Where's Totoro?

Where's Totoro, a photo by acornbud on Flickr.

It's as if the 4th member of the party had fallen off the face of the earth.

A Few FOs

It's been a nice summer here. The Golden Plover have returned, there are some nice trade winds to temper the summer heat, and the neighborhood is blooming. I'm working on stash reduction by knitting small projects. I love me some instant gratification projects! The mix of providers and staff at work is always changing along with the clientele at the military clinic where I work. Knitting keeps me sane:)

Pattern: Katrina Ribbon Cloche by Jennifer Yarn: Bernat organic cotton and Plymouth Jeannee trim. The flower is Irish Rose by Lesley Stanfield from 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet. I'm not sure where to put it. Maybe it is too fussy anyway. I hope these fit the soon to be one year old twins.

Flower baby Hat was a little modification with a granny type flower on top and single croched brim. The pattern is top down.

Pattern: simple slouchy hat by Julie Weisenberger from cocoknits Yarn: Cascade 128, one skein heather-ed purple Needles: 6 and 10. I CO for the large but knit the small length as I did not want too much slouch. I also tied the points together on the inside. This is a very nice basic hat. I knit rather tightly, or the Cascade 128 is not bulky enough to get gauge for this pattern. Of course that is just conjecture, as I rarely check gauge

I found some cherry buttons from Anthony's Wood Shop on Etsy. They were more rustic then I expected from the description so I sanded them a bit more and waxed them as they were sticking to my yarn. They complete Polwarth Stormy Lace Cowl quite nicely.

Pattern: My own. Slip stitch 3x3 rib with i-cord edges Yarn: Grace Hand Dyed by Louisa Harding Yarns, 3 skeins

I used some large coconut buttons to finish the cowl off. I made 4 stitch buttonholes following the Knitting Help Youtube Video
Really fun socks with KnitPurlGurl's Watermelon self-striping yarn with seeds.

I used her pattern as well for the "DEPA" socks (as the Major Knitter likes to call them)
Happy Knitting!

Red Alert

Tart Tosh Hat
Pattern:  Brambles Beret by Amanda Muscha from Knitty, Deep Fall 2010
Yarn:  Madelinetosh Vintage, colorway Tart.
Needles:  4 and 6
Comments:  I made the medium band and medium length.  With this yarn and needle the had came out a bit large. I think the small band would have fit me better.  The yarn has a nice solid hand the color is awesome.The pattern is well written.  I made on error in purling two together, but the mistake is hidden between the design.

22Aug update: As discussed on the Knitting ParadiseSM - Knitting and Crochet Forum I ran a row of single crochet around the CO row, 2 sc, then skip one around. It’s still a bit loose, but improved.

Summer 2012

Travels My brother in law served 44 years in the military and 13 years as the adjutant general of the state of Washington and retired 31July2012. I had the pleasure of attending some of the festivities in Tacoma. As a brother in law, he is a fine person also beloved by nieces, nephews, pets and pretty much everyone. As a Major General, he has had quite a career and I wish him well as he goes about his next endeavors as a regular citizen.

*skip down to miss the whiny story. I was given the task of carrying the lei from Hawaii to the first party. It did not start off well as the plane was delayed 3 hours and I waited 5 hours before getting off the ground. Wouldn't you know it the one trip I decide not to bring the bulky noise-canceling headphones, I get crying toddler for 5.5 hours. The poor mom. To her credit she did not turn into a shrieking, crazed puddle of womanhood but kept her cool. What a WOMAN! It was after midnight when I hit the ground and pitch black outside. I got to the car rental place (mine closed at 11pm so I was transferred to Alamo) and proceeded to miss my on ramp and drive aimlessly from MacDonald's parking to parking lot trying to navigate with my iPhone. Note to self: Get GPS that talks to you!!! So I finally made it the 20 miles to the wonderful Hotel Murano at 2am and wouldn't you know it there was someone checking out. He took forever and while I was waiting I realized I had lost the leis. I got a sinking feeling and then felt on the verge of hyperventilation. After taking stock I realized I left the bag on the car rental shuttle. Would you believe no one answers any phone calls at the car rental place or airport at 2 am? At 8am I called lost and found. No bag. At noon I drove back to the airport to pick up my sister from Denver. No bag in lost and found:( I spoke to the rental car shuttle driver. Even with his full bus, he took the time to call his supervisor and the bag was found!!! The contents were intact and the pikake had gotten quite fragrant! I was ever so grateful to the Port Authority employees who took care of me!

My sister has a beautiful garden and bird feeder drama. I learned the cruel tale of brood parasitism. The valiant mother Junco is feeding her giant baby cowbird. The cowbird is a nomadic bird that never builds it's own nest rather it lays it's eggs in another bird's nest and the baby is raised by it's foster mother, sometimes at the expense of the mother's own babies.






I spent a few glorious days in Seattle. The weather was perfect! I ate at all my favorite places, The Palace, Lola's and Chinooks. I'm still dreaming about that wonderful Coconut Cream Pie! I also got my smoked salmon from Pike's Market and tried the small doughnut place in lieu of Top Pot. Next time I won't miss Top Pot! I tried Volterra in up and coming trendy Ballard neighborhood and Palisades.  the Volterra meal was tasty but pretty heavy.  The crab cake and view at Palisades were awesome! I also squeezed in archery, dog agility training with 16 month old Magic and a picnic in the park.

Knitting The good thing about the long delay in the Honolulu Airport was I nearly finished my scarf. The bad thing is that I completed my only project long before the trip was ended and had nothing to knit on the way back. My friends did humor me by taking me to The Fiber Gallery recommended to my by Marti. I like the size of this shop.  There was a nice selection of patterns, and yarns.  I treated myself to a skein of Madelinetosh sock

The two hats are from WestKnits 3. I made the small Dustland and Bedrock, but they both came out large for me. Guys have big heads, lol. Dustland is left over Beaverslide and the Bedrock is Malabrigo Rios. The scarf is Stormy Sky Lace Cowl by Eaden Yarns from The Stubborn Knitter knit up in handspun polwarth. I'm waiting on some cherry buttons to finish this off. I hope they match.  

Life in General I've been fighting bugs for the last 6 weeks first a cold that turned into bronchitis, then a sorethroat which I hope is finally abating. So I'm laying low, and knitting hats that don't fit anyone and it's too hot to wear and trying to be positive. (not working too well, lol) I'm going to break out the the red Madelinetosh and knit up Brambles and hope that helps. Really...I have lots to be thankful for and life is good!

Call me Your Blueness

My 3 skeins of Beaverslide did not match so I tried over-dyeing them with indigo. I had a kit of pre-reduced indigo so decided to try it out. I like the color, but even after about 5 washings, and a synthrapol rinse the color still comes off on my hands. I'm tempted to throw the yarn into Nuuanu Street to rinse out the excess dye, but the moss and the leptospirosis warnings deter me. Oh well. So of course, my sweater, which had a stripe in front where the yarn did not match also makes my hands blue. I really love the color, but reading up after the fact, I wonder if the stripe will gradually come back as the dye washes out.

It's approaching 90 here, so I won't be needing the sweater any time soon. But when I start wearing it I suppose I could be addressed as Your Blueness.

Final Day Tour de Fleece

Final Day Tour de Fleece, a photo by acornbud on Flickr.

Plied polwarth, fingering weight or so, hot off the bobbin. My time zone is 12 hours from the actual Tour and I'm not sure what the rule is, but I'm counting this in.
I'm looking forward to soaking this to see if it will bloom like my other polwarth.

This was a very enjoyable tour for me. I still don't quite get all the rules of where and what to post and how to win a prize, but the joy is in the spinning.  Perhaps the Tour de France will grow on me, too, although I really don't like seeing the crashes.  The weather was sure glorious this year.

Candy Howl

Pattern: Modified from Lion's Brand Diagonal Eyelet Cowl
Yarn: Araucania Colium Multi, #06, pinks and purples. This is a bulky single ply with 30%silk and 70%wool. It stayed together through a bunch frogging
Needles: size 13
Modifications: I just used the pattern stitch, CO 44 and finished with an i-cord bind-off. The cord is a twisted cord with poms, thread through the second row of holes from the CO edge. The pattern knits with the "bumpy" side out, but I liked the smooth side better. The cord can be gathered and word on the outside or inside.



The Tour de Fleece spinning is coming along. The second half is just going more slowly. I moved my wheel on to the carpet and now there is a funny knock from one of the peddles. I'm spinning on.

Day 19 Tour de Fleece

Day 19, a photo by acornbud on Flickr.

Since my Wild Flyer has not shipped yet, from Majacraft, I attempted some "art" yarn on my drop spindle. I spun two singles, one of the combed short pieces on mystery curly yarn, and a thinner single from some natural mill end Lambs pride base. I then try to ply the the longer curls in. Some are fairly tight but some look like they will slip out, so I'll try and fell this bit to see if they will stick.

In the background is the Polwarth in progress. The plan is to spin 4-6 oz into a two ply fingering/sport weight and save a bit for some thick and thin adventures.

TDF Day 14 and Catch Up

I finished spinning and plying my Alpaca from Upstream Alpacas around Day 12 The color is Pinot Noir. It's 3-ply except for the little bit at the top. I'm guessing is a worsted weight.

Being a-wracked with a virus and despite the day of rest, I talked myself out of starting my 8-oz braid of Polwarth. Instead I finished these little spools of odds and ends on my drop spindles. The spindles are both Bosworth's, and I dearly love spinning on them. The largest bit is some mystery wool acquired at Aloha Knitters knit night destash. While clean, it was just a big bag of disorganized fiber, so I carded some bits and spun them up, slubs and all. I may find something to ply it with eventually. The smallest bobbin is a silk hankie from Madrona, given to me by blogless Sandy. The green stuff is also a mystery, I think a silk blend. Happy Spinning!

Day 7 Tour de Fleece

I managed to ply my two strands and finish up about 195 yards of fingering weight yarn. I hope it blooms a bit after the soak. It's drying now. It may take a couple of days in this humidity. I'm not sure I like how the colors mixed or what this yarn will be. It was a a real silky treat to spin.

I finished Wingspan.

Yarn: Color Changing Cotton 50 gr by Wolle's Yarn Creations, colorway black cherry, 480 yards. Needles: size 4Mods: I kept knitting and ended up with 11 triangles. I was trying to make it black on both ends and red in the middle. The yarn was a bit tricky to knit as it is 4 cotton threads together. The scarf was quite drapey so I don't think I'll block it. The pattern is a very clever though simple to knit. I got a little bored with all the garter stitch, but it beats purling!

I spent the spinning time looking through my sparse stash for something to spin on challenge day. One bag of locks I had was quite dirty and very short. Now I know what to look for next time I buy them. I don't know if it will spin which is a shame as the fibers are very silky and shiny. I also know know I should label my purchases. I thought I would give corespinning a try. My trial piece ended up too chunky to pass through the guide on the flyer. Hmmm.

Tour de Fleece 2012 Day 2

I got off to a late start this year being mostly oblivious to things in the sports world. However, the Kaylee (Firefly inspired) SW merino from Woolen Mill Street Yarns is spinning up like a dream! These colors are a real departure from my usual gloomy choices, but the hot pink is such a happy color! My goal is to spin a fingering-sport weight 2-ply that is less dense then my usual spinning, and to make the singles more consistent in diameter. I wanted to to do sock yarn, but I've read pure merino does not wear very well. I'm not sure what this happy yarn will be. Perhaps a striped shawl as I have some green that may match.

My worsted-bulky 2 ply SW merino/seacell from dyeing for color, is waiting to be dyed. I spun this up before the Tour so can't really count it in. Friday will be the day it gets dyed. The fiber on this was shorter then some merino I've spun. I was going for fatter singles and the thick-thinness of my singles was much more pronounced then on the thinner singles.

Practice practice practice.

Bangle Day

Blogless Mieko came over today to do some soldering. I made the ones on the right using the fusing technique and she made the ones on the left including the goldfilled one. The puka shells were collected ages ago by sistah Rita in Makaha. We did not have pickle made up and don't know if shells go in pickle so the pieces were polished by hand.

Quilt Topper #3

For this topper I wanted pinwheels and I found a nice you tube on Fast and Easy Pinwheels from the Missouri Quilt Company. 



I miscalculated cutting so my pinwheels came out larger then I envisioned.  Not to worry!  Kaimuki Dry Goods had some great larger star and striped fabric!  I behaved myself while in there and stuck to the project in mind.  Yeah, right!

For the binding I found some matching fabric in stash and a video that demonstrated an easy way to join the ends by Marci Baker of Alicia's Attic. This quilt was my practice quilt for free motion quilting straight lines. Leah Day, of DayStyle Designs makes it look so easy! Yikes! This was very hard for me. Washing the quilt helped some, but don't zoom in too close on the actual quilting! The back tells the story of my meandering ways, lol. Marking the quilt or having printed lines only helped a little and the little thread bumps on the back mark my many moments of hesitation. Still, it's ready for July 4 and I like how it came out, especially from a distance.

Totoro at the MiniQ in Aiea

I chanced by this anime store in Aiea full of wonderful minis including some Ghibli characters. Hello Kitty was dressed up in many costumes.

I love MiniQ.

To NYC and Back AGain

Beware the long post.  

I've been thinking about the highlights of my trip.  NYC is quite a town!  I stayed in Times Square which is full of taxis and travelers from all over the word, as well as the touristy sellers of trinkets and things.  The Met was amazing as was the performances of the Wagner Ring Cycle.  After 4 different operas, each 4-5 hours long (during which I was not allowed to knit, lol) I'm opera-ed out for a while.

More pictures of my trip are on flickr.  

I really enjoyed meeting a couple I met on the Internet over 10 years ago.  It is a rare pleasure to meet with Internet acquaintances, and it was such a nice visit.

I didn't get to see the whole park, but Central Park is a lovely lovely place.  This is the Literary Walk lined with statues of authors and gently curving trees. 

I loved Grand Central Terminal.  The cool ceiling of stars is hard to see through the lens of a small point and shoot camera.    I could spend days looking at all the great details of this wonderful building.  

A co-worker kept egging me on to go to the Hungarian Pastry Shop and I'm glad I did!  My strudel got a bit smashed, but it was delicious! I lust for the baklava I didn't get still.  Aah, the pastry not eaten.   Across the street was St. John Divine.  It had a garden to sit and eat lunch in with funky statues. 

There were so many cool things, I'll just have to go back one of these days. 

Prior to my visit to NYC I hooked up with my college roommate in New Jersey  I had not seen her in person for more years then I care to mention.  Though so many years have passed, it was amazing how we liked similar TV shows and music, and how talking was so easy.  She had me stay in her renovated guest room, which at first glance was very patriotic, but then on second glance the theme was the University of Kansas!  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!! She was hostess with most-est! I can tell she still misses the wide open spaces and pace of the prairie.  We share some great memories of when we were young and foolish, and good times with her family in Salina, Ks.  Her dog Razzi, a well-mannered rescued giant lab requested some kerchiefs.  I got to practice rolled hemming on my serger.  There is a learning curve, yes there is.  Baby Sister requested some yoga headband, too.  Yay!  I get to use up some fabric stash!

The clasp breaks away Razzi should step on it or get it caught on something.

I hope it fits Razzi.


I visited one yarn store in NYC, the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. The fiber creation in the window was a Picassoesque woman knitting.  Very cool.  It has all the Lion brand yarns so I got some Amazing to try out.  I was going to crochet the scarf they had on display  but went with a hat instead.

Pattern:  Urban Chullo, from Lion Brand Just Hats. Colorway Olympia, one skein
Hook:  Size J
Mods: none
Comments.  My ear flaps came out too long.  The yarn has some wool in it and is quite fuzzy, which makes it a bit sticky to frog.  It feels nice and soft. 

I also knit a pair of fingerless mitts. 

Pattern:  Wine and Roses Mitts by JoLene M. Treace from Interweave Knits, Winter 2006
Yarn:  Little Knits Indie 2
Needles: size 2
Mods:  none
Comments:  This little bit of lace gave me some fits.  The pattern is definitely correct, I just can't count.    The yarn held up to much abuse and feels very soft.  

I spun up my first braid of alpaca from Upstream Alpaca, colorway Emerald.  I was a bit hesitant after reading up on spinning alpaca, but this stuff was a real pleasure to work with.  I was going for a 3 ply worsted and I think it's close. What will it be?

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The big project is the sewing room organization.  When I got my new sewing table I had to rearrange the space.  My homemade ironing table did not fit.  My bobbins were driving me crazy and the fabric was out of control. 
I found some great ideas surfing the Internet (hmm perhaps less surfing and more actual work would be more productive?)

1.  Bobbin taming with plastic tubing.  I will cut it a bit wider and it should fit fine.
2.  Bobbin taming with plastic binding combs.  I found some of this at Fisher Hawaii for only 9 cents each.  The 5/8 inch one seems to fit my bobbins. 

I'm going to see which one works best for me. 

3.  How to fold fabric.  This is a great idea, but knowing me, I'll still be stuck with crumpled up little pieces of fabric too good to throw away. 

4.  Which leads to, what to do with all those small pieces of fabric.  I liked this idea of ironing and cutting those small pieces into charm squares.

5.  And to make my new mini-ironing board I followed this video.  

Mine came out pretty good.  Home Depot cut a piece of scrap wood for me for free! Woohoo!  I found a piece of wool fabric in stash and a bag I rescued from the Goodwill bag fit over the whole thing as cover perfectly!

I have uncovered several UFO's in my fabric stash.  Hopefully they will be done or frogged this year! 

My next trip will be to Washington State for the BIL's retirement.  I hope to get to Little Knits and have some Top Pot doughnuts!




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Impressions of NYC