Knit 5 Together

Pic sent via phone

2010-06-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

I've been trying and trying to post this photo from my new phone with no success - until now. Yeah! This is the brick cover I've been working on for a while. Since I took the picture, I've actually gotten a lot more done

2010-06-01T07:38:00.001-07:00

Me fox & hounds brick cover.

Register

2010-05-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

I'm Back - I Think

2010-05-20T17:41:00.001-07:00

Since Cecilia and Janine are now updating the 3 Kittens Needle Arts blog , I thought maybe I should try to update my blog again. We'll see how that works...

Current projects I'm working on:

Needlepoint
A brick cover with a comic fox and hounds
A pillow or wall hanging with a stick figure and quote that says "I'm in shape...round is a shape"

Crochet
A Babette afghan
A pleated skirt out of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
A 3/4 sleeve drapey cardigan out of Berroco Origami
A cap sleeve summer top out of Tahki Superior

Knitting
A open front cardigan with empire waist out of Noro Silk Garden Light
A pair of Flutterby socks out of K1C2 Crock-o-Dye

I'm sure there are other projects out there that are languishing, but that's all I can think of right now.

Portland II

2009-05-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Christian and I decided to go for a hike - despite the wind and rain - at Cape Lookout along the Oregon coast. It was rainy (um... did I already mention that?) and muddy and I couldn't help laughing silently at how many times Christian had to pull up his pants that he normally wears around his butt cheeks in order to hike. Overall, it was a really great day (despite the rain, rain, rain). (I am continually amazed by my size in photos - I don't feel that big!) Here's a pic of Christian, once again, pulling up his pants...

Portland I

2009-05-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Portland, OR yesterday. I spent the day with my son, Christian, who moved here last month. We walked around downtown Portland - lots of homeless people. Had lunch at the Pita Pit - kind of like a Subway, except with pita bread, plus you can get hot things (not warmed in the microwave...). Then went to Powell's book store which takes up a whole block in downtown. I only made it into 3 of the many rooms - overwhelming! Then, we went and saw The Soloist which was excellent.

By the way, if you haven't tried it yet, you should check out Priceline for great travel deals. I stayed last night at the Silver Cloud Inn just outside of downtown - 2 1/2 star hotel (according to Priceline) and by naming my price I got the room for only $60. The next few nights I'll be staying at the Doubletree Inn at Lloyd Center where the Knit and Crochet Show is being held, so I didn't get any special deals for that, but on my last night in Portland, I'm staying at a 3-star hotel near the airport for only $45! Crazy!

Here's a photo from my current hotel room (at the Silver Cloud Inn):

Not much to look at (except my rental car on the left), but very adequate.

Today we're hiking to a waterfall. It's supposed to rain this afternoon, but that's o.k. I don't mind getting wet. Before we go there, I'll be visiting Knit/Purl in downtown and the needlepoint store that's next door.

By the way, I'm reading a very funny book about losing weight: Jen Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat.

No Weight Loss

2009-05-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

No weight loss to report. I've had really no success in staying on WW. Maybe I was sabotaging myself from the beginning. I don't know. All I know is that I haven't lost anything, I'm still completely tired ALL THE TIME, and I haven't found the energy or the time to exercise. I did go back to the doctor's office this week and demanded some further testing to try to get to the bottom of the tiredness issue. I haven't received the results yet...

Still knitting, crocheting and needlepointing as much as possible (DUH!).

I'm looking forward to heading to Portland, Oregon in a week and half to visit my son and to attend the Knit and Crochet Show. I'm taking a couple of hairpin lace classes (with Hansen? the Stitch Diva) as well as a crochet class with Lily Chin. I'm looking forward to it!

Difficulties

2009-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

O.K. so here's the situation. The weight loss plan (WLP) is not going great. I have lost 2 lbs since I started two weeks ago, but I'm really having a difficult time with it. Here are the important factors:

I like food. Really! I especially like sweet things. And salty things. Sweet and salty together is extra special. I think I should stop eating sugar, but it's really hard. I have done it before, but it wasn't fun and I missed it too much!
I work too much. I love my job. I love owning 3 Kittens. But the truth is that it's really hard to eat well when I spend so much time at work.
I don't get enough exercise - or any right now for that matter. I realized recently that in order to exercise, I really need to have a goal. When I am training for a marathon, I at least get in a few training sessions a week. When I was working towards my black belt in karate, it was easy to get motivated. I would like to go back to karate, but see #2 above. And, I'm not planning on starting to train for another marathon until May.
I have a gluten intolerance. It's not too hard to eat gluten-free, but it does make it more difficult to eat quick and easy things. And fast food is almost impossible.
I think I may have a thyroid issue. I've had my thyroid tested and it keeps coming back in the normal range, but I'm not convinced. My biggest symptom (other than my weight gain) is that I am tired all the time. I've even gone in for a sleep study, after which the doctor told me I just needed to get more sleep. Unfortunately, even if I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night, I'm as tired as if I get 6.5-7.5 hours per night. SIGH!

Anyway, those are the issues that are plaguing me. That said, I am still going to keep trying!

Lorenz Manifold

2009-03-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

I finished crocheting the Lorenz Manifold last week, and I finally got around to trying to mount it. First, the instructions for the positive z-axis seem to be off. When I inserted the central unbendable wire, it was a little wonky - no a lot wonky. So, I ended up folding the Lorenz Manifold in half according to the photo in the instructions and then re-inserted the wire. Then I did the outer bendable wires which worked great - but I realized that the central wire is way too short.

My DH says he can get a longer wire, but not tempered - in other words it will bend. He'll have to heat-treat it in order to make it unbendable. So the project is on hold until sometime next week...

WLP: Much better today... Not perfect, but better.

DISASTER

2009-03-25T20:07:00.001-07:00

Terrible day with food. Feelings of guilt and shame. I know I have to let go of those feelings and move on into the next day, so that's the plan.... 'Nough said.

Goal Orientation

2009-03-24T10:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I've had it. I am way too big for my britches - literally! And, I've decided to use this blog as my daily (yes, daily) focusing tool for my new goal to lose 60 lbs. I can't believe I actually just put this out on cyber-space, but frankly something has to give, and maybe this is a way for me to be accountable...

I haven't given up on posting about knitting/crocheting/punchneedle/needlepoint. I'll still include updates on those - probably even more often now that I'll be on daily! As a matter of fact, here's a current photo of me in a vest from Classic Elite's Curvy Knits booklet that I finished in January:

And, while it's a beautiful sweater and it fits a curvy figure like mine, this photo abhors me! Look how skinny my hands look, then look at the rest of me. It's not a good thing.

How am I going to lose all those pounds? Well, first, I've signed up for Weight Watchers online. Second, I'm going to start walking again on a regular basis (now that the snow has melted). Third, I'm going to post my progress, trials, successes, etc. here daily... I'm sure other things will come up that will help me - like the support of my friends and family.

So, off we go...

Knitting Frenzy

2009-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

I am on a knitting frenzy lately - lots of small projects. Of course, this is all to the detriment of my needlepoint and crochet projects! I actually finished my Einstein Coat that I started in October of 2006 (photo to come), plus I've finished a pair of socks

This is my first pair of socks in my goal to knit a pair each month in 2009. I've joined the Great Sock Off of 2009 on Ravelry to keep me going. This one is a basic ribbed sock pattern with some small design changes on the top of the foot - to keep me from going insane. They're made out of Malabrigo Sock yarn in Indecieta.

I've also made two hats for the store

The top one is from Hip Knit Hats and is made out of Berroco Peruvia Quick (sorry about the bad photo...). The bottom one is a Figheadh Yarnworks pattern out of Berroco Peruvia.

Small projects are so fun, because they're manageable and portable. The bottom hat took me less than two days to finish (probably a total of 4 hours).

Tom Scott's Vogue Wrap

2009-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

I made a version of Tom Scott's Cabled Wrap from the new winter issue of Vogue Knitting. I'm not thrilled with the finished product, but it is kind of cool. And, guess what? Ravelry asked me if they could use a picture of my wrap on the pattern page for the item! I'm thrilled - although I wish I had rearranged the item a bit on the mannequin...

New E-Zines I Love

2008-12-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

Just had to pass on two new e-zines that I think are fabulous:

The first one isn't really new, but it's winter issue is up: Knitty. Check out these fun projects.

Aren't these hilarious! I would love to make a pair of these for Christmas for someone, but, alas, there's just not enough time in the day! Maybe next year...

I think this sweater and matching wrap are really fun. Not sure about making all those bobbles, but they do add an interesting dimension.

The 2nd zine that you should check out is Twist Collective. This new magazine (it's on issue #2 right now) is filled with really wonderful designs, mostly by well-known designers like Pam Allen, Norah Gaughan, Fiona Ellis, Veronik Avery and more. Here are a couple of my favorites from this most recent issue:

Busy Times

2008-12-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

The holiday season in a yarn store is crazy busy - even this year. Despite the economic downturn in the country, our store is doing great. I don't know if it's the change in location or the fact that people are staying home more, so they need things to keep busy (aka, hobbies). Thanksgiving was a blur, because 3 Kittens had a sale the next day and over the weekend. I haven't recovered yet!

I have been working on projects as I can:

Wool Bamboo Wrap Vest

2008-10-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've been very remiss in blogging for several months now. Just no time. I'll give it another shot though!

I'm currently working on the Wool Bamboo Wrap Vest from Curvy Knits 2 by Classic Elite. Here's a photo from the booklet.

I'm doing it in a wonderful, deep red. I love Wool Bamboo - it's the perfect yarn in my book. There's no splitting, no pilling. The hand is wonderful. And the color is rich. Love it!

Kristin Omdahl

2008-06-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure (or excitement...) to meet knit and crochet designer Kristin Omdahl at The National Needle Arts market earlier this month in Columbus, OH. I actually met her on Sunday afternoon of the show, but didn't get to talk to her much until we were both stuck in the airport waiting for our flights. (Kristin had to hole up in Columbus one more night, while Cis and I got out about 1-1/2 hours late.)

Kristin is the designer of the Infinity Wrap that I completed earlier this year. She has had numerous designs published in Interweave Crochet among other publications, and she has a book coming out later this year!

In addtion, she seemed like a genuinely nice person (as most people I met at the show were). I'm hoping that maybe if she does a book tour for her book, we can convince her publisher to send her to the Twin Cities so she can come to 3 Kittens. Wouldn't that be fun?

(By the way, Kristin designed and whipped out the broomstick lace top she has on in the photo the weekend of the market - Friday-Monday!)

TNNA Market

2008-06-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Do you remember last year at this time when I bragged about going to the Needle Arts Market? Well, I'm here again! It is so much fun - although very exhausting. Let's see, who have I had the honor to meet at Market? So far: Jess and Casey from Ravelry; Nicky Epstein; Melissa Leapman (who we had dinner with last night - what a lovely person); Maggie Jackson; Kristin Omdahl; the Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky; Sandi Weisheart of Knitting Daily; Kristin Nicholas; Iris Schreier of Artyarns; Pam Allen of Classic Elite Yarns; Amy Singer of Knitty.com and Big Girl Knits; Robyn Chachula;and Annie Modisett. O.K., the conversations haven't been deep and in-depth (except with Melissa) because it's hard to talk much when you're bowing low to the ground at everyone's feet!

At the Retailer's Luncheon on Friday, we all got to hear Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot, talk. She is soooooooooo funny! We were laughing the whole time. Did you know that there are twice as many knitters than golfers (in the U.S.? the world? I can't remember), but if you go into an airport how many knitting magazines can you find? Zero. Golf magazines? Usually, between 3 and 10! Yet, you can't golf while you're sitting on a plane... She was great. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand in line to wait for her to sign her new book.

It's getting late, and I've got another class tomorrow morning, so I better sign off. More in a day or two!

Punchneedle and Teachers

2008-05-31T22:43:00.001-07:00

This is my last year making teacher gifts for my kids at school. My youngest son is "graduating" from 5th grade on Monday. Once he moves onto Middle School, I won't make teacher gifts any more. I've traditionally potted up some plants - sometimes with my kids painting the pots; however, this year I decided to make some decorative tops for boxes with punchneedle. Here are my creations:

Have I ever mentioned that I love punchneedle???

Finished...Finished...Finished

2008-04-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been finishing lots of knit and crochet objects lately. Unfortunately, I've been spending more time putting their photos on my Ravelry page than on this blog... Anyway, here are some photos for you.

First, Amigurumi - all from Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi World:

Second, a crocheted 'Drool Baby' bib from Needle Noodles:

And, finally, my Mobius sweater by Norah Gaughan:

I'm desperately working on a couple of punchneedle teacher gifts and a needlepoint pillow for my buddy Ann. All three of these projects need to be done in the next few weeks in order for the finishing to get done in time for the end of school and Ann's birthday. SIGH! I don't like deadlines too much, but it's probably for the best, because they will get done!!!

ZZZZZzzzzz...

2008-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

I went in for a sleep study this past Tuesday to try to figure out why I am tired/sleepy all of the time. It was quite an interesting experience. I went to a HealthEast facility in Maplewood, and the rooms were fabulous! I expected a hospital-type room with hospital beds and cramped quarters; instead, what I got was a nice hotel room with a double bed, a nice easy chair and a flat-screen t.v. I arrived around 9 pm, and after changing into my p.j.'s, I had about 20 wires attached to me to measure my breathing, heart, brain waves, oxygen levels in the blood, etc. I thought I would never get to sleep with all of that stuff attached to me, but, really, I didn't have any problems. I did wake up more than I usually do, because the techs had to come into the next room and fit the person in there with a CPAP machine to help control sleep apnea (at least I think that's what was going on).

I was lucky - no one came into wake me up and put me on the CPAP, which I knew meant that I didn't have sleep apnea. Unfortunately, the doctor I met with in the morning couldn't pinpoint anything from the sleep study that was causing my tiredness - no apnea, no problems with REM sleep, no unusual leg jerks, etc. She basically said that I just need to get more sleep. Currently, I get between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 hours a night (and 8 - 10 hours each weekend night), but not at the times I would really like to get my sleep - I'm trying to go to sleep earlier than my personal circadian rhythms dictate by about an hour and I'm getting up a couple of hours earlier than I would like.

I still think there's more to the big picture than just needing more sleep. My next step in the sleuthing process is to get a physical, including a more thorough thyroid function test than the typical test that I've had several times. Hopefully I can figure out how to fix this. I hate being tired all the time!

Requisite crafting component: Me in my Noro Taiyo hat #2.

Yarnover 2008

2008-04-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

I was at the very fun, highly motivational, incredibly awe-inspiring Yarnover today! The Yarnover is the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's annual one-day workshop. It's loaded with classes taught by many of the superstars of the knitting world: Sally Melville, Joan Schrouder, Melissa Leapman, Chris Bylsma, Beth Brown-Reinsel, Lucy Neatby, etc. Plus, there is a market of local and not-s0-local vendors. Of course, 3 Kittens had a booth, so we were there by 7 am unloading cars and setting up our table, and we didn't start breaking everything down and packing up until 5 pm. It was a long day!

I was lucky enough to take a class in the morning from Sally Melville. She's a fun and energetic teacher who makes sure that everyone in the class gets the help they need. The class I took was called "Stripes and Stripes that Aren't." The first half of the class was all about stripes - whether to cut the yarn at the end of each stripe or carry it up along the edge (carry up); how to line up stripes from body to upper arm on a set in sleeve; how to do stripes so it doesn't make you look heavier (make sure that you don't do the following: have wide stripes and [not or] have stripes that match up and have high contrast between stripe colors); how to weave in ends as you work, etc. The second half of the class - and where I got most excited - was basically on slip stitches and how to carry colors up your work from your previous stripe color (clear as mud, I know...) Now, I've worked with slip stitches before, and I could have figured most of the info out on my own, but one of the best things about it was having Sally show her garments from her Knitting Experience 3: Color book and talk about the design process and the use of these stripes that aren't in garments - I came away with two garments I want to make. Which, of course, means that I will be buying the book at the store tomorrow, and seeing if I can use my Fiesta Rayon Boucle for one of them.

Luckily, in the process of the day, I just about finished my last sleeve for my Mobius. I think I have about 5 rows to go. Then I can put it all together, block it, and maybe by the end of the week, I'll be able to wear it! I also almost finished my Regia Bamboo socks - just the toe shaping left. I haven't worn knit socks in a long time, so I'm excited to get them done. No photos tonight, because I don't have my camera. You'll have to wait until tomorrow...

Also, I had a great experience being one of Franklin Habit's 1000 Knitters. I had no idea that he was going to be there, so it was a thrill to be photographed by him (you can see what a good photographer he is in the self-portrait at right). If you're a listener of the Cast On podcast, you'll know Franklin by his funny, funny essays. At first, I couldn't find him - he was not in the room where all of his equipment was set up, and I went back to the market. But, as I was walking back to the booth, I heard his distinctive voice and went towards it. He was quite generous to allow me to come to the photo shoot even though I didn't have an appointment. We chatted while he took the picture, and I got maybe 6 rows done on the 1000 Knitters' scarf. I was pretty soon after Lucy Neatby. I did my section in plain ol' garter stitch - Lucy put a nice big, on-purpose hole in her section. That's why she's the designer - she's creative...

All in all, I had a great (albeit exhausting) day. Next year, Lily Chin will be the keynote speaker, so it should be another great event!

California Dreamin'

2008-04-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Not much to write about lately, so I haven't. I did go on a short trip to California with my husband last weekend. Flew into LAX, then drove to Claremont to have lunch with an old friend at 3 Forks, which was lovely because we got to sit outside and the food was delicious. We then drove to Palm Springs to visit cousin Janie. We dined at the famous Smoke Tree Ranch

and the next day we visited the Indian Canyons park which was fascinating - desert, except along the stream beds where there were, of all things, palm trees.

Then for our last night we drove to San Diego and spent the night at the Loews Coronado Beach Resort, which was lovely but too short of a stay to really enjoy it.

I needlepointed on the plane trips and in the cars I worked on my Regia Bamboo socks and the collar for my Mobius top.

2008-03-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

I've started and ripped out a little Noro Taiyo crocheted hat twice tonight... SIGH!

I returned from my vacation - which was lovely, despite getting a head cold.

I'm happy to say that I worked on all seven projects I took with me. I even finished two of them: the whale I posted last week and my Celestine Crochet:

I think the Celestine is fun, but oddly shaped - some of the points are way big and some way small. But, it would still make a great baby toy. I put two jingle bells inside to make it even more appealing to little ones.

Humpback Whale

2008-03-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

I'm in sunny Florida for Spring Break with my family. We're staying near Seaside, the cute little town where the movie The Truman Show (with Jim Carrey) was filmed, at a resort community called Watercolor. This is our 6th year vacationing in Seaside and Watercolor. We've rented houses in both communities and have enjoyed both of them.

I brought 7 projects to work on!! EEK! Of course, they're all small... I've finished the first one, humpback whale I purchased from edafedd on Etsy.

I made this whale for my sister-in-law, Kristin, who is a marine biologist whose specialty is humpbacks. She loves her little whale! She says it's a pregnant female, because she's much bigger through the belly than a non-pregnant whale would be. Edafedd also has patterns for a manatee and a narwhal. They're really cute and life-like.

More Amigurumi

2008-03-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm still doing the crochet Amigurumi thing. Here are my current two projects:

This is Celestine Crochet, a free pattern from Berroco. It doesn't look like much now, but I think it should get finished today or tomorrow, then it will look like a dodecahedron (no, I didn't know how to spell that... I had to look it up!). It's being made out of Regia Stretch Crazy Color.

Well, it doesn't look like much yet, but it's going to be a Humpback Whale. I bought this pattern on Etsy from edafedd. There are hundreds of crochet patterns on Etsy. I bought a sushi pattern last night for someone I know (no names, yet). And, there was a cute little pattern for baby bibs that have an amigurumi feel, so I bought that, too.

BTW, I'm now on Ravelry, and I would love to have other Ravelry members look at my stuff and join my friends list. So check it out! My user name is k5tog.

FO

2008-03-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

I'm falling down on my commitment to post once a week. SIGH! I joined Ravelry yesterday, so maybe that will give me some incentive. Anyway, thought I'd post a photo of a finished object, just to show that I have actually accomplished something!

This is the piece I worked on while recovering from my broken leg last summer. Of course, the stitching was done before Christmas, but I got it back from the finisher in February. So here it is in all its glory. I love what the finisher did with the little embellishments at the top. I love it!

Amigurumi Madness

2008-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, we received a shipment of a new release book, Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli, and I've been going crazy ever since!

The cup was the most fun to make! I absolutely love it. I made the cup out of Needful Yarns Kim, the turtle is made out of Classic Elite Pebbles, and the daddy Lion is made out of scraps of Cascade 220 and Ella Rae Classic. I have yarn to make several other of these fun little guys, so you may see more photos in the days to come.

Oops, I Did It Again!

2008-02-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

So much for my New Year's Resolution of posting at least once a week! SIGH! But, at least I am knitting, crocheting and needlepointing. My most recently completed project is a crocheted "Pidge" that I designed as a give away pattern for the 3K Club at 3 Kittens:

It was a very quick and simple project. It took 3 skeins of Mirasol Sulka and a wonderful button made by Eric Salverda (a teacher at my children's school, my son's football coach and the dad of one of our employees). We originally received our first Pidge pattern from Misti Alpaca and used that as our 3K Club Perk during January. It was so popular that we got a second design from them for another knitted Pidge, and I made this crocheted one up for all of the people who wanted to crochet one.

I've also been stitching away on two needlepoint canvases. I don't have my camera with me at home, so I can 't take a photo of them in progress, but here are the two designs I'm working on from Maggie Co

Needlepoint Fun

2008-01-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of needlepoint lately. Knitting, crochet & punchneedle are sidelined for a bit - except when watching t.v. when the knitting comes back out. I've been working on a Blackberry holder for a while out of Soy Luster, a 100% soy floss:

This project has not been always fun, but I'm into it right now, and it's going quickly.

The fun project is this one I'm making for a friend:

I'm changing the floor tile color (the gold) to something else, but I'm waiting for the background color to arrive from a special order before I choose what to use. The gold just competes too much with the dress, so I want something more subtle... Eventually, this will be a pillow.

I've got several knitting projects still going: my Einstein coat, a child's sweater, my 8-year afghan, etc. In terms of crochet, I've got two projects going - my toe up socks and a Louet Kid Mohair sweater from the cover of the Fall Interweave Crochet. I completed a series of snowmen with punchneedle, but I'm trying to decide if I should make one more. One snowman has a floppy hat, one has a stocking cap, one has a cowboy hat, and I'm thinking of making one with a sombrero.

Resolutions

2008-01-07T06:57:00.000-08:00

O.K., I'm not really big on New Year's Resolutions, but I have one this year - post on my blog at least once a week! Good, eh?

I had fun over the weekend taking my daughter and her friends to a Tarot Card reader. I thought I would knit through each of the sessions, but I ended up taking notes for the girls (ages 14 - 15). It was really interesting. So interesting in fact that I ended up getting my cards read as well! I'm supposedly going to have a very good year. Both my daughter and I received similar "messages" regarding having a vacation near water and about someone in our lives who is going to be working longer and harder this year and will need our support. Interesting, since she didn't even know that Emily was my daughter (we never told her whose Mom I was - although maybe she looks a little like me...).

We are planning two vacations, one to Watercolor in March and the other to Australia (!) during the summer. I can't wait for either of them...

I've been knitting and crocheting and needlepointing up a storm these days. Here's a photo of the Infinity Wrap by Kristin Omdahl from the most recent Interweave Crochet magazine, modelled by Tiffany, one of the employees at 3 Kittens:

The New Interweave Knits

2007-11-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

I received my copy of the Winter 2007 Interweave Knits this past week. While I think the articles are good, I was pretty disappointed with the patterns offered this issue. The editorial staff were going for a "classic" look, and I think they achieved it; however, I found very little that I thought I would ever want to knit. Perhaps the Citrus Yoke pullover (see below) will be in my future, but I'm not chomping at the bit just yet!

The interview with Kristin Nicholas was interesting, and the Pam Allen article on set-in sleeves was very well done.

I've been working on stuff like mad. I've finished 3 punch-needle items and a needlepoint bracelet, plus a single sock for the store in Regia Silk is already on display. I'm trying desperately to finish my Pumpkin Man canvas. It's taken much too long, and I want to move on...

It's Been a Long, Long Time

2007-10-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

I am so bad... Bad blogger, BAD BLOGGER!

O.K., so I finally have some down time, because I'm in San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon with Team in Training, and since I can't run the race, I'm just here for support, cheering and photo taking. Which means, I can actually post to my blog!

My hotel room really leaves alot to be desired, but after a long day of travelling, I was pretty happy to get into it:

O.K., I'm only joking! This was at Alcatraz which I visited last night with some of my teammates. Some of the cell blocks were set up as if prisoners were still living in them, and on the audio one of the ex-prisoners was talking about teaching some of the other prisoners to crochet.

Pretty interesting, eh? I guess the prisoners had to have something to do to while away their "time."

I'm visiting a needlepoint store later this morning, so hopefully I'll be able to post some photos later of that.

World War II Knitting

2007-09-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend a talk today at the Minnesota History Center on World War II Knitting. The program was presented by Linda McShannock, the Textile Curator at the History Center, and Steven Berg, aka 'The Glitter Knitter' and owner of the Yarn Garage in Rosemount, Minnesota. Linda talked about the museum's collections (and mentioned me and Carol Ogren because of our volunteer work cataloguing the knitting collection - years ago) and showed us some wonderful pieces that were on display for today's event. Steven talked about the history of male knitters as well as the charity knitting done during the World Wars for soldiers. It was really interesting!

Here's Steven (in a sweater made out of multiple fibers, including 8-track tape!):

You can just barely see in the background a mannequin with a fantastic dress made out of a silk underdress, covered with an overdress made of copper wire! It is so cool. I wish I had gotten a better photo... It was made by a local fiber artist (can't remember her name) and is called something like "Yeah, I'm a Goddess."

At my table there was a wonderful woman named Trudy (sorry, I've forgotten her last name) who is 82 years young. She had a couple of great anecdotes about wartime knitting. In addition, she has given a couple of her hand-knitted items to the collection. Here she is (on the left) with Linda McShannock and Trudy's beautiful, Chanel-inspired sweater. The sweater was a blue ribbon winner at the Minnesota State Fair in the 1990s.

Progess - Slowly

2007-09-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back at work on a regular basis, plus the kids have gone back to school, so I can no longer spend my days lounging on the sofa knitting and crocheting and neelepointing while I listen to books on my iPod! SIGH!

Hence the slow as molasses progress on my needlepoint piece. Here's a photo anyway:

Mostly, I have a bunch of green left; however, I do still have to do seven stars plus some beads on the bottom of the pants and some sparkly thread (Kreinik) in some places. But then it will be ready to go the finisher. This piece is 7" x 17" - a perfect size for a wall-hanging.

I also have to finish my 'Maude' jacket/duster this weekend, since it needs to go up in 3 Kittens for a class sample. I made the XL size, but now I'm thinking I should have made the L. It worked up so quickly that I might just have to make another one in a different color! Photos to come when the first one is done.

Maggie Jackson at 3 Kittens

2007-08-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

We were really lucky to have Maggie Jackson of Maggi Knits visit our shop this week. She is an amazing designer. Her one-off creations used to sell at Neiman Marcus and other big name stores for $600+. Now, of course, she has her own yarn line and an amazing collection of pattern books. She taught two classes for us this week, plus she did a fashion show. Because I still have kids home from school (summer's almost over though; they go back to school next week - WHEW!) and my leg still needs to spend some time elevated, I couldn't attend either of the classes. However, I did get to see the fashion show, and from what I hear the classes were fantastic. Here are a couple of pics from the fashion show for your enjoyment:

Finally Photos!

2007-08-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

I finally remembered to take my camera to 3 Kittens today to get some photos of the garments I've finished recently. Here they are in the order in which they were finished:

This is the Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy top (modelled by Tiffany, one of the employees at the store).

A fun little cardigan with an interesting shape, made out of Berroco Touche from one of Berroco's summer pattern books.

Ascot-style scarf made out of Simply Shetland's Lambswool Cashmere. This is a free pattern with the purchase of the yarn at the store. It only takes one skein - 10 bucks!

I love this scarf. It is crocheted out of Berroco Keltic (modelled by Ana, another employee). This is a free pattern from the Berroco website. It's part of the Dram set which also includes a hat and mittens. I did make the mittens but am not enamored of them. Apparently, Berroco also has a knitted version of this pattern, but I haven't looked at it.

I've also done about a zillion swatches for the store. No one likes to do swatches, but it does give you a way to learn which fibers you like and why. We just got Nashua Velvet Wool and Vignette in the store, plus the Mirasol project yarns. I can't wait to do swatches of those! Kind of...

Finished Projects - No Photos

2007-08-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Sigh! I keep finishing things and sending them off to 3 Kittens without taking photos. Now that I'm driving maybe I'll be able to take photos of everything next week at the store. I've finished a K1C2 Ty-Dy top, a Berroco Touche cardigan, a Simply Shetland Lambswool Cashmere scarf, a Berroco Keltic crocheted scarf and mitten (just one, because if we have a pair in the store it's more likely to be taken than just a single mitten), and ... Can't remember if there was anything else.

My poor leg is on the mend. I'm in a removable cast now, which means I can take showers without having to get a garbage bag taped onto my leg. I'm not the best on crutches, but I figure by the time I'm off of them I will have the buffest arms around. Of course, they may still be covered with the some excess flab, but I'll know they're buff... Now, if I could just figure out how to do all of the shopping that needs to be done to get the kids ready for school.

Languishing

2007-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is the first day since my accident that I have been really down. You would think lazing around, knitting and stitching all day would be heavenly. And, don't get me wrong - it's not like I'm in hell or anything. I'm just tired of it all... But, I have finished a couple projects - samples for the store. One of them I've sent with my partner Cis to block and sew buttons onto, so no photo yet. But here's the other one:

This is the Whirlwind Scarf by Christine Furber, part of the iKnitiative line of patterns. It's made out of Berocco Suede. I fell in love with this scarf at The National Needlearts Association convention in June. I took a class with the owner of iKnitiative on using ribbon yarns, and she had this scarf made out of browns and blacks - way cool colorway, too.

I'm also plugging away at my Kaleidoscope Tote by Sheryl Lange. The Kaleidoscope Tote is one of our 3 Kittens Designs, but this version is for my own use - not a store sample. And, I'm working on my needlepoint. Plus, we've gotten so many new yarns in the store in the last week or so, I have a ton of gauge swatches to do. So, as you can tell, I really have nothing to complain about.

I guesss what's bothering me the most is the lack of mobility. I'm a pretty active person, and right now I'm stuck lying on the sofa with my foot propped up.

I'm trying to keep the swelling down - not really doing a very good job of it though - look at the 2nd toe on each foot! EEK! But, the pain is getting better... Anyway, I wish I could do my regular stuff - even the laundry! SIGH! I do have it bad...

Ouch!

2007-07-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

I thought I would get a lot of knitting done this weekend, because we were on an antique car tour.

This is our 1907 Franklin (with my daughter in the front seat and my oldest son and nephew in the back). We joined about 20 other very early cars for a Horseless Carriage Club tour in Superior, WI and Duluth, MN. Most of the time I rode with my other son in another car, because we didn't have enough room in our car to carry everyone.

I got quite a bit of knitting done on a new sweater out of orange Berroco Touche (you may recall that originally I had tried to crochet a pattern from the newest Berroco crochet booklet out of this yarn, but the pattern was incorrect - Berroco sent me a hand-drawn chart with the correct pattern, but they have yet to put written errata on their website and I'm just not proficient at reading crochet charts). However, much of it was done while I was in the emergency room after ... I broke my leg!!

I took a little spill down a water runoff on a slope near the shore of Lake Superior and broke my tibia about 3" above my ankle and sheared off the back of my ankle bone. I'm hoping to get lots of knitting and needlepointing and crocheting done while I recuperate!! (There's always a silver lining...) I don't have a cast yet - just a splint, because I have to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to find out if I need surgery. I hope I don't and that they can just cast it up and send me home!... I'm going to be fine, but there goes my trip to Disneyland with the kids in August as well as the Nike Women's Marathon that I was going to do with Team in Training in October. Sigh!

A Star is Born

2007-07-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

O.K., maybe a bit player is born! I woke up super early yesterday morning (3:50!) so I could go and participate in a promo on the KARE 11 morning show for Stitch N Pitch. If you don't know what Stitch N Pitch is, check out The National Needlearts Association for more info across the nation or the Minnesota Twins website for the Stitch N Pitch event on Sunday, July 22, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

I'm the one in the red shirt behind the guy with the blond hair (Steven Berg from The Yarn Garage who was immortalized today in the Star Trib). The only person interviewed from the group of stitchers was the little girl on the left who surprised the interviewer by answering the question of what she was knitting with "A hedgehog." You should have seen the look on the interviewer's face - it was classic: skeptical, amazed, etc. I was happy I had brought a few props along, because not only did we get the hat my partner Cis made for TC (the Twin's mascot) on air, but they also talked about our Twins tote during both segments!

Crocheted Bowl #3

2007-07-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

The 3rd rendition of the crocheted bowl didn’t turn out too well, either – at least not how I had hoped it would! It’s not terrible, just not right. Not only did the bead wire not work exactly as hoped, but I still can’t seem to get the shaping right so it will look like my MIL’s bowl. I need to have a much steeper decrease after the widest part… I went to the local craft store and picked up some hollow tubing that is used to make those plastic tube bracelets that teenagers wear, and I’m trying the 4th version with that. I will work on the shaping again, too.

Here’s a needlepoint canvas that I’ve been doing. It’s 13 mesh. I’m using primarily Silk & Ivory threads with some Kreinik braid and Rainbow Gallery Frosty Rays for the bird and other things. I think it’s rather cute!

I have a few (!) other projects I'm working on which I'll show over the next few posts.

Hey, has anyone seen the new Harry Potter movie? I'm going tomorrow - I hope!

Happy Independence Day!

2007-07-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

For all of the Americans out there, Happy Independence Day! We have not decided on our plans for the day, but I'm happy just sitting and stitching.

I am currently working hard on my crocheted bowl that I started a while ago. In case you don't remember, this is a bowl I am trying to design based on a bowl my MIL wove when she was in college (see photo at right). Originally, I thought I would crochet it (out of Noro Kureyon) with a largish hook (L?) then felt it, but that attempt wasn't too successful:

Next I tried to go down to a J hook,

which was better, but still floppy:

So now, I'm using a D hook and I'm carrying along some jewelry/beading wire (Soft Flex Medium - 49 strands). I was given the idea to carry along the wire by our Karabella rep, Kathy, whom I was telling about the original woven bowl. She asked if it was woven around some basketry fiber, and I said I didn't know, but it put the idea in my mind! I'm about half finished with the bowl; we'll see how it goes!

Finished Objects (Sort of...)

2007-06-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here are two more finished objects of mine:

This is my version of the Bangle Bracelet, a free pattern on Knitting Daily. My yarn was thicker than what the pattern called for, so I only ended up with four squares. I used Needful Yarns Dubai Stretch, so it's easy to fit over my hand. I'm not sure if I love the colors, so I'm doing a 2nd one with smaller granny squares and without the pale blue.

This is my crocheted sock that I finally finished, but alas the foot really is too long, so I've ripped it out past the heel, and I will be redoing it. It worked up pretty fast - that is when I actually worked on it, so I don't feel too bad about ripping it out!

Finished Needlepoint

2007-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

I posted not too long ago that I've been having problems finishing things, so I'm excited to say that I finished a little needlepoint canvas yesterday. It's a Kathy Schenkel mini-stocking:

There will be a cute longhorn steer to go inside the stocking, and the whole thing will be made into a fabulous Christmas tree ornament - and some lucky relative is going to get it for Christmas! 'Nuff said.

Of course, because I finished something, I had to start something... Sigh! I started the fabulous Bangle Bracelet pattern from Knitting Daily in Needful Yarns Dubai Stretch - which is a bit too large for this pattern, but at least I won't need to make as many granny squares!

More Garter Stitch Please

2007-06-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't finished the Maude jacket... Or the Colinette shawl jacket...r the Kaleidoscope Tote... Or the crocheted hat made out of hemp... Or my 2nd needlepoint gift stocking... Or the Sunrise Circle jacket (which just needs to be sewn up for goodness sake!)...

BUT I have started something new!

It's the Ty-Dy bolero from K1C2. I've already finished the other front, and after my daughter's soccer game last night I'm almost finished with this front, then on to the back. The skeeves are incorporated into the front of the sweater, so I won't have to do anything extra there. I think I can get this finished & up in 3 Kittens pretty quickly.

But, I do need to finish the Maude jacket, because we have a class starting next week, and because we don't have a sample up in the store, I don't think we've got any takers yet. Unfortunately, my sleeves ended up way long, and I have to rip out the seams and the sleeves themselves and redo them, and I just haven't had the time to do that. SIGH! Maybe tonight. Here's what it's supposed to look like when it's done:

World Wide Knit in Public Day

2007-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Did you know that today is World Wide Knit in Public Day (or wwkipd)? So get out there and do your stuff! And, if you're a crocheter or stitcher and not a knitter, get out and do that instead. If you're in the Twin Cities, come by 3 Kittens and sit on our porch while you knit and enjoy some lemonade (or iced coffee from TK's which is just three doors away).

While I was at market last weekend, I took a class on how to reach out to teens and tweens for our store, and one of the key points that I took away was that young people (as well as not-so-young ones, I bet) need to see people doing their craft or wearing their products many times before they get the "bug." So spread the gospel of knitting, crocheting or stitching today!

Maude Jacket

2007-06-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm back from market. I got to meet more celebrities - Sasha Kagan who has a wonderful crochet book coming out and Adina Klein the new editor of Vogue Knitting, plus the brains behind the iKnitiative collection, Natalie Wilson.

While I was there, I worked steadily on the Maude jacket by Pam Gillette. Pam is the owner of the blog, Knotty Generation, and a fantastic designer. I am happy to say that we are in the process of coming to terms on bringing her design talents under the umbrella of 3 Kittens Designs. The first design that we will be publishing is her Maude jacket (which is currently available on her website to consumers, but will be available wholesale through us). I almost completed the jacket - it was a fun, quick project to crochet. Very simple, yet elegant. I stayed up late one night trying to get it done so I could wear it the next day, only to realize I still had one section to crochet. So, it's still not done. But it should be in a day or two. Here's a photo in process:

Of course, I should have been working on my Colinette 'Rossetti' shawl jacket

which is supposed to be done this weekend for a wedding (my sister Jenny's in San Antonio). Looks like I'll be looking for a new dress this week, since there is no way I'm going to get the shawl jacket done... SIGH! Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

Wish You Were Here

2007-06-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

God, I love being a yarn store owner! My partners and I are at The National Needlearts Association (TNNA) trade show this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. I can't believe the incredible number of inspiring products I'm seeing. I want to crochet and knit and needlepoint and punch needle and... You get the idea! I'm exhausted but energized at the same time. I got to meet some wonderful designers ("rock stars") in the knitting and crochet world. Probably the neatest for me was the editor of CrochetMe.com, Kim Piper Werker, who is having her first book (aptly named Crochet Me) this fall. She was super friendly, and I was able to tell her how I've blogged about her e-zine right here. I hope she'll be able to come to the store as part of her promotional tour. Second would have to be Nicky Epstein, although I've met her before (but, sigh, she didn't remember me - go figure...). She's a delightful person. I also was lucky enough to meet Lucy Neatby, Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Iris Shrier (sp?) and Jane Ellingson. And, I'm sure I'll get to meet others tomorrow.

What fun!

One of My Many Projects

2007-05-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of one of my hundreds (o.k., it's probably only in the tens) of projects:

This is a Kaleidoscope Tote pre-felting. As you can see, I have a long way to go - one more side, the rest of the front, the back and the handles. And, it all has to be done by Wednesday! EEK! But, I can do it!

Projects

2007-05-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

The only excuse I have for not posting in so long is that I've been busy working on various projects - none of which are complete yet! SIGH! This past weekend, I went on a private train ride from St. Paul, MN to Rock Island, IL. It was a dream! I knit and crocheted the whole way there and back. Here's a photo of me crocheting away:

I was working on a sweater from The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller in to-die-for Louisa Harding Grace (silk & wool). It's so yummy to work with!

I would also show you a picture of the 'shawl jacket' I'm doing out of Colinette Tao Silk and Parisienne (a mohair blend), but my DH apparently took the memory card from my camera to work. I worked on it for most of the trip - more than the crocheted sweater. I have a deadline for it - June 9 for my sister's wedding in San Antonio, TX.

Besides those two projects, here's what I'm working on:

A Kaleidoscope Tote in Manos (deadline of June 1 so I can carry it around at The National Needlearts Association market in Columbus)
An Einstein Coat from Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch for the 3 Kittens Knit-Along
A Kathy Schenkel needlepoint mini-stocking for my sister-in-law for Christmas
The Curtis sweater from a Berocco crochet booklet (which I am waiting for the errata on; Berocco has sent me the designer's hand drawn charts, but I'm not adept enough at crochet to be able to figure that out)
The Sunrise Circle Jacket - just needs to be assembled
Crocheted socks from www.crochetme.com
? I'm sure there's more, but I just can't remember right now

So, I have been busy - just not posting!

Forgive Me

2007-04-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Oops! I've forgotten to post anything... Really, I just haven't had time. I've been too busy knitting and crocheting and working and chauffeuring the kids and ... Well, you get the idea.

I'm excited to report that 3 Kittens is getting Pam Gillette, the owner of the blog Knotty Generation, to teach some fun and fabulous crochet classes. We're meeting with her again tomorrow to figure out exactly which classes we want to put on the schedule over the next few months and into fall... I personally want to take every class she does!

Here's one of my latest forays into crochet. I'm trying to copy a woven bowl that my mother-in-law did while she was in college:

I just fell in love with the shape of the bowl. The colors are great too, but I only wanted to use a single hand-dyed yarn rather than several solids, so I decided to use Noro Kureyon in my attempt to copy the bowl using crochet. I worked on the bowl in front of my computer so I could type in the pattern as I went. I made it fairly loose, because I thought felting it would be a good idea. So, here's my first attempt at the covered bowl (please keep in mind it's a first attempt!):

Sad, huh?? O.K., so I've bought some more Kureyon (different colorway), and I'm going to have another go at it. I've decided not to try to felt it, because I think the fabric was pretty nice before felting. And, I will be doing it on much smaller needles to get a denser, more sturdy fabric that hopefully will hold the shape of the bowl better. Wish me luck!

I'm also working on a Twinkle pattern from the current issue of Vogue Knitting. Of course, Vogue doesn't have a photo of that particular sweater on their website, but it's coming along very quickly. All of the Twinkle patterns do, since the designer only uses big needles and her own yarn (now that she has a line of yarns through Classic Elite). The sweater that I'm making uses 4 strands of Twinkle Cruise, a cotton/silk blend on size 13 needles. Unfortunately, Twinkle generally doesn't design for "big girls," so this sweater won't fit me, but it will look good in the store!

Progress

2007-04-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

I'm making progress on the Ultimate Crocheted Socks from CrochetMe.com:

Obviously, it's a toe-up sock! I've just completed the gusset portion, hence the increases near the top, and I'm about to start the heel.

I've also started a Kaleidoscope Tote. I've tried a couple of times to upload a photo of the tote onto this blog, but for some reason it's just not working. So if you'd like to see a photo check it out on the 3 Kittens Patterns page. I had some skeins of Manos that having been aging for a while in my cedar closet, so my colors won't be the same as the original, but I think it will look cool nonetheless!

Crocheted Socks???

2007-04-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make socks again. No, not knitted socks - crocheted ones! EGADS! A week or so ago we got in a shipment of Regia sock yarns at 3 Kittens, and when I was scanning the new yarns into our POS system, I fell in love with Bamboo Colors. I can't find any great photos on the web, but here's a closeup of one of the colors, albeit not the one I'm making my sock out of: It is super soft and yummy to work with. The new CrochetMe came out on Friday, and the very first pattern is for toe-up socks:

I started the socks this afternoon at the store, and although I've ripped out once because they were too big, I'm about half way finished with the foot part of the first sock. It's exciting!

By the way, if you haven't heard, Kim Piper Werker, the founder and editor of CrochetMe.com is now the new editor of Interweave Crochet which is going quarterly. I love the newest issue of Interweave Crochet - especially the Fun in the Sun Hat (see my previous post) and the Beachcomber Tunic (for which I have yarn picked out and waiting for me to purchase). And, if CrochetMe is any indication, I think Kim Werker will do a fantastic job with Interweave Crochet!

Fun in the Sun Hat

2007-04-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished the Fun in the Sun Hat from the new Interweave Crochet magazine. We only had one skein of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK at 3 Kittens Needle Arts, which was the yarn called for in the pattern. So I decided to make it out of Louisa Harding Nautical Cotton instead. Then when I got home, I realized that I didn't have the right size hook (G), so I ended up making it with an H hook instead. But the pattern was written in such a way that I was able to adjust the size according to the my gauge with the H hook very easily. Anyway, here's a photo:

This was a quick project (a few hours at the most), and I'm planning on modifying the pattern in order to make something similar out of Frabjous Fibers Hemp yarn. I think it will turn out like a crushable straw hat. Can't wait to do it, but I've got a felting project in the works right now.

And, I finished the knitting of the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I'll start to put it together tomorrow. I can't believe it's taken me almost a year to complete this project. But then again, I have made lots of other things!!

I Give Up

2007-04-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

O.K., here's the question of the day (actually of the past month): what's worse, eating too much sugar or not eating sugar but eating everything else in sight and gaining 10 lbs? I've gone four weeks without sugar, and I'm fed up (no pun intended). I can't take it any more. I'd rather eat something sugary everyday than consume a large bag of potato chips, by myself, in the span of two days! Plus other stuff... It's just not worth it!

I hate, hate, hate the self-loathing that I experience about my weight. I want to be thin(ner). I have many reasons, some legitimate, some left-over from my eating disorders days. Right now, the main thing is that I'm going to be running the Twin Cities Marathon in October, and I would like to weigh less this time around in the hope that I can post a faster time than my last marathon. The other looming reason is I have to go to San Antonio in June for my youngest sister's wedding, and I just don't want to be "fat." That is not really a legitimate reason in my book - trying to look good for other people. Why should it matter what other people think of my appearance? Finally, although my blood pressure is looking pretty good these days, I would like to have it consistently low so I can get off the blood pressure meds.... On the other hand, I would like to accept myself the way I am. Why can I not just look at myself and say, "You look fine. And look at all the things your body can do - run a marathon, get your black belt, play 'abs of steel' with your kids." Or even better, "I love myself just the way I am."

So, what's a girl (me) to do? I'm not having luck with the no-sugar thing or with Weight Watchers. I think I have to just concentrate on portion control. Eat what I want, but eat it slower, with more thought and enjoyment, and slower. And practice self-love or affirmations or something.

Requisite crafting content: I ripped out the crocheted cardigan last night after actually measuring the back and finding out I was TWO inches larger than I was supposed to be. I'm almost back at the place I ripped from yesterday. Thank God crochet goes so quickly - and that I am a process person not a product person!

Crocheted Cardi

2007-04-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the back of the Berroco Touche crocheted cardigan. It's pretty fast going, although I still haven't figured out how to measure my gauge with crochet. It's not as clear cut as measuring knitted fabric. Anyway, my gauge on the back is off by about an inch. I'm not too concerned about it since it's going to be a store sample. I'm making the smallest size anyway, so it's not meant to fit me.... Besides bright orange would not be my first choice for a color, but Janine (our right hand woman at 3 Kittens - what would we do without her?) suggested doing it in a color that not everyone would like. Her philosophy is that if someone likes the sweater despite the fact that it's an unappealing color (for that person), they will buy the yarn to make it in another color, and if someone really wants orange, we can always order it for her. It really is a lovely orange - the photo doesn't do it justice, but I'm not really an orange wearer. I will wear orange if it's combined with something else though. And I could see this sweater with a simple white t-shirt or cami underneath.

Skinny Linny

2007-03-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

I finished my linen stitch scarf - finally! I love it. I think I'll wear it to work on Monday... I haven't written up the pattern yet; that's next. Although, it is a very simple pattern, knit length-wise on large needles with a linen stitch. I used 5 colors of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk - it was wonderful to work with! (Plus, there's lots left over to make a hat if I want.) It will be a store sample at 3 Kittens, and we'll probably have it as a free pattern with purchase of yarn to make it. Plus, I might do a class out of it. I used an interesting cast-on for the scarf - a chain cast on done with a crochet hook and a knitting needle (although any cast-on would probably work, I liked the look of this one for the project). And, I did the cast-off in a different way as well (once again, the normal cast-off would probably work, too). Plus, the linen stitch, while fairly simple for those who have used slipped stitch patterns in the past, can present some problems for newbies. So, I think it could be a fun class to teach.

Now, I have to decide what to do next - work on the Sunrise Circle jacket or start a new sample for the store. I brought home a beautiful orange Berroco Touche today to crochet the Curtis sweater. But I still have the crochet sweater from Happy Hooker to do as well. Plus, of course, there's always the 7 year afghan and the Macalester College scarf and...

Wrists & WW

2007-03-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

My wrist is sore! UGH! It started hurting yesterday as I was crocheting in the car on the drive from Tucson to Phoenix. It's been hurting ever since. I've never had carpal tunnel symptoms, and I'm hoping that this isn't the start of that. No knitting or crocheting for me today - and I am wearing a brace; however, I have been on the computer much of the day which hasn't really helped!

Started Weight Watchers again today - and I'm a complete witch! Just ask my family. God, the first few days of a "diet" or "food plan" or whatever you want to call it are HELL. But, after seeing some of the photos from our trip and trying to fit into my summer clothes from last year, I realized I have to do something. Not to mention, that I would like to run my next marathon (Twin Cities in October) a bit faster, and the only way to do that is by losing weight and training better. Anyway, I've completed one day, and I'm going to keep at it, One Day at a Time. (I am still sugar free - tomorrow it will be 3 weeks!)

By the way, on our trip we did some geocaching. My sister-in-law, Kristin, had recommended it and brought along her handheld GPS. It was a blast. Basically, you go to the geocaching website, enter where you are (via zip code or latitude/longitude), and it will tell you the lat/long of a hidden cache near where you are. Then you go find it. Here I am trying to find our first one:

It took us quite a while to find the first hidden treasure (an Altoids box in a plastic bag), but we persisted. The "cache" is always a waterproof container with a log that you sign. People leave things in the container, and you can take something from the container if you wish as well. I left my business card in a couple of them. We found a cool thing in one (that's Kristin):

Can you tell that it's a Team in Training logo? Actually, it's one of the temporary tattoos that we put on our faces or arms before the race. Cool, huh?

Purls

2007-03-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

I'm visiting Tucson until next Tuesday, staying at the Hilton El Conquistador Resort (which makes you pay to access the wireless internet - jeez, as if we aren't paying enough for our rooms!). Anyway, I decided to go visit a local yarn shop today. Unfortunately, I left my camera with my husband so he could take photos of the kiddos in the pool, so no pictures for you... I visited Purls North (they also have a larger store, Purls East). It was a fairly small store with a decent selection of sock yarns, novelty yarns, Prism, Encore, and (drum roll, please) Habu Textiles kit. I so want to get Habu Textiles at 3 Kittens! They had a to-die-for sweater in the store made out of steel and wool yarn! It looks better in person than this photo. I wanted to buy the kit for myself, but I held back. I would really like to also try their paper yarn. The manager of the store said that one of her co-workers at the other store made a sweater out of a Habu Textiles paper yarn and when worn, it sounds like wind whispering through a pine forest! Cool! Maybe we can get a few kits in the store even if we can't get a lot of yarns... Anyway, the store was a nice little store, and seemed quite busy. I only bought a crochet hook, and I was given a 10% discount because I was staying at a local resort, which I thought was a nice bonus.

I've been knitting a lot on the linen stitch scarf this trip, so I'm almost done with it. Then, I plan on working on the Sunrise Circle jacket - I have to get that done!!

Oops!

2007-03-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 5 days since I last posted!! EEK! I haven't been knitting or crocheting much, so I suppose that's why I haven't felt like posting anything. I am working on a linen stitch scarf for the store. Here's a small detail photo of it (sorry the quality's not very good):

I wanted to do a long, skinny scarf from side-to-side (vs. end-to-end), so I cast on 433 sts, and started in with the linen stitch - two rows with the first color, then switch and do two rows with the next color, etc. I'm using five spring-like colors of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk which is a dream to work with except for the fact that my balls are falling apart (I have a yarn bra on one of them, but the rest are on their own). Each row takes about 15 minutes to complete. I plan on putting a nice multi-color fringe on each end. This scarf should wrap around the neck a couple of times with plenty of length at the end to hang down. We may use this pattern for one of our "Tie One On" scarf classes at 3 Kittens.

We're also planning a KAL at the store for Sally Melville's Einstein Coat.

I've wanted to do this coat for a long time, and now I can get other people to do it at the same time. I love garter stitch - it's great fun to knit and has wonderful construction possibilities. I've picked out and ordered my yarn - Reynolds Rapture. Rapture is a silk and wool blend which will be perfect for a fall and spring jacket. I figure I'd better get my yarn all in hand if I'm going to be leading the KAL. I think we'll meet each month for 4-6 months, then at the end we'll throw a party and fashion show.

I'm off on vacation in a couple of days - Tucson, Arizona. I'm not sure if I'll get around to posting on the blog until I'm back around the 27th. You may get lucky though...

Harry Potter FO

2007-03-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

I finished the iPod cozy that looks like Ron Weasley's sweater. The pattern is from www.grittyknits.com. Here it is drying on the sweater drying thingie (very technical, I know):

I like it, but I'm not completely happy with my intarsia technique. Then again, I haven't done any intarsia in a really long time. Also, I'm not sure I will ever use it - although maybe for my trip to Arizona next week for spring break with the family.

I've been very busy at work. I worked from 8:15 am to 8 pm the last couple of days. It's nice to be home tonight! But, I wanted to let everyone in the Twin Cities know that we're having a Luck o' the Leprachaun promotion from tomorrow (Thursday) through next Tuesday at 3 Kittens Needle Arts. If you spend a minimum of $30, then you get to draw a lucky coin from the pot at the end of the rainbow (actually a rainbow-colored moebius bowl). Your lucky coin might be for money off your purchase or something else.

O.K., now that I've got the business out of the way, I must apologize for being lax on my blog the last few days. Not only have I been working alot, but my 4th grade son is participating in a Medieval Feast tomorrow at school, and I've been working on an archer costume for him rather than knitting or crocheting. Here's a photo of his hat and tabard:

They're nothing special, but they took surprisingly long to make. SIGH! I just hope they hold up tomorrow!!

Photoless

2007-03-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

My husband took my camera to Florida to a car show, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, where he was showing a customer's car, so alas no photos today. That's o.k., though, because I don't really have any knitting news today. I have finished my first project for the Harry Potter KAL, a iPod cozy in the shape of one of Ron's sweaters. It was supposed to be a cell phone cozy, but it's a bit large, and since I have a 20G iPod, it will fit that perfectly. Otherwise, I haven't knit much in the last couple of days. I've been busy with kids and finances instead.

What is it with tax season? My accountant wants my information every year by March 15th, and I know that every year. Yet, consistently, I'm scrambling to put it together at the last minute. Last year, we ended up filing for an extension, because I just couldn't get it all done in time. I'm afraid that's going to happen again this year. And, the sad thing is that it's not even because I'm a disorganized person. Nope. I keep all of my charitable receipts and various other necessary items all together in a file so they're all available come tax time. I keep up with my finances with Microsoft Money, so I can easily print reports at the end of the year. But, yet, I still can't get my stuff done on time. SIGH! Oh well - at least I have an excuse this year - too busy with 3 Kittens!

I took my 14-year-old daughter clothes shopping today. A depressing experience for me... She's got a great figure - long legs, thin. Clothes are made for her body type. That's not what was depressing. And, it wasn't the money either - she's a bit of a tomboy, so she doesn't care all that much about clothes and only wants the minimum... No, what was depressing was seeing my frumpy old self in all of the mirrors. UGH! O.K., I know this is all compounded by not working out much lately, but still. I'm much better off if I don't look in the mirrors! I also know that I can always look better with nicer clothes, but I have really gotten into the habit this winter of throwing on my jeans and a hand-knit sweater and walking out the door. Very little thought about fashion and how things actually make me look. Anyway, it was not a very fun experience.

By the way, I've gone sugar free - for now at least. 3 days down. Hopefully, more to come. To paraphrase my 16-year-old, I only have to not have sugar today. One day at a time...

Thanks, Dear Readers

2007-03-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the lovely comments I've had about the squirrel. Maybe I'll have to make another one - after the bunnies and another hedgehog and maybe a sheep or two...

Also, thanks to all the sympathy for my poor health lately. I feel rather sheepish, since it's really only a cold. I can't believe how many colds I've gotten since buying 3 Kittens Needle Arts in October. I don't know if it's because I'm being exposed to more viruses in the store or due to stress or simply because I haven't been able to get my allergy shots on a regular basis. Probably some combination of all three! Anyway, my goal is to get back to taking my allergy shots weekly until I build back up to my optimum level, and combat stress by getting back to my karate and running. I can't do anything about being exposed to stuff at the store or through my kids - except wash my hands ... alot!

Here's the latest FO. I can't take full credit for all of it, since I had Rosemary Kosel (Janine's mother) do the cloth part, since my seamstress skills are limited at best (I can do a very uncomplicated archer costume for my son, but that's about it). It's crocheted - as if you couldn't tell - from a pattern from Candy Babies by Candi Jensen. The crochet part was really quick - it was a great first project after the ubiquitous crocheted scarf. (O.K., also after the Olivia's Shrug, but since I ended up ripping that all out, I can't really count that, can I?) I'm shipping it off to my new niece, Alex, tomorrow. She's the yawner in the photo. I haven't been able to see her yet, because she lives in far away Olympia, Washington, but her pics are really cute.

Anyone who lives in the Twin Cities, we have a fun couple of workshops with Kay Kaduce and Judy Jacobs of Whimsey & Sparkle on St. Patrick's Day, Saturday, March 17, and on Sunday, March 18. Kay and Judy specialize in wet felting and needle felting. The Saturday evening workshop is to make a wet felted flower corsage. On Sunday, the full-day workshop will create a one-of-a-kind needle felted purse. There are photos of the samples on the home page of the 3 Kittens website if you're interested.

Feeling Yucky

2007-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

I'm not feeling so spiffy today. Actually haven't been for a few days. Just started out with being exceedingly tired, then stomach issues (no details...) yesterday evening, and now a bitter head cold. UGH! I don't even feel like knitting or crocheting - but I might tonight anyway.

I did finish stuffing the squirrel today. I ended up standing over the washing machine holding just the tail in the water to get it to felt up some more - it was way too big. I think it's pretty good now. But I think the hedgehog is still the cutest.

I'm thinking about making two Easter bunnies for my goddaughter and her sister. Can't decide between brights or pastels. We'll see...

Harry Potter KAL

2007-03-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. Have been since the first book came out. I've read all the books twice (well, the first one, I've probably read 3 or 4 times, and I may not have read the 6th one twice - yet), and listened to all of them on CD during drive time with the kids. I've seen all of the movies - multiple times. I took the kids to see the last one about a week after I had had major surgery, and right before Harry goes to fight his dragon, a blood vessel popped (I actually felt it), and I had to leave the movie and go have emergency surgery. (That was fun... not!) Anyway, you get the idea. So I've joined the Harry Potter and the Book Seven KAL, and am planning to not only read (or listen) to all of the books again before the next book comes out, but also to make at least one Harry Potter related item. The first thing I want to make is a Weasley Cell Cozy. I'm not going into the store today, so I can't pick out yarn, but on Monday, that will be one of the first things I do.

I have an FO to report due to our big storm (officially 13.5" plus the 12+" from the weekend before)... I made another of the funky felted chickens from the Toving Tema 11 pattern book. I don't have a photo of the new one, but it's orange with pink legs and a red comb on his head. I sewed some cute heart buttons on the front and a couple of green beads for the eyes. Customers at 3 Kittens keep saying, "What a fun carrot." EEK! I finally got a beak on him before I left the store last night. Hopefully that will give everyone a clue that it's a chicken. But it has given me an idea... I could make a carrot out of one with greenery at the top instead of the comb. It could be fun.

Scarf Madness

2007-02-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

I finished the first crochet scarf, and I've moved onto the 2nd scarf in the Macalester College colors. It's slow going for two reasons: not enough time to work on it and the rows are super long! But it looks like I'll have lots of time to work on it in the next few days, because another winter storm is on its way into the Twin Cities. Apparently, we're supposed to get between 15" and 20" of the fluffy white stuff starting now (yes, it's snowing outside) - and all of this after the foot we got over the weekend. Glad I shoveled the walk this morning! If you recall, I was crocheting the scarf in preparation for the Alumni Board meeting at Macalester this weekend, but guess what ... it's been cancelled because of the weather... But I think I'll still try to finish it soon so I can move on to something else (maybe the Sunrise Circle Jacket again).

By the way, I have an update on my struggles with the Lion Brand Olivia's Shrug that I tried to make out of Berocco Pronto back in January. Lion Brand apparently surfs the blogs like the rest of us, because Jackie Smyth from Lion Brand called me at the store on Tuesday (Monday?) all worried about the fact that I had such problems with the pattern. Although, I still don't get how the pattern as written can work, she seemed to think that it was more of a beginning crocheter's problem rather than the pattern's problem because they've had two crocheters make the pattern as a test since my blog entry! In addition, she's ordered the original shrug from their archives so she can check it against the pattern. She thought that possibly the difficulty with the pattern could have been the heavier nature of Pronto (although I was getting gauge), and offered to send me free the yarn called for in the pattern so I could try it with that. I'd say Lion Brand doesn't want any bad publicity out on the net... But I also feel like this is a company who cares what people think about them and how their customers feel about their products, be it yarn or patterns. That's good customer service in my book... I told Jackie that I would be willing to try completing the shrug again, although I'm not taking them up on their offer of some of their yarn, simply because I wanted to find a pattern to make out of yarn I own. I'll keep everyone posted.

Snow and Felt

2007-02-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

It was a strange weather weekend here. All week long the forecasters were predicting a big winter storm starting Friday and lasting through Sunday with 12" or more of snow. Friday came and went with nary a flake (or even a rain drop really). But the wind really picked up. I had planned on staying at home all day Saturday because of the weather, but since it wasn't so bag in the morning, I ventured out to 3 Kittens - on icy, slick roads. I guess it had rained some on Friday night. My first clue should have been the ice encrusted windshield! Anyway, I made it to the store without any problems and put in a few hours of work, during which time the snow started in earnest. Here's a photo I took on Sunday morning - you'll notice it was still snowing!!

I was able to spend quite a lot of time knitting this weekend. I finished knitting and felting the Fiber Trends squirrel and a funky chicken from Sandesgarn's Toving Tema 11.

I'm not completely happy with either of them - although I'm sure they'll both look better with eyes and other embellishments. The squirrel's tail actually grew in the felting. It's knit with one strand of Lite Lopi and one of Naturally's Temptation. I'm hoping that once I stuff the squirrel with regular batting (he's currently stuffed with plastic bags while he's drying), and I sew up the tail & attach it a bit more up his back that it will look better. The chicken is just goofy - in a cute kind of way - but the pattern called for stuffing it with batting before felting (along with a small baggie of dried beans to weigh down the bottom). I didn't know how much batting to put in, and now that it's felted, I can't move the batting around, so there are some spots that don't have enough batting. Plus the beans migrated up a bit. I may do another one in a different color and leave an opening in the bottom so I can stuff it afterward.

Now it's on to a crocheted scarf in the Macalester College colors. I had to chain 449 stitches last night! Egads! How do you keep track of so many chains. Maybe locking stitch markers every 50 stitches...

POS Fun

2007-02-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

I'm having way to much fun setting up the new POS (Point of Sale) system at 3 Kittens! I've got it up and running in the back office with the help of my computer guy and customer support from Attitude Positive - I even did a test sale to make sure everything is working correctly. Now, I have to concentrate on getting all of the UPC codes inputted (for those things that have barcodes already on them) and assigning barcodes to everything else - a daunting task to say the least. I just want to get a substantial number of items in, then we can launch the POS system in the store - I think sometime in March. Today, I figured out how to use the hand-held scanner to receive inventory at the store, then upload the info directly into Peachtree. What a time-saver!... Can you tell I'm excited!

Anyway, I haven't worked on the crochet scarf much. I was planning on finishing it up last night while the family watched "Lost" but my son wanted to go to an AA meeting and instead of coming home while he was at the meeting, I went to the store and scanned in some more barcodes for stuff on the notions wall. Here's a photo of it in progress (with my Lantern bag and my cat Artemus - isn't she beautiful?).

Spend A Little More, Laura

2007-02-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

O.K., so I've been spending a little too much dinero at 3 Kittens lately. I've had some computer issues - for instance, our "geek" was there today setting up the POS system so I can get it up and running and tested before we start using it for real - and that just gives me way too much time to browse and buy, buy, buy. This morning I had a meeting for Macalester College's Alumni Board - specifically, the Student Support Services Committee of which I am co-chair - in prep for our full board meeting next week, and I had a flash of inspiration to make a scarf in the school colors (orange & blue), so while the guy was working on the computers, I picked out a lovely skein of Kureyon (sorry, no photos - my DH has my photo card today) and then some beautiful Lang Mille Colori, both with lots of orange and some blue. In addition, I've been looking for a smallish (but not too small) tote to carry around a project. I have a large tote that I carry everything in, but I was rather embarrassed to go to a meeting at school last week and carry in my zip-lock baggie with my Sunrise Circle Jacket piece because I didn't want to lug the big tote in. On Thursday I tried out a lovely satiny tote from Lantern Moon, but alas it was too small. Then on Saturday, I picked out a Tilli Tomas drawstring silk bag on which you are supposed to knit a cover & some Fiesta La Boheme for the cover- but I just don't feel like knitting a cover. So, today, I bought a cute little square Lantern Moon "lantern" tote with a drawstring closure on top and a handle - perfect. The Tilli Tomas and La Boheme will go back tomorrow. I'm not sure about the Kureyon, but I have started a crocheted scarf in the Mille Colori - and I love it. I'll put a photo on the blog tomorrow.

Does anyone else have any great ideas for a small tote? Sheryl Lange has designed a smaller version of the Kaliedoscope Tote, but she hasn't gotten us the pattern for it yet. I think that would be a great small project bag.

POS Touchdown

2007-02-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

The POS system arrived at my home yesterday. I spent about an hour setting it up at home, but I still haven't gotten the whole system up and running. I've found that this company, Attitude Positive, isn't very good at documentation. There was no info on setting up the system and no password listed anywhere. I was able to go online and find installation guides and other guides, but I haven't had time to contact the technical support people to figure out what my temporary password is. Shouldn't that have come with the software and hardware or via an email? SIGH!

In the last three days, I've driven over 350 miles. Between work and AA/NA meetings for my son and picking up the kids from three different schools (none of which have bus service) and picking up my son's friends, I haven't had any time to knit - except for the meeting yesterday for parents of students who will be moving up to high school next year. That was almost a whole hour of working on the sleeve of my Sunrise Circle Jacket! I'm getting closer. Tonight I hope to work on the Fiber Trends felted squirrel.

Tomorrow morning, we have another crochet class for our employees. We're making the Ella Scarf, so we can be ahead of the classes our teacher will be offering to the public.I'm just taking scraps of yarn, because I don't think I really need another scarf. Plus I have lots of other crochet projects to do...

mzmouse - Thanks for visiting my blog and my store! I'm glad you enjoyed the changes we've made at 3 Kittens. I'm sorry I wasn't there so I could have met you in person. Generally I only work during the week 8:15 am - 2:45 pm. Occasionally, I am there on a weekend day, but usually not for very long. Too many other responsibilities - although I would love to be there more often! If you're ever there during those hours, ask for me - I'd love to meet you.

Bad Mood

2007-02-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

I'm in a rotten mood. I've snapped at my DH (on Valentine's Day no less) and my kids, and I've been eating everything in sight - my coping mechanism...

Anyway, no knitting news to report today (although I did knit maybe 15 rows on the Sunrise Circle Jacket while waiting at the chiropractor for my son to be adjusted). So, I thought I'd show some photos of the shop.

In clockwise order from top left:

Ainsley, Cathy and Janine - three of our wonderful employees
Employee Sharon K's wonderful log cabin afghan (pattern from Cottage Creations)
One section of our worsted area
The sign behind our check-out counter that says, "Your husband just called and said it's o.k. to buy anything you want"
A lampion from Lantern Moon
A needle and tote rack with our felting room in the background
Center - a photo of the outside front of the store

He's Home!

2007-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

My son, Christian, returned home from Hazelden today. He's been in and out of chemical dependency treatment for the past year (really, he was only home for about 8 weeks in that whole time). I'm excited to have him home - and nervous. But I think he's in a good place right now mentally and emotionally. He'll be going back to Sobriety High School tomorrow and working with a counselor from Addiction Intervention Resources for the next year. It's an exciting time for us. One of the first things that he wanted to do when he got home was play his own guitar (there were guitars at Hazelden, just not his own).

No work for me today... sigh! But the computer - which did have a virus - is back at the store, so I'll jump right back in tomorrow.

I started work on the Fiber Trends squirrel last night with Lite-Lopi and Needful Yarns Temptation for the tail.

I also swatched some SWTC Bamboo for a crocheted short sleeve sweater. But earlier I swatched some Louisa Harding Grace Silk and Wool for a long sleeved tunic from Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I should do the tunic, because if I get it done in time, I can take it to Tucson in March when we go down there for Spring Break. Here are the swatches:

The swatch on the right is too small, so maybe what I should do is swatch it up with a larger hook and see which one I like the feel of working with better...

What a Day!!!!

2007-02-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

So in starts like this - I walk into 3 Kittens this morning and look at the thermostat to see whether I should turn it up. It's set at 70 deg (Ugh - why can't people turn it down when they leave at night?). I get some coffee from the coffee shop down the way, then came back and take my coat off.

"Brrr! It's really chilly. I thought I checked that thermostat!"

So, I go check it again - and, lo and behold, the thermostat or the furnace or whatever isn't working! It's 10 deg outside (or less - I didn't really pay attention this a.m.), and there's no heat in part of the store!!! SIGH! So, I call my partner Julie, who has apparently already been dealing with this issue over the weekend, and she says she'll take care of it. (Thank you, Julie!)

I go to my computer to get going on my work. Turn on the screen, wiggle the mouse around - nothing! So I turn the computer off and try turning it on again. And I get THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. That's right, no computer, kaput, zero, nada! I call our geek guy, and he says it's been really busy already this morning - something over the internet - and he'll be over in 3-4 hours!

Luckily, the heating system was repaired by noon (the poor furnace needed a new motor) and the computer guy from Uptech Partners arrived much earlier than expected (although he had to take my computer away until at least tomorrow). Plus, I got to spend some time knitting a swatch out of Karabella Breeze (60% silk, 40% cashmere) and help out in the very quiet store. And, I brought work home for this evening.

In the meantime, I did finish the left front of my Sunrise Circle jacket.

That sleeve looks really wide. I hope it's o.k. I've started on the right front, but since I didn't have all that much to do at the store today, I ended up bringing yarn home... My 9-year-old son has been begging me for a Fiber Trends Squirrel so I brought home Lite Lopi and Needful Yarns Temptation for that. And, he also wants some Felted Clog Slippers (also Fiber Trends) and that yarn found it's way in my bag too (this time Ella Rae Classic). Luckily neither of those projects will take very long.

I'm contemplating hosting a Knit Along for our store patrons sometime this Spring. Either the Einstein Jacket or maybe Sam the Ram. I wonder if we'll get any interest?

Other Things

2007-02-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't finish the left front of the Sunrise Circle Jacket in time to get a photo for this post - but I only have one row to go! Then I have to decide how to deal with the hem. I'll probably pull out my copy of The Principles of Knitting by June Hiatt and see what she recommends. She'll probably have some nifty way of doing it other than the traditional bind off and sew down method. If you haven't had a chance to look at this book before I highly recommend it. It is long out of print, and www.bookfinder.com says it is one of the top 10 most requested books. You can currently get it at Amazon for just under $250 - used! I wouldn't sell my copy for that though - it's much too valuable to me. You might be able to get it from your local library though to look at.

I did finish the Spring Fever Glovelette last night.

I don't love the colors, although they are somewhat spring-like, and the Dolce Mohair does stripe beautifully. I will block it tonight along with a couple of swatches I made for the store.

O.K., onto "Other Things." I've been really struggling lately with my food issues and weight. I know - I did just complete a marathon, but frankly I was appalled with the photos of me running when I saw them. I looked gigantic! I know that if I lost 30-40 lbs I'd be able to complete the next marathon much faster. But, I just can't seem to get going on any kind of weight loss plan right now. I signed up for Weight Watchers online a few weeks ago, which is how I lost weight the last time I tried. And, while I know the program works, I just can't seem to stick to it right now. I also tried giving up sugar - but it only lasted 4 days, then I caved. SIGH! I want to lose weight, but I need somebody to motivate me - I need a weight loss buddy. Any takers?... The other thing that's getting to me is I really don't feel like exercising right now. I did run a couple of miles this morning, and I hope to be able to run a couple of more times this week and go to at least one karate class. But, 3 Kittens calls to me. I'd much rather be there right now than taking time to exercise. I know that's a huge trap waiting to ensnare me - and my foot's already part way in the rope. Exercise gives me balance and calms me. Work, while really enjoyable (God, I love going in every day!), is very stressful, and I need to eat well and exercise in order to combat that stress... So right here and right now, I'm committing to running 3 times this week and attending karate once. Plus, I will follow Weight Watchers religiously this week. One week's not so hard - then I can reassess.

I've had my say. I've made my vow. I'm sticking to it!

I've Come Unravelled

2007-02-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

The Berroco Pronto shrug is now unravelled. I can't face starting it again right away, though, so it will sit for a day or two. In the meantime, I'm just about finished knitting the left front of my Sunrise Circle jacket. Yippee! I've only been knitting on it since last May or so. O.K., so I've completed lots of other things since then, but it's frustrating to be moving along so slowly on this. Of course, it's not a mindless-knitting project, and I have been enamored of crochet lately... I also have a sample I'm crocheting for the shop from the most recent issue of Crochet Today magazine. I'm making one of the Spring Fever Glovelettes (not a pair, because we really only need one for the store) out of Mondial's Dolce Mohair (60% kid mohair, 40% acrylic). I should be able to finish up with it tonight and post a photo tomorrow.

We had a great staff meeting at the store this morning. I let everyone know that I had ordered the POS system and that we hope to have it up and ready to go in March sometime. In addition, we talked about all of the great classes we have coming up (visit the 3 Kittens Classes page for more info and photos of the projects) and the wonderful needlepoint trunk show we have right now (Once in a Blue Moon canvasses). During the meeting which my partner Cis was leading, I was able to finish knitting a swatch of Dale Stork for the shop - on sizes 0, 1 & 2 needles - EEK!

I'm having so much fun making things lately - I love the energy and creativity that I get from the store - the fibers, the projects, the patterns, customer and staff ideas, etc. I'm being much more productive with my fiber arts than I have been in years. And I love it!

Working on Blog

2007-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

O.K., sorry to do this, but I want to add some photo-links to the side bar of my blog, and apparently in order to do that, I need to post them within the body of my blog first so I can grab the html code. So here goes:

The Disaster of the Shrug

2007-02-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the Olivia's Shrug from the Lion Brand website, made out of Berroco Pronto. O.K., so either I didn't read the pattern right (although I've looked at it & re-read it a million times) or the pattern is written badly. As you can see the back is very long and the front is nothing but the collar. Nowhere in the pattern does it have you make anything more than the collar - as a matter of fact, the directions for the "Front/Collar" are only 5 rows long for the Medium size. It's so disappointing! However, it really didn't take long to do, so what I think I'm going to do is rip it out and make the back only as long as the front, and I'll make the sleeves longer (their mid-forearm length now). Plus, I'll make it in the Large size, because it's too small for me (my daughter is modelling it -under duress - in the photo). Then I'll have a true shrug - although not the one pictured at Lion Brand's site. Can't decide if I should notify them of the goofiness of their pattern. We'll see...

POS

2007-02-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

I'm ordering the new POS system from AccuPos today for 3 Kittens. I can't tell you how excited this makes me! Finally, an electronic system that makes life easier for customers, employees and me. Of course, I'm sure there will be some glitches that will have to be worked out, but I'm so thrilled. I've been spending time lately inputting all of the UPC codes from our notions, so the system will be able to scan items for sale. I still have to assign SKUs and barcodes to some items that don't come already coded, but I think I'll get that going in the next couple of days.

I hope to post later today photos of my shrug (disaster!) and the left front of my Sunrise Circle jacket (success!). I just don't have them on my camera right now...

Koala

2007-02-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of photos of my koala - or, I should say, my daughter's koala.

He's still unstuffed and has no eyes. You can see in the 2nd photo how the mohair didn't felt as I expected. One of my partners at 3 Kittens Needle Arts, Cis, came into the store this morning with a couple of felting disasters, and I had to commiserate with her because neither of us followed our own advise: 1) always test swatch with yarn you haven't felted with before, and 2) check your item(s) often during the felting process so you don't over-felt. She had a hat that was itty-bitty - even for her small head -- and a teensy moebius bowl from Cat Bordhi's 2nd Treasury of Magical Knitting. The moebius bowl was cute and usable anyway, but I don't know what she's going to do with the hat!

Yesterday, I ended up ripping out the WHOLE bloody shrug from my previous post. I realized that the sleeves were way to short, and the number of shell stitches that I had in the back was one too few. I had known that before and thought I could get away with it, but I decided to redo it all since I was ripping out the sleeves anyway. I'm almost back to where I was when I ripped. Thank goodness for bulky yarn and the speed of crochet!

I'm thinking about joining a blog ring or two. Anyone have any experience with those to help me decide which to join? Thanks!

Test Swatch - I Command Thee!

2007-01-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I never follow my own advice!! I felted the koala (sorry, I forgot to take a photo apparently - I'll post one tommorow). He's (it's?) very cute, but I didn't do a test swatch. The Galway felted fine - I knew it would. By the Kitten mohair didn't. So the inside of the koala's ears are goofy and the chest patch is really odd - and poofy. UGH! And, I don't really want to make another one, because the pattern was pretty fussy. Oh well!

Been working a bit on the 3 Kittens website, but I'm still having problems getting two of my photos to appear on the 3 Kittens Patterns page. I've tried using different photos, but I'm still having the same problem. The photos just won't download onto the site properly. The same photos did download onto the home page just fine, so what gives? I've tried changing the size of the photos and using different photos, but I just can't figure it out. Any ideas anyone?

I've been working on a crochet shrug out of Berroco Pronto that I picked up at 3 Kittens during our November sale. The pattern is a purchased one from Lion Brand's website. Normally, I would look for a pattern in the store or on Crochetme.com, but I figured Lion Brand would probably have some easy, quick crochet with bulky yarn patterns - and I was right. Here's a photo of the back and the beginning of the sleeves:

The color doesn't look great in this photo. The yarn is actually a deep blue with a hint of green. It's really very pretty. The shrug is working up very quickly - yippee!

Felted Koala, Part 1

2007-01-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

I started the Fiber Trends Felted Koala on Wednesday with the hopes of getting it complete for Australia Day, which was on Friday the 26th. It's a much more complicated pattern than the Hedgehog! Many more pieces and more sewing up at the end. Anyway, I didn't get it done for Australia Day - my daughter is way into Australia, so it was going to be a surprise for her. I finally finished the knitting and sewing up tonight (around 10:30 pm). Here's what it looks like pre-felting:

I used Plymouth Galway for the main color and Sandnesgarn Kitten for the mohair chest patch & inner ears (both from 3 Kittens) and some leftover Cascade 220 for the nose and feet. Tomorrow, I'll felt...

Swatches

2007-01-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

I've been knitting swatches the last few days for 3 Kittens. Here are some of the ones that I've completed.

Clockwise from the top, first is Noro Wakaba, a 100% cotton ribbon yarn. I don't think we have much in the store - I believe it is discontinued. It's a bear to work with, especially with pointy needles, but I love the reverse side fabric - it reminds me of a barnacle's shape. Next, is Berocco Cotton Twist which is a beautiful cotton yarn plied with rayon which gives it a lovely sheen (unfortunately, you can't see the color very well in this photo - it's a dark blue with black rayon). Third is Uruguay Chunky, a merino/alpaca/silk blend, from Queensland Collection. I really enjoyed working with this yarn. It has nice stitch definition and flows well. The last one is Caviar by Reynolds, an acrylic/wool blend plied with a strand of metallic thread. It is spun in a thick & thin texture and produces an interesting fabric.

One of my partners sent me a link to an article that you might find interesting. It's all about how mathmeticians are using crochet and knitting to make models of difficult-to-understand concepts for their students - particularly hyperbolic planes and Lorenz manifolds. The article can be viewed at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061223/bob10.asp. I really want to make a hyperbolic plane at some point. Not sure what for, but I think it could make a cool decoration for the shop.

I've been doing a ton of work on the store website, www.3kittensneedlearts.com. I'd love to get everyone's reaction. I am having some difficulties uploading photos of our most popular patterns, Sam the Ram and Sue the Ewe, but I'll keep working on it.

Moving On

2007-01-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a few days now since the marathon, and I'm feeling pretty good - still a little sore in the quads and the blisters are still there, but all-in-all o.k.

Thought I'd post a few photos today of Phoenix Knit and Needlepoint which I visited on the Saturday before the race. While there is a fairly large amount of space in the store, there wasn't a whole lot of knitting/crochet yarn in the store - of course, they don't need as much wool as we do up here! Except for felting wool, of course. They had a very large selection of needlepoint canvasses, and the owner has a wholesale line of canvasses called Tapestry Fair. No website, so I can't direct you there, but here are the photos.

The store did order several of our fabulous felted bag patterns by Sheryl Lange (if you haven't seen them yet, check out the 3 Kittens Design page), and I think 3 Kittens will probably purchase some of the Tapestry Fair patterns.

The Big Day

2007-01-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it! I "ran" the marathon. "Ran" is in quotes because the last six miles, I probably walked more than I ran! SIGH! But, I made it. Here are some photos - the first at mile 8 or so when Tom saw me for the first time and the second at the end with my coach, Mike Trudeau (who was great!).

It was a long, hard run in surprisingly cold weather - I think it was in the upper 20s or lower 30s at the start and probably in the upper 40s at the end. Kind of that in-between weather that it's hard to dress for... And, today, the day after, I'm a little sore but not too bad... My official race time was 6:05. My personal GPS watch (which pauses whenever I stop) came in at about 5:55. I had to stop at port-a-potties a few times and at a medical station for blister relief once, so that's where the difference came in. I wanted to run the marathon in 5:45, but I'm happy - especially since I was feeling so icky during those last six miles (nauseous, depleted).

O.K. - on to other stuff. On Saturday night, Team in Training hosts a pasta party for all of their participants. There is a program which includes John "the Penguin" Bingham and other things. During that program, the top ten fundraisers for the event are honored - and I was #1! I was surprised and a bit embarrassed. The head of Elite Racing said I had collected more money than any other single person in any of their events (or something along those lines). I had to go on stage to accept a sterling silver pendant and say a few words! I was given a special TNT #1 fundraiser bib to wear on the back of my jersey, which you can see in the 1st photo above. Plus, they kept giving me "gifts" - a TNT beach towel, a TNT teddy bear, a TNT water bottle, a Nike Watch, a PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon backpack, etc. Before the pasta party my door was adorned with a big purple star:

One of the best parts of the whole event was having Tom out on the course to cheer me on. He was able to meet up with me three times on the course - which is amazing in & of itself. Plus, he was there at the finish when I crossed the line. When I did the Nike marathon, Tom's sister Kristin was with me at the finish, and I didn't think I was going to have anyone here this time. Tom got his ticket just a week ago, and I'm so glad he did! It made the finish and everything else so much sweeter!

Over the next few days, I hope to get more photos of my camera and more photos from my teammates that I can post on my blog... Also, for those of you that are here because of my knitting content, I will post some photos soon from Phoenix Knit and Needlepoint which I visited on Saturday and photos of my almost finished crocheted baby sweater.

Phoenix

2007-01-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'm in Phoenix (not-so-sunny and decidely cool) with my Team in Training team. We arrived around noon today, and after a nice lunch at Steve's Grill, we headed over to the Phoenix Civic Center to check in for the marathon (or half-marathon), get our timing chip, and explore the Expo. I've taken lots of photos, so here goes:

Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport

Spam Man at the Phoenix Airport (aka Patrick)

We're all having a fun time - but I'm exhausted. I haven't slept well for a week because of a nagging cough/cold. I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep tonight, because on Sunday morning, I have to get up at 4:45 am! Ugh!

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to try to visit a local yarn store, Phoenix Knit and Needlepoint Co. Then my husband, Tom, arrives to spend the rest of the weekend with me (except, of course, when I'm running the marathon).

Crochet Mania

2007-01-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm getting ready to make my trip to Phoenix for P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon this Sunday. I'm a little nervous because I have a nagging cough from my cold last week. I'm hoping it will clear up enough to at least let me sleep well the night before the race... In the meantime, I'm trying to find a crochet project to take along with me. I already have a knitting project to take (my Sunrise Circle Jacket), but I wanted a crochet one for the plane particularly. I'm planning on making the cute little Asian-inspired jacket from Candi Jensen's 'Candy Babies.'

I'm having trouble picking a yarn to do it in, though. I've tried a couple of different yarns but I'm not happy with anything yet.

I first tried Utopia (far right), since acrylic is so easy to deal with for a new Mom. Oh, but I can't stand working with it! So then, I tried Cotton Twist by Berocco, but it doesn't have enough loft to fill in the gaps in the crochet - I want the fabric to be less holey, more solid. Next I'm going to try Bazic Wool by Classic Elite (100% superwash wool). If that doesn't work, I'll try Plymouth's Suri Merino (65% alpaca, 35% merino), then Classic Elite's Duchess (merino/viscose/cashmere/nylon/angora).

I also bought yarn for a crochet sweater for me, but I don't have the right size hook yet, so that will have to wait.

Done with the Scarf

2007-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

I finished my felted crochet scarf. I wore it to 3 Kittens today and received lots of positive comments on it. Unfortunately, I left it at the store - oops! But I do have some photos of other things. Here's one of the sweater I'm currently working on (knitting):

This is the Sunrise Circle Jacket which was a subscriber's web pattern from Interweave Knits. Apparently, now you can get the pattern by signing up for Interweave's newsletter KnitNews. Anyway, I'm doing it out of Jo Sharp's Silk Road Aran Tweed in a very dark blue (looks black in the photo). The picture is of my first sleeve and part of the front of the body. The sleeve is actually a raglan, but it's really hard to tell from the photo because the edges kept rolling under...

Here's a photo of the Fiber Trends Hedgehog I completed a while ago for my son. It was made out of Paton's Classic Wool for the body (except for the paws which were done in scrap yarn - possbily Harrisville) and Lana Grossa Basics for the fur. I'm not enamored of the fur - I think it's too thin. We've gotten Naturally's Temptation which the pattern calls for at 3 Kittens, so the next one I make will use that, and I'm going to try Lite Lopi for the body, although I'm afraid it might be a bit too fuzzy.

Team In Training

2006-12-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well, there's no news to report on the knitting or 3 Kittens scene today, so I thought I'd update you on the "fitness" portion of my blog.

First, I finally tested for and received my black belt in karate on December 2. It took 4 1/2 years and four surgeries to get this far - but I still feel it was worth it. I know my husband took some photos of me during the exam, but I don't have access to them right now. Of course, there were only about 40 of us testing for our first degree black belts, and my husband was about as far away from me as you could possibly get, so you wouldn't really be able to tell it was me in a photo anyway!

Second, I'm running a marathon in 2 1/2 weeks. YIKES! Last year, I walked the Nike Women's Marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in support of my sister-in-law, Peggy King, who was battling lymphoma. I had a great time training for the marathon with my friend, Margaret Kelberer, and all my other teammates, plus I was able to raise almost $20,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here's a photo of me and Margaret at the end of the marathon:

The marathon was in October, and Peggy lost her battle in December. So now I'm training with Team in Training to run the P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix on January 14th in memory of Peggy. We had our longest training run this past Saturday - 20 miles! I'm happy to say that I finished the run with no problems, albeit very slowly! Plus, even more importantly, my fundraising is going gang-busters. I've raised just over $51,000!! Most of that has been through family, but alot of my friends and friends of Peggy have pitched in. Check out my fundraising website for more info. It's a great cause, and training for the marathons has boosted my confidence - I figure if an overweight 43-year old with bad knees and high blood pressure can run a marathon, anyone can! And, I know that raising the money for LLS made Peggy really proud of me, which makes me feel great.

New Camera

2006-12-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

I got a new digital camera for Christmas! Yippee! Now I can finally have photos on my blog again. Bet you're thrilled, too!

I spent a lot of last minute knitting before Christmas. I swear every year that I'm not going to do that, but I decided with about 2 weeks left before Christmas that I wanted to make a pair of felted slippers for my son who is away at chemical dependency treatment at Hazelden Center for Youth and Families and a second pair for my father-in-law who is battling terminal prostate cancer. I made the first pair out of Ella Rae Classic with Fiber Trends' Felted Clog pattern.

It always amazes me how much of the contrasting color it takes to make these clogs - even though I've made a lot of this pattern. The soles of these were done in the brown as well, and they're double thick, so I used up almost two full skeins of the brown. It took a lot less of the green.

The second pair were made with Araucania Nature Wool. I had two skeins of the blue and only one of the black - and I ran out of the black. That's why the sole on the slipper on the right side has a little blue in it. These slippers are waiting for their leather soles to be sewn on - which will hide the sole color change. I hate giving presents that aren't finished, but I'll get the soles on this week and get them to my father-in-law.

As far as the two wools are concerned, I liked the way the Classic felts much better than the Nature Wool. The Nature Wool turned out very fuzzy, and I had to trim them with scissors and then a sweater shaver - what a pain in the butt! But I like the slight variegation in the color of the Nature Wool... But when I go to make myself another pair of slippers - which I have to do, since I'm running through the soles on mine after a year, I'll use Classic or Plymouth Galway instead.

I'm thrilled to be done with the Christmas presents though, because I'm starting a crocheted felted scarf from CrochetMe.com. The pattern is called North & South because it can either be done out of wool and then felted or out of cotton and left as is. It's also a fairly simple pattern which is a good thing for a beginning crocheter like me. I'm making this out of Classic as well. I did my test swatch last night and realized that I have to add two rounds to each of my circles in order to make them big enough, but I don't mind... By the way, I think the CrochetMe webzine is great - it reminds me of Knitty.com. Great patterns...

Christmas is Approaching

2006-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

OK, so I have been lost in my own little word for over a month now, but I'm ready to give it a go again. I went to visit my son at Hazelden on Sunday, and he requested some felted slippers for Christmas. Now, why couldn't he have asked me several weeks ago? SIGH! I started on them using the Fiber Trends clog pattern and Ella Rae Classic yarn (a new yarn at my store, 3 Kittens Needle Arts). I'm hoping the Classic yarn is o.k. - it's slightly thinner than Cascade 220 which is what I've always used for these clogs. I'll let you know - and hopefully take photos too. Actually, I started them today, then I went to the store to pick up some work (I was home with my sick younger son today), and I grabbed some Araucania Nature Wool to try instead for my son, and the ones that I started in Classic, I'm going to give to my father-in-law who was recently diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. I figure they might be useful when he's at the cancer center for his chemo - they'll keep his toes nice & toasty!

I've been having a wonderful time working at 3 Kittens since I purchased it in October with my partners, Julie and Cis. It's been exciting - even doing the mundane work of transferring everything from manual to computer. My only complaint is that I don't have enough time in the week to do everything I want to do for the business... I guess I do have one other complaint, and that is that I am stuck on my computer all day, so I haven't gotten a chance to meet many of our customers. I recognize a lot of frequent buyers through entering sales into my accounting software, but I have no faces to go along with those names...

Well, I suppose I should get back to my knitting. Deadlines loom! And, wouldn't you know my son wears size 13 shoes!!!

Photo of 3 Kittens Needle Arts

2006-11-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the outside of my store. The landlord painted the outside a red to match the red portion of our new logo and signage. It looks pretty sharp, I think.

I've lost my little digital camera, so until I can get another one or borrow one, photos off of my cell-phone may have to suffice!

A Crazy Month

2006-11-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a month or more since I posted - and it's been absolutely crazy. The yarn store, Three Kittens Needle Arts, has taken up much more of my time than I ever expected it would. My wonderful partners, Julie & Cis, have completely rearranged the store, and we have had a couple of events in the past month to promote the new ownership and try to clear out some of the old stock that we don't really want any more. By the way, our Fall into Winter Sale is going on until the end of November if anyone wants to stop in!... I've been busy trying to computerize the accounting and processes. The previous owner did everything by hand, and it has taken a huge amount of time to just get the customer lists and yarn and threads price lists into my accounting software. I haven't even started on the needlepoint canvasses, books, patterns, and gift items. I was hoping to get a POS system in right after the purchase to automate the sales process (rather than use hand-written sales slips), but it looks like the soonest we will be able to do that is after the holiday rush... I haven't finished the books for October yet, but I think we met our projections, so I'm pretty happy.

Not much knitting going on right now, although I did finish knitting & felting a Fiber Trends Hedgehog. It's drying right now, but I'm not really happy with it - the "fur" isn't thick enough. I'll try another one with a different brand of eyelash yarn that is thicker - or I'll double the eyelash yarn I was using (sorry, don't have the name in front of me). The first "prototype" is always experimental anyway. I think they'll make cute Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews - if I have time to make them! Fiber Trends has some other really cute felted animals, so I might have to try them as well.

My News

2006-10-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

O.K., so I can finally tell everyone what I haven't been able to talk about for the last several months - I am one of the proud new owners of 3 Kittens Needle Arts (formerly known as Three Kittens Yarn Shoppe) in St. Paul, Minnesota!! This has been in the works for about 5 months now, and it has consumed much of my time and energy. Of course, now that we have the business, that's bound to get even worse!

Anyway, here's the scoop. The previous owner of the store, Karen Weiberg, ran Three Kittens for 25+ years. The store is the oldest yarn store in the Twin Cities. My partners, Julie Mast and Cis Mezin, and I approached Karen earlier this year, and after much negotiating and planning, we closed on the business on October 3rd. It's been an exciting and hectic few days as we've taken over the business - particularly because we have a big event this weekend. Seven yarn stores in the Twin Cities have gotten together to sponsor a shop hop "Treasure Hunt." It runs from Friday through Sunday, and we've been rearranging & cleaning and all-around getting ready for our first big event as store owners.

I will post more as time goes on, but it's after midnight now, and I must get some sleep. As soon as our new website is up and running, I'll post the link here, but in the meantime, if you would like to visit the old website, the address is www.threekittensyarnshoppe.com.

No Excuses

2006-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to make any excuses for why I haven't blogged in two months! EEK! It will all come out in the end...

I haven't been knitting much lately, but I have been very active. I've started training to run PF Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in Phoenix in January. I'm training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, so not only am I running alot, but I'm also fundraising. If you'd like to donate to the cause, please visit my fundraising homepage at Active.com. I'm psyched about running a marathon. I walked the Nike Women's Marathon last year, and that was a blast, but I've always wanted to run one. So that's my plan. My body is rebelling a bit, though, but hopefully the physical therapist can work that out for me!

I'm also looking for a replacement for me at our family business, Odyssey Restorations, Inc.. I'm moving on to something much more exciting - at least to me. I'm hoping I'll be able to divulge what that is next week!

All the kids have gone back to school. O.K., so what if they're in three different locations! At least, we're finally getting back into a manageable routine.

I can't wait to spend some time with my pointy sticks and make something fun. I have several projects in various stages on the needles. It would be nice to get one or two of them done soon... I'm also toying with the idea of crocheting something - although I'm not sure what!

Hot, Hot, Hot

2006-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's become a really hot & drought-y summer here in Minnesota, USA. I haven't been able to knit very much due to time constraints, and because, frankly, it's not as appealing to knit in the summer. That said, I've started to sew together my modular sweater (sorry, no photos yet), and I'm almost done with the body of the Karibbean Kotton sweater I'm knitting. The last one is due mainly to sitting at the auto dealership for an hour yesterday while my car was being serviced.

Next week I go to Disney World with two 13-year old girls and an 8-year old boy. I know, you're probably thinking I'm crazy because it's going to be 90+ degrees & very humid. Of course, that's what the weather is here, too... Plus, I've got a plan. Hit the parks early (we can get in at 8 a.m. because we're staying at a Disney resort hotel), leave around lunch time, hange out by the pool or in our room or someplace else cool through the afternoon, then head back to the parks in the late afternoon/evening. I'm really psyched about the whole trip, especially now that I'm a Disney Vacation Club member. I'm very organized for this, my third, trip to Disney World, thanks in large part to my PassPorter Walt Disney World Guide. This guide is fantastic. It gives reviews of resort hotels, restaurants, theme parks and rides, etc., plus lots of helpful hints about packing, using the meal plan, and all of the extras (Cirque du Soleil, DisneyQuest, etc.). If you're planning on going to any of the Disney properties, you should really check out PassPorter's guide books!

Anyway, I'm still trying to decide if I'll even take knitting with me on this trip. I think last time we went, I took some with me and never even touched it. I probably won't even be able to knit on the plane, because I'll be dealing with my 8-year old, and I imagine most of the time in the room will be spent lounging in bed, resting up!

No Camera

2006-06-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

I can't find my camera!! Ugh! I'm sure my husband has it stashed away somewhere convenient - for him! I really wanted to have a photo of the Sassy Skeins sweater for the blog today, but it will have to wait until at least tomorrow.

I've been listening to podcasts lately. I don't listen to them on a regular basis, but I try to catch up on them when I'm in between listening to books on my iPod. I just finished "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber, and although I'm not done with it, I needed a break from listening to "Odd Girl Out" by Rachel Simmons, so I thought I'd catch up on all of the knitting podcasts I like. So yesterday I listened to a couple of episodes of The Knitting Newscast. The Knitting Newscast is full of info on upcoming books and current e-magazines, which I find very helpful. Today, I've been listening to Brenda Dayne on Cast On. I really love Brenda's style and format for Cast On. She's very professional sounding, but at the same time she's not stuffy or intimidating and she's got a great sense of humor. Tomorrow, I hope to listen to Irie Knits and/or Pixie Purls. Both of these are done by younger knitters whose style I enjoy. I also listen to Knit Cast some, although Marie Urshad hasn't seemed to be producing it as much lately. Knit Cast is full of interviews with the knitting elite, which is very interesting.

I hope you'll find these podcasts just as enjoyable as I do!

Back from Santa Fe

2006-06-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

We got back from Santa Fe and the family reunion last night. I got a ton of knitting done. I started a cardigan sweater from a pattern and yarn I picked up from Knit Wits in Chanhassen, MN. The yarn and pattern are by a company called Sassy Skein. Knit Wits had all of their Karibbean Kotton yarn in both weights, plus their pattern "kits." I call them kits because you get a great little pattern booklet, with the pattern and how-to instructions for newer knitters, plus you get the needles needed to make the sweater and any accessories needed to finish the sweater (buttons, ribbon, etc.). Knit Wits only carried children's sweater patterns, but the Sassy Skein website also shows some other children's items... I'm about half way through with the cardigan which I am making for a couple of my neices to share (one's 6 and the other is 4).

I also continued to work on the Sunrise Jacket (I think that's what it's called - from Interweave Knits). I'm almost finished with the back.

I just got back from my karate sparring class, and I should really go take a shower. Maybe after that I can do some more knitting...

Off to Santa Fe

2006-06-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I still haven't gotten that sleeve done. I knit two more rows on it this morning, and I probably won't be able to do any more until I leave for Santa Fe for a family reunion tomorrow. And, who knows how much I'll be able to get done down there. I should take the other parts of the sweater on the trip as well, so I can work on putting it together when I'm in my hotel room hiding out from the family. No, seriously, I love my husband's family, but as an introvert, I need to be alone for a while each day to recharge. After my little time by myself, I am happier and calmer. That's where my knitting and reading comes in handy!

I'm conducting a small survey for a couple of yarn store owners in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. If you're from this area and would like to participate in the survey, please email me at k5tog@aol.com. Thanks in advance!

Much Later

2006-06-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm off in Washington state again visiting my oldest son who is at Gray Wolf Ranch until August. We're staying with my sister-in-law and her husband and little boy (Trey, who happens to be three - and he was born on 3/3/03!). They have a beautiful home right on the water and have been wonderfully accomodating. Today we're taking our son to visit the Experience Music Project in Seattle and Pike Place Market. It will be exciting - especially because I'll have two hours in the car to knit.

Yesterday, on our drive to Port Townsend to pick up our son, I knit as much as I could on the modular sweater I've been making - then I ripped about 6" of the sleeve I was working on because I noticed a mistake. I put my knitting away when we got to Gray Wolf Ranch, but then as we were sitting around the fire pit last night, I pulled it out again until I realized I had made the same mistake again. This time I only had to rip out about 3" - UGH! I've got it corrected now, and I'm on my way to actually finishing the sleeve. Maybe today! I brought another project to work on - the Sunrise Circle Jacket - you can see a photo on my website at .

I'll try to be more consistent with posting on this blog. I've been not posting as much because I don't have photos to put up. But, I've decided it's better to post without photos than to wait until I do have them!