Bracken Fern & Coreopsis

Bracken Fern & Coreopsis
Originally uploaded by wickjill

Here is some more yarn that we dyed with plants. The skein on the left was dyed first with coreopsis flowers and then overdyed with bracken fern. The one on the right was dyed only with coreopsis flowers. I think we're getting better at the whole dyeing thing!

What I've been up to...

Can you tell I like pictures??? The top one is of part of our group from Relay for Life, which we did a few weeks ago with a friend of mine that is a cancer survivor (unfortunately, he's not in the photo). We made those shirts, though... we cut out stencils from cereal box cardboard and then spray painted them. Pretty nice, huh? My big project right now is the boxer shorts you can see in the picture - I'm making mine green... almost done with the first panel. The socks are for Sockapalooza4 - I'm not sure about them... What do you think? My sock pal said she doesn't want anything too girly or lacy. I guess they're pretty girly, although not too lacy. Should I try a different pattern? The yarn in the next picture is dyed with hibisucs flowers I got at the natural food store (for tea) and turned out a kind of purply color. I like it! And the bottom ... summer food - I love it! Veggie pasta salad and rice pudding. I don't know if rice pudding is really a summer food, but I always seem to make it in the summer. Its sooo YUMMY!

Free at Last!

I have finished one panel, it's true. The photo isn't the best but you get the idea.... I'm feeling rather intimidated by the prospect of doing that all over again, even though you said it goes faster.... But I gotta admit I'm excited about wearing it....

Jamie THANK YOU so much for the package! That was so thoughtful of you! I got it when I finally got home, but that yarn is gorgeous! I found one pattern in one magazine that I want to attempt, and even though i'm going to be busy I have decided that really there is no point in stressing out about finishing my classes at this point, so I'll just take it easy. I will not be denied my summer!! And if nothing else, I will definitly have time to knit on the drive out to Montana.

As far as the running goes, I think I over-did it a bit. There are these great lakes in Minneapolis and these great bike trails to them, but it's about a 30-45 minute bike ride there. It's been gorgeous here and so the day after I got out, I biked to the beach and attempted to run in the 85 degree heat of the afternoon around the lake. Needless to say, after laying in bed for three weeks straight I didn't get far. My legs are sore and achy, but it feels good. It'll just take a while to get back into the swing of things. I'd love to hear your suggestions about what to eat when I am training, what's the best for before and after running and stuff like that... I did know that you are a dietitian so that did make sense to me. :) I have another friend who ran last year and wants to run, too so having him as a reference will help a lot, too.

I'll leave you with the first shot (a little blurry) of the new, clot-free, healthy me! (knock on wood) Twins game last night, we picked a good one to go to, they won 13-4! Lots of home runs!

Sew Storm

I haven't been doing much knitting lately, but I have been sewing up a storm. Sewing is nice because it is more of an instant gratification. As an American, I love instant gratification. I have got a ton of ideas and am getting comfortable with the sewing machine. A couple people have told me I should try to sell my things, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet, although I am considering it.


The camera pouch I made for carrying my small camera around in the field with me. I needed something small and light weight but kind of protective. I put batting inbetween the two layers for more padding. The drawstring bag was part of a mother's day gift, the skirt is the same pattern as my last skirt, but I made this one a little longer and I absolutely love it. I also love the little tote bag, it is perfect for carrying a little knitting project, like socks or something. It was so simple and easy to make. And I discovered an awesome sale on drapery fabric (which is perfect b/c it makes it a little stiffer) - I could probably make 4 of these for less than a dollar. If either of you girls want one, I'll make you one. And then, last but not least is the sole knitting project of the group - the dishcloths. They are amazingly addictive (and fast) to knit.

But now I am heading out to the field, where there is no sewing machine. I will knit though-I am working on a pair of boxer shorts from the book Greetings a Knit Cafe. We also have plans for more yarn dyeing and I have to get a start on my Sockapalooza4 socks. And I have plans for a really cool table runner and matching linen napkins (okay, its a sewing project) for a friend of mine thats getting married in a few weeks. I am going to embroider the napkins, so I will work on that before I start sewing.
So, see you when I get back! Hey, Molly, I know you've made lots of progress on your skirt, so lets see it!

Rebound

So here I am in the hospital thinking of all the things I want to do when I get out.... running, tennis, going to the lakes in the city, biking the Mississippi river trails, hiking, sewing, knitting, cooking, baking, painting.... The list goes on and on. I had a class today about all the things I need to consider while taking Coumadin, the blood thinner that I will be on for probably two years. Diet, sports I can and can't play, travel, shots, the list goes on and on. I've been in the hospital for 28 days so far in the past two months, and I'm still counting. Things have gotten out of control.

So, I've made a decision. I'm going to rebound from this stupid thing that happened this spring by running a marathon this Fall. Will you join me!? The Twin Cities Marathon is (the most beautiful urban marathon in America) on October 7th, 2007. No, I don't know how to train for a marathon, but I'm going to learn. Why? Because I could have died if my heart were not in the shape it was when I got that blood clot. If that's not a reason to keep my heart in shape, I don't know what is.

So, I am calling all my friends to run with me. But I doubt anyone will. Anyway it is sort of going to be my thing. My come-back. Of course, I anticipate it being really hard to train for a marathon for the first time alone. So, maybe you could train with me, even if it is across the country. Maybe you could find a race to do locally this fall to train for, or even come here for the TC Marathon (again, most beautiful urban marathon in America, after all). Or maybe you could just start running again.

But mostly, I guess I'm just looking for some support. It'll be rough, but I know I can do it, and I know there's not a better time in my life to cross this one off the list.

So, now all I'm waiting for is the clang of the bell and the opening of the starting gate, and I'll be off. (A timely little Kentucky derby reference in there if you didn't get it....)

The Big Reveal

Here it is, the lacy skirt with no bows:














And yeah, it was hard to finish it. I spent so much time knitting it and ripping it and knitting it and calculating and all that... and now its done. I worried so much that it would be too small. But its too big. I mean, its okay, but it kind of bunches more than I'd like at the top where the drawstring is. Even after my millions of calculations, I figured something wrong because the waist is 2 inches bigger than it is supposed to be. However, I am not ripping it out and starting over again! I like it, it fits the rest of my body fine. It does seem a little heavy and "hangy". I don't know what the right word is...
But I am happy with how it turned out.



I am participating in Sockapalooza4 and I just got my sock pal's information the other day. I am really excited, but there are so many choices in yarn, and color, and pattern. She didn't give me much of an idea of what she likes, so I don't know where to start! I was thinking about dyeing some yarn for the socks, but I don't know if she would think that was as neato as I do. And what if the color fades really quickly? I did try using hibiscus flowers (actually hibiscus tea from the natural food store) on a little bit of sock yarn & I really like the color - its kind of a rosy pink with almost a hint of grey. However, I didn't mordant the yarn first so that may change the color a bit. I think this might be a good color for the socks, what do you think? I ordered some undyed yarn from knitpicks and I hope it arrives soon. I am hoping that this dyes a little bit better than the stuff we have been using.

Hey Jamie, I was thinking about dyeing some yarn for your mom for Mother's Day. Do you think she would like that? Does she like earth-toned colors like the ones we've been getting so far?

Oh yeah, and if you want to see the loud and colorful lounge pants I made yesterday, check out my flickr. There are better pictures of the skirt I sewed, too. I figured this post had enough pictures for today.

Back to sewing...

I have recently been inspired to start sewing again and to try embroidery, mostly spurred on by the discovery of SouleMama's blog and this and this. Well, anyway, it got me sewing again today. I pretty much just took the day off and played all day. My friend Cheryl came over and played sewing with me for a while too.










A simple skirt (pattern is Simplicity #7229) and an linen embroidered hand towel I made for part of my Mother's Day gift for my mom.

....my skirt is finished and blocking. More on that tomorrow.


P.S. Mol, I am working on a dishcloth in that picture you were asking about. Its a ball band dishcloth that is all the rage on Mason Dixon. They're pretty fun to make.

This and that....

Hi girls,

First, I must say that I'm thinking about your recovery, Molly. I hope they get this thing figured out. I'm sending healing vibes your way. I'm also sending you a little something to keep you from being bored to death.

Jill, the naturally dyed yarns kick ass! Those colors are beautiful. I loved the bankhead gang picture. It's so nice to see my brother every now and then. It makes me realize how much I miss him.

Here's what I've been up to: I heard from the Reno job and it's a no-go. They said something like "we liked you, but we've decided on someone else"...oh well, what are you going to do? I did get offered another part time job, 2 days per week for a little more money than the other part-time positions. I'm probably going to end up taking 2 PT jobs and then checking into the knitting store to see if they need any help. I'll even work for yarn.

This weekend we went home to visit some friends and family. Here is my friend's new baby girl, Carly, sporting her new Lorna's Laces booties, knit by yours truly.

We also have some new members of our family. My grandma has a stray cat she adopted. This adopted cat came with some cargo on board and had 4 brand new babies about 7 weeks ago. My family found homes for 2 of the 4 and Kane and I invited 2 to come live with us. They are really sweet and keep each other company. They did well during the 4 hour drive from Philippi to Martinsburg, so I'm feeling positive about the drive out west.

Flannel is on the left, Fleece is on the right. They are very entertaining and keep us very busy.

This weekend we are going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I'm really excited about it and I should have lots of pictures to share. I'm going to try drop spindle spinning at the Fest, maybe I'll come home with a new hobby.

Love,
Jamie