Today my parents celebrate 35 years of marriage. I want to tell them so many things, but above all I hope they enjoy their time together for many, many more years. I love you both!
I wanted to do something really special for them this year, so I chose to make them an afghan. I chose the pattern and the colors to (hopefully) compliment their decor and style. I made it lightweight enough to snuggle under in those brutal California winters. And then I held my breath as I put it in a box and shipped it to California, only breathing again when it landed yesterday afternoon. Here’s hoping they enjoy it!
The pattern: Log Cabin Moderne by Mason Dixon
The Yarn: Elsbeth Lavold Sily Wool
The Needles: US 6′s
The Verdict: Love the simplicity of the style and the ease of knitting, even if the garter stitch gets a little tedious on the larger squares. Will definitely be knitting this one again!
June 29, 2010
Categories: Family, Off the Needles . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 3 Comments
Almost 2 weeks ago, I decided to give spinning another try. Although I had taken one class, several years ago, I really hadn’t enjoyed spinning very much. But I decided to give my spindle one more try. I spent about a week spinning roughly 4oz of fiber, letting it rest on makeshift bobbins, and then plying it together on my spindle. And although the first skein is a little unrefined, I’m insanely proud of it. It LOOKS like yarn!
And a little collage I put together of the project from start to finish:
June 25, 2010
Categories: Spinning a Yarn . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 3 Comments
It seems like I have been knitting forever on a couple of projects that just have no end in sight. But I did manage to finish up a pair of socks this weekend thanks to lots of car time heading to the in-laws’ family reunion.
The Yarn: Twisted Fiber Arts in the Ravelry colorway
The Needles: US 1′s
The Pattern: None, my own plain vanilla sock
The Verdict: I love this yarn and have been hoarding this colorway for some time now to do something special with it. Since Bob (the Boston Bull Terrier of Ravelry’s owners) is adorable mascot for and the yarn was named for Ravelry, why not call these socks “For the love of Bob!” Can’t wait for the weather to cool so I can wear them.
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One picture from the reunion this weekend: my favorite spot on the lake:
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Wish us luck – we’re putting in an offer on a house tonight! EEEEEEEE!
June 21, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Off the Needles . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
Things you want to hear from your loan officer: “Your credit is awesome!”
June 15, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
This weekend I set my mind to learning a new craft. I was bound and determined. I bought a book. I readied my supplies. And then I set about turning this:
Into this:
Uh-oh! I’m liking this!
June 14, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Spinning a Yarn . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 2 Comments
Tonight Wes and I are going to embark on the next great adventure of our life together: we’re going house hunting!
In the last few months it has become increasingly clear that we need more space. We both have too many activities that involve equipment, and we’re just plumb out of storage space. Combine that with a loud upstairs neighbor, a lack of backyard space, our desire for covered parking and you guessed it, we’re ready to find a place of our own!
We’re meeting a broker tonight to go out and look at a few homes to get a better feel for what we’re looking for. We’re hoping to purchase at some point this summer and move in early fall.
Of course the thought of MOVING makes me want to throw up everything away.
Wish us luck!
June 10, 2010
Categories: Domesticity . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
It started as a joke… then I felt a compulsion to change my avatars with each season. Now I think I have a problem. You might know me under any of these pictures!
June 9, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
I was recently reminded of those old games we used to play in the car as kids. You know what I mean – the ones where you had to find all the states on license plates? Or count the number of VW bug cars? Or find all the letters of the alphabet in signs (damn that Q – we always hoped there would be a La Quinta inn nearby!).
The theme of a lot of those games was connections. Each thing you found or said was in some way connected to what came next. So here are my connections.
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I just finished knitting a beautiful shawl for my friend Helena in Wales. The finished shawl is so graceful and majestic – I think of it as eagle wings, but Wes called it the bat shawl, which I’m SURE Helena would appreciate.
The Pattern: Agatha
The Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon’s Kypria in A Fateful Plan and Wedding Gifts
The Needles: US 6′s
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Coincidentally, as I was knitting Helena’s shawl, I was also making myself socks out of some sock yarn that she had dyed! The socks are simple, stockinette socks with a short row heel. Plain and simple. The yarn is a bit rustic – it feels like sturdy, warm wool. They are so cozy to wear and I love them – I’ve already worn them several times since finishing them! I cannot recommend the yarn highly enough, and this particular colorway just resonated with me!
The Pattern: My own plain vanilla sock
The Yarn: Midnight Sheep Superwash Sock in Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
The Needles: US 0′s
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Socks! The connection this time is socks. This week I received a delightful gift, a love bomb if you will, from my friend Kippi. A while ago, perhaps 6 months, there was a particular skein I lusted after inexplicably. It was called Pickle Jar and was bright green, and wasn’t (and still isn’t) my best colorway, but I wanted that skein and some Pickle socks with a fierce passion. Well Kippi snatched that skein out from under me (all the while trying to talk me out of buying it for myself) and made me pickle socks! Thank you Kippi – you are a wonderful friend!
May 20, 2010
Categories: Knitting Content Ahead, Off the Needles . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 2 Comments
Last night, as I lay in bed awake, anxiety building, I was going over and over in my head the things that I would like to improve about myself. I’d like to have a cleaner house, I’d like to exercise more, I’d like to lose a few pounds, I’d like to spend less and save more.
And as I lay there, overwhelmed by my own thoughts I was reminding of an organizational seminar I took a few years ago. During the course of it, one of the things that stuck with me is that, without sitting down and making lists, the human brain can only concentrate on three things at any given time. Meaning, if you start thinking about a to-do list, you can only easily remember three things later on.
And three things doesn’t sound like that much. Especially if I make those three things about bettering myself and my environment each day.
So three things it is.
Today’s three things:
1. Create a spending tracking system.
2. Clean the mess of clothes and yarn in the bedroom.
3. Exercise for 20 minutes.
May 7, 2010
Categories: Deep Thoughts . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
A few nights ago I had a dream where I was back in college. That in itself is not unusual since I still seem to have those “you failed out of one class and didn’t actually graduate” dreams every so often. But the interesting thing about the dream the other night was that I had only a few weeks to complete a final project for a class. And as the professor handed out the assignment I squealed with glee: the assignment was to knit a shawl of more than 1000 yards and then donate it to a charity for auction.
When I woke up I mulled this dream over, thinking how cool it would have been if that had actually been a possible final back when I was in school. And then I started thinking about what I actually pursued in school (and in grad school) and wondered if maybe I zigged when I should have zagged.
Do you ever contemplate the path(s) not taken in life? In general when I make decisions, I am confident that I make the best possible decision at THAT POINT IN TIME given the information that I have. But then there’s hindsight, and years of experience and external influence and so many other things that change the way I see things. What might my life have been like if instead I had pursued textiles and fiber arts? Might I have an MFA today? Might I be working in a career that I love, or struggling to find a job with a degree that doesn’t always have economic applications?
Who knows?
May 6, 2010
Categories: Deep Thoughts . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 4 Comments
