The days leading up to Yarn Over

April 26
I picked up my booklets for yarn over today. They turned out great!


I have so many things in my booklet, and I am wondering if the class will have time to do them all, but here is what I would like to cover.

I would like to cover, some things about ribbing, replacement heels, garter stitch heels, turkish cast on for toe up socks, Latvian Twist sock topper and I cord bind off that also makes a nice sock topper.

April 27
Today I babysat for my girlfriend's 4 month old. He is a real cute little guy.

Gunny and I had a lot of fun. He is a cat napper, sleeps in short bursts and often.

April 28
Friday before YarnOver and my packets for class are all put together, I am ahead of myself from previous years. I am only working 3 hours today and then picking up my friend Lucy at the airport she is teaching at Yarn Over and also Amazing Threads here before heading out on a long teaching trip. Sometimes I am really envious of her but then sometimes I think I would miss my family too much.






April 29
So the day started with picking up Lucy and Joan Schrouder at the hotel to take them to Yarn Over, while waiting for Lucy to check out I met Annie Modesitt and Melissa Leapman. We got to Yarn Over and set up our rooms, headed for breakfast and then Lucy gave a speech on designing and becoming a designer, she made you think you could just go out and do it! Then class I had a wonderful class only 4 people, they were great students and I think the day went well. I was good too did not buy any yarn, I did pick up a free skein to knit a baby hat from Yarn Garage for Bundles of Love. It is kind of light blue grey color, so I think an over dye is going to happen this week, they surely don't want all blue grey hats. The day ended with dinner at Champs with all the teachers and committee members, we had a great day!

April 30
I did not realize how tired I was yesterday after all the activities, I slept from around 10p to 830a this morning and then it was raining which makes me more tired so I took a nap before work. It was slow at work so I even snuck in a little knitting. April is now officially over and May is here, I am starting my 3 or 4 months off of teaching!!!!!!!! I plan to clean my house, get my teaching resume in order and get some patterns ready to publish, I hope to sell them to local stores and through The Knitting Vault. Watch for them...
but right now I need to go to bed Boo is patiently waiting for me.

Haircuts

We are in search of a groomer, but so far Petsmart is the least expensive at $45 for a butt only cut and around $60 for a lion. The vet charges $120 for the lion cut but also puts the cat to sleep for it.

Yesterday I ended up giving Boo a butt cut, so maybe no groomer after all.


here is the perfect hiding place mom will never find me here



Oh no she found me, but mom I don't want a haircut

Boo is doing okay without Alice, he did not eat for about 3 days, and has become very needy. The needy/cuddly thing is okay if you don't mind being covered in Boo fur...

I am finished with my booklet for Yarnover just need to get it to Kinko's...good thing I save all my files and just need to pull them out and put them together.

Yarn Over

I am currently working on my workshop for Yarn Over. What is Yarn Over you ask? It is the annual meeting for the Minnesota Knitters Guild. They have a keynote speaker, lunch and you can take half or whole day classes. I am teaching a class called "Lets Talk Socks" about different toes heels ribbings and sock toppers. I really enjoy yarn over and getting to meet the other teachers. So if posts are a little slow this week that is why.

If mom thinks I am getting a haircut she is in for a surprise!!!!!

Soon you will see a new Boo gracing these pages. Boo is going to the groomer sometime in the next two weeks. He will get a bath, and Perhaps a lion cut more to come... Keep watching for the new look of Boo

New Great Nephew

Ok so the doctor was wrong and my niece's baby showed up just about when she thought it should. She thought the end of April, but the Dr said no Middle of May and Nathaniel came last nite at 8:10pm. Here is a picture of Nathaniel and Dad Lyle. The whole family is doing well.



I personally have just one problem with his arrival, I did not start his sweater yet! I have been very indecisive about this because I wanted to make a sweater that Zips up the back like my mom used to make for gifts but was unable to find her pattern so here I have the yarn and no sweater!


I am thinking about a baby surprise jacket or maybe just a garter stitch sweater with some stripes the middle skein is varigated with the colors of the other two.

So lets talk about Boo, we have the old fashioned windows that you change each year. It has been nice, so we just open the ones to the porch to get some fresh air. Well Boo has decided that is how he should be going in and out all the time so he sits and mews until we open the windows, boy is he in for a surprise when the screens go on next week.

Alice's sweaters

I thought maybe I should post a pattern for Alice's Sweaters.
I used Cascade Fixation and size 4 needles. One ball makes 1 and 1/2 sweaters.
Cast on 64 stitches join into a round and knit for about 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
K8 inc 1 repeat to end of round, total now is 72 stitches.
Knit 4 rounds, then increase again 8 times for a total of 81.
Now you need to make two thumb gussets, so I knit 8 placed a marker k4 placed a marker knit 16 placed a marker knit 4 placed a marker then knit to end of round. Then in the next round I increased after the 1st and 3rd marker and before the 2nd and 4th markers every other round for 4 rounds on the non increase round I just knit(8 rounds, 4 inc and 4 knit).
Then on the next round I increased in between the markers by knitting 5 increase one knit 6 increase one knit 5. Then I knit 7 rounds increasing between the markers every other round until I had 24 stitches in between the markers ending with a knit round.
on the next round knit to the first marker and bind off all the stitches between the two markers and knit to the next one and bind off in between and then knit to the end of the row.
next round I knit to the bound off stitches and cast on 20 stitches on both gussets, knit to the end of the round. Then I knit about 2 or 3 inches (it depends on your cat, Alice's sweaters started out big and then the last one I made was a little smaller and shorter due to the weight loss) then I did about 1/2 inch or maybe a little more of ribbing. then bind off.

So there it is as a rough draft.

We are handling the loss well, but last Weds when I came home from work around 11pm there was this big fluffy yellow cat on the front step. my first thought was Boo got out and so I started to chase it, then I realized the back yard was not well lit and went to get a flashlite and there was boo in the porch. My first thought was Bob let him in...Bob said no and I looked out and there was his twin again, next nite I came home from teaching at Borealis and there was a Big Black cat, then the next nite it was luna (neighbor's cat), everynite since there has been a cat at my doorstep......My husband says they are coming to pay their respects.

So most people have pictures of the grand kids to show off not me just Grand Cats. my daughter adopted two adorable kittens Ducky and Cornflake...



They are living with her but when they do get to come visit every now and then....

The Rainbow Bridge

It is with great sadness that I am posting tonite. Today Alice the inspiration for Alicat Knitting Designs crossed the rainbow bridge to a better place. Her tumor was getting worse and was affecting the muscles in her back legs so she was having problems walking and doing stairs. We will all miss her.



Alice Cooper
Born 1986 to April 12, 2006

Spring has Sprung

Look what greeted me when I went out this morning!
Spring really is here. I think I need to knit something in cotton or silk to celebrate.


Also I think we will have mini roses in the window boxes this year.

and for the obligatory cat picture
Now if I just scrunch down enough mom won't know I am here and she will take me with her to work....

I have SOLD my first pattern

Sorry to disappoint anyone but the Skater Hat pattern was purchased by Depth of Field and will be sold there and maybe other stores around town. SO if you want one go see the girls at Depth of Field.

So what is my blog without a picture of a cat or two....and as usual Boo is helping me do something knitting related


A few weeks ago Boo learned to make adjustments to the yarn on the swift and now he is learning to turn the handle on the winder. Of course first he needs to figure out that is not the right handle to be using.

Here is an Alice update, she is still with us and doing ok...Bob has taken to giving her baths as she has a hard time doing that for herself. Next time Bob is bathing her I will try to get a picture to post.