Sorry, I'm Boring lately!

I'm too boring for Blogging. Lately, nothing I'm knitting is worth it. Two out of three projects look the same as the last time they were photographed. Ink Spot, started the second side which looks the same as the first. Milkweed project is about three quarters done but looks like unblocked lace does. The un-named Knitty project, I'm on "that island" knitters dread.

I did knit up a sample for the shop in an Organic Cotton.


This is the eloomanator Diagonal Knit Dishcloth.
and a close-up.

It was a quick knit and fun to watch the pattern emerge.

And I knit up some of my homespun,

This if from All Spun Up, sorry I can't find the colorway name. Lovely fiber!

And used it to start Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf Pattern

This scarf is done now but needs to be blocked to open it up. Again a quick and enjoyable project. And a great pattern to display long color runs.

I dyed some BFL superwash fingering weight yarn a light Turquoise.

It was kettle dyed and came out a very faint semi-solid. It's destined to be Evelyn Clark's Shetland Triangle.

That's it for my knitting. The garden has had some spectacular spring blooms.

The Graham Thomas Climbing Rose was severely cut back this year - guess it like it because it's out done itself with roses!

The Asiatic Lillies have kept blooming through rain or shine.



And the Jacarandas in the neighborhood have bloomed in all their glory.

(Yes, they're beautiful trees but you want to view them at someone elses house. Messy and sticky debris!)

The Photographer and I went to the Ocean Beach Farmer's Market a couple weeks ago. O.B. never got the message that the Summer of Love is over.

Annie say, "Hey."

Mother's Day Catch-up

No excuses, I just haven't put in my blogging time - mea culpa.



This is a long shot of my Mother's Day Picnic Breakfast. (We're under the big center tree.) This is Lake Murray in La Mesa. (It's really a reservoir, there's little open water here in Southern California.)


This is the view from the opposite direction.


Party Crashers.


And here I am trying to unwrap a roll of paper towels. (Is it just me or are they making plastic indestructible now a days!!)

We had such a good time that we're planning on a Father's Day picnic at another water side location next month. My girls gave me some wonderful presents. The gardener daughter gave me a couple of plants for the front yard remodel. (Due to up coming water rationing we've turned off the lawn sprinklers and are getting ready to take out all the grass. I'll sure miss all that cool green.) She gave me a Tree Mallow, the flowers are 2 inches in diameter.

and a Leptospermum

both plants have very low water requirements.

The traveling Photographer daughter was in Portland, Oregon last month and surprised me with Shibui Sock yarn from Knit Purl.


When she first told me she would be in Portland I told her she could go to Knit Purl and buy me this sock yarn, intending to pay her for it; then I forgot about the whole thing. So I really was surprised when I opened her bag. I have great daughters!

Later that afternoon the four of us went and saw Star Trek. I loved it! Even better was I had enough passes and gift certificates that we ended up paying $1 for 4 tickets, two drinks AND popcorn! Not sure which was more fun the movie or buying the tickets for a buck!

Knitting Content: now what do I do?


These are the cuffs for entrelac fingerless mitts out of Silk Garden Sock.

They're huge - I can pull them all the way up to my elbows and they're still loose. I'm using a size 1 needle and don't think that they would be much smaller if I went down to a zero needle. Only way is to rip the whole thing out and rework the pattern to take one of the squares out - not sure that's going to happen. I even tried them on as sock cuffs and they fit around the largest part of my calf but that would be ALOT of entrelac. Just not sure where I'm going from here.

Ink Spot Scarf doesn't look much different. I've been carrying this around with me but I keep making mistakes and take out as much as I knit. I'm afraid this is going to have to stay home and go back to being my early morning project. It's not a complicated pattern but what with it being black I do have to pay attention and count.

I've started sewing the barn-raising squares, getting the 4 corners to come together is fiddly. It'll get there - eventually. I bought a warm semi-sold chocolate by Mama Blue for the crocheted border.

Still working on my milkweed scarf submission; I'm on the second ball of hand-spun. No pictures because it doesn't look like much until it's blocked. I'm worried about stretching my handspun out at blocking - there are a few thing spots.

A Knitty Sweater has been started in Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool. but that's all that I can say for now.

You've heard of Square Foot Gardening? I found planters that are exactly a square foot and the idea just grabbed me. There are three now but I'm headed out today to see if I can find more since the original three are looking so good.


There is no way I can plant too much flat leaf parsley and cilantro!

And to close here's a photo of a visitor to the front yard. This is taken through the front window, he just sat there and stared - No Fear.

Talk of Quilts, Babies and Flowers

My niece is having a baby girl, and as I did for all my nieces and nephew when they were born, I made a quilt. This one is called Baby Coins, the pattern is here. This was a very quick project and best of all, it's made completely from stash. (Yes, I have to admit I have even more quilt fabric stashed than yarn.) I cut slices from fat quarters and used some 6" batik squares, most are just color but there's one little green frog that mostly survived the cutting.



I got carried away with cutting the rectangles and I have enough to make another quilt; I'm seriously considering making a second on baby speculation. My daughters' friends are just starting to get married so you know there will always be new babies that need a gift.

The Barn-Raising blocks are finished. 36 needed but I'm working on number 40 right now.


I'm making a few extra because I'm sure I have some rejects. See any possible rejects in this group? Some really stick out when laid out with the rest of the blocks.


Jamie and Linda, two customers from our shop have started collecting hats to send to our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; Hats from Home. I knit the hat pattern they suggested, it wouldn't even fit on my head. (everyone else gets a normal adult size hat but my gauge must have been off - way off.) So I ripped it out and I'm making a plain 2/2 ribbed hat.


As you can see my camo isn't pooling it's spiraling. Thank goodness the idea is for warmth rather than style. (Since I always have trouble with sock yarn pooling and flashing I figured this yarn would do the same. Of course, yarn is contrary and this skein is doing the opposite of what I want! I shouldn't have been surprised.)

The cymbidiums are almost done blooming


And the Epi's are just starting.

My Fully Baked Weekend

Ok - let me just get this out - It was DAMN HOT this weekend!! And then Sunday was even HOTTER! Tying the all time record for the Month of April HOT! Where I was Sunday it got to 100 degrees F at 10:55 am and then stuck at that temperature the rest of the day. (I left at 4pm and it was still 100 degrees.)

This was the weekend we had Celia Quinn here to give her two-day Silk Workshop. Once again we were at Karalyn's home over looking Lake Murray.

Celia lives in Alaska and the heat was really getting to her. Saturday was very warm - put you to sleep after lunch warm but Sunday it was so hot it hurt, and we were in the shade.

We learned more about the history and biology of silk than I ever imagined. We dyed silk caps

and silk hankies


We spun silk in more than a dozen forms while Celia explained all the ways to spin each type, what each is used for and where it came from.


We played with cocoons and did reeled silk and make silk mawata or hankies from cocoons. Celia gave us so much information in a very fun but hectic weekend. Luckily with all that heat it was very dry so our hands weren't too sweaty to spin the silk. Sunday with trying to pay attention and ignore the heat I forgot to take any pictures but it looked at lot like Saturday's picture except with different and lighter clothes, oh yeah, we looked even hotter too.

These three days of heat have cooked all the Spring flowers but The Photographer has pictures to help remember them. My potted wisteria gave the best blooms so far. I severely wacked it back - the plant must have liked the pruning.


And just to prove how special my dog Annie is, here's a picture of her reading.

Forest Canopy Shawl

First we have a winner, DJ won the 5 Minutes a Day Bread Book - Congratulations. Hope you enjoy the recipes.



Second - I finished the Forest Canopy Shawl pattern by Susan Pierce Lawrence.
(Rav link) The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool in an olive green color. None of my pictures capture the color exactly. The Label says color 008.



Funny about this pattern, a friend was looking for a particular shawl pattern and I suggested that it was this one. Talking about the Forest Canopy Shawl reminded me that I'd purchased the pattern and even had the yarn to make it. So I just let every other project sit for the week it took to make this easy lace shawl. (It's really more of a shoulderette or kerchief than a shawl or scarf.) I enjoyed knitting this pattern - it's very clear and well written.

And the blocking pictures




I'm still working on InkSpot another of Susan's patterns. There's no speeding when I'm working with such a dark lace weight.

Last night I attended a Bobmas Party at Two Sister's and Ewe. It was fun to visit with so many talented knitters. I saw some lovely things - wish I'd remember to take some pictures. I was bleary eyed last night and not the sharpest pencil in the box! I'm blaming it on not enough sleep the night before - that's my story. I know Jessica was busy taking pictures so I'll link to her pictures when she puts them up.

Lace, Bib and Bread

Very slowly I've been knitting Ink Spot the scarf version of Fountain Pen Shawl in the current issue of Interweave Knits. I find it difficult to keep working on such dark stitches. I usually sit in direct sunlight in the morning and knit a dozen rows before I start the rest of my day.


The yarn is Knit Picks Shadow in Midnight. The picture looks like a solid black yarn but it has touches of blue-green in it. (Think Black Watch Plaid in the blender - those colors) One more picture - yeah, I know, unblocked lace looks like a blob.



I completely flaked out on SockMadness. My yarn was picked out and I was right there that Thurday morning when the pattern was released but Ink Spot was calling to me and when I cast-on it was lace weight in my hand rather than sock yarn. I feel so wicked.

Lace yarn has a tendency to either stick to itself or the whole ball falls apart, especially if it has a high silk content. Here's a picture of have I keep my yarn safe and secure.



I store it in an empty CD spindle package. The yarn is secure on the spindle; safe from dust, falling onto the floor and nosey cats. My family of Photographers kindly keep me supplied with empty DVD cases.



I finished a bib in cotton dishcloth yarn. (I'm not sure which brand as there was no label on this ball. I'm thinking it's Peaches & Creme because I bought a grab bag of yarn from them several years ago and none of them came with labels.)



The pattern is here. Overall it's a very good pattern and lends itself to what ever you can imagine. You could adapt this pattern to any dishcloth pattern for the first six inches. I would try a few things differently next time; I'd use an I-cord bind-off across the front neck, I'd taper a bit the bands that go around the neck and I did enlarge the button hole. (Trying to get tiny buttons done on a squirmy baby isn't fun.)

I've been trying the recipes in the book "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day." It really is an extremely simple recipe with no kneading. I've gotten some very good bread and they look every bit as good as the loaf on the cover. And the Smell when it's baking is just heaven!



My problem is my refrigerator - I HATE my side-by-side! I just don't have room to store the bread dough container. Since I won't be keeping the book because of my "stupidly designed refrig" I thought I'd give it away here. Anyone that's interested leave me a comment (be sure and leave an email address so I can let you know you won.) I'll mail it to anyone in the US or Canada - sorry everywhere else USPS is just too expensive.

So if you have a decent refrigerator and like to bake this book is for you. Leave me a comment by next Thursday April 9 at 9 p.m. PDT.

Do you read the Rainey Sister's Blog? The last two days Susan has been showing a method for keeping count of rows, increases and decreases as you knit. Sure makes sense to me.

Lace Ribbon Scarf

Yes, I finished the Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty. I used Ella Rae Lace Merino ( a fingering weight) in color 110. The pattern calls for you to knit until the scarf is 80"; I only made it to 74" with one skein of yarn.



I enjoyed knitting this pattern but I have one thing I'd do differently next time. The pattern has you cast-on and start right into the lace pattern then at the end you knit two rows then bind-off. Those two knit rows give you a very nice finished edge that you don't have at the other end of the scarf. Next time I'd cast-on, knit two rows before starting the lace pattern. I had a long piece of yarn left from the cast on that I used to work through the cast-on to give it a little more bulk to try and match the end of this scarf.



Thank-you Jessica for modeling the scarf.

I've had about a dozen people write and ask about my blocking surface. I've mentioned before that they're 2 feet X 2 feet interlocking foam floor mats that I got through Amazon. (My mats are black but they're offered in many bright colors too. I've been told someone found the mats at Home Depot.)

KnitPicks now is selling a similar product, 12 inch X 12 inch interlocking squares that are white. I haven't seen them and can make no recommendation - I'm just letting you know another source for these blocking mats. My only comment is that KnitPicks' product is only half the surface area of those offered on Amazon with little reduction in price.

The beginning of this month the Photographer and I drove up to Riverside, California so I could attend a Weaver's Conference marketplace. I was curious about the new looms on the market; learned a lot but didn't purchase one. I really didn't buy much; 2 pounds of natural color worsted weight merino yarn from Newton's, and a fringe twister.

Although we didn't stay at the Mission Inn we did stop there early Saturday morning before the Conference opened. I knit while the Photographer did what he does. It was a beautiful hotel that has recently been fully restored.









This is how I spent the hour, knitting and listening to Vivaldi, while he was wandering around.