Knitting In the Trees

Twined MItts: Aka Larus + Ardea  One skein Cascade 220 and mabye 4 yrds of a contrast color. It took me a week to knit each mitt more or less obsessively but I'm more or less slow.

Two End Knitting by Anne-Maj Ling has more projects and you can get it from Nancy Bush's website. I may have been shopping.....that Greta Garbo shawl is gorgeous. (Cookie, quit giggling. Pinky swear I'll finish Lyra first which means......2012?)

Before the vicious H1N1 virus felled me - wow, that's a virulent mean little thing! I had a 103 fever for a couple of days and was as weak as a kitten - a kitten hacking up a lung. I don't recommend catching it. I wanted a week off but it would have been nice to do something other than sleep for three days. Although who am I kidding? I love sleeping all day.

Anway, before that happened, I was up at Marshall at the Marconi Convention Center State Historical Park being schooled by the likes of Nancy Bush and Sally Melville. I knew I was going to love Nancy's class, I have all her books and I love the historical aspect of her work and I knew that Sally's class was going to be good - I have most of her books too but I was blown away by how much I learned in Sally's class.

And I didn't even do the take-a-picture-of-yourself to make paper clothes for. (Honestly, I'm not big on pictures anyway but I didn't find out I needed it until the final two weeks before the 15th of October - this year it really was a work-up-until-the-last-minute. Much busier than normal too. Next year we are Taking Steps to avoid that.)

But even without that, what I learned in her class about flattering shapes and how to knit to fit was fabulous. I came to knitting from a seamstress background so I have always fooled with my patterns for a better fit but knitting is unlike sewing in many ways and there are some things I couldn't quite figure out. Her set in sleeve alone was worth the price of admission for the whole weekend.

And then there was the views. And the deer! We had three deer traipse by the window of our room one night. Jackrabbits hopped and posed merrily, it was if if they'd been hired.

 

Tomales Bay (from the Marshall Store & a plate of oysters on the back deck)

 

Tomales Bay through the trees at the Marconi Convention Center State Historical Park. If you're in the area, drive up. It's gorgeous and it is a park, so it's open to the public. They do have rooms available occasionally too.

 

The Line Up for Shawls with Carolyn, our Hostess With the Mostest doing her normal speed through. :)

 

Nancy Bush, Sally Melville and Erika in the back row, admiring the projects. Nancy crooked her finger at Trisha, beckoning her to the back,  to get a better look at Trisha's nupp shawl she knit for her wedding. Gorgeous. There were a LOT of gorgeous projects there. I really need a decent camera, most of mine on the iPhone didn't come out. Boo.   

In the meantime, pray that the current version  of the second sleeve on Dad's Cardigan is the final one. It's my cough*whoknows*cough try. Note to self: 

1. A top down knit sleeve must have at least close to the same number of stitches on each side.
2. The second sleeve is not where one should decide to stop knitting a sweater in pattern.
3. It should not be larger, particularly if the yarn is running out and there is no more.....
   

Weekend at the Lighthouse

 

Shrouded in fog on Friday

Sunny and warm by Sunday.

Sunset on the marsh

Salt flats as seen just prior to crossing the San Mateo Bridge. (Actual driving across it requires a death grip on the wheel and prayers for no earthquakes.)

Pumpkins at Half Moon Bay

The view from the "teaching deck" (where a sea lion graciously perched for a bit)

Maze and Chevron Hat class

Spinning class - hey, did you know that if you twist your roving clockwise, let it completely unspin expecting the twist to be counter-clockwise, your roving/yarn will separate and the spindle will drop to the floor? It's true! I am so glad I took the class, I may NEVER have figured that out on my own. Srsly. And I didn't dare to even sit at the spinning wheel, I observed. And took pictures.

Twining class taught by Spinnity - this is a seriously cool knitting technique and the fingerless mitts have this just amazing knitted chainmail feel. Not stiff or harsh but solid. The pattern from Knitty (on Ravelry) is Larus and Ardea.

Hmm. I may have another new project going. (I love how the keyboard is in excellent focus but the knitting? Not so much).

Walking the sunset and birding

I had an absolutely fabulous time at the Knitting Retreat. The hostel was nice, the view was spectacular, the knitters - well, were Knitters. Fun, fabulous, literate, chatty, friendly, helpful, knowledgable - is there a better group of folks on earth? (Okay, Readers are up there too but there's a lot of crossover ;)

Wedding at the Hostel (photo op - complete strangers, they were posing in the "Center Council" area at the lighthouse park as I was leaving).   

And when I got home, these were waiting for me:

 

 Ravelry mugs! That I won from Moonfrog. Aren't they perfect? I love that when the cup is filled with coffee, 'disagree' becomes 'agree". That is absolutely not how it is with me, I am perfectly delightful at all times, with or without my caffeine fix.  

This project may or may not have progressed much from as pictured.

I'd talk about television but I seem to be consumed by ....... Dancing With The Stars. I know! But I cannot resist. Kelly Osborne and Louie Vito are my current faves. Well, maybe Michael Irvine. No, Debi Mazer. Amy,  Miss T, notice THE CHAIRMAN:,  Mark Dacascos. Chuck Liddel.