it's probably terrible to post such a thing, but finding a worm in the gardens at work recently was the exact glimmer of spring we all needed. it's predicted to snow LOTS in the next few days-- so the gardens will have to wait a while longer. on the knitting front i can now show you 2 more of the log cabin moderne baby blankets i made (crappy photos, sorry). both made from brown sheep cotton fleece, size US 6 needles.
one for alex
and one for erica

the third is for katie, who received her's with the needles still on, cause honestly, i have until june to finish it-- and i'm gonna take advantage of the time.

sure there's more going on (like the 3 times i had to restart my rusted root... thank the knitting gods that Meike started one too and i was totally inspired to try it again. oh, the all the new yarn i am the proud mama of. okay.. that's another post.) bye.

Now that this has been sent to the proper babe, i can reveal it to ya'll.

Log Cabin (guidelines from Mason Dixon book) cotton blanket for a Boy.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, needles US 6

when you see some of the other baby blankets (coming soon) you'll see i've been in Garter Stitch Land... or channeling the spirit of Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Well, i took out the ripple stitch blanket-- i didn't enjoy knitting the pattern. so now i am doing a slip stitch pattern. sure, i've made a mistake, but it doesn't bother me much so i'm leaving it. and yes, it is yet another baby blanket; number 5 of 5.
in an oops-my-credit-card-slipped-at-kpixie moment, i am now the very proud owner of 8 skeins of blue sky alpacas 100% baby alpaca, sport weight in a natural (duh!) color. i am using it to make a shawl from Nature Babies. love it! have mentioned in this post yet that BSA is my favorite yarn company? well, it is! also part of my order was the pattern for Rusted Root (i need help picking a good color) and Samantha.
In an effort to save The Fiber Whorl, my pal in Helena Montana has become of vital member to fund raising. one of their campaigns is a calendar-girls style calendar. she was kind enough to send me copy in part because it features my handiwork (does that mean i am now published?). i made that brown triangle shawl you see in mid-line-up.
see here: i made these socks
You're probably so tired of hearing about these socks, but i'm darn proud of 'em. Needless to say, the Fiber Whorl needs lots of support. If you find yourself near Helena, MT make sure to give them some love.

now, back to my luscious organic yarns.

So, for the last 6 years i have been celebrating my birthday with especially kindred spirits: My dear knitting pals. Mary is one of the dearest. I met her in a knitting class neither one of us needed to take. i was there because i needed to get out of my small apartment, out of my own depressive head, and just be out with people. (We learned to make gloves/mittens.) Meeting her literally changed my life. During many a friday evening knitting together she served as teacher, companion, woman of wisdom, sympathizer and second mother. We discovered that, although there were many years in between, our birthday's were just days apart; her's on the 3rd. We absolutely needed to share this event. The first year, is fondly remembered for the blizzard that postponed the sharing of homemade chocolate birthday cake. the following week the weather was slightly better. On the way to meet, my car slide backwards on an icy hill downtown (i was an extremely nervous and uncomfortable driver at the time) and when i finally arrived at the coffee shop it announced, "this better be the best god damn chocolate cake ever!". and it was-- and without it none of the following birthdays would have ever happened (the second year was positively the most beautiful spring day in the world. i gave Mary a huge bundle of hyacinths and daffodils, i knit my first sweater with out a pattern in 21 different colored stripes {i turned 21 that year} and we had our birthday party in the morning over coffee and oatmeal. the third year was grand once again-- at yet another coffee shop. the fourth year was a full blown party, we hauled in the loot and proclaimed, "the best way to have a birthday is with a group of knitters!". The fifth year I was so sick i couldn't get off the couch and had to cancel which broke my heart (we rescheduled later in the spring, but it wasn't in March and it wasn't quite the same).

This year was another great one: with nine knitters in attendance, muffins, fruit salad, chocolate birthday cake and a whole load of presents!

Mary and I always sit together and open our gifts.
We littered the floor with a rainbow of tissue paper. i'm obviously thrilled about something (more home/hand made soap)!
We compared presents.
and shared cards. notice we have the same gift? We each got this.

In years past mary and i gave each other very similar gifts. I made her a quilt the same year she gave me a vintage cotton quilt top; i knit her a white lace scarf the year she knit me white lace socks; i knit her a lace shrug the year she made me a cabled shawl.

this year we didn't match, but we still have the same amount of love for each other than all the years of the past.

a very merry birthday to ME! yep, march the first: the day i turn 26. i'm pretty happy about it, but i am one who enjoys my birthday every year-- alway have, always hope to. twenty six however has a slightly different feeling than all the others i can remember (i'd say since the last 25, but i don't honestly remember the first several). i don't know how to put it into words, but there is something around/about it that seems different from all the others. as i child, my birthday always seemed like one year older, one year closer to the next grand thing (13, 16, 20-- although as i think about those years, i'm not sure i liked them. 13 was awful, full of adolescent anxieties; at 16 i refused to learn to drive and had absolutely no interest in learning; and 18-21 were awful. i experienced a difficult 'leaving the nest' with my parents, a heart breaking death and grief experience (don't regret a day of it, would do it all over again if i had to, but it was still hard) a major break up with a boy, and a job change-- those were turbulent years) but at 26 i don't have the "next up" feeling. overall years 22-25 have been happy, full of love and new 'meant to be' experiences; feelings of satisfaction and contentment. Perhaps this 26 feeling is the wonderment of what will be next rather than the sense of what is supposed to be next. yes, that seems right-- i think i will sit with that thought for a while and see how it feels.


i took a little (like 1/2 an hour) break from baby blanket knitting to make gnomes. or rather korknisse. (norwegian, gotta love it. The Knitter's teased me about my Nordic winter. I laughed and said, "I know, what will i do in the summer?" A fellow knitter quipped back, "Norway has summer too!" Though perhaps not known for their summers, i'll have to do a little cultural research.) they are so charming. i want to make a whole village . they remind me of this-- tho for my birthday i would need more. people, please send me your wine corks!

speaking of baby blankets, i've finished another one, tho i can post no photo just yet. three down, two to go. however, i'm not feeling the love for this blanket-- i'm tempted to rip it out because i don't enjoy knitting the pattern, but don't have good design for it's two toned color (i.e not enough of one color to make one whole blanket, thus the color dilemma), any suggestions?

well, i think that about wraps up the news. wish me well as i turn 26.. or as my Poppa (who shared my birthday season with and i miss greatly during this time-- his death happened during those turbulent late teens) used to say, "As you begin your 27th year".

p.s. updated side bar. check it out.

I'm all about the ski weekends-- this one landed us at Devil's Thumb outside of Winter Park and Fraser. It was beautiful. Just when we thought we would go a whole week without snow fall, we got some flurries during our time outdoors.
I have however received a new "injury" (this one will not effect knitting, whew!) a lovely red blister that i managed to tear open while skiing. lovely.
in knit-knews: i'm makin' burp cloths. they're easy and functional. and for a gift. edit: i used the pattern from the Mason-Dixon book, size US 6 needles and cotton sugar 'n creme yarn.
gotta run, Rome is on.

i had another ski day today. what's that you say? You're wondering if it was windy? Just a little. Oh, yeah, part of the mountain was closed. Why? Gust of 100 mph at the top. As for the nordic skiing? well... let's just say that my 'ski day' turned out to be a day of knitting in the truck.

Yep, that wind (and icy packed snow) isn't for me yet. i'm still a fair weather skier ( i got about 100 yards away from the nordic center)

i was pretty disappointed. i wanted to feel that 'good mountain air in my lungs' again.

but the knitting was good.

Apparently, Anne and i have more than knitting in common. we went to Eldora today for the thrill of trying to stay up right while on cross-country skis. it was great. i fell a lot. i still think i love my new sport. driving down the canyon, i announced, "oh my lungs feel so good with all the mountain air!" anne, probably thinks i am a dork .

the knitting front is good and busy (except for the "injury" i received while at an eatery this evening. i sort of pinched and tore a hunk of skin out of my left pointer finger-- also known as the dependable pointer finger that pushes the knitting needle. i can sort of do it with my 'tall man' or if my pointer is wrapped in a wad of band-aids. ) but i must admit that with all the babies arriving, i won't be posting many pictures of it all-- until it's been received. i can tell you this: 5 blankets needed; two blankets done!

oh and to add to my nordic winter, i now am the proud (down right beaming!) of this-- i thought i was going to have to make a 'special' trip to Telluride-- the last place i had laid my pretty little hands on it!

Random Thoughts:

• i wanted to show a picture of the holiday ornament that is inspiring my Nordic sweater. The swatch is still in the "swatching" form-- which means i haven't done anything new to it. I'll keep ya posted. I used Cascade 220 for my swatch but now i am wondering if i want to use Knit Picks Telemark (i think might be better for a "two layer" garment and way cheaper), or O~wool's Classic (i think the yarn is too thick?)-- both would require some new swatching for mathematical sake.

• During the time at home i took a small break from gift knitting to make myself a Calorimetry. It took a little knittin'-and-rippin' to get a good size and the short row holes resolved. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran on size US 6 needles and by mere chance had a perfectly-pink button in my jar. And by golly, it sure does help to keep me warm when i have my hair pulled up.

• And i feel i need to make a public statement: hi my name is emily and i am a yarn snob.I got a Lion Brand catalog in the mail the other day. Now while i am a yarn snob, i do not refuse to look through a catalog, but didn't think i would be interested in anything.Well lookie there: Lion Brand has Organic Cotton! (which i would happily link you to, but can not find it on their site-- hmm?) Hot damn! "Now i can get loads of organic cotton on the cheap, " i cleverly thought to myself. Let's do a little math shall we?
  

• Lion Brand Organic Cotton: 82 yards at $6.99 per skein would be $0.085 per yard.
• Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton: 150 yards at ~$9.75 per skein (that's what i paid just recently) would be $0.065 per yard.
• Henry's Attic Inca Cotton (100% organic): 650 yards at $21.00 per bag (you have to order in bags, 2 hanks per bag) would be $0.032.
• Clearly i should be ordering from Discount Yarn Sales for my organic "fix", but that yarn is slightly thick and thin. So, I am happy to report that I can continue to be a snob and buy Blue Sky Alpacas and not completely through money away.

• I was knitting in the tea shop the other day. I was approached my a child curious about my knitting. She smiled at me, i half smiled back. Then she came over and sat down right next to me, with out talking to her mother, and proceeded to interview me about knitting and what i was making. I thought the whole experience was a little odd, given the mother's complete lack of attention to her child. Then is struck me: this is clearly a child raised in a "It takes a Village" mentality. She was a Village-child. And then they left.
  

That's all for now. I'll try to post again before another entire month goes by.

New Year's Meme (a little late...)
First Things First:
What is the first thing you did in the new year? after waking from a restful slumber (of which started in the "old" year) i got in the shower.

What is the first thing you ate in the new year? Scrambled eggs with cheese, 3 slices of bacon, a glass of orange juice.

What is the first thing you knit in the new year? still cranking away on the log cabin baby blanket.

What is your first ‘blessing’ of the new year? i didn't break any limbs while "gracefully falling" down a hill on the new x-country skis.

What is the first thing you will do to make the world a better place in the new year? teach the wee-folk i care for that you don't have to be friends, but you do have to be respectful. (I am also adopting strong recycle-reuse-reduce practices this year-- including composting,)
Post the first photo you took in the new year!

After my first real x-country "adventure"!

Happy New Year... may your year be filled with peace, prosperity, and compassion.

Nordic Winter

I wouldn't normally be one to brag about my Christmas loot, but i must share a few things.



These boots (this blog is now all about boots and socks) i've had for a few weeks-- and thank goodness i have plenty of snow to wear them in. They are wool boots, with wonderful rubber soles (perfect for packed and icy snow). They are hand made in Norway... i ordered them from Alaska.

I also got my VERY FIRST pair of skis-- in my entire life. As a colorado native, i've never once been on skis, gone skiing, or been to a ski resort with snow-- it's a long story, but it never peaked my interest. But i was recently thinking about trying cross-country skiing-- warming up the idea of renting a pair and trying. Then the snow fell-- lots of snow fell. And while out one snowy day Tom cleverly drove me by the North Boulder Park-- groomed for cross country and skate skiing. I was down right giddy with excitement sitting in the truck, mesmerized by the activity. And then everything fell into place (sale prices, discounts and friendly tech information) and i found myself (and Tom too) set up ready for skiing--anytime there is snow. I'm pretty darn excited-- better go treat my new ski boots (also part of the christmas haul along with new wool socks, gaiters, wool base layer, snowshoes, nordic "Norway" hat, and a Johnny Cash cd) with water proofer.

Knitting



With the school-closing blizzard last week i found myself with much desired time home. I got all the elfie holiday tasks done: made peppermint bark, wrapped packages, make pecan treats, and knit, knit, knit ( i forgot to take a picture of the lace alpaca scarf i made for my mother). I started yet another organic cotton baby blanket ( have i mentioned i know 6 pregnant women right now).
I swatched (I only do when i absolutely have to) my thoughts for a new Nordic (of course) sweater based on a kindred childhood character (which also inspired the Saint Lucia Christmas)-- who i have in ornament form. Turns out it will be a bit of a modified fana sweater-- and i'll create/write the pattern.


The swatch was especially helpful as it was my first steek experience. It was a little spooky, but went well. Next up, washing, blocking and measuring. Then the math piece and yarn purchasing and i'll be casting on.


The snow has been falling again and quiet inspiring-- not to mention I got another snow day at home (i.e 3 day weekend became 4 1/2 day weekend).

Want to Know about my Christmas past?

borrowed from Anne.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I enjoy both equally, although my nog has to be soy and i like my hot chocolate made from scratch with peppermint in it.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? wraps the presents unless they are too big (like the bean bag chair i got one year).

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights on the tree-- it's the closest thing to burning candles. (and while i mentioning my lights-preference: i can not stand lights that blink un-synchronize in more than one strand. )

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Only if i can find the real stuff (which is toxic to eat i might add)

5. When do you put your decorations up? Some time between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve-- it's different every year.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I like 'em all!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? One year my brother and i found a soot covered bag in our fire place ... we were pretty sure Santa left it. Another year i was pretty sure i saw Santa and his big toy bag work around our Christmas tree. As an adult i realize it was probably my father (work boots and all) "delivering" those bean bag chairs my brother and i wanted so much. but i still like to think i saw Santa. Oh, and one more: my mother made me a swiss -dot St. Lucia gown and my father rigged up a candle wreath that lit up with a battery pack. And in the tradition of St. Lucia, i made sweet buns in the morning and carried them out to my family sitting in the dark room waiting to open up presents.

8 . When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? When my younger brother opened up his package clearly marked From Santa and said, "thanks mom and dad for the _____ (insert really cool toy of the year)". I didn't really ever want to believe there wasn't a Santa-- i still don't -- but i "know".

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? A s a child we could open one small package on Christmas Eve (after church) and all the rest on Christmas morning. As an adult with out children, we don't really have a "system" yet.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Very carefully. Just kidding, with white lights, ornaments that have been given to me since birth and a few candy canes for fun.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! Especially when it makes for a White Christmas.

12. Can you ice skate? A little-- for fun , if we make it to the mountains that have a rink set up.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No t really, which makes me a little sad because i know my parents (and Santa) worked hard to get me the things i desired each year.

14. What's your favorite thing about the holidays? The lights, the decorations, the traditions and the special foods that are only available this time of year.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? This year: Peppermint Bark.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? i'm not sure. I know we have traditions, but they don't seem very traditional to me.

17. What tops your tree? a homemade cardboard star wrapped in foil.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I've been pretty good about buying myself presents this year-- but i like making presents the best. I like to have Elf-ie moments all season long.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I can not pick just one-- but this year i can not stop listening to Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan.

20. Candy canes yuck or yum? Yum, Yum, Yum-- peppermint bark.

21. What's number one on your Christmas list this year? I'm having a self-desribed Wool Christmas; head to toe! (version A).

We interrupt this boring blog to give you a knitting news update:

Lacy socks.
Now, i know how many (wink wink) faithful readers i have, so just in case you were thinking to yourself, "Haven't i seen those socks on this blog before?" you are almost correct-- you saw them here. But that pair traveled to Montana, and this pair is staying here on the front range. I think i need more hand knit socks. These are kool-aid dyed, the result of Grand Plans/Strategies colliding with Heaps of Impatience. But the muted tone is satisfactory and i've got myself a smashing pair of socks.

The kool-aid dye (i.e low color saturation or shocking fruity colors) just wasn't enough thrill for me. So i switched to fast wash acid dyes. I present to you this:
Sure, the color card said "Boysenberry", but i'll call this skein "Muscles". Again, a fit of impatience struck this innocent skein as it sat in the pot. i just through some dye on top of the wool. it's an interesting effect, and will make another pair of socks just dandy.

Let's see what else? The Wild Stripes baby blanket reached 100% completion (polyester fleece sewn to the back, yellow running stitch added, late night with repetitious blanket stitch...) and was given to it's new keeper. They love it!

Some of my knitting time has been redirected to hand quilting. And more with be further spent on Holiday Hand-Mades (which is still in R&D stage). Thank goodness i can stash a sock in my bag for all the dull times in between.

It isn't road cycling and it isn't mountain biking... it's Cyclocross:
(or, "Hey have you seen my lycra")
*this post does not contain knitting

Tom started his day attending the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross Boulder Cup. It's so local it's stupid not to go.. and beautiful too!
One of his co-workers Val, won her race:
And enjoyed her morning coffee in her winning cup.
This is the field when the professionals (Elite Men) took to the course (i showed up to watch this part of the racing):
they do a little down hill, a little up hill (with logs obstructing the way = hike-a-bike), a little sand, and a little grass and little pavement.

This is the winner Barry Wicks about to cross the finish line:
And this is Ryan Trebon, the guy who kicked ass-- changed bicycles 4 times during the 10 lap race and made up wicked amounts of time. i apologize for not being able to give your more information like teams and all the technical stuff-- but if you're that curious check out Velo News (where you can also see pictures of Lance Armstong looking quite awkward in an upright running position during the New York Marathon) or Cycling News for all the latest information:
And to top it all off: Miss Colorado filled the role of "podium girl". (she was so close, how could i not take her picture... and it was entertaining to me-- haha!):

in other news: i made four curtains for my classroom windows and kool-aid dyed a skein of yarn (i have issues with kool aid and color saturation so i don't know if i love the dye job, but that's for another post). cheers.

Solution: the Shirt Dress
my face doesn't show the excitement, but my shopping trip was a success (and i'm so darn excited and through them all on and took pictures without washing or ironing, so pardon the creases). I found three dress, all in a similar style, but with different details-- giving me the "look" i was going for: vintage, pretty, not too trendy and a bit of western flar. This top one is navy, with a wide belt and small side pockets.
a detail shot of the the front.
a brown one (with out making me look like a brownie, a nun, or a 1st grader): faux wrap dress with long ties, a full-ish skirt and smart sleeves.
this is the fancy one-- black and white polka-dots with a bright red satin tie. it has all the flare i wanted.
this one is not like the others, but i saw it while walking out the store and knew it had to come with me too. I actually really love this dress-over-jeans look (it has that perfect preschool teacher look to it)-- it's a little crunchy, but so am i at times. i bought new jeans too. You didn't think i owned a pair did ya? well i do, check these out.

they have been patched several time (love that fabric) and just keep ripping. it's like every time i move in them they fall apart a little more. i may wear them clean off! so i got some new ones.

knitting content in the next post: baby blankets galore!

Strike Two!
(or why i should stick to knitting)
i'm not sure i like this dress either. the dark blue calico fabric gives it a denim look, and the layered skirt adds a ready-for-square-dancin' look as well. it's still not the "look" i'm going for. (i'm beginning to wonder if i can ever give up cotton calicos.) unfortunately, it took up way more time than i had wanted. the jury is still out if it will make it into the regular rotation.

In other weekend news:
i carved myself a pumpkin-- bought from a local farm. i had forgotten the smell of pumpkin guts... and the feel (oh, how i love the feel. after words while washing the seeds in a bowl of water i had an "amelie" moment, running my hands through the slippery seeds). we also bought a baking pie pumpkin destined for the oven this afternoon.

but for a now i'm goin' shoppining!

i'm having a fashion crisis!! my new boots have inspired me to put the "prairie" clothing away and go for a more funky-western-vintage look. i want something with a bit of flair, feminism, and ease-- and i want to wear DRESSES (which don't seem to be in fashion this season, as there are slim pickin' at the stores-- or cost $100+). So i thought i would make something. In this picture here we have chocolate 100% wool gabardine. i modified the pattern but i DO NOT like the results. This look says, "country nun" or "grown up Brownie, gone western"-- or i look like a first grader.

i know it's the choice of fabric...and pattern but, i'm reaching my frustration level. i don't want to spend a lot of timing sewing a new pattern, but i also don't have a large bill fold to support commerical made dresses. what is a girl to do?? anyone want to recommend a good thrift store?

Observations on the road:

1. while sitting in traffic gazing into my review mirror i spy a woman wearing a gas mask. She is driving a Prius.

2. while cruising down the highway i look out my window to see a minivan filled with children ranging from adolescent to infant. All the windows are closed. The driver, the mother (?) is puffing away on her cigarette.

3. while waiting for the light to change from red to green i read the bummer stickers of the car beside (and slightly in front) of me. "Go Vegan", "Fur Kills", "The Greatful Dead", "Green Peace".
The driver appears to be enjoying her cigarette mightily.

Read On!

People! there are finally new posts uploaded, but you'll have to scroll through a little bit.

And in other non-knitterly news:

i've got new kicks! i'm totally in love with them. I completely wore out my previous pair of lace-up style dansko boots, so now ya'll with be seeing me walkin' around in these here boots. Giddy-Up!

p.s. this new foot wear may lead to a style/wardrobe change in the near future. stay tuned.

the horror!

Bunny has been rescued.

did you know Bunny was missing?

first let me introduce you to Bunny:

sure he's a little dirty-- and was once white. but he has a very valuable job. see:

to my discovery and horror, Bunny was not found in the knitting basket-- when i needed some stitch markers-- the project came to a screeching halt! I remained calm. I took everything out of the basket. i unfolded, untangled and neatly sorted through. No Bunny. Next i looked in my purse-- again with the emptying out. Not there either. I looked on the end table, underneath the couch (oh, there were bunnies, but not the kind i was searching), underneath all the projects accumulated on the "craft couch", in other random baskets dutifully tending yarn. Again, i looked through my basket. No Bunny.

Then it struck me-- a glimmer of hope amoung all the despair of loss: Bunny was not in the house. I went over my steps. No, I didn't drop my basket in the parking lot lately (sending balls of yarn though an obstacle course of grease stains, debris and sand). No, i hadn't taken my knitting out during work and scattered it about in the break room. The last place i was knitting and making use of Bunny was.... AMANTE!!! (suspense music ends here--- dun-dun-daun.)

That was Wednesday night and here we are, lost and seperated on FRIDAY night! Calmly, I found their phone number: "ring.ring.ring"
"Amante. how may i help you?"
"hi. do you guys have a lost-and-found?"
"sorta. why"
"well, i lost- i mean i think i lost it in your store. I was wondering if you had a white, white-ish, bunny coin purse thingie?"
"oh yah. we have that here" (now, i have to describe how he said that. his tone and speed, a remarkable quick reply, that also said "can't miss that odd thing?!?! what kind of person looses a bunny coin purse. what kind of person has a bunny coin purse? Sure, lady, we have that thing here.")

The fine adventure, and reunion concludes with an immediate drive to Amante (in which tom orders, "a small Latte and one white bunny.) and the recovery of Bunny. On the ride home i could only think of the adventures Bunny had while spending a few nights at Amante. It's a little bit like the story of Corduroy. Perhaps Bunny now needs a "if lost, call...." tag.