Finn Again

It's amazing to me that it's only been about six weeks since we brought this lovely boy into our home.

Here Comes Honey Boy Boy

I've started calling him my Honey Boy...he's just so sweet.

In a mere six weeks, he wants to hang out with us all day, he sleeps with us and loves to jump in our laps while we're watching television.

I can't tell you how comforting it is to have a loving kitty back in our home.

A couple of things that make Finn different than our other cats:

1. He drinks from the far end of his drinking bowl.  So no matter what position he's standing in relation to his bowl, he will only lap up water from the far side away from where he is.
2. He's not as talkative as our last two cats, but when he meows, they can hear him in NJ.
3. He's dreadfully allergic to flea bites, and even though he'll always be an indoor cat, and we've never had fleas that we know of in our house, we'll do one of the monthly treatments for fleas and ticks so he never gets bitten again (he was bitten while in the shelter and it took a long time for his skin to heal from the resulting sores).
4. He looks cross-eyed from certain vantage points (although Thaddeus insists he's never looked cross-eyed to him).

For his drinking, we weren't sure if he'd like it, but we got him one of those water-fountain bowls.

This one is the Teardrop design from Pioneer Pet Products and the water gurgles up on the upper-right-hand side of the bowl and streams down to the upper-left.

The pump both keeps the water flowing, and also filters it.  Fortunately, he likes it.

Don't tell me you still need knitting content after all that!

Church And State

In an ideal republic, like this country, there would be no mixing up of religion and government...and I say this from both the perspective of the religions and the secular aspects of our society.

Separate?
Not really.

One area I've mentioned before is that priests and ministers and rabbis are allowed to perform a marriage, which is both secular and religious.  It bestows hundreds of legal rights to a couple (the secular part) and celebrates the union in a spiritual/religious way as well.  There are lots of overlaps in other areas.  Not taxing religious organizations.  Religious schools taking the on the public responsibility of teaching.  Praying to the flag and acknowledging god everyday in classrooms.

It would seem to me that if I were a religious organization, I'd want the government completely out of my "business".

And I know as a secular citizen, I definitely would prefer the religious influence out of my life.

If it could only be so cut and dried.

Current Knitting/Crocheting
I did finally finish the baby blanket using Kauni and the Tunisian crochet technique, and I love how it came out.

I ended up doing a three-stitch Tunisian crochet around the edges and I like how that worked to flatten out the outer-ruffling effect of the pattern design.  I'm not sure this would make a very good baby blanket for a number of reasons.  First of all it's a bit rough as yarns go, although it might soften up when I wash it.  Second, it's not machine washable...a cardinal sin for a new parent gift.

However, I love the technique, and I will definitely use it again using appropriate yarn for a baby blanket.  I just couldn't resist the amazing colors in this colorway of Kauni.

Current Reading
I just finished reading a truly amazing book...the biography of Louis Zamperini called "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand (the author of "Seabiscuit")



Amazing story of an amazing man that I can't believe I hadn't heard of or read about before.

Also, if you're on Facebook and like my taste in books, you should join GoodReads.  It's a great place for tracking friends' reading.

For Tom
The obligatory infrequent photo of Nico...our wonderful kitty cat.

The Role of Your LYS

For the non-knitter, or the knitter who isn't on-line a lot, LYS stands for Local Yarn Store.

Local versus World Wide Web

Your LYS used to be the sole source for many knitters for providing you with yarn, needles, patterns and of course, help when you need it with your knitting.

The biggest competitor up until a couple of decades ago, was Woolworth's or other low price department stores, where knitters could get some of the less expensive acrylic yarns, but really couldn't get any assistance if they ran into a problem.

Today, the knitter's world is vast.  On-line tutorials and videos for every aspect of knitting that could be imagined, virtual stores selling every yarn, needle, notion and pattern book ever made, not to mention Ravelry and various other on-line forums to create a virtual community of knitters across the planet (Ravelry alone just exceeded the 3 million member level!).

So, with all that, what would I need a LYS for?  And what value-added service can they provide?

Here are a few things I think good yarn stores can provide:
- A selection of yarn brands and colors that can help a knitter make good choices in their yarn buying, where the store owner has helped limit the seemingly unending vastness of options
- In-store classes that provide hands-on assistance
- Knitting groups that can get together and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while they knit
- Knitted store samples that show how a yarn can be used or how a book pattern looks when knitted up
- The ability to feel what a yarn feels like

I had the opportunity to go to visit Pinewoods Farm Wool Shop (please "Like" them on Facebook!), a yarn store in Saugerties, NY.

A co-worker/friend of mine is step-related to the owner and she had been encouraging me to stop in and check it out.  I wasn't overly enthusiastic about it, but I finally took a drive down with her the other evening.

I honestly had forgotten how useful browsing a yarn store could be!

I bought some yarn (I know, you're shocked, right?), and it was a standard brand (Cascade), but they were both yarns I had never even heard of, and she had knitted garments in both yarns to show what they could do.  I have to admit, I NEVER would have purchased either of these yarns had I not seen them in person.

Here's what I got:

The gray yarn on the left is Cascade Eco-Duo.  It's a blend of wool and alpaca that is exceptionally soft.  But what I love about the yarn is that it's two subtly different shades of gray that self-stripe in a gray-on-gray way that is just beautiful.  The bright colored yarn on the right is Cascade Casablanca, which is also a long-color-repeat yarn, made up of wool, silk and mohair.  In the hank, this yarn feels stiff and pulpy, but fortunately, the LYS had a cowl knitted up with it that was soft and drapey and quite beautiful.

I had trouble not picking up some Poem yarns by Universal she had...the colors were as good or better than Noro (and I think that's a big compliment) and they were MUCH softer.

My LYS

When I'm home, my LYS is Twist Knitting and Spinning.They're also a great yarn store (for many of the same reasons I like Pinewoods Farm), and a week from this Saturday, they're sponsoring an important charity event to benefit Autism Speaks.  Please support them in any way you can and check out their web site for details.

Never Not Knitting Green Yarn Giveaway!

I cannot quite convey how I excited I am to introduce this yarn to you...

This is Meringue Merino by Wool Candy in an extra special limited edition colorway!

*NEVER NOT KNITTING GREEN!*

Isn't that sooo cool?

I am so in love with this color! It's the most lovely blend of my favorite green tones.

I've started a pair of socks with it, I'll be sharing pictures very soon!

This yarn is exclusively available here through The Fiber Fix online yarn shop.

I had the pleasure of signing and writing a little message on each skein. What fun! :)

Enter to win a skein of "Never Not Knitting Green" provided by

The Fiber Fix by leaving a comment (with contact information) under this post.

Only one comment per person please.

Additionally I will also be giving away a copy of my

Amelie sock and Molly hat pattern to the winner.

Both patterns would be perfect for this yarn!

The winner will be announced on April 15th, 2010, so please check back to see if you've won!

Gain an additional drawing entry by posting this phrase on Twitter.com

" I entered to win a gorgeous skein of the "Never Not Knitting Green" yarn on nevernotknitting.com! @nevernotknittin "

Drawing now closed! Winner is Pandoras Box of Fiber. Congratulations!

Glory Flower Stich Pattern

View more: Textured Knitting Stitch Patterns

Knitting instructions:

Cast On: Multiple of 15 sts + edge stitches. 

Row 1: edge sts, p5, k2, p1, k2, p5, edge sts

Row 2: edge sts, k5, p2, k1, p2, k5, edge sts
Row 3: edge sts, p4, k2tog, k1, yrn, p1, yo, k1, skpo, p4, edge sts
Row 4: edge sts, k4, p3, k1, p3, k4, edge sts
Row 5: edge sts, p3, k2tog, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, skpo, p3, edge sts
Row 6: edge sts, k3, p4, k1, p4, k3, edge sts
Row 7: edge sts, p2, k2tog, k1, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, k1, skpo, p2, edge sts
Row 8: edge sts, k2, p5, k1, p5, k2, edge sts
Row 9: edge sts, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, p1, k3, yo, k1,  skpo, p1, edge sts
Row 10: edge sts, k1, p6, k1, p6, k1, edge sts
Row 11: edge sts, k2tog, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, skpo, k1, yo, k1, skpo, edge sts
Row 12: edge sts, p6, k1, p1, k1, p6, edge sts
Row 13: edge sts, k3, k2tog, k1, yrn, p1, k1, p1, yo, k1, skpo, k3, edge sts,
Row 14: edge sts, p5, k2, p1, k2, p5, edge sts
Row 15: edge sts, k2, k2tog, k1, yen, p2, k1, p2, yo, k1, skpo, k2, edge sts,
Row 16: edge sts,p4, k3, p1, k3, p4, edge sts,

Knitting chart

Row 17: edge sts, k1, k2tog, k1, yrn.pp3, k1, p3, yo, k1, skpo, k1, edge sts
Row 18: edge sts, p3, k4, p1, k4, p3, edge sts,
Row 19: edge sts, k2tog, k1, yrn, p3, BB, p1, BB, p3, yo, k1, skpo, edge sts,
Row 20: edge sts, p1, k13, p1, edge sts,
Row 21: edge sts, p4, BB, p5, BB, p4, edge sts
Row 22: edge sts, knit all, edge sts,
Row 23: edge sts, p3, BB, p1, p2tog, yrn. p2tog, yrn, p2, BB, p3, edge sts
Row 24: edge sts, knit all, edge sts
Row 25: edge sts, p3, BB, (p2tog, yrn) 3 times, p1, BB, p3, edge sts
Row 26: edge sts, knit all, edge sts
Row 27: edge sts, p3, BB, p1, p2tog, yrn. p2tog, yrn, p2, BB, p3, edge sts

Row 28: edge sts, knit all, edge sts

Row 29: edge sts, p4, BB, p5, BB, p4, edge sts
Row 30: edge sts, knit all, edge sts
Row 31: edge sts, p6, BB, p1, BB, p6, edge sts.


There are many different techniques for making bobbles. In the technique shown here, there is no turning of the work for the specific purpose of finishing the bobbles.
Make bobble (BB): [K1, (YO, K1) 4 times] into next st.  9sts on needle, pass 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1 st st separately over last st knitted;  past last stich back to left-hand needle and K1.
Click link to see: how to knit a bobble

Abbreviations used in patterns:

Knit stitch: K
Purl stitch: P

Yarn over: Yo

Yarn around needle. A yarn over before a purll st, bring yarn back over right-hand needle and forward between the needles: Yrn:

Knit 2 stitches together: K2tog
Purl 2 stitches together: P2tog
SKPO: Slip knit pass over.  ( How to knit Slip knit pass over)

Craft Ranking - Survey Results

Thank you to everyone that took the time to rank their preferred fiber-crafts.  It's no surprise that readers here preferred knitting over other fiber-crafts.  Here are the results in order of preference.

Survey Results

Total Survey Respondents:  40

Fiber Craft	Average Rating	Lowest Ranking	Highest Ranking
Knitting	9.4	4	10
Crochet	4.4	0	10
Spinning	3.83	0	10
Quilting	3.8	0	10
Weaving	3.35	0	10
Dyeing	3.2	0	8
Fiber preparation	1.98	0	10
Rug Hooking	1.75	0	10
Machine Knitting	1.23	0	8
Tatting	.93	0	5

Current Knitting

Latest Zauberball pair of socks coming along nicely

First one finished, and I'm moving along on the second one.  These bright crayon colors are fun to work with.

I've also finally got a photo of progress on the Henry Der Vest.

All crumpled up, it doesn't look like much, but I think I'm going to really like the final result.

Use Of Tuck Stitch Methods to Create Staircase Effects

Knitting chart

The tuck stitch is used in knitted fabric to create a gorgeous textured effect in colour looks  very lively. This stitch pattern also has a tendency to increase fabric weight, width and thickness.

View more:
How to knit the Tuck stitch 
Textured Knitting Stitch Patterns