Back from Puerto Rico

I am back! Comming back after 6 days I could see the change in the colors of the leaves. Fall is truely here! I know that the nights got cold and it is showing in the trees. Bright orange is the color that is hitting my eye most right now. The Dogwoods have faded from bright to burnt red. there is one maple tucked in the trees in the lot beside me that is a beautiful lime-yellow, unharmed by the shock of the cold under the canopy of tall pines. Fall and Spring are the most exciting time for the eyes. The trees show colors hidden behind the lush green of the summer months. Within a week most of the color will be gone and with it the leaves. The dull brown of the leaves that are left and the greys of the trunks will be all that remains until spring. How wonderful spring will be! I can just see the bright greens beginning to dance in the spring wind. As you can see the colors of all seasons is represented in the building of Puerto Rico! Bright orange, lime green even the dull browns and greys of winter.

Not much exciting knitting happening in Puerto Rico but I did knit. I made two market bags, worked on Abuelita's wrap and I designed a new scarf. I hope to have the pattern written for the scarf by Thanksgiving. The design uses a tuck stitch....Oooooh. And muliple colors. Double Oooooh. Maybe I can take a picture for a sneak peak.

I leave for Stitches East on Thursday! I am sooo excited. I have a little homework to do but it should be easy. Homework should be done on a light wool, a yarn that has give and stitch defination will pop. Let's see... Yes, I have it Berocco's Ultra Alpaca. In the beautiful cream! Or maybe the light grey. Oh no a delima with homework colors. I have already begun packing! I can not wait to take pictures and show everyone what the 'big' deal with Stitches is. Thousands of knitters and crocheters. Proudly showing everyone what they have made is just amazing. Some people look amazing and what some wear just amaze me at why they even purchased the yarn in the first place much less wear it. I am going to try to take as many pictures as I can.

I know that I will freeze walking from the convention center and the hotel. Sweatpants, long sleeve t's and jackets are the way to go. I have even made a felt jacket and vest from recycled sweaters for the cold. I know that most people dress up alittle for the fashion show but I just don't know if I can do it.

I want to start on a larger, more complicated project but I don't want to drag it to Baltimore with me. So I will just finish my Abuelita's wrap. I just love working with the Cashmere-silk blend. I just don't know what she will think of the colors. Teals, blues and deep purple.

I want to thank those that have given me pictures for my post. Tommy, Pam, Melinda and Michelle. I will need more to add to the website.

This is Tommy's 'Jack'! What a BEAUTIFUL piece of art! Yes art. Completely designed my mind---meaning no pattern. What you might not notice is that Jack's head is suspended on a skinny little neck! Jack has an internal structure that keeps his head from flopping around!

This is Tommy's foot inside a sock. Once again in a design that he came up with him self. He used a square toe, and the magic loop, toe up method made popular by Cat Borhdi. He take on the heel in a different manner! I am not a sock person there for I can not describe what exactly he did because I don't understand it! Next time I speak to him I will make sure to take notes.

Ten Ten Zero Eight

Today's date looks funny written in words.

Cables Yarn will be open for knit night on Tue Oct 21st. Join me starting at 6:30pm at 2210 Perth Rd. We will be having a drawing for discounts on yarn and books.

I have heard from so many that they are in project rut and I would like for everyone to bring a finished object and ideas to share. If you can not bring project please email me pictures that you will allow me to post on my blog and website. I am going to create a customer FO (finished objects) page. Or bring your FO and I will take pictures! Please include any finished object from the past 12 months or so. If you can include what fibers and yardage that would be great!





I finished the baby blanket in record time! However I frogged it because the type of increase made it pucker. The pattern is Op Art from Knitty.com winter 2008 edition. http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/PATTopart.html I am going to try it again using a different increase- a yarn over instead of kfb and pfb. Which by using the YO it is like the round or pinwheel baby blanket, http://www.knitlist.com/00gift/round-baby-blanket.htm I have knit this several times before.



I also finished my Anthropology's First Frost Capelet. I make mine a touch longer and a few stitches bigger to wear over bulkier items. It is made from Venezia, Merino and Silk as I remember. It feels great and the red is just a perfect color to jazz up my mostly black closet! Thanks to Mary B. for allowing me to borrow size 11 doublel pointed needles! I hope to have a better picture soon. I will not post this on the website. I know there are other versions of this pattern but this is the one I used. Thanks PeonyKnits! http://peonyknits.blogspot.com/2005/11/anthropologie-inspired-capelet-fo-and.html

Teddy Bear Parade

I will be at the shop on Friday until 12:00 noon. I must leave early because the entire kindergarden is having a Teddy Bear Parade! I will have pictures of this posted as soon as I get home on Friday! We are going to make his float today and tomorrow. Ya never know what his design will be!
Chix with Stix visited the shop on Wed and everyone seemed to have a great time. It is nice to know a group of ladies that knit every week and have been doing it for years! They will be at the shop the second and fourth Wed of each month!
Knit On!

Welcome aboard...

this crazy train I call 'my life'. If all other aspect of life don't slow me down, the current economy will. Financial markets are crashing, yet I knit on. I still have the notion that knitting will cure the worlds ails....well at least mine. Knitting will live on. You don't need gas to spin cotton or wool. As a matter of fact you can grow cotton, pick it, spin it, and knit with it and not need gas or electricity. Of course those things make the others easier and cheaper but it can be done. Actually the same is true of wool. Grow it, cut it, card it, spin it and knit it... all with out gas or electricity. Who needs nylon or acrylic? (Yes, sock knitters I know that you love a touch of nylon or elastic.) These fibers can greatly add to the durability of other fibers as well as aesthetics.
Here is my tip of the day....
Buy that beautiful hand dyed cashmere skein and knit your friend a gift that will last a lifetime. Enjoy your time with one of the softest fibers around then enjoy giving it, knowing that your love and talent is keeping them warm at night or just plain fabulous looking!
Just keep knitting or crocheting. Keep the fingers flying.

Zoning Meeting

I do not understand why the Mooresville, NC zoning board did not approve the request from my neighbor. Every adjoining neighbor signed a letter of agreement to change but because it is not in the 'PLAN' they would only consider a conditional use zone if presented at a different time!!! http://www.m-w.com/ defines plan as 'an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective'. No where does it say that once a plan is established that no one can not change the 'plan'. This puts a kink in my plan. Nothing new, my plans always have kinks and actually my plans end up looking like a road map, some street connect yet others do not. And somehow it always ends with death and taxes!

I have another plan--Saturday I plan to take my boys to Rural Hill's Amazing Maize in Huntersville, NC. If that is my plan and I don't go then what happens? MAKE ANOTHER PLAN!! Mooresville zoning board please make notes. Plans can change!!! If your plan is a bad one (which it is) then change it. Be reasonable, be flexible. This is coming from some one that plans things weeks or months in advance. Yet, I change plans. Watch and learn zoning.

Venting is over.... thanks for listening.

Too late to knit. Sleep is more important tonight.

Bad Luck

At our last knit night the temperature in the house was well in the 80's! This, I found out today, was because the compressor on the A/C unit is kaput! I know I have just set regular hours but this Friday maybe difficult to do. I have yet to hear back from the A/C company about when they can get someone out to give me a quote. Of course the repairman could not give me a quote. I will need to get several quotes--I don't want to get ripped off, temperatures are expected to rise this week. I will leave a note on the door if I had to leave early. Everyone wish for mild weather next week.

I completed my Noro Taiyo vest this morning all I need are the perfect buttons! I would post a picture but with the overcast weather none of them has turned out good.

This gloomy weather is playing havoc on my moods. All I can do is yawn and want to crawl in bed until spring! I normally don't feel melancholy like this until January.

I have started a wrap for my grandmother. Lace weight silk and cashmere! What a soft hand! It is a little slippery even on bamboo needles. I hope she likes it. I guess that is a silly statment 'I hope she likes it', of course everytime you handmake or even give thought to a gift for someone you hope they like it. She is my grandmother, I love her, I want her to be proud of a gift I made! I want her to wear it and often. I would like her to wear it everyday.

Point of interest:
Downtown Mooresville is having a gallery crawl this friday night.
Huntersville's Amazing Maize is open at Rural Hill.

September

This is my Tempting made in Universal Yarn's Aspen #574. I love this project! Quick and easy, knit from the bottom up. I would like to do this pattern again only this time make the top shorter. With the rib, it is form fitting and flattering. I love the way the Aspen subtle color changes add texture. Just let the weather cool off and you will see me in this little number! I have made a wrap with the same grey yarn used in place of ribbon. What a pair!

I have failed to complete all of my UFO's. I am now on the hunt for US#11 dpn or 16" circular needles. I know this is an odd size so if you have a pair and are willing to let me borrow I would be able to finish my capelet. All I have to do is finish the sleeves! I had hope to completed them all by now and I be diving into my new yarns. I will continue to work on them.... I will do it.

School is in session and I am pleased to announce that I will be open Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00am until 2:00pm begining September 10th. I am also trying to change a monthy meeting from Thursday to Monday or Tuesday. If that works out I will be open on Thursdays too!!!

We are having Knit Night on Tuesday Sept 9th.

I will be open on Saturday for Knitting and Shopping! 10:00am until 1:00pm. Stop by and see the changes at Cables.

News.... I am attending a Mooresville Zoning meeting on Thurs Sept 11th regarding the a change at the property across the street! This is just one of at least two meetings. If they get the change they are requesting this should allow me to rezone my property allowing Cables Yarn to go in full operation!

Knit on