Chez Maddy

Moorish Tavern

2010-06-28T19:47:00.003-05:00

This weekend I went to a mini war in northwestern Northshield called Moorish Tavern. It is an annual event, aways held at the same campground near the Canadian border. There are battles, and feasting, and singing. And there is often rain, was was the case this year. There was a brief but furious downpour, with 40 mile an hour winds. Some tents were tested, and some were swamped, but none fell.

In addition to the usual fighting in armor with swords and shields, there was also a rapier tournament to determine who would have the honor of wearing the Princess' Sleeve. The level of swords(wo)manship was outstanding. Sadly, in the final bout an accident occurred, resulting in Lord Marcus being rushed to the hospital with a dislocated knee. It must have been unbelievably painful, but he returned in a few hours on crutches and showed such high spirits and chivalry that the Princess named both he and Dona Margolit (his opponent during the final bout) as co-holders of the sleeve. She carefully cut it down the middle and gave half to each.

I was very excited to see Sir Yngvar, an old friend.

Also, there is a lady whom I love as a dear sister and friend, the honroable lady Eabblean of Castel Rouge. She is generous to a fault, always making garb and giving gifts to her friends. So about a dozen of us got together and planned to make her some garb she has always wanted: an Elizabethan loose gown over a kirtle with all the appropriate jewelry, foot wear and head gear. She cried. We were all very pleased with ourselves for that. *smirk*

It was a wonderful weekend. I applied bug juice religiously, but it must have been wiped off my feet by wet grass, because my feet look like smallpox victims. Yikes!

Lady Asny was pleased to approve the socks I am making her. Turns out they are a teeny bit narrow, but she was able to get them on. So iwill continue to work on those and plan to give them to her at 12th Nite. I had a great time!

The Lady Teresa Hat

2010-01-17T14:33:00.000-06:00

Here is the next installment in my Loopy Ladies Hat Patterns, each named for one of the gals in my Sunday afternoon knitting group. I like the vintage look, so each hat will (hopefully!) have that. The Lady Teresa Hat is loosely pattned after a sketch I saw for a 1920s cloche.

Lady Teresa Hat

This stylish hat is made with bulky yarn, making it a perfect quick knit. It is named for a gal in my Sunday afternoon knitting group, the Loopy Ladies. It is knit flat in seed stitch, then partially seamed and stitches picked up and knit in the round for the crown. A row of single crochet in a contrast color is added to the bottom edge of the brim to add interest. A button. vintage pin or knitted flower may be added above the notch at the nape of the neck. It can be purchased thru Ravelry.

Supplies:
Size 9 needles - straight, 16 inch circular and/or doublepoints
Size I crochet hook
Yarn Needle
Main Color – 110 yards of bulky weight yarn – I used KnitPicks Cadena
Contrast Color – Approximately 20 yards bulky weight yarn
8 stitch markers, one unique to mark the beginning of the round
1½ inch button, a knitted flower, a small brooch or a ribbon bow (optional)

Gauge – 14 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette – not critical

Turn the brim up over the forehead as desired.

This hat may be made and donated to a charity but not made a sold for profit.

The Lady Lorraine Hat

2009-12-05T15:34:00.000-06:00

This is a very easy, basic hat. You might call it the hat world's version of the little black dress, since it can be dressed up or down by adding an embellishment or two. The cool thing is by using brooches or ribbons or silk flowers on pins that the look can be changed daily to suit the occasion. I keep remembering that scene in the movie Auntie Mame where they are invited out for an impromptu Christmas Eve dinner and to dress up her plain hat Rosalind Russell snatches a sprig of something colorful from the christmas tree and sticks it in to her hat, making it instantly festive. The same thing can be done with this hat. After Christmas, take the pointsettia off and change to a brooch. The look of the hat can also be changed by how the brim is folded up. The brim can be folded only slightly at back and but widely over the eyes, or over an ear. Or evenly all the way around. This pattern is so easy that even a beginning knitter can make it.

I am continuing my hat series named after the gals in my knitting group. We call ourselves the Loopy Ladies, which explains why each pattern is named "Lady". Since I love vintage things most of these hats will have a vintage flavor to them. If you have any questions or the instructions are unclear please feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy!

The Lady Lorraine Hat

Materials:

Approximately 160 yards of light worsted weight yarn (I used KnitPicks Andean Treasure)

size 6 13" circular needles and/or size 6 double points

yarn needle

8 stitch markers, one unique (optional)

Gauge: 19 stitches over 4 inches or 4.75 stitches per inch

Will fit up to a 22.5 inch head. To make smaller or larger change needle size.

Instructions:

With circular needle cast on 104 stitches, place marker to indicate beginning of row, and join.

Row 1-7: Knit

Row 8: Purl

Row 9: Knit

Row 10: Purl

Row 11-35: Knit (about 3.75 inches)

Row 36: Purl

Row 37: Knit

Row 38: Purl

Row 39: Knit 13, place marker. Repeat.

Row 40: Knit 11, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 41 and all odd numbered rows until Row 63: Knit

Row 42: Knit 10, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat

Change to doublepoints when necessary.

Row 44: Knit 9, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 46: Knit 8, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 48: Knit 7, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 50: Knit 6, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 52: Knit 5, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 54: Knit 4, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 56: Knit 3, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 58: Knit 2, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 60: Knit 1, knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 62: Knit 2 together, slip marker. Repeat.

Row 63: Knit 2 together, discard marker. Repeat.

Row 64: Knit 2 together. Repeat.

Snip yarn so there is a 6 inch tail. Thread tail on yarn needle, draw through remaining 4 stitches. Take the tail to inside of hat and fasten off. Fasten off any other ends.

Turn up edge of hat as desired and add embellishments like silk flowers, ribbons, brooches, etc.

Bitten By the Hat Designing Bug

2009-12-02T21:49:00.000-06:00

Boy, I love hats. 50 years ago a woman didn't leave the house without a hat. My grandmother always wore a hat, the larger and fussier the better. I'm not so much in favor of large fussy hats (being only 5'1", a large hat would look a bit silly.) But today hats have pretty much gone by the wayside. Those of us in the frozen north wear winter hats outdoors to keep warm. But they are not very elegant. Many are attractive, some are cute, but not a lot of them are stylishly elegant.

Now, I'm not a trained designer, but how much goes into a hat anyway? It's basically a short tube, with one end open and the other closed. I can do that. And I will do that. My first adult hat, the Lady Jodie hat, is being well received on Ravelry, so I think I'm going to try a few more. I plan to name all my hats after ladies in my local knitting group. I don't think I'll be designing enough hats for everyone to have a design named after them so I'll draw names.

I'm pretty excited about this new project. Too bad it came up when I could be knitting Christmas gifts. :)

Lady Jodie Vintage Hat

2009-12-01T19:46:00.000-06:00

The hat theme for the November 2009 Hat! Hats! Hats! group on Ravelry.com was vintage hats. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. Cloche? Turban? So I came up with this hat, a combination of both styles. I particularly like the accent at the face edge. It looks sort of art deco-ish to me. The hat is knit flat, seamed and the stitches for the top are picked up and knit in the round. Then the i-cord accent is added. It is pretty quick and easy to make, thanks to the bulky weight yarn. I named this hat after my friend Jodie from my knitting group, the Loopy Ladies.

I'm not sure how adept I am at writing patterns, so bear with these directions and let me know if something is wrong or confusing.

Lady Jodie Hat

Materials:
100-110 yards bulky yarn (I used a little less than 1 skein Misti Alpaca Chunky)
size 10 needles, straight and double point
yarn needle
decorative button or brooch

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch.

Side Crown:
Cast on 23 stitches (for a taller forehead, cast on 26 stitches)
Row 1: *Knit 2, purl 1*, knit 2.
Row 2: *Purl 2, knit 1*, purl 2.
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until piece measures 21 inches. (Or longer/shorter, depending on how large the wearer's head is. It should be a half inch or so smaller than the wearer's actual head measurement).
Cast off.
Seam the sides together using mattress stitch (instructions here) or whatever stitch you prefer.

Top Crown:

Using double point needles, pick up 16 stitches on each of 4 needles along the top edge for a total of 64 stitches. If the side crown was knit longer than 22 inches, pick up 17 stitches per needle, knit rows 1 & 2, and decrease one extra time like this: knit 7, knit 2 together. Then continue with Row 3
Row 1: Knit every stitch
Row 2 and every even row until row 16: Knit every stitch
Row 3: Knit 6, knit 2 together. Repeat. 56 stitches left
Row 5: Knit 5, knit 2 together. Repeat. 48 stitches left
Row 7: Knit 4, knit 2 together. Repeat. 40 stitches left
Row 9: Knit 3, knit 2 together. Repeat. 32 stitches left
Row 11: Knit 2, knit 2 together. Repeat. 24 stitches left
Row 13: Knit 1, knit 2 together. Repeat. 16 stitches left
Row 15: Knit 2 together. 8 stitches left
Row 16: Knit 2 together. 4 stitches left.
Cut yarn, draw tail through the stitches using a yarn needle. Fasten off on inside of hat.

I Cord and Embellishment:

At top of seam in side crown pick up 8 stitches vertically.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Purl 2 together, knit 4, purl 2 together.
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Purl 2 together, knit 2, purl 2 together
Row 7: Knit
Begin I-cord. make I-cord for 11 inches.
Embelishment Part 1: (this is worked in stockinette until last couple rows)
Row 1: purl
Row 2: Knit front and back, knit 2, knit front and back. 6 stitches
Row 3: purl
Row 4: Knit front and back, knit 4, knit front and back. 8 stitches
Row 5: purl
Row 6: Knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back, knit 2, knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back. 12 stitches
Row 7: knit
Row 8: knit
Cast off.
Embellishment Part 2: (this is worked in stockinette until last couple rows)
On the back of Row 3 from the first embellishment pick up 6 stitches.
Row 1: Purl
Row 2: Knit front and back, knit 4 knit front and back. 8 stitches
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: Knit front and back, knit front and back, knit 4, knit front and back, knit front and back. 10 stitches
Row 5: Purl
Row 6: Knit front and back, knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back, knit 3, knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back. 15 stitches
Row 7: Purl
Row 8: Knit front and back, knit 5, knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back, knit 5, knit front and back. 19 stitches.
Row 9: Purl
Row 10: Knit front and back, knit 7, knit front and back, knit 1, knit front and back, knit 7, knit front and back. 22 stitches.
Row 11: Knit
Row 12: Knit
Cast off.

Finishing the Hat:

Weave in ends.

Lay the I-Cord so it slants diagonally accross the hat from the top front to the opposite bottom of hat. Tack the embellishment down so it hangs a little over the bottom edge of the hat. Also tack down the I-Cord in a few places. Add a button or brooch.

Swine Flu? Or Seasonal Flu?

2009-11-03T08:44:00.000-06:00

I've got something. I got the seasonal flu shot on October 13, along with a kenalog shot for my allergies anad asthma. On the 22nd I went home from work early with aches and a sore throat. Over the next few days my temp went up to 101.8. On Tuesday Oct 27 I went back to work. I still felt pretty miserable, but I didn't think I had a temp. I didn't actually check it, but I didn't have the headache anymore. Just extremely tired. On Friday October 30 I survived the day at work but my throat was sore again. Sat I was officially sick again. Temp back up to 101, and the cough began. A wet, thick cough that burns in my chest. On Monday I had wheezing and tightness in my chest. The fever is low in the morning, and climbs in the afternoon and evening. So today I'm off to the clinic. I hope I'm not just wasting their time and my money. But a woman I know had similar symptoms and they put her in the hospital for a few days. Better safe than sorry?

Starburst Snood

2009-09-14T10:53:00.001-05:00

This weekend my shire hosted the Coronation of Sigfried and Elizabeth von Kulmbach, who stepped up as King and Queen of Northshield. I sat Troll for the first three hours with Ravenna, Serena and Raymond, then wandered around and visited with friends. I had spent the previous week altering my Bia de Medici gown.
It still isn’t right and I probably won’t wear it again.

But I whipped up a snood that I thought turned out quite nicely. I had originally intended it to be all metallic gold, but I didn't have enough of it, so I had to use some black lace weight silk/wool thread to finish last rounds instead. And, actually, I like it even better the way it turned out. Several people told me it was really cool, because the gold star seemed to float at the back of my head. Some people asked for the pattern, so here it is.

Starburst Snood
Materials:
Color A: Metallic gold crochet cotton size 10
Color B: Crochet cotton in the color closest to the wearer’s hair
#5 crochet hook

With Color A (Gold thread), chain 5, join with a slip stitch to form ring
Rnd 1: sl st in ring, chain 3, 19 dc in ring, join w/ sl st to 3rd beg chain
Rnd 2: ch 4, (dc, chain 1) in ea stitch around; 20 ch-sps
Rnd 3: sl st in next chain-space, ch 1, sc in same ch-sp, (ch 10, sc) in ea ch-sp around to last sp, ch 5, dtr in starting sc to make last loop
Rnd 4: (ch 10, sc) in ea loop around, to make last loop – ch 5, dtr in dtr of previous Rnd. Break off.

Change to Color B

Rnd 5-8: (ch 10, sc) in ea loop around, to make last loop – ch 5, dtr in dtr of previous Rnd.
Rnd 9: ch 5, sc in same loop, * ch 5, sc in next loop, (ch 5, sc in same loop) twice, rep from * around to last ch loop, (ch 5, sc in last loop) ch 3, dc in dtr of prev Rnd; 60 ch-loops
Rnd 10: ch 4, sc in same loop, * ch 4, sc in next loop, (ch 4, sc in same loop) twice, rep from * around to last ch loop, (ch 4, sc in last loop) ch 1, dc in dtr of prev Rnd. Fasten off.

Crock Pot Dying and More

2009-09-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to go up to Lake Winnipeg this weekend for Gimli. Gimli is one of my all time favorite SCA events because it is so laid back and so many friends attend too. But due to headaches expenses (new pillow, new memory foam mattress pad, new massaging shower head, visits to the eye doctor and chiropractor)and car repair (new tire)I found myself without the funds to be able to make it up there. And altho I'll miss seeing friends I am going to enjoy a quiet weekend getting caught up on my reading and fiber pursuits.

A gal (Hi, Fiberbrarian!)on the North Dakota Knitters group on www.Ravelry.com posted about crock pot dying and I've always wanted to try it. I've done some other types of dying but not the crock pot dying. It looks much less messy than other methods. So I bought a beat up crock pot at a thrift store, got out 4 ounces of mystery wool roving and my four packets of Kool Aid and set to work.

It was pretty easy. After soaking the wool in water for a while I wound one layer of roving over the bottom of the crock pot, sprinkled some lemon-lime Kool Aid over it, wound another layer, sprinkled grape Kool Aid over it, wound again and added Cherry Kool Aid, Wound one more time and sprinkled the 2nd pack of Lemon Lime. I still had more wool and I was out of Kool Aid and room in the crock pot. So I pulled the excess roving free and set it aside. I added water and vinegar and put a lid on the CrockPot and let it go for 2.5 hours on low.

I poured a bit (way too much, actually) of some Country Colors "spruce" colored dye in HOT water in my mayo jar and shook it up to mix. I added the extra ounce of wool, screwed the lid on and let it sit as long as the crock pot. After the time was up I let the roving cool a bit then rinsed it a LONG time to get the excess dye to run out. Actually, there was no excess dye in the crock pot. The Kool Aid exhausted itself nicely. The country colors dye in the mayo jar, however, was still a dark teal in the water and a light tourquoise in the roving. I'm guessing that since I didn't apply heat to the jar the dye didn't take as well. So this morning I set a screen over a simmering stock pot and laid the wool on it to steam the color in. Hopefully that will work.

I hung the roving up in the bathtub to dye and this morning I couldn't wait to get started spinning. I think I'll make socks.

What I learned from my first attempt at Crock Pot Dying:
1. Sprinkle the Kool Aid carefully over the roving so as to not have a big pile of Kool Aid in one place.
2. Put darker colors on the bottom. The lemon-lime I used on the first layer of wool was no where to be found.
3. Don't leave the nice soft roving unattended unless you want your cat to think you've made her a new bed.

An Update

2009-08-23T10:21:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since I posted so I thought I should do an update.

Spinning:
I have finished plying the three bobbins of the white mystery wool. I intend this to be for my Einstein Coat. I have 310 yards of three ply aran weight completed. That means I am a quarter of the way done with that. My knitting group the Loopy Ladies are having a dying day in October. I had hoped to have it all spun by then, but I seriously doubt it. Spinning just plain white wool is not exciting. So I'm taking a little break and will spin some of the hand dyed silk tussah. Not sure what to do with it yet. Maybe one ply silk, one ply wool for a shawl?

Knitting:
I am currently working on
*a pair of socks for a friend for 12th Nite
*a skirt for me out of Amaizing, the corn silk ribbon yarn
*the Guild Mystery Shawl Knit-A-Long
*a top down raglan sweater for me
I just completed the
*Quincy hat for a friend
*dishcloth for the 12 Dancing Dishcloths Swap

Health: I have had a headache for about 4 weeks now. I made an eye appointment and found out that my right eye has gotten much worse. So that could be it. I saw a chiropractor and was told that the muscles in my neck and upper shoulders were very tense. Could be the eye strain, could be that I clench my teeth at night, could becould be a number of things. The only significant change in my life around that time is that I started dieting seriously. The doc might have been joking when she said to add a little chocolate to my diet but I am taking that seriously. Also got a massaging shower head and will use it daily. The headache was especially bad this morning so I'm staying home from church. Feel bad about it as I am one of the counters for the church offering this month. But counting is hard when you can't see straight.

Dieting: Well, that is going so-so. I am down to 153.6 as of last Monday. I won't get on the scale again until tomorrow. I suspect I've gone up as I haven't been excersising lately aside from the sewing room re-organization.

Other: Sewing Room - I have been slowly going through every thing I own that is stored in the sewing/guest room and making piles of what I will give to friends, what will be given to the Salvation Army, what can be kept and what will be thrown away. That includes jewelry making supplies, garb, magazines and patterns, scrapbooking, quilting, embroidery, dying, spinning... It is a complete mess in there right now, but by the time Coronatin and crashers come around I'll have a nice tidy room for them with a futon.
Card Weaving Class - I didn't get to teach it, but Guilianna and Asny did and it sounds like it went great. It makes me want to warp up my loom right now and start a new project. Maybe trim for that green tunic?
Furniture Shuffle - I have been given a single size futon for the sewing room. So I want to throw the living room couch away and move the sofa sleeper to the livingroom. Then I can have a single person in the sewing room and a couple in the livingroom. And I bought a nice sewing table online. So the humongous table I have now can be put in the trash.

So there's my update. Probably more than you needed to know about me. :)

Play-Time For Beginning Card Weaving

2009-08-06T22:05:00.000-05:00

A friend and I were going to go to Minot to teach a card weaving class in late August, but life has gotten in the way and we can't make it after all. It's disappointing since I wanted to meet all those fun people out in Minot. I put a couple hours getting a handout together and I don't want to waste that time. So I'm posting it here. This is not proofed, so I'm not absolutely positive these directions make sense. I was planning on following the directions word for word as sort of a trial run before we gave the class to catch any errors, but since I'm not teaching after all... Anyway, here is my rough draft class handout for card weaving:

PLAY TIME CARD WEAVING
FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
Warning: This class is being taught by a couple of amateur card weavers who love weaving but have only limited experience in teaching it

Materials:
*16 cards (playing cards cut square and with holes punched in each of the 4 corners will work in a pinch)
*Crochet cotton in 4 different colors, approx 25 yards of each of four colors and an additional 5 yards of one color for the weft
* Flat small shuttle (a paint stirrer cut into a six inch piece with shallow notches cut in the short ends or a wide comb will work in a pinch)
*Scissors
Optional items that may be helpful: a niddy noddy or a pair of chairs or a couple friends, 2 heavy duty safety pins, a pencil, magic marker.

Note: a loom is not necessary for this playtime
2nd Note: This style of card weaving is an ancient technique called Egyptian Diagonals

Preparing the Warp:

Cut 16 threads 4 feet long of each of the 4 colors
Easiest way to do this is to use a niddy noddy. If you don’t have a niddy noddy or you want a longer warp, have volunteers stand with their hands up like a giant niddy noddy. Now take your crochet cotton and wind around the niddy noddy (or volunteers) sixteen times. Cut the crochet cotton through all wraps and tie a knot at one end. This is the “A” thread. Lay it aside and be careful to not get the strands tangled. Repeat for the other three colors. You will have a separate pile of A, B, C and D threads, each a different color. Suppose A=Red, B=Blue, C=Yellow and D=Green.

Preparing the Weft:

This is very simple. If you have a small shuttle simply wind approx 5 yards of thread around it. If you have no shuttle, you can wind a butterfly or even a loose ball of the weft thread and use a pencil to pack the weft into the shed. Set aside until it’s time to weave.

Threading in the Cards:

OK, now the fun begins. Take a card and insert one “A” thread through the “A” hole (boy, I tried to find a different way to say that, but I can’t think of one) in the card, from the front to the back. Now thread a “B” thread in the “B” hole, from front to back. Then a “C” thread in the “C” hole from front to back, and a “D” thread in the “D” hole from front to back. In this sort of pattern all the cards are threaded from the front to the back. Other patterns mix it up, which creates different patterns. For now, we’ll just do this. Repeat until all 16 cards have been threaded like this. Smooth all the thread so each strand lays smoothly, and the tension is consistent with the other threads, then tie a knot at the end with the loose threads.

Beginning to Weave:

Tie the back knot to a doorknob or the knob of a chair or use a big safety pin to secure it to the back of a padded chair or a couch or something stationary. Husbands are a possibility, but children are a no go for this. Ask us how we know that.
Tie the knot that is in front of the cards to yourself. If you have long ends you can tie them around your waist, but if short ends you can pin the knot to your pants belt loop or tie it to your belt or whatever. Lean back a little to put tension on the warp.
Now, slide your cards about 6 or 7 inches away from you, so they are within comfortable reach. Arrange the cards so that the first card has the “A” hole in the top corner closest to you. Turn the next card so the “B” hole is in the top corner closest to you. Turn the third card so the “C” hole is in the top corner closest to you. Turn the fourth card so the “D” hole is in top corner closest to you. Repeat until all the cards are in that order: A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D. You may want to mark the top edge of your pack of cards with a magic marker so you will always know when you are back to the starting position. You are ready to go! (Unless your weft is some place you can’t reach. Bummer. Untie yourself and go get it.)

Basic Weaving

Slide the cards back and forth until you can easily see your shed. The space between the top threads and the bottom threads is the shed. Put a pencil (or pen, stick or whatever) in the shed between you and the cards. Turn the pack of cards all together at the same time, away from you, once. That means the magic marker stripe is now facing away from your body. Put your weft (shuttle if you have it) through the shed from one side to the other, leaving a six inch tail on one side, turn the cards away from you once more. The magic marker stripe is on the bottom now. Put the weft through the shed again, and use the edge of the shuttle (or a pencil, popsicle stick or whatever) to beat the weft in. I tend to do this almost too hard, because my weaving turns out really tight and stiff. You can experiment to see what works best for you. Turn the cards all together away from you again. The magic marker stripe is facing you. Pass the weft thru and beat it in. Turn the cards once again away from you, pass the weft thru and beat it in. The magic marker stripe is facing up once again. Congratulations! You are back to the home position and you should see that the warp is making slanted lines.

Play Time!

Now comes the fun part! No, really, this is the fun part, I promise! Experiment in making designs. Later you can do a project using just one design element if you like, but for now let’s just goof around and see what we can make. The sky is the limit with this. The only concern might be that if you turn more one direction than another, your tension will tighten and make it hard to turn the cards. In that case just give yourself a little more slack by moving closer to the back knot.

Making ZigZags
Turn the cards altogether at the same time away from you 8 times, and then towards you eight times. You will be able to clearly see the way the pattern changes into a zigzag pattern.
Making Diamonds
Take the eight cards on your right and put them slightly away from you and take the eight cards on your left and put them slightly closer to you. Then turn the 8 closer to you towards you and the 8 slightly further from you away from you. Do this four times. Then switch and turn the cards furthest from you towards you and the cards closest to you away four times. Then switch again. Or turn 8 times before switching.
Making Fancy Furrows
Back at Home position, Turn 2 cards one direction and the other 14 in the other. Repeat 3 more times. Now turn 4 cards in one direction and 12 in the other 4 times. Now turn 6 cards in one direction and 10 in the other direction 4 times. Then turn 8 cards in one direction and 8 cards in the other directio, then 10 cards in one direction and 6 in the other direction… You get the idea. Just play around and have fun with card weaving.

Finishing the Weaving
When you are finished or have run out of warp, unhook yourself from the thread. Untie the knot at front of the weaving. Tie the beginning weft thread to one of the warp threads. Divide the loose front threads into 8 groups and tie double knots to keep the weaving from unraveling. Trim the ends to the length desired. Do the same at the back. Perhaps braid the ends into decorative fringe, or add beads for an attractive bookmark. If you don’t want the fringed warp ends to show you can thread a needle and run your warp threads into the back of your weaving. Now you can use this strip of weaving as a hat band, or a bookmark, or just to prove you did it.

Congratulations! You are Card Weavers!

My New Weight Loss Lifestyle

2009-07-03T09:12:00.001-05:00

I joined SparkPeople a couple weeks ago with the goal of being able to track what I'm actually eating and to find a place where I can find other people to help me be accountable to. Sigh.

I have been doing the Spark People thing for over two weeks now. I have cut my calories by an average of 400 a day. I have had 3 glasses of mountain dew during that time when normally I had 3 glassses a day, and I excercised 10 of those days, where normally I would have excercised 2 days. I have worn a path from my desk at work to the bathroom from all the water I drink. I started out at 156.6 pounds. This morning I weighed 156.6 pounds. That is what I call depressing. I'm giving up a lot of things I enjoy and doing things I don't enjoy with nothing to show for it. It's enough to make a girl cry. Sure, I know some of the meds I'm on make it difficult to lose weight, and I wasn't expecting to drop 2 pounds a week, but maybe a half pound a week? Please? I'll go cry now. Then I'll go do some fabric retail therapy and then hit the gym on the way home.

Silks, Needles & More Report

2009-06-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

The event was excellent!

We had 19 classes on all types of fibery goodness, from spinning, to period knitted stockings, to goldwork to bobbin lace. What an incredibly fun and educational day!

Those who were between classes sat in the common room and worked on projects while chatting.

The A&S competition was marvellous. So many entries in such a diverse range of techniques! The over all winner was Baroness Saraidh with her wonderful hand woven velvet and a close second was Lady Isobel with the intricately embroidered collar and cuffs. Her Highess Princess Elizabeth also selected an entry to honor. I just kept going over to the A&S tables to drool over the entries. They were all so good!

A gentle of our Shire hand crafted a card weaving loom to be raffled off. All proceeds will be donated to the Kingdom Endowment Fund. I'm not sure of the exact amount raised, but I believe it was a little over $30.00. We also had a jar at Troll for anyone who wanted to donate to the Fund.

Lunch was yummy. Chicken and barley soup was perfect for a cold wet day.

All in all, I think it was a great event. We'll probably do it again in 2011.

Silks, Needles & More

2009-06-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

The event is just a couple days away! 19 classes on knitting, spinning, embroidery and weaving will be held in Fargo on Saturday. I had intended to put together a local sort of event on embroidery with maybe 5-6 classes for two or three SCA groups in the area to get together for. It's such a specialized sort of thing that I thought we'd have maybe 30 people tops. Just to be polite I did make an announcement on the Kingdom listserv. Next thing I know, I've got respected experts offering to drive 500 miles to teach at the event. Wow! It's gonna be lots of fun. The hard thing is we'll have 5 classes going at a time, so I won't get to go to all the classes I want. Go to the shire website and click on the Silks, Needles & More graphic to see the class list and schedule.

Sad News

2009-05-19T05:45:00.000-05:00

I was told that Darcy, a friend from Brandon Manitoba, passed a away early this morning. He had been ill for some time, but still managed to travel long distances to SCA events, where he maintained a cheerful attitude and flirted with all the girs. I just saw him 10 days ago at Crown. I didn't know him that well, but when I read Isobel's (his wife) post I started to cry. I was always so glad to see him at events. He always smiled. When I asked how he was doing he always said, "Oh, pretty good." If I pressed he might admit to being a bit tired. The picture is of me and Darcy up at Castel Rouge's 12th Night four months ago. I like imagine Darcy in heaven, not worrying about new treatments or being tired anymore, totally happy and relaxed.

My Kromski Minstrel

2009-05-17T18:32:00.001-05:00

I have a new frind at my house: Zoja the Minstrel. I really love the double treadle. I have to work on the tension to figure it out, but I did manage to spin some yarn with it over the weekend. See? Purple and dark pink with flecks of glitter in it. I was planning to knit a shawl with it, but there's not enough yardage so it will probably be a scarf.

I am currently spinning some nice light weight sock yarn in blue and lavender.

YAY! I love Zoja!

Blizzard Day means Knitting Day!

2008-12-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

Today North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota are experiencing the first blizzard of the year. Quite a few businesses in Fargo are closed, which considering that it is prime christmas shopping time, really says something about the weather. My church was cancelled this morning, which was kind of a relief, since I didn't want to drive in this mess.The view outside my window (a limited view, admittedly, since I live in an apartment with only eastern facing windows) is very hazy due to blowing snow. The garages only 15 feet away are shadowy and after that it's just a wall of white. You can believe that I am going nowhere today. I've even turned my heat on for the first time this year. Normally my apartment is pretty warm without the heat on. But I guess those 40 mile an hour gusts of cold wind are... well, cold. So on goes the heat.

It's a perfect day to stay home and eat soup, and read or knit or watch movies. I dread going to work tomorrow, but for now I'm going to stay home, read a sappy Christmas romance by Grace Livingston Hill and knit. On www.Ravelry.com the Nodak Knitters group has been planning a Blizzard Knit/Crochet Along for a month now. Each participant chose their yarn and pattern a week or more ago and put them away from when the first blizzard hit. The pattern was encouraged to be a hat, mittens, scarf or other cold weather gear item. I was going to do a hat for myself, but the blizzard came before Christmas so I cast on the hat I need to make for my nephew for Christmas. I was going to do a cloche style hat like the one Angelina Jolie wears in the movie Changeling. I've already made one for my friend Astrid.

Here's a pic of the 1920's cloche hat that I knitted and felted for her. I like the slit in the back. I think I'll have to make another one for myself after the blizzard.

Portable Knitting Tote Pattern

2008-11-27T12:10:00.000-06:00

I've had a lot of people compliment me on my felted tote bag that I take with me to my knitting night. It carries everything I need for an evening of knitting with the gals at the coffee shop. I have my wallet in the bottom of the bag, my knitting pattern and doo-dads in the pocket, and my knitting project in the bag. This is an extremely easy project. It has a round flat bottom so it sits upright on the floor by your chair as you knit. Gauge is not important and if your stitches are a bit wonky that disappears with felting. This is a great way to use up those left over odds and ends of feltable wool yarn. You could make stripes, or simple blocks of color. Make it as tall or short as you like.

Finished Measurements:

11" deep by 9.5" in diameter. Since felted projects are imprecise when it comes to shrinkage, these measurements may not be exactly replicated. But a bag doesn't need to fit, so just have fun.

Materials:

*Approximately 3 skeins of Brown Sheep Bulky, or about 350-400 yards of bulky weight wool yarn.

*29" circular needle size 11

*double point needles size 11

*5 stitch markers, one different to mark the begining of the round.

*yarn needle

Directions:

Cast on 30 stitches , place marker, cast on 60 stitches, place marker, cast on 30 stitches, place unique marker to mark beginning of round. The other two markers mark the handles for later. There is a total of 120 stitches. Join to knit in the round.

Bag Handles

*Round 1: Knit every stitch, slipping the markers.

*Round 2: Purl every stitch.

*Round 3: Knit every stitch.

*Round 4: Purl every stitch.

*Round 5: Knit to first marker, slip marker, bind off 20 sitches, knit to the next marker, slip marker, bind off 20 stitches, knit to end.

*Round 6: Knit to first marker, drop marker, cast on 10 stitches, knit to next marker, drop marker, cast on 10 stitches, knit to end. There are 100 stitches left, and only one marker for the beginning of the round.

*Round 7: Purl every stitch.

Bag Body

*Round 8-58: Knit every stitch in whichever color pattern you might like. You can knit fewer or more rounds as you please.

*Round 59-60: Purl every stitch

Bag Bottom

*Round 61: Knit 20, place marker, repeat. You will have 5 markers.

*Round 62: Knit 18, knit 2 together, repeat. Decreased 5 stitches.

*Round 63: Knit around.

*Repeat rounds 62 & 63 until you must switch to double points. When you have a total of 30 stitches left, decrease every round. When you have 5 stitches left, cut yarn and run through the remaining stitches. Pull tight and fasten off.

Pocket - work back and forth

*Cast on 20 stitches.

*Rows 1-3 Knit every stitch.

*Row 4: Knit 2, purl 16, knit 2.

*Row 5: Knit every stitch.
*Rows 6-20: Repeat Row 4 & 5.

*Rows 21-24: Knit every stitch

*Cast off.

Sew the pocket to the bag with left over yarn.

Felt the bag thoroughly. Before you start it might look huge and floppy,

but it will shrink. I ran mine through the hot cycle in the washer twice. The thicker your felted fabric is the stiffer the bag will be and will be able to stand up by itself. Dry it thoroughly. I put mine upside down over a plastic lamp shade. A plastic dinner plate could be put into the bottom, making the bottom of the bag stetch a bit and then the bag could be hung upside down to dry.

Thankful

2008-11-25T17:40:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for tea. A cup of tea doesn't actually cure all ills, but it helps calm the shattered nerves of a woman who has nursed her beaten car home from an accident. I'm thankful for friends give hand made mugs and elephant teapots to drink the tea from. I'm thankful for the concerned words from friends who care. I am thankful for a God who hears prayers. I am thankful for friends who are able to come over to look at the beaten car and pronounce it salvagable, even if only temporarily, and promise to look at it again on Sunday and get it drive-able again. I am thankful for a church where people care about one another. I am thankful for a quiet apartment where a woman can cry in private without an audience judging her. I am thankful for cats who look curious and sympathetic when they jump into a lap and purr.

I suppose the traditional thing at Thanksgiving is to be thankful for things that are a little more vague. But these are some of the things I am more immediately thankful for.

Look! Stripes!!!

2008-11-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

Yes, the yarn that I dyed on Saturday actually creates stripes. I'm so proud!

Look!! Stripes!!

2008-11-07T22:02:00.000-06:00

Well, it couldn't be helped. I couldn't stay away from the yarn I dyed last Saturday. I just *had* to know if the stripes would work. And they did! See?

Today was the last day to mail swap packages for early shipping points. I will not ship mine until probably Monday, depending on when a particular item flies to my door. But just about everything else is ready. There's yarn to pet, and chocolate to drool over and a few other fun things in the bag.

Yarn Dying Day

2008-11-03T17:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a long time since I posted, and I don't really have any excuse. But I'm posting now.

This weekend the Loopy Ladies got together to hand dye yarn. Sock yarn, mostly, but I put half a pound of merino roving in a pot. All in all. it went well. The burgundy dye wasn't burgundy; it was grape. The sapphhire blue and the sky blue were almost identicle. We tried to make eggplant by adding a bit of black to purple, but it turned out almost the same as the persimmon. Live and learn, eh? Still, a very productive weekend.

Quidditch!

2008-09-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

Here's the quiz for this round.

1. At the beginning of the book, Cornelius Fudge is talking to the Muggle Prime Minister. Which member of the Order of the Phoenix has recently been found dead?c. Emmeline Vance

2. What animal does Bellatrix Lestrange kill when she and her sister, Narcissa, are going to see Professor Snape?b. Fox

3. What time does Professor Dumbledore collect Harry from Privet Drive?b. 11 p.m.

4. What did Professor Slughorn transform into when he was trying to hide from Harry and Professor Dumbledore?a. An armchair

5. What grade did Harry get for Herbology?a. E – Exceeds Expectation

6. Herbert Chorley, the Prime Minister’s Junior Minster, has been entertaining the public by impersonating which animal?b. A duck

7. What is Professor Sprout’s first name?d. Pomona

8. What is Dumbledore’s idea of ‘a few words’?d. nitwit, oddment, blubber and tweak

9. Who is Marcus Belby’s famous uncle?b. Damocles

10. What is Snape’s mother’s name?b. Eileen Prince

On The Mend

2008-09-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling better. I have made it through 2 full days at work. Got pulled into a room with the other two Process Analysts to be told my job had been eliminated. Nearly died of a heart attack before my boss went on to explain that we had all been promoted to a new position. I didn't quite catch the title. Operations Manager? I don't think it's that. She also didn't mention what the exact pay increase would be, just that it was "significant". It will bump us up into the next bracket for the Christmas bonus. Oh, and that our workload would be increasing. Figures. I can't handle the work I have right now.

Some other things happened at work that we are not allowed to discuss yet. Suffice it to say that it drove me and a co worker to Paradiso for a glass of wine. Ya gotta love CMS.

The Usual Crap

2008-09-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

I have been sick since Wednesday. Sore throat turned into a nasty cough (yes, instant replay of the week after Labor Day) and headache and really bad raspy breathing. My inhaler doesn't work and neither does the Singulair. I sound like I'm gargling gravel in my chest when I breathe. On Thursday afternoon my boss told me to Go Home. I called my doctor's office, but she had no openings until the following week. Sad, isn't it, when your primary care physician can't see you? Why are they called "primary care" when you end up only seeing them for your annual physical? Anyway, I went to the walk in clinic and they said, of course, sino-bronchitis and borderline pneumonia. I got a Z-pack and the cough syrup and took them religiously. Went to work the next morning and made it for an hour. My stomach was violently unhappy. After breaking into a sweat, swallowing a sudden flood of hot saliva and heaving fruitlessly into my wastebasket I gave up and went home. I hadn't been eating much of anything for a couple days and I think the codeine-ated cough syrup made me sick. I quit taking it. I'd rather cough than barf. But it would be nice to lay down and not cough, I admit. The nausea persisted for about 20 hours. Yuck. Give me pain any day. On Saturday night my temp was 103.4. I called the clinic hotline and asked if that was really bad. I was told to monitor my temp carefully and if it went up anymore to come in right away. And to drink lots of water and rest. Yada-yada. I didn't even go to church this morning. I'm a Sunday School teacher. One of these Sundays I'm going to have to go to church and teach, huh? I didn't go to my Sunday afternoon knitting group, either. I'm not going to work tomorrow. Where I work we get our birthday off with pay. Good. I won't have to take any vacation time tomorrow. Happy birthday to me.

I think I may be on the mend now. I made supper and ate a healthy portion. It's the first day I've eaten much of anything since Wednesday. I dropped almost 6 pounds in the last 5 days. I've been awake for several hours at a stretch too. My temp is hovering around 100.8. I cast on a hat for one of the evil aunties. I changed my sheets. See? On the mend.

And the kitties have been very solicitous. They sleep right alongside me and keep the bed warm when I get up to take another hit off my inhaler or get a drink of water. Ain't they sweet?

Coronation!

2008-09-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

Coronation was a great event for me. I got to see friends I don't see often like Petey and Daye, and I got to meet some new fun people like Carol (Sigred?)and Sionach (spelling on that last name is off, I'm sure). Before morning court actually got started I showed Sionach how to spin. She had some lovely wool and a nice top whorl spindle. She picked up spinning very quickly. It wasn't until the peers went to swear fealty to the new royals that I realized she was a laurel. She was very easy to talk to. I hope I get to see more of her. During morning court I saw that Carol had brought out her knitting, so I got my Ugly Sock project out to work on.

Speaking of socks! I brought the socks I had knitted for Lusche and gave them to her. She was gracious about it. She made me feel really appreciated. It's nice when someone is like that when you give them something you spent hours on. All of my SCA friends ahd been very nice about the socks I've made for them.

I got to talk to almost everybody I had wanted to. It's funny, but I see my local friends more often at events than I do at home. I went out to lunch with Una, Toramassa, Giulia and Meredith. Meredith's new baby is a doll.

For supper Christiana and I went out to Perkins. It was really great to spend some time with her. She's one of those humble people who does more than her fair share of the work, but only says that she enjoys it.

After we finished we went back to site and sat with Darcy and Isabel while they were finishing up the last remove of feast. Christiana hadn't met them before. I'm so glad they were able to come. It was a really small turn out for Kingsom event, but with the cost of gas, I suppose that's normal. Darcy is looking really good. He's considering a Norman/Saxon persona

All in all, it was a wonderful event, and thank goodness I was feeling well enough to participate and visit with friends. My next event will be Crown in Midewinde, thanks to Hrodir helping me financially.

Long Time, No Write

2008-09-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yep, summer is finally coming to a close. Yay! I'm probably in a very small minority, but I don't like summer. I want cool weather, the kind when you want to curl under an afghan while you read or watch TV.

What's going on with me right now?

1. I had a root canal on Tuesday. Feels much better now.

2. Caught a cold on Monday and although I forced myself to go to work Wed and Thursday I let myself go home early today.

3. A bag that I knitted for my Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap was selected to appear on Knitting Daily TV. Unfortunatey I had to decline because I gave the bag away and don't have it to send. The bag was meant to be a "Hufflepuff" sock knitting bag. See?

4. In order to comfort myself after the root canal I went to the yarn shop and spent too much money.

5. Since I wasn't able to attend Gimli (thank you very much, rotten tooth) I will be able to go to Coronation. Can't decide if I should wear my Japanese or if I should wear the Byzantine. The new king has a japanese persona. I should wear japanese. If I wear Japanese it would not be correct to wear the baronial coronet. But this is coronation. The coronet is part of the pageantry of the day. Besides *thrust lower lip out* I want to wear the coronet!

Off to drink Nyquil and nap.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap Package Arrived!

2008-07-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have in my possession, all the way from historic Utrecht in the Netherlands, a very large box full of wonderful goodies! The chocolate, royal mints and stroopwafels are to die for. The yarn is heavenly, the patterns appear challenging and the bag is delightful! And best of all for a SCAdian like me are the small illuminations of medieval saints from the Cathedral of St. Maarten.

This is going to be a lovely evening. I have a good book to read, imported chocolate from Europe and a running air conditioner.

Stressed

2008-07-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow at work was supposed to be a nice quiet day of getting leisurely caught up on the things i've been putting off. Today started out a little rushed. I punched in at 7am (my usual time) and read and answered emails until 8, when I had a computer class. That ended at 10:30 so i went back to my desk and answered the next round of emails and answered questions for the staff. Meeting for the PAR goal at 11. Healthy weight pep talk at noon. Supposedly I could get some work done from 12:30 to 2, when my next meeting for the Quarterly Release was. But no, that was at 1. So I rushed in there a little late. It was a pretty quick meeting though and I was out by 1:30. Back to emails and answering questions. So far, a pretty regular day. Then, at 2:00 my day went south.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) had made a request for a 200 page spreadsheet to be compiled and turned into their office by July 1. My boss had completely forgotten it. So at 2:00 one of the gals who would normally compile that data gave me a crash course in how to do it. It took her about three weeks to learn how to do that. I got 15 minutes and a couple pages of hastily scribbled instructions. From 2:00 to 4:30 I got most of ONE page doen. Oh, good. Only 199 left.

We have 28 people working in our department. Guess how many will be in tomorrow. Give up? Me too. 4. We will have four people in my department tomorrow. There's no way on God's green earth that i can have that spreadsheet put together. That's bad enough. Even worse is the fact that on my way out the door my boss stopped me to tell me that that *&%^&($ lawyer wants another fax sent. Last time I sent him a fax (after spending two hours doing something I have not be trained for) I made an admittedly stupid error and he had me reported to the Vice President and the company policy says that if such an error is reported it must be followed up. That was the day I bawled like a baby in my boss' office for an hour and offered to put in my notice. Now I get to go through all that again? I'm not sure I can.

I hope I survive tomorrow without having a hysterical weeping fit.

I am depressed and not dealing with it well. I have a sick feeling in my stomach and can't decide if i wish tomorrow would never come or if I'd rather just get it over with.

Busy, busy

2008-06-29T18:05:00.000-05:00

I've been keeping myself pretty darned busy the last couple of weeks. I've been spinning and dying yarn, writing my romance story and sewing a camping tunic for Bayard the Turner. He and his daughter have been great additions to our shire. In turn he's making me some drop spindles. Did I mention that he's a wood turner? A camping tunic should be made of a nice natural fiber so it breathes better in the heat. This is a 55% linen, 45%cotton. It's an ugly but very period color. I'm calling it baby pooh green. I couldn't find any store bought ribbon or trim in my stash so instead I did a bit of simple embroidery with wool yarn around the neck and wrists. That was a littel more work than I had planned to do for a simple camping tunic. but what the heck. This will work great for camping events and some demos.

As I said I've also been doing some spinning and dying. Here are a couple of the skeins of yarn I made. The top one I'm keeping for me, but green one I'm sending off to my Slytherin Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap partner. Strangely, I have not been doing any knitting lately. On Tuesday July 1 the local baseball league game is going to be themed Stitch aand Pitch. I have tickets, one for me and one for a friend. I don't know how much knitting I'll actually get done, but I'm saving the foot of Lusche's sock for Tuesday night. Good old plain stockingette is what you want to take to the ball game, right? Something small like a sock is perfect. And now that i'm down to the foot there's no counting, no purling, just plain knitting.

Calling 911

2008-06-21T00:37:00.000-05:00

At about 11:20 tonight I heard the neighbors fighting. There were several loud crashes, like someone being shoved into a wall or something breaking against the wall. Or slamming doors. My whole was apartment jarred by it. It sounded like a man and a woman fighting. I couldn't distinguish words. At the end of this episode I heard a woman's voice shout loudly "Help!" I debated a few seconds and decided to call 911. I wasn't about to go down the hall toward what might be a violent fight in my nightgown. But I didn't want to cause extra work for the police if this was nothing. The police arrived in about 5 minutes and they went to the apartment I had indicated and found only 2 men there. Hm. They knocked on my door to get clarification and to tell me they had found nothing next door. They said they would check out the apartments below me and above me and I haven't heard from them since. Either they found nothing or they found something and took care of it.

I know I didn't imagine or misunderstand the word "Help!" There has been no further disturbance. I hope those people the police questioned don't hold a grudge against me. Everytime I hear a loud noise I get a scared feeling in my stomach. I was going to say it brings me back to my childhood except that as much as mom and dad fought they never got physically violent. So what's my problem? What is the chance that whoever it is would want to get revenge on me?

Anytime a woman asks for help she should get it . Actually, anytime anyone of either gender calls for help they should get it. Did I do the right thing? Or did I stick my nose into something that is none of my business?

Hats! My New Favorite Project!

2008-05-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

My first knitting love is socks. They are the perfect project. Small enough to go anywhere, with a vast range of yarns and patterns. Socks can be super easy and mindless, like plain vanilla stockinette, or intricately challenging like lace or colorwork.They can be made in any weight yarn. And as a gift you can't beat socks. No one has too many socks.

But I just finished a hat and it made me fall in love with hats. Almost everything I said about socks goes for hats too. And they have one wonderful advantage over socks: you only have to make one!

Here's a hat I finished today for my friend Tarik. I know he would love the pattern. There's only one small problem with it: somehow it turned into the size that would fit a ten year old boy. Sigh. Sorry, Tarik.

Let There be Yarn!

2008-05-21T19:50:00.000-05:00

I spun that blue/purple/lavender/black roving I bought at the Fiber Fest on May 10 and I gave it to my Secret Sister at the Loopy Ladies Secret Sisters' Exchange on May 18. I was shooting for a worsted weight, but I think it was a bit heavier. I did a two ply yarn. It wasn't the easiest stuff to spin. the black kept clumping, so there are some slubs in there. It came out to approximately 180 yards. There should be enough there to make a hat, which is one of the things she loves to knit.

Oh! And we're going to have Fiber Festival right in my backyard! (Figuratively speaking, Bonanzaville is in my backyard) It's going to be on July 26-27. It's going to be called the Bonanzaville First Annual Fiber Arts Festival. That means there may be more each year. I suppose that means I'll be spending money I can't afford on more fiber. :) At least I won't have to rent a car to get there.

Shepherd's Harvest Wool Festival

2008-05-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

Wow! What a great weekend. After I got over the idea that I had to rent a car to be able to get there it was really wonderful. It's true that I did have about $70.00 less to spend on yarn, but hey, that's how it goes. Petting the yarn was really nice, but I was focussed mostly on the fleece. I bought 4 ounces of a nice purple/blue/teal roving with sparkly angelina fiber in it. Very soft and nifty. I also bought 5 ounces of a striking purple/blue/lavender/black romney roving. Romney is one of my favorite breeds to spin. The cat really likes to spin it too. See?

I picked up a nice two-toned spindle. It doesn't have as nice a balance as I would like, but it was only $12.50, so I can't really complain. I looked longlingly at the fancy $50.00 ones but decided that I couldn't afford one of those.The most expensive thing I got was a new niddy noddy, in lovely maple wood, which was needed, since I have only a home made PVC one. probably the thing I'm most excited about is the half pound of the cleanest most gorgeous cormo fleece I've ever petted. It's so clean you would think it has already been washed. The crimp is nice and the color is a nice creamy white. I can't wait to spin it. But first I have to spin the the stuff in the pic so I can have yarn to give my secret sister in my local knitting group.

I had a really wonderful time visiting with friends. Me, Giulia, Sete and Giovanna spent most of Saturday either shopping for yarn or knitting. It was a great weekend. I hated to have to miss the event, especially since friends I don't see very often were there, but I had never actually been to a Fiber Fest before. Boy, was it great!

I'm in!

2008-05-08T15:20:00.001-05:00

I am so proud and happy to be able to anounce tht i have been accepted to Hogwarts and sorted into House Ravenclaw! This is going to be a WONDERFUL swap!! To find out more, go to Main HSKS Site.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap 5

2008-05-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

I've signed up to be part of this swap again. I took part in it the first time it was held. That time was a bit confusing. It was the very first swap I had ever taken part in and tho I got my package off in time my partner had been delayed in getting things together and sending my package due to her pregnancy. So at that point I had decided that swaps were not for me. Then a couple months ago I joined the Hogwarts Sock Swap 3, and I got hooked again. I saw that the Sock Kit Swap was still going strong and that now the headmistress was encouraging swap pals to contact each other on a regular basis to prevent anyone not getting a package.

I hope there are spots left. i registered as a new student, since it had been a year since I took part in this swap. Crossing my fingers!

Hogwarts Sock Swap package arrived!

2008-05-06T17:55:00.000-05:00

Look at all the great stuff I got as part of the Hogwarts Sock Swap! Not all the stuff is even in the picture, like the strips of film that have images from the movies of Mad Eye Moody and Dumbledore, and the bag of hard candies made from maple syrup. My swap pal is from Canada so I got nummy Canadian candy. I got Soak, the wool wash, and a bar of heavenly scented soap (mango, from the Bosy Shop) and a Hufflepuff lapel pin, a 40" Addi circular needle, a pendant yarn cutter and stitch markers. I am SO looking forward to using all this good stuff.

The socks themselves are marvelous. Bright and bold stripes of yellow and black for Hufflepuff. They are the Back to Basic socks from Knitty.com found here http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTbacktobasics.html. It is a Cat Bordhi type architectural sock pattern, where the shaping is at the top of the foot and along the top of the ankle. Have you seen the new Cat Bordhi book called New Pathways for Sock Knitters? The socks are so cool. I've been wanting to try a pattern like that but I'm just plain too intimidated. So now I get to have a pair of these without the work!

Hogwarts Sock Swap Package Mailed!

2008-04-18T06:42:00.000-05:00

It's done! I had a goal of Sunday April 13th for the socks to be done, and Wednesday the 15th for the little gifties to be finished and I made it. Between getting settled in the new place, making stitch markers and the Harry Potter box, and getting ready for Coronation this weekend I was really pressed for time. But it's done, and done well, if I do say so myself. I mailed the package on Thursday on the way home from work. I put in a skein of hand painted merino wool sock yarn, a 40" circular addi turbo needle, a pattern I downloaded from the internet and some stitch markers I had made. I'm so glad to be done with it because now I can knit for me!! On The Needles: a camisole tank top in Knitpicks Shine Sport. Yay!

Hogwarts Socks Swap 3

2008-01-27T20:03:00.000-06:00

OK, I'm excited. A little nervous, but excited, about taking part in the Hogwarts Sock Swap 3. I did a sock kit swap last year, but this time I'm going to make a pair of socks in my pals House colors. i took the quiz three times at two different sites, but I'm ALWAYS a Hufflepuff. Sigh. I know there's nothing wrong with that, but honestly, they sound so BORING! The only redeeming thing is that the House colors are Black and Gold, the same as Northshield. At least my assigned name is kinda fun. Chrysta the Cursed. Has a nice ring, doesn't it?

What I Got For Christmas

2007-12-28T13:57:00.000-06:00

In my family we've given up giving big gifts. This year we reduced it even further, to only stocking stuffers. Still, I got some very nice things.

My brother and Carla gave me a tea kettle with apples painted on it. I think that was probably a little bit more than a stocking stuffer, but maybe they were figuring that if each of them had given a $6.00 item it would have made up to that. Anyway, I really like it, since apples are the motif in my kitchen. They also gave me a bottle of their home made wine.

My brother Ross gave me a set of very nice salad spoons from Ikea.

My brother Robb gave me a really good quality can opener. He was over for Thanksgiving and had had to use my crappy can opener. Next time he can use this good one! He also added a few nifty $1.00 sewing toys.

My mom gave me an insulated lunch bag. And a box of flavored herbal tea. And a pair of socks. And $30.00 to buy something I wanted.

I took that money and bought a cute Christmas tea pot (on sale 75% off) and everything I needed to make myself a rag rug for my livingroom.

That's a list of things I got. Material things. The real gifts were the hours I spent with Ross wandering around downtown Fargo looking at the cute shops that have started down there. It's the relief that all the family members got along for 6 hours. It's being sad that Gina, Bill and Abbey, and our nephew Joshua couldn't come because of bad roads in the Cities, but happiness that they were able to get back home safely after nearly going in the ditch several times. It's watching the old home movies from thje 50s and 60s and hearing my mom say "Oh, that's your Cousin Sophie" and "Do you remember your dad's Uncle Joe?" Stange, look how young and attractive my parents were before they had 6 kids. It's the look of interest and appreciation on Carla's face when the kitchen cordial book was unwrapped. Why is it that the least expensive gift is always the favorite? I had debated whether or not to give that little book, since I had picked it up for 99 cents in Canada. Same thing happened a couple years ago when I gave Ross a 25 cent cup with a goat on it. It just goes to show that it's not how much money was spent that makes a gift special. It's how well it matches the recipient.

Happy Dance!

2007-12-21T08:58:00.000-06:00

This morning I got an email from SallieMae, the folks who have my school loans, that my last payment would be Jan of 08. Wow, isn't that great? My monthly payments weren't all that high, but even $85.00 a month makes a big difference when the budget is squeaking. Now I can afford a two bedroom apartment. And put a little away each month for a down payment on a new (used) car. My current vehicle, Harvey the Miracle, has 149,880 miles on him. Thanks to the guys at the Car Care Clinic at church Harvey is still going strong. I'd like Harvey to make it for another two years. Then I will have another loan paid off and I'll be able to afford car payments.

Another good piece of news is that I was given an additional $100 bonus at work for the overtime I've put in during the year. So I'm splurging and buying myself a yarn swift and a warping board. Merry Christmas!

A-Ha! Success!!

2007-12-11T17:08:00.000-06:00

I've been working along on my brother's socks, becoming more and more fretful as I drew nearer the end of the yarn. I've searched for the exact yarn online, with no luck, for about a week. I checked eBay on Saturday, and Sunday, but no. I looked at Little Knits, Webs, Royal Yarns, and a ton more online yarn shops, but even if they carried the JaWoll, they didn't carry the JaWoll sport weight, and if they did have the sport weight they didn't have my color, #50. I was frantically wondering if I could use a matching red or blue and have a very long contrasting toe. But today I finally found a perfect match. On eBay. Even the dye lot is the same! I should have it in 10 days or so.

That's the kind of day I've been having. Usually when I use those words there's a heavy depressed sigh at the end. But this kind of day is a GOOD day. Two claims in my desk at work finalized today. After 5 months of figuring and trying to fool the computer system into wanting to let them pay correctly they finally worked. There are going to be some happy Medicare Beneficiaries in a few days when their checks arrive in time for Christmas. And then around 1pm I was able to smell that someone had burned popcorn in the lunch room! And then I was able to complete a task that I've been trying to get to for about 9 weeks! And, then while I was daydreaming on my break it came to me how to write a certain scene in the story I've been playing with.

See? It was that kind of day! Thank you Lord, and could I please have some more like this?

Knit News

2007-12-09T22:03:00.000-06:00

Well, my sense of smell is slowly coming back. Sometimes I can smell a little something, faintly, and sometimes I smell nothing. Hopefully in a few days it will be here and strong. I know it's just a temporary reprieve but I'll enjoy it while I can.

I've been busy knitting the past week. I've finished Ceri's shawl. I used Lion Brand Homespun, in a dark rich purple, which is one of Ceri's favorite colors. It's a really easy pattern, just half a dishrag, so it was super easy to make. I really like it. After the holidays I might just make one for myself.

I also got started on a pair of socks for my brother Ross. He chose the yarn himself, a sport weight JaWoll in black with random stripes of red, blue and yellow. I only bought two skeins, which for me would have been plenty for a pair of socks. So I need to hunt up another skein. If I can't match it I might have contrasting toes (actually, half a foot) I bought this yarn in the Cities, and I called the store to see if they had another skein. They don't. So I'll check the Ravelry folks to see if anyone has one to sell or trade, and then I'll try ebay.

The kitties are getting along great. Magic and Masuka have really hit it off.

They are best buds. Poor Merry is getting left out sometimes. But aren't the two of them cute together. And sometimes all three curl up together. I'm a lucky woman.

I Can Smell!

2007-12-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

Sure, it's not really there yet. I only got a brief whiff of my hand lotion. But I got a kenalog shot on Thursday, and the other 2 times I got kenalog it took about 2 weeks for it to really kick in, so I figure I'm good. And I hope to be able to smell (and feel pretty good) until the end of january. So 3 cheers for kenalog.

Autumn Carolinas Finished!

2007-11-28T11:04:00.001-06:00

Look! I finished the socks for Mairghread! Ain't they great? Made of Cashmere and Merino Wool from JoJoland called Quartette. So soft and snuggly that I want a pair for myself. The pattern is from Socktopia. It's called Carolina, the last Queen of Naples (long name for a fun and easy pattern than makes waves. The colors are very autumn-ish, and the zigzags make me think of falling leaves spinning around in the wind) These are in gratitude for the time I went to Fina's house exhausted and crabby and the minute i walked in the door there was Mai, jumping up from her comfy place on the floor pillow to make me my favorite non alcoholic Cosmopolitan. These will be off to her soon, just in time for cold Minnesota winter weather.

A Whole, Glorious Week Off

2007-11-04T20:59:00.000-06:00

I am off of work this week. Happy Sigh. I have my time off all planned out. I'll start each morning with hot coffee and a scone and an hour of leisurely knitting.

Monday I am going to clean my apartment and then meet friends to check out the new yarn store in Fargo. I'll go through my fabric stash to find just the right stuff for my new Italian Renaissance dress. Something fairly casual, not court fancy. I wonder how much of that blue linen I have? In the evening I'll hug the kitties and watch all my favorite shows.

Tuesday I have to vacate my apartment while they spray so I'm off to the library, the coffee shop and mom's house, knitting in tow. Maybe read a book? I'll spend the evening finding out which other wonderful dancer they'll kick off of Dancing With the Stars and petting the kitties.

Wednesday I plan to cut out and begin sewing the plain Italian Renn dress. In the afternnon I'm meeting friends to knit. Then we're having a special service at church that I really want to go to. 6 people are being baptised, including my friend Callie. I really wish my SCA meeting wasn't on Wednesday nights too. But in this case there is no contest. I'm going to church. After I get home I'll set the logwood and Brazilwood to soaking. Then I'll play with the cats.

Thursday I'm dyeing some wool fleece with the brazilwood and logwood dyes. First I have to go thru my fiber stash to see what odds and ends I can throw in the dye pots besides the fleece from that poor sheep I butchered trying to shear it last spring. I thought I'd toss in some silk and some cotton too, to see how the color differs. But I'm not sure I have enough tannin to mordant the cotton. Then I'll work some more on the Italian Ren dress. And in the evening I'll chase the cats around.

Friday is set aside for making another chemise to go with the Italian Ren dress. By the time all that's done I'll need to clean the apartment again. Maybe I can sit and read a book. And cuddle with the kitties, of course.

I wonder how closely I'll stick to that schedule?

Breathing -- Is It Too Much To Ask For?

2007-10-28T19:52:00.000-05:00

I have some fairly serious sinus troubles. I have had 4 sinus surgeries for my nasal polyps. It's a painful business and to add insult to injury, surgery gives only temporary relief. My last surgery was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN on June 1, 2006.

I was doing pretty well until the middle of September, even though I lost my sense of smell last summer. At first I thought my misery was allergy related. Although I'm not really allergic to anything except mold and cats, it was a bad allergy season and my ENT once told me that I was probably sensitive to various things. In October I was using my albuterol inhaler 4 or 5 times a day. I was coughing loud enough to wake the dead. My nasal passages are swollen shut. Every now and then I blow a large, dark thick wad of something disgusting out. What fun. My head hurt. My throat was sore. Well, when I called my GP to make an appointment I found out she is going to another clinic and won't be seeing anyone there until the 1st week of November. So I went to another doctor at the clinic and she said it didn't look like a sinus infection. I asked for a Kenalog shot and she said she didn't give out steroids for any reason. She perscribed Singulair for my wheezing. Well, that was really good. I don't wheeze much anymore. But it cost a lot and did nothing for anything else. Now my gums ache and I just want to be able to breathe through my nose. Really, I'm pretty sure it's a sinus infection. After 15 years and $75,000 I consider myself an expert. I called my ENT for an appointment. The earliest opening is Dember 13. Good grief.

So next payday, when I can afford it, I'm going to see if I can get in to see my regular doctor and get taken care of. She'll give me a kenalog shot and some antibiotics that might help.

Sometimes life just sucks, ya know?

Autumn Carolina

2007-10-17T19:48:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE this knitting pattern. It looks so intricate, but it's so easy! This is from the Socktopia page, and the pattern is called Carolina, the last Queen of Naples. I'm using JoJoLand Quartette, a merino and cashmere blend, and boy, can you say soft? These are yummy! I hope to have these done by the end of the month. But I have signed up for yet another project which will demand overtime. I'm not going crazy this time. I'm limiting myself to only 4-5 hours a week. And only one saturday a month. I won;t be beginning this until next week. This morning at work I started having a scratchy throat and a headache. When I got home I took my temperature and it's up a little over 100. So I'm cancelling my plans to attend the japanese event in Minneapolis and will stay home and rest. Fortunately I'm not too sick to be able to knit.

Oh, and hey, look! Masuka and Magic are getting along pretty well now!

I've Been Busy!

2007-10-13T18:16:00.000-05:00

I know, that's no excuse for not posting for over a month. But really, I've been busy! I finished knitting the hat for my Castel Rouge friend's niece, so I was finally able to start knitting the socks I've been dying to make. (of course, I still have Landra's baby sweater to finish, plus my mom's sweater, and the socks for Susan and the shawl for myself. Oh, and I have the purple yarn to start Ceri's shawl too, but these socks must be started now!) These are called "Carolina, the Last Queen of Naples" and the pattern was designed by the gal at Socktopia. Since my grandmother was born just outside Naples, I figured I had a direct connection to this pattern. The yarn is a lovely cashmere blend by JoJoland called Quartette that I received as part of a swap. At first I had planned this yarn for Lusche. The colors are perfect for her. But she said she wanted thick, warm socks. These will probably be warm, but the yarn is fingering weight, so they will probably be too thin for her. So instead these will go to Mairghead. I've just barely finished the cuff, so you can't tell what the pattern will be but I promise to post another photo soon, so you can see if the yarn will show off the pattern or hide it.

Another thing I've been really busy with is my new friend. Her name is Koneko no Masuku. It means (maybe) the Masked Kitten. I don't actually speak japanese, but a friend who went to college there told me that was how it would be said. I call her Masuka, although it has begun to be shortened to Sukey. One of her parents may have been Siamese. Her ears and tail are darker than the rest of her. But she has a white blaze right over her nose and mouth. It seperates the dark mask on her face so that she looks like a raccoon or like she's wearing a mask. She's very striking in appearance. She's probably about 10 weeks old now. She and 3 siblings were rescued from a state park about 70 miles east of here and brought to a pet rescue group called PAAWS. I went to volunteer to pet the kitties and help socialize them one day and took her home a week later. I fell in love with her. She's very shy with me, but it's funny the way she won't let Merry and Magic boss her around. She's cautious with them, but still does what she wants. I brought her home 3 days ago and they're already beginning to tolerate each other.

I had to put all my yarn safely away in rubbermaid tubs. It's frustrating not to be able to just reach into the hanging netted containers I used to have, but almost certainly not as frustating as it would be to come home from work and find the yarn all over the floor, unravelled and shredded buy tiny kitten claws.

I've been pretty sick the last month or so. I was hoping to get another Kenalog shot, but my doctor has left Fargo to practice in Whapeton. So I have a new doctor and she doen't give out steroids in any form unless it's absolutely necessary. So tonight I'm going to start Singulair. I hope it works. I'm awfully tired of wheezing and not being able to breathe through my nose...

And I had some friends crash with me on their way from Winnipeg to Crown and one of them had a nasty cold, and I think I'm getting it. I only worked for 3.5 hours today instead of the 8 I needed to make up time because I felt so miserable. But now that I've finished my to-do list i can go sit down with a cup of hot peppermint tea and go back to knitting. yay!

Baby Sprout Hat Free Knitting Pattern

2007-09-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

In my last post did I mention that I knitted a hat for a friend's baby while I was up at Gimli? They had gone up to Canada without a hat for the baby since Fargo was so hot. They just forgot that the baby might get cold and need a hat to cover her tender little head. They mentioned the need for a hat and I just happened to have some Lamb's Pride Bulky wool/mohair yarn and needles that would work. So I cast on that evening and finished a dorky looking little hat out of bright teal in a couple hours. (I had a bubblegum pink, too, but really, that's so traditional. Kinda boring, ya know?) Everyone in their cabin was already in bed so I just crept in and stuck the hat on a top bunk. They found it right away. When I walked past their cabin the following morning they were on the porch, and the baby was wearing the hat. The little I cord loop on top is cute. My friends said she looked like a little sprout in it. So I've named this hat the Baby Sprout hat. Feel free to use the pattern. It's nothing special or particularly innovative, and the directions are bare bones, but it's here if you're interested.

BABY SPROUT HAT

1.5 – 2 oz bulky weight yarn (I used Lamb’s Pride Bulky)
Set of 4 double point needles, size 11
Yarn needle, scissors

Cast on 48 stitches, divide onto three needles, 16 stitches per needle. Join.

Knit every stitch for 4 or so rows. This makes a rolled brim
Purl 1 row to keep the rolled brim from rolling too far
Knit 10 or 12 rows. It should be maybe as wide as your palm depending on baby’s head.
Purl 1 row
Knit 1 row
Purl 1 row
Knit 1 row
To make crown:
Row 1: Knit 6, knit 2 together. Repeat. You should have 42 stitches left
Row 2: K nit
Row 3: Knit 5, knit 2 together. Repeat. 36 stitches left
Row 4: Knit
Row 5: Knit 4, knit 2 together. Repeat. 30 stitches left
Row 6: Knit
Row 7: Knit 3, knit 2 together. Repeat. 24 stitches left
Row 8: Knit
Row 9: Knit 2, knit 2 together. Repeat. 18 stitches left
Row 10: Knit
Row 11, Knit 1, knit 2 together. Repeat. 12 stitches left
Row 12: K nit 2 together. Repeat. 6 stitches
Row 13: Knit 2 together. Repeat. 3 stitches left.
Work 4 inches of I cord
Cut yarn, and thread it thru a yarn needle. Pull through hat at the same place as I cord begins to make a loop and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Gimli Was Great

2007-09-04T18:11:00.000-05:00

I always have a great time at Gimli but I think this year was the best yet. Too bad I forgot my camera. The new Baby was there and her parents forgot to bring any hats for her so I quick knitted a little hat on Friday night. It was made out of a thick bright teal wool and mohair yarn, so it didn't *look* like it should have been a baby hat, and it looked a little dorky, but it was a cute sort of dorky. It was plenty warm during the day (the feast hall was a sauna!) but at night and in the morning the breeze off the lake was pretty nippy. I guess it's a little strange, but I kinda like getting up at 3 am and wrapping up in a cloak to walk to the bathroom. And then crawling through the bed curtains and snuggling back into bed afterwards. For me it must be a sort of "magic moment" although it was more likely that in period they would have used a chamber pot or the garderobe. Ew!

I taught a sock knitting class so the Baby received a couple baby socks too. I wasn't surpised that Ceri caught on right away, but I was pretty impressed with Ravenna, who hadn't knitted since she was eight, and had never purled, or decreased before.

The only thing that would have made the weekend better would have been seeing more friends, some of whom had to cancel due to money or passport issues, and others were having fun at Travis and Jen's wedding.

Now it's back to work. We are once again strongly encouraged to put in 10 hours of overtime a week, although we are not required to put in more than five. Sigh. Well, it means some larger paychecks, and that's always a plus. And it's only thru Sept 30. So if I can just hold on that long, I can have Meritcare Clinic, Mayo Clinic and one of my credit cards completely paid off by by October 15. Well maybe not one of the credit cards. Still, I'll be furtbner ahead than I was. It just means I don't get to go to Coronation this weekend, or CeCil's Siege, and that's a bummer.

Marvelous Day!

2007-08-12T18:26:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning at 7, stared blearily at the clock and rolled over and went back to sleep until 8:30 when the cats demanded breakfast. It was a blissfully cool 59 degrees. I staggered out of bed and fed the cats, then jumped into the shower to wash my hair and shave my legs. I sat in my chair and stared at the History channel while I shovelled in Raisin Bran. As I sat there I thought "Do I really need to go to church?" I would have to cut out early anyway to get to my mom's by 11:30. My two brothers who live in town were going over there too for lunch. I felt slightly guilty, but I decided to skip church. So I sat happily in my chair and knitted until it was time to go to my Mom's.

Hamburgers were great. And my oldest brother has a peach tree that had a bumper crop this year, so we ate those for dessert. I doubt that peach trees are all that common in North Dakota, but I could be wrong. These peaches were quite small but very juicy and soft, and so sweet they didn't need sugar. Yum. Then all four of us (me, my mom -who could care less about baseball- my older brother Steve and my youngest brother Robb) headed out for the RedHawks baseball game. It was a good game. The opposing pitcher took a no-hitter into the 9th inning. Our pitcher did a decent job, but gave up 6 hits that translated into 4 runs. Then we had a very exciting rally in the bottom of the Ninth, with some close plays. We got 2 runs, which was exciting, and lost by 2 runs which was disappointing. Still, a very good game. The weather continued to be cool, probably in the mid 70s, with a light breeze and overcast skies, so that was nice too.

As soon as the game was over I drove immediately to Island Park to hear the Jazz In The Park Concert. I got there about 15 minutes after it started and had a bit of trouble lugging my chair, blanket, purse, knitting bag and two bottles of water from the parking lot, through the park to where my friends had set up their chairs. Boy, I could tell right away that they weren't my SCA friends, because not a one of them offered to help me get my stuff settled. I had called from the parking lot to ask where they were set up, and one came out to lead me in, and never even offered to carry any of my stuff. Hm. Like I said, I could tell right away that this was not an SCA event... But it was a really nice concert. I liked all the music, especially the first band (I missed half their set, pooh). The park was beautiful

And now I'm home, kinda tired but still so happy that I had such a good day. I'm really bad about getting out to see friends and doing things with them. This is something that my counselor tells me I need to find a "happy balance" of. Some time for me, and some time for friends and things outside me. I tend to be a home body and once I get home from work I'm too tired to want to go out. I am one of those people that enjoys my own company and I can happily spend days at home reading or writing or knitting. But when my friends do things without me I tend to feel left out and pout. Which makes no sense, really, since when my friends call me up and invite me over I often say thanks but I'm too tired.

But this weekend I've been a good girl. Yesterday I spent several hours devouring Stephenie Meyer's latest book Eclipse, (that counts for "me" time) then had a church friend and her daughter come over in the evening to work on a knitting problem, and then out all day today. See? Balance.

I'm bushed!

It's Too Hot To Wear Wool Socks

2007-08-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

I finished Typhaine's Stars & Moons socks last month, but I haven't sent them to her because it's just too darn hot to be wearing them. I think they turned out nicely.

I'll start Mai's socks in a few weeks, after I've finished a cute little cotton sweater for Landra. I've got the niftiest wool and cashmere blend for socks for Mai and Lusche. They'll be twins!

I'd managed cut down down on my UFOs (unfinished objects). See the knitted belted red and black bag?

But that was until I got bit by the sweater bug. Now I'm working on a top down raglan sleeve sweater for my mom, and a baby sweater for little Landra, and I've got a nice royal blue tank top planned for me. I received the sport weight Shine cotton yarn I ordered from KnitPicks for that. But I better put that off and start on Christmas and 12th Night gifts. Here's the back of Landra's sweater. I love the feel of this yarn. It's so soft I want a sweater made out of it!

Tomorrow I'm going first to the Red hawks baseball game with my brothers. Then I'm going directly to the Jazz in the Park Concert. I just need to decide which knitting project to take with me...

My New Job

2007-08-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

So... I started my new job as Process Analyst within the same team at Medicare DME on Monday. It's been... interesting.

First of all, my access to the computer systems was changed so I could access more systems. Unfortunately, a goof was made, and I had no access to adjust claims at all. It took them two days to fix that. Since the other regular corr girl is on vacation this week I have to learn my new job and continue to do my old job. Of course, that's pretty tricky if you can't use the computer. On Tuesday morning I was hustled into a company wide meeting for writing documentation. It will be a year long project, and the group had begun their training last week. I had been told that I would be working with that. But since I had missed the previous training meeting I was totally lost. Way to make a good impression, huh? I'd like to blame my team leader for not sending me to the training even tho I wasn't officially in my position yet, but I suppose she has to follow the rules. Got access for the computer back today. Gee, I'm only about a week's worth of work behind, plus I have my new job to learn... Tomorrow I get to go to another meeting that is run by someone who really doesn't like me. I bet I'll have a lot of fun there.

I'm figuring that I'll end up really enjoying this new job. Once things get settled down I'll catch up on what I'm supposed to be doing. Meanwhile, I really need to knit. And maybe spin a bit too. I want to make a baby sweater out of this really nice alpaca top that I have half spun up. A baby girl can wear brown can't she? You betcha.

Cat Box

2007-07-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when you've gone to the expense of buying your pet a perfectly comfy, padded bed to sleep in they will imediately abandon it when they see an empty box laying on the floor? The Merry Miaow spent about two hours sleeping in the little cardboard box. I'm still not sure what shoehorn she used to fit herself into it.

Baby Socks Are So Cute!

2007-07-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine is having a baby any day now. She was actually due on the 4th of July, so it really is any day now. All of us friends are checking out email every hour or so, hoping for news of labor. It's possible that she is more anxious than we are...

I knitted a pair of baby socks for her. Rotten pic, I know. The toes are a bit more pointy than I had planned for them to be, and they probably won't stay on. Baby socks never stay on. I'm about to start a matching little cap, but I was hoping to find out if it was a girl or a boy, so I would be able to decide on a lace bonnet or a little stocking cap. They think it is a girl. But if I make a little lacy bonnet it is sure to be a boy. So I will wait to start. It's a quick project either way.

Moorish Tavern

2007-07-04T19:36:00.000-05:00

I had a marvelous weekend at Moorish Tavern. I brought along my knitting and completed two whole rows on Typhaine's socks. Most of the time I was too busy strolling around the period encampments, or chatting with friends, or watching sweaty people work at the forge, or helping out at the water point for the fighters. Lady Rosele put a beautiful henna design on my hands. She offered to do it for free, since she wants to build up a portfolio so she can go to large events and charge for doing it. But I tucked a couple dollars into her basket, and so did some other people.

I love henna. Of course, when I got to work on Monday morning at 7 am I had a voice mail from HR telling me I had an interview for the PA position I had applied for that morning at 8am. Hm. Wish I would have known that before I put on a pair of capri pants and a T-shirt... And of course I had to explain about the henna to them, which led to a discussion of the SCA. It helped to break the ice, but I'm not sure it did my job search any good.

I wore my new Viking apron dress for the day on Saturday and found out that the two front panels were too narrow. So I guess this coming weekend I'll be sewing a new one. Darn. I just finished the Byzantine tunic for Andronikus today (it looks really good, by the way. Wish I would have taken a picture before sending it off with Hrodir)and I was sort of looking forward to not having to sew for the SCA for a little while. But we have the Viking demo on July 21--Yes, the same day the last Harry Potter comes out. Oh, the pain. I'm giving my old dress to a new lady in our shire, whose father is a wood turner and is going to make me another spindle in exchange. Good deal, I say.

Too Darn Hot

2007-06-25T07:21:00.000-05:00

ugh. it's been in the 90s for what seems like forever. Actually it's been only a few days. I can not bear heat. Anything over 75 and I die. Last night when I went to bed a little after midnight it was still 85. Don't you just love that sheets-sticking-to-you feeling? This morning even taking a shower didn't help me feel fresh. And right now I'm at work, sweltering, because it takes a couple hours for air conditioning to kick in on Monday morning.

It's not that I want winter back. Really. I like not having to bundle up or driving on ice or shoveling snow. I would just like to feel comfortable enough to be able to enjoy a hot cup of coffee.

Off to try to get some work done.

Anyone know how to get sweat off a keyboard?

Works in Progress

2007-06-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

So, I'm not getting much of anywhere on my various projects... Actually, that's not true. I have gotten past the color work on Typhaine's Moon & Stars socks and have started the heel. It will be good to have these done. Although she won't need these until November at least.

I have decided to give up on the stitch markers I ordered for my Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap partner and will make some simple ones today so I can get the package out tonight. They'll probably come in the mail tomorrow.

I haven't touched the baby cable socks I started for myself in April. They are still in the same spot they were. This is the Koigu yarn that the Loopy Ladies bought me as a thank you for teaching knitting. It's hard to see the pattern from this pic, but it's from Sensational Knitted Socks, which I believe is one of the best sock books ever written, and though the sequel is good, I prefer the original.

And there's the black and fancy fur purse that I'm going to felt as a Christmas present for a friend. This is the project that I bring with me to the Loopy Ladies Knitting Circle meetings because it is mindless stockinette stitch. That way I can talk and knit at the same time. I'm hoping it will look nicer after it's felted...

I got an MP3 player but didn't want to pay the extra $30 for the little leather case. I examined it and decided that I could knit one for free, since I had plenty of little odd balls. Well... This little thing has taken way too much of my time. All I have left now is to sew velcro to it to keep the protective flap over it and sew the elastic arm band andthen I am done. And I'm not ever making another one! Danged if the $30.00 wouldn't have been worth it after all.

Lastly, I'm just beginning to make the Byzantine tunic Sir Tom requested for his newest squire Lord Andronicus. I went through my fabric stash and found a very nice oatmeal colored linen with a nifty herringbone twill weave for the base of the tunic and a great green/blue shot linen for rondels, segmentae, etc. It is also in a herringbone twill weave. It is actually a lot darker than the pricture shows it. I made my friend Hrodir a pair of pants from it. So if they ever stand together they will match. Also I have a really great green and gold trim that will match really well. So I'm set to get that cut out and sewed. Sir Tom plans to present it at WW, so I don't have that much time to get it done.

Harry Potter Trivia

2007-06-07T07:27:00.000-05:00

Who said:

"Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies."

This was a tough one! At first I thought it was Dumbledore who said this. A friend suggested Lupin, and I thought that was it. Remember after Harry saw a vision of his dad and Sirius being mean to Snape? I remember that Lupin had said something rather wise to Harry then. But no. This was said by...

Voldemort!!

Day dreamin'...

2007-06-06T21:05:00.000-05:00

I've been day dreaming about handsome men lately. Here's a few of my favorites.

Hogwarts Trivia

2007-05-29T09:16:00.000-05:00

Trivia - May 27 through June 2
Who are the two people speaking in this quote and what book is it from? 5 House Points to those who post the correct answer to their blogs.

"I'm not trying to say what she did was sensible. I'm just trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time."

"You should write a book, translating mad things girls do so boys can understand them."

This is Ron and Hermione, from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Book 5

Stars & Moons Socks

2007-05-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well, have you ever had a pattern that you loved the look of and hated to actually knit? This is that pattern for me. The first sock went a bit slow -I find that although I like the look of multi color/multi yarn patterns I tend to go real slow at them, since I can't seem to use both hands for working the yarn. But the first sock was finished fairly easily. So explain to me, then, why I've had to frog this one THREE freaking times?! First I had cast on the wrong number of stitches and didn't figure it out until I began the scattered dots. Spit. Start over. Then I got as far as the second set of gold stripes and realised that I had only done 1 gold stripe at the top. Spit. Frog back to the ribbing. THEN, wen I had re-knit that section and began the stars I saw that I had miscounted and one set of stars would overlap into the next. Well, double spit! I briefly considered letting that happen. But these are a gift for a dear friend. I want them perfe--well, as good as I can make them. So I frogged again. Now I'm afraid to touch them...

The weather is cold, windy and rainy. My favorite weather! Seriously. It's perfect for staying in and knitting or reading while drinking coffee and listening to favorite music. Happy sigh. Three whole days off! And Sunday School is finished fior the year so I don't have to get up too early tomorrow! I'm having a wonderful weekend!

Hufflepuff is losing!

2007-05-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

In the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap each house is awarde points for posting the trivia and what not into our blogs. Hufflepuffs are supposed to be steady and dependable and responsible. So why are we dead last in the house points?!!

Here are a few pics from the movies: Mad Eye Moody--creepy looking feller, what?

And Harry and Cho Chang kiss. Sweet.

And Dobby. Personally I don't like much like Dobby. And Hermione is a little too gung ho about house elves.

Viktor Krum and Hermione. Sappy sigh. I love Viktor Krum and the way he falls for Hermione. The big lunk.

Harry Potter Trivia

2007-05-21T21:54:00.000-05:00

1. Who is the Fat Lady's friend?-
Violet
2. When the Fat Lady was attacked by Sirius Black and fled her portrait, who took over for her as guard of Gryffindor Tower? Sir Cadogen
3. Usually when Harry is in Dumbledore's office, what are the portraits of previous headmasters doing?- Snoozing
4. Which one of the Triwizard champions did not go to the World Cup? Fleur Delacour
5. Who did Harry give his Triwizard winnings to? Fred and George Weasley

The next two are anagrams. Rearrange the letters to get the correct words.
6. Live gong cram la man (two words) Give up
7. Owl or video I'm no good at these things
8. What author's name appears on the book "Quidditch Through the Ages? Kennilworthy Whisp
9. What does the Keeper do in a game of Quidditch?- Guards the goal-
10. In the Goblet of Fire why did the Mad Eye Moody imposter put Harry's name in the goblet?- He wanted Harry to be killed during the tasks-

The Neighbors

2007-05-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

Now that the weather's nice, my upstairs neighbors enjoy sitting on their balcony and chatting and smoking. The balcony is about 10 feet from my bedroom window, and as I lay in bed trying to sleep their laughter and voices keep me awake. They are not being rowdy, or even shouting. But the way the buildings sit cause the noise to be magnified like in an ampitheater. Last week I stamped out in my robe and bare feet and asked them to take it inside. They were very nice, thanking me for letting them know and going inside. I think they're trying to keep their voices down tonight, but it is nearly 10:30 at night. I work at 7am, so my alarm clock goes off at 5:30. I should be sleeping now. I think asking them to go inside after 10pm is reasonable, don't you?

Hogworts Trivia

2007-05-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Eeek!! These are really tough! I might have to make educated guesses at these. Here goes:

#1What's the name of this potion?This potion has the colour of molten gold, and while exposed to the air, large drops will leap like goldfish above the surface without spilling. Felix Felicitous (Good Luck Potion)

#2Which book is this line from?"Harry and Cho were now too embarrassed to look at each other, let alone talk to each other; what if Ron and Hermione started going out together, then split up? Could their friendship survive it? Harry remembered the few weeks when they had not been talking to each other in third year; he had not enjoyed trying to bridge the distance between them. And then, what if they didn't split up? What if they became like Bill and Fleur, and it became excrutiatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good?" I think this must be book 5

#3Who utters these words?"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty. I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating." Mr. Weasley

Reading Romance

2007-05-09T08:08:00.000-05:00

I like a nice romance novel. I like flamboyant, exotic locales and handsome alpha heroes who fall in love so deeply that they are willing to give up everything for the women who capture their hearts. I have lately discovered ebooks. I joined Fictionwise and have read some pretty good books from there. BUT...! I just recently read a horrible book that called itself a romance. It was billed a paranormal, futuristic romance. A silly spoiled princess is kidnapped and married by a barbarian prince in a galaxy far far away. They fall in love. And live happily ever after?

No, not really. Not in love or happily ever after. For one thing, the warrior prince beats her. Repeatedly. Not a spanking. NO. Chains her to a post in front of his merry men, tears off her clothes and whips her until blood runs down her legs. My. How romantic. No wonder she falls for him. How could she possibly resist such charm? Especially since that seems to be his response to her every defiant act. Of course, he weeps while he does it. He thinks it hurts him more than her to whip her, but it's all for her own good, to teach her to love him. uh-huh.

After six month of marriage he decides that she is obviously barren and since he needs a son to rule after him he is forced to take a second wife. She weeps and begs him to not abvandon her bed. He beats her. Yeah. True love, without a doubt. At the end of the book he is is killed in battle and the princess drinks poison so she can be with him forever. Unfortunately, she doesn't die. The poison was switched and she is smuggled back to her homeland where she falls into a decline until she finally decides she must live to find her slain love's reincarnated soul and be with him forever.

Good grief. There are to be sequels! Apparently in each book she will find a man who holds the soul of her beloved prince. She will fall in love all over again.

Gag me. Don't think I'll bother to buy the sequels. The author does not deserve to rewarded for this trash.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap Underway!

2007-05-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

I've gotten my swap partner assignment and I'm very excited! She in Gryffindor so I get to be working with colors I like! I have plans for the bag. Must go shopping!

Trivia Questions:

"You will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform..." Who is speaking? 5 House Points Awarded
VOLDEMORT

Being Positive

2007-05-01T08:48:00.000-05:00

With things at work going crazy yet again, it is hard for me to have a positive outlook. I want to write about all the things I have to whine about. But I'm going to be strong and refrain. Instead I will count my blessings. Like, uh, well...

One of the Loopy Ladies called me last night. I had bought a pattern for a wrap sweater that I thought was awfully cute. It called for 13 skeins of Moda Dea Dream, which run $5.99 a skein. So I asked all of them to keep their eyes open for it to go on sale. Deb called and told me that it was on clearance for $1.99 at Hobby Lobby. So tonight I'm gonna walk over there and see if there are 13 skeins in a color I like. That's positive, right? I mean, $30.00 is a heck of a lot better than $80.00.

And I am listening to my mp3 player that I bought with my bonus. That's fun. I've loaded it with a weird mix of blues and gospel and folk music. At the moment I'm listening to the play list I've named "fun at work". It's the Blues Brothers, Charlie Daniels, Bob Seeger, Jim Croche and Garth Brooks. Hush. It works for me.

Here's picture garanteed to make you smile.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap Questionaire

2007-04-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

We've been instructed to post the following questionnaire and answers in our blogs. I am really getting excited about this swap. I've never done one before. I'm already trying to decide what to put into the sock kit for my partner (and I can't wait to find out what house she (or he?) is in so I can get going on it. We have until nearly the end of June to get it sent off, so it's not a huge rush, but I'm like a kid at Christmas. I just can't wait!

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Hufflepuff, which is sort of convenient, since gold and black are also the colors of the kingdom of Northshield.

2. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. I prefer shorties, especially in the Bryspun size 2 & 3. Also the Brittany 1, 1.5 and 2. Nothing wrong with clover size 4 & 5 either. Living here in North Dakota means that a nice thick pair of worsted weight socks are very welcome, especially when you walk to work when it's 20 below zero. But I also like finer gauge socks too.

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? I would LOVE to try some Addi's, size 1 or 2 in the short 4 or 5 inch length. But they are not cheap, and I don't expect anything that expensive.

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? Nope. Hufflepuff.

5. If your pal decides to send candies or chocolates are there any that you don't like? I love jordan almods amnd turtles. And milk chocolate is my favorite.

6. What are your favorite scents? I really enjoy vanilla or sweet floral scents.

7. Do you have any allergies? I'm allergic to cats, dogs and aspirin, but since I doubt my swap partner will be sending any of those it shouldn't be a problem. :)

So that is my questionnaire. I hope it's lucid enough, dear swap partner, for you to understand.

My Inner Daemon is Albus (as in Dumbledore...?)

2007-04-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?38723

Please follow the link and take the quiz so I can see what sort of inner D I have.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap!

2007-04-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

I've joined a swap! This one is for a sock kit, not finished hand knit socks. Good thing, since I have lots of socks on the list ahead anything new.

I am a Hufflepuff. Not as glamorous as Gryffindor or as intellectual as Ravenclaw, and certainly not as sly as Slytherin. But Hufflepuffs are steady, loyal and trustworthy. They make excellent friends. As soon as I find out who my swap partner is and what house they are from I'll begin sewing a bag to contain their sock kit. I'll need yarn in their house colors, a pattern, needles... Everything needed to make a pair of socks.

I can't wait to get started!

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen...

2007-04-24T19:40:00.000-05:00

This is my Baronial Scroll. Isn't it lovely? It was made by Master Tarik. But this isn't the whole thing! It's not painted on paper or parchment. It is actually a hinged wooden box like a triptych, or a Byzantine icon. He made it very personal, and I love him for it! I just can't get over how beautiful it is..

This is what it looks like closed, and the inside of the side panels

Note the two cats on either side of the figure (which represents me wearing my purple and silver Byzantine court garb). This is what makes it so personal. Merry and Magic are on my scroll! When I saw those while they were putting the hat on me I *really* started to bawl. And the figure is exactly what you would expect on a Byzantine mosaic.

This is absolutely the most unique and beautiful scroll I have ever seen. It is rich and lavishly decorated. I have always secretly lusted for a scroll done by Tarik, but I never expected anything like this!

Baronesa Maria Maddalena da Monreale, landless trash

2007-04-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the Coronation of Hrodir and Giulia. They have been friends of mine since my earliest days in the SCA. Hrodir is like a brother to me, only better, because we don't fight, and Giulia and I both have a love for fiber arts. When I grow up I want to knit like her. I got to go to the event, and I had a wonderful time.

I saw Mairghread laurelled in beautiful ceremony with Auntie El doing a bit of poetry. Niklos chose to take the white baldric of a Master of Arms instead of Knight, also in a moving ceremony. Gwyneth and Zig stepped down as king and queen and then G got all painted up and trick up as a Pict warrior woman--what fun! I got to see a bunch of friends that I don't see all the time, like Daye and Pete, and the gals from Castel Rouge, and I saw the folks I should be able to see all the time but haven't since I'm working so much. I saw Ceri and Tarik, Lusche, Giovanna, and Thunderbunny and Astrid, and Greta and tons more. It was so good to see them. I had a hotel room with the Castel Rouge gals. We had such fun! I showed Typhaine the Moons and Stars socks I'm knitting for her, and she seemed pleased with them.

And a shocking thing happened. Hrodir and Giulia made me a baroness of their court. When I first was called into court I wondered what on earth it was about. Some of Hrodir's famous schtick? A quest? I was nervous. I didn't know WHAT to expect. When I finally figured out that I was being made a baroness I started to cry and couldn't stop. I think Giulia was crying too. When they told me to turn around and look at the populace all I saw was a blur of faces until my eyes fixed ion my friend Daye. She was crying too, which made me smile while I was crying.

So now I have a shiny hat to wear to events. Part of me is squirming with delight over it, and part of me feels like I really shouldn't have it because I don't deserve it. I don't remember exactly what i said while I was kneeling in front of Hrodir and Giulia but I think it was something like: "You shouldn't do this. I haven't earned it."

Found: One Angry White Cat

2007-04-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

Part 1 - yesterday

When I got home from work today there was a sign hanging on my door stating the maintenance people had been in to fix my water heater. Oh, yeah, the apartment office had notified us that every apartment on my floor was going to have their water heaters serviced today. Whoopie. I had to drag all my stuff back into my front closet. I thought I heard a faint growling noise. The cats? No, they were radiating pure innocence. Naturally, since the garbage was knocked over. Strange. They've never been into the garbage before... But I didn't see anything to tell me what that faint noise was. Probably the neighbors. I went to my meeting at 5:30 and got home around 9. I set to work packing for the event this weekend. At 9:30 I heard my cats dive into a hissing fight. They've never howled at each other like that before! I ran into the dining room and saw a black cat screaming bloody murder while trying to kill a white cat.

Double take. Magic is black. Merry is white. Magic was twisting and clawing at a white cat under the dining room table, Merry was sitting primly in the hall.

Hello? WHO is that white cat and how the dickens did it get into my apartment???!!!

Those blasted maintenance men must have let it in! We don't have a resident manager, so I called the apartment office. Of course there was no answer at 9:30 pm. If this was an emergency (cleverly listed on the phone message as being fire, flood or heat outage--no mention of angry cats) I could call a certain number. I called it. There is no way I'm leaving that cat in my apartment while I go off to Coronation. No answer. I left a message. Fine. I hand wrote a little sign stating I had a white cat in my apartment and for the owners to call me right away and taped it to the front door of the aprtment building.

The cat is wearing a collar. That is all I can see, since s/he/it won't let me near it. I went up and down my hall knocking on doors asking if anyone had lost a white cat? Nope. Fine. Now it's 10pm and I'm going to work at 6 am, and leaving town directly after work.

So what am I going to do with this spitting growling alien feline? If I could get close to it I would be tempted to kick it outside. But if I come near the dining room it starts that evil growling. Maybe if I pretend it's not there it will go away?

Part 2 - today

I went to bed last night at 2am. Prayed the cats would leave one another alone. The alarm clock went off at 4:45, and I hit snooze. Didn't need to, as the cats began another vicious yowling fight five minutes later. My, that's a sound garanteed to get you out of bed in a hurry. Shoulda taken David's advice and called 911 last night. But, no, I didn't want to bother them so late at night. Moron. Me, not David.

So I took Jane's advice and locked my cats in the bathroom. Opened the patio door wide. Opened my last can of tuna. The good stuff, albacore in water. My cats, safely locked in the bathroom, hear the distinctive snick of the lid coming off and set up a subdued yowl. Waved the tuna in Alien Feline's direction. Stoopid feline wasn't interested, remaining huddled under the table making like a refugee from a torture camp. It apparently can't decide whether it wants to be a Long Suffering Martyr or a Feline Warrior Prince Defending His Turf. Or, no, wait. That's MERRY who is a Warrior Defending Her Turf. And Magic is the Long Suffering Martyr. Stoopid Alien Feline can't even be original. Got the broom to prod it out the door. Stoopid cat attacked the broom. Broom lost the fight. I retreat with less dignity than I would like. My cats are screaming at the tops of their lungs in the bathroom at 6am. No one in the entire apartment building needs to use their snooze this morning.

Finally, one agonizing step at a time, the alien moves toward the wide open patio door. It obviously wants to leave but doesn't dare. It slinks like a footed snake toward the patio. I employ the wounded broom to encourage it to Get The Heck Out of Dodge. At last it is only a yard away from freedom (my freedom. At this point I could care less about his) and in one single glorious bound he is out the door. I leap to slam the doors shut. Crap!! Spit!! Curse it!! What was my finger doing there??!! I dance around the living room, holding my crushed finger and muttering curses of pain interspersed with praises that the Stoopid Alien Feline is gone.

I get to work only a half hour late, with a hastily made tuna salad sandwich. That makes THREE lunches I have in the fridge here: left over chinese from yesterday, the frozen dinner I had originally brought to eat yesterday and the tuna fish. I'm leaving town in a few hours. When am I going to eat all that?! The system we use here at work has crashed. I can't work, except to pound my bruised finger on the keyboard writing this note.

Are we having fun yet?

Did you notice it's Friday the 13th?

OK. Plan B

2007-04-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

I went to two fabric stores today looking for either gold or burgundy linen or nice cotton to make a new under kirtle for that early Tudor gown. Blast. Couldn't find anything. It seems like all the linen was decorated with bows or had cute flowers woven into it. Might be cute for a mundane dress... if I ever sewed mundanely. Just as well, I guess, since I wasn't supposed to buy anything new anyway. Went home and looked at that black raw silk again. No. Wouldn't work. Too light and almost gauzy. I wanted an underdress like the one worn here by Margarethe of Austria. Oh, well. Let's check the stash once more in case something might jump out at me. What did I already have for linen? Hm. Choice between hot pink or white. Well... Maybe I don't absolutely have to have a new kirtle. I think it's time I made myself a new square necked shift. I got three yards of the white linen washed and cut out tonight while I listened to the MN Twins lose. Tomorrow I'll sew it together, leaving the rest of the week (Wednesday and Thursday) to add a little simple embroidery to the neck edge. I'll post when I'm done.

On The Needles

2007-04-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here's what I'm currently working on (aside from what I'm wearing for Coronation):

the varigated pink socks are for ME! The gals in the Loopy Ladies knitting circle bought me two skeins of Koigu and told me that I had to make something for myself. So I am. It's a fairly simple pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks called Yarn Over Cable. I'm about ready to start the heel on that one.

The other one is for my friend Jane. They are called Stars & Moon Socks, and I chose the pattern because the phases of the moon make me think of her. They are extremely thick, so she won't need them until next January, which is probably about when I'll get them done. I've gotten hooked on those darned felted purses, and have four planned before Christmas.

OK, I've decided...

2007-04-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

...on the Black Linen French/Spanish 1500 gown and hood to wear to Coronation next weekend. Here are the pictures that were my inspiration for the outfit: Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France on the left and Katherine of Aragon, the 1st wife of Henry VIII on the right. I believe these both date from approx 1490 - 1505. Since I'm a middle aged woman of no particularly high rank I think I can get away with linen (although, really, for a high court event like Coronation even a lower noble like myself would have commissioned a gown in silk or velvet.) and only a nice embroidered tape instead of pearls or gold at the neck of the gown. Still, my dress is pretty nice and I think the early version of the French hood is pretty good. Wearing the thing all day will be a trial. I can't hear a thing with that silly thing on my head. How did they stand it back then?!!

The gown actually looks better on me than on the mannequin, but I still have some more to do before

it's ready. I need to do something about a belt. And I think I have to make an appropriate under gown (kirtle) in gold linen so as to celebrate Northshield colors) in order to fill in the neck and make the skirt look more full and drapey. However, I do not have any gold linen, and my rule is to Not Buy Any New Fabric this year. I do have a nice selection of heavy upholstery weight brocades, but for this I want something fairly thin. I have a raw silk that might work, but it is black, and I wanted a contrast. Or there is that gold silk satin, but I was planning that for the under kirtle for the spanish loose gown I want to make. Besides, it's too expensive to be not seen. So... That means I will use the black raw silk and buy just a teeny bit of something gold to edge the neck and sleeves of the under kirtle to create a nice contrast. Not ribbon. That would be too expensive. So that means I will look at the silky brocades that are out right now in the shops for wedding/prom dresses and turn it into bias tape to decorate the edges of my under kirtle.

Gosh, I thought this would be quick! I'll have to shop Monday, sew like crazy the rest of the week to make another gown. Blast! Maybe I could get by without the under dress...?

What To Wear To Coronation?

2007-04-03T12:16:00.001-05:00

What am I going to wear to Coronation? My friends Giulia and Hrodir are stepping up as King and Queen of Northshield the Saturday after Easter and she wants to do a late period reign (16th Century, for those who don't know what late period is. My friend Fina thinks anything after 1100 AD is late period) Hrodir does early medieval Rus/Scandinavian, so he's having a whole new wardrobe made. i have a couple of choices of late period garb to pick from. I would love to make something new. I've had plans for a Tudor for years...

I had planned to make a new Tudor dress like the one Princess Elizabeth (later to be Queen Elizabeth I) is wearing here. I have lovely cut velvet in black for the dress and sleeves, and gold brocade for the forepart and under sleeves, and red cut velvet for sleeve lining and the french hood. But it's too late to start that now. All this overtime in the past two months really cut into my sewing time. I suppose I could throw something together over the Easter weekend. I do have the farthingale and petticoat bodies already made. But really, I don't want to rush through $200 worth of imported cut velvet.

I do have an Italian gown similar to the one here. Mine is made of steel blue velvet. But I wore that

to12th Night, and I don't want to wear it again.

I could of course wear the late period Italian gown I made by hand for A&S many years ago. I've very proud of it, as you can see, since it's the pic I used for my blog. But I've put on quite a bit of weight since then, and sure, I could tightened the corset a bit more, but I want to enjoy the day, not die. Besides, the silk chemise (which isn't quite the right style for this gown) was lent to a friend who ripped it and did not return it. She says she will replace it. Yeah, I could sew a new chemise, and I've been planning to, but, like I said I want to enjoy the day.

I could stick with an earlier period and wear a dress that is truly sumptuous. The silver and purple silk brocade was gifted to me by Tarrach and Fina, who were King and Queen of the Midrealm a few years ago. I turned it into a Byzantine gown. I have more to do on it, like a band of pearls and embroidery on the sleeves, and pearl temple pieces hanging from the head, but I might be able to work on that over the weekend.

Or I might just re-invent an Early Tudor gown (around 1520 or so) that I made several years ago. It's black linen with gold silk embroidery on it. I could take the zillion hooks and eyes that I sewed on to close the front with and put in laces instead, and add large square turned back sleeves and a solid, pleated skirt. I already have a early version of a french hood, and a corded corset/petticoat. It's a little early for what Giulia has in mind for her reign, but it's already mostly made...

Decisions, decisions...

Surprise!

2007-03-31T15:59:00.000-05:00

I came home from work last Friday and immediately went to the patio door to let some fresh air in. Sitting there on my patio was something I had long wanted for my kitties: a kitty condo. Or whatever they are called. It's a carpeted set of shapes and shelves that cats can play on and sleep on. They are not cheap though, and my money always has other places to go. So I never really expected to be able to have one unless I collected some carpet scraps and PVC piping and tried to make one myself. Since my forte lies in needlecraft and fiber type stuff, I would probably not make a kitty condo. My creation would probably end up a cross between the leaning Tower of Pisa and a medieval ruin. So, sorry, babies, no condo for you.

But there it was. An anonymous offering.

I have quizzed my friends in the local SCA group about it. They were all blandly confused as to why I was asking. My friends at church were surprised. My family? No, I didn't even bother asking them. Anyway, whoever the generous donor is: Thank you! The cats love it!

1st Toe Up Socks

2007-03-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

Early this past winter I decided to to just do it. Try Toe Up socks. I've always knit my socks cuff down on 5 double point needles. But I've heard that medieval socks were generally knit toe up. So I decided that it was important for me to learn to knit toe up. I started and abandoned I don't know how many socks using the figure 8 cast on. Those toes always turned out pitifully loose and gappy and I would frog it and start over. Finally I tried the Easy Toe method in Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted socks. Look! It worked.

That said, I fervently declare that I will never made another pair of socks by the toe up. I don't like working to up! Now I can honestly say I've tried it and gotten a toe up sock to work fairly well, so I can smugly say I won't do it again. I'll stick to cuff down. And I don't really care if it's not period! Besides, the only period socks I've wanted to make are the Elizabethan style socks like Eleonora of Toledo's red silk socks, and they were almost certainly worked cuff down. So there!

These socks are made of Lion Brand's Wool Ease, and I adapted a stitch pattern from the same book. Instead of having the baby cable pattern making up the entire sock I just used one on either side of the top of the leg and foot. I kinda like the look of these. When I started I didn't have anyone in mind to give these to. I made them pretty long, so they definately don't fit me! I wear a size 6. You can see how much larger the socks are than the blockers. Luckily, there's a woman at church that these fit perfectly. I'll give them to her tomorrow. Naturally, it's spring now, so she probably won't wear these until next year. (sad face) Oh, well, on to the next pair!

The Loopy Ladies

2007-03-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Hey, we've started a knitting group at church, and I love it!

We started out meeting in the Youth Sunday School Room at church -- you know, the room with saggy couches that require a helping hand to get out of -- but have since decided that it is more comfortable to knit at a local Caribou Coffee shop. We're callling ourselves the Living Hope Loopy Ladies.
Not that you need to go to our church to join us. Not everyone in these pictures is church member. We just want to have fun. And with so many people wanting to learn to knit these days, we thought it was a great opportunity for fellowship. Maybe a chance to show love in a practical way. You can knock on a stranger's door and announce "God loves you!" but that is flat out annoying. If you knitted someone a gift and said it was from the local church they would probably think you were trying to get them to go to your church.
If I was in their shoes I would be turned off. We don't want to do that. We just want to do something that is fun and might be helpful to other people. Instead of paying $30.00 plus materials for a class at a yarn shop, people can just join us and we'll get them started. We all started doing the same project: Felted Bags. It's great first project to teach someone how to knit because the felting hides a multitude of mistakes. And pretty much everyone can use a bag for something. When Debbie tells people that her purse was her first ever knitting project they are amazed and admiring. Now there is a core group of us that knit and we can each do what we might like. Lorri is working on a dishrag and Susi is working on a hat. Brandi is knitting cute little dresses for her new baby. Susie is working on an afgan. Terry and Robbie (the two who were really not at all sure they would like to knit but took to it like ducks to water) are making more felted bags. And we've pretty much taken over an entire section of the coffee shop every Thursday night. It's a blast. The paster's wife surprised me when she suggested that when we begin our fall Bible Study we would of course be knitting during the discussion time. tee-hee! A convert!

Winter's Return

2007-03-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

Sigh. I woke up this morning to snow. Not just any snow. This is the kind that blows around, driven horizontal by nasty wind. Not surprising, really. It's State High School Basketball Tournament Time. That's the traditional time of year for nasty weather. In fact, one of the worst and deadliest blizzards happened in March back in the 1930s. I forget how many people died, but it was a bunch. All the proud parents left for town to see their kids and neighbors' kids play in the state tournaments being held in Fargo. This was (and still is) a major attraction in North Dakota, a reason to put on good clothes and go to town. The weather that morning was typical spring: blue sky and a light breeze and melting snow everywhere. Spirits were high. They piled into the school gymnasiums to watch the games and didn't see what the weather was doing. By late afternoon, it was blowing and snowing and when the farm folk, dressed in their town best clothes, left to go home it was getting bad. And in spite of the fact that most of them had grown up here and been dealing with the weather all their lives they still started out for home in their cars. The weather only got worse. Even in daylight it would have been hard to navigate through the snow, but in the dark it was near impossible. Cars couldn't get through the drifts on the county roads. The snow blowing in a solid curtain of white hid the sheltering farmhouses from motorists. Familiar roads turned into white mazes that disappeared. Cars couldn't see each other only yards apart. A day later people were dead, frozen in their cars in the middle of fields that the lost drivers had thought were roads. Cars marooned only yards from each other held frozen bodies. A woman's corpse was found frozen to a fence post only a quarter mile from a house. Those who survived were lucky. Dozens of women wearing dresses had frozen shins. Literally. Frostbite is nothing to fool around with.

How could hundreds of people who knew what the weather was capable of go blythely off to die? Didn't they know better?!! Well, I walked to work as usual this morning, but in my mind it was still spring, (how bad could it be?) so I didn't have my hat or scarf. Yikes! By the time I walked a few measely blocks I was frozen! Maybe that's what happened 60 years ago. People were thinking spring. But this weather today, nasty and unwelcome as it is, is not a blizzard.

And spring is still right around the corner. Only a month or so away. I know that because it's MARCH!! True, in other places around the country, March means it is really spring. Here on the border between Minnesota and North Dakota this is just Old Man Winter telling us he's still King of the Plains and he ain't going to leave until he's good and ready. Maybe April. After at least one more good ice storm...

Slices of Life

2007-03-10T11:58:00.000-06:00

Sometimes life gets away from us. Well, away from me. For months I've kept my head down and my eyes fixed on my feet plodding along, numbly trying to get from Point A to Point B. It would probably be helpful to know what Point B is, as well as where it is. Is it:

A: to get caught up to a certain point at work? Management seems to think so. Since February 5 we have been required to work 10 hours of overtime a week. We're still not actually caught up, but we're a heck of a lot closer. I hate working so much, but I was hoping that all that extra money would let me pay off my Mayo Clinic bill. How can 22 hours of overtime on a check be only $115 more than the usual pay? Take a look at how much went to Uncle Sam and you'll know the answer to that question. Sigh. And then take that extra money to buy a new antibiotic that still doesn't work.

B: to finish knitting socks for all my friends? I'm working so much that I never get to see them. Working on gifts for friends makes me feel close to them, even if I don't get to see them. I look at my yarn stash and wonder what color or pattern Paula and Jane would like. It makes me feel like I'm hugging them.

C: to have a clean apartment? I hope that's not Point B. I'll never get there. The sun is shining gloriously today, and the temperature is near 40, so I have all the blinds open and the windows cracked a scant half inch. All that light is showing off all the dust and cat hair on everything. I am doggedly ignoring the sight. I will not spend my one afternoon off moaning about cat hair.

D: to be completely healed from all my sinus tribulations? Nope, can't be. The doctor has flat out said it ain't happening. No cure for what I have. But maybe we can kick the sinus infection that I've had since October. That would be Good.

I think the question shouldn't be "What is Point B?" I think it should be "What do I want Point B to be?" Well, darned if I know. Except I'd like a little more balance in my life. Less work and more time with friends. I want to put in a nice, 8 hour day at work and then come home to an apartment that was at least tidy, if not immaculate. I want more energy and playtime. I'd like fewer bills and less time spent seeing doctors who would like to help but can't. I want to lose about 20 pounds and take a month long vacation where I could spend all the money I want.

I think what Point B needs to be is contentment. Being content with what I have. Anybody know how to get there?

Sally Watson, Where Are You?

2007-01-26T07:21:00.000-06:00

When I was growing up back in the '60s and '70s, I loved to read. Somehow I managed to get through school even tho I usually had a "fun" book hidden inside the text book I was supposed to be paying attention to. Or maybe that was the reason I managed to get through school. One of my favorite authors was (and, really, still is) Sally Watson. She wrote historical fiction books like Jade, Lark, Linnet, Witch of the Glen and others I can't remember the titles of right now. Those books are probably the reason I got a BA in History. I loved those books. In fact, I have several, and when I've had a really long day at work and I just want to relax I grab one of those and re-read. It's like visiting an old friend that you haven't seen for a while.

Do you do that? Do you find a book that was a childhood favorite and treasure it? Of course, sometimes you find an old favorite and when you re-read it you find that either your reading tastes have really changed or the book just didn't live up to your memory. Sad.

I haven't found an author like Sally Watson in a long time. A lot of the Young Adult books out today are really good. I love Stephenie Meyer's series about Bella and Edward. And anything by Tamora Pierce is a keeper for me. But too many books are full of teenaged angst. Children trying to make their way out of a broken home, tormented by alcoholic parents and no way out. is there any hope? Those kinds of books are just too much work for me to enjoy. Even worse, though, are the Girl meets Boy stories. Girl has a pimple. Will he ask her out anyway? I'm sure they are very well written, but I'm past that in my life, and I don't really want to go back to it.

So where are the simple historical fiction books like Sally Watson's?

My New Year's Resolution: No More Projects With Deadlines

2007-01-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been plugging away at these socks. I was going to give them to my friend for her birthday, which was before Christmas. Obviously, I missed that deadline, mostly because I was working on that crazy afghan for my sister. But I figured it would be alright. I could finish them up in time for 12th Night. Well... nope. See a pattern here? Yeah, so I have made a resolution for 2007: No more making birthday presents, housewarming gifts, Christmas pressents!!! I will make things that I want to make for people I love. But I will not plan to have them done by a certain date!!!

But these socks are beautiful, and so soft, and so warm. I'm sure Fina will love them. Next summer sometime when it's 85 degrees in the shade. :)

Water Lillies Washing Up on the Shore of My Sanity

2006-12-29T23:24:00.000-06:00

This is the afghan I made for my sister as a housewarming present. She and her husband bought a house last summer. I didn't have it done in time for that, and I stupidly put it aside, figuring that I would get it done for when I would go down to visit in September. Yeah, right. Well, I could always give it to them at Christmas...

Around December 10 I suddenly realized that I had to have the afghan done in only two weeks! Yikes! I still had 12 blocks to make, then I would have to sew the blocks together and put the border around it. I stayed up until midnight most nights of that last week, and finished the border in the car down to the Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul are called simply "the Cities" here, as if there were no other cities in the country).

There were many times in that week when I thought I was losing my mind. That's why I've named this afghan Water Lillies Washing Up On the Shores of My Sanity. But it's done! And it looks rather nice if I do say so myself. It looks so tranquil compared to my feelings when making it!

Goofy Movie Quotes

2006-12-28T22:22:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me a link to a site where you enter any word you like--say, your name-- and it will put that word into a quote from a famous movie. My favorite one so far is "Keep your friends close but your Maddy closer." Isn't that fun? I really need to go to bed, but it is addictive to see what they will come up with next!

http://thesurrealist.co.uk/movie.php?word=Maddy

My cats

2006-12-25T19:23:00.000-06:00

Look! Pictures of my kitties. Magic is the black cat. See? Black Magic Cat. The white cat is Merry, which is short for Merriadoc Brandybuck. Yes, there was once a Pippin. Don't ask.

Anyway, I went down to Minneaplis to spend Christmas with my sister and her husband, who hosted the presents opening event (they have a three year old, so it was an "event"!) and my brother, who hosted us all for Christmas Eve dinner. It was lovely. I got home tonight and when I came to my door, I found...

A Christmas Stocking!

It was given anonymously, but I have a pretty good idea who is responsible. There were all kinds of good stocking stuffers in it, and some of those were things for my cats! See? Merry kept herself occupied with a little stuffed mouse, and Magic batted around a little ball with a bell in it for over half an hour. I wasn't surprised that Merry played, because she loves to chase after toys, but Magic isn't very interested in toys. But she really likes that little ball!

So to my friends who are responsible for a little extra Christmas joy in my life: Thanks! You know who you are!

Coffee, Not So Good The 2nd Time Around...

2006-12-18T15:22:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday (December 9) I was stricken by the stomach plague that's been going around. I got to work at about 7:00 and got a cup of coffee. Now that winter's here (well, it's pretty warm for December, but it's still winter) I really enjoy a cup of hot coffee in the morning. My tummy was a bit uneasy, but the night before I'd been a chaperone at the youth movie night at church and I had eaten quite a bit more than I was used to, so I figured that was it.

No. At 8:00 I left and got home just in time to experience the joy of tasting that cup of coffee going the other way. Wow. Every time I threw up that day and the next I tasted that coffee. Strangely enough, I haven't had coffee in the past week. I did get a cup this morning at work. I even had a couple sips. But instead of tasting like coffee it tasted like... Well, you can imagine what I tasted. Yuck.

I really hope I get past this soon. I enjoy coffee. But when I was 8 I threw up Rocky Road ice cream. Can't stand it to this day. Sigh. Coffee can not be permitted to go the same way.

My Arlen Needles

2006-11-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

Here's pair of socks I made for myself. (Yes, I occasionally keep a pair of socks that I make). I finished these actually last February, but I'm just now taking pix of some of the socks I've kept for myself. These are made from Lorna's Laces Sport weight in the persimmon colorway. I used a garter rib for the cuff. Quick and simple. And these socks are so soft! I don't really like the way the colors pool over the foot. But the colors are so pretty don't really mind so much.

There's a story connected to these socks. I had gone up to Winnipeg for an SCA event last January. On Friday night there was an archery shoot at a range down town. I don't do archery, but it's fun to watch. So I tagged along, with my knitting in hand. (I don't go anywhere without my knitting. God forbid I don't have something to do at an event) I carry my knitting in a little bag I made from scraps of upholstery fabric and cords for a drawstring. I had completed one of the socks and had just finished the ribbing on the second in car on the drive up. I set my knitting down on a chair and went around hugging friends I had not seen for a while. Then I went to sit down and knit and watch the archery.

Blast! One of my bamboo needles was snapped in half!

These were my favorite needles! I had had them for several years, and they had never broken. One was a severely warped, which annoyed me, but they still worked just fine. I was kinda grumpy about it, but I use five needles to knit socks, and it can be done with four, so I figured I could re-arrange the stitches and carry on. But as I began to shift stitches, I realized that the next needle was also snapped. And the next needle. And the next. The only needle still whole was (of course) the warped one. I panicked. What was I going to do for the next two days with no knitting?! Until this point in my life I had known I enjoyed knitting. And at events or other places where I might be shy and have a hard time feeling like I fit in I used my knitting as a shield against feeling alone or out of place. People would see me knitting often stop and chat for a few minutes about what I was doing. (Complete strangers can become life long friends during a five minute conversation about knitting or other fiber crafts.) But I hadn't realized the extent of my addiction. I was terrified. Two days without knitting?? I asked the woman next to me if there was a yarn shop near by? If so, would they be open at 7pm on a Friday night? She looked at me blankly and said she didn't think Winnepeg had any. I began to tremble violently.

A young man named Arlen that I had met just that day overheard me asking. He probably noticed my hands shaking, too. He said there was a craft store at a mall nearby. He offered to drive me over. I was doubtful. In Fargo the craft stores do not stock size 1 double points. Straight needles for scarf knitting can be bought in various sizes. Double points in size 5 and up, yes. A few 29" Circular needles in size 8 and up, yes. But size 1 double points? No way. In Fargo they can be bought only at Pieces of String or Yarn Renaissance. But he was so nice to offer that I figured what the heck. And wouldn't you know it, Lewiscraft-in-a-mall had Susan Bates size 1 doublepoints! Metal, so they wouldn't break! (I figure someone sat on my knitting and that's how the needles broke. Hah! Try sitting on them now!) And they were reasonably priced! I bought two sets of 4. Now I was set. I was able to finish the cuff that weekend thanks to a guy who didn't knit but was friendly enough to go out of his way to give me a hand. He's clean cut, handsome, genuinely nice and young. Too young, darn it all.

That's why those particular needles are called my Arlen needles. Here we are, the following day at the event. Notice how calm and happy I look? That is thanks to Arlen and his gnerosity in offering to take me to find more knitting needles!

The Aroma of Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T13:41:00.000-06:00

I have had serious sinus trouble for about 13 or 14 years, resulting in a loss of my sense of smell. Sure, I've been able to smell, here and there, like right after one of my sinus surgeries, or during one of my semi annual courses of prednisone. Because I love the smell of lilacs in spring, and the scent of Christmas cookies baking I've tried to arrange to have the prednisone for those times of the year. I haven't smelled Thanksgiving in 13 years. But yesterday I walked into my mom's house and smelled Thanksgiving: the turkey roasting in the oven overlaid by the tang of cranberries bubbling on the stove, and, faintly, the spice of pumpkin pie in the backround. Now THAT is something to be grateful for. Next time you smell your coffee in the morning or your soap in the shower or the fabric softener sheet in the dryer, take a deep breath and give thanks. A sense of smell should not be taken for granted.

Socks For Everyone!

2006-10-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

Cool weather is here! That means it's time for warm wool socks!

I really enjoy knitting, and socks are the perfect, portable project. And perfect gift! You can make only so many pairs of mittens for one person, but everyone needs more than one pair of socks. And there are so many different kinds of socks. Thick warm slipper socks, dainty lace socks, fun colors socks, ankle socks, knee high socks, ribbed socks, striped socks... The list really is endless. It seems like every few days or so I find another pattarn I just *have* to try. And knitting is a stress buster for me. So my socks go everywhere with me. Doctor and dentist's waiting rooms are good for at least a couple rows. I even take them to parties. Is it irreverent to knit during church? So many patterns, so little time... Sigh.

So here are some of the patterns that have caught my attention in the last few months:

SANJAY's Sixth Sense Sox.These are made from Sockotta, a cotton wool blend in bright summery colors. It is an easy ribbing pattern that was pretty quick and easy to do. Once I got into the pattern, I didn't have to think too hard or count too much. The pattern is one from the Six Sox Knitalong I belong to. I haven't had a bad pattern from there yet.

I started these in the spring and took them along on the morning I went in for surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Good thing I had them. I sat in that little waiting room for a couple hours, I swear. And after they had the IV hook up thingy in my arm I tried really *really* hard to knit without bending my elbow.

I finished these in June, but just now got around to sending them to my friend. Her name is Linda. Or Gwyneth. Or Sanjay. Or just G.

Daye's Unst Socks

I made these socks as a part of the KOTR Knitalong. All the socks we knit there are from nancy Bush's book Knitting On The Road. These are the Unst socks. I made them from Lion Brand Sport Weight Wool Ease. I just wanted to try this pattern. I didn't want to buy any new yarn for it (actually I DID want to buy new yarn, but I made myself a promise that I would shop only in my stash for the rest of the year) Daye had said she'd like to have socks, and one of her favorite colors was purple. Since I had the purple woolease already in stock, I decided to go with it. I like them. I think she will too. Her name is Wendy. But I never call her that. She's also called Daeg, which is pronounced "Day" but the E on the end adds elegance to the name, don't you think?

Yngvar's Sensible Men's Socks

Made from a Canadian sock wool blended with nylon in heather gray and solid black for stripes and heels and toes.

These are socks for my friend Yngvar. He's like a brother to me, only better, because he never complains when I ask him to do me a favor. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Last january, another friend from Winnepeg and I were shopping and I said I'd like to do something nice for Yggy, like make him socks. But I didn't have any extra money right then. She said she hadn't gotten him anything yet for 12th Night, so she bought the yarn. And I'm making the socks. And making the socks. And making the socks. This simple pattern should be quick and easy, right? No. I cast on 80 stitches on size 1 needles and am still working on them. Plain gray is BORING. I have to break it up eith some lace and bright colors. But they'll get done soon, Yggy, I promise!

Fina's Celtic Swirl Socks!

Work in Progress. Made with Baby Ull from Dalegarns. 100% merino wool in fingering weight. I have a friend. A tall friend. Last year I began a pair of socks for her, made from a very nice self striping yarn in a chevron pattern that showed off the stripes quite nicely, and took the first one over to her house to have her try it on. Hmmm.... She gallantly forced it on, but clearly it was bit small. She could barely pull it on over her heel. So I went back home and put those aside for a while, not sure if I wanted to frog them and try to adjust the chevron pattern to be a few stitches larger, or if I just wanted to start fresh with a new pattern entirely. Fortunately the cat took the dilemma out of my hands by doing the frogging herself. So a week ago I found a fun pattern that I thought might appeal to my friend. I almost stuck to my rule to not buy any more yarn. I had one ball of red wool in the weight I wanted and one of off white. My friend wears a large size shoe, so I knew I'd need one more ball of red. Ok, I figured buying one ball of yarn to complete what I already had wouldn't be cheating. But wouldn't you know it, my local yarn store doesn't carry Brown Sheep's Nature Spun. Can you believe it? I could have ordered online. But by golly, I wanted to start these socks NOW! I ended up buying three skeins of the baby ull. Gosh darn it. But at least that's ALL I bought.

I carefully made a swatch and did all my figurign to be sure these would fit my friend, and according to my calculations, they should fit. But the stranded color work mades knitting a little less stretchy, and I want to try these on her befoer I say they are a success.

So, my knitting is going along nicely. I have more friends that I'd like to make socks for. I just love to knit socks. I want to try so many different patterns. But I'm not sure how all of my friends would like hand knit socks. Hard thought it is for me to believe, some people don't like hand knit items. And one friend is allergic to wool. And some of my friends already knit their own socks, and better than I do.

Mostly I knit because it's therapy for me. And with my job right now, I need lots of therapy!

Game On

2006-10-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

They're up! Both the gown and the cloak are officially up for aucti0n! It's a good feeling to have it done. I decided to offer the gown at a starting price of $9.99. I hope to have alot of people be interested in it. But I did put a reserve price of $90.00 on it. That's what it cost me to make it, and I'll be de-double-darned if I'll take less for it. If it doesn't sell I'll donate it to the next Kingdom auction or raffle. It's a pity that my dress makers dummy leans a bit to the side. The poor thing looks drunk. It makes the pictures look less than good. They all make the dress look like it's about to take off. Either that or fall over. Sigh. The gown is truly beautiful. I like how the waist is smoothly nipped in, and then swells up into the bust. Very flattering. Hard to believe I used to actually be that size!

Let the games begin!

OK, Now I'm Done

2006-10-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

I was laying in bed this morning at 5:30, thinking about the dress, and I came to the reluctant conclusion that this dress just begged for sleeves. I had some scraps of the silvery green fabric and the satin I'd used for the underskirt, enough to make sleeves. So I got up and got them cut out and one sewn before I had to go to church to teach sunday school. Then I had to go to my mom's to help her out, and then, at last, I was able to sew theother sleeve. And I really think they complete the outfit. The dress can be worn without sleeves, or with the sleeves. And they can be worn either way. The lining makes a very pretty sleeve too.

Now, I'm going to go to ebay and get this dress and the cloak I made to go with it listed. Wish me luck!

At Last! It's Done!

2006-10-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

I began the chemise at 2:00pm and finished sewing it at 9:00pm. That's way too much time for something made out of four rectangles! Of course, I couldn't make a plain chemise. Oh, no. I had to add ruffles, and lace and trim. Silly me. But it does look nice and I'm very pleased with it. It would look even nicer if I had an arm to put in the sleeve for pictures. The sleeves are extra long, so they can poof out and hang over the hands. I made some dark green velvet arm garters, that can be worn over the bicep to hold the sleeve in place and make it poof out.

So, tomorrow this goes up for auction on ebay. It has taken me three weeks to make this. Probably a total of 25 or thirty hours. But that's only a guess. I've looked at what is currently for auction on ebay, and there are several gowns that look really nice. The main theme seems to be "Pirate Wench" type dresses. I don't think my gown fits into that category, although it could be something that Miss Elizabeth Swann might have worn. I consider this more of a court gown. It would be really nice for a fancy costume party or an SCA event, or a Fantasy Convention. Friends stopped over last night and one of them has already asked me to make one for her. Since she's close to six feet tall and barely a size 7/8, this one won't fit her. This one will fit someone who is around 5'5" to 5'7" and a size 11/12. Maybe an 11/12. Is that what size has a 32" waist?

Well, if you were over at ebay and have come here to see more photos and see how the dress was made, feel free to scroll down. Most of the recent blog entries are all about this dress. Feel free to leave a comment. I'll be answering any questions on ebay. Thanks for stopping by!

Ready, Set, Hem!

2006-10-05T21:23:00.000-05:00

I finished sewing the lacing rings on and now I'm in the process of measuring the hem. It's almost done at last! Yippee!

After the hem is done I'll sew the chemise. At first I thought I'd make the chemise out of a semi-sheer cotton that I bought up in Winnipeg at an Indian store, where they sell sari fabrics and salwar kameez and really cool jewelry. But I was planning on making myself another chemise out of that, and I think the buyers on ebay would rather have a shiny silky fabric chemise. Besides, since I won't be making sleeves for the dress after all, it might look cool to have big puffy sleeves in a shiny satiny fabric trimmed with the left over strips of green velvet. I don't have any shiny white fabric, so I'll have to go to the store and buy some. That will raise the cost of materials up to around $90.00. So should I start the auction at $89.99? I just can't settle for selling the dress for less than it cost me to make it, especially since I've spent hours making it. I've seen some really nice looking things sell on ebay for what must be a lower price than it cost to make . That is sad. Really, really sad.

But this dress is beautiful. With people looking for halloween costumes and some fancier SCA events like 12th Night coming up, there should be plenty of people willing to pay what it is worth.

Lacing the Bodice

2006-10-05T12:26:00.000-05:00

So, I've been plodding along with my dress for ebay, and the more I do the less I want to sell it. If I had made it in my size, I would keep it. But honestly, considering that I go to only about 5 or 6 SCA events a year, how many court gowns do I need?

I have stitched more of the dark green velvet along the open edges of the underskirt, and it looks pretty sharp against the seafoam green satin underskirt. And I finally made up my mind about how to close the bodice. I chose to go with lacing rings stitched down on top of the green velvet bodice edging. I like the rings because they won't make the fabric fray, and they won't ever fall out and leave a gaping, ugly hole. If they do come 0ff they can be sewn back on, like buttons. I have some nice gold cord that can be used as lacing. So once I've sewn the lacing rings on (slow going, sewing all twenty of them on by hand) I can hem the skirt and underskirt. Then just sew the chemise and I'm done! Can I finish by Saturday night?

Getting Closer To Being Done

2006-09-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

Yay! Look! I've got the skirt cut out and pleated! It's not sewn yet, because I wanted to see how it would fit. But it's looking pretty good. So after I do a few errands I'll come back and sew the pleats down and then sew the skirt to the bodice. I'm really liking this dress. I hope some other people will too, and bid on it on ebay. I'm not sure what amount to start it at. I want it to be low enough that people will want to bid, but not so low that I can't get at least my money out of it. Preferably I'll get my time paid for too. The materials cost about $75.00. Luckily, I got the silvery green fabric on sale for only $8.99 a yard. So maybe I'll start it at $69.99. I'll decide later.

The Sea Maiden's Elizabethan Gown Bodice

2006-09-30T11:08:00.000-05:00

I began the bodice for my ebay dress last sunday. Since I've decided to make it more of a court type gown rather than a wench dress I put an inner built in corset between the dressy fabric and the lining. This will give it that nice firm look and push the bust up, if that's what the wearer wants. And I sacrificed the velvet I had chosen for sleeves to use to bind the bodice edges. I think this gives it a richer look. I'm not sure if I want to use lacing rings on the inside for a closure or grommets along the edges. I'm kinda leaning toward the hidden lacing rings, because the silvery green fabric is prone to fraying and grommets are punched through all three layers. Making a hole in the outer faric might make it fray. Of course, I could use fray check...

I have only the dress makers dummy that fits my size --well, my former size. I've put on about 15 pounds since I made this, so it really isn't my size anymore. But back to what I was saying. The bodice is a tish smaller than the dress makers dummy. So this bodice will measure approx 31-32"" at the waist and 37-38" at the bust. Those measurements can be played with a bit. For instance, if the wearer wants to go for that busty, boobs- swelling-over-the-top look, her actual measurement should be a bit larger.

Now, I have to cut out the overskirt and pleat it and sew it to the bodice. What fun.