Krafty1

Birthday BLOWOUT!

It was a WONDERFUL birthday!!  Thank you all for the many well wishes (here, on Ravelry, and IRL).  Special thanks to my knitting pals who filled in to make my day special while my family was on the road!

Rachael once again created an amazing assortment of treats from Tokyo.  Notice the sheep...it's made of rice for a bento box; the photo's from an entire "idea book" for packing my new blue bento box. (No, Rachael did NOT send me rice!)

The Krafty household has enjoyed learning so much about Japan through Rachael's efforts.  (Panda has already put Tokyo at the top of her wish list for internships/study abroad during her approaching all too soon!!! college years.) The Kit-Kat will become part of our much overdue Kit-Kat "taste-off", but the dark chocolate covered blueberries are MINE!!!

Robin, my "cosmic twin", spun yarn for me.  The color is purple/blue perfection!!!  If I could have one birthday wish, it would be to visit Robin and her wheel and learn to spin...but then I begin to think "Be careful what you wish for" and worry about how spinning would "steal" time away from my knitting...so instead, when people ask if I'll ever learn to spin, I'll just say, "Not unless Robin teaches me."

Notice the mini-birthday cake...it's a tape measure!  The card, of course, has a chicken: Robin's trademark...however, this one also plays the "Chicken Dance" song!  Special K and Panda demonstrated their prowess and skill at performing the dance over and over again!  However, Scottish Highland Knits was bittersweet for me to receive from Robin.  The book is fabulous, but just last week Robin shared with me that she and her hubby were scrapping their plans to travel to Scotland this summer... and my heart broke for them.

Fairy Godmother and my kids rounded out the knitting content of my birthday.  Since some of last year's indulgences are still "fermenting", the skein of Smooshy was a pleasant singular surprise. Smooshy, straight from Coldwater Collaborative (one of my favorite stops while in the Twin Cities).  It's owned by Ready, Set, Knit Cables author Carri Hammett...and now I have an autographed copy of one of her books...too cool!!

Have you seen the new cyber Beanies?  Special K gave me the plush sheep. She hoped that Birthday Mom would let her have the cyber code to adopt "Woolsy" online (since she is an expert at those other cyber toys). 

Doogie has offered to read Zen and the Art of Knitting aloud for me tonight.  The pattern for the first "event" of the Sock Knitters Pentathlon will be released at midnight eastern time.  What a guy!!!

It was a great day!

My birthday wish?  My wish is for each of you to be surrounded by friends and family that manage to make you feel as spoiled.  Birthday blowouts all around!   

Please excuse my silence...

It's my birthday and there's a bit of celebration going on.  With my family on the road, my friends have done their very best to make my day extra special. 

Updates to follow...

For now, check out the three sheep from my threesome...they are "eggs" filled with H***y Kisses.  Look for them in the Easter candy aisle. 

Labels

It seems that everything has a label these days.  Call me weird, but reading labels can really crack me up!

Like the label for the packets we add to our water.  The label has all the nutritional information for my favorite drink mix but... check out the serving size:

1/2 packet = 1 serving

1/2 packet!!!!  Can you imagine splitting one of these tiny packets in half!?!  Surely there'd be a shower of powder in my kitchen if that were attempted.

Then there are labels that bring a whole new meaning to "truth in advertising"!  This toilet paper for example.  It's not a joke...it's the real thing...and it's better than some of the industrial TP that you find in the public restrooms.

For the past couple of days I've been paying particular attention to labels.  It's been a lot of fun.  It's also inspired me to play around with a few label ideas of my own.

These are an experiment.  One of these lucky tags will label a pair of birthday socks.  Next there'll be a bit of playing with sizes, shapes, and color combos...maybe even a label for the back with washing instructions.  Hmmmm, the possibilities...all because of a little label reading.

One day...

...at a time.

There are times that I think the knitting gods really want to test me.  Saturday morning was one of those days.  While working on Icarus, it seemed the yarn was running a bit lower than it should be in order to finish the project.  Based on the fiber information for the pattern and the yarn, it seemed that there should be more than enough...but something was nagging me.

So, for the final row of Chart 3, it seemed a good time to weigh the yarn before and after knitting the pattern row/repeat in order to see how much was consumed with each row...2 grams per 2 chart rows.  Crap!  There are 29 rows to go...18 grams left means 11 grams short!

It seemed appropriate to send the project to its corner until the problem could be turned over a few times.  First, a Ravelry check to see how many people have Malabrigo merino lace in colorway Saphire Magenta in their stashes.  FIVE...only five.  Maybe a swap.  But since there are no dye lot numbers listed, it may not match.

Another option would be not to worry about a perfect dyelot match since the new yarn would be for the edges.  In which case, I could order a new skein.  But then there'd still be 40 grams leftover that I'd be compelled to knit up!  This is supposed to be a "stash knit down" year...not a "create more projects" year!

Time to work on something else.  Time to walk away from the shawl project.  The weather warmed slightly.  Perfect timing for a trip to a local cafe for my favorite ham & cheese scone, a latte'  and a bit of knitting on the side. Perfection!

What a difference a day makes! 

Don't get me wrong- the shawl is gorgeous. But there is something about the simplicity of knitting socks.  Kind of like the simplicity of breakfast.  Whether it's a scone or Scottish oats with either a latte' or plain coffee- the simplicity of breakfast...Perfection!

The time away from Icarus paid off.  Another trip to Ravelry revealed that others had run into the "running out of yarn" dilemma.  In the end, it appears that the next 16 rows (one repeat) could be eliminated and without too much difficulty.  Now to pull the trigger and knit the final 13 rows. To be honest, it scares me to modify this lovely pattern in much the same way steeking scares many knitters.  In the meantime, think I'll finish a sock.  (But, if you have any other suggestions, leave a comment.  I won't dive into Icarus again until Monday evening...tonight is Oscar night afterall!)

The things we do

Since Panda's Firestarter's took just over one skein and my bucket had three skeins, another pair was immediately cast on.  Sure Robin, the first pair only took 5 days, but those weren't for size 11 "canoes" like these are.  One sock alone has taken 4 days!

But, that's not what's on my mind.  How about the strange things we do throughout the day?  Like this photo.   What you don't see is the contortions required to get "THE shot". 

But, the knitting goes fast when you've been locked inside by the cold.  Sure we had a huge melt last week, but then the water froze.  At least the top inch froze.  When the waters receded and fresh snow fell, the ice caved in.  Did I mention that this is in my front yard?  This weekend we're due for another warm-up "tease", followed by another winter snow.  When will this winter end?

At least Mom is someplace warm for her birthday.  We'll all miss her and miss our family birthday dinner...but know this...birthday wishes & love are being sent from the youngest and the eldest of our clan (and everyone in-between) for Mom's big day on Saturday.  We love you, Krafty Mom!!!! 

Have a GREAT day!!! 

Where'd my Web Wednesday go?

The internet ate my post...but here are two tidbits that were in the original...must've been the eclipsing moon that did it!

• Another useful sock leftovers tip: Flowers!!!
• And finally...my odd bit of news will gross you out.  But with so many of you off to knitting events at hotels everywhere, consider watching this video as a "public safety notice".  (BTW We have rooms booked at Embassy next month...we'll be checking glasses closely!)

What's a Mom to do?

When you have a teenaged daughter, it's important to take advantage of opportunites when they present themselves.  This photo is a good example.

Panda's Firestarters were finished Sunday evening, but trying to coordinate a photo shoot with a busy teenager is close to impossible.  Sure there are plenty of photos of cute babies out there, but daylight photos of teenagers are rare. 

So when the alarm clocks went off at 5:30 this morning,  an idea...1) She wants to wear the socks. 2) She isn't allowed to have the socks until they are photographed.  3) She has to get dressed. Tada...a 6 AM photoshoot in Panda's "natural environment": her room!  (Yes, I know, a teen at 6AM is rare!  However, on school days around here, there's NO CHOICE!) 

Stats: 2008 Finished Socks #5

Pattern: Firestarters Yarn: Lorna's Laces Devon Needles: US1 Started: Feb 12 Finished: Feb 17

Skating on Thin Ice

No snowstorm here on Sunday.  Instead, we had 1.41 inches of rain...that would've been over 14 inches of snow if it had been cold enough.  Instead, it rained and the streets became ponds and ice rinks.  (Yes, that's a newly formed "river" in my front gully.) We stayed safely indoors where I'd created my own "thin ice".

Last week it seemed reasonable to add one repeat to Icarus.  Yesterday, after completing that extra repeat, weighing the remaining yarn and doing a few calculations, it was apparent that my decision to add a repeat was wrong.  Then the "thin ice"...no lifeline.

Though I'd considered inserting a lifeline for just such circumstances, my confidence over-ruled my common sense.  Ouch!

First, with darning needle and dental floss, I picked up stitches and inserted a lifeline.  Then the ripping commenced.  Two hours later, all stitches were neatly back on the needle and the pile of "spaghetti" was wound into a ball.  All is ready to begin the next chart.

But first...

...a bit more skating.

Notice the sock on the needles...it's the second sock.  Notice the amount of yarn left...not enough to finish the cuff.  What happened?

Well, upon finishing the first sock, 25 grams of yarn was left.  "Yippee", I thought...enough for the second sock.  AND, it would've been if the skein had been 50 grams to begin with.  Instead, it was 57 grams!!!  That's what the other skeins of Lorna's Laces weigh...thankfully I've got more Devon to finish this pair. 

Let's hope that's the end of ice skating for awhile!

Love & Stitches (Firestarters)

Look what arrived in Friday's mail...Jitterbug Gauguin.  It's lovely! 

Though I'm not one to look a gift yarn horse in the mouth, this parcel was lacking one item...warmth.  You see, it came to my house all the way from Knit Wits Key West.  That's right...Key West, FL!!!  It was 78 degrees (and raining) when the parcel headed for my house but it arrived without residual heat.  At least it has me thinking warm thoughts!  (Thanks Mom & Dad.)

A Valentine from Japan.  Another of Fuji Mama's fantastic designs. (Thanks!) This Valentines Day just doesn't seem to end.  Love is in abundance!

For my part, Panda will be the next recipient of love in the form of socks.  Firestarters have been in my cue for awhile.  It's  been awhile, in part, because the written pattern seemed a bit daunting.

The charts have these little arrows to indicate "travelling to the right" or "travelling to the left" and special instructions to boot.  HOWEVER, it turns out that, in reality, the special instructions are simply 2-stitch cable front/backs.  The next hiccup was that the arrows didn't really tell you which row to specifically do the 2-stitch cable front/backs. (Was it the row that the arrow started or the row where the arrow head landed?)  But, realization that if I'd set the "rule" to always work the cable on the "arrow head landed" row then it wouldn't make any difference in the long run.

Ahh, now I LOVE the pattern and can't wait to make a few adjustments to the pattern to make some Firestarters for people with larger feet.  Love & stitches will surely start a few "fires"!   

"C"...is for Cookie

"C"...is for Cookie...always has been, always will be (at least for me)! 

As a child of the 60s/70s, the mere mention of "C is for..." has me humming the tune that my beloved furry blue Cookie Monster would sing so many weekday mornings during those early years.

While looking up the song, Special K wondered what the commotion was.  You see, kids no longer know Cookie's infamous song.  In 1995, Cookie discarded his gluttony and vowed to make healthy choices (he was not renamed/replaced with Veggie Monster.)  But really, he's Cookie Monster for cryin' out loud!

I won't attempt to wax poetic on the lunacy that is "A Cookie is a Sometime Food"...others are far more articulate in expressing my thoughts.  I KNOW that I cannot survive on cookies alone.  But, there isn't anything finer than a cookie made with love enjoyed with a cup of tea or glass of cold milk!

"C" is for cookie...that's good enough for me!!!!!

Valentine's Love

February 14th...such a wonderful day!  It started with a delivery of flowers, tea, and chocolates to my Grandma.  Then on to deliver treats to the office.  Suddenly it was like I was a little kid again...and a memory came to me.

First grade: at recess we were to place our Valentines in the recipients' construction paper hearts.  I was SO excited about the party that would follow recess.  And then it happened;  I tripped, fell, and cut open my knee...enough to require stitches and make me miss the party entirely! 

Fast Forward to now: There was a Valentine's swap on Ravelry that I couldn't resist signing up for...in the international group.  My parcel arrived awhile ago but until today had remained unopened. (Willpower!)

Loopy lives in Malaysia and filled the parcel with all kinds of goodies.  She'd asked if there was anything special from her part of the world that she could send: a bento box of my very own was my only request.  Check out the cover she crocheted for it!  It's SO cool!! 

And it's a HUGE bento...we could pack a small family picnic in it!  Check it out; the two levels each held 3-50 gram balls of Japanese cotton yarn.  So SOFT!!!  She also included a Japanese pattern book for crocheted slippers that Panda and Special K have been pouring over this evening.  Thank you Loopy!

My own pal, Sobrina, lives in Finland. She loved her parcel as well.  It's so much fun having international partners...it's nice to spoil partners with "local" items.  And since it was for Valentine's Day...it was just that much easier to come up with something fun!

Of course, Mother Nature had her own Valentine for us today.  Eight more inches of the white stuff!  Special K is shown here to give you a bit of perspective as to how much snow we have alongside our driveway.  The next two days will be cold and then Sunday there is another snowstorm predicted.  What a Valentine!?!

But all these Valentines have me thinking...could my love of Valentines be the fault of missing that first grade party? 
Nah.   

The Return of...

Web Wednesday...

• Tired of the cold weather?  Luke is on the road and reporting his travels on his very own blog: Luke's Life.  It's a kid friendly blog that details Luke's adventures as he travels the southeastern states of the US.  Grandpa Golf and Grandma Mouse are his drivers for this winter's adventure to the Florida Keys and north again.
• In case you haven't seen it yet...Magic Slippers is Sock Pixie's answer to the question of what to do with leftover sock yarn.  I love her term for those small leftover balls- "walnuts".  There is an entire case of "walnuts" in my craft room.  If only there were a magic squirrel to knit up the walnuts.
• On the topic of socks...Are you ready to rumble!?!  Registration begins on Feb 14th for the next round of Sock Wars. (A link will be added when they open the new site on the 14th...for now you can read about it here.) I've sat out the previous Wars because of my schedule, but not this time! There will be a $2 entry fee.  That doesn't bother me in the least and it won't bother those who are serious about competing. Which of you is ready to rumble also?
• For something a bit less cut throat, there is a new group on Ravelry with an Olympic themed sock competition...Sock Knitters Pentathalon...should be fun.
• And finally, did you see the odd bit of new about the hay bale castle?  Imagine that no one complained about the 40 foot tall hay bales for four years?  It wasn't till the bales were removed to reveal the castle that people got upset!

Sing a Song

Remember this one?  Sing it with me: "Rain, rain go away.  Come again another day."

What is the winter version?  Yes, it's snowing AGAIN!  Madison, WI has already broken the season snowfall record at 77+ inches of snow.  Milwaukee is at 80+ inches, but the record is 100+ inches.  Let's hope we don't get close to breaking that one!

Swapping Warmth

With another sub-zero day, at least the mailbox provided some warmth...a lovely Loopy Ewe Swap parcel arrived. 

Melissa assembled a lovely parcel!  First, the knitted item was a Jaywalker Scarf made of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock and Chewy Spaghetti Spaghettoni.  She has a great photo of it on her blog.  Scarves are a "must-have" these days.  So many fun things in the parcel.  Thanks, Melissa!!

in the meantime, the box for my spoilee and Valentines for my nieces are in a Brown Truck headed towards their destinations.  Thank goodness for warm mailboxes!

Warming Hearts

What better after 16.5 inches of snow than to wake up to -16F degrees!  The thermometer never did make it back to zero today.  Oh well, there are other ways to keep warm.

These are for my Loopy Ewe Swap partner.  Socks in Lorna's Laces Blue Hawaii colorway. (Yes, Trek you guessed the correct color.)  What better way to help my pal warm up than with thoughts of someplace warm...at least on her feet.  She has a large foot diameter that hopefully these will fit perfectly for.

Stats: Toe-up Baby Fern design over 72 stitches on size US0 Addis.  Started: January 25 Finished: February 10

With only a few days left till Valentine's Day, the urge hit me to knit something for the holiday.  My first thought was to change my Sknitches Barn into Falling in Love Socks or Sweetheart Socks. 

Instead, with only four days to go, a super quick pattern seemed necessary.  Be My Dishcloth by KrisKnits was just the ticket.  It only took a couple of hours.  I love the detail on this pattern. Unfortunately, the end product is 10.25 x 11.25 inches.  That's a bit large for a dishcloth as far as I'm concerned.  That was with a US3 needle! 

Oh well, there's one more skein for me to play around with something to warm someone's heart with.  (Or at least aid them in their dish cleaning!)  Guess it's time to dive into the Ravelry pattern search. 

What a day brings

The snow sure did pile up around here!  16.5 inches in a 24 hour period.  We have successfully dug out and are about to be thrust into the "deep freeze".  Hopefully it won't be nearly as record breaking as the snow was!

This tree is just outside my office.  You may have noticed that I rarely discuss work on the blog.  However, it's not for lack of love for my job!  I have a great job that regularly provides me with changes and unique challenges.  I never know what the day will bring!

One day last week I opened a letter that (among other things) mentioned that this little guy needed to get from Colorado to Wisconsin.  One of the great things about my job is something called "Connecting the Dots".  (Or, in this case, knowing who to talk to.) The dots were connected and Thursday was the big day!  Who knew that an accounting degree could be applied in so many DIVERSE ways!!!  Good luck, Mahal!

After an always interesting day at work, my knitting has been waiting for me...well, after the cooking, cleaning, kids homework, and the snow.  So far half the yarn is used up for Icarus.  Time to add the second skein.  At least it looks like there will be enough yarn for the addition of one more repeat.

Of course, no week would be complete without a bit of sock knitting.  The second sock is nearly complete too.  Pair Number Four for the year.  You just never know what'll happen.

Ol' Fashioned Snow Day

24 hours...that's all it takes for things to change drastically around here!

24 hours later we have over 12 inches of new snow...heavy, wet snow!  The schools closed this morning and Doogie did NOT venture out for his morning commute.  On the other hand, I did go to work...however, we closed up shop at noon.

Once home, you'd think it would mean extra knitting time.  But with kids home from school, it meant extra time for baking cookies.  Snickerdoodle, anyone!?!

"B" is for...

My name..."B"?

End of the month my "B"-day?

No..."B" is for "B"reakfast...my favorite meal of the day! 

(Especially good when it includes "B"ritish-style "B"acon!)

"B"ut then, "B" could be for "B"ox.  I received one from Malaysia from my Ravelry Valentine pal.  But since it's not Valentine's Day yet, I'll wait to open it. 

The Latest Project

Now that the mouse is out of the bag, it's time for a new project. 

In anticipation of Super International Pajama Day, a new lace project seemed just the ticket for the day.  However, that meant a bit of shopping on Saturday for the appropriate sized needle. 

Wouldn't you know, some new yarn found it's way into my shopping bag along with the needle!  Two skeins of 2nd Time Cotton in Instanbul colorway for a Rutabaga market bag for a co-worker for next Christmas. (At least it's for a good cause!)  Do you notice something about the latest trend in my colorway selections!?!  Far from blue, wouldn't you say!?!

But, what did I end up knitting for PJ Day?

Icarus takes flight.  The yarn is Malabrigo Lace (from the bucket).  It is so yummy: slightly fuzzy and  incredibly soft!  The color is either Saphine Magenta or Saphire Magenta.  The handwriting on the color card is a bit difficult to read.  My guess is saphire, but the writing clearly lloks like an "n" instead of an "r". Makes no difference, it reminds me of wine grapes and vines.

in any case, this pattern is FLYING!!

It's a Mouse!

You guys are so smart...of course, it's a mouse.  The pattern is Felted Thora Lee by CiD Hanscom Designs.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a link to the pattern or the designer. 

While we were in the Twin Cities, the pattern jumped into my shopping bag at Coldwater Collaborative.  (It was Thanksgiving and they had Rudolph, an Elf, and an Angel on display by the same designer.)

Oh, but he's supposed to be felted.  Into the soup pot.  Brings new meaning to Rat-tatouile!! 

Unfortunately, the soup pot couldn't provide the proper amount of "aggitation".  But a few spins in the washer with a couple pairs of old jeans...just right!

This mouse has been one of those covert knitting operations.  This mouse has a mission.  This mouse is heading out into the world.

Check him out!  A quick swing by the office to say good-bye and a photo shoot with the granola bar box (for size comparison shots) and this little guy was ready to hit the road.

As of tonight, he's in Baton Rouge, LA.  AND, he has a name...Luke. He's named for the grandson who is changed into a mouse by the High Witch in Roald Dahl's The Witches.  Luke's adventures have begun.  Stay tuned...he's been advised to send photos home from time to time.

Any guesses?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Maybe it's obvious.

Definitely on the "Things I never thought I'd knit" list.

JANUARY Recap

Much success in the stash reduction department.  3 pairs of socks, 2 hats, 1 scarf, and 1 pair of fingerless mitts.  1735 yards of stash...just shy of a mile (1760 yds)!!  Four of the items knit are stashed away for next Christmas.

A new bucket is set up.  Its contents include materials for 3 pair of socks, 1 shawl, 1 scarf, and a flower washcloth.  No, I do not intend to knit all of that in February!  In fact, I'm itching to knit a sweater...preferably one that doesn't require the purchase of yarn!

Taxi Service/Fawkes Friday

Krafty1's Taxi went in for a bit of service.  90 minutes...perfect for knitting socks.  90 minutes turned into over 2 hours.  Beautiful...almost.

Should've brought a podcast or two along.  The new Cast-On or Stash & Burn would've made the waiting even better.  Especially since there was a chatty gentleman who insisted on asking me things while there was a patterning row that needed my concentration.

We Interrupt this post with SAD NEWS:

Momma Monkey aka GIGI aka Gwen passed away last weekend. My heart goes out to her family.  She will be greatly missed by the knitting community as well.  The discussion thread on the Ravelry Socktopia Group is looking into creating a Memorial KAL.  I've changed my footwear and will make today a Fawkes Friday.  For the future, my suggestion is to have a "Momma Monkey Memorial Monday" to honor Gwen by wearing the socks we've knit with her patterns.  She brought happiness to many a sock knitter around the world.  She will be greatly missed!!!!