Twisted!

Guess who's open???

Yay!!!! Applause!!!

Shannon and Emily had the Grand Opening of their new shop on Friday!!!

I checked them out this morning...lets see what I found out...

These Yarntistas are having way too much fun!!!
That would be Emily on the left and Shannon on the right.

And look who else was there this morning...MIA blogger Julie!!!

Look at that lovely space! Emily and Shannon have worked really hard to bring their vision into a reality! They have picked gorgeous yummy yarns...Yarntini, Zen String, and Sublime to name a few! There is room to meander and fondle without running into others...and plenty of comfy chairs and couches for sitting, knitting and sipping some of their fine teas!! This store has fabulous energy!! Best wishes ladies, we heart you!

Uh-oh...HOS alert (husband over shoulder)...I'll show you my new stash another time...shhhhh.

A big Congratulations to Shannon and Emily!! You've made your dreams come true!!!

Socks b.b.

Socks before blogging...
As promised...Crazy Lace Agate socks, circa 200?
Blue Moon sock blockers, BSG circa June 24, 2007

Specs:
Pattern: My own standard cuff down 2X2 rib, short row heel, rounded toe
Yarn: STR 'Crazy Lace Agate' medium weight
Needles: Size 2 dpn (probably Crystal Palace)
Fit: Wonderful...I don't know why I even bother with that spec, it's always the same answer!
Wear: These socks have worn really, really well!

What's the secret you might ask...Well....I fill the washer with cold water and something like Eucalan wool wash, load my socks inside out, squeeze to thoroughly wet them, let them soak WITHOUT agitation until I remember to spin them out. Spin, give them a sharp tug this way and that (i.e. blocking), and let them hang on the drying rack until:

a) They dry, and I put them away

b) I remember to take them down and put them away, or

c) I get bored of looking at all of them and put them away (not!)

b) would be the correct answer.

Most often, I put them away when I remember or have another load of socks to fill the rack...Yes, I have that many socks and there is a Santa!!

I will leave you with some STR Firebird goodness (Sock club circa June 18, 2007!)

Have a great weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

Great Balls of Fiber!!!!

Your trusty reporter was weary from shopping, knitting, and eating yummy Thai food the night before, when Sunday dawned on BSG!

Fabulous colors and displays were seen!

I hearted the jewelry that Gita Maria had!! Sheeps, kitties, socks, and a Knit Wit to die for!

And on to the Fiberarts Competition! I will apologize in advance for neglecting to jot down the names of the creators of these fabulous items!! Please note...all the items in the competition were great and well executed...these few happened to catch my eye! Well done Fiberartists of 2007!!

We packed up and returned home. Sigh. Another fabulous BSG!
Here's to 2008!

Saturday

Neuroknitter reporting from Sunny Eugene, OR where the Black Sheep Gathering is taking place.

Of course our first stop was BMFA!

We perused, touched, sniffed the yarn and parted with lots of our pennies...more on that later after surprise goodies have been sent and received!!! ;)

As if there wasn't enough yarn at BSG, we took a stroll to the LYS a few blocks away: Soft Horizons Fibre. Lovely store! Lovely garden! No money spent!

Stopped for some refueling. Not a Star....cks! Oh Yay! Yum!

Linda finished her shawl over coffee above!

Who is that starlette with the blingy hat winding her yummy Bambu yarn from BMFA??? I hope your Saturday was as good as ours!!!

NK, signing off! Have a good night!

In the pink!

Hello Kitties all in a row (Thanks Jen!!),

Summertime toes,

and Sherbet hose!!
What does your garden grow?

Specs:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: STR Sherbet (medium wt)
Needles: Addi lace 1
Mods: Picot cuff, short row heel, mini gusset, and anatomical toes ala PGR!!
Fit: It's all I can do to take them off!!! Perfecto!!! And did you check out the perfect striping of the STR!!!

I am off to Black Sheep Gathering today!! Yip Skip!!! Have a great weekend!!

Happy knitting!!!

Lavender Fields Forever

This is dedicated to you L-B!!

Imagine all the lavender wands you could make! Mercy!!

Picture credits go to my sister Laurie who is on sabbatical in Europe and was in Sault, France when she took these lovely photos!!

...Lattes, Lavender and knitting..."heavenly" sums it up correctly, Rani!

Oh! And what do we have here...two toes...and anatomical, too

Hmmmmm......

Paris....France, that is!

A knitting bee in Paris!!! How cool is that?

No, I didn't hop a jet for a weekend abroad...I wish!! My sister is on a Sabbatical and touring Europe. She gave me permission to post this pic she took of knitters in Paris!!!

What's in your garden?

These pictures were actually taken in my mom's garden! She is an awesome gardener. Sadly, I did not inherit her green thumb...I opted to marry a wonderful landscape contractor dude instead...that would be Mr. NK!

Right now the Impatiens are engulfing one finished Sherbet STR Monkey sock

And a lovely Monsoon sock accessorizes an amazing Hosta that is just beginning to bloom.

Sorry for the anemic color in this photo!

Ebergie asked about the color of the Monsoon yarn: It is gray. I find it hard to photograph, and I am not a photoshop maven...yet...sometimes it shows up more purply-blue...but it is a lovely gray in real life!

Rani asked about the "groovy bumpy edge": Thanks Rani! I'm glad you like that cuff! It's my fave! It's a picot edge. My preference is to cast on, knit 6 rounds, YO-K2tog around, knit 6 rounds, pick up stitches around the cast on edge, bring the edges together with the knit side facing toward you, and K1 picked up stitch with one original stitch around (kind of like a 3 needle bind off, only you don't bind off!).

For those wondering what I'm doing with those safety pins holding the live stitches on my toes...I never kitchener my toes until both socks are knit and fit correctly...Welcome to my world! :)

If I were a finger...

I saw this over at Sivia's.

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

Surprise visitors

Look what Mr. NK found in the Peony patch!

He was sooo happy!

We have some monkey progress...And check out my Monsoons....

Happy weekend everyone!

Knit on!!

Knitters Rule!

Hey, did y'all see what's up at Claudia's blog? She has almost reached her goal of $20,000 for the NMSS!!! Her new goal is $30,000 by June 25th! She's confident. I'm confident.

And Anne's booster club is out of control.

Go read Claudia's post here. Knitters were third, that would be 3rd, as a group in raising funds for the NMSS!! Worldwide. WORLD-frickin-WIDE.

Knitters rule.

Now go do something positive with that power!

I know you can.

Finished Dreidel Socks

We have completion!! Yay!!

Check out how that Zigzag pattern blocks out on the feet!

Check out the perfect striping on the legs...The glory that is STR!

The inside edge of my picot

Specs:

Pattern: My own using the Lacy Zigzag chart from the perpetual knitting calendar
Yarn: STR Dreidel Lightweight

Needles: 3.0 mm on the leg; 2.25 mm for the heel; 2.5 mm for the foot/toe

Other than my usual: Anatomical toe ala PGR

Fit: Amazingly, wonderfully awesome!! I am thrilled with how these socks turned out!

Did you see what Anne is doing over at Knitspot...go on over....she's hosting a booster campaign for Claudia...show them some support if you're so inclined! BTW, Claudia has less than $4,000 to raise to reach her goal of $20,000 for the National MS Society!! These women rock!!!

The First Saturday of Summer

I was up early and cast on with my Monsoon (STR sockclub from February...yes, I'm way behind). After much thought, I decided to knit a non-club pattern.

Then, Mr. NK and I went to the local cafe for breakfast...we sat outside, ate, drank an endless cup of coffee...and I cast on for yet another pair of socks!

We walked up to the local Saturday Market where we found these beauties...

I sat under nature's canopy...

and knit on my Monsoons...

While Mr. NK contemplated his wooden kayak...

A perfect summer's day!