A Fujiyamamamarama

Who Knew?

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

I took the C's to the Art Institute of Chicago. C#2 wanted to look at Mesopotamian art, and we ended up in the area of Roman/Pompeian art. I was admiring this ancient glass when I realized - this must have been the Missoni inspiration!

A Trellis

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

My dear friend S. had a baby last year. I promised a sweater, I had the perfect yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Wool, and as usual it took me some time to find the perfect pattern. She is Irish, and I wanted something cabled and highly textured. I found Trellis on Knitty.com.

C. moves pretty fast!

Yeah, it is a bit short. Some of us have gauge issues that we choose to ignore.

My first time putting in a button band, it wasn't too bad - but don't look too close.

Meet my spokesmodel, Blizzard.

The back, showing off the wonky collar grafting.

Cuz Mittens Because

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have an awesome cousin. One of his children likes purple and these mittens are for her.

They are based on Beth Brown Reinsel's Morning Glory mittens which was a kit offered by the now defunct Dye Dreams. The yarn in the kit is really lovely, and very nice to knit with - I wish I had more of this yarn!

I didn't think the Morning glory suited my cousin's daughter. I love stripes, and I thought the cuff was adorable and so this is what came of these mittens. They are not twined, just stranded since I couldn't remember how to twine knit and I was trying to get these done quickly. Well, we all know I am not the fastest knitter anyhow, so at least they were finished this winter.

Tuesday January 17th

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Windy City Knitting Guild will be having a presentation on the use of knitting and felting in the Waldorf curriculum by a knitting/felting teacher from the Chicago Waldorf School on Tuesday, January 17th.

I think it will be very interesting and I am really looking forward to learning more!

The Windy City Knitting Guild meets at the Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL

The meeting officially starts at 6:45pm, but we usually wait until 7:00pm so that everyone has time to settle in , get a plateful of snacks, and say hi to your friends!

I hope to see you there!

Exchange

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, as always, I made gingerbread.

Some of my cookie cutters, collected and inherited over the years.

Ready to go in the oven!

Lastly, decorated with white royal icing.

The decorating is something I started doing about 15 years ago. When I was a kid these were always plain.

An old high school classmate saw a photo I posted on a certain social networking site, and mentioned that they looked good. So I sent him some. A couple of weeks later...

R.'s Nonna's pizelle. She would have been proud.

Look what I got in the mail! YUM! A long distance cookie exchange.

New Year's Day at The Fold

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I was invited by the A. and L. to joinm them in their annual New Year's Day excursion out to The Fold sale in Marengo, IL. Nope, not in Chicago, and not even the suburbs. It's way out there and worth every single second that it takes to get there. The place is incredible!

The driveway was full of cars. We parked on the road.

Main entrance, seems pretty low key - looks can be deceiving!

Sale yarn and books in the garage. No, I didn't take photos inside - there was NO ROOM! It was jam packed with yarn, books, and shoppers.

Just inside the door of the shop, to the right of the door.

Straight ahead, showing part of the line.

To the left from the door.

Heading into dangerous territory here, Socks that Rock on the right. Madeline Tosh and more Socks that Rock on the left

Socks that Rock. Droooool.

More sock yarn, and needles and books.

More sock yarn and some mohair.

Part of the line to check out. I couldn't get the whole line in.

Just one shelf of some roving. That's JUST ONE of the MANY shelves of roving!

This stuff, oooooohhhhhh, it was like putting your hand in what you would imagine a cloud could feel like. Hey! I see my cowboy boot there at the top!

Toni, the amazing owner of The Fold.

More roving.

Someone's great sweater, I loved it! Nope, not handknit, it was storebought.

Some nice handmade soaps.

Food! A nice buffet, and refreshments. Toni opened up her home for shoppers to snack and hang out.

Just so you know, this is NOT the entire shop. It was crazy in there! I could barely make it back toward the worsted weight. This is just a sample of what The Fold has, and actually what makes the place so incredible is Toni. She was so warm and welcoming, and I think she knew every single person that walked in her door. This place is well worth a visit, but you've got to take your time there, there is just so much to see!

Oh, what did I buy? Um, well, some Socks that Rock called my name, and I was perfectly happy with just that until someone introduced me to some Madeline Tosh.

I mean look at that place, I showed considerable restraint you know!

Okay, photos later. Maybe.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Miscellaneous Catch Up

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened, alot is still happening, and it will continue to happen.

Here are some photos of miscellaneous events, etc.

I have had this red J. Crew sweater for ages, but the sleeves were too long and too bulky to just roll up. It's been on my list to undo and reknit down for ages.


Here it is in progress. It is now done, but I have no photos of the finished piece. Oh, well. Yay, it is much more wearable now.

Circus boy and I went to see Circus in the Parks by Midnight Circus. Look at their beautiful new tent!

Even more awesome inside the tent!

I saw Don Quixote by the Joffrey Ballet. I love the Joffrey, and they dance at the Auditorium Theater, my favorite theater.


My circus friends forced me to try the aerial silks. It was HARD!

Circus boy makes it look so easy!

In position for the big drop finale...

...and there he goes!

more updates later

Well...

2011-11-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

I have some secret knitting that is nearly completed, and I made a pie for Thanksgiving.

I can show you the pie, fresh out of the oven. It fell a bit when it cooled.

I made turkey stock and then some Swiss chard and lentil soup.

It was tasty. It is from the book Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.

I know, I know, but look, at least I posted something.

Okay, where was I?

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, The Windy City Knitting Guild and I went to Yarn Con.

What? Never heard of Yarn Con? It is an awesome local indie dyer/producer fiber fest.
Did I mention that it is really awesome?

Natalia, one of the amazing masterminds of Yarn Con, and me

The Windy City Knitting Guild had a great spot for our table, and of course we brought our lovely "spokesmodel" Maureen O'Wool.

How do you like our new banner?

The main room with a lot of vendors, isn't it a lovely room?

Another view of the main room.

Maureen continues to develop...


Hanging out with the guild.

We had a visitor stop by, our new friend Mr. Nubbins and his friend, the very talented Stefanie.

Mr. Nubbins got up close and personal with Maureen.

Mr. Nubbins checking out our table.

Jackpot! He found the candy bowl!

It was a great year at Yarn Con, we had a lot of visitors and we are really looking forward to next year.

Busy!

2011-10-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Kimono, obi, obi age and obi jime for recital, option #1.

Kimono, obi and obi age for recital, option #2. Will wear with gold/silver obi jime.

This time of year is very busy. The dance recital is Columbus day weekend, so I am catching up a bit here. There is a lot of prep work, and scenery and prop making that happens beforehand.

These are the kimono I selected to wear, I couldn't decide and since it's recital my sensei gets the final say. The kimono I wear for dance events tend to be on the dark side because I often have to be a koken (assistant on stage), and you cannot upstage the dancer. In Japan they wear all black, but I don't have everything in all black. I also MC as well as koken, so for that I need a bit more color.

So which one did I wear?

What on earth was I looking at?

Congratulations to Annemor Sundbo!

2011-10-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Annemor Sundbø!!!

This is an incredible recognition of Annemor's contribution to the preservation of Norway's knitting history and culture. She will now receive a state stipend, one of two stipends awarded this year.

(via Google Translate)
Annemor Sundbø is today considered one of the nation's foremost experts work in this country. The textile designer from Setesdal was actually the led to the Minister's office in Oslo under the pretext of showing a foreign state guest Norwegian knitting traditions, writes Aftenposten.no.
Instead, she was given the news that she was in Thursday's budget as the first knitting awarded state grant.

Original news article in Norwegian

Some Unfinished Business

2011-09-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Why is it that some projects, 95 - 99% complete just languish? Finishing them is just too much effort. There is nothing wrong witht he knitted item, and there is nothing herculean to complete or do,

yet they sit there and are sometimes forgotten.

Everynow and then I decide to attack those items.


My Fairly Easy Fair Isle has been sitting for nearly 2 years.

This sweater only needed some sleeve seaming and a new button band.

Now it just needs buttons, but I don't want to talk about that.

These little mittens? Don't know anything about them. I suspect that someone snuck in and stuck them in my stash at some point - leaving the poor unfinished dears to languish.

They needed some love.

Our knitting guild, the Windy City Knitting Guild, is having a charity program and that is where these will go.

I feel like I have accomplished something, and no I don't want to discuss any other UFOs.

Hat Done.

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

... but I was too late.

I hope to never have to knit my friends or loved ones chemo caps again, but if I do I will always ask them to let me know if they ever need more or if they want something specific - and not hesitate to ask.

Thanks for teaching me something else T., you were an amazing woman and I will miss you.

More Mittens

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

More knitting for my cousin's children.

This is the last pair of mittens, my cousin is next and his knitted item will be top secret.

The yarn is from the now defunct Dye Dreams. The colors are so rich and the yarn is a perfect combination of wool, soft fluff and luxury. The pattern and yarn came from a Dye Dreams mitten club kit, by Beth Brown Reinsel, but I was having a hard time with the morning glory design. It was just not doing it for me for some reason, so I tweaked it, and this is the result.

I wasn't sure about these at all, but as I progressed and the mitten grew I liked them even more. I was on a tight deadline, but I missed it anyhow because of all my fiddling and making changes.

Kimono from the Weekend

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

So this is what I chose to wear.

I forgot my camera Friday and Saturday, so the photos are from my phone and not so great.

The black kimono is pretty formal and the fabric is very fine, and sheer.

It was part of the box of kimono I received a few months ago, as was the obi.

The fabric is called sharo and is very soft with an amazing drape, but still looks quite crisp.

I wore this on Friday night, with a cream colored embroidered summer obi that also came from the same box.

In the dressing room

Saturday I wore the leaf patterned kimono and blue obi, we got rained out that night, but it takes us so long to get ready with the makeup and costumes, we had to get ready just in case. We were all dressed and made up, and it was raining pretty hard. We had to cancel. Last time some of the dancers got stuck on the stage during a storm and when we walked back to the dressing room the kimono got water stained, and ruined.

In the dressing room, with Fujima Ikunojo dressed and ready.

Sunday I wore the willow pattern and brought a yellow/gold obi that was a gift from Sensei.

I saw a young couple that wore kimono to the festival, the guy had a ponytail and wore a black kimono and leggings and zori. He had a very definite style, very contemporary and unique. It's good to see the interpretation of tradition with a personal style.

My Friend T. and the Need for FIRE!

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hat#1 in Colinette Cadenza, Fire colorway

"T. received a second beautifully and intricately knitted hat from Joan (president of the Chicago knitwits association). T.’s first one – her favorite amongst all the many knitted hats she received – was swallowed up by the laundry monster, with no trace of remains. She was too embarrassed to ask for another. I was not. She wears it like hair."

This is from T's blog which has chronicled her life since her shocking diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and subsequent treatments and illnesses. She is an amazing woman, and I think so very highly of her, so I knit her a little hat. I hadn't seen a photo in a while, and I wasn't sure if she was still wearing hats (perhaps they were too hot, or uncomfortable). I know her family was completely overwhelmed - her husband and family have been beyond amazing. Recently there was a mention of her baldness and so I sent another hat - and then found out about the first hat I sent!

T. is going through another traumatic process now, and will be on dialysis for life. I would knit the world for her if she asked, and I really wish I could knit her some new kidneys that function without flaw.

What I can do is knit her a new hat to replace the old one, and knit in all the good thought and hopes that were in the last one, and that I will do gladly.

Anyone know a source for Colinette Cadenza in Fire?

New Kimono

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I got some new summer (unlined) kimono. They are the machine washable variety, and that makes it very convenient to deal with them and wash them, but the big drawback is that those suckers are hot! Washing kimono is a huge ordeal. Traditionally the kimono are cut apart along the seams and washed in strips of fabric stretched on bamboo sticks. The fabric is very delicate and is easily stained. The advent of the machine washable kimono makes wearing a kimono much more accessible and inexpensive.

Here are the new kimono. These are fresh out of the washer, pardon, they are a bit wrinkled.

The first one features a pine needle and leaf pattern, in a blue color on white.

The second one has a stylized weeping willow, black on white.

I wanted to determine my obi options since I will be wearing these very soon. We have a 3 day event coming up and I will be helping and announcing for the dance group for all 3 days.

Blue obi from Sensei, with printed obi age, and striped obi jime.

Blue obi from Sensei, with pink shibori obi age, and patterned woven obi jime.

Close up of the shibori and detail of the obi jime.

Blue obi from Sensei, with chartreuse shibori obi age, and summer obi jime.

Close up of the shibori and detail of the obi jime.

Blue obi from Sensei, with chartreuse shibori obi age, and chartreuse and white obi jime. A little too matching for my taste.


Blue obi from Sensei, with pink shibori obi age, and striped obi jime.

I usually bring a few options with me, and then sometimes everything changes anyhow. Color contrast and unexpected color combinations and not totally matched add sophistication to kimono. For your knitters out there, that's why Noro adds in what are considered some weird colors to their skeins.

If I remember I'll get photos of me when I am dressed in the kimono.

The Norwegian Sweater

2011-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

No, I have not knit a sweater in a while.

Yes, I am knitting my first full size Norwegian sweater, but even them I am cheating since it is for my son. It has not been too challenging so far, I have done colorwork before, and I must say I quite like it.

So far the only thing that has me a bit concerned is gauge. But my son is still growing and I have a feeling that he will be bigger than me at some point so assuming I don’t run out of yarn, I will just keep going and at some point it will fit him – for a while until he outgrows it.

Hmmm. Maybe I should knit it to fit me instead? heh, heh...

Quincy Hat

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this Jared Flood design the first time I saw it. My friend M. made it and I tried it on and knew I had to make one. I had a bunch of Lamb's Pride Bulky leftover from a Fairly Easy and nearly finished Fair Isle, and I really wanted to use some of that.

I wasn't sure about making it striped - even though I do love stripes.

I was at a Windy City Knitting Guild meeting, and our resident "Knit Doctor" Judy Chan was showing some fabulous garter stitch jacket she made and noted that on one side the garter stitch colors striped, but then if you looked at the reverse they were dots of color.

My models were at camp so I had to do a self portait.

Hey, there's a hole there! I hadn't noticed that before! I'll have to fix that...er..sometime before winter.

I think it's a bit big. Some of us are a bit fuzzy on the concept of gauge, and swatch sometimes.

Hat origami!

See how the garter stripes and then looks like dots? That is where I added a knit row so that I didn't have it happen on the outside of the hat, and I think it actually worked.

The Quincy hat has a twist in the crown, and hat would pose a problem for garter stripes. Then I realized I could throw in an extra knit row in the twist - halfway - and the stripes would be consistent. Ta daa!

Now I'm not sure how much I like the hat, but it's mine, and I'm happy, I actually made a hat for me!

This has been finished for a while, but I never got around to photographing it and then blogging until now.

Snapdragon Mittens

2011-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Made a while ago (but never blogged about) for my cousin's daughter who likes purple. Ysolda Teague's fabulous and gorgeous Snapdragon flip top mitt pattern, converted to plain mittens. I think they are even the same size this time!

Lovely Stonehedge Shepherd's Wool - very soft and a joy to knit with! Sorry they are kind of bent in the photo, they were washed and blocked but had been packed away for a while.

Summer Knitting Haiku

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today it is hot

I am still knitting slowly

Socks are good to knit

I must use my stash

I have so much lovely yarn

And such a long queue

I have ambition

My problem is inertia

Heels paralyze me

Must knit for Christmas

Of course I have many grand plans

Will I get it done?

That must be why it's called a stash...

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Brought to my attention via Barb of Spencer Hills Spinning and Dyeing:

The official yarn/drug metaphor compendium

Starting the Lice...

2011-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am back to working on C2's Norwegian sweater, and have started the lice pattern section. That makes for pretty easy knitting on the go, since it is not too cumbersome yet. I took it with me to the Old Town School of Folk Music Folk & Roots fest to see Rosie Flores since H's husband Jon Langford was going to be playing a couple of songs with her.

Now I know the tradition is to have someone hold your sock in progress, but all I had with me was the sweater. I told Jon to be careful or the next thing he knew all the knitters would be making him willie warmers, to which he responded, "Ya haven't got enough wool for that!"

*Eye roll*, that's what they all say Jon.

Socks per Request

2011-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ollie and the sock in progress.

A closer shot of the ribbed pattern.

Sometimes you just have to touch the yarn.

Circus boy's circus coach, an amazing man from Kazkhstan who was trained at the world renowned Moscow Circus School, noticed that I was knitting socks one day.

He said that he used to sit with his grandmother and knit socks with her. I just love that!

So, when he asked me to make him a pair of socks, how could I say no?

He asked for black socks, or green...so I saw this lovely green yarn - Rock Creek Yarn - Twisterino at Yarn Con and thought, "Great! Now I don't have to knit black socks!"

Except that I think he meant to say grey, rather than green. Oh well.

Love Cookie A.

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

(This post is somewhat belated camera and brain just got it together.)

I signed up for a May weekend workshop with the amazing and talented Cookie A., and was so disappointed when it was canceled. I was so surprised when she sent along this book as a consolation!

How sweet, and completely unexpected!

Gorgeous cover.

Amazing sock patterns.

Thanks to you Cookie, I have no doubt that it will.

Thank you Cookie A.!

Who is this babe?

2011-06-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Windy City Knitting Guild has a new "spokesmodel", as of yet, un-named. She is still, well, developing.

Quite a few people stopped by to contribute to her dress, and hang out and chat.

Here is the extraordinary Franklin Habit adding some stitches and style.

We enjoyed many contributions of time and talent and good fun.


Thanks Franklin!

I ran into JP, from the Knittyboard, and Mike.

A Bird for a Buddy

2011-06-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

The egg side of the toy and then you flip it over and...

In C#2's school all incoming 1st graders are paired up with a 5th grade "buddy". Every year the kids are assigned new buddies until 5th grade when they themselves become buddies. C#2 has been very generous and kind to his buddy this year, and really wanted to give her a special gift. She loves birds, and originally he wanted me to knit her some mittens.

A quick search on Ravelry, and I found this: Egg to Bluebird and a Little Nest, Too by Susan B. Anderson. He decided that it would be perfect for her, and I agreed. I think I even followed the pattern, except for the nest which I just quickly crocheted to the best of my dismal crochet ability.

Tadaa! It's a little bluebird!


Beak is wonky looking, but I thought the little wings were cute.

I even finished it on time!

That was FUN!

2011-06-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Socks that Rock by Blue Moon Fiber Arts? I loooooooooooooooove this yarn, it was an absolute delight to knit with and my socks just flew off the needles.

Look, they are very colorful, aren't they? I don't usually go for oranges, but this colorway just grabbed my attention - repeatedly. I tried to ignore it, but it kept yelling at me and it won. I bought it at The Fold booth at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair last year.

Socks & Ollie

Whose socks are cuter?

Sniff test.

Colors are close here, but nowhere near as vibrant as they really are...

See that column of purls on the sole? That's a handy dandy trick I learned at Sock Summit 2 years ago in Heather Ordover's class - it is especially handy for those of us who don't count too carefully.

I love how the heels turned out!

The pattern, Scylla, was great, and for those of us who aren't particularly careful about counting rows, it worked out very well. I got through the heels quickly, this pattern was great for those of us who lack the capacity to think too hard about heels.

I can't wait to wear them!

Found

2011-05-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

...at Circus boy's bus stop this morning.

Papa Y.

2011-05-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Another death, also not entirely unexpected, but this one is just as difficult.

When I am in Japan, the Y. family always treats me with such kindness and generosity, and has always treated me like a member of the family.

Papa Y. and I always got along so well, even before I could communicate adequately in Japanese, our gestures and minimal language served us well and helped establish our relationship.

He had such tremendous energy and was an amazing man.

播州電装　取締役会長　米田興一は、かねてから病気療養中でしたが、
5月12日　77歳にて永眠しました。
尚、通夜・告別の議は下記の通り合同葬にて執り行います。

米田家・播州電装株式会社　合同葬

　　　　葬儀委員長　　総務グループ長　　仁井　聖史
　　　　喪　　　主　　長男　　　　　　　米田　昭彦

1928 - 2011

2011-05-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my beloved father-in-law Frank. He was born in Mola de Bari, Italy, and moved to the United States when he was 8 years old. He built quite a successful life for himself here, and was a wonderful, generous and kind man. A true gentleman. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 12 years ago. It was hellish at times for all of us, I can't even imagine how it must have felt for him. It was incredibly painful to lose him to Alzheimer's, little by little, day by day, and to have him lose the ability to speak and communicate.

My children never had the joy of experiencing their grandfather, who loved them so dearly. They were too young to remember how he would hold them and beam proudly at "these guys". Instead my children had a grandfather who required their love and affection and attention without any real reciprocation. They always did an amazing job of touching him and lavishing him with their love, they made me so proud.

Goodbye Frank, I have missed you, and I have always thought the world of you.

Socks that Rock

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I was at a fiber fest, and the Fold had their booth right behind our guild booth. Well, this color "Boobie 2" really caught my eye. Over and over again, and finally, I caved and bought it. I loved the colors, but then I wondered what on earth I had been thinking because those colors are pretty loud and bright. So it sat for a bit, and then it went into my Yarn Harlot inspired "sock club". I was planning some weekend away knitting and lo and behold this was what I grabbed.

In no way are these colors accurate. Pattern is Scylla, by Fiona Lucas.

Holy cow!

I am in love with this yarn, it knit up super fast and has been heaven to work with - it has a wonderful squish and spring, and the colors are so vibrant.


Closer but not quite yet.

I have already finished one sock and the other is in the works, about 1/4 done.

These socks do rock! Totally awesome yarn.

Just what I need today.

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

An evil eye talisman from a friend.

It's just what I needed today.

It's actually soap. I love it.

I used to be cool.

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager I used to hang out at the best record store ever - Wax Trax! Chicago was the most exciting place to be. They had the best music, and it was the epicenter of the punk/alternative (before it was alternative) music scene in the early 80's (they advised John Hughes on music for the brat pack movies).

I was always welcome there, and everyone was really great and fun.

The cake being assembled.

The back of the cake.

The front of the cake, a replica of the old Wax Trax! store front.

This is the cake made by the amazing Bleeding Heart Bakery, and not only did it absolutely capture the essence of Wax Trax!, it was delicious.

The stories I have about the things I did and the people I met are pretty incredible.

Anyhow, here are some photos of some of the people that meant so much to me when I was a young punk.

Joe Shanahan of Metro and Mark Clifton

The incomparable Julia Nash and Larry Crandus doing the best robot dance ever!

Get down Larry!

A photobomb attempt.

Bill & I

Larry & I. I wore my infamous vintage monkey fur coat as a surprise for him.

My rock & roll girlfriends, H and D.

The Wax Trax! gang.

So much fun, so many memories, so long ago.

Stephenson County Fiber Fest

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Stephenson County Fiber Festival in Cedarville, IL was the first fiber fest I ever attended. It's a lovely little fiber fest with a nice variety, and it's not super crowded or overwhelming. The event is run by the Moonspinners and they have made this such a nice event.

Spinning everywhere

A variety of spinning tools, and spinners.

Lovely, soft fleece for sale.

A variety of items for sale, including 2 adorable antique spinning wheels, and a loom.

Isn't that lovely?

I love when the yarn label tells me the name of the sheep it came from!

More lovely fleece, looking at these just makes me want to learn to spin - almost.

Some beautiful laceweight being spun on an antique wheel.

A better look at the wheel. It looks so Rumpelstiltskin to me.

This was really fun, she was weaving a rug on a hula hoop, with loops of t-shirt fabric.

They thought of everything to keep everyone contented- and yes, it was occupied.

I felted some soap. Just getting started here.

A flower, I'm sure my kids will appreciate my artistic intent...not really.

Here's my friend B. being the felted soap spokesmodel.

Tadaa, ready for felting.

Here I go, felting!

B. and her felted soap. The baggies were genius, made it very easy and easy to transport.

Couldn't resist, it just looks like fun!

Tall Grass Fiber Jubilee Road Trip

2011-04-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

I went on a road trip to the Tall Grass Farm Fiber Jubilee in Delavan Wisconsin.

I love this little fiber fest, it is really cozy and intimate. You watch the angora goats (they produce mohair) being shorn by the master shearer, close enough and quiet enough to ask questions and hear his commentary.

I ran into some of the Windy City Knitting Guild board members.

Isn't that a cute barn? I love the hex on it.

Shopping and food in here! They make the best mohair blankets, yes, I bought another one.

The view from the road. I wasn't leaving yet, just loading up some purchases and walking back.

Goats with haircuts.

Llama looking around at all the commotion.

Next victims of the master shearer.

The shearing station.

Special wool shearing moccasins, and wool pants.

Pre-haircut.

Shearing in action.

Not a very happy goat.

Very unhappy and vocal goat.

Done!

Get me out of here!

2 Boxes

2011-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last month (pre-earthquake and disasters), I got a box of goodies from Japan.

Candy, and crackers a cotton kimono and just some Japanese stuff.

When I called my friends the K. family to say thank you, they asked if I had gotten the boxes of kimono. Huh?

Who needs to go to boxhab?

Caught! Ollie and Cupcake.

Stack of kimono, and haori in the haphazardly opened protective paper wrappers.

A lovely women's kimono.

A stack of men's obi.

Another view of the stack of kimono.

A couple of kimono and 3 gorgeous women's obi.

The boxes arrived yesterday, and wow! Not so colorful or flashy, but a treasure trove of texture and subtlety.

Hat Done.

2011-03-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hat done, washed, and blocked. Not photographed yet, but hey at least I've gotten this far.

Washed in hot water, yes, HOT, with Soak no rinse wool wash, and a splash of white vinegar. I let it sit for at least an hour or more, depending upon when I remember to pull it out of the water.

Gently squeeze the water out, smoosh in a towel to remove more water and stick it on a clean towel on the radiator to dry.

Japan

2011-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Doctors Without Borders/MSF:

Search Dog Foundation

These are my picks.

I just found out an earthquake of a magnitude of 6 has hit the town I used to live in, a base town for climbing Mt. Fuji, Fujinomiya. So far everything seems to be okay, but it is still the middle of the night. My thoughts are with those in Japan right now

Circus Boy!

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

What can I say? I'm a proud mother. Laaaadiesssss and gentlemeeeeeeeeeeeeen, I proudly present Circus Boy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uITbuZ-FBM0

Sorry, I can't embed the video here for some reason. It's a really good video of him, thanks to R.!

The hat? Oh, yeah, that's been done for a while. Things have been crazy lately. Long story.

My Hat (Almost)

2011-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Quincy by Jared Flood

Lamb's Pride Bulky Raspberry & Lotus Pink leftovers

Another year in need of a hat. I had these colors leftover from my Fairly Easy Fair Isle that is still not complete, just in need of a button band and that's all I'm going to say about it.

What? No, the hat isn't finished...um...yet?

More Circus Boy!

2011-02-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

New Glasses

2011-01-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Bifocal? Trifocal transitional? It's weird, the edges are all blurry.

It's official. I have old eyes.

Mitten Request

2011-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

C#2 didn't want mittens last year. He has entered the phase of wanting store bought ski gloves -

black of course.

I understand even though it saddens me a bit.

C#1 is another story altogether. He has been asking for mittens since last year's mittens have gone missing. We discussed some options, but then happily he asked me to surprise him with whatever design I choose!

I have looked at tons of patterns, and wanted something stranded and warm.

I bought Magnificent Mittens & Socks by Anna Zilboorg on sale at a book store, and that was where I found C#1's mitten. Her mittens all have some really fancy cuffs, but I think I'll just do a simpler cuff.

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash

Bon Vivant Blue & Mystic Blue

He won't even peek at his mittens! I hope he likes them, they will be very warm!

One of My Favorite Little Girls in the World

2010-12-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

Grew up and came from Japan to visit me!

The first time we met E., was about 2 years old, an adorable toddler. I saw her as a little girl, but I hadn't seen her in about 13 years.

After the initial shock of her being an adult, we had a wonderful time! Isn't she gorgeous? I love her!

I hope her sister comes to visit someday, too.

'Tis the Season

2010-12-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Baby Sweater with Ears

2010-12-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

My cousin M. and his wife J. are expecting their first child TODAY! I wanted to make a sweater, and M. requested something with ears. Here it is on my spokesmodel Max the Moose:


Easy Baby Cardigan by Diane Soucy in Cascade Cash Vero

Cupcake and Max the Moose


I think Cupcake is laughing at the wonky ears. It's okay, wonky ears will be cute on a baby.

I can't wait to see to see this baby! He'll be adorable, even when he's not wearing his new sweater.

Lucy Neatby Workshop

2010-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sea Lettuce Scarf by Lucy Neatby

Knitted Samples by Lucy Neatby

Amazing! I never understood Lucy Neatby's knitting before, but after taking her workshop I am just blown away. Her work is fabulous, and truly genius. I took a class to make a Venus Rising cardigan. The construction was so different, and produced a lovely sweater with many, many possibilities for variety and fit. She has a fearless sense of color, and combines them beautifully. The samples she brought to the workshop were so gorgeous, photographs do not do them justice.

Lucy Neatby workshop. She is wearing a Venus Rising Cardigan.

Construction explained. Got it? Good. Try it!

Explaining some technique via one of her DVDs.

Lucy's Cat's Pajamas yarn, did I mention cashmere?

I first saw Lucy in person at Sock Summit, she was hard to miss with her pink hair! She was so sweet, and patient, and after her ordeal at UK Knit Camp in Scotland, beyond generous.

If you ever have the chance to take a class with Lucy, I cannot recommend it enough. You will learn so much, and even though her videos and books are quite comprehensive, nothing compares with having her right there in front of you.

Thanks Lucy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving, and plenty of turkey and pumpkin pie.

I am very fortunate that I have so much to be thankful for, and when things are not going so smoothly I will try to remember them.

In the meantime, am I the only one who is a having a $#%@# time getting photos and text properly aligned in my posts? Yeesh. It's faster now, but .....

Ribs

2010-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Of alpaca are quite nice in the winter. Misti Alpaca Chunky makes a great quick and simple hat.
Perfect for something simple to knit.
The hats are so soft and warm, expect to see a few more around here due to all the requests.

This scarf has been a long time WIP.

No, it is not finished yet.

It's nice to knit, Ultra Alpaca, so I can't complain too much.

Even for a scarf.

Buttons for the Snapdragons

2010-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Buttons on.

Snapdragon mitts finished!

Ends woven in, everything finished.

Snapdragon Flip Top Mitts by Ysolda Teague


Berroco Vintage yarn wool/acrylic

I had a tough time choosing buttons for these mitts. I wanted a shank type button just because I thought it might be easier to button. Yes, one mitt is longer than the other. I swore I kept count, but if you know how I knit you know that that is not entirely true. I have a bit of a seam where I picked up the flip top, because I pulled a bit too tightly. The pattern was very nice, but the knitter could have been more careful.

The Aftermath

2010-11-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

C2, D., and C1(VERY reluctantly) and I tried archery yesterday.

It was fun, and I really enjoyed it, even though I couldn't aim to save my life.

We went to Archery Bow Range Chicago, which was a great place.
The people were very nice and the facility was really cool.
...but OUCH!

Quick Green Mitts

2010-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Crystal Palace Kaya, Funky Chunky Mitts by Lindsey Williard
I needed a quick knit for a gift to someone at C#1's school who has been very helpful and supportive. I knit these quickly, since I didn't make a thumb, but then I realized the buttonhole thumb opening needed some reinforcing. So they sat. They're still here. I have to photograph an accompanying pair of mittens that will go to another wonderful person. Those are complete, but in need of photos.

Construction is over for now. I have a bed, new windows, a nicely painted room and now 2 clean and reorganized rooms. Yay! The dust is awful, but both of the C's helped out by dusting.

Fujima Recital Prep

2010-10-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is K.-san, she makes everything better, and is a wonderful, wonderful person.

The stage crew. These guys are awesome, and we are thankful for their help every year.

They are building the "house" for the set of one of the dances.

Backstage. Make-up, hair, prep for wigs - it all happens here.

Some of the small props for the dances.

Waiting to be dressed, M. and S., who did an amazing job.

Little Y. and his mom is doing his make-up. She is a professional and has performed at the National Theatre in Japan.

K. She performed a male role and did great.

E., she had her hair done by O.-san rather than have to wear a wig.

Getting the head cover on, it has to go on before the make up, and has to be tight to hold in the hair.

Some more small props.

Just an assortment of photos from the recital. I run around like mad all day putting out fires and getting thing where they belong and helping out wherever necessary. We had a great crew, and the dancers were wonderful, and as usual we were thrilled when it was over.

I have no photos of the dances, because I am busy when they are dancing, and can't distract them from the side of the stage with a flash. I may ask K.-san for some photos because the costumes are really beautiful.

Otsukaresama!

Fujima on Facebook

Jared Flood!

2010-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Came to the Windy City Knitting Guild to do a workshop. He was a wonderful, kind and patient teacher. He made me want to cast on for an in the round sweater using the EPS, - Elizabeth Zimmerman Percentage System - so logical!
He drew things out beautifully, and took the time to really break everything down.

M. photgraphing D. wearing the scarf he intends to make in this exact green.

We got to see his new yarn - Shelter. It was just lovely. Did I take photos? Apparently not.

Moving Right Along...at a Snail's Pace

2010-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Construction continues...

Plasterer and plasteree.


Windows 2010

Window 1

Bob

Hard at work on a hard to work on house.

Window installation complete!

A bit of dust.

Looks nice!

Bob and Window 2 on the way!

Bob and Tony on the scaffold - look at the lovely plasterwork!

Yes Tony, I'm still taking photos.

How do you make a window fit in that?

Bob working, Tony hamming.

Installation complete!

Having a bit of difficulty getting things in the right places with the new image downloads, so things are a bit off. I give up right now.

C2 the Circus Boy

2010-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Laaaaaaadieeeeees and Gentlemennnnnnnnnnnnnnn.....!!!!!!

The amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing C2 performing on the silks....!!!!!

Excuse Me?

2010-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen my camera? No? Okay. Neither have I.

Well, I am nearly finished with the Snapdragon flip top mitts designed by Ysolda Teague. They are a gift for an amazing teacher who deserves so much more.

The pattern is well charted, and very clear. The design is really lovely, and since they are one of my favorite things to knit - mittens - it has been fun to knit them.

When I find my camera I'll post some nice photos but for now you can look at what's on Ravelry.

Is it Fall Yet?

2010-09-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ollie at home in some of my wool stash.

I want to wear a sweater. and mittens. and wool socks.

Enough with the heat already! I need to be able to wear some wool.

Wait a minute...

I don't have as much finished as I'd like....

I had better hurry up!

Reservations

2010-09-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

...made for Sock Summit 2011!

The Branch and the Pole and the Drama

2010-09-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of last Saturday's branch and utility pole drama.
It's funny how quiet and calm it looks in photos.

Here is a view of the broken branch resting on the wires. You can see the pole leaning over, pulling away from the building. When we first saw this, there was quite a bit of smoke and embers.

This is a better view of the pole, which cracked off at the bottom.

The pole and the tree...

Aha! There is the the spot that had been hit by lightning in the spring - it is charred, and then the branch was weakened and broke.

Chicago's finest kept us safe with this lovely yellow tape.

My first truck full of heroes. I didn't photograph them in progress because I didn't want to distract them with flashes. They were awesome and very interesting to watch.

My second truck full of heroes - and whoa! they were goooood looking! They were super awesome, fast, and very nice. Thanks guys! Come back again anytime, just take your shirts off, okay?

All better, and there's the stump of the branch. The rest of it is in our very unpleasant neighbor's yard.

The magical brace that made everything okay again.

The end.

What Next?

2010-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Excuse me, do I have a curse stuck in my teeth?

Okay. Let's make a list of this summer's mishaps.

Not necessarily in order.

Cracking plaster on the interior.
Cat pee.
Broken sewer line.
C#2 needs a root canal. And braces. And extractions.
Cat pee.
Gaping hole in wall.
Furniture and stuff everywhere to accommodate all interior work.
Computer crashed, lost all of my old emails.
Cat with bladder stone, poor Cupcake! That explains the cat pee!
Hole in the ground along the foundation.
Air conditioner only works in 70% of rooms.
Plaster repair.
Masonry crud and grit everywhere.
Had to remove all furniture from bedroom, sleeping on sofa - for a couple of weeks!
Plaster dust everywhere.
Computer $@#% again!!!
D. made bacon, and when I started the kettle for tea, the paper towel under the bacon caught fire.
Smelled smoke, assumed it was paper towels.
Heard firefighters in front of house, and discovered neighbor's tree had a branch on fire because it was pulling the electrical wires right next to our house!
Utility pole was at a 30 degree angle, with smoke and sparks.
Large pop! and lost electricity for the whole day.

...and the thing is...this is not even everything.

Oh, well.

My New Computer!!!

2010-09-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Crashed about a month ago, and as of yesterday doesn't let me log in to Windows.

At all.

A Computer Equivalent to Rubbish must be what Acer stands for....

@#$#%^#$&^&*(()*(&^%#$#@##%^$%^!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Difficult Choice.

2010-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

We went to the Wisconsin Dells so the C.s could have some waterpark fun. They loved it. I packed plenty of knitting and a magazine and figured I'd have some good lounging and make a great deal of knitting progress.

I am not in crowds very often, and I rarely have the opportunity to people watch, and there was some very interesting people watching at the Dells.

Such difficult choices to make! Knit? People watch? Knit? People watch?

So what DID I do?

Do you see any FO photos here?

Goodies from the Michigan FIber Fest

2010-08-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is. This is all the stuff I bought at the Michigan Fiber Fest.

Details? Okay, here we go.
After staring at this at Midwest Fiber & Folk, I knew I had to buy this! I saw the Fold right away and even though I would have preferred the midweight, they only had lightweight and I had to have it immediately!

Socks That Rock, color Boobie 2

I saw the knitted samples for these and thought they were very cool, after D. so thoughtfully pointed out this lovely yarn.

Gypsy Girl Creations

Ollie was feeling a bit neglected and thought the photos would benefit from his presence...this is a lovely yarn that had a wonderful color selection and I think will use these for Norwegian style stranded mittens...we'll see. I can't remember whose yarn this is, and I'm too tired to look it up now.

Soap, I love a nice smelly soap! Natural fragrances only though.

No details, but I also got some alpaca socks to send to Mama and Papa Y. in Japan, and a felt dryer ball.

I didn't go wild, but I feel like I got some very nice yarn that I will definitely use.

Michigan FIber Fest

2010-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

My alarm went off early in the morning to get on the bus to the Michigan Fiber Fest. I hit snooze a few times and then finally dragged myself out of bed - a real bed! (We got to re-assemble our bed and actually sleep in a bed instead of a random sofa or child's bed.) The point is I slept like a log and couldn't get up on time.

I figured I'd better print out directions just in case, so as I was at the computer I noticed the time was 6:30am. Now I know there are many things that my computer lies about, but sadly time is not one of them. Yep. I was officially late! I hustled around and got to the pick up right at 7:00am - the time our bus was supposed to leave. There was last minute fussing and packing, etc. and we were off!

Did I take a photo of the bus, or the happy bus riders? Ahem, moving on...I sat in the front seat and tried to knit - but I was being the navigator for our bus driver Walter who told me - repeatedly, that my next car should be a Subaru Outback.

Upon our arrival at the Michigan Fiber Fest, we had a great lunch provided by J. It was awesome, and the timing was perfect! Here we are at lunch. If I caught you with a mouth full or a potato chip hanging out of your mouth, please accept my apologies!

The other end of the table...

From there E. & I had some shopping to do! We were pleased to see the Fold, and the Blue Moon Blue Faced Leicester had me swooning, but I resisted. I haven't photographed my purchases yet, maybe tomorrow. After we shopped, we had to go see the critters - look at these cute angora bunnies! They were being judged at the time.

Those guys were squirmy, and ready for action!

This guy was my favorite - he looked like such a little muppet creation! Jim Henson must've been inspired by bunnies like these! So very cute!

Sheep judging. They were pretty talkative sheep.

I neglected photos of the noisy kid goats being judged...but look! It's the baby alpaca with it's mommy!

He was tired of being photographed, so you just get to see the 'tocks.

A sheep looking for a chin scratch.

...and A. fan and purchases in hand, ready for the trip home.

Yep, I sat with Walter on the way home, too. He enjoyed the fest, too. He bought some mittens and socks - once I explained to him that the fiber was as in wool - not fiber optics he was somewhat interested.

Yep, he told me to buy a Subaru Outback on the way home, too.

Performance Time Again

2010-08-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Performance time again. Here's A. all dressed and ready for her wig. She did a male role, and so the kimono and wig are not as elaborate as the female wigs and kimono.

I liked the color combinations of her kimono and obi and accessories.

Here is Sensei finishing up with the wig.

I should have taken a photo of the back. It's a very nice wig. They are made of human hair and have a special waxy pomade to keep them styled and glossy. Wig making is a very secretive art.

Y. got her natori (professional name) in from the headmaster in Japan a few years ago. She's a wonderful dancer, and so very deserving of the honor.

M. getting her wig adjusted. She is very particular about how things look and fit, and she is always right. She's another great dancer, and a great friend who makes me laugh.

Closer showing the hair ornaments and collars. Unfortunately, the flash picked up the white makeup on the wigs.

Here is her obi. That kimono weighed a ton! The embroidery gets very heavy.

Here is I. putting white makeup on S.'s arms and hands. you can't have a white face and then brown arms and hands, it just wouldn't look right. I. has performed at the National Theatre in Japan, and has her natori and is also a shihan (teacher) . She had to take a dance test in Japan in front of the headmaster, and she and another dancer from our school were some of the only ones to pass that day. She didn't dance this summer, but 2 of her 4 boys did. Yes, 4 boys. Triplets + 1!!!!

They were so incredibly patient and totally adorable!

Pretty awesome for a 7yr.old and an 8yr. old!

All dressed and ready to go! (This was the second performance - different costumes and wigs)

No, I don't dance anymore. I just help out wherever necessary, and especially help with dressing everybody. I love to do that. Yes, I wore a kimono, too. As a helper I'm supposed to wear all black, which I don't have, so I wore the darkest most appropriate stuff I owned.

Mittens

2010-08-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Mittens. I love to make them. Smaller than socks, small charts, no heel agony, just a little thumb to fiddle with and that's it!

Okay, the most dangerous thing is making 2 right or 2 left mittens, but other than that mittens are pretty simple and quick! Well, and the occasional miscrossed cable, but we won't discuss that at all.

These lovelies just flew off the needles, the chart was great and the palm was plain stockinette, and the yarn...oh this yarn was soft and springy and wonderful to knit!!!

They are the Celtic Frost mittens from the Dye Dreams Mitten Club, I forget which month/season. The cabling on the back of the mitten is great, but the top decreases looked a bit awkward to me so I made changes - and presto what do you know - I made them even wonkier. Just smile and pretend not to notice, you know, if you don't have anything nice to say...whatever. I still like them very much.

This is C#1's idea for the photo, and I do like it!
He was fairly patient to model, but he had
some gaming to get to so the photos were a bit rushed

In case you were wondering, nope they are not for me!

How Did That Happen?

2010-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

My knitting mojo seems to have returned. With it comes the desire to knit lots of items for people that matter. You know that warm and generous thought about what you would love to knit for someone that they would love or appreciate in return? Okay. I know, stop laughing. Really. You can stop rolling on the floor cackling now....

Seriously, you know what I mean. Right? You make the mental list in your head, of what you'll make for so and so and think about patterns and yarns and washability and so on...

Then all of a sudden your list is huge, but you're still moving at a glacier's pace.

These are people I really want to knit for, more than that...I would love to knit for to show my appreciation and love.

S. - because she has been one of the best things in our lives for the last couple of years.
She's getting some Snapdragon flip-top mittens designed by Ysolda Teague.

P. - because he has been there with S.
He's getting a One Row scarf designed by the Yarn Harlot. No, are you nuts, I am not spinning the yarn for it!

J. - something small because she has been there for a while, too.
Some Voodoo wrist warmers will be just the right thing.

The rest are top secret projects:

MM. - because he's a part of my family that appeared out of nowhere for me and is really family in every sense.
JM. - same, and he's got 4 kids to knit for!

and S. - who has been there for me during various crises, and who has such an incredible amount of wisdom she is truly inspiring. Okay, her project isn't truly top secret, I'm still bouncing ideas around in my brain.

Oh, I am in so much trouble!

Hole-y Mole-y

2010-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Why, yes, that is indeed the wall to my bedroom. Nicely ventilated isn't it.

Lovely, huh?

Masonry repair and tuckpointing. More to come, demolition, plaster, carpentry, painting, etc.

The hole is repaired, and the stone sill has been replaced, but yikes. What a mess.

...and no, there is no bed there right now.

Everything is dismantled and in complete chaos. I have no bed and have been sleeping on the sofa, and DH has been in C#1's room.

This is year 2 of major disruptive construction and if 1 more thing gets torn up I think I will just scream.

I just spent an hour or so cleaning up the grit, for nothing. Demolition will be happening in a couple of days.

At least I've been knitting a bit more these days.

Gaenor Knitty KAL, Dream in Color Starry mill end & Cupcake

Celtic Frost Mitten Dye Dreams Luster 4 Seasons Mitten Club

Sigh.

Facebook

2010-07-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have a Facebook account. I don't post often. I don't chat at all anymore. I considered quitting when all the privacy hoopla was going on because I really don't appreciate having my information being used without my permission.

I decided to keep my Facebook account, because it is fun hearing from old friends, and having an inkling about what they are up to these days. Life is busy for everyone and it makes me feel a bit more connected and vaguely social.

Then I got a message from someone from waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in my past.

Here's the back story:

My high school English teacher, Mr. Waldman, was a very interesting man and quite well traveled. One day I was sitting at his desk and I saw a piece of paper with an address from Turkey on it. I asked about it and he said to write to the guy, he'd been Mr. W.'s waiter and wanted a pen pal. Okay, I did. We wrote a bit back and forth, and then we stopped writing and carried on with life.

He found me on Facebook!

I guess that's why it is worth keeping.

Hanging Out with Polly at the Fair

2010-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair over the weekend. It was a really lovely event, and was in air conditioned comfort. I am a wimp when it comes to heat.

There were so many lovely items, and such a variety of items, and wouldn't you know it, we were right in front of The Fold's booth and that darn Socks that Rock was trying to make me buy it! I only bought 1 skein, in Drucilla. I could only resist for so long, you know?

Most of the time I was hanging out with Polly E. Cotton (the E. is for Esther), at the Windy City Knitting Guild booth which was a great deal of fun. Here she is with her creator, N.
Polly is a really incredible piece of art, with a gift of drawing out the oral histories of knitting experience and memory. Many people walked by and said, "Oh, I worked on that...I wonder where my piece is..." it was a lot of fun. We even got a visit from Mr. Bacon.

N. looks nice and happy and friendly - but don't let that kid you! She is evil and doing her best to convince me to join the dark side and start spinning. I resisted, but I did go look at spindles (like I said, The Fold was right behind us). K. on the left was amazing, she has a gift for teaching people how to knit.

It never fails, I go somewhere and think I've taken a ton of photos because I had my camera out of my bag, but this is it.

Yuck.

2010-07-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

We had a hole in the street front of our house.

At first sand would appear, and then every now and then water would gush up and out of the hole and down the street. Then there was more water, and then it was kind of smelly.

Then we realized that the water would gush when we showered, washed dishes or did laundry. Uh. Oh.

Yuck. Then we had some waterproofing workers prep for waterproofing, and as the dug the whole along the facade, they inadvertently created a moat. Then it seeped into the basement.
Yeah, extra yuck.

So we couldn't let anything go down the drain, because it would come right back in. The city said 2 weeks. We said, "No way." Flushing a toilet became a weighty decision. Hand washing screeched to a halt. No laundry, no dishes, nothing.

After some VERY serious complaining they came to fix it. The project was much worse than anticipated.

Six drainage tiles replaced.

Fixed. What a relief.

I am so lucky.

Ravelry Re-Categorization

2010-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Recently Ravelry requested that we volunteer to help re-categorize the patterns in their incredible database. They offered some amazing prizes to Ravelers who helped out, too!

I spent an afternoon doing that, which was quite interesting and fun as I went through old pattern books and magazines.

Unfortunately, now my queue is going to be MUCH longer!

P.S. Anyone going to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair? I'll be there!

Really Finished

2010-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yep. Buttonband and all, yes, including buttons.

Thanks to B. who harassed me into just finishing the ridiculously small amount of knitting that remained.

It turned out pretty nicely, I love the colors. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, Avondale, alternated between skeins of same dye lot - they were mill ends and very different.
This is great yarn for baby projects because it is machine washable and quite soft. The buttons were from my the stash of buttons from my MIL.

I decided to not put my tag in the sweater, in case baby turns out to not like things like tags. I stuck it on a card with an extra button, and a small bit of yarn, and washing instructions.

Now onto the next couple of baby sweaters I've got to knit!

Ollie and Cupcake

2010-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Cuddling together.

Looking so contented.

Pink and black jellybeans anyone?

A nice summer day's nap. What could be better?

Fourth of July

2010-07-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Down on the farm for the Fourth of July. The barn with a barn quilt square...

The cantina, where we eat our meals family style...

The straw bale greenhouse,

home of the weekend's schedule and...

some intense Pokemon action.

However, Pokemon battles were nowhere near as intense as the water fights. Usually upon arrival we are set upon with a barrage of water; balloons, water guns, a hose, whatever.
Weeks ahead of time C#1, and D. work out the strategies. We stop at a place short of our destination to load the weapons, and they are allies upon arrival, but allegiances shift pretty quickly to kids v. adults.

This year the kids had a brilliant plan. They sneakily stockpiled all the water guns, and the water balloon ammo. Great idea! Until this happened...

J. discovered the cache of weapons.

Not looking good. Look at these guys!

They are ruthless. This is WAR, WATER WAR!

This is my lame attempt to capture the action without suffering any hits.

Aaaah. The countryside is so idyllic.

Downtown Today

2010-06-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

I used to go downtown every day, and then nearly every day for a large part of my life. I loved knowing where to go, and how to plan my route to maximize my errand running, and the people watching.

I had to go downtown today, so I hopped on the train and enjoyed not having to drive, park and pay through the nose for doing so.

First stop, the post office, there was a loud conversation going on behind me with a postal worker trying to explain something to a man from another country. I took a look at him, and figured out he was Japanese. As I was leaving the post office, he was at the counter and there was major confusion. So I stepped in and helped him out. We chatted a little, but oh my, my Japanese is so rusty!

After that I went to city hall to get a sticker for my car. The line was unbelievable, but fast moving. I knit and looked at the lovely mosaic tiles in the ceiling and chatted with the guy ahead of me in line.

I called my friend H, and we met up and ended up doing something we hadn't done together for about 20+ years. We went thrifting. It was great!

My day was nothing like I had planned, and it was fun and relaxed. I got to be around a bunch of very diverse people and in a different environment. It was great! I really love my city. I'm glad my day allowed me to appreciate it.

Procrastination

2010-06-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

...or maybe just an attention problem.

I have finally finished the sleeves of the pretty simple, but killing me baby sweater. Finally.
Don't ask how many times various sleeves have been re-done, because, no, I will not tell you. I might roll my eyes a little, but I may have lost count. I know. Ridiculous. Look at those little things. What was my problem?

Okay, enough about that. The sleeves are done, I have even picked out the buttons...for the um...oh, I think I better dust the living room...wait, do I need to go outside and pull weeds? Did my phone just ring? Oh, yeah, I better check my email while I'm not too far from the computer...

...what?

Oh.

Yeah.

The buttonbands, pick up and knit...blah blah blah.

I know, I know.

At least there's a new post for you to read.

Frites and the French Market

2010-06-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

What a great spot for a WWKIP! A bit out of the way, but there was air conditioning, no sun (yeah, seriously, I have a pretty horrendous sun allergy) and excellent food and some great knitters!

Had I not forgotten my camera, there would be a lovely shot of the crispy critters here.

Sorry, you'll just have to take my word for it.

WWKiP Saturday, June 12, 2010

2010-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

World Wide Knit In Public Day!

At the Chicago French Market 131 North Clinton Street and look for the Windy City Knitting Guild.

Bring a project to work on and be prepared to spend a great afternoon…and IN PUBLIC!

WCKG is going to be giving free knitting lessons – if you need to brush up, join us!

ATTENTION CROCHETERS, QUILTERS, LACERS, WEAVERS, SPINNERS, RUG HOOKERS (and everyone in between) –

You are MOST welcome to join us! We are *inclusive* not exclusive! : )

I hope to see you there!

This Simple Baby Sweater is Killing Me!

2010-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know. This sweater is just kicking my butt. Mistake after mistake, and crappy looking stitches galore!

I ripped out sleeve 1 because it just looked so bad and was just a mess. I was knitting on 2 circs, for the first time. The needles are identical, and I managed to do everything to get them in the wrong position - no photos of that mess because it's just a bit embarrassing. It still looks weird, but I have to rip back and re-do the cuff in the right size needle...

Oh, well. It's just knitting. It can all be undone. The yarn is still lovely, and nice to work with. I would just like to get this done sometime soon and move on to something else.

There must be something about these size 7 bamboo DPNs that is really irresistible because the cats have nibbled most of these tips! I have to check and see if there is a non nibbled point to knit on to, knitting off of one isn't too bad. I'll have to dig out some sandpaper after this is done.

Cat Bordhi

2010-05-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOD!!!!

Cat Bordhi is a knitting genius. She is utterly amazing. I took a weekend workshop with her (courtesy of the Windy City Knitting Guild) and I don't think I will ever look at a knitting pattern in quite the same way.

I have to admit, I was not too enthusiastic about the workshop. I mean I like to knit socks, and I love good designs, but I'd found the square heel and I was loving it and that's that. I don't need weird to make a sock worth knitting and from the photos I'd seen, I was just, meh.

Class started with some sock diagrams, and she used a wonderful large sock as a sample for talking about sock parts. Cat was so organized and had a well thought out presentation. She also had excellent handouts that were very well designed, clear and concise.

Our first knitting was a knitted bowl to practice Cat's clever short row "non-heel"- that alone was worth it's weight in gold! That was fun! We used Judy Becker's Magic Cast On, and Cat's Wrap & Turns, and then the awesome short row technique.
(Links are to Cat's You Tube videos)

Leftover Noro Silk Garden

Then we moved onto a baby sock, with a garter stitch toe. There is no right way to make it, that it is absolutely the knitter's choice. She had so many tricks and tips, I hope my brain absorbed most of it. Some of it was just simple common sense if you had taken the time to wonder how to improve the "proven" methods.

Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Worsted in Sherbet

Her socks were amazing. Photos do NOT do them justice. Trust me.

If you ever hear that Cat is teaching, sign up immediately, it will change how you approach your knitting and really help you think and analyze what you do and what you want to do.

Did I mention that Cat Bordhi is a genius?

Deadline Knitting Coming Up Again!

2010-05-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Next time I have a slump, just remind me to hurry up and knit for myself because a rush of deadline knitting is hurling itself my way SOON!

1. baby sweater -
overdue, baby's here, I'm knitting size 12 mos.

2. Star Wars mittens -
for birthday party tomorrow, not even on needles yet, but hey, it's not even winter

3. baby sweater and blanket for my cousin's first baby -
that means extra special and I'm really excited about this

I'm sure there is more that I am conveniently forgetting, you know like selective hearing, this is selective memory.

Time for a cat photo, I've got so much knitting to do!

Sweet Rosie, our friend J. found her in a cemetery in the winter

Knitted Items Requested

2010-05-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

The slump is over.

I am being forced out of my slump by a baby sweater. D. requested a sweater for a co-worker who just had a baby. I grilled him before I agreed, it's imperative to make sure they appreciate hand knitting.

Super-Natural Stripes by f.pea

I bought the yarn at the Lorna's Laces Warehouse sale. It's a lovely mix of blues, the skeins are very different so I need to alternate the skeins which is a bit of a pain but not too bad. The yarn feels very nice. Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Wool is great for babies, because it's wool, and machine washable and the colors, oh, the colors.

I have had to rip it out a few times, lulled by the feel of the yarn and knowing it's stockinette...

WAIT! Did I miss the reverse stockinette row???? AGAIN?!!! grumble, rip, grumble.
It's okay, I just get to knit it again. Don't worry, I'm knitting it for a size 12 mos. so even at the rate I'm knitting it will still fit.

Spring Slump

2010-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

There are some pretty simple knits in my knitting bag at the moment, but I have a bad case of knitting inertia. I can't get anything done.

Socks for D. v2 - barely a row per day on the dreaded heel

Petrie - for crying out loud it's straight stockinette! I might get 3 rows a day done.

River rapids socks - I haven't even finished the ribbing!

This is why I never knit for myself. When I don't have a deadline looming I just stop sometimes.
If you see my knitting mojo, can you send it back my way?
Thanks.

Cashmere = Love

2010-04-23T06:04:00.001-07:00

In lieu of flowers the gals at Sweater Club, my weekly knitting group, gave me cashmere.

I love them (and not just because they gave me cashmere)!

Thank you Renay, Tammy, Betsy, Shar, Kathy, Maureen, and Trisha.

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains and More

2010-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is Lorna's Laces Zombie BBQ.

Really, I just thought it was great.

I love the pale moldy skin green, and fake blood red, I love this stuff!

What? What other purchases? No, not me, no I....uh....well, I uh.....oh, alright.

Here's what I got at the annual warehouse sale...

Sock yarn for B. - really! It is NOT mine.

Most of it was one of a kind, so there are no names for the colors.

Shepherd's Sock, Shepherd's Worsted, Glory and a mystery mohair

Different view

Once again.

Thanks Beth, the sale was fabulous as usual!

Aircraft Carriers

2010-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

These are C#2's new socks.

He wore his other pair of handknit socks so often that I made him another pair right away. He wasn't too sure about the color though, but he seemed pretty happy with them when they were finished.

We took photos the other day, and holy cow!

His feet are as big as aircraft carriers! I better start knitting socks faster, because those feet aren't getting any smaller!

Indeed.

2010-04-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

My new project bag.

Very clever and so apropos.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenniegee

Sayounara

2010-04-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

1928 - 2010

Goodbye Dad.
I love you.

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

2010-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

...but years of procrastination bring mittens. Finally!

A. and L. have been waiting patiently for their mittens, and they finally have them! I had a specific deadline, and the girls were going skiing in Tahoe, I could not delay any longer.

I wanted them to be bright, and 3-D, and floral. I chose pansies and then I was thinking of other springy flowers, but I finally decided on poppies.

I loved the poppies!

Wouldn't you know it, the girls fought over the pansies!

The mittens are made of Lamb's Pride Superwash worsted, held double on #5 and #7 (US) needles they're dense and very likely waterproof.

I had so much fun knitting these that I was tempted to make another pair for someone else, but my hands were pretty tired from knitting all night so I snapped out of it.

Spring Knitting

2010-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Mittens for A. and L.

This might seem like the beginning of a project, but no, not really. I love to make mittens embellished with all kinds of things. I used to make them all the time for kid birthday gifts. My mittens were in demand, and everyone used to want me to make them for them. The creative process for them was very time consuming, add some procrastination in there and slow knitting, and pretty soon it just ground to a halt.

I had not made any of "my" mittens in quite a long time, but I promised, PROMISED, to make them for adorable and sweet A. & L. Poor girls have waited years. The perfect opportunity for an inflexible deadline came up and I knew I had to make them now or that by the time I'd get around to it I'd have to make wedding shawls rather than some little fun mittens.

I have to have an idea and a picture in my head of what I want the finished object to look like, otherwise I can't really start. I have to play with the colors, images and ideas, but I need a clear image in my head or I can't even start to think about the knitting. That pile of stuff up there is the beginning of the knitting which was complicated by the fact that my sketchbook was nowhere to be found. Grrr. I found an old swatch, and based my numbers on that, but I think the swatch lied. Of course, after the first pair was complete I found my sketchbook. Figures.

Next post:
Completed!

Socks of a Different Kind

2010-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

...or are they mittens?

Ollie, adjusting the shades.

Knitting's a Privilege

2010-03-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here it is!

CBS Sunday Morning

(and even better there's a video on the Poilane Bakery next!)

What a wonderful Sunday morning!

Remember Mo Rocca vs. the Knitters?

2010-03-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here, let me refresh your memory.

video link

Well, the whole story is supposed to be on CBS Sunday Morning!!! This Sunday, the 28th as Mo Rocca reports on knitting!

I made Mo some mittens, did ya see me?

My Knitting Bag

2010-03-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I had this wonderful knitting bag, purchased at my LYS, Arcadia Knitting in Chicago. It was made by Yancha, and it was adorable with a pattern of Japanese Sandals or geta on it. I used it quite a bit. Then I hadn't used it for a while...and do you know what happened?

One of the cats peed in it!!!!! Luckily it was empty of projects and just had a few pieces of paper and some little things, but arrrrrrrrrrgh! My main knitting bag!

So the hunt was on for a new bag.

I think I found it...

Very simple, pretty basic and won't look too ratty after a week. Cat pee impervious? Well, let's hope that's over! I got it from Laura Foster Nicholson Textiles.
She has some adorable ribbons, really cute patterns - but look at these!

Knitting ribbons! She has some for crocheters, and quilters, too!

I have to admit, the ribbons came first, I was given some by my friend H. and then I had to look at LFN's website and then I found the bag and.... you know.

That's all I've got for today. Now I've got to go clean the litterbox.

Are you kidding me?

2010-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

This sock. I knit this sock for D. and his most ungracious response was "What will I wear them with?" Needless to say it sat unfinished and unmatched as I plotted a way to integrate the word "ingrate" into them. Purl bumps weren't obvious enough, and I thought turquoise intarsia might do the trick.
Well, I started the second sock, and lo and behold I had an immensely different shade and variegation in the second skein, so now...yep, I've got to rip the first sock out anyhow. Oh, well, it is just knitting.

I told D. that I was going to have to frog, and thought he might look to have some input into what he'd like, if he intended to wear them...and this is kind of what he wanted, something similar to Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Caspian Sea Socks. Our dear friend S. who used to live next door had some amazing socks his mother made for him (one day I will have to photograph them, they are truly awesome), and D. remembered those and wanted a pair of socks like that, the closest I found were the Caspian Sea socks.

Well then he said no, and thought he might something like Latvian Wedding Socks.
Maybe, he couldn't decide, but things were looking pretty wild there...

I thought to myself, Huh? but you ask what you'd wear brown socks with?

We discussed the socks more and he said he wanted socks like C#2's Mint Chip socks, with the stripes and different colors.

So we dug through my stash, and this is what he's getting:

Mini Mochi, and Dye Dreams sock yarn

Whatever. He doesn't know how lucky he is, does he?

Annemor's Mitten Class

2010-03-10T10:52:00.001-08:00

Have I gushed enough about Annemor Sundbo?

This is from our Selbu mitten class. We had a couple of options, we could follow the pattern she gave us for a lovely Nordic Star mitten, or we could copy a motif or a variety of patterns following Norwegian "rules" to make our own mitten. The choices were overwhelming, and I had to think a good long time about what I wanted to make, then I thought, "well, if it's too small the kids can have them..." then common sense took over and I realized white mittens? kids? NO! and I decided that they should be mine!

Samples and motifs

Mine is bright blue & white, next to the bright red mitten.

I couldn't decide, so I'd knit, look around, knit, talk, take a photo, knit. I was not at all productive. I was so indecisive, I couldn't quite decide what to knit.
So, I frogged. I have found a cuff I like, but I'm still not sure on the motif.
Oh, well.

Here's a photo of me at the embroidery class, slouching in the chair, but at least I was being productive that day!

photo courtesy of L.Lutz of the WCKG

No, I did not knit that sweater, it's from L.L. Bean, knit in China.