So…. I dyed my first batch of yarn using kool aid, and I now have two hanks of wool yarn, 220 yards each, that I need a project  for.    Anyone have any ideas??? I have yet to find a pattern I actually like….  perhaps I’m just too picky!

First batch– Valentine

Second batch- cotton candy (all the colors reminded me of cotton candy flavors!)

Many of us support the decisions of President Steger and the Virginia Tech Police and we do not appreciate the impressions being given by the media.  If you would like to help us support them, please sign the petition located at http://www.wesupportvt.com/

I’ve created two basic patterns that can be used for knitting… one is the motto in English- “That I May Serve” and the other is a basic VT logo with the motto in latin- “Ut Prosim” It was just something I wanted to make… so I did. Both are in PDF format… email me if you are interested at laura@dragonwingarts.com

Beginning of my version in Sugar ‘n Cream with crochet cotton run alongside…

**update** I finished it, I just have to post pictures.  I also took down the patterns so I don’t get grumbled at by VT.  I’m going to try to contact the licensing department to see if I can get the pattern approved since I’m not selling it…  –Eloewien, 5/5/07

We’re all slowly recovering, but it’s been a difficult few days. I’ve designed something that could be used as cross stitch, knitting or crocheting– I’ll try to get a version up in the next few days. It says “That I May Serve” and has the VT logo with the latin “Ut Prosim” at the bottom. For some reason, it’s something I feel I should try to do. The picture below is pretty incredible and it shows what it’s really been like around here. We’re all one big family. When thinks like this happen, like on September 11, we get together and hold each other up… anyway, just wanted to post the picture, since it’s pretty powerful seeing how many people were at the vigil Tuesday night…

Candlelight Vigil

If you haven’t been watching the news today, you might not know about the biggest school shooting in our history.  Since it happened at the school my husband works for, Virginia Tech,  I don’t know if there is any way I couldn’t have heard…  the Fox News article is here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266374,00.html

September 11 got to me and made me realize that the world was not a nice place, and that people out there wanted to hurt Americans, but it was still someone else– not me.  I didn’t know anyone directly affected, except by the flight cancellations and general fear.  This hit home… it’s close…  I have friends nearby in buildings not more than a block away from the shooting… it really happened.   Why do people go and do such insane things?

This morning at around 7am, there was a shooting in West AJ, a dorm not far from my husband’s office in the stadium.  At about 10am we got a phone call from his office asking him to put a notice on all the computers telling everyone to stay inside and that there had been a shooting.  At that point, the news was telling us that one person had been shot and that the shooter was still at large.  It turns out that just before they called us, there had been another, much worse, shooting on the other side of campus. 

In the end, there are at least 33 dead and around 30 wounded at last count.  One of my friends was at a doctor’s appointment near the hospital when the ambulances started arriving.  They couldn’t airlift anyone due to the severe winds we’re having (the roof of my building here is creaking and groaning right now).  The closest hospital is about 5 minutes away from campus, when that one filled up, they had to drive to the New River Valley Hospital about 20 minutes away. As she was waiting in the office, the wind blew a door shut onto someone’s hand, and it was cut to the point that she needed stitches.  She was told that she would have to drive to the other hospital about 20 minutes away, as Montgomery Regional was swamped with victims of the shooting.

All day we kept hearing different information… my husband went into work to help at the stadium.  He’s fine– all the shootings were over by the time he got there, but it’s still making me worry.  I’ve been getting calls from friends and family all day, trying to make sure we’re both ok.  He’s fine, I’m just shocked that anything like this could happen.  I’ve been in those classrooms and buildings– I had organic chemistry in the biggest lecture hall in Norris, and I used to have friends in AJ, the dorm that was hit.

The VT campus and Blacksburg will never be quite the same after this.  Our quiet little town has been turned upside down.  I’m sure we’ll be the center of media attention for a bit, and we’ll be known as the school with the worst shooting in history.  What about our great football and basketball teams? Our academic record?  It will all be forgotten thanks to one idiot who decided to go on a shooting spree across campus.  It’s never going to be the gorgeous, idyllic campus that I remember.  Now, when I look over at AJ or Norris, I’ll remember the students who lost their lives in a moment of senseless violence.

I never thought about that phrase before… and how it is so fitting.  What did these students do to deserve this?  Nothing.  Life isn’t fair and it never will be.  Sometimes the innocent go down before the guilty.  I just feel for the families- I’m sure there are many people right now wishing that they had been able to say that they loved someone one last time, or had the chance to say goodbye, or wish there was something they didn’t say.  When someone dies in the prime of life, it is such a loss.  Who knows what these students could have gone on to do…  we will never know.  All we know is that today, in Blacksburg and surrounding communities, we have lost our innocence and we now know that yes, it can happen to us.

I’ve come up with a few ideas to roll around in my head…

First, I want to try my hand at dying my own yarn.  Perhaps if I get good enough, I’ll start an etsy store :)  For now, I think I’ll just pick up some Patons Classic Merino in cream to play around with and see what happens.  I just want to try.

 My other thought came from a pattern I saw online that was a felted, cabled clutch.  I don’t remember the site, but I loved the look.  I want to try designing some cable knit, felted bags.  I’ve been playing around with several ideas in my head, and after looking at the Cables Untangled book at a friend’s house today, I want to play around with this idea some more.  Guess I need to go to Mosaic for some more cascade to play with soon!!   Maybe I can even put a few patterns up on here soon for some of y’all to test out!  We’ll see how it goes!

I don’t know what I was thinking, trying to make a lace shawl in a week, but I’m getting there. If you notice, the Hidcote Garden Shawl progress jumped a bit. I’m about to finish chart 3 of 9. I know the later charts will take a bit longer, so I’m about 25-30% of the way done. I only started it Saturday night… Maybe, just maybe I can get it done in time for my friend’s wedding on Saturday. It may not be blocked in time, but I can always block it later if I must. I absolutely love the Shimmer yarn… it’s incredibly soft and light. I wish I had more time to work on it, but I’m making do with what I’ve got. I’m just itching to pull the shawl out and work on another row, but I’m covering new agents and they’re keeping me busy. It’s just sitting there nagging me!!

Spring is finally getting here, even if it did get a bit cold first…  my dogwood is starting to bloom:

     (Click for more pictures)

Teddy Bear- pattern from Debbie Bliss Simply Baby holding a hank of Knit Picks Shimmer (morning mist colorway)

Saturday Market Bag from Knitty:

And finally, some stitch markers for my KH secret pal:

I ordered some Alpaca/Silk yarn in shades of blue from Knitpicks and it’s taunting me as it sits in West Virginia.  Bleh.  I want it NOW!!  I’m going to make another shawl by the designer of Icarus– the Hidcote Garden Shawl.   I’ve already played with the charts a bit, and they are wonderfully easy to read.  It uses a provisional cast on, which since it’s only three stitches and it only has to hold for long enough to knit 14 rows and pick up 7 sts down the side, I think I’ll be using one of the more basic cast ons.    I am going to try to get this done in time for my friend’s wedding at the end of the month, but I don’t know if it will be possible.  She already knows that it will be difficult if not impossible, but she’s thrilled at the idea of a lacework shawl no matter what. 

I already whipped out a Saturday Market Bag from knitty as well as a basic cell phone holder from One Skein Wonders for her– it’s not like she’ll be deprived at all!  I also have to get a teddy bear from the Debbie Bliss Simply Baby book done by easter.  Yikes!  So much to do and so little time!   Then I’m going to make another Hidcote(?) or similar shawl for a friend whose wedding is in July that I’m going to be in.  I’m tempted to make a shawl for me in deep red to go with my bridesmaid’s dress.  It’s strapless, so I know I’ll get cold.  I just don’t know if I wanna make it red to match the dress or maybe another color…  cream or black?  I’m debating buying a cone or two of SWTC Infinity… two cones would make two shawls. I would need 1300 yards each and the cones are 1400 yards. I would also love to use something from Lorna’s Laces …but that is rather costly! Another yarn provider I like is Katsara Yarns, but I don’t think there’s a colorway that’s quite what I want. Why must I be so picky??  With Katsara… it’s only $33 for 2480 yards of laceweight alpaca- which is incredibly tempting!  I would love to order another batch of their yarn.  Maybe I should