Woman, Pullover!

Alchemy Yarns of Transformation
Promise in Winkie’s Blue and Silk Purse in Southern View
Started: January 23, 2005Â /Â Finished: January 30, 2005>
You know you want a detail shot!

This pullover was a great knit that was so fun to put together. I hated to finish it, honestly (but I was ready to wear it!) and I am so happy with the fit. This is the first sweater that I have made (there have been three others in the past) and not one of them fits me right. I am SO happy that this one does! Others are too short, the necks are weird, or they look like burlap sacks (my first sweater). This knit up quickly on size 11s, and I have plenty of yummy yarn left to make something else beautiful! Thank you Elka for making all of this possible. I love it!

Thanks for the great comments on the last post. I loved reading what everyone thought about the PETA/Wool issue, and about my mystery fiber. I have not yet “burned” the yarn… but I will do this soon to find out what I am dealing with! and when I do, you all will be the first to know!

Everything else pretty much went by the wayside as I knit up the Alchemy pullover… even a little bit of homework (shh!) but I think it just might be worth it. I will probably pick up my socks and the other 2 sweaters in my WIPs again soon. So, stay tuned!

Yesterday, I stopped by my favorite LYS, Folk Art Studio to knit with my girl, Heather and to do some clandestine business (Secret Pal 4 shopping!) Not only is Kathy the coolest YS owner EVER, they have warmest atmosphere over there, with a scrumptious cafe (brownies and hot cocoa pour moi!), and great local art.

Heather, her Pixie J, and her boyo C, all painted pottery last week at this fine establishment, and I got to see their handiwork! Stay tuned to H’s blog to see the pottery… There we were, chatting up, trying to get a massive knot out, and up walks the lovely Donna a new local knit blogger. It was so nice to meet her in person!

Kathy, Donna, & Heather

Lolly and Kathy work on the nasty knot…

As noted, I got my Secret Pal assignment, and I can’t wait to send her the first things that I bought yesterday! For my secret pal, whomever you might be, thanks for leaving a comment, and if you would like the questionnaire, let me know… send me an email!

********

I was tagged by the oh-so-clever Miss Yummy Yarn MJ with this cute little meme… so here goes:

Total amount of music files on your computer: ahem… 46.7 gigs at the last check… we have a computer devoted to mp3s… lots of music over here!

The last CD you bought was: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

What is the song you last listened to before reading this message? Kris playing Led Zepplin’s Over the Hills and Far Away on his guitar.

The 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you: I have to limit this to the songs that I listen to a lot right now… I have way too many songs that mean a lot to me… These are the ones that I rotate in my various CD players.

L’accordioniste by Edith Piaf

Dark of the Matinee by Franz Ferdinand

What Brought the House Down by the Ditty Bops

Odalisque by The Decemberists

Satin in the Coffin by Modest Mouse Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 people) and why?

These are three knit bloggers that I recently met and corresponded with, and I would like to learn more about them… come one girls, answer me some questions!

In the Pink Cathi

Knitbrarian Megan

Neophyte Knitter Allison
 

 

Last year, sweet Anna finished up her FCEK cardi "Bleu Canard". However, she stated several times how it was a little boring at times… I have to say that the same thing is happening to me. It all started when I held the cable needle in the back, instead of the front, and of course I did not realize my mistake till it was already set. I don’t like to frog, but this looks wonky, so I am going to frog it soon…but…

Some readers may remember the lovely Alchemy that I received last fall from my Secret Pal 3, Elka… this lovely booty has been sitting in my stash since then, and I could wait no longer…

I don’t want to give too many hints (I want to reveal it in all of its glory!), but you will soon see why I was tempted away from the FCEK cardi… this yarn is so luscious! It is as if I have tasted the Alchemy goods, and it will be hard to go back to the others.  The picture is a little darker than it looks in person, but you can see the way that the shiny Silk Purse plays so well with the Promise mohair.

I need to say it again, thank you Elka, for spoiling me with all of this! I made a lot of headway with this over the weekend, so I will soon have a lovely FO to show you!

Last year, my father went to Chile, and brought back some lovely yarns for me from the street markets of Santiago. One of them is a very pretty handspun wool (still has that sheepy smell!), and the other is a great tan yarn… but I can’t quite figure out what the fiber is. It does not feel like the other one… it may be a different breed of sheep, or maybe it was processed differently.

So, my question for you, dear knitties, is… Is there a "litmus test" for fibers? How can I find out what fiber this is? I don’t really want to felt it to find out, because I don’t want to waste any of it. Yet, if that is the only way to find out, okay, I will do it. My initial thought was that it may be hemp. It feels a little like a rope. (I guess I could try smoking it to see what it is! *joke*) and, whatever fiber this is, I think it would make a wonder fiber for a basket, or placemats. Anyone know of some patterns for these?

It was a nice snowed-in weekend (even though it was not as much as meteorologists said) and it gave me plenty of time to catch on homework and knit. Here is a pretty snow picture of my front yard.

Kris and I played around with the new photo archiving program, Picasa, which is an amazing free tool offered through Google. We came across some great old pictures that we archived a few years ago. If you want to back up all your photos, this is the best way to do it. Free!

I came across this snow photo from about 19 years ago… this is me and my little sis, Mimi, when we lived in Wyoming. Yep, that is the one that is getting married!

Dana posted an interesting link last week about wool and animal rights. I am a supporter of animal rights, a vegetarian, and I do not find anything wrong with shearing sheep (just to say that upfront). I found this Washington Post article this weekend very timely. It tells a little about both sides of the story: PETA vs. Australian Sheep Industry.

"Should You Worry About Wool?"

Let me know what you think…