Baby, I’m warped!

Such an exciting week! I finished the brocade baby sweater. It is pictured on my Sweet & Innocent doll by Lee Middleton Original Dolls. She is just beautiful with her new warm sweater on!

 

The shawl in the background is my own pattern (see comments for pattern), using yarn I purchased on ebay from The Spin Zone. She has lovely yarn! I have purchased from her twice, and have added her to my favorite sellers!

The most exciting news is….I took my weaving lesson! I had two teachers, who had never used the Ashford knitters loom. I think they had just as much fun as I did with the little loom. They taught me how to setup the warp, as I would set it up if I was warping one of the larger floor looms. Which is great, because I want to eventually weave on a floor loom also!

I am in love with weaving on this loom! It is so relaxing, even more so than knitting! I should be finished with the weaving portion of the scarf later today. I will add fringe to each side and will proudly post a picture when it is complete! I can’t wait to start my next weaved scarf!

When I was at the weaving lesson, I was telling the teacher about my recent love of knitting, yarn and now my interest in weaving. She said to me “did you just retire?” I laughed and stated “well, I am semi-retired for the moment and am enjoying my newfound love of fiber arts to the fullest!”

I really don’t want to do the work I’ve spent the last 18 years, Information Systems, Network Engineer. I am so bored with everything there is to do with fixing and maintaining a computer/network.

I have a massive desire to open my own yarn store here in the valley. I’ve been doing research to see what all is involved with such a venture. I’m secretly hoping a venture capital god or goddess will swoop down upon me and grant my wish! Are you my hero? Contact me pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! A girl can dream!

Once you’ve warped, whats weft?

Tracking Where I’m at

Hubby and I survived the graduation and graduation party for son #2. We both were still fighting mono. We had a good time despite our illness! I spent a good part of the weekend weeping, especially after reading the calendar I wrote in every day of his first year of life. I remember when I started doing a daily note in the calendar that I thought the child would treasure it when he grew up. As I sat and read each note, it was overwhelming how much I treasure it!

Today is the first day in a week where I feel normal. Since we had company all weekend, and I wasn’t feeling great, I didn’t get a lot of knitting done, but I was able to complete one arm for the baby sweater! This is my first attempt at a sweater and its been really fun!

Pattern by Isela

I’ve found that if I make a Word table, I can track where I am in a repeating pattern easier. Here is an example:

Row/Pattern	1	2	3	4
1	√	√	√	√
2	√	√	√	√
3	√	√
4
5

Tomorrow is my class on the Ashford Knitting Loom! I can’t wait!!!

Laughter is the best medicine

Graduating son was kind enough to share mono with me, so I spent the day yesterday in bed, with absolutely no energy whatsoever! I did take the time to download a few new-to-me podcasts and had a great time listening to Marly’s Yarn Thing! What a hoot! I would just love to hang out with her and her friends! I just love listening to people laugh!

Thankfully my little Dell laptop still works, because after the podcast I went blog reading to all the links from all the podcasts I’ve joined. Okay, so now I am collecting not only yarn, looms, and books, but also podcasts and blogs! Life is good.

Thanks to Marly, I have another new favorite yarn online store. Check out LittleKnits! Some of the best yarn deals I’ve ever seen on the internet! Quality names you want and you can buy them in bags!!!!!! wooooooooooo hooooooooo!

Even though I had no energy, I did start my first baby sweater. It’s Brocade Baby Sweater from Isela’s new book “Loom Knitting Primer.” I received an email from my Aunt in Texas that announced my cousin’s new baby boy. Yahooo! I can knit baby stuff without getting evil glances from my not-yet-ready-for-parenthood sons!

I wanted to pass on a great tip I got from Marly’s podcast…I’m going to take my knitting books to Kinko’s and and have them rebound with wire binding so I can then lay the book flat while knitting! What a great idea!

Feeling better today, thankfully! Party for graduating son is Sunday! I was afraid we were going to have to call it off with both myself and hubby sick. Party on!

 

“Carpe Diem! Seize the day, lad! Make your life extraordinary!”

My baby boy’s last day of high school is tomorrow.

It seems like yesterday I got him dressed for his first day of kindergarten.

 

Last day of High School

Now he’s all grown up. Boo Hoo

I am so proud of you!

I wish you joyfulness, son.

I love you! Mom

When I grow up…

I decided what I want to be when I grow up!

I spent a good part of the day yesterday winding yarn into balls with my new ball winder. I want to be a yarn winder when I grow up! What a great job! Touching beautiful skeins of yarn, admiring them as they spin into perfect balls. Now, I’ve been admiring skeins of yarn for awhile now, but once they are wound into balls on the ball winder, they are extra lovely! So please, someone, hire me to be a ball winder…what a dream job! Do you think there is a help wanted section on Monster for ball winders?

I did discover why you need a swift if you are winding yarn into balls. Yikes! What a mess you can make! I’ll be adding a swift to my birthday wish list!

I finished knitting and crocheting the the borders on the bath rug I have been working on for awhile now. I haven’t crocheted in years. I took lessons when I was 12 years old, and never really did much of it after that. It was like riding a bike, really easy! I need to block the rug. I’ve never blocked anything before…so I hope it turns out okay.

I used mercerized cabled cotton yarn that I purchased at my LYS. It is by Rainbow Mills, Crayon’s. I loved the color combinations, (funky hippie colors) and I really liked working with the mercerized cabled cotton. I got the idea to make a rug from a free pattern I found on Lion Brand’s website. I didn’t really follow the pattern for Nana’s Bathmat, but that is where I got the idea.

Oh! I decided to take a lesson on the Ashford Knitters Loom! I figured I could just go for it and learn it myself, and learn bad habits…OR take a lesson and get it right the first time! I can’t wait for my first lesson at the weaving department at the Meyer’s House in Florissant, MO. If you’ve never been to the Meyer’s house…it is a fiber heaven!

Merry Christmas in May to meeeeeeee!!

Yahoo!! I am so excited! My order from Paradise Fibers arrived today!!! I am like a girl on Christmas day! I don’t know where to start. I’ve been just admiring it all for hours now!

Ashford Knitting/Weaving Loom

view a video on this loom at Ashford

 

 

I can hardly stand how happy I am! I’ve already read the Ashford Book of Weaving for Knitters. It is full of ideas for making 25 different scarves, with yarns I already have in my stash! The manual that comes with the loom is awesome. Detailed instructions with step by step pictures! The loom is very light weight and you fold up the loom at anytime with your weaving in place and take it with you. SWOOOOOON!!!!

Drop Spindle Kit

A wonderful introduction to hand spinning! Making your own yarn from scratch. It will be such a thrill to complete my first spun wool!

 

I finished the first section of my baby blanket! No grandchildren in sight yet, but I will be a prepared Grandma when the time comes!!

 

What a great day!!!!

Firefox – It’s so much better than Internet Explorer!

If you read a lot of blogs, or sites with pictures, you should check out installing Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is so much better with graphics. I haven’t used Internet Explorer in over a year, and I am so glad I switched to Firefox!

One of my favorite things in Firefox, is if you see a picture, you can right click on it and view the picture in a larger size. Also, you can download add ons, my favorite being “morning cup of coffee” Morning cup of coffee will open up multiple webpages in seconds. So if you always open up the same websites each day, just one click opens them all!!

Firefox is a free download. You can find it here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

Off the Loom!

If using Mozilla Firefox, right click to see larger pictures!

Aspen Bag pattern by Isela

decoraccentsinc.com/loomknit_patterns_pg2.html

 

Waves of Lace Shawl

Pattern by Lisa

http://www.loomknittingdesigns.com/

 

 

Booga bag

Satchel Purse

 

Warm Poncho

So many hobbies, so little time!

I’ve been a busy knitter the past few weeks. I finished my waves of lace shawl, a non-felted booga bag that I will use as my laptop carrier, a felted coin purse, baby booties and baby hat, my extra warm poncho, added the handle to the satchel I previously made, and made another satchel purse! I also am almost done with the rug I have been working on constantly for weeks on end. I also finished my first ever cable pattern! Wait till you see my finished Aspen Bag (pattern by Isela)

I am really excited about learning to weave and spin yarn!!!! I’ve ordered a Ashford Knitting weaving loom and a Louet drop spindle from Paradise Fibers website:

http://www.paradisefibers.net/

They have a lot of really nice yarn! And if you are a sock knitter, they have those cool sock blockers. Oh! They also have slipper bottoms for knitted slippers!! Oh what a wonderful site!

I’ll post pictures of all my completed projects this weekend!

Lime and Violet

If you only listen to one podcast this week, make it Lime and Violet’s podcast(a podcast for the yarn obsessed!) These two Omaha gals will have you in stitches. (Pun intended!) You can download the podcast to your ipod from Itunes, or get it online from Lime and Violet’s website at:

http://limenviolet.blogspot.com/