Hello Dear Blog

 Fatty Lumpkin (rav link)

It has been just over 2 years since I last did any blogging.

~I have moved to Laguna Woods, in South Orange County and love it.

~The boys have grown up and are on their own

~We remodeled our little condo.

~Scott's mom (on the left) moved up last January

My mom on the right. Don't they look like sisters?

~I am still going up to San Gabriel Valley on a weekly basis to see

my knitting friends and help them out with their knitting. 

  

~I am still just as obsessed with knitting, crochet and all things fiber.

Vegas Sonnensegel (rav link)

 

~Life has settled down and I find myself looking for my next thing. 

I am in a "what do I do know with my life" stage.

This is a first. Even when I started College I know what I was going to be doing and did it starting at 16.  I have always had lots of direction and goals for my life that where very real and things I worked on every day. From playing and teaching flute and piano, to directing bell choirs for 25 years, being a mother and wife and becoming a Waldorf teacher. When I retired from that I began working and teaching out of the yarn store until it closed and the started Marvels of knitting from my home. There has always been a lot filling my life. 

Since we moved, all my "jobs" have disappeared  and I find myself with the world in front of me and not knowing which way I want to go. I am not even sure what makes me happy except for my husband and knitting. 

Our health and what we need to do to be vibrent has been front and center for both of us. I have taken up dancing and go to a dance studio to workout several times a week and have met some great friends there. 

One goal I have is to make friends with my kitchen. I would love for it to become a happy place. I want to learn to make some good whole foods, ferment foods, sprout, kombucha etc.  

But I have to say that over the last two years I have cocooned myself. It is something I needed to do and I am very greatful to have the oppertunity to take the time for myself.  

Now I am looking for other ways to express myself. I went back and looked at my blog. I like my blog. As I looked it over it brought back lots of memeories and I remember how much I did enjoy it. 

So as a way of stepping out of my cocoon I am going to start writing again. I am not sure what I will write about. I'm sure it will be a mixture of all the things in my life as before. But mostly, I just want another way of getting out there again just to see what happens. 

So Hello Dear Blog!

FO's

I have been finishing projects. Yeah!!!

Here they are:

 Cloche Enough/Chemo Hat by Debbie Anne & Susan Ann

Click to read more ...

Slogging Through the Sweater

I have a project that I am having to push through right now. You know those longer projects that are exciting to start. Fun to figure out. But then about half way through you hit the wall. The project goes into a very simple pattern repeat, 5x1 rib pattern, that seems to go on forever! 

Agatha is that project right now,

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Tape Sock Yarn

My sister lives in the bay area and is a knitter. She has tried socks over the years but they are just not her thing. This year she asked if I could knit her a pair of socks for her birthday. She would provide the pattern and the yarn and I would provide the knitting. 

Sounds like a deal to me!

Enchanted Cape from Artfibers  

She went into San Francisco to visit Artfibers new store. Now Artfibers is unlike any yarn store you have ever been to. They source and dye their own yarns. They have such an unusual selection of beautiful yarns that a big part of visiting their store is being able to swatch all the yarns they have. Truly a yarn store you could spend all day in and have a very hard time not buying one of everything!

When her yarn arrived at my door step I was confused. What I recieved was a beautiful "tape" yarn called "Tsuki". It is 40% silk and 60% mohair with a bit of matalics and was clearly my sister's colorway. But a "tape" yarn for a pair of socks?????

So I gave her a call and yes indeed this was sock yarn. Ok, I'm game. After all it is beautiful, free yarn to me, that I get to knit with. 

I casted on "Teosinte" by Knitspot. They are toe-up socks  and I am knitting 2 at a time. I have a "2 at a time" sock class coming up, so I am making a class sample and gift all in one, can't beat that. 

Impressons: I love the colors of the yarn. It is knitting up very easily. No splitting because it is a tape and I have only "speared" the tape a couple of times. I am knitting on a size 2 1/2 needle. I am a little concernd about the texture of the fabric for a pair of socks. It is a little on the stiff side. I am wondering if there will be any softening once they are washed. This yarn would make a beautiful lace shall or summer shell. 

Lot's of Knitting Going On.

2 sweaters, 1 shawl, 1 cable beret, 1 cabel scarf, 1 pair of 2 at a time socks, 1 pair of sheep cuffs, 1 square from the GAAAAAAAA.  

Wow no wonder I feel like I am spinning!!

Finished projects first, makes me feel better. 

Mara Shawl   Rav Link

Here she is blocking on an insulation board. The are cheep and have a plastic film on one side. Just really big!

Mara was done with stash yarns.

The garter section is Colinette Jitterbug color Dusk, I just love the colors in this.
The purple section is koigue and
the green is Louet opal.

I tried to do this in a solid color but just couldn't do it. Too boring? But loved making this version.  

Daybreak by Stephen West

One of the hostest new desighner out there. He has a real architechule sense to his designs. 

Yarn: The dark brown is shabui knits sock and the green is crystal palace mini mochi in fren.  
Needle: size 4

Again I used stash yarns. The shabui I had started another project with so I didn't have quiet a full skein and I was running out at the end so the bottom brown section is shorter then the pattern. I decided to use the green of the mini mochi I had left to bind it off with. I really like the green on the edge.

Fun fun knit.  

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What have I been Knitting?

I love January. It is such a quiet month. The house feels quiet after putting away all the christmas decorations. Outside feels quiet with the cooler weather. My knitting feels quiet after the mad dash to get everything done in time to mail and to put under the tree. My knitting is so quiet I am having a hard time finding something that I really want to knit. A bit of a stooper I would say.

Camera to the rescue. Time to take pictures of finished projects and show them off.

Socks for The Marvelman

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Gifts are Flying off the Needles!!

I was not going to knit any gifts this year. I  know, what was I thinking. But last year I knitted rather large gifts for my mom and sisters. 

This year I had intension of felting soaps and then giving a wash cloth to go with it.

But I had done something similar a couple of years ago.

Then I thought I would just buy something. But alas, I just couldn't. It isn't hand made and seems not as personal.

Then I went on a hunt for something easy, fun, and useful. That's when I rediscovered The Ringwood Glove Pattern in the current Knitty and the rest is history.

I decided that I would knit a pair for my mom and if all went well and quickly I would add two more pairs for my sisters. Good news, these are fast, fun and the finished product is wonderful. Just the right ingredients for gift giving.

Here are mom's. (no worries, she doesn't read the blog). 

I used Caper, a cashmere/merino blend Dk yarn from String Theory.  I love love love this yarn. It is really nice, soft, and cushy to knit with and the color is wonderful. The finished project is just so nice. I still need buttons on the cuffs but I have one set done and 2 more to go. 

On to the second pair. These are for the sister that loves color. I used "Socks that Rock" light weight that I had in my stash. 

Click to read more ...