Humbled

There is much in the Village Knittiot to appreciate. Much I am humbled by. Read it, if you haven't before.

Have Charka, Will Travel.

There are SPINNERS IN TUCSON!
And wonderful ones to boot!

I went to Kiwi Knitting and met up with the Tucson Handspinners Guild folks at their monthly spin-in.
Lovely.

I felt right at home, right away. Some of the folks are going to SOAR too, which is great. I'll know some folks that way.

Mostly, it was just good to find people.

Adult people.

Phew!

Just had to post...

...because this is too amazing.

I saw the WTC movie (go! It's not what you think...well...most of it isn't...) and was shocked b/c my high school is IN THE MOVIE. (And we thought everyone forgot about us). Well, it IS my school, and it isn't.

They photographed downtown with 8mpx shots, then green-screened them into the live action.

like this:





Amazing, no?

You can read the whole article here.

Too, too long....

It has been FAR far too long since I last posted. My only defense is that for the last two weeks I've had no internet service to speak of. To find out why, visit my travel blog.

More when I can get the pics downloaded!

H

Fun Gizmo

You Are 55% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

Time has, indeed, flown

I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged.
What's been going on?
Life.
I'm knitting, I'm also doing some super secret stuff I can't even talk about here yet. I'm doing some freelance curriculum for the Gandhi Institute on the side.
And I'm knitting.
And Spinning.
And getting ready for SOAR!
: )
You?

Here's some pics of my world:



A handspun lace Faroese Shawl...we'll see if I spun enough...


It's gorgeously soft to work with, though.























Socks for the DH...pattern courtesy of the lovely Jeanie Townsend

















A tank for my sister...






Which, with any luck, will look like this:
























And a sweater for a new baby cousin:

Socks (that Rock) and Tracey's Hat

I finally finished my socks (JUST in time for Maryland) but didn't get around to photographing the beauty of them until just now. And I also didn't get a chance to snap a pic of The Hat Tracey spun and knit at our spinning retreat. Just lovely--and TRES cute on my son, IMHO.

Goodness How Time Flies!

So much has happened, I can't believe it!
I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool with my older son.
We saw sheep!

And we saw a silk demonstration--which was truly spectacular to see.

We would have gotten a silk kit if it weren't for the unGodly smell.

Ew.

The weekend before Maryland I got to go to a CountryWool.com spinning retreat. WHAT FUN! I met the most wonderful people and had the best time. I even have some pics to prove it! You can see them at FLICKR off on the side there--->.


And one of my Yahoo Group buddies did a MUCH better job at taking pics.

I have a PODCAST!

True!

CraftLit: A Podcast for Crafters Who Love Books

I'm having a little bit of trouble getting the feed thing down (it's not as easy as it's cracked up to be), but all should be settled soon.



And I just got a blog buzz from Amy! Check out May 4th!

Mrs. Pilkington Knits: Stuff, Nonsense, and Beautiful Things Made By Other People

Well, the previous post was actually an outdated bust, but this one--Mrs. Pilkington Knits: Stuff, Nonsense, and Beautiful Things Made By Other People--is rather wonderful.

But it doesn't change the fact that I need some hard core strange knitters to come forward.

You game?

Wool Festival.com: Online Calendar of events, Free patterns for knitting, spinning, crochet, felting and weaving

Oooh, lookee here: Wool Festival.com: Online Calendar of events, Free patterns for knitting, spinning, crochet, felting and weaving.

I'm going to have to put this onto the sidebar. Nicely useful place.

A Better Day!

I Got Things Done today...and I'm so thrilled, because
By God I Needed To Get Things Done.

I got the groceries.
I got the new fencing (although our neighbor "accidentally" knocked half of the already existing fence into our kid's playset...nice!).
I got flagstones.
I got dirt.
I got mulch.

I got a haircut (jury's still out on that one).

I got work done (well..."done" as it really never ends).

I finished "Melpomene" for Brenda Dayne and she liked it! She really really liked it!

Which thrills me no end as I'm a huge fan and (like all of us) feel as though I've known her for years.

I finished the SOAR scholarship.

I finished the knitting book proposal.

I took DS#1 to the doctor (only how many to go?) and he was a champ. I have to explain something about my lovely little boy. He's a goofball, but he's also got a memory that is scary. When I was preganant with #2 he decided he wanted to learn Anatomy--really. HE decided. He asked very VERY specific questions:

How does it eat?
How does it sleep?
How does it hear?
How can it breathe inside you?
When it comes out, will the light frighten it?
Do I need to be quiet near your tummy?

He was three.

So that gives you some background. Now he needed a battery of strep tests, so we had to do oral, rectal and blood. Fun, right? Especially if you're a 5-3/4-year-old.

He is TERRIFIED of oral strep tests. He had one bad one, and that did it.

He flipped out over that, but the doctor was great and thus, he's not afraid any more.

However, what the doc and nurse were worried about was the blood.

I knew better.

He asked very specific questions. The doctor answered them all. And HE WATCHED.

HE WATCHED and was very scientific about the whole thing.

What's that you're wrapping around my arm?
Is that a vein?
How does the blood go down the tube?
Why doens't it hurt once it's in?
Will it hurt coming out?
Can I take some of that home with me?

I love this little boy.

And so, today.
Good day.

Thngs Got Done, and now I can knit.

Forgive the Lapse

I just returned from LOVELY Mystic, CT and am already having panic attacks.

My "work" to do list looks like this:
1) Work gig #1 (finish a year of High School ELA Curriculum)
2) Work gig #2 (finish and fix a year of Middle School ELA Curriculum)
3) Finish and send out knitting book proposal
4) Finish and send out science book proposal

My "life" to do list looks like this:
1) Take care of kids/house/etc
2) Figure out what's wrong with DS#1
3) Figure out what's wrong with me (hands, pt, etc.)
4) Start garden/get flagstones
5) Help DS#1 get/set up terrarium
6) Get haircut!
7) Occasionally play piano/knit/write for me
8) Finish socks
9) Finish Rogue Hoodie (Ye gods it's neat looking!)

There's more, but my head is spinning.

I doubt there's a chance I'm going to get ANYthing done...ever, it seems, but don't let my blackend mood affect you. Instead, imagine with me how nice it will be later this month when I go to Claudia's retreat at the WinterClove Inn in the Catskills for her Spring Spinning Retreat (a variation on the retreat mentioned on the Fibercast) and then the next weekend when I take DS#1 to the Maryland Sheep and Wool to see Sheila and pick up my very own Charkha!

But let's get back to brass tacks.

What was that?

A knitting book?

Yes--and I need your help. If you knit it a unique way--or if you have someone in your life who does--contact me, please.

And by unique, I don't mean that you listen to underwater fluglehorn while knitting. I mean are you a belt knitter? An armpit knitter? Is there something you do OTHER than the straight-up Continental/British form? If so, I need you...and can I take your picture?

Sock-it-to-me!

Clear Boots and Clear Clogs...who needs more for their socks?

And with Blue Moon Fiber Arts putting out sock yarn like this...? I'll have something for my clogs!

Here's what you're looking at
Socks that Rock in Stonewashed and Seal Rock


Socks that Rock in Stonewashed and Seal Rock, one end of the colourway


Socks that Rock in Stonewashed and Seal Rock, the other end of the colourway













Socks that Rock in Stonewashed and Garnet Dreams


And speaking of Socks that Rock...here's a OTN update.

Off the needles are the slippers I felted for my grandmother. I would never otherwise use these colors, but for her, it's everything.










On the needles are firsts for me: Socks that Rock socks in Jewel of the Nile, with Cherry Tree Hill toes, and using Jeanie Townsend's Cascading Leaves pattern.




With the addition of EZ's fitted arch, which I just started, thanks to the wonderful Sole Solution software.

See Eunny Knit!: Technickety: How to unvent a simple cable

Eunny Jang did yeoman's service a half-year-ago with this bit on: See Eunny Knit!: Technickety: How to unvent a simple cable. Lovely work. Very clear. All can benefit.

It also reminds me of what I heard on Pointy Sticks most recent Podcast: if you don't know it's hard...it isn't.

So, too all who haven't heard otherwise--Cables are EASY! Go to it!

Long Time No Blog...

Buried under work begins to describe the Olympics/post Olympics universe I've been in. There hasn't been a lot of anything fun, but there has been a lot of...everything else.
The other problem is the basic lack of sleep afforded me by my 2 year old. I don't know WHAT is going on, but he's suddenly dependant on a plug (pacifier), screams at the drop of...a breath, and waking up constantly at night.
What fun!

So I hadn't even had time to post pics of my fun spinning day with Lucinda at KnittingSmith in Cold Spring!

To make amends--here is Lucinda with Penelope (okay, aren't their names just perfect for two fabu spinning babes?) fiddling with many wheels, lotsa fiber, and some yarn.






It was one of the truly great days I've had in months. Second only to the day I spent spinning with Lucinda and Linda up at Linda's (gorgeous!) lakefront home.

ah...vistas!



















































And here's some recent FOs:
A chemo cap for Georgia's mother in North Carolina (love that Chinchilla yarn!):
















Socks for Sam's birthday:



















Detail of the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn:

A New Charity

Perhaps this Jewish Board Charity can benefit from some of my stash...something to look into! Thanks to Kntting Newscast with Rhonda Bell for getting the word out!
Also found this nice little site of Knitting Haiku.

A First Foray at Librivox

The Story of an Hour.

Aside from the crackling on the mike...it's okay.
Anyone who knows why that cracklin' happens, please post and let me know. I've done my best to eliminate static as an option, but you'll hear it jumping. That's not lousy editing, it's something else.

Odd.

More Public Agony

Mason-Dixon Knitting also blew it, though they ascribe the failure to too much drinking in Torino.

If only I'd been so lucky...

The Agony of Defeat

Well, if anyone wants to make us a button that's a subtle riff on the Yarn Harlot's gold medal (her statuesque knitter being hung by her own skein, perhaps) please be my guest--and let me know.

However, I thought I'd start a rolling blog entry and let those of us who bit the big tamale at least have a forum where we can post what we managed to finish.

In that effort, I'm posting this, my second panel. Such as it is.



I am joined in the Loosers Pub O'Despair (and wouldn't you rather be hanging with us than in the winner's circle?) by Ms. L. Ward who said of her pic:

Here's a picture of my hat at the closing ceremonies. Not too shabby looking but the needles don't feel real good when you're wearing it.

Indeed.

Mz. Mar weighed in with this:

I'm joining you! After 4 false starts the Jaywalkers bit the dust! They were
too big at the cuff ..had trouble with the toes~
I was a Olympic drop-out!!
Mz Mar Sew What?

And Elizabeth in Norway said:

Soooooo close! I call these my "Team Wales Olympic Socks", designed by me and using a heel I had never used before.

What I learned:
It is extremely uncomfortable to knit with half the skin gone from the tip of your left thumb (allergies acting up - but in reaction to what? Please, not my knitting!)

It is a waste of time trying to knit an unfamiliar heel when you are on a bus and the pattern is at home. The whole heel had to go straight to the frogpond when I got home!

Don't suggest a meeting "Friday or Monday" when you really need the knitting time on Friday - Murphy's law will make sure the meeting gets scheduled on Friday.

If you are knitting a 36-stitch heel following a short row pattern on 26 heel stitches that has an 8-stitch point, this is roughly 1/3 of the stitches. Roughly 1/3 of the heel stitches is a very good place to stop decreasing and start increasing again. 8 stitches is NOT roughly 1/3 of 36 stitches, and will be too pointy.

I will also have a few comments on "festive knitting" on my blog in a few days. It was perfect for the dragons, but there are pitfalls to avoid.

Elizabeth in Norway
Elizabeth in Norway

Anyone else suffer the agony of defeat? Send your pic and sob story/description to Gillian (at) AOL (dot) com!