Tour de Fleece

In less than a week the Tour de France is due to start (next Saturday to be exact) and as I have the past few years, I intend to spin in the Tour de Fleece.  The TdF was started several years ago by a member of Ravelry and has since become something of a spinning sensation.  I plan to spin a fleece I got two years ago at MDSW.  It is a Leicester Longwool cross and it is gorgeous!  I washed and scoured it myself, but I need to rewash the first two batches that I did.  There is still a lot of lanolin in them and they feel sticky.  The second two batches are much nicer.  I keep thinking that I have to finish them before the tour, but then remember that I have three weeks of the tour and about 2 lbs already washed and ready to go.  I don't know how I am going to spin all of it yet; I plan to try several different drafting and plying techniques to see what I prefer.  My goal is to spin thirty minutes each day.  I hope to have enough at the end of the tour to make a sweater during the Ravelry games in August, but how well that will work with my school schedule remains to be seen.  Here is my fleece, the bag on the right is the one that needs rewashed:

Early this year, I began bullet journaling and really like how it (somewhat) keeps me on track of things that need to be done.  If I am still having problems, it is my fault, not the journal.  I belong to a group on Ravelry that is all about planners of all kinds and after reading through the threads for most of last night at work, I decided to liven and invigorate my journal a little bit with some doodles.  I went looking for washi tape with a 4th of July theme at the local craft stores, but none had any.  I'll check again closer to the holiday.  Anyway, after all the reading I did, I got really into journaling and decided to do my July spreads a little early.  I also changed something, in that I did all my July weekly spread at once, though not with out a few mistakes (I should know better to do anything like that at the end of a 12 hour night shift.  Thank Bob for White Out!)

So, here is my July log and tasks list:

and my July habit tracker.

Also, I have been making these cool looking socks for my friend Jane, owner and operator of Loomyladi Handwovens.  She is teaching me to weave and I am making her handknit socks, its a win-win for both of us!  That will be another post, I should be finishing threading the heddles and tying on tomorrow.

Also, in an earlier post I mentioned that I was participating in the the 2016 Book Challenge and wanted to update my list:

A book based on a fairy tale
A National Book Award winner
A YA bestseller-The Hunger Games
A book you haven’t read since high school
A book set in your home state (province)
A book translated to English
A romance set in the future
A book set in Europe
A book that is under 150 pages
A New York Times bestsellers
A book that is becoming a movie this year-Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (haven't read yet)
A book recommended by someone you just met
A self improvement book
A book you can finish in a day-Charlotte's Web
A book written by a celebrity
A political memoir
A book at least 100 years older than you-Jane Eyre
A book that is more than 600 pages (will need to figure out the audiobook equivalent, thinking 45 hours).
A book from Oprah’s Book Club
A science fiction novel
A book recommended by a family member
A graphic novel
A book published in 2016
A book that has a protagonist with your occupation.
A book that takes place during summer
A book and its prequel
A murder mystery
A book written by a comedian
A dystopian novel
A book with a blue cover
A book of peotry
The first book you see in a bookstore
A classic from the 20th century
An autobiography
A book about a road trip
A book about a culture you are unfamiliar with
A satirical book
A book that takes place on an island
A book that is guaranteed to bring you joya book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller-One Thousand White Women
a book you should have read in school
a book that was banned at some point
a book you previously abandoned-Oliver Twist
a book that intimidates you
a book you have already read at least once

Catching Up pt 1

     So, I finally got back to the blog again.  I've decided to play catch up on the things I am working on and see how I am doing so far this year.  I am actually quite happy with my knitting right now.  I have two projects that I am concentrating on at the moment, and hope to have one finished tomorrow.
     That project is my Something Wicked In Green, a sweater that I have been working on, on and off, since September.  It is my first time knitting a raglan sweater and I really like the style (in large part because I don't have to worry about setting in the shoulder seams!)  I had to do quite a bit of redoing on it, because it was a little too short and the collar was too tight.  I frogged the collar and reknit it with more stitches and a looser cast off, but redoing the bottom to make it fit took a bit of work.  I had to put in an afterthought lifeline, which was a first, and add on about an inch and a half of stockinette stitch to improve the length.  I am now almost finished with the ribbing, then just need to weave in the ends.  Here is what it looks like:

     The top picture is the spider on the shoulder, the middle picture is the spiderweb on the front and the last picture is a spider on a purled background that I added for the fun of it.  It is connected by a spiderweb running from the shoulder down the sleeve to just above the cuff.  I will probably finish the ribbing and bind off tomorrow.

     Another project that I am working on is a pair of colorwork socks, called Dark Isle Socks.  I cast these on on Jan 29th, but work on them has been a bit sporadic, due to wanting to finish the sweater above and also having to frog a few times due to size issues (namely that they were too small.)  I am still on the first sock and doubt that I will finish them this month.  The top picture is the yarn used, Cascade Heritage Sock in 5686 China Blue and 9786.  The other two are obviously in progress shots.

     I have also been doing a little spinning (a very little!) on Sumi, my Golding Tsunami laceweight spindle.  I only have about 40 yds, but it is very nice anyway.  I plan to finish spinning at and knit Pretty Thing by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee with it:

     That's all the knitting stuff; I'll post again tomorrow with the non-knitting stuff.

Finishes and Beginnings

Yay, my second pair of socks for 2014 are finished.  If this keeps up and I don't lose my sock knitting mojo, I may actually meet my goal of knitting 12 pairs this year.  Here are my finished Cranberry Biscotti.  I rather like this pattern and may do it again, only more scrappy.  I did end up running out of the pink yarn before finishing the second sock, so I switched to a purple, and I think they look quite good:

So, since I finished that pair, a few days later, I cast on my Valentine Socks (for the record, they are called that for the color and the month, nothing else).  They are going to be based off of Kebnekaise Socks, but with some modifications.  For one, I will be doing them toe-up, using a Fish Lips Kiss Heel for the first time and staying in regular st st instead of knitting the sole in reverse st and with 2x2 ribbing at the top.

In other news, I finally got more hours at my security job!  It turns out that a guard at Direct TV is quitting, so there were several hours available.  I know the site supervisor, having worked that site before, so he had not problem giving me the hours.  I may end up working there full time it they can find someone else to work at Allevard, the site I am at now.  So, I will be working form 16-36 hours making 9.50 an hour.  So, I will only be working at Taco Hell two days a week!

Man, Its Been a Long Time!

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted anything on here! Close to two years.  Well, to catch up, I am on a hiatus at Marshall University, still working on my BA in History.  Lots of knitting and spinning going, which I will get to later and really beyond that, not too many changes.  I am back living with my grandmother, so expect to see ranting about that from time to time.  So, recent knitting.

I have several projects currently on the go, including a pair of socks, two shawls, and a blankie made from leftover sock yarn.  The socks are Cranberry Biscotti, which uses small amounts of at minimum, three different colors to make a very visually interesting sock pattern.  (Just a warning, most patterns I link to go to Ravelry).  I used three different leftover sock yarns, a Knit Picks Stroll Tonal and two colors of Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn.  I think it looks quite cool:

The upper pic is of the yarn before I started and the lower pic is my current progress; I am halfway through the gusset of the second sock and hope to finish it in a few days.

Another project that I am working on is a Lacy Prairie Shawl.  The cool thing about this shawl is that it is being knit out of my handspun yarn!  I participated in the Tour de Fleece this past year and while I didn't finish my fleece (which was 3.5lbs) but I did make some serious headway into it and now have over a dozen skeins to knit with.  Here is a pic of a day during the tour:

 And a pic of my current progress (it is currently in hibernation, first due to Christmas knitting and now I am on a bit of a sock knitting jag.)

I also have a Haruni being knit from more Cascade Heritage Sock and with added beads.  When I when to MDSW in 2011, a friend I made there gave me several items in a RAK, which included a tube of crystal beads.  I am using them on the border of the shawl, following what someone else did that I saw on Ravelry.  This pic is not up to date, it is actually a bit bigger, but will do for now.

I also have a sock yarn blankie in progress, but don't have any good pictures of it yet.

So, there are my current WIPs.  I also have a few UFOs, but since they are not being worked on right now, will not feature on this post.

I am also trying to participate in the 365 project this year, so hope to post a picture every day.  It will mostly be pictures of either my knitting or my cats, but should still be interesting (I hope).  In fact, my second picture, of the CB socks is my picture for the day.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2012 prep

   Well, another MDSW has come and gone.  This was a good year.  The weather was great and I had a lot of fun.  I had a bit of drama leading up to it though.  After the 08 festival, I decided that staying in a hotel was cost prohibited if I am going by myself.  All my life I have gone camping with my family and decided to see if that was a viable option.  It turns out that it is very viable and that I am not the first festival goer to think of it.  There is a campground very close to the fairgrounds called Patapsco Valley State Park-Hollofield Area.  In fact, it had its own thread on Ravelry in the MDSW group.  I stayed there last year and had a lot of fun meeting the other knitters and spinners.

   The drama I mentioned involved where I was actually to sleep.  Last year, I borrowed my dad's truck and slept in the bed.  I planned to do the same this year, until the Monday before the festival, the starter on the truck died.  My dad had to take off the old starter, buy a new one and put it one.  So, I ended up using my mom's van instead.  The rear seats fold down, and I slept on them, lying diagonally across them.  As usual, I traveled light, with only enough clothes, some basic food (pb&j, a few corn on the cob and potatoes) plus my knitting.  I saw a lot of friends that I made last year, like Joe and Lucinda from NY and their three Papillons, Bitsy and her two Scotties, Susie Q, and several others.  The festival campers are a very friendly, encouraging group.  After each day at the festival, everyone would do show and tell of what they purchased that day.

   As usual, my prep for the festival didn't take long.  I just packed a few shirts, some jeans and shorts, towels and toiletries meant it didn't take long to pack.  I had been saving money all year in preparation for the festival and after counting it all, I had a budget of about $250.  I spent the night at my grandmothers, since going to get my mom's van then driving back the other direction to go home would be silly and a waste of gas.  I left right around 7:00 on Friday and headed north.  One good thing about the route is that it it is very easy to remember: I-64 to Charleston, then I-79 to Morgantown, then I-68 to I-70, then exit 87.  After a few stops for breakfast and to use the restroom, I arrived at Patapsco at around 2:30, got checked in and found my site.  It was right next to the bathhouse and very close to Bitsy.  I just spent Friday evening hanging out at the campground, meeting new friends and reconnecting with out ones.

To be continued in a few days.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Fri and Sat

Warning: This is a very picture heavy post.

In December of 2010, I decided to attend this year's annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in West Friendship, MD.  The MDSW is one of the largest sheep and wool festivals on the East Coast.  It is always held the first weekend in May.  I ended up having a blast.

I was getting ready for the festival for several weeks before hand, buying food and supplies.  I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and slept in the bed.  The night before I left for Maryland, I spent the night at my grandmother's, because they lived in the direction I was going.  At 7:30, I got on the road.  Almost the entire trip was on various interstates; specifically: I-64, I-79, I-68 and I-70.  It was an eight hour drive, and since I was by myself, I used a variety of different things to keep it from being boring, mostly listening to music and audiobooks on my Ipod. 

Even though I only stopped three times on the way, twice to use the restroom and get a Maryland state map, and once to eat lunch, I didn't reach the campground were I would be staying until 3:30.  The campground I was staying at was called Patapsco Valley State Park. There were several other people from Ravelry staying there, including Lucinda and Joe from New York, and Mike and Ruth from Pennsylvania. 

I spent most of the afternoon fighting to keep my campfire lit.  They sold wood at the campground, but it was green and difficult to keep lit.  I ended up hunting the ground around my site and was able to find several pieces of wood that had been trimmed from the trees around my site.  With them, I was able to get enough heat to roast a few hot dogs and make s'mores.  However, when it came time to roast the hot dogs, I discovered I had forgotten both a can opener and a pot for the sauce, so ended up having my dogs with just ketchup.

After I ate, I wandered around the campground for a while.  Half the people there were for the festival and many of those were on Ravelry.  I met and spoke to the people around me, and found a few more.  While talking to a few ladies who were all there together, we noticed that it was starting to look like it might rain and I headed back to my site.  Because I was sleeping in the bed, I had very limited space in the bed of the truck, so put the remaining wood, and the cooler and plastic bin in the cab.  I climbed in the truck at around 8:30, just as the rain started.  It was soon to dark to read without the flashlight and I didn't want to use up the batteries, so at first I listened to music on my Ipod.  I then decided that the rain was nicer and was soon asleep. 

The next day, I got up at 7:30 in order to get to the festival early and get a good spot in the line for the t-shirts.  That early, the traffic was not that bad, and I was parked and heading for the gate by 8:45.  I got in line and ended up talking to a very nice lady named Patty who asked me about the sock I was knitting.  She was knitting a hat for her mother for Mother's Day, and was unsure of how to use DPNs.  I was able to answer her question easily and chatted with her and her husband as the line moved. 

I was using a food saver bag with Marshall University on the side and was spotted by another knitter from Huntington.  I ended up telling her about the local guild and invited her the next meeting.  There were a few other guild members there, but I didn't see any of them.  After I got my t-shirt, I headed out to check out the rest of the festival.  The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny and the fairgrounds were fairly crowded.  This is the view from the top of the hill:

I started at the far end of the festival.  MDSW has grown so much that this year there was an entirely new section at the bottom of the hill, by the sheep dog demos.  I ended up buying an oz of CVM fiber.  I then decided to concentrate mostly on fiber, to find as many different breeds as possible and play with them to see which I liked best.

After a quick stop for a lambburger from the boy scouts, I headed for the main barn.  I ended buying a BFL grab bag from Bullen's Wullens, totalling 4 oz and was given a free CD spindle kit when I traded them several ones for a ten. 

I then wandered through the barn until I found the booth I was most interested in: Golding Fiber Tools.  I had been coveting a Golding Spindle for several years, but wanted to see and test them before buying one.  I soon selected and purchased a Golding Tsunami in cherry wood, weighting 0.75 oz.  It spins like a dream and is beautiful to boot, see:

I continued through the main barn, including checking out the items in the fleece sale.  I ended up deciding that a raw fleece would have to wait for another year, even though one lady was interested in splitting a lovely gray Romney fleece with me, with about 4 pounds for each of us.  I also spent an educational few minutes listening to one of the volunteers talk about the qualities of a good fleece.  I continued on and bought a 4 oz braid of BFL from Cloverleaf Farms, colorway Spruce Goose:

After Cloverleaf Farms, I headed on through the main barn.  My next purchase was at Shadeyside Farms, were I found about 3-4 oz of a Shetland-Icelandic cross.  It is the fiber in the above pictures of my Golding.  I then left the main barn and headed for the others.  In barn 6 I made two more purchases of 4 oz of Jacob roving from the Jacob Sheep Breeder's Association and over a pound of cleaned, processed Romney for $15.00.  I was told by several people that was a good price.

I then wandered through the other two barns.  I decided to save the outside vendors in the North and East sections for Sunday.  So, I headed to check out the sheep barns.  Some people complain about the smell of the sheep, but to me, it smells of county fairs and I find it a comforting smell.  In the sheep barns I made my last purchase of the day when I got about 3 oz of black Finn sheep.  The lady selling it was very nice and through in a bit extra. 

It was now about 5:30 and I was tired, so I decided to head back to the campsite. 

This was my home away from home for the weekend:

I cooked dinner (more hot-dogs) and had a bit of show and tell with the other festival-goers in the campground.  Some of the Ravelry people had a little get together around a fire-pit, and I didn't go to bed until 10:00.  I ended up waking up at 3 am, from  the cold and could not get back to sleep until I added a couple blankets my mom had insisted I bring.  I texted her in the morning that she was right and got a text back saying I told you so. 

The post for Sun and Mon will be posted later, it is getting too big.

Late Christmas post

Ok, Christmas come and (long) gone and I still have not posted all the projects I made, so here you go. (Just a warning, a few of these were taken on my camera phone, so they are not the greatest.)

First off, Mamaw Rose's Clapotis shawl. She loved it and used it Christmas night after I gave it to her.

Then, my brother asked me to make him some fingerless mitts after he saw a pair that I made for myself, so here they are:

Then both of my nieces got teddy bears (and Airianna's was literally finished Christmas Eve.) This is Airianna.

And this is Kira and her mom Kristen.



Then my nephew, Hunter got a scarf.


My mom got a pair of socks:

And my Mamaw Mary also got a scarf:

I also knit about seven or eight dishcloths, but I am not posting all the pictures of they here, so if you really want to see them, check out my photostream at Flickr.com: WVrambler

Pics and Progress

Well, the Christmas knitting is almost complete and here are the pictures of the finished projects that I have.

Mamaw Rose's Clapotis (the shawl is finished, but final pic will be her wearing it):

Then there is Mamaw Mary's scarf. I found the scarf I made her a few years ago in the utility room, so I guess she has been wearing it, but she said that is itches and I can not blame her; I knit it out of Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool, before I started going to LYS and not just shopping at the chain craft store.My nephew, Hunter, is also getting a scarf. He has an olive green coat with orange detailing, so I am hoping this matches okay.

And the last for today is a pair of fingerless mitts for my older brother, Bruce. They aren't finished yet, but should be by the end of the week. I am about 5 rows from the end, and then have to knit the mate, but it only took me from Monday evening until today to do the first. I am seriously think of making a pair for Mommy and a pair for myself also.

Progress Report

Okay, the move is over, except for some stuff at Mamaw Mary's but that is stuff that I can do without for the moment. The entire weekend was dedicated to work and moving. I went to work on Sat. made a quick run form storage to the apartment. Then went home and tried to sleep for a few hours. Tried is the key word there. My neighbor has a pit bull in his yard that belongs to his daughter, and I swear, that dog never shuts up! I gave up on sleeping after about two hours and worked on some knitting instead.

Then work Sunday night and let me tell you, a twelve hour midnight shift after no sleep is no fun. I then collected my older brother Bruce and we went to meet my uncle Chris for the moving. My dad had let me borrow his truck and Chris also had a truck, so it only took us two trips. It was a bit of a hassle to move the love seat in (the hazard of living upstairs). But they got it in and now I just need to unpack. I didn't realize I owned so many books. That is what the majority of the boxes held. I will be looking into donating some of them. The Kenova Public Library would probably like some, their budget was cut this past year.

There are still boxes all over the living room, the furniture needs rearranged and my bed is currently in pieces, but I started staying there Sunday evening. I was planning on staying at Mamaw's, but Mike's dog started up again, and it was a question of going to the apartment, or killing the stupid dog! So, I packed up some clothes and crashed on the mattress on the floor. It is so much easier to go to and from work form within town instead of having to drive 45 minutes one way! Though, I managed to spook Bruce and his family, and he spooked me. They can hear when I go up the stairs and he thought I was still at work when I can in. I was in the middle of taking out my contacts when the doorbell rang, and it is loud. It is an actual bell, rung by a clapper in the hall. I almost put one of my eyes out! So, I explained to Bruce that I get off work at midnight during the week.

Also, I have finished another Christmas gift. Mamaw Mary's cable scarf is finished. I literally finished it in on of my classes. Due to the fact that I didn't have any yarn other than kitchen cotton (it is still all at Mamaw's), I hunted Ravelry for a free dishcloth pattern. I will probably give it to someone out at Heritage Farm. Pics to be posted once I take them.

Moving and Christmas Knitting

Since July of 2009, I have been living with my grandmother after moving out of an apartment in Ceredo, WV. I love my Mamaw, but frankly, we do not see eye to eye. She is an utter neat freak, while I see nothing wrong with having things on the floor if there is no other place around my to put them. This mostly includes books, various knitting projects, and occasionally dishes. She tends to freak if everything is not 'in its place'.

So, this week, I took steps to relieve both of us: I rented an apartment. I told my older brother, Bruce that I was looking for a place and he told me that the apartment above his is empty and that the landlord wanted to rent it out to me for less because I was Bruce's sister. We checked it out on Monday and I signed the lease. It is a very nice apartment, a one bedroom, and I also have the attic space for storage. I got the electric on on Tuesday and the water today. I also had to have a fridge put in, but it is now there. Also, the last tenant left a couch behind because the stairs are steep and narrow and he didn't want to deal with moving it out. Now, I just have to deal with moving my stuff in. I am trying to get my Uncle Chris to help with the furniture, so Daddy does not have to. He is 56 and moving the love-seat, and dresser (the largest stuff I own) is hard on him.

Also, it gives me more time for knitting. I am now living within walking distance of Marshall University, and on 25 minutes away from work, as opposed to 45 minutes away. So, it will save me a lot in gas.

And speaking of knitting, I am currently in the middle of knitting Christmas gifts. I have finished one, have two on the needles and am planning several more, although most of them are small enough to finish in a day (I hope). Here is the breakdown for my Christmas knitting:

Mamaw Mary: Twisted Cable Scarf-50%
Mamaw Rose: Clapotis-finished
Bruce (brother): fingerless mitts-planned with yarn in stash
Hunter: scarf-planned with yarn in stash
nieces : Ruby Bear-one 75%, other one planned
everyone else: soap socks-planned

Pics and Shop Hopping

OK, so the Internet is working on my computer again, so here are the pics of my most recent projects.

First off, the Demeter Camisole:

Next is my niece's toddler socks:

Then there are my WIPs. First is a Memory Shawl that I am making using the little oddballs of my stash.

Then there are my current pair of socks, basic socks knit 2aat.

The last pic is of the ball band dishcloth that I work on when bored with the socks. It is knit with Sugar and Cream yarn on size 10 needles.

The shop hop I am going on this week is not knitting, however, but quilting. Every year several stores in WV participate in the Mountain State Quilt Quest Shop Hop. This year there are twelve stores participating in the shop hop. I went to four today, will go to one tomorrow and will get the rest on Friday. A friend of mine, Brian, was going to go with me, but he just got a job and has orientation the next few days. More on the shop hop later after I visit the rest of the stores.

Hello

Wow, I didn't realize that I had not posted for almost three months. I really need to work on this thing more. So, time for a quick bit of catchup. My Demeter Camisole is finished and fits great. I would post pictures, but I am not on my computer, so those will have to wait. I ended up having a bit of good luck with out meaning to. The pattern read that after the waist decreasing, you were then supposed to increase one row, then knit six plain rows. For some reason, my brain decided to follow the directions for 5 repeats and then begin to knit the increase row and then knit 10 plain rows. I had just finished the increases when I realized what I had done and decided against frogging. It turns out that if I had follow the pattern the way it was written, it would not have fit in the bust.

The toddler socks are not only finished, but I decided to knit mates for them as well. I gave them to my brother and sister-in-law for my niece, Kira. The designer that published the first taat socks has now developed taat toe-up socks, so there will soon be more toddler socks for my niece.

Last Sunday, I decided to check to see how much money I would be offered for tuition for the 2010-2011 school year. I know better that to list the full amount online, but it will be enough to pay my tuition, rent an apartment and pay off one of my other loans! So, today, I went and spoke to the representative of one of the nicer apartment complexes in the area. They have some very nice one bedroom apartments, an exercise room, laundry on site, allow pets, and offer cable at a greatly reduced rate. Also, I would only have to pay the electric bill, all the other utilities are taken care of. There is off the street parking, and the local bus service runs nearby. So, I will definitely be looking forward to living there come fall.

So, the rest of the day before going to work was checking out some of the local furniture places. I think it is about time to get a new bed and mattress. I have had the same ones for about 10 years now and the the bed is a real pain to put together. I would also like a bigger bed, the one I have is a twin. I saw a very nice queen sized bed for $399.99 at Value City Furniture. I could also get the matching dresser and mirror for $999.99, but am debating that. I thought about also getting a new couch and chair, bu realized that I could easily (and much more cheaply) spruce up the old ones with some slipcovers.

I have decided to make knitting for the Sweater Odyssey much easier by knitting a memory shawl out of the little odd balls that have accumulated in my stash. At last measurement, it was just over 7in long. I am shooting for twenty by the end of the month. I am also working on a new pair of socks for the Great Sock-Off of 2010. I have done much better this year than last. This pair is a pair of basic socks in Paton's Kroy Socks Jacquard, in colorway Fern Rose. Paton's has put out some nice new Jacquard colorways recently.

That is all I can think of for now, so talk at you later.

Not Much To It

This should be a fairly brief post. One of those fun random posts that can have anything in them, so here goes.

I had an interesting time at the farm today. It rained on and off all day, so Mrs. Perry had me sweeping the transportation building to make things easier for the cleaning lady tomorrow. It took about an hour, though it would have taken less time had Dan not come in with a tour. I had to detour around them and wait a few times as they were in the area I planned to sweep. I then went back to the office, and tried to work on my Demeter Camisole (every time I type that I end up thinking of the musical Cats).

Despite Mrs. Perry's prediction that the rain would keep people away, another tour came in, a family from Ironton, Ohio and their relatives from Utah. I went around with them and a guide I had not met before named Nancy. She was ok, but I think I like working with Dan more. That took the rest of the day. I then decided to go eat at Griffiths and Feil's, an old fashioned soda fountain and pharmacy. I had the Berkley Turkey, a turkey sandwich with a slice of pineapple, cream cheese and sweet mustard. It was really good. I would have liked some ice cream as well, but had to go to work.

While at work, I cast on for a new pair of socks TAAT. It is some of Cyndi Bolt's sock yarn in the Grass and Violets colorway. The needles are Knitpicks Harmony 40' circs, size US 1.5. They are perfect for TAAT socks. The cable is so flexible, you don't even need to soak it to get the kinks out, you can work with it right out of the package. After reading some of the posts on Ravelry, I figured that I could knit from one ball, if I was careful, so I cast on Cookie A's Monkeys. The variegated yarn should look pretty good. Pictures to follow when I remember my camera.

Deliciously Appropriate

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently got a job as a tour guide at Heritage Farm Museum and Village, a locally owned museum and bed and breakfast. While that may sound a bit strange, it actually works out quite well.

The owner's, Mr. and Mrs. Perry opened the museum fourteen years ago in an old dairy barn on their property. About twelve years ago, Mr. Perry began buying old log structures around the area, moving to the farm and eventually built the farm into what it is today, with 17 buildings detailing life in Appalachia from about 1800 to the present.

Most of the building house the museum itself, but five building have been turned into inns: Applebutter Inn, Hollyberry Inn, Woodbury Inn, Strawberry Inn and Blackberry Inn. There is also a church that is very popular for wedding, and if fact one of the other guides, Dan, is a minister and often presides over the weddings.

Somehow, it just seem so appropriate to be sitting on the front porch of the Welcome Center, knitting for myself or for my family. Admittedly, the pioneer women living in these builds when they were first built would not have been using purple pastel acrylic/bamboo mix yarn on metal circular needles, but still, the connection is there. They are not forgotten.

As for the knitting itself, I have finished the decreases of the Demeter Camisole and am preparing to begin increasing again for the bust. Also, I am working the toe decreases for the toddler socks for my niece (which niece will depend on which one they fit).

New

I have many new things happening, so I will write a (hopefully) interesting post about them.

The main new thing is my new job at Heritage Farm Museum and Village, a local history museum dedicated to raising interest and awareness of Appalachian culture. It is therefore right up my alley. I walked on last February and asked for a tour. As it turned out, they were doing some renovations, so no tours were available. I then got to talking about volunteering for the festival they hold every year on the first Saturday in May. I will be demoing drop spindling in the progress building, one of the main buildings at the farm. I then asked if they were hiring tour guides. As it turned out, they were, due to one guide having triple-bypass surgery, and another having knee replacement surgery.

I spoke to one of the owners, Mrs. Perry and she said that they would send me and application. Well, a few weeks later, I got the application, and a phone call from Mrs. Perry about coming in to talk about working and go around with some of the different guides. While there on Wednesday, they asked me to fill out some paperwork. It was the W-2 forms for my taxes on my paycheck.

Another new thing is my new car. About two weeks ago, my dad and I went to go look at used cars. The plan was to start in Milton and stop at the different used-car dealerships in Barboursville and Huntington. We checked the place in Milton, but didn't find anything interesting. Daddy then mentioned a small dealership near the Huntington Mall called C&C Used Car Brokers. In their lot was a little '99 Pontiac Sunfire. For an eleven year old car, it was in very good shape.

Well, after a lot of running to the bank where I took out a loan to get the car, home to get Mamaw Mary as co-signer, back to the bank and then back to the dealership, I drove home in my new (used) car. Pictures will be added to the blog tomorrow when it is daylight.

Another new thing is that I am currently knitting two projects that are different and new techniques. One is a camisole knit from the bottom up in the round. It is call the Demeter Camisole from the Sensual Knits book. Only, instead of knitting in the very expensive yarn they call for in the book, I am using NaturallyCaron Spa, in the colorway Berry Frappe. It looks more purple than the blue shown on the site. So far, that is going good. I had to frog my first attempt when I twisted the cast on edge, then ran out of yarn in the long tail, and had to start over again.

The other new technique is knitting two socks on one long needle. Called Magic Loop, it was developed by a designer name Melissa Morgan-Oakes, in this book. I think I will like this tehnique, because it eliminates second sock syndrome, because both are finished at the same time. Right now I am simply working on the sample toddler socks, but hope to get to a more complex pattern soon.

Christmas Gifts

OK, I know I said the only present I was going to be knitting was my mom's sock, but my grandmother asked for a pair of fingerless mitts. I left my Flames fingerless mitts in the kitchen last night, she used them this morning and asked if I would make her a pair. Only she wants them a bit further in the fingers and black. This woman has no color sense.

Pretty Petals Socks

Well, so far everything is going good with the socks. I have had to add new sections twice now, but it is not too much trouble yet. The pattern says to work the petals pattern for 5 repeats, but I think I will only do four. I am using 2.25mm needles and it is knitting up fairly quickly. See:














I just hope they will fit my mom!

Malabrigo and Moths

Just lovely. I get a good pattern from a friend (available online for free) that I think will make my mom a very nice Christmas present. She is the only member of my family I bother to knit for because she is the only one who appreciates and actually uses the stuff. So, I dig through the stash, find my Malabrigo yarn, purchased at the Kanawha City Yarn Company about a year ago and prepared to start winding it. Bear in mind I own neither a ball winder or a swift, so I have to wind by hand.

I immediately discovered the problem when I was left holding two frayed ends. I hoped it was an isolated problem and continued on. After the same thing happened three more times, I decided I needed to wait until the next day and go to the store.

At KCYC, after telling Sarah, the owner, about the problem, she set it up on her ball winder and swift and commenced winding. We then discovered that the
d#$% moths had done considerable damage. I lost probably about 3-5 yards from pieces too small to bother knotting and will have to splice about 8-10 times while working on these socks. My only consolation at this point is that it can't get much worse (I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!).

Busy, busy, busy!

Sorry for not posting for a few months, but I have been insanely busy with both work and school. I am working 40 hours and taking full time classes, so it has been a hectic few months. That, however, has not stopped me from knitting up a storm. I have several projects finished and a few still on the needles.

One of the projects still on the needles is the Spring Forward Sweater. I am about halfway done with the front, with the arm shaping coming up soon. I also cast on a cabled hat, but don't have any current pictures. I decided that my Flames socks should become fingerless mitts instead and still have a ton of the yarn left. Here is

what they look like:

Pretty nice, huh?

I am also working on another pair of socks. They are Kroy stripes in pastel colors. The toe of the first sock was a little wonky and I just finished the gusset decreases on the second sock.

Recently, one of the LYS went out of business. The owner was retiring to spend more time with her grandchildren. So I was able to score some very nice yarn at half off. I went a bit nuts on the Cherry Tree Hill and bought several skeins.

I lucked into two different kinds on yarn, CTH Silk and Merino DK and CTH Silky Kidd in the same colorway and knit a scarf with the two yarns held together. I chose garter stitch so the main focus would be on the yarn and not the pattern, but I was not bored at all! I am apparently easily amused by the color changes! It is finished, but I do not have a good picture, so this will have to do for now: