Knitting and Music

April 14 was the potluck in El Dorado Hills. We had a fun session after we ate.

Here's Bo, our host. He has a set of whistles to rival Tim Hart!

The next day we went to session at Joyce's. I forgot the camera, though. We stayed until 8:45, and were too pooped to go to the plough afterwards!


Knitting News
I was browsing around the web, on knitting sites, and I found a link to this call for knitters in response to the shooting at Virginia Tech. Mosaic Yarn Shop is asking knitters and crocheters to create squares measuring 8" x 8" (after blocking) in any composition and send to the shop. They will be sewing the squares together and giving them to the victim's families. They will be collecting the squares through the end of May. Please help create these beautiful blankets and heal in the process...

Color choices for squares: Maroon, Burnt Orange, White, Black (school colors)

Please knit or crochet squares out of the nicest, softest yarn you can afford.

Deadline for the squares...May 31st, 2007

Please mail squares to:
Mosaic Yarn Shop
880 University City Blvd.
Blacksburg, VA 24060

I decided I'd like to do this. I imagine a square I've knit to end up in a blanket that might give some small comfort to a person who has suffered great loss. So I went out and bought the colors in the softest yarn I could find. And I'm knitting in a little personal touch.. see the heart?

I frogged my vest. I did more than the red ribbing I showed earlier, but the colors just were not working together. So I decided I would make up a pattern. I can't find one that I think will work, so I just cast on enough stitches to go around me, and I'm working in the round. We'll see what happens. I'm pretty close to having to make some decisions about armholes and shaping.

And I have started my 2 socks on 2 circular needles, toe up! The next thing I wanted to try.

I am very cleverly using one ball of yarn for two socks. One sock is being knit from the inside of the ball, and the other from the outside. I cut holes in either side of a plastic bag for the yarn ball, to minimize tangling. It's working pretty well, but I still do have to straighten it out now and then.

This yarn was a christmas present from my sister-in-law, Marcia. It's Superwash Merino, from JuJuknits. The colorway is 'pumpkin'. I'm using size 0 circulars, and my only problem was, I made them a bit too big. So I've started a 1x1 rib in the foot of the sock, and I'm making them for Andrew, who's feet are bigger than mine.

Here's a closeup of the colorway.

Garden Tour

I opened the Auburn Journal this morning, and I found an article about a garden tour in this area coming up on May 12. 4 local gardens open to the public! The article is in the Auburn Garden Club column, by Sam Wiseman. At this writing it was not yet posted on their website, but probably will be soon.

For over ten years, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program has unlocked the gates to hundreds of America’s very best private gardens by working with volunteers coast to coast to coordinate schedules, collect information, and get it to you. Many of these gardens are rarely, if ever, otherwise open to the public.

Jaya and I have lots to do in the way of landscaping our new home. Now, with income tax season nearly overwith, we will begin putting money aside to deal with the yard. But although we have some vague ideas of what we want, I think visiting existing gardens in the area is a great way to get ideas.

My friend Earin is an avid gardener. I think at some point she should open HER garden for viewing.

Current Knits

Here's the latest. It's a Diamond Lace Cardigan, I got the pattern (now discontinued) on sale from Knitpicks.com. This is the back, I am just about an inch away from where the armhole shaping begins. In the process of knitting this pattern, I have discovered the importance of reading through the pattern before you begin. My first couple inches had to be ripped out because I wasn't doing the repeats correctly. And now I have discovered that I've made the edges incorrectly. I'm NOT going to rip this out. I'm going to modify the fronts so that the side seams will match. Since this is my first lace knitting project, I'm not sure I would have discovered this even if I had read the pattern carefully first, but I do see the benefit.

This pink yarn is some I got on ebay, and I have 6 300meter skeins. It has pictures of goats on the label, but everything appears to be in Russian. I think they are angora goats. The yardage works out to be plenty, if my gauge is right. I did do a gauge swatch, but I'm a little concerned about what will happen to this when blocked. Since it will be a lightweight cardigan, it shouldn't matter if it's a little large.

And because I can't have just one project on my needles, I started another one. This is another stash-buster. Did I tell you? My latest quest is to find projects for all the yarn I currently HAVE. Which is considerable.

This project is a striped vest, from Knitty.com. This project is DESIGNED to use up stash. I've decided to use my Wool of the Andes for the stripes portion, along with some cotton/linen/wool blend I picked up over a year ago at Stitches. The wool is leftover from the entrelac bag, so I have a bunch of colors.

I need a couple different sizes of needles to get on with this one, and I've ordered them. But they haven't arrived as yet. Maybe in the mail today....

And here's the waterfall shawl! All done! And guess what? It makes a perfect door hanging, covering the door-window out to the backyard from our bedroom. We have another of these doors in the great room... maybe I'll have to make another one.

Also, the boot socks are finished. I would show a picture, but I've been wearing them, and they are dirty. But they made my friend's blog last month. You can see them (and me) on the March 27 entry of EverythingEarin.