Purls Beyond Price

Full of Bees

Nathania Apple -- [adjective]: Full of bees 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I saw this over on Stephannie's blog and couldn't resist. Especially when it came up with such an appropriate response!

Still working on putting together the FOto shoot, but honestly, the heat has about killed all the motivation in me. Sandi and I worked out the details of installing AC at the shop, though, and by sometime next week we'll be chillin'. Not a minute too soon.

Since it's too hot to think, I cast on another new no-brainer project, the Pinwheel Afghan from Oat Couture. We ordered some beautiful Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Happy Valley back at TNNA. It's knitting up beautifully. Stockinette, short rows and sawtooth edging - just the thing for my weary brain and my first knitting for the baby!

Sad Lack of FOtos

So I've been knitting. Rather prolifically, actually, after the hiccup of anti-motivation that accompanied the first trimester. I've even finished some things, but I haven't taken the time to photograph them. I'm hoping for some time for a photoshoot later this week. Until then you'll have to be content with WIPs.

The return of my knitting mojo has given me a serious case of startitis, but I made myself wait to cast this project on until I had finished another one. This is Glade from last fall's Rowan Magazine. I picked out the yarn when the magazine first came out, but it languished in the stash while other projects took priority. I finally saw the grand scheme of things when I pulled it back out. I was waiting for this season's colors of Kid Silk Night to arrive. It's a simple A-line pullover knit in a garter stitch chevron pattern in three colors of the Kid Silk Night and three colorways of Tapestry. This is the complete stripe sequence which will be repeated throughout.

I cast on a Chevron Scarf (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts) after seeing Jeni's at Cindy's birthday party. It's two colorways of Socks That Rock Lightweight. Moonlight Revel is on the left and Barney Rubble on the right. I love the instantly memorizable repeat and the way that the colors play off each other. Eventually this will be a sample for the shop.

Meanwhile, the length of the WIP list was getting me down, so I decided to pick up some long-languishing projects to move them a little further toward completion. I have to admit that Ravelry is in great part responsible for getting my ass in gear to work on this stuff. My workbook is filled with projects less than 50% complete. So out came the Nordic Fair Isle Mittens. I did the corrugated ribbing of the cuff on dpns, but remembered as I transitioned to the hand section why I hate doing fair isle on dpns. I promptly switched to 2 circs and anticipate that my tension will be much more even now. And can I just say how much corrugated ribbing rocks?!

Speaking of things that rock... the latest edition of the Rockin' Sock Club came in last week. JC Briar's pattern looks to be a fun and easy knit and the colorway is very pretty. Perhaps I'll even get them cast on before the next package arrives.

It's easy to be excited about socks these days. We were pleased to host a book signing with Cat Bordhi for her latest book: New Pathways for Sock Knitters. We had a record turnout and Cat seemed very at home in our shop. She held lots of babies and signed loads of books. Many of our favorite people were there to greet her. It was an absolute joy!

School started for the girls this morning, but they had other things on their minds this weekend as they prepared for another horse show. This was Karin's first time ever competing in the jumping classes and she was beyond thrilled when she placed 6th in the Hunter Hack class. She and Freckles racked up a 3rd place and two more 6th place ribbons over the course of the show.

Kaelyn's looking like a pro in competition. She's been working really hard all summer to improve her skills and they paid off at the show. When her favorite horse, Paint, came up lame just a couple of weeks before the show, she chose Pebbles, whom she hasn't ridden in over a year, as his replacement. She only had a week to train on Pebbles, but she's become a very adaptable rider and rode her to three 1st place finishes.

Though this morning came early, we're back in the swing of the school year and looking forward to new adventures in 4th and 7th grades. Karin has a new teacher for the first time since 1st grade and came home with a glowing review of her first day. She really likes her new teacher and already made a new friend in her class. Kaelyn is a bit overwhelmed by the 7th grade schedule, but was excited to return to her friends. She's in a bit of a dilemma having to chose electives - it's a close race between art and orchestra. I'm just amazed to look up and realize how far they've come since they were teeny like the little one nestled deep in my belly. They're growing into beautiful young women and I am so proud of them.

Make It Pink!

Yesterday was the big day. Kevin and I went to Stanford for our Level II Ultrasound, the one that ensures that the baby is developing properly and we could finally know the gender of the baby. Everything is perfect so far; the baby is healthy, reaching all the developmental benchmarks, and squirming around like mad. We were also able to see that she's a she! That's right, we're expecting a baby girl!

I was so excited that I insisted we go out to buy something for her. We found a darling little Classic Pooh outfit and matching blanket at Target.

This morning I made a foray to The Granary, my favorite quilt shop, to pick out fabric for the baby's quilt. I fell in love with the "Baby Framed" quilt (designed by Threads on the Floor) I saw there the last time I was in to visit Paula and Susan. The print with the animals will be the center squares, the large floral is the border and the rest are all accents. It's a lovely, simple design and shouldn't take long to complete once I get all the pieces cut out. I'm finding the desire to quilt gripping me again and I can't wait to get back to my sewing machine. Especially to make quilts for my new little someone special!

Serenity Born of Chaos

Much of the space I inhabit mirrors the state of my mind. Everywhere I turn things seem crowded, disorganized, neglected and ill at ease in their scattered resting places. The past few months of limited energy and near constant nausea have taken their toll on my personal space and I've grown increasingly agitated and restless as undone tasks pile up and the house sinks deeper into chaos.

Perhaps it is the nesting instinct due to the pregnancy hormones, or the fact that for the first time in months I have the house wholly to myself while the kids and Kevin are all out of town, that fuels the urgency to do something about the creeping disorder. I returned home this evening after attending a lovely birthday party for Cindy and bent myself to the task of clearing unnecessary stuff out of the bedroom. There was more yarn than you can believe lurking in bizarre places. Ravelry has given me the impetus to gather all my UFOs and WIPs into one place so I can catalog them and make hard decisions about what needs attention to reach completion and what needs to be frogged and rededicated to the stash. There were piles of books that need to be reshelved or gotten rid of. Soon I will get to the overflowing drawers, shelves and closets of clothes to decide what needs to be close to hand during the pregnancy, what needs to go into short term storage and what needs to be donated. While I'm a long way from getting the bedroom restored to a place of calmness and relaxation, I have a deep sense of peace at having begun the process and seen the changes that I have already wrought.

Say A Little Prayer

And then say another one. Some of you know that my dear friend and business partner Chloe has gone in for another round of surgery. She's at home now recovering, but expected to be out for the next several weeks. I got word today that another beloved comrade, Amy, is scheduled for gallbladder removal tomorrow at noon EDT. I'm so glad she made it home to her hub before exploding. It's never any fun to be ill while you're on the road. Please, please keep good thoughts for both of these beautiful and amazing women who mean so much in my life. And while you're at it, say a little prayer for yourself too and stay well.

Artfibers

Bringing a knitter to Artfibers for the first time is like bringing a pilgrim to Mecca. The shop is a riot of colors, textures and possibilities, all in glorious cones of yarn. Of course Amy had never been, but neither had Chloe. It was well worth the drive just to watch their eyes light up when we walked through the door. Amy could hardly contain her excitement at all the luscious silk!

Chloe found some gorgeous laceweight silk/mohair and fell in love. Look at that happy face! We wandered about for a bit and then settled in at the Yarn Tasting™ lounge by the windows overlooking Sutter St. We each sampled at least a couple different yarns. I swatched some Golden Siam in a lovely dark teal, Hana in a bronzy chocolate brown, and finally Ming in a deep raisiny, plummy brown. The Ming was the clear winner. They didn't have enough in stock for the sweater I want to knit, but I ordered three cones which will arrive in 2-3 weeks.

Sandi found a gorgeous lavender, pink silk mohair blend for a sweater for herself. Amy had Kira draw up a pattern for a coat after selecting some delectable brushed silk. And then our friend Kathy arrived to join us! The whole Artfibers experience was nothing short of delightful and we walked out as if on clouds.

We made our way around the corner to Café de la Presse, on Sandi's suggestion. We'd been at Artfibers for well over 3 hours and we were all ravenous in our post-SEX (Stash Enhancement eXperience for the uninitiated) glow. Amy documented our purchases and then we tucked in to a delicious lunch.

Fortified, we made our way across the street, through the gateway to Chinatown. I hadn't been there in years and we all enjoyed the window shopping. We stopped in at a few places, oooohed and aaaaahed over strands of pearls and semiprecious beads, silk slippers and purses, mock jade sculptures and cloisinné boxes. Sandi broke down and bought a rolling tote bag to carry our yarn in (we're pretty sure it will come in handy at TNNA) and we managed to stuff most of our things into it.

Amy was hankering for some Ghirardelli chocolate, so we went back to the car and drove to Ghirardelli Square. We found rock star parking and soon were nestled into a booth with gigantic ice cream sundaes. Oh the joy! The air is heavy with the scent of chocolate and we were all like giddy school girls. We nearly all went into sugar coma, but we managed a stroll around the square and then it was back to the car to take Amy to the airport.

There were many hugs and promises of another trip soon. And then she was gone. We had an amazing time and won't soon forget the fabulous memories we created on this visit. We miss you already, Amy!