Sweatergirl shopping from the stash

Whew! Day 1 of the buy-no-yarn challenge is completed. I did some stash-shopping, and swatched for Martha. I need to reswatch with a smaller needle (probably US 4). But - I thought it was kind of a neat stitch pattern and I wanted to share. The filler columns are garter stitch, and the columns that look cabled actually aren't. On the first RS row, you slip 5 stitches with the yarn in front, and on the next right side row, you knit across to the center of the column, then pick up the "float" (the yarn you slipped in front of the last RS row) from the bottom and knit it together with that third (center) stitch. I'm trying not to violate copyright here! If I give the stitch pattern from memory, is that ok?

Row 1 (RS): K3, *slip 5 stitches purlwise with yarn in front, K3*
Row 2 (WS): K3, *P5, K3*
Row 3 (RS): K3, *K2, lift "float" from bottom and knit together with stitch, K2, K3*
Row 4 (WS): K3, *P5, K3*

I'm swatching and knitting in Rowan Felted Tweed, in color Corn (exactly as shown). The yarn is so lightweight - I like it a lot.

But I will likely put this project aside for a while. The stitch is not as mindless as I thought it would be - you have to be careful about your float length. And I want to finish the Snail's Pace Sweater and start the body of St. Brigid.

Another September Event

Yet another reason to join Knitting Beyond the Hebrides: the Virtual Conference on Fair Isle. Not actually on the Isle, but about Fair Isle technique and design. Get a head start with the Fair Isle Challenge. Thanks to the organizers!

And Sarah and I are starting a no-more-yarn-buying pact/staring contest - who will cave first? Now, she didn't say I couldn't divert my yarn budget into quilting fabric...

Not so close encounters

Of the ovine kind...

Steve and I went for a drive on Sunday and stopped in to see Debbi and her assorted animals. Her sheep are the cutest! But I must have spooked them, as they ran away and stood very still...kind of funny as they only had about 50 feet to run and we could still see them, of course. Debbi recently had them sheared and she showed me their fleeces - very nice color and texture. Layla, the Boston Terrier, was there too, running in circles in her little porta-pool. I thought we might get one for our pups, but Steve thought Bear would eat it (I'm talking the pool, not the Boston Terrier here), as she has eaten every other plastic thing in our yard. I had to concede on that point.

Another sheep encounter - our family reunion was at Winterfound Farm, my cousin's farm in Vermont. She's got the happiest sheep - Jacobs, Border Leicesters, Hampshire, and RomneyxBL. And the stubbornest donkeys. The Jacobs are their own flock; the three of them don't want to associate with the other, non-endagered, sheep breeds. Kind of funny. Need more info on sheep breeds? Try the OK State page - a great resource. And if anyone would like to buy a fleece from these happy sheep...let me know! I've spun three so far - two white and one colored. They process very well. I am thinking of getting another, but having it spun at Stonehedge Fiber Mill. Not enough spinning time.

And of the knitting kind

Sweatergirl's hidden treasures

Knit notes: Ack - I am nearly done the second sleeve of the Old Friend Aran, and I am soooo sick of it. But I am trying to stick it out. Then it is just the seams and the collar. It'll be worth it, right?

And I am anxiously awaiting Stitches Midwest reports - anyone seen one? Sarah should have one soon, I hope!

And Rob reminded me of the ThreadBear Grand Opening Event - October 24th-26th. Yay! If I can figure it out, I'll be there! But I gotta go to my very first SOAR on Sunday! Hmm - perhaps a chance to put some superpowers to work!

Today is "Clean out the Basement Day", so not much knitting progress done. The hubster does not understand why I do not want to throw out letters from high school penpals and boyfriends and notes from long-forgotten college classes. I don't really know either, now that I write it. So out they shall go. Wah!

I get this packrat thing from my mom - I think after seeing my parents' house last week, the guy is just scared. Of what this might be in 20 years or so. But the force is strong with this one - the magnetic force between me and my junk, that is. Time to put those superpowers to work - maybe I can just make it levitate invisibly? Or WinZip the remnants of my past to a really small size and pack them away?

Sweatergirl and the amazing tomato patch

Way back in April (I know, cuz I blogged it!), we dug out a relatively large veggie garden, and we are starting to see the fruits of our labor. I was a bit cynical, thinking everything would come while we were on vacation, drop to the ground, and rot. Or that, in the one week the pups were away, the garden would be overrun by bunnies and the like and be chewed to the ground. But I guess the garden gods must be smiling! I have been slogging into the patch of 7-foot-tall tomato plants, stealing their fruit, and am eating tomato salad every day. Next year, we'll add herbs, zucchini, peas, beans, and cucumbers to the garden, since I am sure that growing 24 tomato plants is excessive. To all the real gardeners out there - are you supposed to pinch off the tops of the plants so they don't get so tall? This is a subject of marital debate...I guess it is better than arguing about many other things!

Tomato Salad 1

Tomato Salad 2

This not only keeps me from having to worry about canning, but also keeps my WW points for the day low - 0 points in tomatoes, spices, vinegar. And, for you Weight Watchers, how about this new system? Do they just like to shake things up?

The 1st Old Friend Aran sleeve is finished, and the second is started. Long way to go. Today, I realized that I am really mad at this project for not being finished. How illogical is that? To be angry at an inanimate object just for existing. As an obstacle. I just feel like I keep going and am never going to get to wear this thing. Perhaps that is why I have so many not-quite-finished projects. Hopefully, I will forgive this project and love it when it is done! Maybe I just need to keep looking at Kathy's version for inspiration...It's her photo that made me drag this thing out of UFO-land...

Sweatergirl's picture pages

Picture updates today! Here's the Dale sleeve (note the looooong delay since the last update).

And here's the Old Friend Aran as of Monday. I worked on the sleeve at the knit-in last night and am now about an inch from finishing it.

And here's the seaside sock - the colors are a little funky at the heel turning, but not bad.

One more September Fiber Event: KnitOut and Crochet at the Detroit Institute of Arts, September 13 and 14. And a typo corrected. Chelsea is September 21, not the 16th.

In other news, population growth, sprawl, and NIMBY team up again. What's the fourth horseman in this cavalry?

And some vacation shots - these at Lake Wallenpaupack. Created back when you could flood a whole valley...weird to think of now!

Sweatergirl returns to her regularly scheduled life

Hope no one was holding their breath! I thought I would blog on vacation, but I was too darn relaxed. Easy to forget what day it was...

Much knitting was accomplished in the car and in the evenings. Days were mostly spent reading on the dock. Great vacation. Except I desperately missed the puppies.

Project update:

Old Friend Aran - front finished. bound off shoulders together. First sleeve is done thorugh all the increases - 3 inches left to knit. After doing the St. Brigid sleeves, where I had to read the chart nearly every row, these sleeves seem to be flying. Starting to look forward to my next aran - probably the body of St. Brigid.

Dale sweater - one sleeve completed! I hadn't worked on this since 5/22, as I had gotten to the part where I needed to think. It's all thought out. Would have started the second, but didn't even think to bring the needles for the hem.

Seaside sock - heel and gusset - done! Not far to the toe now.

Snail's Pace Sweater - the sleeve increases are only halfway done, but the sleeve length is halfway done (glass half-full version). And that's for both sleeves - yay for me!

All this sleeve stuff is a happy thing - thanks to Jessica for the challenge! Now I hear she's got some sleeves to not only knit, but design, as she's turning her Smooch tank into a sleeved sweater. Go, Jessica!

Because of my gallavanting around the country, I missed the Michigan Fiber Festival. It seems to happen eery other year or so - at least I had been to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year. But from other bloggers, looks like it was a fun fair!

Came home to a lot of fiber-related mail - so, for those nearby, here's an update on some September fiber events:

Fall Fleece Fair in Chelsea - September 21.

Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool in West Branch - September 26-28.

Mt. Bruce Stateion SHeep and Wool Festival in Romeo - September 27-28.

And MMKG meetings start up again. Guess I had better get some sort of program together!

It's good to be home...

Sweatergirl and the shower of the century

Reporting live from the apres-shower...fifty people are swarming at our second major eating event of the day. And our second cake of the day. And I'm just trying to keep my mom from blowing a gasket, as we share our 12th hour of constant smiling. But - my little sister's bridal shower, and the after-shower, and the Italian food-fest of last night all appear to have been a major success. Whew!

And we only had to play two silly shower games. Whew!

My shower ideas of having everyone bring a recipe and a photo seem to have been well-received. People are still working on scrapbook pages of photos and memories. And they liked going through their photo collections and reminiscing. My sister now has all the family recipes (including mine for Breakfast in Bed - ask the husband-to-be to go get bagels, and the tip-top secret grilled cheese recipe shared by a high-school age cousin). Whew!

We gave out the lavender sachets as a second favor - we handed them out as everyone was leaving (leaving Lavender Hall) and thanked them for coming. So that was kind of nice. Whew!

So all is well in shower-land. But if you tuned in for knitting news, well, not much to report. I worked on the Snail's Pace sleeves in the car - ugh! I feel like I will never get to the end - I am only halfway to the end of the increases. Sensing my frustration, my husband, the driver, suggested I, um, find something else to do. I turned the 'eel on the seaside sock (ouch! sorry - couldn't resist). Of course, the stripes are all screwy (of course, I am overly concerned). But I am nearly done decreasing for the gusset, and things actually look pretty decent.

I decided to bring lots of knitting on vacation (I brought the knitting bag as big as Sarah's) - but nothing new. Good for me! Granted, I did just start the seaside socks. I was able to resist the temptation to start Aberlemno or Martha. So I have the sleeves of the Old Friend Aran and the Dale sleeves and the seaside sock and the Snail's Pace sleeves. Progress will be slow...

Sweatergirl and the seaside

Yeah, it is amazing how that sock just leapt onto the needles. And how fast it is flying! And how cool the colorway is. At my gauge and stitch count, it looks like sailor stripes, followed by a blob of seaside colors.

Thought some of youse guys might be interested to see how it is working up. There are about 34 white stitches in a round, then the seaside colors go for about 34, gradually becoming dark blue (which makes the sailor stripe area w. about 22 stitches), then back to the blob of color again, then white. Wacky. I don't know how it was planned, but it is durn cool.

Sweatergirl starts a sock

Despite saying I am very committed to finishing up some sleeves, I couldn't resist starting a Seaside sock. It all started innocently enough. I just wanted to "un-hank" the yarn to see how it was dyed. Then I couldn't resist winding it into a ball. Then I needed to know how big the color repeats would be, so I had to swatch (and wash the swatch - superwash has played tricks on me before). And then I found myself casting on 60 stitches, and, well, now the sock is started.

But it's great travel knitting and waiting-in-line-to-vote knitting (no line today however)...and not as tangly as the dueling Snail's Pace sleeves.

Thanks for the memories!

Hi to all the PicKnitters - Sarah and Lynn have posted pictures, if you are curious. I was too busy flipping burgers and pushing margaritas and such to remember the camera. The weather actually turned out to be wonderful, despite the ominous morning clouds. Whew! I had a great time, and it seems others did too. We'll have to do another summer picnic next year (the second annual-ish? much more fun than MY family reunions at least!). Lots of MMKG members and other knitters eating, drinking, knitting, laughing. Daphne got bored of her project and spun on my Greensleeves Mjolinor spindle for a while. Uh oh. I see a spindle purchase in her future. It was nice to see some of the current/former MMKG members who can't regularly make the Tuesday meetings (Debbi...)

The big surprise was that the two men of mystery from ThreadBear showed up! All the way from Indiana. Rob and Matt are wonderful! I didn't really get to know them when they lived in Lansing, as I was off trying to be a Theatre student that year and missed a lot of the knit-ins. But I was so glad to get to spend some time with them yesterday. The boys brought their two extremely pettable pups (I am a sucker for puppy dog eyes), and some beautiful projects, and grab bags for all the attendees. Very very generous of them. I ended up with these two happy Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport skeins (superwash wool) in the Seaside colorway. I just think this stuff is gorgeous - I brought it to work today to sit on my computer. I can gurgle and make happy faces at it - maybe I need a yarn-mobile to hang over my cubicle. Or maybe a yarn-mobile (Yarn on Wheels?) to visit me once in a while?

Marcia is truly delightful - she came all the way from Grand Rapids in her brand-spanking-new wheels. Very slick. She was working with some wild, wacky, and wonderful Noro, and she brought a delish cherry pie. Oh, pie will be my WW downfall. Love it. Side note: did you know Michigan is number one in tart cherry and number 4 in sweet cherry production in the US? No? Well, now you do. But I'm not going to try to make you drink cherry juice - ewww. Anyway - Marcia managed to pick the softest grab bag full of Cascade Indulgence and Nancy Lindbergh's Fulled Gloves pattern. I have that pattern, so now I just gotta order some Cascade Indulgence from ThreadBear - it's a great price for a great yarn.

And I actually got some knitting done! Whoa. Aidan's Aran - back is completed except for a few rows of seed stitch.

Saturday, I made a bijillion sachets as bridal shower favors and stuffed them with lavender. Hope they are liked - Steve has informed me that he seriously dislikes lavender. Maybe it's just an overdose...