Time sure flies

 I missed blogging on Caity's birthday last week.

Dear Caity-  You have changed m life in so many ways.  Almost all for the better.

When you were born you were SO tiny (that's a Beanie Baby in that picture for scale) and I didn't know what I was doing. 

With you I became a mother.  Changed my identity.















 (Also, look how young I look there!  27 seems like a long time ago.)



I may not have known what I was doing, but you were you from the very beginning.  Stubborn and smart, creative and strong.  All wonderful qualities in a person (if frustrating qualities for a parent of a toddler!)





 There was the unfortunate haircut incident of 2001





 And you grew up so fast



















And impressed me every day.






But you were still my baby





And you've always had the best laugh


 

This last year you have gone to high school, ran cross country, kicked ass in show choir, and run a half marathon.  I am so proud of you.




 




But I was really not prepared for this:


When on earth did you get so grown up and go to prom?

 
 You still have the best laugh, though
 

Finishing

 I've been on a finishing kick this spring and I finally have some pictures to show for it


This is a shawl I started last fall called eiki by Janel Laidman.  Yarn is Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, 1 ball.  I cast it on while I was on a car trip and kept it as my purse knitting until I got to the lace part. 

Then I got distracted by other knitting and put it on the back burner until a few weeks ago.

What's pretty remarkable is I think I actually followed the pattern exactly. Didn't change a thing.  Me. 
I love the juxtaposition of delicate lace with garter stitch.  It's one of my favorite shawls.

I look really unimpressed in this picture my daughter took.:

Spinning mojo

 Last fall I found myself suddenly in possession of a beautiful, 20 year old Matchless wheel.  It's always been my dream wheel that I thought maybe some day after the kids are in college I can afford, but then an old friend offered hers up for sale at a price that was so ridiculously low I couldn't NOT buy it. 

It wasn't in perfect working order, and I thought it was going to need an $80-100 part, but it turned out that it only needed an $8 bolt.  Which I've had for a while but this year has been ridiculously busy.  I knew that once I got the wheel singing I would not want to stop spinning and I just didn't have time so I didn't let myself get sucked in.

Well a couple weeks ago I did. 


 Oh I do love this wheel.  I loved my old wheel (An Ashford Traditional Double Drive) but she's a Honda and the Matchless is a Ferrari. 

This is 400 yards of Romney from The Painted Tiger (a color called Nesting).  I picked this fiber specifically because I know anything Brooke dyes is going to be easy to spin and I wanted my first run on the new wheel with new parts to be problem free. 

I love it.


Spring Break

I have worked 12 hour days the last 2 days (not to mention a hell of a lot last week).  Next week my kids have Spring Break which means extra work for me, not a break.  So TODAY, I'm working on this:


It's further along than this picture, I could maybe even finish it today if I don't do anything else.  But I also have a wheel that has been calling my name that I've really not gotten to enjoy at all. 

There will be coffee, and cooking, and one trip to the gym, but mostly, there will be knitting.

Swirl Hat in French Translation

Offered up by bgow on Ravelry (Thanks!)

Patterns par Mandie Harrington
SheepyTime@gmail.com

Il s'agit d'un chapeau en tricot facile, a travaillé avec un fil douce qui est fait vite
et extensible assez pour une longue durée dans
enfants en pleine croissance. Fil souple et en forme à proximité
fait un régal pour les chapeaux de chimio.
Fils:  20-50 grammes Sheepy Times Yarns –Panda Feet.
Aiguilles: Taille US 3 (3,25 mm), ou de la taille
nécessaire pour atteindre la tension. Utiliser circulaire ou
DPN comme vous le souhaitez.
Échantillon: 13 m = 2 pouces en jersey.
Tailles: Pour correspondent Tête de mesure:
Preemie 12 "-13"
Nouveau-né 13 "-14"
4-12mois 14 "-16"
12mois-2ans16 "-19"
Enfant 18 "-20"
Adulte 20 "-22"
Mode d'emploi:
Monter 72 (80, 88, 96, 112, 128) m.. Joindre en veillant à ne pas tordre.
* 2 m end, 2 m env * chacque rang pour 8 rangs.
* 2 m end, jeté, 4 m end, 2 m end ens * répéter chaque rang jusqu'à ce que le travail mesure 4,5 "(5", 5,5 ", 6", 6.5, 7 ")  haute en total
Commencez la couronne  comme suit:
1. * 2 m end, jeté, 3 m end,  3 m end ens *  répéter ** 63 (70, 77, 84, 98, 112) m
2. * 2 m end, jeté, 3 m end, 2 m end ens *, répéter **.
3. * 2 m end, jeté, 2 m end,  3 m end ens* répéter **    56 (60, 66, 72, 84, 96) m.
4. * 2 m end, jeté, 2 m end, 2 m end ens *, répéter * *.
5. * 2 m end, jeté, 1 m end,  3 m end ens * répéter **. 45 (50, 55, 60, 70, 80) m.
6. * 2 m end, jeté, 1 m end, 2 m end ens *, répéter **.
7. * 2 m end, jeté,  3 m end ens. * répéter **. 36 (40, 44, 48, 56, 64) m
8. * 2 m end, 2 m end ens *, répéter **. 27 (30, 33, 36, 42, 48) m
9. * 1 m end, 2 m end ens *, répéter **. 18 (20, 22, 24, 28, 32) m
10. * 2 m end ens *, répéter. 9 (10, 11, 12, 14, 16) m
Tailles 12m et plus:
11. * 2 m end ens *, répéter **.  9 (10, 11, 6, 7, 8) m.
Couper le fil et le passer dans les mailles restantes. Fermé.

© 2009 Amanda Harrington

Time Traveler's Club update


First, we just released some of the first Time Traveler's color as a regular color, Bowtie.


It can be found along with the rest of our Who inspired colors here.


Melody Pond will be out this week, for a LIMITED run.  We won't be carrying this colorway on a continueing basis (we can always dye discontinued colors if 6 or more skeins are ordered)

 


A lot of people have been asking me for a while if and when there would be another round of Time Traveler's Club, and I have been saying I'm not sure if there will be, at least for a bit.  I was having trouble coming up with enough colors I thought would be good.

And I have this idea for a There And Back Again club which is quite appealing to all my color senses.





But it's the 50th year of Doctor Who, I really don't see how I can not commemorate that with one more round.  And my brain unfogged and thought of a lot of new color ideas.














So there WILL be another round of Time Traveler's Club, starting in May, and including 4 shipments, ever other month, for the rest of 2013.

I'm really looking forward to more Who.  Look for sign ups to start at the beginning of April.