A Good Start

Here we are -- my finished Olympic Knitting project, lounging on the LazyBoy (no Chesterfields here, this is California, not Canada -- that's a different blog).
So it's only what,...7 months too late.
I hate button bands...picking up (I can never get the sides to match), then lining up the button holes (the initial math only gets me so close -- I keep forgetting to include the stitches for the actual buttonhole -- so rather than refigure it out I just tink and add or substract a stitch until they're spread out properly). Anyways its done, off the needles, knitting bag reclaimed, leftover yarn (1 full ball and then some of the teflon wool, 1/2 a ball of the karaoke -- enough for a hat, but we're not going there) ready to be returned to stash. Not sure I like the long stretch of hot pink, but I do like the fact that it's done.
I was listening to Birth of Venus while finishing it up. I download books from Audible and listen on my iPaq. Up until now I've been using ear phones. Cris told me about FM transmitters that allow sound to be transmitted to an FM radio frequency which allows you to listen to your audio (from your mp3 player, ipod, portable CD player) on any FM stereo (home stereo, boom box or car radio). Cool deal. It's amazing what technology they come up with these days. I'm not much of a technophile. Yeah, I have a mobile phone (hot pink razr, of course, w/ matching bluetooth -- but I only *just* got that part), and I listen to books on my iPaq which I sync from my PC laptop. However, I'm not one to leap to new technology. That iPaq, it's at least 3 years old. Digital camera 2.1 mega pixels. I still have a win98 desktop (yes, it runs) and my laptop is running win2K. What's even more surprising is that I live high tech more than 40hrs a week being a computer programmer, in the electronic design automation industry, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Go figure. I'm actually afraid to try new things. And rightly so! The first FM transmitter I bought actually made the batteries in it explode -- in the car -- while I was driving! I had my husband return it (I hate returning things) and I bought another, different one (more expensive) from another store (not taking any chances here). This one, however, bypasses battery power when I plug in the car adapter -- I checked by turning the device on and plugging in the adapter while it wasn't connected to the car, and it turned off. So far so good. Anyways, I used it last night while finishing my project -- listening to my audio book on my iPaq but through our boom box. Amazing. I was able to move around and pick up my band, line up my buttonholes and knit until it was all done. Truly F.A.B. Like my setup?

A Plan for Winter

Some friends and I are making knitting plans for the winter. This should kick off finishing some of my works on the needles. I found yarn for a clapotis IN MY STASH (round of applause please -- it pays to have a large stash -- besides being fun to shop in -- the money's already spent -- and it can be so very satisfying). This summer's gatherings Noro Transistions will be an Alice pullover. Finally, I dug up a shawl kit I had buried a long time ago, this winter, I'll be starting (drumroll, please...) Rosy Fingered Dawn by Hazel Carter. As you can see by the link there's a KAL! I'm so excited. However,...

See the list on the right? Some of that's got to get finished before I can start the above projects...at least 2 preferably 3 and socks don't count. I'm shooting for Very Luminary Vest (VLV), and Tokyo Bloom Poncho (TBP), mostly because VLV is so close and I don't think I can justify starting clapotis w/o finishing a poncho. Third up? I dunno -- if I can just get Palacio to the point where I'm starting the bands...or maybe the 2 scarves? They're practically done, really. Okay? Okay! I'm off to pick up for the band on VLV...

(And not one word about the Vogue TF Shrug -- I've not lost enthusiasm for it just yet...I need to knit it bigger and get used to the idea that I'm knitting the large and not the medium -- bearing in mind that I did choose smaller needles. That said...let's just all shut up about it for now).

A Summer's Gatherings

I didn't blog for the entire month of August and July's posts were more about June. So what's been happening? The girls -- they have a life and mine just revolves around theirs. But as Vivian suspected I did manage to buy some yarn. So here's the the summer's highlights...
I ended the summer's purchases at the latest Knitting Arts sale. Found: Cherry Tree Hill Cascade 100% silk fingering wt in Northern Lights. Prior to that I was at Village Spinning and Weaving where I did not buy any yarn. However I did buy 2 beautiful spindles laser etched by Dave Larson -- go see, click under "Spindles". Backtracking, I did buy yarn near my hometown at Anacapa Fine Yarns in Ventura -- 2 sks Kaalund Yarns Expressions in Guava 100% kid laceweight 1000+yds (yeah, pink). In LA, at A Mano Yarn Center I found lightweight Socks that Rock in Hard Rock and Mist(pink -- do we see a pattern here?), and further south I found some lovely Bamboo sock yarn by Regia (reddish pink) at The Yarn Lady. Looping up to Las Vegas I didn't buy any yarn. Not even in Tehachapi where a yarn shop was closing out -- not for lack of trying (they were closed the day we passed through). Back at home I bought Rowan Silk Wool in Scallop (very pale pink) and Rowan Tapestry in Potpourri (rich victorian pink) both from Yarndogs. Meanwhile Webs sent me more than enough Silk Garden for the Round Trip sweater (color 251 -- you look it up). I found a new-to-me yarn store in Sunnyvale, Yarn Place and bought some fingering wt merino/cashmere in eggplant (ha!) and laceweight Graceful in a muted rainbow colorway 2400yds in one ball. During the yarn crawl prior to the summer knit retreat (winter's full, sorry) I snagged 5 skeins of rose alpaca, Noro Transistions color A6 for an Alice sweater, 2 balls Skacel meditation in sunset (scented with lavendar oil), 2 balls Steinbach striping cotton sock yarn in golden summer, and 2 Karabella jewels in peach tree all from Luminous Threads. A stop at the Swift Stitch proved detrimental as I bought 2 sks each of Alchemy's monarch, silk purse and bamboo -- all in a fiery colorway -- red, orange, hot, hot pink. Back at Yarndogs I obtained 2 balls Lana Grossa twin print in a mediterranean colorway (not for me) and a Sweater Kits cardi kit in wine. At Full Thread Ahead's all-you-can-carry sale I got Cherry Tree Hill potluck supersock in water and jewels, Alpine Lace in Old Rose, Tess Designer Yarn's cultivated silk/merino in lavendar rose. A return trip to Yarndogs yielded some lovely silk ribbon by Schulana, and some Blue Heron silk rayon twist in hibiscus (pink, ya' think?). Patternworks sent Prism in tea rose and Fiesta Yarns Watermark in abalone (about my favorite colorway in their yarns because its, well, pink). Finally on my trip to Austin at Hill Country Weavers, 10 good reason s to pack light, pictured above, Claudia Hand Painted in pink dot.

Did I knit? Well, yeah -- not much but yeah. I did finish the 3rd of Elana's hats.