On the Road & Missing the Shop

Hi from (just started raining BIG TIME) New Orleans. Staying with my newfound nephew Corey and his partner Tim. They have been wonderful to me, and since I am just starting this new venture, and not sure it can stay in the black yet, this is the perfect option. I need more and more newfound relatives to develop, LOL. South Florida relatives, please write soon! Maybe if I can find some Cuban relatives, I will be treated to some good grub & coffee.

In the meantime, I sure do miss the cottage, and these pics of last Tuesday's Knit & Coffee make me homesick. Save a spot for me in the "living room", ok gals? Our Kid's Camps are now part of knitting history (I think about 20 kids learned to knit & crochet this summer), so Tuesday mornings should turn back to just the grownups starting next week.

Oh, as for projects, Eebie's "antique" sweater looks nearly done, and Charlene has gotten pretty far on her 3-Button wrap. Shannon has a baby sweater in Knit Col, and a grown-up sweater in Tonalita that I really should have gotten pictures of, and Sue is re-working the crochet edge on her baby sweater. You must see the vintage pink baby dress we have hanging up...maybe Christina made it? I finished the "hey teach" short-sleeved lace cardigan sweater in eggplant Cotton Fleece (I love that stuff), but the pic is in Rhonda's camera, and the cable is temporarily missing. My own camera cable is also missing (I think I threw it away with a burger king bag on my last trip!), so a new one is on the way, in case y'all are wondering why I haven't been posting. DUH! I have just realized I can take photos with my camera. I will catch on someday. In the meantime, I have 3 other things on the needles, an Amaizing Hug in Corn yarn, a Hearts of Faith Scarf in Tranquility, which is a wool & bamboo blend, plus the Mariposa shawl in Yin & Yang, and it will be a showstopper. If only I could drive & knit.

Oh, did you know, the shop is getting Rowan yarns and more from South West Trading soon? I even think there is a fashion show in the works. Rhonda and I have been planning some knit-a-longs too. Get your 2 cents in now if you have any ideas. By for now, and I guess I will be wearing my clear clogs to visit shops today. The groovy suede shoes I brought have to stay in the car. Pouring rain. Darn you rain prayers.

1st trip tomorrow.

For those who know me, they will imagine I am all in a tizzy. Oh well, I am sure it will be fine. Today I started a bunch of new projects. A sparkly/non sparkly shawl called "Mariposa" in South West Trading Co. Yin & Yang......aaaaghh only 308 stitches across....it is a beautiful stitch, "Frost Flowers", which I've wanted to work for a looonnnngg time, now I have a good reason. Also started the "Hearts of Faith" scarf in Tranquility, PLUS, the somewhat kooky, yet really cool "Amaizing Hug" wrap in CORN "Amaizing" yarn. Yes, corn. No jokes, okay? I promise not to eat the shawl...but might have to scarf (knitting humor) a whole box of Wheat Thins next chance I get. Guess which is which, and you will get a prize. really.


I also finished the pieces for the "Hey Teach" in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I sure did love that yarn. Now "just" have to sew it up & add the collar and button bands. Maybe next week. I will be on the road most of the rest of this week. It should be fun. Petal, MS, Meridian, Canton, MS, Lacombe, LA, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, LA. Lotsa good stuff. Then back at the Cottage for the Sock-A-Thon Saturday.

My HS English teacher, Frank McCourt just passed away. I wonder if when he said I should become a writer, he meant, "a string-blog writer"? I will miss him very much.

OK< this is awesome. & Red Hot.

Look at this cool thing I am knitting for Rhonda. I just can't get over it (ok, I guess I am easily amused). (and, doncha' think those two gals look JUST LIKE Shannon and Julie? I do.)

THE BOMB. WORD.

Let's see what we did today. Mitzi tore out and re-worked the "peplum" of her Willow Vest, Kid's Camp started with 6 young (and beautiful & smart!) ladies learning their knitting basics, Shannon and Julie modeled new shawls, just perfect for the weather we're having. Jan came by and we looked at her gauge. She's a brand-new lace knitter, and totally addicted after one private lesson. I say the top one looks best, and is closest to the gauge needed for the vest she is making. Jan, that's the GREEN light. Cast on! Oh, yeah, what do you think of the Knit Col colorway in the upper left? I think those are the front and back of a baby sweater. IMHO, it is THE BOMB. WORD.

BIG NEWS!

I just got a Fedex box from South West Trading yesterday. All the samples and books and yarns are here! I am so excited to get started with my new venture. The yarns are just wonderful, and every single one seems to have a special and unique natural twist to it. I will be the SouthEAST rep (LA-MS-AL-GA-FL) for South West Trading, www.soysilk.com ....just wait, more yarn companies and pattern companies later!

Flying Fur and Cozy Necks

Lots of Fiber fun again today at the Cottage. The Chain Gang met again , and under the strict supervision of Julie, churned out a couple of lovely scarves. I think 3 or 4 were finished, but not everyone wanted to model. This crowd always makes me think of my fondest memories with my mother, learning to knit & crochet (we didn't do it well, but we had a lots of laughing fits, as I recall!). We received another blanket for the Baldwin County Care House, and I finished the yellow February Baby Sweater (no picture?), and also the dog sweater vest, which I put on, just to see if it was ok...it was ok! Woof! What fun (and flying fur!). It was a big day, and lots of old (ok, middle aged) friends stopped by. Hugs all around.

February Baby in July

Today, I finished off the February Baby Sweater, and while I was working on the final rows, in walks this Mom & her little "February Baby". River was wearing a green one, but her Mom was smart...short sleeves, rather than the 4" called for in the pattern...oh, how I wish I had done that! She and her sweater were just beautiful.

We also loved the Adriafil Knit Col shrug that Nancy is working on!

Trying to Hear Which Yarn is Calling Out "Me SKIF"

I think that front one on the left could be our store sample SKIF. Not sure yet.

Well, That's Just SKIFY!

You won't believe these kooky patterns. All avante-garde and strange. I am planning on making one right away, probably in one of the yarns we just got from South West Trading...I think the drape of a soy or bamboo is going to look extra cool & groovy on my new SKIF. I believe in always making the THING YOU CAN'T BUY. I am pretty sure you can't buy a sweater like these, anywhere around here...but I could be wrong. Maybe you can, for about $500 or so. Oh, and the patterns come with your funky metal tags & buttons, too. It will feel pretty strange to knit all those funny hanging off pieces. Oh my...that is going to mess with my Libra soul for sure. Then I will have to try hard to keep a straight face while wearing it. Maybe I will wear my sunglasses all day, and a ponytail on one side of my head. At least just for the blog picture.

One Skein Wonders

Look what Megrez Rudolf has been doing with her spare time! They are from a "One Skein" project book. Adorable!

Finishing Jobs Galore!

This sweater is made from dog hair spun in to yarn. Really! Amazing...I am sewing it together and adding the neck & sleeve edgings. What a special way to remember Fido (or Fluffy?) My dog Purl could make enough for one of these in a week. Contact the shop if you want to know where to get your dog's hair spun into yarn.

Ok, this is the "after" of one of the sweaters below. The green one has gone back to the drawing board. The sleeves don't match the armholes....by a long shot. Shall we make a vest instead? Or maybe the sleeves can be knitted (& increased) some more, or the front & back can be unravelled and made shorter. This is the problem. The armholes should be 9" tall, but they are 12". That amounts to a 6" shortfall in the size of the sleeves. Measure twice, knit once.

More and More....

I am not mentioning, "Rhonda has lost her marbles", but you might wanna come see what the UPS man has brought. Lots and Lots of Blue Sky Alpaca, the softest yarns you have ever seen, and very special for the most special knits ever. This is before the yarn got put out. I am sure it won't last.

Also got the new Clover circular for sock knitting. You can knit the whole sock on a teensy high quality circular (not 2 needles, not 4 needles, not 5 needles), small enough to knit adult socks. You only have to change to DPNs at the very end of the toe. Check em out.

Frances Grace Must Have Been Listening

Frances Grace came to her Mom's knitting lesson. She wasn't the least bit interested, and studied a game on her I-Phone during the whole lesson. That's cool, I thought, sometimes a person just is NOT into it. Later on, her Mom ran into a little trouble. "here, Mom, let me show you what to do...". That was Frances Grace.....I guess she was picking up knitting even though it did not seem like it! She is now hopelessly "into it", and here is her project, CHECK IT OUT!! AWESOME, RIGHT?

Hard Working Knit & Crochet Chain Gang

Angela is almost done with her blanket for Baldwin County Carehouse, and we think it is pretty close to perfect, if not actually 100% perfect. Ileana, and I hope I spelled that right, is doing a great job on her first crochet work (oops...I think it is her 2nd class, so don't get mad I said "first"). I am totally amazed at how good these kids are. Rhonda is warning me, I may have to look for a new job once they get trained up on their knitting & crochet. I noticed they were studying how to use the ball winder awfully closeley. It is a shame, because the pay is so good. I got the February Baby sweater very close to done, (ok, I might be exaggerating a little, but there is no proof, because I neglected to take a picture. Maybe next time. I could get the "Hey Teach" sweater (eggplant Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece) into the lace part over the holiday weekend, and then it will be an occasion for an in-progress photo shoot. I also have 3 big finishing jobs to do for the shop. Maybe I will post photos of those, too! For some reason, I think some people are actually reading this mess! Thanks, everyone, you made my day.

Something Fun to Try

Here is something fun I just came across:
Finger Knitting Video from YouTube

Now, what projects can you make from it?