PURPLE BUTTERFLY

2011-12-19T23:30:00.001-07:00

My work has been featured in 3 Collections on ArtFire.

2 are collections of work by members of the #AFPounce Guild.
Fab Finds for the Last Minute Christmas Shopping!
Holiday Gifts to Pounce On!

And 1 is a collection of Glass Art; there are 3 of my products in this one:
Handcrafted Glass Jewelry

Shawl Pins and Stick Pins, Finally

2011-12-03T11:17:00.001-07:00

I've made a number of shawl pins for my own knit and crochet projects, but I've been wanting to make some for sale as well. I figured that the Christmas season is a great time for them to make their debut.

The shawl pins are the perfect accessory for knit and crochet shawls, scarves, and sweaters.

These are available for purchase at my ArtFire Studio.

The first one is on Copper Wire, but the others are all twisted Fine Silver Wire

I'm working on some more, including some lapel style Stick Pins,

but haven't added them to the site as yet, so this is a preview.

Check them out, and let me know what you think. I'm interested in your feedback.

The Moebius Basket Update, and a new Patchwork Triangles Capelet

2011-11-30T15:17:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I talked about the Cat Bordhi workshop I had attended, and showed a picture of my basket so far. I had inadvertently put an extra twist in the handle, and thought I would have to frog it and start over. But I decided to go ahead with it and see what happened. Here's the result; actually not bad.

I also finished a new version of my Patchwork Triangles Capelet, this time using only 3 different yarns, and 2 stitch patterns in the body, and 3 stitch patterns in the border. The idea is to write up the pattern, and possibly put it up for sale.

And this is the Shaw Pin I created for it.

I have been playing around with a number of ideas for shawl pins. Watch my ArtFire Studio for them in the coming days.

A Workshop or 2 with Cat Bordhi

2011-11-18T00:51:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I attended 2 workshops with Cat Bordhi, a knit designer and teacher who sparked the current Moebius trend. Her innovative Moebius Cast On (MCO) makes it easy to knit a moebius in the round. At this point I can't even remember how I first was made aware of moebii and Cat Bordhi, but once I discovered them, I became obsessed. Her books: "A Treasury if Magical Knitting", and "A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting" started me off on a series of moebii, including at least 1 that I crocheted. She also has written a number of books on sock knitting, in which I have no interest.

So when I heard that one of our local yarn shops was hosting a series of workshops with Cat, I immediately called and signed up for the moebius workshop, as well as one which focused on creativity and design. The third workshop was on socks, and as I've said: just not my cup of tea.

At the moebius class, I opted for a basket, which I had never done before. I finished the top, which is comprised of the handle (the moebius part), and the rim, from which you then pick up stitches to form the bowl. After I picked up the stitches, I realized that I had inadvertently made an extra twist. Cat said it might make an interesting effect, but once I got home, I decided that I didn't really like the extra twist. So I took it off the needles, planning on redoing it.

But now I'm not so sure; maybe I'll have a try at it the way it is.

More on the 2nd workshop in another post.

Desert Autumn Poncho

2011-11-16T12:59:00.001-07:00

I finished my Desert Autumn Poncho for the Branches & Dunes KAL, and I'm really happy with it. I even got to wear it last night; warm enough for a cool evening out, without being too heavy.

As you can see, the front and back are slightly different; it can be worn either way. And it can also be worn sideways, giving it yet another look.

It's Been a While

2011-11-04T16:49:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted, which was right after I returned from Petoskey. The Workshop/Retreat was a real pick-me-up and did a lot for my morale. But the Pneumonia and Valley Fever have not completely left my system yet, and I still feel kind of punk part of the time. Which is why I haven't felt much like engaging my brain and taking the time to post here.

But I did finish the Forest Flow Vest that I started at Knitting Under a Mango Moon II, and I'm really happy with it.

And I've since been working on a new Branches & Dunes project for the latest Jane Thornley KAL I kept changing my mind about this piece; first it was going to be another, but shorter, vest. then I thought I'd try a cardigan/jacket. But after seeing this on Dancing with the Stars:

I decided on a sort of poncho, but with armholes and side seams. This is the first half:

Based loosely on the colors in this Autumn in the Desert photo

I've started the second half, but can't decide whether to just duplicate the first half, or make it different, so I can have 2 different looks. The deadline for the KAL is November 15th, so I'd better make a decision and get working on it.

Knitting Under a Mango Moon II

2011-09-16T21:45:00.002-07:00

I just returned from Petoskey, MI, and Knitting Under a Mango Moon II, a FreeRange workshop/retreat sponsored by Mango Moon Yarns, and led by Jane Thornley. It was just as wonderful as last year; many familiar faces, and some new ones, as well. And while my final flight returning home yesterday was delayed a bit, it was nowhere near the terrible experience I went through on my return last year, see Petosky to Tucson, the Long Way/Wrong Way Home: The Saga of my return from Knitting Under a Mango Moon

The first sight that greeted us upon entering the Knitting Room on Sunday afternoon was this:

Besides all the yarn shown in the video, there were also 2 round tables of sale yarns. What a fantastic beginning to a great workshop. Having all that yarn right there at our fingertips was great when we reached a point in our projects where we needed another yarn or two. But the problem, of course, was that having all that yarn right at our disposal was very tempting; most of us ended up buying far more than we needed for the projects we were doing at the workshop. But of course, there will always be more projects awaiting us when we return home.

Along with the wonderful workshop itself, we had great breakfasts and lunches in the charming, historic Perry Hotel (which is where we stayed). And terrific dinners at restaurants in 3 neighboring towns. All in all, we had everything we needed right there at our beck and call.

The projects ranged from Jane's Not-A-Poncho to the Forest Flow Vest, and other patterns from Jane's latest guide, Branches & Dunes Evocative Guide, which introduced us to a fascinating and addicting new stitch. I opted to do the Forest Flow Vest; this is the first side:

Here we all are, showing off our works in progress:

First Solo Weaving Project

2011-08-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the Table Runner that I started 2.5 years ago. The loom had been warped and was ready to go, but at first I had it standing on its side in a closet. Then my husband put the stand together, and it stood in our Family Room for a few months, until I finally decided it was time to do something about it. So I moved it into the Dining Room, of all places, because that's where the light was best. I worked on it on and off for a couple of months, undoing and redoing bits of it because I would discover that it had gotten a little too narrow. Finally, a week or so ago, I decided that enough was enough, and it was time to finish it. Once I made up my mind to do it, it was done in a couple of days.

Then I spent a few days trying to find out how best to wet finish it (the weaving equivalent of blocking). There's precious little information available on that subject, but luckily Cyd at Tucson Yarn Co. is knowledgeable about weaving, among other things, and was able to send me in the right direction. Because one of the two yarns used in this project doesn't respond to traditional methods, there wasn't a lot I could do, but I did the best I could, and the results, actually, are pretty good. The runner looks quite nice on our Dining Room table.

2011-08-14T12:15:00.001-07:00

Share the Love Artisan

This weeks featured artisan is Phillippa Pinka - Court & Sparks.
Darling Creations that make perfect gifts! You can find Court & Sparks on:

The Saga of the Breeze That Wasn't

2011-08-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Back in mid-June, Jane Thornley introduced a new pattern for a simple wrap she called The Breeze, partly because it was a breeze to make; large needles, lightweight yarn, simple stitches. It captured everyone's interest, mine included. I had the perfect yarn for it.

My first attempt had to be frogged, because it got so wide, with no depth, that it would have been usable only as a long skinny scarf that one winds around the neck multiple times. Armed with some hints from one of the other Ravelers, I started again, and this time it seemed to progress rather smoothly. Until I got about half done. The cable came loose from the needle, and the stitches all started to unravel; the perils of using large needles on thin yarn. I was panicky at first, but decided to try and mend it all, no easy feat with a random lace pattern. Somehow, I pulled it off.

Finally I added the edging around the top, and bound off. But I didn't cut off the yarn, I used it to picked up stitches around the bottom to add a matching edging When it was finished, I wasn't happy with the way it looked, and decided to redo it. So I frogged back to where I had picked up stitches to start again. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying enough attention, and ended up frogging part of the top edging. Enough of it that the whole thing started to unravel. Because of the nature of the yarn, it was almost impossible to stop the unravelling, and when I finally did, much of the top few inches was lost. I tried running a lifeline at what I thought was the lowermost edge of the unraveling, but it wasn't quite evenly threaded through, so I had to really work at it till I got the cable to go straight through on one row. Again there were a few spots that I had to repair, actually a large area, but I faked it, and it worked. I just wouldn't want anyone looking too closely at it.

The problem at this point was that all that frogging had released a lot of yarn, which promptly got tangled up. I ended up spending a day and a half untangling and rewinding before I could proceed with finishing the bottom edge, which I decided to crochet instead of knit.

Crochet Edge

Once it was done, I realized that it was really a little longer/wider than I wanted. So I gathered about half of the neckline edge, and now it's a much better length.

The Random Lace

Monet's Lily Pond Kimono

2011-08-07T20:50:00.001-07:00

I finished my Monet Lily Pond Kimono, but not without a few problems; it just didn't want to be done. Whenever I thought I was through, I found something that needed to be changed, and when I changed that, something else would not be right. I did the bottom of the back 3 times before I got it right, partly because I ran low on the medium green yarn I needed. It was where it was to be seamed to the front, which would really point out the difference. But I did find a good substitute, and got it done.

I originally wanted a short, little kimono, to fit the way it does in Jane Thornley’s Guide. And it started out that way, but it stretched as I worked on it, and ended up full size; as you can see in the photo. I guess the shorter kimono will have to be another project. Anyway, it’s done. It's ridiculous that it took me so long; I was the first to start mine for the Knit A Masterpiece KAL, but far from the first to finish.

I also finished my Breeze Wrap, but that's a long story to be covered in another post.

I've Finished the FreeRange Vest

2011-07-26T11:24:00.001-07:00

Well, I finished the vest. Instead of frogging the tops of the fronts, I frogged the bottoms. This lined up the fronts and the back more proportionately, and released enough yarn to do the sides. It's a little shorter than I first planned, but definitely wearable.

Tucson Sunset FreeRange Vest

Pneumonia is the Pits!

2011-07-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I last posted, the most significant of which is that, instead of going back home to see friends and family and celebrate my brother's 70th birthday, I ended up in the hospital with a serious case of pneumonia, possibly accompanied by Valley Fever.

I've always heard that it takes a long time to completely recover from pneumonia; that the fatigue that goes with it is endless. Added to that, the side effects from the anti-fungal medication I'm still on for the Valley Fever make me a little shaky at times.

So I've been spending the last month or so recuperating, and taking it one day at a time. On the plus side, my husband has been doing the cooking and shopping, and more or less waiting on me hand and foot, which is nice, but after a while, even that gets old. But another plus is that all I can do is read, knit, and nap. At first I couldn't knit for very long, and kept making mistakes, but I'm doing better now.

When last I wrote, I had started my Monet Kimono. It's now almost finished,

except for the pesky little problem of running out of one of the yarns used at the very bottom. I don't know if it's worth trying to find more of it, or just improvise and use another yarn. I'm still working on that.

Another project that I've been working on is a FreeRange vest, part of a KAL with the Jane Thornley group. I also ran out of yarn on this one, the main yarn, just before finishing the body of the vest. It's a very unusual color, and I haven't been able to match it. I managed to finish both fronts so they line up evenly, but now the search is on for yarn to finish the sides.

Since I wrote this, I've come to the conclusion that the top part of the fronts of this vest are too long, so I'm going to frog and redo them. Perhaps that will result in enough yarn to finish. More on that as I proceed.

Long Time, No See

2011-06-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I've gone this long without posting. I've gotten a lot done, both fiber and glass, and some wire work, too.

The first thing I finished was my Tapestry Wrap:

And to go with it, I created this Shawl Pin:

I couldn't come up with anything in my glass work that was right for this wrap, so instead I did a little wire work.

Along with that one, I made another, still in progress.

Another project I've been working on is one I started a couple of years ago. I took a weaving class, and after making a scarf I really liked, decided to add weaving to my repertoire. I bought the loom and a loom stand, and actually warped the loom in readiness to make a table runner for my Dining Room.

But of course, Life got in the way, and the loom got put in a closet; the stand never came out of its box. A few weeks ago, somehow, my husband suggested putting the stand together so the loom would have a permanent place. That, of course, led to my deciding to proceed with making the table runner. Of course, it was so long since I'd warped it that I couldn't quite remember the next step. It took a little time and research, but I finally got it going, and have been working at it in bits and drabs. It's standing in the Dining Room, where there's good light, so whenever I pass by I stop and make a few passes with the shuttle, usually at least 4 - 6, about an inch or so. My only concern is that I won't have enough yarn to finish. The main yarn has been discontinued, I think, so I'd better start looking around to see if anyone has any. Keep your fingers crossed.

The last thing I've been working on is really a labor of love. Jane Thornley came up with the brilliant idea of knitting Monet's Lily Ponds, and it absolutely grabbed me. I immediately researched the myriad paintings Monet did of Lily Ponds, and found 1 couldn't resist. I would post a picture of it, but it appears to fall under copyright problems, so just take my word for it that it's gorgeous.

This is the result so far:

Actually, I've gotten a little further since this photo was taken, I'm about 1/2 done with both fronts. BTW, Jane's pattern that I'm basing this on is Leaf Lights Spring Kimono, and you can check my progress on my Project Page.

Vested Interests/Ruanna Wanna Be

2011-04-01T23:26:00.001-07:00

I started a project back in November of 2009 that I thought was going to be a quick knit. Boy, was I wrong! When I came to what I thought would be the end of the main body of the piece, I discovered that it was way too long to be used as it was intended. I considered a number of options, but they all involved more of my lead yarn than I had. And because it was a hand dyed yarn that I had bought quite a while earlier, the chances of my getting more were slim to zero. I actually went so far as to take a chance and order some more to be dyed up in that colorway; but of course, too much time had passed and they were unable to match it. The replacement was beautiful, but unusable for this project. So I put it away to hibernate, and went on to other things. Many other things.

But after I finished my Rushing River Wrap, and the knitting on my 1st Gift Bag,

I was looking for a project that wouldn't be long and complicated. So I took out Vested Interests and decided to make the best of what I had, added a capelike back to it, and Voila! the Ruanna Wanna Be was born.

I'm glad I waited to finish this; I'm very happy with the results. It has a wonderful, soft hand, and drapes beautifully. I can see myself wearing this often.

It's finished!

2011-03-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well I did finish the Rushing River Wrap, just in time for deadline. I cobbled together the missing yarn, which was a mohair, with some lengths of mohair culled from a self striping skein. It came out beautifully, although a little long, and slightly askew. But overall, it looks great, and wears well.

For now, I'm taking a break from KALs and CALs, and concentrating on my glass work. I've made a lot of new beads, and need to photograph them and start listing them in my ArtFire shop.

Hope to see you there.

Now What?

2011-02-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

We have another KAL going on in Jane Thornley's group on Ravelry. It's called Knit Me a River, and everyone's projects are river themed. Mine is based on Jane's Flowing River Scarf pattern, but I decided to make it into a shawl instead. Living in the desert, keeping my neck warm isn't much of an issue, but the evenings are cool and keeping my shoulders and arms warm is.

Because I turned this into a shawl, it's not the quick project it might have been. And, as so often happens with FreeRange/Evocative knitting, it has a mind of its own, and has grown quite a bit. Which would be fine; I like a substantial wrap. But because it's bigger than originally planned, it's using more yarn than expected.

Which brings me to my latest dilemma. I've almost run out of one of my essential yarns. It's not one that I need a lot of, but it's used to transition one color into the next, and then into the next, in 2 key places. I discovered that none of the LYSs in town have it, nobody on Ravelry seems to have it in their stash, and I seem to be left in the lurch.

I’ve spent the evening, so far, trying to come up with a substitute, but nothing works. So I’ll have to figure out how to transition between yarns and still get the hazy effect I have in the half shawl I’ve done so far. The yarn is a mohair, in a not easy to replicate color. So I have to figure out whether I want the 2nd side of my river to be lighter or darker, or a different shade, than the 1st.

This is it so far:

I’ll keep knitting till I get to where I need the yarn, but then it’ll be put on hold till I find a solution. I have a little of it left, but I don’t think it will go very far.

Felting is Fun!

2011-02-21T13:24:00.002-07:00

Last week I did a felting workshop from Linda Germain, along with 2 Ravelry friends, Christie and BarbAnn, better known as yarnplenty and passiontocreate. We had a ball, and produced some great projects:

BarbAnn, Christie, and a windblown me

Here's mine, in progress:

and finished:

Front (or back, who knows?)


and Back (or front?)

I still haven't decided if it's a bowl, basket, or bag; but it will eventually tell me. In the meantime, I have it sitting where I can see it and admire it, right here in my knitting room.

The Gem & Mineral, Jewelry & Bead Shows in Tucson

2011-02-05T23:52:00.001-07:00

Another thing that's been occupying my time this past week is that it's Gem, Mineral, Jewelry and Bead time here in Tucson. Many of my cohorts in the Glass Bead Making world are in town, either as vendors, or as buyers. And since I set up my glass studio since last year's shows, I've been visiting suppliers to stock up on tools and other equipment to help me get back into glasswork. Including a new kiln. When we moved out here full time, I gave my big kiln to a friend; it would have cost a small fortune to ship out here.

Since this is the last kiln I expect I'll ever buy, I got every feature I think I might need. Besides beads and jewelry (including shawl pins as an adjunct to my fiber work) I hope to start doing some small sculptures and vessels. This kiln should accommodate them all.

But I haven't abandoned the fiber work. Despite vowing not to buy any new yarn until I make a substantial dent in my stash, I bought quite a few hanks of ribbon from a vendor I buy from at the Whole Bead Show every year. It may be just a technicality, but I figure it's ribbon, not yarn.

And my Rushing River project is coming along; slowly, but nicely.

Till next time...............................

Trying to play "Catch-up"

2011-02-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been so busy listing items in my new ArtFire Artisan Studio.
This has been a real learning experience for me. I'm constantly editing descriptions, trying to find better ways of saying what I want known about my beads and jewelry. It seems that not only what you say, but the order in which you say it, affects the way it shows up on search engines. And of course, you definitely want it to show up on search engines.

And since it's approaching Valentine's Day, and even more importantly, a sort of Grand Opening for the site, I decided to offer a sale on most, but not all, my wares. So that required more editing. But all in all, I'm happy with the way it's shaping up, and I now have 46 items listed, which I think is a respectable amount for having been open for just over 3 weeks.

So, again, I invite you to visit; I welcome comments, critiques; a sale here and there wouldn't hurt.

Follow-up

2011-01-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've listed a lot of beads on Purple Butterfly Artisan Studio, my online bead and jewelry store. I knew it would take some time, but I didn't realize how complicated and time consuming it actually is. So it's a slow process, and tedious to boot; and there are only about 20 items listed so far. But I decided that I need to take a break from the camera and the computer, at least for a bit. I think I'll head into the studio and make some more beads (which, of course, will need to be added to the site.) And maybe this evening I'll do some knitting or crochet; my fiber projects have been put on the back burner this last week.

More to come. Visit my online shop, and let me know what you think. And maybe while you're there, you'll see something you just have to have.

I Finally Did It!

2011-01-11T23:05:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally did it! I started up an ArtFire Studio. Those of you who have been asking can purchase my Lampworked glass beads @ PurpleButterflyArtisanStudio. I've only got a few beads posted, but I will be adding more as the days go by.

Butterfly Beads

Bead Sets

Hollow Beads

Heart Beads

Leaf Beads

Shell Beads

I didn't realize how much time was involved in getting the site started before I could even post the beads. And there's a lot of information that needs to be written up for each item, so I'm a little worn out. But I'll be back at it tomorrow, and however long it takes.

Blocking is Such a Pain..............But...

2011-01-08T19:16:00.001-07:00

Blocking is such a pain, and very time consuming, to boot..............But there's no disputing that the results are well worth it. And since I got a set of blocking wires (which, by the way, are actually tig wires, used in welding; and also as mandrels in glass beadmaking), the task has become a little less of a pain, since I no longer need to use tons of T-pins. The blocking wires do a good job of ensuring nice, straight edges.

Having just finished the second of 2 Gryffindor House scarves for a couple of fans (Harry Potter, for the uninitiated) I set about blocking it. This one is the style for years 3 and 4; I already finished the one for years 1 and 2. Those blocking wires really came in handy, since the scarf had been crocheted in mostly double crochet, interspersed with narrow stripes in single crochet; resulting in a less than perfect straight edge.

When I first learned to knit and crochet, way back when I was a kid, I never blocked anything. We always just took the finished piece to the knit shop where we had purchased the yarn and they did the blocking. At a price, I'm sure. I vaguely recall that sometimes they even sewed up a garment, as well. I suppose some LYSs would still block and/or sew together, but somehow that detracts a bit from saying something is Handmade.

Year's End

2011-01-02T16:35:00.001-07:00

"When you get to the end of a year, it's common to reflect back on events and accomplishments, and sometimes to write "Closed" on certain aspects of your life."

I wrote this on Wednesday, and never got back to it; too busy reflecting, and trying to finish up those "certain aspects".

The major accomplishment was this:

Harry (DH) built new shelves to connect my existing 3 cabinets to create a full wall of storage, and we moved all my yarns from various places around the house into this unit. It gave me the chance, among other things, to finally organize my yarns by color. But it also brought into perspective just how much yarn I actually have. Now, I've always said that you can't have too much yarn; I was wrong! I cannot use up this much yarn in my lifetime, especially since I now am splitting my time between fiber and glass. So I'm going to try really hard not to buy any yarn until I've put a dent in this stash. Unless I need yarn to finish a project that I'm working on. This will definitely be a challenge to try and make use of stash only. The one exception to this is that if I decide to do the 2011 crochet block a month cal I will have to buy yarn for that, as my stash doesn't include the kind of yarn required.

I also finished the Night Sky Vest, as mentioned in the previous post,

and finally made some acceptable toggle type buttons for it:

I guess that's it till next time. I'll try to post more frequently in the future.

Till then, here's wishing you all a Healthy, Happy, Peaceful New Year,

(and Prosperous wouldn't hurt)

in which the worst day of the year is as mild as the best day of last year.

Catching Up

2010-12-09T23:01:00.003-07:00

I've been getting some things off the needles (and hook):

This is the Raj Vest started at the Jane Thornley, Mango Moon Workshop/Retreat

in Petoskey, MI in September

The body of the vest is all knit with Mango Moon Yarns
but the ribbons threaded through are Interlacements Yarns

And this is my 2010 Afghan, made as part of the 2010 CAL/BAM Afghan project

Click on images for larger view.

I've finished crocheting and putting together my Night Sky Vest, but am still in the process of making some glass buttons to use as closures. Photos to follow.

Patchwork Triangles

2010-11-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I never posted photos and comments on my Patchwork Triangles Capelet. I added a preliminary shot to my Free-Range Project Slideshow at the bottom of the page, but didn't write about it.

I made it for the September Triangle Mini KAL, in Jane Thornley's group on Ravelry. The project had to be a triangle, or contain 1 or more triangles. I started it at the beginning of the month, and then put it away when I went to Petoskey for Jane's Knitting Under a Mango Moon Workshop/Retreat. I picked it up again when I got home; it had to be done by the end of the month. It had started out as a long V-shaped scarf or shawl; but due to time constraints, getting low on one of my main yarns, and the shape that the piece was at that time, I turned it into a capelet instead. And just finished it at the 11th hour.

I'm really delighted with the way it came out. I think it will be much more wearable than my original idea.

The Shawl Pin I made to wear with it.

Changing Leaf

2010-11-07T00:09:00.001-07:00

I've been spending almost all my time since October 8th, when I finally started my Fallen Leaf Frond Wrap, feverishly working on it as if obsessed. Of course, I get obsessed about most of my projects; but this one seemed to grab me more than usual. There were a few times when the section I was working on just wouldn't go well; times when it was so far off the mark that nothing would do but to frog and redo in another way, another yarn, another color or stitch pattern. And one time I really needed to step back and do something else (or Nothing else) for a day or two; let it marinate for a while until I knew what it wanted me to do. But even then, I kept going into the room where it lay and sat and stewed about it. I just couldn't let it be.

I finally decided to just ignore anything minor, and even some major things that couldn't be fixed without frogging almost the whole shebang, and forged on as best I could. And the further I got, the more I began to really love the color transitions, in spite of being totally out of my comfort zone. But then again, color, in general, has always been my forte; whether working in glass or in fiber. So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that I was able to work so well in colors far removed from my usual palette.

So here is my entry in the Autumn KAL in Jane Thornley's group on Ravelry:

Because I only used small amounts of most of the yarns, there's more than enough for another project. What shall it be?

The Good Stuff in Petoskey

2010-10-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote about my disastrous return from Petoskey, and I really should talk about the actual Jane Thornley workshop/retreat, which was wonderful. Upon arrival at the historic Perry Hotel, I checked in and went to our workshop room where I was greeted with the sight of 3 long tables loaded with Mango Moon yarns to choose for our projects. What an embarrassment of riches.

After looking at the samples of Jane's designs, I decided on the Raj Vest, and began choosing yarns accordingly. Other participants were making various versions of the Feather & Fan Organic Wrap, as well as other Jane Thornley designs. After a lovely buffet dinner, most of us went back to the workroom to wind our yarns into balls, aided by Jane's husband John (dubbed by Jane "the Hairy Legged Swift" because he willingly and very ably can transform a hank of yarn into a usable ball).

The following 3 days were filled with knitting, learning, and socializing, not to mention eating well, which we did a lot of: Breakfasts and Lunches provided on site at the hotel, and Dinners out at a different restaurant every night. It was a fabulous experience, one which most of us are planning on repeating; it's just a question of when - September 2011 or 2012.

Many of the women there (BTW, did I mention that some spouses were also in attendance, they went their own way while we were knitting, but joined us for meals) actually finished or were close to finishing the projects they started there. Not I; I'm a slow worker, but here are pictures of one front and the back of my vest. You will note that they appear somewhat different, I've been testing 2 different sets of ribbons threading through the openwork. I've already decided which I'll use, but what do you think?

Petosky to Tucson, the Long Way/Wrong Way Home: The Saga of my return from Knitting Under a Mango Moon

2010-09-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Well, I’m stuck at O’Hare Airport for 4 hours, continuing what has been a really lousy day. It started out OK, had breakfast with the other participants of the Jane Thornley Workshop/Retreat, said our goodbyes, and went back up to my room to finish packing. Unfortunately, by the time I finished and took my luggage down to load up the rental car, it was pouring. I had planned on a leisurely drive to the Traverse City airport (the first leg of my journey home), stopping along the way to take pictures of the magnificent Fall foliage. But that was not to be. It rained heavily and continuously all the way. So much so that I not only couldn’t stop, but ended up at the airport without having filled the gas tank, which was what I had contracted to do. So there was an extra charge for that.

I then had the worst experience ever at the security check-in, where they had me take almost everything out of my carryon luggage, including the C-PAP machine. None of this had been required at the Tucson airport when I started on my trip. (Thank goodness for that!) Then, in contrast to the 6 or 8 passengers on the way out, this puddle-jumper was quite full,

I arrived in Chicago to find that my flight to Dallas was delayed; enough that it was questionable whether I would make my connecting flight to Tucson. Which is how I find myself with 4 hours to kill; I’m now on a direct flight to Tucson, but it doesn’t leave till 6:35 (as opposed to my original 3:25 flight.)

So I went and had a leisurely meal, and figured I’d spend the rest of the time going online. But to my surprise, I can’t connect to the internet; the free airport WiFi doesn’t seem to be working on my computer. So here I sit, composing this on Word, instead of directly on my blog, and instead of checking email and Ravelry, etcetera, etcetera.

*******************************************

Friday, September 24, 2010

I started this post yesterday in the airport, while waiting for my last flight of the day, but got interrupted by a new glitch. As I mentioned, I had changed to a direct flight from Chicago to Tucson instead of changing planes in Dallas. Little did I know that the 4 hour layover was going to stretch out to 8 ½ hours.

When boarding time approached, it was announced that our plane was inoperable, and we were switching to another at Gate 3 (the gate for my original flight) and a long walk from Gate 15 where we were. After waiting for the new plane to land and the passengers to get off, we then had to wait for the usual cleanup and maintenance before boarding. My mind is a bit foggy at this point, and I don’t remember how long all that took, but it was at least 8:00 before we boarded. Once we were on board, we sat and sat, until they finally announced that there had been an oil spill on the tarmac and we had to wait till it was cleaned up. Long story somewhat shorter, once they cleaned up as much as they could, all the international flights had priority. And by the time we were able to take off, it was around 11:00pm Chicago time.

By the time I got back to Tucson, retrieved my luggage and picked up my car, which I had parked at the airport, it was around 1am, and 1:30 when I pulled into my garage. Allowing for crossing a couple of time zones, I was en route 17 or 18 hours or so.

NOT an experience I would recommend.

Back to Fiber

2010-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm still putting in a lot of time on the torch, perfecting my technique, and trying out new styles. But I haven't been neglecting my fiber arts. Since my last post, I've finished 3 more projects:

1000 Branches Vest

Hyundai, Here I Come

and

A River Runs Through It

Which was originally named Denim Does It All, until one of the members of the Jane Thornley group on Ravelry said that it looked like a river flowing; and a new title was born.

It's the beginning of the month, so I have my 2 Afghan Squares to do for the 2010 CAL/BAM,

and a few other WIPs to finish. I'll report on my progress as it occurs.

Beads on Parade

2010-08-16T23:01:00.003-07:00

Now that I'm back into working with glass again, it's gratifying that my work has been so well received. I'm still playing around, to see how my style will evolve. But in the meantime, I have a sizable backlog of beads from when I was doing shows. These comprise 5 categories of beads:

Butterflies

Hearts

Shells

Leaves

and Large Hollows

These are just samples of the types of beads I have available right now. For other images, prices, and information, email me at audrie@comcast.net

Welcome to my new Glass Studio

2010-08-12T23:55:00.002-07:00

My new glass studio is up and running, and I've been working in it most days, trying to get my skills back to what they used to be. I'd say my efforts meet with success about half the time, and the other half is definitely a learning experience. I'm not sure if my problem is that my small motor skills are not what they use to be, or my eye-hand coordination; but I suspect that part of the problem is control of the flame. It used to be intuitive, but doesn't appear to be right now. I think tomorrow, I will try my other torch and see if there's any difference. In the meantime, you're welcome to join me in a tour of the studio.

The Good News Has Become Even Better

2010-07-31T23:04:00.002-07:00

I'm happy to say that I was wrong about my glass skills in my last post. I was just a little rusty, and while I may not be totally back to my previous expertise, I'm getting there. And although I didn't make a bunch of beads to embellish Road To Oz/Poppy Fields Forever, I did make one large bead to match the colors in it, which I made into a pendant. It picks up the colors perfectly, and is a good companion piece for the wrap. And it HAS become a wrap; it simply outgrew its designation as a wallhanging, although it is still definitely a landscape.

The Wrap, Back View:

Front View:

Crochet Poppy Embellishment:

Pendant Front:

Pendant Back:

There are more photos (probably more than you want to see) and info on my project page; follow the above link to view them.

Now that the wrap is finished, I will definitely spend more time at the torch, and see what I can come up with. Some of my other knit and crochet pieces are crying for matching jewelry. And I've already had some inquiries about buying my beads, so maybe I'll be back in business; but I will probably stick to my resolve NOT to do shows anymore.

But of course, I will also continue with my fibercraft projects; there are still quite a few WIPs waiting for my attention. Who knows what you'll find when you next check this blog:

Fiber, Glass, and even Wire and Metal Work.

There's Good News, and.........

2010-07-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

There's good news, and not so good news. My glass studio is finished,

but it seems I've been away from the torch for so long that my glassworking skills are a bit rusty. So I'll have to forgo making beads for embellishment on Poppy Fields Forever, and think of something else, which is what I would have done if the studio wasn't ready. If there was more time, I would play around a bit, and try to get back to my old level of expertise. But I still have more knitting to do, since I frogged a whole section yesterday. And glad I am that I did, too. I really like the changes I've made; it looks much better, feels much better, and I think it will hang much better, too.

Since I wrote that, I've done some more knitting, and it's going well and looking good. So maybe, just maybe, I will have some time to try my hand at the torch again. Who knows what may come out of that.

The Poppy Fields Are Growing

2010-07-25T13:59:00.032-07:00

I've been so busy trying to finish my Poppy Fields Forever project, as well as going on a brief trip to LA for a cousin's 80th birthday weekend celebration, that I've gone 4 weeks without posting. This project has taken on a life of its own, as so often happens. What started out to be a landscape wallhanging seems to have outgrown that idea; just like Topsy, it keeps on growing and growing.. It's still definitely in landscape mode, except that it stretches out way too wide, and now seems much more shawl like, as you can see.

The problem lies in the ends, which are way too long, and unattractively shaped, which makes them hang kind of awkwardly. So I've come to the unhappy realization that I've got to frog the top 4" or so, and redo them with shorter extensions. Although, actually, that's not all bad; it'll give me a chance to redo the right side, which has been bothering me since I finished it.

But I'm very happy with the overall look of the piece; it really evokes the look of my inspiration: the Poppy Fields in the movie of the Wizard of Oz.

Now that I've made the decision to rip out the bad ends, I'm anxious to do it and get on with finishing. The deadline for this KAL is July 31, and I still have to find or make some beads or other form/s of embellishment which reflect the subject of this project: the Poppy Fields and/or other facets of the Wizard of Oz. My glass studio is almost ready; I'm hoping to actually do some glass pieces for the embellishment. Wish me luck.

Or: Poppy Fields Forever

2010-06-28T14:17:00.002-07:00

Almost immediately after my last post, I suddenly got all fired up about the Road to Oz project, now subtitled "Poppy Fields Forever", and have made some great progress:

I have been combining both knit and crochet in this piece, using short rows for shaping in the knit sections, which I'd never done before. It's been a little tricky, because much of it is seed stitch, but it seems to be working. The advantage of crochet is that you can change directions anytime; building up an area at will, which is so much easier. I really like the way this is going; it's definitely a project that's pretty much telling me what it wants to be and how to get there. And, by the way; what it wants to be is a wall-hanging/shawl, in landscape mode.

The Road to Oz

2010-06-23T10:13:00.029-07:00

The other night, we watched the Wizard of Oz again, and I was blown away by the glorious colors of the poppy fields.

So I immediately went searching through my stash; and this is what I've come up with so far:

I haven't a clue as to what form this will take, but one of the things I'm considering is a wrap that will double as a wallhanging. And I'm thinking about possibly crocheting this, or combining knit and crochet in one piece.

New Look, Pro or Con?

2010-06-11T18:39:00.002-07:00

In response to a reader's request, I have changed the look of my blog to, hopefully, make it easier to read. I welcome your comments. Is it easier to read, or not; and is it more (or less) attractive to look at? Any thoughts?

Two Down & I'm Good to Go

2010-06-09T16:36:00.004-07:00

I had the 2nd cataract surgery Monday, and except for the fact that they were running way behind, causing my blood presure to go sky high and needing to be medicated for it (or they wouldn't do the surgery) it went well. And I'm seeing faster results than with the first eye. Same brilliant colors, but now I can see them with both eyes; and same ability to read, knit and crochet, use the computer, and drive without glasses. I'll see the doctor in 2 weeks, to check whether or not I will need any glasses at all, or if I can just go as is.

The only drawback is still having to put drops in both eyes anywhere from 1 to 4 times daily for the next 4 weeks. Small price to pay for the greatly improved eyesight. I'll have to see how that translates when I start working glass again. The work on the glass studio is moving along nicely, and next week an old colleague of mine will come by to help us figure out the fuel and ventilation requirements. I am so looking forward to getting back to the torch. (I'm sure I've already said that, but it's true.)

In the meantime, I've been making progress on a number of projects:

The Pink, Blue, and Purple Layer Cake Vest

also known as the 1000 Branches Vest, as it's a pared down version of the 1000 Branches Kimono

The Night Sky Vest

which is a vest crocheted side to side, using multifibers and alternating stitches ala Jane Thornley.

It's my own design, and presenting a challenge to match up the front sides; but I'm getting there.

The Quick & Easy (also known as Quick & Dirty) Shawl

and lastly, I've started working on
Hyundai, Here I Come,

a shawl to wear in my husband's car to ward off the AC.

So, as you see, I've been, and am, keeping busy waiting for my glass studio. When it's ready, I'll probably suffer Fiber Withdrawal symptoms, but things could be worse.

One Down and One To Go (Cataract Surgeries that is)

2010-05-29T23:39:00.001-07:00

It's been 3 days and many changes since my cataract surgery. The first noticeable change showed up on my way to Knit Night on Thursday. I kept thinking my driving glasses were dirty and needed cleaning, but cleaning didn't help. I then realized that I could see better without my glasses than with.

One of the signs of cataracts is often the loss of color perception, and after surgery colors are more vivid. I figured that doesn't apply to me, because I already see colors very vividly. NOT! By Friday morning, I started noticing that colors seemed so much brighter than usual; if I closed my right eye (the one in which I'd had the surgery) colors looked as usual. If I closed the left eye, WOW. And even with both eyes open, the brightness remained.

Surprisingly, the third change is that I'm able to read, knit, and work on my computer mostly without reading glasses. This is surprising because often, even though the distance vision improves, you still need reading glasses. I imagine that there will still be instances where I will need some help reading small or faint print, but for now, I'm one happy camper. We'll have to see how my vision is when working at the torch.

The surgery on my left eye is scheduled for a week from Monday. I will be glad to have that over, too.

A New Chapter Begins

2010-05-24T21:03:00.008-07:00

As I have mentioned, and alluded to in my blog's subtitle, I also work in glass. But when we moved permanently to Tucson, I had no glass studio, and so have been unable to do my thing at the torch for a couple of years. But that is about to change. We are at present setting up a workspace; and I am so looking forward to being able to create Artglass beads again, as well as small sculptures and vessels, not to mention pieces for shawl pins and closures.

In that vein, I needed some sort of closure for my 1000 Branches Kimono, and found the perfect Butterfly among my previously made beads:

To ensure that I'm at my best when at the torch, as well as all my other creative pursuits, I'm having cataract surgery on my right eye Wednesday, to be followed shortly by the left eye. The challenge now will be how to balance Glass and Fiber.

Translating Knitting Designs into Crochet

2010-05-23T23:52:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to translate some of my favorite knitting projects to crochet, mainly Feather & Fan, and some of Jane Thornley's. One project combines both: the Baked Squash Scarf. I made a few of them last Holiday Season, and I liked them a lot; but I really wanted to try my hand at crocheting one. This is the result:

I'm really quite happy with how it turned out, and I'm working on another one, as well as doing a vest simulating some of her stitch patterns. I'll post photos as they progress.

I WON !

2010-05-19T11:29:00.007-07:00

Those of you who follow TECHknitter's terrific blog already know that I won the prize she offered in a recent poll of her readers. She asked for suggestions of subjects they would like covered in future posts, with the added incentive of a prize to one lucky reader. The winner was chosen by random drawing, and I was notified Monday that I had won! The prize is a $20 Gift Certificate to a LYS (Tucson Yarn Co.) of my choice, AND a set of Addi Clicks interchangeable needles! Today is Wednesday, and I've received both already. How great is that?

If you're not already a reader of TECHknitting, I urge you to check it out. This blog should be your first avenue for How-To information on all aspects of knitting. It's well written, and includes great drawings illustrating the technique or other issue being addressed.

May Squares

2010-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

I finished the May squares for my 2010 CAL/BAM Afghan immediately, but as usual forgot to post photos. The squares are coming along very well, and I think the afghan is going to be great.

Inspiration is Everywhere

2010-05-07T17:25:00.020-07:00

You'd think that living in the desert would be drab, all beige and sand colored. But nothing could be further from the truth. Especially now in Spring, when everything is flowering and greening up.

I wrote those few sentences when I first started this post a full month ago. I was so inspired by the Spring flowers and foliage everywhere I looked. It's now a week into May, and almost Summer. Some of the colors are not as vibrant as they first were, but I had the foresight to photograph things when they were fresh.

I've been collecting yarns in these colors:

Now to decide how to put them together (which I'm sure the yarns themselves will tell me) and what project to make with them.

At Last!

2010-04-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

At last; the 1000 Branches Kimono (I really have to find a new, more personal name for it) is FINISHED! It was a much longer process than I had expected, what with a false start, multiple froggings, a totally reworked front band, and various other mishaps. But finally it is done, and I'm delighted with the finished product.

Tomorrow I hope to get some pictures of me wearing it; after all, it's meant to be worn.

While working on the finishing touches (weaving in myriad ends, blocking, and sewing the side seams) I played around with writing a Haiku about the process. It was something that was brought up at the beginning of the KAL, but no one had seemed to follow up on the idea. Anyway, once I started I couldn't stop, and I kept coming up with different versions. So here are a few of them; let me know what you think:

KIMONO finished
Process excruciating
Results to be seen

KIMONO finished
The process was difficult
Results to be seen

KIMONO finished
Process excruciating
Product exquisite

KIMONO finished
Process excruciating
Product elegant

The Knitting; finished
The blocking; now being done
Tomorrow we see

Knitting is finished
the blocking is also done
photos tomorrow

KIMONO, done at last
Difficult process to finish
desirous results

April

2010-04-19T02:08:00.002-07:00

It's more than halfway into April, and quite a while since I last posted. I've finally finished the knitting on my Kimono, but I still have a LOT of ends to weave in. I find that I can only work on that for a short while, and need to take a break and do something else. Since I've already finished my 2 April squares for the 2010 CAL/BAM,

I needed something else to work on in between all that weaving. So I started a new Feather 'n Fan project in a capelet version. It's been going very well; I really like the way it's coming along:

I'll post more photos as I progress, and hopefully, photos of a FINISHED

1000 Branches Kimono.

2010 Block-A-Month Crochet-Along, February and March

2010-03-27T00:12:00.002-07:00

I forgot to post pictures of the February and March squares; so here they are:

February

and March

Now I'm just waiting for the April patterns

New Snag

2010-03-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

I've run into a new snag with the Kimono. The front band is not working well; the seed stitch section is too wide, and the 1000 Branches stitch section is too narrow. If I continue in pattern as is, the band will be at least 4", which is wider than I'd like, and the 1000 Branches (done in narrow ribbon and supposed to be the focus of the band) will barely show up. So, much as I hate to do it, I'll have to frog back and make the seed stitch section 4 rows instead of 6, and add a row or two to the ribbon section to make it stand out more.

I'm not looking forward to frogging what amounts to 8 rows of 202 stitches each, but I'll have to grit my teeth and do it, because I'll never be happy with it the way it is. I'm not sure whether I'll tackle it right away, or wait till my guests have come and gone. We'll see. I'll post progress as it occurs.

The End is in Sight

2010-03-08T16:11:00.001-07:00

I've finished both sleeves, not easily. I kept having to frog and redo; partly because it wasn't looking right, and partly because I kept making mistakes. This whole project has been fraught with mistakes and revisions; but I think the end results will be worth it. That is, if I can come up with some creative way to add the front band so that it adjusts the fit. It seems a little big, even for a kimono, which is generally large by nature. We'll see what I come up with.

By now, of course, I am really anxious to finish it. I have a week until some friends from back home come to visit. I'd like to be done by then, not so much to show it off, but so I don't have it hanging over my head, waiting till I can squeeze in some knitting time while our guests are here. This doesn't mean I won't be doing any fibercraft while they're here; just not something that consumes my time aand attention as much as this has.

One Thousand Branches

2010-02-19T20:37:00.030-07:00

I'm finally making some progress on my 1000 Branches Kimono. I've finished the back and both sides of the front, all in one piece, and have added the extension to the left side. I won't be able to do the right side extension until I weave in an awful lot of ends, not one of my favorite pastimes.

So far this project has been taking much more time than I expected. For starters, after casting on the prescribed amount of stitches, and knitting quite a few inches, I discovered that it was wider than it should have been. After agonizing over it for a while, I decided to completely frog it and start over. It took quite a bit of time and work, but in the end I was glad I went to the trouble, because it's now a much better size. To get an idea of what the finished Kimono will look like, see Jane Thornley's original.

The Gem & Jewelry (& Bead) Shows

2010-02-13T22:19:00.005-07:00

It's Gem & Jewelry time here in Tucson. (Or it was when I started this post; I got sidetracked, as usual). In my former life as an Art Glass Beadmaker, I would have been spending the last week at one of the bead venues hawking my wares. Actually, I probably wouldn't have been, since I decided a few years ago that it was getting too hard and I was getting too old to do shows any more.

So, instead, I go to the Whole Bead Show, and the Best Bead Show, to visit my old cronies and see what they are all up to. It's a little bittersweet, though, because part of me wishes that I was exhibiting along with them; but, of course, part of me is perfectly glad not to go through the hassle.

There is a vendor at one of the shows who sells ribbon yarns, and cords, etc. that I've been buying for a few years to use in my fiber work, or jewelry, but have yet to actually incorporate into anything I've made. And this year was no exception

But I do miss working in the torch and making the beads, so I am on a crusade to get a Glass Studio set up. We've been in the new, bigger house over a year, and still no sign of a glass workspace for me; and I'm getting itchy to make some shawl pins, and some other things that have been on my mind. So let's see where this goes.

New Afghan Square

2010-02-01T22:35:00.003-07:00

After finishing the January squares for the BAM/CAL, and while waiting for the February ones to be posted, I tried an extra one that had been posted on the BAM/CAL board.

Because it's 2 colors, I figured I couldn't use it in my afghan, but decided to try it all one color to see what it would look like.

While it doesn't have the pop and pizazz that it does in 2 colors, it's still an attractive square, and I may use it as a filler, depending on how it looks in Ivory, and whether I need an extra square later in the season.

2010 Block-A-Month Crochet-Along

2010-01-22T21:09:00.007-07:00

I finished both January squares for the 2010 BAM/CAL in 2 days.

E-ZEE V-ZEE Granny Square

Cute as a Button Square

After posting photos on Ravelry, I discovered that I had positioned the center motif of the Cute as a Button Square at an angle, but decided that I rather like it that way, so I won't replace it.

I am also considering doing a second set of squares in colors to donate to one of the charities that collects afghans and blankets for the needy.

Finished 2009 CAL/BAM Afghan

2010-01-08T14:36:00.002-07:00

These are the squares I did for the 2009 Ravelry CAL/BAM Afghan. The afghan came out very well; so well, in fact, that I've committed to doing it again in 2010. I've already completed the first January square and will be posting each month's squares as they are completed. This year, I'm doing all the squares in just one color: Off-White, as more than one color will fight with the delicate pattern of the couch for which it is destined.

Year's End

2009-12-30T22:47:00.005-07:00

In spite of a few ups and downs, these projects managed to be completed this year:

Now on to the New Year, and to many new projects, starting with the Thousand Branches Kimono, as well as continuing with a slew of WIPs.

Wishing everyone a Healthy, Happy, Peaceful New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T13:58:00.016-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

We always have things to be thankful for, but this year I'm especially grateful that my wrist is healing, (though I still don't have full range of motion or all my strength back, but it's coming) and that I am back to knitting and crochet full time. I really missed it while I was incapacitated; what a bummer that was. But now I'm back to business as usual, and enjoying it as much as, if not more than ever. So much so, that my project ideas are growing faster than I can keep up with them.

I've started working on my Wrap Me Up Shawl again, squares for the 2009 CAL/BAM Afghan, (I only need 1 more before I can start putting it together. I'm really anxious to see how it will come out, and how it will look on my presently naked Family Room couch), and have begun work on Vested Interests, my version of Jane Thornley's newest design: Small Investment. This one will be a pretty quick knit, and I'm looking forward to wearing it soon, as I love vests. It will be nice to wear one I've made instead of bought (I have a bunch from thrift stores, as well as some designer ones, none of them knit or crochet)

I'm also grateful to have found a great knitting community, both online (Ravelry in general, and Jane Thornley's group and the 2009 CAL/BAM bunch in particular) and off: Tucson Yarn Co., Kathy Withers, and some other knitters at Knit Nights (also known as Stitch 'n Bitch)

And, this afternoon, when we have our Thanksgiving Dinner (probably al fresco as we have almost since we first came out to Tucson) I'll think of all these things, and the wonderful Arizona weather, as well. I hope you all have much to be thankful for, too, and enjoy this great day!

I'm Back

2009-11-23T22:55:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a long time since my last post, but I've been busy with Physical Therapy for my wrist, and working obsessively on my Road To Taos Wrap; which I have finally finished. The orthopedist had said that knitting and crochet would be good exercise for the wrist; so I interpreted that literally, and feverishly worked on my wrap, and the squares for the 2009 CAL/BAM Afghan. The wrap is looking pretty good; I'm just not sure if I like the long tails. So I photographed it with the tails hanging loose, and with them knotted. Let me know what YOU think.

Now that I've finished, I'm ready for my next project (not to mention other projects waiting to be done) which is another Jane Thornley design: the Pasha's Investment, a scarf/vest. I love vests, and have a few other vest ideas in the works, but this came along all ready to go. It's an ingenious idea, turning a scarf into a vest, and I have the perfect yarns for it. It's a quick knit, and if I have a chance, I may make up a few as gifts, as I did last year with Schaefer Yarns Feather & Fan short scarf.

I recently read a post on Techknitter's blog that says it all about why we knit. I could never put so eloquently how the act of knitting (or crochet, for that matter) makes one feel. I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately; and now that I can knit and crochet again, I realize how true these thoughts are.

Happy Surprise

2009-10-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently I did make some progress after all. When I bound off the top of the wrap, planning to then add short rows around the piece to lengthen and widen it, I crocheted rather than knit it off. I used a slightly smaller hook, and the result was that it pulled the whole edge in somewhat, so the tails now hang to my knees instead of to the floor. This also added some fullness to the width. So I think that I can pick up stitches from where I bound off, and continue on for a while, using some of those yarns I never got to. This should bring it all closer to the original shape that I wanted.

Here is a view of the modified shape so far, compared to the original longer version, which can be seen in the previous post, or on my project page.

Making Progress?

2009-10-20T22:45:00.010-07:00

10/17/09
Well, it's been 4 days since the cast came off, and it really has made a big difference. The brace is almost like the cast, in that it's a bit uncomfortable and quite restricting; but after knitting for a while without it, (which is a breeze, compared to with it) putting it back on does seem to relax the wrist and arm a bit.

I'm getting some work done on the Road to Taos Wrap, but it seems that for every few inches finished, there are a few rows that have to be frogged. I had to redo 2 1/2 rows (190 stitches each) because somewhere in those rows I lost a bunch of stitches. It was a furry, eyelash kind of yarn, and it was hard to find where I had gone wrong, so I had to rip back to where that yarn started, and begin all over again.

10/20/09
Since I started this post, a lot has happened. I got a lot done on the Wrap, and last night decided to check how it was doing, size-wise. Disaster! I seem to have increased too much too fast, and it's now as wide as it should be when finished, but no where near long enough down the back. My first thought was that I'd have to frog whole sections, and redo them without increasing so much. But that seems such a waste of time, and work. So I think what I'll do is add a section at the bottom of the back, before putting an edging around the whole piece.

I know that will work, but it's a shame because I still have some yarns I wanted to use at the top (which would be the part that hangs down the front). I guess I'll have to save them for another project.

The Cast is Off!

2009-10-14T14:09:00.010-07:00

The cast came off yesterday, as planned. At first I was a little concerned, as it didn't look all that good to my untrained eye. But the Xrays showed that the bones are healing as expected, and should only need a couple of weeks more. The Doctor gave me a brace, but I only have to use it "as needed" and NOT when knitting or crocheting, which he said are good exercise. And without the restrictions of the cast or brace, I can knit without discomfort for longer periods. Hooray! He also suggested going for PT, which I know will help me get back to normal.

Besides working on my Taos project, I've started to catch up on my squares for the 2009 BAM/CAL project; I have between 4 and 6 squares to do for September and October. That should keep me pretty busy.

But the Taos wrap is still top priority; I really want to finish this. I am totally obsessing over it, partly because of all the lost time, and partly because one tends to obsess over Jane's designs. You just want to keep going until you finish. As soon as I make a little more headway I'll post a new progress picture.

Tomorrow's the Day!

2009-10-12T17:52:00.011-07:00

Well, tomorrow's the day they take off the cast, and I hopefully switch to just a brace. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will really be back in business then.

In the meantime, I've gotten some more work done on my Road to Taos Wrap (also known as Sunset over a Mountain in the Desert). It's coming along pretty well, I think. I've been having trouble trying to get a picture with the true colors, but it's looking very much like my inspiration painting. You'll just have to trust me on that.
I'll report back after my visit to the Orthopedist tomorrow.

Cats Are #1

2009-10-09T14:41:00.001-07:00

Cats Are #1,
originally uploaded by Meet The Breeds with AKC & CFA.

Knitting Again

2009-10-08T11:05:00.009-07:00

Hooray! I finally am able to do some knitting in earnest. After 2 weeks of discomfort, I called the Ortho's office, and it was decided that the cast was probably too tight, and yesterday I went in to have it replaced. But the cast tech said it made no sense to put on a new cast when it's coming off next Tuesday. so he sliced it down the 2 sides to relieve the pressure, and best of all, cut away the part that was digging into the inner base of the thumb. The minute he did that, I knew it was going to be OK.

When I got home, I immediately tried both crochet and knitting, and I could do both. Granted, there is still a little discomfort, but nothing like the pain I was feeling before. There, I've actually said the word: PAIN. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that it actually hurt, because I usually have a very high threshold of pain, and it bothered me that this hurt as much as it did. That usually means that whatever is hurting is pretty bad.

But the main thing is that I got about 4" of my Taos project done. I actually had gotten more done, but had to frog 6 rows of garter stitch, because the color wasn't right. I probably overdid it a bit, so I'll have to pace myself from now on.

Today I went to Tucson Yarn Company, my LYS of choice here in Tucson, and found some more yarns to possibly use in the Road to Taos Wrap, and started playing around with them. I'm trying not to do too much knitting at one time, so as not to aggravate the wrist; so I'm spending part of my time sorting out the yarns I have, and deciding which ones to use in what order. Not that those decisions are set in stone, but it helps to eliminate or add yarns until the mix looks good.

I've also done some crochet as well; I am so far behind on my squares for the 2009 BAM/CAL. I put in a little time on the September bonus square; but that's all I have so far. There are still the 2 regular September squares, the 2 October squares, and a bonus one for October, too. I'll have to see how many squares I really still need for the Afghan. I may skip some of these if I don't need them.

That's it for now. I'll be back when there's more news.

Home At Last

2009-10-05T21:40:00.018-07:00

Since I've been home, almost 3 weeks (where does the time go?) things have been anything but normal. Until today, I haven't driven at all, and haven't been much out of the house for that matter. I got to see a local Orthopedist 2 weeks ago today. He took off the cast, did some new Xrays, and concurred with the Dr. in Los Alamos that the scaphoid was probably not broken. He then put on a new cast (a better Purple than the 1st one, and waterproof to boot)

I asked if I could knit, and drive, and he said yes to both. But the reality is, that while it's OK to do both, I'm not really physically able to knit, or crochet. Every few days I would try to work on my project from the Jane Thornley workshop in Taos, but it would be so uncomfortable that I couldn't get very far, and, in fact, usually had to frog what I had done. So I wasn't making any progress, just doing the same parts over and over. I had been putting it out of sight, thinking that would keep me from being tempted; but I would keep thinking about it, and go seek it out to try again. After taking one last stab last night, and still being very uncomfortable this morning, I had to admit defeat. It will have to wait a while before I try again. This is as far as I've gotten.

I didn't know about the driving, because until today I didn't try. My DH has done the driving whenever I needed to go anywhere. Which wasn't often: the above mentioned Dr.'s appointment, to the Synagogue for Yom Kippur, and out for dinner to celebrate my Birthday. But today, for the first time, I drove. I've always been a mostly one-handed driver anyway, so it wasn't too bad. Harry, the DH, came with, in case I ran into any problems. I didn't really, but got tired after most of the errands, so he drove to the last one and then home.

I'm due to see the Orthopedist again next Tuesday. He's supposed to remove the cast, and if all goes well, replace it with a brace. I assume that it will be less restricting, and hopefully I'll be back in business. In the meantime, I'm using my knitting/crochet time learning to use my birthday present: a much needed new laptop.

After the Fall: the next step

2009-10-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

On Monday, after arriving at my friend, Donna's house, I saw an orthopedist in Los Alamos, who looked at my Xrays, removed the splint, and after probing around a bit, said that he didn't think the scaphoid was broken. This was good news, as it meant I could probably use the thumb much earlier than expected. He then put me in a short, lightweight, Purple cast, and said I should see a local orthopedist when I got home; Friday or Monday would be fine.

Heidi, my daughter, arrived mid-afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day settling in and visiting with Donna and Wilbur. On Tuesday we started out on our way home. Heidi didn't want to drive the whole 8 hours in one day, so we decided to stop off at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, NM , and then stay overnight in Truth or Consequences. The wildlife was almost non-existent at the refuge, but the scenery was beautiful, although a bit overcast.

On Wednesday, we started the last part of our journey, and stopped at Rockhound State Park, outside of Deming, NM. Unlike most of our other stops in NM, it was quite hot there, and I couldn't stay out in the heat very long; so after a while we took off. Heidi did find some very nice rocks, however, and I got some smaller stones inside the Visitor's Center. We then had our lunch at a scenic Rest Stop, (we had shopped for provisions before leaving Santa Fe) and continued on home, arriving around 7pm. I don't know when I've been happier to get home from a trip.

After the Fall

2009-09-25T23:32:00.009-07:00

When I fell, it was in full sight of many people, some of whom came running. They were all very solicitous, wouldn't let me get up right away, and checked to see what might be injured. When they saw that my wrist and lower arm were already quite swollen and turning black and blue, it was immediately decided that I needed to go to the ER. They got some ice, propped up my arm, and sent me on my merry way, accompanied by Carrie and Sheri, the organizers of the workshop. They were a great support team, taking care of me and all the little details, like finding my ID and insurance cards, and getting me checked in, and out. All while sitting in the ER waiting room with no dinner but a couple of candy bars.

The outcome, after much probing around and a slew of Xrays, was that I had fractured 3 bones in my wrist. One of these was the scaphoid, at the base of the thumb, which is harder to heal than the others, and requires total immobilization. So they put me in a splint (I was still too swollen for a cast) from my upper arm all the way down and encasing the thumb completely. It wasn't very well done, IMHO, but it did the job; it kept my thumb immobile, as instructed.

The rest of the time in Taos was, shall I say, bittersweet. I felt like the 1-Armed Paperhanger, unable to do so many things for myself. Everyone was so helpful and solicitous; helping me at the buffet, carrying things, opening doors, etc. You get the picture. Jane and her wonderful husband, John, took me along on a couple of excursions and to dinner. But the fact remained that I couldn't knit; could only watch the others knitting, take notes when Jane was explaining her methods, and sit there arranging and rearranging my yarns, looking for just the right mix of colors and textures to use on MY Road to Taos Feather & Fan Wrap, whenever I could finally start working on it. Of course that mix changed daily, some times more than once, as I'd see other possibilities.

The other problem was: How would I get back home? Luckily, 4 of the women were driving to Albuquerque to fly home, and one of them offered to drive me (and my car) to my friend's house outside of Santa Fe, and then join her friends to go the rest of the way. And my daughter was flying into Albuquerque to join me at my friend's and drive us back home to Tucson.

Coming soon: the "Adventure" continues

False Prophecies and Misadventures

2009-09-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

The evening before leaving on my trip to Santa Fe and Taos, we had dinner with friends at a Chinese Restaurant. When the Fortune Cookies came, I really perked up, because mine said: "Your new adventure will bring you happiness". I figured that this referred to the Jane Thornley Workshop/Retreat to which I was headed. I certainly expected it would be an adventure. Little did I know what kind of adventure it would be.

I arrived in Santa Fe Tuesday evening, September 8th; and spent an uneventful night in a nice motel. Wednesday, I visited my friend at her gallery and we had lunch together before I visited 2 of the great LYSs in town. As usual, I couldn't resist the gorgeous yarns, and bought quite a bit at both shops; some of it to possibly use in the workshop.

I then got on the road to Taos, at least I thought it was the way to Taos. After driving for great distances, at pretty high speeds, I came to the realization that I was not heading to Taos. I would have stopped and asked if there was a way to get where I was going from where I was, but there weren't many places to go off the road and stop, and it was raining pretty heavily most of the time, so I turned around and went back to Santa Fe. This cost me a couple of hours at least.

Once I found the right road, I figured I could still make it to the Retreat in time for the evening get acquainted event, but I ended up taking another wrong turn (or, rather, not taking a turn I should have). To add to the problem, once I got partway there, my cell phone wouldn't work and I couldn't even make contact with the people at the retreat. By the time I finally arrived there, it was after 10pm, and too late to meet up with any of the other participants. So I settled in my room for the night, and hoped that the next day would be better.

After breakfast (great food and companionship) we moved into the Log Cabin and began the workshop. Jane is a great teacher, as I knew she would be, and we began working on our projects. It was interesting to see everyone's different approaches; the theme was (loosely) The Road to Taos, or the colors of the Southwest and New Mexico. During this time I got to show off my Paua Shell/Watergarden Shrug and my Little Fishies Scarf.

After lunch, more good food and conversation, most of us went to scout out the LYSs, supposedly all within easy walking distance. It was quite warm, even hot, that day, and some of us really felt it. After visiting 2 shops, and buying quite a bit of yarn, I decided to head back to the lodge. Jane and I walked back, and I joined some of the others in the log cabin to work on our projects.

I decided to go up to my room for something, and on my return it happened, I tripped on the uneven flagstone and fell. HARD!

To Be Continued

It's Finished!

2009-09-07T23:30:00.004-07:00

ThePaua Shell/Watergarden Shrug is finished! Most of the ends are woven in, the seams are joined, and an edging has been added. There are still a few loose ends inside one of the sleeves, but I’ll take care of them.

It turned out beautifully. I love the colors, the yarns, and the stitch patterns. I had a few problems here and there, when a color, or yarn, or stitch didn’t work out as planned, and did a little more frogging than I was happy with, but, all in all, an enjoyable project. And now I'm ready to attack the Feather n Fan project when I get to Taos for the Workshop/Retreat.

So tomorrow I'll head off to New Mexico . I'm already packed and can actually get to bed at a reasonable hour. I may even be able to get up and on my way early enough to get to Santa Fe before dark. On Wednesday I'll check out the LYSs before driving to Taos. I can't remember when I've been ready for a trip this early! I keep thinking that I must be forgetting something. Oh, well, time will tell.

Heading to New Mexico

2009-09-05T21:23:00.008-07:00

There are only 2 more days till I head to Santa Fe and Taos. As usual, there is still too much to do. But, also as usual, the important stuff will get done. And what doesn't, can be done without, or done later. I am getting excited about this trip, especially the Workshop/Retreat with Jane Thornley in Taos. For one thing, I've never been to Taos, but have always wanted to go there. And I know the workshop will really be an experience to remember. I've been putting off doing a JT Feather n Fan project, because it seems a little daunting; but being able to actually do it with Jane there to help is very reassuring.

I've finished the Paua Shell/Watergarden Shrug, at least all the knitting. Now I have to weave in all the ends, and there are a LOT; not one of my favorite pastimes as I may have said before. But I will do it, and sew the seams, and put on an edging. I do intend to have this done to show off at the workshop. And when it's done, I'll post some pictures and show it off here, too.

Watergarden Shrug with Paua Shell Colors

2009-08-29T14:54:00.015-07:00

The colors in these Paua Shells became the inspiration for my new project:
Jane Thornley's Watergarden Shrug"

I began working on this shortly after finishing the Little Fishies scarf. I say "finishing" laughingly, as I still haven't woven in the ends and added beads and embellishments, but I hope to add them before I get to Taos for the Jane Thornley Workshop/Retreat. I also hope to have this shrug done so I can show it and the scarf at the workshop. I have 1 sleeve and 3/4 of the back done, so this is certainly doable.

Little Fishies

2009-08-21T14:18:00.029-07:00

I've finished my Little Fishies Beaded Panel Scarf, sans beads.They will be added at some future date, after I get a chance to make some new fish and shell beads. But for now, I'm happy with it.

Started August 1st, finished August 12th, 2009. Record time, for me.

As my first Jane Thornley project, it gave me a chance to get my feet wet, and I learned a lot in the process. From my notes:
Finally starting a Jane Thornley project!
OK, I did it. I cast on Saturday, 8/1/09, and am officially doing this KAL. I’ve learned a lot in the last 24 hours: Read the pattern through (not just the materials list) before you start selecting yarns. It gives you a better understanding of how your yarns and colors will work together, and which stitch patterns will be used with which yarns. When I started the front panel, I realized that my ribbon was very wide, and my tape was very narrow, and some adjustments had to be made to make them look right together. (Waiting to go look for yarn to replace 1 or the other was NOT an option :D) Besides the disparity in width, the thinness of my tape caused the size of the panel to be way too small. So I turned the k2/p2 ribbing into k3/p2 ribbing; this made the k3 tape stand up better against the p2 ribbon, and added a little to the size of the piece. I also had to add more stitches to the cast-on. Then I used 2 strands of the plain yarn, and added an extra couple of rows of garter stitch to make it taller. It still isn’t 7”x4”, more like 6 1/2”x3”, but it works for me. I think 4” high would be a little too much on my neck.

Then came the bubble type yarn. This has got to be the biggest pain of any yarn I've ever worked with. I used Crystal Palace Yarns Popcorn, which apparently is interchangeable with Prism Yarns Bubbles.

As you can see from the picture, the yarn is little bobbles separated by a thin thread. If you knit just the thread, the bobbles go floating around haphazardly, and you have a real mess. So I used some of my main yarn with it, which helped some, but still was not perfect. Then I tried sewing it on after knitting a section, but that was a different kind of pain. Finally, I looked up the sites of the 2 yarns for some insight. Crystal Palace had none to offer, but Prism suggested using #11 needles. Aha! Using #11 needles combined with my idea of adding some more substantial yarn along with it did the trick. The bubbles/bobbles in the later sections (or vignettes, as Jane calls them) of the scarf are much neater, and were easier to do than the earlier ones. Not so easy that I'm ready to tackle them again, mind you. Although I do have an idea or two for more Little Fishies scarves, just without "Bubbles"

Next up: Jane Thornley's Watergarden Shrug
It's just over 2 weeks till I head up to Taos for the Jane Thornley Workshop/Retreat, and I hope to get a jumpstart on using her techniques. This project, added to Little Fishies, should do just that.

Finishing Ravelry's WIPs WrestleMania

2009-08-15T13:10:00.007-07:00

July was a busy month, and August looks to be the same. I just haven't been able to sit down and write, so I think I'll have to do this post in bits and pieces.

For starters, I finished the Sandra Kimono Jacket (more on that later) and made progress on the Wrap Me Up Shawl. I also did both Auqust squares for the 2009 Crochet 12" BAM/CAL: Lovely in Pink & Grey, and Bright & Cheery. Added to the other WIPs I had finished earlier in the month, I was happy with my results for WrestleMania. It motivated me to get things done. I may have to periodically set aside a month to work on finishing projects.

The Kimono Jacket still needed a lot of work, and took up quite a bit of time and effort. While I was blocking it, I discovered that in some sections, the variegated yarn striped, but in others, it pooled. I was not a Happy Camper, but it was obviously too late to do anything about it. Frogging it, and starting over, was NOT an option. Other than that, it turned out well, but too big for me. It seems that I inadvertently was using a larger needle than planned. Luckily, I had already considered giving it to my daughter, and this clinched the deal.

Immediately on August 1st, I cast on a new project: the Little Fishies Beaded Panel Scarf, my first Jane Thornley KAL. More on this in my next post.

It's July; WIPs WrestleMania Month

2009-07-19T14:06:00.038-07:00

This month, July, is WIPs WrestleMania on Ravelry. For the uninitiated, WIPs are Works in Progress, and those of us engaged in WrestleMania all try to finish off as many WIPs (also known as UFOs, or Unfinished Objects) as we possibly can by the end of the month.

I started off the month hoping to finish up these wips:

Kathy’s Moebius

A moebius wrap crocheted with some of Kathy Withers’ beautiful handspun yarn. I had actually finished the body of the wrap, but it still needed some embellishment. I made a few scrumbles, mostly flower shapes, but had to redo a spiral/curlicue, and attach them all (artfully, of course) to the wrap. This was my oldest wip; I had bought the yarn in March, 2007, and started working on it some time that summer. And it also was the piece with the least amount of work left to be done, so I was able to polish it off quickly, although I didn't actually get it done till 10:15pm, July 6th, after Eva's Shawl.

Eva’s Shawl, Modified

This was my next easiest project to finish; I already had about 5 or 6 repeats done. I did a couple more repeats, then added a deep ruffle, and finished it July 6th, 12:15am. (I do some of my best work in the wee hours of the morning.) ☺

Sandra Kimono Jacket
This is the project I’m working on now. I’m finished with the back, left side, and 4/5 of the right front. I work on it daily, trying to finish at least 1 block (24 rows) on whatever piece I’m doing. I still have both sleeves to go; then I can put it together, and another wip will be history,

Wrap Me Up Shawl
I doubt that this will be done this month. There’s still too much work to do on it, and not enough time after I finish the Kimono Jacket. It’s not Top Priority anyway; it’s a little too heavy to wear in Tucson this time of year.

Sideways Vest
I had originally planned to do this before the Kimono Jacket, but when I took it out to work on, I realized that I was not happy with the yarns I was using. I played around with substitutions for some and finally decided it needs to be started from scratch with new yarns and a new plan. But I decided not to take the time to frog it now while I have other projects that hopefully can get done for WIPs WrestleMania.

Loopy Shawl/Throw
I thought this would be simple to finish; just Garter Stitch till it was long enough. But this was another project that just didn’t look right. I kept this in the car to work on whenever I had to wait anywhere, and apparently had not really looked at it for a while. The variegated yarn didn’t look very good going across the piece, and I decided to do it lengthwise instead. So I frogged it and rewound the yarn. I’ll get to it another time.

Actually, for the purpose of WrestleMania, frogging it counts as a finished project!

And, possibly,
Undulating Waves Scarf
But this is a lace scarf, with an 18 row pattern repeat, and I had no idea which row of the pattern I was on. In the process of figuring it out, I discovered a few mistakes and decided to frog it and start over. Which also counts as a finished project.

Santa Fe: SOFA and Tour of LYSs

2009-06-23T13:23:00.011-07:00

I've been back from Santa Fe for over a week, but I haven't had a chance to post my thoughts till now.

The main reason for my trip was to attend the 1st SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art) in the Southwest. This art expo has been in Chicago for about 20 years, and New York (not sure how long). I've been attending the Chicago event for the last 16 or 18 years, and when we decided to move to Tucson permanently, I planned on going back to Chicago for it every year. But when I found out it was going to be in Santa Fe in June, I decided to test it out. This was a location I could drive to, and I could kill 2 or 3 birds with one stone: do SOFA, see a friend who lives there, and check out the LYSs, of which there are 5, 1 more than in Tucson.

Touring the LYSs turned out to be interesting and exciting, as well as frustrating. Santa Fe is an easy city in which to get lost. Even though I went on Mappoint and Mapquest to get directions, often the directions didn't account for the fact that some streets had more than 1 location in town, and often you couldn't seem to get from 1 to the other. I wasted a lot of time trying to find some of the shops, until the last day, when I discovered that the map of Art Galleries I had picked up pretty much covered the areas where the yarn shops were as well.

At any rate, here's my assessment of the shops:

Oodles
I went to this one first because it is hosting a Jane Thornley workshop Labor Day weekend, and I assumed, rightly, that there would be a lot of yarns suitable for freerange knitting. I found it to be a cosy, friendly shop, with some really gorgeous yarns. I initially thought I was just checking out the shops for future reference, but based on previous posts, I'm sure you know that I couldn't resist adding to my stash.

I will definitely go back on any future trip/s.

Tutto
This one I almost didn't find. I kept walking around looking for the address, but when I came to where the address should have been, no Tutto. Until I got smart and asked another shopkeeper. It turns out that the shop is on the 2nd level, but there was nothing to indicate that fact.

I found Tutto to be adequate, but not particularly inspiring. The 2 people there offered help, but I didn't really require any, and I left without purchasing anything.

Needle's Eye
This is one of 2 shops on the same sort of circular road. It wasn't hard to find, but had other problems: parking meters. Actually, most of the places I went, including SOFA, had metered parking, and I often didn't have enough change. In this case, after spending some time there, I realized my meter was running out. There was a lot across the street (actually closer than where I was parked) so I went to move my car, only to find that the lot charged a flat fee (more than it was worth for the amount of time I could stay) so I ended up not returning to the shop. I was running out of time, and still had 2 more shops to see. This was my last day, and I didn't want to go without at least checking out all of the shops. I have no doubt that, had I returned, I would have purchased some yarn here.

The shop was neatly laid out, but with a lot of different areas, so next time I would allow more time to explore. There will be a next time; more on that later.

Miriam's Well/Santa Fe School of Weaving
This is another great shop, full of many different yarns, and gorgeous samples designed and made by the owner, who, unfortunately was out of town. But the young man who was watching the shop was very helpful (to the point of actually guiding me to the shop by cell phone when I couldn't tell if the dirt road across the street would take me where I wanted to go.) He is a weaving student (possibly apprentice?) of Miriam's.

One of the samples (actually many) was of a ruffled scarf unlike any I'd seen before, and I found a variegated 95% wool/5% silk yarn to try one, and the pattern, which is free if you buy the yarn. I also bought 2 colorways of Fiesta Yarns La Boheme.

Another shop to which I will definitely return.

Looking Glass Yarn & Gifts
This was my last stop. Another shop with all kinds of glorious, and some very unusual yarns. The first that I noticed was Habu textiles silk stainless. This is a very fine silk yarn with a core of stainless steel. Last fall, Lion Brand Yarns introduced a yarn (wool, I think) with stainless steel, but I've never seen it in stores; I guess it's only available online. And this yarn, with silk, was even more intriguing. So, of course, I bought some.

I also got some Kraemer Sterling silk & silver; actually only 20% silk and 2%silver, with 63% superwash merino and 15% nylon. The yarn has little shots of silver throughout. I'm anxious to see how it makes up. The theme of my purchases on this trip, and especially at this shop, seems to be Silk.
This is another shop I'll return to. Actually, I will return to all the shops except Tutto; I didn't find anything exceptional there.

As far as returning to these shops goes, I will be taking a Jane Thornley workshop in Taos this coming September. Since Taos is just enough farther from here than Santa Fe, I will most likely stop in Santa Fe on my way there (and probably on my way back as well) and stay at least overnight. So I'll get another chance to shop there. Not to mention shopping in Taos. That will be another tour of LYSs to write about.

Obsessions/Addictions Part 2

2009-06-02T16:20:00.003-07:00

I have been going through my stash and have come to the conclusion that no matter how much yarn I have (and how varied it is) it's never enough. Whatever new project I start, I don't have all of the right yarn, or yarns needed for it.

For instance, I thought that much of the yarn I purchased at the Tucson Yarn Company's Moving on up Sale (all of the green beauties shown in my last post) would be perfect to use when I go to Jane Thornley's workshop in Taos in September. The project hasn't been announced yet, but most likely these yarns would work. But I know that when I get to Taos, I'll want to scour the shops there to see what special treats there are to add to it all. Especially because so far I don't have a variegated or lead yarn to tie it all together.

But now Jane has announced a KAL based on the patterns and ideas in her new Summer Free Range Knitting Guide, including the Leaflings Shrug/Wrap, which is just crying out for Green. So I may use all or some of my greenery on that, instead of waiting to try one of Jane's ideas when I get to Taos. Then I'll have to start all over with new yarns for that project. :)

Which leads me to believe that it's folly to just buy/collect yarn because I like or love it, or because it's on sale, unless there is already a project to use it for. Because then it just sits there, looking enticing and feeling yummy, and accumulates with all the other beautiful yarn. But does that mean I'm going to stop buying yarn for which I have no immediate use?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Addictions/Obsessions

2009-05-22T20:13:00.014-07:00

It seems that my addictive/obsessive personality reaches into many, if not all, aspects of my life. I used to think that only books fell into that category; I couldn’t be trusted in a bookstore. Then, when I started working with glass, I saw it manifested again; with glass, tools, videos, and more books. Now that I’ve returned to fibercrafts, after a long hiatus, it is worse than ever. Not just yarn, needles and hooks, but books, magazines, and patterns, not to mention classes and workshops. Which is why I’m so proud of myself for resisting (mostly) the Siren Call of Tucson Yarn Company’s Moving On Up Sale.

I was able to confine myself to 1 (ONE) visit, and 1 (ONE) basket of yarn during the weeklong sale. The staff kept saying, “You need another basket. I’ll get you one.” But I would say, “No, if this gets full, I’ll have to either stop, or take out some yarn if I want to add more.” And I pretty much stuck to my guns. I only bought yarn that fit in one basket. Of course, the basket was more or less overflowing, but I was able to keep it all intact.

And I was able to stick to a plan of sorts, so I didn’t just grab everything that looked good. Instead of picking up everything Purple, as I often do, I did a selection of Greens with a little bit of darker Blues, and when I got home, I found some ribbon and eyelash/fun fur from my stash that I can add to possibly use for a Jane Thornley Feather and Fan Organic Wrap or other Free-Range/Free-Form project. I’m hoping to do a workshop with Jane this Fall, and I may save all this yarn for that project.

Next, I found some narrow tapelike 100% Organic Cotton in a Navy Jeans color and in a Denim color which really is more of a Gray. I’ve been wanting to try some of this for a while; it falls under the category of lighter weight yarns for the weather here in Tucson.

I’ve also been wanting to play around with some Noro sock yarn, fits the lighter weight (and thinner) category, and they had some Kureyon in my kind of colors.

The last yarn I got was one I would have passed up, but they had a sample of it knitted up, and while it works up a little on the bulky side, it’s very soft and not really heavy at all. I got it in 2 colorways, including a muted purplish tone, so I did do some of my signature color.

I've managed to store all the yarns, and now I just have to finish up a few projects before I get to tackle some of the new stash.

Update

2009-05-04T21:47:00.005-07:00

Just a few lines to bring to a close the saga of the car that crashed into our house. To make a LONG story as short as possible, most of the repair work on the house was completed on time, and after many attempts to finish the whole episode, the buyer finally signed all the documents at the last minute on April 28th, which was the scheduled closing. But it was so late in the day that the sale could not be registered, nor could they release the funds. By the time it was all accomplished, it was 4 o'clock on the 29th before we received the check. But now it's done, and we no longer have to concern ourselves with the matter. So I can write CLOSED and go on with all my creative pursuits.

Life is What Happens While You're Busy Making Other Plans

2009-04-25T22:30:00.006-07:00

Excerpts from a message to family and friends back in Illinois:

Friday, April 3rd
Well, it’s official, I’m an Arizonan now, and so is Harry. In the past couple of days, we’ve gotten Arizona Driver’s Licenses and License Plates, transferred our car titles, and registered to vote. Since the sale on the Skokie house closed 6 weeks ago, we don’t even own any property in Illinois anymore.

We’ve sold our original house here in Tucson, too; at least we have a contract on it,and a closing date of April 28th.

Sunday night, April 5th
I started writing this on Friday; put it aside till I would have more time. Little did I know that I would have a lot more to write about.

At 12:45 Saturday afternoon, we got a call from our former next door neighbor at the old house, sounding very upset, to say the least. It took a bit till she calmed down and I could understand what she was saying: a car had plowed through the front yard of our not quite sold house, and smashed into the corner of it. On it’s way, it went up on the curb and through some of the shrubs at 2 houses across the street, and almost ran down one of our neighbors. Luckily, she had stopped to pick up some litter, and the car missed her. But she was pretty shook up.
The car miraculously drove between 2 trees up our front lawn, plowed through the Ocatillo and a small Cholla before it hit the corner of the house.

Saturday afternoon, April 11th
I’ve been busy preparing for Pesach, not very well; the accident at the other house kind of threw a screw in the works. This year we weren’t having any guests for Seder, so at least I didn’t have to worry about anyone but Heidi and us. The Seders went OK under the circumstances, so now I have a chance to try and finish this.

Harry has been busy working his magic to get things going over at the other house. He’s managed to get the ball rolling and everyone involved is pretty sure that the work can be finished in time for the closing, which we were afraid would have to be postponed. We’ve already got whatever permits are necessary, and they’re supposed to start work on Monday.

Monday, April 13th
They have actually started working on the house, and seem very organized and competent. There are a number of different crews involved: electrical, construction, you name it.

Thursday, April 23rd
The work is pretty much done, and I went in and signed all the papers today; and the buyers were to do the same later. The walk-through is scheduled for 11am Sunday morning, and if all goes well, Tuesday it will all be done! And we can go on with our life.

2009-03-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog, I thought I was just going to use it for fiber related things. But I think I will also occasionally go on about my glasswork as well. I still have not been able to do any torchwork, as I don't have a studio as yet, but if we don't get to set one up soon, I'm going to have to find someplace to rent torch time.

I'm really chomping at the bit to get behind my torch; I have a lot of ideas waiting. I think beadmaking will not be foremost on my mind. I still want to try some small sculptures and vessels, and as an adjunct to my fiber work, Shawl Pins and the like.

2009-01-25T01:37:00.000-07:00

I've been involved in Arts and Crafts all my life. I began knitting and crochet when I was about 7 or 8, and continued until about 15 years ago. I graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and worked in the Chicago Fashion Industry until I stayed home to raise my daughter and son. While they were young, I taught Macrame, Knitting, and Crochet at a local community center, as well as selling my creations at Craft Fairs. I also taught Exercise, Weight Control and Nutrition, and Belly Dancing at the same community center. I also demonstrated Housewares for a number of years.

About 18 years ago I started designing glass bead jewelry, which led to creating my own glass beads, since I was never able to find the beads I envisioned in my head to use in my jewelry. To go along with the beadmaking, I took some metalsmithing classes, and have incorporated metal and wirework with my beads. While spending our winters in Tucson, I was unable to continue my glass work. So, looking for another outlet for my creativity, I returned to Knitting and Crochet, having become hooked (pun intended) on all the beautiful new yarns available. I am hoping to return to glasswork soon, but will never again stop fibercrafts.

2009-01-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

This is a Work in Progress. Please check back again.