Packing for Summer Intensive

The Golden Gate Fiber Institute Summer Intensive starts tomorrow. I am procrastinating on packing this evening. Luckily I am about 30 minutes away from where the camp is held, so I am driving. I am used to traveling light, so now I am constantly reminding myself that it's OK to bring lots of extras and just leave them in the car. It'll be quite an experience to room with a bunch of strangers -- I haven't done that for the last twenty years.

I'm sure it'll be way too cold to swim in the ocean, but I may even bring my swimsuit. The thought of not being able to swim for a full week is making me sad. Well, just a tiny bit.

Not sure when I'd get such an opportunity the next. I will savor every minute of it!
Will post when I'm back from the Intensive.

Want This Wall?

My accomplishments.

Mitch complimented the blue tapes.

Here's the guest room.

Love the color. Makes me feel happy and vibrant. Want to see what those white speckles are?

Cherry blossoms and sheep. What could be better?

I can see that those boring white walls will slowly disappear from our house!

Day 1 and 2

Day 1 (of my 6-weeks sabbatical): yesterday.
I drop off my son at the preschool, as the owner of Camp Erin is on vacation. Mitch was missed at his old school, and as much as he misses Erin's boys, he's happy to be back with old pals again.
I drive to the pool (it's 54 degrees!) and put in 40 minutes lap (with lots of breaks in between). Water is so clear, and the way the steam rise up in the air was so beautiful.
I come home, do the laundry, hang them out in the back yard, ignore the ocean of fallen plums, wrap the baby gift to be shipped to Japan, and then Mitch's swim class -- the rest is a blur. I remember counting nine empty bobbins for my wheel and thinking it should be enough for the Intensive.

Day 2: today.
I drop off my son at the preschool, his "girlfriend" comes up and gives him a huge hug, I drive to the pool (it's 68 degrees) and there are 6 lap swimmers in the water. Amazing -- there are usually only one or two.
I put in 30 minutes with lots of breaks in between. I stop by FlourChylde Bakery, get some sweets I need to eat before I start painting the dining room. I taped just one section of the room, thinking that one quart that I had was just enough for the wall, but it turned out to be enough to do three sections. So I tape, paint, tape some more, paint, move stuff, paint... One more wall left for tomorrow, after I go get more paint. Take Mitch to his swim class, pick up three bucket full of fallen plums (oh such a waste), and the rest is a blur.

I did go to Lambtown last Saturday, breaking my fiber diet a day after I made it. I enjoyed last years visit so much, I just couldn't stay away. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment this year. The venue had changed, and the fiber vendors were all indoor. It was a bit dark, crowded, and more like the California Wool and Fiber Festival -- where I bought very, very little.
I'm sure it was great for the vendors to be in the shaded (darkish), air-conditioned place, but it wasn't for me. Colors are hard to see, and I felt claustrophobic. I guess I really am an out-in-the-sun type of person -- I tend to buy a lot at Farmer's Market, and I only enjoy swimming outdoor.

Tomorrow -- Swim, paint, swim class, cook dinner. Blur.

Countdown

4 more days until my sabbatical.

11 more days until the Intensive.

Ahhh I should get busy!!

I finished my heartbeat sweater -- finally! This is the second try on the neck edging. It could have been a little wider edging, but I'm not going for the third try.

Just in time with the FO, Just One More Row's website has come back! I may order another pattern sometime soon.

Here's what was on my wheel just two days ago; Lisa Sousa's hand-dyed merino, "Bird of Paradise" colorway.

Huguette got this for me from Stitches West 2007.

Heard that space-dyed roving never looks the same when it's spun. It's true.

Looks even more different when it's plied.

I was contemplating on going to Lambtown this year again, but I've decided against it -- despite my heart's desire. I have enough fiber to last me for years, and with the Intensive and trip to Japan coming up, I have no money to spend on more fiber. Maybe Mitch and I will go to the beach, if it's warm...

Or I should paint the dining room. I've painted the guest room last weekend, and I should keep the brush going!

Dear Huguette

We've knitted together
Shared ideas together
Much more than just knitting
In our regular sitting

We shared our thoughts
Shared our laughs
Bared inner threads
We dared and bought
(more yarn)

We'll miss you more than you know
With no one who can show how
Cables, decreases, mosaic and wow
You are still our Master knitter now

Dear Huguette, never forget
We will always knit together
Have a webcam and gather
Every chance we get

Dear Huguette, never forget
In two years if you aren't laughing at best
Pack up and rocket
Yourself back to the West

(Don't laugh; my first rhyming poem in English!)

Action Packed

We had the whole July 4th week off from work. What a treat -- I managed to reserve a local camp site (Samuel P. Taylor State Park) for three nights, so even though it was a bit inconvenient for coinciding with Mitch's swim class (it was a must for this summer for the water safety!), we decided to go for it. We even "borrowed" a kid from Erin.

(Oh No What Were We Thinking!?)

Our site was among beautiful redwoods and right by the creek. We enjoyed evenings by the fire pit, roasting marshmallows. Falling asleep listening to the soothing sound of the creek was wonderful.

It was a bit on the chilly side -- although there was a great swimming hole, it was too cold to jump in. But we thoroughly enjoyed the clean, serene water.

Coho salmon and steelhead trout come up this creek in the winter time. I'd love to come back to watch.

Mitch and I went to the Fourth of July Parade at Downtown Novato on the 4th. Next day was the County Fair for two of us, where he met a Storm Trooper! I'm sure he was on his way to his break, but he was kind enough to stop for a Kodak moment. Thank you!

Oh yes, knitting. I've FINALLY finished the heartbeat sweater.

Heartbeat Sweater by Just One More Row, with hand-dyed silk noil also by Just One More Row. Used about 800 yds, US 6. I love blue, but now I'm not sure if I still do.

Before the neck treatment, the neck opening was way too large. So I decided to knit extra edging, putting in more decreases. And what do you know, the neck opening now is too small!

I think I'm going to unravel the neck for two ridges and see how it looks. But for this evening, I am on my wheel, spinning like a mad lady. Pictures next time.

Boy coming back to work has never been so difficult! I still have a guest room to put together, dining room to paint, and the supply to pack for the Summer Intensive! The list of the things to bring just arrived, and it looks like I am packing the whole camping gear and more.

Wanted

... More time. Plus money would be good.

I've been knitting just several rows a day, if I get to knit at all. I am dying to spin, but I haven't had a chance to sit in front of my wheel. House is a mess, and I have so much to do before I leave to the Summer Intensive. (Now I have two Summer Intensive buddies -- Shelley from Calgary and Mari from NY! Yeah!)

I am hoping to finish my Heartbeat next week while camping... but before that we have to make a run or two to get more camping gear. We now have a tent though. An 8-people tent for a family of three! Charlie went overboard, and he admits it :-)

The thing fills the entire backyard! Need more campers to stuff into the tent!

I am dragging my feet on making the airline reservations to go to Japan. The price is outrageous. I'm going to have to just do it -- it's not like waiting would make things better.

I couldn't go swimming this morning, and I don't think I can tomorrow either. I have been enjoying the morning swim so much, and I hope I can go back to the routine next week while Mitch takes a swimming lesson. Yes, we'll be "commuting" to the pool from the camp site!

Intensive Approaches

Early June, we chauffeured a couple of pre-schoolers to Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. We had never been there before -- we really don't get that south of Marin too often, although it's just 15 minutes away. I was excited for whole another reason -- this is probably 5 minutes from Point Bonita, where the Golden Gate Fiber Institute Summer Intensive will be held in about five weeks!

A blogger in NYC, who knits professionally for Vogue Knitting, and works as a theatrical stage designer/builder, and I have been visiting each others' blogs, leaving comments for over a year. A couple month ago, I dreamt about visiting NY and thinking whether if I could get together with her, and I mentioned about the dream to her. She replied that she was going to come to SF in the summer and may be we could get together in reality. Then I found out that she was also attending the Intensive! I am now doubly excited -- it's great to have someone I know there, as I know I will have a hard time making a small talk with people I don't know. Needless to say, I am so thrilled about meeting her in person!

We have had a very busy two weeks, besides the school trip; Mitch has graduated from pre-school....

And the next day he turned five (coinciding with World Wide Knit in Public Day, and Harlot's Birthday)!

Now he's back to his old daycare for the summer, at Camp Erin. He is having a blast so far. I've gone swimming two mornings in a row, being reminded how much I love swimming. I plan to go swim as often as I can manage. We've made a plan for camping (we have NO camping gear!), and .... it will be a busy summer!

Things You Never Learn

Liz posted! Whenever other Designated Knitters post, I do a double-take, happy one.

The house is finally dry. This is the midst of the mess we just went through!

We have found the cause of the flood. The hot water intake hose for the washing machine had ruptured while we were gone, and since the laundry room is on the same level as the first floor of the house -- it should be in the garage, which is just six inches away -- about 80% of the first floor was under water.

The cost of cleaning up, drying the carpet, replacing the padding under the carpet, and cleaning the carpet was over $2,000! For a measly $15 hose. And the PG&E bill hasn't come in yet, and it will definitely be monumental.

Lessons learned:

1. Check often and replace the washer hoses. Come on. $15 or $2,000+ ? How much yarn could you have bought with $2,000? (The thought is killing me.)

2. Laundry should be in the garage. Period.

3. Yarn should be stored in the good, sturdy, plastic tubbies with no cracks. This, I was good at. There were no damages to the yarn.

Should probably count our blessings -- this could have happened in the middle of the wet, cold winter, or while we were on vacation!

It's about time someone posted a knitting related photos. Here's how my Heartbeat Sweater is progressing.

I love blue, but this is getting boring, and I'm starting to regret choosing this color.... Lettuce Green would have been prettier.

Despite the fact that the project at work has slowed down, I am not finding any time to knit or spin. I am going to make effort to take time to knit this weekend though -- it's Knit in Public Day! Where are you going to knit?

Perfect Pageboy Hat - NOT

I FINISHED A PROJECT!!!!!

I started with pattern #415 perfect pageboy by lanaknits design hempforknitting.

After frogging the hat no less than 8 times, I gave up! I loved the yarn - double stranded - it was a lovely color combination and amazing fabric, but I just could not get the pattern - left twist, right twist, needless to say I was twisted into a knot!

So, instead of giving up on the whole thing, I decided to make the hat using the parts of the pattern that I loved, the “seed” stitch, which amounts to alternate rows of (k1, p1) for about 12 rows. Then I just knit the rest of the hat, until the hat reached about 5 1/2 ” in total.

I then followed the pattern a bit on the decrease until it was time to break the yarn and pull it tight. Before I knew it I had a lovely little hat - I started a brim to add to the hat as the real pattern suggests, but as I worked on it, it really didn’t feel like a good idea, because I was loving the hat as it was so much, it didn’t need a thing more… I hardly want to part with…

The great news is I finished the project, I love the fabric, I love the color and I love the fact that I didn’t give up just because the pattern didn’t work for me at my level. My plan is to hand the pattern and the yarn to one of my “Designated Knitter” partners in crime and see how it turns out. I plan on knitting this hat by the pattern some day, but for now, I am loving what is now considered a FO! ;-)

Here are my supplies.....

Needle

US 8 / 5.0 mm

Yarn

Hemp for Knitting #209 Hemp Wool

How much?

0.5 skeins = 240.0 yards (219.5m)

Colorway

043

Color family

Yellow

Purchased at

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California

Yarn

Hemp for Knitting Allhemp6

How much?

1 skeins = 165.0 yards (150.9m)

Colorway

010

Color family

White

Purchased at

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California

Life Just Got Busier

I don't use my cell phone for work, and I'm not much of a phone person to begin with. So naturally, my cell phone is pretty much for emergency use only, like Mitch's teacher calling me to come fetch him because he's got a boo-boo. So when it rings, it's almost always an Uh-Oh.

Today Charlie called me on my cell to tell me to come home.
"House flooded. Yarn is fine. "
Ookie Dokie.

We moved into this house ten years ago, and we chose this house because it was not in the flood zone. The last house we were renting flooded every winter. I mean, every winter. So this was the first flood in ten years. And it wasn't from the storm; it was from the washing machine, although the exact cause still remains to be a mystery. I'm just glad that it wasn't in the middle of the cold, wet winter.... Mitch was disappointed when he got home, because he was hoping to "swim in the house" after we told them about the flood.

So life got even busier. But while cleaning out the wet stuff in the garage, we tossed out a few of the remaining moving boxes (with stuff still in them!). If we didn't need them the last ten years, we'd never need them. We've finally moved in, I guess! Cleaning to be continued tomorrow...

Life is Busy

I know I haven't been posting, and Designated Knitters never expected to hear that from me. I always enjoyed writing a post -- it was for me, not for anyone else, for the most part. But for the first time I just couldn't find a thing to write about.

The work has wound down significantly, but life remains busy -- the summer approaches, and it means there will be school events, like a school trip and, -- get this -- the preschool graduation! Mitch's birthday is coming up almost simultaneously with the graduation, and I have not decided what to do. Signing up for the swim lessons, scheduling trips, tidying up the guest room (a.k.a stash room) for my mom's visit -- the list grows bigger and heavier, with no progress at all. This stresses me out.

But kids always keep things in check.

Ahhh simple pleasure in life... I thought he'd just wade ankle-deep. He just sits down in the water and we didn't even have a towel! Spontaneity is something we lose as we grow old...

My Heartbeat Sweater is progressing slowly, and I'm fidgety for something new! I'm dying to spin something interesting too.

We had a great time at the last Knit Night. We were shocked to find out that this was the first time that all four of us had gotten together since last fall!!

The Japanese Indigo is finally showing some growth. I am so excited. I need to bring at least one plant to flower so I can harvest some seeds for the next year. Pictures next time.

This is a picture Mitch took on the Memorial Day weekend at Williams Soaring Center. Well done, kiddo.

Hot, Hot, Hot

We are in the heat wave in Bay Area. It seems slightly better today, but this is the third day that is near or over 100 degrees. And it's still May. I really hope that it won't continue like this all summer.

Because of the heat, we are all a bit "off" today, and we are lying down in the living room and watching "Castle in the Sky" by Hayao Miyazaki. We've been watching the Miyazaki's animated movies lately, and are really enjoying them. Very magical and somehow nostalgic. Mitch loves Totoro and Princess Mononoke, but the latter is a bit bloody in my taste...

I bought this book from Amazon the other day;

Can you tell what I've been thinking about? I must say that this book was very discouraging to me. It offered so many negatives, but not many positives. I wanted to know certain "how-to"s, but they weren't there either. Maybe that's for the better?

My Heartbeat Sweater is progressing, and I'm on the front (or back; they are actually the same!). Honestly, I'm getting a bit bored...

OK, off to a little napping. I've got to rest so I'm in a good shape for the Knit Night tonight!

On Mom's Day...

1. I will not cook.

2. I will not go grocery shopping.

3. I will not check email.

4. I will knit.

(Heartbeat Sweater from Just One More Row. Does anyone know what happened to their site? I'm interested in trying other patterns from Jill Vosburg, but the site has been under construction and nothing is updated. )

5. I will enjoy the sun.

Have a great Mother's Day!

Soon...

I think about writing. Then I think how boring my posts would be. There definitely would be a grumble or two about my work. And little this-and-that about my KIPs or other fibering related things. More grumblings about my work.

In two weeks, the half of our current projects will be over. Then in about a month, the majority will be done. Then all I think about would be the six weeks of time off from work. The first week, I'll be off to the Golden Gate Fiber Institute Summer Intensive! Every chance I get, I daydream about which wheel to take, and what projects to bring. My son making me laugh at home, and thinking about the Intensive and the rest of the summer are what get me through the tough, stressful days at work right now. And they seem never-ending.

Good thing Mitch isn't at all demanding about doing things and going places on weekends. We were so beat to do anything fun this weekend, but he was just as happy to tag along to our chores. Just a tiny bit of knitting accomplished this weekend on the Just One More Row pattern. I love this pattern -- it's very simple but it doesn't look easy.

Blue Citrus Done

Just as the unusually cold week is over, my blue Citrus York Pullover is done. It's way too warm this weekend to actually wear it, but I'm sure I'll have some chance during the summer -- Evenings can be quite chilly in northern California summer, and it's a cotton/silk blend yarn.

Pattern: Citrus York Pullover by Katie Himmelberg, IK Winter 2007. Yarn: Misti Cotton Worsted weight (100g/191 yards a hunk). It took three hunks and 1/3, so total of 330 grams , 649 yards used (600 meters) used. Needles: 10 1/2 DPNs and circular. Modification: I added a little increases on the sleeves (toward the wrists).

Not a big fan of the york part -- Doesn't look very neat to me. Maybe it looks better if I blocked? But it's very comfortable and wearable. I was concerned that the york part may be a bit constrictive and the arm joints very tight -- but was not the case.

Now I am onto "Heartbeat Sweater" from Just One More Row. It seems that the owner is still working on rebuilding her site, so I have no pictures I can link to; I will post a photo next time. This is the pattern I bought at Stitches, and the hand-dyed silk noil yarn to go with it. It's a huge hunk, and the label says 32.5 oz, 1000 yds +-. Here's how big it is rolled up in a ball.

Yup, blue again! Hopefully I'll get to wear it this summer. Going down from 10 1/2 to 6 is a bit of a change in the pace. And of course, the pattern is a lot more challenging.

Three of us went on a bike ride yesterday to the park. It was wonderful, and I managed it. Mitch was very proud of me, and kept announcing to the passers by that this was "mom's first time riding with me!"

Blue Citrus and The Story of My First Bike

I have one sleeve done on the Citrus York Pullover.


The yarn is Misti Cotton, pima cotton 83%, silk 17%. It's so soft to the touch and I love it, but it "sheds" somewhat, and I keep wiping my face to remove the fine flyaways that tickle my nose while I knit. This is a top-down sweater, so yes I did try it on. It fits -- although I wish I had made it a tad larger. Will post a photo on me as soon as I'm done with the other sleeve.

On the completely un-fiber related topic -- At last weekend's Knit Night, Erin gave me a bike she no longer uses, and I now am a proud owner of a bicycle! This is the very first bike I've ever owned in my life. Do you think that's strange? I grew up poor, and had owned very little in the way of toys, clothes, books and everything else that a child would have in a "normal" childhood. As a result I never had a bike growing up, and as a result of that I never learned how to ride a bike until I was in high school. I think I've ridden a bike fewer than ten times in my whole life.

Last Sunday I got myself a pretty red helmet, and went on a ride all by myself around the block. What an adventure, and how exhilarating! I am going to be a late-blooming cyclist for sure. A conversation between my son and me last Sunday;
Me: I'm going on a test ride around the block.
Mitch: I'm gonna come wif (with) you.
Me: Oh, next time. I'm not very good yet, and I don't think I can make sure that you are safe. I'm going to be quite busy taking care of myself.
Mitch: I can teach you, Mom.
Soon, it'll be the case for almost everything. Even now, he teaches me how to sing "Flying Purple People Eater" song.

I went to a Knit Night and came home with a bike! Thank you Erin! I might get a bike trainer (not training wheels, mind you!) so I can knit while I pedal away in the garage :-)

Long-term Project

As promised, here's how my Japanese Indigo is doing.

This is a pot in the backyard. The seeds I sowed in the sunny veggie patch are not doing well at all, but a neighbor cat has dug up the soil twice already, and it may be the cause.

This is a different plant from the Indigo we have in the US. Both yield blue dye, but the Japanese indigo leaves can be used alone, crushed, to dye, where the Indigofera tinctoria requires fermentation before it can be used. Last summer I read so much about the fun of Indigo raw leaf dyeing on several Japanese blogs, so I wanted to try.

Here's what I found on Youtube. In case you understand Japanese, the narration is actually talking about dyeing with safflower, but you are actually seeing the Indigo fresh leaf dyeing. Note the aeration, then re-dip. Added bonus: you get to see the making of a silk cap, and at the end you'll see a beautiful pink kimono dyed with safflower. Enjoy!

I hope my plants will grow well so I get to try this at the end of the summer. Now that's a project that needs patience and planning!

I'm finally making some progress on Citrus York pullover.

Doesn't it look funny?

Mitch (another long-term project) and I went to the beach last Saturday. It was a perfect day on the beach. He said he had "the bestest day ever." I totally agree.

Fleece Therapy

I've been spinning a lot. "A lot" is a relative term. 3 hours in the evening is three times more than I usually get. I need it; treadling and watching the fiber slip between my fingers, the rhythm, the gentle white noise. The sense that I am producing something -- for some reasons, spinning is more therapeutic than knitting to me usually, as it brought me fewer disappointments and frustrations so far.

Brown New Zealand Corriedale I bought at Stitches. I spun two full bobbins this week, and I was planning to ply this with the redhead alpaca, which I also spun more of. Then I realized that these two are too different to be spun together -- the alpaca is too good for this particular corriedale, which is not N2S soft. I'm not too sure about the color combination either -- the dark brown and cinnamon seem too high in the contrast. I think I will spin some white merino and try plying that with the alpaca.

The brand-new book called A Fine Fleece arrived! It's a beautiful book.

This is about knitting using handspun yarn, but the patterns are pretty much all Aran sweaters. They are beautiful to look at, but it is a bit disappointing; I don't think I'd be spinning one kind of yarn (and consistently that is) enough to knit an Aran sweater. I have no patience to knit a fancy Aran sweater with full sleeves either, not to mention the skills!

Another disappointment is that the photographs, as much as they are beautiful, don't show the full view or the details of the finished works. There are two vest patterns in the book, but I can't really tell what they are going to look like in reality! There is a close-up shot of a nice cable stitches for one of the vest patterns, but I can't figure out where exactly the stitch is used, from the photo of the vest itself. I may actually try knitting one of them just to see -- if I can spin enough yarn for it.

At last, I give you my apple blossoms! Next post will be about the Japanese Indigo.

Have a nice weekend!

Happy Sheep (and Goats) Day

On Saturday, my son and I went to visit the Meet the Sheep Day at Meridian Jacobs in Vacaville. Lots of Jacob sheep and lambs, and goats frolicking in the sun was something I really wanted to see this weekend.

Don't they just make you smile?

3-weeks old lamb. Awwww.

Mitch meets a kid goat. Goats are very curious, sociable animals, compared to sheep.

There were several spinning and weaving friends of the owner Robin, and Mitch and I enjoyed spinning with our spindles in the sun. What a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon.... This really made me think that we need to form Marin Spinning Connection.

No, I didn't buy any fiber. The new spindle and dyed wool were for Mitch, so they don't count!
Come to think of it, he probably needed a bag of multi-colored Jacob too. Well, next time.

We got to feed the two weeks old kid goat. This little guy was about cuddly as a cat.

Robin and I got to talk about spinning and how I got started on spinning. I almost asked her for how she got started on sheep farming, and how that's been working for her, but I stayed away from that subject; that's something I can't even dream of doing in Marin, as much as I'd love to.
I can also see from the sheepskin that were sold there that sheep farming does involve some business other than fiber. I'm not sure if I can deal with that.

We had a great time. It was good for me, in many ways. I know somewhere in my heart that this is the kind of life I want to live. I'm sure that many visitors who came today had the same thing deep in their hearts. I spent the rest of the day by my spinning wheel.