Birthday Bag

Okay, so after my last post I cast-on this bag yesterday when I saw it in Creative Knitting. It is made up in Cascade cotton and Berroco Runway.

My hands hurt so bad knitting the Berroco and the Cascade together! But I am really happy that it turned out so nice.

I was hoping to make something a little girl could keep a few treasures in and I think (*hope*) I succeeded.

I even learned a new skill. Can you believe I had never made an I-Cord before? Wow, it was so simple and it looks great IMHO.

I'm feeling stoked enough to try and finish something else before the sun sets!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Ruinwen, who promises not to cast on anything else before at least finishing one project
:)

I Have to Stop Casting On

I have no pictures because everything lately is new and only has a few inches to show for all my efforts. I promise pictures soon. :) really

Lately all I do besides spend time with family and friends and ignore the house work is knit and think about ways to design, spin, dye or knit.

I totally lost my focus on my projects... :( really I tried. But the fact is when I dedicated myself to making stuff for the LYS and teaching then that took the front seat to all my knitting. I have to have examples ready for classes and when it is a two part class I need to be finished to the point I expect my students to be...you understand don't you?

I casted on the Fab Classic and I'm almost ready to join the two shoulders together. That Wendy is amazing in her designs! I'm really enjoying watching this come together!

I also casted on Easy Lace Poncho in some lovely cotton/wool from cascade. I know...I know...but I love the feather and fan pattern...so you poncho haters will have to forgive me.

Still working on the happy sweater. I have a sleeve and a half to go.

I ordered some natural indigo to try my hand at dyeing.

I'm going to hopefully be taking a summer dyeing and spinning camp class soon!

And I've been thinking about spending more days at the LYS. Yesterday I had two students come in and one finished her scarf! YEAH!!! I'm so proud of all of them! But I was fixing a blanket where the nice lady had dropped a stitch while showing someone how to cast on while *deep breath* talking another nice lady through picking up stitches and it dawned on me...this is why the owner never finishes anything!

So, I guess I will give up my "me" time and give it back to the community. I love helping out so it is all good! :)

Well, that is my little update. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have pictures of one of the projects for you!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Ponchette Is Fini!

Ignore the fact that I glow like casper...here is Ponchette all seamed and ready to go.

I love this pattern! I am going to make it again in linen after I finish a few other projects!

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen
:)

Close up of Ponchette

I love the lattice effect of Ponchette!

When You're Up, You're Up and When You're Down, You're Down, and When You're Only Half Way Up, You're Neither Up Nor Down

Since Bridget is my patron Goddess; I wanted to make Her a healing mantle. I had this idea in my head about how it should look and I searched high and low for the right color but nothing was quite right. Then I remembered one of the bloggers I follow, dyes her own merino and I asked her to custom design me some "hues of winter yarn."

Isn't it beautiful? She did such an amazing job! It is exactly what I wanted! Thank you Heather; a thousand times thank you! I've added her Etsy shop to the sidebar of Yarn Stores I Love to Frequent.

This is my "Happy Sweater." I am in love with the simplicity of the top-down way of knitting. There are no seams and I can try it on as I go. This is that lovely October hand-dyed merino I bought at the super-bowl sale. I am in love with it! I can't wait till Fall to wear it.

I've decided I want this sweater to cover half of my butt, so I have a little farther to go...but I'm at my waist now. I swear this sweater seems to knit itself...like Mrs. Weasley's sweaters... :)

Finally, this is the dreaded stake marking where the fence will go in our yard. There has been good and bad this week and I'm going to focus on the good. I've got a mantle to make and new yarn to fondle... )

And....the Laurene Lace Shawl is on the needles and since it is itsy bitsy there isn't enough to show yet. But it is shaping up like my design, and that makes me happy!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

My Son's Dragon

He wanted me to share this with you because it was the highlight of his day. He showed everyone his dragon. :)

Simple pleasures. *sigh*

I just finished frogging his sweater to recast it as a top-down. Did you know when you frog wearing a leather jacket the leather makes noises like little frogs? Okay, so I am not quite recovered from this weekend...I didn't sleep well last night.

Yesterday we found out where our back property line is because they are building a fence there. The fence goes smack dab through our back yard. It is a little disturbing. We don't know if they are cutting down the trees that we love so much or how close they plan to be to us now. But I'm sorry I don't like it. :(

I've buried kitties up on the hill...we even named it Kitty Hill because of that...it's where I have my Goddess garden too. *sigh*

I read somewhere to take a day to mourn and then give it to God. So I am mourning today the loss of half of my backyard which is full of memories of good friends and good times and then tomorrow I will let it go and have more knitting to share with you.

But today I think I will go up to Kitty Hill and fondly remember all the felines that are up there esp little Shadazar who only lived for three days but was so sweet.

Tomorrow I will talk to DH about where to put the new Goddess Garden. We just put in new stone retaining walls and I have some stone left...maybe I can do something with it?

Is it silly to be bummed over something so trivial? DH is bummed too. He didn't sleep last night either. We are a duo of zombies today.

Well, today is LYS day and I need to get cracking on the Laurene Lace Shawl. I've got all the motifs but one and now that I frogged all this yarn I have needles and yarn to swatch...imagine that! :)

Ruinwen
:)

Sympatico

This Fair was the first time that the LYS and Vixenpath promoted each other. I showed more then one person who exclaimed, "Gee I wish we had a yarn store here," that we do indeed have one and if you turn around it is right behind you. :)

I also was able to advertise my classes at my booth and once again promote people to Knittin' Chicks.

The LYS pointed out that Vixenpath was at the fair and to come and check out our booth. We helped out Dalia with breaks so she could actually eat during the day and she provided us a place to visit now and then that was quiet and calm. :)

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! :)

Ruinwen
:)

Knitted Stuff

Here is my drying rack of o'stuff. Fall, I've decided will be different. I would like to have shawls hanging along the walls, a few sweaters in different sizes, the baby items and socks.

I'd like to bring in my dress dummy and have her wear an adult sweater...that will hopefully be designed by then...and maybe a really nice scarf. But scarves just aren't selling because everyone has them. I even had nice lace ones and they were in different styles than anyone else and they still didn't sell...so I'm not really going to make a lot more for Fall fair...although they might sell when it was cooler...but it was pretty darn cool this last weekend!

Ruinwen
:)

Heart Bracelet

DH always asks me to make some jewelry too for variety. So I whipped up four pieces with Swarvoski crystal and Czech class all in sterling silver. I liked this one so much I might make one for myself.

Ruinwen
:)

DH's Chain Maille

Here is one of the new pieces DH made for fair with Swarovski crystal. They really sparkle in the light. He is so talented. I love that we can do the fair together and each of loves what we are doing. :)

Ruinwen
:)

The Tank Top Saga

When I made this tank top I wanted it to look like Matt's on Digimon. It did not turn out at all like what I was looking for. But every project teaches us lessons and I learned a big one from this tank. I hate seams.

This led me to learn about top-down sweaters and I am in the process of making a raglan right now. Pictures later. The ones I took at fair no longer do it justice since I am a foot beyond that point. :)

So, when the raglan is done I am casting this tank on again from the top down and designing the Matt sweater. I've even found the perfect shade of green on kpixie.

Also, I am ripping out the two sweaters I started for the kids and redoing them top-down. I can try them on as we go and no seams. Plus they will make up twice as fast...a win-win in my book.

Ruinwen
:)

Spring Fling 2006

Sorry, I've been away but we were gearing up for Spring Fling. Here is our tent; notice the new walls? Where if it had rained they would have been wonderful...the wind nearly carried us away. The tent next to us did blow over and had to be bolted to the parking lot.

We had fun and broke even and then some. :)

My sister happily crocheted away with us and my MIL, BIL and all the kids had a great time too!

All in all, it was a really breezy, fun weekend. :)

Ruinwen
:)

What's Up Doc?

So, I’ve been thinking about what my DH said about getting an angora. I mean it would be wonderful to have my own angora to spin and dye and make a few things a year out of. Plus they make wonderful pets and my son would love a pet rabbit.

But being an Aries I know I’m going to jump in and get overwhelmed by my emotions before really thinking it through.

So yesterday I researched angoras and came up with a plan. I also learned a lot about them that I didn’t know…like they are very prone to heat stroke, they get wool block (like fur balls but they can’t expel them) and they can be litter trained at an early age.

So here is the plan. I bought a simple drop spindle with some wool yesterday on E-Bay and I will see if I can even spin wool. If I can’t then that is that. If I can spin wool then I will get some angora/wool blend and learn to spin that. If I succeed there then I will buy some angora roving by itself and work on spinning that. Finally I will by the raw wool (fresh off the angora itself) and work on spinning that. After all that spinning, if I still enjoy the whole prospect of creating my own yarn, then I will go on to the next step.

Then we have to ask ourselves some serious questions about where is our bunny going to live? We will need supplies and a hutch for our angora and to learn everything we can about taking care of our new family member before we even go look at angoras.

Then we will start looking at types and decide on which angora breed will be best for our needs. I personally am thinking about a satin because there is a really nice sheen to their fur. Also we will have to decide if we ever want to show our angora. Some breeds are not approved by the judges.

Finally, we need to visit angora farms and actually find the bunny that meshes with our family.

<*whew*>

This process may take months or years but I don’t want to rush it and get involved in something I can’t handle. So we’ll see how I do with my new spindle when it comes in and anyone who wants to leave any advice about spinning is more then welcome. I feel I will need all the help I can get!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Sheep & Wool Festival -(picture laden)

I love alpacas. Here is one lounging after being sheared.

The reason we were here was to be in the lamb cook-off. Here are the judges eating and critiquing.

Of course, another reason was the beautiful yarn. This is some kid mohair that I wanted but resisted.

Everyone was so talented. Watching them weave this shawl was amazing!

Here is something I couldn't resist...a totally washable micro-fiber that feels like silk. I bought it in a teal/purple with my prize money. I also bought some merino/hemp to try. Both of these yarns I had never seen before so we'll call it research...yes that is my story and I'm sticking to it. :) Oh, I also bought the pattern that is in the picture.

So, I came in third but that is okay. I lost on plating technique by three points. It gives us room to improve for next year. Yes, next year...we had so much fun that we are going back! You should have seen the mobs of people as they gobbled up our samples out of dixie cups...they didn't need a plating technique...heck, they didn't even have spoons at the end and it was all good. :)

But seriously, we had an awesome time and my son got to see more sheep then he had ever thought possible. He even conversed with a few and was over-joyed when they answered him back! DH had fun serving the masses and sneaking the shank bones off to nibble on. I even got to knit a few rows on ponchette! So it was a great day for everyone!

The last thing I would like to leave you with is the angora woman. She is my fondest memory in years gone by of the Sheep & Wool festival. She calmly sits her angora bunny on her lap and pulls fur off of her and spins it...just too cool! DH said of all the animals we saw today a bunny to sit on my lap and spin would be okay...maybe someday! :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Size really does matter...

"A man may fall many times but he won't be a failure until he says someone pushed him."

-- Elmer G. Letterman

"I haven't failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."

-Benjamin Franklin

I was on the last row of my ponchette when I realized that it was way too small. Looking at the pattern my DH remarked, "Hon, you are using the 5s right?"

After I nodded he added, "That's for the centimeter needle. In the US sizes, it calls for an 8."

"Well", I smiled, "At least we know what went wrong. It looks like I have some frogging to do."

So after dinner, I sat at the frog pond and ripped all 23 pattern rows out (something like 240 actual rows)...knowing it was the right thing to do.

The old me might have tried to keep repeating until I had enough to wrap around me, but I knew that this was not something I wanted to do. What drew me to this pattern was the lace and the drape of the fabric. In my piece the lace while pretty, was closed and precise. It should be more open and airy,

So, I will begin again on my dear ponchette. This time I am armed with size 8 needles and I have learned one way not to make this pattern.

I hope to have it done for Sheep and Wool this weekend where I am entered in the lamb cook-off. But if I don't, well that's okay too. :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

I'm Innocent I tell you...really! :)

Okay, I know you are saying, "Ruinwen you said no more yarn until you finish your projects..."

And you are right, but I didn't buy any of it myself, it was all gifted.

My sister blessed me with The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swanson, Knitting From the Top by Barbara Walker and The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self Discovery.

With the exception of the last book (which was a surprise), these are books I have been chomping at the bit to own. Thank you, sis! :)

My parents blessed me with yarn from Knitpicks. Six skeins of each: Merino Style in Storm and Wool of the Andes in Hyacinth.

I've already started the ponchette on kpixie in the storm and I love the pattern.

My LYS wonderful lady blessed me with a cable and bobble sweater in pumpkin spice. It was last year's model and it fits me to a Tee! And she also blessed me with 5 skeins of Maggi Knits Multi Linen Color 102! It is like pumpkins and fall all rolled into one. I've been wanting to try it and she gave it to me to make a ponchette for me! Isn't she the best!?!

So see dear readers, I did not buy anything new, I have not broken my promise and all is right with the world.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Hope For The WIPs

The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

We can learn to be the catalysts for our own change.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

I’ve been working on bonnets and booties as of late so there is no need to reshow the same pictures in different colors right?

On Friday a wonderful thing happened, my LYS asked me to teach a bonnet class. Everyone loves the bonnet so much that they demanded a class! I am so happy!

On Saturday I had to move the WIP bags that sit around the table and when you pile them all together they make a nice little mountain-o-projects. Why I just can’t sit and finish one thing and move to another is beyond me…but the important thing is to “know thyself.” And I know that this is how I am, so I accept it to a degree…

On Saturday night I had a dream where I sat down and organized all the WIPs into categories and set them out on a calendar and completed each one as scheduled. At the end of my dream new yarn came in and I started all over again but that was okay because it was exciting to reward myself with new yarn and projects.

I woke up pumped. Why couldn’t I just finish all the WIPs that only need a few rows, seaming, or weaving in the ends…why did I just leave them there and start something new? Well, we know the why…I’m a self-starting…never finishing Aries…but I want to see these projects done…so yesterday I finished my crochet blanket I started at last Fall Fair…it only needed one more skein and the ends woven in and I was able to move a big bag off the chair…that blanket fits a twin bed!

Then I finished the bonnet I started on Wednesday…all that needed was 2 rows, the neck finished and all those ends are woven in…that is…count ‘em…2 projects in one day! Then I cast on some booties and they are half done!

The thing is I really didn’t spend a lot of time knitting either…maybe four hours all together spread out over the day…

Why do I have all these WIPs then? Because dear readers I lack focus. My friend Sallee made me think maybe what I need is to focus on my WIPs. It seems I am now stashing projects just as easily as I stashed yarn before. I took an inventory and just like in my dream there a bunch of things that are almost done and I will work on those first and get them out of the way. Secondly, I will only use the two chairs behind the table for projects.

I know myself enough to know I will always have more than one project going on at a time but I also know that I follow my own rules. So if only two chairs can be used then no new projects can be cast on if those chairs are full. That will be my new rule…after I empty another chair. ;)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

The Zen of Froggin'

An old adage says, "There are three items you can’t take back—a spent arrow, a word spoken in anger and a lost opportunity.” As I sit here lounging at the frog pond, I realize that isn’t it nice we can tink and frog and correct our mistakes?

Don’t get me wrong I get as teary eyed as the next person when I have to destroy something I’ve worked so hard on. But isn’t it nice, if you want to, you can redo it the right way?

The “inner knitter” has been trying to teach me this lesson all week and I have been resisting with all my might. But yesterday I had to ask myself, “Why?”

Is it really better to stubbornly try and fix a mistake that I know I will have to come back and rip out later? So yesterday I accepted tinking back five rows with a smile knowing that this too is part of the process.

I may not still like it…and I may still cry from time to time…but it is nice to know a mistake in my knitting is one of the things in life that I can take back and fix when the need arises. And that knowledge makes me smile. :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

When the Knitter is Ready, the Pattern Appears

As I try and find or create the patterns that I have in my head, I am amzaed by the resistence I seem to find to each idea until it is ready to be birthed into existence. They say that pulling on the shoots of a plant will not make it grow any faster and it seems to apply to my creation of the Laurene shawl.

I am desperately enjoying the challenge though. My mind is being forced to work in ways that it usually avoids. I feel freedom in trying stitches that create a pattern out of disorder.

I've been working with these twisted stitches all week and finally yesterday I swatched something I liked. The alternating pattern of knit into back of second stitch on left needle, do not slip stitch off needle, knit into first stitch on needle, slip both stitches off needle and *deep breath* knit 2tog but keep them on needle, knit into first stitch on needle and then slip them off was very comforting...but not at first.

At first I was ripping my hair out because the directions that I had for these stitches were reversed. And silly me I expect the pattern to be right. But in doing that I took me out of the picture. I was relying on the pattern to guide me when I should have been looking within.

Instead I blamed myself that I must have done something wrong and searched on the web for twisted stitches and learned a whole lot of things in the process. Now I came at the pattern with knowledge and I understood that this pattern would not work the way it was written.

And suddenly the little voice in my head said, "Now you're ready, check the updates for this book," and "poof" there it was confirmed for everyone to see...the pattern was backwards in two places.

I felt giddy as I cast on the only needles that I had with me and swatched. I watched the yarn form the pattern I had been seeking...how could something with only three stitches have vexed me so?

The spiritual "ah ha" took hold and I saw what I could not see before. Elated I took note of how each stitch twisted and turned the fabric into the image I had held onto in my head.

After a few rows of tweaking, I had my stitch. Next time instead of boldly ploding ahead when I should sit and listen to my inner self, I will be still and quiet and listen to my "inner knitter".

I say this as I begin the search for the perfect flower...a swatching I will go...

Happy Crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Right-Slanting Decreases

So I've begun the process of swatching for the Laurene Shawl. I was trying to find a pattern that worked for the hearts. I wanted them coming out from one another but the left side looked so much different than the right that I frogged the whole thing and began again...many times.

There are so many left-slanted decreases but most books say the K2tog is the only right-side decrease one will ever need. In this situation, I disagree. So I tried this one and I have no snappy way to abbreviate it:

K1, Sl knitwise, return the slip to the left-hand needle keeping the stitch twisted, pass the knitted stitch in the same manner to the left needle, now PSSO the slipped stitch over the knit stitch, and finally slip the knit stitch purlwise back to the right-hand needle

Can you believe I can do that really fast now? But the main thing is, I really like it. Everyone I've shown it to likes it so these are the side hearts. Yeah!

I really like designing it is very freeing trying all those combinations until you find something you like.

I'm wondering if I should use that stitch on my Serenity Chain Lace Scarf design? I may have to try that. By the way, I taught that class yesterday and it was so much fun! The woman enjoyed herself so much she gave me a hug!

At that moment I knew that this was where I am supposed to be...I am so glad I listened to my inner voice!

Happy Crafting and Happy Holidays,

Ruinwen,
:)