Pretty, pretty Lace

Criminal Minds Mystery KAL Nov2010 finished, originally uploaded by tagin.

So, I am a bit behind with posting and my knitting/weaving. Friday night was a bust as I was sick with a sinus cold. I am working on the latest Criminal Minds mystery knit called Theodora. This is a group on Ravelry that are fans of the show and follow along with mystery knitting projects. It's fun and I love the moderator's designs. This photo is of the first mystery (untitled). I love the pattern and the shawl has a lot of texture. The current mystery is a neck thing...maybe I will get a picture tomorrow. Next up for March is color work...yep, color work (almost as scary as one of those Criminal Minds serial killers...)

twill towels...back on line

twill towels, originally uploaded by tagin.

So I'm trying to get this back up from the iPad. Lots going on...I have 3 mystery KAL going and started weaving again. Recovering from surgery was a bear, but the nerve is healing. One project I am excited about is the Cotlin towels. This is a pattern from WEBS called 4-Shaft Twill Towels by Leslie Ann Bestor and uses 8/2 natural cotton for warp and 8/2 Cotton-linin (here in willow green) for weft. I still am having warping issues and, compounded by the sticky cotton, setting this up was a pain. But I am very happy with the weaving...my beating is more even and the shed is clean. I love this pattern and it is fairly easy to memorize. So i am off to do some knitting and watch a DVR episode of Criminal Minds. Here is a picture of the towels in progress. (at least I hope...trying this from flickr)

The gadget queen

Testing this using my brand-new iPad! I have been busy, busy, busy...took a class today on indigo dying and also a weaving class. Loads of fun! On the fiber front, socks are on the needles as well as a shawl knit-along. I am really behind with the shawl. More later. For the socks, the color is Mad Scientist and the yarn 8 Bells by Studio June...I think this is my new "go to" sock yarn!

Well...it look like I need to have my photos on the iPad to load, this must be a flickr issue.

So, here is Mad Scientist..

"And Now for Something Completly Different..."

Well, it has been a while and I am not starting up with knitting or weaving. Needless to say, there is some of that going on... the shibori scarf is not yet finished, but socks are and I have started a lace kimono. When I get around to extracting photos from my camera I will post. So, in place of knitting et al, I will briefly discuss Alice in Wonderland... what you say-- yes it is movie critic time! First off, let me start out by stating how much I LOVE Time Burton and Johnny Depp-- these two can do no wrong in my book. TB's latest is no exception. Alice is fantastic... and very different from the other 3D phenom "Avatar". I have read a few blogs trashing one or the other-- people, you can like both movies- it is really ok. They are movies, not hockey teams (not like a replay of USA vs Canada!). I loved both movies - they are very different and that is ok too.

So back to Alice- The movie takes place ~15 years after Alice was originally in Wonderland (or as it was pointed out, the real name is Underland. When we meet "teen Alice" we get the sense she is a bit stubborn and independent, but faces difficult decision to do what is expected (marry the local Lord and secure her family's position lost with her father's death) or not. At the engagement party, Alice sees the White Rabbit and sets off... well, we know what happens next (down the rabbit hole). I won't give up much more, but all of the wonderful characters are back. Unfortunately, in the years since Alice left the Red Queen has laid waste to Underland and rules through terror and fear. The White Rabbit was dispatched to bring Alice back to save them- as predicted in the compendium scroll and explained by the Caterpillar (can't remember his name). Alice has other ideas, she is not to be bossed and selects her own path- exactly what was needed in the end. It is a case of "doing what is right over doing what is expected". I look at this movie as a story on Girl Power- Alice bucks the system and does things on her own terms (not the norm for the time) and becomes a strong and independent woman in the process. I found it interesting that Alice and her world is very pale (whites and very pale colors) while Underland is vibrant (the pale Upperland sets this up perfectly)- even Alice looks pale and washed out until she is in Underland and returns.

Depp is wonderful - but sometimes his manic Hatter is hard to follow (on purpose)- I noticed he used different voices depending on the mood he is trying to convey (lispy at the tea party and converting to a thick Scottish accent like the March Hare when he is serious). The March Hare is a hoot, and the Red Queen (Helena B. Carter) almost steals the show. My favorite is the Cat- some of the best CGI in the film. Although it is intense in some parts, for young'un raised on Harry Potter, this is tame (the fight with the Jabberwoky may be a bit frightening).

I recommend this movie (3.5 out of 4 stars)- I did see this in 3D but I think 2D would be fine. I think I may have to read the original - I am surprised this was one of the books missed in my childhood.

New Toy, New Toy, New Toy!

Back again! Christmas was really busy, with work to finish and presents to buy and traveling to visit with family and friends. This year was pretty crazy, so I decided to treat myself with a new toy. I love knitting and spinning, but I also find weaving quite beautiful, especially after purchasing a beautiful silk wrap at the local weaver's guild show. So, I decided that Santa (me) could get me a loom for Christmas. After some searching, I decided on a Ashford Knitters Loom (20 inch). This is a "portable" loom, but I am not sure how easy is is to weave without a table! I decided on the larger loom to add the flexibility of doing wraps, table runners, etc. The first attempt at warping (the yarn that runs lengh-wise) was a disaster- it took 3 tries to get it set up, but I was done in under 1 hr. For my first project, I decide to try a simple scarf in Ohio State colors- partly because I had planned to give this as a gift and the yarn is easy to work with (plus I am a Buckeye fan, even though they will likely get stomped on in the Rose Bowl!). Anyway, the warp in is Cascade Wool 220 in Grey, and the weft is in Cascade Wool 220 Red. The dent (reed) used in 7.5, which comes with the loom. I finished this in under 3 hrs, and decided I hate doing fringe! I did have issues with the edges, too tight and sloppy, but overall not bad for my first. I think my beating is also a bit uneven, but I am sure it will be better. The final scarf is 5 1/2 by 64 (with fringe). I really enjoyed working on this, and it was a nice change to have a finished product in a few hours. Maybe I will try cotton next. I have it up on Ravelry if interested: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/tagin/ohio-state-scarf-1st-weaving-project-12-09state-scarf-1st-weaving-project-12-09

Yuck

Another dreary day in Kalamazoo- it is foggy and overcast today, but at least it is not snowing. I heard a rumor there is a possibility of snow next week. So, on that note, here a a picture of my tulips from last spring. At least spring will eventually get here.

I got a new camera last week and need to get everything set up do download pictures. I want to set the library up on an external drive to save memory, so it will take some time to get things in order between the two computers. On the knitting front, the Colonnade from Fall '09 Knitty (knitty.com) is coming along, I am about 1/2 done. More on that project next time. I will try to get pictures with the new camera this weekend. The Entwined shawl is further than this, but this is all that I have for now. I am using Moochi Plus from Crystal Palace. I want to love this yarn, but at times it is frustrating. This yarn is a single ply, so you expect there to be think and thin parts due to the twist. but there are stretches of this yarn that is just too thin followed by un-twisted areas... in addition, the green dye comes off in my hands. It wouldn't be so bad if the thin was a bit "less thin". Also, some of the color runs are inconsistent in length. Again, I don't hate the yarn but it was not a good pick for this project. I am ready to get this projects off the needle and start a lace project. I also need to select a mindless project for travel and meetings. maybe I should try to finish my Mini Moochi socks!

Happy November

So, I have been getting a lot of ribbing because the blog has not been updated in a while. Well. life, computers, camera issues and such was just getting in the way. I will try to be better! It is overcast today... I ventured out to town to run a few errands- I have to remember not to go to Toys R Us on a Sunday ever again! It amazes me how ill-behaved most kids are (my mom is convinced it is because parents don't spank any more-- I remember smack to the rear got my attention!). Anyway, I thought I would share a beautiful photo of a couple of angels...This is a photo of my friend Traci's beautiful kids, Addy and Kaden. What does this have to do with knitting you say? Well, Kaden is wearing a sweater made my me! This was the second baby item that I made- not too bad. The pattern is "Baby Blueberry Cardigan" by Elizabeth Smith (Free on Ravelry, Blogger link http://thebrownstitch.com/2009/02/baby-blueberry-cardigan.html). I made it as the pattern except I used Cascade 220 in brown. This was a wonderful yarn to work with.

As for other projects, there are many WIPS: Entwined Shawl, Wrap-me-up wrap and Colonnade. More on these later. Oh, and if I was not busy enough, I have started to Spin!