Somehow last month was a blur! I blinked and June was history! Please accept my apologies! I feel like I spent the month (when I was not at work) letting the four-legged children in and out! Some have suggested a doggie door, but when your home is guarded by Samson Security Service a doggie door would have to be very large.

This is a guy who takes his job seriously! He is a lot bigger now than in this picture. Samson is all muscle and quite the athlete. He runs and runs in the backyard, constantly building up those muscles.

He can open the back door when he is outside (unless you slam the door really hard and have your foot on the bottom of the door when you slam it). If he hears me leave the room he comes in to make sure he is not missing out on anything! So I immediately have to stop what I am doing and go to the back door to close it. He beats me to the back door and is out in the yard again.

A doggie door does sound nice but it would be so expensive to have one made that did not allow a human being to also come in. If someone was crazy enough to crawl in, I seriously doubt they would be leaving in the same condition. Samson is one lovable guy, but being all German Shepherd he would immediately let the intruder know they made perhaps the biggest, most stupid mistake of their life!

Samson's favorite thing is to open the back door, come in and sit down to eat while intently watching the backyard. Maybe I just need to install a nice glass door (that opens and closes automatically) for him so he can see in when he is outside and see out when he is inside. LOL! I think Sasha and Sweetie would enjoy that also. Hmmmmm... wonder if that would cut down on the wear and tear of my body and on the door? Dreaming!!

Somewhere in the blur of last month, I found a little time to knit. Never enough time though!! I need to take a picture of a scarf I made last month. It was so much fun that I am going to make another one but use three colors instead of one. It involved knitting in the round and cutting my knitting at the end. Have I peeked your interest?

Does this give new meaning to "spinning" yarn? Or perhaps knitting in the round? DS (Dear Son) asked us to send him some pictures of his turntables. As long as we had them out, I could not resist the chance for a different backdrop.

I finally had a chance to send my Mom the dishcloth I knitted for her to "put thru it's paces." I had waited a long time to decide to knit the proverbial dishcloth and have now discovered how fun it was to have a quick project! I plan to knit more (in other designs) after I receive feedback on the durability. I used "tried and true" Sugar 'n Cream in the Buttercreme (#19222) colorway. For those who have already knitted dishcloths, you probably recognize this as being "Grandmother's Favorite Washcloth" pattern.

Somewhere I tucked away the left over yarn so I am unable to measure it to let you know how much I had left from the skein. When I come across it, I will update this blog and also list it on Ravelry. The remnant bag was small so it must have fallen down behind something near the computer. I really want it so I can put the ball band and info in the FO (Finished Objects) notebook I am starting.

Paper Arts have been a source of enjoyment for many years for me and I am going to start including some on my blog. Next weekend I have set some time aside to do Polished Stone Technique with a friend and will post pictures. I have added Paper Arts to the header of this blog since that media has shaped the tapestry of my life for many years.

Seeing the dishcloth on a turntable reminded me I took some other fiber related photographs the same day. I am incredibly late in posting this one:

I am in a group called Whoduknit. As you can probably deduce, we all enjoy knitting, reading and solving mysteries. I won the Easter Egg Hunt from a drawing of all who correctly answered the questions. We had to search on our group blog and Yahoo group site for answers to 12 questions posted on our Whoduknit blog. I had a lot of fun. As you can see I received a felted Easter basket, a dishcloth (illusion knitting with a bunny face), a knitted hand puppet, some yummy candy and some KnitPicks Shadow in Snorkel colorway.

For those who are interested in the turntables, here is a picture without the fiber. The only time we had to take the photos was when the sun was in full force.

I promise more fiber for your daily diet in my next post.

Don't You Just Love the Sense of Accomplishment 

with Finished Projects?!

I am finally having a moment to post some finished projects on my blog.  One of the items on my "to do" list was to take a new picture of my very first knitted scarf and replace the horrible picture of myself wearing the scarf.  The angle at which the photo was taken was such that it was one of the most unflattering pictures ever taken of me {LOL ~ Laugh Out Loud}!  Here is my neighbor's pine tree sporting the very first scarf I knitted. {My neighbor has no idea I caught her tree wearing my scarf!} Some of you have been reading my blog since day one. For those who joined me later, I knitted this scarf with size 8 Addi Turbo needles.

Variegated color: Noro Silk Garden Lite

{45% Silk, 45% Kid Mohair and 10% Lamb's Wool}

Solid color: Noro Cash Iroha

{40% Silk, 30% Lamb's Wool, 20% Cashmere and 10%Nylon}

I crocheted the edging {with some help from a friend} to add an accent to the scarf and to keep it from rolling.  Some friends could not believe I chose such nice yarn for my very first project. I knew I had to use yarn {and colors} I would enjoy knitting with or I would grow tired of it before I completed the project. I had to be "proud" of my choice to want to keep knitting thru the awkward beginning stages of learning something new. I have never regretted my choice.

Speaking of crocheting, back in the Summer while at a Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn Company in Oklahoma City, a fellow Raveler Sakae {Sorry the link will only work if you are a member of Ravelry.} was showing everyone her first crocheted project - Tea Scarf by Pixeldiva.  Now if you read my first post, you know I used to think I never wanted to learn to knit.  Well, I wanted to learn to crochet even less!  haha! 

At the Knit-In I was sitting across the room from Sakae, but she had my attention with her beautiful scarf! If I ever wanted to learn to crochet a scarf, this was the project for me.  I waited a few months and then decided I definitely wanted to crochet a Tea Scarf.  My reasoning is perfectly logical to me. If I learn more about crocheting then I will feel comfortable putting crochet edges around my knitted shawls and scarves. What better way to learn crochet than by making a scarf! Plus crocheting gave me another excuse to buy yarn... Did I say that out loud? I meant to say it gave me another venue for using my stash. {That's my story and I am sticking to it!}

I used approximately 1 1/3 skeins of Baby Alpaca D.K. Paint by Plymouth Yarn in Colorway 8817, Dye Lot 672.  

  

I had fun learning to crochet the scarf.  

I am considering making a cowl that involves quite a few stitches on the needles at one time. Not wanting to have to figure out how long of a tail to start with in Long Tail Cast On, I am contemplating the Cable Cast On Method. This method eliminates the worry of miscalculation.

Special thanks to Gingerly4it for the instructional video on Cable Cast On.

Knitting and Dogs ~

A few of my favorite things

Wow! The time has flown by!  So many times I had plans to write a blog post but life got in the way.  It's bitter cold here and the roads are very icy in my town, so I set tonight aside to finally have a chance to blog.

I had great fun knitting some scarves for my Mother and DS {Dear Sister} this summer. The pattern is by Prism: FP1 Openwork Angora Scarf designed by Laura Bryant. Both were knit with size 11 needles using one skein for each scarf.

Mom's scarf is Prism Kid Slique {Color Sierra, Dye Lot #H0806} 66% Rayon, 26% Kid Mohair and 8% Nylon, 88 yards per skein.  

DS's scarf is Prism Indulgence {Color Highlands, Dye Lot #H0814} 68% Silk, 15% Wool and 12% Kid Mohair, 92 yards per skein.

Hopefully they will receive many years of enjoyment from their scarves.

In getting ready to relocate to another state, DS {Dear Son} had to find a new home for his female German Shepherd, Gabi. The apartment complex where he will be living has a 25 lb. weight limit. Gabi's new family lives near us so DH {Dear Hubby} went to the City and picked up Gabi. She spent the night with us and had a wonderful reunion with her brother. DH wanted to grab some pictures of the four playing, but every time he opened the back door to take a picture the play stopped. His solution was to shoot the pictures thru the back door {glass and screen}. I am so glad he grabbed the photographs even though the glass and screen combination make the photos grainy.  I could not resist calling this one: "Thru a Screen Door." Turn on your speakers so you can enjoy Mannheim Steamroller playing "You've Got a Friend in Me." {I thought the title of the music was appropriate!}

Sophie Bag ~
My First Felted Bag

I am finally having the opportunity to post about a fun FO {Finished Object} that did not cost very much money to make.  I used Cascade 220 in colorway 8891. Here is a picture of my pre-felted Sophie Bag: 

The twisted i-cord handles knit up fast and I had my two i-cords before I knew it. At the onset I wondered if I would have enough yarn to make the twisted handles; however, I had it on good authority not to worry as either style of handle was doable with one skein.    
This picture will give you an idea of how much yarn I had left:


I only needed 80% of my skein, so this bag costs less than $7.00 to make.  Here is a photo of the felted Sophie:

As you can see, the color stayed vibrant after felting. This will probably be used as a project bag. More felted bags in a variety of styles have been added to my future want-to-knit list.

Time for a Finished Object {FO}!

My apologies for the long wait between posts. I was giving some serious contemplation to creating a website and having a blog connected to the website. After much consideration, free won out. {Stands to reason if I do not spend the money on the annual fee for a website, then that money is freed up to be spent on yarny things!} While I was contemplating, I held off from posting here.  Sorry to have left you hanging there.  

Hopefully showing a FO {Finished Object} will make up for it in some way.  This project was started and completed during my "contemplation." While visiting Gourmet Yarn Company

{Click on name to go to store website} in Oklahoma City, I kept noticing the FishKnit Scarf  from the Morehouse Farm Merino Knits Book {page 89}.  

The Baby Alpaca Grande Paint was also calling out to me. This bulky weight, 100% superfine Baby Alpaca by Indiecita is distributed by Plymouth Yarn Company. I had been wanting an excuse to try out this soft yarn and it was a pleasure to knit with! 

I wanted a skinner version of the scarf, so I only cast on 17 stitches using the backward loop cast on.   Click here for a video on how to do this cast-on that is also known as the Single Cast-on: Knitting-Help

Using size 10.5 needles, this was a quicker project than I have been knitting previously.  Part of the fun comes when you have completed the knitting and it is time to bind off.  I had never dropped stitches on purpose.  Here is a shot of my first row after I dropped a stitch and pulled it down to the cast-on row.

After you get over the initial uneasiness of dropping stitches on purpose, it becomes fun.   Here is a shot of the completed scarf.  Sorry this is not a very good picture.  I did not have anywhere "artsy" to take the photo so I had to settle for a bench on a really sunny day.

Carpe knitting,

KZ

Gourmet Yarn Company

{click the link to visit their website}

Several months ago DS and DIL {Dear Son and Daughter-in-law} moved into Oklahoma City. Naturally I wanted to check out the yarn stores in OKC.  Somehow I only made it to one.  I have so much fun at Gourmet Yarn Company that I just keep going back every chance I can when I am in The City.  

Every time I have started to take pictures outside the sun has been shining brightly, so getting pictures without too much glare was the best I could hope for.  I apologize for cutting off the hours, but if you are in the area, they are also open 10 to 5 on Saturdays and 12 to 5 on Sundays.  

When you walk in the door, your eyes are greeted with eye candy every which way you look!

My pictures do not do it justice.  There are only a few shots here because I was too busy having fun to take pictures of all of the store.  

Recently they mentioned they had some Mrs. Wilson in.  I was intrigued.  LOL!

Here is a close up of one Feza Oriental Alp, aka Mrs. Wilson {my apologies that the close up is blurry}:

Have you figured it out?  Here is one of the movie trailers from Cast Away where Tom Hanks is on a deserted island for a number of years:

For those of you who might still be wondering who Wilson is, here is someone's fun compilation of scenes from the movie with Tom Hanks and the infamous Wilson.

No, he is not in love with Wilson, but I guess when there is no one else to talk to while being cast away, a Wilson ball works nicely!

For more fun reading, click here for Gourmet Yarn Company's Blog and find out what keeps everyone coming back for more GYC!

Carpe Knitting,

KZ

Oh Clapotis,

Oh Clapotis,
I wonder what yarn you'll be
{Sung to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree" }

A friend is having a Clapotis Tea in a couple of months. In order to attend you must have knit a Clapotis shawl or scarf from the popular pattern designed by Kate Gilbert and voted Design of the Year in 2005 by


I have decided to knit the scarf instead of the shawl. I found a beautiful colorway in Karaoke called Mermaid and I just knew I was all set.

I wound one of the skeins into a yarn cake and set out to cast on. When working the setup rows, I was tired and my mind could see the purl in front and back, but my hands were just not cooperating. I wanted to see someone do this, so after surfing around, I discovered the following video {special thanks to Gingerly4it}:

I cast on and began my first couple of rows, only to discover that my Karaoke was breaking on me. My hands were so warm, it was felting as I worked the Purl 1 in the front and in the back. So back to the drawing board I go.

Part of the beauty of

is you can check to see what yarn others are knitting or have knit a particular pattern in. As of today, 160 people have listed having a Clapotis as a WIP {Work in Progress}. That number is possibly low as there are probably many like me who have not noted this as a WIP since we are just casting on. This next number will probably surprise you if you have not surfed around Ravelry much: 3581 Clapotises have been logged. Ravelry has also detected 510 members' blog posts that mention Clapotis. This number should go up by one once I publish this post and their software has time to pick up on the theme of this post.

I have been looking at the yarn chosen by others on Ravelry and have emailed a few to inquire about their honest opinions of the yarn they used. Their replies have been so helpful! Soon I will make a yarn decision as time will be flying by if I am not careful. If you have suggestions, feel free to leave me comments.

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

P. S. You can also visit Kate Gilbert's blog:

Yarniverse ~ Memphis, Tennessee

When I was planning a trip to visit family this past summer, I immediately put a stop in at Yarniverse on my list of things I absolutely had to do. I first heard about this fun two-story yarn shop when I became interested in the Lizard Ridge Afghan. {Click on the name or the picture for a link to the pattern. Click on the name of the store. for a link to their website where you can hunt for "free patterns." Only some are listed under "free patterns." Part of the fun is the hunt.}

The pattern to this beautiful afghan can be found on

and right above the pattern is an advertisement for Yarniverse's Kureyon Club:

Clicking on their link above the Knitty pattern, I discovered Brenda and her always-helpful crew are in Memphis, Tennessee ~ now that caught my attention! Wish I lived closer so I could go in and knit with them. Knitters are always welcome at their table.

If you are a fan of Koigu, they also have a Koigu Collector's Club for you:

Their aim is to have in stock all of the colors from Knits from a Painter's Palette:

That is probably no easy feat with the ever-increasing popularity of Koigu.

While I was at Yarniverse my DB, DSIL and DGN {Dear Brother, Dear Sister-in-Law and Dear Grand-Nephew} were with me. My creative brother wrote the following poem about his first experience in this wonderful yarn shop:

The Magic of Knitting
by KZ's Brother

Traveling from Galaxy to Galaxy in the Yarniverse
Watching shooting beads: red, yellow, blue and brown
Dodging falling meteor buttons as they spin by
Then up ahead an exploding wool star
Thousands of brightly colored wool blast off in every direction
As we continue to sail through the magic Yarniverse.

I went there early on my trip so I could take advantage of an in-store sale they were having on Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton.

My plan for these colors is to knit a blanket. I need to add some more colors to have a full complement, but I have a start.

Looking at these pictures taken this summer at DB and DSIL's pool brings back wonderful memories of my trip to Mississippi.

Soon after I got to my parents' home, I wound the cotton into yarn cakes. I owe a special thanks to DM {Dear Mom} who visited with me thru most of the winding and a very big Thank-You-So-Much to DD {Dear Dad} who sat with me tirelessly helping to get the knots out when a couple of skeins proved to be extra challenging. I am sure many of you can relate with your own experiences of yarn that did not wind willingly {I know that is quite an understatement ~ In fact many of you have your own names for just such yarn and just such an occasion!}.

{Special thanks also go to KZ's Brother for the poem and for "going out on a ledge" to help me show off some new yarn stash.}

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

I Won!

What fun to win a blog contest! This is my first chance to post about my good fortune. Kat had a contest on her blog Creative Pop-Offs to identify the difference between her Swallowtail Shawl and the original from

Kat treated me to 4 skeins of fun yarn!

1. Kathmandu, Aran, Greensland Collection, Color 133 {twead brown}, 85% Merino Wool, 10% Silk and 5% Cashmere


2. Moda-Dea, Zing, Color 1887 {sparkly black and silver}, 100% Polyester


3. Persia, Ladder, Shade 900 {blues and blacks}, 100% Nylon


4. Trendsetter Yarns, Aura, Color 8298 {black, silver, grey and white}, 80% Wool, 10% Nylon, and 10% Polyester

I will enjoy finding the perfect projects for these yarns. Thanks, Kat! {Apologies that the picture does not do them justice.}

Speaking of Interweave Knits, have you checked their updated website for free knitting patterns? While you are there, be sure and sign up for

.

Carpe Knitting,

KZ

Fun Swaps I Participated in Recently

Mystery Bottle Swap

One of the internet groups I belong to is WhoDuKnit. {This is a group of knitters and crocheters who also enjoy a good mystery. Members vote to pick a book of the month and if you want, you can knit or crochet something inspired by the book. There is a monthly contest for any knitted/crocheted entries for that month's book. We have different mystery swaps also.} I have only been a member a short time but already am having fun as you can tell by the picture above and below.

We also have a WhoDuKnit blog. You will be able to see some of the inspired projects and other bottles if you click on the name of the blog.

What a blast to go to the Post Office and discover Cathy in Ohio's bottle arrived! It was quite hectic at work the day it arrived {truth be told ~ it's hectic just about any day at work!}, so this made for a very bright spot in my day! I was amazed at how much Cathy was able to stuff in this bottle. You can tell she is a "seasoned" bottle swapper!

Bubbles
Calculator
Dishcloth Pattern in Waffle Stitch
Handcream
Highlighter
Peaches 'n Cream yarn
Peach Scented votive candle
Post It Notes
Regia Yarn
Sock Shaped Point Protectors
Tootsie Rolls

I know I will enjoy using every item she so carefully placed in my bottle. Cathy, thanks for the fun in a bottle!

Click on the links in red above if you are interested in checking out our group. You are welcome to join! The icon on the sidebar is a link to our group blog.

Summer 2007

Do you like to blog surf? That's what I call it when you start at one blog, click on a link for a blog they like to read and after you read that blog, click on a blog link listed on the "new" blog, and so on. I have found some great blogs that way! That's how I found out about the WhoDuKnit group. Late one night when I was blog surfing, someone mentioned a Stitch Marker Exchange on their blog.

I checked out the Stitch Marker Exchange blog to find out more details. I quickly learned I was in time to sign up for the Summer 2007 Stitch Marker Exchange. You promise to make 5 stitch markers for someone. You also can choose how many people you want to send/receive markers to/from.

I have received two sets of stitch markers so far from my first time entry in this exchange. The stitch markers on the left are from Hostess Robyn and the ones on the right are from Knit Girl. The photo does not do justice to the colors in these markers. Both sets are so pretty! These markers came from Canada. What fun! Thank you Robyn and Knit Girl!!! I will enjoy using each of these.

~ Next post I have a special surprise guest who is very dear to my heart. Check back in soon for a fun post!

Carpe knitting,
KZ