Since it is now the end of 2006 and I am pretty sure that I am not going to get any more projects done this year, I thought that I would put up this list and then clear off my old list. That way I can start fresh for 2007.
Grandma's Scarf
Camo Mitts
Mech Mitts
Poof Scarf
Malizia Scarf
Sugar Plum Pullover
Debbie Bliss Hoodie
Alpaca Beaded Hat
Travelling Socks
Grandpa's Slippers
Alpaca Beaded Scarf
Interminable Sock
Holiday Bag
Eye Pillows (2)
My Adorable Bunny
Sherbet Socks
Garterlac Washcloth II
Garterlac Washcloth I
One Skein Scarf
Whisper Scarf
Fiesta Scarf for KAH
Sherbet Bag
Sugar 'n Spice Sweater
Art Deco Bag II
Blair's Camera Bag
Grandma's Baby Booties
Socks for KAH
Sockaploooza Socks
Art Deco Bag
KO Sweater
2 Karaoke Bags
Squiggle Bag
That is 8 bags, 7 scarves, 5 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of mitts, 2 sweaters, 2 baby sweaters, 2 eye pillows, 1 hat, 1 pair of slippers, 1 bunny, and 1 pair of booties. That is a total of 32 knitted items this past year. I'm pretty impressed with that and I can't wait to see what I can get done in the new year. I hope that everyone out there will have a happy new year and will knit lots and lots of pretty things.
~Planting little vines of fiber goodness~
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
6 Weird Things
For those of you that were worrying, Blair and I are very safe when we travel in winter weather. When going up Mt Hood we stick strictly to Hwy 35 and only leave it for ploughed areas with lots of people. No sense in getting stuck up there. Anyway, I was tagged by Tammy of Lavendar Knits for the 6 Weird things meme.
Ok, some of this has been put on my blog before, but I think you would have to be a pretty long time reader to get it. I will try and keep it original though:
PS. If you would like to see some more pictures of my Christmas knitting, check out my husband's post on Christmas.
Ok, some of this has been put on my blog before, but I think you would have to be a pretty long time reader to get it. I will try and keep it original though:
- I was born on the 6th day of the 6th month at 6:36am. Which I think might have just gotten rid of all of the fundamentalist Christians who read my blog. Seriously though I think the doctor really just had a bad sense of humor, I mean why wasn't I born at 6:35 or 6:37? Though because of it 6 is my favorite number and has always brought me luck.
- I graduated a year early from high school, then spent 5 years in college to make up for it.
- I was 22 when I got my driver's license. My husband was the one who actually taught me to drive after we were married. I really didn't (and still don't) have a great need to drive. In Eugene (where I went to college) there is an awesome bus system that goes everywhere. Here in Hood River I can walk to just about everywhere I need to go.
- Even though Hood River is considered an outdoor haven for all things athletic I am really not involved with any of them. I don't windsurf (or particularly want to have anything to do with a sport that involves a possible mouthful of the Columbia River. ick!), nor do I boat, ski, or snowboard. I am perfectly happy with my knitting as my only sport.
- I still sleep with the teddy bear that I received when I was 1 year old. When I am without it I snuggle my blankets. My bear is a white polar bear by Gund, his name is Gunda, and was given to me by my great-grandmother on my very first birthday.
- I consider myself an artist even though according to what I learned in art school I would be considered a crafter. I think that is part of why I never got my BFA and don't have any intention of ever getting one. I enjoy making things for the love of making them, whether it is a simple pattern for a pair of functional mittens or a gorgeously painted one of a kind skein of yarn. In my eyes they are all art and so I consider myself an artist.
PS. If you would like to see some more pictures of my Christmas knitting, check out my husband's post on Christmas.
Extended Family Christmas
Yes, we went sledding yesterday. Well, at least sort of. We went up twice each and got to see a lot of other people out sledding. It was pretty awesome, but I think we are going to have to invest in a couple of intertubes, because they looked like a lot of fun. I didn't get any pics because I left my camera at home. We decided to keep going up the mountain (Mt. Hood) and it was just gorgeous out. Though, speaking of pictures here are the goodies that I made for my grandparents.
Some of you probably remember when I made these slippers. They are really awesome slippers. I didn't get to see my grandfather try them on yet, but I really hope that they fit and keep his feet warm. They are made from Cascade 220 in colors #9449 & #8555. The pattern is Fiber Trends Felt Clogs pattern. In fact it is the exact one that Brenda was complaining about on Cast-On. I love them and I thought they were really quick and fun to knit.
Then I made a feather and fan scarf for my grandmother. It is knit out of Miner Creek Alpaca, an exclusive yarn through Knot Another Hat. This is a brand new colorway called Log Cabin #117. I just love the reds and greens in this. My grandmother loved it too and that is what really counts.
Here is a close-up of the scarf. It is really light and fluffy soft in only the way that alpaca can be. I also didn't end up using the whole skein of yarn. I was afraid that it would be too long and would be too much for my grandmother to handle. It's finished length was 58" x 7 or 8" wide.
Also, here is a knitting project I forgot to tell you about. I took a class from Sarah on Moebius knitting. She took a class from Cat Bordhi herself and passed on her wonderful advice. Speaking of which, Cat Bordhi should be visiting us sometime in July. How cool will that be? I am knitting this out of Teseo in color Riviera Blue #21763. I just love how the yarn changes color and goes around the bag strap. It is a really amazing and mind bending technique.
Now that the holidays are over I can finally get to back to daily chores, such as house cleaning and laundry. Though according to this article, it isn't necessarily the best thing to be super tidy. Which is great news to all of us knitters out there that aren't perfect house keepers. I think I might have to send this link off to the Yarn Harlot. The article is awesome and definately worth checking out even if you are much tidier than I am.
Some of you probably remember when I made these slippers. They are really awesome slippers. I didn't get to see my grandfather try them on yet, but I really hope that they fit and keep his feet warm. They are made from Cascade 220 in colors #9449 & #8555. The pattern is Fiber Trends Felt Clogs pattern. In fact it is the exact one that Brenda was complaining about on Cast-On. I love them and I thought they were really quick and fun to knit.
Then I made a feather and fan scarf for my grandmother. It is knit out of Miner Creek Alpaca, an exclusive yarn through Knot Another Hat. This is a brand new colorway called Log Cabin #117. I just love the reds and greens in this. My grandmother loved it too and that is what really counts.
Here is a close-up of the scarf. It is really light and fluffy soft in only the way that alpaca can be. I also didn't end up using the whole skein of yarn. I was afraid that it would be too long and would be too much for my grandmother to handle. It's finished length was 58" x 7 or 8" wide.
Also, here is a knitting project I forgot to tell you about. I took a class from Sarah on Moebius knitting. She took a class from Cat Bordhi herself and passed on her wonderful advice. Speaking of which, Cat Bordhi should be visiting us sometime in July. How cool will that be? I am knitting this out of Teseo in color Riviera Blue #21763. I just love how the yarn changes color and goes around the bag strap. It is a really amazing and mind bending technique.Now that the holidays are over I can finally get to back to daily chores, such as house cleaning and laundry. Though according to this article, it isn't necessarily the best thing to be super tidy. Which is great news to all of us knitters out there that aren't perfect house keepers. I think I might have to send this link off to the Yarn Harlot. The article is awesome and definately worth checking out even if you are much tidier than I am.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Family Christmas
Today's post is dedicated to my family's Christmas, for which I back breakingly knit an assortment of holiday goodies. I am sorry that the pictures are a bit blurry. The lighting was terrible as it was taken at night. We decided to open gifts Christmas Eve this year.
To start off with are the man mitts. I know I actually talked a little about them a little earlier. Some of you might even recognize this Mech pair. I gave them to my brother Andrew, for which the yarn has been named. He is such a gamer and he love blue and black so I knew that these had to be for him. I still have kits and patterns (pdf / paper) in my shop if anyone wants to make their own pair.
The pair that wasn't shown was this Camo pair for my dad. He really loved them and I hope that he gets a lot of use out of them. He said that they fit perfectly, which I am very glad of. He has hands similar in size to Blair, so it made me very happy that they fit. Blair now wants a pair too. I'm sure I will be able to get a pair done for him sometime after I get his skull socks done. I have camo mitt kitts available in my etsy shop as well.
Here is my brother Matthew. Something most people don't know about me is that my youngest brother is handicapped. He has an addition on his 11th chromosome, which is a very very rare condition to have. He is a sweet kid though and really loves bright colors. Lately he has actually shown an interest in what I am knitting, so I thought that I would make this really fast and simple scarf out of Poof Color Orange Crush #9557. It is 13 sts on a size 15us needle and just knit until all the yarn is gone. It takes 2 balls. It makes a really super soft scarf that I am sure will keep him warm, and more importantly keep him visible to my mother when he is outdoors.
I've saved the best set for last. This is my mother (left) and her twin sister Linda (right). I knit Linda the fabulous scarf that is totally out of focus. It is knit with Malizia color #11. It has a very simple and fast pattern too. Simply cast on 11 sts, knit both sides, then every 8th row k1, yo 3 times, repeat to the end. On the next row drop all of the yarn overs. Fringe optional. It really is a great way to make a beautiful yarn go further and really shows off a fancy yarn like Malizia to its very best.
The sweater that my mom is wearing is the Sugarplum Pullover from Handknit Holidays. The pattern was actually pretty accurate except for one little part. When attaching the sleeves it says to attach one sleeve and then knit the back, but if you do this from where the yarn is at you are ready to knit the front. To remedy this I simply attached both sleeves as directed and then continued to knit until I was where I was suppose to be. This worked really well because I had a slight row gauge issues, so a little extra knitting didn't hurt a thing. As you can see the sweater fits her perfectly, for which I am very very happy. I just love this sweater. It is very gorgeous and very sexy. I knit it out of Nashua Creative Focus Superwash, which I got gauge with the recommended needle size. It is an awesome substitute, and even better because it is technically machine washable. Though my mother has promised me that she is going to handwash and use Soak, which she bought from Knot Another Hat.
That's it for my immediate family's gathering. The next post will be my grandparent's holiday bash, which I forgot my camera. Luckily I took pictures of all of their goodies before they left the house. Anyway, I think Blair and I are going to go sledding or at the very least go and try out his brand new GPS that I got him for Christmas.
To start off with are the man mitts. I know I actually talked a little about them a little earlier. Some of you might even recognize this Mech pair. I gave them to my brother Andrew, for which the yarn has been named. He is such a gamer and he love blue and black so I knew that these had to be for him. I still have kits and patterns (pdf / paper) in my shop if anyone wants to make their own pair.
The pair that wasn't shown was this Camo pair for my dad. He really loved them and I hope that he gets a lot of use out of them. He said that they fit perfectly, which I am very glad of. He has hands similar in size to Blair, so it made me very happy that they fit. Blair now wants a pair too. I'm sure I will be able to get a pair done for him sometime after I get his skull socks done. I have camo mitt kitts available in my etsy shop as well.
Here is my brother Matthew. Something most people don't know about me is that my youngest brother is handicapped. He has an addition on his 11th chromosome, which is a very very rare condition to have. He is a sweet kid though and really loves bright colors. Lately he has actually shown an interest in what I am knitting, so I thought that I would make this really fast and simple scarf out of Poof Color Orange Crush #9557. It is 13 sts on a size 15us needle and just knit until all the yarn is gone. It takes 2 balls. It makes a really super soft scarf that I am sure will keep him warm, and more importantly keep him visible to my mother when he is outdoors.
I've saved the best set for last. This is my mother (left) and her twin sister Linda (right). I knit Linda the fabulous scarf that is totally out of focus. It is knit with Malizia color #11. It has a very simple and fast pattern too. Simply cast on 11 sts, knit both sides, then every 8th row k1, yo 3 times, repeat to the end. On the next row drop all of the yarn overs. Fringe optional. It really is a great way to make a beautiful yarn go further and really shows off a fancy yarn like Malizia to its very best.The sweater that my mom is wearing is the Sugarplum Pullover from Handknit Holidays. The pattern was actually pretty accurate except for one little part. When attaching the sleeves it says to attach one sleeve and then knit the back, but if you do this from where the yarn is at you are ready to knit the front. To remedy this I simply attached both sleeves as directed and then continued to knit until I was where I was suppose to be. This worked really well because I had a slight row gauge issues, so a little extra knitting didn't hurt a thing. As you can see the sweater fits her perfectly, for which I am very very happy. I just love this sweater. It is very gorgeous and very sexy. I knit it out of Nashua Creative Focus Superwash, which I got gauge with the recommended needle size. It is an awesome substitute, and even better because it is technically machine washable. Though my mother has promised me that she is going to handwash and use Soak, which she bought from Knot Another Hat.
That's it for my immediate family's gathering. The next post will be my grandparent's holiday bash, which I forgot my camera. Luckily I took pictures of all of their goodies before they left the house. Anyway, I think Blair and I are going to go sledding or at the very least go and try out his brand new GPS that I got him for Christmas.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
I actually have things to post, happy, wonderful, even knitted things to post. Actually I think I have enough content for 3 or 4 posts, so I am triple posting at the moment figuring out where all the photos are best seen and then I will post them up over the next couple of days just so that it isn't quite so overwhelming. I am sure too that there are a lot of you out there that are going to be posting (if you haven't already) and I can't wait to read about everyone's holiday!
I thought I would do today's post on what Santa brought to me:
I decided to break it down into themes. This is my sheep set of stuff. My mom got me sheepy socks, which are traditional. Every year she gets me a set or two of fancy socks, which is awesome because I am such a sock fiend. The most hilarious thing, though, is the picture my mom got me. I'm not sure if you can read it in the picture but the words below Lamb's says: Fancy Soaps for Tender Ladies. I don't know why, but every time I read that it makes me smile. I have to hang it in my bathroom! The last thing there is Trafficking in Sheep, which I have heard really good things about from other bloggers. Blair got it for me and I can't wait to read it. I'll let you know what I think about it when I am through.
The second set is my dvd set. Pretty much all of them are nice knitting time movies, so I included them. The Gilmore Girls sets I picked up for myself from Costco, but put them under the tree from Santa. Apparently Santa isn't so good at taking the price labels off, but oh well. I was really overjoyed to find seasons 1-3 for less than $15 a piece. I can't seem to find them on their website for that price or anywhere else for that matter. I bought them from the Costco in Portland off of Sandy for anyone who is in the area and would like to know. I just love them and I don't have cable so this is a very big deal. Tales from Avonlea is from my mom, I really love all of the Avonlea movies. I grew up on Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, they are perfect knitting movies because I can watch them and not have to look up all the time to see what is going on. The last Serenity I saw in theaters and my husband got for our dvd collection. It is from an awesome series called Firefly, which I am very sad that it went off the air. I really love the movie, but I was sad that they killed off some of my favorite characters.
My last group is my knitting related things. My mom made me my very own flock of lavender sheep. They have stitch marker embellishments on the front of them, which I am sure I will put to good use. The sock blockers are by Leggy Creations. I asked for them specifically because they are so awesome. Each pair that she makes are one of a kind works of art. I don't think that my picture even does justice to them. I am going to have to find a special place on the wall to hang them when they are not in use. The last thing is Traditional Scandinavian Knitting that my husband got for me. It is so awesome. It is mainly in black and white, with a few color pictures. I just went through it from cover to cover and now I have some great ideas. I am sort of in a sweater mood at the moment, so this will come in very handy.
Items not pictured, or at least not pictured yet, include more cooking things from my mom. I also got the most awesome set of plates from Sarah that are made by Mystic Mud Studios here in Hood River. (I happened to find a picture online, so click on the first link to see what my pretty plates look like). It is so hard to find holiday anything with pears that I just fell in love with them when I saw them. I am using them to put pumpkin bread and Christmas cookies on them for tonight's Christmas feast. Speaking of which the other awesome gift I received is from Destiny. There aren't any pictures of it either. She made me (and she gave one to Sarah too) a gift basket filled with homemade pumpkin bread, cranberry pumpkin muffins and homemade blackberry jam. Needless to say it all disappeared before I could take a picture of it. It was really really awesome though, and made a great breakfast treat.
I must have been a very good girl this year for Santa to have brought me all these nice things. I feel very blessed for having such a great family, awesome friends, and a true soul mate for a spouse. I hope all of you guys out there are having an equally wonderful holiday season!
I thought I would do today's post on what Santa brought to me:
I decided to break it down into themes. This is my sheep set of stuff. My mom got me sheepy socks, which are traditional. Every year she gets me a set or two of fancy socks, which is awesome because I am such a sock fiend. The most hilarious thing, though, is the picture my mom got me. I'm not sure if you can read it in the picture but the words below Lamb's says: Fancy Soaps for Tender Ladies. I don't know why, but every time I read that it makes me smile. I have to hang it in my bathroom! The last thing there is Trafficking in Sheep, which I have heard really good things about from other bloggers. Blair got it for me and I can't wait to read it. I'll let you know what I think about it when I am through.
The second set is my dvd set. Pretty much all of them are nice knitting time movies, so I included them. The Gilmore Girls sets I picked up for myself from Costco, but put them under the tree from Santa. Apparently Santa isn't so good at taking the price labels off, but oh well. I was really overjoyed to find seasons 1-3 for less than $15 a piece. I can't seem to find them on their website for that price or anywhere else for that matter. I bought them from the Costco in Portland off of Sandy for anyone who is in the area and would like to know. I just love them and I don't have cable so this is a very big deal. Tales from Avonlea is from my mom, I really love all of the Avonlea movies. I grew up on Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, they are perfect knitting movies because I can watch them and not have to look up all the time to see what is going on. The last Serenity I saw in theaters and my husband got for our dvd collection. It is from an awesome series called Firefly, which I am very sad that it went off the air. I really love the movie, but I was sad that they killed off some of my favorite characters.
My last group is my knitting related things. My mom made me my very own flock of lavender sheep. They have stitch marker embellishments on the front of them, which I am sure I will put to good use. The sock blockers are by Leggy Creations. I asked for them specifically because they are so awesome. Each pair that she makes are one of a kind works of art. I don't think that my picture even does justice to them. I am going to have to find a special place on the wall to hang them when they are not in use. The last thing is Traditional Scandinavian Knitting that my husband got for me. It is so awesome. It is mainly in black and white, with a few color pictures. I just went through it from cover to cover and now I have some great ideas. I am sort of in a sweater mood at the moment, so this will come in very handy.Items not pictured, or at least not pictured yet, include more cooking things from my mom. I also got the most awesome set of plates from Sarah that are made by Mystic Mud Studios here in Hood River. (I happened to find a picture online, so click on the first link to see what my pretty plates look like). It is so hard to find holiday anything with pears that I just fell in love with them when I saw them. I am using them to put pumpkin bread and Christmas cookies on them for tonight's Christmas feast. Speaking of which the other awesome gift I received is from Destiny. There aren't any pictures of it either. She made me (and she gave one to Sarah too) a gift basket filled with homemade pumpkin bread, cranberry pumpkin muffins and homemade blackberry jam. Needless to say it all disappeared before I could take a picture of it. It was really really awesome though, and made a great breakfast treat.
I must have been a very good girl this year for Santa to have brought me all these nice things. I feel very blessed for having such a great family, awesome friends, and a true soul mate for a spouse. I hope all of you guys out there are having an equally wonderful holiday season!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Knit like the wind
Ok, so I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just been knitting like the wind. I am sure there are many more of you out in blog land that are doing the same at this very moment. I have a lot to share with you all and have missed blogging this whole last week. Let's get started.
Some exciting news for my little shop/business is that Chrissy of Knittin' Mom and Gardiner Yarnworks (check out her patterns they are awesome) has commissioned me for 12 skeins of Mt. Hood and 12 skeins of Columbia River for one of a kind kits. If you click the links there are samples that are in the shop right now. I just couldn't resist making some for my very own shop too. She is going to design sock patterns to go with the yarn. I am very excited and can't wait to see what she comes up with.
In knitting news I am pretty close to being done which is good, very very good. Especially since my family has decided to open gifts on Christmas Eve. I just need to finish my dad's gift. I have given up on my uncle's gift and have bought him something more useful and commercial for him instead. Do not worry though, his gift will be knit in the new year, I hope. His birthday is in February...I can get it done by February, um, sure. Though the new year is bringing me a commission I need to finish. That is one beautiful entrelac scarf that is 12" x 90", I have until the 5th of January, so lots of knitting like the wind for me. Then I realized that I am teaching a mitten class the 9th of January so I need to get some models made up to attract people to the class. I'm designing 3 simple sets: one plain, one with a cable, and one with a simple fair isle band. I think I have it designed just fine, I just need to make them up and write the patterns.
So, tonight is a big family get together with my grandparents and extended family. We don't really exchange gifts with the extended family, but we do with my grandparents. I'll try and take some nifty pictures of the lovely things that I knit for both of them so that I can have a real post here. I will also have lots to show after Christmas of all the goodies I have knit. I think that I might stretch it out a bit so that everything gets talked about. This is definately to make up for my lack of knit related posting for the last little bit.
Oh, and I'm not sure if you have noticed, but I have now upgrated to Blogger Beta 2, which is no longer in beta. Go Google!!!
Anyway, Happy Holidays to all! I hope you are all staying warm out there!
Some exciting news for my little shop/business is that Chrissy of Knittin' Mom and Gardiner Yarnworks (check out her patterns they are awesome) has commissioned me for 12 skeins of Mt. Hood and 12 skeins of Columbia River for one of a kind kits. If you click the links there are samples that are in the shop right now. I just couldn't resist making some for my very own shop too. She is going to design sock patterns to go with the yarn. I am very excited and can't wait to see what she comes up with.
In knitting news I am pretty close to being done which is good, very very good. Especially since my family has decided to open gifts on Christmas Eve. I just need to finish my dad's gift. I have given up on my uncle's gift and have bought him something more useful and commercial for him instead. Do not worry though, his gift will be knit in the new year, I hope. His birthday is in February...I can get it done by February, um, sure. Though the new year is bringing me a commission I need to finish. That is one beautiful entrelac scarf that is 12" x 90", I have until the 5th of January, so lots of knitting like the wind for me. Then I realized that I am teaching a mitten class the 9th of January so I need to get some models made up to attract people to the class. I'm designing 3 simple sets: one plain, one with a cable, and one with a simple fair isle band. I think I have it designed just fine, I just need to make them up and write the patterns.
So, tonight is a big family get together with my grandparents and extended family. We don't really exchange gifts with the extended family, but we do with my grandparents. I'll try and take some nifty pictures of the lovely things that I knit for both of them so that I can have a real post here. I will also have lots to show after Christmas of all the goodies I have knit. I think that I might stretch it out a bit so that everything gets talked about. This is definately to make up for my lack of knit related posting for the last little bit.
Oh, and I'm not sure if you have noticed, but I have now upgrated to Blogger Beta 2, which is no longer in beta. Go Google!!!
Anyway, Happy Holidays to all! I hope you are all staying warm out there!
Friday, December 15, 2006
The lights Aren't on, but we are home
So, I have had an exciting last 24 hours. Well, ok, 18 hours. So, we knew there was a storm warning and that Portland had been hit pretty bad, but we weren't expecting everything that hit us. We started having brown outs at about 8pm, so we shut down the computers and went to bed around 11 pm.
At around midnight our power went out. How could we tell? Well, everything was silent, the heaters and everything. It's funny how silence can wake you up. We were expecting that the power would go out, though, because of the brown outs. So, we snuggled down deep under the covers and went back to sleep, or tried to go back to sleep. I kept hearing the wind hit the house and would wake up my husband saying, "Wow! Did you hear that?" He was not impressed and would go back to sleep. He told me in the morning that he didn't sleep very well because I kept waking him up, I told him that it wasn't my fault he kept falling asleep.
In the morning we woke up at about 6:30am and the power was still out. My husband was curious as to how far it was out so he went for a little drive around town to see what was up. He came back and said that it was out sporadically all over town. So, I decided that I wanted to see it too so I got up and dressed in the still dark (it's lucky that my socks match) and we headed out. For some reason too our phones couldn't get a signal either, I think the cell tower lost power as well. My first thought was that I could head down to KAH for the day so I could still get some of my Christmas knitting done, but KAH was out of power too. It was weird though, because 2 doors down they had power. So, instead, I headed to my parent's house. My parent's didn't have power either, but my dad is an electrician, so he hooked up the generator to the house so there was at least heat and power for the refrigerator. I spent most of the day waiting for the power to come on, watching the weather change from blue sky to rain to snow to hail and not in that particular order, and knitting on mostly non-Christmas things. I did finish my Grandmother's scarf however, it just needs to be blocked and I should have a picture soon of it. I have no worries about my Grandmother reading it as she still believes that you have to be at home when email arrives or you will miss it.
Anyway, the power came on around 1pm and Sarah called me saying that KAH was open. So, I packed up my knitting bag and headed for the shop to work on some Christmas goodies. Thankfully it all turned out well, except for the many people who are still without power in our area. Across the river in White Salmon it is still black, which is very very eerie to look at. I hope everyone out there is staying warm and dry.
At around midnight our power went out. How could we tell? Well, everything was silent, the heaters and everything. It's funny how silence can wake you up. We were expecting that the power would go out, though, because of the brown outs. So, we snuggled down deep under the covers and went back to sleep, or tried to go back to sleep. I kept hearing the wind hit the house and would wake up my husband saying, "Wow! Did you hear that?" He was not impressed and would go back to sleep. He told me in the morning that he didn't sleep very well because I kept waking him up, I told him that it wasn't my fault he kept falling asleep.
In the morning we woke up at about 6:30am and the power was still out. My husband was curious as to how far it was out so he went for a little drive around town to see what was up. He came back and said that it was out sporadically all over town. So, I decided that I wanted to see it too so I got up and dressed in the still dark (it's lucky that my socks match) and we headed out. For some reason too our phones couldn't get a signal either, I think the cell tower lost power as well. My first thought was that I could head down to KAH for the day so I could still get some of my Christmas knitting done, but KAH was out of power too. It was weird though, because 2 doors down they had power. So, instead, I headed to my parent's house. My parent's didn't have power either, but my dad is an electrician, so he hooked up the generator to the house so there was at least heat and power for the refrigerator. I spent most of the day waiting for the power to come on, watching the weather change from blue sky to rain to snow to hail and not in that particular order, and knitting on mostly non-Christmas things. I did finish my Grandmother's scarf however, it just needs to be blocked and I should have a picture soon of it. I have no worries about my Grandmother reading it as she still believes that you have to be at home when email arrives or you will miss it.
Anyway, the power came on around 1pm and Sarah called me saying that KAH was open. So, I packed up my knitting bag and headed for the shop to work on some Christmas goodies. Thankfully it all turned out well, except for the many people who are still without power in our area. Across the river in White Salmon it is still black, which is very very eerie to look at. I hope everyone out there is staying warm and dry.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Holiday Cheer
Many of you remember that lovely donation drive that Sarah and I ran a couple of months back for our local Middle School. We collected so much yarn that they will have yarn for classes for the next couple of years. Well, the class is only a quarter long so it has been over for quite a few weeks now. Ms Sprouse (the teacher for the class) had the class choose a charity project to work on as a final. The students decided that they would make preemie / baby hats for the local hospital. She organized a field trip this last friday for her students to deliver the hats to the maternity ward.
Here is a picture of her class with the baby hats that they made out of your yarn! Not everybody could make it, but I would say that this is a good portion of the class. Ms Sprouse is pictured on the far right.
Here are the students giving their hats to one of the nurses.
I must say that this was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I got to be a part of. I am so happy that these young people not only have learned how to knit but have also knit for a much higher purpose. These little hats will be used to keep little baby heads warm as they travel to their new homes. I just can't thank all of you enough for donating your yarn and making all of this possible.
Here is a picture of her class with the baby hats that they made out of your yarn! Not everybody could make it, but I would say that this is a good portion of the class. Ms Sprouse is pictured on the far right.
Here are the students giving their hats to one of the nurses.
I must say that this was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I got to be a part of. I am so happy that these young people not only have learned how to knit but have also knit for a much higher purpose. These little hats will be used to keep little baby heads warm as they travel to their new homes. I just can't thank all of you enough for donating your yarn and making all of this possible.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Little Shop Update
So, I have been a bit busy with my shop. So busy that yarn is flying out faster than I can even talk about here on the blog.
Yesterday I started putting up some of my brand new Merino/Tencel yarn. It is 50% Superwash Merino and 50% Tencel. It is super elegant and soft. Such a luxury sock yarn! I love it! I only started with 4 skeins, because I wanted to really make sure that I loved it before actually dyeing up a whole lot of it. Well, I listed Candy Cane Lane & Chocolate Cherry yesterday and they sold almost immediately. I have now listed up Dazzling Sunset and Mine Don't Touch. I am not sure if I will have any more between here and Christmas as I am busily knitting away on Christmas knitting, but I definately will after the holidays.
I listed my pattern for my man mitts individually in both a .pdf version and a paper version. I am very excited about these.They should fit most men's hands. My husband's hands are fairly good size. They are pictured above. So now there are options between buying the kits or just buying the individual pattern.
I have all sorts of ideas for the new year both for my etsy shop and for my new website. I'll let you know as I work on those ideas, because I might need some help from some of you. It is going to be awesome!
Yesterday I started putting up some of my brand new Merino/Tencel yarn. It is 50% Superwash Merino and 50% Tencel. It is super elegant and soft. Such a luxury sock yarn! I love it! I only started with 4 skeins, because I wanted to really make sure that I loved it before actually dyeing up a whole lot of it. Well, I listed Candy Cane Lane & Chocolate Cherry yesterday and they sold almost immediately. I have now listed up Dazzling Sunset and Mine Don't Touch. I am not sure if I will have any more between here and Christmas as I am busily knitting away on Christmas knitting, but I definately will after the holidays.
I listed my pattern for my man mitts individually in both a .pdf version and a paper version. I am very excited about these.They should fit most men's hands. My husband's hands are fairly good size. They are pictured above. So now there are options between buying the kits or just buying the individual pattern.I have all sorts of ideas for the new year both for my etsy shop and for my new website. I'll let you know as I work on those ideas, because I might need some help from some of you. It is going to be awesome!
Monday, December 04, 2006
Big Store Update
I have been working tirelessly today to bring a couple of new things to my etsy shop for the holiday season.
The first are these awesome Man Mitts that I designed. They should fit most man sizes. They are a little long for a woman's hand, but if you have a long hand for a woman, they might just fit perfectly. I am now offering kits with my handpainted yarn and my one of a kind pattern. These mitts were awesome and very quick to make. They are perfect for the man in your life. They come in 4 colors: Mech, Cinder, Camo, and Columbia River.
The second new thing for the shop is: I am now going to carry gift certificates. So, if you aren't sure of what color to buy for that special person in your life or don't know what yarn to pick for the knitter/crocheter on your list, you can now buy one of these. I so far have $25, $50, & $100 available. I can also put up custom amounts upon request. I have only listed one of each up so far to see how they sell. I will post up more when I run out on the site.
Coming soon: 50% Merino/50% Tencel sock yarn.
Sneak Preview: I have a domain now! Thank to Peninah. Check out lavendersheep.com
The first are these awesome Man Mitts that I designed. They should fit most man sizes. They are a little long for a woman's hand, but if you have a long hand for a woman, they might just fit perfectly. I am now offering kits with my handpainted yarn and my one of a kind pattern. These mitts were awesome and very quick to make. They are perfect for the man in your life. They come in 4 colors: Mech, Cinder, Camo, and Columbia River.
The second new thing for the shop is: I am now going to carry gift certificates. So, if you aren't sure of what color to buy for that special person in your life or don't know what yarn to pick for the knitter/crocheter on your list, you can now buy one of these. I so far have $25, $50, & $100 available. I can also put up custom amounts upon request. I have only listed one of each up so far to see how they sell. I will post up more when I run out on the site.
Coming soon: 50% Merino/50% Tencel sock yarn.
Sneak Preview: I have a domain now! Thank to Peninah. Check out lavendersheep.com
Sunday, December 03, 2006
O Christmas Tree
This year is the first year that my husband and I have had our very own Christmas tree. Traditionally we have gone out with my parents and my two brothers to go cut down a family tree. This year my husband and I wanted to start having our own traditions.
Here is my dad cutting down our tree. I have to mention that because of the colder/snowier weather we have been having that we were limited to a very small area to find our tree. Even that area had a lot of snow. So, this is the first tree that we could find that would meet our needs. Besides we were also on a bit of a time limit because I had a class to teach at 1pm. I can report that there are now 6 new knitters in the world. They just need to learn to bind-off and purl next weekend and they will be set.
Here is our tree finally at home and fully decorated. We didn't want a very big tree because we don't have a very big space to put one. It is rougly the same height as myself. I am especially proud of what I figured out for the top of our tree. My mother gave me her angel, but it was far too big for the scale of the tree. So, I thought that I could probably make some sort of tree topper and looked through my yarn stash.
The Yarn Harlot would be proud for my great execution of yarn as decor. hehehe. I mixed together two of my favorite yarns Fizz Stardust in color #4309 Cream and Fling in color #9494 Roses Print. I just wound them together into a ball and put them on the top of the tree. It really is very pretty and when Christmas/New Years is over I will knit it into a scarf. I think next year I will make a new ball and start a new tradition of scarf tree toppers!
In shop news: I made it into the Lime & Violet's Holiday Gift Guide. If you haven't seen it already it is pretty awesome. Pretty much they made a list of just about every knitting related site out there and all you have to do is print it out, highlight the things that you want, and then make notes as to color, size, etc... It is a very cool list.
Oh, and for some reason Etsy had some difficulty and ate my listing for Blue Raspberry Sock Yarn, so I fixed it and it is up right now.
Here is my dad cutting down our tree. I have to mention that because of the colder/snowier weather we have been having that we were limited to a very small area to find our tree. Even that area had a lot of snow. So, this is the first tree that we could find that would meet our needs. Besides we were also on a bit of a time limit because I had a class to teach at 1pm. I can report that there are now 6 new knitters in the world. They just need to learn to bind-off and purl next weekend and they will be set.
Here is our tree finally at home and fully decorated. We didn't want a very big tree because we don't have a very big space to put one. It is rougly the same height as myself. I am especially proud of what I figured out for the top of our tree. My mother gave me her angel, but it was far too big for the scale of the tree. So, I thought that I could probably make some sort of tree topper and looked through my yarn stash.
The Yarn Harlot would be proud for my great execution of yarn as decor. hehehe. I mixed together two of my favorite yarns Fizz Stardust in color #4309 Cream and Fling in color #9494 Roses Print. I just wound them together into a ball and put them on the top of the tree. It really is very pretty and when Christmas/New Years is over I will knit it into a scarf. I think next year I will make a new ball and start a new tradition of scarf tree toppers!
In shop news: I made it into the Lime & Violet's Holiday Gift Guide. If you haven't seen it already it is pretty awesome. Pretty much they made a list of just about every knitting related site out there and all you have to do is print it out, highlight the things that you want, and then make notes as to color, size, etc... It is a very cool list.
Oh, and for some reason Etsy had some difficulty and ate my listing for Blue Raspberry Sock Yarn, so I fixed it and it is up right now.
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