Mothers Day II

I'm still not entirely comfortable with formatting this blog but fortunately DS#2 Sean (a Computer Science major) is around now to give me some pointers. I now know how to move the photos around.

DS #1 Brian was happy with his recent birthday gift-a bizarre hoodie that zips all the way up over the face. I whipped it up on the standard gauge machine using a Mary Ann Oger raglan pattern with acrylic yarn (Symphony) from my stash. It is my first attempt at sewing a zipper on a knitted garment with the sewing machine. I just hope that he doesn't try to rob a bank!

It's nice to have fellow knitters push you to try new things. My friend Shirley wanted me to help her learn how to do Entrelac so we basically started a "Market Squares Tote" knit- along. I was able to knit it entirely out of stash Cascade 220 and Patons wool from Michaels. Here it is before felting:



And after:


I love the way the colors blend together and how irregularities in the knitting disappear!

Gracias Amy!!

I breathed a sigh of relief when DD Amy arrived back from her 6 week stay in Peru. She spent a month working a clinic in St. Clothilde, a tiny village somewhere in the Amazon Basin accessible only by boat. Fortunately while there "Doctorita" Amy managed to avoid any major infectious diseases or or other hazards like snake or crocodile bites. Afterwards she was joined by her boyfriend and they explored the rest of the country- Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu in particular.

Knitting is also big in Peru. Apparently the women spin the yarn and the men knit: (note the dpns)



Women are the weavers.

Amy found these lovely ladies in Cuzco before her trek up to Machu Picchu and ordered a Mothers Day gift for me:




The wool yarn is hand spun and hand dyed with natural dyes. It's fingering weight, so it's thin enough to use on the standard gauge machine but in keeping with it's origin I think I'm going to hand knit with it.