Resurfacing

Okay. So, the fifth Harry Potter movie opened ("Order of the Phoenix"), and I went to see it with my DH. It was good, but I was really glad to have re-read the book before seeing the movie. Those who haven't read the book may find the movie a bit disjointed. Of course, that's bound to happen when you turn an 870 page book into a 2h45min movie.

After seeing the movie, I re-read book 6 ("Half-Blood Prince") in preparation for the release of the final installment - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Went to the release party with a friend. (We got our line numbers, wandered around a bit, then spent several hours at College CoffeeHouse - thank goodness they're open until midnight on Fridays.) We then stood in line for a rather short time (considering we had numbers 215 and 216), got our books and headed for home. I let my DH have dibs on this book as I got to read #6 first when it was released. He started it Saturday morning, and handed it to me Saturday evening (done in under 12 hours). I was finished by Monday evening. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but I will say that it was a very satisfying read.

And having got myself deeply into book mode, I have also now finished "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini and have just started "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke.

Just as we finished the last Harry Potter book, we started preparing for an event at the Georgeson Botanical Garden. They were having a flowers and fiber event which included a floral-themed quilt show. I spent much of the week preparing "color boxes" (what I call my deli boxes filled with dyed wool roving in 8 harmonious colors) in six of our colorways. I also helped my DH warp a loom for demonstrating. And then there was the packing up of all the goodies, samples, and notecards for sale at the event. It was pouring rain when we got up Saturday morning and took everything up to the gardens. We got quite wet hauling everything to and from the truck. But the weather decided to cooperate, and by a little after 9am the sun was coming out.

And now with Fair week approaching, we are busy helping the Fairbanks Weavers' and Spinners' Guild with judging (that was Sunday 7/29), and soon with booth sitting and demos. Which means over the next few days I need to figure out what I want to demo at the booth and get all my tools and materials ready. Shall I take a wheel or just spindle? Shall I take the Ashford Knitters' Loom or an inkle loom? Maybe I should do some needlefelting? Oh, and I need to plan my attack on the Fair food - got to have an Elephant Ear, a filled crepe, chocolate covered strawberry .... Decisions, decisions, decisions ...

Probably won't see you until after the Fair (which runs Friday 8/3 thru Saturday 8/11). Hope you all get a chance to get there. Be sure to check out the competitive exhibits at Badger Hall - including Weaving & Spinning, Needlework, and Knitting & Crochet.

Harry Potter Countdown

Haha, this might be a cop-out of a blog post, but I just had to, HAD to have this on my blog page.

Bad Blogger, Bad, Bad Blogger . . . with Links

OK, I've been horrible. I just realized it hasn't been ONE month since I posted, it's now been TWO months.

I don't have any really good excuses, though I could give you a string of bad ones.
Including the afternoon I spent at the ER (which should have been blogged about, but hasn't, and at this point probably won't be).
I could tell you about being sucked into an alternate universe where I'm a pirate sailing on the seven seas (well, actually one ocean, but you can see for yourselves).
I could tell you I've been too busy gardening, but those who've seen how much space there is for gardening here will call me out on that.

So, I've been a bad, bad blogger. And I won't make promises I can't keep, so I'm not going to tell you that I've changed and will now be blogging regularly. I'd like to tell you I'll blog at least once a week from here on out. That is now my goal, but not a promise.

In the meantime, I'd like to encourage anyone reading this blog to check out this post on the Yarn Harlot about blogging -- I think it's fabulous! Also, for those of you looking for great knitting pics, garden pics, and knitting patterns (not free, but worth every penny) check out knitspot -- Anne's a great blogger, and lovely person.

Hope you all got a good fix that can hold you for however long it takes until my next post. (Yeah, I know, no pictures. Got some to download, though, so there is hope.)

Surrender

OK, it's been bugging the bejeepers out of me that my archive list showed all my posts as 13 months before they were posted (i.e. February 2006 instead of March 2007). So I've surrendered to the work-around - I have changed my settings to Pacific Daylight Time. So now the only thing wrong with my posts is the timestamp, which shows me posting an hour later than I am (it's sort of like posting in the future from my perspective).

One day, Blogger will figure out how to let Alaskans post in our own timestamp, and archive to the right month. Until then, I will post in the future.

Progress?

Just a quick update.

Nothing has been blocked. No more knitting has happened on the Kid Merino scarf. Tax day has come and gone.

This week is all preparation for the Valley Fiber Arts Guild Spring Retreat in Wasilla. Selecting and packing projects, fiber, spindles, yarn, looms, fiber, felting needles, . . . and did I say FIBER.

Oh yeah, I suppose I should pack some clothes, too.
"See you" when I get back.

We have Photos!!

OK, so it's been kind of busy since last I blogged. And there was a bit of a disappointment in there. But I promised you all photos, so let's start with a couple of scarves.

This is the UNblocked scarf knit with SWTC's new Inspiration yarn. It was a dream to work with. And, even with this 16-row repeat lace pattern from Ann Norling, it practically knit itself (after the first couple of repeats, of course).
"Technical" Details: two (2) skeins Inspiration in color #395-Success, size 5 needles, cast on 39 stitches.

This is a one skein scarf of Kid Merino from Crystal Palace Yarns. The two-row repeat lace pattern is from One Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn Shop Favorites.

"Technical" Details: one (1) skein Kid Merino in color #4683-Canyon, size 8 needles, cast on 49 stitches.

Now for the disappointing news - my beautiful basket did not get juried into the Interior Artisans Exhibit. I am sad for the basket. I suspect that it just didn't fit with the other entries visually. But it is a fine basket and will be given a place of honor in the shop. This is HipHip -

See? Beautiful, functional, and with really cool handles.

A Granny-Along project update is forthcoming. In the meantime, does anyone out there use AOL? If so (because I don't), where's the address bar to type in a URL? I need to pass the info to someone so they can see my blog.

Thanks in advance!

Still No Photos

Oh my goodness! Will this woman ever post photos to her blog?!?!?

Well, I spent a large portion of the weekend working on granny squares for the Granny Along. My first project is ready for assembly (it's a very non-traditional use of two granny squares). My second project is a sampler of sorts. I'm working a lot of the blocks (actual number still to be determined) from 200 Crochet Blocks in white. That's right just white. And it's thread, not yarn, on a size 7 steel crochet hook. (I hope I don't go blind doing this.)

I do need to spend some time on more shop samples (although Granny Along project #1 actually is a shop sample because of the yarn used - Vickie Howell's ROCK). I have in progress a one-skein lacy scarf in Crystal Palace Yarns' Kid Merino. The pattern is from One Skein Wonders (with patterns from shops around the US).
I also have a yummy sage green scarf done in South West Trading Company's new Inspiration yarn (50/50 Alpaca/Soysilk) that lacks only the necessary blocking - which should happen this coming weekend.

I also have a coiled basket to enter into our local juried artisan show Interior Artisans sponsored by the Fairbanks Arts Association. Entry deadline is Sunday, April 1. Fortunately, the basket is all ready, I just need to deliver it sometime between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

Photos soon, really.