Bit By The Cooking Bug & Clearing WIPs & UFOs

Don't ask me why because I don't know, but, this weekend has found me spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Saturday, I had the urge for an egg salad sandwich.  I boiled up the eggs we had left and made the salad once they were nice and cold.  This led to me sending Pat to the store for more eggs after I mentioned deviled eggs to him.  Those were made, and we have been nibbling on them all weekend.  Sunday, found Pat cooking the steaks on the grill while I made mashed potatoes with a touch of shredded cheese, saute`d spinach in olive oil and garlic, and saute`d onions and mushroom to top the steaks with.  Today, Monday, I made Lasagna Bake.  There's enough of that for at least a couple more days.  I make Pat's with his pasta and mine with the regular stuff.  Now, I have a cranberry bread in the oven.  Not to be left out, Pat made his brownies earlier.  My kitchen has been smelling yummy all weekend.   

This weekend also found me spending a lot of time with my wheels.  Millie Minstrel was put to work spinning my Copperpot Woolies "Victorian Holiday" batt 2 which I thought I had already spun up.  It was tucked in with the Sonata and completely forgotten about.  Esmeralda Sonata was set up with the jumbo flyer and engaged in the plying of that fiber as well as 3 more of my Junebug skeins.  Now, I'm back to Millie Minstrel and spinning a  Hanks In The Hood "Trillium Lake" batt.  This batt is gorgeous and so easy to spin.  I signed up to be part of her "study".  She supplied the fiber, and, after we finish it, we post pictures and info about how we spun and plied it.   We have about 3 more weeks to get it done. Here's some photos of it.  There are one rolled up, two opened, and one started on the wheel.  This fiber is also one of the batts she supplies to Knit Picks.  It has lots of green, some brown, bronze firestar, and white bamboo fiber.  Here is the link for the page at Knit Picks.

It's Been A Busy Week of Fiber Arts

Last Thursday, at my Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild meeting, I was happy to hand over three hats for our charity knitting.  I made them all slightly different sizes to accommodate different size heads.
 

I did get some spinning finished, too.  The "Pie for Everyone" is plied.  "Lovely Lady" is spun and ready to be plied.

 The first clue of In Dreams came out on Friday.  My hope and plan was to be on clue 6 of Evenstar by then, but, I am just now finishing up clue 5.  I got involved in some non fibery stuff and just didn't have time to work on it.  When I get to the final clue 7,  which is a knitted on edging, there are about 3000 beads included. Here are some pics of my current progress, the beads I am planning to use, and the cone of yarn. I pinned out the shawl as much as possible.  Due to the needles not being long enough to lay the entire circle out, I just did a portion starting at the center. :   

Sunday found me at my Happy Hands Fiber Arts monthly gathering where some of us tried our hands at needle felting and then wet felting on fabric and canvas.  Sandi was nice to arrange the activity and bring all the supplies including little tote bags for us to use.  Monet brought extra fiber for everyone in case it was needed.  I had a pretty multi colored mini sample batt from a previous fiber order and I used that to make a cute hummingbird on one of Sandi's little tote bags.   It's going to find a home on my Sonata to hold the oil bottle, hook, and allen wrench.  Here's a picture of the still damp bag.

Plugging Along on Spin & Knit Projects

This past week has seen me still working on the same projects.  While out and about last Thursday, I stopped and picked up some yarn for the charity hat knitting my knitting guild, Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild, is doing tomorrow night.  I ended up making one already and have another skein to work on tomorrow night at the meeting.  It's a bulky weight acrylic Loops & Thread Charisma in Dark Blue.   I like the yarn but it does tend to slip a bit on the metal needles I'm using.  Evenstar is at the end of Clue 5.  I had hoped to be into Clue 6 before the first clue of In Dreams came out last Friday, but, I didn't make it.  The ribbing of a sock is started for February.  That's as far as that has gotten.

The blue fiber, "Moonlight", on my Sonata wheel hasn't been touched since the spin in.  I decided to finish the pink fiber on my Minstrel first.  It will feel good to have another WIP become an FO and move into the yarn bin.  :)  I did spin up another bobbin of Junebug's fleece which is number 6 waiting to be plied.  I will have to put the jumbo flyer on the Sonata and start plying soon or I'll run out of regular size bobbins.   It's time to head back to "Lady Love" and spin up the last 2.5 ounces left of the 6 that made up batt 2.  Batt 1 had 4 so I have a total of 10 ounces.  I'm hoping for close to 1000 yards of heavy lace weight or light fingering when I'm done. Here's a couple pictures of the fiber.  The skein is from batt 1 which was spun last summer.  It got a bit squished in it's bag inside the other bag with the fiber. 

February Knitting and Spinning Plans

The first clue of the February/March Mystery Sock pattern in the Solid Socks group on Ravelry was release yesterday.  The color theme for February is "Fire" as in the element.  I have a couple yarn choices to pick from so will try them both out tonight to see how it looks.  I'm also getting ready to start the Project Stash Buster sock bag for this month. I think I can manage to get that pair done as well since I have 2 months to finish the mystery sock. Of course, slow progress is being made on my Evenstar Shawl.  I'm still hoping to get at least part of clue 6 done before this Friday.  Seeing how this is Wednesday, I might get to one row if I work really hard to finish clue 5.

The February's Project Stash Buster fiber, "Pie For Everyone" from Spunky Eclectic, was opened and started last night on Millie Minstrel.  I was spinning while watching t.v., and not really paying attention to how fast the fiber was going down. About 2/3 of it was spun already. I just got into it and kept going.  I'll finish the singles tonight and then knit for a bit.  There is a cowl I am thinking of making with it, so the plan is to Navajo ply it to get a bit thicker yarn and maintain the colors which are separating nicely.

 

Over on Esme Sonata, I have a bobbin of the before mentioned "Moonlight".

A Relaxing Spin In

Saturday found me heading to RI Handspun for the monthly spin in.  There was snow in the forecast, but it was suppose to be only a dusting or so.  Luckily, it held off and I never did see a snowflake falling.  It was a very enjoyable day with spent with some great spinning friends.  I hadn't seen Belinda since the Autumn, so that was especially nice.  We were laughing and talking while knitting and spinning and the day just flew by.  Before you knew it, it was time to pack up and head for home.

I brought the second batt of Copperpot Woolies "Victorian Holiday" to spin as well as a bag with 2 braids of blue/gray Rambouillet fiber in "Moonlight" from Enablerie, formerly known as Flawful Fibers.  This fiber has been in the stash for at least a couple years now. I've been spinning so many combos with pinks and reds, in them I chose to start the blue/gray although I should have held out until March to use it as a Project Stash Buster.  Oh well.  The second braid still might become a monthly bag anyway. It's spinning so fine I might be sick of it at and need a break from it the end of the first four ounces.  lol

The photos are  the Copperpot Woolies fiber I had brought with me and the bobbin of singles from when I was spinning the first four ounces.

Perspectives and Decisions

The last year has been interesting for me in some ways.  Besides all the fiber fun, happy events, and medical issues, I've been working on my perspective of a certain area of my life.  This has led to decisions of what works for me and what doesn't.  There are only so many hours in a day, and I'm not inclined to waste them on stuff I'm not happy being part of any longer.  I can't stay in what is a toxic situation for me. Dealing with false, snarky people is not worth it.  Coming home stressed almost to the point of tears is not worth it.  Removing myself from some people, situations, and a group is part of the decision.  Don't get me wrong. There are some people I won't be spending as much time with who I will truly miss. It only takes a few to destroy a terrific time. 

Now, with that said, I'm still very active and involved in several other groups.  I still plan to spend time with some fiber friends often.  As a matter of fact, this Saturday, January 29th, is the monthly spin in at RI Handspun.  Thursday, February 10th, is the Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild monthly meeting. Sunday, February 13th, is our monthly Happy Hands Fiber Arts gathering.  OSKCG and HHFA are fabulous groups and I always come home from them with a smile on my face.  I feel blessed to be a part of both groups.

Another Podcast to Listen To, Weather Update

I've been hearing a lot about the Knitmore Girls Podcast, but never really listened to it.  Earlier tonight I decided to check it out and have now added it to my list on the left side of this blog.  It's a mother and daughter team and quite good.

Mr. Frosty's current amount has been updated to a possible foot of snow between Wednesday and Thursday.  I need to have Pat get me some milk, bread, and cheese while he's out tomorrow. I don't usually eat cereal often, but have been wanting some hot oatmeal lately.  I bought a box a couple weeks ago and have been enjoying it.  And grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup have been calling me, too.  Those are both good cold weather foods.

O.K.  folks.  It's time to cuddle with my chair companion, Katy, and knit a while.  LarkRise to Candleford is coming on in 5 minutes.

More White Stuff on the Ground, Pat's Hat, My Furry Knitting Companion

So here we are in the midst of another winter storm.  This one already put two and a half inches in my yard this morning of white, fluffy snow.  This is on top of the eight inches still here from the last big storm.The forecast claims it's suppose to turn to freezing rain then rain tonight.  Then we have another four to eight inches headed our way over the next two days.  Ugh! 

With this kind of weather, I find myself not wanting to go outside.  The ritual for the last few nights has been to snuggle into my recliner with a comforter over me while I knit.  I don't really need the covering, but my cat, Katy, has designated my lap her new favorite spot to curl up on lately.  I had put the comforter over me the first night because my feet and legs were cold.  Now, Katy lets me know it's a requirement to her creature comfort by kneading into my leg until I put the comforter over at least her side of my body.  Once she settles down, I'm planted for at least a couple hours, so I make sure the phone, a drink, t.v. and DVD player remotes are all next to me, there's a movie ready to watch in the player, and a bathroom trip is accomplished beforehand.  Disturbing Miss Catitude is not acceptable.  I've been steadily knitting on my Evenstar shawl. It would be nice to finish it before In Dreams comes out, but, it looks like it will only be on clue 6 by then.  Half of clue 5 is done as of Sunday night.

When I decided to spend time with the wheel last night, Katy was not very happy with me.  She kept coming over to look at me as if to say, "Well, let's get in the chair." Then she would let out a little sniff of disgust when I wouldn't do her bidding.  Oh well.  She survived.  lol  The last of the blue alpaca batt is almost spun.  I plan to ply it in a couple days.  

Pat really liked his simple hat which fits him well.   He told me to make sure it had a little room because he doesn't like anything tight on his head. Since he wanted the ribbing folded up, I knit 7 inches in the body instead of the suggested 5.  Last night, when I had to run out to the drugstore, I stuck this on my head.  It is quite warm and cozy. 

The first of February means I have another set of Project Stash Buster bags to open and start.  In the mean time, it's WIP spinning and knitting around here.

A Little Note to Mr. Winter, Knitting  & Spinning Progress

Dear Mr. Winter,

Please stop dumping all this icky, cold, slippery, wet stuff on us.  We have had enough to suffice this season.  Thanks.  Me.

That would be my message to this season's weather.  We had snow, rain, and ice yesterday with over 50 accidents in this little state of mine.  Today was suppose to be more rain and then freezing, but, so far nothing is happening outside.  Yay for that.  Friday has another storm coming our way with the prediction of 6 inches to a foot of snow.  I'm glad to say I'll be hunkered down in the house where I'm safe and warm.

My January vanilla socks are finished, so onto other knitting projects.  :) 

During the blizzard, I noticed my husband was wearing a hat which is something he doesn't often do. He has been wearing a thin cheap one he picked up at the store and I don't think it really keeps his head warm or dry. This means I've found something I can actually knit for him and he will use.  Last night found me casting on a simple, plain watch cap with some ribbing on the end.   Half of it was knit last night, so I think I will finish it tonight.  This is a good thing because he can wear it during Friday's storm.

Last weekend was spent washing and setting yarns.  I did 4 colorways, with a total of 7 skeins.  They are:

row 1:Copperpot Woolies "Masquerade" ; Silver Sun Alpacas "Daffodails"

row 2: Cormo/Bamboo (left bobbin) and Whorling Tides "Best Berries" (right bobbin); the two plied skeins of these 2 fibers

row 3: Spunky Eclectic "Macaw"; Fibers4Ewe Mill Mystery Fiber (this one isn't washed yet)

My Minstrel currently has some blue alpaca from a batt I had dyed last year.  The Sonata is....(gasp)...empty.  I've got a couple bags of fiber that had 8 ounces in each.  I've spun 4 ounces of each one, so they will be heading over to fill Esme's empty bobbins soon and clear out another 2 UFOs.

I also spent some time with a Mosaic Maker and came up with this.  It's the Whorling Tides contest fiber from start to finish. 

Another Winter Storm, Learning Reversible Lace, Finishing Projects

Old Man Winter gave us another whuppin' of snow.  The official measurement for Cranston was 11 inches, but I think my front yard has about 8 or so.  Everyone is now trying to clean up and combat the ice that keeps developing as temps drop into the single digits at night.

Last night was the Knitting Guild meeting where we had a lesson from the owner of Manmade By Jonne.  Jonne is a wonderful, patient, knowledgeable teacher.  We learned stitches that are knit in a way that creates a reversible lace scarf.   We all practiced on sport weight yarn for the class, but the scarf is knit in lace weight. I chose a pretty Pink Coral cotton/wool blend to use for my actual scarf.

My January fiber, Spunky Eclectic's "Macaw" is spun and Navajo plied.  The finished yarn is not really calling to me. I think the yellow is to bright for my tastes so I plan to give it a quick over-dye in a weak bath of Slate Blue.  It will calm down the eye searing yellow to a nice green/blue shade.  Millie Minstrel is now empty, but Esme Sonata still has the Fibers4Ewe to be finished.

I'm knitting on sock 2 of the vanilla socks which I hope to have finished by Sunday.  Then I can devote some time to Evenstar.  I'm hoping to see some more progress on that soon.  It's been stagnant for too long.

New England Winter, Knitting & Spinning Progress

Living in New England brings lots of changeable weather.  So far this winter, we have had a blizzard where we got 10 inches of snow, and high, howling, hurricane force winds for several hours.  My reindeer had to be evicted from the front yard before the blizzard hit otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pull the stakes out of the frozen ground.  They are now hanging up in the basement.  After the "abominable snowman" snowstorm, I decided I had enough of the white stuff for the season.  The joy of it wears off with me pretty fast since I'm not a lover of the cold stuff.  A few days later, we had a day in the 60s.  The cold weather also brought me an unwanted surprise present - a nasty cold.  I'm at the end of it now so I'm not contagious, just sniffly.  The current weather cast has another storm heading our way.  I'm ready to hunker down in the house with the animals.  I know Pat will go to work anyway.  There's plenty of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, food, knitting, spinning, and DVDs to watch so I know I'll be great.

Knitwise, I'm almost done with the first vanilla sock in Kroy Socks Jacquard yarn, colorway "Lavender Jacquard".  I like the way the yarn makes it's own pattern. Yesterday was Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group monthly gathering so I brought this to work on instead of carrying a wheel on what could have been slippery pavement.  It was the usual fun-filled afternoon.  I got to meet  a couple of new ladies as well.

Spinwise, my WhorlingTides fiber and the Cormo/Bamboo blend are plied and a-waiting a soak and dry session.  I also started my January fiber, "Macaw" from Spunky Eclectic.  So far, I've spun up about an ounce of the 4 so I hope to finish a good portion of the singles tonight.

I'm heading back to the wheel now, and staying inside where it's warm.  :)

Happy New Year!!  Van Dyke Socks Finished, Spinning Plans

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve.  We had a quiet evening at home.  It's ironic that it's always the one night of the year I have trouble staying awake until midnight.  I thought I was going to call it quits at 10, but, I got another wind and stayed up until a little after 1 a.m.

I'm not making any resolutions.  I will endeavor to work on my health issues, and try using yarns and fibers from the stashes to shrink them a bit.  Other than that, nothing else comes to mind.  Do you have any resolutions/intentions for 2011?

I did finish the Van Dyke socks today.  I know these were my December socks for the Solid Socks group on Ravelry, but there was no way I could finish them in time.  If I hadn't had to rip back sock 1 to before the gusset to fix the over-long foot, I probably would have made the December 31 deadline.  Oh well.  I still have a pretty pair of red socks to keep my feet warm.  :) 

My knitting is now the Evenstar, and a pair of plain "vanilla" socks to use as travel/group knitting.  I'm in the Year of Stash Socks group and these are for that.  I still need to finish the Spruce scarf that is up to the tree part on the first side.

Spinning finds me plying up 2 half bobbins of an old WIP.  It's from Silver Sun Alpacas. I had spun the rest and then misplaced the first half bobbin.  When I had placed an order, they had sent me a little sample which is the second half bobbin.  I'll take time to ply them tonight.  Here's a couple pictures of a couple of original full bobbins and fiber.

 

Then, I need to spin 4 ounces of Cormo/Bamboo to be plied with my Whorling Tides contest fiber.  That needs to be done for January 10.  After that, I will be working on my 4 ounce selection for Project Stash Buster. I chose some South African Fine from Spunky Eclectic in "Macaw" that's been hanging around in my stash for a couple years.  It's nice and bright.

The Monitor Saga Continues...More Sock Knitting & Spinning

I guess my monitor doesn't want to be replaced yet.  The sunshine was bouncing off the snow in my front yard so I put the blind down and suddenly the monitor looked fine to me.  I guess it was just glare from all the white snow and sunshine making it look different.  Oh well.  It looks like my little shopping trip is put on hold for a while longer, which I don't mind.  :)

I managed to finish the re-do of the first Van Dyke sock.  Sock 2 will be started tonight.  I'm also busy trying to empty some more bobbins in order to prepare for the January bag of fiber for the first Project Stash Buster month.  It's some Spunky Eclectic  merino that has been sitting around for a while.

Post-Christmas Shopping By Necessity

It's finally happening. My monitor is giving up on me.  Even with the brightest setting, the color is very dull.  This means I get to go shopping for a new one in a few days.  Since the speakers are attached  to the sides, I'm getting those replaced, too. I've been wanting a flat, skinny monitor ever since they came out, but refused to toss the perfectly good one I've been using.  It's 8 years old, and was bought with my first computer back in 2001.  The screen is a flat one, but it's a big bubble type monitor.   I think it's served me well.

I'm heading over to check out some online store sites now.  :)

Merry Christmas to All

It's a quiet night here.  Pat is watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" while I knit on my Spruce scarf a bit.  It's not going to be finished by tomorrow for the contest the designer, Susan Pandorf, is having.  Everyone votes for their favorite of the finished scarves and the winner gets all of next year's patterns as a prize. 

My Van Dyke sock also had to be ripped back below the gusset because it was just too long in the foot.  If I put it on so the toe fit properly, the heel was too high.  If I put it on so the heel fit properly, there was a flappy bit on the toe.  I'll finish them next month.

The menu is planned for tomorrow.  It's a simple meal of broiled scallops, baked smashed potatoes with cheese and topped with a little bacon and sour cream, carrots, broccoli, and rolls.  The pumpkin ginger snap mousse is making a return as well at the request of Pat and his brother.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.  :)

Grazing Reindeer Family.... The Tree is Decorated

I had some reindeer visiting me tonight.  There's a lovely mama, papa, and three babies in my front lawn.  They will be there until after New Year's.  Oh, I forgot to mention they are very pretty lit up.  Santa is waving in the corner of the window to everyone as they walk by.   :)  It was spitting snow when I took the pictures.

Here's a close up.

  The Christmas tree is no longer naked.  It's a bit skimpy by my usual standards, but very pretty.  Some of the ornaments didn't show up in the picture.  That's Tiger in the window checking for any outside activity.

Parties, a Tough Week, an Angry Little Dog

Last Thursday evening, Dec. 9, was the Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild annual Holiday Party.  Lots of yummy foods were consumed before the Yankee Swap commenced. Gifts were opened among much laughter and good fun. I did sample a little piece of fudge, but passed on all the other sweet desserts.

Sunday, Dec. 12, was the monthly gathering of the Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group in North Stonington. We are a very eclectic group so this was not a Holiday Party, just our regular get together.  We did bring munchies to share.  Again, it was all very delicious.  I didn't have any candy or cookies. 

While spinning on my Sonata, I was getting very nauseous with the wheel spinning around in my line of vision and very cold. By the time I left, I just wanted to get home.  The torrential rains didn't help with the hour plus drive.  At one point, I had to pull off the highway and sit for a bit.  I got home, put the dip and veggies I had brought in the fridge, put on a nightgown, and crawled into bed.  I stayed there for the rest of Sunday, and the majority of Monday and Tuesday.    I think it was some kind of bug.  I didn't touch my knitting at all.  Today, I'm feeling more myself. 

Right now, I need to deal with a very pissed off Pooh.  He is vocally demanding a cookie, which he will not be getting.  Then I will be climbing into my recliner to knit for a bit.

Update:  Pooh has yapped himself to exhaustion and is now sleeping next to Hanna.  He's been a brat all night.  I still love him though.  Pooh on the left and Hanna on the right.

Keeping a Tradition...and...The Naked Christmas Tree

Every year, it was traditional to start decorating the house on my mom's birthday which is tomorrow, December 7th.  I've missed doing this tradition a few years, but this year I am renewing it.  The tree was brought up from the basement, and the reindeer are waiting for the first visit to my front yard.  I bought them a couple years ago and just never put them out.  I'm not sure about decorating the fireplace.  That may just prove too much of a kitty temptation.

The last time I had my big Christmas tree decorated was 2005.  We had the rescue kittens which were in isolation from my other cats until they were old enough to be tested, so I put it up.  Since then it has been in storage in the basement.  Ever since their arrival, I've put a small table one up. Moving it into the front hall and putting it back when I got home every day from work was the only way I could think to keep it kitty proof. Even after retiring in 2007, I used the small one.  That year, I had a broken wrist and couldn't even handle that.  Pat had to help me.

Now the "kids" are 5 years old, I decided to try putting it up again this year. Tonight, in the setting up.  If no one climbs it or hides in it, I will put the lights on it tomorrow.  Then some ribbon garland, bows, and my angel on top in a couple more days.  I won't be putting any of my regular ornaments on it since they are all ceramic, spun glass, or crystal.  I do have some plastic candy canes and icicles I used on the small tree I can put on it.  That's it.  It will still be a little naked compared to my usual glittery tree I love.

Project Stash Buster

The other day I was talking to my friend Monet on Plurk about sock clubs.  I  told her I plan to create my own "club" from my stash by bagging up a skein of yarn and a pattern for each month, label with the month, and knit them in order.  This got me to thinking of doing the same thing for a "fiber club". 

I posted about this in the Spinning in Rhode Island group on Ravelry.  So far, Monet, Sandi, and I are playing.   We start on January 1, 2011 in order to give everyone the rest of December to get the bags ready.  It was mentioned that it might be fun to add an incentive of a prize for the person who comes closest to spinning up all 12 months of bags. I'm hoping to get around 5 to 10 people to join us so we can turn it into a contest. If we make this a contest, a photo will have to be posted to show the 12 fiber bags and another to show the spun yarn at the end of the year.

I started the group for people who  spin, and are in RI, or nearby  CT or MA because there wasn't a spinning group on Ravelry for my state. If you are in the area, or want to hang out with us, come join the group and post to the "Project Stash Buster" thread.

We also have a friendly thread every month for a 4 ounce spin of your choice.  We encourage and share our progress in that one.  No prizes with that.

Turkey Pot Pie and Finished Socks

The last of the turkey has been consumed in a yummy pot pie.  Since Pat can't eat gluten, I made it with a mashed potato topping.  I had just enough potatoes left on the shelf.  I think it came out quite tasty and have added this to my winter menu selections.  I can use the same recipe and substitute beef or chicken too for variety.

My Mongolfiera a/k/a Mystery Socks are finished.  The heel actually does fit the back of my foot. I was sitting in my recliner, and when I moved, they slid down a bit against my blanket.

Turkey Day is Finished, A Little Knitting Time

The Thanksgiving Day Feast was well received and enjoyed.  I have lots of left overs even after giving some to my brother-in-law.  The pumpkin ginger snap mousse was a success.  It is very rich so a little is plenty.  The dishes are done, out of the dishwasher, and the kitchen is restored to order.  It still has the lingering smell of roasted turkey.  Mmmm.  It's a nice smell. :)

I managed to get some knitting done on my sock 2 of the mystery sock pair.  Then the turkey nap struck for about an hour and a half.  A couple more rows were knit later.  About 20 rows total were completed which was much less than I had planned.  I was hoping to get the heel flap and heel turn done today. Oh well.  They will be done by tomorrow.

Now it's time for bed.  I'm not braving the masses tomorrow for Black Friday this year.  Since I don't need anything, I'm going to sleep in.  Happy shopping to all who endeavor to make the trip in the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

I've already started cooking a couple things for tomorrow's meal.  The cranberry sauce and Pumpkin Ginger Snap Mousse are made.  There are 2 versions of the mousse.  One is gluten free for Pat and one is regular for Paul and myself.

The turkey and all the trimmings will get cooked tomorrow.  I'm actually keeping it pretty simple since there are only 3 of us for dinner.

Of course, Thanksgiving isn't only about the feast.  It's our day to reflect and be thankful for the good people and things we have in our lives.

- I'm thankful for my husband, Pat.
- I'm thankful for my friends.
- I'm thankful for my retirement.
- I'm thankful for my warm home, food on my table, clothes on my back.
- I'm thankful for my fiber pursuits.
- I'm thankful for my health issues improving since earlier in the year.

What are you thankful for this year?

Mystery Sock Knitting, Spinning More Junebug

As of last night, I am caught up on the clues for my mystery sock.  The fourth clue comes out on Monday. 

Do you remember Junebug's fleece I was spinning in July?  It wasn't all spun at that time.  I've been spinning some colored/dyed fleece lately.  Tonight, I hope to work on Junebug and get at least a bobbin of singles done.

November Mystery Sock and a Late Night

I'm a bit late starting this, but I wanted to finish the beaded scarf.  I'm trying to be semi-monogamous in my knitting lately.  So last night saw the cast on of the November Mystery Sock from the Solid Socks group on Ravelry.  You are suppose to use solid or semi solid yarns in this group, so I'm knitting it in Wooly Wonka Fibers in the "Tide Pool" colorway.  It is a very light bluish green semi-solid although in the picture it looks like there are blue and green sections.  It really isn't variegated.  It's 100% Merino and I love how this yarn feels.  I have had it in the stash for a couple years after getting it from a de-stash on Ravelry.  Of course, it's now discontinued so I can't get any more.  :( 

I sat and knit on the sock, finishing clue 1.  I wasn't paying attention to the clock.  Thinking it was about 2 a.m. (my usual late night bedtime) I packed up.  When I looked at the clock it was 4 a.m.!  I was up at 9 so it will be a very early night tonight. lol

Finishing Projects

This week saw the finishing of my beaded scarf.  I had to finagle the graft so it would look right.  I hadn't done a graft in ribbing before.  I think it looks o.k.

The Crown Mountain Farm Corriedale Fiber in "Stonehenge" is also finished. It came out a bit lighter than I expected, but I like it.  Eight ounces yielded 790 yards of 2 ply.  Here's a couple pictures, one of each bobbin after plying. 

More Fiber Goodies, Slow Project Progress, and Needleless Cabling

Crafting has been slow this week.  I haven't had a lot of incentive to work on stuff.  Maybe the new meds are to blame or the time change. 

An opportunity was presented by CorgiHillFarm for members of her Ravelry group to get some of her dyed Cashmere/Silk blend at a special price.  I ended up with 4 ounces of a lovely Lilac color.  This is part of my "arm-chair festival shopping" last week.  It arrived earlier this week and is super soft.

I'm still working on my first beaded scarf.  I had plans to have it finished this past weekend, but, was sidetracked with non-fibery stuff.  I think I will have the second half done by tomorrow night or Saturday at the latest. Then it just needs to be grafted together.

Tonight is my knitting guild meeting which includes a lesson on how to knit cables without a needle.  This is perfect timing for me since I'm finally re-starting my TTL Mystery Socks again.  I tried doing this after watching YouTube videos, but, messed up.  Seeing someone do it in person will help.

The wheels are still busy with the same fibers.  Sunday will see more progress on the Fibers4Ewe fiber since I will be taking that to Happy Hands.  The Crown Mountain Fibers  Corrie fiber in "Stonehenge" has had some progress on the MInstrel.
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The person who was suppose to teach the cabling lesson wasn't able to attend tonight.  We ended up with a knitted item fashion show instead.  We had a lot of fun and laughter.

Can You Smell the Wool Fumes???

Tomorrow starts the inaugural Fiber Festival of New England. It's both Saturday and Sunday and it's in Springfield, MA at the Big E fairgrounds in the Mallory Building. I'm not going. Sniff, sniff. O.K. I wiped the tears up. I was suppose to go but there is no way I can walk or stand that long yet. I'll just have to imagine the wool fumes from the fleece sale, the kaleidoscope of color from the yarns and fibers, the frenzy of activity, and the low roar of all the people.

As I have posted before, I did some stash enhancement/fiber shopping online in the spirit of Rhinebeck last month. Well, I did the same thing today. CJKopec had a couple of fibers up I couldn't resist. "Autumn Rainbow" and "Christopher" are on their way to live in my stash. I'm calling these my FFofNE purchases. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So, everyone who goes this year, I wish you a wonderful weekend of fibery/yarny goodness. I'm going to be there next year right along with you. :)

Shhh .. I'm Taking a Sock Knitting Break

I decided to take a few days off knitting socks even though I joined the Sockvember group on Ravelry. My brain just needed a few days break from them. Instead I'm working on a beaded scarf. You knit it in 2 pieces and graft the center. Since I'm almost done with part one, I should be done with the other half this weekend. The yarn is Kraemer Sterling (the one with real silver), and the beads are seed beads in Amethyst and Iris colors, alternated.This picture was taken a couple days ago.

Election Day and Simplify Things

It's Election Day so please remember to go vote. I plan to later this afternoon.

The Painted Sheep has an ongoing Ten On Tuesday post that usually is a list of ten items pertaining to a particular topic. Today's was Simplify Things. I'm going to borrow the topic and put my thoughts here.

1. Plan and cook meals ahead so you have more than a day's worth at a time. It's much simpler to toss a dish in the microwave for a few minutes. The extra prep/cooking time can be spent doing other stuff.

2. Clean the house as you go. It will be much easier and quicker for the "big cleaning" on that one day you decide to do it.

3. If you have your own washer/dryer do a batch as soon as you have enough. It will be less of a chore than waiting to do it all in one day. If you go to the laundrymat, bring something along to keep you busy while sitting there.

4. Work down the fiber/yarn stash or your craft/hobby stashes. It's much easier to pick the next item if there is less to go through to choose it. (I'm seriously working on this one.)

5. Only buy what you need. Save "want" shopping as a treat, reward, or present to yourself.

6. Spend time with friends just hanging out. You don't need an event, party, or expensive night out to enjoy each other's company.

7. Remove the "fluff" friends. You know the ones I mean.

8. If you haven't worn or used it in 2 years, toss it. (I'm working on this one too.)

9. Take time to breathe, reflect on the good things, and enjoy what Mother Nature has given us. Let go of the stuff you can't control or change. This helps center me.

10. Enjoy life. We only get this one chance so make it a happy one without carrying around "baggage" from the past.

Crocus are Finished, Lily's Fleece, And a Fun Evening

Tonight was a fun evening with lots of lovely people visiting the Senior Center. I managed to finish the ribbing of the Crocus socks up to the bind off. I needed to do that at home because I needed to view the tutorial for Jeny's Suprprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. I think this will be my new bind off on all ribbed items.

Here's a picture of one of the Crocus beauties on my foot.

I also came home with Lily's fleece. I was suppose to get it in two weeks, but Barbara showed up with it tonight. It's soooo soft and beautiful. Lily is a 2 year old white alpaca.

I think I will spin for a bit now.

In the Home Stretch of Socktoberfest, Another Demo, Birthday Presents

There are just today and tomorrow left of Socktoberfest. My Crocus socks are almost there. I need to finish the ribbing tonight. That should be easy since I'm doing a demo with Happy Hands at the North Stonington Senior Center this evening. Instead of bringing my wheel, I'm knitting. It will round out our group. We have someone spinning, weaving, knitting, and maybe spindling. Next month is Sockvember so I plan to get the Through The Loops Mystery socks done for that while working on my Spruce scarf.

Yesterday was my birthday. Pat had the day off work for some other stuff, so it was nice to have an extra evening with him. We ended up going shopping and checking out the local BJ's. We had a 60 day free membership offer. I don't think we will be buying a membership though. We didn't find that many items we would purchase in the future.

Pat gave me a cute card that made me laugh. Since we usually buy what we want during the year, birthdays and Christmas gifts are usually gift cards or money. Some of my birthday money didn't last long. I went shopping on etsy after finding a link on a Plurk post for a really cool spindle. It's made of acrylic and has an etching on it. That and 2 "lamb tails" are on their way to me. The lamb tails are round discs with a slit to hold your yarn if you need to stop spinning. You hang them from your wheel near the orifice. I use a Velcro dot right now and this works well. These little clear etched discs just called to me so I bought them.

I need to get my knitting in it's tote and ready to go tonight. I will also be bringing my Ditto that has been hibernating and might try working on some of the increases again. This is the kind of weather when I wish I had finished it since I would be toasty warm with it on now.

Spinning with the Alpaca

Today was spent at Rocky Ridge Alpaca Farm in North Stonington, CT. with some friends. Sue and I were doing the spinning demo and there was a person demonstrating how to make leashes from fiber. There was farm raised garlic from a neighboring farm for sale as well as handmade items in the sale shed. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee, apple cider, and pastries were available to keep us warm and full.

The weather co-operated and stayed dry. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but tolerable. Then the wind kicked up for a while. After that the sun came out and it was so nice.

I have a beautiful white fleece to pick up in a couple of weeks at the next Happy Hands gathering. Her name is Lily.

Knitting at the Speed of a Snail

At the pace of my knitting today, which was only for about a half hour, I will never get the socks finished for Socktoberfest. Ughh! I think I will go do a bit more now that I have guilted myself into knitting.

The second day of the new medication went well. I had no noticeable side effects. My appetite was a bit reduced again though. That's a good thing. :)

Socktoberfest Knitting Continues...More Spinning...New Medication

With only 10 days left in Socktoberfest, I think I will fail to complete all 3 pairs of socks. One pair might be done. There has been some non-knitting things happening that required my attention and definitely cut into my knit time. The frogging of my Through The Loops mystery sock put a damper on progress as well. I had over half the leg finished when it was frogged.

Esmeralda, the Sonata, has some pretty pin drafted fiber from Fibers4Ewe on it right now. I haven't touched it since Happy Hands last Saturday. Millicent, the Minstrel, has some Crown Mountain Fibers on it right now. For some reason, I had a little bit of this fiber separate from the rest of the 8 ounces so I started spinning it. Now, I can't find the rest of it in the stash. This company wraps their items in white paper. I forgot I had put it in plastic bags and spent some time looking for the original white paper wrapping. In a little while, I'll go look through the bins again for it. :)

On Tuesday, I went to my diabetes doctor. Let's just say I didn't get any real surprises from him in regards to how I am progressing. He has added another medication to my repertoire. Now, I have an injection in the morning as well as my other med in the evening. It is a relatively new medication with some side effects that can be very disruptive. You start with a small dose, and after a week increase to another level, followed a week later with the full dose. It's suppose to lower your blood sugar, and, decrease your appetite which will cause/help you to lose weight. If I can tolerate the adjustment periods, this med will be a huge help to me.

A Sock Do Over

The Through The Loops Mystery Sock is very pretty. Unfortunately, I've been riddled with problems that are no fault of this pattern. The designer did an excellent job explaining it.

The first yarn I chose didn't show the design. I fixed that by changing to a burgundy shaded yarn. It's still variegated, but all the hues are variables of the burgundy.

It was my first real cables and I cursed my way through the painfully slow knitting of the ribbing which was clue 1. Then I got clue 2 and zip along through the first half of the leg. As I was ready to start the second pattern of the leg, I finally admitted to myself that the sock was looking a bit too big. Slowly Pat slipped it over my foot. He didn't want to lose any of the stitches. Then all was confirmed. The rib was too loose. It just slid up and down my leg without even attempting to stretch to hug my calf. Now, I'm a plus size lady with big calves. I usually don't like my socks too high. The ribbing, when stretched, could have almost been used for knee sock length.

So, off to the frog pond my lovely burgundy colored sock went. I think I will knit on Crocus a little bit first this evening just to prepare myself for those darn cables when I start it later tonight.

I think I'll take a quick ride to Best Buy for a bit of retail pity shopping. O.K. - Truthfully, I was going anyway to get Season 4 of "The Tudors" which was released this past Tuesday. See you later.........

Brrrr. The Chill Of Fall Is In The Air

The last few nights has seen the use of a blanket on the bed. I can feel the temperature difference that marks the beginning of Fall. There is also the smell of fireplaces and wood stoves having been lit for the first time in the season. I do so love the smell of a toasty fire. That smell always reminds me of camping in the summer, too. Pumpkins, corn stalks, apples, and cider are also happy reminders of the season. Now I want to go to an orchard. The cooler days also reminds me that winter is not far away with the cold white snow and ice. I can live without that last part for a while longer. I'm not a lover of the winter weather.

It's time to pack away the shorts, sleevelss shirts, and lightweight clothes of summer. Now it's time to dig out the cool weather clothes including sweaters, jackets, mitts, fleece tops and pants, and wool socks. Usually, I wear the socks all year, but this year found me wearing cotton during the warmer and hotter seasons.

I better get back to knitting the latest 3 pairs as well as my poor languishing sweater so they are ready for frosty days ahead.

Yay! For Socktoberfest!!

I love knitting socks. They are so portable and condensed. It's much easier to carry a sock in a bag to knit on than a sweater in progress. We have a button for this year's Socktoberfest.O.K. I'm heading back to my Crocus sock. I'm on the gusset increases of sock 2. Once I get the heel flap in, I'll knit the legs of both socks at the same time.