Fiber "fix"

Time to get a quilty sort of fix for today--I did bring the camera to SnB today, but we spent so much time moving from one area to another, that taking pictures just kind of got left behind. It was a real Mad Hatter's Tea Party effect--you know, "Clean cup! Move down!"

So we're going to treat you to some alternative stuff. First, we have Judy's Flower Garden. This is mostly hand pieced and will be all hand quilted. Judy inherited a whole lot of partially-completed projects which she's been finishing up. Thanks to the great variety of 30's reproduction fabrics available now, she can get a finished quilt that looks completely "period." Then there's Louise, who after swearing mightily that she'd never do another one, was caught doing a second Bouillabaise. This is two sets of fabrics from Pincushion Boutique--the green is Margarita with Lime, and I can't remember the pink's name. I think this is going to be one POW!! quilt!
Remember how last week, I showed you the fabrics Anne had picked out?
Well, she added a couple more from her stash, and got busy. Not only is this a fantastic quilt, folks, but this was done in less than a week. I am truly awed and amazed at her skills!

Finally, a little fur for your enjoyment. What's life without cat fur in everything, right? I must say, though, this boy (Hi-Hi) doesn't shed and doesn't tangle--he's got the greatest coat, thick and plush. Here he's curled up on the shelf under my computer--I didn't even know he was there, till he gave me "the paw" to say hello.
Not much knitting to report on today, did most of another tier of Lady E but she's not looking all that different from the last pictures so we'll have to give her a little more time. My next challenge is going to be finding a nice flat surface where I can set up the swift and ball winder--I'm really eager to get busy on those BWA sweaters, in spite of the fact that today is HOT and dry and windy--Santa Anas, doncha know. (Most flat surfaces in this house are covered with stuff--great stuff, but still stuff.) Ah, the joys of packrattism!

A Fond Farewell, and other things

Tonight, there won't be those two crazy Maries out there on the patio at Starbucks. No knitting needles flashing in the lights from the passing cars,* no yarn flying all over the place. The crickets will search in vain for their favorite purple hiding place** and the baristas will just have to go without their nightly laughs.
One Marie is on her way to Seattle--about an hour on the road, as I write this--and the other is blogging sadly. Dear friend, have a safe trip and do warn the Seattle yarn shops that they are going to be invaded by a horde of Pasadena knitters!
*KnitPicks needles are shiny and bright and reflect the light.
**that Jordana Page purple knitting bag/carryall/holdall


Okay, now here (just for you, Madge!) is some of my latest eye candy.

First we have some Skye Tweed, in a pretty light blue, from Webs. No color name, unfortunately, but it's a nice greyish-blue with darker and brighter flecks in it. I think this will make a nice cardi for *moi* n'est-ce-pas?
Okay, now these beauties are from Black Water Abbey yarns. They are a nice heavy-ish weight and each hank has 220 yards. (Hmmm...why does that number sound familiar?) The upper one is called Bluestack and will probably become a Celtic Dreams gansey, while the Ocean will become Marilyn. You can see the patterns and more about the yarn here but I warn you, if you love arans and Celtic designs, stay away! Marilyn (the owner, not the pattern) also included color cards with my order; now I am anxious to get these knit up, so I can order more. And I heard that "someone" might like to make Rogue out of the Mountain color... a really pretty lilac/lavender color. Since that someone originally got some apple-green Lamb's Pride for Rogue, we'll see what happens, no?

I may have shown this lovely woodsy color of Sea Silk before, but I know I didn't show the beads I got to go along with it. Found them here and the little clear-top containers are from Martha's defunct web store. The beads come packed in little plastic baggies and I was able to peel off the label and stick it onto the side of the container, so if I run out I can run right back to the bead store for more. This might become a beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl, which is a Sivia Harding design and which you probably already saw on Madge's blog.


Lastly, what's a good blog post without a shot of the grandcarrot? (No, Bad Gramma has not yet sewn the buttons on Pea Pod, hush up now!) Mom is at her wit's end with that hair and it may be getting a trim soon.

All together now: Awwwwwww!!

This N' That N' S'm Other Stuff

Some random things for a Friday, to distract you from the fact that I have no new knitting to post--I'm having way way too much fun "bonding" with Lady Eleanor. Talk about a perfect match of pattern, yarn, and needles!

Now, unlike Patty, I am not so fanatic about coffee that I roast my own. Yet. However, we have recently graduated from Ye Olde Standard Coffeemaker, i.e. the Greenie, to the new, deluxe (Mother's Day gift) version--the Red Hot Momma.









Ergo, the Red Hot:







This baby grinds the beans (seen next to her on the countertop) then brews the brew, all done via timer so I don't even need to get my lazy self out of bed to come downstairs to hot fresh coffee. My kidlets love me, even though I can't quite figure out why.

What I don't love? That countertop. It's been the focus of a love/hate relationship ever since we moved into this house. Did I ever mention that this house was built in 1920? True. The countertop is the original. Which means that, while it's "period" and therefore desirable, it's also had 86 or so years of being scrubbed and cleaned, and it no longer shines. Just sits there sullenly. And that grout has been replaced, and bleached. That's as clean-looking as it gets. Coffee stains, probably.

If I stay in this house, I may need to remodel the kitchen. Enough with the Period Ambience!


Okay, now on to something fibery. Remember the blocks I showed you last week, made by the M&Ms? Well, here's another one. Thank you, Nonie!

Now to wait and see what mine will look like. Always a surprise, even to me!


This is Fran's quilt top. Don't be deceived by the difference in scale due to the size of the photo; this is one big quilt-to-be! What I thought was really interesting, and the reason I took the picture, was that there's a very strong pattern that emerges when you look at the quilt from a distance.
Because: it's four-patches, matched with blocks the same size, and I don't think that Fran expected that it would develop that strong diagonal line in the red and white. But it's sure there!
Well, it's nice that people are still working at stuff and getting things done. I'm getting a few things done, but nothing that can be photographed and blogged about.

I mean, you don't care that I got the dishes done, now do you? And you don't want to see my trash cans lined up at the curb, etc etc. Nor can I show you photographs of the nice displays I put together at work, since they were thoroughly picked over within five minutes.

But, some new yarn came today, and it needs to be released from its bags and photographed. And I need to try to capture how pretty my Sea Silk and its beads are together.

I'll leave you with this link to some really amazing pictures--I guess it's true that you can, indeed, hand-feed hummingbirds!

When You Have Nothing New to Say:

You Are Pecan Pie Soda

Sweet, but totally nuts

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

Something To Do

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Playing Possum

Here's the Possum from the title of this post:
Cherry Tree Hill's wonderfully soft Possum yarn--and no, it's not those scuzzy American opossums, it's New Zealand possum, a whole different critter. I was able to score some red and some black on sale, and I should have some dark blue on its way from a cyberfriend who's destashing.
What's that you said? I should be destashing too? But of course I am! Why, I have a large box all ready to go out today, and if I can get myself into gear, I'll have another box too--the shawls for St. B's and some extra yarn. I just need to go pick it up, is all.
That's all. Really. Uh huh.

On the quilting front, I want to present the latest additions to my block collection:
And in close-up, so you can see the details and the fine workmanship:

No, I didn't make these. They are part of the M&Ms mini-group swap. I owe these nice people each two blocks. They will get them, and soon (I hope). Okay, I understand that in this area, as in so many other areas of my life, I'm behind in my commitments and obligations. I really am trying to do better. Sigh. I guess it's time to remind myself: there is no "try." There's "do" or "don't do." Time to get my achy self up and "do." I have been "playing possum" for too long now.

I hope that these nice ladies will read this and let me know who made which ones. I think they should get the credit, don't you agree?

Last bit of eye candy for you today, still in the fibery realm although not yarny:

Tuesday night, Anne mentioned that her older son wanted a quilt with "jewel tones" and did I think I could help her pull some? Well! Here we are--emerald, adventurine, turquoise, sapphire, blue lapis, amethyst, tourmaline, garnet, ruby, topaz, carnelian, and yellow diamonds! I got the black to set it off. SHE managed to get all her stars cut out so I am quite hopeful that she will be showing off a completed top shortly. Have I mentioned that she is the current reigning Speed Queen Quilter??

Knitterbugs

Now, here's a sight to warm a grandma's heart! These are my two youngest granddaughters, aka Lizzie and Tori, showing their knitting. They really have made some progress, haven't they? Please do pardon the burst of grandmotherly enthusiasm here!

I forgot to bring my camera on the City of Hope Walk today, which is probably just as well. None of us were looking our best, especially after the first mile or so--sweaty, sticky, sore. But we finished! I was making great progress on a pink (of course!) shawl but then I got hungry. Let's just say, if you are walking and knitting, it works fine; but if you then eat a sticky granola bar, you will wind up with sticky needles and sticky yarn and a royal mess, and you will finish the walk clutching a water bottle and carrying the knitting in its bag. It was a lovely day for a walk, though, and it was a very good feeling to get those 5 kilometers hiked! Plus of course, it's a good cause.

Not to mention, where else can you see big burly men wearing t-shirts that say "Save the ta-tas!"

Some Serious Eye Candy

...since we are being good and avoiding the other kind--family weight loss challenge, you know! First, here's Marie's Celtic Knot. (She doesn't take pictures of her WIPs, but she lets me.) The yarn is Lamb's Pride in a wonderful grassy green, the pattern is from Knitter's Arans & Celtics book. Isn't it pretty? Next up, a sky shot. This was the scene outside of work the other day.
Next we have a couple of shots of my Lady Eleanor, in progress. The yarn is Rowan Tapestry in Rustic.
The color is super deep and saturated and this yarn is soooo soft and warm to work with. I've been mastering the art of knitting back backwards and it's going really well. Truly addictive!
That's it for today! I know, I promised a WIP roll call, but right now I am just loving this one so much, I've abandoned the others for a bit.

Friends Ask Friends for Help...

...for a good cause! This Sunday, October 8, is the City of Hope Walk for Hope. I'll be walking, along with a couple of daughters and some knitter friends (Hi, Melise! Hi, Gail and Rebecca!) and, if you are so minded, I could use a little help in reaching my fund-raising goal. My page is at http://www.cityofhope.org/fundraising/vfs/15199334/4673 . If you'd prefer to send me some moral support, a comment to that effect will be very welcome!
Cancer research is a cause that is very close to me, and I will be walking in honor of my many friends who have had this disease. Some are still with us, thanks to the ongoing research; others, like my "first best friend" Teddy, aren't. I'll be walking with my knitting--a pink scarf or two, depending on how fast I can walk and knit!--and thinking of them.

Knitting content later--can I really get in three posts in one day? One of my friends has suggested a WIP roll call, so I think it's time to round 'em up and take their pictures! (Maybe that will push me into finally blocking and finishing that MOTW, notoriously elderly UFO!)

In Memory...

Andrew Robert Watterlond

October 9, 1963--October 2, 2004

We know that this is not goodbye.

Shower of Good Wishes

Yes, today was the day--Beth's baby shower! It was held at Unraveled, one of our very very favorite yarn porn purveyors--oops, I mean, LYS! Here we mostly all are--the sign Beth is holding says "closed, private party"--there's Jan, and me, and Joan, and Beth, Fay Lynn, Annette, Mary and Jillian . Missing are Madge, Melise, Marie E., and Patty. Jan was wearing her fancy jeans with the gold dust all over them, and sparkly gold shoes.
Beth was really surprised that the basket of goodies was for her. She thought it was just a shop decoration, cause it was so full of knitted goodness. Hats, and sweaters, a Knitted Babe with baby sweater to match, two wonderful big teddy bears, socks--well, I think it's too bad Beth doesn't have a blog to post all the pictures on, but it seems to me that many of the bloggers posted their pictures. Anyway, it was fun, and hopefully Baby Cormac will "feel the love" when he arrives!

I realized that I have posted pictures of three of my cats, but the fourth one is a bit elusive. She's not fond of having her picture taken, but I caught her napping in the sun. This is GiGi, who is 19 years old.

She's also known as Giggles, among other things. She has the prettiest little cat face, and I'll try to capture it for you.

Yes, I know that floor is not the prettiest in the world. It was darn stylin' in 1983 when we put it in, though!

Ten Things You Didn't Know--a Meme

Tag, you're it! Annette got me, so here's my list...
1. I've actually been to the place* in the picture.
2. This designer* is one of my favorites, and I've done a needlepoint piece of one of his designs.
3. It is almost impossible to find yarn in this city* although I certainly tried!
4. My first (and so far only) publication in a national magazine was a crossword puzzle in the Disney mag when I was 14.
5. English is not my first language--it's my second. I had to learn to speak it when I started school, and I hated it! (French is my first, Spanish the third.)
6. I went to bilingual schools for 12 years.
7. I learned to crochet when I was 7. I learned to knit when I was 8.
8. My first sweater was hot pink, cabled. I didn't know cables were "too hard."
9. I learned to sew on an industrial machine--my mother made doll clothes at home for a major manufacturer, back when home work was not regulated. My job was cutting the threads to separate the pieces.
10. I think that's probably why I took to "production" methods for piecing quilts, and it's certainly why I was able to make 4, 5, or more of the same little dresses at a time!

There. That wasn't too painful, was it?? Now let's see yours!


*It's the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, Scotland, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Some pretties...and some bye-byes

First, the pretties: yes, that's Sea Silk, in the Woodland colorway, sitting in a basket on my nice new deck: This is what's under the SS in the previous picture: Cascade 220 in Green Apple, Summer Berry, and Coral, and some Araucania Nature Wool in a jade green vari-shaded and some dark blue ditto. The shading on the blue doesn't show up very well, but it's there--just more subtle.
Now for the not-so-pretties: some bags of things that are going bye-bye.



These two pics are bags of magazines that are being re-homed, hopefully onward to bring some joy and good cheer. It's a pretty eclectic collection, most of the Victoria magazines, some Threads, some AD, VF, Home, Country Living, Country Home, tons of New Yorkers, and so on. The other stack ? Well, that's currently residing in a couple of trash cans at the curb. Yes, even the basket. I have stubbed toes on that sucker way too many times, and as soon as it was freed (it had made itself quite a nest in the carpet pile) out it went!

Did you know that you can only fill a trash can 1/3 full of magazines before it's too heavy to move? Yes, I--me, the lover of the printed word, who never met a book or magazine she didn't instantly bond with--I tossed out several years' worth of old Time, Newsweek, and filled-in puzzle magazines. Not even I could think of a decent use for them.

You'd think that with all this gone, the room would be emptier. Oh, yeah, all this came out of one room--well, one room and its adjacent bathroom. There's a lot more downstairs. I'm keeping some things--how can I part with my Knitters and Interweave Knits, my Australian Patchwork, my Old House Interiors and MS Weddings? And there are a few more stacks left. However, I'm offering up photographic proof that I meant what I said a few dozen posts back about cleaning up my living space.

Projects and Finishing Too!

I know that I refer to stamping and scrapbooking among my interests, and here are some Halloween projects that I did this past weekend. Because they were sitting in a hot car, the adhesive on the card on the upper right came loose--it needs to be reattached, and then it will be nice and straight. That card has a raffia bow and several layers--it's very cute. My favorite, though, is the black on on the bottom--I just love that spooky-tree effect! And of course Witchie-Poo flying away on her broomstick--hmm, wonder if that's one of the Ramtops witches?

Then there is this lovely item. In real life it's a deep navy blue--for some reason, the strong sunlight really washed out the color! Anyway, it's done and ready to go on to its new home, hopefully tomorrow. (I always have big plans for "tomorrow" don't you know.) This was a tryout of the pattern, which will now be done in my lovely Silk Rhapsody--assuming, of course, that I can a) find it and b) find a way to get it wound. Minor details. This is really a nice pattern, and I'm glad I did it in this Wool-Ease version first.

Next up, a rather poor picture of a finished Pea Pod! All he needs now is buttons--I have (somewhere) little green ball buttons that will look just like green peas, and they will be the perfect touch! And yes, that color (at least on my monitor) is pretty accurate--this is one BRIGHT sweater! The yarn is Dale of Norway Falk, in neon green, and the yarn came from Marji's in Granby CT. Pattern is from Interweave Knits and is available as a free pdf download if you don't have that issue of the magazine.

Not only that, but Lady Eleanor is cast on and I'm almost through with the first row of triangles! I think that I will be going ahead with the current version, but if I get ambitious I will try casting on another ball of yarn with slightly smaller needles to see if I like it.

I'm a Bad, Bad Blogger

Why, do you ask? Why, because I missed a golden opportunity to have my picture taken for all y'all with--Elmo! That's right, the furry red dude himself. The voice and "soul" of Elmo, aka Kevin Clash, did a talk/signing/photo op last night, and I was there. Without camera. (I don't even own a camera phone.) With apron--I was on duty, natch. Let me just say that he was entirely charming and witty, and that his speaking voice is as deep and resonant as you'd expect from a normal person. His book is well written and fun.
But I didn't get my picture taken with him. Sob.
So, after work, I drowned my sorrows in a pomegranate-tea and got a little knitting in, thanks to a friend who's willing to sit outdoors and knit even in sub-70's weather. I finished the knitting on the dark blue shawl--ends need to be run in, and it needs a bath before it can get its picture taken. Then it will be off (along with the white Candleflame) to its new home.
Work beckons. No pictures of Elmo, sob. Maybe next time??

Pea Pod Takes A Bawth (with apologies to Eloise)

So the knitting on the body and sleeves is done, and it was curling really badly... so I decided it needed a wash-and-set:

In the sink, with some nice shampoo and a rinse of raspberry conditioner--mmm, soft. Too soft. Floppy squishy soft. Ok, it's superwash, into the dryer for 10 minutes. By the way, the water turned green. Wash and rinse both.

Out of the dryer, still damp, patted into shape on a towel. Covered with another towel because around here, this is what happens:

Have you met Padua? He's the second-oldest of the cat family, around 16 or 17. He's part Siamese--lanky body, loud piercing meezer-voice--he came from the parking lot of the Civic Auditorium back when the kids were still working there. He's been living with FIV (kitty HIV) for lo, these many years; thank goodness, there's a vaccine, so his housemates are safe from infection. He sometimes gets cranky and will swipe and growl.He's also the one who tore out the screen door, trying to protect his territory from a visiting cat. Small but mighty, that's our Padge!

So I guess this is a P on the Pea Pod?? More pics when the sewing-up gets done.

Pea Pod Progress?

Yes, there is progress to report on the Pea Pod sweater. No, you won't get a picture of it right away. I have both sleeves and the body done, and want to wash/block them before sewing them together. If I'm feeling extra-ambitious, I'll photograph them while they dry. Meantime, here's a pic of the podster-to-be: Three months old now, learning to sit up and do all kinds of cute stuff. In the background you can just about see my sis-in-law. We were all at breakfast at Mimi's so Baby G could meet his Vegas relatives, who were in town for a quick turnaround.
In other knitting news, I'm still plugging away on the blue shawl which is the "practice" piece for the Silk Rhapsody. It's into its fourth ball (it's navy blue Wool-Ease, which has great yardage) and I think when I get to the end of this ball, I will call it done. Then it will get washed and blocked (which, with W-E, means a trip through the washer and dryer) and packed up along with the white Candleflame, for a trip to CT.
Once P.P. and the blue shawl are done, I'm going to try to finish Birch (who sometimes deserves to spell her name with a T instead of an R), sew up the Map of the World and do its neckband, and by then it may even be cool enough to work on my current Ab Fab. Didn't know I had an AbFab in progress? Well, with all that mohair, it's waaaayyy too warm to work on in the summer. But, it's beautiful, and I'll be getting back to it as soon as we have some cooler days and nights.

Warning!

UCAUTION

IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY IT IS ADVISABLE TO KEEP MEHITABEL AWAY FROM FIRE AND FLAMES.

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