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Things I love

This is Dick and Lisa's bounty from this year's garden.  Love the colors!                 

                 

Cat Messing With Dog

Mean cat sitting on very cute dog's balls (the kind you serve with a racket).



Not only is the cat sitting on Archie's tennis balls--he is sitting on his bed and that bed is in the window he loves to sit in and watch the world go by.  This is not going to be a good day for Archie.

The House

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What is This Beautiful Green Thing?

This beautiful green thing is the Clapotis knit with Koigu on size 4 Addi Turbos.  I added an extra center section from the original pattern found on Knitty 2004  

It has the most beautiful drape and softness--it feels great against my now bare neck after cutting 7 inches off my very old, dated "do."  Clapotis is a no-brainer to knit.  The pattern is just interesting enough to make you want to knit just "8 more rows" so you can drop a stitch hence the ladder effect.  It isn't often I knit something for myself that I really love and I absolutely love this.  Maybe I'll knit another one--maybe.

Beautiful daughter with beautiful green thing

Knitting and Surfing

What do knitting and surfing have in common? Many years ago I realized that surfing was 90% standing on the cliff and looking at the surf, driving around and looking at more surf before deciding which wave was "surfable." Hours could be spent on this activity alone. An entire morning spent looking for the right wave before deciding it didn't exist that day. Or rather, after 3 hours of looking for the right wave, the tide came in/out, the wind kicked up or it was time for the next meal before deciding the waves were no good that day. I was the transportation on these days.

Knitting is all about standing on the cliff looking for the right wave. I'm always looking for the next perfect wave (project). Days/weeks can go by thinking I have found it only to be tempted by yet another perfect wave. Some times I actually jump in, paddle out and surf the perfect project. Heaven :) Right now it's the Clapotis in the most beautiful green Koigu. I'm making it extra long since it's knit on much smaller needles that the pattern calls for. While knitting, I'm standing on the cliff (in my imagination) and looking for...the next perfect wave

Lotta Jansdotter All-Day Tote

  Here is the Lotta Jansdotter tote I made for Meaghan when she left for NYC (Hip Hop Academy!)  I made it from grey wool gabardine I bought last year at Britex and the print is a canvas from IKEA.  This is a great sized bag but next time I would make a few changes.  First, add stiff interfacing to soft material.  I didn't do this to the wool as I was afraid it would ruin the look.  The bag is a little "soft."  I wouldn't put the big pocket on the outside and I would add another side and inside pocket.  I ended up putting in a stiff, lined bottom to help it stand up.  I cut out paper pattern pieces from the instructions and labeled them to make it easier for the next bag.  A

Driving Up North and Impulsive Knitting

This is me and Kyle at Vista Point at the Golden Gate Bridge.  We drove north to end at Point Reyes for a hike.  We stopped here, the church where Dick and I were married, and had lunch in Olema.  I love the area north of Stinson Beach.  It's magical and always a perfect day out.

My idea back in November was to have this be the year of impulsive knitting.  Didn't work.  First I hit a snag with my knitting MOJO. 

  Hard to be impulsive when you can't find the energy to knit.  Another problem is I really like the yarn in my very small stash and would find it impossible to give away and start anew.  I have yarn that reminds me of trips and friends so I plan to keep it all and do something with it one of these days.  I also feel at peace when I open the drawers and boxes and fondle my yarn.  How can I give up something that gives me this much pleasure.  My stash brings more peace than angst.  That's a good thing.

All Good Intentions

This was how my evening started.  Note comfy lounge chair, laptop, cool drink, book and knitting.  It doesn't get much better.  Husband to play poker, son to bbq at someone else's house.  Plans change quickly around here.  In fact, I need to stay in a constant state of zen or I'd drive myself nuts.

Fast forward 1/2 hour--husband doesn't feel like playing poker, son's bbq has now moved to our house and guess who's cooking dinner for everyone?  Perhaps tomorrow my intentions will be met, in the meantime I'm looking for the extra hot dog buns that I know are buried in the freezer.

WHERE HAS MY KNITTING MOJO GONE ?

The last knitting project I worked on was Kyle's cabled,hooded sweater.  It is beautiful and it literally sucked the knitting life out of me.  It pretty much sucked all my creative juices along with the life.  I didn't even want to look at yarn, touch yarn, knit with yarn or plan any projects.  Not like me at all.

I started listening to a few knitting pod casts.  There are plenty and plenty are really horrible.  I stumbled upon the KnitPicks podcast (find info here) and for some reason, it worked for me.  Her voice is soothing and I got just enough inspiration to start the Clapotis from Knitty.com (pattern here) in a beautiful green Koigu knit on size 6 Addis.  There is just enough repetition with some fun to keep it interesting.  I needed something to take with me to the beach house to calm me down as it looks like a pretty sticky situation down there right now.  Owning property with strangers is--strange to say the least.

Blogging sounded like such a fun idea.  I have a hard time keeping up.  I think I might use this to keep track of thoughts as I feel like we are heading into a new chapter in our lives.  We have lost 3 very loved grandparents in the last few years, Kyle is off at college on the other side of the country, I'm thinking of changing careers (health care design) and Lisa is driving.  Watch out!  I forgot what it was like to sit next to someone as they learn the rules of the road.  She definitely knows the rules--it's the other stuff that makes the grey hair grow by the minute.

Why I'm Not Knitting These Days

This is the jacket I'm making as the final project in my tailoring class at Canada College.  This is not the beautiful wool/silk blend I bought originally.  I chickened out and bought this black stretch denim to make before cutting into the expensive stuff.  I am in way over my head but loving every minute.  It may not be the most perfectly tailored jacket but the process has been great.  I've really taken my time to get the fit right and get a load of the pocket lining!

What's even more important is the instructor, Ronda Chaney, likes it.  She is the Queen of Detail.  If you want to learn the basics and learn them well, she's your girl.  She has been in this program for 30 years and is currently the head of the department.  So when she told me she liked it, I felt like kissing her!

Measure Twice--Knit Once

WHEW.  The sweater is finished and it turned out so much better than I thought it would.  It fits him perfectly as I pinned it on him during spring break before putting it together.  Talk about knitting from the hip.  This was a great learning experience for me and showed that I could indeed make something up as I went along.  I'm waiting for the zipper and of course it is now too warm to wear in Baltimore so I'll keep it here until he gets home.

I said I would throw a pattern together but I changed my mind.  It is written on 8 different pieces of paper and would be next to impossible to re-create.  My advise is to knit away and enjoy the process.  I'm hoping my next project involves a pattern.