Socking it to Myself! I finished the Regia socks last night at knitting (wiggles toes) and am wearing them today, even though I have not worked in the ends. Neener Neener Neener. No more socks for me until the Summer of Socks starts.

While I was there we discussed the 2007 Knit N Stitch Fall Knitting Retreat and I am looking forward to it (and hoping I can get the days off). We have big plans for a toe-up sock knitting class. Keep September 24-26 free!

In celebration of having another F(inished) O(bject), I tried to cast on for the Rona shawl from Knitpicks. I don't know who thought up "cast on 6 stitches, arrange on DPNs, knit one row", but s/he needs to either have her head examined or come over here and do the first 5 rows for me. Anybody think I can knit it from the outside in? It is going back in its drawer and Icarus is coming to math class again tonight. Icarus might get very big, as I have no idea how many repeats I have done / should do of chart 1. I will look tonight at the directions. Maybe. I am pretty happy just knitting away.

Continuing in the depressing movie vein, Netflix told me that the next disc of Law&Order: SVU will be arriving tomorrow. I think I need to go watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 tonight and PoC 3 tomorrow at the theater. I have a stack of gift certificates somewhere.

Today Wendy had the cutest picture of Lucy that I have ever seen. Go check her out!

Almost Done for Today. I am ready for a vacation. No work, no soap, no yoga, no pets, no house, no car, no spinning, no knitting, no school. Just me and a case of Guinness. Just really, really tired. All those things are things I choose and enjoy, but I am ready for a short break.

Knitting: Icarus grew quite a lot last night in math class - half a repeat! I am still in love with the pattern and the fine yarn, although the green-ness of it is wearing on me. It is just barely all the wrong shades of green. It is going to look great when it is done, though.

Netflix: Finally got around to watching "Grave of the Fireflies". It is very well done, but wow, is it sad. If you saw "Nobody Knows", it is along the same lines. Moving, disturbing, sad, not a good choice for late night viewing. There are some cute and funny parts to balance, so all was not lost. Also at home are "Becket" and "The Prestige" - it might be time to watch something funny to give myself a break!

Good Girl. I had my oral surgery recheck this afternoon and he said that everything is healing really nicely. He said not to worry about the things I was worrying about, as the gums can take 2-3 weeks to heal completely. One of the techs asked how it went, and I said "I don't remember it, so that must be good!"

Not much else to report today. They had me in and out before I could even start some Waiting Room Knitting. Let me send you to some other fun sites: The Yarn Pirate has updated her shop (buy it please, so I don't), and I saw a fun link on mellowtrouble's site. It is an animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry.

I finished watching The Illusionist this weekend. I really liked it. It is a bad knitting movie, however, as it requires one's (well, my) full attention in order to try to figure out the details of the plot. And Mr. Norton is easy on the eyes. I think that "Beckett" is somewhere in the stack of mail on the dryer, and then "The Prestige" is coming after that. Whee!

Sorry to be away so long... Whenever I managed to find the time, Blogger was down. I have managed to tap into a wifi signal from home (at long last), so am posting from the comfort of bed. How indulgent!

Knitting is progressing slowly. I am nearly ready to bind off the Regia socks - they were my saving grace during The World's Most Boring Math Class last week. So many urges to stab people with my DPNs. But that would be wrong, and more importantly, might break the needles.

Icarus is also growing. I managed a few more rows on Friday night at Open Spinning/Knitting, as it was the first large block of time I had when I was not also on Vicodin. If I can find my size 4 DPNs, I am also gearing up to start the Rona shawl from Knit Picks. It's a pretty big if, though.

I was mulling over the Summer of Socks and have made a list of all the stash sock yarns, the people on my to knit for list, and the types of techniques I want to try / have been avoiding, and came up with 12 pairs of socks to make during that 3 months. I don't know that I will manage it, but I figured if was going to sign up for the "most socks" contest, I should have a plan going in. I am also going to hold off making any more socks until the Summer starts.

Mandy says that only gives me a month to finish Icarus. I say, game on!

As you know, I had my wisdom teeth out last week and things have been very non-eventful in the recovery department. I am pleased. My checkup is Monday, let's see if the dentist is also pleased. I can hardly wait to have a celabratory Dr. Pepper when I am all healed up.

Soap News
Our next event is at Valley Center Western Days this weekend (May 25, 26, and 27). We have made up some brand-spanking-new soaps for this event and are looking forward to having a great time.

Then the very next weekend we will be in Scottsdale, AZ at the Arizona Gathering of Soap and Candle Artisans. We will be selling soap and giving demonstrations.

The lovely Sheri at The Loopy Ewe will be carrying our little soap lambs in Loopy Lemon and Loopy Lavender - keep an eye out for them!

And don't forget, you can find us every Thursday at Riverside's Market Night, it's not just for Wednesdays anymore! Each week we have soap, lotion, spinning fiber and yarn, and we invite you to stop and smell the soaps!

I am Feeling Ambitious Today.

The Loopy Ewe reveal has occurred and I am pleased as punch at the warm reception our little Lemon Lambs have received. I have big dreams for taking over knitters' soapdishes everywhere *bwahahaha*

I got a box in the mail last night and inside was this:
Claudia Hanpainted Yarn in "Peppermint Mocha", purchased from The Loopy Ewe. This is the yarn my boss chose to be my "thank you" for working on the weekend a couple weeks ago and for struggling thru a big project here at work last week. I got two skeins (enough for a pair of socks) and just want to sit here and pet it. It is soft and squashy and really gorgeous. See? Checking every 5 minutes for the Sneak Up really does work!

Last week I had a big adventure when I had to go to LA for a class for work. I took the train to Union Station, the subway to 7th, and the bus to my destination (and back again). It was all very exciting. I particularly liked the poster I saw on the subway of a handsome man in a suit knitting a hot pink scarf with boucle yarn. It was an ad for getting a lot done on one's commute and it made me smile. I would have pulled out my sock and worked on it, except I was only going 2 stops.

I worked on both the Regia sock #2 and Icarus that day (last Thursday), but have no new knitting progress to report. I have been afraid to knit while I am taking Vicodin (for my wisdom teeth extraction). I am feeling so much better that I had ziti for lunch. Little tiny bites is the answer. And I am NOT using a straw to drink with. (I forgot to post a link to Ruthie Pie's website yesterday. It is The Dizzy Ewe.)

We have a soap show coming up in Riverside this weekend (Saturday the 19th) at an event hosted by the Old Riverside Foundation. We will have soap, fiber, yarn, and more soap. Come on by and say "Hi!". There is no charge to look around at the vendors.

Not Dead Yet. Sorry to be gone so long! I had a big adventure this weekend - I had my wisdom teeth out on Saturday. I am feeling better now. I was under house arrest this weekend, ordered to sleep all I wanted and then some. The Downside? No laundry, no cleaning, no WoWing, no homework, and no knitting. The upside? All the chocolate pudding I could stand. It was so nice, I am thinking about having my tonsils out just for the unlimited ice cream. I was amazingly anxious about it all week, but everything has been easy peasy so far.

Big giant hugs to Mandy and Ruthie Pie for Lisa-sitting!!!!!

All the excitement, all at one time. Why spread it out? So I went to the dentist today, and on Saturday I am having my wisdom teeth out. I have avoided this for 15 years and Saturday is the day. So soon! The time slot was open and the price was right. I barely get over this shock, when I go to school tonight (a snoozefest by the way) and the professor tells us that the exam is on Tuesday. Like, next Tuesday. Like, I am sooooo requesting a medical delay. I feel bad for the prof some days - when the term started he had to restrict the class size to 50 and turn away something like a dozen people. Nowadays we have maybe 10 who come to class. Tonight we covered yet more radicals and then imaginary numbers (which are not radical. they are just plain)

I did however get quite a bit of Icarus done tonight - nearly an entire increase. It is already growing to the size where purling back makes my hands hurt. It's a good pain because it means I am just that much closer to being done. Woo!

Randy Rocks. The laptop is up and running and I am beaming from ear to ear. Or I would be, if I weren't in the office pretending to be cool.

The birthday weekend went well. I got some fun ecards, we had a nice dinner with a dishy waiter at Outback, and my new epiphyllum bloomed last night.

Icarus is growing by leaps and bounds. I had my first tinking session with it last night - a row and a half to uncross a twisted stitch. I tried and tried to figure out how to drop the stitch and fix it, but it did not reveal itself to me until the tinking fairy came. Sigh. But I was watching Clive Owen on the tv, so it was OK. There would be a picture today except that I mananged to leave the project bag at home.

Tonight I am skipping yoga and installing myself down at the coffeeshop. I am going to do some algebra homework and then play a little WoW.

I went by Knit N Stitch last night for spinning and knitting night. It was a good time. I have a "for sale" post today - a woman came in to the shop looking to sell her spinning wheel:

This is a scan of the photo, sorry it is a bit grainy. The back of the photo says "antique spinning wheel 1880-1890". Apparently they had an appraiser come out to determine age and value. The asking price is $1,200. The wheel resides in Lake Havasu and if you are interested, please call Linda at Knit N Stitch at (951) 684-7632 for more information.


It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an Icarus! I was generously gifted a skein of laceweight (cobweb?) yarn and promptly cast on for Icarus by Miriam Felton. It will serve a threefold purpose - satisfying my need to knit lace, my need to have Icarus, and we will show it in the store with the issue of Interweave Knits where it is featured (or the upcoming lace book for which Icarus is the cover shot) and hopefully prompt more lace knitting in our little town. And maybe, just maybe, a visit by the M herself. Those adorable stitch markers came from my friend Marti, who made them for me for Christmas. I love them. L-O-V-E them. And they match so nicely!
I am test driving the Addi Turbo Lace needles for the store. I knit with bamboo needles almost esclusively, so these metal ones are a big change for me. So far (9 rows in) I like them very much. They are pointy, smooth, but not so slick I drop all the stitches if I sneeze. The join with the cable is quite smooth.

Excuse me. I need to knit now.

Summer o' Socks. I saw this on Wendy's Blog and joined with alacrity. I forsee a lot of spinning in my future. I signed up for the "most socks" contest.

Quiet here today - I like work so much better when I spend the day not working. I knit on the Regia socks last night during math and today at lunch - knit the entire foot last night and the heel at lunch. I would like to wear them on Saturday for my birthday. Remember being little and getting a new outfit / all dressed up for your party? There were some pretty dresses in my past. However, I will never be 9 again.

I got a "free month of Netflix" ad in my email the other day. If anyone is interested, email me or post a comment and I will forward to you and spread the addiction. And you can always cancel after your free month!

Happy Tuesday! Except for being at work, today has been a great day. Got up on time (well, mostly), made it to yoga by 6:15, the studio was open and I didn't chicken out. It was really wierd practicing on my own - I felt like everyone was going to laugh and point if I did a pose funny or did them in the wrong order. Fortunately, neither of those things occurred. I missed a couple poses and rushed some that I don't like very much, but did the whole first series and still made it to work on time. Early, even!! I will have to overcome the "I don't want to be here, I really want to go back to bed" syndrome, but I really DO want to be there and it will pay off.

I knitted a little on the 2nd Regia sock at lunch today, and have discovered I am bored with stockinette knitted in the round. I am also bored with ribbing. I see a lace shawl in my very near future.

Weekends are for relaxing... or so I am told.

First - the knitting progress:

The first Regia sock is done and fits fine. I folded the top over so it would fit on the scanner :) It is not nearly as tall when it is on my foot / leg. I think my homework for this week is to make a pair of sock blockers for photo purposes. Sock 1 was finished at an impromptu knitting night on Friday. It was nice, we sat outside, I had a good coffee drink (that was free because they made it wrong the first time)(and they threw out the first one before I could stop them wasting it), and I finished one sock and began its mate. The fabric is really soft and snug. The ribbing is 3x3, which I don't usually use, but I think my legs have gotten thinner, and I haven't gotten around to measuring them lately, so I said "all ribbing, all the time" so that they will stick to my legs instead of puddle around my ankles in stockinette. The next socks (as yet unplanned, sock yarn as yet unspun) will be some sort of solid or mostly solid with a lace pattern. Or maybe I will finally tackle the mystery of fair isle. Do not speak to me of the peppermint socks. They are not abandoned. They are aging. Like 12 year old whisky.

That was really it for major knitting. Saturday I went to yoga in the morning, work in the afternoon, and then the rest of the day was just shot. I watched some tv, I tried to knit, I thought about spinning. I watched Mission Impossible: III and Waking Ned Devine this weekend. MI:III was alright, and WND was funny and sweet as always.

Sunday I missed yoga due to a laundry emergency. When will I figure out all the different parts of an outfit that have to be worn each day, and put them ALL in the dryer at the same time? Then I went to M's, dangled my feet in the pool, knitted sock 2, found out that bamboo needles float, made soap - lots of soap - and dyed some yarn. It needs to be rinsed today. I am quite pleased with it. Came home in the afternoon, did some more laundry, tidied in the kitchen, tidied in the backyard (in the vain hope that the neighbors would be gone for one stinking day in the last 5 years so I could sit out there peacefully), tidied in the front yard, and made some dinner. whew! It was a lot of tidying, but it felt good to make some more progress. Took Dozer for a walk in the evening and got myself a root beer float as a reward. Did a little more spinning while waiting for the laundry, watched some Monty Python, and made it to bed at a reasonable hour.

I made it to yoga by .... 6 a m this morning. Oh my gosh. So early. There was no one there, so I knitted a while, left about 6:30 to get some gas, drove to work, cleaned Fishy IV's tank, and will have to get to work in about one second. I figured there was no point in going back to sleep for an hour. Today I have to take this proposal to UCLA and swing by Santa Monica, and then it is yoga and massage night. I am a happy girl.

Knitting Mojo, and a New Addition.

My friend Rose has been knitting and knitting and knitting, and now Thermal is done. Check it out! I love it so much that now I want one. I will have to get spinning. Why do I yearn for sweaters in the spring and summer?

We (The Soap Plantation) had a great time at the Citrus Station show last weekend. The weather was nice, the people were nice, the food was nice, and I spun and spun and spun until my butt said "Stop!". I started the plying at home that night and hope to have dyed sockweight yarn for display next week.

So many folks tried to buy my personal pair of fingerless mitts, that I am going to start making them all the time. These, however, are the sister pair to the ones I made for my grandma and have great sentimental value!

Speaking of sentimental value, I am sad to report that a family friend passed away last week. He was really hurting and wanted to go, but that doesn't mean we don't miss him. He was kind enough to leave me his mother's spinning wheel, and I picked it up last week. It is really gorgeous, all there, with distaff and everything. Pictures soon, I hope. The flyer will have to go off to the repairman, but otherwise it works fine. Every time I look at it and use it, I will be reminded of Jim's gentleness, humor, and sweet spirit. Thanks, Jim.

Not much in other (publishable) news... we have been making soap like madwomen and updating the soap blog and the website as fast as our little fingers will go. I will fiddle later and see if I can post our show schedule on my sidebar.

On the movie front, I was sorely disappointed in Alexander. I rented it for Johnathan Rhys-Meyers, and while he was fine, he did not have nearly enough screen time. Wah. At home now is Nausicaa ofthe Valley of the Winds.

That is all for today, friends. Happy knitting!

For your consideration... Hand painted rovings, 4oz batches, in silky smooth Merino-Tencel and happy fluffy Blue Faced Leicester. ***Edit*** There is plenty left! I have added prices and weights.

Rose Garden 2 (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24
Parrotfish (Merin0-Tencel) 4oz $24

Lavender (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24

Aster (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24

Rose Garden 2 (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Lavender (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Aster (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Anything left by Monday will be for sale. Woo! Please email me at sleepingfox16ATyahooDOTcom if you are interested. Thanks for looking!

A Whole Chicken is a Scary Thing.

I had a nice little Wednesday, actually. Made it through work (the less said, the better), raced home and to the library to return books, had a spinning student at spinning class, and had a lovely time at yoga. My back popped back into place at long last! This is good news for me, and better news for my friends, who are sick of hearing about it. I am moving cautiously today.

But back to the bird. I have been jonesing for chicken & dumplings for a while now. I went to the store, I acquired the ingredients, I spruced up the stock pot, and last night was the night. With "The Joy of Cooking" at my side, I did the appropriate whole-chicken-cleaning dance. There are things that need removing, none of which are labelled "for my convenience", there is the theme to "Sledgehammer" running through my head, the 2 dogs suddenly turn into 20 dogs, all wanting to "help". I need the chicken for people who took drafting instead of home ec. Somehow I managed and wrassled it into the pot, browned the bird, chopped veggies, discovered all my garlic has sprouted, and simmered late into the night.

While that was happening in the kitchen, I watched "Lost" and did a little knitting on my new sock. "Lost" has really perked up over the last two episodes. I far prefer the adventuring to the relationship crap. I really, really hope it makes it to season 4. The sock does too (although it is taking a nap right now. We were watching the movie until after 1am, and I already woke it up to knit at lunchtime today)

I checked on my chicken, returned to my sock, and started a new movie about 11pm... The choices were "Alexander" (2 hr 47 min), or "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (102min). I chose the short one. Now, you and I know I have been looking forward to this movie for many, many days now. I have discussed the dishyness of the two leads, I have declared that I would not be accessible by phone, email, or act of god when I was watching it, and I fed the dogs in their kennel to keep them quiet(er). My sock and I settled in... and were unimpressed. Poor Johnathyn Rhys-Meyers (while dishy) dies in the first 15 minutes or so, disturbingly. The entire rest of the movie is his brother's (Clive Owen) quest to avenge his death, which means you are not allowed to forget the cause, although both the sock and I were shocked and saddened. Watching Clive Owen for the next 92 minutes should make up for this, yes? NO. Poor Mr. C looked like the Wild Man of Borneo - all long scraggy hair and uber-beard. I thought it was Desmond from Lost and dropped my knitting when he spoke and Mr C's voice came out. There is a long stretch in the middle where nothing happens in a very dark and wet England (will the sun ever shine again? Could they only afford streetlights?), and then the last 10 minutes or so makes up for the rest of the film. Far too short a time to truly enjoy the return to dishyness and extremely nice suit. All in all, Billy the Budgie was my favorite character.

You want more knitting content? I think I love the new sock. I am not sure. It is more white and sparkly in person. The yarn is nice and soft, not very splitty, and the fabric feels good. I worry that it (the fabric) is a little loose, but I am getting 8st/in on # 1 needles, which is just about right. Going down to #0 would be overkill. That, and my only set of #0 are already in the peppermint socks, planning the overthrow of the new project that pushed them back down the queue. It is Regia Bamboo, color 1064.

The best laid plans... I have recovered from the weekend and have some "Did"s and some "Did Not"s to share. I DID get some fiber dyed in some new colorways and in some replacement colorways. It will be ready in time for the show at the Citrus Station. Anything that is left will go on the ebay store - I'll post a link.

I did NOT watch either of my Clive Owen movies (although I had a dream about Johnathan Rhys-Meyers) as I was busy busy busy this weekend. Last night I did find time for 2 episodes of Nature, however. I learned all about African Black Eagles and Rhinos. Quiz me, I dare ya.

I DID go to the Huntington with another RiverSpinner and we had a nice time. We saw about a half a zillion lizards, the roses were blooming, we got sucked in by plant sale ("The Gauntlet"), and even got some spinning and knitting done. Imagine that! I came home with a sunburned nose, an alpine strawberry plant and a variegated lemon thyme plant. I would call the day a success. We even saw sheep! We were lost at the time, but they were certainly sheep. I melted into a bubble bath when I got home and called the rest of the day "Naptime". I did NOT make it to the Kirtan at Inland yoga, but I was really done for the day.

I had a lovely time at yoga on Sunday - even managed to zing Scott (in a kind, friendly way, of course), but of course I can't remember it now. I also managed to wrap in a pose I never wrapped in before (one of the forward bends in half lotus - with a very long name) which made me happy. Then it was off to Fran's house for a bobbin lace afternoon. I made good progress on my moon -- 4 entire arches. That doubles the number of arches I had finished and brings me to 1/3 done with that section. I am very pleased. I would like to provide a picture, but you would not believe how hard it is to flip one's bobbin lace pillow upside down and slap it on the scanner :)

I did NOT get any knitting done. Not one stitch. I did a little bit of planning more projects and I think one of them will be Miriam Felton (MimKnits)'s Icarus shawl. I just need to find some yarn for it now. I spindled a little bit of baby camel down, but there is only 1/2 oz of that, not nearly enough (for me) to make the 900 yards I will need.

The peppermint socks did not see the light of day this weekend. They will however see the flickering lights of my math classroom tomorrow when school is back in session (wah). I am knitting the leg using the Entrelac technique, which is made up of interlocking boxes of knit stitches. One can find basic flat entrelac patterns all over the world (I like "How to Knit" by Debbie Bliss), but I found guidance for in-the-round entrelac knitting in the newest Interweave Knits, where Eunny Jang's entrelac socks are featured. I am using a relatively fine yarn on size 0 needles, which makes for a lot of squinting. Pictures when I have some progress.

Back just in time for the weekend. Such a busy week at work, no time to blog. I should hang out at the library more! I have some upcoming events to announce:

• The Riverspinners are going to The Huntington Musuem and Gardens for our April meeting. I am hoping to have some activities for us to enjoy; we'll see how today goes. I am excited to see the new Chinese Garden, which I understand is at least partially open now. I also like to visit the koi and turtles and check out the herb garden. I am going to bring a drop spindle and generally soak up the day. We are meeting at the studio at 8:45 - 9am on Saturday if you are interested.


• The Soap Plantation will be at The Citrus Heritage Celebration on April 21st, with soap and wool to spare. We will have soap kits, ready made soap, lotion, body wash, handdyed roving and yarn, a spinning demo (that's me) and drop spindle kits if I get a move on and make up some spindles.

OK, I guess it was just two announcements. But good ones! I saw this today and got a little dizzy. Or maybe it was loopy? I am so happy for Sheri's success. Anybody out there in the Loopy Sock Club? I can hardly wait for people to start getting their packages for the first installment (early May, I understand)

Knitting Content: The brown ProNaura socks just need to be cast off and then they will be done. Perhaps I will wear them to the Huntington. I have been chipping away at the peppermint socks....

And progress is slow but steady on sock #1. Each block takes about 5 minutes, and I can stand to do 3-5 blocks at a sitting. At this rate, they will be done in time for Christmas / Yule.

I am itching to start a new sweater, but need to finish the gray one first. The cat has been playing with it the last 2 nights - I think this is a warning to knit or get off the pot.

I have finished a good bit of spinning lately, the McKenzie yarn (destined to be hats for Scotland)(they will have to share), and a lot of just white Merino / Tencel blend which is destined for the dyepot. It is amzing how much those Majacraft bobbins hold!

I finally finished "Howl's Moving Castle" last night - after 4 tries. I have decided that 9:30 at night might be too late to start a 2 hour movie, as I conk out half way through. The movie list for this weekend? "Second Sight" (the PBS Mystery! series) with Clive Owen and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" with Clive Owen and Johnathan Rhys-Meyers. I am turning off the phone until further notice :)

I have also been chipping away at the housework - it is starting to look better and I love having more space. Last night I put out the last of the recycling on the curb for pickup. I bring home all the recycling from work for pickup at home, and sometimes it gets pretty stacked up. The dog has been sleeping in her kennel, and the winter blankets have been relegated to the very very top shelf of the linen cabinet, instead of a heap on the chair. Life is good.

The Weekend Looms... but I will not be working on my loom. Instead I plan to do many other fun things. We have a show, I have some movies coming from Netflix, and I have 5 pounds of Merino /Tencel roving to spin into sock yarn. The movies are Girl With a Pearl Earring and Howl's Moving Castle. I am trying to watch some things that have been on the queue for a year, before the DVDs of Law and Order: Season 6 come in from Netflix.

Charity Knitting. I never do, but now I will. I saw this post today from Sheri at the Loopy Ewe, and am all over knitting fingerless mitts for cold Russians. Do you think customs will let me tuck chocolate into the centers?

We are having Eileen Hallman from New World Textiles come give us a cotton spinning workshop in Riverside on 6/9/07. There are still spaces left, but they have been filling up quickly. This makes me happy. She will be teaching a full day of Charkha 101.

My stupid back is still out of joint, and no amount of massage, yoga, rest, or wriggling is popping it back into place. I am going to have to call a chiropractor after tax time. Any recommendations?

The Long Awaited Pictures:

These are the Trekking ProNatura socks (wool and bamboo) in the "Browns" colorway. I am particularly pleased with the modified basketweave pattern and gave out the instructions to 5 or 6 people up in Visalia. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I got it from Linda at Knit N Stitch. They are nearly done and I am eager to wear them.

This is 2 skeins of Ingeo fiber in the "Sea Oyster" colorway from Barbara Greenstein at Furryarns. I bought it about 4 years ago. The two skeins (spun from 4 batches of top) came out very different shades, so I think I will have to knit alternately from 2 balls of yarn when the time comes.

This is one of four skeins of sock yarn I dyed, spun, and plied from center pull balls (I have a few new gray hairs in honor of that little exercise). I l-o-v-e the way it came out. I could never have planned it, and am surprised I like it so much. I remember what I did to get it, so I hope to have more in my future. Ruthie Pie said I should name it "Tidepool". I don't know a tidepool from a hole in the ground (ha ha), so it sounds good to me.

This weekend my planned spinning is to finish the McKenzie roving (spin and ply) and set it aside until good hat patterns come along, and to spin a truckload of white roving into white yarn so I will have something for the next dyeing session. The next "personal project" spinning after that will be some chocolate baby alpaca for a lace shawl (which pattern, I have not decided). I may ply it up with some Nancy Finn silk dyed in the Moonstone colorway. I am completely in love with spinning this week - and wish my wheel could come with me to math class. That might be pushing my luck, though :)

Straight to Hell. I am going straight to Hell. I totally spaced on pictures of yarn for y'all. Sorry. Tomorrow for sure.

Last night I did get some McKenzie spun up and it is really much prettier than I anticipated. Very sparkly. In math class I managed to knit up the 2nd Browns sock all the way up to the same height as the first one (about 4" in basket weave pattern) before he let us loose. More reviewing - this week is all factoring all the time. Bor-ing. I came home, let the dogs in, fed the guinea pigs, and cracked open a beer - Black Hart brand. I have been looking forward to this beer - the name is nice and the label handsome. However, it was far too bitter for me. Drat. Back to Guinness.

I see on yahoo! that Johnathan Rhys-Davies (pant pant) is going to be in a Showtime production of The Tudors. It makes me want to buy cable service. But instead I went to Netflix and moved all his movies up to the top of my queue. There is even one where he plays opposite Clive Owen. I will not be available by phone or anything else on the day that one comes in - I'm just telling you now.

The Loopy Ewe (see link on sidebar) is updating her stock tonight. Did I mention that my birthday is coming up?

Happy Tuesday! Last night was quite nice. A quiet dinner at Best Thai (ginger delight with chicken and jasmine tea), a few more pages of "Beethoven's Hair" (I am nearing the end), then back home for spinning and tv. Watched a Netflix ("Heat of the Sun" with Trevor Eve *va-va-va-voom*), a Nature special on snow leopards, and then one on regular leopards in southeast asia. Reruns but always nice to look at.

I finished spinning the "Oyster" ingeo and then plied it all. I really like plying the ingeo - no matter how much twist is in it, or how much it kinks up, there is little memory to the fiber and it doesn't ever really tangle like fresh wool singles do. Pictures tomorrow. I will have to make up a gauge swatch and then start looking for tank top patterns to match my gauge.

While I was doing those things, I was also rinsing all the "Tidepool" sock yarn (that I finished plying in Visalia) and hung it up to dry overnight. So cute! Pictures tomorrow.

Tonight is a school night, but before then I am going to go home and start spinning some "McKenzie" from Ashland Bay (which I got from Ruth at the Dizzy Ewe - Ruth, send me your website address and I will put in a link). It is a grayish-bluish merino / silk blend, and is destined to be complementary hats for Pat and myself to wear in Scotland when we go.

I am still amazingly behind in my homework (due solely to laziness on my part), so may head over to the coffee shop after school and get a latte and some work done. We have a test coming up, and then all the assignments will be due. I got a 96 on our last (also the first) test, and tried to argue the 4 points last week. When I checked my work, I got $29.40 instead of $30 (it was a word problem) and I offered to just pay him the 60 cents. That did not work. Dang.

We (The Soap Plantation) have a big exciting announcement to make, but I suppose I should find out if I can spill the beans yet. Stay tuned!! In the meantime, our medium sized exciting announcement is that the shopping cart is up and running, so your 3am soap cravings can finally be satisfied. Woo. We will also be at the West Covina Egg-celebration on Saturday.

Well, it is time to hit the bricks, I think. We had a nice rainstorm for about 20 minutes this afternoon (2:00 to 2:20), and then it was bright and sunny - and windy - again. Hopefully the dogs will be dry.

Who Woulda Thunk?

I have returned from the ASCH conference in Visalia, and a good time was had. I drove thru the desert there and back, and got to see the sun rise on Saturday and set on Sunday. The joshua trees were blooming (joshua trees bloom?) and the swallows were nesting in overpasses (not just in San Juan Capistrano anymore, I guess). I saw 3 golden eagles (one nesting) and a red tailed hawk, redwinged blackbirds and something I think was a grackle. Woo!

I borrowed the audio book "Carry on Jeeves" for the journey and it was a laugh-riot. Just the thing I needed after another rough day at work (Friday). Armed with coffee, banana, and chili cheese Fritos, I had a pleasant drive up to Visalia and arrived about 10 am. I plopped myself down at the Dizzy Ewe booth with my spinning wheel and generally made myself at home.

I chatted up fiber folks, I sold fiber, I chatted up the Spindlicity Cruise, and I tried very hard to resist buying fiber. I am on restriction, you know. I saw lots of people I know and adore, and was generally at my ease for two whole days. I spun 2oz of ingeo on Saturday - it is the 2nd half of the batch I was working on back in December. I have another oz on the bobbin and one left to spin and then that 8oz will be DONE. I also finished plying the "Tide Pool" sock yarn and need to get pictures. I remember the days when I could not spin 2oz in a week, much less in 5 hours.

I did cave and buy some weaving equipment from the nice folks who built my loom (northwest looms) some warping pegs and a stick shuttle. It will be easier to weave thru my stash if I have the proper tools. The next project is a blanket / rug and my boat shuttle is just not up to the task. I managed to resist their gorgeous niddy noddies (I have a small already, but he had large there this time).

The drive home Sunday was just as fine - although I was tired and it got dark around Mojave. No traffic, no idiots, just me and a very large cup of iced tea.

Tonight is dedicated to going to dinner and then directly to bed.

What I Did Over My Summer Break. Well, last night instead of assorted chores. It's a squashed swatch:

Spindled from "Blaze" roving (a merino sheep) on my Bosworth moosie spindle. Navajo plied, knit up on size 6 needles, and bang on gauge.

Someday, it will be this, the Jasmine Sweater from Elsebeth Lavold:

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Now that I am going to ASCH, I am bouncing around with excitement. I have my book on tape ("Carry on, Jeeves") ready, the wheel is in the car, I am going to pick up roving tonight, I washed my sheep sweater, my yoga mat and new Spin Off are in the car, and I have been doing laundry all week.

I need to get a camera (disposable I suppose), put gas in the car, empty the car of crap (those who know me understand), and turn in my debit card to Mandy for safekeeping. I am, afterall, still on fiber restriction and the Compact.

Knitting
I finished the Delft socks in math on Tuesday and worked in the ends at Knit N Stitch last night, just in time to wear them to yoga. I really like the crazy ways the yarn pooled and I am generally quite pleased. I started sock #2 of the Trekking ProNatura "Browns", and will probably finish the foot tonight in math. Maybe I will even start the the heel. I have sock #1 on hold until I get to the same place in the leg, as I want to use up every inch of the yarn (by working from both ends to the middle). I am feeling the urge to block the Adamas shawl tonight to wear this weekend (NOT over the sheepy sweater), and to get the rest of the yarn spun up to finsish the grey sweater. The sleeves have been crying out piteously from their shelf.

Yoga
... is going well. I have started helping a little behind the desk and that makes me feel good. Also, I get to know more people that way! I plan on doing at least a short form of Ashtanga at 9am on Sunday so I will still be practicing with the group - just from far away. Last night Lama Tsony gave a talk and we had a short meditation and chanting, and it was amazing. So much more fun than I imagined. It gave me a LOT to think about, and now I am really eager to go to a meditation retreat, where before I thought it was a little wierd.

Housekeeping
I went home at lunch and folded laundry. 'Nuff said.

Reading
Trying to finish "Beethoven's Hair". It is a bit boring. And yes, it IS about Beethoven's hair. Go figure.

That's about all for now!

Hate. My. Job. I hope everyone buys lots of fiber so I can quit.

Other than that, things are going well. Tearing thru library books (almost done with "The Boy with Two Heads"), the car is running again thanks to a sparkly new alternator, yoga is relaxing and rewarding even when sweat is running down me, knitting on socks like gangbusters, and did a little laundry this week.

Tonight is an Open Spinning night at the studio (come join us) and I am really looking forward to it. I love chatting and relaxing with everyone. I intend to finish plying the sock yarn tonight - it has been waiting a long time.

After Open Spinning I am trucking down to San Diego to visit Pat and have some (far too much) whiskey and beer. mmmmm. It has been that sort of week. I think a little time in the aviary with the birds will do me good too. Or a nice sit down outside wildcat canyon. I will keep my eyes peeled for new fiber colorways (hmmmm.... i think snow leopard or cape wild dog will be nice).

Then I come home Sunday in time for Ashtanga yoga. I am really ready. I am taking my book down to SD with me so I can do a short form on Saturday morning. And my wheel. Perhpas I can swatch for the next sweater (shhh... don't tell the one that isn't done yet).

Happier already, just thinking about the weekend!

Finally my knitting is near my scanner at work and it is all flat. Here for your viewing pleasure are...

The "Prairie Iris" and baby alpaca fingerless mitts. Someday I may even work in the ends and get to wear them! They are both done, and look pretty much the same. Handspun and navajo plied by yours truly. "Prairie Iris" roving (merino and silk blend) dyed by Capistrano Fiber Arts. This is the same roving I made my Grandma's christmas fingerless mitts out of, so we match!

The Delft Sock (#1) . This is my math class knitting. I finally tried it on today and it is a perfect fit *whew*. The yarn is Opal.

The brown sock (#1). This is Trekking ProNatura yarn. It is a wool and bamboo blend and heaven to work with. Just as nice as wool-tencel. You can't really see it yet, but the leg will be a basketweave pattern. I got this yarn over at Knit N Stitch and I saw that they had some left yesterday. I highly recommend it. They had a grey, a lighter brown-green-yellow, another brown, and a blue.

%3

The Agony and the Exercise

The car - my beloved Batmoblie - died on the way home from RCC last night. Never mind that it had spent the whole day in the shop and received and oil change and new air filter, and I had agreed to $900 in repairs to get the smog system up to snuff.

Turns out the alternator is dead and took the battery with it. $500 just to get it running again, and then they can hook it up to the computer and see what else is going on. It might be fixed today, it might be in hospital until Monday. Or later. I had to leave my spinning wheel behind, but did grab my knitting (Peppermint socks), algebra book, and yoga mat. That should entertain me all weekend. I can walk to yoga, walk to my doctor appt, and take the bus to work (and home tonight).

I had the excitement of being stranded (only 2 blocks from home, blessedly), of needing to push the tank to the curb (and later around the corner), of waiting for the tow truck guy to come rescue me this morning, of arguing with the people who had it yesterday, and of meeting the new people who are going to fix it for me. And on top of it all, wondering where the money will appear from and cancelling my big plans to go to Brawley and the Imperial County Fair with Pat and Naomi.

I am not thrilled, but it could have been worse.

I finished "The Worst Hard Time" last night - it rained. I am excited to Netflix "The Plow that Broke the Plains" as soon as it is available. My reading this morning was "Beethoven's Hair" but it was hard to concentrate while arguing with the repair shop (the bad one) and waiting for the tow truck. I did manage to finish the toe of the 2nd Delft sock and start the foot. We were practicing Determinates and learning Cramer's Rule. Then we left early.

There will be much comfort knitting this weekend, I suspect. And maybe some dish-washing!

Revelations

I broke both my Compact and my Fiber Restriction yesterday when I bought sock yarn. I did buy it from Linda at Knit N Stitch, where I can display the finished socks to help them sell the remainder, so I was able to sleep last night.

I have done no knitting aside from the Delft socks (no picutres again - the socks are in the car which is in the shop) this week. I did finish spinning the last of the sock yarn last night and will ply it up tonight. I still haven't settled on a good big project. I have been using every free minute to read "The Worst Hard Time". It is 1936 and things are still bleak.

Fiber-free news
The car is in the shop today, getting an oil change and being evaluated for a smog check. $1200 to get it to pass. My gods. That is a lot of roving to dye and sell. I have recovered from the shock and am confident I can pay it... eventually.

This weekend I am going to the Imperial County fair with Pat and Naomi. It should be a good time. Pictures if I remember.

Fiber = Freedom.

It sounds so much better than (and carries none of the bad bad bad connotations of) Arbeit Macht Frei, but it is the same principal: if I work hard at my fiber and soap tasks, get the word out, have product avaliable, and spin spin spin, I can quit this lousy job and maybe be happy in the World of Woolcraft.

Boy I hope I don't get sued for that.

Anyway, with a little planning and a lot of work, I really think I can make this happen. I may have to quit school for a while - or go down to one day a week - in order to have the time. There are many ideas churning in my little brain.

Fibery updates:
Sorry there are no pictures - although I have located more batteries for the camera. They are nowhere near the camera, but it is still progress.

The first Delft sock is done - finished in math class last night. I began its mate and am halfway done with the toe. There was a minor incident where I knitted one of the wraps at the wrong time.

The sock yarn (Tide Pool) is nearly done. Unfortunately, it is the same amount of nearly done as it was last week.

The Peppermint socks are still coming along - I have almost finished the first row of rectangles. It is very fiddly knitting. I think they will be cute when they are done. And if they are not, I will wear them anyway after all this work! Or maybe frame them. Or submit them to the Smithsonian.

The Riverspinners schedule is filling out nicely: March at Denise's farm, April at the Huntington Museum and Gardens, and May in Riverside, learning Tunisian Crochet. June is open, and then July is the pool party and flax spinning. Come learn more and /or join our Yahoo group at "Riverspinners", or email me for an invitation. Website soon to be at www.riverspinners.org.

Non Fibery Updates:
I am reading "The Worst Hard Time" right now. It is about the people who (made and) lived in the Dust Bowl of the '30's. Fascinating and sad, extremely well written and engaging.

Yoga is coming along well (except for the 6:30 am sessions - I just can't manage it). I even practiced Ashtanga yesterday morning with the birds (literally - Kiwi was so funny when she hung on upside down during forward bends). I also had a Thai massage this week. It was wierd at first but I really liked it. Email me (if you are local) and I will refer you to Julie.

I went to Trader Joe's Sunday and bought a half dozen different beers (one each) for some sampling. Last night was Oranjeboom night (from Holland). A little too hoppy for my taste, with and unusual bite. Tonight will be Black Toad if I get home early enough. I have 2 new Netflix to watch so it may be a late evening. My crush on Stephen Fry continues with "Cold Comfort Farm" and I also have "Tidelands" directed by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame), which is supposed to be very wierd and disturbing. Might save that for the weekend.

Another week behind me. I managed to make it to class both days, to knitting one day, to yoga 3 times, and weaselled out of the company staff meeting. As long as I can get the rent paid, I am golden. Got a little cleaning done last night, did a little laundry (not enough, as I had a lack-of-pants-emergency this morning), and watched "Kingdom of Heaven" with Orlando Bloom.

I really need to get out of my day job. It's me and Fishy IV against the world.

Made only a small amount of progress on the first Delft sock last night - got thru the last inch of leg and into the ribbing. Then I had to pay attention to the lesson. It did not make me happy.

Tonight is open spinning and I will work on (finish????) the sock yarn. Then yoga in the morning, soap in the afternoon, and the Oxnard Festival of the Whales all day on Sunday.

Hi All,
I have been slammed here at work; no time to blog. Wah. Sorry about the lack of pictures (Marti), but just think of the workout your imagination is getting :)

I am still drifting between projects. Oh yes, I have made 2 tatted and beaded bracelets since Saturday, and just about finished the fingerless mitts, and progress continues on the blue socks and the peppermint socks, but I have no big project to work on. I suppose I should finish up the grey sweater ("Aud") and get spinning for "Jasmine". There is such a lack of spinning time.

The entrelac on the peppermint socks is a big job, but very fiddly, so I can only work on that for a few minutes at a time.

In my non-knitting life, I am going to yoga, still slogging thru algebra (although I have been ignoring my homework), still petting the pets, and have rekindled my romance with the library. Current reading list "Sibleys Field Guide to Western Birds", "The Worst Hard Time", "Beethoven's Hair", and something I forgot the name of. It covers medical curiosities through history; conjoined twins and such.

Spinning classes start up at Knit N Stitch on Wednesday - I am excited and nervous and unprepared. Situation normal.

The beginning of the endings: I finished the body of the Adamas shawl last night and am going to start the 12 rows of the border tonight after my algebra exam. I think I can also finish the Purple Earth socks tonight. I am just about to the casting-off part. I hope I don't leave myself with no airplane knitting. I suppose I could *gasp* bring a book, as the flight is only an hour.

I did no chores last night, but I did ply the demo yarn off my good spindle and watch "Lost". And today I sucked it up and bought my new textbook. So I am not an entirely hopeless case.

Ahhhh, Wednesday. A new Megatokyo comic (things are heating up for our heroes), an actual lunch HOUR, during which I accomplished some knitting, some good news about staffing here at work (it's a secret), and the undying love of Fishy IV.

I am hopelessly behind in my cleaning schedule before I leave for AZ. I hope the petsitter will still be friends with me. I am committing to cleaning pet cages, sweeping everywhere, and taking out the trash.

Math is nearly done. We had an exam last night (I think I did well), then review tonight, then our Final tomorrow, then a whole weekend off before the Spring term begins again on Tuesday. Whew. I am still unreasonably annoyed by people who did not take any of the prerequisites, who flat out refuse to read the book, who don't ask the teacher questions, and who talk during lecture asking me for help / answers. The meek may inherit the earth, but I will be the one who passes math.

The plying for grandma's mittens is nearly complete. I will finish that tonight as I survey my freshly swept kingdom. It looks like I will be knitting them there, which has the upshot of having grandma right there for a fitting.

Knitting has been slow. I am at the ending point of a bunch of things.

• Adamas Shawl: I have decided NOT to play russian roulette with my yarn, and will go directly to the edging after this last row. I have a half row of purling to go and then I need to find my edging chart.
• Purple Earth Socks: At the ribbing and nearly done. They have been languishing for a week now. I need to find my notes so I can figure out where I am. Time to finishing - maybe 6 hours knitting. Probably less.
• Peppermint Socks: 2 feet and heels are finished and languishing. I keep forgetting to look up a pattern for knitting entrelac in the round. At this rate, it will be next Yule before they are done.
• Aud: This is the grey sweater. It is on my next-to-the-bed bookcase. Guess what? It's languishing. I need to spindle some more yarn. I have front back and 2/3 of both sleeves done. A week's hard knitting, maybe. I am in dread of the sewing up, which is probably why I have not been working on it.
• Sock yarn: this has been sold, sight unseen, and unspun too. I love spinning it, but have been sick and tired this last 2 weeks. It is first on the list of spinning projects when I get back from AZ. It makes good movie spinning.
• Lemonfrost Ingeo: One skein (4oz) done. Need to spin the other 4 oz.

Well, that's enough of UFO identification for now. There are a couple other projects half finished which may get frogged, a couple which might get abandoned, a couple which are plain lost, and who knows what else lies in the bottom of the closet...

I just remembered I was supposed to go buy my textbook at lunch today. Dang me. Tomorrow for sure!

I am joining the St. Brigid poetry day out there in blogland (http://www.creatingtextiles.com/). Here is one of my favorite poems, learnt in high school and, amazingly, still committed to memory (mostly). However, I can never remember where I put my cell phone.

Fire and Ice - Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I find with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

I spoke too soon. My cow-orker's cold from last week made its way over to me and I was felled, I say, felled by it Tuesday and Wednesday. No school, no yoga, no spinning, almost no knitting, could barely watch tv. I did a lot of sleeping and snuffling. And laundry. And pushing the cats off of me while I slept. The dogs were happy to have me home. Back to work today and in desperate need of a nap. And some soup.

I did get a few rows in on the Adamas shawl. I have reached the point of being worried about the amount of yarn remaining. I *think* I can get in one more pattern repeat before beginning the edging. I will put in a lifeline at the end of this repeat in case I have to rip back. I hope not.

I have only the ribbing left on Mandy's socks, and it is going slowly. Man, I hate ribbing. Then I need to look up a way to do entrelac in the round for the peppermint socks, and I will be nigh out of sock yarn. I have one skein in reserve, but am not sure I want socks out of it. It might be a pet skein. I need to get spinning and make my own sock yarn. This is spin from my stash year, after all. I also need to get moving on my grey sweater and the Christmas mittens.

I want desperately to start the wool blanket, but have been too wiped to do my weft calculations and measure my warp, much less warp the loom. Perhaps this weekend. I have been reading my weaving books for motivation and guidance. Now I don't know if I am eager to start or frightened I will "mess it up". I don't want to make swatches forever.

I finished the grey-purple BFL and found I do not have the yardage I need to make the shawl I wanted it for. So I need to find a 500 yd pattern for a circular shawl and then spin 1200 yds for the Rona shawl.

OK, I am just muttering now. Must go snooze in the car.

Not Dead Yet. I have been working away on a bunch of things - including trips to LA for work, which cuts into my internet and blog-updating time. Last night I finally wound off the silver - purple BFL fingering weight handspun and it made a 500 yd skein. It is destined to be a circular shawl with a silver center and darkening rings of purple. You are probably all sick of hearing about it.

I started spinning up some hand painted corriedale (my own) that is gold, teal, sapphire, and burgundy. There are some white bits inside that lighten the colors. I split 11oz of roving into 4 balls and will ply each bobbin full upon itself (my kingdom for a ball winder) so they will all be related.

Finished the Purple Midnght socks - would have worn them today but I have to weave the ends in still and I was already 10 minutes late leaving for work. Tomorrow. Measured M for the Purple Earth socks and that will be my math class knitting this week.

Going to visit Grandma on Feb 10th - I need to get moving on her mittens. They are still in an unspun state. Aunt K needs bobby socks in July - at the rate I am going I had better start those now too.

I think I am socked out. Maybe I will start spinning for the Jasmine sweater. It is the "knit and spin from my stash" year after all.

Sorry about the utter lack of pictures.

Well, the felted scarf adventure turned out well (sorry, no picture). I have some thin spots, but plan on freaking out and blaming them on the first person who notices.

Did no homework this weekend - I suspect I will be up late into the night tonight. I must yoga, as I have been skipping again. What I really want to do is hide under the covers again, maybe popping my head out to watch some more "Jeeves and Wooster".

I still hate my crappy job. What motivates me to drive here every morning? Oh yeah, the rent.

Practically no knitting progress this weekend - finished the leg of the first "purple midnight" sock (ribbing pending), but that was only a couple inches. Ho Hum. It just gets cold in the house and my fingers won't cooperate.

So. Freaking. Happy. The laptop is here and I am at the Coffee Depot not-studying (although I did buy a coffee). A giant, enormous, huge, bear hug of a thank you to Randy and Mandy. Now begins my "where are all the wifi connections in Riverside" hunt. And, hopefully, some WOW to make me even less social than I am now.

Knitted the foot of a sock in class tonight - now I have two feet and no legs or cuffs. The shawl has again been relegated to "I'm too tired" status. Poor thing.

Big plans? AZ to visit the cousins and grandma before mid-Feb, Riverspinners meeting this weekend, Dickens in early Feb, yoga all the time. I tweaked something in my neck - may have to soak tonight.

Off to do some algebra and dream of knitblogs....

It has been a long 3 days of review, but finally I learned something new in math last night! Hopefully my book will come in on Monday so I can do my homework for next week.

This is what I did in class on Wednesday:





Last night I worked all the way to the heel and made all the decreases. At this rate I will have all my sock yarn knit up by week 3. Perhaps I should switch to mittens. I sure needed some last night when I left class and walked to my car in the pouring drizzle. However, I like drizzle so was happy. Damp but happy.

The yarn pictured is the Purple Earth colorway by Claudia Handpainted, purchased from the lovely Sheri at The Loopy Ewe. (Ewe go, girl) I am knitting on #1 needles, as is my wont.

I have dusted off the Adamas shawl and have added another half a repeat this week. Slowly but surely it will get finished! Tonight is open spinning at the studio - I plan on plying the silver / purple BFL fingeringweight singles (destined to be a round shawl) and then spinning up the rest of the Sea Oyster Ingeo (destined to be a summer tank top) if there is time. Tomorrow is the party at Knit N Stitch and I can finish it then. Or Sunday.

Compacting is going well so far. I am cooking food again (instead of going thru the drive-thru three times a day), I am not wandering around in Borders until something calls to me, and I am avoiding the yarn store like the plague. That will last until the party on Saturday - but I will bring a work-in-progress to keep myself occupied. I bought my math text online, used.

I finished the Sadie socks on Monday while watching the Rose Parade at home. I can wholeheartedly recommend The Yarn Pirate merino / tencel sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe. It was a joy to work with. I will try to get some pictures up soon.

Saturday was open spinning at the studio, Peggy and Fran came and we had a lovely time. I worked on the Adamas shawl, Peggy worked on a prayer shawl, and Fran held me hostage until I showed her how to make toe-up socks. She made me the most gorgeous knitting bag though, so I caved. I am looking forward to open spinning this Friday night.

Winter session at RCC started yesterday - I am taking Introductory Algebra. It was review of the same crap I spent all Fall learning. We meet from 6-10 on T, W, and Th, but I got the ok to knit along if I pay attention to the lecture and keep my grades up. I hope to see many socks in my future. Or perhaps a very easy sweater.

All in all, a good start to the year!

The best laid plans....

Well, there was no exciting trip to Big Sur. Instead there was a lazy weekend full of TV, knitting, visiting, and eating. Let's weigh the pros and cons, shall we?

Not Driving to Big Sur: Con - It is gorgeous and I missed it. Pro - I didn't spend $200 in gas this weekend.

Not Camping in Winter: Con - It is deserted and gorgeous and I would have had some fun without electricity. Pro - It is awfully nice to wake up all snuggled under a bunch of blankets and then walk to the kitchen barefoot to make tea.

Not Visiting Morro Fleece Works: Con - I didn't get to visit with Shari and I didn't get to drop off that Romney fleece that is taking up half of the closet. Pro - I will save $20 in gas by mailing the damn thing.

Knitting: Con - in Big Sur it was 65 degrees. Pro - in Riverside it was upwards of 80 outside and room temperature inside Knit N Stitch (where I practically took up residence this weekend).

So I am pretty happy with the quiet weekend I had.

Christmas Goodies....
Outgoing - The first batch of knitted socks was well received, I am pleased to say. I was quite nervous that they would not fit / be appreciated and I can rest easy on both counts now. Half the stuff I collected for presents is still at the house, awaiting gift wrap and packaging and addressing and mailing. Maybe by tomorrow. Don't they say that Christmas should last all year?

Incoming - I made out like a bandit. Pet treats, a new can opener, a fabulous dress-'em-up lawn flamingo (inherited from my Uncle Jon which makes it extra special!), some awesome North Ronaldsay roving (the spinning has already begun) from Pat in anticipation of our impending venture to Scotland, some very nice gift cards, and a spectacular one-of-a-kind picture for my wall here at work. A triptych, really, of bat eared foxes, a leopard, and black backed jackals, from Mandy's friend's trip to Africa. They are professional photographers and made this up for me special *sniff*.

I heard about The Compact (http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/) on NPR and I think 2007 will be the year I try to get rid of a bunch of stuff cluttering up the house. I don't know if I can make the full commitment (buying nothing brand new for a year), but I am willing to make some deep cuts in my consumption! I will try to get some outgoing barter items listed here, or on spindlers, or on ebay / craigslist soon. 2006 was the year of buying stuff because I can finally afford it - but now I see that just because I can, doesn't mean I have to (or should).

Hope your holiday is / has been special to you too.

Happy Holidays! Here is a holiday poem to cheer you:

"The shopping is done,
the wrapping has begun,
the mailing will be late,
the knitting is quite effeminate."

Now you know why I don't quit my day job and become a poet. Out of 7 pairs of socks and one pair of mittens that were on the list, I have 3 pairs and 2/3 of a sock done. I have revised my expectations of finishing downward and bought backup gifts as appropriate. Everybody stay alive long enough to have a birthday next year. I still don't think that is bad knitting progress considering I began Thanksgiving weekend and am still doing all my normal activities (work, yoga, RCC, soap) plus doing my holiday shopping.

I was not planning on making any New Year's resolutions in January, but then Wendy (http://wendyknits.net) announced her "knit from your stash" plan. A goodly plan, methinks, and worth pursuing. So I am vowing to add nothing to the stash (fleece, roving or yarn) (sock yarn excepted) until Lambtown in July. Of course, I will still be dyeing and selling roving to non-knit from your stashers. We can't all do it at once or the world economy will collapse. Or something.

Today's vacation picture of the day:

Vacation may get pushed back one day - me leaving on Friday instead of Thursday. I will ask the checkbook fairy. I may need to spend Thursday knitting a hat to wear on vacation.

Had a great day at the Riverspinners party on Saturday. Spinning, food, games, shopping, selling, talking, and planning.

Sunday was spent making big soap and spinning plans for the new season, tidying up the basement, and listing items on ebay for the holiday season (ebay ID thesoapplantation) - roving, spinners' gift baskets, and soap. It's already time to start booking shows for 2007!

The Christmas knitting continues - I finished another sock last night and cast on its mate.

Plans for vacation are proceeding well - the dogs are staying home due to the chance of rain. Camping - yes. Camping in Rain - yes. Camping with Dogs - yes. Camping with WET Dogs - no way. Here is hint #2:

Well, apparently I have a funny idea of when "tomorrow" is, because many weeks have passed since my last post. Sorry. I am working away at the holiday knitting - 2 pairs of socks are done and a 3rd is in the works, but progressing slowly. It is so pretty, I think that I don't want the yarn to end. No pictures until after the holidays!!

Today is payday, so tonight I will also be working away at the holiday shopping. I hope everyone likes soap, so that I can finish my shopping down in the basement. *hahahhaha* I thought I might post a couple items I would like to have, if anyone is so inclined. I have a lot of stuff already, so donations to Heifer International or another worthy cause would be super too.

heifer international

Any sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe would be welcome - click the button on the sidebar. Sheri (the owner) knows just what I like. I am a big big fan of Fleece Artist.

Lord of the Rings box set

Fawlty Towers complete series

"Japa" (CD) by Dave Stringer Japa

"Parcel of Rogues" (CD) by Steeleye Span Parcel of Rogues

I have a lot of fiber, but no bison roving

It might get cold this winter and this would keep me warm: Kimiko

In other news, The Soap Plantation has its last show of the year on Saturday in Riverside. We will be at the Riverspinners Holiday Party (6515 Clay St) from 10-4.

Janel from Spindlicity and Plantation Productions have been working feverishly on The Alaska Cruise and are taking reservations NOW. Come join in the fun!

Finally, I have a secret (but not for long) - I am going on a vacation for Yule. Just me and.... me. Here's a hint...

A big day... because I finished the 2nd pumpkin sock, I added The Loopy Ewe to my blog button area, I did it all by myself, I added the picture of the 1st pumpkin sock to the post that has been on hold, I remembered to petsit for Anne, and my tea order came in. Now, I am ready for some dinner.

Tomorrow, a Yuletide wish list for anyone who hasn't figured out how much I love yarn, roving, spindles, bobbin lace, bobbins, and books about all of the above.

Catching up....

November 4 -5: I had a lovely weekend at the Lace Day on Saturday and the Handweaver's show on Sunday. Sold some stuff, bought some stuff, stuffed myself with cookies and coffee. Dropped off a finewool fleece with Sheri of Morro Fleece Works, did NOT buy any spindles, wheels, or other fiber tools, and made an effort to buy gift wool for the holidays. Handed out many, many cards for the cruise.

Nov 7: Managed to make it to my polling place and vote - thanks to Mandy for looking it up for me. I hate it when people don't vote, especially when they then complain about how things are.

Nov 8: I actually made it to yoga at 6:30 am and had a great time. Set up in the afternoon for our in-home show in Chino Hills and was later crippled by a big bad "icepick" headache. Now I carry my advil with me everywhere.

Nov 9: Went to Algebra, took (aced) the test, and was done by 7:30. No new material, so no homework for the week. Worked on a bobbin lace project in the evening - I have a class this weekend and am way behind on my practicing. I am working on spiders and would love to work on roseground before my class... we will see how far I get. Winding the bobbins for the moon is taking forever.

Nov 10: Made it to 6:30 am yoga again *yay me* In the evening Val came over and we went to go see "Flushed Away" and have some dinner at my renovated Marie Callender's. The movie was fabulous. Really really enjoyed it. Pat was right - the slugs rock.

Nov 11: I spent all day at the in-home show. Did some selling, did some shopping, ate some tamales, and spun 2 oz of ingeo on the Millie. I really really love the ingeo and the time really flew. I think I will make it into a tank top for summer.

Nov 12: Another show, this time in lovely downtown Hermosa Beach. Sold some soap, ate some snacks, spun another 2 oz of the ingeo, and finished winding off the silver - purple BFL off the bobbins. Now that they are in balls, I can ply the 3 singles together (silver end first) and move along closer to my planned circle / spiral shawl. Wish me luck on getting a lot of yardage!

Today... I am still chipping away at the pumpkin socks. There was very little knitting this weekend (spinning makes a better demo project for me). I am still chipping away at the Adamas shawl - I seem to have misplaced the pattern card I made up. I started a Christmas gift project last week - handspun mittens for my Grandma. I need to get cracking on those, but they knit up fast. After that there is a whole flock of gift socks on my plate. I love my spinning friends - I can just give them roving and let them do the work :)

Today's pick is from the pumpkin patch. Sock #1:

Happy Halloween!

(Imagine finished Pumpkin Sock #1 here)

The sock is willing, but the server is weak.

Progress on the Pumpkin socks is slow. I knit a little every day, but the ribbing just goes on and on. I like the way they are turning out, though. And when I say they, I mean sock #1. Sock #2 is a distant dream, although I suppose it would be a good idea to put the ribbing on waste yarn, knit sock #2 up to the ribbing, and then switch back. Then my life will be all ribbing, all the time, instead of stressing about remembering the changes I make to the sock body when I get to #2.

I tried it on this morning and learned that I should have knit about 1" of plain stockinette before beginning the ribbing to make them really comfy.

I am also working on the Adamas shawl at home. One row takes 20 - 30 minutes so it is not a good "knit a couple stitches and then set it down" project anymore. I have 14 1/2 sets of diamonds done now. The picture shows 16 sets of diamonds before starting the edging - we will see how much yarn I have left. Maybe I should add a lifeline at the 16th repeat. All in all, I am completely in love with it, and completely in denial about the 2 mistakes I know are in it (so far).

There will be a big announcement in tomorrow's post - stay tuned!

I am back from Vegas and all in one piece! I left Friday about 6:30, after finishing laundry and making a stab at tidying the homestead. Got in around 10, but then got lost in Henderson for an hour. You would think that after 5 years I could remember how to get there. Saw lots of friends on my way to Whimsy, and they were happy to see me too. Got dressed up in something wenchy and went to work selling clothes. There was some great new designs this year. The drizzle that I drove thru near Baker arrived in Vegas about 3pm, and then it cleared up, and then about 7 or so (right around dark), it started pouring rain, and there was thunder, lightning, and wind. We got the clothes in, threw the tarps up, and closed down. I went home with Deb and Trinidad (who I stayed with last year). We threw our sodden clothes in the laundry and went out for dinner. We stayed up talking for a while and I got some knitting in.


This is sock #1. I am really enjoying this pumpkin yarn (still more orange and less red in person), although I like the way the colors stack in the toes and heels more than the striping in the foot. But the colors aren't pooling in big patches, which tends to bug me, so I am happy. The yarn itself is smooth and soft. I am starting to pick up the short rows, and need to make a decision about the leg pattern (if any) I want to use. I think it might be fun to do the whole leg in 2x2 ribbing and use up all the yarn, and then turn the cuffs down. I was fooling around with the Mermaid socks, tried that, and liked the effect. It also solves the problem of whether or not to increase for the calf and make knee socks.

Friday night and Saturday morning had more of the same - amazing, fearsome, stormy weather. Henderson (south of us) got marble-sized hail. It abated about 10 and we got the word that Faire would open at 12 instead of 10, but was still on. The weather for the rest of the day was quite nice, and the crowds started by late after noon. I worked hard, ate many meat pies, and we bartered Guinness for bloomers with the ale wench. Did quite a lot of flirting and flouncing, but no real takers. I did enjoy viewing all the kilted patrons. Did a little shopping, but I have most of the faire gear I "need". I found an awesome tankard at Moonstruck - it has a deer on it (pictures someday), and a pottery teapot from Lodema the Potter. Saturday night I could barely knit for tiredness (we closed at 10) and slept well.

Sunday was also gorgeous, and finally we saw real crowds. The place was Puh-acked. We finally got the last of the stock out and were busy, busy, busy. For my part, I was busty, being in a better fitting bodice now that I am all skinny. We closed around 5 ish (the hordes of patrons were still shopping with a vengeance, trying to make up for missing Friday night and Saturday morning). We did a little wage-bartering and I was wayyyy overpaid in clothes and $, but still we are all happy with the arrangement and I will be back next year, with bells on! Said goodbye to Todd, Judy, the kids, and the bulge (due at Christmas), and wished them a safe drive home to AZ. I was finally back at the apartment about 8 (got lost again, Deb had to come rescue me).

Left around 10am Monday morning, right on schedule. Took the scenic route down Flamingo to the freeway, missed all the construction traffic (repaving mostly, and in the other direction). Saw the coolest thing - the dry lake outside Primm was filled with water (it actually flooded the freeway on Saturday morning, so I couldn't have left early anyway). It looked really really neat to see this huge lake in the desert. It was clear and sunny in the desert, not a cloud in the sky, until I got to Hesperia and drove straight into a wall of cloud, under which were San Bernardino and Riverside.

Got home around 2, chatted with the neighbors, watered the roses, and took a NAP. Then I was up and off to yoga at 6. Took Julie's beginner class (worked on warrior and sun salutations), Scott's deep stretch class (lots of shoulder stretches), and managed to stay for Laura's Meditation class - the whole 25 minutes!!!!! But then I was beat and it was home to bed for me.

Now I am back at work, and getting so much done, as you can see :) Whimsy will be at the Dickens Festival in the Bay area this year (4 weekends starting Thanksgiving) so I am thinking of driving up for a day there, just to hang out. I haven't ever been to that show.

Ta Da! The mermaids are all done. Cuffs bound off, ends worked in. The top sock (the first one I knitted) is much more gold and the bottom sock is more blue. I love them both to pieces.













Now that they are done, I can move on to ....






Pumpkin socks! This is the pumpkin pie yarn from RubySapphire (Etsy). This is a crappy scan - it looks very coral, when the color is really a bright happy pumpkin. I am getting about 18st / 2", so I will knit them on #0 needles like the mermaids. I am making up the provisional cast on right now.

This weekend is Faire, so I will try to post again on Tuesday. Unless I don't come back. The way work is going, that is looking like a better option every minute. I would need to come in and sneak Fishy IV out.

Weekend doings: Well, Saturday was the Angel Fair in Pasadena. Mandy and I took soap and lotion and the spinning wheel. It was... interesting. We were amazed and surprised that the first 2 things that sold were the Menorah soaps, and that we received a special order for several more. Only one Angel shaped soap sold. How odd. Mandy strapped me to the chair to keep the Hare Krishnas from abducting me, but she needn't have worried.

I spun quite a bit of the purple BFL roving (that will be the silver and purple shawl - someday), and fielded many, many questions about spinning. We decided that I need to put out a change jar and only demo when somebody plunks their quarter down - like the fortune telling automaton at Disneyland. We heard a new spinning observation - someone said "oh, what you're doing is just like making ice cream". I was speechless, if you can imagine that. Otherwise, it was a nice day - good weather, good company, good neighbors. Except for the woman undercutting our soap prices right across from us.

Sunday's to-do list included doing my math homework, doing laundry, cleaning up the house, going to yoga and making soap. Here is what really happened:

I knitted the heel, all 4 repeats of the arch lace panels, and began the ribbing. For those keeping score, you may be interested to know that this is sock #2 of the pair - sock #1 has been largely done since last Wednesday (I left the ribbing unfinished and on the needles until I knit this one to the same stage - I want them to be the same height!).

I also listened to Prairie Home Companion, watched 2 specials on Ben Franklin, all 4 episodes of "The 6 wives of Henry the 8th", 2 episodes of "Carnivale", and the first part of "Casanova" on PBS. A good day.

Friday I leave for my annual pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Ren Faire http://www.lvrenfair.com/ where I work for Whimsy (a clothes booth). It's a good time.