Le Massif

A mitered placket.















Carefully bound facings:
















A grievous error in the form of a loop of yarn I failed to catch completely.


(But we'll just blame that on the cat.)

Without further ado, I give you:






Le Massif.

Don't know what the translation of Le Massif is. KJF? Can you help here?

Le Massif by Dale (dah LAY) of Norway design team
Knit Picks Telemark, 100% wool.

From Vicious

Hello, my name is Vicious, Vish, and Vichyssoise.

Mom has been working on several projects. I help by trying to pick up the cat, hitting my big brother, and (my favorite) begging her to let me do a craft (she's a total pushover for wanting me to "explore my creativity" but I just like making a mess).

Saturday night, she got tired of working on bits and pieces so she decided to start and finish something.



And I got a new hat out of the deal.

I really like my new hat and as soon as she finished it (Sunday morning) I put it on and wore it the rest of the day. Except when I took it off to hide it next to the computer (she doesn't know about my facebook page).

I love my hat. The flaps keep my ears warm.



I do not love having my picture taken.

I'm a lot like my mom that way.

Peruvian Cap by Pam Allen
Noro Silk Garden (wool/silk) and Knit Picks Gloss (wool/silk)

You're Welcome

Ravelympians (and anyone else though I have no idea who you'd be), feel free to use my ring chart.



Anyone doing the rings in cables?

Bearing the Torch

Two and a half years ago I started and completed my Ravelympics 2008 project.

You can read of my shenanigans here.

During the general chaos of convincing my self repeatedly I-have-plenty-of-time-I'll-never-finish-on-time-yes-I-will-no-I-won't I decided to add an Olympic tribute into my work:





I was prepared for the IOC to hunt me down for using their logo without permission. What I wasn't prepared for were the ensuing Ravelry comments. It seems several knitters were very fond of the idea. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more rings sprout up during this year's Ravelympics.

Which means, I feel obligated to exceed expectations this year. You know, because finishing an entire colorwork sweater (with sleeves) in 17 days isn't merit enough.

But I'm prepared:



No, it's not the Olympic ice-cream cone.

In Which I Take The Ginghers To My Knitting

I sewed my lifelines:



I sliced open my knitting:



Then I helped Yummy with his homework.

But what I really wanted to do is lie down in a dark room with a bottle glass of wine.

It's what Elizabeth Zimmerman would have prescribed.

Short Attention Span Crafting

Today's smoothie:

Kale and red leaf lettuce loosely packed to top of blender
2 cups water
1 cup frozen cherries

Kept it simple today.

You may notice I never use bananas. That's because I don't like them. Their texture creeps me out and they tend to give me a upset stomach. They may do magical things to smoothies but I'll get my potassium from avocados thank you very much.

On the creative front:

I swatched for my Ravelympics sweater and hit perfect gauge on the first try! Hitting gauge on the first attempt is good luck. Remind me I said that when I'm teaching my children new words on the day the torch goes out.


Knit Picks Gloss in Parsley and Porcini, wool/silk

I'm working on a pair of yoga socks because my yoga classroom is always freezing. I don't mind exercising in the cold, but my feet have been cramping.


ShiBui sock yarn, Some pattern that came up in Ravelry when I searched free yoga sock

For some reason that escapes me, I purchased this Santa car kit on clearance. I'm not crazy about cutesy things like this but my kiddos liked it. I figure if I work one piece a day, it will be finished by next Christmas.



This needlepoint kit came to me about 7 years ago. I figure if I embroider one strand a day it will get finished. Sound logic in theory.




Which is more productive? Doing a little bit on several projects or just doing one project through to completion?

For me, it depends on my...

...ooh look, something shiny.

Dale of Norway and Detox

Dale of Norway (it has been pointed out to me that it's pronounced DAH-lay but I still think of it as Dale because I'm American and it's the American way to mutilate cultural niceties) is blocking.* It has been blocking for three days. By the fireplace. Three days. You would think it would be dry by now. I'm waiting for the cat to sleep on it so I know it's ready to be sewn, cut, collared, placketed and zipped.

It looks like this still, only flatter:



My aren't we concerned about my green smoothies? Let me clarify.

I try valiantly to eat salads and fresh veggies but its a lot of work. I rarely make salads. I'm not proud of this, but there you go. If I make smoothies anyway (I tend to go through phases) why not toss in a handful of greens?

Today's smoothie:

Spinach loosely packed to the top of the blender
a few sprigs of cilantro and parsley
2 cups of water
1/4 small pineapple
4 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks

The 'detox' I'm experiencing is facial breakout. Whether from weather, hormones, stress or the sudden ability of my skin to push out the nasties, I was breaking out more than normal. I'm pleased to say my face is a bit clearer this week, though it still may be the weather, hormones or the moon aligning with Venus. My guess is it's the extra water.

I believe adequate fiber in your diet is the best way to cleanse the colon. As for internal cleansing, I think it's more of a healing thing. A plant based diet high in antioxidants is the best way to get your organs working properly. These smoothies provide both.

This is not a detox. This is not a cleanse. I'm making these smoothies to add more nutrients into my body. Sort of like a huge, slimy multivitamin except it smells nicer.

And I like them.

*Blocking for this sweater: I soaked it in body temp water with a little Eucalan wool wash for about 30 minutes, gently squeezed out most of the water, and patted it into shape on the carpet by the fireplace, which was turned on intermittently throughout the weekend. This both washes it and "sets" the stitches so they're more even.

Green Smoothies

Though it's not my New Year's Resolution per se, I have been challenging myself to drink 2-4 cups of green smoothie every day.

What on earth is a green smoothie? Glad you asked. My versions are basically your typical smoothie, with a handful of greens and no dairy. The greens are important (bet you could guess that by the name) but not nearly as important as finding a good blend of fruit that will mask that "green" flavor until you're used to drinking them.

The general principle is that you're letting the blender to a better job of breaking down the tough greens than your relatively weak jaws. So the nutrients (green leafies have more nutrients per calorie than any other food) are easily and thoroughly absorbed into your system.

Obviously, the more fruit you add, the more calories are instantly absorbed into your system as well. I'm adding quite a bit of fruit still, both to make the drink potable (the kids have been taking nips and I'm encouraging this) and because the smoothie has become my mid-day meal and I feel I need the calories so I don't crash an hour later and eat all the chocolate and cheese in sight.



This morning's offering includes parsley, kale, romaine, a blood orange, frozen cherries and strawberries. Sometimes I add a dollop of almond butter, especially if I worked out that day.



They're not the prettiest things in the world.

How do I feel? To be honest, not that different. But they're just as easy to make as any other meal so I'm going to extend my challange to a month and see what happens. From what I've heard, they tend to be detoxifying at first but then your skin starts to glow, your hair and nails grow like crazy and your energy levels skyrocket.

I guess I'm still in the detox mode.

Sasquatch

This last summer, my next door neighbor was bemoaning the fact that one of her 10 year old boys is wearing the same size shoes as her. I looked at my tall, gangly, 6yo Yummy with concern, and then looked at her tiny little feet and relaxed. I mean, how hard can it be for a boy to match his mom's size 6 or 7 foot?

I, on the other hand, have big feet (go ahead and mock them, I'll just look down on you from my towering heights as I easily reach the everyday dishes I store in the top shelf of my cabinets and notice your roots)(though I would never judge you for your roots because of the whole pot/kettle thing). It will be a long time before my kid can fit into my shoes.

Then again,



I may need to reconsider this sock knitting thing.

Or make sure some random photographer snaps a picture of us running through the woods of the Pacific Northwest.

Citius Altius Fortius

Well, the bustle, noise, confusion and general angst of the Holidays are past, with the exception of Valentine's and Easter but we won't discuss those. As soon as my charming children started back to school, I was able to turn the page of my mental calandar ("mental" in several senses of the word) and saw, to my shock, that the Olympics are just around the corner.

Which meant I needed to decide on my event for the Knitting Ravelympics.*

I chose this Crazy Cat Lady Sweater. Because if you are close enough to me to identify that the sweater is hundreds of tiny cats, you already know that the only thing that stopped me from becoming a crazy cat lady prematurely was falling in love with my Biology lab partner when I was 18.

And then discovering he was allergic to cats.

Now I am simply a slightly delusional, one cat owning, wife and mother...

...who thinks she can knit this entire sweater in two weeks.

Let the games begin!

*Choose a project that would be a challange for you to complete while the Olympics are on. Cast on during the opening ceremonies. Finish before the torch is out.

Do Not Open Until Next X-Mas

So...how are things?

I'm close to finishing this:



I've also placed an order for yarn to start my Christmas gifts for next year.

Because I've realized I can spread more love for less money if everyone just gets socks at Christmastime. Ski socks, yoga socks, dress socks, casual socks. Socks, socks, socks.

Remind me of this little delusion next December 23rd.