As Kat Knits…

Hello Everyone!

November is finished and December is all we have left in 2007. 

I don’t know about you but, to me, that hardly seems possible.

I need to get some Christmas decorations up - seriously, I need to crank it up a notch. 

I also need to put my family room back together - they just finished the “clean up” from the water down there - I had my carpets cleaned on Wednesday. 

I am a tad bit concerned about trees and cats.  Okay, maybe more than a tad bit concerned! 

I was going to post a photo of my carolers on my coffee table this morning - but, there was altogether too much interest from Noel and Maddie in being right in the midst of things.  I have a full day scheduled out of the house and common sense told me that there needs to be some cat supervision!!

Noel did not climb the tree last year at all - okay, she was rather small.  Her favorite thing was to sleep under the tree, hiding amongst the presents. 

I have a sinking feeling that she won’t be sleeping as much this year.

If any of you have any tried and true “cat proofing” techniques leave me a comment!!

On to something more interesting… like, perhaps, knitting!

Christmas knitting is rolling right along.  I got the heel turned last night on daughter #1’s sock.  Looking good!  I got the pattern figured out as well - well, the pattern in my head figured out - that is to say!  My “aha” knitting moment recently - I am more than capable of knitting socks without a pattern!!!  Okay - they are basic socks - and the basic sock recipe is an easy one to learn - but I have taken the basic sock and added some of my own unique twists to the pattern.   Thus, my new desire is to get some “stitch dictionaries” so I can expand my stitch knowledge!  I am putting these on my “wish list” for my children for Christmas!  

I showed off Anne Hanson’s “Snow on Cedars” Mitts at knitting last night - I absolutely love this pattern.  I am knitting a pair for my momma for Christmas as well.  I picked up some lovely INEXPENSIVE yarn from Friends of Wool - a great shade of heathered grey.  I have the pattern down almost to memory, and they are such a quick knit! 

Oh… and I was at Kim’s website this morning and I was so weak!!  I could not resist the lure buzz of the bees and before I knew it, this kit was on order!  Now, here is what I call some good karma - Kim and Anne Hanson have teamed up to create a truly gorgeous sock.  So, after my Christmas knitting is completed I shall soon be knitting me some french perfection for my feet!  I am sure that I will be in a “let them eat cake” mood sporting my Marie Antoinette Bee Socks! 

Okay, I better get moving on my day - have a great Friday everyone!!

Hello everyone!

Are you all getting in the spirit of the season?

Have you gotten out your Christmas music?

Is your tree up?

How about those Christmas cards???

Yesterday I focused on my Christmas knitting - and yes, I am knitting diligently away on my holiday projects! 

But, lest you all think that I am doing nothing else to prepare for the season - I have enlisted the assistance of Ann to help me create my holiday cards! 

As you can see, I have paper and stamps and I even have an idea of what I want to do…

All that is left is execution! 

So Ann, Blogless-Mary, and I will work on that part on Friday night!  I will even make a bit of dinner for us all. 

So, stay tuned for the creative genius to emerge!

And you should really go listen to Jingle Bells soon!  I know that Bing and Perry are coming to my house today! 

Hello Everyone!  Hope your Thanksgiving Holiday was filled with much to be thankful for!  

Now, with Christmas looming LARGE in front of me.  I have visions of knits dancing in my head!  Many visions of knits!!  You see, I have this stash that is coming in quite usefully right now! 

Who knew!! 

Hint to all knitters - don’t ever let anyone give you grief over the size of your stash. 

 Tell them that you are saving up for a “rainy day”. 

No job = stash knitting!  Very happy stash knitting too.

Now, on to the photo’s!

I did spin up some pencil roving I got from Friends of Wool.  This is some nice stuff!  Merino - and it is a dream to spin!  This was a crazy orange, red, yellow colorway - boy, this is just my colorway!   I got another bag of some great greens - this will become the Chevron Scarf from Weekend Knits - for me!!  My handspun, hand knit up!  This will not be started until after the Christmas knits are completed though!

Now, on to the Christmas knits!  Here is a simple sock pattern - very simple people!  Knit time - 2 days - not knitting all day either.  Maybe a total of 10 hours of knitting.  So, these will be for my son - I did an “eye of the partridge” heel for a little difference.  Nice?  I need to block them and they will be done.  Ends are all woven in as well!  Yarn:  Berrocco Ultra Alpaca, just over 1 skein.

Next up, daughter #2 socks!  She loves my socks - LOVES them!  Same basic sock pattern - with a small cable up the sides.  I will do a W/T heel on these to keep the cable pattern running smoothly along.  This is about an  hour of knitting time - just over 4 inches completed.  Yarn:  Berrocco Ultra Alpaca.  These are such nice cushy socks!  And, knitting on size 6’s is not all bad either. 

On to daughter #1 - daughter #2 saw this hat on the cover of IK Holiday Gifts - and promptly said - that hat looks like Rachel!  So, last night - I found the yarn online, ordered it, and I am hoping it arrives soon!  This will also be knit before Christmas! 

Other holiday knits on the horizon…

a “Holland” color hat for Sam…

socks for Rachel…

an assortment of mittens for Heidi, Sam, Rachel, and some of their friends who have placed their request…

The mitten book arrived yesterday at Friends of Wool. 

So, what are you all knitting for Christmas?????

Have a great day everyone!

Hello Everyone!

Are you traveling somewhere for Thanksgiving?  If you are - be careful in your travels, you will be traveling with the “masses” as all the news programs have told us. 

Also, as the newspaper informed me this morning, today is the “kick off” of the holiday party season - and the local police will be out in force tonight targeting druken drivers. 

Did you all know that Thanksgiving Eve was a night to party? 

It is one of the biggest nights for drunken driving. 

Really?!?

Okay, here is my question - aren’t they having Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow? 

Who is cooking? 

I can assure you that I cannot imagine heading to my local watering hole tonight - I have WAY to much work at home to do! 

Now, that is not saying I might not have a glass of wine as I talk with family while I am working on “turkey feast preparation”! 

I obviously live a sheltered life as I was clueless on this front page fact!

That being said - it is with a very thankful heart that I end today’s post with some of the things I am thankful for:

Rose and Ruby for being there and listening to me.  Also, for making me feel useful - it means more than you could ever know.

Mary and Ann for being such good friends. 

My children for the blessings they bring to my life.  And, they are blessings even with the challenges that teenagers bring! 

My parents - I am so very blessed that I still have my parents - many friends no longer do, and I am thankful I still have mine here.

This blogging community and the friends I have found through it. 

My faith - without it I am not certain I could get through the day. 

And last, but certainly not least, Kyle. 

So, as you work on preparing for your Thanksgiving feasts tomorrow - my wish to you is that you will find much to be thankful for in your day.  And, may you take those blessings with you in your days following, that your Thanksgiving may become Thanksliving.

You are all in my thoughts - Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Hello everyone! 

How can it be Monday already??  Especially when my brain is still back on Saturday processing all the information I learned from taking Jenny’s plying class on Saturday in Howell at Beth’s shop Three Sheeps to the Wind. 

Holy cow people - did I learn!!

I learned so many things that I was so totally clueless about!

I need to take some pictures of my class work - but the weather this morning is a bit grey and not very photo friendly!

But, I learned about ply backs, three ply (really multiple ply, but I only plied 3 singles), navaho plying, and so much more than I can possibly blog about at one sitting!

I also met some amazing women on Saturday!  Amazing!  The fellowship that existed in class was so incredible.  I have increased my circle of spinning friends - wonderfully so!

So, Jenny had me thinking and thinking when I left her class.  My goodness, there was so much information she shared with us!  I learned that I need to ply my singles sitting in a different chair than I have been - this was my light bulb moment on Sunday afternoon as I was plying some singles I experimented with.  I changed my chair and voila’ - my plied fiber suddenly was much nicer!  I also took a page from Jenny - I counted!!  And checked!!  And changed my count to get the twist I needed to match my ply back!  I know - can you barely stand it?  I can tell you that I am so thrilled with my outcome!

Now, let me tell you about my other “ah-ha” moment from the weekend.  On the drive home, Blogless Mary and I had much to talk about.  It was such a great weekend - we both agree that we want to go back and take a class from Beth, who truly was an incredible hostess on Saturday.  Her shop is lovely, welcoming, and filled with fibery goodness.  Incredible fibery goodness!  Abundant fibery goodness!!  My goal is to become a member of her Ravelry group - “I have slept in a wool shop”.  Yeah, I know - my pulse is racing a bit also! 

Well, back to my “ah-ha” moment. 

I had purchased some Zitron Unikat several months ago and knit a pair of socks from a skein of it.  I was not impressed with the fiber - it is not plied, and it was not fun to knit with.  It is a very unstable fiber - thick and thin - in fact, in some places, it was down to a fine thread.  Well, my brain was rolling around, digesting all that had been crammed into it.  At the end of the day, we all spun some pencil roving - I had never spun with pencil roving before.  Here is where the “ah-ha” comes in…. the Unikat was basically like the pencil roving. 

So, on Saturday night I spun the Unikat. 

On Sunday I plied the Unikat.

Wow, gentle reader - what an amazing change!  This yarn that I did not like at all was transformed into an incredibly beautiful fiber! 

I need to set the twist and finish spinning up the remainder of the skeins, and I think I will have some lovely yarn to knit some socks with!

I also got some incredible fiber from Beth on Saturday - photo’s will be here later.

I am off to head to the unemployment office - doesn’t that sound fun?!? 

Yeah, that is what I think too!

 Have a great day everyone!

Hello everyone - welcome to Kitty Rumble Central!  WWF has nothing on the rumbles going on here!  There was lots of hype surrounding “The Rumble in the Jungle” - well, I give you the Rumble in the Condo!

I’d post a photo, but I cannot get them to hold still long enough to snap one! 

I’d say Miss Noel and Madame Defarge are having lots of fun together!  LOTS of fun! 

I am not sure if the pups can stand much more of this - if they get caught in the “cross fire” one more time…..

They have retreated to my bed and are snuggled under the covers! 

Smart doggies!

No news on the job front yet. 

But, I do have lots of cheap entertainment! 

Have a good weekend everyone!

Hello Everyone! 

I have been working on laundry and knitting for most of the morning and I am proud to tell you that I have turned the heel on the Undulating Rib Socks!  I am to the point where I need to pick up the stitches at the gussets and I am taking a small break.

Alice has been complaining.

She misses me.

So, I am off to cheat on my knitting this afternoon with her!  I am going to finish the lovely Merino I shared with you yesterday.

I have truly found my groove in spinning. 

I am so excited for Saturday!  Blogless Mary and I are heading to Howell to take a class from Spinning Spider Jenny at The Spinning Loft!  Mary and I are taking a class on plying!  So, technically, I have to have several bobbins filled with some fiber.  I am sure Alice won’t complain!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching the Christmas deadlines are racing on. 

Although, it is certainly difficult to think about Christmas with this mild weather we have been having!  It is warm out today - a balmy 55 degrees out right now! 

So, I thought I should share a little warmth with all of you - some lovely golden warmth!  Feast your eyes on these pictures I shot today!  Even though it is grey outside, there is brilliance on the trees!

I give you Autumn sunshine. 

There are some colors to warm your eyes! 

Have a blessed afternoon everyone!

Hello everyone! 

Isn’t it amazing how everyday life seems to prioritize your day. 

What do I mean by that?  Well, when I was working - there were only so many hours in the day and I would find myself moving things to be scheduled later, when I might have a bit more time.  After all, life seemed to prioritize my day.  Work filled a large number of hours - and while I had a fairly flexible schedule, it still filled my time.  Then, once I got home in the evening, there would be a large number of hours spent helping my teenagers with their homework - now I use the term “help” loosely here - maybe it is more accurate to say that I kept my teenagers on task with their homework! 

Meals quite often were of the “easy to prepare, ready quickly” variety.  Which are not always the most inexpensive to prepare.

Laundry was another item I spent a large quantity of time on!  I seriously believe that dirty laundry procreates at night, making more dirty laundry.  There was always laundry in the basket - always!

I can happily share with you one of the benefits of not working is that laundry is no longer the bane of my existance and meal preparation  has greatly improved!

Finding blessings in life has also greatly improved! 

And, Alice and I are still on the ‘honeymoon’ - here is what I worked on last night while watching “Dancing with the Stars”.  I know - Monday nights leave much to be desired on the television.   

This is some truly lovely Merino that I got from Rose - it is spinning up nicely.  I have a full bobbin and about a third of a second done.  I will work on filling that bobbin this afternoon and hopefully be plying this evening.

I also have been catching up on my podcast listening.  I am all caught up with Brenda Dayne’s Cast-On and Guido’s It’s A Purl Man as well.  This even includes Guido’s lastest episode! 

Oh - and I knit some on my traveling rib socks and have almost completed the second Snow on Cedars Mitt.  Photo’s coming soon!

Here is to hoping that you all find a few extra minutes in your day to think about the blessings you have in life!  Have a great day everyone!

Hello everyone!  It is a nice quiet Sunday here - a bit of grocery shopping, dinner on the stove, and some knitting time - I am working on some socks and the second Snow on Cedars Mitt - making one complete pair!

Not working has led to some menu planning and more organization in life.  So, out of uncertainty - there is a need to structure and planning.  Some business acquaintances have emailed me with some job opportunities.  That means cover letter to complete to send with my resume.

I am all about simplifying life.  It amazes me how much clutter abounds in my meager existence.  So, as I hone in on what is truly necessary - the clutter needs to be purged.

I see a GROJ (Get Rid Of Junk) Sale in my near future.  This will accomplish a couple of things - de-cluttering the house and an influx of cash.

Also, keep your eyes posted for the birth of my Etsy site.

Good things - Simple things.

Have a great evening.

Okay, I am not regressing back to the 60’s - but if you are wondering how much house work I got done - Go Ask Alice. 

If you are wondering how much laundry I got done - Go Ask Alice. 

If you are wondering how much knitting I got done - Go Ask Alice. 

Do you see the theme here?

Yes, Alice lured me into spinning up the undyed Bluefaced Leicester I got at the Allegan Fiber Festival.  She has a siren song - I am helpless to resist.  I am heading out today to find some waxen ear plugs that I can stop my ears with - sort of Odysseus like.  Although, maybe if I can convince my children to do all the housework - I can lash myself to Alice and spin away! 

Well - here is the before - 2 bobbins full of creamy white goodness.  The yarn has a lovely sheen to it that this picture does not do justice to.   

Here is the detail shot of my 1900+ yards of BFL.  The sheen is a bit more apparent here, I think.  I have not set the twist yet, but let me tell you how soft this is. 

Yeah, lovely huh?  I wish you could feel how yummy it is.

I googled BFL last night and I found a farm in Coopersville where I can get fleece from.  Ummm, Coopersville is less than 30 minutes from my home…. This could pose a problem! 

Next on my ”need to learn” list is how to clean and prepare a fleece to spin. 

Now, on to more pressing problems - Naming the new “Little Kitty”.  There has been a vigorous debate going on between my children and me as to what to name this little black character. 

My son liked the choice of Salem.  I liked Madame Defarge (Maddy for short), and Heidi - oh Heidi - she has been calling the kitten “Negra” - spanish for black.  Yeah, that was not working for me!  At all!!!!

So, in light of how well democracy works in a family  - I, in the end, used my parental veto and removed Negra from the slate of names.  After a couple more days - one was obviously perfect and  without further ado - I am announcing the newest member of the Christensen Huis - Madame Defarge.

 Ewe-niss is the winner!!  I will be emailing you for your snail mail address to send you a package of yarny goodness!  Thank you all for playing.

 Have a great Saturday everyone!