Has it really been that long???

OMGOSH!!!! I am in the middle of finals week and realized that I really hadn't visited in a while. so there will be much knitting content AND pictures next week when everything calms.

Saw this at anothers' blog and went and did mine. How does it know me so well.....

You are The Lovers

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse.

The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made.

Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
Take this quiz!








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Too Long!

Sorry so long since last post. My life took off, got a job for the summer, finally!!! school started, blech!!!! and sock wars started this weekend!!!!!

SOCK WARS!

bwahahahahahahhahahahaha!!!!!!! my intended victim is in my sights. All I have to do is mail these as soon as he/she/it responds. I finished at 1153am today. I will not release the name of my victim until they reply and I get these in the mail.

these are knit in Mountain Colors handpainted "Weaver's Wool" in color Northern Lights on US4/3.5mm to get gauge according to the Yarn Monkey and his/her pattern at www.yarn-monkey.blogspot.com.

You Are An Ash Tree

You are vivacious and impulsive, which makes you extremely attractive to many. Intelligent and demanding, you don't care much for criticism. You have a ton of ambition and talent, and sometimes money rules your heart. You like to play with fate, and you can be very egotistical and restless. Demanding of attention, you need love and a lot of emotional support.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

Where did summer go?????

Has anybody seen my summer??????

I was gonna try to be further along than in the middle of the first repeat of the center motif; anyway this picture is of the "fine framed shawl" by from Sharon Miller's book 'Heirloom Knitting'. Instead of the center she used, I am using the Unst Stole center, but the same outside and inner spider borders. Working with 2/30 yarn -(Hah!) thread is more like it!- is really a challenge. This is a tencel/silk blend that is really 'bouncy'(?). I keep having to pull down on the knitting to get the needle into the stitch. I put lobster claw clasps along the bottom of the piece to add weight to help pull down the knitting. It doesn't really affect the gauge or anything, just makes it easier to knit.


The second picture of so Scherazade or more commonly known as Mystery Stole 2 over at yahoo groups. It was designed by Melanie of the PinkLemonTwist. Really pretty, being knit in Alpaca Cloud, Sunlight. An almost easy knit to relax by, just enough attention must be given to keep the pattern going and the counts correct. This is only the completed part 1a/b and 2a and the start of 3a. This particular stole is started from a provisional caston in the center and work.


And last............SOCK WARS!!!!!!!!

aaaauuuuggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!! knit! knit! knit! defeat defeat the other feat........ OH! sorry, the wars have not started yet, but we need to discuss them and talk about them and psych out our opponents before we ever start!!!!!!! The Marines have landed!!!!!! AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

We have Lift Off!!!!!!

Well, that's over, whew! The first child, who happens to be the oldest grandchild of my parents, has been launched into his adult life. There was the obligatory pizza and video game party for a house full of teenagers for the 18th birthday. No pictures, they all came out fuzzy. And then the necessary family gathering for all the relatives to come eat my food and give their advice, useful or not. Then the inevitable waiting for the recruiter to arrive to chauffeur said child on his adventure into the unknown. Several months ago said child, young man-really mom! decided that he wanted mom and dad to sign him into the delayed enlistment program in the Navy before his 18th birthday, so that he could accumulate seniority while finishing school. Above is a picture of the grandchildren, who looked like they all blinked. L-R: LeAnn/13, John/14, Mike/15 and Derek/18.

Obligatory knitting content, not really, but sounds cool anyway: I am designing, or trying to, a pair of socks for the Cherry Tree Hill sock contest. Go to www.cherryyarn.com for info. I haven't figured out how to link into my post, yet, but someday I will. I've also started work on the Fine Framed Shawl in Sharon Miller's book "Heirloom Knitting". Will have pix of that, I hope.

Brouhaha in LaLa Land

I belong to a small buddhist temple here in lala land. The Lama is a kind and amazing person who recieved his training and transmissions directily from a smiling, wizened little man who survived the chinese in Tibet and walked with his family to India in the 60's. Today I found out that I am being accused of slander of one of the major supporters of the temple. I feel like the little wizened man walking because his world has been turned upside down by forces beyond his control. The Lama called me today at work and told me this. Supposedly, brothers and sisters in dharma are saying things that I supposedly have said, that are not nice, about the supporter of the temple. The thing of it is, I have been trying to help these people with their own perceptions of this person. This person works hard and is admired in their workspace. I admire this person for their perserverance and their belief in themselves and in the Dharma, the Buddha and the Sangha. Bad things have happend in their family life lately to this person. I have tried, over and over, to explain to those who seemingly have a personality conflict with this person, that it is their own perception of how they think they've been treated that makes them hurt when dealing with this person. This is what the dharma teaches about right thinking and right awareness. This is very basic Dharma: the Four Noble Truths and Eight-Fold Path stuff. If you have a preconceived notion of what you expect, then your expectations will hurt you becuase they have not been met.You are grasping for something that is not there and will never be there. This is what I see of the people that I thought where my brothers and sisters in dharma. Obviously, I have not gotten through.

I can only pray that the person who was slandered will accept my sincere apology for this brouhaha and believe me when I say that I have never, ever, that I can recall, said anything less than supportive or admiration based about them.

clue 1/Mystery Stole 2

here is the completed clue #1: both sides. I used the invisible cast on from Knitty, Dec 05 issue, and only have a half stitch jog of each side being offset from each other. Not too noticable unless you get your nose right onto the knitting. I didn't have any problems with one side having 99 stitches and the other 98: both had 99. Also no problems with working the rows on one side while the other needle held the "cast-on" until the first side was finished. I am using Alpaca Cloud from KnitPicks in Sunlight on US 3's.

Mystery Stole 2

the learning curve for blogging is steep. I have finally learned how to read the html page for this blog and add text to add what I need to to make this blog more user friendly. I have added the button for a knit along: the Mystery Stole 2 at yahoo groups dot com. Melanie of the PinkLemonTwist designed this KAL, her second, and I'm liking it more than I liked the first. (Sorry, Melanie, the first is pretty, also, I get comments on that one all the time. I'll have to retrieve it and take its picture to post),

Anyway, sorry for the bad picture, I have an ancient camera, that takes barely recognizable photos. I keep hinting for xmas and birthdays, but so far......oh well....
This is knit from the center out. The bottom of the knit piece is the provisional cast on. I have only completed half of the first clue. Will finish the other half tomorrow. A really nice knit.

ARRRRGGGHHH! Matey

My pirate name is:

Iron Bess Bonney

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

New work.....

Have been in the midst of the doldrums, these past few weeks. Why? I have been looking for a way to generate some much needed cash flow this summer. I have about 20 or 25 apps out, most as a student intern or summer hire at a government agency for my major-envionmental studies- and a few out to local businesses. So I'm bummed while I wait the results.


In the meantime, I have started sampling for a MAJOR project- the fine framed shawl from Sharon Miller's "Heirloom Knitting". This is what we have so far:

To the right is tencel/silk from my LYS. It has approximately 55wpi and was knit on US 1-the top trees, and US 0-the bottom trees. Then soaked, blocked and allowed to dry, then stapled to an index card with a black sheet of paper so that the stitches could be seen. I scanned this picture, cause my camera is ancient! and I couldn't get a clear picture of the stitches.






This sample, to the left, is Henry's Attic "moriah". A 2-ply wool that wpi's out to about 28-32, depending on what day I read it on. The top trees are on US 1's, the center medalions are on US 2's and the bottome trees are on US 3's. This also was soaked, blocked and dryed, then stapled to the card.

I really really like the part done on US 3's, but I think that this will wait for another day. This is a lot more heavier, it's more like a winter shawl or wrap than the look I am looking for.

After doing these samples, I can see why the people that are doing these are only doing one or two or three rows a day. What a pain in the #$%! Especially the tencel on US 0's!!!! After about 10 or 15 minutes of that you really need a stiff drink to regain your composure, let alone your equilibrium!

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Here's the ladies at World Wide Knit in Public day in Sacramento. We met at the Capitol on the grounds surrounding the building. Found some nice shade, set up the sign and had a good time.

OH! Geeze!!! I don't remeber half the names of the ladies that where there. I'm really horrible with names. But they where all here!

How does the ol' wheeze go:
A good time was had by all!




Weeeellllllll.....if you turn your head sidways, you can see the California state capitol building. the traveling trek sock paid a visit and was being held up by CindiKnits for a better look.

A-Knitting we will go..........

For those of you into Shetland Lace Knitting, this is a blurry picture of a swatch I did from Sharon Miller's "Heirloom Knitting," page 215: the fine framed shawl. This is knit with Henry's Attic Pony 2-ply on US #2's. Nice, but too heavy looking and filled in. I wanted something looser in the fabric. Next swatch to knit is some Moriah 2-ply , about half the weight of the Pony. If that doesn't work, I have some 30/2 tencel/silk that wraps out at about 55wpi. I originally wanted to knit this on US size 2's, so that I could get the hang of it. Then acquire a Princess or Wedding Ring or whatever is in the works at Heirloom Knitting for the "masterpiece", if ya know what I mean?!?! This is for the summer and fall BIG project, and I can use the 1/2 Frostflowers and Leaves edging as the mindless (HA!) no-brainer when the shetland gets to be too much.

Not to mention the three pair of socks on the needles. It seems that I am on a roll, sort of. Since school ended I have started three pair of socks and gotten all the way to the ribbing - I do toe-up. Then I got disgusted with all three pair and promptly frogged them, all on the same day. Last week, I restarted the same three frogged pair, and now have three pair somewhere towards the middle of completion- up near the ribbing and/or the legs-socks. Get this, I want to frog them all, AGAIN! I'm not happy with the patterns, again! The thing of it is, these are patterns that I've had on the to-do list for ages. Go figure..............

Does this mean I how have six pair of socks????????

Fear of Success

I woke up at 5:15am, which is unusual for me as I am a niteowl by training and by biology. Why? I have been working at the local fabric store where I hang out in my off time, making samples for some of the upcoming classes and in general, just being in the way and helpful, to some. Anyway, I am taking a class on wearable art embellishment and have been in a stew all week about which way I expect my design go. I am experienced enough as an artist to know that sometimes the art takes its own way - I can finally say that after many years of blushing, oh-pshaw, and shuffling of feet. I also know that sometimes the people that I hang out with may know my style better than me and sometimes they don't. So when I tell the shop owner the dilemma of which way I may want to go-choices, choices- she has me going in a third direction! But I don't wanna go in that direction!!!! I envision the finished project this way, does everybody else envision it happening another way? Or are they just waiting to see if I stay true to style or form? Is she enabling or hindering? Is it just me?

The other half of the zero-dark thirty debate is the fear of success. I want this to succeed. I was dreaming about checking things off of a list. I have no clue what was on the list or what it was about, but there I was, checking things off. Then the dog I'm sitting this week went into a tizzy over the paper girl landing the paper on the porch and woke the other dogs up. Quickly there was a chorus in the front room that continued for longer than the paper girl to deliver her papers on the block and leave to go to the next one. Anyway, the fear of success is one that I have been struggling with for a long time. Learning is fun, concepts are easy, some things are not. The learning disability I was diagnosed with is subtle, insidious and dangerous to my grade point average and my sense of acceptance of self. Some things to learn are easy and some require taking a class 2 or even 3 times to learn the material enough to pass. Many researchers and those who work with this type of cognitive disability remark that the people with this diagnosis are street smart, well read, articulate, extremely intelligent about how people and the world around them work.But are considered "not working to potential" or "lazy" or whatever. It's not that we're lazy, its that we can't pass a formal test of our knowledge to show what we can do. I couldn't pass the SAT to save my life, but have a 127 on an IQ test. Go figure!!

So the fear of success and the concept of my design are related how?...........It just means that I can stop banging my head against the wall and have found a way to go around the wall. Novel concept, that! Sometimes the fear of finding a new way to work around the disability is more painful than banging the head against the wall. Sometimes winning is fun after all!!!! I will just take my design and the clues that my friends and enablers give me and I will see what comes of it. After all, its only art,......and there's another piece to do tomorrow.

Do Not Fear Your Expectations! You Are Better Than They Are!

By the way, Finals went well. Grades are back, two A's, two B's and a C. WAHOO!!!!!

finals week

well......it's finals week. it started last week on thursday. No regular class, for me anyway, just the final instructions and the final assignments and the dates due and..... the crazyiness happens. It just does. today I turned in my 10 page government paper. I hope I waxed just the right eloquence to pass. tried to sell back some books, got a whole whopping $5.50! and still came home with a bag of books. Tomorrow is a biology test and thursday for turning in redone homework. Then we are finito for the semester. I don't know if I'm happy or not?

busy busy busy

Things have been really hectic. the last of the last minute midterms at school before finals start next week. A project or two for the Quintessential Quilters. Last month and this, the mini project has been to make post card quilts. A tiny quilt 4 in by 6in that could be sent in the mail. We're not going to, but you can if you want, if you don't add embellishments such as beads, feathers, etc. You can use thread, paint, markers, stamps, fusibles to make your card. Here's a few of the ones I made:


Festival! the fabric had little Japanese
fish kites on it.
I thought Kewl!
A post card.
this took all of 15 minutes to assemble and make.

This on is called:
"Sailing on the Coast".
I think I am going to send this
one to my best friend from high school:
Leesa.

This is a representation of the
Nasturtiums in the back yard.
Pretty!

I figured out how to post a picture. I needed to turn off the pop-up blocker that I did not want installed on my computer. However, the computer literate people in my life think that they know what I want......

Any way, this is a picture of the not so finished socks for the yahoo group 6 Socks. They are knit ot Trekking XXL in color way #110, sorry only a number given for the colors. Easy, fast and very adjustable. You have to join the group to get the pattern. If I can find the picture of the finished socks I will post it so you can see. I only have 3 hard drives on my computer. Count 'em-THREE. Each one has a whole lotta files and all the other necessities of life saved on them. We went through musical drives while trying to find out what was wrong. It took over a year and in the end, a bad processor, just 1 out of 512! So now my stuff is scattered over the Buddha's green silicon acres and the search for any thing takes a mental health break to recover from.

In other news, I finished midterms this week. YAAAA!!!! now only to do a special project in biology lab, 1 10 page paper for government, 2 finals and a chapter test. Then the semester is over by the middle of May. another YAAA!!!

the hard part

the hard part is keeping up what you have consigned yourself to do-which is to try to be urbane, witty, charming, etc etc etc......yea! right! NOT! it still is hard, tho, to come to grips with this thing called 'blog'.

anyway, i guess it would be more interesting if i planted a few pix of what i've finished lately or posted a few buttons of a few of the other blogs that I read. and i will, just as soon as I figure it out! But, I can tease you.........ha ha ha......I have finished the socks for the KAL 6 socks on yahoo. I've posted there and everything. I've also got a bad case of finish-itis, which for me means I must be very very sick. I always start projects. its the process, not the finished item that interests me. But lately, I've been finishing: a pair of wrist warmers on the needles since Oct, now that warm weather is here......; a 1/2 Frost Flowers and Leaves from "A Gathering of Lace"(that was fun!); another package of helmet liners for the troops over seas; some sewing for other people, the socks mentioned above.

On another front, I finally finished diddling around with writing out the pattern for a Shetland shawl. a triange shawl on point with large borders and an edging to make you cry. Its been finished for a week. I've been afraid to pick up the needles and make the swatch to get started. Could this be the cause of the finish-itis?

Hello!

Took the plunge and started a blog. Now what? What to babble on about? OK! the ususal suspects. I am an ex Marine, married, 2 teenagers, 2 dogs, a part-time job at the local quilt store and a full-time job holding down 14 units at the State U I attend. I am an enviornmental studies major/biology minor, I quilt, teach quilting and basic sewing, knit, test knitting patterns for a startup here in town, organic gardening and I live in California. I am a military brat, so's the DH. We met in the Marine Corps many,many years ago and have been married 23 years this august.

I have decided to name by blog "Semper Knits" a take off on the slogan "Semper Fidelis" or always faithful. it seems that I am "always knitting"