Nine Tenths of the Universe

I was double-checking Thunderbird's definition of junk mail yesterday morning when I found that the Nigerian scam has moved onto a whole new level. This time the messages - there were 3 in a row - were entitled "Nigerian Scam Investigation". The body consisted of the usual translation-program English, but what was new was that this time the sender said "Well, we're investigating this whole Nigerian scam business and have determined that you definitely can't trust persons X, Y and Z, but you *can* trust us. So come get that $35m transfer! Just send us your personal information." Now if they can just combine this sort of message with all of those flipping paypal phishing messages, it would save me some deleting...

Posted by Amy West at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These are the pets of my mother and stepfather and just really so cute I felt compelled to share...

Captain:

Jenny Lind:

and Maggie May:

Posted by Amy West at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pattern: Eve's Rib Ruffled
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky
Color: 3317 (powder blue)
Needles: 11 & 13

Super easy, super fast, sadly the alpaca has little prickly bits that aren't apparent until you wear it. I'm keeping it and will wear it, but I decided to get some Malabrigo Citrus and do that yarn in the same pattern for my regular scarf. The Citrus will go better with my coat anyway.

Posted by Amy West at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Made this for my friend Yvonne - it's from Scarf Style and was amazingly easy considering how cool it looks. The yarn is Malabrigo Peach Tree. It took about 1.5 skeins at 200 yards each - although if I'd made it the full 86" long, it probably would have taken all of both. I used #7 dpn.

Posted by Amy West at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One thing that's becoming very clear is that I have to learn how to do indoor photography. This blue is actually a periwinkle color. This is the first one I did with no mistakes that I'm aware of. I chose the picot hem, but it doesn't really show with this wool.

Misti Alpaca Worsted #4270 & #110 (blue and white)
gauge: 5 st per inch
needle size 7
main color: blue
contrasting color: white
design: Straight needles hat / nancy lindberg
picot hem, sort-of chevron, adapted for circular needles

Posted by Amy West at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A cousin had a baby in September, so I made these. I got all the way through the second one and realized that there was a dropped stitch way down in it and that where I'd knitted as the first layer after the sole on the first, I'd purled on the second. So, I redid the second. As I was going through the second one, I realized that (apart from the dropped stitch) it had been right all along and the first one had been wrong. Sigh. At least they are both wrong in the same way.

Yarn: Cascade Fixation ( 9.83% Cotton, 1.7% Elastic)
Pattern: Marcia's Baby Booties
Needles: #3 dpn

Posted by Amy West at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No picture this time - this one went to our friend Doug.

Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted weight
gauge: 5 st per inch
needle size 7
main color: grape
contrasting color: pepper
design: Straight needles hat / Nancy Lindberg
rolled hem, lattice, adapted for circular needles

Posted by Amy West at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The first hat went to Barney, but this one is mine. Again, the shot hides the errors - I forgot to adapt the increases and color patterns for circular needles and I didn't have the sense to mark the decreases at the top. There should be a very pretty spiral at the top from the decreasing. Mine looks like a deformed nautilus. Keeps me warm though.

Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted weight
gauge: 5 st per inch
needle size 7
main color: meadow green
contrasting color: aran
design: Straight needles hat / Nancy Lindberg
rolled hem, sort-of chevron, adapted for circular needles

Posted by Amy West at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I started taking a class in September at a local yarn store and we started with a hat on straight needles. Happily this image doesn't show all of the errors...

Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted weight
gauge: 5 st per inch
needle size 7
main color: charcoal
contrasting color: (black) pepper
design: Straight needles hat / nancy lindberg
rolled hem, sort-of chevron

Posted by Amy West at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I like this guy - it's very prolific, likes shade and is pretty. Just haven't got any idea what it is. Blooms from July until frost.

Posted by Amy West at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the latest variety of creeping phlox I've added. They've got a good spot where they're all just taking off. Can't wait for this spring to see how they grow this year.

Posted by Amy West at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here when we moved in. It's alright, but I'm not that crazy about it. I may move my grandmother's irises into that spot and then divide this one up and spread it around the sunnier empty spots in the garden.

Posted by Amy West at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bought this from a lady in town who swears it's a foxglove. Doesn't quite look like the ones we used to have in our garden in Seattle, but what do I know. They too bloom in July.

Posted by Amy West at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both varieties were a gift from my previously mentioned generous and successful gardener friend. They're among my favorites - tough, beautiful and prolific.

Lavender:

White:

Posted by Amy West at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These were already here when we moved in. Good thing I like them - they are impossible to control. Bloomed in July-August.

Posted by Amy West at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bloomed in July...

Posted by Amy West at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past semester has been a bit stressful - every single aspect of my work life is in suspension in one form or another. I had intended to take up knitting this fall because I was tired of never finding the sweaters I wanted ready-made. Who knew it would be such a good tool for dealing with work uncertainties. Now I'm totally hooked - and that's not a euphemism either. Also means I've got to get the rest of the garden images up from last summer so I can start doing project entries. I guess things really started falling apart last july because that's when the rest of the garden pictures are from, I think. Maybe a few August and September...

Posted by Amy West at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)