tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154479112024-03-12T20:35:35.213-07:00TopFrog Knits!Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-8857463742827621062009-08-04T17:00:00.000-07:002009-08-04T17:42:27.179-07:00And awaaaaay we go!Yarn for classes? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Extra needles? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Old-fashioned pair of straight needles for Guinness World Record attempt <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Knitting project for airplane?<span style="font-size:78%;"> (check!)</span><br />Confirmation numbers?<span style="font-size:78%;"> (check!)</span><br />Credit card? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Stitch markers for trading? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Little sock for lapel? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Socks to match all outfits? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br />Oh, yeah. Clothes? <span style="font-size:78%;">(check!)</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">OK! I think I am ready to head off to Portland to the Sock Summit! Yay!</span><br /><br />Ya know... I get the weirdest looks from my non-knitting co-workers and friends.<br /><br />"Knitting convention? Socks??? You're kidding!"<br /><br />Yet if I said I was going to a technical summit, or software convention, or a fly-fishing convention, or a car show, or a travel expo, or a home and garden show -- no one would raise an eyebrow. <sigh><br /><br />There's a lot of PR work to do for knitting. Maybe the word will get out that the mayor of Portland proclaimed this week "Sock Knitting Week." Or maybe someone will notice those SIX sold-out hotels around the Portland Convention Center.<br /><br /><em>Wouldn't count on it.</em><br /><br />Well, I'm doing my part. I'm on my way! :)Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-33423453104465965552009-05-06T19:26:00.000-07:002009-05-06T20:14:01.704-07:00Guess who?Hello? Hello?<br />Is this thing on? <<span style="font-size:78%;">tap-tap-tap</span>><tap><br /><br />Yep, it's me. Retired from really great old job, found really great new job, busy-busy, yadda-yadda.<br /><br />I've missed my blog, because it functions as a journal, keeping track of my various projects and knitting-related adventures. Even if no one reads it but me, I like the exercise of just doing it.<br /><br />But before we get back to knitting, I would just like to mention that there is a heckova difference between the Corporate World and the Non-Profit World. Like Time. In the Corporate World, they have 40-hour workweeks. In the Non-Profit World, they have voluntary servitude. This hasn't cut into my knitting time <em>too</em> much, but my blogging time sure has suffered. I'm just sayin'... ;)<br /><br />Before I dive back in, here are a couple of cool things.<br /><br />I belong to a really great and active Knitting Guild here in Sacramento. From time to time, I've posted some of the fun things we've done -- like <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/11/catching-up.html">the time we flew Franklin Habit out here </a>for a 1,000 Knitters shoot, or our <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/03/lornas-february-challemge-brea-bag.html">monthly knitting challenges</a>, or the time we joined 300 other knitters to take<a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/02/train-gang.html"> a special train to Stitches </a>West. (It was over 500 this year!) Well, now I don't have to do all the bragging myself, because the Guild has its very own blog these days: <a href="http://www.stockinettes.blogspot.com/">stockinettes.blogspot.com</a>. Miss Lisette is doing a great job of trying to keep up with all our activities. Tomorrow night is our monthly meeting, and lots of folks will be bringing their <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTfishy.php">Dead-or-Alive Fish Hats</a>. Should be fun!<br /><br />Cool Thing #2: In my last post, cobwebby months ago, I promised to post photos of the winners of the Felted Slipper Contest. And I will, in just a few <<span style="font-size:78%;">mumble-mumble</span>>.<br /><br />But in the meantime -- one of our winner's slippers have been published! Kristen's terribly cute and wonderful musk oxen slippers won the Cruisers' Choice Award -- and I was standing <em>right there</em> when Amy Singer suggested that she write up the pattern and submit it to Knitty.com. <a href="http://http//www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATToomingmacks.php">And here it is!!!</a><br /><br />OK. Well, that's it for now. I might even have some photos or something next time. Gotta pace myself coming back, you know.Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-3267440712876854162008-08-05T22:22:00.000-07:002008-09-20T20:36:06.460-07:00Knitters Are Exceptionally Clever PeopleOK. That's a pretty obvious statement. But sometimes the obvious just has to be stated. Case in point:<br /><br />My Friend Cindi & I decided to host a felted slipper contest during our cruise. We thought it would be a good way to meet some of the other 115 cruisers; we thought it would meld nicely with the planned pajama party night; and we were kinda curious about what kinds of things folks would come up with.<br /><br />Some of our local knit shops and friends donated some awesome yarny goodies as prizes: <a href="http://www.babettasyarnandgifts.com/">Babetta's</a>, <a href="http://knitiqueayarnboutique.blogspot.com/">Knitique</a>, <a href="http://www.lornamiser.com/">Lorna Miser </a>and Fredrikka Payne from <a href="http://aurorayarns.net/">Aurora Yarns</a>, <a href="http://www.culturedpurl.com/">Betsy of Cultured Purl</a>, and <a href="http://vicknitchik.googlepages.com/home">VicKnitChik</a>, a fellow cruiser. Let me tell you, those were some NICE prizes. And they took up an entire suitcase! (Which was OK with me, because after the prizes were awarded, I had something to hold all the goodies I acquired on the cruise!)<br /><br />We awarded prizes in 4 categories: Cruise Theme, Embellished, Knit-In Design, and Cruisers' Choice-- to be voted on by all. Amy Singer and Brenda Dayne were gracious enough to join Cindi and me as judges for the first 3 categories. It was a lot harder than you might think!!!<br /><br /><br />Some easy eliminations: a couple of entries weren't eligible for voting because they were created by judges. Like this pair, which were mine:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231277969255401186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4LZKWIrXb6bnBhn5Hk3Q8BFRDkOHNsBUa4Qh9EpMEIxEXiiOl2PvVypUF1lYVis4uaaRPIuDNRC1r6lhlFbzfhQw4J8Z0YfXrUIoZYI5gnHE9e1Y0RRWGpKKpfYBgr_42IkanQ/s400/DSC01107.JPG" border="0" />And this pair, by Amy Singer, the Best Knitting Sport in the Entire World. Amy is allergic to wool, but wanted to support our contest. So she found some acrylic yarn in Seattle that would give a felted-wool-like appearance when knitted. Then she nearly wore out her hands knitting like crazy on these faux-felted slippers to have them ready for the contest-- <em>knowing they weren't eligible!!</em> How wonderful is that!!?<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231277973146982482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTohEQZBrfbSBWRavOGJc1dhDBAJEXYXNjHST9pQJOx7y6mpGNyR_AYdFo1DTNjuzftTbwh23095VsHMhxyCxYk-uRL-k42a0MVXDk50qgoct5-KRbyjdegy_DCmQvPIHGKygSGw/s400/DSC00884.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><p>Now I want to show <em>just a few</em> of the stellar entries that <strong>didn't </strong>win. And I gotta tell you, every single entry was a similar work of art. (BTW-- the judging took place one night during a pajama party. We usually dressed in regular public-facing clothes during the cruise!)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231277967540484754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMWYYKAoG4jrFlYvKxtteRpr_dhybuETCnfIXQ6I_-BX7u7og-8GaVNHk01Uxu2aizbzZ9JqzZGKr0gi7mQMqlfdkhUKmIs_IbLVqwYUJQrmRKR1BcWUpB_ZM8I2PxzRuM7f9sA/s400/DSC00867.JPG" border="0" />This is Sharon, our very talented on-board accupunturista with her Alaskan Cruise slippers. Using a variety of techniques, including needlefelting, intarsia, and embellishments, Sharon's slippers represent cruising by day and cruising by night. They feature the aurora borealis, icebergs and glaciers, sea life, high & low tides, and all sorts of wonderful tiny details that you discover only by examining each slipper very closely. </p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231277967192837186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc24miARnj0sJtnUJ2avY00p_c5Lh5V-uHv6Upfw998JAj4LZ7qvGaqpV8S8-KgWYarCxiuxvP1q971aT8nUgk8H7NVJRB3BYWJGLN2CQveiUbWIbfrYBQu3cIXzzBE1AWWaorA/s400/DSC00875.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Deborah's beautifully shaded monochromatic slippers each featured a bouquet of intricately felted, embroidered, and beaded flowers -- each one a little masterpiece.</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231277968182682354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi7cEOahjINX0mVcFqQBriWR27hzfaagwuhtKp4sVOT4EOZmoBrf9zfl_2TaNk1EXTAvkhDW6qf9r6ajsMsfX3-LiF4F455EoRcAGQYpmwKGAj5pC0RBXpW0a2rqm1r2dVvYd4w/s400/DSC00881.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Angela's slippers were orcas, cavorting through Alaskan seas... complete with tails!! And pectoral fins!</p><p><strong><em>And none of these slippers won!!</em> </strong></p><p>See? Being a judge is really, really hard!<br />In a future post, I'll show you the ones that <em>did </em>win. </p><p>Hold on to your needles.</p>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-33252900508318822902008-07-18T20:22:00.000-07:002008-08-05T22:22:49.673-07:00In Which We Go to Sea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQw96QCAVCL9Vo9ZCMcl1WtBYfVdOmwIEOLSMKenUBZEtc8eq9leA1ob2c5DBUXW9ByDXW9bj-3-bgxjFc9xzqc0PWs6iqkYfLO6lWBueTrr2V7kzYW-gv9mPYDZnVsFVxLbJ4Q/s1600-h/DSC00625.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224570943660326194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQw96QCAVCL9Vo9ZCMcl1WtBYfVdOmwIEOLSMKenUBZEtc8eq9leA1ob2c5DBUXW9ByDXW9bj-3-bgxjFc9xzqc0PWs6iqkYfLO6lWBueTrr2V7kzYW-gv9mPYDZnVsFVxLbJ4Q/s400/DSC00625.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>So my friend <a href="http://2stxyrn.wordpress.com/">Cindi </a>says, "Come on. We should do this. it will be fun!"<br /></div><div>And you know what? She was right.</div><br /><div>We signed up to go on an 8-day roundtrip knitting cruise: Seattle, Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria, Seattle. </div><ul><li>There were 115 knitters on board with us. </li><br /><li>We visited 6 yarn stores, including the wonderful Beehive Wool Shop in Victoria.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231267656581705442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc2l3i6fPaQx6SMNus7OrEx8l69FdSccGn3bXxkev9-tTSuC8o2evR2wdCNCNfZZs2_-jSYUwXR2C5G3QzUwKVs466bkuvwbGSX6BN_fsbpKchFAshX8eUlxizLeoVogSeMJ0_w/s400/DSC00996.JPG" border="0" /><br /></li><li>We met the awesome Brenda Dayne of the <a href="http://www.cast-on.com/">Cast-On </a>podcast.</li><br /><li>We met the awesome Amy Singer from <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/index.html">Knitty.com</a>.<br /></li><li>We met the awesome Heather from <a href="http://craftlit.blogspot.com/">Craft Lit</a>.<br /></li><li>We met awesome knitters from all over the US and Canada. (Hi Deborah, and <a href="http://themarchhare-meg.blogspot.com/">Meg</a>, and <a href="http://www.purlthis.blogspot.com/">Lisa</a>, and <a href="http://mjmknitting.blogspot.com/">Melinda</a>, and <a href="http://betterthanyarn.blogspot.com/">Jasmin</a>, and <a href="http://jenniethepotter.blogspot.com/">Jennie the Potter</a> and mom (hope the leg is all healed!),and <a href="http://needlegrrl.blogspot.com/">Sharon</a>, and <a href="http://www.yarnsnob.blogspot.com/">Jamie</a>, and the <a href="http://vicknitchik.googlepages.com/home">VicKnitChick</a>, and Andrea, and ...so many other <em><strong>wonderful</strong></em>, <strong><em>talented, and nice</em></strong> knitters!)</li><br /><li>Sometimes we knitted all day.</li><br /><li>Sometimes we knitted late into the night.<br /></li><li>Somedays we were so busy chatting and having fun, we didn't knit at all!<br /></li><li>And we even managed to do some sightseeing.</li></ul><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231267660937569394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_NUYg3o57oFZnFEoCYWLH5upS2aLqaOWNT-t-2Qkx-3eIsON2dmHLRMXHm6ld1UIkYhVThXnW9_TWbYhs2wZD6V8ThbGGgsy5KRKrNm9Rv5PZiB7-hGdhF6yOf1jhKhFrcL0GA/s400/DSC00721.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p>We had a great time on the cruise, and the Big Lesson we took away was: If you meet great people who make your days enjoyable, then making lemonade can be so much fun you forget you started with some lemons.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231267661583955698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsrD4vXuBghzCNzhNBedgLkP72qbOBZaJS0WlmqfLpiZrsE515DkaTEER1_lB8ya5CHqnqHbU1z5QiCq85gtpdAjPRud9jslE5ia4peREshYRV0RBgSilRLyTQS4iAmDCS8-l3Q/s400/DSC01109.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><br />(Also, yarn and goodies go a long way to make knitters happy. But you knew that already, right?)Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-13914656386920962872008-04-21T12:18:00.001-07:002008-04-21T12:40:03.461-07:00Stitching & Pitching<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIjhyphenhyphenevp1SSdIwQYw9Gys1TSVH4iKmTx-KzHaqVTmxDmb_SblPoMD4Y-NK2cwUvgbl9lr5_NuKXnAb9uF6MjfcDUFWWUkKzFHcnMT5tV26uOsb6XHdYpbKwTBRTaHBQcrkKflVA/s1600-h/Hat+%26+Bag544.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191780639412472274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIjhyphenhyphenevp1SSdIwQYw9Gys1TSVH4iKmTx-KzHaqVTmxDmb_SblPoMD4Y-NK2cwUvgbl9lr5_NuKXnAb9uF6MjfcDUFWWUkKzFHcnMT5tV26uOsb6XHdYpbKwTBRTaHBQcrkKflVA/s400/Hat+%26+Bag544.JPG" border="0" /></a>Stitch & Pitch came to Sacramento last Thursday, and, as VP of the local knitting guild, I was asked to throw out the first pitch. <div> </div><div>I dug through my stash and found some nice burgundy bulky Cascade, and used size 35 needles to knit up a good-sized swatch. I wound the other end of the yarn around a regulation baseball. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191780622232603074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV_e-Kfj8AC1MmXF9_AnLW0dmxIHvWhPtTt4sxPwioAQv7FNUPClDNqdwcI8owl6MiCp2I7cdsAcImcyRjbHgf6ZPQi4F0kArOS0CxiA8H9UK6y0gQsvxEreMw9MixSp2gdHEBA/s400/Sm+Beth%26Sandi+at+the+game.jpg" border="0" />Our guild president, Sandi, held the needles and swatch while I threw the still-attached ball ... of yarn. Didn't <em>quite</em> get it to the catcher -- it bounced on home plate -- but I doubt if the catcher would have caught it anyway, since he was laughing so hard. </div><div> </div><div>Hey! Who says knitters don't know how to have fun? :)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191780613642668466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NLQTEYrgH4MMd7HHaccswwsfEKInBtB-olCsuj5FHCfo5_qCwMqOhMCgRC94n7dzgF3eu0pZHAmFS-mbilPCl16XdEyvFYNipX9Pt8AzzBgd85b40h5gow_5HmXBvsVfAQjvZA/s400/Catcher&Yarn540.JPG" border="0" /></div><br />BTW -- Sandi and I both knitted up the baseball hat pattern that was attached to the official Stitch & Pitch email. I am sorry to say that both of us felt that this pattern was poorly conceived and written. As an example, the pattern instructs to knit the facing <em>in the round</em>, then knit the attached sections <em>back and forth</em>. We both followed this direction, thinking there <strong>must</strong> be a reason to knit back and forth when in the round seemed so much more logical. There was no reason for it, as it turns out -- it just made the pattern more fiddly. The brim instructions were also needlessly complicated-- lots of single crochet finishing called for, when simple sewing with yarn and needle worked much better. It's a cute hat, and lends itself well to embellishments and individual design, but if you decide to make one, use your common sense when it comes to following the instructions.Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-34884739233990726202008-04-14T10:59:00.000-07:002008-04-14T11:59:20.854-07:00Arans and Ganseys and Bears — Oh, My!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPv0Jcl3rpMr5l-LCQ2w5GHepVJ_kVZ47NDGCHJKP7HjDPfmyzTCKwOFypNHzIf-OlzZ0gU61h000UcGttjmGmw3knzJBkzGbOAYc_db9Gqo-72_uaDQfW_QBv0u2tuStn0xN4Q/s1600-h/MiniAran.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189175090312877810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPv0Jcl3rpMr5l-LCQ2w5GHepVJ_kVZ47NDGCHJKP7HjDPfmyzTCKwOFypNHzIf-OlzZ0gU61h000UcGttjmGmw3knzJBkzGbOAYc_db9Gqo-72_uaDQfW_QBv0u2tuStn0xN4Q/s400/MiniAran.JPG" border="0" /></a>Our guild was fortunate to have a weekend of classes with Beth Brown-Reinsel earlier this month. She is a delightful lady, and a wonderful teacher, and -- coming directly from all that snow and mud in Vermont -- was a little culture-shocked in our warm California spring weather. (But in a good way!) :)<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189175090312877826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkOHaOWaHxg4I8BIc6vr3KMSymrYTloOXQqx7Q4EcsL7kDI0R-He62y2qUcZsZe29leksqX-oO_XgJXht5hdeB591k5hWVIiGguKXqaFKToG8y3k8L_6YhokdufX5pdeF0131rQ/s400/MiniGansey.JPG" border="0" />We had one day of knitting Aran cardigans from the top down (the lavender sweater photographed with California poppies), and one day of Gansey pullovers from the bottom up (the (the gold sweater photographed in the lavender blossoms). </p><p>Our sampler-style bear-size mini sweaters featured shoulder straps, welts, gussets, and a wealth of traditional patterns and methods. Everyone was knitting at top speed while listening and talking — and mistakes were definitely made! We joked that if any of our bears drowned, we would certainly be able to claim them by identifying the mistakes in their little sweaters. Myths are so much fun!</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189175077427975906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEwgOrQEc84-_EDpjuN2JG5uaqiGcllDPS9SmnBPka83zgpVRsm8BVo2NtPf_oHs_zht5X_jIk3nthdFtU76n6MtKOyWSTYQyIJX_NgHkCCfzOFndEKE7UdvhZoxpdXoi6oOziA/s400/BBRLunch.JPG" border="0" />Each day featured a lovely catered luncheon, and plenty of time to relax, chat, delight in the springtime weather— and even knit a little. :)</p><p>If you ever have an opportunity to take a class from Beth, jump at it! Even if you don't have any intention of ever knitting a full-size Aran or Gansey, you will learn many useful techniques and tips that can carry over well to other knitted items.</p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189175098902812434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8snYwlDLlozAhlrn-AWFATPJlQ4_ltupMUuuXv1_oU_Nq7WPhwyzRssJutKxtBtwVNKEfVgCCann_1wA05FELrpZx1yK0rmohmQ3yaZ9zbbLInT5hpzGcT50r0zmDa5D7FiUc5g/s400/TwoBeths.JPG" border="0" />Thanks, Beth! It was a wonderful weekend.Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-16879244068613483992008-04-09T15:02:00.000-07:002008-04-09T15:12:39.538-07:00Christmas. Is. Done.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFVxLTOgceG3JSAJfi1W_4rcS9POsFOcizbMe4cwTwx0iihVif8f0ArsxK97NZlxS3anzuHTVL0LHv25iVYGWM7fisYITc1yqFdNtxHgIWA2Bz_BFVX4k6mTFbJlCZliF6XRAMg/s1600-h/BYCardiganFront.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187371393781760914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFVxLTOgceG3JSAJfi1W_4rcS9POsFOcizbMe4cwTwx0iihVif8f0ArsxK97NZlxS3anzuHTVL0LHv25iVYGWM7fisYITc1yqFdNtxHgIWA2Bz_BFVX4k6mTFbJlCZliF6XRAMg/s400/BYCardiganFront.JPG" border="0" /></a>Remember the one knitted gift I didn't finish in time for Christmas? Well, it's finished now, and the recipient is very happy with it and said it was well worth the wait. <whew!><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is the wonderfully triple-redundant-named <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?search=Search&searchText=forever+classic&x=3&y=14">"Forever Classic Heirloom Cables"</a> from the Lion Brand site. My son picked out both the sweater and the yarn: Wool Ease for mindless tossing into the washer and the dryer.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187371402371695522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAZ2VV17Cww3CjPydmT_DpYCwcb5P5EfocbGyzKv4vIWEcNIW3llmr4e2Nl7XYlTRTmBcisIwYNMoxEsFsxFWaqVMsXTUvH7gHz0HTNUAK1BigiJJL724cJ7mXbY1vcvSDBpdiQ/s400/BJCardiganBack.JPG" border="0" />He's so happy with it that he sat right down with a stack of knitting patterns looking for his NEXT Christmas present.<br /><br />He's such an optimist. ;)Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-1365481799020783762008-04-08T11:45:00.001-07:002008-04-08T12:10:31.221-07:00Spring Tickle Socks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYxrbpPKMYUAva-VfJblaAElMk_Y59nP_LIDQgy0XIBnmXjAIGfqplD8P0f-A_uf_fRHUOPVVgUU4bVow1SZgkfqEmmeKCpoIBaJmhFKGCGoo5ir4A4Sf9ZUQr8C_0QYJPJvtIw/s1600-h/DSC00448.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186953158486885442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYxrbpPKMYUAva-VfJblaAElMk_Y59nP_LIDQgy0XIBnmXjAIGfqplD8P0f-A_uf_fRHUOPVVgUU4bVow1SZgkfqEmmeKCpoIBaJmhFKGCGoo5ir4A4Sf9ZUQr8C_0QYJPJvtIw/s400/DSC00448.JPG" border="0" /></a> I really have been knitting socks this year -- I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures of them. :) I finished this pair in February, and they have been washed and blocked and ready for their close-up, Mr. DeMille. <div></div><div>So today was picture day. I thought these pretty yellow and white irises were the perfect photo companions for socks in a"Spring Tickle" colorway. The angle is a bit weird, though: they really are proportionate!<br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div>The yarn is <a href="http://www.thesweetsheep.com/xcart/product.php?productid=1379&cat=0&page=1">"Smooshy" by Dream in Color</a>. I got it from <a href="http://www.thesweetsheep.com/">The Sweet Sheep</a>, a delightful site to do business with. The yarn is soft and dreamy as advertised -- I hope it wears well!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186953167076820066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhubniEhOOA49Y4oWzF0yhpw32NyoJFgjN_ZLaChs6NFSuqgNbQYUqtvhavI3HekTKuyemzut6tHHkBQmLRf9ykZhTpSPt9z2xZcJo_T9WnHyYOr0hyphenhyphen5yjW4SeNvh-V4mJfVd7ZtQ/s400/DSC00456.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Here's the built-in marker. It's agate, Swarovski crystal, and tiger eye.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186953162781852754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc74gvmimuFOnTyhXKJa6eu9_UPJ69-Yo3lx561qtQJwPKaP316O8f9PBiIifnignPdmqnxteMJ7hlkcTFF8vfIy8OMhiecNPSd1Epv_EpkLCrXhTZLUkePpGb9-UtKi1nEh7GQ/s400/DSC00454.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-80973800376986475332008-03-03T14:56:00.000-08:002008-03-03T15:31:31.536-08:00Milinda managed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061GIuHt6gBcbkDQ5RviF3ClU9DbYk4HAvHZVdvfW2dshXarIstApEf4LtATUPcXm20C-m_R6YpcG9EMknWr3AYvvHM7cPj4j4mOTpDNTTFxzfMOc6sf5ukh0xwYjTG70EH4ucg/s1600-h/SLC_MilindaFull2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173661890893824450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061GIuHt6gBcbkDQ5RviF3ClU9DbYk4HAvHZVdvfW2dshXarIstApEf4LtATUPcXm20C-m_R6YpcG9EMknWr3AYvvHM7cPj4j4mOTpDNTTFxzfMOc6sf5ukh0xwYjTG70EH4ucg/s400/SLC_MilindaFull2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>If you heard loud whooping this past week, that might have been me. If you heard a sigh of relief, that was probably me, too.</div><br /><div>I finished a long-standing (3-year) UFO intended for my daughter. </div><br /><div><a href="http://whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/138.html">Joan M-M's Milinda pattern </a>is well-written, and the rose-leaf patterned portion knitted up like a dream. In fact, I made it a bit longer than the pattern called for. But then the project hit deep doo-doo. It is supposed to fit closely, and the intended recipient is not a single pattern size. I re-knit the top portion 3 times in different size combinations and reknit the bust short rows over and over until I had to change yarn skeins because I had nearly worn out the original skein. I just didn't like the way the short rows looked, and tried every method I could find until I finally hit on one that didn't show too badly. I dragged that project across the country for fittings several times, just to discover it was too loose here, too tight there, too big there, too small here. </div><br /><div></div><div>Frog it. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.</div><br /><div></div><div>But the third time was the charm. It. Fit.</div><br /><div>And she likes it! She really likes it! :))</div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-7506498038428957562008-02-21T14:09:00.000-08:002008-02-21T14:46:56.139-08:00Faded GloryNever underestimate the power of a leprechaun.<br /><div><div></div><br /><div>Last March, I knitted a pair of green/gray Koigu socks, and <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/03/touch-of-blarney.html">accused the leprechauns </a>of stealing the green color from my photo after I washed and blocked the socks. And I've been wearing them happily ever since.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169567459918144178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFCTGPmKYJxCUWYxSIxAf0Ji5Ah6DV1pFRJLo2qP-aWFa6ZERHxB391XuClio9D-Xw1cGXTuTlqoW9lOH34yxgLerzvXiB3TtqLJdEupA6Syd_O9f6Cc4ZCXvC2CR49okw9ynHg/s400/MarchSoxMarker_3860.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Last weekend, I discovered a wee hole in the heel of one of these socks. Being the packrat that I am, I dug around in my sock remnants until I found the Koigu leftovers to darn the hole with. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169559381084660370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYPpZkW-ZD0YUDOK9zFeFikL-R70w4xH3aXeFkcPHRE25ygU7-NKfqBcLLbNBxHKcLDqSvBKN-jVAFCKKVn0_bDskNYE6r8jB1cU8WWkoq3I1In1bYNGTvw3NkUFbwP7Ds970Dg/s400/FadedKoigu241.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><strong>What's up with this?</strong> I had to double-check the label to make sure it was the same yarn. Has anyone else experienced this type of fading with Koigu??</div><br /><div></div><div>As a sanity-check, I dug out some leftover Tanzanite Socks That Rock from October 2006. I wear these socks *all the time* and they get washed in the machine at least once a week, and also needed a wee bit of TLC for a worn-thin spot in the heel..</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169559389674594978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZ35-JYgzILdJPZXL_jZpy6589AN2AF9POgWWt7cx3Zso7cBfXtIti4u9G3Tyipg00KX74yMCW9t7TpOakS2ibwZRB_onzkcTB5VpkJIrOz5qeRanhvxpQcJTmMlQY66pxbm-iA/s400/FadedSTR245.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>See? Hardly any fading at all -- if any. They still look awesome.</div><div> </div><div>So. </div><div> </div><div>Was it the Koigu? </div><div> </div><div>Or the Curse of the Leprechauns? *</div><div> </div><div><em>*(I should probably trademark this and offer it up on eBay as a great title for a horror movie!!)</em></div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-74236011571553925852008-02-15T14:44:00.001-08:002008-02-16T10:51:44.025-08:00Getting a Jump on Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqboSDsH8i2goVrSDbMmUn1K3iMMJzVqO_BWbaA0fEOFJDGY63G1eEwTIN7D8m7hlBNJTCT78wSwaIFbZrfJ_dwdUO4azuBOKs9rc3dSf9kXR9tkdNgVIpQexh99BAW6TUKZQwmQ/s1600-h/CompletedSnowman76.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167343783550313058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqboSDsH8i2goVrSDbMmUn1K3iMMJzVqO_BWbaA0fEOFJDGY63G1eEwTIN7D8m7hlBNJTCT78wSwaIFbZrfJ_dwdUO4azuBOKs9rc3dSf9kXR9tkdNgVIpQexh99BAW6TUKZQwmQ/s400/CompletedSnowman76.JPG" border="0" /></a>I am lucky to belong to a <a href="http://stockinettes.org/">very active knitting guild</a>. We have a lot of talented members who are generous with their time and talent — which makes it more fun for everyone. And with over 100 members, there is always a group ready and willing to participate in whatever comes down the pike -- including flights of knitting whimsey.<br /><br /><div><div><div>Two of our members — <a href="http://fiberminder.com/">Kimberly</a> & Michele — showed up at the guild Christmas party with The Cutest Holiday Purses Ever — snowman bags. They were definitely the most talked-about items of the night! So of course, those lucky members were recuited, um..., <em>volunteered</em> on the spot to lead a Snowman Purse knit-along as the January guild program. </div><br /><div>The original pattern was published in the November 2006 issue of <em>Creative Knitting</em>, and back issues are not available. So the guild contacted the publisher, and received permission to make 25 copies of the pattern for use by our members for purposes of the knit-along.</div><br /><div>We started off knitting together at our monthly project night, then continued as a knit-along on the guild Yahoo group. Most of us finished our snowmen by the February guild meeting, but there are a few more still in the works. I did not get a photo of the 15-or-so completed projects, but each was as individual as its creator, and each one had a personality all its own.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167343564506980930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HfCeo4LzZlBkehnZKiIirj2hS-IC0yBu_Y5puJCMyUpnk8Orne2CH10eFcXbS3PU0p0fP78yZ4xPEOcEkeI7nqozCSaKJVoqmKt2BGHAjWSTcC5KuoSj9LkTE8grgifH20JVsw/s400/UnfeltedSnowman53.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>This is my freshly-knitted snowman before felting.<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167343792140247666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge21QKxkbovTlyGtjeiff8SILL-dQLI_N2MkKO9fta7JOkuEL91y-HqawtP3HPV6fDuMw5IRvJee675q2JsXdOzZIxCsYb1TvZUF41zuDAWRRR0ydSmTlL6od7D-Svzu4j3WocOw/s400/FeltedSnowman56.JPG" border="0" />After felting.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167343779255345746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStm_2sRtMmC6-MjQ-TG7POUfU7XR3mz87m045SbXCj0g3_aB3OT3twrTqL57HrKE_Ohj071XccCrbcruTL52A4_5CgqtVUYKbdHbWgqgcmQP-OxOzPZ68BT1RUzVdkqGic_GnMQ/s400/BlockingSnowman57.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Drying time: it's stuffed with plastic bags, shaped with rubberbands at the hatband and the scarf top.<br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167352648362812034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH1eHDlu7KCwVgGdY5dDplRxIKEnkNILCO-nzjXgU0hRBKkXHoEdm2yghjKBt0ovrA__KBuIP4MwDo5zqqZpzKkuikVSsFryIgBogL3AwQmPEI9WH3FtMDtCY03VeQqkA-Z1Mvw/s400/SnowmanEyes.JPG" border="0" />Embellishing was the most fun. I found some faceted square buttons that I thought looked sorta like coal, and needlefelted the eyebrows and part of the mouth. The nose is a triangle — knitted, felted, rolled up, and stitched into a carrot shape. I used buttons to highlight the mouth, and a big button as the flap closure. I knit and felted some holly leaves and sewed them to the flap on either side of the buttonhole. I Fray-Chek'ed the edges of the buttonhole just to be safe.<br /><br /><div>And now it's ready and waiting for the holiday season to roll around again! (And there are a couple more of these cuties already in progress for gifts for deserving relatives.) :) BTW-- several of our group have come up with ideas for some fun variations of this pattern for other seasons -- a jack o'lantern, for instance. Or an Uncle Sam. Anyway, I don't think we've seen the last of whimsical holiday purses in our guild...</div></div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-29799823363030160872008-02-15T10:06:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:44:48.265-08:00Grand Central Station Socks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpy-DyaOgmss5qVDZM8d7AnUPgIERsLMHwu7gFF293wM1eH9WPKvm6yL-bpLENmV61r8K7mmZH8T89erfQhDxVYZaG5mzQWmeO4CUUdOlx5EwNOGAj8kMN3TPesG80_3EaGXj7w/s1600-h/GrandCentSta.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167276966744089138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpy-DyaOgmss5qVDZM8d7AnUPgIERsLMHwu7gFF293wM1eH9WPKvm6yL-bpLENmV61r8K7mmZH8T89erfQhDxVYZaG5mzQWmeO4CUUdOlx5EwNOGAj8kMN3TPesG80_3EaGXj7w/s400/GrandCentSta.JPG" border="0" /></a> I really enjoyed knitting a pair of socks a month last year, especially when the weather turned chilly and I had a wonderful selection of toasty-warm socks ready to wear! In fact, with the extras (mostly Harry Potter-themed socks and gifts) I counted up 18 pairs of socks knit in 2007. <div><div><div><br /><div>I'm lucky here in Northern California -- we get good sock-wearing weather for about 5 months. After that, it is bare feet and sandals all the time. Even so, 5 monthis is a respectable sock-wearing portion of the year, and I was most happy to be well-outfitted when November rolled around.</div><br /><div>Anyway, I've decided to go for the monthly socks thing this year, as well. (Actually, my sock yarn stash could probably take me a lot further than that...) I find I really do enjoy knitting socks. They are lightweight, portable, packable, and easily picked up for a few stitches or a few rows. I usually have a couple of other projects going at the same time, but the socks fit nicely in my purse.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167275240167236098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9O2fk24b1hOE71eB6WDNsKDwYF6V8glc8t9ZuFnnXvUqjU_5qlokdBklvfmhww7TBWwKs0dpefWEmxIAnsWjJXQ_FjjxK3Ne4Z0XqnUwbXKDBg1HDz8ZDJvlb0xOh564YtNbcg/s400/GrandCentralSock210.JPG" border="0" />So. The January Socks. This yarn was a Christmas gift from Nancie Wiseman. She said she saw the yarn and "it had my name on it." (I need to find out who put that label on the yarn and thank them!) I think she meant the color. It is beautiful: mauves, greyed purples and pinks -- and it changes when the light changes.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167275240167236114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrZWM-w2a9Z2toe1rjmGcOFlg-hGOVkWd2DxvNVRerFEodo2n4jTZ2FcxhwD68g-MoGusqB4aP4GRvLS_17tHY1t3cuI4JH0N7_YUy91bdHWzMOtCT3MaDWxZj5CP1FGMFy3t0Q/s400/GrandCentralToe218.JPG" border="0" />I started the first sock just before I left on a business trip. I wanted to work with cables, so I jotted down a 66-stitch pattern that alternates 8-row 6-stitch cables with 5 seed stitches. As it turned out, our hotel in New York City was right next door to Grand Central Station. What a beautiful and awe-inspiring building it is! When I saw all the train tracks and all the people bustling about, I knew I had found the name for my socks.</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167275072663511538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWhxAN0CQMzs8vpAdwQUwxAd-A9t_pCih8TzSPwBv-M_o1BKip8QqWMUGWKly_m1C6s2wKNygXl7zpvT8XnURQXW09d2xqHJ6twf9HYxSdF7RVhKZwJcRrOq5yxORVvaGPAVFaA/s400/GrandCentralMarker.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>The knitted-in marker is a lampwork glass bead with Swarovski crystals and gold metal spacers. I am happy to say that even with all the washing -- I wash my socks enclosed in a lingerie bag in the washing machine -- the markers have held up quite well. I have had a couple of them break, but I just replaced the stiff wire with knottable wire -- much better! </div><div> </div><div>And -- I got a new camera for Christmas. It has a range of macro settings, so I am having fun experimenting with close-ups of my knitting. :)</div></div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-9827588284283038662008-02-11T11:29:00.001-08:002008-02-15T10:05:34.736-08:00Calendar BlurI think someone has stolen some pages from my calendar. The last couple of months have been a blur. Well, *December* was a blur. January was Recovery Month fog.<br /><br />December started out in a fun sparkling whirl of last minute shopping, knitting, parties, dinners, happy Christmas preparations, and welcoming houseguests. It ended with sad and dreary holidays spent in various emergency rooms and hospitals with said houseguests. After the houseguests were recovered enough to return to their homes, I became ill. Thus Recovery January.<br /><br />But let's focus on the fun part!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165811223254982994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYIIhsa-EKvf6fq7NIcuiuAWCcJgKGo3Tzi4GbPjUxwPlgKTFeb1lklhPhmYaubgHJ78uKCOFLVbN61wTpieRdagroq55MIK0QEG-DPWoSVsJE4W-a70blTbiOZsN236rj_j6qQ/s400/BethDebStoller4804.JPG" border="0" /> There was a train trip with Debbie Stoller from Sacramento to San Francisco. Debbie was promoting her newest book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761146172">Son of Stitch 'n Bitch</a>." She had all the projects from the book with her to pass around. As beautiful as the book photography is, it can't begin to convey the tactile experience of handling and examining the actual items. There were only a few of us on the train that day, so she decided to hang out with us for a while. She is truly delightful.<br /><br />We window-shopped around Union Square, had tea at the <a href="http://www.westinstfrancis.com/?src=ppc_google_sanfranciscohotel_local">St. Francis </a>(and rode the glass elevator to the top of the hotel for the most magnificent view of the city).<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165813860364902818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26VmVtxYeyyEtI2wFHMzQZrpR2oZ0kiSXX3JunK-gGFUfUJ6oWpT7SFlugIAssgzUtiRjfMOI2nW9P5RHdDDY3CxG1WYde-Thav7fuX4ILlptBK6MwPBaTpunQg2dU3h8T-RhIg/s400/SFView4815.JPG" border="0" /> We also visited Nieman-Marcus to crane our necks and gaze straight up at the beautiful tree that stretches 3 stories up to the stained glass ceiling. When this site -- the former location of the old <a href="http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/nat1975000471.asp">City of Paris department store </a>-- was rebuilt, the rotunda and stained glass ceiling were largely preserved and restored in the new building design. Neiman Marcus also preserves the tradition of the giant tree at Christmas.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165811223254983010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrQARpMU9Yk2yUz79fs-6rixJ2B7_aiCU8tdfiwByYpO_7BretlKLuQXL1I0uMNwWfmVwRVdoK3KQ-Pwd3VwQHyraK1KfKp59Ot7J3JYfMAGU4YBIh9iONEANQ3EkdyyoDfERHw/s400/INiemanMarcus4808.JPG" border="0" /><br />I also managed to complete a surprising number of knitting projects in November & December. It seemed as though my knitting needles were permanent extensions of my fingers! Here are my November socks. The yarn is Synchopation in the colorway Zoot Suit from sKNITches.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165811227549950322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGOigmDri_miIy2A4q6fWThQrcMzQE-Kp8JH415b79YxJ9pejWkClWDa8reIS06MDKsrDEoRepFWV7m0rfoDmr8vII2vRyg1uhVJ6LsndthOywOjjgO7umZfqfPuRnheA-jHREA/s400/NovemberSox78.JPG" border="0" /> This may be the only time you will see me knit with brown yarn. But that's what the military decrees for personnel in Iraq, so that's what I knit with.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165811231844917634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMKlBDHm0YGYQZ4VdzmxfAblNdA48XzBzCRtZ2XseqTSp_7ELVX9fbZzcGO5XcrmQ4NfCoPm_sRpkOjYO3lYP7Nn_MBopaFH2mPoat1X7DXhgji_KLvWTSTH0b23hGxFyeIls2A/s400/IraqKnit4779.JPG" border="0" />Here are some of my knit projects that went into one the Christmas packages I sent to my daughter. Gloves, fingerless gloves, mitts, and socks. Yup -- she was the recipient of the <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/11/catching-up.html">October Corn Monkey socks</a>. (OK, I cheated a bit on the brown here!) I also sent her a fresh wreath, which arrived in great shape (!) and which she hung on her trailer door -- <a href="http://grittykittynavy.blogspot.com/2007/12/why-i-watch.html">a patch of green cheer in a blah land</a>.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165821629960741330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27o0cnIZd4bp8Qg1nf4JJw_imokOb2kCpHIW-9x6iLIfCGsu66mGF9A6G7i1WulXwtAtWWkVJhCZD1XaTYBFH1i2mfeSgJy9D-iDS8YUpANuR6qaUK582sNcYilIv_KTgbdKgVA/s400/Christmas+wreath+2+2350.JPG" border="0" /> I also managed to complete my December socks. These were one of the projects I knit while hospital visiting between December 23 and January 3.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165813868954837426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMS0Jrs_Ev0Jz_Dp9h41i3G-aBXFg5Ekb2par6K4RLsmmdVIYe2kHlJMrC7pIhd985rwQTJJLQyqBUe8_2TNrWFtpkWkpvWRr3keKGgWZzTvkWeiECvNYaTsYnHEb6_oPJx2GHA/s400/DecemberSox.JPG" border="0" /> The yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit: Mega Boots Stretch Color 716. The knit-in marker is made up of Swarovski crystals and a pewter cat with a red glass bead middle.<br /><br />The last *completed* 2007 knitting project is a wonderfully soft pair of gloves that I knitted for myself from Andean baby alpaca in a yummy marled purple. This yarn bloomed beautifully when I washed it, and they keep my fingers toasty warm on icy mornings.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165813873249804738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneEvsN9F1khKTkMWrMerIctkDJPVUBds1g6ob1GYijOzvcnyGFSXllS_y_uZEVCThj4xsEwXkOzJXKk_MTfNc6BgLlu1dyi-9k4-AaBTWpNuH5sJd5YnT0UXnMa-0G2q5WN1o8w/s400/AlpacaGloves66.JPG" border="0" /> The last *uncompleted* 2007 project is an Aran cardigan by request from my son. This is how much I had done when we got around to celebrating Christmas in January. I am happy to report that I am now half-way done with the sleeves. Then there's the front band, and 2007 will be officially complete. :)<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165825362287321570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0crB7ftiPPd-AIcNnNMlhgyxODaC2mY8xd_CRk5loMYtdZEsrbBweNs7Y_0wGiuonbQv6FrGbxprtLy6c4mljSu6EtguE_eIrIlq_bk4rWg2N07utlYrVs4G5J7Dnq63A6q1_g/s400/LastMinuteKnitting4854.JPG" border="0" /><br />Next time: January socks!!Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-79691384415881988882007-11-09T15:11:00.000-08:002007-11-09T16:29:29.154-08:00Catching Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg92p6hGUa3TnTROTZvpEZDyF_xwd6nYDXXKpMZJ2rCg2pm_DdouFKm8_65E6Rv_ft4KhRRAq4Gk1DfYcODMC21bbEEV9OdRWH0eetRsu14lriIg7RFn0paCKixBdbzHWIwH4FCg/s1600-h/FranklinLunch4707.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131002109096136450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg92p6hGUa3TnTROTZvpEZDyF_xwd6nYDXXKpMZJ2rCg2pm_DdouFKm8_65E6Rv_ft4KhRRAq4Gk1DfYcODMC21bbEEV9OdRWH0eetRsu14lriIg7RFn0paCKixBdbzHWIwH4FCg/s400/FranklinLunch4707.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>For the record, <a href="http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2007/11/there-and-back-again.html">Franklin Habit </a>is a very personable, very gentle, and amazingly bright man. He genuinely cares about knitting, knitters, and all things yarn; but his areas of interest and his range of knowledge are vast. He was a delightful and appreciative visitor. I am so glad the <a href="http://www.stockinettes.org/">Stockin'ettes</a> were able to sponsor his visit and ensure Sacramento's participation in the 1000 Knitters project. Thank you to all of the guild members and non-members —and new members! — who came out last Saturday to make the day such a success. And thank you, Franklin, for being everything we hoped you would be — and so much more.<br /><br /><strong>The September Sock and the Great Cast-On Discovery</strong><br /><br />And now for some catching up. Somehow, September and October zoomed right by without me blogging my socks for those months. So here's the September sock:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130985259939434162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgrcX7jUscQnO5bf9oaTQ23moMgIHVk7e0jpCDhSl41KAIAbPmHwTK1FJzbLbIiUp_I79Fi2ERF1p6ECURnu2_5gXkstDJzMhBnGdhwZDcJD0yINv6PsJrkCRnBnHxuC5kfqTdw/s400/StrawberryDaqueriSox_4737.JPG" border="0" /><br />This is <a href="http://www.yarntini.net/">Yarntini </a>in "Strawberry Daquiri," although it reminded me much more of a strawberry soda. The knitted-in charm is a little martini glass, which is the closest I could find to a daquiri. :)<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130985268529368770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOYD49FqjAnitw6vnDVQOAxA6S8mYvUdbzpVOSZpbAd_1kIGry15V3KPEBbRU3IB-UDtQyW0n4Eoc8sad6wvCvSx-I-0ljwpSBfPSxjfXvN7JZYTRtXsH2nBiA7RoAkYTmzJ9Xw/s400/StrawberryDaqueriMarker4736.JPG" border="0" /><br />The pattern is my favorite <a href="http://wendyjohnson.net/blog/sockpattern.htm">Wendy's Generic Toe-Up </a>sock, but what really made me happy about these socks is the cast-on. I used <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html">Judy's Magic Cast-On </a>for the toe, and I just *love* it! I've tried several different toe-up cast-on techniques, but this one is by far and away my favorite. It takes a bit of practice to get the gauge to match the rest of the knitting, but not a lot. And once it's done, it is <strong>absolutely invisible</strong>. (See the next pair of socks for an attempt to photograph it.)<br /><br /><strong>October Corn Monkeys</strong><br /><br />I remember being fascinated when I discovered bamboo yarn a few years ago, and since then, it seems that almost anything that can be processed and twisted into a sizeable thread is fair game for knitting. So I wasn't really surprised when I found <a href="http://jimmybeanswool.com/secure-html/onlinegen/currgen/CrystalPalace/Maizy.asp">Maizy</a> yarn at <a href="http://jimmybeanswool.com/secure-html/onlinegen/currgen/CrystalPalace/Maizy.asp">Jimmy Beans </a>in Reno. But I <em>was</em> curious about it, and really liked the feel of it. It's 82% corn fiber and 18% elastic nylon. (Kind of like <a href="http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-fixation.asp">Fixation</a> — soft and springy.) And absolutely perfect for <a href="http://www.cookiea.com/">Cookie A's </a>wonderful <a href="http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html">Monkey Socks</a>.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130992316570701522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTDUtvJGTV8fHifukEhcI3hQCbeHvGEMct7zEvzVrNJKbfNe2NJBx1b28q9d5bwatQuI5fp1B9UKi6QjBJCJuBArDl8dAa12sIRldJgvoOoTCNKHGwt0OyyAWUalImwlXmWp0GQ/s400/OctMonkeySox_4746.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><p>If these socks look a bit different than other Monkey socks you may have seen, just stand on your head and look again. See? Cookie knitted her socks top-down; I knitted these toe-up, so the pattern is up-side down. I like it! And yes, the toe is Judy's Magic Cast-On. Told ya. I'm gonna be using it for a long, long time.<br /></p><br /><p>Can you see the cast on?</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130994360975134450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEpmucRbPjOyPXGe1ICMhZkcO6K9XE74oU0QUM4xvy0fqp2h9OudtkWFXvqsfoU-7kxGpj1u98edDTNlDrhsi3EuLdK_q1aq1eBX7wj1reM2zGYqEpXfLlnni8jmkBn0ORzOtPA/s400/OctMonkeyToe_4745.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p>The knitted-in marker features a glass cat's head. Yes, I know it isn't a monkey. I just liked the look of it with the yarn. The color, by the way, is "Menswear." Go figure. Who comes up with these names??<br /></p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130992316570701538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXX7yLmkFhFPfU1qb1w2h3bGgIurJmUtr3X9BUgGT97nckVJW_-2k8EhHHHqtg6d0-t04-vE_Aq-Hr_GS1WOVOCk8oIsoI8fGaHNceVvvqmZHC_6GFz2ZG8dacEOpf7NpIa88P6w/s400/OctMonkeySoxMarker_4744.JPG" border="0" /></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-46900260879256194732007-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:002007-11-05T11:07:12.894-08:00Prelude to a Visitation: Sacramento Airport<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTpWEkrcKoW2yTO99YQaKwBS1nTxjYbd8cLqcQYK5KaIeenmyYGacnPdT1RRgfRyfYvf5-drDSe7GkNDBhZUNZNI5xVkqb2afKvLWRTKi797SSo6nriitVjz0x7Mq0RjS3AK5wA/s1600-h/WaitingAtAirport_4694.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129434051307723554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTpWEkrcKoW2yTO99YQaKwBS1nTxjYbd8cLqcQYK5KaIeenmyYGacnPdT1RRgfRyfYvf5-drDSe7GkNDBhZUNZNI5xVkqb2afKvLWRTKi797SSo6nriitVjz0x7Mq0RjS3AK5wA/s320/WaitingAtAirport_4694.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Can you guess who we are waiting for? </div><div>Here's a <a href="http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2007/10/go-west.html">hint</a>.</div><div>:)</div><br /><div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-51512531380610917852007-09-28T09:21:00.000-07:002007-09-28T09:59:49.835-07:00A Weekend With Annie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHrBR4rOreZ8xZUSDgXlODcWny9jxXvZT3BPjNWCeXQRF3azne7VqO8j3mpbFoLhC5LCy3toL1ZOYEYNmBqdr42BHXIr0ek4JrT69Qys-fe0RW14w58eG2vbuCIy29fMzp0RmCA/s1600-h/AnnieGroup_4662_sm.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115299697587558226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHrBR4rOreZ8xZUSDgXlODcWny9jxXvZT3BPjNWCeXQRF3azne7VqO8j3mpbFoLhC5LCy3toL1ZOYEYNmBqdr42BHXIr0ek4JrT69Qys-fe0RW14w58eG2vbuCIy29fMzp0RmCA/s320/AnnieGroup_4662_sm.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />It's always so much fun when a well-known knitting teacher and designer comes to town! Last weekend, the Sacramento Knitting Guild -- aka the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stockin'ettes</span> -- played host to <a href="http://www.modeknit.com/blog/">Annie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Modesitt</span></a>. Annie taught 4 classes over two days: Embellishments & Beading on Saturday, and Cables & Lace on Sunday.<br /><div></div><br /><div>I think my favorite was the embellishments portion, but I definitely picked up *a lot* of useful tips from <strong>all</strong> the sessions. In my opinion, no matter how good a knitter you are or how long you've been knitting, there are always wonderful new and different things to learn. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For instance, it is truly mind-boggling how many different cast-on and cast-off methods there are. My mom knit for 60+ years and always used the same methods. Those were the ones she used when she first learned to knit, and they were the same ones she was using when she put down her needles for the last time. (And here's a really sad thing: other than me, Mom never had another friend who knit. Pretty incredible thought today, huh?) I definitely credit the Internet for spreading new ideas, inspiring and publicizing new books, forming <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">knitterly</span> communities and helping new designers, teachers, and authors gain market traction. Look at the explosion of knitting/fiber-related shows and conferences. And the yarn! Well, the wild proliferation of yarns and patterns available to today's knitters just couldn't have happened without Internet buzz.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What do you think?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Anyway, Annie was a lot of fun. Her teaching method is very personable and she has lots of knitting-related stories and jokes to tell. We all had a good time and laughed while we learned.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115299701882525538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WMFMO36lfikE-RxmCWvneSWPlam7C6rRll7X0kezYU6iFwcTnIdtcMPQ1r04YxZ051qok_Z4bWMB4Sif0go_ciSURfd_w_YjOWzrU_bPbZdKI6dMHXG3dtvODNlSZXbBjKhJ9g/s320/Annie+and+Me_sm.JPG" border="0" />This is Annie & me joking around with the pictures in her new book, <em>Romantic Knits</em>. Annie donated a <strong>full set</strong> of her books to the guild library. Thanks, Annie! We look forward to your next visit!Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-19819745175993955412007-09-03T09:30:00.000-07:002007-09-03T10:08:05.460-07:00Great Balls o' Fire!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz5lb1ZuQT0suJp_tzectWbC1w98DlCuONxVhDd7UNtyhzXaUGeVU0D8kM8Vocjng5CRMOc4h-1EefRTNAY22kB7UaNug-xLTB42wqz7bR0quI8ZMwz3y_66akuPh4LbSkNSchA/s1600-h/FireballDragon4627.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106025453711277138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz5lb1ZuQT0suJp_tzectWbC1w98DlCuONxVhDd7UNtyhzXaUGeVU0D8kM8Vocjng5CRMOc4h-1EefRTNAY22kB7UaNug-xLTB42wqz7bR0quI8ZMwz3y_66akuPh4LbSkNSchA/s320/FireballDragon4627.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here's the latest in my <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-of-magical-socks.html"><span style="color:#ff9900;"><strong>Summer of Magical Socks</strong></span> </a>series -- the Chinese Fireball Dragon socks. The yarn is from Sunshine yarns, and for once, I don't mind the pooling and flashing in this colorway, because, after all -- it is supposed to be dragonish.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I used the "Small Capitals" stitch pattern from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sensational-Knitted-Socks-Charlene-Schurch/dp/1564775704">Sensational Knitted Socks,</a> but did them toe-up with an inch of ribbing to finish up the leg. The stitch marker is a sterling silver dragon charm. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106025453711277154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7D3dIII0Dy8fMS-ifLnYRuSLm-YEPUECJPVEiJ6aR4LXfyKvKACfJqrNQ99HbqJcOzBcSd0_oQIt4PyauIVeunn9uyMCkbMGb1EXSELDvmNaPyU2FWs-PlcB0KdnuDcSiHTQABQ/s320/FireballDragonMarker2_4627.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>The dragon picture in the picture with the socks is created using a Japanese needlework method called <a href="http://www.jeansblossomingbunka.net/public_html/index.php?categoryID=80&sort=Price&direction=DESC&show_all=yes">bunka</a>. It is done with a small hollow punch needle and a fine raveled-silk thread. I started this piece when I lived in Okinawa as a teenager, and finished it when I was in my early 20's. I never liked all the "beginner" bunka pictures with flowers and birds -- I liked the advanced ones with tsurus, tigers, and dragons. :) I made several bunka pieces while in Okinawa, and gave them to friends and relatives. I kept this dragon, but this is the first time I have ever hung it on a wall in my house. I like it. I think it will stay for a while. :)</div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-72570971289969476502007-08-24T09:10:00.000-07:002007-08-24T09:32:57.405-07:00Tag team knitting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4ont60HJl1J77YolAf8Lr__QRYvrM0eymci1hpaN1Y0OSdqgpm2GNMNHFPH58LQ6GRcAgmpe2_6YvmC1ZUImfstU_NKieHswCCHwcMFW3pd1TwBOFSCS6-q6YkugXy8RIyzvIg/s1600-h/RagtagIn_4620.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102301687000874034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4ont60HJl1J77YolAf8Lr__QRYvrM0eymci1hpaN1Y0OSdqgpm2GNMNHFPH58LQ6GRcAgmpe2_6YvmC1ZUImfstU_NKieHswCCHwcMFW3pd1TwBOFSCS6-q6YkugXy8RIyzvIg/s320/RagtagIn_4620.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Yesterday afternoon a mysterious little box arrived in the mail. Tag! I'm It!</div><br /><div>It's the Ragtag Knitsters team box from <a href="http://yarnmiracle.com/2007/06/12/dish-rag-tag/">Dishrag Tag,</a> all the way from <a href="http://www.nhknittingmama.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a> in New Hampshire. She included a beautiful spiral dishcloth, a couple of strudy skeins of dishcloth cotton, a snack to keep knitting on, and a New Hampshire postcard.</div><div> </div><br><div>I had my needles and pattern all ready to go. Since California is the golden state, I selected the gold and white yarn and knitted up the <a href="http://www.knittingknonsense.com/californiacloth.html">California cloth</a> from the amazing Rhonda K. White. I added a set of my own TopFrog stitchmarkers, a package of Jelly Bellys (the factory is just up the road a piece), a couple of balls of cotton -- and taped the box back up!</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102301691295841346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65jNAGI9uXPkdHYXY5kVBf0RVR-oiaTw47TnsO-WhJ4ixd0WEUYmXLon3a3EfFveTm2l4HWWjniTnGXXs_-kXGMxxNUqhCyAoqB23n846BJ_pTsrC6D673BSfqcZSyCBBvH2Xig/s320/RagtagOut_4622.JPG" border="0" /></div><br />This morning the Ragtag Knitsters box is on its way to <a href="http://tygerlotus.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a> in Arizona. It should be there on Monday or so. <strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">Go Ragtag Knitsters!</span></strong>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-44627106546935710512007-07-24T19:05:00.000-07:002007-07-24T19:21:50.261-07:00Fawkes Sawkes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGMqdlJPGQ29wlk9GKO_lCOKngsOg_XRUB86HCUysuTRbjN0RxkwxhIv5MgcIOHNq2_Oy2EAHa3O7ehgWYQ9zRRXBjK-svivcUg4gvg-FMcbhWuIV0nXQRnanUCI9B3xW4Jf1Jw/s1600-h/LilHeirSideSm_4467.JPG"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW1pwt0I2Jxvj8XDvNHuOQWoKwjj4wi07KaokZJtpKLYIoa4xmdlWrT6SK8MUe6HevKC11FNNXvVP1VNQNA-ZN0s-BXQ1w_47p_wAMfbstVLOqtcCDHpd49QXVcNU_1N-_LMPKQ/s1600-h/FawkesSawkes.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090951091858743730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW1pwt0I2Jxvj8XDvNHuOQWoKwjj4wi07KaokZJtpKLYIoa4xmdlWrT6SK8MUe6HevKC11FNNXvVP1VNQNA-ZN0s-BXQ1w_47p_wAMfbstVLOqtcCDHpd49QXVcNU_1N-_LMPKQ/s320/FawkesSawkes.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thank goodness Fawkes is here to protect my feet from all of those slithery socks of late! :) This is Phoenix yarn from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=4375">Sunshine Yarns.</a> I wanted to use a stitch that reminded me of Phoenix feathers, so I decided to use a slightly modified Flying Chevron from Walker #2. I like the way it turned out. :)</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090951104743645634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0shfxrxWcDl1XUTNQHICOIkAexQu0nVwSTBlC26f8rMHBR_pRuDZyr2RyiFIFhUpV3qJv8TmLvAHOE-it5cgx6t7vG6JbAYknWH6wq7BFStwwkA80Y2CfyZJc61zUIgeS2VZs4w/s320/Fawkes_Stitch.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">It's a bit hard to see with all those flaming phoenix colors, but I know what it is. I found the sterling silver phoenix charm on eBay, painted it 24K gold, and waterproof-finished it. It dangles down the back of the heel. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">I was a bit disappointed that Fawkes did not make a return appearance during the Battle of Hogwarts, but I guess when a phoenix leaves for good, that's what it really means.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;">I'll keep these socks around for a while, though. :)</span></p>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-40633670521278849402007-07-21T15:10:00.000-07:002007-07-21T16:10:13.590-07:00Dedicated Harry Potter Weekend<div id="idOWAReplyText87479" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Knitting activities have been suspended this weekend while I read Harry Potter and he Deathly Hallows. Regularly scheduled knitting will resume shortly.</span></div></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-75632980156170897282007-07-11T08:52:00.001-07:002007-07-11T10:15:01.241-07:00Tally Ho!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTnYoA2p8ijlf9Fp7cYgvYkbYBMJhcwPFOifI_CPwDMGkn8cXIv4KxVmlNd_r6XqYH5LPx4UIFx33pw3IXjaoHpeXDO6lrE5kuphEzgtPqK7xgD6r4EYD5ysAJ3etCUDDFqzwSg/s1600-h/Sorted+SlytherinSM_4423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085968241013251874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTnYoA2p8ijlf9Fp7cYgvYkbYBMJhcwPFOifI_CPwDMGkn8cXIv4KxVmlNd_r6XqYH5LPx4UIFx33pw3IXjaoHpeXDO6lrE5kuphEzgtPqK7xgD6r4EYD5ysAJ3etCUDDFqzwSg/s320/Sorted+SlytherinSM_4423.JPG" border="0" /></a> I have two more finished pairs of socks! They have been blocking and drying and out of sight, and therefore, out of mind. ;)<br /><br />The first pair is knitted from "Sorted into Slytherin" from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=52610">Dharmafey's</a> Cosmic Fibers. Once again, these are the softer side of the house colors, and will blend perfectly into Muggle society. I don't know how Carrie manages to dye those beautiful silver tones into a yarn, but she does a great job of it!<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamQTgnNRXVRuJNkHMoUpHL5FKNHYToNSlVtJeqnxwZBTdCyTTpG-dv1hAdDX8-4BfEuZWi6qpPHT6fsf-PrtvQnQx6bBTt1w9ZzmZ3fJidudEU5uSdLd6Nf4FyFcib1COwTmQMw/s1600-h/HufflepuffSoxSM_4450.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085968245308219186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamQTgnNRXVRuJNkHMoUpHL5FKNHYToNSlVtJeqnxwZBTdCyTTpG-dv1hAdDX8-4BfEuZWi6qpPHT6fsf-PrtvQnQx6bBTt1w9ZzmZ3fJidudEU5uSdLd6Nf4FyFcib1COwTmQMw/s320/HufflepuffSoxSM_4450.JPG" border="0" /></a> The next pair is the "Sorted into Hufflepuff," also from Dharmafey Cosmic Fibers. I love the rich gold and greyish black of this yarn. It makes a striking pair of socks. (That little ball of yarn at the top is my leftover yarn. Whew!) Both pair of these are toe-ups on size 0 DPNs; 64 stitches on the foot, 72 for the feather-and-fan leg.</p><p>So, now for the tallies to date:</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085968249603186514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q6YVZbh_VZRD91flt5m7k9_ALjlVTw7r8ZTrVqZ7KpjF4Mb1Y18qP2mu1RtO6c5ZICwGrlPaP7ztqoaFGURwwPyffKAWv-JL9aijYJQMBO2sY3nXbfbR3768MBWBiXRmO9tnNA/s320/SummerofSoxJuly12Sm_4472.JPG" border="0" />Here are the three pair that qualify for <a href="http://zarzuelaknitsandcrochets.com/summerofsocks2007/?page_id=2"><strong>Summer of Socks</strong></a>.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKn7wdDma1u6SNynZAaDFzJWUCVYzb1mOebtMfI7c-FN5izuoZXd9NCQqAVy_wfSjKN4ZZwrpzWo0z1X56Z3lgiDSrJMpgFb34vxpdHcUklQ-JGMAbmaWm0BugAEweyf1VzaxYQ/s1600-h/MagicalSoxJuly12Sm_4473.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085968249603186498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKn7wdDma1u6SNynZAaDFzJWUCVYzb1mOebtMfI7c-FN5izuoZXd9NCQqAVy_wfSjKN4ZZwrpzWo0z1X56Z3lgiDSrJMpgFb34vxpdHcUklQ-JGMAbmaWm0BugAEweyf1VzaxYQ/s320/MagicalSoxJuly12Sm_4473.JPG" border="0" /></a>And here here are my completed socks for the <span style="color:#ffcc33;"><a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-of-magical-socks.html"><strong>Summer of Magical Socks</strong></a><strong>.</strong> </span><span style="color:#000000;">There is one pair from each Hogwarts house plus the <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/07/heir-of-slytherin-socks.html">Heir of Slytherin</a>. Hmmm. Maybe it's a <strong>good</strong> <strong>thing</strong> that I have a pair of phoenix socks on my needles right now. . . </span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></p>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-2365214201999499542007-07-05T09:18:00.000-07:002007-07-05T10:46:00.818-07:00Heir of Slytherin Socks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxE_ynSC7gALIAj1pY0GzDgjiy9aAVczrcjLTjJ0fE420Tnps-Ld091uYGoG-H32fyKGwUBEI8h2KJ42u3wrxtYU3acO-nOWCqM5aFUg4x5bLW9sdoyH-_PJmRAgvYGbLRKrWpA/s1600-h/Slytherin_BethEYarn_4457.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083749606937026306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxE_ynSC7gALIAj1pY0GzDgjiy9aAVczrcjLTjJ0fE420Tnps-Ld091uYGoG-H32fyKGwUBEI8h2KJ42u3wrxtYU3acO-nOWCqM5aFUg4x5bLW9sdoyH-_PJmRAgvYGbLRKrWpA/s320/Slytherin_BethEYarn_4457.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My Sockret Pal <a href="http://craftycanines.typepad.com/stuck_on_socks/">Beth E</a> has extended her craft repertoire to include yarn dying. For her <em>very first </em>project, she created some excellent self-striping Slytherin-themed yarn, and knitted up some very <a href="http://craftycanines.typepad.com/stuck_on_socks/2007/07/slytherin-socks.html">slithery socks</a>. Then, because she is a Slytherin who actually <em>paid attention</em> to the Sorting Hat's message about inter-house cooperation and friendship, she generously sent me enough to make my <em>own</em> slythery socks, even though I was <a href="http://www.thealmightyguru.com/reviews/harrypotter/docs/quiz-house.html">sorted</a> into Gryffindor. (I am positive this is <em>exactly</em> the kind of thing the Hat was referring to.) :)</div><br /><div>So here they are — the Heir of Slytherin socks! I used the basic <a href="http://www.thealmightyguru.com/reviews/harrypotter/docs/quiz-house.html">Broadripple</a> pattern, as Beth did for hers, and I used size 2 DPNs. I also made them toe-up, which reversed the pattern. And I used a short-row heel. I like the effect! I think it looks very reptilian and shows off Beth's beautiful stripes. The knit-in marker is black onyx with a green Swarovski crystal. I washed them, blocked them, and folded them neatly in my sock drawer. </div><br /><br /><div>These are my 3rd pair of <a href="http://zarzuelaknitsandcrochets.com/summerofsocks2007/">Summer of Socks </a>socks, and the 5th in my <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-of-magical-socks.html">Summer of Magical Socks</a> series.</div><br /><br /><div>Later, as I was passing by, I heard a hissy-kind of voice issuing from the room where the socks are stored. I couldn't understand what the voice was saying — but it could have been speaking Parseltongue. </div><br /><br /><div>When I entered the room, I saw this . . .<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083749615526960914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGyhVB5YO5g9CNRoGvBWUKgc1sb-MsbSDJKkqhOF4skWIQLbaAsFy1Y82-LYeCEOO6G1-Y6lIPaMrdCqpJ9iNZHXnJHPJXt-DHstaDEqydmnLu8sZMqTMXqeqX3yNEeBu93nzMQ/s320/HeirsOfSlytherin_4459.JPG" border="0" /></div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-40601461596489232102007-07-03T08:06:00.000-07:002007-07-03T09:05:21.841-07:00Oh, Yeah — May<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp4Ex_pfU3LdKo20Ou1O2NLSitMCMjqYHKzWy_PZg-7usnweFhIW_676QkGM92o-weDoxvrV9hauK0-zsITNI_M3Dy5vpBXDA6l9ZOKekm7i27eTdcwWfJkPA_BEpmQXYspvauA/s1600-h/GreenStripesSocks_SM.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082988358343548658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp4Ex_pfU3LdKo20Ou1O2NLSitMCMjqYHKzWy_PZg-7usnweFhIW_676QkGM92o-weDoxvrV9hauK0-zsITNI_M3Dy5vpBXDA6l9ZOKekm7i27eTdcwWfJkPA_BEpmQXYspvauA/s320/GreenStripesSocks_SM.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was looking back over my Socks-of-the-Month project and noticed I had neglected to publish a photo of my socks for May. So here they are. These are Cascade Yarns Sassy Stripes in colorway 713, and they took two skeins.</div><br /><div><br /><br />In my defense, May was a crazy month for me personally. And as I (finally) recalled these socks, I remember why I was so ready to get them over and done with. For one thing, I could hardly wait to get my needles going on my <a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-of-magical-socks.html">Harry Potter yarn </a>collection. :) And I had some gift knitting to complete. :) But the main reason I wanted to get these socks over with is because there was a knot in the first skein, and, missing between the knotted ends, an entire wide green stripe. :( And you know how my stripes just gotta match. Fortunately, there was (just) enough extra yarn to wind down to the next sequence and create a match, but the whole rest of the time I knit these socks I worried about finding another knot, and wondering what effect it might have on the striping, and if I would have enough leftover yarn to fix it.</div><br /><br /><div>As it turned out, there were no more knots, and I finished the socks, breathed a sigh of relief — and promptly dismissed them from my mind. I didn't even recall them when I said that I had had pretty good luck —<a href="http://topfrog.blogspot.com/2007/06/tale-of-two-socks.html">up to now</a>— with commercial self-striping yarn. Ah, well. Sometimes a poor memory is not a bad thing.</div><br /><br /><div>I knit to relax and clear my mind. I find self-striping yarns very soothing as the pretty colors slip through my fingers and form beautiful, orderly patterns flowing from my needles. It's a very meditative and calming experience for me, and the simple knitting requires very little technical attention. I guess that is why I'm a bit resentful when the yarn patterns break unexpectedly and create chaotic results. Its as if someone scuffed up the neatly raked sand patterns in a Japanese garden, or inserted a raucous heavy metal sequence in a Mozart symphony. </div><br /><br /><div>Well, enough of this. Anyway, the May socks are done — and I am really enjoying my Summer of Magical Socks!</div>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-57221014970687584062007-06-29T08:19:00.000-07:002007-06-29T08:50:21.657-07:00Summer of Magical Socks Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhUNO_2FnqhN_tq7dmqO7a9-IylQOpj6sNzeMayVopgFFS58MnB_XxQw7ACRMIBfADBhMQItY1J0E3zF1XDkk9DOLzuH2xxu3HpAEixEZp4ui_LyNbG3tXFr34HrHChWK6Fv4GA/s1600-h/Ravenclaw_4425.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081507183036948178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhUNO_2FnqhN_tq7dmqO7a9-IylQOpj6sNzeMayVopgFFS58MnB_XxQw7ACRMIBfADBhMQItY1J0E3zF1XDkk9DOLzuH2xxu3HpAEixEZp4ui_LyNbG3tXFr34HrHChWK6Fv4GA/s320/Ravenclaw_4425.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>This sock yarn— which stripes <em>very</em> nicely, by the way — is from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=52610">Darmafey's Cosmic Fibers</a>, an Etsy shop. It is her "Sorted into Ravenclaw" colorway, and although it is not at all metallic, you can tell that the silver color really is supposed to be <em>silver</em> and not just gray. These soft colors transcend the Harry Potter genre, and make great all-purpose socks. Kinda like Harry Potter stealth socks — muggles would never suspect their magical origins. :) </div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081509369175301858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzkcvP_1i3vuta0qTrhBGjZAezP8A-M2B9fPKkfSy3FCjoMt7mkClvk74SdHQxIN6Ym_rX_ZZeaF6VbnN6uLUtjXngdJzTQDZDbHCQhl7n4bxgYzFbipxfRENzo1At94tEwdylA/s320/MarkerRavenclaw_4425.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><p>The stitch marker is another of the tile wine glass markers I found on eBay. (The seller is taking time off from eBay to have a baby, but here's the <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Thompson-Crafts-and-Gifts">URL</a>.) This time, I filed a groove around the edge of the tile and fitted a wire into the groove. The tile is varnished to render it waterproof.</p><p>The socks themselves are my favorite Wendy's generic toe-up sock <a href="http://wendyjohnson.net/blog/sockpattern.htm">pattern </a> — with feather & fan leg, short-row heel, and a turned-picot hem. I used a provisional cast-on. There are 64 stitches in the foot and 72 in the feather-and-fan portion. I used size 0 Knit Picks DPNs.</p><p>Next up? My "Sorted into Slytherin" socks are blocking tonight, and I'm already working on the second "Sorted into Hufflepuff " sock!</p>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15447911.post-23330989935620269252007-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:002007-06-28T09:18:58.001-07:00A Tale of Two SocksI really, really, really like self-striping sock yarn. I've had OK luck with self-stripers from big yarn companies (up 'til now), but my preference is for the smaller, independent dyers. It's a lot of work creating a nice self-striping yarn, and I truly admire those who do it well and take pride in it. My June sock experience only increased this admiration.<br /><div></div><br /><div>I received a beautiful skein of Tofutsies in two of my favorite colors, pink & lavender, as a much-appreciated gift. Taking a time-out from woolen Magical Socks, I decided the lighter-weight Tofutsies would be the perfect travel project to take on my trip to Florida. The first sock was delightful:<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081143575400636082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq5lQLXsJeSEzh2-UpOcM40Vs35WcRQr8mRy-OAF4y1vGbvvE0riwXDAx0lQONO6lywOwpPd8nZjh1v7dMZHkQG6pF1vT-6GnbuodoDmZwlIxQWrBVd4Fxjao6k961pv2ciUNyQ/s320/TofutsiesStripe_4420.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>The second sock was kind of a surprise:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081143588285537986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOhpi1OzO2agQiDZBq1JR69Sgf1WaTwrcGaxIY-YGZhM95MfznEVO5SE5-fCEcueyXc-EsAdusmvo5P5RKZEDkk8K8gtlWrkXTyjUoCb0QKUBIPEZBszMOMyWfXjoiWFtAoFhcQ/s320/TofutsiesPool_4419.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>A very deep pool!! The only reason the pool changed sides is because I had to snip out a 20-inch section of yarn that was missing an entire ply. <em>(Is this a Southwest Trading Company issue? I had the same thing happen with 3 of 5 balls of STC Bamboo — the only other time I have ever run into this problem.)</em></p><p>I liked working with Tofutsies: even with sharp size 0 Knit Picks DPNs, I had very little splitting. I liked the feel of the yarn. I liked the colors of the yarn. So what's up with the pooling in the foot??? I have never had this problem with yarn from independent dyers — have I just been lucky, or does personal pride in a job well done factor in somehow? </p><p>At any rate, I don't think there will be any more "self-striping" Tofutsies in my future. </p>Beth Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03001298921931846330noreply@blogger.com3