Chi è Gelsomina Lucchesi?

Chi è Gelsomina Lucchesi?

Lei è, io sono, noi è.

Need a Fix

I absolutely love the way this pullover turned out; came out much cuter than I expected especially for Lion Brand cotton Thick N' Quick yarn. I think they discontinued cotton TNQ because it's so awful. I used a pattern that called for an entirely different yarn, and the body came out much shorter than I expected. I need a fix, so I'm going to lengthen it from the bottom. It should be easy once I get started. Get started. Get started.

Then I need to take a decent photo on my dress form.

November Spawned a Monster

November spawned a monster (Morrissey song), alright. This thing is a beast and gets horrible stares, but I DO NOT CARE. I love it, love it, love it. It's some strange, beautiful Gedifra yarn manufactured in Milan, Italy. Italiani pazzi!

It was a bytch to knit: crazy texture, no elasticity, knit on US9s, in the round: rendalo pazzesco! (make-a-me-crazy!)

Naturally Tibet

I think this is my favorite yarn ever, Naturally Tibet. Amazing New Zealand lambswool, spun then plaited into a super bulky. I knit a pullover with no pattern, just 4 simple rectangles, seed stitch at hems and neckline.

Lets Go Bowling

Check this: I bought this vintage knitting pattern on eBay (circa 1950s). Paid way too much for it (damn eBay), but the finished sweater is sweeeeeeet. I didn't knit it, my mom made it for me. She rocks.

Watergarden

Not sure how I managed to not post photos of my Watergarden shrug. a luscious Jane Thornley pattern.

1920s Vintage Glass and Pure Silver

The centerpiece glass is vintage 1920s mounted to a piece of precious metal silver I designed, created, and fired; the 3 black bars are painted enamel. Rest of necklace are vintage czech pressed glass black beads, sterling silver charlottes (size 17) , green and black charlottes (size 15).

Summer Diva

About 20 different yarns went into this jacket. Knit on the bias.

1930s glass and silver

I took a class in Precious Metal Clay; designed, created, and fired the pure silver leaves in this necklace. Nice because they won't tarnish like sterling silver tarnishes. The rectangle glass is vintage 1930s.

Black Cherry KoolAid

Here's some yarn I dyed using Black Cherry KoolAid. It came out a nice red. The little skein of pink yarn is the original color.

New Pix of FOs

China Doll scarfPolar Cardigan
Bubble Wrap

Thanks to Myra: the Vintage Bubble Bag

Thanks to my friend Myra always giving me goodies, I was able to make and felt this adorable vintage Bubble Bag. She gave me the pink yarn which is wool from Knitpicks and the pattern. The varigated yarn in there is a couple skeins of Noro Silk Garden.

Too Many WIPs!!!!

I've got too many WIPs (works in progress) sitting around my loft! Here's one of them that I started back in December, was going to wear for Christmas, ha! It's a cardigan, I'm using about 10 different yarns in various shades of red. The body is knit all in one piece so there aren't tons of ends poking out everywhere. I love it, so not too sure why I stalled. The collar will be asymetrical. Aha, just remember why I stalled: can't decide what button to use, therefor don't know what size of buttonhole to knit. Might be better just to use a loop instead of a buttonhole to make it adjustable in the future. I need a spectacular button that is very lightweight. Most spectacular buttons are heavy.

Organic Wrap

I loved knitting this pattern! It is from http://www.janethornley.com/, is called the Feather and Fan Organic Wrap. I used about 10 different yarns. The edging is my fav, it's Colinette Giotto in Frangipani; I bound off using a pico edging which made it look like little wood roses. The pattern itself is based on the classic feather and fan stitch, but it's made much more interesting because the wrap is has a 'growth' and 'harvest' cycle.

Long Skinny Scarf, Hat, Fingerless Mitts

Amazing what you can make out of a few balls of wool. I love these and like wearing them to the beach in the morning with the dogs.

Vintage Velvet Scarf

As lover-ly as this scarf is, the yarn was a nightmare. At $16 per 60 yards, it ought to behave itself. NUH-UH!, as I say to little Miss Olive when she's sassy. It wormed like crazy. Luckily, the pattern (from the book Scarf Style) called for felting the finished item. The worms pretty much went away, and left a very nice vintage velvet type of texture behind. It is pretty delicious now. Warning: never use Muench Touch Me unless you plan on felting it.

The pattern was a fairly easy to memorize reversible cable.

pardon my suck-a$$ photography skillz, they do not do this scarf justice

Ravelry Killed My Blog

Ravelry has killed my blog. I post so much about knitting on there now. But my mom doesn't do Ravelry, so I'll post my FOs here.

Blossoms on Branch Scarf

"Scrap Copper" Made entirely out of leftover scrap yarns; knit the main body on my little bond machine, hand knit the edges.

Karabella Gossamer Wrap

Knit the main body of this wrap on the machine, handknit the edges in garter stitch using GGH Fee.

Finished and Finished

I'm finished with two things.

Thing 1: I'm finished with the Gedifra Gigante/Frog Tree Alpaca cuff-2-cuff cardigan; I'll post pictures soon. I was once again disappointed with the results of the pattern I designed. I'm tired of having to re-knit stuff because of armscye problems, gauge fallacies, drape disappointments. This cardigan is okay, but not perfect. I'm not frogging, just bytching here.

Thing 2: I'm finished (at least for a long while) creating my own patterns. So, I've decided to take a break from creating my own designs, and stick to using professionally-created patterns or use software. I've started going through my project queue and matching stash yarns with existing patterns (from books, magazines, download), and any free online patterns out there.

On a more positive note... I do enjoy Drops Design out of Germany, http://www.garnstudio.com/. They have a massive collection of free online patterns that are professionally designed, look good, are tested, have photos and diagrams, and online help. I plan on knitting 2 different large-collared cardigans using drops patterns.

Inspirations and Frustration

I like the shape of this shrug, I think I'm going to try using it. I'm tired of plain wraps and 2-armhole shrugs.


I think I want to use some sort of geometrical shape like these pentagons when I knit my Kureyon. In a sweater.

Last Saturday I forgot to bring one (the Frog Tree) of the two yarns I'm using in a cuff-to-cuff knit sweater I'm making. Grrrrr! I got nothing accomplished in knitting. But it was still fun to see the girls.

I'm getting anxious about Christmas presents, I usually have half of them done by now and I have nothing done yet. I think that anxiety is preventing me from knitting and jewelry making.

Hard to Breath

It's getting harder to breath here with the smoke from the fires. But I have absolutely no room to complain, my home is safe unlike half a million others here in San Diego. I've been knitting, but it's hard to even do that with the news constantly looming in my mind. I think I need a break from the fire news coverage, I want to go to Blockbuster to rent DVDs, but that feels pretty frivolous right now.

My boss called and told me to pack my car with 3 days worth of water and food. My car is now packed, complete with camping gear and dog food. I got the last 2 large bottles of water from the grocery store. But, I'm pretty sure that if I had to evacuate from downtown San Diego, there'd be nowhere really to go. I'm sure there'd be mass panic if the fires reach downtown.

I wish I could just get in the car and leave, but all 3 major freeways leaving San Diego area run into fire areas. I couldn't get over the grapevine north of LA to get to my brother's in Northern California, the Magic Fire blocks and can't go up the 101 because of the Ventura fires.

I wish I was back home at my parents' house on Lake Superior. I can't wait to retire and leave Southern California.

Glad I Frogged

I'm glad I frogged the Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Loop Mohair! I reknit the kimono an shortened the length accordingly, I came out how I wanted. I trimmed in Cherry Tree Hill Zebra Caribe in the same colorway (Moody Blues).

Gauge Issues

Grrrrrrr. I'm having gauge issues. Sometimes I think I'd be better off just knitting from patterns in the exact recommended yarns. Unfortunately, I'm constantly creating my own patterns because I can't find existing patterns I like. I'm having a hard time transitioning from woven apparel flat pattern design (which I've done well) to knitwear pattern design.

So, I finished this kimono knit in Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Loop Mohair, it's beautiful laying flat. But then it grows 50% when on the body. Yes, I did a gauge swatch. Obviously not a large enough swatch. I'm finding when I do experimental stuff with ununusual yarns in unusual gauges, I pretty much need to make a gauge swatch the size of an entire garment.

It just occurred to me that I went through this once before about a year ago. My memory is so bad, I need to start keeping a data book for things like this.

So, it looks like I'm going to have to frog this kimono. I'm worried, the yarn is fairly delicate. I really want this kimono in the original dimensions, so I have no choice.

Great, the next few projects I have lined up are all about me creating a pattern and weird gauge. I guess the good thing about that is I won't forget this lesson if I work on those weird things immediately. Okay, now I'm just rambling.

Lady Eleanor

Lady Eleanor wrap from Scarf Style, done in Patons SWS Geranium. Looks nice both front and inside out.

Spring Shrug

Shrug I knit out of leftover stash yarns.

Jane Thornley Blue Skies Over Sienna

Jane Thornley's pattern Blue Skies Over Sienna, but with narrower sleeves. Made with leftover stash yarns, too many to mention!

Knitovation Diva

From the book Knitovation, pattern is Diva. Made mostly of Prism Arts' Wild Stuff yarn.

Knitovation Lola

From the book Knitovation, pattern is Lola. I made a matching sweater pin.

Big City Big Knits

Finished this last year, and finally took a decent picture!

Bonita Wrap

Made out of Berroco Memoirs and Zen Colors.

Triangle Tango

I finally took pictures of the completed sweater; pattern by Colleen Davis.

Five Scarves

Artfibers Phos scarf trimmed in branch coral and freshwater pearls.

Scarf made out of leftover stash yarns, braided.

Trendsetter Joy scarf. I made a matching pin out of kyanite, pearls, and shell.

Kidsilk haze, Trensetter Joy, and leftover stash yarns.

Karabella Festival; I love this yarn.

Trendsetter Siam Jacket

Here's a simple cardigan jacket I knit using a Drops Design http://www.garnstudio.com/ pattern; they have awesome free patterns. The yarn is from the semi-annual crazy 75% off sale at The Yarn Lady in Laguna Hills. My friends and I went up in June and went crazy.

The Knittery in Australia

Here's a simple sweater knit from hand dyed baby loop mohair from the The Knittery in Australia.

Technicolor Dreamcoat

Jewelry, Too

Interchangeable Charms: brass chain is removable so it can be used with a variety of charms. This charm was made to match a jacket I knit. Jasper, branch coral, blue coral, kyanite, tiger eye.

Another Charm: kyanite sky for a little brass bird, blue coral, pearls, czech crystal.

Bird and Nest: brass chain and stamped bird, pearls, brown and gold wire nest.

Jewelry

Two branched lariate: antique button (thanks mom and dad), 1930s Czech glass flowers, various vintage beads, seed and bugle beads.

1920s style lavalier: tiger's eye donut and beads, Peruvian opals, 2-cut seed beads.

I'm on an ocotpus kick: painted stamped brass octopus, coin shaped freshwater pearls, round pearls, seed beads.

Art Nouveau phase: Carved jade bamboo, brass dragonflies, leopard jasper, tiger's eye, horn, Oregon opal, rice pearls, chain, seed beads.

Art Nouveau: brass lily pad, dragonfly, chain, amazonite.

Ravelry

I got an invite to join Ravelry.com, very cool website for knitters and crocheters. I can list all the yarns in my stash, Works In Progress (WIPs), a queue of my upcoming projects, Finished Objects (FOs), all of my books. It's also great for connecting with other people who are working on similar projects, same yarns, and get ideas and inspiration.

I've been doing all of this using a massive Excel spreadsheet, and my blog. The cool thing about Ravelry is the connectivity to photos, yarns, projects from other people.

Also, it lists my blog and blog posts.

The waiting list to get on Ravelry is about 10,000 people long, but who cares. Just don't obsess about getting your invitation, eventually it comes. Plan on spending lots of time getting your stash, projects, and queue built up, even if you already keep some type of spreadsheet.

My Ravelry login name is Gelsomina, of course! http://www.ravelry.com/people/Gelsomina

Yes, I am knitting, and jewelrymaking...

... so much that I've completely neglected blogging! It's hard to sit in front of the computer in summertime, too. But, I've completed a whole bunch of jewelry projects, a couple of knitting, and have quite a few WIPs. I will photograph them soon!

Julie, what are you working on?

Just got back from my parents' lakehouse on Lake Superior. I worked on a cotton sweater and started some work for beaded lariats there. And drank lots of beer in the sun.

Julie's Jane Thornley Wrap

Julie finished her Jane Thornley wrap/scarf; she loves it. I saw it in person: deliciously rich colors (looks a little washed out in photo). This is a free pattern; you can get it on Jane's website.

Long time no blog

I've been extremely busy at work, but am still knitting! I finished the Jane Thornley Blue Skies Over Sienna jacket; need to take pix. Working on the Lady Eleanor wrap from Scarf Style, using Patons SWS in the pink colorway.

New Jewelry Meetup in San Diego!!!

Yeah!!! There's a new MeetUp for beading/jewelrymaking in San Diego! Thanks to a girl named Lori. It's on Wednesday evening, go see http://beadwork.meetup.com/219/?success=chapterProfile for details! First meetup is Wed, March 14 6:30pm at The Living Room coffee shop in Old Town. Yipee!!!

I've been dying to tackle a peyote stitch bezel/setting for cabachons, but need the moral support. This may be it!

I decided only one knitting project at a time, and finish what I start. I'm working on my Jan Thornley Blue Skies Over Sienna jacket; have the back and most of one front done. I've been using up stash, but I think I'm going to run out of yarn, so need to replenish. Grrrr, I hate buying when you're using up stash. Oh well, it's turning out beautiful, so a couple balls won't hurt.

most noble

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Noble Contessa Gelsomina the Abstemious of Melbury Hampton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Please, feel free to address me as Most Noble Contessa.

Distractions

I haven't been knitting much in the past few days. But, I did go to the new KnitTogether at Pannekin's on Saturday, that was fun. I'm still working on the Colinette Tagliatelli shrug; I forgot how sore my hands get using large needles (US15). I must finish it this weekend and move onto to something new!

It's amazing, Olive and Basil are actually playing together. I never thought it would happen because Basil is old, blind, and sort of a grump. It is so cute, they play bite/fight and are gentle. Not only is this good for pup Olive, but I think it'll improve Basil's mental and physical health. Miracles do happen in dogdom.

Frogging Going Well

I'm re-working the Colinette Tagliatelli into a shrug, using US15 instead of US19. I should have that done by tomorrow. Then I'll frog the Raspberry Woolspun. I've decided to make sort of professional-looking cardigans out of that and the Jumbo Loop Mohair so that I have something more professional to wear to work. I finished the Collen Davis Triangle Tango. I modified the lower half of the sleeves and am now very happy with the sweater. I'll post photos this weekend.

Olive is turning out to be a very good lap pup, she leaves my yarn alone while I'm knitting!

Olive's First Haircut

I know, she shouldn't be sitting on my new leather chair. But isn't she cute?

I frogged and reknit the Chez Casuelle silk scarf, and shortened the sleeves on the pink LB Woolspun sweater. I'm now working on shortening the sleeves of the red Noro Silk Garden Triangle Tango sweater.

Julie will be here all next week: much knitting to do!

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting

I wonder what size needles they used? Holy hell, how did they knit these? They're part of the Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting exhibit at the Museum of Arts & Design in NYC. Go check it out at http://www.madmuseum.org/

The Frogpile

Something has been nagging me in the back of my head about my knitting, leaving a feeling of dissatisfaction. I figured it out 2 nights ago while filling the Tibetan cabinet with yarn. My frogpile is really bothering me. I've decided that before I go on to new projects, I'm going to frog or fix old projects that haven't thrilled me. There are a couple of things that I've knit more than once already, but I think I'm finally at the skill level (mainly through much trial and error) to re-knit the frogs and turn them into princes.

So, this will include:

• Bulky Cotton Fisherman's Sweater. I want to re-knit it in a looser gauge, so it has a more flowing hand.
• Completely Biased: Prism Wild Stuff, Trendsetter. I know, I know. It's beautiful but the gauge is too loose which causes a lot of stretching. This sweater needs to be perfect considering the wad of cash laid out for the yarn. I'll also frog the matching Chez Cas' Tuscan Scarf: Trendsetter Segue and use it in the sweater. The scarf is way to stretchy and shiny anyway. The scarf pattern is awesome, but not appropriate for the slippery Segue.
• MOD Vneck BellSleeve Pull: LB Woolspun. I'll probably start with this one; all I need to do is shorten the sleeves which will be fairly easy.
• MOD Kimono Sleeve Pullover: Naturally Tibet. This yarn is so delicious, but the gauge is too loose. Also, although I love the seed stitch trim, I should have done it on a smaller needle. I need to decide on a new design for this, and incorporate some tufted Gedifra wool.
• Chez Cas' Tuscan Scarf: Hanah Silk Ribbon. Re-knit wider and shorter.
• MOD scarf: Trendsetter Joy and Kid Mohair. Find a slippery silky yarn to replace the Kid Mohair.

Yikes! It's a little depressing to think about, like almost everything I've knit is a disaster!!!! But, once I get going on it I know it'll make me feel much better. I was the same way about sewing: wanted perfection.

I finally picked up my antique Tibetan cabinet from the Bay Area a couple weeks ago. I bought it to store yarn in. It is even prettier than I thought it'd be, and holds much more yarn than I thought it would as well. Yea!

Why I haven't been knitting or posting

This is Olive the Miniature Schnauzer. She's 11 weeks old. Just keeping up with her is now my hobby. This weekend I plan on re-organizing the house and puppy-proofing everything. I finally found a new telephone wire so I can log in. She chewed through the telephone wire, the only exposed wire in the house. I'm a little afraid to knit with her around; maybe when she naps.

Julie's Jane Thornley Scarf

Julie finished her Jane Thornley scarf. Jane has this free pattern on her website, and lots of great notes on combining yarns.

Great Adirondack Yarn Company, Cyclone

I was pleasently surprised how well this simple cuff-to-cuff pullover came out. I didn't use a pattern, just measurements. The yarn is delicious, in peacock colors and will go well over several shirts in like colors. It's very slinky and drapes well over the body.

MOD Shanghai Shrug

This shrug is so cozy! It's knit from The Knittery's custom-dyed baby loop mohair. The Knittery is in Australia and has awesome prices on yarn; you can contact the owner and tell her what specific color you want your yarn dyed. Even with shipping (I think it was about $7) it was a real bargain.

The shrug can be converted into a large wrap, just untie the ribbons. I like the trim details in silk, remind me of a chinese jacket I have.

Knitting By the Beach Wrap

Tanya, the owner of Knitting By the Beach had a wrap displayed in the shop that I absolutely loved. I rarely wear purple, but loved the wrap. There was no pattern, so I bought similar yarns and used the wrap as inspiration. It' s mainly Annie Blatt, Trendsetter, Debbie Bliss, Gedifra, K1C2, GGH, and Berroco. I'm very happy with the results.

Incredibly Bulky Yarn

I knit this plain pullover using an incredibly bulky yarn under the Joann's label Sensation. It's supposedly wool and acrylic, and has the diameter of my pinky. I bought it as a substitute to the Brown Sheep Burly Spun on impulse which was a mistake: it ended up being more expensive and not nearly as nice of a yarn! So, I knit it up in a simple sweater to wear around my freezing cold loft. Maybe I should have spent the money on heating/electric bill instead of yarn, hmmmm? It is very warm and looks okay, but is heavy and dense.

Triangle Tango Progress

This is part of the front and part of a sleeve of Colleen Davis' Triangle Tango. I'm using Noro Silk Garden #84. The coloration is really pretty, I hope it looks good on the body. I'm changing a few things with the pattern.

Today I bought a Mandarin Red leather armchair and ottoman from Thomasville. They are delicious, I think I can pick up the chair on Tuesday; they're shipping the ottoman from NC.

Here's a pic:

These are a few of my favorite things

Gunnar, Lukas, Libby, and Erick at Disney!

My favorite blogs to read are http://celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com/ and http://hickorypill2.wordpress.com/ . They're both about knitting, and then some. I always feel like I went on vacation to a great friend's place after reading their blogs. Unlike me, they both have interesting things to say beyond knitting. I can't talk about work, don't ever want to talk about school or the dreaded THESIS. And don't want to post about family after seeing the potential crazies cruising for little kids on the net.

Yes, I am knitting. I will take pictures to post over this long weekend. I'm working on an interesting pullover comprised of Pythaegoran (sp) growing type of triangles for Colleen Davis. I'm using Noro Silk Garden in the the red colorway (#84).

The President is giving us Tuesday off because Ford died. Lots of knitting!

Julie's Newly FOs

Julie made a fantastic rescue of vintage yarn in danger of shredding due to it's vintage-y-ness.
Made out of left over wool from mom's closet - worsted weight doubled and tripled. Pattern is the lap top bag from Alterknits. Super easy to knit in front of the TV. It even felted in my front load wash machine twice and blocked it dry.

Julie's Newly फोस 2

I found a good use for that darn sock yarn - fingerless gloves. They turned out pretty nice and they don't shrink so you can put them in the laundry if need be. This isn't my favorite fingerless pattern but it was pretty easy and with the variegated yarn it might be the best pattern for my last balls of sock yarn. I still cannot figure out the thumb gusset, both of my pattern don't really attach the thumb to the glove very well and so leave some holes, next time I make them I am going to pick up more stitches instead of following the pattern.

I've got 3 more projects on the needles, that darn flower purse, a sweater that you make
from the top down and bottom up and then sew them together in the middle and Jill's variegated scarf pattern - to use up left over yarn.

Julie's Newly FOs

Cute hat and fingerless gloves made out of left over merino wool. The merino was a little thin so the hat was kinda holey when finished it - since it was washable Julie threw in the washer
and dryer and it came out an itty bitty felted.

Gelsomina Lucchesi

Waaaaa. Crying! I stopped work on one of my Christmas presents because it wasn't turning out very nice! The yarn was supposedly aran weight, but it felt like and knit up like DK. So, I had to get a store-bought present. :-(

Talked to Julie about it, we decided that I'll make it for next Christmas out of Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb single ply worsted; that should give it enough body.

Yeesh, I still need to take pictures of a 3 FOs!!!

I finished my Knitting By the Beach Wrap, it's gorgalicious in greens and purples. I had about 1/2 of the yarns left over, so I'm going to probably make a Jane Thornley Jacket out of it along with some Great Adirondack Cyclone. That definitely makes up for the $170 spent on the yarn!

I finished MOD Shanghai Shrug using custom-dyed loopy mohair from the Knittery in Australia. It's very fun, I'll be able to wear it in the summer in the icebox we call the office.

I finished a very simple pullover out of the Cyclone, I knit it side-to-side. It turned out awesome, so much better than I expected! It's very slinky. It'll look great over long sleeve t-shirts and under both the JT jacket and the Shanghai Shrug.

I fly out this afternoon for my parents' house. This is the last Christmas in this house; they're going to sell it and move into the Lakehouse in the northwoods full time. We're cleaning out the attic while I'm there... my antique Nancy Drew books and vintage Barbies had better still be up there or I'm locking my mom in the attic!

Stephen Colbert '08

I came up with a graphic I'm considering turning into a knitting chart graph, see above.

Knitting Incognito

Yes, I'm still knitting. Christmas presents. Shhhhhh....
Will post a couple non-Xmas projects very soon.

Julie's Cherry Tree Hill

Julie finished her CTH Jumbo Loop Mohair pullover! Color is Gypsy Rose, much more muted in real life. The yarn was a birthday gift to her from me.

Completed Vogue Big City Big Knits!

It's finished! The collar came out really cute.

Knitting Elbow and Knitting Wrist

Owie, I've been power-knitting which has given me something similar to tennis elbow and hurts my wrist, too. But I finished one Christmas present which turned out really nice; I'm tempted to keep it for myself! (But I won't.) I also worked on the Vogue BCBK oversized sweater; see pix below.

Christmas Presents

Haven't blogged much because I'm working on Christmas presents and don't want to let the cat out of the bag in case my family pops in. This is a 4-day weekend coming up, so I should get a lot accomplished! I finished knitting one present last night, and it's blocked and drying.

Tonight I'll get ready for the big project. I need to design the pattern, which will be a bit challenging. But the knitting should be fairly easy.

Loop d Loop Plans

From Julie:
I finished the CTH Jumbo Loop Mohair sweater sleeves last night, tonight I am going to sew them together.

I am sewing my felted sweater bulletin board and am going to hang it Thursday and start hanging inspirations. I got my mojo back thanks to you and Basil.

I've got two fingerless glove projects to take to Hawaii AND a washcloth pattern for the plane.

I looked at the Jane Thorley scarf and decided I am going to do a big shawl-like one and one super skinny one out of each of the colors that I got and then get you or Jenny to help me to bead the ends to make them super pretty. I will have to give one to Jenny if she helps me but what the heck I don't need 4 new scarves.

I am going to do these little quick projects (washcloth and fingerless gloves) and then the scarves and THEN GUESS WHAT - I will have used up ALLL my yarn. I looked in my bin - no yarn that is without a project. I've got that one shortsleeve sweater to make out of the white/blue fluffy yarn and that is it. SOOOOO Sweet, so now I get to look for yarn to match up to sweaters.

I am obsessed with that Ballet Sweater/tee shirt sweater that is Loop d loop but a girl wrote in her blog that it is super stretchy almost the point of crawling down her back so I am scared to make it. I will have to be really careful about the yarn selections which is a cotton/acrylic in the pattern book. I also want to make that deconstructed sweater that Teva theloop d loop girl has in her book but I haven't found anyone whohas made it so I better blog search it so I know what the problems are. I like to be well informed of the dangers. tee hee.

Yarn from my Old English Sheepdog

"Dog-gora"


Before "Shearing"


After "Shearing"

How appropriate to get this yarn today (Friday). Here's a picture of the yarn that http://www.vipfibers.com spun from the undercoat fur of my Old English Sheepdog named "Friday". He died in August of lung and liver cancer. I don't care if you think me a freak... now I have my boy with me forever.

It's very soft, soft enough to wear against your neck. That's because we only used Friday's undercoat fur which is very fine. He had tons of overcoat hair, but it would have been itchy. They got a good production weight out of it, only 4% fiber loss in processing!

The packaging is completely adorable. The labels have a photo of Friday's big shaggy head on it, and of course they named the yarn "Friday". An NO, IT DOES NOT SMELL LIKE A DOG! They completely process the fiber to remove everything but the actual fiber.

The yarn is DK weight, enough to make a sweater but it would be too hot for that; "dog-gora" is one of the warmest fibers known to man. So, maybe a shawl, scarf, wrap, or even a pullover vest. I'd like a vest so it feels like he's constantly hugging me, but I suppose a shawl would be more practical in the long-term. Any suggestions appreciated!!!

Seattle Yarn purchases and Knitting in the City

Noro Kuchoran Y-534 Completed

I finished! It's very cuddly and warm. I love the bias colorway.

Flower Basket Shawl

From Julie ...
Here is another project I FINISHED!!!!
Good thing Jill came and I knitted for 7 days straight. It is made from Anny Blatt Fine Kid-Ruban, single thread 1.5 balls, the pattern is from Interweave knits Fall 2004 Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn Clark, I have to give Jill the info for her blog, I am going to be famous.
Huggy huggy, Julie

My Review of Seattle Knitting Stores

I visited my BFF in Seattle area last week, and here is my review of the stores we visited. I wish we had time to go to all of them in Seattle!

So Much Yarn... - Downtown Seattle. Absolutely gorgeous store, the lighting and ambience were fantastic, I didn’t want to leave. Nice big comfy couches to sit and knit, or at the counter seating to chat with the shopworker. They had a huge selection of luxury natural and novelty yarns. And, they had lots of yarns on sale... 50% off!! Even Prism Arts, which I quickly scooped up. The sales guy was very nice and unpretentious. We chatted/gossiped about the Debbie Bliss Cashmere Scandal, he didn’t get the least bit put out by my bringing up the subject. First store I ever saw that carries Trendsetter Paillettes, which I bought as well. I’ll definitely re-visit!

Fiber Gallery – Thank goodness I found this store. They carry lots of yarns I hadn’t seen before, especially “earth-friendly”, organic, unusual fiber yarns. Good prices, and I found yarns two match two projects that have been very hard to find coordinating yarns. Huge library of books, and a huge table to sit, knit, read. Extremely unpretentious, friendly; they insisted that my little dog Basil be allowed to roam about freely in the store, and gave him treats. The store’s ambience wasn’t spectacular, but everything else made up for it. Can’t wait to re-visit!

Acorn Street – I really liked this store. They have a wide range of yarns, both natural and novelty, in hard to find colors. They had a 50/50 angora/wool that was to die for and extremely well-priced. I should have bought some, but I was on a disciplined yarn diet. The shop personnel were friendly and unpretentious. They didn’t bug us while shopping. I know I’ll go back to get that angora/wool, Jamieson I believe.

Hilltop This store is gorgeous, very pretty converted craftsman house, cosy and pretty. The sales girl was very sweet. Cute little nook for books. They carry high-end natural and novelty yarns. Unfortunately, they didn’t really have that many yarns. If they opened up the second floor to carry more yarns, it would be awesome. They do have classrooms up there, which seemed very fun in this cute place. There were two yarns knit up in two different display pieces (a scarf and a shawl), but I couldn’t purchase the yarn because they weren’t in stock. It’s a bummer to get excited then find out they don’t carry the yarn! They should remove displayed FOs until they re-stock the yarn. But I’d definitely re-visit this store, and hope for a better experience.

Tricoter – I was really disappointed in this store; and it was the one I most wanted to visit! First, it was harder than hell to get to. Second, their prices were too high, at least a buck or two above normal per ball. Third, the sales lady would not leave me alone, pushing the most expensive yarn on me when I already told her I didn’t like the color (matching to another I already had.) Fourth, the minute I walked in it felt pretentious as hell; I felt weird, self-conscious, unwelcome, or something. Fourth, there was a Knit-Together going on which felt very cold, we definitely were not welcome; I got the impression by the conversation that everyone was right-wing conservative. I feel badly slamming this store, I can barely believe how bad it sounds, but this is what I experienced.

Short Row Idea

I've been mulling over an idea for shortrow shaping on a sweater, and don't know if it'll work. Any feedback welcome! I'm going to knit a sweater in scribble style (thicker yarn row alternating with laceweight yarn row) sideways. I cannot get hourglass shaping sideways (like you can in knitting topdown or bottomup bying decreasing and increasing sts). But, I know you can shape with shortrows.

The schematic above is just a rough exaggerated idea in order to show the concept that I'm thinking about. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Finished Object: Alter Knits Scarf/Shawl/Wrap

The first FO of the Seattle 9-day knitathon: Julie's Scarf/Shawl/Wrap from Alter Knits p. 32. She made it out of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. A narrow scarf is tied to the shawl using a grograin ribbon, making it into a large wrap for cool Seattle weather. A present for her sister. Took Julie months and months!

Rip It, Rip It

I had to frog my Noro Y-534 when I was just about done with the back half! The gauge was way off, although I had hoped that it was so that it'd be larger in size (pattern one-size only: 34). But it was gigantic and growing with weight. I switch down to US11 needles, and am knitting away here in Seattle. Tomorrow we head out to some local yarn shops south of Seattle. Wednesday is Seattle yarn shops. It's continuously raining here, perfect for knitting!

Progress on Noro Y-534 in Kuchoran

I'm about 1/4 done with the Y-534 sweater. The kuchoran is knitting up fast on US13. I'm going to have a lot of yarn left over!!

FOs: Gedifra and Trendsetter scarves

Here are 2 scarves I finished. The first is a new Gedifra superbulky wool yarn in blue & green. The second is Trendsetter Segue in turquoise & coffee.

Noro Kochoran Y-534

I started on my Noro Y-534 using Kochoran, which is 50% wool, 30% angora, 20% silk. I love it! Here's a pic of Y-534. At first I was hating the pattern, very difficult to understand with massive run-on sentences. Poor translation from Japanese, perhaps. But, now I love it because I'm grasping the idea of knitting on a non-45 degree bias! Based on what I'm learning, I think I can develop my own patterns for un-true bias knitting. I heart math.

I finished the Art Fibers Tesla scarf, it came out really nice. Also finished matching scarf, hat, and fingerless mitts made out of Gedifra Gigante. I'll take pix tonight and post.

Art Fibers Tesla

I love Art Fibers. I bought some totally cool yarn called Tesla, it's 65% cotton, 35% stainless steel. I am NOT kidding. But it's quite soft; here's a picture of it above. I'm making a scarf out of it tonight.

I might be knitting tonight at work; there's a huge wildfire in the county so traffic may be a nightmare.

Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Loop Mohair

I finished the CTH pullover. I'm getting frustrated by my photography skills; I need to study my camera manual again. I had to take the sweater picture from above while standing on the spiral staircase in order to get the whole sweater to show. I made a detachable cowl for it, too.
The yarn and color are luscious. Now I need to make a matching necklace out of the gemstone Sodalite.

Wrap, shawl, sweater pins

I went to Gem Faire last weekend and found exactly what I was looking for, great components to make a bunch of sweater pins! Now I need to pull out my gemstones and sterling to finish them nicely. I bought too many, so maybe I'll try to sell some?

The New Yarns

Here are the new yarns for the wrap I'm going to copy in the pix below.

New Obsession leads to new yarn

I did it again this weekend, bought more yarn. I've been obsessed with this wrap that Tanya had displayed in her shop. Her supplier won't sell it, so I need to make it myself. We took pictures of it Saturday at the Knit Together at Knitting by the Beach.

Needle Roll

I finally got off my butt and made a knitting needle tote last weekend. I wanted one that would hold ALL of my needles; not practical for out & about use-- I wanted one for home that would look nice and tidyi lying around the loft. It's humongous, like 36"x45"! It's made out of Japanese cotton prints left over from a quilt I made.

Pup Tote: Basil's ready for the knit together

Here are some pix of Basil's new pup tote. Now he gets to join me at the LYSs knit togethers and Seattle yarn shopping! His eyes look all funny because he's blind.

This is what happens when you deny yourself yarn

Okay, so I've been meaning to get one of these cabinets since I saw them 2 years ago on a website in Shanghai. The whole purpose behind it is to have a place to store my yarn, rather than have it strewn all over my loft. See, this is what happens when you deny yourself yarn purchases, the frustration builds until you totally lose spending control and buy something much more expensive than yarn would ever have been.

The cabinet is about 42"w x 26"d x 38"h. Lots of yarn storage, and goes with my decor... Asian antiques. It's an antique from Tibet. Now the agony of waiting a couple months until I can pick it up and bring it home. Such torture.

Seattle Knitting Trip

I'm psyched, going to visit my BFF Julie & Tom in Seattle area beginning of November for for 9 days of knitting, beer, and autumn weather! Getting my projects ready to go. Please lord, don't let me buy too much yarn. Only super-fantastic stuff. My little dog Basil is coming along, United lifted the flight restrictions, so he can ride in the cabin with me. I didn't have the heart to leave him at home now that Friday died, and J & T's sheepdog Miss Cleo will love it. Oh, and I bought Basil a gorgeou-licious purple & black Chinese silk brocade doggie tote so he can go yarn shopping with us. I bought it in SF.

Two FOs (Finished Objects)

Here are pix of 2 FOs: Italian Market Tote and a experimental knit-weave wrap, both MOD. The tote turned out really nice, I lined it with an embroidered olive silk fabric. It's very large, about 24" across at the top. The scarf is deliciously soft, and I love the fall colors of the Gedifra wool.

The Most Important Thing!

I forgot to mention the most important knitterly news, I took Friday's "wool" to VIPfibers.com to be spun into DK weight yarn. They're right in Morgan Hill. It was $150, well worth it considering. It should be done around Thanksgiving.

Shiite, I need to frog and re-knit the CTH Jumbo Loop in smaller gauge. I wore it yesterday, it was too big and loosey. No crying in baseball, t-ball, or knitting; should only take me a couple of days while watching cheesy scary movies. Well worth it considering the preciousity of the yarn.

Hmmm, I think I'm going to join the Red Sweater KAL. That'll move the Vogue BCBK up the queue.

Been knitting but not blogging

I have been knitting, but was away from the computer for 2 1/2 weeks. I finished the Italian Market bag, a few scarves, a Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Loop mohair pullover, re-knit my Prism Arts pullover. I'll take pix shortly and post them.

My yarn expenditures are out of control. I went to visit my family in the Bay Area, Libby and I went to a bunch of yarn stores. I bought some fantastic things at Art Fibers in downtown SF.

I was sick for 1 1/2 weeks with Fifth's Virus, which I picked up from my nephew Gunnar who picked it up at the Petri Dish (i.e. nursery school).

I'm trying to decide what to knit next, either the Brown Sheep Burly Spun, or Voodoo cardigan.

Love using up the stash

I did an excellent job of using up leftover yarns this weekend! I made the body of a tote bag, and used up all of the diva yarns left from my Jane Thornley shrug. I need to knit handles, then line it. Need to check through my fabric stash: I will not buy anything new! I'll post a pic when I'm done with it.

Very interesting info at SKC about Tilli Tomas pricing-fixing her yarns. I love capitalism.

Venting

Ugh, I hate when I make the same mistake twice. I started dating my ex-boyfriend against the advice of everyone. Yes, he pulled the same stunt all over again. But this time his cowardice and lack of integrity has been permanently etched in my brain. I told him to never contact me again. Bleccch, yuck.

So, my knitting was interrupted for a couple of days. I've got a final exam to work on this week, but I'll be knitting by the weekend!

Is this Entrelac?

I really like this idea with varigated yarn; maybe in a vest for work. I need to figure out if this is entrelac or not.

Friday Died

I haven't posted in a while; my sheepdog Friday has died. I'm very sad, but everything went as well as it could go. He's in heaven playing with Blackie, Wallaby and Sookie now.

I've made significant progress on my pinwheel shrug; need to take pix. Both sleeves are completed, and about 40 more rounds to go on the body. It doesn't look like I'm going to run out of yarn, so that's good.

Changing mind again

Eh, I'm getting tired of the skull sweater already! So, I'm thinking I'll frog it and instead of a Fibonacci sequence stripe, make Prime number stripes. The Primes are much more appealing to me (mathematically). I need to think about making vertical stripes, try a layout of that vice horizontal stripes. I love math. G33k grrl, hey? I think I prefer the Single to the Triple Stripe.

Pinwheel Progress

I've finished round 90 on my pinwheel shrug, have about 50 more rounds to go which will be slower... many more sts on outside of wheel. So, I decided to start working the sleeves to make sure I have enough yarn to do those in the color stripes I want. I sure hope I don't run out of yarn; I don't want to have to buy more! This project was supposed to use up yarn I didn't use on my Jane Thornley shrug, not generate more buying.

Pinwheel Shrug Photos, and Friday

After snuggling with Friday on the opium bed tonight, I actually picked up my knitting! I just finished round 40 on my Pinwheel Shrug; here's the photo.

I can't believe Friday let me take his picture! He hates the camera (probably the flash), and runs away if he evens sees it sitting on the table. Here he is running upstairs to hide!

Horrible News

My sheepdog Friday wasn't doing very well Thursday night; had trouble breathing. I took him to his internal medicine vet on Friday. He took x-rays. Friday's cancer has masticized into his lungs from his liver. He has anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks to live, depending how fast his lungs deteriorate and fill with fluid.

Needless to say, I didn't go to the knit-togethers this weekend. Haven't knit at all. The vet said he can eat whatever he wants now, he's had rice, chicken, cheese popcorn, pizza. We're going to the dog park twice a day.

Pinwheel Shrug

I decided to start my pinwheel shrug last night. I'm using a whole bunch of different yarns, similar to what I did in my Jane Thornley shrug. The colors are peach, ivory, sage. I decided to change the YOs to regular increases; I didn't want the swirling eyelets because there'll be enough going on with the different yarn colors and textures. So, it's a bit like the Annie Modisett Twisted Float shrug.

So, now I have 3 projects on the needles; one for my knitting bag (pinwheel), one for TV watching (flaming skull), and a scarf. Three WIPs is going to be my limit, unless I decide to do something on teeny needles.

I HEART Math

Alrighty then. I did the math to convert the gauge differences between the skull knitting charts and my yarn. The microrevolt graph ratio is 1.857, and my yarn ration is 1.333; thus I needed to vertically stretch my skull graphic 1.393, or 140%. Ta da. Here they are:

Skull chart and gauge, sigh.

Holy Malibu Barbie; I got so far on my flaming skull sweater yesterday, only to realize that the chart proportions don't match the row gauge for my yarn. So either today I fix the chart, or I knit fibonacci. But it was fun to knit intarsia; much easier than I thought and makes the knitting interesting and goads you on to the next row!

I'm wearing my Jane Thornley shrug at work today. I love it (the shrug, not work).

Hmmm, maybe I'll knit a Shag girl with a martini instead of a skull, seem as though I have to frog it anyway. Me so fickle.

Here's the Mango Moon Recycled Silk long cardigan. I used Koln and Gedifra lash yarn on the hem and cuffs, and silk fringe on the neckline and front.

Here's the Colinette Tagliatelli funky pullover that's sort of like a shrug.

Flaming Skull

I finally figured out what to do with this yellow, orange, and fushia acrylic yarn. Yes, I know, acrylic hell, but it was the second yarn I ever bought, and I love the colors. I didn't want to make it too girlie, and Fibonacci stripes would make me look like a cow. So, I created some knitting graphs: the front and back are a flaming skull, and flames on the sleeves.

The .jpgs are of the graphs and graphics.

Incredible Progress

It's amazing how much knitting I can get done in order to avoid working on my thesis! I finished the Colinette funky pullover; I ran 2 rows short of yarn, but it's a pretty slouchy arty thing, so I can't really tell. Marian was right, it is only midrift length! Of course need to wear a t-shirt under it anyway, so all's well. I added 5 sts on each sleeve to lengthen. It wears more like a shrug with a neck opening, which I like.

I'm 80% done with the Jan Thornley Shrug!!! I'm loving it: the colors (salmon, blush, sage, olive green) and the stitches. I hope I can finish it tonight and wear it tomorrow. I was too hot to take any pictures to post this weekend. 80 degrees and humid at 7 am in San Diego, talk about global warming.

I went to the S&B at Knitting By the Beach Saturday. I really like that group! We knit for 6 hours in air-conditioned bliss. Lynda told me about the SD Guild: they host the Wed night at JCC. They're going to start having the speakers from the Tues 1pm Guild meetings at the Wed night events!!!!! I think Chris Blysma is next. So I'm definitely going to join. $20/year, you can't beat that. I'm going to make the KBtB S&B a weekly thing.

I got all of my hair cut off! It's the shortest I've ever had it in my life, but it feels so good. I wish I could get away with wearing a pixie cut, but I don't have the bone structure for it. Bought some Bumble & Bumble hair stuff, makes your hair feel like you were just swimming in the ocean.

Messages from Above

Tagliatelli

I'm over half-way done with the Colinette Tagliatelli. I'm going to try to make it to the Grove Knit Salon tonight if the racetrack traffic doesn't kill me. Then tomorrow I'm going to the MEETUP knitting in east county. I hope to finish Tagliatelli tonight!

San Diego Knitting Events, S&Bs

I updated a list of all of the Stitch & Bytches in San Diego (I was using an outdated list). Please let me know if you have any information about the unverified S&Bs or groups not listed here!

Color Key
Actively meeting (attended or called to verify)
Unverified or irregular activity
In future

3rd Monday 5 - 8:30 pm
Common Threads: 466 South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
www.knittingclub.com

4th Monday 1 - 3 pm
Weingart Senior Center: Poway
San Diego Knitting Guild; Blevin7751@aol.com

Mondays 7 pm
Influx Cafe ???

1st Tuesday 12:30 pm
San Dieguito Methodist Church: 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas
North Coast Knitters www.ncknit.com ($20/year)

Tuesdays 5 - 7 pm
Needlecraft Cottage: 870 Grand Ave, Pacific Beach
www.needlecraftcottage.com

Tuesdays 7 - 8:30 pm
Cafe 1134: 1134 Orange Ave, Coronado

Tuesdays 7 pm
E Street Cafe: Encintas

1st Wednesday 6 - 8 pm
Jewish Community Center: 4126 Executive Dr, UTC area
North Coast Knitters

2nd Wednesday 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Bonita Knitting Store: 4046 Bonita Rd, Bonita
MEETUP: Bonita Knitting Store http://knitting.meetup.com/101/

2nd Wednesday 6 - 8 pm
Yarning For Ewe: 1001 W San Marcos Blvd Ste 180, San Marcos

4th Wednesday 7 pm
Claire De Lune Coffee Lounge: 2906 University Ave
(in September, too hot now) Susan Schlesinger www.bonitaknitting.com

Wednesdays 6 to 8 pm
Knitting In La Jolla: 909 Prospect St
Drop-in instruction, help, etc. $10/visit

Wednesdays 5 to 8pm
Lori's Frames, Fibers & Frills: 2206 Alpine Blvd, Alpine
www.lorisframesfibersandfrills.com

1st & 3rd Thursday 6:30 pm
The Grove: 3010 Juniper Street, South Park
TheGroveSanDiego.com

1st Thursday 6:30 pm
Borders El Cajon (Parkway Plaza)
Forward Tinkers; Lynne Davidson

4th Thursday 6:30 pm
Urban Grind Cafe: 3797 Park Blvd, Hillcrest
www.walkaboutknitter.com

3rd Friday 8:30 -10:30 am
Wesleyan Church: 10701 N Magnolia Ave Santee
MEETUP: Community Connections Knitting http://knitting.meetup.com/948/

Fridays 10 am - 12 pm
Knitting In La Jolla: 909 Prospect St
Drop-in instruction, help, etc. $10/visit

2nd Saturday 11am - 3pm
Balboa Park: 6th and Upas, under shade trees
YAHOO GROUP: San Diego Fiber Folk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SanDiegoFiberFolk/

Saturdays 11am - 3pm
Knitting By The Beach: 616 Stevens Ave Ste. B, Solana Beach http://tanyaa.web.aplus.net/Home.html

Saturdays 1 pm
Rebecca's: 3023 Juniper St, South Park

1st & 3rd Sunday 2:30 - 6 pm
The Whistle Stop Bar: 2236 Fern Street, South Park
YAHOO GROUP: SB San Diego http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SB_San_Diego/

TBD TBD
Two Sisters & Ewe: 8239 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa
TBD winter months

Crystal Palace Big Net Wrap Finished

I finished my Crystal Palace Big Net wrap last night; I'm very happy with it. It looks great and even though it looks summery the yarn is wool with nylon binder, so warm.

I decided it's best to complete my Colinette Tagliatelli which is in my Frogpile before starting new yarn. The others in the frogpile are winter-weight wools, so they can wait.

I got my Knitting Nature Book! Hard to decide what to make, so I'm going to let my existing yarn-on-hand dictate. At first I thought I only have chunky, but I do have some DK weight kid angora, 1800 yds ought to be enough. Now to decide which design to make!

I was bummed, the local knitting schedule at http://www.walkaboutknitter.com/San_Diego/events.html must not be up to date... I went to Common Threads last night, nobody was there. I think I'm going to create my own sked and post it.

I've got a class project team conference call tonight, then home to knit!

Beer, air conditioning, knitting

Gelsomina Lucchesi
Beer, air conditioning, knitting... what else could you ask for on a Sunday afternoon? Went to Whistle Stop yesterday, everyone is so nice. I'll definitely be going back. Finally met Jen, she is really cool; she made the Knitty French Market Bag in a larger size, so that really encouraged me to get going on mine.

Arrrrgh! I am re-knitting my CP shawl for the THIRD time. First it was too narrow, then it was to wide and short, it had better be perfect this time... be cause I'm not knitting it again. It knits up quick, thankfully. I told myself considering that I spent $60 on the whole project, so I really should make it exactly how I want it to be.

I'll probably go to the Grove on Thursday, signed up for the Meetup on Friday morning, need to re-sked my hair appointment to deconflict though.

Stress Relief

Gelsomina Lucchesi
Ugh, I couldn't face another I-5 traffic jam on the drive home from work, so I exited and went to Karl Strauss Brewery in Carlsbad with my knitting bag in tow. There was a traffic jam in the KSB parking lot! No way am I going to deal with that either. So, I headed down PCH to my fav coffee shop, the Pannikin in Leucadia. Got lucky, they were open all night for the Taste of Leucadia.

Total stress relief: sat and knit the CP Big Net wrap, drank iced tea, chatted with the owner. I'm going to have to find a cute coffee shop that's open past 6:30pm. I'm sure the traffic will be a bytch again tonight, do I dare try KSB again? I'll be there earlier, so maybe.

I'm halfway done with the wrap!

My Man Friday

This is my Old English Sheepdog, his name is Friday. His favorite things to do are to pretend other dogs in the dogpark are sheep and herd them, and follow me around constantly. He's terminally ill (tumor), so I'm collecting his undercoat fur to be spun into yarn by www.vipfibers.com. I don't give a rat's ass if you think it's weird/gross/whatever, it's totally legal, turns out beautiful yarn that's as soft and warm as quivet, and it's my way of keeping him with me forever. His undercoat naturally sheds as I groom him. The shed is 3" - 8" in length, so the yarn will be awesomely soft.

Little Man Basil

And this is my Japanese Chin, his name is Basil (Basilico Dolci, aka Kiki, Fuzzy, KittenBabyBoy). He's teeny weeny but soft as angora, so his coat is being thrown into the mix. He's completely blind, but happy as can be!

Next Up - Crystal Palace Big Net

I thought I'd start a simple project next. Thinking best to alternate between simple/complex to keep my momentum during the school quarter. This is a shawlie scarfie thingie from Crystal Palace. I love the yarn, and can wear it in the summer. My office at work is so freaking cold I NEED to wear sweaters or something year round. I searched for this yarn everywhere, finally found 4 skeins Big Net, 2 skeins of Raggedy, 1 of Glam (all CP). Going to go to the knit-together at Common Threads tonight; at least I think it's tonight!

Prism Arts' Wild Stuff Bias Sweater

I finished my Wild Stuff sweater last night. I used a full skein of Wild Stuff, PA Bon Bon, Trendsetter Joy and Segue, Gedifra Nuggets and Techno Hair, Berroco Quest, and some hand-dyed loop mohair from a nice woman in Australia. I couldn't find a pattern to use, so I made one up as I knit. The colorway is PA Woodlands. I like it!

Recent yarn purchases

This was a very satisfying project: two rolls of Hanah Silk Ribbon in Italian Wall. I just love everything about this scarf. It is soooooo much cheaper to buy Hanah Silk by the roll than by the yard! Got it from www.chezcas.com, my new favorite online yarn shop.

Recent yarn purchases 2

I finally caved in and bought myself 3 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Loop Mohair in Moody Blues. It will look divine with my Sodalite stones. I really have been trying to buy yarn that coordinates with my gemstone stock on hand. The loops in this yarn are absolutely gorgeous, and the colorway is much prettier IRL.

Recent yarn purchases 3

Oh jeez, I've got to stop buying yarn. This is Judi & Co's delicious hand-dyed half-inch ribbon yarn in the Bon Bon colourway. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. It was $42; I need to stop buying yarn when I don't have a project in mind.

Recent yarn purchases 4

I think I'm done collecting yarns to make my own Prism Arts-style wild stuff yarn. I now have 30 different yarns, including this latest addition, Trendsetter Vixen. First I'm going to make my Jane Thornley shrug, then I'll create the Wild Stuff yarn. It started as salmon and olive colors, but has expanded to include blush and pink, and bits of gold, sage, peach and rose. I need to get one of those quilter's red looking glass thingies to check on hue before I cut and tie. I spent way more than I should have on this project, I stopped counting at $250. Yikes. I guess I can justify this by stating that Prism Arts doeesn't carry this colorway?

Recent yarn purchases 5

I was a bit disappointed by Interlacements Ribbon yarn. While the colors were lush, the ribbon was kind of stiff, as if it had too much additive/dye on the surface or something. Wondering if it's going to bleed when washed. A real bummer because it was $30 for one skein.

Recent yarn purchases 6

Cherry Tree Hill Possum Paints: bought 8 of the autumn colors, 2 of the green. I really wanted to grab some of this yarn because they are discontinuing possum; too expensive to manufacture. Maybe they've decreased the surplus population of possum in New Zealand. I'm going to make the Scribble Lace Sweater from Unexpected Knitting out of the autumn, and a bias scarf out of the green.

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

Or maybe I'm just avoiding working on my thesis. In the last two months I've spent $1300 on yarn. I just figured this out this morning when I realized I forgot to pay my Visa bill (saw the late payment fee online). Why did I forget to pay my Visa bill? Because I've been too busy buying yarn online. What was the first thing I thought when I saw the $39 late fee? "Damnit, I could have bought yarn with that money!"

I've got to stop buying yarn. I have nowhere to put it anymore. I tallied up the total in yarn purchases since I starting collecting yarn (er, I mean knitting): $2800. That is just sick. I have got to stay away from ebay; I meet too many cool sellers there: Carla at Chezcas.com and Cucumberpatch.uk.

So... I did get a great deal on Brown Sheep Burly Spun. I knit Vogue's Big City, Big Knits pullover 6 times using substitute yarn... 6 froggings later, I'm still obsessed with that damn sweater. So if it doesn't work using the correct yarn this time, I'm writing to Vogue.

I've updated my knitting database, I'd die without it. I actually went through my storage containers and found out which yarn was where. I've got 29 projects on my to do list. Hmmm, maybe I'll post them here later. I'll take some pix of my completed projects and WIPs tonight, and post them here.

So, why is it that I'm knitting in the summer and was jewelrymaking in the winter? My doctor swears that I'm neither obsessive-compulsive nor manic-depressive. Something's just not right in my head though!

Oh, and I went to a stitch & bitch last Thursday night at The Grove in South Park. Everyone was very cool. I'd never been to The Grove before, it was really nice and only 2.5 miles away! The owner was very nice, and not the least bit snotty like the peeps at the Hooter's yarn shop.

Oh I forgot, Paul was into town visiting, he patiently went to TWO yarn stores with me in La Jolla. He's working at the Pentagon now, thank god he isn't over in Iraq. Both yarn stores were okay. But I still prefer The Black Sheep in Encinitas as far a LYSs go; and now The Grove.

"Charm" Bracelet

Vintage brass chain; red, orange, pink corals; tiger eye; fancy jasper; unakite; various stone beads purchased on vacation in Hong Kong.

Marovato

Ocean Jasper pendant and rectangles mined from Marovato on the northwest coast of Madagascar. Freshwater pearls, Rhodonite, natural horn, 2 sizes of Japanese seed beads.

My favorite stone, Ocean Jasper, has become very well known in a short amount of time. Mining Ocean Jasper is a challenge. The material can only be extracted and transported at low tide. The area has no road, so the material must be transported to civilization by boat.

Pearl Single Strand Lariat

Freshwater pearls, seed beads. Pattern by Varvara in "Coraling" book. Will make more to be worn in multiple lariats.

Mah Jjong Set

Separate lariat, necklace, and bracelet. Vintage Mah Jjong tile drilled as pendant, various glass, ceramic, and natural horn beads.

Green Dragon

Green Garnet Rectangles (heavy occlusions), Wood Double Dragon Pendant, Delicas, Brass Toggle.

Red Coral Dragon

Red Coral Pendant and Squares, Sterling Silver.

Green Garnet Bracelet

Large green garnets, faceted unakite balls, jasper rondelles, delica beads, sterling silver.

Garnet bracelet for Libby

Garnets, size 15 Japanese seed beads, victorian pattern.

Garnet necklace and lariat

Garnets (several shapes), size 15 japanese seed beads. Separate necklace and lariat.

More of my first jewelry projects

Lariat and separate necklace set. Antique Edwardian black glass pendant, onyx stone beads, bugle beads.

More of my first jewelry projects

Pottery shard, blue coral, amazonite, iolite, sterling silver.

More of my first jewelry projects

Vintage czech glass pendant and pressed glass, vintage bugle beads.
Pottery shard, "yellow turquoise", sterling silver, seed beads.

My first jewelry projects

Poppy jasper, vintage seed beads, delicas, sterling silver.

My first Victorian necklace

Here's some pix of the first Victorian necklace I made from Suzanne Cooper's "Victorian and Variations". I used matte black delicas and czech fire polished jet beads. But, I used plain old upholstry-weight thread (Coats and Clark) for stringing... I know, need to get silamide! The close-up shot above is of the small 5/8" medallion.

4mm bead pic

Here's a pic of a 4mm bead using my new digi camera, nice & sharp. This is without reading the manual, so should be even better once I get a chance to do \figure out how to best operate it.