Peacocks and Lace

I need help. I'm trying to find a lace shawl pattern to use with the Malabrigo laceweight yarn I bought a couple weeks ago. I don't want anything superfine or delicate, because the yarn is kind of rustic and sturdy. After many MANY hours scouring through that time suck called Ravelry, I came up with a few options.

Leading the pack right now is the Peacock Feathers Shawl from Fiddlesticks Knitting with this yarn...

So...what do you think?

Anyone have any other suggestions?

The Guppy

aka The Fish with Sticks

Catching Up: Phoenix

You know, there are a TON of things I would post about on a regular basis. And what's holding me back is, primarily, the time to upload the photos that go with. So today, I'm playing catch up. To spare those with dialup (and even those without) I'm posting thumbnails. Click any of them for the full picture. Also, I'm breaking this up because it's WAAAAY too long otherwise. LOL

And you might want to send out for some food. You're going to be here a while. LOL...

I spent 2 months flying back and forth nearly every week from Los Angeles to Phoenix for work. My job and my boss moved and I looked around at the dry, brown, hotter-than-the-surface-of-the-sun Phoenix and said "NO WAY!" LOL Too hot for me out there.

While flying I worked on a sock...

And then ripped it back completely. A shop owner out there told me the best way to beat SSS is to do them both at once. For some reason that was a concept that had eluded me. LOL So I completely ripped it back. And since I ripped it...what about making the Jaywalkers? So I've re-cast on about a month ago and haven't touched it since.

While there I also worked on a scarf for my best friend out of some Alpaca sportweight she sent This turned out to be the pattern from hell. It's a pretty pattern with no errors that I noticed, and the yarn is PERFECT for it, as it has a bit of a halo from the Alpaca and a lovely shine from the silk, but it kicked my ass. What you see there is absolutely as far as I had been able to get, and it took me about 15 tries and nearly two weeks to get THAT far. Needless to say, It has since been frogged...

...A pink scarf for my cousin that I am discovering I don't like. LOL. I'm still plugging away on it, though, so she may see it in 2020...

And now Shameless Plug #1...

While in Phoenix the first weekend, I quickly found the local restaurants, grocery store, bookstore, and yarn store. Not necessarily in that order, you understand. And while surfing through the NUMEROUS sites for all the yarn stores in the Phoenix area, I found Tempe Yarn and Fiber. They are wonderful. The couple that own and run it are so helpful. I went once to one of their knitting nights and found everyone there to be sweet and funny and they welcomed me immediately and in the few sporadic visits I made there, I never felt for a single moment like I was unwelcome or intruding into an already established group. And the owner (and I feel like a total jerk, as I cannot for the life of me remember her name) was ALWAYS willing to just whip out the yarn and show me something or help me with anything I needed. Had I thought to pack my spindle, she could have taught me to spin, too. And since she was ever so patient with my questions, I know she would have been an EXCELLENT teacher.

If you're ever in the area, stop in. Lovely yarns, and lovelier people.

Next up...Sedona

The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

I'm Such a Geek

No, really. I am.

I e-mailed the Yarn Harlot to let her know that I saw "her" episode of Knitty Gritty is going to air again (June 29, 2pm ET DIY for those who want to know)...

AND SHE RESPONDED!!!

Now, I know this shouldn't be that big of a shock. I mean, if I hadn't believed she was going to read it, then why did I send it in the first place? And yet...for some reason...It completely blew me away that she e-mailed me back. LOLOL

I'm such a geek. Or is that geeque?

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Did You Do It In Public?

I'm talking Knitting, you gutterbrains. *grin*

Saturday was Worldwide Knit In Public day, and, sadly, I did not knit a single stitch in public. I DID, however go to the Yarn Lady's semi-annual bag sale.

As you can tell, there was a lot of yarn. And it feels like most of it came home with me. *snerk*







More on the Stash Enhancement once I haul it up from the garage.

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Look! A Finished Object!

...And, once again, something for my mom. LOL To be fair, I bought this yarn way back in September (I think) and I promised her a scarf with it. As soon as I saw this yarn, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with it. And it took less yarn than I thought.

(Click to see the full image)



Yarn: Less than 2 balls of...ummm...I'm going to have to edit that later. Not sure.
Pattern: Karen Baumer's Multi-directional Diagonal Scarf.
Needle: Ummm....Again, I'll have to get back to you.

Next up...An Arizona Yarn Crawl.

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Pointing Fingers

I've had a very hectic few weekends. Went to Sedona (via every yarn and quilt store we could get to along the way) two weekends ago and to the Grand Canyon with my cousin last weekend. Both trips were fun and loads of pictures were taken, and more on both of that later, but in the meantime, I saw this over at Purls Beyond Price, And it amused me, so I took the test and...

You Are the Index Finger

You are ambitious, driven, and capable.You aren't afraid to take responsibility for your actions - or place the blame on whoever deserves it.You are honest, free thinking, and objective. You see things in your own way - and you aren't afraid to let everyone know about it. You get along well with: The Thumb Stay away from: The Ring Finger

So...What Finger Are You?

Lynda The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

BLOTD/N...

Back when I had my job as a Captioneer for TV/Video, my fellow coworkers and I used to play a game...We'd send around the "Best Line Of the Day" or "Night" depending on the shift. And there was no requirement for what was sent. It was whatever struck us as particularly funny, ironic, or just plain dumb on whatever show we were working on. There were some winners, let me just tell you. You haven't truly experienced the depths of the bottom of the TV barrel until you spend an entire shift captioning Irish porn about a family of shapeshifters. Or "Shark Attack IV: Megaldon!" (Which I still haven't picked up on DVD yet. Hmm...)

And because I know y'all are wondering it was... [SEDUCTIVE MOANING] and then later [MOANING CONTINUES] With an ocassional "Ooh, baby! Oh, yeah!" thrown in periodically.

Sorry. I digressed.

ANYWAY...I am out here in DamnIt'sHotVille, AZ and surfing the California sites and keeping an eye on the fire in Griffith Park. And in scrolling through the photos I came upon a Best Line of the Day...

"Dante's View was destroyed by the inferno."

Do you think the guy has any idea how entertaining that caption is?

Knitting content soon...Promise. I have another Clapotis on the needles as well as a lace snowflake, and a number of scarves, including one for my friend in Alpaca and Silk.

Lynda the Guppy

aka The Fish With Sticks

Guppy Flogging!

That's what should be taking place. I know I've been horribly lax in posting lately, but life has just been CRAZY.

There were family birthdays and the holidays, then some big projects at work, followed by my boss and my job (but not me) moving to Phoenix! So I'm traveling back and forth every week for a while and am hoping to get some stuff up soon. I have lots of time while sitting in my hotel room to update my blog. LOL. My problem is finding an easy way to upload my photos. But, again, lots of time now. LOL.

I've met a lovely group of ladies at Tempe Yarn & Fiber and they meet Tuesday nights. The first time I went I bought some sock yarn. It's a disease, I tell ya! I wanted to go back yesterday, but, well, work is still CRAZY, so be patient.

In the meantime, I have a couple posts that have been drifting in Draft-land ready to post, so you should be seeing those soon.

If I can just get around to uploading the pics...

Lynda the Guppy

aka The Fish With Sticks

Tagged! I'm it!

Rebecca has tagged me (meme!), so may I present SIX WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME.

I can hear my friends now. "Six??? That's it??? That list is WAAAAAAAAAAAY longer than a measly SIX!"

In no particularly order I now give you...Six Weird Things About Me

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I like dipping my french fries in my chocolate shake. I also like putting yellow mustard on my fries. (But not at the same time as the chocolate, 'cause that's just gross.)

2. I have a peculiar talent for casually glancing around a store and pointing out something to someone and it's the PERFECT THING for them and they never saw it.

3. I count stairs when I go up or down them, no matter how many times I've used the same stairs. I also used to hold my breath when I went up the stairs where I grew up.

4. I wear a full-blown, rhinestone-encrusted tiara all day on my birthday and on New Year's Eve. I wear it to work, to the grocery store, wherever.

5. I like my Nacho Cheese Doritos and and Cheez-its cold. And I put my Junior Mints in the freezer.

6. When I'm really concentrating on something, I chew my tongue. I've done it since I was a small child.

Ok. That's it. For now. *wink* Unfortunately I do not comment regularly on enough blogs for me to be able to tag anyone! So...if you're reading this, consider yourself...

TAGGED! You're it!

The Guppy

aka The Fish with Sticks

Merry Christmas!

I have had a fiber-filled Christmas so far! Last night I opened presents with my mom and I got some GREAT stuff.

As y'all know, my mom doesn't knit. But our friend M does, and mom always goes to her to find out what I want fiber-wise. My mom always gets the perfect gifts. So this year, in addition to my many MANY Christmas ornaments this year (she picks them up for me when she travels), she also bought me a Swift and Ball Winder!!! YAY! I used to use M's, and as "payment" I'd always wind a couple balls of her yarn, too. Now that I have a set, I told her she'd have to wind her own! She replied that now I have a set, she can just send it home with me. LOLOLOL

From M I got some ADORABLE Christmas ornaments of snowmen wearing knitted garments, a bunch of other knitting related things like the Spinner's Companion. And she gave me a skein of Cherry Tree Hill's Melange. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Oh, and a sheep windchime! He's ADORABLE.

But the big news...I finished my mother's Christmas present in time. I can't tell you how much I was sweating that. LOL. I knit her a Lady Eleanor in Noro. I started it Halloween weekend and finished it at 3:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. She loved it. I had a mental breakdown at one point and thought "What if she doesn't like it?" But then the brain kicked back in and I realized how stupid that was. LOLOL. First of all, she bought the yarn! And she knew I was going to make that for her, but I had told her that she wasn't getting hers until I finished mine. And mine is a LONG WAY from being finished. LONG LONG WAY. And because all my knitting buddies were sworn to secrecy, she had no idea I had even STARTED it, much less was going to finish by Christmas. When I told both her and our friend M that bit about her not liking it, they both gave me identical stares that very clearly said "Oh, no! She's finally snapped."

So last night I gave her a "gift certificate" to take her shopping for silk, as she wants to line it. I also gave her the last ball of yarn for the fringe, and then she opened the box. She was stunned. Absolutely stunned. And another friend of mine makes jewelry, and I had 'commissioned' her to make a shawl pin and she came up with a really pretty one in hammered copper that's PERFECT. I'm hoping to have pictures next week or the week after depending on how it goes.

So that's been my Christmas so far. All in all a good one, if a bit bittersweet as it's the first without my grandmother.

Off to dad's now to make pierogi. Hope your holidays are fun, festive, and filled with the company of those you love. Stay safe.

The Guppy
aka the Fish with Sticks

Free-For-All Friday!*

Ok, where to start...

First off, no pictures this time. Sorry. I have a bunch on my laptop, however the laptop is at home and I've put this post off long enough, frankly. LOL.

1. The Olympic Knitting Scarf has been located and completed. While I really like it, I wish I had gone with a drapey-er gauge. Although I don't know that cable scarves ever really DRAPE per se.

2. Super Secret Christmas projects are in the works! If I get them finished by Christmas (You there, Yes, you...Stop laughing! I can hear you!) I'll post pictures. Lots of fun.

3. I'm taking a class at A Mano Yarn Center. It's two socks on one circular. It's...Interesting. I think the classes were too close together. While the Yarn Harlot may be able to knit a sock a day I'm just not that talented. The first class was just confusing. The instructor was late because of traffic, we didn't know what yarn to get, so no one got their yarn before class, so it all had to be bought and wound before we could start, and then the cast-on is fairly complicated and new to most of the class. And I was having major gauge issues, so I didn't actually start really working on my sock until Wednesday, and by Friday we were to have finished the ribbing so we could do the leg shaping. So while it was interesting learning Magic Loop for two socks (or even Magic Loop at all) I don't think I got my money's worth.

When I left the first class, I had cast on the first half of both socks, and I knew how to complete the cast-on, but I had no idea how to join or how to actually knit it. Where do my needles go? How do the socks slide around the cables? It was very confusing and it took my friend and I several days before we could figure it out. Frankly, she figured it out on Saturday and I sat on her couch all Sunday until I could wrap my head around it. even then it was really hard until I got a number of rows done.

So we basically all had to teach ourselves the Loop method. Then the next class, no one was at the point to turn the heel, so we talked leg shaping and sat and knit. Then the third class we were supposed to be at the heel, and about half of us were (not me, of course). So people started their heel flap, but as far as I know, no one got as far as actually turning the heel or the gusset or anything like that. The last class is tonight, and it should be toes. We'll see how far along people are.

I like the teacher, and I think she's a good teacher, and I LOVE the store, but I think the classes were too closely set (a week apart) and this time of year it's especially hard to commit to X amount of knitting a week. I would have been happier if they had been spaced 2 weeks apart or if we were making slipper-socks and using a heavier gauge than sock yarn. Then it might have been more realistic to expect us to get to a certain point by each class.

Ok. Rant over. Moving on....

4. The socks are coming along very nicely, and I'm loving doing two at once. Although I think the next pair will be toe-up.

5. I'm headed to the Yarn lady tomorrow for the bag sale. YIPPEE!!! This is the yarn shop that's so fabulous that my mother (who doesn't knit) bought 9 balls of yarn.

6. Speaking of those 9 balls of yarn, 3 of them are for a scarf for her for her birthday (yes, I know I'm late). The yarn is Rowan Tapestry (in blues and grays) and I'm doing Karen Baumer's Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf and it looks great. And the yarn drapes beautifully.

7. And finally...I have Venezia yarn by Lang that I want to knit up into a lacy something or other (I only have 3 balls) but I need a super-easy pattern. Anyone have any ideas?

Well, I think that's it for now.

The Guppy

aka The Fish with Sticks


*Thanks to the Jamie Jack & Stench show on KYSR for the idea.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to the one who taught me to needlepoint.

And when that didn't stick, taught me to cross-stitch.

And even though I enjoyed that, she tried to get me to quilt.

And when all else failed to make me truly passionate

about needlework of some kind...ANY kind...

She took me to my first (and her last) knitting class.

So happy birthday to one of the few people in my family

who truly understands and appreciates the time and effort and love

that goes into a hand-made gift.

(Note the scarf. See! I DO finish things!)

And as hard as I tried, other things got in the way, so she knows there's another scarf coming. Made with Rowan Tapestry and it's FABULOUS. I'm so glad I ended up with some of this yarn for me, too. So more pics of that soon.

And a HUGE thank you to mom for not only allowing her picture to be taken, but graciously allowing me to post it here.

Love you, Mom!

The Guppy

aka The Fish With Sticks

Marco...Marco...

*listening to the echoing silence*

MAAAAAAAAAARCOOOO!

What am I doing? Well, my Olympic Knitting project seems to have gone AWOL. Maybe it defected. Maybe it ran away with the British judge. Maybe it was tired of being ignored and ran off with the unmated sock it was fraternizing with, I don't know. All I know is I have completely reorganized my stash (yes, mom...with RUBBERMAID!!!) and it is nowhere to be found.

So if you should find a lonely, sad, almost finished cable scarf wandering the streets and trying to pick up some funfur, please send it home. I wanted to get it finished this week, but IF I CAN'T FIND IT it makes it a bit hard to actually WORK on it.

Marco...

Marco...

Maaaaaaarcoooo.....

The Guppy
aka The Fish With sticks

She's on Probation...

I took Eleanor out in public for the first time in a number of weeks. And after a shaky start and a little gentle scolding, she started behaving quite nicely. So she can now come out and play, but she's on probation for a bit. I'll see how she does at this Wednesday SnB.

In the meantime I've started another sock. I'm using Lorna's Laces sock yarn for the first time. How yummy is THAT? Mmm. LOVE the feel of it while knitting and love the feel of the sock itself. I'm using the color "Jeans." I also bought some Koigu sock yarn in a really pretty kelly green. I haven't used Koigu yet, but I'm loving the LL so much, I think it's going to have to wait for a bit.

I'm a bit puzzled. I saw a sock that you could wear with flip-flops. And I thought that would be PERFECT if I end up going to India next year with my family. But I can't remember where I saw the pattern! IT seems to me it was a sock done in colors similar to LL's "Sherbet" a kind of pale yellow and peachy orange, etc. I remember thinking it would be good to try, and I KNEW I'd remember where I saw it. (Stop laughing!) And now I can't find anything I like quite as much.

So that's all for now. Pictures soon, hopefully. I have a number of them from the Stitch 'N Pitch and I want to take some progress pics.

The Guppy

aka The Fish with Sticks

Grandparents...

I was reading Will Pillage for Yarn and she told us she'd post a picture of anything in her life (within reason, I would assume. :D). So I asked for a favorite picture of one of her grandparents.

Grandparents have been on my mind quite a bit as my grandmother died last month after a long illness and just a few weeks later it was the anniversary of my grandfather's death. It's been 26 years and I still miss him a lot. I was driving along a few years ago and all of a sudden I could FEEL him. I could smell him. I could feel how his cheek used to feel on mine when I'd hug him.

My grandmother was my last remaining living grandparent and it seems like an era has passed. She was the last of her brothers and sisters to die and It's weird to all of a sudden realize your mother's generation is the oldest generation on that side of the family these days. With my dad, his mom died when I was little, so it's always been that way.

Since the Pirate Lady was kind enough to post her favorite pics, here's one of my favorite pictures of my grandmother. I'll have to see if I can find a digital copy of my favorite of my grandad and post that later.



So to my Grandmom R and Grandmom F and Grandad J, I miss you all.

The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

She's Grounded!

I've discovered something...I can't knit my Lady Eleanor in public. Really. I just can't. Every time I try, disaster strikes.

Two weeks ago I was sitting with my Saturday Night Crafty group over at my mother's house (they were her friends first. *grin*) when what do I see? A HOLE in my ELEANOR!!! It's ok, I think. I should be able to fix it, I say. it seems when joining one rectangle to the next I dropped the stitch.

Now, y'all know I'm not afraid in any way shape or form of ripping back, but just the thought of trying to rip back Silk Garden without it felting to itself or breaking made me ill. And in looking at it I realized that to get back to the mistake I'd have to rip back the row I started and the two rows of entrelac already done. I can't. Really. It's just too painful.

So I made a mad dash to A Mano Yarn and threw myself on the mercy of Shannita. She had the same instinctive response to ripping back. No. Way. So she took the dropped stitch, worked it up to where it should have been and then tacked it down in the back. And I went home to keep working.

Well, I had to rip out the same two rectangles FIVE TIMES. At that point I realized that the Gods were telling me that in order to move forward I needed to go back and fix. And it was at that point I realized (no laughing now, promise?) that since I had only just started a row of entrelac that I had to rip the two rectangles (for the 6th time), the turning triangle, and two rectangles on the previous row in order to fix that dropped stitch. Half an hour and I was done.

Ok. Obviously Eleanor was a little peeved, but I've patched her wounds. I've been spending quality time with her every day. She's been going with me just about everywhere. We're good, right?

Wrong.

Once again, I'm at a friend's house knitting. Once again, I find a gap. This time it was because on one of the previous rows I forgot to drop the first stitch of the rectangle row so I don't have a good edge to pick up the stitches. That's ok. I can fake it! Takes me three tries, but I get it.

And once again...the next rectangle I'm doing...I've ripped it out three times so far.

Eleanor looks beautiful and everything seems fine now, so I'm not sure what her current issues are with me. Maybe she's jealous of the time I've been spending with Mr. Sock. But really, it was for her own good! I've only been spending time with Mr. Sock because I've been at places that were too dirty or crowded for me to let Eleanor out to play.

So I think she's just pouting.

And because of that she gets a time out. She needs to sit there for a bit and think about what she's done. When she decides to adjust her attitude and behave, then she can come out and play with people again. Until then...she stays home.

The Guppy

aka The Fish with Sticks

My How You've Grown!

I'm pretty much working on Eleanor to the exclusion of all else. I did about an inch of a toe-up sock last week, as I had some family stuff going on and portability was key.

First up, here's the Lady...



Shameless Plug: And let me just say 100% of the credit for me getting this far goes to Shannita at A Mano Yarn Center. I took her Lady Eleanor class and she talked us through this pattern literally step by step and stitch by stitch. By the end of the class I felt like an Entrelac pro! I love this shop. It's fun, and the people are so incredibly nice and helpful (and did I mention fun?). /Plug

And here are some "old" pictures of my toe-up sock from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I'm using the pattern for the short-row toe and the beaded rib for the body of the sock.



The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

All Eleanor, All The Time!

That's pretty much it. LOL. I've been working on nothing else BUT my Lady Eleanor and it's coming along quite nicely. I'm well into the third ball and it's gorgeous. In fact, I'm already making plans for a scarf version. And maybe a purse.

As a bit of a treat, here's a comic a friend of mine forwarded. Click on the image for a full-sized view...



And for those interested, Little Dee can be found daily at Comics.com.

The Guppy

aka The Fish With Sticks

The Lady So Far...

This picture was taken when I was about 1 1/2 balls into my Lady Eleanor. I'm LOVING this pattern, and the colors are gorgeous and perfect. I've just started my third ball of Noro. I'll have to take some more pictures this weekend in the sun, because here the colors are off.



Isn't she pretty? Or am I just biased? LOL.

And in the meantime, I also FINALLY casting on my Amazing Lace project. About time, too. LOL. I'm 8 rows into a 10 row repeat and I can't see the pattern. LOL. I'm sure it's because I haven't gone far enough in yet, and also that it's not blocked, but still...now I'm wondering if I'm doing it right. I'll probably take it to class tomorrow if I can get my tired butt up in the morning.

The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Catching up...Again

I know. I know. I am a bad knit blogger. Here I posted those dramatic pictures and the abridged version of the story and then disappeared. How rude of me! LOL.

To be fair, between the new car (LOVE it), my co-worker being a Twinkie, and a number of large, involved projects at work as well as some family stuff, I have had NO time to post.

One of the reasons I was dragging my feet just a bit was I had taken some new photos and wanted to post them, but I haven't had a chance to resize and upload them. So this will have to just be picture free! Sorry!

What I'm working on...

I have a secret project I'm working on for a friend's birthday. It was last week, so I'm late, but I was informed that if it is handmade, then it's good for several "events." So I'm taking her at her word. LOL.

I'm taking a 3-week class at A Mano Yarn on the Lady Eleanor wrap from the Scarf Style book. I'm using Noro's Silk Garden in 226. I. Love. It. Entrelac is SOOOOO much simpler than it looks! Once I figured out what it was doing, that was it! I'm hooked! I'm about 1 1/2 skeins in and it looks AMAZING. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I hadn't started it and then ripped it back. LOL. I got about 1 skein in using a 10 needle and decided I thought it was too tight. So I cast on again using a 10.5 and am liking it a lot better.

Still working on a new pair of socks...

Still trying to perfect an iPod sock...

Still working on last year's "Christmas" shawl...

And remind me next time to tell you all about the Alpaca farm in Oregon I went to.

The Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks