Oh what a Baby Doll!

OHHH have you ever seen anything sooo cute. As a spinner, I have long wanted to have a sheep or hair goat and have never really gotten much farther than wanting.

and then I found THIS>>>>>>>


This is an old breed of sheep that almost vanished and are seeing a come back with small farms and the like.  They are very small - and have lots of lovely qualities that make them quite wonderful. They are out of a line of Old English babydoll sheep

Do they look like they are smiling to you?

So these little guys have a lovely fleece that will make fluffy socks and their wool has a natural non-felting quality.  I did not even know there was such a thing.  In wool there is a process called "superwash" in which a chemical is added that makes the wool stand up to washing and drying.  I have always been a little anti superwash - but it makes sense.  So NOW maybe I wont have to.

The Fleeces are smaller and easy to deal with - so it really is a good option for someone like me.  It is called a spinners flock.

So lets be honest -- who could resist this face... can anyone say "Lambchop"

Ode to the Frog Dog

 

Ode to the Frog Dog-

O little dog of Black and white

you eat my yarn in dead of night

tho I placed it up so high

wings you sprout so you can fly.

I awake to see your nightly play

yarns destroyed in piles they lay

all my work you quickly frog

you evil little devil dog....

More than one at a time

I like to have several projects going at the same time.  Usually - one small, one complex one easy and big and one that I need to get done.  That way I can choose one to fit my mood for the day.

Sometimes I crochet too.. and then there is always spinning and weaving.

Love color

I love color - not just in the yarns that attract my attention and desire.. but in my -- dare I say - needles.

When I was a little girl - my grandparents would watch me while my parents went to bowl.  I have many memories that date back to be fore I was 4 - at their house.  There was always Shasta soda - black cherry or rootbeer.  Rootbeer floats.  They had the most wondrous of glasses... annodized aluminum in jewel tones.. remember those...and they also had these sippy spoon straws.  Perfect for stirring - sipping and scooping the ice cream.  I am going to get some for my grandkids visits. These needles in all of their jewel tone glory - are aluminum and remind me so much of those cups... see what I mean?  I love to work with them...they remind me of pure pleasure and sipping rootbeer floats at grandmas.

Growth

It happens when you aren't looking.  Much like a long road trip.  You have hours and hours of road ahead - eventually you stop thinking about when you will get there.. and poof you are 4 more hours down the road.  Not sure how that works - I am sure there is a technical word for it. Enter my Heroine jacket.. needs to be 32 inches long in the back --and poof I am at 20 inches.  I love knitting with the project on my lap keeping me warm.  Winters delight. - someone else likes it too.

Starting again

Now on the the lush pattern called Heroine..a beautiful felted jacket with a flair toward military and celtic at the same time.

I fell in love with this jacket and read reviews about it.  So am making it a few inches longer and actually 2 sizes smaller - hoping that it will grow as I shrink.  So yes - this jacket is for me.  I went to my local yarn store a few months ago for the wool and it will match this perfectly - they also had some awesome buttons.  However-- they treated me like a cold fish at the store -- no clue why - so I may not go back - such a bummer.  You would think they would be thrilled- a small yarn shop in a small city-- oh well I digress-- LYS snobs.

So I am back after this pattern - after my needle devil dog incident.. and back to my crooked bamboo needles.. but hey - they will work..

A moment of silence...

I wrote a wonderful blog about my needles I have had forever... I what was I thinking....

I have this lovely Australian shepard puppy that graces my life with an abundance of love and energy... until...he turns demon pup...hard to believe that this puppy - did this

A moment of silence please...ok enough.. now -- ahemmm "Dear Santa"

The right stuff

This is where I sit most of the time when I knit. This is what it looks like most of the time....

My latest frogged project - has taught me a lesson - that I have finally accepted.  I like quality, my family and those that I gift with my projects deserve quality.
 

The right tools -- the right stuff - quality wools and fleeces.  When you are going to put hours and hours of your time into something - you need the right stuff .

Meet my Palmwood needles. Purchased for 19.00 6 years ago... I always know where they are - they are BEAUTIFUL and feel wonderful in my hands.  I have one pair. Size 15. Ask me If I know where my pair of lucite cheap needles are - the ones I bought cause I "needed: a quick pair. You know the answer...

Now on the the star of the show... the wool.  A wonderful heathered Peruvian wool. Soft and generous in its luxury.  It is earthy and primal for me.  Not like the fluff of synthetic yarn( it has its place). Synthetic does not speak to my soul - the connection with natural wool does.  Choose colors that please you and that you can look at again and again and still have it take your breath away.

Light is very important.  My dear husband helped get this lamp in the right place to have it shine down in a way that would make it easy on the eyes.

The pleasure is in putting everything together. 

I find myself slowing at the end of a project - savoring the last few rows and stiches. Being thankful for the time, the feel, the clicking - the smell and sensation of creating with my own two hands.

Frogging

If you are like me the term "Frogging" brings to mind something green and slimey... something to be wondered about - amphibians have always interested me - they are quite the miracle workers... but I digress...


I kept reading other knitters talking about frogging.  


SO I asked.  Ahem - pay attention now: Frogging is the joyous event of ripping out your work so as to start again...you get it ribbit- ribbit, - rip it - rip it....:-)


WHAT? joyous event...wait - now hold the phone.  My frogging comes from mindlessly knitting along and finding a CRITICAL error 4 inches down - arrrgghh... or as in my last project.  knitting 4 inches of purple before realizing I could not tolerate the synthetic nature of the yarn. sigh...so I frogged.

There are some things in my life I wish I could Frog...

Next up!

This Great hood and neck warmer caught my attention.  I do love anything that is renaissance in nature.

I was outside a couple of days ago in the wind and weather and wished I had it finished. It has cables too and I LOVE cables.

I picked a soft yarn from of all places - Walmart!  can't wait to get started!

All finished on the socks

I am finished with the socks.  Now I remember why I love to do socks.

1. They are quick
2. They are sooo much better that regular socks - something to be said for the properties of real wool!
3. I can be as wild as I want in small doses.
4. I can actually finish it.

This is really my first time with a pure wool with no viscose ( elastic) to manage any mistakes for me.  I really enjoyed working with this soft wool.  Not itchy either.  It is also the first time I felted a garment of anykind - so I expected to see them shrink a lot more than they did- but still the dense soft fabric was a wonder to behold.  I also learned that doing bands of color really helps you with the second sock - making it the same size without the maddening task of counting umptymillion rows....next project please!

No one knits alone

A while back my son Landon found a sickly slimy little cat hiding behind the ice machine at the local quickie mart. He is tender hearted and brought the little sod home.

Meet Fugly - ok his real name is Slinky but he got this lovely name from Mike - cause he is ugly and well... passes lots of gas.

He is now my evening knitting companion..there is something so enticing about a ball of yarn and a perfectly knitted sock..it is instinct, it is a throw back to when cats roamed the jungle looking for that perfect ball of string.

 

He is a huge help...

My Aunt Judy

When my parents were getting divorced, I went to live with my Aunt Judy.  She introduced me to the world of knitting and the artistry of fiber.  I will never forget that she bought me needles and yarn - tirelessly answered my questions and checked my work. 

One day - a beautiful yarn bag and needle case appeared on my bed.  She had made the bag out of green fabric with a bleach bottle bottom attached. Little did she know that it would become a life long link to her... I think this is the original pattern.

As a side note... it was there at her house that I learned that the original "Star Trek" had been cancelled and cried my eyes out while watching the last episode...I know TMI....

Ravelry

 One of the issues we fiber artists have - is how to organize all those "things" needles, yarn, patterns etc.  It can be daunting.  Not only that, but things like - did I adjust this pattern?, are there any corrections, what colors have I made this in already?  I made a notebook a while back that kept records and pictures of my projects when completed, but I never really know what I have in my stash of yarn - or what sizes in needles I have..yikes.  So here is a site I found that helps you organize your projects, your needles and even that every growing stash.  I would include a picture of my "stash - but it is too embarrassing!



Ravelry Website

My dirty little secret

So a while back - I quit knittting and crocheting.  I could not see well enough and it didn't help that I was knitting BLACK - try that sometime. Needed to do an outfit for my 2nd grandaughter... but could not read the charts - even with my contacts etc.

So - at 52 here is my little friend.. my reading glasses.. yes they are dirty - and they hide - and I have them everywhere.  Mike says you can't throw a cat at our house without hitting a pair.  I say I can never find them.

But then that is because they are sitting on the top of my head.

Green Zen

Note the beautiful pair of sock I am working on.. green double pointed metal needles, lovely apple green Peruvian wool and a perky multi color that when put together reminds me of the curtains in my room when I was in highschool in the mid 70s.

 

Note the reasons why I MUST KNIT ZEN:

1. Someone at the grocery store asked me if I was 55 and did I want the senior discount...not that far off - but STILL..

2. Check out my computer and coffee cup, phone and printer stand- a mess.

 

3. Don't miss the empty box of corn pops under the printer - stolen from my grandkids...

4. in case you didn't know -- the coffee in the cup is cold.

5. If you could read it - the phone would say 18 missed calls.

 

So this lovely project brings me peace - even though I had to rip it out and start over once... because it looked like Shrek could wear the socks.  Actually they are for one of my granddaughters... we will see which one after I felt them.