Me?

I'm not so sure about this one, especially the "mellow" part...

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

Holiday Knitting...or how I won't be done in time

Here I sat thinking I was soooo on top of all the holiday knitting and then it happens...I remember someone I forgot. ARG! On top of that, I'd put some things out of my head that need to be washed and blocked before they can be given and that hasn't happened yet, either. What was I thinking? Where did I think this time was going to come from? How did I think woolen things would dry in just a day in an Oregon winter? Good grief! I should have it all knit, but the things that have to be mailed aren't making it out of here until next week.

That's not the only way the mail has jinxed me this year, either. Maybe the reason I'm behind is also because the things I ordered online either showed up late or haven't shown up at all yet. That could definitely be part of it! I know one person is getting something totally unexpected, because something I ordered still isn't here...let's just say that I'm much faster at knitting socks than I used to be, but I can't knit them if the yarn isn't here yet! In the past, I've been a heavy holiday internet shopper...can't stand the bustle of the walk-in stores during the holidays. I've always had great luck with it, even ordering at the last minute. I think someone or millions of someones, to be more correct, have caught on to my plan and are using it themselves. :} Lesson learned...order in October! :)

Dog content: Not much, which is really a good thing. It means no dramas and everyone is getting along fine. Can't wait to get a treadmill in January! It should help run off some of the stored energy that happens in rainy weather. Until then, we take soggy walks and wipe off bellies. Ethan is back to the very loving, sweet red boy he was as a puppy, though he still greatly dislikes dogs outside his pack...boys, what can you do? Libby, the queen of manipulation, has pretty much guaranteed her position as bed dog for life, so she's happy. And Savannah, just like all little sisters, enjoys thoroughly annoying her older "siblings" in any way she can. Man, that girl can bark, too! But she's also "dangerously cute", as her grammas say, and she's very cuddly when she can manage to sit still. A very loyal girl, for sure!

I hope to get some project pics and some puppy pics over the long holiday weekend...probably figuring I'll have more time than I really will again with Friday being Hubby's birthday...but I'll try!

Savannah Pics from Today

Since it's been so long, here are pics of the Bitty girl...who isn't so bitty anymore. These were taken when we got home today after a bit of tussling with the big dogs in the yard. Talk about fabulous weather this afternoon! Too bad the show wasn't so good for us. Kinda wondering why we do these dang early mornings!!! Backgrounds are, um, rustic, at best, but you get the idea. I'm spamming you with a bunch of pics just cuz we took 'em.













She says she's had enough!

OFFFF (Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival...Finally)

Are old pictures anything like fine wine? Do they get better with time? Afraid not, but at least there are finally pictures of my visit to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September. I've only experienced one other fiber festival on a whirlwind excursion, just an hour or so long, thanks to a big work event and a dog show all loaded up on the same weekend. It was the Black Sheep Gathering in June here in Eugene. It was fun, quite tempting, but I wasn't blown away. Then there is OFFF. Wow! It's huge!!! So many vendors in so many places, so many classes, so many animals, and so much to see. I even got to pet a camel! Talk about surreal! A camel right where we normally groom dogs for the Canby show.

Here are the camels...a male and a young female, I believe. The male nuzzled a woman as she scratched his neck. I thought he might give her a big ol' doggy slurp, but he kept his manners about him. :) Camel fur is incredibly soft. I expected just the undercoat to be soft, but the top felt just a little rougher. If I won the lottery, I'd have a couple of them, I think, though it's said they aren't big fans of small herding dog types. Hmmmm...




Look sheep in the sheep pens instead of groomers!




That's a funny show ring!



The building in the background is where the superintendents and local kennel club folks normally set up. For OFFF, it becomes one of THREE vendor buildings.



A gorgeous display of baskets caught my eye. Believe it or not, I actually escaped without buying one of those.



And here is the market bag I made specifically to fill with my goodies when at OFFF. This bag grows an amazing amount! It's the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. It folds up nice and small into its own self-made pouch. Love it!!!



My friend, Jennifer, came along and enjoyed two spinning classes that day. JC Briar taught a terrific class in multi-directional scarves that I took. I learned a lot and started with gorgeous, bright merino/silk yarn from Dicentra Designs. On clearance, incredibly soft, luscious colors and the perfect yarn for this technique. I'll get some pictures of the finished product to put up soon. I will definitely be sure to go again next year. I can't wait to see what classes and vendors they'll have!

You don't suppose...

...My sister would let me borrow Quinn, Megan would let me borrow Izzy, or Jeri would let me borrow Jack when he's older, do ya? Too funny!!!

I love this cartoon! Be sure to get check out more at the Close to Home website.

It's finally over...

...and the Brandy grandchild may be taking her rightful place as alpha. It's either that or Ef is giving her full sway because he remembers she smells so darn good. A typical interaction now has Ethan following Savannah everywhere, then, when he gets too pushy about being close and sniffing personals, Savannah turns and threatens to rip his face off, at which time Ethan jumps around as if to say, "Oh, that's so cute," and "Holy crap, she's gonna eat me!," all at the same time. I wonder what the settled effect will be this time around. The last heat made Ethan decide she could indeed be allowed to stay in the house and could play with him occasionally. This one, at least for the time being, has made him decide that she is in fact in charge and that he wants to be with her all the time. Hmmmm... If I had to pick which would be top dog, it'd be Savannah in a heartbeat. She listens and obeys far better than either of the other two and knows we're in charge. One can only hope...

Bark Collar - 1, Corgis - 1

Citronella bark collars work well...sometimes. The peace and quiet gained by wrapping it around Savannah's neck has been well worth the price of it! Therefore, bark collar gets a point.

The corgis gained a point, though, when Ethan's turn to try it out came. Can you say, "Totally not phased?!?" Bark, squirt, head shake, back up, bark, squirt, head shake, bark, squirt, head shake. Granted, it decreased the bark frequency, but in this case, the corgi won.

We'll have to see what happens if Libby wears it, but for now, I'm so glad I got it. No more demanding barks from Savannah when she can't go out with Ethan due to her hyper-hussiness! Woot!

Life can only get better...

I'm super sick (as a dog, some would say) and Savannah is in heat. Woot! Updates on OFFF and knitting to come soon, hopefully, if my head doesn't explode from the congestion and I survive a week and a half to two weeks of separation of the intacts at home.

Off to OFFF

Paul gets the dogs and the house to himself tomorrow. I'm off for some fibery goodness at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby. It'll be weird to be there without a dog!!! I've got a class in multidirectional knitting in the afternoon...in the morning I'm gonna SHOP!!!! Woot!!!

You know you're outta shape when...

...your arms have been achy and sore for days and you're embarrassed when you finally think you've figured out the real reason for it. There is a flu bug going around here, as Megan can attest, and I thought for awhile that was it. And we all know I really like to knit. I've cranked out a pair of slippers, a sock, and the start of a scarf over the past week, but I don't think that's it. My desk is about the least comfortable and least ergonomically designed thing ever, but it's always been that way, so nope, that's not it. I've typed quite a bit, too, but still no.

So, what do I think it really is? Can you say, "Throw the ball!!!," or perhaps more correctly, "Bark, Bark, BARK!!!!?" Yup, the kids are getting along so well that tussling to reach the ball first, wrestling it away from each other and me, and annoying me to no end for it are all easily done, even in the house! While this means Ethan has taken some amazing strides in the last month, including allowing me to maul him and hug on him with no grrrrs aimed at the girls at all for that or anything else, it also means my damn arms are about to fall off, because I MUST THROW THE BALLLLLLL!!!! And I must throw it at least 50-100 times a night...probably more! They seem to think I am the only one who can fulfill the deep requirements of ball-throwing, too, because they leave Paul alone and only insist on me doing it. Sure, they might ask him once or twice and then it's back to me. ARRRRRGGGGG!!!! Now I know why my arms want to fall off! :) Okay, so it probably is work and knitting and maybe even the bug, too, but still....

Not the best, but here it is

Here is Savannah's win picture for Friday at Eugene. Two points down, thirteen to go. I wish it was a better picture. The folks at work gave me a hard time for picking it apart so much, but I know you dog friends will understand. The photographer said she was set up great and I knew better, but she was rushing as usual, so I went with it. Would have been nice to at least have her feet lined up straight if I couldn't get her wave to settle a bit across her topline. And she looks like she's taken the weight off her left front foot just as the picture was being shot. And she's too stretched out. Dang it! Not to mention my hand being in a weird place and the dumb grin and scary hair. ACH! Oh, well, we got a point and that's all that matters, right? Just look at her head and it'll all be alright. :)

To blog or not to blog

Blogging is an interesting thing. Once you start, you feel guilty if you don't do it. You waiver over what is good blog material and what isn't. Sometimes you've got tons to blog about, pictures to show, etc., and it all flows very easily. Sometimes you've got nothing. And sometimes you've got lots going on, but it's either not blog worthy or not something you're willing to blog about, at least not yet, so you don't blog about anything. Blogger's block, perhaps. Weird! It's sort of like losing track with friends who you were really close to solely because you don't move in the same worlds anymore. Then, when you're ready to get back in touch, something else in your life keeps you from it. Hmmmm....

I really do need to get out and take some pictures of some of the things I've knitted up recently. I'm also hoping I'll have Savannah's last win picture soon, so I can scan and post it. While I still visit Ravelry several times a week, I've been neglecting it due to those darn pictures. Dang!

Do you think they've figured out I'm a knitter?

I received a mysterious envelope in my work mail box today. It was obviously recycled after having been sent to some big muckety muck across the courtyard from me. The original info was scribbled out and scrawled across it was my name. Wobbly letters, they were...I think she must have been laughing and writing at the same time! It was sent by an infrequent attendee of our twice monthly noontime knitting group and she KNEW how fitting it was. I opened the envelope to see this and laughed heartily myself. I guess this is what my world has come to...what my dear work friends think of me.

Wait a minute! Why are you laughing?!?! Uh, oh, I guess it's not just my work friends, eh? :) Too funny!

Going to the coast

We're headed off for three wonderful days of coastal goodness tomorrow! Woo hoo! I know we'll be muttering about retiring over there some day when it's time to come home. I love that ocean air!!! We got a great vacation rental house owned by a friend of one of my work/knitting friends. Close to the beach, great set up, and they love dogs, so ours are very welcome. Plans include long beach walks, movie watching, game playing, no work talk for hubby, no cell phone for hubby, unwinding time for hubby, and a trip to a yarn shop for me. I'll post pictures upon our return. Woo hoo! Oh, yeah, I said that already, but I REALLY mean it! :)

What flower are you?

I swear I only took this once, even though those of you who know what my favorite flower is may not believe it. :)

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

Savannah at Umpqua

And, here she is, in her first win photo. Not too bad for having a newbie set her up. The first pic is how close Ross cropped it...I'd have appreciated a bit more background, but oh, well. I should have smoothed her topline around her shoulders a bit and pulled her tail out so you can actually see it, but otherwise, I'm happy with it. Of course, I like the bottom one with me cut out muuuuuuccccchhhhh better. I know, I know, it's about the dog, but still! :)

Ravelry, how I love thee!

I know most of you who check out my blog are here for the dogs, but dang, this Ravelry this is soooooo addictive! It's a record keeper (how much yarn and what kinds do I have, what types and sizes of needles do I have, which projects have I made, which projects do I want to make, etc.), but that's just the tip of the iceberg. How do I put this into dog terms? You know all the talk about building a cardi health database? Ravelry to knitters and crocheters is like that database, but only if it could give you all the health information; show you pictures of nearly every cardi that ever existed; link to every sport cardis have ever done and have pictures of them all doing those sports; show you what your puppies would look like if you bred dog A to bitch B; put you in touch not only with all the other cardi breeders now, but let you have access to resources left by every breeder ever; show you all win pictures of every cardi ever alive; show you every shampoo, lead, collar, food, and other product ever used on a cardi and what the results were; and more! It's amazing!!!!

On Ravelry, I put in the name of a designer and, most likely, go to that designer's personal Ravelry notebook that shows what she is working on, what types of yarns and needles she's using, what patterns she's written and how to get them, what books she's got patterns in and how to get those, what groups she belongs to, what her personal blog address is, and so, so much more. Or, say I find a great deal on some yarn, but I haven't a clue what to make out of it. I can put it in Ravelry and it'll show me every pattern any member has ever made out of that yarn. So, not only can I see what the projects look like, I can see what all the other colorways look like, too! And I just started using it, so I'm sure there is way more I haven't even discovered yet.

I joined a bunch of groups based on different knitting podcasts I listen to. While at one of those groups, I saw someone's chosen profile picture...a cardi! So, I went to her Ravelry site (Karen in California with Tango and Dancer), which led me to her blog and more pictures of her dogs. Turns out she was at Nationals and I'm almost positive I spoke with her very briefly. She's an amazing knitter and only has been at it a year longer than me. She bravely tackles stranded colorwork!!! I'm in awe! And that's just one person. So amazing to me!!!!

Gawd, I'm spending way too much time on the computer, I'm having to learn how to use Flickr, I missed handling class (nail appointment was the real reason, not copious amounts of time on Ravelry - RIGHT!), and I'm not even knitting. ARRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!

And if you're ever on Ravelry and looking for me, my username is RichelleCK. :)

We did it!!!!

Savannah was Winners' Bitch and Best Opposite Sex today. Digger won Winner's Dog and Best of Winners. Getting there early made a big difference! She got used to the atmosphere, I cooled off and calmed down, and we pretended it was handling class. Much better! She needs more Petsmart trips to acclimatize herself, though I think she was being a bit ornery on purpose today. She was certainly feeling full of herself when we came home! She was trying to tell Ethan she was boss...and he was letting her! Wonder if she's starting to smell good again...

We didn't get any good show pictures, but we did get some fun pictures of Savannah getting to use her birthday present for the first time. I definitely have a water dog in this one!!! I have a cute video, but it's too big for YouTube...any ideas on compressing it?




On a knitting note, I've finally received my invitation to Ravelry, a new online knitting community that is a BIG deal among us knitting geeks!!! Woo hoo!!!

Poor Savannah....

....handicapped by her handler again! Why do dogs all have to be soooo different? Wait, no, I'm glad they are. Okay, why can't I control my feelings about showing? I really dislike it, I get nervous and can't control my emotion, and I sweat more than flows over Niagara Falls on a wet day! Ach! Today's lesson? Savannah is not Ethan. (Which I'm thankful for most of the time, but...) Savannah needs to be at ringside at least half an hour before time to go in with me sitting calmly in a chair by her. Ethan needs to get to the ring right before he goes in or he'll bark his silly damn head off. Now, the real challenge is me sitting calmly for that half hour. Perhaps I should knit ringside...hmmm....

Anyway, we went reserve again today. I was so out of it I don't even know who won, except she was in open. Kayla came second in class to her. Digger won WD and BOW. Truman won BOB.

Nikki looked terrific in group...poor Carolyn couldn't hear us clapping...well, I guess it was just me and Debbie Berry and Debbbie's goldie friend, but we really were clapping. Tomorrow I've promised to hoot and holler, too. :)

Tomorrow's another day...wonder if socks will calm my nerves....

More dog or more cat?

Richelle is: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog.You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful.And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are you more dog or cat?

Portland Show

So, we didn't go yesterday due to Paul's work stuff, meaning we were up at 4;30 a.m. and on the road by 6:30 today. I'm pooped! The good news is that Savannah managed to hold herself together through most of the show, including looking for treats on the judge. She won her class again, so we were off to winner's again. She did great in winner's...until the judge put us at the front and asked us to go around again, that is. Then the bad news....at that point, she sort of had her usual fall apart...she was too busy turning around trying to figure out why all the other dogs were behind her, which made her hippity hoppity, and we blew it. We got RWB, so not a total loss, but we blew it.

I can't be too upset. It was only her fifth show and ninth time in the ring (if you count sweeps at Nationals). Counting sweeps, she's won her class 6 of 9 times. And now she has her first reserve and it was a major reserve. Not too bad. We just have some kinks to work out. Silly girl! Our smaller, more private handling class on Wednesday helped a lot, too. I think I'll ask if we can go first next week, just to get her used to it. The Petsmart maulings have made her more interested in visiting strangers in search of treats. I may even try to sneak her in for a half day at work next week. We're getting there!

I musta jinxed it!

There hasn't been enough sun to get good pictures of my lace shawl. Dang it!

In other news, I think I may have found a dog sitter. This means there may actually be a time when Paul and I can go to Alaska to see the folks. Yippee!!!

Catch up

I've said it before, but I suck at this blog thing...and keeping up on other people's blogs and keeping up on email. Sorry to all of you!!! I just spent three hours trying to catch up on blogs alone. Good grief! I think I've got something of a handle on what's been happening now, at least...missed birthdays and all!

Things have been busy, busy, busy here. The hubby is working insane amounts, but hopefully it'll be well worth it in the long run. Work for me is not only busy, but odd and changing and uncomfortable, but I don't want to go into that here. Suffice it to say that my job is safe, though my duties may change down the road. I hope that will be for the better, too, but we shall see. Sure wish we had air conditioning at work, no matter how things are other ways!

Knitting...I've been knitting...A LOT! I finally finished the second gigantic sock (see older post) and the Tuscany shawl from "No Sheep for You" in bronze Handmaiden Sea Silk...pictures of that will go up if the sun is cooperative tomorrow. Love how it looks...on smaller people. Tempted to take the cast off out and add another skein, but it's some damn expensive, yet wonderful, yarn, so it'll wait awhile. I've started Sally's Favorite Summer Top out of Sally Melville's "The Knit Stitch" in SWTC Bamboo. It's amazing how light and cool and airy bamboo yarn is. Lovely! And I got sucked into Melanie's Mystery Stole 3 by the Yarn Harlot (or, perhaps, Stole Pimp would be a more appropriate name for her these days, since 2400 people joined the group after she posted about it...Enabler!!! :) It's coming along, but I chose difficult yarn and I'm using beads and I've only knit a year and a half, so.... We shall see! Planning a pair of Jaywalkers by Grumperina in Socks that Rock mill ends (I think it was Watermelon Tourmaline that got too fuscia in the pink) that I got at Black Sheep Gathering and have some other projects in mind, but no super firm plans at this point. I've become such a knitting geek! I can't wait for the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival! I plan to spend the entire Saturday there, shop first, then take a class, hopefully. Too fun!!!

The dogs are wonderful! Ethan is starting to regard Savannah as a full, if junior, pack member and they get along fine...even in the house. The only issue we have is if I'm sitting in "my" chair...both would like to "own" me. So I move around a lot or sit somewhere else and all is well. Dogs are weird!!! It's just nice to have my darling, sweet Efa back. We've got all Ef's winter weight off and he looks really good, if somewhat hairless. Libby's losing again, too...still Libby, but she can gain weight by looking at food, like me.

Then there is Savannah. She really is an awfully pretty little puppy. Shedding like crazy now, but very pretty. We decided after Canby that she needs more "odd situation" training than show training right now. We're taking her lots of places and giving people treats and asking them to maul her. She's gone to handling class, just to be mauled...I knew people there would really grab her. She's been to Petsmart a few times...the last time was really good, because we basically did our own handling class while a puppy class was happening. Tons of distractions and she had to pay attention to me and did well at it. She went to work one day when I was on vacation...we were there nearly three hours total and she must have seen 40 or 50 different people and been in five different office areas. It's been very good for her. I think we'll take her out to Petsmart for a crazy Saturday tomorrow and really get her some exposure. We'll go back to actual handling training this week, too. We'll do the EKC class on Tuesday that we usually go to and then a private class with another instructor at her house on Wednesday. She's hoping to pull a small group together, so we can pretend we're doing classes and winners'. Savannah's okay in classes, if there aren't too many distractions, but she falls apart by winners'. Little brat!!! So, we'll work on all of that. We're showing in Portland (probably daytripping - ugh!), then Roseburg (definitely daytripping), then Eugene (woo hoo, home show!). Keeping our fingers crossed!!!!

Phew!!! Long update!!! More soon, I hope!

Quickie Post of Pictures from Canby

Up too late again tonight after having taken Sillyvannah to handling class and Petsmart. We decided she needs more socialization after Canby. She's a bit cautious and a little easily spooked, so we took her around and asked people to maul her. I think it went well and both were very good experiences to strengthen her bravery in other places. She's a normal pushy corgi girl at home, but she gets a bit overly cautious and doesn't mind having a talk about it when she's out and about. And she decides who can and who cannot maul her...touch her places other than head and neck...which must change. Thanks to Auntie Kim, the Camera Jedi, for capturing the bucking wild thing while Gramma Kim was trying to stack her.

Below there are pictures of the group wearing Union Jack pins to honor Trooper at Canby. This weekend when I have a bit more time, I'm going to put a copy and a pin in a card to send to Troop's family to let them know we care and loved him. If any of you wizards can photoshop Paul and Savannah from the second picture into the first picture, everyone will look great.

Finally, there are a couple pics we took of Savannah the week prior to Canby...prior to bath and grooming. She'll be 11 months old on Saturday the 30th.

Not much happening...thank goodness

Sometimes I think I have such a boring life and sometimes I think I have such a busy life. Today, I just think I have a pretty good life. Sure, I don't much like work these days, but I'm in too good of a mood to go into a lot of detail about why. It's busy there this time of year with one group finishing and the other starting over the summer, but I know the calm for me is just around the corner. And, if all goes well, maybe in a year or two (or less) I'll be looking at different "work" type things to do, anyway.

Paul and I had a lovely time getting soaked yesterday...a truly Eugenian time, I think. We went to Saturday Market, even though it was raining, and had a lot of fun. It was nice just to get out...yes, I actually left the house to go somewhere other than a dog show on the weekend! :) We meandered around for a couple hours, bought some tie-dye (very Eugene), some fresh veggies, some chocolate, some street vendor food...all wonderful...wet, but wonderful! Another shocking thing we did? We watched a movie! I know, not too exciting for most people, but we actually used the tv for something other than Halo 2 on XBox and DVRed versions of "Knitty Gritty." That's pretty amazing for us!

I didn't go see the Yarn Harlot in Portland on Friday...thus the boring part...but I'm glad I missed the busy-ness that would have brought, not to mention the late night drive that it also would have entailed. I've knit quite a bit, but not tons, I've listened to some podcasts, but not hours worth, and I've bought some books, but with gift certificates so they were "free." I'm plotting in my mind how wonderful Black Sheep Gathering will be, but don't really mind that I'll be sharing that weekend between it and a dog show in Canby.

Speaking of the dogs, they've had a terrific weekend. They've had long walks each day, they've been very cooperative and happy around each other, and there hasn't been even the slightest idea that they might be otherwise. Libby has been cuddly and easy going and not as hard-headed as usual. She adores both Ethan and Savannah and has a great time playing with either one. As we sat on the porch together today, I admired the white hairs where she's greying early around her muzzle. Funny how fast time moves! Ethan, who most of you only hear the bad about, has been a perfectly happy, well-adjusted, sweet, cooperative boy all weekend. He's down about 3 lbs from Nationals, he's lost a lot of hair, but isn't naked, and I think he's beautiful. He's really been into smiles, woo woos and hugs this weekend, not to mention playing with Savannah...in the yard AND in the house. Savannah has been her silly, goofy, adoring, cuddly self. She's really good at finding ways to try to injure herself...must be a cardi puppy. She's such a goofball, yet there are times when she'll stand and look at you, just regal as can be. Her brindle pointing really stands out on her neck now. She hasn't shed much, but she doesn't look fluffy, either. A bit long in places, but not fluffy. She truly is a dog in the most loyal sense of the word.

I guess the word to sum it all up for the weekend (except for Paul on Halo!) would be peace.

More Knitting

Here is one big sock. It's for my size 13 footed husband. One big sock down and another one to go. This is done in Lorna's Laces Motherlode colorway. I guess I got a couple of vintage skeins from a woman on eBay, because the colorway was handwritten on the wrapper band. This is a pattern I sort of made up using a basic sock pattern with two circs. One down one more to go. The color is more true on the ones that the flash didn't go off on.

The next pictures are the diagonal rib scarf out of the Artfibers Alfabeto that I got in SF and mentioned in an earlier post. It's still a work in progress...pretty slow going since it's also in fingering weight yarn.

Finally, this is a work in progress that's been in progress for awhile. It's a Wings of the Swan scarf/stole out of Traditional Knitted Lace. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock merino mill ends I got on eBay, so I'm not sure of the name of the colorway. I think it may be African Grey, but I'm not positive. Computer monitors are so weird! It's not blocked yet, since it's a little less than half done. It should spread quite a bit when I do block it, I think. Wouldn't really know for sure, since it's my first lace project, but that's what the books say it will do. :)

Paul's biiiiiig sock - the ball on the left is all that's left, the ball on the right is a whole ball. Good thing he likes the tops short!!!

More true to life color of the sock on this cuff detail

Heel and gusset detail

Diagonal rib scarf in progress

Close up of this lovely, shiny silk blend yarn

Wings of the swan with flash...

and without (more real life color than flash)...

Close up detail

Super close up detail

Drifting Dreams Jacket for Ida on Ample Knitters

Here are some photos of my finished version of the Drifting Dreams Jacket from Just One More Row. The first is me in the jacket on BART headed to San Francisco during my trip to the area last week...I just had to prove I knitted on the trip! Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I don't have any pictures showing the whole jacket on me, but these will give an idea. The following pictures are stitch detail. It's amazing how much maneuvering there was for each stitch, particularly with the "in next 3 sts work (p3tog, yo, p3tog--all in same 3 sts)", but I think it came out pretty well, considering it's my first ever sweater. I made it out of Elann Sonata (100% mercerized cotton) in the vineyard colorway. I made it longer and made the sleeves longer. I think I went a bit overboard on the length of the sleeves, but the added length to the bottom of the jacket was a must.

What's in a name?

One of the people I used to work in the same office with is also one of my dog friends. We call her Libby's fairy dogmother, because she's the one who connected us to the people who led us to Libby. Anyway, we'd been emailing back and forth a bit today when she invited me to lunch with some of the other people who used to be in my office and a new hire from their office. The newest secretary's name is Genevieve, which makes her only the second one I've ever met in person after my sister, Genny, also Genevieve.

Walking on the way to the restaurant, she mentions how interesting it is that my sister's name is Genevieve, because she has a sister named Rachelle...yup, just one letter off from mine. We laugh a bit at the coincidence, then she jokingly says, "You wouldn't happen to have a sister named Sarah, too, would you?" She thinks this is impossible, I know she does, but I have to tell her that I do, in fact, have a sister named Sara without an h. How bizarre is that? My name is Richelle and I have a sister named Genevieve and a sister named Sara. Her name is Genevieve and she has a sister named Rachelle and a sister named Sarah...too weird!!!

So, we get to the restaurant and, of course, my friend and I are talking dogs, which brings the topic around to Genevieve. She also has a dog and asks what kind mine are. I tell her Cardigan Welsh Corgis. Her mouth drops open and she says, "No way!" I'm not sure why she's so surprised until she confesses that her dog is also a Corgi...a Pembroke. Okay, so now we have the same unique names among the sisters in our families and we both have corgis. To top it off, she wants to join our knitting group to learn to knit.

Weird!!!

Artfibers in San Francisco

One major highlight of the San Francisco trip for me was riding the BART from Pleasanton to a station just one and a half blocks from Artfibers in the financial district. It isn't a large yarn shop and you certainly won't find anything here that isn't special. They only sell their lines of yarn that are either made by them or specially made for them. The things you can find here, you can't get anywhere else. And it's incredibly amazing stuff!!! Very mind boggling, but wonderful! If I ever have to go back to SF, even as a layover for a flight, I'll make sure I have plenty of time to go back to Artfibers, though I'm sure I'll order online in the meantime. The woman who helped me was terrific, friendly, and helpful! The patterns were lovely...wish I'd had the money to get a sweater custom designed, but we'll save that for next trip...they design for free, if you buy the yarn there to make the design.


I didn't get much, considering it was the end of our stay, but I got some very interesting things. Here is the color of Alfabeto (76% silk 19% superkid mohair 5% wool) I got...

And here is the stitch pattern (diagonal rib stitch) I'm using with it to make a slim scarf...

Another yarn I got was Tsuki (silk 40% superkid mohair 60%). It looks almost black in the picture, but it's really a vibrant dark electric blue...

And here is what I plan to make out of it...

Finally, I got some lush Big Bunz (90% angora, 10% nylon). Super, super soft and gotta love the name. I think I'll do a small cable scarf with it...really wanna make that angora sweater some day...

Anyway, a great, great place! Check them out at www.artfibers.com.