Well, I had a nasty surprise today. I went down into my studio, which is located in our finished basement, and the throw rug was wet. Sopping wet. Squishing wet. Wet enough that there was no possible way that my little 6 lb. dog had that big of an accident.

That could only mean one thing. Water.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, thanks to all the heavy rain in the past week, water had come in (again!) under my yarn wall in my fiber room.

This, for anyone not paying attention, is The Bad of today’s posting. The only thing I fear getting in my studio more than water is *looks around to make sure they are not listening, the nasty things* is moths. Oh, I shudder just to think it!!!! Well, and fire. And mice. And little kids. And icky bugs. Okay, so that are a lot of things I’m afraid of getting down there. But this is the third time since we’ve lived here that water has come in under the walls. Not gushing or anything, more like very large, very inconvenient puddles.

After flipping out for a few minutes, running around frantically looking for towels and wishing with every fiber of my being (no pun intended) that Marcus hadn’t had to go into the office today of all days, I discovered that there wasn’t as much water as last time. The Good is that most of the water was absorbed by the throw rug (which prevented any water from going under my computer desk and chair) and by a large pile of fabric waiting to be washed. Lyssie’s pillow didn’t even get wet this time.

I did have tons of yarn on the floor in front of my yarn wall, but it was all in plastic bags, so it didn’t get wet. Thank goodness for plastic!

So, all in all, I decided that my fiber room really was getting a little out of control - Okay! Fine! A lot out of control and it really wasn’t taking me all that long to clean up since all the shelves are up on 2×4’s so most things were still dry. Mostly just of lot of putting away that I’d been putting off.

And then I discovered one bag. One oversized, paper bag that was filled to the top with novelty yarn. And the yarn was soaked. Completely and utterly soaked. A whole bag. And that, ladies and gentlemen, that was when The Swearing started.

Edit: I ended up only having to rewind seven balls back onto my yarn swift.  But still. Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

A couple months ago, I managed to get on Ravelry, which perhaps is why there haven’t been many blog entries here lately; every time I hop on the computer, I get suckered into checking out “just one forum” or “just one pattern search.”

Anyway, there is a new group that’s formed: a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch for Lake County, OH! They meet every Tuesday at the Borders in Mentor, OH. The address is: 9565 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH 44060. It is a really fun group, so if you are in the area, come check us out!

I finally got the Christmas pictures off my camera. This is the afghan that I knitted for my grandmother. She really liked it. I used about 35 skeins of various neutral-colored yarns including cotton, wool, man-made fibers, silk, and bamboo. I also did the math and there are approximately 150,000 stitches in plain garter stitch.

I started this afghan back in September 2007 and finished it Thanksgiving weekend. Towards the end, in order to finish it time, my knitting goal was knit one skein every day, which isn’t as bad as it sounds because a lot of the skeins were only 100 yards. It turned out quite a bit bigger than it was supposed to, though. I meant it to be something to drape over the arm of a couch; instead, it’s big enough to hang over the edge of her queen-sized bed!

Now, I just need to finish Mom’s afghan.

This is “Staring at Eternity.” The picture was taken while it was hanging at the Valley Art Center juried art show a few months ago. The piece is back in my possession now.

This is me, wearing the knitted stole I made to wear to the opening.

I designed the stole myself and was really happy with how it turned out. I am trying to knit up various stoles to wear to art show openings, but it is slow goings since I keep having to work on Christmas presents. But now that Christmas is over, I can start knitting for me again.

Actually, now that Christmas is over, I will be starting the commissions I received this summer. I may take a bit of a break here in January and work on a Valentine’s Day throw for Marcus. We shall see.

Well, yesterday Marcus had to go in to work for a meeting (usually he works from home) so I decided to have a Sit & Knit Day and watch Gilmore Girls. Actually, I kind of needed to knit yesterday because I need a new stole. (A stole is a rectanglular shawl.) I just found out that one of my quilts, “Staring at Eternity,” was accepted into the Valley Arts Center juried art show. The opening is this Friday night, November 2, from 6-8 pm. Since I usually like to wear something that I have made to art openings, I decided that it was finally time to knit up the Autumn Stole that I have been buying yarn for. I used to have a knitted black stole, the one I wore to the Fairmount Show opening, but I sold it.

This is very exciting because last year, I entered two pieces in the Valley Art Center show, and they were both rejected.

So, here is a picture of the Autumn Stole thus far:

I used a lovely hand-dyed skein of Manos as my color inspiration.

Now, where have I have seen these colors before? Oh, yes! I remember! In the quilt hanging in my living room!

This is “Autumn Whispers.” I made it a couple years ago to be a focal point in our living room. At the time, we were living in an apartment and the carpet was mint green. Actually, the entire apartment was mint green. Let me tell you, it was scary! Now, “Autumn Whispers” looks much better in our new living room, and it is still one of the local points.

Now, I have to go knit some more. Darn!

Sorry I haven’t written. My Mom unexpectedly came to visit us last Friday and we have been knitting up a storm! Actually, I have been quilting, too. I’ve working on a last-minute entry for a challenge in my art quilt group, CoCA. It is coming along great so far, which is good it is due in less than three weeks.

I recently joined a swap group I heard about on Ravelry. (Yes, I am one of the lucky people who has got in, thanks to my wonderful mother who signed me when she signed up. Love ya, Mom!) Anyway, the swap is called PlaceColorSwap. Here is a link for their yahoo group page. It seems really fun.

According to the rules, I am supposed to post the “Fun Stuff” part of the questionnaire on my blog. And since I’m a little pressed for time at the moment, today’s the day.

What is your favorite color(s)? Green. I LOVE Green, all shades, all variations of green EXCEPT mint. I also like really bright colors. I like green, blue, & purple; red & black; autumn colors

What are your least favorite colors? Pink, brown, white/cream, and pastels

If you have a favorite brand of yarn, what is it? Schaeffer

What weight yarn do you prefer? Doesn’t matter. I seem to be knitting with a lot of lace-weight yarn right now

Is there any weight of yarn you’d rather not have? I’m not doing much with super-bulky right now

Do you enjoy novelty yarn? If so, what kinds do you like and dislike? Yes! I like ribbon yarn, fringy yarn, sparkly yarn, shiny yarn – basically, I’m not picky as long as it isn’t scratchy.

What are your favorite fibers? Definitely Silk. My other favorites are rayon, cotton, bamboo, and soy

Do you have any fibers that you dislike or worse yet, have an allergy to? No allergies, but I’m not very fond of wool. Too itchy.

Do you have pets? If so, what do you have? I have a wonderful little Yorkie named Alyssa. She is 11 years old and a rescue dog.

Do you spin? Yes, I have an embarrassingly large collection of drop spindles, and I am always buying more! (I don’t have a spinning wheel by choice. I love my spindles!)

Would you enjoy receiving spinning related items, such as roving? Definitely! I love spinning silk caps, silk, and soy. I enjoy spinning wool as well (especially hand-dyed) but prefer that it have some non-wooly fiber mixed in, too.

Do you knit, crochet, both, or other? Just knit. But I am a fiber artist (I make art quilts) and that’s what I do full-time for my profession.

Is there anything within your craft that you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to try or learn? Oh, lots of things. Scribble Lace, for one.

Is there anything that you enjoy collecting, aside from yarn? I am an art quilter, so fabric. Especially hand-dyed or batik (Not Joanne’s fabric. Yuck!). I also collect dragons, antique glass Christmas ornaments and vintage postcards.

Is there anything else that your pal should know to help her spoil you? I am a huge “Lord of the Rings” fan. I love to read, especially science-fiction and fantasy. I really like knitting with old metal knitting needles. Of course, I love chocolate, and my husband and I like to cook gourmet. My username on Ravelry is “KrazyQuilts.”

So, there we go. And just for fun, here is one of my favorite pictures of Lyssie:

Hello, my name is Meagan and I’m a Enabler.

You see, whenever I come across a new knitter, or gasp, someone who does not knit yet (notice I said “yet”), I feel it is my duty to properly introduce them to the many joys of knitting. My friend Jessica, (the one to whom I gave the Monster Mittens and Hat) is one of my latest victims. About a month ago, Jessica and Paul stopped by on their way to Seattle to see Jessica’s brother Nick. HI NICK!!! Oh, HI PAUL!!!

Since Jess only brought one knitting project for a two week road trip (You’ll have to forgive her, she’s a new knitter and didn’t know any better), I generously offered to help her out. Long story short, by the time Jess left (and they were at our house for less than 24 hours), she had two new scarf projects, including yarn and needles. This, of course, is a perfect example of why I am required to keep a large yarn stash on hand at all times. (As well as a “comprehensive” needle collection. ) For friends in need.

When she came back through Cleveland two weeks later, this is what she had accomplished:

The middle scarf is the one I am knitting right now. But Jess was over half-way done with both scarves, and had finished a basket-weave pattern baby blanket, all in two weeks! I was so impressed with her! We both used the same pattern, “Gossamer Shell Scarf,” from the book One -Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant. Very fun book, by the way. I have already picked out several more patterns that I cannot wait to cast on. It was so cool seeing the same pattern knit up in three different yarns. The blue scarf was knit using a 67% Wool, 33% Rayon yarn and the black scarf using a mohair yarn with a metallic strand.These two yarns were some I picked up at an estate sale this past summer. The green scarf (mine) is made from Kidlin Pixie yarn, a 49% Linen, 35% Kid Mohair, 16% Nylon blend. I got it up at Chautauqua Institution this summer at the yarn shop where I worked. I am actually knitting it as a sample for the same shop.

I was also proud of Jess because her black scarf was too wide, so she ripped it out and changed the pattern! All by herself! Here is a close-up of the black one:

Isn’t it gorgeous?! She did such a great job. I think she was really impressed with herself, too.

See? It’s offical: Knitting makes you happy.

A friend of mine from high school, Jessica, came to visit us a few weekends ago. Since she might be joining Christian Peacemaker Teams (also known as CPT), we might not see her for quite a while. So, I decided to give her the hand-knit matching fingerless mittens and hat set that I made for her. She absolutely loved them! She could hardly sit still long enough for me to take these pictures of her.

Right after the last time Jess visited us, I started making these fingerless mittens for Jess because she really admired a pair of similar “monster mittens” that my Mom had made for me.

Here is Jess again, with the “Monster Mittens” starting to take control of her.

I used black Ironstone wool held with green Fun Fur yarn for the fingerless mittens (which I call “f’ittens”) and the hat. They were all done in a Knit 2, Purl 2 rib, and the “f’ittens” were created in a rectangle then sewn up the side, leaving a large hole for the thumb.

Paul, another friend from high school as well as a good friend of Jessica’s, also came to visit on Sunday, so we made both Paul and Marcus model the Hat and F’ittens, too.

Here is Paul, ashamed that the promise of London Broil and home-made pasta makes him so willing to humilate himself.

And of course, Marcus:

Don’t you just love watching a grown man pout? Actually, Marcus could hardly stop laughing long enough for me to take a “mad” picture.

Too fun.

Marcus and I have been very busy lately - lots of gardening, etc. Yesterday, we went to the Boston Mills Artfest. It was great! Boston Mills was the first art festival we attended here in Ohio, three summers ago when we were first looking for a house.

We have also been enjoying the new fire pit that Marcus bought.

It is very fun to sit out in our backyard, with all the flowers, and knit in front of the fire pit. Marcus found some tikki torches in the garage and they have been really fun, too. Of course, Lyssie makes it very difficult to knit because she insists that I hold her. (She absolutely hates grass and would much rather be inside the climate-controlled house. Remind you of anyone? )

In the picture above, I am working on my Schaefer scarf. I am using Schaefer Elaine yarn and the pattern is Ruffled Edge Scarf from Vogue on the Go: Chunky Scarves and Hats.

This scarf is actually quite a big deal for me, not because the pattern is all that hard (although it is plenty challenging, let me assure you!) but because of what it represents. This is the scarf that really made me want to learn how to knit.

A couple years ago, my Mom had knit up this pattern in another colorway of Schaefer Elaine as a sample for the yarn shop where she works. I absolutely fell in love with this scarf! The thick-and-thin texture of the yarn, the way the ends of the scarf flair out, the way the hand-dyed colors interact with each other - I was smitten. I had to make this scarf!

Mom tried to discourage me, since at that point I think I had knitted a whopping 2 dish clothes, had never even purled, let alone SSK-ed or made a L-inc or a R-inc. (Actually, I still haven’t done those last two.) But, I was insistent, so she got me started on it. I think I cast-on and knitted two whole rows before deciding that maybe Mom was right.

A few months ago, Mom and I decided that I was now ready to give this scarf another try. So far, it is turning out great! I love it! Once again, I love everything about this scarf! (Of course, I still haven’t got to the rather difficult increasing part at the end, but I am just ignoring that fact for now. )

Doughnuts, DayQuil & Dish Towels: that’s pretty much what my life has consisted of for the past week. I have had a nasty cold and have just been sitting around, watching tv and feeling miserable. Marcus, sweetie that he is, has been bringing me Frosty’s and doughnuts ’round the clock, since those are about the only things I’ve been about to eat because my throat is so sore. (Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve been having lots of orange juice and chicken noodle soup, too. )

When I haven’t been downing doughnuts or DayQuil, I’ve been knitting dish towels. I can’t stop knitting them! They are just too much fun! And really, they are great projects: easy, fun, quick, cheap (Sugar&Cream Cotton), and make wonderful gifts. (Bridal, Housewarming, etc.) I finished up the green and blue Waffle pattern I’d been working on and also found a really fun new pattern online. The link for the original Waffle Dish Towel can be found here, but I changed a few things by adding a 2 stitches to the beginning and end of each row (creating a 2 stitch garter border on both sides) and slipping the first stitch. My adapted pattern can be found here.

I found a new pattern, called Ripple Dish Towel, online that I also adapted to fit my needs. Here is the original, knitted up:

It is really pretty and very fast. I have already made two dish towels and a matching wash cloth. The original pattern can be found here, and my adapted pattern, which I am calling “Chevron Dish Towel,” here. I liked the pattern, put not the center4-stitch column, so I eliminated it, added a slip stitch to the beginning of each row and changed the tab a little. My pattern for the matching Chevron dish cloth is here. Here is a picture of my Chevron Dish Towel, after I adapted the pattern:

I had a partial skein of this rather, um, “interesting” yellow colored cotton, but there wasn’t enough to make a towel (you need approx. 2.75 oz) so I added in some more leftover yellow cotton when the variegated ran out. I think it turned rather pretty, all things considered. And besides, it’s just a dish towel and one for my own kitchen at that.

This is the matching dish cloth:

I am really happy with how they all turned out. I especially love the Chevron pattern. Actually, I think it would make a beautiful scarf, done in different yarn, of course, and wider, maybe 5 repeats across. This is the dish towel I am working on right now:

Again, I had two partial skeins of yarn, neither one weighing enough to even make up just the towel part (excluding the tab) of the dish towel. So, I am knitting them up in the Waffle pattern, and changing yarns every two rows. Now, there was no way I was going to weave in all those ends, so here’s how I did it:

Following my pattern: CO, then work with Dark Green 2 rows. At the last stitch of the second row, add the Light Green yarn in with the Dark Green, as though adding in a new yarn. Slip the first stitch of the next row (just like the pattern says), then drop the Dark Green yarn and work the next 2 rows using only the Light Green. At this point, you are back to where you left the Dark Green, hanging out all lonely and by itself. Knit the last stitch of the row holding both yarns. Slip the first stitch of the next row (just like the pattern says) and drop the Light Green, and work the next 2 rows with just the Dark Green. Simple, and not nearly as many ends to weave in.

Now, I don’t know if that is the correct way to work with 2 colors, but this is the way that I am doing it. So far, I am really happy with how it is turning out.

Okay, my DayQuil is starting to wear off, so I’ll be signing off now.

I had a wonderful surprise this morning. I called my Mom around 10:45, only to discover that she was less than 5 minutes from my house!

Now, this did present a bit of a problem, since I was neither showered nor dressed, the sink was full of dishes, the guest room was full of Marcus’s computer boxes, and the dust bunnies were staging a hostile takeover. (I’m sure none of you can tell that I find playing down in my studio much more enjoyable than housework.)

If there’s anything I’ve learned in life, it’s the positively amazing amount of things that can be done when one is given an impossible deadline. By the time Mom entered the house, Marcus had done a quick vacuuming job and I had dressed, washed my face, my hair was more or less presentable (And by “presentable,” I mean “not likely to frighten small children”), and I had done a quick stash and dash of the house.

*”Confounded Relatives” is part of a quote from Mom’s and my favorite movies, The Lord of the Rings. The quote, spoken in its entirety, is, “Confounded relatives! Hanging on the bell all day, never giving me a moment’s peace!” I always say that to Mom when she comes to visit. We are actually watching The Fellowship of the Ring right now. When Mom and I are together, we usually watch either The Lord of the Rings or Gilmore Girls.

Here she is, knitting away on her Einstein coat from The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville. Tiffanie, Mom’s youngest lil Maltese, is unhappily sitting on her lap. Poor Tiff would much rather be at her house or at least upstairs here barking at the flag across the street. (Tiffanie has “issues” with things that move, things that don’t move, and things that may move at some point in the future.)

Mom will be staying until Tuesday and we will sit and knit and knit and watch movies and of course, go shopping. It was a very sad day for Marcus when Mom and I discovered the Pat Catans (craft store) that is 5 minutes from my house. Such beads! Such yarn! So little space left in my fabric room!

Speaking of my fabric room, not to be confused with my studio, I thought I would post some pictures of it. My fabric room is a 10′ x 10′ room off my studio (which is about 12′ x 25′) and is where I keep most of my fabric and now my yarn as well. It is three walls of wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling cubes shelves. Now, before anyone turns too green with envy, we did buy this house because of the studio and did have to sacrifice a bit to get it. Like the fact that the kitchen only has 1 drawer (yes, that’s one. Uno. ) and being so small that we have to keep our pantry in the guest room closet. So don’t be too envious of me.

This is my yarn wall: (Yes, I know that it is very cruel to say “Don’t envy me” and then flash about pictures of my stash. But what can I say? I never said I was nice.)

About half the yarn was acquired in the last few months due to the the closing of my local yarn shop. It is mostly novelty yarn and non-itchy stuff but there is some wool, mostly stuff I have spindle-spun. Quite a bit of yarn for someone who claims to be a non-knitter, as my Mom would say.

Avert thy eyes, O Fabric-aholics! For the following pictures have been known to cause intense fiber lust and an overwhelming desire to knock off the owner and claim her stash for themselves. Look, but beware:

This is a very sloppy Photoshop job of splicing together the two pictures of my main fabric wall. (I can’t stand back far enough to get the whole thing in one shot.) On the left are my batiks, and on the right are my regular cottons. To the far right, which you can’t really see, is a stack of plastic drawers with sorted leftover strips of fabric ranging in 1/4″ increments from 1″ to 2 3/4″.

This is my second fabric wall. This holds my large pieces of fabric for the backs of bed-sized quilts, my flannel fabrics, WIPs (Works In Progress), Christmas fabric, quilt tops to be pinned up and quilted, and pinned up quilts that still need to be quilted. On the top of this wall is my spindle stand that holds my beautiful drop spindles. The bottom cubes are full of my wool to be spun into yarn. (My as yet unspun silk fiber is in the large red hamper on the top row of the yarn wall.)

So there it is. My fabric room. Three walls of fabric, yarn, and spinning fiber. And beads. There is also another shelf next the yarn wall that holds my beads and some other odds and ends. And that doesn’t even include my silk fabric and angelina fiber.

Don’t hate me because I’ve got tons of yummy fabric. Hate me because I’ve got tons of yummy fabric and am willing flaunt it.