Favorite Stuff for Knitting and Yarny Goodness

I've been thinking a lot lately about simplifying everything. Life feels so complicated sometimes, and simplifying where I can just makes sense. Simplifying means different things to different people. To me, it means getting things out of the way that are keeping me from feeling comfortable in my own space and being able to get things done easily and as effortlessly as possible.

With this goal in mind, I went through my bathroom and got rid of expired products, stuff I knew I was never going to use, old makeup, etc., etc.. I need to do this in my kitchen. Like, big time. How many measuring cups does one person need? Apparently I think I need ALL of the measuring cups. Same with wooden spoons and tongs.

This got me thinking about my craft supplies, including my knitting supplies. I'm much more hesitant to get rid of craft and art supplies than I am with pretty much anything else. They don't go bad! I have them well-organized! Don't touch my watercolor paper! STEP AWAY FROM THE YARN!

So here's the thing. I have found that there are some things I really can't live without when it comes to knitting and yarn.

1. Yarn

I know: DUH!  I often say my real hobby is collecting yarn, and I just happen to also knit a lot. Do not ask me to cull my yarn stash, because it will not happen. I love all of my yarn. Also: I am a yarn snob. If it's mostly acrylic, I won't touch it. I just don't like the way acrylic feels. I prefer natural fibers, with a real focus on protein fibers (wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, silk). I don't own a lot of cotton or linen, though I do have times when I enjoy working with those. I have my stash very well organized and inventoried. I can pretty easily put my hands on the yarn I'm looking for without too much digging. Over the summer, I even made labels for my yarn containers to make locating what I need even easier!

2. Knitting Needles

This is another duh, but hear me out. Every knitter has their favorite knitting needles, right? But we have a tendency--at least I do--to collect many different kinds of needles. At one point, I had lots of nickel-plated needles, bamboo needles, and other wooden needles. Several years ago, I found out I'm highly allergic to nickel, so I got rid of all of my nickel-plated needles. A couple of weeks ago, I realized I still have a lot of needles I just avoid because I don't like their join or their tips aren't pointy enough. So, I pulled out the needles I avoid and put them in a small box. My favorite needles are Knitter's Pride Symfonie Dreamz fixed circulars or interchangeable. I love the join. I love how pointy they are. I love the smoothness of the finish. Yes, they still have a little metal on them, but I can live with it because that part is usually covered with yarn. My point to all of this: I have reduced my needle collection down to just what I enjoy using, which makes my life easier. I also moved from a hanging circular needle holder in an armoire to zipped binder pouches in a glittery pink binder. I even made labels for the pouches with my Cricut. It's super fun, and I have my needles right next to where I do most of my knitting. Simplify!!!

3. Ball Winder and Swift

I know many knitters who don't own ball winders or swifts, and they are perfectly happy with life. I have three ball winders. Two are the classic plastic ball winder you see at most yarn shops. They are small and portable and easy to use. The other is a larger metal ball winder that winds large balls. The descriptions says "up to 10 oz," but I've wound larger balls without any problem. I love this ball winder and highly recommend it. I have it set up on my secondary craft table at all times.  The swift I own is the classic wooden swift (this link isn't the exact one I have, but it's darn close), but the metal and plastic ones are probably fine for at-home use.

4. Stitch Markers

In my years of teaching knitting, I've discovered that I'm maybe a bit pickier about stitch markers than most knitters. I really prefer the thin, rigid plastic discs, which I used to get from River Knits and now can't find online, so I can't give you a link. Instead, I'll give you a photo.

I'm also a sucker for pretty beaded stitch markers. I don't usually enjoy using them as much because they're a little fiddly for me, but they are pretty. So I use them sometimes. I really love this TARDIS set I got from Brenda and Heather Yarns at the Fiber Event.

One kind of stitch marker I absolutely cannot live without is a locking stitch marker that looks like a plastic safety pin. I use these so much! In fact, I just ordered this off-brand collection of 300 of them from Amazon. We'll see how they hold up. I rarely use this as on-needle markers. Instead, I use them to mark my place. I tend to be a row-counter, especially when it comes to matching sleeves or socks or mittens--anything that comes in twos. So it's not uncommon for a sleeve to look like this:

This project (Boxy by Joji Locatelli)  has 5 different skeins of handpainted yarns. So, I marked my transition rows and "solid" rows. I couldn't have done this without these amazing locking markers.

I know you're saying, "But what about split ring markers?"  Answer: I hate them. They fall out way too easily. I will admit that I have a few, but I only use them once in a great while. Like if I see a mistake that needs to be fixed on the next row, I'll put a spit ring marker on the spot to mark it temporarily. Otherwise. No. I don't like them. I also strongly dislike rubbery stitch markers that can stretch or bend or stick to my needles. Oh! One more thing: I mostly use small gauge needles (I don't like working with anything much over a US7), so I prefer smaller stitch markers too. I hate using a large stitch marker on a small needle.

Using the right stitch markers for ME makes my knitting life easier! Once you find something that works for you, it's perfectly fine to stick with it and be a curmudgeon about it, like I am with stitch markers.

5. Susan Bates Silvalume Handi Tool

This little guy is so handy. I've used it to pick up stitches, make a chain for a provisional cast on, work Emily Ocker's cast on, fix a pulled stitch, fix a snag on a finished garment, and more.  I've linked you to Amazon, but if you have a local yarn shop, check there. Amazon has these marked up a lot, and you can probably get it at your LYS for less than $2.

6. Apps for my iPad and iPhone (also available for Android devices)

KnitCompanion is, hands down, the most necessary app in my life. You can have all of my other apps. I have to have KnitCompanion. It's free to download and try, but it's 100% worth the $14.99 per year subscription rate. I never use paper patterns anymore. Everything is in KnitCompanion. In KC, I can set up charts, row-by-row instructions, take notes, easily refer to abbreviations and other necessary information, and so much more. It also helps familiarize me with a pattern before I cast on, which is always a good thing.

Sortly is an inventory app that I've found extremely useful for keeping track of my yarn stash (along with other collections like fabric, sewing patterns...and I just realized I could use it to keep track of knitting magazines, books, patterns, pattern booklets, etc.!). I'm kinda weird in that I like having an easily navigable inventory of stuff that I collect. So much so that I'm actually looking forward to working with my husband to inventory his vacuum tubes and possibly other components. So, why do I like having a yarn inventory on my phone? When I'm shopping for yarn, I can check to see what I already have, including colors and dye lots. I have photos for everything, which makes it easier to find other yarns that might coordinate. It also helps when I find a pattern I love because I can see if I already have yarn that will work for it. Now for the sort-of down side: Sortly has a monthly subscription price of $4.99 if you want to enter more than 100 items. To me, it's worth it because I keep track of more than just my yarn, and I'll be expanding to add other inventories as well. [Edited to add: Sortly has recently changed their subscriptions, and the $4.99/mo option is no longer available. As a legacy user, I can continue at that rate. If I weren't a legacy user, I would not sign up with Sortly now. I will likely be searching for a different app. Eventually, I'm sure they will discontinue the legacy support.] Umm..yes, I also maintain my yarn inventory in Ravelry and in Excel. Why do you ask?

Apps for listening to stuff. Amazon Music, Downcast, Audible, Chirp, Hoopla, and Libby. Those are my six most-used listening apps. Amazon Music is (duh) for music. Downcast is a podcast app. I know many are happy with the native podcast app on their iPhones, but I wasn't. I've been using Downcast for years and love it. Audible and Chirp are audiobook apps. Hoopla and Libby are apps that work with my local library to borrow audiobooks. I don't watch a lot of TV, so while the others in my house are watching TV, I'm usually listening to a podcast or audiobook.

7. Ravelry

I almost didn't add this here because it's such an obvious thing, but I figured if I added yarn and needles, I better add Ravelry.  I use Ravelry for so much, I don't know how I existed before...well, I do. I had lots of binders full of patterns, project notes, yarn inventories... you get the picture. So much paper!  Enter Ravelry: I can buy PDF patterns and open them in KnitCompanion for use. I can sell my own patterns (to enable me to buy more patterns by other designers). I can keep track of all of my projects. I can look up projects done by other people to see how they look, if they ran into any problems, or if they made any alterations. I can connect with other knitters who might have similar interests to mine. Doctor Who? Yep. Animal Crossing? Yep. Curling? Yep. You name it, there's probably a group for it!

I know someone is probably wondering how I feel about Ravelry since they made their anti-racism policy change on June 23. I fully support it. Trump and his administration have proven themselves to be highly supportive of white supremacy. Regardless of your own personal beliefs, support of the Trump administration is undoubtedly support for white supremacy. You may not consider yourself a white supremacist or a racist, but you are certainly supporting them if you support him. So, I support Ravelry, and that's that.

8. A Good Lamp

It doesn't have to be an expensive lamp, but I need good lighting when I'm knitting anything much more complicated than stockinette or garter stitch. Yes, I have a simple stockinette project just for movie theater knitting.  At home, I have this lamp from IKEA clamped to the end table. (I actually have an older version of this.) I can shine it directly at my knitting so the rest of the room can be dark, which is how my family likes it for watching TV or playing video games. And I use a bulb with relatively low lumens. I think what I'm using now is an LED that roughly equal to a 25W or 40W incandescent bulb.

9. A Supportive Spouse/Partner/Housemate

I cannot stress this enough. There are times when all of the floor space in our bedroom is taken up by blocking shawls, or the kitchen and dining table are inaccessible all weekend because I'm dyeing, or we have to turn down an invitation because it's the same day as The Fiber Event, or any other number of things related to yarn. My husband is fully supportive. Why? Because he has his own interests and side hustles that affect our life together, so he gets it! I have plenty of friends whose partners are not as supportive. They won't allow them to have a large yarn stash. They complain if there are knitting projects left on the coffee table. They expect to be able to use the kitchen to prepare a meal. (😉Yes, we can use our kitchen to prepare meals....just not while I'm dyeing...) I guess what I'm saying is this: My husband makes my life easier by being supportive of my interests and activities.


So there you have it: the nine things I can't live without that all work together to make my life easier, simpler, and much better.

PS: I'm planning a big announcement Friday, so be sure to check back!! 

Gifts: how to get what you want

Yeah, I know that title sounds really selfish. But, let's face it, knitters are super generous this time of year. We love knitting for the people we love. We spend more money on yarn to make gifts than we would spend on just purchasing a gift at a store.  On top of that, we spend tons of time and energy making the gift. Every knitting thing we give away takes a little piece of our heart with it.

So, here's how you help those who love you to get you something you love.

My kids and hubby know I really like yarn, but they really don't know anything about yarn. Fortunately, River Knits allows people to put together a wish list on a little note card.

This is great! However, it still requires my socially anxious husband (bless his heart) to interact with people. So, I decided to make it really easy for him this year.

One day, I went into River Knits and just started snapping pictures of the stuff I like. Then, I took those pictures and used Insta Picframes to create collages and add text. Yeah, I even played around with the colors and fonts and stuff. Like this:

I even did this:

See the "NO" on top of the one little cubbie there in the bottom left corner. There's nothing wrong with that yarn, I just don't enjoy it as much as the others.

If I had taken more time, I would have put together a little map of the shop to show exactly where everything could be found. But, I didn't have time, so he still had to experience a little human interaction.

I know this looks really...um.....presumptuous? Entitled? Demanding?  But, hubby said he actually really appreciated it. His reasoning: "If my wish list involved a vacuum tube store, you'd be just as clueless as I am walking into the yarn shop." Truth. Although, honestly, I don't think pictures would even help me in a vacuum tube store. They all look like weird lightbulbs to me.

Please also note that I have absolutely no expectation to receive all of these things. I just like to give him a lot of variety to choose from.

On that note, Happy Holidays to all of you wonderful fibery folks out there! May your stockings be filled with everything you need to knit your next fabulous project!

Ravellenics Sweater: Days 2 and 3 and a Tip about Hand Painted Yarn

This weekend was kind of a whirlwind. Friday night's opening ceremonies were.....interesting. Not my favorite opening ceremonies ever. The projection effects were really cool. The Swan Lake thing was kind of weird. They looked more like big jellyfish. The symbolism used throughout (like the red cogs and gears for Communism) was interesting. I keep using the word "interesting." But, my favorite part is always the Parade of Nations. I love watching all of the athletes enter the stadium, so proud to represent their countries. Seeing all the different outfits is always fun too. I loved Germany's brightly colored coats and pants. Lithuania was awesome in green--they looked like big limes. Slovenia looked fresh and bright in white, lime and turquoise. Canada and Russia both looked classically amazing. Great Britain, Japan, and Australia were kind of boring. Of course, you always have the tropical island nations dressed in shorts (Bermuda, we're looking at you). But the USA just looked stupid. I'm sorry. I know their outfits were made in the USA with USA-sourced materials and designed by Ralph Lauren, who is USA through and through. But they looked stupid. Ugliest outfits ever for the USA in the history of the Olympics.

(source)

So, enough about those sweaters. Let's talk about MY sweater. During the opening ceremonies, I was able to knit part of the back and enough of each front to pick up the sleeve stitches first thing Saturday morning. 

You might notice that these needles are different than those with which I cast on Friday afternoon. This is another way knitters need to be flexible. I cast on with US7s, which is what I used for my swatch, and after a few rows, it just felt too loose. Rather than fight my instincts, I followed them. I pulled out those few rows and cast on again with US6s, and it just feels perfect. I measured my gauge, and it was definitely the right decision. So, that's where I was at the end of the day Friday.

We spent Saturday morning at ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) Solo & Ensemble. Tori was performing with a flute ensemble and a solo. Her two performance times were about an hour and a half apart. Needless to say, I brought my sweater. But, before we get to that, allow me to brag on Tori for a moment. While she had the experience of performing with an ensemble last year, she had never gone to S&E with a solo before. For her first solo, she performed at Division I level, which is the most difficult. She got gold!!!  Which means she will go to State Solo & Ensemble in March. I'm so proud of her!!!!

In the interest of giving equal time to my kids, I would also like to share that last Saturday, Aaron competed at S&E and earned gold for his Division V piano solo. He's been taking piano lessons for less than a year, so that's why the Division V. BUT, we're equally proud of him even though Division V golds don't get to go to state. 

Okay! Enough bragging on my kids. Let's get back to that sweater! I took it with me to S&E so I could work on it during down time between performances. I was able to pick up the sleeve stitches and get a few more rows in. This is what it looked like when we got home just before noon:

Saturday afternoon was a little crazy. We had a few errands to run and Tori had a birthday party to attend in the evening. So, I wasn't able to just sit and knit all day. I still managed to get quite a bit done. I was far enough on the sleeve caps that I could fold the front over the back. 

Sunday was also a little crazy. I always do laundry and get groceries for the week on Sunday. This Sunday, I also made a lasagna and a giant batch of chicken and noodles. Over the past few months, I've found it's just easier to cook all of the food for the week on Sunday afternoons, then eat "leftovers" every night for dinner. It's worked well so far.  But, yesterday, it kind of cut into my knitting time. I was still able to reach my goal of getting to the underarms by the end of the weekend, though! 

I also want to take a moment to talk about hand painted yarn. I *love* hand painted yarn. But (there's always a but), it's not the easiest yarn in the world to work with. If you're doing a small project that only needs one skein (like a hat), you're fine. But, as soon as you introduce a second or third skein (or even more!), you have to deal with variations. As is the nature of anything made by hand, these yarns are not perfect. They do not have dye lots and they are never identical. Here are the skeins I'm using for my sweater. The yarn (as I've said before) is Malabrigo Rios in the Arco Iris colorway.

Right away, it's pretty obvious that these skeins are each unique. The one on the top right is decidedly lighter than the one in the center bottom. The one on the bottom right has more green in it than most of the others. There's no denying each skein is different even though they all contain basically the same colors. And, sometimes, once they are wound, the difference become even more obvious.

Look at that bottom skein! It doesn't even look like the same colorway anymore, and there are definite differences between the other three. But, I assure you, they are all Arco Iris.

So, what's a knitter to do? We don't want our projects to look like this when we change skeins:

That's my River in Summer shawl/wrap/vest thing, which I am wearing today.  Because of the lighting in my office, the difference looks much more drastic than it really is (I hope!). See where it goes from dark purple to more green? That's where I switched to a new skein. (The yarn is Briar Rose Wistful, which I love so much there aren't even words.) This drastic line could have been avoided if I'd just taken a few extra precautions.

I know you've heard it before. When knitting with hand painted yarns, alternate between skeins to even out any color differences.

What does that really mean? It does NOT mean choosing two skeins and alternating every two rows between them until you have used them up and then switching to two more skeins. It means alternating between all of your skeins more or less equally. If you are using something that is feltable, you can spit splice every time you join a new skein to avoid an abundance of ends. However, if you are using a machine-washable yarn, this probably means you will have a lot of ends to weave in. It's a small price to pay for a finished garment that looks amazing. Here's how I'm doing it: I use two skeins to work 6 or 8 rows, alternating between them every two rows. Then I switch out at least one of the skeins, but sometimes both. I also make sure the skeins I'm alternating between are significantly different. Like I'd use a more green skein with a more red skein. This also helps avoid any pooling of colors that can sometimes happen with hand painted yarns.

The only real drawback I can think of with this method (other than the potential of many more ends to weave in) is making sure you reserve enough yarn for sleeves and front bands/collars. With a garment using industrially dyed yarn that is all the same dye lot, it's easy to set aside three skeins for the sleeves and not touch them until you are ready to do the sleeves. But, with this method, you want a little bit of each skein in all parts of the sweater. I'm planning to work around that by knitting the sleeves once the body is about 2-3" beyond the underarm. Remember, I'm knitting this sweater top-down, so I'll pick up the sleeve stitches and knit both sleeves before completing the body. Then, I'll just have to make sure I have enough yarn for the bands of ribbing around the fronts and neckline. We'll save that math for another day, though.

What a weekend!

Productive? Yes! Relaxing? Absolutely! 

I had a fun weekend filled with sewing and knitting and a little bit of cooking.

We kicked off the weekend with the HHS Homecoming game. We're in the midst of a 3-season losing streak, so there was no surprise when the streak continued. But, that's not what's important. What IS important is that the Raider Militia Band ROCKED their Michael Jackson themed half-time show.

Best looking band around. And, as my husband has said in the past, it's really nice of the high school to put on this football game for the Band. Seriously...the band has won more events than the football team has. Just sayin'.

Saturday was all about the sewing. Started the day with a quick trip to the fabric store for zippers, purse hardware, and some solid white and black fabric to use as linings for some of the bags. Once home, I pulled out my craft cart and got to work. I also had a "helper."

Why is it cats think they need to be right in our biz-nazz all the time? Diego has the benefit of being black and white, so his fur shows up on everything. Good thing he's so cute.

First project of the day was another case for my 3DS XL, but this one matches the skin I got a few weeks ago.

Isn't it awesome?! I love it so much. I used 4 different Doctor Who fabrics--I just purchased 8"x8" samples of each, which was perfect. This and the Avengers fabric in the next pic are all from Spoonflower.

Once the DS case was done, I tackled a Two-Zip Hipster for Tori.

What a fabulous pattern! Every step is spelled out and accompanied by full-color photos. It's so clear and well-written, I had no doubt what I was supposed to do. And Tori LOVES it! It's the perfect size for her to carry at school from class to class.

Sunday, I sat down with the Cruzer Convertible Bag pattern and some fabric I got on sale at Walmart eons ago. After the absolute clarity of the Two-Zip Hipster pattern, this one was quite a disappointment. I realize this pattern was written for "advanced" sewers, but even so, it seemed like some steps were left out or not as clear as they could have been. That said, I'm quite pleased with the finished bag. It's big and can be worn as a backpack. It will make an excellent knitting bag and will easily hold a sweater-worth of yarn.

I love this fabric. You might recognize it from the curtains in my front room. I still have tons of fabric left, which is awesome. It also means you'll probably see it here again in the future.

I still have a few yards of geeky fabric I didn't get to use. My intention was to make the Cruzer with my Doctor Who damask fabric, but after I read the pattern, I wanted to do it with a cheaper fabric first. I'm glad I did. This isn't the right bag for that fabric. I also didn't get around to doing anything with the Icons of the Silver Screen fabric. I didn't have anything in particular in mind when I ordered that one, though. (Oh my goodness....is this how fabric stashing starts? I don't need another stash of anything. My yarn stash is plenty big!)

How did you spend your weekend?

Gift Knitting

Gift Knitting. Some people view it very simply: I like to knit; you want something knitted; I'll knit for you. I don't happen to be one of those people. I am extremely selective about the people for whom I will knit. My mom is at the top of the list. She appreciates the amount of work that goes into knitting something, but she also understands that I've made the thing for her to wear and use. She and my dad both love handknit socks. My kids are next. Tori loves knit hats and socks. In fact, she has been known to wear knit hats well into dates and places where the weather and temperature would indicate the lack of need for such warm attire. She doesn't care. And socks! During the winter, getting her to take off her handknit socks long enough to wash them is like pulling teeth. It's kind of gross. Aaron claims to like knitted things, but honestly, the kid is like a walking furnace. He's always hot. But, I dutifully knit him a hat every year, and when he goes sledding, he appreciates it. Otherwise, it just sits in the basket with the other cold-weather accessories. My mother-in-law and father-in-law also appreciate it when I knit them things, but I don't do it very often. I'm also happy to knit for my nieces and nephews, but only if they ask. I don't want to be known as Crazy Aunt Amanda who always knits us stupid crap that mom forces us to wear.

Like most knitters, I have a handful of acquaintances who ask me to knit something for them every time I see them.  I usually just laugh it off, or tell them I don't have time to knit all the things I really want to knit for myself, so....  And it's true. Mostly. I mean, I hate it when people say, "I wish I could do X, but I just don't have time." Well, yes, you do. You have time for the things you make time for. Period. It's not that you don't HAVE time to do something, you just choose to use your time doing other things. And that's the point, isn't it? We knit for people that we like enough to dedicate the time to knit for them. I know how valuable my time is. A lot of love and consideration goes into every stitch I knit.

So why am I thinking about gift knitting? It's that time of year. If you are going to knit holiday gifts for someone, now's the time to get started! Even if you don't start the actual knitting, it's a great time to start planning in that direction.

Plus, I just saw a hat on Ravelry that totally made me think of my daughter! It's a free pattern, and I know she'll love it. I can probably knit it in a weekend. Which means it will be done way before Christmas. Well....her birthday is in November. I could give it to her for her birthday.

Uh oh. Do you see where I'm going with this? I have a TERRIBLE time keeping knitted gifts a secret. I want to give them the minute they are completed. Especially if it's something I know the recipient will love. Like this hat. I couldn't even keep the existence of the pattern a secret. I texted Tori the link as soon as I saw it, and she went nuts. I'm not like this with store-bought gifts. I can keep video games, clothes, books, whatever a secret. But I get so excited about knitted things. I want to involve the recipient in every step. I'm not sure if it's because I want them to share in my excitement, or if it's my way of protecting myself--making sure it's something they really want or not.

Am I alone here? Does anyone else feel this way about knitting for others?

Summer's here again

It seems to happen every year. Summer just sneaks up on me and takes over! And by the time I realize it's here, it's gone! Where did June go?! How are we already more than half-way through July?!  Well, we spent two weeks in June on vacation. And what a vacation it was! We started with a 4-night Disney Cruise to The Bahamas. Pure heaven. It was the first time we've been on a cruise, and it was amazing. I highly recommend it.  Even if you don't have (or don't like!) children, do it! There are areas of the ship that are entirely kid-free. Tori was really concerned about having to be around little kids (like at the Disney parks), but she was happily able to avoid them completely.

No matter how many pictures you see, you can't be prepared for the sheer size of the ship. It's amazing how huge this thing is.

Sail Away party on deck. It looks really crowded, but the deck parties were actually the only times the ship FELT crowded.

These big portholes with little cushioned seats were so cool.


We also hit the weather jackpot. It was smooth sailing for the entire cruise. The weather in Nassau and at Castaway Cay was perfect--breezy, not too hot, mix of sun and clouds. Gorgeous!

I think the thing that made me giggle the most was this sign on the outside of the Bahamian Department of Health building in Nassau.

We followed the cruise up with a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, where the kids enjoyed pretending to wreck the lunar rover.

Then we spent a couple of days in Estero, FL at Tim's parents' winter place. It was hot. And I don't mean just hot. It was hot and sticky and miserable. We stayed indoors most of the time.


When we'd had quite enough of that, we drove back to Orlando and spent 3 days at Universal Studios/Island of Adventure. Honestly, one day would have been enough. My kids were primarily interested in Harry Potter land and some of the Marvel stuff. The vast majority of the rides are simulator-type rides, which was kind of disappointing. The Harry Potter section of the park was awesome, but too small.

Butterbeer is the bomb.

We had breakfast one day at the Three Broomsticks, and that was cool. We ate there for dinner one night too, and the fish a chips (for the kids), roasted chicken dinner (for Tim) and shepherd's pie (for me) were all very good.

The kids also had to get their pic in front of the Hogwarts Express.

And, when Aaron saw a conductor standing in front of it later, we had to get more pics.

We also did the cinematic dining experience one night. It was okay--the dinner followed by dessert reception was good, but not spectacular. The show was cool--celebrating 100 years of Universal Studios through clips, music, water works and fireworks--but it wasn't as good as anything we've seen at Disney. By the end, I was definitely ready to go home.

All in all, a good vacation. I think if we had started with Universal and ended with the cruise, I might have enjoyed Universal more. But having the amazing experience of "Disney magic" right out of the gate made all else pale in comparison. I'm ready to go on a Disney Cruise again RIGHT NOW!

In other news: I did get a fair bit of knitting done on vacation. I started a moebius scarf--perfectly mindless knitting--to work on during the shows, movies and other "sitting" types of things. I completed the Windward scarf, and I started a cardigan. I also took yarn and needles to start a laceweight shawl, but that didn't happen.

I managed to get a fair bit of reading done too. I finished World War Z and started and finished The Great Gatsby and A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallow's.  I highly recommend World War Z, which is written as a series of interviews about the Zombie War. Very interesting read, but not written as a linear story, so it's easy to put down and pick back up again. The Great Gatsby was one I probably should have read by now, but it was never required, so I didn't. It was a quick read, and I'm glad I read it, but (in my opinion) it's nothing spectacular. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallow's: If you've read the rest of the Outlander series (and if you haven't, you should!), this is a quick novella. It's a side-story about Roger's parents, specifically his father. Definitely worth the read.

As soon as we got home, I went out and purchased Animal Crossing: New Leaf to play on Aaron's Nintendo 3DS. Less than 24 hours later, I had to go out and buy my own 3DS and another copy of the game. Darn kids wanting to play MY game! LOL! Of course, this means I've done very little knitting or crafting since June 23. Except for the bit of knitting on the moebius scarf when Tim and I went to see World War Z. (Great movie, by the way. Nothing like the book, but still very good. As my husband said, they definitely left it open for a Z-quel. Har har.) And the socks I'm knitting along with the class I'm currently teaching at River Knits. Anyway, I'm totally addicted to this game, and it might be a few more weeks before I get back to knitting in my spare time. It's so silly, but I can't help it.

I was introduced to a new hobby and had a wonderful evening last Friday with several of my friends. We went to Midnight Madness at All Fired Up, a local paint-your-own-pottery place. I had never done that before, but I LOVED it! I can totally see this becoming a new regular hobby for me. I promise pictures once I get the finished item back on Saturday. I don't want to show the "before" pics until I have the "after" to compare them with. 

And school starts in four weeks! How have you spent your summer so far? What do you want to accomplish before we have to get back into the swing of "real life" with school?

Did I just say that?

Over the last month or so, my lovely daughter and I have been working toward a new adventure. We feel that we have a very good relationship. My authority is clearly defined, but we have a comfortable relationship that maintains open communication. I want her to feel like she can come to me and talk to me about anything. I don't ever want her to be afraid to tell me something. Yes, she's only 15 years old, but I feel like I've been pretty successful so far.

So, what's this new adventure? We wanted to find a way to show other moms and teenagers what a good relationship looks like. We decided the best way to that would be through a podcast. We recorded our first episode on Mother's Day and posted it to our new website tonight! I've submitted our feed to iTunes, so hopefully you'll be able to subscribe to us that way soon!  We're planning to record weekly, but we'll see if we can keep that up.

We'd love for you to give us a listen and let us know what you think. Be forewarned that we are a pretty liberal pair. In our first episode, our topic of the week is about body image, but we wander off topic a bit into gender roles--including the difficulties faced by transgender individuals--before bringing it back together at the end.

Our podcast is called Did I just say that?, and we'd love it if you'd join us!!

Vacation Knitting

We're planning an awesome vacation this summer: a 4-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. I. Can't. Wait. Which is sort of weird because I don't do hot weather, and I don't really enjoy beaches. But, I'm so excited about this cruise, I'm just about beside myself.  I intent to keep my extremely pale self well-protected, with a big sun hat and loads of sunblock. Maybe even an umbrella. Oh! I could get a really lovely parasol. That would be cute, right?

What I've been contemplating the most, though, is vacation knitting. I love vacation knitting. We do a lot of road trips, and my husband prefers to drive. Plus, our kids are old enough to keep themselves well entertained in the car. This means tons of knitting time for me. Past vacation projects have included shawls, sweaters, a Moebius scarf, and more. This year feels a little different, though. I know we're going someplace hot. It's highly unlikely I'll have the time or inclination to knit while on the ship, but I still don't want to be unprepared if the urge strikes!

So, I've been looking around Ravelry for inspiration. I'm seriously considering the Bigger On the Inside shawl, inspired by The Doctor's Tardis. This would actually look great with a couple of Tori's dresses, so maybe it's destined to be hers. I've had Sivia Harding's Shetland Garden Faroese Shawl in my queue for a long time, and I have some Malabrigo Sock yarn that would be quite nice with that pattern. But I wonder if it's not a little ambitious for vacation knitting. It's big and will require some level of concentration. But it's so lovely... Same goes for the Morning Glory Wrap; I think the Briar Rose Sea Pearl that I talked about in my last post would be perfect for this! Or, I could go the easy route and work on socks. Lord knows I have plenty of stashed sock yarn to choose from.

I just don't know. What kinds of things do you like to knit while on vacation? Do you like to challenge yourself because you know you'll actually have the time and brain power to put into learning something new? Or do you prefer to go with something easy and mindless to make your vacation more relaxing?

Fiber Event

Sorry for the long absence. No excuses, just life. And Tomb Raider. And kids' school projects/homework. And. And. And.

But, I'm back now!  And I don't have a ton of tangible accomplishments to report. I finished Tomb Raider to 100% completion. I'm pretty proud of that. I also made those music bags that I mentioned in my last post. Oh! The Fiber Event was in April. It's my second-favorite day of the year (Christmas is #1). I always spend an exorbitant amount of money at the Briar Rose booth, and this year was no exception. I also purchased yarn from Robin Edmundson, who has an amazing sense of color. Tori picked some sock yarn from A Good Yarn. And there was jewelry made from recycled knitting needles. Observe:

This Briar Rose Wistful, which is an alpaca/merino/silk blend. LOVE!

This is Briar Rose Fourth of July, 100% merino. Again, I love this stuff. I can't photograph the color accurately, no matter how many different ways I try. This photo is the closest of all those I took, but it's still not perfect. This yarn is the color of fall. Green, brown, orange, gold. Gorgeous!

This is a special edition sport-weight superwash merino. It's really soft and wonderful. Both pics are of the same skein, just flipped over. So many colors in one skein! I can't decide what to do with it, but it needs something really special.

The final Briar Rose purchase is Sea Pearl, a fingering weight merino/tencel blend. I love this yarn so much, there aren't even words! Every year, I buy at least a shawl's worth of this yarn, usually in greens or purples. I changed it up a little bit this year by going with blue.

Now for the yarn I bought from Robin J. Edmundson. I really like Robin. I've taken a couple of color classes from her in the past, and she's just amazing. She always chooses wonderful base yarns for dyeing, which just makes them that much better!  This one is a worsted weight bamboo/cotton blend. I've already cast on a project with this yarn (Lamb's Lace Cardi), and I'm loving it! I think it will be perfect for my office this summer, which is perpetually chilly.

The final yarn purchase was chosen by Tori. She's a total Batman fangirl, and Harley Quinn is her favorite character. I'm fairly certain that's why she chose this yarn. It's a merino sock yarn from A Good Yarn.

And, finally, the jewelry from Bur Oak Studio. I love these pieces, and am seriously considering emailing the designer/creator to see if she can do a necklace to match the earring/bracelet set.

So, that was my Fiber Event haul. I sat down to write this post with lots of other things in my mind, but I'll save those for another day. There's a lot of exciting stuff going on, including an awesome collaborative project with Tori. More on this in the next few days, I promise!

Knitting and When there's no place to go but up!

So, my big plans for 2013 have not come to fruition yet. I've been doing a lot of knitting, but not much else. Between a couple of weeks of feeling very run down by a cold that lasted too long (but never run down enough to call in sick to work) and sort of unexpected time-consuming things, I just haven't felt well enough or been home long enough to tackle any of my big projects. Crossing my fingers that it will change this weekend! It's supposed to be a cold, snowy weekend, so it should be perfect for staying in and getting stuff done!

What I have done so far this year is Knit. A lot.
On Saturday, I finished a small shawl (really a scarf) I started in January (Pattern: Rondelay; Yarn: Dream in Color yarn club October 2012):

On Sunday, I finished a shawl I started in October (Pattern: Fragile Heart; Yarn: Dream in Color Smoshy with Cashmere):

Also on Sunday, I finished a pair of socks I started at Christmas time (Yarn: Plymouth Sakkie, which just might be my new favorite sock yarn)

I made a two-layer hat that still needs to be blocked (my own design; Yarns: Classic Elite Lush and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino). (no picture yet....mostly because it still needs to be blocked....)

I have two nearly-completed sleeves for my Wonderful Wallaby. (Yarn: Classic Elite Waterspun, which is long discontinued)

I started a pair of socks for Victoria (Yarn: Wisdom Yarns Poems Sock).

And, I'm looking forward to starting another sweater project SOON using yarn I purchased at River Knits last week. (Yarn: Classic Elite Soft Linen; Pattern: Linen and Lace Cardigan) The second picture better represents the actual color of the yarn. It's a wonderful blue-green that's really hard to photograph well.

I think one reason I've knit so much over the past month or so is that it eases stress. At least for me it does. (So does shopping. See yarn purchase mentioned in previous paragraph.) We had a crazy four or five weeks during which a lot of people I love were going through some really tough times--either family difficulties, mental/emotional issues, or physical health concerns. In most cases, there was nothing I could do but worry and send my love and let them know I was thinking of them all the time. To keep the worry to a minimum, I focus on something I can control: Knitting. For me, knitting is very meditative, and I feel that if I'm thinking about these people and their problems while I'm knitting, it's sort of like prayer. Like each stitch is a bead in a Rosary. (I don't mean to make light of the Rosary; so if you are Catholic, please don't take offense at that statement. I mean it in a very respectful way.)  There are thousands of stitches in a sweater. Heck, the socks I finished Sunday have 5,760 stitches JUST IN THE LEG! Not even including the foot. That's a lot of opportunity for prayer or meditation. I'm not a very religion-y person--I don't go to church (anymore), and I'm not really sure what I believe. I might even describe myself as agnostic. However, I know there's something to be said for the energy we put out into the universe, whether it's through prayer or meditation or just how we think. When you think positive thoughts and look at things in a positive way, positive things happen. Now, I know that my knitting and thinking about the folks I love can't make their problems go away. It's not a magic wand. But, with each stitch, I'm sending a little bit of that positive energy their way. With each stitch, I'm saying, "I've been thinking about you. I hope you find peace. I love you."