Love Love LOVE! In that order...

Love #1: FO!

I finished my Tahki Empire Tunic! I really really like it! I loved the yarn, and after I decided to knit it in the round, the pattern seemed to fly by! I am SO HAPPY that I did not have to seam this! It had cables, and I really did not want to be able to see the seams through the cabled mid-section. I was a bit concerned about how snug it would fit through the hip area, but there is enough ease in the pattern to allow nice drape without getting the mu-mu effect. I will be writing more about my modifications to the pattern on Ravelry.


Now that that is done, I am trying to finish up my VK lace stockings. Quite the piquant knit, that.

Love #2: Removing clutter!

This weekend I will be soaking and drying all of my hand spun yarn. I have been putting it off for several months, because I wanted it to get warmer outside. But you know what? I am sick of having the yarn taking up the air-space next to the computer!


Look at that MESS. Sick I tell ya. Look at that action shot ... Blogger up on the computer screen, big "hospital cup full of energizing tea drink", and a big bag-o-trail-mix...and the new clothing item envelope .... I am so sick of clutter -- save that for another entry.

I have been on a quest lately. I quest to find comfy pants. Not comfy as in the sweats, and yoga pants that I already live in --- I want something different.

After having the boys, I was fortunate in that I was able to get back into about my same size of clothes. I say "about my same size of clothes" because I can wear all of my old pants, but something has changed. I don't know exactly what has changed, but the pants/shorts just don't look or feel the same on me anymore. I find my pants uncomfortable, and tight in weird places; the waist is kinda tight and/or they ride up and give me a ALL DAY wedgie. I don't care how cute the pants are/were, if I am always having to stop and discretely pry my underwear out of my butt, then the pants just are not going to cut it. If I shop for a size larger, they look baggy and frumpy. I am sick of being caught between shorts that are so short that they look like underwear, and shorts that are so long and full of pleats that I age 15 years just by trying them on.

I am publicly acknowledging that all of these problems are probably due to my ass ... it seems as though it has morphed into some sort of unhappy beast that no longer wants to conform to the current trend of fashion ... after my ass rebelled, the mid-section was not long to follow. I am not complaining because I think I am overweight, because I am not. I am 118 lbs, and I am happy with that ... I just have a real body, with dimensions that don't seem to conform to the recent trend of clothing styles; style meaning the genera of clothes that that exist outside of sweats and yoga pants. Just because I am small, and it is summer, this does not have to be my style!

Anyway, I started questioning our western clothing styles, and what multi-para women my age wear in other countries. I am fortunate enough to have grown up alongside people of MANY different ethnic backgrounds, and in my lifetime, have never seen a Hindu, or African woman, looking uncomfortable, or anything less than stellar in her clothing style -- EVEN AFTER PREGNANCY! Theirs are clothing styles that have been worn for thousands of years. Their clothing styles accommodate the human body, NOT the other way around!

My search led me to these ... thai fisherman pants, or as Thai people call them, "Ganggeang Lay".
Quick, simple, easy care, light weight for hot weather wear. PERFECT!

I hemmed, and hawed ... I bought.

which brings us to...

Love #3: Happy Purchase Pants Dance!

I purchased them directly from Thailand on 26 May, and they arrived today June 3rd! (hence, the reason for the empty envelope int he clutter picture above :-) )
I am in love.

My husband has his first "real show" (no, not an All Male Review, an art show for his pottery;-) ) this weekend.

I am so happy, excited, nervous, hopeful for him!

Fiberlicious!

Aside from finishing Feather and Fan (yey!), starting Mystery Stole 4 (YEY!), joining the local Spinning and Weaving Guild and taking off to go to A Wool Gathering (double and triple yey's!), I am now finally sitting down to put up a post.

First off ...

Feather and Fan Shawl, by Eugen Beugler: A Gathering of Lace
start: 07.01.08
fin: 09.14.08
4.3 skeins of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud: Sunset colorway
Size 3 Skakel Addi lace
more on Ravelry

The pattern offers a variation of a cabled panel, every-third panel. I chose to do the cable panels, and I am really happy I did! The different panel stirred things up a bit, because the pattern routine became quite mind-numbing on the longer rows. I am also happy in the visual spice it added to what would have been a sea of Feather and Fan. I was going to try to "cheap it out" and force it all into my 32" needles ... as soon as I did that, I will be damned if I did not drop a bunch of stitches TWO ROWS AFTER I HAD PLACED A LIFE LINE! PHEW, thank goodness for that life line! I bought the 60 inch circulars, and had no more problems.

In my version of this f&f, I placed beads at the visually interesting parts of the pattern. I used approximately 30 grams (~5000) 11/0 Delica Japanese seed beads. I just wanted a shimmer effect of a design ... I did not want the beauty of the lace to be over shadowed by the beads ... I wanted the beads to enhance the lace patterning. In addition to the other beading, I also added a tiny seed bead in the center of each little cable.

(subtle beading is hard to see)

The final 20, or so, rows were taking SO LONG. I must admit, I started getting a little bored. The final rows were taking and Hour-and-a-half to get around! I actually left out a beaded row because I really did not feel like taking 3 hours on a row!

For the life of me, I do not know why I decided to do this on size 3 needles. The pattern called for size 5. The thing is, during blocking (took over 370 pins), this shawl reached 60 to 65 inches (152 - 165 cm) in diameter! So had I used the larger needles, it would have been HUMONGOUS!

As for the Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud. I love the color! The yarn was a little stiffer, or harder (?), than what I am used to (I usually use Zephyr silk/wool). Even after blocking, it still has a slightly stiff feel to it. I am not unhappy with the yarn, I just think that I am unfamiliar with it's feel. Side by side though, I prefer the fluffy feel, and sheen of the Zephyr.

Mystery Stole 4

Not a lot to say about it yet other than I am enjoying myself, and I just finished the first row of Clue #2. I really love the color and feel of the yarn, though it is splitty (looslely plied maybe?). I dunno the terminology. All I know is that I really have to watch because it is easy to knit one strand of the ply, rather than both strands.

(pic to come)

Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk, from WEBS
eggplant colorway.
size 4 needles

A Wool Gathering!

My husband, sensing that I needed a little break, shooed me out of the house when he got home from work. I jumped in the car and headed to Dayton, where I got to spend the night by my self in a niiiiice fluffy hotel. Holy crap, I got to sleep in AND there was a hot breakfast waiting for me downstairs! I arrived at the Gathering, and immediately, the fiber fumes went to my head. I was instantly drunk. Seriously, my brain left me when I walked into the first tent. I walked around for at least an hour before I was able to clear my head enough to remember why I was there -- I was on a mission. I was there to try out wheels, and to buy copious amounts of fiber! Because of this, there are no pics from the Gathering -- sorry.

Odd to say, but it was not all that easy trying out the wheels. I know that not every wheel there was for public use (people had their own person wheels and were spinning on the sidelines), but when you are a vendor who can sell wheels, and you have them setting out with prices on them, then please have them set up for people to try out! A few vendors had wheels to sell, but no chair for a person to sit at ... or no "beginner fiber" for a person to spin on. Sorry to say, but I just passed them by. I did meet a LOT of niceladies though, who did allow me to sit and spin, and my, oh my, am I hooked now. I would spin on a wheel, go buy some fiber, go find a wheel , spin, go buy fiber. My bag got so full, I had to unload the goodies into my car twice!

two balls of fun wool.
I wish I could remember who I bouth this from!
The orangy ball is 3 oz of an angora wool mix.

The greenish one is 4 oz of plain wooly delight.


a BEAUTIFUL hand dyed from
Dianne, at Creatively Dyed Yarn
8oz of 70% wool, 30% Seacell


4 oz. of 100% Alpaca roving from
Tina at Winding Creek Alpacas and Llamas
I am seriously thinking of buying more of this colorway...


Two huge 8 oz. balls of Romney Roving from
Per Ardua Farm, Paris, Ohio.
I am thinking of spinning these together.

A lot of my family is in the YS area, so I went to my cousins and hung out on their front porch for a few hours before making the long drive back to Flatlandia. Full of chips, dip, and root beer, they loaded me into my car, which was reeking of yarn fumes. The wooly essence wafted around my car in the warm late summer breeze as I drove home into the setting sun; my head still swimming with color and fluff. I had beautiful dreams of spinning that night.

The next post will be of The Pending Purchase....

Catching up

I have been a bit disappointed in myself lately, as I have not posted anything about knitting. here is why. It is going very very s.l.o.w.l.y. Don't get me wrong, I love what I am doing, it is just that I am also toying with getting a wheel, starting my Etsy shop, AND finishing up Feather and Fan.
A couple of weekends ago, I joined a local Weavers and Spinners Guild. The ladies were SO NICE! Being part of the Guild, I can rent a couple of different wheels and try them out! I think I might be able to get one this weekend! They have an Ashford Traditional and an Ashford Joy. I got to try both of these wheels last weekend, when I went to a spinning class at a local yarn shop. It was wonderful to sit outside in the cool August breeze (what the hell is going on with the weather?) and learn how to spin. the little tufts of roving tumbled around like little fuzzy critters! I hate to say it, the Ashford Traditional and I did not get along. I don't know if it was the day, the roving, or perhaps I just did not spend enough time getting to know it. What I do know is that the Joy and I really hit it off.

Here is the problem ... when I finally do get a wheel, i want to be sure that the wheel will grow with me. I want to be able to eventually spin lace, and a lot of the wheels that are good for beginners do not spin that fast. The Traditional allows you to ADD lace weight flyers at a later time ... the Joy does not. Hmmmm, what to do? I am also interested in the Ashford Traveler Something about it's looks really calls to me. but finding one in a 200 mile radius is proving to be difficult.

I think the only way to remedy this problem is to go to A Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs!

Ponderings, Qiviut, and more ponderings

Okay, so I was sitting on my rose covered veranda, basking in the long rays of the early morning sun, sipping my morning Earl Grey, thinking about Qiviut wool, Qiviut yarn, Qiviut roving, Qiviut raw fleece for sale ... I need it.

I am contemplating starting to spin wool, and apparently, this stuff is THE STUFF to have. I saw teeny spun balls of it in Columbus last weekend going for HUGE amounts of $$$. As we don't have the muskoxen down here, it is kind of rare to find.

I then thought "hmmmmm folks up in the seriously cold climates must have this stuff popping out of every corner ... oh, hey I KNOW some one up there!"

I got my first break from the boys last week. I went home for a week of classes at a techniques conference (knitting). It was so wonderful being home. I actually felt as though I looked good (dare I say haaaawwt?) for the first time in a long time. Wow, I actually had time for myself in the mornings! There was something so soul grounding, walking the very streets that every generation has walked since my great great grandfather. This vibration in my soul then took me down to Xenia Ohio, and I did a little family tree researching for another branch of my family, and I was able to find the resting place for my (get this) Great-great-great Grand mother and father. We all knew where to find the Great-great ones, but finding the Great-great-great's was a total kicker. Armed with my information, I drove around town and found their original homestead land, and a house from one of their sons (still standing there in Xenia!). It was seriously soul shaking, standing there on "their land", that had been forgotten about for almost 100 years. It is not our land anymore, but next time I go I am going to look for the house foundation. And one of these days, I would love to build my own house on it! I went to the cemetery, but could not immediately find the g-g-g's. That will be for another time as well.

I am starting to find such solace in simple, simple things.

One thing I am NOT finding solace in is the fact that I STILL have shitty dial-up.