One down...

...one to go!

The first Solstice Sock is complete with the mate progressing on the ribbing.

I really like how the foot striped, but ambiguous about pooling on the leg. They are the exact same number of stitches and the same patterning. There's no tellin' about handpainted yarn and why it does what it does.




Today's Saturday sky is three layer clouds scooter-poopin' through the atmosphere. Predicted storms later on today had Russ getting the hill mowed as early as possible.

Two weeks

until 2.75, counting the buffet and reunion with friends and scouring the SHP marketplace.

This shot I took at camp two years ago, depicting just some of the wonderful garments we've read about in Meg's columns and publications. All are displayed at camp for us to touch, try on and borrow for part of the day to wear, if we like.

Yes, it's almost like a shrine for many, especially first time campers. And Camp 1 begins one week from today. Remember the excitement of getting everything ready for the first day of school? Remember the joy and awe of School Day #1? That's Camp, too.
Remember the freshly sharpened pencils and new pens and notebooks and everything together in a book bag or back pack or clutched tightly in your little sweaty hand? Maybe an audible gasp as the classroom door is opened? It's part of the yearly camp experience.

Monday Meanderings

It's not even noon and there's a lot going on!

We left early this morning for Russ' yearly PET scan in New Kensington.
Then brekky.

A garter snake glided across my path by the pond this morning. Of course, I didn't have the camera with me at that moment.

Now onward for some things accomplished before the spotty showers return this afternoon. Last night's spotty showers were a two and a half hour downpour with frequent crashing and lighting up of the dusky landscape.
In the meantime...



Here is the other clematis blooming. It is the older of the two and obviously a later bloomer!





The very first day lily flower greets the morning sunshine.




The very first daisy is also greeting the day by the pond.




And the newest sock project joins the brigade by the Asiatic lilies that are blooming by the driveway. (Click on any picture to enlarge, as always.)

This is STR lightweight in the Tatania colorway. Not summer like colors, but bright! (And a bit too much purple, but I like the colorway, anyway!) Sock is a combination of patterns and being knitted on "0" DPN's.

Non-Knitting

Looking forward to summer and the hot temps we have only seen four days of so far, has meant that there's more than enough time to come up with projects we want to accomplish. Since the neck scarf, I've been reading and thinking and planning and getting some chores accomplished.

Russ has been even busier.

But here's a bit of nature around the hacienda.



Walls of volunteer honeysuckle braced by the state cyclone fence.




Volunteer ferns 'neath the lilacs.




And the result of the barberry bush (which Russ hated 'cause it would jump out and scratch him like jumping cholla) not wintering over well...

Three weeks till the beginning of 2.75.

Can h-a-r-d-l-y wait!

Neck to Neck

Meg Swansen's Faroese Shawl Neck Scarf from her DVD is a finished object! Actually, she was finished about 5:45 last night, then blocked on a super-size bath towel.



I had been concerned that the sock yarn, Fiesta Baby Boom, being such a sproingy yarn, wouldn't hold a blocking. There was no cause for concern. She blocked at 42 1/2". I didn't put pins in her, just had her on the towel. By this morning she was dry and had gone to 38 1/2". Still, she fits on the shoulders nicely. For a more shawl-like length, probably adding two diamond repeats would do it.

Here, we see the neck scarf enjoying June late afternoon sun perched on ever-entwining wisteria with wonderful mock orange in the background. Click to embiggen, as always.

Knit on a 10 1/2 24" Susan Bates circular needle
Yarn is Fiesta Baby Boom, colorway "Sedona" (a wonderful surprise from Linda)
Begun June 7, 2008
Finished June 12, 2008
Pattern from "Knitting Lace with Meg Swansen" DVD (copyright 2007, available from Schoolhouse Press.

Faroese shawl Neck-scarf

Last year at Retreat 2.75, Meg's DVD "Knitting Lace with Meg Swansen" was due momentarily and Meg gave us a handout for this neckscarf. (See it in this picture, which you can 'embiggen', as always.) Many at 2.75 tried it.


I didn't attempt it at that time, but I was able to get the DVD at camp, as it arrived during our session. I admit I've been looking at the DVD more lately, and as getting my notebook ready for camp and reviewing last year, I pulled out this handout. I've also watched this section of the DVD twice. There will be a third viewing for the row that includes Amy's centered eyelet.

There are times when I wished I'd knitted a shawl in 'my' colors since I have knitted the pi shawl in neutrals and the pi are square shawl in blue and white. I'd been looking for a project for the Joslyn's alpaca I won at Camp 1. Hmmm. Fairly typical to form, I chose another yarn.

This time I chose the Sedona Fiesta Baby Boom that Linda sent me not long ago. I'm still not sure if it will work in lace and the Susan Bates size 10 1/2 circular needle that I've had "forever" is very clunky since I'm used to 0-6's. Truthfully, I did Google and check Ravelry for the possibilities of using this yarn in lace. I did find one Forest Canopy shawl that looked pretty good; so, I'm hoping this will be a 'winner'.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Oh. My. Goodness. but the postal person deserved a hug yesterday!

This first picture shows my winnings for a blog contest from Bobbi at Krafty1. I first met Bobbi at Meg's Camp 1 in 2005, so this was especially fun!

A few weeks ago she had a contest to guess the closest date of when she would have her first daffodil blooming in her Midwest area home. I was closest by one day.

My winnings include a skein of Meilenweit Magic sock yarn, a packet of sheepy cards she made, a cute beaded and charmed "Bloomin'Beader"--great for attaching to bags of all sorts fibery, and a Hershey's 5 candy sheepy egg! Thank you Krafty1 !





I was expecting Bobbi's package, but this next one included a double surprise.

An envelope from Gwen (and Cathy), Knitting camp mates,discovered some prezzies for Russ and me!

The first one with the white peony is grey and black Lorna's Laces millend sock yarn in grey and black. Especially chosen by Gwen for a pair of socks for Russ, he said, "Just my colors! Knit them thin enough and I'll wear them!" He encourages my fiber pursuits, but doesn't wear any of them.



Then these two skeins with the pink peony are Gypsy Girl Creations yarn in Watermelon Tourmaline that Gwen and Cathy found at The Fold in Marengo, Illinois.

Thank you, Guys, big, big hugs at camp in the next few weeks.

I am bowled over speechless with the generosity of knitting friends. (Of all the women Russ has met, and they are many, he thinks knitters are the best! And male knitters are pretty cool, too.)

Now Blocking

We have a 2008 2.75 name tag!



Before the sun wilts the Nearly Wild roses and volunteer buttercups in the predicted record-tieing 93 degree, 70% humidity afternoon, the Latvian mitten wanted to make its appearance as a FO!


Just in case the name tag should flip over, as name tags on lanyiers are wont to do, here is the back of the mitten with my initials.




The statistics:

*Mitten is from the SHP KAL with Lizbeth Upitis, May 2008. The pattern is from the SHP website (Graph 19, District of Vidzeme from Lizzie's book "Latvian Mittens"), except for the lettering which is based upon a Celtic alphabet. Mitten is shortened for its purpose as a name tag. It also does not have a thumb because of its purpose.
*Knit on size 0 DPNs (I did use bamboo, but metal is suggested since a tight grip on the needles has a tendency to snap bamboo.)
*KnitPicks Palette yarn
* Started 5/30/08, Finished 6/6/08 as last ends woven in at 12:15 AM

*Caution: Latvian mitten knitting is addictive.

Mitten along

See, I promised...



Here is mitten as of today...a 'far cry' from its appearance Sunday morning. I just could hardly put it down!



Except for the name panel, it is the same pattern as Lizbeth Upitis and Schoolhouse Press chose for the KAL. I had thought that it was not my colors, then I realized that it's the same colors I was swatching with in J&S 2 ply Shetland yarn last summer when I was working on my fair isle pattern. The pattern hasn't gotten past inordinate swatching. It's now in hibernation.



For the lettering ("nancy" on the front, "nj" on the back) my trusty celtic lettering was utilized, then tweeked with trusty pencil and graph paper.

Today's predicted storminess may provide more mitten moments.

Latvian June the First

And the newest project is (pregnant pause for envelope opening)...



A Latvian mitten from the Schoolhouse Press KAL with Lizbeth Upitis! Although the KAL is 'officially' complete, it is still available on the website as well as previous KAL's, which are archived.

As per suggested, I am using size 0 doublepoints. For yarn, KnitPicks Palette makes its debut here. In 2005 Knitpicks was still a new-ish company and was giving away $100. gift certificates to be used on their site. I couldn't believe it, but I won one month! That kept me looking at their site and when the beautiful sampler came out, I had to order it for dreaming.

On this mitten I learned how to accomplish the fringe and the braid. The fringe wasn't really difficult at all, just time consuming, more so at beginning. It actually looks pretty good!

The next mitten row introduces color number 3, but only 2 colors per row.

Enjoy the clematis!