Debut of the Machine Fiend

We went to see L today. I have been wanting one of these for a while.

Can’t tell what it is? Either can Badger.
Okay, it’s an LK! Light Knitter 150 by Silver Reed. I've been trying to get my hands on one for awhile-I thought I had a line on a used one, but after much waiting, that door closed, maybe for the better. This one is brand new out of the box, just like a first timer would bring home a brand new LK 150.

I have really wanted one of these guys; yes, I have a whole lair full of the "big boys", but they can be complicated and/or intimidating for the beginner, not to mention expensive. At about $400.00, this is a great entry level knitter. Good quality, nice features, light and full of possibilities. My goal is to become proficient with this guy, so I can answer questions and show how easy and fun knitting machines can be.

This guy has a lot in common with the big guys, and is still different. I want to explore what can be done with this fella, using just what comes with this machine-no running to others for garter bars or extra hand tools.

That being said, I did cheat a little bit; I have the luxury of having a spare tilt table, so I don't have to clamp it to the dining room table

I'm going to wrap up and call it a day; the gremlins have gotten into the blog, and are trying to destroy this post. I'm happy today that I've gotten some picture mojo going, and will quit while I'm ahead.
TTFN

Teaser!

I just wanted to mention a wonderful yarn shop that I visited today-it’s called Renaissance Yarns, and it’s located in Kent, on Meeker Street in the heart of downtown. Yes, I live in Edmonds, and Kent is a bit out of the way for me, (about 35 miles) but I grew up in the South end, and my Aunt still lives out in Kent. What a nice shop! Stunning yarns, beautiful atmosphere and lovely people. They have a charity event every 3rd Friday of the month; they get together to make chemo caps for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. This is definitely a shop I am going to put on my “must visit” list. I also got a call from L tonight-she has procured for me that which I have been questing for. (Teaser!) If all goes as planned, I should have it tomorrow. It also occurs to me that I have yet to document the Lair. That is going to require pictures. If I’m not too exhausted from another whole day of errands, I plan to become the master of the digital camera! (A girl can dream, can’t she?)

Froggin’

Sigh. I’ve been pleased with the slow but steady progress I’ve been making on MS3, then Yarn Harlot has to go and do what’s been rattling around the back of my brain:
She added more beads to the design.
Sigh. I’ve been (mostly) happily plodding along, making slow, steady progress. I’m about ¼ of the way thru clue 4, and I’ve noticed that the beautiful beads that I love and were liberally sprinkled thru the first 3 clues have dried up.
So now I’m faced with ripping back all my hard won progress. It means taking out about 60 rows back to the middle of clue 3.

Sigh. I want more beads.
Rip.

So I've figured out why I'm not posting-I'm still not comfortable with the picture thing. Lacking time to play with and become proficient with camera and computer, I haven't been posting. Time for a change. I will become picture savvy, but 'til then, please forgive unillustrated postings.

This is what has been happening in Sweaterhag's world:
We went to the Puyallup Fair; I love fairs, we try to go to Monroe and Puyallup every year. We eat too much fair food, look at the displays and the animals. The draft horses are one of my favorites. They’re just huge! We went to the show, and afterwards we went out back of the barn and saw the horse wash. I guess even guys who weigh 2000 pounds need a shower after work.

What I always look for are the knitting entries, naturally. The Puyallup is the biggest fair in western Washington, and the knitted entries are always spectacular-the best of the best. And with the current knitting boom, I was expecting magic. Imagine my surprise when I found-not a heck of a lot. Don’t get me wrong; what was there was very nice; exquisite and beautiful, actually. But there really were very few pieces. I must have expressed my surprise to Curt a few too many times because he turned to me and said “So where is YOUR entry?” That shut me up. Where is my entry? Still scrawled on the back page of the someday file...
So here and now, I promise I will have an entry for next year’s Puyallup. (Gulp). I do have an idea, and maybe the yarn and pattern.

I did get Ty-Dy boxes done in time to wear to see the Yarn Harlot when she was in town. I was pleased to see that we were both wearing the same shade of chocolate brown, but she was wearing a beautiful lace shawl of apple green mohair as a contrasting piece. She is soo funny! (…“dropping the ‘K’ bomb.” Snort!) It really is a great time to be a knitter. Knitting humor-who'd a ever thunk it?
I got to meet the very charming Morgan. I am very interested in meeting other NW knit bloggers, so this was a great pleasure for me.

Okay, what else has happened? I went to Knit Night at Village Yarn and Tea. They were having a trunk show by the Fleece Artist, Kathryn Thomas. The yarns were amazing: the fibers delectable, the colors iridescent. I'm afraid I had a yarn accident, and spent an indecent amount of money.
Hi, I'm Petra, and I'm a yarnaholic. Sigh. I wore Field of Flowers and got lots of nice compliments on it.

Currently in progress:

1. MS3. Or should I call it Swan Lake now? I keep plugging along, but this one seems to move very slowly. Still, I love it and I want to finish it. I know me, and if I let my attention wander, it will end up in the UFO bin.
2. The Puyallup Project. Still in the early preliminary stages
3. Aunt Betty's Christmas hat. I'm doing EZ's watch cap from some bulky hand-dyed handspun wool I got from the spinner as she was spinning in the goat barn at the Monroe fair. This is easy knitting, which I need after Swan Lake and the PP.
   
4. Christmas present. Shhhh! It's a surprise! (Looks good, tho')

Alright, that's enough for today. I'll try not to get so far behind again, and WILL figure out how to access the pictures so I can use them easily. I took some good ones at the fair that I want to share.
TTFN