January 2011

Where did the month go? I am not done yet. I still have lots of plans for the month of January and it is ending today. Well, I have made some progress on the bits and pieces for this month.

I have finished my Koi Garden Shawlette. I have finished my swatch hat for my HPKCHC Herbology OWL. My proposal was reviewed but since I am doing the pattern myself, I had to add the design drawings to the proposal and now I am waiting on the decision. I am STILL working on Grms scarf. Not sure if I will have it done in a week. Here's hoping. I still have to write up my "homework" for Charms class. I am going to use the shawlette and some creative story to make it work for the scarf I just was not able to cast on this month. :(

Tomorrow (Well, 9 pm PST) Nerd Wars Starts!! Yeppy!! I am still deciding if I want to do a dissertation in that group (like an OWL). I have not decided just yet. I am thinking of something to do with spinning.

I have been spinning a little each day. A friend of mine sent me some COOL rovings from Australia. I wanted to be able to give her the choice of having some of the yarn that came out of it when she (possibly) visits later this year. :)

Well, I hope that January has treated you better reader and that you are caught up on what ever it is that you needed to finish this month.

Time is not on my side

I have been working diligently on projects this month, yet I seem to have bitten off more than I can chew.

My sister needed help getting moved into a place from mom's house. That was easy while the kids were in daycare. That was the biggest thing that has happened this month, yet the end is near and I have really nothing to show for an entire month.

Not knitting, not crocheting, not even programming.

My desk is cleared. The Christmas tree is in its box (too heavy for me to put away). I have planed and started BF's sweater. I have test knit a shawlette (still working on it). I have gotten the yarn to start another test knit, a cardi. I have done a gauge swatch for said cardi and started a sleeve, but had to rip back because I was not paying attention (use stitch markers next time). Starting sleeve again today.

Nerd Wars is starting in a few days on Ravelry. I have yet to even finish one project for HPKCHC (The House Cup). I was trying to think of a way to make the shawlette work for one of the classes. Not to mention that I have been "stalking" a first year and have yet to even work on that project. Its a beautiful lace scarf. Maybe I can come up with a story that will work the shawlette into the likes of the scarf. (But will cast on for said scarf later.)

Not to mention that mom had me order yarn and knit a scarf for my grandmother for her birthday, Feb 8!! That is not even any where near complete.

The test knit for the cardi is due March 1st. I can put that off for a few more days, but then will HAVE to start. I need to finish this scarf for grandma first, before I work on anything else, or at least before anything else is started.

So that leaves the current projects at:

Shawlette Due(Jan 31st)

Swatch for BF's Sweater & Proposal Due (Jan 31st)

Nerd Wars - Tournaments start Feb 1st!! (Will have a new project there)

HPKCHC - New Classes - Feb 1st (Will have a new project there)

Scarf for Grandma Due (Feb 7th)

Nerd Wars - New tournament - March 1st (Will have a new project there)

HPKCHC - New Classes - March 1st (Will have a new project there)

Cardi Due (March 1st)

BF's Sweater Due (March 31st)

Nerd Wars Dissertations Due (April 30th)

So... I am not sure how this is going to look soon. But I am working on things, lets just hope that life lets me keep track of February better than January.

Not to mention I have to do taxes as well... Yeppy.

A new year, a new start

For the most part this blog, though very neglected, has been for just my column that has been published in The Columbia Basin Farmer. Since it is a new year and my life has seemed to calm down again, for the time being, I think it is time that I actually start writing some more.

So I will start off by how I got involved with writing Needles and Hooks.

I worked for our weekly local newspaper, The Othello Outlook, and one of the previous editors approached me and asked if I would write a column. I did not have the time at the time to put that much into a column and was not going to put something out there just to be published. I told her I would think about it.

I worked on my first column off and on for about a year before I approached anyone about it. By that time there was a new editor and I was not sure if I would be able to pitch it right. I decided that a weekly column was still out of my time range so I settled for the then monthly publication, The Columbia Basin Farmer. Well, little to my knowledge the publisher was changing the time frame for the its publication to every two months (6 issues a year).

That time frame worked well for me. I was still attending college at the time and was only happy to have more time to work on it. So the pitch went extremely well. He was more than happy to include it. So that was the birth of Needles and Hooks.

As you can see, I have neglected to place all of them on the blog, but that should change here shortly. I am in the process of getting the master files of the publications (the ones that have actually been edited) and now have the time to post them.

I will start to actually write some more knitting content and soon spinning. I have gotten a drop spindle from a friend far far away from me for Christmas. (She is so sweet.) So, with the new drop spindle, the book Respect the Spindle, and various videos from the web, I should be up and spinning in no time. Wait, its that time thing again. I really got to think all the things I want to do through more often.

Ok, so the good part of finally graduating (got the diploma on the 19th in the mail) is that I have some free time to knit and spin. I have actually queued 70 projects on my Ravelry page. This is not good, not at all!!

I have 18 actual projects planed out. Yarn and everything. I have done a stash busting/organizing/cataloging the last few weeks and should now have an idea of where all my yarn is. The worst part is that I really should find a pattern for most of it and get it out of the storage bins. (Not much room in my house.)

So here is my project list so far, I hope you can read my short hand.

PROJECTS THAT HAVE YARN AND HAVE BEEN STARTED:

~ Amy's Socks: Twisted Stitch Socks in Aussi Sock, color no. WS07 Pink.

~ Darla's Gloves: My own pattern in Drops Alpaca, color no. 6360 Denim.

~ Felted Bag No. 2: Just needs the handles knit and felted.

~Hexagon Blanket: Using up some Red Heart in my stash.

~Lena's Bag: Knit Pick's Sipalu Bag in Pallet (Frog and redo).

~ Amy's Scarf: My own pattern in Aussi Sock, color no. WS26 Blue Dream.

~ Joey's Blanket: Little Girl's Favorite Throw (the stitch works well for boys too) in Pound of Love color no. 110 Denim

PROJECTS THAT HAVE YARN AND NOT STARTED:

~ Emma's Blanket: Little Girl's Favorite Throw (the stitch works well for boys too) in Pound of Love color no. 102 Bubble Gum.

~ Wrapped in Ragg: Mary Maxim Kit, for Christmas 2010 for myself.

~Knit Pick's Karin Tote for myself.

~Prismatic Scarf in yarn given to me by a friend in Australia, The Knittery, color Moonlight.

~ Jaywalkers in Noro, color no. S240 (another gift that came from Australia).

~ Monkey in Happy Feet, color no. 18 (black and grays).

~ RPMs in Happy Feet, color no. 26 (blues).

~ Nutkin n Happy Feet, color no. 25 (pinks with some lime green).

~ Vinnland in Araucania, color no. 310 Ranco Multy. (Another gift that came from Australia).

~ Navie in Aussi Sock, color no. WS05 Charcoal.

~ Endpaper Mitts in Patons Kroy Socks, color no. 54042 Gentry Grey and 54044 Mercury.

PROJECTS WITHOUT YARNS:

~ Outside In Socks

~ Springgrass Socks

~ Boyfriend Socks

~ Celtic Braid Socks

~ Clessidra Socks

~ Hendra Socks

~ Firestarter Socks

~ Baudelaire Socks

~ Zonki Socks

~ Knotty Gloves

~ Log Cabin Square Afghan

~ Celtic Braid Afghan

~ Serenity Shawl

~ Evangeline Gloves

~ Gir

These are just the patterns that I got off Ravelry or were in kits that I requested for Christmas, or was requested from my niece (she wanted another blanket). I have 59 books that have made it on to my Ravelry page and a few more that didn't, all on knitting or crocheting. I have yet to go threw them and pick the patterns I want out of them. But this seems to be a good start so far!!

Well, I think I am done for this post. I will write at you later.

~ Danie

Knit-along: Spring tulip scarf with Cathy Glaesemann

I have asked Cathy Glaesemann, owner of the Country Yarn Boutique in Moses Lake, to be my surrogate knitter for this column. I recently sat down with Cathy to learn about her knitting life and her store.

Glaesemann has crocheted since she can remember; one of her granddaughters requested her first knitting project, a ballerina sweater from a Mary Maxim catalog.

“It was the first thing I ever knit,” Glaesemann said. “One of these days, I am going to make another one, because it was my first one and it wasn’t perfect.”

Her granddaughter still has the sweater to this day.

While at market to find yarns for her store, she has met many wonderful people, including writers and designers we see in magazines and books.

Glaesemann started a gift shop in 2003 and enjoyed the experience the store brought her. Being an avid knitter, no yarns to be found and the encouragement from friends, she started carrying yarn in her gift shop.

“Pretty soon there was more yarn than there were gifts,” she said. This is how Country Yarn Boutique was created.

Glaesemann offers a variety of services at the yarn store. The store is open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

However, with a request in advanced, she is willing to open the store on the weekends. There are knitting and crochet classes, private lessons with Glaesemann, tea, coffee and various goodies to enjoy.

There is also a Sit & Knit on Thursday afternoons with other knitters.

Plus, all the beautiful yarns and notions you could ever want.

The Sit & Knit group and Glaesemann would love to extend an invitation to you too.

“Come feel and touch and enjoy the yarn shop,” she said. “Enjoy the aromas, the company and have a cup of coffee or tea.”

Find the full pattern download here.

E-mail me at wovenpixel@yahoo.com, visit my blog at wovenpixel.blogspot.com, or on Ravelry.com as WovenPixel.

*Published in The Columbia Basin Farmer, March/April 2009 Edition.