Chickenlips Knitting

Brrr! It dipped below freezing overnight, and even though our house is well insulated, it's chilly. I'm easing into my Saturday with a steaming cuppa joe and a blog post.

This week I tried a really cute, easy and fun cabled hat pattern. It's "Frequency" from Gardiner Yarn Works.

I used a wee bit of Nature Spun Sport. (It looks a bit stretched out because it's on an adult size wig form.) One of my customers, Olga of the adorable T-Spot in Manzanita, OR, is sponsoring a kids' hat drive and contest for Secret Angels of Tillamook County. The deadline is Dec. 10 if you're interested--I don't think her website is up yet, but you can google and call the shop. Anyway, a child's hat is something I could actually finish in time, so I knit it up and bob's your uncle, got it in the mail.

Here is a brand spanking new sock colorway from my alter ego, Stitchjones. It's called "Persistent Illusion" in honor of the mighty Judy, inventor of Judy's Magic Cast-on for toe-up socks.

I tried to capture Judy's blog colors. If you visit her blog, you can see the prototype skein I made for her, which is probably more color-accurate.

Some sad news

At my Wednesday night group where there is knitting, spinning, snacks, networking, occasional bouts of hysterical laughter and spontaneous breaking into song, I heard that a prominent person in the Portland knitting community died of a sudden heart attack. Linda was the owner of Yarn Garden, which has been in Southeast Portland for many years and offers an amazing selection. I was especially shocked by the news, because she passed away on the day I delivered a large order of sock yarn to the shop. There's been no word as yet on the future of the shop; I'm hoping it will continue to be open. The last time I saw Linda was at a sales appointment in early November, and I'm sad that not only have I lost a great customer, but our community has lost someone who helped create many new knitters. Many of whom have gone on to become designers, dyers, teachers, etc. I also heard that there will be a memorial for her at the shop. I'm planning to be there.

Now the brisk December morning quiet has been shattered, as Mr. Stitchjones and our darling offspring have returned from their annual expedition to get the Christmas tree. I don't mind though, because we will soon have that fresh tree scent wafting through the house. Ahh...

# posted by Sharon @ 10:19 AM