Knitting, Dogs and Life on the High Plains

Thursday, August 26, 2004
Why do we blog?

I think there are a number of reasons why people choose to blog. For some it's a way to express themselves. I believe others are seeking approval from their peers or those they admire. Some people want to feel part of a community.

When I blew away this blog yesterday afternoon, for a few minutes, when I realized I had blown away the wrong blog, I thought I had blown away Aliy's World. When I realized it was this blog, I was upset, but not nearly as upset as I would have been if I had lost Aliy's World. It got me to thinking about WHY that blog was so much more important to me than this one.

I decided that the documentation contained in that blog was valuable to me. VALUABLE. To ME. Almost every post was important because it was the history of Aliy's pregnancy and the birth of the pups and their first 9 weeks. In that blog, I have instructions on how to build a whelping box. I kept track of Aliy's temperature chnges, I inventoried the equipment needed for the whelping, I kept track of when the pups were born and how much they weighed and when they first got teeth and when their eyes opened. Maybe not important or even interesting stuff to most of you reading this, but for me, this record is irreplaceable.

This blog just wasn't as important. I was putting up the kinds of posts that I thought others might want to read. And I was posting pictures I thought others might want to see. Personally, I don't see the point of putting up stash enhancement pictures unless it's something really special. I don't mind looking at others stash pictures, I just don't want to make the effort to photograph MY stash.

I started this blog becuase I wanted a place to track the progress of my projects. this looked like more fun than a spreadsheet and more interactive than a journal.

I've found that blogging about projects keeps me excited about them and keeps me from forgetting about them. I do that. Start a project I really love, then start another one and another one and forget about the first one until I discover it weeks later at the bottom of the basket. Having it in writing on the blog, in the sidebar, keeps me from burying things.

So from now on this blog is for ME. If others find it interesting, I'm glad, but it's mostly for ME. Expect to see more doggy stuff, especially pictures of new puppy Babe! Expect to see more posts, but maybe not pictures every time. I felt OBLIGATED to have pictures in every post... so sometimes I'd not post 'cause I didn't have time for pictures. No longer. THIS BLOG IS FOR ME ME ME!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming....

This was two days ago:



And this is today:



The main beadwork is FINISHED!! I glued the parts down to ultra-suede today, tomorrow I can begin the edging. BTW, the two smaller pieces are not earrings, they are parts of the clasp. Isn't it pur-ty????

That's all from the high plains today!




Anne at 8:12 PM        
|

Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Well. This is fun. Not.

The template is back. Sort of. Took me hours.

Still can't believe I was so stupid.

If I was going to blow away a blog I'm glad it was this one and not Aliy's World. If I had lost that it would have damn near broken my heart.




Anne at 10:23 PM        
|


I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!

I deleted my blog. NOT on purpose.

WHAT AN IDIOT.

sigh

Guess what I'll be doing tonight instead of knitting?




Anne at 5:02 PM        
|

Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Finished Stuff, Old Stuff, New Stuff

Wendy says she likes pictures in the blogs she reads, well boy-howdy, I have pictures galore today!

Where have I been the last week or so? Finishing old projects, starting new projects and most heart-wrenching of all, sending puppies off to their forever homes. Bonnie and Domino left on Sunday, Mia will be leaving soon and Babe gets to stay right here.

Finished Stuff

First we have a finished Oakley shawl/scarf out of Berroco Suede:



Interesting note on Oakley... the Berroco pattern book calls for 5 balls of Suede. Their is an errata on their web site saying it takes six, and I know several others out in blog-land have either run short or felt the fringe was skimpy with only 5 balls. I made the shawl to the exact dimensions of the pattern. My gauge was perfect. And I had an entire ball of Suede left over from the 6 I purchased. I wrote and asked the nice people at Berroco, they said the reason is that some colors seem to have less yardage than others because of the way the yarn takes the dye!

Next in the Finished Department we have a Confetti Cowl...



I'm still loving Lion Boucle and Fun Fur for quick easy and CUTE small projects!

More detail on these two items can be found in the WhiteStar Knits Gallery.

Old Stuff

What else has been taking up LOTS of time? My SCA Specialty art show entry. Making mega-progress which is a Good Thing as it MUST be completed by Septemebr 17... and I will be gone EVERY weekend between now and then.



New Stuff

Now you know it would not be me blogging if I didn't have another new project started, right? I couldn't resist any longer so this past week I cast on some Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora for Rosy. One sleeve down, the other started, this stuff knits up fast and is soft beyond belief.



I've heard some talk that the Cotton Angora sheds. Don't ask me. With all these big white fuzzy dogs around do you really think I'd notice a few stray angora hairs???

And of course we have had stash enhancement...



On top, three different colors of Berroco Suede. I said I was going to acquire more and I did. The rose color is to make this, and the hot pink and olive green are for this.

At the bottom, my first ever purchase of Cherry Tree Hill hand dyed sock yarn. Can't wait to try it out! In the meantime it joins the ever growing pile of Opal, Regia, and Lorna's Laces sock yarn.

And just for fun...



Berroco Quest Colors and berroco Sizzle. No plans for these but they seem to be telling me they want to be a scarf.

Spindle of the Day

I love the color of this spindle. The first time I saw Yellowheart I thought it looked fakey and dyed, now I love all the beautifully and naturally colored heartwoods. Unfortunately, soon after I bought this spindle I dropped it on it's hook. The hook survived but is loose and pulls out of the shaft. My attempts to reglue it have all failed so this spindle just sits around and looks pretty. :( :(


Maker: Greensleeves Spindles
Model: Queen's Sceptre - Catharine Parr
Wood: Osage Orange and Canarywood whorl on Canarywood shaft
Weight: 1.4 oz
Purchased from: Bountiful



Anne at 3:40 PM        
|

Sunday, August 15, 2004
Really, Really, REALLY Good Weekend :) :)

Some Sunday nights you get back from a dog show and wonder why you do this to yourself. And then there are Sunday nights like this :)

Yesterday morning Ilsa took her fourth 4 point major to FINISH her championship. But not only did she win Winners Bitch and Best of Winners, she also won Best of Breed over 7 finished champions! She requests that everyone now please call her CHAMPION Shaman's Play It Again Sam HIC!

Today Kelly took Winners Bitch for her first major. 11 points to go! And Ilsa again won Best of Breed. :) :) :) :)



Anne at 9:27 PM        
|

Friday, August 13, 2004
Making Progress!

The beadwork is coming along nicely! I can only work on it when I am wearing my glasses, I have no idea why. My contact lens prescription and my eyeglass prescription is the same, but I cannot see the beads with my contacts, so I usually only work on this for an hour or so a day.



Sweet Suede

Meanwhile the Cowgirl Poncho is done! See...



There is a bigger picture (and stitch detail) in the Gallery if you are interested.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Suede yarn from Berroco that this is made from. The Oakley Shawl I'm working on now is made of Suede and I am going out to enhance my stash very soon with MORE SUEDE. I NEED to make this, only longer, in the Texas Rose color.

As Deb said in the comments recently "I love this yarn. It looks way more expensive than it is. (not that it's cheap)." She is oh so right. I wasn't sure about it when I bought the first few balls, now I'm addicted.

Pupdate

Earlier this week a good friend, who is also a terrific photographer, came and took pics of the puppies... here is one of the cutest...


copyright Scott Vail


Spindle of the Day

This is the first Cascabales spindle I bought. Not the greatest spinner, a little on the slow side, but since then Gabe has improved his spindles tremendously and the new ones spin like a dream. I lust after one of his Native American Basketweave spindles.




Maker: Gabe Jaramillo, Cascabeles Spindles
Wood: Unknown wood with brass inlay
Weight: 1.7 oz




Anne at 12:58 PM        
|

Monday, August 09, 2004
Dog Days

Kelly, Ilsa and I went to a dog show this past weekend... Ilsa *almost* came home a champion...only one other dog, an 8 month old puppy, stood in her way... sigh.... there's always this coming weekend to try again.

I could not believe how much I missed the puppies while I was gone. It was only for 48 hours but it seemed like so much longer.


Yellow Naps


They will be leaving in less than two weeks, I can't stand the thought of it and I still don't know who I will be keeping.


Anne at 10:34 PM        
|

Thursday, August 05, 2004
How Long is a Poncho?????

I finished the knitting on the Cowgirl Poncho today.

I decided to block before adding fringe. Off the needles it was pretty small, but since it's garter stitch I know it will stretch a LOT when blocking. I wet it down, rolled it in a towel and began laying it out.

Widthwise it easily blocked out to 42 inches. It quickly became very obvious that here was NO WAY I was going to get it to stretch to the length measurement specified on the pattern.

The pattern calls for a 38.75 length. Mine was about 18 inches unblocked, with serious stretching I can get it to about 26 inches. How could my row gauge be so far off????

After measuring and studying the pattern I am now thinking the length measurement HAS to be wrong. 38.75 inches would put the poncho down to well below my knees... that sure is not how the picture looks!

Do you think that width measurement is the TOTAL length, front + back? But then, isn't 19 inches awfully short?? HELP!! Tell me how long ponchos are supposed to be!!

I'm Lovin' It!....

THIS is what I have been spending most of my time doing the past few days...



Whatcha think???


Spindle of the Day

I feel luck to have gotten this "Mouton du Mois" recently as they are no longer made!



Maker: Tom Diak, Grafton Fibers
Model: Mouton du Mois - Suri Alpaca
Weight: 1.2 oz
Purchased from: Carolina Homespun




Anne at 8:21 PM        
|

getting a dog?
Read this first!!

on the needles
30. Fletcher
Noro Transitions


29. Rosedale
Patons SWS


28. Forecast
Cascade Quatro


27. Lady Eleanor (again)
Patons SWS


26. Marble Shawl Collar Sweater
Karabella Marble


25. Serrano
Dale Baby Ull


24. Tamarah
Artyarns Regal Silk, Silk Mohair


23. Apricot(Plum) Jacket
DB Cashmerino Chunky


22. Rusted Root
BS Cotton Fleece


21. Not So Shrunken Cardigan
Lavold Sily Wool


20. Sizzle
Nashua Kim


19. Hanging Garden Stole
KP Alpaca Cloud


18. Log Cabin Blanket
Cascade Pima Tencel


17. Mystery Stole 2
Crazy Monkey Lace



16. Petticoat Sallops
Opal Petticoat


15. CeCe
Lambspun Silk



14. Hyrna Herborgar
Silk for Life



13. Sea Foam Shawl
LaLana Phat Silk


12. Diamond Fantasy Shawl
CTH Possum Lace



11. Evergreen Cardi
Malabrigo


10. Mystery Shawl 3
Zephyr



9. Jaywalkers
LL Shepherd Sock



8. Pi @ Sunrise Shawl
Crazy Monkey Lace



7. Follow the Leader Aran
BS Naturespun Worsted


6. Peacock Feathers
HaindPaintedYarn.com lace


5. Kiri Shawl
Rowan Kidsilk Haze



4. Sampler Shawl
Starmore Campion


3. Highland Triangle Shawl
America's Alpaca


2. Leaf Lace Shawl
Misti Alpaca Lace


1. Total Maze Cardigan
Araucania Nature Wool




    38/46

finished in 2006
1/21 - Shadow of Love Socks
1/31 - Pineapple Jacket
2/5 - Smokin' Blueberry Socks
2/7 - Angora Fingerless Mitts
3/9 - Neopolitan Socks
3/18 - Summer Scallop Socks
3/30 - Spectrum: Red & Pink
4/2 - Felted Clogs
4/15 - Violets by the River
5/3 - Felted Hedgehog
5/6 - Felted B-4 Bag
6/15 - Pomatomus Socks
7/1 - Snapdragon Socks
9/11 - Simple Knitted Bodice
9/13 - White,Biscuit,Cream Shawl
9/14 - Something Lilac
10/4 - Cabbage Rose Socks
10/29 - Neck Warmer
11/15 - Lady Eleanor

gallery
Knitting
Beadwork

finished in 2005
1/21 - Seascape Shawl
2/12 - Wool Peddler's Shawl
3/21 - Fir Cone Square Shawl
3/25 - Misty Garden Scarf
4/7 - Obi
4/30 - Truly Tasha's Shawl
5/19 - Ivy
6/19 - Tasha II Shawl
7/13 - Cherry Blossom Shawl
7/26 - Mom's Birthday Shawl
8/9 - Birch Shawl
8/28 - Mystery Shawl
10/4 - Herbal Remedy
10/5 - Rosy Fingered Dawn
11/18 - Mystery Shawl 2
12/6 - Ostrich Plumes Triangle
12/26 - In The Dark Socks
12/29 - Red, Red, RED! Scarf

rings


Previous | Next


Previous | Next


Previous | Next


Previous | Next

Fiber Arts Bloggers
Previous | Next


Previous | Next


Previous | Next


Previous | Next

weather on the plains
The WeatherPixie

blue moon?
CURRENT MOON
moon phase


skywatcher


1/24/2006

6/11/2006

6/11/2006

6/11/2006

recent posts
It Matters To ALL Of Us
LIfe. In Colorado.
In Search of ..... the Perfect Bag
Epic Knitting
How Much Snow?
Out the Back Door Saturday
Where?
SCORE!!
Out The Back Door Saturday
I'm On Level 26 36 47....

archives
05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004
06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004
07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004
08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004
09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004
10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004
11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004
12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005
01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005
02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005
03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005
04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005
05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006
02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006
03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006
04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006
05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006
06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006
07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006
08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006
09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006
10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006
11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006
12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007
01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007
02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007
04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007


places to go







Click Here

WhiteStar Samoyeds





steal this


bloggers I knit with

KAL watch

good reads








My Noro Philosophy:
ALWAYS have something Noro
on the needles!
  WIP: Twice as Nice

ME! ME! ME!
I live in Colorado.
I raise and show Samoyeds.
I knit.
I spin.
I do beadwork.
I have too many beads.
I have too much yarn.
I love to start new projects.

talk to me
whitestarsams (at) hpi (dot) net

credit where credit is due Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com

Powered by Blogger



Take the MIT Weblog Survey
Who Links Here

All images copyright 2005 WhiteStar Samoyeds.
Blog skin made by WhiteStar Samoyeds.
Contact WhiteStar Samoyeds.