I've Got a Fever...

... and lace is the cure...

This is my latest lace project- Crystal Palace Yarn's Madeira Cascade scarf (http://www.straw.com/cpy/cpy9612.html ). It's a pretty easy pattern- 20 row repeat, 45 sts, CO at the ends and work to the middle and then graft the halves together (oh goody... Kitchener stitch... bleh). I'm using handspun yarn made from Twisted Fiber Arts roving. This is the Sherwood colorway, the Sleek blend (Merino/Tencel). It's 3-ply yarn and I'm using size 5 needles. This is the perfect pattern for this yarn- it's too shiny (which may not show in the pic) and slippery for socks, but it looks fantastic as lace. The only modification that I made to the pattern was to work 2 garter stitches on either edge (whether that will help keep it from rolling remains to be seen). It's not going to be a terribly long scarf, though it will block out a lot longer than it looks right now. I wound the yarn into fairly equal balls, and will use up as much of the yarn as I can on the halves. I'm nearly done with the first half.

I have been rooting through my stash, to see what else I have that will work for lace (outside of handspun- and I have probaby 3 different finished handspuns that will work for scarves or other small shawls). Lo and behold- I have a cone of probably 10,000 yds (yeah, that's the right amount of zeros) of fine undyed wool that would make as many shawls as I ever want to knit. And another cone of very fine brown brushed mohair the same size. And that's just at first glance- I know I have a couple of cones of cotton somewhere (I knitted sweaters with it doubled, so a single strand will work fine for shawls).

Karen, I'm going to get you for this.

And on the non-lace front- I'm nearly done with the handspun neon gloves (roving purchased at NCFF a couple of weeks ago). They're still very Neon. I'm going to have plenty of yarn left from the 3 ozs. I spun, and I'm using last week's Freebie Friday pattern. Gloves aren't quite as mindless as socks, but they're perfect for knitting while I watch Chuck (welcome back Chuck! I've missed you so- and I laughed out loud at The Flight of the Conchords music. Foux da Fa Fa indeed), and Heroes, which is back to Season 1 greatness.

Tag- I'm It

Bella Vita Farm and Fiber (http://bellavitafarm.wordpress.com/ ) tagged me, and I'm passing the tag along (sort of a Pyramid Tag, I think- pretty soon the whole Interwebs will be caught).

Here are the rules:
Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving comments on their blogs.
So here we go….I’ll start with 7 weird/random facts (which some of you may know already):

1. I am 1/8 Inupiat Eskimo. My maternal grandmother lived above the Arctic Circle, between Kotzebue and Point Hope, until she was 32 years old. Her father was a German missionary, and she married (at age 16) a widdower Navy man. They moved to my home town (Snohomish, WA) when their oldest son had rheumatic fever. My mother, the 2nd youngest of 7 kids, was born in Washington. I do believe that I, my sons, and grandchildren, are the only persons of Inupiat descent currently living in South Dakota.

2. I'm left handed.

3. My husband and I make wine. In fact, we're going to start a 5 gallon batch of Riesling and a 3 gallon batch of Merlot soon. I'll do an ongoing blog report of the process. I've made wine from everything from carrot, to pineapple, to apple, to blackberry. My absolute favorite is Blackberry Melomel (a mead, which is a honey based wine).

4. I can write my name in cursive on an Etch a Sketch.

5. When I was writing mysteries and going to mystery conventions, I met a lot of bestselling writers, and became friends with some of them. Meeting my idols was the absolute coolest thing about writing fiction.

6. There are a lot of non-cool things about writing fiction (including a greater possibility of a stalker, which was definitely not fun).

7. My hair started going gray when I was 23, and I decided early on that I would never keep up with coloring it, so I never did try to cover the grays. I'm 55 now, and have been totally gray for going on 20 years, and I think it's beautiful, though it meant getting used to people thinking that I was a lot older than I really am (15 years ago, an 11 year old girl asked my husband if I was his grandma).

And I am tagging (Not 7 but all are very great fun):

Knit Geekery (http://knitgeekery.blogspot.com/)

Procrastination Diary (http://procrastinationdiary.blogspot.com/)

Jackson Street Books (http://jacksonstreetbooks.blogspot.com/)

Pumpkin Knits (http://pumpkinknits.blogspot.com/ )

How Come No One Told Me...

... that blocking lace is such a pain in the butt?

I can see that if I'm going to do much lace knitting, I'm going to need blocking wires.

No one also told me not to try to block a lace shawl late in the evening, after a marathon 8 hour lace-knitting session. I won't be doing that again.

But.... ta da!!! Swallowtail is done! And she is beautiful, though my heart stopped when I got it all pinned out on the living room rug and saw The Hole (see the *before* pic on the red leather chair- I don't think I need to Paint in an arrow). However, rather than run screaming into the night (which would usually be my first response), I calmly pinned the spot to keep the sts from unraveling further, and decided to think about it in the morning.

I thought about it this morning, and after examining The Hole, I realized that it wasn't as dire as I suspected. Yes, there was an unravel, but it was YO unravel, which only cost me 3 sts. And if there is such a thing as a lucky mistake, this one was lucky because it could not continue down (or up) the shawl, or do further damage. I threaded yarn in a darning needle, and chain-stitch embroidered the stitches back into place (see the *after* pic on the green chair). It's not an invisible fix (and there are other mistakes, all visible, but I'm not fooling with them), and Swallowtail is absolutely not competition worthy, but it looks fine. And if I don't point The Repaired Hole out to people, I daresay, no one will see it (except Astute Blog Readers, but I'm pointing it out to you anyway).

For a very first real lace project, I am quite pleased. The shawl itself is really too small to be anything but a neck decoration, but the next time I need a snazzy neck decoration, I'll be set. I had a hard time getting the subtle color changes (periwinkle, blue, green) to show up in the pictures. The unblocked, and outdoor shot are the best.

Stats: Pattern: Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl

Yarn: Handspun laceweight domestic wool, 2 ply, Hydrangea colorway, Roving from A Knitted Duck

Amount used: 315 yards (I would have used more if I had done the Nupps, rather than beads)

Weight of Finished Shawl: 2.8 ozs (.4 ozs are beads)

Measurements: 45" wide, 24" long at the center

Needles: Size 4 us (3.5 mm)

And yeah, I'm going to knit more lace. But first, I should (need to) finish Genevieve's Graduation Sweater. Wonder if I'll actually work on it today...

Swallowtailitosis

It's a disease, lemee tellya. I mean, I've knitted lace before. Easy lace, I'll grant you, nothing complex or mind-bending. And I've enjoyed it but lace knitting (or is it knitted lace- there is a difference, but I can't remember which is which right now) never really tripped in me the need to go and knit more.

Until Karen (from Knit Geekery- link on the right side of the page) started her Swallowtail Shawl (Evelyn Clark- free pattern- http://www.evelynclarkdesigns.com/portfolio.html). Who knows why, but Swallowtail caught me in a big way. I downloaded the pattern, wound some handspun yarn, dug out some beads (having decided in advance to skip the Nupps, a decision I have not regretted) and got to work.

It was sloooooow going at first- I referred to the written instructions on every repeat of every right side row, not *seeing* the pattern or *reading* my knitting until I was well into the Budding Lace section. Then it clicked- I sped up (and switched to straight needles, with which I am more comfortable knitting back and forth) and began to understand the design, to see where/when/if I made any mistakes, and I started to be able to talk and knit at the same time (mostly "yes dear", "just a second, let me get to the end of this row", but it was communication of a sort).

When I got to the Lily of the Valley border, I decided to try the chart, and lo and behold, I understood it! And I sped up even more, completing the first half of the border yesterday afternoon, even with the beads (which are not quick knitting- though I did figure out a way to use fine wire to get the bead on the stitch that works way better than a crochet hook). I should be able to finish the Lily of the Valley section today, and maybe even get into the last border before the bind off.

It's been a satisfying knit- every time the stitch count works out right, I do a quiet little Wahoo! and a fist pump, and I can't wait to see what this sucker looks like blocked.

I have even chosen my next shawl- Evelyn Clark's Heartland Lace Shawl (pattern available through Ravelry), though not the yarn I want to use.

When I'm not working on lace (read: when anything actually interesting is on TV, or if I have to speak coherently to my companions), I'm plowing ahead on Christmas hats (this one was knit from charcoal Romney lamb yarn- Romney is not usually a soft yarn, but this is yummy. And I think the shot picks up the incredible sheen). And just for fun (they'll probably end up in the Christmas pile too) I finished a glove using the handspun from the roving I got at NCFF and this week's Freebie Friday pattern. This yarn isn't spun as evenly or consistently or finely as I'd like, but it's working just fine for these gloves, and that neon green is even neonier in person.

And, for the 4th day in a row, I have no socks on the needles. I'll get on that right away.

Freebie Friday- Fingering Weight Gloves

Wahoo! It's Freebie Friday!!!!

These are the gloves I knit with yarn handspun from Twisted Fiber Arts Firefly Roving. They took under 200 yds of heavy fingering weight handspun, but the pattern will work with any yarn that will give you 7 sts and 10 rnds to the inch with size 3 needles (or whatever needle size you need for that gauge).

These gloves will fit most Women- you could size them down for a youth or child by using finer yarn and smaller needles, I think (and knitting shorter fingers). Sizing them up for men with sportweight or DK yarn and Size 4 needles might also work.

Click on the 2 pattern pages to enlarge, right click to save as jpgs, print from any graphics program.

Thursday Tab- Flower Fairies and Brownies, from Jack and Jill Magazine

I didn't have a subscription to the Jack and Jill magazine as a kid, but my school did, and all of the grade school girls would clamor for the the latest release so we could check it out and trace the paper dolls that were the center spread in every issue (there used to be paper dolls everywhere- magazines, newspapers, on the backs of cereal boxes). I specifically remember the Flower Fairy dolls, and how much I loved the flower outfits.

These dolls were drawn by Rae Owings, and they're obviously related. I saw a notation on the net that The Flower Fairy set was published in Feb 1965, but that sounds wrong because I would have been in the 7th grade by then, and I remember these from grade school (say 4th or 5th grade) (I hadn't outgrown paper dolls by Jr. High, I just went underground with them, and I doubt my Jr High library had a sub to Jack and Jill). On the other hand, maybe one of my younger sisters checked this issue out and brought it home. Sisters, do you remember these?

It's all Karen's Fault

There I was, happily contemplating which sock yarn to wind next, when I checked in on Karen Irving's Knit Geekery blog (http://knitgeekery.blogspot.com/ ), as I do first thing every morning. I've known Karen, and Mary (of Procrastination Diary http://procrastinationdiary.blogspot.com/), from back when we were all writing mysteries and hanging out on Lauri Hart's Mystery Writer's Forum. Mary is the only one of us still writing fiction, but we all knit, and this week, Karen mentioned that she is currently working on the Swallowtail Shawl, for her lovely mother in law.

Now Karen has posted pictures of other shawls, so I am trying not to ascribe evil intentions to her, but I can't help but wonder if she smiled secretly when posting a picture of her Swallowtail-In-Progress, thinking that I might be ensnared by the lovely pattern.

Lord knows, I didn't see it coming.

I mean, I can *see* cables (in fact, I remember, at about age 8, when the whole process came clear to me after examining a pair of store-bought knee socks), but lace is a foreign language. I can do it, but I don't generally search it out. So being captured by the Swallowtail Shawl pattern was totally unexpected.

But capture me, it did. I wound some handspun laceweight yarn (the Hydrangea roving from A Knitting Duck- the pic doesn't show the lovely colors: periwinkle, blue, and a hint of green, very Hydrangea-y) and I sat in my chair and concentrated. I have read enough commentary on Swallowtail (something like 2,000 of them have been posted on Ravelry) to know that this is considered an easy lace pattern, but it's not easy for me. 5 repeats into the Budding Lace Pattern (and we haven't even gotten to the Nupps, which I am skipping, in favor of beads- I know my limits), and I am finally starting to *see* where I am in the pattern (though I still need to refer to the written instructions constantly- and the chart hasn't clicked for me yet). You can see in the pic that I've made a mistake or two already, but I will live with them. I have 9 more repeats of this pattern before starting the Lily of the Valley borders, so by then, I might actually be zipping along.

I don't know that I'm enjoying this exercise, but it's fascinating. And it's Karen's fault.

And here's a mystery for you: I have knit worsted weight socks in my size for years. I know from long experience, that I need between 220-250 yards of worsted weight yarn for a pair (depending on the yarn brand, since worsted weight yarns vary in thickness). When I started the sample sock for my heel workshop at NCFF, I chose some nice Andes worsted weight wool (purchased at Great Yarns, Everett WA, a couple of summers ago). The label says that one skein is 165 yards (100 gr), so I wound both skeins, knowing that I'd need some of the 2nd to complete the pair. Well, I finished the pair last night (can't knit lace and watch Fringe at the same time), and not only did I get 2 complete socks from 1 skein, I have yarn left over. A bunch of yarn. Since the other ball does just weigh 100gr, I have to assume that the listed yardage was off. But while the yarn felt just a little thinner than most of the worsted weight I have on hand, it was definitely worsted. I'm puzzled.

Flags and Shawls

It's a prayerful sort of day.

My good friend Melanie (check out her blog- a beautiful combination of art, spirituality and knitting: http://handstosoul.wordpress.com/ ) sent me some Tibetan Prayer Flags to hang on my back deck (under construction- note that the grass is still green, which tells you that we've had a very wet, mild summer and a long intro to fall). Tibetan Prayer Flags (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_prayer_flag ) are pieces of unhemmed cloth, strung outdoors in the wind and elements. The squares of cloth are hung in a specific order: yellow (earth), green (water), red (fire), white (air) and blue (space), and as they slowly unravel, good thoughts and prayers are imprinted on the wind, generating peace and harmony and good wishes. It's a lovely sentiment, and I will send my good thoughts out with the bits of thread from my flags.

And my copy of The Prayer Shawl Companion arrived!!!! With my shawl design right there on the cover!!! Which means that Frida should e-mail me (kathleentaylor1952 at gmail dot com ) with her address, so I can send her winner's copy to Iceland (Iceland. Iceland. Iceland. Not Finland).

The book, compiled and written by Janet Bristow and Victoria A. Cole-Galo, founders of The Prayer Shawl Ministry ( http://www.shawlministry.com/ )and published by The Taunton Press, is beautiful. It has 38 lovely shawl and wrap patterns, each by a different designer, including Kaffe Fasset, Nicky Epstein, and Brandon Mably. The patterns range from easy/simple, to lace and mosaic patterning. The pictures are lovely, and the stories that accompany each pattern are inspiring. It's a gorgeous book, and I am proud to have contributed to it.

(Amazon link to the book on the right side of the page)

Maybe Ill Gotten Ribbon

Oh my. I was going over the critiques of my Blue Ribbon handspun yarn skeins, looking for suggestions and ways to improve my spinning, when I noticed that my total for the wool/silk skein (Tulip colorway, Twisted Fiberarts Roving, 2-ply fingering weight) was added wrong. I should have had 69 points (out of a possible 75) rather than 74. So, it's possible that I got that ribbon in error (depends on how many points the next lower skeins had). I'll notify them, and if that's the case, maybe we can get the ribbon to the rightful winner.

In the meantime, I finished a pair of Christmas Grandsocks- the pattern is called Circle Socks, and is available as a free download on Ravelry, or from designer Anne Campbell's Needlework (http://www.jfcampbell.us/anne/patterns.htm ). The easy slip stitch patterning makes a great texture on the cuff of the sock, and I love love love how it works with self-striping yarn. I modified the pattern by using heavier yarn, size 2.75mm needles, and 56 sts (rather than 64) on the cuff (and 54 on the instep), and working a short-row heel and a star toe. This sock will fit girls shoe size 12-13. The pattern calls for an 8 stitch repeat, so you can adapt it to other yarns, and adjust it for sizing pretty easily. The yarn is Playful (100% superwash wool) from Twisted Fiberarts (heavy fingering weight), in the Tulip colorway. I used a mottled coordinating solid yarn for the heels and toes, and I have enough yarn left over to knit another pair this size (or even up to youth shoe size 3-4).

I have also been working on handspun hats for the Christmas pile. I finished 3 more, and am almost done with the adult size hats. I still have 7 kid-size hats to knit. These are super fast- we're talking 2-3 hours, start to finish, and the pattern could not be simpler (66-72 sts, size 10.5-11 needles, knit ribbing for 8" or so and decrease). It's a good way to use up all that bulky handspun yarn I have on hand (I must have been psychic when I made so much of a kind of yarn that I rarely use. Yeah, that's right... psychic...)

And I finished spinning and plying 2.1 ozs of the neon green/purple/blue Merino roving that I bought at the fiber fair. It's 2-ply, heavy fingering weight, not terribly consistent in diameter (something I need to work on), and about 148 yds. I have less than an ounce left to spin, so there may not be enough yarn for gloves, but there will be plenty for fingerless gloves, which is what I think I'll make with this yarn.

TV commentary: Was last night's Emmy Awards show not the worst awards show in the entire history of awards shows? It was excruciatingly bad- the hosts were awful, the speeches were all too long, and even the dresses were boring. And Mary Tyler Moore- please, no more surgeries. Oh, and sleeves are a really good idea. Trust me on this.

But tonight- Heroes!!!!!

Fiber Fairness

Even though I had to drive over and back at Deer-Thirty (the magical hours when deer decide that they can occupy the same spot in space and time as moving vehicles), my day at the North Country Fiber Fair was fantastic.

I arrived before the 8:00am cutoff for entering items in the Juried competition. I entered a skein of wool/silk 2-ply yarn (from Twisted Fiber Arts roving) in the wool-blend category, a skein of bamboo/silk that was spindle spun (from Butterfly Girl Designs, spun on a BFG spindle), the pair of handspun Firefly gloves (also Twisted) that will be a Freebie Friday pattern, maybe next week, and a pair of stranded fingerless gloves knit with Knit Picks Palette yarn, using Nanette Blanchard's Black Forest Fingerless Mitten pattern (all of these have appeared on the blog somewhere along the line). I then had about an hour to browse the still-unopened vendor booths before my No-Wrap Short-Row Heel Workshop started at 9.

The workshop went well. Last year, I taught the same technique but tried to go at it from an unusual angle, thinking that might make it easier for people to visualize what was happening on their needles. I was wrong. This year, I tried a different attack on the technique, and the workshop went much more smoothly. I think almost everyone had a lightbulb moment, and everyone finished their heel (or came very close to finishing).

The heel workshop was over at noon, and I had time to eat a yummy lamb-sloppy joe and then browse and shop before the next class began. I bought 3 ozs of dyed Merino (neon green/blue/purple), a cone of millspun sock weight natural SD Wool yarn (from the South Dakota Colored Wool Studio), 2 wonderful skeins of J L Yarnworks' sock yarn (and some great sock monkey hair clips for the assorted little girls in my life), and two sacks of naturally dyed wool in shades of yellow for my handspun sweater (that I have not started yet) from Connie Henning and Shay Huhta. I also seriously considered a braid of sportweight millspun alpaca yarn- 600 yds of charcoal and fawn- beautiful and oh so soft, but decided to sit in the spinning circle and spin for a bit instead of continued browsing (these people speak Yarn and Wheels, and I needed to listen).

At 1:00, I met with about 6 others for the Crochet with Wire and Beads class, taught by Connie Herring (http://www.connieherring.com/ ). I don't crochet often, so I wanted to expand my skillz with this class. I'm so glad I did- we were given a choice of glass bead colors (I took the peachy/earth tone set), and in 3 hours, crocheted and assembled a gorgeous 3-strand necklace and a fantastic matching bracelet using beads and very fine wire. It's not a fast process, but it's fascinating, and my guess is that I will be buying more beads (oh great- another stash...)(though I do have lots of handmade, lumpy bumpy lampwork beads left over from my last obsession that wasn't yarn. hmmm....).

After the class, I had a good hour to sit in the circle and spin some more, which was beyond wonderful. I met a friend from Ravelry, and caught up with people I only see once a year (and was reminded, once again, that people who don't know that I lost weight, are apt not to recognize me until I speak. No mistaking that voice).

About halfway through the spinning circle time, the judges finished with the competition, and...

[Turn Away if You Can't Stand To Read A Grandma Bragging].... I learned that all 4 of my entries had won Blue Ribbons! In fact, I came in 2nd place in the entire competition, and as such I got to choose from a table full of wonderful prizes (including books from The Taunton Press that my editor had sent as donations). One of the prizes on the table was a 600yd braid of sport-weight Alpaca charcoal and fawn yarn. Guess which prize I chose?

After a catering service served our buffet supper, there were many door prizes (I won a wee needlefelted angle kit), and then we had a fashion show, narrated by Rick Mondragon, editor of Knitter's Magazine. We all modeled our entries, and I showed off the revamped Dakota Dreams sweater, to many oohs and aahs.

Most of the people hunkered down after that, to spin and knit or crochet or weave some more, and to plan classes and activities for today. But I had to drive back home (insert sad face here), so I left after the fashion show, and braved Deer Alley for another 75 miles.'

As always, I had a fantastic day, and as always, I'm sorry that NCFF only happens once a year.

To Live and Die a Pirate King...

Desipte yon date at the top of this post, Today do indeed be Friday September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and so's not to be walkin' that there plank, we'll be talkin' like them Piratical types for the time bein'.

If yers want to knit someting in the Pirate Vein, here be a felted Pirate Hat that be totally adorable: http://scrubberbum.typepad.com/patterns/2005/11/kids_pirate_hat.html

And if ye be thinkin' about beadin' like yon Pirate, here be the place to visit for some truly skully patterns: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46069.asp

And if ye want to listen to Piratical Music, ye can naught but to take to the sea with The Pirates of Penzance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_Penzance Especially the Kevin Kline/Linda Ronstadt version. Yon movie, also with Angela Lansbury, (http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Penzance-Kevin-Kline/dp/6300182762) be pretty darn good, but ye version filmed outdoors, live (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363891/ ) be my favorite performance of my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan operetter.

I plan to be livin' my life in the normal way on this grand fall day, with just a tinch of pirate talk, and have yon knitterly type things to show ye Mateys.

First, spy yon skeins of handspun yarrrrrrn. They be 100% Merino Wooly Sheep, dyed by Guild Masters in the realm of Twisted Fiber Arts, in the Minstrel style. It be spun 2-ply, and it weigh in at 4.1 ozs and 465 yarrrrrds. I be plannin' to work this yarrrn with beads as a piece of lace frippery of some sort for Her Ladyship.

Then, we be seein' some wee sockies for yon granddaughter for ye upcoming Wynter Holidays. Yon sock, also dyed by Guild Masters Twisted, be in the Tulip (some sort of Dutch flower, I believes) style, and workd in a pattern called Circle Socks- a slip stitch texture that be showin' off the color changes in yon yarrrrn in a way that makes me Piratical Heart Thump with Happyness.

Then we still be workin' on dear Genevieve's Graduation sweater, and we be makin' progress, though it be slow progress. The sleeves be vast and mighty and be still on yon needles, but they be growin'.

Tomorrer, we be hitting the high seas for Watertown, SD and ye annual North Country Fiber Fair. We be leaving port before the sun peeks over ye eastern horizon, and we be returnin' long after she sets in the west, but we be comin' back with booty and pictures and stories.... yarrrrrrr

Thursday Tab- Saalfield Wiggie, #1358

Gee, I wonder which super skinny 60's model, who obviously did not give permission to use her name or image, inspired this set?

There must be a page missing. (T)Wiggie is the front cover, and the wigs are the back cover, so there should be 4 pages of clothes. There are no notes with the files to explain the missing page. Sorry for not having a full set.

Healthy Recipe- Raspberry Kahlua Mocha, and Hazlenut Caramel Iced Coffee

I don't know why I didn't realize that there were sugar free coffee flavorings until now, but wahoo! I've been decaffeinated for well over a decade, and I am no coffee gourmet, so I just use instant. But those of you who like lead in your drink, and who want a fine coffee experience, go ahead and use your exclusive roasts and hand ground beans. They all work fine in these recipes.

I drink the mocha hot, but it could be iced just as easily. The iced coffee could be left hot as well. And I suspect either could be blended with ice for a smoothie.

Raspberry Kahlua Mocha

1 cup strong black coffee

1 packet of Swiss Miss Diet Cocoa Drink

2 tbsp DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Raspberry Flavoring

2 tbsp DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Kahlua Flavoring

2 tbsp Sugar Free Cool Whip

Stir the coffee, Swiss Miss, and flavorings together in a large mug. Top with Cool Whip

Calories: 45 Carb: 6 gr

If you omit the Cool Whip: Calories 25, Carb 3 gr

Hazlenut Caramel Iced Coffee

1 cup strong black coffee

1/4 cup 1% Milk

2 tbsp DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Hazlenut Flavoring

2 tbsp DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Caramel Flavoring

ice

Stir all ingredients together in a tall glass

Calories: 28, Carb 4.25gr (all from the milk)

The Reveal

So, it's not the most flattering sweater shape for me, even with 15" less circumference (and it's still fairly loose, but that's fine). 6"-8" shorter would make a huge difference in how this sweater fits and drapes, but I didn't want to have to redo the entire neckline, or sacrifice that much design area. Even so, it's still gorgeous (and I do say so myself), and I am so glad that I got brave enough to take scissors to this sweater. I can now wear it happily.

I know that I have some more of those buttons somewhere (made from coconut shells- I got them from Button Drawer, link in Stash Enhancers) but I could not find them, so I had to sew the existing neckline button hole closed and make a new one. The spacing looks better now anyway. I decided to go with all black on the extended ribbing because #1 corrugated bands are a pain to knit back and forth, and #2 I wanted the neckline to tighten up more than corrugated ribbing would have. I am very pleased with the final look.

The final yarn tally (for the 59" chest) was 27, 25gr skeins of Rowanspun 4-ply, 8 colors (with at least half a ball left of each of the colors). This yarn has been discontinued, but you can find it still. I bought most of it on Ebay, and found some amazing bargains (bags of 10 skeins for $19.95, and that included shipping. From England), so the few skeins that I had to pay $5.95@ weren't such a burden. I bought tons of it (including several colors that didn't make it into this sweater) and have enough on hand to knit at least 2 more sweaters in the largest size (and probably 3 in my current size). It's a very fine yarn- the sweater was knit on 2.75mm needles, but it blooms beautifully, and makes a light, warm and soft sweater. I finally took a picture that shows the beautiful tweediness of this yarn- most of the shots don't highlight the amazing bits and spots of color. Unfortunately, as much as I love this yarn, I can't design with it, since it's finer than most Fair Isle yarns on the market now. But I can knit with it for fun, and that's more... well... fun...

I'm glad that I don't have more sweaters to cut down, but I would do it again in a flash. It was scarier to cut into a finished piece than doing it with a WIP, but worth the angst.

p.s. respacing the buttons helped with the wonky motif lineup, but it didn't fix the problem entirely. I think I picked up the sts for the front bands differently on each side, which permanently skewed the alignment (and it'll be permanent- I'm not going to tear those bands out and reknit them. I do have limits, you know)

Just a Little Off on the Sides

After all the angst about using scissors on Dakota Dreams, The Great Sweater Reduction of '08 went very well yesterday. The big Wheat motifs were centered in a way that they met at the seam perfectly- pure luck that. Outside of the design looking a bit truncated, you don't notice the seam at all.

I had every reason to be glad that I knit these sleeves tandem (both at the same time, with steeks, then cut, seamed and sewn in place) rather than picking up the stitches at the armhole and working down, in the traditional manner. I was able to detatch the sleeve from the cut-away portion easily, and I was able to make the opening smaller to fit the new armhole just by resewing the seam. I decided not to cut away the excess fabric in the new seam allowance because it wasn't all that bulky.

It wasn't too difficult to sew the sleeves in place, though it seemed a lot more fiddly than the side seams.

I tried the sweater on, was pleased (though it would look better if I shortened about 6"- not going to do that- One major redo per sweater, that's my motto), but the neckline was still way too big.

So I picked up stitches on the neck band (picking up sts on a black neckline with fine black yarn, and a size 1 needle- a bugger no matter how you look at it). I'm nearly done with the new ribbing (one color), and will bind off today. There's no need to reblock the entire sweater, I should be able to get by with just steam blocking the new seams. If the neckband needs washing (so the yarn blooms), I'll just wet that part down and let it dry.

l'll have The Big Reveal, and modeling pics later today or tomorrow.

And so it begins...

I'm not afraid to cut steeks. I've done it dozens of times, and have no intention of ever knitting stranded projects flat, ever again. But when it came time this morning, to cut into my Dakota Dreams sweater, I hesitated more than normally. Not just because of the whole *measure twice, cut once*, and the even more important, *steeks are forever* thing- but because of the sweater itself.

I designed this sweater to fit me, and I intended to wear it until I wore it out. It did not occur to me during the six months that I worked on it, that there would ever come a time when it did not fit. The sweater was sized generously enough that I would not have outgrown it, and losing weight was simply not on my agenda.

So this morning, when I got ready to resize the sweater for my resized body, I hesitated. Cutting into this sweater, this labor of love for myself and myself alone, signaled a confidence that I will not regain the weight, which, given my life-long inability to maintain a weight loss, is perhaps misplaced. I lost weight, and then gained it back, plus some, on a regular basis for the first 2/3 of my life. Then I stopped trying, and ate happily ever after.

Nothing about the life change we've undergone has anything to do with disliking my old self (the self-loathing I see in many large people just makes me sad). That said, even though weight loss was not the point of the change, it happened, and I don't want to do it again (and lord knows, I don't want to have to buy 3 coats in one season ever again). So the change has to be permanent- and redoing this sweater is an indication that I intend it to be so.

So I marked the cutting line with contrasting yarn (and relearned that I am a very imperfect knitter- here and there in the pattern motifs, I got off a stitch or three, which made tracing a straight line from top to bottom a little tricky), took a deep breath, and cut.

I ended up cutting 2-6 1/2" wide strips from the body of the sweater (which reduces the circumference by 13", which will be further reduced by another 2" with the new seam allowances- so 15" gone). And though this yarn (Rowan 4-ply) seems very reluctant to ravel, I still zigzagged along the cut edges (on the leftovers- with the sleeves still attached- as well).

I don't know what I'm going to do with the excess fabric, but I'll think of something after I cut the sleeves away. I'll be back with side seam pictures next.

The Department of Unintended Consequences

About one year ago yesterday, my husband found out that he was borderline diabetic. I remember the day (though not the date) because I heard the news after attending the first fall meeting of my knitting group (Knitters, Etc- meets the 2nd Friday of each month from Sept-May at the Red Rooster Cafe in Aberdeen, SD, 1:00-3:00- everyone welcome). On that drive home, before I talked to The Husband, I ate 2 Reeses Peanut Butter Pumpkins. Those were the last things I ate without thinking (at least it was something I love).

Since that day (and to be more accurate, from the moment I learned of his diagnosis), everything about our lives changed. We changed what we eat, and how we eat it, and how much we eat, and when, and what we do in between meals (exercise, for one thing). As a result, my husband (who was never heavy) lost 45 lbs, has been able to drop one blood pressure medication, lowered his already low cholesterol (who knew anyone could have a count of 133?), and most importantly, he's maintaining his blood sugar levels without medication.

Though I am not diabetic (and my bp has always been very good), and I had no objection whatsoever to being fat, I changed my life right along with him. In the last year, I've lost 77 lbs, and the most recent jeans I bought were size 8 (down from 24) (in the interest of full disclosure, the Size 8's are relaxed, and they're not loose, except in the legs). And I've gone from 3X tops, to just plain L (and sometimes M, if it's a big M). I more than exceeded my goal, and I've maintained this weight (within a 3lb range) since the end of June while slowly increasing the amount I've been eating (it's as hard to stop losing weight as it is to start- go figure).

This drastic change involved several complete wardrobe changes (not as much fun as it sounds- and pretty expensive to boot). Though I didn't realize it for a long time, the size and body change also meant that I could not wear the Dakota Dreams sweater- for which this blog is named- that I designed and took 6 months to knit (and wore once before this whole adventure started).

It's fall now, and I want to wear my sweater. So I'm going to have to do something drastic- I'm going to have to cut it down.

The sweater is 30" long (I like tunic sweaters), and 58" around (it wasn't tight, but it wasn't all that loose either). I am going to cut it down to 44" around (it still won't be tight), I'll shorten the sleeve opening from 11" to 10" (well 22" to 20"), but that won't affect the length because I'm going to have to cut the excess out of the sides, and sew side seams. The change in armhole openings means I have to tinker with the sleeve width as well. And I'm going to have to redo the neckline- either tear it out and reknit it, or just pick up ribbing and knit some more. The neckline was loose before, and it's ridiculously loose now.

And maybe I can do something about the wonkiness with the front bands- I have no idea why they don't line up properly.

It's going to be an adventure, and I'll take pictures.

p.s. I cropped my head out of the pic because it's early morning and I definitely look like it is early morning.

Freebie Friday- Mitered Square Socks

Note: I finished the mate to this pair tonight, and did not have a lot of yarn left from the 120 gr skein of yarn after knitting the Women's Size 7-8. If you plan to knit the larger shoe sizes, it might be a good idea to have some contrasting ribbing/toe/heel yarn on hand, just in case.

This is putting the cart a bit before the horse, seeing as how I don't have the mate finished, but I promised a Freebie Friday pattern this week, and a Freebie Friday you shall have.

I love how this sock (singular) came out- I love how the colors march through the cuff and instep. I love how few ends there were to weave in by using a single self-striping yarn. I love the ease (though not the speed) of the construction.

This sock is knitted flat, and then seamed on the side, so you need straight needles (you can use dpns for the squares, but you'll want longer needles for the toe and ribbing).

I used Twisted Fiber Arts Playful yarn (superwash merino), in the Guardian Colorway, but Twisted yarns are devilishly hard to come by. Any heavy fingering weight yarn will do. You can also make patchwork socks and use up bits and pieces of leftover yarns.

This sock is sized for a medium width foot, with a 30 st sole and heel. If you want a wider sock, pick up 32 sts on the sole and work a 32 st short-row heel (no instructions for that in this pattern, sorry), and then dec 2 sts when you pick up for the toe. If you want a narrower sock, pick up 28 sts on the sole, and work a 28 st short-row heel (no instructions for that in this pattern either) and inc 2 sts before beginning the toe decreases. If you want to make longer socks, just work more stockinette stitch before decreasing for the toe. If you want to make shorter socks,work 3 rows of squares on the instep, and then knit stockinette to the proper length before the toe. If you want a larger sock all around, work 21 st mitered squares (as I did for my earlier Patchwork socks- those socks came out wide and long for me).

For instructions on making the mitered squares refer to this post: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/09/basic-mitered-squares-instructions.html

right click on the pattern pages to enlarge, save as jpgs, print from any graphics program.

Thursday Tab- Whitman Wendy's Wardrobe, 1965, #1426

Here's a blast from my past- my sisters and I walked up to Sproutz Ritz (or maybe it was Weed's Variety- though that was downtown and a bit more of a hike from our house in the Pilchuck River Valley) and bought multiple copies of Whitman's #1426 Wendy's Wardrobe, in 1965. We made hundreds of outfits for our Wendys. And after we exhausted our small amount of spending money and the store's supply of books, we used magazines and newspapers and wrapping paper, and Kleenex.

Just looking at this set makes me want to do it all over again.

p.s. If you're of a mind to make some cloned paper doll clothes (like the pattern catalog dolls, in a graphic program), these fabrics work perfectly.

I Hope That These Dreamses Really Can't Become

Screencaps of Revenge of the Sith, dubbed in Chinese, with captions translated back into English by an automated translation engine. Or maybe someone just chose random words. It's hard to tell.

http://winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html

Basic Mitered Squares- Instructions

I'm going to post the pattern for the Guardian Mitered Square Sock as a Freebie Friday pattern this week! (wahoo!!!). But I thought I'd post the instructions for knitting the Mitered Squares today, so you can get a head start on knitting them, if you want (and to cut the clutter in Friday's downloads).

Mitered Squares can be worked with any size needles and any size yarn, and any ODD number of stitches. I'm posting the square that works for the Guardian Mitered Square Sock (Women's Average Size). You may want to increase or decrease the number of sts, or change yarns or needle sizes. I used Twisted Fiber Arts Playful yarn (heavy fingering weight) and Size 2 (2.75mm) needles. My Mitered Squares are 1 1/4" on all sides. You can adjust the number of squares, or their size as desired.

These instructions are set up for using one self-striping yarn throughout. If you want to use a different yarn for each square (to use up leftovers, for example), the process is the same, except that you cut the yarn after each square and pull the tail through the loop and tighten. Pick Up 1 additional stitch to compensate for the loss of that loop- just make sure you have 19 sts total before beginning the Miter. You'll have to weave in a lot of ends if you use lots of yarns, but the effect is gorgeous (see my earlier Patchwork Socks).

The Guardian Mitered Square sock cuff pattern calls for 4 rows of 6 squares, the Guardian Mitered Square sock instep pattern calls for 4 rows of 3 squares.

I'll post the ribbing, heel, sole, toe and assembly instructions on Friday.

Click on images and instructions to enlarge, right click to save as jpgs, print from any graphics program.

One Down

I was so excited to assemble this sock that I forgot to take a pic of it unsewn. I'll take a pic of the mate before I sew the side seam. Anyway, I got the first Guardian Mitered Square sock done and I love it! It's just a mite snug on my foot- not bad enough to tear it out or to knit the mate differently, but enough so that when I write the pattern up (soon, I promise), I'm going to add 2 sts to the sole (30 rather than 28) for just a bit more ease.

I'm working on the mate now, and taking pics of the mitered square progression (it's not difficult, but there are 4 basic CO/Pick Up Sts steps for rows of mitered squares) so I can write up those instructions when I post the pattern. This is sort of construction is slower than just plain knitting, but it's such fun, and I love watching how the self-pattering yarn works out.

Usually, I'm pretty anal about my socks matching, but I'm not even trying with the mitered-square portion of these socks. It's such a riot of color, and the two sides of the first sock don't match each other, so it just doesn't matter. I will try to make the soles match, but that may not work . We'll have to wait and see how they come out.

Sock Progress and the Paper Doll Game

I'm making good progress on the first Guardian Mitered Square sock. I finished the cuff and instep, and picked up the stitches for the heel and finished that. I worked a 28 st short-row heel, and now I'm beginning the sole. The sole will be knit on those 28 sts, and each time I purl back to the instep, I'll pick up a loop from a mitered square and knit it with the first stitch of the next row. That attaches that side of the sole to the instep and saves a seam later on, but the sole could just be knit on those 28 sts and then sewn later, on both sides. I love how this is coming out. The knitting goes much more quickly when you only use one yarn- no cutting and weaving in ends with every square.

I learned about the Paper Doll Game from a paperdoll list I belong to, and had to have it. It's a very simple game- players chose one of five dolls, and then spin to dress them by drawing selected clothing pieces out of a cloth bag- the first player whose doll has a top, bottom, hat, shoes, bag, and a hobby wins. It's a simple game, with no reading required, and yet it isn't so simple that my 7 year old granddaughter and I didn't enjoy it enormously. Even for me, it was no easy thing to figure out which pieces were shoes and which were hats or hobby accessories by feel (pants were a little easier, but you still have to spin for pants before you can draw them). The pieces are sturdy cardboard and the artwork is adorable. Our only complaint about the game was that you couldn't actually play with the dressed dolls- there is no way to keep the clothes on them. I think I might dig out a little Fun Tak for the next time we play- then we can dress the girls and dance them around (which is the main point of playing with paper dolls- dancing them around in their finery). http://www.amazon.com/eeBoo-PDGM-Paper-Doll-Game/dp/B000OZZHD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1220796423&sr=8-1

Guardian Miter Socks

I'm free... Well not exactly free, there will be more text work, and who knows, maybe even more knitting, but for the moment, I have finished the knitting that I need to do for the sock book. That last deadline was a killer- some of the yarns I used didn't photograph well, so I had to reknit 12 socks (including the most tedious design in the entire book- gorgeous sock, tedious knitting) and design and knit one new pattern- in about 18 days.

So what did I knit for fun last night, on the first night in awhile that I could knit whatever I pleased? A sock, of course.

This yarn is from Twisted Fiber Arts, my favorite dyers in the whole entire world. The yarn is Playful, a slightly heavier fingering weight superwash with a great squoosh and bounce, and it's dyed in the Guardian colorway. When knitted plain, it works up into stripes of red, brown, orange and purple. When it's knitted as mitered squares, it comes out in bands also (sorta), but very cool bands. I could have knitted the rows of squares from alternating ends of the ball so that the colors didn't line up, but I like this look.

I'm nearly done with the cuff of the first sock- this is the last row of 6 squares. I will take pics of the whole process when I start the mate, and post the pattern as I go, for those who want to give this a try. It's the same process as my patchwork socks, but with just 1 yarn (which is nice- the only ends to weave in are at either end of the row of squares).

For anyone familiar with mitered squares, who wants to get started, here are the stats:

2.75mm needles (I'm using dpns, but straights will work fine, and you'll need both sets anyway-straights for the heel/sole and dpns for the ribbing).

100gr striping yarn (not absolutely necessary, but it sure looks cool)

Mitered squares: 19 sts

Cuff for Women's Average Sock: 4 rows of 6 squares, Instep for Women's Average Sock: 4 rows of 3 squares. Unstretched- 6 squares are 7 1/2" wide, 4 rows of squares are 5" long, each square is approx 1 1/4" on each side (this is before blocking, and the garter stitch squares have a lot of elasticity).

I Reject Your Crochet...

... and substitute my own...

Or Deadcrafts's anyway (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5568186&order=&section_id=&page=1)

Iceland is not Finland

My apologies to contest winner Frida for switching countries on her. Iceland and Finland are not interchangeable. The next time someone says North Dakota when they mean South, I'll remember your good nature, Frida.

Prizes! Wegotcher Prizes Right Here!

Thank you, everyone, for visiting, and reading, and posting and commenting on the blog. I love doing this, and it's such fun to know that people from all over the world are tolerating my continual blather.

Winners, please send an e-mail to me with your address, and how you'd like your book signed (if you're a book winner). kathleentaylor1952 at gmail dot com Fair warning: I'm sending everything cheap and slow.

So, on to the prizes:

Linda gets a copy of I Heart Felt. I can send that book out right away.

Janice in San Francisco gets a copy of 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. That book can be sent immediately as well.

Frida in Finland gets a copy of The Prayer Shawl Companion, as soon as it's published and I get some copies (later this month, or early October)

OzKnitter gets a copy of 101 Luxury One Skein Wonders, as soon as it's published and I get some copies (later October)

And here are a few more prizes. All of these yarns need good homes. Some are discontinued lines, some are discontinued colors, and there isn't enough for a large project in any of the bundles, but there is enough for some fun:

Crafty Carole gets 2 balls of Knit Picks Main Line (75% Pima Cotton, 25% Merino Wool) in Butter Pecan and Antique Rose

Alisonwonderland gets 2 balls of Knit Picks Shine Sport (60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal) in Orchid and Violet

Charles gets 1 hank of Knit Picks Shimmer Lace Weight (70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk) in Deep Woods

Danielle gets a ball of Knit Picks Vacation (35% Tencel, 35% Nylon, 18% Cotton, 12% Acrylic) in Melon, and a ball of Knit Picks Getaway (same fiber blend) in Rafting

Rosie gets 2 balls of Knit Picks Shine Worsted (60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal) in Bachelor Button and Green Apple

Allison gets 1 hank of Knit Picks Shadow Lace Weight (100% Merino Wool) in Jewels

And Bunny gets 1 ball of Knit Picks Crayon (100% Pima Cotton) Red, and 1 ball of Knit Picks Twist (30% Cotton, 30% Viscose, 20% Acrylic, 20% Nylon) in Beach Ball.

Thanks again everyone!!!!!

Thursday Tab- Lindy, Pattern Catalog Doll, 1973

I made several of these outfits, featured in the Carefree McCall's Summer 1973 pattern catalog.

And I wore them.

I am so ashamed.

Oh look, there's Derek.

click on images to enlarge, right click to save as jpgs, print from any graphics program, clothes on plain paper, doll on card stock.

The Diet From Hell

I took a short break from knitting knitting obsessively knitting socks every minute of the day socks changing colors so that they photograph better never ending socks and I will never finish ever ever ever and I'll be knitting until I'm 90 and still not be done... oh, sorry. It's been a long day.

Anyway, this collection of Weight Watcher's Recipe cards from 1974 made me laugh out loud. I really needed to laugh out loud.

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

Work Interrupts Blogging

deadlines, deadlines, deadlines... coming at me like a freight train...

Sorry to say that I won't have time to do the Blogiversary Drawings today. I'll get back to y'all tomorrow...

p.s. for those who asked, the sock book is slated for publication in Sept '09.

Backstory

See, me and The Fair, we got us some history.

Back '94 or so, when I just had one book published (The Missionary Position, which was later reissued by Avon with a new title- Funeral Food), and a self-published one at that, financed by the auction sale of our sheep, The Fair asked me to come and sit for a couple of hours in the un-airconditioned Arts and Education building, and sign copies of my mystery, which I did, despite my long-standing dislike of unairconditioning. Back then a booksigning consisted mostly of me smiling at people who were curious as to what I was doing but intent on avoiding eye contact, and directing children to the bathroom. Not a whole lot different from book signings now, when it comes down to it.

Fast forward to '97 , after my second and third books (Sex and Salmonella and The Hotel South Dakota) had been published by A Real Honest to God New York Publisher, who paid me (not a lot, but that was fine because we had no sheep left to subsidize my career). The Fair called and asked if I would sit with a round-table of South Dakota Authors, and sign my books. I said, "sure," and made plans to attend.

A week or so later, The Fair's Assistant called and sheepishly (heh) said that there was a small problem- that whoever makes those sorts of decisions for The Fair thought it would be inappropriate for me to bring a book with the word "Sex" in the title, into the Education Building. I thought about that for a moment (remembering that I had already signed copies of The Missionary Position in that selfsame building), and then waited for The Fair's Assistant to suggest a solution, which she did. Her notion was that I could sit with the Other Authors, but that I could not put copies of Sex and Salmonella on the table with my other books (including, amazingly enough, Missionary, which had not been reprinted yet, and of which I still had boxes and boxes of copies stacked in the corner of my dining room)(Note to Aspiring Writers: don't sell your sheep to self-publish a book). I could, she suggested helpfully, wrap them in brown paper if I liked.

I am hoping that I turned The Fair's Assistant down politely, and that I didn't tell her where to put her brown paper wrappers (I don't remember my exact reaction). But since then, The Fair and I have been avoiding each other, except for one quick trip about 6 years ago, to pick up a raw fleece (see- sheep again) for spinning.

So I was mildly surprised a couple of months ago when The Fair called me out of the blue, to ask me to sign books on Labor Day. I figured it was time to put the past behind us, and so I agreed, though I did tell The Fair that I could not sell my knitting books (contract restrictions and all- I have to pay retail price plus shipping, and who in their right mind is going to pay more for a book just to get it from me?), and that the mysteries were all out of print. The Fair said that would be no problem.

So, yesterday I schlepped copies of all 10 of my books, plus 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, to Huron, to sit at a table and direct people to the bathroom. We hit a small snafu when I realized very late in the game, that they expected me to sit at said table, in the unairconditioned Arts and Education Building, for 8 full hours. I did demur politely, and said I'd stick to my original understanding, and be there from 1:00-3:00 pm.

It was way hot yesterday. Not as hot as it can be on Labor Day, but still it was in the mid 90's, with high humidity, and incredible winds (steady 30-35mph with gusts higher- check out the flags in the photos), and I was stationed in a front corner of the building, out of any air movement, so I had to consciously remember to smile when people asked where the rest rooms were.

But before I hunkered down in the hot building, I wandered. I never did find the sheep or the goofy chickens- they were there, but out of my path, and I was hot and hungry (and there were storms predicted, so I wanted to hit the road immediately after the signing). I explored the food court, and settled on Crab Fritters (which, for a carb counter, is pretty much a no-no), after being sorely tempted by the Trifecta offered by one booth (Indian Tacos, Elephant Ears, and Funnel Cakes, with a mystery beverage called Peps). And yes I had a Funnel Cake. It was wonderful, though the wind blew powdered sugar all over me, and very nearly upended the whole plate, so I wore a White Badge of Shame for awhile (and I couldn't eat it all- those suckers are huge. And sticky).

I did look at the quilts, which were lovely, and at the pickles and jams (my crab apple jelly still hasn't set, by the way. sigh), and the lone knitted item that I saw- a lovely cabled sweater. At least it won a ribbon. I have no desire to ride any rides but I like to look at them. Ditto the Midway, still packed solid with cheap stuffed animals. And I thought it was nice of the man to render aid to the lemons.

At my table, I mostly knitted, and smiled, and watched people (News Flash: mothers and daughters often look alike). One nice gentleman sat with me for awhile, and asked who taught me to knit. I told him that my mother and grandmother had. He sighed wistfully, and said that his own mother had died before she was able to teach him to knit, as she had taught his older brothers. Only a lack of needles and extra yarn kept me from offering to teach him then and there. A young boy asked a very serious writing question (How old were you when you knew that you wanted to write?). I told him that I knew when I was 8 or so, but that it took me a long time to get around to actually doing it. He nodded and left. I hope that was the answer he needed to hear. Skinny Santa wandered past my table a couple of times, but did not stop to chat. A few people demanded more Tory mysteries, and a newbie knitter had some felting questions.

If it had not been so blasted hot and sticky, and if I would have found the sheep, and if I had not been intent on getting ahead of the storms (which hit shortly after I got home- 2" of rain and lots of crash bang and boom), it would have been a perfect day. But it was pretty good anyway.

So Fair, if you're reading this, give me a call. We'll do it again some time.

Off to the Fair

I'm off to the South Dakota State Fair, in Huron. I'll do my best to resist the siren call of the Funnel Cake booth, but that may be a lost cause. I will return with pictures of quilts and Ferris Wheels, and maybe some goofy looking chickens and a really big pig.

If you haven't entered the Blogiversary Contest yet, you still have time. Just post a comment for yesterday's post, and you're in.