Deb on the Web

Yarn Prize--#6

Back in the Blogging saddle again (yes, I can hear the music).  The Italians are on a plane heading home (very sad).  We had a wonderful time relaxing at the mountains!  Fishing, eating, drinking and watching American movies in Spanish (no italian for Jesse James movie).
You have been waiting for some more prizes I would bet.  So here is a big beautiful one-- A lovely shawl project for prize #6!  The yarn is "Whisper" by Aurora Yarns (a one of a kind colorway).  I think the colors will look like poppies in this pattern--Field of Flowers, by Evelyn Clark.
Now is the time to donate!  So you can get your name in the "prize hat" (random number generator) for one of the lovely prizes (scroll back to previous posts for more!).  The next batch will include some books!  I would really love to blow my goal out of the water and raise the amount:)  That happened last year!!

As our friends were in the relax mode I was able to finish up a couple of projects while hanging out.  The Needle Felted bag is finished and felted really looking forward to tomorrow's class in which we will be learning to needle felt this lovely (I am over using that word today) Noro yarn onto the front of the bag.  I still need to order handles for this lovely...hehehe
Also finished this first sock from the April Rockin Sock Club (yes,I am a bit behind).  I would love to get the other finished by the 21st.  The start of the Summer of Socks!  However, as my LYS started their Summer of Socks on June 1st I am actually right on time:)

Hungry?

Here are a few random photos from France Okay I hate to say it but this is all you're going to get today.  These two photos took over 20 minutes to load.  But I gotta tell you I ate the most wonderful sweets in France.  And cheese!  Those photos to come.

I promise we will have knitting photos soon too.  I have been knitting away on the "Leafling" sock.  I love the pattern and medium weight STR is really my favorite I'm just past the heel on these guys.  They are going fast!

Back to town

It was hard to crawl out of all the snow this morning and head back down into reality.  I had figured on a little snow this weekend, but when I woke up Sunday morning I felt like I was inside a cotton ball.  Here are a few shots of the weekend   Okay, I'm getting cold!  Let's look at socks--I finished my Duet XXL "Thanksgiving" socks this weekend.  Now these are not the kneehighs I intended As I worked up the leg I realized what I really wanted was a pair of socks for my hiking boots.  So I stopped mid calf.  I also am thinking I might have enough left for footies with the coordinating toe and heel!  The beginning of a Happy V-day This is sock #1 of more Duet yarn.  "Cupid" in her middy line.  Love it!  almost finished with the foot of #2 (toe up).  And I got a little start on this yarn More read goodness for Valentine's day!  This is the January selection from RCS that I mentioned the other day.  This is not a terrific photo of it, but I wanted to wait until most people received their packages before showing something.  Hopefully, I'll be showing an actual sock soon;)
Oh and the dad has arrived!!  After 6 hours of phone calls over two days my very, very dear friend's husband picked my dad up from the hospital, filled his prescriptions and put him on a plane to Portland!  You really know who your friends are at a time like this:)  He is staying with my sis, but I spent a few hours today and will be until he is well enough to be on his own.  I told him by the end I felt like I was planning a prison break--I've been watching way too much Alias on the weekends.

Here in my weird world

I am surrounded by broken bones.  About a week before the husband broke his wrist our godson broke the same one.  A week later it was Marc.  Last week an employee broke his ankle (also snow boarding).  And now my dad has slipped on the ice outside his house and broken his arm (he's still in the hospital).  Don't get too close to me...

On a note of -yarn- what else the first installment of the Rockin Sock Club for 2008 arrived today.  I am not going to post any spoilers until next week.  I am hoping to post the first sock at that point.  It is my goal to show two finished pairs and two singles.  We'll see how the weekend really plays out;)
But I do have to say this is a great way to start off this next year.  The colorway is totally different than anything last year, the pattern is fun and I love the buttons!
I only joined one sock club this year and Woolgirl's Seven Deadly Spins which will be a variety of projects.  Other than that and some special purchases I am all about stash usage.  I love the yarn I own, but it's time to see it on some bodies and out of the bins!!

Here I am

I feel like I've really not had a lot to say this month.  I looked back at the last three holidays and my blog was lacking as well (can you believe I'm in my fourth year of blogging?).  This is always a do do month.  As my mom would say I am being a "Debby Do-bee" (long story).
I am almost finished with the shopping and knitting.  Woo Hoo!  Today I realized, however, that I didn't have an entree for the 100 guests I have on Christmas Eve and that I do not have any wrapping paper for the 25 odd gifts sitting around in bags right now.  I am definitely one of those people that what ever I have on Christmas Eve at about noon will just have to do.  Because really who is going to know what's not there except for me.  Well, I guess if we end up with dinner of side dishes they may notice...
Along with all the holiday hoopla there have been three sock packages that have arrived.  Not uncelebrated by me, but undocumented until now! das-schneeschaf in "Rosegarden".  I won this through the Woolgirl blog.  This yarn is handpainted using an airbrush technique.  It gives a pretty muted look.  I can't wait to see how it knits up.  Also in that package were some yummy Hershey's truffle kisses, sheep soaps and hand lotion.  Jenn sure knows how to give a gift.  And speaking of Woolgirl--here is the December sock club yarn I haven't even gotten to the last socks, but I'm excited to knit this beautiful yarn from the Unique Sheep in "Spruce Sprigs".  As I said Jenn can really put together a package--this one contained a Christmas tree measuring tape, a Mama Lama stitch marker, cider with cinnamon sticks, candy and a 10% off coupon!  What a great holiday package oh and of course a beautiful pattern by the same name as the yarn.  A ruffled lace and twisted rib sock pattern.  Here is another sock club yarn The last shipment for 2007 from the Rockin Sock Club.  STR medium weight in "Bella Coola" came with a pattern by Cat Bordhi "Salish Sea Socks"!  I'm looking forward to the holiday ending (and finishing some other socks) so I can sink my teeth into this pattern.

In other news--HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE BARBER!!!!!  My neighbor, friend and reader:) is turning 50 today.  I hope dinner at Nostrana was terrific!

Oh yea

The reason I was blogging in the first place yesterday was to post a finished sock! This is the first anklet from the August shipment of the Rockin Sock club.  I love this pattern.  I think I probably should of knit about a half inch more before starting the toe, but hopefully a bit of blocking will take care of the length.  I started the second one right away, but had to rip out most of what I started.  I don't know what I was thinking--garter stitch instead of stockinette.  Knitting when tired is not a good idea!
Big sale at AYD yesterday.  I had planned on sitting this one out, but a Gino's customer cornered me the night before in the restaurant and couldn't believe I wasn't going.  As I felt the need to just put in a presence;) I dropped by before work and picked a 15% discount candy bar (yum).  I left with 5 projects (I haven't photographed yet).  But realized later that I had used my credit card to pay.  Umm yea, that kind of wiped out the discount.  doh!

Creative day and post office day

As painful and exhausting as Saturday was Sunday was the balance of creativity.  Maybe I just needed to shed some tears to let the creativity out.
The day time was family time and therefore knitting time.  I forgot the camera to get some photos of my niece's 8yr family party.  It was nice and mellow and great conversations about books, art and a bit of fixing computers (my BIL is a software designer--he has visited all our computers at least once).
I had planned on meeting up with the local MS3 ladies, but I just didn't get home in time.  I was sad about that but my creative urge really took over in the evening and I decorated these spindles I cut out pics from old knit catalogs sitting about and had fun with decoupage.  I have collaged in years.  I added a bit of gold paint as I had Rumpelstiltskin in my head too;)
this is it for the photo taking yesterday, but I also made a couple sets of stitch markers, finished plying some more yarn and assembled 10 packages that went to the post today.  Yes I did spend most of this afternoon with all of this.  And when all was said and done I had one card that was outside its sealed box and one box without its address (at home of course) and I couldn't find my pen after I finished addressing labels...you may find it if you are expecting something from me.
Tonight I am pooped.  I am going to look for a pattern for some beautiful natural dyed alpaca I picked up at AYD today (their brand) and work on my Rockin Sock club sock.

Busy, but with what?

I really don't know.  I have been going and going this week.  But I don't feel like I have accomplished a whole lot.
Here is Sunday to Sunday
Sunday: the 5K walk, knitting, spinning, blogging, dinner with friends
Monday: spinning, Ikea with friends which became the rest of day and night
Tuesday: work, knitting at Twisted with Duffy and Aimee
Wednesday: work, house cleaning, great mail!
Thursday: work, dinner at Gino's with friends, more mail!
Friday: work and then some work, again with the mail!
Saturday: baking, funeral and reception for my oldest friend's mom (a very hard day), and a bit of mail:)
Sunday: spinning, shopping for work, niece's birthday party...and who knows

I have finished plying the July Spunky Club "Celebration"
I am now plying some yarn to send to someone in trade for some fiber.
I am also collaging two spindles that I'd like to get into tomorrow's mail.
I cast on last night for the August Rockin Sock club socks (one of those mail days packages). I don't want to show photos here until a few more get their packages.
I have about six packages I'll be taking to the post tomorrow so I have to get them all ready.  My current schedule doesn't let me out of the building during business hours except for Mondays (and last Monday I was kidnapped;) ).

Plans for this next week?  Well there will be work!  And probably the Tuesday knitting and who knows about the rest.  I doubt I'll be quite as lucky with the mail, but I am looking for a couple more packages;)
And what was in the packages I didn't blog about:
Lucky Lurkers sock club welcome package This is such a creative idea.  The first yarn won't arrive until September so she is keeping us anticipating the club with this welcome gift of an accessories bag from woody creations, a measuring tape (I've started a collection lately), a kitchner stitch cheat sheet, a business card magnet, yarn scraps for holding places and her standard sock pattern in a plastic sleeve.
Rockin Sock Club package
C*eye*ber fiber order (Brother Amos-brimstone for a "Cast-on" KAL and Team Knitty sock yarn for a "Campanula for the Cure" KAL )Each of these  purchases donated a portion of theri profit to the  Cast on website and the Team Knitty  site (respectively).
Spunky Eclectic fiber of the month for August I don't have a plan for this yet.

Three packages in one day was fabulous!  But getting one package a day makes my week so incredibly happy:)  I know this stems from Summers in Alaska while I was in college.  I missed my friends so much.  I would be waiting for the mail plane daily--and it came twice a day.  I have been addicted to mail ever since.

Finished and beginning again

Finally got the camera to work.  Here are finished socks This is the yarn from the April Rockin Sock Club.  The pattern is only a couple rows on the toe.  I love the pattern.  I had planned to make the knee high version.  However, on toe needles I found this to be a bit to fiddly for my current stress level.  These are going in the present box and the leftover yarn will be anklets later on.  Loved this yarn!!  I am hoping they will be selling some of the Silkie at Black Sheep this weekend.  Of course I am hoping they have anything left on Sunday!
Finished just in time for this to arrive. Just in time for Summer of socks.  This is "Firebird" in Socks that Rock lightweight.  I am excited to dig in!  The pattern is toe up.  Love it! 
However, I have promised myself I will be making a dent in the sock stash bag for the Summer of socks. Um I haven't taken a photo of the (much smaller) second bag.  I am setting myself a goal of 6 pair of socks for the summer.  This includes the Sockapaloosa socks.  I fear I may be starting those over--the pattern is not showing up enough on the beautiful varigated yarn I chose.  I'll show a photo Monday of where I am with that choice.
Some spinning photos This is a Navajo plyed tweed from Creative Crosspatch that has been in my closet for a while.  I have learned a bit about my skills and wheels, as well as how a fiber with lots of bits of silk works in plying.  I find that I work my feet a bit fast on my double treadle Schacht so plying is coming out much easier and smoother on my single treadle Joy.  I am happy that I decided to keep it.  It was a challenge to Navajo ply with the tweedy bits (there was some breakage) but I'm happy with the result.  Here is some finished yarn, but not yet washed Next to my yarn is a ball of Tatiana from Socks that Rock.  I didn't realize how close they were until finished.  Fun!

That's all for today.  Off to work and tomorrow down to the Black Sheep Gathering.  Oh yeah--18 yr wedding anniversary tomorrow as well.  My present from DH is a shopping trip to BS.  We'll see what I find as a present down there to bring back.  Photos on Monday--I'm meeting up with Gay from the San Juans to compare our swatches for the Mystery shawl knitalong and hopefully meet up with some Portland knitbloggers.

First day of Summer

The Solstice has arrived and with it the loveliness of the Rockin Sock Club.  No photo you say--I'm teasing you you say--well there were photos taken, but for some reason my computer does not want to download them.  I am hoping to have photos of "Firebird" up tomorrow.  As well as finished socks and some spun fiber (I have been doing something around here!).
Today is the last day to sign up for the Summer Fiber Swap.  We have 26 swappers from all over the world!  Pretty exciting.  The surprising thing is that more herald from Alaska than anywhere else.  I can't wait to see the packages at the end of summer.  I thought I'd post a couple of links to great fiber sites for those that won't be attending a fiber fest this summer. Yarn Wench    Lime and Violet    Spunky Eclectic
Just a few of my current favorites!