Secret Pal 12 Question #4

1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”?
2) What yarn do you never want to be without?

For question #1, I would have to say one of the Tilli Tomas silk yarns like Plie or Pure and Simple. Even better would be to have a number of skeins of the silk with a couple of skeins of the coordinating beaded yarn. I typically don't stash yarns except for small projects. Typically I buy yarn for sweaters and I usually buy it for specific patterns. It is nice to have some basics on hand though for sweater patterns that you happen to come across unexpectedly.

This brings me to question #2. My favorite sweater yarns are Tahki Savoy (52/48 silk/merino), Berroco Pure Merino and Handmaiden Double Sea or Great Big Sea. Classic Elite Premier or Cascade Cotton Tencel are nice to have on hand for summer projects too. I have some Pure Merino and Premier in my stash but the Handmaiden is too pricey to stash so I buy it for projects that I am working on in the present.

Project update!

Here is my progress on Juliet. I'm 3 rows away from joining the body.

I'm loving this yarn. It is Cascade Venezia and it is a blend of 70% merino and 30% silk. So far so good.

I came home from work today to find this:

My order from Webs!

First I got 2 skeins of Plymouth Royal Bamboo to use for chemo caps. It feels and looks like cotton only it is shiny. The colors are really lovely!

The real surprise was the 9 skeins of Tahki Savoy which I ordered for the Tree Jacket! First off, they sent me 10 skeins. Secondly, this is the softest yarn I have ever felt! I had never seen this yarn in person, but the description sounded like something I would love, so I took a chance. According to the label, it will knit to the gauge specified in the pattern. The fiber content is 52% silk, 48% merino and it is a golden olive green. I couldn't be more pleased!


I little eye candy, courtesy of Trader Joe's. Two dozen roses! I take a deep cleansing breath every time I look at them!



That's it for now! Nothing exciting to write about.

Bushism of the day:
"It's negative to think about blowing each other up. That's not a positive thought. That's a Cold War thought. That's a thought when people were enemies with each other." —George W. Bush, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2001

Kitty Cam:
Harley waits impatiently for me to fix breakfast!

How do you spell relief?

N-O S-C-H-O-O-L! That's how! Now before you think that I don't like my job, allow me to clarify things. I love teaching. It's the other crap that bugs me! Most of the other crap deals with misplaced priorities on the part of the "powers that be" within the school system and my school. That is a very long rant that I don't care to bore you folks with! So I won't! We had no school today because it is Rosh Hashanna. Holidays and snow days are "freebies" as far as I'm concerned! That means that I am not obligated to do housework on those days. I will confess that I ran some errands today. I had a bunch of little nitpicky errands--too many to do after work--so I did them all today. I also got my nails done!


Everything old is new again!

I ventured into Nordstrom to replace my favorite all purpose neutral lipstick by Smashbox. Imagine my frustration when I found out it had been discontinued! For those of you who don't know--I LOVE lipstick! I carry no less than four tubes plus the matching lip liners in my purse at any given time! Fortunately I found out that I can find some discontinued items on the Smashbox website and they had my color so I ordered 3 tubes! I felt that I could not walk out of Nordstrom without a new tube of lipstick however so I stopped at the MAC counter. I love MAC lipstick. Typically I buy a new color every spring and fall so I decided it was time. Funny thing was--every color I saw that I liked--I'd turn it over to see the name only to realize that I already owned it! I'm lipsticked out! Go figure! So I went home and pulled out my plastic box under the bathroom sink which contains all my lipsticks that I'm currently not wearing! It was like I had a whole new selection! I came across this one and trust me when I tell you that the color looks a lot brighter than in the photo!

This baby is RED and I mean like Gwen Stefani or Christina Aguilera RED! It's that color that is reminiscent of the 1940's! It is called "Red Hot" and it lives up to its name! I bought this a few years ago and wore it maybe once or twice because I thought it was too bright! Well, when you get nearer the grave than the cradle, your idea of "too daring" changes. I tried it on with a touch of lip glass over it and decided that I rather like it!

It is not as neatly applied in that photo as it typically would be. Lipstick like that takes 3 traffic lights for me to apply on my way to work! I think I will start wearing this color again! Why the hell not!

I have a new assistant. You've seen Sophia, now meet Sylvia! I've decided to stay with the "S" names.

Sylvia was living in the trunk of Ems' car. Ems said that her hairstyle was a "fashion mullet"--not that I ever thought a mullet could be in fashion! Sylvia is fortunate not to have to deal with some of the typcial female problems--menstrual cramps, thigh bulge and saggy boobs--as she has no body. In the photo, she is resting on Mikey's carrier. Sylvia will come in handy when I need a hat model. One of her siblings served this purpose last winter and can be seen in my FO gallery!

I did something today that I rarely, if ever, do. I bought stash yarn! When I buy yarn, it is for a specific pattern. I always get a pattern first then I either have a preconceived notion of what I want for it or I go on a search for the perfect yarn. I have to love any yarn that I get as it may be years before I actually get around to making that particular project. If I really love the yarn when I purchase it, then I usually love it when I get around to knitting it! I was in my LYS and stumbled across a bin of discontinued yarns. I found this Silky Tweed by Elsebeth Lavold.

I had never seen this yarn before. It has a rustic appearence and the color is that of old faded denim--bluer than the photo with flecks of browns. The fiber content is 40% silk, 30% merino, 20% cotton and 10% viscose. I picture this as some sort of tunic so I bought 10 skeins, each having 130 yards. By the time I got home, I realized that this would be perfect for Sahara. I will have to play with the gauge because this is more of a dk and Sahara calls for worsted. I truly love that pattern and I think this would be perfect with some matte finish pewter type beads. Great to wear with jeans! I'll have to play with it when I actually get around to working with it.

A strange kitty thingy--Mikey and Samantha love turtle sticks! What, you may ask, are turtle sticks? They are this little gray floating things that I feed to Elvis. Every morning I go to get Elvis up, which involves turning his lights on and giving him some turtle sticks. Without fail, Mikey and Samantha rush over and start begging. So, softy that I am, I always give them a few.

They look totally unappetizing, if you ask me. They are little gray thingies about 3/4 inch long. When I looked at the ingredients, however, I saw that they are pretty much made of fish which explains the attraction! I guess they are like kitty candy!


I need to get back to Fifi. I have about 10 rows left in the body and then I just have to finish the sleeves and block her.

Bushism of the day:
"Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis." --George W. Bush, CNBC, April 15, 2000

Kitty Cam:
Greg sometimes gets impatient when I am on my computer. Here he is showing his frustration by sitting on the table, which he is not allowed to do!

Stash Enhancement and other happenings

So the mailbox brought me some major stash enhancement today. I guess it's not really "stash" if it is earmarked for a specific project though. The first package is stash because it's not for anything specific--something I don't typically do. Three skeins of Rowan Calmer purchased for $3.99 a skein on clearance from Cucumberpatch's Ebay store. I love Calmer and I can easily make a tank from 3 skeins of this. I would have bought more, but this was the last of it!

The second package contained some Berroco Denim Silk which I have been looking everywhere for. This yarn has been discontinued, which for the life of me, I cannot figure out why! It is 20% silk and 80% rayon. It is a fine tape and it is heathered. The color I got is like that of slightly acid washed jeans. I found it at New York Knits though a Google Search. Everyone was out of this color. This is to make the Blue Smock pattern on Gay's blog.

The color is actually bluer than in the photo.

Lastly, I finially received the yarn for my Red Carpet Convertible which is the other project for the SKC Knit Along. The yarn called for, Classic Elite Playful Weekend, is too expensive and I'm not sure that I like the texture. I ordered some Noro Hana Silk ribbon from Stash which is in the UK. The price including shipping was way cheaper than anywhere in the US. I've never seen this yarn before so I took a chance in ordering it. I figured that I couldn't go wrong given that it was 100% silk and I was not disappointed! The color is an intense red and it has that delicious crunch of silk! I love it and can't wait to see how it knits up!


I got my hair cut yesterday. It's not that different but it will take a little getting used to. She cut about 3 inches off the length and it's quite blunt . She didn't cut the layers at all and did heavier bangs. Cathy's haircuts always prove to be the best, so I'm sure I will be used to the slight change in no time!


I did some research for fabric for "the gown." I found a vibrant bright turquoise silk charmeuse at G-Street and it's a fabulous color. I didn't buy it as I found the same stuff on Ebay from a Canadian fabric dealer. I will have to get the silk organza for the lining at G=Street though. I decided that I am building a bra into the dress which will make it so much easier to wear. The challange will be how to bustle it. I realized that there is a godet in the center back and typically I bustle this cut of skirt with fasteners on the center back seam--with a godet, there is no center back seam. Once the dress is finished, I will put it on the dress form and play around with the bustling part. I don't think it will be a problem.

Mikey had to have blood taken today and the vet had trouble finding a vein. Poor guy had to be shaved on part of his neck, one arm and the inside of one leg! He looks like a patchwork quilt! He's a good patient and never fights or struggles. The vet and technician always say he deserves a treat!

I really need to get to work on Fifi. I would love to finish it before I go to New England on Monday 7/23.

Kitty Cam:
Mokey takes time away from his 19th floor view to pose for Ems.

Hello. My name is Vicki and I have a problem. Isn't that the first step? If you are reading this then you most likely have a similar problem. My problem is not that of just buying yarn--though that is a secondary issue. My problem is thinking that I can do more than I have time for. I plan projects and enhance my stash by purchasing all that I need to complete said projects. This week has been no exception. There are several items that I've been wanting to add to my "to do" list but I was waiting for the right yarn to come along. Lo, and behold, this week it all did!

First of all, I've decided that I need to work on an extensive lace project. This will be an ongoing thing. I've been reading Grumperina's blog and coveting all the lovely lace things she knits. I have discovered during the last few months that I love knitting lace. I just can't do it at knitting group when I'm running my mouth. I purchased the book Lace Style a few weeks ago and fell in love with the Lily of the Valley Shawl.

The pattern isn't that complicated and it's the type of lace pattern that can be easily memorized. I decided to go for it and purchase the yarn. I went to my LYS to find some suitable lace yarn. There were two that I liked but I don't think the weight was quite right. The pattern called for Jaeggerspun Superfine Merino which is 630 yards in a 2 oz. skein. I bought Lacey Lamb which has over 800 yards in a 2 oz skein. The color is beige which is okay but I just don't love it. I'm going to return it because I found that Sarah's Yarns had the Jaeggerspun so I ordered it. The color is called Mushroom and it is the same yarn as in the photo--a very soft taupe--almost white and I DO love that!

I also got my Berroco Pure Merino for the Cable Down Raglan. This is gorgeous yarn. The color isn't quite right in the photo.

This is sort of a caramel color and it will be fabulous with all the olive greens and browns that I wear.

The last purchase was that of some Art Yarns Silk Rhapsody Glitter from Fabulous Yarn to make the Cardi Wrap by Stitch Diva. Judy, the proprietor, special ordered the color I wanted and I still get the 20% off discount. She is so friendly and I recommend checking out her online store. You won't be disappointed! I can't wait for that yarn to arrive! It's one of those that you just have to caress!

Now I have to do some serious goal setting. I have found that participating in the Sahara KAL was great for keeping me on task. I am scheduling my projects with completion dates. I will work on the Lily Shawl one, possibly two nights a week. I figure I can knock off one lace repeat each time. I want to make Rusted Root and finish it by the end of June, then I really want to do the Silk Corset by Annie Modesitt. After that I will begin the Cable Down Raglan. All of those sweaters are top down knits which I think is the only way to go.

I have fallen for the Eyelet Cardigan by Blue Sky Alpacas--so I may have to throw that in there.

I'm half finished my last Sahara sleeve and I plan on working on it the full 2 hours tomorrow during "24." That should complete the straight knitting. I can do the lace on Tuesday!

Kitty Cam:

Greg can be a big bully, but who ever thought he'd resort to guns!

Sheep & Wool continued

I must say that I exercised a huge amount of self-control at the Sheep & Wool festival. I went with a list--mainly looking for yarn for 2 sweaters. One, the Simple Knitted Bodice, was to be knit in Tilli Tomas as I mentioned in my last post. I will go early next year and take care of that one. The other, the Cable Down Raglan from the Sprink IK, is still up in the air. The pattern is shown knit up in Louet Gems Worsted weight merino. I'm debating whether to use merino or cotton for that one. I've learned not to buy yarn for a pattern unless I absolutely love it and nothing really tickled my fancy for that one. Funny--I came across some perfect yarn on Ebay last night--Berroco Pure Merino in Resin which is a goldish kind of color. I love the color and it would go beautifully with all the browns, rusts, and olive greens that I wear! That's it! I will order that!

Of course, I did get sock yarn--Koigu, which I've never seen at the LYS. Gorgeous colors!

I bought yarn for another small project also. I have a pattern for a beaded scarf which I love. I already have some teal cashmere with black beads, but I saw the same scarf knitted up in variegated sock weight merino so I got some with the beads!

I've decided to try drop spindle spinning. I am trying to plan a colonial living history day for our 5th grade next year at school and I thought it would be fun to teach them drop spindle spinning. I picked up a pound of roving and some simple spindles.

Then I got a fancy spindle for myself!

This one came with a kit which included the book and some black fleece. The spindle is made of cherry and brass and it is lovely. This crafter made all kinds of designs and had little stands to display them in.

I bought a book at Borders earlier in the week.

Check out some of the designs!




Ooh la la! Sexy stuff! Gotta love it!

Progress on Sahara is steady. I have finished the first sleeve and I got one repeat of the lace pattern done on the neckline (which doesn't show in the photo). Once I'm done with the neckline, I'll do the other sleeve. The neckline lace isn't knit in the round and every pattern repeat (every 3 stitches) involves a P3tog tbl which is a nightmare! When done in the round as on the sleeves and hem, it's a K3tog tbl which is so much easier. The purl thing is nasty and I'm not liking it. It takes forever. I will make myself finish that part by tomorrow night.



Other news--I joined Curves today! It really seems like a good environment for what I need to do and I have set a goal to go 3 times a week!

I took Mikey to the vet this afternoon for his first glucose test in a month. It was in the high normal range so that's good news. He's gaining weight which shows that the diabetes is getting under control, but he's overweight so he really needs to lose weight! Gee--someone should develop a Curves for Kitties!

I hate to admit that I have no kitty photos today! Who would believe with 4 cats that I couldn't catch one of them being cute!

Stash Enhancement

The postman helped me out with my stash enhancement efforts today! Keep in mind, however, that there is more than one type of stash! For me, there are basically three types: Fabric, yarn and shoes! My fabric stash is definitely the largest. In fact, I would say that I could probably clothe all the inhabitants of a small nation with my stash! I am starting to get rid of the fabric that I don't think I'll ever use. The problem is that I only buy quality stuff so I hesitate to just donate it to the thrift store. I have some lovely quilting cottons which I may end up donating to Project Linus so that it will be put to charitable use.

My yarn stash is still manageable. I don't buy random skeins of yarn. I usually buy yarn for a specific pattern. I do have one container with felting yarns and one with cotton yarns for dish cloths but everything else has a purpose! I've been planning to make Annie Modesitt's Corset Tank Top so I purchased the yarn for that.




This is the exact yarn used in the pattern photo. I found this yarn, which is Artyarns Regal Silk, on sale at Sarah's Yarns for $11.75 per skein! It retails for $21 so this was a bargain! I had hoped to get some to make the Simple Knitted Bodice by Stitch Diva, but Sarah was out of all the colors I wanted! I ended up only getting the two skeins of the dark green from her. I quickly put in an ordeer to Fabulous Yarns. For those who haven't purchased yarn there, I highly recommend them. Judy, the owner is very friendly and accommodating. They discount their yarn--10% off for purchases under $50 and 20% off for purchases over $50! Their prices are already cheaper without the discount. This yarn is $18.50 there so with a 20% discount, it ends up being $15! Still a lot cheaper than the 21 bucks!

Speaking of Annie Modesitt--Is anyone else as excited as I am about her new book, Romantic Hand Knits as I am? I love the curvy model on the cover! It's nice to see knit garments on curvy women who aren't afraid to show off their curves! Check out this page of her blog to see some of the designs which will be in the book. Scroll down and check out the olive green lacy top! I am so making that!

I still want to get something for the Simple Knitted Bodice. The pattern features Tilli Tomas which is pricey. I don't mind paying for it, if it ends up being what turns me on. The problem is that I've never seen this yarn in person! Fortunately, I see that Tilli Tomas will have a stand at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, so I may end up spending my "allowance" all in one place!

My third stash was also enhanced today!

I saw these shoes in a magazine last summer and fell in love with them. I checked them out at the Cole Haan store in Boston only to find that they were $190 which was more than I wanted to pay. Last week a pair in the bronze appeared on Ebay for a fraction of the original price which I seriously considered buying, but I decided to check out the Cole Haan website which, much to my delight, had them on sale for even less and in the color I liked! They are an interesting silver striped leather and the soles are made by Nike Air. They feel like you are walking on a cloud! They will be perfect for work since they have enough height to wear with my long jeans and they are so incredibly comfortable!

Here's a closeup of the leather!

My day started off with a surprise when I went into my classroom and found a surprise on my desk! My friend Pheelya left me a little box with some beaded stitch markers that she made!


Look! They're kitties! Pheelya knows me all too well!

Speaking of kitties--Mikey seems back to normal. For those who don't know, he is diabetic. He's been on twice a day insulin injections for about 3 months now. His last two blood tests showed normal glucose levels so he doesn't have to go to the vet for a few weeks. He was somewhat lethargic for weeks but I've noticed that he is getting playful and lively, rolling around with his "scratch my belly" cry.
He was actually chasing Greg yesterday which is great because they both are little fatties and need the exercise!

Another kitty quandry here is Bar who sleeps like a cow. I've mentioned this in previous posts. With all the cats I've known in my lifetime, I have never seen a cat sleep this way! Usually when they sleep on their tummies, they keep their head up. Bar stretches his out and sticks his elbows out like a cow!

Bar, doin' the cow!

And now, for the aerial view!

Rumor has it that spring has finally sprung! It will be the kind of weekend which invites one to work in the flower bed! Wikth mother nature having PMS this year, I'm a bit leary of putting tender annuals in the garden before mid May. My urns would look lovely with pansies overflowing, so that's what I will do! Oh and I must sit out on the deck with my latte while working on my Sahara!

Stash Control

I think I need to join a self-help group and if you are reading this blog, you probably need to join the same group. If you knit, then you most likely hoard yarn. I know that my stash probably doesn't come close to some people's, but I could knit from my stash for years and not run out of projects. Most of my stash is yarn that has been purchased for specific projects with the exception of some felting wools and cottons for dishcloths. The stuff for projects is pretty premium as yarns go--stuff like Colinette (a lot of it!) and other hand painted wools, merinos, cashmeres etc. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I had added to my stash substantially in the last 2 weeks. Last night I took a class at Cloverhill in graphing celtic knots which required no yarn. Of course I walked out of there $80 later with a bag of goodies. I purchased 3 skeins of Cotton Fleece in Sedona Red for the Rusted Root pattern. This is the exact yarn I wanted and it was relatively cheap for a whole sweater! I also purchased 3 skeins of Cotton Classic for dishcloths. The real expense was the new Rowan magazine and the spring issue of Vogue Knitting.

Other stash additions: My hand painted yarn from Uruguay which I bought off of Ebay finally came and it is lovely. It rivals Malabrigo except it has a slight barnyard odor to it--sort of like "wet dog" smell. I'm debating whether or not to wash it before knitting.

It is variegated light turquoise and green--for the My So Called Scarf pattern.

The other major stash --soon to be FO--is the Hand Maiden Great Big Sea yarn that I ordered from Loopy Yarns in Chicago. This stuff is like heaven! It is worsted weight 50% silk, 30% merino, 20% seacell. The color is called pumpkin.

This is for the Sahara KAL with the Sexy Knitter's Club. Now I have to find beads to add to the yarn for the beaded bands. I am going to take a skein to Beadazzled to see what goes with it.

I did finish a lovely lace dishcloth called the Moss and Ivy dishcloth.


The color is much prettier than in the photo--it is more of a lilac color.

I've decided that I enjoy knitting lace. Of course I haven't done any really complex lace patterns, but I just bought the book "Lace Style" at Borders which has some nice patterns in it which aren't too complex.

I hope to start my KAL projects this week over spring break between cleaning the pantry and the living room. I also hope to finish 3 chemo caps by next week to turn into our knitting club.

Of course no blog entry would be complete without at least one kitty photo!

Here's Bar (otherwise known as Harley) doing the "cow."

Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town!

Not that I would really know! I just got back from our OAKE conference in Chicago this morning. I love it when people ask how the city was. Who knows? They put these conferences in cities with a lot to do and see then they don't give us time to do either! We bugged out of some sessions just to eat real food and one thing I do know is that Chicago is a place with a lot of restaurants! We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton which was a stunning hotel. The "El" ran right outside the door and of course I staked out the Starbucks in the area. I was a little disappointed with this conference. Typically I leave these things really psyched up over all that I learned, but I must admit to being ambivalent about many of the sessions I attended. The children's choirs were spectacular which was a major highlight, but they sure looked different than the groups of kids that I work with. The guest choirs were all from the midwest and they were totally lacking in diversity. It looked so strange to me with my students being of so many nationalities. The Chicago Children's choir looked like the kids at my school. I guess this sort of opened my eyes to why middle America thinks the way it does--at least politically. I think this is one of the reasons I'm so much more comfortable in cities--I like the diversity. I find it incredibly enriching.

So to temper some of my ambivalence, I decided to go to a yarn store. PHD Knitter had told me about Loopy Yarns and I discovered that it was about 5 blocks from the hotel so I went to check it out. It was a lovely little shop with some very nice yarns. I stumbled across the most unusual scarf pattern which I bought.

One of the employees was making this up in mohair. I looked at the sport and fingering weight yarns but didn't see anything right off the bat. While looking for something else, however, I stumbled across this yarn that is 70% merino and 30% cashmere! It feels like absolute heaven. It is a dusty turquoise color and I bought a bag of strung beads that are iridescent black with bronze, green and gold that will look fabulous!

The other yarn that I got was merino sock yarn. This was a large skein which is hand dyed and an unusual mustard color. I believe the brand is Fleece Artist.

There was some other yarn that I was dying to get. It is a new yarn by Hand Maiden which is call Great Big Sea. It is a worsted weight with a nice twist and the content is 50% silk, 30% merino and 20% Sea Cell. The color was a subtly variegated orange color called Pumpkin. I kept thinking about the Sahara pattern by Stitch Diva. The Sexy Knitters Club is doing a KAL with this pattern. I had looked at the Tilli Tomas yarn recommended on the pattern, but I didn't love it. I LOVE this Great Big Sea stuff! The quandry is what to do with the beaded neck, sleeve and hem bands. I just found that Berroco has has a sequins yarn which is just a carrier thread with scattered sequins which I could use with this yarn on the neck or I could add some beads which is most likely what I would do. I didn't buy the yarn because I didn't have my pattern and I needed the details. I went back to the hotel and looked for the pattern info online which I found. I thought I would sneak off to the store again on Saturday but decided against it. Well, I couldn't stand it so I just called the store and they have 4 skeins left which is what I need. I guess it is meant to be. They are putting it in the mail tomorrow! The KAL starts on April 1 so I may get an early start after I finish that blasted Pop Up Paw!

The other purchase at Loopy Yarns was that of two pairs of children's needles. I love short needles! They actually had quite a selection of 7 - 8 inch birch needles but I got the kids' ones in sizes 5 and 6.


I guess you've figured out what attracted me to them!

I finished my first dishcloth on the plane! This is the mid month KAL from the Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo group.

This is knit in Tatamy Tweed worsted which is a blend of 40% cotton and 60% acrylic. It was nice yarn to knit with. I started a new, lacy one in Cotton Classic by Tahki. I really like that yarn.

No post is complete without kitty photos. The night before I left, Harley pulled my bath towel down and made a nest!



It's back to the old grind tomorrow. Tuesday is a professional day, so I get to be a grownup again and go out to lunch! WoW! That's twice in one week only to be followed by spring break next week! Goodie!