sole food swap

What weight of sock yarn do you generally prefer (fingering, sport, or DK?) either is great i love to the fine gauge of fingering but the quickness of sport and dk
What is your favorite type of yarn to knit with? for socks i love hand painted it is so much fun to see what each different yarn will do
Are there any brands of sock yarn that you have wanted to work with but have not had the chance? as a brand i have not tried trekking xxl or socks that rock. but for me i am all about trying something new and am very intrigued by all the new fibers coming on the market. justthis week i saw sugar cane and banana
What colors do you like? for socks i find anything goes
What colors do you not like? as above i love them all for socks
What type of recipes do you usually cook with? i lean toward mexican and thai and idian inspired things but i just love to cook
What type of recipes do you usually bake with? i love to bake cookies and cupcakes and bars things like that
What is your favorite food? all of it.... no i really do not have a food preference it is a mood thing
Are you a tea or coffee drinker? both though more coffee than tea
What type of sweets do you like? i have th worst passion for gummy candy anything at all
Does your kitchen have a theme? coffee
Do you have any allergies (to food, fibers, pets, etc) or diet restrictions? unfortunately i am allergic to nuts
Is there anything else you would like your pal to know? i do not think so though i may change my mind a little later will think on it a little

Monarch knitting store.

We went to monterey bay on saturday to enjoy the huge surf that had rolled in and also fly the kites. However once we got there I noticed this yarn store I had heard grea things about I did not realise it was down that way. We drove past and whilst I knwo the family would have sat in the car and waited for me it did not seem fair as they were hungry and wanting to play on the beach. So i vowed to drive down on monday.

Rosie and I got up and made the trip down and it did not dissapoint. It was a beautiful store filled with all things fibery. Knitting spinning and weaving abounded. I loved the store and think this one is definately my fav of all the ones i have found here so far.

Here is a pic of what rosie and i bought. Bison fiber delicous, 3 skiens of noro kureyon. 2 to make a hot water bottle cover for me and 1 for a project in last months interweave magazine. I bought a debbie bliss sublime book and the yarn to make the front cover sweater for charlotte rose. I got it in the cutest raspberry color, so cute. I also bought the book socks from the toe uphttp://www.amazon.com/Socks-Toe-Up-Essential-Techniques/dp/0307449440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259684041&sr=8-1

along with all of this I also bought suede bottoms for the girls slippers. I have rosies done and waiting to be felted and I hope to start caitlins today. I just have to finish the quilt for MIL and really do not want to . but i have to get it in the mail this week or it will not be there for xmas.

New home and new life

Well things have been somewhat up in the air for a while but seem to be back on a more even keel now.

we have moved from PA to CA and settled the kids well. we have a great home and I really like the town we are living in. IT has loads going on and always something to do. The area is just beautiful. very different from PA but the desert seems to hold its own charm.

Now that we are settled I want to get back into swapping and so have madea vow to write here at least once a week. wil try and post pics of things going on in my knitting life.

It has been very productive in the last few weeks. a wonderful fall coat for my daughter charlotte. a hot water bottle cover in entrelac, something i have finally mastered... and i have nearly finsished a pair of socks for my father in law for xmas. t he hot water bottle is for my mom.

i have a huge list of xmas knits i want to finish but can only do when ia ma lone as they should not be seen by the small people.

Must get to it i guess. more to come.....

phewwwwww

wow. we are 2 days into a week long Girl scout camp and all seems to be going well. we have not lost any kids or damaged any we have had just one scrape and 2 twisted ankles. all is well. tomorow is green day and they will be taking part in a recycling relay at the end of the day. hopefully that will go well.

simon is in california for his interview. not sure how i feel about it but we shall see how it goes. the main thing is to do what is right for everyone. does california hold the key to our future or will we stay here in pa.

spinning has not gone at all to plan and what i have had a chance to do iam not thrilled with. i found the romney very hard to spin. love the colors just hate the fiber. i did however get some amazing fiber from spinning bunny and cannot wait to give the soft and smooshy stuff a go.

off to bed to listen to podcasts only chance i have when hubby is away.

tour de fleece

I have joined the Tour de Fleece group on ravelry. I have comitted to spinning fiber everday during the race except for the 2 off days. I will also take on the challenge day as the racers do. I have decided my challenge fiber will be the beautiful shades of blue fiber I purchased at Rhinebeck last year. It is a silk bamboo blend and has always sat in the basket daunting me. I was never sure i was able todo justice to it. But I think the time has come and I am ready.

I also have lost of other things I want o spin during the race. The only down side to the whole thing is that day camp falls in the middle of it and I am not sure if I will make all the days. But it is my mission so I will do my best.

i'm back

It has been ages since I last blogged. Life has really gotten in the way. With everything from a visit from my mom to GS trip to hershey park for the weekend and all that goes on in between life has been crazy.

What have I been up to. HMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

I have gotten a job. I am going to teach a clas at the local craft store. It is my aim to bring the quality of project classes offered a little more up to date. so far they have made dishcloths and swiffer covers and not much else. They offer alot more in the way of crochet classes. so when i went in and asked if they needed a teacher they said bring in your stuff and we will see. After ohhh and ahhing i am assuming this was good they offered me the job. I get to pick what projetcs I teach and when I do the classes . Perfect.. so off i went to find the right project. The only limitation is that all the materials must be able to be purchased in the store.

So i chose socks 2 at a time on 2 needles this i can do with my eyes closed. I found some socks yarn not what I would choose to use but hey ho and made up a sample. They went in this week and I should be able to have the date I want the first week of july. So I am very excited about that.

I have nearly finished the first pair of socks i have made for hubby. They are shades of grey and are done in a chevron pattern to help with pooling of colors. I have finished an adorable shrug/ shortsleeved jacket thing for baby daugnhter in my own handspun. It cam out beautiful and i will have to post pics for all to see.

Today I am off to train adults as camp counselors for GS day camp i am co running in the summer. So i better get ready.

But just wanted to sign in for a few mins and be back blogging i really miss it. lots to catch up on.

pittsburgh knit and crochet

I travelled down to Pittsburgh for the 5th annual knit and crochet festival on the weekend of valentines day.

I had the best time. I took a class in double knitting and despite my concerns about not having takena formal class before all was great.. this technique was not something i had seen before or tried and i came away with some greta knowledge and hope to be able to use it in the future. I think it would be best applied for me with hats for hubby and the kids a nice smooth layer inside for warmth and the fancy bit ont the outside. just have tof igure ot how to cable and decrease in this method.

I also puchased some wonderful things.

I bough a skein of sock yarn from creatively dyed and got to mee t with diane the owner and dyer herself. it is called sea scape and i cannot wait to start knitting this. a great base yarn adn the colors are fab. not to mention dianne gives a very generous 510 yeards per skein of sock yarn.
I also got form her 2 hanks of fiber to spin of a bamboo and merino. very pretty in pinks and purples.
I bought a pound of the softest merino tops for spinning and cannot wait to do this so soft and gorgeous. a pattern for charlotte rose of nonis ella and the garden jacket. i think i am going order the y arn for this this weekend. it is slightly felted and will look lovely for her for the spring.
a skien of sock yarn for simon in many shades of grey.

and the best purchase was a real splurger. a patterna nd yarn to make myself the most lovely jacket i have seen in a long time. it is called the lake placid basket weave jacket. basket weave body with a very intricatre cable border allaround to make the collar closed with a pin. i have about 8 inches done so far and cannot wait to finsih. decadent fibers make thsi yarn and pattern the yarn is called creme brulle and i chose it in a kind of grey and cream colorway. kntis fast as fat yarn and big needles.

pics to follow on that one.

vermont this weekend for our first skiing weekend away. I am taking the wheel fiber and as much kntting as i can pack in my bag. charlie and i get all day to do just as we like and i dont have to clean and do scout things so a real vacation for me lots of spinning and knitting and nothing else. except for quality time with my family.

spinning bunny fiber

I just joined the spinning bunny fiber club high fiber desserts.

I got my first shipment this week. It was a gorgeous color combination of pink and red and white. i chose to spin all the colors together instead of separating layers and this is the wonderful result. I love the combination and differences in colors. it spun like a dream with me almost not having to do anything to it. just be there to guide it in. I plied it 2ply and cannot wait to find the perfect project for it. I think i have about 360 yrds and somewhere betweena sport and a worsted weight.

cannot wait to see what comes next time. i think it should be here for april.

oh and the best bit and i forgot to mention this it comes with a recipe for a dessert that inspired the colors of yarn. this month it was a white chocolate cherry cheesecake and i plan to make it for sunday tea. hope it turns out well have not always had sucess with baked cheesecake in thepast we shall see.

question #4

Question #4 for the warm ewe up winter swap.

What are you plans for valentines day????

my plans this year are to be at a knitting and crochet festival in pittsburgh I should be back saturday night but late so no dinner then. sunday is my beautiful charlotte roses birthday 2 i cannot believe it already, so we will celabrate during the day with presents and cake and fun and then sunday night is just for me and hubby. dinner a glass of wine candles and who knows.........

Knitting this week is going slow have had no time at all to get anything done. Did cast on a pair of new socks but have done nothing more than the cuff. maybe this week and definately whilst i am away.

I really need this break it has been a long cold winter and the kids have been home alot as much as i love them the snow days are taking their toll. lots of yarny goodness is just what i need.
and then home to a great meal and a glass of wine. win win !!!!!!

question #2

This weeks question for the warm ewe up winter swap really had me stumped so I have taken some time to think about it.

The question was If you could only knit with one brnad of yarn what would it be??

I honestly did not know the answer to this. I have thought about it and can come up with no specific type. But, I would be lost with out soft hand painted beautiful sock yarn. I love the many colors and fibers available in this medium and would hate to be without it.

so that is the best answer i have to this quetsion lame i know but thats me.

On another note I recieved a wonderful package from my swap partner this week. She stalked me well and knew just the right things to put in.

I recieved a lovely berry colored skein of Paccapeds which comes with a coordinating heel toe skein. And a gorgeous skein of sea colored lace weight malabrigo, so soft and yummy. cannot wait to use it. I also got a lovely pattern that I have wanted for a while for the Little Pumpkin socks along with matching pie slice stitch markers, so cute. lots of yummy chocs and some pretty knitting note cards.

A huge thankyou swap pal who ever you may be.

I did it I did it!!!!!!~!

Siplau is finally finished, lined and ready to be sent to my MIL. It took a little longer than expected to finish as I really wanted to get my Angelina done for Christmas, which I did so this took a back burner. But I have done it I love it and cannot wait to go on and do the next one.

I was just looking on knit picks and they have a great lap top bag kit in the same kind of work this involves steeking which I have not yet attempted but I think I could do it. The kits look great and mayb e when I get back from Pittsburg knit and crochet festival in february that I might go ahead and order it. This is providing I have not spent all my money there.

Talking of that I am taking my very first knitting class there, I am taking double knitting so I can knit to layers of fabric together. I have been knitting for 20 somethings years and have never taken a formal class so a little nervous about it, what if I am doing it all wrong and have been for forever. I am looking forward to meeting some cool people though. It looks like the group from ravelry is planning on meeting me for dinner when I get there which will be great. Nice to put a face to some names.

warm ewe up swap question #1

why did you learn to knit???????

I learned to knit when i was 12. I used to spend to summers with my elderly aunt and uncle and they had no tv and no kids my age lived in the area. so one evening after i had complained my way through the day. My aunt sat me down and showed me how to knit. She had always had projects on the go and my brother and i had always had sweaters for Christmas. She showed me how to knit and purl and left me to it. by the end of the summer i was away.

it was something i picked up and put down over the years and had of course knitted for the kids but it got to be serious about 4 years ago. and now it is my hobby of choice.