Happy Valentine's Day!

"Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence." -Vincent van Gogh

Green Banana Silk

Motivation:

• Feel excited about this yarn and about doing a quick project that's for me
• I loved receiving this yarn as an unexpected gift, and wanted to complete this project before the next time I see the giver
  
• I wanted to get back into a satisfying creative routine
  

Inspiration:

• A weaving buddy gave me this yarn at a spring weavers guild meeting. I was so touched. I don't get surprises very often! (Especially not pleasant yarn surprises!!)
• I would love to create an open, spring-like scarf to wear in spring and fall indoors (not my usual, keeps-me-warm-in-winter scarf!)

What I liked about this project:

• I really like how the yarn and pattern work together to show off the luster and irregularities of this yarn.
• I tried lots of dropped stitch patterns, and really like that this one combines knits and purls with the dropped stitches to make a more interesting scarf.

Pattern: Opera Scarf by Laurie Kimmelstiel

Yarn: Frabjous Fibers Banana Silk Yarn

Just under 1 skein of yarn used.

Needles: US 10 3/4

Finished size: 5 1/2 x 56 inches

On Ravelry

Wake Up Call

Yesterday morning, when I was walking down the stairs, I noticed a weird brown thing in our yard.







I can't believe it was a fox!!!!

Scratching its neck

Getting up

Shaking his head, just like Bailey does

Stretching

Gotta stretch those back legs too

Ready for the day

Heading out

We watched it for about 10 minutes, when it finally got up and trotted away. During that time, several cars passed on the road (about 50 feet in front of the fox). It would pick up its head and look around when that happened, but then puts its head back down.

It was 18° F (-8° C) while we watched the fox. I would never have guessed that a fox would sleep out in the open like that. We watched from slightly before 7 a.m. until about 7:10. The sun was up the whole time.

Sorry that I've included some blurry photos....This was pretty much at the limit of what my camera and lens could do in that limited light through the window into the sun.

It was just so cool to see a fox wake up for the day. A lot of his actions, like the stretching and shaking his head, totally remind me of what Bailey does when he wakes up.

On New Year's Day, Acorn to Oak asked if I had any fox photos yet. Finally, I can say YES!

DPS: Street Photography

Digital Photo School Weekly Challenge: Street Photography











Pictures taken in Chinatown, Boston during Chinese New Year Celebration, January 2012

My favorites are the pink hair, the two little kids sporting great textiles and the mahjong players (who were playing for hours outside even though it's winter here!)

Which photo(s) do you like best - and why, if you want to share that too?

Knit-In: Feb. 7 at Main St Art in Newfields, NH

If you're in the Seacoast of New Hampshire (USA) during the first week of February, there are two yarn-y events you might enjoy!

First, from Main Street Art in Newfields, NH:

Knit for a cause! Please join us at Main Street Art as we knit warm hats and mittens for the residents of New Horizons, a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and food pantry located in Manchester, New Hampshire.

When: Tuesday, February 7TH from 8AM -8PM

Where: Main Street Art

75 Main Street, Newfields, New Hampshire, USA

What: Patterns and yarn will be provided. (Optional-Bring your own yarn stash to share or trade.)

Bring: Your own knitting needles and nimble fingers! (Size 7 needles or whatever you like with worsted weight yarn)

On any given day in New Hampshire, there are 2,248 people who are homeless. -NH Coalition to End Homelessness

I plan to be there for part of the afternoon and hopefully evening. I have no idea if I can knit a hat in a day, but I'll try!!!! Let me know if you plan to be there too!!

Another local event of interest to knitters and weavers:
Fuzz Fest on Feb. 4 in Exeter, NH

I'll try to pop in there too!!! Last year there was some local angora yarn that was so gorgeous. It's still tempting me!!

Sunday Shot of Color

On a cold day like today, I'll take warmth wherever I find it!



Stay warm!

Diagonal Scarf

My backup knitting project for the last few years (gasp!) has been this multi-directional diagonal scarf.


What I liked about this project:

• Easy, but still interesting
• Fun to see how the two variegated yarns I used interact
• The scarf is noticeably different from other things I've knit

What I learned from this project:

• When my intuition says "you don't have enough yarn", it's usually right!

What I'd do differently next time:

• Have enough yarn to begin with!!
  

Yarn: Classic Elite Desert and Regia 4 ply
Pattern: Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
Needles: Size 7
Amount of yarn: 2 skeins Desert and less than 1 of Regia

Finishing: Wash for 3 minutes in warm water with Woolite. Dry flat.

Finished size: 6.25 x 63 inches

Pattern modifications: Cast on 63 stitches

I haven't decided yet whether to keep this scarf, or give it as a gift. Maybe it will head to my gift bin for a while.

Or maybe, since we finally have snow on the ground, and sleet still falling, I'll bundle up in this scarf next time I go out!

Related posts:
On Ravelry
Getting started (in March 2009)
Out of yarn!
Yarn Shopping
Unraveling this scarf
Starting over