Lavender from Taiwan

Can you tell how excited I am this afternoon? I came home from work to discover a package here that had arrived while I was away. OH, how can I ever express the joy I feel with this most beautiful present I received all the way from Taiwan? The color of this scarf takes me back to my childhood when lavender was my favorite color in the box of Crayola Crayons. I am a child again, touching and looking at this beautiful scarf. My Secret Pal is yet unknown to me. She did not put anything else in the package, so I don't yet know whom to thank. But, Pal, if you read this, please know how happy you have made me today. I absolutely love this scarf. The knit work is so fine, the yarn so soft and dainty. I appreciate this more than I can say.

In two weeks I will be leaving for Europe for my annual vacation there. This scarf will be the only scarf I take with me this year. I had been wondering just which scarf to take, and now I know. It is this one! The light weight of it and the soft color will just be perfect. I will feel like the Empress herself, walking about Austria and Germany wearing my divine new scarf from Taiwan.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. My pal from the International Scarf Exchange #4 - you are the best.

UFOs to Go - COUNTDOWN to STASHBUSTING

OK, I have finished up Month 4 of the Stashalong. I joined up January 15th. My goal is to go one year only knitting from my stash. I KNOW I can do it. It is a fun challenge and worth the effort to use yarns up that are in drawers and baskets all around the house.





I looked up all my UFOs at this time. Pulled them out of their little corners, under tables, behind couches, and in baskets and yarntainers. I found that I have 10 UFOs currently. Some are barely begun, but yet they ARE begun so they counted in my quest this afternoon. At first I thought I had only 7, then I saw two more yarn tainers under the coffee table. Those two held socks. So, I put them in with the group for their official "GROUP PHOTO" for May 30 2007.

OMG! This makes me accountable, right? OK, I take full responsibility for these 10 projects. After I photographed them I wrote down (should I say I 'recorded' them?) each project and the yarn I am using. Now, I will make a list in order that I plan to finish them. I think the top of the list will be the one that is closest to being finished and we'll go from there. I will list them in order that I plan to finish them up. I guess I better put some dates for finish with them, just to keep me on track and to make me accountable for a finish timeline, too. (I am taking a deep breath just at the thought of this.)

1. Scarf out of Paton's Pebbles, in Sandstone color. This will be a Christmas gift for a grand daughter who will recieve the sweater that I made out of the same yarn. The scarf is just a garter stitch pattern, very easy, yet pretty made from this yarn. I love this yarn!
FINISH DATE: June 5 (Completed May 31st)

2. Caryl's Kerchief, Designed by Marian Nelson. This is made from Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino. I have it about 2/3 finished. It is a lace pattern and I am very new to lace, so I have to go slow and count every stitch. Sometimes, I have to count a LOT, over and over again.
FINISH DATE: June 12

3. Sweater for the Knit for Kids project, sponsored by Guideposts Magazine. I am pledging to knit 2 sweaters a year for donations to this worthy project. I was so thrilled to get a post card showing where my sweaters were sent - to children in Africa. The post card showed one little boy wearing one of the sweaters I knitted. Talk about proud. I was so proud that a child will have a nice warm sweater that was made by me. Last year, knitters and crocheters sent 74,983 hand made sweaters to this organization for distribution all over the world to needy children. I plan to continue working every year on sweaters for children.
FINISH DATE: June 18

4. Egyptian Cotton, Dishcloth. I have one finished, and have yarn for a second one. This ball of yarn was sent to me last year in the One Skein Knitalong & Exchange. I am just getting it made up into something now. It is wonderful to knit with and talk about nice to touch. WOWeee.
FINISH DATE: June 25

5. Penelope Top by Oat Courture
I am making this out of Lana Grossa Basic, hp No. 31 Print. It is a luscious light lime green which I brought home from Austria a year ago. I have started this top five times, and had to rip it out every time. I am going to give it a go again - I refuse to quit. I am determined to knit this top, for this summer. I am beginning it this weak, but a realistic finish date would be in August as I will be traveling a lot. I don't think this is something I can work on while I travel. But, I do have two weeks now before I leave, so I just might get it going really well. We'll see about that. I am just CRAZY for Lana Grossa yarn, and this is my first time to use it for making some clothing. I cannot wait to get it going.
FINISH DATE: August

6. Dish Cloths out of Lily Sugar and Cream, in Midnight Magic color. I am making a stack of dish cloths out of the very beautiful yarn for Christmas giving. I have a couple of drawers in my STASH ROOM just for stashing away my knitted Christmas gifts as I make them throughout the year. This way, I am prepared because I have been working on gifts since January. I won't have to be in a frenzy trying to knit my a** off in December, but should just keep a nice leisurely pace all year long making some gifts for family members. I have two 1/2 balls of this yarn yet to be knitted into dish cloths. I am using this pattern for the cloths. It is so beautiful and the cloth it makes is very durable. I am giving myself a generous deadline as I will be knitting these as I am traveling in Austria and Germany during part of June and July. This should be a good evening project, in my room, relaxing.
FINISH DATE: July 10

7. Lion Brand Cotton: I am making a stack of towels and wash cloths out of the two colors, Wedgewood and Basil. They are so stunning! I love these colors and I love this yarn. These, too, are going into my gift giving drawer for Christmas 2007 giving to family members.
FINISH DATE: August

I am not setting finish dates for the final 3 items. No use setting myself up to fail.

8. Socks: COLORI SOCKENWOLLE Superwash. I have the yarn and needles in a yarntainer, so that means they are started, no matter how far along. These are NOT far along as they are on size 0 needles and after I started them I lost a lot of my vision. I will have to work on these under a magnifying glass, and that will take some discipline for me.

9. Socks: Climbing Vines pattern by Rebecca Perry. I got this yarn and pattern from the sock a month club...contact this address for it. After getting two packages I decided that there was no way on earth I could knit a pair of socks a month. I have one sock finished and will have to do the other one using the magnifying glass and I have not had the umph to get it done yet.

10. GALWAY "Pure Wool Knitting Worsted Weight" yarn. This is by the Plymouth Yarn Company of Bristol, PA. It is wonderful yarn. It will be for my tenth project which may take me a number of months. I signed up to begin the Master Knitting Program through the Knitting Guild of America. I have one year to complete part I of this program. There are THREE LEVELS. I am signed up to begin #1, which is the Advanced Beginner level. I am very excited as I love to challenge myself and set goals to work towards. This gives me a goal. I bought the yarn yesterday so I can begin work on it now. I have until April 23, 2008 to finish it all up, for Part I. I would love to hear from anyone else there who might be working on this program, too. Contact TKGA here.

There you have it - my top 10 UFOs...now, I am committed to getting them turned into FOs and QUICK.

7 Random Facts

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

Here goes...I am super tired, so know telling just what might come out of my head right now...

1.) I move FAST most all the time. People have a hard time keeping up with me. And, I am so annoyed when I have to stop and look back for the person to catch up with me. Yes, I am agressive and I thrive on speed and quick action.

2.) I just signed up for weight watchers. I have a nasty fat belt around my midsection that just has to go.

3.) I have created the life I love and that I am living. I do now wish to be anyone else, or do anything else than what I am doing. I am an artist, professor, author and I invented the life I live and I encourage others to do this, too. We make our own "life" and we order our own life. No excuses for not being exactly who we choose to be. I am very happy with the life I have.

4.) I am the oldest child in my family. My mother and father have passed, and so has one brother. Mother and brother were this year. I now have one sister and one brother.

5.) I am am partially blind - it happened suddenly in January, with no warning. Nothing can be done, it is permanent. Yet, I continue to make my very intricate and complex jewelry and knit, ride my motorcycle, and do everything else I love to do.

6.) I'm a a person who puts everything in order. I like to organize the chaos in my life. Yet, I still have so much clutter to deal with, makes me crazy. I absolutely hate clutter and disorganization.

7.) I travel to Austria and Germany every summer. It is my home-away-from-home and where I love to be. I spend time in the winter months just feeling good to know that when summer comes, I will return again. I am crazy about Germanic culture and life.


Who am I tagging?
If you read this and you want to play, consider yourself tagged by me! I don't know very many people here on the blogs, so I won't try to tag anyone...just go ahead and do it.

Kimono VICTORY

I have VICTORY over my fate. Yes, at last, I have taken my UFO in my hands and I committed myself to it's successful finish. Here you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen. The long awaited Kimono is now a FO and I am feeling satisfied with my VICTORY over my stash today.

My dh photographed me in it tonight so I can put it on my blog, at last. I forgot to tell him to be sure I had it on so that the color bars down the front were lined up. But, even though they are not, you can still get a sense of what this kimono is like. I love it.

You can find the pattern here, if you are interested in this project for yourself. Yours can look very different by choosing a different yarn than I did. Mine is made from Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair which I happen to have a love affair with. I am crazy about mohair anyway, and this brand has a brilliant metallic thread running through it that gives it some oomph, in my opinion. I love a little razzle dazzle!

Now that the kimono if finished I doubt I will be able to actually wear it for a few more months since weather here in western PA is now quite warm and sunny. But heck, I have it waiting for me once the fall weather arrives and the cool winds blow. I am a happy girl today.

Secret Pal 10 - How I knit, and When?

OK, I am IN the contest. How do I knit? and When?

During the winter months I sit on my sofa in the living room, where I can watch TV as I knit. It keeps my mind occupied and keeps my attention while I while away the hours at my knitting. I like to knit all day long, but that is not usually an option. I find that the best time for me to be knitting is in the late afternoon and evening, and into the night, during the winter months. I work full time as a professor, so during the week it is in the evenings that I can find time to knit.

Summertime, well that is another deal. I like to sit outside on my patio on a chair. From there I can see squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and any other little critters who come to visit my yard. There are LOTS of little critters because my husband feeds them. I sit there under a nice old tree, where I can see everything that is going on with the little creatures. It is absolutely heaven on earth for me to spend my mornings there surrounded by wildlife and flowers, grass, and trees.

Sometimes, when the afternoon is hot, I move to sit under the enormous Maple tree just beside the pool. I can knit there and if the grandchildren are here swimming, then I can talk to them while I knit.

I also knit on planes. I go to Europe every summer and spend most of the entire 9 hour flight knitting, in between little naps.