From A Rose City Knitter

One Project Down

2018-10-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

I finished the Hobbit Cowl with Highland Handmades quaking aspen sock sea glass colorway yesterday. Its a nice colorway and pattern but with my fat head, I should have cast on at least 10-20 more stitches to get past my ears. 😒

Its not the best art shot on the lichen chimenia.

Next project is Simple Yet Effective fingering edition shawl made with Mosaic Moon "Wonder Woman" sprinkle in a talisman fingering. Wish me luck.

The Stripes Keep Going

2018-05-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am almost halfway through the Fino Circle Scarf with a month to do 3 feet. Having the school year done will help me get through the last half. I have hit a snag though. I have found a slipped stitch about an inch down and have to figure out how the bloody hell I am going to fix it without it totally noticable.

I will probably send this image for help on Ravelry. I really don't want to strip it back that much and then redo it.

I did go to the Caba Classic Alpaca show, that was fun. The web link is http://cabaclassic.org/ .

Best bet is to cut and paste. I really wanted to see if I could stick some in the back of a Suzuki hatchback. But I doubt that that will happen, plus I think that my next door neighbor would call animal control on me. I didn't realize that Alpacas live to be 20 years old.

Aren't they sweet? Tried to do the nasal sounds they give off but they just looked at me like I was off my rocker.

Well need to work more on that blessed scarf.

Adios.

Wine Does Help

2018-04-05T23:53:00.001-07:00

Trying this from my kindle fire, so be patient so be its my first time in my tablet. This is about 2 feet of 6 feet of the Fino Circle Scarf by Jocelyn J. Tunney. It's from Yarn Rescue (now Yarn Hero) in the Compliments colorway, light fingering. I am using us 6. But I am so glad I have 4 skeins of this. My math seems to be off. I thought I would use 2 skeins but almost done with a skein for under 2'. I am trying to work on it when I can work on it with washing and blocking by June for my mom on this cruise we are taking. Keep your fingers crossed. But today knitting is helping me keep occupied so I'm not obsessing over a family illness that's not disappearing. I am also doing this pattern in the Hottentot Teal colorway by HighlandHandmades, which looks more like turquouse but I'm only a couple of inches in. Which is hopefully being my airplane knitting, that's if I'm not lucky and get that done in 2 months.

Goodnight.

Just a Quickie

2017-09-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Found that Lisa from Fibernyph Dye Works is dying up a special yarn for hurricane relief. I actually bought a skein of it. It is called Overcome. She is doing preorders for another round. I decided that I am going to order another skein of the of the bedazzled version. Its nice and squishy and speckled. If I can find other indie dyers doing the same thing, I will let you know. I believe theres a $5 donation to the Salvation Army with each purchase.

Fibernymph

The above is a link to the main site.

Squeal!!

2017-08-24T23:01:00.001-07:00

If you have ever seen Steven from Dramatic Knits podcast talk about his yarns? Well somehow I went to his shop today at work and it looked like there was a sale. I was so OMG that all I wanted to do was go into a corner and just shop from my phone. But got home, with no surprise alot of his stuff was already sold but snagged some stuff. Leading Men Fiber Art is the link. Find something that is still there, type in birthday in the promo code option. I actually save almost $20 on yarn. Did a little happy dance. Going to run back and see if there are any sock blanks left.

Have a great night!

PS. The Hobbit Cowl is going well, didn't take it camping. Of course I didn't have the right needles for it but its a fun knit up.

Biting Off A Bit To Chew, Maybe

2017-08-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

I am going to cast on yet another project(s) for camping. Even though the Icelanding Lopi Lace 22.5* would be perfect because I will be camping somewhere that will probably not break 70* F but will be a little damp, I figure so I wouldn't want to ruin the lace yarn. So I am going to be knitting a couple of the grandmas dishcloth but also try the Hobbit Cowl by Suze Vitale in Highland Handmades Quaking Aspen Sock weight yarn in the Sea Glass colorway and also possibly in the Fibernymph fingering weight in Autumn Harvest, thats if my mum likes the pattern. When I started to wind the Sea Glass into a ball, the color scheme just took my breath away in a pale blue and green and white colors and the feel was just wonderful. Its kind of like getting bored with one pattern and just have to start another. Wonder why I just cant be monogamous and just finish one thing. I even got a couple of balls in the dark heather grey color of Lopi to continue it a bit more before I even finished the other balls I had gotten in the first place. And funny thing is that I am only going to be camping for 4 nights/5 days. We will see. But this seems like something I can create at a good pace. I am also trying to keep up with a friend on the Mary O'Reilly mystery books on my kindle. So that adds extra challenges with the knitting.

Have a good night. Sweet dreams.

Possible Babble

2017-07-01T21:21:00.002-07:00

Well, I have slowed down on knitting because its been a little bit hot. Was camping in the high dessert of Bend, Oregon in May, thankfully May. Even though it was in the mid 70s, it felt much warmer. I had brought along my 22.5* project along, I'm knitting with Icelandic lace weight Lopi yarn (which I had to do a bit at a time-and not much of it-since me, wool, and the desert don't really agree-but got some rows in). I also have about 10 or so balls of cotton yarn. So I brought some of that along for car knitting or late night knitting of Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth. On and off I pretty knit two of them. I have all these balls of cotton yarn and I am definitely over my chenille kick, so I am going to knit a vanilla washcloth with the chenille. I will probably donate them to a homeless place and hopefully they can hand them out. Since Portland has a goodly amount of homeless, so maybe someone could use them.

Ice cream truck is going around the park and am trying so hard not to run after it!

I am also have a big thing of nylon baby yarn, so I think I can get through two Hitchhikers with it. I could have made more with a couple of other big balls of yarn, but that bag of yarn made an early departure to Goodwill! Well thats life and my dumb luck in not pulling out the big things of nylon yarn. Maybe when I have decreased my hoard of fibernymph and highland handmade yarns I will buy some and make some more hitchhikers for a donation bag.

Well I think thats it for now. Have a happy 4th or Bastille day, or have a good week.

A Kind of Project Done

2017-05-28T22:54:00.001-07:00

Its the Purl Ridge Cowl by Stephen West. But this time its done in fingering weight. I had added extra stitches, like 50, and just did the rows called for. Suggestions in doing it in fingering. Do at least 300 stitches, more than the regular 7 rows, do at least 10-15 rows or at least do a considerable amount to what your comfortable with, ie to the length of your neck. I will probably have to wash it and block it because its kind of rolling at the sides because of the fingering weight yarn. I have done this in the Fybernymph Autumn Harvest colorway in fingering weight.

As is, it drapes to at least the bust line.

Now to go onto finsih the 22.5 Degrees by Miranda Behm. I have been working on this one for at least 2 years. Its in a dark, medium, and light grey Einband Lopi laceweight yarn. I might restart working on this tomorrow or the next day. Hands kind of hurt a little from finishing the Purl Ridge Cowl. Think I was knitting a little hard.

Lets see how many projects I can get done between here and hopefully my job picks me back up for summer shifts in mid June. Please keep your fingers crossed.

I am a little sadistic but I have found a pattern called Knitted Patchwork Recipe by Martine Ellis. I have several skeins of a light fingering yarn in 3 different colors and I might make a light summer blanket with it. I might have enough. If need be, I can make a border with the leftover fingering in the autumn harvest and other yarn colors. So who knows.

Well good night.

Highland Handmades

2017-05-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have seen the last episode of Highland Handmades or not but I am kind of sad.
Its Plyaway Recap #196. I guess she is right about how fiber/yarn sales are down but I have always been in awe of her enthusiasm for her shop.

I am not trying to tell you to go out and buy her stuff but I have been in her position of how money seems to suck out the window. If you have some extra pin money, browse her shop. Highland Handmades.

Her yarns are wonderful to feel and great for the senses.

Gotta go to bed, heat here sucks big time in knitting. All I want to do is curl up in front of a fan and not do anything. The joys of having a room on the side of the house where the sun seems to park in front of.

Have a good night.

Hi, I'm A Highland Handmades Junky

2017-05-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know how but looking for stray fiber to practice spindling, oh great googa mooga!

Frost on the top and Dirigo on the bottom, both lace.

Blue Lobster, also lace.

Left to Right: Fly you Fools, Blood Splatter, and The Ents. Sock

And now for the worsted:

Your Getting Warmer, Sea Glas, and Saddleback.

Starting with fingertip: Half Shell, Kimeo, and Verdant.

Think my favorites are Sea Glass and Blue Lobster. All these go from 1 skein to 3 skeins. Heather from Highland Handmades is extremely patient and nice. Just bought 3 skeins of lowered price Spice Pumpkin worsted.

I gotta stop! LOL! I'm running out of room! Or I gotta get that Boomerang pattern that Leading Man Steve has been doing and work on a couple of those.

Signing off for the day.

Another Fibernymph One

2017-04-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

I solomnly swear that I am not a fibernymph junkie, just have been buying from her alot.

Bitten By The Love Bug fingering.
Purple/turquoise blue worsted.
Bronze green/sunken treasures worsted

OMG It Grew!

2017-04-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Stephen West cowl I knitted and washed, holy macaroons it grew by a third. Was maybe the size of a keyboard now is the length of a keyboard and a home hard drive! Well its big enough to wrap around the neck twice now.

I did decide to do one of the fibernymph dye works grab bags, it just came today. I chose fingering, so I got a skein of bedazzled flurry fingering, a holiday mini solids set of bedazzled holly berry red, pine tree green, star on top gold, tinsel silver, without you blue, and snow flake white. And a sock blank of mirrored mauve, rust, and purple. It was like Christmas at Easter. I was so excited that I had no qualms to buy another fingering grab bag. What was I thinking? 😩

Now back to vacuuming, washing, and trying to clean my room up!

I Actually Finished Something! Wahoo!

2017-04-13T01:02:00.002-07:00

Its not the best picture but was using my cell phone on this. It is the Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West. I used Fibernymph worsted yarn in the Autumn Harvest colorway, just over a ball of it. Many days of knitting on lunches, breaks, and before work, with some knit time at home. Just have to wash it, dry it, and give it to my mom. (hopefully it looks good enough for her to wear, big enough to double up.) I might not have all the knitted parts evened out, meaning don't think I got every bit of the knitted part at 4 rows, but I think it looks nice.

Hi Guys...

2017-03-11T19:07:00.003-08:00

Its been a bit of time hasn't it? With this job I have had for a couple of years, sort of has put off my knitting mojo for a bit.

I am still working on the 22.5 degrees by Martina Behm. In Icelandic lace weight...

I am, also working on a fingering weight and a worsted weight Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West, both made with Fibernyph Dyeworks Autumn Harvest, Yes, the colorway is Autumn Harvest, nice autumnal colors.

Hmmm. I am also still working on the second Simple But Effective Bulky by Laura Chau, but in my backwards way its not being knitted with bulky, more of fingering type remnants

And for quick fixes here and there, I have been working on Knitted Patchwork Recipe by Martine Ellis, its a really fun quick thing to do. Another one I am starting to try is Swirl Dischloth or Afghan Square by Anne Brenner. I am also working on another Hitchhiker. All of this is done with pretty much nylon or nylon mixed yarn that I inherited from a friend.

One thing I have been getting addicted to is buying yarn from Highland Handmades, even though I haven't knitted much with good and great yarn, I have been stalking Heather's store.

Since I wrote last time, Knitting in Circles has gone under and it seems like Knit1,Heart1 has gone under also. I haven't seen the last one of their podcasts. Little hard when bicycling to and from work. It seems like all my favorites are disappearing. IF anyone know of any apple podcasts work suggesting, I will give them a shot.

Hopefully I won't be a stranger with long gaps. If I get my lazy ass in gear, I will add some pictures of the yarn I have started hoarding..

Oh every pattern I noted, I found them on Ravelry, if intersted.

Howz Ya Doing?

2015-09-16T21:11:00.001-07:00

Oh boy! I have had a challenging last year. The new job I started a year ago August has been a challenge, since its mainly a night shift until 12:30 am or very stinking early at 5:30 am, my incentive to knit or blog about my failures or successes have been put on a back burner for a bit. But in the interim, I have gotten some stuff done. I have done two Hitchhikers. Yay!

And one Easy But Effective Shawl

I think I might do another Easy But Effective Shawl, because it was fun, takes up a good chunk of yarn and have aspirations on making a bigger version.

Next thing on my list to finish off is the 22.5* Shawl. Since Saturday I have been whooped by a good does of hives which made my hands useless to knit with. But with the steroids I have started taking yesterday, I can actually hold needles. Never ever will under appreciate my hands again. Last night I enjoyed watching most of the tail end of Downton Abbey and knitting on this shawl, even if it was in fingering weight wool and hives to boot!

I have missed doing this blog and hope that I won't let life get the better of me.

One soap box rant is that I really miss Diane from KnitABulls. I am sad that she decided to shut down her videopodcast due to the haters out there. I do love your passion Diane, hope after a respite you do decide to come back and prove to the haters out there that you are better than those (f-bomb) bitches. You will always have a fan in me.

Peace, love, knitting, work through the hard stuff and the pain. Good night.

Days Are Getting Cooler-Or I hope

2014-09-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am starting to try to finish the Hitchhiker, the Simple Yet Effective Shawl and the 22.5*. I have had them on the needles for too long. I am getting used to a new job and a new schedule, so I am getting back into a new routine of work and knitting. So hopefully I can send out the Hitchhiker out for a birthday or Christmas present THIS year. I am working on some vanilla chenille washcloths for a friend who is going through chemo. Have to fix a slipped stitch on the one I am working on but the chenille is fighting me. But I have found a new cowl, the Triple Lane Travel Cowl by Mary Keenan that I might find the yarn to work on that. I have started riding my bike to work on late nights and a new brightly colored cowl might be a good warm neck project, especially when it starts to rain. Well gotta go, I am watching part of that Ken Burns Roosevelts thing on PBS and seems interesting.

Good night, be good, be safe.

So Antsy

2014-07-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

No job nibbles at all but keep chugging along finding a ruddy job. Oregon Unemployment, less said the better, thinks that last job was a cashier, will always be a cashier, only can apply for things cashier. The summer is going to be over and I am going to be back being underappreciated. But not giving up....Enough of the pity party.

I am still working on all three of the projects I have been on for the last century, want to start this one projected called the Boomerang, not sure where the sheet is so I can't tell you who made it but found it on Ravelry. Steve from Dramatic Knits did one and was talking about the project in one of the last episodes (think he said that he was going to make another one).

I am also making vanilla chenille washcloths for a friend who is going through chemo for breast cancer. Since its hot, I really have been working on them slowly though. But if I can do a couple of rows a day, I am happy, and if I can make several different sizes, will mail them off to her. Think she will appreciate them, their washable, so that's an extra bonus.

Until... Nope wait a minute. One thing I am saving all I can up to is the Oregon Flock and Fiver Festival. No major info yet on the website but maybe I can snag a knitty noddy, one that's made locally. That might be exciting. I am still working on spinning so that might be a plus in finding an interesting spindle, maybe a Turkish one and figure out how to use that one. Here's the link if you live in the Washington, Idaho, Oregon area...Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

See ya later guys.

Holiday Blues In Search From Nothing to Something

2014-07-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hope the people in the states have had a good 4th. Had two cats hiding under beds because my neighborhood at least 5 different areas with fireworks that weren't kosher but people seemed to like them. Camping was good. Had finished a couple of rows between mid June to now on the Icelandic lace yarn (lodi) on the 22.5* shawl.

Why is it that it seems like it takes forever to find a pattern you want to talk about? I am on the third repeat of the Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau. It is a fun pattern and easy to remember. I am trying to eat up as much acrylic scrap yarn as I can into it

I have done a tooth on the Hitchhicker I am working on for my friend.

Yesterday I heard a great NPR podcast on Shetland Life, yes I can be considered one of those. But it talks about a way of knitting life that seems not to be fading a way. Its a couple of minutes long but fun to listen to. A Scottish Yarn: A Knit In Time Saves The Fabric Of Shetland Life

Well peeps, gotta now look through job emails, yes my life this summer is one of unemployment because my boss is unappreciative of my talents. More soon.

Late Night

2014-05-10T00:20:00.002-07:00

I have been realizing that knitting, even though a little bit pressure on myself, is giving me some relaxation lately. Or at least for the moment. I have put the hat and the 22.5* aside for a bit and have been working on the hitchhiker for a bit and am under 10 teeth to go. I have also started tonight, the Simple Yet Effective Shawl, something I found on Ravelry for free. Have been working on the shawl with scrap yarn (of course) and hopefully I can get it done for a camping trip to the Oregon coast in June. If need be, I will tear apart the test runs for other things to get it a good size, since I am not a small person. Something to throw on if I don't want to put a fleece on at home or at the coast. It will be great for these days where one week it can be 50s or in the 70s/80s, it still cools down nicely. Well, we will see how much I get done between work and classes.

Just a rut

2014-04-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have been in a rut lately...between work and school knitting has taken a back seat yet again. But I just found a cardigan that might break the slump.

It's pretty and seems simple enough for me not to freak out.

Free UK Alpaca Cardigan

If you celebrate Easter, have a good day!

Boy I've Been Slacking

2014-03-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Well.... I am back yet again. I have had a lovely head chest cold for a couple of weeks, in which I still have a light cough, oh joys right?   Work still one of those things that can suck the living daylights out of a person. But it's a job right?

Another thing that has been happening is that my mother and I have decided to downsize to another place in 2015. My mum has found a great idea for downsizing and living comfortably. This place, Idea Box , makes small footprint prefab houses that are cute and they would be great for us. Me a small studio type one and a bigger one for her.    Even though its a year away, we are obsessively planning and thinking about it.   I have already started to pull books off of my 4x4 ikea cubby bookshelf, that I know I haven't read and probably not going to read (including about 15 Tolkien books that I have carted around from place to place for 20 years & can probably check out of the library in book form or on my Kindle). But a long story short, I have had my yarn in 2 milk crates and now I can stick the milk crates in the empty cubbies I made.   Cleared up some floor space from where I had it stashed right?

Well, then it came to getting my butt geared to knitting the projects that are on my needles, yeah you know what I am knitting. Have sitting on them and talking about them for months. Right now I am knitting on my brothers hat while 'listening' to knitting videos and watching the Star Wars IV-VI movies on tv.   I just have to keep the knitting mojo up because I just want to finish things. I know my brothers hat is going to look a little funky but hey....

Gotta go back to knitting.... Adios amigos.

Hello, Hola, Ciao!

2014-01-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I hope everyone had a good holiday season and a great New Year. Whew, my mom and I had people in and out of the house between the Saturday before Christmas up to New Years Eve. I love my family but I was so glad when they all went home. Was just too odd to have people come and go at all times.

Here is the promised Wingspan made out of scraps.

Its folded over but I am proud that I actually finished it. I am not sure why but I am always stuck on the side to side knit patterns.
I am finally picking back up my brothers hat. I am determined that I can finish a 1 x 1 rib on US 1s isn't going to kill me. Keep missing a couple of rows and have the little wonky bits each row because I miss purling or knitting a stich. Then I can finished the 22.5*.
Diane from Knitabulls is sucking me in on the Stitch Surfer Socks. And boy her instructional videos on this pattern is SPECTACULAR! Sorry, is that something she always uses?

(high pitched gurly scream) I just remembered I still have to finish my friends hitchhiker that I have been working on for 6 months..... I am a bad bad friend! Holy crap I have totally forgotten that one. Am I a bad knitter for not getting two Christmas gifts done? Maybe I need to start up knitting on the bus or something so I can get some job stress out of my system. (new boss is a major moron-you didn't hear that from me!)

Gotta go to bed soon, trying to get too sick but trying to get some knitgirllls out of the way, have been remiss on the video podcasts.

Oh speaking of the knitgirlls but I got a strange ravelry message that lala was moving....gotta catch up! bad fan bad bad fan!

New Spindles

2013-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

I splurged this Christmas and gotten myself to beautiful spindles.from Tina's Angoras. They are orange and green dragons vein tops and beautiful spindle stems. Yes I know that I am probably not explaining them the wrong way. (excuse the trash cans in the background-totally was oblivious that they were in the shot when I took it with my phone!) She has several different tops, also Russian Support Spindles, plus some fiber. I was surprised when I opened up the box (very quick, ordered it on Thursday night, got it today, Monday), there was a sandwich bag stuffed full with fiber, funky and fun fiber. I am so excited.

Had to start over on my brother’s hat but haven’t finished it, I found it very hard to knit much on 1 (2.50 mm) doublepoints. Is it just me or do other peoples hands start hurting?

Did finish the wingspan scrap project and will promise to post a picture. (yes I was feeling like a lazy sod lately).

Well more later, maybe be quicker with posts.

hiya

2013-11-15T19:52:00.002-08:00

Not much to post, blog, or talk about. Just a few stiches on the 22.5* shawl, a couple of lines on the hitchhiker, two washcloths, and I started making a hat for my brother but it seem like it might be a little small but I am going to see what a couple of more rows might do to the size of the hat. Maybe I need to get in touch with the pattern maker. Wish I could tell you what the name of the hat is but not sure where I put the pattern. Just a basic knit purl hat.
But I did get a fun and surpise birthday present. What the slip says that its a yarn bell/bowl with base. It's neat. Here's the link: yarn-bell-or-bowl-with-base . Its so pretty that I am kind of afraid of using it just for the fact that I might break it.
Well I hope your November is going great.

Progress!!!

2013-10-11T23:51:00.001-07:00

I have actually made 5 teeth on the hitchhiker, yay....I actually did some more practice drop spindling. I am actually getting the hang of dividing up the fiber and getting it, what I call, stretched out some so its not so lumpy. Is that drafting? Really need to get some books and more dvd's to actually get the lingo down. Hopefully will get that straightened out soon.

One note, as most of you guys know, a lot of video podcasters have been dropped from iTunes because of blip. I had posted several weeks ago about the Hippie Penguin mentioning this and it seems like its taking a bit of time to get it launched. If the website gets its target, there will be a place where the dropped video podcasters to go and upload their videos, so we can all still enjoy their podcasts. And I checked the website tonight and they need about $7000 more in 9 days. I know that's a lot and there are a lot of us who don't have the change to donate a chunk of change. I have heard that 444 is a lucky number, if you can afford $4.44, do you think a bunch of us can help get this get off the ground? I just tried the donation and they only do whole dollars not any cents. But they do take only a dollar, do take credit cards or go through paypal.

PodFiber-WatchFiber

Will get off the box now....Have a good night.