We have a winner!

Toni figured the clues correctly and guessed...

JANUARY ONE (for my Jaywalkers) and OBSIDIAN for my husband. I was leaning towards getting him "Terra Firma" but he wasn't thrilled with the idea of high contrast stripes. I've made the difficult decision to set aside the "Wild Tide" socks when his yarn arrives. It's bad enough having my dad grumble about his 2-year-old unfinished birthday quilt, I don't need any more guilt!

Speaking of Walking on the Wild Tide, I think the colors are gorgeous. (It reminds me of Noro which I plan to knit from the Spring 07 issue of Knitty!) Anyway, I cast on the provisional toe from the Inside Out pattern (several times, since I tried it BEFORE having coffee!) and started the *yo/p2tog section. Oh my. Lots of concentration required! After about half a dozen rows, I noticed that something was wrong...some of my stitches looked very smooth, while others had the twisted/knotty look. I debated leaving it, since who cares what two rows on the toe really look like, but then I decided it would eat at me forever, so I frogged. I read the Club suggestions to slip the stitches and insert the left needle in the back of the loops when the yarnover comes first, and that seems to help alot. Unfortunately, this is not a fast knitting pattern! The pattern itself is easy to remember and I can read the stitches well enough to know what I'm doing next without referring to the paper, but all those yarnovers and purls make it slow going.

Hint!

If you are guessing in the Audience Participation contest, I will tell you that my yarn is named for one of my favorite blogs. And B's choice was kinda what you'd expect a man to choose!

Good Luck!

Friday Finishes

I had to wait until I finished my Inside Out socks before I opened my April Rockin Sock Club kit...it was torture! I had about 7 rows left when I got home, and Baby K was napping (thank goodness for small favors!) Of course, she woke up right as I started binding off, LOL. I had alot of fun with the first pattern: ***SPOILER ALERT FOR RSC MEMBERS...turn away now if you don't have your kit yet!***

Then, I got to rip into the April kit! The yarn is absolutely dreamy - a merino/silk blend. The pattern has a lacy, open leg which is perfect for spring weather. I'm itching to cast on, BUT... I don't own a ball winder :-( It's on my list for Saturday errands now! I need to swatch because I saw a comment on the club blog that the pattern is running large. I had so much fun with the first short row toes and heels, that I may try them again. WOW - my fourth pair of socks and I'm already modifying...definitely "Walking on the Wild Tide"!!! OK, I will admit that my design decisions are based on the fact that I don't have room in my budget for 2 sets of circular needles, which the pattern technique calls for!

Since the sock project is on hold for a day or so, I pulled out the Orange Delight and finished the borders. I think it came together nicely, and Gidget approves too! Now I have to decide on a quilting pattern. I have some ideas for custom work floating around my head, but I'm also in a time crunch so maybe I'll just use a pantograph. Although I could use the practice with custom free-hand quilting...(can you tell I'm a Libra?!?)

And finally, I noticed that Baby K's 5th tooth is showing through her bottom gums. We've said all along that she's a super-advanced baby...she's just 8 and a half months old. She's always on the move nowadays!

OH YEAH...this is a reminder to see my April 26th post (Audience Participation) for a contest!!!

Audience Participation

a.k.a CONTEST FOR KNITTERS!

I have been on an online shopping spree this week. I have purchased books (photo forthcoming) and crafty supplies. I am going to get a Carefree Dress in at least two colors. (I already own one in Jade and it's soooooo comfy!) So, I thought I'd round out my purchases with some Socks that Rock yarn and use my Rockin Sock Club coupon.

Here's where the audience participation comes in...

Guess which colorways I choose for me and for DH! The prize is a Blue Moon Gift Certificate!
**I will accept guesses until 12 noon (MST) on Monday April 30th.** To enter, leave a comment with 2 (two) of Blue Moon's colors. Be sure to label your guesses with "A" (for me, Andi) and "B" for my husband.

Cryptic hint...I plan to make another pair of Jaywalkers with my yarn. This will be the first pair of socks I knit for B.

Standard disclaimer...in the event that more than one person guesses both colorways, I will randomly draw the winner.

Thursday 13

Thirteen places I have lived…working backwards.

1. Current house on Mary Ann Drive in Phoenix AZ – bought new in 2002.

2. Rental house in Glendale – we were able to rent month-to-month from my BIL while our current house was under construction.

3. The house I bought as a single woman.

4. The apartment across from ASU West – one of the few in town with washer/dryer hookups.

5. The apartment on 44th Street with the roommate I rarely saw (there are advantages to a 2-bedroom, 2-bath place!)

6. Mom and Dad’s house in Phoenix – it was for about 6 months after my divorce while I decided what to do with the rest of my life!

7. Apartment in Mountain Home, Idaho – my last duty station in the Air Force. Lived alone with my first two cats, Squirt and Jason.

8. House on Wentworth Avenue in Rapid City…extravagant for a young married couple, but we were dual spouse Air Force and money shouldn’t have been a problem (cough cough)…oh well, those days are a distant memory!

9. Rental house in Clovis, New Mexico – commuter marriage while hubby #1 tried to get through pilot training.

10. Apartment in Littlefield, Texas. Home of Waylon Jennings, who came back for a concert on the 4th of July! Due to Air Force training, this tiny town in the middle of nowhere was the first home I shared with hubby #1...10 months AFTER the wedding!

11. Single Officer Housing at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo TX – my Air Force training base. I spent the weekends with hubby #1 in Lubbock.

12. Dorms at the Air Force Academy. Beautiful place, although daily life could be kinda rough ;-)

13. Home in Phoenix (see #6). We moved in right before my senior year of high school. Mom renovated several times since then, so it really is like 2 different houses!

Of course, since I grew up as an Air Force brat, there are half a dozen more homes to list. Look for my “100 things” in the archives…I think I talked about them all! And yes, one of these days I will play around with blogger and put fancy links in the sidebar.

Knitting update: 25 rows to go on the Rockin Socks! April kit has not arrived yet.

Sunday Sewing

Where does the time go??? It was Friday night, I blinked, and now it's Sunday evening! Friday night, B. and I went to the Joyce Meyer conference. It was a great event, especially since we tend to have quality conversations in the car. Baby K had fun with her favorite babysitter, Elizabeth. Paace of mind is a great thing, and I'm very grateful we have a trustworthy friend to babysit when we take the rare night away from baby!

Saturday I had some longarm time, which I spent basting a quilt for my mom. I won't be advertsing that service very much...it's B-O-R-I-N-G! You stare at the gorgeous quilt and all you're doing is straight lines. At least it sparks the creative center of my brain so I'm ready for the next project! I finally dug out some hangars with clips so I can hang quilts on the bar that B. installed next to my machine. I can ponder quilting designs while viewing the whole quilt.

I got borders on the Orange Delight:
Here you see the corner of the "squares squared" center, a one inch black border, a 3 inch orange border in Kerstin's favorite fabric, then the piano keys. I am going to piece one more set of piano keys, then get out my knitting while my Sunday TV shows are on.

Speaking of knitting, I finished the 2nd Inside Out sock! Yay me!!! No finished object picture though, because I decided to frog the leg of the first sock and re-do the cables on bigger needles. 55 more rounds...no problem! And the excitement is building for kit #2, which will be shipped this week. Three cheers for Blue Moon Sockateers!

Books

Today's topic is 13 books I love. Most of these titles I have read at least 3 time! My mom says I read faster than anyone she knows. If it’s light fiction, I can get through almost 100 pages an hour. Yes, I read every word, and retain it too!

1. Harry Potter... every couple years I start with Year 1 and read them all again.
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon... a great series that I'm anxious to read again. Lots of yummy Scottish men in kilts ;-)
3. The Yarn Harlot...in print AND online. I'm waiting for Knitting Rules and Casts On to arrive next week.
4. Earlene Fowler mysteries...the quilting titles caught my eye first, and she gives you a great feeling for the San Luis Obispo area.
5. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott...I have a collection of "how to write fiction" books, and she is my favorite.
6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert... details of her personal journey after a messy divorce. Now if I could get someone to finance MY journey!!!
7. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (series) by Alexander McCall Smith...I talked about these books a few weeks ago. I really need to get caught up on the current installments! However, I was not as impressed with his other novel 44 Scotland Street.
8. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova... I heard the buzz about this novel when it was first published. It is a great story-within-a-story retelling of Dracula.
9. The Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith... just a fun read!
10. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton... I love her illustrations. This is a cute bedtime story for Baby K.
11. Little House on the Prairie...another series that I would read over and over as a little girl.
12. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell...why are kids always drawn to survival stories? This is an award winner...Newberry or Caldecott, I'm not sure, but it's well deserved!
13. The Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan...as long as I'm strolling down memory lane, I'll include this one. It's about a girl with ESP. I went through a stage of fascination with ESP and poltergeists as a kid. Plus, I was trying to find something to read in my school library and this title jumped out at me!

Inspiration

Quickie post so I don't forget where I saw this amazing quilt. Check out the Cherubs! (scroll down to March 12th)

I am going to MQS in June, where I am sure I will see many more like this to inspire me.

Year One

It's my 1st Blogger-versary!!

I started blogging on Yahoo 360 during the Yarn Harlot’s 2006 Knitting Olympics. I made a Booga bag which I carried for a while, until I got tired of digging for things in the bottom.

I should make a lining for it and it might be more useful! I-cord handles also stretch quite a bit! In the future, I will use store-bought handles for bags I intend to use on a daily basis.

ANYWAY, after a couple months, I gave up on Yahoo – it was too difficult for people to find my blog and comment. So I switched to Blogger and my first post was April 17, 2006. It’s amazing how life can change in one year! Last year, we had just been contacted about adopting Baby K and B. was finishing up his college coursework. Today, we are chasing an 8-month around the house and B. is filling out job applications.
Just for fun, here is a picture of my first-ever quilt, finished in 2004. I used a Terry Atkinson pattern called "Lasagna." It's reversible too, with a large piece of the focal fabric (Alexander Henry zoo animals) on the back.

Not mine

This is the quilt I was working on over the weekend. I used a pantograph from Willow Leaf Studios...no close ups of the quilting though. I am on the right - my sister in law, who made the top, is on the left. I thought her fabric choices were outstanding!

I had to get a picture of Baby K's fabulous hairstyle today :-) She has some very long tendrils, and a very prominent cowlick. She must have been thrashing around during her nap to get it all going in different directions!

My brilliant idea to put my sock on a circular needle didn't work. I forgot that the sock is too narrow to work on one circ...and I didn't feel like asking my mom to search for yet another needle and then teach me to use two circulars! I decided that I'll put the stitches on 3 needles instead of 4. I'm using a US2 for the first cable, that should give it room to get over my ankle. I plan to go back to 1s, but we'll see as the leg progresses.

Fiber Content

Quality knitting time in the hospital waiting room:

B. had outpatient surgery yesterday to remove the "plate" from his leg. You can see the hardware on the left. He crushed the top of his tibia 5 years ago in a motorcycle accident, needed a bone graft and the plate was holding the graft in place. It was so close to the surface of his skin that it was causing problems. We still have to wait another 10 years or so until he is "old enough" for a full knee replacement.

He is up and walking this morning! The memory of 10 days in the hospital right after the accident is so burned in my head that I forget that most of these outpatient procedures are fairly easy in terms of recovery.

On the right, you will see that I have started the heel on my second "Inside Out" sock from the Rockin Sock Club! I put the instep stitches on waste yarn since the metal stitch holder got in my way on the first sock. I plan to use circular needles for the leg...it was a PITA to work the cables on DPNs and keep the stitches distributed. The cables stitches always seemed to end up right at the end of a needle! And, I am going up one size for the first cable since it's a pretty tight fit getting the sock on over my arch and heel. I am excited at the prospect of finishing this pair before the next kit arrives!

Photo Shoot

Baby K is 8 months old! These bunny pictures are getting to be more difficult as she becomes more mobile...


I think we'll have a re-take with Daddy helping!

A list

Newsflash...having "theme" days on your blog actually gives you something to talk about! Whoda thunk it! I blame the lack of fiber content on life getting in the way. When I have time to play with my longarm, it's usually just a quick pantograph. I'll share when I try something custom! I haven't had time to do any piecing or knitting either. So here's the list for today:

Some people have been giving out "Thinking Blogger Awards," a list of blogs that they find inspiring. For 13 on Thursday, I will share my daily reads:

1. The Yarn Harlot. Her 2006 Knitting Olympics inspired me to join the blogiverse.

2. Red Shoe Ramblings. The Daily Art Thang continually shows the beauty of the world around and within us.

3. Stumbling Over Chaos. A knitter with adorable cats. She has become "contest central" -check it out for a multitude of ways to win yarny goodness!

4. January One. Awesome photography of knitting! She knows good patterns...Jaywalkers, Log Cabin blankets, mitered squares, and the Central Park Hoodie.

5. Franklin. He knows Dolores. Enough said.

6. Crazy Aunt Purl. Southern fried commentary on life in L.A.

7. Lazy Gal Quilting. I learned to free-piece letters...now I want to add titles to all my quilts!

8. a Mad Fabriholic. I love her bold fabric choices! And lessons on being a great mom - redecorating during breakfast AND a surprise trip to Disneyland this year!

9. Rockin Sock Club. Check here for the latest news on the club. Everyone's at camp right now, sounds like fun!

10. Knotty Girls. Jen and La tell it like it is. Drop in for Eye Candy Friday!

11. The Calico Cat. Another crafty cat lover ;-) And we went to the same high school - the internet is such a small world!

12. Ms. Imbrium. I *love* the Donegal!

13. Be*Mused. Bright cheery quilts galore.

In the meantime

I had a request to see Baby K in her Easter bonnet...I hope this will satisfy the craving, because we didn't do bonnets or baskets this year! B. and I are in the church choir, and we sang at two services on Easter Sunday. I asked Grandma to come up and babysit, which she was THRILLED to do, of course. She brought some toys for the baby and chocolate for the parents. Perfect! Next year, at about 20 months old, Baby K will be in prime egg-hunting shape and we'll go all out.

Aunt Joyce came down to take Baby K to the zoo last week. Daddy said she really enjoyed the small mammal exhibit.
She is starting to pull up on everything, including her playpen and crib:
This sweet little bird brought Easter greetings:
And Baby K finally discovered the cat door into the laundry room! She hasn't tried to crawl through yet, but the opening is definitely too small for her. Man, she can cross the floor in a hurry when she wants to!

Funny Faces

No new quilting or knitting to show off today...

I got several inquiries at my guild meeting about finishing quilts for people on my longarm. Of course, that's why I bought the machine - to run a quilting business, I'm just a little nervous about carving that time out since B. is home alone with the baby all day. It doesn't seem fair to ignore them in the evenings or on the weekends to quilt! So, I'm trying to stall potential customers until June when I am out of school and home every day. That way B. can sleep in while I get up at dawn with Baby K, then I can have some guilt-free quilting time later in the day! Work with me people...it's a plan. We'll deal with reality later!!

Here is Baby K's reaction to plain yogurt:

We needed a video camera to capture the full body twitch as she tasted sour..

Here's a much nicer picture that shows off all four teeth:

New WIP

Friday, I took a personal day off from school to take a class with Karen McTavish! It was a wholecloth design class. She described how to do the color trapunto work that is one of her hallmarks, but that was a separate class. Here is my creation... In case the detail didn't come through, here is a close up photo taken with the flash turned off:
The next step, obviously, is quilting it. I have never done feathers on my longarm, so I may have to do a practice piece...and watch the McTavishing video multiple times! She says she holds a ruler (or Gam Guide Jr) against the hopping foot and uses that to guide her quilting. Sounds like an interesting technique for control.

Next up is my guild block of the month. The pattern is "Autumn Tint 2" from Quilter's Cache:

And to end on a high note, more of Baby K's Spring fashions!