sweetfigs

Rest in Peace Johnny

2008-07-14T20:38:00.003-05:00

John T. Duerkop, Jr., June 11, 1948 - May 23, 2008
John was an unusual man. He was kind-hearted, a gentleman, intensely curious about the world around him, and happiest when he was talking about what he had learned.

He preferred a slower pace. He liked to drive the back roads, instead of the freeways, because there was so much more of life to see there.

He liked people. He liked rivers, streams, lakes, valleys, mountains, sunsets, and rain storms. He collected and studied history books, magazines, and maps. He could always tell you what was up the road, off the beaten path, and who had been there in times past. He seemed to know something about everything.

He liked cowboys and Indians, and cowboy poets. He liked pine trees, flannel shirts, and campfires. He liked horses, fish, and birds.

He never got enough of the world and what filled it.

He was faithful, loving, and respectful, and we cherished him.

His body was finally overcome by cancer. It’s been weeks since he passed away, but it is still difficult to believe that he’s not still fighting.

During the last year of his life, there were many times when it seemed his tired body could not possibly hold on much longer. But somehow he rallied. Setback after setback, he came back. It’s hard to accept that he had such a hard time of it and hard to comprehend his absence.

John was supported by a strong network of family, by friends who held him so dear they seemed like family, and by kind strangers who heard about him and prayed, yearned, and willed for him to recover.
When he finally passed away one afternoon, he was at home, asleep, where he wanted to be, in the West Texas desert. Surrounded by some of those mountains, cowboys, and horses that he loved. His body is gone, but he’s still here, deep in our hearts.

Home Stretch

2008-03-28T06:45:00.007-05:00

As we near the end of the month, many of the Ravelry Malabrigo March knit along-ers are done with their projects. If you've been KAL'ing, but haven't announced yourself in the Ravelry group, please pop in. (That link won't work for non-Ravelry members.) Monday is the last day to join! Even if you don't want to knit along, go peek at all the beautiful colors of Malabrigo Worsted.

I made one Amanda Hat out of Saphire Green and one out of the Natural colorway. The Natural colorway is very versatile, but you know I love that greeny greeny soooo much more.

Here they are, before & after the green hat got a wet blocking. In the top photo (before), the green hat is smaller and pointy at the top. In the bottom photo (after), all the stitches have relaxed and claimed their ground:
All I did was soak it for a bit in warm, soapy water, rinse, and then blot it in a clean towel:
Sorry I can't give you a modeling shot. My resident photographer has been in Texas most of the month, helping his brother Johnny get through chemo.

I know David misses his Libby, so over the weekend I took a few shots of her, in her favorite chair, basking in the Sunday sunbeam. She really misses you too, honey.

mmmMalabrigo March

2008-03-04T08:04:00.000-06:00

March has been here all of 4 days and I've already had enough of its freeze-thaw-freeze cycle. Even so, the cold temps mean I can keep knitting winter hats.

Malabrigo March kicked off on Saturday the 1st with numerous knit alongs, including a Koolhaas Hat KAL and an Amanda Hat KAL, both of which I'm co-leading on Ravelry with bluelacefiesta. I lost count of how many knitters are participating, but I think it's at least 50 per pattern.

Here's my Amanda in progress, in Saphire Green (#04):
The colorway reminds me of Sweet Pea shoots in early Spring. Isn't it pretty? And it will really be something to see the rainbow of hats at the end of the month!

Each pattern calls for less than 1 skein of worsted weight, so if you've got a lonely skein of Malabrigo Worsted in your stash, or find one at the Spring yarn sales, please join us. Malabrigo is buttery soft, and put to perfect use in a cozy hat. In fact, I wouldn't hestitate to use it for a baby hat, and rumour has it that 1 skein will even make 2 mini-sized Koolhaas hats.

Added bonus: some of the KAL participants will win prizes! See the malabrigo junkies forum on Ravelry for details.

FO Report -- Koolhaas

2008-02-19T07:03:00.004-06:00

We're back in Chicago after a long weekend up north, and I can say it feels much much colder in Chicago than in the Upper Peninsula. It's windier and humid here!

We spent a good part of the weekend on the numerous cross country ski trails, feasting by the fire, and catching up on naptime.

David said the hand knit I gave him for Valentine's Day kept him toasty, especially on Sunday, when it snowed most of the day.

I used brooklyn tweed's Koolhaas pattern, and about 1/2 a skein of Malabrigo in the Taureg colorway. My only modification was to switch to size 4.5mm/US#7 needles for the decrease rounds.

If you want a Malabrigo Koolhaas for yourself, check out the knit-along that starts March 1st in the Malabrigo Junkies forum on Ravelry. I'm co-leading a Koolhaas KAL and an Amanda KAL, which are part of many Malabrigo KALs starting the first of the month. That means you have two more weekends to shop for Mmmmmmalabrigo!

OK, a few more photos from our weekend in the Upper Peninsula ...

Whenever Garry and Jo's dog, Xena, was out front in her skijoring harness, the rest of us just tried to keep up the pace.She's a tough little German or Deutscher Jagdterrier. Don't miss her cute little icicle beard.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T06:53:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone has a great day!

Our celebration will be pretty low key because I'll be in yoga class until about 8:30 p.m. We'll have time to do our gift exchange tonight and then enjoy a leisurely meal this weekend in the Upper Peninsula.

We're packing now for 4 days of pancakes for breakfast and cross-country skiing. Yay! We're going up north with another couple and their tough little dog. Temps will be similar to Chicago's, but with 2x the snow and not so many plows. I'm a little worried about the slippery roads and really don't look forward to warming up the house.

One year we all did this (was it last year?), the girls went to wait for a table at the local supper club while the boys drove to the house to shovel the entrance and turn up the heat. On the way back to dinner, the boys skidded through a sharp curve and went off the road and over a small ditch. Fortunately it was all low speed. No one got hurt and we were able to use one car to pull the other car back onto the road. We'll be extra cautious this year. :)

Sorry, but no pics today. There's no light, it's extremely cold, and everything I'm knitting is a secret.

And as always, thanks for thinking of John and asking about him even when you know the news is not so good.

Libby's best friend

2008-01-24T07:59:00.001-06:00

My little dog turned eight this summer, and for most of her life, she's enjoyed a midday walk with Alycia.

We get it all in Chicago -- rain, sleet, snow, blazing heat, and wilting humidity -- and yet none of it has made a difference in Alycia's commitment to showing up day after day to walk around the neighborhood with her little buddy.

On the occasional weekday when one of us is home and we cancel the walk, I feel a little guilty, because Libby still looks out the window for her best friend.

When I woke up this morning it was -4F/-20C, but I know Alycia will still be coming over. As a wee showing of our appreciation for her dedication, we gave her this warm wool and silk hat. I confess I wanted to keep it for myself, but I'll be sitting on my arse today in a warm office while Alycia is making her rounds. Brrrr.

Pattern: Fake Isle on Magknits

Materials: Approx. 60 yards/50 meters of Noro Silk Garden in colorway #205, equal amount of Lamb's Pride in M-05 Onyx black, and a few feet of Lamb's Pride in fuschia (no ball band) for the contrasting cast on.

Modifications: used US#5 for ribbing, US#6 for body, and broke Noro as needed to control the colors.

Trudging On

2008-01-22T06:26:00.001-06:00

We had a brief reprieve, but the Arctic air is back with a vengeance, and seems to be here to stay for a while. I'm still commuting on my bicycle, but I'm keeping the errands to a minimum and hurrying back to the bike rack before the handlebars and saddle cool off too much. No kidding -- I just compared the forecast for Fairbanks, Alaska and Chicago, and they were almost the same!

Of course it has to be this freakishly cold when my BIL from Texas gets stuck at O'Hare for 24 hours. His oldest has Northwestern University on her short list, so after a hearty breakfast on Friday morning, we headed up to Evanston (in the car!) so that he could take a look around. I'm really glad we did, because he liked the campus more than he expected. When my niece and her momma did the campus tour last Fall, he was on a business trip in South America. I told him Chicago was usually 30 degrees warmer in January, but it's probably tough for him to picture it that way.

Meanwhile, David has been making his own treks back and forth between Chicago and Texas, to take care of his brother Johnny. Johnny wants to be home as much as possible while he's battling cancer and the side effects of treatment, so David is doing all he can to make that possible. Johnny's struggle puts things in perspective for me. The toughest thing I have to do these days is ride my bike in the snow to yoga class...

Lots of cold and time home alone with Libby means I've been knitting. With wool. :) My first FO of 2008 is a hat for my mom. It's super soft and warm, and will coordinate with her dark green coat. Click to make bigger or see other shots on flickr.

Pattern: "Three Tams" on Knitty.

Materials: 1/2 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Couscous and Noro Silk Garden in #246.

Modifications: I combined Tam A's first 10 rows with the body of Tam C. Omitted 6 stitches from the ribbing, and broke the Noro to control the color changes. It fits well and didn't give me hat head.

Ha! A New P.R.!

2008-01-03T07:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning I decided to layer up for the trudge over the train station, beginning with the zipoff pants (so not sexy) I can wear over my regular clothes, and the next the thing you know I was dressed to ride my bike to work. So I rode.

I told myself that if it was too miserable getting to work I didn't have to ride home. According to the bank clock on the corner, it was 3 F /-16 C, so I rode fast and kept my hands in my windproof pogies the whole time, except for once when I signaled a left turn and once when I waved to the other crazy person I saw riding a bicycle. I think people are still off work this week because the traffic was really light and I made good time to the Loop. And it worked! My hands stayed warm and I never got that horrid pins and needles, stabbing, burning, ouch, ouch ouch, kill me now feeling when I got inside.

So I've got a new Personal Record of winter riding. Baaaaaahahahahaha!

Riding home at 17 F/ -8 C wasn't much of a challenge. :-)

Your Mileage May Vary

2008-01-02T06:59:00.000-06:00

So much for burning off some of the holiday calories this morning. It's a bitter 3 F/-16 C out there, which means I'll be commuting on the CTA instead of my trusty bicycle.

I have a great setup for inclement weather -- upright steel frame, full fenders, knobby tires, windproof pogies for my hands, and super bright lights -- but 20 F/-7 C is my limit. When it dips below that, I just can't keep my hands warm. The ride itself is not so bad, because my hands go numb, but warming up upon arrival is too painful. The high today is supposed to be a whopping 12 F/-11 C, so the bike is staying at home.

Wish I could stay home too, with Libby and the Regia Silk that is becoming a pair of socks, but I'm going to work and then my first yoga class of the new year. I'm test knitting a pattern so I can't show you a WIP pic, but I do love this yarn.
It's a souvenir from last autumn's vacation in Bavaria and Austria. We ended our trip in central Munich, just in time for Oktoberfest and a quick detour to the yarn boutique at the Ludwig Beck department store. I may have to find some more of it, in a color that's more fun than sensible grey.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T20:29:00.001-06:00

Hi all and happy new year from the Windy City!

Wow, 2007 was hectic! I've got my fingers crossed that the new year will be a bit more predictable.

We got up early this morning when it was still quiet and shoveled up 2 inches/5 cm of fresh snow. OK, actually David did all the shoveling, while I wrestled with Libby and snapped a few pictures. (Click to embiggen.)
In the afternoon we went to some friends' for their annual January 1st Open House. I ate way too much, but it was all so good, especially the spicy chocolate fondue served with fresh pineapple, banana, and pound cake. I'm putting the recipe on my list for our own party next year -- it included semisweet and bittersweet chocolates, as well as Chinese Five Spice mix and Chili powder.

We were supposed to bring a batch of mango salsa, but while I was giving the ingredients a final stir, the glass mixing bowl burst into about 100 pieces. Gaaak! Since all the stores were closed for the holiday, we had to scrounge around the house for an alternate dish. Brigaderios to the rescue! (My version calls for 5 tablespoons of Hot Cocoa mix from The Spice House, 1 Tablespoon of white sugar, 1 Tablespoon of butter, and 1 can of Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk). Delicious, but not exactly health food. Oh well, the holidays are officially over and tomorrow we start eating better!

Another Step in the Right Direction

2007-10-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

Johnny went home to Texas!

We weren't ready to send him off, but he was very anxious to get back to his own place. His original plan was to spend just 1 week in Miami for jaw surgery over the summer, but all the surgical complications kept him away for more than 3 months. Pretty awful, huh? He continues to improve, but of course, still needs a lot more time and help to heal. Who knows, he might even be able to return to work.

Thank you very much for asking about him and keeping us all in your thoughts and prayers. You've been a big help!

It's Working!

2007-09-29T00:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks for looking out for Johnny and sending him the prayers and well wishes he has needed so badly!

With a lot of hard work and so many people pulling for him, he has been able to make the transition from the hospital in Miami to his mom's apartment near Chicago. Mom! Good for what ails ya, right? He has settled in to her place and now enjoys lots of time with her, his sisters, brother, cousins, nieces and nephews, old friends, and even a dog or two.

He's a little frustrated with what, to him, seems to be slow progress. But he is healing and becoming stronger every day. If he keeps on track, he'll be going back to his own house in Texas later this Fall.

So, many thanks, and please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Thinking of John

2007-07-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

We intended to be in the Upper Peninsula until mid July, but we're abruptly back in Chicago, or I should say I'm back in Chicago and David has flown to Miami to be with a big brother who is very ill.

Big brother John survived neck cancer, but the radiation treatments that helped cure him five years ago broke down his jaw bone, and jaw implant surgery in Miami has led to serious complications. The jaw surgery was actually about 3 weeks ago, but I avoided talking about it until now, partly out of uncertainty and partly to respect John's privacy. He was pleased with the surgery and was about to go home from the hospital, but then suffered respiratory problems and was found unconscious in his hospital bed. He went to intensive care, and was intubated, heavily sedated, and flat on his back for weeks, improving ever so slowly. As an alternative to the intubation and heavy sedation, he underwent a tracheotomy and was gradually weaned from the ventilator. The last he knew, he was about to go home, but as he's been weaned from the heavy sedative, he's learned about this major setback.

John is a sweet, kind-hearted man, who would give you the shirt off his back. He's brilliant, intensely interested in the world around him, and always ready for a challenge. Despite his amazing, encyclopedic knowledge, he's very humble and spiritual. He's a good son, a good big brother, and a good friend.

The family has been sick with worry but cautiously optimistic about John's slow recovery. His body is healing, but his morale and energy are very low. Please help him. Whether you be the type of person that prays, wishes, or sends positive energy, please think of John in Miami. Please use your influence, your powers of persuasion, and the collective consciousness, and please send him whatever you've got. Please help him heal, smile, and come home soon. There's a huge void in the family without him here and we want him back already.

Nature Walk

2007-07-09T06:58:00.001-05:00

This year my friend Jenn joined us at the lake for a few days. She picked a good year to see the foxgloves:
This reminds me of the Queen Anne's Lace:
I love all these shades of green:
We noticed about six different types of ferns one morning. This is the medium sized one that likes a lot of sun:
One morning after our walk, Jenn and I got busy making four batches of jam. It took us most of the day to wash and sterilize the glass jars, prepare the peaches, fresh ginger root, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, cook the fruit with lemon juice, pectin, and sugar, fill and seal the jars, and then clean up. While Jenn and I were toiling in the kitchen, David worked on the computer. You would think we would have more to show for a whole day's labor.
We also went kayaking on the lake, and got a bit closer to a little eagle.
Jenn also found a little sunburn and some itchy bug bites. I wish she could stay longer, but she's probably happy to get back to civilization.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-07-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

Hi all and happy Friday!

We found these exotic looking mushrooms while taking our morning walk. I love their rusty color, gloss, and gnarled shape. There were about 20 of them and some green mosses growing on a tree stump.
Later I spotted some more on our own lakeside property. This is the first year I've seen these or anything like them. Gotta wonder, are they poisonous?

Happy Independence Day/It's my blogiversary

2007-07-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's wonderful to spend the 4th of July in the Upper Peninsula.

We've been here since Friday and have started every morning by taking a long walk with Lib and the camera. She gets tired out, but can't bear to take time out for a nap. All the good scents and sights keep the city girl awake for the rest of the day.

I've been happy with a few of the morning photos, but many of them make me wish for better lenses and have been trashed.
After the walk and breakfast, we get down to work, mowing, sweeping, mopping, doing the laundry... There's still a lot that needs doing before the house is "open" for the season. When we first got here on Friday, we were kind of spinning about, there was so much to do. I've tried to knit a bit too, but don't have the energy to concentrate on lace repeats. At the end of a long day, I'd rather have a hot meal and a glass of wine. So I've got the morning nature photos, but no WIPs to show you.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to. Especially today, which is SweetFigs' blogiversary! David always refers to this as my knitting blog, but I don't think of it that way. Do you? Sure, it's about what I've been making, but it's a lot about just me and about what's caught my eye, no? I'm rarely without a camera these days and hem and haw about upgrading my equipment. Who knows what the next year will bring. :)

Eye Candy Friday

2007-06-29T12:05:00.000-05:00

Honey bees at the Marsh house in coastal Washington, North Carolina.

The Marsh house was fired upon during the Civil War and is still sporting a cannonball (on the right, just above the first story windows).

The unnamed house next door also suffered the same fate (cannonball on the left, a bit above the first story windows):
Both of these homes are private residences or offices, but they are directly across the street from the North Carolina Estuarium, and an easy walk from the shops and restaurants on Washington's main drag.

We strolled here on Saturday after having a meal with all the family and friends that could attend my grandmother's memorial service. It was a gorgeous day and a nice send off for Grandma.

And then it rained

2007-06-27T07:27:00.001-05:00

I intended to sit down last night to write a little recap of our North Carolina trip, but a huge downpour changed my plans.
We got 3 or 4 inches in about 1 hour, and the basement flooded.

D was on his way home from his mom's house in the suburbs. He'd gone out to take care of a downed tree, and on the way back he got stuck in the deluge and then a huge traffic jam. The gridlock on Irving Park Road was so solid that he and Libby eventually abandoned the car about 4 miles from the house, and just walked the rest of the way. (She was all kisses and smiles when she got home.)

We spent the night cleaning up the flood in the basement, and then going back to retrieve the car.

I feel really lucky that Streets & San came by about a week ago and sucked out the clogged sewer at the corner. If the sewer hadn't been open last night, our basement flood would have been a lot worse. As it is, there's just some cardboard boxes, wall-to-wall carpeting, and throw rugs that got soaked with rainwater and need to dry out. Our neighbors across the alley got flooded with foul, raw sewage and have piled all sorts of stuff out in the alley.

So, if I don't take my tired shoulders to Forrest yoga class tonight, I'll write up North Carolina.

A peaceful trip

2007-06-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

I'm back from North Carolina! It was great -- we had such an easy, slow-paced time together on the coast. More photos to follow. :)

You can't win them all

2007-06-21T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm an unusually lucky person, but it can't always go my way, can it?

Case in point. Yesterday I got a jump on packing for the long weekend and had everything ready to go before I went to work on Wednesday morning. As much as I think I know my little girl, I had no idea she was going to rummage around my toiletries and chomp into my brand new, just out of the box $40 tube of moisturizer. How could it have an enticing smell if I haven't even opened it once? When I found the cap on the floor, next to the nice rug, I was worried, but it turns out she was satisfied to just to wrestle off the cap. The little foil seal under the cap was intact and she never bit through the tube. Shewwwoo!

Then again, if you've been KIPing with me lately, you probably know I've been flirting with disaster by adding 3 repeats to my Swallowtail Shawl. The odds were pretty high that two skeins of sock yarn wouldn't be sufficient. Sure enough, my luck ran out, and I'm faced with a choice of now doing only 1 repeat of the Lily of the Valley border, or ripping out the 3 extra repeats and knitting the shawl as directed (2 repeats of the Lily border). The Lily border and the peaked edges are what make the shawl, no? So I'll be ripping on the plane ride to the Atlantic coast. Grrrr. See you in a few, unless there's good internet access in the Outer Banks.

This and that

2007-06-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

I managed to do a little bead work. I made these earrings from a pair of sterling silver earwires, headpins, and tear drop crystals. They're very simple and go with just about everything. I can really use a little bling after getting a new really short haircut. I think the materials cost about 8 bucks and took about 10 minutes to put together. I usually have a hard time getting my wire wraps symmetric, and this time was no exception.
I made this small mala a while back and have been using it for meditation. It's made of faceted agate beads, small spacing beads, silk beading cord, and part of a skein of cotton embroidery floss. It's sort of like a rosary, if you're familiar with that concept, but for saying mantras. Instead of counting or setting a timer, you can work your way from one end of the strand to the other, and back again, and then back the other way. The faceted agate have a nice cool feel.
I've also been trying to get new pictures for my masthead. What do you think? I'm not loving any of them, and the fig season is almost over, so I'll have another photo shoot really soon. I think the afternoon light was too low.

Tomorrow, though, I'm head to North Carolina to see my family. My mom has already flown over from Germany, and my big sister and little brother are en route from Florida. My little sister will be flying to Chicago in the morning, and I'll be joining her on the leg to Raleigh. I'm so excited about spending time with everyone!

I might not blog until I get back next week. I'm taking my Thai massage mat so that I can help the travelers unwind, and I kind of don't want to lug the laptop along too. Maybe I'll just take the cord for downloading photos from my digital, and see what happens at the B&B.

Eye Candy Friday, sort of

2007-06-15T07:59:00.000-05:00

From the northwoods. What do you think, is it really eye candy? It's not the usual floribunda.
We'll be back in the northwoods in a few weeks, for the 4th of July. The little town nearby always has a little parade, with the firetruck, the V.F.W. group, a few baton throwers, and some local businesses. The cars honk and flash their lights and the marchers throw candy to all the kids, big and little.

Although there's been talk of dressing up and decorating one of the cars so that we could march in the parade representing the homeowners on our lake, we have never actually carried through. It would be a bit of work, and we usually get to the U.P. just before the parade. Maybe next year when the 4th falls later in the week and we would be up there in time to put things together.

I'm also getting ready for a short trip to North Carolina. When my grandmother died in a Florida nursing home last Fall, we postponed a memorial service until everyone could get back to her hometown in the Outer Banks. We'll be having a simple service at the graveyard, when her ashes are joined with her husband's. My mom declined the cemetery's offer to roll out the Astroturf and put up a tent. Too fussy for the simple country service we envisioned. It will probably be hot and muggy on the coast in late June, and we plan to wear sandals, lightweight cotton skirts and pants, and no tie for my brother. If anyone would like us to flaunt convention and just come as we are, it would be my grandmother. Afterwards, the family and friends will head to a local restaurant for lunch. I expect it to be a little bittersweet to reminisce and catch up with everyone. Being the world traveler, my grandmother would appreciate that we're coming in from all parts, especially my mom, who is flying in from Bavaria.

When I get back from Raleigh, I'll have a week at work, and then head to the U.P. It really feels like summer is here.

I told you he was good

2007-06-14T07:27:00.001-05:00

After tracking down the problem, acquiring this thingie, and spending at least an hour on the phone with our Internet provider, D restored our access to the web! Yay! So what makes a router go bad? A power surge? We're not sure when the old router quit working, since our computer was just automatically connecting us to whatever wireless network it could find. Ooops. I would apologize to our neighbors if I had any idea who they were.

Now where was I? Oh yes, Graduation Day. Don't let the bright sunshine fool you, it poured a bit later and our celebratory cookout got moved indoors.

Libby got to hang with her favorite boy toy, Carson:
And on the way home, my exhausted girl enjoyed the full width of the back seat. See Karen, how's that for a companion animal money shot?
Fast forward to World Wide KIP Day 2007, which was over way to fast. I spent a couple of hours over at the annual Printers Row Book Fair with GirlReaction and then walked over to the park, where I joined my usual KIP group. The turnout was great, but I took all of one picture.

From left to right, there's new Chicagoan/new knitter/nonblogger Molly, Sturdy Girl, Bonne Marie, and Mary McCain. Three out of four are wearing their handknits!
I think that catches me up. I've got a few WIPs in rotation. More about those later. And yes, I realize they're all red, purple, or pink. What can I say.

Please stand by

2007-06-07T07:23:00.000-05:00

We've got only sporadic access to the internet because our provider is being flakey. Or maybe it's our wireless router that's being flakey. Can't stay on long enough to upload photos and I'm not even sure this post is going to make it through.

But have no fear! My tech support team (my handsome man), is on the job and will get to the bottom of it. See you soon with a WIP pic and a mega money shot for my trendsetting friend Karen.

A postcard from the weekend

2007-06-04T08:29:00.001-05:00

Grandma couldn't be prouder.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-06-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, people!

Here's a little more eye candy for you. I'm all about the pink lately.

My glorious pink peony from yesterday's post is already dropping petals. That didn't take long, did it? I'm glad I got the picture before it was gone.

Today we're packing up the car for a quick trip to St. Louis. Lib gets nervous when she sees luggage, but she's going to like seeing her BFF Carson Lee. We're going to whoop and cheer on Saturday morning when one of D's nieces graduates from dental school. How cool is that! And she's job hunting in Chicago. Even cooler!

Enjoy the spring weather, y'all. See you next week.

The unofficial start of summer

2007-05-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend, even though we stayed home most of the time to work on the house.

On Friday night we went to the garden center so that we could fill up the planters on the front stoop, the flower boxes in the back yard, and that narrow little bed that runs along the back fence. We got everything planted and swept up before it started drizzling rain. Perfect timing.

On Saturday and Sunday we tackled the kitchen and either threw out or gave away a bunch of stuff we no longer need, and then reorganized what was left. Top to bottom, it all got attention. The place looks better, it's sparkling clean, and it feels great to have a new kitchen.

It wasn't all work, though. Since a lot of Chicagoans were out of town, we snagged a table at the tiny new Neopolitan pizza place. We took a bottle of wine and had a fresh spinach salad with goat cheese, sweet strawberries, and balsamic vinegar dressing, a plate of grilled calamari with garlic, lemon and olive oil, and a thin crust roasted vegetable pizza. The service was charming and attentive. Our only disappointment was not having enough room for the locally-made gelato. We're giving Sapore di Napoli 4 stars. And that bottle of red after a long day wasn't bad either. ;)

The long weekend also gave me time to pop into the bead store to find a sterling chain for my mom's new dogwood pendant. I'm pretty sure she'll like it. It's truly wearable art from Jenna's etsy shop -- she drew the flower on a piece of that shrinky dink plastic and then baked it.
I'm also sending my mom a pair of socks. Trekking XXL color 109, knit on US size 1 Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, 72 stitches, flap heel. I didn't think this yarn needed any fancy stitchwork. The Haphazard Knitter just happened to be casting on with the same colorway, and she said she was using #1s & 72 stitches, so I did the same. We won't mention the fact that she got her's done in a few weeks and that I needed a few months.

And looka, the peony that was camera shy last week has become a big show off. Maybe I should have saved this for Eye Candy Friday.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-05-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, people!

We were going to spend the three-day weekend in Da Yupee, but my guy talked me into staying home so that we can "get things done." We've got some purge/organize type projects to work on indoors, and we're going to finish planting the garden outdoors.

Many of our outdoor plants didn't survive the winter. I think it's because it was so dry in the Fall, and then so cold/hot/cold during the winter. My lavender plant is only about 1/3 the size it was last year. The greatest lost was a fragrant rose bush that we inherited from the previous homeowner. It was probably at least 20 years old. It makes me a little heartsick to think we lost a vintage, non-hybridized plant. We're going to find another rose, but it's not going to be the same, it won't be the gorgeous dark red one that was planted by the little German man that used to live here.

Our peony survived, though. The ants are still hard at work removing the wax from the buds, so it's not quite camera ready. The peony in the picture lives in our friends' side yard. Maybe our's will be camera ready by the end of the weekend, and I can photograph it with a (gasp) new FO.

See you next week. :)

What's for lunch?

2007-05-24T07:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I walked over to the Daley Center on my lunchbreak. Asian American Festival is going on all this week, so the plaza is filled with entertainment and booths of food, jewelry and home decorations.

I had a big bowl of Pad Thai and a mango lassi, and got to watch the fabulous dancers from Saint Therese Chinese Catholic School. The boys were dragons, and the girls performed the Ribbon Dance (girls in the bright pink), the Peacock Dance (girls in the light green), and the Pig Dance (little girls in the light pink tutus). Aren't they cute?
Today promises to be another bright, sunny day, a perfect one for lunch on the plaza. If you want to see the entertainers, be there between noon to 1:30.

Light a fire

2007-05-21T07:13:00.000-05:00

We're back from a weekend in the Upper Peninsula. The snow was gone and the seedlings were up, but it was still cold.
Cold enough that we needed to keep the fireplace stoked, and cold enough to snow on Saturday night.
There was also another kind of fire.
The guys spent most of the weekend working with the blow torch, soldering a bunch of leaks in the water pipes, which formed when the electric service failed last winter and the water pipes froze and then burst. The electricity was off for about 2 months, so there was a lot of damage.
While the guys worked on the plumbing, the girls did a spring cleaning on the yard, the gravel driveway, and the dusty house.
Next trip, we'll have time to walk through the woods, instead of just driving by it, on the way to and from the house.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-05-18T07:10:00.001-05:00

The color for the day is pink!

We're packing up for a trip to the U.P. this weekend. It might be a little early in the season -- hopefully not too chilly. We'll be busy opening up the house, but I'm also taking 2 cameras, and will be on the hunt for some interesting plant life. See you soon.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-05-11T07:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday and Happy Mothers Day to all the moms!

It's going to be a busy weekend. Tonight there are three events for me to pick from -- Looptopia, which is Chicago's first dusk-to-dawn arts and culture gathering (film, music, visual art, theater, dance, poetry, and, yep, knitting), a workshop with Dr. Svoboda on ayurveda, and a workshop with Paul Grilley on yin yoga. If my energy holds up, I'll be able to do one workshop and then join Looptopia.

On Saturday and Sunday we'll be setting up a new senior apartment for D's mom and celebrating Mothers Day. D's sisters are driving in from Ohio and Indiana, so there will be lots of laughs and bustling about. D's mom is sad and anxious about moving, and not ready to leave her house, so for now, the apartment will be a second residence, with a blend of new furniture and her old favorites.

OK, for the Eye Candy .... I couldn't pick a favorite, so today's a twofer. See ya next week. :)

Bohus, Poems of Color, and Kimmet Croft Fibers

2007-05-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder how the patterns in Poems of Color and the Kimmet Croft Fibers compare to the vintage Bohus Stickning sweaters? This photo went a long way in explaining in to me.

Both hats employ the Blue Shimmer color work that Anna-Lisa Mannheimer Lunn designed in 1947, and are part of Susanna Hansson's collection.

The hat on the left is the Poems of Color version, knit at a gauge of 7 stitches per inch, in Kimmet Croft Fibers' Fairy Hare (60/40% Rambouillet wool/Angora).

The hat on the right is from a kit sold by Solveig Gustaffson, knit at a gauge of 8.5 stitches per inch in yarn she hand dyed to match the original Bohus fibers (50/50 wool/Angora).

Bohus Stickning, the sweaters I can't name

2007-05-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the last of the photos from Susanna Hansson's Bohus Stickning workshop. She had names for all of vintage sweaters she brought, but I don't remmember them all.

This yellow one has a gorgeous combination of colors, including a strand of hot pink (click for bigger or to look at other views). It looked like it was never worn, but not many people are flattered by bright yellow:

I like this one almost as much as the Large Lace Collar. It reminds me of burnt toast:

Susanna must have said the name of this one about a dozen times. I think it was something like the Dark Palm:

Hats are probably my favorite type of handknit. I have lots of them, but I'm always thinking about more, and I wish this one was mine:

A pair of tams that were probably designed by the knitter:

And, last but not least, a cardigan that's quite unlike the others. It's my favorite. Susanna pointed out that some of the triangles are purled and some are knit. Also, it's kind of felted (well-loved):

I didn't mention that Solveig Gustafsson offers a few kits for making a tam and scarf set or a hat and scarf set. I think I'm going to order the tam kit in the Large Lace Collar pattern.

Bohus Stickning, the Large Lace Collar

2007-05-07T19:26:00.000-05:00

Here's another one of the vintage sweaters in Susanna Hansson's collection, done in the Large Lace Collar pattern, which was designed in 1960 by Karin Ivarsson (click on photo for bigger):

Here's the same pattern appearing in a Bohus Stickning advert (click on photo for bigger):

Mmmmm, do you think they intended for one to wear a matching hat, sweater and mittens gloves. Seems a bit much.

Regardless, if you've fallen in love with this striking pattern, Solveig Gustafsson is selling kits here with exquisite, hand dyed yarn for making either a pullover or jacket version. Maybe there would be enough leftovers for making a pair of those mittens gloves.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-05-04T05:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Here's some blooms we saw that the local garden center. We didn't take these home -- we went pink instead.

Bohus Stickning, the Myrten

2007-05-03T08:03:00.000-05:00

I tried doing a mosaic so that these photos would load faster, but I didn't succeed. So, without further ado, here are photos of Susanna Hansson's vintage Myrten sweater with replacement button. It was designed by Kirsten Olson in 1963. The yoke was knit from the top down, then the stitches for the back, front, and sleeves were segregated and knit flat, because side seams were a sign of quality.

Susanna Hansson's Bohus Stickning workshop

2007-05-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

In mid-April, Susanna Hansson, a Swede who has been living in the U.S. for about 25 years, traveled from her Seattle home to teach knitting workshops in Chicago for the Windy City Knitting Guild.

Susanna offers about a dozen different workshops focusing on garment shaping and finishing techniques, as well as bead knitting, modular knitting, and an introduction to Bohus Stickning (sounds like boo-hooos, not beau-haus).

Bohus Stickning was a Swedish handknit business that sold fine gauge luxury sweaters and accessories in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The enterprise was started during war time as a way for women of Sweden's Gothenburg and Bohus counties to earn money without leaving home.

Susanna brought vintage garments she has been collecting for approximately a decade. I've got photos but I'll save them for another post. It was obvious from their buttery soft angora/wool blend and intricate color work why authentic sweaters sold for several hundred dollars even during the 1940s and spawned copies and commercial patterns.

She also brought a colorful slide show, some Bohus books, and kits for our workshop project, the Blue Shimmer wristlet:

The workshop project required the tiniest needles (for me, size 000s) and yarn with such subtle color differences that it was difficult to choose the right skein at the right time. The colors are apparent in the full skeins, but not so much when I was working with just the 2-ply strands.

The angora/wool blend yarn that Susanna brought with her is hand dyed (painstakingly!) in Sweden by Solveig Gustafsson to match the original Bohus yarn. Solveig sells Bohus kits on her website, but if you want to make the Blue Shimmer Wristlet, you'll have to take Susanna's class. Here's a vintage hat and a new wristlet:

Bohus Stickning designs incorporated not only subtle color changes, but also well-placed knit and purl stitches:

After a full day of instruction and knitting, we gathered all our wristlets together and admired our work. (Really, it wasn't just Susanna, there's a whole bunch of camera shy women on the other side of the table.)
Susanna is a wonderful teacher. Although she's been leading workshops for a few years, she's not as well known as other instructors, probably only because she is not a prolific writer. Search her out, she's wonderful. :)

Swimmingly

2007-05-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

I've been at the pool and the yoga studio, but I do have some knitting to show you. Bohus and WIPs coming soon.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-04-27T07:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! It's been rainy and chilly for about a week, and this little tulip is reluctant to make its debut.

Yes, but will the dog like it?

2007-04-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

Libby isn't loving the smell of her new Farmstead Natural Dog Shampoo bar, which is probably a good thing.

Remember when we vacationed in the southwest last January? When we were in Santa Fe I got to indulge in some time at the Japanese-style spa Ten Thousand Waves, where I found this handcrafted, locally-made muscle salve containing arnica, St. John's wort, olive oil, beeswax, and lavender:

It's got some other ingredients, but those are the high notes.

I started using this wonderful concoction on my sore shoulder every night before dozing off, and my aches and pains were really improving. One night, though, I left it on top of the nightstand instead of putting into the little drawer, and the next day, while we were at work, Lib found it and consumed the entire jar. I think I had this little treasure for less than 2 weeks, and it was all gone:

I ordered some more from the woman who makes it, but the package from Jae Bird got waylaid and it took about a month to arrive in Chicago. Such a drag. And then I forgot again, left it out on the nightstand, and the new jar almost met the same fate:

Since there's no such thing as a muscle salve for my memory, it's probably for the best that I search out skin care products made from edible, organic ingredients. I've been doing that since I learned skin ingests whatever goes on it, including shampoo, soap, lotion, and cosmetics.

When I did the spring cleanse this year, the Ayurvedic physician had me use a bottle of Spectrum Naturals cold-pressed corn oil for the daily self-abhyanga (a massage that stimulates the lymph system). It seemed a little weird to be finding my massage oil in the cooking oil and spices aisle at the grocery store, but it made sense, so I did it.

Any way, the Jae Bird salve joins some hand poured soap, pots of rich hand cream, and a bottle of massage oil that have been lapped up by my favorite canine. At this point, I kind of know what she likes, and think of her when I'm shopping for moisturizer.

I showed Lib her new "treat" this morning, and she didn't try to lick it, so we're good.

Going Green

2007-04-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

On Saturday afternoon we rode bikes down the lake front path to attend the Green Festival at McCormick Place. We're bike commuters, so pedaling 20 miles without car traffic was a lot of fun, and even earned us 1/2 off the price of admission.

There were speakers, yoga classes and, most of all, vendors. Hundreds of them! We talked with people about low toxicity housing materials, low impact condominium developments, a new Chicago cohousing project that is searching for a building site, tankless water heaters, socially conscious investment funds, green lifestyle magazines and satellite radio stations, self-help books, raw food, organic tea, coffee, locally-harvested honey, energy bars, dietary supplements, yogurt drinks, organic hemp and bamboo clothing, vegan shoes, yoga mats, handbags made from recycled vinyl billboards, reuseable cotton shopping totes, natural skin care and body scents...

Get the picture? We wandered around for at least 3 hours, and I can't remember all the stuff we talked about, looked at, and sampled or chowed on in the food court.

Some of my favorite finds were skin care products from Baraboo, Wisconsin's Four Elements Herbals, and Toronto's Living Libations. This summer we'll take one of Scotch Hill Farm's Farmstead Natural Dog Shampoo Bars up to the lake house in the Upper Peninsula and find out if Lib likes it any better than liquid shampoo. OK, she probably won't like getting a bath regardless, but at least this bar is scented with essential oils and smells way better than her usual, chemically stuff. It's made from a base of goats milk and I think I recognize a few ingredients that are natural insect repellants, like penny royal and lavender.

I was surprised to see handspun yarn, fiber, and busy spinners from Rockville, Illinois' Esther's Place . The spinners drew quite a crowd (mostly men and children). I was tempted by their colorful felting kits, but I stuck to my yarn diet.

I even found things I wasn't looking for, like Chyawanprash (an Ayurvedic product), and this really cool stainless steel container from Berkeley's To-Go Ware for carrying my lunch. It looks sort of like a tea pot, huh?

When I did the Ayurvedic spring cleanse last March, I wasn't really happy about carrying my lunch to work in plastic tubs, but there didn't seem to be any other practical option. And I've been trying to pack my lunch more often, so this came in good time.

We also happened upon Soul Vegetarian's booth in the food court. I've heard good things about this south side restaurant for years, but it's too far away for us to patronize, unless we planned ahead, and there are so many wonderful options closer to home. We had some sort of marinated seitan, kale, mashed sweet potatoes, and cornbread. It wasn't low calorie food, but it was very, very good.

This was the Green Festival's first year in Chicago, and I hope it returns. We came away with great information and products and would definitely go again.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-04-20T08:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Chicago is having marvelous Springy weather this weekend, but I'm not fooled into thinking it's here to stay. It's not Spring until it's safe to head to the garden center and load up on gorgeous tender plants for our flower beds. Let's see what this next week brings us.

I'm still having issues with the photos I took at the Bohus workshop, but this one seems to be OK:

Susanna, Bohus, and more photos to follow

2007-04-17T07:03:00.000-05:00

Susanna Hansson's Bohus workshop was fabulous! I want to write up a class summary and upload all the cool photos she let me take, but instead I've been fixing a problem created by my photo editing software. You know, all that spare time I have.

Isn't it Spring yet?

2007-04-13T07:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I wanted to take a pretty spring picture this afternoon and upload it before we went for dinner, just in time for Eye Candy Friday, but the weather today is not so spring-like and we're having a dinner guest/house guest, so that's probably not a realistic plan.

One of D's sisters is coming over (he's got 5 sisters). She's been vacationing in Florida, and will spend the weekend in Chicago before heading home to northern Ohio.

She probably thought it was safe to come back north in April. Ha. I hope she knew about the blecky, snow-on-the-spring-buds type of weather we've been having lately! We're going to enjoy her sunny disposition no matter what Old Man Winter is trying to pull. :)

Knitters, if you like to make socks, scamper like a bunny over to Alison's Blue Blog and sign up for a sock exchange pal. Due to high demand, as in 800+ knitters, the signups for Sockapalooza 4 are going to close early. Hurry, it's last call already:

The ladies at Schoolhouse Press rock!

2007-04-12T08:19:00.000-05:00

This weekend I'll be taking a Bohus stickning workshop with Susanna Hansson.

I'm so excited about this class! I've admired the Bohus style for about 15 years, but this is my first chance to see and feel actual Bohus sweaters and study with an expert. I hope Susanna lets me take pictures!

Susanna is bringing us the yarn to make wristlets in the Blue Shimmer pattern, and all we have to do is bring our needles. Teeny tiny needles, in sizes ranging from 1.50 mm to 3.00 mm, because we don't know what we'll need to get gauge. A 2mm is smaller than a Chibi and 1.5 mm resembles a sewing needle.

A while back I had to special order the 2 mm/size 0 needles I like to use for sock knitting, so I knew it would be tough to find the 1.75 mm and 1.5 mm sizes for this class. And then I completely forgot to order them. Thankfully, my classmate Corinne reminded me about a week ago, which is just barely enough time to order and receive a package in the mail. I threw myself at the mercy of the ladies at Schoolhouse Press, and they came through! They shut early on Good Friday, but still managed to fill and mail my order before they left for the weekend.
When D handed me the package on Monday afternoon, my eyes got buggy. I should have known that the home office of Zimmermania would take care of me. I heart Schoolhouse Press. ;)

FO Report -- Knitted Easter Bunny

2007-04-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

Beginning knitters take note -- this little bunny is quick and easy to make.

I whipped it up in about 2 hours while I was teaching a friend how to knit. All I had to do was knit a little square, sew it into the bunny shape, add the stuffing, and then knit and attach the ears and pom pom tail.

Materials: a leftover fistful of Lamb's Pride Worsted, 5mm/US#8 needles, a Chibi tapestry needle to sew the square into a bunny shape, a fistful of toy stuffing. I pinched together the small snips of yarn that were left from stitching up the bunny legs and tummy, added a few more bits, and had the tiny pom pom tail.

If you used smaller yarn and needles to make your square, you could get by with even less yardage. Also, this little bunny requires just the smallest bit of toy stuffing, and if you didn't want to search out a whole bag of it, you could probably just fluff up some of those fake cotton balls.

The little bunny lived with me for a couple of weeks, but on Easter I gave it to the friend I was teaching to knit.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-04-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm here and I'm still blogging! I've just had a very busy Spring. I've been at the yoga studio (mostly Vinyasa with the occasional Bikram or Ashtanga class), the swimming pool, caught up in a 2-week Ayurvedic spring cleanse, spring cleaning around the homestead, and most recently, studying Thai bodywork. To say I feel great is a bit of an understatement, but there's been little time for me to make stuff or take photographs.

At any rate, I was inspired to photograph these colorful, undyed eggs that I found at the local grocery store.
Kalona Organics calls them Natural Beauties, and says they're laid by a South American hen called an Auracana, Ameraucana, or Easter Egg hen, and can be blue, green, grey, tan, olive, or even pink. I had no idea!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.

Crocheting For Knitters

2007-02-26T12:14:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I took part in Judi Swartz's Crocheting for Knitters workshop, and loved it. Judi is a wealth of information -- she's authored numerous knitting patterns, as well as Hip to Crochet and Getting Started In Crochet, and she used to manage a Chicago yarn store.

The all-day workshop was at the perfect pace for a novice crocheter like myself. My previous crocheting was limited to a one-hour private lesson with Cathy Montoya, followed by some fiddling with a few crocheted accents and Doris Chan's Crocheted Slippers pattern from the Fall 2005 Knitscene:

So I already felt comfortable doing the stitches, but like I didn't really know when to use crocheting instead of knitting.

Judi taught us how to add borders, including what pickup ratio to use, and how to use crocheting instead of the mattress stitch to seam knitted pieces. We also had time to make a few accents. Judi set a relaxed tone, and instead of my usual M.O. of worrying about getting the stitches perfect, I just stitched merrily along, ignored the glitches, and kept up with the rest of the class. Yes, my samples turned out wonky, but they're done and they're mine. :)

Check this out -- I blocked my swatches before I went to class, and took a picture of the bathwater because I couldn't believe how much oil and dirt I got from half of one skein of Philosopher's Wool.

This is Dark Purple Heather and Light Purple Heather from their Woodland color scheme:

The unwashed wool is a little grabby to work with, but it smells wonderful, and the heathers are gorgeous.

After lunch we worked on edging a scarf. Judi had instructions and samples for fancy edge stitches, but since my knitted scarf was visually complex, she suggested doing a simple picot (those are picots, not super wonky stitches sticking out on the bottom left sample above). Step 1 is to add single crochet to all the borders, which I can finish during my commute. Step 2 will be to add the picot.

You can see that the left side of the orange scarf is rolling under by about half an inch, and that the right side with the applied crochet is already lying flatter, even pre-blocking:

This scarf was my motivation for taking the class, so I couldn't be happier.

The long and the short of it: if you get a chance to learn from Judi Swartz, jump on it, she's a great teacher, and if you can't learn from her in person, seek out her books.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-02-23T07:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, guys! I've been out of my routine all this week, but in a good way. I've been doing lots of laps at the pool, going out for dinner, and last night, basking in the sauna forevah before a long massage. I slept like a baby and feel awesome!

D's been fending for himself for dinner, and I think one night all that he had was a big bowl of popcorn. Not that he's complaining. Sometimes it's nice to grab just a little something, right?

We've got a wet, cold weekend in the forecast and I still need to do my homework for Sunday's crochet workshop, so I fired up the slowcooker this morning for a quick-prep but cozy home-cooked meal.

I started with sauted handfuls of onion and carrot, 2 cups of mushroom broth from a box (must learn how to make this myself), half a cube of vegetable bullion, 1 1/2 cups of navy beans that soaked overnight, gobs of fresh herbs tucked into a muslin bag, and a dry California bay leaf. I've got the slow cooker on "low" for the rest of the day.

On the way home tonight I'll pick up a fresh baguette and some salad fixings. And maybe something for dessert. No, no dessert! I don't want to undo all the laps I put in this week.

Mmmm, it's going to be a great weekend. See you all next week. I'll have pics from the workshop.

Last Day of Ketel Cam

2007-02-18T09:32:00.000-06:00

The girls had one last play session in the snow:

And then we all had to say good bye to Ketel. She'll be spending the weekend with other family members and then going home after Presidents' Day (Monday). So here's just a couple more photos for her vacationing mom & dad.

I think there were moments when Lib was a little jealous of our affection for Ketel, but all in all, she enjoyed having all the play time. Ketel was a perfect houseguest, and she's welcome back any time! Isn't she just the cutest little girl?
Bye. We'll miss you, honey.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-02-16T08:56:00.000-06:00

A better picture of Ketel:

I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't mention that Ketel is D's cousin's dog, and that she's staying with us while the cousin and his wife are skiing in Vail. They've called us every day to check on their baby! Not to worry guys, she and Lib are still having a ball.

It wasn't easy capturing her in a moment of rest. Even when I told her she had to stay on her bed, she kept flopping around, trying to entice me or Lib into a game. Lib, being the sedate 7 year old, prefers lounging most of the time, but there's been a lot of this going on: Lib's going to be all ti ti by the end of Ketel's visit.

Hey, is it just me, or does Ketel resemble Gerhart Schmidbauer (pictured on the upper right in this link)?

House Guest

2007-02-15T07:27:00.000-06:00

My crafting time has been crimped since Tuesday by the arrival of a house guest. Meet Ketel:

Click for bigger
She's a 9-month-old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (also known as a French wire-haired Korthals Pointing Griffon or Griffon d'arrêt à poil dur Korthals), and will be staying with us until Saturday.

She's about Libby's size, but has a lot more energy to spare. People, I'm up to my eyeballs in puppy power! Even the dogwalker asked if the girls could just play in the yard instead of walking around the neighborhood. We're on Day 2, however, so I'm hoping that some of that excited energy is cooling off.

I intend to get some action shots of our happy house guest, which shouldn't be too hard. Unless she's moving too much!

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T08:11:00.000-06:00

It's not snowing any more, but there's so much on the ground it's going to be here for a while. Hey, it's February in Chicago! Happy Valentine's Day!

WIP Report -- Simple Trekking Socks

2007-02-13T07:18:00.000-06:00

I had a three-day weekend, but never sat down to graft the red lace scarf. Instead, I ran long overdue errands, put some books on ebay, washed sweaters and hats, and played with Lib in the snow.

I have to be in a more patient mood to sit and graft 170 stitches.

It's too bad I have to go to work because today would be the perfect day to spend on the couch with a time-consuming project. We got an overnight snow fall and we're supposed to get a lot more. Maybe a foot. D shoveled the sidewalk before he left and it's already hard to see the concrete.

I've got some mindless knitting in progress for the commute. A pretty new shade of Trekking XXL in muted purples and blues.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-02-09T08:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, People!

A hand drawn and hand embroidered original (about 41" x 20"):

Closeups:

WIP Report -- Almost Lost in Translation scarf or shawl

2007-02-08T07:15:00.000-06:00

Lib usually sleeps by herself on her own fluffy bed, but it's been so cold lately that we've been letting her get under the covers with us. This worked out great for 3 or 4 nights. The other night, though, she woke us up about a dozen times by poking D or me with a stiff arm, running in her sleep, or standing up, turning around at least 3 times, and then settling back in. Both D and I overslept and felt crummy all day, so Lib's been banished back to her own bed.

I don't have much crafting to show you. We've been back from vacay for a while now, but instead of crafting, I've been catching up on bloglines, reorganizing my stash and library, and buying yarn.

My only project lately has been my mom's red triangular scarf. It's the one based on this pattern:

And it's the one that turned out too small, even though I achieved the pattern's dimensions. :(

My solution is to knit the piece at the top of this photo (which I did during the vacation), and then graft it onto the existing triangle. I'm not so sure I can graft lace, but doesn't it sound better than reknitting the whole thing?

Lifelines are in place, so the plan is to graft and hopefully block this weekend. Wish me luck!

Books available

2007-02-06T07:35:00.000-06:00

When I was going through my library to find places for my recent acquisitions, I found a couple of Debbie Bliss books I should part with. They are both lovely and in great condition, but I haven't used either recently. So in the spirit of the new year and all, I am going to let them go.

Great Knits for Kids, 27 Classic Designs for Infants to Ten-Year-Olds (1997) is a hardback and New Baby Knits, More than 30 patterns for 0-3 year olds (1991) is a paperback. $7 each + Media Mail postage. I would give a better description, but I overslept and am running out the door. If you're interested, please send me an email: sweetfigs on gmail.

Edited to add: I wound up selling these on ebay for a lot more than 7 bucks apiece. Ebay made some money too. Oh well, so much for giving someone a bargain.

additions to the library

2007-02-05T07:20:00.000-06:00

I've recently come across some treasures to add to my library.

First up, Nature Printing, by Laura Donnelly Bethmann. It's a how-to book about making prints with objects like fresh herbs, flowers, leaves, bird feathers, and sea shells.

The book is thin, but full of tips about collecting and preparing materials, and what makes for suitable papers, tools, and inks.

I haven't finished reading it yet, but already I'm inspired to take a few watercolor paints and blank greeting cards up to the Upper Penninsula this summer. I found my copy locally but I've seen other copies on the internet.

Next up, this dear little Peter Rabbit cookbook. I wanted it mostly because the illustrations are so sweet, but it does offer many easy recipies, and all of them are vegetarian. Jems like wheat germ muffins, fresh blueberry cobbler, and carrot cookies. This copy was de-acquisitioned by the Memphis, Tennessee library system and sold on ebay.

Another ex-library book that I found on ebay is the book on the right, a copy of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac. You already know what's inside, so I won't bother with the details. It's a hardback with a dust jacket. Perfect!

And, the best for last! On the left is the February-March 1957 issue of Vogue Pattern Book. It holds Elizabeth Zimmermann's very first commercially published pattern. The first ever! I started searching for this 50-year magazine when I came back from the EZ exhibit in Wisconsin last December.

I fell in love with this sweater at the exhibit.

I don't know if I will ever knit such an intricate aran, especially at this small gauge, but I love having this little connection to EZ. Instead of receiving cash for her two knitting patterns, Elizabeth was credited as the source for the wool, and the mention launched the mail order business that survives to this day.

A couple more beauties from the pattern catalog:

Perhaps you want your own copies. Each of the books was about $5, and although the magazine was a bit pricier, it's well worth it.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-02-02T07:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!

This is the flowering bulb that's currently gracing my bathroom. It not only looks great, it smells great and makes the whole downstairs smell like a greenhouse. Outside it's all of 7 F/-14 C, damp, salty, and windy. Brrr. Inside = better!

See you guys Monday. Go Bears!

There's no place like home

2007-02-01T07:29:00.000-06:00

I would not have enjoyed our vacation if we'd left Lib in the hands of a kennel. Just the thought of being in close quarters with all those stressed out, lonely dogs gives even me the willies.

So when we travel and can't take Lib, our dogwalker and her own pack of canines stay over with Lib.

Our dogwalker had this photo of Lib and her dogs, Ernie and Luna, waiting for us when when got back from Texas. Wasn't that a nice touch? It reminds me of those photos from summer camp. You know, those photos of you and a bunch of kids that you've just spent the whole summer bonding with but your parents have only met them once.

I don't think Lib missed us a bit.

Vacationing in the Southwest, Austin to Chicago

2007-01-31T19:45:00.000-06:00

What to do in Austin?

We get ¡Texas fever! by visiting the new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. You know that saying, "everything's bigger in Texas"? Look at the size of this lone star sculpture! For comparison, D is in the left corner of the photo.

The museum is downtown, just a stone’s throw from the capital and the UT Austin campus.

Since we’re here while Congress and the college students are on break, it’s easy to get around and park our rental car, but good luck any other time of the year.

We arrive just in time to catch the movie in the Spirit of Texas theater. It's well worth the extra $3.50, even though it lasts for only 10 minutes.

The exhibits take up three floors, but they get less and less interesting with each flight. I think we spend at least an hour looking at the artifacts on the first floor and about 10 minutes at the top.

Near UT, we stop for breakfast (available 24 hours) at one of my most favorite places in Austin, Kerbey Lane Cafe. Mmmm, the migas plate.

South of the capital, we wander around the hip SoCo neighborhood,
where there’s lots of good food, at tex-mex places like Guero’s, El Soy y La Luna, and the home cooking place we enjoy this time, The Woodman The Woodland (new, no website, great service, great reviews).

There’s also fun little shops, like Uncommon Objects.
See how the cowboy's neon rope twirls in a big circle above his head? It must have been fun to make this sign.

Across the street is Hill Country Weavers, which I would happily call my LYS if I lived in Austin. Friendly staff and all the yarn brands I can think of.

I found this coral Zephyr (50% Chinese Tussah silk, 50% Merino wool), which will make a nice souvenir of our visit in the southwest.
Maybe a Swallowtail Shawl.

We also marvel at the flagship location of Whole Foods market at Sixth and Lamar. I thought we had it pretty good in Chicago, but we don’t have 80,000 square feet of amazing food. The takeout bars are really something. When I called my sisters to ask them if there was anything we should miss in Austin, they both mentioned a stop at this store.

Our schedule permits 2 nights in and around Austin, and then it's time to head south, to see my sister and catch our flight home.

What to do in San Antonio? Mostly we have a great time hanging out with my family and friends.

We also visit the Alamo and the Riverwalk.

D is underwhelmed by both. He says the Alamo is dinky and that the photos he's seen of the riverwalk must be taken from the very best angles. I guess he was expecting something like the Chicago River, but it's more like a wide creek.

That's it, trip's over. I'll edit to add a few more photos, but here's one final shot of D hanging out in my sister's backyard. Doesn't he look better than he did when we started out? I got in trouble for posting his airport photo. See honey, here you are, more like yourself, but with that mellow vacation vibe.

Vacationing in the Southwest, Alpine to Austin, TX

2007-01-29T21:51:00.000-06:00

Another entry written during our last days on vacation:

By the time we cross the border from New Mexico to west Texas in the late afternoon, I’m bored with driving and happily give the wheel to D for the final 3 hours to Alpine. It’s been almost a week since his hernia surgery, and although he’s not ready to run a marathon, the driving around here is pretty easy. Flat roads, no traffic, and broad daylight.

So you’ve never heard about all the fun things to do in west Texas? Well … people don’t usually vacation in west Texas, unless they’ve got family to visit like we do, or they’re going all the way to the Big Bend National Park, which is even further off the beaten track than our destination.
We, however, spend 2 very pleasant days catching up with D’s brother. We try to photograph the deer and roadrunner traipsing about, but they won’t cooperate. D’s little mom is also here for a few days, so you know we don’t miss any meals.

The next morning we start the 6 hour drive east to Austin. When we leave Alpine, it’s just us and a few pickup trucks. Once we make it onto IH 10, it’s just us, a few pickup trucks, and the longhaul trucks. No towns, no billboards, and no radio reception. It starts to get a bit monotonous. The long haulers bear names like E.L. Farmer and Co., Fleetwood Transportation, and Sunbelt Express. We’re so restless, I bet D that the next truck we pass won’t have any e’s in the name of the trucking company. He says 20 bucks, but I say 5. It’s Paul A. Ward Trucking Co! What are the odds! Should have made it 20.

The drive gets much more interesting when we get into the Texas hill country. It's beautiful here, even in the winter. And we get to stay with friends just outside of Austin! These next photos are mostly for D’s brother, who hasn‘t yet seen their place. Here’s the entrance to their property (make note of the double C logo on the fence). There’s a shed off to the right, and the house is off to the left.

Here’s their cute little house. The left half is the guest house we stay in and the right half is their residence.

Our hosts maintain an “open space” or “ag” exemption on their property taxes by fencing off the acre or two around their house and running livestock on the rest. So out the front door, just on the other side of the wire fence, cows:

And this is Sunny, their lovable 7 month old Border Collie:

Sunny tries to herd me when I run around the yard playing with her and she can’t stop picking on the sweet cat. Lots of energy that one. I really miss my Libby.

These girls are Chula and Tootsie, mini dachshunds, who are house dogs and can be coaxed under the covers with us. See the white double C logo on Tootsie’s hip?

That’s a freeze brand,
which I thought they only did with livestock.

Isn’t this the coolest place? We really like it, and like our hosts even more.

Ok, is this interesting, or like being subjected to someone's home movies? I've got a few more Texas photos to share, and then the vacation is over. :)

Vacationing in the Southwest, Ruidoso, New Mexico to Alpine, Texas

2007-01-23T20:41:00.000-06:00

Another entry written while traveling.

There’s a couple of different ways we could get from Ruidoso to Carlsbad, NM, and we opt to take the one that leads south through the mountains of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation to Cloudcroft (Route 70), and then east and south to Carlsbad (Route 82 to Route 285). A few minutes after we’ve entered the reservation, we see a wild elk.

A couple minutes after that, we come upon a herd of beautiful horses, one of which was on our side of the fence. Isn’t he gorgeous?

Mostly we see just the occasional house, dirt road, and herd of cows. After spending an hour or so winding through the low Sacramento mountain range, we come to the town of Cloudcroft (elevation 8,600 feet, population 764), where there’s lots of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding. Cloudcroft is small and remote, and we’d like to stay over, but today we’re trying to cover some ground.

Before we know it, we’ve left the snowy conifer forests and are in the warm desert around Carlsbad, where we’ve planned to spend a few hours in the vast underground caverns.

It's dark in the caverns and there's no way my camera could take in the scale of the amazing formations, so if you're not familiar with this area, check out the pictures on the park service’s site, like this one, and others here. Let me put it this way: when we first walked in, I was amazed by the size of the caverns, and then we turned a corner and saw there was far more. It went on like that for a good 20 minutes. Huge!

While we’re walking around the enormous caverns, we come across a park ranger who is doing one of those boring, painstakingly tasks that park rangers always get stuck with. She is cleaning accumulated dust/lint from one of the caverns walls. A vacuum would be too noisy and destructive to the delicate surface, so she wiggles a paint brush in the lint, it sticks to the brush fibers, and she flicks it into a little plastic baggie.

Our wireless internet access is getting spotty again, so I'm going to sign off before uploading the photos I took of flowering cacti and the flats of west Texas. They're more interesting than the lint lady pic, I swear. :)

Edited to add Carlsbad links above and the rest of the photos below.

What's above the caverns:

Flash Slideshow

From there we drive through the Guadalupe mountains in west Texas, on our way to visit with D's brother in Alpine:

Flash Slideshow

Vacationing in the Southwest, Santa Fe to Ruidoso

2007-01-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

This is another blog entry written while we lacked consistent internet access.

Another gorgeous day in Santa Fe. We slept in (woohooo, vacation!) and thankfully, D looks almost normal today. Yesterday, when he was hiccupping his way up and down the aisles of the unfamiliar health food store, he turned bright pink and looked so miserable. I hope we’ve seen the last of that.

We get the car loaded up (just call me Muscles) and then set out for a short drive around Santa Fe to get our bearings before we leave. We take the road that rings the oldest part of town, Paseo del Peralta, randomly turn off every now and then to explore the residential neighborhoods, cruise along Canyon Road, where there must be 100? art galleries, and then wend up into the hills, where the homes are further apart. We like all the pretty stucco houses and that we’ve avoided the tourist season, but we don't like the unplowed snow. Some streets are really clogged, and since I don't know my way around, I wind up taking a few bad ones that lead to even worse ones. D’s stomach muscles still hurt from his hernia surgery and I feel bad about jostling him.

On the way back to town we happen upon the very popular Santa Fe Baking Company. If you’re going to Santa Fe, put this place on your list. It’s a bakery-café, and even though it’s in a strip mall, it still manages to be cozy and a little off beat. The walls are brightly painted and filled with really good consigned art work, and there’s a guy playing guitar (it‘s the weekend). Next to a display case which is crammed full and then piled high with cookies, pastries and bread, a line of people wait to place their breakfast orders. We pick out some cookies to stash in the car and sit down to a feast of enormous blue corn pancakes, fresh fruit, poached eggs, pulpy OJ, and rich, dark coffee. This place is a 10.

OK, time’s up! We need to get on the road. No firm schedule, but we’re in northern New Mexico and we want to be down in west Texas by tomorrow night, so we need to drive 4-to-6 hours today. As we head south toward Albuquerque, it occurs to me that some of Santa Fe’s best, like it’s silver jewelry and artwork, have barely been a blip on our radar. Even on vacation, the things we’ve sought out here, like the health food store, bakery café, yoga studio, and massage therapist, are the things we gravitate to back home.

South of Albuquerque, we cross the infamous Rio Grande:

We get off Interstate 25 and take the smaller roads toward the southeast corner of the state. Gradually the desert and scrub brush give way to grasses.

We stop to admire what's left of an old mission church, the Abo Ruins of the Salinas Pueblo Mission.

If this isn’t enough of the Abo Ruins for you, there’s a big Abo Ruins pool on Flickr.

Back on the road, east of Abo:

Late in the afternoon we reach Ruidoso, a little town that’s boomed into a ski and snowboard haven with two Indian casinos. We hate it. Ok, maybe not all of it.

We do enjoy a delicious dinner at the Casa Blanca Restaurant, and D gets to have the southwest green chilis that he’s been hankering for.

But our lodging is horrid. We’ve taken a chance by staying at a non-chain, because, no offense to the hard-working people at the Comfort Inn across the street, but we don't want our only hotel option in every town in America to be a Comfort Inn. Good plan, bad execution.

At 6 am we quit trying to sleep in the cold, dirty, noisy, uncomfortable room and just get in the car. I don’t do my morning workout, shower, comb my hair, or even brush my teeth. I just get dressed, load the car, and turn the key.

It’s a shame that we don’t want to stay in Ruidoso long enough to check out what appears to be the perfect spot for some alpaca lace weight yarn, the Royal Fiber Spinnery. I also noticed a real cute quilt shop that might have been fun.

The silver lining to a crack-of-dawn departure is that we’ll have plenty of time to get to west Texas by tonight.

Vacationing in the Southwest, Chicago to Santa Fe

2007-01-15T15:21:00.000-06:00

Here’s the first of a few blog entries written while we had spotty internet access. Today's entry is long on text, the rest are mostly pictures.

Our southwest trip is underway and promises to be a very slow-paced trip. D had laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery shortly before we left Chicago, and for the next two weeks he’s supposed to take it easy and not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. This means I’m in charge of all the luggage and the driving, while he navigates our route. I like our role reversal, but he doesn’t, so it’s good for him.

Instead of taking the el to the airport, we hire a driver to get us there and then borrow a wheelchair from the airline. Even if we allowed lots of extra time to get up to the el platform and through the crowds, it would be impossible for me alone to carry both our suitcases, our coats, the laptop, cell phones, camera and their chargers, all the things we want on the plane, like a newspaper, magazines, bottled water, and the maps and CDs we brought for the driving portion of our trip.

We get to the airport super early and then “pre-board” the plane with the seniors and families with young children. When D first came home from the hospital, I had to help him sit up in bed or get out of a chair. Now he can get around by himself, as long as he moves slowly. He’s supposed to walk every day, but we’re not sure how much he’ll be able to do.

From Chicago we fly into Albuquerque (approx. 3 hours), then drive north to Santa Fe (approx. 90 minutes), where our first stop is the weekly Farmers’ Market. During the winter months, it’s held on Saturdays in a large, open, barn-type building in the railroad district. There is a lot of snow on the ground which wasn't plowed or salted since it fell 6 days ago, and a fresh layer of snow fell on Friday night, so we are glad our rented vehicle has 4-wheel drive.

At the market we find a pair of musicians playing and about 15 vendors, all tucked into one corner of the big space. There are fresh baked goods and hot coffee, bright sprouts, beautiful mushrooms, colorful dried herbs, beans, chilies, and other spices. There are also vendors taking orders for beef, lamb or chicken, and the lamb people are selling pelts thick with unwashed wool. The prices seem comparable to what we’d pay at a Chicago farmers’ market, but the vendors here seem to have actually grown what they offer.

We come away with dried green chilies which a friend requested, some blue corn flour, bolita beans (grown in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico), sweet herb teas, herb capsules for colds and chest congestion, and a dried sage smudge stick which I tuck into a sunny spot on the car's dashboard. I look forward to trying out the bolita beans, especially during these cold winter months and the mastranzo tea, which even dried smells strongly of sweet mint and apples.

After the market, we meander to the hilly downtown shopping district. It’s great being here in the off season when there’s hardly any one around, but we have difficulty walking around because of the unshoveled, melting snow. The sky is deep, dark blue, the sun is blazing, and the melted snow flowing down the hills is full of rusty orange silt. From what we see of the central square area, there are lots of art galleries, upscale clothing shops, jewelry stores, and coffee spots. We search out Oodles, a new bead and yarn boutique (no website), and are charmed by the owner and her dog, Harry (Hairy?). Harry is a rare breed that even we dog people haven’t heard of, and the long name doesn’t stick in my head.

Our schedule doesn’t permit visits to Santa Fe’s oldest yarn store, the Needle’s Eye, which is within walking distance of the central square or to the Santa Fe School of Weaving, which is a fairly new endeavor.

Next up, an obligatory swing through Santa Fe’s Georgia O’Keefe Museum. Highlights for me are the 10 minute biographic film, a portrait of Mr. Stieglitz by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and a painting that O’K worked on while still living in NYC, settling her husband’s estate, about a year before she moved permanently to New Mexico. O’K lived northeast of Santa Fe, near Abiqui, but we won’t be driving up that way on this visit. We also won’t be trekking up to Taos, which interests me the most, because our time is short and D is anxious to get to Texas.

By the time we make it through the O’K gallery, D is hiccupping, again, and just wants to rest at the hotel. This is the 3rd or 4th time he’s had hiccups since his surgery, and they hang around for hours, so he's a little tired and frustrated. We pass up the Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, which we have at home, and find their competitor, the Vitamin Cottage health food store, for some fresh fruits, juices, and salty snacks for the room and the car. I keep noticing that the locals move a little slower and dress a little less body conscious than we’re used to.

Now it’s late afternoon and I leave D reclining in the room when I drive up to the Japanese-style Ten Thousand Waves spa. I love this place and could easily come here regularly. The hot pools, saunas, treatment buildings, and overnight lodging are tucked amongst conifers on a terraced hill, and connected by gravel walkways and low Japanese lanterns. The contrast between the cold snow and the steamy rooms is wonderful. I had a Thai massage with Dharma (Bob), who said he worked as a landscaper until his body told him it was time to stop. Later, I almost doze off in the dry sauna holding hot river rocks, but my thoughts wander back to the real world and I picture poor D hiccupping in the hotel room. I find us all sorts of goodies in the gift shop -- souvenir t-shirts, hinoki soap, arnica muscle salve, and even vegetarian sushi and noodles for our dinner. I wish this place was closer to home.

When I get back to D, he’s on the internet researching hiccup cures. According to one web site, he was supposed to go to the emergency room 2 hours ago. He takes his temperature (it’s normal) and eats a little rice pudding. Once he’s prone and relaxed, the hiccups finally fade away. It’s only about 8:00 p.m., but it’s been a big day for both of us, so out go the lights.

Tomorrow we’ll be driving south.

Greetings from the Southwest

2007-01-12T09:36:00.000-06:00

I've been taking lots of photos and writing blog entries during our car trip through New Mexico and Texas, but limited internet access has prevented me from uploading. I'll have better access in a few days, so for now, here's a little preview. The Abo Ruins, of the Salinas Pueblo Missions, approximately 400 years old.
Bye for now.

Hello 2007!

2007-01-06T10:23:00.000-06:00

We're easing into the new year by taking a little vacation.

We were willing to go anywhere, so long as we could get airfare & lodging at a decent price, and didn't have to fly more than 10 hours. After exploring destinations as far west as Princeville, K'auai and as far east as Austria, we settled on New Mexico and Texas. It's a short, non-stop flight from Chicago to Albuquerque, where we'll rent a car that will take us north to Santa Fe, and then south and east into Texas, where we'll eventually fly out of San Antonio.

Our agenda is really undemanding: spend some time with family and friends, see the local sites, and eat the local specialties. D's brother and one of my sisters (the one that visited Chicago last October) live in Texas, as do some friends of ours, so we'll get to catch up with them. The cacti, scrub bushes, and especially the mountains of New Mexico won't be what we're used to seeing in the flat marshy plains of Chicago. D hopes to eat a meal full of hot green chili peppers, and I hope to find some local yarn.

I've packed my knitting bag with my mother's scarf, some fingering weight yarn for a new lace WIP, and needles of all sizes just in case I find some yarn that needs to be knit immediately.

The new fingering yarn is, uh, the name totally escapes me at the moment. The colorway is African Violet, which is a mix of purples and dark fuschia pink. Do you see the pale section in the bottom right corner? That's not due to the flash, it's where there was hardly any dye on the yarn.
As pretty as the colors were, the pale bits were always going to bug me, so I painted them with a diluted packet of Koolaid Black Cherry and some red food coloring, and popped the yarn in the microwave for 2 minutes. Et voila, I'm ready to knit the Swallowtail Shawl.

Although I could probably start and finish the Swallowtail during our vacation, I'm not going to set any timeline.

So we're off to New Mexico. I'll try to do some remote blogging along the way, maybe a pretty photo from here or there, but no promises. See you in a few.

Goodbye 2006!

2007-01-03T21:54:00.000-06:00

OK, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I was ill in mid December, then got busy with the December birthdays and the holiday parties, Christmas itself, and then there was New Year's Eve. Meanwhile the time for blogging was spent on an idea that just wasn't working. So I scraped the time-sucking bad idea and started fresh with this short post.

A quick recap of what's been going on. We've enjoyed lots of good company, no snow, some modest gift giving, and too many calories. Libby thought this Christmas was especially fun. The old gal tore around the house like a pup with her brand new BFF, Carson Lee:

She also thought milk chocolate Charlie and dark chocolate Henry were grand:

Good to know, Santa apparently reads my blog:
These have come in handy for doing kiragami. When I get better at it, I'll post a photo.

We also got a special package all the way from the famous Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt. My mom sent us this dainty little Santa ornament and a big box of yummy Pfeffernüsse, Lebkuchen, Marzipan, and chocolates. When I first showed D the German sweets, he was unimpressed, but has since been gobbling up the Lebkuchen squares. I know the market has long since packed up and moved away, but don't miss the the charming snapshots blogger Natalja took during her visit in December.

I didn't finish our felted Christmas stockings, but I did knit the scarf my mom requested. I changed the yarn and needle gauge but added extra repeats. The good news: I still achieved the intended dimensions. The bad news: it's small. It's about the size of a handtowel, so it's kind of hard to keep on my shoulders. The question now is whether I should try to enlarge it by grafting some repeats onto the top. Grafting live lace is probably asking for trouble, though, so this WIP has gone to the back burner.

That's all I can manage for now. I've got some good ideas for 2007, so come back soon to see what's currently on the needles.

Seeing the Sights in Wisconsin / EZ Rocks!

2006-12-18T20:49:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing many of Elizabeth Zimmermann's garments in person at an exhibit hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The exhibit, New School Knitting: The Influence of Elizabeth Zimmermann and Schoolhouse Press, was free and open to the public between October 27 and December 17, 2006 at the Design Gallery of the School of Human Ecology.

150 miles/240 kilometers lie between my Chicago home and the gallery, so sadly I missed the opening reception with Meg Swanson on October 27th, as well as the KIPing events on the first Sunday afternoon and the first three Thursday evenings in November.

Even so, I enjoyed seeing EZ's handknits, as well as original correspondence between EZ and her yarn suppliers, and vintage magazine pages.

It was especially nice to see that many of the sweaters were well worn. If you study the photos below, you might make out the small, dark stains on the front of EZ's orange Hybrid Variation Shoulder Cardigan and the frayed right cuff on her original Adult Surprise Jacket.

D, who has impeccably good timing, gifted me with a new camera the day before I made the trek. However, I wasn't comfortable with its macro mode, so I didn't bother with any close ups. If you want details about the designs and materials, head over to my flickr account.

Designs are in chronological order.

1956, Original Rib Warmer:

1959, Ski Sweater:

1961, Tomten:

1967, Baby Surprise and 2006, Cully-designed Collared Baby Surprise:

1980, Hybrid Variation Shoulder Cardigan:

1981, EZ's original Adult Surprise Jacket:

1982, MS' Long Sleeve Bog Jacket (I didn't realize until I got home that I failed to take a picture of EZ's beautiful 1982 Bog Jacket):

1983, Gaffer's Bavarian Jacket (the shoulder shaping is stunning, sorry the photo doesn't do it justice):

Under the Weather

2006-12-15T13:51:00.000-06:00

See you next week.

Decision Made

2006-12-14T07:40:00.000-06:00

Earlier this month I dug up a scarf project that was almost but not quite finished for more than a year, and did the last few stitches in time for the end of Lacevember.

As I worked with it, I chided myself for not completing it sooner, and tried to remember why it got buried. Was I uncertain about the appropriate bind off? Uncertain about which pattern row should be the last?

Well, after a few days, the answer came to me -- the edges were rolling and they would only roll more when the scarf was tugged and draped for wear, and I didn't know how to fix it. A quick, plain I-cord, or something more complex that was knitted or crocheted?

I've kept the scarf on display while working on December's other projects, and now the solution has fallen into my lap.

The Windy City Knitting Guild is hosting a crochet class for knitters, and participants are invited to bring a pre-knitted scarf that needs edging. Sign me up already! Since the class is at the end of February, I'm putting Marnie's Scarf on the back burner until then. See you at the workshop?

Crochet Workshop with Judy Swartz
Crochet for Knitters
$35 WCKG Members / $40 Non-Members
Sunday, February 25, 2007, 9 am - 4pm, Chicago, IL

Judy is one of the leading designers of contemporary crochet knitwear, former editor of Interweave Crochet magazine, and author of several popular books: Hip to Knit, Dogs in Knits, Hip to Crochet, and Getting Started Crochet. Judy has been an active crocheter for more than 30 years and inspires, encourages, and motivates her students and readers in this popular craft.
A native of Wisconsin, Judy earned an MS degree in textile design from the University of Wisconsin. In the early eighties, she moved to Chicago, where she began teaching courses at the Textile Arts Centre and designing her own patterns. For ten of her Chicago years, she managed the Weaving Workshop (now the Knitting Workshop), a textile arts retail store in Lincoln Park.

She creates garments for knitwear companies, yarn companies, and publications, as well as for private clients, including a commissioned sweater for the late Fred (Mr.) Rogers.

Now in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Judy runs the general store, Nina's, where she hand selects the yarns for their burgeoning needlearts department.
Judy regularly teaches classes and workshops in knitting and crochet, including sculptural crochet, from beginning techniques to creative expression. She writes for Interweave Press, and has had TV appearances in New York City, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Workshop Info

Skill level: Beginning to intermediate crocheters. The instructor assumes that students will also have an advanced beginner’s knowledge of knitting.

Morning session will include a lecture about how knitters can use crochet, and conclude by learning to apply crochet to knitting. Students will review/learn basic stitches using their homework swatches.

After lunch, those ready for adventure can start a trim-a-scarf project. If you bring a pre-knitted scarf (garter st or st st), you can edge it and embellish it in a variety of ways. The instructor will have several finished samples so students can pick and choose techniques ranging from simple to fancy, from flowers and squiggles to lace edges and more.

Techniques covered include: picking up for crochet along a knitted edge; gauging correct number of stitches for picking up; slip stitch crocheted seams; using slip stitch crochet to stabilize a knitted edge; using blanket stitch embroidery to crochet an edge in a fine weight or woven garment; single crochet as front band, including buttonholes; backward single crochet (also known as crab stitch); simple scallop lace edges; crocheted motifs (e.g., flowers).

Another Quick Project

2006-12-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend we started the round of holiday festivities.

One of our annual parties includes a gift exchange, and this year I was lucky to draw the name of someone who enjoys gardening, cooking, and wine collecting, and it was fairly easy to shop for him. He has treated us to many gourmet meals, so I put together a collection of kitchen tools that I haven't seen him use.

It felt a little like cheating, though, to just go buy a gift. So I used a pattern in this French magazine -- Marie Claire Idées Hiver 2006 -- to make something for him.

See the paper flowers in the bottom left corner? The folks at Marie Claire Idées suggest using them instead of a big bow to top a gift.

It takes at least an hour to make one. Doesn't that seem like a lot of work for something that's going to be thrown away?

Instead, I made a suncatcher or an ornament for the Christmas tree.

I found these translucent papers in the scrapbook section of the local Joann superstore. I made photocopies of the pattern, then laid the translucent paper on top of the photocopy on top of a stack of newspapers, and cut out the shapes with a razor. It would have been easier and faster to use an X-Acto knife and a self-healing mat, and this wasn't the first time I've struggled a little without the proper tools, so I'm asking Santa to shop at the art supply store this year.

When all four shapes were (finally) cut out, I used a few drops of clear scrapbook glue to lightly tack near but not in the center. I wanted the center to be clean so I could poke a small hole with a sharp needle for the hanger. I threaded a short piece of fishing line (about 12 inches/30 cm) through the hole from back to front, added a small red seed bead, then ran the fishing line out the back and tied an overhand knot near the ends.

Here's the final product. The photo is badly lit and doesn't show that the paper is very translucent in real life.

By the way, this was my first issue of Marie Claire Idées, and it probably won't be my last. It includes about a half-dozen embroidery, knitting, or easier projects that I would like to do. I found this copy at a local European book store, Europa.

Eye Candy Friday

2006-12-08T07:23:00.000-06:00

I'll bet you weren't expecting this from me. Yes, it's a kitty cat! Her name is Totoro and she lives with one of my sisters. She's about 12 years old and is a very sociable girl. I think she could even make friends with my favorite dog. Ooops. How did a dog slip into this post about a cat?

Happy Friday, everyone!

It's Here, It's Here!

2006-12-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you're an artist or crafter, you know that project ideas sometimes come to fruition quickly and sometimes not so quickly.

Yesterday's cranberry stringing project was the quick variety.

Today's project is the not so quick.

This yarn has been on the back of my mind for several years, finally came to live in my house, and, hopefully, next year will become warm, cozy sweaters.

It's rustic 2-ply wool from Cottage Craft Woollens in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada/Calais, Maine, U.S.A.

Cottage Craft sells sweater kits and they offer a little discount to people who buy 3 kits at once, so I ordered a sample card and enticed two knitters to join me in ordering.

Bonne Marie's choice was the Kelp yarn on the top of the pile -- a blend of green and black fibers. Corrine's choice was the St. Croix Navy in the middle -- a blue so dark it looks almost black. My choice was the Blackberry on the bottom -- a dark denim blue made from a blend of green, red, and blue fibers.

We each got about 2176 yards/1984 meters of light worsted wool and a sweater pattern for $34 + postage. If those numbers don't mean anything to you, I'll tell you its a lot of yarn and not so much money.

I think Cottage Craft is hinting at a slight price increase in 2007, so if you're intrigued by this stuff, you may want to ask them for a yarn sample card and order form ASAP. Happy knitting!

A Quick Project

2006-12-06T07:57:00.000-06:00

I made this fresh cranberry garland for our door wreath in about an hour. If Martha saw this, she would probably snicker up her sleeve, but I'm happy to have a quick project that added color to our holiday decor.

It's about 9 feet/2.75 meters long, which is just enough to tuck into a large wreath or drape along the mantle with some pine bough roping. It would take quite a few of these to decorate a Christmas tree.

I used a sharp needle, some red sewing thread doubled, about 1 pound of cranberries (a whole plastic "clamshell" of berries from the grocery store), and 2 short pieces of red ribbon.

I used the short piece of ribbon as the first and last item on the thread, and when all the berries were attached and the thread knotted off, I tied a bow in each piece of ribbon. If you omit the ribbon, you'll have to make a huge knot at each end, which is a little awkward when the berries are sliding around on the thread and the strand is trying to twist upon itself.

December's Projects

2006-12-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

After a little flurry of hats, I'm devoted to a new crop of WIPs.

I put this scarf photo up on the lacevember blog a few days ago.
You've never seen this project before because I did most of the knitting in the pre-blog days. The pretty pattern is a freebie from generous Alison J. Hyde. Materials: I used 4mm needles and slightly more than half a 4 ounce skein of handdyed Anne from Schaefer Yarns (60% merino wool superwash, 25% mohair, 15% nylon). There never was a name or a number for this colorway.

I've been calling it an FO, since I cast off and all it needs is to weave in the loose ends and a better blocking, but lately I'm rethinking the FO status. See, the thing is, I think the sides are going to roll in, even more than they are in the photo. And then I would never wear it.

So I'm considering the addition of a crocheted picot edge, a knitted sawtooth border, or even some attached I-cord. All 3 options have their drawbacks, like I don't crochet very well, I would have swatch a lot and calculate the number of stitches for a knitted border, and I'm skeptical that attached I-cord would be effective. In other words, all options would require a lot of work that is likely to get ripped out.

It's too freaking cold in Chicago to wear something so skimpy, so it's going to linger, somewhere between FO and WIP a tad longer.

In the meantime, I'm diligently working on my mother's Almost Lost in Translation scarf. This is just the mini swatch. Yep, I've moved on to actual size. But there's so much unravelling going on, it hasn't earned a photo shoot. It's even too small for a lifeline. Stay tuned.

I also want to make us some felted Christmas stockings this month. I drew my pattern on a paper bag and realized that I want a strong L shape, instead of a droopy foot. This will probably mean knitting a tube but shortrowing the heel section. I hope to find some feltable natural colored wool at the LYS this weekend, and will make Libby's first since her's will be the smallest of the three.

There's also a Libby-related project that I have to keep secret until Christmas.

My sweet girl found a sunbeam this chilly weekend so I found the camera. By the way, I haven't said anything about her health lately because we still don't know what caused her brain seizure last month, so we don't know whether she will have another. As time passes uneventfully, I grow less worried.

Eye Candy Friday

2006-12-01T07:43:00.000-06:00

Hello December!

Brrrrr.

We were wearing t-shirts over the weekend, but the new month brought us ice and snow.

Forecast is for 6 inches/15 cm by tonight.

FO Report -- R is for Red Berries Hat

2006-11-29T19:11:00.000-06:00

Last Thanksgiving, the sister that lives in Florida, her husband, and the three kids made the trek to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving and then spent a day with us in Chicago. We tried to fit in as much sightseeing as we could, and finished off the tour at Millenneuim Park.

By then, the sun was gone, a chill was setting in, and the Floridians were huddled up in their light "coats" and "winter gear." For a couple of minutes we watched the ice skaters glide about the rink, and my little nephew's teeth chattered as he pleaded with his mom to go ice skating.Instead, we scampered off for a round of piping hot cocoa and then bunched together under the warming lights at the El platform. Dinner was a couple of cheesy pies from Gino's East.

Yeah, they enjoyed their trip, but I felt bad about them being underdressed and chilled.

So this year, I started getting some warm hats ready.

For my niece S, who appreciates tiny little details, a cable heavy Shedir in dark pink wool, with all the knit stitches worked through-the-back-loop so that they really popped. Sorry, forgot to take a photo of that one.

For my nephew R, a variation on the Solstice Hat . He asked for red, so I obliged with some bulky wool & mohair from Wisconsin's Blackberry Ridge, in a hand dyed colorway called English Rose , umm, let's call it red berries for my boy.

Instead of the diamond pattern as written, I charted out some Rs, and needed to add just 2 stitches to the middle section to fit them all in.

As it turned out, the weather was great this year, and no one really needed to wear a hat. And my brother-in-law's work schedule forced them to cancel the Chicago leg of thia year's trip, so we didn't get to go ice skating at the park. Oh well. Maybe next year. We're ready.

FO Report -- Solstice Hat w/Violet Lambs Pride

2006-11-28T07:36:00.000-06:00

Question: What do you do when it's midday and your boyfriend says he wants to go visit his mom? And wants to leave in 20 minutes? And you haven't taken a shower or changed out of the sweat pants you slept in, because you've been cleaning the house and playing with the dog all morning? And you don't have a WIP for the car ride?

Answer: While the water heats up in the shower, grab the first pair of pants and shirt you can find that are clean and match (more or less), then raid the yarn stash for bits of bright violet Lamb's Pride wool and undyed mystery yarn, some circular 7s and 8s, and the Solstice Hat pattern written by Elizabeth Morriston primarily for people who are knitting for The Dulaan Project.

What you have by the time you get home: another hat for Dulaan.

This one in Lamb's Pride weighs 42 grams, while the one made from blueberry colored Paton's Classic Wool weighs 38 grams.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T08:02:00.000-06:00

Belated Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I was too busy to post before we hit the road on Wednesday afternoon.

Our first stop was Indianapolis, where we rendezvoused with my sister from Florida, her husband, and her 3 kids (maybe you remember her artistic kids). They were staying with her husband's family, and D & I were graciously invited to come over for a family dinner. I haven't seen that part of the family since my sister got married 15 years ago. Time flies. The evening was short and sweet, and it was too dark and rushed to get any photos.

After staying overnight at pet-friendly La Quinta, we returned to the highway and drove to D's sister's for Thanksgiving Day. His family came in from parts of Indiana, Illinois, and Vermont. This little cutie pie is his niece's daughter.

Libby got to meet the newest member of the extended family, Charlie. Charlie is a rescue dog and until this holiday was never around such a big crowd. He was a little nervous at first, but warmed up quickly. Here's Lib and Charlie, helping the guys carve the last bits of turkey for sandwiches.

Back in Chicago, I spent the weekend doing a major de-cluttering of my craft room, the kitchen, and the storage closets. So, no crafting pics today. Just a big sigh of relief after a very busy, very satisfying 4-day weekend.

FO Report -- Zugspitze

2006-11-20T07:41:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I finished this child's cabled hat. It's a gift for a friend and my own pattern. I'm calling it Zugspitze, in reference to the Bavarian alp where cable cars take skiiers and sightseers to the peak.

My mother and I visited Zugspitze about a year ago. She lives near Nurnberg, and took me on a little tour of southern Bavaria.

I took this photo for my sisters.
Mama driving 100 mph (160k) on the autobahn!
She's laughing because I told her why I was taking the picture.
For you knitters, here's some sheep, as seen during the short train ride from Garmisch-Partenkirschner to the base of the cable cars.

Materials:
Karabella Aurora 8 (100% Extrafine Merino Wool, 50 grams / 98 yards or 90 meters per ball, manufacturer recommends 18 st x 26 rows with US size 7 or 8 needles), Color #43, medium teal. Final weight of hat: 46 grams. US #6 (4mm) 16" circulars.

WIP Report, in lieu of Eye Candy

2006-11-17T08:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Maybe it's the wind, maybe it's the grey, maybe it's the dismal lack of plant life, or maybe it's because I've been going out a lot and missed my zzzzs this week. Whatever it is, it's kept me from taking any photos for Eye Candy Friday.

I can, however, show off a one-skein child's cabled hat which I am designing for a gift. My yarn of choice is Karabella Aurora 8, in a medium shade of teal green.

At KIP the other day, spinner extraordinare Theresa mentioned that a cabled pattern will pop more when it is worked in a multi-ply yarn than when it is worked in a single-ply yarn.

Theresa's point went over my head until she started talking about flat planes, triangles, and squares. I imagine these shapes and a Light Bulb Moment occurs! The plys in a 2-ply will tend to lay flat against each other, while the plys in a 3-ply will form a triangle that resists flattening, a 4-ply will form a square .... Theresa's got a clearer explanation on her blog. Plying affects the yarn's structure. Duh.

So after swatching and frogging this 8-ply cable-loving yarn for about 2 weeks, I have found the right combination of knits & purls, the right gauge, and the right number of stitches to achieve a child's head circumference of 18-to-20 inches/45-to-51cm. I'm using a chart that says the finished hat height should be 8"/20cm. Which seems like a really tall hat for a 1-to-2 year old. There are no babies handy, so I'm going to wing it and aim for 7"/17.75cm height, unless somebody tells me different.

Enjoy the weekend, next week is a short one for most Americans.

FO Report -- Orchid Pink and Violet Kitty Hat

2006-11-16T07:57:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the feedback yesterday. The unadorned hat was a little too plain for me, but I thought embroidery stitches would make the top of the hat uncomfortable to wear. Too inflexible or maybe bumpy. So I came up with a different way to gussy up the kitty.

Size 4-to-6 girl's hat with kitty cat ears. A gift for a friend.

Pattern: vintage Family Headwear & Scarves booklet #98 published by Patons & Baldwin Canada, Inc. No publication date, looks like it's from the 1970s. Purchased from Vintage Knits.

Materials: Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Highland wool, 100 grams / 220 yards per ball) 1 ball in Orchid Pink, #2449. Final weight of hat: 71 grams. US #7 (4.5mm) 16" circulars. Chibi tapestry needle for grafting. Bits of pink, violet and lime green fleece, coordinating shades of cotton embroidery floss, 2 Swarovski bicone crystals (5 or 6 mm), sharp needle for working blanket stitch, and Fabri Tac adhesive.

Modifications: Worked face ribbing in the round instead of flat + seam. Instead of "Inc 1 st in each of next 2 stitches," marked center of ears and worked left slanting and right slanting increases. Seamed side stitches to back flap by picking up stitches along the back flap and grafting them to the sides. Used sewn cast off.

The fleece flowers are a little soft and might have been better in felt. Does anyone sell "fat quarters" or smaller chunks of wool felt? When I search the internet I find either polyester felt or wool felt yardage. I could use a little wool felt for a Christmas project.

Ummmm, is this done?

2006-11-13T19:07:00.000-06:00

After more knitting, seaming, and blocking, the pink WIP in this photo
has become a little girl's hat with kitty cat ears.

My hat pics are a little washed out, but the swatch photo shows the depth of this pretty orchid pink yarn. It's Cascade 220, #2449, a heathered 4-strand wool, so some of the strands are pink and some are violet. What little girl wouldn't love it? It's a girl's size 4-to-6, and a gift for a friend.

I used a very succinct vintage pattern from Laurie in Washington state. The pattern says to pick up & knit "X" stitches here, cast off "Y" stitches there, seam together, etc., without any helpful clues like "face ribbing" or "sides" or "back." The first time I used this pattern, I was almost done before I figured out how the whole thing was going to piece together.

So what do you think -- is the kitty hat done? It's looking a little plain to me and I've been admiring Lene's embroidery (here and here). Should I attempt to add some purple and white flowers to the top? I think pink and purple are the team colors of girls under 6, and I wouldn't want to disappoint the little girl who is getting this as a gift. D says it's done, but what does he know, he's not a girl.

Eye Candy Friday

2006-11-10T11:49:00.000-06:00

Hmm, pumpkins and winter squash piled on some leaves. Uninspired.

Let's try something else.

Hey, Lib, want a treat?
There's a treat in there for you.

Where?

Find it!

A well-placed kick topples the boring pile.

Yum.

Thanks for the kind words about Libby. She got a thorough going-over at her regular vet's yesterday, but there was no obvious explanation for her seizure.

So now we're waiting for the results of blood testing.

The possible diagnoses range from the reversible (liver damage) to the untreatable (brain tumor or neurologic damage from Lyme). She's been her usual, happy, alert self, so we're still hoping that it's nothing dire.

I've got the day off, and us girls are getting a few things done around the house before D gets home for dinner. We pruned the yarn stash, got the yard raked, put sugar pumpkins in the oven to roast for a homemade pie, and are just about to snuggle together for a quick knitting break. I hope your Friday is as sweet.

Sweet Libby

2006-11-08T18:58:00.000-06:00

We've had some unusually cold temperatures this fall, and they've caused the trees to shed their leaves early. Over the weekend we got the rakes out and picked up masses of bright gold leaves from the lawns and the sidewalks.

Before we swept away all that yellow, I took a few pictures of Libby and her dearest love. I do this almost every year, and can see the passage of time in those photos. She turned 7 over the summer, and her muzzle gets greyer every year.
She had fun investigating all the smells and greeting the passersby.

She often walks along with pedestrians, wagging her tail.

With some people, though, as soon as they are passed her, she lets out a big bark and scares them half to death.

I wish I knew what the heck she was thinking. What does she know about them that I don't know?

Later that night, she had a severe brain seizure and we rushed her to the emergency room.

She's never had a seizure before, so at first I didn't know what was happening, but it looked pretty painful and lasted several minutes. However, by the time we saw the veterinarian, she was almost back to normal, and very aware that she was at the dreaded vet's office.

We think, but can't be sure, that the seizure was caused by the neurologic damage she experienced over the summer when she had Lyme Disease. She's going to her regular vet tomorrow (sorry, honey) for more testing. We've got our fingers crossed that this seizure was an isolated event. I'm still in disbelief.

Election Day

2006-11-07T07:15:00.000-06:00

It's Election Day across America. Please be counted.

Chicagoland Knit In for Dulaan Project 2007

2006-11-06T20:50:00.000-06:00

On Saturday afternoon I took the train up to Evanston and joined Franklin and a whole slew of happy knitters at the Chicagoland Knit In for the Dulaan Project.

Franklin is a superb host! I had a great time chatting and eating and even managed to get in a little knitting.

I showed up with an array of circular needles, and cast on with some donated wool and a free Solstice Hat pattern written by Elizabeth Morriston (thank you) primarily for people who are knitting for The Dulaan Project.

If I hadn't been chatting and eating so many chocolate brownies, I could have finished this hat while I was there.

If you donated some blueberry Patons Classic Merino and a bag of undyed sheepy smelling yarn, thank you. Some of your yarn became one child's hat, blocked and ready to ship to Mongolia.

I also took home some pear Debbie Bliss Chunky Merino donated by blogger Karen of Yarn Is My Metier and have been playing around with my stitch reference book. If it works out, I'll probably write out a hat pattern.

My International Tote Swap II package arrived

2006-11-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

A busy weekend kept me from posting until now. On Friday I received a very versatile handbag and loads of goodies from Linnet in California. I posted all the details on the swap page. Thanks, Linnet!

Eye Candy Friday

2006-11-03T08:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everyone!
I didn't intend for this to be a series, but I'm fascinated by how quickly the foliage changes once the temperatures dip, so here's the third and last shot of the same climbing vine.

I think the leaves have changed very quickly this year because its been so cold. It's early November and the temperatures are like mid December. The high today will be about 32° F / 0° C.

Move it along, there's nothing much to look at here

2006-11-01T07:28:00.001-06:00

After a recent spate of Deadline Knitting, I'm free to start some new projects!

About two months ago I was ready to start my mother's red shawl, but the German instructions were kicking my butt. Then I got word that my grandmother in Florida was ill, so I started the much easier Red Scarf for OFA. Then I had to whip out some Socks of Doom or die in Sock Wars. Next up, another deadline for the International Tote Swap II. Shwooo!

So here I am on November 1st, back to my mother's red shawl. Thanks to Bonn blogger Sibylle, I've got an English translation of the shawl instructions. So far there's just some swatching and frogging going on since I'm substituting red Lang Fantomas for the Kidlana (my mom didn't like Kidlana's fuzziness).

I'm also swatching and frogging for a gift knit with some teal Karabella Aurora 8. This stuff is perfect for cables.

And I needed an easy project for commuting and KIP, so I'm working with a tried-and-true pattern and some stunning orchid pink Cascade 220.

Anyone care to guess at what that pink WIP is going to be?

Sorry for the lousy picture. Like I said at the beginning, I've got nothing much to show today. Why don't you go check out Sibylle's blog? She usually posts in both German and English, so feel free to say hallo or hello.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T07:22:00.000-06:00

I had big scraps of black paper left over from my DIY poster framing project. Nice, handmade Japanese paper from the paper store, but since I don't do much paper-crafting, it was just going to lay around the house. So I got busy with the scissors and made a colony of bats in time for Halloween.

Usually the weather turns lousy just in time for the Trick or Treaters. Rain, or few years ago we even got snow. Then the next day it's beautiful outside.

Tonight's weather, however, should be decent -- dry and cold enough for the kids to wear their costumes and not sweat to death -- 28 º F/4 º C. Which means we'll get lots of kids at the door.

D swears that we've got enough Snickers, Butterfingers, and Twix, but I'm not so sure and I'm going to pick up some more chocolate this afternoon. I think last year he went to a yoga class or something, and I was home alone when the candy ran out and I had to turn out the lights and hide. Right now, our "back up" candy is Smarties and caramels, and I don't want to be that house with the disappointing treats or lights out.

Lib's ready to greet the hordes.

Here's hoping all your treats are just right.

FO Report -- Kandinsky Tote

2006-10-30T18:54:00.000-06:00

sweetfigs' Kandinsky Tote, September and October 2006
gift to knitter Alison in Campbell River, British Columbia, as part of International Tote Swap II

This bag is currently somewhere in Canada, on it's way to my tote swap partner. Alison, I hope you like it, I was a little sad to see this one go out the door.

First up, the embellishment, which turned out like I planned. Note to CJ: I was going to secure the threads to the back by ironing on some fusible interfacing, but chickened out. Instead of the super hot iron, I used some clear fabric adhesive. More detailed notes for CJ and other crafters are at the bottom of this blog entry.

For the bag itself, I was aiming for the size of a small shopping bag, and succeeded. Yay!

I gave the bag a little structural support by lining the bottom with some plastic needlepoint canvas, and attaching eight large grommets to the top.

Here's the details.

Materials:
Yarn & Needles: Approximately 350 grams of dark and light charcoal grey Reynolds Lopi (100% Icelandic wool) and Lambs' Pride Prairie Silks (72% Wool, 18% Mohair, 10% Silk. 2 strands held together and densely knit on size 9 or 10 US (5.5 or 6 mm) knitting needles.

Embellishment: Printed muslin in Penny Rug design and punch embroidery needle from Hooked on Rugs. Assorted colors of cotton embroidery floss, including machine dyed DMC brand from local fabric store and hand dyed pieces from Hooked on Rugs. Used 3 full skeins of DMC floss for grey background.

Other:
9" embroidery hoop
Beacon Adhesives brand Fabri-Tac clear permanent glue
1 small piece of felt or other fabric to glue onto back of completed embellishment
8 extra-large nickel eyelets (Dritz brand, kit #660 includes setting tools + 10 eyelets), hammer
1 piece plastic needlepoint canvas, trimmed and corners rounded to rest in base of bag
1 tapestry needle to weave in knitted ends
1 sharp sewing needle to affix embellishment to tote

Approach: Knit swatch, measure or just draw outline on paper for measuring later, felt with regular load of laundry, then remeasure. Using pre- and post-felted swatch measurements as a guide, make rectangular base in garter stitch, pickup and knit stockinette sides in the round, switch to garter stitch in final 6 rounds, bind off. Make I-cord for straps, exact length not crucial, allow sufficient length to tie knots in finished straps. Felt pieces and set aside to dry thoroughly. Make embellishment, trim muslin to 1" around, coat back of embellishment with clear adhesive and neatly fold muslin over exposed ends of embroidery floss, coat again and attach small piece of felt or other fabric to neaten and stablize. Mark and attach extra-large eyelets to tote, thread and knot straps, using matching thread and sharp sewing needle, tack embellishment to exterior.

Eye Candy Friday

2006-10-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

It's a little late in the day for this -- we're running out the door for dinner -- but here's some eye candy. Same shot as last week, but what a difference a week makes in the foliage.

The Lakefront by Bicycle

2006-10-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

On my sister's last day in Chicago, we slept in late, snacked on banana bread and coffee, and then pedaled our bicycles over to the lakefront.

We took a little break at the zoo.

The big lion was rolling around on his back.
I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of the lioness using the poor leafless tree as a scratching post.

These guys are more my speed. They remind me of Libby.

I hope my sister comes back to Chicago soon.

Chicago architecture by boat

2006-10-26T07:43:00.000-05:00

When my sister was visiting last weekend we took a boat tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

If you're a fan of the Dave Matthews Band, you may recall a little incident in 2004 involving their tour bus, a Chicago bridge, and an architecture tour boat. While the band was out on the town, their bus driver drove the bus over the Kinzie Street bridge and dumped the contents of the waste tank. The surface of the bridge is mostly grates and the waste fell onto the passengers of the architecture tour boat. Altogether now: eeewwwwwww! More here if you're interested.

Any way, our tour guide cautioned us against craning our necks and gaping up at the bridges, but never mentioned why.

Here's some of the photos I took while we headed east on the river, out to Lake Michigan and Navy Pier:

Lake Point Tower:

Heading back west, into the Loop, here's the Wrigley Building (as in Wrigley chewing gum):

The new Trump Tower under construction:
The Tribune (newspaper) building:

On the south and north branches of the river:

Sock Wars Wrap Up

2006-10-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I received a squishy package from one of the Sock Warriors I assassinated, North Vancouver blogger 5 And A Beagle. She's dead so she was passing along the socks she started for Cleveland, Ohio blogger iheartknitting.
I wish these were mine.

The green yarn is some super soft Debbie Bliss Merino DK and the white yarn is Steinbach Wolle Supersport Effekt that was extra from the toes of the Peppermint Socks of Doom.

And check out that cool Latvian Twist Cast On. I couldn't decipher how she did it, so I'm hoping 5 And A Beagle will clue me in.

I was assassinated by the Cirque du Soleil socks from Opus, so I had to mail the green & white ones to him in New Hampshire.

While the socks stayed overnight at my house, I added a few rounds of ribbing to the legs.

That meant I just didn't have time last night to wreck stabilize my embroidery project by attaching a piece of fusible interfacing to the back of it with a super hot iron.

I think there are about 165 knitters still in the tournament, down from the original 773(?). Go Opus go!

Almost an FO

2006-10-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I'm trying a different photo host this morning, so if you can't see two photos here, that's why.

The embellishment for the tote bag I'm making is almost done.

I've finished with all the embroidery. The next step is to attach a piece of fusible interfacing to the back of the piece, to help keep all those little loops of embroidery thread from pulling out. Then I will tack the embellishment to the tote with a little sewing thread.

After doing all this work, I'm a little nervous, ok, very nervous, about putting a hot iron on it. Not only putting a hot iron on it, but leaving it there. I guess it's a little like steeking for some people.

A visit to Chicago's Millennium Park

2006-10-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

One of my sisters came for a visit over the weekend. She's got four kids between the ages of 11 and 16 and a husband who travels a lot for business, so it wasn't an easy trip to schedule.

We squeezed in a lot of sightseeing and good meals, but we also got to sleep in late one morning and capped off her trip by going to the spa for a hot stone massage.

Here's a few pictures from our walk around Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago. It was a beautiful Fall day.

The Cloud Gate sculpture, popularly known as The Bean:
My lovely sister (I made her wear the Red Scarf so we could get some better pics of it for the blog):

Up close to the bean:

In the picture above, you can see the feet of people who have walked underneath the sculpture. My sister and I also walked inside and took a picture by aiming the camera straight up. We're the flash of light at the center: