Groovy Lace - its a wrap

July 1, 2009, 06:02 PM

I had to say that - the title I mean!

Here it is before blocking. I’m so pleased with it! The pattern was easy; three repeats with a couple of stitches at the beginning and end of the row plus a few rows of garter stitch at the top and bottom.

The watch and bracelet are to show you how big it is.

I’ll try to wash and block it tonight while I’m packing.

I’ve also been washing a couple of fleeces but they are just not getting clean, even with the soaking for two days prior to washing. There’s a lot of grease left. Here is ‘Snowball’.

We’ve decided something’s wrong with our hot water. The showers aren’t very powerful and it the dishwasher doesn’t seem to be getting the dishes very clean. The plumber is coming tomorrow. Oh, and the termite guy came by the house today. I think we have carpenter ants in the window sill of my son’s old bedroom. = ) < - that’s me forcing a smile. Really, I don’t think we have termites - but we do need a professional opinion. My husband used to work for a termite company when we were engaged, so he has some strong suspicions that we need to spray.

I hope to start on my new project tomorrow. We’re leaving right after I get off work so I’ll have a couple of hours on the road to make some headway!! (I’m so excited!)

Where was your faith? Did you doubt?

June 27, 2009, 07:13 AM

I told you I would get some ideas for a project at spinning meeting. Of course I did. But not only did I get an idea, I got the yarn too! We had a little stash exchange and I came away with two great skeins of Sockotta yarn. (glee! cheers! woo hoo!)

I really liked the blue but our hostess encouraged me to get another ball of yarn so I got the brown as well. The blue reminds me of stones in a riverbed. It’s actually gray with a tiny touch of blue. The brown has a few coffee-ish colors in it. (Now I will swatch, like a good girl does, and choose a stitch pattern.)

Since I was off yesterday, I was able to bring my wheel and spin with the rest of the girls.

Boy the time flew by! And I always come away a better educated spinner and knitter.

Susie gave me a demo of her new combs (super nice ones) and even let me give them a try.

I took the results to my wheel and spun the wool (top is what it’s called when you comb the wool) and it was smoo-ooth. Very nice ply! But I also noticed that what she was spinning was very clean, and the fleece came from Shamrock, one of the sheep I also got a fleece from last month.

She and Brenda explained that soaking the fleece for a very long time (24 hrs.), and not necessarily in hot water, really goes a long way in loosening up the VM, before washing. It totally makes sense, because there would be less agitation in the long run. Only one true wash and maybe only one or two rinses.
There is such a spiritual lesson in this. Is it not patently obvious? Several times in the Bible, Jesus went away, alone to pray. It’s almost like a mental spa treatment. Just like soaking the wool is a gentler way to let loose of the VM (dung, dirt, grease), so being quiet and alone with God must be a gentler way to let loose of the personal VM in our lives.

Pool Shark

June 23, 2009, 08:33 PM

Now that summer is fully here, everyone is taking their vacation and heading to the beach. I am so envious, but my time is coming. We’re going to see my BIL just before the the 4th of July. They have a pool and have invited us to come over for a couple of days.

We used to have a pool when we lived in NC and it was my husband’s obsession to make the water crystal clear (chemically balanced) and free of debris. We enjoyed lots of meals out there and I got a really nice tan for at least a few months. It was always a treat to be able to swim on a hot summer day!

So anyway,I have to begin now planning some small, travel-able knitting project to take with me next weekend as I lounge by the pool. I hope to get some ideas this Friday, because our spinning group will be meeting then. Susie has a great shawl she made that everyone loved. It’s called Optic Waves.

This would look lovely in blue or I could start some cotton socks in shades of blue maybe?
Or what about some sweet little white lace gloves? I’m sure I’ll have a better idea after the meeting on Friday.

Is it just me?

June 21, 2009, 05:10 PM

Does there seem to be a trend toward more feminine styles lately? I’ve heard it called boho chic and I’m so glad to see the change toward the cute, flowery, bohemian looks; all very colorful - they remind me of the early 70s when people were a little more laid back than they are today.

Which brings me to the Groovy Lace Wrap. I’m over half-way finished and it’s going faster than ever now that I’ve pretty much memorized the pattern. I’m still working on wedding stuff, as you can see.

I realize when I look at my yarn stash in the garage, that it has become a collection. I have most all the colors of the rainbow and could easily dye several natural skeins any color I want in an evening. Yet I keep spinning. Collections are like that. You move beyond the subtle and begin to appreciate the nuances.

When I was a little girl I collected stamps. My father had a business associate who traveled to the Middle East quite often and he was always bringing me back little gifts . The gifts he brought me were usually coins and stamps from his travels. He would make sure to buy me these because I collected stamps back then (instead of yarn!).
I already had most all of the U.S. stamps and was starting to get a pretty nice collection of foreign stamps thanks to my father’s friend. I’m not sure where I’ve put them all, probably in the attic somewhere. I think I got a distaste for them because I began to dislike this man. Pity though, because I probably have some very valuable stamps somewhere.

Nowadays I tend to collect books,knitting patterns, any gadget having to do with needlework, and I already have two spinning wheels and a couple of spindles. That’s a nice collection for now. Right?

Don’t take the shortcut

June 19, 2009, 09:40 AM

On our desktop screen, we have shortcuts. Cookbooks have lots of hints for shortcuts. When I learned to drive, I found shortcuts to lots of places. Still do.
Knitting is a whole other story. It does not pay to take the shortcut. Case in point, making a gauge swatch. Are you with me ladies? Isn’t it true?

This is a blend of wool that I want to use on a pair of gloves. The needles are 5’s (cause I don’t have an size 6 double points). The yarn is probably a sportweight two-ply. It’s a little hard and may full when washed. So far the stitches are about 6 stitches to the inch.

The glove pattern is made so that you can use any size yarn/needle. Example: 6 inches around the hand and the yarn knits up to 4.5 sts. per inch so you would cast on 27 stitches (4.5 x 6)
Why is this so hard for me to do? I’m learning! Make the swatch = having a garment that fits human beings.

I will wait to start the glove until I’ve finished the Groovy Lace shawl. I have to take my husband to the airport this afternoon and then my daughter and I are picking up some plants & flowers for her wedding (the last Sunday night in July - good grief its getting close!!) I have so many things to do and my needlework is just having to take a back seat for now. I did spin some the other night and carded a little more from my Bunny fleece. It is incredibly soft.

Making a spectacle of yourself

June 17, 2009, 01:41 PM

I recently saw a doctor to see if I needed to wear glasses. Just like last time, the doctor assured me that my reading glasses are fine for now and I don’t need to wear anything stronger than that.

These are the ones I use now; 1.25, 1.50, 1.75

If I am reading, I definitely need glasses, though taking them on and off is a battle that makes me not want to wear them. Doing needlework usually requires glasses and more times than not, I have to reach for them to just to read the pattern.

Without my glasses, I can see things like this with 20/20 vision. This is a lookout point near my office where I go sometimes to eat my lunch. Tuesday it was quite warm outside and made for a perfect place to eat a sandwich and get a breath of non-climate controlled air. I usually wear a blazer or sweater to work (that 3rd piece they talk about in ‘business casual’). But out here, there was no need for outerwear. It was warm, beautiful and sunny! I brought my knitting to work on, but wound up talking to my husband on the phone and never touched a stitch.

Some days are more of a challenge than others and this week has already had it’s fair share. My boss had to go out of town unexpectedly; his father had a stroke. (We already had an attorney out on vacation.)
I heard that my sister lost her job this week, and her husband has been out of work for almost a year now. And then I heard that my brother hurt his eye with a nail gun. My daughter’s wedding details are not a burden at all, but do make for one more thing to have on the brain.
Thankfully today has been pretty quiet and I helped myself by coming in the building with a large cup of Starbucks. Armed and ready! Last night we relaxed on the patio working on wedding invitations. Nice summer breeze, thank you Lord!

I will tell you one very odd thing about the stress of this week. When I tried to sit down and spin last night, just for a few minutes, I couldn’t even concentrate on that. I had to go outside at least long enough to change my thought patterns. I have got to learn to better manage my stress.
Check this out - a great way, I think (see June 13th)

And of course here is my favorite way to deal with stress.

This is me a few weeks ago, working on the Saltwater socks. I realized last night that I haven’t knit all week!!!!!! That’s what’s wrong.

Birdwatching

June 13, 2009, 01:21 PM

My son and husband have both arrived safely back to TN with plenty of news from family and friends. At least it gave me some good time to knit this past week. My hands are hurting from knitting and spinning.

Two More Skeins (shetland lambs fleece)

Sample spinning from Bunny Fleece

Works in Progress!

We have several bird-feeders in the back yard, and one on the front porch. I keep fresh water in the birdbath and have provided shelter by planting tall grassy things, and small trees with branches. =) All the things you want in order to attract birds. My sister even gave me this cool birdhouse for Christmas that is housing some very small wrens I believe.

But the other day, the inevitable happened. I startled a bird as I opened the back door, and she must have hit one of the wrought iron chairs pretty hard with her wing. She hobbled to the edge of the patio, but never took off. A few days later I found her lying dead near my potting bench. I think a cat got her. The last thing in the world I would ever do is hurt a bird. Especially a dove. This just broke my heart, even though I know it’s a part of nature.

Summer time!

June 11, 2009, 06:03 PM

We are officially finishing out the spring in about a week. For school kids, summer is here! Either way you look at it, the weather is warmer and the sun is brighter. I did a little ’sunning’ myself last weekend; wearing my bathing suit with shorts on the back porch while spinning for a little while! (Trying to get ready for the 4th of July.)

It was so pretty and I couldn’t help myself. The new fleeces will be on the back burner for a while as they’ll need to be picked and carded after they’re all washed and dried. What a wonderfully long process it is to spin wool. But once the skein is ready for knitting, I’m anxious to finish the project! (sort of Jekyll & Hyde, right?)

My floor sometimes is littered with old issues of IK and I’m really wanting to start some gloves. What gives??! But the pictures make gloves look so simple and small; can’t be much different than making socks in the summer, right? And there’s a Ravelry group for glove knitters, too! How ’bout that? Now I don’t feel so alone.
And another thing, if you like podcasts, Knit Picks #89 is a great one about gloves, but also about fiber festivals around the country.

Here are some of my previous glove projects.

When you think of summer, you usually remember the long boring days playing outside and riding your bike as a kid. We were all talking about this at work; each of us telling the story of how we bit the dust falling from our bike. Mine happened when I was about 6 or 7 (?). I skidded along the pavement on my face, pretty much. I got a swollen, busted lip and had to take my soup and /or drinks with a straw. Oh, it hurt! Now kids wear helmets, knee pads & gloves and hopefully have a lot fewer accidents than we had when we were kids. (How am I still alive today?)

Well, I’m looking forward to my husband coming home tomorrow - he’s been in CA all week; and my son is in AL. My daughter’s fiance’ has been in LA this week, picking up her engagement ring. She got it this morning (romantic sunrise proposal - officially) and I got a text from her early quite early followed by a picture of the ring. So sweet!

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your needles

June 9, 2009, 05:42 PM

The office wrap is coming along with barely a snag. The needles I’m using are the Boye interchangeables whose joins come unscrewed every so often. It makes me really want to get some nice rosewood needles or some other fancy-schmancy circulars. I am weak in the knees for those Knit Picks ads. I have to look away sometimes!

I also have a weakness for pretty stitch markers. They are so expensive and yet so desirable. The more I knit lace, the more I recognize the need for markers. Every pattern repeat needs a marker. Period.

The rest of our life is like that, too. Every birthday needs a marker. Every anniversary. Special occasions are made so that we can mark a special event and give ourselves a little time to reflect and even get a “pat on the back” if necessary. When I was in school as a little girl, I marked everything by those little parties we had in our classes. Valentine’s Day, End of the year, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
And now when I knit, I actually feel a sense of accomplishment when I get to the end of a row and every marker was met successfully with the same number of stitches that I started with.
(Sorry for all you non-lace knitters; I’m sure this makes no sense at all!!)

Wash Day

June 6, 2009, 04:45 PM

Today I’ve been washing fleeces and finishing up some things.
It has taken several days to wash this fleece - Bunny.

Part One!

Look at the difference after washing the wool. It’s even whiter in person - I wish you could see it; and it’s so soft.

Part Two! It had to be washed in two batches cause it’s such a large fleece. I need to find out what breed it is.

I also spent some time putting the finishing touches on the lovely Saltwater Blue socks. All of us knitters know how tricky the kitchener stitch is. Ugh!

I always have to drag out my old instruction booklets to remind me how to do it.

A little while ago I got to see the Lakers win game one of the playoffs and Kobe Bryant put 40 points on the board. Gee, that’s a lot for one player to score! It’s not like I’m a huge NBA fan, but ironically the new book I’m reading touches on that whole world. If you like basketball, go find it at the book store and read chapter one!
I finished the book my daughter gave me a few weeks ago. It was very,very good; I’ve even got one of my co-workers reading his stuff. (Harlan Coben)

My husband picked up my new book today along with another he thougtht I might like. He was running errands for his trip to California next week. And he’ll be there during the playoffs!!! GO Lakers!
He’s having a sort of mini-reunion with some old band mates from way before I ever met him. He’s from the Los Angeles area and was in a rock band a gazillion years ago that toured all over North America and Europe performing for the troops in USO shows. There are four guys from the band getting together and I can just imagine that their stories might curl your hair.They weren’t exactly choir boys. But I know they visited many wonderful places and have great memories from those days. It’s always good to see old friends.