A Hard Lesson Learned

Strung up the trellis for the peas, notice mom's bugs she got at the NW Flower and Garden Show

On the Needles
more like off the needles, no I didn't finish the clapotis though was at the part where you started dropping stitches to find one dropped stitch would only go about a half of the way down. I was afraid something like this might have happened though I am starting all over again.
Bobbin' Along
Well did get a little spinning done. and a lot of pre-drafting. I found that one or two bits of roving I had Kool Aid dyed had gotten a bit felted in the process. So I am promising here and now any more kool aid dyeing I do I will 1. do to yarn whether I have hand spun it or bought it at the LYS (local yarn store) 2. be more careful when dying roving. I predafted one roving two times and then tore it rather slowly in two so I've got a little bit of that spun up and have a bag ready to take to Fiber Frenzy at the library with that roving, my drop spindle and book. And I might take clapotis with me.
What I've been listening to
Had heard Jasmin  mention Sherrill from Belle of the Ball podcast on one of the Knitmore Girls podcasts and so finally checked it out and immediately fell in love with it. The fact she's in Washington helped convince me to subscribe. It makes me feel like I have a fellow knitter and spinner nearby that talks to me.

Garden work

On the needles
Well finally figured a way to solve the problem of Clapotis I got some straight needles since I had been using a circular needle. So I got two repeats of the increasing section done five more to go. didn't work on the socks but will get to that sometime today.
Spinning
Haven't gotten anything done need to keep reminding my self to practice my drop spindle. more practice means I'll get better. Though over the weekend I got some dowel at the hardware store .I have a top whorl and think I would like a bottom whorl so I can maybe try spinning some finer singles for plying though worsted is okay too.
In the garden
Well put up some string on the trellis for the peas and planted some lettuce seeds. And used some popsicle sticks to mark what I planted where.
What I'm listening to
A podiobook I'm listening to it Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword by Tee Morris. I thought it was interesting a fantasy character in 1929 Chicago as a detective. It's pretty funny. I must be on a mystery/ detective kick having checked out the Maltese Falcon and another mystery movie from the library along with two knitting and one crochet book.

Mint and Basil

So went to the grocery store and got a few things including soe fresh mint and basil. the Basil actually still has roots on it in some water. So I have that out int he kitchen and it smells wonderful.
On the Needles
Well just frogged the Clapotis I'm working on for Mom. A bit drastic I suppose since it was only a dropped stitch but I hadn't gotten that far yet. oh well not that far to get back to where I was. still working ont he discovery sock from Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprints book.
Spinning
Haven't done much spinning probably should get back to it so I have some practice to get up my experience.
What I've Been Listening To
Was listening to the latest episode of KnitCents and she talked about composting. We don't exactly compost though we do have a worm bin which we put kitchen scraps in: vegetables and fruits, except citrus peels, bread, coffee grounds and tea bags minus the metal staples, no meat or dairy and I sometimes add egg shells so they get their calcium. We get plenty of good worm tea and compost to use both outside and on the indoor plants.

no, not more plants!

I had thought that the last of the plants Mom had ordered had arrived and we could start diminishing the number we acquired. But when I had come back from the first knitting group Wednesday there were three boxes waiting on the porch. Well we did get another dent made in the stash of plants, tubers, bulbs and seeds. I planted the Belles of Ireland that had been in the fridge for a little over a week. Didn't cover them up since they require light for germination. Mom planted  dahlia bulbs and we planted a number of other plants. Dad got some weeding done along with taking care if his personal corner of the garden. Meanwhile the petunias, snapdragons and okra seeds in the biodomes from Parks are seedlings. Still no tomato or pepper seedlings showing but they take longer to germinate so I'll wait and be patient.
On the needles
I started on Clapotis for mom with Curious Creek's Meru in Special edition colorway. Discovery sock from Cat Bardhi's Personal Footprints  in Noro's silk garden sock yarn. I had thought to try and make Fargyle socks with Socks that Rock lightweight in Vancouver Violet for my friend but I keep thinking about maybe making a shawl instead.

Off the Needles
Citron shawl

Mysteries + Knitting = Fun reading

Okay so yesterday at one of the knitting groups we got to talking about books with knitting. Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, and the knitting mystery series by Maggie Sefton Knit One, Kill Two along with other books like community reads.
I didn't like Friday Night Knitting Club a bit tragic. The Maggie Sefton books as much as my mom says I can write better I love her books with knitting patterns and recipes. Maybe I should try and see about writing a knitting mystery.
Other knitting mystery writers mentioned and that I know of Mary Kruger and Sally Goldenbaum. I've read Mary Kruger but not Sally Goldenbaum.
On the Needles
Almost done with Citron. So next is clapotis

Busy day

The day seems to have gone by so far...well okay it's not over  yet. I baked some pirozhki, gave some to the neighbors and attended the first of two knitting groups for today.
Yesterday got a book on using a drop spindle, Respect the Spindle by Abby Forquemont. It has helped me with spinning on my drop spindle

A Little Bit of Green

So yesterday planted some pea starters we got and transplanted some of the sensitive plant seedlings to pots.
On the needle
swatches to test for felting, I want to make some needle cases to avoid  so many loose double pointed needles.  along with the citron and sock for KnitCents cheap sock knit along though April is coming to a close and I"m running out of time.
On the Spindle
Some seafoam colored roving. I need to see about spinning up the pink colored rovings for plying sometime soon.

 Some Kool Aid dyeing I did last year when it was unusually hot. Up top some roving. lemon lime highland wool, dark cherry wool and grape alpaca

Out of the Dyepot
Coming soon.

Good knitting

On the needles
I'm past halfway done on Citron. And have acquired two more projects. One is Clapotis for mom with yarn from Curious Creek Fibers. The other is either a shawl or maybe a pair of socks from the Socks that Rock mentions in Stash Enhancements below.

My student spindle and some yarn I spun up last year

On the Spindle
well spun up some wonderful oatmeal Romney. Will see about trying to spin some of the sea foam roving I have along with some others.

Stash enhancement
Got some Socks that Rock in Vancouver Violet since my best friend is up in Vancouver, B.C. had thought about knitting up a pair of socks for her in it but might see about a shawl instead.

Twisted

Got some house cleaning done but had a hole in the garden worrying me. I know we had plans to transplant a tree elsewhere but I didn't know where so when I didn't see where it had been transplanted to I thought it might have been stolen. Don't laugh it has happened with rarer and more valuable trees.
So went to the LYS to get some more practice on the spinning wheel. It helped to calm me down and I got some fiber spun up. might return there Sunday to do some more. Though the yarn is very twisted, I need to learn to slow down. with more practice I'll get better.

On the Queue
Clapotis

Spinning Class part two

I've gotten a little more done on my Citron shawl, the teacher liked it so much she copied down URL for the pattern. It was disappointing no one else showing up for class though having Pat, the teacher all to myself was helpful.
Well the last day of spinning class over with. I feel pretty good. After the teacher help me get started on the one wheel I was off and actually spinning. I guess repetition helped. At least until the bobbin stopped spinning. So we fiddled with it for awhile and finally gave up. So the teacher plyed some yarn it was fascinating watching the yarn take shape on the bobbin like watching a piece of pottery take shape on a potter's wheel and the sound was so soothing.

Spinning Class part one

Well went to spinning class to find one classmate called to work and the other didn't show up. Guess she didn't know the time and the store didn't have her phone number to call and tell her. So had the teacher and three spinning wheels all to myself. It was nice but I didn't want that. Got a little bit of roving spun up and I'm going to do some with my drop spindle maybe even ply some before class. The teacher said she'd be at the store Thursday so I might go there then and practice some more.
I found the Louet a bit hard so switched to one of the Ashfords and that was a little harder but seems to work better.
Got some more work done on my knitting.

When Something Better Comes Along

 Two socks on the same needles

Remember how I said I had started knitting two socks at a time on the same two circular needles. Well there's also the lace pattern I though would make suck a pretty pair of socks along with the perfectly colored yarn Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Gold Rush. Pictured below.

Well I keep trying to do it encouraged by Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns in which she has a note about using lace patterns in circular knitting. I keep going back to it to try and figure out what I'm doing wrong. But I think I've got it all figured out now at least I hope so. And just love this so I might do this pair of socks instead of the birthday yarn from my neighbor for the cheap socks KAL for Knitcents.
But also still looking forward to the spinning class tomorrow. Though I did hint to mom I still might ask for a spinning wheel for my birthday maybe. Dad's thinking electronic one but I wouldn't mind a manual one first.

on the needles
one pair of socks
leaf lace socks
meadow flowers shawl

Citron in Malabrigo lace, consecha colorway

Spinning (coming soon)

on the queue
simple yet effective shawl, mom got some malabrigo and suggested I see about finding a shawl for it. it calls for a nice big yarn so I think it will work just fine.

what I'm listening to
Knitmore Girls
Knitcents
NPR's Wait wait don't tell me
and Car Talk

I Believe in Second Chances

Even if it includes me and something or someone. In this case the something is spinning, not the thing involving bicycles but spinning as in making your own yarn.

So yesterday, while mom and dad had deserted me for plant shopping. I drove downtown to do some walking and shopping. I parked and headed for one of the LYS that I hadn't been to in awhile in order to avoid temptation and saw a sign in the window about another spinning class. I had taken one there last summer. But I didn't have my checkbook. so I made a point to come back and bring my mother. So the teacher was there and I signed up for the class. She, mom and I went to look at the rovings and yarns. Talking about patterns and such.

So Tuesday and Thursday I'm going to be going to spinning class, learning to ply yarn and trying to figure out spinning wheel spinning.

No Knitting at New Moon

There's a t-shirt I've seen that reads so many books so little time. My current state could be explained by changing just one word in that. books = projects. Well I've seen so much knitting so little time too.
The script writing has pettered down to where I'm using my second idea. It's working out okay except I haven't been working on it for the past two days.
I've just been having too much fun with knitting ...too many projects. Instead of working on one sock at a time I did something like what I saw in a book on sock knitting and have both socks on the same two circular needles it suppose it will help me fight second sock syndrome but it's still kinda slow. Knit on sock one, knit on sock two. Kind of boring as well and there's trying to work on the meadow flowers shawl for mom. Trying to start work on a pair of fingerless gloves my old ones are just a bit loose. Maybe I should just put that on hold since spring is here. I can start working on them later this year before or when it starts getting cold again.
Then I ripped up a finished object, a Quant I had knit for myself, because I decided it needed to be a bit longer and I still had some yarn left over. Well I got that lengthened. And also I'm trying to restart a pair of socks I thought I'd try to design myself using a lace pattern I saw in a little book. Having checked out A Treasury or Stitches and Second Treasury of Stitches by Barbara Walker didn't help. So that's one, two, three, and four projects along with other just calling to be started or finished.
Also watched New Moon Wednesday night didn't get much knitting done. Loved it might have to see about buying a copy either for ipod or DVD.
On the needles
socks, socks
shawl,


 Off the needles
Quant

Listening to
Knitmore Girls back episodes

What was Lost is Found

Over two years ago I finished a pair a socks. I had gotten the yarn with a gift certificate from one of my sisters as a Christmas present I believe. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in these jewel tone colors. So then I went online looking for a sock pattern to use it with. And I found the Lacy Trellis pattern and that was it . So i printed up the pattern. The one hard thing about the pattern the first row of the lace pattern since it started with a yarn over so I would slip on the last stitch from the other needle to keep the yarn over from sliding off  and then move the stitch back for the next round. I finished one sock and second sock syndrome struck.I started it and then another disaster struck. I lost the printed copy of the pattern. I went online  to search for it again searching the same way I did before but I couldn't find it. I figured it had gone off line.
I did finish the second sock the lace pattern stuck in my head. Then yesterday thinking to put the pair of socks up on Ravelry I had to try and find the pattern again. So I tried different variations of the pattern name in Google. Lo and behold, there was the same picture, the same colored text as I remember. So now I've got it marked down where it is and another printed copy just in case I find some yarn to knit another pair.
The socks are just a little bit big for me so I might see about selling or giving them away if I can find someone to give them to.
Didn't finish the baby socks yesterday but finished the heel late last night so now I'm working on the foot and almost at the toes so should be finished soon where I can start on the socks for the socks in a month deal.
So rented New Moon on iTunes yesterday and tonight will watch that on my iPod while working on those socks. Already own Twilight so might watch that as well.

What I'm listening to
The Anatomy of Knitting
BarkNKnits
Knitmore Girls
Knitting in the Round
Knitcents

My Babies

No, I am not a mother. But my babies are any little seedlings I am growing at the time. For awhile last year I had a basil seedling that I kept on the windowsill in the kitchen. Away from all the nasty slugs that had eaten it's seedling siblings.

At the moment I have some sensitive plants five successes from 9 peat pellets. Yes I know there are those that don't recommend or complain that using peat decreases the peat bogs. But I just wanted to use up the package of pellets I had so I wouldn't feel bad about them sitting around when I use a package of seed starting soil.
It could have been six seedlings but one died off I'm thinking from damp rot. I am still looking for my little spray bottle of chamomile tea that I use to avoid that. Once I have my babies transplanted to some small pots and maybe given to some neighbors with warm hearts and homes the weather here in the Pacific Northwest isn't conducive to the warm weather they like.
Next seeds I will start will be some for me and mom. We got some Bio domes from Parks along with the plugs, so for my mom I will start some Okra, along with petunias, snapdragons, tomatoes and peppers. For me, I'm going to try growing some basil again. Slug and snail just don't seem to scare me off.

second baby sock before frogging.
Does ripping out count as off the needles? I was working on trying to finish a small pair of socks so I could use the needles for another pair of socks. Was still working on the leg, k1 p1 ribbing when I noticed it looked more like a moss stitch so took another look and saw I had dropped a stitch. So in the process of trying to correct it I dropped more stitches did try to correct that but just finally had to frog it. I do have the needles free but would like to just try and knit up that sock. I already have one and that I knit up in a day so I know if I put myself to it I could knit it up and have free needles to start on that sock.
Also I decided to start working on the little heart shaped sachets again. I had knit so many that I had stopped for awhile. But it's thanks to closing all those up that I felt comfortable knitting a sweater and then doing the seaming to put it together. Though I would love trying to knit one up on circular needles and not have to worry about seaming.

Where to find me?
I'm stitchers on Ravelry. So feel free to friend me or PM me.

Post One

Okay introductions first. My name is Ruth. I would call myself a intermediate knitter. I've  completed two small child size sweaters, quite a few socks, several dishcloths. I am an on again off again crocheter, usually whenever I take on a crochet project I require a book on crochet nearby so I can look up how to do a single, double or half double crochet or even treble crochet. I am trying to figure out how to spin my own yarn. I do some dyeing with Kool Aid.

So many things to do this month and now I've added another. I must be a little crazy. What do I have to do that one more thing is possible to tip over the balance in my life? you ask. Well other than knitting,  another hobby I have is writing. And last November I did my first dip into the world of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I won that. March was Editing month and thanks to a particularly nasty cold or something I was so sick the last week well there was not much chance of closing the 11 to 50 hour gap. And now April is Script Frenzy, I did have two possible script ideas in my head. One well I wont' admit to here. but two was a vampire movie script based on the little stories I started when I didn't have internet I did write a little series of vampire stories on web pages. though A third idea has come up, based on my current real life dilemma between knitting and trying to write a screenplay in a month.  And now after listening to so many knitting podcasts on my ipod thinking I might try blogging about my knitting and crocheting. Oh another thing to do now that it's spring is planting, seed starting and gardening. So let's list this:

1. Script Frenzy
2. knitting
3. blogging
4. gardening

Okay that said and done. What am I working on?

Meadow Flowers shawl by Donna Kay from Knitter's Stash pictured above as the raspberry colored wool yarn
Flotsam and Jetsam Shawl No real pattern I sort of am making it up as I knit it. Lots of yos, ssks, sl1 k2tog psso overs. Also pictured above a variegated blue cotton yarn
Entrelac socks
Entrelac Scarf pattern from allisonknits

Finished Objects
prayer shawl knit with some acrylic  yarns in white and different shades of blue, then crocheted around the edges. pictured above.

On the Que
Aside from what I've got on my queue at Ravelry  I plan to knit a pair of socks this month using two skeins a neighbor gave me as a birthday present as part of a sock knit thing on one of the knitting podcasts I have subscribed to. with bright pinks purple and orange.

What I am listening to
 (podcasts)
Knitting in the Round
Knitcents
Electric Sheep
Knitmore Girls
plus several more.