Extravayarnza

First off... yes knitting content will be resuming soon! I started a new shawl yesterday & am almost finished with a very important pair of socks, so stay tuned...

However, a little somebody has now bounded calmly walked into my life.
Introducing... Christopher Robin!

How could I resist taking him home!

Robin is a Shetland Sheep Dog. He was born Nov 29, 2006 which makes him 13 weeks old. Full grown he's expected to be about 30lb & a touch over 16" tall.

He really stunned me with his intelligence. At 13 weeks he already has sit mastered! They don't even teach that till 6 months old in the puppy classes. We even worked on lay down for a bit today & he did it twice. Good Dog

I was so stunned when I went to register him at the AKC site & the name Christopher Robin wasn't taken. I was worried that I might have to add some silly bit to his name. I'm not down with all that fancy nonsense.

Everyone pretty much agrees that he's the calmest puppy they've ever seen. Right now he's curled up in a pile of his toys taking a nap. Sharon said he's a very calm dog.

As for Trent. He's earned a big Gold Star from me (and a pile of kitty treats). They aren't instant ' bestest buddies forever!' but Trent's very curious & is walking up to the gate and getting nose to nose with Robin. No hissing, no growling, just not quite ready to meet without a gate yet.

Bravo Trent!

We're now at...
www.Extravayarnza.com !

I plan on switching to movable type in a few months, so I'd appreciate if you would update your links & bookmarks so when the switch happens you'll all automatically go to the new site. Thank You!

Some knitting content...

I've started a new shawl to work on. Recently I received 20 balls of SWTC's new yarn Inspiration in color 338. I love this yarns silky texture & drape. The Alpaca gives the Soy Silk a wonderful halo.

I paired it up with the Spider's-Web shawl from Victorian Lace Today. Since I have tons of yarn I'm knitting the full Hexagon.

Won't that be nice to curl up in next fall. The Inspiration is a bit heavier than the Kid Silk Haze, but I like a shawl with some weight  to it rather than one that feels like it will fly away.

It's going to be difficult to photograph progress on this one. It's knit from the center out (my last big shawl was knit from the outside in, much easier to photograph). But, so far the fabric is phenomenal!

I'm not getting tons of knitting time at the moment. The 'kids' are keeping me on my toes. Trent is slowly coming around.

and I just love sitting here writing & looking down to see this

Today we walked all the way around the block! That's a long way for a pup who's just learning to walk on a leash. He did so good, we might try to walk closest section of the Northern Tier Trail next weekend. (well maybe drive the 4 blocks to get to the entrance & just walk the quarter mile or so to the bridge)

Isn't my new banner just so cute! I finally figured out what size to make the photo so it fits. Trent has no problem being by Robin, as long as Robin doesn't try to play with him. Trent's just not down with that.

FO Calorimetry!

Pattern: Calorimetry (from Knitty)
Yarn: Totally Yummy Cashmere 5 from Art Yarns color 138
I actually have a decent amount of the yarn left from the skein. I think I can get a wrist warmer from the left overs.
Needle: Size 4 CPY circular

I've been eying this skein of yarn for at least 3 months. I needed a project to knit with one skein that would yield maximum cashmere to skin contact. Calorimetry fitted the bill perfectly! Plus I figured out that when it's cold enough that I want to wear a hat instead you can pull it down over your face to keep your nose warm.
Only complaint... it knit up too fast! I want to knit with this yarn forever.

I tried to get a shot of Robin showing Calorimetry off for Kristi, but he didn't want to cooperate...

First up,
On Friday my first kit from the Socks That Rock Club showed up. I totally love it!
The sock pattern is completely reversible. Both the 'inside' & 'outside' can be the correct side. Maybe wear one each way?

Only issue... 72 sts in Medium weight attempting to be small enough to fit my size 7 1/2 feet (the pattern was written for a size 10). I ended up dropping down all the way to a 000! They still seem a little loose, but it's a 24 stitch repeat & those stitches aren't getting any smaller. So, it's as good as it gets.

Also, I made my first etsy.com purchase on Thursday Night. Much to my surprise the package made it here today.
Robin just loves his new Doggy Bed!

A few days ago Scout started the Craft-Tat Meme. I don't participate in these often, but she had such a nice story to share about hers that I wanted to join in on this one.

I got my tattoo when I turned 18. I had know for 2 years where I wanted it & what I wanted it to look like, so I figured it was pretty safe that I would like it for a while. 6 years & it still brings a smile to my face.

I've always been drawn to the Ankh. It has lots of meanings, some traditional, some occult, some just stupid Hollywood junk. The Ankh was formed in the union of Isis & Osiris. To be it's about the combination and balance of male & female forces. To be simple the Ankh is the symbol of life.
The damselfly atop it is basic my spirit animal. I was born in February in the sign of Aquarius. Contrary to popular belief, Aquarius is actually an air sign not water. I love to be near water, on water, above water, but not so much in water. I really identify with the whole air animal that likes to be near water thing. The dragonfly is also considered a guiding spirit who helps you find your path in life into the light & into freedom.
My plan is to add on as I start my own family. I want it to stay clean & simple, but it's important that they join it.

My theory for tattoo placement was to find somewhere where there was enough cushion that getting the tattoo wouldn't be painful, but not so much that it would be likely to sag & distort. Also where I could choice to show it off or not & where I wouldn't necessarily see it every day, but could look at it when I choose to. I was very happy with putting it on my shoulder. It was almost painless & I'm still loving it!

You may notice a line running across the loop in the ankh. That's Trent's contribution. He was on my shoulder & got spooked. His back claws just dug in when he jumped off. I was a bit upset that he got my tattoo at first, but now I realize that I'll always have a permanent reminder of him. That is something special.   

So, I've lost my favorite hat & these socks just aren't working...

I'm on 000 needles & they are still gargantuan. To the frogging pool with them. I really love this pattern though. I probably will redesign the legs of the sock & add some ribs between the cables to get them from 48 sts to something more realistic (and hopefully smaller than the massive 72 stitches of the current design).

As for the hat, it was my original hat in my EZ Fit hat pattern. I hope it eventually turns up. In the mean time I ripped out my meat head hat & am knitting a new hat in the lovely hunter green alpaca. I should have some pics in the next day or two once it actually begins to look like a hat.

I think I may just console myself with a scarf kit. A Dragon Scarf kit to be specific. I totally need one of these in Snuff.

Or maybe I just need to look at more cute puppy photos...

Robin visited me at work on Tuesday. He was so good. He'll be back Friday from 3-6 if you'd like to meet him in person! (can you tell he'd had a long day before he visited me? Vet visit & a walk with the Grand Dog in the park)

We can't forget Trent either...

I can also cheer myself up with these fab shoes I found in the closet. I purchased these 3 or 4 years ago & I swear I never wore them. They're perfect for taking Robin out in the snow (and yes, I have 2 laces on each shoe, I did grow up in the 80's you know...)

Well, my favorite hat is still missing, but I did knit myself a new hat that I might like even more...

I used my EZ Fit Hat pattern & Highlander from Alpaca with a Twist. One skein of green may have been just enough to knit the hat, but I got nervous & added in some gray stripes. I love this pattern not just because it always results in a hat that fits, but because it gives you a double thickness of garter stitch right over your ears & forehead. That's super warm.

I was feeling so good about the success of the hat that I managed to only hold out on the siren of a new project for mere minutes. Meet Julia~

She's in the new Rowan Classic book 11. In the book she's knit in Cashsoft 4ply, but I started her in Cashsoft dk. A bit of math, but well worth it. (yes I'm skipping the ribbon) I'm not going to bore you with 3/4 inch of brown 2x2 rib, but the yarn is quite squishy, fuzzy, and soft for a Cotton blend. I know this sweater is going to get tons of wear.

Daily pet update...
When I was reading blogs/email this morning I heard Trent & Robin making a fuss in the kitchen. I checked in & found one of the neighborhood outdoor cats had stopped by for a visit.

We've seen her around for years. I don't know who she belongs to, but she's much too friendly to be a stray.
Do you think Robin likes his walks?

I'm looking forward to warmer weather except for all the inevitable mud. I foresee lots and lots of mud...

In my quest to set up a new blog/website I'm taking my second big step this morning. I'm taking a 2 day course in Dreamweaver. Yep a full collage course in 2 days. This morning has gotten off to a wonderful start.

~Our teacher has had Pneumonia all week & almost ended up canceling the class.
~It's the first day back from Spring Break so we had no support staff so he was late due to making copies for the class.
~The classroom had gotten handed over to another department after the schedule was printed, so there was no longer Dreamweaver on the computers.
~The only other classroom being used today was the only PC lab in the art department.
~The Mac labs don't have enough seats/computers.

It's now 10 am & we've finally got going, on Macs, with some of us sharing computers...
Wish me luck! (oh right, the new Mac mice are so weird, I don't think I like them)

I'm plunking away at learning CSS & Dreamweaver. This is so much easier than hand typing html code.
Last night I got started on my new site. I haven't signed up for a host yet, so I had to just take an image of the browser when I was previewing the new page... but this is going to be the new intro page for my site!

okay, I don't know if you can see that image or not... typepad is fighting me a bit.

Now it's at least not making all my text a big link, I'll stop by later when I have more patience and fix this...

Apparently only I couldn't see the picture, and everything seems okay now. As usual you can click it to see a bigger picture. The move to movable type may be happening sooner than planned. I generally get a bit obsessive about something & then abruptly loss that drive. So, while I'm super excited about the design I should probably barrel through it & get this thing working!

So far, the coolest thing on that main page is that I figured out how to make all these little images out of the big one (so it loads faster). Next I'm working on changing the color of the buttons when they are rolled over so they look more like links... I think we just covered a way to do that...

Does anyone other than Stephanie use DreamHost? Any other suggestions?

Well, those of you who had already updated your links probably noticed a big change tonight.
The change to moveable type will be a bit messier than I expected. I had to change my domain forwarding now rather than when the whole site is ready.

However, that means that you can all go preview my new site!
Blog right now brings you right back to here.
The other section of the site that's active is the Free Pattern Section.
Eventually I want to redo those photos. Most of them are from 2005 (or pre knowledge of photoshop).

Next up is getting Movable Type up & going as well as setting up a little store where my patterns will be available.

Thank You so much for all the suggestions about hosts. I may eventually end up on Camelot hosting when I need more features & a bigger/better online shop, but to start out I went with Living Dot. They installed (or are currently installing) Movable Type for me & they have a great sale on right now. Several other knitbloggers use them (including Grumperina) and those sites seem reliable to me. I'll keep you guys posted about how it goes (or probably I'll here it from you!).

Okay,
This is very new to me, so I'll see how it goes... I hope I can figure out how to add photos.

While I've been working on this whole design project I've also been knitting like mad. I've got about 9" of the sweater I started Thursday already knit! I'm really loving knitting with this yarn (Rowan Cashsoft) and the angora is starting to give it just a little halo.

(hey the photo thing worked!)
My favorite part of this sweater is that I'm just totally relaxing on it. I didn't swatch, my yarn is the wrong size for the pattern so I'm making it up as I go, I just am trusting in my instincts to knit a sweater that fits. I don't even know what the neckline is going to be yet other than it won't be a boat neck like the original design. I've done a few measurements & it looks like my instincts are steering me right and it will fit.
I've been lucky to receive several gifts this weekend. Erin stopped by and brought Robin a super cool bag of treats!

The cow's legs, arms, and head can be pulled off. Robin hasn't figured that out yet, but it has a squeaker & he loves da squeaker.

Robin says Thank You!
Then I arrived at work Monday morning a mysterious skein of huggable green yarn was sitting there with a note simply saying Rae. I thought it was simply odd till I found out that it appeared there between when the store closed Saturday & when it opened Sunday. It seems I have a yarn elf...

Robin & I took a very long walk today. I think it may have been upwards of 2 miles right at dusk. By the time the sun set (and we were still at least 1/2 a mile from home) it got quite blustery indeed & the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. I started to think it may start down pouring any moment. Luckily we made it home dry, if a little tussled from the wind, and relaxed on the couch for some knitting & a little Mythbusters. Robin loved tonight's episode, it was all about dog myths.

I'm working away at my sweater, it's not too much different from yesterday... I figured it was more interesting when Robin was helping show it off.

The bananas I picked up this weekend finally archived the perfect level of brown so I whipped up some banana bread. I am the Queen of banana bread. I basically use the recipe out of the Betty Crocker book. I don't use nuts (allergy) so I have a few other additions to zip it up. First, I use Olive Oil instead of regular vegetable oil. Then I add 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 Tbl honey. It is so good...

I've also hit that point each spring when I feel like signing up for a bunch of swaps.
I'm currently signed up for:
SP10
Handspun Keychain Swap(Signups open till March 23)
Tiny Pincushion Swap
(Signups open till March 30)
Dye-No-Mite! (signups open till March 21)
The last one is particularly exciting because we'll be swapping all sorts of hand dyed things, not just yarn. It's open to roving, fabric, etc... since knitting isn't my only craft I find this very cool.

I also have a neat idea for a swap brewing. But, I need something to get it really going.
Does anyone have a spare copy of the Alan Dart Gnome pattern? I know I could order it from England, but that could take over a month for the pattern to arrive & I'd like to finish him up for Spring... So, can anyone help me out?

Hi All,
I just got back from dancing the night away at Contra Dance. I think I danced myself into blisters once again... Maybe I'll tempt the Birks next since everything else have left my feet aching. I do hope you all to had a lovely St. Patrick’s Day.

I want you all to meet a new friend of mine~

On the last post I mentioned I was looking for this pattern & I can't say how happy I was that someone was able to help me out. I'm taking another one of those computer class in a weekend things, so he managed to get finished already.

So, there will be a big post about this soon, but here's the hatching idea for a swap.
Are all of you familiar with the "Traveling Gnome"? You can check it out on Wikipedia.
I'm planning on sending my little gnome (and possibly his friends if we get enough people interested) on a world tour. Each would arrive bearing a box of treasure that you would then refill for his next stop (think the Yarn Aboard swap). I'd keep a travel diary of his stops here on my website & a flickr page of him at all the places he visits.
Sounds fun right?
Keep an eye out later this week. I'll be posting more details (and perhaps be a bit more coherent about the whole thing).
Good Night~

Sorry all,
Still nothing blog worthy in knitting today. I've knit another inch or so on my sweater body... I may hit the armholes in the next day or two if I'm lucky. That's about it.
However, I do have a cute puppy picture for you. Today we had yet another perfect sun shiny day here in Michigan, we get so few of these each year that you really can't waste them. Robin & I went for a long walk on the Northern Tier Trail.
Between this trail & the River Trail in Lansing I can pretty much walk/bike anywhere in the city (within reason, I've hiked 8mi in the mountains before, that doesn't mean I have any desire to walk from my house to the state capital). The trail was pretty packed today, lots of joggers, bikers, and tons of dog walkers. Robin got to meet so many dogs today. By the time we got back home he just collapsed in a little pile o'puppy on the floor & slept for hours.
I took this photo near the beginning of the trail, when he was still all bright eyed & ready to go. I think the photo is really a testament to our training so far. I managed to choose a spot with a nice view of the pond plants behind, got him to sit there, and got him to stay while I walked 5 feet away & fiddled with the camera. This photo was actually the first shot. I have a few more on flickr, every single shot turned out. I don't think that has ever happened before.

So,
I've noticed that Robin & I have been out and walking pretty much everyday. Out of curiosity I plugged some of our daily routes into Google's Pedometer & was quite surprised! Even our 'short day' route is easily a mile. If we head out to the Northern Tier trail like yesterday we usually walk 2-3 miles. I kept telling my Mom that it was further than she thought, now I have the proof!
I found out today that Runagogo is going to have another round. I didn't do the first one because MI is miserable in the winter & I just don't get on the treadmill as much as I'd like. However, 100 mi before July 4th sounds totally doable. I won't be running though, Robin & I walk. I may toss some biking in there to, but I feel I might not be biking as much as other years because I can't easily bring Robin when I bike.
So, I think this is the year for me to loose some weight. I think getting back down to 120 might be wishful thinking, but maybe 125-130 would be possible. Between walking everyday & Belly dancing I already feel better than I have in years. Anyone else care to join me?

The next round of Runagogo doesn't start till April 1st so you go sign up!

Robin & I are starting puppy school tomorrow. One of the things that the school requested we have are a pouch that's easy to get into for treats. They gave us some suggestions like pants with a big pocket, a climbing chalk bag, or a small carpenter apron. My first thought was to use my Go Knit pouch, but I also have to use moist treats for the class and they are smelly & icky so I don't want to contaminate my knitting bag. I also won't use my pants pocket for the same reason.
Then today at work I was putting away some new yarns that I wanted to try out & realized that I could knit myself a treat pouch. I knew I wanted something that would hold itself open so I could quickly grab a treat. It also needed to be easily cleaned, able to attach to my belt loop, and deep enough for treats not to fall out. Here's what I came up with~

I totally love it! I used Nashua Cilantro, which is a cotton/poly blend with tons of stretch. I started with a hemmed edge so the bag holds itself open. Then I increased after the hem to give it a pouch shape to help the treats stay in when I'm moving around. I put a pair of eyelets near the top for a carbineer.
The treats in the background are the ones I picked out for puppy school. I love that they are tiny, so I can give Robin lots of them. Plus they are all natural (no preservatives or artificial flavors!) and peanut butter flavored rather than some stinky meat smell. Robin just loves them.
I see this sort of pouch as having lots of uses. Check in the free pattern section later this week for the pattern!

"...so you do know you have a Sheltie, right?"
That would be the answer you don't want to hear when asking your dog trainer about a barking issue. Yep, I knew Shelties were umm... vocal, but I think the neighbors would appreciate if he didn't bark at everything that moved on our walks. Plus apparently barking is self rewarding for Shelties, so simply ignoring him isn't going to work. Sigh...
On the plus side, other than that he's a little angel. Right now he's curled up on the couch giving me that look at says "mom, why aren't you over here knitting with me!"
Can't argue with that.

I have the pattern for the Doggie Treat Bag up on my site. It passed the practical exam tonight & is now Robin approved.

Robin & I just had a lovely anti-barking session over at the Brenke Fish Ladder and on the River Trail. I had planned to start working on heeling today, but there were tons of people in the park & barking seemed to be a big issue with Robin. Our instructor recommended teaching him an alternate behavior to do instead of barking. So, every time anybody came by on the trail he had to sit down & "look at me", once the person passed he got a treat. This actually worked really well. By the time we had walked to LCC & back he wasn't barking at walkers at all & only barked once or twice at joggers/bikers. This is a huge improvement over our last few walks. Now I think it's just a matter of being consistent with this new training.

In Knitting news today... My Cashcotton sweater is beginning to really take shape. Last night I had a marathon knitting session and finished up the back. Plus I went back to where I split the body for the arm holes & did short rows for the front (in a lace pattern...). I'm now just about to where I'm splitting the from for the v-neck. It feels so good when you can start to see that this blob of fabric really will become a sweater.

So, I've been neglecting blogging for a few days in favor of this...

I am so in love with this sweater. I still need to knit some sleeves, but I could help sewing the shoulders & adding in the neckband. It needs some major blocking (and sleeves...), but I was able to double check that yes, it does fit. By the end of next week I should have a new sweater! Another good thing, I've only used 4.5 balls of cashcotton dk so far. The whole long sleeved sweater should be just under 7 balls. That rocks!

I also had a rather eventful trip to my Dad's this afternoon. Robin got to have a long fun play session with Aspen.

Can you see where my love of herding/working dogs come from? I love this photo of Aspen, she's showing a classic Sammie smile. She also has the best coat right now that I've ever seen on her.
It's really interesting to watch Robin play with dogs of different temperaments. With puppies he's rambunctious, jumpy, and um... humps... much to my embarrassment. When we play with adult dogs he calms down and matches their temperament. Aspen is around 15 years old, so he mostly just calmly walks around with her. She was up for about a minute of chase & hide, but that's about it.
At Dad's I also picked a belated birthday present, my new to me laptop. It's a 15" powerbook G4, completely refurbished with mostly new parts. Considering that my old laptop had a 9" screen this is a mammoth improvement.

I will be sad to say goodbye to my old clamshell iBook, but he doesn't run most of the programs I use everyday, so it's time.

I'm really into my current project for the book. I've wanted to knit an afghan out of Nature Cotton for years now & I love how it's coming out. My only regret is that I couldn't throw in this amazing raspberry color that would have been fabulous. But check out how these colors look.


I just love it!

Robin also wants to say hi! He's almost 17 weeks old now~

This morning was a time of realization.
First this morning I realized that the first round of project spectrum is almost over. I needed to knit something blue/white/gray in the next 3 days. I don't know how I've completely avoided all 3 of those colors the last 2 months, but I really haven't knit with them at all.
Next up I was peering through the new Vogue & saw the super cute little baby sweater from Meg Swanson (Surplice-wrap Jacket). It reminded me that I've always wanted to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket. An hour later of searching the internet & I almost ordered the pattern from the School House Press website. I don't know what compelled me to look at my bookshelf. But guess what? I had a copy of Knitting Workshop sitting right there. I've had the pattern for years & didn't even know it.
Finally it all came together & I now have this on my needles...

I'm knitting it out of Louet Baby Pearl in blue & white. Now if I can just get it done before the next color group begins...

Perhaps more importantly a dozen of these showed up at the shop this afternoon!

The book signing is in Ann Arbor in just over a week. I can't go to this one, but a day-trip to an out of state signing may be in my future.

Oh, I almost forgot the plaid. I listened to the new Knit Cast today & totally love one of the bands she used, Enter The Haggis. They have a bunch of songs you can preview on their site. I highly recommend checking them out!

I can't believe how much of this I knit today. I don't think there's any worry of it not getting done by the end of the month... I have hit a bit of a glitch in the pattern, but I stopped & figured out how this misshapen blob becomes a sweater & I think I can figure out how many rows I need to knit before the last bit of shaping. Robin is so tired. We had a big evening at puppy school. He learned to look me in the eyes when I say his name. We got started with clicker training. We learned the gotcha game (grab the collar & say 'gotcha', helps with rounding him up easily later). AND most importantly, Robin did his first agility obstacle tonight! During our socialization session our teacher pulled out the tire jump. It was set so they pretty much walked through it rather than jumped, but Robin went right through twice! Yippy!! Now I need to get my tax rebate (or get you guys to buy some patterns) so Robin & I can get Agility in a Bag.
Okay, now for a whole bunch of pictures....
First up, the Baby Pearl Surprise Jacket (mostly done)...


Then Robin is learning how to be a couch potato...


There are a few more of those on my flickr page. Click on any of the above pics to go visit.

Wow, those last 6 rows are really really long. But I totally am in love with this pattern. Could you just see it in some fab sock yarn (maybe STR or Claudia’s)? I may keep playing around with slipping stitches. I don't like the vertical line I got when I picked up stitches near the bottom, or the line on the button band. I do love the slipped stitches in the body & sleeves. Next time I'll probably use a crochet cast-on so the whole thing has a tidy chain stitch edge.

Yes the photo is awful, my camera just wouldn't focus on it. You may see this again when I get a better shot.
For the record, I used 2 skeins of Louet Baby Pearl, on size 2 needles, getting 6 sts/inch. The buttons feature Beatrice Potter! So cute.
I've started several pairs of socks this week. Most are for classes I'm teaching so I could only go as far as the heel and stop. However I started some last night just for me! We got this incredible new yarn in for thick socks; 50% Fine Wool 50% Alpaca & machine wash and dry. Yep, machine washable alpaca socks!

They're just dreamy...
I also got started on another kit that arrived with that yarn. It's a felting kit that I had ordered because it had a great variety of colors to use for needle felting. However it also included instructions for this:

I'm making one up to hang in the store. It starts you out wet felting sheets of wool. My favorite flowers in the photo were the ones that were a different color on the inside, so I'm doing all my pieces of felt that way. They're a bit thinner than I usually make them because they're going to be flowers.

The colors are really intense, so my camera kinda balked on this one. However so far I have blue/purple, green/blue, and orange/pink. Three more sheets and I think I'll have enough.
Last little thought here... Robert Smith is a god! If you don't believe me you need to check out this clip from the Korn Unplugged special. Robert simply saying "make me bad" sent shivers down my spine.