Fabulous Feather

Saturday morning

One sock that is 95% complete. I may re-graft the toe. I also need to weave in ends.   

Pretty flowers.   

Destroyed dress shoe.   It may not look too bad but it is enough to render them useless for work.

Tomorrow we are taking Ashley to a playdate with her sister, Haily. 

Sock and Sour Dough Starter

Last week was nutty. I thought I was going to finish the sock, but then work got in the way and Ashley attacked the WIP. I spent most of Thursday night detangling the mess that she made in less than three seconds.  This week, I am back on track but it is a little slow going due to distractions - work, traffic - the usual. I love the color-way and the feel of the sock. Hope to have it complete by Friday night so that I can't start it mate at my step son's lacrosse game.

 

On Monday I finally made a sour dough starter. This is something that I have wanted to try for a long, long time. I will get to bake my first loaf of bread with it on Sunday.

Here is the starter: It doesn't look like much but it rises each day and smells wonderful.

Off to knit!

Misti Sock

After two weeks of NOT knitting I cast on a sock yesterday. The yarn is Misti Hand Paint Sock Marino. I love the color-way and the way the fabric feels. I am concerned though about the apparent lack of elasticity that I normally see in wool. I have narrow ankles and do not care for socks that slouch too much. I am going to rip it out & re-cast on using 2.5 mm needles later today.

Update 7 p.m.

I went down a needle size and I am pleased with the result. The 2x2 ribbing is going well and appears strong enough to stay up.

Cry of the UFO

"Help me! Help me!! On Sunday, the Knitter finally stuffed my middle and attached my limbs, but my ears are still not sewn in and she hasn't added the details of my face AND the baby I am made for is over a year old!! Woe is me." cried the rabbit.     Mr. Turtle sauntered over to comfort the rabbit. "Don't be blue little rabbit. It took the Knitter over fourteen months to finish me and I was a gift for her DH (a Terps fan)."

  "Fourteen months?!" screamed the body of what will become a stuffed dog. "But I am destined for a baby that is due this August!"     "Our baby is coming then too!"  Said the yarn and picture of the monkey project. "Will we be ready in time?" "Well, the rabbit should be done in time for its baby's wedding."  With that, the rabbit promptly mooned the turtle, because as a gift for a wee one, the rabbit cannot swear. 

"Pssst" whispered some Noro stash.   "We used to live in the coat closet near the computer room. Last week we heard the Knitter gasp and call for DH. She had him look at a picture of knit cuttlefish. That's a SEA CREATURE.  DH thought it was cool. The Knitter than said that she could buy the pattern. It gets worse. We just moved upstairs, near the yarn closet. We caught a glimpse of Nemo. Rumor on the street has it that the Knitter used to scuba dive and Nemo was a gift from DH when they were dating." 

Suddenly, an orange, non-knit fish appeared on the bed. "Hi!"   

All of the knitted objects screamed at once "Ahhh! Run for you life! We are safer outside."     "Where are you going?" asked the orange fish. "We would rather chance being attacked by birds and never finished (except for Mr. Turtle - he just had to worry about the birds) than be eaten by a cuttlefish."

The end.

P.S. from the Knitter: the knitted object's escape was thwarted by a screen. They will all lively happily ever-after - at least until I get around to buying pattern for the cuttlefish.

I'm back!

After a little over two years, I am back! I would like to extend a personal thank you to Kim for her delightful blog and for giving me a gentle nudge to get on line when she sensed I needed to expose myself to fellow addicts knitters.  I also just got set up on ravelry.

My plans for this diary are to help me end up with more FOs and ideally less simultaneous WIPs. There will be critter updates and the occasional cooking story. I want to master baking  - specifically sour dough bread, olive bread and the perfect pizza crust. I am also, in theory, training to walk a half marathon (my knees can't handle running). Perhaps accountability here will help me take my training a bit more seriously. Who knows - it may even result in the occasional sit-up.

So, in preparation for blog re-entry, I actually finished three socks on Sunday. The ends  just needed woven in & that kind of thing, but now they are officially done. Here is the close up of the one that is waiting it it's mate. The yarn was a Christmas present from DH. I need to go look up the yarn but dinner is in the oven. Last year we adopted an Australian Shepard & named her Ashley. She is a sweetheart BUT she also loves to grab yarn & WIPs and RUN like a crazy thing. Apparently it is funny to watch me attempt to out maneuver her and swear like a sailer. While I love the open floor plan of our home, on chase days it has distinct disadvantages for the two legged members of the house. Ashley also like to t-bone the cats as a means of play. When she passed the Canine Good Citizen class, it was not for her frequency in coming when called anywhere besides the class, her choice in treats (cat litter - yum!) nor did the cats get to vote on her performance. For all of that, she has the kindest disposition and adds joy and laughter to our home.

Off to finish dinner.

Happy knitting!

Cherry Blossoms

Today I left the house at 5:15 a.m. and went with my friend Susan to see the cherry blossoms.  They are not quite at their peak but they are beautiful. 

Check out the beautiful yarn that Beth sent me.  It is soo soft and fluffy. It almost purrs. The scarf was started minutes after opening the package (truly - like less than 7 minutes later - even I was stunned!).  She picked the best colors.  Beth also sent me some pads (she has a fancy term for them that escapes me!) but they hid when the camera came out.  Beth is a dear, dear knitting friend.  I am soo grateful I got her in the SP4 program! Alas the scarf has been set aside because the Koigu scarf is taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R.  I am working on it diligently and its just won't get done.  It needs to get to be about 4 inches shorter than the hot pink scarf & either the hot pink scarf eats growing beans during the night or the Koigu scarf shrinks the stitches - I knit, knit, knit and we're still a ways away from the finish line.  It makes me nervous about the Koigu sweater I have planned and the socks, but the yarn an the color scheme continue to call to me! 

My postings have erratic at best.  That will not change until ohh say mid to late August.  Right now I am going through a neat phase where each day I am working on/at the new job (which rocks - totally awesome people, great clients, great dress codes, and two pooches that come most days), doing stuff in preparation for selling the house and wedding stuff plus spending time with family, friends and cats, working out, knitting and all of the other stuff that takes time.  I am having a lot of fun.  My family and friends are very supportive.  My FF is just a joy.  I love him to pieces.  His son is awesome.  I love him soo much.  I am very grateful for the blessings and this exciting time.  I am soaking it all up!  Now if anyone knows how to sneak an extra 12 hours into a 24 period, please share! Whew! 

I am too tired to knit but I think I'll go wind up the Koigu balls for the sweater & socks!

Koigu Addiction

The scarf is growing.   The safety pin was put in place prior to knitting on Friday morning.     Yesterday I was up extra early and took this shot of my knitting with sunrise in the background.  the camera timestamped it at 7:15 or so but it was really 6ish. 

Koigu is soo fricken addictive that I have asked Knit Happens to set aside two hanks of the same colorway I got Beth so that I can make myself socks too.  I think that they should put warning labels on the stuff. 

Enabling

Okay I just finished a tough conference. Yes they are all tough and oddly enough each seems harder than the last.  This one is my last for my current employer.  My last day is 3/8.  I start a new job on 3/18 helping meeting planners find hotel rooms and meeting space and negotiating contracts.  I am looking forward to the new challenges.  The new job will be 15 miles closer to home.  I can wear jeans every day and people bring their dogs to work.  It seems like a really neat environment.  I am excited about it!

So this afternoon, after the conference ended, the lovely lady that helps me pull off the events joined me a trip to Knit Happens.  While there, I bought the Koigu to make the sweater from the last post.     I also picked up two hanks in a different colorway for Beth.  I think that she is going to make socks.     I called Beth from Knit Happens to give her a choice of three colorways.  She picked the green which was my first choice for her.   Beth ended up talking to Holly about needle size for the yarn.  Meanwhile the lovely lady who works with me had spied a lovely spring sweater and ended up leaving the store with a rather large bag of yarn.  Her pattern calls for a size three needle and ever the enabler, I encouraged her to buy two 24" circular needles so that she can make socks when she is done with the sweater.  Beth, aren't you proud?!

After KH, we ran one more errand.  My eye glass cases are not staying shut and I had promised myself that I would replace them after I got my new job.  We went to a store that sells Vera Bradley.  I like the accessories because they look cheerful when I open my purse!  The lovely lady spied a great little wallet and ended up buying one for herself and a cosmetic bag.  Here's what I left with: .  Something maybe be missing from this picture but Beth (who got a full "errand report" en route home) and the lovely lady will never tell!  :)  Ironically just yesterday Beth bought chocolate and ice blue yarn.  Perhaps I should loan her my eyeglass case when she finishes that project.  :-)

Finally here is progress on my scarf - I really like the color combo! 

Not quite focused

I am not quite ready to rip apart the hot pink socks and start over.  I have instead started a new project.  It is a chevron scarf scarf from the last minute knitted gifts book by Joelle Hoverson.  I have been eying scarf since I got the book.  I started it on Thursday at lunch and have made a little progress.     I am using Koigu KPPM P52 and P426.  This is my first experience with Koigu and it is rather addictive.  So much so in fact, that I have already  asked my LYS to set aside nine more hanks of the P436 colorway so that can make a sweater from one of the Rowan issues. 

Rowan 27 was the first formal pattern book that I ever bought (ohh what a slippery slope that was!).  I have been eying this sweater off and on for years but the needle and gauge size always turned me off.  I think that this colorway will be nice.  It'll keep me interested.  I am going to make the 3/4 sleeve version of this sweater and add a bit to the length - I can appear to be all legs - and not in sexy model type of way. 

Finally, here is a shot or two of the house.  They have added the stone for the fireplace and I really like it.  When this photo was taken, everything was still wet.  I am looking forward to going back and seeing it dry.  FF saw it the day they installed it and said that it was quite dark. One day later the color in the stones was starting to show through.     Here is a shot of the master bath.

I am off to knit!

Too big!!

The dublin sock is too big! 

So is Dad's third hat!     So what's a girl to do but look at pretty colors!