Alpaca Farm and Yarn Goodies

This past weekend I traveled to Martha's Vineyard to see my Mom and Dad, but also to visit some lovely Alpacas. What a nice place this is. I wish I had taken shots of her store, which was very nice, but I did manage to bring home some goodies.

The Yarn I bought was actually from Peru, and not her personal stuff, but she was selling lots of hand-knit things in her shop (Knit on Martha's Vineyard), with her yarn. I did buy some nice roving however, a small amount to practice my dying and spinning with. I didn't want to invest in a huge amount in case I'm disappointed with my skill level. I haven't taken a class on handspinning for several years now.

I feel like this little trip is the beginning of my really getting into doing more of the stuff that just makes me happy. SO...on that note, I'm returning to the island for the Fiber Festival on April 19th. I'm hoping to take lots of great photos there. I'll also be returning to islandalpaca for some alpaca shearing. Should be very interesting and maybe I can get some more of this:

and maybe some more yarn as well... or not.




On April 27th I'll be going to see Stephanie Pearl McPhee speak about her new book, which will include a visit to WEBS. So, I have to save some money for that trip. Today I added another event to my happiness trip... I'm going to see Kristin Nicholas at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn.


I'm on a roll folks, and I couldn't be happier.


I also finished my Autumn Tam, but it needs about 1/3 more of the stitches sewn in and to be blocked, which I can't wait for, but apparently not enough that it motivated me to sew in those ends because I cast on for Pototomous instead. The only problem with that is I know I don't have enough yarn to finish the socks, so I may have to frog them and do something else. Like finish THIS HAT!



I truly hope I'm on a path of fulfilling my own happiness with fiber joy!

Wasting time...again

Uh oh... Ravelry has lead me to a new distraction: This is so cool! Click below my painting to try making your own.




Click here to create your own painting.

One Day at a Time

It's a saying they use in AA, I know. But it can be applied to regular life in so many ways. Like making progress on anything you are working on. You just have to take it one day at a time and get done what you can get done. Life isn't a race.

I know I know. There are so many projects to complete ahead of you, and to sit still on one and not make any progress feels daunting. I have however decided that each day I'll make what progress I can, and leave it at that. And so...I have.

I'm up to the Wheel of the Tam I'm working on , and as soon as I figure out exactly when I was supposed to start my decreases, I'll start going through my rounds. Actually I've already started round one, but bypassed two sections where i think I was supposed to decrease and didn't do it. I may have to tink back. Actually now that I really think about it, I'm definitely going to have to tink back. It's ok. I'm good with it. The only thing I have ahead of me that is something I am not looking forward to, is poring through all my needles to find 4 dp' s in size 3...or I could just go out and buy new ones. That and of course sewing in all those loose ends. But why discuss all this simple little stuff where there are larger topics at hand.

My youngest has just turned 5 recently, and seems to be coming up with lots of questions for God? Like after we die, and he makes us into something or someone else, how will he know what we look like? hmmm. She wants to be herself, and she wants to make sure her name is Kaitlin again. Or she wants to be a bird so she can fly or a whale. Interesting. I'm ok with her thinking about reincarnation particularly as an animal because I think I had those same thoughts as a child. It is more comforting to a child to think about coming back to earth, than to go to someplace named Heaven, or to wherever our souls go when our bodies die. My husband has lost most of his faith and thinks absolutely nothing happens. Our bodies die and that's it. There is nothing after that. Too depressing to think about for me. I couldn't accept that. Anyway, back to my daughter - most recently; Today in fact, she asked, "WHY do we have to die?

'. I've explained several times about life as being a natural cycle from birth to death, but that doesn't really do it for her, or at least its not enough of an explanation to hold her for very long. She wrote God a letter and my husband was saying maybe he has an email address. Oddly enough I googled God's email address and actually came up with something. I will not be writing to it though, because it doesn't serve my purposes. I can email Santa at Christmas because its fun and it obviously was made for Children's enjoyment and does no harm. But I truly have to wonder about the person who has decided to accept emails written to GOD. Does this person, company, corporation think they are the end all be all? Who knows. It's really rather odd.

At any rate, I may just tell Kaitlin what I've written as my title today. One day at a time. Don't think about dying for now; just take life as it comes and enjoy it as much as you can and make the most of each day. One Day at a Time.

Standing Still

My hat has come to a standstill... I haven't fixed it yet. Is anyone really surprised? I will work on it again, eventually. Maybe not this weekend, but soon and for the rest of my life.
No...Instead, I seem to be contemplating taking photos of my stash for Ravelry while my husband is gone on Saturday. Is that crazy? I mean, free time all morning/day without the guilt of having to clean house. I could knit, I could play silly games without guilt with my kids on WII, I could sleep til' noon! I could start a new project! It just seems odd to me that with that time available I choose to do something that well...actually isn't all that interesting or fun. Hmmm maybe I should knit afterall. I will also probably clean, but I can do it in a relaxed way without being forced. It's just SO much more fun to do it minus the nagging. I'm more likely to want to do it when I don't have a husband stomping around slamming things (*his cute, and sweet little message to me and the kids that my morning coffee, and playing games with the kids has dragged beyond an hour and he can't stand that the house is a pigsty for a minute longer, so he's doing it himself even though he doesn't feel he should have to since he works well over 40 hours a week and also works on a side job nights and weekends). I guess in a way he's right, but can't he just relax and let me enjoy my morning first? That was just about the longest sentence I've ever written. Do I win a prize?
I can't talk about winning a prize without remembering the weirdest thing that happened to us once, when I was with my family. If you get queasy easily don't read this. We went to an ice cream shop, one Sunday afternoon, or evening for ice cream cones, and my sister and I were waiting to be served, when my Mom exclaimed loudly as she got her ice cream cone, "OH DID I WIN A PRIZE???" Of course we all looked at her like she had 3 heads since we had no clue what she was talking about and she was embarrassing us (we were teenagers at the time). It turns out she had this little heart-shaped red thing in her ice-cream, so she pointed it out to one of the servers and they said, "Oh no... (pause) OH NO!"... "Oeeewwww...um ...someone cut their finger earlier with the ice cream scoop, so ummm" ... Yup you guessed it. Disgusting huh? My Mom's wonderful prize was frozen blood. I can't remember what happened after that. I think my Mom decided not to have any ice cream after all, but needless to say, we didn't go back there again. Ever.

I'm procrastinating in so many ways right now. I'm not Knitting, working, or taking a shower. What I really want to do is curl up on the couch with Calvin and take a nap, and I can't do that right now either. Speaking of Calvin, this is how he hangs out...on the back of the couch. He does this several times a day, both by the window and facing the kitchen. It's his way of laying down while also having a view. I think it's odd for a dog to lay this way. Has anyone seen dogs do this before?
I'd better start moving and actually DO something before I start talking about something even more banal if that's even possible. Like the toast I had for breakfast.

Fun

Kvetching aside... there is still room for smiles.

Life Needs Change

Sometimes...many times... in your life you may hit that point where you recognize the rut you are in has just settled into becoming your life. Your rut is your life. Your life is your rut. There doesn't seem a way out. I happen to thrive on change, and travel and "the new". If I can't get it I have to make it where I can. I need to add new things. Like updating the look of this page, with new colors and a gorgeous shot of Alaska. It's like a breath of fresh air. I've invented this secret life for myself as part of overcoming what is my life. My secret life is full of amazing wonderful things. I can move to Alaska in my secret life and create art. I have an endless supply of money and happiness, and knitting supplies in my secret life. I'm sure I'm not the first person to feel this way. Unless you are the perfect housewife and mother who loves the mundane details of school lunches and homework and nagging your children to brush their teeth and pick up messes. If I were perfect at it and could manage everything with a breeze and a smile and make wonderful creative meals and sign up my kids for after school activities and classes...(hmmm this is starting to sound more like my secret life than my reality), than perhaps I'd be happy with my daily routine as it goes.
Anyway, I've hit a snag. My reality seems to mimic my knitting, since I also have hit a snag in my tam. My pattern count is off after the last row and I have to tink back, but I've put it off. It sits in a bright pink bag on my coffee table, and I can see the needles from here. In fact it looks as though a stitch is about to slide off a needle and I still don't want to pick it up! I feel like Stephanie Pearl McPhee in one of her books when she is unable to finish something. Speaking of Pearls...there is a bright light on my horizon. I've just signed up to go see her this spring - right near WEBS. Maybe I should just stop whining and pick up my needles and fix the problem, and then start counting the days until she is on my horizon.

Finding Peace in A Busy Life

It's weird to think where we find peace. I found peace today because my husband is sick. I know, I know an awful thing to say - but with him not feeling well, I was left to do whatever I felt like doing when I felt like doing it. It was a nice day for me. I felt like a new person who has control over her weekend days. But I do feel incredibly guilty about it. He is at the Emergency Room right now. I think he'll be ok, but he was having some stomach pain that wouldn't let up all day today, and so he went to figure out if it was serious or not. They didn't have a lot of staff on, I guess, because he waited more than 3 hours just to be seen and still isn't home yet. Guilt aside, I got some quiet time to knit and play with the kids on their video games and did a tiny bit of cooking and dishes and laundry in between. But it was nice to have a day without someone giving me an earful about what we should be doing.

Anyway, so the class was nice; we hung out and chatted and I learned a new technique for stranded knitting. I have to admit, I've had a tough time sticking with it. Can't teach this old dog too many new tricks I guess. Some stick and some don't. Anyway, I made this silly little hat while I was in the class - finished it that night when I got home.

What was really fun about it was that I made it up. I love the yarn too, it's some I bought at an indian reservation store in the canyons of Utah?, New Mexico - I can't remember now, but it was for making navajo rugs. The colors were spectacular. I bought 1 skein in about 15 different colors. As you can see it's a little big. It was smaller until I blocked it and then it grew. I may have to play with shrinking it a bit, but I'm scared to do it.

The class was great in that I realized so many things about Fair Isle projects while talking with the ladies. I didn't have to be scared. At any given time I'd only be working with 2 colors, and I've done that before, and all I had to do was keep track of the pattern carefully (which I've already learned with my lace projects), and I can do it! So I started on something I had in my que on Ravelry. The Autumn Tam, by Sandy Blue - pattern available on TwoSwansYarns.com.

This is so far the most beautiful work I've seen next to stuff by Alice Starmore. So I got started on it right away. I ordered the kit without telling my husband, becuase I just needed to do it and if I had asked , he would have said no. I know he's seen the credit card bill...and knows I ordered something, but hasn't mentioned it to me outside of telling me he knows I've been spending money on knitting stuff. Whoops I hear a car door. I'd better load the pictures quick and get a move on with the dishes. Here is my Tam so far.

ON Hold until class is over

I am frozen. Not literally, but I have stopped knitting until Sunday. I could work on that simple Aran Scarf that moves quickly, when I actually work on it, that is. Or I could add a few more rows to my lace scarf. My arm has been bothering me again, and I've been spending more time reading instead of knitting, lately. But I have a good reason besides my arm. I'm taking a class on Fair Isle - A one day, Sunday Brunch group lesson at what remains of my LKS. She has moved it to her home now, and the actual shop is closed. She apparently still has a limited supply of yarn for sale in her home and opens her home to others to come and knit, or ask questions, or whatever they need, since the shop has closed. This is the first time I'll be going to her home, and taking a class with her. I'm looking forward to the day, like a treat. It's my idea of the perfect Mother's Day or Birthday. I' know I'll be starting something new, so I am hesitant to start something else. I have however done something I know I'll be in trouble for soon. I've ordered the pattern and the yarn for this GORGEOUS Autumn Tam, that I found originally on Ravelry. She has another like it in dark blues. I hope I can do it after I take this class. I have the feeling that we'll be making some kind of hat in this class, but that's ok too. I was hoping more for learning how to knit with multiple colors, but she's only having us work with two. That's ok, maybe the techniques will improve my rather scrambled attempts at color work so far. I'm assuming there is a better way than what I know. It's possible that what I'm doing is it. I still struggle with my carrying colors ending up too tight or too loose, however and herein lies the question. Is there some magical way, that will solve this problem for me?
I've been reading...and I'm almost embarrassed to say... albeit some really interesting reading it is actually children's literature. I'm reading a series called The Land of Elyon. I bought the first book for my 8 year old to read, but then as she started to read it, she became frightened early on and wouldn't finish it. I picked it up just to see how scary it was and whether or not it was appropriate for her. The book I was reading, is actually the 4th, after the initial trilogy, it starts as a prequel of other characters from the original trilogy. It was called Into the Mist. I loved it. I went right out and bought the trilogy. I guess I'm still looking for something to replace Harry Potter for me. I'll be finishing the 3rd book tonight or tomorrow. They make for a nice escape. Other than knitting that is...

How Do Mom's have time to knit over the Holidays?

Seriously, folks. I had one day. One. Actually, half of one. Forget Christmas - it was too filled with getting Christmas cards done, and baking cookies and a Gingerbread house - I still have half a pound of Gingerbread dough in the fridge that never got transformed into cookies. I used to make 10 - 12 different varieties of cookies before I had kids. Finishing decorations, also ate up time, and planning menus and making meals, and serving guests and wrapping gifts and last minute shopping. UG. My visions of sitting on my couch with my feet up sipping cocoa or tea and watching the snow fall while I happily knit during the holidays - was a farce! New Years Day folks. That's the day I got to knit. New Years Day, after racing around like a chicken with my head cut off to prepare an Egg Strata for a Brunch, and then finding I had no eggs - I had to race to the store in my pajama's (under my coat), buy eggs, throw together the Strata, which was supposed to soak overnight and bake for 55 minutes, and I just barely got it together and threw it in the Convection oven at a higher temp while I took a 3 minute shower. Luckily for me my husband was feeling generous with his time, and actually got the kids ready while I was doing all that. As soon as I was out of the bathroom I grabbed my undercooked contribution and we hit the road. Needlessly to say, we were 45 minutes late. We stayed as long as we could without seeming like we were leaving too quickly, and took off as soon as the first guest left. I wanted to get home and make some progress on Mom's Icelandic Cardigan, and needed to leave before I had one too many mimosa's and would lose the whole rest of the day to a drunken stupor! I had what I would consider a great knitting day. I feel caught up. I finished the second sleeve and attached them to the main body, and after a little time this afternoon have a nice start on the yoke! I'm fairly happy now actually that I've gotten a good bit of it done. Maybe I'm just lucky it's an Icelandic, and once you are done with the sleeves all you have left is the yoke, so you feel like you are really working at the speed of light.

I spent part of one morning the other day reading Stephanie Pearl McPhee Casts Off , and particularly focusing on a section about start-itus, and I was beginning to panic. Somehow reading her stuff and then actually making progress on finishing something, gives me more joy than it would normally. Well ...maybe that's because normally if I set a project down and pause for too long- I can't seem to pick it back up at all, and usually start something new to motivate my knitting spirit. Oh...I guess this sweater actually falls under that category. Oops. And I was so proud myself too. I convinced my Mom to let me make her this sweater after I finished my Dad's and knew I was still too exasperated to return to that lace scarf.

Ooh some shopping news. I bought a couple of KnitPicks needles the other day. It turns out my Denises' don't shine with their previous glittery shine anymore. I'm not liking the plastic needles. Particularly with the icelandic sweaters. You've got to have either the turbo Addi's or ... in my case, the Nickel Plated Knit Picks Options. Ok, though I already have a complaint. I was whizzing along and suddenly realized my stitches were falling in my lap. My needle had come unscrewed! I was silently praising Knit Picks for being 110% better than the Denises, and look where it got me. Boom. I had to quickly lace them back through praying I didn't drop any stitches and then try to re-tighten the needle on the circular band, when it was full of sweater. Not fun. I still like them better than Denises, but YEESH. Can't someone come up with a better locking system that actually works? Granted I didn't use my locking key, but ...ok this is going to sound strange, but I'm not actually sure how to do it? Is there some trick to it, or are you meant to gain more leverage by holding it to twist tighter? It just doesn't seem like it actually gets any tighter than it was by hand, because you are still holding the needle with your other hand. Maybe if I locked the needle in a vice grip first it would tighten it more. Between my teeth? I don't know. If anyone has any advice on this I would appreciate it. I love the actual needles and I love the cords...I just need them to STAY together!!! I bought some size 4s too, in both the Options and Harmony, so I could use them both at the same time while making some mittens using the double loop method. WHEEEEEE. If they fall apart though, I will have to scream.

Notice Rudy in the picture above. Always having to be in the middle of my knitting. It's like he knows. But look who was right next to me.

That's all for now. So WHEN When I ask you is the calm snowy Knitter's holiday with nothing to do but knit???