but!   we did get back from our yearly vacation to Maine a couple weeks ago… it was a blast as usual, and I taught my brothers girlfriend to crochet!

and did lots of fishing!

 brown trout that i caught!

wanted to drop in to my blog and show you the two things I completed in Maine.

 
a tee in Alpaca Silk!   just some random skeins from the shop that were either shop-worn or messed up in some way (label missing, dropped on the floor, etc)
I have a photo somewhere of me wearing it, but I cant find it!

 also made this cute neck piece
i was inspired by the Choto Crochet book
it was great for teaching someone how to crochet, Kay made hers in one afternoon!

and here are a couple photos of my new place!

 office

 goldfish in the office

 kitchen

 hallway of doorways   ;-)

my goal to “maintain” this blog is getting shoved under paperwork and knitting and running the store and web design and the band and the dog and house cleaning and . . . . .
BUT! it doesnt mean i dont care, here i am! with an update! ;-)

I know that if I treated blog updates more carelessly i could update more often, but i have that nuisance voice in my head that says “little is never enough”… help me, haha
The Lace Nightie is DONE!

i do need to block it… and it came out shorter than I expected, but i think it is because the drape of the yarn used for the pattern is much more than the Alpaca Silk… but i TOTALLY love this top, it feels great on the skin, a nice warmth, and it was a real blast to knit.

(jeez, “get any sun girl??!”   haha)

and I made a dk weight sock to match my sneaks…
where is the other sock??? hmmmm

-i also finished another sock
-i’m working on a top in laceweight Tilli Tomas silk
-i finished that baby hat in Vickie Howell Craft yarn
-lots of swatches done in the car
here is a test knit, random cables done in Karabella Boise

and a little pouch in Olympus herbs yarn!

you can get the pattern for it right here (a pdf file)
and the yarn for it here

and eek! a shoulder warmer!! hehe

the yarn is Llamajama pure sheep’s wool
i will write up the pattern soon…
pattern now available!   CLICK HERE
I used basic math with a top-down raglan technique

i’m working on the “Lace Nightie“, a free pattern from Interweave Knits.
i’m using Blue Sky Alpacas, Alpaca Silk… in the new awesome peapod color

going well on US 5 needles, i got gauge! the pattern calls for US 4 but my knit was too tight on 4′s… i’m hoping the drape will be great with this yarn… it usually is, but the lace pattern might lend to drape being not-so-loose in the width… hmmm

my phones over the last 6 years

look at that funny, gigantic black one on the left… i remember thinking i was so cool, what a dork! the phones started to get smaller, but then i just had to have the Motorola Q… so in the end, its about as big as the first cell phone i ever had, haha

the aqua blue one was my fav

ALSO! i finished a tank top last weekend, mostly in one day, on US 5 needles.
(sorry, bad photos, i’ll take better ones later)

my own pattern, US 5 circulars, RYClassic Cashsoft DK yarn

okay, thats it for now… quick quick and now i gotta get in the car!

Real Men Knit (yeah, they do)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jYa_rJyG18

a kid shows us how to knit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaieOORrhnA

i don’t really get this one, but it’s crochet pigs in the rain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0aUNMFzqNQ

this one is fun, has music too… crochet a fortune cookie
you will make a ton of these after watching this video
and you won’t be able to get that song out of your head!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Wmm6DX8qA

and really, don’t miss this one
“how to open a beer bottle with a piece of paper”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QAE9crPHOY

speaking of yarns from Japan, this new cotton called “Wafers” is really soft and smooth, has a nice sheen to it. got these as a sample, maybe they should become a neopolitan colored mini-scarf?

and speaking of scarf!

the Tilli Tomas Disco Lights

scarf pattern is available! click here

.

and just a few photos of the tank with the new gravel… the little goldies are going back to the fish store tomorrow so i can get “real” fish

i've been a chicken about sending anything into knitty.com, but i finally did it a couple months ago, and BANG!   it's in the Fall 2006 issue!   eek!

ps. if you cant find the yarn at your LYS, get it here!

i got some cool gifts too   ;-)   check these out…
<-- click to see video of Sunshine Buddy
he is solar powered and will do that ALL day, and he's much greener than the little video, so freakin cute

    <-- new handbag, yippee!
i got more stuff but didnt take photos,
these were the two hanging around in my computer room...

okay, back to knitting... i'm no fun huh?!   haha

so i decided to start practicing my continental knitting  and norwegian purling... and whats better than some wool/cashmere on Colonial needles, seed stitch of course!   its SO much faster than the english method, no "throwing" of the yarn...

I got a reminder call that a hat pattern of mine will be in Knit N’ Style, the issue goes on sale November 28th, woo hoo!   it’s made with Karaoke and I heard the photo came out awesome…

   
So the episode of “Uncommon Threads” that was on last month featured this crochet mini-trash-bin made out of twine… any interest in the pattern??   i’ll write it up is so… it’s pretty cute, i keep alot of magazines in mine… and speaking of the show, the next episode that I’m in will be on August 28th, eek!