Instant Gratification

I remember now why I've never made an afghan - it's really boring knitting. The Knit Picks purple afghan has lost it's appeal with 45" knit and 30 agonizingly long rows to go to get to the required length. In the bag the yarns were lovely and I think in different projects they would all be okay to knit, but I've gotten hung up knitting this particular pattern using a furry (albiet pretty and soft) suri alpaca and bouclé (not available yet).



$2.50 Skirt

Not one to resist a 25% off coupon, I headed to the Mill End Fabric Store in Milwaukie to look for some cotton fabrics. The best buy was the "water stained" border eyelet, that rung up at 75% off. We were hard pressed to find the stain and since I needed a break from the dreaded afghan, I spent more time deciding on a pattern to show off the pretty border than it took to sew skirt. But I have my instant gratification. The underskirt was Tom's idea. I hadn't hemmed the lining and he liked it hanging below the skirt. Ironically, I'd carefully cut the fabric from the border to show it off.



The Clean Up
Even though Patti couldn't make it to the west coast after all, things still worked out - we finally did the "great clean up" and the house really is guest friendly. As part of the clean-up and organization, I earmarked about fifteen pounds of yarn and twenty-five yards of fabric and donated it to SCRAP--The School and Community Reuse Action Project in NE Portland. This is after donating a van load of yarn, fabric and other crafty things (no exagerration) to SCRAP - Scroungers Center for Reusable Art Parts in South San Francisco before we moved. Can you say SABLE?

Happy Birthday to me!

There's something to be said about birthdays - even non-significant ones like 48. There are the e-cards from fiberly friends, new and old, and the cards from the non-fiberly folks and family. And there seemed to be a theme in the very nice gifts I received.

It started with the very early gift of a sewing machine from Tom.

Yesterday, I received a very pretty Lantern Moon silk needle case from Evelyn.



The theme continued through the evening. We had a lovely dinner at Harrison in downtown Portland, with Dianne and John. After my favorite crème brulée, I opened the gift bag to find two notecards and three cool buttons.

Further was a very pretty glass stitch marker with a rose (for Portland, the Rose City) attached to a beautiful skein of Handmaiden Seasilk yarn - a yarn (and color) I've been looking at for a couple of months. Dianne must be a mind reader - among her other talents.


And some work got done, even though on my birthday. Now that I have the order of the yarns right, it looks better. I just need to finish it and get it on it's way to Knit Picks, so I can move on to my pretty new yarn.

June Accomplishments

Organzation Project
It is amazing how visitors will make me more productive. You can see the floor of my sewing room. You can see the floor of the stash room and all fabric and yarn are contained. Yay! (Tom asked: "Now that the sewing room is cleaned up are you going to stay out of it till after Patti leaves?")


Peasant top and red Luna shrug are done


New Knit Picks project
I received an email from the projects coordinator on Thursday. On Friday, I received the yarn for an afghan. The yarns are lovely, but after beginning the project, the jury is out on how it will look using the pattern they provided. But hey! I'm just doing what I'm getting paid to do.


The Sasha Skirt so far
I have to say it sure doesn't look like much in the picture but here's where I am on the skirt. Not much will get done till after the afghan is sent off.

And it's upside down...the waistband is at the bottom of the picture and I'm knitting the bottom ruffle.

Customer Service

Not fiber or dog related content but it's so rare to get this kind of service (excellent), something has to be said. Well...I could put a knit spin on this since it started on the February day I arrived at the San Jose airport heading for Stitches West.

As I was pulling out of the car rental parking lot, I heard a crunch (not a pleasant sound, I might add.) However, because I'd overbooked the weekend, I tried to ignore it till the next day when I called my insurance company. After all the information was taken, the claims specialist suggested calling my credit card company, since many will cover the insurance deductible, when you don't accept the CDW on the car rental agreement. From there they handled everything with the rental company.

In the meantime, I did call Visa, got all the information on what to do, and initiated a claim online. I received an email confirming the claim and reitirating the steps that needed to be taken, along with three reminder email messages.

In late April, I received a letter from Avis asking for the money. I called AAA, and they took over. The insurance check and another letter requesting payment crossed in the mail in late May, but a call to AAA and Avis settled the matter with both.

On June 5 I called Visa to confirm the process, and faxed them documentation. On June 6, I faxed the documentation I'd neglected to include. On June 7, I received a call from the Visa Claims Examiner saying that the information had been sent off for payment of the claim. Today, I received the check for the deductible amount.

Now THAT's service!

(BTW, when I returned the car, according to the guy checking it in, this was not the first and probably wouldn't be the last time this happened.)

Busy, Busy

I'm still here - just been busy trying to get office, stash and sewing room in order. They are all intertwined because yarn and fabric have ended up in all of them.

I'm too easily sidetracked by computer things, so I'll report that I've finished the red shrug and have started the Louet Sales Sasha peasant skirt. As much as I love the drape of the linen yarn in my shrug, I've found another place where the yarn has failed. Maybe it was a bad batch...

Turns out this stash organizing has paid off in several ways - I found stash some (lots actually) DiVé Cina cotton/silk/acetate that is working out quite nicely for the skirt. I'm finally through the boring knitting working on the bottom ruffle. The underskirt and bottom ruffle are knit first - followed by the other three ruffles.

Pictures of both the shrug and skirt in process will follow. For now it's back to the stash room.

One Skein

Thanks to my Secret Pal for the very soft Baby Bee Pitter Patter yarn. Not sure what to do with it, but I'm sure it will make some baby very happy.

Janet Lace Shawl Revisited

Not only did the Janet Lace Shawl get posted to the Knit Picks site, it's on the COVER of the May catalog. If you knit and you don't get the catalog you probably should - and not just because the shawl I knit is featured on the cover.



And on page 7 of the catalog.



My knit friend Michelle's work is also in the catalog and on the website.

Other things

Dog Pals
Cody and Mandy are pals, but it's not often that they actually hang out together. Here's what I saw.


I thought it would be cool to have the front view, but good and faithful Cody decided he had to come out for special attention.


Other gratuitous dog pictures.


Spring flowers



This is really our first spring in Oregon. Though our move in day was gorgeous, the weather soon turned winter-like for the remainder of the spring months, so we didn't get to see the color we're seeing this year.

Finishing Projects

The on-going project
There's nothing like anticipating visits from friends and family to get us (okay - me) cleaning and organizing. It took about nine months after we moved in to get my sewing and stash rooms presentable. Now it's time to get them organized. Two events are precipitiating this scary project - the Tigard Knitting Guild Yarn Rummage sale and a visit from Fiberly Friend, Patti.

So...now that I've made the project public, I guess I'd really better get on the stick and do it!

The latest project

In the meantime, my mom's peasant blouse is knit. The underarms need to be grafted and the tie added and it's ready to send. Gee, a project for my mom completed in the season it's to be worn - that's a first!

Fickle

Yesterday, as I was putting things in my pack to take to Michelle's, I kept thinking about the linen shrug I knit up in 2003. It was my first experience with linen yarn. It was crunchy feeling when knitting, but it washed like a dream. When I pulled it out after the move, I found a hole near the shoulder seam. Upon closer inspection, it turns out the yarn had failed - not my knitting. Anyway it's fixed and I've been wearing it a lot lately, so I was thinking I want to make another. After obsessing about it for a while, I settled on the red Elann Luna yarn (same yarn as the lace skirt). I had ordered the red yarn with an eye toward making another skirt, but like I said - I'm fickle. (There's enough that a skirt could still be in the offing - just not the same lace skirt...maybe one of the skirts in the Summer VK...)


THEN I arrived home to the yarn I'd ordered to make the First String peasant top from the Spring '06 Knitters, which my Mom pointed out when we were in the only Sun City yarn shop. I found the yarn used in the pattern at Ram Wools (coincidentally, the designers of the linen shrug pattern.) I figure if Mama says she likes it, I'd better make it. (An aside: At Christmas, Mama told Tom, with a very serious face, "I think Patty and I are growing apart." Tom was a little stunned because all seems well with us. Then she followed up with, "I just don't know what styles and colors of clothes to buy her anymore.")

Knitting and roses

Roses First
With all the sun of last week, the roses started popping out. Here are some of the first. The apricot rose came from a bush that suffered greatly from the odd weather of last winter and but, fortunately it came back with a vengeance.


Twist Top Done!



The twist top knit up much faster the second time around - could be because there were fewer stitches to knit or maybe it was just experience. In any event, here it is - two sizes smaller than the first try.










Katherine Dress UFO



Today I'm going to my knit buddy Michelle's house to knit. I'm undecided on what I want to start next, so I'm resorting to UFOs. For today it will be the Katherine dress from Hot Knits.


I started it last summer in Lara, a now-discontinued Elann.com cotton yarn. True to form, it was relegated to UFO status when I got bored with the 2x2 ribbing. But after car knitting, I've made it to the interesting part. The question is how long will it take me to make the back once I get done with the front?

Untwisted

The twist front top isn't. You'd think I'd learn, but I guess not in this case. Because I don't like clothes too tight, I have a tendency to choose sizes that are too large and then I don't really check as I go along. So this is the twist front top now.

I opted to frog instead of give it away or chuck it, because I like the yarn and the pattern, it took (relatively) little time to knit and something wasn't quite right with the front; the front hung much lower than the back. The question is can I sort out exactly why and fix it in the pattern. I think I know why, and now it's a challenge. We'll just see.

Road Trip Report

On May 3, we set off to visit Patty's mom in Sun City West, AZ, northwest of Phoenix. We headed east to John Day so Tom could see where he spent a year as one of the most popular Jr High boys. That was followed by two days on the road where we traversed the bottom of Idaho, the whole of Utah, and tiny corners of Arizona and Nevada, till we reached our destination.

The route was mapped out with the help of Trip Tix on the AAA site and the surprise was that it took us over Hoover Dam. There's a new road to and suspension bridge over the dam in the works. It will make a great Discovery Channel documentary from what we could see.

We had a great time with Patty's mom and very cute puppy Tootsie, with Dog Park visits every day. I did do a little work with the Bell and Grand Starbucks as my headquarters, but mostly we just hung out.


Some observations: Red Lion Twin Falls is pet-friendly with nice rooms. Idaho has the best rest stops for pets (they provide a big grassy area and poop bags). Utah had the lowest gas prices; California the worst (no surprise there). Modesto Red Lion has a great park in back and reasonable size rooms. Plan on not arriving back home on a Sunday afternoon; the last 30 miles were the worst. But there really is no place like home.

There were way more pictures than could ever fit here, so visit my website to seem more, including lots of puppy pictures.

Good to be home

Okay. So my plan was to come home and post to the blog about the trip and my meager knitting exploits, but that hasn't happened yet. Too many pictures and my short attention span, I guess. But I am working on it.


I will report that I have completed the front of the twist front top. Just need to block it. (Update: This will take longer than expected...) And the 10"x80" stockinette scarf for Knit Picks was completed, but it was just a long curly teal strip, so I didn't take a picture.

Links the the trip report and lots of pictures of a few dogs will follow.

What kind of dog are you?

I was reminded of a quiz I took in my Adobe days, where I was found to be a Bernese Mountain dog. I can't seem to find that quiz, so I searched for some others and took them till I found a result I could live with.

Border Collie You scored 83% Loyal and 63% Independant!

You are most like these breeds: Border Collie: Originated in Scotland/England border areas, this breed is intelligent, determined and brave, this dog forms a close bond with its family and is also eager to work. If not given work to do, the Border Collie will become badly behaved. It needs ample exercise, and its origin as a sheepdog and cattle-herder means that it is only happy when given specific tasks on a regular basis. They can't sit still and they want you to be right out there doing their task with them. They are the leaders and motivators of the dog world. Alaskan Malamute: Originated in Alaska, USA, this breed is friendly, affectionate, and loyal, but can have a mind of its own. The malamute is built to work well within a team, and its friendliness makes it unsuitable for a watchdog, but brave enough to pull 110% of the load. Once set in a direction these dogs will continue in that track until someone with a firm hand and kind heart sets them onto a new destination. They are loving, but a workhorse that grows restless with too little to do.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 93% on Loyalty You scored higher than 23% on Independence

Link: The What Breed Of Dog Are You Test

What kind of yarn are you?

...according to the quiz on quizilla.com, I'm Mohair. I think the first sentence is good, but I'm don't necessarily agree with the stubbornness factor. Maybe Tom would, though.

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
Take this quiz!

Janet Lace Shawl

My first "paid" project is posted on the Knit Picks site!

Withdrawal

Back online after 20 hours of no phone and, therefore, no DSL. Funny how we come to be so dependent on technology. So this morning I prepacked for our road trip and worked on the Adrienne Vittadini top instead of checking emails.

But we're back. Seems some new guy was hooking someone else up and got the wires crossed at a box down the hill. Unfortunately that means someone else is currently without phone service now.

On the project front, I've got four knit projects lined up for the trip: plain stockinette scarf sample for Knit Picks, finishing the twisted front top, picking up a UFO started last summer - cover dress from "Hot Knits" out of elann.com Lara cotton, and the possibility of an altered Flickering Flames skirt in red elann Luna yarn. The scarf and dress will be good for the long days in the car.

Too bad sewing isn't quite as portable...Or I'm just not organized enough to make it portable.

It's good to be able to communicate again.

Good intentions

I am so much better sewing and knitting in my head. I get so much done. But then there's the reality and good intentions and plans don't always happen quite when I'd like. There's the all the new things I wanted to make before our trip to the desert heat of Arizona. Two pairs of shorts are cut out, but with only two days before we leave for Arizona, I'm not sure if I'll actually get them sewn up. We'll see.

On the other hand, I did get the gauze skirt sewn. This is my first skirt with godets, so I didn't know what to expect. Now I do. It took much longer than I'd anticipated. All the raw edges had to be finished (in this case, serged) before construction; that's eight panels and eight godets. Then attaching the godets; that's sixteen seams (that have to match at the point) plus seaming above the godets. The pattern doesn't say what the circmumference of the skirt hem is; let's just say it's large. This is the first skirt I've made that took almost an entire spool of thread.

But I haven't been sitting on my hands either. Knitterly things are done and in progress.



There are the baby overalls: Done and delivered









The Sunrise Circle Jacket has been knit for a couple of weeks, but I was in search of the right buttons.


Somehow round buttons just didn't seem right. I found possibilities at The Sewing Place and Vogue Fabrics. I'm leaning to the semi-circles from Vogue Fabrics.


Another good intention was to complete the Twisted Front Top from the Spring 2005 Adrienne Vittadini book. It really helps to read the directions through and pay attention. Neglecting to do both resulted in more frogging than normal. It will make a good motel project and maybe I'll have something new to wear after all.



And just because I feel I've neglected the dogs (in the blog - not in life), here are Cody just looking cute and Mandy with snow on her back from March.

Thwarted

Well my plan to have an easy finished vest isn't happening as quickly as I thought. Turns out I didn't knit up both sides the same, so left side is shorter and shoulder wider than the right. The bad news is the Spring 2004 VK must be with the other sleeve. The good news is I found the original pattern that Shirley Paden faxed me. Oh well.

I love to sew, but I really dislike laying out patterns, so my plans of a day of pattern cutting hasn't happened. Instead I got one skirt cut out - the khaki colored gauze. It took some mighty creative layout because I didn't have quite enough fabric in the stash piece; it had been cut into (and made into who-knows-what). I managed, though - just and it involves piecing one of the godet. But it took so long, I stopped and went back to knitting.

My ambitions of having several new things to wear for the road trip to Arizona have been scaled down. But I will get two pairs of shorts cut out sewn and finish the skirt.