Circa 1985

This Icelandic sweater is the second sweater I knitted. I was living in Minnesota at the time and really needed something warm, and boy, was it warm! When I made it I realized how much I enjoy working with wool, partly due to the simple fact that it makes an uneven gauge look so much better, but also because I just like the feel of it running through my hands; very satisfying to work with. Of course, that was back in the day when I could wear wool without much bother, but not anymore, it’s too scratchy even with a shirt underneath.

Here’s Zephyr sitting with me on the sofa this morning. He always knows how to mug for a picture.

Circa 1996

Since my current projects are not progressing as fast as I’d like, and since I’ve begun to review my crafting history, I’ll share with you what’s in my closet. Picture below is a shawl I made in about 1996 and I recall it took about 6 months to make. It was my first taste of lace knitting and I really enjoyed the challenge. It was a challenge in the sense that it required carefully keeping track of what I was doing and where I was in the pattern; but then that’s pretty typical of lace knitting. Definitely not a sit-in-front-of-the-TV-and-mindlessly-knit project. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I was long into it that I found an error way back in the first few rows of the border (knit inwardly on circular needles), and there was no way that I was going to undo it after months of work, plus, I was too chicken to try to fix it without undoing the whole work, much to my regret. Lessons learned. I used merino wool, but I don’t remember what brand of yarn I used, and I don’t remember the name of the pattern, but if I find the pattern, I’ll update with the name. Update: Gibbie Shawl by Gema Ord.

Mmm, gumbo…

Hearing about Fat Tuesday lately, I felt in the mood for some gumbo, so here it is in the making:

Here’s the finished product, Turkey Bone Gumbo (recipe from Emeril Lagasse for ABC News:

Valentine’s Day and more yarn.

I’ve worn this bracelet almost every Valentine’s Day since I was about 6 years old. It’s just a dime store bracelet that I think my mother bought me when I was 6, and I enjoy wearing it as though it is fine jewelry even though it’s lost a couple of glass hearts.

Playing the tourist in downtown Seattle this week, I took in the Northwest Flower & Garden Show and bought more plants than I should have. Thankfully I steered clear of more demanding plants and went for succulents, which were my first gardening passion when I was a teenager. While in downtown I also visited So Much Yarn and bought more yarn, pictured below; I’m going to make a ballband dishcloth from the book Mason-Dixon Knitting.

Yarn store hopping, anyone?

Thanks to my husband for loading the program my handy PDA cell phone and Google, it is now possible to be anywhere in the US and find the nearest local yarn store. Have you ever in a part of your city or state and wondered where the nearest yarn store is and what it’s phone number is and how to get to it from where you are? Now with handy Google Maps program on my PDA cell phone, I can find a bunch of stores and call them if I need to AND see the map of where they are, AND with Google Satelite Maps on my PDA cell phone I can see a satelite photo of the store if need be. How cool is that?! I feel my inner yarnaholic taking over!

Meanwhile, back to Earth here, I’ve looking at my stash lately and I bought the yarn pictured below (seen between La-La and Dipsy, courtesy of my son) during a trip to Japan a couple of years ago and I just can’t decide what to do with it. It’s made of 100% wood pulp and it’s nice and soft, has a nice sheen to it, and is flat like a ribbon. I have ten 50-gram skeins of it at approx. 105 meters, which according to the label is best knit on a #3 or 4 needle. It’s also not my color, but I fell in love with it. Does anyone have any ideas of a good project for it?

Superknit Sunday

My son’s cardigan is coming along and I put in a lot of rows today, more than the usual 2-4 rows I accomplish on a typical weekday. Our cat Phinney approves. The back of this sofa is her 24/7 roost, complete with dedicated halogen lamp AND full spectrum craft lamp. My husband was the first to notice that she really seems to enjoy the addition of the craft lamp, and so it’s hers more than it’s mine. The other two cats don’t get such special treatment.

Toddler cardigan progress.

I recently had a chance to go to Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle and indulge in a sizzling hot order of fish ‘n chips at Little Chinook’s, which is adjacent to Chinook’s. Chinook’s is a good place to experience a broad range of fresh seafood dishes without spending a lot of money, but if you don’t like seafood, there’s still lots to choose from and it’s a good place to take kids. The fish ‘n chips were yummy.

Here’s to the hips with fish ‘n chips!

The man in the ladies’ room.

This guy has been hanging-out on the door in the ladies’ room at Chinook’s for eons. I always get a kick out of seeing this picture. I think some people have tried to steal the picture over the years because everytime I go there, it seems more heavily fastened to the door than previously. What’s not to love?

If you go to Fisherman’s Terminal, there’s not much to see, it’s a working terminal for, um, fisherfolk, and soon there will be even less of it to see because the Port of Seattle has allowed a large portion of the piers to be taken out to make room for luxury boats.

Spring is around the corner!

Evidence from my backyard that Spring is on the way: winter-blooming cyclamen. In this part of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the US the winters are usually so mild that you can see sights like this. I remember native primroses coming into bloom in January when I was little. Notice the heathly crop of moss, too. It wouldn’t be the PNW without moss growing on anything or anyone that stands still for 10 minutes.When the first sign of Spring is visible, that can only mean that… Yes! The Northwest Flower & Garden Show is just around the corner! Despite the mobs of people who come to this show, I look forward to it every year. The indoor garden exhibits are amazing, if not just a bit over-the-top.