Bright Havens

14 inches on left sleeve

2012-01-23T21:36:00.001-08:00

14 inches on left sleeve, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Need 21-1/2 inches total on sleeve, less 2-3/8 for cuff. 14 inches so far, so 7-1/2 less 2-3/8 to go!

Warm All Winter cowl finished!

2012-01-21T19:11:00.001-08:00

Warm All Winter cowl finished!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

So glad to finish this in case we get more snow!

First Lacy Mock Cable sock done

2012-01-21T08:24:00.001-08:00

First Lacy Mock Cable sock done, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Fits really nice, but not dense enough for a work sock. This will be an off-duty sock.

Warm All Winter cowl

2012-01-20T21:52:00.001-08:00

Warm All Winter cowl, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Doing the crown shaping now, will finish it tomorrow, God willing! DH took the picture for me.

Warm All Winter past halfway done!

2012-01-19T08:01:00.001-08:00

Warm All Winter past halfway done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

I'm doing the front ribbing for the face opening. This is a great pattern, well written and charted, and would be a great item to add to your cold weather wardrobe.

Left sleeve Na Craga

2012-01-17T21:27:00.001-08:00

Left sleeve Na Craga, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Showing the body rolled and tied with a length of yarn.

Left sleeve of Na Craga

2012-01-14T22:07:00.001-08:00

Left sleeve of Na Craga, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Underarm stitches cast on and ready to join into a circle.

Na Craga ready to start sleeves

2012-01-13T21:20:00.001-08:00

Na Craga ready to start sleeves, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Left front with all stitches picked up.

2012-01-09T22:36:00.001-08:00

Left front with all stitches picked up., a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Na Craga left front

Na Craga back down to bottom of underarm

2012-01-08T18:13:00.001-08:00

Na Craga back down to bottom of underarm, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

One happy DH!

2012-01-06T16:23:00.001-08:00

One happy DH!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

2012-01-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great New Year and are looking forward to a happy healthy year. I've finished three items so far this year - the mittens I had hoped to finish before midnight for my last FO of 2011 but it was almost 1 am when I got the second thumb finished.

The afghan is the Great American Afghan, composed of twenty-five 12 inch squares in various stitch patterns. There are several that I won't be making, because I don't like them, and will be subbing in blocks from the Great American Aran Afghan instead. I'm using DH's handspun yarns for the afghan, as he has quite a stash built up over the last few years since he taught himself to spin. He bought the pattern about a year ago when we were down south visiting his family and I've been going to start it ever since. So I set up a KAL with some members of my local Ravelry group to encourage myself and now there will be three of us making this afghan with various yarns.

I've also cast on for MIL's Na Craga sweater. When we were down visiting in October she asked me to knit her a cardigan to keep her artificial hip warm this winter. When it gets cold she has a lot of pain in it. So the sweater is my fourth KAL project so far. and the second largest one to work on. The other two are done now, the Selbuvott or Not mittens and the Winter Forest Tam. The mittens are for a KAL on the Stranded group on Ravelry and the Tam is for the 12 in 2012 KAL in my local Rav group. Our projects for January are hats and I'm pondering doing a second hat - I bought Cat Bordhi's Warm All Winter cowl pattern when she put it up for sale and now need to decide on what yarn to use for it. I don't normally knit cowls for myself, because they interfere with my hair when I have it up, but this one has so many different ways to wear it that I think it will do just fine.

I counted up the FOs from last year and I show 28, not a bad count considering some of them are sweaters and shawls. It will be interesting to see what I can get finished this year - hopefully a lot of items I have on the needles already that really need to be finished. Most of those items are cardigans or vests - my St. Enda cardigan, Fulmar cardigan, Erin cardigan, Rosemarkie vest, Allover cardigan, and some are small items like Salida socks, Lacy Mock Cable socks, Pisqu socks, and for the long term the Aran cardigan that I'm spinning the Border Leicester fleece for.

Our Craft a New Year 2012 event went well at the Ike Box - we raised $186.00 for Isaac's Room charity! I would have liked it to be more but in the middle of a depression I think we did pretty well. I'm planning a Superbowl Sunday Yarn Crawl on Amtrak to go to Portland on February 5th to visit yarn shops on the east side of Portland. They will have to be open on Sundays and 2-3 blocks from Max or TriMet as we're not bringing any cars along. There might be some folks joining us at Union Station from Portland, Vancouver, or surrounding towns, which will make it more fun.

Happy knitting!
Helen

Winter Forest Tam done and in use!

2012-01-05T19:23:00.001-08:00

Winter Forest Tam done and in use!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Still need to wash and block it.

Na Craga back stitches picked up, cast on, and picked up.

2012-01-04T20:27:00.001-08:00

Na Craga back stitches picked up, cast on, and picked up., a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

I use markers between each pattern because I knit by feel so much.

First square #2 for Great American Afghan done!

2012-01-02T18:51:00.001-08:00

First square #2 for Great American Afghan done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

DH's Ingvold is done!

2011-12-24T20:19:00.001-08:00

DH's Ingvold is done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Last yarn end darned in, now he will wash, block, and sew on buttons of his choice.

So we're coming down to the end of the year pretty quickly now, today is Christmas Eve and I had some free time so thought I would do a bit of housekeeping here. As you can see above, I finished DH's Ingvold Aran cardigan tonight and gifted it to him. He loves it and can't wait to find just the perfect buttons for it.

My present from him is Virtual Yarns' Zauberflote and the kit arrived today! I picked it up at the Post Office and dutifully waited until after dinner to open it. Unfortunately, it is totally missing the Capercaille color so I need to email VY and ask them to ship it to me. I took all the yarns out of the box and carefully checked each label, then got my colorcards I bought from a member on Ravelry to see what color Capercaille is. It's definitely not in the kit, poot! At least I hadn't planned to start it right away, so waiting for the rest of the yarn to arrive won't be a problem for me. I've got plenty of other projects already on the needles to work on. I also will be starting Na Craga for MIL. She asked me to knit her a cardigan when we were down visiting in October and I was going to knit FLAK. But I've knit that three times already and just couldn't face a fourth. Na Craga was being discussed in one of my groups on Ravelry and it's on my to-knit list, so I'm going to hit two goals with one sweater this way. I'll convert it to a top down cardigan and knit it long enough to cover her artificial hip, which gets painful when it gets cold. The commercial sweater she's been wearing is beginning to show it's age and she likes my knitting.

We had friends over today for a family style Christmas dinner, as we had done last year, and it was wonderful - good food, good friends, good times. I want to wish everyone reading this a very blessed Christmas and a good holiday!

Happy knitting!
Helen

Back of Ingvold, just collar left to knit!

2011-12-21T22:31:00.001-08:00

Back of Ingvold, just collar left to knit!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

War and Peace socks

2011-12-07T19:54:00.001-08:00

War and Peace socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Side by side to show how the gauges differ, the colors worked differently, and the sizes are different.

Inside of heel flaps

2011-11-23T23:09:00.001-08:00

Inside of heel flaps, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Progress picture of Ingvold Aran

2011-11-19T21:54:00.001-08:00

Progress picture of Ingvold Aran, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Halfway down DH's back.

War and Peace sock heels

2011-11-14T22:21:00.001-08:00

War and Peace sock heels, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Showing inside of first row with skipped stitches on inside. Both socks are being worked right side out.

2011-11-11T09:17:00.001-08:00

Good morning, everyone!

Time to bring some of the last few pictures I've posted together and tie up some loose ends in the process.

The latest picture is my Winterland mittens, which I finished the embroidery on Wednesday night at knitting group. I've drooled over that pattern for quite a while, but kept putting them on the back burner to do other stuff. I finally decided it was time to knit them so I could wear them this winter and enjoy them. When it came to colors, I pulled out my stash of Shetland yarns and started poring over them. I really wanted to use the Royal Blue Scottish Campion, but part of me wanted to keep hoarding it. Suddenly the thought came to me - who am I hoarding this yarn for - me or the moths? At that point it was an easy decision to choose the blue to go with natural for these mittens. As I started knitting on them, I knew I had made the right decision, because the blue just glows against the natural. I wore them to breakfast this morning with my red and white Sirdal sweater (Veteran's Day colors) and loved them. I still have almost one full skein left of the blue, so I can use it in a tam or another pair of mittens later.

I finished DH's STR Earth Rare Gems socks while we were at the coast on vacation. He's worn them and really likes how thick and cushy the Lightweight version of the yarn is. Lol, he wouldn't mind a bunch of socks using that yarn, but, since there are only 360 yards per skein and he has size 10-1/2 feet, not going to happen. I have to use part of a second skein to make a pair of socks for him.

Before that, I finished my Kilt by Association hose. I took a kilt hose class from Mary Scott Huff at Sock Summit 2011 and this is her pattern she gave out in class. Apparently I'm the first to post a finished project on Ravelry! Now just to find an occasion to wear them, lol.

I'm also working on my DH's Ingvold Aran cardigan, which I'm designing as I knit. It's a top down sweater, using Cascade 220 in Hunter Green, and the color comes off on my hands as I knit with it because the color is so saturated. I'm teaching a class for it as I work also and the student has chosen a pretty yellow color of Cascade 220 Superwash for hers. At this point I've done the shoulder straps, both sleeves, both fronts and back down to the armholes, and am now working my way down the body. I'm doing the buttonhole and button bands at the same time and it's looking very good. DH is looking forward to wearing it when I get it done, hopefully sometime this month.

I'm also working on a Faery Ring cardigan, using Black Water Abbey yarn in Old Purple, but it's on the back burner until I get Ingvold done now. I had started using the yarn in my first version of Ingvold, but just didn't like how it was turning out. After fighting with it for several months, trying to force myself to work on it and failing miserably, I admitted to myself that I just didn't like the yarn in the Ingvold pattern and ripped it out. I found the Faery Ring pattern and discovered that the designer is also Mary Scott Huff, and there is a group on Ravelry that had a KAL for this pattern two years ago. I've joined the group, read through the back posts, and discovered that there have been three versions of the pattern, none have dates or version numbers on them. So I'm working my way through this sweater, making decisions as I go whether to follow the pattern or do it my way. I'm trying to post good notes on changes I make, so anyone else who makes it later will have access to options.

And last, but definitely not least, I'm doing the Soctober challenge on the 3 Fates Yarn group on Ravelry. One of the options was the War and Peace socks, where you knit one sock inside its mate. Being up for a good challenge, that was the option I picked and I'm approaching the heels now. The instructions from Knitty call for short row heels, but that style doesn't fit me so I'm doing heel flaps. I've been giving some thought to how to do it and will actually have to just work my way through the process one step at a time when I get there. There are probably instructions someplace online, but I prefer to work out what works for me myself. I'm using 64 sts with a skein of Mediumweight STR Rare Gem that I got at Black Sheep Gathering in 2010. Here are some pics for you.

First, the skein I'm using is the one on the right in this photo. I've used the Dicentra yarn on the left in a pair of socks earlier this year. The Rare Gem knit into socks at the bottom is a version of Cattywampus and I love the bright colors.

This is the very beginning of the socks, showing the instructions and the center pull ball I wound, as is my habit. Funny thing is, it turns out that doing this works really well for my socks. I'm using the strand from the outside of the ball for the outside sock, and the inside strand for the inside sock, so it's easy for me to keep the strands identified and separated. Most folks use two separate balls and that can contribute to crossing the strands and tieing the socks together. The only problem I'm having, and it's not really that big of a problem, is that the yarn is a little twisty so I stop every so often and unwind the ball to unwind the center strand.

And this is where I'm at now, got a little knitting done this morning while waiting for breakfast, which I took my Marine DH out for today, since I'm off work. I've got the outside sock lifted up so you can see that there really is an inside sock being knit at the same time. I hold both strands in my left hand, the same way I do when knitting stranded work, and it's working very comfortably. I do have to stop and tighten up the outside strand from time to time (being a bit compulsive about tension so the outside sock isn't a lot larger than the inside one, which is normal for this technique). And can you see that I'm using my Tardis knitting bag? I heard about these at SS11 but they were sold out before I could get one. So after I got home I emailed the vendor and she sewed one up for me. I got it for two reasons, 1. so I could walk and knit easily outside without having to cram a ball in my pants pocket and fight to get the yarn out again to knit with, and 2. because it has the Tardis on the fabric!

Now I'm going to run to Office Depot and get some printing paper, then come home and start printing patterns out for my knitting projects for next year. I'm declaring next year will be 'many small projects and four sweaters' year. That's my goal, anyway, whether I achieve it or not will be seen as the year goes on, because no one knows what the future may bring in life. But I like having a plan set up ahead of time as a road map. I know where I want to go, how I want to get there, and I just deal with the roadblocks and detours as they come up. I don't have as many finished items so far this year as I did last year, because I've been working on more sweaters, teaching more classes, and of course, dealing with issues with my Mom and her Alzheimers disease. But it's still nice to look back at that list from this year and previous years and remember working on the various projects, who I might have gifted them to or what class I used them for, and dream about the projects to come.

Oh, and the 'four sweaters'? A couple of them are already on the needles and simply need to be finished, so it's not four from absolute start to finish. Let's see, WIPs - Ingvold cardigan, Faery Ring cardigan, Erin cardigan, white Aran cardigan (yarn still to finish spinning for this so it's a long way out), Allover cardigan, Rosemarkie vest, Fulmar cardigan, MIL's Na Craga cardigan (oh, I haven't written about this one yet), and assorted small projects.

The MIL's Na Craga is a cardigan she asked me to kit for her to replace a commercial one she's been wearing that is wearing out. She has an artificial hip and it gets very painful if it gets cold. So when we were down south last month she took me aside and asked if I would knit her a wool cardigan to replace her store bought one. Of course, I agreed and had thought to knit a FLAK. But I've done three of those so far and the thought of a fourth just pained me. There is a thread on the Starmore Junkies group on Ravelry about Na Craga and I had wanted to make it, so, boom, I put the two goals together. I'll knit Na Craga for MIL, change it to a top down cardigan and custom fit it for her. One Starmore off my to-knit list and one happy warm MIL!

And a last piece of good news to share with you all!

This is the letter in a folder and my 25 year service pin from the USPS. His last official act as Salem, OR Postmaster and a USPS employee for almost 39 years for Brad Bender was to present this to me on October 31, at his retirement party. Kind of scary to think of spending this much time with one company, but my Dad spent 45 years with Southern Pacific Railroad before retiring, so it's just a smaller achievement. But nowadays it's a large achievement, with the way companies come and go and folks move around.

Happy knitting everyone!
Helen

Winterland mittens ready to wear!

2011-11-10T06:44:00.001-08:00

Winterland mittens ready to wear!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Embroidery all done!

Winterland mitten done!

2011-11-06T16:37:00.001-08:00

Winterland mitten done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Well, except for washing, blocking, and a bit of embroidery!

Winterland mitten palms

2011-11-05T21:30:00.001-07:00

Winterland mitten palms, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Just need to knit thumbs and they will be done!

Winterland mitten bodies done

2011-11-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

Winterland mitten bodies done, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Ingvold left sleeve done!

2011-10-21T22:09:00.001-07:00

Ingvold left sleeve done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Left sleeve cast off, ready to pick up for right sleeve.

First Winterland mitten, except for the thumb.

2011-10-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

First Winterland mitten, except for the thumb., a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Grafted the top together, will do both thumbs after second mitten is knit.

Nesting with the dogs at the beach.

2011-10-12T12:10:00.001-07:00

Nesting with the dogs at the beach., a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Side view of DH's Earth Rare Gem socks

2011-10-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

Side view of DH's Earth Rare Gem socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Shows main Rare Gem colorway and Stumptown Brown used for cuffs and heel flaps.

DH's Earth Rare Gem socks

2011-10-11T16:42:00.001-07:00

DH's Earth Rare Gem socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Earth Rare Gem from SS11

Casting off bottom hem on Faery Ring

2011-10-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

Casting off bottom hem on Faery Ring, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

DH's Earth Rare Gem socks

2011-10-07T17:41:00.001-07:00

DH's Earth Rare Gem socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

First sock done, second on heel gusset

Second ball knit up!

2011-10-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Second ball knit up!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Kilt by Association

2011-10-02T09:21:00.001-07:00

Kilt by Association, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Finished!

DH's Ingvold Aran

2011-09-25T21:46:00.001-07:00

DH's Ingvold Aran, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Left front showing buttonhole band started.

DH's Ingvold upper back done

2011-09-20T22:03:00.001-07:00

DH's Ingvold upper back done, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

2011 World Wide Spin in Public Day

2011-09-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual World Wide Spin in Public Day around the world and we held a small event here in Salem, OR, at the Ike Box downtown. It wasn't as large as past years' but we still had a good time and lots of wonderful items for the raffle. The proceeds from the raffle were donated to the Isaac's Room charity, which runs the Ike Box cafe and helps at-risk teens with things like the Ike Quest, high school completion classes, work experience, internship at the Ike Box, among other things. While the proceeds were smaller, most folks still bought food and drinks, so that helped a little bit, too.

My personal haul from the raffle was sweet - two baby gifts for a coworker who is due in December, 8 ounces of roving and a skein of Silkie Sock Yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The roving I originally won was from Pacific Wool in Newberg, but a friend won the Blue Moon roving and asked if I would switch with her because she wanted to try spinning the other breed. Since I had actually wanted the BMFA roving, but had wanted to give others a chance at winning it this year so hadn't put any tickets in, I was happy to do so. Here are some pics to share my luck!

I also took advantage of Stephania being there with her Three Fates Yarns to pick up a skein of sock yarn to stash for socks for DH later. The colorway is Maize and when I showed it to him at home he likes it a lot.

This morning I spent some time catching up on posts on groups on Ravelry that I had let slide over the summer while I was involved in Sock Summit stuff. Now that the weather has cooled off here a bit (high 60's today) my thoughts are going back to sweater knitting. I've started teaching two classes at Tangled Purls Fine Yarn Studio - my Twelve Months of Christmas vest pattern and my Ingvold Aran cardigan pattern. Next Saturday we'll hold both classes at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, so none of us miss it. My Aran student is from Wisconsin and has never been to it, so I'm eager to show her around the grounds and introduce her to some new vendors. I'm also ripping my first Ingvold Aran using Black Water Abbey yarn and reknitting the yarn into Mary Scott Huff's Faery Ring cardigan. She calls for that yarn in her pattern and so far it looks better in it than it did in my pattern. For a thin 2-ply, it really wants to be knit on larger needles such as size 7's. I think it's because the wool breed is stiffer than most of the yarns I've knit with lately, such as Merino, Corriedale, and Blue Faced Leicester. I'm also changing out the Railroad Tracks pattern for a double ribbon cable and like it a lot better. In just a week I've gotten both shoulder straps knitted and the back done about 6 inches already! I'm probably going to redo the sleeve number as well, as I finally admitted to myself that they were coming out way too big. I have that knitter's stubborn streak about not seeing a problem in front of my face, lol.

On other knitting, I've gotten the first of my Kilt by Association kilt hose knit and am on the top third of the leg on the second one. After the lace top is done, the leg is a simple wide rib with decreases and the foot continues the rib so it's easy and quick car knitting (or TV knitting!). My project is the first one up on Ravelry, although I noticed this morning another one, without a picture was listed, but I couldn't get it to come up so it might be a ghost of mine.

Last night I wound two skeins of STR yarn for a pair of socks for DH - one is an Earth Rare Gem I got at Sock Summit and the other is Stumptown Brown. I ordered the brown to go with the Rare Gem for the cuff, heel and toe of the socks to make the Rare Gem last for the pair. DH wears a size 10-1/2 shoe, so his feet are longer than mine and need more than one skein of yarn for a pair of socks. He likes the leg of his socks to be 7 inches, so I'm planning to use at least 2 inches of the brown for the cuff. The whole sock is a K2 P2 rib, so I'll measure 2 inches on the first sock and count how many rounds for the second sock. This will be my walking knitting and I started the ribbing, then put both balls and the needles in my new Tardis knitting bag so it's ready when I'm ready to go walking.

As I wrote above, next weekend is OFFF in Canby and I'm looking forward to it. I've checked out the new colorways on Blue Moon's site and there are a couple I wouldn't mind adding to my stash. But that will have to be the end of stash acquisition for a few months - my stash is beginning to feel uncomfortably full so I need to get some WIPs finished before I can add more yarns. I will still buy yarns at my LYS and donate them to the charity knitting group at Tangled Purls. That way I support the shops and the charities at the same time.

Time to close here and head over to Ravelry for a bit - 'night!

Helen

Ingvold Aran cardigan

2011-09-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

Ingvold Aran cardigan, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Restarting this project using Cascade 220.

DH's summer socks

2011-08-27T20:47:00.001-07:00

DH's summer socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

First skein of SS11 yarn used!

Sunday sunshine

2011-08-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Morning, friends!

I'm finally getting settled down after the last three weeks of whirl wind activity. A brief summary of the past three weeks, including some fun pics.

First, on Tuesday, July 19th, my Postmaster asked me to set up the event for the first day of sale for the Oregon Flag stamp - on August 11th! Now, usually three weeks and two days would be a comfortable lead time for an event. But factor in that the next week I would be on vacation, at Sock Summit in Portland, the following week I would be training a new windowline clerk, and Headquarters was inviting people without letting me know until a day or two before the event! Get a picture of how my stress level jacked way up?

The first two days I spent dashing between the windowline and the back desk, making phone calls, gathering info and contact names and numbers, and figuring out the best way to set up the event. I'm very fortunate that most of the folks I contacted were very generous of their time and resources and happy to help me with the event. Before I left for vacation that Friday, I had the skeleton of the event set up - date, time, place, guests of honor (or so I thought, see the comment above about HQ and their invites), and brief entertainment.

I literally ate, slept, and worked this event, dreaming about different things that needed to be done, waking up thinking of things, making notes where ever I went about thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and comments. While on vacation I had a meeting with the Communications person from Portland District HQ to share info and ideas. He really was quite surprised at how fast I was able to get things set up and offered his assistance in any way I needed. He coordinated getting the two framed pieces of art to present to the Oregon Governor (who couldn't attend so the Secretary of State stood in for him and received the other framed art), and the framed print for the unveiling. He also got a nice wooden easel and a drape. I also made and received phone calls on my own phone to keep things moving along.

The person on the left with the pink skein in her hand is me, by the way. My friend LaVelle took this shot but I didn't know until she posted about taking it later.

When I got back from Sock Summit (awesome conference and if you didn't go to it, be sure to put it on your schedule for 2013!), I jumped into training the new windowline clerk. It has been several years since I worked with this clerk, but I was so thankful he understood when I needed to take him off the windowline while I made calls and did work for the event. Fortunately, I have a notebook I keep at my station with info in it and he read parts of that and made copies of info he wanted to have with him, so his time off the line was productive. He's also a very calm person, so I think he'll be able to handle the nasty, rude, selfish customers we get from time to time. He's got the late shift at the station his bid job is at, so he'll be dealing with the last in the door customers and closing the office with the Consolidation clerk.

His last day with me was this past Monday morning, to make up for missing the first Monday morning while he was in Portland taking his test. Now he's on his own but can call me with any questions or email me.

So down to the stamp event itself - we made the front page of the local paper the next morning! Ah, job well done! The event was scheduled to start at 11 so I got to the Capitol at 9 to help with set up, greet guests and dignitaries, and hand out the programs I had designed. Oh, yes, the husband of one of the women in my knitting group is a fantastic amateur photographer and I had asked him to get a picture of the state flag flying over the Capitol if possible. Turns out that, since our flag is the only state flag with two different sides, when my friend tried to get pictures, the back side design of the state animal the beaver, would show through. So he went on search for a flag hanging in the Capitol building, but all of them were on flag poles, not stretched out for display. A gracious staffer held the flag in the Governor's office out for him to get a picture of the whole flag. He then replaced the background so the flag was shown to best advantage. I used his picture on the front of the program and gave him credit on the back of the program. Lots of positive comments on the picture.

In addition to the Secretary of State Kate Brown standing in for the Governor, and three aides from US Senators and Representatives, we were greatly honored to have an Elder from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde attend with his daughter. He is also a member of the Kalapuya tribe, the First People in the Willamette Valley, so it was truly special for me. I wasn't sure if there were any descendants left in the area who would be able to attend. Of course the Salem Postmaster was present to lead the program and introduce the honored guests.

The local Costco Store donated four beautiful cakes and about 10 large bottles of juice, along with the plates, cups, forks, and napkins, and served the cake. I always am very grateful for their participation in our public events, even more so because their cakes are so delicious and the decorations beautiful.

You can see the photo on the front of the program taken by my friend.

Friday it took me until after lunch before I really woke up, I was so exhausted after the last three weeks and it took me a few days to rest up. Today, Sunday, I actually feel good again, and am planning to go to spinning at the Ike Box. This coming weekend we're heading south for DH's high school reunion, he's been spending a lot of time on Facebook reconnecting with his classmates and telling me stories about his high school years (usually when I'm writing on the computer, lol).

Friday night I finished my Harvest Dew socks and am looking forward to wearing them this coming weekend.

Oh, and some pics of my stash from Sock Summit - yumm! I'm looking forward to knitting up the yarns and spinning the fibers I bought, just need to find the perfect project for each of them.

I set up the photo so you can see the labels in the picture, just click on it and enlarge it. The blue skein second from the left and the Rare Gems skein fourth from the left are for socks for DH. I asked him before I left for SS11 what colors he needed socks in (he matches his socks to his shirt and pants - obsessively!) and he told me brown and medium blue. Last night I wound the blue yarn from Huckleberry Knits and will knit on his socks during our trip next weekend. The yarn and needles are in a bag already, sitting on the dining table ready to go. The other two skeins of STR are collectible colorways for Sock Summit 2011 - Sock Hoppin' and Flash Mobbin', I snagged them right away Thursday night, as they were flying off the racks. The Sanguine Griffin and Three Irish Girls were trophy skeins, brands with lots of chatter in lots of stashes so I wanted to try them out. The little skein with the butterfly on it I gave to a friend who had to leave early and she was thrilled to get it. The roving is my touch of luxury, a 50/50 blend of Merino/Yak for something special for me. I was happily surprised by the price so snagged the hank right away. The skein of Sophie's Toes is Roses and Rain, a special colorway for SS11, and I had pm'd the dyer two weeks before the summit to have her hold a skein for me, which was a great thing because she sold them out in fifteen minutes on Thursday night! The yarn is soft and the colors just draw me in. I also got two books that aren't in the pic - JC Briar's book on charts and Terri Shea's reprint of Annichen Sibbern Bohn on Norwegian knitting designs. I got them both autographed, along with several other books I brought with me.

Here's a shot just for fun - there was talk on the Sock Summit group on Ravelry about yarnbombing around Portland (for those who are worried, that means attaching pieces of knitting to public objects, like statues, to decorate them and share our love of knitting). As I was heading back to my hotel one afternoon, I caught sight of this pigeon sporting a cowl and couldn't resist catching a shot. Some of my friends who went didn't see this one until I told them about it. I wonder how many I missed around the Convention Center?

So, time to jump in the shower and get dressed, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Helen

Harvest Dew socks finished!

2011-08-12T22:21:00.001-07:00

Harvest Dew socks finished!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Will wear these next weekend at DH's high school reunion.

SS2011 stash

2011-08-01T22:04:00.001-07:00

SS2011 stash, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Sunday Ramblings

2011-07-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

I decided to cover some pics I've been posting over the last couple of weeks, especially during Tour de Fleece, which ends tonight at midnight Pacific Daylight Time. My goal for TdF was to spin for an hour a day, trying to make some good progress on my white Border Leicester x Corriedale fleece I bought at Black Sheep Gathering two summers ago. So far, I've finished one skein of 574 yards, filling three bobbins and then plying them on my Louet wheel with the 8 ounce bobbins. I much prefer to knit with fewer joins in my yarns, so the larger skeins suit me. So all those pics of my spinning wheel and the bobbins are chronicling my progress. I almost filled a second bobbin yesterday and am hoping to fill it today. It dawned on me at breakfast yesterday that I was still using the slowest whorl on my Hitchhiker, so I changed to the fastest whorl and it made a big difference in my progress yesterday.

I've also been spinning on two of my spindles - my Woodland Woolworks black walnut Turkish spindle and my Schacht Hi-Lo spindle. The Turkish has Three Fates Yarns hand dyed BFL roving on it and the Hi-Lo has Blue Moon Truly, Madly, Deeply roving on it. I'm using the Schacht in its top whorl mode and trying a different way of winding the cop on, to see how stable the spindle is and how much singles I can wind on. By the way, even though it's a singular object, the plural form of the word is used, being as it came from Old English.

Needless to say, with the heavy emphasis on spinning, I haven't been getting much knitting done lately. I've been doing a round or two here and there on my Harvest Dew socks, the second quarter free pattern KAL on the Socks That Rock group on Ravelry. Here's my progress so far on the first sock.

What looks like a dark blue is actually a dark forest green, my iPhone tends to change colors sometimes, a software issue. The colorway is Sigur Ros, STR in lightweight. I bought it at Twisted in Portland on the Knittin' the Rails yarn crawl on Memorial Day weekend. I definitely plan to go back to that shop and explore more of their wall of sock yarns - yumm!

This is the last weekend before Sock Summit 2011 starts on Thursday and I'm sure lots of folks are scrambling to get things ready in time. I delivered 10 copies of my Fates Summit sock pattern to Steph yesterday for her to sell in her Three Fates Yarns booth and will take my memory stick with me in case she sells out and needs more. I'll be helping Steph in her booth each day except Sunday, when I have classes all day. I've got two of her yarns in hand to knit Pisqu, a stranded sock pattern that I'm really looking forward to. I just need to wind the skeins into center pull balls and set up a bag for the project. I'm also spinning some of her roving on my Turkish spindle, so I can demo both products for customers.

I've also volunteered to help at the Summit and will be in the Sock Museum Friday afternoon from 3-6 pm, so I have Harvest Dew on my needles in STR yarn and BMFA roving on my Hi-Lo spindle, so I can demo those products while I'm a docent in the Museum.

The Dim Sum luncheon on Saturday has really taken off, from the posts I've read we might have as many as 100 people coming for it! I've volunteered to be a guide to help folks get from the Convention Center to the restaurant, Fong Chong, on NW 4th Ave. We're going in groups of about 25 at a time so we don't overload MAX on any one run. Sure hope folks are wearing their SS11 badges or mini socks, so we can show Portland just how popular sock knitting is!

As to work, last Tuesday afternoon the Postmaster asked me to set up an unveiling ceremony for the Oregon State flag stamps that go on sale August 11. So for the next three days I was frantically calling and emailing folks to get a representative for the Governor, since he will be out of his office that week, a location and time set up. Now I can announce that it will be at 11 am, on Thursday, August 11th, in the Capitol Galleria on the south side of the Capitol. The Secretary of State, Kate Brown, will stand in for the Governor, there will be very short historical vignettes illustrating the history of the flag, and Costco will be donating and serving cake and punch. We'll have a collectible cancellation available at the Salem Main Office that day, so stamp collectors are very happy. I basically worked on this project 24 hours a day, since my brain was working on it while I was trying to sleep, so by Friday I came home totally exhausted. But I still spun until I filled the first bobbin, and it actually came out looking pretty good.

Okay, now a bit of eye candy to share.

This is my Fates Summit sock pattern, which has been running as a free pattern for a KAL on the Three Fates Yarn group on Ravelry. On Wednesday, when I leave for SS11, it will come down as a free pattern and go up as a for-sale pattern. So if you're interested in a free copy, go to Ravelry and download it right away!

This is the skein I finished last weekend, dripping in the shower before I laid it out on the plastic drying rack.

So, I've been a bit busy in the last couple of weeks, now to kick back a bit and enjoy my week off work. Happy knitting to all!

Helen

Fates Summit Socks

2011-07-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

Fates Summit Socks, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

My Fates Summit sock pattern, creates to celebrate my friend Stephania vending at Sock Summit 2011! Come see her beautiful yarns and rovings in booth 1025!

Day 21 - Challenge of filling the bobbin met!

2011-07-22T21:46:00.001-07:00

Day 21 - Challenge of filling the bobbin met!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

I challenged myself to finish filling this bobbin tonight after work, and I succeeded! Tour de Fleece is over on Sunday, not sure what time yet, so I'm going to see how far I can get on the next bobbin this weekend. Wish me luck!

574 yards of beautiful Border Leicester 3-ply yarn!

2011-07-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

574 yards of beautiful Border Leicester 3-ply yarn!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Emptied one bobbin so finished for the day!

2011-07-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Emptied one bobbin so finished for the day!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

When I empty one of three bobbins being plied together, I'm done for the day.

Spinning progress Day 15

2011-07-16T17:40:00.001-07:00

Spinning progress Day 15, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Spun until the treadle connection broke. Got over half the bobbin filled!

Thursday morning progress

2011-07-14T07:22:00.001-07:00

Thursday morning progress, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Didn't get last night's progress posted, got up and spun another handful of locks. Now the bobbin is definitely full!

Mountain Colors Spring Eclipse roving skeined up

2011-07-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

Mountain Colors Spring Eclipse roving skeined up, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Ready to wash!

Sunday Summing Up

2011-07-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time to gather some random pics and comments together to fill out some details for folks. So here is a summing up post, to tie things together and make sense of the pics I've been posting lately.

First, I joined the Tour de Fleece event on Ravelry as incentive to get some of my white Border Leicester X fleece spun up. I'm spinning it on my Merlin Tree Hitchhiker until I get three bobbins full, then I'm plying it on my Louet with the 8 ounce bobbins. The long term goal is to get a round three-ply yarn to use for a self-designed Aran cardigan for myself, maybe started next year if I get this fleece spun up by the end of the year (God willing, sooner than that!). There are several Aran ideas floating around in my head that I want to play around with, including having the main front and back cable designs different. This way I could center the front main cable on each front, instead of having to find a way to divide it in half at the front opening. I'm not a fan personally of asymmetrical openings on sweaters for me, they tend to emphasize my fluffy shape too much. So here are some progress pics of my TdF spinning to share with you.

First up is an almost full bobbin on my Hitchhiker of the BLx, which I filled later and swapped out for the third bobbin to spin on today at the Marion County, OR, Fair.

The first day, we held a potluck at our home for the local Salem Area Ravelers group and a few of our personal friends. I got some spindle spinning done.

This is Blue Moon Fiber Arts roving in the Truly, Madly Deeply colorway, which I really love. The blue in the basket is some Colonial roving I bought at a shop in Lincoln Beach, OR a couple of years ago. I bought a pound, so it's taking a while to spin up, lol. The lavender on my Black Walnut Turkish spindle is from Three Fates Yarns on etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/threefatesyarns My friend Stephania owns the shop and she does amazing yarn and roving colorways. If you check my Ravelry projects pages, you'll see lots of her yarns used in my projects.

On Sunday, July 3rd, we held our weekly spinning get together at my home, so we could enjoy the cool backyard and eat some of the leftovers from Saturday. Since my DH went fishing, I decided to spin the roving I had bought the previous weekend at Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR on my Louet, which my DH uses mostly, using the new Wooly Winder he had bought at BSG. I wanted to see how it worked and whether I would remember to change my hand positions regularly to avoid cramping (I didn't do very well at that). Here's the start photo.

And here's the full bobbin.

Here's the yarn after being plied.

I'd like to get busy and skein off the yarn, so I can wash and dry it to mark it off my to-do list. I might get it done before I leave for the County Fair today, or later this evening.

Then I did some more spinning on the 4th of July, since I had the day off and knew my spinning time the rest of the week would be marginal.

This is some roving that I had previously spun up and plied.

Here's the skein tied and ready to be washed and hung outside in the shade to dry.

I ended up with about 158 yards of three plied yarn and will decide on a project for it later. The gauge is about knitting worsted weight. Pretty, yes?

Here are some pics of my drop spindle spinning, using a Schacht Hi-Lo 1.1 ounce spindle, which I am really enjoying. It's balanced, a good length, nicely formed, and a dream to spin on.

This last picture is after I wound the singles off the full spindle, onto a tp roll I had already wound the first full spindle-full on, and started spinning again.

Here's the first skein after being washed and dried, yumm!

Here is a fun picture I took at knitting yesterday, when I happened to set my skein down next to my Hibiscus/Peppermint tea bag. Pretty cool colors!

Needless to say, with all this spinning going on, not much knitting is getting done, but it feels really good to take a break from the intense knitting I've been doing the last year or so. These are DH's Father's Day socks, plain 2 x 2 ribbed socks in Three Fates Yarns Triceratops colorway. DH really likes the colorway, as it will go with several of his shirts. DH is one of those folks who are diligent in matching socks and shirts (not me, though!).

I've been thinking that I wanted to finish my Salida socks to wear at Sock Summit and I've been feeling guilty that I'm spending so much time spinning instead of knitting. Last night, while I was pulling locks to take to the Fair today, I decided that I wasn't going to stress about the socks. I've got four new pairs I haven't worn yet, including Glynis which has one sock on display at Teaselwick Wools at Mission Mill Museum. So even if I don't get Salida finished before I get there, I'll still have new socks to wear the four days of the summit. I plan to wear my Orion socks on Wednesday when I arrive, as that is the pair on the SS logo. So I'm covered and I can sit back and enjoy my spinning now. Aaahhhhhhh.

In other areas of my life, work is getting more stressful, as Congress isn't budging on refunding the humongous overpayment of money to both Civil Service and FERS systems. If we got part of the 11 BILLION dollar overpayment refunded, we could buy new computer systems for the windowline clerks to speed things up and avoid so much downtime with machine malfunctions. We could hire enough clerks and carriers to actually improve delivery times. I still haven't gotten over management's game of 'improving delivery standards' to eastern Oregon by setting the delivery standard to two days, instead of overnight. More corporate game playing with numbers and more ignoring the customers' needs. So by slowing down delivery, we are on time more often, so they say we are giving better service (?!?!)? In whose dreams?

But today I'm going to join friends at the county Fair and spin for a few hours. Last night I brought a card table in from the garage and set it up in our fiber workroom. I put a couple of plastic bags over the table and spread out the white fleece, so it will be easier to pull locks to spin. I can leave the fleece spread out and it will stay cool in the house, instead of getting hot in the garage. Now I have two plastic bags full of locks to spin, should be enough to fill a bobbin completely. Then I'll be able to ply them together into a skein, wash and dry the skein, and do it all over again. But it will be a large skein, probably over 500 yards, and a chunk of the fleece spun up.

Oh, and the most important thing? Sock Summit is just seventeen days away!!! Do you think I'm getting excited yet?

Happy knitting and spinning!
Helen

Spindle was starting to backspin

2011-07-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

Spindle was starting to backspin, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

So I wound it off onto the roll I had already started and am spinning more on the spindle.

First finished skein!

2011-07-08T22:28:00.001-07:00

First finished skein!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Now to find the label so I can put it with the skein.

DH's Father's Day socks done!

2011-07-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

DH's Father's Day socks done!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

4 ounces of Mountain Colors roving in Spring Eclipse colorway

2011-07-03T23:20:00.001-07:00

4 ounces of Mountain Colors roving in Spring Eclipse colorway, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

100% Targhee Wool purchased at Carolina Homespun at BSG last weekend. All spun today!

Aaannndddd we're off!

2011-07-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece begins today, so the Salem Area Ravelers had a potluck at my home to kick things off, and to hang out on the holiday weekend. Here's a pic of my progress, after I tipped my wheel over and broke the flyer. Fortunately I had Superglue on hand so was able to fix it. While it dried, I spun on a drop spindle some gorgeous Blue Moon Fiber Arts roving in the Truly, Madly Deeply colorway.

You can see the white line on the flyer where I glued it. Next time I'll catch the wheel and let my cup of iced tea fall, lol. I didn't realize that simply falling over could break the flyer so easily, especially landing on soft grass.

Here's my drop spindle with the singles on it. I have quite a ways still to go, but have wound off one length of spun singles already onto an empty toilet paper roll. By the way, what's in the bag is just a fraction of the roving I have left. I pulled it off and pre-drafted some to carry with me in the basket, the rest is in a bag in my den closet.

My friend Steve came to the potluck and brought his partner Buddy. He told folks about his specially built trike and several wanted to see it. So he drove his car home and came back in a few minutes on his trike. Buddy just loves going places on it with Steve, they drive to Las Vegas at least once a month in the summer.

The KAL for the Three Fates Mystery Sock pattern started yesterday and over a hundred people downloaded the pattern the first day! I also uploaded a scan of my notes for my Twelve Months of Christmas vest - last time I checked, this morning, almost two hundred had downloaded the file! Last night when I got home I checked and there were 68 Favorites for my vest - I was in tears. This morning even more and I'll be getting on in a while to see how things are going tonight. The pattern is free on Ravelry until Sock Summit begins, at that point it will be for sale for $5.00.

Tonight I'm knitting on DH's Father's Day socks while watching a Dr. Who DVD. Once his second sock is done I'll be able to get back to knitting on my Salida socks to wear at Sock Summit. I need to stop by Teaselwick Wools on Monday to pick up the one Glynis sock I had there as a class sample so I can wear that pair at SS11, too.

The weather today was gorgeous - 80 degrees, clear and sunny. By the time folks started arriving for the potluck, the sun had moved far enough westward that our neighbor's maple tree shaded the backyard so we could eat, spin, and knit in comfortable shade. I'm hoping that the weather is just as good tomorrow for the Spin In.

Hope everyone has a great Fourth of July, safe and sane and patriotic!

Happy knitting and spinning!
Helen

Black Sheep Gathering - oh, my!

2011-06-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my DH and I made our annual trek to Eugene, OR, to visit Black Sheep Gathering, possibly one of the largest fiber festivals in the world. It was a warm sunny day, the crowd was happy and cheerful, the vendors were displaying amazingly beautiful items for sale, and we had a great day!

The first and most fun thing is that we bought a very large (relatively speaking) fleece at the Wool Sale. We found a Border Leicester X Corriedale fleece, 9.32 pounds in all, in a dark silver/grey color that we both liked and bought it for the tidy sum of $111.00 and some odd cents. In case some of you are gasping at the price, keep in mind what the price of gas is, and that the shepherd has to pay for land, food, grain, hay, vet bills, shearer charges, several coats each year to protect the fleece as it grows on the sheep, hauling the fleece(s) to BSG, paying to enter them in the competition, and so on. So paying about $12.00 per pound for a beautiful fleece is not out of line at all. I'm thinking DH will have the pleasure of spinning this one up, since I still have to finish the one I bought last year, from the same shepherd and the same breed in white. Although he's still working on a white Corriedale and Tour de Fleece starts this coming Saturday (hear the evil laughter in the background?). So I'll have lots of incentive and have committed to spinning at least an hour a day. With the long holiday weekend coming up, I might just get more than that done this next weekend. So we'll see who ends up actually spinning this new fleece.

The other thing is that, except for a class at Teaselwick Wools on July 2nd and 16th, which I haven't heard of anyone signing up for yet, I'm taking July off from teaching to plan new fall/winter classes, finish class samples, and get some personal knitting caught up, which has been seriously neglected since I started teaching last year. I have two main themes for my teaching this next season - Fair Isle and Aran. Both will start with classes for small projects, and then lead into larger projects with longer series of classes. So keep an eye peeled at Tangled Purls and Teaselwick Wools for these new class series.

Some of my other purchases yesterday included two skeins of sock yarn from BMFA in Socks That Rock Lightweight - L.L. Cool Sock

for me, of course! I had seen this colorway on the Blue Moon site and on Ravelry project pages but when I saw it in real life I really liked it, and it obligingly jumped into my hand and nestled there.

I also bought Mango Tango, which isn't quite as neon as my camera makes it look.

Then my DH picked out a skein of yarn for socks for himself. He always picks colors that go with items in his wardrobe and this time was no exception. I just hope I don't die of boredom knitting these up for him, lol.

He was thinking of two different pairs of shorts and three shirts when he picked this skein of Bag Lady.

Since he got the fleece, I picked out some roving for myself to have in the stash. Mountain Colors !00% Targhee in Spring Eclipse colorway.

This morning I plied the Black Trillium roving I had gotten on the Knittin' the Rails yarn crawl last month, so after I get some of the white fleece spun up, I have more colored roving to use for an eye candy break! Too much white wool can damage one's eyes so they can't appreciate pretty colors, you know, so I have this on hand to care for my eyes while spinning the white Border Leicester from last year.

I also bought two bars of Fogwash soap, made in Yachats, OR. I love their soaps and would use them all the time if I could afford it! I got the new Citrus Sea and Amber Waves - I love them and DH doesn't, so guess who gets them all to herself?

We had BBQ Chicken quarters for lunch (yumm, chipotle in the bbq sauce!) and then went to the spinning circle for a while. They set up a large tent outside this year and both the inside and outside spinning circles were full - how cool is that?! I dashed off twice, once to find some stick shuttles for a friend who couldn't come down (found a vendor who will email her to make her the ones she wants in her choice of wood and finish), and once to get a package of alpaca roving for a prize in the BSG Bingo drawing. I didn't win anything in the drawing, but Janel Laidman, Beebonnet on Ravelry, won a skein of my friend Stephania's Three Fates Yarns sock yarn. Which is doubly cool because besides being a wonderful person, Janel designs and sells sock patterns, so now she can try out Steph's yarn for a pattern!

There was one sad point in the day - someone lost her beautiful Lendrum wheel when someone picked it up and walked off with it. It's not likely to be a mistake, because the bag it was in is a custom fabric one, with specially selected fabric. A man started passing a can around at the drawing to gather money to hopefully replace her wheel, as at that point it had been missing for several hours and was presumed stolen. If the wheel turns up, or they don't get enough to buy a replacement wheel, they will still give her the money to go towards either spinning supplies or a new wheel, whichever is appropriate. I gave the woman a big hug, because she was crying so hard about losing her beautiful wheel. I couldn't help putting myself in her place - I've been going to BSG for a good long time (don't ask!) and never gave a thought about putting my wheel and supplies in the spinning circle and going off to shop or use the restroom. You can bet a lot of us won't be so casual after this.

Anyway, DH has left to go fishing and I'm going to get busy and meet friends for some local spinning time. Take care and have a great Sunday!

Helen

BFF socks by Cookie A

2011-06-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

BFF socks by Cookie A, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Finished at knit night!

Knittin' the Rails - An Urban Adventure

2011-05-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my Knittin' the Rails yarn crawl and, boy, did we have a great time! Thirteen folks in all came along, including the son of one of the knitters who is a student at PSU. His help came in very handy when we had a delay on the train due to a track problem and we got into Portland almost half an hour late. This pushed our schedule back for the buses, so over lunch we decided to skip having dinner at Lloyd Center to avoid missing any of the yarn shops.

We started by walking from Union Station to Dublin Bay Yarn Company, about 6 blocks away (Portland downtown has small blocks!) and on arrival we were greeted by four staff members to make sure we found everything we were looking for, a gracious spread of Irish biscuits (cookies to us Yanks), and freshly stocked shelves. They offered us a 10% discount on all regularly priced yarns so feverish shopping ensued. I indulged in a skein of Sweet Georgia sock yarn in the Firefly colorway and a set of hand made ceramic sheep buttons for a future vest.

From Dublin Bay we strolled down 11th Avenue a few blocks to Urban Fiber Arts. Cindy and her staff welcomed us with mini cupcakes that were so rich and delicious and delicately frosted in different ways. She stocks several lines of roving as well as yarns and knitting supplies so we all had fun items to fondle, sniff, caress, and dream over. I ended up getting some Black Trillium roving in Cherry Blossom Rain colorway, a set of handmade Knitting Diva earrings, and Cindy gifted us with knitter's notepads and pens. Definitely a shop I want to visit again with the beautiful rovings and fiber offerings!

At this point it's time to stop for lunch and beverages so we ambled a block down to The Tea Zone and invaded them for lunch. This is a marvelous shop and cafe for anyone who enjoys a good cup of tea. They have a menu which changes monthly of special teas and blends, including some very rare ones that I thought were only available by mail order from back east or overseas. I brought home the May menu and will be studying it to find some new teas to try out. I enjoyed a pot of Oolong Ginseng tea yesterday, and it was so good I didn't even think about adding honey to it.

As I wrote above, over lunch we discussed options due to the train running late and it was decided to forego dinner at the Lloyd Center food court to have time to visit all four yarn shops. So as we relaxed over lunch and tea or other drinks, James and I pored over the TriMet schedules to rework our travel times. Since he uses TriMet to get all over town as a college student on a budget, he was very familiar with the website and able to call up different times for bus runs as I had already printed out our original schedule downloaded from the TriMet site and had the bus stop numbers.

We left and walked down the street and over a block to catch the bus to Twisted, a shop that is legendary for the varieties of yarn, especially sock yarns, that they stock. TriMet works hard to have a clean, safe, efficient transportation system and they do a very good job of it.

These pictures are from several bus rides, so you can get an idea of our traveling around Portland. The buses are comfortable, the schedules are frequent during the day, and we didn't have to go downtown and then back out to change travel directions, as we do in Salem. There are live security cameras on all the buses and on Max, along with plainclothes security officers. We bought all day passes so we didn't have to worry about the 2 hour transfer limit and could just get on, flash the pass, and find a seat. When we got off the last bus at the Rose Quarter Transit Center, we crossed the street, and our Max train pulled in about 2 minutes later. Our timing was so close that we arrived at Union Station on the bus, walked into the station, and then boarded our return train. Whew! We still had about 10 minutes before the train pulled out, but the timing was good.

As we settled on the train, the folks going to Eugene in one car, and those of use from Salem in another, we dug into our bags and pulled out snacks we had brought along, or made a run to the Bistro car for a quick meal to bring back to our seats to enjoy at leisure. We showed our loot and treats to each other, answered questions from other riders, got our knitting or cross stitching, in Teresa's case, out and did some work as we rode, chatted, and relaxed.

By the end of the day, my bag was stuffed full with the goodies I bought. Yarn for three pairs of socks - two for me and one for my DH, roving for a small shawl, pretty earrings to wear to fiber and yarn events, coilless safety pins for my knitting, and sheep buttons for a future vest. By the time I arrived home, I was ready for dinner and an early bedtime, dreaming yarny dreams of my treasures and future projects. Ah, a good day for all!

Cookie A's BFF sock

2011-05-22T18:47:00.001-07:00

Cookie A's BFF sock, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Used Zitron Trekking Hand Art sock yarn, on size 1 needles.

Salida at beginning of toe decreases

2011-05-04T22:00:00.001-07:00

Salida at beginning of toe decreases, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Heel gusset on first Salida sock

2011-05-01T21:57:00.001-07:00

Heel gusset on first Salida sock, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Halfway done with heel gusset.

Sunday evening thoughts

2011-05-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

First, the really exciting news -

Knittin’ the Rails – An Urban Yarn Adventure

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Join us as we travel by train to Portland’s historic Union Station, then visit several yarn shops in Portland, with a trip to the Tea Zone for a quick break, before having a light early dinner and heading back to Salem on the train.

We will be meeting at the Mission Mill Museum on Saturday morning at 9:30, then walking across Mill St. to board the Amtrak Cascades #504 10:12 morning train to Portland, approximately an hour’s journey away. Leaving the train at Union Station, we will walk and use TriMet buses to visit Urban Fiber Arts, Dublin Bay Yarn Company, Twisted (home of the entire Blue Moon Fiber Arts line!), and Yarn Garden with a quick hop to Happy Knits. We will stop for a snack at the Tea Zone mid-afternoon to restore our energy, before continuing our urban adventure.

About 4:30 we will have an early dinner at the Lloyd Center food court, before boarding the #507 6:15 train for the early evening run back to Salem, arriving in Salem about 7:15.

Important things to know -

Knitters must purchase their train tickets in advance of the trip, to assure their seat on the train. There is a Bistro car on the train which has drinks and light snacks available. Amtrak.com

Please wear shoes and clothing appropriate for walking in town and for the weather. Please remember to carry only what you can comfortably carry on the buses. This trip is not suitable for toddlers or young children but babes in arms are welcome! Bags will be checked at the yarn shops for security and to make shopping easier. Remember that Portland has hills but relatively small downtown blocks. And don’t forget your cameras!

Knitters should bring $10.00 in change for the buses. We will be buying all day passes but the price could change. Bring only the bank cards you intend to use, in a wallet you can put in your pocket to avoid leaving it on the bus or in a yarn shop.

Bring a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated – walking is hard work and you don’t want to get tired too soon!

Please contact Helen Burros – Woolspinnr@aol.com or Bluedragon on Ravelry.com to sign up and for more information about this fun excursion in ‘green’ travel!

This idea has been running around in the back of my mind for a while now and I finally decided it's time to make it happen. I know not everyone is going to Sock Summit 2011 (really? why not?) so I thought this would be something fun to do ahead of time. I'm hoping for at least 10 folks, if we get 20 buying tickets at the same time we get a group discount!

I hope you've been enjoying the progress pics I've been posting from my iPhone, my life has gotten pretty busy with the classes and making class samples, along with my regular knitting, so my computer time has gotten pretty short lately. Now it's bedtime so I'm out of here, but I hope you all have a great week!

Helen

Ziprelaxagon 2nd tier done

2011-04-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

Ziprelaxagon 2nd tier done, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Ready to start Tier 3

Glynis socks finished!

2011-04-19T21:05:00.001-07:00

Glynis socks finished!, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Finished second sock while watching 2nd half of 'Gone With the Wind'.

Fair Isle Fingerless Mitts

2011-04-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

Fair Isle Fingerless Mitts, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Class sample

Triceratops Three Fates Yarn

2011-04-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

Triceratops Three Fates Yarn, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Bought 04-02-11 to stash for DH's Christmas socks.

Solstice Slip socks w/o flash

2011-04-03T06:58:00.001-07:00

Solstice Slip socks w/o flash, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Multnomah shawl yarn

2011-03-31T20:29:00.001-07:00

Multnomah shawl yarn, a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Three Fates Yarns custom colorway ready to be wound into a center pull ball.

Sunday morning tea

2011-03-20T06:17:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning tea a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

After visiting my Mom in the hospital again yesterday, I decide it was time for me to actually use some of the pretty things I have collected over the years. So I'm having my morning tea in a delicate dragon china tea cup and saucer.

First Solstice Slip sock done

2011-03-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

First Solstice Slip sock done a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Rosemarkie ribbing

2011-03-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

Rosemarkie ribbing a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Rosemarkie vest cast on!

2011-03-15T07:41:00.001-07:00

Rosemarkie vest cast on! a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Working first round of corrugated ribbing.

Monkey Socks done!

2011-03-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

Monkey Socks done! a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Finished these today and look forward to wearing them on Saturday.

July 4, 1976

2011-03-08T07:56:00.001-08:00

July 4, 1976 a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

First women road deputies in Clark County, WA! History being made.

Twelve Months of Christmas vest - all done!

2011-03-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Twelve Months of Christmas vest - all done! a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Ready to wear this coming Saturday!

Basket ready for Rosemarkie KAL

2011-03-06T06:54:00.001-08:00

Basket ready for Rosemarkie KAL a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Knitting basket set up and ready to start knitting Starmore's Rosemarkie vest on March 15th. This is a great pattern for new FI knitters with only six colors and one pattern chart.

STR Rare Gem wound into balk

2011-03-04T07:06:00.001-08:00

STR Rare Gem wound into balk a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

STR Rare Gem wound into a center pull ball to knit Solstice Slip socks

An Infinitely Irish Topper

2011-03-03T07:15:00.001-08:00

An Infinitely Irish Topper a photo by BlueDragon2 on Flickr.

Twelve Months of Christmas back

2011-02-26T19:54:00.001-08:00

Twelve Months of Christmas back
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Back of vest on wooly board

Twelve Months of Christmas vest

2011-02-19T21:27:00.001-08:00

Twelve Months of Christmas vest
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Armhole ribbings done

DH's Orion leftover socks

2011-02-19T21:25:00.001-08:00

DH's Orion leftover socks
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

DH's socks finished!

Twelve Months of Christmas vest

2011-02-12T20:14:00.001-08:00

Twelve Months of Christmas vest
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Body of vest cast off

Rosemarkie basket of colors

2011-02-12T09:22:00.001-08:00

Rosemarkie basket of colors
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Basket with one skein of each Jamiesons color for my next Rosemarkie vest.

I needed a break!

2011-02-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

I needed a small break from what I consider duty knitting - class samples, pattern designing, gift knitting, etc., so I started the Traveling Woman Shawl by Liz Abinante, using the free version from Ravelry. I had bought a skein of Socks That Rock Heavyweight from a Raveler in a destash sale a while back. I tried knitting it into socks but didn't like how the yarn was working. So I ripped them out and put the yarn aside as I pondered what to use it for. I'm now on the edging, about halfway done with it, and it's knitting up beautifully - I made the right choice for this yarn. I'm hoping to get this shawl done by the end of the weekend, wash and block it, so I can put it away to save for wearing at Sock Summit 2011 this summer. I posted a picture of the shawl in progress a couple of days ago and will post one when I finish the shawl but I wanted to explain the change in focus of my knitting journey.

On the long range front, I put up a poll on my Mara_class group on yahoo to see what folks wanted to knit for the next KAL. Since the current project is an Aran sweater, I suggested a Fair Isle project by Alice Starmore. I listed two Fair Isle vest patterns from her 'Fair Isle Knitting' book, and then threw in Rosemarkie from her 'Celtic Collection' book on a whim. So far there are 14 votes for Rosemarkie and none for the other two! Last week I picked out five of the six colors I'll need for my Rosemarkie, since that seems to be the way the votes are going. I need to pick out one more color and then decide which will be the main color so I can place a yarn order with my LYS. I decided to support her and buy Jamiesons instead of buying J & S by mail. I'm hoping to encourage some others to knit along with me locally.

I'm still waiting for the rest of the sock yarn to finish DH's left over socks, should pop over to BMFA and check my account to see how the yarn is coming along. Being a small indie company, they don't keep large stocks of yarns on hand but dye them fresh each week or so.

Oh, and I gifted the Kitty Selbu mittens I made to my friend Betsy as a belated Christmas gift, after she bought a new bright red car. The pink in the mittens goes with the red car, lol. She loves them and they fit her hands perfectly.

Happy knitting!
Helen
Bluedragon2@aol.com
Bluedragon on Ravelry.com

Traveling Woman shawl - chart A done twice

2011-02-08T21:23:00.001-08:00

Traveling Woman shawl - chart A done twice
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Giraffe Tammy top

2011-02-07T06:29:00.001-08:00

Giraffe Tammy top
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Traveling Woman shawl started

2011-02-05T08:11:00.001-08:00

Traveling Woman shawl started
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Finished Kitty Selbu 2

2011-01-27T07:17:00.001-08:00

Finished Kitty Selbu 2
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Finished Kitty Selbu 1

2011-01-27T07:16:00.001-08:00

Finished Kitty Selbu 1
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Left Kitty Selbu mitten done

2011-01-16T22:20:00.001-08:00

Left Kitty Selbu mitten done
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Duffer Cuff

2011-01-15T14:36:00.001-08:00

Duffer Cuff
Originally uploaded by BlueDragon2

Saturday Update

2011-01-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Good morning, everyone!

Yesterday I got two projects finished - my Orion socks using two Socks That Rock yarns and a Duffer Cuff. The sock pattern is the official Sock Summit 2009 pattern, which I bought at Black Sheep Gathering in 2009, along with the ST-1 colorway. I stashed the yarn and pattern and moved on to other projects. Last summer at Black Sheep Gathering I bought a Mill Ends skein of STR in a beautiful gold color, planning to use it with the ST-1.

On New Year's weekend, I sat down with a bunch of patterns I had been wanting to make for a while, small projects like socks, mittens, and hats, and matched up yarns and patterns. I put them in plastic bags I had stashed from prescription refills (great ziplock bags the right size for a skein of yarn and a pattern!) and put them in a large reusable shopping bag. The bag is in the closet in the den, on the floor, so it's easy to just reach in and grab a bag without looking to see what it is, making this my own personal mystery KAL in a way.

This past week I realized that Sock Summit 2011 was coming up (one of those lightbulb moments, you know, lol) and I needed to have my socks knit up and ready to wear. So Tuesday evening I pulled that bag out of the sack, got the needles out of my knitting kit, sat down and cast on. This pattern knits up really fast, because even using the STR Lightweight yarn, it is heavier than my usual sock yarn, so it takes fewer rounds to get the inches done. I followed the pattern for the leg, although I knit the socks from the top down instead of toe up, and ended up with about 6 inch legs. I did my usual heel, as it fits my feet best and can endure my hard wearing work life. Then I worked the stripes down the foot and did a round toe, again because it works best for my feet. I've been knitting hand knit socks with wool yarns for over fifteen years now and have tried many different patterns, so I have pretty much learned what works for my feet and what doesn't. I've done my experimenting with different toes, heels, and yarns and have accumulated enough knowledge to make informed decisions on which patterns and yarns work for me now.

Anyway, I finished the first sock Wednesday night, just about 24 hours, ran the ends in Thursday morning and cast on the second sock, then finished it yesterday. I used 72 stitches throughout the socks, my usual on size 1 needles, and the socks fit very well. I had to exert some really strong self control to stop myself from casting on another pair of socks using some of my STR stashed yarns, lol.

Thursday at Knit Night at Tangled Purls Yarn Shop I cast on for the shop sample for the Duffer Cuff, an argyle wrist warmer pattern. I finished it yesterday, washed it last night in warm water and shampoo, then pressed the excess water out and set it to dry on the plastic rack with a rolled up paper towel inside to help it dry faster. When I leave the house today I will drop it by the shop to be put on display. So that gives me two finished projects this week!

Today is the third class for the Arans From The Top class at Teaselwick Wools at Mission Mill Museum and I'm looking forward to seeing the progress my students have made over the holidays. I've finished my right sleeve and will pick up the stitches for my left sleeve today, then hopefully make some good progress on it.

Yesterday DH and I were at Kaiser Permanente to pick up a prescription and ran into a friend I hadn't seen in several years. We ended up going to Izzy's afterward for our lunch and catching up on what's been going on in our lives. I'm hoping she will be able to make it to the Ike Box to meet up with the group and meet some of the members. She and I knit Mara together several years ago - mine I knit as a cardigan and she knit a wonderful vest for hers. She happened to be wearing hers yesterday, which is what helped DH to recognize her as she was walking towards him. I'm going to be taking my Twelve Months of Christmas vest to knitting with me, in case she comes so I can show it to her. And I'm also planning to get some more progress done on it. I'm past the armhole decreases and about halfway through the v-neck decreases, so each three round set between decreases means fewer stitches and faster rounds, getting me closer to the shoulders and finishing the vest. Yea!

Okay, that about covers the update for now, I've finished breakfast, except for a Honey Crisp apple to eat while I read my emails. Then it's on to Ravelry for a quick read, the shower, dress, and out the door to start my errands - have a great day!

Helen