Tidal Wave Sock

If you read the post below you will see where this comes into play.  I am struggling with the picture uploading for some reason...guess I need to talk to my code editing friend, Devra, to sort out the problem.

Non-Buyer's Remorse

I guess that is what you might call it. I passed up the TOFUtsies collecters kit with patterns(in PDF)...that was available from several booths at Stitches West. But this morning it was all I could think about. So I started my search by calling WEBS toll-free number. The news was not good. They said they would be happy to take my order - but they were currently out of stock and could not guarantee that they would receive any more from Southwest Trading Company. Which prompted my call to SWTC! Jonell answered my call and said that she was sure that Yarn Dogs in Los Gatos would be able to help me. Yes, they could. John said that he had one that he would be able to ship me later today.. HOORAY. Now I can relax and knit.

Tomorrow, Friday, I will go over to SIT for another lesson with Knitdad...my goal will be to finish the Patrick Sweater. The shoulders are together(3-needle bind off) and the neck stitches were picked up and the neck is done. I want to take my time with the finishing and do my very best on this project.

I am including a link to the petition to save the Knitty Gritty Show. Click here if you want to sign the petition. Apparently, DIY plans to cut it along with other craft shows as part of a shift in programming focus. Not that I watch it often...but I know several customers who enjoy it on a regular basis.

Here is a peek at my newest project - the Tidal Wave Sock. Knitdad made it out of a black/white TOFUtsie that looked great. My attempt is moving ahead smoothly and a fun knit.

I Survived Stitches West 2008

Yes, it was fun and well worth the price of admission. I went for the "works" package that included classes on each day (Thurs-Sun), lunch on Thursday and dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. The food was good and the company even better...I had table mates from Australia, Texas, Alaska, South Dakota and California. How wonderful it is to have the instant connection with so many different people...where else would people take their shoes off in the bar to show you their latest sock design?? Sorry for the blurry picture..but I didn't want to miss the shot. It was actually snapped at the Ravelry meetup.

My stash has been increased by another tub full of sock yarns. I lined it all up for you to see. It should also appear on the flicker badge in smaller increments that you can click on and ogle close up. Operating on my theory that I will have to live long enough to knit up my stash..I have probably lengthened my lifespan by another decade this past week. My first stop was for Koigu that was requested by my co-worker at Unraveled, Jillian. Then it was on to a planned stop at Blue Moon Fiber Arts where I met Unraveled1. You never know who you might bump into while standing in a long line. Etta Mae was surprised to see me and complimented my new glasses (French, of course) that were
picked out by Meghan.








Now for some pictures of work by the most well respected sock knitters in the world. It is one thing to study them in print and quite another to see them in person. Yes, they are better in person! I was lucky enough to get into classes with Nancy Bush (sick from too much traveling but still fantastic), Lucy Neatby (I now own all of her DVDs) and Cat Bordhi (love the way she thinks).

Stitches Bound

I will be leaving very early tomorrow to make my flight from LAX to San Jose. It promises to be much fun for the next four days...and way too much yarn! My camera and battery charger are already packed. The homework is done and needles double checked, too. Nothing else to do but wait and try to stay calm so I can get some sleep tonight. Here is my pin collection from Stitches, Blue Moon Fiber Arts and Ravelry. I am an official knitting nerd, I guess. I'll be back next Monday. TTFN

Pictures

These pictures go with the next post...for some reason they wouldn't attach when I tried.

Counting the Days

I am counting the days until Stitches West 2008-if you count "get ups" there are only 2 more until Thursday, when I leave. That sounds good to me...so that's the count.

Today, after breakfast with friends in La Canada, I went over to S.i.T. to move ahead on the Patrick Sweater. The sleeves were finished a few days ago-so it was back to the front to do the neck decreases and finish the sides. All went well until the last few rows of the right hand side. When Knitdad wasn't looking I zigged instead of zagging on a cable. That will have to be ripped out and redone sometime next week. It will just have to wait. While there, I snapped a shot of two needlepoint canvases that are just too funny. They look just like out troop of raccoons, don't they?

Oh, I forgot to mention that I did finish the 2 Socks on 1 Circular project this morning.
They aren't too bad. I think I will try them again and do a pattern from the book this time.

They're Back

Last night, after dinner, Greg, Spookie and I were sitting in the breezeway cruising the internet when we heard our raccoon family skittering across the roof. We grabbed two cameras and ran outside to try snap better pictures of them. They seem very curious about us, too.



















Yesterday was busy at Unraveled. Janice Rosema taught a class-it is always fun to see her projects! Several friends came by during the day...every time I thought I'd take a break to sit and visit, a new customer would come in and need help. That's good for the store and makes the day pass quickly. Jillian and I had lots to do.

This morning we attended a soup class at Williams-Sonoma. Usually a purchase is made after class-today it was a huge jar of Maille Dijon Originale mustard. Very useful item in our house!

Now it is off to pay bills, a little housecleaning and knitting. Tomorrow evening I will start to assemble items for Stitches West which is coming soon...

Happy Valentine's Day

Love those Tiffany bags! There was one sitting on the bed this morning when I rolled over....and inside the box was a shiny silver bracelet. What fun!








Today is going to be dedicated to finishing the heel flaps on my 2 socks on one circular project and finally focusing on the homework assignments for Stitches West (which is next week), Woohoo

Revenge for What?

Greg and I were "good" this morning and made it to the gym before breakfast-true to our NYE resolution. There was a display of gym wear in the lobby and this tee shirt was marked down twice-to less than $5. So, despite the tacky pink glitter REVENGE, I had to have it. Now I will have to figure out what revenge I am due.





Here is a shot of the Paddle Leaf succulent that was re-potted on Sunday. So far, so good...I usually do well with them and have many varieties that I have divided and redivided over the years. I should find a good reference book and learn their true names, shouldn't I?

The sleeves of the Patrick Sweater are at the length they should be, however I am two decreases short. I will wait patiently to see Knitdad on Friday and see what solution he recommends. He will probably tell me to go ahead without the final two increases and begin to decrease for the top of the sleeve. It is only two more days and there are other projects to do. Projects like homework for my classes at Stitches West. It is a week from tomorrow morning that I fly out of LAX before 7am! My classes include 3 sock classes and one yarn substitution class. The three sock classes are six hours each....and should be great fun. The yarn substitution class will be helpful for suggestions to customers at Unraveled....and for me, personally, as well.

Something wonderful arrived in the mail just now- Knitting Saddle Style by Susan Gaugliumi. It was ordered two days ago. Gotta love that Amazon.

What a Fantastic Day...

This morning was another in the series of technique classes offered by Williams-Sonoma..the subject was stocks. The chef demonstrated brown and white chicken stocks and a vegetable stock. She also discussed beef stock and fish stock. I am not much of a cook and I picked up several good tips. While there, we purchased some brightly colored bowls that couldn't be resisted. Next Sunday we are booked for the Soup Class. That should be fun-especially if we have some more cold weather!

After cooking class, we headed over to Armstrong Nursery to see what herbs looked good. Greg picked out cilantro, lemon thyme, lime thyme and I added a flat parsely. I also picked up a fun gift for a friend...to be revealed later. They have some wonderful plants!I also picked up a new succulent to add to my collection...I believe it was called a Paddle Leaf. After arriving home, I spent several hours re-potting old plants and organizing my potting bench.

Then it was on to knitting. The Patrick Sweater is closer to completion..hopefully I will be finished with the sleeve increases tomorrow. My plan is to go to S.i.T. and hunker down until it is done. Cross fingers. Here is my update picture as of 8pm tonight.
Happy Birthday Knitdad!

Happy Birthday & Happy Year of the Rat

This is the Spoksters reaction to the news that it is the Year of the Rat.

Happy Birthday to Knitdad and Greg. I know it is a few days early, but last night our knitting group had a surprise party at Mindy's to honor Mr. L. I could not attend because we were out celebrating Greg's birthday with Meghan and Julien. They have found the "perfect place" for dinner. We went to Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas.

Yesterday I made my flight reservations for Camp Crow's Feet in April. It is going to be so much fun. Camp starts on a Monday, but most of us will be arriving at some point over the weekend. I am going to meet up with a few campers from last year to do a yarn crawl and then an island hopping adventure to see some alpaca farms. I read a thread on Ravelry about some of the plans other campers have...could be interesting!

After French class at 10, I'll motor on over to SiT for the security of having help on the Patrick project. My confidence is growing...but I have those moments like last night when I really shouldn't knit. After drinks and dinner it is not always wise to come home and pick up pointy sticks and string. I'll be unknitting this morning before leaving so I can add those increases on the last row. Can anyone identify with me?

I Survived Super Bowl Sunday!

Actually, I survived it in fine style. Our friends, Ken and Lorraine had a wonderful party with all the trimmings. There was an abundance of food and drink, several televisions and ample seating for their many guests. Mind you, this was after Greg and I attended the Chocolate Class at Williams-Sonoma that included samples of the recipes! A day of excess it was, indeed.

While watching the game, I did manage to finish the second Christmas Jaywalker sock. I just Kitchenered it together before writing this post. I also completed several rows of the Palindrome Scarf, a project for Unraveled in Karaoke yarn.

This afternoon I drove over to Stitch In Time to be near Knitdad, just in case the Patrick Sweater sleeves went south again. I am gaining confidence and doing much better with the side increases. Once there was a slight mishap, which I sorted out for myself with encouragement. Lisa and Fay Lynn both were there for awhile. Hopefully, we will all make it to Knit Night at Unraveled tomorrow, too!

Here is a peek at my attempt to do two socks one one circular. Not too sure how I feel about doing them this way yet. Think I'll be one of the die-hard DPN crowd....

Raccoons Races

I think our resident raccoons are litter mates.  We have three and they seem to enjoy each other's company very much.  Racing across our long, interconnected roofline and eating quantities of Carolina Cherry fruits appear to be their main sources of joy. They pose for students leaving Greg's studio after lessons and seem very interested in us when we go out to snap a picture.  Here is a recent, very grainy shot of them taken the other night .  Hopefully, they are not doing too much damage to the roof while they are up there. Believe it or not, there are several recipes for raccoon on the internet, not that we are interested in doing that to our late night entertainment.

Before Unraveled opened Saturday, I was able to finish tagging the new Koigu shipment.  Very exciting stuff.  This is a long anticipated order and many customers will be in to check out the colorways. It will probably be out on the floor by Tuesday. Sorry, there is no picture as it appears that I left my camera at the store.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  We are going over to Ken and Lorraine's this afternoon for the festivities.  After breakfast and a Chocolate Class at Williams-Sonoma, we'll pick up a Salad Diane from Green Street and head over to their house.  Yes, I will take along some knitting (something simple) as I am not really a sports fan.  Probably the Palindrome made from Karaoke.  Yes, a sock project will most likely come along, as well.