Knitted Done - Lindsey

I finished the Swell hat except for the ties and weaving the ends in (which I HATE doing... I used to hate seaming until I learned the proper way so maybe I need someone to show me how to weave in ends. It always looks very visible to me and sometimes the ends pop out after a few wearings.)

Here she is!


I also finished Kate from Winter Knitty. This was intended to be a Christmas gift for my neice who is obsessed with cats-- To her, all cats are named Elvis. She also likes to pretend that she's a cat and bat my yarn around the house with her paws weaving around the table legs and under furniture. This cat has been sitting around unassembled for too long, so I took her on vacation and sewed her up. "Elvis" can be seen here enjoying a leisurely afternoon on my new yellow front porch chair, a birthday gift from my father-in-law.

I have made a vow to myself not to purchase any yarn until SAFF in October. This is an attempt to save money (for a shopping blow-out at SAFF) but also to get some of these unfinished projects Knitted Done. The one exception to this rule is getting "free" yarn in exchange for teaching the beginning knitting class at the Orangeburg Pharmacy. Ok there is another small exception-- I can buy dishcloth cotton from the change I find in my darling husband's filthy work pants when I am dutifully and lovingly doing his laundry.

Soooo since there hasn't been much action on the knitting front due to summer school, I grabbed a couple of things at the pharmacy after I taught a class on Saturday afternoon. Many of the Berocco yarns are not my style, but I love their new Ultra Alpaca, which is fifty alpaca, fifty wool... This color is almost identical to the yarn that you and I purchased for your fair-isle sweater and my labrynith scarf.

4 skeins for Knitty's Forecast... with modifications like this...

I've knitted up four more squares for the Community Quilt in Handknit Holidays. I think this brings me to a whopping total of 20-- My goals being 48... I'll spare you yet another picture of the unfinished Community Quilt since this is a post entitled "Knitted Done."

In the works is the Baby Bolero from One Skein. Right now, it looks like this mess:

It's supposed to look like this:

Reading Season is short this year

So I usually give up knitting for summer and take up obsessive reading. Well this year Reading Season was short. My arm is feeling much better and I can't seem to resist knitting something. Not to mention that my friend Julia sent me some yummy Cashmerino yarn and an adorable Baby Dress pattern...and away we go.

I actually knitted a fair bit of this while at a conference. While the speakers were blah, blah, blahing I was knit, knit, knitting. I think the knitting actually allows me to maintain more attention to the blah, blah, blahing. Otherwise I'd just start day dreaming. Anyhow, isn't it adorable. The ruffle seemed to take forever, but now that I'm through the ruffle things are moving along much faster.

I'm glad to hear the two color knitting went well and if you like the Swell pattern than I have another pattern that you will just love. I plan on knitting it one of these days. It's very similar to Swell except that the chart gives you cats (sort of an Escher version of cats) I'll try to find it. it was in one of my magazines. I'm pretty sure I tagged it.

I also am moving right along with my new cotton socks. I used the leftovers from Jeff's socks to do the brown stripe. I just can't stop knitting striped socks.

I also spent a little cash the other day on Alterknits. I'm going to make the felted bulletin board for my new office at Santa Monica College. Colors to match the pastel my sister Eileen drew in Art School many moons ago. I'll put a pic up of the pastel soon. It's fabulous and I've had it hanging either in my living space or my office for since before I graduated from high school. The other pattern from Alterknits that I'm considering is the Silver Squares Necklace. I'm thinking Christmas gifts.

I can't wait to see Green Gable!

Not so Swell

Have you seen the new Knitty? The Yarn Harlot included a fiber festival survival guide... I am dreaming of October, which I predict will be a big month for me. Two of my dear friends are getting married, the South Carolina Student Nurses' Convention will be held in Charleston, and let's not forget SAFF! Not to mention, the Be Good Tanyas will release a much-anticipated new album on the 10th, and I get two days off for Halloween... Well, not technically for Halloween, but that's good enough for me. So I'll have Monday and Tuesday off following SAFF... To top it all off... it will be Autumn. I'm ready for the end of muggy, mosquito-ridden summer (and heavily air-conditioned, butt-flattening summer school.)

There were two other things in Knitty that piqued my interest... Tulip toes and Swell. I think Tulip toes would be the perfect handknit for the summer baby. I started Swell (in size medium, as pictured) to give 2-color knitting a try. It's been a partially good experience-- I'm through the colorwork chart and ready to begin decreasing for the crown, but I didn't take time to do gauge... sooooo the hat would probably fit a small child. C'est la vie. I'm so tickled with the results of the colorwork that I'll treasure the hat forever in my cedar chest or donate it to someone somewhere cold and knit another. Pictures to come in my next post. Also, Green Gable is finished!!!

SAFF, here we come!

I took beginning spinning with Julie Wilson last year (and I bought my Lendrum from her) and I HIGHLY recommend her class. She is a special ed teacher, and she did a really wonderful job with the class. I want to take "Spinning--the Next Steps," which means I need to get a lot of practicing in between now and then. I would love to take the Fair Isle knitting class with you too. I'm trying to be practical, and two classes is about all I will be able to afford and still have funds to do some shopping once we arrive.

Also, we have to build in time to do Asheville!

I have bad news about my status as a shepherdess... Shayly is no longer with us. She was attacked by wild dogs or coyotes apparently. We have been looking for her for several weeks and our neighbor found her remains. It was a pretty gruesome site. I am mourning the loss of a very personality-filled animal who just happened to produce wool. I also really enjoyed having my very own sheep, which made me feel like I was delving deeper into the craft.

Here is a picture of my girl in all her glory.

Plans for Summer and October

So, I'm definitely planning on coming. Jeff and I will probably make a big trip of it and spend a week or so in the Carolinas. My friend Andy, is back from Egypt and is now living in North Carolina and I'm hoping to see him, you, Cyndy and the boys, and Jeff's sister all in one trip, not to mention getting in at a Fiber Show. Whoo hoo!

The classes I'd like to take are the Beginning Spinning, Button Making, Fair Aisle Knitting and the Flying Carpet Series I.

1. Beginning Spinning / Julie Wilson Duration: 3 hours, Fri., 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm; Sat., 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm; Sun., 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm
2. Buttons, Buttons, Who's Got The Buttons?/ Cindy Walker Duration: 2 1/2 hours, Friday 9:30am-12pm
3. Fair Isle Knitting / Nancy ShroyerDuration: 3 1/2 hours, Saturday 2pm - 5:30pm
4. Flying Carpet Series I: Flowered Sittuppons/ Ayala Talpai Duration: 3 hours, Saturday 9am – 12pm

I'll probably have to cut this list down or ...maybe not.

July--My twin sister is getting married in early August and we will probably have Calen in Southern California the last two weeks of July. I don't know if we'll be able to meet you guys up north. When I have definite plans with Calen and a flight arrangement for going to Dana's wedding I'll get back to you.

So we have new furniture...A Stickley desk! Isn't it beautiful. I know I know it just looks like a desk, well it is but is so well made and I just know someday I'll write a book sitting at this desk.

I've been working off and on on these socks for Jeff for about the last 6 months. My arm is feeling a bit better, so back to knitting. I also started a pair for myself.

AND

Jeff and I bought Adobe Illustrator so I'm working on our Knitting Things Done logo. I'm so glad you still had the original. I'll post it when I get more work done on it.