theraineysisters knitting and so much more

I know I’ve been very quiet here and on Ravelry for the past few weeks.  My husband and I have spent the past month in Boulder, Colorado.  We are on vacation, but we are planning to move here within the next six months to a year.  Feels a bit scary to say it out loud.  We love DC, but our daughter lives here and our son is on the west coast.  Our extended stay was to help our decision making process.  It’s very daunting!

A few days ago, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park and took a hike partway up Mount Ida.  The views were spectacular.  We saw lots of wildlife, too — elk, pika, and marmots.  So many marmots!  Here are a few photos from the hike.  (Please enjoy the marmot in the third photo.)  Those gorgeous mountains in the background are part of the Never Summer range.  Such a poetic name.

Our son joined us for a few days around the 4th of July.  Here he is with my husband on a different hike up Buchanan Pass.

I have been doing a little knitting — working on a very slow project:  the Circlet Shrug by Norah Gaughan.  I’m almost finished but it has gone very slowly  I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel though.  The fabric is beautiful — heavily cabled, which is why it is slow.

Fortunately, I’ve been getting a little help.

P.S.  So nice to hear from some of you in the area.  Maybe a knitting gathering is in our future!

Hi, all!  Back from Camp, exhausted and still reeling from all that I saw and learned!  The show and tell projects were beautiful.  It is amazing to be in the same room for 3 full days with such talented people.  Meg [Swansen] is ever the perfect hostess: welcoming, warm, and hangs on every word like they are gold.  She makes everyone feel relevant, talented, and smart.  Amy [Detjen] is hilarious: she makes everyone feel loud, inappropriate, and unruly.  In a good way!!  It is a great combination!

Little Darcy had a great time and is shown here with his new hairdo standing next to my meager purchases:

The bag.  Oh yes, the darling bag with the sheep that thinks it’s a cow (or vice versa!).  Those adorable (yet slightly disturbing) spotted lips…I bought the bag and the rusty orange yarn from Jeanette and George of Sun Valley Fibers.  They go to Yarnover as well as Knitting Camp.  I fell in love with the spotted little face of Sunshine.  You can see Latte to Sunshine’s left.  Susie is hiding in this picture.  They are all sheep belonging to Jeanette and George!! 🙂

The gradient is from KnitCircus: Trampoline, color Mischief Managed (100% merino, 440 yds/100 gms).  The color spoke to me, what can I say!!??!!

We stay at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Marshfield, WI.  They treated us really well this year, including a lovely welcome reception!

But the highlight of the weekend for me was Culver’s on Sunday night.  They had a promotion going where Turtle Sundaes were $1!!!!  ONE BUCKEROO!!!  I substituted SALTED CARAMEL on mine.  OMG!!!  I mean, seriously, it was the best thing that happened to me all weekend!

Contest
This year’s contest theme was “At the Museum.”  I went very “literal,” unlike many other campers (I have no imagination!).  I took a beaded amulet that I had made and photoshopped it onto a picture of Nefertiti.  I then went on and on about Nefertiti and how I had recreated an exact replica of the amulet necklace she wore in her iconic statue, blah-blah-blah, right down to the pressed glass ornamentation.  Friend Kim jumped up with her laptop and called bullsh!t, and said there wasn’t a necklace on the original statue – that she had proof on her laptop!  (All preplanned.)  Amy Detjen said she did notice that my picture seemed to be photoshopped, to which I objected to Kim’s FAKE NEWS!!

I came in 5th overall and won a FABULOUS prize – Knit Picks Interchangeable Needle Set:

There were scads of gorgeous and creative entries, but Jane’s Sudoku Blanket blew me away!

Already excited for next year!!

PS to pt: Here are the only other pictures I took – they are not the full representation or the best photos!!

PS to Pru: the fair isle cardigan is Holly’s own design, though I believe she based the motifs on something she found already published.  The colorway and sweater design is her own.

Ah, today I am getting ready to leave for Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp with friend, Kim.  Sally cannot go this year.  But Little Darcy is coming with us!  He has to get ready, too:

Little Darcy‘s hair needed a reset after I sprayed him down at Camp last year!!

I hate to “step on” my own post, but I want to share a very wonderful event with you all.  Yesterday my knitting peeps and I attended the wedding of a very special member of our group, Jimmy.  Jimmy and the love of his life got married yesterday in a beautiful, very meaningful ceremony.  Every detail reflected them, their interests, and their love for each other, their families, and their friends.  As Jimmy’s knitting peeps, we were very warmly received.  We brought our knitting to show who we are to Jimmy and everyone came up and said, “You’re Jimmy’s knitting friends!”

Jimmy and Taren hand threw enough plates for every person there.  We selected our favorite, used it as our dinner plate, and then got to bring it home as a memento.  Taren’s mom (with some help!) baked 24 of their favorite pies for the dessert.

They spoke their vows as the sun was setting behind them — the weather and venue (Schaar’s Bluff, Hastings MN) were perfect and every detail incredibly unique and beautiful.  They are so obviously meant for each other.

Jimmy designed and knit the ties that he and Taren are wearing with embroidery floss!!  They are stunning!  To Cath, the ties have not made it onto Ravelry!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mr. Kindree!!  The newlyweds will be moving to Norway where Jimmy has accepted a teaching job.  We are so excited for them as they start their lifelong journey together!

PS: Because I know you want to see the plate!  There were so many different styles – Asian-influence, African-influence, geometric, modern, etc.  It was impossible to choose so I went with a very simple, classic plate.  I LOVE it!!

PS2: Regarding the embroidery floss.  Jimmy used the 6 strands held together.  It approximated lace weight yarn, with a smooth, satiny finish and vivid color.

PS3: To Susan — our knitting group started about 18 years ago.  A few people were meeting and then one of them sent postcards out to any MKG knitter in the NW Twin Cities area.  That is how I heard about it.  The membership has changed over the years, but a few of us have stuck it out!!  We meet at the Plymouth Panera’s on Rockford Road every Thursday from ~3pm to 6pm or so. Any knitter is welcome to join us.  It is the highlight of my week and I really try not to miss it, though this Thursday I won’t be there because I’ll be at knitting camp!! 🙂

Sally is travelling and I have the summer doldrums, so not much to post.  I did start a new discussion thread on The Rainey Sisters Ravelry group though — called Knitters that Sew.  A lot of us do both and a conversation in another thread turned so much to sewing that we decided it deserved its own discussion.  Now THAT thread is talking about knitting!  Go figure…

Anyway, I was going to share this story in that thread, but thought I might as well tell it here, too.

We adopted our second daughter in the summer of 1995.  It was the most wonderful summer of my life!  I took the whole summer off to be with the new baby, and had my 5-year old daughter to help.  We had so much fun, and it was a special time I will always treasure.

Hanging at home gave me time to do the crafting stuff that I love.  I came up with an idea to make a Moon and Stars jacket – a black velvet jacket adorned with lamé celestial bodies: moon, sun, stars, comets, planets, etc.  To say it was “over the top” is an understatement!!

I decided to enter it in the Minnesota State Fair along with several knitted items.  It won a blue ribbon – yay!  I also won the sweepstakes for my St@rm0re Jacket, Eris0rt.  Because I was off all summer, and the fair was incredibly cheap back then, I took the girls several times throughout its ten-day run.

We would hang around the fair, eat corn dogs, and go visit my entries in the Creative Activities Building.  Bliss.  One very busy day, we were in the CA Bldg walking next to the case where my velvet jacket was displayed.  It was so crowded that we were creeping along in a slow line looking at the entries.

The woman next to me said to her friend [about my jacket], “That is the most hideous thing I have ever seen!!”  Right about then my oldest daughter said, “Look!  There’s your jacket, Mama!!”  The woman turned to me and said, “You made that, didn’t you?”  “Uh huh.”  She was horrified and embarrassed, but I told her that I knew it wasn’t for everyone and that she had made my day!  I got a huge kick out of it and it still makes me laugh.  Of all the people to be standing next to!

I also learned NEVER to say anything bad about anything on display at the Creative Activities Building within earshot of anyone else!!  You just never know!!

PS to Stashdragon: I wore the Eris0rt Jacket as my main winter coat for years!  It started to wear thin on the left shoulder where I’d hang my purse.  Now I only wear it occasionally to keep it from wearing out.  The velvet jacket does not get worn as often, to be honest!! 😉