My Merino Mantra

Red Scarf Project 2010

I am sure you can understand how hectic life gets every now and then.  I have been remiss in my posting about the deadline for the Red Scarf Project. 

The deadline for submitting scarves is December 15, 2009.  That is a good 2 weeks away.  It appears that due to the overflow of scarves over the past 2 years, we now find ourselves in a position where more scarves are needed.  I know, I know, a feast, or a famine.  But, this is a worthy cause.

For those who don't know about the Orphan Foundation of America, here are some Fast Facts taken from their website:

----------- FAST FACTS ----------

• OFA is the only national organization specifically focusing on support, education, and workforce development for youth aging out of the foster care system.

• We award $15 million annually in funding to thousands of foster youth across the country who attend college and specialized training programs.

  • Funds may be used for tuition, books and tools, housing, transportation and health insurance.
    
    
  • Recipients are independent students who do not receive family support and are solely responsible for their higher education.
• Charity Navigator rates OFA four stars -- the highest score possible for fundraising efficiency bestowed by one of the nation's leading charity evaluators.
  
  
• Over 91 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to support OFA programs and youth
  
  
• Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) number:  11105

There are less scholarships available for the 2009-2010 school year due to the nation's poor economy.  Hey, I live in one the hardest hit states in the USA.  I know how tough times are, and that goes across the board.  But realize, even $5.00 will help.

For me, the quickest way to make a scarf would be to crochet one.  If you want a fast scarf project, check out Green Stripe for Red Scarf. 

I made mine in no time flat.  However, this year has been too crazy for me.  I understand if someone cannot make a scarf on short notice.  The Red Scarf Fund for Foster Youth is in dire need of donations.  If you can't make a scarf, perhaps you would consider a donation, (no amount is too small) which covers emergency needs of students, such as medical bills, housing, and transportation.  Don't forget:

• Donations to OFA are tax deductible.
• Over 91 cents of every dollar contributed go directly to support the youth we serve

  There are also opportunities to send a box of needed items, or even gift cards.  What could be easier than that?

I am thankful, this Thanksgiving weekend, that I have the ability to help both foster and orphaned youth.  Thank you, God, thank you, thank you. 

Meeka, 10/31/04 - 10/31/09

I hope I can finish this post without falling apart too much.  My sweet baby Meeka died unexpectedly on Halloween morning.  It was very sudden, and hopefully, she did not suffer too much.  Apparently, she had a stroke from a blood clot, which paralyzed her lower legs.  The vet tried anticoagulant therapy, but she went downhill, quickly. 

November 2004 - Meeka is the first kitten on the left.  Pasha is the second kitten, right next to her. 

I love them!  I love bunches of kittens!

 

Meeka with her feline mother, Sarah

Meeting our kittens

 

 

February 2005

 

 

Spring 2005

Getting Dad

Kieschka, Meeka, and Pasha (they're starting to grow up!)

Spring 2005

Easter 2005 - always with Mom

This is one of my favorite pictures of Meeka.  Yes, an action shot, stealing a skein of Elann yarn.  When she wasn't running off with yarn, she was pilfering the labels off the skeins.  I have random labels everywhere around my house, all with teeth marks in them.

 

Helping with my Shoalwater, looking oh so innocent

Meeka and Mom (she was always with me).  I wear Shoalwater a lot (I'm wearing it now, crying), but I think Meeka enjoyed it just as much as me.

 

Having fun on the Tina Top

 

She was absolutely gorgeous.  She was Mama's girl.

Wherever she wanted to go, she went.  She ruled the house.  Such a small package, with a larger than life presence.  I still feel her here right now.

What is better than cats on a down blanket?  In fact, what is hotter?

Yes, the table runner was hers, the crib was hers, all blankets were hers.  Meeka helped me work.  Sometimes, she helped me not work.  She had to be the naughtiest cat I ever had, but she was very funny and lovable about it.  The night before she died, she had stolen a biscuit off of the oven.  She would have stolen the whole loaf of bread, if I had left it out.  As if I starved her!

The night before she died, she ate pheasant (not under glass).   With a biscuit, obviously.

I'm looking everywhere, but I can't find my grey cat pin I had since I was a little girl.  It is an oval pin with the head of a grey cat painted on porcelain.  I need to wear it right now.

 

The last pictures taken of Meeka, two weeks ago

My sweet baby.  We love you, Meeka.

Eye Candy Friday - 10/30/09

Fleur de Lis

Here's another beautiful pattern by Shui Kuen Kozinski, based on the Estonian Star Flower

Pattern:   Fleur de Lis - Shui Koen Kozinski

Yarn:       Merino Cashmere Nylon Fingering - The Plucky Knitter, Jezebel colorway from Plucky Classics, Big Shouldered Broads, June 2009

Amount Used:  303 yards / 277 meters / 4-1/8 ounces / 118 grams

Needles:  KnitPicks Options size 5 (3.75mm), 24-inch circulars

Modifications:  I knit 9 full repeats on each side before grafting in the middle

Blocked measurements:  50" length x 11" width

This pattern is completely addictive; it took me 9 days of knitting not very fast.  It's a very enjoyable knit.  And the yarn?  I adore this yarn.  The feel is soft and squishy, and the drape is divine.  Want to know the best part about it?  It's hand-dyed by a Michigan artist, The Plucky Knitter.

 

The stone in my pin is a rare mineral from the Kola Peninsula in Northern Russia, called eudialyte.  It's a perfect deep, magenta, red color, with a dark matrix.  It compliments the color of Jezebel very well.

 

Eye Candy Friday - 10/16/09

Canotta Traforata

Pattern:  Canotta Traforata - Mani di Fata

Yarn:   Berocco Touche' (50% cotton/50% Modal)

Amount Used:  611 yards / 561 meters / 12 ounces / 342 grams

Needles:  KnitPicks Options size 5 US (3.7 mm)

Hook:  Size F

I am quite proud of myself, translating this pattern from Italian to English.  No, I do not speak Italian.  And no, I did not translate the entire pattern.  I translated as much as I could, and then basically winged it from there.  All I really needed to understand was the chart.  I knitted a couple of swatches, figured out my gauge, and improvised as I went along.  The crocheted trim was fun to do.  Everything worked out perfectly.

I love this top!  I hope I will end up loving the yarn just as much.  It's my first time using Touche'.  It's really soft, and it was a pleasure to knit with, but I hope it holds up all right. 

Eye Candy Friday - 9/25/09

Gail (Nightsongs) Shawl

Pattern:  Gail (Nightsongs) by Jane Araujo
Yarn:  Golden Chai 100% Tussah silk, color 38, by Artfibers
Amount Used:  ~850 yds
Needles:  KnitPicks Options size 8, 47-inch circular

Pin:  Mohawkite from Copper Country, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

I absolutely love this shawl.  The color is a variegated, pale, dusty lavender-lilac, and the drape, especially with the beads added, is perfect.  The beads themselves give it a sparkle which really glistens in the sunlight, a glisten I have found very difficult to capture on camera. 

The pattern itself was difficult to follow, unnecessarily so.  I got lots of tips from others who have knit this shawl, and took plenty of notes myself, but I don't know that I will knit this again.  I knit 7 full repeats of the pattern, and half of an 8th repeat.  I started the border on Row 5, I believe.  I chose not to knit the double yarn overs in the center, and instead knit one yarn over on either side of a center stitch. 

Lilac beads - Miyuki triangle, foil lined, size 5, from Beadweaver

This is the first shawl I used my new blocking wires on, from Threadbear.  I didn't think I really needed them, because I had used small wooden dowels in the past, but of course, the wood is not flexible.  I have found that the wires are more suitable for lacework.  The wires are great, and it takes less time to block with them.   They slide easily through small holes in fine lace, and are slightly bendable for shaping, if needed.

Eye Candy Friday - 7/3/09

Eye Candy Friday - 6/19/09

Past, Present, and Future

Agatha - Elsebeth Lavold

Pattern:  Agatha by Elsebeth Lavold, from Book Two - The Sentimental Journey Collection
Yarn:  Ming (50% silk / 50% merino wool) by Artfibers
Needles:  KnitPicks Options 47-inch circular

This yarn is so wonderfully soft.  Actually, to call this yarn soft would be an insult to Ming, as it is so much more.  It's scrumptious, it's divine, it's - heaven.  The colors are muted, yet saturated, and distributed perfectly when knit into this top.  The yarn itself has a beautiful sheen, and a very slight halo. 

I love Elsebeth's designs.  To knit Agatha in Ming was just sheer pleasure for me.  I can't remember exactly how much yarn I used.  I'll have to figure it out.  All I know is that I could knit with Ming forever and not mind one bit.

Eye Candy Friday - 6/12/09

 

Eye Candy Friday - 6/5/09

Witches Wand - Tall Bearded Iris




As you can see, the "wand" is the bright, orange beard

This is the first time in 4 years that this iris has bloomed for me.  In fact, it has never bloomed before.  I needn't take its sluggishness personally, though, because even iris experts find this variety temperamental.  It's a pity, too, because it is one of the most striking irises I own.  The color shown is true to form.  On shady days and at twilight, the standards (the tall top of the iris) darken to almost match the falls (the bottom half of the iris), making the beard shout out all the more loudly.

Eye Candy Friday - 5/29/09