Fetching Casanova

As you can see I've been taken by Fetching Handwarmers from Knitty. It's all Sandy's fault for knitting them and posting about it today. I decided not to add to the stash, but use some of my merino handspun yarn from my early days of spinning some 10 years ago....talk about well aged stash LOL....I doubled the yarn to get gauge as they say and I'm enjoying the knit...a break from the stockinette back of Everyday Cardigan. I'll be starting the front soon.

If I finish the handwarmers, I'll wear them to Rhinebeck. Speaking of Rhinebeck ...I can't wait to eat the Taste Budd's chocolate chip bars and scones. No diet for me!!!

Here are more wrister patterns to add to your pattern stash! Or match your Clapotis! Or to match your Pirate Arrrrgyles

Oh yes....Casanova...I almost forgot. If you haven't seen Masterpiece Theater's first fall offering. Check it out on your PBS affiliate. It's excellent. Peter O'Toole stars as the older Casanova who recounts his life to an innocent girl.

Red Sweater KAL

How fortuitous for me!!! I had just begun Everyday Cardigan in a wonderful red....a red with blue...a dark red when I discovered that Anne and Laura began a Red Sweater KAL. Just what I need to keep the needles clicking.

This morning I had DH snap a pic of my latest finished sweater " Durrow...er...Furrow". The yarn is scrumptious Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. The pic does not begin to show the flecked color and the softness of this yarn. I hope that Margene,Syl, Judy, Laurie and Beth enjoy the pic!

Latvian Mittens

This is stunning......2,250 pairs of Latvian mittens prepared " as a gift for the NATO Summit guests coming to Riga for the summit in November." Here is a list of questions and answers about the project. Be sure to scroll to see the information.

"Hundreds of women and men ranging in age from 30 to 86, have been knitting throughout the summer, turning 190 kilos of Latvian wool into the first 2,250 pairs of mittens, knitting an average of three pairs per knitter. The massive knitting project will be completed by mid-October when the NATO Summit Latvia Task Force receives the remainder of the 4,500 pairs of mittens coming from the Vidzeme, Zemgale, Latgale and Kurzeme regions of Latvia.

Women from the rural association called "Akorande" will knit mittens with the ornamentation of the Kurzeme and Latgale regions, and the handiwork company “Ramid” will knit mittens from the regions of Vidzeme and Zemgale. "

Here is a book I own on Latvian Mittens that is very informative. This site has pictures of some the designs. Here are some charts.

Durrow....er....Furrow is Done!

Behold a sweater finally finished!!! I'm blocking it as I write this entry. Generally I'm happy with the sleeve pattern changes, I was not so happy with the join at the curve or the saddle. I fiddled a bit with the seam and I think I'm happier with the result. I also reknit the neck with a smaller circular needle and for 2 inches instead of 1.




I 'm having big problems with uploading to Blogger with Hello. But what else is new.......grrrr.
I should know better than to upload at mid morning.

The Last Rose of Summer

The Last Rose of Summer is a tradition at my home in the fall. Every year when rose blossoms begin to fade from the garden landscape, I declare one rose to be the last of summer. When my DD lived at home I would present it to her personally often placing it in her room.

Thanks to the wonders of the blogosphere and digital photography I present her with the last rose now.......

Ribbons and Sleeve Island

I forgot to post about the Big E awhile ago. I'm especially happy about the blue ribbons for the seasoned spinner category as well as my Opal sock knitting!



Below you can see that I'm still on sleeve island for the Durrow pullover. Of course....I changed the sleeves considerably; the reverse staghorn cabling is a successful design change that is making me happy. I hope to be able to wear this sweater at Rhinebeck!

Eye Candy Friday

What a glorious fall day with my mom and aunt picking Macoun and Cortland Apples!

Goodies from Across the Pond!!

What a lovely surprise I received in the Knitters Tea Swap 2 exchange yesterday!!!! Thank you so much, Ruth, for such generous gifts! I drank some of the Japanese Cherry tea this morning;it's wonderful. The sock yarns are lovely...not to mention the chocolate covered ginger cookies and organic cherry chocolate. It's so special to get tea goodies from the UK. And if that is not enough Ruth also sent me some adorable tea stitch markers that she made herself. You can't see it in the pic, but she also included a special sock pattern as well. I am so fortunate. ....thank you soooo much.

What We Make

Consider this excerpt from The Root of Wild Madder by Brian Murphy, it reveals what we all understand is important about what we make. This book is an excellent read for lovers of Persian carpets and the work that goes into what makes them beautiful. It recounts a journey made by a journalist through Afghanistan and Iran in modern times after the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan at the turn of the 21st century.


Here the journalist is hiding under a carpet with an Afghan family during a sandstorm. The owner of the carpet named Rahmin says: " I think what we make, what we say, what we do are all little parts of our soul. We leave things for others to find and collect. This carpet was from my grandmother's hand and her mind. It is now with me and my family. My wife has fixed the rips. She has beat the dust out and cleaned it and let it dry in the sun. I carried it to this camp on my back as if it were a sick child. Life is in this carpet. So why is it wrong to believe that my grandmother is not still connected to this carpet she made; that she can feel the love we put in keeping it clean and repaired?"

Yes...this passage rang true for me. We are what we make; we make what we are.


Above in the collage I have managed to photograph the sleeves of Durrow. I was not happy about knitting the Celtic pattern in the sleeves so I changed the pattern and added a Reverse Staghorn Cable. I'm hoping to finish it in time for The Gathering the first week of November.

Anyone out there planning to attend?

I also took a pic of some additions to the stash!

Baby Shrug

Luckily I've finished this gift before the baby gets much bigger. I even managed to make a knitted tam. The Baby Shrug was easy to knit In Bernat's Cotton Tots. The pattern is from Debbie Bliss's Simply Baby.... a book I heartily recommend for the photos alone.






Out and About:
Check out Chicknits new sweater.... and this pic of mittens.

Today I Post the Sock Cavern

The sock cavern is an interesting subject for discourse. Just think how we sock knitters can create a shape that the anatomically correct foot can enter and be satisfied. Quite a feat...huh! I leave you to ponder this thought.

This sock is made of yarn I won at Kristen's blog recently. I love the pink coloring.

Special thanks this week to Mr. and Mrs. Etherknitter!!! They helped me solve the saving the blog issue by recommending this open source software to archive my website. Not to mention Mr. E's extra help to get my site saved immediately!!! I should also mention that Margene recommended this site as well.

Are You Going to Scarborough Fair?

Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Remember that song from years gone by? I always think of it when I go to Scarborough State Beach in South County, RI. Well.....needless to say I spent some of yesterday at the beach with Judy if you haven't heard already.

I thoroughly enjoyed the bit of fog and sun and the knitting and conversation. I took a few pics that I wanted to share:

Keens in the beach sand......

Hazy beaching............

The lovely Plovers running and flirting with the shoreline........

The atmospheric clouds..........

What a day to enjoy!

Baltic Socks

Happily I have another UFO to report...Baltic Socks a Peace Fleece pattern. These socks were fun to make. A bit of fair isle patterning to keep your interest. They are knit with Cestari yarn...a wonderful wool blended with Yak. These socks can be worn only in boots or as slipper socks. I may add suede bottoms so they can be worn safely.

My plan is finish up as many UFOs as possible so I can feel free to start at least three new projects. Breaking my rule ( evil grin) I've already started the Chiagu Eva Envelope Clutch. Pics to follow....

Eye Candy Friday

Summer's blossoms are on the wane......

To Die For

Lately...I've been checking out a few web sites that seem promising for knitters. One is Yarnival. Love the web address...Guzzling Cakes...LOL. Eve at Yarnival is starting " a Blog Carnival for knitters to showcase their content, regardless of their place in the knitting food chain." Anyone who writes a knitting related blog can submit what they want to it. Sounds like a neat idea!!!

If you haven't checked out Knitty magazine, get there now! There are some dynamite patterns for the fall. I'm in love with Avast and the Cablenet sock. Also MagKnits has some interesting patterns...

Last weekend...I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Jan D's home for our annual Dye Day.
There was much food and dyeing fun to be had as you can see below. I tried a new dyeing technique that omits heat in the process, but I'm not quite sure the process produced the color I wanted. I mean I love the pastels of the fiber in the first pic but I wanted a more intense color.


The second pic shows some linen I dyed that day. I am very satisfied with this color;perhaps I'll try weaving with this.

I'm not so pleased with this linen and silk; of course it was a medium brown color to start with....

I am pleased with Mother Nature's Marigold!

The Last Knit

The 3D animated video can only be appreciated by the truly obsessed knitter! I just had to share it with you.

Saving Your Blog

Hard to believe that this is where I was several weeks ago enjoying the view in Matunuck!!

On to my question.....I hope that all of you, gentle readers, will weigh in on this question that has been a concern of mine for the past year. Do you plan to save all of your archives on your blog? Or will Blogger or Typepad or whoever save archives indefinately. Perhaps at some point they won't keep saving the archives principally because of bandwidth concerns.

What will you do about saving your blog? Please comment and let me know what you think.

In the Pink

Today I'm in the pink! One of the members of my knitting guild asked us to make a pink sweater that will be donated to an orphanage in China. Whenever a female child is adopted she is dressed in a pink sweater. I wonder who will wear this sweater. I wish her health and happiness. Sue of RI Handspun sells the pink yarn for this project at a discount if you decide you'd like to make one for the cause.

Last night I couldn't resist...I know...I know...the stash is growing...but it's just one ball! I bought one of Lisa Sousa's sock yarns in a knock out color called Mars Quake. I can't wait to get it and start the socks.

Mind Patterns

I've decided that I'm passionate about patterns. Yes....knitting patterns, of course, but it it is deeper than that. It harks back to our species atavistic traits. Love of the primitive zig and zag, whorls and waves imprinted on early pottery and textiles.

These patterns draw the eye into a rhythmic trance that delights. Consider as well the textural quality...The Braille of a gansey or aran pattern that equally delights the eye as well as the hand.

Yes....the mind is in love with patterns and more so when pattern is combined with color. That is exactly why elaborate fair isle patterning draws me over and over.

Textiles delight the mind through all our senses.

Weaving Report: I'm happy to say that I'm back to playing with my small looms. Last night I located my inkle loom to finish a project begun by a dear friend and spinning teacher who showed me how to weave on the inkle loom a few years ago. I finally decided to finish what she began so I can begin another inkle project thanks to Sara's inspiration.


Knit Report: Here is a charity project that is almost finished.


Just in time I've finished two surplices for a friend's twin grandchildren who were born prematurely.

I also picked up the mate to the cashmere/ wool sock you see below. I'm just about to turn the heel of the second sock.


Lastly....Durrow has made an appearance with the advent of the cooler weather. I just have to knit the sleeves.

To Felt or to Weave

To felt or to weave .....that is the question, but it wasn't a dilemma for me. I decided to do both these last few days. The bag below made out of New Zealand Charisma felted verrrry quickly; thankfully I took Sue'a advice and checked it often. I must say it made me smile. I need to consider what type of button to use. Should it be an understated button that does not compete with the colors or a knitted /crocheted button. Time will tell.



I had a much better weaving result this time with the table runner project below. I hope the recipient likes it as it's a special gift in exchange for the antique wheel he gave me. Scroll down this page to see the wheel.

Warping All By Yourself

I've begun my next weaving project today. After reviewing my copy of Warping All By Yourself, I managed to dress my ridged heddle with the help of DH to tension the warp.

We were in our hot dining room while roasting a piece of pork in the kitchen all the while trying to tension the warp...... trying not to swat each other. "Pull it tighter...no... you haven't tension every bit of the warp." On and on we went until voila it came together. I spent a few hours after dinner happily weaving. This time I used wool and silk for both the warp and weft.


I did manage to weave about a foot and a half; I'm happy with the results so far.

Also this weekend I managed to finish knitting a bag that I'm planning to felt soon. I do love the way the colors pooled. I used a pattern by Farmhouse Yarns called the Cape Cod Bag. I knitted it in Charisma a wonderful New Zealand Wool that I purchased from Sue at RI Handspun.

Weaving Shots

I'm posting these weaving pics at Vanessa's request. I absolutely love her Alice Starmore Cape Cod sweater. If you haven't seen it go here; you won't be disappointed.

This morning I finally got around to washing this table runner made with rayon and wool and silk. It's drying on a rack in my driveway.

You know it occurred to me this morning that my neighbors must think I'm strange. Some days I have skeins of freshly spun or dyed yarn swinging from my driveway lights...not to mention this table runner flapping in the breeze. I try to dry fleece in the backyard for fear they'll think I've skinned an animal....ROFLOL.





Obligatory Knitting Progress: I have finished one of the two baby surplices I'm knitting for twins. I've begun a new project a felted bag made out of variegated Charisma yarn.

Spinning: I'm still toiling away at flicking a gray fleece for a gift of handspun yarn for a friend.

Knit In at Sue's: We had a good time last night. Gail and her daughter, Patty, Paula, Sue, Carol R and Marisa and I were in attendance. Gail was working on a lovely red and yellow cotton hat as well as an Italian pink wool surplice. Her daughter was knitting a perfect blue shawl that just happened to match her blue eyes. Paula was finishing a wonderful dark red pullover. Patty showed us her green and creamy white Opal thigh- high stockings she wears for spinning demonstrations at Coggshell Farm in Bristol, RI. She is now knitting another pair in blue and white. Marisa thought she came to knit, but decided to unravel her latest sweater in Debblie Bliss Soho because it was too big for her. We all helped to unravel and ball the yarn. She began anew...this time knitting it in a the smallest size.

Carol R brought her Einstein sweater in a rich, red Rowan Magpie. She was sewing the final seams in mattress stitch. It is lovely!!!! I tried it on, and ,of course, I want to make it!!! When will the coveting of sweaters end?

Sue was a good girl...resting her arm by not knitting!!! It must have been hard for her...I can only imagine being not able to knit. We missed Judy and Barbara!!

Lace Challenge Finalist!!!

What do you know! I made the finalists for Amazing Lace Challenge #5!!! I'm surprised about making the finals. It's a hoot.... Check out the different finalist pics...you'll enjoy them.

I finished two projects this summer. The first below is Tivoli by Grumperina which I made in Debbie Bliss's Cathy yarn. I have to say this yarn is wonderful for a summer knit. It feels so good to knit and wear.


The next finished project is a red linen lace stole in Feather and Fan pattern. I finished this due to the Amazing Lace contest. Thanks, Rachel and Theresa for the inspiration. It was easy to complete once I put my mind to it.

I've begun to finish a second lace UFO due again to Amazing Lace. I'll post pictures if anyone wants to see it. It's a neat feather and fan triangular shawl knitted in Icelandic and silk two ply on size 3 needles.

Last but not least hubby has been playing with his hobby as you can see below. His Angelfish have been growing by leaps and bounds.


Mittens Abound: I've been thinking about making some mittens. Sandy has been working on a lovely pair from Folk Knitting in Estonia that have inspired me. Then, of course, Dave has started the Bitchin Mittens project. Hmmmmm....I'll have to think about this. I do have some fingering weight alpaca in black and white I could play with.....

Weaving Progress: I get by with a little help from my friends!!! Thanks Sue and Carol M for helping me to warp my ridged heddle loom last Saturday. You'll both be glad to know I finished weaving the piece today. The down side is that I am not pleased with the weaving, but I have used this project as a practice session, and I plan to warp the loom again this time using wool and silk. I'm inspired !!!