Hi Mom! 11May08


3 Comments - you know you want to

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m sure you’re aware of it, but I thought I’d just take a moment to remind you how awesome you are. You’ve raised 3 pretty awesome sons (despite the fact that all you had to work with was 3 dorky little boys), and we’re all proud to call you our Mom.

mom and the boys

You’re an awesome Mom and a loving wife with a green thumb to rival Martha Stewart (who are we kidding, she pays people to garden for her!). You’ve always been there to support me and help me out, either by giving sage advice, or just sitting down and knitting with me. Heck, if you hadn’t taught me to knit, this blog wouldn’t exist today!

mom in chicago

And in these last few years, you’ve stood amazingly strong, despite all the stuff going on in your life, and I’m in awe of that. Your life is profoundly different today than what you imagined it to be, yet you’ve been able to roll with the punches, no matter how hard or fast they’ve come. Not content with having 3 sons and calling it a day, you and Dad took on the challenge of raising 3 of your nieces. I know that it’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, and I hope that when I’m confronted with a similar decision, I have the strength to say, “Ok God, I’ll do it”.

So thanks Mom. You’re the best Mom I could ask for. Even if you did have some crazy hair back in the 90’s.

totally 90's

(I’m so going to get it for that photo, aren’t I?)

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Equal Opportunity Fiber Lover 03May08


20 Comments - you know you want to

Once again it’s time for your sporadically scheduled blog update! Since we’re going on 3 weeks, this update won’t really have very much in the way of excitement. Its true purpose is to halt the incessant “OMG, why haven’t you updated your blog?” e-mails from my family. I suppose they can’t just get enough of my special blend of dry and sardonic humor. However, I’m fairly certain that all my other readers click over in hopes of getting a glimpse at my excruciatingly rugged and chiseled countenance. (Oh, I have to write that one down!)

Good looks aside, this is a knitting/spinning/dyeing blog (gotta love that demographic creep), so I suppose I should show you some of the fibery things I’ve been working on.

Last weekend was my final spinning class, but luckily, I have a wheel for a bit longer. This week I drew the Kromski Minstrel, and I am definitely smitten. It spins like a dream, and I love its old fashioned looks. I’ll sample a few more, but I’m pretty sure this is the wheel I’ll buy eventually.

can I keep it?

My drafting skills are steadily improving, and at this point I’m able to spin a single that is fairly consistent. So far I’ve spun BFL, Corriedale, Shetland, Merino and Rambouillet. I haven’t branched out from wooly fiber yet, but I have a lovely bump of Alpaca that I’m anxious to spin up.

Right now I’m working on a 2 ply of white Rambouillet and gray Shetland (shown on the bobbin above), that will be part of a hand-knit project for the new house. Both of the rovings I’m using for this project were grown here in NM, and are minimally processed, meaning the fiber still has a decent amount of lanolin and vegetable matter. It’s really interesting to spin up roving that has been totally processed, and then switch to roving that’s a bit more raw. One thing that was cool about my spinning class was that we learned the basics of skirting and washing a fleece, which means someday I hope to make a sweater from a raw fleece. Talk about the ultimate in make your own clothing!

In addition to the NM rovings I’ve been working on, I spun up a bump of Superwash Merino roving that I dyed a while back, in my Caramel Stout colorway. It’s about 100 yards of worsted weight yarn, which I think will look smashing as a second hand-spun Zeebee to add to my collection. Don’t you just want to reach out and smoosh it?

caramel stout

One accessory that I’ve discovered is essential to spinning is a cozy pair of hand-knit socks. I don’t like treadling with my shoes on, and there’s been a bit of a chill lately, so I’ve been getting good use out of my sock drawer. I finished up this cozy pair just a few weeks ago.

treadle to the metal
  • pattern: boyfriend socks (although I refer to them as my “cables and brimstone” socks)
  • yarn: araucania ranco in brick (75/25 wool/nylon)
  • needles/gauge: 8 spi on US #1.5 needles
  • construction: knitted toe up, magic cast on, short row heel, regular bind off

Thanks to everyone for the warm wishes on the house! I’m super excited, and can’t wait to move in. The one thing I could without however, is packing. I’ve been putting it off for as long as possible, but I couldn’t delay any longer today. My closing date is rapidly approaching, and I certainly don’t want to be packing everything at the last minute. I packed up the garage today, no thanks to help from Emma. The minute I mentioned the word “packing”, she high tailed it to her favorite spot on the couch and pretended to sleep. What a diva.

pondering the mysteries of the universe

After a hard day of dusty labor (the garage was like dust bunny headquarters), I decided to reward myself with an evening off. There’s nothing better than spending the evening with your Fiddlehead Mittens and a nice glass of beer. I’m just about done with knitting the outer mittens, and after a nice bath, they’ll be ready for their linings. For once it looks like I might actually finish a Project Spectrum knit during the featured months!

Oh, and lest I forget, there is one last thing. To lessen the amount of stuff I have to move, I’m having a 10% off Moving Sale over at Yarn Nerd! The store is stocked with a number of great base yarns (try the 1200 MHz Merino, it’s super nice stuff), and I’m expecting a shipment of 900 MHz Bambylon and 950 MHz Merino (a new sock yarn!) this week. Also, stay tuned for details on a sock kit featuring a special colorway and a new pattern from Anne herself!

big rock yarn mountain

Well, look at that. This post actually had some decent content after all. Maybe next time I’ll give you all a peek at my hot new summer buzzcut. Rawr!

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Stalker 14Apr08


46 Comments - you know you want to

I’ve been quite the busy boy this last week. Let’s see what I’ve been up to, shall we?

→ I bought a sweet new cabinet.

I scored this hutch on Craigslist, and it’s already been put to good use storing all my knitting accoutrements. I’m also hoping that putting my stash on display in the common area of the house will help curb any future impulse purchases. My stash isn’t the biggest (I’m looking at you Maryse and Adrian!), but it’s certainly big enough to provide months of exciting knitting, and in the interest of fiscal responsibility (more on that in a bit) it’s going to have to be content with itself for a bit.

fibery goodness hutch

→ I started Fiddlehead Mitten #1

Then ripped it out about 10 rows in. Since mittens are fairly small, they’re an effective swatch on their own, especially since you can’t really an accurate measurement of the stranded gauge when not in the round. I started with US #5’s, and quickly ascertained that it was going to be too big. So it’s back to the drawing board with #4’s. I don’t mind though, since it gave me something to do while drinking my Saturday morning Americano at my favorite local caffeine spot.

the perfect saturday

→ I brought home a spinning wheel.

Unfortunately, this one’s just a temporary fix, but it’s already got me wrapped around its flyer. (Ha, that was a spinning pun!) See, a little while ago, I signed up for the beginning spinning class at my local yarn shop, and this week was our first tryst with spinning wheels. Last week was spindle spinning, which I’d already practiced a lot, so I was anxious to try something new this week. The class includes a wheel rental for the next month, and every week we take home a new model to play with. This week I drew the Lendrum out of the hat, and we’re already fast friends.

I spun a lot today!

I’ve already managed to spin my way through 6 oz of Corriedale Wool, and a bump of Yarn Nerd BFL in Denim Blues. I’m pretty sure my shins are going to be sore tomorrow morning. I don’t mind though, since I’m very smitten with the resulting yarns.

my shins are gonna be sore for sure

The blue one is the Yarn Nerd BFL, which I split in half by weight, and spun into the classic 2-ply. I really love how the semi-solid looks shows up in the yarn, especially with the sheen of the BFL. The white skein is a Corriedale single, spun up from the big bag of wool that they gave us at the start of class. The Lendrum’s bobbins are a bit small, making it hard to fit all the plied BFL on there. To use up the leftover bits, I plied it with some of the Corriedale to create the final mini skein.

denim blues

I’m definitely going to get a wheel at some point, but that’s also gonna be put on the back burner. Why you ask? Well that brings me to the last thing I’ve been doing this week.

→ Buying a House!

I’m just as surprised as you are by this one, it’s all happened so fast! About 2 weeks ago, I started thinking that maybe it’d be a good time to buy a house. I’ve been renting for the last 2 years, and while I love my current place, I often wish that I was putting my money towards something I actually owned. So being the engineer that I am, I started some spreadsheets and forecasted a ton of scenarios. I was unable to find a decent reason why I shouldn’t buy a house, so I started looking around. I also got approved for a great mortgage, so all things were go.

After seeing 7 houses, I found it. The. perfect. house. It was everything I wanted and more. It was the right size, in my price range, and needed no fixing up. So I made an offer. I was on pins and needles for an entire day, and received a counteroffer from the seller. I accepted that offer, and now a week later I’m a future homeowner!

the new digs!

The house has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a remodeled kitchen, a huge sunroom, and an awesome backyard. Oh, and it has a big shed in the backyard with lights and electricity. That’s going to be the new Yarn Nerd headquarters. :) Now I just have to contain myself until I move at the end of May! So far I’ve been passing the time by driving by everyday, just like a stalker. I’m so giddy, I just can’t help it!

I think a sweet new house is a fairly good reason to not buy yarn and a spinning wheel for a bit, don’t you? (Oh and the cabinet doesn’t count, since I really bought it for the new house. Wink, wink.)

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Tiny Stripes = Cute 04Apr08


16 Comments - you know you want to

ETA (4/5): I upgraded my blog software and comments quit working! Oops! They’re all fixed now :)

I know some of you might still be waiting with baited breath, and yes, I did receive my mitten kit. It. is. glorious.

hooray sheep!

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cast on yet. In fact, I haven’t been able to knit very much these past 2 weeks at all. I’ve been a bit busy getting 100+ skeins of yarn dyed up for The Loopy Ewe.

red wooly brains

So if you want to get your hands on some 900 MHz Merino, be sure to keep an eye on The Loopy Ewe, for one of Sheri’s infamous sneak ups. I’m also working on a shop update for the Yarn Nerd store, featuring my 3 new base yarns: 1200 MHz Merino (Sport), 1700 MHz Merino (Superwash DK) and 2400 MHz Merino (Worsted). That should be ready within a week or two, and I must warn you, these new bases are heavenly. The 1700 MHz Merino is especially squishy, and is the perfect weight for about any project.

Despite my inability to knit more than 5 rounds on my overdue Project Spectrum Fire socks these past few weeks, I do have a finished object to show off. One that I’m quite proud of.

wonderful wallaby

Isn’t it adorable? I knit it as a gift for Georgia’s brand new addition, sweet little H. I actually bought the yarn when I was in Seattle over the summer, in a yarn shop that Georgia took me to. She didn’t know if it was a boy or girl at that point, so I picked some colors and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, I got lucky!

wonderful wallaby
  • pattern: wonderful wallaby, by cottage creations
  • yarn: blue sky alpacas dyed cotton: azul light blue (1 skein) / caribbean (1 skein) / pickle (1 skein)
  • needles/gauge: US #8 / 4.5 stitches per inch
  • size: 2 Years
  • mods: I striped two of the colors (pickle & caribbean), and then used the remaining one for the yoke and hood. I also worked seed stitch for the cuffs, and did a stockinette hood with a garter stitch border.
wonderful wallaby

I really loved the Wallaby pattern, it was so easy to knit, and there’s endless room for customization. Plus, being a small size, it actually knit up in just a few weeks! And at the rate H is growing, he’ll be ready to wear it around in no time, right Georgia? ;)

After all that instant knitting gratification, I feel like tackling some more baby knits. Are there anymore expecting Moms out there? ;)

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An Earnest Plea 19Mar08


22 Comments - you know you want to

Dear Mr. Postman,

I just want you to know how much I appreciate your tireless effort to deliver the mail, be it rain, shine, snow or sun. Everyday, despite the risk of losing your fingers, you gladly insert letters into the mail slot, no matter how ferocious the growling Schnauzers may sound. You work hard to make sure that I receive every single “no strings attached” credit card offer thrown at me by the crumbling loan industry. You don’t bat an eye when I hand you a big box filled to the brim with yarn, no matter how strange it may seem to you. And I can always count on you when I need a bit of crack yarn to brighten a dreary day.

So even though I am deeply appreciative of your years of dedicated service, I can’t help but be a little disappointed today. See, I’m awaiting a very important package right now, and I’m not sure you fully understand the weight you bear with this particular parcel. It all started last week, when I was innocently checking up on my Flickr friends, when I came across this photo. My heart lept. Could it be? No way. Surely they’re sold out, I told myself. But something from deep within told me to try anyway. It was with trembling hands that I hastily clicked “Add To Cart” and then “Checkout”, hoping to claim my bounty before someone else. 30 seconds later it happened.

I had acquired a Fiddlehead Mittens Kit. The most coveted pattern and yarn combination ever unleashed upon the Internet would soon be mine. I was as elated as Ralphie, when his father pulled out one last box to reveal a Red Rider BB Gun.

So you can imagine how my level of excitement and anticipation has been building all week, since the kit shipped on Monday. I was sure it’d be here today, waiting for me to come home, but I can’t seem to find it.

I checked the outside mail box.

not there either!

I checked the indoor mail slot.

nope, not in there.

I checked the front porch, the space in between the front and screen door, and the side of the house. All I was able to find was this lousy credit card offer.

this isn't a mitten kit!

Don’t think me a fool either. I ship a whole lot of stuff with the Postal Service, and I am very attuned to how long a Priority Mail package should take to arrive. I’m very good at reading in between the lines of your cryptic delivery status messages, and I’m almost certain that my mitten kit is in New Mexico. You may say that it arrived too late to get placed on your truck today, but I say that’s not good enough. This is not an offer for Propecia we’re talking about here. This is a very sacred package, which definitely warranted a trip back to the station for a pickup.

Because I’m a nice guy, I’m willing to give you one more day. And maybe, if you’re really diligent about bringing my impulse yarn purchases this year, I’ll knit you a pair of socks to keep your feet warm this winter. Does something like this suit your fancy? It certainly does mine.

cables and brimstone

So get some rest tonight, because you have a very important job to do tomorrow. Oh, and if you could tell a colleague up in the WA area to make sure that my mystery gift gets delivered tomorrow, that’d be g r e a t.

PS: If you do not deliver the goods tomorrow, I will be forced to let my attack Schnauzers follow you back to the station to retrieve it. Dallas would love nothing more than to give you a huge wet willy.

Sincerely,

Adam

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