And Breathe

This month has been like going into labor. There are moments of calm followed by painful progress that leads to a permanent change to life as you know it.  The only problem with this analogy is that you KNOW when you are done with child birth and every time I think I am at the end of this craziness, one more thing happens.

At the beginning of the month of madness, I was expecting to go through some big changes at work, lose a hubby to a crazy class/ work schedule and have my mother move 120 miles further away from us. All this has now happened plus

• We received Mom's stove, dishwasher and fridge that were all newer then ours which required finding homes for our old machines and install the new ones. Dishwasher still isn't quite right.
• The guy who was mowing our lawn and my mother's one acre lot quit and Bear had to take over mowing both.
• Bear took a renewed interest in the fire hall and has been volunteering at least one night a week
• I got a kidney infection and was laid up for almost a week.
• There has not been one week where I have workout all three times.
• Two friends have gotten the news that they have cancer.

There has been ups and downs but all and all I am glad to see the end of it. Knock on Wood.

Oh, when you have a Kidney infection and really good pain meds, there is little else you can do besides watching Firefly and knit on socks.






I think after this month, I deserve a pretty top and another pair of Monkeys.

Knitting Tip of the Day

I cast on two new projects this week.  One project is Monkey (socks) by Cookie A.  They will be pink and I am super excited but I don't have a photo to share yet. This is mostly because I have been obsessed with starting my second project.



Adriatic Cardigan By Amy Christoffers  is such a cool pattern and I just recently got enough Cotton Fleece in Prosperous Plum.  I hauled the magazine to bed with me Saturday night, read it all the way through and cast on.  I could not get past line 11 of the chart without messing up some how.   I ripped back and went to bed.  This morning I knit and ripped out lines 11-15 twice, the second time after sticking a crap ton of stitch markers in to help keep my place. The lace just wasn't looking like the photos. I went to spend lunch and did a bit of birthday outlet shopping with my mom. While out, I decided I should go to Ravelry to see who else knit this and if they had any problems.

Since I linked it above you may have already spotted the problem.  I didn't look for the Errata.  I should have been working off this chart.  So, your check list before you start a knitting project,  swatch, careful not to twist when joining in the round AND always check for errata before casting on.

P.S. My swatch for this project is a sleeve.  Since this pattern is knit sideways and starts with one cuff, I just figured I could swatch and if I get it right, keep on knitting sweater.  I would never recommend someone else do this because cotton shrinks and I never wash my pseudo swatch.  I am living on the edge.

P.P.S. I will be at Maryland Sheep and Wool on Saturday.  Stop me and say hi if you spot me.  I may be buying some fiber.  I will go into my spinning in another post.

Hello MO FO

If you have been reading my blog for the past six months, you will note that I didn't show any  pairs of finished socks photos.  This is because since the Friday before Rhinebeck (October 14, 2011) I have had the same sock yarn on the needles.  Well, I am here to say that those sock are my new FOs.

Doing decreases today at the National Zoo (with my Jessa Lu bag)

Left spins clockwise and Right spins counter clockwise

So comfortable I almost don't want to give them away

I will be giving my Mom her new socks after I soak and block them. I think I am going to make myself some Monkey Socks next.

So I now have everything knit up from last MDSW.  Yea me! Now I just have to knit 1,000 yards of lace before September 29, 2012.  Do you think I should knit a Top or a lace shawl? I am taking suggestions.

Megan, from Stockinette Zombies, mentioned this idea of knitting up everything you buy at one fiber festival before the same festival the next year. She thought it was a thing that lots of people do.  I haven't heard of anyone else doing this but me.  In fact, I thought I made it up as a way to keep me from overspending last year.It worked well and I will be doing it from now on. I recommend that everyone think about trying it sometime. It really makes you think before you buy AND it challenges you to knit it up.

Day Zero

Today is day zero of the mad month.  It was a normal Sunday so I cannot call the beginning of the crazy time till tomorrow.  So, today was pretty normal.  I didn't go out of my way to do extra cleaning as I feel like today I need to conserve my energy.  I did dishes and laundry but there are more of each waiting for me.   I actually spun on my friend's wheel and I am going to attempt to ply tomorrow. Then I am going to make myself a hat and since it is undyed wool, I am thinking I may dye it beofe knitting it up. We will see, I may just knit it up plain.

I have got a lot of sock knitting done since my last post.

This was about 3 inches of a cuff on April 19th.


Most of the cuff was done here this morning. Side note: on the right is my 6 year old son, Bugs, replacing batteries in his toy.  He had my 3 year old son, Boo, handing him batteries, screwdriver and the cover like Bugs was a field doctor and Boo was the nurse.  In my head played, Suicide is Painless until my kids started singing Bob the Builder. Sigh, kids these days have no culture. Giggle.

Back to the sock, this is the last photo for the night:

Hard to see here but I have turned the heel and actually as I am typing, I only have one more decrease round until I am done with the gusset.  I am excited that I should actually go to Maryland Sheep and Wool with all the yarn knit up that I purchased last year. (Well, I will have leftovers but I am not counting them.) Yea me!!

P.S. Apple Blossom is coming up again in Winchester, VA. Please, don't forget the post I wrote last year about Cole Brother's Circus.  Wild animals should not be tormented for our enjoyment. Please, find a way to show your family and friends that the circus is best when there are only humans and possibly domesticated (well treated) animals.  For example, Big Apple Circus or Cirque Du Soleil.

Hurry up to make it easy

I am on a organizing spree of my house.  I have decluttered and organized the kids room, cleaned things that were not yet dirty, refilled soap dispensers that were half full, pulled out the crock pot and I have done more laundry then usual so I am actually ahead of my normal schedule.  Why?

I am planning to have a single parent week this next week and a crazy month this next month.  Bear is taking a volunteer fire fighter class 2 evenings a week plus two weekends in the next 6 weeks. This on top of his 48 hour schedule and one night a week mixed martial arts class.  So, I will be missing my knitting group and my nice evenings with a hubby who cooks and helps put the kids to bed.  TO add more stress, Hubby and I are both changing job descriptions, his has a raise involved (woo hoo) but both will be a big work change in the middle of crazy month. Good thing Maryland Sheep and Wool is coming up cause he will owe me a nice day off.


Speaking of all things fiber and knitting, I have an FO:



It is Hitchhiker by Martine Behm but I had to be smarter then the designer.  So I slipped the first stitch of every row. This made the shawl a cresent shape which while pretty is not something I will do again.  Next time I see a pattern I like that has over 5,000 people who have knit it, I will follow the design.

I will say this pattern is great for handspun yarn.  I had no idea what I started with and this is how much I had left over.



Like 4 inches, I think.  Isn't that amazing?  I think it is.

So, my goals for the next week:

1. Stay sane: if the kids eat PB&J or hot dogs more then once this next week, the world will not end.
2. Workout more: my birthday is coming up and I am almost down another dress size.  Birthday money will mean new clothes and I want them to be the smaller size.
3. Knit lots on my second Down the Rabbit Hole socks: my goal is/was to knit up everything I got from MDSW before I go to a new MDSW and this sock yarn is the last of it.

Edit to add: I forgot to mention my supportive, helpful, always there when I am in a pinch mother is moving two hours south for the next year and my trusty brother the babysitter is helping her get organized, packed and such so her house can get on the market in two weeks.  They are my normal safety net.  Sigh.

Edit to add 2: I forgot about the soccer practice, soccer game and school zoo trip I offered to chaperone before I knew it would be during this mad week (Bugs and Boo are both going with me but it will be for Bugs' kindergarten class.)

Full circle

Here is my finished Starfish Blanket.
I think there was little boy finger prints on the lens of the camera.
This photo shows the size. My 6 year old holding the blanket is 3'8" with a red hat and white shoes. See him?

Casting off the blanket has left a big void.  I have a sock on the needles that I need to work on but I am going to be thinking about what I want to cast on next. It must be something for me.

As of tomorrow, I have been blogging for one year.  This past year has been a year of self awareness and self respect for me.  I have started putting more effort in those things that bring me joy and have cut out the things that add little value to my life.  It has been very cleansing. I still have more work to do (see My Dog is Fat post) but I am feeling good about life in general.

Rhinebeck In Retrospect

My haul from Rhinebeck was small this year since I really don't need more yarn. I was very careful and planned ahead.


I got three skeins of Miss Babs Yowsa Whatta Skein in Black Cherry. I am planning to make Greenaway by Amy Herzog.



My mother bought this kit by Laura Nelkin and asked me to make it for her. I am looking forward to learning beadwork and I think it is funny that mom picked this after picking socks from Laura Nelkin for me to knit her as a barter for purchasing the Blackthorn needles for me.


This is my biggest prize. I caught Ann and Kay walking around and they signed my book.  They were so fun to talk to, even if I did get a little tongue tied and even if I forgot some of the patterns that I had used in the book.  They were impressed that I hauled this book around all day and I didn't feel like I was bothering them much. After all, they were on my bingo card.

Eating Wool

Sunday could not have been a prettier day.

We strolled around and shopped very little at NYSW in Rhinebeck. There was a mini traveling zoo with three young kangaroos and a tortoise.

There was a wonderful artist that was carving some pretty impressive pumpkins. 

 

We bought some maple sugar cotton candy and opened it right away. It was so yummy. We were stopped by a couple of women who had to ask, "Are you eating roving?"  We couldn't stop laughing but later looking at it in the car

It does look like wool.

Rhinebeck on Saturday

On the way to Rhinebeck, we had "the running of the yarn." Mom had a bag of yarn on the back seat. As she took a sharp exit, there was a sign saying "New York Sheep and Wool." The yarn jumped out of the bag and scampered over to the window. I swear!



We took a wet felting class with Nancy Dorian.


Ravelry meet up was a blast. Rhinebeck Bingo was so much fun.  I even met some famous authors.


I shopped and bought some great yarn.

It was a great day.

Pre-Rhinebeck

This weekend, I took friday off work to spend the day (7 hours) driving up to Rhinebeck, New York for a New York Sheep and Wool weekend. Before I left my desk on Thursday, I saw my african violet was blooming (first time in 4 years) and I took it as a good sign.

We also got a call last week that our favorite Manicurist/ Beautician had two spots open on Friday morning, so we got pedicures. I got emerald green sparkly nail polish and mom got a teal green that turns lime in the sunlight. We didn't get outta Virginia till almost 1 pm but our feet look cute.


With Mom driving most of the way,I finished my stripy knee socks.

I'm too sexy for my socks

We got to the hotel around 9:45 pm. We didn't get to bed till 11 pm because we were so excited. I will have Saturday to share tonight but first I am going to take a nap and get dinner.

SVFF Raverly meetup

I think I can safely say that the meet up of Ravelry members at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival 2011 was a success.  Here is the proof:

Shawl and Swag

My Wish shawl is finished.  I feel rather clever when I wear it. The grey is handspun (not mine, I got it in a local yarn swap) and I am guessing it is wool. The teal is 100% yak yarn from Bijou Bason Ranch.  It has excellent stitch definition.



Below is my haul from SVFF:


From left to right: Furnace Mountian Suri Alpaca Lace Weight (grey yarn in mug); Mug is handmade by Liz and Wendy; black folder is full of info from my class with Mary Gildersleeve; The bulky yellow cotton is 4 skeins of Queensland Pima Fresca; Bulky Blue cotton is 5 skeins of Araucania Nature Cotton; Soap is Sheep's Milk Soap from Row House Farm;
the last couple of Rav buttons from a wonderful meet up; SVFF mug (says "Fiber for Ewe" on the back); two shawl patterns. Not pictured is a calender from Sheep Incognito (I really wanted to take home a $3,000+ painting but settled for the calender) and  a deluxe set of stitch markers from Lizard Toes.

What did you get?

As a side note, I have heard from people who have had problems commenting on the blog.  I have allowed anonymous comments for now.  I am going to check with blogger to see what is going on. Thanks y'all.

We can spot our own

The 4-Bs (Bear, Bell, Bugs and Boo) went out apple picking.  There is a large orchard that has PYO apples plus hay rides and a playground.

Marker-Miller Orchards in Winchester VA

   While picking some Empire apples (my favorite), I spotted her.  She was arguing with her friends about who was the best at picking perfect apples.  She had the cutest pig hat with little pig ears and the hat had a cast on jog (or it could have been a bind off jog.)  It is that last stitch when you join in the round and it can be very difficult to get that stitch to meld in with the others. It was definitely a handknit hat.

   I kept my cool but when my husband started pointing out the 'perfect' apples to help her friend, I mentioned that I like her hat.  She smiled and said she knit it.  I grinned and showed her my handknit socks.  I asked her if she was going to Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival next weekend.  She lit up like I had told her Disney World was coming to town.  She said she didn't know about the fiber festival so I gave her the website info.  She got all excited and said she had a whole bunch of friends who were impressed with her knitting and wanted to learn.  I told her to bring them along.  Converts are good for the knitting world.

It keeps us on our toes in the vendor markets.

Catch me if you can

So here is my Fall Fiber Festival Plan:

September 24-25 Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival

We are doing a Ravelry meet up on Saturday at noon.  I am volunteering at the T-shirt booth Saturday morning and I am taking a class on Sunday afternoon.



October 15-16 New York Sheep and Wool Festival (AKA Rhinebeck)

The only plan so far is a class Saturday morning and I plan to go to the lunch time Ravelry Meet ups. I plan to go both days but since I have a drive home on Sunday, I will likely leave after lunch.

Let me know if you are planning to go to either of these events.  Walk up and say hi if you spot me.  I love to talk to other fiber enthusiasts.