The Yarn Diva

This Thanksgiving I'm Thankful For ...

1. K and J--my two beautiful daughters who never disappoint me; they love me and each other and their families above all
2. Their children--how lucky I am to have 7 wonderful grandchildren, plus ...
3. My smart, loving step-grandson who taught me what being a grandparent was about (not to mention how to build with Legos)
4. The semi-spouse--he's still a rock after 21 years, even through some tough times
5. Woofgang Pug--my four beautiful pugs, Lightning, Bluto, Lucy and Lulu
6. My two sons-in-law, each different but important to my daughters and my grandchildren, and C's father who loves his son very much
7. Bert--my beautiful black pug in heaven who demonstrated a pure love every day
8. My sisters-- loyal, smart, talented women, always dependable
9. Extended family--niece, nephews, cousins, wow!
10. William Ward for coming to America in 1638 and paving the way for the rest of us
11. Chestnuts--why would anyone not want these in their stuffing?
12. Health--I've been blessed with good health up to now; if that's changing now, and it may be, I will deal with it
13. The Atlanta Knitting Guild, for giving me the opportunity to make new friends in a new city
14. The inventor of the vacuum cleaner--Woofgang Pug sheds A Lot!
15. Knitting, which has been a huge part of my life since my grandmother taught me to knit (at about age 8) and which has calmed many a life storm
16. Friends, old and new, but especially Nydia, Linda, Cathy--we just keep hanging in there with each other and I value their support very much
17. Ruth--she has been wonderful to me; how can I rebuild our friendship that I ruined with my inattention?
18. Sobriety--I love knowing that I'm not going to wake up wondering what I did the day before (at least due to alcohol!) or get a DUI or make a stupid decision under the influence; my stupid decisions are all my own
19. My job--I've had lots of jobs, but my current job has really given me the chance to impact employees' lives on a daily basis; this cannot be underestimated as a reason to go to work.
20. My mother, who gave  me a love of tradition and holidays
21. My father, whose love was unconditional but whose expectations for me were high
22. My aunt and uncle, who took me into their home numerous times during my childhood and provided me with a stability I wouldn't have had otherwise.
23. My new cousin in Seattle (born in September)--congratulations Lucia and Sheldon!
24. Computer technology which has impacted every aspect of my life, from driving to blogging
25. Our country--whether you agree with the politics of the governing party at any given time, it's an incredible place and a great example of democracy in action
26. The internet, which has opened up people and worlds to me that I wouldn't have been able to touch otherwise
27. Mrs. Ravin  for directing me to my first job--what did she see in me that made her know it would change my life?
28. The vote, which allows each of us to have a say in our future
29. Frances Wolowitz who taught me that we have a responsibility to others in the community
30. Rachael Ray, for the Garbage Bowl (who knew I'd be living in a house with a septic tank and no garbage disposal?)
31. John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King for leading the way
32. Sargent Shriver for serving as my role model for how a leader treats his employees
33. Mimi McMindes who taught me to love Shakespeare and that I had a dramatic side
34. The Ryan White Foundation
35. Harper Lee for "To Kill a Mockingbird"
36. George W. Bush, for reminding me (and the rest of the world) what can happen  in a democracy when the desire for power overcomes the desire to do what's right, and why it's important for us all to get involved
37. The online knitting community for keeping me grounded and for getting me involved in charity knitting
38. Children in Common and all the other groups that bring knitters together to do good things for those less fortunate
39. The Episcopal Church for having the courage to stand by its principles in the face of attacks on those principles
40. Zicam, without which I would be miserable with a cold today
41. Prilosec which keeps me comfortable every day
42. The Dixie Chicks for proving that some women do have balls
43. Sudoku for giving my brain some exercise every day
44. The Washington Post for having an online version since I can't get a "paper copy" subscription; The New Yorker for being the best magazine ever
45. The semi-spouse's propensity for losing flatware and kitchen utensils and breaking glassware and dishes; we'll have a lot less to pack the next time we move
46. The Fairfax County, VA schools, which gave my daughters a good education and made them thinking individuals, despite their best efforts to avoid this
47. The NFL--I love football! (Go Panthers! Go Redskins! Go Falcons!)
48. My yarn stash--I could just knit from it without ever buying anything new
49. Atlanta's many LYS'es that mean I don't have to
50. My great semi-spouse who loves to cook for me and then doesn't mind cleaning up, too (Did I mention him already? Oh well.)

Life's List - Oh, Well, I have a long way to go!

From Lorette (http://mousepotato.typepad.com/knittingdoctor/)

Life's to do list - Completed items are bolded

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain [okay it was a small one, and I was younger and thinner]
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game [Super Bowl - Panthers lost! Boo!]
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon [Phoenix 2004]
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne [and a number of other things]
24. Given more than you can afford to charity [Those Air Tran tickets! but for a good cause]
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen an eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Ran around nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Nintendo for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your both parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds [does this mean at one time? if not, then duh!]
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

CIC Challenge - Whew!

Just mailed off 6 pairs of socks for the CIC challenge. Deadline is Monday, so I'm actually early. What's up with that?

(Is it coincidental that I downgraded my Typepad account today and now I can't seem to post a photo? If so, I'll be looking for another home pretty soon. I just decided I wasn't using all my space and didn't need more than the basic package. )

Anyway, one pair of Sixth Sense socks, two of my own cable design, two plain stockinette, and (drum roll, please!) my first pair of toe up socks, from Wendy's basic toe-up pattern. I'm pretty stoked about that! Thanks, Wendy!

Pix are in the CIC album. The vests in the same album went off for the May challenge with some more socks.

What's Not to Like?

I love knitters...and knitting. Well, that's why we're here, right? A given. But this morning I'm just really feeling it. (As opposed to "felting it." That's another matter entirely.)

Last week was something of a bear at work. I love my job, but it can be pressurized, and last week was a perfect example. A huge project due in September with high visibility, in the barely-begun stage--got to get it organized and going. Another huge project with corporate visibility--did some good work this week but lots more to do. Another big Six Sigma project due in December--turned into two (yes, two!) projects and the due date(s) moved up to November. Not to mention the usual day-to-day stuff that comes with life in a corporation and three days of training (two in interviewing techniques and one Six Sigma green belt class), and the week was tough. A week and a half's work to be done in two actual working days. Next week, which begins tomorrow by the way, more of the same. (Only one day of training scheduled -- an Intermediate Excel class which should be very helpful, but it's another day of non-work-productivity.)

So by Thursday, I was feeling it. Still in the office at 7 pm (normal for me) and Whit emailed and said "are you coming to Chocolate tonight?" Woo hoo! It's Thursday night and the knitters are gathering. In fact, Thursday seems to be the big night in the Atlanta area to knit--my church knits scarves for sick children on Thursday, the knitting guild meets the first Thursday of the month, and there are a bunch of informal gatherings of knitters on Thursday nights. So, heck yes, I had someplace to go and I was going!

The group at the Chocolate (pronounced Cho-co-la-tay with an accent over the "e") coffee shop ranges from tiny to lots. Thursday, it was just right, 7 or 8 of us, drinking decadent coffee drinks and smoothies and sitting at the back of the room (too hot to sit on the deck). Donna, Julie (whom I just met last Friday at the opening of a new yarn shop in Atlanta), Allison, Lou, Whit, Linda, me, and one woman whose name I never did get. All knitting away, and chatting about things important and things frivolous, and it was wonderful. Early twenties to late sixties but age was a meaningless concept in that environment. All of a sudden it was 9:30 and time to go. Some of us continued to hang out in the parking lot for awhile--it seemed we didn't want to let go of this camaraderie.

Flash to Friday--a friend asked if I wanted to go knit with the group that evening at some other coffee shop. Nah, I think I better get home to the semi-spouse. He's been pretty patient this week, but you know how it is. In fact, we were supposed to go to the opening night of the Peachtree State Depression Glass Club's big annual show, but we skipped it in favor of a quiet dinner at Outback and then a quick trip to Costco.

So, of course, Saturday morning I jumped up and went to a yarn shop. Lou had told me that Why Knot Knit? had the Fiber Trend patterns for the hedgehog and the hen that I've been wanting ever since Debbie Radtke came to talk to the guild. That particular not-so-local YS is a looooonnnng way from my home--in fact, it's like much closer to my work than my home-- but must-have-hedgehog!  And that's where more magic took over...I'm telling you, you can't feel lonely if you knit!

Pulled into the parking lot and met (almost said ran over, but it would have been confusing in the context) Marsha, who's been MIA from the guild lately because of work. Hug, kiss, kiss...promise to get together for dinner or just to hang out and knit. Can't wait!

She walked back into the shop with me (she had just finished teaching a crocheting class and was on her way to teach another at a different shop) and I saw the FT patterns right away. Two left of each. Grabbed one of each greedily. Said goodbye to Marsha and raced off to look at the books. Had a moment of "hmmmmm....wonder if my sister Debbie would like the hedgehog pattern." Pulled out the cellphone. No duh, as we used to say in the sixties! Good long chat with Deb about felting, hedgehogs (yes, she wanted the hen, too--raced back to get the last copies of the hedgehog and the hen), knitting books, family, knitting, knitting, knitting. God, I miss my sisters! Okay, get back on track. We're here for knitting, not talking on the phone.

So, grab my four FT patterns and my two books (And So To Bed and Not Just More Socks).  Schmoozed at the checkout with Lou--love him, so cynical, so talented!  But, while I was checking out, I heard a familiar voice--Whit with two friends. Ahhhh, more friends. Do you think if you just hung out a yarn store all day Saturday you'd run into everyone you know? Maybe!

Well, flash forward again to this morning. Lightning (my oldest pug, not the meteorological phenomenon) got me up at my usual 5 am today, perhaps not realizing it was Sunday. No problem--coffee and my CIC sock knitting and my new books and patterns in bed. Bliss! Turned on CNN, listened to the news for awhile--fighting, war, death, destruction--and all of a sudden, there was a huge cracking noise (like thunder, speaking of weather), and the TV died. I mean, dead. No hope of resuscitation. It's gone. A brief moment of "well, rats!" and then back to my knitting. Moved upstairs to the computer with my CIC sock and read blogs while I knit. Finished the first of a pair of bright red cable socks from my own pattern, cast on the second, and here I still sit. Happy with my knitting and the knitting blogging world.

What more could anyone want? (But I do have to get going at some point--church, back to the glass show, grocery store for creamer.)

Toddler Cable CIC Sock Pattern

I've been working on completing some socks for the most recent CIC sock challenge, and have been playing around with designing one that has some textural interest. Here's what I ended up with:

For those interested in the pattern, here it is:

Toddler Cable Sock

For knitting socks for Children In Common (http://childrenincommon.org) or other charitable uses

Copyright Diana Baber -

July 9, 2006

For free distribution only--no permission granted to sell socks made from this pattern

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn. Use a high-percentage animal fiber yarn, at least 70% if possible  and double pointed needles to make firm fabric of about 4 stitches per inch. Sample shown made with worsted weight yarn and US size 4 DPNs.

Note: For CIC socks, don't worry too much about the size or gauge. Your socks will fit one of the children. The important thing is that the socks be warm and sturdy--they will likely be worn without shoes in unheated buildings.

Abbreviations:

Sl 1 = slip 1 stitch as if to purl

PSSO = pass slipped stitch over previous stitch

K2tog = knit 2 stitches together

P2tog = purl 2 stitches together

LC = left cable: place 2 stitches on cable needle, hold in front, K2, K two stitches from cable needle

RC = right cable: place 2 stitches on cable needle, hold in back, K2, K two stitches from cable needle

Cuff:

Cast on 36 stitches. Divide onto 3 needles (12 stitches each), join, being careful not to twist.

*K1 P1 repeat from *

Repeat this row 4 times (total of 5 rows)

Leg:

Rows 1-5: *P1 K4 P2 K4 P1 repeat from *

Row 6:      *P1 LC P2 RC P1, repeat from *

Repeat these 6 rows 3 times more (total of 4 cable cross rows).

Row 25: P1 K4 P2 K2, then move previous 9 stitches to this needle for heel (18 stitches). Starting point is now center of heel. Rearrange other stitches on two needles for instep (18 stitches). There are now two cables centered on the heel, and two cables centered on the instep. Continue working on heel stitches only.

Heel:

Row 1 (wrong side): P2 K2 P4 K2 P4 K2 P2

Row 2: *Sl 1 K1, repeat from *

Row 3: Sl 1, purl across all stitches

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 8 times (total of 18 rows, 9 slip stitches on each side). End with knit row.

Turn heel:

Row 1: Sl 1, P9, P2tog, P1, turn (5 stitches remain unworked)

Row 2: Sl 1, K3, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K1, turn (5 stitches remain unworked)

Row 3: Sl 1, purl to 1 stitch before unworked stitches, P2tog, P1, turn (3 stitches remain)

Row 4: Sl 1, knit to 1 stitch before unworked stitches, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K1 turn (3 stitches remain)

Row 5: Sl 1, purl to 1 stitch before unworked stitches, P2tog, P1, turn (1 stitch remains unworked)

Row 6: Sl 1, knit to 1 stitch before unworked stitches, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K1 turn (1 stitch remains unworked)

Row 7: Sl 1, purl to 1 stitch before unworked stitch, P2tog, turn

Row 8: Sl 1, knit to 1 stitch before unworked stitch, Sl 1, K1, PSSO  (10 stitches on needle)

Gusset:

With 4^th needle, pick up 10 stitches along side of heel in slip stitches (the extra one will keep you from getting a hole between the needles)

Move all instep stitches onto one needle. Then K2 P2 K4 P2 K4 P2 K2.

Pick up 10 stitches along the other side of the heel, then K5 from heel needle. Move the next 5 stitches from the heel needle to the next needle. The two heel needles now have 15 stitches on each and the instep needle has 18 stitches. The beginning of the round is now in the center of the foot.

Round 1:

Needle 1: knit

Needle 2: continue in pattern, crossing cables every 6^th row (note that the two cables on instep now face in different directions from the cables on the leg needles:  left cross and right cross instead of right cross and left cross)

Needle 3: knit

Round 2:

Needle 1: K to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1

Needle 2: continue in pattern

Needle 3: K1, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K to end

Repeat these two rows until original number of stitches remain (9, 18, and 9).

Foot:

Continue knitting in established pattern until there are 8 crossed cables on instep. End with row 6 of leg pattern.

Next round: knit all stitches.

Toe:

This is a rounded toe.

Row 1:

Needle 1: K to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1

Needle 2: K1, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1

Needle 3: K1, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K to end

Row 2: Knit all stitches

Row 3: Knit all stitches

Repeat these three rows 3 times, decreasing on every third row (24 stitches remain).

Next row: Repeat Row 1 (20 stitches remain)

Move all stitches to two needles and Kitchener graft toe closed. Weave in ends.

Arizona Yarn Crawl

When I moved to Atlanta five years ago, I was told by one knit shop owner (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) that there's not much knitting in the south because it's so hot--who would want to (a) knit and (b) wear something knitted? I quickly learned that's a lie. First off, knitters will knit and that's just the way it goes. We knit with cotton (or soy or bamboo) if we can't wear wool, or we wear wool anyway because it's so pretty and there is that one day in mid-January when it's cold, or we knit for some poor soul who hasn't gotten the message and moved to the south where it's warm. (That would be, uh, my whole family!)

So when I got here, there were about four shops in Atlanta (that I knew about): Cast On Cottage, Needle Nook, Strings and Strands, and Nease's Needleworks. Now there are about twenty. (I'm not taking credit for this upswing, but I don't think it's pure coincidence.)

All of which is a long way of saying: it doesn't surprise me that there are FOUR yarn shops within a short drive of my sister's house in Sedona. (And, with all due respect to Sedona and Arizona, there's NOTHING within a short drive of anything in northern Arizona. And "short drive" is relative--within 100 miles or two hours is a "short drive.") Knitting is everywhere, and the fact that Arizona is hot and dry (although somewhat less so in the northern part, thank goodness) hasn't kept down the knitting population. The last time I was there, about two years ago, I dragged Deirdre with me to Red Rock Knits, within a mile of her house. She had not converted to the cult and politely stood about while I eagerly pawed through the yarns and books and made little mewing sounds of comfort. She looked around when I suggested she might want to take knitting lessons there and said things like "ummm" and "uh huh" and "sure, I'll check on that," but I knew she just didn't get it.

Then, the epiphany. In January, my other sister Debbie taught Deirdre to knit. No, we didn't make her drink the Kool-Aid--she came with us to our favorite yarn shop in Virginia, Uniquities (no website, just google Uniquities in Vienna, VA) and, as we looked on in shock and awe, she began to fondle the yarn. Well, I shouldn't have been surprised. Uniquities is, well, unique, and only a troglodyte could go there and not want to knit. Anyway, Debbie taught her to knit that day and she's been on a Big Mexico hat binge ever since.

Bottom line, when I got to Sedona she was ready, nay eager, to go on a yarn crawl with me, ready to branch out from Big Mexico into bigger and better things--Socks! Unfortunately, I was out there with no money, none, nada, zilch, for reasons that are too complicated and pitiful to discuss. So I was determined to go to four shops and purchase NOTHING. No prob--yeah, right!

Okay, Red Rock Knits. I went there by myself while Deirdre was at work, so maybe it doesn't count, but I'll count it because, well, because I can. Four skeins of Lopi and a circular needle. I wrote this extravagance off to charity, because the Lopi would make two CIC vests.

On Thursday, we had to go to Prescott. After a brief detour to an antique shop in Cottonwood, where a gorgeous little pitcher of West Virginia glass jumped into my purse (yes, I paid for it!), we made it to Jerome. Of course, I had left my Knitter's ShopFinder back in my suitcase. Well, how difficult could it be to find the yarn shop in Jerome, for God's sake? The whole town is about half a mile square, I reasoned. After thirty minutes of driving the spiral staircase that is Jerome, Deirdre and I defeatedly struggled into a restaurant to ask for directions. (When in doubt, eat!) Jerome is an old mining town on a mountain and is completely vertical. The instructions to anything invariably include the words "up the hill" or "down the stairs." As we wolfed down our huge burgers and looked out over the incredible view, we learned that the yarn shop was "just down those stairs." Hmmm....our car was up, waaaayyyy up, that hill. And we had just been where she was pointing, repeatedly, did I say several times? Oh, well.

When we finally found the shop and (more finally) found a parking place, we went up the stairs the waitress had pointed at. Yes, the shop was up some stairs from the street, but down the stairs from the restaurant. I said it was vertical, yes? OMG! Knit 1 Bead 2--what an incredible place! We met the owner, Erica Raspberry, and she was delightful. But the yarn! It's all arranged by color, so when you look at a HUGE display of, say, ocean blue yarn, there's every conceivable texture and weight. Almost overwhelming. I knew Deirdre was truly and forever hooked when she dived toward a shelf and grabbed some Koigu. You just can't go wrong with Koigu. So she bought some Koigu and some DPNs and I bought (yes, I know I said I had no money) some blue Koigu. Only three skeins. I was really good.

Then on to Prescott for D's medical appointment. While I waited in the reception area, I knitted on my Lopi CIC vest and the lovely and helpful receptionist said, "well, while you're here in Prescott you'll be going to The Fiber Shop, won't you?" Would we? Well, yuh! She drew us a map which made me a little queasy after our Jerome experience, but Prescott is flat so we found it in two minutes. She said, "look for the two giant horses in the front yard," but for some reason we were still amazed to see two giant iron horse sculptures on the side of the road and, behind them, The Fiber Shop. Again, no website, but a wonderful selection of yarns, again arranged by color. We met the owner and her mother (I think), both lovely people and very knowledgeable. Deirdre found a gorgeous cabled scarf she wanted to make and bought the yarn--ruby red Angora--and a couple of circular needles, and I bought  her (yes, I know!) a basic knitting book  (The Knitter's Handbook, XRS) to explain things like Kitchenering and cabling since I was leaving in a few days. Then we jumped back into the car and I started drawing the cabled scarf since we didn't have the pattern. I had a pattern written by the time we got out of town.

We (finally!) got home and, after dinner, sat down to knit. It developed that Deirdre still needed some basic training so we worked on that while I cast on a sock out of my new Koigu. And tore it out, and cast it on, and tore it out, etc. You couldn't even call what I was doing tinking--it was just flat not going the way I thought it should. Deirdre was happily practicing her longtail cast-on and swatching. Oh, heaven, oh, bliss, to be sitting on a couch with my baby sister knitting!

Were we done? Not quite. On Saturday, we drove up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. I had been through Flag before, always on my way to somewhere else, like the Grand Canyon, but I'd never walked through the town. And, joy of joys, there was a yarn shop to check out. Unravel (yes, this time there's a website! What is it with these yarn shops? This is a business--get a website, already!)  Although we didn't meet him, there's a great article in Knitty about the owners, one of whom is (gasp!) a male. If you want to read it, here it is. So, by now I knew I had to make one of those cabled scarves. (Did I mention that we had found it in one of my sister's TWO knitting books, the one I sent her earlier this year, One Skein (Leigh Radford, Interweave Press).) It's the two-cabled  scarf on page 32, and I knew I had to make one. So, two skeins of alpaca, forest green to remind me of the gorgeous trees in northern Arizona. And a Knitter's magazine for Deirdre, so she could get hooked on knitting mags like I am. And a pattern. She bought yarn for the world's cutest baby hat, out of some yarn called Farfalla. And more DPNs. (Can you tell she's hooked?)

Oh, my! And we never even got to Tucson or Mesa or Phoenix. Imagine the trouble we could have gotten into if we'd gone south. Next time. When my yarn gets back to Georgia (more later on that!), I'll post pictures. The Koigu (which did go home with me) has finally decided it's going to be Jaywalker socks. I've got about 3-1/2" knit and they're going to be wonderful, although I think I could have used 0s instead of 1s. But I am NOT taking it out again!

Home Again, Home Again

I can't remember the last time I spent a week doing nothing but knitting, but this past week was very close to that. Ken (the semi-spouse) and I drove from Atlanta to Sedona, Arizona in three days. The only real stop we made, except for eating and sleeping and walking Lucy and Lulu, was in the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest national park in Arizona. That was incredible! Unfortunately, the only camera I had with me was my cellphone and it really never captured the colors as gloriously as we saw them. What an incredible place! I think we've seen most of the national parks in New Mexico and Arizona over the years, but for some reason we had missed that one!

Here's Lulu, sleeping her way across the US, oblivious to all. (She's resting her chin on a cardboard divider that was intended to keep her and Lucy in the back seat. It mostly, but not completely, worked. I think it was more a psychological rather than a physical barrier.)

Anyway, I knitted across the states in a desultory sort of way, completing two CIC vests out of multicolored, mostly wool, Berrocco yarn. My goal was three vests for the CIC challenge that ends tomorrow. I used the Countrywool What's in My Pocket pattern for the first two. Then I did one using Marguerite's Cozy in Cables pattern with two strands of gray wool.

Once I got to Sedona, I checked out all the yarn I had taken to work on and determined that none of it was compelling. Yes, of course, I had taken a big project bag with me, full of:

• Berrocco yarn for vest (pastels) - used for vest
• Berrocco yarn for vest (red, black) - used for vest
• Gray yarn from stash - used for vest
• Regia variegated sock yarn
• Green worsted yarn from stash for CIC socks
• 4 or 5 patterns (shawl, vests, socks)
• DPNs - size 1, 2, 4, and 8
• Circular needles - size 10 and 9
• Latest Knit n Style (not my favorite magazine but the one I hadn't read yet)
• Several back issues of The New Yorker
• Two Sudoku books and numerous mechanical pencils
• Two mystery novels

Surely, that would keep me busy for a week. But once I got to Sedona, I decided I needed to make one more CIC vest and I was out of suitable yarn. So, off to the Red Rock Knit Shop where I bought 4 skeins of Lopi (two red and  two green ), thinking I would get two CIC vests from it, and a new size 11 circular needle. (I'd been using a 10 because I couldn't find my 11.)

Then I sat down to knit and read and do Sudoku, in no particular order. Did I mention I think I have ADHD?

No, really, here they are...

Needles, Part 2

      When we last met, I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t find any yarn needles. So, it was off to the local Michael’s where I learned that Michael’s doesn’t sell Chibis. I’m almost certain I bought some there once…but no matter, they aren’t available there now. Fine. I could, of course, order them but that would take too long. There are only about 25 yarn shops in the Atlanta area, but I’m trying not to buy yarn and I have almost no will power about yarn. (With a stash like mine, not buying more would seem so obvious, but I keep adding to it. Have I lost my mind?)

      Anyway, off to Hobby Lobby. No yarn there to tempt me. (Okay, I admit it, I’m a yarn snob!) Bought the Chibis. Only one package of Chibis. What’s the deal? I remember that last year there was a brief period of insanity on eBay where a package of Chibis was selling for the price of a mortgage payment, but I’m not aware of any current Chibi supply and demand crisis. So, okay, bring the one measly package of Chibis home.

      You know what happened next, don’t you? You could see it coming, a mile away. I opened up a drawer that I had searched like a bomb-sniffing dog a week ago and found…Chibis. Then I was looking for a size 10.5 24” circular needle in my needle bag. Didn’t find the needle (only 29”) but by damn, there were two Chibis in a hitherto-unexplored pocket.

      Bottom line, I’m up to my antlers in Chibis. I’m sure they will disappear the next time I need them too—I can be as prone to conspiracy theory as anyone—but for today I have Chibis.

So I used them (quickly!) to weave in the ends of my four helmet liners. I’ll mail them to Whit today so I can cross that off my list. Here they are.

Needle in a Haystack

Well, it might be in a haystack. It could be almost anywhere. All I know is, I can't find it.

My stash of yarn and knitting implements is ridiculous. The yarn, packed into plastic tubs, sits on two big shelving units, five shelves each, and covers one wall of the office/knitting room. Well, that's not completely accurate. There are also four plastic three- and four-drawer storage units full of stash. One of those is devoted entirely to accessories--knitting needles (straights, double points, and circular, made of virtually every material known to man from plastic to aluminum to bamboo), rulers, needle sizing thingies (why can't I think of the name), markers, crochet hooks, bobbins, point protectors, etc. Is there even one yarn needle? Heck no!

Over the years I must have bought hundreds, from the lowliest aluminum to my favorite, Chibis with bent points. Where the heck are they? I'm trying to finish four helmet liners for the Helmet LIners for Our Troops project. Whit from our guild is leading a push to collect them, and I did four. Two are from Galway and two from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. All that remains is to hide all the ends. Should be simple....