Oregon Coast

Put Whimsy dog in the car and drove down to the Oregon coast for a few days to rejuvenate at "The Ocean Lodge".  Great place to stay with wonderful breakfast and room with an incredible view steps from the beach. Despite the blustery weather (no surprise in November!) we are having a fabulous time.  I'm also spending some time reading, knitting and sleeping - all which have been in very short supply the last few months due to zealous work commitments. This is one of my favorite places on earth.  Not a lot to write but hopefully a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

Pentagon Memorial

I'm in Washington D.C. for 12 days for business:  National Girls Collaboration Project, USA Science and Engineering Festival and 3 days of team meetings in which I'm bringing my geographically dispersed employees together for the first time in a almost a year.  I had a bit of time today and went two Metro stops away from the hotel to the Pentagon and then walked to the south side of that huge building to the Memorial.  A work acquaintance Suzanne Calley, was on American flight 77 that fateful morning. My visit to the memorial was to remember her and pay tribute the other 183 souls lost.  The Pentagon Memorial is somber, serene and significant.  It is a architectural time line of the victim's ages, spanning from the youngest who was three to the oldest who was seventy-one.  Each memorial unit is an inlaid granite and steel cantilevered bench over a lighted pool of flowing water.  Each person's name is engraved on the bench and there is a plaque at the end of each pool of water for victims from the same family.  What I found most interesting is that the positioning of the benches distinguish the victims who were in the Pentagon versus on board American Airlines flight 77.  There are 125 memorial units where one can see the victim's name and the Pentagon in the same view.  The 59 memorial units honoring the lives lost on flight 77, one sees the victim's name and the direction of the plane's approach in the same view.

Camano Island

I would like to predict an end to my hiatus from blogging, but the level of future activity remains to be seen.  I am currently heading to Dallas via LAX from Seattle.  Ridiculous itinerary but I'm a victim of a corporate travel group trying to save a few dollars.  Thankfully, Alaska Airlines has a free inflight wireless promotion through the end of July so I am taking advantage of it to update my blog, twitter and facebook.  This blog has been neglected, but I have received so many encouraging comments and emails to continue blogging that I am going to try to be more diligent in updating it on a somewhat regular basis.
Last weekend Candace, Naomi, Melinda and I went to Arlene's Camano Island estate for fun on the beach, great food, spinning, knitting and beadwork!  Rob was on a climb so I brought Whimsy with me to Camano.  She is an easy traveler and had such fun on the beach!  I was worried the barnacles would cut her paws but she didn't have a problem with them at all.
The weather was gorgeous and the beach was inviting.  The tide was way out and trying to get to the waters edge proved more difficult than it looked.  We sank in the wet sand up to our calves and in some spots our knees.  It felt like I was in quicksand!  It was amazingly difficult to pull first my foot and then retrieve my sandal from the sand prison.  Even at the water's edge, it wasn't very deep and there was an abundance of eel grass which felt just plan weird around my ankles.  Whimsy bounded through the water chasing her water kong so she got plenty of exercise even if she didn't actually get to swim.

In between the cooking, spinning and knitting I helped the other ladies learn to make a right angle weave bracelet using 6mm pearls, 4 mm bicone crystals and seed beads.  Each individual's bracelet were unique and so beautiful and they were all willing and enthusiastic students! As much as I enjoy knitting (most of the time) it is refreshing to have a craft such as beading in which I can make a gift for someone or obtain a feeling of accomplishment in just a few hours.

Swallowtail Shawl

I haven't posted in a long time because I have been busy with work and haven't been knitting much.  Also some jerks try to post automatic comments to my blog. They haven't been successful because  I turned on comment moderation, but the attempted intrusion of posting garbage "get rich quick scheme"s and escort services and porno links has taken the fun out of blogging for me for now.

Here is my latest finished creation. Swallowtail by Evelyn Clark using Sea Silk by Hand Maiden Fine yarn in Nova Scotia color.  Hand dyed in Canada.  Supposed to be a combination of silk and seaweed.  I wanted a shawl that reminded me of a walk on Northwest beaches and this is it!  I increased the number of repeats from 14 to 24 and then did repeats rows of the Lily of the Valley edging rather than 2.  I ended up with about 2 yards of yarn left over so pretty good guess on when to stop my shawl expansion!

Pictures aren't the best but what I have for now...  Shawl is much larger than what is shown and the colors are deep blues, greens, yellow-green and teal....

Helpful Japanese Knitting Books

I love books and the groaning bookshelves in my house are proof of that.  Despite owning a Kindle for the last 2 years, I seem to have more "hard copy" books than ever.  I have moved all of the technical books out of my home office to make way for more knitting and beading books.  Here are some basic Japanese Knitting books that I have found useful.

Clear & Simple Knitting Symbols
In my humble opinion, this book is a "must have" reference for anyone wanting to use the myriad of Japanese stitch pattern books out there.  (More on those in another post!)  109 knitting and stitch symbols with detailed illustration on how to execute each.  Last few pages show how to do intarsia, stripes, and stranded knitting.
ISBN4-529-02413-x
$12.05 at Kinokuniya Bookstores

Hand Knitting Techniques Book
Another favorite of mine. 79 pages of illustrated techniques which include but are not limited to casting on, ribbing, basic stitch symbols, intarsia, stripes, stranded knitting, increases and decreases, invisible bind off, shaping, short rows on shoulders and collars, picking up stitches, grafting, buttonhole and seam finishing.
ISBN4-529-02927-1
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Knitting Signs and Make Patterns
Charted patterns with corresponding photo of knitted swatch and illustration of technique.  I have found this book helpful to understand what some complicated Japanese knitting symbols look like once knitted.
ISBN978-4-529-02098-5
$18.00  at Village Spinning & Weaving at Solvang, CA


Basics of Crochet for Beginners
Illustration for basic and advanced stitches, armhole and curve shaping, collars, edgings, circular and square motifs, joining, button loops.
ISBN978-4-529-03047-2
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Basic Hand Knitting & Crochet
Book is split into two parts - one for knitting and one for crochet.  Covers basics for each.  Similar material as in the respective books listed above
ISBN978-4-529-02097-8
$11.50 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Basics of Tunisian Crochet for Beginners
I purchased this book because there will be a Tunisian crochet project in Year 3-4 of Nihon Vogue.  I have not used it yet, but given the clarify of  illustrations and level of detail, I anticipate this book will be useful.
ISBN978-4-529-02928-5
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores

Nihon Vogue Year 2 is Over, Finished, Done!

What a huge relief.  Nihon Vogue Year was so much knitting (and reknitting) that I don't even want to look at a pair of knitting needles for at least few weeks. I love my fisherman's gansey style sweater but it was excruciating  to knit.  By the end of the ordeal, the tendonitis in my left elbow had flared up to "pain in the middle of the night" levels and my wrist and joints of my left thumb were aching.  Never again will I knit an entire sweater on 2.00 mm needles.  My last project for Year 2 was a sweater for Rob. Good thing he isn't a big man!  Easy stitch pattern & worsted weight wool, but added complication of putting a zipper in from mid chest level to the top of a mock turtleneck collar.  Of course, there wasn't a zipper to be found that was the exact length I needed, so with encouragement from Sarah and Arlene, I cut it to the dimension I wanted.  I worked late into the night and finished the sweater and the design notes.  Jean signed off on both the gansey and the final project and I was done!  Ready to collect my certificate for Year 2.  Relief more than elation was the emotion of the day for me.  Candace, Arlene, Caryn, Naomi and myself received certificates for completion of Year 2.  The rest of the class is not far behind.  It will be wonderful to have 8 months of "break" before Nihon Vogue Year 3 & 4 combined begins in September 2010. 

Furry Friend

I've been really busy with work and am falling farther and farther behind on Nihon Vogue knitting, mailing Christmas gifts and cards and of course the inevitable housework. Thank goodness Rob is patient and supportive and Whimsy dog - well, as long as she gets walks and food 2X per day, not much else bothers her.  Here are some of my favorite photo's of my special little pal.