Sunflower Guild Does It Again

This weekend I attended our local guild "Knitting in the Heartland" spring conference. I had a great time. I went to the vendor market and didn't buy yarn, yay! But I couldn't resist getting some spinning fiber. It was just too luscious to resist.


I bought shades of green such as this green alpaca:

I am normally not a "blue person" but for the past month or so I've been really CRAVING blue. Here's some blue fiber I got.

And finally my FAVORITE thing. I just LOVE the colors in this gorgeous roving. They are colors that normally wouldn't go together. I never guessed that shades of pink, blue, lavendar and teracotta would go well together - but this colorway looks AMAZING to me. Especially for spring. For some reason, the addition of that autumnal orangish/brownish color really makes this otherwise spring colorway "pop" and I love it.



So all in all, in spite of the cold/rainy weather (will we ever see sun again?) I had a fabulous time and hopefully spinning up some of this springlike roving goodness will make me feel much better. Now if I could just sit outside on my deck one SUNNY day - please PLEASE let there ever be sun and warmth again - then I will show you how it spins up.

Am I Ever Blessed

Several weeks ago, I was going through a rough time and recovering from some minor surgery. And guess what? My dear online Ravelry friend Debbie (Snookums on Rav), is also in my Prayer Shawl group. You know what she did? She decided to make me the most beautiful shawl!


It's called The Reader's Shawl - and it is a lovely cream color with pockets. It is soft as clouds and totally warm and comforting. It even has pockets. It's a rectangular stole and is one of the sweetest things I can imagine someone knitting for me.

As if that weren't enough, she sent me some other wonderful items as well:

A little Easter basket full of goodies including: Died in the Wool, a knitting mystery by Mary Kruger - how did she know I love mysteries, and especially knitting-related ones?

A wonderful alpaca/silk blend of beautiful yarn. How did she know Alpaca was my favorite?

I am just absolutely warmed by her kindness . . . and her shawl.

Oh No Snow!

Here we are, on the first day of Spring having a less than Spring-like day. What? Snow. Lots of it. Yuck. I think we can agree most of us are sick of it.

Spring. Please?

Storm Cloud Shawlette

Some of you in the Sunflower Guild or those who attended the Jefferson City Fiber Retreat have already seen my completed Storm Cloud Shawlette in person. However, for those who haven't, mainly my handful of blog readers and knitting group members, here are photos of the shawl.


If you like it, it's a free pattern on Ravelry. It's a semi-circular design. It starts with only 4 stitches and increases from there. It's based loosely on the Zimmermann Pi Shawl concept. The good news is that it's one of those mindless, truly easy projects that you can do while talking, watching TV, and the dropped garter stitch actually goes faster if you DON'T pay too much attention. It's so easy you can very quickly memorize the pattern. It only requires for the smallest version, 150 yards of yarn, so it's a good way to use up those single skeins of really pretty yarn you have stashed. It can be made in sock weight yarn, sport yarn, worsted or even bulky - of course the finer the yarn used, the airier the effect.


For mine, I used a whole skein of the glitzy yarn, Feza Festival, which is a medium green with gold thread type novelty yarn, so I used about 250 yards on mine, and carried it along with a sock yarn called Dream in Color Smooshy in "Spring Tickle" - a very light green strand. The two yarns were carried together throughout the body of the shawl, and then on the ruffle, I used 2 strands of Feza Festival. You can make the shawl with the ruffle, or end on Row 70 and leave the ruffle off entirely. If you want a larger, fuller shawl, just keep going with the increases and you can make it as large as you like.

I finished the Storm Cloud Shawlette in only 4 days and I love wearing it. When out and about in public, I've received more compliments on this shawl than any other. Goes to figure that the simplest and easiest knits often get the most credit.

So if you have a skein or two of pretty yarn that you want to put to good use as an over the shoulder wrap, I'd highly recommend this project.

And if you make one, let me know. I'd love to see it!

Back from Spinners' Nirvana

Okay I spent the weekend at a Fiber Retreat in Jefferson City, Missouri. It was my first year there - and what a fabulous experience. The scenery is idyllic. Even though the weather was COLD and rainy, it was sweater and shawl weather, which just gave the spinners, knitters and weavers a chance to wear their favorite projects. Each year, this conference focuses on a different theme. This year it was spinning. Even though I've been really tight on money, this conference was well worth every penny and wasn't expensive. It was very affordable and I felt like I got as much or more information out of it than some people get at more expensive conferences.

The first class I took was Beyond the Basics with Nancy Barnett. It was a really good chance, in a relaxed atmosphere, to ask a lot of questions about our spinning problems and figure out how to spin better in terms of technique. We learned how to use a drumcarder and hand cards, and how using each created different yarns. The teacher, Nancy, raises angora bunnies and taught us how to spin angora and to extend it by combining it with other fibers to make it more durable and go farther. The angora is a short-stapled fiber, and it can be challenging to spin, but she guided us through and when carding it with other fibers, I found I really liked the softness and warmth of it.


Patsy Zawistoski taught the next class I took on "Spinning Designer Yarns." This class was really intense - we analyzed commercial yarns by unspinning them and analyzing the plies and how the mill spun the yarns. We deconstructed yarns, basically and talked about what yarns are beneficial to try to replicate and which ones are easier to just buy at the yarn shop. She gave us a really handy tool to use to help in decoding it. This class taught me SO MUCH. By taking yarn apart, we learned how a variety of types of yarns are made. Fascinating. The time flew by.

Then I had my first ever official "Acid Dyeing" class with Gail White. It was called "All Tied Up in Knots." We learned about printer's and painter's colors. Painters are brighter in tone - jewel tones; whereas printer's are more muted and subdued. We dyed 6 different skeins of yarns using acid dyes - I've never come away from a class with so much yarn! It was so much fun playing with color and getting ideas for how I might try it at home.


The last class and probably my absolute favorite out of all of them was "Spinning Sock Yarn" with Janel Laidman, author of The Eclectic Sole and Enchanted Socks. That woman is amazing. She knows her stuff. We learned what qualities make good sock yarn and what wool or other fiber content creates that ideal. We spun a variety of structures and tensions - as well as plied different configurations. She checked to make sure we were spinning the right grist, strength and texture. We learned about how you can use different fibers, such as tencel and bamboo and nylon to stengthen socks. We learned different plying methods to get us the type of sock yarn we like best- either long-wearing or warmer and softer. The fiber she brought for us to experiment on was gorgeous. Wow! I came away really feeling confident and eager to try to make my own sock yarn - but first I have to finish spinning for Oatmeal sweater.

That's it folks, when they said, "Fiber Retreat" that's a misnomer because I was busy concentrating and learning that it was muore stimulating than relaxing. But it was a blast and I definitely will want to do it again in the future. Definitely a "two thumbs up."

Springing Into New Projects

In an effort to prepare for Spring, even though it hasn't totally "sprung" yet, I decided to cast on for not one but TWO Spring projects. Don't worry I haven't given up on my handspun cardigan (Oatmeal), it's just taking longer to spin and knit than anticipated, so I'm trying to break way into some new projects that I might actually be able to wear while the weather is warm. I'm looking ahead with "cautious optimism" as my boss at work is fond of saying.

I went over to see the Borders knitting crowd yesterday and that was really a blast! Hi Lorenia, Hi Celia, Hi Kelly, Hi Donna. They really inspired me with their projects and I enjoyed having a chance to catch up with them.

Lesson learned: whenever you are down in the dumps, as I have been lately, you feel a natural inclination to want to curl up in a ball and keep to yourself, especially when the weather is cold or nasty. But this weekend, since the weather was better, even a bit sunny, I forced myself to take a break from the errands and go see the old Borders gang, and it really gave me a lift. So what I realized is that when you feel like pulling back and turning inward, sometimes the best thing to do is the opposite, reach out and connect with others.


Back to knitting: I'm trying to use up some stash - so I've cast on for the Rufflicious spring top. It's a Kim Smith design. Plus in starting it, I learned a new technique - how to knit down a hem. Clever.

The Borders gals also inspired me to start a darling and EASY little shawl - but I'll show you that next time. Hopefully I'll have it finished in short order. It always feels good to get some things on and OFF your needles . . . and in this case, onto the shoulders.

Hang in There - We're About to Turn a Corner

Back around 1973, when I was a turbulent teenager and going through a really ROUGH time, my best friend at the time, Ginny, gave me a poster of a kitten hanging from a tree and it said, "Hang in There" - you can see it here. That poster, sappy as it was, really kept me going on some hard, emotional days. I kept it up on my wall as a reminder for a couple of years, until it became curled, torn and too ratty to keep.

Though I no longer have that poster, my memory of it lingers on. It seems appropos right now. I know so many people who have hung on and hung on through adversity this winter until their paws . . . err make that FINGERS are bloody.

All I can do is urge you (and if you are one of those bloody-fingered folks YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). Hang on. With everything in you, hang on just a little bit longer. Know that you aren't alone. Know that times are really tough right now. Know that it's okay. Know that it really WILL get better. Know that there are others out there who love and support you. Know that spring is either already springing, or really TRULY not far around the corner. Though we haven't had a really warm day yet, the sun has been out all week and I've been soaking it up with every sun-deprived fiber of my being.

What you can do to give encouragement to others? To yourself? What gives you hope?

Changing It Up in My Diet/Exercise Plan

As most of you know, I've been working on getting in better shape fitness-wise since November of 2008, when I started Jenny Craig. I really like the JC eating plan, and they emphasize lean meat, whole grain carbs as well as low sodium foods. That plan has worked well for me, but I've been in a plateau the last 6 months and have been finding it harder and harder to stay "true blue" to the eating plan, because frankly the frozen foods that is the core of their program is getting really boring lately. Sometimes I feel if I eat one more frozen dinner, I'll scream.

Therefore, I went on the search for a similar eating plan that would let me eat regular foods and be less expensive. Since the budget is tight right now, I've been cutting back on everything. What I decided that there are two plans that most appealed to my lifestyle: 1) The Flat Belly Diet created by Prevention magazine; and 2) the Super-Charged South Beach Diet.


I picked up a Flat Belly Diet Pocket Guide for only $7.99 and it fits perfectly into my purse. What attracted me to it were several things: 1) simplicity; 2) the emphasis on low sodium and healthy carbs (both a part of my JC program that worked really well for me); 4) a heart-healthy emphasis on eating "healthy fats" called MUFAs (Monounsaturated fatty acids) rather than saturated fats; you eat a MUFA with every meal - things like unsalted sunflower seeds, almonds, olive oil, olives, avocados and dark chocolate; 5) 1200-1600 calories a day which is a pretty healthy calorie level, without starving etc. I will probably try to stay more towards the 1200 because that is the same as JC's plan; 6) inclusion of exercise into the program.

I started this eating plan on Thursday 2/25 and so far I've lost 3 lbs in the "Jumpstart" portion of the diet, which last 4 days. Believe me I am NOT after the fast weight loss, I realize that 2 lbs a week or even less is healthy weight loss. It's probably largely water weight etc. but what this tells me is that I can jump off this plateau by changing it up a bit. Ya know? So I'm probably going to continue this plan through the 28 days and see what happens.

Also, I LOVE their Sassy Water. Like nearly every diet plan, you are told to drink at least 8 oz of water per day (64 oz). But this book has a recipe for Sassy Water that would be refreshing for anyone.

I give you Sassy Water

2 liters (about 8 1/2 cups) of water
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 small spearmint leaves (you can get these year-round at a health food store)

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight. Drink the entire contents of the pitcher each day.

A Little is a Lot

Sometimes (times like NOW) I feel like I don't accomplish much. My progress in my job, in my relationships, in my knitting, in my fitness goals certainly in some of my financial goals . . . every accomplishment seems small and takes forever and seems LESS somehow than what I had hoped.

This is one of those weeks - a big disappointment in Bob's job search. A job he really wanted, and didn't get. Looking for a job is frankly the HARDEST job anyone can ever do if they're doing it right. Ughh. I know there's a reason, and who knows, maybe something even better around the next corner, but it's still disappointing.

But I am trying to focus on every little thing that I do that contributes toward our ultimate goals. Every time (like today over lunch) when it's too cold to exercise outside, but my coworker and I go for a brisk walk at the mall instead of chowing down at a fast food restaurant. Every time I let my daughter take on responsibility instead of doing it for her. Every time I back down from an argument and work toward compromise instead. Each time I knit 3 really good rows on a cardigan sleeve, even though I had to rip out 20 rows before it that were awry.

These are all LITTLE things. But once a few years ago, I listened to an inspiring motivational tape where the speaker kept reminding us, "A little is a LOT." Doing a little - just a little - more than one would normally do toward the GOOD creates an impetus that often is just what was needed to create a breakthrough. A little is a lot.

So the little bit I've done and keep doing in so many realms of my life really ARE having a big effect.

What little thing are you doing that you want to do more of? What little thing are you most proud of today?

Friday's Find - Decorative Tea Tin

When we were visiting Aunt Eve in St. Louis a few weeks ago, she offered us hot tea. Like me, she loves tasting different flavors of hot tea. But instead of pulling out a sterile and boring cardboard box of tea, we noticed that she had a large vintage metal container with which she stored all of her various bags together. So as we sat down at the table, the selection of our tea become fun and part of the process - much like sorting through old buttons when I was a kid with my grandmother. We had a chance to sort through, pick out and "oh and ah" over all the different flavors before finally selecting one for ourselves. And I ended up with one that I might normally not have picked (but enjoyed) because I had been allowed to leisurely appreciate and consider all the different varieties of kinds possible.

When I thought of all the assorted boxes in my cupboard that take up a lot of room, I decided that I too would find a metal tin from a thrift store and would begin storing my loose tea bags in a vintage tin too! It's really a handy and decorative way to store it.


And for a good entertaining book recommendation - I would HAVE to suggest that you read HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE by Michael Gates Gill. It's a book that Elysbeth recommended to me, and boy was it just what I need as an inspiring "pick me up" last week. I think it's loosely autobiographical about a 60 year old former executive of a huge advertising firm who gets laid off too late in life to easily recover. He loses his health, his marriage, his job and his morale at a time of his life that isn't easy to just pick yourself up and dust yourself off.

He goes from being SERVED at Starbucks to being grateful to serve others and to have a job at all. He learns to truly change his attitude. He kicks himself in the pants, pulls himself up and finds new meaning in living a much simpler but more fulfilling life. I found the book really moving. It's not rocket science or great literature, but if you need a good "feel good" and moving tale, this may be it.

Olympics Knitting - Not Hardly Out of the Gate

Well, my knitting plans for the Olympics this year haven't gone off in a stellar way as I would have hoped. They started Friday, on a day I had minor surgery, and I slept most of the day and didn't even cast on until Saturday. The pattern I'm doing Oatmeal by Amy King started out with the sleeves. A part of the garment I usually avoid, but I thought, "Hey, it's good getting these out of the way at the beginning of the project instead of the end."

For some reason, I didn't realize that I had to do them on DP needles. And that they are done in the round. Every other sleeve I've done before has been knit flat and then sewn in after the fact. This sweater is designed where most of it is already knit together so there isn't so much sewing at the end. That's good. But harder to conceptualize for me. What's weird is that the sleeves are knit in the round, and yet the body is knit flat. Huh? Go figure. There's an interesting discussion of this whole "Knit circular" or "Knit flat" over on Kim (Knitting Matter's blog on the February 9th.).


Anyway, my yarn is still not spun, because it took me so long just to get the right 3-ply yarn and consistency. I'm going to be spinning as I go along. That way maybe I'll spin the amount of yarn needed and not a bunch extra. We'll see how the "spin as you go" concept works. This is my first major spinning project.

In terms of knitting: So far, I've only finished the 8 rows of twisted rib for the first sleeve cuff, because when I tried to knit the cably diamond part of the sleeve, I couldn't get that right and had to rip it out. This whole thing is off to a slow start. I don't feel in a "fast" mode AT ALL so I'm going to give up on the idea of the official Ravelymics thing and just go at my own pace, doing my own thing.



This is what the sleeve will eventually look like. This is not MY sleeve, mind you, but one that I found as a close-up photo to help me figure out what the pattern is telling me to do. Maybe if I stop trying to read the directions and just look at what I'm trying to accomplish, I'll get farther along?

I'm not disappointed in myself at all for dropping out of Ravelympics. It just doesn't feel "right" for me this time. Frankly, this whole last 12 month period has felt very odd - like I'm striking out in my own direction, on my own timetable, with my own road map, and competing only with myself, which is something Phyllis has urged me to do for years.

Phyllis' famous Competition quote: “I do not copy, compete with or compare myself to others."

Riding the Wave . . . . Of Uncertainty

Maybe it's just the end of winter SAD syndrome, where this L-O-N-G winter never seeems to end. Or maybe it's the bad economy that has dragged on for so damned long. Maybe it's the tension of so many people holding on for so long and hoping things get better. I don't know quite WHAT it is, but this week has been a doozy. Sadness, tension, rudeness, snapishness and bad temper seem to be palatable.

Yesterday, a coworker stopped by my office and said, "We've got to get out of here. Take me away. Please." So we went out to lunch together just because we had to get away and vent frustration - get it out - and then laugh together, big belly laughs that made us both feel so much better.

And for those in the Northeast who have been hit by 30+ inches of snow, I realize that our midwest bellyaching about winter seems pretty shallow in comparison to your true despair at being buried in your homes for days and weeks on end.

Anyway, I told my coworker yesterday that I think one reason we're all so "nerves on end" isn't PMS, but simply the fact that people are extremely tense when change becomes such a constant. Many of us have been "riding the wave" for so long that we're getting deadened to it and no longer have the resilency to spring back.


My husband and I escaped last night -- yes on a weeknight, to a local comedy club, to see Jimmy "JJ" Walker. Remember the show GOOD TIMES? (Many of you may be too young to remember). This man is hilarious. He didn't talk about his GOOD TIMES days, but his humor was wonderful - sharp, right on point. What I like was that he didn't need to pick on people in the audience like many comedians do who have a little bully inside of them. Instead, he's talented enough to truly have a full show just on social commentary and acting out people he's seen and known.

Being a guy who was a teen in the 1970's like we are, of course we really identified with him. One theme that he drew from heavily was how uncertain the times are that we're in. He recounted all the sage advice he'd been given as a kid. Things like: Go to college, you'll get a good job. Get a job with a big company and you'll be secure. Invest in the stock market, you'll become rich from it. Anyway, he was a riot. I didn't realize that David Letterman got a start in comedy by writing material for JJ. Well anyway, his show was fantastic and gave me a mid-week lift.

I'm not a surfer myself, but here's to all of us hanging on, riding out the wave. Realizing that uncertainty is scary for most of us. But it will be okay. Really it will. We'll get through. When the wave hits you, do whatever it takes to pop back up from it. And breathe again.

Friday's Find

If you are weight or health conscious, can I recommend:

Jason's Deli (think this is a nation-wide chain) - The Savvy Chicken Salad Wrap

Wheat tortilla, almond chicken salad, lettuce, tomato - is low sodium, low calorie, low fat, and very delicious. It is served with grilled/steamed veggies if you like - all for only 350 calories. First rate. Would highly recommend. Affordable price too.

Weekend Knitting and Spinning Update

First I must show you my favorite "quick knit" shawl pattern - and a free one at that. The Easy Triangle Shawl by Lion Brand is the best, fastest, and most treasured shawl pattern I own. So I must share it with you. I made one this weekend for Aunt Eve.

Started it on Thursday night, had very little knitting time and still managed to finish it by Sunday. I've made this shawl in as little as 24 hours. Size 13 needles. Chunky yarn. This particular yarn is my favorite "go to" quick shawl yarn called James G. Brett Marble yarn in the colorway "Berries." Berries yarn has luscious shades of dark red, orange, pink - variegated acryllic yarn that cost $12 for nearly 400 yards. You just can't beat it for price, washability and softness.

My mother-in-law, Sylvia loved reds in all shades and so I made one of these shawls. Last weekend when I was in St. Louis, her sister, Eve, wanted one too, so I made her this one this weekend. Whenever she misses her sister, hopefully she can wear it and remember the closeness they shared.


Another relaxing thing I did - spin on my wheel. Yay! Very therapeutic. I originally intended to make the Oatmeal sweater out of a light Shetland brown yarn that was very soft and nice, but the color was rather bland and I didn't like the way it was coming out. So I went to Yarn Barn and bought some really nice roving in an unusual batt of browns, greens, and even some orangish red. It looked like "carrot cake" which happened to be the name of the roving. So by spinning it in 3 ply - using 2 singles of the Shetland Brown and 1 single of the Carrot Cake, I came out with a very nice brown tweedy yarn that I like much better than the plain old boring brown. So I have finally arrived at the yarn I will use for my cardigan - now I just need to spin up about 1000 yards or so of it before Ravelympics starts on February 12th.

Recharging my Battery

Usually in the new year, I feel exhilarated and happy, revving to do new things. But this year, with the hard winter, and a lot of challenging personal circumstances, I'm just feeling tired and drained, much like a battery that has lost its charge.

Unfortunately, I don't have the money or the time to take a vacation. And I'm not really in the vacation frame of mind anyway. Instead, I'm craving spiritual retreat. I'm craving some time at the monastery. Alone. Quiet. Ahhhh. Maybe I'll give myself that luxury sometime in the coming weeks.

But tonight, I'm going to FIND my way the Steam'n Bean and hang out with some knitting friends. I'll talk. I'll laugh. I'll knit. I'll recharge. Not quiet but quite fun.

I'm still planning to do the Ravelymics challenge and I'm thinking that I'll do the Oatmeal sweater that we talked about earlier, from Spin Off magazine. I've been having trouble getting my yarn at just the right gauge. But I think, as of last night, that I've finally got it down pat. So tonight I'll go to the Steam'n Bean and sit down, drink a cup of hot tea or coffee and knit a swatch to make sure the yarn I've spun works up to the right gauge.

What can you do to recharge your battery?

She's With Him Again

Yesterday, we lost her. Well, actually, we lost her a long time ago. She hasn't been herself in many years. My mother-in-law, Sylvia, was once a small but vibrant woman who was quiet, fiercely independent, and was one of the most forward-looking and thinking people I ever met. Instead of focusing on and reminiscing about the past, she was always excited by new technology, new inventions, new fashions, new ideas, new places to travel and visit. She became a widow at a very young age, and finished raising two teenage sons all on her own in the 1970's.

After her boys were grown, she set out to Los Angeles for many years, making a life for herself and starting a career as a medical secretary. She returned to St. Louis after retirement and relished being a grandmother to Mark's daughter Jamie, and our daughter, Emily. She would often travel by train to visit us in Kansas City.

Throughout the last decade, though, she's gradually been losing herself as she slid deeper and deeper into Alzheimer's disease - and away from those she loves most. In the process, she's also given up her independence and had to rely on others in a way that she would have never preferred.

Yesterday, she finally let go of her life here, and returned nearly to the day of her wedding anniversary, to a dear husband she lost long ago. Finally, the two are together again.


We love you Mom. Goodbye for now.

Surprise Yourself

Tonight I've been listening to the old Delialah show that I haven't listened to in years. She's the wonderful evening show host who features heartwarming personal and family stories as well as "gushy love songs." She's a really enlightened person who has a lovely, reassuring voice and uplifting ideas to share.

One thing she was talking about tonight was the importance of pressing yourself to do something you've been putting off or avoiding but would make you feel much better about yourself. She asked the listening audience, "What's one small thing you could do tomorrow that would surprise yourself, and make you feel better about yourself?" She went on to say that whether it's cleaning out a drawer, setting boundaries with someone, declaring something that is important to you - whatever it is, surprise yourself by doing it.

Also on her website, she encourages each of her listeners to do something creative that will inspire them - rather it's saddling up a horse for a ride, or getting out the paintbrushes, there's always something creative each of us can do that will give us a new creative zing.

So in addition to work tomorrow, I'm really going to try to leave time to come home and 1) continue reading the fantastic novel I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale; 2) write in my journal; 3) spin on my spinning wheel.

I'm also going to remember to listen to some more Delilah on the radio. I really enjoy her as well as the stories of those who call in, and the music is nice too.

Friday Finds

Friday's Find this week is all about hats. This week, I finished the Valery hat, a great pattern, but I was dissatisfied with it at first because I had an unattractive nipple/pimple top.


The Hats group on Ravelry suggested that blocking would remove some of this nipple effect and make the hat larger, which it needed to be. I was reluctant to use a bowl, because that's not much like my head shape, and I was reluctant to wear a sopping wet hat around while it dried to a REAL head shape (my own).

Solution? Someone in the Hats group wisely suggested that I visit Sally's Beauty Supply and buy a $4 wig head. I picked one up and it makes the PERFECT hat blocker. So for $4 you, too, can solve all your pointy hat problems.

Another great find in making hats less pointy is an article from the TechKnitting website called, "Avoiding Nipple in the Middle - Some Tricks to Improve Hat, Glove Fingertips and Motif Centers."

Ravelympics Ramblings

Okay, blog readers, here's the thing: Ravelympics 2010 is beginning soon, I think it starts February 16th and runs until February 28th - to coincide with the Winter Olympics. The event was started several years ago by the Yarn Harlot, and has since been taken up by Ravelry forums and spread like wild fire. What it amounts to is that you start casting on and try to complete a set project goal within the 16 days of the Olympics.

Last year, I participated for the first time as part of Team Tardis, because I'm a Dr. Who fan. During that Summer Olympics, I completed a vest. I loved the challenge. It was really fun.

This year, I have joined with Team Tank, which my friends Emily and Karen have spearheaded.


Now my dilemma is this: My ideal project for this time is a cardigan made from handspun. My own handspun. Which I haven't spun yet. Yeah. So I'd have to start spinning right about now in order to get the yarn ready in time for the opening ceremony. Then the next challenge is, could I really finish knitting a complete cardigan in only 16 days? No doubt it would be a "challenge" with a capital C. So make that Challenge. Normally it takes me about a month, maybe 5 or 6 weeks to make a sweater, but that's because I usually knit several items at once and tend to poke along. So if the cardigan were easy enough AND the focus was on only one project, could I do it? I'd love to try anyway.

My other option is to knit a hat and thrummed mittens out of handspun that is already spun up. I think I could get that done in 16 days without too much trouble.

So . . . . if I go with the cardigan option, here are the three choices I'm currently considering:


This one is Oatmeal Cardigan in this month's Spin Off magazine. It is a fairly straight-forward project from worsted weight yarn. It also seems to look nice in handspun yarn. The roving I've chosen is very NATURAL, it's a light/medium brown color. Here's a photo of it.







Option 2 Cardigan would be Espresso from the book A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd. I love, love, love this sweater. Now remember, the roving I'm choosing a the natural brown. So would that natural color look good in this style? Not sure.




Option 3 Cardigan is this Garter Yoke Cardigan from the Knit1 Vogue magazine Fall/Winter of 2008.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Input?

And are any of you participating in Ravelympics?

Friday's Find

Okay, since my word guiding me this year is FIND, I decided to start a new blog feature called "Friday's Find." Each Friday, I will post something that I have FOUND to be helpful and perhaps valuable to others, as well. It might be a product, it might be an observation, it might be a method, it might be a book. It might be . . . . well almost anything. It might even be more than one thing, as is the case this week.

First to talk about is Loreal's "Telescopic Explosion Mascara." I bought this at Walgreens for $8 or $9. My Mom actually is the one who found it, and then she urged me to try it. I really LOVE this mascara. It made me sparse, very fine eyelashes really bloom without looky clumpy. The secret is the round brush inside. It seems to distribute the mascara evenly. Best of all, it only takes a few quick swipes to make my lashes look fuller.



And guess what I found while cleaning and sorting last week? My silver pendant that had been missing for 2 years. It's a favorite little necklace I like to wear because it seems to go with everything and now I've uncovered it again. Makes me want to sort and clean more drawers and see what else I can discover that has been given up for lost!

What have you found this week?