No, we are not missing persons..........

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, but schedule is kicking my butt (and those of you that know me realize that's gotta be a BIG foot.........grin). We've been inundated with things starting, projects going on, getting ready for the art fair next weekend, and with special classes we're delivering "on site" at different locations in Indiana. For example, today we're headed to Indy to run a felted day pack class for a dental office. Some newer members of our fold asked if we'd consider coming to their office to lead a group through a specific project and we jumped at the chance. Today, around 3 EST, we'll be working with at least a dozen folks helping them make some awesome projects! I lead a charmed existence, I tell ya. (and the enabler in me is bringing examples of several other fun projects to suggest future workshops for them--I mean it is prime gift-making season, no?). In two weeks, we're in Evansville for a felted market bag workshop for those wonderful and inspiring folks. Yahoo!

More soon, specifically about the (NAME DELETED TO PROTECT THE SANE), which appears to have between 30-35 folks interested in learning and perfecting their color knitting skills. If it sounds interesting to you, check back here in a couple days for more detailed information, but it looks like a F-U-N project inspired by Leigh as a knit along.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Happy Sunday! Today's our monthly Felting Party, where anyone who's interested in the felting process can come and watch the magic happen in our washing maching. Also, anyone who's got finished projects that need felting come by and we felt in batches (by color). Sometimes it's a little disconcerting to take hours of your knitting and toss it in hot water, so we do this to take away the anxiety (and to bring together a fun group of knitters in conjunction with snacks and socializing). Today's snackage is a from-scratch Mexican Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing (made it myself) and some chips and dips and sambusik, a Middle Eastern butter cookie with a unique filling of ground walnuts, sugar, and rose water. And you don't have to be felting to drop by, but you do have to bring your knitting, crochet, or spinning.

In a related magic item, I've had a couple notes regarding the Magic Ball technique (see Friday's entry--it was almost an aside and not something I discussed at length). A few folks liked my suggestion of using magic ball as a way to reduce odds and ends in your stash as well as make a stripey bag like my Kureyon day pack. What you won't get, however, is the subtle gradations of color when the yarn changes from one shade to another, unless you carefully plan your changes. For further information on the Magic Ball concept, please refer to the Summer 2002 issue of Interweave Knits, where on page 82 they bring you Jennifer Carpenter's Magic Ball Cushions project. She recommends 30-inch lengths of yarn for these proejcts, but since you'd be felting and a bag is a larger project, I'd imagine 3-yard pieces would be a minimum. I think, somewhere, I heard that Kureyon stripes every 18 feet (6 yards), but that might be one of those urban legends. Something tells me I see a new project/experiment coming on, but not for a couple weeks, after the art fair on Mother's Day Weekend.

That's enough for now--I have to go make spinach dip. Stop by if you're in the area--this type of function goes until early evening. And it's a gorgeous day to knit on the back deck again today. I see a future for me and the big swing out there, yet again--I'm going there now.

Saturday Fun Day

How about a better picture of the finished Kureyon #92 day pack? OK. Check out how cool the straps are, with their gradient color striping, and both being very different. Also, I've been a good boy today........not only did I pick all of the wool dingleberries off of this



but I also finished something else. You may remember my Cascade Fixation sock in #9442 from a few posts ago. Well, until today, that sock was flyin' stag. I woke up this morning a motivated man, camped out on the back deck, cast on a second sock, and knit and knit and knit until it was complete. Behold the sock while in progress (which is completed now)



I'm glad they're finished, but check out the difference in the very tops of the socks. For some reason the yarn was striping instead of pooling for the first couple inches. I like the stripes better than the puddles, but eventually it all worked out and they're not as fraternal as they could be. It's just a simple pattern out of my head, but our monthly sock group decided that this is their May project. I've got my pair completed already, and our dear friend Christy (HI CHRISTY!) has started hers already, using this color combo. We're restocking on this yarn next week, as we're pretty picked over right now, as it's been selling well with the warmer weather. Fixation is 98.3% cotton and 1.7% elastic, so it makes great transitional and summer socks.

And what comes next, you might add? Well, I'm on a day pack kick, and the first one will be in Dr. Seuss colors seen here on the left, while the next one after that will be one of the Noro Kureyon colorways on the right.

On Deck		Which shall I do next?

From left to right, they are 91 (acid colors), 87 (purples and brights), and 88 (very fall). What do you want to see next in the Kureyon? Drop me an e-mail message to let me know what your favorite is from these three. I know the one I'm leaning towards, but it's not set in stone yet.