Now the Olympics are over...I am baring my sole...

This is a gold medal winning Ravelympic sock! "My Little Koigu Socks." My friends are laughing because these are the simplest, plainest socks you can knit. Size #1 DPNs (little double pointed needles) and charming Koigu yarn PPPM Painter's Palette Premium Merino. What's the fuss you might be asking? Well these d$%# socks took me over a year to knit, at least 5 pairs of socks and countless other projects in between. They are simple, they are boring and I couldn't stand to knit them, but now they are dearest to my heart socks because they won (a personal goal) in Works in Progress Dance event on Raverly and I'll even get a pin. Does it get any better? Debbie and Donna-Marie, stop laughing please.

Koigu! The best sock yarn going..

This, my friends is an Ravelympic sock! Entered into the WIPS Dancing Event - it didn't make it to the finish line.
But the big news: Heart and Sole, our new sock group, did make it to the finish line and grabbed gold for having a successful and terrific first meeting. Debbie S., (BSKE) Best sock knitter ever.. and I have had fun getting this together. Free patterns, monthly sock tips, food, games, money prizes (just kidding- well who knows?) etc. Next meet up: March 10Th, Wed., Borders Cafe, Chapel Hill, Akron, OH. 6.00pm -8.30pm. The fun part is we aren't attached to any local yarn store...gives us some room to breathe.
PS We voted on the name. There were 10 of us and I think 9 names, but we picked Heart and Sole and Julie B. won a skein of Opal wool/cotton/nylon blend. She's happy.

Ahh William Penn atop City Hall, Philadelphia, PA where I was suppose to be last weekend to do a number of "knit activities" and a "bombing", yarn that is. I had to cancel:bad sickness and the 12 plagues, but kept thinking: "I can get on the plane, it's only a short trip..." I think I would've died. Then we had 8in. more snow that day/next day and Philly got 5 and I stayed in OHIO plus Loop Yarn Store http://www.loopyarn.com/ let me know that Clara Parks ("The Knitter's Book of Wool") had cancelled (I was taking her workshop.) I started to ease up on myself for missing the trip.

This is Cheryl J. holding her rat, her giant rat. Those crocheters can do anything! Pretty nifty huh? This was going to be a rat attached to the Anarchist's building on Baltimore Ave. between 47Th and 48Th in Philly. I made a bright orange one. Hers was mooocho better. In a way I'm glad it didn't get dropped off in in West Philadelphia. Now Cheryl can 'bomb' it somewhere nearby. Finally someone who's thinking with me here. She's already done some flower bombs with her daughter! I want her to make me a big bumble bee next. More on a local bomb after we figure out what we're doing... I'm thinking flowers everywhere...

My cousin Linda who was one of the 'Seven Cousins Who Learned to Knit' and has become a DGK (darn good knitter!) This is one of the hats she's knitted and now has moved on to socks.

Nicholas, also my cousin, will hate this picture because he's lookin' dorky and he's anything but...has learned to be a DGK also.This hat is his first and now:socks!

Here are Diane and Kathy from "Ewe & I Originals" a nice local design company that is going very well. Saw them in Pittsburgh at the Knitting Festival. We had a good laugh about some shared experiences and I picked up another great pattern from them. They both taught me how to knit socks years ago and ran a sock group that was way fun. Eweandi@gmail.com.
Okay what are we looking at you're asking, right? From the 6Th annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Fest: this is a ton of gorgeous sock yarn, dyed by those masters at Brook Farm http://www.brookfarmyarn.com/ in Lancaster, TX. I bought some great yarn and a pattern from them while at the Fiber Festival in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago.

What's up:

Heart and Sole, Sock Group

March 10Th, Wed. Borders, Chapel Hill 6.00 pm

Knit and Hook, Panera's, Chapel Hill

Mon. nights 6.00 pm

Yarn Over the Falls, Knit Group, Borders, Chapel Hill, Sat. nights 6.00

Sitting on top of my heart...

...an Olympic sock?

another possible contender...

There's just so much going on in my head and on my needles. Autumn House Farm Yarn http://www.autumnhouseyarn.comm/ and I agreed to pursue a book about the amazing work which Harriet, her husband and her daughter, Vicki, (a professional photographer) do for the farm ("Where yarn is born.") and we're getting together the weekend of the 20th to work out details.

I've got the outline ready and Deb Bergman, (former features editort of the Bulletin in Philadelphia) now living in California has agreed to edit so maybe this is one of those knitdreams that will really happen.

I'll be going to Philly at the end of the month (Fri. Feb. 26th) to do a "YarnBomb." Check out http://www.yarnbomb.com/ and scroll down to events...

Other wonderful news: while in Philly, I'll be able to visit one of my favorite stores in this part of the world, Loop on South St. http://www.loopyarn.com/ and meet Clara Parkes, author of "The Knitter's Book of Wool." This book has given me so much great wool info - one of the best references I have. Also I'll be able to stash up on some Koigu PPM from Loop!

I also hope to talk artist Karen Cole http://www.karencole.blogspot.com/ on working out one of her art pieces ("Eye on you...") into an intarsia wall hanging, throw, or shawl. If she charts it up I could work out the knitting, etc. and maybe it also will turn to Spring tomorrow...

And then there's the Ravlympics http://www.ravelry.com/; I'm co-captain to our CF Knit and Hook Group

http://www.meetupcuyahogafallsknitandhook.com%20group/We are one of over 300 teams with thousands of participants all over the world. I'm excited and am in the following events: WIP Dancing, Cable Crosscountry and Stash Dance.
Here are my WIPs that are being entered: my infamous market bag which might just go to the Ravlympics or maybe the Yarn Harlot's Olympics, wwwyarnharlot.com which I've also entered. (FLASH:Whoops, just found out no WIPs with the Yarn Harlot. It's a start to finish event so Julie's mittens might just get done since I have to tink them out and start over.)

The Entrelac Shawl which just needs some of the border finished and loose ends tucked away. That's do-able right?

Calling me back is Koigu PPM and I know that these will get done...
This was part of knitting 2 socks at the same time on 2 seperate sets of DPNs. The good news: Second sock is almost or may be more complete then this one and that's enough to make me want to party my socks off. Watch out, here the WIPs come!

Other very big news: Debbie S. and I are starting/organizing a new Sock Group/Club. "We Knit Sock?" working title. Not keen on it - any suggestions? We will be meeting either the second Tuesday or Wednesday of every month. We're getting really excited about this and have had some tremendous response. I'm singing, "I'm so excited." We will post news in Raverly under the forum, "A Yarn Over the Falls." More and more soon.

Remember what Mick Jagger said , "More is never enough." I hope he meant his creative force... knit on!

Talking about more, just got news of a ride from Cheryl (yay!) to The 6TH Annual Knit and Crochet Festival www.pghknitandcrochet.com for tomorrow. So it will be a stealth visit to see some favorite people, Autumn House Farms included! I feel very travel knitter, I see a realty show!

Of course it's been snowing and snowing here, there, and everywhere, so let's not dwell on it but as I said a little bit ago, "Use brighter yarn!"
And don't forget, IKTIDKY, "I knit therefore I don't kill you..."

OK Now It's Really Cold!

A few days later. I'm knitting but I have to keep putting my hands into my wood fire to thaw them. This might be the last thing I knit...a tea cozy. Whom am I kidding - we'll all be frozen stiff if this keeps up, or down and we won't worry about tea. Last night - wind chill minus 8 degrees. That's cold...

Where Were We?

Well now we have reached the end of January and I've not updated for several months and am greatful for the friends and knitters who have said, "So what the heck is going on here? Brain gone numb?" "Too much snow?"

Pouring coffee at the restaurant last week, talking to Rick the photographer.

"Oh thank God, January is almost over." Me

"Yeah there's only one thing worse then January." Rick

"What?" Me

"February." Rick

"Ohio." Me

"You love it." Rick

"I love snow. Not so much 48 days w/o sun." Me

"So go get some new light bulbs. Use brighter yarn." Rick

So that's the deal girls and boys. I'm using brighter yarn - pictures later (promise - I'm inspired)

What else can I say? Keep creating. Keep writing, fixing, drawing, knitting, photographing, eating chocolate and thinking. Do not for any reason give in to January.

Use bright yarn...write haikus, put new toner on your face, buy lipstick, eat scallops in a light lemon sauce, drink lots o' coffee or tea or a blue drink while laughing with a girlfriend and thin about me, in Ohio, using brighter yarn.

There it is! Lynn's Christmas Sock. The last knitted Christmas present to be shipped. Not bad. Finished Sunday night. That's us, knitting to terrific music and good coffee at Border's, Sat. night.

Nice "Yummy" yarn in blueberry - great hand dyed colors and specks. Good knitting, no splits, a little twisting but a good amount of yarn left over for the "Sock Blankie" project. Or might send it on to "Warm Up America." Must have been 420 plus yds.

Top pics:Crazy Becky's side yard, my house, big ice, my Duffy dog having fun...