Another Sunday, another Blog Entry

A few crazy things happened this week. First, our pride and joy, Charlie Brown, got sick. He woke us up on Wednesday night (Thursday morning) with a swollen schnozz and puffy eyes. We rushed him to the emergency vet hospital in Studio City and they said it was probably a spider bite. Back in bed by 4 am, swelling under control, dog and humans snoring nicely. All was ok. Thursday, he was sluggish (so were we!) but the swelling came back around 4 pm, so Mike took him to our vet for another shot of steroids and antihistimine. We had another restless night, I was up every hour checking his face. Long story short, it is now Sunday and the boy isn't acting like his old self yet. He mopes around the house and sleeps a lot. The vet tells us this is normal, but I sorta miss the hyper guy who was demanding attention all the time. Here is a pic of his highness after our first trip to the vet. Note the "Rocky Balboa" face. Very puffy.




Latest Completed Project!!!

Here is the Fendi purse, interpreted by moi. I made it bigger, and skipped the bow on the front. It works, but let me tell you, knitting it in the round was a mistake. If youa re going to do something like this, I suggest knitting it flat as a long rectangle, then sewing it up. In hindsight, that would have been easier. At one end of the rectangle, just work 3 increase rows then 1x1 ribbing for 5 rows. Bind off and voila, you have a fendi-type purse. I added my favorite easy strap, the thrift store tie.

This week at YARN GARDEN!!!!!
The next knitting project class we will tackle is FELTING! This will be a 2 week class, meeting Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30. Total cost is $40 for both nights. Bring your fancy yarns to add to the body of your purse and size 13 long circular needles. We will write your pattern once you decide what you want to do. First week will be yarn selection and overall design, and second week we will felt your completed bag during class, and discuss finishing techniques. Call Yarn Garden at 818-980-6667 to sign up!

2 Weeks Until School Starts! Noooooooooo.....

The Brea Bag (pattern from Berocco) is finished. It was great to knit, and the directions are very clear. I added a thriftstore tie as the strap, I love it! These might be X-mas presents this year. Who knows. It took 1 1/2 skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky.

The baby stuff class-PART 1 was such a success. Thanks to everyone who showed up. I hope you have time this week to do your homework so that we can finish those sweaters this Thursday. Also, we will be knitting the baby booties and a baby hat. So much to do! Our next class, August 31st (Thusrday evening 6:30-9:00) will be a felting class. This one will be a two-week class as well. I'll post more details later in the week.




This is the storage shelving I am buying for my knitting oasis. We are almost finished, maybe 2 more days of hard labor. Once it is all finished, I will post before and after pictures. I can't wait to load the shelves with my yarn. It is going to look like my own little yarn store.


NEXT PROJECTS:

This is a Valentino cashmere stole with pearls sewn on. I want one, but am unwilling to pay...brace yourself...$1950! For a wrap! I think I might buy some luxurious cashmere and just go for it.



This is a Fendi, the "Chef Bag". Retail price: $900. Ouch. I am rewriting a pattern for this little guy. Tiffany at Yarn Garden gave me a pattern she had but we decided the pattern has some issues, so this is my weekend project (in addition to the garage, um, knitting oasis.) I am knitting it in the round and am halfway up the body. I am going to make it a little deeper than the original, maybe 7 or 8 inches. I like purses to hold everything I own.




These are my teacher friends. We all have to report back to school next week for 3 days of "get ready for kids" meetings, etc. Then we have Labor Day weekend, then the first day of school. I had a BBQ last week and they all came over (with significant others in tow) and we complained about the end of summer. The non-teachers in the group showed no sympathy. :)

This Week's Class at Yarn Garden

baby stuff! easy sweater, booties and hat set. this 2-week class will get you ready to knit for every baby you know and for all those on their way!

straight needles you might want to bring with you (at the biggest point you will have ~140 sts on your needles, so longer needles are recommended, circular will also work, but we are not knitting in the round):
US 10 ½ (sweater for 9-12 month old baby)
US 9 (sweater for 6-9 month old baby)
US 8 (sweater for 3-6 month old baby)
US 6 (sweater for newborn baby *if doing the preemie sweater, you might want to use baby weight yarn
US 4 (sweater for preemie *if doing the preemie sweater, you might wan to use baby weight yarn)
***if you want a bigger sweater, you can use double (or triple) yarn and bigger needles. the booties and hat are similar in size ranges, so you can use the same needles.

week 1: we will begin the sweater, making sure everyone "gets" the fancy new stitch. the result is so pretty! for homework, you will get to the sleeves of the sweater, and (if you have time) you can whip out a hat and some booties.

week 2: we will continue the sweater, picking up from the sleeves and adding a few stitches. The sweater is knit in one piece, so there is minimal sewing together when you are finished.

Call Yarn Garden for more information and to sign up 818-980-6667

Home From DC

I met up with my friend Donna and her little girl, Katie. Here she is modeling her cashmere hat in 110 degree heat. Such a trooper. I think the swiss darning turned out pretty cool. Remember that I am teaching Swiss Darning this Thursday at Yarn Garden. 6:30-9:00pm.

To the Smithsonian...


My favorite museum in the Smithsonian complex was, of course, the Museum of Natural History. The rotunda has a huge African Elephant running through the center. Awesome. I took so many pics that I can use in my lectures throughout the year, but my favorite has to be the collection of birds that Darwin actually preserved and brought home on the Beagle. Talk about history!!!! I trudged to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but the no flash photography rule made it tough to get good shots.




My last night in town I took a night tour of the monuments. I recommend this to anyone headed to DC. This pic is from the World War II Memorial that opened in 2004. Spectacular. Not like you can tell from my picture, but I was just having fun with the fountains and the light. Pretty cool effect.

Next post: the finished Brea Bag. I have all the pieces finished, now I need to assemble. Not sure when that will happen. Also, I am spending the weekend working on my garage. My dad is helping me turn it into a knitting oasis. A place for me to escape and get my craft on. I'll post before and during pictures. Hopefully we will be finished soon. I can't wait to move my stuff in!

Thanks to everyone who saw my gameshow. I ended up winning a trip to Cabo San Lucas. Mike and I are thinking of going for Christmas Break. I am so glad my useless knowledge of celebrity gossip has finally become useful. :)