I spent the whole morning yesterday detangling a skein of linen yarn. Me, I mangled it, with all my experience I still managed to make a nasty tangled mess of a skein, ask my son, he'll attest to it. I didn't take a picture, I was too ashamed. What should have taken me a half hour took me three and half hours. Here's the thing, I'm lacking the proper equipment, largely a swift and ball winder. Usually I sit cross legged or as we used to call it Indian style and wrap the skein around my knees and hand wind the ball of yarn, but yesterday morning I was all excited about the new skein and starting a new project that I wanted to wind the ball right then, except I hadn't even dressed yet. I was only wearing my robe so I didn't think it would be proper to sit crosslegged with the yarn around me knees, cuz I didn't have any panties on, you see. So instead of getting dressed (which would have been the smart thing to do.), I thought I'd just try winding the skein out flat and winding it. It didn't work, shortly I had a tangled mass, a nasty tangled mess, so I ended up hanging the skein on a doornob and and slowly and tediously detangle the mess a yard at a time. So much for being perfect, which I knew was a myth anyway but I hate to be reminded that I'm flawed, I'm not perfect but a girl can dream.
The linen yarn is for knitting wash cloths. ( which, mom if your reading this, may or may not be a mother's day gift.) I set up an exchange for the TCSnB (Twin Cities Stitch and Bitch), a few of us are going to partner up with each other. We'll each knit two or three washcloths, keep one for ourselves and then swap the others with each other. We are all using the same kind of yarn but the color and pattern is up to the indivisual knitter. I didn't set this up on my blog because I wanted to keep this exchange local. I'm hoping that the exchanges can be made in person. This is the first exchange through the group and I'm hoping it goes over well and that we can do others. [Incidentally I'm taking ideas on what other things you would like to do for an exchange.]
Other things that happened this past week. I finished the Lace scarf I knit for Ani's best friend's Mom who is a breast cancer survivor. The scarf is suppose to be knit in pink but I couldn't find pink in lace weight but I found a cream color with a slightly pink cast to it, which I thought would do. After I finished it, I decided that creamy pink would not do. So, people, I kool aid dyed it. The scarf would have been done a whole lot sooner if I weren't dreading the dyeing of it. I tried kool aid dying before and it didn't work out, of course, I didn't know then that it doesn't work on cotton. So with alot of trepidation I dyed the scarf using pink lemonade and it worked great. I don't have a picture yet but I will post it soon. Kris is a lucky woman. Her scarf survived and she a survivor.
I have been working on the poncho, I'm nearly done I was hoping I could finish the border without starting a new skein but it doesn't look like that is going to happen, so close though, only five more inches. The poncho will be finished tonight and blocked and fingers crossed posted tomorrow. Sharon is a going to be shocked.
The ladies at the SWSnB that I went to on Wed. liked the poncho very much, I myself am not convinced perhaps I've been working with it too long, a long time friend of mine who lives in California ( and you know who you are) sent me an email saying she loves the poncho as well, which I appreciate but, I don't know there is something about it that isn't quite right about it. There is nothing I can do about it, it is what it is. I figure even if Sharon doesn't want to wear it as poncho she can use it as a throw or maybe a car seat cover. If you didn't make it to the SnB you missed some fun. Lisa brought Ursala her mother-in-law and knitting mentor, Lisa is starting a felted bag project, Ursala is knitting socks for the grandkids. Meleah came looking fabulous, wearing her purple sweater that she knit herself. Meleah was knitting on the sleeves for a Noro sweater she is knitting. Maryanna came wearing a very pretty cotton sweater that she was working on at the last SnB. You know, I forgot to ask her what she was knitting. She is teaching herself to knit continentally and I showed her how I knit, which is a combination method, didn't I mention I am a knitting heretic.
Ani has started her own blog this week. If your interested in the rantings of my favorite sixteen year old girl here's her blog. And as she feared I would, I'm posting a picture of her definitely not studying for her presentation on the space race.

Another Calendar project. A lace anklet sock that I'm knitting in cotton. The lace pattern is called a bead stitch. I should have read the instructions instead of following the chart because you need to slip the first stitch of the round to the last needle on the second row of this sock pattern to make this pattern work in the round. Now that I figured it out I'm liking it more. One thing though, the pattern has you cast on 52 stitches and knit a K2P2 rib, which doesn't come out evenly. So I cast on 54. I think if I'm actually going to finish these socks I would chose a different rib. I'm thinking a K1p3 would line up better with the pattern.

My sister, Lynn gave me a knitting pattern a day calendar as a Christmas gift. Occasionally I'll play around with a few of the patterns. I laid a few ground rules for myself in dealing with these calendar patterns. Mainly that I can only work the calendar projects from my existing stash.You'd think this would be limiting but not really. Any way this is pattern from the calendar. I don't have enough yarn to make a whole scarf but I wanted to play around with the pattern. This one goes into the I think I'll make this one someday.

I've made some progress on the Monk's Travel Satchel. I've completed the second pocket and I've only got about a foot to go to finish the strap. Now I'm contemplating weather or not I'm going to knit the front and backs separately or pick up from the bottom of the strap and attach the front strap to the sides as I go. I don't know yet. As you can tell from the picture I'm going with red as the trim color.

For those of you who are interested, here is the armhole steek and a peek at the inside of the sweater.

I am making some progress on Caryn's sweater

Here's the border for the Poncho. I originally attempted to put on a saxon braid design but it was too heavy looking so instead I'm doing the same stitch pattern as the sides of the poncho. I'm liking it much better. I started by attaching the border every row but soon realized it was too bunched so I went to skipping every third stitch and it evened out better. The bottom 5 stitches will be unraveled to make a fringe.

I haven't been totally unfaithful to my goals. I have I'm finishing the borders on the poncho. This is the third and final attempt. I do solemnly swear that this project will be completed and mailed before the first day of May 2005. Actually I worked on it last night and finished the front border fringe and all. Now the back and a little neck treatment.

Stash pics - Dalegarn Tiur - mohair/wool This will be someday be Latvian Mittens. Yes, I was inspired by Harlot.

Stash pictures - Sox box

I agreed to be interviewed by Meleah, here are her questions and my answers.


1. If you were a type of cheese which cheese would you be and why?

Cheese, Huh. Why cheese? Is this suppose to be some sort of crack about my having grown up in Wisconsin? O.K. I'll own it. I was born and raised in Wisconsin, so if I were a cheese I wouldn't be any fancy European cheese. I think something more everyday common, cool and sharp. I'm going to choose Cheddar-Sharp or Colby. Something that's good on a cracker.

2. Are there any knitting techniques that you haven't tried? Are there any knitting projects that you started and gave up since they were too hard for you?

That's really two questions. I do enjoy learning new techniques and relish a challange. Have I tried every knitting technique? I've dabbled in alot of them. All of them? I don't think so. I haven't done Brioche for one. I haven't come up against anything that I didn't finish because it was too hard. That's not to say I haven't any unfinished projects, that's another story.

3. Have you ever been hesitant about knitting in public or have you ever been reprimanded by strangers for your behavior?

No and No. Have you? I take my knitting with me where ever. I don't knit while I'm driving but everywhere else. Even if I'm just going for a walk I'll stuff a ball of yarn in my pocket and go. I knit on my breaks at work. I knit during violin recitals and concerts, teacher conferences, doctors visits. When my husband is on the hunt for a certain book, I'll tag along, dragging my knitting along with me.

4. Double dare. Are you willing to post a picture of your stash online?

You don't know what your asking. It's kind of spread out all around the house. It's a way to fool myself and my family that it really isn't that big and scary after all. I'm not sure I can post all of it, but I will try to put it out there.

5. What is one thing that you hope your children learn from you that you do, and what is one thing that you do that you don't want them to do?

I'm pretty good at thinking around a problem. I like seeking out information and then using it to fit my needs. However, I also have some control issues and a tendancy to overthink the problem letting fear stop me.

I would like to see my children learn to be flexible in there thinking. I'd like them to be wise and fearless problem solvers with a keen sense of the ridiculous, cagey adventurers who not only " get" randomness but embrace it. There's nothing like shooting for the moon. Is that asking so much?

Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones below.
3. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions

So anyone interested in being interviewed?

The good news is that I have been given a Tuesday night off and I didn't even ask for it off. The bad news is that tonight is the spring orchestra music festival. Every year the Schools hold a music festival in which two of the grade schools, the Jr. High and the Senior High hold a performance together in the Sr. High gymnasium. The performance itself is not a bad thing, but it will be hot, it will be stuffy, it will be long, and your back will be killing you because you will be sitting in the bleachers. There will be KIP (knitting in public) taking place, I'm sorry Ani, but there is no other way you can get me to sit through it without it. At least I won't be going through this alone, Kurt has to come too. He opted out of the last performance he's not wiggling out of this one.
I'm still working on the same projects. I haven't made much progress this week I haven't had much time to knit. I guess I'll make that up tonight. I've been making an attempt to organize my stash. I have a bin for wool, a bin for cottons, a bin with acrylics, and a bin with just White Buffalo yarn in it. Now I need to find a place to put all the bins.
I've been tweeking the blog a bit, I'm still not finished but I'm getting a better feel for the process. Be patient, I'm a blog neophyte.