Zooming towards normal

Getting better everyday.

Last night I was able to sleep in my own bed (been spending the last couple of nights on the couch since my cough was keeping me and my partner awake, and I would rather not get him sick) and I slept pretty well.

I did not go to knitting and instead watched the new season on Heroes (interesting first night) and Journeyman (also interesting) and watched P retape loaner weapons and catalog and fix loaner armour. Sounds like there is going to be a whole load of new fighters coming around at fighter practice and he worked on getting the supplies the Barony has up to snuff. I worked further on the decreases for my sweater and it is coming along.

This morning the air was crisp and very Fall-like and more trees on my route to work have started to turn golden. Tonight I am starting on the throne bags for Nordskogen. The new thrones are magnificent!

Lenny is not going to like giving up his hidey hole though.

This weekend is the Caponi Park Medieval Fair.

Head in a fog

Or a Fog in my Head, same difference.

I left work early on Thursday and ended up in bed for the rest of the weekend. I thought I was getting better on Saturday and got up and drove to the store where I purchased doughnuts and cold medicine and then got a coffee. I actually felt up to knitting on Saturday and managed to get quite a bit done on my sweater. The days prior required more energy than I was able to knit. I was treated to dinner at Khans Sat night where I ate most of the food on my plate. Sunday I was back down for the count with a temp of 101.5, not cool. My cough has mostly subsided and I slept soundly last night, which helped a great deal. My temp today is wavering around 99 and I'm not 100%, but I am in better shape than I was for the last couple of days.

I think I have a sinus infection brought on my allergies/ change of season/ weather patterns/ ennui? Who knows. All I know is it is annoying, but at least it doesn't hurt to type anymore.

Weekend Extravaganza!

Combine a tiki themed wedding shower with lots of rum, a dinner with fabulous italian food, beer at a Irish pub, a GIANT bus filled with women, and ending it all at a Wine Bar/ Chocolaterie and you get a Saturday of fun!

Oh and did I mention chocolate?

Holy crap on a stick batman was that stuff good!!!!!! I think that may require a return trip for the wedding weekend. I split the trio of custards with Liz and it was heavenly (add to that 2 pots of french pressed coffee). What a perfect end to the evening of fun and a weekend of staying up WAY too late.

Tweet is doing very well in her new home and she is whipping the boys into shape. I'm so glad I made the decission to find her a new place to live. She is going to be much happier with her flock. The house is a lot quieter without her and that does make me sad, but she is so happy in her new home.

Sarah was an excellent driver and even drove all the way back on Sunday so I could knit (she's a real pal). I finished the body of the Dikinson sweater up to the underarms and I have one sleeve nearly complete, just a couple more inches. I may be able to start the other sleeve tonight once I am done with my homework.... Baronial candidates meet and greet is Wednesday and P and I need our candidates questions done and submitted by Tuesday.

Pretty Cakes!

The wool for the stockings are overdyed, dried and in sweet pretty cakes waiting for me to be done with the other knitting I have committed to.

Where I started



DONE!



Yay! pretty pretty.

Now I'm off to Madison for the weekend and my friend is driving! Knitting time!!!!!

Ravelry.....

9860 people are ahead of you in line.
10265 people are behind you in line.

::sigh::

Hey, at least there are less ahead of me then behind.

Red fingers

I did the overdyeing of the red wool for my stockings last night. So far it looks like I managed to get the color more even and the spots that were faint before under the ties seem to be just fine. I am pleased, but my nails are kind of reddish/ pink. It will fade.

I have started knitting my Dickenson Pullover out of Wool of the Andes in Mulled wine. The pattern is addictive. I'm knitting it in the round, I don't feel that there is any reason to knit everything seperately and then join them. The sleeves will be knit up to the underarms and then I'll throw the whole thing onto a circular needle and knit the ragland decreases.

Of course this means that my attention is removed from the next pair of sock monkey socks. I need to have those done so I can use the needles for the Clessidra stockings. It's all part of my plan.

I did a lot of knitting at Coronation last weekend, but I was the driver so not much to and from the event.

This weekend I will be traveling to Madison for my friend's bridal shower and various tom foolery. Another friend is going to drive so I can get some prime knitting done. I am also bringing Tweet to her new home. I think she would be happier around other birds and away from my cats and my friend who has birds agrees and is willing to take Tweet. I'm very happy for her, even though I will miss her.

Baby stash!

The depleteing of the stash continues apace.

Behold the baby sweater from leftover Cascade 220!

The pattern is from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and while it took me more time than the 4 hours to complete it, as the book promises, I am quite pleased at how it turned out. The size should fit a 1-2 yr so it will fit the baby it is intended for in about a year.

I completed a hat that will fit her now out of some more Cascade 220. The pattern is the Elf Hats from Charmed Knits.



I think the whole package is pretty cute.



I'm still working on socks. I finished a "pair with a spare" last night.


The varigated green is the LAST leftover sock yarn from my stash. I'll have enough for a pair, and perhaps a spare, but we will see.

Knitting is Magic

I turned wool into gold! (and pearls and garnets)

Barter rocks!

Dye Job

Dyeing happened on Monday with G2. The yarn weighed in at 320 gr and we dyed it a Bright Scarlet using Jacquard Acid Dye from Dharma Trading Company. There area couple spots where the dye is a bit uneven so I plan to overdye the skeins again sometime next week. The process was not as daunting as I imagined and I am thrilled with the color!!! So pretty.

First we did a test strip with a small amount of wool. Here is the before and after.



Next we washed the wool and rinsed it several times. Icky dirty water.



We put the wet wool in 2 gallons of water with 4 tsp of white vinegar in a pot and placed it on the stove to come up to a simmer.



The dye was mixed in a quart jar, approx 5 tsp of dye to 1 qrt of water and then added to the pot.



Here is the wool simmering, yummy deep red.



The wool was simmered for 15 minutes total and then the water was dumped and the wool was allowed to come to room temp. It was rinsed repeatedly and is now drying. As it dried we were able to see a couple of spots under the ties that did not quite get enough dye and a small amount of gradation in the color, hense the necessity to overdye.



I LOVE the color. It is perfect. The wool is a fingering weight and it bloomed a bit in the dyeing process and it feels lovely. I'm going to use the wool to knit up a pair of Clessidra stockings for me. I purchased the cone of wool back in May so I am a bit anxious to begin this project.