Gone to the Fair

Today was a totally fun day. The boy and I dropped the girl off at school and we went to run errands, including a trip the the Farmers Market, where we got some incredible strawberries from my favorite vendor and even some peaches. Then we hung out and picked up A after she's had her nap (the reason she went to school was so that she'd get a nap) to go to the County Fair.

We got there and A and Z each made one of these:

Very cool. They had set out some sheered wool and paper and glue and crayons.

We looked at a calf that was born yesterday...we looked at hobbies...and then we went in search of ...





yep. I entered several pieces in the knitting category.

I can honestly say in all the years I've gone to the fair, I've never stepped into this building. It was a little frustrating running around looking at every single display to see if it's one of mine. I had Z looking too. But he was trying to look for my name, and that's difficult in that huge place.





After much running around, I found all my items, and guess what?! I ribboned.



My goldlack shawl won 2nd place. woo hoo.

AND
.
.
.
.
.
.



Blue ribbon for Hanalore.

Double woo hoo.

Blood Sweat and Tears for Birch Catkins

I finished my first #100 thread 0000/000 needle project. The knitting wasn't that difficult once I got into it. The trick? Don't switch back and forth between projects. My fingers got used to the thin thread pretty quickly, and it's not like cobweb yarn, that snaps when you look at it. This stuff is pretty tough stuff. But ultra thin thread with similar needles work your hands pretty hard.



So, the trials and tribulations of the Birch doily:

Snippet I:

I had set down the project right after I had first switched over from dpns to circs, and my lovely two year old darling little A (aka Creature), came running over saying 'momma, momma, yarn...' while pointing at her legs. Well, there was nothing there, so I shrugged and she sang me a song.

Anyway, I go back to pick up the knitting, and it's not there. I looked around and found it on the floor with the thread in a jumble. Aha. She had been playing w/ my knitting and the thread got tangled around her legs. (Yes, she had dragged it almost into another room).

Anywhoo. the point to this story? Severalfold.

One. I would switch over to circs as soon as possible. Had I left my 0000 metal dpns on there, the blog entry would be vastly different, and shorter.

Two. Listen to your child, really listen. They're not talking silliness. I promise to be a better mom and listen.

Three. That Cordonnet thread is amazing. That stuff is tough. I'm impressed.

Snippet II:

This form of charting greatly annoys me. Mostly because they use the same symbol for k2tog as Burda does for k2 into 1. That is a pain. And this pattern isn't bundled so you have to read all the way across the chart. Priscilla graciously recharted the pattern and it was awesome. But since the official start date wasn't until this weekend -- it being the 'summer' kal and all, I forged ahead. Anyway, I found a couple of errors/ommissions and since everyone isn't as far ahead as myself, well...anyway, there's a couple of move markers that aren't documented and there's a head scratcher (for me) that I had to knit by pure blind faith -- and given the chart errors, I still did that. There's a bit that might look wonky, but oh well.


Snippet III:

Oh my goodness was it hot this weekend. Whew. It was so hot we all hung out in our basement (it's a high basement Vickie) and I knitted on this doily while the kids played. The only thing is I have got to go find my little string holder because my ball of thread kept rolling around. Good thing it's thread, I'm sure it's going to get a tad less dingy when I actually wash it before blocking.


Snippet IV:

Total rookie manuver (or how I had to rewash and soak the doily). I pinned out the doily with the initial 16 pins, then was going through and pinning the other loops when I realized that mine's not circular. So, made a makeshift compass and drew some circles, then was pinning again. After half of it is done, I'm realizing that the doily is drying out --it's been warm here. I can get it done. Hurry Hurry. Sure.

Well, I went and poked myself w/ a straight pin, but still, plodded ahead. Yep, got a drop of blood on the edge. Shoot. Off came all the pins and back in cold water it goes. (See that little discoloration? yep, blood).


I've invested in the stainless steel pins, but sometimes, they bend. And I'm finding that I don't have that many left. I started pinning them 2 together to save pins -- man, I'm lazy. Note to self: go check out th pins that Lacis carries.

edited to add:


Snippet V :

As I was posting this doily to my projects page on Ravelry, I noticed that others listed the pattern as personal, and not Herbert Niebling...I did what a good volunteer editor does, I added the pattern and posted a quick message to the board asking folks to link to this pattern instead of 'personal'.

Well, I get back from picking up the kids only to find much badness. I am no longer a member of the Yahoo group. The group got Ravelry-ized, and I think my putting up this doily was the last straw. It is very sad. They have the right to decide who's in and who's out. I did really appreciate all the information and the lovely folks on that board and how helpful everyone was. I do wish everyone there the best.

In the following picture, in the middle, you see that wonky arch, yep that one, right in the middle. Yes. That's row 91.






Started: June 10, 2008
Finished: June 23, 2008
thread: Cordonnet #100 in white
needles: 0000 dpns, 000 32" circs
modifications: I added 2 extra rows to the edging. Oh, I changed how the doily started too. Using #100 thread, I thought it was too much of a PITA to do the 1->5->10 in 7 rounds.
It blocked out at 23 inches in diameter.

Niebling Summer KAL update

Well, the official start isn't until this weekend, but I am working away at mine. While I was taking a progress shot (I don't usually do this too much for a doily), I realized how thin my thread was, so I thought I'd take a pic for posterity.


This is left to right: #10 thread, #20 thread, and what I'm working with right now, #100 thread.

This is a needle comparison:
Top down: US8, US1, US000, US0000, US6X0


As for the update on the KAL, here it is:


oh, also, guess what I finally ordered....



Thanks for the present! This is a gift from my MIL. Love it!

Happy Father's Day!

To all the fathers out there, have a great one!

Niebling Summer KAL

This summer's KAL is this doily.

I decided I'd try to knit this with the smallest thread I can find. I went to Lacis (again) and talked w/ Erin, the manager. She pointed out the Cordonnet #100 and I also got 0000 metal dpn needles (1.25mm). I figured these should work.

Wish me luck, y'all.

As for other projects, I'm still working on Filigree. It's a bit stalled because I'm trying to decide how to extend the size. I think I'll do a row of leaves (like the edging), and then do another row of flowers ala goldmohn, or just another ring of leaves.

I've also fallen in love with the alternate form of Peacock shawl (Fiddlesticks) that is done in a rectangular stole shape. It looks easy peasy to go from triangle to rectangle.

I'm presently trying to decide among:
1) black bamboo laceweight
2) blue green cashmere laceweight
3) vivid blue tencel
4) basil zephyr

decisions...decisions...

Oh, I need a cardigan or two. I'm working on a black cardi (boring stockinette) based loosely on cropped cardi from Knitty, except mine will not be cropped, nor will it be that low cut. I'm also trying to decide what to use for the adult EZ Feb sweater. I figured I've made 3 children one's, I should make one for me.

Napperon Carre

Isn't Napperon Carre just a beautiful name? yep, it means 'square mat'.



Anyway, this was an interesting knit. The flowers are all crossed stitches, and then you crochet bind off and then pick up stitches (makes that cool loop) and continue. I did end up modifying it a tad. Bind off is at round 113, but I went up to 115 (keeping in hex-mesh and edging pattern). Then for the crochet bind off, I knit together 4 loops at hex mesh, 3 at the triangular points, 5-5-5-5, 4-5-4, 5-5-5-5. Crochet 14 instead of 20 chain (too loopy).



Yes, there was binding. I wish I remembered that when I looked at the picture, it looked like it binds right at the start of the flowers. I wish I had remembered that. It would have been easy to put in another hex mesh there. Drats.



Started May 30, 2008

Finished June 7, 2008

Cebelia #20

1.5 balls

US1 Addi Turbo Lace

Dragone comes alive

Finally got around to finding the perfect eye for the Dragone, it's a swarovski crystal.



It's attached with 30 gauge wire.

Adventures

On Monday, I went over to the other side of the Bay and purchased this cool swift from a fellow Raveler. This is a Squirrel cage swift. The ball winder I've owned. I'm just super glad the winder now has a place to live.

I needed another swift, even though I already have my wonderful amazing Goko swift. The only design flaw with goko is that it doesn't expand wide enough to handle larger skeins. Isn't it a beaut?



I thought since I was in San Mateo, it would be a good time to visit a Nine Rubies, a yarn store located in the Downtown area.

The folks there were very nice and the yarns were lovely. Unfortunately, they didn't have that much lace, but I did go home with my Mmmmalabrigo laceweight in apple green (okay, this was the only color they had.

Okay, this apple green is not a good color for me, but isn't it lovely? And I'm sure I know someone that would like this color...

Then later in the week, I went to Lacis. As the whole Niebling loving community now knows, they are publishing Lyra. Yay.

Weave That.

A bit ago, I tried out the Weave It loom at the Color Fiber Festival, and somehow, I ended up with not one but several Weave It looms, and a Love&Money loom set too! And somehow, the hotpad loom, another little loom (which isn's supposed to be great, but whatever.

Here's my little collection of Weave it looms (plus that little loom that's not a Weave It loom.)


How'd that happen?

they're housed in my Powepuff girl metal box. See how the needles are held on by a magnet that's stuck on the box? (saw that's what GirlontheRocks did).

Anyway, I've now tried a couple of squares and made a couple of birdies with them. My goal is to actually make something that folks don't think...'uhmmm. They're squares'--or in this case, squares folded in half.



What shall I make next? I don't know...