FO: Spiral Cabled Chemo Cap

Spiral Cabled Chemo Cap, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

Spiral Cabled Chemo Cap- Dina version, preemie size. Taught at our guild meeting by Margit, the Fiber Fiend. I used yarn dyed at the previous month's workshop taught by Margit. This was quick and fun to knit. Bobbles are fun when you know how to knit backwards!

FO: Catriona Vest

FO: Catriona Vest, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

Finally got some pictures of Catriona! I'm about to duck outside to photograph the chemo cap so I can donate it. I finished finishing the new spinning wheel parts and have been using the new flyer & whorl for a couple days. I really like it. I have a little bit of adjustment to do to cut down on vibration and make all 4 legs touch the ground at the same time. I thought I had fixed the legs in the garage the other day, but that was before I realized the floor wasn't level. D'oh! I washed a little bit of the fleece I bought from Lynne and will do a lot more when Bryan Sr. leaves. I've got a couple of comissions I need to finish up too. Not to mention swatching and starting Mermaid!

Monterey Bay Aquarium Pics

Sea Dragon, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

Tons of jellies, sea otters, and a couple of penguins.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buxtrosion/sets/72157610224020090/

Odds n Ends

Mostly this post is to tell you about what I'll be posting about next. :)
I finished the Catriona vest and love it! I wore it last Friday, but I haven't snapped a modeled photo yet. With the sun setting before 5 and me working or volunteering most weekends, I've got to bite the bullet and get a remote switch. The self-timer is too horrible. I've also finished and lined the Sunburst Sling Bag. I got a really cute button I need to sew on. I want to do a modeled shot of that bag since my problem with the pattern could have been avoided if I'd seen more pictures of the large size being held by a human. I've been working on my Lizard Ridge (halfway done!) and am almost finished with the preemie size Spiral Cabled Chemo Cap from the guild meeting last night. I'm doing the bobbled version. Tomorrow night I'm buying a bunch of fleece from Lynne. Yay!

Work today was really exciting. I unpacked about 10 new colors of Misti Alpaca Chunky, most of them handpainted! We also got a bunch of goodies from the Ashford distributor, including my high speed adapter kit! It's a new flyer, whorl, and 4 bobbins. Now I've got ratios of 14 and 17.5 to one. I can go even higher bobbin-lead, but that means dealing with the infernal brake band. I've got to figure out how I'm going to finish the kit pieces. Evidently I was fooled by deceptive marketing of "tung oil" when I finished my wheel. I've got to decide if I'm upset enough about that to redo it. I also got to unpack and set up a Joy wheel that we'll be using for classes. The shop owner and a couple of customers ordered Knitter's Looms, but they all took them home right away. I'm really curious to see how they work. Then the mailman showed up and I got my long-awaited Romi shawl pin! It was part of a huge shipment, so there's tons of designs to choose from at the shop now.

I've also been getting a lot of house cleaning done. It's pretty exciting. I'm really busy, but it's a good kind of busy.

Classes at Yarndogs

November Class Schedule
Along with the usual fibery stuff, I've got a Ruffled Roses Scarf class and a Rose of England Shawl-along.

My Yarns From Guild Dye Workshop

My Yarns From Guild Dye Workshop, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

Margit, the Fiber Fiend, taught a dye workshop for the Knitspiration guild. I dyed 2 skeins of DK weight wool. One is a semisolid, and the other is variegated. I love the variegated as it looks without reskeining, but I don't know how it will look knit up. That's one reason I like to dye self-striping yarns. I think I'll be doing more handpainted semi-solids in the future, though. They're really quick and fun.

WIP: Crochet Cheeseburger

Crochet Cheeseburger WIP, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

I decided it was time I learned to make actual crocheted objects. It's so much fun! I made a carrot and 2 strawberries as well. Pattern: Cheeseburger with the Works by Beth Doherty, from Amigurumi Super Happy Crochet Cute. Rav link.

WIP: Catriona Front Finished!

Catriona Parts, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

Just the neck and sleeve bands to go! I've got to get 3.25mm needles before I can go any further. The neckline decreases were horribly frustrating. I am happy with the result, but not thrilled about the repeated frogging it took to get me there. In a few places, I had to move the decrease away from the edge, or make one decrease a double and skip the following one. I also wish I had done both sides at the same time. They came out uneven, but that alerted me to a mistake I had made on one side, and I fixed it. I also ended up finishing on a different row of one of the cables than I did on the back. I couldn't find any error to explain it, and I really don't think it will be noticeable after seaming. Rav link.

Giant Bag Fail!

Huge Bag Before Frogging, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.

I knit to finished measurements, but 20" across is too big for a purse! I'm redoing it with 30 stitches (in between L and M sizes). Pattern: Sunburst Sling Bags

Saying Goodbye

Yum Yum 6/18/93 - 10/31/08

I am very saddened to tell you that our beloved cat was euthanized yesterday. She was much sicker than we knew. I had her checked into the hospital to try to help her get over a respiratory infection and start eating again. Her vet discovered advanced intestinal cancer on an ultrasound. This is difficult for me because I'd be prepared to do anything to help her, but it was just too late. She had a really good life of 15 years with me, and I think she had a good death. She already had an IV line, so it was quick and peaceful. She was an extremely loving cat, and we miss her very much. It is difficult for us because Yum Yum's situation was so similar to that of Bryan's mom, who passed away in 2007. Unfortunately, we could not spare her from suffering as we did Yum Yum.
Anyway, you can see more pictures of Yum Yum here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/buxtrosion/sets/72157608568334063/