Extravayarnza

I'm now the proud owner of 18 feet!
Kinda Creepy...
I've updated all the sock yarn over at The Shop with the new colors & a paypal shopping cart!
Please check it out, I think I'm pretty happy with it!
Lace Yarn, Patterns, and the New Knitting Bags will be added over the next few days.

Yep, I'm officially a joiner...
I attempt to resist going with the flow, knitting the hot pattern, picking the "in" colors.
For example I have neither Jaywalkers or a Clapotis (the horror!).
But, a few days ago I popped over to Stephanie's blog (btw T minus 4 days and counting till Yarn Harlot lands in Michigan!) and saw her Argyle Socks...
Then I made the mistake of following the link (despite the clear warning that it was infectious) and landed over in Moth Heaven. Yep I crumbled under the drunken argyles & the spectacular ARRRRgyles.
So, I whipped up a chart to fit me, found a retro colorway (either very eighties or very eighty year old grandpa cardigan... I can't decide), and cast-on.

The main reason behind my choice of colors was that I was searching for an excuse to use the fab butter yellow we just go in. It's so gorgeous! This sage green & brown are just the right shades to go with it (we have 3 different sage greens, trust me the other two didn't work).
I am knitting them flat & seaming, but I am using a bit different construction. More on that as I get to the heel...
Just in case any of you are still in denial about this, argyles produce lots of ends... Lots! You can see 2 of 4 hair clips holding all my ends out of the way. I can't weave them in till I double check the requirements for the Argyle socks in the Master Knitters program. I'm 90% sure they want the ends woven in, but I know they don't want them seamed, so I playing it safe for now.

And the ARRRRgyles are definatly being knit this fall. I'm thinking arm warmers...

I hit a big check point on my first Argyle sock. The leg is now finished!

I love this point in a sock because you can really see the pattern and how the colors are working. I'm quite happy with this sock. I know my skills have improved already. The second diamonds are much nicer and the diagonals are night and day in person.
I've decided to mark these as my practice pair for the Master's Program. I'm just finishing up level one & argyle socks aren't until level two. I don't think I could wait that long to wear them! Plus, given the improvement on just this sock, the third sock should be stellar!
Tonight I jumped on a rare event... an empty house!
I was going to spend it at the guild knit-in, but with no AC in my car I just couldn't bring myself to drive that distance.
Instead I left all the lights off, curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and my argyle socks. I suppose I'm lucky they didn't inadvertently turn into drunken argyles~
Life is so good sometimes...
(don't worry it balances out eventually *smirk*)

Today, hopefully was the last day of this miserable weather for awhile.
I saw some really interesting cloud formations on the drive home.

The skys were filled with two layers of clouds. Big fluffy lower altitude clouds & large flat mid altitude clouds. Just pretty to look at. Unfortunately the severe weather rolled in after dark, so no cloud spotting then...
Thursday... 70 degrees+almost 0 humidity=1 very happy knitter
Thursday will also bring a finished Argyle sock.
I snapped some really bad flash shots of the sock minus a heel.

You can see the lovely seam running along the side of the photo on the right (or you can if you look really hard, the seam came out quite nicely).
Since the outdoors will be unlike an oven tomorrow I'll take some way better pics.

Okay, I've finished a single Argyle Sock. I'm calling it a finished object. I'll knit a second one... probably soon... but I've got a few other things to concentrate on right now.

Pattern: basically my own... I used a 31 stitch wide diamond, an afterthought heel, a footed toe, and ran the seam along the side of the leg rather than the back. (this is as much for my benefit as yours since I'm being risky and took no notes!)
Needles: size 1 26" circ. Knit flat to the end of the last diamond then knit magic loop
Yarn: Brown is Lang Jawoll; green & yellow are from Universal Yarn (so far I give this sock yarn a big thumbs up)
I weighted out the remaining brown & I will need two balls to complete the pair (I used about 35g for this sock). One ball each of the contrasts is plenty though.
They fit so well. I'm pleased...I seamed them up quite loose so they would keep their stretch. The seam still closed up well.

The second pic is for all of you sadistic knitters who want to see the guts of the sock. This is a pretty crowded spot with lots of ends woven in.
We did get cooler today, but it was dark, cloudy, and at times the rain poured down. I'm talking about a major rainfall.

But the flowers were quite happy to receive all that rain!
BTW~ for those of you confused about this mornings post... check out The Amazing Lace.The latest challenge was to photograph your work in progress hidden in plain sight. So two of my shawls (including the dragon who is slowing getting finished) are hidden in the drumset!

I hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend.
I know I did.
Laying around the house, knitting, watching Baseball games...

In fact Sunday I went to my first Tigers game at Comerica Park. I used to go all the time at the old Tigers Stadium. I loved Tiger's Stadium. When the crowd got excited the whole place shook.
I had been apprehensive about Comerica Park. It just seemed wrong to move the team.
After Sunday I think all those feelings are put to rest. Maybe I just wish that they had kept the name of the park. I don't like big buildings that have corporate sponsored names. Comerica has nothing to do with baseball...
The park is just beautiful. The seats are comfortable & raked steep enough that even all the way at the top you can see the field.

We had tickets about 2/3 of the way up the upper deck right at 3rd base.
Despite what many think I don't find baseball boring at all. I watch a lot of baseball & find it quite captivating. Double so in person. I didn't find time to knit the whole game.
A big deal right now is saying that you were a Tiger's fan before 2006. Seeing as how they are #1 in the American league right now a lot of fans have come out of the wood works.
I have rock solid proof of my long love for the Tigers.

I was a cute kid... *blush*

I celebrated another of my favorite sporting teams this weekend by dyeing yarn.
Although I don't like football I root for any MSU team & have dyed up a bunch (10 skeins!) of Green & White stripeing sock yarn.

It's cooling off right now...

I did get lots of sock knitting done this weekend.
I got to the toe on my first Snake Skin Sock (for the Six Sock Knitalong)

I also started some new socks. Something I was attempting not to do. I need to knit some second socks...
But, that new Sock Candy was so tempting... and the Dragon Sock pattern was so perfect...

This colorway is knitting up really cool. It's so rare for hand dyed yarns to behave so well. The pattern is deceptively simple. I knit 3 repeats in the car on the way to the game. I'm itching to finish the leg so I can start of the nifty heel details that are written into the pattern.
Stay tuned to see how the colors behave in the heel!

I've felt that the blog has been a bit short of pictures of Trent lately. So, I'm warning you know that there's lots of cat pictures ahead! (lots of knitting stuff too, don't worry!)

Come on, You know you love him.... He's so cute when he's sleeping!

He attempted to help me show off my progress on the Sock Candy Dragon Scales socks. I was forced into hiding last night (guys over watching wrestling = Rae cowering in basement with beer, popcorn, movie w/ a hot guy in it, and knitting... perhaps a dangerous combination). Plus I had some frustration to work off earlier today, so I'm past the heel!

I love everything about this sock. The yarn is so soft & squishy. It's just the right size to hug my leg (I'm on size 0 to size the sock down to fit). The instructions for the short row heel were so easy to follow. I still usually get one pretty side & one icky loose side, but not on this sock. Plus the pooling on this colorway is behaving so well. More stripeing than splotching. I'll probably have this finished in a few days & I'll take some better pictures then (probably after I cast on for the second sock because I'm eager to wear these).
Many of you have been asking at the store if this yarn would sag because it's mostly cotton. I've tried them on several dozen times & they are just as snug as they were the first time. I think all signs are pointing toward the elite doing it's job very well.
You've also been asking if it's as difficult to knit with as fixation (gauge issues). To be frank I hate fixation. I knit with it once & pulled on it so much that my hand just hurt for days. It took me months to find the reserve to finish a wrist warmer. This yarn is nothing like that. I don't know why. It doesn't have quite as much stretch in the yarn as fixation. I found fixation to have almost no stretch in the fabric after it was knit. Sock Candy has lots of stretch after knitting. My opinion is simply that it's a whole different construction & therefor a whole different feel to knit.

I did finish one other sock...
(lots of knitting in the last 2 days...I also got quite a bit done on my shawl, but I'll post about that when I reach the next lace pattern)

I love the yarn, I'm not so crazy about the stitch pattern.
The yarn is Fortissima Colori, Disco. The one with the bits of silver sparkle in it.
The sparkle doesn't scratch at all when it's knit up. The yarn is quite soft.
Unfortunately the neat slip stitch pattern in the cuff just wasn't for me. With all the yarn-overs & passed stitches my gauge was just all loose. I didn't change needle size or stitch number between the leg & the foot and you can see the huge difference in size. The foot fits like a glove, but the leg is way way too big.
This sock is destined to be a display sock at the store. It does show the yarn off quite nicely.
Luckily it only used 24g of yarn so there is plenty for me to find a new pattern & get a pair for myself out of the yarn. Until the perfect pattern is found it's headed into the stash...

Sometimes you just can't think of a title for a post... It's hard coming up with a couple hundred of those a year!

Besides this is just a progress report...

I love how the Sock Candy is knitting up. The carbon colorway isn't one I probably would have chosen had I gotten to pick the colors for the order. I only even choose it to knit with because of the name of the pattern (Here Be Dragon Socks). I'm really happy that all this came together & I'm using this yarn/colorway. Just check these out!

This sock is so soft, doesn't sag at all, and it really hugs my foot. Possibly the best sock I've knit this year!

I'm also whittling away at the Peacock shawl. It's so good to take a picture every once in a while because it shows off the lace motifs better than when  it all scrunched up on the needle inches from your face. Currently I'm about 2/3's of the way through the medium feathers...

For any of you in the Lansing Area.
My store (Rae's Yarn Boutique near Frandor) is having a sale today.
Closeout yarns are 40% the marked down price for today only!
Plus some great new fall yarns are 10% off.

So stop by between 11&3 to pick up some great deals!

Yes, I'm officially finishing up my SKB. I pulled it out today & knit about 6 inches of the first sleeve. I don't think I ever did post a photo of how it's fitting. I hope you all enjoy the photo because of course as soon as I put the half knit needles hanging out sweater on & had the camera ready with the timer.... the first customer I'd had for over an hour walked in & I was stuck wearing it for about 20 minutes. (answering questions like..."How much for this poncho here?" "Do you have a catalog?" "Where's the fabric?") So without further ado~

At this point I had knit the lace, but hadn't done the purl ridges yet. I finished those up right before my class. I like the way the sweater is fitting. I was quite worried that the sleeve would be too big above the lace & way tight in the lace section. No fear, it fits really well. I also took time to weave in the 16 or so ends that I had so far. I am a big fan of weaving in ends as you go (once you're pretty sure your not going to rip the whole thing out).

I also finished the first Candy Dragon Sock~

Just a quick review, the yarn is Blue Moon Sock Candy. 96% Cotton, 4% Elite (for stretch) in Carbon.

It takes 2 balls for an average pair of socks.

I knitting the scaled up version of the Here Be Dragon Socks designed by Teresa at Keyboard Biologist.

The pattern is wonderful, she carried the stitch detail into the heel & the toe shaping. Very clever! I've mentioned before how much I enjoy knitting this yarn. I wore it all evening & it still felt pretty snug, then I tossed it into the washer & dryer before putting it on temporary display (until the second sock is finished... then they're all mine!)

Speaking of sock yarn... how about a little yarn porn?

Yum! This is the "Karma's a Bitch" 100% merino sock yarn I picked up over at Scouts. The green just pops. She's had a tough day... go buy some yarn! It's for a good cause ( how can a blogger live without a car or a laptop!)

Tonight walking to my painting class I decided I just had to have some hand/wrist warmers that covered my fingers better. Luckily Bev gave me a lonely single skein of Koigu in the KSKS swap. I split it in two & pulled out my favorite needles, size 1 Rosewood double-points. I'm just knitting them as long as I can...

The theory is that I can wear them down when walking outside....

And then flip the ribbing up when I need more use of my hands (i.e. knitting....)

Now I just need to finish these by my next class on Wednesday...

I have a new design that I'm so excited to share with everyone.

The pattern is available free to members of the Six Sox Knitalong.
Please go check out their website, they are a great group of knitters.

Hello from Michigan, if you hadn't gleaned from other blogs yet, we got snow today. Not just the usual early season light flurries (early season as in like 3 weeks from now), no we got serious accumulating snow. I took pictures all day, but  this one from when I came home really took the cake~

Snow October 12, 2006

To add to the freaked out first snow driving (apparently Michiganders forget how to drive in snow over the few snow free months we have each summer), there was some loose wire that caused random power-outages all over East Lansing & all the traffic lights were out in the worst engineered group of intersections in town. I (and most of my customer this morning) almost got hit attempting to time the 4 lanes of cross traffic stopping at the same time at the sign so myself on my little one lane road could floor it and pray I make it across. Apparently they didn't realize that the fact that they had a stop sign not only meant that they needed to sort of slow down before blowing through the intersection, it meant that I should get a turn to cross too.

I did get my first pair of Socktober Socks finished. My tactic for socktober is to only knit second socks, I can't start any new pairs.

FO #1 Your brother is your uncle socks.

These socks have a tangled genetic history you don't want to even start to untangle.

Yarn: Socks That Rock Light~ X-mas Rock

Needles: size 1 CPY 26" circular, magic loop method (these were my socks I knit along with my magic loop class)

Sock 1: Railroad rib (from Vintage Socks), short row heel v2.0, short row toe, 1/2" too long

Sock 2: stockinette, short row heel v4.0, swirl toe, correct length, but I didn't do enough rows of the heel & it's a bit snug over the instep

Result, they fit well enough that they will get worn. This colorway has too much contrast to look good in a pattern with lots of purls, they just muddy down the color. I like sock 2 better all around. I learned some new tricks for short row heels & if I hadn't stopped so soon it would fit fine.

Sock Lineup:

My next two socks to be worked on are the second Here Be Dragons socks out of BMFA Sock Candy~

The other sock is the second High Seas sock in my Romeo & Juliknit colorway~

I hope to add at least these 3 pairs of socks into the winter rotation if not a few others before the end of the month.

The dangerous thing though is that finishing socks means emptying needles. An empty sock needle is a very tempting thing.

FO #2

My mitten swap mittens are now finished. I wish I could keep them.

I did find the most amazing mitten pattern today. I'm talking with the designer & I hope to have these in the store soon...

Check out the Fiber Fish!

They really don't get any cuter than that! I'm down scaling the pattern a bit & knitting these for my cousins kids. The oldest is around 5. I think they will go nuts over fish mittens.

I already cast-on for the first one (cause if I don't use that size 1 circular socks will be cast-on)

My big change is that I'm starting with 4 mitered squares instead of 5 & making the numbers work to scale from there. So far I'm finding the pattern well written & a great design.

Most of my first socks were unlucky enough to be 'only children' I was so excited that after one sock I just wanted to go on and try something new. I also knit a lot of samples for both my yarn & for the store . Samples only need to be a single sock. The plan was to knit a second one whenever I decided the sock didn't need to be displayed any longer. (I thought ahead enough to set aside enough yarn in my stash to knit that second sock)
I found 2 socks in my collection that the yarn is no longer in the shop so it's time to knit up a partner. Today I pulled out a sock I treasured when knitting the first one, made lots of mistakes in the knitting, cried when shortly after finishing it I found out I could no longer get the base yarn that I had been dyeing, then buried in some pile to be lost for several years.
I want to introduce you to my lovely alpaca sock. I was really worried about it wearing out so I doubled the yarn in the heel & toes. This made the toes really uncomfortable so they had to go!

Then when I started knitting the toes again I remembered that last year we had used a bit of this yarn to knit a Barbie poncho (don't judge!) & somehow the outside of the ball got lots of little  cuts in it. So after I found 4 or 5 less than 2 yard pieces I pulled out my progress & started over from the inside...

In the end I fudged a 3 part swirl toe & started the second sock before I forgot how many stitches I had on the first one.

BTW: alpaca sock yarn on rosewood double points is very very slippery! My stitches kept popping off the end of the needles & the needles completely falling off in my knitting bag. I rediscovered a toy my mom got in a vintage needle auction on ebay. At the time we had no idea what this needle case with a hole in it is for, then luckily Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) enlightened us all when she received one of these sock in progress cases. It's just what I needed for this project!

I also got a very cool package today, My funky Scarf~

Trent insisted on helping photograph it.

I totally love the scarf. I wore it all day (due to the single pane windows that give no insulation at the shop & early snow). The colors are perfect, The yarn is super soft, (the chocolate was yummy & long gone), and I totally love Lucy Neatby scarf patterns (which I think this is).

The only thing is, Funkier Scarfimus, who are you? There was no note in the box. I'm sending you a big Thank You anyways & I hope you clue me into your identity.

I've finished the second second sock for socktoberfest (what a mouth full!)

A bit of motivation goes a long way, it took well under 30 hours to knit the second Dragon Scale Sock.

Eyes on the prize

You can really tell which sock is the new one & which one was washed & dried.

It's a good thing that I like the color in the washed sock better.

Pattern: Here There Be Dragons Scaled Up Version

Yarn: 2 skeins of BMFA Sock Candy in Carbon

Needles: CPY Bamboo 35" circ size 1 (magic Loop)

No changes from the pattern. I did use toe option 2 just because that's where the repeat ended on the foot. (this may be the first sock I've just knit from the pattern with no changes) I love her short row heel btw. Best looking one I've knit. Probably will become my go to short row heel.

New Socks,

So my reward for finishing up 2 second socks is to knit some Detroit Tigers socks for the World Series next weekend. My goal is to have them finished for the first game on Saturday. So far that's looking good. I started them Sunday night.

Here they are before my class this evening~

And after the Red Wings game (they are looking so good this season! They scored 3 goals tonight, a short hand goal, a power play goal, & a even handed goal. Talk about variety)

I created the chart for the Old Fashion D using Knit Visualizer & Photoshop. I needed to squish the chart before filling it in to ensure the proper dimensions (knit visualizer makes square boxes in charts, perfect for colorwork, fine for stitch pattern charts, not so great for creating intarsia or duplicate stitch charts). Then I overlaid an image I 'borrowed' from their online gift shop & filled in my chart. I opted to use duplicate stitch because the other option was intarsia & that just wasn't going to happen. Plus it gives the design a raised look to mimic the embroidery seen on most sports memorabilia.And for the World Series, we still don't know who were playing. The Cardinals & Mets are tied 2,2 with 2 rain delayed games so far in the series. So another travel day without rest. When a sportscaster was asked which team the delay benefited he easily responded, The Tigers. Who ever manages to win the National League will have been battling it out all week and their pitchers will be exhausted.  I wish I wasn't working this weekend!

Okay, I'm rounding second base & running home on my Tigers Socks! The first sock is finished & the second is just past the top ribbing. I'm totally in love with these socks & they're really helping me pass the week off between them winning the ALCS and the beginning of the World Series. Then it's back to tense nervous knitting during the games on my second Alpaca Sock (an alpaca sock can't be too dense so it got volunteered for playoff knitting)
In the mean time I'll show you some eye candy from the first sock!

A closeup of the chart~ (mmm... duplicate stitch)
(note: I used the old fashion D they paint behind home plate rather than the version on their uniforms. This is also the one on most of the fan gear)

And possibly my favorite part, the end of the toe.

Of course I love it because it meant the sock was finished because of the details I used in the toe decreasing. I pulled the rib all the way to the end doing decreases right at the rib's edge. Then when I kitchenered stitched it closed I used both a knit & purl graft to create a look that the ribbing just bends back into it self. It's all in the small details!

(there are two posts today so look below for news on recent Swaps)

We had a bit of sun this last few days & I can finally show off the Orchid I gave my mom for her Birthday. I don't do terribly well with houseplants, so I leave that to her, but I sure love looking at the end result!

I had such a hard time choosing. Her request was something unusual looking. It came down to the frilly purple spotted one (above) and a odd green one that reminded me of a pitcher plant w/ spotted leaves. The purple won simply because it had an unopened bud so it would last longer.

I also finished up the first orange handspun sock!

All I can say right now is that there will be many handspun socks in my future...

I also was a bit bad & started a new shawl (because the peacock shawl is really trying my patience right now...).
I want to introduce the Adagio Merging Colors Shawl (kit from Candice Eisner Strick) The shawl uses 8 colors of lace weight, 3 strands at a time, for a total of 24 color combos. This allows you to slowly shift from one color to the next!

I like the extra increases along the neck edge in the beginning of the shawl so it stays on when you wear it. Here's a closeup, I've gotten into the 3rd color combo... can you see the changes?

(it's only slightly more noticeable in person)

I'm knitting lots of orange right now. Orange is not one of those colors I love, but I don't hate it either. Perhaps it's just one of those colors that can go wrong very quickly... (like some especially fugly green & orange sock yarn I was gifted once) Right now though, Michigan is mostly cold, wet, and gray so the orange is a nice bright spot in my day. We had a nice break in the cloud cover on my way home so I snapped a quick Saturday Sky picture in my side view mirror.

Tonight I went to listen to an evening of Mozart. This called for a mobile knitting project (don't worry I put it away during the concert). I remembered that I had been knitting those handspun socks up until a few days ago. So out they came & I knit about half a sock!

On the first sock I was still a  bit worried about yardage and it's snug but not too small. Now that I see how much yarn I have left & think I may rip the first toe and knit about another 1/2 inch just to be on the safe side.

I also spent a bit of time on the orange baby sweater. The body is all finished & now I'm fudging my way through the sleeves. It's such a simple design that I'm changing it to picked up stitches (rather than seams) and knit in the round where ever possible. The big stalling point now is finding those pesky size 5 double points...

Okay,
I took a night for myself last night & decided that I'd skip blogging for a night. Which means I've got a bit to cover today because for the first time all week I've really been knitting!

First off, I finished the sweater for the Dutchicans. We'll have to convince Kristi to give us the cute baby in sweater pictures in a few months. In the mean time here's the not so exciting baby sweater sans baby pictures...

& the little button I added along the waist band.

The buttons are all for show. They are very securely sewn on & the two closest to the neck have snaps behind them that open up the neck line to expedite the stuffing of the child into the sweater.

Now I just have 2 hats & a pair of booties to knit in about 2 weeks...

I also started my second Iris Garden sock the day before I got hurt. So, today I picked it up and almost got through the end of the foot.

I think I figured something interesting out. It's not good luck or bad luck. It's how you react to the world around you. I don't think the last few days have been that much better than last week (in fact I found out that my last connection coming back from Seattle was rescheduled to 4 hours before my plane gets to the airport... obviously not going to work, but they said they'll fix it the first week in January so I'm not stressing). The secret is just that I'm back to being a duck.
Time to picture Rae being really odd bouncing her feet around singing~
*Twas just a little bit of luck that I was born a baby duck
With yellow socks & yellow shoes so I can go where ever I choose
Quack quack quack quack quack Quack quack quack quack quack*
No seriously I pride myself on my duckiness.
Stress & bad stuff just rolls off my back (like water on  a ducks back). I just go through life splashing around having a good time.
Warning... jumping tracks here momentarily...
I do have a pattern for adult size duck feet socks. I always have wanted to knit them! Got to love 80s knitting books...

Okay back to the whole good mood thing. Maybe it was just a change in the weather. Sunday when I went to work the sun was just shinning. One of the most ideal beautiful days ever! I could have laid out by the pond for hours (much better than being inside a windowless cinder block building). In my mind I was out there by the pond all day.

Did I mention that I just discovered that I have Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill on my iTunes. That's some feel good music!

I also finally am having a good round of Secret Pal!
My SP9 pal send me a fantastic package today.

The sock yarn is soft & absolutely gorgeous. I'm totally in love with the yarn. There's over 500 yards there so I'm thinking knee socks. Plus there was lip gloss with no artificial crud in it, both hot chocolate & white hot chocolate (how did she know that white hot chocolate is my favorite!), some tropical drink mix, a magazine, and more chocolate! I'm blown away. Thank You so Much!!!

I also am zipping along on my second Iris Garden sock. If I remember to bring it with me tomorrow I may even finish it up.

I'm trying to decide what to write across the front of this one. My plan was to put my name in (RAE), but I'm leaning toward maybe ZEN or KNIT. Maybe I'll go see which letters look coolest and find a way to use them all. (I swear I haven't been drinking tonight... Just letting my guard down a little too much).

Last thoughts, tomorrow is going to rock! I'm voting on my way to work. Tomorrow night... The political ads stop! It has been just stupid the last day or two. Tonight I saw a Granholm ad, then a De Vos ad, then another Granholm ad, then one more De Vos ad all right in a row. I'm voting for the end of political ads.

But seriously, Go Vote!!!! It's important, I don't care what party your for or what you find important. The important thing is to use your chance to be part of the system. If that's not good enough chew on this. If the person who you don't like wins at least you can then say "Don't look at me, I voted for the other guy!" This phrase really helped me out in Europe right after Bush was reelected. (I was there the week they renamed French fries, Freedom Fries.)

BTW, expect to hear Alanis Morissette tomorrow at the store. I'm really grooving to it

So, I had to slow down last night. I've been letting myself get so stressed out the last few weeks. I actually got upset enough on Friday to make myself physically sick. So, my rule for the next weeks until I see my Doctor is that I need to stay calm, be the duck (see a post about a week ago if you didn't get that one...), the calm pond, visualize myself in my happy place (on a lake up in the mountains), what ever it takes. The deadline knitting (chart riddled black lace scarf) just had to go on the side lines. I can't handle a deadline right now. I also can't handle knitting that particular project at the moment.
So, what to knit?
I found my most pleasurable knitting projects, decided to use those magic words like Alpaca, silk, and cashmere & I became the finisher!
(lots of pictures in the rest of the post... just to warn you)

First off, I finished my Cashmere thrummed mittens~

Yarn: 2 balls of Louisa Harding Grace (Wool/Silk) & 1oz of brown cashmere from Ashland Bay (the best cashmere roving I've found... so soft!)

Pattern: Thrummed Mittens from My Bagatelle

I love these mittens! I wore them all day today. Can you tell which one was finished a month ago & had been tried on by God know how many customers & which one was finished Friday? I'll be so happy when they both have that lovely cashmere halo.

Then I dug into some new products & knit these little dragonfly adorned wrist warmers~

Yarn: Elsabeth Lavold Silky Cashmere (55% silk 45% cashmere... this is a truly magic combination!) 1 skein made a pair with leftovers.

Pattern: wrist warmers from E. Lavold Book #10

In fact I liked them so much I made a second pair out of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran~

These are for Sunday (the big Opera & dinner). You can see that I actually painted my nails to coordinate with my shoes. I know my wrists get warm & then that causes my tendinitis to flair up so I needed some fancy warmers that went with my outfit. Today I also found these fab 100% cashmere gloves with little cables on the cuffs. The best part is that the fingers aren't too long for my hand. If you can see in the picture above, I have freakishly short hands. Here's a better view of the accessories for tomorrow.

I love the whole thing... Aren't those shoes so cute. I even like the purse. My dress has a beaded ribbon belt, so the purse really picks it up. I'm looking forward to a big day.

My big finished project is my Iris Garden socks!!!

Yarn: My Amber sock yarn in Dahlia & the yarn my dye-o-rama pal dyed for me using a machine knit blank (this yarn inspired my Iris Garden colorway)

Pattern: My Own! Iris Garden socks, pattern currently only available through the Six Sox Knitalong on Yahoo Groups.

What can I say. I love the socks, how couldn't I? I did better keeping the leg loose on the second sock so it goes over my heel better & the pattern distorts less when I where it.

Why put YES! on the second sock?

1~ I need something to help me remember to stay calm & happy. YES! is a very positive message.

2~ There were three letters I really wanted to use in my alphabet chart, K Y S. I figured out that YES was a pretty good way to at least use 2 of the 3. (KEYS could have used all three, but would have made even less sense)

I needed some portable knitting for the ride to and from Detroit tomorrow, so I cast-on for a new pair of socks~

This yarn rocks! Meet 'Karma's a Bitch' from Scout's Swag. I'm going to knit myself some toe-up knee socks. That will really cheer me up.

I'm so tired. Today was absolutely fabulous & so much fun. Barber of Seville was so funny. I think that if you're interested in going to an Opera it is probably a very good first opera. It's only about 2 hours long, it's very funny, you'll recognize several of the pieces, and no... there are no large ladies wearing Viking hats.
Dinner was delicious, the company was entertaining, and I didn't fall off my shoes.

I even got a bit of knitting done in the car~

Nothing wrong with bringing a bit of Karma with you!

Okay, I have a bit more to say, but first I need to ask my family (that's you Mom) not to read the rest. No, it's not juicy or anything...

Okay,
First off... sorry to disappoint you all but no photos were taken Sunday of us all dressed up. It was a hectic day & pictures just didn't happen.

But, I tonight I did get a chance to break out a toy I purchased a few weeks ago. My new light box!

Now, I know they're easy & cheap to build, but I don't have room to store one made out of PVC or a cardboard box. So, I purchased one of those collapsible Nylon ones off ebay.

I think it still works pretty well, my favorite photo so far is my mom's Yarn Aboard goodies~

I only am using the overhead light in the room & one compact fluorescent lamp. For the record the backgrounds that come with the cheap light boxes are completely useless. I went and got myself a few nice art papers at Michaels.

We also got the new Pink Denise kits in today. Part of the profits are going to an excellent Breast Cancer research charity (they pay their own running costs, so all the donations go right to research!)

Plus, don't they just look so pretty in pink?

(if you already have a kit & want pink cables they also released the accessory kits & longer cables in pink!)

I've had a full day... I hope yours were all filled with food & family.

We had a big family get together. A grand total of 15 people & 4 generations. We would have had about 20, but some of the menfolk were having the more manly festivities at the Lions game. You would not believe how fast my cats disappeared as soon as those kids walked into the house. They went to that super special hiding space that they can hide in for hours without you ever finding them ( no matter what you bribe them with or where you search). Now we're all settled in for the evening & relaxing a bit.

My other excitement right now is working on our local production of The Nutcracker. This entailed over 14 hours at Wharton Center wednesday, another 14 Friday, plus shows on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Add that to working at the store Saturday & Monday, a second Thanksgiving meal on Sunday night, and class Monday night. Please excuse me if you don't hear from me too much over the next few days.

Yesterday I luckily had some down time to knit. My socks are mere inches from being finished! (the first one at least)

Our break room for the weekend is actually pretty posh, we even have a small couch.

I also started a last minute entry for Norovember. Just a Silk Garden scarf. 2 rows in each of two colors in a 2x2 rib. This was great knitting for a family day. Almost mindless...

One last little thing. Our local knitting guild had a sale night this week. I was there representing my store & had a wonderful time! I also picked up a special little cone of yarn from another local shop.

It's Habu Silk Stainless Steel. This was on my list of cool yarns I want to use in my book. The problem now is finding some inspiration for a mens knit in this lace weight yarn... ( I already thought of lots of knits for me, but all way to feminine for the book) I guess it gets to sit out looking pretty for a while!

A Toast to the end of a long hard weekend & to a well earned day off!

So, as many of you know I had a hard weekend. I worked a bunch of 14+ hour days, had a fun bonus Thanksgiving dinner, and topped it off with a 5am wake up call this morning.

Nutcracker was fun. I will be looking forward to working it again next year. It's really nice to work in the theatre a few times a year. Nothings better to just give me a bit of energy (well, all but that early morning show today). The kids & parents really were just terrific & since I hadn't seen Nutcracker in probably 10+ years sitting through a few shows was a breeze.

I did find some knitting time.... My 'Karma's a Bitch' socks grew just a tad~

I had no scale with me at Wharton, so I got a bit nervous about how much yarn I was using. The longer sock is on stitch holders & I'll knit the second sock up to that point to see how yarn usage looks. I'm hoping to add about 2 inches of 1x1 ribbing to the length of the first sock.

I also started a new pair of socks today now that I can knit in something other than complete darkness (that second sock was knit completely backstage except for the heel!). Luckily Theresa released her Whiskers & Paw  Prints sock pattern.

This is a fun technical pattern filled with her terrific little details. I especially love the cat paw for the toe. I cast-on with the lovely Claudia's Handpainted sock yarn. I noticed in my swatch this weekend that this yarn simply doesn't pool. You'd need to knit a sock with like 130 stitches around to make this yarn pool. Totally cool! In fact each color is only used once per repeat, but it lasts for about 2/3 of a round. It's working really well for the stranded 'cat whisker' stitches on this sock.

Unfortunately I did have one tiny issue with the yarn. After knitting the picot cuff & 2 repeats of the stitch pattern I noticed my hands were completely purple! I still haven't gotten it completely scrubbed off. So, I reskeined the hanks & started washing...

A half dozen washings & a vinegar soak didn't do the trick, so into the microwave it went!

My sock got to just hang out for 10 minutes until the dye was exhausted~

Now, as a dyer I understand how difficult it is to get the dye exhausted in this saturated of a colorway. I doubt this is an issue in most of her yarns. If you ever have this sort of trouble in any wool (or any animal) based yarn it's really easy to solve. Soak for a while in a water and vinegar bath (I used about a half cup of vinegar in a sink of water). Then place in  a glass dish lightly covered with plastic wrap. Microwave in 2 minute intervals until the water at the bottom of the dish is clear. Then let it completely cool & rinse.

I love this sock pattern with this yarn. The picture at the top of the post shows how far I got tonight.

So, I have Tuesday off & I know I'm looking forward to a trip to Ikea and a bit of rest! Then time to get back to my absolutely wonderful routine.

We now once again have working Internet service!
I think the biggest news from this week is our new shelving unit for the store's back room. Previously we had a hodge podge of shelves that didn't hold boxes well, now I have a customized unit that holds at least 4 times as much as the old one did!

It took 2 days to get all those screws in and the shelves up, then I got down to filling them up. I wish we had taken a before picture, the difference is truly amazing.

My other really big news is a finished pair of 'Karma's a Bitch' knee socks. Scout dyed this yarn a month or two back & I've really enjoyed knitting these socks. I had about 500 yards & used all but the last yard or two on these socks. They were knit toe up with a short row heel on size 1 needles. Despite the fact that I have shapely legs I only increased 6 stitches on the legs. The amount of spring in the yarn makes these stay up quite well.

To keep in the vein of socks, I have been working on some Christmas Stockings.

This first one is a store bought stocking I customized for a customer. I don't usually show this sort of thing on the blog, but I'm really happy with how the duplicate stitch worked up.

I've also finally started knitting the next wave of our family Christmas stockings. My Grandma (the one who taught me how to knit) used to knit these for the family. Now I'm attempting to knit a few for new members of the family plus one old one. My dad lost his stocking before I was born & his mother wouldn't knit him a new one. I am knitting him one for Christmas, but like her, I'm only ever knitting him one. He looses it again & he's out of luck!  So, here's his new stocking with one of Grandma's. The eye's and nose will be duplicate stitched on later... (I also choose to photograph is with a different stocking than I based the pattern off of so it's not exactly the same as this one anyways)

Next, I had a new session of my thrummed mitten class start on Thursday night so I took advantage of some new yarn at the shop. This pair is knit in Rowan Tapestry with Camel/Silk roving!

To close things up I'm issuing a warning to make sure small children aren't looking at the screen.

My brother decided to break out his old Teddy Rupskin. He needed a bit of work to clean up the tape deck & get all the workings of the face going. Teddy needed some major surgery to get going again & I couldn't resist a few pictures.

Teddy was a pretty complex toy, especially for being 20 years old. Now we just need a new cable to connect Grummy, a Christmas hat for Teddy, and we get to listen to the wonderful Christmas story book.

Okay,
I'm I'm my Mom's laptop for a while while the main computer is being repaired. So, blogging will be happening!

I want to let you know about a couple of my new patterns.
First off,
My Streamers Hat that I designed for the SWTC Karaoke hat book is currently making it's way to your local yarn stores. You can find photos & more information on this post.
I hope to have copies by the end of the week.

Second,
I want to show off my Thrummed Sock Pattern I designed for the Tofutsie Sock Book.
It's called Tufted Tofutsies~

I had a mini photoshoot this weekend, but alas the photos are locked on the broken computer. Let me tell you though, the look great with the Danskos (and they are so warm!)

The Tofutsies sock yarn is amazing to knit with too. It has enough wool to be lofty & lovely to knit with, but the soysilk adds a wonderful gleam. All the colors should be arriving with the Hat book, I can't wait to choose the color of my next pair.

I'm leaving you with the view from my Dad's house Sunday night. He lives in this quirky old house on the river. He's the last house on the street & right next to his house is a cool round swimming pool in the park. His whole backyard overlooks the river & the power plant. To some it might be a big turn off, but the 3 smokestacks have always fascinated me since I was a kid, plus the power plant makes the most amazing reflections on the river at night.

Next time I need to do a photo shoot for a pattern I need to remember the wooded park, the round pool, and the amazing view of the river. Sometimes I forget that there really are beautiful places in Lansing.

The mighty Trent glooms over his prey. With great intent & stealth his moves in for the kill...

Poor little Ms. Mousie pincushion doesn't know what danger lies only feet away~

Will she escape or will it be off to Mousie death camp?

Trent & I noticed this afternoon that the supply of his favorite toy was running dangerously low. Due to the apparent shortage of fur mice with the all important rattle inside we stooped so low as to clean! A few mice here, a few more there, then we hit his favorite hiding hole.. under the oven. Over 50! little toy mice. At least I don't need to worry about buying any for a long time.

Tonight I finished a big project for me & here's one more quick photo before they get packed up in the morning & sent off to SWTC.

Now it's down to a few last minute Christmas gifts to finish & I can get knitting on my very own pair of Thrummed Socks (they are so warm... I need a pair to keep.)

Today is the Winter Solstice. The day when night is at it's longest and light begins to once again win the battle. I can sure tell you it's not winning today, but slowly it will return.
On this short gray winter's day it seems like a good time to look at a few year end projects & give a bit of an overlook of 2006...
My last bit of Christmas Knitting is officially finished; knit, ends tucked in, blocked, and even has my tag sewn in.

This spring I came up with a basic Double-knit scarf pattern. It features a 'color in your own pattern' chart & when it's released I'm planning to include sample charts for the 4 scarves I have/will knit from it. The 4th and final Double-knit scarf is now sketched out & will be the most complex of them all. I'm planning on using 3 or 4 colors (2 at a time) in a water garden design.
This scarf was knit in Alpaca with a Twist, Baby Alpaca, 2 balls each of white & black.
This particular scarf would be a great first double-knit scarf. There is very little switching of colors in one row. Only 2 of the 3 black key rows require you to switch the main color once in the row. The pattern is also really easy to memorize! Especially if you're familiar with the order of keys on a piano.
I'm also working away at my very own pair of Thrummed Socks...
It's Socks in a Box~

I'm using my own hand-dyed Superfine Merino Roving & Art Yarns UltraMerino 4.
The box is from Namaste Needles. They come with a big candle, but my circular needle & all my sock stuff fit in it much better (plus the candle can't be used while in the box)...

Okay, and if you'd like to see my answers to the Year in Review Meme just click for the extended post.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday. I know that my time spent with family & loved ones was absolutely lovely. (most of my family was smashed on wine by 2pm... add that to Grandparents who filter what they say less and less as they get older & it makes a very interesting Christmas dinner).

I managed to get quite a bit of knitting done. My favored project for the family gathering is my Steam scarf out of Kid Silk Haze. She's about a foot long now. Considering the number of stitches wide it is & the itty bitty needles I think this is commendable progress. (The real accomplishment was not making any mistakes knitting after enjoying 2 glasses of wine)

I also finished up the first of my Thrummed Socks. I love the way the hand dyed thrums turned out on the inside.

Now to wait until the new year when I teach the class to knit the second one. Sigh...

To tide me over I'm knocking another one of those long awaited second socks off my list. The second of my Diamonds Forever socks (one of my first sock designs). Technically I've knit 2 of these, but the first one was in pink & gray cotton/wool the one I'm knitting a partner for is a brown marled Jawoll.

Doesn't look like much yet, I know... but hopefully in a few days it might look a bit like this sock~

Pretty soon I'll have no more of the dreaded heel flap & gusset socks to knit. I hate how those fit my foot, and I don't particularly enjoy knitting them... It does suit this sock pretty well though doesn't it?

So, bright and early tomorrow morning I'm headed off to the LakeDale Resort near Friday Harbor. As much as this is technically a 'working trip' it's also the only vacation I'm likely to get this year, so I'm going to relax and enjoy the island.
As you can imagine the last few days have been hectic, both getting ready for the trip & for being away from the store for a full 7 days (I've never been gone this long since we opened two years ago!). Any of you with a small business know that you get really attached and protective. No matter who your employees are & how much you trust them it's still very nerve wrecking to leave them alone. That said my Mom & Sharon are splitting the week so I think the store's in good hands. Both are great knitters with lots of common sense.
I have all the 'important' things ready for the trip, my iPod now has another 25 cd's worth of music on it, I have knitting projects all sorted out & notions separated into 'plane safe' & 'checked baggage'. Unfortunately I leave in about 13 hours & still don't know what computer I'm taking! This is a writing thing... and my laptop is too old to run Knit Visualizer. My new to me Laptop shipped on Wednesday & I need to call me dad to see if it arrived. If not my brother offered his for the week, but either way I've got a lot of files and programs to load/transfer before I leave in 13 hours!

My Simple Knit Bodice is finished... I hope to take some pics when I'm away to show all of you.
I'm finishing up some traveling socks~

These are in a new yarn from Mondial called Bizarre. It's a worsted weight superwash merino. Each sock is taking one ball. The bizarre part? The second ball is all blue/purple from this point on out! No more green or orange. Crazy?!
I'm calling them my traveling socks because it's a little chilly out there & I always where my Birks for plane rides. Easier for getting through security. Some thick wool socks are just what I'll need for my plethora of plane/car/boat changes tomorrow.
I have been told that we'll have Internet access at the resort so blogging is likely! If not... I'll catch you all next week~

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~

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!

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...)

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)

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~

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?

Spring is finally here in Michigan. Robin & I enjoyed escaping out for a long walk in the April showers. Early flowers are blooming all over the woods. Plus when we go walking in the rain generally we see lots of dogs on the path (and only dogs/dog walkers). The last couple weeks we've been running into a group of black & white dogs on the trail. Robin just loves the border collie in the group (I guess it's a family thing). We found out today that they joined the same agility class we did! So they'll get to play every Wednesday night.
However, that's only part of the whole walking on sunshine thing. Many of you will probably remember the Dragon Shawl I knit last summer. I knit it as a wedding gift for two of my closest friends who are engaged. I love that they found each other, they are the two best people I know. I worked with J all week on Sweet Charity and after the final show on Sunday I went out for Oberon with the two of them. This was the perfect opportunity to present them with the shawl.
Lets just say it went well. They totally understand the value of a handmade gift & I've never felt so good about giving a gift. Especially when they wrapped me in their arms & told me I was a good person. That meant the world coming from them. And she looked so beautiful wrapped in the shawl...
Okay, so yes I was way busy last week. I kept thinking I'd blog when I got home, but I was working 12+ hour days & pretty much fell right asleep when I walked in the door.
One thing that happens when I work in the theatre is I usually knit lots of socks.
First up for last week was finishing my Monkey socks. These really ended up as almost a tribute to Cookie... seeing as how I used her pattern & her blog colors. So I decided to take it one step further & use my leg to take the photos!

There are 2 socks, but I only had one leg to use...

This is one of the 2 spots I changed from the pattern. I swapped out the heel for a short row heel & carried the stitch pattern down into the back of the heel.

and I'm pretty sure this is different from the pattern... I think I'd lost the instructions by the toe. Well, either way I again carried the stitch pattern down the top of the toe.
Can I just say that I love these socks. I'd totally knit this pattern again!
I knit more socks over the week, but I think I'll cover those tomorrow... but just a quick sneak peek...

(it's Socks That Rock w/ silk in it)
Good Night Robin
Good Night Siouxsie

Good Night Moon

If you haven't read this news story you need to check it out!
THOUSANDS of rich women were conned by a firm into believing LAMBS were valuable miniature POODLES.

So,
in the last installment I showed you all the amazing new Socks that Rock Silkie. Yep, 3.5oz, a touch under 400 yd per hank, 81% superwash merino, 19% silk. Wow...
Plus with half a skein you can just eek out one of these~



Right now this yarn is only available to Sock Club members, but the rumor is that it should be available on their website soonish. I'm using all my will not to knit the second sock right away.
Now why would I do such a thing? Well, I have another new sock yarn that needs to be tested out!
This is a limited time sock yarn from Rio De La Plata~

Can you say yum?! Again the word on the street is that they are only making these shifting multi-ply yarns this one time. I have a ton at the store right now, but once it's gone I probably will not be able to get it in again. (that makes me really sad, but there's nothing I can do about it...)
Some Doggie news...
Now that I'm home again at night Robin & I are back on the trails every evening. Walks are becoming quite pleasant with spring in full force.

If you're in the Lansing area I have a really cool dog event to invite you to.
This Friday from 5:30-8:00 the Friends of Greater Lansing Dog Parks is hosting a Dog Paddle at Hawk Hallow! Robin & I are so going to be there.
More information is available on their website.
Speaking of Robin...

I think he's telling me to keep my eyes on the road! (no worries we were at a red light)
We finally start out agility class tonight. Wednesday has just been a bad night for rain. Luckily the forecast looks good for tonight (knock on wood).
To prep for class I spent last evening baking doggie treats.


Those are doggie banana bread & cinnamon chicken treats. Robin approves!
These are the easiest things I've ever baked and none of the ingredients are gross. Most are probably already in your cupboard. Usually meaty flavored treats involve things like putting liver through a food processor, but this recipe used canned low sodium chicken broth. Very easy.

I have a hot new sock design on my needles right now & I definitely need a test knitter or two to double check my math on this one.
What I'm looking for is a knitter who is comfortable following a pattern & doing short rows. This sock pattern uses both a short row heel & the stitch pattern on the leg makes extensive use of short rows...
Most importantly I need someone who will knit the sock exactly to the pattern & who is willing to give me honest feedback about how the sock knit up.

How test knitting works... once I choose you as a test knitter I'll send you a copy of the sock pattern. You then knit it up with yarn from your stash & send me feedback about any issues or mistakes you find with the pattern. Once you're finished knitting a sock (I only require you to knit one, but I hope you'll enjoy them enough to finish the pair) I'll send you enough yarn to knit a pair of socks. The quicker you knit up the socks & the more you communicate the better the yarn reward at the end (hint... I have access to some good sock yarn.... Socks That Rock, Claudia's, Fleece Artist...)

So do you want a peak at the pattern?
I thought so~

It's a little wonky in it's unblocked state, but you get the idea!

Update: I think I've found a few knitters who will work! I will have more test knitting coming up this fall & I'll keep taking names of interested knitters for later use.

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I've added a bunch of photos to my Flower Photo album on Flickr. If you're interested just click on the Peony to hop over & see them all~

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In shop news, Lexie Barnes bags arrived today! Talk about super fast shipping.
Now how do I decide which one to stash away for myself?

I also picked up some cool new file drawers for the patterns at the shop. They're Steel Case so I don't think we'll have any issues with drawers getting stuck open or handles falling off this time. I decided to go ahead & paint this set red. I love red...

Last I just want to share one more photo of my Evolution from Chameleon Colorworks. This yarn just so photogenic & so squeezably soft~

Well the positive first...
The knit-in went just wonderful last night. Thank You to all the MMKG members who were absolutely wonderful guests. I would be totally willing to do that again if a fill in is ever again needed. (how often would you be willing to say that after somewhere between 20-30 people invaded your home for 4 hours?)
Plus I got a chance to relax & knit. I even finished a sock! (Pegasus doesn't make for good group knitting...)
This is my first sock out of the limited edition Rio De La Plata Multi Ply Sock Yarn~

I loves it
I loves it alot
I will be bringing home several more skeins of this yarn before it disappears forever.
I was wearing my handspun merino socks (my favorite socks of all time) when I finished this sock & I have never had store bought yarn that came so close to matching the softness & squishiness of handspun merino before. Yum...

Yet...

(warning I'm going to whine a bunch after this point, if you don't want to listen to me whine you may want to continue on to your next blog stop now)

I'm just in a bad funk. I've tried positive thinking, funny movies, spending time with friends, playing with my puppy, giving myself a facial & foot soak, knitting things that make me really happy, sitting in the sun on my hammock, and still I'm really miserable right now.

Despite the wonderful time I had last night, I still came off the event with a bad cut on my right hand (from my brand new ceramic pot that fell of the shelf right before the party and broke behind the back tire of my car, thankfully I haven't noticed it leaking any air) and a huge bruise on my left leg that I don't even quite remember how it happened.
Then I forgot to turn my alarm back on (yesterday was my morning off & there for the alarm had been off) and I overslept. Of course

I've got to go, I think the shop next door is on fire!

*edited about 2 hours later*
Yes - There was a fire next door at the Camera Shop, I had to stop writing earlier because the fire department was evacuating the building.
Luckily (very luckily) the fire department got there quickly & the fire quickly put out. A flourscent light got a short in it & caught the fixture on fire. For some amazing reason neither the dark room chemicals directly below (that sparks were landing on) nor the ceiling tiles (with 20 years worth of dust and gunk on them) caught on fire. If either of those had caught the fire department told us it could have been a much worse situation.

As it was that was the second electrical short of the day. The first one was at my shop. I plugged in the set of lights over the pattern file & sale area this morning & the plug started smoking and sparks flew out of it. Luckily I was able to pull the plug out quickly and the only damage was a black melted plug.

Another lovely part of the day was the above incident prompted me to do a safety check. I made sure the fire extinguisher was charged & decided to check the smoke detector too. Well it works, however for some reason after you check it it beeps once a minute for over a half an hour. Why? I don't know. I had such a splitting headach I decided just to chuck it into the parking lot & not take it in till after it stopped beeping.

Okay, I'm under strict orders to relax for the night, so I'm going to watch the Tigers clobber the Nationals, knit on the second Rio Sock (I'm in no frame of mind for lace), and eat some chocolate. Maybe if I feel motivated I'll make myself a cosmo...

First off, I need to say a big Thank You to Nicole who was my spoiler for SP10.
She sent me one last package for this round.

Completely by coincidence I assigned Nicole to be my spoiler in the Knitting Gnome Swap I'm hosting, so you'll be seeing her mentioned again in a few months, in the mean time, Thanks Nicole for making this a great round of Secret Pal!

So, I'm feeling better & better after my meltdown earlier this week. Tonight I brought Robin over to my dad's house to visit and watch the Tigers Game. Robin had a great time visiting with Aspen (my dad's Samoyed, who is unfortunately on her last legs) and Aspen seems to perk back up when Robin visits, so I try to bring him over when I can.
Tonight was Kenny Rogers first night back pitching & he was as on his game as he was in the playoffs. It was a great game to watch! Plus Cleveland lost to the Nationals (who's ass we kicked 3 times earlier this week & who could arguably be the worst team in baseball) so we are now the top team in our division.

I finished my Rio De La Plata socks on Thursday. I totally love them. I think the only pair of socks I love more are my handspun pair. I wore them today & they are so comfy.

These socks were my "worry beads" this week, so nothing fancy with this pair. These are my Plain Jane toe-up socks. I can practically knit these in my sleep.

I got my Socks That Rock kit yesterday too, I decided I wasn't done with my need for some worry bead socks. I managed to knit all this today...

This photo was taken late at night, in sun this yarn is just stunning. It looks like some fruity tropical drink. Plus I think the way the yarn is pooling/spiraling is very cool.
I'm going to weight the yarn tomorrow at work so I make sure I have enough for the second sock. I'm going to love to wear these socks!

(okay, sing it with me... and remember the bad German Accent)
I'm tired,
tired of playing the game,
ain't it a crying shame?
I'm so tired,
God dammit I'm tired!

ok, if you think I'm crazy about now you all need to go sit down and watch Blazing Saddles.

So, I'm way more swamped with Wicked than I thought I'd be. I wasn't told that
A: There was 2 shows on the first Thursday, not 1
B: Every single day of the 2 week run I was expected to be there for a 4 hour work call before the first show (including Thursday, Saturday & Sunday which works out to arriving about 8am and leaving around 11pm).

I'm just Tired

However, even though I'm stumbling through the day, my knitting is helping me make it through.
Last week I knit the second sock with my STR club yarn from June.

They're my basic toe-up socks. My thoughtless knitting...

The next sock needs a bit more attention paid to it~

They sort of are Silvia Harding's Water Lilly Socks. I knit to about this point 2 months ago (when I first got my sockapalooza match) and it was humongous! So I got rid of a dozen or so stitches, dropped down 2 needle sizes, started over. I had to try & figure out the lace, cables, and beading from memory though since I had apparently lost the pattern. Lets just say that when I finally got a new copy today that my memory isn't very exact.
Oh, well, now they're just going to be unique. I charted out my interpretation so I can knit the second sock the same.

Gosh,
Have you ever gotten to that point where you're so beyond tired that you can't even be civil with people any more. Last night I had to run to Meijers (super huge grocery store...) after my 12 hour work day to make sure I had enough food for the weekend. I was walking around the store like a zombie. Getting a little too upset over very silly stuff (like them being out of Robin's puppy food). Then when I was choosing bananas some poor unsuspecting guy decided to try and strike up a conversation. I think he thought I was famous or something. He noticed I was wearing a Lion King shirt. Then he asked if I was in the movie or the play.
ummm... No
I just grabbed my bananas & bee lined to the check out.

Later I fell asleep mid sentence, with the reading light on, my glasses still on my face, and my John Grisham novel still in my arms.

However, as usual, working on a show has provided a decent amount of knitting time. My first Sockapalooza sock should be finished some time tomorrow!

Some new super cool sock yarn arrived at the store tomorrow... no wait yesterday (maybe I'm just a little trippy too)

These will be for when I'm finished with my sockapalooza socks. I love Panda Cotton & I foresee a similar love forming for Maizy.

I also am making headway on my project that hates the camera...

This has been my break time project. Since I don't smoke, I knit. No reason I shouldn't get to enjoy my breaks too. Actually all those 15 minute breaks (along with a bit at dinner too) add up quite fast. My stole is well over a foot long now. It's hard to tell because it's garter stitch lace & is just a rumpled mess right now.

Okay,
I'll be back in the world of the living sometime Tuesday maybe. Until then Happy Knitting~

Some things in life just take two.

Such as little striped baby things...

I used another skein of purple & another skein of green plus the left overs from my BSJ to knit up a cute matching hat. The pattern is my EZ Fit Hat. I tried to mimic, but not match, the stripes. Plus I had another elephant button, so that had to go on the hat.

Socks also take two.
This is only the first, but another will be joining it shortly!

Still can't get a good photo of this one, but they are quite pretty. However I'm now on a deadline, so I need to get going on these!

It takes two to be a team.
Robin & I spent the week strengthening our little team. Tuesday (or it that Twosday?) we learned how to run & bike. Specifically I was on the bike & Robin was running. This is actually quite difficult, but I think we pulled it off really well for our first try. Robin understands heeling well enough that he stayed right next to me & didn't try to cut in front of the bike, nor was he afraid of the bike.
I had to learn what his speeds were (much slower than I usually bike is the easy answer) and use his commands from agility to cue him when we were going to change from walk to jog to run (I use "move it" and "slow"). I also had to pay a lot of attention to how tired he was getting & when he needed a potty break.
It was lots of fun & Robin just enjoys running so much. I'm glad we found a way for him to get a good run in & for me not to ruin my knees keeping up.

Tonight we had a quick agility refresher in the back yard because class begins again Thursday night. Wish us luck!

B is for Baseball

Despite my complete inability to play baseball I have a deep love for the sport.
I was born the year before the Tigers last won the World Series. I've been told that I was just a "babe in arms" when I went to my first game. I don't remember watching many games on the television growing up, but I remember working in the fields (planting trees) with the Tigers blasting on my dad's old red radio (the same radio he has now & I think it saw better days well before the 80s). I also remember my brother & I catching balls during batting practice and pretty much ruling the bleachers at old Tiger's Stadium. My glove, the balls we caught, and my baseball cards were prized possessions.


That love has followed me my whole life. I may have cooled on the whole baseball card thing, but I never lost faith in my Tigers. Eventually Tigers Stadium went away, Comerica Park rose up, and the Tigers went from the worst team in baseball practically ever (only one game short of the record most losses) to the world series in just a few short years. Sqee!
All I can say is I'm wearing my lucky socks this post season...

Okay, now for something completely different.
I'm finding my knitting mojo again. My Sockapalooza socks are finished and winging their way to their new home.

The Pegasus Shawl is slowly gaining momentum again & will be finished up before you know it.

I rediscover my love for a pattern I wrote a few years ago. In my now wiser state I'm revamping the pattern. I know so much more about afterthought heels & making them fit now that I just need to fix this pattern up. Plus I found that perfect yarn that alluded me when I knit this pattern up for Magknits.

This pattern was originally designed for a yarn SWTC was going to come out with that eventually sort of turned into Tofutsies. The stripes in the JoJoLand look so much like what I intended the pattern to look like. I'm happy!

I also am once again working on the socks I was designing before Wicked took my attention away. This is the third sock & once I'm done the pattern will be completely proofed and ready for sale. I'm not showing the cool part of the pattern in this photo, but just look at how lovely this yarn is!

Yes, there is still more...
My reward for finishing up my Sockapalooza socks in time was to dig into my precious Sea Wool. I can't say enough lovely things about this yarn. It maybe the best sock yarn I've ever knit. However, as much as I like Sea Wool, and as much as I like the Mad Color Weave Socks, together they just don't rock my boat. This attempt will be ripped, but I'm determined to find the right pattern quickly. I'm thinking Potomus maybe (yes I know it's spelled wrong)

However this big box may make it difficult not to start any more socks this weekend.

Over 200 skeins of STR, need I say more?

These may have followed me home last night...

As well as these...

D is for Dog Friendly

I've become a big proponent of Dog Friendly Spaces. I suppose my new position as a dog owner is part of that. Robin is a very social puppy & gets along so well with other dogs. He also loves it when we can find wide open spaces where he can go romp around. I think that's a big part of why he really excels at agility.
He's become a very well behaved dog who I can trust completely as long as there are no bikes or cars near by. He comes when called, breaks off play when I ask him to, and when off leash he generally stays at my side better than when he's on leash.

In the next 2 months we will have 2 dog parks opening up near my house. The big cool dog park should finally (fingers crossed) open up this month. I'm really really eager to bring Robin down to this park. We've met many of the other member's dogs & those play sessions have gone really well!
East Lansing also announced yesterday that a smaller dog park will be opening just a mile down the bike path from my house! This is someplace that Robin & I walk past every week. So convenient. Plus they say they'll have it open by October.

Lansing also has a dog friendly ice cream parlor. How cool is that?! I still haven't made it over there, but I plan to make a trip over to Cones and Bones in the near future.

Another favorite dog friendly romp in Lansing is Gone 2 the Dogs. This is cool little shop in Lansing's Old Town that has kitchy little toys, leashes, home made dog treats, and offers a place to cool down and get some water when Robin & I walk the River Trail. If nothing else I make sure and get Robin a special treat whenever I'm near by.
Oh and how could I forget, they make the coolest pet calender each year. They're called Bark & Buff, no you don't need to get your mind out of the gutter on that one. Check them out here...

Michigan also boasts many dog parks including one of the best in North America. I've also been told of a dog friendly beach near Muskegon.

Even Ravelry is dog friendly! One of my favorite knitting/agility blogs started an agility group on Ravelry.

And I'd be a bad blogger if I didn't send a big Thank You to Rose Mary!
She knit me the most fabulous socks for Sockapalooza. They're RPMs knit in STR Rockstar. My camera doesn't capture they're awsomness at all, but trust me, they rock.

Oh, I'm so excited!!! my letter for the day lined up with my new project, so...
E is for Europe
E is for Embossed SeaWeed Socks

A few years ago I got the chance to go to Europe. The plan was to go to the Cannes Film festival. In the end we were in Cannes, during the film festival, without credentials. However we did get to tour theatres and theatre schools from Amsterdam, to Belgium, to Paris, and down to the Mediterranean. I think I could easily move to southern France. I loved every moment we spent there. The food is amazing! The people are friendly. Life moves at a more reasonable pace.

These photos are from the Roman theatre in Orange & the Oceanographic Institute in Monte Carlo. When ever I'm visiting in a town there are 3 places to look for me, a yarn shop, a museum/historical site, or an aquarium.
My next trip to Europe will be planning completely around my art history classes. I've got 2 text books just riddled with earmarked pages. Plus I need to be sure I arrive in Paris when the museums aren't on strike...

Today I finally found the perfect pattern for my Sea Wool yarn I got in Toronto. I'm knitting the Embossed Leaves socks from Favorite Socks. They're almost as addictive as Monkies.

H is for Heels!
H is for Hand Sewing!

I have strong opinions about both heels & toes on socks. I avoid heel flap/gusset heel & the wedge toe. Neither fit my feet particularly well & to be honest I really don't like knitting heel flap or the gusset.

I think this frees me in my sock knitting. I can try all sorts of other toes and heels, I free myself to just be adventurous. My favorite heels are short row heel & afterthought heels. I've learned all sorts of different variations on both of these and they all fit differently.
My embossed leaves sock is sitting waiting patiently for me to choose an afterthought heel to put in. I'm leaning toward a 3 point start heel since the toe is a variation on a star toe. This might give my sock some interesting symmetry.

I decided this weekend that I needed a quilt. Actually I decided Thursday night & am now in the long stage of hand sewing down the binding. I am so totally in love with this quilt. It's the only thing that's making me work through the 340 inches of hand sewing hell.
You see I love sewing, machine sewing that is. I love cutting (goes double if it involves a rotary cutter!), I love using my serger, any of my 4 sewing machines, and I jump any chance where I get to use an industrial sewing machine. However I really don't enjoy the hand sewing part.
Eventually I get my groove on & between watching both 300 and Son of Pink Panther last night and a bit of sewing this morning I'm closing in on the half way point on getting that binding stitched down, but I've got this knot in my shoulder that is quite uncomfortable.
It's all worth it though. Just wait till you guys see this quilt... It's perfect in all it's imperfectness (it ain't about to win a ribbon at the fair), the fabric puckered, the stitch lines aren't straight, the mitered corners well... aren't, but I don't care! It's perfect. See even Trent agrees with me~

He couldn't even wait for the pins to be removed to hunker in and take a nap...

J has stumped me a bit...

J is for Jam
I've always had a weakness for Jam (or perhaps more accurately fruit preserves). My favorite for spreading on toast or bagels is simple strawberry, but my most favorite is Peach. Peach is reserved for eating right out of the jar.

J is for Jewelry
I tend to have simple tastes when it comes to jewelry. Silver tones in a small setting. If it goes with everything that's a big plus, because I wear the same pieces every day. I have platinum captured ball hoop earring that I don't remove (I have a selection of glass & stone balls that get changed out once a year or so...). I have a small white gold dragonfly necklace that I got as a birthday present, again that doesn't come off. If I feel like anything else my amber ring & bracelet gets added. That's it. I love the platinum and white gold mainly because they don't tarnish, so less keep up is necessary.

J is for the Jayne Hat
I knit my brother a Jayne Hat for his birthday next month. The Jayne hat is from a tv series call Firefly that he really loves.

On a side note I've started my first sock out of New Pathways for Sock Knitters and have to once again bow down to the greatness that is Cat Bordhi. It takes a bit to get into knitting the first sock & understand the organization of the book, but every step is explained really clearly and I love how she was able to include instructions for dpn's, 2-circs, and magic loop without making the book too cluttered.

However, one thing that's really helpful to have when knitting from the book is stitch markers with letters on them (she labels the markers A-F in the book). I found myself really wishing for a set. So... since the ones that Skacel will be making don't seem to be available yet I searched out super cute little pewter alphabet beads & will be making up sets to coordinate with the book. I'll be placing a few sets on etsy once I get them all made up. I'm planning on making up sets with either A-D and sets with A-F (only 2 designs in the book need markers E & F). All the findings are sterling silver with pewter beads.
4 marker sets (A-D) will be $8
6 marker sets (A-F) will be $12
I'd be happy to reserve sets if anyones interested, or check back next week and I'll let everyone know once they're up on etsy.

Oh the beads aren't the usual cube alphabet beads. They're actually really cute! Here's a picture below~

Well K is for knitting silly!

Knitting really is the most important thing in my life... it's my job, my hobby, my well everything.
I guess it's good that I diversify every once and a while!
But today is about K & K is what I'm going to give you~


That is the first Spiraling Coriolis from Cat's new book!
The spiral across the top of the foot is actually both gussets for the heel, crazy huh?!
They fit really well & were tons of fun to knit.
Now I just need to decide if the second sock will be another Coriolis sock or if I want to try another design from the book.

Okay, first I have some shameless promotion.
I made up a batch of alphabet stitch markers that are great to use with Cat's new book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. In the book she gives each stitch marker a letter & uses those letters to refer to individual markers in both the instructions & in the diagrams. These sets feature beads with the letters used in the book right on the bead and make it much easier to follow the instructions in the book.
There are two options, a smaller set with A-D.
These are the main letters used in the book. With these you'll be set for any sock in the book except Coriolis & Clematis Vine.

There is also a larger set with A-F.
You'll need an "E" marker for the Coriolis socks and both "E" & "F" for the Clematis Vine. So with this set you'll be able to do any sock in the book.

The beads are Pewter & all the finding are Sterling Silver. I also have 24k gold plated beads coming in late this week to make up gold sets. The links above the photos will bring you to my etsy shop where the stitch markers may be purchased.

Friday was actually my second blogiversary! Rather than posting I was hiding in the back of my shop with the tornado sirens going off & sheets of rain pelting down. Luckily Lansing wasn't hit too hard. We didn't have any tornadoes & the damage was minimal. The major tornado was actually out by where my hairdresser lives in Potterville. Again, luckily the storm claimed no lives in Michigan.

So, with an entire summer's worth of rain catching up to us & Fall severe weather beginning I'm having a bit of a contest.
Please leave me a comment with your favorite way to cheer up on those long gray rainy days.

I'll close entries on Aug 31 & announce the winners the first week of September. (oh, prizes, there will be prizes... I've got some lovely yarns in my stash...)

On a quick last note: Robin & I had our first Agility competition Sunday. The weather was lovely, we had a wonderful day, and despite having some sudden fears of the tunnel, Robin did really well & we're looking forward to our next match.

So, I'm not dead... Life just had to take over for a while. Life is still sucking up most of my time/energy, but I think balance is soon to be restored. (big breath of relief)...

Should I start with the big news? It's not official yet (still waiting for papers to be signed & the loan approval from the bank...), but I'm in the process of purchasing a building for the shop!!!
We'll be just around the corner from our current location, right near Emil's Italian Restaurant, Magdalena's Tea House, Gone Wired Cafe, and lots of other really cute shops.
This move will triple our floor space, give us more storage than we'll ever possibly need, and hopefully make finding us & parking a whole lot easier.
I will feel a whole lot more at ease with the whole thing once we get the official word from the bank (we have a "I don't foresee any issues", but until we get officially approved I can't be completely comfortable).

What else?... Oh, I redesigned my shops website! It looks a whole lot like my website, but with a different header picture.

We also had heath issues, big birthdays (21st birthday of my little brother), visitors from both coasts & Europe, plus a couple of big parties (Knitterpalooza!) and well over a dozen romps in the new dog park.

In between all that I've been knitting. Knitting a lot actually... maybe more than I've ever finished in a month before. Be prepared, from here on out this is a very photo heavy post. I've got a whole lot to cover!

First off, all those swatches... In total the pile of swatches grew to 30. I will continue to knit up more of them until every yarn in the shop has a swatch, but I feel good that the new yarns are covered & I can lay off those for a while.

I taught a Baby Surprise Jacket class last month & knit up another ultra cute sweater. This one is knit in Nashua Vignette. I used 5 balls total, 3 colors, switching colors when the ball ran out, and ended up with a 12-18 month sized sweater. (btw, this yarn is super stretchy when knit up ).
The colors are pretty far off, but I had to just give in and edit these at work without Photoshop...just picture it with a less saturated red/purple.


Most recently I finished up a couple of lace scarves I started back in June or July.
First up is my Agrosy in Noro Cashmere Island. I used 2 skeins & can I just say this yarn is super super yummy!

The second scarf is my Beaded Silk Lace Stole (from the book Lacy Little Knits). This used 1 skein Art Yarns Beaded Silk & 1 skein of Silk Rhapsody. I think this was a good balance to dilute the amount of beads & make this scarf one I could wear every day.
I knit till I was almost out of Beaded Silk & my stole blocked out to 13x48 inches.

Since I've been gone I also knit one of those fabulous Hemlock Ring Blankets!
Mine is in Nashua Creative Focus Worsted (Alpaca & Wool Single Ply). I ended up using 4 skeins and size 9 needles. I knit to row 101 & my finished size is 4 1/2 feet across.
I think this might be one of my all time favorite projects I've knit. In fact I've ordered a couple of books of Danish knit doily patterns to convert into blankets as well. I just want every couch & chair I own to be neatly draped with one of these.

I also knit on a variety of socks, including knitting up one of these cute little Rowan Slippers from Cat's new book~

Finally I'm almost done with a rather large project, a Wrap Me Up Stole from Knitting at Knoon.
I only have 3 more blocks and the edging to knit (plus lots of ends to weave in). My only issue with this project is that every single skein of Silk Garden had a knot in it, exactly one knot, in every one of 11 skeins. Grrrr....
I've knit several other projects with silk garden in the past and rarely encountered a knot before, I suppose this batch was just um... special...
I'll detail this more when I finish the project.
But it is lovely isn't it?

One last note.. I haven't forgotten about the blogiversary contest, I just need a few more days to regroup..

There are some points in life when you have to grow up a whole bunch all at once. I fear I've hit one of those points head on & seem unable to let go. Most of whats going on in life now is stuff that's too personal for the blog. I think that's a big part of why blogging has been so umm.. sparse... rare... nonexistent... lately. That and the fact that the big computer at home experienced SMEF (Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure, bonus points to those of you who know what this is a reference to...) and our switch to a new phone company at work was a little rocky leaving me with out internet access anywhere for a few weeks.

I've also been entrenched in the process of purchasing a building for the shop to move to this winter. The commercial loan process is a scary thing and very slow moving. I feel a little at a loss in the whole thing, but am still confident that we will emerge triumphant in the end.

Actually I need to be successful in the whole loan thing because I will be living above the shop & lets just say my current living arrangements will be no longer viable sometime in the next year.

A member of my immediate family is also getting married & moving half way across the country. I'm extremely happy for this (and no it's not me), but it's a little scary too.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg, but I hope you'll all understand my lack of blogging lately. I can't say when more regular blogging will happen again, but I'll keep doing the best I can. Currently I'm going to be aiming for once a week and we'll see how that goes. I have however been keeping up my ravelry account, so you can always see what I'm up to there. I also am hosting a group for my shop (Friends of Rae's Yarn Boutique), so if you live in the area & have managed to get a Ravelry account please join us there.

A lack of blogging however has not meant a lack of knitting. In fact when I get stressed out knitting happens in great abundance. Lets try to catch up...

Scarves
I finished up a cute little scarf that we have the kit for at the shop right now. It's a Shetland lambswool and cashmere blend & a very quick knit.
The scarf itself is ascot like & softens up a whole bunch when washed in Eucalan.

I also am working away on my Ravelry scarf exchange scarf. I had a bunch of false starts on this project and have finally found something that I know will work. The scarf is done in double knitting with Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran & will have a Diamond motif at each end. I'm a bit further than the photo (since I took these photos last week you'll hear that a bunch today).

Socks
I've finished 4 pairs of socks in the last couple of weeks. The first 2 pair though were super quick knits (each pair taking between 4 & 6 hours!).
These are knit in Nashua Snowbird and are so warm. I'll be pretty much living in these this winter. I liked how these came out so much that I wrote up the pattern & it's available free with purchase of the yarn here at the shop. Pretty much everyone on my holiday gift list will probably be getting a pair of these this winter.


I also finished a couple of pairs of fingering weight socks.
This pair is simply my basic sock pattern knit in STR waterlily.

I also finished up my test for my redesign of my Slinky sock pattern. That was my first published design and I really hated a few things I did in it. I love the new version so much more. This photo is from last week, I still need to wait for the weather to cooperate for a real photo shoot for these, and to get the pattern rewritten. (oh, and the yarn for these is JoJoLand Melody)

I'm currently just about done with the first of the "summer of love" socks from the last installment of the STR club. The new kit should arrive sometime this week, so I'm attempting to catch up a bit.

Sweaters
I also knit 2 sweaters in about 3 weeks. (like a said... a little stressed out lately = lots of knitting).
The first is a long hoodie cardigan out of Mirasol Miski.

This sweater was knit in the round with seamless set-in sleeves then steeked down the front. The baby Llama is super soft and warm. I know this sweater will get lots of wear this winter.

I also knit a Bohus like sweater (much bigger gauge than a real bohus). This is the Lite Lopi pullover from the Best of Interweave Knits.



I'm rather enamored with this sweater. It of course has been in the 70's since I finished it, but I'm really looking forward to wearing it. It fits pretty well (maybe a little oversized) and I just love the lime green hems. I also altered the colorwork a little at the top to bring it back to the reds & purple rather than more orange at the neck.

I'm also sadly overdue posting this questionnaire up for the No More Humdrum Mitten Swap. Sorry Pal!

1. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?
I learned to knit from my Grandma the one time she came to visit us. I was in 4th grade and she taught me during my brother's swimming classes.
2. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Advanced
3. What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?
Depending on the combination I can like almost any color. I don't like things to be too neon or electric. I prefer Fall tones, especially greens and purples.
4. Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?
I do like them, but I don't know them well enough to point to any specific pattern.
5. Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?
I totally desire mittens for myself. I did a mitten swap last winter and the mittens were awful and had to be donated to charity, I'd really like a nice pair of mittens to wear this winter though. It gets cold here!
6. What other things do you enjoy knitting?
Everything?! I can like just about every type of project, just depends on my mood. Socks are always a good bet though.
7. What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)
bamboo circs
8. What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?
I'm a big impulse knitter, so I don't yearn over any particular project for long, either I knit it or I forget about it I suppose. I've recently been finding my eyes wandering toward Clapotis and oddly enough knit pillow covers. Thicker socks have also been finding their way onto my needles lately.
9. What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?
I always am drooling over sock yarn from lots of the indie dyers out there.
10. What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?
Spin, Sew, pastel painting...
11. Besides yarn, do you collect anything?
books, I love books! I think my next obsession with books is going to be Disc World series, or maybe to finish up the Harry Potter thing (only have books 1 & 2). I will often read a novel in a night if the mood catches me right.
12. What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?
I'm allergic to almonds. I am addicted to chocolate. Usually white or milk chocolate, but dark chocolate mint holds a dear place in my heart.

and because it's not mentioned earlier and I hope you'll take this into account. I'm severely allergic to acrylic yarn. Even 20% acrylic will make me break out in hives.

13. Do you have any kids? Pets?
No kids, but I have a kitty, Trent, and a Sheltie, Robin.
14. What is your favorite part of Winter?
Snow, the fresh fluffy white kind, not the brown slushy type we usually have.
15. What is your least favorite part of Winter?
Brown slushy snow and wet feet

First I want to say a big Thank You for all the support & love you sent my way yesterday. I really should have started blogging again sooner, I feel quite refreshed & revitalized.
I was also rather surprise (in a good way) at the number of comments requesting the yarn & pattern for the Snowbird Socks. Considering I'm in the middle of that whole loan thing & have a bank peaking into our finances I'm more than happy to fulfill those sorts of requests.
If there is anyone else who was interested in getting the materials for these socks please just send me an email at info AT Raesyarnboutique DOT com, I'll then send a paypal invoice out to you.
The yarn is 7.99 a skein (2 skeins for a pair of woman's socks) and shipping is $5.
The pattern is free with the purchase of 2 or more skeins
These are the colors I have available:

Color Numbers: 10, 30, 78, 55, 95, 01, & 69

Okay, enough shameless advertisement...

I think I may have gotten the best sock yarn ever in my mailbox today. It's the latest Rockin' Sock Club installment and included a skein of the much anticipated Raven series.
Meet Lenore~


I was even more floored when I pulled the pattern out!

The pattern is written by Stephanie, and I'm so totally going to knit it. It so perfect!
Plus it goes with my new hair do~

My camera couldn't handle the contrast between my beautiful white skin and my new gorgeous blue/black hair. The hair is very much black, but with blue base tones so it shines blue in the light. If you knew me before I opened the shop you'd know I am one sexy vixen of a Goth chic and I've been dressing very conservatively for me the last 3 years. In my dream life I'd have a wardrobe like Abby in NCIS. So, I decided it was time to go back to my roots a little and dye my hair black again. I'm not going to far as dreadlocks, corsets, and black velvet skirts again, but the hair makes me feel really good (maybe my favorite black dress will make a few appearances this winter...).

To be honest, I haven't had much sock mojo this winter. I generally churn out at least 1/2 a dozen pairs (usually closer to a dozen) during the endless Michigan winter. This year I can count only 1 pair. One little pair of socks that took from from early January to Mid-April to knit. I think I may have knit a pair in October as well, finding out would require unpacking boxes since much of my knitting is yet to be unpacked.
Much of this winter was spent knitting flat square things. Swatches for the shop and squares for the knit-a-long blanket dominated my knitting. I do have an almost finished sweater that's begging to see the light of day in my knitting basket. A sweater that should have been finished in November, but was set aside due to the move.

However I love my single lovely pair of socks. They're Yummy...

The yarn is Yummy from Fibranatura. This is a super new sock yarn that came in shortly after the shop opened in it's new space. I really love it. It's 100% superwash merino in a densely spun 3-ply. I think it will hold up well, but today's the first wearing.

When I finished these a few days ago I jumped right in with some sock yarn that's been in and out of my stash for about 3 years now. We kept selling out of this colorway & customers convinced me to part with mine. Then it would come back in and I'd once again grab 2 balls for the stash and this just kept happening over and over again. However we have 30 balls in right now & Stephanie has reminded me how super awesome this yarn is knit up, so rather than lingering on my needles for months I've knit half a sock in 2 days.

However I've decided this yarn is pure evil. I'm a grown woman who now has Skidamarink absolutely stuck in her head. Every stitch so far of the socks (with exception of those knit in the dark which is seeming like a better and better idea) has been accompanied my the singing of this song (luckily in my head). I'm completely unable to stop! It's like how my new dog Toshiko inspires me to grab her ears and sing Do Your Ears Hang Low.

Last year when I went Trillium "hunting" I ended up with a handful of blurry photos and poison ivy. This year every single photo was in focus & I came through with nary a scratch. I thought I'd share a few here. I still need to crop a bit and decide which ones to print, but I'm so happy with the results I just need to share them.

This is a shot from Scott Woods & really needs to be seen at full size. I love how abundant the Trillium are here. They are so fragile and easily killed (picking the flower kills the whole plant!), but in central Michigan they just seem to carpet the forest floors in the spring.

This little group was in the dog park.

There's quite a few more of these on my Flickr page, just click either of the photos above to see them~

My hand has also healed enough for me to knit! Since Sunday night I've been working on finishing up a pattern that I've been meaning to write for years. I use this sock (or rather a version of it) to teach magic loop socks & I finally feel comfortable enough with the wording to write it as a pattern. As a shop owner I've always had trouble finding a leaflet pattern to carry in my shop with short row heels and/or toes. I hope this will fill what I see as a bit of a hole in basic sock patterns.

The pattern is being sent to test knitters tonight & I still have 3 more socks to knit before I can do the photo shoot. Hopefully if I can keep up my current pace the pattern will be available in a couple of weeks.