Wilde Thyme Knits

Celebration Shawlette

2011-08-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

At last I can tell you about my secret project. It's been so hard keeping quiet about this for so long, so it's quite a relief to finally be able to show it to you.

Back in April/May time, Tara at RainCity Fiber Arts asked me if I could design a piece featuring her yarn to celebrate the 6th anniversary of our local yarn store (Country Yarns in Snohomish, WA.) I was really honoured to be asked and as I'd been exploring lace shawls, we decided that a shawlette would be a great item to showcase her beautiful sock yarns.

I set to work knitting a prototype and making copious notes. Deadlines for shop samples and photos were put in place and I started to create the charts in Excel and write up the written pattern in Word.

It was at this point that I became ill. Great timing eh?!

Fortunately, I was well enough to knit, so I cast on for the shop sample in RainCity Fiber Arts Vashon Sock 4ply. It's a blend of 50% SW Merino and 50% Silk, which gives the finished piece a wonderful sheen and drape. I fell in love with the turquoise colour too!

As I knit, I worked out the final kinks in the pattern and somehow managed to finish my charts, written pattern and sample by July 1st. By this point my health was not good. I'd had some severe reactions to the supplements that I was on and the Mono was raging. I realised that the only way that I could meet the rest of my obligations on this project was to subcontract out the tech editing and pdf creation.

Fortunately for me, Tandy Imhoff of Smart Cat Studios was able to take over at this point. Most of the work was done and so, as I lay in bed to allow my body to fight the virus, Tandy turned my work into the final pdf pattern. Once it was completed with Lori Matthiesens' excellent photos, I could hardly believe that I had created this gorgeous shawlette!

On the 13th August Country Yarns had its 6th Anniversary celebration and the commemorative shawlette was unveiled. Hard copies can be purchased from the store and it's also now available in pdf format on Ravelry.

Photos: Lori Matthiesen

Still Here

2011-08-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, I'm still here!

It's been a crazy few months, which has left me with strict orders to rest, an overhauled diet due to the food sensitivities and a secret project that can finally be revealed.

To add to it all, my domain name expired, notification emails were all sent to an address that I haven't been able to access for a year and I got back from vacation to find that my blog had disappeared!

Today, I finally got a moment to see if I could restore things. Thank goodness for Blogger! I was relieved to find that I could point back to my blogspot address and view my old posts once more.

The only question is, "Can you?"

Cupcake-Less!

2011-07-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

So the butter-less, milk-less, egg-less cupcakes turned out great and contrary to my preconceptions were not tasteless. They don't have the density of a regular cake, which unfortunately means you're rather tempted to eat several in one sitting, but, hey, they work!

Caffeinegirl asked me if I'd post the recipe, so here's the link for all you brave souls who are willing to jump on the bandwagon with me:

Grandma's Eggless Butterless Milkless Cake by Tina Demasi-Lemons.

Heading back to the kitchen now, to work out what on earth to make for dinner. If it was just me, I'd be fine, but with a family of 5 to cater for, the new diet is proving a challenge.

Thank goodness for simple summer pleasures like watermelon that everyone can enjoy!

Summer Sunshine.........At Last!

2011-07-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

For some reason my recent diagnosis has finally given me permission to be nice to myself. The timing couldn't have been better either. With the kids out of school and the sun finally arriving here in the Pacific NW, the chance to shift life down a gear or two has been pretty simple.

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen too.........I mean, you know me, I always do, but now there's a sense of urgency attached to my forays into the fridge. After all we ALL eat at least 3 times a day, so instituting a new diet is not something that you can put on hold.

I've never been on a diet in my life...........I say this not to annoy you (although I know it has always made people mad that I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce), but to draw attention to the fact that I have absolutely no concept of just how dang hard it is to have your food restricted!

When the Handy opens a bag of potato crisps in front of me in the evening, I want to throttle him and when the kids sail past me with a bar of chocolate, my tongue hangs out! Last week I baked some French bread, munched on it with a handful of red, seedless grapes and felt this overwhelming desire to finish the meal off with a stonking great slab of Brie.

Be still my beating heart.

My salvation seems to lie in the realms of Asian food for now. Coconut milk is my best friend, so a good Thai curry is on my list of 'skills to acquire.' In the meantime, I'm trying to distract myself from my stomach, by indulging in some summer reading ( love The No1 Ladies Detective Agency series) and a spot of light-weight knitting.

I've cast on for Stephanie Japel's Drop Stitch Lace Tank. I'm knitting it in the round and so I've done away with the selvedge stitches and am adapting it as I go. I've had the Pima Tencel yarn in my stash for the past 2 years and have been wanting to knit this top for the same amount of time. Now I'm doing it.

The yarn is very stretchy and pills a little but it's usable. I'm hoping that I get the sizing right. I'm using a US 6 needle but am thinking that I may have got away with casting on a smaller size? Oh well, time will tell.

As I write this, I can hear the hum of the lawn mower, the flag is flying and I'm marinading chicken for the barbie. An egg-less, fat-less, milk-less (potentially taste-less) cake recipe is awaiting my attention and the fireworks are ready for tonights street party. It can only be the fourth of July.

The sun is shining, my family is together......... it's a beautiful day for a celebration!

It's Been Like This........

2011-06-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's a long time since I posted.

In amongst the mish mash of everyday life, there were some important moments too.

The Little Guy graduated from 6th Grade and so our last child has finished Elementary school. The Geek graduated from Community College........and is looking for a job to tide her over until University starts. Susielusie finished High School two days early and is, at this moment, residing at The Art Institute in downtown Seattle for a 4 day summer school in Fashion Design.

The kids, I am happy to say, are flourishing.

Sadly I am not.

Last week I got my results back from all the blood tests that the Naturopath took and low and behold I sure got my money's worth!

It turns out that back some 15 years ago when my British Gastroenterologist concluded that I had some kind of food allergy, but he couldn't determine what, the dear old guy was spot on. We've just been waiting for technology to catch up. Thanks to a Seattle biotech lab I am now aware that I have sensitivity to not just dairy products, but eggs, citrus, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, radish, celery, asparagus, vanilla bean, pineapple and banana.....Just about everything I have growing in the garden!

Is there anything left to eat?

Apparently so, although at the moment it doesn't feel like it. I am having to spend hours every day just working out what I can eat and how that fits in with the rest of my family. To top it all, I also tested positive for resurgent Epstein-Barr, so I have Mono as well!

Surprisingly, when I'm not having an allergic reaction, I feel pretty happy. I think that I've waited so long for some answers that I'm almost relieved.

It will ofcourse mean a major life change, so expect to see me going more zen. I have to slow down and start behaving like an old lady so that my body can try to repair itself.

Good sleep at night is essential plus a nap during the day (so not me.)

Coupled with all the work on recipes, this regime is crippling my secret project. If others weren't relying on me, I would have shelved it. In the meantime, I've been knitting up a storm, writing and creating charts. I totally love the yarn, which is a 50% silk 50% merino blend sold by a local indie dyer.

To relieve the stress, I'm going to get some help with tech editing, so I can concentrate on getting better.

I'm giving myself a year.

Hopefully, I'll feel like a new woman by then!

Test Drive

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Despite everything during the past few weeks, we have still managed to stay on track with Susielusie and her driving lessons. After all it doesn't take too much energy to sit in the passenger seat of the Honda while she practices. The challenge has been doing it almost every evening for the last two weeks!

She was due to take her test on the 28th May. We went through all the pre-test nerves. The weather was great, she drove to the test center well and the insurance was up-to-date.

We were going to nail this beast!

.......Except, things went wrong right from the moment that she nearly ran over a bird which flew out in front of the car on the way there. Then when we arrived 25 minutes early for the test, they decided to take her out there and then, throwing her into such a frenzy that she dropped her keys between the car seat and the hand brake. Finally, the center rear light wouldn't work and so they wouldn't let her take the test.

She came home totally deflated. I came home relieved.

This past Thurday was her official 1st test. The Handy was back from Oslo and had replaced the lightbulb, so the little blue car was good to go. We cruised out of the cul-de-sac, same time heading to the same place...............and the heavens opened. As she drove us along the River Road to the test center she swore she could feel water on her feet! The windscreen wipers were on manic mode and we could still hardly see the road ahead.

It was a daunting start.

We arrived on time. Waiting in the test parking zone, I spotted the tester that I had had when I moved to the US and had been given just one month to get my license. He came up to the car next to us and asked to see their insurance. It was out of date. I glanced hastily at ours which expired the following day. As he sent them inside to reschedule, I knew that their loss would be our gain and sure enough he approached the Honda just as I left it.

Inside the main building I sat with my back to the windows. I snuck one quick glance behind me just in time to watch Susielusie reverse out of the parking space and head off.

She was on her way.

As I sat with my knitting in a sea of people I reflected on my time at the test center over the past six years. I'd been there myself nervously waiting to drive a vehicle I'd only had for a month on roads that were unfamiliar and heaving with traffic compared with the quiet country roads of western Norway.

Then nearly two years ago, I had started teaching the Geek to drive. She'd taken a summer Driver's Ed class and we'd had to take her out every night for 5 weeks to give her the intense practice she needed. I'd then spent months getting her to chauffeur me around until her test at the beginning of April last year. The weather had been much the same and the minivan's wipers had been on manic mode during the test, but she'd passed with flying colours.

The cost of insurance had been prohibitive though and so I then spent all those weeks driving her to college and sitting in the park on the headland while she was at classes. At the same time Susielusie had started Driver's Ed.

The job change and saving had finally paid off at Christmas though and we had bought the little blue Honda. I had then sat with the Geek for the first few weeks as she drove herself backwards and forwards to winter classes in all kinds of conditions. By February she was off and running.

As the snow and ice abated, I got back in the car with Susielusie. She hated driving the minivan, so as her test approached I relented and we started driving the Honda..................And here we were, finally taking THE TEST! My continuous teenage driving classes of the past couple of years were potentially coming to an end.

It seemed no time at all before she was back beside me. I stuffed my knitting into my bag and looked up at her inquiringly. She gave me a satisfied grin.

She'd PASSED!............and with a 92 in heavy traffic and pouring rain.........just like her sister had done last year!

I breathed a sigh of relief and now welcome the five year break before the Wilde Thyme Driving School starts up again with the Little Guy.

That, I'm sure, will be a whole different experience!

In Praise Of Sticks & String

2011-06-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a funny couple of weeks.

I know I've been a little quiet, but to be honest I really didn't want to bore you.

You see, I've been dealing with some health issues that have left me permanently attached to my knitting nook.

Now, under normal circumstances, this would be deemed something akin to heavenly bliss, but when you don't even have the energy to hoover your home, it's the only place other than your bed where you feel halfway human.

Fortunately, I'm reliably informed that vacuuming is highly overrated and I really haven't missed anything, although being able to cook more than just pasta for 3 days in a row would have been nice. With the Handy in Europe and the kids reaching the heights of end-of-year school projects, it's been a difficult time.

The only thing that has kept me from feeling completely useless has been my secret project. When I could do nothing else but sit in my rocking chair, I could at least knit!

Cranking out a prototype in my purple Cascade Heritage Silk skein has helped me to feel that despite everything, I can still offer something to the world.

It's been my saving grace.

Last week I finally managed to see a Naturopathic Doctor about my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I've had several bouts of it during the past year and each time it seems harder to get over. Fed up with medical doctors who fail to look for underlying causes, I decided that it's time to find someone who will work with me to help me regain optimal health.

I'm now awaiting the results of a barrage of blood tests. We're testing for 96 food allergies, herb and spice intolerances as well as the Epstein-Barr virus. A recent reaction to a cup of nettle tea has left me convinced that years of undiagnosed allergies has left my body going to war on a daily basis, which has taken a considerable toll.

In the meantime, I'm taking Norwegian fish oil every day and trying to partake in light exercise.

I think this is the hardest part.

No more 15 mile bike rides.

No more hour-and-a-half Pilates workouts.

If I can walk The Little Guy to the bus in the morning, I'm doing well.

All I can say, is thank God for knitting.

At least with some sticks and string and a lot of imagination, I can still feel productive.

Beam Me Up Scotty!

2011-05-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

I seem to be a little late to the table but apparently the world ended and I was completely unprepared. Either that or by some strange administrative error, I got left behind.

I had some health issues this week. Couldn't even knit for a few days, which just shows how bad I felt, and then by the time I finally felt somewhere near normal, everyone was telling me that the world was about to end.

Good grief, I thought, What was the point?

I could have slipped off to knitterly heaven, where the clouds are made of the softest pygora, the angels carry spinning wheels and never a stitch is dropped, without a by-your-leave!

Instead I've been fretting over all the things I haven't been able to do, which includes secret projects and finally planting the garden. Thankfully though, I have an eager gardener in training. Last weekend, the Little Guy got his first lawn mowing lesson from the Handy Husband. I was on hand to capture the moment on film and the look of determination was priceless.

As it turns out, the Little Guy's growing interest in horticulture is proving invaluable. With a raised bed to move and masses of starts ready to go into the ground, we need an avid gardener around here to get things underway whilst the Handy and I are unavailable.

The Little Guy says he's the man for the job.

Now all I have to do is get the Geek to cook the meals and Susielusie to take over my knitting and I'm good to go.

Beam me up, Scotty!

Believe It Or Knot

2011-05-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Just popped quickly by to say that it's a big day here at WTK.

22 years ago today the Handy Husband and I tied the knot.

It was a beautiful day full of sunshine, love, laughter and the company of family and friends. My MiL made me a stunning dress and we had a Rolls Royce and horse and carriage too. The reception was held at the county cricket club in an aging pavillion with polished oak floors and sepia-toned pictures of former cricketing legends lined the walls.

It was traditionally English.

As if to remind me of that day, the sun has finally shone here too.

Perfect!

Time To Knit

2011-05-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have found some time to knit this week or rather I've made time. My 'to-do' list is half a mile long but I've found that ignoring it or burying it under a pile of papers does wonders for your equilibrium.

I am cracking on with my Moonlight Sonata Shawl and it's proving very therapeutic. I really love the yarn. It's great to work with and doesn't shed or do anything horrible which would make my knitting life miserable. The Madelinetosh Pashmina is truly adding to the experience and making the creation of this shawl as relaxing as yoga.

I'm working from the written instructions, which is unusual for me, but I'm finding them easier to follow than the chart. I have my trusty Knit Picks Chart Keeper and so I can keep track of which row I'm on using the long magnet. It also makes things easier to transport. I've been taking the shawl everywhere with me and I just sit with the chart keeper open on my lap and knit away.

With just two repeats, eight garter stitch rows and a picot bind off to go, I am within sight of the finish. The problem is that the rows are getting extremely long now, so although that doesn't sound like much, it could well take me quite a while. I keep wondering whether my blocking boards will be big enough too? I can imagine this beauty growing quite significantly when the time comes!

I also received some more lace books as a birthday gift this week. I'm in heaven! Imagine my delight too when I thumbed through Jane Sowerby's Victorian Lace Today and found that it was chock full of photographs of my home town of Cambridge, England. It turns out that Jane lives nearby and the wonderful old buildings make the perfect backdrop for displaying her shawls.

It's a beautiful book with some stunning lace shawls and stoles in it. Back in August 2009, my friend Rudee at A Knitting Nurse made a fantastic version of the Cap Shawl and called it Ruby. She won first place in the knitted shawl section at the Michigan State Fair!
Little did I realise back then that the shawl's designer came from my home town.
It's a small world.

It's Not Where You Start......

2011-05-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Life seems to have spun out of control again. I guess we're getting to that time of year when things go a bit mad if you have children. All three of my kids seem to be reaching key points in their lives at the same time and a lot of the preparations hit this week.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and longing to knit!

(Escapism at its finest!)

It all started with the Royal Wedding really. (Check out The British Monarchy's photo stream on Flickr!) We crawled bleary-eyed, out of bed at 1am on Friday morning and took up residence in the family room snuggled under our duvets. The Geek joined us by 2am, witnessing the ceremony, and then headed back to bed because she had to leave for a weekend Geology field trip by 8.30 am.

I had to drive her. (sigh)

We loved everything about the wedding (except Princess Beatrice's fascinator)! We loved the uniforms, the hats, the outfits, the wedding dress and the wonderful Aston Martin that Prince William drove his bride home to Clarence House in. The kids were thrilled that I'd got them up to watch it live and didn't mind missing school that day either. They are ofcourse British, and this was history in the making.

To top it all off, the sun finally shone this weekend after months of torrential rain! We all emerged from our homes to greet it like a long lost friend. The neighbourhood was buzzing with the sound of lawnmowers hard at work and excited children hard at play. The garden was tackled for the first time since last September and the only blot on the landscape was the financial aid package which arrived from Pacific Lutheran University.

Putting our kids through college will be a major challenge for us as a family, because we moved to the US from Norway, a country that provides Higher Education free of charge. With an international move, mere 6 years of credit history and a job loss to overcome, propelling our kids forward will take a lot of sacrifice.

We're determined to make it though.

This week has already seen the start of that.

The Geek has accepted her transfer scholarship offer to PLU, last night we visited The Little Guy's new Middle School and on Saturday Susielusie sits the SAT's.

Like William and Kate, we're moving on. Not in a fancy Aston, mind you....... more like a worn out white minivan........ but hey, as long as it goes, who cares!

After all, it's not where you start, it's where you finish that counts.

I'm sure that Miss Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and future Queen of England, would agree with me.

Prince William Shawl

2011-04-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

During my recent study of the art of heirloom lace knitting, I came across a very timely piece of history.

One of my recent birthday gifts was this wonderful book by Margaret Stove called Wrapped In Lace: Knitted Heirloom Designs From Around The World.

I've only skimmed the surface of it so far, but I am quite entranced by the story of how she came to lace knitting. Over the years Margaret Stove has become a leading expert on handknitted superfine lace and perhaps her greatest claim to fame is the commission she was appointed to by the High Country Sheep Breeders of the South Island of New Zealand. Using one of their prize winning merino fleeces, she was asked to spin and knit a shawl to mark the birth of the Prince and Princess of Wales' first child, William.

Margaret did just that, also designing each motif taking care to include elements of New Zealand's natural world. You can read the whole story of the shawls construction in the book and, yes, it was so fine that the finished piece could be pulled through a wedding ring!

Since reading this story at the weekend, I've come across it again and again. With Prince William's wedding to Catherine Middleton only hours away now, memories of his mother's wedding and William's birth back in the '80's are everywhere.

Princess Diana spawned a fashion in wedding dresses that lasted for years. Some 8 years after her wedding, I got married myself and had the puff-sleeves, long train and large bow as part of my wedding dress design. Slub silk was still in vogue and I did the Sarah Ferguson thing and wore fresh flowers in my hair.

Like her, I was a country girl!

I'm excited to see just what Miss Middleton will present us with on her big day. You can be sure that people will be copying her style for years to come. She may not be blessed with a handmade shawl to wear, but you can guarantee that she will wear a dress fit for a princess.

I wish the royal couple every happiness in their life together.......and myself some sleep. (Television coverage of the wedding starts at 1am here on the west coast of America!)

Links Featuring Margaret Stove:
Margaret's website
Knitsch: Margaret's Granddaughter, Tash.
Spinning Daily: Article about Margaret's spinning.
Knitty Blog: Fyberspates Give-away

Birthday Stash

2011-04-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was my birthday.

It was a bit strange having a birthday on such a busy day. Organizing the annual egg hunt in the middle of the afternoon was a bit odd, but then again the kids provided me with heaps of amusement as I watched them streaking right past the most obvious eggs or screaming with panic as a spider hopped out to surprise them. I had many a good birthday laugh!

I also received some Easter-style birthday cards, most notably the one above made with love by my 3 year old niece. She had stuck all the pieces on herself and sent it all the way from England.

To add to my happiness I was also lucky enough to be blessed with a surprise skein of yarn. Last week I just happened to be the 500th person to leave a comment over at Nothing But Knit. Turns out Karen had been running a secret giveaway and I was the lucky recipient.

Look what she sent me!

It's a superwash merino called Frolicking Feet and is made by Done Roving Farm Yarns in Charlotte, Maine. The colours are wonderful. Thank you Karen for choosing your gift so thoughtfully. They are perfect Wilde Thyme shades!

Stash enhancement seems to have been on the cards recently. It's probably due to all the college talk going on in the house right now. I think my inner yarn addict is very aware that she may be knitting from her stash for years to come once those college bills come flooding in!

The Handy Husband got me some Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeable needles for my birthday, so I threw in a skein of this Stroll Tonal too.

It's slightly more turquoise than the photo claims, which suits me just fine.

I also picked up this Cascade Heritage Silk in a deep Mulberry on a recent trip to Main Street Yarns in Mill Creek, WA.

Now I'm dreaming of deep, luscious purple lace..........*sigh*.....

.......as soon as I'm finished with my Moonlight Sonata Shawl though.....

....ofcourse.

Peacefully Knitting

2011-04-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

There's something calming about knitting.

It's a very spiritual process (given the right conditions.)

Following last weeks success with the Swallowtail Shawl, I cast on with some Madelinetosh that I'd just received from Little Knits in Seattle. I've been itching to try this yarn to see just what everyone's been raving about, but as I'd spent weeks knitting with laceweight, I decided to give my fingers a break and went for the Pashmina, a sport weight merino/silk/cashmere blend. Don't you just love the cobalt blue colour?

I'm knitting this, the Moonlight Sonata Shawl by Shui Kuen Kozinski.

It's a reversible design using Barbara Walker's Sunspots motif from her book A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

It's taken me a little while to get into the pattern, but now that I'm off an running it's proving very therapeutic. The 12 row repeat is slowly becoming reliably predictable which is a great comfort following last weeks events in our small country town.

A week ago today, evil revealed itself just 4 blocks from my home. A young man was gunned down in the car park of my church.

It happened during the half hour that the church was closed and didn't involve anyone from the church. It was the culmination of an ongoing disagreement between the gunman and the victim, who we think lived nearby. In an instant, our church parking lot became a crime scene.

In the past week, the victim's life has been saved and the gunman has been arrested. I however, have still not fully processed the situation. Just an hour beforehand I had been walking The Little Guy home from the building nextdoor.

I did not grow up in a country where people carry guns. Even the policemen don't carry firearms in the UK, for goodness sake! The knowledge that my neighbour could have a gun in their house has always made me uneasy, so most of the time I push it to the back of my mind.

Last week it was forced into the front again.

We locked the doors, waited for the helicopters to stop flying overhead and for the police to do their job. I picked up my knitting and went back to the comfort of k2tog, yo, ssk.

I knitted sunspots to brighten the day.

I'm still knitting them.

It's Finished!

2011-04-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark

Needle: US5

Yarn: Knitpicks Shadow Hot Rod

It's finished! Yes, here it is my Swallowtail Shawl designed by Evelyn Clark and knitted by me!

This was my first ever laceweight project. I've made a few lace items in heavier weight yarns before, but never braved laceweight......until now. It's strange that it's taken me so long. I've always been attracted to the finer yarns and have several in my stash, but I've never actually embarked upon a project with one. It has been suggested that I was rather brave, foolhardy even, to attempt such an intricate design straight off the bat. I mean, nupps people! Nupps of all things.........fancy beginning with those!

I think you'll agree that it was worth it though. I feel like I knocked this one out of the ballpark.

I cannot begin to describe to you the total shock and awe I felt when I washed the finished 'lacy-mess' and dressed it (this is what they used to call blocking.) I really had no idea that I'd created something quite so beautiful until I laid it out on the blocking boards and started to pin.

It was an incredible moment.

The high I got was better than a chocolate induced sugar rush!

Naturally I invited the entire family to come and appreciate my handiwork, which they dutifully did. Each one seemed as shocked as I was and wouldn't have believed that I'd made the shawl by my own fair hand if they hadn't seen me doing so.

I'm on cloud 9.

My wonderful knitting Guild was equally as impressed when I shared the project with my fellow knitters at our monthly meeting on Tuesday. I don't enjoy putting myself out there, but after plenty of encouragement, I dared to share and was rewarded with enthusiastic applause.

Thank you all. You made my day.

Ofcourse I am now eager for a repeat of the sugar rush high and have cast on for yet another lace project. I have never really experienced such a sense of achievement at the end of a project as I did with this one and I'm keen to do it all over again. I'm giving my fingers a break from the laceweight though and have gone for a luxury sport weight yarn this time.

Have you loved a project so much that you didn't want it to end? Which one has been your favourite? Do you get a greater kick from colourwork, cables or lace or does it just depend on what mood you're in? Do share, I'd love to know.

For more Friday FO's, check out Tami's Amis and Fiber Arts Friday.

Finally Finished

2011-04-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Charade by Sandra Park

Yarn: Abstract Fibers Supersock

Needles: US1

This project has been sitting on the chest of drawers in the hallway for more than two weeks. I've looked at it regularly as I've walked past, but still just kept on going.

I'm not sure why I couldn't finish it. Sometimes that just happens. I get within a hairs breadth of completion and then........I don't know? Something happens and I set a project aside. This time it was the cast off. I wanted to do Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off and I haven't got it down yet and couldn't be bothered to go hunting for the instructions......so I abandoned the project.

Every so often Susielusie would ask me whether her socks were done yet. "Just got to bind off the second sock," I'd declare in a light, bright, gung-ho kind of tone, which sounded deceptively optimistic even to my ears.

Finally on Sunday, I walked past them one too many times and with a sigh of resignation, picked them up and went in search of my instructions.

Within half an hour they were finished!

After four pattern attempts (click here for the whole story), I think that the Herringbone Rib design turned out great in the variegated yarn.

At least my child will finally have warm feet as we continue to wait for those longed for days of sunshine!

TGIF....Or "Given Up And Gone Home!"

2011-04-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Half the family has been on Spring break this week.

While the Geek and the Handy Husband have been commuting to college and working in California respectively (I swear each would actually prefer to be in the others shoes right now!).....the rest of us have been trying to complete all those things that you don't have time for when they're in school.

In between, it's actually stopped raining.

With the garage still to sort out before tomorrow's great city-wide clean up, I had planned to fly by the blog with a quick pic of my latest F.O (yes, I finished something!) but it was not to be. Picasa has chosen today to play 'silly buggers' and won't let me upload my images. After an hour of trying to work out why it's not automatically uploading everything as soon as I plug my camera in...........I've decided to give up and go home. You'll just have to wait with baited breath until next week!

In the mean time, the sun's come out. They say it'll finally stagger over 50F today.......

.....I'm leaving a sign on my desk.......

"Gone Fishing!"

PS. Have a great weekend!

Nupps

2011-04-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend whipped by and I can hardly believe that we're already into the middle of the week. We celebrated a 19th birthday in the house, topped off for the Geek by notification of a scholarship offer from a private University in our state. She has 4 weeks to make a decision, which is looking pretty simple right now as she hasn't heard from anywhere else yet.

This college business is a real stress inducer (and this is year 2! You'd think we'd be used to it by now.)

To add to it all, we seem to have hit monsoon season. The never-ending, incessant rainfall and resulting flooding is enough to make even the sanest person give up and go back to knitting winter woollies.

I haven't.

I've continued with my Swallowtail lace shawl and have been nupping like a pro............Well, almost.

Some of my nupps look a little untidy and a couple are in the wrong place, but hey, despite my fabulous lifeline, I am NOT ripping back!

Let's just call it a learning curve.

Bud lace pattern flowing into Lily Of The Valley border.

I stopped by my knit group last week and got a great tip on knitting nupps from my friend, Barb. I'd managed one row but had had terrible trouble getting my needle into 5 stitches all at once as I purled back on the next.

I knew there had to be an easier way!

The secret, it would seem, is to use a crochet hook. You complete your nupps with the crochet hook on the first row and then all you have to do on the other side, is purl the stitch just like all the others.

Easy! (Sort of......)

Here's a video that explains it all.

Thanks to this, I'm now nupping with the best of them.

Knitter's Insurance.....Or The Lifeline

2011-04-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've reached the end of the first pattern repeat on the Swallowtail Shawl. Just as I was getting used to the budding lace design, I finished the mammoth amount of repeats and hopefully now have 195 stitches (fingers-crossed!)

The shawl has grown with each repeat and now almost fills my circular needle. My fear of the gossamer thin, lace weight yarn is beginning to recede too. After all that chunky yarn I've been knitting with over the past 6 months, trying to knit with such a thin thread has been something of a shock. I'm terrified I'm going to rip it (and I don't mean frog it, but literally RIP it!!) It's quite a testing experience.

I have knit with fine yarn before. I made this gorgeous Mist Lace Scarf back in May 2009 out of Knit Picks Palette, but this Shadow is even finer. As I approach the nupps though, I keep telling myself that I have to make the most of knitting lace while I can. Who knows, maybe all that 'handy' exercise will keep the arthritis issues that run in my family at bay a little longer than usual.

Anyway, yesterday there I was putting in a lifeline. After all that hard work there's no way I'm going to rip back to the beginning again if I can help it! As I was gathering my stuff together I thought I'd give you a little tutorial on just what's involved.

First off I found some dental floss. As we'd just all been for a check up last week, there was no lack of it in the house, it's just all 'minty' fresh. If possible go for something more flavourless, but as long as it's waxed you're ok. The idea is to use some smooth kind of thread so that your stitches slip easily along it. Crochet thread or silk button thread will do too.

Then thread it on to a fine needle and start running your floss through the stitches on your needle. I started this following a purl row as it was easier to see each individual stitch. It's a little trickier when you've got to capture lots of yarn overs.

The real key to putting in your lifeline, is to remember to sew under the stitch markers. If you don't, you'll end up struggling on the next row when you want to move them. Unless they are locking ones, you'll be stuck, so better off to just run your dental floss (or fine yarn) underneath the stitch markers in the first place.

By the way, make sure that you use a colour that you can actually see in your work. If you're working in cream or white then a darker fine yarn will do the trick.

Continue threading through each stitch until you have them all captured.

Voila! You've now put in a lifeline.

You can use this technique whenever you want to. I use it after each new pattern repeat, but if you're feeling less confident, you can insert lifelines more frequently than that. It just means that if you make a mistake and have to rip back, you won't be tearing out quite so much work.

I've knitted on a few rows so that you can see the 'minty fresh' lifeline in all its glory.

I'm so proud!

Now I'm on to the nupps. The jury's out so far. They are 5-stitch nupps and I've heard rumours that the real killers are the 9-stitch ones......... I'm reserving judgement.

If you've got any tips or tricks when it comes to nupps, please let me know. I'm knitting this in between student half days, parent conferences, 19th birthday preparations and last minute tax filing.

I need all the help I can get!

For more tips on putting in lifelines, check out this post at JLYarnworks or go to Fleegle's Blog for more links.

Swallowtail In Spring

2011-03-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely in the air here although the rain continues. It's warmer though and despite the fact that we're all popping Claritin like it's going out of fashion, our thoughts have turned to the promise of warmer days ahead.

For the Knitter that means yarn overs (yo) and knit 2 togethers (k2tog) start permeating our language and our handiwork.

With an overwhelming desire to create something 'pretty' I picked up this again:

This is the Swallowtail Shawl, designed by Evelyn Clark, that I first started back in July 2009. I got part way into the bud lace repeat and managed to end up with too many stitches. I'd even downloaded the Swallowtail Mileage Sheet in an effort to stay on track, but in the end the combination of lace weight yarn and intricate design proved too much for me and I shelved the whole project.

Maybe July was the wrong time of year? Or maybe red was just too hot a colour to knit with in the height of summer? Or maybe I just didn't have the patience?

Who knows.

Anyway, I picked it up again this week, sorted out my issues (which incidently turned out to be minor after all) and before I knew it I was off and running again.

Now I'm having trouble putting it down!

The yarn is KnitPicks Shadow in a daring shade of red entitled 'Hot Rod,' a far cry from my usual purples and blues.

Maybe I'm going for the '40's screen siren look?

It'll match my 'Berry Glaze' lipstick!

For more Wednesday WIP's check out Tami's Amis.

Ode To A Washing Machine

2011-03-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's been an adventurous week. ( Oh no, I hear you ask, what now?)

It all started about ten days ago when my washing machine finally decided to splutter to a halt. It had been threatening to give up the ghost for at least the past two months, so it was no surprise. Back in January, the Handy Husband had taken it apart and pronounced the clutch completely worn and some other 'car-like' component had a very tired belt. Basically the thing was shot and was hanging on for dear life.

Now I'd never had a top loading washing machine until we moved to the US. Back in Europe they died out many moons ago and are something of a dinosaur so getting used to a top loader with its integral agitator was a whole new experience for me. Somehow though, I grew to depend on my machine. In fact I became quite fond of it. It always seemed to sound as if it was working really hard to get our clothes clean.......(and judging by the state of it during the Handy's autopsy, it sure had been!), but it was my machine and in a funny way I appreciated its quaintness.

Desperate to preserve life ( and our bank balance) I managed to get it to limp faithfully on while we scraped together the cash to replace it. I reduced its work to half loads, gave it time off for good behaviour and manually switched to a lesser used spin program when the poor old workhorse decided that the regular setting was just too much effort. Frankly, I was the perfect employer.

Then last Wednesday while it was doing half a load of my coloureds, it gave a shudder and catagorically declared the least used spin cycle a no go zone. No amount of cajoling would get it to perform one last feat of strength and spin my smalls. It was dead, gone, kaput.

I raked out my undies, patted my machine affectionately and trotted round to the neighbours' for a quick whirl with her gas-powered, super deluxe spinner.

The house has been silent ever since.

Piles of laundry have slowly appeared on the landing, in bedrooms and behind doors. Dirty clothing has invaded closets, hallways and tables..................and it's been bliss! What a marvelous excuse not to clean!

When the Handy came home from DC with a suitcase full of shirts though, I knew the go-slow was coming to an end. Horrified by a house full of stinky socks (etc) he drove me straight to the nearest appliance store. We bought a washer and a dryer.

Sunday dawned bright for once up here and he decided to move the old machines out and clean up behind them so that the new ones could be delivered to a clean room on Wednesday. By lunch time, he'd got out the old yellow paint left over from the downstairs bathroom and was preparing to do an entire makeover. He'd been home from Washington DC all of 24 hours!

For the next 3 days we all tiptoed around boxes and baskets of stuff from the laundry room/office/hobby room. Two evenings later and the paint job was done. Wow! I just want to go and hang out in there all the time now! When the men arrived to deliver the new appliances, the room was complete. My new front loaders slipped happily into their places and after a quick glance at the manual I was off and running.

As I revelled in my newly outfitted room, I glanced outside and a wave of sadness swept over me as I saw my dear old faithful machines sitting on the back of the delivery truck looking brave and resolute. They'd served me well, but.........it was time.

Lest I should forget how blessed I am to live above the 'wash line,' serendipity did her thing and this TED Talk landed in my inbox this week. It's good to be reminded just how lucky we are not to have to march off to the local river with a washboard and a box of coldwater OMO.

I am truly blessed.

Super Moon

2011-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we were lucky enough here in the Pacific Northwest to have clear skies for the astronomical event of the season, the Super Full Moon. Yes, for once Mother Nature played ball and we actually got to see the shining giant orb in all its glory. Naturally I grabbed my camera, but without a telescope to really see the surface features, it was pretty hard to photograph.

I got a few interesting shots though.

The Handy Husband had just flown in from Washington DC and was out for the count by 8pm. The Little Guy had been allowed to take a look at the moon before he was tucked up into bed about an hour later, so it was the girls and I who ended up with the best Super Moon experience. As we were climbing the stairs to bed late that night, we were illuminated by a mystical white light. This was our view through the hall window......

Pretty amazing, huh?!

The moon was brighter than I've ever seen it and it shed the most incredible light. It was so bright that even after I climbed into bed, I thought I'd left a light on!

What an experience!

Rip It Out.....And Start Again!

2011-03-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when you come back to a design after several months away.............

.............you just can't read your notes properly.

That's how you go from this.......

........to this......

.......TWICE in one day.

(Hope your weekend was more successful!)

Lyn & Torden....Or It's All About The Journey!

2011-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Lyn & Torden

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool Of The Andes Bulky

Needles: US8 (5mm) & US10(6mm)

Well here they are at last, the secret projects I've been working on for the past six months. I can hardly believe that I am about to put them behind me and move on. They have become so much a part of my life this winter and not just because I've been toasty warm in them!

It all started last September when I decided to knit a neckwarmer. I wanted something that would keep the cold drafts away but that would look elegant inside a jacket or smart coat. (Ironically I ended up wearing the piece for the first time at a sub-zero soccer game with an anorak!)

It would have buttons, but as I didn't want to work buttonholes I settled on a cable design with holes in the pattern itself. Before I knew it, I had created Torden. Knit in the steel grey of this Knitpicks Wool Of The Andes Bulky, the stitch definition is excellent and the celtic buttons I found at Pacific Fabrics seemed the perfect accent.

As usual I then got a little carried away with the stitch pattern and began to wonder whether I could create a matching hat? Sitting in the car at the park last Fall, I knitted, ripped and re-knitted, whilst listening to episodes of This American Life, until I had the beginning of Lyn. There then followed four versions of the top of the hat before I was totally satisfied with the result (yes, I said FOUR!) The result, I think, was well worth the effort though.

The intervening months have been taken up with producing a written pattern worthy of such beautiful pieces. It has also been a huge learning curve for me.

I waited weeks for decent weather so that I could take the pictures you see here; I have moved from a PC to a Mac; I tried out some charting software (and subsequently bemoaned the lack of an International Standard of knitting symbols); learned how to chart in Excel........and finally got very frustrated when Word kept losing my formatting every time I closed the file. (I'm going to learn InDesign next!)

Thank goodness I'm a process knitter so it's all about the journey!

As I looked at the grey skies above me this winter and noted them echoed in my knitting, I decided to name them Lyn & Torden which mean lightening and thunder in Norwegian. These natural elements are intrinsically linked just as the pieces are.

Ofcourse, I then had to go off and knit the same things in purple (my favourite colour) and that, was another journey!

Pattern: Lyn & Torden

Yarn: Cascade 128

Needles: US8 (5mm) & US10(6mm)

For your copy of Lyn & Torden, go to the pattern page on Ravelry. Each design is available separately or as a Double Pattern.

Earthquake

2011-03-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

The images coming out of Japan following the 8.9 earthquake are truly horrifying. They have shaken me to the core and my prayers go out to the entire nation. The devastation and human suffering are heartbreaking. Aid agencies have struggled for donations in recent years, but nonetheless have swung into action. If you want to help, you can donate here:

World Vision Japan Quake And Tsunami Relief

American Red Cross Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami

Doctors Without Borders

Japan is one of the wealthiest and most prepared nations in the world. They experience quakes regularly and all know what to do. Yet the scale of this quake and the ensuing tsunami is incredible. It will take years to rebuild and for many what is lost can never be returned.

I live in an earthquake zone.

If it wasn't for my kids, I wouldn't even know how to drop and cover. (They do earthquake drills at school.) I, on the other hand, am the foreign parent who didn't grow up here and therefore doesn't have an inbuilt modus operandi for when a quake hits.

I've tried to be prepared. This is where I get my emergency supplies from and I rarely let my fuel tank go below half a tank.

But still...........

Local assistance is vitally important following a disaster. Some of the first responders are neighbours, friends, family and local disaster response teams. Our schools have been requesting funds to purchase emergency supplies to cover all the students in the event of an earthquake during school hours.

Sounds like a good idea in light of recent events in New Zealand and Japan.

For more info and advice on how to make good donation decisions after a disaster, look here.

Picture: Kimubert

Duck Eggs......And Other Stuff

2011-03-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the verdict is in. Duck eggs are go...........

I'm not sure that the kids are that excited about them, but I think they're great. No one's mentioned it, but for some reason I think the thought of an egg being from a duck is somewhat less palatable than an egg being from a chicken.

I guess you just have to get used to it.

I've used some of the eggs for breakfast in a scrambled version and then last night I hard-boiled them to have with homemade tomato soup and macaroni. The shells are tougher than chicken eggshells and the whites are thicker and richer too. The yolks are HUGE, and sit there in the bowl like giant golden balls floating in the white. As it was Mardi Gras yesterday, I whisked some up into pancakes too.

The recent introduction of ducks by aid organisations to impoverished countries seems like a very intelligent move to me. I'm not sure if the nutrient value of a duck egg is higher than a chicken egg, but the sheer fact that your dinner can swim when the flood waters arrive is a definite plus! I'm sure we could do with more of them in the Pacific Northwest for that reason alone.

In other news, I actually made it to our monthly Guild meeting last night and got to hear the delightful Kathleen Taylor of South Dakota speak. Kathleen is a native of our town and graduated from the same High School as my dear Geek. Always a creative person, Kathleen has ended up writing many novels and publishing several knitting books. Her latest is Fearless Fair Isle Knitting published by Taunton Press. She kept us well entertained with stories of her fibery life and knows all the tips and tricks for making your knitting mistakes look intentional.

On the needles at the moment are the variegated socks for Susielusie. I've turned the second heel this week and am continuing at quite a cracking pace. I'm really enjoying that Herringbone Rib stitch.......so much so that it seems to be cropping up everywhere! Not only have I made four squares for the Knit-A-Square Project with it, I've cast on for a dishcloth too.

It's a sickness, I tell you.

I'm also really close to publishing my next design................Actually it's two. (Squee!) I hope you'll love them as much as I do.

Finally The Little Guy and I actually managed our first bike ride of the season last weekend. For once the weather here was mild enough to get outside without being drenched and so we dusted off our bikes and hit the local trail. The wind was a trifle bracing if you managed to pick up speed, so we just cruised along, but it was a great way to get rid of those winter doldrums not to mention burn off a few calories.

Now I wonder just how calorific those duck eggs are?

An Alternative Lifestyle?

2011-03-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the good fortune to trade fresh baked bread for the most wonderful carton of duck eggs.

I've never had a duck egg before but when the opportunity presented itself I was quick to put my bread baking skills to use in exchange for another friend's food product.

These days, this mode of living is sometimes referred to as an alternative lifestyle.

Funny that.

I've always lived this way.

I grew up in a tiny English village in East Anglia where country fairs were regular events and the merits of producing a strawberry jam that set just perfectly were de rigueur.
Heaven help you if you ever beat dear Mrs Postlethwaite to the jam-making grand prize or gave Mrs Turner's Victoria Sponge cake a run for its money!

When I was 11, I won first prize for my flower arrangement marking the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

The whole village held a ram roast to celebrate............... (the Queen's 25 years on the throne, not my unexpected win!)

We made Gardens On A Plate, everyone grew vegetables and my father biked to his allotment, often carrying a hoe!

This was normal life.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm excited to see its gradual return. Communing with nature to feed and clothe ourselves holds a spiritual element that has been lost to generations of 'super consumers.'

As Knitters we step into this world the moment we pick up our sticks and string. The pleasure we gain from creating items of warm clothing for ourselves and our loved ones should never be underestimated. Like baking bread, it soothes our souls and revives our spirits.

For me there's no alternative.

Sheep Shooting & A Souvenir

2011-03-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

The forecast was good last Friday.
After two snow days the sun started to creep out and with a weekend of rain predicted, Susielusie and I decided that Friday afternoon would be taken up with Photo Shoot #2.

We were on a quest to photograph sheep and goats for a school project. As you can see from my pictures, snow and ice were still abundant, but the sun shone as we stood in the paddock at Tipsy Acres, my friends' farm.

My fiber friends seemed pleased to see me and my daughter took an ample amount of frames while the goats nibbled on my jacket and tried to rub serious holes in my jeans. Either the love was truly flowing or they thought I just might have something extra special for them secreted about my person!

Nevertheless, they played their part to perfection and posed dutifully:

"Ok, Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close up!"

Don't they look amazing in their heavy winter coats? Some of their fiber was already being prepared inside the house and we were lucky enough to pet bags of Daisy the sheep and Chip the goat (cashmere!!!) before heading home. (Neither are pictured here for fear of reprisals.)

Hopefully Susie got some prize-winning shots.

On a similar note......do you remember this?

This was one of the pictures I took from Photo Shoot #1. Well, last week my daughter presented me with a souvenir of our time together that day. It was a picture that she'd processed herself that hadn't quite met her exacting standards and so she'd not submitted it at school. I keep it in the hallway on a shelf and every time I pass it I remember the hour we spent together really looking at our town.

For a mum, it's the perfect souvenir!

Back At The Park

2011-02-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

We've had two snow days this week. Winter has arrived pretty late here.......... just as we were beginning to experience Spring really!

The mornings have been beautiful, the green fir trees flecked with white, but the air has been bracing. We've had automated phone calls every day warning us that school is closed, which have been met with cries of joy even when they've come at 5am and woken us all up.

College has been a different story though. At college you get a late start if you're lucky, but after that a decision has to be made. Do you risk the roads for a 2 hour class or stay home in the warm and hope that you're not missing too much?

This was how I found myself in the park on the headland again yesterday.

With the other kids at home, the Handy Husband half an hour away instead of half a world away and studded tyres on my car, the Geek and I decided that, after two days at home, it was time to head for a midday class.

The brilliant sunshine had melted most of the overnight snowfall and so the roads were pretty reasonable. We felt safer in the large, well equipped van than the little Honda not to mention warmer as I parked up overlooking the Puget Sound for the first time since early January.

This time I remembered my camera!

Now you can see just what an inspiring place it is. You can even see Mt. Baker in the distance.

Several other people came by to eat their lunch and read a book or chat on the phone.

I, ofcourse, had my knitting.

Herringbone Rib

2011-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

The next set of socks are coming along well. In fact I've really got quite carried away with the Herringbone Rib design.

To create some balance to all those tiny sock stitches on US1 needles, I decided to knit a few squares for this great charity. Knit-A-Square takes 8"x8" squares made by knitters (and crocheters!) from around the world and sews them into blankets for the hundreds of children in South Africa who are being orphaned by HIV every year.

This is a project that really appeals to me. When I was 18, I spent a month in Lesotho and Southern Africa and experienced first hand a very different way of life. Africa has a habit of invading the soul and that one trip has influenced many other choices I have made in the intervening years.

In my twenties you could find me marching on Trafalgar Square rallying for the abolition of Apartheid and in my late thirties it led me to sponsor a little girl in HIV ravaged Lesotho.

Now in my forties, knitting squares for a country that I first connected with so long ago seems right.

Recognize the yarn?

Yes, it's the leftovers from the 3 Nieces Project.

That seems right too.

Variegated Yarn And A Box Of Kleenex

2011-02-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm still coughing, snuffling and blowing my nose as I endure the world's worst cold otherwise known as How-to-lose-a-week-from-your-life-without-trying. It's a mean one and after the first couple of days I resigned myself to just watching Hulu and knitting. Trouble is I made the gargantuan mistake of trying to create something with variegated yarn at the same time as I was dipping regularly into a box of Kleenex. Honestly, the two really do NOT go together!

Why is it that when I'm perusing sock yarn I always fall in love with a variegated yarn which then proves to be a total pain to knit with?

The skein above was purchased at Knit Purl in Portland when I went on the 2010 Yarn Train. It was actually quite a departure for me as I'm normally into blues or purples, but I just loved the way the apple green plays with the burgundy wine in this skein.

It came home with me.

During last year's project bag preparation, the skein was paired with a pattern called Serendipity by Ellie Putz and placed in my Grab & Go basket ready for those moments when you're between projects but need something in a hurry for social knitting.

With my Mum's socks completed and my cold winning out this week, I rifled through the basket for another sock pattern and came up with the skein of Abstract Fibers Supersock. I cast on eagerly for an average woman size pair for Susielusie (who's been begging me to knit her a new pair of socks all winter) and admired the colourful display in my hands. Then I got on to the pattern.........

............What a disaster! It looked terrible. If there's one thing I will not do it's knit a lot of fancy stitches that no one can see in the end. As the busy yarn was obscuring the design, I ripped it out and started again.

I surfed Ravelry and came up with Ampersand by Kirsten Kapur. I picked up all the stitches at the end of my toe shaping and extended Kirsten's design to fit a 64st foot. After about an inch I could see that it just wasn't going to work. The ribbing at the sides was too loose and I was going to end up with a huge ladder up each side of the sock.

Back to the drawing board.

My next attempt was called Coffee Beans and is an old Danish design once taught to all elementary school children in Denmark. Others have successfully used it with variegated yarn, so I hoped I was on to a winner this time. I ripped right back to nothing, started the toe of the sock all over again and then commenced the pattern. It was easy to memorize but after about an inch of work I could see that, once again Lady Luck was not on my side. Third time lucky was not going to win out.

At this point I contemplated giving up altogether and comforting myself with a large mug of honey and lemon and a slab of Cadbury's milk chocolate. Susielusie declared herself "not bothered any more," although I suspect that, with the thermometer set to drop over the next few days, she was just trying to be nice.

Renewed by my gazillionth cup of tea and a couple of Nyquil before bed last night, I set to again and came up with this:

It's called Charade by Sandra Park and is basically a simple Herringbone Rib design and guess what?

I actually LIKE it!!

It's creating an almost woven texture that looks great in the busy variegated skein. I do believe I might actually persevere this time.

Have you had any successes/mishaps with variegated yarns? What are your likes/dislikes?

Express Lane Socks

2011-02-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've finally finished Mum's socks and very pleased I am with them too!

After a weekend filled with a night out with friends, teenage girls sleeping over in my front room and enough cooking to open my own diner, I decided to start the week with some time to myself. As it turned out, I got more than I had bargained for. My first cold of the season has left me coughing like it's going out of fashion and considering buying shares in Kleenex!

But on to the socks...........

Last time I mentioned them I'd just started the second one. My needle had broken and I'd had to make a substitution, but thankfully all went well after that. I didn't follow the pattern, preferring to use my standard sock approach and just use the chart.

I cast on 56sts and knit one less knit stitch at each end of the top needle than the pattern required. I know that on a US1 needle I wear a 56st sock and as Mum's feet are the same size as mine, I figured this should work.

I proceeded with the design all the way up the front of the sock, turning a short-row heel as I went. The 2x2 ribbing at the top flowed perfectly out from the design and I finished with Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off.

All that is left is blocking, which these socks definitely need as this green Dream In Color Smooshy gives me green fingers every time. Think I'll need to add a little vinegar to the water just to set the dye. Nonetheless, this project was certainly a favourite and I'll definitely be knitting it again. Maybe then I'll actually make a pair for myself!

Pattern: Express Lane by Diane Mulholland

Yarn: Dream In Color Smooshy - Bermuda Teal

Needle: US1 32" circular

Learning To Look

2011-02-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

It's quite fun having a budding photographer in the house. Now that Susielusie is taking photography at high school (and is into her second semester), the discussions about images have increased. Admittedly a lot of the time my role is one of crisis management or problem-solving, but hey, my opinion still matters and that means a lot to me, so I've quite enjoyed our lively discussions.

Last weekend we had a situation with a digital SLR that wouldn't work when she was trying to take a close up of our (much photographed) heather. The battery was flat. With no cables from school to charge it up with, she was camera-less. I searched the garage for our own DSLR in an attempt to solve the problem, but came up short so she got an extension on the assignment. Tuesday's crisis emerged once she got home from school and involved several rolls of black and white film.

"Help, Mum! I need to take some black and white pictures by tomorrow, if I'm going to get them processed in time, and there's just NOTHING in the garden to photograph!"

Being the wonderful mother that I am, I set aside the ~~challenging~~ inspiring project I'm trying to chart and decided to take her on a photo shoot. With the Little Guy safely delivered from school bus to front door, we headed down to First Street armed with our camera's and determined to find that elusive shot.

We headed for the river (as usual), enjoying that 'golden hour' between 4 and 5pm when the sun dances low in the sky and bestows its midas touch.

We started photographing the old railway bridge, the rocks and the lumber yard on the opposite bank. Slowly I got her to look, really look at the things around her.

Look at the moss on the tree trunks. See how it grows on one side and naturally highlights the shape of the tree. Watch the sunlight dance on the water throwing logs and machinery into silhoutte.

We headed towards town with new eyes, noting the facades of buildings etched against the blue sky; the old red bricks making geometric shapes and the symmetry of the wooden roof of the old bandstand.

Suddenly there was so much to see!

Time will tell if she got the one true picture she was looking for. She had no zoom lens, so was way more restricted than I was. There's also those 9 seconds in the chemical bath to time with the utmost precision before the final verdict is in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.......although, if the weather plays ball, I wouldn't mind the excuse for another outing.

Until the day she becomes better than me, I still have something to teach!

This And That

2011-02-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

So the rain returned and what's a girl to do when the weather is so awful that you're stuck inside yet again? Yes, pick up one of those WiP's that's been a WiP for months and months......one of those projects you totally forgot you'd ever started until you got talking about sock yarn last week and......remembered it!

This is my Ishbel, a popular pattern by Ysolda Teague. I originally cast on last summer while I was in England, but then ended up with little time to give the project the attention it required once I'd gone beyond the stockinette stitch part. This weekend I picked it up and have managed all of 4 rows before it has had to be abandoned again. The Handy Husband returned from California Friday night full of a weeks worth of stories, we had a surprise 50th birthday to attend on Saturday and then Sunday was the Superbowl. Consequently my weekend knitting reverted back to Mum's socks and the Ishbel got shoved aside again.

Maybe I'm just not in love with it? Do you think you have to really be in love with a pattern to keep it flowing on the needles? I don't know. Perhaps I've just fallen out of love because I've lost momentum? Hopefully it's just a temporary blip in our relationship.

The arrival of Jimmy Beans Wool's first ever catalogue was also a major distraction this weekend. It showcases Blue Sky Alpacas yarn and does a superb job. I truly wanted to go out and sample the product after flicking through this brochure.....and me a hardened marketing type!

I live in a house where discussions take place over the dinner table about the images, layout, colour accuracy and sheer quality of the paper used to produce the promotional materials that come through our door every day. We talk about trifolds, product placement and reciprocal marketing and have been known to have detailed conversations about fonts, photoshop and style sheets.

Why then would I of all people fall for this?

..........Because it's good! It's a wonderful catalogue. It uses superbly styled images with a simple format to create an inviting collection of Blue Sky Alpacas 2011 yarns. Measuring 9.5"x 7.5" it's relatively small, which I like and it's also printed on paper that feels like it would last more than 5 minutes. Honestly, I actually want to keep it! Sad isn't it?!

Perhaps I'd be more in love with my Ishbel if I'd knit it in Blue Sky Alpacas?

Now there's a thought.

Spring Is In The Air....?

2011-02-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

It was Groundhog Day this week, the day when back East in Pennsylvania they let a groundhog out of his burrow to see whether he sees his shadow. The outcome of this event is supposed to indicate just how long we have to wait until spring. This year dear Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow which means spring is imminent!.........I'm not sure what the statistics are regarding his accuracy, but I have to say that I am ready for him to be right.

Now I know that we have really got off lightly here on the West coast when it comes to winter this year. The predicted deluge of record breaking snowfall we were supposed to have never materialized. It trekked further East every time. We have however had more than our fair share of rain, which has made the days very, very dark.

Imagine our delight then when a few cold, crisp days this week brought glorious sunshine and a myriad of spring-like colours to our surroundings. Early one morning I shot some great stills of the view from my window just as the sun was rising.

I love the range of colours that the sky displays as the sun moves, changing the landscape every second.

I also found some hints of warmer days later on when I picked up the camera to take some shots of the heather in my front border.

If you look closely you can even see a big, round bumble bee busily at work.

As I was squatting down to get just the right angle to capture the greens, whites and pinks of the floral display, I felt something brush beside me.

Look who it was!

Isn't she adorable? She just moved in nextdoor and is very sociable.

Well, the rain's back today, so the lights are back on and the darkness continues. For those of you buried under many feet of snow, you have my sympathy and I hope these pictures go some way to brightening your day. They're definitely brightening mine.

Spring is on its way though, after all Punxsutawney Phil says so, and has the groundhog ever been wrong?

It Must Be A Metaphor

2011-02-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

It struck me today that perhaps it's no coincidence that I have a passion for creating hats. My deep rooted desire to design headgear seems to me to be ~~a cry for help~~ a metaphor for the many roles I can play in just one day. The variety of figurative hats I wear in the course of a day are incredible sometimes and a weeks worth of occupations could provide me with enough product to launch an entire line of cranial daywear! (If there is such a term?)

In the past few days I have been everything from nurse (The Little Guy went down with a fever), lunch server (The Handy Husband brought a work collegue home Friday), chef, baker, chauffeur (still driving kids here and there), CFO (it's tax season - need I say more), cleaner, counselor (college applications again) and communications officer. Oh, and let's not forget errand girl, wardrobe mistress and groundsman.

As I was watching the final episode of PBS's Downton Abbey on Sunday (filmed near my grandmothers house and a fantastic period drama!) I noticed all the different jobs performed by each of the servants. I think it was when the Housekeeper mentioned that she buys the food and the Cook prepares it, that I really felt the division of labour.

How times have changed. One hat seems something of a luxury these days. Not that I'm complaining Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.........

.......but if you happen to see a whirling dervish wearing multiple hats this week.....It's likely to be me!

Which hat do you wear most often (literally or figuratively)? Which is your favourite? Are you a multi hat-wearer too?

Mum's Socks

2011-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

I thought it was time that I showed you Mum's socks. Aren't they coming along wonderfully? I'm totally in love with the colour, which is saying something for me because I'm not a great fan of green. Perhaps I like it this time because it's such a deep, jewel-like shade?

The design is Express Lane by Diane Mullholland and the yarn is Dream In Colour Smooshy. As you can see, I'm doing my usual toe-up version with a short row heel and finishing with a 2x2 ribbing and Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. The bind off worked wonderfully. It's the first time I've used it but it was easy to master and really does give you a sock top with plenty of stretch in it. No wonder Cat Bordhi endorses it!

I'm using a US1 needle, in fact this is my second one. Halfway through the first sock my dear Knitpicks needle decided to give up the ghost and the flexible cable split right off the metal needle. I guess its sock knitting life was over and it couldn't make it through a final pair. Fortunately I had an old Drops needle hanging around and so I substituted that.

A needle down in the sock knitting case is not a good thing though. What if I lost the Drops needle or worse still, what if it broke too? I just had to go and replenish my stock. An Addi was on the shopping list so while I was in Mill Creek last Friday I just slipped into Main Street Yarn, my favourite local Addi stockist, to pick one up.

Not a good move.

The problem with making one gorgeous sock like this is that you suddenly feel as if you could make a ton of them. This leads to a heightened sense of what I can only describe as 'sockability'. Suddenly you're on a sock knitting roll and walking into a yarn store is just feeding the habit............

..............I came away with a luscious skein of Cascade Heritage Paints!

Are you a sock yarn junkie too? Which sock yarns have you been tempted by recently?

We Have Horsepower

2011-01-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

Between Christmas and New Year we bought this.

Yes, to my horror we have become a 3 car family................ (which goes against all my principles re: the environment, carbon footprints and peak oil, but what are you to do when you live in a country with terrible public transport and you have teenagers?!)

The past few weeks have been ones of stress, tension and exhaustion as I have aided and abetted the Geek in her quest to become fully independent in the transport department.

I was nervous, she was not. I was concerned because she hadn't been able to drive since she passed her test 9 months ago (no insurance).......she was not. I was worried about the winter road conditions and the busy commuter traffic on the highway in the mornings, AND THE JERKS IN TRUCKS CUTTING HER UP AND....................She was not.

I drove her, then she drove me and finally

this week she has begun to fly solo.

I have taken a leaf out of Elizabeth Zimmerman's book and have 'knitted on through all crises.' I have knitted (and ripped) through several versions of my latest hat design while the Geek has been playing fast and loose with the jerks in trucks on the highway. Vivaldi has been a necessary accompaniment as I've sought that zen-like existence that comes with letting another apron string go............

Designers Suitcase Stolen!

2011-01-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

We interrupt our regular programming to issue a quick APB regarding today's major knitting community news.

Mary Scott Huff's sample suitcase has been stolen! (Go here to read her letter to the thief.)

Now you may remember back in May 2010, Mary paid the Snohomish Knitters Guild a visit and kept us all royally entertained all evening with her wonderful stories of life as a knitwear designer. Steeks are her passion and she has developed a distinctive style in sweater creation. To my delight she invited me to try on her Kjersten cardigan that evening. (Read the post here.) The thought of that very same work of art being lost to us all today is beyond belief.

Mary's pieces are not only amazingly crafted, distinctive objects in themselves, but they each bear a label embroidered with her logo. This is their mark of authenticity and what distinguishes them from any other Mary Scott Huff inspired sweaters.

Keep your eyes peeled, dear readers and let's all hope and pray for the safe return of these one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

The River

2011-01-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

At last it's stopped raining!

It's been unbelievable. We've had a continuous downpour for days and I was beginning to feel tired of the sound of it. I know rain is considered 'life giving,' but you can have too much of a good thing! For the second time this season our rivers have flooded and there has been mud and debris everywhere. Coupled with a warming trend, the rain and the snow melt has sent tree trunks and anything else that just happened to be laying around, shooting down our river. It's quite an impressive sight when it's in full flow and people often take a trip downtown to have a look at it........along with the local TV crews.

We didn't go earlier in the week though. Too much rainfall and too many long days driving in all the extra traffic that gets diverted on to the highway when our river floods the back roads. Instead the Little Guy and I took a trip yesterday after school when the sun had come out. The river had receded back within its banks but signs of mischief were everywhere.

Mud across the footpath.........

Tree limbs in the railings.........

It was muddy and fast flowing, but it still seemed to peek innocently at us as we walked along beside it, as if it was saying, "Who me? I would never get above myself!"

We could hardly believe that hours earlier that same stretch of walkway had been covered in turbulent water!

Beware the power of nature. She's a beautiful but temperamental lady!

Face Lift

2011-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

We all need a nip and a tuck every so often, or at least we all take less extreme measures at some point to make things look a little tidier. That's why I decided that it's time to give the blog a little bit of TLC and just move into a slightly more streamlined existence.

It's all part of my plan to move forward with simplifying my life.......well, sort of. I don't expect to achieve success. The past few weeks have been testament to the chaos that having three children in your life and a travelling spouse brings, but getting things in order seems to be January's lot in life, so why should the blog miss out?!

While I'm pulling together tax info, cleaning out the household accounts and setting up our annual budget, why not give the dear old blog a good going over with the feather duster as well?

Hope you like the result.

Keeping Warm

2011-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad I'm a knitter.

Right now it's raining cats and dogs after a night of heavy snowfall which has meant that there's wet slush all over the place! It's also blowing a hooley.........The upshot is..

I'm cold!

When I went to take the Little Guy to the bus this morning the immense amount of water that we waded through went straight through my boots and into my woolly socks. I was committing the fashion faux pas of the century by wearing at least four pieces of knitwear all at the same time, but hey, in this storm I figure you can keep your micro fleece. I'm sticking with REAL fleece!

I wore a warm beret, my Central Park Hoodie, my Lacy Baktus scarf and the aforementioned socks, but I still ended up feeling cold. Must be down to the fact that I've been laid up for the past few days and have lost any reserves my body may have stashed away over Christmas.

It's been a trying few days (and I won't mention the Handy getting stuck at the office with a snow storm pending and a dead battery in his truck!)

Not only have I had to miss this months Guild meeting but I'm going to miss the yarn train too. What a disappointment! It took me days to accept that I wasn't going to make it and I wrestled with making the decision to sell my ticket. After driving all week on top of being ill, a quiet weekend is really the best thing.

Still my stash may well forgive me as it has been enhanced slightly in recent weeks. If I'd hit the train to Portland this weekend, I would not have been going for the yarn. The city itself and the company of fellow knitters would have been uppermost on my mind.

I'd also have had to dig out yet more of my knitted items. (I've got a fab neck warmer that stops any draft in its tracks (pattern coming soon) and a matching hat that's to die for.)

Instead I'll be hunkering down with warm cocoa and a movie.

Maybe it's for the best?

Colourful Days

2011-01-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I'm back in the driver's seat again......literally! The kids went back to school which has meant an entirely new routine and a heck of a lot of driving for me. It's a good job I actually like my car. I know, it's only a white minivan, but hey, it has front seats as big as armchairs so I'm pretty comfy!

We raced out of the door on Tuesday to drop the Little Guy off at his new school building on the other side of town, determined not to be late. I managed to hit the one patch of black ice on the entire route on the way there, and uttered a little prayer of thanks for the studded tyres I've been sporting. It's been pretty cold here recently and although the snow has missed us, ice has been a factor. The upside to cold, sunny days though are the wonderful sunrises and we've had a few beauties. The colours are magnificent; blues and purples, golds and pinks. From my window during the day I can see the fresh snow on the Cascade mountains too and it seems to creep ever closer.

I've also been driving to the nearest city to deliver the Geek to college. She has a full load of classes this quarter so I'm making the trip every day now (sometimes twice a day.) I'm trying not to see red! I just keep telling myself that we're a team and when one of us succeeds, we all succeed. Thankfully, she's playing her part too, working hard at school and helping out at home. Mind you, it's not even the end of the first week and I'm looking forward to the end of the quarter!!

The others have slipped back into their regular routines like your grandpa slips comfortably into those brown and orange checked slippers. For the Handy Husband this means getting on a plane and flying somewhere. Funny how within a few days your vacation can seem like a lifetime ago.

I picked up more knitting.

Actually I went stash diving first. Despite the fact that I made a little promise to myself to stop knitting for others for a while...........I broke it as soon as my mother said that my hand knit socks are the only things that have kept her feet warm during England's cold crisis. When I came across this gorgeous Smooshy sock yarn in bermuda teal, I just had to cast on. I'm using the chart from Diane Mulholland's Express Lane to make my own version of her socks. I like to use Judy Becker's Magic Cast On and I knit toe-up using the Magic Loop method.

I also decided that a sock project would be just the thing to take with me to Portland on the Yarn Train this year. I can hardly believe that there are just ten days until we descend on the city.

Now that really will be a colourful day.

I can't wait!

More Mock Cable......Before The New Year

2010-12-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite parts of our Christmas vacation are our movie nights. We hunker down together in the family room every night and watch a DVD together. Now that the girls are so big, this necessitates bringing in our extra folding round chair for the evening so that we can all sit comfortably. We light some candles on the mantlepiece and snuggle down under our blankets. It's a cosy atmosphere and perfect for mindlessly knitting. I decided that it would be the perfect time to cast on yet again.

Yes, I decided that now that the pattern is actually written, it would be fairly relaxing to just knock out another Mock Cable Hat, this time for baby niece number 4. As she's only 6 months old, I decided to add some earflaps and i-cord ties, so that she doesn't keep pulling it off. I'm delighted with the results.

My needles clicked all the way through Despicable Me and several episodes of Sean The Sheep. By the time we got to Toy Story 3, I was done.

Now I'm crossing my fingers that it fits. With no measurements to go on I just winged it. I only cast on 72sts and didn't knit as much length in the body of the hat either. It'll probably fit her until she's two, but rather that than have it not fit at all.

I also have to hope and pray that it arrives safely. England has been blanketed with snow for so long that I think the postal service is non-existent. One hat definitely made it in time for Christmas because one cute little niece appeared on Skype excitedly wearing her gifts. Meanwhile, I wait and hope that the others arrive unscathed too.

The snow has also caused my mother to break out the woolly socks that I gifted her last year. She tells me she has lived in them. With temperatures as low as -17C they have been the only way that she could keep her feet warm.

Major hints about length have been dropped so I see another pair in my 2011 future.

All other projects are coming along nicely but are strictly hush, hush. I have however made 4 versions of one particular hat that I'm working on and can't wait to have it off the computer. I adore it, but it's beginning to cause a backlog! I've almost finished a prototype for the next one and have bought the yarn for the one after that!

Looks like 2011 could be a productive year!

Happy New Year Everyone.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm just about prepared for Christmas and am looking forward to not having to wake up to the alarm clock for the next week. Last weekend we did our final bit of decorating. We went to the tree farm to cut down our tree.................. only to discover that it was closed for the season!

Yes, sometimes our foreign Christmas traditions just do not fit with the culture we live in.

We rarely get our tree until the week before Christmas, partly because the Handy Husband is still travelling before then and partly because we don't take our tree down on Boxing Day (26th Dec!) Our Christmas tree is one of the last things to be decorated and used to only be topped with its star on Christmas Eve. These days if we don't do that job straight away, we're liable to forget it entirely! It also stays up until.....well, traditionally it has to be down by the 6th of January, but we normally try to get the job done before the kids go back to school.

Our Christmas tree traditions have led to some funny experiences over the years. Two years ago we got snowed in during the week before Christmas and ended up having to drive the Little Red Truck out over bumpy, ice-covered roads to try to find a cut one at the local store. Three stores later, we were even considering making do with a limp poinsettia! I was terrified that the Handy was going to resort to stealing a tree off the top of someone's truck.

Fortunately we found a sad, frozen specimen at the back of the Home Depot lot. We took it home, thrust it into its base and took off the netting........only to discover that even the sap was totally frozen and our Christmas tree still looked just like it had with the netting on.

Fortunately, by Christmas Eve it had thawed out enough that the branches had slowly fanned out and it proved to be one of the most beautiful trees that we've ever had.

This year's tree came from another local farm although we didn't get to cut it ourselves. Still it's decorated.....

our lights are up (inside and out)........

......the table is decorated with a beautiful new runner made by my mother-in-law....

...........several of these have been hung up......

.....and the candles are lit.

Season's Greetings, Dear Readers, and may peace, health and prosperity be yours.

A Little Bit Of Pygora

2010-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

So I cast on. "Ofcourse you did," I hear you say. "There's no way you could resist the urge.......or that fantastic powder blue colour!"

Ah, you know me so well, Dear Readers.

Despite (or in spite of) all the Christmasy things I have to do, I still cast on with the beautiful Cascade 220 for the design that has been illuminating my brain for the past few weeks. I told myself that it's a simple project and you know how I just have to have something to carry around with me. Well this project is now it............Not that it's seen much carrying around. I did take it to my knit group last Thursday, where my friends also raved about this particular shade of lavender blue......oh and I did actually cast on for the second time (just working out a few kinks) at our Knitter's Guild Christmas Party.

Wow, what a night that was. Jazz music, munchies and rather a lot of Malabrigo floating around. Thirty-three of us took gifts for the Secret Santa, a one skein luxury yarn and pattern gift exchange. Everyone had a number and selected a gift in sequence, opening it there and then. The rules of the game stated that the next person could then choose a new gift or steal from anyone who had gone before them. Each item could be stolen a maximum of three times.

Initially I was a little freaked out by this. Seemed a trifle 'un-British' to me. I was raised to be grateful for whatever I received, plus I spent years as a child playing a party game called "Pass The Parcel". This too had a huge element of suspense about it as you waited to see whether there was an extra treat wrapped up in the paper that you got to remove from the multi layered gift. Not only did you have to wait until the music stopped to get to rip off a layer of gift wrap, but you normally had to wrestle the package from the person before you as they desperately tried to hold onto it for as long as possible. If you were then lucky enough to find candy secreted between the layers, you usually had to elbow someone else in the eye to get it as it rolled out of the package!

But I digress. This game was far more refined than that............to begin with. After several skeins of Malabrigo and some Silky Wool started doing the rounds though, things started to unravel. Soon people were stealing left, right and centre and a huge amount of hilarity ensued. As number 29, I had a good long time to work out how to play the game before it was my turn. I can only say that they taught me well.

I decided to steal!

I know, so totally unlike me, but you really had to be there. For a brief moment I had the pleasure of feeling the softest alpaca pass through my hands as I stole from one of my dear knitsibs.

What can I say, I was intoxicated.

Still, what goes around comes around and I swear I'd only petted it twice before the sweet plum-coloured skein was whisked away to a new home. This left me with a decision to make again. New gift or stolen gift?

Now far be it for me to sit back and take the easy way. Oh no, Dear Readers, that would be too simple. Instead I sidled up to our dear leader, Charisa, who had just stolen the only skein of Pygora in the room, and proceeded to part her from her prize.

In my defense...........I have no defense. When it comes to luxury yarn and a room full of Knitters, it's every Knitter for themselves. However, I certainly did not expect to go home with it. With four more knitters to go and number one to have her chance to steal too, I was sure that the pygora's fate would be the same as the alpacas.

I was wrong. The skein of pygora came home with me along with a sweet little lace scarf pattern.

Now all I have to do is hook Charisa up with a pygora supplier and my conscience will be clear.

Good job I know one!

Creativity Abounds

2010-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was 'Lucia Dag' in Norway, Saint Lucia's Day. It's traditional to bake Lussekatter so the Little Guy and I threw these together last night. They are the most light and delicious saffron buns in the world! We had the Christmas music going and stood side-by-side rolling out the dough together. It was a precious moment.

I also spent some time in the afternoon making orange marmalade, a preserve that I absolutely adore. Must be the English woman in me. It was a fairly long drawn out process, because I hate those quick cook-just-throw-it-all-in-together recipes. I'm nothing if not authentic! My plan is to make these.............

This is my trial basket. Didn't it turn out great? When the Handy came home and saw it sitting on the launch pad in the hallway, he thought we'd been blessed with a gift! "Actually," I said, "We're doing the blessing."

The bounty was good and the pantry is full of those wonderful jars of homemade foods, so we're sharing some with our friends this Christmas. I know they'll appreciate the love and care that has gone into these gifts just as we appreciate the love and care they show us the rest of the year.

On the knitting front I'm being plagued by another hat design. It sits there in my minds eye demanding that I knit it up asap. Sometimes it can be such a pain! Just when I have so much going on, there it is nagging at me night and day....Knit me! Knit me! ......Go on.....You know you want to......

I've been to the stash, pulled out some Cascade 220 and have cast on. We'll see what happens. I know for sure that I'll have no peace until it's done. I'm just hoping that I don't end up having to knit at least 3 of them this time!

Stockings

2010-12-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Little Guy and I are really enjoying watching the DVD of our Norwegian Christmas calendar story every evening. It's giving us a special time at the end of every day that is just ours. We snuggle together under our handmade quilts drinking hot cocoa and joining in with all the old, familiar songs (it's a musical.) We play the DVD on a simple player that the Handy has managed to crack so that we can play European DVD's. I translate as we go along, so that the Little Guy can learn and follow the story. Our cosy time also kind of makes up for what you see above.

This is the Christmas stocking kit that I bought in England.....goodness, how many years ago was it now?.....Probably about 14! In fact I bought six of them; 2 with poinsettias on them, 1 with a santa, 1 with a teddy bear and then 2 with drumming soldiers. I took a flower one, the Geek got santa, Susielusie the teddy, my sister (who often spent the holiday season with us) had the other flower and the Handy got the drummer. The other soldier stocking was bought for the little boy that I hoped to have one day.

Well that Little Guy is now 11 and a half and I still haven't made his stocking! Last night I climbed up into the garage attic and pulled down the box of Christmas linens and there inside were all the stockings. I sorted through and found 4; 2 poinsettias, 1 santa and 1 drummer. I sat gazing at the stockings remembering their stories.

The spare poinsettia one that was used by my sister whenever she spent Christmas with us has another owner now. This actually makes me happy. As much as I miss her, my wish for my sister has always been that she would know the joy of her own family. In the past 5 years she has been blessed with both a loving husband and two beautiful children. Her stocking is ready to move on.

It's new owner is Susielusie. Somehow our youngest daughter managed to lose her teddy bear stocking during our move from Norway to America. I guess it's one of the perils of moving at Christmas time. She had hung it on her door handle as usual and after the packers descended upon us on the 16th December that year, it just disappeared. So much for trying to maintain an element of normal life during an International move! We all live in hope that it'll turn up one day, but there's still a great sadness every year when we reach for the old stockings and teddy isn't there. As she's growing up now, perhaps the poinsettia will ease the wound.

Last year my MIL made some beautiful new quilted stockings for us. Each has a line from 'Twas The Night Before Christmas embroidered on it. They are really lovely and are truly the nicest stockings we've ever had. They look just perfect hanging from hooks over our fireplace, particularly as they're handmade. They fit so well with......well, with who we are.

The only thing is, there are just no memories, they have no stories to tell.

The new stockings are bigger than the old ones, but the kids still reach for their old familiar ones, handmade by their Mum when they were too small to know what a stocking was.

I wonder if the memories they're filled with is the reason why?

The Season Of Giving

2010-12-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

I started thinking about Christmas yesterday. Well, it was 1st December after all and this final month of the year does have a habit of speeding by rather fast. I decided to spend a little time making some stitch markers. They make great stocking fillers for the fellow knitter in your life and add a touch of class to that Secret Santa gift that you take along to the December Guild meeting!

Part of me can't believe that I made the time to sit down and do this. The other realizes that it's part of my plan not to be eaten alive by this most crazy time of the year. This year I refuse to give in to the chaotic buying frenzy that has grown up alongside this season of giving. When did giving get equated with buying?

This year I've tried hard to remind myself and my family that giving is about creating and being present; about giving of yourself to others. The best part of the holiday season for me has never been the gifts, it's always been the small little traditions that we take part in as a family, like baking cookies, making candy and singing carols.

This is the time of year that I miss Norway the most though. I miss the simplicity of a Norwegian Christmas. I miss caroling on a dark snowy December evening with a parade of children and parents carrying real flaming torches. I miss the Christmas market with it's mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and rows of coloured market stalls selling beautiful handmade goods by real Artisans............And I miss the kid's TV show that is screened for 20 minutes every night in December telling a special winter story right up until Christmas Eve.

But now we live here, so we've been building new traditions and trying hard to steer clear of the typical commercialism that characterizes an American Christmas (all except the Christmas lights which the Handy has a deep passion for!)

I still have to do a little Christmas shopping though so yesterday I went down to First Street, in the heart of the Historic District in our town, and shopped locally. It felt good knowing that a lot of my Christmas funds were being deposited right here on my doorstep this season, for the benefit of my local shopkeepers and not some faceless, big box store. Yes, I paid a little more at times, but those dollars will come back to benefit me and my community in many ways. Somehow it felt a little like shopping at the Christmas Market again too. The personal, friendly service made it a good experience rather than the one I always dread and reminded me of the pleasure of small town shopping of days gone by.

Next up will be some Christmas baking. I have some puddings and other delicious treats to create along with the Little Guy who loves to get into the kitchen and help out. First of all though, I think we may settle down with a mug of cocoa each and watch a Norwegian DVD that I have. It's of a special winter story shown in 24 episodes and I guess we could watch one each night right up until Christmas Eve...........just like we used to.

The 3 Nieces Project

2010-11-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

I had some technical difficulties yesterday. The PC decided to breathe its last breath on Sunday evening which left us all moaning at the Handy that we couldn't get 'the printer to print, the scanner to scan or the computer to actually stay uncorrupted long enough to perform simple tasks.'

Coupled with long wait times online (it being Cyber Monday and all that) even my Mac failed to save us from a pretty unproductive day. The Geek was tearing her hair out because she goes to college online and had to resort to getting the final weeks worth of reading out of the way instead of taking a test.

Somehow, we pushed what we could to today and Wednesday and hoped it would all pan out.

So far, so good.

Despite all this, I am in a position to show you the really productive part of my Thanksgiving holiday. Aside from all the turkey cooking and apple pie baking, I did manage to finish that great Christmas gift task that I set myself back in October. Here you have it dear readers, the final hat and scarf set for the niece with the summer birthday! I am utterly delighted that I have not required the 'get-out-clause' that I had uppermost in my mind when I set out to make 3 sets of hats and scarves for my 3 nieces for Christmas.

The 'get-out-clause'?

Two nieces with January birthdays happily providing me with extra time if I missed my self-imposed deadline. I am proud to say...........I finished with room to spare! (possibly to make one extra hat with added earflaps for niece number 4.......but I'm not pushing it.)

Who could image that in a few short weeks, I could turn this selection of beautiful colours into.................

...........these wonderful accessories?

This is the knitters gift, I guess.

I'm so glad I've been blessed with it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

It's been quite busy in my front garden over the past few days. The snow arrived early this year sticking to the ground on Monday while all the kids were at school. By the time we got them home, it was obvious that they wouldn't be going back until after the holiday weekend is over. The temperature plummeted and it has been colder here in the Pacific Northwest than it is in Alaska!

The children were thrilled. The small amount of snow has turned to ice and is great for sledging down our drive. The sound of their excited laughter always takes me back to the first night we spent in our new American home. It was January 2005 and we awoke to the sound of exuberant children racing down our front yard on anything they could find that would slide. It seems that our yard has always been (and will always be) the cul-de-sacs' answer to sledging paradise ............and it's something that I love.

I have watched these children grow and change so much over the past 6 years, but none have become so grown up that they can't enjoy whizzing by my front door on a tea tray when the snow sticks around. Indeed some of the adults have been known to nip out when the smallies are sleeping to make a few runs on a skid lid (myself included!)

As we celebrate my favourite holiday today (I know, it's ironic for a Brit) I am reminded of just how much I value my neighbourhood. I am truly thankful for the wonderful people that I have the honour of living amongst. From the firefighter who helps the Handy Husband put up our Christmas lights every year (and last week changed the bulb in my car headlight for me), to the grocery store checker who looks out for me and mine when we are sick. The Math teacher and avid gardener who shares the best peaches in the world with me and the artist who inspires me and lifts my spirits with every piece she creates.

At this special time of year I am so thankful for the support networks in my life; the neighbours, my knitsibs, my church and my soccer mums and dads. Community is so important and I am so thankful to belong to such great groups of people, including you, dear readers.

May you too be blessed with great people in your life. Have a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving!

I Name This Ship.........

2010-11-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

Mock Cable Hat

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted

Needles: US7/4.5mm 16" circular & DPNs

Sizes: Toddler 18"/Child 21"/Adult 22"

Yes, folks, today is launch day............but I'm not sending a newly constructed liner off to deal with the ebb and flow of the ocean. I have in fact finally published my Mock Cable Hat pattern! I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and am very relieved to finally have it 'out there.'

Giving birth to a pattern is a painful process for me, mainly because the ideas are often conceived up to a year beforehand. Sometimes I've even knitted the prototype months before I actually publish the final draft ......and it's not even as if I'm working on large pieces. Sometimes I get very frustrated when a project takes forever to be brought to life. The rest of my life just loves to squeeze out my creative side, you see, and I find that I have to constantly battle to keep it centre stage. I'm hoping that it's just one of life's chapters and that as time moves on my life will begin to orbit my designing rather than my designing orbiting my life.

Today I paused for a while between the soccer games, Thanksgiving preparations, medical insurance stresses and calls to the police department (I'll catch you up on that one later), and spent some time sending another pattern off out into the world. This one comes complete with a photo tutorial on How To Make A Tassel, one of my favourite embellishments.

When I made the first version, Susielusie loved it so much that she insisted that I include an adult size. I think she's planning on wearing one for skiing cross country this season. As the snow just started falling today, we could well be skiing out of the front door and down the street by tomorrow. Who needs to drive to the mountains to go off piste?!

Anyway, I'm steaming along making these for the 3 nieces and am enjoying knitting the Kids Keyhole Scarf pattern to match too (I'm halfway up the final hat and then just have the cord and tassels to do on the last two.)

Looks like I'll be pretty busy over Thanksgiving!

Beet Relish

2010-11-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

When I mentioned Beets (beetroot) last week, Michelle at PDXKnitterati asked me which recipe I use to make beet relish. Yesterday I finally got round to canning the relish that has been sitting in the fridge, so here are all the details along with some colourful photos to guide you through the process.

Beet Relish

5 large beets (only had 3 so halved the recipe)
1 large sweet onion
2 cups chopped zucchini (I had some frozen that I'd grown in the garden)
1/4 cup minced ginger
1 cup honey (bought local honey every week through the summer and stocked the pantry)
2 cups rice wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Wash, top and tail your beets, then place in an ovenproof container, drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 45 mins until skins wrinkle.

Allow to cool a little and then when you can handle them, the skins should slip easily away from the flesh.
Dice.

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 mins.
Meanwhile wash and sterilize 4 half pint jars (or 8 4oz jars) and lids to match. Bring a large pot of water to the boil for canning.

Carefully pour/spoon the beet relish into the prepared jars, wipe the rims and place the lids on, screwing them carefully down.
Process in the boiling water for 30 mins.
When they are cool test the lids for a good seal. Any unsealed jars should be kept in the fridge and used within 2 weeks.

Bon Appetit!

Nearing Completion.....Nearly

2010-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

I seem to have reached that stage in the year when I'm surrounded by half finished projects. Everywhere I turn there's something sitting around that needs completing. In the fridge I have some beet relish that just needs to be canned (so much for 'fresh-from-the-field'!), online there's a christmas portrait that needs printing, I have a pattern (or two) that needs publishing and two rabbits who desperately need cleaning out!

We will ofcourse not even mention the laundry!

To add to the chaos I spent Saturday afternoon prepping 80lbs of chicken for the freezer. Yes, I know, 80 pounds! My friend Cranky got 40lbs so between us we drove home with the equivalent of a small woman in the trunk of the minivan. I'd declined all invites that day, knowing it was going to take me some time to prep so much meat.

It did.

For 5 hours I wielded my kitchen knife, cutting, slicing and chopping and only had to resharpen with the steel twice. Halfway through I performed a couple of 'downward dogs' (without my blade) just to ease my aching back, but apart from that I stood there continuously. My varicose veins will not thank me but my stomach will.

By Sunday, I was ready to knit so plodded on with the Great Christmas Adventure. As you can see I'm nearing completion on both the plum and lilac hats, but still have the purple to go. Just to up the ante, my sister read my blog, saw the hats and just wondered if I could make a mini version for 6 month old niece number 4 in the purple.........if I have any left?!!

Hmmmm.......?

Poor old Auntie Jane is such a soft touch (and niece #4 is such a cutie) that I'm sure you know the answer to that one.

See you on the other side!

Thrown For A Loop

2010-11-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

I'm really not coping very well with this clock changing thing. Yesterday the Handy Husband (who's got the flu) coughed and spluttered and woke me up just before 5am. I decided to get up and have some quiet time reading (a luxury these days.) I'd been awake for about an hour when I realized that the clocks had changed so I'd actually got up at 4AM!

4am, people.........on a Sunday morning!.....Not good.

Thankfully, I managed to get so much done on Saturday that Sunday was supposed to be a quieter day. That is until I arrived at church and they asked me to serve communion. I spent the entire service praying I'd stay awake long enough to fulfill my duties.

In the afternoon I sought solace in a little knitting and was very thankful that I'd cooked a big meal the night before so there was an ample amount of leftovers. My kitchen activity was minimal, but we all ate well. By the evening though, I was flagging. At 10.30 I fell into bed switching on my alarm clock as I did so.

This morning the clocks' urgent buzzing made me leap out of bed with a start. Noticing an absence of light under the bedroom door, I realized that Susielusie had overslept and so I ran into her room and woke her so that she'd have plenty of time to get ready for school. It was only when I got down to the kitchen and noticed an alarming absence of the smell of fresh bread that I realized that something was amiss.

I looked at the timer on the bread machine. 51 minutes remaining. Hmmmm?

I looked at the kitchen clock..........6.30........?...........But I hadn't changed the kitchen clock yet?

An awful realization slowly dawned on me. It was really 5.30. I'd done it again. I had been so tired before I went to bed, that I'd forgotten to change the time on my alarm clock.

Suffice to say, I've been eating humble pie all day.

Photo: Cuba Gallery

Major Production!

2010-11-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week. It's zipped by and I've never been quite so glad of portable knitting as I am now. The 3 Nieces Project has been quite a godsend - easy to pick up and run with. I have been progressing pretty well. Two scarves are now completed and one and a half hats are well underway. I just need some time at home to take on the tassels and the first set will be done!

Thanks to my wonderful test knitters Jellidonut and MarushkaC, I am in the writing phase of the Mock Cable Hat pattern and just need some decent photos and time at the computer to complete it. Ofcourse I could also do with a toddler size model for the photo shoot, but they're in short supply at my house these days. The hat does include an adult size though, so I may just have to use Alice, the mannequin, and hope for the best.

In other news the canning is complete for the year.......I think, although I could have some more beet relish in the offing if beets arrive in my CSA box next week. I've made a couple of jars which will be great with that cold turkey later this month!

I'm pretty proud of my canning achievement. It was a lot of work but is already tasting great. I've learned that my pizza recipe takes about 5 mins longer to cook when I use my own tomato paste because it has more liquid in it than the store version, but these small adaptations are pretty insignificant. The taste is terrific and that's what counts.

Out in the garden everything seems to be dying back for the winter and I really just need to get out there, pull the last carrots before the frost comes and tidy up. My rampaging butternut squash vines were......... as Shakespeare would say, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!" Yes, they rampaged, produced masses of squash, then shrivelled and rotted and never really came to anything. Out of that mass of plants I got one squash!

Still, I produced my own veggies (aside from the green tomatoes everything else went really well) and that's what matters. It was a wonderful learning experience (as every new season is) and I'm already looking forward to the next.

We also managed to accommodate all of the Halloween experiences last weekend and the Little Guy just got his pumpkin carved before the big night. We've been lighting it on the front porch every evening and enjoying its comical expression. He also loved dressing up as a member of the Jabbawockeez hip hop dance group, probably because he got to hide behind a mask.

I think he did a pretty good impression!

A Halloween Horror Story

2010-10-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

There once was a Knitter who had a terrible fear of holes.......and not those nice intentional ones that you make when you're crafting lace. No dear readers, this time I am referring to those nasty, nibbled gaps that you tend to come upon when you're least expecting them, generally when you're buried in the deep, dark depths of your closet. Yes, dear readers, there once was a Knitter who lived in dread of moth holes.

The perpetrators are ofcourse invisible, or just smart enough to know that if you caught them in the vicinity of your damaged garment, you'd string them up by their wings and exact a very painful torture involving a box of matches! Instead you're left to find they've partaken of your favourite sweater just when the temperature has dropped for the first time in months and you're reaching for your winter warmer whilst shivering in your panties.

This was the scene chez moi earlier this week. I'd found my lovely red silky wool cowl and was all set to team it with my red, black and white Norwegian cardigan in the comfortable and familiar style of ..............every winter for the past ten years, when HORROR of HORRORS (!) I discovered a hole in the back!!

I'll give you a moment to digest the gravity of this fact. (No pun intended.)

.....A HOLE!!..............................In my favourite cardigan......................One I have to travel a long way to replace...............or spend a lifetime knitting a replacement!

Feeling completely blindsided, I stuffed the red cowl back into the drawer and got out a lilac and white scarf to go with my LLBean purple cardigan instead. Bleary-eyed I gazed into the bathroom mirror as I buttoned it up, stretching the fabric across my midriff in a warming embrace. It was then I saw it. I grabbed my glasses, thrust them on to my nose and peered intently into the mirror.

OMG! Another hole!..........Yes, right there just to the left of the button band. Those beasties had been feasting on my fingering weight too!

Fuming, I picked up my lilac Central Park Hoodie and made a dash for the bedroom door as if closing it behind me would keep the little demons out.

No such luck.

As I reached for the woolly socks that keep my tender tootsies cosy inside my knee high suede boots and slipped my left foot into their welcoming warmth, I felt a strange sense of exposure (and a cold draught) on my sole. Glancing quickly down, I saw it.............a HUGE great HOLE..........gazing mockingly back at me.

I gasped with shock and fear. Darn those pale-winged, nocturnal nuisances and their penchant for merino meals! When was I going to find time to knit 2 cardigans AND a pair of socks?

I grabbed my car keys and ran out into the predawn day. As I swept past the carriage lamp at the front of the house there was a flutter of tiny wings and a pale cloud of fibre fiends took off into the ebbing darkness.

I think I heard their evil cackling as they left with the night.

Get Up Or Seize Up

2010-10-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went back to Yogilates for the first time in 18 months. You can imagine what my Saturday was like! Not only did I feel about 80 as I listened to my body creaking and groaning while I worked out, by the weekend I swear I'd hit 90. My whole body had seized up and I ached in places that I didn't know I could ache! All those old war wounds were moaning and groaning and a lifetime of physical experiences came back to haunt me.

Eighteen months ago I was at my physical peak. In my early 40's but still working out with the twenty-somethings and not only keeping up but showing them up. Now all I'm showing them is how to seize up. *sigh* What a difference a year and a half makes when you reach my age. With the pinnacle of middle age knocking on my door now and the folly of my youth written in every aching joint, if I don't keep moving I'm liable to seize up for eternity.

So I went back to class.

It was just like old times, so familiar and the natural high I got afterwards led me to drive out to the boonies and buy another 25lbs of tomatoes to can! As if the 75lbs I've already done isn't enough!! What can I say, it was a glorious Autumn day and I was feeling young and energetic.

By Saturday though it was a different story. I had a day of errands to run and, much to Susielusie's embarrassment, I wandered around as if I'd misplaced my zimmer frame.

"Can't you try to walk normally, Mum?" she queried, ladling on that exasperated tone that teenagers do so well.

"This is me trying," I countered, determined to keep the note of despair out of my voice.

"But it's embarrassing." she added, in a hushed voice. You're telling me, I thought as I held on to the cart for support while my weak knees groaned in unison.

I made it through the day and managed to curl up with the Little Guy on the sofa in the evening to watch How To Train Your Dragon. A dip in a warm bath had done little to ease my discomfort, but I was at least able to knit and so I cracked on with "The Great Christmas Project." Thank goodness my hands were still in fine working order and I could get in a few rows on the scarf before bed.

Today I'm still a little achy, but desperate to stretch out again. I may need to find a moment during the next 24 hours to put in a few "Downward Dogs" and "Cat/Cows" just to keep the flow going. After all I need to get into training if I'm going to survive Friday's class.

I hope my body will thank me.

Potato & Kale Soup

2010-10-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a great winter warmer and a solution to the problem of "Oh-so-much-kale-in-the-CSA-box-this-week!"

Based on a Portugese favourite, this filling meal traditionally uses chorizzo sausage to add a little spice. Here I've substituted that with some red pepper flakes to give a slight kick but without the meat. I don't generally deal in quantities because I prefer to throw things together and let my tastebuds decide along the way. Seasoning particularly should always be used 'to taste'.......your taste! Don't be afraid to grab a teaspoon and test the flavor as you go along.

Potato & Kale Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

Chicken/Vegetable broth* - enough to cover potatoes

Potatoes - probably about 3lbs, peeled and diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

Kale - however much you have (it cooks down), ribs removed and leaves thinly sliced

Red pepper flakes, crushed

Salt/pepper

Dash of cream*

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Saute the onions until they soften. Add the diced potatoes stirring continuously to prevent sticking. Add the chicken/vegetable broth, the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature and simmer the potatoes until they're almost cooked. Mash down slightly with a fork or potato masher, then add the kale. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes until kale is done. Add a little cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty wholemeal bread and grated mature cheddar cheese* (Coastal Cheddar is good).

* Those sensitive to MSG need to source these products carefully. Look for cream and other dairy products that contain no carrageenan or additives.

Three Scarves In A Minivan

2010-10-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here they are so far, the three scarves for the three little nieces which I accidently started before I'd really thought through my approach to this project (see previous post.) Now that I'm up and running though I have to say that they are the perfect project for this particular chapter in my life. Not only do I know that they will be well loved on completion (I designed the pattern in the first place because it's just so impossible to buy a decent small kids scarf these days), but I'm finding the simple design perfect for my rather hectic existence.

Apologies straight away to those of you who volunteered to test knit the matching hat. I will be getting in touch this week if you're still interested, because I really must get the pattern released soon, but I have just not had any time at my desk recently. My new office seems to be the car these days!

In the absense of a third vehicle and public transport being completely different here to Europe, I have had to drive the Geek to college twice a week to attend her two hour class. To begin with, I was driving backwards and forwards which gave me just over an hour at home in between in which to........clock watch! Yes, it was pretty impossible to get anything significant done without risking missing my time slot back on the highway again. Last week, to add insult to injury, I came down with the mother of all colds, so haring along the highway 4 times in 3 hours was not on my list of 'must do's.'

To rectify the situation and claw back some time, I decided to park up in a local park near the college with my coffee, snacks, knitting and a generous dose of "Sticks And String" podcasts. As I sneezed into my Kleenex and sucked on Ricola's, I knitted my way happily through many rows of the lilac scarf last week, which was infinitely preferable to hurtling down the highway, I can tell you. Driving at speed is not my forte at the best of times (see this humerous post written 3yrs ago to clarify!) I am a self-proclaimed "Back Street Babe" and proud of it.

This week I used the same strategy, except I took my 'office-in-a-bag' so I could pay the bills and make the phonecalls I would have been making at home. Slowly but surely my car is turning into my second home. I can even move my seat far enough back to get the entire binder on to my lap. All I could do with now is WiFi for my computer and I'd be away!

Somehow though I think I preferred knitting in my car. Listening to podcasts and knitting for the girls is far more soothing to the soul than trying to work out how to keep Uncle Sam happy. If I can try to retain it as knitting time, I might stand a chance of finishing these projects too. The minivan should be a designated knitting zone when it's not in motion I think. That way the 3 scarves could well give way to 3 hats before the Christmas deadline. After all, I'm spending so much time parked up at soccer practices, school classes and other events, that I could certainly be in line to produce a scarf that could rival Dr Who's! (The Tom Baker Dr Who)

By the way, if you want to knit this scarf just click on the picture Kid's Keyhole Scarf in the sidebar and if you're on Ravelry, it'll take you to the pattern. Otherwise, you can find it here. Enjoy!

3 Sets x 3 Nieces = Confusion!

2010-10-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

These are the perfect colours I succumbed to last week in order to knit scarf and hat sets for my little nieces. I just fell in love with the different shades of purple and knew they'd look great. As I selected them, I knew exactly which niece would look fantastic in which colour, so the stage was set.

I have cast on.....twice!

The first time I got started rather enthusiastically without thinking things through properly (no surprise there.) I cast on in the plum for the child that actually has a birthday at the beginning of January (set 1), thereby totally destroying my get-out clause if I fail to make my self-imposed Christmas deadline. You must remember, these sets will be flying halfway across the world courtesy of the United States Postal Service, so I really have to get them finished WAY before Christmas. Shooting myself in the foot by totally eliminating the chance to mail the items as a birthday gift instead, was not a smart move.

I rummaged around for a stitch holder, set aside the work and then pulled out my second favourite skein of yarn, the purple. I cast on whilst watching The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants 2 and got halfway through set 2 before it dawned on me that A: I'd seen the movie before and B: I was knitting the second scarf for the other niece whose birthday is in the winter, totally destroying yet another get-out-of-jail-free card!

I knitted several rows and contemplated the situation. There was a potential upside to this scenario. If I continued with the second set, then I would have to complete it because the third niece has no convenient winter birthday that could save me from missing the deadline. This would force me to complete both set 2 and set 3 before the beginning of December. It seemed like a plan.

I cracked on with the purple scarf, hugely grateful that I have a simple travelling project in my bag because life has exploded and I'm all over the place at the moment. Not having to think about what I'm working on is a bit of a godsend. It also makes life so much easier when I do make it to a social knitting event because I can actually chat with my knitsibs and produce something at the same time.

Yesterday I realised that my master plan was not the best one (*sigh*.)

The best one would involved casting on in the lilac for the third niece, (the one who does not have a winter birthday) and finishing that set completely. Then I should complete the plum set for the one with the early January birthday. This would leave me extra time for the third set (the one for the niece with the late winter birthday) if I overshoot my Christmas deadline, thereby giving me maximum opportunity to turn the set into a birthday present instead.

Phew! I'm off to find another stitch holder!!

Apple Sauce And Other Things

2010-10-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Life is rapidly shooting out of control here as usual. The Handy Husband got headhunted for a new job so it's all systems change again. I am now on my 5th medical insurance in 6 years (thankful to have it ofcourse) and trying to work out if this means I have to change all the doctors again? It also means that when he's not travelling he'll be working from home. Honestly dear readers, it's getting quite crowded here! With the Geek doing her college studies online and the Little Guy off school sick, the house has been alive and kicking constantly.

I have escaped to the kitchen several times during the past week to can produce. Last weekend I put up 8 pints of apple sauce and made 1.5 pints of plum jam. I have a stack of tomatoes to prep for marinara sauce and I'm off today to follow a hot tip about chemical/pesticide free tomatoes that have just arrived from Eastern Washington. After my disasterous growing season, it'll be nice to have an alternative supply.

I've also been on the look out for ways to reduce the toxins in my life and have been trying out various different items. In an effort to give back, I decided to chronicle my journey and have started another blog at Chemical Free Consumer. It links to my recipe page so you can follow my progress and cook up some of my favourite meals too. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, which is hard work, but I really have no choice. I have no desire to feel as ill as I did the other week and so 'prevention' is the watch word!

I'm really excited about the Mock Cable Hat pattern too. I've written up a rough draft this week, which I'll be sending out to my test knitters, and then I succumbed to a fit of pre-Christmas-itis. I swore last year that I would NOT knit for Christmas again, but when you have so many cute little nieces in your life, who are only little for a very short time, and you have a hat and scarf set that you've designed yourself, then.................

We'll see if I manage to knit them up, or get bored halfway through. Hopefully I'll stick with it and they'll be as successful as the apple sauce. Look at it! Isn't it the most divine colour? I am thrilled that all of those Honey Crisp apples cooked down to such a divine looking puree. Hearing the 'ping' as the jars all sealed really was extremely satisfying, almost as satisying as finding the 'perfect' colours for my little girls Christmas knits!

It's In The Can

2010-09-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

"'Tis the season", as I keep telling the family when they moan at me for hogging the kitchen for hours on end. No, not jolly santa season......'Tis the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", otherwise known as canning season in our house! Yes, dear readers, I spent Saturday canning.........and it was exhausting, but good. We now have pasta sauce (why do tomatoes cook down to nothing?!), apple pie filling, apple chutney, bread'n'butter pickles and strawberry jam. This should go some way to reducing my chemical intake over the winter months, provided the tribe lets me get at it.

The garden, on the other hand, is far less successful, at least with regards to tomatoes. They have been a disaster this year. I tried to rescue some to make Green Tomato Chutney, but when I brought them in they swiftly turned black. Way too much rain I think. Now the weather has gone completely loopy and it's set to be 72F today! Honestly, no tomato could possibly survive such wierd climatic challenges.

The butternut squash is thriving though, as are the cucumbers. I planted Straight Eights and they seem to be so happy that I can't eat them quick enough.

In knitting news, I reworked the cord for the hat, doubling the strands of yarn to make it thicker which balances a lot better with the thickness of the cables in the pattern. It now feels complete, so I'll be writing up the pattern and PM-ing all you wonderful volunteers on Ravelry. Thanks for all your input. It's always great to get a second opinion!

Better get back to the grindstone now. I'm clearing out my desk today. The Handy Husband has got a new job and will be working from home by next week. Honestly, it's like Picadilly Circus here at Wilde Thyme! What with the Geek taking college classes online and now the Handy working here too.......I may never get another moment of peace!

On A Roll!

2010-09-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished this: Kid's Mock Cable Hat. After a couple of crazy busy days, full of trips to schools for curriculum nights or drop offs for college classes, I'd promised myself a quiet evening. I sat in my rocker and picked up this, the companion hat to my popular Kid's Keyhole Scarf pattern. During the past year several people have asked me if I would design a hat to go with the scarf I made for my cousin's little boy, because they really want to make a set. Many hope to gift the little people in their lives with a matching hat and scarf at Christmas. The hat's been on the needles for many months and I really should have made the effort to finish it sooner but, hey.......better late than never!

This is actually a toddler size but I've stretched it over Alice for photographic purposes. Being my usual critical self though, I could use some feedback. Do you think the cord is too thin? Should I make it double thickness so that it's more robust and matches the cables a little more, or is it ok as it is? I'm still debating this one.

What about the flat top? Any thoughts? It sits well on the crown of the head with no point, which is good.

I'll soon be on the lookout for test knitters for this so if anyone wants to give it a go for me then please drop me a line. In the meantime I can feel those creative juices flowing so I'm off to see what else I can complete in an effort to avoid the computer and the pattern writing that's beckoning me.

See you on the other side!

Going With The Flow........

2010-09-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, the mojo is back, the inspiration is striking and the knitting is back on the needles and flowing! What a relief. I thought I might be severely impaired for life. Having cast on and knit one repeat of the same pattern three times and had to rip out, I was beginning to wonder if I'd just completely lost it. Fortunately, it turns out that all that was needed was a good movie, plenty of additive and preservative free nourishment and a whole lot of R&R.

I spent the weekend slowly replenishing my resources (and no I'm not talking stash enhancement here, although I was gifted a fabulous skein of ShiBui Sock Yarn last week in a delicious turquoise.) After waking between 4 and 5 am for the past few days (the Handy Husband has jet-lag!), it's then taken me several hours to actually find the energy to get out of bed. I did manage a trip to the store on Saturday to get the Little Guy some desperately needed shoes, but was soon back home and revitalising with a good cup of tea before beginning the 2 hour marathon that is now my evening kitchen routine.

Attempting to keep chemicals out of my diet means everything that I consume has to be made from scratch. If I want a snack, it has to be fresh fruit (yuck!) not an energy bar, which could turn out to contain hidden toxins. This is no easy task, although the rest of the family seems to think it's pretty awesome. I've always cooked every day and have been making my own bread and pizza dough for the past few years, but recent events have taken things to a whole new level. In order to regain full knitting strength, I have to purge my diet of all potential chemicals until such a time as my body can once again cope with small amounts. This means.............No Shortcuts!

No cook-in sauces, no packet sauces, no canned soups, no frozen puff pastry, no supermarket bread, no soy sauce.......

So far, my Cornish pasties, chocolate chip muffins, blueberry and apple compote with scones on top, my schnitzel in fresh breadcrumbs and gratinated potatoes have been such a hit that I've had to booby trap the leftovers so that there's something non-toxic left for me!

The best part though has been watching the Geek and Susielusie learn all about washing up. With so much cooking going on, the dishwasher is soon full and someone has to hand wash the overflow.

It's proving to be a wonderful lesson in cooperative team work!

From Hero To Zero

2010-09-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a weird week. I blame it all on my enthusiastic boasting last Thursday about how many knitting projects I have been working on. Honestly, when will I ever learn that the moment I admit to a period of yarny indulgence, I'm guaranteed to be brought down a peg or two?

It didn't take long to buckle me at the knees either. After the Little Guys first soccer game on Saturday, I raced off to town with Susielusie to pick up her supplies for her Fashion Design class. No sooner had I so much as diverted just a little bit of my attention towards the Cascade 128, than I began to feel nauseous. Nothing against Cascade (love 'em), but the dizziness I felt at the check out was only mildly relieved by the 10% discount we received.

Once home, I pulled myself together long enough to a host a knit night with a few of my knitsibs. After all, the Handy was tucked up safely on the other side of the Atlantic and we all know that 'When the cat's away.........................." I simply had to make the most of the opportunity to put myself first before the kids and their lives threatened to take over mine again. I indulged myself with ball winding, laughing and a sorry attempt at some knitting that I ended up ripping out a few days later.

Back to zero again!

By Sunday the full blown consequences of my second accidental run in with MSG in 3 weeks, started to take full effect. I was as sick as a dog!

(Poor dog.)

By Sunday night I was debating whether to go to the emergency room as dehydration symptoms were setting in. Fearing an IV, I rehydrated with Gatorade, broke out in hives from the colorants and prayed to get through the night so I could see a doctor on Monday.

As you can tell, I've lived to tell the tale.

All vitals were normal, all bloods normal........basically I'm totally normal!....... Except we all know I'm not where chemicals are concerned.

In my subsequent quest to regain my crackingly vibrant self, I've eaten more bananas than a monkey, more yoghurt than Jamie Lee Curtis and more pasta than an Italian! At this rate I'll be singing La Dolce Vita dressed like Carmen Miranda before the week's out!!

If only I could revitalize the knitting?

There HAS Been Knitting.......

2010-09-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

.........Honestly, there really has. Despite the crazy travelling, guesthosting, dinner preparing, veggie growing, kid-amusing summer that I've had, I have actually done some knitting...........

I just haven't exactly completed anything yet!

I seem to have been quite taken with texture and have been working on a selection of creations of my own design which explore different techniques and styles. Call me 'uncommitted' if you like, but it's actually been quite an adventure.

There have been cables:

There has been lace:

...and there has been colourwork!

Yesterday I blocked the lace, admired my mistakes and made notes on how to improve my pattern. I've even bought a smidge of DK yarn to test my fingering weight project in a different size. I'm hoping 2 skeins will be enough.

The colourwork was first completed back in February, but I wasn't too happy with it, so it's been sitting staring at me ever since. Over the past few weeks, I've reworked it and achieved a better fit. Now I'm faced with the daunting task of charting my progress, a first for me.

I'd love to be able to commit to just one idea at a time, and maybe I'll grow into that, but right now I'm excited to see so many of my projects coming to fruition at the same time. With 2 of the kids back at school from today (and the third destined to know exactly what it means to join the 'work-from-home-brigade') I live in hope of getting my ideas down on paper to share with others.

Only time will tell if I'm successful.

Please Pass The Earplugs.....

2010-09-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

You can tell that it's the countdown to school starting back. The kids are so sick of each other that each day holds one petty argument after another and any chance of creative inspiration on my part is firmly walloped into place by an endless stream of "Mum, he/she did this/that. Please can you tell them to STOP!"

Am I ready for them to go back? Boy I'm so ready that if they don't get their butts back to school soon, I'll go instead!

The days are also full of errands and appointments, oh, and don't forget all the paperwork that it takes to get three kids signed up, vaccinated, clothed and generally prepped for another school year. Today it's the dentist, my favourite place..........Hey, I kid you not.

I LOVE the dentists.

After all I get at least half an hour when someone else is seeing to my kids and I get to lay down. Now how good is that?! Once I've fought my way through the insurance stuff and knitted a few rows on my latest project in the waiting room, I get to fall asleep with my mouth open in the hygenists chair listening to cooking shows on the Food Network. What more could a mother ask for?!

Frankly I think I'll need this little interlude because amongst the recent appointments has been yet another visit on my part to the Dept. of Licensing. Yes, Dear Readers, Susielusie has signed up for Driver's Ed.

The prospect of going through this all over again is not exactly appealing, but I'm motivated by the fact that my teaching style must have worked because back in April her sister passed her test with 91%......

..... I know, I know, Driver's Ed is taught by the schools, but let me tell you, it's a huge commitment for a parent too. All those hours of practice we did outside of class time took up a large part of my life, but it paid off in the end.

I also find that coming from a different system doesn't help me much. I personally believe that a passing grade of 80% means you got way too many things wrong and shouldn't really be on the road. I'm sure there would be a whole lot less teenage accidents here if the pass rate was raised. I also make my kids take their test at the hardest test centre in the area. I figure that if they can pass there, then they're safe to drive. You can imagine how popular I am at home when their friends are heading north into the boonies to take their test in some small town with no traffic!

In the mean time The Geek is staying home for one more year and then transferring to a University as a Junior. Discovering that she'd earned enough credits in High School to completely skip her Freshman year of college was a major cause of celebration this summer. It's certainly gone some way to restoring the balance of my chi, even if it does mean that we have to go through the college application process all over again this year.

As for the Little Guy, he's limbering up his lips to start playing the trumpet by joining band this year. Now that he's entering 6th grade he's eager to test out his musical abilities and so my eardrums are hoping that his previous good marks will not prove to be purely academic. If they do, I suspect I'll be making another appointment at the dentists..............just for that half hour nap with the headphones!

Rhubarb & Custard

2010-08-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

So, I just swung by to share the Rhubarb and Custard Pie recipe, as requested by Jellidonut. I usually make it with a pastry crust and in fact if you've got the time, it's really delicious in an almond pastry base. It takes a while to cook but it really is well worth the effort.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

1 double pie crust or shortbread crust

Finely chop enough rhubarb to fill a pie crust, the fresher the better

Mix together well:

3 beaten eggs

2 cups sugar (adjust up or down to your liking next time)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon mace (not necessary but adds to the flavor)

1/2 cup Golden Glen cream

Line a deep dish pie plate with one crust then line the inside of the crust with aluminum foil. Cover the lined bottom of the pie crust with beans and pre-bake it at 425 for 15 minutes. Fill the crust with chopped rhubarb and pour the custard over the top. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the remaining crust and arrange them on top of the pie. Sprinkle the cutouts with sugar or a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake at 450 farenheit for 10 minutes then reduce the oven to 325 and continue baking for 1 hour

***********

The main reason I cook so much from scratch is that for the past 20 years I've suffered terribly from chemical intolerances. This covers both pharmaceuticals and all those additives and preservatives you find in foods these days. Sadly, it seems to be getting worse as I get older, not better, so finding good, safe food is vitally important to me. Last week I spent several days feeling ill after we went out for a family meal and I suspect I unknowingly consumed MSG. My body seems to go into free fall and it takes me a good week to get back on to an even keel.

One of my great pleasures during the summer is to tour the Farmer's Market, picking up local, chemical free produce and chatting with our local growers. I like the fact that I'm keeping my dollars local and in my own little way I'm fighting the food giants who make me sick in the first place. Yes, I have to pay more for my produce, but the way I look at it, I know exactly where my food's come from and it sure as heck saves on my healthcare costs!

To find a CSA or Farmer's Market near you, check out all the info at Local Harvest.

London Calling

2010-08-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

With the end of August in sight, I thought I'd share the last of my photos from my trip to England in July. It was the first time in nearly 6yrs that I'd been home and it was quite a culture shock. So much had changed, but at the same time so much was still so familiar. None more so perhaps than the UK capital, London.

After we had toured The Tower, the Geek decided that she wanted to go and look at Buckingham Palace again. All that talk of ancient palaces had put her in mind of the Victorian Palace that she'd last seen on her previous visit at the age of 12. We jumped on the underground and headed for St. James's arriving close to the park which was heaving with people. It was a hot summers day and the place was full of tourists.................just like us!

We meandered through the Park until we came to the famous memorial to Queen Victoria being circled by speeding Hackney cabs. Buckingham Palace looked as beautiful as ever and we drank in the scene around us with a thirst that only expats that have been away for too long can. I remembered standing on Pall Mall as a child clutching a plastic Union Jack flag in my hand as the Queen went by in her carriage. Or rather, I remember the flag and the legs of all the people in front of me, but don't remember seeing much else. It was more the air of excitement that's lingered in my memory.

We then walked on towards Parliament Square. A slightly heated discussion about our route fortunately led to The Geek deferring to my superior knowledge (for once) and we found Big Ben. Isn't this a typical London scene............right down to the roadworks!

We turned left from here and wandered down past Downing Street where the police were getting a bit distressed because a rather swarthy looking man had set his camera on a tripod across the street and was aiming directly at No. 10. Well, call me a wuss, but I thought it wise to sidle on by as quickly as possible. Perhaps 6yrs in the US has honed my firearms perception? Anyway, if something was about to kick off, there was no way we were going to get caught in the crossfire, so we moved on.

Heading up the street towards Trafalgar Square we noticed an increase in the number of police on the streets and caught the word 'parade' in communication. I suspected we'd hit the weekend of the annual 'Gay Pride' march, a huge event in London and so we turned off and headed over the bridge to the embankment before we got caught up in the celebrations.

Walking along the south bank, I couldn't get over how much it had changed. What used to look a little shabby and rundown was now teaming with life and trendy eateries. We ended up walking all the way down to the Tate Modern and even spotted The Globe theatre, a replica of the old Elizabethan theatre where many of Shakespeares great plays were first performed.

Then we saw this..........The Millenium Bridge.....or as I heard many people call it........The Harry Potter Bridge!

The views up and down the river were fantastic. We could see the good old Gherkin in the financial district, right back where we'd arrived on the train. Crossing the bridge we ended up right by St. Paul's Cathedral, site of the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer and featured in the movie "Mary Poppins."

As we walked around to the front on our way to catch the tube back to the station, I couldn't help singing:
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag, tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag......"

I know, I'm just SO embarrassing!

Anyway, it was a wonderful day and we saw so much. In fact it was an incredible trip, which was crowned (literally) by the birth of my new niece on 4th July, two days before we left. I just got to meet her in the hospital the day before we boarded the plane to head home. Despite the fact that she was a few days late, her timing was perfect. She got to meet her oldest cousin too, just before the Geek leaves home and heads out into the big wide world on her own.
Now that is perfect timing!

From Garden To Plate

2010-08-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I'd give you a little garden update today. This is my other hobby......growing veggies, picking them straight from my garden and turning them into something delicious. I'm still getting used to the NW weather and the short growing season we have but I'm pretty pleased with this year's haul.

We built the raised beds back in the spring following two successful years of container planting on my part. The Handy Husband has a bit of a thing about his lawn and it's only been by persuading his stomach that homegrown veggies are a good idea that I've been able to slowly invade this part of the garden. As you can see, the conifers nextdoor dictate the use of raised beds, but they really are the optimum way to control your soil and grow a few things.

I have three different varieties of tomatoes growing which have been successful in previous years, but could be a problem this time. As we had such a wet spring, everything is about 4 weeks behind, so we could see a lot of Green Tomato Chutney in this year's Christmas gifts! (If you've got a good recipe, let me know.)

The strawberries have taken really well, although something (or someone) keeps getting to them before I can. Yesterday I found half eaten strawberry tops under the squash plants! I have four different varieties in the square bed. I didn't know which to plant so decided to plant them all and they could fight for supremacy. So far so good.

The zucchini have been amazing. I'm about to get my second crop. Not sure how The Little Guy feels about this though. He's really got quite heavily into Zucchini Fritters, but I think he could be starting to suffer from seasonal zucchini overload. The last time I offered him one......he opted for a cheese quesadilla instead!

To my surprise though the Jalapeno Pepper plants that I grew from seed have actually survived and are covered in white flowers. I'm now hoping for an Indian summer so that I might actually get a couple of jalapenos before the autumn really sets in. There are two like the one in the picture, so keep your finger's crossed.

This year was my first attempt at Ornamental Beans, which are the most popular green bean that's grown in the UK (we call them Runner Beans.) It took me ages to find any seeds here and then the squirrels ate my first few seedlings, but I finally got some spindly vines. They are not as robust as the plants I'm used to but they're not bad for a first attempt. Next year I'll build cane Tee-pees and grow them up those. They end up with the most beautiful red flowers on them which turn into the beans.

Last night I dug the last of our potatoes. It was a sad moment, but a proud one. This was my first attempt at potatoes and it has been pretty successful. In fact I had a terrific haul of potatoes, peas, carrots and beans last night. Then I even spotted a few stalks of rhubarb that had survived the spring drenching and lived to fight another day.
I picked them for dinner.

This is how my homegrown food ended up...........Norwegian meatballs with California white new potatoes, carrots, peas, runner beans, gravy and some lingonberry jelly.
Delicious!

The 'piece de resistence' was a Rhubarb and Custard pie.

From garden to plate..............There's nothing better!

Off With Her Head!

2010-08-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Where would a trip to England be without a whistle-stop tour of London.

On the final Saturday of our trip back at the beginning of July, the Geek and I decided that we wanted to visit "The Tower of London." It's somewhere that I've never been and as we both love history, we felt that we were just about up to dealing with the gory details of the Tower's past.

We caught an early morning train and arrived in the capital before 9am. A quick bus ride took us straight to the tower just as it opened, which was an excellent move because we were able to see the crown jewels before the hoards of 'real' tourists had even finished their hotel breakfasts!

This was our first view of the Tower with Tower Bridge in the background. It's really quite incredible, tucked away as it is by the edge of the river but amongst a busy modern office district.

After checking out the crown jewels and the coronation robes worn by Queen Elizabeth II, which incidently are embroidered with gold thread and weigh almost 28lbs, we went on a Beefeater tour. Now the Beefeaters don't just reside on the famous Gin bottles, they do actually live at the Tower. Yes, I said LIVE! Not something I'd fancy myself, I must say........Way too much material for nightmares.
The tour though was fascinating. We saw the window to the room where Guy Fawkes was tried and the spot where people like Oliver Cromwell, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were executed.

This is Traitor's Gate. It backs on to the river Thames and was the means of transporting those most high ranking or controversial prisoners to the tower. Positioned directly opposite The Bloody Tower (where Sir Walter Raleigh ate his last supper), it had an intensely eerie feel about it. I could just imagine Anne Boleyn arriving in a small boat late at night to meet her destiny.

What surprised me most about the Tower was the architecture. From the outside it looks like a stone fortress, but inside there is a lot more of a tudor influence. The buildings are small, with tiny doorways and windows reflecting the small stature of the people of the time.

The most exciting part of our visit for me though was right at the end. Just before we left we headed up a small winding stone staircase, worn by the feet of folks from times gone by, to see what can only be described as ancient graffiti. In a small round room at the top of a turret was a piece of perspex covering the name "JANE" which had been carved into the yellow stone wall. It was an electrifying moment. There was my name carved into the wall of the room that had been a prison cell for either Lady Jane Gray or her husband. No one knows if she wrote it herself or whether he carved it there as he pined for his lost love.

The Beauchamp Tower is just one of several that make up The Tower of London and each tells a story of its own. The most famous is arguably The White Tower (seen above) built at the time of William The Conquerer as a fortress and palace. Today it houses an incredible collection of armour. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of HenryVIII's armour astride his horse (also encased in armour) as you enter the building. Honestly, I couldn't get over the fact that the load of ornate metal I was seeing in front of me had been worn by the Tudor King!

They say that the Tower of London is haunted and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Many a restless soul would feel compelled to roam the building after meeting the kind of fate that was 'normal' at the Tower. When you think of just how many lives have been cut short here over the centuries, it really makes you shudder.
If you lose your head though, does that mean your ghost is bound to wander in a dismembered state for all eternity?
I suspect not.......after all, I did catch a glimpse of this dear lady strolling through the grounds and she honestly seemed totally together.........
............literally!.........

A Ripping Yarn

2010-08-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's very hard to knit when it's 95F outside.

Yes, dear readers, it does sometimes get that hot here in the Pacific Northwest and boy do we melt. I guess it's months of unending rain coupled with the deep snows of winter, not to mention no airconditioning, that mean that heat exhaustion is never far away when the temperature starts to top out in the 90's!

This also makes it kind of hard to knit. After last week's thrilling blue beret experience, I was all set to continue in the same vein. I'd shown it to several friends who'd loved it and I was just so relieved to be making hats again that I launched full pelt into something even more adventurous this week. I broke out the Lorna's Laces Swirl DK from my stash, tried a stretchy cast on (which I hated), ripped it out again and went for a neater cable cast on, knitted about two inches of the pattern............

.........and realised that although the somewhat scratchy yarn was making a great fabric, the pattern was just wrong for it.

I ripped the whole thing out again and went to water the vegetable garden instead.

Meanwhile Susielusie was also less than successful in the knitting department. Having successfully completed her latest set of mittens, she launched herself into a triangular scarf pattern that soon appeared to be eating yarn with the hunger of a full-sized shawl! It transpired that 25 rows back, she'd done twice as many increases as the pattern stated and was now in real danger of running out of wool.

We had a pow-wow......and decided that there was no other recourse but to take back the 25 rows and do the increases correctly.

Spitting bricks, she went off to watch a movie.

Last night she appeared in the kitchen, delighted but exhausted by her long trek back on the red scarf project. To reward herself for her diligence, she'd been stash diving and come up with a beautiful sage green skein of Malabrigo Twist.

"I'm going to make one of those beret's with it," she declared. "Just like yours."

Too weary to set up the swift, she turned a kitchen stool upside down and proceeded to wind the skein. It wasn't long before...............she hit the same twist(ed) problem that I had.
We spent a companionable twenty minutes or so unwinding the twists in her skein of Malabrigo and discussing the fact that they really should sort out their skeining procedure. I assured her that the final hat is worth the hassle of walking round and round an upturned stool winding a ball of yarn at ten o'clock at night...........
.............but I'm not sure she was convinced.

In The Town Where I was Born.......

2010-08-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

...........live a lot of very educated people.........

who ride bikes!

This is Cambridge, my home town, the place that we used to go to most Saturday mornings when I was a kid to do the week's shopping and generally 'pick up the necessary.' It felt strange to go back after so many years away. I never really realised just how narrow the streets are or quite how old everything is.

What a privilege it is to view the city in which I was born through the eyes of a foreigner. You really get such a wonderful appreciation of all those things you took for granted growing up.

Punting along the river is as old as time here and was enjoyed as much by the likes of Rupert Brooke when he was a student as it is by folks today..........

.......and architecturally.....Cambridge is paradise!

Some of the oldest colleges date back to the 11th and 12th Centuries.

This is Corpus Christi, established in 1352!....... I mean, when was that?..... Like several lifetimes ago when Geoffrey Chaucer walked the earth and wrote plays like "The Knight's Tale." Amongst the college alumni is the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, who came from Canterbury, my University city. It really blows your mind when you relate the history and the people to the buildings around you.

This is St. John's, a fabulous tudor building dated 1511 and home to The Bridge of Sighs, the prototype to the famous enclosed bridge in Venice. One of its previous students was none other than William Wordsworth..........Yes, the one and the same guy who "wandered lonely as a cloud" up in the Lake District looking at daffodils!

This amazing building is St.Bene't's Church, the oldest building in Cambridge with its tower dating back to the Norman conquest.

Then ofcourse there's Sidney Sussex college with its ties to that great Parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell.....
..........I could go on............
....and on....
...and on...

......but I'll leave it there. Suffice it to say that I'm extremely proud to come from this amazing city with it's incredible literary, architectural and scientific heritage!
....Oh, I forgot....Charles Darwin......Now Darwin.............

Twist(ed) By Name......

2010-08-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

It rained this weekend.......a continuous mist of light droplets that soaked everything and made me think of soup and pumpkins and sorting out the house before the kids go back to school.

I didn't.

Instead.......I made a hat!

It should have been a simple project, one of those "I'll-just-do-this-quick-hat-project-coz-I'm-bored-with-the-fiddly-projects-that-I've-already-started."

It wasn't.

........Well, it was, but it didn't start out that way.......

I found a beautiful skein of Malabrigo Twist in my stash that I'd bought back in February when I was in Portland on the "Seattle To Portland Yarn Train." I was delighted to discover that as long as I didn't get carried away and try to make something with too much excitement in it (i.e. cables), the 150yd skein would be enough to make a simple beret.

I prepared my swift so that I could turn the skein into a beautiful soft squiggy cake of yarn and placed the untwisted skein over it.

No go.

As I started to wind the yarn the whole thing got into a tighter and tighter mess. The skein was so looped and twisted that I had to forego the ball winder entirely and wind by hand. Feeling hugely frustrated, I began a half hour weaving project threading the ball of yarn through the skein that was on the swift desperately trying to untwist the whole thing.

So much for a quick little project!

Late Saturday afternoon I was finally ready to start. Going through my selection of circular needles I discovered a severe lack of US9's.............there wasn't a single one. I took a deep breath, tried to centre myself and then hopped in the car and drove to my LYS to buy one. The 20% sale going on when I got there was a slight distraction but I bravely managed to leave with needles and no stash enhancement.

Back at base, I cast on.

Oh, the bliss......the delight......the relief. I was finally making a hat again. For once my crochet hook was actually where it lives and so I used the Emily Ocker Cast On and started my blue, top down beret. I knit until dinner time, I took the hat to a movie night and knit on it there and I picked it up again on Sunday morning as I sat in bed and attempted to get over the 2am finish the night before!

By yesterday afternoon I was the proud owner of a warm, woolly, deliciously soft, blue beret. I made a slight adjustment to the math in Kirsten Kapur's "One Day Beret Recipe," simply because I could tell that the yarn was quite stretchy and I didn't want the edge to be too loose. My head circumference is 21"........minus 2" makes 19". Now you have to multiply this by your stitches per inch........mine was 5. This then gives you your number of brim stitches (rounded up to the nearest multiple of 8.)

96sts seemed awfully large to me on US9 needles, so I decreased right down to 80sts and hoped for the best.

.........The best is just what I got.........

Despite the twisted start to this project, I got the best blue Malabrigo beret.......ever!

A Stately Home

2010-08-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

The one thing I don't like about summer in the Pacific Northwest is 'mosquitos!' Unfortunately they seem to really, really like me which is why I'm sitting here this morning nursing a selection of itchy bites. Try as I might, I always seem to be 'flavour of the month' (that British flesh must be extra succulent). Until last night though, I had never been bitten on my face. Hanging out with my knitsibs, I was ~~brave~~ foolish enough to sit outside and 'wham!'.....I got nibbled. This morning I look like I've got a huge gobstopper secreted in one cheek........Munchkin is an understatement!

England thankfully is devoid of said beasties and it was with a rather more refined air that the Geek and I made a longed for trip to a stately home while we were visiting the UK in June. (In an attempt to remember just where I've got to on my knitting I'm sharing my travel tales with you, dear readers. Please bear with me and enjoy the photos.)

"Wimpole Hall" is one of the most beautiful English stately homes owned by The National Trust. As avid Jane Austen fans, the Geek and I were eager to drink in anything and everything that could transport us back in time to the days of chivalry and chased love. (I also studied 'The Romantics' at Uni, so it's been a long term passion.....excuse the pun!)

Wimpole was spectacular.......an architectural treasure and as we swept from room to room we could imagine the servants setting the fires in the grates every morning, the carriages drawing up at the front steps and the Mr Darcy's of the past striding handsomly around beneath the ancestral portraits.

To add to our pleasure we also came across a first edition of Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book" which was newly discovered in the houses well stocked library. It was a stunning book, the cover a luscious shade of sky blue embossed with a silver image of Mogli riding an elephant. Inside the front cover was an inscription by the author to his daughter, a former owner of Wimpole Hall.

The grounds were also magnificent. Built on a north/south axis, the house was used by fighter pilots during WW2 to find their way home. If their instruments had been destroyed, the airmen were able to use Wimpole's perfect symmetry to work out exactly where they were located and to make it back to safety.

The estate is also home to a farm with a lot of cattle, sheep, pigs and.........goats. I just had to take a few goat pictures and this dear one posed dutifully for me.

I also found some fibre that was not still walking about in the fields........ and on a stroll through the clover to photograph the back of the Hall, I picked up some black and white tufts of fleece from the thistles that had caught it.

Back at the main entrance some eager craftsmen were 'making hay while the sun shone' in the old fashioned way with hand held scythes and a cart horse pulling a mowing machine.

There was also some woodcrafting going on and this dear lady spinning fleece. In fact, with all those goats and sheep around and with knitting gaining in popularity again,Wimpole could offer an entire sheep-to-shawl experience on a regular basis!

..........If only someone would tell them.........