the computer is home..YAY!

Luckily it was just some conflict to the operating system caused by the latest update. I got the newsletter sent to our printer and now I can rest easier tonight not having to anguish over it anymore... this month. :)

Would you believe after being on the computer for less than 10 minutes it had the nerve to ask if I wanted to update the operating system! I think you can guess what my response to that was.

Back to the Medallion bag, that seems to be going slower with each row. I don't know why this project has been so tough to get through. It's not a hard pattern and I enjoy doing fair isle, it just seems to be one of those projects that resists being a a friendly piece to knit on. Does that sound strange?!?

Thanks for the well wishes for the computer surgery.

Noro strikes again

I had to start another Noro stripe scarf to try to preserve what shred of sanity I have left this week. (This time I'm using colors 8 and 87.) It's mindless and comforting knitting, better than Calgon. "Noro, take me away..."



The medallion bag is over half way done now and I should have it done by this weekend. I also still need to knit a teddy bear outfit for the guild trauma bear donations next week.

The Atlanta Knitting Guild newsletter is being held hostage by our now dead hard drive. I had it almost finished and was going to send it out Sunday. Of course the last time the backup was saved was a week ago. The hard drive, as I type, is having surgery to try to recover the files and transfer them to a new drive. If the newsletter has been lost, you may hear a wail of frustration and angst from midtown. It would mean I have to start all over (about 15-20 hours of work time lost) Please offer good vibes to the computer gods that all the files will return home safely. I started another copy of the newsletter last night and got the template all set up again... but I'd rather have the original since it was supposed to go out already. Has some evil person programmed a secret code into our computer operating systems telling them to die at the most oportune moment that will cause the most grief and anxiety!?!?

after the turkey

Turkey day was a nice and quiet relaxing day for me. Michael and I went to dinner at our landlord's house (we rent the upstairs apartment in a house and her son lives downstairs). We then came home and passed out in front of the TV for an hour. I took my Noro stripe scarf to work on while we were there. I finished it this morning. The colors are definitely on the 'muted' side for me, but I like the end result and Michael has a hat that it matches nicely.



It went very quickly and I want to start another one RIGHT NOW, but I need to work on a Noni bag that I'm doing on commission for Knitch. It's the Medallion Travel Bag, which is a very large bag and all done in fair isle. This picture shows about half of the bottom of the bag and I'm about 4 inches up the side so far.



It takes about 15 minutes to do one round since I have to keep referring to the chart and there are 71 rows total and I'm only on row 7 so far. I'll probably work on it most of the day today. I'm hoping to have it done by next weekend, so I'm going to make myself knit only on the bag until it's done and avoid starting something else to draw my attention away. (yes, I heard the 'yeah right' in your head) ;) Oh ye knitter's of little faith... I know, me too.. I'll probably make it to this afternoon and be overwhelmed by all the new stash from last week. I also want to start another Koolhaas hat, and the Shedir hat from Knitty, and... uh-oh

There was a great get-together at Knitch this past Sunday with Knitch supplying the turkey and squash casserole and then everyone else bringing in potluck. There were probably about 25-30 people all together and the food was incredible. Michael even came along and brought his scarf to knit on. He's still a beginner and has a hard time trying to concentrate on his knitting and hold a conversation at the same time, but I told him that will change when he is a little more experienced and comfortable with his knitting. I remember being so focused on the knitting that anything going on around me was a distraction. He didn't want to appear anti-social and then his hip also was starting to hurt from sitting in the folding chairs, so he retired to the sofa and had a nap. Those sofa's are very comfortable. Kim took a picture of him and said she was considering a photo montage of sofa sleepers on the wall behind it.

the shop hop begins

Lou and I drove to 4 of the shops on Saturday starting in Snellville at All That Yarn, then to Main Street in Watkinsville, Only Ewe and Cotton Too in Alpharetta and Whole Nine Yarns in Woodstock. We wanted to get all the stores that were the farthest away first and then all the ones in town will be easier during the week. I've been to 6 of the 10 now and shouldn't have any problem getting to the other 4. We heard of several other groups making the rounds on Saturday, but we only met up with one other person we knew from the guild. I tried to find unique stuff or something new I hadn't seen or bought before since I knew I'd be buying small(ish) amounts.
Here is what I've acquired so far...

Arucania Ranco #307
Arucania Ranco #301
Tofutsies 732
Paca Paints Moonlight
Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky #12
Beroco Ultra alpaca - for the Argyle scarf in Son of Stitch n bitch














We are doing a knit along for the arglye scarf from Son of Stitch N Bitch in our Friday Night group at Knitch. I'm using the Ultra Alpaca I bought. I'm curious to see what colors other people have chosen. It's done in double knit so it will take a while.

I finished my second Koolhaas hat. I used Cascade 220 black and Noro Silk Garden #8. It took a little longer than the first since it was fair isle. This one was a little snug, so I'm going to make it again and go up a couple of needle sizes and fewer pattern repeats.




I've also started the Cables & Corrugations Sock from Cat Bordhi new book New Pathways For Sock Knitters: Book One. I'm using White Oak TVyarn (Nightmare After Christmas is the colorway). This was from the SAFF stash of Melissa.. she was divesting herself of some of her purchases.



I started a Noni bag for Knitch last night too. It will be a shop sample. It's all fair isle and will probably take me a few weeks... it's a big bag.

So many sock ideas, so little time

I took one of the classes with Cat Bordhi at Knitch this week and learned so many new techniques which are featured in her new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One. Now I have several patterns and lots of sock yarn from SAFF to keep me a happy knitter for a while. It's an excellent book with clear and illustrated directions. If you have a chance to take a class with her I highly recommend you take it. She is a very empowering instructor and uses lots of her original socks for demonstrating her new techniques. She also tells lots of wonderful stories and the history behind her knitting ideas and patterns. Once again I was without my camera... there should be photos of the class out there in blogland somewhere I'm sure. Claudia, Jen, Jane and Melissa were all in the class of about 16. Unfortunately, Lou wasn't able to attend since he wasn't feeling well.


I've started another Koolhaas hat with Noro and black Cascade 220 this time. I'll post a pic here and on Ravelry as soon as I take some. I don't know why I've been so bad about taking pictures lately.


Claudia's Stricken Sie Deutsch swatch instructions were posted on Tuesday. I was having a hard time sleeping Tuesday night so I dove right in and finished and blocked it. The pattern is really pretty and I plan to make a scarf with it using reversible Zopfen (cables). So Claudia, was ist 'reversible' auf Deutsch? wendbar? My english-german dictionary has several choices for reversible. Maybe that will be in the next swatch challenge? ;)


Now that I've finished Michael's sweater I want to start another and have started the hunt for the next "must-knit-now" pattern. I've been wanting to make myself a cardigan for quite a while and bought some charcoal grey alpaca at SAFF last year that I think will look really nice. I tnik it's sport weight, so it should take me a while.

SAFF, the recap

We packed a lot into a 20 hour day last weekend at SAFF. Now I remember why we stayed overnight last year! I was worn out by the time we got home.


We had a lot of stuff we had to see and all in one day. The booths ring the floor of the arena and then also the entire upper ring above the seats too. I think we made the circuit at least 3 times before the buying frenzy slowed. We stopped at the llama barn first and met a very friendly llama who like to give kisses. He was mostly just interested in the smell of my sweater with me though. Lou got a nice nuzzle from him.



Happy alpacas



Alpacas with bad bangs. Where is Jose Eber when you need him?



Lou getting inside info from an alpaca informant


We spent a little time in the blogger barn knitting and chatting and sharing the best places to find new stash aquisitions.
Here's Jane (on the right) and her friend Greta from North Carolina who we had just met for the first time. Jane is working on her 99th pair of socks here.



This is Katey who won Best of Show for her handspun yarn. Sitting next to her is Amy in her beautiful Tweed Pullover sweater from Cables Untangled.





Sandy getting in some spinning in the barn.



Our favorite, and yet blogless costume designer, Diana.



Claudia and Brett enjoying the knitting and conversation in the blogger barn.



Janice contemplating a new pattern



Lou explaining to Bert how yoga can improve your knitting



Claudia invited us to the cabin she and her husband had rented for the week for a meal before hitting the road back to Atlanta. It was a really nice way to end our day at SAFF. Here is the view from the back porch of the cabin.



The fiber dogs on the porch supervising the knitting.



Lou and Brett on the porch getting a little knitting in before dinner.



Famous Steve taking a picture of the view.



Brett just didn't think it was time to give up on knitting out on the porch yet and brought out the flashlight.





...the end of our day at SAFF and the gorgeous sunset from the cabin. Thanks again to Claudia and her husband for the lovely dinner and hospitality.

Kaffe, Brandon, Lily.... names, names, names

Knitch hosted Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mabley last week for a book signing. Lou and I attended and even had a chance to chat with Brandon for a few minutes when there was a lull. He is a charmer!



I'm still working on the photos from SAFF. I have most of them done and expect to post a very heavy pic post soon.

I'm off to take a couple of classes with Lily Chin this morning on short row shaping and reversible cables. More on the classes and pics later too.