ewe spinster

S2K January Skein(s)!!

2007-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah J
My S2K package arrived today!
The post office lost the package on Monday, but they were able to recover it…..
Watana sent the loveliest lavender/lilac yarn and a bunch of fiber samples. I had so much fun sharing the fiber samples with my friends – everybody was excited to see and touch all of the different lammy furs! BFL, Shetland, Coopsworth, Jacob, and Gotland.

The yarn was spun from Spunky Eclectic’s mixed wool in the Purple Haze colorway. I love it! I think I’ll make a pair of yarngeek’s fingerless mitts with buttons, and then see what I have left-over!
Thanks Watana, I can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned for February!

owl package for gumshoegal

2006-10-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a 'behind the scenes' look at the making of the owl personal swap package for gumshoegal!

My swap partner was so kind to offer me a personal swap (as I am a craftster newbie, and thereby not eligible for swaps). Gumshoegal requested an orange tote with owlage, and a pair of fingerless gloves. I knew that somehow I could work the owl into the gloves, and lo and behold, I found a little owl cable-work dishcloth pattern. It took me about 30minutes to wrangle the owl pattern from the rest of the stockinette dishcloth nightmare, and turn it into a usable chart (will post later) that can be used for straight OR circular knitting!

The fingerless gloves came with me on my business trip to Salt Lake City, and I couldn't resist taking photos of them (in progress) with some of the local sites...

Here's the left glove with the flag from the Winter Olympic Games!

And here with the SLC temple:

The votive holder was sand-blasted during the wee hours of the morning (before work actually began). Thanks to the welders who gave me the little ladder so I could actually see into the sand-blaster while I was working ;)

The coin purse was made from a scrap of Pendleton blanket, the inspiration for this design being from one of my favorite owls, the Spedis owl from rock art on the Columbia river. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to find a remnant from this blanket at the Pendleton Annex! This made my owllie year!

Most of the designs were inspired by the 'buba' jewelry designs of Lea Stein. This can be seen in the orange tote, the magnet, and the pendant.

I can't wait to receive from gumshoegal !!!

autumn leaves

2006-10-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today I snapped a few shots during my mid-day bicycle ride through the park. The autumn colors were so beautiful, that I couldn't resist the temptation to extricate my camera from my sachel (while riding), to snap a few shots (without even looking thru the viewfinder), and these are my results:

I love the contrast between the evergreens, the reds and oranges, and the vibrant green of the trees whose leaves have yet to turn. This should be a source of inspiration for a knitting project. Seeing these photos, I cannot believe that the sky was so blue! And to think, it was raining a bit when I took these photos! Sadly, tomorrow's forcast looks bleak and rainy, so I have sworn off bicycling (for one day at least ;)

Thrift-store find!

2006-10-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

I found these great dpn's at the St. Vincent thrift store today (98 cents):

Perfect for Socktoberfest (if only I were participating ;(

In other news, I finished my first Pendelton rug during weaving class today, Sorry no pics, I totally forgot that I had brought my camera due to weaver's exhaustion.....

Hey Knotty Knitters....
I got this blog today, and I thought we might want to use it to post projects and/or meetings??? Any takers?

Most amazing swap package EVER

2006-10-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Kelly D. sent me the most amazing swap package EVER!

This thing is massive! When it came in the mail I was sure it was something else, I mean, how could a box with tea and yarn be so heavy and sizeable?

I was totally blown away by Kelly’s generosity…..She sent me 3 tins of loose leaf tea (my fav) in Gunpowder Green, Kentucky Blend (Black), and Indian Chai.
Kelly also included a giant tin full of chocolates and sweets – all made in Kentucky! A tea cup and saucer (hey, who told her I’ve been drinking tea from a mug?!?), two Halloween stuffies, a Lantern Moon sheep tape measure, two beautiful hand-dyed skeins of lace-weight yarn and a pattern for lace weight scarves.

Kelly, I've never received such an amazingly generous swap package! Everything was so nicely wrapped and full of cheer! I can't wait to share the Jamieson's chocolates with my friend whose last name is Jamieson! The mints and sweets are delicious (my boyfriend can attest to that), and I've just brewed a cup of the Kentucky Blend!

Kelly, Thanks for everything!

Christmas @ Hogwarts!

2006-10-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

Soon the Hogwarts at Christmas Swap will begin.

Don't you want to join in the fun!

I hope to knit a Hogwarts Christmas Stocking for someone!

Arrrrgh. Me pirate hat be all knit up!

2006-10-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Thar she blows:

Owl Swap: Sneak Peak!

2006-10-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

The personal owl swap through crafster has been soooo much fun!
I've finished two small presents, and I'm almost finished with the fingerless gloves, the orange tote, and another surprise too!
Here's a sneak peak of the tote:

i'm in ravenclaw too...

2006-09-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I took the House Quiz too, and this time I landed in Ravenclaw.......

The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."

Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron's affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine's editor).

I guess I am a geek

the owls have landed

2006-09-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hey, I finally hung up my owl necklace holder (the one that Beadupp gave me for my 25th birthday)....

It looks so cute holding all my neclaces under the mirror....Thanks Beadupp!!

shopping spree!

2006-09-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight Beadupp and I went shopping at the mall....and we came home with some great stuff...At World Market, we looked for some nice teas for the up-coming knitter's tea swap, and I also grabbed some cola flavored candies (my fav). Next we headed over to starbucks where Beadupp fell in love with a set of coffee cups,

but settled for a white chocolate iced mocha with whip :)

After the caffeine soaked in, whe drove toward Macy's to claim our free Estee Lauder lipstick......we both grabbed the darkest shade (perfect for autumn, a really lovely sort of sparkly rosy brown, and full size too).....Of course, we were supposed to have a consultation with the beauty experts....you know....where they doll you up, make you look great, then pressure you into buying a bunch of stuff.....But I new that because they only have one girl working on Friday nights, you can get the free stuff without the 30 minute consultation - Score! While we were headed out, I noticed that Clinique had a free thing too. But because Gena recognized me, we got the bundle of goodies without the consultation - we scored one eye cream, a full-size lipstick, and a 3-step sample!

Next we headed of to Bath and Body Works to redeem our many coupons for free items such as room spray, menthe lip shine, and lotion.

Check my haul................

On the left............................................................On the right
(Things I paid for)........................................(tons of free stuff)

And I also picked up some bling for my knitting bag......

Ostrich Jerky????

2006-09-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to taste a curious looking sample of Ostrich Jerky that a friend brought home from her trip to Mozambique……….
All I could think was…….How do you know this is Ostrich???…..This could be cow, or something else altogether…….Scary thoughts started zipping through my mind, and I got a little creeped out.

Well, I went ahead and tasted the jerky (I like to think that I’m brave) – To me it tasted a bit like beef jerky (prolly just all the spices and smoke that they add to it).And (so far) I’m still alive :)

yarn harlot visits eugene !

2006-09-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Stephanie's book signing at Books Without Borders at the Strand.

Our little guild has been waiting for this for months. As soon as we saw the tour dates posted on the Yarn Harlot blog, we knew we had to go......And a couple of months later, fyberduck picked up tickets at BWOB for 4 of us!!! I was the lucky recipient of ticket #30!!

Stephanie gave a really humorous talk, and highlighted many of the topics in her newest book, Knitting Rules. She told so many funny jokes, and really brightened our evening; makes me wonder if she was born to be a stand-up comedian of sorts :)

We enjoyed pizza, beverages, and knitting (of course) during her talk, and the following question and answer period was pretty humorous.....The time passed so quickly......

Following her presentation, Stephanie moved to the back of the building to sign books....because we were sitting in the front row, we were practically the last people in line.....but when you're a knitter, and you've only finished 6 repeats of your fluorescent pink snowdrop shawl, you're never dissapointed by a long line ;)

While waiting, I found a sign that practically spelled out "knitters were here", a few bits of 'knitters scat' (as I like to call it) were strewn about the floor.....Another sign that knitters are near (Steph, you should add this one to your next book.....I always look for stray fibers on people's clothing, and bits and fiber and such, and I know a fiber artist when I see one :)

Strangely, the line was partitioned by a 'no alcohol beyond this point' type sign and velvet ropes. I insisted that we take a group photo while we waited....

I also snapped these shots of the adorable ducky that fyberduck gave to Steph. I just love the baby snowdrop shawl (fyberduck knitted it with size zeros and she spun the teeny cashmere yarn - not sure if by drop-spindle or charka). I am continually amazed by fyberduck's creativity, generosity, and skills at fiber arts!

Once we finally got up to the signing area, fyberduck went first....Stephanie totally remembered fyberduck, and loved the little ducky!

I got to go next, and a nice gal snapped these shots for us!

M and I showed Stephanie our snowdrop shawls (in progress); mine had it's signature Spongebob Squarepants stitch markers.....

Here I am showing my shawl with pride....

Laughing it up.....I brought in the Eugene Public Library's copy of Stephanie's first book, and I was convinced that if she signed it, the book would inspire a whole new generation of Eugene knitters (fingers crossed)

Miriam went next (cute hat, huh?):

Group Photo!

knitter's tea swap

2006-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today I joined the knitter's tea swap (thanks to fyberduck's suggestion)!
Can't wait to find out who my partner will be (I hope it's somebody from Canada, the UK, or Netherlands)!!!

owls

2006-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for cute owl things online, and I love all of these cute accessories.....

This one's from the "Go International" line at Target by Sophie Albou (of Paul & Joe). I'm thinking of making a hoodie with this owl on the back (the owl is inspired by jewelry designs of the French jewelry maker Lea Stein):

Here's one I found on Etsy (I can make this, right??):

Another cute thing from Target, an owl brooch:

And here's a cute coin purse (also from target):

The infamous owl keds skimmers (not sure if I want these, or if I'm just crazy about owls):

Cute Birthday Surprises

2006-08-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Check out the supercool times ten birthday gift that I received from fyberduck !

When I opened the bag, I was totally thankful for fyberduck's generosity....

I love the cute pink sock yarn (taking ideas for socky or other project ideas), the rose baby alpaca (my favorite color of alpaca, and probably my favorite fiber all-around). The owl fabric is adorable, but I haven't been able to come up with any ideas yet (other than a knitting bag).

And beaudupp made these adorable owl cookies:

Thanks for the cute bithday presents!!

early birthday present

2006-08-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight I thought that I was headed to Burrito Boy for a quick bite before weaving class, but I didn't have any idea of what was in store for fyberduck and I.....
When exiting the parking lot of the restaurant, we felt a little bump, and then heard a strange noise like plastic scraping on the ground.

I pulled over a few yards down Franlin Blvd. in the parking lot of the 7Eleven, and this is what we saw:

Upon closer inspection, we found the scrapnel lodged in the tire....a piece of metal which was about 1.5 inches by 3 inches:

Sigh.....
So I opened up the trunk to get the spare......and all I had was a spare.....no jack.....no tire iron....

So Chris and Jerry came to our rescue, and after about an hour of waiting and hoping, we drove off to weaving!

Weaving class went well, however nobody finished their project :(
So Fyberduck and I will have to return in September (the Craft Center is not really open again until September 18th).
And at weaving Fyberduck gave me the best birthday present ever (pics tomorrow)!

One Skein Secret Secret Pal Exchange

2006-08-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

I thought you'd like to see the gifts I've been sending to my One Skein Secret Pal (R.E.E. Hare). I've copied posts from her blog:

August Package:

My last One Skein SP gift arrived several days ago. It’s absolutely delightful. I’m tickled over my SP-she’s a treat. Now I have a real name, and hilariously she’s not based in Colorado as I’d gathered by the return labels on her packages. She’s in Oregon! Ha! Had me fooled.

Anyway, have a look:

Now I’m trying to figure the best way to show off my clutch. Isn’t it fine? Since I haul knitting everywhere, I think I’d show it off best if I pack a credit card, a fin, and a few SIPs. It should easily hold two socks so I can have variety. Don’t need anything else.

I just happen to have a ton of social correspondence to catch up on, so the note cards are ideally timed. And they look like something I’d select myself. Eerie how Emily seems to know just how I think.

And the yarn. Oh the gorgeous yarn. I’ve got plans for this baby…

THANK YOU, EMILY!

July Package:

Now for cool stuff.I received the second package from my upstream SP in the One Skein SP round. What a treat! Just look.

Ewe_spinster had the tin neatly done up, with a tag reading “Felted Bowl Kit”. Also in my package are a wonderful hand-written note, naturally a cat is featured with a remarkably true statement about cats. And look at these note cards! See? She’s a knitter! Too, too fine. I cut & pasted the note card to put it all into one spot. Clearly I am unable to match colours or take a level picture. (Yes, I blanked out my name, just to keep folks guessing. I love Photoshop). Look at this loveliness. My SP really paid attention to the questionnaire-green Lite Lopi-if I could be any colour, I’d be green. And, because of that questionnaire, ewe_spinster included a rainbow’s worth of bright bits of roving, since I’d stated my inattention to broader use of colours. Lookee here, at the bottom: a felting needle! I can tuck the roving in here and about with impunity!!!

Thank you, ewe_spinster! You are a dream SP!

June Package:

The One Skein Secret Pal is a riot!

Can you tell I got my first package from upstream today?

I’ve never done a SP before, and this seemed a nice way to see what it’s like. Boy, am I glad I did.

I’d found a great yarn for my downstream, and sent it off the other day. I hope she likes it as much as me. It’s Noro Sumile Multi, unfortunately now discontinued. But it sure is pretty, and the discount too good to pass up. I really wanted to keep it.

And today, while I’m embroiled in the Mistaken Corporate Identity problem, I get a package in the mail.

Look at this:

See how everything is neatly protected in poly bags? This is a person who cares. I smiled over the yarn-my favourite colour, green, with lots of flecks and streaks of brightness-reminds me of my gardens and lawns, and very soft, too. I was puzzled over the square.

Then read the note card she’d tucked into the box. This charming person had knitted a square for SSK!’s charity knit-due this coming Tuesday. Wonderful, and a person with a kind heart.

Of course I flipped the square over to the bumpy side after removing it from its bag, but it’s a good-looking knit on both sides.

Thank you, Ewe Spinster!

An email from R.E.E. Hare:
Emily, I just don't know where to begin!

I guess THANK YOU is a good start. :)

OMG, what a package-it's like Christmas morning, and it arrived when I was in a deep grey funk over uncontrollable events. Man do I ever feel better. I'm having a ball with everything.

The clutch is gorgeous-it's soft as can be and so very much my colours. You dyed the yarn used-did you spin it too? I'm learning to spin from a one-armed man! Ain't it great? I hope to make fine yarns someday. He's teaching me to dye rovings too.

The note cards-I never can have enough, I pop out notes to all and sundry and am known for the cards I write on! How'd you know?

Oh, the yarn. The yarn. I'm in a tizzy now, with all this lovely new yarn, so many ideas in mind and just can't get enough of fondling it.

I am one spoiled rotten downstream and loving EVERY BIT of it!

Bless you, dear, you're a gas.

I enjoyed reading your blog-you're a vivacious lady who makes me want to be young again-you have off-the-cuff fun like I always did. Still do, sometimes.

I'm about to start knitting up a bunch of new projects, and all the YARNS you sent will be so nice in some of them. I ain't sharing them, either.

You were immensely clever to disguise your mailing address. Had me entirely fooled.

I am updating my blog as soon as I can-managed to get bogged in my latest wild idea of installing a second hdd solely for a second OS, and am still trying to get things right-mainly getting the internets to work on the other OS. sigh. I'll give a day to normal work tomorrow and maybe tomorrow night I can make the Thank You entry. I'll add your blog to the bloglist too. If that's okay. I think folks would enjoy it as much as me.

Oh, I just can't say it enough, Emily--

THANK YOU!!!

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One Skein Swap: Third Package

2006-08-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Final Package for the One Skein swap arrived today, and I was so excited to see what CrochetCrazy (Mary) had sent to me!

For the month of August, we were each supposed to send our partners a small gift made from one skein of yarn. CrochetCrazy had been so excited about the task, that I think she croched my gift in July ;)

When I opened the box, the gift was wrapped with care (in a pretty gift bag with matching tissue, how adorable):

And look what I found inside!

I just love the croched purse...I wish I could crochet like that....but the picture doesn't do it justice....The purse is in a lovely fall palette, and CrochetCrazy somehow embroidered those beautiful flowers by hand! I don't know how she did it....at first I was convinced that she had applied a store-bought embellishment, but upon closer inspection I could see that the flowers were all done by hand! And the different crochet techniques for the handle and the body were very impressive! I'm not sure how many years CrochetCrazy has been crocheting, but she's really mastered the technique. In her letter, CrochetCrazy revealed that she came up with the pattern too!
I can't wait to start digging into the Harry Potter book too! I'm sure it will come in handy when the next book is published. I started looking at the book, and it's amazing to learn the historical significance of the names and symbols in the series.

Check out this close-up shot of the embroidery:

Even Chompy loves the purse (normally she's afraid of anything new):

Mary,
Thanks for being an excellent swap partner. You made my first swap a memorable experience, and I can't wait to participate in the handspun swap this fall!
You are a very caring and generous person, and I am glad to have had the chance to get to know you!

Emmos and I in class

2006-08-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Emmos weaving her rya:

My progress on the loom:

And that's all. Good night.

knitting in the park; & tubas too!

2006-08-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

This week our knitting group met at the UO campus McMenamins for beers and pub grub.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we all headed over to the park to hear a tuba concert.

We knitted (or would that be knat ?), and sat, and listened to the music. The people in the row in front of us (who I am graciously not picturing) became angry at our low decibel chatter (well, I guess it was a concert after all). Damn, I really should have taken their pictures.....For some reason they did not want to hear about the recent living history presentation at the Eugene Library by Tames Alan.
Everyone enjoyed the music and the warm summer evening:

Next week we'll meet at 5:30 @ McMenamins, then head over to Washburne park for the Oregon Brass Society concert at 6:30.
Check out the list of meetings/concerts.

day at the beach

2006-08-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Anna, Chris and I headed off for a day of fun at the beach.
We decided that we'd try taking Hwy 99 of Junction City, and then head west on Hwy 36. On our way to the ocean, we stopped by to enjoy Triangle Lake, and Chris couldnt' resist te urge to take a dip:

Anna and I watched on the dock, and enjoyed the scenery. At first Anna was camera shy:

Then somehow I convinced her to take this photo of us:

After about an hour of fun, we headed west again. We stopped by the Tide Wayside (about 4 miles west of Swisshome) and enjoyed the Siuslaw, and picked blackberries for a little while...

I'm sure that the wayside was nice about 50 years ago, but now the benches and fireplaces are in a state of disrepair. There's an old country store across the street, but it looks like it's been closed for a while now.

Next we headed to the coast, and north to the Adobe resort. The resort has also been going downhill. We went into the dining room to see the view, and the whole room smelled awful, like the carpet was mildewing. Once we headed outside, the view was much more pleasant, althought very windy!

After eating lunch, we headed south to Old Town Florence. Anna and I found a cute sign for a store, but it was closed for the evening:

A car show was passing through town, so we caught some photos:

We stopped off for a quick Root Beer Float:

And then it was time to head home.

weaving class

2006-08-04T02:18:00.000-07:00

Emmos and I are taking a weaving class together, on Rya, and I promised to post the pix I took on Wednesday night.

Here are some absolutely fascinating photos from yesterday's weaving class... Of Emmos setting up her loom (my loom is in front, only way I could catch her at first), then her threading, then her helping me wind my warp on, and her demonstrating the proper way to do a Cat's Claw.

As it turns out, this photo (taken by fyberduck) will be featured in the Fall Term Schedule of Classes for the UO Craft Center! GO Bad Attitude Weavers!!!!
So, yeah. I remembered!

Gift for my Secret Pal

2006-08-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

One Skein Swap: Second Package

2006-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

This afternoon the package from CrochetCrazy arrived, and I was excited to see what yarn she had chosen for the month of July........
Last month's yarn was so much fun, so I couldn't imagine what was inside:

I love the Wildfoote yarn (superwash, my fav) in camel.....I think I will turn this yarn into a tiny hooting friend :)

I think I'd like him to look like a knitted version of this stuffy:

CrochetCrazy also included a British copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

For me the book was also very exciting, as I do not yet own copies of COS and POA! (although I do own copies of Harry Potter Books 4 thru 6).

Yet again, CrochetCrazy surprised me with adorable yarn and an awesome book.

Mary,

Thanks for this amazing gift! Once again, I was surprised by your generosity and thoughtfulness!
I can't wait to see what you have in store for August!

Stitch Marker Madness

2006-07-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made my first set of hand-made stitch markers from a reclaimed pair of earrings:

I found a second set of SpongeBob SquarePants stitch markers at Target (in the kids shoes department):

melted yarntainer

2006-07-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you leave the YarnTainer in the car for 4 hours on a 101 degree day:

The Knit Shop better give me my money back!

Brownie Guild Meeting?

2006-07-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Fyberduck and I were the only knitters to show up to our Guild meeting at McMenamin's Brew Pub, so after an hour of knitting and hamburgers, we headed off to shop for stitch marker ingredients, and the decadent brownie at Applebee's.
As you can see, Fyberduck and I enjoyed the brownies immensely:

glorious sunset

2006-07-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight Beadupp and I went to the movies, and check the beautiful sunset we found in the parking lot:

mission accomplished

2006-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today Anna and I attempted to donate phonebooks to the local recycling center, BRING.
We were supposed to bring the phonebooks to Borders, and then BRING would receive $1 for every book we brought.
Anna and I found 27 phonebooks to donate by soliciting donations from family, friends, and work.
We arrived at borders with our haul........

only to find that the phonebook drive had been moved several miles away due to a scheduling problem. Apparently, BRING had not asked Border's managers and property owners for permission to hold the event at Borders.
This drive had been advertised on posters, radio, and television - all without Borders' permission.

By the way, the staff at Borders said that Anna and I had brought more phonebooks than anyone, hooray for us! We're saving the world one phonebook at a time!

So we drove toward Franklin Boulevard to find the drop off point:

Finding this place was a nightmare, but we made a friend along the way:

The people at the Glenwood transfer site (AKA the dump) told us to go to BRING, on Seavey Loop, and finding that place was an adventure too!

Once we arrived we found out what happens to phonebooks when we recycle them :)

We found this lovely kitchen sink.

Well, Mission Accomplished.

We earned $27 to support our local recycling center, and met many strange people along the way!

Happy HatchDay

2006-07-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's Chompy's 2nd anniversary of her HatchDay (July 1, 2004) !

Squeaky........squeak......sqwak.....

love & ~~hisses~~ kisses !

Sweetest PJ's Ever !!!!

2006-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, Beadupp and I went shopping to look for photo albums, and check what I found:

Will my love of Owls ever cease ?

Karaoke "Mermaid"

2006-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

This roving is made of 50% soysilk and 50% wool is so cool.
It's the same blend as the South West Trading Company's Karaoke yarn, but in a colorway that is only available as roving.

Run Chompo............Run !!

BSG Haul

2006-06-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

BSG was grrreat fun this year.

Check my haul!

I scored 2 Lendrum plying bobbins, 3 Lendrum spinning bobbins, a great cone of unbleached cotton yarn for knitting potholders, a sweet pink BSG tee, 2 Leclerc plastic shuttles for my Dorothy loom, 12 Leclerc bobbins, 10 colors of Country Classics dyes, 4 bags of flash (green, brown, blue, and magenta), and a pair of old wooden knitting needles that are just dying to be topped with some cute beads or something!

BSG was pretty fun this year :)
My aunt and uncle came down from St. Helens to see the alpaca show and pick up some supplies. Auntie got some felting supplies, and plans to make hats for everyone for Christmas, she'll use the 2nd cuts of her alpaca's shearings!
They brought grammie with them to the show, and we all met up with Onnie and Fyberduck too!
A great time was had by all as we visited the animals and shopped at the trade show!

Corriedale Surprise

2006-06-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

During the Black Sheep Gathering, I enrolled in a class called Popular Wheel Mechanics.
We spun some corriedale, and experimented with different whorls and drive bands and tensions and stuff.
You can see my attempt to make a thick, irregular yarn:

The blue stuff is me experimenting with different colored rovings, to try to make something that looks like trekking sock yarn (only in a color palette that I really like :)

I can't wait to ply this stuff!

bangs

2006-06-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know.

I got bangs.

Snowdrop Shawl (KAL)

2006-06-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Day 1:
Some progress was made, and the first snowdrop pattern was finished.
Thank goodness for the life-line, I kept dropping the same stitch on the return row!

Day 2:
I'm glad I waited to resume knitting.....today there were NO dropped stitches, and I'm really starting to get into the rythym of the pattern, and I've finished 5 pattern repeats.
And I finally figured out what the snowdrop thing is. For a while I was wondering, why does Steph call this the 'snowdrop shawl', then I noticed the pattern emerging - its the snowdrop blossom repeating down the shawl, and there may even be some leaves in there too ;)
I thought the pattern was supposed to be some sort of snowflake, mixed with drops of water? Now that's a curious visual, isn't it........

Day 3:
Okay, I was supposed to be cleaning up for the party I'm having this Saturday, but instead, I turned to the snowdrop shawl....I swear...I could hear it calling my name.......
I'm up to 9 pattern repeats now! It's getting pretty big, and I've only used about 25 grams of yarn.....I'm beginning to understand this lace thing......Perfect if you have absolutely no cash, and plenty of time to waste. I can just picture some old widow knitting by candelight, oh my, I'm becoming an old spinster!

Day 4:
OMG.......Today I found out from fyberduck that Steph is coming to Eugene in the fall! I must finish this shall before her arrival. All the KAL participants must wear their's to the event! I command it!
btw... 13 repeats complete now, and the shawl is getting hefty.......and I'm wondering if I can complete this thing with just one skein?

Day 5:
Madame DeFarge's:

Day 6:
Today I relaxed on the bank of Clear Lake (near Sisters, Oregon).
I finished two more repeats of the snowdrop pattern, and now I'm ready to perform the I-cord (with fyberduck's help of course :)

Mom happily modeled the shawl so I could take a pic:

Guild Summer Meeting update

2006-06-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

Summer Meetings:

WHEN: Sundays 6 to 8pm

WHERE: Cosmic Pizza

We plan to knit, enjoy a few slices, and maybe even a beer :)

Hope to see you there!

Spring term's final meeting went well. Everyone was working on interesting projects, and looking forward to our new summer meeting venue. ceruleanfleur brought some great snacks, fyberduck wore her handknit top, Sakura, D was working on a cute pink pillow cover, M was finishing her cabled wallet thing.....

Go Ducks! Canine Letterman Sweater

2006-06-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

The sweater turned out to be a little short in the neck area, but Newbyn can handle it!
Overall, it was a very nice fit, the leg openings, length and circumference were dead on.
Newbyn's owner has been nagging me to make him a sweater for several months now, and it was definitely an enjoyable project!
Sewing in the yellow zipper was a memorable experience! I pinned in the zipper with at least 50 straight pins, and basted for about 30 minutes, after which, I confidently sewed in the adorable yellow zipper.
This was my first intarsia project, and I'm proud to say there were very few mistakes!

I adapted a pattern from PuppyKnits, and used Caron Simply Soft in Ducks colors.

The Letterman Sweater (in progress)

The happy owner, Newbyn....

(check out his collar, I made the sweater to match :)

One Skein Swap: First Package

2006-06-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

This morning the package from CrochetCrazy arrived, and I was bubbling with excitement!
I couldn't imagine what the yarn would be like, so I could hardly contain myself.

Look at the care which was taken in packaging the gift:

And it came in the cutest little gift bag :)

The best surprise was inside the bag:

I love the 3-ply alpaca lace-weight yarn, each ply is a different color! one black, one lavender, one blue like the evening sky! CrochetCrazy also included a British copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!

I can't imagine that Mary (Crochet Crazy) knows of my love for Harry Potter.....Perhaps fyberduck added something to my profile to tip Mary ;)
I can't wait to knit something cute with this adorable yarn!
I'm thinking a lace doily to adorn my antique cedar chest!
Of course, I'll have to consult the gals at my guild

Mary,

Thanks for this amazing gift! I was surprised by your generosity and thoughtfulness!
I can't wait to see what you have in store for July!

the new computer......is finally here!!

2006-06-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Now I can finally start posting again.

Isn't it cute, no messy cords hanging around, just pure mac beauty!

Re-Knit Handknit

2006-06-10T08:57:00.002-07:00

As you can see, I'm up to the pits :)

The yarn from this project was recovered from 2 size XS American Eagle 100% wool sweaters that I purchased for $1 each at the annual Earth Day sale at Eugene's Buffalo Exchange.

Computer Down :(

2006-05-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give y'all an update.....

My computer died during the Great Hail Storm of '06 (5/21/06).

The repair would cost $800, so instead I've purchased a new one :)

The computer should arrive in early June, and I'll be back up and blogging in about a week!

attack of the spinsters

2006-05-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Emmos very kindly offered up her silkscreens for me to use tonight, so we had a little "silkscreening party". Here's one of the screens:

And, wow!, aren't we amazed with her talent? I have been lusting after these for a bit. Bless her! I now have way cool, individual "Spinster" t-shirts.

And here's Emmos (and C, seated) getting everything ready for us to silkscreen:

It soon became readily apparent (I HAD warned her I wasn't awake) that I couldn't be trusted with ink. Nope. It got everywhere. But on my clothes. I even wore crappy clothes, too. That's just wrong.

Emmos finally adopted Mad Eye's "Constant Vigilence" methods of supervision, cuz I needed it. Didn't work, but it was worth a shot. At least I didn't ruin anything. I only got ink all over the screens, myself, the counters, the sink, and the floor. Yeah.

Genius quality, I know.

And, some t's on the rack:

Very kindly, too, the nice young lady working at the Craft Center didn't kick us out at 10p (their closing time) and also didn't bother us about using more than one ink colour. Woohoo! Black and pink, baby.

By 10:20, we had this loverly stack of t-shirts and patches:

i-sock!

2006-05-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Emmos made this today, and gave it to me when it didn't turn out alright...

Thought I'd post it on her blog, since *she* made it and all ;)

because I'm bored

2006-05-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

new background? That pink is... scary. If you can guess what this -

is the chemical formula for, Fyberduck will give you a cookie.

stalking Ewe

2006-05-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Ems :D

Posting some of the pix for interest, on yer blog. I put the rest here. I thought these 4 in partic. were cute:

Help me with this Colorway

2006-04-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies,
I need help with this colorway.
Please advise on which colors you would choose to replace the blue, violet, or white.
The brown stays!

fixed it!

2006-03-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

See, Em, as promised, the sidebar is fixed. Too me a bit longer than expected... iee. Now you have no excuse not to post ;)

mixing it up

2006-03-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

Who knew Van Gogh painted a spinner? A prezzie for you, Ems.

pix as promised

2006-03-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

This is a pic of Em's KO sweater before felting it tonight:

Here's it being felted, just because WOW look at the overdyedness...

And here it is after being felted. It was a bit strange. It shrank circumference wise, we decided to stop at 25", but the sleeves were still too long and too big! It was as if they didn't felt at all. The heck?

It'll make a great outdoor sweater-coat, tho!

Day 11: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

I'm up to my armpits in Rogue!
Yes, I finally knit up to the armpits, and I'm ready for the back/front split.
It took me a little while to get to the pits cuz I knitted the sweater a little longer than the pattern called for, that's because it was REALLY hard to find a zipper that I liked.
I finally found a metal zipper with green nylon fabric backing, that matches the sweater well.
with only 5 days left, a better knit up a storm if I want to finish on time

Day 6: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

Today I finished sleeve #2 !

I almost made both sleeves with only 1 ball of yarn (8 oz), however I was about 0.2 ounces short, so the second sleeve had to be finished with another ball of yarn.

The sweater body is going slowly, if only I didn't wear the size 44!!

Beware of the Rug

2006-02-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here's my unhappy ending:

You will be smothered under a rug. You're a little

anti-social, and may want to start gaining

new social skills by making prank phone

calls.

Day 4: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Because of my volunteer work obligations with St. Vincent de Paul, I only had an hour and a half to knit today.

However
The kangaroo pouch is complete

…………..now I only have to attach it………….

At this rate, I'm not sure if I'll finish my sweater in the next twelve days
Especially considering that I have absolutely NO time to knit on Tuesdays, and with Valentines Day, and University of Oregon basketball games to attend

Day 3: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't have much time to devote to today's olympic event, the sweater body calamity

After much knitting, and frogging, and twisted stitches (even if I was only imagining them) I managed to finish the hem and 13 rows of cabling (just up to the point where I will start the kangaroo pocket):

I must press on.........I can do this

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Thirteen days till ~~the torch is extinguished~~ I go up in flames

Day 2: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-11T22:06:00.000-08:00

Much was accomplished today.
I finished the first sleeve.

As you can see, I started the second sleeve, and finished all 50 rows of cabling. Now all I have to do is ~70 rows of stockinette, and the 2nd sleeve will be finished (although I'm saving that for day 6).

Day 1: Knitting Olympics

2006-02-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

My KO project, a dark spruce Rogue hoodie, got off to a slow start:

I finished the hem of the first sleeve, followed by 12 rows of cabling.

Knitting Olympics Cast-On Party

2006-02-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

The USFG Knitting Olympics Cast-On party went well.

Asher, Gail, Mika, Kristen, Marleda and I started our projects with spirits high

We had a delicious potluck with lots of goodies, and music and opening ceremonies.

Super Sunday

2006-02-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

I had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, a group of us met at the UO Craft Center for a dyeing workshop.

I did some practice dyelots, to try to achieve the perfect color for my knitting Olympics sweater project, Rogue.

Asher, Devona, and Gail worked on some other dyeing that they needed to get done, and here’s a look at the finished product.

On Sunday,

I set out to dye the yarn for the Rogue sweater.

I wanted to get a dark, woodsy, sort of tealish thing, well you’ll see.

First, I couldn’t find a pot large enough to dye 2 pounds of yarn. I searched high and low, and finally found this old yellow pressure cooker at a thrift shop.

The pressure cooker worked just great, and was the perfect size for two pounds of wool.

After I finished dyeing, I headed off to a Superbowl party at my friend Jeff’s.
While watching the game, I nearly finished my First Sweater:

I love my Dorothy

2006-02-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

She came home with me on Sunday, after visiting the McTavish Farm

Asher kindly lent me the $100 adoption fee, and soon Dorothy was safe at home near the weaving assistant, Chompy.

As you can see, Chompy was very pleased to share her table with the loom:

1st Sweater Update

2006-01-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no pics for now, but I'm nearly finished with the second sleeve!

Devana's USFG photos

2006-01-29T23:12:00.000-08:00

I promised I'd get Devana's photos to you, Em, and your blog seemed as good a way as any :D

See ya on Tues.

First Sweater

2006-01-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well I started this sweater on the 13th of January, and I thought you might want to know how far I've knitted.
I'm knitting it in the round, so I've finished the lower body section, and I'm starting the 1st sleeve.

Here's a pic of the body:

Here's a pic of the 1st sleeve (in progress):

And here's a pic of me wearing the sleeve:

2006-01-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

Blame me, Emms ;)

If you don't like the look, blame me. I just wanted to make it look more interesting... Sorry, itchy fingers and a keyboard only equate to BADBAD things.

Ahwell. Now you can't get out of the Knitting Olympics!! Mwahahaha. I've put the button on your blog and you'll never get it off (cackle).

Anyway, see ya at weaving...

2006-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

the quacking fiber addict: teaching is like slowly being pecked to death by a flock of ducks

I figure that you will totally appreciate my feelings on the matter.

2006-01-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Current Knit-A-Longs:

Woman on the mountain:

2006-01-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

testing...