Well, the Darkside Cowl is done!

I love it. Wore it out already and it’s nice, soft, warm and cozy. And it inspired me to make this homage to my favorite surrealist. Hee hee.

Having finished that, I pulled out my Trekking sock, which required reballing of the remaining yarn as the center pull skein had gotten all tangly. Did a few rows on it, but didn’t really feel like doing more right now. Instead, I’ve been working on Dark Scarlett. Forgive the crappily composed photo, but it does show that I’m getting close to finishing…I’m just a few inches from the armholes on those fronts and it doesn’t take long after that!

Well, the IK Winter 2008 preview is live! Likely to be added to my list are: Pfeiffer Falls Hooded Scarf (DEFINITELY making this!), Victoria Yoke Pullover, Positano Tote, Murano Scarf (maybe - I have to see if any of my Trekking stash will work and I can’t decide how much I like it), Ropes & Picots (with a less-wide neck), and the Welt and Rib Raglan. The Blooming Cardigan is ok, but it doesn’t thrill me into wanting to make it. Woven Bands Pullover seems nice, but I’d like to see the details better when I see the magazine - and maybe with a thin-ribbed collar instead if it doesn’t have one. I like the neckline of the Marilyn’s Bed Jacket, but that cable pattern around the waist and cuffs just make me think “frumpy.” I do like the Sandalwood Socks, but I have tons of sock patterns already planned, so that’ll be a maybe. The Spectrum Tam and Scarf is also nice - but I might do it in a less spectrumy palette. So, I’ll be looking out for that one. I still need to find a copy of the last Knitscene, too…we didn’t get it at the store and I missed getting it at JoAnn’s while they had it. Phbbt. Worse comes to worse, I’ll just order it directly from Interweave’s online store.

In worldly news, how cool is this - Ancient Spindle with Runes Discovered in Reykjavík???

Now, this might not be Rose-Kim Knits’ blog and it’s not Thursday either, but I found this atrocity yesterday (*on* a Thursday, so that works) at my local Salvation Army.

Here’s a detail of one of the cards - each one was equally “embellished” (for lack of a better term).

Gee, wonder why this one got dropped off? *shudder*

Sigh. So, I really like the Darkside Cowl pattern…just not with this yarn. The yarn is just too dark and you can’t see the stitch pattern at all and that makes me sad.

Yeah. That was right before I frogged it. It also seems as though I have twice as much yarn as I’d need from this handspun, so I’ll use it for something else that requires more yardage. Instead, I remembered I had those two skeins of Bel Air in teal that weren’t going to work for the Bel Air Cables. I’d intended on using them for some sort of wintery accessories - why not start with the cowl?

MUCH better.

Took Zoe for her shots on Saturday at Petco, and besides the initial struggle to get her *in* the carrier (she actually walks on a leash, but who knows what kind of pets we’d be stuck in line with and for how long), she was an ANGEL. After deciding I didn’t want to have my legs cramp up crouching on the floor, I grabbed a cart and put the carrier in the top part. Once I had the door open so I could skritch her the whole time - she didn’t have a care in the world. Everyone was marveling at how relaxed she was. ‘Cause she rocks.

The only time she got scared was totally my fault…right after she got her shots the vet said if I’d stick around for a few minutes (I was the next to last person in line) she’d hand-scale the tartar off Zoe’s teeth. Well, I tried to move the cart out of the way and was holding Zoe at the same time (thinking I could hold her while paying…what the hell was I thinking) and hit the shelving in the aisle with the cart. THAT scared Zoe and I have the claw marks to prove it - but I held on and she was ok once I put her back in the carrier (which she was happy to go into then, lol). Stupid biped, I was. But, it was really amazing of the vet to go and grab her “toolkit” and pick off the tartar from Zoe’s back teeth - I didn’t realize how bad it was, and dental health is really important for pets, too. She recommended getting some Science Diet Oral Care and giving her a few of them daily as a treat and that ought to keep it under control. So, I’m giving it a try - Zoe sure doesn’t mind the special treat…neither does Remy.

After all, I can’t just give *one* of them “treats”… not when they’re all so snuggly and all.

My goodness. An FO. For reals.

They fit perfectly, the yarn is strong and I look forward to wearing them! See more pictures on Ravelry! I did the final weavings-in during McCain’s concession…and Obama’s acceptance so they’ve also become my Election Day socks. *grin* And that grin is all I’m going to say about the election. If only Bush would retire early…

I’ve been working on the Wii nearly every day for two weeks (I only missed 2 days!) and while the weight thing seems insignificant (I think I miscounted the weight of my clothes a few times…and your body fluctuates about 2 lbs throughout the day anyway), today I was 147. Over the next 6 months or so, I’m trying for 130-135 lbs, which will put me at an ideal BMI. I’m finding all the “games” - yoga, strength, aerobics and balance - all getting easier and more under control. And today, for what it’s worth, my Wii Fit Age was *25*. That’s -12 of my actual age (feel free to do the maths, I don’t mind). Next week I have a follow-up with the doctor, and I’m assuming another blood test, so I’m hoping that this past month’s added exercise and diet changes has shown some improvement in my cholesterol levels.

The weather’s been pretty mild considering the time of the year, but I know the cold is coming and I’ve been craving a new scarf of some sort. I’ve been wanting to knit myself a hooded scarf, but haven’t decided what yarn yet. But then there’s this new yarn that we have at the store that is OMGIWANTTHISONMYSKIN - Plymouth Mulberry Merino. This NEEDS to be a scarf or something that is going to be wrapped around my head and face.

What I don’t get is why Plymouth hasn’t added the color card to their site yet. Or why no other yarn stores but The Yarn Barn has it? So, if you want the exclusive - go to The Yarn Barn online or go to the store and fondle it in person!

But, until I decide on what to use that delicious stuff for, I need to keep my neck warm. And quick. So I thought, maybe a cowl? Picked out some of my earliest handspun, an alpaca/silk/merino blend…

…and I’m casting on for a Darkside Cowl (ravelry link) by Nibbling Along!

I’ve also pulled out the Dark Scarlet…and had a false start. Yeah. Did four rows on both pieces before I realized that I’d already *done* the sleeves…what I was working on was the fronts, and it wasn’t time for the ribbing yet. *SIGH* That’s what you get for not paying attention to where you actually left off in a project.

Zoe doesn’t care as long as she can snuggle in my lap.

So, I’m going to work on that cowl now as I watch CSI:NY. Enjoy some more of my late fall photos…

Slowly, my house is getting cleaned up and in order. I have COUNTER space in my kitchen for the first time all summer (and possibly before that). Seriously vacuuming has been accomplished. Needless papers have been recycled/shredded.

I am also cleaning myself up, so to speak. Found out a few weeks ago that my cholesterol is 250. Now, my good cholesterol is great - but my bad and my triglycerides are what’s getting me. So, what’s a girl to do? Well, for one thing, I got me a Wii. I’d gotten a Wii Fit at the beginning of the summer, when those were a-plenty and the consoles were scarce. Well, now it’s the opposite, so finding the console was easy. And, you know what? It’s actually really fun! Silly even. I use the yoga to warm up, then do some strength exercises and then aerobics. Then I cool down with the balance exercises. And I’ve been doing it a whole week so far and only missed one day because I wasn’t home all day. Not bad, eh? I also picked up a copy of Rayman’s Rabbids, which besides being totally ridiculously funny makes you really move around to play all the games, so it’s also a good workout! The first plan is to try and lose some weight and get to a normal BMI and at the same time, reduce the fat in my diet. I’m also having oatmeal or Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast every day and fewer eggs (the only significant source of cholesterol in my diet).

On the not so active side, I rented Lego Indiana Jones, which is so totally crack for me right now. Good thing I have to return it on Saturday, lol. But I don’t play it until I’ve done my Wii Fit for at least an hour!

I have been knitting again! I got through one pattern repeat on the Bel Air Cables’ back and here’s the picture to prove it!

But mostly, I’ve been working on the handspun rainbow socks!

They are most certainly fraternal, but being my handspun, I expected that as I wasn’t being terribly scientific about the lengths of colors!

I’ve also made some progress in getting the Etsy store live. Perhaps in the next week… *crosses fingers*

I also felt the need to take advantage of some of the Indian Summer we’ve experienced recently to go on photo safari of the dead, dying and determined-to-continue-blooming in the garden…so enjoy…

Well, I’ve had pictures ready since last week, but then, well, STUFF. Ya know.

So, there was the last weekend at CTRF and wow was it COLD. Ya’ll at Rhinebeck know what I’m talking about. It was so windy for the first several hours on Sunday that we were a little concerned about getting blown away - I’m serious when I say I could hear the gusts of wind rolling toward us! Still, the living tree (or as we referred to it, The Ent) still made its daily appearance!

There were beautiful sunsets…

And fuzzy new friends!

I found this adorable little guy in our booth one morning after we’d set up. To many’s amusement and perhaps horror, I carried it around with me for the first few hours, taking pictures and generally being amused by it. It was so soft, too! I admit I called him Sir Fuzzy. And Sir Fuzz-a-lot. Because I’m a dork, after all. I really wanted to take it home and see what it became, but as there was an entire day left to go so I decided to let it go in the woods rather than risk it getting squished at some point in the booth!

When I got home, I looked it up and it is the caterpillar for the Banded Tussock Moth. So cute!

All in all, had a great time for the whole run. The parasol booth will be back next year, bigger and better (and with its people bringing warmer clothing, lol).

I made another set of gauntlets, on request from my friend Mike, out of Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky, which was a joy to use.

Mike’s quite happy with them too!

I also finished the “augmentation” on some older gauntlets for a friend with poor circulation. Her fingers will be much warmer now (she loved them - and she’ll be added her choice of buttons).

I’ve gotten some work done on some old WIPs lately, getting through the first pattern repeat on the back of my Bel Air Cables and getting past the heel and onto the cuff on my Rainbow Handspun socks. When I finish the socks, I’ll be starting a crochet project with this luscious stuff:

That’s Jojoland cashmere 2ply in a great burgundy shade. I’ll be making the Crocheted Cashmere Scarf from Jojoland (Ravelry Link). In the meantime, I’ll be randomly petting it.

Remy just keeps on loving his little soccer ball… *grins*

Firstly, a big thank you to all of those who patronized Zarzuela’s booth this past weekend at the NJ Sheep & Wool! Also, I want to announce the continued destashing I’m doing - now with free shipping for all listed items in my Ravelry trade/sell area! I’ll be adding more items as well, so please check back.

I’ve been spending my weekends at CTRF, which was better weather this past weekend, despite the surprising rain on Sunday (all forecasts claimed “clear” … they were wrong.) Since it’s been getting chillier, mitts have been a must and there is a great yarn booth onsite called The Merry Little Lamb. All of her stuff is handspun (she works at Sturbridge Village) and handdyed with natural dyes - and she is a MASTER. First weekend I was bored out of my skull and bought a skein of this cool smokey teal (I know it’s an indigo overdye, but I forget the base…left the label at the booth!) and set of needles (since I failed at bringing anything to knit at all)…

She also sells simple fingerless mitts, which my friend L (who is working the same booth as me) would have loved to have since she has poor circulation…except she’s allergic to wool (not just sensitive…she breaks out in a rash!). She’s not allergic to alpaca or angora or cashmere, but they had only sheep’s wool mitts to offer. So, I offered to make her a pair and found this lonely skein of Knit Picks Andean Treasure that I’ve had for ages (like from when they first started to offer their own yarns!) in “Embers” which matches two of her favorite bodices perfectly. She loves them!

After I’d finished hers I decided I needed a new quick pair of mitts also, so I pulled out some Reynolds Devotion from my stash (97% angora/3% nylon) and made these:

Zoe was not quite as amused by them when I infiltrated her blanket fort.

For this weekend, I am adding mitten flip tops to L’s mitts since her fingers are still getting cold. I’m doing the same for a friend at another booth who was gifted with a pair of Natalya’s a few years ago. Oh yeah, and this past weekend? I bought more from the Merry Little Lamb (the original one pictured with - I changed my mind about what I was knitting the previous weekend!). The green is 200 yds of Weld with an Indigo overdye and the brown is 100 yds of naturally colored Shetland Moorit.

In other news, I forgot some! During NYRF, we had an early closing when Hurricane Hannah blew through so a few of us spent the rest of our day at the Palisaides Mall. We found this Japanese bookstore and, naturally, I looked excitedly for knitting books - which I found! Went home with this:

If you didn’t already know, the beauty of such Japanese stitch dictionaries is that they’re all charts, so no knowledge of the Japanese language required!

Also, Remy has a new favorite fetching toy! It’s adorable to watch him fetch it, put it down and soccer ball…a SOCCER BALL and then pick it up in his mouth again and bring it to me. Hee!

So, back to work for me…enjoy some more photography!

Double centered! So cool!!!

Well, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. We wrapped up at NYRF and as of now, I am the owner of the booth as my partner wants to concentrate on other, new things. It’s unknown at the moment whether I’ll be able to do the booth at NYRF next year or not, but I will certainly let ya’ll know if I do (or anywhere else!). The Etsy store is imminent - just need to take photos and such.

In the meantime, if you haven’t heard, my good friend Zarzuela will be running a booth at the NJ Sheep & Wool this weekend (October 4th & 5th) and besides her beautiful hand-dyed/handspun roving and yarns, she will be selling my spindles as well! So, if you missed ‘em at the Ren Faire, you can get ‘em there and find some beautiful rovings to play with on them! I’ll be making more in different exotic woods, which will go up on the aforementioned Etsy store along with some of the remaining handspun stock from NYRF.

Also, I have an announcement - THE GREAT STASHZILLA DOWNSIZING OF 2008! Oh yes, Stashzilla needs to go on a major diet. I have reached Ridiculous Status in terms of the stash and I’ve started going through and making “am I really going to use this” decisions on many of my beloved yarns. The beginnings of the destash are already on Ravelry, but I have many more to get photographed and added to the trade/sell section, so keep checking back. I will also likely add a page on here for the Ravelry-less readers as well.

So, in other news. I had a hermit crab for about a week that was gifted to me. Sadly, he didn’t last - he was a big boy and he had a lot of stresses to get through in getting to my house from where I got him, and apparently they don’t do so well with stress. So now I have, like, 20 lbs of unused Repti-sand, a bunch of shells, a practically untouched jar of crab food and some crab tank accessories that are now completely useless to me. If anyone is interested in them, leave a comment and we can talk. I thought about getting a new one since Petco happened to just get some in, but really, I am currently trying to simplify my life as I wind down from the majority of faire season.

Pinchy (? - 2008).

Shockingly, I have actually been knitting. Recently, on September 19th, a special little girl AND her mommy had a birthday (yep - Baby was a birthday present for Mommy! And on Talk Like a Pirate Day, no less! Arrr!). This little girl turned one this year and since I was thinking she’d probably outgrown the kool-aid-dyed cashmere hat I gave her shortly after she was born (or soon will), I plotted a plan for a new hat out of Regia Softy yarn in pink. I finished ON the 19th, which was perfect since I would see both Baby and Mommy over the weekend at faire.

It was inspired by Kittyville’s Kitty hat, but since the gauge is totally different, I used a general hat pattern that matched the gauge of Softy and then knitted the ears separately to be sure that they would be proportional. I sewed them on and used the remaining yarn to make the braided ties. As Baby grows, the rolled brim can come down and the hat will stretch. The funniest thing was that a week before, Mommy had asked me if I’d consider making Baby a new hat and wouldn’t it be cute if it had kitty or bear ears on it! I had to resist blowing the surprise, but I did it! Here’s the birthday girl wearing it!

I’ve also been doing some Mindless Knitting for a friend’s baby born earlier this year that I will be sending over for Christmas. I’m using Heaven by Plymouth Yarns and OMG it is heavenly to touch. It’s very much like Berroco Plush, but, if you can believe it, even SOFTER. Because of the texture, I’m just doing plain ol’ garter stitch and it’s just delicious. I’ve got five balls of the multi and when that’s done, I’m going to check out the proportions and decide whether I will put the solid purple all around the border or on opposite ends to extend the size.

While I am destashing, I did treat myself to one little thing recently - a skein of K1C2’s new Ty-Dy Socks. The colors are too much fun and the yarn is SO soft and delicious.

Considering all the new fall yarns coming in, I think I’ve held considerable restraint, lol.

Anyway, I have much work to do between the web and the disaster zone I call my home at this time (let’s just say that my living room and bedroom currently look like I just moved in. Augh.) Maybe I’ll even get to catch up on the rest of my bloglines (Only 2620 unread posts. Eeeeeek!). Heh. Enjoy some more late summer photography…until next time!

Well, so much for a blogiversary post, lol. So, my FIFTH blogoversary was September 10th. Ironically, I’ve been swamped with so many other things that blogging has not managed to squeeze itself in lately!

SPINNING like a madwoman because, darn it, people are buying our handspun!

A wool/alpaca blend from Jehovah Jireh Farm (colorway has since been lost). Sold it.

A trio! From left to right:

1. Some heathered red wool from, I believe, Harrisburg Fibers that was so gorgeous, I brought home some in green from the store to spin also! Also sold!

2. Wool/Pima Cotton plied with a strand of 100% mercerized cotton for that neat bumpy/fluffy look.
3. Two strands of lemon corriedale and one strand of black merino - reminded me of both bees and monarch butterfly caterpillars!

This one I spun for MYSELF. I KNOW! FOR. ME. Can you believe it??? It’s merino superwash dyed with cochineal. I adore it.

And this week’s spinnings…

This is an unknown, but nice & crimpy wool that I got a while back. The turquoise is even more vibrant in person…love it.

One strand of olive heather merino acquired at Rhinebeck last year from a take-a-chunk display and one strand of this amazingly soft brown heather fiber I found in my stash - most likely alpaca or llama, but I stupidly never labelled it (It came in a huge package of eBay stuff a seller was destashing). I love the effect, it’s nice and soft…and a good “guy color.”

Also dug into my giant bag of grey merino superwash. This stuff is a dream to spin - especially in the pencil roving parts of it (it was mill ends so some is regular roving and some is pencil). I’ll be spinning more of this, for sure.

On the wheel and spindle (I was working it up at faire) right now is some pink corriedale mixed with just a little Gold Flash Angelina. After that is done, I’ll be back to making more of another JJFarm wool/alpaca that just arrived in “Sherwood Forest.” Appropriate, eh? Likely, I will not have time to post pictures until next time. Whenever THAT is.

I also caught someone spinning…on my car…

Heh. And in other creature news, the kitties are well. I caught them from across the room in a particularly cute and snuggly pose recently.

Yeah. I think Zoe curled up first and Remy essentially, er, plopped down on/next to her. Wish I’d gotten him with his eyes closed (it was damned adorable), but he’s too OMGWHATWASTHATNOISE to close them once I turned on the camera.

Of course, there has been nature shots, but to not overload you, here’s just a few…and then I must get to some sewing I promised someone for this weekend!

Saw a rainbow on the way home from the store on the 3rd! After I took a few shots at the light (it’s a LONG light), I noticed that the woman in the car next to me was freaking out and smiling at me - she was so excited to see it also, she kept mouthing “I NEVER GET TO SEE THEM!!!” and jumping up and down in her seat! Her tween son in the passenger side was not equally entertained…or amused, lol…

A view from the booth door after it rained one day…

Well, another weekend at faire went by, but it’s only on the eve of a new one that I’ve had time to post! If you’ve been to visit already…have you seen the secret, “subliminal” message next to the booth?

Last week I brought some new things with me for the booth including some new spindles:

And some new handspun that I made up during the week:

And some new lucets:

Of the above, the bloodwood spindle and the two outer lucets were sold, so this week I made more lucets for this weekend:

The woods here include yellowheart, zebrawood, purpleheart, canarywood and blue mahoe. The latter two are my two favorite woods at the moment, for sure.

They’ve faded a bit since I first did them two Wednesdays ago, but I also did some henna and took pictures of it when they were done. Click the pictures to embiggenate:

Oh and guess what?? I got a Ravelry Tee!!!

I love it so much! I really wanted a V-neck and was so happy this one wasn’t white or pink or anything and it fits perfectly. Pictured with it is a Gerbera daisy that someone anonymously sent me 2nd weekend at faire (who must have overheard me saying how much I love them). Thank you Anonymous!!!

I also got an Organic Tote! I was lucky enough to get the literal last one before they had to reorder again (although I see they got the reorder very quickly this time, so no one has to hate me for getting the last one, lol). It’s very cute.

Hoo-kay. I gotta get some stuff done before I try and get to bed early since tomorrow I must get up at OMGo’clock to head to faire for the weekend. Mayhap I shall see thee then? Even if not…a flower for you…

Another weekend down at NYRF! This weekend was less busy, patron-wise, but still a load of fun as usual. I’m down to two lucets, so I need to make some new ones for this weekend so that we have stock.

Met several new people who have found me on Ravelry (*waves to the new peoples*) and taught a good number of people to spin. And was impressed with the mad laceweight skillz one lady showed when she tried out some of our glass whorls!

I haven’t had time for much knitting, although I started a baby blanket using Plymouth Heaven for a friend who had a little girl in June. And I raided the store’s new supply of Noro Silk Garden Sock in color 245 (enough, hopefully, to make a sweater. Dammit, Knitting Fever, send out that new Jenny Watson book already!!!) and absconded with the last skein of green Ultra Alpaca Fine. Because the color was DELICIOUS and I had to haz. NOM.

I have a few pix, but no time to download them as I have more webwork I must get done this week. So, I leave you with more pretty pictures!