superfine merino yarn that I kettle dyed a while back. I have discovered that nobody likes yellow . I added a few spattering of cherry red which turned into a light orange color. The yarn is very soft.

After:



Blocked and dried. The lace opened up, the yarn overs beautifully defined. The way I block might be different from others but it works for me.

I wash the item by hand in warm water with a little dollop of shampoo, which really works well with wool and wool blend yarns. I squeeze the item gently making sure it is thoroughly soaked with the water/shampoo solution. Never rub or roughly agitate because it will FELT (unless the yarn is superwash).

Rinse the item in warm water (same temp as the shampoo solution) until all the soap is gone, gently squeeze, and place in the washer in the final spin cycle (the one with no cold water spray-just spin) for 10 - 20 seconds. This leaves the item damp, not dripping wet.

Take out and block with pins, lots of them. I usually spread a huge bedsheet, doubled, on the clean carpet and block it there.

More coming on my adventures in the Master Knitting program.

Obssessed with ARAN

Yup, that's me. I get this new idea in my head ...and I'm like a dog with a bone. I joined TKGA, The Knitting Guild of America (or is there an association in there somewhere?) with the plan of becoming a Master Knitter. I immediately sent for my Master Level 1 binder. I kept reading the requirements for number 2. Well, okay, I can do that. On to #3. Holy cow! I have to design an Aran sweater and a Fair Isle hat (or vice versa)? One has to be Aran, and the other, Fair Isle.

Ooooh, how does one do that? Several emails later to some members of the Knitlist in Yahoogroups, my fears were confirmed. But the other Master Knitters said it can be done... not really that hard. It's like saying having a root canal is not really that painful. arghhh...

Okay, I'll quit whining, he, he. At least, I have to pass level 1 first.

For those interested, here are some websites where you can learn something about Aran Knitting:

Flory Knits. Flory is a Master Knitter and was a judge/reviewer for future Masters. She's got some tutorials and free patterns there, too.


Knitting Beyond the Hebrides. One of the free patterns include a small one for a teddy bear or 18" doll.


Son of ARAN Project, Esther Bozak's website. Lots of wonderful info and free patterns.


Big Sky Knitting, Janet SZabo's website, the publisher of Twists and Turns Newsletter. Patterns for sale.

O-ke do-ke. I'm off to surf some more.

THE Knitting Guild

I just realized now, after reading Lynette's comment, that she has a valid point. Being a newcomer myself, I've only been attending the meetings for 5 months. And... 4 out of the 5 meetings were contentious (to borrow lynette's word). Picture a group of about 30 ladies and one gentleman, with sharp sticks, who can't agree to disagree. Pretty scary picture.

Most of the problems stem from scheduling conflict. Work hours, families, extra curricular activities and the desire to sit and knit together. How does one prioritize?

Poor, dear Lynette. Don't worry. It gets better. Let's sit together in our quiet little corner and learn from these people, he, he. Or we can join the fray. These ladies do real beautiful work, though. And the hundreds of years of combined knitting experience. Wow!

I love your Diane top though. I will knit that one of these days. No bellies or cleavage to show , however.

I didn't have much time to read blogs today. I visited Lynette's blog. I again enjoyed her adventures, knitting or otherwise. Unlike her, I enjoyed last week's Knitting guild meeting. It was actually peaceful. Some of the ladies told their knitting adventures, most were very funny. People were able to do Show and Tell without being rushed. And, a couple of ladies who were screaming at each other during the May meeting, were not present. Blissful peace.

Another blog I visited was Vera's Crafty blog. She reviewed Melissa Leapman's new crochet book Cool Crochet. I don't have the book yet but I do have her Hot Knits book. What's funny is, it seems that both books show a lot of cleavage --lol! What's the deal with that? Is that needed to sell the books? Maybe to emphasize the "HOT" part. Why not call it SEXY knits instead or is that already taken?

Just call me conservative...

Socks, Beads

Hi, I am Vicki and I'm a lazy blogger....

I must admit, it has been a while since I last blogged. I have been busy knitting and designing. Plus, the year is almost over. Finals for DD and all.

Two of the socks I finished recently.





One is this pair of socks from the book 'Cool Socks, Warm Feet' by Lucy Neatby. This is called the Mermaid socks. Very fun to knit. I used Millenweit sock yarn by Lana Grossa, wool/cotton/nylon blend. I've lost the ball band and can't find the exact color code. (Note: my little Emily wanted her feet included in the picture, he, he).




This second one is Jackie E-S's Anklet Coronet pattern, with beads, using Lorna's Laces sock yarn in Purple Club colorway. Another fun pattern to knit.

I have finished lots of projects but just haven't taken any pictures. I can do more hand dyeing. I just got my delivery of Knitpicks yarns, including Shine (cotton/modal blend). Such a beautiful yarn!

More yarn stores...yeah

Sacramento used to be a 2 yarn store city but not anymore. A fellow blogger and knitter, Violet, is opening a new yarnstore in Citrus Heights (Sacramento area) called Frogpond Knits. I am so looking forward to it. I might be teaching a class or two in crochet, depending on schedules and the like. We'll see.

The other 3 yarn stores are:

1. Rumpelstiltskin, on 10th and R Streets in Sacramento (downtown area). My favorite store, love the people, love the yarns. Owner Linda gave me my first chance at showcasing my designs. She was the first store to carry them.

2. A Time When...., on San Juan and Greenback. I have not been there for a long time. I wonder what has happened to them? The store has moved several times. I love the yarns too but some are a little overpriced compared to other stores.

3. Babetta's Yarns and Gifts, on Winding Way. Her's is a newly opened store, extremely nice and helpful owner. She carries some yarns that the other stores don't. She's also a homeschooler. Also carries spinning supplies and offers classes.