Sock Madness Round 4: Not Feeling It

Hello:

The above photo is from January, but it might as well be today.  It is back down in the low 40's, cloudy, and feels freezing outside.  When I woke up this morning, there was sleet on the ground.  Whaaaaaaaaa?  The weather was just wonderful a week ago.  I don't mind clouds and rain, but his cold has got to go.

I have started Round 4 of Sock Madness, but weirdly, I am just not feeling it.  This is a "bye" round, where everyone automatically passes through to the next round whether or not you actually finish the sock.  So, I am feeling no pressure.  The pattern was sent last Friday morning, but I was busy that day and in the evening as well.  Then, on Saturday, I went to the Kelsey Creek Farm Wild and Wooly Sheep Shearing.

I finally got a start on the pattern Saturday night.  It is a lace pattern, Rose Water by Heatherly Walker, YarnYenta on Ravelry.  It starts with a provisional cast on. I have only done this a few times, but thank goodness I am a crocheter, because it is relatively easy to do this cast on by chaining right onto a circular needle.

The first few rows are easy, then you take out the waste yarn, and put the live stitches back onto a second circular needle, and with the cuff folded in half, knit together the two needles' worth of stitches, ending up with the original amount of stitches, and a folded over cuff.

I wasn't too sure about doing all of this 2-at-a-time, so I knit the first cuff, folded it and got it all back on one needle.  It wasn't difficult, but it took forever to carefully pull off the waste yarn and pick up the live stitches, then knit them together with the original needle.

I really love how this cuff came out.  It was after midnight by the time I had knit just half of the 2nd cuff, so I went to bed, ready to get a good start in the morning.  I knew I had to get a good start in the morning, as I was driving to Portland Sunday afternoon to pick up Moogie and bring her home.  Moogie had an interview set up for Monday morning for a summer job as a lifeguard.

In the morning, I got the cuff to where it was ready to fold, but, when I came to the end, I realized that I had about 6 fewer stitches on the regular needle than I needed.  I had missed 6 YO's, way back where the cuff folds.  It is the k2tog and YO combination that makes the cute ridged cuffs.  There was nothing to do except rip it back and start over.  So I ripped, but then had to leave for Portland

We got home at about 8:30 pm, and I tried again.  I went to bed, with the cuff half knit, then picked it up Monday morning, made the fold, took off the waste yarn, picked up the live stitches, and on and on.  This time, when I got to the end, I had one extra stitch on one needle.  I was 4 days behind.  The new HPKCHC term starts on Wed.  I just k3tog, and went on.

I am about half way through the first lace repeat.  The pattern is not tough, so I am making progress, but, I just don't feel the push to knit like the wind.  I do hope I finish these before the next pattern comes, because I will need the needles.

I wanted to make a blog recommendation.  One of the first knitting blogs I found 2 years ago, was Knitting with Karma by Elisabeth Marino.  I just love her calm way of writing.  She gives good advice, free patterns occasionally, and is well, just cheerful.  She is a much more advanced knitter than I am, and her blog reflects this.  Anyway, she hadn't written an entry for about 3 months, then POP, last week she started blogging again. It was great to have her back.  Today, she has a nice entry about how to knit on a budget.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with 2 cuffs.

Wild and Wooly

Hello:

Today was the Kelsey Creek Farm Wild and Wooly Sheep Shearing.  The event takes place rain or shine, and it was a bit close with the rain.  We had lovely weather last week, with the temperature getting as high as the 70's, but not today.  Low 50's was more like it.  And though it never really rained, it sure threatened.

This did not seem to bother the kids and families who came to watch sheep herding, shearing,

 fiber activities,

 and other types of fun.

After the crowd watched the sheering,

where the spinners, from the Northwest Regional Spinners Association, helped to "skirt" the fleeces,

the visitors came into the Education Barn where we had samples of unprocessed (but washed) wool

Kool-Aid Dying,

 And of course,  spinning.

I have written before about how Bellevue is a very diverse city.  This was evident at the Sheep Shearing.  Many of the visitors either did not speak English, or had English as their second language.  Often they asked us if the process of spinning was the same for cotton, or silk, or some fiber that came from their home country.  When I was knitting, they would stop and motion to the knitting and then point to themselves, miming that they knit, too.  Sometimes I would teach them the word, "knit." The knitters were usually the older women, the grandmas who were with their extended families.  The men seemed to love the spinning wheels, and asked many questions about the engineering aspects. You could just see the tech segment of our city's population in the crowd.  Also, people loved seeing the drop spindles.  Some told me that they had seen people back in their home countries using such spindles.

As usual, they were fascinated by the amount of time and energy it takes for the wool to go from fleece to foot (in the shape of a knitted sock).  Some never "got it," and shook their heads at the idea that someone would want to spin their own yarn.  Others quickly understood the fun and relaxation that comes with spinning and knitting, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more people at the next spinners' meeting, learning how to spin.

This was my first time on the demonstration side of the event.  I remember watching people demonstrate spinning and being so fascinated.  It was really fun to get to explain the little bit that I know.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the world in a wild and wooly way.

Friday Fiber with Potato Chips and Zombies

Hello:

A quick post without a lot of links as I was not taking notes this morning, but rather knitting the cuffs on the Braveheart socks.  The new pattern has been emailed for Round 4 of Sock Madness, and I want to use the needles that the Braveheart socks are on for the Sock Madness Socks, which are called "Rosewater," by Heatherly Walker of YarnYenta Designs.

Allifer was working on a star shaped blanket.

Skeinherder had a few projects.  She was mostly weaving in ends.  She brought her There and Back Again socks,

a hat, she is calling Zombie Boob,

and a few random blanket squares.

CathyC was knitting and tinking and knitting and frogging and reknitting her potato chip scarf.  I think she had some success by the end though at straightening it all out. 

Knitting group can be distracting when you are working on a project that requires counting.

Colleen was working on her first baby sweater.  She has successfully knit the back and right side, and was figuring out the directions to mirror the decreases on the left side.

We were joined by a new knitter, Mary.  She is knitting a baby blanket.

That's all for today.

Tomorrow is the Sheep Shearing at Kelsey Creek Park.  I hope to be there with Wajio for most of the day.  I might be spinning with my drop spindle, or working on the newest SM pattern.  Or, both!




Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet one with fiber friends.

 

2 Year Blogniversary

Hello:
I almost missed my 2 year anniversary of blogging, which is today.   I've been thinking about it all month, knowing it was coming closer and closer, and then, since my Thursdays are very busy, and today was no exception, I almost went to bed without a blogniversary post.

Just a quick one, though, because it is late and I am tired.

I had a wonderful day today. 

I went to sewing lab and finished my new circular project bag, all except for the pull ties.  I am not entirely happy with it, but it is ok.  I learned a lot making it though.  After class, I bought more material for 2 more bags.  One I will make from the Bag Making Bible, and one I am designing myself.  I don't have a photo of the finished bag as I was running from place to place with little time to stop and take photos.

I tutored my middle school student, and then volunteered in the Math Credit Retrieval class.  One of the students couldn't understand why he got a problem wrong on a quiz, so the 2 of us went over the problem and discovered that they quiz had an error.  That is always gratifying.

Then, after dinner, I went to Interlake High School and watched their Spring musical, High School Musical. My son, Pookie, is in the play.  The students did a wonderful job, and they play was a big hit.

I did very little knitting or crocheting, except during intermission at the play.

I did want to show you the new coffee cup cozy I have been making.  I have 2 good friends with birthdays this month, and this will make a small, but heartfelt gift.

It is a very easy knitted leaf motif.  I knit one leaf and finished it off, then started the 2nd leaf and picked up stiches in the first leaf as I went along.  I finished off the 2nd leaf, and started the 3rd leaf attaching it to the 2nd leaf.  I left a long final yarn tail when I had finished off the 3rd leaf, and used that tail to sew the 3rd leaf to the first leaf.  Very simple.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the world with 2 full years of blogging about my stitching adventures.

Small Group, Big Frog

Hello:

The high temperature today in Bellevue was 68 degrees F.  Amazing.  Clear, sunny, and beautiful.

Eastside Stitchers  met at Crossroads, but since we have a few people out of town, it was a small group.  We did have one new person come to stitch, and it was lovely to see her.

Chockelet brought her Charlotte's Web Shawl.  She is using the Koigu she originally bought for a Linen Stitch Scarf.

Redbird1 called from the East Coast.  It was so wonderful to talk.  She has finished putting away all of her yarn, and has gone through some of her old WIP's.  Her big news was that she finished her Guernsey Triangle by Jared Flood, and is blocking it, even as I type.

This beautiful shawl is made in Loft in the Camper colorway.  Redbird1 also blocked an Infinitude Scarf by Jeni Chase that she had finished before she moved.  It's in Quince and Co. Lark.

It is nice to know that Redbird1 has such excellent blocking help.

Back at Crossroads, Chockelet decided that she just didn't like the way the Koigu colors were combining,

and she began to Frog it.

Wajio was just beginning a new pair of fingerless gloves.

Colleen was wrestling some eyelash yarn into a scarf.

GwenS was knitting an Aviatrix hat by Justine Turner in Debbie Bliss Cashmarino.

Tara1682 finally has her beautiful Cloisters Shawl back from her brother's car, and is working on it,, again.

And that about wraps it up.  Except for Chockelet's doomed Charlotte's Web.

Hope to  see you at Crossroads next week.  Until then,

Peace,

f1bercat
shaping the world with stitch buddies.

Vogue Knitting Live, Seattle/Bellevue Market, Day 3

Hello:

I thought I would get in one more post about some of the vendors and things that caught my eye in the Market at Vogue Knitting Live, Seattle Bellevue.

I wasn't really able to check out the Market until Sunday because I was pretty busy with my volunteering.  It wasn't that I did so many hours, but rather that the hours were spread out in such a way, that I only had limited breaks, and also, because on Saturday, I had to go from the Meydenbauer to the Hyatt rather quickly.  Then, since my last hour of volunteering was also at the Hyatt, with just a 2 hour break, and since it was raining, I didn't feel like hoofing the almost mile to the Meydenbaur and back.

My Sunday volunteer job was to work at the doors of the Market from 12:30 to 2:00pm, so I got to the Meydenbauer at about 10 am, and spent 2 hours walking around checking out the booths.  This was not enough time to really get a good look.  The shorter time kept me from spending too much, however.

I didn't spend too much time looking at yarn.  Many of the booths were what I would call local, as in they were from the immediate Seattle/Bellevue area.  There were also many booths that were familiar to me from last year's North Puget Sound LYS Tour.  Since there will be 2 LYS tours in May, South Sound followed one week later by North Sound, I didn't really bother to check out any of the booths I will see on the tour.

Rather, I spent my time in the booths that represented shops from out of state, or those that were selling "other" stuff.

I went back to the Art Exhibits, and spent time crocheting a neon square to add to Suzanne Tidwell's installation.

I also stopped by the knitted glass exhibit. Carol Milne is the artist.  I just wanted to post a few more photos of her art because it is really beautiful.

High Desert Fiberworks featured angora rabbit fur.  By "featured," I mean, they had angora blend yarns for sale, as well as bunnies on display.

I even got to watch them cut one of the bunny's fur.

I stopped to check out Tess' Designer Yarns.

Much of their yarns on display were shades of grays or included grays.  The pieces they had to show how the yarn knit up were amazing.

I enjoyed the chance to check out some Japanese stitch dictionaries at the Kinokuniya Book Stores booth.  I picked up two crochet books, and am now teaching myself how to read crochet symbols.

I stopped at the Churchmouse Yarn and Teas booth just to stalk Jared Flood.  I think he was on to me though, and I could not get a good stealth shot of him.

One other vender really caught my eye.  Meg Hannan of Rag Sky Art Studio  makes what she calls "Fabric Jewels."

They are pins, earrings, and just art.

She described her process,

and let me take photos of her art -in-the-making.

I enjoyed talking to her, and just loved her work.

As for my own knitting, I did have one very fun story from the  convention.  I was working on the Braveheart socks while I did my various volunteer jobs.  The last day, while I was sitting at the door of the Market, checking badges and wristbands, I had someone ask me if the pattern for the socks was available.  I was very flattered.  It almost made me feel like a designer.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the world from Bellevue, WA