New things....

While I obviously haven't been blogging, I have been knitting! Since I last posted ( nearly 3 months ago...oops!) I have ....

Finished two pairs of Austerman Step socks...

Yes, that second photo is sideways.. and no those aren't finished in the photo, but they are finished and I don't want to go track them down to take a photo. You all know what finished socks look like... just like the photo above, only different colorway of my favorite sock yarn, Austerman step. I like the way it smooths my bamboo needles as well as how if feels while you knit it.

I have also finished a couple scarves...

This is a keyhole scarf in some supersoft alpaca and a mohair blend with something sparkly in it. Obviously I didn't keep the ball bands... this has already been gifted.

This one is a seed stitch scarf in Cashmerino superchunky. Soft simple and put away for gifting later.

I've also started two sweaters....

This is my 'Must Have Cardigan' - two sleeves and half the back are done. It's getting too hot to have this on my lap and even though the pattern is very easily memorized, you have to do stuff... like cables, so I started this.

This is a top down raglan short sleeved cardigan in cashmerino aran in tangerine.... it's the perfect compliment to a more complicated, cabled, wool project. It's so quick and easy that I hope to finish this soon so I can wear it. Spring is here and although the weather is lovely, I often want a soft sweater, so this should come in handy, provided it fits!

I'm off today so the knitting continues as I tidy my house and enjoy the day. I'll make an effort to post more often than every three months.. !

Dreaming of yarn and ... Lyndon Johnson?

I have dreams, like everyone else and remember my dreams, which seems less like everyone else. Lots of people I talk to about dreams tell me that they don't remember their dreams. It's possible that I remember my dreams because they tend to be on the strange side, very detailed and a little strange. I also have lucid dreams, but that's another story.

Sometimes I drift in and out of sleep in the morning and also in and out of a dream. Those tend to be the times when my dreams get a little unusual. I wonder at the strange things my brain comes up with when left unattended. This morning was one of those mornings.

That this mornings dream started with yarn isn't very surprising or strange. I'd been looking at all of the Kauni cardigans online last night. That I decided, in my dream, that this yarn was the perfect thing to use to knit myself the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, was a little odd, although I've seen alot of art based on sound and music, so odd but interesting.

It was when I couldn't recall how the song went and Lyndon Johnson and I were suddenly standing in a practice room with a piano, that things got a little wonky. He was going to play the song for me, and when he put his foot on the piano footpedal he realised that the front panel of the piano was gone. He asked me to look around for it. I looked everywhere but I couldn't find it in the small practice room. After a minute he guessed what might have happened to it.

He and his wife had a large party in that same facility recently and she brought ice cream into that same practice room. She was planning on serving ice cream to all of the children. Along with the ice cream, she had boxes of spoons, bowls and napkins... everything you'd need to serve ice cream. When President Johnson saw her setting everything up, he pointed out that the practice room wasn't the best option because of it's size and because of the piano. He thought kids would get the piano sticky with the ice cream. So Mrs. Johnson gathered up all of her boxes of utensils and ice cream and she probably just took the front panel off the piano with her by mistake.

At this point I woke up, and my first thought was...makes perfect sense to me, she must have taken it accidentally.

Even though Lyndon Johnson never did play it for me, I've had that song in my head all day long...

Finished !

I'm starting 2008 off right by finishing up somethings! I've had this yarn, Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran, in my stash for a couple years but didn't know what I wanted to make with it... finally a project seemed just right for this yarn. I hope to continue this positive momentum by finishing up my chocolate chunk sweater this weekend.

I started this sweater in Jan. 2008 and finished it in Jan. 2008. I just sewed the buttons on today so technically I finished it in Feb. It's from a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern, and it was just that-simple. A very fast knit that is destined to be a birthday present for my grandmother's 88th birthday which is this coming Thursday, Valentine's Day.

I love these buttons. I didn't get a decent picture of them, but I do love them.

I leave you with an action shot of Scoutie and I wishing Grandma a Happy Birthday!

Knitting 101 ... or Scoutie's Knitting lesson

First, find some yarn and needles...

Next, carefully monster yarn all over the living room....

Get distracted by a pencil, lesson over...

With Scout's help, I've finished another version of the Cables in Chamonix sweater. I knit the first one for the Knitting Olympics. This version is in Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky and a pretty chocolate brown ( see photos above, under Scoutie's feet). I've completed all the pieces and just need to block it and sew together pieces and add the neck.

While I'm waiting for the pieces to be ready to sew together I've started another sweater. I'm trying a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern for a top down cardigan that is knitting up amazingly quick! I just started it on Monday or Tuesday and have completed most of the body. It's a pretty simple pattern, but the yarn is pretty so I think the result won't be too boring.

I've also been shopping! I did pretty good last year with my yarn diet, but I'm already making up for it this year. I've purchased yarn to make Elizabeth Zimmerman's Ribwarmer. That will probably be next... since I have been dying to see what it would look like and cast on earlier today:-) Just trying to keep up with my growing stash!

Happy Holidays

It's seems like December zipped by this year. Spending a week without power certainly didn't help. Although some of my knit night friends made good use of the powerless week. I didn't get much knitting done because my fingers were too cold! I had light and after a while heat from the generator, but still didn't get much knitting done. I am done with all my knitted presents now- but this Christmas will always be remembered for being 'off'.



All in all I'm very happy that I didn't end up with a sycamore tree in my house or any other kind of damage. I realize that although the week was disorienting and annoying it wasn't the worst thing in the world. It has actually been very interesting to talk to everyone about what they did and how they coped. Some went to a hotel, some stayed with friends while others stayed home and hunkered down. I think this is something that people will remember for a long time.



I'm looking forward to a relaxing Christmas. We will see family and have great food and have a wonderful time. I hope you will too.

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you're having a wonderful fall!

The holidays mean Festival of Trees 'round here. Check out the exhibit if you get a chance!

I have not taken leave of the planet. really.

I'm here and I have been knitting... really. Here's an 'off the top of my head' list of F.O.s with pictures I could easily locate...

-green cherry tree hill socks that I started in Mexico

-blue austerman step ( aka austerman crack) socks. I managed to avoid any knitting injuries this time.

-Orangey trekking socks

-Super softie Debbie Bliss Lara Sweater. I don't think I've even taken a photo of this yet. It's Aug. in Oklahoma, it's too hot to model sweaters.

Okay so it's not a record, but there has been knitting along with the occasional trip and mini trip. Since I last posted I've been to

• Alma, MI to the N. American piping championships, the Oklahoma boys won again this year- in a higher grade than last year.


• Au Gres, MI, home and family and a stay at the cottage. Wonderful way to spend time.


• Chicago, Il visited with lululibrary girl for an amazingly crazy tour of city. Love the bean thing and the crazy locals, cubs game, art institute as fast as I could, and more.


• Oklahoma City, Ok just a quickie to see Wicked. It was wonderful.


• Dallas, TX another quickie for work. Lots of very nice libraries there.

It's fun to get away even if it's quick,it seems like I've missed something and I probably did.

In non knitting and travel news, we seem to have finally convinced the cats that, despite their personal love of chasing and harassing them wherever, whenever, mice do not belong in the house. One of the perils of having a cat door.

While it is delightful to give the cats the freedom to come and go as they please, it also allows assorted other smallish creatures to come and go as they please ( other neighborhood cats, raccoons, oppossums, etc.) and also allows the cats to bring inside with them any creature they would like to torment and or eat.

Recently one, or both cats have decided that having a mouse in the house was just about as much fun as a cat could have. They would bring in a mouse and let it go to be chased around the house merrily until they either lost the mouse under a large appliance or under a piece of furniture. At this point they would go eat some cat food or find a good place to have a nap while the mouse made itself at home in it's newly adopted abode and the cats owners frantically tried to capture the new resident and remove it from their home.

Despite having brains vastly larger than our rodent roommates, and our use of incredibly complicated rube goldberg inspired devices and tempting peanut butter, we had an extremely difficult time ejecting our tiny squatters. They seemed to love both catfood and peanut butter, and seemed to have the incredible ability to remove every tiny greasy trace of peanut butter bait off every single trap set for them, without being caught. I have a new respect for the survival instincts of mice.

In the end we did prevail and our house is temporarily mouse free. I've spoken to the cats, and for now they are complying with my wishes for cat only access through the cat door.

I hope you're all having a wonderful end of summer.