Way back in College, I had a dear friend, whom I haven't seen since 1982. We went to the University of the Philippines, and for 4 years, we stuck together, through good times and bad, homesickness and silliness, 24/7. Welll, not really 24/7, more like 16/5. She was almost my sister and for sure, best friend.

I have been looking for her, on and off, for these past years. She's always been in the back of my mind. Whatever did happen to my friend, Norie??

Last April 15 (it was the last filing day), I dreamt about her. Whatever did happen to Norie? This May, she found me, through the wonders of the internet, emails, and a former classmate. She's still in the Philippines, married with children, head of the IT department of a prestigious Advertising firm and very successful. I knew she'd make it! She's always been a Math and computer whiz and very, very smart.

We haven't stopped emailing each other since then. The wonders of email.

OKC: I'm back to knitting socks and lace. I've put down, temporarily, the Fair Isle Philosopher wool sweater and some Aran Sweaters I'm working on. Too hot.

I'm on a roll... again. With the warm weather here in Sac, and breezy conditions, I've been handpainting yarns and rovings. The open patio is in use again. I have an old microwave and mini stove, plus all my dyes and mordants, all set up outside. With the coming hot weather, the wool should dry really fast.

Check out the other yarn colorways
HERE. These are being sold at Frog Pond Knits on consignment. In order for me to make a little money, consignment is the only way. Can't mass produce and wholesale these yarns. I mean, handpainting is hard work even though I enjoy playing and working with colors. There are days when I feel like just throwing blobs of color on the yarn. Goodness knows what will turn out, he, he. It has to be an organized thing, making sure the colors go together. Get inspired by nature, the setting sun, a shrub covered with flowers, the stormy sky or your 5 year old daughter's coloring book--lol!

Here's another pic of the Corriedale rovings.

The CGOA/TKGA convention in Oakland, CA was a blast! Going there was even more fun. We took Amtrak. It sounds ordinary but, you see, we have this regular Stitch and Ride thing sponsored by Amtrak. Lindsay (ahh, wonderful lady), who works for Amtrak, helps organize a very enjoyable riding experience whenever we have a convention like Stitches West or the one this last weekend.

We get to ride in the first car with fellow addicts and get a chance to win prizes donated by LYSs in the area. I actually won a prize, a Stitch Diva scarf pattern and yummy yarns. We had a celebrity, Nancie Wiseman, who signed books and also donated a prize. Time passed by really fast and before we knew it, it was time to disembark.

From Amtrak, we transfered to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and got off in Oakland.

The Convention itself was smaller than Stitches West and not as overwhelming. I liked it. I hung out and had lunch with 2 Auburn knitters, Julie and Sue, whom I met in the train. I regret that I didn't get their last names and more info so we can get in touch but I know they'll be taking my beginning crochet class in May at Frog Pond Knits. Looking forward to that.

As far as purchases, I bought 2 spindles, a Little Si from Cascade spindles and a beautiful handcarved one from Carolina Homespun. I bought some spinning fibers and yummy yarn from Angora Cottage. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

My handpainted rovings are now available. These are Merino/Silk blend, each one weighs 4 oz. Check out my introductory pricing. Anyone interested in purchasing them, click on this link.
My rovings page

It has been sunny the past few days here in Sacramento. Last week, I was able to dye a whole lot of Corriedale rovings. Here's a sampling.

The whole bunch went to Babetta's Yarn store in Carmichael. If you're in the area, drop by and take a look at all that glorious color. When I went for a visit, Babetta has added more shelves. That means more yarns for me, he, he.

The TKGA/CGOA Knit and Crochet convention is this coming weekend, starting this Thursday to Sunday. It's being held in Oakland, CA. Of course I'm going. Wouldn't miss it, like I tell my husband. It's a once a year thing. But then, there's Stitches West also. So I lied. It's a twice a year thing (not counting the numerous fiber fairs and craft fairs like Lambtown, etc, etc).

This Saturday, I'm taking Amtrak along with the other knitter and crocheter ladies and gents. It's a 2 hour commute to Oakland but we get to sit and chat and knit (or crochet) without having to drive or worry about parking. And sometimes, you get freebies from some of the local yarn stores. No worries, no hassle. Way too much fun, if you ask me.

Another upcoming event is the Open House at West Valley Alpacas on May 7th.

Cool.

Every knitters' dream....

...is to own a yarn store. Admit it. We spend all this money buying yarns and patterns. My dream is to live in one. Anyway, I've heard this comment thousands of times," Ah, I wish I owned a yarn store. I'd have all these lovely yarns at my fingertips. All mine! Whenever, whatever I want to knit, just grab any yarn from the shelves."

But you have to sell them to make money to buy more yarns. And you have to man the store, deal with the customers, be open 7 days a week. You can't knit anymore. You can't go to conventions, Stitches, meetings. You can't take vacations. Unless you have trusted and knowledgeable employees, you can't leave the store. Forget about Sundays, Saturdays, holidays. You stay open.

Okay, I'm getting to my point. My post about the one store NOT participating in the Sacramento Yarn Crawl. I found out why. Family owned and operated store, and I mean, family operated. No hired help and still manage to provide excellent service. Well, it just so happened that the Yarn crawl falls on 2 of the days they close the store to have their annual FAMILY picnic. A well-deserved break.

And I for one, will stop harping as to why they can't participate. Geez Louise, one store of out 13. "What's the big deal?", as my teenager would say. I'll go visit the store when they're open.

And speaking of vacations, I hope you enjoy your cruise, Danielle (Knitique)! Don't worry, your store will still be here when you get back.

Party!!!!

As part of the charitable projects we're doing at the Sac Knitting guild, we knit 7- inch squares that we put together into lapghans for the Veterans' hospital. I've knitted/designed 2 of the squares and I'm making them available in pdf format to anyone who might be interested. One is an Hourglass Square (no picture avail right now) and the other, the Bell Rib Square (pictured on the left). Use them for your charity work or as gifts. The patterns are copyrighted and may not be re-sold. These are free. Click on the links on the left sidebar.

Colors! I have been busy handpainting my rovings again. An entire batch was snagged by Frog Pond Knits. Let me tell you, I can't keep up!--lol! It seems that there's a sudden increased interest in handspinning, both with a drop spindle and wheel.

In the coming month of May, we will do a yarn crawl which covers the Sacramento area and the vicinity, up to 30 or so miles away. There will be about 12 yarn stores participating including the 5 or so we have in Sacramento. I do believe even the Stockton and Lodi stores, Davis, all the way to Auburn and Rocklin, Grass Valley and Placerville, are all included.

It saddens me though, that one of our local stores will not be participating. I do love the store and the people that work there but the decision to not join the "Crawl" is a turn off to some of the knitters I've talked to lately. I surely hope that this doesn't cause the store to lose business. Our knitting community here is getting bigger and news spreads fast. We need to help keep these LYS's open, ALL of them.

Here's a new roving from Ashland Bay, called Hollyberry. It's a multi-colored Merino, very soft and easy to spin. In the past, their multi-colored rovings were so well-blended that the colors become muddy after spinning. I like the newer version.





Here's another knitted hat using Yolo Wool Mill's wool yarn. I've adapted the design from the Knitted hats book, the one that's shaped like a hat. This book came out several years ago with the Knitted Mittens book. Note to Vera: I don't have a specific pattern for these hats. I have several books that I usually use but I make many changes to suit the style I want. The website Knitting-and.com (Sarah Bradberry's) has several free hat patterns, as well as Fair Isle charts. Sorry for my delayed response.

Here's the red crocheted shawl that I did for Frog Pond Knits. The pattern is by Karabella. The yarn is by Katia, a fingering weight cotton yarn. I understood the pattern easily. But then, I'm a veteran crocheter. I could have written it another way to make it easier for a beginner to comprehend. I fudged and made changes (like always) and liked the way it turned out. It's now on display at Frog Pond.

Last night's crochet class was fun. I wish I could visit their store more often but the distance from home combined with really, really, REALLY bad traffic scares me. They're planning a YARN CRAWL, where people visit several participating yarn stores in the area , where each store has something fun and special to offer the customers. I am really looking forward to it.

One of the 20 or so hats I knitted in Dec,2005 for Yolo Wool Mill. All I had to work with are 3 colors of wool yarn, white, light gray and dark brown. All natural colors. You would think that I would be sick and tired of knitting hats by the time they were done. On the contrary,they were fun knits. Each hat was a different design. I really had to be creative to use up only 3 colors. I did cables, slip stitches, fair isle, textures, lace, etc, etc. And I took lots of pictures.

That's why I love knitting little articles of clothing. One or two days and you're done with the project. Move on to the next. But then, I also enjoy knitting sweaters now. I used to be intimidated by knitting larger garments. For fear of not finishing them (and I have a lot of unfinished projects).

One of my many FOs, my 9 yo son's Aran Sweater from the Aran and Celtics book. The yarn used is Knitpicks' Natural colored Wool of the Andes. They yarn turned out soft and great for next to skin wear. What an enjoyable pattern to knit. I think I only used 3 (or maybe 4?) skeins, 220 yards each, $3.49 per skein. What a bargain.

Almost forgot: thank you so much for all the birthday greetings. It was a wonderfully quiet birthday. We celebrated with dinner Sunday night at my parents. Yesterday, my husband brought home the most scrumptious, moistest chocolate cake ever. With strawberries on top! The kids gave me their homemade version of birthday cards, the one you treasure the most. I still have the ones they gave me the previous years. Little Emily knows how to incorporate yarn and pretzels in hers. Matthew's is the pop-up version, with hearts and "I love you's". My secret pal from the knitting guild even delivered her present. She must have ran really fast to her car after ringing the doorbell because I DIDN'T CATCH HER!!!

thank you.

A new pattern called Any Which Way, Sachets!The best part in knitting these sachets is that I used up a lot of my leftover sockyarns. I prefer using solid colored yarns versus the self-patterning ones. I used cotton yarns, silk yarns, Lorna's Laces, Artyarns, Gems Merino Pearl, etc., etc.

The patterns is available in downloadable format at
The Knitting Zone.

more to come

well, hello! I just want those few people who read my blog know that I am still here and getting busier by the day. Today is my birthday! I'm 45. Aside from a few (actually, I lied. A lot of) gray hairs and a few aching joints, I still feel the same as the day I turned 21, he, he.

I have lots of designs in the making and planning stage. I'm teaching several crochet classes at Knitique and Frog Pond knits. That's keeping me more busy but I love it. I've taught some kids crochet classes which totally amazes me. I love these kids. So eager to learn yet not afraid to show their frustrations when the hook won't go through the stitch--lol! I hope to pass on this craft to as many people as possible.

And my kids are learning to spin on a drop spindle. There is still hope that at least one of my kids will pick up my love of fiber.

will take more pics. Believe me, I have lots of finished projects.

It's been a while, yes, it's been a while.

Christmas and New Year's day rushed by really fast. The trip to Vegas didn't help at all. I will not take a trip anywhere during the Christmas holidays. Never! Well, maybe, if it's to Hawaii (he, he).

I'm the type of person who likes to savor and enjoy the moment. I like to enjoy listening to Christmas songs, shopping at my own pace, enjoying the lights, etc, etc. Never got to do that because we were in Vegas (of all places), the city of lights and noise and traffic, and smoke and gambling, of people wandering in a daze after losing their money on the slots. Hated it.

I've got pictures! (not Vegas).



These are my beet dyed yarns. Last year, we joined Full Belly Farms' Community Supported Agriculture program. Each week, we get to enjoy organic fruits and veggies. In one of my boxes, we got fresh beets. So, who knows how to process beets? You boil them for 45 minutes or until tender.

Being a frugal and opportunistic person that I am, I couldn't throw out the beet water. It's a beautiful shade of fuschia/red/pink. So, I threw in several skeins of handspun yarn and one superwash wool/nylon yarn (the one on the left).

See what happened? These yarns were all dyed in the same pot and absorbed the beet red dye differently. Amazing. What will I think of next?

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...