What we expect vs. reality

The television has spoiled our sense of time.

Martha makes fluffy cheesecakes from eggs she gathers at the beginning of the show from her chicken hutch encircled with a fence she's thrown together from willow-branch-prunings in a kitchen where the perfect pan is always available (and clean, no less!). Extreme Makeover bulldozes the old and builds a new home in 54 hours or some ridiculous time. Home Depot (secretly becoming Home Despot, as in wielding tyrannical power, in my heart) sings the siren song of "you can do it, we can help."

So that when we begin to work on our own spaces, we expect huge, wondrous, miraculous changes without despair, wailing or gnashing of teeth. If you will then indulge me further, I beg your forgiveness. Please forgive me for being proud of this kitchen countertop. I think it sets off the "hand placed 2 and 1/4" plank by 2 and 1/4" plank by yours truly and My Good Man's Excellent Friend hardwood (think: hardwon ) floor excellently.

This, as my blood blisters from mis-directed hammers and snugly clamped boards attest, is hard-gained, but OH, so satisfactory. And my 47-man camera, grip and costume crew so nicely stayed out of the picture!!!
And while I was hammering, what does Artistic Child do? The dishes at our house. With the aid of creative eyes and a camera, the painful task is ameliorated. (Sorry, use of unusual vocabulary words is becoming a competitve sport about the abode).


Well, maybe you had to be there to find Joy in the Process....

Blue skies!

Progress (or another step closer to fiber)

I will, I Will, I WILL get back to fiber content on this page one day. Thanks to each of you who have kept on reading, and commenting, and forgive my lack of responsiveness as I trek yet again to the lumberyard....

For now, you can see the progress of the new kitchen.


This is bar none the most amazing thing...to make improvements to a house BEFORE you move in, that you will enjoy before passing it on. How novel a concept. Every other home I have owned has been retrofitted and spiffed exactly one week before selling. Not quite sure what that says about me.

I think it speaks more to the fact that I was raised in the military, so I have this need to rearrange my living room every six months, just to feel "at home". The military life as a kid teaches you lots of things, such as:

The immediacy of friendships--be kind now, tomorrow you may be moving.

Happiness is where your people are--housing is something to keep the rain out.

Travel light--memories weigh less than possessions.

So do forgive if it seems odd, but I feel like a princess or editor of a home improvement show or even like someone in a magazine makeover layout. But the opulence of doing something just for me and mine to use and enjoy--call Webster's: there is a new definition for decadence.

Blue skies!

Early Wedding Gift

My Good Man has given me an early wedding gift. Remember how I told you my company had been sold again? I have been thinking of leaving and starting a fiber-related business of my own.

To ease the transition from full employee to full-time business, I looked around for something more creative and found an opportunity where I will write web content, marketing materials and catalog copy for a company in the paper crafting industry. Think rubber stamps, altered books, a new box of crayons in essence.

The opportunity is part time, and the early wedding gift I am getting from My Good Man is the encouragement to take it. Three things:
1. I will be covered on his insurance after the wedding.
2. I will have time to pursue my fiber-related business. (As my kids say, does it begin with an 'A' and end with a 'paca' Mom? Smart girls!)
3. My Good Man is creating a fiber studio in our new home for my use. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up.

I only have one question:

How do you wrap undying gratitude?

Blue skies!

Meet Meadowlark

I want you all to meet Meadowlark.Yes, this is a picture I pilfered directly from the Majacraft New Zealand website. But since she began life there, I figured they wouldn't mind. I can't find my digital camera amidst the construction zone right now, so this is as good as it gets.

She joined me in spirit the weekend I was in California, meeting alpaca ranchers and sheep farmers. Her name is after the meadowlarks which have such sweet evening song out here in the west country. She arrived last week, but has not yet been out of her box.

She spent the first years of her life on a sheep farm, owned by a lovely woman, Sherry Carlson. I had the very distinct pleasure to meet Sherry in February on a visit to her farm. If you want to see the most AMAZING sheep, visit her website http://www.wensleydalesheep.com/index.htm

Unfortunately, her fleeces are sold, but she does have a waiting list and I am officially on it.

There will be an end to the construction. There will be an end to the wedding planning, culminating in a day of great joy. And then there will be time for me to listen to Meadowlark's song. Blue skies!

What HAVE you been doing, hmmm...?

That's a most excellent question.

First, no knitting to speak of. Well, not true, I've actually redone one short row heel three times on a sock. Just can't seem to get it smooth enough to suit. I am sure it CAN be done, but maybe just not by me.

Second, preparing to take this lovely little creature, our Bay Black suri alpaca Stella, to the show in Denver. That means:

- wean from mama

- train on halter


-make arrangements for transportation, lodging, registration, etc.

Look at that face! She is STINKING cute, stinking I tell you!


Third, been helping settle teens into registration for summer and next fall, planning for summer adventures (one is off to Montreal for an immersion experience with a multi-lingual friend. She's to be their nanny for ma petite chou Angelique, a darling 6 year old). The other is off to paint with Judgie in Florida (my father trained at the Art Institute of Boston in Watercolor).

Four, oh yeah, remember ordering the kitchen post? Well, it's here. And there. And pretty much all over the house. Picked paint and lighting fixtures this week. Installation begins next week.

Five, remember I will have to prep my house for sale or rent to raise it to the standards that pretty much anyone else would require at a minimum, she snorted.

Six, the place I work has been sold AGAIN. Fourth name change in five years of employ, no stress there, none at all, she snorted again!

Seven, lest we forget, we need to squeeze a wedding in somewhere here. Okay, how does the 23rd of June sound? Great. Where? What time? Who officiates? Guests, attire, yard work prior....

My life is full AND wonderful AND happy. Pass along some love to someone you know today. Heck, just smile at a grocery clerk. It's spring, the sun is out, life is good.

Blue skies!

Love! and patterns

Okay. I've done nothing recently. EXCEPT:

-Pick cabinets, counter and flooring for a new kitchen in My Good Man's home which desperately needed renovation to be resold, but which we have decided to inhabit when ready.

-Shepherd two teens through the process of accelerating in school (they WANT to go to summer school to be more open for electives in the fall <>) One is skipping a grade.

-Go to awards banquets where they have won leadership and go-getter awards (which I must say makes this single mom feel pretty dang good about herself, even if they do have messy rooms)

-Take a toe up sock class with a wonderfully fun teacher (thanks Tan!)

-I have completed the Bubble Wrap fingerless mitts. I can share the pattern if anyone is interested.

Today, be sure to spread the joy you have in you with everyone you meet. Not just those you love. You never know the power positive energy may have on the balance of another's life.

Blue skies!

I signed up for this

My Good Man just sent me an email:

I just heard on the radio that a woman was seen on the highway by police to be knitting while driving; that wasn’t you was it? The policeman jumped in his car and chased after her. He finally got along side of her and rolled down his window and shouted to her “PULL OVER” she shouted back; “NO SOCKS!”

At least he knows what I do in a day, what floats my boat, what to buy me for gifts....

And if I could, I'd sign up with him all over again!

Blue skies!

Bags of Color

Do you ever just get the urge to mess with color? I get such a creative rush out of looking at color everywhere. Even these brushes from my studio excite when empty. So many possibilities.



Speaking of color, I just had to share my joy in this new screaming orange-pumpkin-terracotta-red rock sandstone-audacious barbeque sauce leather bag. Probably the most fun purchase I have made for myself in a long time. Technically, it is a satchel, but it is my new knitting satchel. Consider this the before picture. There will be an after picture when all modifications have been made. Shhhh... it must remain a secret.



The felted tote that wants to be a dachshund bag and evolves even as we speak is shown here. I cast on 54 stitches with doubled Brown Sheep wool on size 10.5 29" circular needles. Then I knit 18 rows. Picked up stitches at the short end, all along the cast on edge, and finished by picking up stitches at the other short side and am now knitting in the round. It seemed bland to just do stripes, so I am doing a checkerboard using fair isle colorwork. This thing is 3 sts to the inch, so it works up quickly. I plan to line it after felting so that there are no loose yarn carrys to catch.
The bottom was done in garter stitch.



Next up, something in intarsia, methinks.

Blue skies!

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.