Where do you like to knit?????

Where do you like to knit?????

I prefer to knit in the kiddie pool........

I get a tan, it keeps me cool and I can still knit and participate in pool activities.

Oh and for those who care, I'm knitting with Cascade Ecological Wool (tarnish color) (www.cascadeyarns.com) - I'm re-knitting my Unisex cabled Vest.

Twined Mittens in New Fall "Taos" colors

I've been twining away in the new fall Taos colors.

(http://www.straw.com/cpy/yarns/taos-card.html).

Chili Pepper Red (#27), Kailab (#26) and Wintergreen (#25). Last years Hopi brown (#10 I think) jumped in the picture as well.

So...once again I was attempting to work these mittens using just 1 skein of Taos yarn (128 yds). I seem to have a fettish about 1-skein knits! Well, all of the mittens will use just one skein - except for my large mittens which fit my husband perfectly. I was halfway through my shaping decreases when I realized I am about 15 yds short of yarn. So...I'll be yanking this second mitten out to re-knit it in a smaller size. It's not the end of the world, I just can't call this pattern a 1-skein knit project - even though 3 of the 4 sizes will only use a skein. Well - I guess that 2 skeins of Taos will then make 1 men's sized pair of mittens and a pair of toddler mittens. Not bad for about $17.00 eh?

This pattern will be available this August.

Hill's Resort

Summer begins for me at Hill's Resort (Priest Lake, Idaho). It's a week of basking in the sun, reading trashy People and US magazines (great week for that....Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Kate Plus 8...phew...it almost took me the entire week to get through the magazine articles!), napping, picking huckleberries (I froze enough to bring home to savour this winter), floating in the raft and heading to the bar everynight to play cards with our dear friends. I even got a lot of knitting done - although not nearly as much as I needed to! By the time we got home, my garden was bursting at the seams! I harvested all of my garlic, my remaining pie cherries and loads of raspberries, blueberries, beets with girth and fat shelling peas. I even had an entire colander of baby potatoes which will become this weeks hashbrowns. My boysenberries will be ready within the week and my black currants are perfect for picking now. I think I'll make black currant jam tomorrow. I cooked down the pie cherries and will stuff them into swedish pancakes tomorrow for breakfast. I think I need to harvest my Walla Walla onions tomorrow as well. I even had some sweet cherries off of my 3 year old cherry tree that I thought the birds would get to before me. Life is sweet - especially when surrounded by free food!

As for my knitting....I'll report on that tomorrow. I had some yarn waiting for me on my door step and I have some fall designs that I finished on vacation that need photographing.

Gone Test Knitting...be back soon

I finally finished writing up this Preppy Boy's Tweed Vest. I've made 2 of them already but have 5 people test knitting the various sizes. It's a simple pattern using Naturally "Buttons" yarn but the back is done in stockinette stitch while the front is worked in cables - thus different stitch gauges. So I have the front and back being worked on different numbers with a faux seam dividing them. It works out great - as long as I don't throw off my test knitters. I even charted it and added schematics. My schematics and charts aren't exactly professional (still using good ole Excel sheets!) but I'll have to conquer Illustrator this fall when I have time to learn it. I also need my husband to professionally photograph it - as the cables and color aren't great. Due out this August.....

(WWKIPD) Knit in Public Day

I found a Ravelry test knitter to test knit my Cascade Baby Alpaca Grande
Winter Cables scarf. She is living in Tasmania - and she was on her way (okay - so I'm blogging about it a couple weeks after the fact..) to knit in the World Wide Knit in Public Day in Tasmania! Wow - it really is worldwide! Tasmania may be half a world away from where I live, but Ravelry (www.Ravelry.com) has just made our knitting world alot smaller! Amazing......

I'm back from TNNA

Great trip - what can I say? Started with a perfect flight, excellent classes with Cat Bordhi and Sally Melville, re-connected with long distant partners and friends, networked with new partners and future friends, ate excellent food - and had hours and hours of undisturbed knitting!
The trip ended with a perfect return flight and hours and hours of air-time knitting...I'm a little tired though as I got in at 1 am my time or 4 am Columbus time and had to get the kids off to school - no adjustment period for me!

My official badge. I actually had an exhibitor badge for Crystal Palace yarns too since I was dropping off some samples for their booth.

It was fun going behind the scenes while the shops were setting up - what a huge job! All of the furniture, bookshelves and yarns must be shipped in. I can't imagine the cost and labor behind this event.

The city of Columbus - or what I saw of it, is quaint. It's just charming. Cat insisted that everyone try the famous Jeni's ice cream so I had the fully loaded salty caramel -macaroon ice cream cookie rolled in smoked almonds. It was heavenly - and you'll be seeing it on my back thighs if I ever wear short shorts again. The best part of all was that my kids deeply missed me and made me this welcome home banner that was taped over my bedroom door. They wanted to buy me a mylar balloon and flowers - but my husband didn't want to look too over-excited---that's okay, I love my banner. Besides, I know he missed me because I couldn't get him off the phone when I called...that's a tale tale sign of being lonely.

Unfortunately, no pictures could be taken in the exhibit hall - but all of the vendors did a wonderful job displaying their gorgeous yarns. I was so busy meeting up with people and thanking vendors who have supplied me with yarn and opportunity that I really didn't have much down time to just wander around aimlessly. There is so much to see and do that I am sure I missed more than I realized. I left Columbus with a 4-page "To Do" list for when I get back into town. This is surely becoming a full time job for me - and I'm smiling along the way....

I'm unable to take your call right now...

Class supplies - check
knitting for on the plane - check
knitting for in the hotel - check
knitting for on the way home - check
knitting to swatch - check
business cards - check
models for Crystal Palace Yarns - check
clothes for a hot and humid location - check
patterns/porfolio/meeting times/names and locations email - check

alarm clock set for 2 am - check
2nd alarm clock set for 2:05 am - check
3rd alarm clock set for 2:15 - check

Okay - I'm good.
Recording: "I'm unable to take your call right now, please
leave me your name and number and I'll get back to you as
soon as I can. Thank you and have a nice day." stop recording.

Now for my prayer:
Fold hands, bow head, close eyes: "Please get me there and back safely as I would be utterly
embarrassed if someone saw and had to disperse my
knitting projects, frogs, WIP's, queued projects, swatches and partial
skeins - for just in case. Amen...."