Friday, June 29, 2012

Quick Knit

"Off the Craftroom Floor" Shoulder Bag

WOW!  I don't recall ever knitting something so fast!  Started it at my weekly knitting group last night, and finsihed it this morning (and now I'm right on schedule for my 12 in 2012 goal!).

A while ago I was gifted a fiber batt.  A big puffy white batt that looked almost like a bunch of dirty fiber-fill!  As I spun it, I found what one might sweep off the craftroom floor.

It turned out to be a fun and funky art yarn, but man, it was dirty.  Lanolin was high (my hands are very soft and smooth after knitting the bag), as well as thread, sequence on string, fabric, VM, Easter grass, etc.  Wasn't something I'd want to have close to my skin, but a quick knit, a cute bag, and I am loving it!  Not sure if I'll keep it myself, gift it, or put it in my shop.

I need to sew a liner, find a way cool button and do odds and ends, BUT the knitting is complete!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

FO: Basketweave Infinity Cowl



Ends need to be tucked in, needs to be blocked, but basically it is finished. 50/50 merino/silk, hand spun.

Glad to be back home in Alaska!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Down Sizing

This past week has been awful as I go through items tossed into a storage when I headed home to Mom in Alaska after a divorce. For every little thing I put in storage 2 years ago, this week I have had to ask myself again -- keep or get rid of? If I keep it, do I store it in my friend's garage, or do I ship to to Alaska? If I get rid of it -- do I trash it, give it away, or try to sell it? If I sell it, what price! UGH!!! Every day for the last week, after getting ready for the day, I have spent most of the day either in the storage unit or my friend's garage going through bits & pieces from my life 2 years ago. It's been Keep (store or ship), get rid of (sale, toss, give away), man garage sale, go home, sleep and repeat! I did very well the first day of the sale, and since then, it's been nothing. Craigslist adds have been SCAMMERS--I hate them! So, I am done. Today, it is keep (store or ship) or haul to Good Will!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Life in God's Country

Today I am dog sitting. Three very lovely dogs, on a beautiful lake in Minnesota (AKA: God's Country). My first week in Minnesota was a bit of a whirl-wind while I played tourist with my boyfriend showing him the sites and introducing him to my Minnesota friends. The second week has been a bit of emotional roller coaster as I cleaned out my storage unit and set up for a rummage sale to get rid of all that I didn't want. The only problem is that I want to keep a lot of my stuff. But in the end, it is all stuff and, for the most part, I got rid of a lot of it. Between the pre-sale when my friend kept sending her friends up to shop during a very rainy day, and the first day of the sale, I have an extra $400 in my pocket. The second day was a bust, with an additional $2.50 (which is why I HATE garage/rummage sales). I closed the sale 2 hours early, spent the time with friends and horses before coming home and dog-sitting. This morning, the sun is up, the dogs have been fed, watered and taken a couple trips outside to do their business, and me? I think I'll enjoy a second (third, fourth) cup of coffee, get some laundry done, and enjoy that which God has created in this beautiful country -- sun, breeze, and knitting! Life is good in God's Country! (pictures to come, when I figure out how to get them off my ipad)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Off to Minnesota

Tonight, or maybe I should say tomorrow morning, we head off to Minnesota.  It's a Red-eye flight, leaving at 1:10 am Monday, June 4. 

I had planned to bring The Every Way Wrap on the plane, but, with it being an overnight flight, I decided that IF I couldn't sleep and ended up knitting, I wanted mindless knitting. 


Last year I spun these three skeins during the Tour de Fleece.  The one on the left is a 50/50 silk/merino that spun like butter and is 282 yards of soft and squishy fibery goodness--March 2011 Monthly Club Roving from Woolgatherings

I attempted to spin it into lace weight, and would have made it if I'd kept it a single, but I three plied it and got something between a Sport and a DK.

Off to Ravelry to find a cowl or scarf that would fit the bill:

* 282 or less yards
* dk/sport weight
* mindless pattern

I came across this Basketweave Infinity Cowl on Ravelry and it seemed to fit.  Might use up more yardage, but it is a pattern I can knit until I run out of yarn!

I have flown many times with my knitting and have never had an issue with TSA.  I didn't have the TSA recommended wooden needles in the size I needed so a trip to the LYS was in need.  I got my skein made into a center pull ball, bought two sets of tips for my Knitter's Pride interchangeable. (one for the Every Way Wrap, and one for the new Basketweave Infinity Cowl).  In the unlikely event TSA sees my needles as weapons, I can remove the needle tips and keep the project on the cables.



In the midst of getting ready for my trip, I HAD to cast on and begin the cowl.  Please excuse the poor picture -- my new "just throw in my pocket" camera doesn't take good close up pictures, so now I have to decide if I want to haul my other camera with me--the one that takes wonderful close-up pictures, but who's lens cover broke!

Okay, off to plan my day, the idea is to keep self very busy so that by about 3 or 4 pm I will be tired enough to take a good hard 2 to 3 hour nap.  At least, that's the plan!