WhiteStar

I Love Starting New Projects!

But you knew that didn't you?

It's not that I don't work on my already started projects... in fact the Cowgirl Poncho has grown by several inches. But 2 inches more of a garter stitch triangle still loos pretty much the same as this. And Fuchsia is growing as well, but still looks like this, only longer.

So what's new? I started another project in Lion Brand Boucle and Fun Fur. Love that stuff for quick and colorful projects! This one is a cowl/shawl...

And I started my project for this years Samoyed Club Or America National Specialty Art Show....

Can you tell what it is??? Stay tuned right here on this channel for future updates.

Spindle of the Day

Maker: Spinners Choice
Model: Deep Cup Spindle
Wood: Satine and Maple whorl, unknown shaft wood
Weight: 1.1oz
Purchased from: eBay

Anne at 10:42 PM

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Ruffly Goodness

Yes! I AM making progress on Fuchsia! I finally got past The Row. I love the way the ruffles look on this and I hope I enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoyed knitting them. And can I gush on an on about the Rowan Calmer? What gorgeous yarn this is. If you have not seen or knitted with Calmer you owe it to yourself to get hold of at least one ball just to try it.

Here's a close up of the edge.

Pupdate

The puppies are 5 weeks old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. This past weekend I met the final potential owner, it looks like all three pups that don't stay with me will have awesome homes. Still undecided at this point which one I'll keep. They are still too young to see and judge their movement, and, because all four are so cute, that will be the deciding factor I think.

How Many?

Jon asked in my comments how many spindles I have. The honest answer is I don't know, I don't want to know, I haven't counted them. I bet I have fewer than Stasia.

Some people collect cermic pigs or salt and pepper shakers. I collect spindles. At least they are useful, right?

Spindle of the Day

Phil Powell's spindles are unique... you can even have them set with gemstones. It was hard to get picture of this spindle. Very dark wood and the unusual shape made framing and focusing a challenge.

Maker: Phil Powell
Wood: Ebony whorl on Ebony shaft
Weight: 1.9 oz
Purchased from: The Wheel Thing

Anne at 12:07 AM

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Ever Have One of Those Days?

There's this row on Fuchsia that I can't seem to get past.

I'm through with the decreases onthe ruffle so the number of stiches has shrunk dramatically, from 500 to 200. Now I'm supposed to do a couple of rows of eyelets.

First time around I completely forgot to do anything.

Tink back 200 stitches.

Second time around I purled instead of knitted. Why? Who knows.

Tink back 200 stitches.

Third time around I used the wrong kind of decrease.

Tink back 50 stitches.

I've put it aside for now.

New FO

The Woven Triangle Shawl is done! That went fast and was fun. I am resonably pleased and am anxious to make another one.

Spindle of the Day

I really love all my Emily spindles. This is the first one I got and still my favorite.

Maker: Adam Mielke
Style: Emily
Wood: Bocote whorl with Cherry shaft
Weight: 1.2 oz
Purchased from: The Wheel Thing

Anne at 8:03 AM

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Jumping on the (Rowan) Bandwagon

I've never really understood the appeal of either Rowan patterns or yarns. Other than two very early Kaffe Fasset kits that are languishing in my basement, and a very bad experience last summer involving Rowan's All-Seasons Cotton and the Smooch pattern that was wildly popular (but ultimately unflattering and unwearable on most people, including me) I have never been tempted by things Rowan. Until this week.

I had to go to my LYS to pick up a size 10, 24 inch circular needle. Just one needle, that's all I needed. I encountered Rowan's Calmer. Oh. My. Goodness. *

Although I know a lot of people are making Audrey, and it is an attractive pattern... I'm not sure it's a sweater I'd ever wear. And to parapharase something Wendy recently said, it would be nice to make things that actually get worn... unlike the many many Very Fluffy mohair sweaters I made in a past knitting life that made me look like a walking poodle with a sttic electricty problem.

After careful perusal of many patterns, my Rowan Calmer in color Calm is on it's way to becoming Dale of Norway's Fuchsia. I am loving it so much that I don't even mind the horrendously long beginning rounds of 500 stitches per round.

*I also "met" Debbie Bliss' Cotton Angora the same day I met Calmer... another story for another post on another day....

Knitting in Public

This week I had to spend 3 days in a class listening to lectures the whole time. For the first time ever I knit in public in a "work" environment. It was great. I actually was able to concentrate on what the instructor was saying much better than if I had not been knitting.

And what did I knit on? The CowGirl Poncho! Side one is complete. Side two is more than one third complete as well. Whoo-Hoo!

I also started my Oakley Scarf/Shawl in the purple Suede. I think I'm gonna love it!

What a Guy!

After painting my puppies, my husband decided to be on his best behaviour. Look what he brought me "just because"! My favorite type of flowers - carnations.

Spindle of the Day

My first Bossie. Do I even have to say it spins like a dream? Don't all Bossies?

Maker: Jonathan Bosworth / Journey Wheel
Size: Midi
Weight: 1 oz.
Wood: Bocote Whorl with Birch Shaft
Purchased from: Bountiful

Anne at 7:24 PM

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Need a Laugh in Your Day?

Check out what my "creative" husband did yesterday afternoon. Click Here.

sigh......

Anne at 12:10 PM

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Not Knitting....

Instead I have been weaving!

One of the purchases I made at Convergence that I didn't mention before was a copy of Carol Leigh Brack-Kaiser's excellent video about weaving on a Triangle Loom. I've had one for over 10 years.. and never completed a project on it. After viewing the video I got inspired... see...

Spindle of the Day

Maker: Greensleeves
Type: E. Marie
Wood: Pink Ivory
Weight: 1.5 oz.
Purchased from: Bountiful

Anne at 9:10 PM

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Just another Saturday on the High Plains

Transmutation

I have decided that my blue Suede Oakley shawl is going to morph into the Linda poncho that I have renamed the Cowgirl Poncho. They are basically the same pattern... you make two (slightly smaller) shawls and sew together for the poncho. And then when I am thru with the Cowgirl Poncho, I will make Oakley in purple Suede which is what I really wanted anyway.

So instead of being almost done with Oakley I am now about halfway done with Cowgirl. I think I'm gonna really like her.

Lost Point Good News / Bad News

I spent the morning doing battle with Lost Points...

I present this mostly uninteresting picture only to show that I have indeed triumphed over the Melody yarn and progressed from knitting on rows in the Yarn-from-Hell to knitting in the round with the much-easier-to-work-with Bamboo. Doesn't it look like an amoebic life form in this picture?

The bad news is there are only 6 rounds of Bamboo before I have to switch back to the Melody for 25 rows. sigh...

The really bad news is I saw a Lost Points Shawl made up at my LYS this morning and I'm not sure I liked it. It did not look as "nice" as in the photos....

Puppy Update

It takes a while for them to look like puppies not hamsters. We are at that point, here's the proof!

Spindle of the Day

This is the first Tabachek I purchased. Love at first sight.

Maker: Edward Tabachek
Wood: Yellowheart whorl with Redheart shaft
Weight: 1.2 oz.
Purchased from: The Bellwether

Anne at 8:52 PM

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Forced Vacation

I work at home. I work for big-time corporate America but I am lucky enough that I can work right here out of my house.

Yesterday evening my "work PC" started screaming. Then it died. Several calls to various support organization and the diagnosis was reached. My fan is in distress which caused the system board to overheat and get fried. They are shipping a new one out today but it won't reach me and be avalable for installation until Monday.

In the meantime I am "forced" to not work.

Lost Point HELL.

No one responded to my post of a few days ago about the Lost Points Shawl. Either no one is reading (although the page hit counter says that is not true), no one has made this shawl or no one wants to talk to me :(

I have perservered and am back on row 11. This is the most difficult yarn I have ever dealt with. Don't get me wrong it is pretty but is is HELL to knit with. Just a few more rows and I get to switch yarns. THANK GOD! I don't even want to think about when I have to switch BACK to the Melody and have 300+ stitches on the needle.

Gumdrop

Gumdrop was fun to knit. Lion brand has come a long way with both their yarns and with their patterns. Seriously, a lot of their patterns these days are quite "knittable". In my quest for the Perfect Poncho Pattern I am considering this one, free on the Lion website.

The poncho uses the same yarn as Gumdrop, that's Lion Boucle and Lion Fun Fur. Of course I also really like this poncho, also free, on the Berrocco site.

And I am still pondering how I can possibly make the Stitch Diva Mini Poncho since I can't get gauge with ANY yarn or ANY hook. But it's such a cute pattern I continue to try.

Featured Spindle

In the spirit of Stasia's mention of doing a "spinvintory", I have decided to catalog my spindles. First off I introduce you to one of my all time favorites and the first (but not the last) Kundert I purchased:

Maker: Stephen Kundert
Wood: Wormy Butternut whorl on Walnut shaft
Weight: 0.9 oz
Purchased from: Lois at Bountiful

Anne at 12:25 PM

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Lost Points, Lost Cause???

Has anyone out there made the Lost Points Shawl, yarn and pattern by Southwest Trading Co.?

Please tell me it will get better.

I have now started over on this thing 3 times. If I didn't want it so bad I'd toss it.

The problem? Let's just say that picking up a dropped stitch in the Melody yarn makes picking up a dropped stitch in Plymouth Eros look easy. And if you have to rip out? Forget about it.

Anne at 7:33 AM

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DOH!

sigh...

So I went back to Convergence on Friday and bought two more balls of yarn so I could make a tank. I bought the same KIND of yarn but not the same COLOR.

At least the colors look good together.

Anne at 8:13 AM

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A Mostly Phobic Post....

Convergence Part II

Yes, I went back. I wanted another basket or two. Just like on Wednesday they were flying out the booth with people buying them in threes and fours.

I also got two more balls of the Gedifra yarn so I can now make a cute little tee or tank, now to find a pattern... any suggestions? I have 500 yards and it knits at 3.5 stitches/inch.

We won't talk about what else I bought. Let's just say I BETTER learn how to do Kumihimo now!

Phobias

I am not a phobic person in general. I do have a thing about fire, stemming from an accident my mother had when I was about a year and half old. She was lighting an old gas stove with a match and the sleeve of her sweater caught fire. My 13 year old brother was there and put out the very small flames and called the rescue squad. No serious damage was done to either my mother or the kitchen. Although I don't remember this at all, it apparently had a lasting effect on me. My mother said before that day the sound of sirens never bothered me, after that I cried every time I heard one until I was about 4.

To this day I dislike being too close too fire, won't use paper matches, only wooden ones. I'd love to learn lampwork and do silverwork but both require the use of flame. Still I consider this to be a fear not a phobia.

I also don't fly. I CAN fly, I just prefer not to. If forced to get on a plane I wouldn't have a panic attack or anything, I just really really don't like it.

But I do have one very real phobia. Parking Garages. I'm not worried about the safety aspect. I have a phobia about DRIVING in them. Put me in a small car and have me drive in a parking garage and I'm very nervous. Put me in my big Ford F-250 4x4 with the sled dog boxes on the back and have me drive in a parking garage and I am terrified.

When I went up to Convergence on Wednesday I drove around for what seemed like forever trying to find parking (Did I mention I HATE cities?). Finally found a little corner lot. When I went up yesterday I was determined to find the parking that is designated for the Convention Center. It was a parking garage. In the interest of "saving time" I decided to go for it.

After stopping several times at the entrance to make SURE my truck would fit (I had at least a 6 - 8 inches of clearance) I ventured in. Big Mistake.

Usually what scares the bejesus out of me is the low ceilings. Even in a small car I am SURE I am going to hit the ceiling. In my truck I am beyond sure, I KNOW it's going to happen at any second. Even when I get out and check and SEE it's okay I am still terrified. Well this garage had a new twist to increase my anxiety to the point where I was hyperventilating.

Ever been to a drive thru that the turning radius of the curbing was so tight you hit it trying to get around from the order part to the pick up window? If you don't drive a big vehicle you probably haven't, but trust me, there are lot of places like that. So you drive over the curb. Big deal.

Well this parking garage had a ramp like that. But instead of a 4 inch curb it was 8 feet of solid concrete on either side. Imagine me, in my big huge truck, trying to navigate up the ramp. Terrified at any minute I'm going to hit the ceiling. Inches to spare on either side of the truck. Around and around and up and up FOREVER. Add to that the irate people behind me honking their horns at my less than 5 mph progress.

There were a couple times I had to stop, I was shaking so badly. Just stop and take a few deep breaths. I was VERY tempted to get out of my truck and go back to the woman (in her itty bitty car) behind me and ask if she'd like to trade vehicles until we got to the top. But the fit was so tight there was no room to open the door to get out!

I made it to the top. Finally. Of course then I had to do it all over again to get out.

I have decided I simply have a serious phobia of driving in parking garages and will just never do it again. Never. I hate the idea that I have what I know is a silly fear. But given how rarely I have to face parking garages, and just how terrifying it is to me, I decided that I'm alloswd to have one stupid, silly unreasonable, heartstopping fear.

Wildlife

I have lived on the high plains of Colorado for 11 years now. Until last year I had heard the coyotes sing many times, but had never seen one. Over the past year I've seen several. Including one a couple months ago in the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble book store in town.

This spring I've caught glimpses of one in my neighborhood. And I know the dogs have seen it several times. I figured maybe it was a mama coyote raising a pack of pups in the meadow near us. Yesterday afternoon, Boom'r, Koshare and Icer were outside and began going nuts. I happened to look out the front window and guess what was in my front yard?

I grabbed my camera and ran outside. By the time I took this picture the coyote was at the end of the driveway. And unfortunately instead of my 300mm lens, I had on a wide angle as I had just been taking some pictures of the pups in the whelping box. So the picture stinks but still.. It's a coyote... in my driveway!

Anne at 7:27 AM

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Solidarity

I'm with with you Wendy!

Anne at 6:19 AM

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I Promised Fibery Goodness

And I deliver.

I spent yesterday evening at the Convergence Twilight Madness sale. And what did I get?

The first thing you notice when you enter the shopping area is all the baskets. Everyone was carrying these very cool and colorful handmade baskets. They are from Ghana and several vendors were selling them. I bought one to carry my purchases in and well... ended up with a second before the night was out. I saw some people walking around with three and four of them!

The baskets come all squished up and misshapen. You soak them in water and mold them to shape. The basket on the left was already shaped when I bought it, the one on the right has not yet been shaped. I did that in my bathtub today. These baskets are very strong, hold a ton of stuff and are really pretty as well. I want to go back and get another one!

Now for the fibery part. I bought 3 skeins of a cotton tape yarn from Gedifra. I had hopes of using it on my Floral Mini Poncho. The gauge on the ball band was right but... I STILL CAN'T GET GAUGE in crochet. So now I have three balls of this stuff and no idea what to use it for. It would make a really cute little tank or tee top.. hmmmmm.... another reason to go back up to Denver.. I could get another 3 or 4 balls, enough to make that tee or tank.

I also purchased some spinning fiber. On the left is 12 ounces of Bonker's wool with nylon and tencel. You can't see the colors very well in this picture. It's black superwash with specks of coral silk and Angelina. VERY pretty.

And on the right, on top is a 4 ounce bump of Bonkers 50/50 Merino/Tencel. On the bottom are two 4 ounce bumps of Blue Moon Spinnery Guardians of the Earth 50/50 Merino/Tencel.

I didn't pictures of the other fibery stuff I got... a big hank of 4 color-coordinated handdyed yarns from the SouthWest Trading Company that may be destined to become a not-Colinette poncho.

And what would a trip to a fibery place be without spindles? I am hopelessly addicted.

In front we have a very lovely Spriggs spindle. A fine spinner and only $16 from Susan's Fiber Shop. Then, from left to right we have a Cascade Spindle Mt. St Helens, a lovely little lace spindle from Magpie Woodworks, a silk spindle by the folks at Berlin Braids and a Vermont Spindle. In the front is one of the now discontinued Grafton Fibers Suri Alpaca spindles. That spindle, the Vermont Spindle and the Greensleeves Lizzie Kate they are perched in came from Carolina Homespun.

I also got a book on Kumihumo braiding, maybe I'll finally learn to use that Marudai I got on sale 50% off about 4 years ago.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... Aliy's girls are getting ready to open their eyes! My guess is within the next 24-36 hours or so I'll have puppies screaming their heads off when they get their first glimpse of LIGHT. I created a Gallery of Pictures for the puppies in case anyone wants to take a look. These are the same pics that have been on Aliy's blog over the past week and a half, but now they are all in one place. And of course the Aliy-Cam is up 24 hours a day for those who can't sleep at night.

That's all for tonight from the rainy windy high plains...

Anne at 9:48 PM

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What I Did Yesterday Evening....

Convergence.

Mmmmmm...... Fibery Goodness.

Details to come.....

Anne at 6:30 AM