Deb on the Web

Shopping

It's that time.  I try to think of crafty things I can make for everyone, but ultimately I do have to buy a few gifts.  This year I just haven't had as much craft time as I'd like so there is a lot more on the shopping side.
And I hate shopping at this time of year.  Too many people and too much pressure to get the "right" thing.
I'm keeping it simple though--Powell's is my main shopping spot (downtown, not online).  I wish they had grocery carts;) 
Next weekend there is a great Craft sale--the Crafty Wonderland.  I've been going for several years and can usually take care of the ladies in the family and friends.  So that is the plan!  No forays into malls or Nordstrom.  Unique!  That is the key!
Then I'll be heading up the hill and putting my head down to work on some of the knitted gifts.  I do hope to do a little baking, but I may end up with chutneys this year.  I just feel like I gotta give some foods away!
Here is a photo I love that I can take in December We still have produce being delivered from three of our local farmers and two ranchers.  You gotta love being in Oregon!

Busy Weekend

As my houseguest is in the shower I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts on the last week and this weekend.  A very! dear friend of ours is having her (almost) annual running away from home weekend.  DH and I have planned the food part of the trip and I the rest.
Today is the one chance we have to visit Oregon Flock and Fiber!  blogless Cyndi is a new knitter and I am going to corrupt her and how:)
Tomorrow is Komen Oregon's Race for the Cure!  Team Nostrana will be representing with the addition of a bit of Reno along;)  I didn't do a big fundraiser here since I have recently hit you all up for money.  Our team didn't do so well on the extra fundraising, but just signing up and a few local donations have us at $800.  Pretty good. 
There will also be trips to Powell's, eating at both our restaurants and other places that are new since the last visit.  A great weekend over all.  Most of our time so far has been all about yakking.  About 30 seconds from pick up time with only sleep shutting us up:)  I love that!

Also on my mind--this week I found out that a friend of mine has MS.  That along with my dad being diagnosed with Parkinson's a couple of weeks ago and DH's Diabetes has me thinking a lot about medications and supplimental therapies.  I have always looked to food as medicine, but now I am very interested in looking at food, herbs and exercise in a theraputic way.  Your be hearing a lot of these thoughts in the near future.  If you know of sites I should visit or articles I should read pass them on.  I'll be doing the same.

Off to have some fun!

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!

Here we are at Saturday

I haven't had a whole lot to blog about so there has definitely been some silence.  But then!  I had this incredible mail day (read 5 packages!)  and I was so excited I fell in with them.  I oohed and ahhhed over the packaging, ribbon ties, beads, stitch markers, 5 skeins of yarn and other fabulous odds and ends.  But guess what I didn't do.  Yep, it is all put away now with no photos.  It all did really make my week!  So here is the low down--Woolgirl Jenn makes receiving yarn in the mail like a present!  all wrapped in tissue with ribbon.  Mine also had a soak sample attached!  Here is the SHEEPAINTS sock'n go in Pumpkin I ordered I love this yarn!  I also got some Sea Coast superwash in Coal and Fire These both had Autumn written all over them. 
I will show some more stash photos on those days of no posts.  I just wanted to give a big head's up to Jenn:)  Also, I read on Ravelry that after your 7th order you become part of the Wooly woolgirl club and get a fantabulous present in the mail!  I still have a way to go, but my fantabulous present is that we live very close to each other and will be meeting in person for dinner in a couple of weeks!  One can never have enough knitty friends:)

Oh the other package I have to give a heads up to is beads arriving from Earthfaire.  She sent the beads in hard plastic containers, samples of other sizes to compare and a nifty tool to help you thread the beads on yarn.  All wrapped in ribbon of course.
I really don't remember when I became such a ribbon loving girl....well maybe it's just coming back after a several decade break;)

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.

What a great mail day!

I came home from a pathetic work day (I burned more projects than not).  I am not looking forward to repeating today's day tomorrow...
But I found this waiting for me Blue Moon, England and Singapore!  And that is the order opened-- I was all a flutter thinking it was my Sock club package.  I forgot I ordered the Cat Bordhi book since I couldn't make the talk she gave her in town.  And the "Ruby Slippers"?  It has been calling for a While!
This is a swap from Swapbot--sock yarn and a pattern. I forget to check up on Magknits so I hadn't seen this pattern and I love the corresponding purple (from the stash) to go with the Regia blues.  Thank you so much Alison:)  Oh yea, bellllgian chocolate. mmmmmm  I am looking forward to eating this as I read the pattern;)
And then we have Singapore!  My dear (past secret pal) Chrissie had my name in two swapbot swaps.  Both the swap I am hosting Summer Fiber Swap and the one she is hosting Hand-made spindle swap.  She really out did herself--Fiber is reddish cashmere, multi-silk noils and a muted domestic wool top.  Oh yes they do need to be mixed together in a future project (when I get that dreamed about drum carder).  The spindle is a 1oz little guy made from polymer clay. Great design!  And it's fun that it is totally different from my ideas that I'll be sending to my pals.  Also in the package a set of chopstick rests shaped like dragons in white porcelain and a set of Chinese tea accessories made from water buffalo horn.  Very cool!  I love it all Chrissie:) 

And what is on the needles--this baby blanket for a Nostrana baby coming in October It is so hard to photograph Enterlac at this stage I hope you can get an idea from the book.  This from Debbie Bliss "Baby Cashmerino" and that is what I am using to knit this blankie.   I'm sure the baby will enjoy it as much as I do.

New yarn site

Well, new to me.  I am probably not the first person to discover this, but I am so happy I did!
lace weight Malabrigo yarn at Handpainted Yarn.  I just ordered two colorways (as Summer always makes me want to knit lace) and some beautiful kettle dyed roving.  The great prices were what I couldn't believe.  880 yds of lace weight for 5.95!

Ravelry?  Yea I still love it!  I spent a good part of yesterday photographing and uploading my sock yarn.  I can tell I'll have to wait until next month to finish the whole stash as I am going to run out of space on my Flickr account very soon.

Oh I did it again--forgot to take pics at another MS3 meetup!  These ladies and some more met up at the new yarn shop in town.  I love Twisted!!  I will definitely put it in my travel path.  I unfortunately drank a french press coffee for breakfast after not drinking any coffee for a couple weeks.  I was so antsy I finally had to leave-waa.  I thought I'd go see HP last night, but I was so antsy I just did some knitting, spinning, cleaning, photographing....maybe I should drink more coffee;)

The rest of the story

On to the Blue Moon Fibers booth--
I was really looking forward to meeting Tammy as we have both joined the new PDX knitbloggers group. I knew most ladies that were going down would have met up on Saturday (I was sorry not to meet Kelly Petkin).  I was sure glad I did.  Tammy is sweet as pie:)  And so are Deborah and Tina too.  I felt right at home (and so did my check book).  I am hoping to see them at one of my restaurants in the near future.  hmmm a knitdate at Gino's Portland ladies? 
Oh yea, the loot!  I went in looking for two items (yea right).  One was roving, but I couldn't find it since my eyes were stuck on all the lovely yarn.  When it was pointed out that the roving was next to my feet (which were wearing my Monsoon socks by the way) I felt a little silly.  But I dug right in. I was really hoping to find a sheep to shoe kit.  I wasn't disappointed--Rooster Rock action here.  I also got some shetland obsidian roving.  I am collecting some colors right now that I want to blend together.  I am envisioning a little red silk blending into this.
Okay, we know I couldn't leave without some of that great BMFA yarn!  Two colors of Silkie Sox yarn and a pattern for each.  I just love! this yarn.  It glides through the fingers.  Patterns are by Cookie and Nathania.  It makes me feel like I am at least on the edge of sock camp.  Marisol and I are definitely going next year.  Are you?  Oh yea, more yarn. These two may look similar, but one is medium weight and one light weight (once again with names for me).  The last yarn purchase They had this scarf/shawl hanging there--Good selling point!  The drape is so beautiful.  I had a hard time only buying one.

One last fiber stop was on my mental list--Carolina Homespun.  I posted about the grey tweedy yarn I spun recently that I purchased a couple years ago. I was looking for more of that Crosspatch Creation, but it wasn't to be.  I did fall in love with this tweedy creation though. They were giving away a free pattern with these lovelies.  I can't wait to lay each of these balls (tweedy goodness) out and decide if I want to blend or stripe.
When I sat down to spin yesterday I didn't even know where to start.  I was good though and tried to finish some projects that were already on each wheel.  Hard though, very, very hard!

Black Sheep Gathering--Sunday

Wow, what a day!  I was terrible at getting a lot of photos as I walked around.  I was too busy petting and oogling at all the goods.  I have been some years where I don't see anything that interests me.  This year I wanted it all!  As I was unpacking this I thought maybe everything I looked at had jumped in.  I have to admit that a couple more trips to the car were made before I was finished.  The one stall I did remember to take a photo was at Crown Mountain Farms.  Now I had planned to spend most of my budget between here and the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth, but when Claus told me that I was there biggest customer of the weekend--yikes!  Here are photos of the CMF loot-Yum is all I can say about all this!  CMF orangey goodness is silk/merino (will be for sale on the site soon), their traditional roving in blues and browns (I have wanted to order this for a while) and Decendra Designs merino, silk and bunny in the Lucien colorway.  Sock Hop Yarn!  I am so happy to have scored this.  I am blogging away from home right now (still with cable problems) and didn't make a list of names.  I will amend this soon.  Part of the reason these were being sold at BSG and not on the site was that each skein was spun by a different lady.  I don't care that my feet won't completely match color wise.  They are all spun at the same rate.  I am hoping to start on these soon.  This little project was not on the mental shopping list, but watching Teyani spin away I had to have a go-- The wrist distaff is beautiful and I chose a nice heavy spindle.  I read the book this morning and am ready to give it a go.  I just love the reds in this CMF corredale pencil roving.
Here is unexpected highlight of the day.  Naturally dyed roving from Stick and Stone.  Margarete gave a talk about her process with using natural dyes and I was hooked.  Although I've taken a class she had different ideas that I really liked and she uses some different dyes (which she sells).  On top of the roving I came away with a few dyes and premordants.  One of the dyes is Saxon Blue--indigo with an acid (I am drawing a blank as to which one).  It can't be shipped so she only sells in person where she can make eye contact to make sure you know how to handle it.  I think I did drive a little more carefully on the way home.  Margarete also added the mentoring offer.  I'll be calling when I can't read my notes or to ask how she came up with various colors.  If you are a customer she is more than happy to share recipes.  She really feels that when you have the basics you come up with your own process.  I'm ready with everything except a space.  Working on that though!
BMFA booth?  Well I need something to show tomorrow don't I....

The anniversary--We got up and went out for a nice breakfast before I left for Eugene.  When I returned we went through all the goodies and then headed out to dinner.  DH had made reservations at one of our favorite fancy places in town.  Not that you can't just go eat in the bar in a pair of jeans.  But when we want to get a little dressed up this where we usually end up.  Had a great dinner that included razor clams--my favorite and some great champagne.  We came home totally stuffed and watched a very crazy depressing movie--loved it, but maybe not anniversary material.
Until tomorrow...

Photos

With a new router at home (and a nice fast one at that) I am back in business.
Here are some recent photos downloaded from my camera:
This is the sock I knit for the Sock Hop swap.  I had to wait until I knew Amy had received her package before I could post.  This was a fun swap idea.  I get to knit a single sock in a pattern and when I receive my sock from Cary I'll get to knit one sock in a different pattern.  I don't mind at all that Cary has been crazy busy of late so it will be a little while before I receive my sock.  I really need to finish the 3 pairs I have on the needles at the moment!
Here is that spinning I keep talking about-This is that brown/yellow/blue Pippi kneesocks falkland I bought through Scout.  It is going to be plyed with white merino for some fun sock yarn (this is a birthday present that was very well received.  I am also playing with this
I've spun up a battt of merino from Dicendra Designs that I bought locally.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to ply it upon itself (Navajo style) or mix with something else.  I found this other batt of merino at Abundant Yarn a few days ago and it will be perfect.  Naturally dyed it has paler versions of the the blues and greens of what's on the bobbin.  The rusty red you can't really see on the bobbin will really stand out.
Also hanging out on the camera are some shopping pics.  These yarns are an order from Scout I received a couple weeks ago.  I have enough on the needles right now so I haven't dived in as yet, but I'm pretty excited to finally try some of Scout's Swag!  The other shopping I've done recently is for soap.  My favorite morning product from Lush has been discontinued so I have been sampling all kinds of soaps and body washes of late.  I love the smell of these goodies I received from Blessed Juno.  Once the bar in the shower is gone I'll be diving in!  And how could I not order some of her Hand knit soap-with lanolin-yum.
Finally, here is the new computer It may be little, but it's mighty.  I'm so happy with my switch to Mac!  I still have a lot to learn though.  By the time I got up today my Dell was already in service.  We are still in tug a war over who should be using the mouse;)
That is it for today--