Superbowl Shaun

I had the most fun watching this year's Superbowl than I have in ages. What a great game and what fun ads. For those who don't know, I'm a HUGE fan of commercials. I might have been the only person in the US who was using the DVR to rewind the commercials instead of the game. My favorite - the Bridgestone "Screaming Squirrel". La casita de Muse loves rodents so we're a bit biased. I had to give the Tide "My Talking Stain" a strong second place. It reminded me of the Steve Correll mumblese from Bruce Almighty.

Oh yeah, knitting. There was quite a bit of that during the Superbowl. I cast on and finished 80% of Shaun the Sheep from the original Patons pattern I was able to find thanks to the kind peeps on Ravelry.



I still have to finish his legs and I'm not sure I will make the sweater or not. And there was no way that I was going to knit and seam a bazillion little pieces so I knit everything in the round. I used Berroco Plush for the body and its not a bad substitute for sheepy looking wool. I used the same ball of yarn for my Snome and had just a titch left over. I love the softness but its hard to keep up with the stitches and its pretty dammed expensive for novelty yarn.

Last week I was in sunny, warm Coconut Grove in Miami Florida. This is the view that I woke up to each morning...



Alas, my trip was for work so there was very little fun except for a wonderful poolside Mojito at our hotel, the Sonesta Bay (their's was hands down the best of all I tasted while we were there) and dinner at an incredible Cuban restaurant. The locals were "freezing" and it was 75 - 80 while we were there. If that's freezing, count me in!

Whilst in the meetings that started at 7:30 and ran until 7 pm each day, I worked on the Wollmeise wrap that I'd cast on the week before.



Thanks to Ravelry, I now have a crazy insane love affair with German and Scandinavian patterns. I decided not to make it a mobius as written because I get claustrophobic. I cast off on Saturday only to find that I'd like it to be a bit longer (its currently 60"). I want something that reminds me of the mountains and bodies of water from the region and love how the main part turned out. I'm going to add on to at least one of the ends, maybe both, and use a drop stitch pattern that will look like rain to add to the motif. I found all but two skeins of yarn in my stash and about 1/3 of it is handspun (Yippie! I'm finally starting to do something with it). I'll do a photoshoot once I can really wrap it around me. This is a very fun and funky pattern!

In non-knitting news, I bought one of those nano ionic hair styler thingies. Doesn't sound exciting but then again, my current blow dryer is 24 years old and refuses to die. Yes, you heard me right, I've had it since I was 14 and its still going strong. Anyhoo, this thing works so well I could just cry. It used to take me 30 - 40 minutes to dry my hair and now I'm done in like 15. For fun we straightened Thing 2's naturally curly hair and POOF, Leif Garrett appeared in our living room. Scary, huh?

Snow Day!!!!

After many weeks of hearing from Thing 1 and 2 "when is it going to snow?" We finally got a decent snow and thus school was closed today.


View from the front door


View from the deck

I love a good snow day as long as we don't get too many of them. Some of the magic of a snow day has disappeared since I've been telecommuting for the last four years and am home most of the time anyway. But it is nice to watch big fluffy flakes of snow fall quietly outside of my office/knitting room window. Even the piggie got to play in the snow though I can tell you that she doesn't like it nearly as much as she does the beach.

Piggie in the snow



Brrr. Let me in guys...

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been a spinning fool since the holidays. For some reason, I hit my spinning stride every January and don't slow down until late Spring. Robin told me about NaSpiMoMo - National Spin More Month that was started by Margene. Its cool to see what people are spinning up daily around the globe. And I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who tends to spin and pet the resulting skeins of yarn. I hope that this is the year that I actually figure out what to do with some of the yarn.

One of my spinning goals for 2008 is to spin finer weight yarn. After lots of practice and disappointing results, I've finally been able to harness the power of sweet Arwen, my wheel and spin fingering weight plied yarn. These two practice skeins came off the wheel within the last week. Both are 28 WPI (plied) with approximately 110 yards per ounce.

Woodbridge "Raja" gifted to me by Robin




"Creatively Dyed Corriedale"



I'm thrilled that I can spin this fine though its not something I want to do all the time. I feel like a spider spinning threadlike singles except not as fast. I have two ounces left of the Raja and about 6 ounces left of the Creatively Dyed fiber to spin this fine and then I think I'm going to take a break from fingering weight fibers. The fun part about spinning the Creatively Dyed roving is experimenting with how I split the roving. The first ounce was split in half and then torn into 8 inch sections in an effort to produce long lengths of color. The second ounce that I'm working on now was also split in half but then I split each length into 6 sections. I can't wait to see how different each ounce spins up.

Not much happening on the Jeanie front. I've knit almost an inch over the last day or so its almost mini skirt length.



Since Jeanie will take many a fortnight to finish. I plan to periodically distract you with other FOs. Like these convertible mittens that were finished and gifted to a friend's daughter after the first of the year.



I'm about to cast on a couple of Shaun the Sheep projects to help break up my current knitting boredom. Anyone have some ideas on what I should cast on next?

First post of 2008

Sorry I've been mia from bloglandia even though there has been much knitting and craftiness since I posted last. If you're looking for knitting and pictures, skip to the bottom of this post.

As you know, 2007 ended on a sad note and it was very hard to get out from under it. There were and still are many tears. We ended the year with three fewer family pets than what we started with and I think it was too much for all of us. The ban on new pets didn't even last a month. I caved and let the boys buy two fire bellied frogs at PetSmart yesterday. They're beyond happy and that's all that matters. We're NOT getting any more dogs, guinea pigs or cute fuzzy critters. Those are the ones that end up breaking your heart in the long run even though we love them dearly.

Many thanks for everyone's love, empathy, tears and support through our pet crisies this year. We are so grateful to have so many friends both far and near. Your friendship is a blessing to our family.

And my promise not to knit anyone Christmas prezzies was not held this year either. However, I did not engage in any stressed out deadline knitting for the first time in many years. My motto for the holidays was: "it is what it is and nothing more". I think because of that attitude, I finished every gift that I decided at the last minute to knit.

A comfort lamb (knit before, during and after the loss of Mavis) for me



A Tam for Mom



Handspun Socks for Hubby





Baby gifts for both of Thing 2's teachers who are expecting





Now on the sewing front, I didn't do so hot and several things were finished after the holidays. I was lucky that I didn't see some of the people they were intended for until then. In addition to making and gifting well over a dozen wrist therapy wraps, my favorite sewing project for Holiday 2007 was The P3 - Pyramid Project Pouch.



These and the wrist therapy wraps will be available soon in my Etsy shop. The P3 is perfect for a sock or lace project or to tuck just a couple of things into and zip to the store. There's a detachable wrist strap toggle that can easily clip to a belt or to a larger knitting bag. I've got some yummy Anna Maria Horner fabric that I'll be making some out of before the end of the month. I hope that the recipients enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them.

After the holidays, I got in some much needed leisure knitting and spinning. I cast on for Jeanie using Prism Lace Wool in the Copper Penny colorway.



The yarn is as soft as most cashmere but the laceweight is quite wispy and this is not a speedy knit. I did some math (in and of itself a major feat) and found that at the rate I'm knitting (8 rows = 1 inch/per two hours), I'll finish the entire project in 140 hours. I'm 6", 1 1/2 repeats and 12 hours in. I'm shooting for the end of March unless the magic fairies come and help me. (((Sigh))) If I finish Jeanie, it will be the first major project in laceweight I've ever completed. Stay tuned.

I now have a whole shelf full of handspun yarn that I can't figure out what to knit with. I love the process so very much that I can't stop but I know that I should commit these babies to projects. I added two more to the pile since Christmas.

Creatively Dyed Yarn/Roving



My original hand-dyed yarn named "Mermaid"



If you're looking for details on any of these projects, click on the photos or check out Ravelry (Indigomuse).

I only posted 36 times last year. I hope to do a better job this year. Thanks for continuing to read about my fiber adventures.

Mavis and the Rainbow Connection

The Rainbow Connection that Kermit sang in The Muppet Movie is still one of my all time favorite songs. Even when I was a kid, the song would make me cry when I heard it because rainbows and all the hopes and dreams that they symbolize, hold a special, unexplained place in my heart.

On Saturday, I found myself singing this song to sweet Mavis, the wonder Corgi as I helped her over the rainbow bridge.







Mavis
Dec. 22, 1992 - Dec. 8, 2007

We took her into the vet with the intention of scheduling surgery for a blown disc in her back and found by accident that she had huge cancerous tumors on her liver and lungs. Saying goodbye and having to make the decision to let her go is the hardest thing we've ever had to do. We spent a third of our lives with her. She was like the middle child. She vacationed with us, shared our food (even though we know she wasn't supposed to) and endured the brattiness of two kids. She loved the beach and the snow (and got to play in the first snowfall we had on Wed.), hated cameras and lightning and refused to fetch anything. She escaped from the yard anytime she was given a chance, chewed the buttons off of my handknit Annie Modesitt corset (yup, she ruined it), jumped on the furniture when she thought we wouldn't notice and rolled in yucky stuff everytime we gave her a bath. The daughter of champion AKC registered Corgis, she'd agressively herd you in the direction she wanted you to go in at a moments notice. She shed non-stop (I'll be vacuuming up her fur for many, many months), gave us big kisses with her Gene Simmons-like Corgi tongue and was the most fiercely loyal friend you could ever ask for.

Mavis wasn't with us nearly long enough but the time she shared with us will last a lifetime. We were so blessed to be owned by such a loving animal. Thank you for choosing us, sweet Mavi.

Wrist Therapy Wraps

Thanks for your sweet comments on the Knitjas. I'm still tweaking the pattern and hope to have it up soon. As with Chichi and hopefully all future patterns, I'm going to give a portion of the proceeds to charity. Its not much but I certainly want to use my powers to do some good in the world if possible. I'm thinking that the Knitjas will help out Heifer's Kids 2 Kids program or perhaps investing through Kiva. Any other suggestions? I'm all ears.

I've made the Handmade Holiday pledge this year even though I haven't gotten around to putting the badge on my blog. However, after nearly killing myself the past few Christmases with pain inducing, frantic, last minute knitting, I'm going to use my crafting skills to primarily sew my gifts this year. So I've arranged my assembly schedule over the next couple of weeks and hope to give you some ideas for fun last minute handmade gifts.

First up, thanks to the crafty divas at SewMamaSew, wrist therapy wraps.

I used their idea for Rice therapy bags and tweaked the pattern so that I could make them into wrist wraps. I admit that I had a selfish motivation to make these because my wrists have been bothering me as of late from some very tedious knitting and its hard to keep something flat like the traditional cold packs wrapped around your wrist.

They have velcro to help them stay put and a homemade hot/cold herbal insert that was a blast to make. I'll update this post with a tutorial and more details when I have more time. I know some knitter friends of mine who will be getting these for holiday gifts (sorry to spoil the surprise). Perfect for crafters, seniors or anyone who has aching body parts.

Happy holiday crafting everyone!

Knit a Ninja (Knitja)

I planned to take a couple of shots of my poinsettas this morning when I spied something hiding in the leaves...



Why, its a family of ninja! They hopped out of the flowers. Bowed graciously...



And quickly retreated to the shadows...



Coming SOON! Knit a Ninja pattern for Pink ninja, black ninja and little minja (mini ninja).



You know you want to knit one...

Thanksgiving Haiku

Awoke feeling sick

Hosting Thanksgiving this year

Pray that I'll stay well.

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I'll have new patterns for you beginning next week.

Birthday bounty

Thank you so very much for the many thoughtful birthday wishes. I tried in vain to quietly celebrate my 38th birthday at home last Wednesday which so happened to be Halloween. This was what my evening was like: knit, knit, knit. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. Trick or treat!!! Candy, candy, candy. Sit down, get comfy, knit, knit, knit for 3 minutes. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. You get the picture. Most would have given up on knitting but I had a last minute submission deadline I was trying to meet so I was VERY focused. Thing 1 refused to deal with the rugrats citing that he was going to enjoy his first Halloween at home by playing X-Box 360 with his friends. Needless to say, I was worn out by the end of the night.

My friends and family are incredibly generous and the birthday celebrations have continued since Wed. Just look at all of the goodies they've given me (not to mention the food I've been treated to).





The Things gave me some Burberry Brit (Thing 1 wants to "un-hippie" me and says this will help me get started) and most everyone else gave me something fiber related: a beautiful needle felted ornament, handcrafted Tibetan prayer flags, Dave Simpson's yummy fiber, Burts Bees hand salve (oh so needed right now), Knit Picks Harmony Needles, many skeins of Karaoke Soy Silk, Lavendar candle by Diptyque and birthday moola from the Rents and MIL. But most of all, I have been blessed with the love of so many friends and family. While all of these goodies are appreciated, their love is the bounty that I speak of. It means more to me than any other gift I could receive. Thanks everyone!!!! (((Big hugs)))

News Flash!!! Yes, I have been knitting and spinning. I finally finished my Hokie socks that I started at MS&W (yeah, I know that was like 6 months ago).






The facts - yarn: Regia Silk colors, needles- stretchy circulars (I LOVE them) size 3, pattern: toe up recipe using figure 8 cast on, 64 sts for the foot, short row heel and 62 sts for the twisted 2x2 ribbing.

And just so you know especially the sock knitters among you, there will be nothing more than "plain vanilla" toe up ankle socks here if I'm knitting them for myself. I don't like ridges across my toes, I don't like anything past my ankles and I don't like patterns that can leave imprints on my feet. I'm uber picky about socks and have been since I was a kid. Therefore, exhibit B - another ankle sock.



This sock is made from handspun Finnsheep and Creatively Dyed Yarns handspun roving. One down, one to go.

Speaking of handspun, I've been spinning like a fiend since I came back from the Fall Fiber Festival.


(from left to right) I finally finished spinning the merino/tencel so that I can finish the second half of my Morning Glory Wrap . I also finished spinning the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Mulberry Silk/Merino to finish my Sahara. I've spun several 50 yard sample skeins with my fiber finds from Fall Fiber Festival 2007. (two colored yarns - one is my first successful attempt at Navajo plying - and ball in back) Creatively dyed yarns Corriedale roving, CVM/Gulf Coast from My Favorite Yarn Shop, "Krinkle" Fall Fiber Fest Rambouilet fleece, Stony Mountain Fibers Cormo (last two) Misty Mountain Farm dyed Finnsheep and Finnsheep/cashmere. I have a pretty good sized collection of handspun skeins that I need to set free into projects. I'm having a hard time letting go of my babies though.

Finally in the crazy crafter department, I had some apples that were going bad and decided to make apple head dolls out of them something I haven't done in probably 30 years.



The Things are grossed out by the "ageing" process which pleases me to no end. Dare I say that the busy-ness of life seems to be slowing down. If it continues, I'll be posting more often than not.

Stuffie butts and such

You asked for it. Here's a butt shot:


Stuffie Butt

Still can't guess what it is? Well, its supposed to be a puppy. Yeah, I know. It DOES kinda look like a pig and a bunnie. Thanks Grace and Renee for figuring out that its a puppy dog. (((sigh))) The original Japanese pattern offered a couple of options to make it a bunny or a cat. But I wanted a dog. If I had made the ears bigger, they would have flopped better and it MIGHT have looked more like a dog. I'm still learning. Trust me, there have been numerous failed attempts. Like this cute mouse pattern from Sewing Stars and my not so cute mouselike creature. A word of advice - don't drink and embroider.


Exhibit A - Sad Purple Mousie (I'm really really mad because she stitched my eyes on all wonky)

Go figure. I'm not even going to show you some of the others. They are true misfit toys. I have had some successes since I posted the puppy. I'll post them soon so you can see that I HAVE learned something about sewing toys.

So what else have I been up to lately? Plenty. I've been...

Felting stuff for a book that I can't show you yet.

Tickled pink because two of my patterns made it into the 2008 Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar.



Finished a store sample for the Trinity class that I taught last week at SereKnity.


Finished Autumnal Trinity

Attended VA's 2007 Dustbowl err Fall Fiber Festival. Saw Robin and her sweet hubby and sucked a friend into spinning at the same fiber festival (Waves at Heather sheepishly).


H and the sheepies


H and me kickin' it at Monticello

Watched my "baby" go to his first Homecoming dance and play in drumline in marching band just like his momma did a bazillion years ago.







How is this kid almost 15?

Baked cupcakes for a special friend's birthday. YUM!


From the book "Cupcakes!". Thanks for the book TE!

Watching the Autumn sky whilst enjoying the Indian Summer weather (wish it would never end) and wondering where the time goes every single day.


Autumn sky pic taken by my surprisingly observant Thing 1 at 7 am.
Come to think of it, perhaps he missed the bus because he was taking this picture...

What does this look like to you?

Every attempt I've made at sewing softies for the past week have been met with "what's that supposed to be?" by my loving Things. So sensitive and thoughtful, they all are. So tell me, what do YOU think it looks like? Just wondering if my sewing is that awful that you can't tell what the finished product is. (((Sigh))) Maybe I should stick with knitting and spinning...