soxnitter

Fairy

2011-10-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

The holiday issue of KnitSimple magazine has patterns for some cute little fairies. I made this one with single wings and a little cap. Also included, is a pattern for one with double wings and braided hair and a petal bag to put them in. The total length of this little fairy is about 5 inches. They are knit with sock weight yarn on size 1 needles.

This issue also includes some tiny mitten and tiny sweater ornaments, baby layettes, and a Christmas bird garland that are on my list to make.

Cotton Harvesting Time

2011-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Having been away from home for a couple of weeks, I didn't realize that the pods on the cotton were almost ready to start picking. There are still a lot of blossoms on the plants which I hope will still form pods and produce more cotton, but there are many pods drying now and starting to pop open. Aside from the obvious usefulness of being able to spin my own cotton, I really enjoy watching these plants as they go from seed to seedling to full grown plants with their delicate pale yellow to pink flowers and then the pods and cotton itself.

Too Much Going On

2011-10-07T11:27:00.001-07:00

No blogging lately, only one small knitted pillow complete, but no pictures. No weaving, no knitting, no spinning. Lots of family health stuff that I don't feel comfortable talking about here. Hopefully, things will settle down and I can get back to creating, because I really need it, especially now for my own mental health therapy. But, right now life is just too crazy. Please check back and if you are the type that believes in it, send positive thoughts this way. It couldn't hurt!

More figgy goodness!

2011-09-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

In my ongoing quest to use figs in every way, shape and form, I found a recipe for Italian sausage with figs. This recipe calls for a couple of pounds each of pork and beef and some dried figs to be ground and then mixed with herbs and spices. I've taken the ground mixture and made patties to freeze for future use. I did take a bit and cook it up to taste. Tastes like a slightly sweet Italian sausage.The recipe can be found on the Fig Advisory website.

Fig Coffee Cake

2011-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning and time for a nice breakfast. My husband is in charge of Sunday breakfast, usually making bacon or sausage, hash browns and eggs, and toast. This morning I started breakfast while he was busy and decided to try making a fig coffee cake since the fig tree has been so prolific this year and there are more figs than I know what to do with.

Since there have been so many figs I have tried to get a little more creative. After making over 100 jars of fig and fig blended with other fruit jams, I have since made figs filled with goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, grilled and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction; fig and tomato salsa; fig muffins; and now fig coffee cake. I have used figs fresh, I have dried figs in my dehydrator, and I have frozen figs. I have given figs away. I have shared the figs with the birds. And still there are more figs on the tree and dropped figs rotting on the ground. But I digress...back to the coffee cake.

I mixed margarine and brown sugar in a pot and heated until it was melted together. Then I added chopped dried figs. I mixed up a batter from baking mix and spread the fig mixture on top. Taking a knife, I swirled the fig mixture through the batter, covered with a sugar/cinnamon and walnut topping and baked. Yummy! (Check recipe page for more details.)

Baby Time

2011-09-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

More baby knitting this month. The pink skirt and hat are Bernat Baby Jacquards yarn. The patterns are on the yarn bands and on their website. With this yarn, if you knit right to gauge, you get a little floral pattern--so cute and fun to knit.

The puppy booties and pumpkin hat are from Irresistible Gifts to Knit Volume Two, published by Simply Knitting. There is actually a puppy dog romper that coordinates with the booties. There are so many cute patterns in this publication, mostly toys, including some Alan Dart monkeys. If you like knitting that sort of thing, I highly recommend it. I certainly plan to knit a few more things from it.

The kimono is my modification of a simple Lion Brand kimono pattern. I added the garter stitch and flower border. The flowers are bobbles and the leaves are embroidered on. The coordinating little shoes are Baby Mary Jane Skimmers from http://hookcandy.com.

The pumpkin booties are my design that I have made before and details of the sheep booties were previously posted. All of these items were knit in acrylic blends for easy care.

Jam Time

2011-08-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

The figs are ripening on the tree now and I have been making lots of jam--blackberry fig, peachy fig and strawberry fig. I love combining the fig with other fruits. They make delicious jams. My own recipe for Peachy Fig Jam is here on the blog on the Recipe Page.

Sheep Booties

2011-08-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm back to working on baby booties. I made these sheep booties awhile ago, but I wasn't happy with the original ears. My son, the former FFA member, informed me that my ears were not sheep ears, but monkey ears! I removed the ears and made new skinnier ones. I also added tails because he mentioned that they didn't have any. I actually didn't think the booties needed tails, but they are on there now. I used a bumpy, bouclé type yarn to simulate the sheep's fleece and a smooth black for the faces. All the yarn is acrylic for ease of washing.

Cotton on the Patio

2011-07-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

I have planted some pots of cotton again this year. Last year they didn't do very well. I didn't get any cotton. So far this year, they seem to be growing much better.

The problem in my yard is not enough sun. This year I am getting a bit more sun because the neighbors behind us cut down their humungous trees that hung over our yard, so I am hopeful.

If these fail, at least there is the cotton plot at my mom's house. Cotton usually grows well there and we have had several great crops.

Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum

2011-07-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

We took a trip down to Vista a few days ago to the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum. I had heard that they have a whole barn dedicated to collecting and preserving looms. They also have some spinning wheels. If you purchase a membership to the museum you can come and weave on any of the looms whenever you want. There are also classes that you can attend. Weavers are usually there on Thursdays and Saturdays working on their projects. The weavers that were there were so friendly and informative. They were willing to share information on their projects and any history they might know about the looms. Most of the looms also have an information sheet attached.

While my husband appreciated the looms in the Weaver's Barn, he was really interested in all the vehicles the museum has. Since we went during the week, there wasn't much going on, but it would be fun to go back some time when they are having an event or some demonstrations. There is also a blacksmith shop, a farmhouse, and old schoolhouse on the premises. Entrance fee is $5.00. You can check their website for dates and times of upcoming events. Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum

You Might Be a Hoarder If...

2011-07-14T09:58:00.001-07:00

...you still have patterns that you made in Junior High! I was trying to get a bit more organized in my workroom yesterday and in the cupboard is this box of patterns. Most of them aren't as old as this. A lot are from the '80s, some of which I never got around to making, which is probably a good thing! Whew, they're bad! We have been watch "Hoarders" lately and finding this kind of thing scares me a little. It's a slippery slope!

Bargello Place Mats Revisited

2011-07-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's taken almost a year, but I have finally finished these quilted place mats. I started these in August of last year. After I had them all pieced together, it took me awhile to decided how I would quilt them. I decided to just do a machine stitch in the ditch along the vertical lines of the rows of squares. My next problem was that I really didn't know how to add a binding and do the corners. Thanks to my experienced quilter friend, Cindy, I now know how! I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago and got a lesson, practiced on a couple of potholders and then proceeded to finish my mats. I am really pleased with them and am ready to try another quilting project.

Classic Twill Towels

2011-07-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

This set of four Classic Twill Towels from Weaver's Craft #17 is my latest weaving project. I have made this pattern before and thought that they turned out a bit small, so this time I modified them a bit from the original instructions by adding one more repeat in the width and also making them longer so that the overall size is larger. The warp and weft are 10/2 pearl cotton. I hand-hemmed them.

These were made as a wedding gift for the daughter of my friend, Suzy. Her beautiful wedding was last weekend, held among the family's citrus grove with an appropriate citrus theme. I wish I had taken a picture of the cake, citrus-colored layers separated by whole citrus fruit.

Creme Hearts Socks

2011-06-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Another pair of socks done. These are knit with Crystal Palace yarn called Panda Soy. The fiber content is Bamboo and soy. It makes these socks very silky feeling. Knitting with the yarn, I did notice it would split quite easily, but overall I like it. The color is Lemon Cream which is two shades of yellow and a darker tan/gold color. I would prefer the color without the darker color in it. It almost looks like dirty smudges to me.

The pattern is Creme Hearts, a free pattern from the Crystal Palace website. I modified it by leaving off the diamond motif which is below the hearts on the original pattern.

Beemagedon

2011-06-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

The great bee invasion started here a little over a week ago. Thousands of bees trying to get into our vents. My husband sealed off the outside access to the exhaust vents, but then we started to see them in the garage--thousands of them. We left the lights on, as they were attracted to them and would buzz around them until they became exhausted and died. Then, each night my husband would sweep up the little bodies and dispose of them. Each day this has been repeated, hoping soon we would run out of bees. We were having an impossible time seeing just where they were entering, but on Friday afternoon it was finally determined that they are coming down through an area where the water heater vents. My guess is that goes up to the roof and we are now hoping that the bees have not entered the walls.

Last week I talked to some exterminators, but they said unless we knew where they were coming from, they couldn't treat the problem. Now that we know where they are entering, we will be calling them to come out tomorrow. This has been a very frustrating experience, not to mention dangerous. Who wants to go into a garage of swarming bees! I'm really hoping they have not made a nest. I read that if that is the case, once the bees are gone you run the risk of having melting wax and honey going down walls and attracting other pests and mold. Anyone want to buy a house?

Overshot Potholders

2011-06-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

This past week I warped the loom for some overshot potholders. I found this pattern in an old Handwoven magazine. The warp is carpet warp and the weft is Sugar and Cream. The yellow one didn't come out quite square because that ball of Sugar and Cream was a heavier weight than the variegated one. I don't know if they used to make this yarn thinner than they do now or if there were two weights because I had the variegated in my stash and just purchased the yellow.

Baked Goods

2011-06-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

Do you say baked goods, pastries, or something else? We have become keenly aware of any mention of baked goods by others of late. My husband always says baked goods--"Honey, would you like me to get you a baked good?" He's endured a bit of family ribbing about it. Apparently there are members of the family who never heard the phrase. It's a little thing, for sure, but you know how those small things sometimes grow into way more than they should over time. See, he even pointed this out to me while we were at Disneyland!

Handspun Footies

2011-06-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this handspun cotton/wool blend the other day. Can't even remember how long ago I made it. I didn't think there was enough for a pair of socks, so I opted for some footies to scuff around the house in. Of course, I misjudged the amount of yarn and now I still have some left to stick in the stash of yarn bits. I hate when that happens. Not that thrilled with these either. They started out to be lacy on top but the thick and thin nature of the handspun made the lace look kind of odd. Looking at this picture, they look sort of short and fat, but they do fit. The cotton/wool for these is good, though. Should wear well and they won't felt if I run them through the washer and dryer.

Jester Booties

2011-05-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

These were the last pair of booties that I made for my friend's grandson. This is the Jester bootie pattern that I bought. They were a big hit. It's a great pattern for using up small odds and ends of yarn.

Page Museum

2011-05-29T18:06:00.001-07:00

On Friday we took our son and his family out to visit the Page Museum and tarpits. My husband had taken our son when he was a kid and now it was time to take the grandkids. Our grandson particularly likes dinosaurs and ice age animals. We all enjoyed the museum displays and walking around the grounds and gardens. We brought a picnic lunch and ate there on the grounds. Admission for adults is only $11.00. Admission for children 5-12 is $5.00.

There is even a giant "fishbowl" where you can watch the scientists working. Unfortunately, we were there at lunch time.

In the Garden

2011-05-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

It was finally acting a little more like spring the last couple of days so I went out in the garden and worked on this project. I took an old wrought iron parrot cage that my mom had and placed it near the bird bath under the ornamental plum in the corner of our yard. I lined the bottom of the cage with a coco pot liner (from Joann's) and filled it with potting soil. Near the front of the cage, I planted a small fern which was purchased and for the other plants, I dug up a couple of things that were volunteers already growing in my yard. One is a small arrow leaf ivy and the other a small yellow flowered, trailing plant. My intent is to have the ivy climb up the sides of the cage and the flowered plant to trail down out of it.

I did this several years ago when we first moved here and really loved the way it looked and gave some interest to the garden. Be aware though, if you decide to do this, that the cage will rust and deteriorate over time. Eventually, my last one fell apart, but it did look nice for quite a few years.

Rasta Booties

2011-05-16T19:17:00.001-07:00

My friend's new grandson will be named Marley. I think it's essential for him to have some Rasta Booties. This is my own pattern. Notice I included some little "dreadlocks" on the top.

Pumpkin Booties

2011-05-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

For the baby's fall wardrobe, I have created the Pumpkin Booties. The ties are supposed to resemble stems with leaves. These are knit in Encore worsted weight yarn. I used my own pattern for them.

I am really having a lot of fun knitting the booties. They are a quick project that I can do while watching TV at night. It's also a great way to use up odds and ends of yarn from other projects.

Independence Day Booties

2011-05-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

Since the baby I am making the bootie wardrobe for will be born in June, I made these booties so that he will be ready for the Independence Day celebrations!

Berry Bobble Cardigan

2011-04-28T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have been working on this sweater since the end of March and have finally put the finishing touches on it.

I saw this pattern in the Spring issue of Love of Knitting magazine and thought it would be perfect to make for my granddaughter. I picked some cotton yarn called Carmen from Goddess Yarns that I had in my stash. Originally meant to be all one color, I picked the turquoise, but was afraid I might run a bit short so chose to knit the borders in the contrasting purple. I really like the resulting look.

Watermelon Baby Booties

2011-04-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have a baby shower to go to next month so I have started making some baby booties. Since summer is right around the corner, I thought some cute watermelon booties would be appropriate.

I have started a new page with patterns and this one is included on it.

Distractions

2011-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have days where you just keep getting distracted from what you intended to do in the morning? I think today may be one of them.

It's 11 a.m. and I am still not dressed. I intended to be, but first I had to have a cup of coffee and kitchener stitch the toe of my completed sock. Then I was going to have a piece of toast and get dressed, but we were out of bread so I decided to make waffles. (Yum! They were good!) Okay, clean that up and go upstairs and turn on the computer so that after I get dressed I can look for a photo of the dog to email to my mom. While the computer is warming up (takes forever because it is from the dark ages) I press a couple of hand woven tea towels that I want to send as a thank you to my mom's friend who was kind enough to send me a cookie recipe book I wanted. That done, I see there is a skein of hand spun yarn that needs to be washed to set the twist so I take that downstairs and do it. Back upstairs, I go to put some fiber away and find an interesting looking batt of green alpaca and silk and think I should blend this with something else. So, I go searching my workroom for something suitable. Finding some similar colored wool/silk blend and some black merino, I start blending the fibers on the hackle. Oh, pretty! Wait, I stop and remember the computer is up and running now and I need to go back and do what I started! Ah, see it's 11 o'clock and I have been busy, but the things on the list are still not done!

Okay, I'm going to go do them now. No, really, I am.

Cabled Cardigan

2011-04-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

This Crystal Palace Yarns free pattern, the Bunny Hop Cabled Cardigan, calls for their Bunny Hop yarn, but I substituted Elann's Sonata because I am attempting to use what I have this year and not buy yarn! Actually, this was yarn I recycled from a T-top sweater I made a couple of years ago and hated.

I really wasn't sure that I would have enough yarn to make this sweater. I had found a couple more skeins in my stash, but still it was going to be close. First I made it a bit shorter than I would have preferred and I shortened the sleeves. I was down to the end of the last skein and thought there really couldn't be enough for the ribbed edge around the neck and down the fronts after sewing the seams and sleeves in. At first I crocheted an edge on, but when there was still some yarn left, I decided to rip it out and try making the ribbed edge. As you can see, this did work out, although I think I am one row short of what it called for. There is only a tiny bit of yarn left, certainly not enough to knit that last row.

I can't say that this will be my favorite sweater. It will be okay for an early spring topper, though, and I succeeded in re-purposing the yarn from something I would never wear, plus two more skeins from the stash!

Bernice

2011-03-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a little monkey I made from the Paton's booklet, Monkey Business. I love the patterns in this booklet. I named her Bernice. She was a birthday gift for a sock monkey-loving friend. I usually prefer to knit, but this monkey is crocheted in Paton's Classic Wool. I chose the crocheted version of the monkey pattern because it seemed to have more body, a firmer fabric.

Bernice is customized with her "peace" earrings and a project bag with holds her little drop spindle and some spinning fiber, since my friend spins.

I made the drop spindle from a toothpick and a tiny toy wheel, then stained it and added some real hand spun yarn to make it authentic.

Bernice is ready to join her friends at the Guild for a fun day of spinning and camaraderie.

Special Scarf

2011-03-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Way back in this post, I talked about making something for my daughter with yarn I had dyed with the eucalyptus from some flowers given to her for her wedding. I finally got around to it and designed this scarf using a lace pattern that I found in one of my stitch books. Having only one small skein of sock yarn, I decided the lace would not only be pretty, but make good use of the limited amount of yardage. I delivered the scarf to her yesterday and she seemed pleased. Although she no longer has the flowers, she now has this specially dyed scarf as a reminder.

Flower Decorated Baby Hats

2011-03-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

These hats are inspired by the pattern in the Spring 2011 Love of Knitting magazine. Those call for Sugar 'n Cream yarn, but I wanted to make them from some Caron Spa yarn which was not the same gauge so I modified the pattern somewhat. The turquoise one actually has a flower made from sparkly handspun yarn which is difficult to see in the photo.

The Spa yarn is acrylic and bamboo and is very soft and drapey, but it splits easily that I find it rather a pain to knit with, even though I like the end result.

I love these little hats and wish I actually knew a baby who could wear them! I just made them because I thought they were so cute!

Undercover Sadie

2011-02-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

Miss Sadie sleeps on the bed normally, but when I woke up this morning this is what I saw. I thought maybe my husband had stuck her under the covers when he got up, but when I asked him he said no. Apparently, she got chilly this morning and covered herself up! The only thing that would have been cuter, is if the pillow had been down with her little head on it. She was in no hurry to get up.

February Fair Isle

2011-02-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago when my husband was on a trip to France, he was nice enough to search out a yarn shop and bring me sock yarn. One was a large ball of self-striping Opal and the other two were Bergere de France Cho'7, one in black and the other orange. I pulled those out recently to use as my project for the KAL that I am participating in this year. I combined all three yarns to come up with my own Fair Isle design. I purposely did not start the Opal at the exact same spot in the design of the yarn so that although these are a pair, they are not exactly matching. I will be keeping these socks for myself.

Vampire Night

2011-02-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

...well, maybe not, but the stormy night is giving an eerie look to the moon. I might keep the lights on, just in case, though.

Larch Completed

2011-02-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post a picture of this since I completed it, but seems time keeps slipping away and I forget to take pictures.

I loved making this simple, but interesting scarf or shawlette, whatever you may call it. I am very pleased with the way the variegated yarn worked up. Now, if it would only get cold here so that I could wear it!

Larch

2011-02-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

I started working on this project last week. It's a small triangular scarf. I found the pattern through Ravelry and decided to use this sock yarn that I had dyed last year. The scarf is all garter stitch with a simple garter lace border. It's a really fun pattern to knit. I wish I could remember where I got this yarn and the exact fiber content. I think it is merino, but it may be a blend. At any rate, it is very soft and squishy. It will make a great scarf, not scratchy at all around my neck.

Plenty to Weave

2011-01-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

If you looked into my studio, you would think I had plenty of fiber to spin, thread to weave, and yarn to knit, but of course you would be wrong! It seems that when I pick a project that I am always coming up short. So, when I received some cash for my birthday recently, I decided to go through some of my weaving patterns, pick out a few that I would like to make and ordered what I needed from Yarn Barn. This should keep my loom warped for awhile! (Well, this along with the shelves of thread already stashed in the studio!)

Not Enough Socks

2011-01-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

At the end of the year I took a look back and saw that I have certainly not knitted enough socks in the past two years to match my 2008 total. I am determined to meet that total in 2011! With that being said, here are my first three pairs of socks for this year!

Over New Year's Day weekend I knit up a pair of slipper socks out of some bulky Dream in Color yarn. These were a very quick knit. I sort of feel like it's cheating to include them in the total, but I will anyway! They are nice and cozy and if it ever gets cold here again I might actually wear them.

The second pair I made is a pair of yoga socks for one of my daughter's friends. When Annie became the owner of the pumpkin socks back in October, I promised Tara some socks, too. I finally delivered.

The third pair may or may not be mine. We'll see how that goes! I picked the Classic Fair Isle pattern from the book, Knitted Socks, by Anne Tillman. The book shows them knit in neutral colors but why be boring?! I chose black for the main color and the bright pink, yellow, and turquoise for the the others in the design. I also added one more motif of my own to the mix. These were fun, but I am glad to be done with twisting four colors around.

Love 2 Rock Socks

2011-01-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some socks I just finished blocking and adding the buttons to. I made these in December-- just started knitting and improvised a design.

I used size 0 needles and a wool Dale fingering yarn. I cast on 60 stitches and knit about 2 inches of 2x2 ribbing. Then I knit the check pattern which was repeated in the heel. The rest of the sock is stockinette with just a couple of rows of purl at the top and bottom of what would be the band for the buttons.

I originally thought I would put random buttons all the way around the band, but when I saw a package of "rock star" buttons they just screamed that they were perfect for these socks. I chose to put only two buttons on each sock so they should be worn with the buttons on the outside of the ankle.These socks will be going to my friend's daughter.

Martini Gloves

2011-01-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

In November I went to the Southern California Handweaver's Guild Weaving and Fiber Festival in Torrance. Knitter's Brewing Company was there and I purchased this Drinking Gloves kit from them to make for my daughter for Christmas.

I didn't think I was ever going to get them done. It seemed every time I was working on them, she decided to stop by the house! I had a couple of close calls where they were sitting on the coffee table and I needed to move quickly.

They did get done on time.

Twill Stripe Towels

2010-12-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

Here are two sets of towels I made for Christmas presents. I used the Twill Stripe Towel pattern in Weaver's Craft #17. I love this pattern. It's a four shaft pattern that combines stripes of basket neutral basket weave with colored stripes of twill. It's a fun towel to weave and you can use whatever colors you like for the stripes. As you can see, I used more colors in the towels on the right than the set on the left.

The pattern calls for 5/2 perle cotton, but not having that on hand, I used 8/2 cotton for the warp on both sets. I also used it for the weft on the green and black stripe towels that I made for my daughter and her husband. The towels on the right I made for my mom. For these I used hand spun cotton for the weft. This is the cotton that she grew for me in her garden. These towels ended up being a bit thicker and softer than the ones made with the commercial cotton and I really like them. They will be very absorbent.

Finished Christmas Towels

2010-12-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post a picture of the finished holiday waffle weave towels.

Sharing Some Sun

2010-12-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

In the mornings, when there is still a chill in the house, I often find the dogs sharing a step that catches the sun coming in from our big living room window.

Christmas Waffle Weave Towels

2010-12-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

My friend gave me a kit to make these towels for Christmas. They are the Holiday Waffle Weave kit from Halcyon Yarns. She is making them in green and I am making the red ones. This photo is not the best, but maybe you can see the little addition of sparkle to these towels, a few gold threads.

Waffle weave is so fun to do. They need to be fairly wide in the loom because once off and washed, they draw up and form the little "waffles" that make these towels so absorbent. The thread for these is 8/2 cotton for both the warp and weft sett at 20 epi. It's a 4-shaft pattern. I'd love to make them again in a different color combination for after the holidays. Halcyon offers the kits in many color combinations.

Finished Thanksgiving Table Runner

2010-11-16T21:02:00.001-08:00

I finished tying the fringe on the table runner this morning, washed it, pressed it, and now it's on the dining room table just in time.

Thanksgiving Table Runner

2010-11-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I did an inventory of my weaving yarns a couple of weeks ago and came across this multi-colored yarn stuck in the back of the shelf. It reminded me of a picture I had recently seen of a lake bordered by trees in all their fall splendor. Ah, Thanksgiving table runner, I thought. So, instead of warping the loom for some towels as I had planned, I started what I thought would be a quick little project.

Things didn't go quite as planned. Somehow, I lost the cross when warping and things got a bit tangled. Eventually I got it straightened, but it took longer than expected. I just took the runner off the loom and am tying the fringe now.

More pictures once I finish tying and washing it.

Vote

2010-11-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

If you don't vote today, don't complain tomorrow.

Tiny Birds

2010-10-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a simple little project to do while watching TV the other night and found this pattern for Tiny Pidgeons, http://mochimochiland.com/2010/06/free-pattern-tiny-perching-pigeons/. Using leftover sock yarn, I created this flock. I think I am now obsessed with making these little birds.

If you love making this type of thing, check out the Mochimochi Land website. There are so many adorable things to make.

Adult-size Pumpkin Socks

2010-10-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

I revised the chart on the original Pumpkin Socks to work over 60 stitches for adult-size socks. I used the leftover hand dyed orange and black yarns from those socks as the main colors for these. I think the originals look much more generic Fall and these have a more Halloween feel. I'm pleased with both.

These socks ended up being a surprise gift to my daughter's friend who was admiring the small ones.

Pumpkin Socks

2010-10-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

I finished these pumpkin socks the other day for the grandkids, using the orange yarn that I had dyed a couple of weeks ago and adding some hand dyed black yarn for the border. I hope they fit.

The socks are just a basic sock pattern of 48 stitches that I charted a pumpkin design to fit.I duplicate-stitched the green stems on after the socks were done. Here is the chart if you would like to use it. If you click on the chart, it will enlarge.

Key: L = black M = orange N = green

Temecula Quilt Show

2010-10-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Temecula Quilt Show, sponsored by the Valley of the Mist Quilters.

Each year on the first Saturday of October quilts adorn various buildings throughout Old Town Temecula.

In addition, the Gallery at the Merc was having a Contemporary Art Quilt show, featuring 15 Southern California fiber artists.

There were many beautiful quilts, representing countless hours of work and many styles of quilting. My favorites, I think, were the ones in the show at the Merc because of the artists' creative uses of different materials.

Dyeing for Halloween

2010-09-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to think about some Halloween projects, so yesterday I had a dye day. I mixed up some orange and dyed this skein of inexpensive Red Heart superwash wool blend sock yarn. This will be paired with some previously dyed black yarn for Halloween-themed socks for the grandchildren.

There was orange dye leftover which I naturally did not want to waste. In the stash, I found some nice soft merino sock yarn, divided it off and dyed two sections with the orange. Next I mixed up black dye and dyed the other two sections with it. I really like this yarn. It's very Halloweeny!

I found this small skein of turquoise handspun and dyed a couple of sections with the black to see how that would look. If I use some plain black for the toes and heels, this may be enough for some footies. This can wait; it's not a Halloween project.

Of course, then there was black dye left in the pot that I felt compelled to use so I looked for and found another skein of undyed merino sock yarn. This was fun. Once again I divided it and placed two sections into the dye pot. The ends took up a lot of the dye first and then it faded out to gray as it wicked up the yarn. I love it! I'm thinking of socks with a spider pattern knitted in.

September Project

2010-09-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

This month I warped the loom for towels. Using a flake for both the warp and weft, I wound the warp for stripes. As I was warping, I noticed that apparently I have forgotten how to count! You can see in the towel on the far left that my first three stripes have 20 ends and then they mysteriously change to 10 ends! I decided to weave the towels anyway, but after the first towel was done it really bugged me. I removed some of the warp, leaving just one stripe wider, thinking it looked more deliberate. Maybe I was just kidding myself! At any rate, I wove two more towels with the adjusted warp.

Finally, there was just a bit of warp left, not enough for a towel. I removed more warp so that the stripes would be even and wove this bread cloth with fringe all around.

Peachy Fig Jam

2010-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

The figs are ripening and that means it's time to make jam. Last year I created a delicious Blackberry Fig Jam. This year, besides making plain fig jam, I have created Peachy Fig Jam.

PEACHY FIG JAM

2 CUPS FINELY CHOPPED PEELED PEACHES

2 CUPS FINELY CHOPPED PEELED FIGS

¼ CUP FRESH LEMON JUICE

1 BOX FRUIT PECTIN

½ TSP BUTTER OR MARGARINE

5 1/2 CUPS SUGAR

Peel and finely chop peaches and figs. Measure 2 cups each into 6-8 qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.

Stir in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Immediately ladle into prepared jars, filing to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Remove and let cool. Make sure lids are sealed.

Bargello Place Mats

2010-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in another life, I did a bit of quilting. It was before I started weaving and spinning. I was trying a little bit of everything at the time--cross stitch, needlepoint, you name it and I probably tried it. So, I made a few baby quilts and wall hangings and then I gave away the quilting books and didn't think about quilting again until I ventured into the Quilter's Coop in Old Town Temecula with a friend who quilts. All the beautiful fabrics were so inspiring. I was particularly attracted to the batiks.

I started looking in quilting magazines and saw directions for Bargello Place Mats in the August 2010 Quilter's World. I chose my colors and started the project. I am making three place mats for my kitchen counter.

First you cut the strips of the different colors and sew them together. Then you cut them into different widths. The different width strips are sewn together, offsetting them either up or down to make the bargello pattern.

The next step will be to cut them into 14 1/2 inch by 9 1/2 inch rectangle and attach boarder strips.

Baby Time

2010-08-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't had anyone to make baby things for in a long time but in the past two months I have made baby sweaters for two people I know.

I ordered some Comfy Worsted Weight (75% cotton, 25% acrylic) from KnitPicks, along with the pattern, Norah's Joyful Sweater. The pattern suggests much different and darker colors, but I like softer ones better. I modified it slightly by omitting the bottom border.

A few weeks after finishing this, I was invited to a baby shower for a neighbor. I had over-bought on the Comfy yarn since the pattern is for a sweater and hat and I had only made the sweater, so I decided to use what I had. I searched Ravelry for a kimono pattern and I believe the one I ended up using was a Lion Brand free pattern to which I added the border embellishments. I included some cute little sock booties to go with the sweater.

I like this yarn. It has a nice hand and should be easy care for moms and it is machine washable and dryable.

Rug Off Loom

2010-07-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I was working on a twined rag rug. It is off the loom now and being used in front of my patio door. I really like the way it turned out. I still have plenty of fabric to make another one. I would, however, need to make the strips entirely random. Not sure I can do that!

RIP Nikita

2010-07-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Nikita, over 16 years old, has been having more and more difficulty getting around in the past few weeks. This past week she has fallen every day. She has cried more, consumed more water, needed to go outside more and has had more episodes of labored breathing. It was apparent that we should have her put down. We decided that today was the day so this morning we took her in to the animal shelter.

The animal control officer who did the procedure was very kind and understanding. I can't imagine how anyone can do that job. I stayed with her until the end and it seemed very peaceful for her.

Nikita was a very sweet, good dog. We took her in after three other homes had to give her up. I never would have gone out and picked her, but once she was here, she became a loved part of the family.

I took these pictures of her last night.

I Hate Humid Weather

2010-07-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, last week it seemed everyone was complaining because the sun wasn't shining first thing in the morning and the weather was a little chilly, especially for July. Why didn't they just keep their big mouths shut? Suddenly, yesterday, summer arrived with a vengeance. You know, it's kind of hard on a body to go from pleasant 75 - 80 degree weather right into 100+ degrees overnight! And to top it off, it's humid. I really hate humid weather.

This afternoon the clouds rolled in and the lightening and thunder started and I thought we would have a nice, cleansing storm. But no, just a slight spitting of rain and more humidity.

Listen hear, weather gods, I am planning on doing some canning tomorrow so I would really appreciate it if it would be cooler so I don't have to turn the air conditioner on first thing in the morning. Okay?

Dogs Relaxing

2010-07-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any pictures of the pups in awhile so here are a couple of pictures of them napping. In the first one, our little rescue, Oscar, is certainly not feeling threatened by anything. He is so relaxed! In the second picture, they are sleeping on the bed while I am on the computer. Notice how the white one is on the white comforter and the black and white one has chosen the black pillow. It's sort of like camouflage. "You can't see me. I'm not sleeping on your bed."

Love to Knit Socks Book

2010-06-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

After vowing not to buy any more knitting books, I bought the book, Love to Knit Socks.

In my defense, it was at Joann's and I had a 40% off coupon! So I only bought 60% of a book and 60% doesn't count. Also, I actually saw three I wanted to get and only got one. I think I displayed enormous restraint.

My first project from the book was the TV Slippers. The version in the book look much cuter than mine. See, yarn choice makes all the difference! But, I swear, I am not buying any more yarn. Well, just the sock kit and the puppet kit and the yarn for the baby gift that I just ordered from Knit Picks, but after that I am not buying any more yarn. Really. I swear. So, anyway, I made them from yarn I had and they are okay, but I really hate the green stripes in there. The slippers are made on two needles and shaped by decreases on either side of the 10 stockinette stitch center. The rest of the pattern is a 4-row slip stitch alternating between a solid yarn and a variegated one.

There is another slipper pattern in the book that calls for bulky yarn and is very cute. I'd like to make those next, but I have this baby sweater to get started on.

Rag Rug

2010-06-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have been very slow to finish projects lately and haven't started as many either. I think it's just been a little too much "life" in the way. I did get the bug to try doing a twined rag rug, though. I tried this once before after I bought the loom a few years ago on a whim at a weaving market. I really didn't like the way that one turned out and set the loom aside. It's been propped up against the wall in a corner of my workroom since.

My mom quilts and was about to dispose of leftovers of fabric she felt she would never use so I thought this would be a good way to make good use of them. I already had some strips left from the last time I tried making one and I added strips cut from some old pj bottoms. All the fabric is cotton and although my intention was to make this random stripes, somehow I ended up with a distinct pattern of stripes of only a few colors. I guess I really like order!

I'm pleased with the way it is turning out and can't wait to see it off the loom.

April's Project

2010-05-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

This week I have been spinning up some fiber that I blended, a couple of different turquoise wools from a grab bag, along with a bit of white. It's only going to be one spool, not sure what I will do with it. I'm thinking of maybe trying some gloves again, white with this as a design contrast.

Dogs on the Road

2010-04-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the dogs in the backseat of the car from this past weekend's trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sadie is in her carrier and Oscar has a little vest that you run the seat belt through to restrain him. I think I'll get one of these vests for Sadie, too, as it gives them a bit more freedom, but still keeps the dog safe.

You might notice the pad underneath Oscar. This is an attempt to protect the seat because Oscar gets carsick! When we take him, we always carry extra towels for mopping up. Do they make dog carsick pills? I hope he gets over this. It's not pleasant, as you can imagine.

The Furry Kids

2010-04-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sadie got a haircut from the new groomer this week. I told her short, but I think she could have left a little more on the top of her head. Since she has gained some weight, it makes her look like her head is too small for her body! Next time I will have the girl leave more topknot. Otherwise, I really like this groomer. She works out of her house and is much less expensive than the groomer I was going to. She does a great job and even brushes the dog's teeth.

Oscar got a bath and trim at home by me. His fur is just growing out now from the shaving I had to do to get rid of all the matting. I just trimmed the top of his head and got the hair out of his eyes. He looks like a little lamb now. He's very soft. These little apricot colored patches have shown up now that his fur is growing. They are on his ears, a little on his feet and a stripe down the center of his back. I had him out the other day and a lady said he looked like her daughter's Maltipoo. I saw another Maltipoo at a pet shop who looked like him, too. So, maybe he's a Maltipoo. Whatever his is, he's adorable and sweet and already stolen our hearts.

Oscar Learns How To Go Downstairs

2010-04-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

It was so cute to watch the dogs the other day. Oscar was really afraid of the stairs. I don't think he had ever learned to go up or down them. Sadie and I started up the stairs and then she noticed he wasn't following. She ran back down, touched her nose to his, ran up a few steps, stopped and turned around to look at him. He didn't follow, but stood there, whining. Sadie ran back down the stairs, touched his nose again and ran back up three or four stairs. Once again, she stopped and looked at him. He stayed there. She repeated the action and finally, he slowly and carefully came up the stairs. I wish I would have had the camera on hand for that.

This is a little video I caught of the end of Sadie doing basically the same thing, but encouraging him to come down the stairs. Of course, after a couple of days of practice, he can now maneuver the stairs with ease. In fact, he virtually flies up and down!

Oscar Update

2010-03-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Oscar is continuing to make progress here. We still are having to keep a close eye on him for housebreaking accidents, but he goes to the back door most of the time. Now, if I can only get him to ring the bells to go out like Sadie does, because unless you see him at the back door you don't know he is there. He doesn't bark or come get you.

He doesn't seem to be putting up as much of a fuss when put in the kennel when I need to leave and when I come home, if I sneak in, he is quiet. However, my attempts at leaving him in the kennel at night have failed. He made such a fuss that I finally caved in and let him come sleep on the bed. After all, Sadie gets to sleep there and it hardly seemed fair to not let Oscar come on the bed, too! He has been a good boy and has not had any accidents. He snuggles right in and sleeps the whole night.

In addition to sitting on command, he will now lie down and also will shake. We are working on "come." This is a difficult one. I think he is so used to running away from people. I have taken him out a few times, trying to socialize him since he is afraid of everything. People and places scare him. When encountering a door, he puts on the brakes and sits on his little behind and won't budge.

I need to get him a bowl that will slow his eating down. He eats his food so fast that he almost always starts to gag. He doesn't even chew his food; it just goes down whole. I know they make bowls that have nubs in them that are supposed to make them slow down, but I didn't see one at Petco the other day. Perhaps PetSmart has them.

Other than that, we are trying to convince him not to be such a "morning dog." Everyone around here is slow in the morning, including Sadie. But Oscar greets the morning with lots of energy and an attitude of "It's time to play." We would like to encourage playtime later in the day, even after dinner so that he can be tired and settled down for bed. I think Sadie is helping him learn the ropes!