Friday, May 21, 2010

Sweet sweaters, thoughts on Italy and Greece and my little athelete...

It has been a very busy week and a half.  Good and bad stuff has happened and today I am having a talk with myself about life, raising kids, the way to feel when they let you down and being happy they are alive.  
Yesterday was a bummer of a day for my oldest son.  He was in a car accident.  He is OK.  That is what is important.  He rear ended a friend from school.  It was a lousy situation that unfortunately ended with him being the at fault party even though the person in front of his friend chose not to use their blinker, causing a brake slamming situation and a rear ending!  OK.  With all that said, all the kids are OK.  The cars are damaged, tickets are involved and points are on drivers licenses.  In the end - it is all about MONEY and that is it so life will go on...
Knitting has not been very productive lately, due to a lot of factors, but mainly because baseball season has started and our 10 year old decided this year that he was going to become a baseball star.  A star has been born.  He is doing fantastically.  He is pitching (in the first game the first inning out of three, the second game he pitched two innings out of three).  He finally got a pretty good hit the other night and has stolen quite a few bases!  I think he understands how the game works!
Here is Elliot proudly displaying his Scrappers Uniform and also one of him on the pitchers mound before his FIRST PITCH, in his FIRST GAME OF HIS LIFE!
My newest knitting project is a cute little lacy sweater to wear in Italy and Greece (that is if I get in gear and put some inches onto it).  The yarn I found is really soft and it is called Mirasol Cotanani.  It is 50% Cotton/50% Merino.  It might be a little warm but I am counting on the lacy-ness of it to keep it sort of cool.  It should be nice over a cute sun dress.  The pattern is "A Little Something" and can be purchased here on Ravelry.  Below is my progress so far...
Italy and Greece is quickly approaching so we have been dieting, walking, doing planks and working on our beach bodies, just in time to eat glorious Italian and Greek Cuisine.  I guess I will repeat when I get home!  I can't wait to explore and see the beautiful scenery!  More on my upcoming vacation later!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Handspun shawl...

Well, it has been a fair amount of time since I have been able to share a "knitting" blog post.  I am so excited about how this latest project turned out I just can't wait to share the lovely photo's.  So I was perusing my blogs that I frequent on Google Reader (awesome tool by the way) and I saw this lovely shawl that Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed) had knit with some hand spun Romney.  I think he calls it his "Romney Kerchief".  This shawl did not come with a pattern, just some notes on its construction.  There lives in my stash the perfect hand spun yarn for this shawl.  I cast on, tore out, cast on again, tore out and played with this for about two days before I figured it out (or at least almost out).  Here are the results. 
Aren't the colors lovely.  This fiber is Blue Faced Leicester in colorway Fireside Chat and was purchased from Northern Lights Fiber Co.  
Construction is not difficult.  I cast on 10 stitches.  Increased using M1L and M1R after and before the three edge stitches and on either side of the two center stitches.  
row 1 was knit and increases, row 2 was knit, row 3 was knit and increases, row 4 was knit, row 5 was knit and increases, row six was purl.
That's it.  Oh and on the last repeat I just knit all of the rows, even row 6, that mimics the three garter stitches on the top of the shawl.
I in no way made up this construction.  I fell in love with the shawl on Brooklyn Tweed's web site, followed his notes and this is what came of it.  The right hand-spun yarn, as he said, makes the shawl.
 ON ANOTHER NOTE...
My nephew Wesley Thomas Rabung graduated today from Chugiak High School.  Way to go Wesley.
Andy, Wesley, Julie (my sister), Nic, Mitchel
The proud Rabung family!
Oh and he is the first of my sister's and my 6 boys to graduate.  Next year my son Tanner and her son Nic both hit the stage!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Spring...


a. The season of the year, occurring between winter and summer, during which the weather becomes warmer and plants revive, extending in the Northern Hemisphere from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice and popularly considered to comprise March, April, and May.
b. A time of growth and renewal.
Here is a glimpse of spring in my neck of the woods...
Spring, "springs" a little later in Alaska than in other parts of the world but every day there is a little more green.  
I am about finished with my latest knitting project, just doing the sewn bind off on the edge.  Blocking and photographing should be taking place this week!  Stay tuned.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

more wonderful Alaska weather

This is the photo I had in mind today when I first posted about our weather.


I found this little beauty as I was cleaning out my garden of last years growth. That dead growth was protecting my little crocus!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

this is a blog, isn't it?

I have not logged in and blogged in awhile!  I have not had anything substancial to say I guess.  I have not really been doing much as far as knitting (I have been doing a lot but I have not finished anything lately).  So I guess I will just check in with all of my knitting friends.  
The weather in Anchorage has been phenominal.  We have had the most beautiful sunshine.  It is that time of year that we stay here for.  We Alaskan's put up with snow, cold, wet, dirty, snow, did I mention snow.  Around mid May we start to understand why.  The mountains are glorious, the grass begins its journey to green, the final bits of SNOW melt and reveil the little tiny plants that will thrive for a few months!  It is worth it!  
My new office is located near downtown, on the outskirts.  Close enough to be in the thick of it but just far enough out that we are not bogged down with buildings on all sides of us.  Currently this is the view out of my front window...  
Around 3 a guy will come out from behind our building (a long term hotel is behind us) and fly his remote control airplane.  Men and Women will gather around 4 to start practicing for softball season (it is a BIG deal here in Anchorage).  The sounds of summer come alive as the work day winds down.  I love our new office location.  It makes me want to wake up!  Oh and we have a wonderful place to walk at lunch!
So today might not be talk of knitting, but I hope it is worth reading.  What is it like where you all live?