Black Dog

My Mom turns 71 today,

and it was nice of the city to put on a nice fireworks show in honor of that milestone. It went on for quite awhile tonight

She would be pleased, so I tried to capture a few of the shots from my front lawn area.

I love you, Mommy. Thanks for having #71, and here’s to many more!

Yes, TNNA was fun…..so much so that it’s taken me nearly two weeks to get back with you, my gentle readers. Let’s do a full-tilt recap in 20 minutes or less (as that’s about how much time I have before needing to dart out the door to head to the shop).

First off, it was an amazing weekend, filled with friends and hugs, fiber and patterns

food and fun

and general frivolity. I had a wonderful time and caught up with so many dear friends, saw wonderful things for the shop (some of which have already started to appear), and made some great contacts (personal and professional). The personal stuff is always chronicled over here, versus cluttering up this space.

I did make substantive progress on Amherst

and completed the back (shown above, but only halfway done). I have now started the first front

but that project is on hold. While at the show, I also played with a couple new sock yarns

that will be joining the ThreadBear family in the coming months. The minty goodness is Kollage Sock-A-Licious (superwash merino/silk/nylon) and the stripe is a new Regia (World Ball) in honor of the world cup. Yummy stuff!

I can’t wait to get this delivery of fun sock-weight yarn from Aslan Trends

that should be headed this way already, or very shortly. It’s a great value-priced yarn that’s kettle dyed in South America, and these new colors should be popular.

I have been knitting on another project in the past two days. We needed something made out of the Baby Marble that arrived last week

so I was quick to grab a pattern from one of our favorite designers (Diane Soucy at Knitting Pure & Simple) and hopped to it yesterday (Tuesday) and got this far by the afternoon

before having to cover the last part of the day at the shop. I worked on it a little more after getting home around 9 p.m. and got almost the entire body done

before turning in (or more accurately, falling asleep on the couch with it in my lap).

But Sunday and Monday, I was distracted by crochet. It was our monthly crochet-along for the hex blanket, so I had to work on some of my own while visiting with the group

and I added two new units to my piece. Edie is doing hers out of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend and Cascade Venezia Worsted (both are merino/silk blends) and it’s coming along SMASHINGLY

I’m envious, also, of her color combinations. I love the wild colors in mine, but her sophisticated palette is attractive to me!

Over the weekend, I did embark on something that enticed me during the trade show. The good folks at Denise Interchangeable (you know them for their knitting needle sets, but they also feature an interchangeable CROCHET set, too! and yes, we stock them) showed me how to use their products to do something called Tunisian Crochet. Personally, when I did it over 25 years ago, we called it “afghan stitch” and I made several afghans using it (my mother still has one, in all of it’s harvesty-gold glory….shudder….), so it was easy to refresh my hands and get crankin’ on some examples for the shop.

Behold a Tunisian Crochet bag, made with under 100 yards of bulky-weight yarn and a big hook

They’re cute and quick projects that are featured in an upcoming class (being announced this evening, via newsletter) and take a short amount of time and a small amount of yarn and minimal skill (NO PRIOR CROCHET EXPERIENCED NEEDED) to complete. I think they’re stinkin’ cute

and would make a great project bag for something small like a pair of socks, mittens, or even a scarf. Or just a quick bag to grab on the way out the door.

DING! that’s my timer…..gotta run! BE WELL!

The needles keep on clicking in these parts, despite the little bit of silence I’ve shown in the past ten days.

I did get that swatch done last week, as planned, and started the project. It’s a fun cardigan/vest project that is worked sideways

using Cascade Superwash 220 Quatro, in “Brown Bear”. It doesn’t look like much in the photo above, but it’s quite lovely fabric. I should have the body knitting completed today/tonight, so I’ll need two small shoulder seams done (yes, I’m that lame–I need someone else to do them) and then I can put on bands and the sleeve cap. Finished soon!

That means………..I can start TWO new projects!

I’ve been project shopping, over the past week or so…..looking for something wonderful to make with that delish tweed I showed last time around. I may have a winner in this

design from ChicKnits. Swatching will tell me more about combining the yarn and this pattern….we’ll see how it goes.

Also on deck is this design

from Dolce Handknits. I’ve got a nice shade of Cascade Soft Spun lined up for it, and again–swatching will be important. But I think the combo is a slam dunk.

Both are headed with me to the big twice-annual yarn shop trade show called TNNA. This version (in the summer, for the fall/winter seasons) is held in Columbus, OH, a city that I’ve grown to love over the past six/seven times I’ve attended. It’s a nice-sized city with great amenities and the show itself is always a good one, filled with interesting products, fun people, and amazing industry friends. It will be a great weekend and even better to get away for a little bit. It’s been awhile since I got out of Lansing…..a year, to be exact (TNNA last year). Best of all, there’s some other fun things on my agenda, above/beyond the show….should be fun!

I sit here, in my spare bedroom, working on the computer to create a post I’ve had lodged in my head for over a week. In the background there’s the gentle swoosh swoosh of the dishwasher, cleaning the evening’s dirties (along with a few from the past several days) while soft jazz plays in the living room. Tuesday–my “weekend” (because it is my only day off each week).

It’s been an odd day, starting out by being awakened around 3:30 in the morning to the sound of my (much-hated) upstairs neighbors, moving out (their door is just outside my bedroom windows, which I have open at night for the fresh air). I think, with the last few carloads this afternoon, that they’re gone for good. Or at least I hope so. I finally got up for good around 7 a.m., and then lounged in the living room for hours upon hours, working on the back of a sweater a little bit and also just sitting there. I spent too much time “navel gazing”, tried to do some simple meditation (to calm down my brain, which was in hyperdrive mode most of the day) to no avail, and finally ran through the shower and got cleaned up and presentable. Off to the gym for a little bit (a shortened, but good workout), and some serious time in the whirlpool (hot tub) and then some swimming in the pool. I spoke with my Dad in-between destinations (he’s been in the hospital for over a week now–LONG story…see my Facebook page for details), and he’s doing much better today. Then it was errand time–groceries to be gotten (mostly fresh produce, but somehow I ended up with over $70 in stuff in my cart)–and a quick pop by the store (it was closed, but I wanted to drop off a couple things I had picked up) before driving home. I made an amazing dinner (a fun chicken thing I do that doctors up a simple boxed rice thing, some amazing haricots verts, and a tall glass of freshly-brewed sweet tea), relaxed a little bit, and here I am now. About the time I got to the gym, my day started to “feel” better…and I was able to do some calming/relaxing in the wet area at the gym, and tonight, I’m jovial and content as can be. Seriously!

So, I’ve been AWOL over a month again, but it’s not for lack of WANTING to be here. It’s for lack of TIME (or me dedicating time) to be here. The gym continues to be an important part of my week, and each visit takes about two full hours out of my day (but adds countless hours to my life, I’m sure). I’ve also been posting to the ThreadBear Facebook page every single morning (join it by finding it and clicking on the LIKE button). But I admit to neglecting you, dear knitting blog–and I’m sorry! Let’s see if I can make up for it with a picture-laden post!

On to the projects! First, there was major progress leading into May with the V-Neck Shell being made with Maggi’s Linen

as it (and two other variations–scoop neck and boat neck) were the Project of the Month at ThreadBear. Confession time? It sits, about 85% completed, in a zipper bag beside my couch, hiding under the end table. It was put aside in favor of a couple other project that I felt came before it…..and it NEEDS to be finished ASAP.

One of those projects was a top-down cardigan that would serve a dual purpose–it would be a fresh model using K1CToo Ty-Dy (one of my favorite cotton yarns) as well as be a model for an upcoming class taught by Sue Hall on summer cardigans. It started out humbly

but grew rapidly

until in under a week the entire body was completed

and just a few days later it was completed, blocked, and on display at the shop

workin’ hard for Sue’s class and for pattern/yarn sales. It’s a great project and looks fab in the yarn I used, but any worsted-weight you choose will turn out great (and it’s an easy one, cuz there’s no seaming when you’re done with the knitting).

Then I turned my attention to some new sock yarn that came in–Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Ysolda Red

that begged to go home with me and be turned into a sock

that’s coming along nicely, but is on ice for the moment. So many distractions!

The first was this

which I first released as that close-up photo last week, while working on it. Enter the Three-Way Rib Wrap

a multi-stranded project worked on big needles that is serving as our June 2010 Project Of The Month at the shop. It debuted today (June 1st) and I think it’s a great project that should garner some attention.

So now that it is completed and on display, I had a little bit of un-dedicated knitting time over the past two days. I cleaned out my knitting bag over the weekend (tragic, I say–it was JAMMED full and had some silly stuff in it) and resurrected a project that’s been rumbling around in the bottom of my bag for WELL OVER a year now. Re-enter Cassidy

a beautiful cabled hoodie sweater based on a pattern from ChicKnits (we carry her line at the shop, of course), being worked up in Cascade 220 in a beautiful heathered shade that’s almost blue and almost white. I’m telling you, there’s nothing better in my knitting world than a simple wool yarn (Cascade 220 fits the bill) and a great cabled pattern (Cassidy fits that bill). Check it out, in close up

I love how the cables POP, how the yarn is heathered, and how the overall fabric looks. It’s been a BLAST working on this again over the past 48 hours, and it’s more than DOUBLED in length in that time (well over 8″ of new fabric since Sunday evening) and I’m up past the armhole cut-in. The cable design is easily memorized and they work up quickly (the little three-stitch wonders I’m doing with out a cable needle).

But I have been distracted……..

by some BEAUTIFUL sock yarn that was left for me by a yarn rep (I’ve ordered this stuff, to be delivered later this summer). I have to have a model sock made up before it arrives, right? I did that knitting last night, when I didn’t want to have to think at all while going around and around and around. But I’m also hearing the siren song of some beautiful tweed yarn

that comes from MaggiKnits. I want to make something with this yarn, but the right design hasn’t presented itself just yet. So I will swatch with these two balls and see if that helps me decide.

Midnight approaches, and I have some swatching to do for YET ANOTHER project that I want to get started in the next couple days. I’m sure I’ll share it here, as it progresses. In the mean time, be well, be happy, and be knitting (or crocheting, or spinning, or weaving…..JUST BE CREATIVE!)

Yes, I actually finish things

That’s my version of the “Spring Baby Cardigan” by Kristen TenDyke (patterns available at the shop, of course). I made our model out of Classic Elite Classic Silk (the yarn used in the design), as it falls in the perfect gauge of five sts/inch. Sized from newborn to three years, it’s a versatile design that’s easy construction (the body is made in one piece; the sleeves attached; the bands worked up in just a couple rows) and goes fast. That little bit of lace at the bottom (just 12 rows) makes for a nice detail, too.

There’s been more progress on “I Put A Hex On You”

in the amount of it having DOUBLED in size at the end of this week (previous photo was 8 units; this one is 15, and one more was added today). It’s addictive, and I need to put it down, as I have a self-imposed deadline on another project

in the form of a v-neck shell made of Maggi’s Linen, a great blend of cotton and linen in a slightly slubby/thick-n-thin yarn that I just adore. It’s perfect for summer (or year-around) wear, so I’ve been cranking on it this week and am about half way up the body (it’s knitted in the round up to the armholes). The piece is three times the size you see in that photo, as of this afternoon. It may grow more tonight, too, depending on what I choose to do this evening.

I’m torn–I want to stick my toes in the social pool and possibly go out tonight. There are a few choices (there’s events at both a bar in the Detroit area and one near Grand Rapids, and there’s also a place to go here that’s kinda quiet/small), but I’m not sure I’m quite “ready” to go out and be sociable. Time will tell, no?

Sure, there’s been tons going on in my life, and some of it even falls into the “fiber arts” part of my world. I’m always knitting something (mostly shop models), but my knitting time has been curtailed by my gym time. As chronicled over at my personal blog, I joined a health club early last month (right after Bill left, as I have been thinking about it and conversations he and I had about his experiences at his club back home in California were quite informative) and have been going 5-6 times a week ever since. GREAT results so far, with more to come. But all of that is covered elsewhere. You come here for fiber!

As introduced here in my last post, I have started a new larger project that I’ve called “I Put A Hex On You” (you have to name projects on Ravelry, and this one is appropriate…..). A certain someone sent me a link to a pattern she found that inspired her. Unfortunately, “certain someone” doesn’t know how to crochet–yet. She’s signed up for my class that starts on Saturday, May 1st @ 1 p.m. (and meets again on the 8th), so she will learn, soon enough. In the mean time, her inspiration has caused an epidemic in these parts…seriously! I know of at least five people that have either purchased yarn for or started one of these projects.

The very next day, I came to the shop with the intention of starting one out of Cascade Sierra, a lovely blend of pima cotton and merino wool, and wanted the help of Helen to figure out colors. It will serve as a shop model, so I wanted bright, cheery colors (plus it’s spring–bring on the color!), and we made a nice assortment of about a dozen hanks of Sierra. Then Helen went back to the Superwash 220, and she went bezerk

and found these twelve shades. I got going immediately

and whipped out two motifs on Thursday evening. It grew some more on Friday

and even more by Sunday afternoon

I haven’t worked on it since (my crochet hook went AWOL on Monday and I’m not 100% sure what size it was….I think I have a replacement here at the house, however). But trust me, it’s one of those projects that I can’t stop working on, much like eating potato chips or knitting entrelac! OOOH OOOH!! Just one more! just one more!!!

It will also be the topic for a crochet-along, starting at the shop sometime after the first of May. The FREE GROUP will meet monthly, most likely on Sunday afternoons. Details to follow, or keep tabs on developments via our Ravelry group.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed checking out the blog for the woman who wrote the tutorial on the hexagons. She appears to be a very prolific (and colourful) crocheter, and I really enjoyed her works. There’s not much in the way of crocheted things at ThreadBear, and I’ve always wanted to change that (I did learn to crochet first, and later added knitting; crochet around 4 or 5, knitting about a year later). Each yields a totally different product, but each has its place and is appropriate for different things.

I’ve been dyeing quite a bit of yarn of late, most of it chronicled over here. I really enjoy the creative outlet and the process, but more than that, I love the feedback/reactions to the hanks when folks see them and just HAVE to have one (or more) of my skeins. THANK YOU for the hearty reception!

I have been knitting……there has been a shawl

a baby cardigan

socks for Bill (he chose the yarn when he was here visiting me the first week of March; a second skein of sock yarn awaits at home, along with a pattern for a cardigan that will look amazing on him, given his build….boyfriend sweater curse be damned!)

and an Omega Wrap

all worked on and/or completed in recent weeks. Omega and the shawl are done, but Bill’s socks languish in my bag (there’s always something that MUST be done, versus me wanting those to be done), and the Spring Baby Cardigan just got knocked out on Sunday (thanks to Marcia for setting the sleeves and finishing the shoulders). I blocked it that evening and it’s drying at the shop right now, hopefully done by tomorrow for the newsletter.

So I’ve gotten stuff done, but not as much as in previous months. I enjoy the time I spend at the gym and the results are definitely motivating. Something had to be done about my weight and my lifestyle, and I took the first steps (literally) last fall with walking and eating right, and now this next chapter makes sense. I want to be around for a long time, and this is definitely going to help!

Where did the past month go? I’ll be back in a couple days (Tuesday at the latest) to catch up a little bit, but there’s been much progress and stuff going on in my life (most of the personal stuff is chronicled over here on my personal blog), but there’s also been fiber and projects and stuff.

I’m completely entranced by this

and yes, it’s CROCHETED! I’ve been knitting, too, and I’m cutting this short tonight to get back to a baby sweater that I **WILL** finish this evening so I can block it tomorrow at the shop.

And to answer Lindy’s question–Roxy is Sabrina’s little mini chihuahua, and she’s adorable. You can typically find her at the shop on Tuesdays, as that’s Sam’s short day at the shop and Roxy comes along for the ride. I have photos (older ones) that I should share….next time!

Be well, and thanks for not giving up on me! More regular posting will be a priority from here forward, as I’ve finally settled into a routine after adding in more days at the shop as well as working out 5-6 times a week (again, go see more, if so inclined, over at my personal blog)

There’s a new project that’s taking ThreadBear by storm. It’s the Omega Wrap by Chris Bylsma, and it’s also the topic for a fun Stash Bash! workshop we’re doing all day on Saturday, April 10th (cost is just $15, and that’s basically to cover your lunch and snacks, provided by me from my wonderous kitchen). Marcia and Helen will be there to help you with color and texture selection as well as the details of working with the pattern (from sizing to casting on to yarn rotation and more). This is the PERFECT EXPERIENCE for newer knitters and experienced folk alike–and a great way to USE UP YOUR STASH (which we encourage you to bring with that day). But let’s look at what I’m talking about.

Friday, Helen dropped by to meet a friend of hers who plans to take the STASH BASH workshop next month. She started working out a color story for Joan

and winnowed it down to some amazing yarns with great color play and fun texture. Joan will have a blast working with what Helen assembled, for certain. Then I had her work on the bag of potential yarns for the version I’m working on as a model for the workshop.

As I don’t wear too many shoulder wraps, I asked my awesome store manager Sabrina to bring in an assemblage of her own red yarn stash and I would knit it up for her myself. Helen weeded and feeded (not a word!) the pile and we came up with a GREAT combination of shades, colors, and textures (including some of Sam’s own handspun!) that I’m working with. Check out this bag of fun

that’s working up into a BEAUTIFUL Omega Wrap that will soon reside in the shop (and eventually around Sam’s shoulders)

I couldn’t be more pleased with the finished product (it’s about half completed as of this writing). It’s got lovely colors and textures that are mixing very well and the project has been a breeze to knit. It’s also been very alluring, as now Helen is working on her own (first of many, she says), and Betsy found a bag of goodies of her own on Sunday (based on a single skein of STUNNING sock yarn and moving forward from there–and all she had to purchase were two SMALL skeins of yarn, as the rest came out of my own stash and the store’s stash/leftovers plus something of hers that Helen tossed in for good measure). That’s the beauty of this project–the largest one requires a total of 560 yards of yarn, but you need small amounts of each, so leftovers and single skeins and clearance yarns are PERFECT for use in this one!

I also managed to do a little swatching over the weekend……using the yarn for the first pair of socks that I will be making for Bill (if you don’t know who he is and are curious, that’s all chronicled over here)

out of Prism Saki in the colourway “Smoke”. STUNNING fabric, as it’s predominantly black with small shots of a rich blue and a deep purple. All I’ve done since the swatching is to tear it out–they are not even cast on yet (I haven’t even figured out the cast on number….BAD ROB!). I’ll be sure to catch you up on them soon, but first I will finish Sam’s Omega Wrap. Hopefully in the next couple days.

I had an amazing day off today (Tuesday) which I recapped over at my personal blog for those interested in reading over there. I am blessed with an amazing life, wonderful and supportive friends, and my own good health (despite abusing my body for the past 15+ years). Thanks for reading and thanks for being there for me! Y’all mean the world to me….near and far, fiber-heads and not.

Sunday was a day with two distinct personalities–the morning was restful and slow paced, spending time on things I enjoy. The afternoon was distinctly different, as when I pulled into the parking lot at the shop, I counted 31 cars (including mine and three other staffers’ vehicles), and we’re the only business open on Sundays in our complex. Suffice to say that the joint was rockin’ ! We had three different groups meeting (Entrelac Scarf Along, Miss Marcia’s Finishing School, and Our Lady Of Perpetual Fiber Sunday services), along with several folks just there to take in the scenery and shop. What a great day!

That morning, I had decided to clean out my knitting bag. Not because I didn’t know what was inside (tho I did find a couple surprises, like a caramel that went AWOL last week–still wrapped, still tasty!), but because it had gotten tangled and out of control. Here’s what all came out

Yes, all of that gets lugged back and forth to work with me everyday, and to many other places that I roam as well. Let’s do a quick body count on the contents

Well, maybe not on Monday, as all I really did today was go to my weekly counseling session, work all day at the shop, and then come home and chill on the couch for awhile. I’ve pulled myself off of said furniture because I cannot stand any more of “Kell on Earth” (I tried to watch it, but they’re just so damned MEAN…and I don’t need that negative energy in my life, honestly). So you win out, my loyal readers!

Sunday morning was spent catching up with me, as I popped on “CBS Sunday Morning” and started knitting on a great hat design found in the Winter ‘09 issue of Knitty.com called ’shroom. Using super-bulky yarn and bigger needles, I knew it would work up quickly. Ribbed band–about 60 minutes. Hat crown–maybe 2-3 hours (with fooling around at the shop). Finished in no time

and made with a single hank of Cascade Magnum (just $18, as the pattern is a freebie!). Great fun…great hat!

One thing I also did on Sunday morning was to clean out and organize my knitting bag (aka my purse). I was shocked that all of this

was in my knitting bag. Sadly, it all went right back in there, organized and semi-sorted. That’s a lot of crap! But I never know what I’ll want to knit on (despite there being three different sock projects–maybe that’s excessive!), so I carry all of it with me everywhere.

Today was a productive day at ThreadBear, as it was slow due to the inclement weather. We finally wrapped up this project,

which was to re-hank the last of the yarns that I dyed on Thursday of last week. They’re all named and ready for sale at the shop and will be on display here on Tuesday (2/23) as soon as I get back from my morning walk. I was flattered to find out how many sold over the weekend, which means I’m hitting the right color combos for folks (I feel like I’m doing a good bit of really BRIGHT stuff of late–echoing my HAPPY mood of late). So, if you’re interested in seeing how they came out and what’s left, do drop by on Tuesday, in the shop or online.

That’s about it for today……more soon. I’m going to get back to work on my new project!