Snout

Gotta love that snout! However, it makes it difficult to read. See the book on the right? That's 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Stephen King and I have had a long-lasting relationship. It goes back to when I was 14. I'm sure he was much older but I instantly fell in love. I should thank my friend JoLynn, who lived across the street, for introducing us. I wish I could remember the first book she lent me. I think it was The Shining. Since then I have eagerly awaited each Stephen King book.

The latest was no exception. Even though I am a complete Kindle convert, I had to get this in the hardback version. When I am finished it will go on the shelf next to all the other Stephen King books. Like most of his books, it's really big. And thick. And heavy. It's not exactly travel-friendly. And I have a trip coming up for Christmas. So my goal is to finish before I get on that plane. I've just got to keep that snout off me when I am trying to read.

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I have completed and blocked three knitting projects. I plan to photograph them this weekend. And I'll post photos here next week.

More Cables

I continue to be fascinated with cables. I'm working on this Cranberry Capelet which has a big fat cable down the center of the front and the back. So far, so good! And using fat needles and fat yarn, this project is going quickly. I hope to have this finished by Thanksgiving for two reasons.

1. It's too bulky to take with me on my trip which involves an airplane and (hopefully) only a carry-on bag.

2. That darn Jared Flood and Brooklyn Tweed keep coming out with fabulous new yarns and patterns! I've ordered a skein of the new Loft in the color Truffle Hunt to make (er, begin) the Pei loop scarf during my vacation. I'd feel really guilty starting this if I haven't finished my capelet.

A Cowl with Cables

Ever since I learned cables are high impact but not difficult, I have been fascinated with knitting them. I decided to knit this cowl called Cream & Sugar Cowl because it has great cables, takes just one skein of sock yarn, and will be a warm winter accessory.

The yarn is Madelinetosh Sock. The color is Bark. And no, I didn't choose the color because of Lucy. She rarely barks.

Here is a self-portrait in the bathroom. I made sure to clean the mirror before I took the picture. Guess I should have smiled. I look kind of grumpy. But when I smile at myself I just look goofy. So you get grumpy instead.

I really like this cowl!

Vacation Photos

As I said, I didn't get much knitting done during my vacation. I was too busy having fun with my family, boyfriend, and dog!


Here we are hiking near Cordova Pass, somewhat near Cuchara, Colorado. Front row: me, Rene, Lucy. (Of course she went on vacation with us!) Back row: my brother and my mom.

This is me and Lucy hiking the continental divide near the crest of Monarch Pass.

Here we are near Mount Shavano near Salida, Colorado.

I was crafty, just not with yarn! In Salida I stopped at the yarn/quilt/gift store called Fringe. I bought two Moda charm packs to make a lap quilt. My mom and I arranged them in an 8 x 10 pattern that I liked. We then went to the local quilt store and found more of the same fabric which we cut out for borders. We sewed everything together and the result is this quilt top. Since this is the sum of my quilting talents, my mom (who is an excellent quilter) is finishing the quilt for me.

I had such a great time on vacation! It's just fine that the cardigan wasn't finished by the end of Camp Loopy.

Update

September is over. By now I should have posted a finished object report on my Camp Loopy project #3, the Featherweight Cardigan. The challenge for this project was to use 800 yards (or more) of yarn to make whatever you'd like between the period of August 15 to September 15. I thought this would be tough during a regular month. I went on vacation for the second half of this time period and that really cut into my knitting time. (In a good way, of course!) I did not complete the challenge but I am going to complete the cardigan.

Actually I did quite a bit of knitting in the car as we drove to Colorado but virtually none there. However I have been steadily working on it since. This picture was taken about a week ago. I am nearly finished with the ribbing around the bottom. Next, the sleeves. Then the collar.

More Botanical Knitting

"When we last left Knitter Kathy, she'd just posted photos of her Live Oak shawl. We continue her botanical knitting adventures with a Kudzu shawl."

OK, Mr. Announcer, I'll take over from here. It's not intentional, but between my Camp Loopy projects I have been knitting shawls that are inspired by flora (but not fauna). And coincidentally, flora that grows here in Houston.

This is my Kudzu shawl.

I fell in love with this when I saw it in the Classic Elite newsletter. Soon I was ordering the yarn and casting on. I'm still in love.

Here's a closeup.

I have mostly been knitting my shawls out of wool so I am familiar with the blocking of wool. This cotton/bamboo behaved totally differently. After soaking in Soak, I laid it out on the guest bed to block. I shaped and smoothed with my hands. The shawl stayed in place and didn't try to bounce back. I probably didn't need to pin it down but I did anyway.

15 Days and Counting

I'm talking about the number of consecutive days the temperature in Houston has been 100 degrees or higher.

So it'll be a while before I can wear this:

It's the Live Oak shawlette by Romi from the latest issue of Knitscene.

When cooler weather arrives, I know this will be my constant companion.

When I saw the pattern I immediately thought "fall leaves" so I found a skein of fall-leaf colored yarn in my stash. (It's Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the colorway Candlewick.) Then I looked up "live oak". We have live oaks here in Houston, but not being from here originally I did not know which oak is the live oak. Imagine how surprised I was to find out that a live oak is an evergreen oak--the leaves do not change color and fall off come autumn. So for a true live oak shawl, I should have knit this in a shade of green. I guess I have actually knit a post oak shawl.

Hugs & Kisses Mittens

I have been having fun at Camp Loopy. This time we went "Hiking in the Mountains". The goal was to make a pair of cabled socks, gloves, or mittens. I chose mittens. I picked a pair out of a book that I own, 60 Quick Knits. That itself was an accomplishment because while I buy lots of knitting books, I rarely actually knit from them. This is my first cabled project. I found that while cables look quite complicated, they really aren't. That was a surprise to me. This is also my first mitten project. I don't think it will be my last.

Got to admit, I felt a bit silly knitting mittens in 100 degree weather. But it's nice to know they'll be waiting for me when winter arrives.

The next session of Camp Loopy starts August 15. The theme is Field Day. But as of now, I don't know what that entails.

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Every time I wear these mittens, I know I will be thinking of Wilfred. I watched several episodes of the original Australian version while finishing these yesterday. I often associate certain projects with something that was going on while I knit them. For example, every time I wear a certain scarf I immediately think of knitting it in the car while on vacation. Is this weirdness unique to me, or do you experience something similar?

Hoodie Shawl -- Jo's Pride

Photographs, finally!

Way back when I joined Woolgirl's Victorian Writers Club. This is a series of knit kits inspired by Victorian literature. Sometime in April I started reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott to get ready for the kit that would arrive later in the month. When it did I was not disappointed. I eagerly began knitting Jo's Pride, or as I called it, my "hoodie shawl". I love lace and I learned a lot about incorporating beads into it. Knit, knit, knit. I finished. Shawl sat around for a while before I blocked it. Then it sat around until today when I finally asked Rene to help me with a photo shoot.

These are the results. It's nearly 100 degrees outside. I was sweating and suffering, as was my photographer! Now he's laying on the couch watching a movie. I'm going to get some iced tea and join him.

I love my hoodie shawl!

Yarn Blobbies

I often knit during lunch at work. I end up with little bits and balls of yarn on my desk. Today I arranged them on my mouse pad and took a photo (with the phone, thus the poor quality). I need to branch out from blue!

Hiking in the Mountains

I'm ready to go back to Camp Loopy tomorrow. This time I'll be hiking in the mountains as I attempt to make mittens with cables. I'll have some company since my Counting Sheep has decided to come with me to camp. He's number 55.

Between sessions of camp, I have been working on my Kudzu shawl. I've done more since this picture was taken. I'm really liking the results.

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Last Sunday I went to our local theater to see a production of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". One of the characters, an older woman, knit almost all the time she was on stage. She truly was knitting, not just waving her needles around. She seemed to be making something brown and square...maybe it was the start of a scarf. I wondered if she continued working on the same project for the run of the play. Maybe she'd end up with an actual finished object. Anyway, at one point she said, "Where is my other skein of wool?" Needless to say, she ended up murdered. This was an Agatha Christie story, after all.

Whippoorwill at Camp Loopy

This summer I went to camp. Camp Loopy, that is. I haven't been to camp since I was a 13-year-old Girl Scout and that was a long time ago. (A shout-out to Lazy Acres in Rye, Colorado!) This camp is a bit different. It's sponsored by Loopy Ewe and has three sessions. The first has the theme "Campfire Nights". Each participant made a two-colored shawl, cape, or scarf. I have wanted to make the Whippoorwill shawl (Rav link) since I saw it on a worker at my (now-closed) LYS at the beginning of the year. This was the perfect time to do it!
I'm really happy with this! Come fall (late November around here) I'll be glad to wear this.

The pattern is quite simple. It is mainly stockinette with only a few rows doing something different. The yarn I used is called JulieSpins Merino 370 (Rav link). It's very nice to work with.

As usual, blocking is the magical step that takes a project from a bit of knitted cloth to a great finished product.

Next week I'll be at camp again for the second session, "Hiking in the Mountains". I'm going to make cabled mittens. I've never made cables before. I've never made mittens before. Wish me luck!

Blue In Progress

I may not block much lately, but I do knit.


I have been working on this hooded shawlette called Jo's Pride (Rav link). It's part of Woolgirl's Victorian Writers Club. The design by Sivia Harding is inspired by the book Little Women. I read (or actually reread) the book in preparation for this knit. I really enjoyed the book. And I'm really enjoying knitting this.

4-year-old puppy

I know some people disagree, but Lucy will always be my puppy. Even though she's now four years old, she's still a puppy to me. Her birthday was last Friday. She got a dog couch! It's from L.L. Bean. She seems to like it a lot.

A Block Against Blocking

I seem to have a block against blocking. Here are two different scarves that have been done for a long time, except the blocking.

I have cleared off my blocking board. Now I need to clean my soaking sink, which also gets used by my boyfriend to brush his teeth quite often. You know how men can dirty a bathroom. So cleaning the sink will definitely be next on the list of pre-blocking tasks.

Dog-Friendly Memorial Day

A few days before Memorial Day weekend, we thought it might be fun to go somewhere for our three days off. I Googled "dog-friendly Texas vacation" and near the top of the list was a link to Canyon of the Eagles nature resort. They had one vacancy left! So we took it. This is a nice place on Lake Buchanan about 20 miles from Burnet, TX, in the Hill Country. It was pretty, peaceful, and best of all (according to Lucy) there was a big lake to play in.

Resting for a moment.

Posing with Mom.

Almost everyone at the resort brought their dog. Lucy met many of them but a couple memorable ones were Nagy and Lightning. Nagy was a fellow yellow Lab, though she was much smaller than Lucy. Her dad insisted they were comadres. Lightning was a retired racing greyhound. She'd lost a leg due to infection and was adopted by a vet student and her husband. Both of Lucy's new friends were sweeties.

Since I can't put all my photos in one post, below is another one with more pictures from the weekend.

Canyon of the Eagles Wildflowers

As we hiked, we saw so many beautiful wildflowers. Here are a few.

Yarn Tourism Part 2

After the Boston trip, I spent a couple days in Houston before going to Colorado for Easter. (Ah, the jet-set life!) While visiting family in my hometown of Pueblo, I always visit Colorado Fiber Arts. This is one of the most appealing yarn shops I've ever been in. It's in a gorgeous old building, the atmosphere is inviting, the workers are nice and helpful, and the selection of yarn is fantastic.

I thought of my carry-on bag and kept my purchases to a minimum. I bought three balls of Grass, a cotton and hemp blend. I know just which summer scarf I want to make out of it. In fact, I've already made one but since it's not yet blocked, it's not yet in a post. The second yarn is a laceweight called U-Knitted Nations Artesana in the colorway Fruit Freeze. With 545 yards to work with, it will probably become one of the Evelyn Clark shawls.
I'm pretty happy with my souvenirs!

Yarn Tourism Part 1

I was recently in Boston for Patriots' Day.

As we all know, yarn bought on vacation is not "adding to your impossibly large stash". Instead it is "buying souvenirs". I decided to buy souvenirs to remind me of my trip to Boston.

I'd done a bit of research in advance. Turns out this store called Windsor Button was near my hotel. While not a fancy or cute place, there was a lot of nice yarn here. There was a whole wall of buttons, many books, and just about any sewing notion you could imagine.

I bought a couple things. The purple yarn is Manos del Uruguay lace and the tan is Misti Alpaca lace. (Lace is small, light, doesn't take up much room in luggage, and one skein makes a decent-size shawl.) The buttons are also from Windsor Button. I had to buy some since button is part of the store's name.

The green yarn on the right was another Boston souvenir. I was walking down Commonwealth and turned the corner to get to Newbury. I happened to see a store in the basement level that sold mainly needlepoint but also some yarn. If I read my bank statement correctly, the store is called Stitch Boutique. Not a very imaginative name, but that's what it is. The yarn I bought there is from Tilli Tomas. It's called Symphony Lace and it has little beads the same color as the yarn already attached. I imagine this will make a shawl with lots of stockinette to show off the beads.

Yarn Balls

What do you do with your leftover yarn balls after you've finished a project? Mine are in a big glass vase, decorating the bedside table in the yarn room/guest bedroom #1.

DOT -- Dog Bar

Is it a dog park with a bar attached? Or is it a bar with a dog park attached? Either way, it's a fun new place in Houston called Boneyard. After our soup lunch on Saturday we were looking for something to do outdoors on such a beautiful day. My boyfriend remembered that Boneyard was supposed to open that day so we decided to drive by and see if that was so. It was open, and busy, so we went to pick up Lucy and then checked out this place.

Look at the big back yard/dog park. It's fully fenced, with poop bags, trash cans, and bunches of tennis balls. I took Lucy in here while her daddy stayed on the deck in the shade. Lucy socialized with the other dogs but she can't resist a tennis ball. She's a retriever, after all. So I spent quite a bit of time throwing for her (and random other dogs too). Here she is, bringing the ball to me. And yes, she was the biggest dog there!

After a while we went to join Daddy on the deck. Lucy is a turbo dog with her tennis balls so how could he resist a beer called Turbo Dog?

Lucy became very comfortable on the deck. She figured out all the people who came up or down the stairs would touch her if she got close enough. See that hand on the right, getting ready to pet her.

Eventually it was time to leave. Given that it was such a pretty day, we were driving topless. Here's a photo before all the seatbelts were fastened.

We left and went to Little Bigs for dinner. They serve great sliders. Lucy is welcome on their deck so it's a good place for us. Unfortunately Chef Caswell was not there. I would have liked to congratulate him for doing so well on Next Iron Chef last fall.

This was a good day!

Knitting by me!

For a knitting blog, there's been very little knitting content lately, especially my personal knitting. Here's some! I am actually in the midst of two projects, one I work on most days during lunch and another in the evenings and on weekends if I'm not too busy. Here's my "at home" project. This is a tank top called Zinnia by Classic Elite. The front and back are the same. Here's the front. Or the back. Once I make the other, I will seam up the sides and crochet an edging around the armholes and for the straps. I hope my nearly nonexistent crochet skills are up to that!

I had a few issues starting this project which I wrote about on Ravelry. But now everything is worked out, I have good notes, and the other side should be simple to knit.

I love lace! I love blue!

Unlike the girl in the pattern photo, I intend to wear this top over a t-shirt.

Knitting in Unexpected Places

Saturday we went to the Lawndale Art Center for an event called Empty Bowls. This is a benefit for the Houston Food Bank. You pick out a bowl made by a local artist, donate $25, and get a lunch of soup, bread, water, and cookies. It was a good cause, a beautiful day, and delicious soup.

Before leaving I went into the restroom. I was surprised to see knitting there! Who put this under the sink? Does it have a purpose? Is it art? I don't know. But it's pretty.

National Dog Biscuit Day

Did you celebrate National Dog Biscuit Day on February 23? That was last Wednesday. This holiday wasn't on any calendar of mine, but I learned of it on Chan's blog. Apparently it's a very important holiday because even the Smithsonian recognizes it. My dog Lucy believes every day is Dog Biscuit Day. She gets a biscuit every time she asks to go outside to potty, does the deed, and comes back in the house. Why? I ask. She's been successfully doing this since she was about 10 weeks old! But she insists. So in my mind, I translated the holiday to be National Homemade Dog Biscuit Day. But who sets such a holiday in the middle of the week? This is very difficult to celebrate if you are a working woman. Let me ask a couple questions. Is this holiday always celebrated on February 23? Why can't it always be a Monday like Presidents' Day? And is it ok to celebrate on a weekend instead? I sure hope so because that's what we did.


Today I made Lucy some Best of Breed Dog Biscuits. I found the recipe a few weeks ago while looking on the King Arthur Flour site for something completely unrelated. However, this fit in well with the Westminster dog show that I recently watched bits and pieces of and this holiday.


Look at all those wholesome, human-quality ingredients. The green stuff is parsley (interestingly I had fresh but not dried in my house) and the rest is stuff to make peanut butter/oatmeal cookies. Lucy seemed to know I was baking for her.

Here are the biscuits ready to go into the oven.


What does Lucy think? Yum!




Hmm, looking at my last post, you'd think this has become a dog blog rather than a knitting blog. Nope. Just trying to distract you with dog photos. I'm knitting every day, though not monogamously, so at this moment there is nothing knitting to show you. That will come soon.