Livin' La Needle Loca

...boy, this month flew by! Before you know it, the Daughter will be home for the summer (YAY!) and it will be time for vacation. Today's pictures are from the garden. Remember the apple blossoms? Well, some have turned into apples! Maybe we'll get one before the squirrels beat us to them! The blueberry bush has a lot more berries on it this year, but they are smaller: Our fennel plant continues to go crazy: and the cactus has decided to bloom (although, when these cacti bloom, they look a bit bizarre...): On the craft front, I did start another baby sweater. I am revisiting the crossover top (Debbie Bliss) that I recently frogged. Although I'm using the same brand of yarn, I'm using different colors and from a different source. I haven't gotten very far yet, but here you go: I also received my Rockin' Sock Club installment for May and I absolutely adore the color! It's in shades of my favorite color (if you know anything about me you know what that is!). ...

...well, with the current knitting project. I finished the second Iris cardigan last night. It turned out very well: Specs: Started 5/17; Finished 5/25 Pattern: Iris Cardigan by Jennifer Carberry; free when you buy the yarn at Full Thread Ahead Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in Blush, Peony, Phlox, Cosmos, and Aubergine (in order from the top) Needles: Size 7 circulars and DPNs Ravelers: Project link As I mentioned yesterday, I finished the Copperhead 2 yarn over the weekend. I wound one skein from each bobbin: ...and the dime shot: Specs: Finished : 5/25/2008 Yarn Wench Falkland Wool roving (4.4 oz) in Copperhead 2 Spun on Lendrum DT Folding wheel Navajo-ply, yield: 320 yds. Weight : 14 WPI average, Fingering I need to take a breather from cotton yarn for a while. So I'm looking at the stuff in my queue to see what appeals to me. In the meantime, I have the Plumthorn fiber from Pigeonroof Studios to spin, so that will keep me occupied until I decide. Gee, maybe it's time ...

...I have another draft of my work project due today and need to finish it up. Quick Hits (picture-less): Finished the Copperhead 2 yarn: about 320 yards, Navajo plied; Sport weight Nearly finished the second Iris cardigan. This was my main obsession over the weekend (and does my elbow know it!). Pictures tomorrow...

...who would have been 92 today. We only had eleven years together, and I still miss him. I've probably sent you to this link before, but here's a memoir I wrote about him. Happy birthday, Daddy.

...with the fire in Santa Cruz, the sky is hazy and all you can smell is smoke. When I left for the gym at 6:30 this morning, we still had some blue skies: By the time I left for work, there was nothing but smoky haze and the smell had gotten much worse. I'm glad that I don't have a bad allergy problem, but I feel for those who do. I'm going to try and stay out of it as much as I can. I'm making progress on the second Iris sweater. I've just started color 4 of the 5 that this sweater needs. This sweater looks huge compared to the last one (12 months vs. 3 months sizes), but I like the colors. My left elbow has been bugging me for a while now--the cotton yarn seems to aggravate it. I'm now using Addi Turbos to knit this and I have some Knit Picks nickel-plated DPNs for the sleeves. They are quite a bit smoother than the previous needles I used, but it's still hard on my elbow. Last night, my elbow had enough knitting, so I decided to break out my "new...

...and looking forward to the long weekend ahead. I don't plan on working any of the holiday weekend, so I'm staying pretty focused on my work projects. The new Iris baby cardigan is coming along. I have finished the increases and am ready to divide it for the sleeves: The picture shows the other colors I'll be using for this one—very definitely for a little girl! The two end skeins are more purple in real life. (Someday I'll learn how to take pictures of purple!) Last time I made the 6-month size; this time I'm making the 12-month size. The color sections are 2.5 inches instead of 2 inches and, of course, there are more stitches around. This sweater will take me longer to finish than the last one, but it's still moving along pretty well. I'm using a left-over red yarn to hold the neck and sleeve stitches. I'm also using it to carry down the edges as I knit to see if it helps when I need to do the edging. So far, it's OK, but the red yarn gets in t...

...I ended up working yesterday afternoon. I have a deliverable due today and I needed to spend more time on it than I had available during the week. It never fails...when my cohort goes on vacation, lots of work magically appears (where were they when she was twiddling her thumbs a week ago??) Anyway, I did manage to spend Friday night and Saturday doing crafty things. Friday night, I finished the Feather and Fan Baby Sweater: Specs: Finished: 5/16/2008 Yarn: Koigu PPPM, color P410 Pattern: 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders Needle size: 3 US and 4 US A little steam-blocking and it looks pretty good! I love the lace band at the bottom. The heart buttons are perfect for it. They were originally purchased around 20 years ago when I was sewing Cabbage Patch kid clothes for my daughter's dolls. You can't tell from the picture, but there are tiny leaves embossed around the edge of each button. On Saturday, I finished spinning the singles of the Copperhead 2 fiber. I now have two ...

...thank goodness it's air conditioned at work! I was fine during the day, but I melted when I got home at 7:45 last night! The new windows and the blinds help, but it was still icky-sticky! And, it's supposed to be in the 90's today...break out the iced tea! No updated picture of the sweater because I'm nearly done—only one button band to go! I'll post a picture of the finished sweater on Monday. From the garden today: a lone gladiola bulb has bloomed under the apricot tree. Some of the flowers are not quite open: While others are completely open: I love the delicate pink color with the dark pink edges . I hope it survives today's heat wave! Up this weekend: finishing the Feather & Fan sweater, starting the next Iris cardigan, and spinning!! I plan on taking the wheel outside when it gets unbearable in the house. I really want to finish the Copperhead yarn and start spinning a blue or aqua yarn. Something that reminds me of a babbling brook, the Russian R...

...working on deliverables for a work project and need to stay pretty focused on that. However, I couldn't resist showing you the sleeve I finished last night on the Feather & Fan baby sweater: With these last two baby projects, I've learned a little about knitting sweaters. The Iris Cardigan was the first sweater I ever knit—I learned that I needed more practice with finishing and I learned about the value of a stretchy bind-off. With this sweater, I've learned about adding a sleeve to an armhole that has no live stitches; later I'll learn about button bands. Aside from the obvious benefit of having some cute baby gifts to give, I chose baby sweaters to see whether I would enjoy the process of making a sweater. The idea being that I might make a sweater for myself. So what do I think at this point? I think I would enjoy making sweater for myself, but not as the sole project in my queue. I think if I had long sections of stockinette or garter stitch, I might go nut...

...they go so quickly! Here's where I am with the Feather and Fan Baby sweater after the weekend: The colors are bright and cheery and I love working with the Koigu. Once I finish the left side, I need to do the sleeves, collar, and button band. This will be the first time I'll do a button band, so I plan on taking my time. Other than knitting, I did some long-neglected dusting and a quick housecleaning on Saturday. The Husband's parents came over on Sunday before we took them to brunch...I thought it might be nice if they could actually sit in the living room and not be inundated with knitting or spinning supplies! After a nice brunch on Sunday, I did a little spinning on the Copperhead 2 fiber. I've spun about 3 ounces out of 4.4, so I should finish the spinning in the next session. Then I'll Navajo-ply it and call it done! I think my next spinning will be in the aqua or blue shades. I've have enough earthy tones for a while!

...since my knitting doesn't look significantly different than Wednesday, I won't post another picture of that for a while. It's progressing, just not as fast as the previous project! Instead, here are a collection of garden pictures that show what's going on in our backyard. The first shot of apricots on the tree: Some of our future tomatoes: Next, a study of strawberries: And for those celebrating Mother's Day this weekend, a butterfly flower for you: This just in...The Daughter sent me a gardenia plant for Mother's Day, which just arrived. Gardenias were my father's favorite flower and because of that, I love them. This plant has only one older flower on it right now, but lots of buds. The scent from the one flower is heavenly and brightens up my whole office! I'll post pictures of it when it blooms. (Thanks, sweetie! Heart you back!) Up this weekend, more knitting and hopefully some spinning. I'd like to get the sewing machine in for a tuneup bef...

...into the next project: Feather & Fan Baby Sweater. Here it is after two pattern repeats. I know it's not much right now, but at least you can see the pattern taking shape. This sweater will probably take longer to make than the Iris Cardigan, but it will be interesting to see how the colors flow with the pattern. Definitely a feminine sweater...

...I finished the Iris cardigan last night and I totally love it! It needs a bath and blocking before I give it away, but here it is: The Specs: Started 4/26 and finished on 5/5/2008 Pattern: Iris Cardigan by Jennifer ? (I don't have her name here); free when you buy the yarn at Full Thread Ahead Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in Frost, Pebble, Fog, Sky, and Phlox Needles: Size 7 circulars and DPNs Ravelers: Project link This was the first sweater I've attempted and I now know that I need to practice my edging to make it smoother. Still it's not terrible, so I'm pleased. Of course, I cast on for the next thing right away. More about that for WIP-it Wednesday!

...a perfect excuse for a margarita or Mexican food! I celebrated early and made enchiladas for dinner last night. Yum!! I am nearly finished with the baby sweater. I used up every bit of the green yarn doing the finishing and didn't have any left over for the i-cord. So back to Full Thread Ahead for more yarn. And of course while I was there, I ended up buying yarn for another baby sweater (or two)! I also got some spinning in and finished the first bobbin of the Copperhead 2 roving from Yarn Wench . I start a new work project this week, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have during the week for crafty stuff. I should be able to finish the i-cords and post a picture of the finished sweater. We'll see how much more I get done beyond that!

...a hibiscus for you! Not much else to report. Tonight I'll bind off the first sleeve of the Iris Cardigan and start on the second sleeve; after that, it's just the finishing! The next picture I post of this sweater will be when it's done. Next up, something more feminine. There are at least two girl babies on the way, so I want to do something lacy. Oh, yeah...there some spinning that needs to happen, too! Have a great weekend!

...where did April go?? May snuck up on me; until I looked at the calendar this morning, I thought it was still April! In honor of May Day, I bought myself some tulips for my office (purple, of course!). ...and here's a view from the top: Happy May, everyone! My April recap is in a separate message.

Finished: 4/3 Knitted bunny from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" 4/6 Hydrangea tote bag for Jane (sewing) Worked on: Spinning Copperhead 2 (Falkland) from Yarn Wench. Started: 4/3 Crossover top by Debbie Bliss (knitting) 4/18 Saartje's Bootees (knitting) 4/26 Iris Baby Cardigan (knitting) Frogged/On Hiatus: Crossover top by Debbie Bliss (knitting): Frogged and will start again in different yarn Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting): Waiting for cold weather Works In Progress (did not work on): Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn, using Montego Bay scarf pattern from Interweave Knits Summer issue (knitting) Spinning 4 oz of Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk roving in purple Spinning 2 Chasing Rainbows rovings together in the Heather colorway: one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch) UFOs: Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting) Central Air socks (knitting) Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint) Peaco...