Power Outage Postpones Post

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Well, last night 4 of us die hard Eastside Stitchers showed up at Crossroads for a bit of fiber fun before the Thanksgiving craziness started.  While were were stitching, I got a text from one of my neighbors asking me how long the power had been out.  WHAT?  I texted the Doc, and he said we still had power.  When I got home, after Crossroads closed at 9, I saw that our power was still on, but the rest of our street was OUT!  ha ha ha ha  The power grid in our neighborhood is so weird.  Although we still had power, our cable was out, so no internet.  Then, about 11:00 pm, our power went out, too.  It was back on when I woke up, and the clocks were all behind about 2 hours.  So, I assume it came back on at about 2 am.  Anyway, who actually showed up to knit on Wednesday, and what were they knitting?

CathieC brought her MacArthur Park Poncho.  She has finished swatching and has started the actual poncho.

Skeinherder brought her stocking ornaments (here is a slightly blurry photo)

Skeinherder also brought her newest project, a lovely cowl  (sorry, I forget the name).  She bought the pattern and yarn at Tolt Yarn and Wool last Sunday, and cast on immediately... all 400 provisional crocheted stitches!

Wireknitter brought an Entrelac Cap she was knitting in a beautiful variegated yarn.

She also brought her beautiful Windward.  Wireknitter decided to add a bit of a border to lessen the stockinette rolling, and has some ends to weave in.  Stitch Night is a perfect place for weaving in.  All the chat keeps your mind off how boring it is.

I brought the last two rows of my newest afghan, the one I am making for my OWL in HPKCHC.  I didn't take photos of my own work, but as I hope to have it all finished tomorrow, I will try to post some photos of the whole thing then.

Hope all of you had a wonderful day today.  We ate too much, then went to the movies (at Crossroads, of course!) to see Catching Fire.  It was even better than The Hunger Games.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with two kinds of pie.

Fiber Friday Discusses What is Formal Wear in the Pacific Northwest?

Hello:

Super rainy yesterday, gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous today.

I am leaving tonight to take Pookie to New Jersey.  I think the entire Pacific Northwest is trying to remind him that we live in paradise, and he better plan to move back after college.

Lots of fun at Crossroads this morning.  Eastside Stitchers had a full table under the skylight.  

Our Wednesday night friend, Anerenbe showed up.  She was working on a beautiful blanket , Umaro by Jared Flood.

Constance49 brought another fun show and tell.

She made the face with clay.  The hair is made of all types of novelty yarns.  She also brought a new shawl-in-progress, Zuzu's Petals by Carina Spencer.

Winterpromise31 is almost at the decreases on her Twisted Trellis Hat.

JulieMustKnit has made beautiful progress on her Union Square Cowl. 

I brought my Pamina Socks. 

I decided that they were a bit short.  So, I frogged the toes, and am reknitting them to make them just a bit longer.  I am waiting for the 2013 Fall Term of HPKCHC to start.  I can't cast on anything new if I want it to count for points for Gryffindor.  These last few days have been a bit aimless.  I got my pattern posted in The Testing Pool, and have seven very nice people who have offered to make it and give me feedback on the instructions.  As soon as it is finished being tested and rewritten, I will be putting it up on Ravelry.  It will be exciting to have 2 patterns listed there.


O, and about the title?  We agreed that while Yoga pants are for every day here, Jeans are definitely Formal.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet from paradise

Fiber Friday with Cookies!

Hello:

Someone (Skeinherder) arrived at Crossroads a bit early this morning.  Needing sustenance, she went to the French Bakery and brought the group... Cookies!

Who was stitching at Crossroads this morning?  (and perhaps nibbling on cookies?)

BlueBerryMary brought the baby bear booties and bear she had started last week.  She finished the booties and wove in the ends.

When she finished, she worked some more on the matching blanket.

Winterpromise31 has almost finished her boucle scarf.  She put it aside before I remembered to get a photo, so I only got one of the next project she brought out, a simple, yet very pretty colored, washcloth.

Skeinherder was knitting something that involved holding 2 fingering weight yarns together.  She is using the same yarn, I believe just taking from inside and outside the yarn cake at the same time.  What is she knitting?  I have no idea.  What yarn is she using?  I have no idea.  I just remember that this sparked a bit discussion about yarn weights and holding 2 yarns together.  Not my best reporting moment.

Pretty beginning, however.

Wireknitter has made huge progress on her Herringbone Boomerang by Susan Ashcroft.  We all marvelled at the subtle changes in this scarf from the 2 skeins of yarn she has used.  If you can believe it, these are from the same dye lot.  Look closely, the colors are the same, but the yarn has been plied just differently enough, that the striping is a bit different.  I doesn't change how lovely the scarf is.  It is just something interesting to think about, when you are buying this type of yarn.

Colleen finished her latest baby blanket,

with just a bit of yarn left over.

LOL!  Edited to add that CathieC was present, but as she was stitching up her Frankenhat, and wouldn't let me photograph it or stay until she was finished, I don't have photos.  And, since I am obviously getting really old, if I don't have a photo, it slips my mind that the project was at Crossroads.  However, CathieC promised to bring the totally sewn, woven in hat next Wednesday night for a FO photo.

I was working on some newborn and preemie hats for a Maternity Clinic in Ghana.  This is a Quidditch Project (this game has us making up to 5 hats or blanket squares for charity).  Two of the members of Gryffindor, my house, are working with a Peace Corps Volunteer who is stationed in Ghana to send hats to this clinic.  It is fun to be working on something other than black socks.  But I am looking forward to both the next round of Sock Madness AND Tour de Sock to start so I can get busy with another 2 pair of socks.

It wasn't until I put all of the photos up on my computer that I realized we had a definite purple theme going today,

at least with the things we could photograph..... I'm not saying what else was being stitched today.  We missed you, VanesaPolo, and hope Yoga was fun.

I am looking forward to the Memorial Day Weekend, and lots of work on other secret projects.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with blue hats in a purple field.

Eastside Stitchers Freeze in May

Hello:

This is one weird iris blooming on my beautiful Black Bart Iris.  The full dark purple is the normal blossom.  What is this mutant flower?  I have never seen anything like it, but there are a few more buds on the plant that look as weirdly variegated.

I just might dig up and sell the bulbs.

On to the important stuff.  It is freezing in Bellevue.  Today the high temperature was 57 F, and the low was 47 F.  It is almost June.  What is wrong with our weather?

The cold did not keep the Eastside Stitchers from our weekly meet up at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue.  We had a really large group tonight, as our visitor (and soon to be regular), AspenD, joined us from the UK, and and new friend, LauraH came to meet us all tonight, too.

Who was in out of the cold, and what were thy working on:?

Wajio was starting another pair of baby booties.  She is making "moc-a-socs."  These are amazingly cute baby booties that look like mocassins.

AspenD was working on an Elizabeth Shawl. by Dee O'Keefe.

MsWiz was starting the 3rd of 4 hats she is knitting for some very lucky children.

MsWiz is the very lucky recipient of some fabulous project bags by VanesaPolo.

CathieC is making good progress on her Frankenhat.  She has taken 2 different patterns, and is putting them together in one beautiful hat. 

The top of her hat is taken from the pattern Beginners Basketweave by Margaret Maney.

 CathieC had also brought one of her amazingly cute project bags.

Tara1682 and Skeinherder are making amazing progress on their Racing Raindrops scarves.

They got this pattern from Churchmouse Yarn & Teas during our stop this Sunday.

GwenS started her 4th Aviatrix hat. 

Hrvdmnky is still working on her Rivel Cardigan, by Miram Feton.

Wireknitter is knitting a beautiful Herrringbone Boomerang by Susan Ashcroft. 

The colors of her yarn are truly gorgeous.


VanesaPolo had finished another Potato Chip Scarf for her mother.

LauraH brought an Owlie Sleepsack.

And, Colleen brought a beautiful baby blanket. 

I brought my High Button Socks, which have been bound off the needles.  I am currently sewing on the buttons.  I will have to finish them up tomorrow because, once again, I am falling asleep at the keyboard.  I have 4 buttons to go, but, lately, I get home and pick up my keyboard to post, or my needles to knit, and it is like a wall of fatigue hits me.  I just can't see straight to sew on the last few buttons. 

I have sewing lab tomorrow morning, so, although I want to work on some more project bags, I will finish sewing on the buttons so I can just finish this round!

Peace
f1bercat
shaping the planet with some new Eastside Stitchers.

Ice Cream, Tri'Coterie, and Knitting

Hello:

Eastside Stitchers met at Crossroads tonight for some ... healthy... ice cream treats, and yummy yarn.

We had a nice size group, partly because we are just awesome, but partly because we had some guests.  Maylin, of the gorgeous Tri'Coterie Designs (including the beautiful wingspan) and beautiful yarns was in town for a Cat Bordhi retreat.  Maylin and our own Hrvdmnky attended the retreat, and then local members of the Tri'Coterie Group on Ravelry stopped by our knitting group to say hi to Maylin, and get a chance to see some of the yarn up close.  Hrvdmnky often knits with Tri'Coterie Yarns, and designs for the label.

GwenS finished the Aviatrix (except for weaving in) she is making for a friend's baby shower this weekend.  The color is really purple, the yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.  What a luxurious hat.

Hrvdmnky was almost finished with a new sock, "Grape Sock."

Skeinherder has finished (all but weaving in) her Footsies.

She also brought her finished Rasta Bag.  She still needs to put in the lining, she brought 2 choices, but the knitting is finished.  Another Malabrigo March project finished.

Colleen is making great progress through her donated stash of fun fur with this very pretty pink fur scarf.

I asked Colleen how her baby sweater is going.  She closed her eyes, and just shook her head, no.  I dropped the topic.

Chockelet brought a new incarnation of her attempt at a Charlotte's Web Shawl.  You might remember that she did a spectacular frog last week of her first attempt because the yarns were just not doing it for her.   This one is with two colors of Madelinetosh Tosh Marino Light, French Grey and Pop Rocks (guess which yarn in the photo is which), and a skein of Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in Boheme.

She also brought a new shawl, Sundry, also being knit in Madelinetosh Tosh Marino Light (is it Mad May? I think so).  The colors for this shawl are not pink, but rather Red (Tart), and Gray (Tern).

WireKnitter  brought a beautiful sweater, Pebble, by Laura Aylor, in "Logwood," also a Madelinetosh yarn, this one Tosh Pashmina.

I don't know how well you can see the stitches in this photo, but the "wrong side" or inside of the sweater is really beautiful.  WireKnitter thinks the sweater will be reversible, and I agree.

Our Celebrated Guest, Maylin, was working on a mobius cowl (what else would you  be inspired to make at a Cat Bordhi retreat?) in her own gorgeous yarn.  The colors are Iron Throne and Frost.

Congratulations are due to Hrvdmnky who announced that she is expecting GIRLS!  I expect to see quite a bit of pink around the tables at Crossroads soon.

I won't say who was eating the ice cream.  Just that they used the excuse of needing calcium.

We missed all our members who couldn't make it tonight, and hope to see you next week.  Remember, we need to discuss the North Sound LYS Tour.  And we missed our East Coast member.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with some ice cream envy.