New goodies

All I can say is "WOW". Yesterday I got my first installment of the Petals Collection from Sundara Yarn. The color is Calla Lily, with a pattern as well. Purples and greens. It came Priority Mail and was wrapped beautifully. The pattern is on cardstock and comes in this gorgeous green envelope. AND there's a postcard size picture of a Calla Lily. AND a little flower shaped sucker. On one hand, I can wait to get started on these socks. On the other hand, the package is just so pretty I just want to keep looking at it. The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

An experience to dye for

A couple of weeks ago, Kim and I got together to try a little dyeing. I hadn't dyed anything before, but I have all this wool sitting here just asking for a little color. Kim had done some dyeing before, and I felt like I needed a little hand holding. So off we went. I had visions in my head of hand painted yarn that was dyed in clumps of color, sort of like Socks That Rock is. You know...an distinct area of blue, another of green, etc? Well, here was our first try at that...I think a little Gaywool blue and Raspberry.

Not so much distinct blocks, but not bad. My next attempt at multicolored yarn produced a uniform shade of brick red. Very pretty, but again, just not what I was expecting.

We finally figured out that dark colors were pretty overpowering. Amazing how quickly we figured that out, eh? So I thought I'd try some lighter colors. This last batch is some yellow, green and blue dye. I tried the hot-pour method. Or at least our version of it. Here's the wool sitting in the dye

and now spun up.

I surprised myself with this one. I don't usually like green, especially something of this shade, but the more I look at it the more it's growing on me. I had been calling it "Split Pea", but I'm not a big fan of split pea soup, so the name has quite the negative connotation, at least for me. Maybe "Shrek" is a better name?

Happy Birthday Catie!

Well, this is only 2 days late, but as of Wednesday, June 21, at 10:51 PM, Catie Grace turned 1 year old. I had this freakish desire to make her cake from scratch. Like somehow if I bought a cake, I was a bad mom. So I baked the cake (no Duncan Hines here, folks), made the frosting, and decorated it myself. Whew. Now I can rest easy that I'm not a bad mom. Never mind the fact I'm never home, but hey...something the little things are all we have. So here we have the cake:

Hmm...what have we got here?

And now...mmm...I like chocolate.

What a great year it's been. Though it's certainly gone by fast. It's been amazing to watch how she changes from day to day. I can't even really remember what life was like before her. Happy Birthday, Miss C!

A real cop-out

Well, it's midnight on Tuesday. I've delivered 6 babies in 7 days (a lot for me). I've had 4 call nights in the same time frame. I need to be at the office at 7am, and I'm staying up late to finish frosting Catie's birthday cake. And I haven't posted in a couple of days. SO...courtesy of Kat with a K...

You scored as Elinor Dashwood. As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister. > Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Enough bitching and moaning from me. Pictures of the one year b-day party coming soon to a computer near you.

Book Reviews

2 books down. Many more to go. I've been reading a couple of chapters each night. It actually feels good to be back reading a lot again. I haven't done nearly as much lately as I used to do.


My first book that I've finished is The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. 321 pages of goodness. What a great book. I'm certainly not the most religious person, so was not intimately familiar with the story of Jacob and his family. But this perspective is something I can get into. What an amazing story and women and their role in the world. I was fascinated by all the midwife stuff.






Book #2 is The Overspent American, by Juliet Schor. I actually read the hardcover version--253 pages, though the last 75 are bibliography, references, etc. This one's from the library. I'm rather disillusioned with my life and finances right now, and so am reading quite a bit about downshifting. Too much junk and too many bills. I can't say I really learned much from this book, but it's a good overview of our consumerist culture, of which I somewhat unhappily am a participant. It does have some recommendations at the end, but most of them are pretty common sense. I guess it can't hurt to get a little refresher course though.


Next up...a book about signing to young children and I need to finish Eragon. Plus there's been a "development" with my Birch shawl. I'm going to have to rip back a few rows. Dang.

Why Mary is the BEST!

The title of my last post was "A Little Housekeeping". You know how you're supposed to do a little housekeeping every day so that, come the weekend, you're not overwhelmed? I'm not very good at that. When it comes to the house OR blogging. I always have so many things to write about, but don't get here every day for various reasons. So...every few days I feel like I have to catch you all up on things that have been going on (though in general my life is pretty lame). I'm going to try and restrain myself today, because my last post was a bit too much, I think.

So...today is going to focus on my last Secret Pal gift. Tuesday night I'm getting ready for bed, too late as usual, and George brings in a big manila envelope for me. It had come in the mail that day, and he set it up on top of the fridge to keep it away from the dogs (eye level for him, 2 feet above my head). He finally remembered it was there before he came to bed. Well, it was my final SP package, and what a good one. This was the "reveal" package. Mary in NYC, you are such a great secret pal. You always seem to know what will be perfect for me. Further proof--4 skeins of KPPM, Knitted sheep and doll patterns, the Kids Kids Kids book of patterns, Zephyr in blue (my fave), a book that I can't wait to read--Sylvia's Farm, about a woman who raises sheep. Especially pertinent considering our newest additions of Lacey and Aran, who by the way are getting tamer and more friendly every day. For your drooling pleasure:

Not much else going on tonight. The REAL housekeeping still awaits. Next up this week--some reading updates, my first adventure in dyeing, and more.

A little housekeeping

I have so many things to post about, I don't even know where to start. I keep meaning to write about all this stuff, but I get sidetracked. So here we go.

First off...the box from the

arrived at my house last week. What a bunch of goodies. It took me a few days, but I finally decided on

in exchange for these:

More sock yarn...just what I need. I've been wanting to learn to dye, so this KnitPicks color your own comes at a very appropriate time. Perhaps this weekend...? (Hey Kim--busy? What to do some dyeing?) I mailed the box off to the next person this afternoon. Enjoy.

What else? Birch is progressing along, though slowly. I've done one more repeat. Pretty sad...one whole repeat in a week. And in terms of my diet, I really sucked today. Krispy Kremes at the office with no breakfast before is a BAD combination. Damn those glazed gobs of sugar.

I've joined the Mason Dixon Knitalong as well. I made this over the weekend.


What a fun pattern, and quick to make. I'm going to try and make a few more over the coming weeks. I think they'll make good additions to bridal shower/wedding gifts, and good lord, I have several of those this summer.

And I joined this as well:



My first book is The Red Tent. I bought this book 2 years ago when we were on our honeymoon in Victoria and read the first couple of chapters and then set it aside. It's high time I actually picked it up and finished it.

I think that's all...at least for now. Yikes.

Amazing Lace Entry #1

Take 1

(Cheesy announcer voice)

This summer, while children play in city pools and parks, while adults flip burgers on the BBQ and drink beer, join us on a quest. A personal journey, of sorts. Watch these two individuals work to transform themselves into something bigger (or smaller) and better than ever before. Ladies and gentlemen, WELCOME TO THE AMAZING LACE.

(Cheesy action music)

First we have our project, Birch. Ahhh, Birch. Birch, whose parents are Rowan and Kid Silk Haze. Birch, the ugly duckling who hopes to someday turn into the beautiful swan. She spends her days languishing on the dining room table, a pile of silk, mohair, and Inox needles, only to hope that she will be remembered at night. Wishing and praying that her knitter will stay focused, keep her eye on the prize, and actually finish her. Right now she looks like this: but someday, hopes and dreams of looking like this.

And now...the knitter...Jocele...

(more cheesy music)

Jocele works all day and sometimes all night (trying ever so hard to pay off those damn med school loans). She tries to squeeze in knitting when she can. But will she get sidetracked? There's those socks, those Mason-Dixon dishrags and log cabin blankets, that baby sweater. The spinning wheel. Not to mention spending time with her handsome husband and adorable daughter. But Jocele has more than knitting and family on the brain this summer. She is packing a few (oh, okay, more than a few) extra pounds post-baby. Especially concerning because the said baby is 2 weeks away from turning a year old. So in addition to the shawl knitting, yarn spinning, perfect gardening and housekeeping, as well as being the ideal wife and mother, she's going to try to find the time to eat better and excercise more. She's hoping by the end of the summer, there'll be a bit less of her to see. Here is a picture of our knitter a few months ago. What will she look like come September? Only time will tell.

How will these two do on their challenge? Stay tuned...

(Music fades out)

A little Lacey (&) Aran, you say?

I love 3 day weekends. So you get 3 days off. But then that means you have a shorter work week. Bonus. YAY!!! Okay, okay, so it's just a little mind game I play with myself, but it works for me.

I got a fair amount of knitting done this weekend. Birch is moving along nicely. I've gotten 3 repeats done. I'll be glad when the rows get shorter and it goes quicker. Because now it takes FOREVER to get through a couple of rows. Maybe I'm just slow, though. Here's how she looks so far

I think I've actually done a couple more rows, but you get the basic idea.

And I'm happy to announce, the sheep have names. Thank you all for your suggestions. I had a hard time choosing. But now I have lots of ideas for the next sheep, whenever that may be. And so, without further ado, the lucky winner is (drumroll): Lisa with "Lacey and Aran". The white one will be Lacey, and the brown one Aran. Although G is going to call the brown one "Clarice". Can you believe I've never seen that movie? So, Lisa, if you're out there, email me with your address and a prezzie is on its way.

The sock is moving along. I basically ripped it all and started over, so now it's back to what it looked like prior to the frogging. And I've been poring over Mason-Dixon Knitting. I've never been so intrigued by dishcloths. My house needs more knitted stuff, and the sooner the better. I'm trying to finish something before I move on, though. It's hard, because I've got some pretty dishcloth cotton just sitting here looking at me. Who knew cotton could be so persuasive?

She's gonna hate me for this someday

Long time, no post. And to make up for that, here comes a long post. It's been a busy week at work. Several nights of working late. Which means that, for the past few days, there's not much time for anything besides checking email and brushing my teeth before I fall asleep at night. But here we have a 3 day weekend. Oh, the joy. Too bad it rained most of the afternoon, but I found ways to compensate.

The sheep are settling in nicely. They're getting used to their new pasture and are becoming more curious and courageous as well. They're actually coming up to us and sniffing us as we try and feed them. Thank you to all who have written to suggest names. We're pondering (and even bickering a bit) over which ones are the best names. So check back Monday, because that's when I plan to announce the lucky winners.

So, how did I spend my Saturday? Well, I had grand plans of sleeping in. I might as well give up on those forever. I wake up at 7, regardless, and have a hard time falling back to sleep. So after snuggling in bed with G and Catie, we got up to start the day. I had planned to meet a friend for lunch, so eventually Catie and I headed into Boise. The restaurant we were meeting at was downtown, in the same block as the Farmers' Market. I was blown away by the number of booths. I'll definitely have to check this out again. I'm becoming entralled with farmers' markets. Could be because I'm on this kick where I just want to be an organic farmer/shepherd/cattle rancher. Just a dream.

Lunch was at a Greek/Mediterranean restuarant. Yummy. Then all three of us walked through the rain to the yarn store downtown. Didn't buy anything there, but enjoyed looking. Then we went for a cup of coffee, where Catie fell asleep while nursing. It's been FOREVER since she's done that. It was so nice just to hold her while she slept. Then we went our separate ways, and I headed to Borders. I've had a hankering for a new book. I hadn't actually LOOKED inside this book, but I loved it. Those Mason-Dixon ladies sure have lots of projects I'd like to try. And god forbid, I leave a bookstore with only one book. I also got Big Girl Knits. We met G and his old roomie, Jason for dinner. Where Catie ate an amazing amount of food. I have no idea where it all went. I don't think I've ever seen her eat that much. Maybe she's getting ready to grow another inch or two. Here's a picture of her last weekend at the rodeo.

So now here comes the embarassing part (the part she might hate me for someday). My sister, her hubby, and baby came for the weekend too. Catie and Danny got to hang out and play. Here we have them together...please pardon the look on C's face. Not the most attractive one ever.

And here's just one of the many pictures that show just how much they enjoyed each others' company:

I never thought "kissing cousins" could be so cute.

I need your help!

Forgive me for not posting for a few days, but trust me, this is a good one. Think beyond knitting.

This weekend marks the annual Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo, the rodeo in the town where I grew up. So off Catie and I went, while George stayed home with the stomach virus from hell. At any rate, this is what the pasture looked like when we got home.

Look a little closer now...
And just a little closer yet...
Yes folks, today was sheep delivery day. I've mentioned on here in the past that we were planning on getting a couple of lambs. They're from Cleo, at The Sheep Shed, the same place I bought my wheel. Here's a couple of close ups:















The white one is a Merino-Cormo cross, and the brown one is Border Leiscter-Merino cross. Both ewe lams. Both about two and a half to three months old.

SOOO...here's where you all come in. We haven't come up with good names for these little girls. So I'm holding a bit of a contest. Let me know your ideas. G and I will choose from among the options, and the lucky winner(s) will get a little gift from me. Some lovely STR, perhaps?? Maybe a bit of handspun as well??

He can't complain anymore

Ladies and gentlemen (though I suspect it's mostly ladies that read this)...I'm proud to present...G's Trekking XXL socks. I've been working on these for about a month. In fact, I think exactly a month. Done, except for the weaving in, but pretty close. They're not an exact match. I did more decreases on one toe than the other, but if you won't tell, I won't. I think he'll be happy to finally have a pair done.

And on G's size 15 feet:


The vital stats:

Pattern: No specific pattern, just a larger version of my basic, generic sock pattern
Yarn: Trekking XXL, Color 122
Needles: Crystal Palace dpns, size 1
Started: April 15, 2006
Finished: May 15, 2006

So what's next, you ask? Lace, baby. I'm going to work more on Birch, and for portability, yet another pair of socks. STR this time. Maybe I'll go back to this:

Happy Mother's Day (or why I should ask for French toast more often)

Well, Happy Mother's Day to all. It's my first as a mom. It's been a great day. I had grand plans of sleeping in late, but I woke up at 6:30 or 7:00 just the same. As you may have read yesterday, my only request was that G make me French toast. Which he did. But beyond that, apparently he and Catie picked out of a pair of these for me too:



Then when Catie went down for her morning nap, I broke out Birch. Last night I was quite frustrated with this project. I wasn't sure I didn't screw up on the first row or two. I went on to knit Row 3, and I did a little happy dance when it worked out right. I'm right on track. Finally. And here's the little halo of silk and mohair to prove it.

Later in the afternoon we went to Barnes and Noble. Site of our first date. AAAWWW. I bought the new Interweave Knits and The Shop on Blossom Street. Yes it's fluff. But right now I need a little fluff in my life. Sometimes a mindless read is just what the doctor ordered.

GRRRRR

I should have known. I've read about others' struggles with the first few rows of Birch. I thought to myself, "I won't have those problems" How arrogant of me. I have cast on 3 separate times. And have screwed up on the first row twice. I'm not even convinced that the 3rd time is a charm, either. I think this one might be messed up too. Row counters. No row counters. Counting the cast on row 5 or 6 times each. None of these work. I keep screwing the damn thing up. Now it's midnight and my head is spinning. The KSH is beautiful and soft...and a FREAKIN' NIGHTMARE. I'm sure I'll grow to love it, but now, not so much. It gets easier, I've read. But I don't think I"ll ever get to the point where it can get easier.

So now I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll wake up with a whole new outlook on life. French Toast in bed. (That was my Mother's Day request). And my good buddy Birch will be fine. I'll have the right number of stitches after row 2. Because if I have to restart again, something bad might happen.

That'll teach him.

Yes, folks. Yet again, my secret pal takes the cake. I got these goodies to the left last week. 660 yards of alpaca yarn. 2 skeins of Sundara sock yarn, Knit Lit the Third (signed, no less) and some hand salve that made everything in the package smell like yummy lavendar. And now I know what she looks like. Just not her name. This is most fun.

However, I'm getting so incredibly bored with G's second sock. Tedious gusset decreases are making me want to scream or pull my hair out or something. I'm really wanting to start my Amazing Lace project(s). Tonight I showed G a picture of what I wanted to start on next (after the Birch I haven't really started). He rolled his eyes. Can you believe that crap? I believe he said something along the lines of, "Don't you have a different shawl that you haven't finished in forever?" He just doesn't get it, does he? Maybe I won't finish that sock after all. Ha.

Shoshone Falls

Friday was my "day off". I had been on call on Thursday night. Not too bad. Home by 10 or so, then slept all night. So Friday, my "day off", I had a meeting and assisted on a C-section on one of my patients. So after that, I finally got to do "day off" type stuff.

I checked out the newest LYS in town. Ewephoria. (Cute name, huh?). It's in downtown Nampa. Everything is still not totally set up, and she doesn't have everything on display yet, but overall, I'm impressed. Plus it's closer to home. And Nampa is working to revitalize it's downtown, a cause I'm always into supporting. AND there's a cool new coffee shop around the corner. So many reasons to go back for more. I bought a couple of skeins of Cascade Fixation in an ivory color. I think it'll be good for summer socks. Besides, I've never knit socks except with wool, so I think I need to at least try some cotton. I also bought the newest Spin-Off magazine. It has an article about Navajo plying, which I've been wanting to learn how to do.

Then my mom, dad, G, Catie and I loaded up and drove to Twin Falls. It was a bit of a crowded car ride, but worth it. Shoshone Falls is just outside of Twin Falls. It's on the Snake River. Apparently they're higher than Niagra Falls. I've never been to Niagra Falls, and I think there's more water there, but for Idaho, especially southern (i.e. desert) Idaho, this is pretty damn impressive.

That last picture shows me (in the red shirt) out on the lookout deck. What you can't see is how I'm holding desperately onto the railing and trying not to throw up as I look down. I'm a little afraid of heights. Add to that the water pouring over the falls, and it was almost more than my stomach could handle. But I'm glad we went. This was a good year as far as snow, so there's more water than there has been the past few years. It certainly made for an impressive sight.

Not much as far as knitting news. The second of G's red socks is moving along. I'm willing myself to finish it before I start something else. Lace is calling my name.

Lace and Catie Grace

Summertime is coming. And we all know that means lace knitting. I'll have to pry myself away from the socks. And move on to airy, pretty, girly lace. Along those lines, I've joined this:



A little competition with Birch and me as a team. I'm hoping to finish Birch and maybe move on to the Violets by the River shawl. Probably a little overambitious, but a girl can dream.

There's been two big developmental milestones at our house in the past week. Catie has now mastered the art of the sippy cup. For months she's been chewing on the little spout and not sucking. After watching another kid yesterday, it clicked. She's now incredibly excited about apple juice. And she's FINALLY learned to say "mamama". Only problem is, she's said it about 2 or 3 times and no more. Why, oh why, does it have to be "dadadadada" to everything? "I-da" "Oooh-da" "Ee-da" I'm well aware of the fact that the "D" sound is easier to make than the "M" sound, but come on, girl. I'm feeling a little left behind on the vocabulary train.

So here she is, with the parent she loves the most. At least she must, by as much as she says his name. Note the yarn in her hands. You can never start too early.

Weekend rundown

How in the heck does the weekend go by so quickly? All of the sudden it's 11:00 on Sunday night and I got only a small amount of everything done that I wanted to do. I met Kim for coffee on Saturday, where she was kind enough to forgive me for being late, and kind enough to give me some Gaywool dye. We chatted and knitted until it was time to get ready for her son's prom. I came home for the afternoon and then was out again to a Pampered Chef party. Once I got home, G had gone out with one of his friends, so after Catie went to bed, I spent the evening knitting, spinning, and listening to the last of Pride and Prejudice. A very nice evening, I must say. Once upon I time, I would have been mortified at the thought of spending a Saturday night like that. Apparently this is yet another sign I'm getting old. All that's missing is the prune juice.

Sunday we went out for a nice breakfast, went for a drive, then headed home for a lovely date with the weedflower bed. As I was trimming a shrub, I decided I didn't like it any more. So out it came. (Thanks, G). It felt good to be decisive. Some weeds, though nowhere near all of them, got pulled. Some fenced got fixing. I went to our local farm store to check out the seeds and get ideas for our little veggie patch. Then, the highlight of the night. Due to the miracle of iTunes, we finally got caught up on Lost. And I finished up the first of G's Trekking XXL socks. I've started the second, and think, after a couple of tries, I got the striping matched up. Here's number 1, and I'm happy to report it fits perfectly.

So I guess it was a somewhat productive weekend. I had visions of getting ALL the laundry done, not just a couple of loads. I wanted to try out that new dye, but didn't get there either. We still have a not-so-clean house/garage. And the back yard--yikes! As I always say...next weekend...

We've survived a whole week without anything breaking down. What a relief. Both vehicles are running. All our major appliances are still humming along. Thank god. If anything else broke, I was gonna really lose it.

I've had some good knitting/spinning the past few days. I've been working on G's Trekking XXL sock. The gusset decreases are done, and I'm just cruising along on the foot. I'll be cruising here for awhile becase, as I've said before the man has freakishly huge feet. Here's the progress thus far.

I'm into knitting anklet socks. Saves on yarn, and things get done at least a little more quickly.

I continue to improve (at least I think so) at spinning. This is some dark wool that was given to me. Cleaned, carded, and ready to go. Amazing, eh? I've slowly getting better at consistency, but there's still some think and thin spots. It's getting better though.

Next project...dyeing. But do I dye the wool before it's spun? Or dye it once it's yarn? Any suggestions? Which is better for a rookie dyer? Is that how you spell that? I have so much to learn.

A good weekend

Well, Sunday night. I've been on call this weekend at night, but it hasn't been bad at all. I've gotten several hours of sleep each night, which is great. I finally got my package to Ann for our 40 Days for Others project. Apparently everyone in Caldwell had something to mail as well. I was there for about 40 minutes standing in line. But I did see one thing that made it all worthwhile. A woman there was picking up boxes of "hatching" eggs. I was totally intrigued by the idea of getting all these live eggs in the mail. So many little potential chickens sitting there on the counter.

Also yesterday I hit the LYS with Erica for my next Sock Club sock and yarn. While there, we discovered that this weekend was a "fiber-fest" with all the local yarn stores participating. So of course I had to participate. I hit 3 other yarn stores. Drop a Stitch in downtown Boise, Handmade in Eagle, and Knit One, Quilt Too in Kuna. I got a couple of things at the first two, but I have no pictures to share because they're for my SP.

Today has been laundry day. And knitting/spinning day. I'd much rather just knit and spin on a Sunday, but clean undies are important too. And C probably wants clean diapers. So I guess it's not all fun and games, but pretty damn close. All in all, a good weekend.