Friday, July 31, 2009

Granddaughter's Self Portrait - Cailin at 4 years old.

I found this drawing in my office. I had saved it many years ago when my granddaughter was about 4 years old. Wasn't she adorable? Couldn't scan the color but she portrayed herself with bright colors; Yellow hair, red and blue stripes, blue pants.

As I moved offices over the years, taking different jobs, getting promotions, starting again; I must have carried the drawing with me. Haven't seen it in about nine years. She is 25 years old now. I see this photo now through eyes of love, with many wonderful memories of then and now.

Miss the child, but love the woman.



Thursday, July 30, 2009

Now this could bust any STASH - bug cozy

This is an example of an obsession gone wild, or a great stash buster. I found the image on a website and wanted to share. Here's the SOURCE

I'm thinking a cotton superwash in bulky weight, wouldn't want to try it in a laceweight. Though a big shawl with an openlacework pattern would work. Could place a HUGE EYELET for the windshield. Could be a cute design element.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Learning to accept the present season

Dreaming of cool breezes and the sound of water, could be a river, or waterfall or better yet the sound of waves in the evening. Waves sound different at night, I think. I want to be slowly walking along the beach feeling the evening breeze. I think I will also think of the cold hint of a wave licking my feet making them sink into the sand.

I am hot and very miserable. I know there will be a future time in a couple of months when I will again be pining for warmth but right now that is very hard to believe.

I have spent a significant portion of my adult life learning to accept and even rejoice the present and learning not to waste what little time I have in life wishing for a different place or time or circumstance.
However,
O HELL WITH THAT .ITS Hot and I am tired of it. No philosophy. Just whining.
I'm going to bed

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Public Knitting - Starting a movement?



A group called Masquerade has developed a new style of "tagging" its guerrilla style of public knitting that is evident in Alcapulco, Mexico, France, Italy, and Sweden. We need to start this in Portland, Oregon since its become a homebase of fiberarts.
Think about it. Perhaps we need to knit socks for mile posts or caps for speedbumps.
Masquerade members have embroidery tagging as well on subway seat cushions and similar public fabrics. My twitter post this morning includes links to more example photos on FLICKR

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A Time for Cockatoos

My home is bird habitat At one time there were five birds roosting here. Now I just have Angel, shown in the adjacent photo.

Angel is a common name given to Cockatoos, its a name assigned to it before the bird's devilish nature has been revealed.

Yes, she looks innocent in this picture, but don't you believe it. A few minutes after this shot was taken, while I left the room for just a few brief moments, Angel ate my house. Not the whole thing, but the molding around the windows in the kitchen lay splintered and strewn around the floor. Right now she is doing a rather garish, expressive cockatoo dance because she does not want to share my time with the dog, the cat, or the computer. ( Where is the video camera when one truly needs one?) In addition to chewing wood and flitting from chair to sofa, and TV top, she is jumping on my head and screaming in a manner that is causing my ears to ring. I am certain her complaints can be heard from the other side of town. My sanity is becoming questionable
Devilish bird.


Saturday, July 4, 2009

Knitting with Baby Fine Alpaca


I am almost finished with a second shawl using the
Ishbel pattern . I chose a homespun babyfine 100% alpaca because it was soft and I am a tactile fiend. Of course I did not swatch and I did not research to discover if there were special attributes to this yarn choice.

As I knit, I noticed that the completed portion of the fabric tends to grow,and that the fiber has bloomed a bit under my hands. With belated curiosity I conducted a little google research.

Alpaca is a wondrous animal breed and grows an astonishingly soft and warm hair (or is it fur?). I doubt if everyone is as interested in the animal psychology and mating habits of alpaca, so I wont go into that aspect of my research. Here are links for two informative articles. http://tinyurl.com/l3o8fn is one written by Kelly and Bob Petkin from Knitpicks, and an Interweave article on the same topic http://tinyurl.com/n5lrvj

Alpaca is a lovely warm yarn, light and soft, almost as luxurious as cashmere. But Alpaca hasn't the crimp of wool and yarn made from it lacks elasticity. Alpaca knitted garments, I am informed, will stretch in length from their own weight so its likely a poor choice for heavier patterns, like cable. I am even dubious about the stockinette portion of my current projectI can only hope it will transform a bit during blocking because it seems to have a scrunched appearance, much less of a drape than the silk wool blend I used for this pattern previously. If used again, I will definitely choose an open, but less patterned, pattern. Maybe a simpler faggot, light and airy.

Another interesting fact is that the alpaca fiber is hollow, heavier than wool, and warmer than wool. My shawl, when done, will have a tendency to grow and will not be a summer garment but will be well suited to cold fall evenings.

The Alpaca animal is kinda cute, too. I include a picture copied from a blog about starting an Alpaca Farm. I live in a city which frowns on Alpaca herds within its limits, so this is not an option for my immediate future. Although, I did consider it very briefly.

Learning more about the fibers I use in my knitting helps to take my activity to a new level. I wonder if a smallish Alpaca would fit an urban backyard?

I jest. Honest, honey, I wouldn't.

Would be nice to have an endless supply of alpaca fiber. Hmm.

Friday, July 3, 2009

There is more to life than knitting - really there is



After spending in excess of eight hours knitting a shawl, I am knitting fatigued. Rose from bed at 5:00 am and found myself with a desire to hustle & bustle. I wanted to vacuum, clean-up, walk the dog, weed the garden, Suddenly I want the other me back; the one that rose early, walked for miles, loved intense spinning (bicycle, not yarn) classes.

Where did she go?

My husband mounted pictures all over the den of me at verious walking events: at the top of Mount Elinore tired and triumphant, crossing the marathon finish with a big smile, hugging my girl friend on a rain drenched hike in the Columbia Gorge. And one crossing a finish line that I almost didn't achieve. That one is my favorite. Although not attractive, its flattering in the way it shows off a tendency to tenacity. Tenacity is one of my few virtues, although some would prefer the term stubborn.

It was 2 and a half years ago I last walked in an event or went snowshoing and hiking. Over a year since I rode my bike. Several socks, sweaters, scarves, and shawls is what I have instead.

I am off to walk

Lana