Katarina

Here it is! My first real FO for 2008 (I made socks earlier, but had to frog them). I absolutely love this sweater!

The Katarina design is great. The slightly belled sleeves are flattering and comfortable. The lines of the garter neck and fronts make it cozy without being overwhelming. And I had forgotten how the simple beauty of garter stitch can enhance garments.

The yarn worked out great, too. The natural brown wool with the little silk nubs give the sweater a hand-spun look and feel. No one could ever guess this yarn was recycled!

I probably will make another of this design in the future. Possible variations would include: lengthening the body another inch and adding another half-inch to each front (prior to the ribbing). I'm thinking it would also work well in a linen yarn.

One Year and Counting...Down

My Happy Little Teapot

Last September I discovered several new favorites at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. One of them was Tea Time Garden. Bonnie has several delightful blends of green and black teas that I fell in love with. She also sells Tisanes (herbal blends) that all smell so good.

I just received my new order from her shop. After a postal service glitch, Bonnie made it right and sent me my order via Priority Mail. I loved her attitude and willingness to take care of her customer. When she learned there was a problem, she immediately made sure I got my teas. And look at those samples and cute little Origami crane she included. Thank you, Bonnie!!

So if you're looking for a great pot of tea and excellent customer service, I highly recommend Tea Time Garden! Give it a try!

Spinning Bob

During a conversation about our pets recently, one of the teachers at school mentioned she has a female Miniature Eskimo dog named Bob. I asked if she had ever saved her hair. Of course, I got the expected response of "?????!" I explained that some dogs' hair spins up to make beautiful yarns and I would love to show her. I asked her to to just save some up as they groomed her and bring it to me when they have a bag full.

So last week, Bob went to the groomer. My friend's husband, expecting a strange response, asked the groomer to save Bob's hair. The groomer asked if it was for yarn! (I love it!) So Bob's mom brought me this! It was already very clean -- they had obviously bathed Bob prior to the brushing. It spun up very well, with little prep necessary. The result was a nice little 43-yard skein of soft, fuzzy white yarn.

When I took it back to school, another teacher who knows Bob well, was grossed out by the idea. I reminded her that sheep are not at all clean animals and yet we wear beautiful wool sweaters all the time. She didn't buy it. She said it bothered her more because she knows Bob personally!

But Bob's mom seem pleased with it. I encouraged her to save more of the hair so there would be enough to make something special for her. If not, I think a pair of mittens with "Bob Cuffs" might just be perfect!

A side note: when I opened the bag at home, I had mixed reviews from my pets. I expected Ashes (my 15-year-old kitty) to make a fuss at the smell of another D-O-G in her house. But no. She just sniffed it and turned her back on it.

Latte, on the other hand, seemed to just know there must be a puppy in that bag to play with! I couldn't keep her head out. So funny!!

(Notice the Bob fluff on Latte's nose!)

Button, Button

A number of times recently, I have had my project all finished except the buttons. Then the hunt begins. Good, affordable buttons are getting harder and harder to find. There are fewer fabric shops around. And their selection is often lacking. More than once I have set my project aside due to "lack of closure." I have also been known to purchase buttons first, then design the sweater, or what have you, around them.

A couple of yarn shops in my area have some nice buttons, but I've also had difficulty finding the right size or quantity. Then there's the price...those lovely little tokens often cost more than all the other materials put together.

Shopping online hasn't netted me much either. I spotted a couple of Etsy shops that had some fun buttons for sale. Then the shipping costs were almost double the cost of the buttons, themselves.

So, here's one of my solutions. Since I'm already out in thrift shops and yard sales watching for sweaters to recycle, I'm now checking lots of other garments for buttons! Occasionally I find a rather ugly jacket or sweater that has terrific buttons. I feel no guilt in purchasing that item, stripping it of the buttons, and either re-donating or recycling the fabric. The example shown below was an ill-fitting, poorly made sweater. And yet, it had a zillion (not quite) colorful buttons around the yoke, cuffs and bottom! Aren't they pretty?!

New Year, New Project

Like I really need a new project! But it's been a couple of years since I made myself a sweater. So, in the spirit of the new year, and goal setting, I cast on for a new sweater.

I've had this yarn for a while waiting for the right design. It's formerly an Eddie Bauer sweater of 76% wool/24% silk in a natural brown. At about DK weight, it should make a nice indoor garment.

Katarina is by CocoKnits. I love the simplicity of the shaping. It looks like it will be pretty flattering for a variety of body shapes. I'm casting on for size large.

Happy New Year!!!

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want.
~ an Irish Toast

Happy to Me!

So far, I have had four days of birthday! A girl could get spoiled.

On Sunday, my brother and son took me out for a great meal at PF Chang's in Portland. Yummy food, great tea, and wonderful company! After dinner, Zak and I walked a bit. The twinkly lights were on all the trees in the area making it all very festive. One store window caught my eye... Anthropologie had everything in the display wrapped in knitted snow! It was gorgeous!

And lookie what I got! A knitting book I've been wanting and a new travel press. (I recently dropped my old one and cracked it. Bummer!)

Monday evening (my actual birthday), Zak took me out again! We had a very nice dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant (Pho Viet). When we got home, he surprised me with a delicious Cranberry Cheesecake from Wild Oats! I was skeptical, but it was very subtle. Just perfect!

Tuesday morning, my coworkers and students celebrated with me by bringing flowers and chocolate chunk cookies!! Yummers! And today, I received cards, cash and gift cards in the mail!!! What a birthday!!! Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone!!

Folk Mitts and Hot Chocolate

I haven't done any colorwork for a while. Playing with bits of my hand-dyed recycled sweater yarns, I came up with these bright and cheerful "Folk Mitts." They are happily keeping my hands warm while I knit up the rest of my Christmas gifts. Check back...I'll post the pattern later.

And here's one more gift ready. It's a simple beanie for Zak. He likes things plain...no designs, no bright colors. So to make him a hat that he will actually wear, I had to reel myself in. But I don't like to get bored, either. To satisfy both of us, I whipped him up a "Hot Chocolate" beanie with my hand-dyed recycled sweater wool in dark brown and black. The color changes are very subtle and not even noticeable unless you're up close and personal!

mmmm.....wooool

There's nothing like a warm wool hat on a snowy day. Our weather just started looking like December. To honor (and prepare for) winter, I whipped up another Sisters Hat. Since it only takes about 90 yards of DK-weight yarn, it's a quick project...great for last-minute gifts, too!

The free pattern is available here.
The yarn is from JanKnit Recycles.

Speedy Cardy

I love this pattern. I rarely knit the same design more than once. This seems to be the exception. I have used this pattern for the cute toddler sweater and hat for several family members, including my son. A Rosemary Drysdale design, this and two other sweater patterns were published in Knitter's #19, Summer 1990. It's such a quick knit because of the bulky yarn and big needles...only three stitches per inch!

Modifications: I used three colors instead of five, omitted the embroidery, shortened the ribbing on the hat, and knit the hat in the round instead of flat.

This little set is for my great niece for Christmas.

Freedom of Speech

For all our problems here in the US, I am still very thankful this is where I live. I admit I am not a fan of the current administration, and had a good chuckle over the recent exhibit in the New York Public Library. The "portraits" showing George W. Bush and others Photo-Shopped into mugshots are the work of Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese. And, of course, the photos have been condemned by the Republican party, stating that it might somehow harm students walking the halls of the library.

But, in the midst of the controversy over some political spoofs of our country's leaders, there is another story that got my attention. On the other side of the planet, a school teacher was imprisoned and will be deported just because she named a teddy-bear Muhammed. Gillian Gibbons could have received 40 lashes and six months in prison in the case if found guilty of the more serious charge of inciting religious hatred. Hmmm....

I love a good swap!

I received a wonderful package from Joyce! The yarn is gorgeous!! I absolutely love the blues and grays. Also included were some lovely goodies...a lavender sachet with some of her fantastic elliebelly graphics, a darling spinning wheel stitch marker, a magnet and a hand-made card. As soon as I finish making my holiday gifts, I'm knitting blue socks for me!! Thank you, Joyce!!

PS...she does great stuff. Go check out her site!!

Furniture?

I recently had reason to visit a local attorney's office. Granted, this was not a happy visit (no details here), but when I walked in and saw what they were using for a coffee table in the lobby, it was all I could do not to "lose it."

This poor creature was encased in Plexiglas and was positioned between the chairs where the public was asked to wait for appointments. The plaque under the cayman reads, "Every Real Estate Project is a Potential."

When I asked about it, I was given a long, drawn-out explanation about how the founding attorney worked in real estate and used to have it in his office. I was proudly told "alligator" is a real estate term meaning a property with a negative cash flow, or one that "eats money" -- the opposite of a "cash cow."

As I sat there pondering how this animal had ended up as a piece of every-day furniture, I had to wonder why in the world they are STILL using it. My guess is they consider it an intimidation technique for opposing parties; a show of machismo. Or maybe it's just a bad case of ignorance. Regardless, I found it disgusting and highly unprofessional....and just plain SICK.

You ought to be in pictures

What a fun site! At Spell with flickr by Erik Kastner, you can spell whatever you want in flickr photos. How cool is that?

One Scar Down

Even though I didn't join Sock Wars this year, I wanted to give the pattern a go. I recently hand dyed some Merino Superwash DK that works perfectly with this design. One sock done, and on to the next! (Shhhh...don't tell my brother...these will be his Christmas gift.)

Vegan Swap 2 Finale

My package arrived today!!!! My wonderful box of vegan goodies came clear across the country from Janice in New York!

When I arrived home to find the package waiting, I plopped myself right down in the kitchen floor to start unwrapping and unwinding! (I'm such a kid when it comes to getting things in the mail!) Here's what the magic yarn balls looked like when I liberated them from their box....

Janice was very generous. She included Bernat Bamboo Blend in Wicker, Lion Brand Organic Cotton in Pecan, and Sugar and Cream in Hot Purple. The chocolate bars are my new favorites! There were also several kinds of buttons, beautiful glass beads, autumn stickers and ribbons, a bunch of fun party favors and a great recipe for Pumpkin Muffins! Yumm! Thank you, Janice!!!

Thank you, Cass and Ellie for setting up this swap. It was fun, and was a great way to learn more about Veganism. I know it's heightened my awareness of what I consume. Thanks!!

Vegan Swap 2 (update)

I heard from my Vegan Swap 2 pal, Yowlyy, today! I can't believe my package to the UK has already arrived! I expected it would take about two weeks. Yay! She liked all the goodies handpicked for her. I'm so glad. I love swaps, but it is always a challenge to put together packages for someone you don't know. I do feel like I know her better now, though!!

Back to Work!

Thank you all again for your well wishes for Mom. She's still in rehabilitation and doing much better. All of the turmoil with medical, legal, housing and family issues pretty much exhausted me last week. But I took some time out yesterday to get my hands back into some fiber...I feel much better now. Great therapy!!

Here are some of the results...


Clouds - Handpainted wool - worsted


Bronze - Semi-Solid Hand-dyed wool - DK


Blue Skies - Handpainted wool blend - DK

Plus, Elmo got new duds!!! He's a birthday gift for the daughter of a friend of mine. He needed some party clothes, so....

Have a great week!!

Thank you

Many thanks for all the well wishes and prayers for my mother's recovery from her stroke. She is currently in rehab and we are hopeful she will be able to remain independent in her home.