SOS '08

SAVE OUR SOULS?? SOLSTICE O' SUMMER??

(cool reflection of the sunset from our backyard---the sun sets in the west; this is the view of the south-east!)

Noooooo....

Summer Of Socks '08!!!! LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!!

A while back I read about Summer of Socks, followed the link and, of course, signed on. :o)

It's a group thing where you can post pictures of the socks you're knitting over the summer and/or knit as many pairs as you can. Last years winner was...42 pairs (or something unGodly like that); today was the official start date. I took a picture of assorted sock knitting items to launch the event, but knitting? Didn't happen. Sigh. All participants were given a sock pattern designed by Wendy (as in Wendy Knits --- the book?) in honour of the event.

I'm not going for any number of completed socks before the end of summer, but I do think that I'll enjoy taking some 'action' shots of my socks in progress. I had such a good time during the Inexplicable Knitting Behaviour day, that I'm sure with summer travels I'll make some more good memories.

I expect my first 'official' SOS picture will be as I leave for Camp Stitches.

To knit.

To learn how to Design Socks Like a Pro.

From Cat Bordhi.

At White Eagle, New York.

Where, I'll have a room to myself.

Where, they're gonna cook for me.

Where, they'll totally get why I'm taking pictures of stuff with my sock.

Where I'll choose the special, significant sock yarn to (someday) make the specially designed sock in honour of SOS '08.

Maybe I should finish that Mystery Shawl Knit-a-long from last summer first....?

Yea, probably not.

Must Have More

This is short and sweet.

Everybody; I MEAN EVERYBODY!!!!!!

GO HERE

Have some fun and then go for a new page; then you'll understand.

Made me laugh; that's all.

Hopefully I will knit tomorrow. Tonight? I don't think so; tea and bed....yes, tea and bed.

Night, Night.

Drum Roll Please

O.K. I'll try not to take it too personally that I only got two guesses for my first contest. One from a non-knitter (Hi Cotton Picker!) and three (sort of) guesses from KGB Knits. First off, thanks for playing along (Drum Roll Please), and the winner is.....

Well, neither of you guessed correctly. :o(
So I offered the prize as a consolation prize to KGB Knits, but she said to save it for another contest, and to persevere on the blogging thing, because you just never know when somebodies going to visit. I do get a real kick out of it when somebody I don't know leaves a comment; it's just so much fun...(it really doesn't take much, does it?); getting a comment from a stranger is almost as much fun as getting one from the people I know!
Secondly, the correct answer was.....
Design Socks like a Pro with Cat Bordhi. I think that there were clues in my posts that this might be the direction that I would take; it's like that T.V. program a few summers ago...something about a Mole...and you had to look really carefully at everything for clues to the identity of the Mole! (I didn't get that one either)
Here are the reasons for my choice.
1) The Sock class was on my short list when I first signed up for camp.
2) Ties in with the Creative Plan '08.
3) Cat Bordhi?.....hello...Knitting Royalty!
4) Sock Camp looked like way toooooo much fun; I'm hoping to catch some of the energy!
5) While organizing the 'stash' I found that I have a 2' x 2' space full of sock yarn (plus some spill overs into/onto knitting bags and tables. :o)

So, herein lies the problem.
What kind of contest should I try for next? Do I try right away? Do I give it some time to see if I get a wider base of readership? Do I up the prize package?...
Ohoh----got ya there didn't I?
I've got a very busy (motherly) weekend planned (mapped out); so I'll try to come up with something in any down time that I may find; I'll ask around. People know exactly what I'm talking about when I start on about blogging and knitting etc. Yea, I fit in everywhere!

Cotton Picker: I am sorry that we won't be able to make it Saturday, but thank-you again for the invite, and have a great time! Keep scanning and posting (I remember 26-oy!) And, yes, the Harlot does read all her comments and knits with lightening speed, and writes, and blogs...she's my hero. :o)

Transitknitter: I purchased Patons Next Step Four at Art of Yarns when I was out west in February. (I had to work my brain, but I got it!!!!---there was singing involved there)

Stay cool everyone; we're in for a HOT one!

But Wait! There's More!

If you're just viewing June 3rd for the first time today; move on down to the first post that I did today, "And I'd like to thank the Academy"

So, further to Priceless....

Take aforementioned wine (Yes, it's Tuesday and I'm drinking alone. Gotta problem with that? See the name of the blog? WINE, wool and whoppers!) and go upstairs carrying wine, wineglass (as given to you by your mother ) and corkscrew, because dammit, it took like, 10 minutes to uncork the #$%$%# bottle of wine, because of that defective corkscrew, to help aforementioned 8 year old who is now throwing books and stomping and shouting re: aforementioned homework, and trip up the stairs (no, it's not just you dad) due to the 'full' toe feature of your cute new shoes, thereby breaking glass from mother (yes, it was glass; not plastic), spilling wine that was needed, due to 8 year old homework situation (again). Now, have to pick up pieces of glass, tell the dog to stay away, fifteen times, and wipe up the spilled wine, swiffer the floor; all while listening to and translating the definition of IDENTIFY.

Thank God I didn't burn the steak!!
Can you spell M-U-L-T-I-T-A-S-K ????
OY!

Priceless

An afternoon altering a skirt?........Lamaze breathing and herbal tea.

Half and hour with an eight year old arguing about homework (again!)?..... a couple of Tylenol and wine!

23 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL KNITTING CAMP?.....
YOU GUESSED IT. PRICELESS!!!

Don't forget to make a guess on the June 2nd post! (24 more sleeps)

And I'ld like to Thank the Academy...

I knit. I can sew too. Why then, do I buy items that need to be altered?
The lovely saleslady (ooohhh, she's good) puts together some fabulous ensembles and points out that really it is better to go with the bigger size so that it doesn't 'pull' so much where 'we' don't want it to. Sweet as anything she says these things, and then she tells you about the wonderful lady that does alterations for them. Well, been there; done that...and was completely surprised by what people think is an acceptable job of 'fitting'. So, "No, no, I can do it", is what comes out of my mouth, because I can take a waist in no problem.
Here is the lovely waist on the purchased item.

Lovely, non?

Here is what I do to it to do a 'proper' job of taking in the waist...a smidgen...(4 inches; that's how much room the hips need not to "pull"); kinda scary.

Here are the tools needed to achieve this bit of seamstressness. Note the big honkin' magnifying light! Think about it; drizzly day, black skirt, black thread and bifocals in need of a an upgrade! It's been pointed out to me that I'm officially 'old'. Sigh.

I was feeling pretty good about the whole endeavor when I started out before lunch. Thinking how much I appreciate my mom teaching me how to sew and remembering her helping me with my first few projects. One of my favourites was to not pay attention to front and back sleeve markings and put the right sleeve in the left armhole and vise a versy, and cuffs only made the whole undertaking that much more enjoyable.

I was thankful for my snazzy sewing machine. My husband is a hardworking and smart business man.

I was thankful for my knitting/sewing friends that helped me mark my new skirt and pants so they would fit better.

I was happily rip, rip, ripping and then I came to the last part of the waistband that I wanted to undo before taking it in and putting it all back together again. My eyes were starting to really bother me because every time I ripped I knocked the magnifying light and wiggled my vision, not unlike motion sickness. I ran into some kind of knotting system that was used in the making of said garment and, I kid you not, I had the relaxation Zen music playing, trying to stay in my 'happy place' and I found myself...

Lamaze breathing. You know, hehehe, hahaha, hehehe, hahaha. It helped. Good time to take a break.

I went and had some lunch...low blood sugar and sewing never go well together, turned on The Young and The Restless and went back to work on my skirt.

There. A good three hours worth of sewing and she's all put back together. It fits. I'm wearing it tomorrow and I'm not sewing it tomorrow.

Wow. Yea, buying it was so much more time efficient!!!

Only 24 More Sleeps

Hello again. Well I survived the weekend, didn't get wet and didn't have anymore horror visions. Thanks for asking.


I had a footnote to my last post, but decided to wait until today to post it and make this blog a little more interactive and fun!


I was inspired by a few knitters (some I know personally and some only through cyber space) to:


1) see how many of you are lurkers and not so much commenters.


2) further explore and share my creativity


3) Declutter :o)





Once again I refer you to the Yarn Harlot where at the close of her post (on a subject very near and dear to all of our hearts....yarn selection...I just get giddy thinking about it!) she is inundated with opinions. 1354 comments!!!

I get excited if I get 3.

Now, I'm no Yarn Harlot (in a writer level of achievement sort of way---totally can give her a run for her money is the Yarn department though!), but I've had a couple of unknowns (is that the proper way to address new commenters on your blog?) and have left comments myself here and there and am wondering just how many lurkers I may have?



Another blog where I've enjoyed the almost daily posts and pictures (Lucy is a beautiful cat!), encouraged us to try our hand at poetry; not just any poetry, Haiku Poetry!

Wendy Knits

Oh that was fun! I spent most of the evening and part of my night (and I wonder why I have nightmares) creating my entry into her contest. Since I didn't make the first cut, I thought I would share it with you now.

Ahem,



Summer Haiku



Long days of summer

More time to knit socks and mice;

Cats wait patiently.



I was pretty pleased with myself, but I must admit there's one or two that did make the cut that are going to get my vote!



Now, an update:

To all Cast Offs....I found my "Knitting on the Edge" book (right where I left it in the last place I looked!) hehehehe



******Most important update!!******



24 more sleeps until Knitting Camp!!!!



So here's my footnote. Last Friday I got a phone call from one of the gals at Camp Stitches (sorry I didn't get her name, because...) and my first thought was, "Oh NO! It's cancelled!" See how I'm always expecting the best in things? Anyway, not quite cancelled, but the class that I had signed up for was. Just "Bead" It!! Cancelled.

The nice young girl on the other end of the phone asked if there was another class that I would like to choose?

Here are my choices (as listed on the brochure).

1) Design Socks like a Pro - Cat Bordhi

2) Entrelac: from the Beginning to Endless Possibilities - Gwen Bortner

3) Stash Away Island - Christine Bylsma

4) The Elements of Design - Lily Chin

5) Seven Things that can "Make or Break" a Sweater - Margaret Fisher

6) Just "Bead" It!! - Betsy Hershberg....maybe next year.

7) Japanese Knitting Techniques - Maureen Mason-Jamieson

8) Ouroborus Garment - Debbie New

9) The Total Garment from Start to Finish - Judy Pascale

10) Colour (Canadian spelling) Recipes and Remedies - Merike Saarniit

11) Fair Isle: Everything You Need to Know - Candace Eisner Strick



Quite a list isn't it? There is some knitting royalty listed there and the knowledge that will be available to me is incredible!!



So which one do you think I chose?



Now, because some of my Cast Offs are my most loyal readers and have a bit of an inside track as to which class I may (nobody knows for sure though) have selected, I will pool all the correct guesses on Thursday June 5, (because Thursday is still the best day of the week!) and select one. The winner of the draw will receive a copy of.....

"Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for all Seasons"!!!

TaaaaDaaaa!

My first contest!

Remember....only 24 more sleeps!!