I talked recently about the 'knitter's spirit' and I have just have such great friends who are so generous with their knowledge, time, hugs, WOW! I had such a fabulous day yesterday learning to warp my little gifted loom (thanks Fran) and getting an actual weaving lesson from my friend Sharon. Thanks so much Sharon for all of your time yesterday and it was so great to spend time at your house out in Red Rock which is a beautiful area that is remote, but well worth the trip. Your Llamas, Sheep, Dogs, and of course Charlie the Cat were a pleasure to have help with the weaving. Ok the Llamas and Sheep stayed outside, but everyone else had something to say about what we were doing. Here is Charlie supervising the whole business with a cavalier air about him.

Here Sharon is helping me tie up my treadles and then we warped, warped, warped and finally got to weaving.

The little twill sample below has lots of mistakes, but I still did it and am stoked to learn this new art.



However, just like when I learned to knit boy do I have a lot to learn. I can see that just like knitting I will never know everything and that's what keeps me doing it, the promise of something new and exciting right around the corner.

Of course I knit yesterday too (good heaven's I am obsessed!!) and I am currently working on some mittens out of the Lorna's Laces Swirl DK yarn in Maple Grove and hat will be next to match. Now I know they look like socks (I am using the magic loop), but I wanted to play with a custom fit from the finger tips down and am going to do an after thought thumb, so stay tuned on that one.

I finally finished my Hand Maiden Yarns Casbah socks (in Morgana and sorry that color is sold out) and am back on my Shetland sweater from Rowan Magazine #46. You may notice my odd chart keeper and it may look like an old cookie sheet to you, well you are correct that is exactly what it is. I got some of those cut to fit magnets and enlarged my chart to keep track. I use the magnets to move up my rows on the chart as I go and with my row counter I am usually right on the money.

So my life is filled with fiber, fiber and more fiber, phew!! Of course there is family, work, animals and somewhere in there I probably should sleep, NOT!! I can sacrifice a bit of sleep to take in all this fabulous learning, oh yeah and the other stuff too!

As always happy knitting!

Jeanne

Boy, are we getting some cool new stuff in the store!

We had rain yesterday and here in the desert it is a cause to celebrate. I took my dogs to their pen this morning and this is what I saw on my Iris leaves, WOW! Here it is October and my grass is green, the leaves are beautiful, red, yellow, rust and water drops on leaves, it can't get a lot better than that!

Well of course there could be knitting all day and all of the above!! That is my idea of perfection, but it really doesn't take much to make me content.

With all of that in mind we got a special box from Hand Maiden yarns yesterday and the contents drove me WILD....Casbah yarn from Hand Maiden yarns is the most amazing thing to hit my sock world yet. It is 81% Merino, 9% Cashmere, 10% Nylon, Machine Washable and the colors are fabulous! I can't wait to dig in to this one and make some fair isle socks with the yardage (325mm) approximately 355 yards, I think I will get 2 pairs with alternating colors.

Of course that is not counting all the amazing sock books that are out there, like Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprints (which I am currently knitting my first footprint from) and Wendy Johnson's Sock's From the Toe Up , or Cookie A. Sock Innovation, or The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook, and so on, and so on....well you get the idea. This list is a big one and then of course there are individual patterns for socks too and I guess what I am getting at is that I have gotten my sock groove back on and am knitting socks again! WAHOO! I had some hand issues and couldn't go much smaller than a US 4 needle for a while, so I am stoked!!


There are also a couple of news type things going on around here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Amber!! We have a surprise later for you, hee, hee!!

AND Laura is leaving for Munich on Friday with Kristen of Muench yarns and will be going to see where Lana Grossa yarns are made. She will also get to attend a special event put on by Lana Grossa that I am sure she will have lots to tell about all of that! I think it will be good for her to get away and she says that Germany is a favorite of hers, so have fun Laura!!

As always happy knitting!

Jeanne :)