adventures in san francisco pt 2, all things sheepy

Anabel, her friend Christina and I went off to Japantown where all things sheepy can be bought for less than $2.00 at the Japanese dollar store. Okay, some things aren’t sheepy. But they are wonderful, no?

 

 

1. oven mitt, 2. sheep box cutter, 3. sheep clips, 4. chop sticks, 5. push pins, 6. animal rubber bands (includes sheep), 7. sushi project bag, 8. sheep pad and led key chain, 9. Christina’s New Sheep Tote* (which matches her previously purchased sheep decorated converse shoes. Yep with a black sheep on the heel.)

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

adventures in san francisco, part one yarn tasting at art fibers

San Francisco, Art Fibers. The hallway to the second floor walk-up is filled with xeroxed pictures of models, whose sweaters have been cut-out and filled in with swatches. Clearly, you are headed to a place of fashion.

And fashion it is indeed, with yarn of every sort, eyelash and chunky. Mohair and silk wool blends are common here. Worsted weight is harder to come by.

Like Habu, yarn at Art Fibers is sold by the ounce rather than the yard. For the most part, the fibers come in a array of colors. Take for example, the Ming I found, a silk wool blend. I had my choice of rust, blue and many other colors (although I eventually settled on maroon). Additionally, many of the yarns are available at a cheaper price in dye hanks. I found it hard to keep my hands off of 1000-yard hanks of lace-weight silk and wool, despite the knowledge that it the silk would hardly make this a suitable fiber for a first time dyer like myself.

Karrie and Carmen arrived ahead of me and were already examining the fibers they keep in drawers. Soon after I got there, Anabel and her friend Christina, appeared and we found ourselves tasting various fibers.

Art Fibers is well aware that none of their fibers come with a set gauge and needle size attached to them. They encourage knitters to knit a sample and have set aside a special yarn-tasting area complete with needles (circular, straight AND double points) and fiber for you to try out your potential purchases. They even have drop spindles for spinners to have their own roving tasting. I sampled my Ming with a US Size 4 and found (not at all to my surprise) that I liked the fiber.

Other products at Art Fibers include needles, pattern books and buttons. The staff here is helpful and will kindly draw up a pattern for you using their knitting software. Unfortunately, the one on one attention can come at the price of speedy check out service on a busy day.

I purchased both the Ming and also these artisan crafted buttons from Vermont.

Overall, I had a terrific time at Art Fibers. I’ll give it a rating of 4 1/2 stars and an E for Everyone.

Art Fibers is located at 124 Sutter Street in San Francisco. It is a very short walk from Chinatown.

toe-up sock

I spent Thanksgiving with Josh and our friend Mike in San Francisco. We did a lot of fun things with knitters, which will have to wait until I have some more free time. One thing that I did over the weekend is finish one of my toe-up socks. The yarn is Rare Gems, an overdye by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I picked it up at a considerable discount during Oregon Flock and Fiber.

Let me leave you a picture of my new bag. My purse disappeared (along with all my keys and favorite key chains) a few weeks ago. This is the replacement. I used our REI dividend to pay for the California State Tax. With gas prices what they are, it would have cost too much to wait and see if they had the right bag at the REI here in Oregon.

knitting on the oregon coast

The Oregon Coast is gorgeous. There are also beautiful wonderful yarn shops on the Oregon Coast, although somehow we only managed to stop at Nestucca Bay Yarns again. While I was once again denied some of their lovely handpaints, I did get to see a lot of the fall colors for Mountain Colors. I also picked up some more Tahki Cotton Classic there for my miters. I bought every color that they had on sale that I hadn’t gotten previously for a total of two additional colors.

I also purchased some yarn to make my friend Liz a hat.

on bunnies

Today’s theme is bunnies (the ones that live in grassy fields, not the ones that live at the mansion). Note the vegetable stand at Pike Place Market in Seattle. If I lose you at any point during this post, you’ll need to click on the links to get back on track.

One Easter we were given a black rabbit. I think her name was Cara. My mother let Cara run all over the house, although unfortunately, Cara was not litter box trained. This was not why Cara went to live in the country though. She would have stayed with us for longer except that it turned out she liked to chew electrical cords. My mother found a new home for her where she would have a lot of room to run around without the risk of turning into a fried bunny.

When I was in Walla Walla, Washington, I played Killer Bunnies with some friends. That was a fun, low key game. Just playing it is the fun part.

miter illness

This spring I met Ann and Kay in Portland and since then, I’ve been slowly collecting Tahki Cotton Colors, ostensibly for use in a blanket of my own design. Of course, I also read this thread from Cara over at January One and between the two events, I’ve kept the Mitered Square blanket in the back of my mind. Still, I wanted to copy a quilt I saw on some guy’s knitting blog. The person’s blog was one of the people listed by Franklin on Panopticon, but now I can’t remember where the photo of the quilt went. I’m sure I have a copy of it on the backup I made of my hard drive before we moved. The design is pretty complicated and I’ve been working on graphing it with the help of a professional mathematician (i.e. my hubby).

oregon rose garden

I took a few nice shots on this trip. I’ll be posting them here and there. These were taken at the Oregon Rose Garden using our digital camera. It’s not a fancy camera either. It’s a lovely garden and it was free!

Oregon Rose Garden

she sells yarn by the seashore

I’m still catching up on my blogging. Just a quick word to my No Sheep for You swap pal in Virginia though. Thank you so much for the Tofutsies! I know it has a little wool in it, but I wanted it anyway, so it’s great to have it. It’s really pretty and I can’t wait to try it (although my queue is huge)! If you have a blog, will you drop me a note with the link, so I can put it here?

In my two weeks in Oregon, I’ve been to three yarn shops in three cities. None of them we’re in Salem. No, it’s not the beginning of a logic problem. The first was in Portland. During the Harry Potter wait, I realized I’d left my size 1 needle behind in the car, but I knew that Knit Purl was nearby, so I used the needles as an excuse to check out the shop. I really liked the variety of yarns they carried. There were several things there that I’d never seen all in one shop, or I’d only seen online, as well as some unique items.

my post blew up

My post blew up and I’m none too happy about it. Seeing as how I spent this afternoon, working on my machine, only to discover that all it needed was a new battery, I’m in no mood to rewrite it. So more expect more delays, while I’m in Walla Walla, Washington this weekend visiting friends. In the meantime, here’s a sock. I have to say, I love how the Colinette Jitterbug knits up. It’s so nice! I just hope it wears well. I’m saving the second one for my knit along, Knit Your Second Sock September.
That way, you can start Socktoberfest with a clean plate.

lazy tuesday

It’s been hot. And it’s still hot. Some news for you. I’m not moving until July 15th. My husband and I did this in an elaborate attempt to score an apartment within walking distance to Willamette and downtown Salem. It’s going to be a 9 minute walk. I’m hoping we’ll both shed a few pounds as a result.

Did I mention my interview went well? At least I think it did. I won’t find out until the 25th at any rate. In the mean time, I’m buried in applications. It really says something about the suitability of life in Oregon for us. I don’t ever remember applying for this many jobs during any other move.

I think somehow in the middle of all the traveling I’ve been doing I’ve gotten out of the blog habit and now that it’s hot, I’m feeling lazy. I’m not too lazy to knit in my air conditioned office. I’m just too lazy to take photos. Anyway, I’ve been working on my Hurricane Party sock, which is nearly three weeks late and am happy to say that I’m down near the heel. I’ll put up some photos on this entry tomorrow, but I’m determined to have an entry up now that I’m back home again.

My friends have adopted a little baby from China and I’m making him one of those Baby Baseball Tees from Knit 2 Together by Tracy Ullman and Mel Clark. I’m using Brown Sheep in baby blue and brown. I meant to use the brown as the main color and the blue as the sleeves, but I guess I got mixed up when I cast on. I’m just about to do the sleeve shaping. Again, photos tomorrow.

Someone asked me about how long I had the multi-directional scarf on and it was less than 5 minutes. It also wasn’t kind of breezy actually.

My reunion went as well as I could possibly expect. Fortunately, the drink tickets we got with our event tickets were worth some fairly heavy fruity drinks and I found the evening rather enjoyable as a result. As my husband pointed out, I was doing quite well. This is nothing my high school friends probably would understand as I think my social anxiety took a long time to fully creep up on me. Up until the time I met my husband, I was fighting it like the devil. In fact, that’s how I met him. I promised myself I would meet new people and make new friends for a couple of months in college. I ended up with Josh. Pretty good score, eh?

It was a pretty self-selecting crowd and I have to say it turned out about as well as I could have asked for except for my friend Nick not making it at all due to a personal crisis with his house. So maybe I’ll turn up for my 20. I think we got the people who don’t measure success in terms of money. Given that I went to a prestigious private high school that’s saying something. Granted, the school is still relatively down to earth. It’s all relative.

zzzzzzz…

I’m supposed to be asleep. That is, it’s 10:32 PM and my plan departs Minneapolis-St. Paul at 6:40 AM so our alarm clock is set for 3:00 AM. I’m packed, but I have essays to write for a job I really really want, so I’ve been playing with Ravelry. It’s loads of fun. I’m an administrator now, so I’m helping to clean up patterns. My application is due next Friday. I am now, once again, the Alumni Class Vice-President, which means I lost the election again. I think that’s pretty funny. What this means is, four years from now, I will be going to reunion, working the tables and helping with whatever needs doing. I’m introducing our cluster (classes of ‘96, ‘97 and ‘98) speaker, David Orr, which is a bit of an intimidating job, but at least his CV makes it easy on me. Hey, did anyone else attend a college with it’s own disco? Oberlin has one in the student center, so I’ll be dancing to early 80’s music on Saturday. At the risk of embarrassing myself completely, I made the last minute suggestion that everyone dress early 80’s to early 80’s. This got published at the very very last minute and so I’ve had to pack an extra long-sleeved button down white shirt and I’ll have to stop for some hair spray, just-in-case.

I started a second Chevron Scarf. I frogged my RPM socks and my Mad-tini socks. I’ve come to realize that I’m just not going to wear socks made with medium-weight STR. I’m not sure how I feel about the color combinations, but I’m enjoying working on the scarf.

sox and travel

Wow, I’m down to the wire again with the whole packing thing. But first, let you know that Karrie won the contest. I’ve gotten her choice, but I’ll leave it to her to reveal it to you on her own blog when she gets it.

Oh dear.

a kind of finished object

I finished my Saratoga Sunburst inspired purse. Sort of. Kind of.I had trouble attaching the handles. I think I just don’t own good enough thread. But I safety pinned on the handles so I could take the bag around. Hmm, I bet it shouldn’t go through airport security. They probably don’t like safety pins. Of course, half the handbags out there have heavy metal chains on them. I wonder what security does with those.

a nfo

Check this out. I’m so excited about the way it felted! Tonight, I’ll attach the bag handles and I’ll take it with me on my trip to Portland. I might have to add one snap to the bag so nothing falls out of it. Also, I’ll have to locate a sweater shaver and do a little triming.

I really like the way I set it up to dry and I do think it’s drying much more quickly than it would otherwise. Those are two metal cookie racks and a cookie pan. The pan prevents the racks from spreading apart and catches the drips. There were a lot of drips! The racks are tied together at the top with some Noro ends.

Also, when I was hunting around on the Mason-Dixon knitting blog, I discovered that Ann and Kay are going to be in Portland Wednesday night at Abundant Yarn! If only my husband will let me/take me, I can go! I’m also supposed to be having coffee with a friend, so I hope it will all work out.

Whee. That would give me a huge chance to meet Portland and Oregon knitters before I move. The other thing was that they were collecting urls of Portland knit bloggers, so I can add them to my list of all knitting things Oregon…

fustration nearly saved by yarn pr0n

After messing around with yet another sleeve on the Huntington Castle pullover yesterday, I realized some more things about sweater design, sleeve changes and whatnot and decided I really hate the entire thing. I sewed the shoulder seams first and tried it out. I’m not happy with the length. I’m not happy with the width. I hate the dang sleeves and I’m going to redesign the whole thing…..someday. I’m going back to my Pearl Buck sweater for now. I still have high hopes of finishing it by my birthday next month, so I have to pack it for my Christmas vacation.

thanksgiving cabins and yarn sales

But, first a quick Sock Wars update. I just didn’t have time yesterday. Heraldis won! In the spirit of fairness, the Yarn Monkey changed the rules for the final round. Rather than being targeted with a pair of socks, she had people send her a note, postcard, or other mail. In a stunningly brilliant move Heraldis used Interfloral to tag the Yarn Monkey. Congratulations to all the Sock warriors out there. Everyone else out there should be finishing up their last pair of socks so that everyone gets a pair of socks out of sock wars. Not bad. I know mine are keeping my feet toasty.

On the way up to our friends’ lakeside cabin, we went stopped the 3 Kittens Needlearts Yarn sale (formerly known as Three Kittens Yarn Shop). All I can say is OMG.

That sale rocked!

1833, 1835, 1970, 2003

Oberlin College was formed in 1833 and began regular admissions of African-American two years later in 1835. The town was a hotbed of Underground Railroad activity. The college is also the oldest continuously operating co-education institution. In the 1970, Oberlin became one of the first colleges in country to have co-ed dorms. Perhaps not nearly as momentously important, in 2003 knitting took off at the college and now many students knit in class.

To my great delight and consternation, I spotted this wonderful change to Smith’s Furnishings. Somehow, I managed to resist buying absolutely anything. I don’t know how I did it. Today’s Yarn Erotica might explain why. Actually, I just thought they’d be open on Sunday and ran out of time on Saturday to go back. Check out the entrelac they had in the window.

more yarn

After suffering through a hellacious headache on Friday, my nose deflated to the point where all anyone could see was a red mark. I took my husband to Denver International Airport Saturday so that he could go to Victoria for a mathematics conference. He’ll be back Friday. We move Saturday. If this conference hadn’t been in the plans for more than a year, I’d say it was awfully convenient of him.

(missing picture) My husband’s departure resulted in an immediate survey of yarn stores in Denver. Showers of Flowers is just about the biggest yarn shop I have ever seen. It’s way out on West Colfax, but I think it’s worth the trip if you aren’t looking for sock yarn. I picked up two skeins of South West Trading Company Bamboo for the the Lotus Blossum tank by Sharon Shoji on the cover of this Summer’s Interweave Knits. Anyone knitting this tank should know that Interweave thoughtfully provided a chart for the lace online. Of course, sometime I’ll have to interpret this into socks so I can have my very own Lotus Blossom socks. Don’t expect to see me working on this tank for a long long time. For some reason the tank bust circumfrence start’s at 33 3/4″ and jumps to 39.” It’s looking like I’m going to have to think my way through some size adjustments and pick up another skein of yarn. I think I’ll be able to use size 7 and 6 needles instead of 5 and 6 and get something that fits my 36″ bust. Or I’ll just make the 39. Anyway, I’ll have to knit up some swatches.

I also hopped over to my favorite local shop, Holly Berry to pick up some Lorna’s Laces. I was disappointed by the lack of Lorna’s Laces at Showers of Flowers, but since I showed them the embossed leaves socks I’m making in the Lorna’s watercolor colorway, maybe they’ll wise up and order some. Instead, what happened is that I finally realized that Mountain Colors Hand-Painted Yarns from Corvallis, MT comes in a gauge small enough for socks. Although 21.95 a skein, it’s a 350 yard skein, which means it’s compatible to Lorna’s Laces. It’s only 60% superwash, so it will have to go with the cold load. Hey, it’s not like I don’t have tons of other knits that need to go in the cold wash. And the cold wash is better for the planet (as long as I don’t have to knit more because my husband’s shrunk the socks). The photo is very bright; the colors are a lot deeper and richer in real life.

I got some more work done on the embossed leaves socks and am finishing up the toe tonight. The pattern knit up very quickly and I’m going to need to start another pair of socks tomorrow night. I might want to use the Barefoot Mountain Colors, or I might finish up the falling leaves socks (that happen to be way way too big).

October 2006 – I’m sorry some of the photos got overwritten before I solved this by switching to flickr. I also had deleted them. Since the yarn has been transformed considerably there was no point in replacing them.

socks, socks, socks, socks, socks

What would be a vacation without some sheep? These are Mountain School sheep. The school was selling some yarn, but in somehow in all the confusion, what with the dark (the power kept going out) and the talking with old classmates I forgot to ask whether the yarn they were selling was made from Mountain School wool. (Note: none if it was sock yarn.)

The completed Potomatomus Socks. Note that the colors are much better in real life; they are more red and blue. I hate to say it but they are almost Spidey like.

Finished on June 12th. Knit on Size 1 12″ Addi Turbo needles using Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted. The pattern comes from Knitty. That was the most challenging pattern I’ve worked on in a long time.

I bought some more Lorna’s Laces last week sometime in the Watercolor colorway. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with it yet. I could do the Straight-Laced pattern, but then I’d have to buy another circular needle. I like the pattern though. We’ll see.

Have you ever started on something that you think is just awful? I’m not sure how I feel about the Lace Knee High pattern from the Interweave Knits Winter 2004 issue inthe Cherry Tree Hill Green Mountain Madness. There’s something very loose about the entire thing and I’m not sure I think it’s appealing. Maybe this is something that shouldn’t be done in variegated colors.

Here is the picture of the Koigu I bought in Exeter at Charlotte’s Web. I’ve been playing around with the Magic Loop Method for the piquant Falling Leaves Socks (pattern available at Knitty). It’s kind of neat, although the Koigu is so dense that I find doing “p3togtbl” a bit tough. The question is will it pay off after I finish the toe?

Can you say addicted to socks? Who’d ever have thunk? I don’t wear socks very often. Socks are for the gym, really snowy days, padding around the house and going to work in (if I can’t get away without them). Maybe I will want to wear them in Minnesota though. I’ve got small feet so these are speedy projects I should probably enter the Knitty 2007 calendar contest with my socks (assuming I finish the Knitty ones). Only…doing what?

The finished iPod holder will have to wait until tomorrow for display.

hello from new england

I am on vacation, so you aren’t going to get another post for a couple of days. I went to the 15th reunion of a program known as The Mountain School over the weekend and am now visiting my family in Raymond, NH. It rained A LOT and the power went out every time we sat down to eat, but I had a really really good time. I worked on a hiking trail, ate a lot of good food, watched the sheep graze and reminisced with my semester mates.

While I have my digital camera, I don’t have the cable that connects it to a computer, so I can’t show you what I’ve bought or what I knit. I bought some Koigu at Charlotte’s Web in Exeter, New Hampshire.

I finished the Pomatomus Socks and my iPod holder, both of which I will photograph and dutifully post when I get home on Friday. I’m now about to start a new pair of Lace Knee-Highs from the Winter 2004 issue of Interweave Knits using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Green Mountain Madness.

I also had a brain storm about left over sock yarn. I’ve put this on the web in the form of the North American Sock Yarn Exchange (NASYE). Please send in your comments about this on this page for now. It will take some time for me to set up the other page.