yarn yoga

If you're still here...

2008-03-09T15:13:00.002-05:00

I'm impressed! I'm semi back and starting a new blog at www.yarnyoga.com. I took a hiatus from knitting and blogging, but I'm back on both counts and hope to reconnect with some of you. :)

Absence

2005-12-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

I've been back and forth about whether to post this or not, but I don't want everyone to think that I've totally dropped out of the blogging world. I won't be online for the next few weeks, possibly a month (but I hope it isn't that long.) I'm heading back to LA to have surgery and will stay there to recover for a while. I think we've already turned off the cable at the house there, so I probably won't be able to get online at all until I'm well enough to come back to Houston. I'll be bringing my shrug with me to finish up, in case I'm able to knit sooner than later. I'm about 8" into the mock rib.

Today, I have some errands to run and things to tidy up before we leave tomorrow. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season and a great new year!

/hugs!
atouria

Circle shrug

2005-11-29T11:35:00.000-06:00

Craftster strikes again! I was really planning on making a sweater from one of the two books I just bought ~ not to mention the Phildar magazine I just got in, but craftster has redirected my attention to this:

It's a circular shrug that Urban outfitters is selling for a smooth $54. It comes complete with wool, so I defintely won't be purchasing it. After all, that's what knitting is for! A few of the girls at craftster actually reverse engineered it and came up with the pattern. Aren't they wonderful!?! I've already gotten started and am about 4.5" into the ribbing. I'm using Rowan Calmer in a discontinued colorway called Amour. (#469)

If you're interested in doing this as a KAL (knit along), you can join us here.

Vegan Thanksgiving

2005-11-29T10:54:00.000-06:00

I hope all of you had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful one! This year was my very first Vegan Thanksgiving and I was fortunate enough to spend it with other vegans over a completely cruelty-free dinner. We had unturkey with the best gravy I've ever had! We also had agave ginger sweet potatoes with pine nuts, cornbread dressing with eggplant and oyster mushrooms, and a bunch of other things that would take me way too long to list. My favorite dessert was the pumpkin marble cheescake! It was soo delicious and creamy! Ok, I'm making myself hungry.

I don't have my photo software on this computer, so I can't really clean up the images much, but I want to at least shrink a few, so that I can share them with you. I met some amazing and very sweet and compassionate people. I hope to be able to see them again sometime soonish. I'm not going to label the photos in case they want some privacy.

This is the lady who put on the event. She is so sweet and just amazing! I'm to the right.

This is a family that I met who actually drove almost 3 hours to join us! It turns out, we all went to the same schools and lived about 15 min away from each other!! I move to Houston and meet vegans from my hometown ~ crazy. They are eating a 75% raw diet and can't you just see it? Their skin just glows. They are a really sweet family.

This is a friend who told me about the event. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have had the best TG ever. Thank you!!

This is a friend that I made while I was there. She is such a sweet person and her doggie was the star of the show! Her doggie's name is Lucky.

Look at that YUMMY food!!!

Lucky says "have a great day!"

Knit shops

2005-11-18T20:18:00.000-06:00

Wednesday I drove around and checked out the two LYS's that I know of. First, I went to Twisted Yarns. I was really impressed with their shop. There were quite a few people in there, yet I was still able to get a warm welcome the minute I walked in the door. Along with that, they were very personable and went through a great deal of trouble to help me find a vegan substitue to Debbie Bliss's Alpaca silk line. (We decided on Blue Sky Alpaca's Cotton yarn.) I didn't purchase yarn this time, but I didn't leave empty handed. I came home with my much sought after Calmer collection book by Rowan, which is filled with Kim Hargreaves designs. I also bought the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk book ~ FREIDA is calling my name from that one.

I also went to Yarns 2 Ewe. I was also greeted immediately at this shop. They were a little busy, so it took a while for me to get some help. When I did get help, they were really nice and even sat on the floor with me to decide on some yarn subs. Unfortunately, I left there empty handed.

I really wanted to buy some Calmer yarn to get started on either the LOLL cardi or on HEARTEN which I have the image of in my last post. Now I'm thinking of holding off on both pattern books in leu of the Autumn Phildar magazine. I ordered it tonight from Knit-N-Tyme. I nearly ordered the Winter issue as well, but instead of having a stash of yarn, I have a stash of knitting books and magazines! I'm making myself vow to no more books or magazines (ok, except for the Holiday issues of Vogue and Interweave knits), until I knit 1 thing from each of my recent purchases. That's reasonable, right? :)

I'm still undecided on what I want to start on first. I really want to tackle Frieda by Debbie Bliss, but I really love the pink it's in. Unfortunately, Blue Sky's Cotton doesn't come in a color that even comes close. Their pink is wayy to bright! I can use either the organic natural cotton or the dyed cotton.

Here's the pattern:

Any ideas would be Tremendously appreciated!

Houston Knitters

2005-11-15T09:41:00.000-06:00

Are there any other vegan knitters in Houston?

I'm sure that number is kinda small, and even smaller would be the number of people in Houston that actually see this post. I wouldn't mind knitting with other knitters in general, it's just that sometimes seeing people knitting with animal fibers breaks my heart ~ especially wool.

While it's really nice that I won't be working so that I can focus on school, school won't be starting until January. I have plenty of knitting to do, but no one to knit with! I've toyed with the idea of going to one of the knit nights at a LYS here, but there is less of a freedom in a yarn shop. How? Why? Well, for one, you can't really talk about the great deal on 'x' yarn that you saw online. 2) It's rude to talk about what's going on or what products are available or sales at other yarn shopts. 3) When someone figures out that I will not knit with animal fibers, most people don't really want to hear about how horrible the sheep (or other animals) are treated. I wouldn't respond in a rude way, but in a way that should make them want to swear off wool for a good long while (hopefully forever). Geez, I guess that statement sounds militant, but really I'd only be telling the truth - in detail.

I may go to Yarns 2 Ewe today. I went yesterday, but they were closed. /smacks forehead/ No big deal though, I only live about 10 miles away or so. I'm not really looking for yarn, but if I see Calmer, along with Rowan's Calmer collection, I'll be overcome with temptation. I love nearly every design in that book, especially LOLL, SOUL, HEARTEN, SHADOW, and HUSH. I've been wanting to get my hands on that book for nearly a year now and the yarn is soo loverly. Of course, if I get the yarn and the book, I just might need some more Addi's to go with them. Ah, I love the spiral of purchases that ensues when you walk into a yarn shop.

On the needles right now is a hot pink dropped stitch scarf that I'm knitting for my little sister-n-law. I paid only $1.50 a skein for the yarn in GardenRidge and I'm knitting it up on size 15's. The yarn is 100% polyester and 100% yummy soft. It's got little slivers of a shimmer to it, along with the fun fur type fuschia parts. My SIL is almost 13 and it just may end up a birthday gift. Her bday is early december. We've always gotten along, but we're starting to get close now that she's getting older.

I also have my cabled top by zimmerman on the needles, but I don't have the patience for all those cables right now. It may just be in the waiting line until January rolls around. I really do see a calmer sweater in my future, lol.

Ta for now!
/hugs

Update: I ripped the dropped stitch scarf and started over with a simple garter stitch. The extra time on the drop stitch wasn't worth it because of the 'furry' nature of the yarn. It was hiding the pattern completely. I'm pleased to say that I'm finished with it. I'm toying with the idea of knitting her initial in white on her scarf. This means it would be dark fuschia with a white initial. How should I do the fringe? All pink or pink and white? I'm leaning towards all pink, but some variation would be nice. Hmm, maybe I should do the same color pink, but in a plain yarn, instead of the furry yarn that I used for the scarf.. Ideas?

Relocated

2005-11-10T16:19:00.000-06:00

So much has happened in the last few months that it's amazing I've remembered to breathe.

First of all, for those of you that still grace this blog with your presence from time to time, thank you! And a big thanks to all the comments I've gotten even though I've taken a bit of leave from blogland.

Ha, where to begin. Let me make a really long crazy story short. Rita was forecasted to hit our city. We visited my dad in Northern LA while the eye of the storm passed over our home. Then we visited some friends in Houston for a little over a week. Then we went to Austin for a while. My hubby interviewed in 2 of the 3 places we stayed. On a Friday, not too long ago, he accepted a job in Houston, TX - a little over 2 hours from where we live(d) in Louisiana. The following week we spent 3 days in Houston trying to find a place to live. On Friday, we move in. The following Monday he starts work and I'm running back and forth to LA gathering things and getting rid of things from our home. Sound frantic? It was.

Now, we're in the process of weeding through our things. Trying to figure out what can come with us to a 1 bedroom (with study) apartment from a 3 bedroom 2 bath house. It's crazy. I say we're in the process, but I feel like we've hardly begun. We've managed to sell our LARGE television and are in the process of shopping for a wall mountable one. We've been debating over what to do with our furniture, but I'll honestly be glad to see the dead cow carcass stretched over wood and cushioning go. (Can you tell that the leather was Not my idea?) I was quick to chose our not so great bed to come with us, so that we would just 'have' to buy a new one. ;) The better of our old beds will go back to family ~ my mom had given it to us on a whim. My hubby has decided that he needs a California King to suit his tall frame. That's fine with me. I've got my eye on Allegro from PB . (Click the picture to see a better image of the bed.)

I've had to resign from college for this semester and I will be going to school here in Houston starting in the spring. I hate to have to resign, but the driving back and forth just isn't worth it.

Some other things have been going on to, but I'll save them for another time. No knitting content for now; I haven't had or made the time for it, but I will.

/hugs to everyone!

Rita

2005-09-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

Eeep! I haven't posted in forever. First, it was school. Now, it's Rita! My city and neighboring cities got hit with the eye of Rita. We are currently mandated to stay out of the parish until further notice. Hubby and I have been in and out of homes and hotels and will probably not be able to go home for at least a month. It's a kind of forced month long vacation, hopefully with pay.

School took over my knitting time initially. When Rita we had to leave for Rita, there was only a slight chance it would come near us. So, when we packed, I didn't worry over bringing projects, since we had to leave so quickly and I didn't think we would be gone long at all.

Big hugs to everyone and I'm sorry for being away for so long! Internet has been scarce, but I'll get on when I can.

Tedious Tuesday

2005-07-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

I just want to let everyone know that if you try to knit a cabled top on size 6's for a 38" bust woman ~ it's going to take a while. Yes, I stopped and knit an entired nother sweater while I was working on it, but boy is cabling time consuming! Good news, though. I finished the back today! (There will not be pictures, bamboo is a pain to photograph!) I'm not sure how familiar you are with the pattern, but it
calls for this X design on the lower front and back. Well, I'm glad I knit the back first. I'm going to remove it from the front side. It just seems too distracting to me. It's like, "HEY, LOOK AT MY BELLY ~ X MARKS THE SPOT!" I hope it looks ok with an X on the back and not the front, cause I sure as heck ain't reknittin the back!

A while back I posted on the Union Sq KAL that I was going to use the baby Ull. For some reason I had it in my head that it was cotton. I looked it up shortly after and found out how wrong I was.. yup.. still not sure what yarn I'm going to use for that stinkin sweater! I want to use linen, but I really don't feel like messing with gauge too much. I probably will though, I'm just being lazy right now because of all the cables I've been knitting.

Here's a little tibit that I want to share just for the heck of it. This is not the definitive guide to becoming a vegan knitter. I didn't feel like doing a ton of research so this is just from the top of my head.

Vegan yarns.
Well, there are lots of yarns that are vegan, but aren't necessarily environmentally friendly (to my knowledge...) like acrylics and pesticide cotton. I'm really trying to take my knitting a step further and go organic, but that's not working out so well. The selection is just seems limited (especially in colors) and I just don't have the motivation to dye right now (winter is when I start getting in the mood to do more tedious things). I'm really starting to get into linen. I've got some cheap
Senso brand linen that I'm going to use to make some lacy washcloths and soap baggies with. I'd like to make a top with linen as soon as I can. It's really soft and seems like it would have a great drape. The bamboo yarn so far is ok. I hear that it gets softer with washing, so I'm eager to get this top finished and find out if it's
something I want to continue to knit with. I haven't tried the soy silk, yet. I do plan to soon. It feels so much softer than the bamboo that I'm working with from SWTC.

Ok, so let me make a quick list of fibers that I know exist and I could make something with:

Natural fibers would be: Cotton, bamboo, soy silk, linen (flax), hemp,

And the manmade ones would be: viscose, nylon, elastic, acrylic, etc.

If you go to knit pixie, she has a lot of different types of fibers that are really unique and cool!

And for the not so vegan inclined {I love you, anyway!}:

tussah silk (if you must use silk, use tussah)

Homespun wool from sheep that you KNOW, with notarized documentation that the sheep will not get sunburn, will not freeze in the winter, and will never, ever, ever get sent to the slaughter house ~ or murdered for any reason what so ever. (The exception to the rule would be euthanasia because of a very painful disease or something.)

Compassionate living is fun and easy!!

Excited about yoga?

2005-07-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

Yo!Gah!
"She was lookin' at me like I was a piece of tofu. Tofu. Ya know what I'm sayin?"

Birdbrains

2005-07-15T22:01:00.000-05:00

Check out this amazing video that my good friend over at vegan chai linked me to by way of the Vegan Represent Forums. (VRF is my new home away from home!)

Here it is! (It's so cute and funny; I can't get enough of this clip.)

Here's a video from The Alex Foundation that shows an African Grey Parrot thinking and responding. How cool would it be if your companion animal could tell you when they're hungry or thristy?!

Responses to sheep comments

2005-07-12T06:35:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd make a quick little post to respond to a few comments.

Laura, I'm not sure about finding ethical companies. You even have to really interview local spinners to be sure that the sheep aren't sent to slaughter when they are no longer producing the best quality wool. I also think you're right on about the company on the label. I think that comes down to the dying and processing facility, not the origin of the wool. (I'm not 100%, but I'm pretty sure that's the way it is. Will someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

Leah, It's great that you're doing your best to prevent suffering when you buy wool. Think about travelling wool fairs and such, though. Would the sheep rather be in a pasture, or travelling 60 - 70 mph on the interstate? What do they do with the sheep if they can't travel? Do they slaughter them? Do they sell them to another company that slaughters?

Question everything!

/hugs!

Book love!

2005-07-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

1. Total number of books I own?
I really don’t like this question, because I really have no idea. I know I’ve got 1 or 2 large Tupperware boxes full. I’ve also got a full bookshelf and little stashes all over the house.

2. The last book I bought?
Hmm.. Well the latest book I've received is Les tabliers sont arrives de Paris. I guess that could be the title. It's Japanese other than the beautiful french on the cover. I ordered it about a month ago, but I received it today!
The latest book I've purchased and read was Ella Minnow Pea. (say it outloud) It was a really cute book with a deeper meaning than what lies on the surface. Read it!

3. The last book I read?
Never Let Me Go, The Kite Runner, and Ella Minnow Pea. I'm currently reading Pour Your Heart Into It (thanks to my secret pal!)

4. Five books that mean a lot to me?

The Little Prince or Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery Yes, it's sort of a children's book, but it shows how grown-ups can worry about the most insignificant things. It's just a wonderful and interesting book. It definitely makes me not want to be a grown up.

Little Miss Spider by David Kirk Ok, so another children's book. This book is a very simple view of adoption. It's beautifully illustrated and well written. I'm adopted, so this book means a lot to me.

Tao te Ching by Lao-Tzu, translation by Stephen Mitchell I discovered this book just before I joined the military. I don't claim a religion, but Taoism is definitely a philosophy that makes sense to me and applies to everyday circumstances. I really love this book.

Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller ~ Maybe it's a little sad that a knitting book means so much to me, but it really changed my life! I taught myself to knit online, but Debbie's book taught me how to correct my mistakes. SnB serves as a reference book for me. I've never made a pattern from the book, but this book will be with me for a long time to come. (Also SnB nation for the sweater alterations guide)

The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet, both by Benjamin Hoff. These books light-heartedly analyze the characters of the hundred acre wood and show how they demonstrate the philosophies of Taoism. The characters frequently interrupt the text to add their own innocent commentary. These are just really entertaining books that are definitely worth a read.

More about my books:
I've really enjoyed The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The first book is a little slow, but each book in the series just gets more and more involving. I highly recommend this series. Right now it's only 10 books, but the 11th is due out this year or early next.

I also enjoy lots of books by Kurt Vonnegut: Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkeyhouse, Slaughterhouse 5, etc.

Douglas Adams was a favorite of mine, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc.

I really enjoy reading books about Alexander the Great and philosophers from around his time, Plato, Socrates, etc.

I'm also interested in books on Eastern philosophies, of course. Books about Yoga, knitting, veganism, etc.

5. Tag five people and have them fill this out in their blogs.
If you haven't been tagged, go for it! Of if you have been tagged and want to talk about your favorite authors, do that too!

I'm a member of Knit 1 Read 2. The button is off to the right. If you're a knitter & reader and you're not already in this group, you should definitely check it out. There are some great book suggestions and discussions there.

Love Sheep, Don't buy wool!

2005-07-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

First, I want you all to know that I am definitely an ethical vegan. I do my best with the health aspect, but the reason I am a vegan today is because of my ability to empathize with others. I can very easily put myself in the shoes of another being, be it an animal of the human type or of any other species.

One way I am trying to help animals is by making knitters aware of the sheep industry and doing whatever I can to reduce suffering. If you look back through my archives you can actually watch me transition from a non-vegan to the vegan I am today and, hopefully, to a very active vegan in the future. I've done and will continue to do my best with providing you little vegan tidbits and links to help you see my perspective without shoving anything down your throat or being insensitive.

If you must use wool, please use homespun from people you know or farms you trust! (Or use recycled wool from thrift store sweaters, etc.)

Here are sites concerning wool and sheep that I’ve listed in the past:

Save the Sheep!
Love Merino? (video)
What's wrong with wool?
Wool.. The Reality for Sheep
The BIG wool debate on craftster

If you've read this far, I want to thank you so much for at least trying to understand my perspective even if you don't adopt it as your own. I really appreciate all the support I receive in the blogging and knitting communities. I love you guys!

Water bottle sling - remix

2005-07-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it's not so cool as an actual remix, but it seemed like a good title at the time.

First, I want to show you the FO from March 17, 2005.

I didn't like the rough edge the garter stitch gave the strap. I also just kept happily knitting away and ended up making it too long. So I ripped the strap and started over.

Here is the new FO:

(The card doesn't really poke out, I just pulled it out a bit so you could see my nifty card holder.)

Pattern: Water bottle sling fromKnit-Wit I can't really say I recommend this book. Most of the patterns are available online for free at knitty.
Yarn: Four Seasons Hot Socks
Yarn content: 75% wool, 25% nylon
Amount: 1 skein (230yds or 210m)
Colorway: 220 (jeweltones)
Project Completed: July 3,2005

Helpful hints:

1.Since I used a sock yarn instead of 100% wool, the strap was more springy, which is nice. (The pattern calls for Koigu PPPM 100% merino wool. Just say NO to merino!)

2.If you make the pocket, after doing Row 5 for 3.75", stop on a WS row. This will keep your pocket on the outside instead of it being on the inside. If you want the pocket to be more hidden, on the inside, you can end on a RS row.

3.To make the new strap: K1, slip 1, K to last 3 stitches, slip 1, K1, slip 1 ~ every row. This made a much sturdier and more 'finished' strap. I knit the strap about 2 feet long. The nylon in the yarn gives it a good stretch.

Other notes:

The water bottle sling is an excellent way to become associated with dpns. I used this project to gauge if I could ever really knit socks. I think I will, one day. :)

This, along with the shrug, will be the last projects that contain animal derived fibers. I'm actually thinking of reknitting the shrug in coton-lin, because the alpaca is itchy to me. It'll nice to get rid of the guilt associated with it as well.

On that note, if anyone needs 1 skein of the yarn I used for this project, it's yours. Email me or leave a comment. 1 skein is enough to make the water bottle sling, but not a pair of socks.

AV shawl-collared pullover ~ FINISHED!

2005-07-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

I love blogging. I think you guys are the reason I deal with seaming and actually finishing things.

(This yarn is so hard to photograph!)

Pattern: #23 Winter Vogue '04-'05
Yarn: 10 skeins of Summer Tweed
Colorway: Blueberry (There's nothing blue about this yarn; it's purple)
Fiber content: 70% silk & 30% cotton
Needles: Size 8 Crystal Palace Bamboo, Size 11 bamboo for collar bind off
Size: small ~ 39 bust meas. (since when is 39" bust small?)
Alterations: Using a .84 stitch ratio, I changed the yarn in the pattern from AV's Martina to Rowan's summer tweed.
Started: June 1, 2005
Finished: July 1, 2005

I've really enjoyed working on the AV pullover. I calculated the pattern to fit the gauge of Rowan's Summer Tweed, rather than the AV Martina yarn the pattern called for. My ratio was .84 (Yes, I'm anal and used the 4/100ths). Everyone has fallen in love with this yarn as they've seen me work with it. It's nice, in a way, but really it's bad that I'm promoting it. It's 70% silk and 30% cotton. I bought this yarn as I was transitioning into veganism and was basically looking for anything that was luxurious and not wool.

The pattern:

The pattern was wonderful. The specific increases and decreases are named throughout the pattern, which is really nice. Everything was really well laid out and simple to follow. My only change would have been to provide a schematic for the collar. Somehow I made it nearly 4 inches too long. Mine also doesn't seem as wide as it is in the picture. To solve the problem of it being too long, I've just tucked the extra lengths inside the sweater and let them hang, basically. (My boobs stick out far enough to provide a bit of a overhang that makes the extra bulk of collar unnoticeable.

If I were to knit this again, I would make it an inch or 2 longer. Looking at the model, I thought this was going to be just the right length. My chest seems to pull it up a bit in the front, so next time I'd compensate for that. Actually, looking back at the pattern, it should have been 22-23" for the length. I screwed it up somehow, because mine is only 21". (I was probably eager to finish it subconsciously. At least I was consistent, the back and front matched up perfectly. :)

Overall this sweater was a relaxing, fun knit! I am just elated that it fits me so perfectly. The shaping, the arms, the bust all fit with the right amount of ease. It’s very comfortable! I absolutely love the style, as well. This is a sweater I will definitely wear in public. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Helpful hints:

1. When binding off your collar, bind off with a needle about 3 sizes larger than the one you've used to knit the sweater. I knit this up with a size 8, but used an 11 for the collar bind off. You need the bound off edge to be loose so that the collar can fold over on your neck easily.

2. When you seam on the collar, be sure to seam the edge along the back of the neck first. The way you are sure that you will be centered and if you have extra length, like I did, you will still be symmetrical.

3. When seaming this edge along the back piece and collar, do it so that the ugly seaming part will show on the back piece and not on the part behind your neck. The collar will hide the seamed edge on the back, but it may look weird if it shows in the front. The collar bunches up in such a way that it probably won't be noticeable either way really.

Seaming in progress...

2005-06-28T21:54:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that I haven't disappeared from blogland. I had set a goal for myself to not blog again until my AV pullover was finished, but it's taking longer than expected. (Ok, so I've been distracted with reading.) I'm in the homestretch now, or is it hell week? I'm seaming. The collar was bound off too tightly, so I'm going to fix that and finish up with the sleeves and side seams. I plan to have it done well before Friday. Oh wait, it's Tuesday right? Ok, so hopefully by Friday. :)

/hugs

PS. I got the new IW knits today. I've changed my mind on the Greek Pullover. The feature that I loved about it (the i-cords) turns out to be the feature that has turned me away. DH and I both agree that it'll do nothing good for my boobs to have two cords below accentuating their, well, boobiness. If I was anything close to flat-chested, I'd definitely go for it though.

It looks like the Union Square Market Pullover is the star of this issue. It's on my list even though it's on size 3's. I'm probably going to make it in cotton or a linen yarn. I won't get started on this right away though. I have some stash busting to do. :)

Knitting Frenzy!

2005-06-16T20:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I haven't been talking about my knitting much lately. So many other interesting things have been coming up. However, if you're really observant, which I'm not, you may have noticed that the AV Shawl collared pullover went from being on my 'to-knit list' to being 50% done! (I really need to try to get my progress bars to work with this layout.) This is such a fun and quick knit! I've got the back and both sleeves completed; I've even woven in the ends! This weekend I hope to finish the front and cast on for the collar. Then the seaming... The dreaded seaming.

Wanting to get better at seaming (and more patient with it), I was hoping to do a little in between knitting. This would make it so that it wouldn't be so much all at once. Well, after doing some reasearch via Stitch 'n Bitch, it turns out that you do the shoulder seams FIRST. Ha! I guess I should have knit it in the order the pattern lays out. C'est la vie.

Here's my question though: Can you sew the sleeve seams up before attaching them to the body? I'm guessing that the answer is no, since all my books say to sew the sleeves to the armholes after you sew the shoulder seams. Is this an absolute in the world of sweater knitting? I hope not, but maybe the shoulder caps have something to do with it?

Hope you all have a great night!

Dyeing for Vegans

2005-06-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

"Yahaira, you are AMAZING! I can not tell you how much I am just beaming over here! I'm completely thrilled that you've taken such time and diligence to make a tutorial that shows so much vegan love. I never thought I'd try my hand at dyeing, but now I definitely will! I just hope mine comes out half as nice as yours. Your colorway is GORGEOUS!"

That's the most recent post I've put on someone else's blog. Yahaira is the BEST! Over at knit fix, she's created the absolute best tutorial on the web, maybe the only one on the web, for dyeing yarns that are NOT wool.

**Ok, so she demonstrates how to use silk ~ not so vegan friendly, but she does show off some mad bamboo dyeing skills!

May I take advantage of a teachable moment? This is in no way meant to offend or upset anyone. I am by no means the expert on silk and I am in no way perfect. Heck, I bought some Rowan summer tweed yarn a few months ago which is 70% silk and 30% cotton and I'm knitting with it right now! My thought at the time was that it wasn't wool, so it was ok. I've also got an unfinished chinese charm bag made with the recycled silk from tibet. If you look in the archives of this blog, you can see me struggling and trying to figure out how far I wanted to go with my veganism and if silk was something I should eliminate from my life. I'm human! I've ultimately decided that silk is something I can live without and will refrain from purchasing it again. So, if you use silk, I'm still your friend. I'm not judging ya or anything like that. No worries, ok? :)

This is the definition of veganism provided by the British Vegan Society:

"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, including humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

This is the definition my mind goes back to when people ask me what a vegan is. I feel like this definition is the complete and perfect answer to questions like 'What is a vegan? Why are you vegan? A bug just hit your windshield; can you still be vegan?' - type questions.

Ok, back to the silk! Insects may not seem like animals, but they are in the animal kingdom, just like us. People roast/steam/cook/boil the silk worms while they are still in their little cocoons resting and growing up to become moths. The silk producers do this so that the silk strands are not broken when the moth emerges. All you ever wanted to know about silk.

More interesting facts:

Habitat
Today, the silkworm moth lives only in captivity. Silkworms have been domesticated so that they can no longer survive independently in nature, particularly since they have lost the ability to fly. All wild populations are extinct, although presumably old relatives exist in Asia.

One cocoon is made of a single thread about 914 meters long. About 3000 cocoons are needed to make a pound of silk.

To gather silk from cocoons, boil intact cocoons for five minutes in water turning them gently. Remove from the water and using a dissecting needle or similar tool, begin to pick up strands. When you find a single strand that comes off easily, wind the silk onto a pencil. Several of these strands are combined to make a thread.

Are there other options?

You betcha!

If you’ve just gotta have silk, try Tussah silk. One can never be completely sure how the worms are treated before and after the production, but if quitting silk is too unbearable for you tussah may be helpful. It’s described as being: "gathered after the wild silk moth emerges, making this silk organic or "Peace Silk."

We can’t forget the yummy soy silk and bamboo provided by SWTC. Classic elite also makes a bamboo yarn that feels softer than the one from SWTC, but is a bit more pricey. Keep a look out for Tencel yarn as well. It's really soft and light.

I love being VEGAN!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2005-06-14T07:05:00.000-05:00

If you can read only one book this entire year, The Kite Runner needs to be that book.

Before purchasing the book, I was concerned about the setting. What do I know about Afghanistan? Nothing much. My ignorance didn't matter one bit when I started to read. Khaled Hosseini does a beautiful job of describing anything that the reader may not understand, but nothing in this book is difficult to grasp. This book isn't about the politics of Afghanistan. This book is about life. It's about social stigmas, childhood friends, betrayal, guilt, love, and passion.

This amazing story begins with a phone-call. It's an old friend calling our narrator, Amir, who is now 38. The old friend is giving Amir a chance to make himself good again, but he must go back to Afghanistan to do it. Our journey doesn't begin on an airplane, though. First, Amir brings us back in time to his childhood. He pulls us into a world foreign to our own, but into a life that we can relate to. We learn about Amir and his childhood friend Hassan, who loves Amir unconditionally. Hassan always takes up for Amir and protects him from childhood bullies even though he is a year younger than Amir. They are nearly inseparable, until one day when Amir's courage doesn't match up to his friend's. Their lives are changed forever.

The story comes full circle when Amir comes back around to the present time, and the story feels like it has only just begun. The author does not rush an ending, as I’ve seen many other authors do in the past. He takes his time and tells the story as only he knows how, in the most amazing way.

This book is a journey that I will never forget. I absolutely love Hosseini's writing style and the unforgettable imagery he used. I've never used the word 'powerful' to describe a book, but now I truely understand how powerful and moving a book can be. Hosseini's characters were more than well-rounded. They really came to life for me. This book has a resonance that will be with me for the rest of my life. If you can only read one book this year, let it be The Kite Runner.

This is a wonderful essay written by Hosseini regarding his own trip back to Afghanistan after 27 years. You can get a feel for his writing style and some familiarization with The Kite Runner, without any spoilers.

My SP is the BEST!

2005-06-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

I really wasn't planning on blogging today, because well, today was just really crappy. School was fine, work was fine. I just had a bad case of the blahs. Some plans in my life just aren't working out, but that's ok. Look what came in the mail today!

My secret pal rocked my socks off! If I didn't know better, I'd think she knew me in person! She sent me a card with a Dancing BANANA! :) She could have easily been in Target when I was eyeing the Relaxation for Women CD she sent me, which I'm enjoying immensely right now. I already own the Yoga cd by lifescapes and I've nearly worn it out. My SP also sent me the first edition hardbound copy of a book I've been dying to read, Pour Your Heart Into It. A book about Starbucks, of course. Being a business major, and a starbucks addict, I had to have this book and have been wanting it for quite some time! My SP even sent me my very own R2D2 droid! I love him! I also received some beautiful shades of Elizabeth lavold cotton patine that's so soft! If that's not enough, she also sent me a skein of Classic Elite's Bam Boo yarn that I've wanted to try, which is also amazingly soft!

So here I sit, listening to my new cd, fondling my new yarn, sipping a soy chai, and setting down R2D2 in front of my monitor (my favorite droid!). Thank you so much for being so thoughtful and sweet, SP! I love it all, obviously! How did you know that I just finished up Kite Runner last night and needed another book to read? Everything you sent was vegan friendly! You rock!

Sailing, sailing...

2005-06-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a busy week it's been! I'll go in chornological order and try to make it short and sweet. I have lots of pictures to share.

Sunday, we met Herbie! He was a fashionably late (ok, 2.5 hours isn't exactly fashionable, and it was H-O-T!), but finally he arrived. He was actually Herbie #9 of however many different herbies they used for the upcoming movie. The herbie that we saw was a junkyard herbie who shoots smoke out his muffler in the movie, which I can't wait to see.

Here he is!

This week we took sailing lessons at the yacht club. DH and I missed the first two days, but we made up for them the last 3. (Actually, he missed the first 3 days, but who's counting.) I just happened to call DH's lil sis, and found out she needed a ride, so we went and had a blast! Thanks Chelsea!

Here's DH heading out on a sunfish:

And here's DH an his lil'sis after sailing on the larger catamaran. (I just love this pic.)

Today was my first ever knitting class! I had so much fun spending time and teaching these girls to knit. They were so sweet and so smart. I wasn't sure how to gauge how well I taught today and how well they liked it until I had a certain conversation:

G: Well, my mom said she's going to wait on the porch, so I guess she's ready to go.
Me: Yea, I guess so. But you can call the shop and I'll meet you here if you ever need help later.
G: I'll just knit one more row, then I'll go meet her.
[she finishes row]
G: Well, just one more row.
[she finishes row]
[I look at her and smile.]
Me: You want to do another row?
G: Just one more.. Man, it's hard to put this down.

The minute I heard her say, "one more row," I knew she was hooked and I felt like my job was done. All I could think of was, "oh honey!" LOL
I just beamed!

From left to right: G, A, and A. (I'd rather not put names until I have their mom's permission.)

You girls were great! Hope to see you next Saturday!

July 5th

2005-06-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

July 5th is the day that the new IW knits hits the stands. I'm really eager for the publication to be out, so that I can get to work on those beautiful tops I posted earlier. That being said, I have exactly 30 days to wrap up my WIPs! Can she do it? Well, probably not.

Yesterday, I finished my suss shrug from an online pattern. I wasn't thrilled about the FO, but this is the 2nd time I've completed the pattern and I'm not doing it again. My gauge seems consistent, but when you fold the shrug in half one arm is an inch longer than the other. Yet, when I put it on it looks fine. The ribbing on the second cuff is a bit wonky, so once I fix that it will definitely help. There is a little crochet edging that is optional to add to the shrug, but it will be a long while before I attempt to add that. So, in summary, I guess it technically isn't finished. I'll probably fix it today and model it for a quick pic.

After the discouragement of not being a perfect knitter, yes I'm a perfectionist, I've decided to give myself a break from the cabled vest. I just don't have the energy to try to frog or tink 25 rows without screwing up or losing count, just yet. I've turned my attention to the stack of Rowan Summer tweed and have started re-calculating the AV Shawl collared pullover. Yes, it's still June, but I need an easy knit to work on when I am too busy chatting to look at a chart (which is probably the reason that I screwed up on my tank).

Actually, other than the cabled vest and the newly started pullover, I don't have any other wips. I do have the Chinese charm bag, but all it needs is some lining and for me to sew on the bamboo handles. So, that's not too bad. I still have a little stash to use up, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

I also wanted to mention that I finished Never Let Me Go. Without giving away any spoilers, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me so entertained that I could hardly put it down. I read it in 3 days by sitting in Books-A-Million after work last week. At the same time, the book is currently in transit to me from their online store, where I was able to buy it for $13 and some change! (Why won’t the store price match their own online store?) I'm going to go ahead and keep it, because I enjoyed it so much. I wish the ending would have been a little different, but I'll take it. I know I haven't said much about the content, but I don't want to spoil it for you like it was spoiled for me. (Don't read the amazon book reviews, just go read the book!)

The Kite Runner is also in transit to me, along with a few of the vegan books I mentioned before. I really think that this will be a great book, although I'm not sure I'll get to finish it as quickly as the last.

Cabled vest help

2005-06-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

OK, now that I'm finished rambling about school, I have a KNITTING PROBLEM! I've been knitting, ever so happily, away on my cabled vest. I got so happy lucky with decreases that I forgot that I was supposed to start increasing! If any of you have the Vogue Spring, maybe you can help me out. If you don't have the vogue spring issue, you probably can still help me out. Let me show you what I should have done and, adversely, what I have done.

This is for the body shaping. The pattern tells me to decrease 1 stitch at the end of each row on these rows:
2, 14, 26, 38 This is, with the exception of the first, every 12 rows. It also continues to say to increase every 12 rows. Which would mean that I would increase on rows 50, 62, 74, and 86.

Simple? Yes. Did I manage to screw it up? Yes. I made a little list, as I always do, of the rows where something happens. It looks like this:

2 dec 1 st at each end
14 “
26 “
38 “
50 inc 1 st at each end
62 “
74 “
86 “

I was knitting along happily, as I mentioned, and decreased at row 50 & 62. Today, I was knitting at work and came along to row 74. Oh, something happens at this row. I left my original paper with my notes at home, so I re-figured it out at work and realized my mistake. PANIC! Well, nothing I can do now but increase or frog. So, I increased and kept knitting a bit.

Now I’m on row 76 and am wondering what to do. Do I frog 25 rows to get back to row 50 and start increasing like a good girl? Do I deal with it and scatter out 2 more increase rows by row 86? I’m saying that it has to be done by about row 86 because at that point the garment will measure about 13.5” and that’s exactly when I need to start my armhole shaping.

I generally don’t mind frogging, but during school it’s hard to find time to knit, so that will definitely push this tank wayy back. I’d probably just rip it and not give two shakes about it if there weren’t so many cables involved. They’re fun to do, but are going to be a pain to rip. Ideas? Suggestions?

Summer School

2005-06-03T15:18:00.000-05:00

Wow! I forgot what a workload the summer courses have. This past week has had me reading a chapter a night from my Business text! I'm also trying to get a hold of my nerves so that I can make it through my speech class. I've dreaded Speech for many years and I finally decided to tackle it this summer. My first speech only has to be a minute to 2 minutes long, but still! Everyone in the class is simply there because they need it for their major. The prof. took a poll and absolutely no one wanted to be in the class! It's gonna be a tough crowd. I've decided to make my introductory speech about diversity. Not diversity in the work place; I mean diversity in life. I'm going to talk about how my life has been so diverse in interests and professions: from knitting to mountain biking, and a diesel mechanic in the military to a teacher for 2 year olds. I hope it's enough to keep the class interested.

New Knits!

2005-05-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

The Fall Interweave Knits preview is up and boy, am I excited! (Ok, is that country talk coming out, or do other people talk like this?) Anyhow, I've already got my next two projects picked out, and if I knew a teeny bit more about the patterns, I'd go out and buy the yarn subs TODAY, so that I'm ready to cast on the minute it hits the shelves. I can't believe how anxious I am to start these.

Greek Pullover (Sharon Shoji)
Rowan Kid Classic (70% lambswool, 26% kid mohair, 4% nylon; 151 yd
[140 m]/50 g): #841 lavender ice, 5 (6, 7, 7, 8) balls.

This pullover just exudes classic, feminie beauty. I need a little dainty top with slight ruffles to wear underneath it, just like the photo. I am NOT a ruffles girl, really, but this sweater nearly demands it. Gorgeous.

Kid Classic's Gauge is 4.5 sts = 1" with size 8 US needles.
Calmer is 5 sts = 1" with size 8's.
All seasons Cotton is 4-4.5 sts = 1" with size 7-9's.

Perhaps I could use Calmer instead of the kid classic? I hear it's hard to sub with Calmer because of it's stretchiness. Any ideas? Any Rowan would do :) As long as it's not an animal fiber. I have a 38" bust, so I'll probably be in the 7 skein catagory. 1050 yds sounds about right.

Union Square Market Sweater (Kate Gilbert)
Plassard Alpaca (100% alpaca; 198 yd [181 m]/50 g): #202 wine red (MC),
7 (7, 7, 8, 9) skeins; #201 pink (CC), 2 skeins (all sizes).

The colors, the style, the fit, the design... all perfect.

I think this one will be harder to sub. It's gauge is 6 sts=1" on size 2needles. Ouch! I just may need to rework the entire pattern to something a little quicker. A full time worker with another part time job and a full time college student has NO business knitting something with size 2's!

Please forgive me for my lack of skills in photographing bamboo yarn. Even with photoshop tweaking, the cables are hard to see and it's just a little gritty looking.

This is about 11" into the back side. At 250yds per skein, bamboo goes a long way! I'm still not finished with the first skein! Yep, what's left is that cute little mess to the side. I had hoped to finish the first skein before Tuesday, but we'll see.

Anyhow, here's the long-promised photo:

Books, yoga, and the organic trade association

2005-05-29T10:23:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen the Store Wars episode that goodkarmago was giggling about on her blog, you must go check it out! I was cracking up! These people are geniuses I tell you! My only question is this.. Is R2D2 a block of tofu or a block of cheese? Please say he's tofu! (I wish there wasn't ham as well.) I eat organic! Do you?

The more I see of Loop-d-loop, the more I'm starting to like it. Check out these Hot creations that illana made from the book.

Romy was asking about good beginning yoga books to read. Unfortunately, I've only read one or two books on yoga. The only one I've bought is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga. I've really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It introduces you to the concepts behind yoga, some of the sanskrit (without intimidating you), and lots of poses. It also teaches you about your body, nutrition, and poses that help ease discomforts and illnesses. There are even some routines in the book to get you going. There are plenty of positive reviews on amazon that you can check out as well.

Other books that I am looking into on or related to yoga are: Light on Yoga, The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi, and Yoga The Spirit And Practice Of Moving Into Stillness.

Kevin Perry is a yoga teacher in Missouri. I've been lucky enough to have him visit yarn yoga and guide me to his blog. He shares his insightful thoughts on asanas, pranayama, and life. Check him out!

Some other sites that you may want to check out are: Yoga Journal and Yoga Basics.

Hope this helps!

New design

2005-05-28T10:19:00.000-05:00

I suppose this layout is much less coloful than the last, but it's much cleaner. I hated having to scroll down constantly to just read one post. I think the design now is much more efficient. It could use a few simple graphics and some tweaking, but it's nice to have a fresh look every now and again.

Last night I did some midnight shopping. I went ahead and ordered:

Never Let Me Go

How it All Vegan

Becoming Vegan

I almost ordered Light on Yoga, but I probably won't have time to read it until next month or so. Although I link to Amazon all the time, I actually ordered from buy.com because they were a little cheaper. I can't wait to get my books in.

Off to the LYS to get teaching books and more bamboo yarn for my cabled vest!

Random news!

2005-05-27T21:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know that it's awful for me to laugh at something as serious as blindness. I'm not laughing at the actual blindness itself, but there's just something very cliche about Viagra making you go blind. Think on it, people. I can't talk about it with a straight face. :)

In other news that makes me smile, I was able to go to yoga twice this week! Yes, I know I never talk about yoga on a blog that was originally supposed to talk about yoga as much as knitting. My school schedule conflicted with yoga, so now that school is inbetween semesters, I've been able to go. Unfortunately, school starts again Wednesday, but I still hope to at least squeeze one class a week. I'll have to keep going at my gym though. The real yoga school that I want to attend does conflict with school, so I'll just have to wait on it at least until the summer semester ends. C'est la vie.

Now for the yarn yoga part of the blog. My cabled vest is a smidget over 10" now! Just 3 more inches until the arm hole shaping. It has been a slow knit for me, because of getting sidetracked with other projects (shrug, chinese bag). School will only slow it down more, but it's a really fun knit and I don't care how long it takes me to finish, so long as i get to keep working on it. I'll try to post a pic tomorrow.

I've submitted to join the K1R2, also known as knit one read too. The next book, Never Let Me Go, looks awesome. Hint: I wouldn't read much into the amazon reviews, they spoil the suprise of the story! :( I am really antsy to read this book, so I may have to order it this weekend. And if i'm ordering that, I may as well order something else to get free shipping.. Ah, I just love the way the business world works. So many incentives to spend.

Speaking of spending, I also have some teaching books to buy. I'm going to teach children to knit at my LYS! I am really looking forward to working with the kids and teaching them something that they just might cherish for a lifetime. Ok, maybe I'm overdoing it here, but I love kids and I love knitting, so what's not to like? Not to mention getting paid for it and a discount on all my favorite yarns! :)

**Raoks were sent out yesterday afternoon, so if you know who you are, please check your mailboxes next week! I'd hate for your goodies to be ruined! Please let me know if everything gets there in good order. I'm holding off on shipping to the international peeps until I know that everything arrived safely stateside.

SP5 Questionnaire

2005-05-26T16:24:00.001-05:00

Woohoo, SP5 time. I've already contacted the person I'm spoiling for this event. It's going to be a blast!

Here's my survey:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Guilty. Yes, I’m a definite yarn snob! I am vegan, so I won’t use any animal derived fibers (unless I already have them). This means no wool, silk, alpaca, etc. I do love natural plant fibers: bamboo, cotton, cotton blends (like Calmer), soy silk, etc.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
No. I’ve thought about spinning, but I just don’t have the time for it. I’m not crazy about crochet, but maybe I’ll change my tune when Debbie Stoller comes out with her crochet book.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No real allergies. I don’t like smoke or animal derived stuff.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I just started knitting in mid-December of 2004. I haven’t stopped since!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes. I can email you the amazon link. I just haven’t put it on my blog because of it having my full name.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Most anything in the herbal category. I think my favorite blend is Rosemary and Mint or Eucalyptus and Spearmint. I also love lavender and chamomile. (Please be sure that if you send soaps the glycerin is plant based and the candles are soy.)

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Only for soy ice cream and vegan chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I make soap, candles, french memo boards, marble magnets, smoothies, some photography. I'm also starting to enjoy my time in the kitchen, so food is becoming a fun hobby. I'm on a smoothie kick right now.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?
I like trance-y music, relaxing yoga type music, and quite a bit of radio hits stuff. Yeah weird combo, I know. Some artists are in my blogger profile. I can play mp3’s on my computer or on my portable.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love autumn colors. I like brown and pink together. I think my favorite color is that nifty robin’s egg blue that seems to be coming out this season. The only colors I really don’t like are punk type stuff: red and black or pink and black. I don’t like fluorescent colors, either.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I’m married with no pets. I’d love one, but the hubby says no. :( We have a few fish and that’s it.

12. What are your life dreams?
I’d like to finish my degree in Business so that I can create my own business. I’d love to own a tea shop, vegan café, yoga place, yarn shop, spa, and garden center… all in one area. Just give me a few city blocks and let me create my own little town

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Right now, it would have to be bamboo. I’ve been aching to try out Calmer, but I can’t seem to get my hands on the Calmer collection book from Rowan. Everywhere I go is sold out.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Animal derived fibers and pure acrylics. I’m sure there are some nice acrylics, but there doesn’t seem to be many.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I’m obsessed with finishing up my cabled vest before summer is over. Lucky for me Louisiana summers last through December. Other than that, I guess I’m just obsessed with finding more time to actually knit!

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Garments. I don’t really have the need for a lot of scarves or cozies. I like to knit things that I know I will use and wear.

17. What are you knitting right now?
The cabled vest from the Spring Issue of Vogue.

18. What do you think about ponchos? I try not to.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circulars! I’m definitely an addi turbo girl, lol.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo or rosewood if they’re straights. Addis if they’re circs.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Not yet, but I’d love to make the retro rib socks from Interweave (I think the winter issue). It took me a long time, but I’ve finally found some yarn without wool! I think katia Mississippi 3 print will work.

22. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself from various websites. Then stitch ‘n bitch taught me tons more.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Hmm. I guess 5 months, but that’s only because I knit it completely then totally frogged and reknit it. (the suss shrug)

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Wow, that’s kinda tough. The little prince would be my favorite animated character. (I’ve only read the book, though.) How about cats for my favorite animal? Even though I don’t have one. :)

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving. I just love that season and the colors. I’m not crazy about killing turkeys, though.

26. Is there anything that you collect? Vegan recipes? Yarn? ;)

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I was given Family circle easy knitting. Other than that, none. My favorite knitting mag is Vogue, though.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
~~How it all Vegan~~ (In a moment of weekness, I ordered this) I'm interested in the Loop-d-loop book, but I honestly haven't seen enough patterns to be sure if I'd like it. So no 'must haves' right now, but you can always check my amazon wish list, or share books that you've read and loved.

Okies, any other questions, just ask. I'm really excited about SP5!

Peculiar dream

2005-05-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

I am really out on a limb sharing my dream with the world. I thought it was slightly entertaining and it almost carries a cohesive theme and story. There's even some knitting involved, well, not knitting the act, but hand knit stuff!! So, here goes.

I had the strangest dream last night. First I was in a swimming pool at a place I haven't visited in a long time. It was the home of some friends of my family when I was growing up, and they were like grandparents to me. (They still live there now.) It was the place where I learned to swim and spent plenty of time during the summers. Anyhow, there were a few other people in the pool and we were playing some game I guess. I was saving bees out of the water with something. I don't know, dreams are weird. :)

Anyhow, now I'm at some school, saving all these kids (i have no idea what age, but it was definitely a high school). Somehow I was sneaking them all out to some safe place that I never saw.

Then I was in the hospital. During the whole dream I was pregnant, but my subconscious never thought about it. Well, now I was showing quite a bit, but the doctor said it wasn't time yet, so this man brought me to his home. Apparently, I was going to be the surrogate mother for him and his wife. Why would i do that when I'm trying to have a baby of my own? So, I go in and tell the wife that the doctor wants to see her soon. I start thinking that he wants to take the baby out of me and put it in her, like she was the one who was pregnant. I go and take a shower and try to figure out how to keep my baby (if it was my baby) and when I get out, what am I wearing but belle epoque!! There's the knitter in me! It was a lovely lavender color with a cream ribbon. I rub my belly, which is quite round, and the fabric feels soft against my skin. (I have no idea what yarn I used, but it wasn't animal-derived!) So then I start to go downstairs in these people's home to call my husband so that he can save me from this mess, or so i hope. Then, I woke up.

A brief history: DH and I have been trying to get pregnant for over 2 years now. I would like to adopt in the future as well. We are currently trying something new and that may be what sparked the dream. I would love the dream to be an indicator that I may be pregnant, but it's much to early to tell. I do guess that if I do get pregnant, I definitely need to knit the belle epoque I looked radiant in it (according to the dream) and it was quite flattering on a pregnant woman! I remember that I felt beautiful in it. Now that is a rare thought for me!

Blythe alert!

2005-05-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

The knitty surprise is up! I can't believe it's blythe clothes! I'll have to make my Audrey that sweater and maybe jacket (not silk) for fall. :)

PS. We saw Star Wars Episode 3 Wednesday and it ROCKED! It's incredibly hard to pick a favorite, but so many important and cool things happened in this episode. I have to say, if I could meet any member of the cast it would be........
R2D2. He's the greatest!

In other movie news, Kingdom of Heaven was really interesting to me. DH thought it was ok, but I really enjoyed it. I like the theme and the portrayal of the two opposing sides.

I also enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There were a few changes from the book (as always) but it was nice to see it on screen. I really don't like the way they portrayed beeblebrox, though. And marvin, although cute, wasn't what i pictured him to look like. Mavin's voice, however, was perfect! Ford Prefect rocked, too!

Yes, it's a little sad that i've seen all these movies. Please keep in mind that I'm in Louisiana and engaging activities are limited. Ohh, that reminds me, I need to break out the mountain bike!

Transitions

2005-05-20T21:25:00.000-05:00

You know that 95% up there in the blog description? Well, I'm working on that. As far as transitioning all of the household items/personal products, it's definitely a work in progress. On one hand, I'd like to trash everything that has any animal parts/pieces/lard/goo in them. On the other hand, I don't want their deaths/suffering to be any more in vain than it was in the first place. A lot of these products are things that you just don't give away. I mean, who wants have used makeup, etc? It does bother me that I still use some of them. I would love to get rid of everything and just start over. I just can't get over how wasteful it would be, even though I can't stand and usually don't use these items anyhow. Now that I've babbled myself through this, I guess I will trash a lot of the makeup stuff.. Ugh, I don't know, maybe someone will use it.

Aveda is to blame for this train of thought, well partially. I was in desperate need of some new mascara, so I stopped by a salon that carries all aveda stuff today and bought myself some Mosscara. I also bought some lip concentrate in wild plum. I also got some lip liner to match.

I really like their products so far. I can't give a super review because I've only been wearing the makeup 1/2 a day. I'll let ya know though. They gave me a sample of Aveda's rosemary mint body wash and it smells like heaven. I can't wait to use it!

Ok, enough advertising for Aveda. (What I really want to do is advertise for the sake of the animals and the earth.)

Here are a few other companies that boast cruelty-free cosmetics, maybe even organic!

Urban Decay
Avalon Organic Botanials"
Kiss My Face

You can also go to Leaping Bunny to find out what companies and products pass the highest standards in cruelty-free products. To earn the 'leaping bunny' symbol, every ingredient must be guaranteed to not have been tested on animals in any way. I believe that Aveda is not listed because some of their products, namely the uruku line, have some beeswax or lanolin in them. Most of their products, however, do not.

If you're interested in more ways to make the world a better place and incorporating more cruelty-free choices into your life, I really recommend Making Kind Choices. It's really a cool book to have around.

Ok, last consumer related item, for now! I bought Moby's book, "the Teany book" and I had so much fun reading it, that I didn't stop until the book was finished! Moby has been a vegan for over 16 years now, and although his book doesn't advertise vegan recipes, it's got a few in there. It also has all sorts of fun info about tea and random silliness. It was a really fun little read and it has some recipes I'm eager to try. Lavender lemonade anyone?

If I'm getting annoying with all this 'advertising' let me know. I've just made some really fun purchases lately and wanted to share them with you!

------------------------------
ROAKs are scheduled to go out soon. I'll post when I mail them so that you know they are coming.

I'm about 7 inches into the back of my cabled vest. So far so good. It's a slow knit, but a really fun one. :)

/hugs!

Just me and minimalization

2005-05-17T19:01:00.000-05:00

I can't find a way to email or get in touch with 'Just me' that posted a comment on my Favorite things post. I tried posting at the Veggienerd (great name, btw) blog, but it would only allow team members to post comments. So, I guess the next best thing I can do is create this post and ask for that info. :)

Dear Veggienerd,

Thanks for visiting yarn yoga! I abosolutely love your post on minimalization. Your outlook and perspective is the kind of affirmation I needed to hear. (If you haven't read that post, you need to go check it out!)

I find that I can actually destress by entering a room free of clutter and mess. I am tense if my home is a wreck, which is awful to say, because my home has been a wreck for the last 4 months because of full time school and full time work.

I have a week and a half left before summer semester starts. You've motivated me to see what I can accomplish by then! :)

It's wonderful to meet you!

PS. Which shirt are you ordering for Peta? I just placed an order for the goveg, sandals and a 'powered by tofu' sticker and button. I just saw that they have the tofu shirt for sale on the cafe press site, so I'll place another order for that, too.

Here's all of their shops.

RAOKs and thanks for the comments!

2005-05-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who so kindly commented on the last post. I actually went crafty crazy this afternoon and made tons of RAOKS and each of you will receive one! I just need to get with heidi and goodkarma for your addy's. The gifts are 100% vegan and cruelty free. I'm completely positive that no one will be offended by the gifts I'm sending. :) They're not much, but after dropping $1000 on the summer semester, I'd rather send everyone a little something than just 1 or 2 people big somethings. Gotta share the love! I hope to mail out by the end of the week, probably by Wednesday or Thursday. So keep your eyes peeled!

Ohh, it's so hard to keep a secret! And it's hard not to keep them for myself! :)

edit: I just wanted to add that this is a mass Raoking. I rarely have time to raok during school and the summer semester is about to start. I'll be sending out to many more people than the ones who commented earlier. I hope to send out 10 or more raoks within the week. Then I'll do another wave before the fall semester. :) SP5 will keep me busy until then.

Offensive?

2005-05-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

While I'm in the inquisitive mood, I have a question about RAOK'ing. This goes for people who are not actually in the RAOK ring as well. When I send RAOKs they are for two reasons, and two only.

1.) To make the recipient happy.
2.) It makes me happy to make them happy and I want to share a little part of my life with that person.

Veganism and animal rights are a big part of my life. Knitting as well, of course. But, would it be offensive to send a fellow RAOK'er or blog buddy a gift that is possibly vegan related?

I personally wouldn't be, but I'm not everyone. I know that there are a lot of compassionate people out there that just may not be aware of the pain they are causing animals. I have no intention of offending, anyone. I've always been really careful about how I respond to questions about veganism as to not turn people off. In person, I'm probably too quiet about it, actually.

To be more specific, one thing I would do is to only send cruelty free knitting supplies. I won't be sending any animal derived fibers for sure. People could easily miss this as vegan and that doesn't bother me or offend them. But what if I sent a card explaining that it's cruelty free? Would you find it offensive?

What if a friend I want to RAOK is an avid reader. What it be out of hand to send them a book I love like, Making Kind Choices?

I am not a Christian, but I have lots of friends who are. I wouldn't be offended if someone sent me a little something symbolizing their faith as long as they aren't condemning me for mine. And I hope it is easily seen that I am not judging others. I just want to share a little bit about myself and what is important to me.

Ok enough rambling. If you're reading this, please share your thoughts!

All stitched up...

2005-05-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

Today I sewed up my Chinese Charm bag. The backstitch was easier than I thought. I know I've done that in girl scouts or some other youth craftiness before. I guess I just didn't understand Debbie's explanation of it. Leave it to me to try to make something much more complex than it really is.

So now I have to find some fabric to line my bag with. Any ideas on colors, patterns, etc? I'll have to have a look at hancock's fabric, but I'm not opposed to ordering from somewhere if the fabric is just 'must have' quality and design.

Once I have the fabric, I'll line my bag, attach the handles, and Voila! C'est fini!

I've made quite a bit of progress on my cabled vest today. Of course, it looks like more progress since I'm using the 6's now. It's such a fun, yet challenging knit! It's not difficult at all. The challenging part is just to pay attention to what you're doing so that you don't do the wrong twist or etc. No problems thus far, but my mind does wander. I'm absolutely loving the bamboo for this project. The drape, the sheen, the lightweightness! It will be perfect for the hot, humid summer!

I'm baaaack!

2005-05-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

Finals are finally over and I've got about 2 weeks to enjoy myself until school starts again. I am determined to get my degree and move on with my life, so that means summer sessions as well. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to quit work and go to school only, but that day just isn't here yet.

It's been forever since I've posted and I've missed getting comments from everyone. I have had time to read and even comment a little on all of your blogs, which I think is what has let me keep my sanity. Knitting through my breaks between studying and the stress has also helped me tremendously.

On to knitting content:

I've bought a skein of STWC's Bamboo yarn and I'm in love. I'm working on the cabled top from Vogue Spring '05 designed by Zimmerman. My progress is slow on size 4 needles, but I've got one more row left before I move on to the size 6's. Here's a WIP shot: (Bonus: you can see some of the stitch markers Laura and Snooze sent me!)

a closeup of my first ever cables:

I've also completed the knitting portion of my Chinese charm bag. I have to learn the backstitch, which doesn't seem to be explained to my full understanding in SnB, to seam up the bottom of the bag. And I still have to attach the bamboo handles. I paid no attention to gauge, so my bag is a wee bit smaller than the one in the book. It's someting like 11 x10 instead of 13 x 10. I used 3 hanks of Recycled Silk Sari yarn from Tibet. Himalaya yarns carries it. The first two rows I knit were such a nightmare that I put it down for a few days. Then I re-approached the project with a new mantra "Loosen up, be one with the imperfection." I am usually a tight knitter who strives for uniformity. Anyone who's seen the sari yarn knows that uniformity is impossible with it's thick and thin and unpredictable texture. Once I loosened up, I loved knitting with the yarn so much, that I couldn't put it down until I finished the bag. I'd definitely recommend this yarn to other knitters. It's interesting to watch the different colorways unfold. There are a few twisties, but they are very easy to handle. I'm not looking forward to seaming, but it should be relatively painless.

I shot this at an awkward angle, but you get the idea:

I've also worked a little more on my Suss shrug. It's not very interesting, so I'd rather show a FO photo than a WIP one.

Now that I have a little free time to myself I'll finally get to do some RAOK'ing!!! I'm so excited about this! I'm sure many of you know who you are, but I plan to send to some random people as well. It probably won't be anything extravagant, but I hope that you all enjoy what I send. Give me about a week and then start checking your mailboxes!! (snail mail is so much more fun than email)

I also have some craftster swaps to finish up. Which will be fun to do! I think I'll get started on those today and intertwine some RAOK's with it! /hugs!

My favorite things...

2005-05-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

Ms.Snooze sent me this fun meme! It's been so nice to just sit and think on the most wonderful and positive aspects of life. :)

My 10 favorite things in no order what so ever:

1. Being vegan – clear conscience, clear thoughts, healthy body.
2. How I feel just after doing yoga. Nothing can replace that sense of energized relaxation and balance that I feel.
3. Getting goodies in the mail. I love getting little thoughtful surprises. It doesn’t have to be much; just a card can brighten my day. (This is not a ploy for goodies!)
4. Getting sincere appreciation and gratitude for a gift that I give someone ~ especially if it was handmade by me. I sincerely think that this is one of the greatest feelings a person can feel ~ to know that they made someone else honestly happy.
5. Gardening. I can completely clear my mind of thoughts while gardening. I can just completely lose myself in my tending to the earth. As of now, I only plant things for beauty and fragrance, but I intend to do some veggie gardening if I can find the time. (Probably not this year.)
6. Waking up on a lazy Sunday morning with my hubby holding me close. This generally means he has at least one hand on one of my boobs, but that’s fine with me. Our sheets are all white, we have hardwood floors, the walls are a light blush-beige, and the curtains are crisp white linen. I love our bedroom. It is such a peaceful and relaxing place to wake up in. (I wrote a short descriptive essay on it for school. I’ll have to post it when I get my paper back.)
7. Nature. This being flora and fauna. Beaches and oceans are wonderful, but I think I enjoy other landscapes more. I like lush greenery, think tropics, as well as beautiful wooded areas. Actually, I can’t really think of a landscape I don’t like.
8. Animals. I guess this goes hand in hand with being vegan, but I love animals. I even love the not so cute ones. Their intelligence and natural means of survival have always amaze me. There’s always something new to learn about them. This goes for all the underwater creatures, too, of course.
9. I’m going to categorize material things in one category. Chai lattes with soy milk. Yarn and addi turbos. Blythe. The comforter on my bed. My garden in full bloom.
10. Crafting. I love creating things in all sorts of mediums. I love black and white photography and processing my own film. (I need to set up my dark room and get back in practice!) I loved making the French memo boards that I gave out as Christmas gifts. KNITTING, of course! I’m not really into paper crafts too much. I love soft, comfy things, but I’m not so great at sewing. I’m trying though. I’d love to do some pottery. I have a feeling I’d need some serious lessons. Oh that gives me an idea.
11. Ok, so I cheated and added one extra. I’m thankful for all the kind and loving people in my life. This includes my family as well as people I may never meet face to face. I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends in my life and a few through blogging. I think/hope you know who you are. :)

I'm tagging moira, goodkarma, Lesley, Carrie, Tara, Rebekah, and Dani. I know that's a lot of peeps, but hey I feel like sharing the love and I want to see everyone's favorite things! If you feel up to it, please do the added meme I created below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To add to this meme, I’m going to start a new question that I hope gets passed around a bit. Please list 5 things that you may or may not have done before that you would like to learn or try again. This may just get you to try them or give you some renewed interest!

1. Photography. I want to break out my LOMO again and shoot from the hip! I also want to get back in practice of doing some black and white stuff.
2. Piano. I’ve never tried it, but I’d love to find some lessons and give it a go.
3. Pottery. If I could find a class, I would jump on it! I want to make a decorative vase or something simple and beautiful.
4. Write a book. I’d love to write a book ~ any book would do. A children’s book would be fun. I’d also like to write something like a novel. Something about me, but that has some insight.
5. I’d like to travel more. I’ve been to Germany, Canada, and Mexico. I’ve snowboarded on the Swiss border. I want to see Italy, a lot of Asia, and Paris asap. I hope to go to China next summer. The trip would include some of Korea as well, if my school still offers it.

Thanks again for the meme Snoozie! If you have the chance, I'd love to hear your answers to mine. :)

Swamped..

2005-04-28T15:23:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you guys know that I haven't forgotten yarn yoga. School is wrapping up; I only have 4 classes left now. Finals are a week away and I have a ton of studying to do!

Here's blog stuff I intend to do when life gets less hectic:

1. Post a pic of the lovely sitch markers that Laura sent me.

2. Post a tutorial on how to make stitch markers.

3. Post my responses to the cool tag that Snooze sent me.

4. Post some pics of my WIP's.

Miss you guys!

Nepal

2005-04-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Nepal is the word of the day. Unfortunately, I can't enlighten you with infinite wisdom about Nepal. This is a direct result of my complete lack of knowledge of all things Nepal. Well, almost all things...

My LYS.. Yes, I have an LYS NOW!!.. Knit 'n Needle, is just barely open. They hadn't intended to open until mid to late May, but Debbie has been working herself like mad and we actually had our SnB meeting there last night. Anyhow, she's placed quite a few orders, but the first thing to come in was the gorgeous recycled tibetan silk from himalaya yarns. So, of course, i had to support my LYS and buy some. :)

I intend to make the chinese charm bag from the first Stitch 'n Bitch. I think bamboo handles will lend itself well to the look and the 'culture' of the bag. I'd love to find a tibetan charm to go with it. My interst in the charms led me to Mandala. It seems pretty cool. There are some things I'd really like to splurge on there. :)

Speaking of Nepal, moira introduced me to BANANA SILK. Yes, silk-like fibers made from bananas! Isn't that just the coolest thing? They ship to the US, so if i can't find somewhere to get it here, I may have to order from them. I get Gwen Stefani's new song, Hollaback girl, stuck in my head everytime I think of bananas!

While we're talking about silk, I'd like to mention Tussah silk. Tara told me about this a little while back. :) This silk is gathered from cocoons AFTER the moth emerges. This is such a wonderful thing, and the price isn't bad either! Check out the Wool Peddler.

Here's an interesting aritcle that Ms.Snooze sent me. I find it really interesting and wonder why people don't think about what they put into their body just a little more. I'm guilty of that at times, too. Maybe I just trust society a little too much sometimes.

I got RAOK'd!!

2005-04-18T22:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Ms.Snooze,
I got my RAOK in today.. and I was beyond words. I quite literally screamed and got a dirty look from my husband! I think the first thing I said was "Wow" and the second thing I said was "They're all VEGAN!!!!!!" I must say, your children are quite talented to master up all that fancy bead work! I love how the wire spirals back down so pretty!
I've been getting some criticism for my vegan ways on the homefront and over some emails. I asked a question on a certain list for knitters and got some suprisingly negative reactions. That's ok. I'll chalk it up to their ignorance and a teaching opportunity. Since that happened, I posted a bit about my suprise about the reactions I received. Only to get a flood of support emails! Seems like for every possible negative member in a bunch, there are 20 positive ones ~ or more! Anyhow, I didn't mean to be a bit of a killjoy. I just wanted you to know a little bit of what's been going on these past few days, just so you can really see how much it cheered me up that I got a ton of lovely animal friendly yarns and gifts! Thank you so much!!!

On with the pictures!

First off, there was a lovely letter inside from the delightful Ms.Snooze It was a very sweet note that wished me a Happy Birthday and said some things that mean a lot to me.

Here's the box freshly ripped (yes, ripped) open.. This is where I about lost it with trying to contain myself. Bring your face really close to the monitor.. There's some real treats in there!

The fist thing I see is... SOCK YARN! How throughtful! I think you're right that the gauge is a little big for the retro rib, but I can get some practice in with another pattern on this yarn before I try someting too difficult.

The next thing is 2 skeins of Incredible ribbon yarn! I've never knit with this before! I've always wanted to try out ribbon yarn and now I have my chance. It's funny, because I've picked up this very colorway many times before. :)
(My flash went nuts with that shimmer!)

That's it, right? I mean, those are some great gifts already. There couldn't be even more. Well, yes, there is more! Check out my new tank top! Ok, so it isn't a tank yet and I'm not sure if I can pull off a skimpy 400 yd tank, but I'm going to give it a whirl. If not, I've got some undergarment designs I'd like to try. ;)
Don't you love that turquoise?

She even sent me some pattern ideas and ways to create a garment to your idea fit!

Just when I thought I had found everything, I spotted a cute white organza bag with something pretty inside:

It's homemade stitch markers! Snooze and the family are incredibly talented! I love the swirly wire work and the beautiful beads. Unfortunately, I'm not so talented to really capture their beauty.

Thank you so much Ms.Snooze! I really adore and appreciate your thoughtfulness. I really can't imagine it coming at a more appropriate time. I'd say you've made my day, but I'd be lying. You've probably made my whole month! I'll be sure to keep you updated on my plans for the yarn and keep posting pics of my progress. Thanks again!

/hugs

~atouria

Vegan Retro Rib Socks

2005-04-16T08:31:00.000-05:00

I'm addressing this post to lucia over at the Knitting Fiend, but anyone is welcome and perhaps, begged, to respond!

You are so amazing, lucia! I have a question for you. I'm a vegan and am having trouble finding cotton yarns in the gauges I need for socks. I'm an aspiring first time sock knitter and would like to make the Retro Rib socks found in the Winter '04 issue of Interweave Knits.
Retro Rib Socks call for a gauge of 32 sts and 44 rnds = 4 inches in St st on size 2 dpns. Assuming that the woman's size will fit me (I am, in fact, a woman.) I would need 406 yards of Kroy Socks yarn, which contains wool.

Elann has some yarn that I think would be a quick knit for a newbie. Is this yarn even feasible for this sock pattern?

Sock It to Me Collection Esprit

Fibre Content: 98.3% Cotton 1.7% Elastic
Made In: Brazil
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 25 st/4 inches 4.5 mm (US 7)
Yardage: 91m/ 100 yds (relaxed) - 170m/186 yds (stretched)
Size: 50g (1.75 oz) ball

My other option is Bernat Sox yarn which can be described as follows:

· Long-wearing 60% acrylic/40% nylon easy-care blend for great durability.
· 1.75 oz/50 gr/203 yd ball.
· Machine wash and dry. Imported.
· Crochet gauge in single crochet, size D-3 hook/Knit gauge in stockinette stitch, size 3 needles: 28 stitches and 36 rows = 4".

I would prefer the Sock it to me, just because it will be a super quick knit and there are more color options. I also would like to eventually make these using the bernat to hone in on my tiny dpn skills. Any suggestions?

Ethical Wool +

2005-04-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

Check out Homestead Wool for some ethical fibers! You can see photos and read stories about all of their cute sheep, including a llama. This may help some of you who may not be ready to give up merino or animal derived yarns, but will provide you with a resource that is ethical and sweet to the sheep!

Tao lovin'

2005-04-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

I really like the Tao Te Ching and if you're even remotely interested in Eastern philosophies, you probably will, too.

I know there are some free versions of this book online somewhere, but none of the ones I looked at were as well written as the translation I have by Stephen Mitchell.

Here's some passages from the book that I really like:

#8
The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.

It presents a simple and honest approach to life. I don't read the text often, but when I do, it helps me feel more grounded and at ease. The tao is pretty cool. :)

Here's another one. Part of it is dedicated to Stara knits. You'll know the part when ya see it!

#11
We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

Hope you enjoyed the samples!

Silk & Vegans & Me

2005-04-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

This is basically a copy of a post I sent to one of my vegan mailing lists. I was inquiring about other's thoughts on silk issues and here's my reponse to their repsonses. Everyone was very nice and thoughtful with their responses. The general consensus was that silk isn't vegan, but being vegan is doing as much as you can to ease suffering. And if you are doing that, you shouldn't care if someone claims you aren't vegan.

I have to agree that wool is not vegan. Although, I don't oppose using wool from farms where the people treat them like pets. I am going to a spinning retreat at the end of next month and I may buy some, I may not. However, I will not buy wool from a place where I can't see, touch, or get to know the sheep. I know that some people say if it's from an animal, it's not vegan, but I believe that a symbiotic relationship is possible. I live in Louisiana, so wool isn't really a necessity for me.

Silk, on the other hand, lends itself to our weather. Silk blended with cotton produces a wonderful yarn and consequently, an amazing garment. I became a vegan for the animals. I don't really consider worms an animal. It is a being and I hope that it doesn't suffer, but I can't be sure. In most cases I would say that it's better safe than sorry, but for some reason I'm not moved to feel much compassion for worms. Well, that's not entirely true. I do care when I accidentally cut one in half with my shovel while I'm gardening. I feel bad and cover it back up with dirt to help heal the shock a bit. I just feel like I'm sacrificing enough and I want to enjoy this one luxury.

There are some good yarn options out there for vegans: soy silk yarn, Bamboo yarn, hemp, aloo, paper, tencel, cotton, and synthetics. I'm not a fan of most of the synthetics, but I really like the plant fibers. I just wish they came in more sizes.

Sometimes certain yarns just work better for certain projects. I love to knit and didn't go out with the intention of buying silk. I was looking at yarns for a sweater and was drawn to this gorgeous light purple in the store. It felt wonderful and cool next to my skin, so I started adding up the yardage to be sure I'd have enough for my project. Once I'm done, I turn over the tag and it lists 70% silk. Ugh. I was already in love with it, so I bought it anyhow. This yarn has been a dream to work with and knits up beautifully. I'd be lying if I said I'd never use it again. I'm not going to go out and look for projects that specifically call for it, but if it works best for something I want to make, I'm not going to pass it up either.

My concern about the 'what is a vegan' issue is just that I don't want to be a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is one of the main things that turned me away from the church. Well, that and the fact that I was kicked out of altar servers because I was a girl. The pope deemed that women couldn't serve God in that way, so I got the boot after more than 5 years. I mean how do you tell an 11 year old girl that God doesn't want her because she's a woman. My faith was pretty much ruined after that.

Anyhow, maybe we should measure veganism in %s. That way, I wouldn't feel like such a hypocrite. I eat a vegan diet, which the exception of some trace elements that I can't read the scientific names for. Also, with the exception of small amounts of honey in some of my processed foods. Right now I'm still low on the vegan household products, but that will come over time. It's more of a crime, imo, to waste products that you already have, rather than use them up and then buy vegan ones to replace them. So if you count diet and most knitting, I could probably be a 30% vegan. :)

Birthday-ness

2005-04-11T06:21:00.000-05:00

I'm 26 today. I'm having one of those zen type moments where I'm pretty indifferent to the whole deal. On one hand, I'm thrilled to be alive! :) On the other, big 30 is just lurking around the corner. lol. I'm going to stick with the positive note. :)

So what do I have planned for this day of celebration? Work, school, and more school ~ just like valentine's day this year, hooray! ;) Tomorrow night my mom is taking DH and I out to eat. I have no idea where or if I'll find something to actually consume. Dad took me out to eat last weekend, but, being vegan, all I could have was some falafel and hummus. I think I was the cheapest date out of everyone there, lol.

Happy unbirthday to all of you that read my blog! If it happens to be your birthday to, let me know! Love you guys!

Nifty progress bars

2005-04-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

Check out this awesome tutorial Lesley made on nifty progress bars over at knit-ticisms. She rocks! Thanks so much!

edit: OK, if I can figure this out, then anyone can. I made mine at 200 pixels for the complete 100% because I couldn't figure out how to start my bars exactly below the title of the project. Once I learn this, I'll probably change it back to 100 pixels for 100%.

Also, I'd like to know how to make those nifty little boxes that outline the possible knitted space... umm, ok that sounded funny. I'm doing to much probability in school lately.. I mean to say, I want a nifty outline of a box to see how close I am to filling it up. Ya dig? I'll shoot Lesley an email and ask her. :)

Socks

2005-04-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it'll be a while before I start these, but I've finally found the socks I want to knit. It turns out I've had the pattern all along. It's the retro rib socks from Interweave Knits Winter 2004. The photo doesn't show it well, but they have the sort of ribbed heel that I like. (Well I like the look of it, I haven't worn any like it.)

I need to find the yarn for them, but I'm not actively looking.

I'm still looking for something to knit with a 20 sts over 4" gauge, as mentioned below. I guess it would be ok to order the yarn without a pattern. I'm thinking I need something in pink. Lavender is one of my favorite colors and I'm already knitting a sweater and possibly a cardi in that color. Black is a good option as well. So, what do you guys do when you want to buy a yarn that you don't have a project lined up for? How do you know how much to buy? I'm not in love with any of these colors, so I may just let the yarn go. Hmmm.. yeah, I'm a bit too passive about this. :)

WIP post

2005-04-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick look at my AV pullover. I'm doing 2 sleeves at once and it's coming along fairly quickly ~ considering I work full-time and go to school full-time. The yarn looked a little dark in the stash pic. I think this photo shows more of the true color.

(yeah, that's my calc on the side. I use it for school.)

I'm feeling great about this sweater. I can't wait to finish it!

Speaking of new projects (well, once I finish this): I found some yarn that I want to try on sale. Someone PLEASE send me some ideas for a project that uses size 7 needles ~ something with the gauge of 20 sts to 4". The available colors right now are navy, powder blue, lavender, black, grey, white.

I'd prefer a garment such as a sweater, tank, or shawl, but I'm open to anything. Patterns can be from a free source or from a book or magazine. I just need to know the yardage to buy asap. Time is of the essence, the sale ends super soon!

Sweater progress and swaps.

2005-04-09T17:05:00.000-05:00

I want to share with you all of the awesome swap stuff I've received from my awesome swap partners on craftster.

First up, some amazing pin cushions by Lorie! I cant' believe that she did that apple with no pattern or anything. That girl has talent! She's becoming a good friend of mine through emails. I'm so glad that she's so understanding, because I'm late on her pin cushions. I'm going to have to send her a little something extra. 1) because I'm so late. 2) because I can not match her skills in the sewing arena.

Next, this cool purse by Mere on craftster! I'm not usually a hot pink kind of gal, but it is perfect with the grey! I love the color combo and the polka dots. I can't wait to get to use this bag! She even has a velcro close and a snazzy zipper pocket. Talent! (This is extra special because my original swapper disappeared on me! Mere did this out of the kindness of her own heart ~ thanks so much!)

Finally, is the greatest of all flower pins. Meredith hand embroidered this pin with my favorite color combos ~ pink and brown! She did an amazing job and I can't even begin to count all the compliments I've gotten on this pin when I wear it. I deem Meredith the felt queen!

I love all of my swap stuffs! Thanks so much to all of you! I highly recommend swapping at craftster. Everyone there is so nice and so talented. I am working on your pin cushions, Lorie! I just can't post my progress here. ;)

New Yarn.

2005-04-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

School has got me so swamped lately. I have so much crafting and knitting to catch up on. I'm late on two of my swaps, which is NOT my style at all. (I'm so sorry guys!)

I did have an excellent trip to Yarns 2 Ewe. I can't remember the name of the woman who was working that day, but she was incredibly busy, and she still gave everyone very warm and personal service. She was great! She even had this awesome german accent. Anyhow, as I was browsing I noticed a lilac sweater knit up on one of the bins. It was made from Kathmandu. And ya know what? I'm glad I never got that stinkin yarn. I didn't really like it at all. I did fall in love with Rowan's summer tweed in a beautiful lilac color. And, although it had silk, I bought it. I just couldn't resist. Shame on me, bad vegan. Well, I guess it was a decidedly non-vegan moment. I do feel remorse,but, well, I'm not going to go into the details of it. I also picked up some Rowan cotton glace in pink. Here's a pic of what I came home with

In case you're wonderin what that is on the needles below the yarn. It's the start of the sleeves for my AV shawl Collared Shawl. My knit-along for it can be found here

Aside from the yarn, I also got Jaeger's #35 book. I want to make the sweater that's on the cover and advertised in just about every knitting magazine. I'll have to look for a photo online and post it. I originally bought the cotton glace for a scarf that is used as a sash in the book. It turns out the yarn is the wrong weight. I may make it anyhow. Anyone have any other ideas of what I could do with 2 skeins of cotton glace?

I just wanted to do a short update for now. Be sure to check out Stara knits to see her 'under the hoodie.' It was her First ever sweater and a total success! She rocks the party that rocks the party!

The inquisitive Stara Knits hits me with some serious Questions

2005-04-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Stara knitsthought of some very thought provoking questions to interview me with. Now that I look at them, I answered them super-wordy-like, but hey, that's me. If you want me to interview you, which I'd love to do, here's what you need to do:
1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones below.
3. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here I go!

Stara says: 1. You're a dedicated Vegan that avoids using wool and other animal-derived yarn, what made you decide to become one? Did you babystep first as a lacto-ovo vegetarian or just dive right in?

Initially, I was a lacto-vegetarian. When I was about 16, I received a small pamphlet from PETA in the mail. I read it cover to cover and was just shocked and saddened by the photos inside. I’ve always been very compassionate towards animals (as well as people) and it hurt me to see them suffer. I wanted to do whatever I could to help them. I decided that I would quit eating meat. At the time, I didn’t realize that the dairy cows were being treated just as poorly and even worse. Well, I was a teenager and although I was a vegetarian for 2 years, I still ate by-products. No eggs, but I did eat dairy and basically anything that wasn’t meat. Needless to say I wasn’t very healthy, so after 2 years I started eating meat again and quickly regained my energy and strength. Eventually I shook the guilt off and didn’t think a whole lot about my choices and the effects they were having on animals.
Fast-forward to hmm, last month or so. I noticed that some of the knitters on craftster weren’t using wool. I wondered why. Little debates started popping up and I read them all. I even searched for old debates to look through. I did plenty of my own research and through that I ran into all the other traumas that animals of all types are suffering through. My heart sank. I contributed to their pain. I had to stop and I had to stop Now! So, from that point I went vegan. I think it was a Thursday. J

On that note, I have a confession to make. I fell in love with Rowan’s Summer Tweed and it contains silk. Hell, it’s 70% silk and 30% cotton. I caved and I bought it. I’m still not 100% sure on my thoughts of the silk issue, but I will research it more and hopefully not buy it again.

Also, if there are trace amounts of honey in something, I will still eat it. Amy’s Kitchen makes some great frozen veg*n foods. Not all are veg*n, but the package is clearly marked if it isn’t. The point is, when you get into the nit picky part of being a vegan, like learning what all the scientific names are for some trace elements, it starts to make less of a difference. If you are just starting out, learn the main things and avoid them, then work on the tinier stuff.

2.Another Vegan question: What's your husband think of it? Is he a herbivore or carnivore?

My husband is a carnivore. You could almost call him a strict carnivore, if there was such a following. He eats meat with no remorse and loves every minute of it. We are total opposites in that respect. He was NOT happy about my choice to become vegan. He would have been a little bit better off had I chose vegetarianism, but Vegan? It took him a while to get used to that idea, but he’s still not happy about it. He’s dealing with it for now. He’s hoping that it’s some sort of hobby and that I’ll get over it and he can have hope of having a steak on the table when he gets home from work. Hello? When did that ever happen before? I hated cooking meat!! If I cooked the meat, I wouldn’t eat it. The only time I ate meat in the times I wasn’t veg*n, someone else cooked it for me. I rarely cooked for him in the first place, so his hopes being gone are all they were. He can’t really miss something that never happened.

3. My husband thinks my knitting is 'cute' but doesn't get the obsession: What's yours think? Is he supportive of or exasperated by your yarn woes?

For the most part, he’s supportive. I don’t really like shopping *gasp! No really, I get frustrated when things don’t fit the way I want them to. Also, I might like the way one thing fits, but in the design of something else. With knitting I pretend like the yarn pays for itself twice: once in a hobby, and once as a garment. That makes each item worth 50% of the total cost. See? I can justify anything! I do all my yarn shopping on a separate credit card that he doesn’t really use or look at. So he doesn’t really notice too much. J He doesn’t care for all the extra balls lying around from old project leftovers, but I tell him that everyone has that and that I’ll use them for something eventually.

4. You're a student in Louisiana; are you there for school or were you raised there? What made you choose your school? I see you have a Dixie button; do you feel a deep southern pride, do you prefer to the rest of the nation? (Side note: I ask because I'm from Ohio but went to school in Tenn and loved it...I also found that most Southerners prefer the south, while I'm somewhat ambivilent about my birthplace (even if I share it with the Wright brothers:) )

I was born and raised here. It’s kinda funny, because I was adopted and my original parents are from here as well. So, no matter what I would have been in Louisiana. I basically chose my school because I was lazy. I didn’t know what all to do for college when I was in high school. It turns out, you have to get the ball rolling on your own. People don’t give out scholarships if you don’t apply.
Southern pride. I’m not really sure about that. Once I get my degree, I’d like to move. Somewhere like TX, CO, or FL. Tennessee is Beautiful! I wouldn’t mind living there either. I dreamed that I lived in NY last night. That would be cool. I’m not really confined by regions. I just like cities with a lot of culture and things to do. Louisiana has it’s own culture, but I’ve gotten my share of that. It is lacking in the activities department. CO would be nice cause you could get a lil’ of everything: snowboarding, mtn biking, knitting.. all the stuff that I’d like to do more often. I do like the southern hospitality we southerners carry. I am proud of that. It isn’t always there, but most of the time it is.

5. And finally, a knitting related quesiton: Do you prefer to work on larger projects (like your gorgeous sweater) or smaller ones?

I prefer larger projects. Living in the south, I won’t get as much use out of my sweaters as I would if I lived, well, North, but I do love to knit them. They are calming and are I find that I am drawn to them more than smaller projects. Plus, in the south, we don’t have a big selection of sweaters. I like the ability to design my own and have others ask where I bought it. (No, that hasn’t happened… yet!) I haven’t found a use for very many small knitting projects. I’m not really a hat person. I’ve made a water bottle sling, which is small. I think the other small thing I made was my shrug. Plus, how many cozies does one really need?

I will update with pics from the great SEX I had last weekend in Houston very soon!

Out of Stock... & Yarn subs

2005-03-30T21:28:00.000-06:00

Yep. The last 3 yarn orders I've attempted to make have ended up with an email from the owner saying that they are sorry, but they are out of stock. That goes for the 2 attempts at Kathmandu as well as my most recent attempt at getting some Plymouth Fantasy Naturale. I'm going out of town this weekend (to Houston, TX) and I hope I can find some yarn subs there for either the beaded top or the AV Shawl collared pullover.

The yarn shop in Houston that I'll be visiting doesn't have the Fantasy Naturale, either. I called them today. They do have Classic Elite's Bam Boo yarn, though! The gauge isn't exactly right for the beaded top, but it IS the right gauge for the AV pullover! I had thought about giving up on the pullover, but I'm reconsidering.

So, has anyone out there used bamboo and decided it just wasn't the right drape for a sweater? I could probably alter the pattern so that the gauge will work for the beaded top. That's probably what I'll end up doing. I just need to learn how to adjust so that I have the right yardage. Hmmm.. I bet SNB Nation covers that! Gonna have to hit the book soon. ;)

Has anyone out there ever used pure tactel? Skacel makes a yarn called Prince that's 100% tactel. I had considered this yarn for the pullover as well. I really have been anxious to check out the bamboo, so I guess tactel will be on the backburner for a little bit.

Did I mention that I'm a very lucky vegan? Well, I am! A friend from my stitch 'n bitch is opening up her own yarn store. She's going to stock some bamboo and soy for me! :) I'm SUPER excited about that! She's not scheduled to open until mid-late May, but if she gets some in early, she'll let me know. :)

Has anyone seen the movie "The Forgotten" ? I won't give anything away, but it's a really good movie! I want to talk to someone about it so bad! It was just... well, you decide for yourself.

No more wool!

2005-03-29T16:33:00.001-06:00

My heart just can't take it.

Yesterday I found out that the Kathmandu that was in stock from knit2purl2 was 18 sks total, but from 2 different dyelots. She had 9 of each dyelot and they were completely different shades. Apparently, it just wasn't meant to be. I'm going to start looking for alternative yarns for this sweater, but cruelty-free only!

This means that I'll be working on the Beaded Top first. It calls for cotton yarn, so I'm in the clear. I will work towards dying some organic cotton yarn, but I'm taking things one step at a time.

Save the Sheep! is a wonderful site with tons of information about sheep and the wool industry. Want to see the video that convinced me? Remove the wool from over your eyes. I couldn't make it through the entire video. It isn't easy on the heart, so view at your own discretion. Keep in mind that they are focusing on the sheep coming from New Zealand and Australia, which is most of the merino wool on the market. Don't like PETA? Here's another resource: What's wrong with wool?

I say, if you just 'have to have' wool, get handspun from farm raised sheep. Meet the sheep that you are taking the wool from. Make sure he or she is happy and is more like a family pet than just there for his or her usefulness.

I am going to a spinning convention at the end of next month. I know a lot of the women that will be there from my area. Most of them raise their own sheep. I know that the textbook vegan would argue that animals are not here for our personal use. I have to agree. But I do believe that we can have a symbiotic relationship as long as there is a MUTAL respect for each other. Yes, I'm mainly pointing at humans here.
So, IF I do use wool again, which I probably will, it will only be from a family raised sheep. (I guess that makes my title a little deceiving, but it isn't meant to be.)

FUR IS DEAD!

If you go to Fur is Dead, you can learn about how the fur industry works. These sites are very depressing for me. I only visit them when I need more information or am linked to articles. I really think that the more people who knew about the actual process that took place to get the fashion to their body, the less they would buy furs and leathers.
There's a video somewhere on the site, and it's from US fur companies. I can't find the link to it atm, though.

Unfortunatly, I am still wearing leather. Daily. I've been looking a few places for some affordable cruelty-free shoes, but I haven't found any yet. I mean, I want 100% cruelty free shoes. I know that you can go anywhere and get pleather. I just want to be 100% sure that no animal was harmed for my 'anything'.

If any of you know of any good resources let me know. I've looked at Alternative Outfitters, but I haven't found anything affordable in my kind of style. I need sneakers and casual shoes. OK, more knitting content soonish. :)

Hourglass = FO!

2005-03-27T22:54:00.000-06:00

Yup, I finished my FIRST sweater! It was officially completed yesterday. I'm so proud of myself ~ in a non gloating, simple, happy kind of way. :) It came out a little bigger than I expected, so it kinda fits like a nice sweatshirt. I think the raglan sleeves make me think of it as a sweatshirt. ~~Anyhow, I hope to post pics of me in it tomorrow.~~ I hemmed the neckline, but I left the bottom and the sleeves unhemmed. I like the casual roll up look. I also added tons of rows to the top so that my bra straps won't show so much.
Overall, I'm pleased with it as a first sweater. I actually got to wear it today and received a lot of compliments on it from family and friends. Most were just amazed that I knit a sweater! No one else in my family knits.
**edit: I can now truely appreciate all of you people who take amazing pics of yourselves. It's quite a feat! Here's the best shot I was able to get. Maybe I can get my hubby to take a better one later.

What's next on my list?

AV Shawl-Collared Pullover (Vogue Knitting Winter issue '04/05- pattern 23)
Well, I've cancelled my yarn order with Knitting Garden and reordered my Kathmandu aran from knit2purl2. It actually came out a smidget cheaper. Their site advertises that customers usually receive their orders within 2-3 days. If I get it by the end of the week, I'll be stoked!

Beaded top (Vogue Spring issue '05 - pattern 1)

This one will be a fairly quick knit on size 9 needles. I'm looking forward to the embroidery at the top with the beads, sequins, and crystals. Boy, when it's typed out like that, it sure looks glitzy. It's very subtle and beautiful though.

For those of you out there who haven't gotten the new Vogue yet, here's all of the patterns. Just scroll through. :)

Changes

2005-03-24T22:14:00.000-06:00

I've made a few minor changes to the blog today. First off, no more LYS links. These people aren't giving me the best service, and they sure aren't giving me discounts.. so Off they go! (Elann actually gives great business, so I highly reccomend them!) On the other hand I've gotten really awful business from another yarn shop that I'm not going to name, but I bet that if you tried really hard you could guess who I'm referring to. ;) Not to whine, but hey it's my blog ~ I'll whine if I want to, but today officially marks one month of waiting for the yarn to start my shawl collared pull over.

Another change I made is to add a new friend to the Knifty Knitters lineup. Her name is staralee and her site is listed to the right. She has a fairly new blog with some cool WIPs going on and links to some nice tutorials. (I'm considering making the buttonhole bag, too. It's so cute!)

I received the yarn to finish up my hourglass sweater from elann yesterday. I started on it today and progress is going quite well. Although the yarns are from 2 different dye lots, there is no difference in color or tone at all. I'm really excited! I hope to get pics up as soon as I get it finished. I think I'll only hem the bottom and the neckline. I like the little roll up I have on the sleeves. So if you wanna know what I'm doing this weekend ~ tadaaa.. I'm working on my hourglass sweater!

I have been neglecting the strap on my waterbottle sling a bit. I had midterms last week and had to devote all my time to studying, but now it's spring break! Wahoo! I still have to work for a living, but I should get oodles more knitting time in. So I should get that done, too.

A new LYS opened up about 1 hr away from where I live. I can't wait to check it out. I may go tomorrow. I'll be sure to post any finds that I nab up. I have plenty of projects going on, though. So I'm going to try to behave myself. Plus, a lady from my Stich 'n Bitch is going to open up her own yarn shop in May! Oh yeah! I WILL be there pretty often (read: daily). Will work for yarn! :) She's already asked me what I want her to order, and we have a lot of the same tastes in yarn, so it's gonna be sooo great! She's even going to get some bamboo and soy yarn for me! Ok, I'm calming down now. Oh that reminds me, Calmer! Rowan, Debbie, Noro.. we're gonna be best pals!

More changes to water bottle sling

2005-03-18T10:11:00.000-06:00

Today I decided to go ahead and frog the strap. I've ripped it all the way to where the pocket finishes. I didn't like the look of the garter stitch strap. The edges just looked too raggedy for my taste. I also needed to shorten it, so some frogging was neccessary regardless.

For the strap, I am going to continue with the double stitch (not sure of the terminology) that I did to create the pocket. The border for the strap will now be:

K1,slip 1,K to last 3 stitches, slip 1,k1,slip 1

This will give it a nice border and a clean edge.

Slight Rant and a FO

2005-03-17T20:10:00.000-06:00

This is the watter bottle sling from Knit-Wit. I made it with the nifty little library card holder on the strap. This was my first project on dpns and if it looks a little sloppy, well, it is. It was an ok project, but I would have much rather been working on a sweater. I decided to make this to get more experience with dpns (other than hats) and to use for work. Ok, enough with the critique, here's the FO.

Yarn: Four Seasons Hot Socks
Yarn content: 75% wool, 25% nylon
Amount: 1 skein (230yds or 210m)
Colorway: 220 (jeweltones)
Project Completed: March 17,2005

Notes about the pattern: Since I used a sock yarn instead of 100% wool, the strap was more springy. (The pattern calls for Koigu PPPM 100% merino wool.)
I am going to shorten the length. I'll remeasure and post the length that I end up going with.

If you make the pocket, after Row 5 stop on a WS row. This will keep your pocket on the outside instead of it being on the inside. If you want the pocket to be more hidden, on the inside, you can end on a RS row.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, here's the rant part: I received an email back from the knitting garden this morning and it's not great news. She says they should get the yarn I ordered, for the AV pullover, in by the end of the month! I ordered it Feb 24th! Yes I said I could wait 2-3 weeks and technically the end of this week isn't that much longer, but still!! I keep considering cancelling it, but by the time I pick out something else it will probably take the same amount of time to get it. I'm really frustrated with this. She could have at least sent the 2 magazines I ordered (rowan calmer collection and noro knits) to hold me over while I wait. I was going to order some Calmer yarn for a sweater I want to make in the catalog, but I am definitely going to wait to make sure I get and like the yarn that I originally ordered. I did get an apology, which was nice, but a gesture would have been nicer. Bleh.

I wanted to work on this sweater over the spring break from school. I guess that's out. I placed an order with elann to finish my first sweater disaster (the designer didn't call for enough yarn on the original pattern), but I don't think that will be in before spring break.

Ok, /rant off.

Fun Quiz

2005-03-16T16:03:00.000-06:00

Click the pic to see what they say about 'progressive girls'

Take the quiz

Vegan Info

2005-03-16T11:31:00.000-06:00

In other comments, Christine asks what the deal is with vegans and wool. Aside from the link the the Vegan Baby! post. I wanted to give some sources of vegan information in case others wanted to learn more about it.

First off, Vegan Info. This site is where I got started. If you sign up for their mentoring program, Fran will hook you up with a 'Vegan near you' so that you can chat with them about good vegan food sources and how they got started and any questions you may have. There is also a great FAQ to give you an idea about what products are considered non-vegan and why. (Did you know that many refined sugars use animal bone charcoal in the bleaching process? Ewww.)

Here is a link directly to the wool question in the WOOL

I think that this best answers the wool question though:Ask Jo

It is my sincere hope that not all sheep are treated this way. I read that Australia is the worst as far as ethical treatment goes, but how do we find out which wool was derived from sheep from Australia.

Here is an aritcle that directly addresses sheep in Australia. The words are a bit graphic and I couldn't really read this all the way through. Australian sheep

I feel like many people who raise thier own sheep treat them much better than some companies. Well, I know that they do. I just hope that they never get sent to slaughter from those caring families, because then they would die in a way that didn't match the loving lifestyle they once knew.

On all those notes, if anyone wants to point me to healthy happy wool, aka cruelty-free wool. I will be glad to post them here and check out their products. I am going to meet with the spinners and weavers guild in my area in the next month or so and see if they have any wool to sale.

/hugs

I love Yvonne.. and knitting updates

2005-03-16T11:05:00.000-06:00

No really, I do. She saw my post on the hourglass knitalong (see button bottom right) that I ran out of Elann's Peruvian wool in Orange Brandy. She was nice enough to track me down and let me know that Elann has more of it in stock. Now I don't have to frog all my work! Who cares if it's a different dyelot!? I don't. A little bit of contrast at the neckline can look intentional. I'm sooo excited! Of course, I don't know how many skeins to buy, but I think I'll overdo it with 4. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I bet you've been wondering about what I have been knitting recently. Well, I'll tell ya. Between homework, work, classes, and spending time with DH, I've been trying to knit. Oh, cooking time needs to be squeezed in there somewhere too. Cause vegan wannabes need to cook! Anyhow, I've been working on the bottle holder from knit-wit.
I've got about 2 ft of strap left and I'll post it. I'm using some sock yarn I ordered from Herrschners in a jewel color mix ~ royal blues, purples, greens, golds, and pinks. I like it. This is my first project on dpns, and it wasn't bad at all. I think I'd like to try a pair of socks soonish ~ probably while I knit my next sweater.

Speaking of my next sweater. It's Adrienne Vittadini's shawl-collared pullover from Vogue Knitting winter edition project #23.
Here's a pic:

I'm using the Kathmandu Aran Yarn from Knitting garden in shade 130. It's on backorder, so I suggest emailing Elizabeth at KG if you want some first. I ordered mine in late February, and she quickly emailed me back to let me know it could be 2-3 weeks. It's been a little over 2 and I'm trying to keep my patience, lol. I'm doing my best to keep busy! I just lust for this yarn. :) If you are interested in knitting this along with me and some others over at craftster, join us here.
I hope to make a blog KAL for it soon. If I don't get to it over the weekend, it will definitely be done over spring break.

Happy Knitting!

Vegan, baby!

2005-03-15T08:21:00.000-06:00

Well, almost. It's funny how all my life I've tried to avoid labels, but now, I'm actually striving for one. I was a vegetarian for a full 2 years nearing the new millenium. I was never really a big meat eater to begin with. My family raised some animals. We had horses, rabbits, at one point we had a pig. One day we had pork for dinner and something clicked. We were eating Wilbur! I cried while my parents tried to reassure me that it wasn't him (it was). Vegetarianism didn't happen just then, but it did get me thinking.

Living in Louisiana and not eating meat is just, well, it's unnatural! lol. That was the mind frame of just about everyone who knew I was vegetarian. Only my mom was genuinely supportive ~ and it's a good thing, cause she cooked all of our meals! She was really sweet about making things that I could eat as well, or at least having something on the side for me.

When I decided to go Vegan, over the last few days, she wasn't suprised. She didn't fully understand how it differed from vegetarianism, but I think she does now. My hubby, being an avid carnivore, wasn't thrilled. He is supportive as he can be, but it does sadden him that he'll never come home to a juicy steak on the table ~ not that he ever has.

Unfortunately, as much as we try. I don't think that anyone is actually 100% Vegan. And if someone is that precise, are the neccessarily making the world a better place? My point is this: There is an ecological impact created from Every single thing that we do. (Think about the pesticides used on cotton crops.)This is where the knitting content comes in. There's been quite a bit of debating over at craftster. Pleasant debating, which I am quite proud to say!The BIG wool debate

After all this debate, I think that I am probably going to continue to knit with wool and perhaps, silk. We'll see. I already have a ton of guilt on my shoulders as I type this. I am definitely going to avoid wool from Austrailia ~ as soon as I find out which wool that is. I would love to say that I will only buy organic cotton or other non-animal derived products to knit with. But I'll have to see if I can afford to first. And honestly, I don't really have a problem with well cared for sheep getting a trim in the spring time as long as it is done in a way that is painless to the sheep. I know people who raise their own sheep and use the wool that they grow for yarn. These people speak of their sheep as if they are one of the family. So I know that they are in good hands. I will continue looking for affordable cruelty-free yarn, but for now I'm taking it one step at a time. And, as a vegan-wannabe, I'd buy homespun wool over pesticide cotton any day.

You will do well to expand your business...

2005-03-06T16:44:00.000-06:00

That's what my fortune cookie says, anyway. We'll see. I've just posted my first ever auction on ebay. I'm not so skilled with decorative jewelry photos, but I did my best. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't do the bracelet any justice. It is simple, but so functional and beautiful. I've got a few row counting bracelets to sell, but wanted to just list one and see how it does.

Here's a link and photo of the listed bracelet in ebay. (I had a lot of trouble photographing this. The red and green beads have black flecks in them that look really cool. The topaz aren't flecked.)

Here are more that I would love to sell... I'd be glad to make a bracelet using whatever color combos you would like, just let me know! You can look at my ebay feedback for reassurance. I have No negative feedback! (My husband and I share the account.) If you order through Yarn Yoga, I will charge you only $12.95 and $0.05 shipping. Yep, $13 even!

Purple Passion

Aqua Light

Info on how to use them and their findings can be found on the ebay auction. I listed LOTS of details, lol. For any other questions, feel free to contact me.

Ok.. seller mode off.. Sorry!

Craftster swaps ~ complete!

2005-03-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

Last week was a busy week! I had a major math test, tons of homework, and lots of crafts to finish up! It was really fun, though, and I had lots of creative energy to let out! Sooo.. if you were my craft partner in a swap, be warned! The following images may ruin the suprise for you:

This is another rag bag. I just love making these!! I lined the inside with a light blue fabric that had sewing notions and said "sewing is our common thread". I keep forgetting to take photos of the lining. The blue flower is crochet on top of fuschia felt ~ hand-sewn. This was only the 2nd thing I've ever sewn! (My ragbag was the first.)

This is a flower pin that I made. It's actually the first crochet I can actually take credit for. I did it all by myself! *beams*
The blue leaves are felt. I wish I would have more time to attempt at embroidering the leaf veins, but time was a constraint and I doubt I could sew very straight. I'm pretty new at that too!

Another cherry-poppin new skill is beading. I've done a few bracelets already, but this is my first ever stitch markers! You can see I got better as I went along; they are in order of creation from left to right. I really had tons of fun with these and I intend to make lots more of varying sizes for my future knitting endeavors. (Sorry for the 'flashy' photo)

If anyone wants to point me in the way of a nice photography tutorial for showing off your crafts, please do!

And finally, here's a stitch marker I made for myself with a smaller size split ring. I used a 9mm for this one, whereas the ones above are 12mm which fit up to a size 11. I haven't tested out the 9mm ones yet.

Right now I'm working on top-secret goodies for another craftster member. It's the chinese zodiac swap and she is an earth lamb. I'm having some troubles with the 'earth' part, but I've got TONS of ideas for the lamb part. ;)

I'm also about to start making some pincushions for yet another swap!

On the knitting needles:

I'm using US size 2 dpns to make the water-bottle sling from knit-wit. It'll be a great way to carry water around with me, well, everywhere!

When I near completion on that, I'll order my size 9 circs to reknit a shrug from suss patterns that I'm not happy with. The pattern isn't symmetrical! Bleh! I'll have to rewrite it, so I'm being lazy about the whole frogging process.

Happy craftin'!

March mad rush!

2005-03-03T09:26:00.000-06:00

I've got sooo many gifts to make this month! My mom's birthday, my dad's birthday, and Kira's birthday ( a 3yr old friend is turning 4). My husband's birthday is the beginning of april, so I may as well get started on that, too. Of course, I don't have ideas for any of them yet!

I'm also on the edge of deadline time for several craftster swaps I'm doing! I've got the purse and flower pin finished. I will finish up my stitch markers tonight and get everything ready to mail out. My Chinese Zodiac isn't due until the end of the month, but I need to order some things for it. I'll post pics of all my pressies tonight! And in case you were wondering... Yes, I'm making a quick checklist for myself!

Meet Audrey!

2005-02-28T23:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, enough with the not-so-cheerful stuff! Here's some non yarn related happiness for ya! Meet my beautiful blythe, Audrey! She was a Valentine's Day gift from my wonderful hubby. I recieved her February 8th from Hong Kong!

Here she is, still in her box:

Isn't she a doll?! (hehe, pun intended.. yea, i'm corny!)

Here she is in a new outfit from France. She got it February 16th.

I absolutely love this outfit. Her shawl is crochet'd. I plan to knit some clothes for her when winter comes around. As my sewing skills increase, I hope to sew her some fun summer things too. My girl is so french chic!

PS. She is giving me looks about posting her photos with such unruly hair. (Yes, I still haven't bought her a brush, but I will ~ I promise!) And I have to mention that her bag is suede.

Hope you like her!

More Yarn woes

2005-02-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

More unpleasantries! I just got an email from the knitting garden that the beautiful yarn I ordered is on backorder. I'll have to wait 2-3 weeks before they ship my yarn. Yikes.

I'm going to be the last one to start the KAL I started for the vogue shawl pull-over!

Acceptance

2005-02-28T20:51:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to sleep a little upset over all the work I had done without a finished project to show for it. Honestly, I'm a perfectionist and optimist at heart, so this can turn into a good thing. I think if I had had enough yarn to finish the sweater the way I wanted to (adding more rows to the top to cover more of my shoulders), the sweater may have been too long.

Here's the plan...

I'm going to frog it AFTER I finish my shawl pull-over from the current vogue magazine. My yarn should be in soon and I don't want to tie up my needles on this sweater that I'm a little tired of looking at. Once I have the time to get started on it again, I'll frog it. Only this time, I'll take a few inches out of the length and I may slim the arms a bit. Hopefully that will give me enough yarn to finish it completly, plus give it a more fitted look. I won't be posting any photos of it, it's not worth the bandwidth.

Trebuchet, Thanks for your suggestion of adding a complementary color. It is a nice idea, but I love this Orange Brandy color so much that I want it to stand alone. :)

A sad day

2005-02-27T19:30:00.000-06:00

I was rightfully worried when I got down to the last skein of yarn for my hourglass sweater.. Read on.

The hourglass sweater has been my first ever sweater along with my first ever pattern from a book. When I first bought LMKG, I didn't know what an errata was. I also had no idea that publishers would release a book that is based on patterns with SO many mistakes.

So, when I decided I would tackle this project, I went to elann.com and bought 12 skeins of their peruvian wool. These came in 109 yard skeins, 9 more yards per skein than cash iroha. Already, I'm 108 yds over what the pattern calls for. I do some research and find out, from various places, that the pattern doesn't call for enough yarn. I freak out a little, because elann was really low on the peruvian wool in brandy orange. I rush to elann.com.. and lo and behold.. None left. And there hasn't been since. So here I am with my completed sweater, with no chance in hell that I'll wear it. Not even in the house. If I move at all the shoulders slip off and come down to my boobs. I'm guessing that I'll need at least 2 more, maybe 3 skeins to get it to cover my bra straps and to even think about the hemming. I've emailed Elann in hopes of a miracle, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

If any of you have any Brandy Orange Peruvian wool in your stash, I'd be more than willing to take it off your hands.

Rag Bag

2005-02-27T15:20:00.000-06:00

Here's my take on the popular rag bag. This little purse only fits my keys and wallet, but I absolutely love it! This was the first project that I've ever used a sewing machine. I'm hoping to learn more about sewing and to eventually create some of my own clothes ~ from a pattern or my own design.

My aunt crochet'd the flower for me, but I am learning to do that on my own as well. I can make simple flowers. The pattern I used for my rag bag flower can be found on Lion Brand's website. It was a little too complex for my newbie knowledge.

A little insight..

2005-02-27T09:10:00.000-06:00

I am an active member of craftster. Craftster is a great place for crafters or aspiring crafters to go and get inspiration and moral support from like-minded people. I owe a lot of gratitude to that site. Craftster is the place where I became so inspired by the knitting projects that everyone was showing off, that I had to learn to do it myself! And so the obsession was born...

I am a 25 year old college student. (I also work full time.) I am working toward a degree in business. I have SO many different interests in my life, that I feel business is the most all encompassing major I could devote 4 years to. Hopefully, it will cover anything I plan to do after I graduate ~ open my own yarn shop, run a gym/spa/yoga center/garden center/bookstore, work at a marketing company, whatever.

What's on the needles?

I'm currently working on the houglass sweater from 'Last Minute Knitted Gifts.' This is my very first sweater and it is nearly finished! I had some sleeve attachment issues, but with the help of Jessica I was able to overcome them. Thanks so much Jessica!! So now, I'm finishing up the neckline and have about 1/2 a skein left. I'm getting a bit nervous about the lack of yarn, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Elann doesn't carry the beautiful Brandy Orange that I'm using for my sweater, so I'll have to find a similar color to do the hemming with, if I happen to run out. I'm sure the hemming part will take a longer than I want it to, but I know better than to rush hemming! (My shrug in que to be frogged can atest to that!)

Here's an interesting article about Starbucks. I really like the lil bit o' psychology they slipped in there. I can totally relate, although my experience is with Joe Muggs in BAM. I'm betting that a lot of other bloggers out there can too!

Namaste

2005-02-27T08:59:00.000-06:00

Welcome to yarn yoga. Yarn yoga is about helping yarn reach samadhi. Samadhi is the absence of thoughs ~ no more wondering what it will be when it grows up. Samadhi is a pure state in which the yarn is it's destiny and can be fully content.

I am very much into yoga and am very much into knitting. Yarn yoga is the perfect combination of the two. I hope to share my journey with you and that you find it as enjoyable as I do.

Yarn yoga.. helping yarn find it's peace everywhere. :)