The things I do for my children. What a pain in the butt were these gloves! Originally, I had thoughts of just sewing up the holes, but the voices in my head started screaming, NOOO!!! So I gave in and took the whole @#$%^&* thing apart. Well, down to the bottom of the holes anyway. I saved the thumb and upper hand. I had visions of grafting them back on. Yeah. Right. I can barely tolerate grafting a dozen stitches at the top of a sock. Was I really going to graft sixty stitches? Delusions of grandeur I guess. What was I thinking? So I re-knit the rest of the glove using as much of the yarn I had un-knit. And that’s why the stripes aren’t right. You can’t have everything.
The Ravens Gloves
January 18, 2015Happy Socks Happy Feet
January 12, 2015
I bought the yarn at Knitters Day Out last Fall. It has all my favorite colors. The pattern is from Curiosity Cabinet 3. I should say patterns. I couldn’t make up my mind so they are different. They have the rounded toe that I like rather than what the patterns wanted.
Since Christmas, I have been in repair mode. I shortened my new pants, mended a hole in an old shirt that I can’t get rid of, and removed the elastic from two pairs of capris. I need to get some more elastic to finish them.
This is a glove that I made my daughter last year. Somehow they were caught in a hinge. I’ve got my work cut out for me.
My Daughter’s Sweater
January 4, 2015
I was very happy to complete this in time for Christmas. I just wish I had taken a picture of her wearing it. Sometimes I wonder where I keep my brain. Anyway, it fits very well and she was very happy with it.
This is a free Cascade pattern #W423. I even used the same yarn and almost the same color. I had trouble getting gauge so I tried using size 6. That worked, but I didn’t like the look. I stayed with size 7. After calculating, I realized that I could follow the instructions for one size smaller than my original plan. That worked perfectly.
Cascade Yarn has a great pattern selection. I’ve made several over the years. And they keep it up-to-date. I had no trouble downloading it to my phone making it so convenient to carry with me.
Scrubs for Jasmine
December 20, 2014
My daughter wanted to get Jasmine some scrubs for Christmas. She is my son’s boarder and she went to school with my grandson. We didn’t see much of anything so I volunteered to make her something. The fabric we found is Marvel cartoon characters which she loves. There were several interesting fabrics at the store. She’s a nice person and I would be happy to make her some more.
This isn’t much of a post, but I’m still knitting a sweater for my daughter!
My Nativity is on display. The tree can wait.
Lunch at the Bel-Loc Diner
December 6, 2014
Monday was ‘Christmas Organizational Day’. My daughter came over in the morning. We got out our phones and notebooks. Even though we can use our phones to keep track of everything, there is something about having a ‘notebook-that-tells-me-when-to-breathe’ to leaf through. Our sons just look at us and roll their eyes. We sat at my big old kitchen table(now my son’s) to hash things out and plan our day. We decided on Towson, then Parkville, to shop this year. Three stores were practically next to each other and the other two were close. After a pretty successful shopping experience, we decided to get some lunch.
We were only a few blocks from the Bel-Loc Diner. We hadn’t been for a couple of years, so we were ready for some good old diner food. We were not disappointed. They’ve had the same menu for a good fifty years. I would imagine that some items have been added over the years and some have been removed, and, of course, prices have changed, but does that really matter? Jenn got a fried ham and cheese sandwich and I got an egg salad sandwich. Both came with a pile and ruffled potato chips and a pickle spear. And the coffee was absolutely Perfect!
Nice Day for a Monday
November 24, 2014When it’s 72 degrees and mostly sunny, it’s hard to be anything but happy. It was great being outside in just shirt sleeves, even though I had to watch out for wet leaves. It rained last night. Being clumsy sucks. We opened all the windows and the back doors. The animals had a grand time. Sweetums washed sheets and hung them out. I love the smell and the feel of air-dried sheets.
New glasses! I was surprised to find some frames that I really liked this year. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Over Stimulated
November 21, 2014I tried to write. Really. Summer is over. I’m feeling better. Migraines are few and far between. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Consequently, since I feel better, I do more. I’ve been sewing.
A linen blouse for me. Tea towels for my neighbor because she insists on giving us a Christmas present. A row of snowmen for my daughter that are not red and green so she can leave them out all winter.
That’s all for now. It’s time to cook supper. Baked salmon with mango sauce and broccoli cauliflower casserole.
Mission Accomplished
November 1, 2014I told myself last May that I was going to make two vests to go with two new blouses. They would have to be quiet enough to go with several other things, too. This is not easy for me. My favorite colors are red and orange.
Since I have very little blue, except for jeans, I thought this would be a nice change. It is sock weight yarn using a size six needle with an easy lace pattern. It’s Crystal Palace Panda Soy or Maize or both. I’m not certain. I picked it up cheap somewhere.
I think I showed you this one. Anyway, the brown is some old Noro that I picked up in Gap, PA one year. The other is cotton tape that I got at Blue Heron on sale. Mitered squares are so much fun for me. I wonder if I will ever get tired of making them.
And now, I can start on my daughter’s sweater. Yeah. Sweetums made a fire this afternoon, so I wound the yarn by the fireplace. So cosy.
Not in a Very Good Mood
October 24, 2014I’ve got plenty to keep me occupied. I made myself a pretty blouse and a nice pair of pants. Another blouse is almost complete. I found some great applique designs. The second vest is taking FOREVER. I want to get going on my daughter’s Christmas present. It is going to be beautiful. I can’t stand it. I want to start. But I can’t. I’m 3/4 finished on the vest. It would be so stupid to stop. It is so hard to finish one thing when another thing is calling so loudly. I like to finish things. It doesn’t make sense not to. Would you stop frying some chicken and cook a piece of fish instead? You can’t just leave the chicken sitting on the stove for a few days. That’s stupid. And that’s how I am. Don’t ask me to stop in the middle of something. It makes me hyperventilate. I can be so anal.
Too bad this yarn is for my daughter. It matches my nails.
Hallowe’en Costumes
October 16, 2014Just when I thought that I would never have to make another Hallowe’en costume, along comes my grandson. He’s in college. He’s twenty. It’s not something I expected. But, he’s full of ideas. I wonder where he gets that from? He wants it for a party. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he doesn’t dress up first thing in the morning and wear it to class. He’s that kind of kid. One year he got a McDonald’s uniform and went to school as McZombie. He even had a name tag.
This year, it’s Scarecrow from Batman, the super scary one in the video games.
I found these pictures on-line. See what I mean?
He has already made the thing for his hand. My daughter says he did a great job. She borrowed my glass head to make the canvas face. I was asked to make the pants and hood. My machine can handle pleather and faux suede more easily than hers. I’m also better at improvising. She likes patterns with nice directions–a ‘in the box’ sort of person. Which is fine. She gets things done. She can keep the rest of us from running amuck. And she promised to take lots of pictures.
Up a Creek in Lower Slower Delaware 