Archive for the ‘Knitting’ Category

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I Didn’t Want to Do It

December 28, 2012

I had no choice.  I didn’t know how long I would have to stay.  It had been snowing for hours.  I knew I wouldn’t be going home that day.  Luckily, my daughter came to the rescue.  She’ll drive anywhere.  She had errands to run and was going to Westminster anyway.  She helped me take my machine to Jomax for its overhaul.  We went shopping and finished at the supermarket.  I bought some chops to cook for supper.

Oh. Yeah.  The thing I had to do?  I bought yarn at Micheals.  I NEVER buy yarn at Micheals.  This one only had Lion Brand and Red Heart.  Arg.  I did manage to find something of interest that I could use with the needles I brought with me.  I was saved.  I could make it here one more day.  You see.  I had just about finished the project I came with.  I had to have something to do for one more day.  You understand, don’t you? 

Going to Micheals had one pleasant note.  I meant two very ladies who were just starting to knit and we chatted for a bit.

And the worse thing happened.  I didn’t even need the d**n yarn!

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Getting Ready for Chistmas

December 9, 2012

I have one more thing to buy, but my main concern is finishing the handmade things.  I’ve got two more hats to make.  They won’t take much time.  It’s just that I haven’t finished the two biggest items.  To  make matters worse, they are for my daughter.

P1050189  75%

P1050136  80%

Can I do it?

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I Washed my Socks

December 8, 2012

P1050186

Well, thirty-one pairs of them anyway.  Four needed repairs.  The eight pairs of cotton socks can go in with the regular clothes.

P1050185

So.  Which picture should I use for my letterhead?

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Tanis Gray’s Mulligan Stole

October 27, 2012

I wasn’t very happy with the latest sock club kit.  Knitting tan socks and then embroidering them was not something I cared to do.  I liked the sock pattern and will probably make it some day, just not in that color.  This was definitely one of those times when I wish that Red Bird Knits was still making sock kits.  And I didn’t like the hat pattern either.  I have decided that I will not be renewing in 2014.  Socks That Rock can call it, “It’s not about me Brown”, but it’s just plain old boring flat tan.  They really need to get there act together.

Along came The Knitter Lace Collection.  I could happily knit about half of the designs so buying it was a no-brainer.  I know my scarf won’t look anything like the one on the cover, but it has been so much fun to knit that I could easily make another.  And in a great yarn of course.  I didn’t have enough of the multi-colored yarn to make twenty repeats of the leaf edging, but I did manage eighteen.  Close enough.  It was easy to see where to pick up for the main lace pattern.  The pattern called for two hundred stitches and I had 180.  I did have to squeeze in four extra stitches, but they are not noticeable. 

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Another Pair of Coraline Gloves

October 19, 2012

I finally got all the ends woven in.  There were 104.  These are for my grandson.  I put conductive thread in the top of the forefinger and thumb so that he could use his iPhone without taking them off. 

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I Wanted to See ‘Frankenweenie’

October 16, 2012

So I called my grandson.  Yah.  He wanted to.  Then I called my son.  Yah.  Him, too.  Thursday, I left LSD and headed for Reisterstown.  I picked up my grandson at UMBC, then we met my son at the theatre. 

We all enjoyed the movie, but I think I got the most out of it.  Tim Burton is a genius.  The scenery reminded me of  ‘Edward Scissorhands’ in that it was set around 1960.  The characters were so—-characteristic?  Sorry.  I’m not very good at this.  My favorite was the science teacher.  His face was so long that you couldn’t look at his eyes and his mouth at the same time.  And his mouth was so expressive!  Would I see this movie again?  Yes!  Definitely!

Friday, I went shopping.  My daughter told me Weber’s had cider and apples and I wanted to go to JoAnns.  I found a Hallowe’en doormat and a knitting magazine, but no fabric.  Weber’s yielded a bushel of Winesap apples and two gallons of apple cider.  Then I visited my brother and sister-in-law.  Some of my high school friends may remember her as the new French teacher.  We spent a pleasant afternoon discussing aches and pains, kids and cats.  I gave them some apples and they gave me two trees and a Christmas cactus.

Saturday, I packed up and headed home.  As usual, I brought more than I needed.  But, really, does it really matter?  I drive a minivan.  I forgot that the Frederick Road exit was closed, but I am familiar with the area and got to Cloverhill yarn in just a few extra minutes.  The shop has changed hands again, but it’s still a good place to get basic yarns.  I managed to find two of the three skeins of Brown Sheep bulky that I wanted, so I was happy. 

Today is Sweetums’ birthday so I think I’ll take him to Smith’s for dinner.  What else do you do with a guy who pretty much buys whatever he wants and doesn’t want much?  But, I love him.  That’s why he’s Sweetums.

Flo was unimpressed.

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Color Affection Shawl

October 1, 2012

I heard that thousands on Ravelry have made it.  I feel like such a lemming. 

This shawl is so long, in order to properly block it, I had to do it in two sections. I need to take a picture of someone wearing it.  Where’s Sweetums when I need him?

This shawl is incredibly easy and boring to make.  I suggest having something else of interest to do at the same time.  I didn’t bother counting stitches after the first section. It really doesn’t matter.  Close is good enough.  I used a small coiless safety-pin on row 2 of the pattern to keep track of double increases.  Once I was at the second section, it was easy to see and I stopped using the pin.

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Beautiful Days, Cool Nights

September 19, 2012

It is hard to stay inside when the weather is perfect .  And, of course, I had to several reasons to be out and about yesterday in the rain.  Today, its windy and cooler, so I’m waiting for the sun to shine out back.  I’ve gotten a lot of knitting finished, including my daughter’s vest.  I also found some orange art deco buttons in my button box. 

Here are the chicken mittens.  In an effort to make these fit me, I used size 1 rather than 2.  And it worked.

Here’s the yarn I used for my Color Affection scarf.  I finished it in short order.  It was extremely easy and got very boring, but the finished effect is beautiful.  Sorry, no finished picture yet.  It went too fast.  And, now, my camera battery seems to be dead.

So.  What’s next?  I need to decide within the next ninety minutes.  Sweetums has a blood test and we have to listen to the hoodoos recite the same old crap.  I need to start my Christmas knitting.  I also need to start my Christmas sewing, but we won’t talk about that yet.  I bought some absolutely fabulous yarn to make my daughter a lacy sweater.  My grandson is getting Coraline gloves with conductive thread in the forefinger tips so he can use his iPhone.  I’ll also make him another cap. 

New doorstop.

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Janet’s Coquille Shawl

September 7, 2012

Now, this is my kind of shawl!  Nobody’s getting this one.  I did no blocking on this one.  I really like the lumpiness of it.  There were twelve rows in the middle that I skipped because I was at the end of the red and starting to go into the purple.  I had enough yarn, but the look was so perfect.  I didn’t want to spoil it.  The leftover green will go into my sock yarn ends compartment. One of these days(years) I’ll make a jacket ‘a la’ Koigu oriental.

I’ve been working on my daughter’s vest again.  Yeah.  I wove in the rest of the ends and sewn all the seams.  I couldn’t  decide which color to rib the armholes.  I laid the contenders out on the bed, closed my eyes and picked one.  Very logical.  Burnt orange won.  I still don’t care for the collar and front band.  I’m thinking about taking it off and putting something entirely different on it.  Argh.

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I Can’t Sew!

August 26, 2012

The weather has been really lovely for about a week and we haven’t had the air conditioning on.  Sweetums bought a new window fan, but it doesn’t fit in the window.  Frank to the rescue?  Well, not quite.  He has a couple of other things that he has to do first.  But he did stop by and knows what needs to be done.  Why can’t I sew?  My sewing table sits near said window.  So my table went one way and my machine went another until the fan is installed.  I am so glad that I can knit. 

 

Speaking of knitting, here is my latest project.  I saw this yarn at Frivolous Fibers last week and had to have it.  Janet said she spun it herself.  Even better.  I think I spent most of a day pouring over my books and internet looking for the right pattern.  Coquille shawl in Knitty seemed to fill the bill.  An unusual shawl for an unusual yarn.  The pattern knits up quickly and it’s easy to see just what row you are on.  I seldom need to look at the directions.

 

Last Tuesday, the “girls” and I went on a field trip.  First stop was a quilt shop in Easton where Maria, as usual, couldn’t make up her mind.  Then we had lunch at Sam’s in St. Michael’s.  And finished with the yarn shop there.  And, again, Maria couldn’t make up her mind.

PS– I want to apologize for the ranting last time.  I guess I just expect someone twenty years younger than me who is working to have computer skills.

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