Thursday's Sky, and Two scarfs

I actually did finish another project on the road...Trinity, traveling vine scarf is done. The pattern looks good on both sides, imo.

When I ordered the STR on impulse, I didn't ask about the difference between medium and light weight, and ordered the medium weight which was way too thick for socks. I started the Here and There Cables scarf from Wrap Style, but cast on 18 stitches less then recommended on size 6 needles, ending up with a very narrow, thick and somewhat stiff "neck sock". It somehow does not seem appropriate for a scarf, but between the color and the wonderful pleasure of the yarns feel, smell and and color (County Clare), I just can't stop knitting this.

Today's sky at dusk made into a mosaic with Flickr Toys, just because it's so much fun. The moon shot was "enhanced" with automatic photo fix. It is amazing how all this sky action goes on simultaneouly!

Thursday's Sky
Originally uploaded by acornbud.

I had a fun night with the Aloha Knitters stitchin' and bitchin'. Knitting is way better the booze, heh. No hangover and we still are witty, philosophical and funny:) but we plan to try both booze and knitting soon!

Vacation, how sweet it is!

Being at home and still on vacation is the best! I started a new book, "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts, recommended by my sister, I have cleaned out two closets and worked a little on the mildew solution, and I get to reflect on my trip and enjoy all the pictures I took. I am posting most of it on my other blog Not Another Hareball starting with the 9/23/06 post, and there is more to come.


I did succumb to the Amy Butler brouhaha. It was purely to support the Coupeville quilt shop, The Sundown Quilt Shop I swear! Now I have to think about getting the sewing machine out, sigh.


I made the Kureyon Kozy from the silk garden left over from Klarlund. My only teapot has a handle 90 degree from the spout so it is modeled here by a pitcher. It's kind of tiny, and I haven't figured out the closure. It was a fun quick knit even with the unmatched sides.


I actually took time to shop and cook since I am off and made Gypsy Soup from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. I used kale, butternut squash and tomatoes. It is quite hearty and sweet.

A Fantastic Knit Coat

I met a creative and beautiful self proclaimed "free form knitter" on my trip and she modelled her fantastic creation. This coat is knit of multiple yarns and is soft and luxurious to touch and just the ticket for a cool almost fall day. The collar is alpaca and just sets the whole thing off. She looked amazing in it. This woman is talented!

Believe it or not, I actually read two whole books on the trip. I also got introduced to Sudoku and burned up a lot of erasers:). I found a copy of Knitting on the Road, on my last walk through the Barnes and Nobles Knitting section, so I figured it was karma and bought it. I visited Prairie Lights , a cool independent book store in Iowa City.

Pink in Wildefoote Elderberry

Pink in Wildefoote Elderberry
Originally uploaded by acornbud.

All very nice you say, but what about the knitting? The Knitting Tree is under new ownership. There was no wall of Koigu and no Trekking, but they had a pile of Malabrigo that I lusted after. In the end again, I could not decide on a colorway, but I did take away some lovely Koigu. Since I know everyone is here for the yarn porn and not the travelogue, here they are, along with the Koigu from Weaving Works in Seattle, on the second leg of my trip.


I have to confess, I only finished one project on the road, Pink in Wildefoote, Elderberry. I wore these before washing and blocking as it was chilly for this Hawaiian up north.



Yikes I messed around with flicker and now all the comments are gone! Waaah.

If they shear those sheep, don't they get cold in the winter?

My creation
Originally uploaded by acornbud.

There is no place like home, but visiting friends and family while on vacation is pretty durn close! I had a great time visiting, eating, shopping, sightseeing and did I mention eating?

Fist stop was Wisconsin to visit my sister and her husband in Madison.

The Wisconsin Sheep Breeder Co-op has a fall festival and my sister and I took the beginning spinning class. We were in Denise Curry's Saturday morning class (I don't see us in the picture but I think there are two of the afternoon class, and none of ours, so no sense looking:) We used a PVC, two treadle wheel made by Nels Wiberg. Read his story in the May/June 2006 issue of Sheep Magazine . It was tough trying to pedal and draft at the same time. I got a better feel of how the wool drafts out, but made another curly ball of yarn. I didn't have much time to go around to see the vendors, but I got my niddy noddy and a drop spindle starting kit from a pretty lady in a bonnet at the Mielkes Farm booth. I found some Trekking but only a few colors color so I had to pass. I hovered over some lovely cobweb lace yarn, but again couldn't decide on a color, alas. We went around the and saw the sheep, llama and alpaca. I somehow thought sheep were much smaller then they were in person. Back home I tried out the drop spindle and the yarn looks a bit more like yarn now, but the skein is not growing very fast. If I was responsible for clothing my family for the winter, they'd all freeze. We'd have to sleep with the sheep in the barn! They look pretty warm and cuddlly except for the naked ones that had been shorn. I hope they get to spend winter in a warm barn because the canvas sweaters they had one didn't look too warm. I'll have to go back another year and learn more about these sheep since I'm getting a bit worried about them running around out there without their coats!
I resisted the temptation to take up needle felting, but I saw some very cute critters made by that technique. Hmm and there were classes, too!
My sister is an exercise devotee. I packed my gym clothes in case of rain, but the first day it was was balmy in Madison so we walked around the Pheasant Branch Conservatory That afternoon the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and it was cool and cloudy when we drove to Iowa City to visit my niece and also when we drove to Chicago to see King Tut. I am sorry to say mapquest didn't help us in our drive through the Windy City! Since my other niece was on call we decided to drive back and experienced the gridlock around Ohare Airport. But, we made it back alive!

Wisconsin, here I come!

As I get ready for this trip, the things on my mind are, what knitting to take, what size needles, and what patterns.
Do I take minimal stuff and just buy as I go? Shall I take Rogue, bulky project that it is? How many fingerless gloves do I really need to knit? They just seem the perfect size project for the road.
I wound the STR into a ball, so that is definitely going and I have the Pink restarted on size 1s to go. I have a few patterns in a folder ready to travel with me. And what about Omiyage ?...my sister said not to bring her anything, but if I don't will I be riddled with guilt? (she already has fingerless gloves;)

My other thoughts involve my gadgets. The trusy Neuros mp3 player is charged. Do I need the Ipod Shuffle, too? My spanking new Palm TX has two movies and it's one month of free T-mobile wi-fi. My camera battery is charged, but do I need the charger? And my phone, too.Then of course there is the electric toothbrush. Do I take it or not. Do I hand carry all my chargers or pack them in the bag? Decisions, decisions.

I never left this rock until I went off to college. My parents did not take me off to school to get me started. Just my mom and friends saw me off to Iowa at the airport. My big sister and her husband were in school in Iowa, and drove me down to Kansas and got me settled. Getting prepared to travel didn't seem like such a big thing back then. Oh for those carefree days of youth!


Shetland Triangle, my first completed knit lace shawl, modelled here by yellow Teletubbie. Not the best photo, but finding the right light to show off the pattern in this dark yarn was a real challenge and blogger flipped it sideways again. I tried the photo in the mirror trick as my photographer was "too busy".(Bah) but that didn't work out. I made it too small. I expected it to stretch a lot more, but it was an encouraging project in the end, and who knows what lovely lace weight I will find on the road? And, of course there is the lovely Jaggerspun Zephyr calling me from The Knitter.com in many lucious colors.



The coffee beans across the road are turning red.

The cloudy days continue to produce spectacular sunsets and as the sun sinks slowly in the West, (tee hee), I mean as the sun sinks slowing in the West!!!
the Acornbud is leaving the desktop. Happy knitting to all you wonderful bloggers and commenters! See you in a couple of weeks.