MDSW part dos

There were a few funny things I forgot to post about for MDSW. It is funny how the mind continues to seep things out over time.

My travelling buddy, Mary, threatened to come home with some sheep. In case you are wondering, she already owns 4, and runs a tiny "hobby" farm on her property. I told her, there is no room in a rented Hyundai for sheep! But it was funny anyway, calling home to her 18-year old son and telling him that she had purchased 3 more sheep. (Imagine me baaaahing in the background for effect. I am such an enabler.) We were trying to freak him out into believing he would have to build another fence. :)

In case you think I am cruel, do not weep for Mary. For she has already purchased 4 more sheep (3 Finn ewes, and one Jacob ram) SINCE MDSW in the NC and GA area. So her little sheepy community is growing despite me. :) And not to mention all the bees she has to keep her company. Yes, she is a beekeeper. And a dogkeeper and a pigkeeper.

Then when we went to one of our knitting groups on Wednesday night, I found out that another of our friends had already "appropriated" Mary's skein of STR Fire on the Mountain. And by "appropriated" I mean that she took the sock yarn and hid it down her blouse. (I know what you are thinking, and don't tell me that some of you all have never been struck by the urge to stuff someone else's sock yarn p0rn down your shirt ala Miss Violet. I don't believe you.) But this woman is so sweet, is like a mom to all of us, and does so much for charity that you can't bear to take the Fire on the Mountain back. It turns out she wanted another skein to do a project, so she bought mine from me....if I was working, I would have given it to her for free, but I really need to pay these yarn bills. So it looks like I am keeping the Cracked Canyon after all. I wanted to keep it anyway so there is my excuse. Bought 5 skeins and kept 1. Not bad. I could be a recovering sock yarn hoarder. Maybe I need to create a 12 step program....

And my other friend loved the two sock yarns I picked out for her. I am so happy.

This is going to be a crazy weekend. This afternoon and evening I have a Thimbleberries quilting retreat. And tomorrow is a trip to Bovidae Farm with one of my knitting groups. I have not been able to visit Bovidae Farm since I moved here 3 years ago because you need to arrange visits ahead of time, and I really want to go even though I have been on the road way too much lately. You see, they have a wrap around porch on their house, and they pen the sheep up next to the house so we can pet them. And they process and dye their own yarn. I did not know about this trip until last Sunday. So I have no money to spend at the Farm. But our friend who took our STR Fire on the Mountain wants some yarn from there, so at least I get to buy by proxy.

And I think I am going to take out the impatiens I planted on Tuesday. The weather here is way too hot for them already and I think some are already croaking. I don't want to spend more money, but I need to fork over some to get some flowers that are more hardy. I also need to plant my wild hydrangea. Oi.

I am overdue...

for an update!

I wasn't really motivated to sit down and blog after the Yarn Crawl. I ended up being pretty tired and cranky on Sunday, and all I can figure is that it was due to a lack of sleep. Not even Starbucks can overcome enough late nights and early mornings and transform me into some merry happy sunshine girl. (Which everyone knows that I am not anyway, even if I tried. I am more the calm, serious, inflappable type.)

Last Friday I went to Thimbleberries and picked up my house kit for this month. I washed the fabric yesterday, but I have not started on it. I have also washed the fabric for the table runner, so I hope to start on that sometime soon too. I also picked out some way cool fabric to make drawstring pouches for my husband and my sensei for Christmas.

Note the cool dragons, red and orange fabric that looks like fire, and the blue script. The red fabrics are batik. Too cool! This is my first batik purchase. I adore the stuff.

On Saturday we did the Asheville Yarn Crawl. We could have seen even more stores, but honestly, I did not want to drive us all insane running around at a crazy pace trying to hit the stores farther out from the city.

We started with the mandatory stop at Starbucks before our ~45 minute drive. Then we went straight into yarn shopping!

Our list of stores:

1. Earth Guild - 33 Haywood St., Asheville. 828-255-7818

2. Purl's Yarn Emporium - 51 College St., Asheville. 828-253-2750

3. Asheville Home Crafts - inside Grove Arcade, Asheville. 828-350-7556

4. Yarn Paradise - 6 All Souls Crescent, Asheville. 828-274-4213

5. Yarns to Dye For (Hendersonville) - 927 Greenville Hwy., Hendersonville. 828-697-0630.

All of these stores are great, and for different selections of yarn. Some of the inventories overlap, but there is not so much overlap that visiting all of them is pointless. As a testament to that fact, group members bought items at each store. Each carries sock yarn, so you are covered if you are into that. If you have questions, let me know as I do not feel mentally equipped to handle detailed store reviews of each. We ate at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, which is great and a highly recommend it. We also stopped by The Chocolate Fetish, and I do not have any pictures of my chocolates because all but 2 have been eaten already. I love their European style truffles, much lighter and more enjoyable than the more dense American style truffles (They have those too, by the way. So you can get either!).

I can't really show most of what I bought, because it is for various swap partners that I have. I can share a skein of heavenly laceweight malabrigo (what a deal at ~$8 for 470 yds!)

which I will use to make a branching out. My knitting group pal Sara and I split the last two skeins of the black malabrigo, since the remaining colors weren't really "us." We should each have enough to make a branching out.

I think my squeeing over malabrigo just shows you what a sucker I am for merino wool. It is my absolute favorite thing in the world. Then I guess alpaca.

I also purchased some Brittany Birch dpns to try them. I just want to ask y'all one thing...the next time you recommend that another sock knitter stop using dpns and instead switch to the magic loop or two circs, please don't act like it is the only way to do it and the dpn knitter does not know anything. (Just how it annoys knitters when they are told that whatever knitting style they use is wrong.) Keep in mind that the dpn knitter may have already tried the other methods, and still likes dpns. For example, doing the magic loop is usually best on metal circs. But metal circs aggravated my carpal tunnel. So I tend to return to dpns alot! I only say this because it happens so often! And if you only knew how impossible it is to find size 6 wood dpns in this town, you would jump at the chance too!

I also finished one Inside Out (the ends are not woven in yet, in case I need to rob it for more fiber to finish the second one). But I screwed up on the needle size for the second, so I have to frog that and redo the short row foot. I ended up doing 3 cable repeats on the leg, and I think it results in a good length and nice cabling.

I am not shim-shammin man....

I have been pretty scarce with the DH birthday jubilee this week. But I have been getting some things done.

A quilt block for Thimbleberries (this is for February, so you can see I am two months behind. Gasp!). I just received the April Kit today, so I am going to try to start on that here in the next week. It is a house and should not be too hard.

A little further on the Inside Out sock. I am a little further along than this picture, so I am deciding on how much ribbing to do before I bind off.

Golly, the flash makes everything look ickier.

And we have had something like 4 new member to the Alaskan Knitters ring in the last week. That is so exciting.

The Asheville Yarn Crawl is tomorrow. Unfortunately, only 6 of us can go. Boohoo...but at least we will be a lean, mean yarn buying machine all packed into one minivan! And we are all in trouble with me as the Cruise Ship Activities Director. (I will try NOT to revert to my old cranky ma'amerific ways learned in the Army...no really, I think I will be so sleep deprived it will not be an issue. And everyone is too cool. I just get cranky when I am around lazy idiots. And I am a sleep deprived officer working 5 jobs.) I will ensure bliss by buying a Starbucks sugar free, nonfat, no whip Cinnamon Dolce Latte. And I am probably going to buy my weight in truffles at The Chocolate Fetish. (That alone should boost my mood.) At least that was DH's directive to me. And hey, he is the bday boy and it is chocolate, so who am I to disobey?

Honestly, their chocolates are so good that if I lived in Asheville, I would probably try to work there. Maybe smelling all the chocolate would stop me from eating it so much?!

It sure has been awhile...

I had my applique class on Thursday, and spent Friday getting ready to go out of town for the weekend for a seminar. Sunday I spent time recovering my sore muscles. So now I am finally back! I honestly was going to try to make it to the one knitting store in Charleston, but that did not happen. My seminar ran past the time the store closed. Boohoo!

My MIL's birthday is this Friday. So it is time to get off my butt and do something for a present. I am working on some heart block potholders, but just realized that I need to go buy more fabric since the fat quarters will not cut it. I need more fabric for backings and bias strip borders. At the same time, I am working on some dishcloths. The first one I have chosen I picked up from Tricotine. It is called Swish with a Twist. The white Peaches N Cream yarn may not show the detail to well in the picture yet.

I am going to try to get more done at my knitting meet up tonight with Needleworkers Anonymous.

Viewer mail

I decided to jump into the mosh pit long enough to answer some viewer mail:

YarnThrower said...
I really like the pattern on those socks! Just curious -- regarding lizard ridge - did you have to learn how to "knit backwards"? Your blanket square looks great so far, and I totally agree with not wanting to change balls of yarn every few rows! Awesome that it is softer with your yarn substitution, too! And, your heart quilt looks great!

No, I have not bothered to learn to knit backwards because I just wanted to get started on it. I am weeks behind the other KALers, but that is alright. I have many irons in the fire (as usual for me). I figure I am going to learn to knit backwards eventually, but me and the other KALers don't find it that much of a chore to turn the work. Especially in my case, since I am not dangling two balls of yarn at once since I am not changing colors. Therefore, I don't have the tangling problems one would normally have with turning the work so much.

Maybe I will post a picture of my applique square tomorrow. The applique squares we are doing are from Baltimore Basics, and are quite involved. So this square is going to take me awhile but maybe I will have enough done to show 1/4 of the square tomorrow. I am looking forward to learning how to do 3-dimensional flowers in this class.

I am off to clean my house. I am going to try to set a timer and split up my time between cleaning and applique today.

Sunday update

Sorry I have not posted in a few days. I was feeling a bit rundown. And I didn't want to tortue y'all with my babblings when they are less energetic and coherent. I did manage to butch up and make it to Aikido yesterday. But I could not have done it without my DH's surprise emergency caffeine-infusion via a serving of a Starbucks nonfat sugar-free dolce latte. Bless his heart.

The great news is that I received my Sockentine Pal's socks in a carepackage yesterday. I managed to drive by the post office on my way home from Aikido in my exhausted state, and I was sure glad I did. Here is what she sent to me:

Aren't they beeeyuuuteeful? Such gorgeous lacework. Earthchick, you totally rock! And of course, they are purple because she is a Furman Grad from lovely Greenville SC. How perfect? I am wearing them around the house today. Even my DH says they are wonderful and amazing. She also sent Lindor truffles which I absolutely adore and am actively hiding from certain houseguests who love to eat them too. At least until I get to savor a few with my morning coffee, then I can share the rest. :) And I love the pastel pink mug.

I am nearing the end of my first Cedar Creek Sock. I will show it when I get if finished. I also managed to finally finish the Jan 2007 Thimbleberries heart block, now that my sewing machine tension is perfect. Yes, this is still primarily a knitting blog, but I thought it would be nice to show it since I have been stressing about it the last few posts.

For our free pattern for February, we were given a smaller heart potholder design to make with this same block. I am going to make some as gifts for my mom and MIL. How awesome! Especially with the red and white fabric my MIL just gave to me. :)

Here is a quote I think you all will enjoy. I know it applies to my DH, and I hope you are lifted by it as well.

"Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood."- H.L. Mencken

Frustrating

I spent two hours yesterday trying to get the thread tension balanced on my sewing machine. I still don't feel it is right. So I don't have a completed quilt block to show you all. I did change the thread, change the needle, restring the thread, restring the bobbin, adjust top and bottom tensions, yada yada yada. I am going to try to get help on it tomorrow. It is funny, because when I ask for help on it, the instructor gets it right immediately. Nothing like feeling stoopid. :) I have had problems the last few times. I didn't always have such trouble.

But my club coordinator did agree that one of my fabrics was cut very askew, and gave me a new piece off of the bolt. It is only 1/4 yard wide, so it would really affect my cutting otherwise.

I don't have any significant knitting progress, although I have been working on my Cedar Creek socks. I have to keep hiding them from my fellow knitters, as they are in love with the Lucy colorway. If I go to Maryland Sheep and Wool, I may have to stalk the Blue Moon Fiber Artists booth for them. Or maybe we can just organize a large order for our SnB group, and make it easier as it can get rough in the mosh pit that the BMFA booth turns into at every show. :)

Anyone else going to Maryland Sheep and Wool? I really need to start saving up for that trip. Like in the worst way. I hear that it is a huge yarn budget blower. I was able to maintain control at Stitches East, but I hear MSW is WAAAAY bigger. Does anyone out there have any advice for the newbie?

More viewer mail from Kat:

kat said...
thanks for the answer...lucky me i already have a sewing machine (also a $100 model) because i've sewn some of my own clothes, i also have two containers of fabric to play with so we'll see. there is also a place here called Stitch Lounge that does basic quilting classes that I might try, the have machines & give you the fabric.

You are so lucky! That Stitch Lounge place sounds so cool! Just remember (but you probably already know) to stick to 100% cotton fabrics and thread from your stash for your quilting. I have tried doing some basic clothes sewing, but somehow I was much better at it when I was 13 than I am now...my work ends up being cursed even though I do things correctly...too long of a story to explain. But I can manage quilting.

I have decided that I need to start building a stash of bunny and bear fabrics. You may have noticed that I have alot of bears on my blog. Bear is one of my many nicknames. And my husband and his family are partial to bunnies. I would like to do a themed quilt with the two someday.

If I think of some more knitting stuff, I will post again later today. But I have to get on with studying Spanish for my spanish class, and baking peanut butter bars for the Thimbleberries Club.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. I received a Valentine's theme quilt gift from my MIL. I will try to take a pic and post it later. For now, I just wanted to answer some comment questions before I have to run off to my Local Quilt Shop for cutting help.

Here is the pic:

It is a heart-shaped mug with red and white fat quarters in it.

kat said...
i'm really tossing around taking a stab at quilting (because i need more craft projects) i love the math part of knitting so perhaps it would be right for me

The only thing about quilting is that it is even more capital intensive (especially fixed costs) than knitting. So, depending on how much you want to get into buying your tools and sewing machine and really high quality fabric, it ends up being more expensive than knitting. But like knitting, you can reuse most of that stuff. My advice is to see if you can find a Local Quilt Store where they can let you use a machine or buy an inexpensive machine and take a few beginning quilting classes to see if you like it. My first machine only cost around $100, and it was a general sewing machine, not one made specifically for quilting.

Lily said...
I was thinking of the World Market down the street from me. They have such nifty stuff. I can't believe I didn't get goodie there for my sock swap pal....

You are so right! I usually go there for make your own gift baskety stuff. But somehow I only think of that stuff for my inlaws.

I made some progress on my Cedar Creek Socks. I am almost done doing the gusset decreases.

I promise to really try to make it to the post office today, dear swap pals. I forgot yesterday, and then the weather became really stormy and nasty. I will run by before I go to the quilt store.

Lizard Ridge Progress

I am going to start off today by answering another question in my comments:

YarnThrower said...
Hey, I'm a quilter, too! Gotta love hobbies that require measuring and some number crunching! How are you coming on your lizard blanket? I'd love to see pics of that! Thanks for the tip about the yarn you're using. I did some research, and there is a local yarn store (which I didn't even know about - shame on me - in a neighboring town) which carries it, so a new place for me to check out. So fun! Thanks again!

Yes, quilting is number crunching. Quite a few of my instructors at my Local Quilt Store are former engineers (even an EE like you) or draftswomen. So I feel right at home there. The one thing that I don't like about quilting is that it is not as forgiving or reversible as knitting. One mistake in cutting, and you are screwed! I say this because I joined the Thimbleberries 2007 Club, and there is no extra allowance in the fabric. So I have to wait until tomorrow to go and cut some of my pieces, when the Club Coordinator is there and she can advise me...because I swear my pieces are 2 inches off the straight of grain. And I am afraid to mess up right now. :)

And because of your post, I felt that I had to show some progress on my Lizard Ridge square, so I worked on it last night. One without flash, and one with flash.

The thing that is nice about the Universal Yarn is that the color sequence changes much more frequently than Noro Kureyon. So, I am not having to stop and change the yarn every 6 rows as the pattern calls for. Yay! So it is having a little bit of a different color effect. Usually all of the bobbles are different colors/shades, where as if you used Kureyon you would mostly have the same color across all the bobbles in a row. I don't have a direct comparison to show you, so try comparing my pic to those on the original pattern on Knitty. Also, I think some others are wishing that they had selected this yarn instead of Noro because it IS softer. But because I am a slow knitter, and have so many other projects, I wonder if I will be working on this project until I am 80. :)

I have joined the Sock A Month 3 KAL, to further reinforce my sock a month resolution and the Lime N Violet Sock Marathon. But since I have so many projects going on, I am going to have to really work on meeting my goal.

I want to really thank you all who have posted comments on my blog. It is like Christmas morning every day. You are the wind beneath my wings...yes, I am a cheeseball. :) But you probably figured that out by now.