Monsters in the House

I'm working on a knitted monster for an on-line friend that's going through a rough patch right now. I'm not the only one. There's several of us from, from all over. I raided my stash of left overs and was hoping to find some green or blue worsted weight. No such luck. So I'm using some Cascade 220 in an orange-red that I had left over from my Origami Cardi. I usually use dpn's when I knit in the round, but for some reason I kept twisting the yarn. So I tried magic lop for the first time. I'm not totally converted, but wow.

Since I've just joined the ranks of the unemployed, I thought this may be a good time to explore some cooking from other regions and countries. Maybe a new place once a week or so. Kind of like Julie & Julia, with knitting. And without the movie deal at the end.

Since tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, I decided to try my hand at making Gumbo. 'Cuz really, nobody does Fat Tuesday better than New Orleans! So I put on some music to get me in the mood and got to cooking. The aroma is wonderful. I used this recipes from Allrecipes.com. I did cook my roux longer than the recipe suggests, used about 1/2 of the salt and no file powder.

ETA: I'm not sure why Blogger wants my picture on top when I want it under the paragraph that it relates to. I'm tired of arguing with it so I'll leave it there .

2011 - Tranquility

I'm a fan of the Knitmore Girls podcasts. Jasmin has talked about having a theme for the year which I think is a great idea. Resolutions = epic fail for me. But a theme, something I can work on and explore. Well, that may work. So after a lot of consideration, I picked tranquility as my theme. Tranquility through balance and a healthy dose of acceptance. So for the past couple of weeks, when life gets crazy, I pause and think what a tranquil life means. And in those few moments it's been helping me to prioritize and let go of those things that are less so.

Winding Down

Labor day. The summer is officially winding down. And right on schedule, the past few nights have been cool enough to turn off the air conditioning and sleep with the windows open. It feels wonderful.

I finished up the Whisper Cardigan and I absolutely love it. I should be able to get a few wearings in between too hot to even think about it and I need something warmer.

I've taken the Origami Cardi out of hibernation. It's a pretty quick knit. I found that I needed to put stitch markers after the first 4 stitches and before the last 4 stitches otherwise I would screw up the berry-in-a-box pattern. Missing yarnovers, extra yarnovers. I didn't do that for the back and had to rip back a few times. I'm almost done the second front section.

I'm not really sure how this is going to work out. On the back I cast on for the smallest size, but used the length for the 38 size. For the front I followed the smallest size.

I'm using Cascade 220 Heathers in an orangey red. It has flecks of goldish brown. (Mine also includes some white cat hair here and there. You'll have to find your own cat for that.) Anyway, I really love the color. It reminds me red autumn leaves when the sun is shining on them from behind.

I also started knitting on my Queen Alice socks. I haven't gotten much more than the cuff of the first sock done. This was the first kit from the Alice in Wonderland sock club from Woolgirl. This was February's shipment. Why yes I'm a little behind. Why do you ask? This was my first sock club ever, and I'm loving it. Now all I have to do is find the time to actually knit the socks.

I've recently been overcome with a case of knitting bag lust. I have the vintage bag from Namaste but I also wanted something a bit more subtle. I purchased another bag from Namaste. This time it is the Newport bag in Hollywood Pink. Please refrain from any comments about how could Hollywood Pink in any way be considered more subtle than, well, anything. I'm not sure where this will lead. Maybe the Laguna in charcoal.

Surprise find. When I originally started the Queen Alice socks I used the size 1 needle called for in the pattern. The socks were way too big for me. I had to purchase size 0 needles. The shop I went to was running a little low on their DPN's. I usually use Brittany needles and have been very happy with them. They didn't have the Brittany's in the right size. They did have Crystal Palace needles. At first I thought they may be a little flimsy. They just weren't as sturdy as the Brittany needles. Well, can I tell you, I am loving them. They have just the right amount of flexibility. The shop only had the 7" and I would prefer 5". I see more Crystal Palace in my future.

My First Fleece

Last month I went to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. It was hot, humid, crowded and fun. I met up with some friends from my knitting group and met some new people. I got to listen to Maggie Casey talk about spinning with a spindle. Very interesting, by the way.


I did a wee bit of shopping


Not included in the photo are the rovings that I purchased.

I loved all the fleece for sale and wandered through the fleece section.



The woman in the front left, her name is Rose. She was one of the wonderful volunteers. She helped me purchase my very first fleece. A nice corriedale.



I washed the fleece. (Ok, most of it. There's still one more batch to go) I did it is small batches. I used a small plastic basket and a large plastic tote. After discarding the debris and any dung tags, I soaked it in cold water for a day or two. Then I scoured using two washes with Power Scour and two rinses.





What a difference.

I decided to try dyeing some of it before carding. This is my first attempt at dyeing.




I can't wait until it's dry and I can card and spin it.

Way too cold

So it's the end of January and right now it's about 20 degrees outside. Brrrr. I guess the robbins I saw the other day were wrong. And being one to always live in the moment, what am I thinking about right now? How to turn my plot of weeds in to a nice yard and garden. Lots of flowers, some veggies, a lawn instead weeds mowed really short. But I'm not really sure where to start.
Meanwhile, I'm knitting the Prairie Spring Tunic by Franklin Habit.



I'm actually much further along but I need to take a few more pics.

Inauguration Day

There will be much said and much written about today by others much more eloquent then I could ever be. So, with that said, let me just say -

Today, I am proud to be an American

A New Year - A Continuing Quilt

I'm working on the Dec/Jan block for the Saturday Sampler from Pennington Quilt Works. Generally I enjoy picking my own fabrics for blocks, but these ladies are amazing. Their fabric choices are absolutely perfect. It's always fun to go to the class. Sometimes they review techniques I already know and sometimes I learn a new technique. There's always tips. Every class is full. I'm doing my quilt in the Spice colorway. It doesn't really "go" with anything in my house, but that is usually not my primary concern. I like working with different colors and am usually more concerned with the "feel" of the finished quilt. I tend to be eclectic in my tastes.

The Christmas Hat Brigade

I decided to make hats for several members of my family for Christmas. My husband, my mother, father-in-law, brother and sister-in-law. I even finished them by Christmas, barely. The last one was finished on Christmas.



Harvard Square


I still have one scarf that I'm making for a friend, The Noro Scarf but I'm not going to my friend for a few days so I have a little reprieve. Even though I've been wanting to use Noro for a while, I resisted the urge for a while. I was working on a sweater and a lace scarf, and of course, there were Christmas hats yet to be knit. But willpower is a fickle thing. At least my willpower is a fickle thing. I was in the quilt shop one day, and right next door is a yarn shop. I found myself inside, by the Noro. How could I, in good conscience, leave it there?

But back to the Christmas hats. I knit the Seaman's watch cap,

Seaman's Watch Cap

A Hat Fit For a Boyfriend, the Claudia hat, the Harvard Square hat and a pattern from Woolbearers. I got to use some great yarn. For the Harvard Square hat, I used Classic Elite Montera and I think I have enough left over to make a hat for myself.





Claudia

Back Again

So much for actively blogging! Well, I'm going to try again.

The weather has turned cooler. The trees are going from beautiful fall color to bare branches. Perfect weather for knitting & quilting.

I'm working on a cardigan for a class that I'm taking. I'm using Drops Design Studio http://www.garnstudio.com. Pattern 88-4

I'm not following the pattern and I'm knitting from the top down. I'm learning a lot. It was so much fun to go to Woolbearers and pick any yarn I wanted without worrying about gauge. There was such a feeling of freedom! I've had to do a lot of ripping back, but if I focus on the process and not the product it doesn't seem so bad. Hey, I'm learning as much from ripping back as I am from knitting. Maybe more! With that said, I'm hoping to get a cardigan that fits. Wish me luck!

Final Week Check In

Chapter 12 check in. Can you believe it? Our final chapter. I have continued to do my morning and/or evening pages. I have found benefits no matter what time of the day I do them. I am planning to continue with my morning pages and my artist dates. I also intend to continue posting on my blog.
I haven't had an artist date in two weeks. Mostly because of our cat that was so sick. Sadly he did not make it.
I have learned much from the book, and have learned even more from the members of the group. I have enjoyed many of the tasks we were asked to do. I also intend to "treat myself as a precious object". Now, isn't that something to be further explored!
I'm not moving on to the next book because I feel that some of the ideas of the first book need to simmer a while, and I also want to some of the tasks I didn't have time for the first time around.
I'm a little sad that our group is over.

Week 10 check in

Week 10 check in. Here it is almost time for week 11 check in and I'm just checking in with week 10. I didn't feel there was very much in this chapter that I could relate to. As a matter of fact, her view on competition is completely opposite of mine. She sees competition as something that blocks creativity and I see it as something that pushes you to reach higher.
Although I could have done without this chapter, one thing I read that made me pause and think was "Art needs time to incubate, to sprawl a little, to be ungainly and misshapen and finally emerge as itself. The ego hates this fact. The ego wants instant gratification." That was really well said. I think of it as growing pains. And I am guilty of lacking patience at times. Yes I want to learn and get better but sometimes it doesn't happen fast enough.
I only did the morning pages 3 out of 7 days last week and the only task I did was touchstones, a list of things I love.

chapter 9 check in

Week 9 check in. Although I have done my morning pages most days this week. I find that they are beneficial for getting the "junk" out as well as helping me to organize my day and re-evalutate my priorities. So they do serve a purpose for me, but I'm not so sure it the purpose Julia Cameron intended.

For my artist date this week I went to the James A Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa. They had a couple of interesting exhibits. The first was Radical Vision - The Revolution in American Photography.
The other two exhibits New Orleans: A Beloved City, Photographes by Michael A. Smith and last but not least an exhibit of work by Romare Bearden.
I went with my husband. Although the book says we should do our artist dates by ourselves, my husband and I only have one day off together so I don't adhere to that rule.
While I was at the museum, my husband bought a book for me on Sumi-e, which re-awakened my desire to learn. Sumi-e means black ink painting. I even found time last night to practice for an hour or so.
"If we study Japanese Art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? In studying the distance between the earth and moon? No. In studying Bismark's policy? No. He studies a single blade of grass." -- Vincent Van Gogh

chapter 8

Artist Way Quilters: Chap 8 Check-in January 15, 2006">Chap 8 check-inChap 8 check-in I have not done well with my morning pages this week. Our break really took its toll on that morning habit. I only wrote 4 out of 7 days. Although I didn't doe them every day, on the days I did write it seems to come more easily.

I not only treatedmy artist well this week. She was spoiled rotten. It started on Thursday evening when I got together with two friends to knit. It was fun and it's always nice to be able to get together with friends who share in the same interest. Unfortunately I do not have any friends nearby who quilt. At least not yet.
Then on Friday, I arrived home from work to find no one but TWO quilting catalogs. I just love to look through quilting catalogs, even if I'm not interested in ordering anything at the time.
On Saturday I had my Saturday Sampler class. I've learned so much taking that class. I've done blocks that I'm not sure I would have tried yet if it were on my own. Going to their shop is alway so enjoyable for me. I walk out with my head full of quilts to be made, and very often my arms full of stuff to make them! And for my final moment of artist child gluteny, after wanting one for the past couple of years, I bought an Ott-Lite. It was on sale at 50% off. Without the sale I would have been without the light. So no more struggling to see what color blue that blue is. I had a couple of blocks to cut out and it went so much easier using the light. My artist child is skipping around and singing!

Chapter 7 check in

Artist Way Quilters: Chapter 7 Check-in The morning pages proved to be more difficult this past week. One day I completely forgot about them until the next day and one day they were evening pages instead. I am trying to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.

I went to see an art exhibit, Families by Deborah Maher being held in Lambertville New Jersey as my artist date this week. She does watercolors, which I love. The paintings were so free, so joyful.

I skated in the first night exhibition. I consider that taking an artistic risk. All things considered, it wasn't too bad. It felt really good to go out and do it and I really enjoyed myself. I wish I had skated a little better, but I'll work to improve so that next time I will skate better. I will attempt to post a picture in a day or two.

I enjoyed the tasks this past week and I am looking forward to going back to do the ones I didn't do.

One of those tasks, the five favorite films started out easy enough. Miracle, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Sea Biscuit. Trying to narrow down the last two was almost impossible. I put Roman Holiday and The African Queen. Up for the running was Apollo 13, Philadelphia Story, The Out of Towners (the old one with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis). Do I see any common denominators? Well, that's rather obvious, don't-cha think? I love to see the underdog succeed. I want to finish a movie feeling good, like anything is possible and I love a good romance.

Week 6 Check In

Week 6 check in
I have done my morning pages almost every morning, however, I did short them once or twice. I wish I had some more time in the morning so I could write after I was actually awake. Sometimes it feels like I'm just writing for the sake of writing and not actually exploring anything I would like to explore.

I haven't actually gone on an Artist Date, however, I did work on my skating program. So that kind of counts. I've noticed when reading some of the other blogs that I'm not the only one that sometimes has trouble with the artist dates. Sometimes I just enjoy just taking the time to work on whatever it is that I want to work on.

I think I really need the break from the tasks until after Christmas. I read through them but had a really hard time focusing. It has been colder than normal the past week or so (in the 20's) so there wasn't much hope in finding a flower or a leaf around. Then we had snow twice. So much for any rocks! I am thinking about writing down what I spend for a week or even a month, but right now would not be the time to do that. Holiday spending is not like the rest of the year, so like not reading over Thanksgiving I don't think it would be very accurate. I am looking forward to going through the chapters again and spending some time on some of the things I felt I may have rushed through.

I generally do treat myself to little luxuries. A book I want or a new quilting gadget or even a latte on a Saturday afternoon. But while thinking about it I realized that one of the things I love, but have not done for myself in a very long time is buying cut flowers for myself. I really love it in the dead of winter when it's cold and you wonder if it will ever get warm again. Then to see flowers on the dining room table or on my bedroom dresser is a reminder that spring will arrive..eventually. Now this is a luxury I will have to give myself every now and then in the coming months.

Week 5 Check In

Time to check in on week 5
I had a terrible time this week with the morning pages. I did them 6 out of 7 days, but several of them were not 3 pages. I was taking a lot of short cuts.

I enjoyed this chapter and thought that there were some very good points made. Ask and you shall receive. All too often we forget that life is full of good things and they are available for us. I don't think: say a prayer and wave a magic wand and what should appear...a longarm machine. Believe me I've tried that one.

My artist date this week, and will be conintuing for the next few weeks, is I decided to skate in the holiday show on New Year's Eve. I had an injury and some boot problems so I'm really just getting back into it. Talk about leaping and expecting the net to appear! With music picked, we are now beginning to work on choreographing the number. I wish I had more time to put it together and wish that my training has been more consistant than it has been, but I'm looking forward to it. I thought I'd take a chance and sign up and work on putting the number together. If I have further foot problems than I can withdraw if I need to.

Now, let's see if I can link to the check in. (I haven't been very successful so far)

Week 4 Check In

I have done my morning pages 5 out of 7 days this week. Actually 5 1/2. I did have some trouble with it this week. I had time constraints this week. On the days that my writing seems to flow I enjoy writing my morning pages.

My artist date: I went to the music store and listened to some Blues and Soul. I even bought a Ray Charles CD for myself. Very different from what I usually listen to but very enjoyable. I love to hear all the different kinds of music and it's so nice when you can scan the CD to listen to a preview. I spent a couple of hours just listening to different artists and types of music. (Some I had never heard before). So it was interesting, enjoyable and stretched my musical horizons a bit.

I have experience a lot of synchronicity this past week. It's all tied in with the task this week where I wrote a letter from myself at 80 to myself at my current age and the previous task where we examined our obvious and less obvious rotten habits. Although I want to share this with you, I feel it's a little too soon for me to do so.

I really had a hard time not reading for a week. I understand the principle behind it, but I'm not so sure it worked for me. Anyway I did it. I wasn't too happy about it but I did it. Hey, maybe I was throwing a tantrum by not doing my morning pages every day this week! I didn't check the blogs this week just so I wouldn't be tempted to fall off the reading wagon. I'm just hoping she doesn't ask us to do that again.

Week 3 Check In

Morning pages - 7 out of 7. I find it's not always easy, especially if I have a lot to do that day. But doing them seems to be helping me focus.
I had originally planned to go to an Art Exhibit at a local gallery on Saturday. But after a long a grueling week I just wasn't up for it. So I found myself alone on Saturday afternoon. I put my feet up and spent a couple of hours reading a novel. I wasn't sure if it counted as an Artist Date. And I felt a little guilty at first, but then I thought, it's my artist date I can do what I want. And it turned out to be exactly what I needed.

The only specific event that may be synchronicity at work is I was going through a couple of bags of clothes I no longer wear. And for some reason I decided to check the pockets on a pair of jeans. I found $5.00. All nicely laundered. Now I had packed away at least 3 pairs of jeans before that pair, never even thought of checking the pockets. Why that pair? Of course, I did go back to check the others before packing them up for goodwill.

Detective Work

My favorite childhood toy was Barbie. I first used a sewing machine when I was a child so I could sew Barbie clothes.

My favorite childhood game was Monopoly and Canasta.

The best movie I saw as a kid was Mary Poppins.

I don't do it much but I enjoy riding a bike and scrapbooking

If I could lighten up a little, I'd sing in public and not care that I was out of key. (of course the public is very grateful that I don't little up because of this.)

If it weren't too late, I'd become a mother.

My favorite musical instrument is the violin

The amount of money I spend on treating myself to entertainment each month is hard to calculate. It depends on how much I have, what I need and if I'm shoe shopping.

If I weren't so stingy with my artist, I'd buy her tickets to a Broadway musical. (I'd like to buy her a new sewing machine, the Viking Mega Quilter and a violin. I can't do that for her, at least not yet.)

Taking time out for myself is necessary.

I am afraid that if I start dreaming.....I've been thinking about this one for a while and just can't seem to come up with an answer. I don't think I'm afraid to dream, sometimes afraid to act on my dreams.

I secretly enjoy reading historical romance novels

If I had had a perfect childhood I'd have grown up to be...an elite figure skater (ok, some talent would help)

If it didn't sound so crazy I'd travel through Europe for a year.

My parents think artists are blessed

My God thinks artists are listening and seeing

What makes me feel weird about this recovery is that I'm not sure where it will lead me.

Learning to trust myself is necessary, but not always easy.

My most cheer-me-up music is the Rolling Stones "It's Only Rock N Roll", or just about anything from the Rolling Stones

My favorite way to dress is either dressed to the nines or slightly funky casual.

Week 2 - check in

I've been doing my morning pages except one day when I was on vacation. We were leaving early to go out on the boat. We had a lunch to pack etc. It was a little harder to do when I was away because I didn't have much alone time in the morning.

Last week, before I went away my morning pages were more of a list of the things I had to get done. When I was away, it was mostly what I saw and did. Now that I'm home again I seem to writing more about what I've read in the book.

One thing I found was that I'm a little more skeptical than I thought. As I was writing in my morning pages i wrote about a couple of things I wanted to change after the holidays. Then, out of the blue, I wrote, "unless otherwise led". A small voice inside prodded me to add that sentence. But then I was skeptical about that voice. I questioned it, I doubted it, but more importantly I wondered about it.

I got to thinking about Crazymakers. I don't have any in my family, but I'm not completely free of them either.

My Artist Date this week consisted of going to a botanical garden in Florida. (Actually, the boat trip was an Artist Date too. And the beach, etc., etc.) Anyway, going to the garden got me thinking about how I could turn a corner of my mid-Atlantic yard into a sub-tropical retreat. Maybe some potted palm trees (I didn't realize just how many there were!), maybe a potted lemon tree. Some big bold flowers. I'm not sure I can do it. I'm not even sure I want to do it, but it's a fun idea to explore. I may even work up some garden plans.

While doing Task 7, the life pie, I realized just how lopsided my life has been. My job takes up most of my time and offers the least amount of fulfillment. It is also my biggest Crazymaker. I get home and I'm often too tired to tend to the other areas of my life. I was also surprised to see where spirituality fell. Not much time has been spent there. That's one change I need to make. Take some time to fill the tank back up. I don't know if this task gets revisited in later chapers, but I found that it was very useful for me. I think I will do it periodically.

While reading everyone else's pages I found that many of them are re-organizing their sewing rooms. It's funny, I've been cleaning out drawers since I've gotten back from vacation. I'm trying to re-organize my space so it is a little more efficient. Hopefully I can also take some of that into the rest of my life so it too runs a little more efficiently.