Tofuties Boot Camp at Cultured Purl!!

Shirani wanted me to let you know that it's Boot Camp this week at the yarn shop. Wednesday, August 22nd, through Saturday, August 25th, Cultured Purl is hosting a sock trunk show.

Stop by the shop and try out samples of Tofuties great sock yarn. Be sure to bring your favorite sock needles with you so you can knit up some swatches. Anyone purchasing the new yarn will also be entered into a raffle for a cool new sock tote.

So stop on by!!

Yours in knitting,
Claire

Blocking the Triangle Shawl

We're back! And of course, despite all the unpacking we have to do, I couldn't wait to block the new shawl.


I used JaggerSpun's beautiful Zephyr: a lovely blend of wool and silk which is easy to knit with and blocks into something almost more ethereal and gossamer than what is implied by the term "lace".

Here you see the shawl pinned out on my bedroom floor. I had soaked it for a good long while (to remove the tell tale campfire smell!) in this really nice product Shirani has started carrying:


I used the citrus scent and while there was a bit of bleeding in the sink (funny that the water turned RED from this taupe colored "suede",)it didn't seem to affect the loveliness of the yarn.

Now the trick is to leave the thing alone so it can dry completely. I'm SO IMPATIENT!!

I'll bring it into Cultured Purl so you can take a peek.
Yours in yarn,
Claire

Camping as our Forefathers Did...

NOT!: starting the campfire with a propane blowtorch...

That's Dad, starting the morning fire - truly my favorite part of camping : no bugs, I survived another night, the coffee's steamy hot and soothingly fragrant, and there's a cool, crisp promise in the air reminding me that life is good.

Sharon, it's raining! POURING in fact, and yes I was able to bring both project bags AND a sock. So, unlike the rest of my family who are grimacing at the threatening inclemency and going a bit stir crazy, I am calm, collected and even comforted by the pitter patter of drizzle knowing there are needles and some wool awaiting my attention!

Yours in knitting,
Claire

I opted to bring the shawl...

That's my sister holding the finished product (so it's a darn good thing I found that stash of sock yarn and tucked a skein and some double points in my bag as I finished loading up the car.) That's my husband, the master firestarter waving in the background. It's about 7:30 and we're gearing up for the daily campfire and an evening filled with family stories (more like myths & legends I think sometimes), lots of laughs, and of course the point of camping in the first place (at least according to my children): The Making of the S'mores...

But there's still a bit of daylight left, so I think I'll cast on for that sock.

Yours in knitting, from the pristine shores of Androscoggin Lake,

Claire

Knitting on the Road

It's time for our annual pilgrimage to the wilderness of the Northeast corner of our country, the Pinetree State, "Vacationland" (as stated on their license plates.) Maine: Where we camp under fragrant pine trees, listening to the music of the loons and the soothing sounds of a babbling spring-fed creek, falling asleep under a million sparkling stars set in a deep, crystal clear, non-polluted sky...(I thought I'd begin with that wonderful image instead of describing the dirt and the bugs that are also such a part of camping in the Big Woods!!)

Anyway...I'm getting packed - and although the car is ABSOLUTELY STUFFED TO BURSTING with a BIG tent, 5 sleeping bags, 5 air mattresses, 5 suitcases, a cooler, 5 chairs, cooking supplies, 3 bike helmets, a scooter, a bunch of fishing poles, a tackle box, my watercolor stuff, a medical kit, 5 beach towels, 2 lanterns, many flashlights, a portable fan, the hotel bag for tomorrow night, my bag of shoes (yes, I take tooooo many for a week in the dirt), the bird book, binoculars, (although Maine has a tick problem too so I don't know for sure...), 2 portable DVD players, my purse, a snack pack, 5 pillows, 3 kids' worth of blankets, backpacks, iPods, Nintendo games, and stuffed animals, 2 umbrellas, and an assortment of CD'S and books on tape...- I've still got to decide on which knitting project to bring.



A dilemma: the big bag with the diamond shawl design which I am chomping at the bit to finish... or the small bag with the quickie little ella rae purse project. Note here that this would have been a conundrum or even possibly a quandary if I could have put my hands on the MULTITUDE of sock projects I have going on right now. Yes Rita, you're right, a sock would be the perfect thing to take, BUT OHMYGOD, I can't find where I stashed them all when I started the shawl project...I had to hide them you see so I would feel guilty about all the unfinished things I have on the needles...

So it is, after all, just a dilemma.

I will let you know tomorrow what I decided to take. You see, I am hoping to blog as I go from my Treo and my digital camera! Wish me luck!

Yours in knitting,
Claire