Sugar Bunny Boulevard

Beautiful Things and Surprises Revealed

Happy Spring Wednesday Everyone!

Sunday afternoon there was an estate auction two houses down on our street.  The neighborhood was a bustle of cars, people walking, a din of chatter and auctioneer sounds.  We picked up a few goodies and Jeff shuttled back and forth between the auction and our house depending on what they were selling at the moment.  For a while I sat on the porch swing knitting while Emeline and Lila Pearl played on the porch and ran about in the grass.  It was a beautiful sunny day - perfect for the auction.

Emeline was down in the grass picking dandelions and wandered over to the driveway.  She stopped in the middle of the driveway and stared for a moment at the garage.  Then she said, "Mommy..... Mommy!  Come see this!  Mommy.  You have to see this beautiful thing."

For a few days every spring our driveway is covered with a halo of bring pink blossoms - the red bud trees are stunning.  I actually hate those trees the rest of the year because every single tiny pink blossom produces what seems like approximately one hundred wafer thin seed pods that litter our driveway and patio later in the year then crack open and release four or five small disc-like seeds which get stuck on your shoes, feet, etc, and get tracked through the house.  Think cat hair.  These seeds and pods haunt you like cat hair.  The cat can be dead and gone for twenty five years but you still find their hairs around the house - even when you move to a different house.  Yes - the seed pods are like that.  The only thing that keeps me from cutting our red bud trees down is the picture above.  When they are in bloom I would like to set up a tent at the end of our driveway and stay out there until they're gone because it is a beautiful sight to see.  And I'd still be nearby to a bathroom.  I was happy to know Emeline notices these beautiful things in our world without being prompted.

It's always a fun and unexpected surprise when someone who I don't know ads me to their "Friends" on Ravelry.  I always wonder why in the world they want me for a Friend if they don't know me.  A few days ago I received a notice that Cedric added me to his Friends.  When I get a new request I always add that person to my Friends, then click on their picture to read their profile so I can learn more about them.  Cedric is a 74yo man.  He has been knitting for over 70 years.  And lives in the Shetland Islands.  This is all very interesting to me.  Even more, he's all of this - lives in this place - and has a computer and is using Ravelry.  And he has less than 40 people (at the time of this writing) on his list of Friends.  I am so honored that Cedric added me to his Friends.  Hmm.  His birthday is November 9th.  Maybe he wants to participate in the Ravelry Scorpio Birthday Swap this year!?  You never know.  I could ask him. 

Although I haven't been posting a whole lot, I am getting caught up on Bloglines.  Why oh why do I love to read so many blogs?  I'm keeping the number down - less than 200 unread posts now when it was over 2000!  And I'm happy to say I did read - a bit of skimming might have happened - but I didn't just wipe it all out and start anew.  I'm not commenting much (who has time? actually I would have time but my ancient computer doesn't like to leave comments - that will all change when we get our Economic Stimulus Check next month!) but I'm reading reading reading!  :)

SURPRISE TIME!

So the surprises.  I have three surprises right now.  I'm keeping one as secret a while longer.  The other two are ready for a Reveal!  Yay!

Surprise #1:  I told you I've been writing a sock pattern to be released with a kit.  Here's a little more information about it.  I've got my fingers crossed that you'll LOVE this!

Introducing Pink Ribbon Socks!

These are not the final pattern photos - I'll probably try to get the giant sack of yarn stash out of the way for the final photo shoot.  heh

The kit concept began with this colorway - called Pink Ribbon.  After I dyed it and I saw this yarn I was instantly inspired.  The pattern came together quickly in my head and with some research, lots of swatching, and diligent knitting, my idea became an actual knitted item (even a pair!).  Now the pattern is on paper, has been charted and is on its way to my test knitters!  Wow!  The original pair of Pink Ribbon Socks fit my daughter Katie perfectly (and it was her turn in the family sock knitting queue).  She wore them for the first time to school yesterday.  For some reason that made me nervous.  hehe

The Pink Ribbon Sock Kit is a limited edition and will soon have a web page with instructions for preordering.  The kit will cost $40 plus shipping, international orders will be accepted, and $20 of every purchase will be donated to the national Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation!

The Pink Ribbon Lace pattern begins at the top with a cable twist and goes down each side of the leg, seperating at the gusset, carrying the ribbons to meet in the front and back.  The Pink Ribbon Lace pattern continues down the front of the foot and at the heel concludes with a cable twist.  The foot and leg can be adjusted in length by adding or subtracting repeats from the pattern, or adding stockinette at the end of the foot.

Complete instructions are given in the pattern for heel flap construction, turning the heel, and completing the toe.  Alternate toe construction can be substituted for what is given in the pattern.

There will be 100 kits available, and each will come with the pattern, hand numbered, in a sheet protector along with 100g of the exclusive Sugar Bunny Boulevard Pink Ribbon colorway and the receipt confirming your donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation. 

If there is an overwhelming response to the kits there may be a second limited edition release later this summer in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.  At this time I haven't found a way to release the pattern for sale on its own so that the money can bypass me and be donated directly to Susan G Komen with an automatic download.  If anyone has ideas for this please let me know.

Surprise #2:

If you can stand it, I do have one more surprise.

Sugar Bunny Boulevard yarn and stich markers will soon be for sale at The Loopy Ewe.

I think that sentence stands alone.  If you're reading this you probably have a clue.

Had enough surprises?  Okay, then I think I'm done for now.  And next time I promise to show and tell about my Wee Tiny Sock Swap experience of 2008!  Yay!  I really love WTS.

Have a super wonderful rest of your week - enjoy the beauty of spring all around you - unless you're cussing about snow still falling - but still there must be some beautiful things to be appreciating, right?  Like you could pretend that you live in Australia and it's supposed to be getting cold and starting winter now?  :D

Take care of every little thing and I'll see you back here next time or maybe in your blog comments!

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Wednesday Catch-Up

Hi everybody!  I've been quiet on my blog this year.  Not intentionally, really.  Mostly because I've been pretty busy with kids.  Trying to knit more.  I actually have a tiny little not-very-important pattern I'm designing with the hopes of submitting it to Knitty for the Fall '07 Issue.  They probably won't want it. (trying hard not to think too positive so if they say "are you kidding?" I won't be too disappointed)  So I've been gabbing less and thinking more.  And reading.  It's really tuff to keep up with so many blogs and feel like I'm the kind of friend I want to be by reading and commenting.  I'm generally not very brief when I leave comments (surely to the distaste of some), so it takes a lot of my time.

I'm really trying hard to do my very best to keep up with my wish to do as much charity knitting as much as I can during 40 Days For Others.  A few posts ago I showed several skeins (total of 100g) of brownish yarn that I had spun with the intent of using it for a Dulaan project of some kind.  Well I decided to make an Avalanche Vest with it.  But it wasn't thick enough to produce the kind of dense fabric called for in the pattern.  I was afraid I would run out if I just doubled it, so I started adding yarn to carry along with the homespun.  Just scrap stuff from here and there.  Unraveling swatches.  Using up bits of left overs from projects, adding in some of the recycled cashmere sweater, etc. 

This morning I finished up the button band.  It's the first time I've knit on a button band so this was a learning experience and I wasn't about to go forward without giving it a wash.  It's true that blocking covers a multitude of sins because it was looking pretty bad after I cast off.  I still need to do the ribbing around the armholes and then I'll wash it again.

The dark brown stripe in the middle of the vest is an interesting fiber that I spun - it's Buffalo!  Back when I received the stroller and package of luxury spinning fibers from a friend, there was.... lemme see... I think 16oz of buffalo fiber in there too.  I thought I'd save this for a special project but then again... when I started examining my fiber stash I thought maybe I would spin it for a Dulaan hat or something.  Well people - this is not really the type of fiber we're used to.  heh  First off, it's dark brown.  A lovely dark chocolate brown with slight variations in color.  Second, there is a variety of fiber types within this batch of buffalo fiber.  A label on the outside of the package says "felting fiber".  That would be as opposed to spinning fiber, I guess.  It has pretty much no odor, but doesn't really seem to be clean.  I don't know anything about it or how it was handled or processed before I got it and I know nothing of how they collect this fiber.  There is a lot of just loose dirt in the fiber, and some amount of VM (vegetable matter = leaves, twigs, grass, etc).  I've read on Cassie's blog about how Icelandic wool has different types of hair, like guard hairs, etc.  This seems to be the same way.  There are some very long thick straightish (no crimp) hairs combined with fuzzy stuff.  When I started spinning I thought "I'm not going to take a lot of time trying to make this *nice*... it's just for a Dulaan hat - rustic is just fine."  It didn't take me long to get out the carders and try carding through these lumps of fuzzy stuff.  You can't spin clumpy fuzz.  My family has gotten very accustomed to seeing me spinning at virtually any time and in pretty much any place throughout the house - generally kitchen or living room.  I am often seen up stairs or setting the dining table or fixing dinner with a spindle under my arm and a length of wool thrown over my shoulder.  I was carding clumps of this fiber at the kitchen table making quite a mess with the dirt that was falling out - it's not matted clumps of dirt - just like loose sandy stuff that's somehow mixed into the fiber and falls out easily.  So I'm in the kitchen spinning this buffalo fiber and trying to get my husband to care that I'm spinning something like freagin BUFFALO fiber.  In our kitchen.  I don't know why my fascination about this does not impress my husband and children.  Jeff passes through the kitchen and I remark that this is very difficult to spin.  He doesn't really seem to care.  Thank Heaven for the knit blogging and spinning community that will express some kind of interest in the spinning and knitting that I do!  heh  The longer non-crimpy hairs are like SPRINGS.  You can put a hard spin on the spindle and that stuff wants to stay pretty straight and gives you a back twist that you don't expect!!  The single never did break due to back twist but still... it's something quite remarkable to me.  Overall, I would have to say the combined fibers make it really difficult to spin.  Imagine the hair from your shower drain (dark brown hair) mixed with taupe colored dryer lint.  Yes.  That's what this fiber is like.  Once I drew this conclusion I was somewhat nauseated about continuing to spin.  I decided to stop and let the fiber sit on the spindle for a few days so it might be easier to ply.  I had put my face to the spindle and felt the prickle of those springy straight hairs and thought "felting fiber is right... I don't know if I could torture a frozen child in Mongolia with this stuff."  I was ready to begin the Avalanche Vest and thought I could use the buffalo yarn as a stripe around the middle so I plied it.  Hm.  Sure did ply nicely.  And I washed it.  Amazing how there was *no dirt* in the wash water.  I guess it all fell out when I carded??  And then it was done.  Dried.  And... amazingly soft.  AMAZINGLY SOFT.

The brown stripe of buffalo fiber is softer than the entire rest of the whole sweater.  It's really amazing.  And I love that it's included in this vest.  And I have no pictures of the fiber after I spun it into yarn because I thought it would be so awful.  But of course now I have to overcome the nausea and just spin it because it's crazy soft.  Then I'll take pictures - 'kay?

On to other things I love.... like my children.  Specifically today, my daughter Katie.  Today's brag is about Katie.  My dear daughter recently entered the science fair in our county and out of 75 kids won first place for her project.  First.  With a cool big blue brag-worthy ribbon!  Two actually!  I thought it was pretty cool after yelling at her for leaving her experiment mess all over the bathroom and poster making mess all over the living room and dining room.  *sigh*  First place project still doesn't mean that she doesn't have to clean up after herself!  I felt a little bad when I found out that she got first place ... but still ... I've gotta be the mom. 

When she didn't know I was taking the picture yet:

The pose she really wanted to do:

In other news:

• Spring is coming - or at least we think it is.  Some bulbs are coming up... let's hope Mother Nature isn't faking us out.
• Babies are cute - and growing.
• I really am coming forth with dyed fiber and yarn soon - it's soaking - I'm just crazy busy with the kids.  Spring Break is in a few weeks and they'll be at their dad's... and I'll probably be clean out of yarn by then.  Guess I'll have to knit, huh?  heh
• Current sock project is nearly 50% finished (STR in Fire on the Mountain - Wendy's F&F toe-up pattern).  The STR skein I received from Carole claims that it's STR Medium.  So does that mean that Light is laceweight??  I thought their medium was sport weight.  This is not - it's definitely fingering weight.  The skein is/was 155g.  Okay, I know all the blah blah about how the old put-up wasn't enough yardage, but OMG, these are going to be long socks and I've just barely used 55g for the first sock.  Anyway, still loving the yarn even though I'm having to get used to the colors every time I get it out.  Emeline called it clown yarn or something like that. heh  The colorway reminds me of when we did experiments in 8th grade science, burning different minerals to see what color the flames were.

Everybody have a GREAT WEEK!  I hope your weather is pleasant.... and if it's not (like you poor frozen New York and New England people), I'm sending warm thoughts your way.  xoxox

Knitting Foes

Whelp.... so much for my sidekick abilities.  The Colts won.  Congratulations to Peyton Manning, congratulations to his coach and his team.  Congratulations to the team owner (as if he has anything to do with them winning) and all that.  And I'm sure the boy in Katie's math class will come up with a new lifetime wish.  Fourteen is a sadly early age to have your greatest dream/wish come true.  Aim higher, hon.  But be careful what you wish for.... we all know what happened to Hurley when he won the Lottery!  heh

LOST will be starting up again on Wednesday.  This is a much bigger event to me than the Super Bowl and it is only one fourth as LONG.  I swear I will probably CRY when this episode is over on Wednesday night because I don't have any more LOST for another WEEK.  I just finished watching the last disk of the first season.  Whew!  I was on the edge of my seat for all six disks.  I'm telling you.... it was HARD TO TURN THE TV OFF when it was getting late at night.  At some point during disk four or five at the end of one show Pregnant CLAIRE popped out of the woods and then the show was over... and my husband jumped off the couch, turned off the TV and said, "Time for bed!"  GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  ::calm::calm::calm::  I am looking forward to Wednesday night with great anticipation.  And I want NO INTERRUPTIONS.  Honey, do you think we can get TIVO by then?  If not, I might have to rent a hotel room for an hour.  *smooch*

So we have some knitting foes!  Yes, I feel the need to spell it out.  Because people will be wanting to correct my grammar if I don't.  Really.  When you have a knitted Finished Object you refer to it as a FO.  But do people say that in their mind as FOE or as EFF OH ??

I say FOE.  Gramatically that is .... "I have a FOE to show."

Some say EFF OH.  Gramatically that is "I have an EFF OH to show."

Now that we're on the same page... and you know that I say FOE.... here we have it.

Besotted.  In the category of "Norma said if it's not in the mail, don't send it now - save it for next year."

Next up... a long overdue FOE.... Katie Basic Sweater from LB Homespun - the yarn I will never use again unless I'm being tortured on a deserted island in a dimly lit underground bunker and the only way to get home is to knit with this yarn.  BLEH.  They'd probably require that I also count rows which is pretty much impossible even with good light.  Goodbye dear sweater, I am so glad to be FINISHED WITH YOU.  And Katie loves it.  But she doesn't like how it flares out a bit in the back.  I told her "It's not supposed to be a fitted sweater, dear."  I was on Sleeve Island for EVER with this sweater but I have something new in the wings that I'm just dying to work on so this one had to get finished first cause I'm just that kind of person.  I have very little self control when it comes to finishing stuff and I was feeling AWFUL that I hadn't gotten this done for Katie sooner.  It was finished last night at midnight and she wore it to school today - thus, poorly lit photos.

More randomish stuff:

• I really want to make photo albums for my FOEs.
• The Kansas Knit Bloggers webring is READY!  YAY!!  I need to make a seperate post for this but it's not happening today.  I'm still working on links for the sidebar on the home page but the ringsurf joining page is ready.  The webring is intended for people that actually do live in Kansas or who travel here often and might talk about Kansas yarn shops or something on their blog.  The purpose is to help bring together Kansas knitters as a regional community.  Hopefully anyone with an interest in Kansas or who would like to know about yarn shops and fiber farms in Kansas will find our blogring full of helpful information and friendly people.  But really.... current or future residence in the state of Kansas is pretty much necessary, don't you think?  I'm not a born leader... I'm too wishy washy sometimes... so maybe I'm a terrible person to host the ring!  But I'll try - I'll really TRY to put my foot down about some sensible guidelines about participation in the ring.  With a smile too.  :)

Everybody have a great week!  Knit!  Stay toasty warm!  Enjoy the snow if you have some!  Take down your Christmas tree if you haven't already!  :)

When Norma Nags

When our dear Norma nags, people listen.  Maybe it's because when our dear Norma nags, it's about something totally nagworthy.

A week or so ago when I checked in on Norma she was nagging us that it's not too late to knit a scarf for the Red Scarf Project!!  That was January 21st.  The scarfs don't have to be sent until February 1st!  I thought many things.

• It's so nice that there has been such a great response to Norma's Red Scarf Project this year
• Too bad I didn't plan better and I could have knit a red scarf (nag starting to take effect)
• I have no red yarn in my stash to make a last minute scarf
• (at Wal Mart later that day) Maybe there's some kind of red yarn here that I wouldn't hate using for the Red Scarf Project
• (still at Wal Mart) There is not one skein of red yarn here that I would use for the Red Scarf Project
• (...still) Hm.  There is some natural colored Lion Wool here.  I know it takes dye.

Two skeins of wool and a few drops of RIT DYE later, I had some yarn that I believe falls in the red family.

I swatched.

And swatched.

And kept thinking of this "hugs and kisses" scarf.... x's and o's.... where had I seen it.  WHERE had I seen it??

I kept swatching.  For an entire evening.  At least five different attempts.  I tried Scarf style - nothing really worked with this yarn.  And there were already so many Irish Hiking Scarfs in Norma's scarf photo gallery.  If only I knew where that x's and o's scarf pattern was. (I can hear many of you saying "DUH!")

Finally I remembered.... Hello Yarn!  Besotted!  The perfect pattern for this yarn... for this occasion.

When Norma nags I listen.  She tells about her Red Scarf Project Field Trip on her blog.  That post tells me that I've picked the right pattern.  And tells me that putting every other project on hold to knit this scarf was a good choice.  I'm going to start knitting red scarfs for next year as soon as I can.  :)

No, I'm not knitting in the attic now.  For some reason I thought it was a place to find good light.  If nothing else, at least it shows the pattern texture nicely.

For now it's time to get myself dressed and take the babies to Wichita for a Birthday Lunch with their Daddy!

Everybody have a great week!!  :)