Nighteh-night!

MMMMMM! Kitteh likee teh yarns!

That is 6 skeins of Cascade 220 for Sweater #2....Vebjoerg by Elsebeth Lavold.....I think I have skein winding in my immediate future.  I wonder if I can chain the boy-child to the ball winder and get him to do it.

Veni Vici Finite

You know how sometimes you go into the yarn store and there is yarn that calls to you.

....ceallach, ceallach, you know you want me....take me...

And mostly you ignore it. Until finally one day, the siren call gets to you....and the yarn comes home with you?.

....ah, it feels so good....

That's what happened with this yarn.

.....just like that....

It came home with me and I admired it. I put it on the shelf in my textile corner, and looked at it for a good while. But the siren song continues.

...take me, i'm yours....

Until finally you cast on, not even knowing what you are doing. It's just getting it on the needles. And it's really good even with the uncertainty.

.....just like that....

and you keep knitting, just hoping that inspiration will strike.

...you know you want to....

And then it does, and you start to knit in earnest to get the pattern right. And then it's right and the going gets good.

.....oh, that's really good....

Until you weigh in. And you realize that the everlasting skein of Jojoland Harmony really is everlasting, because you have been knitting forever and have not even gotten halfway through the skein.

....oh, my.....

And finally after a little time away from each other, you knit on it again and decide that you don't really need to knit the entire skein up, because really the shawl that you have created is good-sized. And so you mix it up...change the pattern and carry on.

...i am sooo close....

And then you cast off. It takes all night, but you persevere.

cigarette?

And you wash the shawl and lovingly block it before going to bed. Just you and the shawl alone on the living room rug.

...it hurts so good....

And the next morning you wake up and take up the pins and try the shawl on.

ahhhhh

Yeah, it's like that.

Fresh outta the dye pots!

Fresh out of the dye pot!

This is a new yarn, which does not yet have a name---it's 125 yards per approximately 100g skeins.... The latest lace colors, although the pics are not so great....some of these are the tried and true colors, like Tanzanite Mist, Recycled Bricks and Mystical Forest. And some more!

Knitting and Dyeing

The circular shawl is done, finally, here it is blocking.....It is actually dry as of this morning, but I am going to leave it there on a late timeout. I think that it will be called Waterlily, because it's kind of shaped that way. It will be a free pattern with a purchase of Ceallach Dyes Lace at Stitches West, so see Hollis Bischoff at the Full Thread Ahead booths-numbers 621, 623, 720, 722. This shawl is knit with the Lace Gradations colorway called the Blues.

Gradations is a new type of Lace, where there are actually three skeins of lace semisolids in a gradated scale. The idea is that the knitter can use them for stripes, a gradation or whatever they like. Look for more patterns using the Lace Gradations.
Here is the latest yarn emerging from the dyeing process, waiting to be skeined. I will be a skeining fool this weekend. And finally some of the new colors here at Ceallach Dyes. See you at Stitches.

Happy Bicentennial!

Happy Bicentennial to me!
Happy Bicentennial to me!

Happy 200 posts to me!

And many more......

Yes, folks, this is my 200th post on this blog. Lots of posts, lots of projects, and hopefully a lot more to come.

So I don't have pictures on me right now, but wanted to post and give an update on what's been going on with me anyway.

I have finished the knitting for the Mandrake shawl/poncho, which is going to be a pattern for inclusion with yarn purchases over at Ceallach Dyes. The yarn used is Twist, and I knit it up in the colorway Moon over Mandrake, thus the name Mandrake. I say shawl or poncho because I plan to take pics as both, for those who don't like ponchos. It could also be a convertible shawl, which are fun and fabulous, but I need to figure out the fasteners for that. The knitting is done, I blocked the piece yesty, and now have photos and finishing to do, and then more photos, before actually writing the pattern. This pattern will be fairly easy, for the newer knitter and uses only one skein of Twist.

You may remember that I also recently got a bunch of DB Cotton Angora on sale at a local yarn store. Well the knitting is also done on that. It is going to be a vest, and I have the three pieces of the vest complete, and have crocheted some granny squares for the side pieces under the arm. My plan is to crochet around the edges, as since the vest is machine knit, it tends to roll a bit more than hand knit stockinette. So the granny squares are done for the sides, and I sewed one row of them onto the vest last night, and the other row for the other side may get done tonight, allowing me to put the rest together and start the rest of the crochet for the vest.

Let's see, what else is underway?

The Airisu tank is underway as well, and just past or at the halfway mark, meaning I have 5 of 10 balls knit, but am unsure if I will knit all 10 into the tank. I switched to a 1x1 rib just below the bust of the tank, which I am liking the drape of, and may very well do that all the way down the tank, splitting into vents just above the hip. This is what I love about doing your own patterns, is that ability to change and adjust as you like. I probably should go ahead and sew the shoulder seams, put it on waste yarn and check the fit and flatter of the tank before I continue.

I am also preparing sample kits for retails stores of the Ceallach Dyes yarn line, so if you are reading this and would like a sample kit of the yarn line for your yarn shop, please drop me a wholesale inquiry.

I think that is all for now.

Ta Ta for now.

How does my garden grow?

I have been very busy lately between work, class and the family. Sadly, the family is losing out in that equation, but I have provided negative feedback to the class, based on the instructor's caution to the class to conduct no business on the internet, because it's not safe.

Luddite.

Anyway, I slammed out my plan, and they will arrange for it to be reviewed by one or two consultants on staff with respect to the class, and I will no longer attend the class, as it is a patent waste of my time. Mind you, The Rock thinks that I should stick it out, because there might be something that I could learn from it. But then everyone else that I know wants to know why I am still in the class.

So the plan is almost complete, I have another couple of hours to put into it on sections that mostly just don't apply to my model, size and concept, and then it will be DONE....and I drop it off on Monday for them to review. Finito.

But meanwhile, my garden has been growing, I have completed a pair of socks and a shawl in the aforementioned timewaster. Thank God for sticks and string! And I thought that I would post some pics of the plants growing in my yard for all to see.

Here we have the pima cotton that grew in, this plant is about 7 weeks old. Something has been eating it as you can see, but there is no apparent insects, and we have very few rabbits and the like that might eat plants. Now you should know that commercial white cotton is kept that way by draconian genetic, insect, fertilizer and other controls, is one of the most expensive crops on earth in terms of the cost of water, to the environment and chemically. You can see why, no? This little plant is not so hardy, yes?

And here we have some brown cotton from seeds acquired clandestinely on the internet. This plant is a little more than 3-4 weeks old. Look how healthy it looks, more hardy, and it's brown cotton, so has the added bonus of being more natural than the other. Of course, it's in a pot about 6 feet from the pima, one would think that what's eatin the pima would be going for this, but no! Amazing how Mother Nature takes care of her own. As for the rest, not so much.
Radishes, that have not been thinned yet. The only person that eats radishes in my house, is The Rock. I throw some seeds in each year, just so he can have some spice in his life. Of course, he would much prefer the peppers, but I have not been so successful with those here.


Meet the peas....also in need of thinning. You can't see it in the photo, but just above the wood there is a chicken wire fence that the wee peas will climb up once they get big enough.
Beans, beans, the musical fruit..... What was I thinking? I have 3 pots of beans....and well they is going gangbusters.....also needing thinning.
Last year's calendulas are exploding. I need to strip the heads and brew me some sun tea to dye with. Maybe tomorrow.
Here is a mystery. I think I put linen seeds in the side bed, and they were last years' seed, did not get water for a bit, and well the bed is in bad condition. And I have this growing there....well actually the mint is coming back too, but this is my concern. This could maybe be flax, but I don't think so. I think it's a mysterious noxious weedy thing.

So bumble fee, if you see this and your flax is looking like this, do tell, aye?

If'n it is flax, it's not doing well, as the plant is laying down, not erect like one would expect of flax.
Here is the peach tree that volunteered in a strange place a few years ago. Do you know that this peach tree, which The Rock swore three ways from Sunday would never produce, threw on oodles of small sweet peaches that were well enjoyed by all? Last year was a bust due to leaf curl, but as you can see, looks to be a peach pie year, weather willing!
So that's the garden....

Now for something completely different. I have been going through my clothes to pull out the ones not getting any action, and in that lot was this vest that was too long for flattery, and too plain by far. Take a look at it now! That is shisha mirrors and some trim that I picked up somewhere. I still have a bit of sewing to do, but it's done with respect to the look....just finish work left.

First the detail. Oohs and ahhhs are appreciated, of course.

And the total look!
I also recycled some jeans into the yoke for a linen skirt, quick and easy. I did not take pics of that yet.

On the yarn front, I am wrapping up the adagio shawl from Candace Eisner Strick. I have to say though that the pattern has left me with alot of leftover yarn, which I hate.....I may knit it up into a scarf or something like that, just to use it up.

On the dyeing front, my yarns are up on the Ceallach Dyes storefront. Take a look and place your orders, because this yarn is going to disappear before you know it! There are still some yarns that need to be photographed and posted, but there is a lot to see right now.

Look forward to hearing from you

Dyeing up a storm

I have been dyeing up a storm, in my abundant free time. I thought I would share the results of the dyeing with you!

Some sock yarn....






Some cotton fingering weight....

Some silk matka....also fingering weight.

Latest S.E.X

Many of you know by now that I tend to buy yarn at either events or while travelling. I am just weird that way.

You may also know that I was recently in Skandahuvia, which is prime country for S.E.X. For all that these countries are thought to be very expensive, their yarn prices are quite good. If you go to the right place.

The first acquisition is a Mermaid kit from Sommerfuglen in Copenhagen. The picture here is of the finished article. I have the yarn as well, but the photo has gone AWOK (Absent WithOut Knitting). It should be noted though that I paid something like 40% of US MSRP for this, by getting it in Copenhagen.

Next is some mercerized cotton that I got for like 3 bucks each that I plan to knit a shell with. It's wanting feather and fan, but that may change. This is from Strikke in Gothenburg.

Here is some yarn that I got at a yarn store that I stumbled across called Sypus. I got two skeins for the price of one skein at SommerFuglen, but did not get the 25% VAT back because Sypus does not participate in the program. Regardless, I still came out ahead. Some linen picked up at Strikke in Gothenburg. I plan to make a summer poncho with it. And some Garnstudio sock yarn that was like 2.75 USD. Honest.

And that is the way it is folks.

But while doing this shopping, it occurred to me that maybe I should write an article on yarn shopping while on the road. I actually have a good part of it written in my head, but need to get it down on paper....Let me know if you think that is a good idea.