Fake Isle Hat

Pattern: Fake Isle Hat by Amy King
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted (assorted colors) and Knitaly
Needles: US7 Crystal Palace Circulars
Notes: A fast, fun project and a good stashbuster. Next time I would knit the ribbing on smaller needles and/or fewer stitches.

Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. Five Bags Full.

Of yard waste.

I discovered the key to getting the kids to help me with the yard. I bought them their own work gloves. They helped me pull weeds and put yard waste in bags for a while. Then I went back to work on the blackberries. I cleared a pretty good area yesterday and spent a lot of time digging up roots. My older son came back outside and begged me to let him help more with the yard. So I got him pulling vines off the deck and the trees. There is still much, much more work to do. We haven't even approached the mega-blackberry patch. The 20 foot high one. When I woke up this morning I could barely life my arms. I actually woke up during the night because I was so sore. I feel like I'm in slow-motion today.

I worked on the Welsh sock last night while watching The Good German. I didn't get to finish it (the movie. Or the sock.).



I also did a bit more on my Fake Isle hat. I'm just using random odds and ends of Lamb's Pride so the colorway *ahem* leaves a bit to be desired.



I've finished sewing the strips for the hexagon quilt and I have sewn four strips together. I tried out my new walking foot and it kept slipping out of place. Then it popped off and snapped my needle in two. It was pretty dramatic. I put the old foot back on and got out a new needle. Whoa. Sewing with a new needle is like sewing with a whole new machine. Smoooooth. It's like oiling your spinning wheel. I always forget what a difference it makes until I do it.

But now I just feel tired and my motivation is waning. I keep checking over my shoulder and the quilt has still not started to assemble itself.

When You're Good to Mama

I'm still deep in a Dulaan kick. I finished teaching my class which means I can finally finish the Baby Surprise Jacket I started the first week of May. I sewed it up and wove in all the ends. Now I need to find my button box and sew on some buttons. I also started a Fake Isle hat with a bunch of odds and ends of Lamb's Pride Worsted and a skein of Knitaly I got at a Dulaan Knit In.

I had a goal in mind of finishing my hexagon quilt top (or at least finishing sewing the strips then sewing the strips together by the end of Sunday night. Instead Wes and I decide to start attacking the blackberry forest that is our yard. Have you ever gotten smacked in the face with a blackberry cane? I don't recommend it. It still stings. After all the chopping, hacking and pulling (only a few square feet cleared) my arms were so weak I couldn't sew. My hands were shaking so violently I couldn't hold the pieces of fabric.

Last night I cut out of Purlygirls early for a night of Cineoke. It was an amazing night. By all accounts it was the greatest night in Cineoke history. We had guitar playing, Bollywood dancing, a Little Mermaid in full costume with props, Neil Diamond ("Today!"), A Chorus Line, Grease 2. Awesome. I sang "When You're Good to Mama" from Chicago and dedicated it to Paris Hilton. I also got to sing "Les Poissons" from The Little Mermaid which was incredibly fun because the whole audience was singing it with me. Wes brought two co-workers. One did the most heartfelt rendition of "Something's Coming" from West Side Story ever. The other did " All I Do is Dream of You" from Singin' In the Rain with full choreography. We all had a great time. If you're in Seattle and free on July 9th, I highly recommend checking out Cineoke. And it benefits the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Comfy Socks

Pattern: Comfy Socks
Yarn: Ara from Dale of Norway
Needles: US11s
Notes: These are super-fast socks to knit. They are very thick and warm. I knit these in the largest size for the Dulaan Project. I'm modeling them with another pair of socks underneath.

Sock's Up

After a week or so with no socks on the needles I cast on for the Welsh Country Socks from Folk Socks.



I'm using some Knitpicks Essential from my stash and can I just say that so far I am unimpressed. Or rather, you get what you pay for.

I knew I was going to see Surf's Up on Saturday with my older son (younger didn't want to go) and that I wouldn't be able to knit the patterning or calf shaping from the Welsh Socks in the dark. I needed a simple knit. In one of those perfect convergence moments I got an email from Knitting Daily with survey results on why no one was knitting the socks from their free Comfy Socks pattern. The reason was mainly that the socks are super-thick. They're knit in bulky yarn at 3 sts/inch. I knew these would be great for Dulaan. I've been feeling a little guilty that I haven't been knitting more for adults. Kids' knits are so much faster, easier and cuter to knit. I also had several skeins of Dale of Norway Ara sitting unloved and abandoned in my stash. So I knew what I would knit at the movies. I cast on the first sock on Friday night. I knit the leg during the movie. But the sock went so quickly I was at the heel before the movie ended. I pulled the first sock right off the needles (got to love wool for all its stickiness) and I cast on the second sock in the dark. I was able to knit most of the second leg during the movie too. I didn't quite finish them at home last night so I took them out with me today. They are thick, plush and incredibly warm. I hope they find a happy owner in Mongolia.

The movie, by the way, was really very cute. It's done as a mockumentary about a famous surfing penguin. There's a lot of good business in there referencing reality shows and documentaries. I was glad my older son and I had started to watch March of the Penguins the night before. If you're kids are interested in going to this one you will be pleasantly amused for 85 minutes.

I also finished watching The Lost Room. Like my previous experiment with Battlestar Gallactica, I was trying to stretch myself a little. I really like Peter Krause, from Six Feet Under. But this thing was so low-rent I could not believe. And they didn't even attempt to make anything pull together, make any sense or resolve in any way. Terrible writing, terrible effects and frankly the actors looked like they had to do their own make-up.

Simple Shoes

Elegantly stuffed with scrap yarn and a washcloth

Pattern: Simple Shoes from Uniform Studio
Yarn: Donated Handspun
Needles: US10.5 Brittany dpns
Notes: These are for Dulaan. They are, as the name suggests, simple to knit and darn quick to boot.

Baby Leggings

Pattern: Baby Leggings from The Opinionated Knitter
Yarn: Peruvian Highland Wool
Needles: US7 Addi Turbos
Notes:
Ugh. So you know how I was so tickled by the extra tush space knit into these leggings using short rows? Apparently that wasn't on my mind when I started the calf decreases, which I started on the front of the legs. Which I didn't notice until I had completed both feet and woven in all my ends. So now these will be the perfect leggings for a small child with a big belly and no butt. I knit the bootee foot option instead of the sock foot.
Thanks to Sarah who came through with the extra skein of Allspice to knit the feet.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

I don't know about you but when I think about formal wear I think of felt.
Stiff, heavy, wool felt.



Now why does this one remind me of Bill Nighy?

Oh. Right.



For that little coral reef in all of us.


And this one is just the thing if you want something that says, "I perished in a watery grave."




Thanks so much to the reader who sent this in. I forgot your name! Damn, I have got to start writing these things down.

Not So Longies

Dang, I just ran out of yarn. I still have 5 rounds left on each leg and the feet to go. If you've got any leftovers of Peruvian Highland Wool in Butter, Allspice, Spring Green or Blue Vista laying around, let me know.

***Update: I got some more yarn tonight. I should be okay. Thanks for all the offers!***

There's been more sewing. The hexagon quilt has three strips sewn and 13 to go. But last night I went off on a tangent. I was reading about the Disappearing 9 Patch quilt technique. I wanted to try it myself so I dug out some ancient fabric that only kind of goes together and started cutting.



This morning I started sewing.



Then I cut.



Then rearranged.



Neat.

I'm going to use these blocks to make a mini quilt to practice my machine quilting on. That should be interesting...

ETA: Itty bitty Disappearing 9 Patch quilt top is done.

Got My Dulaan Mojo

In anticipation of Saturday's Dulaan-a-Thaan I had starting knitting hats again for the Dulaan Project. Friday night and Saturday during the day I knit these.



The one on the left is Lamb's Pride Bulky held together with some mystery boucle and the one on the right is Rowan Big Wool. This is still all the odds and ends that a customer gave to me. I also cast on another hat at lunch with three strands of Cascade 220 (also from the same customer--Thanks Amy!).

I arrived ridiculously early. Ryan had cautioned about the limited parking. I got to the shop at 4:45. The event started at 6. I felt like a dork. It gave me time to keep working on my hat and prepare my yarn. I planned to knit an entire sweater before I left.



By 6 Ryan and TMK had arrived. I started my sweater. Slowly knitters came. All of them had food and armloads of hats and sweaters to donate. We knit. We ate. We talked. We laughed.

Around 10ish my knitting looked like this.



More knitting, talking, eating and laughing. Fatigue started to set in a bit. There was a certain air of giddiness. We all got the giggles. After 1 am our numbers were thinning.

Finally at 3:30 I finished the sweater.



I stuck around until a little after 4 am to finish my hat.



We collected 100 items for Dulaan.

I headed home. The wrong way on I-5. I turned around and actually headed home. I was thwarted by an endless repaving project that had all the streets leading to my house blocked. I finally found my way to my house. The sun was coming up. I collapsed into bed and surprisingly lay awake for a while thinking about what I would knit next for Dulaan.

Dulaan-a-Thaan 2007

I'm groggy and barely coherent. You can see a bit of what I was doing yesterday from 6 pm to 4:20 am. here. I did manage to take a few pictures. More...zzzzz...later...

Preliminary Layout

I've already moved a few things around since I took this picture. I'll do a little more tweaking then straighten all the pieces out. Some of my lines got a little wonky. I think I'll be ready to start sewing the strips tonight.