Extravayarnza

Robin gets a bath every other weekend. He's not a particularly smelly dog (actually he stays fairly clean), but he's just so lovely smelling and fluffy after a bath. We're on our 3rd bath now. He's starting to figure out there is no point in struggling. I don't think he likes getting the bath, but he does seem to be a bit more fresh the next morning.
I wanted to get a photo of his spiked hair do right after his bath last night, but it seems that wet shelties just can't stop moving! I've got a couple dozen photos of brown & white blurs. After his bath we just relaxed & watched Ocean 11 & 12. I hadn't seen these yet. Oceans 11 rocked! Once Robin was just damp he slept harder than I've ever seen him sleep...

I managed to do our nails...

(I love this photo)
And I just joined him for a nap...

This morning I though I should maybe give a quick review of Project Spectrum so far. I made a last minute run at white/gray/blue with knitting a baby surprise jacket.

Then I added on the most perfect buttons...

I'm starting out green/yellow/pink with a photo of some of my favorite yarn. I love it even more now that it has a new label!

Check that out! They now tell you the fiber content, weight, yardage, and suggested gauge. This color is Shaba green which I've knit quite a few projects in. I'm thinking I might knit a cardigan in Sea Moss (light heather green). I have a feeling you will be seeing quite a bit of green for the round of Project Spectrum.
(btw I feel like such a hick right now. I actually wrapped my radio antenna in foil this morning. You know what though? It works! Finally, static free NPR)

Warning... Political content ahead....

I've been tempted for a couple of weeks now to join the Knit Blue Kal. Politically I've been wanting to hide under a rock for the last 6 years. When the Democrats regained control of both houses last fall I began to see a new hope... Plus several of the Democratic Presidential Hopefuls actually look like viable candidates & seem to be people ( I love that I now get to say people rather than Christian white males) I would trust our Country to. So, when I found a Kal for democratic knitters & then found Franklin's super cute baby democratic sweater I knew I just had to join in.

I'm trying out a nice new yarn from Debbie Bliss, Rialto. It's a machine washable 100% superfine merino DK weight. Very scrumptious. For the blue I'm using Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big. I have several shades of blue in the Rialto, but none of them quite matched right with the fabulous red.

I decided to use Franklin's chart, but use a slightly different base sweater. I'm basically using the Striped Sweater from Debbie Bliss Simply Baby (sans stripes... at least on the front).

I really like this style of baby sweater with buttons on either the shoulder or on a raglan seam. I totally get how this is much easier to force a wiggling baby into. I may add in a little US flag on either the back or on a sleeve cuff. Or maybe play with the stripes in the original pattern. Or maybe just leave the rest of the sweater white with blue trim. Luckily the front is first so I have some time to decide...

On a sadder note, the Tigers lost the home opener in overtime. It was a really good game though, so I guess it's not too bad. I may be going in a couple of weeks to go see a game against the White Socks. I only made it to 2 games last season, and I'd really like to see many more than that this year!

Robin learned a few lessons today.

1~ Mud is a totally terrifically wonderful thing. Lots of fun to jump in, then jump on mom, then splash in. The ideally everyone should be coated in mud up to their belly...

That goes for you too mom!

2~Unfortually muddy paws/feet/clothing all needs to be washed asap when we get home. Yep, that means a bath for puppies...

We ended up really exploring & going off the paved path tonight. A total of 3.25 miles!

The paths through the woods looked quite dry initially. Later on we found 10-20 foot sections that were quite deep with mud & standing water. There was no going around it, you have to go through it...
Robin was feeling particularly photogenic tonight. You can visit my flickr page for even more photos from tonight.

Sign ups are here for the Knitting Gnome Swap!

Who?
This swap is for those of us who work with yarn (knit, crochet, spin). You need to have a blog that you update fairly regularly (2-3 times a month minimum). We welcome international swappers. Norm (the gnome) would love to visit as many places as possible! Please only sign up if you can hold up your end of the swap. No one likes to feel like they've been forgotten.

What?
Each swapper will receive a box with Norm (or one of his friends) and knitting related gifts (yarn/roving/needles etc) from their pal. Your task is to take Norm out for a tour of your town. Take some photos of him at local landmarks (and yarn shops!).

Write up a little post about his stay with you. Send his photos to his flickr album of the trip. Then put Norm and your gifts for your pal in the box and send him on his way. Please send out the box within a week of it getting to you.

Boxes should be send Priority Mail with in the US (with delivery confirmation please) and Airmail when being send internationally. Norm would like to avoid being boxed up for weeks on end, plus the quicker it gets to the next person the more fun we'll all have!

Suggested spending is $25-$30 not including postage.

When?
Sign ups will be open until midnight EST on April 21st. You'll receive your pal's name, address, and questionnaire before the end of April.
I'm aiming to have the swap completed before the end of August, but that's up to everyone being timely about sending Norm and his buddies onto the next person promptly.
Remember each gnome can only visit one person at a time, so he could arrive to you anytime this summer. I recommend picking out your goodies for your pal before he gets to you, so you can concentrate on showing him your town when he arrives.

Where?
Hopefully Everywhere! If you live in the US and don't wish to ship internationally just let me know when you sign up.

Why?
The inspiration for this swap is the Traveling Gnome Prank where gnomes are stolen from their owners yards and sent on a world tour sending back photos and letter to their owners. This was featured in the movie Amélie and also in a group of Travelocity commercials.
Besides being fun to see these little guys travel the world, I think it will be fun to see the world through the eyes of knitters. We are everywhere! If you look around blogland you'll find knitters from just about every continent/country. I think this swap will be a terrific way to share our little corner of the world with knitters from around the globe.

How?
Send me an email at ExtravayarnzaATgmailDOTcom (you know the drill there) with the completed questionnaire by April 21st.

Name:
Email:
Blog:
Shipping Address: (please type this out in multiple lines like on a shipping label)
Do you knit/crochet/spin?
Any other crafty talents?
Do you have any allergies (pets/smoke/fiber)?
Is your home pet or smoke free?
What colors do you love?
Any colors that you can't stand?
Can you think of any yarn that you've be dieing to get your hands on?
Are you a sock knitter?
Anything else you'd like to share with your pal?

(Yes there is knitting content below. I don't mind if you skip all the dog stuff...)

Robin & I had a very successful class last night. Every week the barking thing gets less & less of a problem. We actually went to the vet Tuesday & he only barked when we first walked in and when our name got called. Night & Day compared to the first visit. Same thing in class. I'm teaching him that it pays (in food) to pay attention to me rather than bark at the teacher/other dogs/invisible friends... As much as that thrilled me, it's not what's gotten me glowing with pride. That was our socialization time.
Each week in class they bring out different things for them to check out & learn not to be afraid of. Since this school also teaches basic agility they bring out a few agility things. This week they brought out the tire jump again. Robin loves the tire jump. We were doing run bys within minutes of him seeing it again. Then we got to see a pause table. Up him went & laid down for 5 seconds. Such a good boy. Then the second coolest thing was the wobble table. This is a precursor to a teeter totter, basically a big board with a pipe under it so it moves when walked across. This freaked him out a bit, but he was willing to walk across it with a bit of encouragement (food). The coolest thing was defiantly the little mini tunnel. All like 9 inches of it. A bit weird to walk on, but within a few minutes he was running right through! Yippy! My boys going to love agility. We start agility class in 2 weeks.
Before that I'm picking up a few things for us to practice on. Sunday I'm getting a tunnel from Ikea. Plus I'm going to order a practice chute to go on the end so we can start getting used to that too. Then probably next month I'm ordering the coolest set of training weave poles.
I realize this is complete gibberish for many of you. If you're curious to know what I'm blabbering on about here's a link to a cool site that's all videos of different agility competitions.

Okay, I promised some knitting content too...
First off, A big Thank You! to my Secret Pal. She sent me a neat package yesterday with some sock yarn, roving, and bath products that are fragrance free! I'm super allergic to fragrance, so I really appreciate these sorts of things. I even had to switch shampoos because my old one was making my scalp break out in hives! So Thank You!!!! (and Robin says Thanks too, he loves the bone you sent)

I've been kinda crazy about my knitting lately. I'm knitting on several socks for various class. Book projects that I can't show you. But, I also have been knitting on the little donkey sweater. I spent a whole night weaving in more ends than should ever be on one part of a baby sweater.

Then I pulled out my sewing machine & whipped up a lovely misshapen box bag.

Now that I've figured out what I'm doing on that I'm going to sew up a few more...

Sorry I've been away for a few days. I've been working on Rent & I pretty much have been collapsing on the couch when I got home.
Today was a big day too. We had a big family Easter brunch then a few of us piled into a car & zipped over to Ikea, then back again for a big dinner. The main reason for heading to Ikea today was a get a few of those kids play tunnels. I set them up when I got back from dinner & Wow! Both cats & Robin have been non-stop running through these things!

Trent ~ Hey... This is nice I think I'll move in...

Robin ~ Umm.. Trent? I do believe Mom bought these for me.

Robin~ That's much better... Tunnels Rock!

Still my favorite photo has to be this one~

Okay, back to play with the fur kids. I'll have some knitting content tomorrow!

So, Yes I've been attempting to knit lately. My book projects have been begging for more attention & so is Robin, so bloggable knitting is a bit on the pitiful side.

So, sitting through 3 shows of Rent may seem like 525,600 minutes (I'm sure actually watching the show is much more entertaining), but I now have actual proof. Two socks almost entirely knit during those shows...

The sock in front is out of CPY Panda Cotton, the one behind it is in a machine washable Alpaca. I ran out of knitting half way through the 3rd show. I was told that the look of terror on my face was quite memorable. It didn't help that 2 of the guys in the cast continuously asked me out, over & over to the point I was considering a harassment complaint. I had to walk that thin line of being polite, but firm, so that I wouldn't get in trouble for decking one (or two) of the actors during the performance. Knitting was very therapeutic during all this, so you can imagine the down hill slide of my attitude toward them once the yarn ran out.

So, while not fending off unwelcome advances from horny guys who only wanted one thing (considering they were in town for only 2 days) I was working on my Little Democrat sweater. I'm down to only one sleeve left to knit.

I think this sweater is so cute. I decided to pick up stitches & knit the sleeves onto the body. I've realized some flaws in my plan to knit a little USA flag onto the other sleeve, so that is in a holding pattern till I work out a tiny but viable chart.

Now that I've gotten myself all upset again about this weekend I'm going to leave you with some puppy pictures. How can you be upset when these eyes are looking in your face?
(I took bunches more of these yesterday, click any of them to go to the flickr photoset to see the rest of the photos)

The weather lately has been really getting me down. Snow, Sleet, Hail, Below Freezing Temps, Severe Wind (yes those all deserved to be capitalized) all after Easter. Grrr.....
Plus being out so much in it seems to have diminished my immune system & I'm now sick.
However, I found the perfect little quick knitting project to keep my mind off the weather & onto the forth coming warm temps & spring flowers.
Welcome in Perdita~

Who can resist these precious little bands knit in lace & touched with beads. I already had some Pearl Cotton that was going to be used to embroider my Flannel Garden sweater (before I learned that I absolutely no embroidery skills). So I combined that with some size 10 seed beads & a couple of vintage buttons from my Great Grandma.

It turns out these things are like popcorn. I knit the first one while I became one with the couch last night & promptly started another once I convinced myself I had to go to work this morning.

I have supplies for about another half dozen or so. I'm thinking I may knit one in every project spectrum color. Is that going a bit overboard?

So, This weekend marks my shops 2 year anniversary! To be technical we made our first sale April 11, 2005. I still am finding it hard to believe it's really been 2 years. I absolutely love my job. I can't really see myself doing anything else at this point. So, those of you in Lansing can stop by this weekend for a little cake & a big sale.

Also, I've been contacted to help with the Detroit Tigers Stitch N' Pitch game on September 9th. We're going to be purchasing a large block of tickets for the game so that all of us Lansing knitters can sit together. Tickets are going to be $15 & it also includes a bag of knitting goodies at the game. Our block is in the upper deck along the 1st base line. I'll be purchasing tickets as soon as they go for sale in about 2 weeks, so if you're interested in going please contact me to be sure you'll have a seat. Tickets are going to be more limited for this game than some of the other events due to the Tigers success last season. So, you'll want to get in early to be sure you have a seat with the Stitch N' Pitch group.

Okay, puppy news. Robin & I walked almost 6 miles today! The big excitement on our walking route today was the first ELHS soccer game at the new lighted field. I decided to take Robin over to the soccer complex to see how he'd do in a crowded situation. We made it there just before the game began so the part of the complex we could go to was just buzzing (I don't believe they would have let us into the stands, we hung out in the unfenced part that included the concession stands). He passed with flying colors. He behaved perfectly, no barking, no running up to people, no jumping when people petted him! Now I feel completely confident in bringing him to all the fests this summer.
This afternoon Robin did the cutest thing. He carried all of his stuffed toys over to the sliding glass door. Then he nested up in them for a nap in the sun.

And because I don't want to be accused of playing favorites I think Trent is overdue for an appearance on the blog. He and Robin are becoming best buds. It's so cute to watch them play together. However at the end of the day a cat just has a regal side that a dog just can't mimic.

Isn't this the coolest cake?!

Our anniversary celebration went really well. The cake is mostly gone, lots of friends stopped by to say hello, and I am really tired out.
Unfortunately I was plagued by a nasty cold all weekend. The kind where a fog settles over your head & it feels like your lungs are attempting to escape through your nose. Cold medicines were no help at all. I finally figured out that all my meds were lacking one important ingredient, Pseudophedrine. Wow does that stuff make a difference. The fog lifted, my nose dried up, and every single thought that had been trapped for 4 days escaped my mouth in about 3 hours. I felt so loopy I just keep talking and talking and babbling... all through our family dinner night. Luckily we decided to get take out rather than eat at a restaurant. I hope my family found it amusing rather than annoying.
After everyone left I crashed for over 12 hours & I'm finally feeling like my body is winning the war. Still not won yet, but a huge improvement over last week. I think I'd be feeling a ton better yet today if our neighbors weren't having their roof reshingled. Between their banging & Robin barking at them this morning left me with such a headache. Hopefully I'll get another 12 hours of sleep tonight & tomorrow regular blogging can continue.

I'm a bit addicted to these Perdita wrist bands. I've now knit one of each & today picked up materials for a few more...

I love how all the different versions knit up. I'm also glad I knit them in order. Each one is a bit more difficult than the one before ending with Bluebells that has yarn overs & decreases on both right side & wrong side rows.
Plus look at all the great colors I found in the Pearl Cotton~

I ended up going a bit overboard on the beads though. I found there is a huge difference between size 11 & size 10 seed beads (11's don't easily string on pearl cotton). The color selection was pretty bleak in the size 10's so when I found this pack I just had to give in.

I guess I have just about every color I could ask for now...

A few people have asked for a photo of Trent & Robin together. That has proven a tough feat. When they are close enough to get in the same photo they are generally chasing each other around the house & my camera is awful with moving objects. However I finally managed to catch them sort of close to each other this morning.

This is a call out to those of you who stopped by my shop this weekend.

Did anyone accidentally bring home a hand written calendar of spring classes?
I know I was showing it to customers because I hadn't typed up the final copy yet & now it's missing & I'll have to start from scratch planning the spring round of classes.

Can everyone please check their bags & make sure it didn't follow anyone home. Finding it would save me days of frustration & rescheduling.

Thank You~

On a side note.... The answer to the Hogwards Sock Kit Trivia Question is Ron about Dobbie...

Okay, well I've just spend 2 days recreating the class list. It's redone... time to move on.

One of the new classes I'm teaching this spring is Cut That Knit. It's a little wrist warmer that's steeked open to add a button band. In theory I hope to ease a few knitters discomforts with taking scissors to their knitting.
I've been busy knitting up & charting out the design for the class project. The sample is out of Silky Wool which just has to be one of the best yarns ever...

This is version 2 of the design & I think it's just about right. The only change I'm going to make from here is to add a couple more stitches to the steek. I think it might be a bit less stressful to new steekers to have more than a 3 stitch safety zone. The steeks are crocheted so they are going nowhere & we're sewing in ribbon to finish off the edge. I'll have pics later this weekend of the finished wristband.
I've also been working on a pair of Monkey socks (in Cookie's blog colors no less). It feels good to have a simple pair of socks to tote around. Every sock I'd started lately got ditched because too much thought was needed to knit it & I've got plenty of stimulating big projects right now. But these are perfect~

I have one other project that I'm going to start this weekend. Robin's favorite toy, or at least favorite plush toy, is this bright green fun fur bone.

He loves his fun fur bone! Unfortunately he's starting to over love it...

I stitch it up over and over, but I think it's not long for this world. A search was performed for a replacement, but none was found. So, I'm doing the unthinkable for Robin... I'm knitting him a new fun fur toy. A better one... One that will last forever...A felted one with no seams.
Okay I'm off to build my reserves to knit with the dreaded fun fur... This one's for you Robin~

Okay, today I'm playing the role of freaked out mom. My little Robin is having a particularly difficult teething day. He's in pain & I don't know how to make it stop! Both of his lower Canine teeth are coming out today (long pointy ones). Those are big teeth to loose both on the same day. The left one is out & he bled all over his toys... The right one is sticking out of his mouth at a very wrong angle.
I just picked him up a chilly bone & it's in the freezer now, but I'm still being a bit frazzled by all the blood. He will look awfully silly without his canines though...

Okay Rae just a few deep breaths...

Well today was just about the most perfect day I've ever had.
The main event was a trip to see the Detroit Tigers with the family. Now, after last season I was starting to think I was bad luck or something because every game I went to last season they lost. Gosh, maybe it was my handknit Tigers Socks or something because the game today was amazing! The weather was beautiful, the tickets I purchased just happened to be aisle seats & in the shade. We won in the 12th inning (all those people who left when we were down by 2 at the top of the 9th missed the most exciting part of the game...)
I think we're going to try to go once a month this season, Tigers games are just so exciting.
Then we went for a really nice dinner in Williamston & for icecream at DQ after. I'm telling you, The Perfect Day!

Plus when I came home Robin was so excited to see me & we curled up in my new hammock to watch the sun set. Yeah, did I mention I now own a hammock? I've wanted one since I was a little kid (kinda like how I wanted a Sheltie since I was a little kid...)

The hammock is one of those new ones that folds up into a bag so you can take it with you. How cool is that!
I finished my first Monkey sock. The only changes I made to the pattern was to use a short row heel & pull the pattern down into the back of the heel. I'm pretty ease wear wise on my socks so lace on the heel & toe is safe for me.

The finishing touches were also put on my wrist band for the class I'm teaching next month. I found these little hand carved shell buttons that matched just right. Then I used some knitting themed ribbon to finish off the cut edges inside.


I found out that I am the only Rachael Blackledge in the entire country...

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" "You are quite wrong. Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness." Who are the two people in this conversations?
This is Dumbledore & Voldemort