I'm a Ravelry.com Junkie

It suddenly dawned on me that I've never mentioned how addicted I am to Ravelry.com. I go on there several times a day without fail. I really don't know what I did before it existed. In case you are unfamiliar, it is the facebook.com for knitters and crocheters and combines everything from message boards to patterns to thousands of other knitters all over the world. Everytime I check my personal email, I do a quick scan of what's new on Ravelry. In fact, I could probably exist just fine with only online access to those 2 places and nothing else.

I currently have 2 free patterns to download on Ravelry. One is the "Big Honkin' Bag" and the "Elusive Blue Rose Hat" pattern. I originally spent countless hours designing, writing the pattern and photographing the bag pattern to submit to Knitty.com. Big mistake that - I think from the time elapsed it probably made it into one of the final groups to be published on Knitty, but was ultimately rejected for reasons I will never understand.

I was so incensed over all my wasted effort on that experience that I vowed NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN and let my awesome pattern languish for awhile. I considered selling it on Ravelry, but decided to give it away for free on there as a kind of pay back for all the free patterns I have downloaded and enjoyed from the site myself over the last several years. Several people requested the hat pattern after seeing it on my finished projects page, so I added that pattern as well.

If you haven't had the chance to set up a free account on Ravelry.com, I highly recommend it. It is an excellent place to record your finished knitting projects, read other people's ratings and observations of most knitting and crocheting patterns out there and see photos of countless finished projects (which can be both depressing and inspiring). The various message boards devoted to everything from Prius lovers to local knitting shops is an endless source of amusement. My current obsession is the Mad Men board where we discuss knitting and my favorite tv show endlessly.

If you want to see most of my finished projects in the past several years, feel free to check in on me (user name HipKnitizer) and feel free to "friend" me as well.

Not Much Longer Now!

I'm really getting excited about the upcoming publication of the Stitch 'N Bitch Superstar Knitting book. Only 41 more days until it comes out! I have seen several previews of the contents (Knitpicks has photos) and got an advanced copy of my Baby Corn pattern pages to proof several weeks ago. Baby Corn is the yellow dress in the first preview photo on the Knitpicks website upcoming books preview - funny that they would put my pattern first.

Debbie asked for current addresses of the pattern designers so she could send us each a copy of the book. I'm hoping it comes soon. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Powell's have been advertising advance ordering of the book for months now. I went on my local public library website and there were already 4 holds on the book also in advance of publication. I sure hope it gets the press it deserves when it is finally on the shelves. It is a really beautiful book - great photography, lovely projects and Debbie's great writing style is throughout. Can't believe it has been over 4 years since I first submitted my pattern!

I just had a total knitting hibernation weekend. It was rainy and perfect to stay indoors knitting and designing. I finished the Vanilla Ice Cream scarf pattern which I will be posting soon on here. Also am nearing the finish line on the pink hooded cable cardigan for a friend's 3 year old daughter and a self-patterning sock yarn pullover for their 5 year old son. I also quickly knit a ruffled wine bottle drip-catcher for a wine gift and finished my knitted bead necklace (will post a picture later). I am about half finished with the dinosaur/dragon toddler hat design and hope to have that pattern completed by mid-October.

The Big Faucet Will Be Turned "ON" Soon

September and October are truly the best months of the year to reside in Portland. The days are typically sunny, mild (low 70's this week) and rain-free. As we were warned when we first moved here from New Mexico 15 years ago, "If you want to do anything outdoors, do it before November 1st." That is about the time the Big Faucet in the Sky comes on and the next 8-9 months of uninterrupted rain commence.

I'm like most people around here. We accept and embrace the inevitable rain that gives us the year-round green landscape, amazing produce, beautiful Douglas firs, great vineyards and more bookstore and coffee places per capita than anywhere else in the country (except for maybe Seattle). The first few weeks of rainy season are welcomed with extra coffee and hot tea, curling up under an afghan with a good book and evenings spent next to the fireplace cozily knitting away. Ahhhh, this is why we live here...

I will be spending this winter tucked into my cozy place as seen in the adjacent picture. I was really lucky to end up in this situation as my unit is one of only three currently inhabited. This is my favorite home so far - high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and beautiful wood floors. I spend many pleasant hours knitting and designing here in my cozy little tree house.

Currently my designing and knitting it is in an out-of-control phase. I have 5 project designs in the works including a baby cardigan, adult slippers, a toddler creature hat, a mohair adult pullover for a contest and a lengthwise scarf (probably the next one finished which I will post on here). My WIP (work in progress) list includes: 2 adult cardigans, 3-4 pairs of socks, a pink toddler cabled hoodie cardigan, a boy's pullover knit from sock yarn (that will take awhile), knit bead necklaces, and ongoing chunky scarves to sell on etsy.com.

I must point out that is only the projects in my Oregon place. The WIP's in my workroom in the Texas house probably number in the dozens at this point. I can't even begin to remember, much less count all of them since it has been nearly a year since I was there. I have packed a number of them ready to be shipped up here eventually and plan to finish as many as possible when I spend several weeks there at Thanksgiving.

Writing about my WIP's is making me anxious. Better wrap this up and get busy !

Now that its been almost 13 MONTHS!

I'm treating Labor Day 2o1o weekend like my own New Year with a bunch of fresh starts. Hard to believe it has been almost 13 months since my last blog post. I'm determined to do better this time and am aiming for weekly updates at the very least.

So much water under the bridge in the last year. I am no longer a travelling financial advisor as of this past March. I finally had my fill of the non-stop hotels, planes and rental cars and inability to return to my home base for months at a time. The two years of travel experiences were great and I don't regret any of the places I spent time and new friends I made all over the US, but I'm basically a homebody at heart. There's something to be said for dwelling among your own things and sleeping in your own bed at night. Plus I have way too much knitting paraphernalia to be toting it all over the place for weeks at a time...

So now I'm situated in a cool urban loft back in Portland, Oregon, truly the knitting epicenter of the US. I live a 5 minute walk from my work at an Edward Jones financial office and use all my extra non-commuting time to (what else?) knit even more. My place has great natural light, bookshelves crammed with yarn and knitting books and a whole extra room devoted to knitting and designing (photos to follow eventually). The Max (lightrail) runs right out front and I can easily get to the airport if I need to head down to East Texas to check on my house there.

I'm anxiously awaiting the publication of Debbie Stoller's newest Stitch 'N Bitch book, "Superstar Knitting" coming out November 1, 2010. I've seen the previews of my pattern design, "Baby Corn" and am blown away by the photos and layout. Yes, I knit the yellow dress the model is wearing in the picture on the beach and it will go all over the country in the upcoming trunk shows promoting the book release. Just hope I wove all those ends in tight enough!

Hangin' With the Amish

My most recent job brought me to a part of the country I had never seen. I'm working in York, PA, which is 45 minutes from the heart of Lancaster County/Intercourse/Amish country. The original job looked like it would take less than a week, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it looks like I will be stationed here much longer. It isn't too hot and the countryside is beautiful, as you can see from my Amish laundry picture (taken as I was driving) so I'm okay with that.

In a way I was glad to extend my visit as it allowed me to visit Lancaster County yesterday. Had a wonderful, surreal time wandering around Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, where I found several great yarn shops and a lovely quilt museum. There are Amish buggies zooming all over the place and it all seems very authentic, not commercialized as much as you would think.

I was on a quest for local handspun yarn and I found some. I posted a photo of the 3 skeins I bought. The two on the left are natural-colored (one very grey and the other medium brown, which didn't photograph well) and spun from Corriedale sheep on a nearby farm. I bought them in Labadie Looms enroute to Intercourse from a fascinating shop owner that told me her family had been weaving/spinning for 300 years.

I love the golden yarn on the right. I bought it at Lancaster Yarn Shop (see two violinists playing on their back steps in the photo). It was also spun locally from Corriedale sheep and said on the tag it was "aster dyed". It looks like over 200 yards of worsted weight (already balled!) and only set me back $8.95. I can see it knitted up into a complicated, lush winter scarf. That color would look great with any color of outerwear.

York is an interesting area. I hate driving here as they are even more aggressive than Dallas drivers, but my hotel situation is great. The teenagers and 20-somethings here are some of the most polite I've encountered anywhere in my US travels. I'm planning to see Hershey and re-visit Amish country before I leave. I'm also about an hour north of Baltimore and two hours from Delaware. If I make it to those two states I can mark them off my states-I-need-to-visit list.

So This is What a Staycation Looks Like

I'm kind of shocked to realize how long it has been since I posted on here. I'm pleading busy on this one. Summer is always kinda crazy, and this one has been extra nuts for me with lots of travel and family activities.

I started off the summer leaving my great job assignment in Turlock, CA and moving directly to a job in Oregon. The job lasted two months in Lebanon, a small farming community near Corvallis and Albany (just south of Salem). I was covering for an advisor out on medical leave.

As it turned out, I was able to stay in my new place in Orenco (Hillsboro, OR) on the weekends and took my two week vacation over July 4th. Sayde came up to visit from Texas and stayed 6 weeks visiting me, her two older sisters and nephew. The weather was perfect and we had a blast. It was a true "staycation" as we played tourist in the Portland area, visiting places we saw years ago and places we had always wanted to go.

The highlights of our staycation included lots of swimming in the apartment pool, picnics in the park, every farmer's market in the area, the Oregon Zoo, OMSI (Or Museum of Science), 4th of July parade, trip to Voodoo Donuts in downtown Portland and much more. Fortunately Sayde took lots of photos so I can put my favorites on here.

Unfortunately the vacation ended, Sayde returned to Texas and we all returned to reality. I finished my last two weeks in Lebanon, spent a week in Orenco on "retreat" and was sent to Henderson, NV last Friday to another office. Henderson is a suburb of Las Vegas so that has been fun. I'm in a brand new hotel right up the street from the Green Valley Ranch Casino. Had to do the all-you-can-eat crab leg buffet yesterday and play a few slots. Today was 111 degrees - whoa , that is like a blast furnace on my pale, weak Oregonian skin.

More California Fun

I'm still in Turlock, California after 10 weeks so far. I like the area and am the longest-running tenant/guest in my Fairfield Inn. I joke with the hotel staff that they need to make a name plate for my room (top floor, far left) since I am about the only person that has resided here since the place opened. My room is very comfortable and I sleep better here than anywhere I've stayed so far. Even the hourly train that runs right by the hotel is restful.

I also enjoy the Prius rentals I have managed to score the last month or so in Sacramento when I fly in. The mileage really is unbelievable (about 50 mpg) and I can see owning one myself someday. I am trying to limit my In 'N Out Burger runs to one a week, but their excellent brewed ice tea brings me back.

My sister, Judy flew out several weeks ago and we had a great weekend visiting Napa/Sonoma (less than 2 hours from here). We had a brand new Holiday Inn Express hotel in American Canyon at the base of the Napa Valley loop. Spent the very rainy weekend enjoying Boon Fly Cafe (at the Carneros Inn), Sterling Vineyards (my absolute fave), Beringer, Frank Family Winery and others. The whole valley is magical and even in the rain it was so much fun. Judy and I had lots of fun drinking wine and hit a yarn store or two. She liked Turlock and we visited the Hilmar Cheese Factory before she left.

I spent Mother's Day in Portland totally alone as it turned out. Long story, but I'm looking forward to being there with Sayde and the girls (and Hudsy) in late June/early July for two weeks of vacation. I did get to Powell's City of Books and finally got a HUGE U.S. map to mark all the jobs I'm doing.

J-Knits asked me to test knit a lacy sock pattern for them. It is in a soft hand-dyed green sock yarn and has taken quite awhile (it is on size 0's). I'm also finishing up the Lace Ribbon scarf I've been laboring over for a year, a blue garter stitch pullover for Hudsy and more crocheted cotton market bags so I can be p.c. in Portland...