Pretty as a Peacock...I am in LOVE!

Take a look at this wonderful peice of lace work! This is the Pretty as a Peacock lace shawl created by Jae at Some Knitting Required. Click the blog link to be taken to her blog and read all about it. The Pattern is planned to be released for purchase on 10.15.07 on this page .

I plan on purchasing it when I get paid!

Here is her description of it from her Ravelry pages:

"This originated from a Focus On Lace class that I took at a LYS. The end project was to knit a lace shawl or better yet design our own. I took the class originally to gain confidence to knit the Fiddlestick's Peacock Feather Shawl. My teacher challenged me to knit a Peacock not just the feather.
I have received many requests to make the pattern available. So Ailsa from http://pick-up-sticks.blogspot.com/ is currently test knitting this for me using Louet Gem Opal fingering. If she doesn't tell me I write a crap pattern, it should be available soon. :)"

Until next time...

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Lovin the Fall weather!

I was outside plying the singles for this wonderful natural color Border Leicester lace yarn for the Secret of the Stole KAL Sunday. The KAL starts Friday with the first clue being released. It took me a full two weeks to spin a bobbin almost full with singles and I only got 550 yards when plied together...that is HALF of what I need! EEP! *faint*
I am not spinning this again until I need it. WHEW! I have other projects to spin for along with some roving for a friend.

I am finally getting around to carding up some more alpaca/merino yarn for the Kimono wrap while at the same time dyeing more targhee for the Mystery shawl as I have run out of several colors.

The yarn shop gave me another shawl to knit. My feelings are mixed about it, but I have to knit something for the shop if I am gonna work there I suppose. I also want to make some thrummed slippers for Mum out of some blue, turquoise, and black Karaoke yarn with merino thrums. I haven't decided what color yet to use. Maybe green for contrast. Those shouldn't take me too long. Then I can send them along with her Bday socks and card this weekend.

The Pipers in the Prairie is this Saturday evening. I hope I have enough to pay the couple charge of $125. I've missed it so many times and I really have this urge to start doing things instead of putting it off till "maybe next time" which I have had to do so often in the past couple of years. I wonder if this is forewarning of a major illness?? Fingers crossed knock on wood nothing drastic happens. I will be turning 30 next year....and I know Saturn is far from done with me. This is just a little hiatus from the chaos for now, I believe. Nice that Saturn gives me brake in-between crisises aye? Is that a word, crisises?

Until next time...

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Does this clash?

Tell me honestly, is this clashing? Are there too many colors? It's trippin me out man!! HA! I had a bit of hard time getting the hang of the charting, but now I understand it after knitting, unknitting, and searching the archives of the Mystery Shawl group for an answer that made sense.

I hope, as it gets bigger, the colors will tend to seperate more and make batches of color instead of stripes. This yarn came out worsted, navajo plied to keep the colors together. A bit heavy for this Mystery Shawl project, so I am using size 8 needles which will render a much larger shawl...perfect for me!

We went to the farmers market Sunday and I bought lots of goodies! Well not a whole lot, but more than I expected to come home with!! With $10 I bought: one large certified organicly grown butternut for $1.50 (much more than I could have gotten in the stores), medium pie pumpkin for $2 (also certified Organic from the same vender), one dozen farm fresh and humane eggs for $2.50 (A whole buck less than in the stores!!!), and a bag of Elm Oyster Shrooms for $2 (about 2 ounces worth). OMG the eggs, with the shrooms are TO DIE FOR GOOD!! OMG...mouth-gasims! Next Sunday, when I visit for more of these items, I will take some pictures and take you on a tour of our local Farmers Market. I have been having cravings for these fall foods. I love fall!!

Until next time...

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Yarns for KAL's

I mailed out the Scarf for the Orphan foundation yesterday. I got some yarn striped dyed for the Mystery Shawl #5, however, I HATE the way the "Deep Orange" came out. The recipe for this shawl is fall colors. It looks like hunter orange to me, and makes the yarn look like a failed 1970's color experiment. YUCK! I tried dyeing some fiber but it still came out that nasty hunter orange. Deep orange my ass ain't big!!
Solution, half an 1/8 teaspoon of black or brown dye. That tones it down just right. No pictures of that just yet.

Then natural colored yarn is lace weight Border Leicester for the Secret of the Stole that I got from a local farmer at the Sheep and Wool Festival, from a lamb named Lenny. See the dime? I only partly washed the grease from the wool so that there would be some grease to work the lace with. The singles are about the size of upholstery thread....yikes!

Until next time...

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Secret of the Stole...

Starts October 1st!

Click here to join!

Until next time...

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Finished Shawl, Knittin for a Cause update!

Whew! I knitted on the shawl for an entire six hours streight while listening to Brother Odd on CD. I got it done and it is not blocking over at the LYS. The yarn is soooooooooooo soft!! The BF noted that it would make an excellant belly dancin skirt. Just add a few bells and jinga-jinga!

We have a day set for charity knittin at the LYS! Every Third Saterday! Today I even got a nice informative flyer done for customers.

I am trying my darnest to get others intersted in knittin or crochetin a square for an afghan. One of my coworkers stopped in (from the paratransit job) and got information on what she can knit and for whom in the charity ring. Sweet! She says she is so excited about it!

I got loaded up for my next store demo, an introduction (for me) into garment knitting. I am knitting a ruffled edge toddler sweater. Sweeet! But first, I need to get the red scarf done, spin some yarn for the Kimono wrap, AND finish the prayer shawl. All three have been on hold because I told the LYS that I would have the shawl done in a couple weeks and it ended up being three! EEP! I don't like sayin I will have something done at X time and not have it done by that time! So with that one outta the way, lets get the rest done too!

Thank Goddess it has stopped raining...if only for the weekend. They say this is the wettest August in Wisconsin's history!! I believe it! The dirt bike trails are just saturated! My bike is a mess and there is a thunkin noise that was not there before. HUmmmmm....

Until next time...

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On the Needles Wednesday: Flower Basket, Charity Knittin's

In spirit of L&M's Daily Chum's What's on Your Needles Wednesday's (WOYNW for short) I present my current challenge.

Well, I finished it, then put it back onto the needles because it is just too small for my abundance! I had to crack into the third skein of the loverly soy silk and silk yarn to finish binding it off. I only used about a yard of the new skein so I decided overnight (while sleep eluded me) that I would rip back the edging and put it back on the needles to do one more repeat of the basket pattern before doing the edging and casting off for the second time.

I sure hope this issue with insomnia cures itself once the cooler fall weather arrives. I have been taking Simply Sleep consistently just to sleep for the past month. I tried to give myself a chance to fall asleep last night on my own since I have no work this week, but sleep did not come. It does not help that the BF is CONSTANTLY fidgeting...he is the one keeping me from getting rest. I wish he would see a doctor about his nighttime fidgets. He is the one with health care coverage yet he does not use it!! (rant-rant-rant)

Here is a draft of the card for the Knittin for a Cause knittin group I am starting at the LYS. It's just a time for those who want to knit something for charity to come together and knit together and get pattern help if they need it. I've collated a list of local charities and a few national ones for people to pick and choose from. Now I just need to collate a bunch of freebie patterns to match it all.

Brother Odd is finally a the library waiting for me and I am debating biking down to get it. The humidity is high and so is the heat index and storms are moving our way YET AGAIN! I think I will wait till the BF comes home around 4ish and drive over. I just don't feel like biking in this type of weather. I am also gonna stop by the bank to grab $20 to send to my friend for her Bday with her belated Bday card. DOH! Then I am gonna get some Valerian at Walgreen's and I need more simply sleep. *sigh* WTF is up with this insomnia! I am quite ready to get back to my normal sleep pattern.

In case anyone doesn't know already (how could you miss such a sale?!) I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can is having a 50% off Bday sale on her patterns. I already had the Forest Canopy Shawl but I had been wanting to get the Spring Things shawl and the cowl/smoke ring. There aren't many patterns out there for cowls and I am aiming to make my own one of these days for the LYS.

I sent in my yearly membership fee for the local knitters guild. I am quite please I am able to send it in on time this year as last year I was really struggling around this time. The first meeting of the "knitting season" (they don't meet during the summer) is always a members only treat. This year they are having Galina Khmeleva who is owner of Shaska Designs and author of Gossamer Webs: The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls and Gossamer Webs: The Design Collection. It says "she is one of the most respected and knowledgeable lace knitting instructors in the country". I have no idea who she is, but lace knitting was mentioned so I am gonna go. I just need to do some google research while I wait for the mail to come.

I am also gonna see about joining the Community Knitting committee and see if I can get that more out in the open because last year there was not much of anything about it, seen or heard. I dunno why, but I really like knitting things for charity. I don't have many friends whom I can gift with knitted things, and I am always spinning up more yarn, so who better than those in need of some hand-knits?

I wish the mail person would get here! Noon-time TV is soooooooooo boring!! I have three DVD's scheduled to arrive today. In the meantime I think I will go see what there is to watch online at CBS and ABC.

Until next time...

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First day on the job...

At the LYS was not bad at all! I was worried about being on my feet for too long as I remember the 6 hour nights at Hobby Lobby when I would be in pain by the fourth hour from standing for so long. Of course this place is no HL because it is a wonderfully small and independent place. I learned how to use thier form of checkout which was a crash course on my first day as 4 customers when in there when we opened and were ready to check out within 5 minutes! I think I got it down. I will be working there for the next 4 saterdays so I can get my training down and then I will be working there every other Saterday. That is perfect for me. I like having a second job, but I don't like working the whole weekend or every weekend. So this one might just work really well for me.

I get to do another demo project. *jumps up and down with joy!!* The Flower Basket lace shawlette in the Vickie Howell soy silk and mulberry silk yarn, in turquoise. OOOOOoh how yummy that yarn is!! SOooooooo sooooooooooft!!! OYE! I love doing these sample projects with different yarns for the store! Loverly yarn p*rn photos to come!!

Well I think I will spin up the rest of the blue wool and ply it, maybe get a few rows of that prayer shawl done and start on the demo for the LYS.

Until next time...

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Pics of Forest Canopy shawl finally

I finally got around to taking some photos of the finished Forest Canopy shawl I knit for my Mum. Now I just need to get around to sending it to her! HA!

Until next time...






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Mohair and I won another book!

I'm getting mohair fleece! I'm getting mohair fleece!! Yearly to kid grade (I guess it is inbetween) in white. YAY! It was priced special so I had to skip the new years resolution of use what I have, for this fantastic half off sale (which is over now, SORRY!). I'm getting a five pound fleece. Sweeeeeeet! Major fleece p0rn coming your way!! Keep an eye on my youtube.com channel (link on side bar). I plan on spinning fine thread from it and using it for card weaving if it is too course for knitting with because it takes color so well.

And, I won another book! How lucky is that?! I participated in the Unwound podcast listeners poll, and every month she puts everyone's name in a hat who calls, and draws out a lucky person to pick a book! I got this months and I picked Victorian Lace Today. Doing this lace wing of the moth shawl has wetted my appetite for more lace! This is a nice book too. My knittin friend purchased it at one of the local guild meetings and I looked through it with her. Pretty stuff in there.

I cannot find my handspun, knitted socks ANYWHERE! They've dissapeared! I could use them now that the temps are much-much colder, and there is lots of snow on the ground. I need new shoes, but I am not a shoe shoper. I hate braking in new shoes. Would rather wear what I have till they literally fall apart than brake in new shoes.

The brine shrimp seem to be thriving! I hope they keep growing! I need to clean out another container for the daphina coming. I think I will put the two surviving guppies in a new tank and use that take as the daphnia tank since it is full of algea. Then, when the new guppy tank as oodles of algea, I will switch them back to thier old tank...which should be spotless by the time the Daphnia are done with it!

Until next time...