Just Sit Back & Knit

Peace Fleece

IF you have not seen it yet, check it out:  Peace Fleece .

It is a company started by a husband and wife Peter Hagerty and Marty Tracy in 1985.  They started by buying wool from  the Soviet Union in hopes of helping to diffuse the threat of nuclear war by trade.  Now with the same goals of promoting peace through common work they buy from farmers all over the world.

I just received a yarn card I ordered and the colors are beautiful.  They have several products for which the proceeds go directly to "NeveShalom/Wahat al Slamm "Oasis of Peace," a Palestinian/Israeli Village in Israel committed to resolving conflict on a daily basis".  They have more information on this village at their website.

I ordered a few skeins to try out.  MaryLee and I found the company through Sweaterscapes  when I was showing her the caped cardigan:

She is hiring me to make her a cardigan, and although it turns out I will not be making the one above, she immediately wanted one made out of Peace Fleece yarn. 

In the film department  I have another recommendation for a movie which really moved me: 
Everything is Illuminated.
"A young American Jewish man begins an exhausting quest -- aided by a naive Ukranian translator - to find the righteous gentile woman who saved his grandfather when his small Ukranian village (along with most of the populace) was obliterated during the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941"

While it may sound just plain sad, the acting is wonderful.  Yes, there is plenty of tears to be shed, but also laughter - and quite a bit of it.

And just to keep up on my own work blogging, here is a picture of Fletcher's sweater in progress:

and the inside, where all my ends will need to be woven in!  Yikes:

Here's the boy for whom the sweater will be large enough that he should be able to wear it until he turns, ohhhh I'd say 15 maybe even 16 (my skills in math leave a bit to be desired):

Not the most flattering picture, but he refused to smile! 
Up until about 4 days ago this boy would rather run around naked than don ANY piece of clothing. 
Suddenly, he gets out of bed and gets fully dressed!
Shorts first - he has a few favorite pairs, these being top of his list, he calls them hisbrand-new shorts. 
I don't know why,they were a pair of pants I cut off in desperation when we were out and about and he had an accident.  It was too hot for pants and I had  no clean shorts in the back-pack. 
Next comes the shirt, he's real into the tank-tops - no surprisein this heat. 
The belt goes over the shirt, cinched tightly over his cute little belly - rather high in my estimation. 
Next the socks and rain boots.  Note the socks pulled up allllll the way?  Very important as I learned yesterday through a fifteen minute crying jag when I helped him put them on.  Of coarse he would go entirely without socks if I did not insist he wear them.  I absolutely refuse to go through a fight about stinky boots because he walks around in this heat sockless, NO WAY.  Lastly snow gloves. 
Sometimes he adds a warm weather hat or Darth Vadar helmet.  Also, occasionaly his chainsaw goggles.
I Love It!  The imagination and individuality of childhood is amazing. 
No wonder so manyparents are accused of trying to relive their own childhood through their children, you just can't help youself.

getting back into the groove

So for some time now I have been a bit off knitting.  I wasn't sure why.  I was feeling inadaquate as a knitter.  Nothing inspired me and I felt I just wasn't making anything really amazing or neat, blah, blah, blah.

Well, I back in the game and getting really really excited about some projects.  So many in fact that I don't really know where to start!

I need to back  up a minute here:

After Easter Fletch and I went to stay the weekend with Grandma Paffy (my MIL - and knitting guru).  She gave me half of the yarn stash you see above!  I wish I had taken a picture of her yarn stash.  She is organized beyond belief and has such yarn, I can only ever dream of.  And I do.  If I had known how to knit when I first started dating Jim, I would have married him just so that some day I could inherit her stash!  I know that sounds horrible and morbid - but she has already promised it to me.  She knows me well!!!!!

Last weekend Kathy came for a visit, this is her and
Fletch hiking at Montana De Oro.  We had a great time.
After our day at the beach we found some time to knit,
she helped me to figure out how to write/work my own
basic hat pattern.  I am now using the Noro Blossom I bought
for the purse pattern from Simply Noro to make myself a
hat and scarf:

The hat turned out just a tad large, but
I like it.  The scarf is starting out a garter
stich with st st border.  That may
change, but so far I like it.

The other big project I will be starting on is a sweater for Fletch.  Remember the Green and Orange cardigan?  I gave up on it.  I did not love it at all. 
The other day four other ladies from my Book/Knitting/Eating club and I went on a knitting feild trip to a LYS I have not been to Ball, Skein and More in Cambria.  Afterwards we had a proper tea at the Tea Cozy in Cambria.  All around it was a great trip.  While I resisted buying any yarn I did buy The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd.  It has completely shifted my fear of sweaters to a full on excited  "I know I can do it attitude!".

In that spirit and after some help from Barb on finding knitters graph paper on the web I have designed a colorwork chart for a pull on raglan I plan to get to work on today!   

Here is a sample of the charts I worked on
and the fished product is:

Originally I was thinking of doing a truck,
Fletch wanted a garbage truck.  Then I realized
I wanted to do an airplane or helicopter to
make use of the word FLY which is also his
initials: Fletcher Leopold Yost!
I am in love with this and hope it works out
as well as I am invisioning.  I am so dedicated
to it that I am going to knit a swatch with the
whole motif on it befor I start on the sweater to
make sure it will turn out!
I did have to promise to do a garbage truck sweater
next.

Last but not least  I am so thrilled for Barb and Jason,
and  the Baby Bump!  The sweater she knit is heavenly. 
Katie, Barb and I met up at
Barb's house for a dinner date and she took us the back room
where Jason was on the computer to show us her "latest"
knitting project.  I was stunned.  Katie asked, "Is it for Matilda?"
(her daughter) and Barb said no, and pointed to her belly, "It's
for mine!"   WOW!!!!
Then Kate says, "You'll have to make two!"
They are due the same week..... what are the chances?

oops I did it again

So, maybe I am just afraid to start a sweater for myself?  I bought some Crystal Palace Merino Frappe on sale awhile back thinking it would be perfect for the sweater I want to make from weekend knitting:

This is the same sweater I bought Berroco Foliage for over a year ago and decided it wouldn't work.
Now, this won't work.  It is acctually the wrong gauge and I has taken my a few months to put two and two together!

I really love the color and feel of this Frappe, it's called Cinnamon, I don't want to waste it.  I found another sweater I have looked at before that calls for Frappe, but of coarse I don't have enough.  Uhg.

Whats a girl to do.

Two months later and I am still searching for a pattern for this yarn.  I think I want to make some type of openwork wrap, but have not found the perfect fit.  I have been working some on coming up with my own pattern, no luck so far.

On to other more promising things.........