Knitterly Rocks

It's been wild here with Knitterly's sale and flocks of people coming to buy great yarn at 25% off. Here are just a couple of pictures of the fun.....
Becky's new stool for her new kitchen. I know she'll love it

Cowl keep it's owner nice and warm it's soft loveliness cuddles her neck spreading the love that lives in the yarn....

Gail bought this outfit to go along with her Neck Candy!

I continue to play "Words with Friends with Gina H at Loops.
We sent out plenty of yarn this past week and Becky called to say there are 4 boxes waiting to get plied. I've got a suitcase full of singles also waiting to be plied.

Cleo is enjoying the trip and Thursday she got to go to a knitting class, she decided that kniting was a lot of fun but she preferred to sleep.

Becky has updated her blog. I'm going to be there tomorrow. I got to talk to Mark and Don. Mark was whisking eggs to make pancakes. Ohh I said pancakes you like syrup don't you Mark Yes I love syrup! Mark says with glee. I love that child.

I've started a new knitting project knitting with some lovely beads that I got from Sheila Ernst and my SIL Jan. I'll take pictures when I have it more worked out. Shelli looked a little doubtful so I will re-work it!
If you are around come to Knitterly!

Packing up

I'm in the panic mode- some things are packed and some aren't I wanted to share a comment we got from one of our lovely and talented Spinners-Nancy who was spinning some Cashmere in Northwest Summer (if you are waiting for this it's Spun! Yeah)

"I sure enjoyed watching these colors blend together while I spun. It was like spinning flocks of parakeets and lovebirds!
- Nancy"

I just thought this was so wonderful I wanted to share it with you....

This


and this are some of the things that need to get packed...


And this!

Umm someone's been licking the shower again....
This is a mess that I have to clean up before I go :( Cleo has a water bowl, and a fountain but she much prefers licking the shower walls and faucet for a treat


OK so I'm going I'm going!

Keep in Touch

How many times have i send these words.... on Friday night my son was driving Alexandra and Mataniu's home to Oregon.... keep in touch I said and for two blissful days have this small house to myself. He'll be back tomorrow and Mataniu the next day.
This next week is a travel week for me. I'm driving to Petaluma for the weekend and the Big Sale at Knitterly. There will be some Tanglewood there at 30% or lower so if you are in the area come visit. Meanwhile I'm making yarn for orders. There is a lot of beaded yarn and lots of beads roll along the floor here in Lakewood.
It's smelling lovely outside and barring the rainy evening on Friday it's been warm and lovely. The Jasmine is wonderful I wish I could put this smell into a color-way....
I've been beading yarn, Cleo has been watching, chasing the biggest beads that scatter across the floor when beading goes bad

Orchid almost blooming


"Christmas Cacti"


The lemons aren't quite ready, although some ended up in a truck bound for Oregon....

This Rose never had a name... so I'm calling it Breath-taking. I could do a color-way......

Pink Jasmine



Slowly the Aprium tree blooms, fruit already setting


Wednesday was a knitting day. I corrected my mistakes and started knitting Chart B again. I had a lovely time, first going to Knitting Affair and then to Tea with friends and family.....
Family- SIL Janet, she is the talented one in the family. She does glass beads..... Look carefully at what is hanging off her neck. I have two pieces to knit onto a necklace, one that Janet made and one Shelia Ernst made... can you say new project?

new friends Sandy and her husband


Back to Textured Snow Cashmere...

and Ice Cashmere/Silk without beads the softest yarn ever

and Colorful yarn

and beaded yarn....I love the beads....

SSK

I'm not a very experienced knitter. I have some technical ability in making socks, but only one kind, one way.....
Taking knitting classes was my New Years resolution. Taking classes from people that don't know me is a must because I'm pretty feral when it comes to learning. I'm all over the place, it's difficult for me to read patterns, and follow pretty simple instructions. By making lots of mistakes and doing it all over is the way I learn, IE the hard way. This fustrates lots of people I love in this life. I loved Sally (Melville), there wasn't a lot of knitting and a lot about using color, another subject I know lots about. Cat (Bordhi) was great and I learned how to begin a toe up sock, I even knit several toes, but mostly wrong.
I've never done lace. I've made lacy things by using a bigger needle using the Shoulder Candy pattern, but really never made lace. It's a lot of reading and darting in and out of holes, I love color.
When I learned to YO (yarn over) I realized that I've been doing that for years but not in a good way... I now know how to go from a knit stitch make a YO and then purl the next stitch, however I digress,
I'm now knitting a lace shawl. I know how to YO and KTFB but SSK never. I thought you slipped one stitch, slipped the next stitch then knit the next stitch, however this is wrong... and I as knit and SSK'ed, my inner knitter (Mother coming back from the grave yelling NOOOOOO) thought prehaps I had it wrong. My question was; how do you slip those slippery stitiches...knit wise or purl wise, this makes a difference. If you slip it knit wise you don't twist the stitches (this I know from making plenty of mistakes) if you slip purl-wise it makes a lovely twist (again learned this the hard way) and having never knit lace I was merrily slipping and knitting away, when half way through knitting 120 stitches I had a thought (again Mother yelling through the either) I had slipped half the time knit wise and half purl wise.... oh no (Mother was silent at this point, well I did hear an" I told you so" but again I digress) so unable to decide what's needed hoping that it didn't matter, and if it did how much did it matter to me. I thought I better find out how to slip stitches.... Becky might know but she's busy at work.....Mom would know, oh yeah she's dead.........Cynthia at Knitting Central would know but she's having a day off with Rick......Shelli (Knitterly) she would know, ring ring ring ring leave a message....um.
Shelley would know, but um couldn't get through, Sarah (Knitter's Studio) would know, they are closed. Um in fact most knitting shops are closed on Monday um.
Jared (Flood) is on a plane and even if he wasn't I'm not stalking him with a dumb question. Sarah Anderson, she would know (and not mind this question) ring, ring, ring, ring, leave a message. Um.
(I can hear you all screaming "Ytube it Dork", again I'm learning the hard way that didn't occur to me and I'm not sure if it would work but I digress....).
Flipping through the massive amount of contacts I finally thought "Lynn Wilson!", she'll know and she did. Happy to get a call from Trish, Lynn makes her first mistake and picks up the phone. SSK which way do you slip? "oh that's easy knit wise", OK! I said that's great! Thanks Lynn, then we talk about knitting in general while I thought I was SSKing all over the place when (Mother's voice came through call waiting and said this is a DECREASE PATRICIA, you've not made a decrease you simply have slipped stitches) Wait -Lynn how can this SSK thing be a decrese when all I've done is slip stitches?, and not even twisted them? Then Lynn explained the unwritten "everyone knows this" trick, you go back and knit the slip stitches together backwards.....OHHHH.
Oh...oh no.... oh @#$% oh, oh Lynn couldn't this (all of this) just be a round of "Design Features"? Silent pause, my good friend Lynn (and Mother at the same time said) Weellll if you want (IE but it would be totally wrong and your piece of knitting would look terrible and then everyone would know you're a Dork but I'm not going to say this out loud because it would upset my good friend Trish) how bad does it look? Lynn lives on the East Coast I'm in Los Angeles.....ummm well ummmm (Becky hates to hear these sounds, as she can hear the cogs of my mind working weighing the "I could just leave it and I'd be happy or living up to being a more perfect being..".) Oh dear I've done it wrong and now have to pull it all out,,,,, (Lynn physically made a sound of relief and sympathy all in one whossh) ummm.

This is how it sits today, half way ripped out. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is the path of a random thinker.....

The weather here turned very warm and Mike got off early, we sat outside happy to be enjoying the sun and the birds and the cats. Everywhere there are signs of spring. Every yard is starting to green up with all the rain. Birds are starting the songs of love. The Jasmine opens new buds hourly. The Aprium tree as well sprouts more and more blossoms. Knitting abandoned for another day.....
Mataniu waving good bye to her friends last night at the going away party! I'm going to be seeing them though as they are moving to Silverton just a few miles from Becky. In fact I've been to their new house, walked through and was able to give a glowing report. They haven't seen their new house yet...this weekend is moving day

Alexandra waving good bye

Becky shows us her keys! While at the Good Bye party, Becky picked up the keys to her new house. It seems like everyone is moving......



I'm going to make yarn today. The knitting can wait. I understand what's to be done, I can do it, just not today. If you are waiting for yarn sorry.. however it will make me a better yarn making person to understand knitting better. This I believe, this I know, this I live for, I even know how to SSK.......

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm still buzzing from the wonderful weekend. Today was the best. I finally got to meet (and take a knitting class) from Jared Flood. He is adorable and so gentle, kind and patient. My beloved SIL's (that knit) came along and even though our knitting skills weren't quite up to making lace, we learned loads and had fun.
We then went for an extravagant meal which included a lot of food on the "No" list (it was one day, one meal, I don't care if I suffer later it was Valentines Day, back to oatmeal and salad tomorrow) and harp music. Heaven.... not one picture though, sorry we were so busy knitting and learning and talking the phone was forgotten in the purse...however here are some pictures that I took on Friday and Saturday...

Northwest Summer in Superwash Merino, Becky sent down a couple of boxes of yarn for me to wash and re-skein. It was so lovely and warm that I put them in the Aprium tree to dry. If you look carefully there are many open buds...ummm I can taste the Apriums now

Newport Rocks, umm Newport Rocks and oh yes! Newport Rocks, some in Superwash Merino some in Cashmere, some in regular weight some in Sock weight

It has begun! The Pink Jasmine has started to bloom and in the evenings the air is perfumed with Jasmine! Just wait until it all blooms.....

Here is my favorite yarn. "Fireworks" this is our "green" yarn made up of our bits and pieces then carded together with black Merino and spun again. I'm knit my Girasole Shawl out of this yarn.

Saturday we went to my SIL's house for a surprize birthday party for her sister. It was a gorgeous day and sitting in the sun Mike sported his newest shirt, a Christmas gift, from his daughter (Becky)


Again sorry to not have taken pictures today. I didn't want Jared to think I was a stalker, but having met him it would be hard not to be his (stalker) biggest Fan (is that Literally or Figuratively?, both I think). I got to hear all about the neat yarn shops he's been to and I got to share the neat rocking shops I've been to!
We had the most outrageous meal at the "little door" in West Los Angeles. We had a ball, a rocking good time. We learned lots, and I'm knitting lace (ok so I have six rows knit but I like the way it's coming out! I might just become a lace knitter but I'm going to get some more glass circluar needles from Sheila and Michael Ernst, as for knitting three together and such they are perfect, well they are perfect with anything but doubly perfect for lace knitting. ) I'm still so wired that it's hard to come back to Earth but Mike just came out (sort of like an owl) and made the "are you coming to bed soon" face. Steven and I are going to skein and ship orders out tomorrow, well, get them ready to ship out we are going to actually ship them out Tuesday as Monday is a holiday.
I love the feel and hand of Chocolate Icing and if you get the chance you will also fall in love with this yarn.

Becky is to get the keys to her new home on Monday.
Emma is now at 6 weeks from D day feeling well and happy.
Steven doesn't like skeining but likes the money. Skeining is hard, just wait until he installs the new inventory program.
Mike is well (thank goodness) and has done lots today his second day off in a row, wow. I feel bad that I couldn't be out in the garden with him. I'm going to try to put in some garden time this next week. There are still 5 roses to prune.
Cleo is sitting with me but keeps heading to the bedroom hoping that it is bed time.
Beth is going to come to Oregon for a visit while I'm also in Oregon. It has been since her FIL's wake in October that we've seen each other, that's too long.
On the 17th my Mom will be gone a year. I'm not focusing on the date (too much) but I can't believe it's that long ago. All year I kept thinking "last year Mom and I did this" "last year Mom was doing that" Now a whole year has passed without Mom. That makes me sad, but not as sad as it use to. I love you Mom. I'm glad I learned to knit and that you lived long enough for us to share that bond. Happy Valentines Day

Back to our regular schedule

I arrived in Los Angeles Ca. from Tulsa OK (via Memphis TN) at 9:00 pm Sunday night, the airport was packed more than packed it was bumper to bumper....


Just out of the airport trapped in traffic


Meanwhile Gina H. (at Loops) finished her little Cardigan (she's in the snow)... this took several skeins of Newport Rocks in Cashmere, and I think one of Cashmere/Silk and one of Art Yarns in a purple color. If you want more information just call Loops!



Monday I was on restriction. I was only allowed to rest and rest afterwards. I wandered out to the garden and here's what is blooming in the garden.....
The Aprium Tree is starting to bloom! Spring is minutes away!


SIL gave Mike this Orchid several years ago and it's about to go crazy!

Rose, one of the last ones on the bush. Today they all got trimmed but I left this to finish

The Pink Jasmine is about to go crazy totally crazy! Here are the buds I'll show more pictures when they are open

This rose was still blooming too much to trim so I'll be picking them when they are a bit more open

Last the Oregano, Mike cut this back some weeks ago but with all the rain it has become giant

Mike took the day off today and we spent it in the garden until the rain sent us indoors. I was sent for a nap and then a leisurely dinner. I'm getting to work tomorrow and making plenty of yarn. I enjoyed my day of work even though my hands got poked pretty good from roses and Bogenvia which we hope to have removed. I have to say I don't enjoy these vines with good cause as this one had started to bust through the cinderblocks of our fence. The roses are almost all pruned, and the Aprium tree has more blooms on it. Mike and I stopped too soon due to the rain so there is more work to do.
Tomorrow is all about getting work done, and to get ready for my class on Sunday with Jared Flood. I wonder if he is as excited about the class as I am! LOL

Painful Goodbyes

Have to tell you leaving Tulsa is going to be painful... I love it here! the knitting community is so strong and the people are wonderful. I'm already planning my next trip here!
Now to today's pictures.....
I arrived early this morning to interrupt an employee meeting

My good friend Terry hiding in the corner

As we all know Terry has the best shoes!

These ladies took their first knitting lesson and they are working hard, I shared chocolate and offered Scotch, all took chocolate but no Scotch takers

The lady came in to celebrate the fact she finished this beautiful sweater, and it's even in my favorite color! She has the most amazing sweater for her husband almost finished as well. WOW how great is that

Ellen and Rob are also leaving for a business trip in the morning early and I have to continue trying to get everything packed (however there is a lot less yarn to pack) and get onto several planes tomorrow. I fly via Tennessee which I have never done before so it will be interesting.

I have Brunch with the Brander Family tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. I have the IPhone and the ITouch all charged up to play some good games.
I'm now playing "Words with Friends" a scrabble type game between Gina H and myself. She is beating me soundly with "Volume" at 89 points. My first word was "Hair" for 7, I'm enjoying it though a fun way to improve my spelling.

I hate the leaving but love the arriving as I've said many times before and yes I understand that you have to do one to get the other, but I'm sad to leave all my good friends here in Tulsa. I'm sure Cleo, Steven and Mike are looking forward to having me home and ground me a little. I'm really starting to get excited about taking a class with Jared Flood, however reading over the homework, it looks like I'll be learning a lot.
It's now pretty late and I have an early morning. I'm sorry to be leaving but look forward to doing some gardening in Lakewood.CA. The Pink Jasmine is almost coming into bloom and since I didn't trim the arbor this year it is going to be spectacular. Pictures to follow. Good night for now, wish me luck tomorrow!

Lovely Loops

I couldn't have had a warmer welcome here at Loops in Tulsa!! Treated like family and having a great time. So getting down to business...
Here is Phyllis and her 5 completed Tanglewood projects! She spent her $50 gift card on...you guessed more Tanglewood!
So here she is in a Shoulder Candy in 100% Cashmere in the Newport Rocks color-way

Here is her little Bolero in beaded 50%Cashmere/50%Silk in Newport Rocks

A little cowl out of 100% textured Cashmere in Snow

another Shoulder Candy this time in Columbia Gorgeous.... not sure which fiber, either Cashmere or Cash/Silk

Last but not least a Neck Candy out of one skein of 100% Cashmere in Erica's Sunstone


Here's my plane knitting project another Cowl. This time out of Super-Wash Merino. Calypso Cove and Northwest Winter. I'm knitting this cowl to prove several points, Point number one, Calypso Cove rocks as a color-way. People don't see the loveliness of this color-way. I love it so I'm knitting with it. I cast one 120 stitches


Point number two these are different weight yarns, but you can't notice that on my size 9 needles. It just works. I'm knitting 4 rows of each color-way and doing 6 rows of Stockinette in between the eyelet pattern.


Most of this cowl was knit on the airplane. You can knit on planes.
I'm running out of the thicker ball so I will have to go into the stash to find some more of this color-way, as other people saw the beauty of this color-way when it was knit.

Here are my hosts Ellen and Rob, look at what kind of potato chip is Ellens, Rob said that he thought that these chips even thought they are baked are on the "No" list of my eating plan, Ellen said that she loves them! Now I'm going to have to try them, Darn that Ellen

My bed for the weekend... Temperpedic mattresses rock! I love these colors together Becky take note! Ellen asked me how I slept this morning, I said she has spoiled me for another mattress and it was terrible to get out of it in the morning, she said paybacks are hell, as I've spoiled her on knitting anything besides Tanglewood Yarn....

The shop is a rockin'!

Here is Mary Jo. This is her "rolladeck" of knitting instructions....... This way she can do things steep by steep


Look knitting talk


It has been a mad house every day. Tonight was tons of fun! It was a pre Valentine party. A lot of good souls in this shop tonight. Tomorrow is Gina's turn to Trish Mind so I have no idea what will happen but I know it will be great!
Happy knitting!