Monday, October 29, 2012

 
 
Seven years ago today,  I married my best friend.
 
Happy Anniversary Andy!
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Miriam

Last month Kristi told me that she had been working with her mill to improve Zoe Sock.  Since it's one of my favorite yarns, I wasn't sure how it could be better than it already was.  When she offered to send me some to knit up a sweater, of course I jumped at the chance!  I searched through Ravelrys massive data base of patterns and decided on Miriam.  It looked like a straight forward pattern and I loved the fit on the model. 

When the Zoe in Driftwood arrived I was so excited I wound it and cast on.  Miriam proved to be a quick and uncomplicated knit.  The new Zoe is so soft and lofty and worked perfectly for Miriam. 

The moment it was done blocking, I grabbed it and headed out the door.  I hijacked Andy on his lunch and we went to a local park to take some pictures. 

 
 
Ok, I am skipping in this last picture.  It was a beautiful day and the sweater fit perfectly.  What else can make a knitter so happy?  Well the fact that I have another full skein left over for matching socks doesn't hurt!  Now, just need to pick a pattern.....

PS Shalimar Yarns is giving away a skein of the new Zoe on their Shalimar Yarns Facebook page!
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Lot's of fun things going here!  Today Ann McCauley is teaching at our knit group.  This will be my second class with her and Im really excited about it!  Last year I took a seaming and finishing workshop and I can't even describe how much better my seaming is now.  The class is being sponsored by The Friends of the Forest Library (FOFL) and is free to all participants. The FOFL does many wonderful things for the community and this is just one of them!

A little over four years ago I started a knitting group at the Forest Library.   We meet the first and third Wednesday of each month.  It's been a great experience and Ive met a lot of wonderful people.  Ive been trying to find someone to take over being the group leader and liaison between the group and the library, but haven't had any luck.  Between working and everything we have going on in our lives Im just unable to continue running the group.  Im hoping that someone steps up to the task before the end of the year or the group will have to disband.  We have over thirty members of the group and usually have around ten people at our meetings.  I know everyone has commitments and other things going on in their lives but it's really time for someone else to have a turn at this.  One person asked why the group can't just meet without a liaison and why the group needed a leader at all.  The library receives grants and funding based on the number of people who attend events there.  There needs to be designated leader/liaison to report back to the librarian on the number of people in our group and to be a contact person for people who are interested in joining.  We also send an email out to remind the members of our meetings.  If you are interested in helping with the group or being the liaison, please leave a comment on here on my blog.

And now onto some knitting fun:

The Mermaids Tail Cowl is finished and I love it!

Handspun SW Merino Roving from Shalimar Yarns in Zombies Treat
 
Ive been working on the Miriam cardi in Shalimar Zoe Sock, colorway Driftwood.  Not only do I love knitting with this springy yarn, the colorway is really fantastic!  Im such a sucker for gray.  If I thought I could get away with it I think most of my knitting and wardrobe would be in shades of gray paired with white t-shirts. 
 
Ive already attached the sleeves and am on the raglan decreases.  It's a bit dark in the house for pictures this morning so Im using one from earlier this week.
 
Ive been a bit of a busy beaver and finished spinning 4oz of Hat Trick in Popsicle Stick from Rivers Edge Fiber Arts.  It's going to be paired with Breathless in Ore to make a Spectra by Stephen West. 
 
 
I really should have been painting the new shelves that Andy built for the dining room, but slacked off with spinning instead.  Good thing he is an understanding guy.  Oh wait, we did go fishing for most of the day on Sunday....

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Cowltastic

I spin quite a bit, in fact this year I think my yardage is around 7,000 yards.  No kidding and no exaggeration.  A friend of ours  has a llama farm and I do the majority of their spinning.  It's a lot of fun and I really enjoy it.  The downside is that after I get the spinning done for them Im usually too tired of spinning to do any for myself.

 Kristi being the temptress that she is, had given me some of her fantastic super wash merino that she dyed in Zombies Treat the day that I kissed the sheep and caught the plague.  It spun up so nice and lovely, being very soft and light, and just a big knitting tease.  I let it sit on the coffee table for a couple of days so it could be admired by everyone one that came by. 

Today I just couldn't stand having that unknit handspun here a moment longer!  Before I even picked out a pattern, I wound it.  It sat there with me while I searched patterns on Ravelry.  I knew it wanted to be a cowl.  Something with some texture that would show off the colors of the yarn.  I finally came across the Mermaids Tail Cowl.  There was a moment of shear panic when I couldn't find the right needles and then realised that I was looking in the wrong slot in the circular organizer.  Before I knew it, I had cast on and the yarn was flying though my fingers.  Only one pattern repeat left and it will be done.  I think there is more than enough yarn to make another cowl, and possibly some matching mitt's.

Not the best picture, but I was so excited about it I just had to post!

 
Is anyone else counting down the days until The Walking Dead returns?  We can't wait!  Bring on the Zombies!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Sheep Plague

You would think that now that the kitchen is so close to being completed that I would have more time to do fun things like post on the blog.  While I have been having a bit more fun, I seem to have caught the sheep plague.  Ok, so that may (or may not) be the correct name for it.  But when you go to a fiber festival, hang out with some sheep, one of which just sticks her cute nose out there and you kiss it and a couple of days later you start sounding like a cross dressing frog, it really should be called the sheep plague.  I actually had to miss knit group this week because of it.  So seriously, no matter how cute they are, don't kiss a sheep!



I have had a bit of extra time to spin this week.  This is super wash merino from Shalimar Yarns in Zombies Treat.  Ive been bugging Kristi to do some zombie and Walking Dead colorways and I love what she dyed! 

This roving was so easy to spin, I swear it practically spun itself!  It came out at 350 yards, 4.10 oz.  I love it! 

Check out all the other pretty colors that Kristi dyed.  I had a really hard time choosing just one.  Im wearing Zombie's Treat to keep warm.  It was freezing in the barn at Shenandoah!