soul windows and sunset: skeins!

Posted on July 26, 2009 by barefootrooster

soulwindows1

soulwindows2

soulwindows3

I am in LOVE. 426 yards of 3-ply, from 4 oz of 90/10 corriedale/nylon from the Spunky Club. LOVE.

This skein made me so excited that I just kept on spinning.

cvm, jacob, kate

Here’s that cvm, waiting to be plied, along with the resting jacob bobbins.

cvm plied

cvm plied…

cvm hanging

hanging to dry…

cvmskein1

cvmskein2

cvmskein3

and skeined.

188 yds of 2-ply, 12 wpi from 2 oz. of cvm from cosy in a colorway called sunset. The color is somewhere in between what you see above — so hard to capture such a rich orangey-red.

boh passed out

Boh is exhausted! (Though not from all that spinning. We took a nice long walk in the woods yesterday, and then went to meet friends at the d-o-g-p-a-r-k.)

Off to pour the coffee — and perhaps ply those jacob bobbins!

road trip, part 3: desert sunset.

Posted on July 19, 2009 by barefootrooster

sunset1

When I first moved to the desert (long before Boh and I were pals), I used to head up to the foothills to watch the sunset. On my last night in town, I took Boh to my favorite outcrop of rock to enjoy the view.

foothills2

foothills3cholla

I accidentally hit a wierd button while resizing this photo, and got a washed out version that I sort of like:

foothillssunsetenhanced

Here’s a dark version of that shot:

foothillssunsetdark

It was an appropriate way to end a lovely week. The high temps (in the low 90s, even at 8 PM) meant that Boh and I had the foothills to ourselves, and it was nice to have some quiet time to reflect on all that has happened since I first began spending the sunset hour up here.

The next morning, Boh and I began the journey east, fortified with a mug of coffee, a pile of homemade cookies, and an abundance of green chile to bring home.

(To be continued…)

show and tell.

Posted on July 25, 2008 by barefootrooster

First:

Whoa. I stood outside, mug of locally brewed honey wheat beer in hand, staring at all of this for at least an hour on Tuesday night. We’re getting quite a bit of rain this monsoon season, and watching the storm clouds build is starting to rival knitting as my favorite Base Camp activity.

In the land of knitting, I have much to share — things both finished and received.

I received an unexpected gift this week in the form of this stunning merino-silk lace knit scarf. One of the parents I’ve met through work has become a dear friend, and in honor of my departure, she wrapped this up and gave it to me — and she didn’t even know that I am a knitter! This is absolutely gorgeous (second picture is truer to the color, first shows the detail a bit better) and I am overwhelmed by all of the love and effort that went into this.

This picture doesn’t quite do this super-cute cabled headband justice, but I love taking pictures on this quilt at the home of dear friends here in town. I taught one of our staff members to cable and together we puzzled out this pattern — intending to replicate a knit gift she had received — and then she made me one! There are several folks around Base Camp with their dirty hair fashionably accessorized/tamed by one of these cabled headbands. I’ve been wearing mine almost daily.

On to my super big news:

Can’t believe it took me 8 months to finish this — lost steam in the middle, but I picked this up again last week and it moved super quickly, perhaps because while I was knitting, I was daydreaming of wrapping myself in this while buried in grad school reading.

Pattern: You know the one.

Yarn: Brooks Farm Riata (2 large skeins)

Mods: Only one — I was nervous about having enough yarn, and at halfway through my supply, I noted how far along I was and decided to do one less repeat (11 instead of the 12) of the straight section. This turned out to be a brilliant move — I completed the shawl with a few yards leftover.

Thoughts: I love this — and despite how long it took me to complete it, I really enjoyed the process. I also learned quite a bit about dropping stitches, and way back in November, this pattern taught me how to purl into the front and back of a stitch.

I’m sure I’ll have lots of photos of my clapotis (and other recent FOs) in action come fall. An FO also means a new project — what could it be?

This is the beginning of sassymetrical, by gaysknits. I queued it awhile ago, but when I saw The Plucky Knitter’s version, I knew it needed to be next on the list. This pattern seems to be the perfect use for 3 skeins of Malabrigo in the cinnabar colorway. I’m excited about this, and a bit nervous because this is the first pattern I’ve modified to accommodate a yarn choice in a different weight. The pattern recipe is written for a dk weight, using size 6 needles, and thanks to gaysknits’ instructions, I’ve calculated my gauge, the number of inches I want my finished cardigan to be, and then made some guesses about proportions, particularly with respect to the sleeve stitches. Here’s what I’ve got:

The original is 28 inches around, made to fit a 32 inch bust (this makes sense for the way the cardigan hangs). I want to make mine to fit a 39.5 inch bust, so I want my finished sweater to be 36 inches around. My gauge in the Malabrigo using size 8 needles is 4 st/in, so 4 st x 36 inches = 144 stitches. I am unsure about how to determine the number of sleeve st to cast on when making a larger size, but I am hoping that I can just see how it feels as I go because of the top down raglan construction. I decided to cast on 36 for each front (because of the overlap, each front is the size of the back), 36 for the back, and 18 for each sleeve. Wish me luck!

Whew — lots of pictures and projects to share. In case you’ve been wondering about my houseguests*, I’ll leave you with this shot of them resting peacefully during the daytime (they’re out exploring when I am sleeping in my cabin, so I only see them when I return to grab things during the day):

* Please don’t worry about this — these bats are not aggressive, and the space they’re inhabiting is an open air structure — minimal risk for bites or disease transmission (which tends to occur, also rarely, in contained spaces without good air circulation). Additionally, the friends I’m staying with would like you all to know that I’m wearing my cross, eating garlic, and throwing salt over my shoulder. More soon!

blue button, purple project and a sweater’s worth…

Posted on July 4, 2008 by barefootrooster

Check out my sweet button! One of our interns at Base Camp surprised me with this after one of our weekly food-buying trips. The colors are a bit weird in this shot (in town, enjoying a bed, a ceiling fan and a leisurely morning, and the shades are still drawn) but let me assure you that the mustardy green of the sweater makes the blue button really stand out. Perfect. I am really proud of this sweater, but it may take a bit of wearing for me to feel like it is “me” enough to get someone to take some modeled pictures for me to post. (Also, it doesn’t *quite* fit with my Base Camp wardrobe…)

A fast internet connection and the ability to post in bed this fine holiday morning means I have a lot to share with you. In my last post, I mentioned a new project: Fad Classic by Wendy Bernard. I’m using Araucania Nature Wool in a purpley-grey color, and I really love how this stitch pattern looks with the subtle variegation of the yarn. I’m also feeling really good about the progress I’m making as a knitter. I tried to start this project last fall, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around the way the straps are knit — 2 at a time from the top shoulder seam, doing the front first, pulling out the cast on and knitting the straps down for the back before joining in the round. While it was a bit fiddly and I was slightly paranoid about twisting everything, it is clear to me that my knitterly abilities and confidence are growing with each project I tackle. (Yay!)

Alright, onto the yarn purchasing. As we’ve covered here before, yarn buying is a valid form of therapy. There’s lots going on over here with work, family and my upcoming cross-country move and transition to graduate school, and some of it is a bit overwhelming. In packing up my stash (and sneaking peaks at all of your stashes via ravelry), I realized that though I have plenty of yarn, I don’t have much in sweater quantities, and so I’ve been focusing on addressing that whenever I get stressed out. Also, as this is my first summer as a sweater knitter, I’m having a hard time saying no to all the beautiful fall/wintery yarn that seems to be on sale while the weather is hot. A quick look at some of my latest acquisitions:

Sooo, from the top: Queensland Kathmandu DK in light grey and rust, Malabrigo in Chestnut, Nashua Creative Focus Worsted in delphinium, and Nashua Creative Focus Superwash in Brite Orange, along with some discounted books I’ve had my eye on. (Full disclosure — there’s some Peace Fleece in the mail.) Though that orange is much “briter” than I expected, I think it will work nicely in something stripey. As you can see, there are many sweaters in my future.

In other news, the rains have begun. People always give me a funny look when I mention that the Southwest has a monsoon season, but it’s true — Right around the 4th of July, the afternoon thunderstorms increase in regularity, and sometimes we even get a full evening of gentle rain. Here are a few pictures of an approaching storm earlier this week:

And Wednesday’s (blurry) sunset:

Feels good to get all of this uploaded and shared. I’m way behind on comments, but I’m still here, and I’m almost caught up on blog-reading. Hope you have a lovely 4th of July — I’m spending mine at the rodeo!

almost (FO) gathered cardi

Posted on June 30, 2008 by barefootrooster

These pictures are incredibly awkward, but I think you get the idea. I took these in my cabin late at night, so I’m wearing a hooded sweater underneath the cardi in these pictures. I’m envisioning wearing it with lots of layers as a swingy over-sweater kind of a thing. I’d call this an FO, as blocking out here at Base Camp is highly unlikely, except that I need an appropriately large and funky button to make this wearable. Hoping to find some time to play at Goodwill or the flea market the next time I run errands in town.

In keeping with my routine of photographing the sky around me, I think this summer you’ll see more evening than morning skies here at the blog. I love the transition from day into night, and I often find myself strolling back down the road after feeding Boh his dinner, sighing at all of the beauty around me. A few shots from earlier this week:

I cast on for a new project as soon as I finished the cardi knitting. Pictures soon!

to the bat cave?

Posted on June 24, 2008 by barefootrooster

Um, yes. That is correct. This bat has taken up residence in the rafters of my little cabin. So far we’ve managed to get along just fine. These pictures, surprisingly, were taken at about 10 am, when I returned to my cabin to grab something and heard a strange scratching noise. This fella was attempting to inch his way along the central roof beam, and I believe the light was making it a bit difficult. Anyway, here are a few pictures (excuse the darkness/blurriness) of the gathered cardigan in that same cabin:

Though I recognize that this sweater is neither my style nor cut to be the absolute most flattering on me, I do love it. The back is far more swingy than this picture suggests, which may make it hard to wear, but I’m hoping I can rock it over lots of layers. I’m working on sleeve #2 now, and am hoping to find the perfect big wooden button for the front. This is my second time using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, and I am even more pleased with the drape and stitch definition this time around. Also, stress (common this time of year) makes me buy yarn. Look for some confessional photos soon…

Sunset earlier in the week. More soon!

and exhale…

Posted on February 18, 2008 by barefootrooster

I’ve been knitting quite a lot lately, as you can see. There are many reasons for this, but there is one big reason that I haven’t shared: I’ve been waiting. Anxiously. And not sleeping super well. This fall, I decided that I was ready to apply to graduate school. I completed each step, put everything in the mail, and began to wait.

On Saturday, I received a phone call from a professor in an excellent department of ___ at an incredible university. In August, I will begin a PhD program. I have truly loved (and/or learned from!) the range of work I’ve done over the last four years, but it is time. I am so excited to be able to devote myself to reading, learning, thinking and writing.

I had planned to run away this weekend to disconnect from technology a bit and distance myself from things like “no” letters and the anxiety of waiting and worrying. That phone call came as I was packing the car. Boh and I headed south, to explore by doing this (that’s not me!):

And to help with this:

And to enjoy this, windows down, music a tad too loud:

And this:

Sigh. I slept soundly last night.

before/after

Posted on January 29, 2008 by barefootrooster

Short, early post today, folks. This guy, also known as the animal (must insert photo pronto)

woke me up in the middle of the night with a horrible rrrripp-ing sound. That’s right, he was yanking the polyfill out of my sleeping bag, while I slept in it. He has been in close proximity to this particular sleeping bag for the last several months, and apparently, last night the temptation became too much for Boh to bear. Luckily, I had some ripstop patching tape handy, so out of bed I leapt. I switched on the light, cursed a bit and got to work.

It’s not knitting content, but it is crafty. The blues are a better match than they look in this picture, and the hole was by no means a clean job. He must have been gnawing on the nylon for awhile before I woke up. Sigh. Onward to the before/after pictures I have for you:

This is yesterday evening’s sunset — thick, reddish clouds hovering over the mountains.

And this is what I awoke to — the second time. We haven’t had snow on the ground in the valley since before the holidays!

Alright. Off to work on generating some visible knitting progress and listen to the latest episode of Stash and Burn before work.

getting cozier…

Posted on January 10, 2008 by barefootrooster

As in, my tea cozy is growing. I came home to a gorgeous sunset behind the chicken coop:

I spent all unallocated evening time working on the tea cozy, and became so engrossed in my work that I forgot about the beets I was roasting in the oven. Normally I roast them for a bit over an hour, depending on their size, and it was a good 2 hours before I remembered them. They are still wrapped in foil in the fridge, intended for salads or to be eaten alone. We’ll see if they are still delicious. Here’s an updated shot of the tea cozy — it isn’t quite this red in “real” life.

I’m going to try to get a few more inches done before work. Wish me luck!

minimal knitting content, but look — snow!

Posted on December 19, 2007 by barefootrooster

As promised, here are a few pictures of our adventures about 100 miles west and about 3000 feet higher. First, a traffic jam. The guy in the pickup ahead of us was asleep at the railroad crossing. After about 15 minutes and a phone call to our destination (in which we considered leaving the car and climbing through the spaces between the stalled train cars), we turned around.

some weather-appropriate graffiti:

The sky, particularly when it is this color, is one of my favorite parts of being out here:

Boh and I took a walk before heading back yesterday morning. I love the way the early mornings seem to make everything glow.

Oh, right. I’ve also been knitting. Here’s a shot of Mom’s Montego Bay scarf. I’d say it is a bit over 3 feet in length, so I am more than halfway. I’d love for it to be perfect, but that is not quite happening. I’ve done some ripping back because I’ve messed up my counting or dropped a yarn over, but the stitches are so small that I am realizing that I can hardly see the rows where that happens, so I am leaving it. Also, under a time crunch. Full disclosure aside, this is GORGEOUS. Nice to have a lace pattern that is a bit forgiving when you discover a mistake 3 inches back….

I just hope I can get it finished in time!

barefoot rooster

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