Knitting and Life

Sorry to have been silent for so long. Today, I delivered a Bubble Wrap Cap in a deep chocolate brown alpaca to my good friend from work, Jaimee. He was so excited to receive it! It has been very cold here and he has a shaved head. Of course, as I finished it Friday evening, My Good Man said, "Hey, when do I get one of those?" So, guess what I am casting on tonight.

I have fussed and fought with ideas for a felted tote recently, as I have a great quantity of Brown Sheep wool that has decided it will never be a sweater. I think I cast on no less than 15 times, each time sure that the envisaged size, shape, final form and handles were exactly what the mind dictated. My Good Man watched as I kept casting on and ripping out, knitting 10 rows with a vengeance, then sighing and pulling it off the needles. Finally, as we watched the SuperBowl, I began to make progress. Now, we shall see. I have picked up all the stitches round the base of the bag and am knitting up from there. It's going to be a tote. But my youngest suggested I make a dachshund bag, you know, long and squat. So we will just see where it goes. I think Elizabeth Zimmerman called this knitting empirically.

Can't argue with the Sensei of the Needles, now, can I?

Blue skies!

Show your Wallpaper!

This is in response to:

1. A prompt from Carole to show my wallpaper.

2. Not having a new pattern ready to post yet.

3. Being sick for the last two weeks.

This is taken in the backcountry of Utah by a co-worker's friend. If you are still, you can hear the quiet as you look at this. It gives me a peaceful place to rest in the chaos of the day.

Blue skies, Lark

Arrowhead Challenge Mitts

The SnB group is having an anniversary party! We were asked to create an item using less than $10 of yarn and the Arrowhead Lace pattern. I decided on fingerless mitts. These are made in Frog Tree Alpaca worsted weight, size 7 needles, my own pattern. Recognize the yarn? I had an extra ball left after making My Good Man's mum's Forest Canopy Shawl for Christmas. It's only a 69 yard ball, and I had some leftover. Not knowing how far the yarn would go, I opted for shorter cuffs. I think I would make them two rounds longer.

At the celebration, you are to bring a bag with your gift and take a bag that is not your gift. Then we will open them, gush and swoon and ask for patterns.

Unfortunately for me, I have to be out of town all week for business and will miss the party. However, I will contribute these.

The other way we are celebrating our blessings is to bring a new package of panties in our size to contribute to the local women's shelter. People always donate clothing, but don't think to donate underwear, and it is desperately needed. All year round.

Blue skies!

12 People Who Restore Van Gogh's

Molly, a sweet woman I feel I could visit for eight hours and never run out of things to say though we've not met, has me thinking about my favorite books. Hands down, my favorite for older kids is The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, by Kevin Carroll.

I've tried to raise my children to believe that even if there are only 12 people on the planet who restore Van Gogh paintings, that if that is what their passion is, then they should pursue that passion. Life is hard enough.

Nuture your dreams. My dear friend Sandy gave me a lovely wallhanging for Christmas that asks "What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"

Nuture your dream. Certainly no one else will make your dream happen for you.

Blue skies, Lark

A New Year, A New Life (in 3 Blues)

For me, 2006 was a year full of exceeding joys and marked by disheartening trials. I praise each day, for I was able to learn in every one. Now, the new year has begun, and in it, I begin a new life, and the theme so far seems to be blues. Not as in soul-stirring music, but as in color.

Blue # 1: My breakfast this morning was Blueberry Pancakes. The image is blurry, but I was a little fuzzy as I made it, so just know you are coming as close as you can to the actual experience! By the way, the well-seasoned black iron frying pan is older than me, given to me by my mother. I adore it.

Blue # 2: From the dyepot yesterday came this exquisite-fall-into-it-and-never-regain-consciousness-blue alpaca/silk blend, destined for the needles today. It was my second dyeing attempt, and we will NOT discuss the first. Well, okay, I will discuss it. Suffice it to say, some things are instinctual, and I discovered that listening to too much well-meaning advice can be detrimental to the creative flow. That, and not everyone's washing machine spins out water in the same way. On the upside though, and my Noodle cat now has 6 ounces of alpaca/silk in a loosely but hopelessly tangled matt as a play toy. She is in heaven. I am glad I was not deterred by my failure for my needles are crying out for this bit of the firmament.

Blue # 3: Saving the best blue for my last, yesterday my Good Man asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said Yes! My hand now displays this lovely ring.



Wishing you blue skies in 2007, Lark

Orbital re-entry

Remember my list of 6 wierd things, and how I left my ex my house and car last week for visiting with the kids while I stayed with a friend? Well, this week has been scant of knitting as I have been negotiating the re-entry from my extra-domestic orbit of last week. My kids love their dad very much, but we always have this mini-abandonment party when he leaves. It will be fine. But it takes effort to soothe and smooth and love away that hurt.

That is not to say I have not been sneaking knitting inspiration as I can. ;^)

Blue skies to all,

Lark

6 Wierd Things About Me

6 Weird Things About Me

Cheryl tagged me for this game, so OK, I'll play.

THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

1. I have never worked for anyone longer than my present position, which is 4 years and a week. Dilletante? Maybe. Air Force brat with nomadic roots more likely.
2. If I ever come into money, I want to throw a party anonymously and invite everyone I know, and leave it to them to figure out that knowing me is the reason they were invited. Should shock a few people, and delight others.
3. My ex husband is here visiting the kids this week and he is staying at my house (where I am not) and using my car. I don't ever stand between him and children. I'll let you know if this was the right thing to do when they hit 30.
4. I see design everywhere. Margene was posting about lace a few weeks back and how she was seeing it everywhere. Welcome to my world, M!
5. Color thrills me!
6. Out of the blue, or as Forrest Gump might say, for no particular reason, I have become an alpaca rancher.

And I tag... Susan
Erin
Laurie
Julie
Teyani
Jess

Bubble Wrap Cap Pattern

Thanks to everyone who has written about wanting the Bubble Wrap Cap pattern! Gee, shucks, and shufflin' my feet here. Glad you all like it. It practically knits itself in just a few hours. Betcha can't make just one. Hope that if you do, you'll send me photos. I'd love to see them!

Edited this post to include the text of the PDF, which doesn't seem to be working for everyone. You can find the PDF file at the Lonesome Skein Knitalong, following the link to the right, or going through Yahoo Groups. I'll investigate the non-working link later. For now, the pattern:

Bubble Wrap Cap

Fits heads 21” to 23” with ease—perfect for gifting when you aren’t sure of the recipient’s head size, or as a quick-knitting charity cap.

This hat has a great stretchy fit, thanks to the bubble wrap pattern stitch.

Yarn: LoneSome Stone Fraser Flats

55% mohair, 45% wool

Or any yarn that will give gauge

Approx. 120 yards (109 m)

Needles: 16” circular, size 7 (US) or 4.50 mm, plus same size in DPNs for crown

Gauge: 16 stitches over 4 inches

in stockinette

Marker

Cast on 88 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist stitches and placing moveable marker at join. Work Rolled Brim: Work stockinette stitch (st st = K every row) for 1 ½ inches (3.8 cm).

Bubble Wrap Pattern Stitch:

From marker, *work K2, P2 rib for two rounds.

Work st st for four rounds.

Work P2, K2 rib for two rounds.

Work st st for four rounds.*

Continue in Bubble Wrap Pattern Stitch (between *’s) for 5 ½” (14 cm) or desired depth, ending with a K2, P2 ribbing round.

Decrease for crown:

K2 tog, P2 tog for one round (44 stitches).

Switch to DPNs, distributing work on three needles (15/15/14). Work st st for four rounds.

Work P2, K2 for two rounds.

P2 tog, K2 tog for one round (22 stitches).

Work st st for three rounds.

K2 tog, P2 tog for one round (11 stitches).

Finish: Break off yarn leaving 12 inch (30.5 cm) tail. Use tapestry needle to thread tail through remaining 11 stitches, pull tight and fasten to inside. Weave in ends. http://larksheart.blogspot.com

©2006 Lark Meadows, Skylark Meadows Ranch LLC. Permission granted for individual, not for profit use.

Wishing you Blue Skies,

Lark

The Bubble Wrap Cap!

Here is my first FO for the Lonesome Skein Knitalong. Not a moment too soon, right? It's a great cap with lots of stretch to fit a range of head sizes. Amazing what a weekend confined to bed with bronchitis will do for your knitting time.

I designed the pattern to be forgiving for gift giving, not too tight not too loose. It easily fits 21-23" heads. My daughters said the stitch pattern looks like bubble wrap, so voila, the Bubble Wrap Cap. I can post the pattern if anyone is interested. Only used about one third of the skein.

LoneSome Stone Fraser Flats yarn
55% Mohair, 45% Wool
Fall fantasy colorway, 325 yards per skein
4 stitches per inch, size 7 US (4.50 mm)

Forest Canopy finished object!

Wonders never cease! I have finished my Good Man's Mum's Christmas present, and before the big day no less. Now to ship it off to Michigan in style.

Forest Canopy

Knitting like a mad woman on Susan's Forest Canopy Shawl, an elegant and simple lace design that flows through your fingers. This one is for my Good Man's mum for Christmas. Nearly there!

One Heck of a Ride

Well, if my last post was Back in the Saddle, all I can say is that it's been one heck of a ride! In the past few weeks, I have:

Knit
Driven
Flown
Worked
Dreamed
Spun
Sewed
Laughed
Cried
Loved
and learned to deliver alpacas

More on that later. I have been busy knitting gifts for others of late. It is such a pleasure to choose pattern, yarn and knit with love. Even holidays speeding toward me at the speed of light cannot stress me when I am knitting. Find joy in the process.

Back in the Saddle

After nearly six months away from the office, yesterday was my first day back in the office full time after back surgery in April. I did amazingly well, thought I might flag by 3 in the afternoon, but no. I made it. Even stopped and did some errands on the way home.

Then, once at home, ate dinner and had only enough energy to crawl into bed. In the sack by 6:30 and full asleep by 7 p.m. Slept straight through till the alarm.

Feeling great this morning.

We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.

--Goethe

A problem with lace

When you step through the doors of a yarn shop, and none of the novelty yarns catch your eye, and the wonderfully fat bulky handpaints do nothing to your pulse, but the finest yarns of all, the laceweights make your heart go pit-a-pat, you might have a problem with lace.


As you can see from my selection from Monarch Knitting and Quilts in Pacific Grove, CA, I may have a problem with lace. I couldn't resist the lichen colored Misti Alpaca. The palest of ocean blue merino laceweight seemed to whisper in my ears "make a shawl with me and whenever you wear it, you will hear the Monterey Bay." Even the pink and purple soysilk, which would seem out of place here, was made into a wonderful neck scarf that will be striking on my daring friend Jana, a red head with true style.

At the Monterey Pronk that weekend, I met the alpaca breeder who sold me the lovely creamy alpaca from two of her finest fleeces.

I think I may have a problem with lace. See, it all started by me wanting to make a simple but elegant little pair of socks for my mother. Those accomplished with lace may scoff that the simple little pattern I selected, but these socks have taught me much.

In fact, I made a huge discovery on the plane winging westward, somewhere over the Sierra Nevada I believe. I have been knitting my yarnovers incorrectly. That is, knitting into them on the next row, I was working devilishly hard to put an extra twist into each stitch. Once I discovered the error of my ways, the lace just opened up before by eyes, like the socks' eponymous butterfly, and took wing.



My heart has taken wing for lace.

Lost week

Hmmm...when you haven't posted in a while, it's hard to know where to pick up. Short story: Monterey for fiber and fun, home for the work (and the FLU!!), progress on socks for Mom, and learning to spindle yarn.


Monterey was marvelous! Full of beautiful sights, like these luscious hydrangeas, of which I am very jealous because they are difficult to grow in Utah.



While on the plane knitting Mom's socks, I took a good look and realized my gauge was way off. These would fit my father! So I searched for and found a wonderful yarn shop in Pacific Grove (right next door to Monterey). This is a charming town, full of darling cottages.

Monarch Yarn and Quilts is a great resource full of scrumptious yarns and very kind-hearted people. I managed to lock my keys in my rental car (thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week...) and owner Joan Williams and the friendly staff gave me all kinds of assistance. Including Kleenex as my tears of frustration at myself welled up.



The inside of the shop was just as fun,with a fabulous selection of needles, excellent yarns, and even spinning wheels.



My stash enhancement was amplified by the two-and-a-half hour wait for the tow truck guy with the get-into-the-rental-car tool, which took him all of 10.8 seconds. Still, it was nice to calm myself among fiber and new friends, and even gaze longingly at the spinning wheels for sale.

I came home to flu, with the flu, or some such gombu. Laid me low for most of the week.

More details on stash and sock photos tomorrow.

Monterey!

I am going to Monterey this weekend. I stole this little critter's image off the Monterey visitor's web site. I am going to a small fiber gathering. Details next week.

If you go to Monterey, and don't require room service, but just want a decent clean room, check out the Lone Oak Lodge. It's a great value. I stayed there this summer on a family vacation for a week. $79 a night for a family cottage. Great place!

Going to be working on these socks to get them finished for my Mom. Mom's are all one color, cream. Hoping to finish them this weekend.

Last of Summer

This weekend has been cool, overcast and blustery. Makes one reach for the wool. I've finally found a gauntlet mitten pattern that has the shape and length I seek. I'm not brave enough to attempt to alter this pattern, but I DO plan to play with color. More on that in few days.

This has been a pretty knitless blog this week, as I have busied myself with the last of summer. As the snow sits on the mountains at about the 6,000 foot level today, I'm thinking that this the end of the harvest.

Here is what a bored teen can do with a 2 pound bag of M & Ms.

Fingers and Toes

Oh, the weather has turned here. It is only in the sixties today, cool and overcast. My feet, which have been bare since April, now crave coverings. I was wandering and found this seductive pair on MagKnits. My fingers will soon be wanting some coverage too. I've some scrumptious handspun that is just begging to become mittens.

How do you handle the disenchantment with what's on the needles when your heart desires something new?

Bottled sunshine

Utah has gorgeous weather, especially in autumn. The sky is wonderfully blue, the air still warm, and the harvest is in full swing. I love this time of year.

Today, I added some variety to my exercise routine. As I heal from back surgery, I have become quite the walker. But today I decided to swim. There were maybe eight people at the local pool. The water was warm, the sun was bright. And I swam. A lovely memory to tuck away for that day in January when we are socked in with gray.

Here is another way I am trying to bottle sunshine.



Perfect sweet nectarines picked fresh from my friend Bill's tree. And there was a little excitement during the processing of these beauties, as one of the bottles must have had a stress crack. It happens, even to these tempered glass jars meant to be reused year after year. You are looking at the open bottom of the jar!



Find a way to savor the season and make a memory to enjoy later.

Contentedly,

Lark

Casting about in Prevailing Thought

Wondering if any pattern can be knit in any yarn if the gauge is right.... That seems to be what people say. I've come into possession of some lovely alpaca yarn that would make a truly warm sweater. Because I don't live within the Arctic Circle, I don't think it lends itself to a gansey. I'm thinking somethin more open and lacy, so that I have the option to wear it more often. So, I'm casting about looking for lacy patterns for cardigans and am finding some done in cotton. Is it possible to have success when substituting wools for cotton in a design where gauge matters, i.e., not a scarf or shawl?

Perplexed, Lark