I am laughing WITH her...

Poor Lily came back from "spa day" with much of her tail gone. It was for her own good but it looked so pathetic that it made me give her an extra biscuit for the humility she endured. I do like the little puff that they left behind so that she didn't feel nude.

More done on "Tangled Yoke". Not much more to do on it.



Mr. Yarn is going for an interview in Kalamazoo. You heard me...

I had to move on

No, I haven't given up on the "Rose of England" but...

I had to move on for a while. I still work on the Rose from hell but since it keeps getting smaller instead of bigger (Yeah, ripping is my friend) I decided to do something a bit less complicated. The "Tangled Yoke" is from the last issue of Interweave Knits and is a perfect winter sweater. I will be done with it soon and will be able to wear it in the gloomy days ahead.

On the Mr Yarn job front: Looks like there is a possible interview for him right here in Alameda. PLEASE ask your favorite deity to look over us and help him get this job. This would mean that we get to stay right where we are and that is a goooood thing. I love it here.

A picture is worth a thousand words

I can't get a good picture of the "Rose of England" because it is all bunched up on the needles. I am at least 1/2 way through.
This picture pretty much sums up how we are all feeling around here. Evan took this picture of Lily but since I am Evan's mom I felt that I could swipe it for my blog.

My friends get me in trouble!

Off I went to the retreat up in Santa Cruz with my pals. On the way up we stopped at Knitting Arts where Jan kindly opened up the shop for us. Gail being the enabler that she is talked me into making this vest in the new Rowan magazine. Ok, maybe she didn't have to push the issue but still... I did this much while at the retreat. The retreat was really fun and relaxing. The nuns ran the place and it was right on the beach. I thought it was pretty funny when one of the sweet nuns came over to the common room we were drinking margarita's (thanks Donna for those festive drinks) and told us that we would need to keep it down because Mass was starting next door.



I then spent Sunday with Laurel and her husband and Rich and friends from a knitting list that I am on. It was a blast but Laurel MADE me start this by simply handing over the yarn that she accquired for me for this shawl. Mean mean woman...

So, now I have these two projects started but of course I can't finish them until the Rose of England is done. Don't ask about where that is as far as done.

"Rose of England"

Well I am sorry that I haven't blogged in such a long time. I guess that I don't have much to say. It has been a hard and sad few months. My close friend Jean passed away after a long illness and my whole world has been a bit upside down. I could go on and on about what this person meant to me but I won't.

I will move on to the knitting side of my life. I have been knitting this for months. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a pretty fast knitter. This is not much to show for 2 months of knitting. I have taken more time ripping than I have knitting on this. I am determined to finish it though. In many ways this "Rose of England" pattern by Kinsel has kept me sane. It is a type of meditation (although frustrating) that has kept my hands and mind busy through a really hard part of my life.




On another front... Mr Yarn is going for an interview in Montreal this Sunday. I am not going to sit home and fret this time. I will be off for a girls few days of knitting in Santa Cruz. I think I can use some wine and laughing about now.

Hold the press!

I can't do it. I just can't. I got the last clue for the Mystery Stole 3 and I just can't finish it. I was going to finish it and give it to my mother, but I don't want her wearing it. I really think that it is unattractive. I thought that I would like something that was asymetrical, but I don't. The join is clunky and looks like it could have been a mistake but it isn't. I am sad to say that I really do not like the look of this one. I still think that Melanie is a VERY talented pattern maker but this is just one of those things that comes down to personal taste. Oh well.

Not much else happening here at Casa Yarn. Lots of stress and saddness. My best friend Jean passed away on Monday after a long illness and still no word of where Rich's and my butt will end up workwise. Meantime I just keep knitting on crochet cotton making this tablecloth (Rose of England). It is almost like I am going crazy little by little and this is my occupational therapy. If I could make you believe how many times I have ripped out this thing you would know that it is a project of futility.

Meantime.....I knit on.

Really bad picture but oh well

Here is the Mystery Stole 3 Clue 5. I have about 6 more rows to go before I am done with this clue. I am sorry that it is such a horrible picture but I just don't have the energy to really do it justice. You get the general gist of it I am sure. I will post another picture when I am completely done with this clue. This "stole" will be going to my mother. I am not thrilled with it so far.

Mystery Stole Clue 4

Ok, here is Clue 4 finished. It is looking really pretty but I was too lazy to block it out so the picture isn't too good. Oh well.

Love that sound!

There is nothing like the sound of yarn hitting your front door when the mail person heaves it at the porch. Today I was greeted by my new purchase of the Bee Fields shawl which was written by Anne Hanson of Knitspot. The yarn was by the talented Wooly Wanka



Can't wait to do this one. Makes me think of Stephanie and her bees. Did I mention that Stephanie mines the best honey in the whole world! Is it called mining for honey? I dunno what it is called but I am a honey addict and this is some of the best stuff I ever tasted.

Welcome to my neurosis

Yeah, things around the "Yarn!" household are still tense. So, how do I cope? I knit 2 complicated things at once and throw in a mystery knitalong for kicks.

I have gotten further on Morrigan but have put it down for the week so I can obsess on other projects. I will go back to good ole Morrigan next week. Here it is up to this point:



What else did I start you ask? Ho ho....I started a tablecloth to pass on when I am old. It is called "The Rose of England" and is in its infancy on the needles. I might have started it over 100 times up to this point but reluctantly put in a life line that in the last two rounds of rip-o-mania has saved me from having the pleasure of starting it all over again. We all know that working with thread on double pointed 0's and only 10 stitches is fun but I rather not do it over and over again.



and last but not least the Mystery Stole Clue 4 (which I have two weeks to do so I am in no big hurry. It is a repetitive pattern.

Hope

A few years ago I started reading a blog written by a father (Robert Rummel-Hudson) about his little girl. She has a disease that is rare (Polymicrogyria (PMG)) and it is about their journey after the diagnosis. He is now coming out with a book about that journey and I hope that everyone goes out and buys it. You can read his blog here

Shuylers Monster

Robert's writting has always kept me going back for more. Check it out.

Mystery Stole Clue 3

I am now seeing the priate more than ever but the shawl is pretty. So I am very conflicted. No way I am not going to finish it but I will have to give it to one of my piratey friends. I can knit an eyepatch to go along with it for that "special birthday gift".

Thanks Carol in NoVa!

Carol kindly pointed out that there was errata to Morrigan. My heart sunk and I almost couldn't hit on the link to see what it was. Luckily for me I am a robot when it comes to knitting and I instinctively fixed the error without giving it any thought to what the directions ACTUALLY read. Here is the link in case you are inclined to knit this sweater:

http://nosheepkal.blogspot.com/2007/07/red-alert-error-in-morrigan.html

Now I feel really stupid for not slowing down enough to realize that it was a TRUE mistake and not MY mistake. I also can not tell you how relieved I am that I am an idiot that doesn't follow directions.

One of those things

I have gotten to a spot on Morrigan that has been a goal for the last (mumble) few weeks. I am at the spot on the sweater where I am going to be dividing for the front and back. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal but since I am working on the "lesson on futility" sweater it is a big deal to me. I am going to finish this damn sweater. I am. Then I am going to turn around and give it to Laurel so that I won't have to look at it again. Yes, I am a sick woman.

Mystery Stole Clue 2

No, really! All I can see (and it won't go away now) is a pirate hidden in this mystery shawl. It sorta wrecked the whole lace thing for me. I mean what would a pirate be doing in my lace shawl. I can't stop knitting it now because I have to see if there is also a ship or somethin.

Har, mateys...

Gypsy Shawl

I finished Evelyn Clarks "Gypsy Shawl". I started this up at the knitting retreat and just finished it. I went way out of my comfort zone on the colors and maybe it wasn't such a good idea. When Annie saw it she shrieked "Ew, what IS that?" I got told that it was very 80's. It is. I probably won't be wearing it anytime soon.

I just downloaded and started the Mystery Stole Clue 2. I am not off to a very good start but then again I haven't had enough coffee yet.

Mystery Stole clue 1

So I just finished the Mystery stole clue 1. It took me one day to get this far. I didn't work on it nonstop so I feel that it wasn't too hard. I don't want to post the picture here in case you don't want to see it and have it not be a surprise. If you do want to see what it looks like then follow the link. I am using black Zypher on size 4's.


Link to Mystery Stole Clue 1

Fessing up

I went on a knitting retreat last week. It was at "Sleeping Lady" which is a beautiful retreat place up in the Cascade mountains in Washington. It was put on by Karen at "Acorn Street Yarns". I had a great time with my friends. We may have made a couple of stops on the way up there. We went to Tricoter and another shop (sorry can't remember the name). Tricoter was having a "sale" which means that their prices were in the normal range. I might have gone a bit overboard. I also bought most of my yarn at the retreat itself.

So here is the loot that I brought back



What we have here is "Socks that Rock" in colorway Lagoon (shut up I fell for the overpriced sock yarn because of the color).
I also bought some Cashmere because it was on SALE. It is Cashmere Silk by Jade Sapphire in colorway Cashoflouge. I actually bought 2 skeins of the stuff. The ball of yarn with those two is a yarn that Gail gave me because she knows I love those colors.

WAIT! There is more



I bought LOTS of Zephyr because it was there and I love it. I bought black and white for the Mystery Shawl and also for the Hanami shawl that I am going to do. I bought this other laceweight yarn because the pink was so light that it was almost white but I think that it has Lolly's name written all over it. This yarn is "Baruffa" by Lane Borgosesia. The green in there was perhaps an impulse buy.

WAIT....a little more



More Zephyr and Silky tweed. I got started on the Gypsy Shawl by Evelyn Clark. She was at the retreat and I had the honor of meeting and talking with her for 3 days. What an incredibly talented and sweet woman.

and last but not least...



Required reading. Now that I don't have the shop I don't want to miss out on patterns.

So, that is it. I had a great time and may have gone a little wild in the yarn department but I considered it therapy.

Bad blogger...bad!

Not much to be talking about or showing so the blog fodder has been slim.

Here is a picture that Evan took out the window at Annie and Tim's wedding.




TA DA! Here is Morrigan AGAIN. I redid it on size 1 needles and I hope this post doesn't jinx it and I have to start over the 4th time.



So I am off until Monday to a knitting retreat up in the Cascade mountains. Sleeping Lady. it is put on by Acorn Street Yarns. Drinking and knitting for 3 days sound help my head.

Meet Ricky!

This is Ricky. He is our Granddog. We are babysitting while Annie and Tim are on their Honeymoon in Brazil. I think that someone may not be as happy about that as we are



So...on the moving to another country front... We aren't going to Scotland. The nice people who told Mr. Yarn that he all but had the job and to send his formal application (Fedex'd it no less) never emailed or called or anything. When Mr. Yarn emailed them to see if they got the application came back with an email that they were done with interviewing and they were sorry to inform him but...yadda yadda yadda.

This sucks. So new places to wonder about is an interview he has in San Diego (bleck, I am not a big fan of SD) or an answer to see if he is going to go interview in a place in Lexington, Mass. (he had a 2 hour phone interview yesterday).

This more than sucks...