My Eyes are Bigger than my Needles!

Hey all,

I am working on several projects just now. None of them are moving along as far as I would want them to. I am working on the Lacy Shrug pattern from Chrystal Palace. Of course, I being the "maverick" that I am, I am not using the recommended yarns or the suggested weight. I am using the Prism Indulgence Copper Penny yarn (which I just LOVE!!!) I purchased in New York (plus the two skeins I ordered at Needlework Unlimited. It will fit a little snugger, but that is ok. I decided the yarn was too beautiful to just do a scarf with, so I am trying something a bit more elaborate. Of course, I hope I have enough!

I am also working on a new neckwarmer. This one is proving to be more challenging. The body is complete, but I have had to re-do the trim three times. I am now working on the fourth time. While it has been frustrating, it is rather enjoyable. I think I may have found my knitting niche. In fact, I have found myself doodling pattern ideas throughout the day, during meetings and stuff. I think I have come up with some rather creative stuff. So, once I finish this shrug and the neckwarmer I am working on now, I will get busy on the others.

Oh, and I also order a baby sweater pattern from the Yarnery for which I can use my Koigu yarn. As you may recall, the woman next to me at the last Knitting Guild meeting was working on one and it was absolutely beautiful. I haven't started it yet, but I had better do so soon, I want to have it finished before Ava is a toddler.

Speaking of which, I am on my way to Texas next week to spend an entire week with my family, including my niece Ava Reese. While I really look forward to seeing Ava, I just can't wait to see my mom again. She has been such a comfort to me these past few months, but nothing, and I mean nothing is as comforting as a hug from your mom.

So this weekend I have been putting my house in order, getting Kobe ready to go to doggie camp (aka the kennel) and getting myself packed.

And the winners are.....

Hi All,


A few of us entered our knitting projects in the Minnesota State Fair. When we arrived this morning, we saw the results. And here they are!

Susan Rainey not only won 1st place *and* the sweepstakes with Lyra, which she entered in the table linens category. She also won 1st place for this beautiful hooded jacket.

Ellen Silva won 2nd place for her skull & cross bones skully. She also took 2nd place with her beautiful ornate vest.

Oh and I won 4th place for my red neck warmer!

Disengagement Heartache

* This post has been edited to remove some of the "ranty'" elements that creep in when posting after midnight.

I am in mourning tonight. Not for the man, but for the dream that I lost. Although I have always told myself that I was not one of *those* girls. You know the ones; they buy into the fairy tale. They set their hearts on the Barbie dream wedding, filled with the glitter and romance.

What I didn't realize is that there was a bit of that girl in me. I secretly wanted that dream and it was actually within reach. And now it's gone.

I was cleaning up the TV room and decided it was time to get rid of the wedding magazines. And I guess that started to make it real. No white dress, no bridesmaids, no bubbles & glitter, no cake, no presents, no wedding.

Last night, as I lay down to sleep, I wondered what I would do on October 4. That was supposed to be my wedding day. Do I commemorate it or pretend it wasn't supposed to be special?

Of course, the only way I was going to keep my wedding date was to stay in a relationship that was not healthy and there is no way that is going to happen. I just have to trust that things are happening as they should. But I have to allow myself to grieve.

Well, I think I have said enough for one night. I have unravelled my Dupatta scarf to make it into a shrug. I am using the Kid Merino Lace Shrug pattern from Crystal Palace. I am halfway through a row. I hope to work at least on set of the pattern by morning. I am looking forward to the square affair. Ta.

Eryka

Tonight's Guild Meeting

Hi all,

Tonight's meeting was great! As I noted earlier, Steve Berg provide an update on the Square Affair at the Minnesota State Fair. We also got the details on our charity knitting projects

Four lucky women won door prizes: Marilyn Carlson and Chris Rieffer won some beautiful Shibui sock yarn and a free pattern. Pat Wiese won a skein of Araucania yarn while Pearl Schuft won a free pattern.

But the highlight of the evening by far was the reading by Minnesota resident, and best-selling author Monica Farris. Not only did she sign copies of her most recent books including Knitting Bones, she also told us about her struggles to become a published writer and how she found her way into the needlework mystery genre. Needless to say, we learn first-hand how difficult is can be for the uninitiated to learn cross stitch, needlework and knitting. She also noted several ways to off someone!

Ms. Farris was witty and charming and she was also wearing the most fabulous hat. Actually she collects vintage hats. She gets them from estate sales and high end shops throughout the area.

Of course Nothing could top Steve's boots! Check 'em out!
Eryka

Event: MKG - Day at the Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota Knitters Guild Day!

Thursday, August 21, 2008
10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: State Fairgrounds,
1265 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul, MN
http://www.mnstatefair.org/

Join us on the first day of the 2008 Minnesota State Fair (which runs through Labor Day)! The Minnesota Knitters' Guild will be on site sharing the craft of knitting with fair attendees all day in the Creative Activities Building.

This year, for the first time, the group will have a demonstration outside on the state west of the Creative Activities building from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. We should all thank our very own "Glitter Knitter," Steven Berg, MKG member and owner of the Yarn Garage in Rosemount for pulling this all together! He is also coordinating the knitting and assembling of afghans for the Warm Up America charity.

Spare Room Knits (Me) will be there so stop by if you get a chance. I will be wearing a pink sun visor. Now I am off to the guild meeting. Monica Ferris will be there doing a reading for us!!! I know... can you believe it.. I will post about that later today

Eryka

Women For Obama (Knitters for Obama)

Hi all,

I got a call on Saturday afternoon from an Obama campaign volunteer. He said there is going to be a Women for Obama event on Wednesday, August 20 at 7 p.m. at the Women's Club here in Minneapolis. I plan on going and I think this would be a great opportunity for Knitters for Obama to come out and show their support!

Here is the info from the Obama website. I will also post this information on several Raverly groups.

"The Minnesota Campaign for Change invites you to the Women for Obama Launch!
Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, girlfriends…if you are a Minnesota woman then Wednesday, August 20th is your day!

Joining us in a kickoff celebration for Minnesota Women for Obama, these events are a way for powerful women in Minnesota to help ensure that Senator Obama wins in November.

At the kickoff events, we will hear from key women leaders in Minnesota about ways to get involved with the campaign, including Women on Wednesdays and Mamas for Obama.

In addition, via the magic of modern technology, a very special guest will join us to discuss the campaign and tell us why she is supporting Senator Obama.

Reserve your space by RSVPing. For more information, e-mail Jamie Drogin at jdrogin@mnforchange.com.

Invite your friends and family to join you for this very special event. We look forward to having you join us."

Minneapolis
The Woman’s Club
410 Oak Grove Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Map & Directions

I hope to see you all there!

Eryka

Scarves are easy. Relationships...not so much

Hi all,

I am sure we have all had this experience: you have several projects going at once, but you really just want to do something easy, like a scarf. As you can see by the box on the right, I have several projects that need to be moved along, but I keep finding scarves, scarflets and pidges to whip up quickly. I have been drawn to them lately. They are a neat way to try out a new stitch pattern, use up yarn in my stash and they keep me totally engaged.

Engaged. Being the total English major that I am, I occasionally will look up words for the fun of it. Today, I looked up the word engaged, trying to figure out all of the different prefixes and suffixes that can apply to the root "gage" to see if it had any relationship to one of our favorite terms "gauge." There wasn't any.

But the definition of "gage" was interesting. Not only did it reference the standard meaning of "a pledge" it noted a secondary meaning, "to throw down a challenge to fight." I guess that makes sense. I also found it interesting that the antonym is disengage, which means "free." I thought it would have been something like unengaged or outgaged, but I guess that is kinda silly.

Ron broke our engagement on Monday, August 11 at about 7:30 in the morning. I am disengaged. I started making this scarf that same day. Rather than going to work, I stayed home to get things sorted out. I rather like it, what do you think? I made it with some really pretty novelty yarn from Ironstone Yarns called 'Fun.' It is a wool, silk blend and it knits up in a flash. I finished it last night. Tonight I am doing more work on my buckle cape. I really need to get that finished.

Eryka

Done! Another Neckwarmer (Now, what to call it?)

Hi all,

I finished it. My second neck warmer is done. I am torn between calling it the Diva warmer or the Starlet warmer. Any thoughts?

This one took longer than the Exec Warmer to make. The pattern wasn't really that much more involved; I based it on the cashmere neckwarmer pattern by Kim at Yarn Abuse. The body is a simple, but lovely linen stitch. However, I added a festive crochet ruffle made of roundells on the end and changed the closure. Adding the roundells did take a bit of creativity, but in the end it did work out. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in scarlet.

I am, however, convinced that the difference is in the needles I used. For the first one, I used a pair of Addi Turbos, for this one I used bamboos. Now I swear the Turbos knit faster that the bamboos. I finished the first one in like 5 hours. But this one, took me like two weeks. Now to be fair, things have been a bit topsy-turvey lately. I know...my life is always hectic, but things were way worse than normal! But I learned a lot in the process and I am going to try it again, to see if the Turbos will make a difference.

At any rate, I am entering this piece in the Minnesota State Fair. I am taking it over tomorrow after work so wish me luck! I know that I have no chance of winning, but think am looking forward to the experience.

A.D.I.D.A.S …..All Day I Dream About Stitches

Hi,

I tried something a little different today. As a professed lover of all things knitting, I wanted to track how many times a day I think about knitting or yarn. Plus, I have been feeling as if my blogging has been slipping lately...getting rather boring and inexpressive, so this is a way to re-connect with my creative side. And finally, I wanted to see if I came up with anything "blog-worthy" since I find myself having to make a choice in the evening: Blog or Knit.

For the record, these are the original entries from earlier today. If I made any changes other than grammar or adding in a hyperlink, I italicized the text or changed the color. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

8/7/2008 10:30:41 AM
I plan on entering the Minnesota State Fair this year. I'd better hurry up…I don’t want to miss the submission deadline.

8/7/2008 10:32:42 AM
I feel as if my blogging is lacking. It’s like I am writing through a heavy veil, revealing only impressions and never the true me.

8/7/2008 1:28:08 PM
I really need to post a comment on Beverly’s blog. She had post the other day where she noted that her blanket squares didn’t fit, so she made pillows out of it. I thought that was really clever. Also, Zukelia’s blog is fascinating. Not only does she live in Scotland, she is also an incredibly prolific crocheter. Where does she find the time!

8/7/2008 1:38:56 PM
I was just talking to Laura about a golf tourney we are having in a couple of weeks. I feel as though I need to learn how to play golf for my professional development, but sometimes the game can be a drag. Laura said she would consider teaching me, but I could NOT bring yarn on the golf course. Now you know, I most certainly will. Clipped to my belt in a neat little pouch so it’s easy to access. Since this event is for charity, I bought a few raffle tickets. She has been teasing me most of the morning with the thought that I will win the empty golf bag… that is ok with me. I can use it to hold extra yarn!


8/7/2008 2:11:00 PM
Jane had this neat ruler at the last machine knit in. She used for checking gauge. Jane said she got it at Hancock Fabrics. I really want one of those. I need to work on my machine knit blanket tonight. I told Jane I would send her pics this morning, but I had to work realllly late last night and couldn’t get to it. Acck!! So much to do!


8/7/2008 2:29:49 PM
I found out this morning that my authority ranking dropped from 4 to 3…disappointing. What do I need to do to draw more traffic from my site? I think I need to sleep less. With less sleep, there will be more time to get my website up and running!


8/7/2008 2:42:06 PM
I am heading down to my mom’s house the first week of September. I am so excited. Not only do I get to see my mom again, I also get to see my niece for the first time! I will try to make her something else before my trip. I can’t believe I am an aunt, but this will make it real.

8/7/2008 3:25:49 PM
I get so exited when people comment on my posts. Each time I feel as if I am making a new friend!


8/7/2008 3:48:02 PM
When I get home, I am going to finish the Diva Warmer tonight. It is taking me twice as long to finish this one as the exec warmer. Not sure if it is the different pattern or the fact that I used a pair of Addi Turbos for the exec warmer and I am using clover bamboos for this one. Either way, I have got to get cracking if I want to move this off my plate any time soon.

8/7/2008 4:19:10 PM
During the day, I listen to C-span or NPR. I use Windows Media Player. I have the screen set to alchemy, so I get these lovely swirly patterns in a brilliant array of complementary colors and delicate shading of the primary colors. I wish I could capture it and translate it onto stitches. When I look at them, I try to imagine how they would look in a garment. It makes me want to try intarsia. It would be a good use of my stash.


8/7/2008 5:19:44 PM
Can you knit with Chinese silk?

8/7/2008 5:23:04 PM
Is there a difference between silk from different countries? If so, how can you tell?

What a Day

Today was quite a day. I really need the peace of knitting...Have you ever had a day like that? Where the only thing you want to do is knit until the clicking of the needles blots out the rest of the world?

Finished! I made a sweater

Here is the finished product. I really enjoyed this project. In fact, I think I shall cast on another!

The Exec Warmer

Hi all,

Here it is. The Exec Warmer! I didn't like the name "pidge" and thought "neck warmer" was too basic, so there you have it. The Exec Warmer.

Eryka