Mom's Eden

I went to visit my mother and my sister in Eden Utah a couple of weeks ago. I have been going to this part of Utah since my sister moved up there over 20 years ago. Eden is over the mountains east of Ogden.

My mom and dad retired there almost 11 years ago now and my father passed about 5 years ago. My mother moved down the hill to this amazing condo with a million dallor view. It is play land. She is 73 and still snow skies at a slop that is litteraly 20 minuets from her door. Boating, water skiing and golfing are all close at hand.

This last visit was the first time I was there during the fall. My visits have all been either during summer vacation or over christmas break. Inspiring fall colors where to be found at every turn. I made my mom drive me all around so I could take lots of pictures of this place called Eden.

The View From Mom's Balcony
(yes, those are hot-air balloons in the air)

Reflections on the Lake

Road to ???

My Beautiful Mom and her new "Monkey Socks"

2007 FO's and Simplify 2008

Here are my knits for the year. I think there are a few things that I didn't get pictures of and are gone off to their new owners. But all in all this is it. Much of my time and energy has gone towards knitting for the store and classes. This year we are revamping classes and such at the store, more drop-in kinds of things, so the prep time should go down.

I want to knit much more for myself and family this year. Even though all the things I knit for the store are my idea, I still knit with "what would be good for the store in mind". So this year it is going to be what is good for the me and the family first and then add store things.

I hope I can actually pull that off. It sounds like a good goal.

A P.S. to this post. I don't do resolutions. I am not disciplined enough for them. But an overall goal or theme for the year usually helps me in all areas. After thinking about my knitting above I realized that I really do have a theme running already this year. Simplify. What does that mean? With everything I am doing I want to simplify my life. Consume less, be deliberate in my choices, eat simple foods, fresh foods, make small changes over the year that add up to big changes as time goes on. Simply and consistently keep life simple. This easily fits with being pickier about what I am knitting and why I am knitting it.

I have Fallen

The ten little elves at my house want a break. I have been knitting and knitting and knitting. So I brought them over to the computer to type for a change of pace. I will but up more picks of all the holiday goodness when it is all finished.

But I have Fallen for Webs and thier pre order of Kauni (cow-nee) yarn.

I am in love with so many of the projects that are up on Ravelry using this amazing yarn. This Tote is probably my favorite. Makes my felting heart go pitter patter and we have those handles at the store!

Then there are all of the Lace Shawls. For these color changes I would tackle lace!

Color work on the sweaters that looks much harder then it really is

So I have several skeins of several colors on pre-order. Do I have company in my weakened state?

FO Wednesday on Tuesday

I have been a busy christmas elf the last couple of weeks. I am going for fast, fun and easy projects this year and actually knitting for more people then I ever have before. I have made lots of presents for everyone over the years and I have been picky aboout who gets my knitting. But I have to say that I am having a blast knitting small things, even more multiples of the same thing, and being done in a few hours. Can you say "instant gratification" !

Here is what I have so far. I am about half done and still have a few weeks to go. Yeah!!

I have made 4 pairs of fetching.

All of the fetchings are being paired up with either the Dream Swatch Head Warp from knit and tonic,

or the Calorimetry from knitty.

I still have three pairs of Dashings and I am half way done with my second Montego Bay Scarf. I really love this colorway. I am not sure this one will make it out of thes house.

This is the one I have already finished. Both are done out of seasilk from handmaiden.

Merry Ho Ho Ho!!

I Must Be Psychic or Just Psyched

I must have felt the vibes of this book, on it's way to me in the mail yesterday when I was talking about color. Today I got my copy of "Kristin Knits" from Kristin herself, before any of the bookstores have it! The only person that could possibly have it before me would be L. Some how she has the earliest inside scoop to all books and patterns.

I am so excited about the book. It is Nothing but Wonderful Color!!

Over the top, lot's of work involved,
many colors all in one piece kind of color.
It just makes me happy looking at it.

I know this is over the top for some of you out there and will not be your cup of tea. But I have to own up to the fact that I love color and I have to have more of it in my life right now. Even the walls of my house may not be safe!

This book has so many great pictrues, ideas and inspirations it will be awhile before I can make a decision of what to do first. Thank goodness I have the fingerless gloves I talked about yesterday to give me some focus.

Oh no, wait........there are thoughts about designing my own fair isle patterns...................Just playing with swatches and swatches of color!!

No Bunny Killa is gunna stop me now!

I Feel the Need....

I Feel the Need For Color. Not just the easy kind where the yarn does all the work for you. I have had enough of that lately (see the BSJ below).
Not the kind where you just switch between two yarns every two rows, ie: chevron scarf,

mistake ribs scarves,

self fridging shawls .

No I am in the need of real color done by switching the yarn stitch by stitch......yes that is right, I am going to the "Fair Island" of Fairisle knitting and I am going to tackel the "Composed Mitts" in the current Fall 2007 IK magazine. I have been itching to do fairisle for a while now and so there is no time like the present.

I am going to be using Berroco Ultra Alpaca light in 5 colors. Not sure I will stick with these colors but I will start with them.

On the finishing front, Here is BSJ #4. I think this is the wild and crazy one.

No, but wait, I still have a BSJ on my needles all in white.
Someone save me from myself. Or I know who can help.......
just send Bunny Killa after me?

Color on my terms, here I come!!

Star Sighting

I got to be a Beverly Hills tourist today. S and I went to do some mundain dermotology stuff, Booooring, right?
But, since she used to work in the heart of Beverly Hills that is where she still goes, some 10 years later.
So after making ourselves not so beautiful so we can be beauriful, we went shopping in some of the posh stores and for the first time in **&&^%&^% years I actually walked down Rodeo Dr.
Pretty boring actually, just a whole lot of very over priced things that I would never wear if you gave it to me. All boring except for the jewlery stores, I could so some seriouse damage in a few of them.

On the way back home from 90210, going out S's secret back way through the "hood" I see this woman, walking down the street, looking throug mail, black hat and long black coat and I think, " wow, that is a weird mailperson" . We get right up to her and realize that is was Diane Keaton!! I am not one to really get into these things. But, she is one of my Favs and so seeing her was actually exciting!

(this is a stock pic)

On the knitting side I am working on a cheveron scarf sample for the store out of wikiki from Crystal Palace (sort of a thin slubby yarn) and Karabella Lace Merino.

Two very different yarns, different weights and it is turning out really nice.

So don't be afraid to experiament with this pattern and different yarns.