Brrr it's cold.

I just came back from chilly San Francisco, where I visited my sister and some friends. It was pretty cold up there -- a stark contrast to the heat in Southern California.

I hung out first with my friend Pipe ("pee-pay") who was visiting from Laredo, Texas where he grew up and currently works. Pipe has a deep fascination for Japan and Japanese culture and history, especially samurai history and old-school anime, so we spent quite some time in Japantown. On his last day, we went to the Asian Art Museum, where there was a special exhibit on Tezuka Osamu, father of anime and creator of Astro Boy.

After Pipe left, I visited with some other friends, including Cristina of String Theory. Cristina came with me, my sister and my sister's friends to a neighborhood garage sale. There were some fabulous items -- like antique sewing machines. Unfortunately, I didn't think I could haul those on the plane, so I settled for 1 slightly used and 1 new pack of heavy duty sheet protectors for $7. The used pack still looked like there was at least 30-40 sheets left in the pack. All in all, it was a great deal, and my beat up knitting patterns will surely appreciate the protectors!

Later, Cristina and her hubby treated me to a yummy late lunch at Burma Superstar. Boy do I miss all the fabulous restaurants and good eats in San Francisco! Don't get me wrong -- there are great eats in L.A. and O.C., but everything so spread apart, going to a favorite haunt sometimes seem such a chore, especially with the notorious SoCal traffic.

Anyway, as for the slippers I made for my sister, I ended up felting it a 3rd time. I don't think she likes it that much -- she complained that the sole was a little floppy and folded under when she walked in them. I think she just walks funny. LOL! I tested them at home and at her house, and I had no problems.
Pattern: House Slippers from Knit2Together by Mel Clark and Tracy Ullman
Yarn: SkiFoggy Yarn from Japan, using 3 strands
Needles: As recommended in pattern - US 11 and US 13 circulars
Notes: I felted the slippers 3 times to get the right size, but I have a front loading washer, so that may have something to do with it. Working the toe and the back lip can be a little awkward. on the circulars. It may be a little less awkward to incorporate dpns when working around the tight curves. Although the felting gives the slipper structure, the sole still can be a little floppy for some people. I'd also suggest using rubber rug spray or puffy paint on the sole for some traction and safety, especially when trying to walk on tiled or wood floors.

My sister really liked her socks. I'm still editing the pattern, so I'll do a separate posting with the pattern link later.

Hats and Headbands

Since I forgot to photograph the Hunter's Orange hat that made for Linh's husband, she took some for me. It turns out that Nick's head is huge. I had already made it big, but apparently I erred.


Being a hunter who grew up in a village in Arkansas, I guess I half-expected that I'd get a photo of Nick posing. However, this photo really makes me cringe and uncomfortable, no matter how much I love Linh and Nick. That's one large hunting arrow -- too big for this former 10+ year vegetarian who still has problems eating some meat.

On a lighter note, my sister and her friends were sweet enough to model the reversible headbands they had bought from me. Thanks!!

Slippers for the Fat Cat

After two wash cycles, I blocked and dried the slippers for my sister. As you can see, Maggie the Fattie wanted the slippers all to herself. I caught her lounging and trying on the slippers. She was even smart enough to pull out the paper balls that I used to block the slipper so that she has a little room for her giant paw.

I'm still not happy with the felting, so I think I'll have to throw them in the washer again before I'll proceed with embellishing it.

I decided to make a skull sock for my sister instead of an argyle. This is the first sock, unblocked with lots of ends to weave in.
The other photos is the inside of the sock.

After I finish both socks, I plan on posting a Free pattern on my pattern page. I'm not sure what to name it. So far, I've thought of 2 names: Skully Socks or Buccaneer's Booty Socks. What do y'all think?

Worldly Swift Love

Recently, I've received a bunch of requests for permission to publish the content of my homemade swift instructions. The first request was made by the West Toronto Knit and Crochet Guild's president, Terry, who wanted to print the instructions and the link in their guild newsletter, Ravellings. The second request was made by the editor of a knitting newsletter, The Smart Knitter, who asked me to write an article about how I came up with the idea to make my own swift.

In June, I received a very nice merci beaucoup with a link to the yarn swift Nath made from my instructions. I wish I understood French, because it appears to be a nicely organized and written blog. Look at all the pictures of the lovely FOs! Then about 1 month later, I received a request from Michel, a webmaster for a French spinning forum, to link the pattern instructions. Of course I said yes. I've noticed people linking, but never had I received such a nice request.

Way back in April, Susan from Canada sent me a photo of her yarn swift, to which her dad made and adapted using a small lazy susan from around the house. (side note: I found some lazy susan hardware several months ago and have been meaning to put up another yarn swift version using the hardware. But as usual, I've been procrastinating. Maybe next month.)

Although not related to swifts, I want to highlight Gloria (?), a Brazilian blogger, who I found while perusing my blog visitors' sites. One certainly does not need to read Portuguese to admire and appreciate amazing ginormous crochet lace projects like this and this.

I'm so glad that people are able to make their own swifts!