potterknitter

Pottery Life

2011-06-28T08:45:00.002-04:00

I'm still getting a little work done. Nap times and an hour or so at night. I'm a lot more focused than I used to be. I'm often amazed at how much I can get done in an hour.

For many years I've worked in long cycles. When I make my to-do list it always adds up to about 3 kiln loads. That's the most efficient way to work anyway, so I've been firing 3 loads at a time 3 or 4 times a year. This time however I have almost no inventory and don't want to wait 3 months. So I'm working on making one kiln load of pots. Harder than it seems. I've thrown about 40 mugs so far. That's enough for a kiln load, but not nearly what I'd like to have finished. Those will last a week by the time I restock a couple of galleries and fill the individual orders. Yikes!
But I'm giving it a try. Hopefully I'll have some finished pots by late summer.

Harvested my garlic yesterday, about a dozen heads. My studio smells!

Someone found an old Halloween costume this weekend. Some people trap or spray their carpenter bees. We just confuse and amuse ours.

Knitting Update

2011-06-24T08:58:00.004-04:00

I'll just take the projects in the order Blogger put them up.

All links are from Ravelry

Mondo Cable Cardi
Yarn Cascade 220
Made April-August 2010

V-Necked Raglan
based on Barbara Walkers Top Down Raglan
Cascade 220

Monkey Socks

Zarzuela's Fiber Shiny Sock
October-December 2010
Sadly I wore these so much this winter that I blew out the heels in a few months. Got to remember to reinforce!

Laurel's Sweater
My standard baby sweater pattern based on
Barbara Walkers top down raglan
Yarns I hand dyed
January 2011

Twin Sweaters
also based on Barbara Walker's Top Down Raglan
Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy
February and March 2011 and of course already outgrown

Revival?

2011-06-24T08:44:00.003-04:00

I'm feeling the urge to blog again more regularly. I don't know if it will actually happen, but I'm giving it a go. I've got several posts in my head. It's just a matter of choosing the blog over playing Words With Friends. I'd love a comment so I know who might still be reading!

Going to start with a kid update for today

The little guys turned 1 last month!

First present

First sugar

They are both walking now, still wobbly, but making progress. Everyone keeps telling me how hard it will be once they are more mobile, but really it just keeps them from being frustrated about being left behind. It's not like they couldn't go anywhere crawling and pretty fast too.

The big kid helped me make cookie dough to get ready for the studio tour. We had to bake a few before freezing the rest! He's doing the summer program at the Montessori school and really loving it.

New Video

2011-05-03T10:42:00.001-04:00

At least the boys can entertain themselves!

Spring Break

2011-04-23T10:42:00.003-04:00

After asking for the 10,000 time if he was going to school tomorrow the big kid finally decided to enjoy his spring break. He spent some time with Grankat and Grampa Mike at Wildacres and we went to feed baby goats again at Mountain Farm.

This picture is from the first time we went several weeks ago. The goats are about twice as big now and we fed from outside the fence to keep the rowdy pack from bowling us all over.

The little two liked it just as much and find goats almost as cool as they do small dogs. Lots of giggling and finger nibbling. I'm sure there would have been some nibbling in return if we'd let them close enough.

Quick

2010-07-02T14:46:00.002-04:00

John Cusack impression

Both sleeping at the same time!

Meet Martin
Martin needed a home, we did not need another pony, so of course we took him. He's off at boarding school for a couple of weeks and doing great! This was yesterday, my first time on him.

I hope to ride him again next week before he goes home to Wildacres to live with Skunk.

TWO Baby Borthers

2010-05-19T21:01:00.003-04:00

We've got one really excited big brother around here!

The boys are here!
Born on Monday Morning May 17 at Spruce Pine Hospital
The first was 5 pounds 10 ounces
and the second was 4 pounds 15 ounces
Both are doing great and we got home this afternoon
We have to wait for tests to know if they are identical,
but they are pretty hard to tell apart especially as they gain some weight.

No catching up now!

2010-03-26T15:18:00.003-04:00

It's been almost 5 months since I've posted. It's not like I haven't spent way too much time parked in front of this computer, or that there has been nothing to say. I guess I'd just rather read blogs than write them. Besides, I haven't finished much knitting and haven't photographed what I have.
So a life update instead.

Like most of the east coast we got lots of snow the week before Christmas that didn't all melt until last week.

After two years of resisting, the boy finally decided on his own that he'd like to ride a horse.

And of course the big news, two more boys will be joining our family in the next 10 weeks or so!

This picture is almost a month old! I'm even bigger now. So yeah, I've been a bit distracted and busy.

New Color

2009-10-11T17:32:00.004-04:00

I've fired three loads of pots in the last couple of weeks, and have spent lots of time sorting, packing, shipping, and delivering. There's fresh pots at Toe River Crafts, both TRAC galleries, Deep Water Pottery in Ocracoke, Gallery of the Mountains at the Grove Park Inn, and as of yesterday Boone's Creek Pottery in Johnson City. Whew

I've been working on a new glaze combination. It's the same base as my dark blue glaze with a cobalt accent. I haven't managed to take any 'good' pictures of it. And it's the hardest color I've ever encountered to get accurate. So I hope you'll excuse these quick snap shots.

For now I'm not planning to put this in any of the shops, so you'll have to get in touch with me if you'd like to add this color to your collection. Maybe in the spring if I can get enough in inventory it will show up at Toe River Crafts.

October

2009-10-11T17:17:00.002-04:00

We were all standing in the yard a few minutes ago and happened to look up. This rainbow was directly over our heads! I've never seen anything like it. There was a little haze beside it, but for the most part the sky is clear this afternoon.

I actually got a few shots of the boy since there was other things to pay attention to other than grabbing for the camera.

And I finally got a shot of my latest finished knit. Top down without a pattern, I just tried it on a million times as I went. It's made of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. My hands didn't like the cotton yarn at all, and I would have finished it a month sooner if it didn't make my hurt for a week any time I worked on it for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Fall in the Air

2009-09-03T09:29:00.003-04:00

It's gotten quite cool this week here in the mountains. It's nice, but I'm not sure I'm ready for summer to be over. With all the rain we haven't had nearly as much time in the river that we did last year. One afternoon we made do with the hose and a leaky swimming pool.

Since he was climbing out 10 times a day we converted the crib to a bed. It went ok for a couple of weeks, but now we're having nightly battles to get him to sleep. Nap time isn't great either, but I just let him play in his room until he falls asleep in the floor most days.
Preschool started back this week and with the extra activity and routine we're hoping that things get settled soon.

We did add a rail after the picture was taken, he fell out twice the first night!

I forgot to take a picture of this baby knit until after it was unwrapped at the shower. But at least it's been documented.

And the recipient arrived last week
Congratulations to high school friends Beth and Corey

And also to Celo friends Annie and Jared who had a very stubborn little girl on Tuesday over a week overdue!

In the pottery world I'm fighting the looming deadlines. I have a large gallery order and lots of smaller special pieces due in a couple of weeks, not to mention no inventory here or at my consignment galleries. But with the boy back at school, it finally looks possible that I will meet my goals. Off to get started for the day.

Two!

2009-07-05T08:38:00.003-04:00

The boy had his second birthday this week. We had a party with most of his grandparents, and all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. He really enjoyed the frosting, but neglected the carrot cake after that.

He got his own table and chairs, giving him yet another way to be higher. So far it hasn't occurred to him to move the chairs to other locations for climbing. We're not mentioning it!

I can finally reveal some baby knitting since the shower is in a few hours.

Sarah, if you happen to be reading blogs instead of playing with your family, move on now.

Oliver will be the best dressed baby in NC!

My own combination of the Child's Placket Neck Pullover and Barbara Walkers Top Down Raglan. Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in an unknown colorway.
Most fabulous yarn ever!

And every baby deserves some hand knit socks right from the beginning. Yarn on the left is my own hand dyed in Koi, on the right Interlacements Tiny Toes.

Studio Tour Time Again!

2009-06-09T21:21:00.002-04:00

Toe River Studio Tour
Spring '09 edition

June 12, 12-4pm
June 13-14, 10am-6pm

In the last two weeks, I've fired off three loads of pots. A new record for me! Most of the first load is already out the door for orders, but for once I really feel like I have enough for the tour. Usually I have a few mugs in each color, this time I fired 90 in all! Yikes! I also have three nesting bowl sets, another batch of soup mugs and plenty of ice cream bowls.

The tour is always lots of fun, I love seeing friends and returning customers as well as new faces. Mom and I have collaborated on a handful of new pieces, Lucas will be joining us with his iron, and Matt Willig is coming again with his fabulous jewelry.

And if there's anything left, the next weekend I'll be exhibiting at the 4th annual
Mountain Farm Lavender Festival
June 20-21, 10am-5pm
Visit their site for all the details.
I volunteered in their shop last year and had a great time. I couldn't believe how many people came, so I decided I needed to dust off the traveling booth and take pots for this year.

His favorite cup this week made by my friend Claudia

Baby Knits- One Down....

2009-05-18T14:41:00.003-04:00

I've got several babies to knit for all arriving late this summer. I had never made the famous Baby Surprise Jacket, so this was my chance. This is yarn I dyed myself last year and have never gotten around to making socks from it. I love how it worked for this. Every time I hit an orange spot it made me smile.

I started before anyone knew the gender thinking it could go either way, but now that it's finished, I'm leaning toward girl with some flowery buttons.
That was confirmed when the smallest member of the household offered to model it this morning. He's only about 20 months and 15 lbs too big.

Swatching now for the next sweater. It's Oliver's turn next!

Little of everything!

2009-05-11T14:29:00.002-04:00

Someone's been enjoying the second generation toys this week. My Grandpa made this bank for me. The date on the bottom is 1985, and he made one for each of my cousins that year. The boy managed to get it off the top of the dresser and has been pushing it around the house all week.

A family record for most food on one's face and head in one meal.

I finished a pair of socks. These were the second round of the Sock Madness competition. Some pairs were done in a day, mine took a month. But they will be so warm next winter!

Tokena socks
Purple is Knitpicks Essential
Blue is my own hand dyed

There's also been some cooking. We found strawberries this weekend on a visit to Marion, so we made three batches of strawberry jelly. We also had a batch of grape juice in the freezer from last fall so while we were at it we did a batch of grape too.

And finally, I made Chocolate Eclairs for this month's Java Jam. Looks like I'll have to make them again in July, they were popular. They were pretty amazing, we each had to sample of course.

Some New Pots

2009-04-22T13:42:00.002-04:00

I've spent some time this winter working on a few new forms. One of the most requested items is soup mugs. I have a few in my cabinet that are 10 years old and we use them all the time, so it was time to try them again.

I have 10 of these large ones. They are about 20 oz
There is also a batch that are not glazed and fired yet that are just a bit smaller,
I'm guessing they will end up around 16 oz.

The next thing is tumblers. I had a request for some large tumblers and I tried out a few shapes. Here are a couple. These are also around 20 oz.

These Brown and Green ones are slightly flared and drink well and though they are too big for my small hands Kevin likes them.

And the dark blue ones with a bit of a curve.

I'm planning to keep working on these forms and have even more before the studio tour. If you are interested in any of these shown here or in the yet unglazed soup mugs let me know and I can set them aside for you.

I also have a dinnerware set ready to be glazed! If you've been thinking about dinnerware here's your chance with no wait list. Get in touch for more details.

Fire on the Mountain

2009-04-22T13:33:00.002-04:00

Spruce Pine's annual Blacksmith Festival is this Saturday from 10-4.
Lucas will be exhibiting and demonstrating.
The rest of us should be there around lunch time.

There is an exhibit of iron work at the TRAC Gallery on Upper Street as well.
Reception is Friday night 5-8.

Wheel with a view

2009-04-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

We had a couple of crazy weather days with sun to rain in a matter of seconds. Made for a great rainbow. I just wish you could see the lilacs in the foreground.

Kevin and I celebrated our 9th anniversary last week with blueberry pancakes. The smallest member of our family really loves blueberries.

I got knocked out in the second round of the Sock Madness competition. This is the Tokena pattern. It took a full two weeks for all the brackets to fill, but this is as far as I got on both socks. I have since turned the heel and added about an inch on one. I'm skipping round 3, but maybe I'll be done with these and ready to knit along with round 4.

But Wait, Wait there's more!

2009-03-27T10:26:00.003-04:00

I finished up a long overdue pair of socks last week. These are the Slippin Stripping socks from last year's Sock Madness competition. They are the third round socks and of course the round I got knocked out on. They are knit with double strands of laceweight yarn from Tess' Designer Yarns. No self stripping for us.

Slippin' Strippin socks

I was anxious to finish them up and free up some needles since Sock Madness 3 was beginning. Last Thursday morning the round 1 pattern arrived in my email. I finished the pair this Thursday evening. One week and half a day. Not bad around here since I spend much of my knitting time standing at the dining room table watching to be sure the kid doesn't jump off something.

Tropical Mer-tini socks
Mama E C*eye*ber Fiber Sock

And finally-
But Wait, Wait there's more!
I'll be a contestant on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on NPR this weekend!
I'm only a little nervous.
OK since it was taped last night I'm only a little nervous to hear it on air, last night I was a lot nervous.

6 Week Sweater

2009-03-08T20:42:00.004-04:00

It only took 6 weeks to knit, but then it took another 3 to actually get around to taking a photo. I have a sweater idea in my head, I've searched for the right pattern for a few months without finding just the right one. Then Christi posted a finished sweater at the beginning of the year that seemed to fit the bill. It's more of a theory than a pattern, and it has it's own book. Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. I ordered it the day I saw Christi's sweater and started my sweater the day the book arrived.

I did the V neck version with a seed stitch border around neck, cuffs and hem.
Yarn is Karabella Aurora 8 Space Dyed
bought on sale last summer at Yummi Yarns.

It's not quite THE sweater I've been thinking of, but it's a good start and I've already worn it many times. Next up, I'm going to refine the pattern a bit and try again.
This time in Cascade 220 Heathers, the color is Mystic Purple.
I got this in the mail from The Loopy Ewe yesterday. It was so hard to choose a color, they sell all 200+ colors of Cascade!

Swimming

2009-03-07T20:45:00.003-05:00

We had our first swimming lesson today. It was fun! The boy woke up cranky and didn't get over it until the class was almost over, but after it was over we did hang around and splash a while.

Before and ....

2009-03-06T11:37:00.003-05:00

Before.....

After

Individual shots later, I've got my 'photo studio' all set up, but I will have to wait until after dark to actually take the shots. There's just too many windows in my showroom.
It was a good load over all. And I've got another ready to go as soon as I can get a few more pots glazed.

Snow!

2009-03-02T20:46:00.002-05:00

We finally got some real snow around here, around 4 inches here at our house, though amounts vary widely around the area. It got warm enough in the afternoon to melt off the sunny spots on the driveway and completely melt off our cars before freezing solid again by 4:00.

Helping gather the snow for snowcream

Boys in Blue

The snowcream was a little cold for him. He made this face for every bite then begged for more.

What is snow cream? you ask

I started to describe it in detail before remembering that in fact I've done it before. Check this old post for all the details.

Piles

2009-02-27T13:55:00.004-05:00

When most people say that they work is piling up, they don't mean it literally. Most years after the tour in December I have taken a break for the rest of the month and I get back to work refreshed in January.
This year I didn't take that break since my work time is so scarce anyway. I started throwing again and I haven't stopped. I had lots on my to-do list and more keep coming up. Also the transition from throwing to glazing and firing takes some time for me both mentally and actually. And there are kiln issues and glaze tests that I've been putting off. It's much easier to just keep throwing. After two months of that, the pots are piling up!

Serving bowls and dinnerware

Everything else, mugs, bowls, pump bottles, baking dishes

Tubs of glaze tests and a bowl of bisqued tiles to put them on

Soup mugs and more bowls

And of course there's been knitting! There seems to be another baby boom this spring and again in September, so I always have a pair of baby socks in progress.

This is a pair I've been working on since last fall. They were my travel and tv knitting, so they've been slow going. The pattern is Jaywalker and the yarn is Lorna's Laces in the Grumperina colorway.

Enjoying breakfast right down to the bowl

And of course I can't quit without a kid picture! We spent a couple of days in Charlotte visiting the Grandparents. It was lots of fun, but none of us got enough sleep since one of us decided to get up at 5:30 am.

Riding Lesson

2009-02-01T15:35:00.003-05:00

I think by the time I was this old I was probably steering by myself, but we got a late start.

He was not very comfortable and didn't want to let go and turn to face front, but he did relax enough to smile.

And he really enjoyed patting the horses, he wasn't scared at all from the ground. He also took advantage of all the other great things at the barn, a cat that didn't run when he wanted to pet it, the boot scraper to clean off the mud, and maybe his favorite, of course, the 4-wheeler.

Lounging

I made these new slippers for him this week, his old ones were starting to be too tight in the toes. These are a bit huge and should last a while.

They are the Alpine Boots from Fiber Trends made with Cascade 220 left over from Kevin's clogs.
A little puff paint on the bottoms to keep them from being too slippery in the kitchen.

Catching up

2009-01-19T12:59:00.003-05:00

Lots of catching up to do!
I didn't take many pictures over the holidays, too much else to do! We had a great time, lots of packing and driving. We slept in three different beds in three nights. But it was worth it to see all the family.

We continued the window replacement with a little help, the toy hammer had to disappear after that. He just can't understand that this window is finished.

He learned to put on his 'hat' by himself and he knows how cute he is when he does it.

He did a little exploring of my desk

All in all we were all glad when preschool started back up after the holiday break!

It's been below freezing for most of the week with 3 on the thermometer two mornings when we got up. The river is frozen over in the slow parts. Here is Kevin testing out the beaver pond just downstream from our house.

I've got several knitting projects going, but I haven't finished anything, and none of the in progress stuff turned out to be very photogenic.
I did make a square for a charity afghan project at my local yarn store. It was a good excuse to play with some cables.

Growth Spurt????

2008-12-23T13:51:00.002-05:00

There's a new attitude about meals around here in the last few days. It's a little like hobbit meals. First Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevensies, Lunch, Bottle for Nap, Afternoon Snack, Tea, Supper, Dinner, Bed time Snack......And then all the snacks in between!
We just can't seem to fill him up! I'm expecting him to grow out of all his clothes in the next few days. Probably while we're traveling.

Before and After

2008-12-22T13:31:00.003-05:00

There is a one kid movement afoot in our house. It started with 'I can feed myself' and quickly shifted into 'I don't need a spoon'. Today it centered on 'feed me now'. He started eating when he got up this morning and didn't stop until I put him down for his nap.

Here he's spreading oatmeal in his hair in anticipation of his first real haircut. I did such a slack job on his bangs last week that I decided it was time to go for the whole thing.

before

after

He did really well, he sat still in the chair for a very long time though he looked in every direction the whole time. It's a big place with lots going on after all.

I didn't get the cabinet closed yesterday and it was discovered, of course. He spent over 15 minutes hiding out in there playing with the pots and pans.

I finished some knitting. This is the Ribbon Lace Scarf from Knitty.com. I was worried about having enough yarn, so I made it a repeat narrow than the pattern. Then I bought an extra skein after all. It's about 7 feet long now that I've pinned it out.

Then I decided to make Kevin a pair of felted clogs. I started with the largest size, but after hearing some felting stories I started over with the medium. I think they'll work well. I also made a pair for Mom for her birthday. They are very pretty but turned out about an inch too long so I don't know how much she'll wear them.

The sunrise on Saturday from our front porch

Was there a contest?

2008-12-12T08:55:00.004-05:00

So seems like I had a contest running, I finally remembered. Random number generator picks Alison of Alianne Knits.

I haven't taken many pictures lately, but here's my favorite from the last couple of weeks. I have since butchered his bangs with another trim.

Etsy Update

2008-12-12T08:49:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to let you know that I've updated my Etsy shop. I've added yarn bowls, whisk bowls, and mugs. There's still a couple of days to get items shipped to the west coast, and almost a week to get items out to the east coast.
http://www.potterknitter.etsy.com

Bump

2008-11-22T16:08:00.002-05:00

Last week I thought how unfair it was to have a contest and then not post again. But then before I got to it, I hit a bit of a bump in the road.
Monday morning I woke up with food poisoning. Tuesday night I checked into the emergency room and had my appendix out early Wednesday morning. So much for the food poisoning self- diagnosis. Because of large amounts of infection and the compromise of some other organs that I'd like to keep, they kept me there until this morning on IV antibiotics. But I'm home now! I cannot pick up more than 15 pounds for a month, but I hope I'm finally on the mend.

Halloween

2008-11-02T19:37:00.002-05:00

On Friday night Celo hosted the annual Halloween party for kids of all ages. It began with a hayride which stopped at about 6 houses for trick or treating. Then a chili dinner at the community center. There were a couple of dozen kids in and around the wagon and twice as many adults following along.

The boy couldn't really decide if he was having a good time or not. He liked the sound of the tractor, but mostly he just sat quietly and watched everything going on around him. He did better with the costume than we'd expected, he's gotten used to wearing a hat lately.

After many years of being called Kevin House it had to be a costume. Maybe he should have changed HIS name when we got married!

We had some special visitors join us for the fun!

In the background you can get a glimpse of the famous pumpkins. Over 100 pumpkins are carved and line both sides of the bridge over the river for the evening. A crew keeps them lit and monitors the huge crowds that come to see them. It's great fun. I didn't get a good picture of them, but if someone else posts one I'll link it up.

November Contest

2008-11-02T19:27:00.002-05:00

November- it's kind of an in between month around here. Wildacres has closed as of today. The crazy of October is over, Holidays are still far away enough to be ignored. It's one of my busiest times in the studio as I get ready for the tour, but there's very few entries on the calendar so far. Good time for a contest right?

I've had this blog for over two years, I'm pretty impressed with that. It's been lots of fun, and through my blog writing and reading I've met some pretty neat people. But it's a strange feeling not really knowing who's out there reading. There are about 6 people that I know are regulars but I have no idea who's just here occasionally, or who pops in just when I send out a newsletter to my pottery mailing list. Hence the contest.

Leave a comment to any post written in the month of November and I'll put your name in the hat for one of my mugs, your choice of color.

If you don't get a response to your comments, it's because you are set to no-reply and blogger won't give up your email address. I'd love to be able to reply to every one!

Studio Past

2008-11-02T15:31:00.002-05:00

Another potter and blogger Michael Kline posted a before and after shot of his studio in progress this week. It made me remember this shot we took of my studio in progress. That's my wheel on the left with the cardboard box and the tupperware with the green lid. The mirror was taped to the front so that I could see what I was working on. You can't really see much else in this shot, but believe me, it was all this full of crap. But I had to get some pots made anyway, so I did. I'm so glad it didn't last long. Only two years!

Snow!

2008-10-29T14:00:00.004-04:00

We had our first snow yesterday morning. I didn't expect more than flurries, but we had a good dusting on the ground and it kept up all morning. Did I take pictures? Of course not. If you really want to see, here's one!

We had a good visit with my grandparents in the last two days. I wish we could have spent more time with them at Wildacres, but the boy got to bed way too late as it was. We slept in this morning and went late to preschool. Again, did I take pictures? Want to see one anyway?

I've been making lots of pots (you'll have to go back on your own for those pictures) to prepare for the
Toe River Studio Tour coming up December 6-7.

And since I couldn't end without a picture.

No one eats in peace around here any more. Even when he's had his own breakfast he has to check out what we're having.

A shot to show off the mouthful of teeth

Rogue Finished!

2008-10-18T13:59:00.003-04:00

I finally finished my Rogue Hoodie a few weeks ago. I started it in August of '07! In the spring I was four rows from the finish when I discovered that one arm was 4 inches longer than the other. So, I put it away for the summer and just pulled it back out a few weeks ago. I'm very glad to be done with it, and I've gotten to wear it twice already.

Rogue Hooded Pullover
Malabrigo worsted

And a kiddo picture just to keep my grandmother coming back! We had black beans for lunch, can you tell?

Some of everything

2008-10-14T20:09:00.003-04:00

I had no idea it had been a month since I'd posted. Lots of catching up to do. For this one, walking is mastered and now it's all about climbing. We've moved the lamp, we're starting to learn to push in the dining room chairs after finding him on the table, and everything has been moved back from the edges of the desk and tables.

There has been lots of knitting. I finished a pair of socks. I'd been working on these mostly in the car for several months. The yarn is a cotton/wool blend that I was given for my birthday this year. I've also finished my Rogue sweater! But there's no pictures yet. I really like it, but it's not perfect. That probably means I'll wear it more often and not worry about it getting worn.

I fired two kiln loads of pots last week. With help from local potter and kiln guru John Britt I had the best firings in a couple of years. About half the pots are already gone, I'm caught up on smaller orders, the galleries are restocked and I've had some sales in the last week. Just enough that I have a good display left in the studio and just enough that I'm motivated to get started throwing again. I'll firing again around Thanksgiving to be ready for the Toe River Studio Tour the first weekend of December.

I did a demo and talk for a group at Wildacres today. It was lots of fun. They were very interested and had lots of good questions. Then they bought pots!

And finally, just for kicks, a sight that I never thought I'd see again.
I have mixed feelings.

Registered to Vote?? It's not to late, at least here in NC.

Walking

2008-09-15T09:47:00.003-04:00

This weekend the boy decided that walking was the preferred method of transportation!
It sure keeps him occupied.

With some help from Mom and Dad, Kevin and I managed to make 8 gallons of spaghetti sauce yesterday. We really missed not having any last year. Now we should be set for a while.

Preschool!

2008-09-05T15:09:00.004-04:00

First day of school.

On Wednesday the boy had his first day of preschool. He didn't have much to tell us about it, but I think he had a great time. He'll go two mornings a week for 4 hours. They spend most of the day outside on the playground and taking walks through the neighborhood. The kids range from 1-5 and everyone does everything together so there's lots of interaction. I'm sure he'll be following right along in no time.

A few months ago I made a promise to myself to make teapots on the first day he was there. They just require too much time and focus to do at nap time. I threw 8 and I've managed to get half finished and the other half are trimmed and just need to be assembled.

Then on Wednesday evening we went to Wildacres for dinner. That's my parents on the left and Dad's parents and sister on the right. We try to get in as many visits as possible, but a two hour drive makes for fewer than we'd like.

Sun and Sand

2008-09-05T15:02:00.002-04:00

We spent a week at Carolina Beach

Waves were enjoyed

Walking in the sand was pretty cool

Digging in the sand was even cooler

The pool was downright cold, but not as bad as the river

And when it was too windy for the pool, a pan of water on the porch was just as much fun

Teeth

2008-08-19T21:34:00.002-04:00

I've been watching for teeth the last few days, he's been a little fussy and feverish a couple of times. Number 4 on the bottom is close to the surface. This morning I stuck my finger in since he won't let me look anymore. Instead of the front tooth I found a molar! He certainly is an easy going kid.

Two for One

2008-08-08T11:29:00.002-04:00

Two posts in one week! As promised another finished knit. I started this sweater in March, but there was not much motivation to finish it in the heat of the summer.

By the time he needs it, I think it might even fit. It's big enough that it should last at least until next spring. The pattern is the Child's Placket Neck Sweater.
This is the third one I've made so far and probably won't be the last. I dyed the yarn myself too. I love kettle dyeing, there is so much variation in the color without it being busy.

In the pottery world, it seems to be the summer of the berry bowl. (They are upside down here) All the galleries are selling them as fast as I can get them in. I've got 18 regular ones for the next firing. There are a few smaller ones in the picture, a special request from Janice. And of course when I need one I always make 3.

I just like the way mugs look all lined up in a row. When they are dry but haven't been fired they are very soft in look and feel. Both shelves looked even more impressive, but there is a big batch cooling in the bisque kiln. It will still be several weeks before I have enough pots for the big kiln and the final glaze firing.

Haircut

2008-08-06T10:56:00.002-04:00

Since his bangs were hanging below his eyes we had to break down and have a little trim. Kevin's only request was that it didn't look like I'd used a bowl. It wasn't my greatest achievement, but not bad for the first time. I'll do better next time.

He now has 7 teeth and he's taken a few steps on his own. As soon as he figures out how fast he can go, he'll be walking all the time. Climbing is the new favorite activity. Couch, hearth, rocking chair, stairs, anything he can get up onto and hang off the side of.

I finished my Misfit Lite socks!

I've got several projects almost done, so maybe there will be a few more knit posts in the next couple of weeks.

Misfit

2008-07-21T12:16:00.005-04:00

It's been hard to get any computer time lately and when I do. I've been working on getting a pattern written up and published! Check it out.

Misfit Socks

Pattern available Here!
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy from The Loopy Ewe
Color: Lunar Zazzle

Everyone in the house is thrilled,
or maybe it's just the watermelon.

Misfit Lite

2008-07-21T12:10:00.003-04:00

So really there's been two patterns.
Several of my test knitters requested a lighter version of the Misfit Socks.
So, I present Misfit Lite!

Pattern: available Here
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarn Super Socks & Baby

Birthday!!!

2008-06-30T16:08:00.005-04:00

We all survived the first year! Better than we could have expected. We have one great kid. He sleeps, he eats, he usually has a good reason when he cries. We've become parents. Before he was born Kevin would NOT hold a baby. Saturday evening he was handed a 5 week old and he didn't panic, he even had a conversation with the little one. Now that's a changed man!

On Saturday we had a big community party with another of the babies who had a birthday this week.

Then Sunday we had a family party with the good stuff.

His first taste of sugar! Dove right in face first. He wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I had expected, but he was so full from a huge lunch that I can't blame him. He did really like the bite of ice cream I gave him later.

Etsy Update

2008-06-17T11:19:00.001-04:00

I just posted a new batch of Yarn Bowls to my Etsy shop!
http://www.potterknitter.etsy.com

Life as normal

2008-06-15T21:59:00.003-04:00

The tour is over for another round and now life can get back to normal. Or at least as normal as it ever gets. We had a great weekend and lots of fun hanging out in the studio with family and friends. The traffic was great on Saturday despite the heavy rain most of the afternoon and enough on Sunday that we didn't drive ourselves crazy. The tour got some good national press this time and we had visitors from all over the East, even some who flew in for the weekend. Yeah! to the PR committee!

In the most important family news, my brother Lucas and Elaine have finally gotten engaged! We've all been nagging him for years to get on with it.

With a deadline for motivation, we finally got the quilt square hung. More details when I can take a better picture, or at least one without Kevin's truck and ladder.

In baby news, we've got a climber! Stairs, hills, people. He thinks this table was made for him with the shelf underneath.

I finished Kevin's socks this evening just in time for his first Father's day.

The week to come consists of getting to bed on time, packing up lots of pots for galleries and delivering some, finishing a few knitting projects, getting my car worked on, haircut, and maybe even getting back to the studio. Sounds relaxing after last week.

Mosaic

2008-06-11T19:34:00.002-04:00

So this is a Meme that I came across on Hillary's blog today, it seemed like fun so I tried it out.

The Concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image. ( I used the first image each time)
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Sarah
2. What is your favorite food? Chocolate
3. What high school did you go to? Mitchell
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Bono
6. Favorite drink? Hot Chocolate
7. Dream vacation? Cascades
8. Favorite dessert? cookies
9. What you want to be when you grow up? potter
10. What do you love most in life? K and K
11. One Word to describe you. Procrastinator
12. Your flickr name. Potterknitter

New Home

2008-06-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

Maybe you've noticed? I moved my blog to a new domain name. Kevin went to bed early Sunday night and I did it on the spur of the moment. So from now on find me at Potterknitter.com
I hope those of you subscribed somewhere find me!

Wow, Really?

2008-05-22T10:07:00.004-04:00

Yes, it is really a post about pottery! I opened up the kiln this morning. I haven't gotten too far into it, but so far it looks like a pretty good firing. There are several special orders inside, and a few things will be going to Toe River Crafts, but mostly these pots are for the Studio Tour.

From the left side, dog included for scale.

And from the right, the color is a little better in this shot.

And speaking of the Studio Tour... It's coming right up. Much too soon for some of us.
June 14-15
The maps are now available all around the area and can be viewed online.
Go here for a link to the map.

Here's a boy who knows the one thing in the room that he's not supposed to play with. But the computer keyboard is the new favorite toy. It makes all the cool clicking sounds after all.

He still can't decide if he should be mad or sad when he tumbles. Mostly he just gets up as if nothing has happened.

In Jail

2008-05-18T16:57:00.005-04:00

We got a new gate to keep the boy out of the dog food and shoes. He thinks we did it just to give him a place to stand.

No knitting content this week (month). I've been working on a big project that will have to wait until it's done. My sweater is in time out until fall I suspect. I was four rows from the end when I realized that my gauge had changed drastically and one arm was 2 inches longer than the other. I've got several socks going, but they're not all that interesting at the moment.

In pottery news, I'm finally ready to fire a kiln. It's loaded and ready to go. It's only 4 weeks until the studio tour and I've got another load to try to get in before then. We'll see if I can manage that in my 10 hours of work time per week.

I planted this flower bed based on past experience of how far apart to place things. Not sure what it is about this spot, but every plant is twice the size I expected. The Columbine are in full bloom, way in the back and the same color is False Indigo, the Bleeding Heart are almost done right in the middle and the red leaves in the front are Coral Bells. There's and Easter Lily in there too that hasn't bloomed yet and some Dianthis as well that might be able to poke through.

Raising the Bar

2008-04-24T10:23:00.005-04:00

Just when we thought we'd baby proofed for the crawling person.... He raises the bar. Last week he started pulling up on my when I was sitting on the floor and had even gotten all the way to his feet a few times. But this morning I looked over to see this....

Somehow I haven't had much knitting time this week. Go figure. But I did finish this pair on the way to Asheville last Saturday.

Pattern: Reversai from Sock Madness 2
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock
Color: Sand Ridge

Crawling away

2008-04-14T11:10:00.003-04:00

When there's something to aim for he's off and crawling. But for casual moving around the house, he still prefers the rambling rolling sitting wiggling method that he's been using for a couple of weeks. Anything that's 8 inches off the ground has to be tasted on the way by. He's still not quick to pick something up and put it in his mouth, but fixed objects are a different story. Tooth number 5 is close to popping through, this one has taken forever.

He learned to clap last week. Good thing since it entertained him for most of the car trip to Charlotte last weekend.

He's helped with the knitting some.

I'm almost finished with my Reversai socks, but of course I had to cast on the next Sock Madness pattern!

I have so many projects on the needles. It's a little crazy. 4 pairs of socks and 2 sweaters on my active list.

9 Months

2008-03-29T10:43:00.004-04:00

The boy is 9 months old today. Longer on the outside than in. It's hard to remember the early parts lots of days, it's fun to browse through the pictures. He's changed so much. He eats like a champ though this piece of asparagus was way more fun as a microphone. He cleans up every bite of his bowl of food then cries when we show him the empty bowl. He drinks out of a cup, but only with one of us holding it very tightly. He's starting to get the hang of a 'sippy' cup on his own.

Crawling will happen any time now. He's been doing all the yoga moves to prepare.

Cobra

Downward Dog

No idea what you'd call this one....

He's got the knees part down and he rocks back and forth, but his hands are firmly planted when he's on his knees. Sooner or later he gives up and just rolls where he wants to go.

We also figured out the solution to a two fold problem in our house. Keeping him happy and the dog out of the kitchen while dinner is preparing. Just let them take care of each other.

We're off to Charlotte next weekend to visit as much of the family as we can cram into three days.
Hey Gramma..... how about a field trip next Saturday??

Zombies!

2008-03-18T20:54:00.004-04:00

I finished them!
Sock Madness Zombies
Knitting Notions Supersock Yarn Lilac
Started Thursday March 13 2:00pm
Finished Tuesday March 18 8:40 pm
As of 9:00 this morning there were 9 slots left in my division.
I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if I made it in time.

Quilt Trail

2008-03-17T14:13:00.002-04:00

There is a project to put huge painted quilt squares on buildings around the area. You can find these is several parts of the country, but Western NC has a huge number. The arts council began the project locally while I was on the board and it has since spun off into it's own group.
Visit their website www.quilttrailswnc.org
Be sure to click the link for Mitchell/Yancey county.
The quilts are set up on driving routes and there are many blocks going up at artist studios.
I've been working on mine this week, I've got the first three colors painted. My block is 2' X 2'. We modified a traditional block depicting a butterfly bush.

Here's mine as of this morning. (The dark blue is tape) Yet to come is the green leaves and dark purple background.

I'm pretty excited about the project and I hope to paint a few more. If you're in the area and would like to paint they have a great facility set up at the high school, so you don't even have to have the space at home.

Madness I Tell You

2008-03-17T14:00:00.002-04:00

On Thursday the Madness began again.
Sock Madness 2
Inspired by the college basketball tournament a pattern is released and hordes of crazy knitters race to be the first to finish. Or in the case of this first round be one of the first 40 in your division.
This pattern came to my email around 2 last Thursday. I finished the first sock early Saturday morning. I finished the second heel this morning before discovering that I was one repeat short and pulled it back out again.
You can visit the flickr group and see all the finished pairs and lots of socks in progress.

Zombie Socks
Knitting Notions Supersock- Lilac

This makes me happy!

Baby picture of the week!

Highspeed!

2008-03-09T21:52:00.004-04:00

After 4 months of really bad internet connections I finally gave in to corporate US and signed up for DSL. Weeeeeee! It's maybe not as fast as I expected, but after dialup anything is an improvement.

But it's hurting my current computer knitting project. I usually keep one project here to work on while things load. But a preview.

My first real design project and I LOVE the yarn.
Dream in Color -Classy
Color-Lunar Zazzle
Purchased from The Loopy Ewe

And of course because some of you couldn't care less what I'm knitting!

The fourth tooth popped out yesterday.

Almost Crawling

2008-02-29T10:59:00.006-05:00

The boy is spending most of his time on his belly these days and pushing up on his hands. He rocks and moves his hips but mostly only scoots backwards. I don't think he's noticed yet. We've started organizing the house in anticipation of real progress. It's a busy time of year and he can socialize right along with us. Dance parties, birthdays, music jams, cheesecake bake offs, and knitting groups. He's slept at them all. We've seen lots of the other babies in the neighborhood lately.

And I finished one of the longest running projects ever! I've been carrying these socks with me for months. I'm so glad to have them finished.

Pattern: Jaywalker socks
Yarn: Knitpicks Felici color-Hummingbird

Rolling!

2008-01-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

And I finished a project too. These socks were my holiday travel knitting.

Yarn-Dream in Color Classy, size 2 needles
Pattern is improvised, four stitch cables alternating 4 and 6 rows between twists.
It's really nice to make socks with worsted weight yarn, they go so quickly!
Little Sky Sock from Cat Bordhi's
New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Yarn is some of my own hand dyed

I love this book so far, it's fun to do something different and the techniques are so logical. The second sock is almost done and they'll fit the boy fine.

6+ months

2008-01-11T13:34:00.001-05:00

We just got home from our 6 month doctor visit. He of course flirted with everyone in the office and made them feel really guilty at having to give him shots and make him cry.

Wearing his Dad's new hat

Since his last visit he's grown two inches and almost two pounds! He's still napping much less, but he's been happy in the studio watching me work from his stroller a little too. He's eating a few foods. Cereal of course and also pears, squash, and carrots so far. I'll probably add in a few more things in the next week, time for something green I think. The first bite of anything generates a face as if I've just fed him poison.

And as I was sitting here writing he got fussy, when I turned around he had rolled over for the very first time! Yipee!

With his great-grand Papaw over Christmas

Yeah, yeah

2007-12-27T09:48:00.001-05:00

So, yeah, it's been a while. Call it the usual fall craziness, but throw in a good dose of bad internet connection too. It's hard to blog on dial up. We had another good studio tour again. I've enjoyed having some time off from the pottery work this month. Especially since someone has decided to nap much less during the day.

Who Me?

This was our Christmas card image. Thanks to his Aunt Elaine for the outfit.

There has been lots of gift knitting which I couldn't show anyway. I won a bag of yarn (10 balls of Berroco Lavish) in a contest from Amy. It was not something I could imagine using myself, so I vowed to use it all up for a gift. My aunt Patti won it in our gift exchange, and immediately perpetuated every stereotype about shawls.

I also knit a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves for Kevin's niece. More of these to come. This pair is made from one ball of Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora.

I'm working on several projects, one more gift with a deadline, a couple pairs of socks, and still my poor Rogue sweater that hasn't had a stitch added in at least 6 weeks. So hopefully after the last holiday knit is done, and the last celebration completed this weekend I can get in some more regular posts.

Time Change

2007-11-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one who HATES the time change? The sun wakes us up in the morning and it's dark before dinner. Let's just stay on Daylight savings all year.
Yeah, Ok I'm a little late, but I've had sketchy internet for over a week and I did start this post when it was a little more timely.

The boy is looking lots different these days. Lots of hair has fallen out, but what's left is really long. He's making lots of noises, often starting at 6am.

He's been practicing the rolling thing, but he hasn't quite gotten there yet. He still can't figure out how to get that bottom arm out of the way.

And finally I'm working on my Christmas presents. This is the first of a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves. I have since finished this pair and the first of a second.

It's pretty nice to do a few small projects, instant gratification.

Lucas

2007-10-23T14:17:00.001-04:00

My brother Lucas was featured in the Raleigh News and Observer this weekend!
Read the article here.

Busy Times

2007-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

First, I did promise some knitting content. I finished up my blue socks. They were a great traveling project and I did most of the second sock in the car at various times. And of course I had to do a matching pair, right?

Yarn: Interlacements Tiny Toes
Pattern: Toe up with Gusset from Wendy

Uncle Lucas and Aunt Elaine came to visit this weekend! It was great to have some extra hands at the Potters Market to help keep us all occupied on Sunday. The show went really well with lots of people and lots of sales.

3 months

2007-09-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

I didn't even know video was possible until tonight. How cool is this?

Knitting content in the next post, promise.

Mark your Calendars

2007-09-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

Mark your calendars for the 2nd annual

Spruce Pine Potters Market
October 13 and 14th

This was a great show last year and I'm really excited to be doing it again this year, take a look at the list of participants, it's an honor to have my name among some of the best known potters in North Carolina and beyond. I've been working as much as I can and will fire a fresh load of pots for the show.

Looking ahead, the studio tour is December 1-2 this year. I'll keep reminding you, don't worry. Lucas will be joining us again this time.

And because it's really all about one thing around here.

11 weeks old today
over 12lbs
smiling and just a little giggling
and lots of friends already even if none of them really know it yet

Making Faces

2007-08-26T16:26:00.001-04:00

Seven Weeks

2007-08-17T17:03:00.001-04:00

Seven weeks old today! We had our first official play date where the four babies completely ignored each other. Although there was one minor crying jag that broke out collectively. On the highly unscientific bathroom scale he's almost 12 pounds and has grown out of a few clothes already.

Progress Report

2007-08-10T10:45:00.000-04:00

Gotta start with a picture of course. Brandy came to visit this week from LA by way of Kentucky. You know a good friend who will not only wash your dishes but also is willing to hold a screaming gassy baby.

Sock progress!
I finished the Pomatomus Socks! Yarn I dyed in the Summer of Socks color. I followed the pattern right up until the toes. Then I continued the pattern all the way to the end. Don't you like the cardboard sock blockers I cut out last night for the photo shoot?

Also finished the first blue sock!

I will start my Rogue soon, but I couldn't resist this yarn from Knitpicks. Probably Jaywalkers since it's striping.

It's the new Felici yarn in the Hummingbird color.

What Else??

2007-08-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

Babies and Knitting what else have I got to talk about these days?

First of course a picture, taken today. The Monkey was a pre-birth Christmas present. We knew it would be bigger than the baby, but he's a month old and it's still huge! Things are going very well, he's a really happy baby most of the time.

Sock progress! This is the first picture of the blue socks that has come anywhere close to the real color.

I got a little distracted from the socks in the last couple of days. First I got that itch and had to start thinking about my next sweater project. Yesterday I downloaded Rogue (all 19 pages of it, Gulp!)and bought the yarn, hopefully I'll finish the Pomatomous socks while I wait for the right needles to arrive.

And second, I finally managed to open an Etsy store to sell my yarn.
Potterknitter.etsy.com
I've got 9 skeins listed at the moment, and also my yarn bowls are there. Pass the word!

July 18

2007-07-18T19:23:00.001-04:00

Today was my actual due date. I must say the lack of sleep and overall craziness of our lives is a great improvement over being very pregnant. K was 8lbs as of Monday, up from his birth weight of 6lbs 15oz. He definitely knows how to eat. Now if only I could predict when and how long it will take! As for sleeping, also very random. Yesterday he slept most of the day. Today he's been asleep about two hours since we got up this morning. I hope that's a good thing for our night. It didn't get much accomplished around here today. I had a few goals for today. Baths and nail clipping for both of us, this blog post, Wow, now I can't even remember what the other thing was. All in all, only his bath has happened from that list. Oh well, who cares?

There has been some knitting! My Pomatomus sock is making progress while we're nursing.

And my other sock has passed the heel during car rides.

Introducing...

2007-07-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

It's a boy!
Born Friday June 29 1:55 am

We're home, sleepy but happy!

37

2007-06-27T12:41:00.001-04:00

I've been released! Today marks 37 weeks of my pregnancy so while I do have to take it easy I don't have to be flat in bed. So 5 days wasn't bad. I did lots of reading and lots of knitting, about a dozen Killer Sudokus, wrote some thank you notes. Knowing how little of that kind of thing will happen after the baby comes I've been kind of thankful to have some down time. The only thing I'm doing differently today is a little more time at the computer and hopefully I'll finish a project or two with the sewing machine.

I have made great progress on both my current socks. The blue ones don't look much different from last week since it's a plain pattern and dark yarn, but the Pomatomus socks are coming along great. Finally a pattern that's strong enough to carry a variegated yarn! I'm about 1 inch from starting the heel flap.

Day 4

2007-06-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

Day 4 of bedrest and boredom sets in.....
Thank goodness for knitting and novels. And weekend NPR radio. For the first time I wish I had a laptop and could do my surfing from bed as well. As it is, I can squeeze in a few minutes of computer time before my belly gets a little swirly.
I've made good progress on the socks, I've written a few thank you notes, I've counted dots on the wall. We did have a wonderful community baby shower yesterday, I was on the couch the whole time, but everyone was willing to hand me food off the table behind me, so all was well.
My mom is coming over in the evenings after work, and I've got several friends promising to visit in the next few days. The iPod is full of podcasts, and I've got a few more good books to read and our meager DVD collection is at the ready, I'm all set!

Summer of Socks Day 1

2007-06-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

First, my finished Monkey socks. I was determined to get them done and out of the way before SOS began.

Pattern is from Knitty.
Yarn is my own hand dyed. They feel a little snug right now, but I'm sure when my ankles go back to a normal they'll fit just fine.

Now on to Summer of Socks!
This morning 500 some knitters began a giant knit-a-long that will last from solstice to equinox.

I started two pairs today, one with a pattern for home when I can concentration, and one easy and plain for every other time.

On top is Pomatomus
also from Knitty and Cookie A in another of my own hand dyed yarns in my
Summer of Socks Colorway. Another skein is one of the prizes for the KAL. I hope it goes well with the pattern. I like it a lot, it's all grass and sky and flowers.

The bottom sock is a basic toe up sort of following a pattern(pdf) by Wendy.
Yarn is Interlacements Tiny Toes, in color 28606

At this point my SOS goals might just have to be finishing these two pairs. My body is letting me know that I can't count on the 4 more weeks until my due date. At this point I'm taking it one baby shower at a time.

Studio Tour Time

2007-06-04T10:16:00.000-04:00

This weekend June 9-10 is the Spring Toe River Studio Tour. If you've been up for a tour before you know the routine. If you've never done a tour before you're in for a treat as always. Over 100 artists in 75 locations. It's a great time to visit and meet the artists and see their work spaces. Maps are available at each studio, other places all over the two county region, and you can view it online.

There is an exhibit in Spruce Pine at the ToeRiverArtsCouncil center so that you can see what interests you and plan your route. And on Friday the 8th there is also a reception there from 5-8 with lots of great food. It's a great chance to view the exhibit and meet many of the artists ahead of time.
If you'd like any more details, let me know or contact TRAC at 828-765-0520.

Lucas and Mom will be joining me at the tour again this time. Both have lots of new work in progress right up until the last minute. And Lucas's new website is up and running, check it out at http://www.ironhouseforge.com

It was 40 years ago today...

2007-06-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

It was 40 years ago today

That Sgt Pepper taught the band to play.

I finished the blue baby sweater today!

I'll make more of these, but I'm taking a break for now.
Back to socks!

Yellow

2007-05-28T10:25:00.001-04:00

Child's Placket Neck Sweater, from Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

I think the pattern intends for the opening to be along the shoulder, but I put in the middle, not sure if it's the front or back, probably will depend on the baby and mother's preference. When I finished it I decided that I liked the way it looked and that it probably didn't even need the buttons or beads that the pattern calls for. I'm going to cast on a blue one next.

I got a great knitted baby present this weekend! You can see it here. I was very excited, I'd seen the blog about it last week, but didn't know it was for us! There was more, I'll take a picture for my next post.

Socks, Flowers, Vacation

2007-05-16T17:17:00.000-04:00

Combination belly and vacation shot. We spent the weekend on Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of NC. I had pots to deliver to a gallery there, so we decided to drive instead of ship. It was great! Very relaxing, not too crowded. The village is small, so we did a lot of walking. The beach was beautiful and we spent over an hour there walking without seeing another human, just dolphins! The photo was taken on the Windfall as we took a sunset cruise.

I got lots of knitting done on the drive. These are toe up from Wendy's pattern (pdf). Made from Mama-E sock yarn that we traded for last fall. It was very nice to do a toe up without a short row toe and heel. I'll be trying that again. It was also my first picot edging for the top. Anyway I can avoid ribbing is fine with me. Too bad that my internal thermostat is set on pregnant, there's no way I can wear them until fall.

Although what I really need is another mindless project for carrying around, I started yet another project that requires some concentration. At least in this stage. Monkey socks from Knitty. I really like them so far. Yarn is more of my own hand dyed.

Flower shot. This was a fish bowl until this morning. Flush, snip, now it's a vase. There is definitely a color trend in my yard right now. There are 6 types of flower in that vase. The purples are columbine, false indigo, and iris. The pinks are bleeding heart, dianthus and cheddar pink (also a dianthus)

In Progress

2007-05-03T10:08:00.000-04:00

I've got three projects going this week, the first is the Candle Flame Shawl from Knitpicks. I'm using the hand dyed merino from my LnV magic yarn ball swap. Progress so far, the border and half a repeat! It's one of those turn off everything and concentrate, pattern in my lap the whole time kind of things. Yikes, but no deadlines at least.

Second, here is half a baby sweater. It's taking a little concentration too, at least until I finish the second sleeve and join it all up. Then it will be smooth going all the way up to the neck. (I hope)

And since I needed something mindless for in front of the computer and in the car I started a pretty basic sock. This is some yarn I received in a trade with Mama-E last fall. The color is Koi. The stripes are actually spiraling up the sock. Not my usual colors, but that's why I like it.

Today is a firing day in the pottery life. Usually that makes for a very late night, but I got a good early start, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hope I get a nap! I've got a little more glazing to do for the next loads. But so far everything is on schedule.

Magic Yarn Ball

2007-04-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

So this month I've participated in a Magic Yarn Ball Swap. You choose lots of cool goodies and wrap them up in a ball of yarn to send off to someone else. I think originally one was expected to unwrap as they knit with the yarn, but who can wait to see what's inside. Here's a link to the one I sent . It was not round to say the least. I stuffed in anything I could think of. Here's the one I received:

It's round, I'm not sure how she managed to make it round. Except that it's lace weight yarn. That's a lot of wrapping. What was I thinking, asking for lace weight? What was she thinking, offering it? But I love it, I've already cast it on the needles for a scarf.

And here's the rest. All of this stuff was wrapped up inside. Well there may have been more candy, but it took a while to unwrap. Lots of good smells. A strawberry masque that will have to wait until the fall, I don't think my stomach will withstand that intensity of smell for 10 minutes. Some Burt's Bees cuticle cream, lip balm, post-its, a mini sheep! and stitch markers. Since she asked what knitting gadgets I might like I admitted that I have no stitch markers. Now I do, 4 each of two different colors. They are standing by for the pattern part of the lace. What fun! I can't wait to do another one.

Baby Sweater

2007-04-24T17:44:00.000-04:00

Yeah! two finished objects in one week. This is a raglan baby sweater. I dyed the yarn myself. The stitch pattern is the same as the socks from the previous post, the pattern itself was made up as I went along. I still need a button for the collar. There's probably one in the stash.
The next baby knit is on the needles, yellow this time. I'm waiting for the next Sock Madness pattern to see if I want to cast on pattern 4 or skip that one for now and do pattern 5 with the rest of the pack.
For tonight though I made too many pots and my fingers are tired, no knitting for me.
I thought I had a good belly shot to post, but my husband took a batch of really bad pictures the other day. Maybe later.

Flowers!

2007-04-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

No one has ever sent me flowers before. Thank you dear C !
Wouldn't you know that the delivery man got lost IN my driveway. I could hear the van going back and forth when the phone rang.

And I finished a pair of socks this morning! The pattern is completely obsured by the fun yarn colors, but I like them a lot. The yarn is Lisa Souza's Emerald City color. This is the round two pattern from the Sock Madness competition. If you want to try it out, it's available to buy here. I'm using the same spiral pattern for the sweater that I pictured before, it looks lots better on a semi-solid yarn.

You say it's your birthday???

2007-04-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

Well it's my birthday too, yeah!

It's somewhat of a tradition in our family lately to make ones own birthday cake. I certainly don't mind. I got to try out this new recipe for a steamed cake. I purposely undercooked it a bit, the doughnut hole in the middle is all just undercooked fudginess. YUM! With vanilla ice cream of course.

It's an interesting week to have a birthday with so many national tragedies (and some personal ones) both old and new. I was wrapped up in high school life in '95 for the Oklahoma City bombing. I certainly knew it was happening, but it was a long way away, physically and mentally. Not having a TV for the last 10 or so years changes your prospective. I was in school at Haywood when the Columbine shooting took place, so lots of NPR coverage. And I guess that's where I've been this week as well listening to the coverage of the VT shooting. Paying attention, but it's all pretty abstract. What a mess. Here is the Wiki list of April 19 happenings there are some interesting things on this date.

In a happier note this is my front flower bed. Samuel's Garden. We dutifully covered everything up for 9 days of cold weather, the plants thought it was death by squishing, but they're all standing up nicely now. After thunderstorms tonight it should be bright and sunny for at least the next week.

The columbines will bloom in the next week or so.

The purple one (pulminaria I think) has been blooming since the end of January and it just keeps getting bigger.

We thought the lilac's were surely lost to the cold, they are 12 feet tall and way too large to cover, but it looks like though some leaves got singed the blooms must have been just small enough. I think they'll bloom in the next week as well. Yipee. Mom and Dad did suffer a major garden loss this week though. After covering their blueberries for the cold, a massive tree fell and managed to flatten the whole row in the wind storms this week. Oh well, we just have to hope those roots are strong and ready to pop up more canes.

Knitting pictures next time. Both the green socks and the purple baby sweater are nearing completion.

Snow Cream!!!

2007-04-09T15:55:00.000-04:00

I don't see many sunrises. I'd rather sleep most mornings, but two inches of snow was enough to get me out of bed just after 7 on Saturday morning. Especially since that was the most snow we've had at one time all winter.

We faithfully have been covering the flower beds every night for now 7 nights in a row. The daffodils have to fend for themselves though. So far they are still perking up every morning. It's almost the end of their season anyway. It will be a few more days before the fate of the lilacs and azalias is known. And of course the flowers in the beds are looking pretty flat from the sheets, but they still have blooms, so I think they are doing fine.

I have learned from years of experience that waiting for a reasonable time of day to eat your snow cream is futile, so after eating a bowl of cereal I made snow cream for breakfast.

Usually it's not quite this mucky tan color, but I added a shot of chocolate syrup just to be totally decadent.
Never made snow cream? It's a tradition in my Dad's family along with banana pudding and oyster stew.
5oz can of evaporated milk
a few heaping teaspoons of sugar
half a cap full of vanilla
mix it up until the sugar is less gritty then dump in the snow and stir until it's pretty stiff. That bowl in the first picture, I used about half of it. It takes a lot of snow to make a little snow cream.

Seven years ago the weekend was bitter cold, windy and snowing, but Sunday April 9th turned out to be beautiful and only a little cold!

You Heard it Here First

2007-03-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

I just spent a little time this morning creating a web page for my hand dyed yarns. I need to sell some so that I can buy more blanks! Check it out and let me know if there is anything you have to have. All sock yarn this round. I had a little worsted weight, but I'm currently, um, knitting with it.
Check it out here:
http://www.skhpottery.com/yarn.html

Finished Lace

2007-03-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

I made my first lace project last fall as a Christmas gift. With the craziness of family travels it was just gifted last week. So now it can debut here. Hopefully I can get a modeled shot soon.

The scarf soaking, then pinned out on the bed. It was very cool to see how far it was willing to stretch.

The yarn is Knitpicks Shimmer in the Maple Leaves color, Baby Alpaca and Silk.

Weekend wrap-up

2007-03-26T20:58:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful weekend spent outside. I had finished the knitting part of this sweater last week. I'm not very motivated to do the seaming right now though. When the first baby is born I'll probably dye it. Who really wants to try to keep baby clothes white?

The second round of Sock Madness started Thursday evening. I saw the pics of the first finished sock about 16 hours later. Some people don't need sleep evidently. I've been working on my pair a little, but I was more motivated to use the pattern to start my next baby project.

The sock is Lisa Souza yarn in the Emerald City color. The few inches of sweater is yarns that I dyed myself. The darker is a skein leftover from my Clapitos scarf. Which I remember now that I haven't taken pictures of yet.

Also this weekend my Dad's band had their first gig in a few years.

Sock Madness Socks

2007-03-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

I just finished my socks, only half a day too late. I don't mind, I'll knit the next few patterns at a more leisurely pace. And there's lots of other ideas on tap for the next few months.

Catching up

2007-03-12T19:10:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. I finished up another pair of baby socks. This yarn has really long repeats, so when I finish one sock and start the next they don't always match! I'm still playing with the sizes, and other ways to make them fit better.

This is a combination finished knit and belly photo. This scarf is made from Berroco Soft Twist. It's a slipped stitch pattern that makes it roll up into a fairly tight tube. It's super long and wraps a few times around. The belly is self explanatory.

This weekend marked the beginning of Sock Madness. Saturday morning around 130 people received a sock pattern by email. There are a lot of people who have finished the pair already and will move on to the next round. I finished my first sock this morning, I don't have much hope of staying in the competition, but I love this first pattern and hope to continue to knit up the patterns without the pressure.

This is what we did this weekend that kept me from the sock. First we unearthed the 30 year old grapevines behind the house. They had been taken over by rose bushes and honeysuckle and the support wires had broken. Then we built garden boxes in the front yard.

We hope to build one more long one this week. Waiting there in the trailer is a ton of poop (literally), well aged and ready for plants.

Back to my sock. Wish me luck.

Halfway

2007-02-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

This is probably not a surprise if you know me in person. After all if you've seen me in the last month it's pretty obvious. Today marks 20 weeks into my biggest current project due to culminate on July 18.

These were taken last Thursday. I hadn't been feeling much movement yet, but for at least the half hour we were watching this baby is on speed. Flips and kicks and yawns and waves. The first picture is profile and feet, the second is the top of the head and fingers. We counted all ten fingers and at least got to see feet, but not really toes. The face was mostly turned away, but we got a few quick glimpses. No idea on gender. Maybe we'll find out later, but for now it just didn't seem like we wanted to know. Everything is going well. I'm actually getting some studio work done, I'll never have all the pots ready that I need, but at least I won't be without any. I'm hoping to be able to reach my wheel for another 8 weeks then start glazing and firing around the first of May. We'll see how that goes and if my body will stand for it. I'll take some belly pictures tonight when Kevin gets home and post them later.

I finished something!

2007-02-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've been working on these socks for months. I think I started them in October, but they are ribbed all the way from top to bottom and I hated every minute of knitting them. I like the result though. They are my first finished object from my own dyed yarn. Other people have made socks, but not me.
Anticipating their completion I started the Clapotis scarf from Knitty.
This is also my own hand dyed yarn. It's thicker than the sock yarn I've been doing and it's wonderfully soft and squishy. I'll post another picture of this one soon. Even since I took the picture last night it's lots different.

I have a friend who has been knitting for many years but doesn't shop for yarn much. She's always facinated by the patterned sock yarns when she sees my socks. So I dyed up a batch for her. It was my first try with dyeing sections on the stove top. I was expecting three sections each of three solid colors. The verigation is so much neater. I really love this effect.

And it's even striped! I can't wait to give it to her for her birthday next week.

In other news, I've actually been in the studio this week making pots. It's good to be back at it. I've got lots to do to get my shops stocked and be ready for the studio tour in June.
I still want a foot of snow, but I'm enjoying the warm week too. The frogs are out and croaking in the pond. and there is still plenty of time for a March snow storm, and I did get to have snow cream on Sunday morning with our pitiful inch of snow. So no more complaining from me.

The Maggie Index

2007-02-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

Meteorologists are missing out on a really important tool for weather tracking, I'm calling it the Maggie index. It is a combination of temperature and sun intensity with a little wind thrown in. Unlike any other weather tool it is measured in minutes. Is is of course the amount of time that Maggie will stay outside in a given period before whining and jumping in front of the window to be let back in. For instance this morning at 10am the index was at 20 minutes, but by just 11:30 we were up to 45 minutes. However with the incoming clouds now at 2pm it is down to just 6 minutes. Of course there are factors to be considered, mainly the laziness of the person who has to open the door. Sometimes one can ignore the whining and increase the index considerably.

Cute Overload

2007-02-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

Does it get any better than this?

I don't get to keep them. I'm putting them in the mail tomorrow. But there's plenty of yarn for more. Finally a way to use up left over sock yarn, and as fast as they were, all the new babies due in the neighborhood will be getting a pair.
The link is here if anyone else wants to try it out.

FO!

2007-01-24T10:03:00.000-05:00

Yeah! I finally finished something: Socks with Cascade Fixation for me. This was my demonstration pair for the class I taught. I'm glad to have them out of the way. I'm tired of the fixation for now, I'm taking a break. I at least want to give my three pairs some time to see how they hold up to wear.

No knitting today

2007-01-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

This week's creativity has been in the kitchen. Kevin used the magnetic poetry to decorate the fridge.

Every month our arts council puts on an event featuring live music and dessert. The desserts get better every month. For January I made a strawberry pound cake from a recipe I got from my cousin at Christmas.

I swirled in a little red food coloring just for added counter appeal. It has real whipped cream topping and strawberries between each layer. It didn't cut well, lots of sliding around.

But boy it tasted good. I love it when strawberries start tasting good again.

Neat old Building

2007-01-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

I just heard a story on the radio about an old building in Brooklyn. There is a great set of photos of the building and the art inside and the people who live there. Worth a look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onebadapple/sets/127493/
The link feature doesn't seem to be working so it might be cut and paste

Finally!!!

2007-01-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

Finally, winter has decided to join us. This picture was actually yesterday, but Blogger was down. Today it's bright and sunny and COLD. The forcast has some more warm on the way, then they are promising a month of real winter weather.