Knitting, Dogs and Life on the High Plains

Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Hiding Out

Wondering where I've been?

Sometime late last week I realized my mother's birthday is tomorrow. The present that I started making her last month, secure in the knowledge I could easily finish it in time to get it in the mail had not been touched in at least two weeks.

ACK!

So I have spent the last week working diligently on it. It is complete. It is beautiful. And it is ready to mail. Since Mom occasionally checks in here, no pictures of it for several days, until after I know she has received it.

Now, back to work on Birch....


Anne at 6:43 PM        
|

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Bye, Bye, Birchie


Something's not right here....


... so it went into the freezer...


... and back into the ball.

I'm not sure if going into the freezer helped or not, but I'd read it makes ripping out mohair easier and I did get it all undone with no problems.

WHY did I rip it out?

From the very beginning it has just had not seemed "right". It was so loose and floppy but I had faith and kept knitting away. But last night as I finished up the first of 3 balls I had a very bad feeling so I did a little math...

The first repeat of Birch has 30 leaf motifs, the second 29 and so on for a total of 465 motifs. I had completed 140 motifs when I ran out of my first ball. That is only 30% of the total motifs. Assuming the math works out, I'd run out of the 3rd ball with 47 motifs (9 full repeats - 72 rows) to go.

Yes I could have bought a 4th ball but.... if I'm knitting way off gauge how BIG was this thing going to be? The finished Birchs I've seen out in blogland all seemed pretty good size, I didn't want to end up with a shawl that was WAY too big. When I pulled it off the needle I got my answer... the top edge was about 9 feet across!!

Yikes!

What happened here? I have no idea. I am NOT a loose knitter, in fact I am usually a tight knitter often having to go up a size or two needle when gauge matters in a garment. When I completed Cherry Blossom last week I mentioned I used only 4 balls plus a few yards of the specified fifth ball, thats the norm for me. I NEVER run out of yarn!!

I dont mind that I had to rip.. I mind that I have to cast on 299 stithces again.

Speaking of Cherry Blossom....

I promised pictures of Cherry Bloassom after blocking... here ya go....


I'm still very pleased with it overall, but I do have one issue... a minor one. It looked so lovely when I took it off the blocking board. But then after being folded up it got creased and it appears the KidSilk Haze holds the creases more than I'd like. Also the center began to pooch out a little, a complaint I've seen others have too.


But really, I still absolutely love it!

Larger pictures on the Cherry Blossom page.

Responding....

Thank you for all the nice compliments on Cherry Blossom that I received by mail and via the blog comments! A couple people had questions....

Hope asked if the color I used was Candy Girl. Yes indeed! Love that pink!

Janet asked about making it bigger... I think if you were to make it bigger you'd need to add another increase row. I'd probably do it after completing the 12 repeats of Chart C and then do some more rows of Chart B, then the edging.

Kira and Max Up Close and Personal



Anne at 7:43 AM        
|

Thursday, July 14, 2005
It's All About Cherry Blossom!

Guess what I did this morning?


Yes, that's Cherry Blossom blocking!

All in all I am pretty happy with the way it came out.


The good things:

1) it's an easy pattern that is relaxing to do and works up quickly if one does not get sidetracked

2) the KidSilk Haze is gorgeous yarn

3) it took just over 4 balls, if you left out one repeat of Chart C it could easily be done with just 4 balls.


The not as good things:

1) it took just over 4 balls. Literally JUST over. Maybe 5 yards. Given the cost of KidSilk Haze, that's a bummer.

2) as beautiful as the KidSilk Haze is, the fuzz does obscure the pattern a bit. Will I use Kidsilk Haze again for lace? Absolutely! But I think I'll look for very simple lace patterns worked on larger needles (like Birch).

More pictures when blocking is complete!

The disappointing thing:


It's not a dropped stitch. I don't know what it is. Or how I will "fix" it. :(

Now to get back to work on Birch....

Living in the Country...

.... you never know what to expect.

Yesterday I'm sitting in my office working and I hear the sound of goats. Now one of my neighbors does have goats and I can sometimes hear them, but this sound was coming from the opposite direction and was VERY close.

I look out my window and what do I see?


My neighbor is out jogging... with her goats!


They stop for break....


... and then head home.

The End of the USPS Story

Guess what showed up in MY mail box Saturday. Yup. Postage DUE.

The less than highly intelligent guy at the post office put the certification on the envelope. And he put the return receipt request on the envelope. Despite my pointing out not once, but twice, that there was no stamp on it ("I'll take care of that" he said) he never did put the postage on it.

Luckily my receipt was itemized... x amount for return receipt, x amount for certification and x amount for postage.

He apologized sincerely and I got my money back.


Anne at 8:29 AM        
|

Thursday, July 07, 2005
My Backyard



It's all weeds. Weeds and thistles. Nasty things to get caught in doggy coats. And the guy with big mower is booked up for several weeks.

Knitting News

Cherry Blossom slowly crawls to completion. I knit and I knit and I knit and I'm still not done with the "12 repeats of Chart C". No new pictures until I start the edging because for now it looks just like the last pictures only bigger.

I'm only doing 2 rows a day on Birch and on Peacock Feathers until I complete Cherry Blossom so very little progress there. I am so obsessed with seeing Cherry Blossom finished so everything else has been pretty much put to the side.

USPS News

Today marks the two week "anniversary" of mailing my certified letter. It has still not shown up. I plan to go to the post office tomorrow and file a complaint.


Anne at 3:13 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


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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

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