A little more Shetland and Grey Wolf

Before I left for Grey Wolf NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) I intended to post more photos from Shetland.

We returned from camp on Saturday (June 28).  It never ceases to amaze me when I see the youth staff develop over a five-month period during developments, and then work with the participants to put on the best program possible.  There were 72 participants that came into the week and 72 graduated!  This was the first opportunity Jim and I had to serve together on staff after 8 years of Grey Wolf.  He is a good leader and mentor for the staff and participants.  Even though I have been with the program for some time, it was an honor and pleasure to be on the same course with my husband.  Ben was on Week 1 and we were able to see him a few times.  It does not seem so long ago we dropped him off for leadership training!

Mr. C. watching the action.

Gery Grey Wolf our mascot looking sharp with his uniform.

Mr. C. living it intensely (note the bracelet--it says "live it intensely," referring to the Scout Oath and Law.  This happened during the ballista event.  

I finished the replacement Urchin.  It is not hand spun, but will be a nice hat.  I feel badly about losing my hat, but it is in a lovely place--Shetland!  Perhaps one of the local critters will find it and wear it at a jaunty angle.  The ends of the project bag are woven in, the lace is finished, and the handle is about halfway finished.  Washing, blocking, and then sewing up are next.  I will make a lining for the bag and sew a facing on the handle for stability.  It would be nice to incorporate the little button that Jane gave to each of us, or make a Dorset button closure.  Next up is the Little Black Vest, which turned into a KAL (knit along).  I decided to go with the triangle design instead of the tumbling blocks for the texture stitching.  I cast on for the Greta, by Rowan.  I am thankful it is a shop sample and not for a class because of the fine yarn and small needle size it will take some time to make.  Shwook is my personal project.  I love knitting color work and I think about Shetland as I knit.

Going through the UFOs I was surprised I did not have as many as I thought, which is good.  Summer is flying by and it would be nice to finish up projects for me and for gifts.  Lots of little ones to knit for this year!

Spinning up a storm with the drop spindles with focus on Iceland and Shetland.  I have to come up with something for Spin-Off and maybe even Knitty!

Speaking of Shetland...

Elizabeth spinning some fine Shetland wool. 

Her lovely little Shetland spinning wheel.

The Shetland Designer was bursting with colorful knitwear.  The color ways shown here are the ones from which the volunteers at the Shetland Museum and Archives chose for their uniform vests.  The vest at the top left is one of the vests the volunteers wear.  

Neila's studio has a lovely view and her innovative designs were such fun to try on.
My favorite piece is Toog.

The flowers and colorfully painted spinning wheels add charm to the shop exterior.

Textile Museum 

Hazel Tindall was a pleasure to meet.  She was knitting away on this beautiful sweater.  Watching her work is a wonder!  Her quick, efficient movements create magic.

The photo before the loss of my beloved hat.  Taking a walk on a beautiful day in a beautiful place was worth the loss.  The wind was blowing and the air smelled so sweet.  Wildflowers abloom and the waves splashing on the rocks...I was in heaven!

Halfway through the project, Jane taught us how to make Dorset buttons.  

A little friend joined my on my walk around Lerwick.   I believe the colors of the cat, pavement, and wall might work as a nice colorway...mmmm...

I bought the pattern and some yarn to make the Eid top (in front) designed by
Hazel Tindall for Wool Week 2011.  I will post photos of my color choices soon!

This treasure was at the Shetland Museum.  How sharp the Boy Scouts look in their uniforms!

WIPs

Works in progress (WIPs)--a constant for me!  I am currently working on shop samples.  After a couple of hiccups with Jane's Tunic, I am almost finished with one side.  There is a concern about the amount of yarn (5 hanks) being enough to finish, but I will soldier on and maybe hold a hank back just in case.  I love knitting with the linen.  The drape is lovely.  Next is the Pine Bough Cowl.  HiKoo Kenzie (merino/nylon/angora/alpaca/silk noils) makes knitting a breeze--plus knitting in the round traps the long floats on the wrong side of the fabric.  The yarn is soft and the colors beautiful.  The yarn rep was at the shop recently and had a washed and blocked swatch--oh my goodness, it was so soft!  There is not a large range of colors, but the colors available are wonderful.

As for the other WIPs and UFOs, they are anxiously waiting in their bags!

Road trip and knitting

We had a whirlwind weekend with Ben.  The men and women won their swim meet against Hope College.  As always, it's fun to watch the competition.  We had time to go to the outlet mall and I got a new rain jacket for camping, and we stocked up on some Ghiradelli chocolate squares and bars.  Early Sunday morning, we picked up Ben and went into town to have breakfast at Frank's Diner.  What a fun place, and the food was great.  The staff was dressed for Halloween, which added to the atmosphere.  I got quite a bit of knitting done during the six-hour drive and the waiting between events.  The little slippers were quick to knit and not nearly as fiddly as I imagined.  After I finished the sampler scarf and then the slippers, I started a pair of the mittens.  I'll use gray for the hand to play against the bright colors.  The projects have proved to be excellent examples of stash-busting projects.  I can't believe how little yarn they take!  November is going to be a busy month for me.  My classes shift into gear and I'm excited to be teaching more classes.  Finishing the samples from Kristin Nicholas' new book will help promote classes for after the first of the year.  (Oh my, Christmas is just around the corner!)

Sunrise--Lake Michigan

Staff at Frank's--Dolly Parton, Ninja, and Prisoner

Breakfast--note the sundae (lower right) one of the staff was having for breakfast!

Frank's Diner

Eevee was very happy to be home again.  She looks so pretty (she had a bath) and I'd trimmed her legs and feet before I dropped her off.  She's glued to her bed right now.  She also enjoyed seeing the Trick-or-Treaters last night.  We had mostly really little ones.  So cute!  Lots of Buzz Lightyear made an appearance, Snow Whites, princesses, animals, and Ninjas.  It's always fun.  We have some candy left--I always make sure to get candy I like.

Color and more color!

It was another glorious autumn weekend and we enjoyed helping out at the first overnight Cub Camporee for the district.  Jim was in compass and then fitness, and I was in Cub Knowledge and flag-folding.  We were pretty tired by the end of the day, not having worked with the young scouts for a long time, but it was great fun to see the boys having fun! 

 

Now that most of the fall colors are past peak, I'm working on the color sample scarf again.  I have to admit, knitting forty stitches in the round have been tough on the right wrist, though.  I'm slowing down a bit (which is difficult, as I love to see what's next) and will take time to weave in a few ends.

 

Most of the leaves are raked and mulched.  I enjoyed using Jim's new toy.  The bag got a bit heavy, but it made quick work of the leaf piles and they fit in the recycling bin for yard waste.  Eevee still manages to track in leaves.  I couldn't believe the acorns!  No wonder the squirrels were so happy this year!  Even though we mulched some of them, there are still plenty to go around.  Speaking of acorns, the tiny knitted acorn was made by my friend, Kathy. It's about the size of a real acorn and I want to put a pin back on it so I can wear it.  She's a very talented person, which reminds me...we need to make time for coffee, soon!

The times they are a changin'

23.08.10  Trite, I know, but true.  Just like the weather and the seasons, the only thing constant is change.  The change for me is a new opportunity, or rather the revival of an old one!

As of today, I am no longer an employee of the shop.  Nothing bad, just a change for them and for me.  I took the time during the summer to spin and think, spin, knit, and think some more--leading me to the conclusion that I need to re-visit what I started in Texas.  I accomplished so much artistically in the three years we lived there.

I'll be teaching at a shop called Shepherd's Choice and it's in a great town by the Mississippi River.  I've known the owner for some time and she's quite the fiber artist.  I'm going to focus on advanced knitting, felting, and hopefully drop spindling and art yarn.  My brain's been busy with ideas swimming around and I'm excited about the possibilities!  Now I just need to see if others are inspired my enthusiasm to push themselves creatively!

I bought yarn for an intarsia project from the current issue of Interweave Knits.  I'm not doing a sweater initially.  That is difficult for me, as I LOVE sweaters!  The Spud & Chloe yarn is gorgeous--the colors are lush, it's soft, and it's superwash.

02.09.10  Ben is settled back at college.  I'm glad we were able to get him there early because today it's storming.  He has the room to himself for a few days, so he can get all set up before his roommate comes back.  The guys were headed to town for $5 all-you-can-eat pizza last night.

03.09.10  It's a glorious day in my world.  windy and cool.  It's cloudy, but that's fine.  Sweater weather today!  I have the door open and the wind sounds wonderful.  My sister and I always loved the sound of the wind on Pop's farm.  It blocks out the traffic noise today.  Nice!

I finished the hat and re-named it.  It was a bit too large for me (I knitted to gauge and followed the measurements in the pattern), so I put a toe into the frog pond and started the decreases after the last purl row.  Now it's just right.  I liked the tab facing the back, and layered a couple of buttons from my stash for the finishing touch!  The color and fuzziness remind me of an edelweiss flower.

Something for the new year

It's almost time to say goodbye to 2009 and the decade.  I think I'm ready.  This has been a decade of much sorrow and happiness, changes good and bad for me and  for my family.  It was a bumpy ride, but we're still here and I'm looking forward to a new year and the beginning of a new decade!  As EZ once said, "Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises," and that's exactly what I've done!
Winter has settled in and in an effort (notice I said EFFORT) to reduce the stash, I've been wanting to make something with my oddments of wool and found the perfect project in Color by Kristin.  Her work is bright and cheery and she's been one of my favorite designers for years.  I'm making a shop sample of the Extra-Long Scarf for Extra-Cold Days.  Kristin used double-pointed needles, but I have some short Clover circulars and they're perfect for this project.  Because I have no issues with tension when I work Fair Isle, I'm not changing needle size when I get to the color work.  Any time I work Fair Isle it goes quickly because I can't wait to see the next color combination and pattern!  Choosing colors wasn't an issue, just about anything will work together.  I particularly like the way red and orange play off each other and rather than black for the ridges, I chose brown.  Kristin chooses a palette much like I do for painting.  Normally I don't use black--instead I mix my black, which makes the color richer and more interesting. 

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, may your knitting be fun with little or no frogging, your pattern have no errors (that's a big one!), and all your knits fit!

Ahhh...September

Friedrich is ready for the trip to college!

I love this time of year. Autumn is approaching, school supplies in the stores, etc. We've had a lovely summer with some really nice weather, which helped! Oh, I can't forget...the Ohio State Buckeyes are playing today. I have my new flag flying! Go Bucks!
Ben is back at college. We drove him over on Tuesday and came back Wednesday. It was great to move him in early before the rush and before his roommate! He's on the orientation team for incoming Freshmen and on student government this year. Swim practice begins earlier this year.
I got quite a bit accomplished this summer with sweaters! The latest is the Fair Isle collared jacket. Also, I decided to frog the single socks I have going and use the yarn for other projects like hats and scarves instead of socks. I'm just not feeling the love for knitting socks on toothpicks. I still love to knit the bed socks--much faster and mindless for me.
I'm recycling one of my sweaters--the Amherst. It's cotton, and was getting a bit droopy. I'm knitting from the knitted pieces. It's like Flat Feet for sweaters!
We have a long weekend and I believe we're just going to relax and enjoy it. Jim's on a time-trial bike ride today. I'm doing laundry and surveying the mess in my office. It's more paper work (not my favorite thing) that I have to file for my mother, but can't shred--yet (love the shredder!).The flowers on campus are lovely this year.

An award with a little challenge...

The Premio Meme Award...Margie awarded me with this fun award, and it is sharing seven facts about yourself and passing it on to seven others. I loved the way she presented her seven facts. Very insightful! I had fun with it.

Okay, I have to pass this along and I choose these fine folks: Rebekah, Joanne, and Kathy. I have to come up with four more, but it's a start!

Now, on with knitting...I'm whipping up a little jacket from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009's issue. It's been fun and quick to knit. I'm picking up for the collar right now and will have that ready when I go to the coffee shop before class today. I've been chatting with the designer through Ravelry and she's very nice. I'm anxious to share the finished project.
I had the brown yarn and the skein of oatmeal in my stash. I started out with 9 skeins and only used 3! I like the yarn (one can't go wrong with Rowan) and the Lamb's Pride is perfect with it.