Twisted Knitster

One Word

2012-01-21T17:39:00.003-06:00

I was reading through my Bloglines and I found two instances of this "one word" reference. One of my friends, Laura, also formerly from Southern California saw it on one of the blogs she reads, Rainy, and as it turns out she was one of my friends too.

So let me explain this a little... The way I see this is you chose one word that you will use as your mantra or target for the new year. The one word that will inspire you and either drive you towards your goal or gives you safety or solace when you're not at ease.

I thought about this for a few days and in multiple ways of how it would influence me.

My word for 2012 is Arcadia

Merriam Webster defines it as "a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet"

the Origin of Arcadia:

Region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry

First Known Use: circa 1890

Those of you from California or familiar with Southern California recognize the word by the city or Arcadia. After reading the definition, I didn't think of the City as how it feels to me.

I started with the word Paradise and looked for a synonym that was more fitting but held the same feeling for me. When I saw the word Arcadia and read the definition, I saw how I could apply the word to my life. I want to create a place of solace in my life. I will strive for simple pleasures. You are probably wondering about me wanting quiet... I want to strive to find quiet in my mind. Easing of the stress in my life that just feels so counterproductive and doesn't help anyway. When I lay my head down at night, I feel good about my day and my mind is free of the noise I can't control. When I lived in California, I would often go to the ocean and find solace. Feeling so small next to the power of the ocean and feeling the breeze wash over me cleansing my soul. I want to find that place in my mind that can give me the release feelings because I'm not near the ocean anymore. Better yet is to change how I see my life so I'm not holding onto the burdens that would make me want to drive to the ocean to purify my mind.

When I listen to music and hear mind stimulating questions I often pose them to myself or question my life choices. My life is never empty of questions, sometimes simple and some are deep or complex that requires one to question your emotions. Some questions ask you to learn about subjects that may feel foreign but it's all good. I thirst for knowledge and new experiences that lead to new questions. I see my life as a poem or song but sometimes the background isn't always what I hoped for but when I apply Arcadia to my life I hope I can make the canvas of my life more pastoral, simple or clean. I see it this way, if life is like a song then you not only want to feel the meaning of words but hear the melody in your head. The lyrics often speak to me but if the melody doesn't feel good then it feels incomplete or vise-versa.

Arcadia, my word for 2012

OK enough of the deep thought :)

Life is Good

2012-01-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

It's winter here in Iowa.....

Yesterday it was 57F and I was able to take a nice hard bike ride but the weather went crazy late last night. This morning there was snow on the ground and it snowed pretty much all day.
This is the view out the back door....

This was the view out the front window.

The National weather service says we had 6 1/2" in the last 24 hours. 12F isn't that cold when you are shoveling and walking behind the snow blower. It was good exercise anyway.

Many of you may not know that I'm attending school full time and I finished my week's work today. We finish a class every 5 weeks and the new week begins each Tuesday. My time from now until next Monday will be spent reading a how to manual on the Canon 7D camera. We are shooting a wedding in about 15 weeks and I want to be proficient with the 7D by then.

I talked about providing some pictures of the first bobbin of my latest spinning project...

The color is a little off but here it is. The card with the fiber says it's Ruby Red. What a joy to spin the BFL. I'm looking forward to the next two ounces.

update... I ate 1416 calories, exercised 1248 calories away. The net of 168 calories against the 1996 calorie budget.

Off to spin a little bit before I turn in for the night.

Life is good

The last hurrah before the cold white stuff comes...

2012-01-11T18:01:00.001-06:00

We had a 57 degree day with snow looming for tonight and single digits. So I took this opportunity to take my last ride before the cold weather shuts down the bicycle riding season for a few months. We have a nice bike/walking path about a mile from the house. An hour of hard riding and burning 930 calories felt good. For those of you who care, my food intake for today was 1381 calories. Today was the weigh in day and I lost two pounds for the week.

I'm spinning the BFL and will finish the first two ounces late tonight. I forgot how easy and fun it is to spin BFL. The fiber drafts so well and the spinning looks so soft and even. Tomorrow I will take some pictures of the first bobbin and show you all.

Time to spin some more now :)

Life is good

spinning the green

2012-01-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

I finished spinning the "greener pastures" tonight. The singles are finished and I still need to ply it but I want the singles to rest overnight.

It looks pretty good and feels really soft. I'm anxious to see how it looks plied.

Next on the spinning wheel is going to be a mixing experiment. I have two braids of fiber that I thought were the same colorway but I was wrong. I should have looked closer at the braids on the shelf. One is dyed oatmeal BFL and one is South African Fine.

The one in the upper left is the South African Fine. The BFL is the darker braid. My plans are to split these and make 2 two plies and then cable ply them. Sooooo, it will be 2 ounces of the BFL and 2 ounces of the SAF and then make a two ply yarn. Repeat that process and when I have two 2 ply yarns of mixed fiber I will cable ply the two to make a 4 ply totaling 8 ounces.

Yesterday I went for a bike ride for almost an hour and since I was riding alone I felt the need to really push myself hard. I burned 893 calories in the 59 minute ride. Almost 20 mph with the wind and 15 mph against the cold wind in my face. It was 42F so wearing the thermals and a wool hat were required. I felt really good though and my efforts are going to pay off soon. Yesterday I burned 4017 calories and ate 1478 calories . I'm working to keep my daily intake under 1500 calories per day.

Tonight, I made something new for dinner and it turned out pretty good I think. Behold my three cheese spinach Manicotti.

Quite good and only 480 calories on that plate too. It would have been easier with a pipping bag but it was not that hard. Here is the recipe if you wish to try it. I used non-fat cottage cheese and part skim ricotta in my version. I know I was going to talk about White Buffalo today but I will have to put that off for another time.

Life is good.

2012-01-06T17:40:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everyone.

I'm working on keeping the gut from coming back. A few months ago we took a trip to see a long time friend Renata from California who moved to St Paul MN. She shared that she was using something called a FitBit to track her daily activity. It's more than just a pedometer with some pretty cool software that runs on your pc and smart phone. It tracks your activity throughout the day and even shares how deep you sleep at night.

I was using a calorie counter on my phone for the last month. Yes, I was counting calories and realized how bad my eating habits were and the amount or portion sizes of the food I was eating. I changed counters today to Lose It because it auto syncs with the Fitbit and the exercise app Endmondo that tracks my efforts on the bicycle and my walks with the GPS in my phone. Why all the effort? I'm trying to get back to 185lbs and stay there. Last Summer I was really sick with gall stones and kidney stones at the same time and was down to 183 lbs but my poor eating habits and lack of exercise took over and I was back to 208lbs again. No this isn't going to be a diet blog I just wanted to share my struggles. The counting calories will end someday when I can reprogram my mind to eat what I need and not what I want and to get off the couch a little more and use the gym that hides in our basement. We have a bowflex and a lifecyle elliptical that go unused most of the time like most of the same gear in other homes. Daily use is my first goal.

Usually I have my phone with me next to the water bottle so I can listen to music but I positioned the phone on a bookcase across the room on a timer to capture this self portrait.... Yes my head almost hits the ceiling. This week I'm trying to "run" on the elliptical for 30 minutes each day on the "hill" program level 9 at 80 rpms. This works out to about 470 calories burned in 30 minutes. Next week I want to raise this to 30 minutes twice daily. Burning an additional 900 plus calories a day will improve my cardiovascular health and make the weight loss less focused on diet and more balanced with exercise.

OK, enough about that..........

Here is a the first bobbin of spinning for the new year.

I'm spinning this in a semi worsted style and with a new approach. I've pre-drafted and slowed way down giving me a more even single with better consistency. The colorway is "Greener Pastures". Not sure what it will turn into but the green is really growing on me. It will become a two ply fingering weight, maybe for a hat or ??? Last week I found a group on Ravelry that is promoting that you spin a pound of fiber a month. I'm not sure I will get that ambitious but I'm going to try to spin a braid (4 oz) a week for as long as I can. The change in spinning direction to accommodation the change to continental style of knitting was quite natural so far. The brake was not working the way I liked it since installing the woollee winder a few months ago. The wooden bobbins were reacting differently than the plastic Majacraft Style bobbins that came with the wheel. the manufacturer of the wheel included some cotton line for those sensitive to the sound that the Dacron line may make. I swapped the brake like and now it works like a dream again. Tomorrow I may share my thoughts on White Buffalo and my appreciation for warmer "sturdy" fibers. The Canadian's know cold.
some fun reading. 1

Life is Good

2012-01-03T22:45:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone.......

Just a few updates; Tonight was my first Iowa Caucus. I participated and it was quite interesting to see how this works after voting for 32 years in California. It was held at one of the local High Schools here in town. I thought we would be in the Gym but they had a HS basketball game going on so we met in the cafeteria. I read about what was going to happen before I arrived so I sort of understood the goings on.

These are the people who live around me or at least the ones who showed up. I sat down and met some nice people and partook in the process by casting my ballet. Before the vote, each candidate had one supporter speak in support of them by one of the constituents. No voting booths, just a slip of paper with all the names of the candidates in my party. They came around with a paper grocery bag to collect the ballets. They tallied the votes before I left and there were only 74 votes cast. I could have became a delegate if I really wanted to. We could select 5 people and three alternates to go to the state meetings later this year. I passed on the opportunity but maybe in two years.

I did take advantage of the time and knit a little. My first caucus and so why not knit at my first caucus? I didn't see anyone else knitting but when has that stopped me from knitting? I'm not a caucus virgin anymore.

Last post I talked about the snobby swap I was in. Well, now that it's over for me I can talk about it in detail here. Here is the package I sent.

This was the cowl I sent. Pretty Thing by the Yarn Harlot.
My down stream swap partner was 8 months pregnant when the box arrived. She asked for a WPI gage so I ordered the one I love from my Etsy source. I included some fun candy that I enjoyed as a child and a baby knits book so she can create some toys for her new daughter. As a bonus I shared 5 ounces of pin drafted Cormo for her to spin.

You can read the thread here if you want.

This is what arrived today for me....

Clockwise from the top; A handspun hand knit fair isle hat. a beautiful card with a lovely sentiment from a magnificent spinner knitter. 2 ounces of purple cultivated silk. Three local treats from her home in Idaho. Huckleberry jam, Huckleberry coffee and Moose poop( chocolate chunk toffee).

The people in this swap/group on Ravelry are amazing spinners. The yarn looks machine spun and the construction is flawless. I felt honored to participate.

I'm spinning some merino right now. 4.2 ounces heading towards a 2 ply fingering weight semi worsted yarn.

I'm working on converting my normal knitting style to continental so I'm spinning this counter clockwise and will ply clockwise. Green is not my normal color but it's growing on me.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to the new year like I am.

No goals or resolutions this year, I'm just going to do the best I can at being me.

Life is Good

secret project update

2011-11-29T22:12:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't been writing as much as I had hoped but I wanted to share an update on the super secret swap project. I finished plying the yarn last night. The soaking and drying happened in the last 24 hours and I'm off to the races as far as the knitting goes.

The fiber content is 40% Cormo, 32% Optim and 28% Bamboo. Total of 1255 yards of light fingering weight yarn. I drum carded this to blend and spun long draw from 4 two plus ounce batts. This is the softest woolen spun and my most consistent spinning to date. The Cormo and Optim give it such softness and the Optim and Bamboo give it a sheen like silk. This was the first project I spun using the Woolee winder and it worked better than I expected. Being able to spin for 30 to 40 minutes without stopping made this go really fast. The project calls to knit this up with undyed yarn and to dye the yarn after it's knit up to achieve the pattern. I can't share the pattern yet but I think it's going to look really cool when it's finished and I only have 17 days to knit this up so wish me luck. :)

A new swap

2011-09-13T11:20:00.001-05:00

Just a little update here. I joined a holiday swap yesterday. Ravelry has a group called "Snobby Spinners" and they have an annual swap of like minded fiber snobs. Here is the outline of the swap. Participants will spin a skein of yarn and then create a single skein item for their assigned recipient. Items can be knit, crocheted or woven. This is what is expected along with the simple little goodies that people include with the main swap gifts. I looked over the pictures from last year and was pleasantly surprised. The norm was a hank of handspun fiber and one F.O. from another hank of handspun along with the goodies. These are the people who love spinning with fine fiber. If you have been reading my blog very long you know I prefer the fine and near skin soft fiber/yarn. Sounds like a promising swap to me. The partners will be pared up this week so I can start the stalking and planning.

I finished the 2nd four ounces of the blue Rambouillet Sunday night. I will post pictures after I send it to the bath.

Speaking of pictures.... I'm apprenticing under a professional photographer so I can be her 2nd or 3rd shooter when she shoots weddings. In preparation for this I'm going to update the stash photos and load them into Ravelry. I have the stash in a master spreadsheet but just a fraction is in Ravelry. So I get some shooting practice and my stash will get entered in Ravelry. One of the positives is using a Canon 5D with a wide array of professional lenses and studio lighting. Win Win

Life is Good

Reduction in number of gadgets

2011-09-09T20:43:00.001-05:00

About a year ago I had an accident with my MP3 player. In my mind this was the day music died. For 6 years I carried this 16GB magical transporter of music everywhere and it provided countless hours of enjoyment. For days I tried to recover the 16 gigs of music but wasn't successful.... I was given an 8GB Ipod Touch to use and it helped but it was just a loan. A few months ago Susan's brother and his family came for a visit and when we talked about music he told me he used his phone as his MP3 player and when I saw that we had the same model phone it made me realize I didn't need to get a new MP3 player but just buy a memory chip for my exsisting phone. The chip is tiny but holds 16GB of memory.

I inserted one of these into my phone and enjoyed portable music again.

Oh did I mention that I have a purple Blackberry? What other color would I buy if they offered a purple version. LOL After spending an hour or so of selecting music and syncing with the computer, I had an even smarter phone or felt smarter because I was using more of the features that was available to me but I didn't realize how easy it would be to use. I prefer to spin with music playing. In the near future I will record my guitar playing using the microphone. Score one for the reduction in gadgets.

Life is Good

A date with a Spanish lady

2011-09-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had a date with a Spanish lady.... I started lessons with a classical guitar teacher tonight. It didn't include dinner and a movie but we made sweet music together, the guitar and I, not the teacher LOL. Seriously, when you stop playing, you lose so much of the muscle memory and the callouses are gone. I have some pain to go through in the next few weeks but the end result will be well worth it. I don't have the skills yet so I will share some of what I'm aiming for. Some of you will recognize the first piece in another style.

and maybe this...

I can listen to this artist for hours on end...

The homework is pretty serious this week with the teacher trying to see where my limits are. I'm looking forward to the hard work and feel the music flow again. Here is a link back to the post where I described the guitar.

Am I 20 again? No but it was fresh in my mind.

2011-09-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

I had a few flashes of what it feels like to be 20 again. Let me clarify things a little. Many years ago I was a competitive road cyclist. I used to ride every day and couldn't find enough time to ride with having to work and other priorities in my life. Like many other things, this was an obsession too. I saw the movie Breaking Away and the next day I went out and tried to buy a bike to race. I found out that being 6'5" in 1979 wasn't a good thing when looking at racing bicycles. Eventually I found a shop who also sponsored a cycling team and this led me to ordering a custom bike that fit my body. The owner had the passion of cycling and even though he sold the commodity bikes to pay the bills, he had a small section in the shop with the latest, state of the art racing toys. 6 long months later I took it for a test ride and my smile went from ear to ear. I went on to race for about 10 years or so and when we started having kids, the bike stayed in the garage more and more. It was dormant for the last 8 or so years and Saturday morning was the first time I went for a spin on her is what seemed like a life time ago. It was a short ride of about 8 or 9 miles but it felt so good. Having been sick a few months ago made me appreciate this even more.I felt the burn that used to make me push myself harder and harder when I rode with my former team. My legs are so weak and my lungs are no where strong enough to ride like I used to but I felt the rush of speed in short burst. The same rush that kept me riding for so many years before. It's like the feeling an finished object that has been on the needles for so long. Inspiring me to want to ride and take better care of myself. I feel like it was a huge step to be healthier. I kick myself for letting the bike literally rot in storage. I spent a few hours today looking for a picture of me in 1980 standing on the front lawn next to my brand new bike in my racing clothes. The look is priceless, I have this glare like I'm trying to be intimidating or something. Seriously, I was 20 years old, 6'5" 150lbs, 4% body fat and it almost looks comical with the intense look, nobody was ever intimidated by the look :) I'll take a pic of the bike and maybe me on it later this week. I promise if I find the pic from then I'll share it too.

Last week I watched part of a special about reversing your heart trouble with only your diet. Bill Clinton talking like a vegan and claiming he is better than ever. I'm not having trouble with my heart but I was curious about the book they all talked about but found it was another extremist book that eliminated any food that came from a mother or ever had a face plus no oils. So you are a vegan who cant have nuts or olive oil. I would prefer a less extreme diet and my research led me to body weight exercise book with guidelines for the amounts of protein, carbs and fats. Yes they let you have fats on this life modification but it's all about raising your muscle mass as a way of burning calories instead of reducing your weight by eating less. This is non-gym, do it in your living room stuff in the vein of the P90X but free san's the cost of the $9.99 kindle book. I'm not taking a turn and heading down the diet blog but I thought I would share.

I am knitting a little and spinning almost everyday. Here is 4 ounces of Rambouillet spun up into 453yards of light fingering Navajo plied. The second half is another day or so away before I ply it also.

The knit shop holds it's weekly knit nights and were all enjoying the weekly visits and it keeps me inspired to knit and spin. I offered the shop that I would offer beginning spinning lessons in her shop on my wheel for free. I know she has a business to run and I suggested that she charges the cost of an ounce or two of fiber for the price of the lessons so she sells product too. Just my way of paying forward the craft and helping a shop survive just.
I hope all of you are doing well. I know some of you have had some health issues lately but I hope the path to recovery is close.

My birthday is rapidly closing again. I just sent my Father a hand written letter in his birthday card. He turned 79 this year and he is my inspiration for knowing it's ok to grow old. I haven't written a letter in years. We all email and text but since I started writing with the fountain pens lately I decided to hand write my thoughts. He appreciated the Purple ink and we talked for an hour on the phone the day he received the box. I included some pictures that Susan took of Jen(the DD), my Dad and I playing catch last year a few days after her HS graduation. It was a glorious day when we can play catch. I know it sounds simple but all three of us love it. I wish we lived closer so we could enjoy it more often.

Life is Good...

No more importing....

2011-09-01T13:59:00.000-05:00

If you wish to read the other post from "Two Books" you can find them here

Imported from Two Books One Cover 8/08/2011

2011-09-01T13:57:00.000-05:00

I'm having a lot of "learning opportunities" with the somewhat simple lace cowl currently on the needles but resolving these little roadblocks is giving me lots of confidence to venture out to more challenging designs. Each project has given me little tidbits of knitting knowledge and now its time to start swimming in the deep end of the pool of the fiber arts. I have some ideas that I hope to incorporate into some patterns and take others and manipulate them to my liking. More about that in a few minutes...
Those of you who have Ravelry accounts, do you go through periods of wanting to be inspired and start favoring patterns that either inspire you or that instantly go onto your "someday I want to knit that" list? I looked back at my history and it shows a definite pattern of inspiration in blocks.
The last few weeks I'm looking at more lace shawls and lace garments. One that has been on the list to knit for some time is the Triangular Summer Shawl seen here. I plan to hand spin Cormo and leave it undyed. Lace weight spinning is becoming my favorite lately so why not enjoy the spinning and knitting this beautiful shawl with my own handspun? The next is the Myrtle cardigan, and maybe the Batik pullover.
Tonight was the latest inspirational nudge. This started a few months ago when I had the opportunity to watch a documentary on the Bohus Stickning. Further stimulation from other knitters on Ravelry led me to read "Poems of Color" from cover to cover tonight. I'm already planning to dye the fiber to match the number of colors and spin it to make one of these magical garments of my ancestors. I'm part Swedish and it felt natural to attempt one of these sweaters the more I read about it. The fact that the ladies responsible for creating these works of art held true to only using the finest materials in the finest gauge makes it even more desirable for me to attempt. I love the hand of a fine gauge knitted item. The patterns call for a 60/40 % Rambouillet & Angora blend. The idea of knitting an adult sweater on size 1,2, and 3 needles I think separates the weak at heart if the color work doesn't. I plan to knit a sample from the book Homespun Handknit called "Northern Lights". I will test the color choices that I plan to use and hopefully it will turn out to be a matching accessory for the eventual sweater. I have some high grade ultra merino and Cormo that may turn out to be the fiber depending on some test swatches. I feel lucky to have have so many choices of near skin soft fiber to chose from to make one of these stunning sweaters. It might just inspire me to make a second pattern in the fiber I don't chose for the first. I begin to question, do I make the whole sweater blended wool/angora or just the colorwork? The fiber is uber soft already and the angora is added to give the halo on the yoke and to soften the wool but when the wool is already soft, should I make the body out of blended fiber too? I guess the angora would even out any tension or short row blemishes in my technique. One downside to knitting such a fine gauge sweater. Usually I'm a stickler for being true to the pattern or technique but I already plan on using my own variation of colors so it is already not a true Bohus rather an inspired by Bohus Stickning. I don't plan on changing the color chart layout and I intend to keep the look so it will be easily recognizable as what inspired the design. For those of you who know the Bohus designs, imagine a "Purple Shimmer" or the "Large Lace Collar" in multiple hued mostly Purple, black and white tones over a white sweater body....
The last thing I was contemplating is a variation on the Hanami stole where I modify the pattern into a 5 or 6 panel skirt. I saw where someone made the stole into a wedding dress and it validated my thoughts although I wanted to make it shorter and in the skirt style as opposed to the dress. The stole is pretty but in a skirt it would be so light and airy made from a light gauge yarn.
These are the thoughts running through my head lately since the knitting and spinning bug is keeping me looking forward to new fiber projects.

Starting Anew imported from Two Books One Cover 9/7/2010

2011-09-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new blog. If you came here recently then welcome, if you are an old friend from my twisted knitster blog then I'm glad you found me. I linked the blog if anyone wants to see where I came from.
A little about me for those of you who are getting to know me and a little to update old friends. March 12th I flew to Iowa for a job interview and a week later I was moving from sunny Southern California to my new home. I lived within 10 miles of where I was born until just a few months ago but this felt like the right time when I needed a change. Life is full of twist and turns and part of this was that my life with Debbie has come to an end. After almost 10 years we parted amicably. Our views on life caused us to go our separate ways and she moved back to New England to be close to her family. I wish her all the best.
A little about me..... I'm a middle aged man who still is in touch with my inner child. Always optimistic and looking for the best in everything around me. Taking time to appreciate the little things. The sunrise each morning that brings another day. I still pause and marvel at the sunsets, the waves crashing into the sand and the millions of stars that fill the night sky. I know it sounds like I'm a Pollyanna but I love that movie too, "look for best in everything and you will find it".
I know by now some of you are wondering OK, where is the content?
I spun some South African Fine to get back in the spin of things. It's been about 8 months since I've been behind the wheel but it felt good. I have lots of fiber in the stash to spin and this lovely fiber came from Jen at Moonlightbaker's Etsy shop. I loved the way it reminded me of the sky when I would go to the beach. White fluffy clouds and beautiful blue skies. This is already being knit into a pet sweater right now. Not many pets get a hand spun/hand knit sweater but why not huh?
I'm spinning some Milk fiber right now and will post pictures soon. The test pieces are swatched and oh my is it soft after the wash. I do love the near skin soft fibers.
Yes I'm still reading and I will give you a teaser here once in a while and maybe post a review on the book page if I feel moved either way about the book. I know other readers are always looking for a good book to read.

Resurrection of the Twisted Knitster blog

2011-09-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

I'm coming back to this blog because I really don't like WordPress and I prefer the format of this blog. I will merge the posts from the other blog into here shortly.

Starting anew

2010-09-06T20:13:00.001-05:00

As my life has changed, my blog is changing as well. ~~The Twisted Knitster blog is coming to an end~~. I'll always be just a little twisted in a good way and I'm still knitting but to follow my new adventures, ~~come join the fun at Twobooksonecover. I hope all my friends, family and readers choose to follow.~~

Jerry

Good Music and a long life is a good thing.

2010-02-18T03:28:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
By the time you read this it'll be Thursday and I'll be thinking about my 2nd class of the semester. The first class was last week and I think I was the oldest in the room besides the teacher. I was asked to transfer to the intermediate classical guitar class because I have a basic understanding of sight reading of the sheet music. I resisted the opportunity because I wanted to strengthen my skills. The class was full of younger *kids* who seem to think it was a class to learn popular radio hits. I think their may be a little attrition after he continued to stress the technical purity of the classical style. Before we left for the night he played the selection to receive an A for the class. Here is someone I really love to watch on You tube doing almost the same arrangement

Scarborough Fair.... I found out it was originally an old English tune but made popular by Simon & Garfunkel in the movie "The Graduate". I hope I can play something that resembles the video LOL

Monday night we took a ride to Wally World to renew my BP prescription. Three months for $10.00 was the same price that Walgreens charged for the single month. I dislike going to Wally World so much but I thought if I can save $80.00 a year, I can deal with the pain of walking into the den of Satan LOL. I'm not used to the packaging though. I reminds me of the containers that birth control pill come in. After about 40 days on the meds my BP is 111/72 with a resting heart rate of 78. I asked my Dr to prescribe the meds because I was feeling a little sluggish before and he was surprised that I would ask for the help since I was just slightly borderline hypertensive. I know that if I can lose the extra 15 to 20 lbs I will probably not need to meds but I feel so much better. I have a lot to look forward to in my future and I plan to be around to enjoy it.

Life is Good!

Hold me

2010-02-08T06:51:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, not much knitting or spinning lately but I see an increase in the future. I'm starting my class on Thursday, Beginning Classical guitar. Read down to see the new guitar. Oh I named her Kay. She's Spanish and I thought Latin name and loved the recommendation of Kay, Kay Cidea, I know it's may be a little silly but it's perfect.

I've been listening to some music lately and heard one last night for the first time in a long time. Do certain songs reach out to you or touch you? The first time I heard this song it struck me as if someone looked into my soul. It's not what you would think of as a typical man's point of view. He looks at himself as the weak one and looks to his soul mate as the strength that keeps him safe. The hollow wanting voice that is searching for her. He feels lost without her. The crescendo of him begging for her to hold him and give him strength. Very telling, exposing his soul to the world.

Life is Good

Music to my ears

2010-01-23T23:39:00.000-06:00

I had new years resolutions in years past but I tend to let things slip. This year I just jumped in and started before I could procrastinate my dreams away again.

Step one of 2010.

Go back to school
I enrolled in a classical guitar class at the local college. School starts in a few weeks but I had one problem, I needed a classical guitar. If you know me than you know the whirlwind of research and hours of scanning the Internet and reading everything I could to pick the the right guitar while weighing the cost/benefit and factoring in my probability to continue in the genre.

The requirements list slowly grew as I learned the fine points of classical guitar building. The top of the list was buy a Spanish made guitar if you can. Second, if you don't have a fortune on the guitar then a cedar top is the best bet. Lower priced spruce is cut from young trees, is less than stable and may twist over time as the wood "opens up." Ebony fretboard is most desirable. Rosewood back and sides, solid is best but laminated sides and back is ok on guitars less than $1k

The brand is Almansa and she sounds heavenly. You know I love to name my toys. What should I call this beautiful Spanish senorita?

Life is Good

Potpourri on a Sunday

2009-10-18T20:09:00.000-05:00

Mrs Twisted gave me the option to pick what I wanted for my birthday this year and here is what I picked. The Kindle 2 from Amazon. It arrived Saturday and it looks like we will become good Friends. I know we will still go to the library and even buy books, but I can see a lot of time reading what I already have loaded on this amazing piece of wireless technology.

No the hand didn't come with it but Amazon took a better picture than I did.

I've tried most of the features and the screen is so clear it seems like you are reading from a page in a book. The Whispernet works everywhere you can get a cell signal. I downloaded a book while we were at the beach this afternoon in less than 30 seconds. Most of the classics are free or near free because of being public domain. I've tried some of the other e-book sites and some 3rd party software to format it so it's Kindle compatible. I was happy to find a Kindle group on Ravelry along with an E-book group where lots of info is shared.

Saturday morning I participated in a charity ride for fallen Police officers. A guy I work with mentioned it a month or so ago and I thought why not... The proceeds of the ride went to the families of two officers killed in the line of duty. The station is in East L.A where there is a lot of gang activity. We started in Fullerton and rode West towards Los Angeles in a pack of 500 plus motorcycles. Some of the officers who participated in the ride just came off duty and the crowd looked a little rough but they were all here to support the families.

Since the police were in charge of the ride we had the best traffic control. The Fullerton fire department blocked the intersections and we queued up the on-ramp until we were all ready to go and the CHP had the traffic block in place on the 91 East. For those of you who have traveled on the freeways in Los Angeles you know about how much traffic was have. This was like the freeway was closed and we had a police escort. The 30 miles on the two freeways were amazing since we had every on-ramp blocked and the interchange controlled. When we arrived in East LA, the streets were blocked and the residents came out and waved like it was a parade. Towards the end of the ride we paused for a few minutes while some dignitary spoke and thanked us for giving to the officers that protect their neighborhoods. The local businesses provided some raffle prizes for the riders and we even had a local newscaster who gave it some publicity by riding with one of the station captains.
We ended the ride at a local steak house for a free lunch and live band. I'm planning on next year already.

I did some fiber dying a week or so ago and plan to do some more, maybe later this week. Some of my friends are getting project amounts of Cormo to spin when I finish the dye work.

This is the first batch that turned out pretty good. The next will be a little darker and less vibrant per the recipients request.
Hope you all have a great week

Life is Good

Spinning and the birth of the French Dip

2009-09-21T00:08:00.000-05:00

A little spinning was happening this weekend.

Some BFL that I purchased a few months ago.
I'm spinning it woolen so it may look a little uneven but it's just extra soft.
Here is what it looked like in roving form.

Last Friday I joined a plurk post card swap because it's working out better for me than the other swaps or I guess I should say most of the other swaps. I did have a few really good swaps but a few real stinkers too.

Saturday we went to Philippe's in downtown Los Angeles for the first time. I know a native of Southern California should have eaten here before but I hadn't. The hype was all true. This was where the French Dip sandwich was born. We saw the segment on Huell Houser and decided on the visit. If you get the chance, try the roast lamb, mmmmmm good.

I hope you all have a great week.

Life is Good

I've never done " "

2009-08-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Today's entry was inspired by a show I sort of have on in the background each morning before I go to work. They were talking about things they have never done but most people their age had. It was surprising to hear that someone had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or never had a cup of coffee. Some of these things I just took for granted, like driving a stick shift car and riding a bicycle. Yes those are things that some of the people on this show had never done.

So it made me think of the things I've never done in my life. Let me qualify this by saying just because I haven't done the things on this list doesn't mean I want to.

I've never gone skiing. Most people in this area learn to ski in their teens when they go to the mountains during High School breaks. By the time I was old enough to go skiing, my feet were too large to easily get ski rental boots.
I've never smoked a cigarette. Coming from a non-smoking house I was quite against it because it was so foreign to me.
Never went to a bar and had a shot. Never uttered the words "bartender, I'll have shot of (insert any hard liqueur) As most of my friends know I'm not a drinker of alcoholic beverages because of taste really. The whole "I'll have a martini" or so many drinks that sounded to cool to order in movies are better in theory.
Never sang Karaoke probably because of the previous statement. I'm sure many of you also have never sang Karaoke either but probably because of other reasons.

Do you have anything like this in your life history? Something you just never did?

Earlier today I rode the bike over to a Monthly event that I just found about a few weeks ago. While looking at musical instruments on Craigslist I saw an advert for a monthly musicians swap meet for Los Angeles and Orange County. Not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best I was pleasently surprised. I didn't buy anything but it was fun to look around at all the equipment.

One last note, our quaint little town just opened the new Library and to replace the original one that was outgrown. I know we will be going there a lot in the future just because of the open space and increased facilities at our disposal.

I'm back after a long break from the blog

2009-08-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

I know I've been gone for a little while and many of you have sent me e-mails. Thanks for the wishes and I really appreciate the good thoughts. Everything is good here at Casa De Twisted.

I'll try to keep the updates brief and go forward from here.

A few weeks ago my son came to visit on his own and took his first flight. I know you are all thinking what's the big deal but normally I have to go see them and now he is growing up and now he is coming here. My oldest Brother hosted a little BBQ in his back yard and for once in 5 years we were all together(my dad & the 3 brothers and my Son). I know the family should get together more often but it's easier said than done. I talked to my oldest brother and mentioned he was coming and in a few days it went from just us to a whole full blown family get together.

I thought I would share this one too because it reminded us of the cell phone advertisement with the bars in line. This is my oldest brother and his wife. Just for a frame of reference, my brother is six feet tall. My Brother and I have connected again and it was so nice to see him open up and bond with My son. I won't bore you with rest of the family pictures that are meaningless to everyone outside our little family.
One of the places he wanted to visit while he was here was Amoeba in Hollywood. Some of you may be familiar but for those of you not it's a wonderful place to find used CDs of any genre. Between the three of us we came home with 23 new to us CDs. Another surprise was how he has grown in his taste for a wide variety of music. He made his music loving Dad proud.

We had a wonderful time while he was here and already planning for the next visit.

Yesterday at lunch I finished another book that had me on the fence until the end. My lunch hour is like my mini escape from work where I lose myself into the book of choice and sometimes with my MP3 player drowning out the noise surrounding me at the lunch place du jour. I know a lot of you are carnivorous readers including Mrs Twisted but I tend to read a little less than most and I've just resolved that my 'lunch" is one of those reserved blocks of time. The book was called "Black Olives" and it reminded me of the movies they used to put on "Lifetime" where the woman was betrayed by her long time man and she didn't get over him like it appeared he got over her. They cross paths 9 months later and she takes you on a sometimes creepy journey where she tells the back story. While I was reading it I would have given it a 3 of 10 but after finishing it it was a 6 of 10. No she didn't button it all up nice and tidy but it sure changed my opinion of the lady in the story. It was a nice change of pace for me and more than once I caught myself talking to the book "No don't go there you silly woman!"

On a fibery note.....
I received two very large boxes in the last month and I will not have to purchase any spinning fiber anytime soon. Seven more fleeces arrived from Morro Fleece Works. Yes that was 7 more Cormo fleeces pin drafted and ready to spin. I just barely put a dent in last years fleeces but now I have plenty spin for sweater quantities. I haven't taken pictures of the fiber because I'm leaving it in the boxes so it won't take over the room. Those of you who buy a bump worth at a time know what I'm talking about. Since we last talked I also bought more dye in various colors to broaden my color pallet so I should have some dye pictures soon.

Another break ended recently . After more than a year, I felt inspired to play guitar again. Even if it's just small steps it feels good to be in a good place with my hobby.

That's enough for now.

Life Is Good

The Lady in Red

2009-04-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

Hi there...

I've been in a little fiber funk lately but I think it's only temporary.

The fiber purchases have stopped since I'm not really spinning it right now and the room is full of yarn/fiber and music already but that hasn't stopped us in the past.

A week ago I ended the research and searching for the perfect motorcycle. It's not perfect but I think it was a good find. It's a 2004 Honda VTX 1300. The original owner bought this new in March 2005 and only put 2,477 miles on the bike. We came to find out that he bought this for his wife and they had many many bikes. This wasn't used much so they decided to thin the heard. The price was way way under blue book and less than half the price of a new bike. If you know Honda products, you know they just run forever and this really isn't even broken in yet. It's been about 20 years since owning a bike and it took a little while to get used to the size of this beast. I'm used to a light nimble bike and this thing weighs 700 lbs but the saying "Just like riding a bike" really hold true because I feel quite comfortable now.

For those of you wondering, I'm already enrolled in a state sanctioned motorcycle safety course. I found out the insurance companies really appreciate the fact that you took the class and lower the rates. The class happens over one weekend, classroom work and on the bike training. They provide the bike, helmet and all you need is a pair of boots. I have all the gear but you still ride their bike for the class. the weekend of the 18th is booked and I'm actually looking forward to it.

Many of you know we name everything and so even the bike has a name, Wendie Jo. You may ask why that name. The name is inspired by the late Wendie Jo Sperber, beautiful, strong, confident and sure of herself. Sadly she passed away in November 2005 from a long fight with breast cancer.

We made a little video (with sound) for your enjoyment. Well, I had fun too..

Life is good

Something Fiber this way comes

2009-03-10T01:09:00.000-05:00

Doing lots of fiber buying and not much spinning or knitting lately.

I'll talk about the fiber in a few minutes.

I've been looking at some alternative modes of transportation. I know most of you would be opposed to this but I really miss the way it feels to ride.

I was looking at one of these
The problem is I'm 6'5" and my feet feel like they would drag and the feeling of my feet forward of my hips and shoulders just feels wrong to me. I used to ride motocross when I was younger and I prefer the feeling of my feet below me and not the Barcalounger position that most cruisers put you in.

Next was the research and the realization that buying an Italian sportbike is not a great idea for a daily commuter. The Ducati was hard to pass on but it's the opposite of the barcalounger and close to the head first luge. A few weeks ago I took a little roadtrip and looked at lots of bikes and think I've settled on this.
This is a Buell, the engine has it roots in the Harley but the rest is sport bike. I think it's a lot like buying a spinning wheel or even a car. You need to feel comfortable and it needs to fit you. This fits me and it very comfortable with my body size. I know what you are thinking, they're so dangerous and if this was a BB gun it would be "you'll shoot your eye out".

ok on to safer things. LOL

We attended the hand weavers conference in Riverside this last weekend. A lot of fiber vendors were there so it was like going to Stitches West for fiber with out having to go to Santa Clara.

This came before last weekend but it's been a while since my last post. I also have 28 ounces of black merino and 20 ounces of merino seacel and some merino silk that I won't bore you with the endless pictures. oh on to the endless pictures of what I just bought lol
I'll go in reverse this time. The family shot.
This is softer than I can share with you in pictures. It's 80/20 merino silk. Not my normal colors but I really reaching out of the box. The fiber came from a local source "Susan's Kitchen.
Here are some Batts from the same source.

Here is something that looked just like the name. One of my freinds had a booth with her hand dyed fiber and soaps Lisa. The fiber is merino tensel colorway Pearl
Some more fiber from yet another friend Lori Lawson. This is way out of her box for color selection. Merino tussah and so soft.

and last but not least some dyed fiber from Margie who was in the Capistrano Fiber Arts booth.
ok so I didn't completely go out of the box with color.
Now I need to start spinning it.

Oh my annual Cormo fleece(s) are heading to Morro Bay till June or so. more on that later. So much more to say but I need to head to bed soon.

back from a long absence

2009-02-21T22:05:00.000-06:00

Hi there everyone. sorry for the long delay between post but life sort of gets in the way sometimes.

I started a new job recently and the hours are a bit earlier than I'm used to but I'm getting used to the 4:00 AM alarm. Sleep is overrated anyway but the weekend has become a most treasured time.

The spinning has been sporadic with some good results lately. I finished the project for the Ravelry group "Ply-by-night". The group is a spin/knit along where we all spin the same roving and then knit the same pattern.

The pictures show the progression of the project. It was spun long draw woolen style about 18 WPI. The pattern is the Morning Surf Scarf but it was knit long ways to show off the color change.

I'm currently spinning some 70/30 merino silk that I purchased from a wonderful lady I met on Plurk. Moonlight Baker has an Etsy shop with some really special fiber that I just couldn't resist.

Next on the queue is some other new fiber I just bought that is not what I would normally buy. Hey, I'm trying to step out of the box a little. Mrs. Twisted loved the colors when I showed her so she will most likely knit something for herself with it.

5.4 ounces of BFL, colorway Eowyn from Dicentra Designs. VERY soft and I think it will be pretty once it's spun.

The doorway should have some more boxes including one from knitpicks in the next week or so. I contacted the farm where my Cormo fleece come from and the shearing is in the next month or so. I'm very happy to have the knowledge that more fiber is coming my way so I can feel free to spin what I have. I know that sounds funny but I didn't want to spin it all if I couldn't get more of the same quality.

So much more to talk about but I'll do it another day.

OK that's enough for now, I'll try to blog a little more often.

Life Is Good

Do you have a nickname?

2009-01-16T02:38:00.000-06:00

What Ho everyone. Just a little greeting ala Jeeves & Wooster. We've been loving the British series and it's a little sad because we only have three more episodes till it's over.

One of the fun quirks in the show is how most of the men have a nickname. Do you have a nickname? Most of you who know me don't realize that you know me by my nickname. I don't really care for my given name, but you don't have a choice in the matter.

One of the blogs I read (mostly lurk) has a lot of amusing nicknames and it's like you are enjoying the daily interactions with each of the characters. Trainman, Brother Tightly Wound and Silver Fox are just a few that get mentioned. I know she does this to give some anonymity to them and herself with good reason.

We also have nicknames for some of the people we interact with, usually because we don't know them personally and when we mention them by nickname we know who we are referring to. A lot of this started when we lived in our old apartment. Smokerguy, Tattooguy, Weebles, Skank, Skank's Mom, Matress, Screech, Plumberguy, THEBEASTetc. They all had back stories and reasons for the names, some not so nice but well chosen based on the back story. Since moving to a nicer place, their are fewer "charaters" but we still have "Noseybody", Guido, and a few others.

There are some changes in my life. I have a new job starting soon after months of repeated interviews. I worked in the Aerospace industry off and on for years but with the recent strike at Boeing and other issues it was a good time to look elsewhere. More info to come when I have more to share....

Some of my handspun yarn has made it to a finished object. Mrs. Twisted made a beret recently from some of the 3 ply merino I spun a few months ago. You can see the whole story here and on her blog.

The first bobbin is complete of the previously mentioned superwash for the ply-by-night group. I had a chance to meet with the Tuesday night spinning group and took the operatunity to focus on finishing the first single. I know I have 6 weeks to finish spinning the fiber and knitting the scarf plus I think the Mrs will do some of the knitting on the scarf.

The lace skirt is at 30% complete and slowly moving in the right direction.

This week Mrs Twisted's sister called from the cold mountains of Vermont and asked to come visit. They're having -20 nights and single digit daytime highs while we're having unseasonably warm 80 deg temps. This is her first trip to So Ca from what I understand and all she wants is some warm weather. She hopes to be here in a couple weeks, needless to say, the wife is thrilled to have some family coming to visit. She went back there a little over a year ago for her niece's wedding but it's nice when they come this direction to visit.

Happy Monday

2009-01-05T05:32:00.000-06:00

Hope you are all having a good 2009 so far. I know it's only day five but it seems to be flying by already.

One little picture before I move forward. Last week we had some time after Christmas and spent a day of antiquing in old town Orange. Not like we were going to buy anything but it's fun to look at all the neat stuff and maybe find some purple transferware as a mate to our plate. We had our knitting with us so we took some time to enjoy the afternoon sun and knit in the park located in the circle.

Last Thursday was my Mom's birthday and we go visit her grave with some flowers and do some reflecting. She passed 27 years ago but she lives in my heart everyday. For those of you who are familiar with Southern Ca, it's at Rose Hills. A beautiful serene place sit and think. We've seen a whole herd of deer there in the late evening in past visits and their are signs warning of mountain lions. I guess one attracts the other, I just hope we never see the cats.

We always bring our knitting and a blanket to enjoy the sun and spend some time reminiscing about our Moms. No, we didn't have someone take the picture. I was a little creative with what we had with us.

Behold the size 15 tripod. I guess that would be a bipod.

The grounds are huge and the decorations people leave are incredible. We took a drive past the main entrance and the rose gardens are trimmed back in the main garden but their are still hundred of plants in full bloom on the first day of January.

The time people took to decorate must be cathartic for them. We saw where people brought in six foot trees with glass ornaments and battery operated lights.

I think my mom would have loved it but she would have insisted that it come down promptly on the 26th because that's how it was in our home.

OK on to other news and activities.

The Ply-By-Night group in Ravelry has taken a lot of my attention lately. I won't re-hash too much but we all are starting with this fiber and the same pattern to knit.

From the beginning I wanted to make a few changes and add some creativity. I wasn't thrilled with the colorway but saw it as a challenge to make it work. Some of the other people in the group were talking about pooling or barber poling when they ply and what to do about. I wanted to control the colors as they were being spun and thought I would try two methods of carding to see what happens. I have some Bamboo that was carded in one of the methods and have seen the resultant yarn and it looked pretty good. There is a second method that I think will work as well but since the minimum order was 8oz I split the roving and made two batts of each method. I will spin all 8oz and swatch the pattern in each to make my choice for the final selection. You never know what it will look like until you actually knit it up to see what you got. Here is the end result if you don't want to watch the video ferther down in the post.

The following video is my first try using Microsoft Movie Maker and it was quite fun adding the little transitions and the scrolling disclaimer. This was shot using my Fuji point and shoot digital in movie mode so the quality is not the greatest and the transfer to Youtube doesn't help the quality either. I want to thank Melissa for the use of her drum carder and letting us invade her kitchen to make this video.

You can watch the video in higher quality here if you click the high quality option. Oh there is some sound too.

I can't tell how good it felt to envision something in my head and be able to execute the process so it turned out how I saw it in my mind. I was doing the happy dance for some time after we left. Being too happy to resist we stopped for some Popeye's chicken dinner as a treat. I know we fell of the wagon a little but it sure was good. The Red beans and rice is like nirvana in my mouth.

One last thing before I go. Do you enjoy House MD? The TV show with Hugh Laurie in it. We started watching Jeeves & Wooster recently and were thrilled with the show. This was a four season British show based on the novels by P.G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse. What a great show! If you enjoy British TV I would recommend this for your Netflix queue

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T00:42:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all of you and I hope this year brings you good health and prosperity in all aspects of your life.

For me I give you a lose guide to the future, a look backward and my personal scorecard for 2008.

If you are a new reader then you can see where this is coming from.

I planned to return to school but my plans were thwarted. I'm looking at this as temporary setback. If my plans stay on course I'll go back mid term Spring or Summer semester at the latest.
Score - 1 of 5
Vacation plans... I think we're settling on a few places that were already on the short list. This was not slated until 2009 anyway so things are good.
Score - 3 of 5
The yarn diet... It was not intended to be a diet, but a change in lifestyle. We have changed our buying habits and are purchasing for projects or at least the general idea of what's in our queues. Since I started spinning my fiber buying is taking over the bulk of my interest. Fifty pounds of assorted fiber and four fleeces already planned for many handspun projects. This has gone very well this year.
Score - 4 of 5
Take steps to personalize my fiber... I think this has gone further than I had expected. Our dying has grown and developed so I can obtain what we had envisioned at least with a few tries. My spinning is almost acceptable to the point I generate my own yarn in the configuration or our choice. I know this may sound confusing to most of you but I'm hard on myself and when I want a certain weight in a certain ply configuration for a project, nothing else will do.
Score - 4 of 5
Improve my body... I did forgo the soda for almost 3 months. The wagon swerved a few times, I fell off and it almost ran me over but I'm back in control now. Most of my liquid consumption is still iced tea with an occasional soda as a treat instead of the norm. The biggest change came from the home cooked meals and the reduction of fast foods. I'm lighter by a few pounds and the BP is lower. There are many more things I want to do and hopefully I will this year.
Score - 3 of 5
Return to my guitar... I've really failed here. I sold two of the three to reduce the life clutter, Natalie Wood is gone, Woody is gone. Betty Paige is the only one left in the family but she was the only real keeper in the herd. the biggest disappointment is that I haven't had the time or drive to play. A few days ago I pulled out our boom box to listen to a book on tape and found the cassette of my first teacher and the beginning lessens that brought back so many memories. I have located and downloaded some back up tracks of my favorite songs that I can play along with. They've removed the lead or rhythm guitar parts so you can accompany the band. A few new web sites have started this year that dissect the guitar parts note by note some in split screen to show both hands in close up. I'm not playing but still absorbing in small ways.
Score - 1 of 5
Read For Pleasure... This used to be limited to lunch time reading but we started using the public library and the world of books seemed to open up. You probably read my list fiasco a few months back and I'm using various book list as a guide to give this the structure I seem to crave. Thirteen books may not be a lot to some of you marathon readers but it's the most I've ever read in one year. I've queued some books and began reading a couple that actually had some preparation. My wife thinks it's crazy to do so much research and prep to read a book but I felt it necessary in my case. I've never seen a field study for a novel before but it's interesting because it's like the author is explaining the subtle nuances that I would not fully understand otherwise. Some of our friends know our love for the Gilmore Girls and the book was referenced multiple times in the show. This just fueled my interest to learn about the author and even read his biography. My goal this year is to read at least first two of the seven books in "Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust. Along with this is the march through some of the "classics" written by Falkner, Mann, and so many others listed on my sidebar. The goal of my general reading is to double my last years total to 26 books.
Score - 5 of 5

My cumulative score as far as meeting my last years goals is 21 out of 35 or 60%. That's failing in most grading scales. Last year was far from a failure but I know their is a lot of room for improvement. I'm hardest on myself because I know I should do better and it really eats at me for not living up to my own expectations.

Some reflection;
My knitting has improved from last year. The fear of lace is gone and I'm much more selective in the whole scope of projects. I try to look at how can I make this my own, what can I do to add my spin on the project. Either handspun, hand dyed or modification of the pattern to fit my vision. The two main projects should be off the needles in the next month and a half or so.

My spinning is a constant learning process that I hope to take to higher levels in the near future. I joined a group on Ravelry that is short term spin to knit.
Not my favorite color combo but it's a group thing. The pattern as I mentioned in the last post is the Morning surf scarf. I'll be doing some creative drum carding the roving on Sunday to add just a little of myself to the process.The batts will have the coloring layered in one batt and positioned vertically in the other. I'll take pics and some video to document the process for my own future reference. I'm not positive that it will create the effect I have in my mind but I think so.

I want to offer a few words to all of the friends who read and occasionally comment on this blog. You know who you are. Many of you are listed on the sidebar and some are blogless but just as important to me. Each one of you adds a little something very special to my life. A smile when I need it, encouragement to push myself harder, honesty, pointed words and a kick in the pants when others are worried about being diplomatic. Thank you to each and everyone of you. I learned a long time ago to enjoy the best in people and the ones who are full of spite and anger also have a glimpse of brightness if you look for it. My Pollyannaish optimism would even make Eleanor Porter smile but I see it as my balance in life.

One parting thought that I found inside a Dove Promise chocolate. "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow"

I hope I can live so fully.

Life is Good

Beautiful Flowers and a little spinning video

2008-12-28T02:58:00.000-06:00

Here is a little post to show why we live in Southern Ca. My condolences to the people elsewhere who are fighting the poor weather. We love to take a trip to Rogers Garden's around Christmas because they always make everything extra special. It's not far but it's worth the trip. The sun was warm and the air was a little crisp but it was wonderful. We had 65 glorious degrees of Fahrenheit today and expect 70 tomorrow. If you click on the pictures they will fill the screen with color.

They always add some Kale to make the landscape look pretty. The rest of the pictures were just the pretty flowers of which we love to go see. Oh they have Christmas ornaments inside too. We try to buy one each year to commemorate our visit. The grounds looked as immaculate as always but what an amazing job they did if you knew that we've had rain and wind off and on for the last week.

I love the Poppy Flowered Anemone especially in purple.

The honeybees don't know it's winter time here.

This was my favorite flower this trip.

I thought I would share a little spinning video of me relaxing in the Ikea chair wearing my basketball shorts and man-monkey socks in front of the fire. The fiber is superwash Merino and I'm spinning long draw woolen style. I'm not sure what the end product will be yet but probably something small because it's only 8 ounces.

I hope I didn't scare you away with my legs lol

Life is Good

2008-12-26T06:51:00.000-06:00

Here are few post rolled all into one.

First I was tagged by UndyedYarnpire to share a picture.

The instructions were to go to the pictures folder on the computer and take the 4th picture in the folder and tell four things about it.
Here is the picture according to the guidelines. I found this online while researching a plate we bought 5 years ago.

Now I'm supposed to tell 4 facts about this picture.

The castle on the plate is called Stokesay
The plate in the picture was produced in approximately 1921 in England by Enoch Wood & Sons
It's in purple transferware that isn't all that common but we love it.
We paid less than $20.00 at the Rose Bowl Swap meet/Flea Market and found it it retails for about $100.00 on various online sites if you can find it.

I don't typically tag others but if you want to do this let me know so I can read about it.

Next up is the handmade Christmas gifts that for my kids.

The scarf was an idea from over a year ago and the decision to cast on was easy after last Christmas. My daughter loved her pink feather and fan socks so I wanted to give her another hand knit gift.

It's a little long but this is for my daughter and she loves the double wrap around the neck.

The pattern really looked sharp and distinct after the blocking.

My second project was a lot more interesting because it also included hand dying the yarn prior to knitting.

I bought almost 2,000 yards of Henry's Attic superwash merino a few years back in sportweight without a project in mind and this looked like a good fit. We picked the Syncopated Cap by Kate Gilbert. After looking through all the 100 plus projects on Ravelry and taking my Son's preference in mind I wanted to make a three color version in black, dark gray and light gray.

The shades I wanted are close to what you see here. Not solid but rather subtle changes in shade to give the effect I had in my head before we ever began to knit. I've heard or read somewhere that getting black was hard to do when dying. I had issues getting the light shades of gray, they always seemed too dark. I did numerous samples before settling on these.

Here is the WIP pic taken last Saturday evening. The knitting started late Friday night and had to be finished to hit the mail on Monday to make it there for Christmas.

The end product looked so good we want to make one for me. I want to thank Mrs. Twisted for her speedy needles when I needed it and all her help or these two gifts wouldn't have been finished in time.

After my phone call Christmas evening with the kids I knew they loved the gifts.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

We spent the day at the Beach or a portion of it. I know it was a little cold but we make it to the beach every year on Christmas and it's sort of our tradition because she comes from the North East and it's usually bitter cold and snowy there. The weather was cool and a little windy with very few joining us but a few kite surfers who were enjoying the wind and the recent storm swell.

The waves were a little blown out and unsurfable but it still felt good to enjoy the fresh air and get out of the house.

A couple weeks ago I joined a new group on Ravelry that is focused on all of us spinning the same fiber and knitting the handspun in the same pattern to see the interesting variables we all come up with. A few of my friends have been asking when I plan to knit with my handspun yarn and I guess this will be the first real project. We are planning to knit the Morning Surf scarf because it's adaptable to multiple yarn weights. I'm sure this will make at least one person out there smile, Lori of the painted fiber. :) More info after the fiber arrives in the next few days.

Life is Good

I was tagged with another Meme

2008-12-15T01:58:00.000-06:00

Yarnpiggy tagged me Sunday morning but even though I've done this meme at least once I thought why not.

Here's how it works:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six random things about Twistedknitster:

1. My feet are cold most of the time. They have been referred to as cadaver dogs, cadaver toes and popcicles. Even in the warm weather my feet are cold. The rumor about big feet is true... They usually have poor circulation. Ha Ha I don't even realize how cold they are because they are in some state of numbness from the cold so it's all good.

2. I have a purple transfer ware plate with the scene of a British Castle. It's from the early1920's and we found it at the Rose Bowl swap meet. I've spent many hours online looking for the other pieces in the set of 12 castles, yes in purple transfer ware.

3. My parents rented a car for me to drive to the High School Prom because my Mom didn't want me to take our 8 year old Volkswagon squareback or our 2 year old Chevrolet pick up. She said it it just wasn't right to bring a girl to the prom that way. They rented me a brand new cream colored 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo. Thanks Mom! and yes I'm that old

4. I once ate 12 Jack in the Box tacos in one sitting. (not recently, I was 17 at the time when I had 4% body fat)

5. Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals. We occasionally go to Norms at weird times of the day or night just to have breakfast, they're open 24/7/365.

6. My favorite gemstone is Pietersite. I first saw some while attending a gem/jewelry shows with my wife. I have a small, chatoyant collection and have dreams of one day doing a fretboard inlay on a guitar. oh I prefer the blue variety.

If you haven't done this yet here is your chance. I won't tag others since I've done this before.

We went to the spinning group tonight a little late because we had a previous obligation. I started spinning some really pretty yellow superwash merino that I carded a month or so ago. Not sure what it will become but it's very soft spun woolen style. Pictures to come soon.

The Christmas gift scarf was completed tonight. Very soft and pretty, thanks to my wife for her help knitting a little when I wasn't in the mood or busy.

Life is Good

Loss of a legend, spinning and 2nd guessing a run.

2008-12-12T03:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we lost an icon from another era. RIP Betty Page. One of the original pin-ups from the 50's. . While she faded into obscurity in the 1960s after converting to Christianity and serving as a Baptist missionary in Angola, she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s and had a significant cult following. Her look, including her jet black hair and trademark bangs, has influenced many and so many who didn't even know who they were emulating.

more info here
and here.

One of her last appearances was 5 years ago, where she agreed to attend the 50th anaversary of the Playboy magazine. She was quite reclusive and the mystery was perpetuated because she never granted interviews. She posed with Anna Nicole Smith and Pam Anderson. Thanks to thebettiepage.com for the picture.

Interesting how 50 years ago this pin-up had a college education and later dedicated her life to helping others while one of the latter had problems finishing HS and lived her life one embarrassing moment after another in the tabloids to a tragic self destructing early death.

The knitting is going famously or should I say it looks like the scarf will be finished this week. :) I've been watching the wife knit her new sweater the last few days and it's looking very pretty. We named it "The Velvet Grapes of Wrath"

On the spinning front, I was asked to run the programs in our spinning guild next year but I will probably decline because of my possible limited availability. Following Janel Laidman would be difficult anyways because of her many contacts in the spinning world.

I did join a new spinning group in Ravelry. One of the ladies I know on Plurk started this group where we voted on a pattern to knit from our hand spun then the fiber content and finally the colorway. It's a 4 once pattern that many of you spinners already know because it was featured in the Fall spin-off. We voted on a half dozen patterns and the Morning Surf won easily. The fiber content is superwash merino and colorway is Sunshine of Your Love. Not my 1st choice of color but I know it will look nice so it may end up as a gift or blog give-away.
The purpose of the group was in the first round we all spin and knit to the same pattern that would facilitate a wide variety of yarn weights and all in the same color. I plan to spin a 2 ply woolen style lace/light fingering weight. Others have already expressed interest in Navajo plied and chain plied so the color effects from these different methods will be quite interesting to see.

A few nights ago I thought I would try running with some mixed results. I ran about 3 miles while it felt like 30 miles. During my run, I felt pretty good as far as the legs and feet but the inability to breath made it hard to continue at a brisk pace. Yesterday I realized the last time I did any kind of running, it was at the gym we used to belong to almost 3 years ago. The good news was I was clipping along at a 6 1/2 minute mile pace. Not too bad for an out of shape almost 50 year old man. The bad news is that I've been soaking in the jacuzzi each night since and taking anti-inflammatories because I feel like I'm a hundred years old. I know I have some knee issues including but not exclusive to the lateral meniscus the ACL and MCL in both knees. The last two days have been a nightmare going up and down the stairs leading to our Condo. No swelling but pain like I'm not used to and in places I've never felt. For years my knees have been letting me know that arthroscopic surgery was in my future. When its really quiet and I'm walking up a flight of stairs you can actually hear what sounds like "rocks in a bag" or my knees grinding with each step. Maybe I should take it easier next time?

One last thing. We have been clipping through the Netflix queue and found a gem based on recommendations from movies we've already seen. We watched the first season of Doc Martin over the last couple days and thoroughly enjoyed the show. It's life in a picturesque English town nestled in a bay with a cast of colorful locals and the idiosyncrasies of a surgeon who left a prominent position in London for the simple life of a small town doctor.

more more more

2008-12-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

I found this on Elspeth's blog

and thought I would share with all of you

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I was the 3rd child and my Mom was hoping for a girl so nope .

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Probably while watching a movie.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I'm left handed and no.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Black Forest Ham

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
A son who doesn't resemble a child anymore and a teen Daughter.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
No, unless I had a split personality and then I would only be friends with myself. :P

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
See above.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
nada

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
fear of heights so nada

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Oatmeal

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
yes

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I have microburst of strength.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Strawberry Cheesecake

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
mannerisms

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink if it's lingerie or deep red otherwise

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My creaky old body

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My Mom who passed and my kids who live in another state

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO DO THIS?
It's always fun to learn a little about others.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Tan leather flips

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Double Double with cheese and fries from In-and-Out.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Army Navy Football game

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Best Friends #D600FF that used to be called Orchid but I would want to be next to the purple in the box.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
The smell of Victory, Coffee before it's brewed, two stroke motorcycles, nitromethane exhaust.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My son

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I stole it from Elspeth

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Baseball and college football

27. HAIR COLOR?
more gray than brown

28. EYE COLOR?
Caramel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
no

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
my cooking (mexican)

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
The Ghost & Mrs Muir

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Oatmeal

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Spring

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
both.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Pumpkin bread, Pumpkin chiffon pie, Jello pudding cake

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
not sure

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
not sure

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Marcel Proust

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
it's a ThinkPad, no mouse pad

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
disc 3 season 7 of Gilmore Girls

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
the ocean waves

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Selected songs from both.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
The Netherlands or Asia

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I notice things that that many tend to miss

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Garden Grove Ca

Have you had your Phil today?

2008-12-01T01:27:00.000-06:00

Today is the last post for the NaBloPoMo mini-marathon. My goal was to get back into the swing of blogging more often and I'm not sure I could continue the daily barrage but maybe 3 times a week is possible.

So, my day was not really exciting but it was productive. Multiple loads of laundry, I know not very exciting but necessary. While the clothes were doing their thing, I re-organized my share of the closet. Pulled everything out, re-folded the concert tees, sorted the different shirts and sorted everything the way I want it.

Later in the afternoon I went to the pool and read almost half of My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather. What a wonderful day, mid 70's no clouds and the slightest ocean breeze.

My wife thinks I should be cloned and she already has a name for him. Phil, since his job would be to "fill" in for me when she wants something and I'm not readily available.

I picked up Season 7 of the Gilmore Girls today because of the Christmas sales and to fill out our library. We already had the first 6 seasons but we needed the 7th instead of skipping back to the pilot without seeing the ending.

Tonight I did 5 pattern repeats (30 rows), I had to tink back one row but it's all good now. The scarf is looking better now and I'll be adding another ball of yarn tomorrow.

No great nuggets of wisdom or stories of day trips today :(

That's enough for tonight, I hope you all have a great week.

Life is good

Happy Saturday And Santa is a Homie

2008-11-30T00:51:00.000-06:00

It's hard to tell that it's Christmas time here in Sunny southern Ca so the Decorations on the topiary dolphins in Corona Del Mar always gives an indication. Seriously, there were Christmas lights up in October and it made me want to scream. The Holidays just blur together and you don't get a chance to enjoy each of them singularly. The Grocery store was setting up displays and stocking the Christmas candies on Thanksgiving day.

I just found the most offensive yet funny Christmas item today. While walking around the grocery store we saw this. I had to go out to the car and get the camera to take a picture and a little video to share with you.

Hey, the packaging said to "TRY ME!"

Santa is a Homie with his Polar-Posse...
I guess the band "War" never imagined their song ever being used to represent a questionable Christmas toy.

Yes we laughed at this because its just so wrong. They even used a mid 60's Chevy Impala. The hydraulic suspension an undercarriage lights were just bonus.

Not much else of importance happened today but I'm hopeful for tomorrow.

Life is Good

The other side of Black Friday

2008-11-29T01:42:00.000-06:00

Black Friday came and went, and for me the only purchase was a double pack of deodorant because it was on sale and I ran out yesterday. This year the lines of people waiting to rush in and buy what they think is a good deal didn't make me feel like I was missing something. Sure I would like to buy some of the things that were on sale but my needs are few this year. When the wants become needs without cause or reason you just have a house full of meaningless stuff. How I spent Black Friday may not have helped the economy but my happiness isn't measured by balance sheets.

I had plans to return some books to the library today but they were closed. I didn't expect the library to be closed but I guess they wanted to go shopping today too.

I started reading The Complete Short Stories of Marcel Proust without knowing what to expect. The Forward was written by Roger Shattuck a world-renowned Proust scholar and the Preface by Anatole France, a leading French poet, journalist, and novelist who later won a Nobel prize for literature. The dedication by Proust was to a friend who passed away just nine months before the book was published exuded his deepest admiration. I'm savoring this like a good meal. The style and composition of his writing is unlike what I normally read but instead of feeling foreign to me it's like listening to your favorite college professor connecting vague unrelated references into a clear message.

Do you read the preface and forward when you begin a book? Or are you one to just dive in and enjoy? In most cases I prefer just to gain a little insight on what the writer had in mind.

Here is my question to you..... Do you read multiple books at the same time? Do you have a "work" book or a "train/bus" book and also a "Home" or "quiet time" book? Do you find that you read certain genres in one environment and others when you have the alone time to relish or focus on your selection?

The clock is ticking and I'm not focusing enough time on the Christmas scarf. I'll need to spend a lot more effort on this if I plan to give it as a gift this year.

Life is good

The turkey was good!

2008-11-28T01:27:00.000-06:00

The turkey was better than years past. This was our first Thanksgiving in the last 4 that we stayed home. Last year we did the Portland whirlwind tour to test drive spinning wheels. The year before that we spent in the Bay Area so it was nice to enjoy the relaxed pace of home. After a wonderful dinner I sugested a walk on the Seal Beach Pier to get some ocean air and walk off the meal.
The Christmas lights were already up and it was very quiet tonight. One of the first times I've walked the pier and didn't see someone surfing the North side.

We decided to hit the jacuzzi after we got home and before the home made pumpkin pie. All relaxed now and full of comfort food but I'm afraid we'll have turkey for a long time. I haven't had the appetite that I used to but that's ok. The 14.02 pound turkey was the smallest I could find and it'll probably yield 4 to 5 meals disguised at burritos and who knows what else in the next week or so.

Turkey day is behind us and "Black Friday " is in progress. Are you going to fight the crowds for the that super deal? We have a Mall that opens at Midnight in an attempt to steal the shoppers from the big places. I'm not even going to venture into the fray. If you do I wish you well.

Life is Good

Happy Faux Friday

2008-11-27T01:38:00.000-06:00

First and foremost I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

I do some reflecting at times like this and feel grateful for having two wonderful, healthy teen "children" who are the most special gifts a parent could hope for. My loving wife who I share my life with and puts up with all my faults. I feel thankful for my contact with all of you. We exchange comments on our blogs or other social network places. The ones who I have met in person are warm generous people who inspire me to new heights in my craft or share a friendship that is priceless. My life is better because of you all.

Today was a productive and good day.
Let me hit the bullets

Netflix fiasco
AT&T negotiations
Finding missing yarn
Finishing a book and started the next

Netflix had some issues and my account was put on hold for no reason at all. I called and they said it was resolved and the next day it wasn't fixed. I called again and the person closed my account and lost my whole queue. 156 movies lost, but after a 3rd call and some raised voices this too was resolved. but wait, it goes on... When they reinstated my account I was double billed, yes not only did they mess it up they double billed me for it. My 4th call resolved the billing, I will have movies on Friday and the billing cycle was moved two weeks to compensate for their error. Score one for the Twisteds.

A week ago AT&T sent me the online bill for my phone and internet. They raised my bill and it wasn't pretty. I called the customer service today and once I was able to get them to transfer my call back to the USA from India I inquired why my service was raised. After they went through the whole "rates have gone up for everyone" song and dance I quoted the advertised prices that are in the TV commercials and then told the person I was ready to cancel my service and move to cable. All of a sudden she was helpful said she could offer me a new plan and reduce the price by almost half. Funny how when times are tough and you have an option to move your service they are willing to work with you. Score two for the Twisteds.

Tonight I was watching public access and saw someone who looked like someone I went to High School with. Googled his name and the position and found out his middle name. Then went to a sealed box that contained my HS yearbooks and sure enough it was him. The surprise was when I opened the box and found a yarn kit that was missing since we moved here last August. I never opened the box because I thought it was just the yearbooks but this was in there to fill the void in the box.

Mrs. Twisted was thrilled at the discovery. Score three for the Twisteds

My last bullet was, I finished the much often interrupted Jules Verne classic Carpathian Castle. The ending was extremely good and not what I expected. For those of you who appreciate the forward thinking of Gene Roddenberry, you would love Jules Verne. He was in touch with the inventors and the dreamers and he wrote about the future or the cutting edge technology before it was common knowledge. This was his one love story that he wrote over the stretch of 30 plus years. Not like the science fiction style of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or his other adventure novels. Moving forward, I started the Complete Short Stories of Marcel Proust. I'm intrigued by the attention his novels attracted in the early 1900's and the praise of his contemporaries. This looks to be a long and hopefully enjoyable journey through his catalog of work.

Last and not least, I saw that today I passed 20,000 hits to my little blog. Still amazing to me that people read my ramblings about the crazy things that appear here. I could never predict what will inspire visits or comments. Thank you all for the visits and your comments mean so much to me.

To those of you traveling tomorrow I hope you arrive safely and everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Life is Good

Cool Beans

2008-11-26T03:51:00.000-06:00

A little impromptu road trip happened today. We talked about going to the apple orchards a few months ago but it was hot and we didn't want to fight with the crowds that go up there on the weekends.

I knew we had to go fil up the car before we left and that to was another good reason for the delay in going.

Yes, that's $1.95 per gallon and how appropriate the sign behind the station. How cool is it that gas is under $2.00 per gallon?

For those of you who live outside of the So Ca area and don't know of Oak Glen Ca, it's about 70 miles North East of Orange County. I've been going up here since I was a kid with my parents in the late 60's. The orchards are fewer and the sheds or road side stands have turned into tourist shops, but it's still a nice day trip when you want to escape the city. This was our 2nd trip since the Mrs. moved here. Last year we watched Huell Houser do a show from the orchards and she saw things we missed on our first visit and so she wanted a return trip.

We arrived in the early afternoon and stopped for some cinnamon apple mini donuts at Snow Line orchard. After some sampling of the 5 varieties available we took our hot sweet snack outside and enjoyed the quiet crisp fall day. While sitting under a hundred year old chestnut tree we saw how the growth of the tree resembled cable patterns in our knitting.

Look at the continuation of the pattern from the trunk onto the branches like cables that extend onto the arms of a sweater.

More to see so off to the 2nd stop. Los Rios Rancho is one of the larger places so we stopped to look for apples due to the previous visit where they had the most variety.
We settled on a bag of Staymen Winesap for the pie we plan to bake later this week. I think a few McIntosh will be added as well for the right mix of sweet tart that we both like in our pies. The season was about over so we didn't get to do the pick your own but we did that previously. I was hoping to pick some raspberries too but the late season heat was not good for the crop.

We try to always have our knitting with us and the quiet brisk fall afternoon was inviting us to sit and enjoy a little before the hour drive back home.
The clouds were filling the sky and as I'm witting this the rain arrived so our trip was well timed.
The trees were beautiful, for Southern California standards it was quite pretty to see the red and yellow leaves.

Another great day.

Life is Good

Cold as Ice with an epiphany

2008-11-25T01:08:00.000-06:00

You never know what you'll read about when you come here. How many of you still use ice cube trays? We used to buy the 5 lb bags of ice at the grocery store but I got tired of paying so much for frozen water that comes from the tap. Yes it may be purified but since we started drinking so much iced tea were using more ice. I bought the ice maker for fridge but hooking it up would be more than a pain since the water supply is not anywhere near the fridge. This brings me to one of the things I've been dealing with for the last few months. The plastic trays didn't last long when the cubes began to stick. Twisting as you are told to just made them crack and I quickly moved onto something new. We used to have these wonderful aluminum trays when I was younger, before it was normal that ice makers dispense through the door your choice of cubes or crushed ice.

They used to come with every fridge and I thought I'll just go buy some of those. I drove to Bed Bath & Beyond and picked up today's version that looks like this.

Trust me they are not like they used to be. Thin gage and the handle failed within a week. Such a disappointment. I was thinking, the place where these are made is probably half way around the world and the idea of these must be pretty strange. On to my next ice freezing incarnation. Trying to locate some silicone ice molds but these are not readily available in the stores nearby. Tonight I found something online but my need for instant gratification had me driving to The Container Store for a hybrid ice cube tray. Not that they burn alternative fuels, these are hard plastic with a silicone bottom allowing you to press the cubes out.
The first load came out like like greased lighting. I just bought one to try out in blue and if they work over a couple week period, I'll go back and pick up a red one too.

I had a little knitting epiphany today. For some reason I had issues with tinking back through a K2tog, psso sequence. The scarf I'm knitting has these repeatedly in every other row so when I mess up, I would mess it up even further and my wife would help me get back to ground zero. I've tried numerous times to get this and it meant dropped stitches and some serious messes. Well today it clicked and I tinked back the whole row without messing things up and corrected the mistake and proceeded without incident. I've been able to do some repairs but this one stitch sequence gave me trouble. Tinking in lace takes some concentration but not so daunting as it was.

Life is Good

To list or not to list?

2008-11-23T21:55:00.000-06:00

Are you a list maker? Rambling ahead....

Do you enjoy researching and planning? Do you feel better when you know the path you are on? I love the research and self examination on each item. I prefer to control my life or at least maintain some order. That's not saying I don't enjoy a little spontaneity too. My wife cringes a little when I talk about doing something new because she knows what's coming. Like when I took up spinning, I researched for months on end. Spreadsheets with all the features and pro/con list. The decision to buy my first guitar was a research exercise ad nauseum, ask the wife about it and she can answer with just a facial expression. I'm not sure I could put up with my OCD behavior but I'm glad she does. When we started going back to the library, I started looking at my life and felt like I missed so much because of the books that should have been read by now. Looking at all those list of 100 books you should read before you die and there are bunches of list. No matter what list I looked at their were holes in that compilation. That caused me to begin merging list but its turning out to be just a place to begin my loose guide. Every time I go to the library or book store I find another book looks like it should be on my list. My problem is that I'm adding more books to the list than checking them off. As I was writing this I realized the same sort of applies to all my list. The fiber list has paused at least and the yarn stash has idled in the last 6 months. At least we seem to be using yarn at the same rate as we are buying it now. It's just easier to talk about or think about doing things and actually doing them. My endless struggle with time management frustrates me because I never account for the time I spend thinking about what I want to do. At least this only seems to apply to my personal life, my professional life is almost void of research in comparison. That's enough talking about doing something, time to engage and participate in my life a little before bed.

Have a great week

Life is Good

Gems & Minerals or Rhodochrosite & The Alchemist

2008-11-23T00:31:00.000-06:00

I have some spinning to show you today. The South African Fine is now yarn.

The coloring is really nice and it blended well as I plied it. The color is similar to rhodochrosite. I found it a little hard to keep the thickness consistent because of the occasional felted spots in the roving. I should have combed the felted spots but I didn't expect this from purchased roving.

After winding it off and measuring, it worked out to be 310 yards of light worsted at 10 WPI
I'll probably spin more of the SAF but will buy it undyed.

The Mrs. already has a Tam pattern in mind to knit this yarn into. More on that when she casts on.

Yesterday I went on and on about the book "The Alchemist"
I finished the book this evening and enjoyed the story very much. The theology or lack of it was welcome because everyone has their own idea of what God is. This was more about reaching for your own "Personal Legend" by listening to your heart. The author referred to the personal legend as your meaning of life and you connecting to God because you share the same soul. I enjoyed how the story weaves the characters in one by one but they all were integral as the boy journeys towards his personal legend. If I didn't know better the phrase Personal Legend sounds like a buzz word used by Oprah.....

Have a great Sunday everyone

Life is Good

enlightenment or entertainment?

2008-11-21T13:45:00.000-06:00

Not sure how you see self help or inspirational books. I read Deepak Chopra's "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams" right after it came out and was curious about what I would find between the covers. I was 35 and looking for answers to the questions about life and thought I was looking outside the box. I must admit I read the book and didn't fully understand all of the teachings. So much was in vague parable form and left so much open to interpretation. What I did take from the book was our connection to everything and how you react can have so much effect on circumstances. Common sense meets the Dalai Lama. The reason I bring this up, I returned to the library today and while looking at the audiobooks I saw a book by Paulo Coelho "The Alchemist." I thought back to the Deepak Chopra book and wondered if this would be similar. The story of a boy who travels the lands and becomes one with the world while an elder man shares his sage wisdom. Each parable puts the kid in another situation where the elder can guide him and let him learn another nugget of life. It brings to mind the TV show Kung Fu with David Caridine. The elder blind sensei would teach life skills while the martial arts were the structure or vehicle to do protect the student in real life situations while "he walks the walk." there is no Kung fu here... If it makes me think or reflect then it's worth the time to listen to the 3 hours of Jeremy Irons. I read for a few reasons, to learn, to promote thought, or to be entertained. If a book is able to give me more than one of these features it just makes the book that much better.

Another book jumped at me for completely different reasons. I do enjoy a quick read and one with lean, no fluff story telling is even better. "My Mortal Enemy" by Willa Cather looks like a good read before I ever turn the first page.

wobbling wagon wheels

2008-11-21T01:12:00.000-06:00

Nothing to excess today and a little falling off the wagon.

Sometimes you have a little short attention span theater going on. A little spinning, a little reading, even a little nap after dinner.

The falling off the wagon happened because we had a craving for a quick dinner and Del Taco was whispering "come back you'll love it, trust me." We gave in and I even had a Cherry Coke, why not be really bad if you are going to fall off the wagon. It just wasn't as good as it was in my mind.

I was asked to be the gift consultant for the Wife's Father's lady friend's gift. Her Father is quite the ladies man or was until he met his "lady Friend" last year. The plan was to knit her a pair of socks. The favorite colors were Blue/Green so we discussed yarn and pattern and I recommended the generic feather & fan pattern, very pretty and easy to finish quickly for her.

We have a thing that happens with most projects, we come up with a little name that goes into her Ravelry projects page. Not the simple "Aquamarine sock," sometimes fun and descriptive of the mood we were in at the time. The sock yarn is SW merino/nylon in a pretty seafoam green from My Small Wonders so I suggested "Dad's Ladyfish Socks." Semi-obscure references to most, but she got it. I love the Incredible Mr Limpet movie and the way he, The Don Knotts character, changed when he found his Ladyfish. Not saying that her Father is Mr Limpet, but she knows the connection I was going for.

Back to the spinning and a little more reading before bed....

Life Is Good

multi-tasking while spinning

2008-11-20T01:14:00.000-06:00

Not much to blog about today.

I took the Mrs. to the library today after she heard me talk about it yesterday. She grew up in Salem Mass and was used to large beautiful old libraries so she was very happy to see a beautiful new library with a little history. Our little town has two libraries and is building a new one behind to replace the existing older one that is supposed to open early next year. After discussing the policy with the nice librarian we found out we could return the books we checked out at the old one at the nice one. So I don't think we'll be back to the other one until the grand opening of the replacement. I'm sure this rambling is very boring to everyone outside of the city limits of Tustin. :P

I did pick up some thing really cool though while I was there. I looked at the audiobooks and they had these special digital players that have a book already loaded and all you do is add the headphones. I plugged in my speakers, turned it on and spun 2 ounces of that South African Fine while I listened to the first 14 chapters of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It's so nice to multi-task while spinning. Their are so many books I want to read and I love the audio book format when you can adjust the speed of the spoken word. The player has three settings so you can make the reader speak faster or slower. You can book mark and come back to a certain passage if you like and it restarts where you leave it when you turn it back on. The player is called Playaway, I don't see myself ever buying one but I love that the library has them for checkout.

Pretty cool when they have an audiobook on a ram chip housed in a player that's smaller than an Ipod Nano. The Story was preformed by Michael York. When I heard him read it, was like hearing Professor Asher Flemming lecturing in his class. I know not everyone will get the reference. I'm sure a few of you who enjoyed the Gilmore Girls know what I mean.

Life Is Good

Pink wool and new books

2008-11-19T01:19:00.000-06:00

Two fun things happened today. I went to a new Library, one that I've passed many times but never went in. This is on the original site of the Irvine family Ranch house. It was gutted by fire in 1965 and converted to a library just a few months ago. What a beautiful home it must have been. It's a huge building with two floors and a basement. It was like walking into a Barnes & Noble but these books were all available to come home with my card. I inquired and the librarian said they bought new books for this branch. I've never seen a library full of new books.

I picked up two books, not like I finished the others yet but these were calling my name. How many of you are fans of The Thin Man series of movies? Dashiell Hammett wrote the books that the movies were created from. You may know him from the Maltese Falcon. I also picked up Woman in the Dark from Hammett. This was originally released as magazine segments in 1933.

Second thing was I went to the Tuesday night spinning group. It was only Julie, Kelly & I tonight. I stood before the wall of yarn and fiber just hoping to get inspired and pulled a braided coil of hand dyed South African Fine wool to spin. Originally I bought it for dye inspiration and to try spinning South African fine breed. I bought this last spring but it just waited for me to want to spin it.

I split it into two 2 ounce mini-bumps. Not sure what it will become but it looks good so far.

Here is most of the first single.

It was a very good day....

Life Is Good

Monday short post

2008-11-18T01:35:00.000-06:00

Tonight we had the chance to knit with a long time friend and catch up. The group was meeting inside due to the possibility of smoke but we sat outside because we bought food from another place and enjoyed our time with our friend. At 9:00 the Corner Bakery closed and many of them went home while a few wanted more and we joined them in Starbucks until they closed. Never closed a Starbucks before but we had a good time talking to some of the ladies. I forgot my scarf pattern so I spent the night on the lace skirt and made some wonderful progress.

Not much else really for today. I will try to do better tomorrow.

Life is Good

My little private Sunshine

2008-11-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

The smoke was easing today but the heat continued to be a little repressive. Held up in our home with the A/C on watching the final Nascar Race. I know, I know it's one of my guilty pleasures. If your wondering I'm a Jeff Gordon Fan (ducking my head to miss the flying debris from all the Gordon haters or Jr. lovers, you know who you are.)

It's early and I've only knit a little so far today but we're getting ready to hit the hot tub. Maybe some more when we come back.

The bright spot of the day was the back to back phone calls with my kids. My son is contemplating a move to Wash St with a friend who wants to attend Tiger training school. We were both surprised that their was such a school that taught tiger training but I'm assuming it's a sub-specialty of zoology. He was all excited about moving away and living life on his own. Later he asked my opinion on him becoming a history teacher. All of you who have never met my son, he is a gentle giant with a heart of gold. I think he would be a great teacher after watching him in various points of his life sharing with others. Patience of a saint and the compassion to give all he has to enrich the lives of everyone around him. Can you tell I'm just a little proud? After our chat about work, school and his favorite ska band of the month he had to get back to work. I called and had a wonderful call with my Daughter, the sixteen year old going on thirty six. She went through the merry-go-round of boy friends right now. She is very insistent about not getting serious with any one boy and to date often with all the boys she likes. Last Week she had another minor injury in the last game of the fall season. She plays varsity softball year round and playing catcher has had two broken wrist multiple broken fingers, a concussion, many cuts and bruises and now a strained ACL from a direct collision at home plate. A few weeks of rehab and a brace like the ones the football quarterbacks wear and she'll be fine. The MRI was good so she can play another day. Just the sound of her voice can make my day turn around. Like my little private sunshine. Can you tell I'm in the wrapped around the little finger club?

Time to knit and a little reading before bed. Have a wonderful week

Life is Good

scarf update

2008-11-15T23:33:00.000-06:00

I had big plans for the day. What do they say about the best laid plans? I wanted to read and knit on the scarf and maybe spin a little. It just wasn't meant to be.

The TV was nonstop fire coverage that preempted any reasonable show but I was able to watch the Boston College victory over Florida State. I'm not a sports fanatic but I do prefer college sports.

Back to my day, I planed on grilled knackwurst on deli rolls and a box of Kraft Mac and cheese (we really love the fake cheese flavor of the blue box pasta) . Somehow I forgot we ate the last two dogs so a change in plan since it's hot here we had some deli grinders.

The knitting didn't fare very well. I finished one row and was one stitch too many and while tinking back I messed it up even more. I was getting a headache and this just made it worse. Reading never sounded good after the headache. My sinuses always act up when the barometric pressure go wackadoodle, Yes Wackadoodle. Whenever we have the "Santa Ana" winds, the pressure jumps and my head goes crazy. I'm not sure when the name changed from Santana as in hot desert winds but I'm sure someone just assumed it was Santa Ana because of the proximity to location of both Santa Ana Canyon and city and the sheep just followed suit. The news idiots call the winds 60 miles North of Santa Ana by the same name just because they don't know any better. I took a magical sinus pill that requires ID and multiple signatures with the pharmacist and the pressure eased for the time being.

A Lee, fellow plurker asked me to post a WIP picture so here you go.

The day ended well because the headache eased and the scarf was repaired and some chocolate was in the equation.

I hope the fires ease a little and it gets better for everyone affected. Here is a link to the maps showing the affected areas close to Casa de Twisted.

Friday post

2008-11-14T13:19:00.000-06:00

It's hot windy and the fires are burning again.

Tonight was the Men's knitting group. The group was a little small tonight but it ebbs and flows. Little bit of knitting and a little bit of spinning and a lot of talk about politics, religion, Christmas knitting projects, spinning fiber and the bad cover band music that comes from the restaurant/ bar next door to the yarn shop we meet at.

Took some books back to the library this afternoon and picked up a few. Finished The "Last Lecture" and enjoyed it quite a bit. It brought back memories of the relationship with my Mom before she passed away. More than that it reaffirmed my desire to live life in more of a positive way and keep my head up no matter what brick walls may interfere. A few more books in the queue are "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis, "Click" by Bill Tancer and "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller.

Looking to progress further on the scarf this weekend and with the Summer temps coming back will probably stay in with the A/C on to avoid the smoke.

frogging with inspiration

2008-11-13T23:13:00.000-06:00

due to the problems mentioned yesterday,the Daughter's scarf was ripped back to the beginning and a change in plan was made. It was too wide and I was going to run out of yarn before getting the proper length and it seemed a little dense so the lace pattern didn't show very well. Since it was being frogged I changed from a size 6 to a size 7 and the width reduced by eight stitches. My wife took a turn on the needles and almost got me back to the same place in a few hours. I wish I could knit that fast but we all have our strengths.

My spinning mojo is not inspiring me lately. The fiber that I dyed just sits and taunts me. I want to spin it and knit the swatches but not today.

How many of you are readers? A few months ago I was inspired to read the book by the late Randy Pausch, "The Last Lecture." When the special on TV was aired, I saw the most positive person ever. I think of myself being an optimistic person but compared to him I felt like Eeyore. Reading the book made me look at my self and reaffirmed some of my thoughts. He looked up to Captain Kirk, and you probably ask why? Kirk wasn't the smartest, that was Spock, Bones took care of the medical issues, and Mr Scott could engineer more power at request. It was leadership and the ability to keep focus no mater the situation. He acknowledged and respected their skills in their fields but set the tone and remained in control. So many managers feel threatened to surround them self with people smarter than they are. I'll be finished with the book tonight, short quick read but very inspirational.

What books have you read that were inspirational or touched you personally?

Hope you all have a great Friday...

Life is Good

leaning towards lace

2008-11-13T01:40:00.000-06:00

Tonight we attended the Pub knitters and we had a few people who haven't attended in a while. They are planning a Christmas Party with another knit group but we are having issues with where to have the gathering. The place we used last year was already booked.

The recent hand spun was washed and dried and skeined today and I'm very proud of the progress. Just a few uneven spots but I'm happy with the consistency.

Both of us prefer to knit with fingering and DK weight yarn so this is just the beginning of more thinner weight yarn coming from Lorelai. I have some lofty goals for my spinning. First is to dye and spin the sport weight Cormo for the Mrs' twin set after she picks the color. This should be a 3/8 weight yarn spun woolen to give the softness and strength. This is just a brief stop towards even finer spinning. I'm thinking about some lace weight in the Cormo. We had a chance to look at the new Knitting Lace of Estonia book and the patterns are amazing. I have two in mind already, one is the Estonian Triangular Summer Shawl. The Lily of the Valley flowers in the white lace is just stunning. This will be the second item but in the natural snow white Cormo. I'm hoping to get the 1,100 yards needed from 4 ounces.

Back to my knitting tonight. I realized that about an inch and a half ago I had the right side and wrong sides reversed. So, I need to rip it back but no problem. I'll focus a little more and press on.

Here is the Lower Trestles all braided up

See you all Tomorrow

Life Is Good

Some dye experiments.

2008-11-12T01:12:00.000-06:00

I wanted to test dye the pindrafted ultra merino that I picked up a couple weeks ago. A little experimenting with color. I was shooting for ruby, a deep dark red with something more, you know that certain something special when you see a brilliant ruby gemstone.

A few months ago we sat on the bed very late one night and contemplated dye names that we could use if we ever opened an Etsy shop. Not that I'm ever going to do that but we came up with a bunch of names that meant something to us. Our first date was to the Seal Beach Pier where we ate lunch at Ruby's diner. So the first named dye color is Ruby. (click on the picture to get a better look at the color)

The second test was my first try at blended blues, yellows and teal. This was a lighter color surrounded by a darker deeper color. This looked like one of my favorite surf spots. Lower Trestles near San Onofre. The way the water looks when you are carving through the water and the light reflects the deep blues and ocean greens just over the nose of your board.

I wish I could surf here everyday but we have a life that doesn't always fit the surf lifestyle.

Here is my tribute to Lower Trestles, one of the better places to surf in California.

I may add a more blue but that's not far off. My pictures don't really show the fiber that well.

Yesterday or a few days ago I mentioned some news. Last year before we moved I was planning a blog contest. Yes the Twisted Blog-Jeopardy is going to happen. I'm close to 20,000 hits on my blog and it's going to be close to Thanksgiving/Christmas, so what better way to thank all of the wonderful people I have met, online and in person, since launching this blog. I'm also approaching my third anniversary of learning how to knit. If you are new to my blog or not reading it at my last contest, we like to go a little over board. (read here for some idea of what I'm talking about) Now we add hand dyed fiber and hand spun yarn to the potential gift items. More details to come soon.

Monday is for plying

2008-11-11T01:39:00.000-06:00

Tonight we attended the Monday knit group and it was a little cold for some of the ladies. It was in the mid 60's burrrrrr. We sit out on the patio just because out group is so large and would flood the Starbucks if we went inside. Cranking along on the scarf and enjoying the nice chit chat.

Came home and finished plying the merino that I spun in the last few days. 6 ounces of merino in three ply fingering weight, about 358 yards.

All skeined up and resting until morning when it will get a bath.

Short post tonight but I'll have more tomorrow.

Life is Good

Happy Sunday.

2008-11-10T01:40:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a great Sunday. I did a little spinning of the midnight merino. I know it's taking a long time but I'm spinning the whole pound.

The scarf for Jen is coming along really well. One little mistake and some frogging back a row but it's looking good. It's made from Knit Picks Andean Silk in Navy & Slate.

It's hard to see the pattern while it's still on the needles. Maybe when I get a little further I will be able to open it a little . The pattern is Fishtail Lace Scarf.

I promise not to bore you with the daily update pictures.

Yesterday I found this beautiful pork roast that I slow cooked this afternoon.

We went out in the early afternoon, the smell when we came home and opened the door was soooooo good. The roast was tender and moist with just a little seasoning when it was browning. I found some new potatoes I've never seen before, red skinned Yukon gold. Hard to tell since I skinned them for the crock pot but very tasty.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Life is Good

Is it Summer again?

2008-11-08T06:17:00.000-06:00

The weather here is a little out of character but I'm not complaining too much. Because it was so nice this evening we drove down to Laguna Beach to enjoy the sunset. So much nicer than the Summer months when their are so many other people doing the same thing.

Today I received a message on Ravelry about a fun fiber day from a local source that looks like a given for me to attend. More info to come later. Thanks Rainy

Not much visible progress on the knitting, spinning or reading fronts but I'm feeling good about my effort.

Looking through the grocery store ads tonight was not as inspiring as it has been. Trying to come up with some larger meals that will result in a dinner and lunch. Looks like a Tri-Tip roast is a good deal this week. Have you seen the reduction in package size lately? The half gallon ice cream is history. The cereal boxes are 9 to 12 oz now for the same price. Instead of raising the price of the item, they reduce the amount for the same price and gain the profit without the sticker shock. The only way to combat this is to cook from raw foods. I'm trying to remove the processed foods and cook more like my Mom and Grandmother cooked. The whole act of meal prep for me is usually 30 minutes or less unless there is a casserole. Even so, the foods that go into the casserole is prepped and in the oven in 30 minutes. The hard part is creating dishes that we both enjoy. I'm a self proclaimed picky eater and that's one of the reasons I learned to cook 35 some years ago. I never realized that there was so much of a difference in diet from Southern Ca to the New England States. I'm from here and she was raised 3,000 miles away. Much more comfort foods there in the cold months where here their is a lot of ethnic influence. The Mexican caliente is ingrained in what I cook. Red Pepper flakes find their way into so many meals. Most of the meat is seasoned with garlic and onion. I have a favorite rub that has some pepper flakes and various seasoning all in one and it's a staple now. The wife is quite happy to have me make the menus and scour the papers for sales and coupons. I tend to grocery shop alone because I will sometimes hit up to 3 stores and spend a lot of time at the meat counter selecting the proper cut for a specific meal.

Two questions for all you lurkers.

What is your favorite meal? It could be one you get at a restaurant, your Mom used to make it for your birthday, or it's one that you developed over time. Details are appreciated.
Do you have a meal that you haven't had for a long time because it's hard to prepare or you just forgot how good it was? Is it seasonal?

OK enough rambling about nothing of any substance.

Life is Good

Jules Verne, P&P, Spinning, Elvis Costello & Madeline Albright

2008-11-07T05:22:00.000-06:00

Day one of the time management exercise and it went well. A little too much TV today but I spun while we watched back to back episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. After that was over I put in the latest DVD from Netflix. The 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightly and Donald Sutherland. Was very disappointed with this version. The A&E 2 disc version was so much better.

Not sure about the weather here. It feels like Summer is giving us one last hurrah. We're looking a 80F temps for the next few days.

I started the Jules Verne book today. "Carpathian Castle" takes place in the mountains of Transylvania in the 1300's. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this out at our local library. After reading more about Mr. Verne it looks like this was one of his few romantic novels but it was written over a 40 year period. I also found out his books are the 2nd most translated novels after Agatha Christie. It's an easy read so far and looks to be finished in a couple days. I don't read for speed, I read to enjoy the travels the author takes me on.

Oh I wanted to share a picture or two. I'm spinning Ashland Bay Merino in Midnight.

An in process single picture. I changed my technique a little and made the yarn much softer but still strong enough for the 3 ply fingering I have planned. I'll have this single finished soon and start the 3rd single tomorrow.

I was watching a little late night Conan OBrian and Elvis Costello was one of the guest. I found out he is hosting a talk show "Spectacle" on the Sundance Chanel produced by Elton John. It's a show where he talks to other musicians. Times like these I wish we had cable TV. The 2nd guest was Madeline Albright, the former Secretary of State under Clinton. She had a book to promote but she sang a duet with Elvis at the end of her segment. What a great country where a former SOS will sing a duet with an angst filled new wave artist of my youth. They sang "Don't fence me in." Not the greatest song but it was entertaining to see these two sing together.

Happy Thursday!!

2008-11-06T06:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday Everyone.

I'm not sure how this blog the day after everything happens is working. Are you confused? Sometimes I'm confused about what today is because I write these post at about 2:00 to 4:00 AM each night. Just before I head to bed. I'm writing about what happened earlier the same day and most of you read it the next morning.

I had some issues with the stitch count on the lace scarf but that was resolved and forging ahead well ahead of schedule for Christmas. No WIP pictures yet but soon.

On the reading front, I finished a book today.

Not really happy with Steinbecks style but it was interesting reading about the life and times of the people and the social economic layers of the characters.

I had wanted to read one book per week but either my interest have wained a bit or too many other things have interrupted my plans. The library has so many good books that I can't wait to read but the problem is what to read and in what order. I wanted to read "The Last Lecture" and I just received the notification that my request was filled. So I have that along with a Biography on Tesla, Short Stories of Marcel Proust, Carpathian Castle by Jules Vern. I'm leaning towards the Jules Vern right now but I'll decide later when I have time to read. I never knew he was so prolific of a novelist. I remember reading 20,000 leagues when my son was 4. (fifteen years ago) We took turns reading a chapter at a time. He was an amazing early reader and it was fun to see him enjoy the theater of the mind so early in life. We would stop when we came across a word that we didn't know and look it up in the Compact English Dictionary my parents bought me years before.

Next is to try and push myself to be more disciplined and focused. I do enjoy TV but there is very little that I really want to watch everyday. Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 PM 6 days a week when it's not being preempted by stuff I don't want to watch. House and Fringe if I'm home. OK I love Poker After Dark but that comes on at 2:00 AM. So my dilema is to be realistic but push myself enough to spin, knit, read each and every day and when that's under control also add the return of playing my guitar. I know I can easily fit in an hour of each. I have easily 9 hours to schedule this activity but I need to work this around fixing dinner, knit nights and various other distractions. Imagine if you could read a book a week, knit and spin 7 hours minimum each week. There is so much I want to read. Hundreds of books and so many projects I wish were in my grasp of knitting. The 50 pounds of fiber begging to become usable yarn for these projects. So many songs I wish I could play, or techniques that would make me a better player.

I know that these times are not that impressive to you power knitters. I know I could add an additional 3 to 4 hours a week of spinning and knitting over the 7 I'm already planning and this would be huge to me. Some of my knitting can easily be done while the TV is on and the spinning is always done with some white noise.

Here is a question to all my blog readers; Do you need to read with silence? Do you hunker down and turn off the TV? Can you have the TV on in the back ground and tune it out? I've been reading with my headphones on for years. Too many hours of reading on planes or at lunch where I drown out the background and enjoy the hard fast music of my favorite artist. My mind just compartmentalizes the music and I see the story in my mind and the outside world disappears for a while.

Well, it's after 4:00 Am and I should crawl into bed for a few hours.

Moving ahead.

2008-11-05T04:46:00.000-06:00

Not much happened on the knitting front. We did a little celebrating because my wife voted for her first time today.

The returns are still not in for the West Coast as of 2:02 AM. Some of the races are still close while others were a land slide. It's amazing to see people actually go vote and show some sort of energy instead of the apathy that filled them for so many years. Hopefully these same people will not follow blindly but question authority and stand for what they believe.

And yes I even had a glass of wine tonight.

Life is good

The voting ranks adds one more today.

2008-11-04T05:08:00.000-06:00

Today my wife votes for the first time. Not sure what it was, I've asked her to register and vote in the past but she decided to step up and make her voice heard this time. We plan on voting together tomorrow morning for the first time as a couple. Our state is crazy and people forget that not 6 weeks ago we didn't have a signed budget and the spending is out of control but here they are trying to pass more state/local bond issues that are other words for tax increases. So much attention is focused on the Governor and President but the bulk of the politics are in the control of the local , state government and your state representatives to Congress and Senate. When you vote for these individuals remember that they are the ones who are writing the laws that we all live by and are responsible for the spending of our tax dollars while the one at the top only signs the bill unless it has a 2/3rds vote and then it doesn't matter who is in office. So these individuals have more power than you think.

OK enough Politics, I'm sure you are as tired as I am with the commercials and the crud that is filling the mail box lately.

Tonight (Monday) I went to the Monday Knit night and brought some of the fiber that I picked up Sunday. Everyone was awestruck with the Redfish silk merino. One of the other ladies bought some in another colorway but she said she would have bought the one I had if were there when she went to the booth. I love to see what everyone else buys at these fiber shows and yarn crawls just because they look at things differently than I do. I heard that some other people had bought sweaters worth of fiber and I felt good because I know they paid more than double, triple or four times the price per ounce for their fiber. I guess it depends on whether you want to dye your own or how much control you want in the fiber. Most of the colored fiber I buy now is for my inspiration for future dyeing.

Two rounds on the skirt completed today and I spent a few minutes reviewing the Russian join because I'm at the end of a skein. These skeins are 550 yards each. Amazing to knit right through the skein change in lace without having to weave in the ends.

Have a great day and please exercise your rights and speak your mind in the best way possible.

Yes this is the same picture on Stale Peeps blog but I'm not sure everyone reads both . Another good use of Malabrigo Silky.

Life is Good

Fiber Fun on day three of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-03T04:05:00.000-06:00

Today (Sunday)was another busy day. Bright & early I was in Torrance for the annual Weaving and Fiber Festival. As I parked the car I noticed Gene from my Friday knit nights. Gene started spinning a few months ago and we discussed the show last week. It's funny who many people you meet when you craft. The line to get in was about 50 deep and friends waved me forward. I had to get in and out quickly because the Mrs had an appointment, so using the free pass in line didn't bother me too much. The was hosted by the local hand weavers guild and while paying the entry the lady looked up and said "hi, aren't you in the spinning guild?" It's turning into a very small world when it comes to the fiber crafts around here and I love it.

My plans were to make a quick sweep through the vendor halls and head to the Morro Fleece Works booth to pick up my fleece. As I entered the first hall I stopped to talk to Lori Lawson from Capistrano Fiber Arts and catch up since her trip to the Taos Wool Festival. I peeked across the way and saw the Redfish booth and had to look at the amazing fiber. One 4 ounce hank of 50/50 Mulberry silk and extra fine merino stood out to me and I debated leaving the booth and picking it up on the way out but thought nooooo because I knew it would be gone if I did. Yes it's that special. The picture doesn't do it justice.

I made a circle through the room and headed for the next room and took care of the business of picking up the extra hank of Malabrigo Silky bringing the hank total to 8. Safely enough for the sweater/top the Mrs has in mind. Thank you Cathy for bringing this specially for me.

Next was the reason for the trip since I really don't need more fiber. Sheri was sitting there at her booth helping other friends from the Tuesday night spin group when I walked up she was busy so I looked over the other fiber she brought. I picked up some really pretty bamboo/silk and it too had to come home.
These two just screamed at me "buy me buy me now!" I'm not an aqua kind of guy but it looked like Caribbean seas and you know the purple was perfect.

On the way out I saw Gene looking over Lori's hand dyed hanks so I walked over and introduced them. Not sure what he purchased but I found some dyed Cormo locks and had to have them too. I know it wasn't required but soooo pretty and again almost oceanic; looking like inside of the curl while morning surfing at Huntington Beach.

I found the door and made my way home in time to meet the North County Sunday group because it was a special day. One of the ladies wanted to introduce her new guy and asked us to come. I also had a chance to meet Laura AKA KnottyLa. I started reading her blog a couple years ago and this was our first face to face visit even though we live so close to each other.

Later in the day I opened the box to check out the new fiber and was very happy to feel the softness of my latest fleece purchase.

This was a 7 pound raw fleece and weighed in at more than 5 pounds processed. About 74% yield is a testament to how well the sheep are cared for.

Life is Good

Knit Knight Yarn Crawl

2008-11-02T01:22:00.000-06:00

Today we had a little yarn crawl with the Monday night knit group. We found each other on Ravelry and recently formed our own group there, Knit Knight. We had plans to hit four yarn shops in the Westside/Southbay area. Twist Yarns of Intrigue, Beach Knitting, A Mano Yarn Center and Concepts in Yarn. Mrs Twisted had something scheduled at 3:30 today so we cut it short with the first three.

Nice cozy shop with so much wonderful luxury yarn.

The last three faithful shoppers paying for their goodies.

Part of the group waiting to head to the next shop.

Our motley crue

Yes I am on a yarn diet but yes we did buy some yarn.

We already had 5 of these beautiful Malabrigo Silky Merino hanks.
The project now under consideration takes 7 hanks. Well, I'm picking up another hank tomorrow at the fiber fair from the same shop owner to bring it up to 8 hanks just in case.

Couldn't pass this one up either.
Dream In Color Smooshy color way Butter Peeps for my wife Stale Peeps

That was the end of our purchases but tomorrow is another day.

Life is good

Happy November everyone

2008-11-01T05:37:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I'm going to try and do something here to get the creative juices flowing and get my writing mojo back.

I thought I would try to post everyday for a month.

Baby steps and little updates just to keep my thoughts flowing.

The last few days have been a little busy. I dyed some Cormo as an attempt to refine the multiple purples and sent this off to a fellow spinner.
About 4 1/4 ounces of heavenly fiber......

Monday was the Anaheim Hills knit night. We tried to settle on departure times and order of shops for this weekend's LTS crawl.

We'll see how that goes in a few hours from now.

Tuesday we attended the Huntington Beach knit group and met three new knitters, two of whom were casting on for their first time. A sewing teacher came by the group last week and made some inquiries and these ladies came this week. So nice when we can pass on the fiber fun.

Wednesday there was an opportunity to go meet another group in Diamond Bar. One of the ladies in our Monday group also knits with them and mentioned some of them wanted to talk spinning so one of the other ladies brought her Lendrum and I came with my Fricke. I wasn't sure what to expect until I walked into the coffee house and realized I knew some of the ladies already and two of them were at last Saturday's spinning guild meeting. Small world huh? Well, a couple of them are doing some wheel shopping and just wanted to test spin a couple wheels. They even had their own fiber to spin (I brought some BFL just in case). After they each took the wheels for a spin one of the other ladies had an impromptu lesson. To see the look when the new spinners get that ah ha moment and you see they just got it is so much fun.

The weekend is going to be busy so off to bed I go.
See you all tomorrow.

one down twenty nine to go...

Life Is Good

Long time no blog.

2008-10-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, I know it's been way too long and lots has been going on here but not everything I care to share on such a public forum but we're doing fine. I want to thank everyone who e-mailed when I seemed to be blog MIA.

A few scattered thoughts just to get myself off center;

Last week I turned 49 and I'm looking forward because the past is behind me now. I cant change what I've already done but I've made a few changes to make the future better.

I stopped drinking soda on September 4th, cold turkey and have only had a few since. This came about when we went to the recycling center and they handed me more than $15 the last two months for all the empty cans. It was kind of an eye opening slap in the face. How could we be consuming so much that we were getting $15 for the empties in a month. We attended a house warming last month where I fell off the wagon and had a few ginger ales at Pubknitters but I'm holding steady. I was drinking at least 60 to 72 ounces every day before stopping. I'm still drinking iced tea but no sugar added. Each morning I'm having a large bowl of Quaker oatmeal and the results are wonderful. My BP is down and I've lost about 15 lbs and I feel great. The greasy, fattening but great tasting food on the catering truck is gone too. This wasn't an all out diet change but a little modification that has had some positive results. I promise This won't become a diet blog but it's nice that my clothes fit better.

We had a package of those amazing Dove Dark Chocolate Promise candies and this was one of the thought provoking statements. "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently" This sort of sounded like frogging back a project and re-reading the instructions and trying it again.

I did some dyeing last month and the results were very good. Targhee and Cormo.

Some Targhee in a new process that worked out pretty well.

The Targhee after it dried and all braided up.

4 ounces of Cormo

On the knitting front, I'm still working on the Flickering Flames skirt.

This picture is a little old but according to the Excel sheet I have set up it says 35% of the rounds complete out of the 130 rounds. The issue is when I get to round 47 I double the stitches again. I'm at 18.675% of the 89,640 stitches or 16,740 stitches complete.

The Mrs and I have enjoyed the public library a lot lately. I'm looking for the perfect list of books to read before you die not that I'm on a time table but trying to fill that void that only reading does. It's hard to find that balanced list of classics and contemporary authors. The more I read the more my eyes open. We just watched "Sense and Sensibility" today and I loved the story and the books of Jane Austen are high on my personal list now.
The deep imagery playing out in the mind each time you turn the page. The Mrs. wonders how I can listen to music with noise canceling headphones and still concentrate on what I'm reading but I can close off the outside world with pseudo white noise and still bebop to the music.

Right now I'm reading John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and on deck are The complete short stories of Marcel Proust, Carpathian Castle by Jules Vern, a biography of Nikola Tesla and one of Andy Summers from the Police. the plan is to read a book per week or more. While looking at digital books they give estimated minutes to complete the book. I know it's just a range but it looked like 5 to 10 hours of reading per book for most of the books I have on my radar.

I'm looking at E-book readers so I don't have to lug the books around but $130 -$350 seems a lot to give you just a little convenience. I like the idea of instant access to a dictionary and multiple books in case I feel like I want to read something different that day without having multiple books with me. The Kindle looks good but the Sony seems better to me and the Ebookwise reader may be just enough for a lot less money.

OK I have so much to say but I'll continue this another day.

baby steps ...

2008-08-28T06:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I was swatching for the lace skirt just to try memorizing the lace pattern. Tonight before pub knitting the math was done for the appropriate cast on for the skirt and off I went. The first rounds are for the gathered waist. The skirt is 130 rounds and I have 6 1/2 rounds complete. It doubles in diameter after 24 rounds of pattern and again after 48 more rounds. I just set up a little excel sheet to track the progress and I see that I have 5% of the rounds complete and 2% of the stitches. It's probably not a good thing for me to see but the pattern is quite clear so I summed the stitches and it works out to 89,640 stitches for this project. We are at 1,755 st complete. Baby steps and I will complete it in time for the next ice age. WIP pics to come soon.

I had high hopes for the Ravelympics but I didn't completely fail. I spun some Cormo that was dyed earlier in the month.

I did get one project complete and hopefully I will have more time to focus in 18 months when the Winter Olympics come around.

Last but not least I received a shipment from my upstream SP 12 partner. She contacted A Mano Yarn Center and had them to ship me some pure silk roving. Two lovely hanks of beautifully dyed Bombyx silk by Nancy Finn of Chasing Rainbows. The colors are perfect! I'll post pics tomorrow when I can get some decent pictures.

OC Pub Knitters, alive and well

2008-08-21T04:02:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night we returned to OC Pubknitters. Bree, the young lady with the pink hair made a suggestion to try the Goat Hill Tavern in Costa Mesa/Newport Beach. We arrived a few minutes before 7:00 and it looked like a high traffic establishment at other times of the week but subdued when we walked in.

We walked around the multiple rooms and looked for a good place to sit thinking of at least 4 or 5 would join us. Within 10 minutes, the group of six had met us and joined us at a well lit table away from the pool tables, foosball, and out of sound contact of the multiple big screen TVs showing every possible sporting event on the airwaves.

For those partaking of the "libations", their are over 121 beers on tap with mixed drinks for the non beer drinkers. Peanut shells on the floor and classic rock playing on the sound system but not too loud so we could still carry on normal conversation. Quite happy to have free soft drinks for the DD (me) Many would consider this place a dive but we all enjoyed the atmosphere and people watching between stitches. Bree, the organizer of this came back to the table after getting a beer and shared a comment from the bar tender; "I cant tell you all the things I've seen happen on that table, but never have I seen anyone knit." We all just laughed.

As the night progressed the age group got younger and the music changed in content and volume until we called it a night a little after 9:00. What a fun time! Yes I was knitting too. Swatching the flickering flames lace pattern to try and capture the repeat in my aging memory.

Complete spinning projects and dye experiments

2008-08-13T23:46:00.000-05:00

Not much knitting going on here but some dyeing and spinning.

I finished the fiber needed for the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny swap. We had to swap 4 ounces of fiber unspun, 4 ounces of hand spun and goodies as you see fit. The unspun fiber was easy because I have plenty to spare. I wanted to do something special with the handspun, I chose Rambouillet because it's not commercially prevalent and wanted to hand dye it myself.
The spinning was different than what I was used to but after a little experimentation, it spun very well.

The colorway is made from four graduated one ounce segments and 2 plied into the semi-monochromatic "Malachite" yarn.

For some of you this will be a re-run. Mrs. Twisted shared some of this but I will share a few more details. She had an idea for a yarn colorway and I asked her to show me and with some crayons. I took the colors we had and blended them to match the swatch the best I could. The inspiration was pansy inspired.

The base yarn is Henry's Attic superwash merino. I tried three different dyeing styles, the left is all blue and splatter dyed with the plum. The center was dyed blue, steam set and dried. After it was dry I carefully over dyed the dry hank with plum. The right hank was normal space dyed and steam set. The goal was to see the end result in stockinette for future reference.

We liked the center version because it looks like each stitch is a different color sort of like the Araucania brand coloring.

Many of you know me pretty well, I tend to share a lot of my feelings and outlook on life here. some of you may not know I'm left handed. the only reason I even mention that is because Wednesday August the 13th was World Wide Left Handed Day. My son is a lefty too. The only two in all of the extended family. I'm not surprised though, it seems like there is a "world wide xxx day" for everything now. So to you lefties out there high fives all around.

SP Qustion for week # 9

2008-08-08T01:54:00.000-05:00

This weeks SP 12 question came a few weeks late, or so it seems.

Question of the Week #9

This week. our question is about your knitting... In many communities, "the fair" is a great place to visit and spend time with your family. It's also where many have entered one product or another (jams, cakes, even knitting)...

Have you ever entered your knitting (or anything else) in the fair? Would you ever consider it?

Would you ever consider entering your knitting in a competition?)

I've only been knitting for a few years and never thought about entering my knitting at the fair. Our county fair has a competition here where you submit your table setting around a theme of your choice. I thought about doing that, or maybe some sort of cooked item but my meals are more consumption than exhibition. When we attended the fair this year we walked through the items submitted for judging. Lots of quilts and crocheted afghans but only a few knitted items and only three hanks of hand spun yarn. I'll definitely will be submitting some hand spun yarn as well as a hand spun, hand dyed, knitted object next year.

Have a nice Friday everyone.

Sheep-less Shepherd's Pie

2008-08-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

Question of the Week #8

What is your favorite supper for a hot summer evening?

For added flavor (Get it?..."flavor"...I crack myself up!), post a photo or recipe link.

Really, the weather here is pretty moderate year around. I don't really have summer or winter meals like you would have in the North East so I just thought I would post what I cooked tonight. I do most of the cooking in the house and we cycle through about 20 favorite meals. Occasionally I remember a meal my Mom used to cook or one that peeks it's way out of the deep recesses of my aging brain. The hardest part is to cook for 2 people. Most of my recipes are for 4 to 6 and this is for three very hungry people or four adults.

The Sheep-less Shepherd's Pie

10 ounces of lean ground beef
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
8 servings of mashed potato
Just a sprinkle of shredded mild cheese.

I use instant potatoes in this recipe because you can achieve the right stiffness
Idahoan is my choice of instant potatoes.

2 2/3 cups flakes
2 2/3 cups water
1cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
Prepare the 8 serving method on the box in a medium saucepan.

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the excess fat
open the cans of soup (do not add water to the soup) and mix over a medium flame.
Add the peas and bring to a soft boil.
Remove from flame.
At this point I transfer the meat filling to a glass mixing bowl and rinse the skillet.

Spread the prepared potatoes in the 10" skillet to form a pseudo crust.
I use a tea spoon to lift the potatoes and give it peaks. This helps to brown in the last step.

Take the skillet and put it in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Add the garnish of cheese for taste and color and serve.
MMMMMM good and very filling.

Triple shot Monday

2008-07-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking the last few weeks at answering the SP questions. So here is a triple shot.

Question of the Week #5

Boy, time flies. Summer is when many of us head out on vacation/holiday. So, this week’s question/s has us wondering:

1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday?

I like to go somewhere new that I've never been before. Research all the neat locals only nuances and take the back roads.

2) Where is one place you’d like to go?

Bora Bora

Question of the Week #6

Since thinking about holidays/vacations is SO much fun, let’s continue with the theme…

Questions #6
What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation?

I usually take a small portable project. I have a rug in wip that normally is my travel project. 9 inch squares on circs.

If you’d like to share a story…Tell us about a time that you packed too much knitting or were stranded without knitting.

We attended a dye party with the intentions of dyeing and didn't bring the spinning wheel or knitting and paid the price.

Question of the Week #7

We are all creatures of habit and when it comes to sitting down to knit, it’s no different…

What is(are) your favorite place(s) to knit?

I love to spin on the south facing balcony. Depending on the project I like to walk for lunch and knit while I walk listening to some tunes. Knitting with my friends at the various knit groups is always fun.

and

What supplies (besides yarn & needles) make the setting perfect for knitting?

Comfy chair if I'm sitting, my MP3 player if I'm alone, and a cold soft drink (cherry coke)

Happy July

2008-07-26T23:56:00.000-05:00

It's been a longer than I wanted since blogging. Summer is flying by and I'm just trying to keep my head above water with obligations.

I sent off my fiber swap and the teal seacel/merino was well received. Next up is the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny swap on the spinning wheel.

I joined the Ravelympics this year in two events. Handspun Heptathlon and Synchronized Flirty Skirts. I frogged the flickering flames skirt in preparation for the start of the competition. I'm really only competing with myself but it's another way to keep inspired with my knitting.

Mary Frances and I did the county fair demo a week ago and I learned so much. Never thought you could spin cotton with just a paper clip but it was quite fun. Not like you want to do too much of it but you learn to draft and see the twist enter the draft zone in slow motion.

I felt like Carol Merrill from Lets Make a Deal some of the time but it was really fun

Here we are at the Fair.

After the little demo with cotton I spun on my wheel and even had a few takers to get a free lesson at my wheel.

More updates to come soon

Demo Date Correction

2008-07-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

I posted about the OC NightSpinners demo at the Orange County Fair but I have a correction on the day. It's Tuesday the 15th not Wednesday. Here is the schedule of events. I guess I need to look at the Calender more often.

Swaps and demos

2008-07-13T01:40:00.000-05:00

The swaps are in mid swapiness if you you can call it that. I dyed some merino seacel a little while back and carded it on Thursday night with thank to Melissa for letting me use her drum carder. This was for the Fiber Swap Club on Ravelry. We ended up with 4 batts in graduated tones from light to dark. It turned out fabulous if i say so myself. I just received my partner for Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny this last week. This is a swap where you send 4 ounces of hand spun and 4 ounces of roving. I have a nice partner who loves purple so should be quite fun. The Secret Pal 12 is chugging along well with my first package shipping this week. Not to many details since it's supposed to be a secret. The swingin-handspun-singles is going well too. I was contacted to swap some Sport weight singles. I really like this group in Ravelry because you look over the others in the thread that you want to spin and make contact. There are threads for lace, fingering, DK, Sport, Worsted, novelty and my favorite, luxury fiber. After the contact you decide on color and fiber content and then after you each swap 2 ounces you ply and share the pics of the 4 ounces of your combined effort. We are doing some dyed cormo, yes she has some too, and another swap of my merino tencel from me and Cormo soysilk from her. I cant wait to see what this looks like when we finish. :)

Last weekend I had the joy of sharing the love of spinning with one of our friends. She wanted to participate in the Tour De Fleece and I was more than happy to help her out. You can follow her here. Go Denise!!!!! She just jumped in and embraced the spinning like a pro and was making yarn on her first day.

Last but not least, I'm going to be spinning at the Orange County Fair and demonstrating as part of the Orange County NightSpinners. I will be there Tuesday the 15th between 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Feel free to stop by and say hi if you like. The Demo is at 1:00 PM according to the schedule.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-05T00:40:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July to all of my American readers.

We love our home so much. The south facing balcony is wonderful because of the ocean breeze that cools us each night and tonight we added another benefit. . Tonight we had front row seats to the local fireworks show that were held at the local High school. The local High School is about a mile or so as the crow flies so we hear the football games on Friday night like they were right out side with the public address system. Twenty three minutes of fireworks without having to go anywhere. No parking issues, no gas worries. We actually had peaches while we sat on the balcony. MMMMM cold peaches were so good tonight.

Here is the final 20 seconds of the fireworks from our lovely perch.

Tomorrow is the start of the Tour De France and I'm taking part of the Tour De fleece on Ravelry where we spin fiber the during the tour. Not like I need another reason to spin but I love cycling and spinning so why not combine both loves.

To be young again just one more day to enjoy the Big Top Circus

2008-07-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sad news today...

Bozo AKA Larry Harmon, passed away

I loved watching the big top circus.
My childhood seemed to be full of various mid day TV shows. The big three in southern Ca when I was young, Sheriff John, Bozo the Clown, and Hobo Kelly, at certain ages in my youth would either entertain or add something even if it was just a smile. Life was simpler then but I think it's looking at the world with the fleeting naivety that a child of the 60's had something to do with it.

It's just another piece of my life that is changing that I can't control. My mood shifts to melancholy when these bits of my childhood are gone forever except for the memories. Rest in Peace Bozo, we may have tears in our eyes but we will never forget the smiles you gave the world.

Camel is sooo nice.

2008-07-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

The Tuesday night spin group moved to the next fiber in our monthly fiber study. This month it was camel, beautiful, soft & lovely camel. Janel gave me a little head start lesson a few months ago at one of the guild meetings so I felt pretty confident about spinning this.

The color is a soft tan shade, it just looks a little washed out here. I'm not sure how much more pure camel I will spin. Maybe enough to make a lace scarf or a scarf, hat, gloves set. I can see this blended with silk or merino or even silk and merino. I can see a maybe someday sweater in a blend of camel. This was wonderful to spin, easy to get the fine lace thickness we all strive for.

perfect stash or almost perfect?

2008-06-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

Secret Pal Question #3

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

I had to give credit where credit is due, Mary Lynn had a great answer to this question. When you can go to your stash and start a new project without having to go to the LYS for more yarn. Mrs Twisted added; when you can do the next 5 sweaters in your cue and enough sock yarn and lace weight for many years to come.

I see the stash almost as a living being. It changes as my or in this case OUR knitting wants or needs change. When you see new yarn in the magazines it inspires new projects or when you see someone knitting at your local S&B you may secretly covet that new fiber or at least project that yarn into a future pattern. The stash has now taken on more importance because the fiber that will become "future stash" in yarn terms. But it in itself is stash. Most of us grow in in our fiber knowledge and capabilities as we knit or spin. As we grow our needs change, when we knit new things, hopefully it inspires us continue this process. I digressed a bit... My perfect stash? When no matter what the situation, you have the right fiber in the right color that inspires you to knit any project that comes your way. The ability to spin and dye various fibers helps to supplement the stash and fill the voids when store bought yarns seem to fall short. The perfect stash is a moving target that's more of state of mind. Not having a finite quantity of yarn but knowing you can knit what you want with what you have.

The fiber dye fest was a little less than we had hoped for. Some of the people organizing had some family issues to deal with and I hope everyone is ok for all involved. We were looking forward to the workshops planned but it turned into free form dyeing free for all. Multiple people said "oh come on, just wing it." We have wung it or winged it on our own but I don't just do things willy nilly. I do like to experiment but I still want to document what we do so if it's good it can be replicated. If it doesn't meet our expectations the parameters can be altered with controls in place. The many guild members were very welcoming, the home where this occurred was just amazing. A few blocks from Hollywood and Vine, they had a large craftsman style home where they host this annual guild event.

A few pics of the guild members enjoying the day.

hand spun lace first

2008-06-28T02:18:00.000-05:00

Just a little post to share some hand dyed, hand spun yarn in a little sample swatch.

This is a little less than half ounce from the first Cormo fleece. A little acid dye and the new steamer gave us results better than expected. You know we're a little snobby when it comes to yarn and we both love the results.

It went from this ....

to this......

and finally to this

It feels as soft as Malabrigo lace weight. Just a little taste of things to come and all we can say is oh my!! Great hand and dreamy softness. The Mrs is now asking for enough for a top. This was almost lace weight but I think doing a three ply will give it the right thickness.

Off to bed so we can get up early for the dye fest.....

Hand spun purple yarn and summer child memories

2008-06-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Secret Pal Question #2

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

Hmmmm I really didn't look forward to summer for the vacation as much as not having to get up early in the morning. My parents both worked from about age eight and as long as the TV was low they wouldn't know how late I stayed up. I had two older brothers but they both went to bed around the time my parents did. Back then I would stay up late and watch Johnny Carson then Tom Snyder and whatever else came on. Late night cereal with my favorite talk shows and late morning reruns of Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver and the Donna Reed Show. Later in my youth it was daily surfing and working at the local gas station.

I finished some new yarn for Mrs. Twisted last night. Some roving we bought a couple months ago is now some pretty purple yarn.

All plied up and ready to take a bath

468 yards of long draw kitchen sink merino/silk/ and ???? mostly soft to the skin yarn.

The Mini groups were announced for the Ravelry fiber swap club
We share 4 ounces of fiber per month with the other three in the mini group. The first month I'm partnered with a lady who is serving in the Navy. It's an open swap so not completely secret. We discussed fiber but I'm going to dye it this weekend at my spinning guilds dye fest.

One last thing. I started plurking last week. Some of the bloggers and or Ravelers in the knit world are already there. Wendyknits is like a super plurker. What is Plurk you say? It's another way to chitty chat with your friends. Curious? click here and enjoy

Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny questionnaire

2008-06-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny questionnaire.

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?

I started spinning the end of February this year. I’m still a beginner but I see a huge difference in the last two months. Most people can’t believe I’ve only been spinning a few months but I try to spin daily to gain more constancy. I’m spinning more “long draw” now and enjoying the fine fibers.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

I’ve only spun 2 and 3 ply yarns so far. I really only spin what I want to knit so it’s mostly fingering to DK weight

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

I have both but I spin mostly on the wheel. I’m taking a business trip soon and I’ll bring the drop spindle to spin with while I’m gone.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?

My favorite is Optim and Cormo. The Optim is like silk and the Cormo is the softest wool in my stash.

I don’t like rough, itchy, scratchy fiber like Corriedale, Romney, Jacob, etc.

5. Who are your favorite ~~crack dealers~~ fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

I have three fleeces that I purchased from Rupperts Corriedales & Cormos and my favorite supplier of dyed roving is Lori Lawson. It’s hard to pick favorites because I have purchased from so many with good results from most of them.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

Vicuna, Guanaco, Qiviut,Yak, Baby Camel/Silk

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

I’m learning the Paula Simmons Spin for speed and softness method and I’m taking a speed spinning class this August. Spinning is very relaxing but I want to relax faster lol

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

We purchased a steamer and have had good success so far. This Sat. is my spinning guilds dye fest and I’m bringing so much to experiment between the three workshops planned.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I plan to purchase a Pat Green “Beverly” drum carder this week if everything works out. I don’t plan to process fleece because I live in a condo and I don’t want to worry about the VM and lanolin in the pipes. I figure a couple combs may be in the future too.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

I’ve gifted most of the handspun so far. Swap pals have received some and my wife is getting the latest singles after I ply them hopefully tonight.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

I’m a guy, I love the tools but I’m looking at a bobbin winder right now. Next is a squirrel cage and an electric skein winder. My wheel has a Delta orifice so it doesn’t require a threading hook. I have what I need and I buy what I want when the need arises.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?

I’m always drawn to the monochromatic colors and deep purples are my favorites. I’ve been edging closer to the ruby red – pink – vermillion lately. Cobalt blues and sea foam greens look nice too. I dislike muddy browns, oranges and yellows. Pastels are low on the list with army greens or any faded tweedy colors.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

I spun a sample ½ ounce of my vermillion hand dyed Cormo and I love it.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

I see them as other obsessions….. Music, Guitars, We’re looking at learning archery.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

I rarely do things half way. If you know me, you’ve seen the zero to a hundred miles an hour emersion curve.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

I have an Amazon list on my blog.

17. Is there anything that you collect?

I don’t collect for the sake of collecting like coins or stamps. I enjoy rare music from selected bands & artist, autographed books and music when I get to meet the artist or author.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

If I want something I usually find it and buy it. I just subscribed to Spin off so I can read the adverts and such. Most of the magazines are geared toward styles that don’t fit my goals but I do enjoy leafing through the knit/spin/guitar magazines at Barnes & Noble

19. When is your birthday?

October 5th

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

I don’t know any characters that weird.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

I cook most of the meals and many dishes that I would ever eat or even taste. My wife she says it’s weird how I can make something taste so good without ever knowing what it’s supposed to taste like.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):I love sunsets at the beach. Different ones, each day is prettier than the last.

Candy: Reese’s sticks

Food: Mexican, or fresh seafood

Drink: Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke

Movie(s): That Thing You do, Shall We Dance

TV Show(s):Weeds, Dead Like Me, House

Book(s): Lee Child Novels

Guilty Pleasure(s): 50’s doo wop music, Window shopping or clothes shopping for my wife even if we are just looking. I love to see the glow when she tries on a new outfit and she likes how it looks.

Dyefest preperation

2008-06-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

Many things on the horizon. A week from Saturday is the dye fest held by our spinning guild. In preparation for the dye-fest I gathered some bare roving to play with and experiment under the tutelage of Janel Laidman, spinner, fiber artist, scientist and renowned author. What is all this? Well, I wanted to sort out some fiber to bring and the more I contemplated this the more involved it became. I pulled out all the undyed fiber and sorted through it. I measured five ounces of each and divided that into one ounce hanks ready for dying. Eight different fibers, BFL, Targhee, Rambouillet, Optim, Seacel, Cormo, Australian Merino, & Falkland.

Why five ounces? I was hoping to dye each package the same, and maybe if they turn out ok, I'll spin them into sock yarn. I'm being optimistic here so wish me luck. I'll post lots of pictures as I always do so all of you can come with us in spirit.

Wednesday I spoke to Paula Simmons on the phone ( it was really exciting to me) about the proper drum carder for the type of fiber I want to use. I learned that the problems that most people have with neps, is caused by the front drum ratio being too high. Fibers with lots of crimp and fine to extra fine need slow speed and a slower licker drum ratio. She said the Supercarder was the best choice because the licker drum is independent from the large drum besides I don't have $2,600 set aside for a drum carder. I've decided on the "Pat Green Beverly" at least for this week. :P I was all set to get something else but why buy a drum carder that I can't use on the fibers I want to spin or already have.

A little post script here... Ariadne or Stevie left me a comment about wanting to spin. We meet every Tuesday night from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Yarn Lady. Please e-mail me @ e1jerryt@sbcglobal.net if you want to meet up for more spinning. There are multiple spin groups in the area if you like.

Favorite Summertime Drink......

2008-06-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a little lax in the answer of this but after reading other participants, I'm not alone... :)

I'm playing in the Secret Pal 12 exchange and they are asking us to reply to questions each week. This was last week's question;

What is your favorite summertime drink??

Being Summer really doesn't mater to me. I drink soda most of the time. I have a few vices and soda is one of them. I drink coke with my breakfast. ( not with a bowl of cereal though) At work I drink hot tea just for the caffeine and to reduce the caloric intake. As far as summer or winter, we live in southern Ca and the weather is pretty close to 70-75 degrees 300 days a year. That being said, I have a few choices. Cherry Coke/Dr Pepper are my two favorites. Fountain drinks when I'm out? Coke over Pepsi every time. McDonald's Coke is the best because the mix is always correct at least around here. We only eat breakfast there but the coke is almost as good as in the glass bottle at our local McDonald's. Yes I like unsweetened sun brewed iced tea. Various fruit juices and ice cold milk depending on what I'm eating. Mr's Twisted even wonders if I can taste the drinks because I drink so much so fast. The 12 oz can is literally 2-3 sips. The 16.9 oz water is 1-2 sips. Bottom line is that Cherry Coke, Dr Pepper or Regular Coke works just fine for me.

Fashion trend setting

2008-06-18T01:18:00.000-05:00

The last 4 days or night have been filled with spinning like never before. Saturday I spun for hours at the picnic for WWKIP day. Sunday at the Huntington, last night at Rumplestiltskein, one of the Monday spin groups, and tonight with the Yarn Lady Tuesday spinning group. This arrived last night and I wanted to share the newest trend.

Love to be a fashion trend setter LOL

Memories?

2008-06-18T01:13:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Mary Lynn's blog

If you read this,
if your eyes are passing over this right now,
even if we don't speak often,
please post a comment with a memory of you and me.
It can be anything you want -- good or bad.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

Spinning At the Huntington.

2008-06-16T03:06:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Huntington Library for a spinning demo that we found out about at our spinning guild. I feel almost embarrassed to admit that I grew up in Southern California and have never been until today. They are known for a few high profile antiquities and wonderful gardens;
Thomas Gainsborough's "The Blue Boy",
Thomas Lawrence's "Pinkie"

and the Gutenberg Bible.

I found that the grounds and gardens are just as amazing as the library, artwork and furnishings.

We were set up in the herb garden and had a chance to share our craft with the public as they strolled through the various gardens. Randall Hayden sat in our group and we had some nice long talks about obsessions and fiber. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Outside in a beautiful place spinning among wonderful people.

I have a flickr set if you want to see more pics.

WWKIP day

2008-06-15T01:43:00.000-05:00

Happy WWKIP day.

We had a huge gathering at a local regional park. Some of the ladies from All Things Strings organized this event instead of our normal beach bar-b-que. We had a great turn out of 5 or 6 local knitting groups being represented. This was organized on Ravelry and the various yahoo groups for the last month or so. We even had a few knitters who read the post and just showed up looking for a place to knit today.

I counted 6 spinners, at least 35 knitters, multiple dogs, various kids, a rodent of some sort, some spouses, two guitar players, one of whom was in a utilikilt, many jugglers, a few archers and we even had a baby alpaca show up. Can you say diverse?

Yesterday I bought a new EZ-Up to use for these open events and it was nice to have the shade.
We made a little sign to have some fun. Rancho De Twisted-Peeps to include both of our Ravelry names.

Left to right, Shanda, Denise, and Knitterotica

Kristie who spins with me in multiple spinning groups and the Spinning guild.

We parked close to the archery range because a few of the attendees were also archers. This is the learning range where they have free lessons including bows and arrows. Mrs Twisted and I will return next week for free lessons. Can you smell a new obsession? :)

They also have a full size range where Jen had brought some special long spears for some of us to try. I've never even heard of these before now. Atlatl Spears were the precurser to the bow and arrow. I wish Mrs. Twisted could have brought the camera over to the range while I attempted to throw these. The link shows the proper method, I was getting the idea but it was a humbling experience.

Karen, LoopyKD was there with her daughter. We spun together last month in Irvine park.

Someone had a map with all the groups in the area with a small synopses if you wanted to attend more knit nights in your spare time.

I love to watch the Jugglers. Very hypnotic to me.

The Jugglers play dominos when not juggling I guess. At least these seemed to enjoy it.

We had a few knit related games, one was like a sock wars type. It was a mystery pattern that someone test knit. It turned out to be a stuffed fish. When you finished you went to the person you were assigned to and they were out. You completed their fish and this continued until there was one everyone was eliminated.

Here is Robert who I think won. There were 12 playing this game, it looked like most had a good time. I didn't play.... Too busy talking and spinning

Shanda and Denise holding their fish after being killed.

There was also a "can you identify the fiber"contest.

The musicians enjoying the day.

I had to take this picture of Jeff. Playing the guitar strings in front of the All Things Strings banner.
Yes, he was the one in the Utili-kilt. Way to go Jeff!

This young girl learned to spin today on Anne's wheel. Passing on the craft....

Towards the end of the day someone showed up with a baby alpaca freshly sheared.
Zona's little girl wil be asking for one of these for Christmas this year. :) He loved her barrettes.

Two of the ladies, Zona and Rachel saw the Hula Hoops and thought "I wonder if we can knit while we Hula Hoop"

You have to see the video to believe it.

Thank you to all the ladies who put in so much effort to make this happen.

When I came home I found the latest shipment from the Woolgirl sock club on the doorstep.

Dashing Dachs sport weight superwash merino hand painted yarn and lots of goodies. Never seen this kind of stitch gage tool. It has a 1x1 square hole.

another Meme

2008-06-07T01:32:00.000-05:00

Janel tagged me with the meme that has been floating around.

What was I doing 10 years ago...
- I was working at an aircraft latching company as a programming supervisor.
- Coaching my son's baseball games and watching my daughter's softball games.
- Going to night school, I think I was enrolled in calculus 10 years ago.
- Married to my now ex-wife
- I wasn't spinning, knitting, or playing guitar.
What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
- Fill out my expense report for the week.
- Have my time card and expense report signed before my supervisor leaves for the day.
- Take care of some Fatherly duties
- Empty some bobbins by plying up some singles. ( I now have 5 empty bobbins)
- Respond to some overdue e-mails.
Snacks I enjoy:
- If you put this in the order of what I eat the most of it would be easier. Mission corn tortilla strips. The one pound bag.
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups And Reese's Stix
- Dr. Pepper & Cherry Coke to drink
- Red Licorice
- Late night bowl of cereal
- When I was young, I had a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese before dinner.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire
- Invest so I would never worry about money ever again.
- Set aside college funds for my children so they can attend school and work towards a career to be self sufficient.
- Pay off my family's mortgages. ( I have a small family)
- Build a fairly large custom home on the beach in San Diego county so I could walk out each morning and surf. It would have a large upstairs deck so I could spin in the evenings or relax in the sun.
- Open a shop that is all about our hobbies. Fiber arts, spinning, knitting etc. Cycling, guitars, jewelry. Offering free classes and instruction to those who want to learn. Hire a small but passionate staff who want to share their skills with others.
- Spend a long vacation in Tahiti and Bora Bora Long enough where I would get home sick and want to go home.
- Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. I don't like the cold so I would omit the Antarctic trip.
Places I have lived
- Buena Park until I was 6
- West Garden Grove until I was 22
- West Anaheim in my first apartment
- Moved to my first home. We bought a new mobile home in Anaheim 9 months after we were married November "82"
- Moved back to West Garden Grove and bought a regular tract home.
- Moved back to Anaheim
- Tustin where we live now
  
  Most of you have already done this so, no tagging from me.

Baseball, book signing, new music and spinning

2008-06-05T04:51:00.000-05:00

Busy week so far.
Monday night we attended the 3rd Stitch & Pitch.
We arrived a the field in time to enjoy some batting practice and our Dodger dog before the game. We went with a large group from A Mano Yarn Center. The over all attendance of the knitters was far less than last year but the group from our shop was twice the size from last year.

We were sitting farther away than I have ever sat at any sporting event.

But there were a few seats worse than ours.
Here is Laura showing off her newly made socks. Giving new meaning to the 7th inning stretch.

We had a good time and the home team won. Nice to see so many friends and sit down for a little face to face chat instead of a brief blog comment or e-mail. . Hi Rainy! Would love to meet for a spin in sometime after your move. Not sure if there will be another Stitch & Pitch. This was a big reduction in participation from the past two years.

Who picked Tuesday for the book and music release day? This was supposed to be the 2nd night in the fiber study spin group but we had a chance to meet one of our favorite authors. We attended a book signing and lecture by Lee Child. If you are a reader of suspense books I can't recommend this author enough. The signing and lecture ended after 8:00 so I missed the spin group. The group meets every week but we chose the first of each month to spin a specific fiber together.

His latest book; Nothing to Lose looks good.

This is number 12 in the series. He said in his talks that he will continue the series until he hits book 21.

You know I love to get the cheesy picture with the authors.

The Mrs and I both love his books so far. I want to thank Michelle for recommending this writer when we were in the Secret Pal 9 together. Just another good thing that came from me learning to knit. It's always great to find an author you enjoy.

The new Weezer album was released on Tuesday. Yay! It was double good

For those of you who know me, know I love certain bands and I own all the music I can find. Singles, bootlegs, imports etc. I know I'm not the typical fan of this band, probably twice the age of the of target audience the record label hopes will buy it's merchandise but that never stops me from enjoying the music. Rivers Cuomo is stretching his wings again with this latest release. For the first time the other members of the band had writing credits and even sang the lead in a few of the songs. Five of the ten songs are longer than 4:00 minutes. The last song is almost 7 minutes, not exactly radio friendly but I don't think they really care. The group has always had a huge online and underground fan base that buys the music no mater what the critics say. They are not looking for radio play even though one or two songs from each album makes it's way to the commercial air waves. The style is different than most of the previous recordings. It sort of reminded me of the Beach Boy's Brian Wilson late 60's period where there are layers of sound and multiple tempo changes. Rivers was married since the last album and you can see the change in his music. Less depression and more reflection. Yes it's different but I prefer to see a group mature and grow instead of cranking out the cookie cutter copies of the previous albums.

Here is some roving in the last week or so.

Some BFL from Lori Lawson at Capistrano Fiber Arts. I had to have this after seeing it last week. If you're going to Black Sheep, stop by and see her. She is sharing a booth this year.

This is from Hullion Fiberworks. The first is Columbia Dorcett

I can't wait to spin this. It's South African Fine Merino.

I plied another hank of Optim so I can free up a bobbin. I want to spin the second half of the purple fiber from my last post but I didn't have an open bobbin to ply it if I didn't free up a bobbin first.
From right to left. 1/2 ounce ( my first mini hank) the moma hank in the middle was the 1 ounce and the left hank is almost 3 ounces of yummy softness. We are going to dye this pretty soon.

What's on the bobbin right now.

2008-06-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Twister has been asking me to spin her some yarn to knit with. A month or so ago I bought some Pagewood fiber at A Mano Yarn Center. 4 ounces of mixed silk/merino and ???

The next day I augmented it a little with some light and dark purple superwash merino then carded it in to three large batts totaling 6 3/4 ounces.
I split these into equal halves and finished spinning the first half tonight. The fiber is full of noils and nibs making it hard to spin thin and even. I tried worsted first but the bonus chunks in the fiber were hard to live with so I quickly switched to a semi-woolen long draw. Surprisingly the singles feel really nice and very soft.
I will finish the second bobbin this week so I can ply it up. What she plans to knit with this is still up in the air.

Tomorrow we are going to the Stitch & Pitch. The ladies at A Mano arrange the bus and going with the group of friendly knitters is great fun. This is our third year of Stitch and Pitch. The first year we met Renatta who introduced us to the All Things String knitting group. Last Year we met Crazy Aunt Purl. I love watching baseball and the knitting with all those people while having a Dodger Dog is a pretty darn good time. Looking forward to seeing Laura who moved to the Kansas City burbs last year. She is here to take care care of some wedding plans.

Secret Pal 12 Questionnaire

2008-05-31T02:10:00.000-05:00

Here is my secret Pal 12 questionnaire. I'm giving this another try.

What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like?
I prefer to knit with next to skin soft fiber. Merino/Silks etc. Go look on my flicker to see the yarns I already have. Please no acrylic.
What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a Namaste tool bucket looking bag. it's on the blog if you search for Namaste.
How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
2 1/2 years. My wife taught me so I could make a hand made gift for my then 14 year old daughter. Intermediate
Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, look on the side bar for the link
What’s your favorite scent?
I prefer not to receive scented items since one of us is a little sensitive to a lot of fragrances.
Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes, don't we all? Dark chocolate and dark chocolate and chocolate.
What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Why yes I do spin. I dye and I have been known to sew when the need arises.
What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love most music, punk, blues,Rock, jazz. I have over 600 CDs at last count. No problem with music in most formats.
What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?
Purple, Deep Rich gem tones
What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married, Two kids living out of state. No pets
Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
It's So Ca here and we don't get many cold days here.
What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like to knit many things because I'm trying to learn new techniques.
What are you knitting right now?
I'm knitting a Malabrigo sweater.
Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I haven't received one yet from a swap partner but yes.
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Rosewood and Ebony wooden needles please. I'm a guy and I love the tools.
Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, and Yes
How old is your oldest UFO?
I have a long term project, a mitered square rug made from Manos
What is your favorite holiday?
Anyone where I get to give gifts.
Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn, Fiber, knitting books, guitars, music.
Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I tend to buy something if I really want it.
Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?
I want to re-apply myself to learn continental knitting.
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I've made two pairs of socks. One for me and one for my Daughter last Christmas. I have a very narrow foot in a size men's 15.
When is your birthday?
October 5th
What’s your Ravelry ID?
TwitedKnitster

Let the Games begin!
:)

We have balanced yarn

2008-05-28T02:03:00.000-05:00

The plying issues are under control. I received a little encouragement with a kick in the rump about technique and what a difference it made. The little 1/2 ounce hank was made under her tutelage and the larger, 1 ounce hank was made when I came home that night to reinforce what I learned. Thank you!!!!!

This was some of the Optim and I wish you could feel how soft it is. The pictures don't do this justice. I should have taken the pictures unskeined so you could see the drape and to my joy it was balanced like commercial yarn but so amazingly soft. When the little skein was wound up it made me want to dance. I'm pretty reserved but it was quite obvious I was happy. Tonight I plied up some over spun BFL and Falklands wool into some two ply soft sock yarn. It's soaking in the sink but it's going to pretty nice too.

Lots' more to talk about but it's late and I'm working long hours right now so I'm off to bed.