Credit Card Application Revenge

Just a quick suggestion for all those Credit Card Application forms you receive in the mail. (with no exaggeration this household receives at least two a day) I was reading the blog Lickety Knit's June 10th entry. She has taken up mailing back the empty pre-paid return envelopes that are included in each mailing. It's not much but if even a small percentage of those envelopes are returned empty maybe the companies will get the message we're all pissed off at received all this potentially identity-theft-threatening junk mail, not to mention the waste of trees and other resources.

You have to open the blasted things before you shred them (because they have started including non-shreddable stuff in the envelopes!) just take a moment longer and pull out that pre-paid envelope, seal it, and mail it back to the company.

Paris Photoshoot

The Photographer came through with my Paris Waving Lace Sock pictures; and he confirms it wasn't easy to capture. He has no explanation why this burgundy red wants to photograph orangey.

Here we go top down:

the curvy top

I added an extra pattern repeat in the leg for length.

the heel that reminds me of the top of the Chrysler Building


the gusset (wonder if the second sock will have the colors pool around the instep in the same way?)


and the foot and toe.


The lace pattern doesn't show up the best with this yarn's busy-ness.

Waving Lace from Favorites Socks by Interweave Press
Fleece Artist Merino Sock Yarn, Paris colorway

Some Knitting has been Done

Progress on several projects and casting on for one new sock has kept me from loosing my mind while I've been home waiting to resume my regular life. (I'm feeling much better but bronchitis coughing whenever I talk is keeping me couch bound. Thanks for the get well messages last week.)

I finished a Waving Lace Sock from Favorite Socks from Interweave. Way back in February I showed the Fleece Artist Basic Merino Sock yarn, colorway Paris and the start of these socks. I knit the first, first sock on size zero needles and it was too small - had to frog the whole thing! It's taken me this long to get back to the second First sock. There's no picture because the pattern and yarn defy my ability to capture a decent photo; I'll see if I can get The Photographer to take one while I play foot model.

The new socks are Teosinte from Anne Hanson of Knitspot.

Fleece Artist Basic Merino Sock yarn (I'm thinking this is the Rainforest colorway. I'm no better with yarn labels and names than I am with plants.) This is a fun and easy pattern to follow.

My Raverly invite arrived yesterday. I played with it a bit in the morning but I can't seem to sign-in this morning on a different computer. I've sent a message asking for password help. It looked very interesting; easy to see who else is knitting the same project. So frustrating not to be able to get back in!

Miter Thing has progressed but my brain on flu didn't seem to be able to knit a straight miter. When I started feeling better I had to rip out 10 blocks that were really wonky.

Sam was very interested in what was going on in his window seat but he hasn't got posing down. (Had to delete about a dozen cat nose and butt pictures; deleting - the best part of digital cameras.)

Karalyn in my spinning class brought in a barrell of her sock yarn leftovers for me.

This pictures is after I've taken a bunch out. Thanks Karalyn.

I read the Debbie Macomber book Back on Blosson Street
while I was ill. This was the perfect feel good story to read while you're sick. Everyone is nice, there's a good story line with knitting woven through out without being too overly complicated for a fever addled mind to follow and all the problems are solved by the end. (Not necessarily a happy-every-after saccharine ending but no hanging loose ends either.) The knitting projects throughout the book are Prayer Shawls with two patterns included; a beginners shawl and a more complicated lace shawl.

Strong Personal Opinion: The only thing I found unreal was the yarn shop. I work part-time in a local shop and we have no where the business this mythical shop does yet we have three to four times the staff that work and teach. No way only two could do that sales volume, help customers and teach; this goes way beyond poetic license into I don't know what I'm talking about.

Any one interested in this hardback copy of Back on Blosson Street? First one to write to me at tcty123ATyahooDOTcom will get it.
Ed: the book has been spoken for.

That's what's been going on here...

This and a bit of that

Where did the last two weeks go? Wish I could say I've been having a wonderful time; unfortunately for me I've been sick for the last eight days. I picked up some incredibly vicious virus that just doesn't want to let go - the horrible chest and head cold that keeps on giving variety.

I don't have much to blog about.

Wednesday, the 23rd, I ordered four bobbins for my new Sonata Wheel which were delivered Friday the 25th! I was surprised at the delivery speed. When I unpacked the box

I found one bobbin had split. There wasn't any damage to the box it looks like a fault in the wood.

I had bought the spindles on ebay from Seller Coppermoose. He ask me to send a picture. The replacement bobbin arrived in Tuesdays', the 29th, mail. Can you believe I didn't have to pack up the broken bobbin and schlep it to the Post Office, wait for it to be delivered and then wait some more for his package? I've very happy with the way this problem was handled. Next time you need spinning supplies look him up.

A friend and I went to a Sewing Expo show in Del Mar several weeks ago. The only thing I bought was a cute little sock change purse. Sock knitter that I am I couldn't resist.


Now for the beauty shot here's a close-up of a Hibiscus bloom

A local breeder has come up with a new variety he calls Hotbiscus. As usual, I can't tell you this one's name. Here's a link for more information.

Miter Report

Here's the current progress shot of my miter thing.


I've been toying with the idea of a bag but I'm still just playing. Several very nice people have offered to send me some sock yarn leftovers. Thank you very much - this is the kindness of knitters part. I've also done two yarn swaps on Good Yarn Karma
Yarn for sock yarn leftovers.

I have people write to me in the comments section asking questions that I would reply to but I can't because I have no address. When you comment as annoymous I see no address to reply to. Really, it seems so rude not to answer you; I would if I could. In the top left hand corner of my blog, next to my picture, my email address is right there if you would like to get in touch with me without posting a comment.

The San Diego County Fair is coming up and I've been working on entries in the Spinning Division. They have a new catagory this year of Hand-dyed, Handspun. I started playing around with dry dyeing. Usually you soak your fleece before applying dye; as you have all ready figured out dry dyeing is where you apply the dye to dry fleece.

have to say the method is a mess since the dye doesn't soak in. I'm pleased with the end product.

here's a close up of the fingering weight 2-ply I spun from this dry-dyed merino superwash


I also played with dyeing a DK weight I spun


here's a close-up


which would you enter?

Changing the topic to cooking, have you seen the blog My Husband Cooks? Just for fun here's what my Husband made two nights ago


#2 Daughter gave him a wok for his Birthday and he's been stir-frying like a Pro ever since. This time he made a Cantonese Chicken and Mushroom Stir-fry.

And lastly a good picture of my little black cat, Sammie. (It's not easy photographing a black cat; The Photographer gets credit for this one.)


That's what's been going on here...

Picnic on Mother's Day

Several years in a row when ask what I wanted to do for either Mother's Day or my Birthday I've said, go on a Picnic. Finally, we went on a picnic and it was just as nice as I'd hoped. The weather cooperated and was sunny.

We were in Balboa Park, a very large city park right next to downtown. Now this family has a history of weird run-ins with nature; not the normal ants but somewhat unusual visitors. There was the breakfast cookout where we were swarmed with bees - no one got stung but who knew bees like the smell of bacon. We had bees again another time for lunch - different place and no bacon this time. Then there was the time in the mountains there were so many lady bugs we had to eat in the car or they would have been all over the food.

This current picnic was no different; this time it was squirrels. We set up chairs and a sunshade with no squirrels present but the minute we set the cooler on the table they were coming out of the trees. These were brave city squirrels, we couldn't fake them out just by moving toward them. We had to keep getting up and shooing them off. Very brave critters.

The Photographer kept himself busy with his camera...


Only thing that would have made the day any better would have been if #1 daughter had been there but she was on a flight home from Japan. It was fun to read her blog while she was gone and see what she was doing day to day. It was a 20 hour flight home! She got back that evening in time to call and wish me a Happy Mother's Day.

New Project plus Blooms in the Garden

It's been a quiet week in the neighborhood...

I've been reading WendyKnits Blog about her Mitered Square sweater; her method intrigued me so I pulled out some sockyarn leftovers



and made a few squares. Then, just a few more - OK, now I'm hooked.




I have no idea what I'm making but it's fun to see the different squares the same ball of self-patterning yarn will make. I LOVE that there will be no seams to sew; new squares are added by picking up and/or casting on stitches.







Now the big problem is how to find more sock yarn leftovers. I've even been dipping into new skeins of sock yarn - there has to been enough extra to squeeze out one or two squares. (I'm aware I may live to regret this decision to use "pre-leftovers.")




The fiber used for this skein was an experiment in dyeing methods. Half was dyed in the grease in a kettle of soap with dye added. The other half was kettle dyed after it had been washed. I liked the slight streaky result from dyeing in the grease plus it saves several steps - always a plus.

I then carded the two batches together which was a good lesson in mixing on a drum carder.

Out in the garden; while replacing the fence Jim accidentally dug up my clematis that would grow into my climbing yellow rose so he bought a new one. Wish I knew how to make my flowers have as much color as they have when they come from the nursery.



My flowers will be that size but very faded.

The Epiphyliums are in full bloom. (I'm terrible about learning or remembering botanical or variatal names, please forgive me.) Here's a pink one with flowers 8 inches across in front of a clump of Spanish Moss. (I just read that this moss is also an Epiphylium; funny because I bought my first bit of it years ago at a Bromeliad Show. I just assumed it was in the Bromeliad family.)

edited: 5/19/07 Talked to a member of the local Bromeliad Society who told me that Spanish Moss is indeed a Bromeliad. It's an epiphyte not an Epiphylium but an Epiphylium is also an epiphyte. Epiphyte just means it can grow in the air with out roots in soil.

Epi and Spanish Moss" height="443" width="500">

We gave Annie a bath and her coat is always so fabulous those first few days.
Annies Back" height="375" width="500">

Here's a picture of her mane at her front shoulders. I love how it divides, hard to keep your hands out of her fur.

So that's what's been going on here.