Strings & Yarn

I got a new toy! Actually, it’s not just a toy, it’s a tool to use as gas prices rise this summer and in an effort to be more eco-friendly.

Here are a few pics of me riding it.

I’ve used it several times in the last few days. Actually I just got it yesterday afternoon. Of course I took it out right away for some time by the river. Then I had two bike rides today, which means I have a very tired thigh. It’ll probably be a little sore tomorrow.

I have wanted a bike for a long time, but now that I live in a neighborhood, I feel like I can have a safe place to get more comfortable riding. How do I do it? Well, my super awesome C-leg has two modes. I have my second mode (three taps on the toe changes it over) set to free swing, which is perfect for biking.

I am so excited to get to know my bike better and how I’ll handle biking. The last thing I need is an awesome milk crate to carry my knitting in.

Way back I said that I wanted to feature some ways we were working to make our house greener on my blog. Well, I haven’t really talked about it since. Mostly because it’s not anything original. When we moved into the house, we changed all the light bulbs (the amount of money we save on the bill is amazing), we are 100% wind powered, and have effencient appliances. When I garden, it is all organic and we subscribe to and organic vegitable service.

Since earth day when Lolly posted about how everyday is Earth Day to her, I’ve been reading Sew Green. They have great tips on crafting, and homemaking in a green and earth friendly way. Recently they posted about Green Cleaners and Laundry Soap to make yourself.

Then I remembered that Anthony had posted about our own cleaner. We got this from our friend Taylor who is always full of helpful tips like this. We’ve been using this cleaner since we moved into the house, and I love it. It leaves the room smelling wonderfully fresh, and no harsh chemicals. Plus it’s way cheaper than buying conventional cleaners.

Anthony and I have been slowly working on our bedroom. We try to get a little bit done every weekend and progress is really showing now. First we ripped up carpet (including the stylish baseboard carpet on the wall), then we framed the closet, then we drywalled over the hideous wood paneling. I showed a picture of our new window here, but I didn’t realize I had never shared a pic of the drywall progress. I’m sure we have a few, I’ll try to post one later.

Overall, it’s been quite the learning experience. I haven’t done a lot of the construction part. I’ve mostly left that to Anthony and several of our friends. This weekend, I began to work my magic.

The first coat of paint is done! I’ll be taking some more photos to really show off the room soon. Thanks to all of my awesome friends for helping out. It only took a few hours of hard work, and then Anthony made dinner for us.  Not a bad deal since he is an awesome cook.

If you’re name is Lauren or Doug, and you are getting married on June 2nd, avert your eyes and click away.  If not, continue past the break.

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I’m in the thick of recital week here, and things have gotten crazy. So far all of them have gone very well. I had a private student recital last Saturday, a school concert last night, and I have one more private student recital on Sunday. Not to mention we are trying to get our bedroom painted before we go on a little vacation.

Did I mention that? We are going on vacation to Albuquerque (home town!) and San Francisco. I’m so glad! I really need a little break. If you’re in these areas e-mail me so we can meet up!

So on to the actual post content. While I’ve been learning how to garden, I haven’t wanted to spend too much money. I’ve been lucky. Tools were left behind when I moved in, lots of already established plants to play with. However, I’m always looking for creative uses for things I already have.

Vinegar is one of the useful things. Anthony sent this to me a while ago, and I thought It would be worth sharing. It’s all about different uses of vinegar in the garden. I haven’t been able to peruse the site too much, but it seems that there are all sorts of useful tips. Enjoy!
Link: Frugal Gardening - Uses for Vinegar in the Garden

I have had several projects that have recieved no blogging.  Actually almost all of them have been more secretive lately.  However, I have been working on some lace.  I saw this pattern about a year ago, and had been thinking about it ever since, so I finally gave in to the calling.

I am using knitpicks bare laceweight, that I dyed myself.   I haven’t done any lace since my Icarus. (I guess I never posted a finished picture of this.  It was right around the time the camera died.  Hopefully I’ll re-block it soon so you can see it.  I wore it every day for a long time, and it has served me well.)

This pattern is very easy and a lot of fun.  I even got some small crystal beads to use on the edging.  This will be my first time knitting with beads.

All of my projects have been put on hold for now, because I have a huge project with a large looming deadline coming up.  Something I just got the yarn for yesterday (eeep!).  More on that later.

I’ve been working on Hedera from Knitty.  I guess I have a thing for Cookie patterns lately.  I’ve finished the first sock and decided it was time for some photos.

I’ve really enjoyed this pattern.  It’s so simple, beautiful and works well with the varigated yarn.  Usually I don’t like patterned socks with varigated yarns, but this one works well.

I didn’t think I would do anything pink for project spectrum, but these work perfectly. The yarn actually has all three colors; pink, green, gold (plus a little purple for good measure).  And they’ll look great with my green Keens.

I finished these awhile ago, but haven’t posted them.

These are Anthony’s latest pair of socks.  I actually started them for the blue portion of project spectrum but didn’t get a chance to post them to the Flickr group.  I have several things like this from February/March.  Oh well, I’m doing better now.

I did these toe-up and with a round toe because I had seen someone do it at the Monday knit night.  It was very easy, and I really liked how it fit.

Here’s how it works;

Cast on 8 sts

Kfb every stitch

K one round

Kfb, K1, repeat

Knit one round

Kfb, K2, repeat

K one round (etc until you have desired about of stitchs)

I also did a different heel that I really liked but I’ll have to explain that one another time in another post.  Now it’s time to get some dinner!

Fyberduck has nominated me for a thinking blogger award! (Do I get to give an acceptance speech?)

I want to highlight a few of the the blogs that I look forward to reading.

Amputeehee - A fellow amputee and knitter.  I always look forward to reading whatever is currently going on in her life and her many creative pursuits.
pepperknit - Minty and I have very similar taste, making this one a lot of fun to read.  She is a fellow sock designer and I often feel inspired by her choice in patterns.
Ysolda - Another designer that I often look to for inspiration.  I like her funky retro style and have really enjoyed her posts about the design process.
thimble - I’ve gotten back into quilting lately and I can safely say it is mostly because of this blog.  She has wonderful ideas, reviews and even monthly music suggestions.
Cosmicpluto Knits! - Another knit wear designer that moves through projects so quickly!  If I have to choose a blog to read due to time constraints, I often pick out this one.

Even though I haven’t been consistently bloging lately, I have kept up on reading many, many blogs out there.  These are only a few of the many on that I would soarly miss if they were no longer written.  Hope you enjoy!