Monday, December 22, 2008

Arctic Blast '08


Every year in Portland the media gets us all hyped up about the next impending 'Storm of the Century'


Usually it amounts to very little and melts the next day. This year they were not bluffing.


We had 14" this morning and it is still coming down. The wind is blowing and there are 3' drifts in some spots.


There are layers of 1" ice between the snow creating a most treacherous confection.


Buses are stuck or sliding off the road even using chains.
I am impressed and grateful for a large yarn stash and a warm house.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Crunch Time


Flurries of snow in Portland


More Christmas knitting off the needles.



Last weekend before Christmas.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Reconstruction


Maybe I was feeling a tad guilty after the extreme stash enhancement on Saturday at the Blue Moon De-Stash Barn Sale


Or maybe I was just inspired when my kind husband had only supportive things to say when I came home with three more bags of yarn.


And offered to help photograph the newest FOs


Without so much as a joke about the newest 'cowl craze'


But I took his suggestion to finish my blanket and ran with it.


The deconstruction (damaged section only :) is complete and the blanket is back on the needles.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Turkey Weekend Knits


One Christmas gift finished and blocked. You can't quite see it in this photo but it is some of that yarn with strands of silver in it..very sparkly and festivus.




A prototype cowl for another gift (might keep the prototype for myself:)


Another tasty and fun gathering of friends that have become like family!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Goodbye Sweet Girl


"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace." - Milan Kundera (b. 1929) Czech author, critic

Friday, October 17, 2008

Painfully Cute



Why are miniature things so damned cute? I've always been a total sap for them. As I knit these, I was overwhelmed by their cuteness. I have 4 pregnant friends (Geesh! Anyone ever heard of overpopulation?) Anyhoo, I'm taking the opportunity to use up all the little leftover balls of sock yarn rolling around my house. Cute, cute, cute! I can hardly stand it!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

February Lady Sweater


IMG_1853, originally uploaded by Courtney Knits.

Thought I better post a picture of this finished object.
It is nice though the bulkiness/boxiness doesn't compliment my..er figure such as it is so much.
if I were to make this again, I would modify the pattern to use a lighter yarn.
Still it is cozy!

Fog Over Ashland


IMG_1864, originally uploaded by Courtney Knits.

Birthday Bash


IMG_1885, originally uploaded by Courtney Knits.

I had a wonderful birthday weekend. My friend Danielle and I drove to Ashland to see Othello. She was my personal hero and drove the entire way allowing me to do what I wanted to do most, knit!
We stopped off in Eugene on our way down and went bird watching. We saw a rare Wood Sandpiper (not usually on this continent)!
We also went to a lovely little knit shop in Eugene and Danielle bought her first sock yarn! whoo hoo, a convert!
I spent some of my birthday money on the big, green leather bag pictured, some earrings made by a local artist in Ashland and a HOT pink leather case for my NEW business cards. This is the first time I have ever had my own cards so I thought they should travel in style.
As you can see the Bird in Hand mittens are almost done and I have started a new Monkey sock in STR 'Rare gems' with picot cuffs, inspired by Neuroknitter.
My Picovoli is also finished and blocking so more photos to come.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Fetchings for Leisl


Happy Birthday to Leisl!


A new plant blooming in the garden

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Distractions/ .5 FO

I was hoping to have an entire finished object to show after the 3 day weekend.

I stalled out on the first sleeve of the February Lady Sweater. I ran out of yarn and this brief (but valid) distraction was enough to take me off on the following tangent:




Pattern: Bird in Hand by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted merino in Verde Esperanza and Lettuce
Needles: US 2

It is beautiful and fits pretty well. It is so thick I am having a hard time imagining ever needing them in Portland. Also, the gauge is a killer, I might need to give my hands a rest and get back to that lacy sweater for a bit.

Then again, I have a birthday party to attend next weekend, maybe I should whip up a quick pair of Fetching for a gift.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Miscellaneous Weekend Post


A new garden sentinel. His mushroom is a solar powered light!


A finished pair of socks!


The next sock to be ready to go



Garden Frolicking




A new project


My sock drawer is getting full and very colorful!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

UFOs and Reading..what is that?

I did as promised and picked up a LONG neglected knitting UFO and was working tirelessly on it. That is until I got my hands on my book clubs current selection; Oryx and Crake by Canadian authoress Margaret Atwood.

I picked it up at the library on Sunday afternoon and finished Tuesday night. I am not an especially fast reader but was thoroughly engrossed by this one.

I have made much progress on the Gyrid tank though and only have a couple inches of boring knitting, some armhole shaping and finishing to go before completion.

My goal is to be able to wear it on my upcoming vacation in August. I am taking 2, that's right 2! consecutive weeks off. I read a study a while back that suggested if a person did not take at least 2 weeks away from their normal routine per annum, the health benefits of vacation; true relaxation in the physiological and psychological senses were essentially non-existent.

Wanting the stress of my daily life to NOT be the death of me I have decided to heed this advice.

I realized that the last time I was away from work for 2 weeks or longer was when I was briefly unemployed in 2001, a vacation..NOT!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

FO Purple Raglan Sweater

I finally finished the dang thing on Friday. Those small balls of yarn created SO many ends to weave in. I brought it with me to see The Police and it was chilly enough to wear it!

It has been VERY hot however to model for photos in the daylight hours! I braved it but the photos are not the best due to the circumstances.



The Front


The Back


The Front again..


My helpful Photographer(and spouse)

It is a very simple pattern and a very basic sweater, nonetheless I am quite happy with the way it turned out because it fits and is very comfy. I can hardly wait for Fall so I can wear it!
I found this very satisfying to knit, excepting the very end when I had to drag the almost finished thing around in the heat.
My inclination is to start another sweater but I think I better look to some of my snoozing UFOs or unfinished/unmated socks first.

Happy Summer Sunday!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

July Garden Montage


July Garden Montage, originally uploaded by Courtney Knits.

Progress Report-Purple Raglan Sweater for Me

My sweater is complete less 1.2 sleeves but I spent most of the weekend doing BIG yard cleanups so I barely had a chance to work on it. There was also an unfortunate incident with the sweater falling out of my bike basket and dragging on the pavement. It is mostly unscathed but was covered in dried grass which I mostly picked out yesterday.
Will post photos when it is completed!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Still Fitting...

OK, so sorry, still no pics but I have made progress on the sweater and tried it on again last night and it is still fitting! I am so happy about the latter I cannot even tell you.
The pattern calls for 2X2 ribbing for the collar, cuffs and hemline. I would like to do something a bit more interesting...any suggestions?
I suppose a picture would aid the brainstorming eh?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I Heart Ibuprofen

My hand is healing (Ibuprofen is my friend) and I am knitting a new sweater. I am very excited about it and will try to post some progress shots this weekend. It is a very simple, top down, raglan pullover. I needed some sweater basics after my Hourglass debacle.
So far, it fits and Cheri, of The Naked Sheep gave me some tips and needed encouragement yesterday.
The yarn is to die for, a merino, silk, cashmere blend tweed in a deep purple color. I'm pretty sure it is going to be one of those colors that is not captured well with the camera.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Knitting Handicap

I crashed on my bike last week and my left hand took most of the impact. My hand and wrist are sprained/bruised. I'm pretty sure it would hurt a LOT worse if anything was broken.


This has made everything (especially work) including knitting difficult and painful.


I went to the Sasquatch music festival this weekend and slowly knit this on the long car ride to and from the Gorge.


The festival was really great but we showed up a bit late on Saturday and were put in the overflow camping area flanked by WSU frat boys. There we were sipping our Espresso/Cote de Rhone and reading Jane Austen. We are mostly in the same book club and Emma is this months read.

Four, thirty-something, married women surrounded by the screams, guttural chants and beer bonging rituals of a breed of man I am completely unfamiliar with........ It was almost like going on safari (or how I imagine a safari to be), total culture shock.


I finished the Gentleman's Fancy Socks in Lorna's Laces Camouflage last week. See more photos here.





Back to work and home, I did some planting this weekend and took it easy. I seem to have temporarily mis-placed the second ball of Sherbet yarn so I might have to find a different sock project for this upcoming work week.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Kung Fu Fighting Canine

Despite the still sensitive looking wound on his front paw, squirrel lust overcame Pedro and he broke one of our neighbors fence boards in half.

No one witnessed this so it is hard to say which part of his iron dog self went careening through the wood.

It was an older, somewhat rotten plank with a knot in the center, inherently weak , so says the man of the house. Karate chop! What will that dog do next? It amazes me how such a gentle, loving creature can be so powerfully destructive. 80 Lbs. of pure love!


On another front, the Shetland Shawlet is progressing nicely. I saw some folks on Ravelry had made cute mini versions using 1 skein of Malabrigo lace and 14 pattern repeats.
Since most women I know seem adverse to actually donning a 'shawl' I'm thinking I can sneak these into their wardrobes as 'scarves'.



I wanted to make my friend a hat for her birthday. I picked out the perfect yarn at Twisted, a lovely colorway of Silk Garden Lite that I knew would complement her long, auburn hair.
I looked at hat patterns and debated and knit on the shawlet and read this months book club selection and generally procrastinated. Then I remembered Calorimetry and cast on.
It turned out well and the fit was perfect, she loved it!



It was such an easy and fun knit and I had half a ball of yarn left so I knit a second one for myself.
I rode my bike to work this week and it was the perfect thing to wear under my helmet to keep the cold wind (and hail) out of my ears. I might need to knit some kind of neck gaiter too.

Such a fast and easy pattern and a great way to use up those 1/2-1/3 skein leftovers and stray buttons.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Injured Paw Boy


Injured Paw Boy, originally uploaded by Courtney Knits.

He didn't even realize he hurt his paw until we tackled him to clean and bandage it.

Courtney Knits. Get yours at bighugelabs.com/flickr