WIP Mania - one down for the count

Aaaaahhhh - long weekends! They are especially good when we spend them here, at b-i-l's river "cabin".


B-i-l recently moved house - literally - moving his retreat from the flood plain to just 14 inches over the 500 year flood zone up the hill. It's a much safer location and the house had a few upgrades in the process. It's very civilized for the wilds of West Virginia!

My m-i-l brought me a little present. I really like the photographs in this stitch dictionary. They are very clear.


We enjoyed a beautiful and cool 4th of July weekend. (#1 son & gf on the river)



...and I finished these: Slave to the Socks (the holes are part of the pattern, really!)


One WIP Mania project down & three to go! I think I might need another weekend get-away to help me knock out a few more!

July WIP Mania - Slave to the Plurk

Slave to the Plurk sock #1
Originally uploaded by ckknitter

I joined WIP Mania of Ravelry in hopes of knitting down some of my 'works in progress' for you non-knitters. These lovely socks, designed by Terry Ross for her plurk friends, have been languishing for a bit b/c I messed up the heel and needed to tink and reknit....not a very exciting prospect - BUT yesterday and this morning, it was accomplished. I even added beads to the cuffs! Now it's onward to sock #2 - I'm just on the toe. I hope I can finish it in a more timely manner than sock #1!

Cuff view:

"New" Knitting Territory

It's done. My knitting room has been repainted, re-tabled, and newly shelved. Yarnies are all sorted and stashed by weight in drawer bins. DPNs are all sorted & banded by size. There's a new bright cotton rug on the floor and a nice bright lamp in the corner. It's a very nice place to sit & knit/spin. I like it....and it's mine-all-mine (except for the kitties' litter box tucked in the corner- crap....literally!)



The first knitting project I completed in my new room were these:



They are WendyKnit's "Dead Simple Lace" in Lorna's Laces Wendy's Sunrise from TLE. I learned a lot about short rows with these socks. I have grown as a knitter! Thank you Wendy!

I'll leave you with this thought -


Aahhhh - Bermuda.....beautiful! Happy knitting!

Stash Room Re-do

I've made a mess! Everything has been moved out of my knitting room and into the dining room. The knitting room received a coat of tinted primer yesterday and today, once Lifeguard Boy wakes up, will get the final coat of paint.

All of those papers in the foreground are remnants of three years of grad school....classes...projects...research.....all of it will go to live in a BIG box in the basement - then I'll organize my yarn stash and move everything back into my beautiful "new" room. Geesh - that's kind of scary - let's think about something nice:



.......ah......a bag 0'Wollmeise.......inhale deeply.......all will be well!

Stash Additives & a Plan!

Mid-May yarn
Originally uploaded by ckknitter

Hello, my name is ckknitter and my stash room will hold no more. There are exactly six and 1/2 days left in my school year. The very first thing I plan to do when school is out is reorganize my knitting/spinning room.
Step #1: Move everything out & paint the room a soothing, calm green.
Step#2: Insert modified table- I have a beautiful square old table (refinished by moi) in there now. It has beautifully turned legs, but the top is not in the best condition...and it's, well, square - so it takes up a good portion of one corner. My plan is to take it apart and put each half against a wall thus making a long counter. This is will give me a little more room.
Step #3: Stash storage - I'll get some rolling plastic drawer bins to go underneath. That's where my stash will live. I'll need help hanging the bookshelves (the knitting/spinning books are as plentiful as the yarn/fiber).
Step #4: Knit the summer away using only what's in the above stash or next summer , I'll be knocking out WALLS to add more storage!

Keep your fingers crossed for a quick & easy fix-up!

Color Intensity & the Noro Wisp

Mid May morning
Originally uploaded by ckknitter

It's really beautiful here this morning. The rains have turned the grass, tree leaves, and other foliage various shades of achingly edgy, bright shades of green. Whenever the sun decides to peek out from behind the clouds, it's almost too intense to look at....aahhhh - lovely spring colors!

The spring flowers are fading, but still offer glimpses of colorful beauty. Even faded, who can resist the combination of green and purplish-pink?


That's how I feel about one of my current knitting projects. It's Wisp scarf/shawl from Knitty.com (free pattern!).


The simple lace pattern shows off the colors of the Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn perfectly. I'm having a hard time putting it down - which is a good thing, because I'll be giving it as a gift soon. Hopefully, unlike the spring flowers, these colors won't fade away!

Maryland Sheep and Wool - the afterglow!

Janice, Stacey, & I were fortunate to be able to attend the Maryland Sheep and Festival just outside of Columbia, Maryland last weekend. We had lots of fun, but were exhausted at the end of our day of seeing and feeling and smelling all the yarn. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy - so my camera didn't come out of its pouch too often. I hope I'll have a chance to take more photos next time.

#1. On the way in, I literally ran into Cindy R. We're in the Cindy Knitter's group together on Ravelry, were swap partners & had exchanged phone numbers in hopes of meeting in person. As I was walking in, I looked to my right, and walking right next to me was a person with a very familiar haircut (memorized from stalking photos). It was Cindy R! I was so surprised, I accidentally set my camera on video - which explains what is posted below:

Embarrassing - but it was very nice to meet her in person!

#2. I saw this person, but did not meet him or Jess or Heather or any of the others...too many other Ravellers in the way - but I got a MSW 2009 button, featuring Bob!


#3. Then I saw this person - it's JUDY!


She was stalking these cute little things with her camera-


Those are the only on-site photos I took b/c of the rain., but here's the yarn parade with linkies. If you ever have a chance to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool, you really should!

Autumn House Farm - Finnean's Rainbow



Misty Mountain Farm



Curious Creek Merino/Silk


Tess Designer Yarns


Bossie spindle-Sumac w/walnut shaft