Friday, January 22, 2010

A Fine Day's Work

gooddayswork.jpg

That's a bobbin of Dyeing for Color's pencil rovings in miscellaneous greens and greys and Freckle Face Fiber's superwash merino roving in an unnamed colorway that I think of as something like "cloudy sunset in eastern Pennsylvania" or "red roan mare".

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Episode 73 is Live!

Hermione Grizzly

HEY! It's Hermione Grizzy! (My 2nd bear for Mother Bear.)

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map!



What's On My Hook/Needles/Spindle: I'm now done my 2nd bear for The Mother Bear Project CAL/KAL--Hermione Grizzly in the picture above.

Post a picture of your bear right here as a comment or here at Ravelry.

The CogKNITIve Meet-up at STITCHES WEST will be at 3 PM on Saturday at Booth 111--the Mother Bear Project booth.
Bring your bear to turn in OR
bring old yarn or needles or hooks to donate OR
bring $5. for the pattern OR
bring $10 to sponsor someone else's bear and have your name put on it.

If nothing else, bring nothing, pay nothing, get love from Dr Gemma for even showing up, and take a brochure to give to your local knitting group to inspire them to make bears.

Just COME! Bring YOURSELF and get a warm hug!
Slow crawl on my adult bamboo-blend socks.

Dizzy Blonde: Plying (OR: How do you spell N-E-E-D-P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E).

Strategy: Never forget: what goes around, comes around,and Kharma is a very real force in this world, whatever your particular faith calls it.



Something I Really Like: More new podcasts: The Knitting Show, and Yarns From the Plain, and an old friend: Knitting Rose Did I mention that ChrissytheGreat is a person I really like? And let's not forget KnitGifts.com, who sent me a gift of lovely cards through Gigi.



Blather: New and better hours at work, no more teaching, a new dishwasher, Creative Pursuits, and coaxing Lexicom into doing her fantastic podcast. Ah, and I get 2 weeks off around Stitches West!




CogKNITive Fiber Retreat:
probably in Tehachapi again.
Still looking for a place that might be a little larger than last year's, planning to give preference to people who came last year, probably going to charge slightly more than last year (but still tying to keep things as inexpensive as possible), and lining up classes.

Early possibilities: Navajo spindling, Tunisian crochet, entrelac (Nathan? did I mention...?), 2-at-atime-toe-up socks==how to cast on, fiber preparation, fitting your knit/crochetware. And the same excellent line-up of vendors plus Carolina Homespun.

No fixed date yet, but probably the 2nd week of October.

IDEAS WELCOME!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

And here's another map

Where I've been in the States:


visited 49 states (98%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Places I've been!

How's this for a cool web toy?


visited 18 states (8%)
Create your own visited map of The World

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Episode 72 is Live!



LOOK! A bear in New Zealand by Knitopotamus!

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map!



What's On My Hook/Needles/Spindle: I'm almost done my first bear for The Mother Bear Project CAL/KAL.

See the previous entry (Episode 71) for details

Post a picture of your bear right here as a comment or here at Ravelry.

cahmere.jpg

Look what Straphanging donated as yet another prize for this KAL/CAL--1600 yards of cashmere lace-weight!

The CogKNITIve Meet-up at STITCHES WEST will be at 3 PM on Saturday at Booth 111--the Mother Bear Project booth.
Bring your bear to turn in OR
bring old yarn or needles or hooks to donate OR
bring $5. for the pattern OR
bring $10 to sponsor someone else's bear and have your name put on it.

If nothing else, bring nothing, pay nothing, get love from Dr Gemma for even showing up, and take a brochure to give to your local knitting group to inspire them to make bears.

Just COME! Bring YOURSELF and get a warm hug!

I'm exactly at the same place on all my other projects! ARG!!! No knitting time!

Dizzy Blonde: We had a lovely spinning get-together at the home of the lovely Libertyknits, and I tried out some SW merino from Freckleface Fibers of Etsy and the last CogKnitive Fiber Retreat fame.

Strategy: When in doubt, consult.



Something I Really Like: Some new podcasts: Jewish Diva Diaries, The Knitting Show, and Yarns From the Plains



Blather: Different yard, different responses to the holidays. And a little paranoia circulates in the housing unit this week.



Stay tuned for details of the next CogKNITive Fiber Retreat! Planning has begun!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Episode 71 is Live!

Our 3rd bear by RJHUGGZ

Post a picture of your bear right here as a comment or here at Ravelry.

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map!



Our 2nd bear by GRANDMAJEAN

What's On My Hook/Needles/Spindle: The Mother Bear Project CAL/KAL has begun! Roll your cursor over each bear here to see the name of its fabulous creator.

HERE ARE SOME DETAILS:

**Use the instructions from one of the links below to knit or crochet a bear for the Mother Bear Project.**

Details and donations buttons (you can get the pattern by giving $5 and emailing them that you'd like the pattern)

Various links to the (free) patterns available:

Knitted bear

Crocheted bear

Bear knitted in the round and also here.

The wonderful book, Knitting For Peace by Betty Christiansen

**The CAL/KAL starts Jan 1st, officially, and it stops when I am done at least one bear!**

**One entry for the yarny wonderful prize per bear knitted or crocheted!**

Get out those scraps and warm up those hooks and/or needles! **You can publish your pics in January right here!!**

**Send completed bears with $3.00** to cover cost of postage for shipping to Africa to:

Mother Bear Project
P.O. Box 62188
Minneapolis, MN 55426

Volunteers will sew a red felt heart onto your bear's chest. If you did not buy a tag from them, volunteers will also fill out one for you, with your name or anyone's name you suggest on it, to be attached to your bear.

**These bears are meant to be personal, so each child will know the name of a person who loves them and is thinking of them!**

Our first bear by THREADBUNNY

I'm heading up the cuff of the first of my Not More Socks in a bamboo blend. Still not moving on the Eliina Shawl.



Strategy: Give from your abundance as a way of expressing joy in the New Year.


Something I Really Like: Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen



Blather: How the Lendrum landed, eating at Hobees in Palo Alto one more time, and a chat with Gigi of The Knitmore Girls.



Stay tuned for details of the next CogKNITive Fiber Retreat! Planning has begun!