Moving Day!

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later (or not but let's just roll with it).

I went and moved my blog! Please come visit me here. (The address the old fashioned way is: http://dixygirl.wordpress.com/

Please update your bookmarks and feeds and all. This site will be here for a while. Mostly for y'all. Cuz I love you and all. (and because well, moving can be scary and what if I don't like it and want to come back ya know?)

Dinos dinos everywhere...

I showed a good friend of mine the pictures of Darby the Dino. Somehow she has missed him in person... well. She "needed" one. I told her I'd put her on the list. Well, then she went on to explain that she needed one because her niece is mad for dinosaurs and she wanted to give it to her.

I'm a pushover. Let me tell you that now.

A chance to make another stegosaurus for another 3 yr old who'd be smitten with him? Guess what's coming up next on the needles???

Pie for Everyone!

Need a piece of pie? At near to 300 yds (278 specifically) I probably have enough to share but I'm not. This is the kind of pie that a girl can hoard and not feel bad about!



Also, I bring you super secretive project #2:



It's a knitted tea set!

If you're on Ravelry I'm going to post more pictures of the tea set. (I think I've said it before but I'm "Nikki" there.) The girls who received it loved it! (As did Darby the Dino's new playmate!) For the record, little E did name him Darby but the ladies the LYS and I thought he really looked like a Percy.

And that's all I've been up to lately! I'm hoping to finish up a few projects before I start something new.

Black Hole

That's where I've been lately. In a black hole! I apparently get up and go to work and come home and somehow it's time to get up and go to work again. I really have NO idea what's happened to my spare/free time. It was just the first of the year, now we're a whole week (or more!) into the year.

The good news is, I can now show you super secretive project #1. The intended recipient hasn't gotten it yet but, well, he's not able to read and doesn't play online yet. And his mother did get to see the present today so it's all good. Tomorrow (barring another black hole incident) I'll be finished with super secretive #2 and can share that too since little boy's mom is also the mom to the two little girls who are getting the 2nd project.

Wanna see #1?





He's a stegosaurus. And I've had to defend him many many times. Every Single Person who's met him in person, has oohed and aahed over him and most have threatened to steal him. The good news is he was so fun to knit, I'll happily knit more (the first one is mine though so don't ask!).

Cross your fingers the black hole doesn't suck me in and I can ply "pie for everyone" this weekend and blog both it and the #2 project.

Tidying up

Well, we've made it another year. I'm taking down all of the 2007 completed items because hopefully by the end of the day I'll have a 2008 completed item!

So, mostly for myself I'm going to list the 2007 items here so I can go back and look at them should I need to.

Broadripple socks
Dad's Hat
Pat's Scarf
Lumberjack socks
Dad's 2nd Hat
Irish Hiking Scarf
Lavender DW Dishcloth
My Second Hat
Fetching Mitts
Irish Hiking Scarf camera cozy
Manos Moebius
BAWK Hot water bottle cover
2 catnip mousies
Chichi
STR Fire on the Mountain Socks
Drawstring bag
MN dishcloth
VA dishcloth
Pat's Pedicure Socks
Katie's CN Hat
Katie's CN fingerless gloves
Cup Coozie
Steeler's Baby Sweater
Yellow Baby Hat
2nd Cup Coozie
Two Squares
Two washcloths for Beth
Judy's Socks
Steeler's Baby Hat and Booties
2 Teeny ToFutsies Socks
Koigu Clapotis
Baby Hat
3 Teeny Koigu Socks
2 Teeny Sweaters
Yellow/Green dishcloth
Weekend Pullover
Dad's "Uncle" hat
Blue Dishcloth
3 DW Dishcloths
Cinchy "SAFF" hat
Warm up America Square
Dad's Socks
Fingerless Mitts
Calorimetry
Christmas Scarf
Felted Back Pack
3 korknisses
super secretive project #1- Stegosaurus
1 mitten
1 mini sock
CSM sock

2007

I know, everyone's doing year end recaps so here's mine:

2007 wasn't all bad but it certainly wasn't all good either. Quite truthfully, I'm glad in few hours it'll be gone.  I learned to spin and how to make lucet cords (which I need to do some more of since it's so fun). I hope to keep increasing my spinning knowledge too. There's so much out there to learn, to try... 

I knit a lot. A LOT, I mean look at that list on the sidebar. Wow. I learned how to do new knitting techniques. I'd like to keep learning those too. 

On a personal level, I made some great friends and plan on keeping on meeting new people and spending time with my friends and family. I lost my uncle and have a cousin that's in pretty bad shape. I have friends who lost loved ones and with my remaining grandparents as old as they are and in the shape that they're in, I know it won't be but so much longer before I lose them. I know, it may not be this year but I certainly won't have them another... (hmm... almost told you how old I am ;)) so many years... 

But on a lighter note, my nephew was born and he's so beautiful and I can't wait to see what kind of person he becomes. 

My goals for 2008 - besides what I've already said?. Well, I do have some I'm not really planning on sharing but I'm going to cut back on my consumption of goods. Yes, this means yarn and fiber too. I'm not going all out I'm still in my fiber club and will still buy yarn and all but for at least a few months I'm going to spin what I've got and knit what's in the stash. I bought that yarn for a purpose and it wasn't to sit all closed up in a box. 

Oh, and since she's showing an interest, I thought I'd teach Pepper to spin: 

Which is good, I'll need more yarn because apparently Bartholamew has finally seen the light and is all about enjoying fine hand knits:

You'll have to look under his head and feet to that is my Noro scarf there keeping his Highness warm and providing a soft place for him to take a nap. 

Be safe, y'all. Have a good 2008 filled with joy, love, and enough fibery goodness to get you through the rough spots!

thanks for reading...

I'm likin' this spinning thing

embiggen (for those of you that don't read the same blogs I do, that means click to make bigger to enjoy the beautifulness that is this bobbin of singles)

(ok, embiggen actually means to click on the picture to make it bigger but still...)

ETA- apparently this whole "embiggen" thing isn't working anymore... but I still hope you enjoy the beautifulness that is that bobbin of singles)

edited again - thanks to Mary's help embiggen/biggerize is up and running!

Merry Christmas! (or he's a rebel and never be any good)

First off let me say I hope each and every one of you had a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and light (and maybe some knitting related gifts and fun relatives...)

Yesterday, Mom, my sister and I went out to lunch. They kept telling me about all the great deals at this local store. 50% off type great deals. Needless to say, we went back. I got new sheets and a new duvet cover. In this house, changing the sheets is an ordeal! To the four legged heathens, it's the most fun since cat nip anything... and for me. Well, it's trying. To be polite because, well, it's Christmas.

Bartholamew is the master of all. Especially the sheets. 

Yes. I bought green sheets with purple ladybugs on them. The duvet cover is about that shade of green too. All for 50% off! 

I did a little "Christmas" knitting. (so called "Christmas" knitting because they were knit on Christmas Eve. Not because they were presents. Although two did go to live with people other than me)

I found out about them here. Jane found the pattern here. I would highly recommend stocking up on your wine corks now. They're great fun and a very quick knit.

Beware though, because they are quite mischievous too:

Lastly, I finished super secretive knitting project #1. I can't wait to show it to you but it will have to wait til #2's done. Which will be longer than normal because I got distracted. 

Dianne sent me some very lovely worsted weight peace fleece for Christmas. I had to start knitting on it almost instantly. With Marianne's help, it became mittens. Or A mitten. The 2nd mitten is on the needles now and will probably have life before the end of the week (would be sooner but the job doesn't tend to approve of me knitting on the clock).

But I can knit on it now and do hear it calling my name...

bad blogger...

Yes, that would be me, a bad blogger. However, today I'm going to blame the holidays (and my new wheel and my super secretive knitting). Yeah. That's it.

Well, OK, it probably does have a lot to do with it. And in a more realistic goal starting in the new year I'm going to try to post 3 times a week.

Since I haven't plied any yarn yet on the wheel, I can't show you that. The 2nd bobbin of the gobblin eyes looks pretty much just like the first so that's not a good picture.

Can't show you the knitting...

Oh, ok, here's a picture of my finished felted back pack. I like it. The straps are a titch long... that may be something I fix or something I just get over. I'm leaning towards "get over"



It now has a "I want it all!" Christmas pin a friend gave me on the front.

Oh, and how about a happy cheesy ass picture for you?



Back in August I reached my 5 yr anniversary with this company. They add the names to our board in the Library at the end of each year and my friend who also hit the 5 yr mark and I took cheesy pictures pointing at our names. I blame the sugar high we were on from all the desserts. Yeah. That's it.

I'd show you the pictures of our snow storm that turned into an ice storm but well, that didn't happen. It sleeted a little but then it all turned into rain. And well, pictures of a wet parking lot aren't that exciting.

Hope to see you again soon but just in case - I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

(this post was brought to you by the letter *B* as in Blame or passing the Buck)

Another catch up

Well, I went to work for a little OT this morning and stopped at my LYS - Needle on the Square on the way home. After getting lovlingly chastised by not one but two employees - cough Mary cough cough Becky cough - I thought I should give you a little update on what I've been doing.

I haven't been knitting. My poor Marvelous Mitts have sat almost neglected - although they did go to our Knit Night Christmas party for a "coming out" show.

I spun this:



It's nice gray wool from some of the sheep at the Farm where I got my wheel (still unnamed BTW).

And I spun this:



It's Goblin Eyes from Spunky Eclectic's Fiber Club (October. Received the DAY I shipped the old wheel off to it's new home). I know dimes and quarters seem to be the norm when showing off singles but a nickle was all I could dig up out of my change pocket.

However, after I go try my hand at washing a fleece, I'm going to get back to knitting on my mitts. And this:



It's part of a top secret project (that you're not supposed to tell anyone about Mary and Becky!) that I got at NOTS today. The other part I have here already. I'm aiming on it being done by Christmas (stop that mad laughing!) but if not then it's OK.

Now, I must go get all stinky and greasy before our company Christmas party this evening... (can we extend the holidays for like another month so I don't have so much crammed into such a short time period??)

Welcome Home!

My new wheel. It's a Lendrum Folding Wheel. I have 3 different flyers for it - the regular flyer, the fast flyer and the plying head (that's what they call it...). The plying head does have it's own mother of all and drive band and the bobbin holds 2 full regular bobbins. (insert happy sigh here) The fast flyer fortunately takes the same bobbins as the regular flyer. I also have a tensioned kate. I need to read up on how they work differently than a lazy kate but I'm quite sure I have that information in a book.

I'm also needing some information on ratios. I think I have the basics down but really want some good information on this. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.

As you may remember I fell in love with the Lendrum at SAFF. I sold my Ashford Traditional and a couple of other things sitting around collecting dust and saved up my pennies and bought the wheel from a lovely dealer in Suffolk. Why Suffolk you ask? Well, not only were they were quite friendly and helpful at SAFF, but my aunt Judy (who I made the socks for) lives in Norfolk. Not quite an hour away... darn, have to go visit the family.

I love going to visit my aunt. We have a ton of fun no matter what we do. We get up whenever and eat breakfast and sit at the table for hours in our pjs talking about everything before we change clothes and do whatever it is we had planned to do - that is if we had anything planned. So add that into the mix and of course I went to Suffolk.

Saturday morning we left with plenty of time to find the dealer's studio. However, we did not realize that Suffolk's Christmas parade was Dec 1. We saw some of the Christmas parade as it was headed right down Main Street in the exact direction we wanted to do. After digging out the good ol' map we found away around the parade only to run into it again (it was quite a long parade...). We forged on but found ourselves on a road that wasn't on the map. We stopped to ask one of the very nice police officers how to get to where we needed to be. He politely told us that we were on the street we needed to be on. So on we went.

On the way back from picking up the wheel, we got re-routed by an accident. We saw an awful lot of Suffolk yesterday and enjoyed the whole trip. She did take the first pictures of me spinning on my wheel but (not surprisingly) we got to talking and she forgot to take some with my camera too so when I get them from her I'll share.

Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have some wool calling my name...

Pictures

The palm:



The back:

Teaser

I'm up to the palm on my first mitt. Tomorrow when the light is better (HA! When there IS light!) I'll take a picture to share with y'all.

My Marvelous Mitts

I kept seeing these lovely mitts showing up in blogs I read. I even found a Ravelry group for them. It was the same pattern but they're all so different. All so lovely.

I loved them. I coveted them in ways that knitters understand (well, any crafter really). I had to have them and make them my own. However, I didn't know how to do color work. Stranded? Floats? Holding my yarn in TWO HANDS!?! It seemed a little out there. But then I remembered Catie talking about how easy her tam was. How much she enjoyed knitting it.

I broke down and followed the link and bought the pattern. They're Marvelous Mitts by Karendipity.

It took me a while to decide on yarn. I mean a long while. I browsed a lot. Finally, I found the yarns. Quite accidently. Dream in Color Smooshy Giant Peach (and don't you just LOVE that name?!) and some unnamed most lovely shades of Green Koigu I had.

Took me three tries to get the cast on right. Since then, I've been on a big roll. I love the mitts. I love the colors together. I love that I taught myself how to knit with my left hand (and have gotten advice from Ms Karendipity herself as to where to go to learn how to purl with my left hand so I can knit both continental AND english!). I want to finish these mitts so I can find two more colors to make more!



And while I'm spouting all the love... I really love that a lot of designers use Ravelry and make themselves available even more readily to help you with their patterns. So far, knock on wood, I haven't needed help. But I've gotten some great encouragement from the KAL group on Ravelry, the moderators and Karen. I love that. I love that instead of going "what the heck does she/he mean by THAT" that you can just ask the designer. Easily. Because I know a lot of places you can find ways to contact the designer but if it's not easy I'm not going to do it. I'll figure it out on my own or with my friends...

So, if any designers are out there reading this and are accessible on ravelry, THANK YOU!!!

Monday, Again?

Well, It's Monday, I last posted Saturday so I'm posting again.

Nothing fiber related today. I'm still knitting away on my bag and socks. I did finally lengthen my first sweater. Much happier with it now. Truthfully, Mom helped me rip it out. It wasn't the actual ripping I needed help with, it was the mental aspect of ripping the ribbing out of my sweater. We had a drink after it was all ripped out and the stitches picked back up. I was the one who needed it, Mom just was being supportive.

Speaking of Mom, as a few of you may know, Mom is a vegetarian. So being a good daughter, I bought her a tofurkey roast. We roasted it with onions, carrots and potatoes as recommended. We basted it. We made vegetarian gravy. Luke really enjoyed the tofurkey. Mom and I thought the onions, carrots and potatoes turned out well. But the gravy wasn't all bad. So all was not lost.

We also baked bread. One in the bread machine (sourdough... mmmmm) and one from a mix it was wheat beer bread. Both were most yummy.

I have a new feature on my sidebar. It's a wish list. It's not the kind of wish list where I really expect y'all to buy me things from it but it's a fun place to list things I want for my memory as much as anything else. Plus I was having probably too much fun naming everything. But ya know, if you win the lotto or something and feel like you want to buy me presents, then, please, feel free to purchase anything on the list for me.

Spindle and Wheel Contest

You may remember a while back I won the Spindle and Wheel blog contest. Well, here's what I got:



2.5oz of Merino and Soysilk. It's very soft. I'd attach a piece to the blog for you to feel but technology isn't there yet...

I got some "grab bag" wool blend that is also quite soft.



I got a very pretty handmade spindle:



Sadly, I haven't tried it yet. Or the wrist distaff that came with it:



When I do finally try them, I'll give a review.

Allena also sent me a orifice hook (which I'll still need with my new wheel) / plying tool:



and some very pretty stitch markers:



Even the one I managed to cut out of the picture is pretty.

I know there's that whole "post every day" thing going on that has more letters in it that I'm capable of remembering right now, but I think I'm not quite up to posting every day. HOWEVER, I am aiming to post every OTHER day. I enjoy blogging. I kind of miss it but much like when I first started, it's a little hard find things to talk about right now so please just bear with me if you get a short silly post about something now and again instead of a deep meaningful post.

Thankful Thursday

Yup. I'm a follower. Plus I'm trying to post more and well, I am thankful! (A WHOLE week early at that!)

I'm thankful for my knitting groups. One is really an offset of the other but I'm thankful for both of them. I love the large group of people I don't always know working on everything under the sun and sitting beside someone new.

I'm thankful for our little offset group because I'm getting to know these girls much better and making good friends. And I get to drink tea and eat snacks from the B&N cafe. And browse books (which I'm thankful to my family that I love them) and knitting magazines. What's NOT to be thankful for here?

I'm thankful for my two fuzzy beasts. They keep me amused and as the weather turns, warm. Someone almost always wants to snuggle and not much is warmer than a cat in your lap.


(an old picture but it is one of my favs)

I'm thankful that it's getting colder. I know, that sounds crazy but I like having four seasons and damn it it was way past time for fall.

I'm thankful for knitting. For more reasons that I could list here.

And of course, I'm thankful for my friend and family, but that's a whole 'nother post...

SAFF Classes

Laura and I each took two classes at SAFF. She took a weaving class that had a lot of good information in it. And a Shepherd's Rug class.



The rugs the ladies who wrote the book had made were gorgeous! The chair pad/cat bed Laura was working on was also gorgeous!!

I took a multi-color one pot dye class on Friday. It was WAY too easy and not messy enough. I see dyeing in my future (I had typed dying in my future and well, I figure that is in the future but not what this post is about!).

We dyed three pots as a class. Some fleece that was fun but looks - well not pretty.


We dyed some wool:



Pepper liked the wool a lot!



We also dyed a mohair blend:



This one took color much better than the wool. Our instructor said that mohair likes dye and will soak it all up. Hmm, I may have to buy some to try that out!


The other class I took was a Creative Cast on Class with Margaret Heatherman. She taught us a handful of basic cast ons and what they're best used for and a couple really pretty "decorative" cast ons. Then gave us cardstock and double sided tape with all the cast on names so we could tape our swatches on them to remember which was which! This class, while as educational as I thought it would be, was way more fun than I thought it'd be! YEAH!



Next post will be my prize winnings from Spindle and Wheel.

Knitting update

Here's the few projects I'm working on:

My Marigold socks (do try not to remember that my Socktoberfest goal was to finish these OK? thanks!)



Dad's socks (the second one! In this pic it's almost done but they're really finished!)



A Mistake Rib scarf I'm making for a Christmas present:



Next post: Classes at SAFF!

(Well. I have a bandaid on the whole picture thing. I may or may not keep using the bandaid, but for now we have pictures!

grrrrr

OK. I know I said I was going to blog more often. And I've tried several times this week but blogger and I aren't seeing eye to eye on which pictures I should post. Mostly because blogger doesn't think I should post ANY pictures.

I've gotten two posts written up. As soon as I come up with another way to post pictures I will post more.

I do have several ideas forming but at this point in time, I must get ready to take Pepper to the vet for a check up.