Poor Pogo

Have you ever made a joke that totally cracked you up - but no one else laughed? And yet you still thought it was hilarious? Happens to me all the time!

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I'm kind of feeling that was about Pogo, the corndog, a pattern I released this summer. This is the screen shot from my Etsy shop when you click on "Who favorites this item"

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Poor guy!
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Sneak Peek

I'm working on a new pattern. It's out to a few test knitters now and I plan to publish it on October 5th.

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If you have little boys looking for Halloween accessories, this might be just what you'll need.

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I realize the little teaser photo looks quite boring, but I assure you excitement around here is high. M has already put dibs on the "item" that I'm just putting finishing touches on for its photo op. He's looking forward to wielding it in a menacing manner!

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Oddish Socks

I finally finished the Oddish Socks. They've been in my purse for a long time. I worked on them whenever I had to wait somewhere for a bit. And now they are done.
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(modeled by M, whose 10yr old feet are almost as big as mine!)

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I love how they fit. I love the yarn. And just in time for cooler weather!
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I'm dyeing...

I enjoyed spinning this roving. But I learned something about my preferences for spinning and knitting while working with it. I learned that I prefer the knitted fabric, when there is less contrast between the different colors of the yarn. White and Bright Orange produced a fabric that was not my favorite.

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So... when I placed an order with KnitPicks for a whack of yarn, I also bought a single jar of Jaquard Acid Dye in Pink.

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Couldn't have been easier. Soak CAmpino yarn. Bring a pot of water to a simmer, add vinegar and dye powder. Stir, add yarn, stir. Let sit. Rinse.

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And I'm pleased with the results!

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Did you know...

You can make homemade puff paint!
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This is so thrilling to me. I love it when you can make homemade versions of things. When I looked over the craft ideas in the fall curriculum for our church's Kid's Club, I was thrilled to see a recipe for puff paint!

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The recipe:

1 tbsp white glue

food coloring

2 heaping tbsp shaving cream

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Mix the glue and food coloring together. Then mix in the shaving cream until it is the consistancy of stiffly beaten eggs. Put into squeeze bottles and have fun!

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I opted to use 1 tsp of craft paint in place of the food coloring as I thought it might make for better clean up. This is best used within a few hours of making it. I left some overnight in a sealed squeeze bottle, and while it still worked, it wasn't quite as nice as when it was freshly made.

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Totally unrelated, but I thought it was fun! Just as I pulled into my driveway, this happened!
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Enough Left for Thumbless Mittens

I decided to make a Cisco hat with the Phat Yarn. I love how this turned out. There was enough left to make coordinating thumbless mittens to go with the hat.
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I love how cute babies look with thumbless mittens. B had the cutest Fair Isle pair when she was little. Store-bought, but adorable - it was before I was a knitter!

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Phat Yarn Swatch

I decided to knit a swatch of the Phat Yarn to help me decide what to do with it. With 6mm needles in stockinette, I get 13 sts and 18 rows in a 4inch square. The swatch is a bit dense, good for mittens or a toque, but I'd definately go up a needle size or two if I wanted something with a bit more drapiness.

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Team Knit from the comments suggested The Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf would be a great use for my Phat Yarn. And it would. The kids thought so too and B was disappointed when I said 80 yards would only be enough for a very skinny scarf.
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Any great ideas for a small amount of bulky yarn?
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Phat Yarn

I have so many samples from my Phat Fiber boxes. I love them all and was worried I'd ruin them unless I had just the perfect plan for each of the darling little bits of fluff. Then I realized, I don't think I'll ever be able to think of enough tiny projects for all these perfect yarns I'd be producing and decided to do something that is very contrary to my nature.

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I took all the wooly and mohairy samples and ripped them into bits, tossed them randomly in a big bowl and spun little fluff bit after little fluff bit. Then I navajo plied the singles to keep the colors separate and this is what I have!

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4 oz/80 yds bulky weight

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I was having a bit of trouble keeping my singles even, but that may have been partly due to the different fiber content, etc... of each little bit. I wish now that I'd taken a bit more time to make them even. I was also having difficulty with plying, my wheel didn't feel like it was treadling easily and the bobbin was not pulling the plyed yarn in consistantly. I'll have to take the wheel apart and give it a good oiling I think.

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So the yarn has some thicker parts, some overplyed parts, some general scary bits, but I think I like it. My conservative-styled heart is still not sure what to do with a yarn like this, but I'll think of something, and it was a great way to try out all those little samples and get a feel for which ones I liked and would consider purchasing in larger quantities.

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Maybe I said too much

Sometimes we all need the reminder that we are not normal...

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Last Thursday, G and I went to a dinner for a few people from his work. Good people, fun to be around, easy to talk to... Dinner was great - his boss cooked - and he's a great cook! And inevitably people chatted as people will at this sort of function.

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One of the women mentioned that she'd been invited to an SnB in town. Of course my ears perk up at the mention of knitting. She was surprised I didn't go to this group as she knows I love knitting. If I'd been paying attention, I'd have noticed that a few of the other women were confused. The conversation continues. I told her I hadn't heard of the group she'd mentioned, although a number of friends and I will frequently get together over coffee and knit. We talk a bit more about the number of dishcloths she cranks out (she's a dishcloth knitter only). I mention a few projects on my needles...

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Finally I notice the slightly blank look of confusion and to clarify, I say:

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"I knit..."

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Their faces indicate its not quite clear enough so I add:

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"... obsessively"

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It's a wonder my hubby takes me anywhere.

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I think it is the coffee

I had another small coffee from Tim's this afternoon. Same as on Friday, I felt jittery and distracted. Must be much more sensitive to caffeine than I used to be. But I did finish one Anemoi...
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It seriously needs to be blocked and I haven't sewn in any ends. I'm still debating whether to rip out the mistake and I'm not sure if I'll have quite enough handspun to finish the second mitten.
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The IDEA continues...
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Thanks Roo!

Dear Roo,

Thank you for your generous sampler box! It was more than expected and such a fun and wonderful surprise! I love the Summer Grasses Moonbeam (as I expected I would). The beautiful green/blue solar dyed milk protein fiber, pink solar dyed bamboo top, and handyed orangey-pink SA merino are all amazing too!

Thanks so much!

Pauline

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In my July Phat Fiber Box (click the linky so you know what that is), I had a sample of guanaco noil that I had no idea what I'd use it for. On Ravelry, there is a forum thread for swapping samples from the boxes. I noticed Roo, from Moonwood Farm, was looking for more guanaco noil and offered it to her. She suggested I pick out a color of one of her "Moonbeams" in trade. I sent off the noil and was expecting a small envelope with a 1/4oz little beauty to arrive. I received such an unexpected little surprise when I opened the parcel. Four samples of different fibers all packaged beautifully and with a teensy little lavender sachet to make things smell heavenly. And the "Moonbeam" was bigger than I'd expected! If your a spinner, or just love petting soft fluffy fiber, go visit Roo's etsy shop!

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Knitty, Fall 2009

The new Knitty is live! And so is a pattern I've been sitting on for over a year!
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Meet Zozo!
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I couldn't be more excited!

Just a note about yarn choices. When Zozo was being developed, KnitPicks only made Swish Superwash in a worsted weight. The pattern is intended for worsted weight yarns. If you wish to use Swish DK or Swish Bulky, remember to use a needle size several sizes smaller than the ball band recommends in order to create a firm fabric that the stuffing will not show through or poke through!
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Arrrggg!

Can you see the mistake? It's not glaring, but it's there. And it's messing with my mind. By the time you reach the top of the charts for the front and back of the Anemoi mitten, the pattern is supposed to be the same. But mine is out by one row.

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I have a little slip of paper with restickable tape on it that I move up every three rows. Apparently I forgot to move it up, and I've repeated three rows. Can you see it now?

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Arrrgggg!

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I'll finish this mitten and its mate. If it still bugs me, I may frog to that point then and reknit.

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The problem with Startitis...

... I have too many projects to knit on now!

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I've been knitting on the IDEA non-stop since Saturday evening and decided a little break was needed. I've got the pattern printed up and it just needs to be tweaked, but it was getting a bit monotonous - I don't think I'll ever manage to knit on only one project at a time. So here's the recent progress on the Anemoi's

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Loving the way the Gloss is working with my handspun!

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A Wicked Case if Startitis

All day Friday, I was feeling restless and unsettled. Like I had creative energy with no where to direct it. I knitted on the Print O' the Wave (still loving it). I started on some Anemoi mittens for my sister (love Eunny's patterns). I considered starting a Cisco hat, but didn't have yarn I wanted. I briefly considered spinning something to use, when I realized if I let this continue I might cast on for 20 projects before nightfall. (I'm still considering the spinning - probably a collection of Phat Fiber samples all spun into a fun colorful yarn, just perfect for a friend's baby's head!)

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I decided to clean the kitchen to gain some perspective. It took three times as long as normal - I kept being distracted by my stash. Then I did laundry, but the yarn and needles continued to call. I sat down with a cup of tea and sorted through patterns that I want to knit, yarns I want to knit with, my notebook of original ideas... and still I felt that strange uneasiness... could it have been that small coffee I had just before lunch? I know I don't drink coffee much anymore, but Tim Horton's must have really amped up the caffeine for me to be unable to focus on anything.

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Then my responsibilities rescued me for a while - B had skating, supper needed making, M had skating, had to put the kids to bed. G went to bed early, just after the kids, so I sat down with another cup of tea, feeling much calmer than I had earlier in the day.

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I picked up the Anemoi I'd started earlier in the day to frog it as I realized I wouldn't have enough of the peachy handspun to finish both mittens if I did a corrugated ribbing for the cuff. I cast on again and just as I finished the cuff in the lovely cocoa Gloss an IDEA hit me!

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I've been working on it non-stop and am loving it! But until I'm ready to reveal this cool pattern, I'll be showing more Print O the Wave and Anemoi!

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No frogging required

After 4 1/2 repeats, I thought my Print O' the Wave was long enough that I could give it a light steam blocking and decide whether it's good as it is or if I needed to change needle sizes.
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I love it! I'm also finding the Gloss Lace softer and squishier knitted up!
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We're movin' on! 29.5 repeats to go...
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Print O' the Wave

I have loved Eunny Jang's Print O' the Wave pattern since I first saw it on her blog years ago. And I've finally decided to try it out.

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I'm not sure if I like the Gloss lace yet. I love the Gloss Sock yarn, but this doesn't seem quite as soft and squishy. I do love the Ultramarine color though. I've completed one pattern repeat... only 33 to go. I'll probably stop after 6 repeats and block it a bit to see if I'm liking my needle choice. A 4mm needle is suggested for lace weight, but I know I knit loose, so I'm using a 3.25mm. Eunny suggests here, that she also likes the resulting fabric using a 2mm needle.... so I'll decide in a few days whether to rip and restart or continue as I am.

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A little something...

I felt like trying a bit of lace yesterday. Since I've been so busy in August, I didn't have time to work too many of my July Phat Box samples. But I grabbed a beautiful little sample skein of laceweight mulberry silk handspun from Dragonmaille and tried this pattern. I didn't have quite enough to finish the doily, so I cast off where I had to. This yarn was so beautiful. I wish I'd remembered to take a picture of the skein before I started. The spinning was even and I loved the way the single ply shimmered.

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I think it's quite pretty and it looks sweet sitting under the vase that holds my spindles. It measures approximately 6 inches in diameter.

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