Theresa Knits

One Month In

2012-01-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of the first month of the new year and it's time to check on what I've done so far this year.
On the knitting front, I have completed a total of four bears for The Mother Bear Project.

I've added almost a full round to my 10 stitch afghan (that top left hand corner is where I started the year),

added about half a dozen puffs to my collection for the Beekeeper's Quilt, (I looked back and only had a dozen in September.)

and I'm working on the first sleeve of my Hey Teach.

That's not bad progress so far.
In the gardening part of my life I'm also making some progress. We added two beds to our garden area this month.

The strawberries are starting to bloom.

I have a blossom on one of my peach trees. (I tried to tell it that it's still too early, but it didn't listen.)

The huckleberry is getting it's new leaves too.

Everything else is starting to show buds, but hasn't done more than pop out a couple of leaves. There are quite a few patches of a little white flower that I am trying to figure out. I have no clue what it is.

I also got a picture of a tiny bit of the creek that runs through part of our property. The creek gets high with the rain, but almost disappears when it gets dry around here.

We've been feeding the birds and the deer (and rabbits, squirrels and other assorted wildlife that hits the deer corn.)
I'm also preparing for my daughter's wedding. I finally found what I'll wear and if I could magically lose 20 to 30 pounds before the wedding I would be jumping up and down. I put on weight while nursing my husband last year and I'm just beginning the process of taking it back off. It will be a slow process and I don't think that it will be complete by April.
Not much more going on around here at the moment. I've spent some quality "baby time" in the past few weeks and enjoyed it. I'm also enjoying being able to give them back.

A Look in Both Directions (Behind and Ahead)

2012-01-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

I just counted the number of completed projects on my Ravelry page and there were 32 listed projects. I know for sure that I completed 43 because one of those projects is actually a group of projects. I'm pretty happy with that since I am pretty sure that there were some things completed that never got the love of a Rav project page.
This year, so far, I have completed two bears for the Mother Bear Project. That is already one thing completed on my Mission Possible 2012 list.
The list is
1. Ten Stitch Afghan
2. Two woven scarves for granddaughters
3. Something with handspun
Those are the carryovers from last year and then:
4. Hey Teach sweater (started already)
5. February Lady sweater
6. Twelve hats for MT25
7. Dot the Dress UP Box Monster
8. Gabby the Garden Monster
9. Mother Bear Project Bear

10. Hermione's Everyday Socks
11. Spin 4 oz braid
12. Beekeeper's Quilt
13.Dishcloth
14. Hat
15. To Be Decided
I know that there are fifteen things on the list, but since three of them are carryovers I decided to add three to the list so that I would have twelve new projects to aim for too.

Just before Christmas I became a great-grandmother and just after New year's I became a great-aunt. That means we have two new people for me to knit for. That will be fun. I picked up the yarn to do at least two sweaters that are not on the list above. I only have thirteen of the fourteen items to go so surely I can fit two more little sweaters in there. (Why yes, there is a small chance that I am delusional about the amount of knitting I can accomplish. Why do you ask?)

We are planning to expand our garden this year and have started that process by planting two apple trees, two peach trees, and two pecan trees. I'm considering an asparagus bed, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort since there are only two of us in my family that will eat it. Of course, I could make that a reason to have a smaller bed of asparagus. I'll have to think about it.

I have already begun Hey Teach and it's about halfway complete. My gauge was different and my yarn was different and I'm making a size that is two sizes too big according to the pattern, but should work with my gauge. It looks right and the size is still what I was expecting so that's good news so far. I already have the yarn for the February Lady Sweater and am trying to patiently finish something already on the needles before beginning something new. I have spinning on the go, two hats on the needles, the Hey Teach, and a hat on the machine. I've been deciding on yarn for my next woven project and bought beads to do Demeter's Shawlette with my handspun.

I hope to post more frequently this year. I guess we will see how many of my goals for the year I manage in my life.

What day is it?

2011-11-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

So today is, I think, the 16th of November. Holy cow, where did the first half of the month go. I guess it went where the rest of my months have lately. It flew by while I was trying to get things done after the move and while my husband has been out of work on disability.
The garden is growing well. There will be broccoli to eat soon and cabbage too.

The onions and the garlic are showing off nicely. The two whole lemons that my poor transplanted tree produced are almost ready to come off the tree and become lemonade or a lemon meringue pie. There are also peas and carrots growing and in a little pop up greenhouse there are bell peppers and tomatoes. We will see how those fare through the winter.
I've also been knitting. I finished the hat and booties to go with the sweater that I had finished at the beginning of the month. (Why yes, the sweater does have buttons.)

I've also completed my first Baldwin monster,

started a second one for my daughter's school raffle basket, made a February Baby sweater,

added a few hexagons to the collection,

and finished the gloves to go with my granddaughter's tam that I think was finished at the beginning of the month.
Those were my very first gloves ever. I am impressed with myself. It won't last long, but I'm going to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment for now. I expected them to be harder. They were fiddly, but not really hard.
Currently, I have a scarf on the Cricket loom. (Okay, it's half on. I haven't finished sleying the reed yet and tying on, but it's all wound on the back beam.) Did I mention that I made a spa cloth on that loom. That was fun. It was also fiddly. Apparently, I enjoy the fiddly aspect of things.
The office/ craft room needs to be cleared out and organized. I think that will wait til husband goes back to work. There are things in here that don't belong in here and I have to figure out where they should go. I'm also trying to use up some stash so that there is more room in here. Oddly, I had room for it all before I turned the room back into a bedroom for my youngest daughter. I've used and given away a lot of yarn and craft items since then and yet there seems to be less room. Of course, when I look around, I see an old computer taking up space in the closet and there are two new looms since those days and I noticed a minute ago that there are some of said daughter's things still in the closet. Hmm. Need to see what is there and if she wants it. If not, it needs to go away.
Time for some lunch. Then it's time to work on a monster, some fingerless mitts, a scarf, a hat, or one of the two afghan projects that are in the works.

2011-11-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

Wow, where did October go? It was a busy month around here and I did accomplish some things. My garden is growing. We've added cauliflower to the mix as well as garlic. I transplanted three pepper plants and three small volunteer tomatoes into a garden bed with a pop-up greenhouse over it. I hope that they make it through the winter and we get some more peppers from the plants.
We are making steady progress at getting the huge pile of deadwood taken care of so that I can put a couple of pecan trees in the yard in January or February.
I've also been knitting. I've finished the Mairi Tam

and Bobble Gloves

from Wendy D. Johnson's book Wendy Knits Lace. They were both enjoyable and I am planning to make at least two more of the tams for two more granddaughters.
I also finished the sweater for the new great grandbaby who is due at the beginning of January.

I have booties and a bonnet to finish before the shower, but they are to the seaming and blocking point so they are moving right along. The pattern for the set is called Perfectly Pink and comes from the Leisure Arts Sweet Layettes to Knit booklet which has four layettes in it.
There is also a finished woven scarf that came off the Cricket Loom finally.

I have also almost finished a monster from The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger. They are so cute and the one I've been working on is easy. I see more monsters in my future.
In case anyone is wondering the photos were taken out at the garden. There are peas and carrots growing with the scarf, broccoli growing with the tam and gloves and cabbage under the baby sweater.
I did finish my secret knitting. The recipient hasn't gotten it yet so I still can't post a picture. If they post one, I will direct you to it then.
Let's get the needles going for Christmas everyone.

Autumn update

2011-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting. I hope that's not news to anyone who might read this. I have been working on several things lately. I've made some progress on a baby sweater that is for my great granddaughter who is due in January.

I've also done some work on my 10 stitch blanket since the end of Stash Dash and made a little progress. (The stitch marker on the left side is where I left off at the end of Stash Dash and the needles are where I am now.)

I got sucked in to the Beekeepers Quilt and have about a dozen little hexagons made and gathering in a bag. I finished another one today who didn't make it into the photo op.

I've been working on a project that I can't show pictures of and have been having a time with that one and gauge. I have restarted different parts of this project two or three times each. Some of it was just that the parts of the project are small enough to be swatches themselves so I haven't been swatching. That means I have been ripping back and starting over. I'm really good at that part.
I finished the Monkey Mitts for my granddaughter. Word is that she loves them. I certainly hope so.

We got 17 3/4" of rain during Lee. My back yard was a lake. It's not a lake at the moment. The hawk sat on the start of a burn pile and scoped out breakfast. There are several bunnies that live around our property. I didn't see one become breakfast, but the hawk was awe inspiring.

The pile below is from when our property was cleared. We are taking care of it a little at a time. I wanted to use a chipper on most of it, but that isn't feasible. In our area they cost about $450 to rent for a weekend and that pile is taller than I am and part of it is too thick to go into a chipper anyway so part is getting burnt and we are thinking of buying a chipper in the future.

We have been building new raised garden beds and planting in them. We have onions, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, and sugar snap peas in the beds now.

I'm getting ready to transplant the strawberries to a different bed so that I can put plastic under all the beds. When we moved out here we did a quick job of moving our beds from the other place and it is time to start organizing the garden and getting it ready for a big year next spring. Although we are getting peppers from the garden I think this year was a fail in that regard. Peppers and cantaloupes are all we've gotten.

My citrus trees survived being put into the ground and the two lemons that I had on one of the trees are starting to turn. Looking forward to more citrus next year.

Rain, rain, go away

2011-09-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

We are geared up for the busiest time of the Hurricane season here. Historically, September is the height of the season and we have a depression sitting in the gulf that isn't moving at the moment. It seems that unless something changes that it will be a rainmaker more than anything. If that's the case I can't help wishing that it would go in to Texas where the whole state is in a serious drought. Here in my little corner of the world we could use the rain, but not 10 to 20 inches in 72 hours. It cannot soak in or drain that fast and will cause flash floods. That's not good for anyone.
I feel so badly for those in the northeast who have had to deal with Irene and the aftermath of that storm. I know how they feel.
I have been knitting and crocheting since my last post. I've made a pair of Monkey Mitts for one of my granddaughters and am crocheting some simple scarves for the granddaughters too.
I also got caught on the slippery slope that is the Beekeepers Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits. I looked at it and thought that it was pretty and interesting and that I should turn around and walk away immediately. Then I wondered if I could figure out how to make those tiny little hexagons and if I was as crazy as I thought I was since I had already played that game with the Sock Yarn Blankie by Shelley Kang. So I did. I walked away. No, really, I did. What got me was wondering if I could figure it out without the pattern. Now I think the pattern is lovely and if it was in my budget I would have bought it, tucked it away, and left it be for the foreseeable future. Now although I am not scrounging pennies for gas and milk (been there, done that), since my husband is currently on disability until he recovers from surgery, I do not have the cash for patterns. Especially patterns that I have no intention of making. But to use my mind to see if I can figure it out on my own is a worthy challenge. I now have two and a half of those lovely little hexagons in a bag in my craft room. They don't take a lot of yarn and they are a change from the Ten Stitch Blanket by Frankie Brown that I am also working on a little at a time.
Like I said, slippery slope.
On the home front I will be battling Morning Glory vines. They are along the side of our property and have found their way to my roses and my raised garden beds. There will be much pulling of vines so they don't take over. They are pretty, but I don't want the yard filled with them.
I also found some Cypress Vines that the butterflies love and something that I'm not sure what it is that the bees love.

The rain has started and it's coming down steady. I will update later with how much we have. It's now time for a cup of coffee.

I really did it

2011-08-17T12:33:00.001-07:00

I actually got through 5K of knitting and spinning for the Stash Dash. I was surprised to say the least. I finished a baby sweater, two pair of socks for the husband, a shawlette, a pi shawl, 6 bunnies, my first Clapotis, a Josephine cloche, and about 800 yards of spinning. I feel lucky that Tour De Fleece and the Stash Dash overlapped.

I have been working in the yard too and learned how to take the mower deck off the Deere and put it back on. Not a big deal unless you have never done it before.
There is actually a pomegranate on my bush. I was amazed. I just wasn't sure if it would produce or not. My yard is beginning to come together. We heard the other day that the sewer system is getting ready to come through our area. We knew it was coming, but had been told that it would be anywhere from two to seven years. The county health department wanted us to put in a $10,000 septic system instead of the $5,000 one that we did put in. Now they say that they will start hookups in November of this year. I would have been seriously upset if we had paid $10,000 for a system we would use for less than a year. They have mandated that if you live in this area you have to be hooked up to the system. The only surprise for me has been that they said there will be no hook up fee if you let them do the hook up when they come through with it.

Elmer had surgery again on Monday and we are hoping that they fixed the problem this time. I am tired of spending time in the hospital and I'm sure he is too.

I'm also teaching my granddaughter to knit on my Bond knitting machine. So far she loves it. She is eleven and I'm not sure how long her fascination will last, but it will be a skill she can come back to later if she wants. As for me, I'm still hand knitting almost exclusively lately. It's just so much more portable than my machines are. I'm still spinning on my spindle and I have a couple of scarves in the planning stages for my weaving looms. I just can't seem to get motivated to spend any time in front of my knitting machines. Ah well, it will come back. It always does.

They"re multiplying like, well, rabbits

2011-07-13T10:15:00.001-07:00

It's been busy around here. We are still working on the yard.
There is a lot still to be done. I have plants to get in the ground and trees to trim up and poison ivy to get rid of.
We got to watch a hawk land in one of our trees the other day. Unfortunately, by the time I got my camera he had left. Maybe next time.

I've been making more bunnies. I have three complete now and another one on the needles.
It is an easy pattern and will be useful tomorrow while I'm in the waiting room at the hospital.

I'm about half way with my stash dash 5 K, but I don't think I will make it to the goal by August 15. There is still a lot of yardage to go.
I've completed my goal for the Tour de Fleece. I didn't really think I could do four ounces on my spindle in the time allowed. I was wrong. I have about 200 yards of a very pretty (I think) 3-ply yarn. It still needs a bath and I need to see what the WPI (wraps per inch) is so I can see what I have. I think it's about a sport weight.

I'm going to be a great-grandma in January. There are baby things to be made before then and it also explains the beginning of the bunny craze. Once I made bunnies for the two babies we are expecting in our family, I got asked for several more. They are definitely multiplying.

The temperatures here are in the mid to upper 90's with heat indexes in the 110 range. It's hot here and in a lot of the rest of the country too I know. It definitely makes you wonder about how people managed before air conditioning. I know that it's a matter of what we are used to and I for one am thankful for the AC.

What I've been up to

2011-07-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything here and I'm not even sure what I was doing last time except that I'm sure we were moving. The move is complete. I am so thankful. The organizing and yardwork and making the new place a home is not complete yet.
I have been knitting. I've finished my Blueberry Pi shawl.

I've made a bunny and have the second one almost done. I have to finish his ear and sew it on and put a face on him. They will have more friends since I have had requests for three more bunnies.

I've been playing with my spindles for the Tour de Fleece. I am just about where I wanted to be in my spinning, but really ahead of where I thought I'd be. Nice.

Mostly I have been working around the house. We planted four blueberry bushes.
We got the citrus trees planted.
The roses are sitting waiting for me to put them in the ground. The garden is growing.
I made my own mulch by using a chipper to chip up some of the trees we had taken down on the property.
I've got my rain barrels set up and collecting water (when it rains). Unfortunately we are over 18 inches below normal on rainfall this year. It's sad and scary and I'm actually collecting the water from our AC unit as it pulls the humidity out and putting it in the barrel. It is adding up. I get about a gallon of water that way every three hours or so on average.
We set up a deck out back and get to enjoy watching the birds and the squirrels.
I will see about some more pictures next time around.

We have Power

2011-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm doing the happy dance that we are back on commercial power. I periodically jump up and do a little dance singing "We have Power, we have power." This is not really a big deal unless you have been living for two weeks on a generator and in the middle of that time your husband has surgery. As for the surgery, well, the device failed. We have an appointment tomorrow and will see what it next on the list for what to do to hopefully make him healthy again. He's not really unhealthy, but the issue is with his colon and it needs to be taken care of.
The house is moved. The code office passed us. The power company put in the meter and we start work on the yard this weekend. Up til now we have been doing what is needed to pass the inspection and keep the code office off our backs. now we are done with them and can work on making this our home.
In the meantime, I have been knitting to keep my sanity. I finished a pair of socks for Elmer,

then finished a baby sweater,

and a Wendy Johnson shawlette

and topped it off by finishing the spinning and plying of some fiber I got while I was in Texas way back in October.

I have plans to use my Kundert spindle to play during Tour de Fleece in July. I have plans for some Abstract Fibers roving in the Knitmore Girls colorway. The plan is to spin up all four ounces of this fiber.
I'm also playing in the Stash Dash 5 K with the Knitgirllls on Ravelry. So far I'm at 938 yards. That is nowhere what I need to have done, but when I finish Blueberry Pi I will add another 1500 to 1600 yards to my total. After that I plan to do a little weaving and work on my 10 stitch afghan to make up some yardage. I need to do 5K by August 15th. Can I do it? Who knows. I do know that the spinning counts too and if I knit what I spin during the challenge then I get to count it twice. Sweet. And a good reason to knit with some of my own handspun.
Back to the knitting, spinning, and yard work now.

Moving still going on

2011-05-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in what seems like forever. It's been a little crazy making around here. The move is, well, moving along slowly. We live in a mobile home (at least it was when we bought it, but I think now the term is manufactured home) that is in a trailer park. It's ours; well, it's ours and the mortgage company's for a while longer. We bought a piece of property and cleared part of it. That's when the fun began. I knew nothing about prices of things like the use of a track hoe or dirt or wash out (the stuff they wash out of concrete trucks). I also didn't know how much fun it is to deal with the code office, the zoning office, the environmental health department, and all the other things that need to be done. Every time one or both of us have been to the code office they say we need something else. Every time. Shouldn't there be a list that they hand you with what you need? Why yes, and there is. The problem is that they keep adding to the list. Apparently, it depends on who you get at the code office. I went yesterday, having everything that was on the list I had, and they informed me I needed something else. This was after they informed E. last week that we would have to have a different type of foundation "Stacked block foundation isn't allowed. You will have to have a permanent foundation with concrete, concrete filled blocks and re-bar." And they couldn't have told us this earlier? Ugh. This, of course, makes the move more expensive, time consuming, aggravating, and a host of other words that aren't all nice.
I could live with this except for two tiny little things. E is out of town most of the time for his job so most of this falls on me. On top of that we heard that E needs surgery again. I have about hit my limit on what I can handle.
I have been knitting to keep my sanity. I'm holding my own. I have a Pi shawl on the needles still. I'm working on a baby sweater and socks and will soon have a shawlette on the needles too. My 10 stitch blanket is not making any progress at all at the moment and my knitting machines are sitting idle and waiting to be packed for safety for the move.
Time to go do something semi- productive.

And the work goes on

2011-04-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy week around here, but not a lot of knitting has gone on. Instead I have looked at the Huckleberry bushes on our new property and seen the little huckleberries growing.

I've also built some 4 x 4 foot garden beds for the new garden and filled them with soil from the old beds that we took down at the current rental property. I built these from the decking of our old porch. It's not pressure treated and we can't reuse it for the new porch because it won't be covered at the beginning, but it makes nice little beds after I play with the saw and the drill. There are little volunteers in one of the beds already. One is a cucumber for sure and the other one we think is either squash or cantaloupe. Either one works for me. I have tomatoes and peppers that will go in the beds as soon as we get moved.

I also started making rain barrels to water the garden with. I just don't see the sense in wasting perfectly good free water. In this picture they are sitting next to my little garden shed and they aren't complete. I need to set up a gutter with downspout, put the lids back on with a way for the water to get in, connect them together with an overflow valve, and set up two more.

I have been knitting some. I'm still working on the Pi shawl and have many stitches per round, but not as many as there will be before it's done. I'm looking forward to sitting in a swing knitting and looking at my garden when we get moved.
Since I've never done this before I didn't know how many county government departments I'd have to go to or how much it would cost at each of these places. It's getting done one step at a time. Hopefully, I will have more knitting time soon.

Busy, busy, busy

2011-04-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've been busy around here. I finally got pictures of my woven blanket

and of the Wildfoote socks.

And then I was out at the new property and got a shot of the spot where I want a swing

and my new garden spot.

I'm currently working on the Blueberry Pi shawl (and thinking of where to plant blueberry bushes in the new yard), a pair of socks for one of the granddaughters, and some baby hats. I've also got four hats for MT25 that need to be seamed up and one hanging on my machine.
For those who are interested... swing under tree in that shot. The house will go where the orange clay is. There is a tiny Magnolia that we transplanted out of the way of the house at the front of the garden side of the yard and the property goes back beyond those trees on this side of the property. I'm looking forward to gardening, knitting, spinning, crocheting, and weaving here.

Quick update

2011-03-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted and my only excuse is that I have been working on getting property ready for us to move and getting house ready to move. Just this weekend we tore down our back deck, moved a garden bed, pressure washed the back of the house, moved stuff to storage and moved my garden shed to the property. I've already torn down my greenhouse and dug up my rosebushes. It's been busy around here and it will be for a while.
That said, I finished my Wildfoote socks today. Finally! I've also got the woven blanket off the loom and am in the process of finishing the ends of it. Hopefully, that will be complete sometime this week and I will have photos. (I got a new camera. DH lost his and decided that I should get a new one and he would take mine. He's the best.) I'm still working periodically on hats for MT25 and plan to have a dozen or more ready for the winter when they are needed.
I am still working on my commitments to both the "11 minutes a day" and Mission Possible 2011 and I'm in on a contest to not buy more yarn until August. There is a loophole about gift certificates and I have one from Christmas in case I really need it. I'm trying to just use what I have though. I'll let you know how I'm doing. As it is I have enough yarn and fiber to last me for well over two years without buying more. There is a lot that is acrylic in colors that I wouldn't have bought. It was given to me and I'm making it work. I will probably give some more of it away soon. No sense in letting it go to waste.

The loss of knitting time

2011-03-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

I've not made much progress on my knitting in the last two weeks. I had to rip out Blueberry Pi and start over again. That was no fun and I haven't even made it back to where I was when I ripped. I have two pair of socks on the needles, but not making much progress on them right now. There are too many other things I need to get done.

I've torn down my little makeshift greenhouse that has served me well over the last five years or so and I'm emptying the raised garden beds so that I can tear them down too. There is some
progress being made on the property front. It has gone from being overgrown like this...

to looking more like this. This is a picture of where we intend to put our mobile home. It will go behind that live oak with the curving branches in the picture.

This is kind of a sideways view of the property. I'm standing on the edge of the driveway looking toward the southern end of the property. It goes to past that pile of brush in the middle of the picture. There is more property behind where I am standing. About a third the length that is in this picture. There's a lot to do so I'm off to do some of it.

Stash Enhancement and Tea

2011-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a little bit about stash enhancement. The Regia sock yarn is to make my honorary granddaughter a pair of socks. There is a part of me that thinks I have this yarn at home already, but since I have four granddaughters counting the honorary one that is not a problem. They all like pink. I got that at The Shabby Sheep along with this fiber from Funky Carolina. It's four ounces of BFL in the Purple haze colorway. The Shabby Sheep was having a spinning workshop this weekend. I wish I had been able to go, but I am a very new spinner and I just didn't have the cash to go. (And I would have had to drive in Dallas and I think I've already said how much that stresses me)
After the stop there, we went up to The Woolie Ewe in Plano on our way to my daughter's house to hang out. While there I bought some Online Supersocke Wellness in a stripey colorway and some Meilenweit in a tweedy gray. They are both to make socks for Elmer. I have had to darn three pair of his socks recently so it's time to make some more.

These purchases put me up to the amount to get my Ewe Money Coupon and since I don't get here that often and the coupon expires in 30 days I went back and got the Madeline Tosh that was calling my name. I ended up paying a whole dollar and eighty four cents for it. I couldn't pass it up for that price, but it was out of my budget otherwise so I'm now cuddling some ToshSock.

I've also been slowly knitting on the Blueberry Pi and have started the second part. The needle it's on isn't big enough to stretch it out so it's impossible to get a glamour shot of it yet.

I also finished the Regia ankle socks. The Wildfoote socks are still on needles and I've started the Regia socks for granddaughter from the yarn above.
We also made a trip out to The Stockyards Station so that I could visit the Spice and Tea Exchange where I bought five different teas. I got Black Chocolate, Cinnamon Spice, and Vanilla Bean which I've bought there before and I got Wild Blackberry and Green Tropical which I hadn't bought before. I find them all lovely to drink. I still have some Almond Cookie tea from my last trip out, but left it at home thinking I had brought enough with me. We also got some smoked sea salts (Hickory, Alderwood, and Applewood) Those are really good on meat that you're tossing on the grill. By the way, they will ship if you want or there are other stores around the country. There just isn't one close to me.
I've enjoyed my time in Dallas with the hubby, but I'm looking forward to be home. There will be a lot to do over the next few months and I don't think I will get back out here before October. We are supposed to close on our property on Friday and then there is clearing to be done, along with a septic system, electrical, water, fencing, moving the house, telephone and internet, satellite,and who knows what I'm forgetting. It will be very busy and I won't even really get started on landscaping or gardening for several months except for transplanting my roses and planting my citrus trees. I hope to get some "before" pictures on Saturday and then maybe some "as we go along" pictures after that. I don't see any "after" pictures happening for quite a while.
Time for a cup of tea and a Girl Scout Cookie. More later.

A little less blob, a little more shawl

2011-02-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

We got word today that the title to the property is clear and we are set to close on March 4th. Yea! That's good news. There is still a lot of work to be done and I am not looking forward to the part before we move the house. I do rather look forward to the landscaping portion after we get moved.

I have made some progress on my Wildfoote socks and I still really like the yarn. I'm looking forward to wearing these and hop that they remain mine and don't make an unexpected trip home with the granddaughter.

I've made a little progress on my Blueberry Pi and it's a little less blob-like now. There is actually enough done to make it lay out a little bit and show a little of the pattern.

I do have some ladders in it that I'm hoping will even out in the washing afterwards. They are less and less obvious as I go along, mostly I think, because there are more stitches to be spread around on the needles and a little more to hold on to as I knit. I think blocking will be my friend on this one. If you look right where my finger is pointing in the picture you can see one of those ladders. Probably only I would ever notice it in the final product and I think that even I won't notice it later.

I've also made a little progress on the second pair of the Regia socks. These little ankle socks will be done before I get home from Dallas.

I spent part of yesterday with my LK150 set up and made a couple of hats for our church's homeless mission. I didn't take pictures of them because I use the same pattern every time and only vary the yarn. I'm using some Caron One Pound this time around. There is nothing special about it except for the amount of yarn you get for the price and that makes me able to afford to make more hats than I otherwise would. I have a commitment for 12 hats this year for my Mission Possible 2011 goal and have now got two of those done except for the seaming.
The Blueberry Pi shawl is also on that list as are the Wildfoote socks. Did I post my list here? I can't remember. Oh well, here it is...

Twelve hats for MT25
Knitted t-shirt
Scrap Afghan (wip … less than half)(completed Jan 26)
10 stitch Afghan (wip … way less than one quarter done.)
two woven scarves for granddaughters
socks
socks
fingerless mitts
fingerless mitts
Pi shawl
TBD (to be decided)
Something with my handspun I have scarves promised to my granddaughters and the yarn already chosen. I’m not sure if I’m making patterned socks or not. I am thinking of a Cookie A pair. I also need to weave the curtains for my craft room and find an awesome pattern for my handspun as soon as it is finished and I know what gauge it is. There is lots of spinning to be finished here too in the next year. I want to try to get my stash down to about half of what it is now. The twelve hats for MT25 is a yearly promise that I usually try to surpass. I see this list changing during the year.

I am making some progress on that list by working on my 11 minutes a day commitment. I still need to do some fiber work today. I plan to spin a little, knit on the shawl a little, and maybe make a trip to a local yarn store here. I really don't need to go there, but I might anyway. They had fiber for spinning the last time I was in. That spinning thing was a slippery slope.
I will be glad to get home and get the house moved and settled so that I can do some weaving too. I know my loom is getting lonely there by itself.
Did you notice that I am thinking about a trip to the yarn store and right there on my Mission Possible list is an idea to get my stash down to about half of what it is now? I see trouble brewing.

Update on the WIPS

2011-02-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

I turned the heel on the Regia ankle socks for my grandson. The picture isn't good. It's cloudy and I couldn't get them to lay where you could actually see that they are both turned. I've picked up the gusset stitches and am in the process of decreasing them back down now. It's not really exciting except that it looks like these will be identical twins too and not just fraternal like most of my socks are. It took a little futzing around to get them to start at the same place, but it wasn't bad really. I'm not usually concerned about a perfect or even a near perfect match on my socks, but decided to give it a try this time around. Not bad, even if I do say so myself.
I'm still in Dallas visiting with DH. I got to go to Whole Foods this morning. That totally wouldn't be a big deal except that we don't have one at home and they have one of my favorite (365 Veggie) chips and my favorite (jalapeno, cilantro) hummus. I will have to take some of the chips home for one of my granddaughters too. She likes them as well. Funny that when I looked them up online they got a bad rating on the taste test. Ah well, everyone can't have the same taste or I'd never get to have the things I like. (Same issue with clothes... sometimes I look at something and say "Really? not on this body. Uh uh)
I have also turned the heel on my Wildfoote socks. I really like this yarn. It's squishy and not splitty for me when I'm knitting. (Of course, your mileage may vary.) The last pair of socks that I knit from this yarn got swiped by my granddaughter. I don't know how they are wearing now, but they were wearing well when I still had them. These are the two pair of socks that are my "don't pay attention to what's going on while husband is driving in Dallas because you will just freak out" knitting. I am unashamedly a small town/ country girl. I do not like to go eighty riding right on someone's bumper and don't like them doing it to me either. Meandering country roads are my thing. (yes, the new property is out of town.) I have no problem bebopping along at 15 miles an hour behind a farmer. I always leave early enough to take that into account.
This little bit of scrunched up knitting that doesn't look like anything yet is the start of my Blueberry Pi from the Wendy Johnson Shetland Pi KAL. I can't make it look like more than a blob at this point. (I spent over five minutes trying.) What is there to say about this? Well, I had a hard time with the start because I didn't have the appropriate size double points with me and casting on nine stitches on a circular needle was interesting to say the least. I ended up using this pictoral tutorial for Emily Ocker's cast on. It still wasn't easy, but it got done.
My plan for my 11 minutes today is to seam some hats for MT25 that have been sitting for a while and do a couple of rounds on the Blueberry Pi and carry along one of the pairs of socks to work on on the way to dinner tonight. Tomorrow's plan includes setting up the LK150 for some hat work. I need to knit 12 this year for my Mission Possible 2011 commitment. I haven't even done one yet. The ones I need to seam are from December. (Told you they had been sitting for a while.)
I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical here at the hotel this morning. The stride isn't really long enough for me so it is awkward. The treadmills were both occupied and that's why I was on the elliptical. I did a little weight training with the machines, but missed my Zumba. It will be March before I get to go back. I really need to order the dvds so I can do it on days I can't make a class.
Off to have some lunch and do some knitting.

It's a pair of socks (and a half)

2011-02-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Valentines day and things have changed since my last blog post. We made an offer on a different piece of property since there were some issues with the first piece. The sellers of the second piece accepted our offer and it's now in the hands of an attorney to get ready for closing in three weeks. This piece is slightly smaller and has a lot less pine trees. I'm happy about that. We will still have a lot of clearing to do and some other work before we can move our house to it, but I'm feeling like things will go pretty well.
I finished the first pair of Regia socks that I was working on and they match nicely. I'm glad. I hope the child that they are for likes them too.

Then I started a pair of ankle socks for my grandson. He likes his socks short so I thought I'd make use of the rest of the Regia and fix him up.
My grandchildren seem to keep track of who got what last a lot better than I do.
I'm still working on the Wildfoote socks for myself and hope to finish them in the next week or so.
I'm still working on my spinning, but there is not much progress to show so I didn't take another picture. No one would have been able to tell any progress was made at all. I tried to spin on my spindle in the car while my husband was driving yesterday and I could spin as long as I went with the park and draft method. There just wasn't enough room for me to get the suspended spinning going. It was worth a try. It made me want to buy a Spindolyn, but so far I am holding out. I own three spindles now and don't really think I need another at this time.
My plan for my time in Dallas is to finish both pair of socks I have on the needles and start my Pi shawl. I also have some hats that need to be seamed for MT25. All of these things are on my Mission Possible 2011 list. I brought my LK150 with me and will try to make some more hats while I'm here and also do some spinning. I think this will cover my 11 minutes a day easily.
I will start hitting the exercise room tomorrow morning and try to get in at least 30 minutes a day while I'm here. There is no snow on the ground right now and I hope it stays that way.

Random knitting and spinning

2011-02-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting few days around here. I finally finished the second baby blanket. I'm so glad it's done. It's for the daughter of an old high school friend who is expecting twins and I was wondering if I was going to make it before she had the babies. The blanket was a lot of work on my Lk150 because of all the hand manipulation involved.

I am halfway through a pair of socks for an honorary grandson.

I started a pair of socks for myself in Brown Sheep's Wildfoote. This pair will just be a vanilla pair that I can work on in the car as I travel next week. Those two pair of socks are on my Mission Possible 2011 list.

On top of that I have been doing some spinning and I still like it as much as I did when I started. I am making slow, but steady progress on my fiber.

If all goes as planned, we will be closing on a piece of property on Friday. It will be an interesting few months while we get it cleared and ready for our mobile home to be moved there. The pine trees have got to go. I've seen first hand how easily they snap in even moderately high winds and I really don't want a tree in the middle of my roof or on top of my car. There is a pretty nice magnolia that I will keep and I heard that there are some fruit trees on the property. It's really overgrown and needs some work. We have a friend who is just waiting to take a crack at it. I will have to save some money for a riding mower because I can't see me mowing three acres with a push mower. I've never driven a riding mower so that will be interesting.
I'm deciding what to take with me to Dallas next week and I will take the spinning from the photo above along with both pair of socks that I'm currently working on and the Pi shawl that I want to start. I'm thinking about taking my first handspun along to make myself a cowl with. That would add two more things in progress on my Mission Possible 2011 list. ( I see a pattern here.)
I'll let you know how it's going on the knitting front as well as with the property.
I am a little bummed about not having a garden this year, but the possibilities for next year are making me smile.

11 in 11 How am I doing?

2011-02-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

I'm still working on Baby Blanket #2 on my Lk150. The reforming of stitches is going slowly but steadily. I think it will be lovely when completed, but that is still at least a week away and that's if I can take the machine with me to Dallas for a visit next week.
I'm not even sure that I will be able to go though. Between the weather and the fact that we are trying to buy a piece of property to put our house (mobile home) on I just might not be able to go. I am not a fan of snow or cold which would explain why I live in the south and I mean deep south as in I'm less than twenty miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Our temperatures have been below normal and I am not a happy camper about it. On top of maybe or maybe not on my trip to Dallas I also cannot plant a garden until I know if we are actually going to get to move or not. Oh well.
I've also been doing some spinning. This is some dark gray carbonized bamboo on my Schacht Hi-Lo spindle. It really is a lot darker than it appears in this shot. I'm getting much better at it and I love doing it. I also have some Potluck Roving in Pumpkin Spice on my Kundert and some wool that I'm not sure what it is in a lovely teal(ish) color on the spindle I got on my last trip to Texas.
I still am not sure what I will make with any of the yarn I am making right now. The orange is such a stretch for me. It is not one of my normal colors. The teal is so much more me. There is more fiber waiting in the wings for a free spindle.

I also finished and got a photo of my latest crocheted scrap afghan. I am trying to use up my scraps and make them into something useful. These afghans are going to my church homeless ministry. They are not beautiful, but they are warm. I made one years ago and my son won't let me give it away. He says it's his favorite afghan.
Being the person I am, I have two pair of socks on needles too and I'm getting ready to start a Pi Shawl. The scrap afghan, socks, and shawl are all on my list for Mission Possible 2011. That's helpful.
As for the 11 in 11 process, I am doing fine. The idea is to spend eleven minutes every day in 2011 on something fiber related. All my work on my machines counts as does the time I spend spinning or knitting by hand or weaving or researching a pattern on Revelry. So far it's been easy going. I think the challenging part will be during the moving portion of the year.
The property we are looking at is about 3 acres and most of it is wooded. Those pines will have to go. The hardwoods can stay, but pines tend to snap in rough weather and I am in what we lovingly refer to as hurricane alley. We spend from June through November watching the weather here. Normally, we get a break in the winter and don't worry so much about the weather, but with the unusual cold this year... oh well. We are in trouble if the power goes as we are total electric and there is no fireplace in my home. Heat in the camper is gas, but it is a truck camper and I don't think I can be cooped up there with my mom and son for very long without pulling all my hair out. I really don't think I would look good bald.
Off to do something productive and get my 11 minutes in for the day along with some laundry and some exercise.

No knitting in the courthouse

2011-01-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

I was called for jury duty this week. In my area you call in the night before to see if you have to be at the courthouse. Monday - nope. Complete day as scheduled. Tuesday - rats. Spend half of day at courthouse where they will not let me take my knitting upstairs. Ugh, really? Do you think I am going to use my favorite needles to hurt someone? Uh no, I like these needles and I don't want blood on my yarn. Duh! Luckily they did let me have my Kindle with me so I could read during the waiting portion of the day. I also did not get picked for the jury. Civic duty complete. Home to the knitting, spinning, crocheting, and exercise.
I have almost completed Baby Blanket #1. Please excuse the picture quality. There isn't really enough sun in that room yet and the overhead light was on too. No real help. I have about 6 rows of the edging to do and then it's done. I think I'm going to do the next one on the machine. This one went well after the two times I ripped it out. The first attempt is an example of why I should swatch and measure more. It would have been big enough to reach completely across my full size bed. Oops. Rip. Try number two and somehow, with all my experience, I managed to turn around in the middle of a row and not see it for three more rows. Looking at blanket admiring it and then... what? why is one side longer than the other? Hmmm. Count rows at each end. Oh man, you've been knitting for well over 30 years (gulp). How did you manage that? On the upside, it is now going well and is almost complete. I washed and hung my first real skein of my own handspun to dry last night. There is approximately 178 yards of a very usable thick and thin yarn that now needs something to be knitted into. I have found that I spin a lot thinner now than when I started in September and since I have been working on this skein since the beginning you can see spots where there is thick plied with thin. I am not upset by how much yarn I got out of that eight ounces. I think I will get more yardage out of what I'm spinning now and it will be much more consistent.

My hip and my Piriformis muscle is feeling much better now. There is no screaming pain at all any more. I'm beginning to exercise again and without pain. There is the occasional twinge that reminds me to check my form, but it is nothing to what I experienced between Christmas and New Years Day. I plan to go to a Zumba class on Saturday to try it out. I keep seeing the videos advertised, but I don't want to spend the money on them if I don't like to do it. My youngest daughter went last Saturday and is hooked. She loved it even though she said she felt very uncoordinated for most of the workout. She had fun and is going back. That's what I want to know. Will I love it? Hate it? Wonder what all the hype is about? Guess we will see. If my muscle doesn't make it through the whole workout, then I will try again another time. I would love a fun workout that didn't feel like a workout. I will report back later.

No Progress

2011-01-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

There is no news on the Mission Possible 2011 list except that I have made no progress. I got asked for two baby blankets for twins due in April and so the rest of my list took a back seat to those. How are they going? Well, I had to frog the first one and start over so the answer is slowly. The first blanket is a basketweave knit on size 7 needles with Caron One Pound yarn. I think it needs to be machine washable and dry-able for a mother of twins who already has an older child. I have not yet decided if I will do two identical ones or if I will change patterns for the second one.
I am sitting in my craft room looking out the window at my garden beds and wishing it was warm enough that something was planted in them and growing. I heard that food prices will be going up (again) and I know that will make me want to grow more of my own food. I do have to worry about who will care for the garden while I am gone though. My mom lives with us, but isn't much into spending time in the garden.
I tried to exercise a little while ago and my hip started giving me trouble so I will postpone that until after I see the doctor on Tuesday. If it's arthritis then I will deal with it. I am more concerned that it might be something else. I don't have a clue what though. I still want a treadmill and still don't have a place to put one so that is still on the back burner. Since I live right on the highway I cannot walk around my neighborhood for exercise. I wonder if I can do the Leslie Sansone dvds right now. I might have to try that and see. I am almost done spinning the white wool and then it will be plied and knit into something. Probably a hat. It's going to be thick and thin and probably about a bulky weight when done. I can't wait. The other spinning is coming along slowly, but it is coming along so I can't complain. Off to play with fibery stuff now.

Fiber plans?

2011-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who has a goal of spending 11 minutes every day in 2011 on fiber pursuits. She has a list of rules for herself which, I think, boil down to the idea that she must spend 11 minutes a day on something fiber related and she has to make notes about it and report on her blog. I had to laugh when I read that reading counts only if it is a pattern, fiber related article or something of that nature. Apparently a Debbie Macomber book doesn't count (unless it's one of the pattern books to go with the stories. Then I had to wonder...does the Yarn Harlot count? I'm sure Zimmerman counts. I guess that the other knit lit that I read wouldn't count either. Luckily, I spend a little time at least once a week reading blogs about spinning, knitting, and weaving. I usually get some useful information out of those. Good luck, friend. I think you can do this and more.
For my own fiber pursuits I have, in no particular order, the following things going on.
There is a baby blanket on the needles (I have two to make),
a hat on my LK150 (my minimum goal for 2011 is 12),
three spindles with fiber attached to them, a crocheted scrap afghan on the hook,
half of a blanket on my 25" Flip, a scarf on my Cricket, a pair of socks on double points, a pair of tiny toe separating partial socks for my MIL on needles that she wants for when she goes in for a pedicure.
I just went looking for pictures and realized I don't have pictures of most of the stuff I'm working on. Maybe that should be one of my goals for the year. Actually take pictures of the stuff I'm doing.

It's cold here today. Our high will be about 45 and I know some people would love to get there and I sympathize, but as a southern girl I am freezing. I really don't think my home was insulated for this type of weather. It doesn't help that we don't have double pane windows or storm windows in the house so the weather (cold) comes right on in or feels like it does anyway. To stay warm I am running around in sweats and shawls (it really is cute - not) and thinking about what I'm going to put in the garden this year. I haven't got a plan yet, but I am working on it.
I go to the doctor on Tuesday to see if we can figure out what the problem is with my hip. Luckily, the pain that I was in just after Christmas has let up a lot. It's bad when turning over in bed makes you want to scream. I'm back to the twinges now and that is an improvement. I'm thankful.

A New Year and New (somewhat) Goals

2011-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's January 5, 2011 already. We had a really nice Christmas and then a trip to St. Louis to visit my mother in law. Two days before Christmas I realized that the floor was wet in my craft room so went looking for the problem. I found it. Our water heater was leaking. Luckily, it didn't burst and the leak was small enough not to ruin anything. DH knew that something was up when I walked in to the room he was in and said, "I think I'm going to need your help with this one." A trip to Lowes followed. It seems that it was a year for replacing appliances in our home. In 2010 we managed to have to replace the stove, dishwasher, washing machine, and the water heater. We replaced the refrigerator at the end of 2009. Fun stuff.
I'm doing Mission Possible 2011 this year. Here's the list that is subject to change:
1. 12 hats for MT25
2. Knitted T-shirt (pattern not decided on yet)
3. Scrap afghan (WIP from 2010)
4. 10 stitch afghan (WIP from 2010)
5. 2 woven scarves for granddaughters
6. woven curtains for craft room
7. socks
8. socks
9. fingerless mitts
10. fingerless mitts
11. Pi Shawl
12. something with my handspun

The scrap afghan is well underway and the 10 stitch is begun, but alas, not well underway. I haven't decided on the patterns for most of the things on my list so will be working on that soon. I put two pairs of socks on the list, but I really have more than two pair to do. I didn't put any of my spinning on the list, but to complete number twelve I really need to finish up some of the spinning I have begun.

I got a gift certificate to my LYS for Christmas so there is shopping in my future. I also go tone to Amazon for my Kindle books, but I haven't used it yet. I am very picky about what I get with it.

It's also time to restart my wellness journey. I managed to hurt myself at the end of the year and if the ache doesn't go away soon I need to see the doctor about it. having a sore hip and lower back is no fun when it comes time to do anything active.

off to decide on dinner now.

A Stashing we will go

2010-10-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm in Dallas visiting with my honey who works here more often than at home and every time I come he wants to make sure I don't get bored in the hotel room. (Because, you know, I never get bored at home and there is no way I brought knitting with me.) So we went to Yarn Heaven, then off to The Woolie Ewe, a stop at the Shabby S heep and one at White Rock Weaving to round out a weekend.

Let's see: I got Mountain Colors fiber at Yarn Heaven, The Woolie Ewe

was having a sale and that would have been dangerous, except for the good sense of DH who said "Hey, that's on sale. Are you sure you don't need some more?" There might have been 30 skeins that made their way to the car. The stop at White Rock Weaving gave me two more shuttles for my weaving looms and two ounces of carbonized bamboo along with 5.1 ounces of potluck roving in the Pumpkin Spice colorway that just called and called to me and a Kundert Spindle that spins like a dream. The last stop was The Shabby Sheep where another 16 skeins went into the car with me. (Really with DH since he was carrying the bag.)
I have been knitting, spinning, fondling yarn and working out since I've been here. (Those pictures are not all of it, but Blogger and I are arguing about pictures right now.)

I was talking to a lady at the Shabby Sheep who just bought an LK150 and doesn't know how to use it. I volunteered to go back on Saturday if her schedule permits and show her the basics.
I go home in a little over a week to an oven that seems to have decided that now is the time to die. I got a call from my son who said, "Hey Mom, the oven element is shooting sparks. Mawmaw (what they call their grandmother) was baking something and it just started." My response was to tell him to turn off the breaker and let it cool down and not cook anything in the oven til I get home. I might have added that there is nothing I can do about it from here. My vote is just to get a new element, but DH says that it might just be time to get a new one. The one we have is 16 years old and has been used heavily in those years. I have been coveting a flat surface stove fro a while, but have refused to buy one because mine works (worked) fine. I just don't replace working appliances. In the past year or so I have had to replace both the washer and dryer, the dishwasher, and the refrigerator. My kitchen is almost new. Ah, well. Life goes on.

a little update

2010-10-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, it's a lovely day here and I have been enjoying it a lot.
I was sitting here listening to the SpinDoctor podcast since of course I needed more podcasts to listen too and I have just begun to spin on a spindle. Must learn more is my motto. I would love to have several podcasts that I could listen to about spinning like I have for my knitting. Of course, I get a little spinning from the Knitmore Girls and love it. As a matter of fact, Jasmin is the reason I thought about spinning to start with. Now I want to ask her dozens of questions about things spinning related on top of all the other questions that I think of when I'm listening. There are other podcasts that tied the knot tighter in the "You want to spin" rope that first tried to tug at me from reading the Yarn Harlot's blog, but Jasmin managed to make me think "Oh, I wonder if I could do that?". The answer is yes, I can. I can't do it well (yet), but I can spin something that resembles yarn.
On another note, I have the sampler off the loom, but haven't finished the ends so that I can wash it and get pictures of it. I have since put another scarf on the Cricket and it is sitting waiting for my trip to Dallas for some love.
I haven't made a lot of progress on the Einstein for my granddaughter, but there is a little more each day and the scrapghan is moving along slowly as well. Blame the lack of progress on the spindle. I was told that I needed to spend at least 10 minutes a day at it to begin to see progress. I listened and have been spending more than that at it. I have cast on a new pair of socks and a new teddy bear too. I just finished a dishcloth that is the 12th thing on my Mission Possible list for 2010. I'm already thinking about my list for 2011, but I have several things to finish before the end of the year.
In the garden: Yesterday I picked a small basket full of bell peppers. It wasn't all that are on the plants, but I did fill a second gallon size ziplock freezer bag with them. I will have peppers for use in soups and casseroles for the entire winter I hope. The lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage seem to be happy in the garden and are beginning to grow and it's almost time for me to fork up some sweet potatoes. I'm really looking forward to eating those. I love things fresh out of my garden.
Time to get back to the knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, exercising and reading. Nope, housework wasn't on that list. I will do some, but I don't want to talk about it.

It's Fall and I'm busy

2010-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

It feels like Fall here. At least it feels like Fall for those of us in the southern U.S. I woke up this morning to temperatures in the mid 50's. Yes! The a c is off for now. I'm a big believer in turning it off if we can do without it.
Over the weekend we planted lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli in the garden. The sweet potatoes are trying to take over one bed and the bell peppers are still producing. I will chop up the extra bell pepper and put it in the freezer for winter use. I also found three volunteer tomato plants in the garden. All the others had died and been pulled up so these were a surprise. I will leave them in the garden as long as possible and then I will see about putting them in pots on the back porch or in the house if I can find room.

This morning I plied my very first yarn. It's not a big skein and it isn't going to have anyone clamoring to buy it, but I made it.

I've begun an Einstein coat for one of my granddaughters,

a ten stitch blanket out of leftover sock yarn just because I can,

and a crocheted scrapghan to use up some odds and ends of yarn and make something useful too.

I also have a half completed teddy bear that I"m going to be sending off to someone who is going to Haiti to help with recovery. I need to finish sewing him up and stuffing him and he needs a face still. I don't have any pictures of him yet. I'm waiting until I get him stuffed. He doesn't want to be seen in his current condition.
I'm still working on my weaving. Right now I have a sampler on the Cricket. It's a turquoise and white color work sampler. I'm loving the way these colors go together, but really, doesn't everything "go" with white?

I'm back on my getting healthier bandwagon. I joined MyFitnessPal.com and I'm trying to remember to log my food and exercise. Hmmm, how many calories does blogging use? Not enough, I'm sure.
Off to have some lunch now. Happy Fall everyone.

Knitting and Weaving and Gardening, Oh my

2010-09-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

So I looked back and realized that I hadn't posted since the end of August. Wow. What have I been doing? First, I need to apologize. I was looking over the blog and realized that I had comments that I have never responded to. I never think to look back to see if there was a comment and so I never respond. for that I apologize and I will try to do better.
I have been playing in my garden. The tomatoes are done. The cucumbers and cantaloupes have died out. There are sweet potato vines all over one bed. I sure hope they're producing potatoes under there. The bell peppers are still going gangbusters. I have over two gallons chopped and frozen. I'll use them this winter when prices are beyond me. Have you seen the price of them even now? Yikes!

I've been knitting. I do a lot of hand knitting when I can't be in my little room that my husband calls my office and I would like to call my fiber studio. I'd call it that if there was enough room to have everything set up the way I'd like. Mobile homes (or manufactured homes as they are now known) are not known for having an excess of room. Ours is a 16 x 80 and has four bedrooms. Three of those are in use as bedrooms and the other one is my space. It's about 8 foot x 9 foot. I have a desk, three knitting machines and two looms to go in there. That's not counting my storage cabinets for the fiber for my fiber habit. I still don't have it organized in a way that I like.

So on to the knitting ... I knit a wedding afghan on my Bond USM. There are five panels. Two have the names of the people getting married, one has the wedding date, and two are a contrasting (ha ha, contrast with white) color with cables running down the length. It took a while to do as the names and date are done in seed stitch. The recipients said that they loved it. I hope so.

I have also finished a pair of fingerless mitts for a friend for Christmas and the Landscape Shawl (on my Mission Possible list) is complete. The shawl still needs blocking, but the ends are woven in and that's half the battle. It took just over three skeins of the four I had for it out of Colinette Jitterbug. I don't know yet how it will wear, but the yarn was lovely to work with. I only have a dishcloth to finish to complete my list for Mission Possible 2010. There is a pair of socks on needles for my granddaughter. They aren't on any list but hers.

I've been weaving scarves out of a cone of yarn that has been in my stash for about six years now. They are (so far) just a plain tabby weave in a deep grey boucle type yarn that I love the color of, but none of my knitting machines liked it at all. All three tried to eat it and so nothing got made from it. Now it's being used. I have more yarn that will get used on the loom because it doesn't get along with the machines that it was bought for.

I wish someone would now talk me off the ledge I'm standing on. I want to try spindle spinning. I also want a floor or table loom, but that's more expensive than a spindle so I'm not about to jump off that ledge yet. Why do I want to spin with a spindle? Not a clue except that it looks like fun and would be a way for me to make my fiber habit more encompassing than it already is. Do I need to spin? Probably not. I can buy yarn and I know that I can buy yarn that looks a lot better than my beginning attempts at spinning could produce. Someone on one of the boards that I frequent said that it's not a new hobby; it's just an extension of the one I already have...fiber. I think I'm going with that. I don't know if I will like it or be good at it, but I'm going to try it. On the upside, spindles don't take up a lot of room. Wish me luck.

Time Flies

2010-08-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's August already and I haven't posted in over a month. Really though, my life isn't all that interesting to anyone else. I'm not consistently funny or insightful and I don't consistently have the kind of trouble that makes people gasp. That said, I have been busy with my life and my crafts.

I got pictures of the first table runner. My daughter liked it. The beading took what felt like forever. I think it was worth it though.
I have finished the weaving on the second table runner. It has the exact same warp on it. I just changed the predominant weft color. It makes an interesting difference. I just need to decide on the finishing for it. I think I'm going to bead it too only not in the same pattern.

I'm making considerable progress on the Landscape Shawl. I have begun the last pattern on it and it's moving right along. I work on it in the evening while watching tv mostly.
I'm working on a series of scarves on my Cricket loom. I've had this yarn for a while now. The original plan was to use it on one of my knitting machines. It's just too loopy for that. This first scarf is done on a 10 dent heddle and the warp and the weft are the same yarn. There were some issues with it, but it was do-able. I have another on now with this weft and a 3/2 cotton warp on an 8-dent heddle. The cotton is working better, but the other yarn might work well on the 8 dent too. I'll try that next and see. I find the first one lovely off the loom and need to get a picture of it finished.

I finished a pair of fingerless mitts for a friend for Christmas. This is a picture of them before they were finished. That's one gift that I don't have to think about later.
I have another project underway. Actually on my Bond machine. It was feeling very lonely up on it's shelf. I'll get pictures of that project later. Right now the white yarn on the machine against the white wall just doesn't make for very good photos.
In other news, the garden is still coming along. I think the tomatoes are about done, but the bell peppers are looking lovely. The cantaloupes are producing, but the bugs are getting them before they are ripe enough for human consumption. I hate to use pesticides and haven't figured out how to keep them away long enough for us to get some of the fruit. If it keeps up, I will pull the plants out and they will just be done for the season. I'm trying to decide what to start next for my fall crops. It's still a little too warm (okay it's hot) for lettuce. We're still in the mid 90's or higher and will be for a while yet. Today we are having a cool front. It's only supposed to be 95 and only about 70% humidity. It was nice this morning. About 76 on the back porch and I just wanted to stay out there for the day. It won't last.
Well, off to get some work done. Hopefully it won't be another month before I post.

A beautiful summer day

2010-07-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful summer day in south MS. (Don't look at the beach. That will just depress you.) It's hot, the laundry is on the line and almost dry, the little garden plot is producing lovely vegetables, the grass is growing and there are clouds building in the west. Now realistically, it's not as hot as it could be or as hot as it will be before the summer is over or really as hot as it already has been. I didn't really feel like I was melting as soon as I went out the door so it's almost a cold snap, but it's about 90 on my back porch. There is a breeze blowing and that helps. We've been over 100 already this year and I expect we will be again.
When I went to hang the laundry out this morning I found a partially constructed bird's nest in the clothespin bag. The sparrows and I already had a talk about this, but just like when my kids were teenagers I guess they didn't listen. I disposed of the nesting materials. Now this wasn't the only nest on my back porch. They had raised baby sparrows in a nest on the back porch already. No pictures as the birds are faster than my camera. I have since learned that there were four babies when they flew the nest while I was gone to Dallas.
I picked a cantaloupe from the garden yesterday and cut it a while ago. The amazing part is that I didn't eat the whole thing. I see tomatoes and peppers that need to be picked and there are more blossoms on the cucumber and cantaloupe vines. The potato vines (sweet and white) are growing so I expect to have potatoes in a couple of months. I can't wait for my home grown sweet potatoes to go with the turkey at Thanksgiving. Yum!
I have finished the weaving portion of the table runner and am now beading the fringe. It's a slow process because I am slow and need frequent breaks. During those breaks I have finished the Dishcloth Baby Blanket that was on my Mission Possible list;

I have about an inch of ribbing left to do to complete another pair of socks for the hubby; I cast on for the Landscape Shawl and have three hats ready for seaming for our church's homeless mission as well as a scrap afghan.
It's hot now, but it won't be and I need to think ahead to keep people warm when winter comes. I can't keep everyone warm and fed, but if I do my little bit and someone else does theirs then there will be less hunger and less people cold in my community. I have to believe that every little bit helps. I've also started another scrap afghan. This one will be crocheted and reminds me of my son's favorite afghan from when he was growing up. He still says it was cozy and made him feel loved. Isn't that what our needlework is for?
I really want a Kindle. I have the Kindle app on my iPod and love it, but the pages are small and I spend a lot of time turning "pages" on it. A bigger screen would help. I like having a collection of books with me and having them when I get stuck in a waiting situation. I don't do well when I feel like I'm wasting time. Now that doesn't mean that I can't just sit on my back porch and watch the world go by; it just means that I like to choose my idle time and I like to be comfortable when I am idle.
While I was in Dallas we went to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. I went to the Spice and Tea Exchange. I got three kinds of tea: a vanilla, a chocolate, and almond cookie. I also got some ground chipolte pepper and some dried minced garlic. It all smells so good and since they don't use any fillers you don't have to use as much to get the flavor you want.

June already?

2010-06-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's June already. For those of us on the Gulf Coast that means the start of another hurricane season. That very real concern is complicated this year by the oil spill in the gulf. What happens if we have a storm? How much more environmental damage will there be? The oil spill by itself is horrendous to those of us who live here and get to be concerned about not only a way of life, but about how this will affect the environment for years to come. The threat of a storm on top of that is somewhat mind-boggling. How far would a storm wash the oil ashore? How far in to the bays and estuaries? How far up the rivers? How many species will be affected? How far reaching will this be at the end of the day? How many years will it take to recover (for the people and for the plants and animals)?
On to another subject that is less traumatic. My garden is producing. The lettuce is gone and that is not surprising since it is in the 90's with a lovely high humidity and heat indexes at the century mark. Much fun is to be had when mowing the grass in this weather. I'm getting tomatoes and cucumbers on an almost daily basis right now. The peppers aren't doing as well this year so far. I don't know how much longer the broccoli will continue to produce, but for now I am still getting some. On the other hand, the cauliflower was a bust this year. I have sweet potatoes in and cannot wait to have some from my very own garden this fall. I plan to put out some regular potatoes in the next few days. I should have done it already, but I have been a little busy. I bought what I thought was a squash plant. Imagine my surprise when instead of crookneck squash little cantaloupes started showing up. I love cantaloupe so this is not a tragedy, but I will miss the squash. There is only so much room in my raised bed gardens and I will have to deal with the produce that I do have.
As for my crafty life, I have finished The Everlasting Blanket. Eight hundred forty seven squares later it is laying across the end of my bed where I can admire it daily. It fits my double bed nicely and I cannot get a picture of it all, but did take a halfway decent shot of it just after ends were woven and trimmed and it got spread across the bed.

The Christmas table runner is still in progress and is about 70 inches long on the loom right now. I think I have about 36 inches or so to go. The picture was from a month ago and it was only at 37 inches at that point. There is much progress on it.

All of the ends will need trimming and weaving in at the end of the project after it gets a good wash to set things. I'm looking forward to it being complete, because I have several more ideas in my head for the loom and it's next project.
I also completed the Scraps No More Afghan. I'm sorry to say that I still have scraps of worsted weight yarn left in the stash. To combat that issue, I have started a crocheted afghan to (hopefully) use up the rest of the current batch.
Is it frightening that I am seriously considering starting another sock yarn blanket? DH has asked for one to go in our camper and I'm really thinking about it. I do know if I do it that it will be another long-term project and something that I work on between other projects. I enjoyed seeing the first one come together.
I am over halfway through my Mission Possible 2010 list. I still need to complete the Landscape Shawl (not started yet), the Dishcloth Baby Blanket (about 1/3 complete), another 2 or 3 hats for MT25 to make the listed goal (I have the yarn for another 7 I think), and a dishcloth that I have not begun. That's not bad for the beginning of June. I have over 6 months to complete those last few things. I have a list of another 6 things that is the beginning of the next crafty to do list.
As far as my personal health goals go, I am still exercising on a fairly regular schedule and still trying to watch what I eat. It's hard for me sometimes, but I know it will be worth it in the end. I want a treadmill, but won't buy one right now. the one that I want is more than I want to pay right now so will stick with the Leslie Sansone walking videos. I love those things. I can pretty much do them anywhere that I have a dvd player and I don't need extra equipment. I work up a good sweat and when I do a new one, I can feel the muscles talking to me the next day.
Off to have some lunch and maybe get a picture of the Scraps No More afghan while the sun is shining.

April Showers? Where are they?

2010-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the computer in my "office" as DH calls it. I call it the craft room, but it works as both. Out the window I can see the garden growing. I'm wondering where my April showers are. I might have to go out and water the garden. I'm waiting ever so patiently for tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers to show up. I'm already picking lettuce and broccoli. Salads are my friend. They are especially my friend since I started working out and trying to drop a few pounds.
I finally took pictures and took stock of what I bought while in Dallas. I got 10 skeins of Rowan Denim, 10 skeins of Berroco comfort DK, 1 skein of Lana Grossa Meilenweit, 1 skein of Indulgence, 2 skeins of Regia 4 ply, and 8 skeins of Happy Feet. That's not counting the cotton 3 and 5 ply I got at the weaving store. I didn't realize just how much I got until I was counting skeins. 32 skeins of yarn added to my stash. I did send out 12# of yarn to go to another home the other day and about half of what I got at the weaving store will be used in the Christmas Runner that I'm making for the holidays at my daughter's house. We always do Christmas there so I thought I'd weave her a festive runner for the table.
It is red, green, white and gold. The gold is subtle and the red, green and white are dominant. I like it so far, but as you can see I just started so I may change my mind about it yet.
In other crafty news, I plan to make a belt to go with my Einstein Coat (which still needs ends sewn in and buttons found). I want to make a cloche to go with it for the winter too and have enough of the 220 to do both. I have yarn for 5 more hats for MT25, I've started a pair of socks for DH and am steadily working on the Everlasting Blanket. I have less than 130 squares to go and then need to do the border on it. I'm hoping to complete it within the next month. We'll see how that goes. The Scraps No More Blanket is waiting it's turn for some attention, but is on hold until the Everlasting is finished. I've been tempted to cast on the Landscape Shawl, but am holding out until I finish something else. So many plans, so little time. I am making slow progress on my Mission Possible list. I have 5 of twelve things complete and two are really close. If I can finish them before the end of May I will be ahead of the game.
Oh, by the way, I was actually able to give blood again on Tuesday. That's two times in a row. My iron and I fight over whether it's high enough for donation. It's fine as far as my health goes. I'm not anemic or anything; it's just sometimes too low to donate.
Time for some lunch. Exercise is done for the day. yippee. Always glad to have it finished. I may do another session, but that will be later.

What's happening?

2010-04-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ahh, back from my trip to Dallas and then to the Strawberry Festival. Since I've been home we have redone our bathroom(s). We did the floor and paint in both of them and they both really needed it. I also got some new accessories for my bathroom. My shower curtain was dismal and my corner caddy had seen better days some time ago. I hate to buy new stuff until the old is beyond redemption so I had been waiting. Add that to the fact that I wasn't sure what color I was painting and it just made more sense to wait.
How do you know you like a color? Well, for me it was the fact that I had painted a bedroom three years ago in a color called Dapper Tan and liked it because it was very neutral and yet it wasn't white or eggshell which I've seen enough of and then when we went to choose a paint color for the bathrooms I chose the exact same color (in a semi gloss instead of flat, but really the same color) and didn't realize it until after we'd had it mixed and brought it home. Three years and you choose the same color = liking a color. That's how I know that I like this color. I wouldn't wear it, but it looks good on my walls.
On the knitting front I have finished the Einstein except for weaving in ends and finding some buttons for it. I really like it so far. I think I will make a belt to go with it. Deciding on a knit or woven belt right now. I still plan to make a cloche to go with it. I will work on the Everlasting Blanket next week. (House to myself = doing just what I want to do) My son will be here, but he's never actually here. DH will be back at work and my mom will be gone on vacation for another week. I won't have to cook, things will stay clean (mostly) and there is knitting, weaving, reading, gardening, and listening to podcasts to be done. My only commitment is a blood drive on Tuesday.
I'm still working on my craft room. I need to rearrange some so that my new Flip loom has a spot of it's own. I think I have figured out where it's going so it's a matter of moving things and trying out the configuration.
I made new dish towels on my Flip while I was in Dallas. Here's a picture...

I got four towels out of my warp. I got four and not the three I expected because I forgot to weave some hem length on each of the towels. Duh. If you don't want fringe you need to hem and to hem and have towels the size you want you need to weave extra. Should have been a no-brainer and yet...
Off to knit or weave or play in the garden or just stand in the doorway and look at my bathroom.

2010-04-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm in Dallas for another couple of days and then it's home to get ready for the Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula, LA. We will be gathering at my dad's house for fun, strawberries, the parade, a shrimp boil, and much family togetherness. By the end of the weekend I may have decided that it's too much family togetherness, but you know how that goes. I hope my mom has watered the garden.
After that, we are going to do some work on our bathrooms. I need some help with part of it and DH will help with the stuff that I'm not sure how to do and we will have a nice newly covered floor and freshly painted walls in our bathroom. The plan is to change out the flooring in the other bathroom too. When we bought our "mobile home" or "manufactured home" or whatever the current name is there was carpet in both bathrooms. I personally don't know why you put carpet in a bathroom. I totally understand a small area rug, but not carpet. A small rug can be taken out to dry and air, but carpet is just there. It doesn't make sense to me.
On the knitting front, I have about 3/4 of a sleeve left to knit on the Einstein Coat. It's going well and I love the color. I'll have enough yarn left to knit myself a cloche to go with it and possibly a little extra. The Everlasting Blanket has not seen much action since I've been here, but will as soon as I finish with the Einstein. I've bought yarn while in Dallas. I made the trip to the Woolie Ewe and to the Shabby Sheep so of course I have new yarn. Some is for knitting and some of it will be for weaving with. I'll write up what I bought in a future post.
I still plan to work through some of my stash this year. Some I'll be working into afghans for the next winter. I can totally use the acrylic yarns I have to make some very nice afghans that can be tossed into the washer and not need special care. I hope to have a few for MT25 by the time fall rolls around. I'm still working on hats for them too. Now that it has warmed up I plan to just slip a hat in between other projects over the spring and summer and into fall. I don't know how people are as productive as they are. I feel like I'm the tortoise except that it's not a race and I don't notice the progress sometimes.
I've enjoyed my time away, but I know that I am a person who likes to have her routine. I can and do go with the flow if I need to, but I really like my own space with my own things and to know what I'm doing when. Other than DH, who will come back to work after we finish the bathroom work, I will miss the treadmill in the fitness room here. I've been spending about an hour a day on it and we are now friends. That's a good thing since we have eaten out so much while I've been here. DH has been laughing at me because I'm wearing my pedometer practically all the time and I've been running up and down the stairs here at the hotel.
I actually raced DH up the other day. I put him on the elevator, waved, dashed around the corner and up the stairs and was waiting when the elevator got to our floor. DH can go down the stairs, but up isn't in the cards yet after his surgery. Three flights of stairs isn't bad. It's good cardio and it's fun to do something silly like race an elevator once in a while.
I want to get back to my knitting machines too. I still haven't really learned to use my Artisan 45B. I find it intimidating. Between the fact that it's a standard gauge and has a ribber, it is a little more complicated than my other machines. I don't have a really good basic book for using it and I wish I did. I'll just have to do it and learn it on my own. Time to go home and relearn what button does what on the carriage. I like to learn so I know I can do this. It will just take practice.
Off to work on the Einstein and listen to The Knitmore Girls podcast. Why yes, I am a multi-tasker, why do you ask?

A New Friend

2010-04-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

I came to Dallas and went to a weaving store White Rock Weaving and made friends with a 25" Flip loom from Schacht. It's a little bigger than I pictured it, but not too big to use.
I of course had to buy some yarn to play with on it and now have three dishtowels on the loom. I'm only about ten inches into the first one and it will be just a plain weave. I've decided that weaving is just as enticing for me as knitting is. Those are Heather's socks laying on the warp on the new Flip loom. There's a window right there so the lighting is awkward. Hotels are fun that way.
So far in Dallas I have finished Heather's socks
and I only have a sleeve and a half to go on the Einstein Coat. This picture was taken before I started the sleeve.

Well, there's the seaming and buttons to find, but really not much to go. I'm still working on the Everlasting Blanket and I don't think it will be everlasting. There are about 700 squares complete on it and about 200 to go.

I might have another two months of work on it. It would be faster if I didn't have at least three projects going at one time.
When I get home I still have to seam the Purple Cardi and that set will be done too. I just haven't taken the time to do the seaming on it yet. Purely laziness on my part. I just lost interest in the project. I might have taken too long on it. I kept putting off finishing the knitting to do other things and just couldn't get back into it when I finished the other projects that I had going.
Time to sign off and go get my exercise in. I'm trying hard to keep up with my exercise routine while I'm out of town.

Another year older

2010-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a birthday and am now a year older. Shouldn't I feel older? I really haven't noticed a difference unless you count the fact that my children are grown and I have grandchildren. I don't feel any different than I did several years ago.
On to something you might care about or maybe not, but it's what's been going on lately.
The 2010 Mission Possible list:

Momof4’s Black and White on the loom now.completed 1/20/2010
Momof4’s Everlasting Blanket over 500 squares so about 2/3 done.
Bella’s socks. completed 1/21/2010
Momof4’s Scraps no More barely started. I have about 24" and am aiming for about 60
Momof4’s MT25 hats I want to get at least 12 done this year. #10 complete. I have one hat that needs seaming and one on the machine.
Einstein coat from the yarn I got for Christmas Bottom complete and bodice started.
Landscape Shawl also from yarn for Christmas
Aiden’s socks started 1/21/2010, completed 2/12/2010
Heather’s socks One sock done and one at the halfway point.
Dishcloth Baby Blanket
2 Woven scarves 1 completed 3/13/2010. Pink cotton shawl/scarf on loom for granddaughter.
Dishcloth

That means that I am making some progress on my list. I will hopefully get something complete while I'm in Dallas next week. I'm over 600 squares on the Everlasting Blanket and will probably take that with me along with Heather's socks and the Einstein Coat. Three projects (especially since two are rather large) should be enough to keep me busy for the week and a half I'll be there. It would be awesome to complete all three, but I will be happy to just make some progress. Hopefully, I will come home with one of them finished. My days will be my own since DH will be at work. That means that I will knit and go to the workout room to try to keep myself on the right track.
I got my car out of the shop last week and was happy to have it back. There was a bit of work that needed doing. Most of that work was maintenance. Some things just need to be done when your car has 104,000 miles on it. If you don't do said maintenance work, you get stuck on the side of the road and if you're smart you saw it coming when that happens. Cars won't go forever without someone taking care of them. (neither will anything else really)
Okay, so I have three knitting machines, a vase full of knitting needles, more than a closet full of yarn (most of which no one would give me a nickel for),one loom with another in my sights now, and I really need to know why I'm looking at Spindles and fiber. I don't spin. I don't need to spin. I don't have room for more fibery stuff. That is a slippery slope that I don't need to be on. Nuff said.
I still don't have the Purple Cardigan seamed up. Why? Just can't bring myself to do it. The measurements are correct according to the schematic. I really need to pin it together and try it on to make sure it will fit before I seam it up. It should. I should just go ahead and make myself do it. I wonder if I haven't because I didn't put it on the "list" for this year so it won't count toward my 12 items finished. That's not a good reason not to finish something. I could just add it to the list and have 13 things finished. okay. This week. Seam sweater. I'll report back and let you know if I actually did it.
No new pictures. I should get out camera and take some. I should finish something to take pictures of.
Gardening news to come. Soon I hope. I want some fresh vegetables.

2010-03-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Is Spring here yet? My roses are starting to get buds so I think that spring is almost here in the deep south. I have tomatoes waiting for our last freeze of the year to go in and there is broccoli and cauliflower in the garden along with lettuce and spinach. It's lovely here today and makes me just want to sit on the back porch and watch the birds at the feeders while I knit.
I tried out my daughter's Kindle the other day. I really like it. I read quickly and it would be so convenient to have access to that many books at one time. I might even get to read and reread some of the classics. Ah well, that's another day.
I finally have my purple shell and cardigan off of the LK150. Seems like it took forever. I still have seaming to do on the cardigan and buttons to find for it, but I really feel like I've made some progress. I'm also plugging away on the Scraps No More Blanket which is based on a Stephanie Pearl-McPhee "Traveler's Life Afghan" from her Casts Off Book. I'm using scraps of acrylic yarns and getting them out of my stash. They aren't beautiful yarns, but they will make a lovely afghan for throwing on the ground for picnics or for the grandkids to wrap up in to watch tv without me having to worry about spills or stains. Warmth is more important in this case and these yarns will do the trick nicely. The Everlasting Blanket is still coming along. I had put it aside for a while and picked it up for WIP Dancing in the Ravelympics. I made some progress, but it's not finished. I got about 60 squares done during that time and I could only work on it at home as it's gotten too big to carry along. My carry along project is a pair of vanilla socks for my oldest daughter. I've now started them three times. They weren't originally going to be vanilla socks, but I cannot do a short row heel on toe up socks that I like so I ripped them back two times and finally caved and I'm working cuff down. I really need to figure out the toe up short row heel or another toe up heel that I like. My Einstein Coat is almost halfway done and granddaughter has asked for one. I told her she would have to wait til I got a couple of things finished and them we would go pick out yarn for one for her. (Something machine washable so her mom won't kill me.)
My Mission Possible 2010 goals are still clicking along even though the purple set wasn't on the list. I have four of the projects on needles and one of the woven projects is on the loom. I have 10 of the charity hats complete and one that only needs seaming leaving one more of those to do before I can mark that off my list too. (I will probably do more hats, but I only put 12 on the list for the year.) I do have a few more projects on an unofficial list in case I finish the first list. I'm hoping to knock at least two things off the list by the end of March. We will see how it goes.
I have decided to get another rigid heddle loom. I really like weaving and I think I can use up some of my stash and then I'll have room for some of the things I've been wanting and won't get because of how much yarn I already have. One of my granddaughter's already wants a shawl. She's not quite four so I think I will weave a small one for her. I can also weave some blankets for Project Linus if I get the bigger loom. I could weave panels on the Cricket and sew them together and still might do that, but it would be easier with bigger panels to start with.
I hope everyone is having a good week. I am. It didn't cost as much as I feared to get my car fixed and out of the shop. I feel blessed. Oh, and the IRS finally listed my return as accepted. I was beginning to worry that they lost it. Some glitch wouldn't let me e-file it so I had to send a paper return. Off to the knitting and to listen to some Craft Lit or WeaveCast.

New Month and Mission Possible Update

2010-02-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

So my list for Mission Possible 2010 was:

Momof4’s Everlasting Blanket over 500 squares so about 2/3 done.
Bella’s socks. not listed on my project page yet, but have started second sock
Momof4’s Scraps no More barely started.
Momof4’s MT25 hats I want to get at least 12 done this year. I’m on #6 so that one’s good to go.
Einstein coat from the yarn I got for Christmas
Landscape Shawl also from yarn for Christmas
Aiden’s socks
Heather’s socks
Dishcloth Baby Blanket
2 Woven scarves
Dishcloth
Momof4’s Black and White on the loom now.completed 1/20/2010

Since I posted the list I have hat number 10 of my 12 that I wanted to accomplish on the machine now so that means that I will get more than 12 done this year. Yea! The Einstein Coat is moving right along. I have almost all of the bottom done. There are probably about 30 to 40 rows left to do on that part and then I'll move on to the bodice. (Side note: Granddaughter asked if I'd make her one too. At least her's will be smaller than mine.) I'm decreasing for the toe of Aiden's first sock so I'm almost halfway done with that. I've picked out the yarn for Heather's socks and just want to clear one of the projects off the needles before I go full tilt at that one. I'll be working on the Everlasting Blanket for Ravelympics. There is some WIP Dancing in my future. That will be what? a ten or twelve day push on the Blanket? That should help it along nicely. I'm still deciding what yarn to use for the edging on it, but I have some here and will choose from what I have. I also completed one of the two woven scarves that I had on my list and Bella's socks are completed. How am I doing so far? Let's see of the 12 items on my list two items are complete, five are at about halfway, four are not started at all, and one is barely started and might as well be on the not started list. Still, it's only the second of February so I'm still in the game even though half of my projects are large projects.
I've been watching my grandchildren so that has cut down on my knitting this week. On the other hand, I have been exercising and I rewired a lamp today. I've also used my Dremel tool and a wire brush to clear off some rust so I can paint the cover for our stove in the camper.
On the exercise front, I bought Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and it's been kicking my butt. I have no upper body strength so push ups are killers for me. I'm doing better aerobically though and I'm still breathing at the end of my workouts. I'm down 5 lbs since the beginning of the year and working on the rest of it. I may have to increase my workout time to get the results I want. That will be easier when it warms up some. I'm not fond of being cold. Did someone say "Southern Girl"? Yep, that's me.
Off to get some work done. Maybe another workout since I only did my walking workout today.

Feeding the fiber addiction and a rambling we go

2010-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

DH came home last night with the other two heddles for my loom and a rather glazed look from having been in the weaving store. He's a dear though since we don't have one near me and he took the time to go to one in Dallas where he was working to get what I needed. This after buying me the loom I wanted for Christmas so I could try out this "weaving" thing that I'd been thinking about for several years.
If you could see me in my "office" as he calls it, you would see me turning from one machine to another. 15 to 20 minutes on the loom, turn to the Bond and knit 15 to 20 minutes on a hat or two, then turn to the LK150 and work on the cardigan a little. I'm in the process of relatching ribbing on the cardigan so that is why it's up for short periods of time. I love the machine and hand manipulating the stitches, but I'm working on tension 4 with a very dark purple cotton using 3 strands and it's hard on the eyes after a few minutes and on the back even with my chair lowered to it's lowest setting.
I'm looking around at the stash of acrylic yarn I have and deciding what to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against acrylic. I've used lots of it and used it at times when it was all I could do to afford even that. When I had $5.00 in my pocket and needed gas, bread and milk and needed to do laundry and didn't have a washer or dryer. Acrylic saved my sanity on more than one occasion. These days I am lucky that I can afford more expensive yarns at least some of the time, but this acrylic was given to me and will make wonderful blankets, hats, scarves, and mittens for the homeless in my area or children in our local schools who don't have enough. It's a tough time in this economy and I can help in some small way to make someone's life a little better. Or at least I hope I can. The fact that I get immense joy from playing with the fiber is a bonus.
I don't know if you've checked the Yarn Harlot's site today, but when I checked a few minutes ago the total for Doctors Without Borders was up to $913 711. That's a lot of knitters saying "Hey, I can help a little." and that little adds up. I donated $20.00 myself. It wasn't much. It was what I had at the time that wasn't already allocated to someone else who wanted my money. Oddly, the mortgage company, phone company, and electric company wanted the money we owed them even though there were people who needed it more. So, I paid the bills, set some aside for groceries (cuz I like to eat, I really like to eat and my hips will vouch for me.) and checked to see how much I had that I could give. I've never not had a roof over my head, although it's been close a couple of times and I've never not had clean water to drink (even after Katrina we had water because we had prepared early for the situation), but there have been times in my life that I lived on mac and cheese and potted meat (won't touch the stuff now because of that time in my life) with the occasional can of tuna thrown in and whatever little bit I could get to grow in the little space I had where I could stick a 5 gallon bucket.
Wow, let's get off that train now. yikes! On to better things. I finished Bella's socks last night and started Aiden's. I have three inches done on the Einstein Coat. I'm ready to cast on another hat for MT25 and I'm giving thought to Heather's socks and looking longingly at the yarn for the Landscape Shawl. If I were an octopus, I'd be much further along than I am. I'm thinking about what to warp next on my Cricket. ( I still want to call it Jiminy even though I know it's rather a cliche) I still have money to spend from my gift certificate at my LYS and have no clue what I want to get with it. I've been stalking Webs for weaving fiber and made myself back away. I know that that would not help sort and use what I already have so I closed the browser and didn't save anything in my wish list.
Off to some knitting and to decide what I want to do for the Ravelympics. I think I'm going to work on some WIP's and see if I can get them closer to completion. If I can just keep myself from casting on something else I'll be good to go.

Mission Possible?

2010-01-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

So, I joined the Mission Possible group on Ravelry and had to make a list of 12 things I wanted to complete this year. And the list is:

Momof4’s Black and White on the loom now.completed 1/20/2010
Momof4’s Everlasting Blanket over 500 squares so about 2/3 done.
Bella’s socks. not listed on my project page yet, but have started second sock
Momof4’s Scraps no More barely started.
Momof4’s MT25 hats I want to get at least 12 done this year. I’m on #6 so that one’s good to go.
Einstein coat from the yarn I got for Christmas
Landscape Shawl also from yarn for Christmas
Aiden’s socks
Heather’s socks
Dishcloth Baby Blanket
2 Woven scarves
Dishcloth

This looks even more ambitious typed up. Yikes!

I don't know if I'm crazy or what. Uh, okay so votes would be taken and people who know me would just laugh and say "Yeah, you're nuts."

Picture of Black and White completed (woven scarf).

The Everlasting Blanket at 593 squares.

I am casting on the Einstein Coat today. It's almost 70 degrees here and I'm happy to see it because I'm a southern girl and really am not happy when I'm cold. Will it make sense to be knitting something heavy and out of wool when it warms up for the season? (this temperature right now is just to remind us why we live in the south.) No, it won't make sense, but we've already established that I'm crazy. I"m still working on The Everlasting Blanket which is at a whopping 593 squares right now. I probably only have another 300 squares and the edging left to do. At approximately 30 minutes per square that is about 9000 minutes or 150 hours or 6.25 24-hour days. Since I don't knit 24 hours a day and don't knit on only one thing during the course of a day I figure it will take me until September at the rate I'm going and that doesn't count the edging.

I have to finish Bella's socks and make Aiden's so they can go in the mail sometime in February so those can't be pushed back. Heather pointed out that I haven't made her a pair yet so they really need to be done by May so she can have them for Mother's Day. Her birthday is next week so they have to be for something else as there's not enough time in my day to finish them by the 25th. I could put the Einstein Coat and the Landscape Shawl on the back burner for a while I guess, but I'd really like to work on something for myself. Luckily, the MT25 hats are done on my machine (Bond USM) so those go quickly and I can whip a dozen out in a week or so including the seaming. The Scraps no More Blanket is not urgent and is barely begun so it can be put aside and the other things on the list are not on the needles yet so they can be pushed back too. I might make it through most of the twelve this year if there are no emergencies that take me away from my knitting and weaving for very long.

On the gardening front, I have started some lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers this week. The lettuce is peeking up and will be ready to go out in the garden in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, the spinach won't be far behind. I'm hoping the tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers are ready for the garden sometime between my birthday in March and Easter. I want some broccoli and cauliflower to go in early, but haven't found any yet.

It looks like my desktop computer is about to bite it. Odd noises and curious glitches abound. Since DH and I both have laptops I have decided not to replace it when it goes. I will re-purpose the computer desk and move it into the craft room or as DH calls it my office. I've already been thinking out how to position the knitting machines, desk and storage cubbies that hold my yarn and other supplies. Maybe by the end of the year I will have made enough room to actually put the luggage in a closet. Not holding my breath though.

Off to cast on the Einstein, knit on Bella's socks and decide on the yarn for Aiden's socks.

Back to the knitting machine

2010-01-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have been busy dealing with my husband's recovery from surgery for the last couple of months so the only thing I've been knitting on my machines has been the hats that I do for my church's mission group. Last night I finally went back to a project that I started way back on June 26. It's a twinset in a deep purple cotton. I got the shell off the machine last night (still needs seaming) and started the cardigan. No pictures yet. Finally. I'm looking forward to wearing it in the spring and spring cannot come soon enough for me. I am a "southern girl" and don't really like the cold and really sweats are not that attractive on anyone.
I don't know what my next project on the machine will be. I've not taken stock and laid out a plan for the year. I always have something on the hand knitting needles and now I have the small weaving loom to play with too and am trying to figure out how I want to rearrange my knitting room (or office as my husband calls it). Right now both my laptop and my loom are on tv trays so that I can slide them out of the way when needed, but I don't like this idea for the long term. My desktop is acting like it's getting ready to go to computer heaven (or hell. It has less than a gig of ram and the other dead computers are going to make fun of it when it dies.) It has a nice corner desk in the living room that we got back when we had teens at home that we wanted to oversee while they were on the computer and that desk will fit in my knitting room. I think the desk will move into the room and the laptop will have a place of it's own and have it's printer on the same desk. Hey, if all the cords are together does that mean I won't have to search for the cord to my camera or my ipod? Not sure I'd know what to do.
I heard last night that my niece doesn't have a scarf that she's willing to wear so my next weaving project will be a black and white plaid scarf for her.
I do have to finish the dishcloths and dishtowels that are currently on the loom first though. They are pretty much a practice piece with peaches and creme cotton so that I have something useful while I'm practicing on the loom. Really, how "good" do dishcloths have to be to be useful?

I plan to get the 10 and 12 dent reeds for my Cricket for my birthday in March. I hope I can hold out that long. This might be as addictive as knitting is. Yikes. I've already caught myself looking at wider looms. No floor looms as those just take too much space that I don't have since I have 3 knitting machines set up already, but maybe a Flip with a stand in maybe the 20" or 25" size. Oh, how quickly we fall down that rabbit hole.
I am also back to my walking routine. I do the Leslie Sansone Walk at home DVDs and try to do at least 30 to 45 minutes five days a week. I'd gotten out of the habit while my husband was recovering and getting back in the habit is a work in progress. I eventually want to get a treadmill so I can push myself harder. These 20 lbs have got to go. It really should be more than 20, but we have to start somewhere don't we? I don't have the stamina I used to have and there are health concerns in my family that I don't want to have myself and losing some weight will help with that. One step at a time.
I'm going to try to get more regular with my posting here and remember to get pictures, but in the meantime my Ravelry page is Momof4. Talk to you soon.

Resolutions, gifts and hobbies

2009-12-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted.
I have a new hobby that is taking up some time. I got a Schacht Cricket loom for Christmas. I've been looking at looms for a while and thought it would be nice to get for my birthday. DH bought one for me for Christmas instead. Awesome! I'm on my third scarf with it and loving using it. It's small enough that once it's warped I can sit in the bed with DH and watch a movie and still weave.

I haven't given up my knitting by any means. I have a pair of socks and a sweater on needles now as well as plans for several more pair of socks and a couple more sweaters. I'm also still working on the Everlasting Blanket although it's moving much more slowly now. I completed a pair of Serpentine Mitts that I love and there is another pair in my future since someone saw mine and loved them.

My "Resolutions" for 2010 are coming in to the light.

drop 15 to 20 lbs
organize craft room
use 100 skeins of yarn from stash this year (that's about 22 lbs at 3.5 oz per skein)
buy only yarn I love

have 20 hats done for charity before next winter sets in

I added 10 lbs back after DH came home on temp disability. I really have about 30 to lose, but that sounds like so much that I think taking it in smaller steps is in order. plan to go back to exercising at least 4 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. I really miss it, but it's been tough with DH at home. He goes back to work soon so I go back to working out.
My craft room isn't organized since DD moved home and then back out and needs some work. Using the yarn from stash will also help with the organizing as there will be less to organize.
I've been cooking and baking up a storm during this Christmas season. I love to cook and bought myself a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. It's great for in the oven and in the microwave too. I have a few other things on my list to get too. They have some really amazing knives that I'm going to get one at a time.
Off to knit or weave while hanging out with my husband. I'll try to do better on the blogging, but even I find it boring to read. I'm sure that somewhere inside me is a funny person just waiting to get out.

My very own yarn crawl

2009-10-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

So, being in the Dallas area I had to visit a yarn store or two. I'd already been to Yarn Heaven in Arlington last weekend. Yesterday DH spent the day driving me around the area and visiting yarn shops. I did a little shopping at The Shabby Sheep and thoroughly enjoyed the shop. From there we went north to Plano and had a visit to The Woolie Ewe where I did a little more shopping and was overwhelmed by the shop and the friendliness of the people in the store. It was very busy as they had classes beginning to start. I will go back when I visit the area again. We also made a stop at Yarn and Stitches on our way back to the hotel. I got sock yarn at all three shops yesterday and will have busy hands for a while. I got Cascade Sassy Stripes in shade 714 and 761 at Yarn and Stitches, a skein of OnLine Linie 2 in color 109, Malabrigo sock in color 857 (light of love), and Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 in Ronda at Shabby Sheep and then some Regia Flusi das Sockenmonster in colorways 1801 and 1802 and some Elsebeth Lavold Cable Cotton in color 19 at the Woolie Ewe. The Cable Cotton was on sale for $1.00 a ball and I couldn't pass it up.
I might have to make another Krista out of the Cable Cotton. The Sassy Stripes is for socks for the DH and the Malabrigo is for my daughter. (Shh, don't tell her.) Part of the Regia is for socks for a granddaughter and to go into The Everlasting Blanket. The Fleece Artist is either for another daughter or for myself. I haven't decided yet. It was a fun and exhausting day yesterday.
This morning we went to a Kaboom playground build. We didn't stay for the whole thing because DH had surgery not long ago and shouldn't be lifting anything heavy. I was filthy. It's been raining here for days and the site was a mud pit after all that rain. I hope to drive by and see it after it's finished. I'm sure it will be much nicer when it's all together.
Time for some rest for DH and then a trip to replace the sneakers that got destroyed during the build this morning.

Out of town

2009-10-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how ling it had been since I blogged anything. I've been busy, but not so much with my knitting as with the rest of my life. Some days it feels like the universe is laughing and laughing hard when it looks down on me. There has been one thing after another going on and even when the things aren't big they just seem to take a toll on you after a while. The biggest thing was emergency surgery for the DH. It came out of the blue. I had only about 1 day's notice and I think he only had 2 days and really neither of us expected there to be surgery involved. Other than the surgery it's just been things that take me away from my routine and my knitting.
I'm in Arlington, TX right now. Taking two weeks to spend with my husband and got to visit with my middle daughter a little. I might get to visit with her some more, but I refuse to drive in this city (the DFW metro area). I am a small town/country girl at heart and the way that people drive in big cities just makes me crazy. Back in the dark ages when I took my driver's test the rule was that you needed one car length for every ten miles and hour you were driving between you and the car ahead of you. ( I understand the rule because I had my master cylinder go out on me while I was pregnant and letme just say that it's scary not to have any brakes when you had them 30 seconds ago when you turned the corner.) That is apparently not the case in a city on a freeway. If you leave a car length someone is getting in there. Never mind the number of people who go from the left hand lane across six lanes of traffic to get off on an exit that is on the right and do so in the last 200 yards before the exit. Can you tell why I'm not good at cities? It's not just the Dallas area. I've seen it in Atlanta and Houston and Nashville. No, I haven't seen the traffic in Los Angeles. I haven't been there since I was a kid and have no immediate plans to go back.
On the knitting front, I am still working on my mitered square sock yarn blanket. I have two pair of socks on the needles and I brought my Ultimate Sweater Machine with me to make hats for my church's homeless ministry. I have seven which just need seaming and I can do those in an evening or two. I have yarn with me to make maybe 3 or 4 more.
I realized how spoiled I am by my LK150 and by claw weights. I forgot to bring claw weights with me and I'm having to use the weighted hem that came with my machine. It's not hard, but I had to re-teach myself how to work with it. I've got it now though and things are moving along.
I've visited one knitting store while here so far. I went to Yarn Heaven here in Arlington the other day (DH drove, why do you ask?) It was a nice store, but didn't make my heart sing. Maybe it was because the store was quiet. I only saw one other knitter there other than the lady working. There were some lovely yarns ( I bought two skeins of sock yarn, Sockin Sox and Lorna's Laces) and the lady there was cordial. The dog wasn't overly friendly and the cat wanted to make friends with me. Ah well, they can't all be My stores and I do like to visit when I"m out of town.
It's time for some lunch now. I've been doing pretty good at not over eating since I've been here and I am making use of the fitness room in the hotel.
I hear tell that I'm helping build a playground on Saturday. I hope I don't get blisters. I didn't plan for it when I packed for this trip.
Happy Knitting everyone!

A lovely August day

2009-08-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's a lovely day here. It's 2 pm and about 84 degrees here. That's about 10 degrees less than normal for this time of the year. I cut the grass yesterday evening and ran the weedeater this morning and then washed the car, filled the bird feeders and I'm sitting on my back porch with my knitting. The Everlasting Blanket is on square 387. Wow, that seems quick. It must be because it's so addictive.

I'm making no progress on my shell. It's still hanging on the machine. Maybe tomorrow I can make some progress on that end. Or later tonight... yeah right, who am I kidding?
Tomorrow I have some more yard work to do and then I can hide in the knitting room and maybe make some progress. The main issue is that I'm on the band and there is latching up to be done. I get bored. Maybe I need to put on a knitting podcast and just latch until the podcast is over. That would give me a set amount of time to work on it and I would make some progress without feeling like I was tied to it. We'll see how it goes.
The plant I got for my birthday has grown. Let's do a comparison.

I got the plant in March and took a picture of it most recently in the middle of August. I think it's happy there, don't you? I had to buy a larger trellis for it to grow on. It's grown since this picture was taken too. It's wrapping itself around the top cross of the trellis now.
Off to knit.

finished projects

2009-08-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, since the last time I was here I have finished Krista.

It's all sewn up and fits well. I need to find something appropriate to wear under it. With the lace it's not appropriate for church until I find something to wear underneath. Preferably something comfortable. I guess that means I'm going shopping for under garments.
I also put the buttons on my granddaughter's cardigan and it went home with her. She threatened to wear it to bed the night she got it. I think that may mean she liked it.

I now have to make one for her big sister who's feeling left out even though she got the last sweater.
I finished my grandson's new socks and gave them to him. He had some apple green ones and now the blue and he's put in an order for a pair in every color of the rainbow.

The garden is doing pretty well. We had a cool snap and the high has only been in the upper 80's and low 90's with heat indexes at about 98 to 102. It's inching back up now. On the upside, we seem to be back in our summertime pattern with afternoon thunderstorms which will help us get back up to our normal rainfall amounts. We're still dry compared to our normal. Officially, we are not in a drought right now, but unless the rain keeps up, we will be. I have family in Texas and it's pretty severe over there now. 77 counties in a drought situation. Unfortunately, all we can do is pray for rain for them and hope and pray that it doesn't have to be severe weather to get them out of this situation.
Life here is much the same as always. There is always something going on. We're looking for a piece of property that 1) we can afford, 2) will allow our mobile home on it, 3) doesn't have covenants preventing us from putting up a workshop and possibly a studio on it. That's not as easy done as it is said. Property here is pretty pricey (compared to what it was even 4 years ago --before Katrina) and most has covenants on it. A lot of what we've seen says that you can't even build a garage for parking your cars or tractor. (Because you know that it looks worse to have a big building sitting there than it does to have your equipment sitting right in plain view.) Okay, I'll calm down now. Of course, if the price of things keeps going up, we won't be able to afford anything anyway.
I am counting my blessings at present though. We are relatively healthy, DH has a job, there is a roof over our heads and we have food on the table. Oh yeah, we aren't running around naked either. Those are blessings indeed.
May God bless each of you and all of us.

knitting, bees,gardens and cool(er) weather

2009-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

We're having a cold front. It's 10:20 a.m. here and my thermometer is reading only 80 degrees. The air conditioner hasn't come on yet this morning and I'm so glad after just paying the last electric bill. Let me just say ouch! My garden is still going well. I've got tomatoes every day which the mockingbirds are also after. I still have more tomatoes than we can eat coming off the vines so far. Good thing my family loves fresh salsa. Unfortunately the cucumbers are well loved by the worms.

I've been working a little on the Everlasting Blanket. Not enough to justify a new picture yet. I'm not up to 300 squares which I will consider the next milestone.
Also on the needles is a raglan sweater for my youngest granddaughter. She approved the shade of pink that I bought at the IWAnnaKnit Retreat (yarn bought at Knitting Today [knittingtoday.com]) in June.

I also have Krista blocked. She just needs to be put together. I think it will be really nice when I get her sewn up. I'll get new pictures then. This yarn was also bought at Retreat. I'm so proud of myself. I never manage to use the yarn I buy at retreat the same year. Go Me!

I'm working on my plum colored shell and cardi on the LK150. The back of the shell is complete and the front is on the machine. I'm up to the second half of the neckline and armhole shaping. I'd be done if I could actually read and follow directions. Ok, most days I can do that just fine, but the day I was working on it my comprehension was in the dump.

I need to go out and cut the grass, but it will wait until tomorrow morning. After my incident where I got swarmed and stung by honeybees a month and a half ago, I'm a little jumpy. I know that I scared them as much as they scared me, but I still have that adrenaline rush every time one flies by me now. As I was mowing the grass that day (yes it has been done since) I went past a power pole and got swarmed by the bees flying up from it's base. They hadn't been there before so I wasn't expecting them. I still don't know why they had a nest in the ground right there. They've moved on now. Something told me to wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt when I went out that morning to mow. I never wear long sleeves and usually only wear capri pants, but that day I listened to my gaurdian angel and wore the appropriate clothing. I got stung on my hands and wrists 5 times, but didn't get stung anywhere else. I panicked. I know in my head that you shouldn't run, but my head wasn't working after the second sting. I ran for the front porch. My brain kicked back into gear then and I knew I couldn't go in the house because the bees swarming me would go in with me. That wouldn't help. I kicked on the door so that my Mom, who lives with me, could spray them and get them away from me. Normally, I don't spray bees, but I had no clue whether I was allergic or not and I already had 5 stings. It didn't seem to be a time to be nice. I finally got inside and into the shower where I tried to calm myself down. When I got out of the shower, still shaking, I bent to pick up my clothes and take them to the laundry room and discovered another bee still hanging around. Let the panic attack ramp up again. My mom came and got rid of the bee. I couldn't even take my clothes off the line a week later when a bee buzzed me. It wasn't pretty. And from this end it's still not really funny. I can cut the grass again. I'm forcing myself to pick the vegetables in the garden and telling myself that I know they won't sting for no reason. I know I'll eventually get over it. Please God!
Back to the knitting and the garden now.

It's summer in the south

2009-06-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the heat is on here. It's supposed to be about 95 today with a heat index of up to 105. No rain in sight. I'm watering the garden with a soaker hose almost daily and the tomato plants are taller than I am. Of course, I'm only 5'5" so it's not like it took a whole lot to get there. I have some huge Brandywine tomatoes on the vine and I can't wait for them to turn.
It's to the point that I'm giving serious consideration to fried green tomatoes. That wouldn't be a big thing except for the fact that we don't eat many fried foods anymore.
On a crafty note, I'm still working on my Everlasting Blanket. It hasn't moved along much lately because I've been trying to design a twinset for myself out of some lovely deep plum cotton. I actually think that I'm going to go plain on the top and might add a lace hem to the cardi. I'm also working on a child size afghan for my grandson. It's from the Afghans for All Seasons book that has been on my bookshelf for years. Copyright is 1993 and I'm pretty sure I bought it new when it first came out. It has red, green, yellow, blue and white in it right now but he keeps trying to add colors to it as we go along. Every round or two he has to stop me so he can "try it on" for size. It's going to be another week or so before it's done and that's only if he can let me work on it. It's going quickly since it's double crochet. I don't have pictures yet. I should get one while he's not here, but I think I'll wait for one of his "trying on" sessions.
I haven't done anything with the yarn I got from IWannaKnit yet. I need to let my youngest granddaughter check out the shade of pink that I bought for her. She informed me she only likes "Princess Pink" and I'm noat sure that I bought what she considers to be Princess Pink. You really have to love a 3 year old who has definite opinions on her clothes. My little fashionista. The gold I got for myself is waiting to be swatched for "Krista" by WhiteLiesDesigns to see if I can get gauge for it.
Could be that I have too many projects that are in my head and on my list to get anything done. Nah, I can start several things and work on them as the mood strikes. I dont' have to be monogamous to each project. That's good, because I need the variety and have more ideas than hands to work on them. I did give in and start a list in my Ipod so I could keep track of ideas and projects that are on the needles. I'm not sure how that's going yet. I don't think it's been long enough to tell. How do other people keep track of ideas and projects?
Off to stalk the tomatoes in the garden...

2009-06-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm home from the IWannaKnit Retreat hosted by KnittingToday in Shipshewana, Indiana. I had such a good time. There was a secret project, a class (several actually, but I only got to take one) taught by Susan Guagliumi (I finally learned to pronounce her name. Not Susan, I already had that part.), and a class with Joan McGowan-Michael. It was great. I learned a lot. Now if I can apply what I learned to my actual knitting I will be in good shape.

There was yarn purchasing going on. I only bought 26 skeins and one cone of yarn. There were 4 skeins in my goody bag, but I didn't buy those so they don't count. I bought some tools for my LK150 and a pattern (Krista by Whiteliesdesigns.com aka Joan McGowan-Michael) I should have gotten more yarn. I decided on the way home that I want to make the Einstein Coat and I don't have the right yarn for it. I suppose I should finish up some other projects first. I really blew my Stashdown commitment unless I buckle down and knit up a lot of stuff between now and the end of the year. I told my youngest granddaughter that I bought yarn to make her a sweater and she looked at me with her big puppy dog eyes, batted her lashes and said "gloves too...my hands will get cold." I don't know that I have the yarn for gloves for her, but I will certainly check on that. We can't have cold hands.
I was exhausted when I got home and I had babysitting duty with my not-quite-4-years-old grandson and he made the exhaustion much more intense.
I added some squares to my Everlasting Blanket while Elmer was driving and someone gave me some little balls of yarn for the project while I was at retreat. I'll still need more, but I need to see where I am before I go to the store or order any more. I wish the yarn fairy would just drop some off. I'll just order some more from Yarn Expressions or Robyn's Nest in the next month or two and maybe join a swap on Ravelry for it.
I need to get some pictures of the garden. Some of the tomato plants are as tall as I am. I picked squash and jalapeno today and grandson got to pick and eat some cherry tomatoes yesterday. I see homemade salsa in the near future.

counting the days

2009-05-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

10 days til the IWannaKnit Retreat begins. We're still hoping that Elmer gets his vacation time and he can drive. If not, I have not one but two back up plans.
My oldest daughter and her family have gone to Disney World. It is my granddaughters' first time to go. Part of me wishes I was there. The rest says I'll have more fun at Retreat and we couldn't afford both. I hope they're having a grand time. While they are gone I'm feeding the animals and taking care of the garden. We've had rain ever since they left and I'm pretty tired of it. I can hear my grass growing and that means another allergy attack when it dries enough to cut it.
I'm still working on my Shapely Tee. I really need to get it sewn together before I leave for Retreat. I'm also still working on the Everlasting Blanket. Elmer asked me if I was half way yet. I just shook my head. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm barely a quarter of the way. He asked how big I'm making it and when I told him it was to fit our bed he asked if I was going to do one for the camper too. Yikes, that's a lot of little squares.
My garden is growing. I had to pull the lettuce since it was beginning to bolt and had a not so nice bitter taste. I think we have about 50 tomato plants. We have cherry, grape, roma, and brandywine growing. They are in the regular garden, hanging in Topsy Turvys, hanging in regular hanging pots, and in buckets out by the garden. If they begin to produce like I think they will we will be donating some to our local food pantry and will still have more than enough for the family. (I might have to learn to can tomatoes.) I've already had to pick off Tomato Hornworms. Blasted things. I asked Elmer if he could use them for bait. He didn't take me up on that for some reason. I can't imagine why.
My compost is beginning to feel the heat of our summer. That's a good thing. I'll top dress the beds this autumn before planting any cool weather crops.
It's been a quiet Memorial Day here. I've spent some time thinking about our servicemen and women. I suppose it hits close to home for me because Elmer gave twenty years of his life to the Navy. I have a nephew who is a Marine and one who is Army and a friend of my son is also a Marine. I know they put their lives on the line every day of the year at a moments notice. Even if I don't believe we should be in a war (not posting my opinion on that) at any point in time those young men and women will have my support in any way I can give it. God bless each and every one of our servicemen and women.

How does your garden grow?

2009-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of busy weeks since I was here last. I've been gardening (there are tomatoes,bell and jalapeno peppers,cucumbers, zucchini, squash, onions, garlic, strawberries, and cantaloupe in my garden this year),

knitting,

sewing,

taking care of my grandson, and getting ready for the IWannaKnit Retreat (info at KnittingToday.com.
It's a busy time of year for me. I'm up to square 215 on my Everlasting Blanket, which is about 25% of the way complete. I didn't think I'd be this far this fast. It took two pictures to get it all. The orange tee is the Shapely Tee by Joan McGowan-Michael (Whiteliesdesigns) and is part of a knitalong that I'm doing on Ravelry. It just needs the sleeves put in and it will be finished, except that I think I'm going to add a little more garter stitch at the hem. Just something thats I think I'll like better.
I still don't have as many hats as I'd like to take to retreat with me, but I just think I'm goin g to be short this year. So much to do and so little time.
It's cool here in south MS today. It's in the upper 50s with a north wind blowing and since we've already been in the upper 80s this year this feels really cool. I might have to put my sweater back on. Now for some lunch and to check on the clothes on the line.

And DSL is here

2009-05-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

I finally took the plunge and we now have DSL at our house. It's the slowest speed that was available, but still a lot faster than my dial-up was. I'm keeping my aol because sometimes DH isn't in a place where he can get wifi at the hotel and he has to use a dial-up connection. It's a pain for him, but much less than if he had to find somewhere that had wireless access.

Today is my first day with the new internet connection so it's going to take some getting used to.

In knitting news, I have swatched for a tee but haven't measured my swatch yet to see if I've got the gauge that I wanted to get. I'll see shortly. Other than that, there isn't much going on except for me waiting for IWannaKnit Retreat(check knittingtoday.com for information) to start in about 31 days. It will be a long drive, but so worth it.

Off to check my swatch and see if I need to change my settings on the LK to get gauge.

It's a party

2009-04-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, not much knitting got done over the weekend although I did finish my grandson's socks. (I'm going to re-do them. I don't like the way the short row heel fits [or doesn't] on him)

Instead of knitting we went to the Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula, LA. We had a family reunion of sorts and a lot of fun. There was a crawfish/shrimp boil, rides, a parade, laughter, dancing, strawberry daiquiris and much silliness. I think the count was 44 people at the boil. Some who had never had crawfish before and some who had never seen what a crawfish/shrimp boil in the deep south is. I couldn't help but laugh at the looks on faces when all this food (crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob, mushrooms, garlic, onions) got dumped out right onto the tablecloth on the picnic table in the back yard. Apparently, we only eat that way in the south.

I have since done a few more squares on my Everlasting Blanket and a few more rows on the alpaca scarf. Lauren's sweater is waiting for me to do the seaming and put on the bands. I haven't gotten to it yet, but it needs to be in my hands today so I can get it done.
I still need to make some more hats for Caps for Kids. Some of the ones I had were given away for our local homeless population. I don't think I'll meet my self-imposed quota this year. I try to make sure I have about 60, but with watching my grandson these days I don't get the time for knitting that I used to get. That's ok though. I'll just try to work a few more in and be happy that I'm finding time for it at all. It's been a long time since I had a three year old around and this one is full of energy and wants Nana to play ball with him. One of the upsides is that it's helping me with the weight I'm trying to drop. Slowly, but surely.

Well, off to either do some housework or seam a sweater.

And the dishwasher lives

2009-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time around here. I've been knitting. Yep, really. I'm up to square 133 on The Everlasting Blanket. I've bought yarn for it from Yarn Expressions and Robyn's Nest :: Kits :: Mini Skein Club and I'm happy with both purchases. The mill ends and the mini skeins are perfect for this project and I won't need any yarn for it for a while. I can get two squares out of each of the mini skeins and way more than that from the mill ends that I bought.

I've also completed five pair of Eleanor socks by Gigi Silva. One for me and four pink pair for the granddaughters. (6 skeins down)

I'm officially tired of the pattern now. Five pair of the same pattern is too much. I've started a pair of plain socks in a nice bright green for my grandson. On the upside, it's stash yarn so I'll be down another skein.

In the middle of all this knitting my dishwasher just stopped working in the middle of a cycle. I thought the Yarn Harlot might have jinxed me when she blogged about hers going down. I left it be that night, mostly because I was afraid that I'd start beating on it and I knew that wouldn't help at all. The next day I started it with a little prayer and it's been working ever since. I'm taking the view that it was a warning and it could go at any time. It is, after all, 15 years old. In that 15 years we raised kids (6 of them) and that means a lot of dishes. I don't know how many loads, but I do know we got our money's worth out of it and now we're getting bonus time.

The scarf I started is sitting beside my chair waiting for me to find time to play with it. The alpaca tickles my nose and that causes me to sneeze so it's just sitting there waiting it's turn to be the top project. Of course, it's in the seventies here so I don't really need an alpaca scarf at the moment. I plan to finish it before winter. Winter 09.

I need to finish my granddaughter's sweater. It needs sewing up and bands. That will be finished sometime in April. Or at least I hope so.

In the meantime, I'm playing in the garden. I have been picking lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage. The onion sets are up and looking pretty as is the garlic. The tomatoes are in the garden bed, although not very big yet and the cucumbers are putting on blossoms. I haven't put the bell peppers into the garden yet because I need to pick some more cabbage before they have a spot to go in. It won't be long. We have four of those Topsy Turvy tomato growing bags and last year they worked well so I'm going to put some cherry and grape tomatoes in them again. (We eat a lot of tomatoes and fresh salsa around here during growing season.) I put in some green onions the other day and some squash and zucchini went in yesterday. I'm looking forward to a bountiful harvest this year.

Hopefully, things will slow down a bit so that I can post a little more frequently. It seems that my life is hectic even when I don't accomplish anything.

Has Spring Sprung?

2009-03-09T10:33:00.001-07:00

I made a stop on the way home from church yesterday to get some plants for my pots. My porch now has some color. I bought a pot of daisies, some snapdragons, some pansies, petunias and some geraniums. It's nice to have a little color out there. The trees are starting to bud out here and leaves must surely be coming soon. I can sit on my back porch and watch the birds eating from the bird feeder in the back yard. It's a little like feeding teenagers. They can go through a lot of food.
On the knitting front I am on the third pair of the socks for my granddaughters. They are coming along slowly. I've worked some on my sock yarn blanket. It's a good thing I was planning on it being a long term project.
There isn't much else going on right now. I still need to do another sleeve for the pink sweater and do the collar and bands. Pictures as soon as I get it together.
I'm making good progress on my stashdown goal. Other than the yarn for the granddaughters socks I didn't buy anything in February and I'm working from skeins 3 and 4 of the five I bought so it won't be hanging around for long at this rate. So many projects, so little time.

And life gets in the way (again)

2009-03-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how loong it had been since I updated my blog. I have gotten the yarn for the granddaughters socks and completed two pair. The third pair is started. I finished my Eleanors and I've worn them already. The scarf is quietly sitting waiting it's turn for the spotlight which will surely come.
I have the back and both fronts done on the pink sweater for one of my granddaughters. Thank goodness for the LK or I wouldn't be anywhere near this point.
My youngest daughter and grandson have moved home for the forseeable future. I'm watching him while she's at work in the evening so that takes away from some knitting time. I miss the quiet, but love having him here so that I can watch him grow. 3.5 is a fun age. Wears me out, but he's fun none the less. The house is full and the knitting room is history at this point and the hall is being used for storage, but we'll survive. We have a roof over our heads and the power is on and there's food on the table. That's more than so many can say these days that I'm happy with that.
I will have pictures of the socks when I get them all finished so I can get a picture of them all together. Four pair of identical pink socks is not my idea of fun really so I don't know how fast these last two pair will go.
Off to do some knitting before the grandson wants to play ball.

Taste of Spring

2009-02-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

I sit here looking out a window and listening to the birds sing. I'm sure that winter will have to make another appearance before spring is really here, but it's nice to feel, just for a while that it's over. The sun is shining after the rain of the morning and there's a really nice breeze blowing. I peaked at my garden this morning and the strawberries are starting to poke up as are the onions. I cut some broccoli for dinner and looked in on the tomato, cucumber,and bell pepper seeds that I started in the house last week. Looks like two of the four types of tomatoes are peeking up as are the cucumbers. The bell peppers are holding out for last, but I know they'll be up soon. I'm looking forward to fresh veggies from the garden. Lettuce and spinach should be starting to be picked in three or four weeks. Cabbage will be coming in around that time too.
Inside, the Eleanor socks are coming right along. I'm almost to the heel of the second one and would be further except that I had baby duty yesterday. My granddaughter (the youngest one) would steal the socks if she could. She had to try them on. When I pointed out that they didn't fit her she asked for pink socks. Of course, I don't have any pink sock yarn so I will be adding to my stash before I can make her some pink socks.
Later in the day I had my grandson. He didn't try on the socks because we were to busy playing tag, trains, baseball and football. He's three and sports are his thing. I didn't get any work done on my knitting yesterday because grandbabies trump knitting.
I started a scarf (pattern by the Yarn Harlot) this morning to use up some alpaca yarn that I got at Knitting Today at retreat last year. I dont' really need a scarf right now, but since winter is bound to make another appearance (probably before spring really is here) I thought that it would make nice almost mindless knitting for when Elmer and I are traveling. I can talk to him and knit and not do my usual freak out thing with the traffic. Knitting is calming for me.
I need to seam some hats that I've gotten made so that I can give them to the group from church that helps the homeless. Too many people on the verge of it these days and "but for the grace of God..." It's a little thing I can do to help. Doesn't take much time with the knitting machine and people need to be warm. I can help with that.
I need to start on Lauren's sweater and on my twinset. Her's is pink and mine is a really dark purple. I've swatched and used Knitware to make a pattern so it's ready to go when I finish the edging on the purple afghan. Next week for sure as Elmer will be in this weekend and we have a birthday party to attend.
Off to watch the birds at the feeder. I'd get a picture, but brown birds against brown grass don't show up so well.

When will Spring be here?

2009-02-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have completed an afghan that I started sometime last year. I jsut called it the Purple Afghan. Creative, right? It was fun to try to remember what I'd done because I didn't make good notes. I suppose when I took it off the machine the first time I didn't expect to be away from it for so long. Where does that time go? All I had was a note pinned to it saying 400 rows. No tension settings, nothing; not even what I planned for the other panels to be. So I was flying by the seat of my pants this go round. I figured it out and now all I have to do is weave in some ends and decide whether I want to add a border to the ends. Leaning against that at this point. I think I'll wash it and see how it looks and make a final decision.

I also started a pair of socks for the February challenge of the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. They are (should say it is) coming right along. The pattern is quick to memorize and so it makes a good project for watching tv.

I'm also looking at that yarn and thinking about how it will look in the Everlasting Blanket. The blanket is coming along slowly. I'm waiting for some yarn to show up from a swap and getting a bit impatient. I don't really think the yarn is late, I'm just ready to see it and add it to the blanket.

What do I do while I'm waiting for it?I've put in lettuce and spinach in the garden this week. I've cut some broccoli which will be in a salad this evening. I bought another compost bin and have it partially full of leaves that I raked yesterday. I picked the pine trees out of the garden. It's amazing to me how many have seeded themselves into my garden. Why do they want to grow there? Of course, I know it's because the soil is really easy to plant in in my raised bed garden and apparently the pine trees like it too. I have onions and garlic planted too along with the broccoli, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce and spinach. I just started seeds for tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers inside in preparation for spring planting. Spring will show up, won't it?

Since I'm participating in a Stashalong this year, I'm trying not to buy more yarn and to use some (hopefully a bunch) of what I already have. I have one free day a month. I used January's , but I'm really going to try to skip February. June will be fun because of IWannaKnit. I'm making a list of things I want to get when I go. I really want another gauge ruler. I hear that there is a green one for Silver Reed/Studio standard machines and it would work with my Artisan. That would make life easier in a lot of ways. I'll have to check on that while I'm there. I don't have any yarn that I just have to have (yet) so that's not an issue. If I can save enough money, I want to buy the Fair Isle carriage for my Lk150.

Oh well, that's all for the future. Right now I need to go swatch for a twinset for myself and for a sweater for one of my granddaughters.

Let's try Something New

2009-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

It’s been days since I posted. I finished the shrug except for blocking it and I think it will be perfect for on the boat this spring. I still need to get pictures of it.
I finished Megan’s socks, but she hasn’t seen them yet. She’s away at school and I didn’t think to send them up with my son when he went to visit.
I spent part of the day on Tuesday trying Entrelac on my machine. I’m doing it on the LK150 and I haven’t quite figured it out yet. It seems like it should be easier than it is. It’s the last triangle on the second row that’s giving me fits. I can’t seem to get my head around it. I’m going back this afternoon to work on it some more and see if it finally sets off the light bulb in my brain.
I’ve added squares to my Everlasting Blanket. Several were added during the time I spent while the folks at Symantec got my Norton squared away. I suppose that next year I will buy a new product instead of just renewing my subscription.
Still no DSL. It’s not in the budget this month. Maybe next month. Seems like I keep putting it off, but truthfully it’s not a necessity. I’d like to be able to do things more quickly, but I can remember when we got excited to connect at 9600 baud so I just keep reminding myself of those days.
Off to work on the Entrelac now. More later.

Short update

2009-01-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

I should start by saying that yes, I have been knitting. I'm just over halfway done with Megan's socks which she hasn't seen yet.

I've also added squares to my Everlasting Blanket and I've cast on for the shrug out of my Flash. Then today I worked on a group project that will be a surprise for the recipient. I doubt she reads my blog, but why take chances so I won't say what the project is or who it's for. I will say that although I swatched it seems that I will have to redo my portion of the project because it's not the size that I expected or that I was planning on. Swatch, measure, let rest, measure, say a prayer, make item, measure, scratch head, remeasure swatch, scratch head. That was my day. Actually, I swatched several days ago and it should have been the correct size, but apparently it wasn't to be, unless after resting (more) and washing (acrylic, so no real blocking) there is a miracle. Ah well, it's a good thing I like the process as much as the finished items.

In other areas of my life, I have gotten back on the exercise wagon and I'm again watching what I eat. I even downloaded an application for my new Ipod Touch to help me track calories. As much as I like Sparkpeople.com and I do it's easier to input my stuff into the Ipod than it is to go online and do it. It seems to go faster and I don't have to worry about remembering if I'm not at home and don't have internet access. So far so good. I've gone over on my calories a couple of times, but neither was a big fall and I just try again the next day. I'm aiming for at least 30 minutes of walking at least 5 days a week with some weight training and pilates thrown in. I also downloaded a yoga video workout to try. It can't hurt to have more options. It's cold out and I really don't want to go hiking or to the track to walk or jog in the cold.

Hopefully, I will finish my shrug sometime this weekend and also the socks. I need to seam some hats or I won't be able to keep up. I don't think I'm going to have the 52 that I wanted to have at the rate I'm going. I did give one to my grandson last week when he came to visit without a hat and the wind was out of the north. Brr.

I just seem to have more things to do than time to do them some days. Maybe the next time I just don't seem to be ready for bed I should go in and spend some time on the knitting machine. Maybe I should spend less time on Ravelry. Naw, that can't be the right answer.

To switch or not to switch

2009-01-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

That would be the question if it didn't take me longer to download one podcast to my new IPod Touch than it takes to listen to three of them while knitting. As soon as I can afford to do it I'm going to check into DSL. Let me just say that this may not happen. Something about the fact that I'm eligible BUT (and isn't there always a but) if the lines have a splice or some such thing or I'm too far from some place I need to be then I can't get DSL after all. I refuse to pay (and can't afford to even if I was willing) what they want for sattelite internet and I can't get cable internet where I am because I can't even get cable where I am. Wouldn't be bad if I didn't like to stay connected to the world in general and the knitting world on a regular basis. Well, now that that particular rant is off my mind I can move on...
I finished another hat for Caps for Kids and I swatched some Classic Elite Flash that I got at one of my favorite places, Natchez Needlearts. Not long after I did the swatch (which hasn't been treated yet so I don't know if I have enough for the tank for me or if it's destined to become a t for my granddaughter) I heard on Ravelry that the store had closed it's doors. Now I only get there about twice a year and I know they couldn't count on me to keep them in the black, but it was one of my favorite yarn stores and one of my favorite places to visit in Natchez. I'm a little bummed. I also feel like I'm in jeopardy of losing my other semi-local yarn stores in this economy. I hope not, but I know that they can't count on me to keep them in the black either if I'm going to keep us from being too far in the red.
2009 is a year for me to drop some pounds from my body. Luckily, my recent check up said that things were really good. Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, kidney function, thyroid...everything they checked, including the mammogram. Got to love the annual "compression test". It's also a year to whittle down the stash of acrylic yarn that I have been given and to whittle down what bills and debt I can.
Happy New Year everyone.

The Knitting Room Returns

2008-12-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

I've spent the time since Christmas returning the bedroom that I thought my daughter was moving into back into my knitting/craft space. I've added storage shelves to the closet, set my machines back up and put most of the yarn back into the room.I can't say that this is all of the yarn because it isn't. I decided that I'd use part of what's in the room and then add some of what's still in storage. I knew I had a lot of yarn, but I'm not sure I realized how much there really was. There are another 3 storage boxes and two Space Saver Bags full of yarn still stored outside the room.

The cubby that doesn't look full in this shot is now full. The doors close so I can close it up if necessary.

Almost all of what I have is acrylic and almost all of it was given to me. I'm using it to make hats for Caps For Kids and afghans for a group from our church who helps the needy with blankets and other items that are needed.

The machines make quick work of the charity hats that I make and it gives me time to design tops for myself and my grandchildren. I also handknit socks. There is a pattern out there to do them on the machine, but I haven't tried it yet. I need quiet and serenity to try those since I haven't mastered my Artisan machine yet. Quiet in my house is almost non existent and serenity is beyond my hopes right now.

I hope that having my room organized will help. I got rid of a bunch of stuff when I thought my daughter was moving home so there is less to go into my very small space. The room is about 8' x 10' overall. Maybe less. I don't want to think about it. I'm just glad that we actually have enough space for me to have my own room.

Happy Knitting everyone.

Getting ready for the new year

2008-12-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

I'm writing Christmas cards today so I'm going over my address book to see which addresses have changed and which ones I've misplaced. (It's the lack of organization that does me in every year.)

I finished my son's socks and got a picture of them. They are on my feet because he isn't here to try them both on for a picture and I know they will look better on him. The pattern is Earl Grey by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka http://yarnharlot.ca/blog. My son chose the colors and approved the pattern. It's the first pair of socks I've knit for him and I hope he likes them when he wears them.

I've also been working on my Mitered Square Blanket made from sock yarn scraps and it's coming along although slowly. I have gotten some mill end yarn to help since I'm not a prolific sock knitter. I had wonderful service from http://yarnexpressions.com/ when I ordered from them.

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

2008-11-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

I finished a pair of mittens for my youngest granddaughter and have started a pair for my grandson. I had to do it. When I gave my oldest granddaughter her mittens a couple of weeks ago the youngest one sat down and held up her little hands and just looked from them to me. As I was working on hers my grandson asked me what I was making. I say "Mittens for Kaity." He says "Mine next?" How do you resist that? I don't. I just try to figure out how to fit one more thing in my list of things to do.
Now I've joined a group on Ravelry to do a stashdown for 2009. I start in January and plan on having 52 hats done for the beginning of June in case I get to go to IWannaKnit (also uses lots of yarn for 52 hats) for the annual donation for Caps for Kids. I also have 4 pair of socks to complete by June and I want to do two more squares on my Great American Aran Afghan.
That should knock out about 60 skeins of yarn if I can keep up.
I also want to practice more on my Artisan 45B machine. I did part of the grandson's first mitten by knitting in the round on that machine. Once I figured out (again) how to do the circular knitting I was on a roll and it speeded up the process for that mitten.
I spent a little time today practicing plating on my LK150. Totally cool, although I'm not sure what I'd use it for. Maybe knit at a larger gauge for felted mittens? Hmm, something to think about.
I wish I had been able to go to KnittingToday to do the ribber intensive course with Mary Anne Oger. I hear a good time was had by all and that the learning was indeed intense. I could have used that.
Now I need to go spend some time sorting and deciding what yarn to use for hats and get the knitting room more organized. Not that it would take much to make it more organized since organization is not my strong suit apparently.
Wish me luck and happy knitting everyone.

Projects completed

2008-10-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

I just finished Blocking the Pacific Northwest Shawl that I've been working on. I think it looks good. The border just about kicked my butt, but I made it through it in one piece. I love shawls and I'm not sure why because my life doesn't really run toward the wearing of them. (Especially this one.) It's so lacy and sheer.

I've also finished the SKA September Orange Mystery Sock from the Ravelry group and mostly I'm happy with the way it came out. The hard part of this one was that it's for someone else for a gift and that makes it hard for the measurement part. It was tight on me when I was taking the photos, but her foot is smaller than mine. Knowing that doesn't make it any easier for me to wait to see if theyactually fit her and whether she likes them. I'll report back after Christmas.

I've started Earl Grey by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee for my son and so far he likes them. We'll have to wait and see on those too.

I paid a visit to my second daughter in Dallas last week and got to spend an evening at the Texas state fair. I have to report that a good time was had by all. There were rides and there was fair food. (That didn't do my diet any good, but what's a fair without funnel cake.) I didn't get to go see the exhibits because husband and daughter were not into that so it was rides and food all the way. I'm not sure how to argue with that since I enjoyed it as much as they did.

Now I have the Earl Greys on needles and I need to work on my Great American Aran Afghan that has been hibernating for over a year now. So off I go to get some of that done and wrap some of the Christmas gifts I already have. Don't throw anything. I'm not done yet.

Although life gets in the way

2008-09-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting. I'm working on socks for Ravelry's SKA September Challenge. Orange is not my favorite color and I have no idea what I'm going to do with said socks because I don't know anyone who owns up to the fact that orange is their favorite color. I guess these will be my Halloween socks.

This one is longer than this now, but daughter borrowed my camera for the weekend and I don't have a newer picture.

I have also completed the Take A Turn Sweater from Knitwords by Mary Anne Oger that we did as a knit-a long on the Ravelry Machine Knitters board. (Do I spend too much time on Ravelry? nah, not possible.)

I'v completed a pair of mittens for one of my granddaughters and am working on matching socks. There is also a pair of socks in the holding pattern for my son. It will be his first pair.

All of this is going on while I consider going back to work. Elmer and I decided about a year and a half ago that it was time for me to be at home for a while and do some things I've always wanted to do but never had time for. Well I love being at home, but my Mom has moved in with us and I keep thinking about her situation and that I don't ever want to be there. After 30 years of marriage there was a divorce and although she worked for almost all of my life it was never at a job where there was a lot (or even a little) of money left over or a pension plan or really where she made enough for social security to be enough for her to live on. She can't be in her own place because she can't afford rent, much less rent and food. It's sad and a little scary. I don't expect my marriage to end, but then neither did she.

So anyway, life gets in the way of knitting. There are hurricanes to watch where I live in what we lovingly call "Hurricane Central" and the watching and remembering what Katrina did to our area makes my knitting gauge a little wonky so I have to concentrate on it to make sure I loosen up. Now I have friends in the so called "cone of uncertainty" and my Dad still has no power after Gustav and my garden has been beat up and gee how much stress can one girl take? Don't answer that. I knowhow much before you just have to sit and cry. My youngest daughter was carrying my grandson when katrina came through and we had to evacuate with an 8 month pregnant girl. Then they had to take him by c-section because he tried to get stuck. He was sunny-side-up and wouldn't turn around. Yep, he's still a stubborn little fellow.

Well, back to the knitting to the Weather Channel.

Tags: life, take a turn, socks, Ravelry

Random thoughtsand dieting

2008-08-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been here to update the blog. I completed a pair of socks and finished a BSJ for the Ravelympics. I didn't think I'd get the socks done, but perserverance paid off.

I've been trying for about 8 months now to lose some weight. I'm down about 13 pounds, but it's slow going. I do the Walk Away the Pounds videos and try to watch what I eat, but I seem to have hit a plateau and can't break through. I suppose I either need to up my exercise or change it up some, but I tried the Firm videos and I can't keep up. They move too fast for me to learn the moves enough that I'm not all out of sync with the video. I don't know what to try next.

It's quiet around the house these days. I have several projects on the needles including a pair of mittens for one of my granddaughters, the Great American Aran Afghan (been working on this off and on for over two years now), the Pacific Northwest Shawl,and a mitered sock yarn blanket. The Take a Turn Sweater from Knitwords is on the Artisan and will hopefully come off today or tomorrow. I need to get some more hats done and some mittens to go along with them. I've also promised one of my granddaughters a pair of pink socks and my son has chosen green. Those are both to be out of Knitpicks Essential sock yarn and the yarn is here. I think I'll do Earl Grey for my son, but something plain for my granddaughter, but I may yet change my mind.

Finished projects

2008-07-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've finished several projects since I last checked in. I made a Hip Hempathy Tank from yarn I got at this year's IWannaKnit Retreat. It was made on my LK-150 and worked quite well on that machine on Tension 4. Hem and neckline and arm were done on tension 3.5

Above is a picture of the picot hem and below is the neckline and arm.

I also finished a pair of ankle socks for Elmer by hand and he hasn't had a chance to try them on because I didn't finish until after I'd put him on a plane (again).

Then I also finished the Black Estonian Garden Wrap I had been working on.

And last but not least I whipped out a baby blanket on the LK to go with the BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket) that I had finished earlier.

I think the colors complement the sweater and button combination very well.

I haven't yet finished the blue BSJ that I started. I'm worried that I may be a little short on yarn so I'm practicing denial and haven't tried to finish yet. I'll let you know the results when I get the nerve to try to complete it.

I have started the Pacific Northwest Shawl and it's been an easy knit so far. I'm not sure how I like the colors in the yarn I chose yet. I love the colors in the hank and I'm trying to see how I like it knit up in this pattern. So far the colors don't have the punch knit up that they do in the hank.I'll get pics when I get a little further along and see if I can manage some perspective.

Vacations and yarn shopping

2008-07-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

I was on vacation recently and stopped by Natchez Needlearts in Natchez, MS. I bought some lovely Flash yarn by Classic Elite Yarns

I got the last 7 skeins they had in this colorway and I think it's destined to be a tank top for me. We had a wonderful time staying at Natchez State Park and eating at Main Street Marketplace for breakfast. (I love that place... open air eating, friendly people, charming town... what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, beignets and cappucinos. got those too and some wonderful cinnamon rolls.)

After Natchez, we headed for Edwards, MS. It's pretty much centrally located between Vicksburg and Jackson and you can get to either place easily. We did both. There was some history - Petrified Forest, Vicksburg Military Park, and the Agricultural and Forestry Museum -some science too as we visited the Museum of Natural History and then a trip to the zoo. I also got to visit The Knit Studio in Jackson where I walked out with some Panda Silk that is for socks for me.

Not that I need more socks, but some are bound to wear out eventually. It was a relaxing and yet busy week where I ate too much and gained back 5 pounds that I'd worked hard to lose. Back to the drawing board on that part of the program.

I'm off to work on the Estonian Garden Wrap. I have less than 75 rows to go before it's ready for blocking and wrapping. I sure hope that the intended recipient likes it when all is said and done. I also have a pair of socks on needles for Elmer that I need to finish and then I have the yarn and pattern for the Pacific Northwest Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark that I want to make for myself.

So much yarn, so many projects, so little time.

blocking knits

2008-06-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm only irritated because this post was already written and then there was some technical blip and it didn't post. Here goes again.

Yesterday at church there was a little accident and my Estonian Wrap got spit up on by a baby. Oh well, no big deal, just wash it and reblock it. The only problem with that is that the first time I blocked it I used the mattress in the spare room. Well said spare room and mattress are now being used by my mom so I had to figure out an alternative place to block.

I went to Michaels today and bought 4 pieces of 20 x 30 x 1/2 inch foam board. I taped two pieces together end to end and did the same to the other two pieces. I didn't tape them all together because this way I can reconfigure if I need to block something that's wider and not a thousand miles long. The above picture is of the wrap wired and pinned out and the picture below is a corner of one of the pieces I bought.

If you want to find it it's in the art section (near canvases in my store) It just says that it's foam board and it's by Elmer's. I can get the sku if anyone needs it. This seemed to be the cheapest solution with the easiest storage ability for what I needed.

I hope that wrap dries before bed time. I like to sleep in my own bed. Yep, there is a fan running in that room.

Tags: blocking

Home again

2008-06-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm home from retreat at IWannaKnit. It was so much fun. I forgot to take pictures, but that's not surprising. I always forget to take pictures. I bought some lovely yarn while I was there The aquamarine is Hempathy and is destined to be a summer top for me. I'm thinking like a lacey T with maybe a touch of beading at the yoke. I'll let you know if I get it worked out. The red is Spiderweb by Interlacements and is destined to be a shawl (also for me). Pacific Northwest by Evelyn A. Clark I think. I'll update here or on Ravelry (Momof4) as I make a final decision and start work.

Well, Army Wives is coming on and I need to pull up my favorite seat for watching.

God bless and I'll check in soon. (ok, sooner or later)

Tags: IWannaKnit, new projects

And Life Goes On

2008-06-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, It's been a while since I checked in. It feels like life has gotten in the way lately of the things I want to keep up with. Why Knot Knit is now closing (nothing to do with my visit).

A couple of weeks ago I went to Petal, MS to visit The Yarn Basket and meet up with a grooup of Mississippi Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com knitters. We had a great afternoon of shopping, knitting, chatting, and then an early dinner at Brownstone's http://www.brownstones.com in Hattiesburg for some lovely Cajun cuisine. I didn't get a single picture. I did buy sone sock yarn (Happy Feet by Plymouth in colors 8 <a rainbow of deep colors that will go with 4 <red>, and for the loving husband 1 < olive>) that I don't have pictures of yet because DH has my camera in Japan on a business trip and I can't make myself buy another camera.

I leave next Monday for my annual trip to the IWannaKnit Retreat in Shipshewana IN, sponsored by Knitting Today http://www.knittingtoday.com. The retreat is actually the following weekend and there are still slots open at this point in time. It is something that I like to do every year although it doesn't work out that way. This will be my 5th time to go and I'm sorry to say might be my last. Don't get me wrong, I love the retreat but it's a long way from south MS to north IN and fuel prices are cutting into my life just like everyone else's. Elmer says I'll still be able to go, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

It's always a time to learn things, visit with old friends, and make new friends. There are classes for hand and machine knitting. I'm carrying my LK150 this year and taking four classes. I'm hoping to learn a lot of techniques and sharpen my skills in others. If you've never been you should check it out.

I will post my shopping results when I get home from retreat. I always buy something. One year it was the LK that I'm taking with me this year.

I'm still working on washcloths, soap sacks, and the Estonian Garden Wrap. I've finished an EZ Baby Surprise Jacket and started on another one and I've done nothing at all on my Great American Aran Afghan in months. My Monkey socks are finished.Maybe I need less projects on needles. No, what am I saying, that makes no sense. I'll just have to give up cooking and cleaning. That should free up some time.

On a totally unrelated note, I am down to 157 pounds from my personal high of 173. I was down to 154, but when I went to Atlanta I blew it and now I'm trying to jump start the loss again. I'm watching what I eat, walking with the Leslie Sansone dvd's and using Sparkpeople http://www.sparkpeople.com to help with this. It's a slow process, but it's working.

My garden is in. It's not large, but I may be keeping the whole extended family supplied with tomatoes. Nothing else seems to be quite so prolific, but everything is growing and producing. I have tomatoes, cucumbers, bell and jalapeno peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, green onions, okra and eggplant. The cauliflower is done and the brocolli is almost done.

happy knitting everyone

Tags: IWannaKnit, garden, shopping, project update

Socks are addictive

2008-03-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

I need to upload pictures. I'm awful about it. Elmer's socks are complete after being complete once and being ripped back to the heel ( I'm sure it hurt me more than it did them.) The problem is that although my darling husband has huge claves his foot isn't that big around. The socks could have held his foot and the foot of one of the grandchildren the first itme around. He tried them on, said they were fine for wearing around the house and told me to leave them alone. I tried. I couldn't do it so I ripped back seemingly miles of yarn and redid the foot. It's still not perfect, but I made notes so next time will be better. I do need to learn to shape the lower calf and then go back up for the heel and back down for the foot. Ick. My socks do not seem this complicated.

On another note, I do have about 4 inches of the Estonian Garden Wrap complete and I'm working the foot on my Monkey Socks. I'm using ToFutsies for those and I'm not sure that I like the way the color is pooling on them. I won't rip them out though because unless I do socks for the grandbabies I would still have the pooling in another pair for myself. I think it's just the specific colorway I'm using. I'll just have to check it out with another pair in a different colorway.

I have not done any more on my soap sacks. I do however have a few more hats. Not the number I want, but a few more. I have also cast on EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket, which I've never done before.

I spent last week in Atlanta with DH and got to visit new (to me) yarn stores. I went to Knitch and didn"t want to leave and I went to Why Knot Knit and bought some Berroco Comfort to try out. I think I'll use it on a BSJ, but that is, of course, subject to change.

It's time to go battle the laundry so I'll check back in later.

Projects coming along

2008-02-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well, Elmer's socks are coming along. I'm at the gussets on the second one. I'd be further but found a mistake and had to rip back. This is after all his first pair of socks that are handknit by his wife. I never thought of his feet as big, but when you start a sock with 100 sts and his foot is 11 inches long. Eleven inches of stockinette feels like miles. On the upside, the 3 skeins that I bought will make it. I was a little worried. i did use some Lorna's Laces that I had left and alternated it with the project yarn for the heel, but I don't think it was necessary. It would have made it anyway.

When these are finished I will go back to my Monkey socks. They are languishing in the bag right now waiting patiently( I hope) for me to get back to them. Of course, the Estonian Garden Wrap is in it's bag waiting too. And the baby sweater that I started last week is sitting there crying for it's turn. I need more hands. Or less housework and cooking to do. Oooh, and maybe a little less time on Ravelry and Sparkpeople.

The weather here is nice. At least for now. We are supposed to have storms coming in later this evening. It's warm enough to have the windows open and it's not hot enough for AC. Of course, it's supposed to get cold again tomorrow so it's time to enjoy it while it lasts.

The life change (diet and exercise plan) is going well for the most part. There are days that I just don't get it right, but overall... not too bad. I will be floating after all this water that I'm drinking though. On the upside, I think the toxins are getting flushed out rather well. LOL

I'm having to get used to my mom being back. It's been so quiet here with only me home during the day that it's strange to have someone else in the house.

Tags: project update, diet, weather, ramble

Update and pictures

2008-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week here. This time last week I was in Jackson heading for a sit-n- knit to meet up with some MS knitters that I met on Ravelry. That was fun. The drive up... not so much. There was snow around Hattiesburg and it was pretty heavy. It was beautiful, but who in their right mind wants to drive in it. I finished Elmer's slippersand started his socks with yarn I bought at The Knit Studio in JacksonThey are kicking my butt. The first one is further along than the picture shows, but I use around 60 sts for my socks and it took 100 for his. 100 sts per round and 11 rnds to the inch is a lot of sts.

I got pictures of some of my washcloths and soap sacks too I have also started on my Monkey socks from Knitty.comAnd I've started the next Estonian Garden Wrap. I'm not very far on either of those projects. I've got about 8 to 10 of my caps for kids seamed and I have about that many more to seam. I need to get busy on them. I need to have at least 60 by June. I did 60 last year and want at least that many for this year; more if I can manage.

Tags: pictures, projects, sit-n-knit

Started new projects

2008-01-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I started another soap sack this morning. I finished a washcloth to go with the first soap sack last night. I cast on for my Monkey socks in Tofutsies last night too. I got all the ends weaved in on the sweater. I just need to get a picture. Maybe today if it's warm enough to get it outside. ( I like the light better out there.)

I'm going to a sit n knit on Saturday and can't decide what to take with me. So many projects, too few hands.

I have some blanks for hats for Caps for Kids done that I need to seam up. I really need to get back to my machines too. I miss them. Maybe that's what I'll do this afternoon. I need to use up some of this stash and Caps for Kids is a good way to do it.

I'll try to get pictures soon of the rest of my completed and in progress projects.

Well, off to get some stuff done (including finishing the laundry).

Finished Objects

2008-01-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been busy with life recently. It seems to have been one of those months. I have finished some items recently. I finished a pair of slippers for Elmer.

The sweater that I started several years ago is almost finished. I'm weaving in ends so really it is almost finished. I need to get a picture of it in it's present state as the one I have is of it still in pieces. I have one soap sack done (9 to go) and no washcloths done yet. No mini sweaters, nothing done on the Aran Afghan and I have not started my Monkey socks or the evening wrap that is promised ( I did get the yarn for it though.) More later.

Checking in

2008-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Seems like it's been forever since I posted. I've been knitting and reading and attached to Ravelry. Boy does that take up some time. I've made socks for my two granddaughters and for their cousin (on the other side of their family). I've picked up a sweater in navy blue that I started several years ago from EZ's Knitting Without Tears. It was to be for the oldest granddaughter but by the time it's finished I don't know who will be wearing it. It's too small for her now. Maybe her cousin or her little sister. I guess we'll see. I'd take it apart and start over, but there's not enough yarn to make it in a larger size and since I don't know what the yarn is anymore I can't match it.

I need to start on the Monkey socks for myself that are on my list of "to do's" and I want to make soap sacks and matching washcloths for Christmas for some of the women in my life. I also want to make the mini sweaters for ornaments for the tree for next year and I think they'd be cute tied to the ribbons on the packages. My darling husband also informed me that he really needs new slippers so I guess I need to start those too. And rats, I still have to finish (yeah right, who am I kidding?) my Aran sqaure afghan that I started several years ago. Oh, and I promised an evening wrap to someone for this year.

Hmmm, looking at that list... 1 pr of socks, 10 soap sacks and washcloths (at last count) at least 10 of the mini sweaters, 1 pr slippers, 1 sweater, 1 wrap,and at least 8 more sqaures (I think it's more) for an afghan.... how many items is that so far for this year...42 I think if I count the squares separately. Yikes... I better get off here and get busy. I'll try to update the progress here as I finish items, but I admit here and now that I don't think I'll finish the afghan this year. Can someone clone me, please? If the other me could do the housework, etc., I could get all the knitting done.

Tags: projects, to-do list

Wrap finished

2007-12-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

I finished my Estonian Garden Wrap. It's blocked and I love it.

I can see myself doing lace projects again. I don't know what is next on the burner. I'm playing with a pair of socks, mostly because my hands needed something to do. If it's not the knitting, it might well be moving chocolate from table to my mouth so knitting it is.

Apart from my knitting and getting ready for Christmas I am looking forward to the new year and trying to lose about 20 to 25 pounds. I have no illusions that it will be easy. I have to get some more exercise and cut back on how much I eat. Big surprise right? We'll see how it goes. I will try to update regularly.

Tags: wrap, diet

I got Pictures

2007-11-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

This one is oldest granddaughter's. I did pockets and ties on hood.

This is baby's. No pockets and no ties for hood.

This is the two together. I got a picture of them wearing them (sort of) but decided since baby was wearing a diaper and half wearing sweater that I'd leave that one off.

Tags: sweater pics

Oops, I did it again

2007-11-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, the subject line says it all. I gave my littlest granddaughter her new sweater without getting a picture. Imagine that, me forgetting to get a picture. How did that happen? Oh well, maybe tonight since I get the pleasure of watching the two girls while Mom and Dad are at a concert.

On a positive note, I got my invite to Ravelry. I'm Momof4 if anyone's looking for me. I couldn't think of a better handle to go by than that one. Guess I could have been Elmer's Lady, but hey, who said I'm a lady. LOL Woman yes, lady.... jury's out on that one.

I will try to get the picture. More later.

Tags: Oops, Ravelry

Project complete

2007-11-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, how long has it been since I wrote on the blog? Too long I think. I'm so jealous. So many people going to Rhinebeck and other festivals and here there is nothing of the sort that I can find. The joys of living in the southern US. I suppose the good news is that I'm not freezing.

I finished another project recently. A zipped hoodie for one of my granddaughters. I've started on one for her little sister. I forgot to take the picture of the one for the oldest child, but hopefully I can get them both together when finished and get a picture of the two together.

I'm still working on the Estonian Garden Wrap. I think it will be done for Christmas, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I'd probably be done except for the fact that I had to rip back on at least four different occasions. This is really my first "lace" project and so there has been a learning curve to getting it right and I don't know how to make the repairs if I mess it up so that explains the ripping. I finally learned to put a "lifeline" in so that I wouldn't have to start over completely.

Puddle Jumper Sweater complete

2007-09-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yea me, I finally finished dgd's sweater and found buttons for it and now she has it. The buttons aren't exactly what I was looking for but they work. There just wasn't a good selection near me. I guess that's what I get for having something specific other than color in mind when I went looking for buttons. I still need to do the socks to match the hat and sweater, but I'll get to them.

I've been working on my Estonian Wrap and it's coming right along. I have about a half dozen projects in my head and need to get them on needles or on the machines soon.

The weather is beautiful here. We're watching the system in the Gulf to see if it will affect us, but mostly we're enjoying the beautiful mornings. The air hasn't been coming on until the mid afternoon and that's a good thing. The power bill was high enough last month to make me wince.

I plan to start a sideways sweater for my oldest granddaughter today on my LK150. I hope she likes it when it's done. Off to the machine now. More later.

Tags: sweater, wrap, weather

Ramble, progress on sweater

2007-08-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies. I should be doing about a dozen things right now other than updating the blog. I'm almost finished painting the trim in the spare room. I might actually finish today. Wouldn't that be nice.

I have to finish sewing granddaughter's puddle jumpers sweater and find the perfect buttons to go on the front of it. Picture soon I hope. I'll be doing some visiting this weekend so I probably won't get too much done on it except in truck while DH is driving. And even then I might opt for starting on the shawl that's patiently waiting for me to begin.

I still need to rework my craft room so that I have everything in a spot where I can find it easily and actually get to it when I know where it is.

Maybe it's time to give up the beading. I suppose I'm my own worst critic and as much as I'd like to do it I just don't seem to have the ambition to sit and work at it. Not like I'll sit with my knitting or work on the scrapbooking. So maybe that's not the hobby for me. It would free up a little room, but not much. I didn't collect much stuff for it.

Of course, if I knit up enough charity hats I will clear out some room too. There is an abundance of yarn in the craft room that is in colors that I'm not that fond of. (It was given to me and I'm not complaining) I did sixty hats last year and hope to do more this year. As soon as I finish the redecorating of the guest room I will make time to work on those and maybe some mittens to take to granddaughter's school for the kids in need there. Hard to think of mittens when it's so hot here now, but I know that the time will come and how fast can I work them up really.

Off to work on painting. Maybe I'll do before and after shots when I finish the room.

Tags: ramble, sweater, redecorating

Picture finally

2007-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, I got the card out and here's the picture of the Grandma and Me socks made with Sassy Stripes by Cascade. Now to get to work on other stuff and remember to take pictures. That's the hard part for me.

Tags: pic of grandma and me socks

Projects in progress, etc.

2007-08-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have, in the last 10 days, gotten about 2/3 of the way through the puddle jumpers sweater that I'm working on for my youngest granddaughter. I also got pictures of the socks that I made for the other granddaughter and I which I will post over the next few days.

I'm ready to start the shawl that I bought yarn for back in June at the IWannaKnit Retreat. I just need to wind my Fino into a ball so it doesn't get tangled in the bag. I have to graft my sideways socks, but other than that they are complete. I know, I know, you can't wear them until they are grafted so they aren't really complete. Hey, the knitting is done.

I heard recently that one of my favorite haunts in the city of Mobile is closing. The Yarnhaus is shutting down next month. My darling DH said first thing that we need to head over there. I don't have room to store any more supplies so that's out of the question. Rats.

I'm still working on the room that my youngest daughter vacated. I have the walls painted and most of the carpet has been pulled up. I still have to paint the doors and the trim and then get the flooring in and put baseboards in. Then it's on to window treatments and bedding for the bed in the room. And a toy box for the grandbabies toys. There is a huge difference already though. No more Winnie the Pooh (what daughter themed the room when pregnant) and a much more gender and age neutral palette.

Tags: finished, in process projects

Completed projects

2007-08-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I am so bad about remembering to post or even to take pictures of my finished projects. I have recently finished a pair of socks for myself with matching ones for my granddaughter and forgot to get a picture before I gave her her pair. I have also finished a shopping bag that I had been working on off and on ( mostly off) for six months and a baby gift set for my daughter's sister in law. I forgot to take a picture of that too. oops. I'm working on another shopping bag right now and also the sideways socks on my LK150 for the knitalong at the Knitting Today forums. I have a Puddle Jumpers sweater sitting in a bag waiting for me to begin and also a shawl patiently waiting for me to start on it too. Can I get some more hands here? Please. Between the knitting and scrapbooking and the fact that I'm also redecorating a bedroom (paint, floors, roman shades etc) I could use some more. Maybe a clone??? Only if she could take over the actual housekeeping chores and free up my time for the fun stuff. Hopefully, I can get a pic of the Grandma and Me socks tomorrow when I see my grandbaby.

Tags: finished projects, waiting projects

2007-06-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well, my projects are rolling along. I restarted Lauren's socks and the baby blanket for my daughter's sil is coming right along. I have not had to rip that back. I have a couple of hats ready for seaming already and I'm working on a couple more. I really need more hands or I need to be able to prioritize my list of things to do. I still haven't finished my Aran Square Afghan that I started about three years ago. I need to take time to work on that. maybe after my darling daughter and grandson move into their own place so that I can count and follow the charts in peace. I won't say it's more fun, but it's a "not going to last very long" kind of fun to sit and play blocks or read to him. He'll be a big boy soon and I won't be at the top of his list so sometimes the knitting just needs to wait.

I had the fun time of running into a rattlesnake in my backyard the other day. Luckily I was on the stairs and he was on the ground and I startled him enough that he rattled and well... I ran back up the stairs. Flip flops, shorts and snakes are just not a good combination. My dear son in law came and shot the snake for me and got rid of it.

I'll post pics of my socks and Lauren's just as soon as I finish hers.

projects galore - where's the time

2007-06-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been home from Retreat for a little over a week now and I have several projects lined up. I'm working on socks by hand for my granddaughter, a blanket, booties, sweater, and hat for my daughter's sil who is expecting a new baby girl in a few months; also by hand. I'm going to do three sideways Hoodies for my three grandchildren from a Mary-Anne Oger pattern ( a class I took at retreat) and a blues scrap afghan for Project Linus. I also have a lace stole in waiting and yarn for a couple more sweaters for the grandbabies. I'm also planning to start early on hats for Caps for Kids which will be turned in (in person I hope) at the next Iwannaknit Retreat next June. I had 60 this year and I plan to have more for next year. At least twice as many I think. Now where to find the time for all this knitting when I also have to keep up the house and the yard and I have other commitments as well. Oh and my scrapbooking that I need to get a handle on.

It's cloudy out today so maybe we will get some more rain. We need it. It's hot and humid here and will be until at least October. At least the garden is producing. Time to go out and pick some fresh veggies.

Tags: projects, garden

home from retreat

2007-06-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been home from Retreat and vacation long enough to get laundry done and start contemplating my next knitting project. I also have some roman shades on tap for my bedroom and painting and flooring to do in my daughter's room when she moves. Looks to be a busy summer. I also want to change my tables in my knitting room. I'd like to have room to have all my machines set up or at least have room to set up my sewing machine in the quiet room.

Retreat was everything I expected it to be. There was knitting by hand and machine (of course), good food, shopping, and lots of laughter and hugs going around. Two of my daughters called me during Retreat and both would have sworn I wasn't at a knitting retreat. I just laughed and told them that knitters get rowdy when together. It's especially true when we don't see each other on a regular basis. I'm so far away from everyone else that it's the only time I get to see them. I'm going to try to add pictures of some of us at retreat. I couldn't get them to go through to the forum so I'll post them here instead and just link. I had so much fun. The only down side was when the truck broke down, but it's in the shop and being fixed so life goes on.

Tags: home again, knitting,

Life and knitting

2007-05-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's quiet here today, so far at least. It's my anniversary and I will spend it alone since DH has to work and is working out of town. We're counting down the days til vacation though. Two weeks together with no kids and hopefully no worries. Of course since we live in hurricane alley as we affectionately call it, we will be watching the weather. Kids (who aren't really kids anymore) will be watching over the house and the plants.

I have completed almost 60 hats for my Caps for Kids project. I'm working on socks by hand and they are coming right along. I have several dishcloths complete and I'm thinking about what to do with the Eros Extreme that I bought because I was seduced. It's a wide ribbon yarn that will make a gorgeous scarf or maybe a lacy vest to wear over something. We'll see what finally comes of it.

Mostly right now I'm thinking about what I'm going to do with my redecorating/remodeling project. I have to replace my carpet and I'm leaning toward laminate flooring because I like the look. Youngest daughter is looking for a place so I may start in that room and see how it goes. New paint throughout and maybe new cabinets and appliances in the kitchen. We'll see how that goes.

Tags: ramble

hat pattern

2007-05-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I got permission from Susan to post the pattern that she designed that I use for making hats for Caps for Kids. So here it is. Thanks Susan. Please everyone note that the copyright is Susans. Please do not post etc. without permission.

This is the hat pattern that was developed several years ago and posted to the Bond List several years ago by Susan Sarwinski. She said that she made hundreds of hats for charity with it and used it to teach a lot of beginners as a first project.

Susan’s Hat

This hat will fit a child to an adult. I added 4 more stitches when making a hat for my husband because he has a slightly larger hat size.

This is also a good pattern for charity as there are four layers of knit over the ears.

ISM/USM knitting machine

Keyplate 3

~4ozs. Worsted weight yarn (MC)

Optional: several ounces of one or more contrast colors (CC) of worsted weight yarn

Gauge 4 sts/inch

With waste yarn open cast on 80 stitches and knit 6 rows.

Row 1 – 60 Knit with main color (MC) yarn.

Make the hats hem by bringing the open cast row up and placing these stitches on the needles so there are now 2 stitches on each needle.

Knit this row carefully (Row 61)

Rows 62 – 98 Knit.

Move every other stitch to the stitch next to it so you have 2 stitches on each needle with an empty needle between each working needle. Move the empty needles to NWP.

Row 99 – 100 Knit.

Leaving a long yarn tail, cut the yarn. Thread a yarn needle and run this through the open stitches. Remove from the knitting machine and tightly gather the top of the hat. Use the rest of the yarn tail to sew the side seam.

You can add stripes, cables, intarsia and fairisle to your hat.

My favorite variation is:

MC=main color

<PCLASS=MSONORMAL style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt">CC= contrast color

Row 16 MC

17 MC

Row 18 CC

19 CC

20 CC

21 CC

Row 22 MC

23 MC

Row 24 CC

25 CC

26 CC

27 CC

Row 28 MC

29 MC

I also like to add stripes to rows 70 through 85. Have fun with this.

Tags: hat pattern

current project

2007-05-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. I'm still working on my caps for kids project. I think I'm at about 50. Other than that I have started a pair of socks on one circular using the Magic Loop method. Not really far enough along for pictures.

I'm getting ready for my classes at the Iwannaknit Retreat. I'm really looking forward to it. I wasn't able to go last year because I had a new grand baby due at the same time. Some things are more important.

Our local yarn store will re-open this next week. They have been down since Katrina. They did re-open in a temporary place with the needlework supplies, but now they will be back with the knitting and crochet supplies too. I've missed them being open. I'd just found them not long before the storm hit.

I bought some Eros Extreme to make a top from. Now, will I actually be able to wear said top.... who knows. It may end up being an expensive swimsuit cover-up. We'll see.

Tags: socks, caps, ramble

Caps for kids update

2007-04-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

I was asked if there was a pattern online for the hats I've been making and I just don't know anymore. It's a pattern that one of the ladies on the Bond list shared several years ago and I don't know if it's online any more or not since the list has gone through several incarnations since then. I will ask her if i can share when I talk to her. I need to check in with her soon anyway.

I'm up to 39 complete hats now and I'm going to work on some more. I work them up on the machine and then do the seaming when I'm sitting watching my favorite shows two or three nights a week. I can seam two or three even if I get caught up in what's on the screen

Caps for Kids, stash storage

2007-04-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Caps continued. I did rip out the spiral one to the beginning of the decreases and go on from there. It's finished. Yeah. I have 19 completed, 7 ready for seaming and one on the Bond machine right now. I'm getting ready for pics of the hats and of my yarn stash. If I could get my table cleaned up it would help a lot. I did rearrange some of my storage and I think it makes the room look better. Someone else will have to be the judge of that though. It's still a work in progress.

Tags: caps, stash

Caps for Kids

2007-04-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a project for my upcoming knitting retreat. Each year that we head for retreat we make caps for kids and carry them with us. I'm way behind this year. I shouldn't be. I left my job at the end of the year so you'd think I'd be ahead of the game. Not so. I've spent time cleaning the house and purging stuff that I have no use for. I've played with the grandbabies and made a sweater. I've worked in my garden and sat on my back porch swing and listened to the birds sing and the squirrels chatter. I do have 11 hats complete, 5 or 6 ready for seaming and 1 on the machine right now. Oh, and a variegated one on a circular needle to be worked on while waiting in line at places. That one was making a really interesting spiral pattern until I started decreasing. I think I'm going to rip back and keep it the same size around until an inch or so before ending so I can keep the pattern. I've never had a yarn do this before. I know it's a matter of length of repeat on the colors and the number of stitches I'm using, but still it's a first for me. Pictures later. (If I can remember to take them before turning them in at retreat)

Tags: hats

Sweater finished

2007-04-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the Bardot sweater. I love this sweater. It's cotton, three quarter sleeves, and has a bit of shaping at the waist. That baffled me at first. Not that it had shaping , but that shaping actually made me look a little smaller than the straight down look. Wow. A friend told me I looked like I lost weight. Not a pound (darn it), but glad to look like I did.

I'm considering the South Beach diet. I just don't know if I have what it takes to go there. When I say I'm carb friendly I mean that I'm friendly with them as regularly as I can be. Actually, it sounds doable if I can make it past the first two weeks.

Tags: sweater

Sweater almost done

2007-04-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm down to binding off the collar of the sweater and then it's time to sew the rest of the seams and see how it looks all together. I should finish off the binding off process today. i have to spend some time sitting in the doctors office waiting for my stepsister. Then seaming tonight during Lost if I don't get to it today.

I heard today that Dr Grey has made his predictions for the upcoming hurricane season. 17 storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 major storms. Yeah, like we need that here on the Gulf Coast. Where I am we're still trying to recover from Katrina; western LA is trying to recover from Rita and Florida is still getting over Ivan.

More later

Tags: sweater update, hurricane season

My first entry

2007-04-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first entry on my first blog ever so forgive me if I'm not very good at it. I have several projects on knitting needles right now. I'm reworking my Debbie Bliss "Bardot Sweater". I have a shopping bag on needles and on another set I'm working on dish or wash cloths. They go quickly and don't require a lot of serious contemplation. No pictures yet, but we'll see when they're done. I don't have anything on my knitting machines right now. I have too many thoughts and no one has jumped out and said "Me, now!" yet.

I'm getting ready for a trip to Indiana for the Iwannaknit Retreat. I can't wait. I love to go and see all the other knitters. I'm taking a class on Orenburg Lace this year. It should be fun and educational. I'm also taking a class from Mary Anne Oger. This may be my only chance to take a class from her.

Tags: knitting, first entry