Extravayarnza

So, things are a bit weird here right now. I'm knitting a ton, but I only have a few projects that can be blogged. I think this transition is going to take a bit to get used to.
One thing I do really want to share with you though is a swatch I'm knitting (yes, for the book, but I don't think it gives away anything wink*)

At Cat's retreat I was luckily gifted with a partial ball of Buffalo Gold yarn. I've been swatching all sorts of patterns to see what it wanted to be. I am so impressed with this yarn! At first in the ball it seemed stiff and maybe even a little rough. However as soon as I started knitting with it magic happened. The knitted fabric is silky soft & insanely warm. I pulled my brother over & had him wrap his hand in the swatch. He agreed that this yarn warms you up immediately. It's like an oven. The stitch definition is great, even with the slight halo that's forming the stitches show through easily. I'm just enjoying every stitch. I can't wait to start the book project with the yarn. (plus I saw on their website that they how have a blend with Nylon for socks! Buffalo is naturally non-feltable too!)

Next up, I'm knitting away on my handspun socks. I chose the Friday Harbor pattern from Knitting on the Road to commemorate my recent trip. I'm making a few modifications though. I shifted the top lace pattern so it flows better into the rest of the sock & I switched the heel to a short row heel. I can totally tell the difference in knitting with a 3-ply vs a 2-ply. I think all my sock yarns will be 3-ply from now on. Only, next time I'm splitting the yarn into 3 even parts before I start spinning. I had to finish up with some Navajo plying to use up the singles.

The other knitting project I can mention is my current anywhere socks. I knit the first one on the plane. The second one is riding in my KnowKnits pouch for any unexpected lines or knitting moments. The yarn is Socks That Rock Heavyweight in Mist.

Okay, one last thing to throw out there... I was so inspired by the amazing power of the visionary retreat. I'd really like to share a version of that creative power with all of you. I'm now brewing hosting a knitting retreat. Right now the thought is to find some secluded place in Northern Michigan & bring in a Nationally know knitting instructor to teach two days of classes, probably in October 2008. Today I looked around at conference/retreat centers & I think I found someplace that would suit our needs... Drummond Island Resort. Before I go any further in planning this I'd love to know what you all think (especially those of you here in Michigan). If there is enough interest I will be delighted to plan this event. The power of that many knitters in one place is amazing, you just leave feeling completely energized. I hope you all are willing to give it a try~

For the past two years there hasn't been much travel in my life. This month seems to be a complete turnaround from that trend.
In addition to the Visionary Retreat Last week I've got lots of cool stuff lined up.
Tomorrow I head to Knit Michigan! The store is having a booth there in the morning/afternoon & I'm teaching Thrummed Socks in the evening. I heard a rumor this afternoon that they still have spaces in classes & will be signing more people up tomorrow. So, if you're interested in learning how to make thrummed socks & are free tomorrow head on down! I think it will be a fantastic event.
BTW I'm am the master of packing. I fit everything for a 10x10 booth in the back of my mom's car. Still leaving enough room for 2 adults. The amount of yarn in that car is insane!

Next weekend brings the Mid-Michigan Knitting Guild's yearly retreat. I was honored this year when they asked me to teach one of the workshops. Plus I found out that I get to room with LynnH so the weekend will be tons of fun.

(On the retreat front I found out the resort is free the weekend I had in mind! Now I just need to line up a teacher & we're on for October 2007)

Yesterday was a full day. For us Knit Michigan started at around 5:30am. We arrived early to set up our booth. This is always interesting for us since we only do like one show a year. I just wing it when it comes to booth setup. I think it turned out really well this time though!

We had a few minutes to breath & then at 10am the flood gates opened. I was amazed by how good the turnout was, especially for an event in it's first year. We had a steady stream of people in our booth that just didn't let up till late in the afternoon. It was just fun. I love meeting knitters.

Plus I did get one thing for my stash. I keep finding myself picking up sock yarn at shows. I want to try them all. Yesterday I found a skein of Schaeffer Anne that just had to some home. I might just be a little overly enamored with it...

I know it maybe a while before a can knit it, but for now it's going to sit by the computer & look pretty.

After the market closed we had a quick dinner & classes began. I think my students did amazing. I couldn't believe how alert they were at 11pm considering they had been there since 9am. I also don't think I want to teach till that late at night again. I was wiped out.
My class was held in a Science Lab. It's certainly the oddest setting I've taught in. The tables all had sinks & electrical outlets on them.

We all crowded around a lab table & knit the cutest little thrummed mini socks!

This school has to be so cool. The science room had hand made models of the elements handing in it plus lots of cool pets. The chinchilla was quite interesting. He kept running around & making noise. He sure was cute though...

The only bad part of the whole day was how it ended. The car is dead. Murphy's Law, the car will die when it's below 0 out & you're an hour and a half from home (dropping a chair on your foot and having it swell up & bruise must play in there somewhere too). Well, we eventually made it home & the car is now in the shop. Let me just say that despite the fact that the day ended so badly I'm still in good spirits and mostly just laughed the whole time we were attempting to get through to AAA & figuring  out how to get home. I'm still laughing now. I think that's the best way to handle stress. You just can't be upset if your laughing so hard.

What is that you might ask.....

That is the 1/8" of ice that is currently coating the inside of my shop's front windows. As you can imagine even with the heater going pretty much non stop it's hard to contend with a 128  square feet of ice. I wish my landlord paid my heating bills here. Then maybe I'd have some leverage to get double pane windows in here.
In the mean time I'm here curled up in several afghans and in my scarf & hat. Pass me the hot coco please....

(Isn't my mom pretty?)

Yesterday I was asked a simple, but surprisingly hard to answer question... When does someone become an adult?

Some milestones are obvious...

16 when you get your drivers license. This is your first taste of freedom, the ability to go see a movie or hang out with friends without mom driving you around, escaping the 'kids' on the school bus, probably breaking a few rules or maybe going on your first date.

18, the age when the government first starts calling you an adult. School is an option not a requirement, you get to vote, rent an apartment, legally make the choice to do stupid things like smoke.

21, by now you're almost out of collage, the last big 'freedom' (drinking) is granted to you. At this point you have all the responsibilities & privileges of an adult.

But does this alone make you an adult?

I see adults as not only having the freedom of making their of decisions, but also having the fortitude to deal with the consequences of those actions, no matter if they're good or bad. The government can't give you that maturity. It has to be learned & earned.

Believe it or not, that was the short answer!

(the next attempt at a strait answer out of me was 'At what age do I think a person becomes mature?' I only got as far as 'well... a man or a woman?' before the subject was quickly changed)

Who would think that only 24 years later this cute little baby (on her first day home!) would be a successful young business owner.

Heres to another 24 great years~

Thank You all for the Birthday wishes. I had a lovely day & am now left with more baked goods than I can possibly eat (although the crepes & cheesecake are so good I'll sure try to finish those off!)

Waiting for dinner tonight I finished the first of a project that's kinda special for me. One of my favorite tv shows over the last few years has been Dr. Who. Now I'm too young to remember any of the original versions of this show, but I really just love a little campy sci-fi each week.

Now, the season finale really left off with a heart wrenching cliff hanger. I've never been so anxious for a season premiere before. During the particularly sad scene at the end Rose was wearing these really beautiful wristwarmers.

Some really wonderful blogger went out & translated a pattern for these from the screen shots. I'm knitting them as my life line to the next season...

Even if your not a Dr Who fanatic these wristwarmers are a fantastic pattern & really fun to knit. Other than changing the color I only made one change to the pattern. The palm in the pattern is knit in stockinette, for me they were quite loose fitting. I did find a simple solution to make them fit that didn't require reknitting the whole thing.

I dropped every other stitch down in the stockinette section & worked them up with a crochet hook. In the photo your seeing the inside of the wrist warmer because it's easier to work a knit stitch back up than a purl. I only had to drop down a total of 6 stitches & it took me less than a hour to make my wristwarmers fit really well.

Be still my beating heart. The Doctor & Rose will be reunited...

It's been darn cold here lately. Nothing like double digit below zero temps to drive you to curling up on the couch with your knitting (and iPod...). I spent the last few days doing pretty much that with the Mid Michigan Knitters Guild (minus the couch & iPod). We all headed off to the Kellogg Biological Station for our annual knitting retreat (wonderful location for a retreat, just be sure to get good directions...ie not Google maps). I was very honored this year by being asked to teach one of the classes.
The class the first afternoon was on Shadow Knitting. It's an interesting technique that by knitting with only 1 color per row & just using knits/purls you can create nifty hidden images. Looking straight on a piece it just looks like lots of stripes...

But when you look at an angle the hidden pattern is revealed!

You can find lots of free patterns for this type of knitting my searching Shadow or Illusion knitting. Plus Vivian Hoxbro wrote an excellent book on the subject.

Then the second morning I taught Mobius knitting. We all started a basic scarf. Someone shoot me next time I agree to teach 25 knitters a new cast-on (just kidding, I think it actually went well). Everyone was smiling by the end of the class, so I count it as successful. I know I love the yarn my mobius is being knit out of. It's Easy Soft from Gedifra (kid mohair & cashmere!)

I used the yarn doubled on size 9 needles. I literally used up every last inch of the white & beige and will come close to using up all the black by the time the attached i-cord is complete. (I'm doing a 3 stitch i-cord, which I figured would use 3 rounds worth of yarn. So, I stopped 4 rounds from what I was able to do with the first 2 balls.) I love this scarf. It reminds me of all the fugley things in my 80's knitting books. Specifically a purl ridge, bat wing (dolmen sleeve), mohair jacket in shades of blue, green, and purple (from the book Wild Knitting). I'm totally going to wear this all the time!

At the retreat I also finished my Rose wristwarmers~

& got most of my second knee high sock knit (STR Heavy weight in Mist).

I also got brave enough to weigh the first one to see if I left enough yarn for #2. The first sock weighed 3.5oz on the nose, luckily that exactly half a skein. *let out deep breath*
I also discovered a project that missed blogging. The first of my Friday Harbor Socks! I finished this at Knit Michigan last weekend. Unfortunately the big push for finishing came when I needed the needle to use for my class sample. So, since that sock is still on the needles I haven't started sock #2 for this pair yet...

Now, for the first time in several years I'm not entirely single on v-day, but this year brings a fledgling relationship so still no big plans for the day. Instead I'm concentrating on a special guy who's been with me through all that relationship stuff over the last 5 & 1/2 years. The one who curls up with me every night when I'm knitting & keeps my toes warm all night. My buddy Trent~

As far I as know my plans tomorrow night consist of watching Bones (will Booth & Bones finally get together?), knitting on some yet to be determined project, and cuddling up with Trent. I count that as a good night.

I did have a lovely day today. Lynn stopped by & we spent the afternoon looking online for big full skirts for Contradancing this weekend. Nothing is more full than twirling around in a pretty skirt. Then apparently mum & I were the only ones willing to brave the winter storm to Belly Dance. So, Garnet gave us a semi-private lesson. I'm feeling much better about Belly Dancing now. (Plus she gave me to go ahead to sign up for the Intermediate class, but I probably won't till Mom's ready too).

Plus I now have a finished pair of Rockin' Knee Socks!

The cool thing... I finished the first one on the plane. I had no idea how close I was to the half way point of the skein. I used up every last inch of the skein & the second sock was only a couple rounds shy of the first. That Rocks!

I finally am going to try out Contradance this weekend. The one thing everyone was recommending was a big full skirt to spin around in. Since I was lacking a nice long skirt in my wardrobe I made a quick trip to Joanne's on my way home from work & got right to work. About 3 hours later I had this~

It's a variation on a basic circle skirt & it's insanely full. I started out with this tutorial to calculate yardage...

It adds about 2 inches seam allowance. I ended up only adding 1/2 an inch because I have a serger with a rolled hem foot. The other change I made was an overskirt. I simply cut a second skirt out of a see through fabric ( I made it an inch bigger around so that it would flow over the other skirt). Then I attached them both to the waist band. I love the fabrics I found...

The underskirt is 50% Linen 50% Poly, I did a wrinkle test & it seemed to pass okay. Plus it's the same color as my favorite pants so my favorite shirts should also go with the skirt. I think this may be the perfect everyday skirt as well. The only thing I need to keep an eye on is the skirt stretching out since it's mostly on the bias, however since it's just a simple serged hem it will be very easy to take up.

Oh well, I'll try to get some action shots Saturday night. It looks so much better on than just draped over the door. Now to learn how to spin around more than once & not get dizzy. I was spinning so much in the skirt than I literally was collapsing on the floor. So worth it....

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm probably a bit of a yarn snob... I knit with alot of machine washable merinos, alpaca, silks, cashmere blends. I will knit with just about anything though. The only yarns I won't knit with are super scratchy wools & acrylic (I have a severe allergy to acrylic... lots of hives...)
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
My circular needles are in a butter cookie tin, the double points & straight needles are in various glass containers on the mantle. I have a Yazzi case, but it's just to big to carry around, it's perfect for vacations though.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting on & off since 4th grade. My Grandma B taught me on a rare visit from Jersey. I probably would consider myself an advanced knitter.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do have an Amazon wish list and somewhere in the archives is a wish list.
5. What's your favorite scent?
I'm allergic to artificial frangrances, but I do enjoy a natural liloc or lavender
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I love chocolate! Lots of chocolate
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin, crochet, sew, paint, and dabble in Polymer clay
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I listen to just about everything except rap or r&b. I love cajun music, jazz, blues, 80's music, & modern independant.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love green, purple, brown, black (pretty much anything in the natural range plus purple is safe). I can't stand yellow or orange in big doses (can be nice as an accent)
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Ummm.... I have 2 cats, Trent & Siouxsie Sioux. Trent's my bestest buddy in the whole world! Isn't he cute!

So, what do you do when life gets a bit...ummm... what's a good word.... complicated, messy, confusing? I pick up some worry bead knitting. You know the type; simple, brainless, just something to keep your hands moving & feel the yarns flow through your fingers.

Luckily a friend of mine just designed the perfect project for me to knit, Kristi's Comfort Wrap. Yards upon yards of garter stitch, ending with a either a wrap or a lap blanket to curl up in for the rest of the winter.

I had chosen the yarn a month or so ago...

center: Creative Focus Worsted (Alpaca/Wool)
outside arch from left to right: Taos, Whisper, Silk Garden, Blue Moon Kid Mo, Alpaca Silk DK, Impression

The Creative Focus is used through out the shawl & the other yarns are swapped out each row.(I think that photo seals my title as a yarn snob, no cheap or even stash yarn to be seen) In the end the fabric looks very random & mixed (especially since I choose striping & multi yarns)...

Knitting this is so calming. I'm really looking forward to the end result too. I had the original Kristi Wrap in my store for a few days before it was sent on to Kristi & boy did I love wearing it. I have enough of the contrasting yarns to make the blanket if I wish, luckily the pattern allows you to play it by ear.
2 days in & I'm more than half way to a shawl. All I want to do is burrow into it & hibernate for a few months.

Hi, no I haven't forgotten about all of you... but my life is in one of the times when things are changing. Change can take a lot out of a person.

But, I just made it home from Guild (tonight was my presentation on crochet to enhance your knitting) & then hanging out at a very cool local coffee/wifi spot with Lynn. I feel much relief at knowing my big teaching engagements are over for a while. I absolutely hate talking in front of large groups. I actually fainted once while playing a solo at a Jazz concert (luckily fell backward into my seat rather than 6 feet off the front of the stage). Even talking in front of the guild where I feel very safe & comfortable I get a sweaty & dizzy I start talking too fast & forget things I wanted to say. Plus I got a big piece of news from my Mom as I was walking out the door & hadn't quite processed it before my presentation began.

Anyways...
Tomorrow night I get to go to my first Red Wings game! I'm sitting 7th row, center ice, right by the penalty boxes. So Cool. I've been looking forward to this since August.

Then by the end of the week I should have a big announcement for all of you... so stay tuned!

So, one of the things that's been making me crabby lately is that the only hot shower I've had in about 3 weeks was at the knitting retreat... No, our water heater works fine & the pipes aren't frozen It's just that we have one of those stupid shower controls that's one knob to adjust both the hot & cold, and it has a 'you might be too stupid to realize that water gets hot' control (child safety thing). So, unless the water in the pipes is absolutely blisteringly hot the small amount of hot the knob allows me to have isn't enough to combat the freezing cold water in the pipes. Mum claims I just am complaining & that her shower gets hot just fine. This morning in desperation I went in to use her shower & noticed something... her shower was a good 20 degrees warmer & the knob turns further. This meant one of two things... either she has a better knob or they're adjustable!

So, it turns out if you remove one screw you can move a little plastic thing inside the knob that allows you to have as much hot water as you want! Took me literally less than a minute & a half per shower to remove the child safety things... No more cold showers for me!

If any of you are having similar issues let me attempt to tell you how ours were fixed. There was a decorative cover in the middle of the knob, that pops right off. Then I could access a screw that held the adjustable part of the knob on, that that off. Inside was two white plastic pieces that fit together. When I pulled the inner one out I saw that it had teeth like a gear that held it in what ever position you insert it in. This is the piece that also has the stopper that keeps kids from burning themselves. I didn't go so far as just throw this piece away, but I adjusted it so that the stopper was much  further over than where it had been. Reassemble (knob back on, screw in place, decorative cover snaps back on). Now test, the knob should turn a bunch further around toward hot.
So, easy.... and think I was saving up for a new faucet set that didn't have a child safety thing. Much better solution than spending a couple hundred dollars.

Okay, I can finally announce the big news...

We're hosting a knitting retreat!

Come join us Oct 5-7 at Drummond Island Resort.

Gwen Bortner, of Knitability, will be joining us teaching workshops all weekend. She's a fantastic instructor who can be found all over the country teaching at big knitting events like Stitches. I'm so pleased she agreed to join us this weekend. I've chosen workshops for the weekend that I think are a nice blend of fun & informational.

(In particular I'm looking forward to the Kumihimo braiding workshop on Friday. I'm knitting a sweater that a matching Frog closure would be stunning!)

So, please download our brochure & registration information. Things are shaping up to be a very interesting weekend.

Download Retreat2007Signup.pdf

Now wait... there's more!

I can announce this now too since the family's all been notified...

I'm getting a puppy! A super cute little mostly Sable Sheltie pup. I think I get to pick him up next Friday (he's already 12 weeks, but I need some prep time before he comes home!). I got to meet him this morning & you know those puppy eyes just make your heart melt. I couldn't even think straight enough to pull my camera out (I'm sure I'll more than make up for that in the next few weeks).

However, he looks like his Dad. His parents were both bred at Baker Park Shelties. His Dad is in the last two pictures on the bottom of the page (Cody the Great).

So, tonight I'm heading over to Pet Co with more of my birthday money to get things for little Christopher Robin.

Trent & I are just hanging out tonight. We're watching some of the best movies (Michael & Princess Bride) and being reminded of some important life skills...

~You gotta learn to laugh, it's the way to true love.

~People in Masks cannot be trusted

~Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.

~You can *never* have too much sugar!

~Whatever they say, you can never have too much of earth.

~and perhaps the most important...

    Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

While Trent & I are curled up on the couch I'm knitting away at my soon to be blanket. Yep, my Kristi shawl will end up being about a 38x40 inch blanket. I'm very happy with this decision! The fabric is just so warm and soft, besides I can always fold in diagonally & wear it as a shawl. It's the best of both worlds~

This evening we finished up the second ball of the main yarn, officially reaching the half way point.

and I'm leaving you with one more pic of Trent just because...

Isn't he the dreamiest?

So, late last summer I decided I needed to sew myself a quilt. I choose a pattern, picked out fabrics, I even prewashed them... then promptly put it on a shelf in my studio.

Right now, with all the change going on in my life, especially with the potently sad news I got today, I felt it was time to go to that project that's been my standby. Faithfully greeting me each day & just waiting for the right time to start. The kind of project that will be an heirloom, will last forever, just like the quilt I have from my Great Grandmother.

So, after work I burrowed inside away from the storm & learned the magic that can be had from freezer paper & a rotary blade.

The coolest part was tracing the pattern onto the freezer paper then ironing it onto the top square of the pile. Of course this could only happen after I ironed 17 yards or so of fabric & cut it all into 16" squares...

The pattern makes sort of an off kilter log cabin block. You sew from the inside out, but cut the pieces apart from the outside in. Simply rotating around the block slicing off one side at a time till just a little square in the middle remains...
Trent then did his part by being my paperweight while I cut the rest of the squares!

Then I got to shuffle the fabrics in each section so that pieces that touch each other have a different fabric. If you look carefully half of each square is 'medium light' and half is 'medium dark'.

Then much sewing, pressing, and trimming commenced. I think this was a good first quilt project because the pieces don't line up exactly. Just match them up the best you can & trim the excess. I did opt for the 'larger square' option in the pattern. As written their squares ended up around 9.5" ... I think mine will be squared off at either 11.5" or 12". This was simply by favoring the fatter end of a fabric wedge when lining up the next piece (that makes more sense if you've sewn one of these quilts...).
Much sewing later I ended up with a block like this (well just like this because this is it)

Once all the squares are sewn I'll check to see what the smallest one is & that will help decide how big to square them off to. Right now they're not square at all (they're not supposed to be yet). Then I'll get a plastic square template & make friends with my rotary cutter some more.

Then comes the big moment of sewing squares together & deciding if I want an organic cotton or wool batt.

Two squares sewn.... only 62 more to go!

I saw this on a blog somewhere earlier today & it looked so cool!

If you click on Read my visual DNA & then click on the book at the top of the page you'll get this neat summery of what the choices say about me.

Okay,
apparently I worried some of you last weekend with the whole 'potently bad news' thing. No one is sick or dieing, it was nothing that bad. I was awaiting the decision from Sharon (aka the wonderful puppy lady) on whether or not I was going to be Bruser's (aka Christopher Robin's) new mom.
Well, I just got the call & he's coming home on Thursday night! I promise lots of cute puppy pictures this weekend.
With all the change that will be happening in my life over the next year I really count on a few constants to keep me grounded. As much as I love Trent, a kitty alone can only do so much. The exercise & added regularity to my schedule that a Dog brings is going to be a big help. I'm already looking ahead to all the wonderful experiences to come.
I found a local AKC chapter that offers obedience & agility training.  I've always wanted  a Dog to do Agility with. Agility is like a high speed obstacle course for dogs. It's full of Jumps, dogwalks (like a balance beam), tunnels, weave poles, and other obstacles that test the connection between dog & trainer. They have to be willing to go through these tests & have to trust you to guide them where to go next. (all while running as fast as they can) It's so much more interesting than the show ring. Here's a page with lots of photos of Dogs running agility courses (many of them Shelties!)
The other bit of excitement is that  the Lansing Dog Park is going to open in June if all goes well. Since I don't have a fenced back yard this will provide a valuable place for Robin to really run around & have fun (under careful supervision of course).  This is much better than sneaking into golf courses after hours or during the off season (no I never did that...)
Well obviously I have a lot to tend to between now & Thursday Night, so I'll talk with you all later~