My Favorite Things...

... are pink

When presented with the challenge of knitting my rejected sari silk yarn, my friend Erica knit a pouch, and then gave it to me. The hot pink bow makes is especially awesome. I hope her hands have recovered.


I love this cyclist!


Speaking of bikes, I've got a new addition to my pink one, a coconut drink holder. Perfect for a coffee cup, or, I suspect, a beer can.

(I just Googled this item, and was thrilled to find it described as "super tacky". Don't worry, I didn't pay $25 for it, it came from a clearance bin in of all places, Moscow, Idaho. Where you can ride on the sidewalks legally.)

The Past Six Months

I just posted a big knitting update. It was so long that I'm doing an update of my fabulous life here separately.

I just looked through the archives. Did I really not post about my birthday? In February? Not only did I attend Stitches West and take a Bohus class I got fabulous gifts.

First, Teekay knit me the fabulous viking helmet pictured above. Pink braids, can you believe it? Whenever I wear it people want to know where to buy one or if I will knit them one? (You can't and No).

I also got yarn, fiber, homemade goodies, and babysitting coupons. I know my husband got me something good, but I can't remember.



***

K. went to camp at his school all summer, we had just a few weeks off. The school year started back up yesterday. Last week was a parent work week to get the school cleaned up. I volunteered to go to the dump. The guy who gave me masks in the past and sometimes helps me unload checked me in. He commented on all my pink stuff - shirt, mug, bottle, phone. Too bad I didn't have my hardhat on. Glad someone appreciates it.

We took a road trip to Newport, Oregon over 4th of July and I finally met my sister-in-law and two nephews who flew out from Kentucky. I tried to do Tour de Fleece but it just didn't happen this year. We only have basic cable, so I couldn't watch the race, which just made me sad. I did spin on the trip, though.


We drove home along the Umpqua River. Here's a photo of us at an Elk viewing area. Yeah, I know. They are there, behind us, trust me.


In July I was lucky enough to be a delegate from my lodge to the Daughters of Norway Convention in Costa Mesa. What fun to meet so many Sisters (and see so many bunads). My sister was an alternate delegate from her lodge, so we roomed together. It was a full trip with a rosemaling class, business meetings, marching, and banquets. My kid did great with mom gone for three nights.

The day I got back K had his 4th birthday. We had a family dinner, a bowling party, and a "birthday circle" at school. Tons of fun, and he is enjoying going to others' parties, too.

***

On the bike front I did the Tour de Peninsula a few weeks ago. This time a 31 miler with some good climbing. I've come a long way since last year. I haven't been riding a whole lot, but need to ramp up for the 55-mile Princess Promenade in Sacramento October 3rd. Look at the jersey, how could I not do it?

Of course lots of other stuff has gone on. I wish I would blog more often. But I keep breaking cameras so I think that has been holding me back.

Heat Wave

Our summer is finally here in San Francisco and I am sweltering. The perfect time to finish languishing mittens, no?


These are Snow Chains Mittens designed by my friend Jessica. I started them way back in January or February, I think.

Last week I finished this stole. The pattern is called Fairy Leaves, by the pooling genius, Gladys We. She has come up with quite a few projects that allow you force variegated yarn to pool into orderly stripes. It took two days of swatching for me to get the right stitch count to use this Shaeffer Anne yarn. And then it took forever to knit, including ripping out several inches in a moving vehicle with no lifeline.


This knit tulips were for K.'s teacher. She taught them a Japanese song about tulips, red, yellow, and white.


I see I have not posted any finished items since January, so here goes. Click to see photos a little bigger.

Here's the Lopi sweater I made for Ed. He was so impressed he keeps telling people it looks like it was bought in Iceland.


This is Prepared for Vancouver, which I knit for charity.

I made more Lopi felted bags.

And this felted handbag....


...and a Citron Shawl to wear to May's San Francisco Ravelry meet-up, which was organized by two of my friends.


This is a hand spun and hand knit hat, which went to my former mother-in-law.

These are my crazy clown socks, knit from some Koigu, Cherry Tree Hill, and rainbow Serenity Garden.

Finally, Bohus socks, which I adore to no end. The cuffs were the class project in Susanna Hanson's Stitches West class. The foot is Berroco Ultra Alpaca that I bought at the show with my Webs gift certificate. Toasty.


At the end of the class everyone laid out their wristlets.


The whole not buying yarn thing is going well. I haven't used up a ton of stash because I keep picking long projects. But it has not been a hardship, especially since I got several yarn gifts. I love shopping for yarn, but it is also fun to get creative with what I have.

Another challenge is to use up all the yarn I got from our knitting group's stash exchange. That's where I got the yarn for the pooling stole and blue handbag. I've got three more projects to go.