Gray Is the New Black

I finished my cardi, the epic project of this fall!



I know, the color choice is radical. But I wanted a gray cardigan, to go so well with all the handknit shawls and scarves.





It's warm, and comfortable, and it fits. There are one or two issues with it, mainly the size of the hood, but I'll take it as a learning experience. There is, in fact, no need to knit a hood so big an entire football team could fit in there. And play.





Otherwise, I can't think of anything negative about it. The broken rib band around the front edges and the hood nearly did me in - 530 stitches of worsted weight yarn on a 32" needle will take your soul, your will to live, your will to knit (gasp) and nearly, but not entirely, your love for gray yarn.



I do love the color. I don't know why, but gray is, and will always be, a favorite. (Ask me again next week, and it'll be green. Or blue. Or yellow!)



The coat was finished just in time. Last week, we had fall. This week, we got winter. Brr!

Amazing Travels and Beauty in the Morning (Marathon Post)

(Still no knitting. Forgot to block. And photograph.)

Last week, on Thursday to be exact, I turned 30. It didn't feel any different from any other day, except that a friend bought a beautiful wheel and I taught her to spin. To celebrate, I went on a road trip and drove nearly 900 miles, to see friends and knit. A group of 40 knitters met for a weekend of knitting and spinning and yarn and fiber and books and tea and wine and such.


I also taught a class on the sweater method. We had fun.


I had fun, and I think the class did too. The picture above of one of our amazing organizers, Samma, was just too hilarious to miss. It was all very cordial, I was nice to everyone.

I swear I was.

In my class, the knitters were fun, smart, amazing artists. I was honored to meet them all. (I loved the Shetland shawl, it looked so warm.)


It all required a lot of concentration.


Their beautiful hands knitted very very fast. And they were all such a joy to watch.


I am so happy I got to meet my fellow knitters. It was a weekend of sheer joy, I hope there'll be another knitting retreat very soon. (I also may have bought another spinning wheel. More of that later.)

On my travels I also got to meet some animals I had not seen before. Lizards, and some snakes.


They were very scary and wild, all 12 inches of them.


These Columbian rainbowboas were truly most amazing animals: beautiful, strong, primitive, and an absolute joy to watch.


The green iguana did not approve of my photographing him.


But the little ADD lizard did not mind, at all. She was awfully cute!


Now that I have shocked you with lizards and snakes, let's look at some yarn. These came home with me. Green mystery lace yarn and blue Drops Alpaca adopted from fellow knitters.


Burgundy Drops Alpaca. What can I say, I love the yarn. And the color!


And then I went crazy. First, just a little.


And the I went completely bonkers.

Yes, I am aware it's yellow. But what a yellow it is! Mustard yellow, in all of the richness of the fall yellow that is only there this time of year! I had to have it. All of it.

Speaking of fall, it's here.














Enjoy your fall days!

The Little House by the River

We're back! It only took me 6 weeks to get back to blogging :D So here's a brief recap on what has been going on.

We got here on August 9th and the first few weeks went past really fast, taking care of official business and all. Mr HairyFeet went back to work on Aug 17th and as our cars, the Amazing German Wonders, were still on a boat somewhere in the Atlantic, he needed a car for commuting. And so he graduated from a V-dub driver to a Mercedes driver.

So we have a 20-year old Mercedes now :D It drives surprisingly well, there are no issues with it, and it gets around 50mpg (around 5l/100km), so it's a perfect car for him to drive to work (70 miles one way).

In August, we also moved to a little house by the river. There is literally a tiny creek in our backyard!

The house was Mr HairyFeet's grandparents' place, and since they're no longer with us, it has been a summer house. It's fully redecorated and modernized inside and out, and with 3 bedrooms and around 1400 sq. ft (140m2), it's decently big for us. I love the fact that it has a huge fireplace and a sauna!

There are also 2 small sheds and a bigger barn/animal house complex, which haven't been in farming use for decades.

They're there for storage only (and especially the animal house is in a rather shabby condition). And in these storage rooms we have found treasures.


Treasures, I tell you. This is a Varpaloom "Kothe", it is at least 30 years old 24" wide, 8 harness table loom. The loom needed to new thinner heddle rods and new heddles, new reeds (none were found), but otherwise it is in perfect condition. I found several shuttles and a bobbin rack, too, and will get the new reeds shortly, so I can set it up. It even has a stand! It is exactly what I spent nights and days googling last spring, and I wanted to buy one, but luckily I didn't. The only downside is that it doesn't fold, but I can't really complain about that. We also discovered two antique skein winders (wooden ones) and a metal one with a clever mechanism, bobbin lace pillows and bobbins and instructions, and tons of needles and yarn. Mr HairyFeet's grandma was an avid craftswoman, and since no one else in the family needs these tools, I guess I need to learn new crafts ;D

But before I can settle down at the loom and start weaving madly, the yard has to be prepped for the winter.

This is only maybe 1/4 of the yard. It truly is huge, there is a small garden and apple trees and lawn all over. We have sunflowers...

And we have flowers all over the yard...




Rowans are full of berries.


And the flowers are full of bumble bees (which are surprisingly cute too).


But most importantly, we have amazing sunsets. (These are all straight from the camera, I merely cropped and resized them.)










More pics in Flickr.

That's all for now! I have been knitting a little so next time, we'll get proper knitting pictures. Til then, have a wonderful week!

The Most Important Thing in Life

My friends are special. No, not that kind of special. They're special in a good way! They're kind, caring people, who support each other no matter what. And yesterday, we all gathered together for the last time, at least until we get together again. I won't post pictures of us (you should've seen Katie yank my hank, though), merely because I may have been intoxicated and everything turned out blurry I forgot the better lens and took only very poor pictures. But I do have pictures of the gifts, and they're as special as my friends are.

Shelly and her DH came with a huge bundle of flowers!

Purplish blue Irises! Gorgeous Alstroemerias! Yellow Chrysanthemums! (I hope I got the names right.) They're all beautiful! The Irises remind me of the Irises I used to have in our backyard, years ago. They're such gorgeous flowers. The combination of blue and yellow is one of my favorites.

The Alstroemerias are so delicate and fine. And the specs are the most beautiful color of maroon. They are also called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, which, knowing Shelly, makes these flowers all the more special.

And Chrysanthemums, they're happy flowers! Maybe not the most delicate flower, but they're perfect for almost any occasion, easy to take care of and the flowers last a long time. And the color is the happiest yellow there is! (And you know I have issues with yellow.)

Thank you Shelly! I never get flowers, ever, (I forget to buy them, and Mr HairyFeet buys me suicidal potted plants which only live for about a week) so these are very special. And her DH picked out the ones most in bloom, because we won't be able to enjoy them for very long, so they got the ones that are in their best bloom right now. They're all gorgeous!

My friend Katie photographed her Dragon Shawl with a wooden dragon, one of those wooden puzzles you find at a craft store. I was very very jealous when I saw her gorgeous picture, mostly because her shawl was so pretty, but also because I thought the dragon was very cool. And then last night, lo and behold, she gave me a dragon puzzle!

Dragons are special creatures to me. I find them inspiring and puzzling and to me, a dragon is a positive, powerful but slightly frightening creature. (Just like spiders.) So Katie's gift is a special one too. And the kit, it's perfect as it is flat and small and will fit in my suitcase :) Thank you Katie!

Speaking of the Dragon Shawl, I've made four of them and I never got to keep one. I don't really remember how it happened, but as it is, I don't have a Dragon Shawl myself. This will be quickly corrected, since Kristin gave me a bowl of lace yarn!

The yarn is extremely beautiful, merino-silk-bamboo blend and she spun it to lace weight (800yds to 3.8 oz). The colors are deep and rich and lustrious - the photograph doesn't do them justice at all. There are specs of gold and oat and chocolate and silver - it's breathtakingly beautiful.

And the bowl.. Kristin made this a while ago and I've been secretly coveting it every time I visited her. She said this was a happy mistake bowl, but to me, it's definitely art, in every sense of the word. I love everything about it, the colors, the shape, the glaze, everything. Thank you Kristin, for the most perfect bowl and the yarn that will definitely be a hug from a distance.






I am lucky enough to know a painter, an artist whom I admire and who I find truly inspiring: Carol Brozman. Her use of colors is genious, and the geometric abstract shapes are a source of new ideas, everytime I look at her pictures. (And I have spent hours just looking at them.) And a few weeks ago, Carol gave me a painting. (Carol, I apologize for the poor picture!)

She called this "Be Careful with Me" and it's one of her original paintings (approx. 30" x 40", acrylic on canvas). I saw this in her bedroom, and it.. talked to me. There is no other way of describing it - the painting talked to me. And then yelled. And whispered. And sung! I don't know what it is about it, but I am mesmerized by it. It is not a happy picture, per se, or something that will lift your spirits or make you feel positive. It's actually a rather sad picture, thought-provoking picture, puzzling picture. I immediately saw an Inca figure, maybe an Inca god, in the picture. (I actually called it The Inca the first time I saw it.) But I also see rooms. And fields. And a door.

I really do apologize for the picture above, it doesn't show the colors true at all. (Neither will the next two pictures.) Also lost are the details, the way Carol uses colors and small brushes to bring out details that you only see when you examine the painting closely.

Like the burgundy specs in this picture below. They only become visible when you take the time to look at the picture closely.

What an amazing piece of art. Thank you so much, Carol, for The Inca!

As much as I appreciate all the gifts, it's the thought and the person behind them that matters the most. I feel so lucky to know all these talented, inspiring people and to have them in my life. Most of what has happened in the Lair during the last year would never have happened without my friends. They're all different in their own way, and yet there is room for all of us to be who we are, whether man or woman, black or white, straight or gay, atheist or believer, knitter or not. And we all get strength and inspiration from those around us, and to have such a circle of friends, it is a rare thing.

Do take care of your friends, everyone, because friends really are the most important thing in life.

Summer Knitting

Photographing lace in a dark, hot, humid apartment full of boxes is a challenge. See below.

Yesterday was the hottest day in Seattle history, and it felt like it. It hit 107F (41.7C) in Bothell yesterday! In the evening, 90F felt almost comfortable! So I haven't been knitting much. I wanted to cast on for an Aeolian Shawl, since I spun some yarn for it in the Tour de Fleece challenge.

I dyed the 6 oz (170g) Wensleydale top using the block method, and spun the top directly from braid into 1100 yards (1100 m) of laceweight singles.

My inspiration for this was a project I saw on ravelry, and I think I did a pretty good job with it.

But it has been so hot, and the idea of knitting hairy, slightly coarse wool was not very appealing, so the the skein is sitting in my basket while I work on my unfinished projects.


So I have been knitting some cotton. I finally finished my lace cardigan!


I call this project the Black Widow (spiders, y'know!) :D This is another one of my top-down seamless concoctions, and I absolutely loved every minute of knitting this. It has no seams, so when I cast off it was done! And I added some short rows and side shaping to make it fit better.


And the cherry on top - the set-in sleeves.


The yarn is Mandarin Petit, and I had 6 balls of it. (I think Terhi from Mustaa villaa sent it to me years and years ago.) The original idea was to knit a short bolero to go with a summer dress I bought, and I wanted to use all of the yarn. By the time I reached the bolero length, I still had 3 balls left, so I kept going and ended up with a full-length cardigan.


I'm sure this will be a summer favorite! I've worn it a few times and I like it a lot. The cotton yarn feels cool and soft and comfortable, and the simple arrowhead lace makes it rather girly. And the vintage buttons my MIL gave me, they give it a touch of elegance.


Needless to say, I am extremely happy with this project.


Now, the moving business is getting more and more hectic every day, and it hit me I should probably dig out my UFO bin and finish my projects. Don't want movers accidentally poking themselves with stray needles sticking out of half-finished sweaters, you see. So I dug out my Hyrna Herborgar Shawl.

I cast on for this shawl in the plane, over Greenland, on our way to Finland last summer. I needed a simple project for the trip, and this pattern is really very easy to knit. Fast too, unless you forget it in your UFO bin.

I grew so fond of the middle stitch pattern that I accidentally knit too many repeats. I didn't want to tink back (lifelines, bah!) so I kept going until I was ready to knit the border.


I am glad I made the little mistake, since finished, this measures some 66" x 33" (168 cm x 83 cm) and I used maybe 3 oz of KnitPicks Bare lace-weight. It is just the right size for wearing around your neck with a winter coat.

Before blocking, I dyed the shawl in light blue, because since it was begun over Greenland, it needed to be glacier blue. It's a little too warm blue for my taste, but it is still light blue so it'll do. I think the color is closest to truth in this picture.

All in all, a nice project then. I may knit another one of these, in Icelandic yarn, as I liked working the pattern and it turned out very nice. But that will have to wait until winter!

No pictures of the finished T-shirt yet. We're expecting cooler weather this weekend so maybe I'll shanghai MrHairyFeet to photographing again! Until then, stay cool everyone!

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

I'm not a fan of summer, necessarily. Sometimes it's so hot, and it feels sticky and stuffy and there are bugs. And knitting with wool is not a good idea, unless it is a rainy summer day. But there is sun and warm evenings and flowers and spiders and everything smells fresh. And you get to knit with cotton!


Of course, one can knit cotton whenever one feels like it. But for some reason, I often find myself knitting with cotton in the summer. I like the way it feels, the way it knits up, how heavy and yet light the fabric feels. And the stitch definition is just heavenly.


I just finished a T-shirt for myself, out of Nashua's new ecological cotton. It really feels nice and fits like a glove. Due to a tripod-related mishap at the balcony, I will post pictures of me wearing the T-shirt a little later.

Another project I am working on is still just a lump. A black lump, which photographically yields an interesting challenge. As you can see, I still have a lot to learn.


Photos aside, I love this project. Although the fingering weight cotton feels like it will never end (6 balls of Mandarin Petit will go on forever it seems), and black yarn and lace is a horrible combination for knitting especially in the evenings, but the simplicity of the lace and the drape of the fabric makes me want to finish this quickly so I can wear it with my summer dress.


I haven't entirely abandoned wool. I spun some 100% superwash BFL for socks.


But mostly, I have just enjoyed these beautiful warm evenings and the sounds and smells of the short summer. I hope it doesn't end just yet, I could get used to this.

Where Did the Month Go?

I just realized it's been over a month since my last update. And I don't know where the month went, it just all disappeared. As some of you know already, we're moving in about a month, so while not blogging (or knitting), we have taken care of some moving business. Our German wonders, the two V-dubs we have, have already begun their journey. Our furniture (and some wool) will follow in a few weeks. This, of course, means that the blog will remain quiet for some time.

In the past few weeks, not a lot has happened except for the moving business. I had my sister and my brother-in-law here for a week, which was fun. We went to pick up some wool Gretchen washed for me (of that later), and we went to the zoo, to Snoqualmie Falls (which fans of Twin Peaks will recognize) and Mt Rainier. No pics of Rainier, it was as it was last year when MrHairyFeet and I drove there. So was the parade on 4th, which we went to see.

But Gretchen's Farm was the most amazing place. I love everything about it, it's so beautiful and serene. And the animals seem very, very happy!

Some of her sheep were more of the dignified kind. They couldn't be seen fooling around.

(Aren't her eyes so pretty?)

The young ones were still practising the cute routine, which, as we know, is essential in becoming a full adult sheep.

Practising teh cute must be taken very seriously.


On Gretchen's Farm lives a very special chicken. Her name is Tuulia. She got her name on the day I took the fleeces to Gretchen, she had escaped and returned while Gretchen and I were fondling some wool. She has stayed on the farm ever since, though.

She's the brown one. I'm told she is a Buff Plymouth Rock kind of chicken, and is about 10 weeks old in the picture. She's very pretty, her feathers are almost entirely brown but there are small black specs on the tips. She's a feisty one. She'll keep the other chicks on their toes. They're appalled by her independent behaviour!


But even Tuulia is not a match for the ducks. They look like they mean business.

Do not be fooled by their innocent looks. They're downright mean birds. They're the sheriffs of the farm.


After visiting Gretchen, we drove to the Snoqualmie Falls. It was a beautiful, hot summer day.






The wild flowers on the mountains are probably the prettiest kind of wild flowers.


The nice weather continued the next day, when we went to the zoo in Seattle. The wolves and wild bald eagles were keeping a keen eye on the visitors.




In the zoo, the animals practice teh cute on a daily basis. I think this artic fox has just about mastered it.


The penguins are getting close, too.


Very, very close.


Some practised the menacing look, instead of the cute. Not very successfully, I can say.


The lizards, however, seem to have the menacing look without even really practising.


See what I mean?


Others thought the day too hot for practising the cute. Or anything else.




The hippos were merely enjoying the day.


I'd like to be a hippo. They have it made. Nothing better than enjoying the sun in a pool of warm water.


The orangutang thought the sun was a bit too much. He needed a blankie.


The snakes didn't have blankets. They had to just hang in there.


The spiders sought comfy little lairs caves for themselves.


Or wove cosy hammocks for chilling later in the afternoon. They might have enjoyed some drinks too.


The gorillas had already found the booze, though.


At the flamingo pool, the swan found things were getting out of hand.


So he took off.


The giraffe found out about the flamingoes' orgy. The smell gave it away.


He did not approve. At all.


But in the end, he couldn't be bothered.


So that's the daily life of animals in the Woodland Park Zoo! Next post, I promise, will happen sooner than a month and it consist mostly of purdy fibers and yarns. And art!

(This is not art. This is yarn.)

Till then!