Nag Me to Finish Kiri

Kiri has been essentially complete since last October/November. Yes it has been that long. Well...not totally complete. By the 4th or 5th row of her edging...something stitchwise had gone horribly horribly wrong. I was quite put out with her behavior as I was prematurely patting myself on the back for conquering lace. And it wasn't as if she was a pretty yarn either. Bets had her "Scabs & Bruises" with Lady Eve.....well...IMHO...Kiri looks like the colors of a uterus in a c-section...all pink and blue...yeah..i coulda gone all morning without writing that...sorry...but my L&D friends all have agreed. I can't blame the yarn though. I must take responsibility for her bad dye job. It was afterall....one of my very first KoolAid dyeing experiments, and sadly....the least attractive. But, I figure that once blocked...if it still looks awful, I can always overdye and reblock.





Yep...that's the color.

So here's the deal. Kiri has had her timeout. I need to get off my ass and finish it. To do so I need to do the following steps:
1) find my pattern again.
2) reprint the pertinent parts if i can't find the pattern
3) rip out all the edging stitches...alll eleventy gajillion of them...i swear there are like 400 stitches on each row
4) once i get back to my baseline...METICULOUSLY COUNT OUT MY PATTERN...so I know where to start
5) PUT STITCH MARKERS ON
6) Knit the 5 rows of edging
7) Block

I want this off my desk by the end of March. It is eminently doable. I found that I totally enjoyed the cheering on, coaching, support, etc. during the Lady E saga. (Thank you ALL so much again for that. I would NEVER have stuck with it on my own!) So I thought I'd capitalize on a good thing.
Beginning March 1.....
If you stop by, leave a nag about Kiri. It doesn't have to be much of anything..or it can be a total nag rant...totally up to you..as you have time or desire of course.
I will post progress based on the nagging and enter each person's name...each time they nag....into a drawing for a lil box of Alaska goodies. I promise...no moose nugget earrings.
Drawing will be held on March 31st or when Kiri is finished (without being overdyed if it comes to that)...whichever comes first! Hopefully Kiri will be finished first...with your help of course!

Alaska eye candy from a neighbor's yard.





Happy Knitting Day!

Quiviut on the Hoof & Noro KPS

The Noro Silver Thaw (color #15 lot A) is just about knitting itself. The pattern is KPS top down turtleneck. This will have just plain stockinette rolled sleeve/hem/neck. I'm using size 9 Knitpicks Options and have spot-on 16st/4" gauge. I really like the yarn and the fabric I'm getting. It has a wooly sort of hand to it, yet feels dry at the same time. However, it doesn't seem to be at all scratchy, even with the skein looped around my neck. Haven't done the bra test though. I like the thick/thin/nubblyness and almost "primitive" texture of both the yarn and the fabric as knit up. I think it has a nice drape too, so even with the horizontal striping, it shouldn't be unflattering. (she crosses her fingers). The colors remind me of St. Patrick's Day in Alaska...wishing for green, seeing lots of gray and brown and white..the violet and purple of mountains in shadow, a basket of pansies growing in the living room window. I think it will be finished within a week or so. Excellent progress was made during the Oscars...(go Helen Mirren!) and last night's Hero's episode....save the cheerleader, save the world....are you on the list?.....


I have a ball of glowing ruby quiviut...like a precious jewel...my hands are so rough and chapped from the cold that i dare not even touch it it's so fine. I won't give you a photo right now...no way to get the color right today...so google it and ogle...drool...weep with desire all you lace knitters (yeah you Grace!...and SK!...and Svetlana....and CBM...and Trish...and Bets...oh heck...my entire link list)...Finishing the Kiri will show me that I too can boss around some yarn and so she will be my absolute next FO (after the KPS of course). I need to be pushed, shoved...shamed into doing this....I encourage your gentle/not so gentle nagging...daily...beginning March 1st! Heck...I may even make it worth your while to help me finish this by entering your nagging comment (beginning March 1st) into a drawing for a FABULOUS PRIZE! (I'm copying from Joan here! Not to leave anyone out or anything!) FABULOUS PRIZE to be determined prior to March 1st........
Don't forget about A4As sock drive! Jayne's "Ugly Betty" socks gave me quite the chuckle. Whip em up and send em off! See Joan's blog for details. (I gotta get this internal link stuff figured out...it would make it so much easier...next blog project of course)....any way, as I was saying...quivit!

The man had the opportunity to do a muskox story recently...stealing his photos, I'll share Quiviut on the Hoof!


This bull looks a little aggressive to me! All kinds of adventures here in the greatland!


Have a great knitting day!

Whoo Baby It's Cold Outside

Minus 20 this morning...but the sun is out and it's another beautiful Alaska day. Fur Rendezvous started last night with fireworks down at the park strip in Anchorage..Today was the judging of the snow sculpture competition. Lots of "Rondy" activities. Hard for most folks in the lower 48 to imagine that we actually bundle up and ride carnival rides when it's this cold out...what..are we nuts...errr..ummm..yeah. That's Alaska for you...at point in winter...knowing that there won't be any bare ground for at least 6 to 8 more weeks....we just go outside and play anyway...like I said..at least it's sunny.

This is shot from the deck off our bedroom. The white rim in the background is actually the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet (yeah..ocean view..whoowhoo!)...just right of center the white blob receding in the background is Denali (aka Mt. McKinley)... the white mountain range trailing off to the right is the Alaska Range...crappy shots I know..but it really is a gorgeous day!


DD and Shorty (mustang/quarter horse cross) like to ride when the sun's out! Up here we use "ice shoes" on the horses in the winter time...the farrier comes out and changes winter and summer shoes.....just like rotating your tires (and just as expensive...yuck) Don't they look like they're having fun?


I'm staying warm indoors and starting a new project with the bag of Noro Silver Thaw...color # 15...that I got for a steal from LittleKnits...excellent product..excellent prices...excellent customer service! Go check them out!


I'm making KPS top down turtleneck, tunic length w/ roll cuffs/roll bottom...i'll put a rollneck on it when it's done. I'm hoping the striping won't be too broad/severe thus keeping it from widening my silhouette too much. I just loved the purples and greens and browns in this colorway. It'll be great with a lightweight long sleeve T or longjohns underneath!


DD's cat, Butt-the ear sucking cat says "Hi". He's staying cuddled up in Grandma Clara's bed today. She says she can't make her bed because the cats don't stay off it long enough...hmmmm...sounds like as good of an excuse as any.


Stay warm!

Presenting........Lady Eleanor

22 Days of knitting exclusivity, approx 1200 yds Patons SWS Natural Pink, Sz 9 Knitpicks Option needles, Lady Eleanor Pattern from Pam Allen's Scarf Style....start humming to yourself!

Lenny Kravitz - Lady Lyrics

I'm crazy for this little lady
I'm freaking for
my little baby
'Cause she makes me feel good
She's so fine



Don't need all my other
ladies
I'm beggin' for this little lady
'Cause I tell you she's cool
She's divine


I know she's a super lady
I'm weak
and I've gone hazy yeah



I'm crazy for that
lady
She's chic but she's not shady yeah
Sophisticated lady
And she makes me feel good
She's so fine

Never knew there was such a
lady
That would make me want to straighten
Out my
life at this time but I find
I'm thinkin'
'bout this pretty lady
I would love her good as my
own baby (?)
'Cause you know she's no fool
She's refined




I know she's a super lady

I'm weak and I've gone hazy yeah

I'm crazy for that lady
She's chic but
she's not shady yeah
Sophisticated lady
And she
makes me feel good
She's so fine



Yeah
Don't you know she blows my mind
All the time
'Cause she makes me feel good
Like a real woman
should
Yeah
She's so mine
Yeah

I'm weak and I've gone hazy yeah

I'm crazy for that lady
She's chic but
she's not shady yeah
Sophisticated lady
And she
makes me feel good
And she makes me feel good
And
she makes me feel good
She's so fine

Yeah

Don't you know she blows my mind
All the time

Lady E Blocking

I'm terrible...I have no shame....I can't resist...I have to show you...even before she is ready to make her debut & beauty & action shots....it's a character flaw.
Here she is all pinned out and blocking...25" x 76" (fringe not included). Tacky tacky tacky blocking shot. At least the carpet is clean. Colors are of course more subdued due to poor lighting conditions....



Here is a bad shot of the Lady's crotchety edging. I like to do this as a finishing touch on most projects. Quick, easy, just be sure to make the 3stitch corner turns.



Here's a closer shot of the knotted fringe. This is beautiful in the SWS..the soy really brings a sheen and structure to the strands (IMHO of course). Be warned. Cutting, looping through, and knotting ate up over 2 hours straight...sitting on the floor for me. But..it was 2 hours of watching Kirsten Dunst in the new Marie Antionette DVD with DD. DD has struggled in history..finding it...BORING...(I don't get that because it's always been a fav subject...but that's life). She was entranced by the movie and we had lots of discussion during and after about the causes of the French Revolution, court roles, heritage/lineage relationships and political marriages between countries for alliances....history stuff...and she was interested. She's quite the reader so any suggestions for historically correct books and movies that would appeal to a 15y/o horsecrazy tomgirl would be much appreciated. I enjoyed the modern spin on the movie as well as the lovely cinematography, costumes, etc..myself! I digress. Back to the Lady's fringe.



Pearl says..Harrumph...the drawer you keep the blocking pins in is infinately more impressive than that piece of string on the floor.



Have a great knitting day!

Done...Done...Done! Photos to Come :)

Finished...finito...fini...completed. Lady E is blocking as we speak. She has 45 tiers...she has fringe..she has a nifty crochet edge around the rest of her. Ends are woven. She is magnificinet. You'll see....as soon as she's dry.

Do you see what I see.......

Well, don't feel bad, I didn't see it either until I'd started cutting fringe.



yeah...right there....son of a %^&*#


Well...that's my day.....

She Shops....She SCORES!!!!!

As a few of you may know, I LOVE thrift store shopping. It's my "resale therapy". I've even been known to play hookey from work for a few hours here and there to hit a 50% off sale at Value Village or Salvation Army Thrift Stores. I hit thrift stores when I travel too...because you just never know what will turn up where....like gorgeous mint condition Dale of Norway sweaters in Montgomery Alabama....like I said...you just NEVER know. So yesterday i cruised through my favorite Sally's (Salvation Army) in Eagle River. I've been lucky there. Last year I found two bags of Rowen DK wool..one in dark purple, one in lavender. Yesterday...I saw this.....


Interesting...circa 1970 I'd guess....but let's look inside.....

Do you believe it.....mint condition Boye Needlemaster set....needles size 2-15....all cords...adapters...chuck key...everything.....intact.....

It was 50% off.......I paid $4.25. That's enough of a score to make any cheapskate happy! Whooooohooooo!

LE Saga Ad Nauseum

Lady E is within 3 rows and some fringe of being finished! Hooray. We'll have an FO to model and wear next week! There's a sneak peak at the end of this post, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some Valentine's Day loot! I was touched beyond words to receive this hand made Valentine card from DD. What a sweetie she is (most of the time!...hey, it's hard to be almost 15...remember)





And this handmade card and crochet'd kitchen towel made by Grandma Clara. In her younger years she made countless fine thread doilies and filet crochet table scarves and those things you put on the backs and arms of chairs. So pretty. But with her arthritis, it's difficult for her to use the fine hooks and thread, so she has taken up the dishcloths and towels. I saw her working on this all week last week but had no idea it was to be for me! How sweet. And take a look at the card. One picture of the front, one of the inside. She made this too. Cardmaking is her primary occupation these days. They are lovely crafty cards. She cuts out sentiments from magazines or has me or DD download poems and make copies to use for verse on the inside. Sometimes she rubberstamps and adds glitter or ink highlights. She taught me to sew, and crochet, and always encouraged "artsy/craftsy" play when I was growing up. My A#1 primary stable positive consistent caring role model. Even though it's hard caring for an elderly person, and I've ranted and raved with frustration at times, I can't imagine not being here for her....like she was always there for me. She's my Grandma Clara Valentine.



Pearl says "enough already...take as long as you want on the Lady E....I'll nap all over this multi-directional scarf you started and left laying around three weeks ago....you want fiber...I'll show you fiber...."


Blurry shot....yesterday there was a moose outside my office window. Shot with the cell phone through the window but maybe you can picture it......just thought I'd share!


Ah yes...at last...another shot of another boring night spent with Lady E......just...a few....more...rowwwsss.....

Lady E Purgatory

Ok, OK, here is the self portrait with Lady E Joan mentioned yesterday. She has grown by several more tiers (tears?) since taken and I HOPE to be finished with this godforsaken thing by this weekend. She really is a pretty thing, nice & soft, cozy on my lap. I know she will be a wonderful warm wrap......but I'm telling you now....entrelac....on this scale anyway....has a snooze factor of about 8/10!

Even Pearl thinks so!

This old sled and deer antler combo leans against the wall next to the front door. I think they look like a pair of midwife's hands poised for baby catching!

Happy knitting......hoping the next LE photo will be the finished product! I have some wonderful Noro Silver Thaw from the Marvelous Little Knits ( my now 2nd favorite on line yarn shop.....go visit..their sales and customer service are amazing). Would you believe that not only did they research out a way to ship to Alaska that was less than half their usual shipping venue, but the owner actually CALLED me when there was a credit card issue (wrong exp. date entered) to clear things up. Elann.com has been my very very favorite for years....but Susie at Little Knits....like I told you yesterday.....your shop just shot to the top of the list! And speaking of Elann.com......did you see the Araucania they offered Monday? Gorgeous handpainted yarny goodness. I snagged 3 different colorways-mmmmmmm...cannot wait til it gets here!

5 Secrets

1) I was active duty Air Force for several years in my 20s. While enjoying the good life provided by Uncle Sam, I got a rose tattoo on my right shoulder. Many people who know me now are very surprised.
2) In college (the first undergrad go around) I posed nakedly for art students. This included drawing, painting, and photography students. While on a naked photo shoot at a waterfall in Michigan's UP, a troop of young boy scouts came rambling by. They rambled very very slooowly. I said what the hell and and finished up the shoot. There are probably still some artsy fartsy black and whites of my young nakedly self floating around somewhere. I also sold blood/plasma. Girl had to make a living some way you know!
3) My second love is theatre and I did a lot of acting in high school and college and did dinner theatre (at the Backdoor Dinner Theater in lovely suburban Wichita Falls, TX) for a couple of years. One day, I will be back on a stage again.....after I don't have to be on call all the time! I cannot dance, I cannot sing....but .....I can certainly entertain folks, in a Lucille Ball sort of way!
4) I am a horrible procrastinator but cover it well by being enormously productive and creative. (In grad school, I could pull a 20 page paper out of my ass in less than 8 hours! including references!)
5) I throw up on airplanes....almost 100% of the time. I'm the lady that lines up three barf bags in that little pocket behind the seat in front of you. It's a control issue.....(I took flying lessons to get over it....but as a passenger...i still puke).

Are you surprised?

2/8/07 2:19am

Photos to come ...they are on camera phone and mom's given the OK! I'm just too sleepy to beam them in and load em up right now. Yaaaawwwnnn! But I do have more blog fodder to share later. I went to HMS Pinafore tonight with my very best girlfriend MK and it was soooo much fun and so very well done, with little "alaska quips" thrown in, like calling Capt. Corcoran...Capt. Hazelwood (infamous capt of the Exxon Valdez...biggest oil spill ever.....that guy) and other fun things. The costumes of the sisters, cousins, and aunts were beautifully detailed. The chorus was talented (and I KNEW someone in the chorus...she's in my book club...how cool is that? People watching and mingling during intermission at the PAC at an Opera in Anchorage is.....highly entertaining. Fashions run the gamut from Sorrels and Carhartts to rhinestones, sandals and ridiculous heels and bare toes (not even a nylon), and everything in between. But one thing i did notice...I think Anchorage is the home of the really bad haircut. Seriously. Bad hair...color...cut...style...whatever......not good..not good (women AND men)...I'm thinking we all get a little more woolly up here in the winter...Thanks so much again MK! Mmmmmmmmmwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhh.....................................yaaaaaaawwwwnnnnnn......Oh, and I'm up to 32" of LE....and yes it does seem at times kinda boring...but it's just mindless enough to zone out with it for an hour or so at a time...and it does grow...slowly it seems at times......the Kashmir (more photos for later) is trying to seduce me into swatching her...but I have resisted.....and the Gaucho...i love it sooo much..It totally exceeded my expectations. The Louisa Harding book though...well after first look yay...second look....maybe not so yay but I still like and will possibly knit at least 4 of the several designs...the others may grow on me, especially after I actually "read" the patterns :) goodnight...i am totally rambling.

My 100th Post

What mythical beast are you?

You're a dragon. You're smart and cunning, and enjoy taking risks. Your need for independence is an advantage, but sometimes it alienates you from others. As far as *good* and *evil*, you're pretty neutral--but you may have something of a wicked streak. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Lady E Update

As a few of you have commented, these colors just sing "springtime". We are back on track and the entrelac is sailing right along. I've surfed a few other blogsites to see other folks' Lady E's and see that a few people have used "backward knitting" to avoid the turning/purling business. It seems as if it would definately speed things up a bit. Will search out a video or book with pictures to see if I can learn the technique.
Lady E in SWS in (gasp) "natural daylight".


I almost wish I'd sized up the needles, maybe to 10s, after seeing Bets' Lady E out of Mr Joe...hmmm......a lil cross dressing going on down there? I'm thinking that the SWS softens up and drapes well with a little blocking...but not so much that I lose the texture.....will cross that bridge when I come to it! I also think I'm going to end up needing more than 35 tiers to get the size I want....it is starting to turn into almost "no brainer" DVD knitting. (Watched "The Guardian" today and knitted on her for almost 2 more hours. Go Coast Guard!)



Caught Pearl playing with the trailing skein!


"I was NOT PLAYING. I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH YOUR OLD YARN!"


Lastly, just a plug for Costco. I love Costco. Last year DH gave me a 30G video IPOD for my birthday/mother's day present. I loved it..used it daily. excercise. podcasts. movies. audible books. music. photo album. you name it. Suddenly a few weeks ago it goes bust. Won't charge up all the way. stops in the middle of something. Yuck. I know he got it at Costco. I took it back...no receipt...no box. Not only do they replace it...since it's now $50 cheaper than it was 8 months ago, they give me the $50 difference. Leaving, I decide to buy a paper shredder. The sign says $18 off with coupon.I don't have a coupon. I tell the cashier..."i don't have the $18 off coupon". She says "OK" and scans one from the drawer. I save $18. On my way out the door, I stop to buy a 75 cent diet lime coke. I put a dollar in the machiine. I get my coke. In the change box is my quarter plus 2 other quarters. I was a happy shopper with my brand spanky new Ipod, my new shredder, my diet lime coke and an unexpected $68.75. Hmmmmmm.....sounds like a good reason to go buy some yarn!

She's NO lady

Lady E
I knitted merrily along until I finished the 8th tier. Held it up to admire it...sooo beautiful with all that multidirectionality going on....hey...why does the right hand side look wonky...it MUST just be the way the entrelac pulls/biases the yarn right.....nooo...that looks like a boob sticking out of lower right corner...tier 3 & 4 specifically....WTF? wait, wait...where's the little triangle piece that's supposed to be at the end of the odd number rows? CRAP CRAP CRAP.....there is NO freakin way of fixing that....do I leave it and charge blithely on and hope no one notices? naaaahhhh...so i ripped it all back to tier 2.........not like anyone is in a race or anything....she's back up to tier 5. Watch the odd number rows on the lady...don't get lulled by the ease of those little 8 stitch entrelac rectangles....her purl rows...specifically the end triangles will bite your ass if you're not watching. That is NOT ladylike behavior in my book!