Mossy Cottage Knits

I'm still trying to decide what to make. For myself. Because I haven't made anything for myself in practically an eternity, and dammit, it's time. Do I want to try to do an entire lace shawl? The Pacific Northwest or the Falling Leaves from Fiber Trends? Or mittens? Socks? The possibilities are many, but the requirement is that I have the supplies actually in hand. Stashbusting and insane. Two great tastes that taste great together, or something.

(PS - it looks black on my craptastic Windoze machine.)

GO RYAN!!!!! GO TINY SQUIRRELS!! GO PERU!!! *oops* spilled my beer.

So, Patti, it seems I now have a Knitting Olympics training coach AND my very own cheerleader. (Who, apparently, doesn't need any MORE beer.)

The button still looks black but I can't see the squirrels. ( I never could do those supposed 3D pictures either. )

YAY for Knitting Olympics! Almost 2000 knitters when I looked last.
I'm doing my first-ever pair of socks. Solid cranberry, tiniest yarn I've ever used, needles that might as well be long toothpicks... and the Jaywalker pattern. I think I need to buy a better lamp for my knitting station.

Llamas!! But where are the ducks?

Good luck on your Olympics project. I picked Pomatomus socks. Better soon get the yarn. I need to be added to the list of the Dulaan Brigade members as well! I made a scarf on Saturday to send, and I have yarn stash picked out for some mittens, too!

Have I mentioned yet, ever, that TMK is brilliant? That you could have searched the entire WORLD and not found anyone more compatible? Of course you're going to do the Olympics--TMK is RIGHT! Of course no one will notice the "smudge," TMK is RIGHT! (Maybe other ferals will jump in here, but if you have long floats, you have to "catch" the long float somehow, and sometimes it shows a little, but frankly, Ryan, I couldn't even make out the fricking squirrel let alone a smudge.)
If ANYONE can get you to do the Olympics it is TMK. (Love the button, BTW! And it looks blue to me...)

I ordered my yarn from Karen, too (Hi Karen!) and am itching to start--have already started to swatch (which is permitted). Finished a Dulaan sweater last night so I can clear the decks before the Olympics!

And might I add that you, Ms. Ryan, will also benefit from being in the "kiss and cry" area, so don't knock TMK's motives....Mary B

MaryB, what are you knitting for the Olympics? If you ordered your yarn from Karen, methinks you are knitting something Fair-Isle-ish.

And to everyone who can't see the squirrels,--which, by the way, does not bode well for the sweater--maybe it will help if I tell you you're really looking for half-squirrels (because, oddly, the pattern starts at the squirrels' stomachs, not at their feet). The half-squirrels are knit in blue and are located inside the peach half-circles at the bottom of the swatch. They are facing left and have, well, half-bushy-tails pointing to the right.

Beer helps you see the squirrels.

I see them! I see them! Little BLUE Squirrels! Cute! When I looked earlier, I tried (unsuccessfully) to make them out in peach! However, sorry, but still no smudge is visible to me, so listen to TMK. Nobody will notice.

I am going to make (notice I didn't say "attempt") the African Vest from the Cheryl Oberle Folk Vest book. Using "Coffee" and "Flax" Jamieson colors. Got all the "Coffee" yarn from Karen at Two Swans, who BTW, to all you ferals out there, has a marvelous inventory of Jamieson yarn and can supply every wish you might have for colors!

Mary B

Hi Patti! I like the beer theory, and will have to try it when I get home....Although if one is knitting fair isle that only with the help of beer can one make out the design, that doesn't bode well for the squirrels....Mary B

You will be assimilated.

(Pass the beer.)

Come to the dark side Ryan, send Stephanie the da-ahem, darn email and buckle up! I'm thinking I'll participate in several events - the overall goal is lace knitting but I'm hoping to medal in the decathalon (can I knit on my project in 10 different places in one day?), and long-distance knitting (how many repeats can I work while on the ferry to Mom's house). I'm not planning on any sharp-shooting, my eyes will be too shot (pun intended) to aim.

I capitualted today. Officially, and in text to more than one person. Going there, Doing that, and I have ordered the T-Shirt. I have no illusions of actually completing the project, but just think this could be too much fun to pass up being part of. Especially coz in Toronto, there's pub nights organized already. Heh.

C'mon over to the dark side.

Eeeeeeeeyeah...is this some sort of Rorschach (yes I did have to look up how to spell that) test? If there are squirrels there, they're multi-car roadkill, you ask me. But then, I haven't had a beer in the last 16 years.

For the record, my sassy Cuzzin, I never said they were attractive squirrels, I just said they were squirrels. Long-time readers will know that I am not a big fan of knit-rendered animals--especially deer--because they do, as a rule, look like roadkill with particularly badly mangled limbs but I'm likin' these squirrels okay. Maybe we'll all just have to wait until I get the chance to knit an entire squirrel, not the crappy half-squirrels in the swatch.

See, I can't even make out a crappy half-squirrel. Though that might just be the theme to go with. I love the image of you going up to, say, Cuzzin Cata on her birthday and, after she opens the painstakingly wrapped package and, with that odd combination of too-big smile and knit brow, says, "Ooooh! I love it! What, um, what is it exactly?" you proudly reply, "It's a Crappy Half-squirrel Sweater! I knit it myself! Try it on!" Then Cuzzin Cata: "Sure...OK. Later maybe. I mean, it's so warm in here. Say! Who wants cake? Or a beer?"

Cuzzin, did you read the part where I said the Crappy Half-Squirrel Sweater is designed for a three-month-old? It wouldn't even fit on Cuzzin Cata/Sister Cata's head.

Which then leads us to the image of Cata wearing a Crappy Half-Squirrel Sweater knit for a three-month-old crammed tightly on her head, the arms of the sweater sticking straight out, while she imbibes copious amounts of beer.

Big Sister, hope you're reading this. Please come to my defense.

OH! The squirrels are BLUE!...hmmmm
Well, anyway, good luck on those floats! LOL

Wait, there's a t-shirt????!!!

Oh, for the love of Pete. Thank you, Aarlene. There they are. In blue. I was looking at the pink surrounding the squirrel and seeing it as a squirrel flattened on its side.

Wonder if the monastery fridge has any beer...

ROFL. Oh, crap. I can't believe Cuzzin thought it was the PINK squirrels. I'm laughing my butt off over here. I saw it immediately, the cute little squirrel. Geesh. You're really gonna take part in this insanity, huh? Ok, have fun.

My dear friend Nancy suckered me into doing the Olympics with her. I'm making the Clock vest from Folk Vests. I kind of hate knitting cables (I'm a colorwork girl), but the idea is that it will be a present for my mom.

It took me awhile to see squirrels. Maybe I need some beer.

I am SO embarrassed. Less embarrassed now, however, because Cuzzin' Tom ALSO thought the pink squirrels were looking mighty odd AND he said the Rorschach thing so I didn't have to...

And he's not even drinking beer.

(Pass the merlot, Stephanie. I know you have some in there. Team Caffeine, my fat fanny.)

ok, here's the ultimate fence sitter for the button. the part behind the white "team" looks black, and the part behind the red "usa" looks navy blue. there, i've agreed with both of you, lol.

as for the olympics, i've decided to contribute to my charity knitting, and i've challenged myself to make 15 different 12" squares, 15 different patterns. in 16 days. uff dah! (and i plan on joining team chocolate, sorry)

I see the squirrels! (spoken in a whisper to Bruce Willis?)
They might be easier to see if the light and dark were reversed. Anyway, I saw the little blue float, but only after you'd pointed it out. I don't think I would have noticed it otherwise.

Well, beer must not be necessary, because Noah saw the squirrels right away, and I KNOW he hasn't been drinking. As he says, "I've never even tasted beer."

Aaaaaaah-ha... I shee the shquirrelsh (after thinking 'deformed crab')... *hic* what float?

Clearly you have an audience of enablers... The little "smudge" issue can be resolved by gently tugging the carried color to the back while knitting along so it's not pulled *into* the stitch. Does that make sense? Hard to put into words.

I like your idea of a Crappy Roadkill Squirrel Hat, by the way! Perhaps a hat incorporating all types of roadkill. In hunter orange and black? blue? Or a tea cozy. Yeah, that's the ticket.

As soon as you explained that it was negative space squirrels and not positive sapce... well then I saw them. I kept coming back and looking and well.. let's just say I needed to be told so I *could* see them.

No comments from you on my blog about the beatings?? too bad. :)

about the floats....I have been told, although I can't really testify from experience, that if you don't catch the floats at the same point (stitch) on adjacent rows that they won’t be so noticeable. Actually, what was written was the you “stagger the floats so they don’t show on the right side”. Unfortunately, my last picture knitting was a norgi snowflake hat based on ‘Cameron’s cap’ for my husband, and I actually remembered to stagger all of the @#$%@#$ floats so I have no adjacent ones to measure ‘visibility” against.

I saw the critters right off, but I sort of thought they were kangaroos (she said, hanging her head with shame). But must apologize for of course they are squirrels, and obviously the problem is that I cannot tell my Rodentia Sciuridae from my Diprotodontia Macropodidae.

So sad that I saw the squirrels right away. Is it because I'm left-handed and do things backward or is my brain just wrong? Anywho, I would join in on the Olympics madness, but alas! There's no Crochet division for this here party so I have to sit aside and cheer you all on. I'll be in the stands with Norma Dear placing bets, giggling and generally stalking this year's participants. *evil grin*

I joined, but haven't declared a team yet. Will MongoLEEa have a team?

Button is Blue. (Hex 000033. Try Hex 000036 and it will be slightly more blue though)

oops-i meant 000066 not 36 (checked on a mac g4 and a dell)