What's wrong with this picture?

Looks like a sock. Smells like a sock. Should be a sock, or anklet, I should say. Paton's Denim Kroy. Destined to be an only sock. I ventured into the sock world after seeing the wonderful and amazing self striping yarn. Well no, I didn't make a gauge square. Now I have pretty small feet, but this sock wouldn't fit an oompaloompa.

Knitting Noro Silk Garden spoiled me. The number 2 needles are so tiny.

But hey, that's a d*mn fine fish!

Hello little fishies

I couldn't talk myself out of this book with the little goldfish

Clapotis of a jewel tone sort

Clapotis is done and it was actually cool enough to try her on! It was cloudy and overcast though, so I couldn't get a very good picture. Sigh. Well as it was adored in public at Stitch in Bitch last night, I won't worry about it. The colors make wonderful background, though.

I swapped some pastel blues for a skein of hot pink Blue Sky Cotton. Thanks keohinani!

Thanks to candsmon's suggestion I hope my comments won't get spammed by bots anymore.

Just after I had talked my self out of getting a swift, Mizuna threw gasoline on the fire. Since my morning took me to Kailua, and since I knew there was no point in calling Isle Knits, since mizuna got the last one, AND, my net searching did not produce one that I couldn't live without, I decided to check out Strictly Christmas.

Sylvia Kruse has the perfect job. She is able to get whatever books and magazines she wants, any yarn she wants, and it's always Christmas. Well, and Halloween, too, as the little figurine shows. I had to have him because he is standing on a candy corn. I walked in the door and muttered "swift", and as if by magic, she just happened to be winding some yarn on a swift. Is that karma, or what?

She offered to let me try hers any time, so I might cart my Lush off to wind into balls one of these days. She also has an electric ball winder attached to it. Her yarn is mostly geared toward lei making, eyelash stuff and Canadiana, but there were some interesting "feels" there.

I love this little corner of Kailua. The bakery next door makes great oatmeal raisin cookies, and Ace Hardware is just 1/2 block away.

Noro Silk Garden Diagonal Scarf Done!

The Noro Silk Garden is all knit up. Here is diagonal scarf adorning my hypo-allergenic cat. The pattern had a "turn" on the second ball that I left out. I wish I had spent more time examining the sample at the shop, but big sister was ready to move on. I decided it looked just fine continuing on with random stripes, so here is is.

Clapotis is nearly done, just needs blocking. The ends are tucked in. Hope to get the photos up tomorrow.

Waiting for Silk Garden, Contemplations of a Serial Knitter

While I'm waiting for my Silk Garden to come so I can complete Clapotis, I contemplate my next project. Do I wind those Lush skeins into balls in preparation for the Lace Cardigan? Which yarn should I use for my first sock...the Patons Denim or the Mango Unknown? What sock pattern should I use? Do I dig out the ancient but no forgotten UFO, lace shawl and start the dread edge?

Or should I work on something else. Tatting? The photo is some hankies I got while traveling. I simply adore tatting. It's really miniature macrame. After hours of knotting and in my case unknotting, the product is dainty and very tiny.

Or should I work on reducing my bead stash.

Or heaven forbid, should I clean my house!

Big Bangle Workshop

I took Big Bangle Workshop and thought I was going to make the bracelet in the picture. I signed up for this class on the spur of the moment and was surprised to find that it was going to be more of a create your own design deal. For the left brain person that I am, the news caused a bit of anxiety, especially when it was recommended that I choose and uneven number of beads and have an asymmetric design. Yikes!

Well the new me is flexible (hah, trying at least). As the picture shows, I did fall back to the usual blue, but my creation is certainly asymmetric.

I thank My Little Mochi for photo tips and links. I will read the manual for my camera, use natural light, and take many views. The back ground is a hint of Clapotis.

Diagonal Scarf

Noro Silk Garden is just so fun to knit. I love the way the colors and the thickness of the yarn varies. I get to use an end stitch, too! My Clapotis is on hold while more skeins of Noro Silk Garden 8 are being mailed. Ho hum, maybe I'll have to sew in some ends, ugh, in the meantime.

I got the yarn at
Fibers, Etc.
11922 A Street South
Tacoma, WA 98444, 253.531.3257

They had many colors and the pattern came free with purchase:)

Another Beading Day

Whew it was another hot day and was I happy to get invited back for another beading day in my friends wonderful, air conditioned home. I was thinking I would have to go see a movie or sit in Mocha Java (which is always so cold!) and knit. I made a bunch of earrings and a few bracelets, too. I'm trying to reduce my stash and get ready for a small sale. I like to use natural materials, but the lower priced items seem to sell better so it's a good way to purge those glass beads. I finally was able to use up some of those gold beads which were such a good deal at Shipwreck Beads in Olympia.

I was going to make some fruit bracelets, but alas, forgot the seed beads for the base, and really, the thought of threading those tiny needles did not thrill me. They will keep for another day.

I also knit a few rows on Diagonal Scarf. It's Noro Silk Garden, color 34.

Lakeside Fibers

My sister took me to Lakeside Fibers again and I enjoyed this spacious, abundant yarn and weaving shop. My Tacoma sister is very into this apple green color and it really works for her. She had fallen in love with a wonderful sweater/coat at the Puyallup Fair, made of hand spun Alpaca. The finished sweater was out of my price range $700 and I caressed the yarn with lust, but didn't get it (phew I'm not obsessing over that one). Well it must be karma, but I saw this Lush sweater in this lovely green angora/wool in Lakeside Fibers and have this project on the to do list. It is fulled slightly. I will have fun finding the perfect button.

The yarn is so soft and cuddly. Sometimes when the weather is "Kona", (kona means leeward or South) and the trade winds stop bringing stormy or hot sticky weather like now, I wish I lived in the cool Pacific Northwest and could make use of such a sweater.

More pictures of Lakeside Fibers

Port Townsend, Washington

Port Townsend is a neat little town on the north end of of the Olympic Peninsula. It is home to The Wooden Boat Festival

The boats are nice, yes, but what about yarn? I stopped by The Twisted Ewe, a shop for spinners and knitters. I bought some short dp needles for socks. I asked about the circular type, but the they had only one set, and the proprietor was not that keen on using them, preferring the "old" way. She showed me the yarn and without batting an eye, I bought it. Well somewhere along the way, the label got lost. I believe it is wool/nylon. I haven't given up on finding the label. The skein also has come apart a little, and may be a challenge to wind. It is a pretty outrageous color. It may be related to Kiri

Where do I get Beads in Hawaii?

I get beads lots of places. I buy old jewelry at the swap meet to recycle and my sisters also find stuff for me. I also buy beads from Ben Franklin and the Honolulu Craft Supply. I love Fusion Beads in Seattle and my friends and family indulge me when I travel. I got hooked on Isis lampworked beads at the Pike's Street Market years ago, too.

My favoritie places in Honolulu to buy beads, in no particular order are:
Bead It. The trunk shows and half off pearls, and also their half off crystals at the Best Bead show are really great for the basics such as findings and fillers.

Dac's Beads. Alethia Donathan makes very beautiful lampworked beads.

The Bead Gallery. Jamie and Jason are great teachers and have a wonderful, colorful, inspirational shop. I love their silver workshops.

Bella Beads. Karen and Brad are both great people and have wonderful classes like the flower wire bracelets. They have the best selection of angel parts and fruit beads. Their friends make wonderful finished jewery for purchase and for ogling.

The Best Bead Show. This show is coming up and is very dangerous for me to attend as I too often find semiprecious stones that I can't resist.

Global Village. This little shop in Kailua also attends the Best Bead Show and I've purchased nice findings from them as well as some cute beads.

The bottom line about beads is that no one place will have everything everytime and well that's just another excuse to shop often!

Addendum:
Creations By You
and Crystal A1.
These are two other places to go for beads.

I've been tagged by Keohinani (Incomplete)

I got tagged...by Keohinani
i don't actually know what the questions are, so I'll just guess from the answers.

-----------------------------------------------
ten years ago: i was 44. let's see...I had just moved to of all places, Kaohinani Drive! I was till working at my job as Family Practioner, but I was at the Mililani clinic. I was doing a lot more quilting and sewing back then. I made a lot of book covers, then a family of rabbits and finished a picture quilt and my Totoro Quilt. The Totoro quilt was a group effort. 8 of us met every 6 weeks and made squares for each other's quilts. We made a ninth block for our own quilt and finished it. It was a good introduction to applique and hand quilting.

five years ago: i was 49. i was now working in Kaneohe, just a twelve minute drive from my home. What a difference that made. I started back knitting again and bought an Incredible Sweater machine. I used it mostly for making Christmas stockings.

five snacks:
-----------------------------------
-chocolate
-dried fruits, especially cherries and blueberries. These are a no-no on the Weight Watchers diet, though :(
-popcorn
-frozen yogurt, okay,well really ice cream, but I'm trying to be good!
-nuts, especially cashews

five songs I know all the words to (boy that really dates me)
------------------------------------------------
-Happy Birthday
-Star Spangled Banner
-Hawaii Ponoii (sp?)
-She Loves You
-She was Just 17

five things I would do with $100 million:
-------------------------------------------
-buy yarn, and with that kind of money, I can buy yarn for everyone!
-sell my house buy 2-3 condos around the states and/or the world so i could live part time here and there
-retire
-help friends, family and worthy causes
-it was either Booze,Bags and Bread or Beads, Espresso and Yarn.

five places to run away to:
-----------------------------------
-Kauai
-New Zealand
-Whidbey Island
-Japan
-The Mainland-there are so many places I haven't been-New York, Niagra Falls, Boston, North Carolina, Black Hills, Canada(okay I know it's not a state)

five things I would never wear:
----------------------------------
-a thong, Hah!
-pointed high heels...who ever invented them should be shot!
-bikini-too many battle scars
-anything fitted.
-fur-I would die of the heat!

five favorite tv shows:
----------------------------
-24
-Boston Legal
-Monk
-Yoshitsune
-Medium

five biggest joys:
----------------------------------------
-visiting my sisters and old friends
-my sons
-crafting, and seeing one of my creations actually being used!
-shopping. I'll be doing web searches on Shopoholics Anonymous soon
-good food
-nature

favorite toys:
-----------------------------------------
-my yarn winder
-Totoro and acorns
-my computer
-I love my poor neglected Bernina.
-


five people to pass this on to:
-----------------------------------------------------
wow this is a tough one I can't do Chris or Keohinani.
I will update this soon

Projects from the Past

I have refrained from starting any new projects since I'm leaving on a trip 9/8, so here is a project I enjoyed making in the past. During my sister's mad beanie baby addiction period, I acquired a few myself, and this squirrel was one. The sweater is New Zealand wool, knit from the top down, and while visiting my other sister in Wisconsin, I acquired the cheesehead.

He is posing on my Homespun poncho. Hmm, I have one skein left! I wonder if I can make the minisweater with it?

I have acquired a few acorns as in the picture. Acorns fascinate me to no end. They star in My Neighbor Totoro, one of my favorite movies ever, and they don't grow in Hawaii. I like to visit the Mainland in the fall when there are lots of acorns in all shapes and sizes.

An Earring Kind of Day

I escaped the heat and made earrings at a friends. She as AC!!! We ate homemade wonton for lunch and dipped mine in homemade koochijang (I'm not sure how to spell that)

The weird green things on the left are supposed to be crystal frogs. I really have to use my imagine to tell they are frogs. Hello Kitty will be a cel phone charm on just something to hang all sparkly on a bag. I have to redo it, as there is an error on the back side. I've used up all my metal wings.

And now it's a little bag

I turned the gauge swatch into a little bag. It is very heavy yarn and if I make it into a shrug, I would die of the heat! Hats and maybe a pillow might be a better use for the yarn. At least I got to use one ribbon flower and leaf from my stash from the ribbon flower period, hah!

I have become obsessed with the little fish from World of Knitted Toys but have not found the book in my usual places. I saw the fish on craftser. Could someone out there connected with Force whisper, "Knit the socks, Barb, knit the socks" please?

Yup, it's pink

Hurray, I'm on vacation now!

I managed to get the ole ISM waxed up and ready to knit. I've never used keyplate 4 before and the pink stuff actually knit up quite nicely. I measured my wingspan and it's only 36 for a 3/4 length sleeve. Hmmm, the pattern is long sleeve and 60 inches! Time to get out the ole calculator!

The swatch looks like pink camouflage. I'll be able to hide out in the Hello Kitty store and check out the cute containers and things.

What's Next?

Here is the Shoulder Warming Shrug from KangaMooKnits.com, in the varigated pink yarn. I can see my yarn is more white then pink. I am not sure I will have time to start this one before my trip and I don't plan on taking my Incredible Sweater Machine with me! I may start the Cascade Leaves Socks first in the Paton's denim sock yarn. I have yet to make a pair of socks that I wear as they always fall down, and it is way hot here! I am thinking the secret is in the yarn! I couldn't find any Opal or Regis here, which are so popular with the sock-knitting crowd. Or, I may just sit in the closet and read my knitting magazines and books or blog surf. And there those Hello Kitty toys I wanted to make...

Blog Surfing

Here's the final bag, stuffed. It doesn't look anything like the original, but boy does it stretch. I had about 1 inch of yarn as a final tail, and I really thought the handle was going to be too short. Anyway, it's a strange beast, no doubt matching my strange mood.

I went a-blog surfing yesterday and found some incredible stuff out there. There are so many creative and productive crafters out there, I am both humbled and inspired.