Friday Fiber Arts Carnival

For the longest time, I've had nothing on the knitting needles. I've been in a bad place with my knitting and just couldn't find the wherewithall to either start nor finish one of the many UFO's lying about. For those who don't know, UFO means unfinished object and I've several that have been on the needles long enough to have their own zip code.

This week I visited Millie, Master Knitter Friend, in Columbia, SC. She always knits like there's going to be a world shortage of yarn; she always has something on her needles and it's always beautiful and, usually, tough to knit. She went to Stitches last month and took a class with Susanna on Brohus knitting. I am in AWE, I tell you! Millie has even knitted a Most Beautiful Sweater with steeks! Here, I'm giving you the Kids Knit info page for steeks because I figure if they can explain it so a child can understand, I may, possibly, have a small glimmer of hope. HA! BTW, the Kids Knit steeks info page is "only" seven pages long so, be prepared, there's lots to learn.

Millie always encourages me to knit, sometimes to learn something new and is always gracious with her knowledge, time, patience. Even so, I've shocked her before when she was attempting to teach me how to knit socks. Apparently, I've "un-invented"...get the Elizabeth Zimmerman reference, eh?...a way to knit socks inside out and backwards. Trust me, I didn't know what I was doing and the lone sock has since been put into the back of a drawer somewhere. I trust my nephews will run across it when I'm long gone and they are weeding their way through this maze of a farmhouse with steamer trunk in every room. I keep thinking I'll find someone who has only one foot and would like a wool sock for their remaining foot but, thus far, no joy there.

Millie helped...ahem, meaning she actually cast on the start of this moiebus shrug shawl. It's a lovely pinky ruby purply wool acrylic blend yarn that, when finished, should sit on the shoulders, "shrugging" one in a warm hug. This is actually yarn that is to go to the Russian orphanage but in a finished state not as mere yarn. I wanted to send something to the woman who runs the school and hope she finds this acceptable.

The Komi Kids Yarn Project is one I started in 2004 and I'll tell you about it in another post. For now, gaze at the beauty that's, eventually, to be a warm hug. Dave took me to the eye doctor yesterday as I thought I'd scratched the cornea of my right eye. It's been bothering me for several days but not enough, really, to be worried about. Until Wednesday and then I got worried. It turns out I've several, more than a dozen, eyelashes growing into my eye ball and the doctor had to pull, cut and shave them so they eye would be pain free. Let me tell you...it takes GREAT faith to sit there, eyeball wide open, still as a mouse while the doctor comes at you with sharp instruments. The eyelashes were white, blonde, gray or something like that so they were difficult for me to see when I was peering in the mirror. I'm told this will reoccur so welcome to old age -smile-.

While in Bluefield, we went to Tuesday Morning and I found this lovely Araucania yarn. Again, it's in a purple ruby color and is a bulky blend of 70% Merino 20% alpaca 10% silk. AWWWWWW, OOHHHHH, touchy feely, moaning noises, sighs, sounds of joy and bliss. I bought all they had, a bit over 600 yards and I want to make something for me. Any ideas?

Also found this delish cashmere yarn by Elsebeth Lavold and it's incredible! There are three small hanks but enough, when combined with the tobacco colored yarn of same name and content, to make lovely hand warmers. Oh goodness, won't they feel like heaven when cold weather returns?

It would appear my knitting slump is over and just in time for warm and hot weather. Am I good or WHAT!? -smile- My timing seems to be a bit off but as long as I'm knitting it's okay. I've missed having yarn running through my fingers and as much as I adore quilting, it's just not quite the same as wool or other animal fiber.

Blessings ~ Millie ~ knitting ~ cashmere ~ wool ~ alpaca ~ silk ~