NightlyKnitter's LotzaStitches

Another Year at APT

2011-10-14T12:35:00.003-05:00

This past September we saw "The Tempest" and "The Taming of the Shrew". Not our *most* favorite year but we enjoyed it nonetheless. We are hoping for a summertime evening performance next year. We can't wait to see what the plays will be.

Also regarding Shakespeare . . .
Susan shared a link to a wonderful book entitled: The Actor's (and Intelligent Reader's) Guide to the Language of Shakespeare, by Richard DiPrima

It's 850 pages long and at the time I contacted them it was $85. Really not a bad deal but I haven't bought it yet. There are a few sample pages shown at the site. Looks very interesting! Definitely on my wish list.

All's Well That Ends Well

2010-09-18T09:40:00.005-05:00

"The Lord shall be praised, that I have been delivered from evil, God dwells here. I did not think that all would end so well."

Okay, so this isn't really a line from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. But since we just saw that production at APT yesterday it really was a surprise to see that quote in today's reading from Martin Luther.

Here's the complete entry:

We know that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope. Romans 5:3-4

When God wants to strengthen a man's faith He first weakens it by feigning to break faith with him. He thrusts him into many tribulations and makes him so weary that he is driven to despair, and yet He gives him strength to be still and persevere. Such quietness is patience and patience produces experience, so that when God returns to him and let His sun rise and shine again, and when the storm is over he opens his eyes in amazement and says: "The Lord shall be praised, that I have been delivered from evil. God dwells here. I did not think that all would end so well".

Within a day or two, within a week or a year, or even within the next hour, sin brings another cross to us: the loss of honour or possessions, bodily injury or some mishap which brings such trouble. Then it all begins again and the storm breaks out once more. But now we glory in our afflictions because we remember that on the former occasion God was gracious to us, and we know that it is His good will to chastise us, that we may have reason to run to Him and to cry, 'He who has helped me so often will help me now'. And that self same longing in your heart (which makes you cry, Oh that I were free! Oh that God would come! Oh that I might receive help!) is hope, which putteth not to shame, for God must help such a person.

In this way God hides life under death, heaven under hell, wisdom under folly, and grace under sin.

Sermons from the year 1527
Day by Day We Magnify Thee. Luther. p. 343.

I also received the latest issue of Good News in the mail this week. The topic? Trials and Afflictions. Sub-titled: How God Blesses You Through Your Trials and Afflictions.

Side note: Good News IS NOT the magazine you find when you google "Good News". The magazine I'm referring to does not have a webpage (that I'm aware of anyway). But you can contact them at 1-800-778-1132. Issues, Etc. also has some links to samples of what is in their magazine here. Look for the ones that say "from Good News magazine ". If you don't want to sift through the list I'll give some direct links here and here and here and here. That's just some of them.

Side note of the side note: Issues Etc. is a great resource also. You can check out past shows here. The first week of July has an interesting segment on Glenn Beck. And some segments from Higher Things that was going on in Nashville that week...that's where we were at the time. Summer was very short and very busy.

Update: There's another Issues Etc episode on Sept 3rd after the "Restoring Honor" rally.

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Diamond Circle Lace Cloth

2010-06-13T21:29:00.008-05:00

After a short hiatus, I have added another lacy square cloth pattern to my collection.

I called this one Diamond Circle Lace Cloth. (Ravelry pattern link)

It is knit in the round with size 2 double point needles and fingering weight cotton. Finished size: ~12" sq.

For more specific details click here.

Click on the link on the right hand side bar to purchase this pattern for $1.

Thank you for your interest and support!
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Hudson River Triangle

2010-05-19T08:42:00.004-05:00

I'm trying out the new feature at Ravelry that allows me to share a project page with people who are not members of Ravelry. Let's see if this works.

I finally finished this shawl in April. I thought I posted the pictures here but apparently I only put the pictures up on Ravelry.

If you click on the link. It will take you to more pictures and details about the pattern, yarn, needles, etc..

Great Horned Owl in Madison

2010-05-14T23:25:00.006-05:00

We took a trip to Madison today for a vet appointment. Little did we know we'd be seeing a female Great Horned Owl. There were two babies somewhere but we couldn't find those.

Same picture. Just zoomed in.

Another shot. And if you can't see her. I've zoomed in again on the next picture.

Digital cameras. Just amazing. Even considering this is a relatively cheap camera.

Spooky!

More bird pictures

2010-05-14T23:05:00.005-05:00

My daughter's pictures from the Bird Banding/Bird Fest Saturday May 8, 2010

Birds in waiting

Banding in action

Woodcock

Yellow-headed Black Bird

Lutheran Study Bible

2010-05-13T09:52:00.005-05:00

I have the hard cover version of the Lutheran Study Bible (so do the kiddos). But when it was announced that we could get the LSB on Kindle I was pretty excited. Irrationally excited, according to my children.

I love my LSB, but I don't like carrying it around out of the house. Or trying to pack it for the Higher Things conference coming up and carrying it around there. It is just too heavy for me. My back and neck hurt normally and then to add that weight. Well, I'm not a kid anymore. I could and did haul ~60 lbs of books in my backpack in college but that was a long, long time ago.

Now I've got the whole LSB in my purse when I go out. Tucked neatly on my iPod touch. Along with the Book of Concord on one app. And the Large Catechism on another (Stanza)...that one I can book mark and annotate. And about 50 other classics on various apps...oh and all of Shakespeare. Plus iBird (way cool!), music (or course!), games, etc. Can't wait until the hymnal and prayer book can be added to my iPod touch. Oh my. Just checked Amazon. The prayer book is already available on Kindle. I probably should have got bigger than an 8G iPod.

The first question people ask me when they see the Bible on my iPod is "How small is the print?" I then show them how the font size can be easily changed to suit the individual's needs. You can change the color of the text also. I like the sepia.

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Bible Class

2010-05-13T08:25:00.009-05:00

We studied Psalm 124 last night in Bible class.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side--
let Israel now say--
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken, and we have escaped!
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

And here are the notes from the Lutheran Study Bible (CPH) for verse 7:
Imagery of earthbound people nearly drowned in the flood (vv4-5) is followed by a comparison of people to birds caught in the subtlety of a snare. The flood's danger is open and frightening; the snare is hidden and tempting. But God delivers from both extremes.

And the final note for the entire psalm:
We need this psalm's reminder that our strength and safety come only by God's hand. We are in danger from flood and snare, the overwhelming and the enticing. But God is faithful for His name's sake. He rescues us so that we will continue to bless and call on His name.

Lead us safely, Lord so we may always give glory to Your name. Amen.

This psalm really came to life for me after this weekend and seeing the birds caught in the "snare". It truly is "hidden".

Our strength and safety come only by God's hand.

He rescues us so that we will continue to bless and call on His name.

God gets us out of the mess we are in.

Want to see what happens when I try to help or struggle as God is getting me out of the "snare".

I get stuck worse than I was at first.

Bird Fest 2010

2010-05-12T12:16:00.013-05:00

We enjoyed the bird fest this weekend.

We got out of bed two days in a row (at 5:15am!) to attend the bird banding demonstration. It was our most favorite part!

These pictures are from Sunday, May 9th, 6am. We only had an hour and a half before we had to leave to get ready for Sunday school and church. On Saturday we stayed for 3 hours. Unfortunately my camera's batteries were dead. So no pictures on my camera Saturday.

They netted and banded 100 birds Saturday even though the weather was cloudy, cold, and windy. Sunday was calm and sunny but not as many birds moving.

Tree Swallow

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellow Throat

(Not to be confused with the Yellow-throated Warbler.)

Buddy

2010-01-19T22:17:00.011-06:00

Here are some pictures of our house bunny.
He was going to be 7 years old in May.
He passed away yesterday morning.
It was a very, very, sad day....

The first one is Buddy relaxing at the cabin.

The second he's dreaming of being outside.

Third, one of the rare trips outside.

Relaxing at home in the hayloft of his deluxe cage.

Buddy in all his coolness!

Twilight

2009-12-08T11:12:00.002-06:00

Here's an interesting article on "Twilight":

Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden

Looking forward to Mr. Granger's latest book.

~~

p.s. I survived November. Let's hope I make it through December.

~~

Reading

2009-08-20T10:19:00.005-05:00

I've been on a Dorothy Sayers read-a-thon. I started with "Strong Poison" in June (as per July 4th blog post). I finished "Have His Carcase" mid July. And then devoured "Gaudy Night". I just finished "Busman's Honeymoon" August 18th. Of the four, I think I enjoyed this last one the best of all...although I wouldn't have if I hadn't read the first three to understand the background of their relationship.

These four books are the main books that deal with the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane's relationship. I loved the interactions between those two characters (and Bunter!)...with a few mysteries thrown in as well. There was quite a bit of French and Latin thrown in also. Most of that I had to let go over my head. I would have loved a translation of the French letters near the end though.

Sayers also started "Thrones, Dominations" but it was finished by another author....who also wrote another Peter/Harriet novel after that. I'm still deciding if I should continue on. There have been very mixed reviews about both of those novels. But I don't know how I can resist not reading them....even if the last reads more like FanFiction rather than something Sayers would have wrote. Not all FanFiction is horrible.

Here is a website with the chronological list of the Lord Peter Wimsey short stories and novels with some reviews and plot points.

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A Twilight Moment

2009-08-05T09:58:00.002-05:00

You know you've read too much Twilight when.......

You try to drink a Frosty (from Wendy’s) with a straw. You work and work to get the thick Frosty through the straw. You irritate the burned spot behind your front top teeth (from eating corn on the cob the night before).

You taste blood but continue to try to get the Frosty up the straw.

The Frosty is now about an inch and a half above the cover. You stop and access your lack of progress and see moisture in the straw near the top. You watch it roll down and meet the Frosty and realize that moisture is a drop of blood. You suddenly feel like Bella….drinking blood from a straw. You almost make your kids puke when you mention this as you are drinking it. LOL

~~~~

Yes, that happened this past Saturday between the church and the reception of my cousin's daughter's wedding. We had a nice time at the wedding. I've forgotten how much fun I had as a kid at family weddings when we'd get to dance with cousins and other relatives we rarely got to see. It's my kid's turn to have that fun and we were almost fun suckers by leaving early. So glad my youngest cried to stay longer. Only wish I would have gotten out to dance. She said later she would have danced if I would have.

New Driver and other sundry items

2009-07-04T16:35:00.007-05:00

Yep! That day back in June when my oldest took her driver's test...she passed with flying colors! She didn't have any point deductions at all. Yippee! But scary at the same time. She's taken me to work a couple times so she can "have the car" while I work. Weird feeling...

Exercising is still going good. I finished my 30 day challenge a week or so two ago. That was on the medium level. I'll be starting another 30 days on the hard level hopefully next week. I did a hard workout today...one of the preset ones. Boy...that really got me sweating. Then I did the body test on Wii Fit. So far I lost about 5 pounds since mid-January. Probably would be more if I'd give up ice cream...oh well. I have noticed my muscles are more toned and I get less fatigued. My upper back doesn't hurt as often anymore either so that is good news.

Reading....I'm reading a Dorothy Sayers book at the moment. "Strong Poison" was first. The second story is "Have His Carcase". I'm maybe 5 chapters into it but having trouble staying awake at night. Long days at work and getting to bed too late/getting up early to exercise is beginning to take its toll. :yawn:

Knitting....I'm working on this year's Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery shawl. That is slow going too. No working on that in spare minutes or it would be tinking galore. But it is a pretty blue ...."Jazz" from Knitpicks...hence I've nicknamed this project "Jasper". Yes, a Twilight reference.

Mandala Pictures

2009-07-04T15:57:00.008-05:00

This pattern is Mandala. It was last year's Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Knit-a-long. The Ravelry pattern main page has some pretty pictures of finished shawls.

This pattern had 5 clues. Each of the first four clues had four different charts to choose from. So many options for the final shawl. The last clue was the edge. There was only one choice for the edge but you could substitute with another edge that had the same number of row repeats or if you were willing to do the math. I went with the given chart for clue 5.

I was nervous about the blocking but it was a snap with a 70" round plastic table cloth.

Oh...here's my project page at Ravelry.

New Computer

2009-06-14T20:14:00.008-05:00

Well, the new computer is here. But I can't seem to manage to get the pictures in the right place. What this means is that no pictures of my finished items are being posted. :sniff:

I've had the computer for a few weeks but I haven't had time to deal with the issue since I'm a bit busy with a new part-time job and we are trying to adjust our schedules to that. Yes, you did read that correctly. A new part-time job. Dh's job is tenuous at best and even his self-employment is having a bit of a down turn.

I'm off for a few days for appointments...much needed hair cuts, dentist, and oldest dd taking her driving test. The computer getting tweaked is high on my list of things to accomplish this week. Can't wait to post some pictures!

Oh yeah....Twilight......Hogwart's Professor has a new website for Twilight related posts. This article written by a guest author really explains Bella and Edward's relationship very nicely. And along those same lines....Subtlynice has updated her version of New Moon from Edward's POV. Reading today's updated chapter reminded me of Arabella's article.

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Fratrum concordia rara

2009-05-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

How can I pass up that Latin Proverb with the word "concordia" in it?!?

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Busy Month

2009-05-22T13:23:00.004-05:00

Since the last post....

House sat/Nephew sat while sis and her dh were picking up their oldest from college. Got locked out of their house without a key. Library card to the rescue. (Oldest dd's idea.)

Two days later...finally got the muffler repaired. Now I'm not so noisy.

A couple days after that...Prom for my oldest homeschooled daughter. Who would have thought! She went with a friend from church. His mom works for the DPI (Department of Public Instruction). And dd ran into two 2nd cousins while she was out for the night.

And there was a wedding shower, various church duties, "behind the wheel" class, dentist...once every month for braces, our wedding anniversary which I wasn't home for but we are celebrating tonight with cupcakes that the kids are making.

A bit of unplanned reading was thrown in the mix....The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I didn't really want to read it but my sister had sent it home with me so I figured why not. It made me cry (of course) but some of the characters really were very similar to Twilight characters.

Oh and knitting! Another pattern almost ready....plus the free one still. My Mandala is very close to being finished. (pattern ravelry link) Just another hour or two of knitting then on to the blocking. This year's Mystery shawl started this past weekend but I won't let myself start it until I get last year's shawl done.

But the biggest trouble this month was the computer dying. The one with the patterns and photos and all the other important files. We still don't have the new one here but it will only be another week or so. Luckily we have an old ancient computer upstairs that the kids use and we've got a wireless router. So except for all the files and programs and pictures on the main computer (which is a big BUT!) online life continued mostly uninterrupted.

How could I forget about exercising???? I'm still at it! Back to 5 days a week and sometimes weekends. I was able to save up enough of my exercise incentive pay to buy the new EA Active Sports program. I'm only on the first day of the 30 challenge so the jury is still out on which of the three exercise programs I like the best. This one this morning really had me sweating! But I like the flow of the Wii Personal Trainer and the fun of the Wii Fit. So most likely I'll be doing a combination of two of the programs each day for an hour's worth of exercise. Now if only the scale would start showing some signs that I've been exercising consistently since mid-January. :sigh:

EDIT: It isn't called Wii Personal Trainer. It is called Wii My Fitness Coach.
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Fitterknitter Blogged!

2009-05-02T12:08:00.008-05:00

Thank you so much for blogging about my Pi Cloth pattern! You are the first to blog about one of the patterns that are for sale. I do appreciate the kind words.

I'm really glad to see that other knitters are enjoying the patterns and that the patterns are serving the purpose to which they were intended. Practicing skills on a smaller scale is not as intimidating as tackling a huge project with expensive yarns.

I do use these pretty cloths to give a little sparkle to my day when I'm doing the dishes by hand...which is every day...no dishwasher here! But if someone feels these are too pretty to use they would make some plain Barbie very lovely when she wears her beautiful new shawl to accent her outfit.

Anyway....check out Fitterknitter's website and Yahoo Group and the pretty lace note cards.

She is working on rewritting and charting the book entitled The Art of Knitting which was published in 1897. What a project! I've got problems trying to read the written directions of current day British knitting patterns. All the different abbreviations for YO usually get muddled in my brain.

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Smiling Diamonds Square Cloth

2009-05-01T11:03:00.006-05:00

Here's the latest $1.00 pattern!

This cloth is knit in the round on four double pointed needles. The border is knit on and uses a triple join on the corners to allow the border to lay flat. After blocking the cloth measured 10.5" square.

The yarn is Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc America's Best Article 960, Perle Cotton and the color is Capri Blue. I love this thinner cotton. The cloths are so soft and just the right weight (about 24 grams).

I'll be adding the side bar link soon. But in the meantime here is the Ravelry link for the Smiling Diamonds Square Cloth.

And a link to purchase the pattern here in this post.

I've been a bit distracted.....

2009-04-20T14:53:00.011-05:00

March 3rd was my last entry! Yikes!

I've been reading a lot since December. You already know about Twilight, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Dracula from previous posts.

I have since continued to read book after book...

Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)
Persuasion (Jane Austen)
Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

and currently Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen...of course!)

Don't think I overlooked Emma. I've read that book a couple times in the last few years.

I've also been enjoying some (okay maybe more than just "some") Twilight related FanFiction. Someday I'll post a top 10 or 20 list...or wait how about chronological???. I really enjoyed the saga from Edward's point of view. I didn't think I'd ever read FanFiction but some of it is really not too bad. Although there is definitely plenty to avoid so please do use some caution at that site if you venture over there. (Especially anything with a "M" rating!)

Here's a few I enjoyed...
Continuance of Midnight Sun (This story picks up where Stephanie Meyer left off with Midnight Sun) although I preferred Phoenix Rising for the account of the action in Phoenix.
And this last link is one chapter called The Video Tape.

I had Atlas Shrugged checked out from the library but after vacuuming off many of our books and bookshelves I found some books I wanted to read that I had forgotten about. Yes...we have many books and bookshelves and that is not necessarily a good thing. Anyway....for now I just settled for reading reviews for Atlas Shrugged at Goodreads (above link). 1000+ pages and such a fine print was just too daunting at the moment.

Dd#2 was also confirmed on Palm Sunday (April 5th). (Hence the reason for the extreme dusting of bookshelves.) Very exciting day!

I have been knitting also. I've got one free cloth pattern and one $1 lacy cloth pattern about 99% ready to be released. Those posts and pictures will be coming in a few days or so.

~

Apple Leaf Pi Cloth

2009-03-03T08:47:00.005-06:00

The Apple Leaf Pi Cloth pattern is finally finished!

Scroll down the right side bar to find the link to purchase the pattern.

or here in this post..... buy now for $1.00 (Thank you for your patronage!)

See this post for more details about the yarn and needles used if you can't access the Ravelry link above (first link).

I love the leafy border!

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Rambling and updates

2009-02-13T08:28:00.004-06:00

This was the reading from this past Tuesday from Day By Day We Magnify Thee.

It refers to John 15:16 "Ye have not chose Me, but I have chosen you."

Martin Luther writes:

"This cuts off and condemns at a stroke all the presumption of spurious saints, who want to do and deserve so much, even to reconciling God and making Him their friend. For what do they do but make the choice and seek to be first, in that their merits precede and God's grace toddles on behind? It is not He who chooses us, but we seek Him and make Him our friend, that we may glory in that He has received much good from us. That is what all the world does in seeking to merit God's grace by previous works. But the Gospel says 'Ye have not chosen Me'. That is, you are My friends not because of what you do, but because of what I do. If it were because of what you do, I should have to regard your merit, but it is because of Me and through Me, because I draw you to Me and give you all that I possess, so that your glory is in nothing but My grace and love, and not your own nor all the world's work or merit. For I have not let Myself be found by you; rather have I had to seek you and bring you to Myself, when you were afar off, without knowledge of God, and were held in the grip of error and condemnation like the rest. But now I am come, and I have called you out of the darkness, before you prayed or did anything about it. Thus you are My friends in that you have received all good from Me, and know that you have received it all for nothing and out of sheer grace."

Ahhhh....The sweetness of Grace!

God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense

Update on reading: Finished Dracula last night on Daily Lit. Putting that on the kids list of books to read. Now on to Jane Austin...Dostoevsky's Devils may just have to wait a little longer.

Update on Knitting: The Apple Leaf Pi pattern is written. Time to test knit.

Update on Exercise: Today I completed my 4th consecutive week (Monday thru Friday) of exercise (Wii My Fitness Coach...not Wii Fit). I like the program. It adjusts the workout to you, the workouts change every time, and you can add a step, hand weights, or a stability ball (and a heart monitor). And it was only $30 vs. $90 for Wii Fit (if you can even find one!). Also you can pick the focus of the day (6 different ones...yoga, stretch, cardio, lower, upper, core), the location, the music, and the length of time you want to workout.

There are a few things I would change about the program but they are insignificant. The "Goldilocks" thing is one. After a portion of the workout she (the trainer...not Goldilocks!) asks if that section was too hard, just right, or too easy. Well...if you aren't able to control the controller and you end up clicking on "too easy" when you really wanted "just right" there is no way to go back and change it. The next time she will "up the intensity" of the workout. I've made that mistake more than once but I haven't noticed the exercises being out of my realm of capability. When that does happen I'll just have to work real hard to click on the "too hard" button! The way to solve this would have been the next screen asking "Do you really mean that!?!". Or having the three choices further apart.

For those who know me, you may be asking how I've managed to workout FIVE days a week.... For FOUR weeks straight. Easy. I bribe myself. It wasn't my idea. I got it from a Ravelry group called Exerstashers. Everyone has figured out their own reward system. Mine is $0.25 for every 15 minutes of working out. On Friday...when I really want to just stay in bed...and justify that by telling myself how I worked out the rest of the week, isn't that enough?....Then my second incentive kicks in. If I work out each day (Tuesdays & Thursdays are easy days...yoga or stretching and only 30 minutes long) then at the end of the week I double the amount I received for that week. It isn't a lot but in four weeks I'm up to $25. And if you think it is weird to pay oneself for exercising....just think how much I'd be paying if I'd join a gym! Way more than that....plus I wouldn't have the incentive of saving up for some special reward. I'm not sure what that reward will be yet....

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Apple Leaf Pi Cloth

2009-02-06T14:29:00.005-06:00

I finished this cloth Jan 9th but haven't blogged about it yet. Got too caught up in reading. In addition to Twilight I also managed to fit in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I can see how both of those classic stories influenced the Twilight books. Jane Eyre has always been one of my favorites although I hadn't read it in some time.

On with the knitting.....

This is another Pi Cloth knit in the round from the middle out. I used a leaf stitch for the main body. The border is also a leaf.

I used size 2 dpns with Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc America's Best Article 960, Perle Cotton in a Lime Green. I think that is the end of my green now.

Here's a close up of the leaf border.

I haven't formally written up this pattern yet.

UPDATE: The pattern is up for sale! Details here.

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Thoughts on the Twilight Saga

2009-01-30T08:24:00.004-06:00

I've read all four books plus the extras at the website. Here are some of my disjointed thoughts.

Overall I enjoyed the story. I had a hard time putting it down.

I liked seeing the strength of the family, trust, loyalty, love and humor. And these qualities were even able to affect the feelings between natural enemies. (I'm trying to keep this general in case you haven't read the books yet.)

Things I cringed at...but it offered nice talking points with my girls:
works righteousness (but I wasn't reading this story for theological purposes),
some intimate bedroom scenes,
and a seemingly unhealthy "devotion" to a boyfriend.

Don't miss the extras for New Moo n. Meyer has three snipets of the story from three other points of view. Jacob is a "crack-up". [NB: pgs 250-251 of Breaking Dawn]

I really liked reading the story from Edward's perspective. He had a lot more thoughts going on in his head than Bella who seemed kind of hung up on age and beauty. Hope Meyer decides to finish that book.

Is this saga a "classic"? My unprofessional opinion is "no".

Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.

Some are trying to compare this saga to Harry Potter. I'd say there really isn't any comparison. The Harry Potter novels are much deeper with more layers of things to experience on each reading. More mystery and surprise twists too.

If I had to apply movie ratings to these series of books....
I would rate Harry Potter as PG and Twilight as PG-13 (because of the bedroom scenes).

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Twilight

2009-01-12T11:29:00.007-06:00

Okay...I've finally succumbed to reading Twilight. My two older girls devoured the books (all four! plus the draft mentioned below!) in the month of December and continued to beg me to begin.

I balked. I chose to read Dracula instead via DailyLit. I'm at about half way through that book. Just a little after the point where Dr. Van Helsing placed the garlic around Lucy and filled her room with it. (I thought I wasn't going to give any spoilers but.....Spoiler alert below in the quoted section!)

Someone had posted about Twilight and vampires and questioned what it was about the garlic. Another posted at that site that perhaps it is that garlic is good for our blood and that wouldn't be good for a vampire with evil intent (paraphrased).

Then today I read the first two chapters of Twilight and the first two Chapters of Midnight Sun (from Edward's point of view). It was the two chapters from Midnight Sun combined with the last lines I read today from Dracula that connected in my brain.

"Van Helsing did not go to bed at all. He went to and fro, as if patroling the house, and was never out of sight of the room where Lucy lay in her coffin, strewn with the wild garlic flowers, which sent through the odour of lily and rose, a heavy, overpowering smell into the night."

Ahhh...the "heavy, overpowering smell" of garlic....that's the thing about garlic!

Now go read chapters one and two of Midnight Sun. It is a pdf file at Stephenie Meyer's official blog link I gave you above.

p.s. The girls told me yesterday that the DVD of the movie is coming out March 21st. I didn't go see it either of the two times that they went. But I know that the books are always better than the movie!

Log Cabin Knitting

2009-01-11T22:49:00.003-06:00

This project was done by dd#1. It had been on the needles for some time. But now it is finished and has been given as a birthday gift to a friend who wanted a small lap blanket for in the car. Gotta love winter!

She made it out of Simply Soft yarn. Needle size was 7's or 8's.

The pattern is from the Mason Dixon knitting book (the first one).

4 Trees Cloth

2009-01-10T16:05:00.004-06:00

This was some after Christmas knitting.

The pattern: 4 Trees Cloth
The pattern is called Tree Lot at the above link and it's way at the bottom of the page. I got the pattern from the Holiday Mystery Gifts group (2008)

The yarn: I Love This Cotton!

I did not really love this cotton. There was white fluff that I had to pick off every so often and it seemed fuzzy. Plus I really, really like the thinner cottons for cloths.

My ravelry page for this project.

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A Precursor to the Mirror of Erised

2009-01-09T08:48:00.006-06:00

I just finished reading Phantastes: A Faerie Romance by George MacDonald. It has been on my reading list for some time thanks to Dr. Veith and his book Reading Between the Lines. What got me motivated to read it though was finding (at a local bookstore) a bargain copy of The Princess and the Goblin (also by MacDonald) and reading that aloud to the kids. We are now half way through the sequel (The Princess and Curdie). I wanted more MacDonald for my own private reading time.

The copy of Phatastes that I checked out from the library has a wonderful forward by C.S. Lewis who states after reading this book that he "had crossed a great frontier". It was a turning point in his life.

Anyway...as I'm reading along I came upon a chapter that related a story from a library book in Faerie Land. This story tells of a mirror with curious carvings around the frame. As Cosmo looks into this mirror he sees his room reflected but also a lady who, when he turns away from the mirror, is not there. He sits many a night looking and longing for his beautiful lady.

"But as he gazed on the face and form, which now possessed his whole soul, to the exclusion of all other joys and griefs, the longing to speak to her, to know that she heard him, to hear from her one word in return, became so unendurable...." p.97-98

This mirror reminded me (although it was not exact as this was an enchanted mirror that had trapped the lady) of the Mirror of Erised from the Harry Potter series.

Mirror of Erised (from the Harry Potter Lexicon)
A magnificent mirror, as high as a classroom ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. The inscription carved around the top reads "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," which is "I show not your face but your heart's desire" written backwards (that is, in what is called 'mirror writing'). When you look into the mirror, you see the deepest, most desperate desire of your heart. The mirror has trapped people who can't bear to stop staring into it, unsure if what they see is going to actually happen.

and from Dumbledore:
"Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."

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Oh...I was going to add...Here is a link if you want to listen to the book at LibriVox. It isn't all the way finished however. But that is where I went to find out how to pronounce "Phantastes".

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Christmas Socks

2008-12-28T19:09:00.003-06:00

This is a pair of Christmas socks for nephew#2. I finished these on the 23rd of December.

This nephew immediately put these socks on his feet after he opened the gift on Christmas Day and I didn't see him take them off. He came home with us from the 25th to the 27th. His mom asked if he had taken them off at all. He said they were too comfy to take off. It is always nice to have positive feedback on hand knit gifts!

And then there were three

2008-12-28T18:43:00.008-06:00

I decided at the last minute to do a little stealth knitting for the girls. I managed to knit these practically under their noses without many questions being asked and the secret not being exposed.

I used some of my stash Cascade 220 to make these water bottle insulators. And size 2 or 3 needles.

The stitch patterns were picked out of my handy Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries.

The next time I do the gray pattern I won't include the seed stitch rows. It was the first one I made and I didn't have enough time to rip it out and start over. I was still had to get my nephew's sock done before Christmas day. I finished that on the 23rd. Whew! Close call!

Christmas Secrets

2008-12-28T18:29:00.003-06:00

Here is one of the Christmas secrets I was keeping.

It was a Christmas present to my sister.

The pattern is the Black Olives Stole. I had just enough of the 100% rayon cone left to make this second stole. Plus I knew she would love it!

I lost my blocking mattress so now I'm using a pink insulation board. Worked great! Pinned it on the bed then moved it to finish drying on the upstairs stairwell.

Birthday Flowers

2008-12-22T09:13:00.005-06:00

December has been crazy. But that is not unusual. Dd#1 finished up the classroom portion of the driver's ed class. She has been driving mostly with me and does a great job!

December is always busy with the Sunday School Christmas program. Rehearsals are the first 3 Saturdays in December. I've taken advantage of that time to do a little Christmas shopping. The program was scheduled for yesterday but due to the cold weather it needed to be postponed. Dd#3's part is Mary (which she isn't very excited about to say the least. She really is not comfortable being in front of so many people. That is genetic and runs through the maternal side of my family.) Dd#2 is one of the narrators (all the older kids are narrators). She is happy she doesn't have to wear a costume.

Besides the shopping and trying to finish Christmas knitting projects (blocking on the bed today!) we also had a birthday to celebrate. Dd#2 turned 14!

We signed up to sponsor the altar flowers for the Sunday of dd#2's birthday party so we'd have some pretty flowers on the table. And boy they were gorgeous! We didn't specify anything so we were pleasantly surprised with the arrangement.

This picture doesn't do it justice. And the smell...ooooh so lovely!

None of us at the party knew what these pretty little flowers were. Can any of you identify it for us???

It had little pine-like needles and dainty little white flowers. Many of the little flowers are still closed on this branch.

This branch had mostly opened flowers.

Baby Shower

2008-12-01T23:20:00.008-06:00

This cute little Baby Feet cloth was adorable hanging on the outside of the baby shower gift bag. That was my job. I used Omega Sinfonia which is a sport weight cotton and size 7 needles. The pattern is quick and easy.

And the gift hiding in the bag was a snuggle sized (or car seat) blanket knit by dd#1. She was going to do the Multidirectional Diagonal pattern but at the half way point decided to finish with Grandma's Favorite cloth (without the eyelets on the edge). We were a spidget short on the green but we did a little fudging that was not noticeable (to most anyway).

The yarn is Cascade 220 100% Superwash wool. One skein of blue and one of green. She used size 8 needles.

Ravelry links:
Baby Feet Cloth
Multidirectional Diagonal Cloth
Grandma's Favorite

P.S. One more Christmas gift off the needles tonight! Woohoo! No details until after Christmas...shhh!!!!

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Another Adventure Begins

2008-11-07T21:41:00.002-06:00

My oldest just got her temps (temporary driver's license ) today! Yikes!

Driver's Ed is keeping us busy this fall semester and it conflicts with Knit Night! But this too shall pass.

Knitting update:
Christmas projects are getting started and more importantly finished! Shhhh! That's all I can say for now.

Pi Cloth

2008-11-04T08:34:00.003-06:00

A circular lace cloth knit in the round on size 2 double pointed needles. Great tutorial for new lace knitters! This is a charted pattern.

Interested in knitting a Pi Shawl? This cloth pattern will give you a chance to practice the skills you will need but on a smaller scale. This cloth knits up quickly in a day or two.

This pattern has links to tutorials every step of the way….from the lighter circular cast-on all the way to the knit on edge. Also included…a link to learn how to read charts. Don’t let charts scare you, they really are not so bad once you get used to them.

Yarn: Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc America's Best Article 960, Perle Cotton (Size 5, mercerized). Color: Lime #56. Blocked: 10.5"

Yarn: DMC size 5 Mercerized cotton. Blocked 10”

Ravelry Pattern Page
for $1.00

Cleaning up my knitting blog

2008-11-03T08:56:00.002-06:00

As per my original intent...all election related posts will be removed by the end of today.

Please remember to research your chosen candidate before you vote. Do not rely on the MSM to give you the facts. Do your own research.

Now one last thing....GO VOTE!!!

Hope

2008-10-30T08:44:00.004-05:00

Today's excerpt from Day by Day We Magnify Thee by Martin Luther.

Wow! Looking up that link Amazon tells me that I purchased this book June 15, 2002. And I've been reading and rereading one little page per day for the last 6.5 years.

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.
Proverbs 10:28

Although the world may impose on us all manner of plagues and sorrows, and pain our hearts and give us a bitter, sour drink, to say nothing of other daily troubles, such as accidents, or illness, disease, hard times, and war, which hurt the body or the outward man, we must endure it as though biting a sour apple and tasting a bitter draught, that the sweetness that follows may taste the better, and we be driven by this experience to yearn for that day with greater longing. Otherwise we should continue our way so cold and numb that in the end we should no longer feel our misery, like the confident and unrepentant world, till at last we should no longer take notice of the Word of God and should perish with the godless. But now, God in His grace maketh us weary and tired of this life and gives us the comfort of a better--that is, that He will soon appear in the clouds with great power and glory, and lift us up out of all misery to everlasting joy, so that as far as we are concerned nothing better or more to be desired could happen to us. But for the godless there will then be no such joyful sight.

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

And yesterday this beauty arrived!

Treasury of Daily Prayer is just hot off the presses.

It has everything...Old Testament readings, New Testament readings, Psalms, hymns, devotional readings from the church fathers, prayers, orders of services (more than one)...and more! See above link for links to excerpts.

I look forward to adding this to my morning routine. Day One...begun. I'd also like to add it to my night time routine. Here's to a future of "intentional" daily devotion! (The word "intentional" on the cardboard wrapping of this book made me giggle.)

Black Olives

2008-10-21T23:32:00.005-05:00

Well, I had a first today!

I added my Black Olives pattern to Ravelry...for sale!

I hope others like it as much as I do!

Description:
A summer stole knit with 100% rayon. This easy lace pattern has direct links to tutorials. This is a charted pattern. No grafting required. Size 5 needles.

for $4.00

Model of the White House

2008-10-14T08:06:00.004-05:00

On display now at the Washington County Fair Grounds. Click here for more info.

If you go, remember to kneel down at the oval office and look at the ceiling of that room to see the presidential seal.

And I learned this morning (from that link above) that that is where the Wienermobile was headed on Sunday (Oct 5th) when we followed it on our way to church.

Remembering Collective Shame

2008-10-13T10:12:00.001-05:00

Excellent article by Uwe Siemon-Netto.

Finished Projects

2008-10-13T08:20:00.007-05:00

Here are the cloths off the blocking boards.

The first class went well. Second class is tomorrow.

Finished Christmas socks. Size 14 mens. Size 0 needles. Universal Yarn Pace in Charcoal.

Here are my notes for this project....

Jun 21st. Summer of Socks started FINALLY! Casting on this sock was like visiting with an old friend. Calm, relaxing and familiar.

KP size 0. Two circs. Aloha Cast on 9 sts.

Increase to 142,000 sts….not really. I just haven’t done the calculations yet. I know it will be more than 42 sts though. I’m at 31 sts (each needle) as of 8:45 pm.

June 23rd
Increase to 48 sts. per needle.

June 26th
Row 45 (~6.25”): Start gusset increases. At 20 sts add 1 st. At 21 sts start slip sts. End at 25 sts. Do 2 sets of non inc slip/plain rounds. Row 93: 9 7/8”.

Aug 2nd-5th
Turned heel to 11 sts. Begin new row count on instep needle after plain knit anti-hole trick on heel needle row (dec 1 st). Knit 20 rows on the cuff. Tried sock on recipient and it fits! Yea! (Total rows on cuff: 90)

August 16th
Cast on for second sock. WooHoo!

October 9th
Finished both socks. Just some ends to weave in and pictures to take. (still have to weave in the ends)

Yeah. So much for Summer of Socks. I got way more involved in Season of Lace this summer. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

Mystery project for Christmas. Shhh....

Bits and Pieces

2008-10-06T11:33:00.012-05:00

Early this morning I blocked two cloths for samples for the class I'm teaching tomorrow.

The white one is made with DMC Perle Cotton (size 5) on size 2 double pointed needles. It's about 10" in diameter blocked. I could have stretched it a bit more.

The pink one is Euroflax linen. Also on size 2 needles. It is stretched pretty much to the max and is about 12" in diameter.

The Stove Saga...

Here is our new "COILED" stove. I'm liking the coils. Everything heats up so much faster! And now I've got a window on the oven door too. Whoo Hoo!

And we've made two boards to go over the burners when they aren't in use. So technically it is a smooth top most of the time. I love the boards! I can take just one off or both depending on how many burners I need.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2008-10-03T07:27:00.003-05:00

It was American Players Theater time last week. We choose to go to only one play this year. I'm so glad we chose 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. It was absolutely fantastic! So much so that we decided to buy tickets to see it again 3 days later...:shouting: at 10:30 in the morning! (For those of you who attend these plays you'll understand that joke!) We were hoping for a night time performance but those were sold out.

It was nice seeing it twice to catch things we missed the first time. Although my husband really didn't quite understand why we would want to go again to the same play.

We arrived the second time about an hour early. My mom and dad had about a 2 hour drive from a different direction but we ended up pulling in the parking lot within a minute of each other. We took a slow stroll up the hill. About 3/4's of the way up I turned and looked down the hill. Not far behind us were two of the actors...Marcus Truschinski (Puck) and Brian Mani (Snug, the joiner). At our slow pace they overtook us in no time. I told them we enjoyed the show so much we had to come back for a second performance. I also related how my youngest daughter really liked the high energy performance and antics of Puck. Marcus was so kind to pose for a picture with her! And guess who she is going to be for Trick or Treat! Yep, her Puck costume is all ready! Fur-trimmed vest, flower, necklace, purple hair and all! I told her if she is asked who she is to tell them she is "APT's portrayal of Puck from Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'." :snort:
Picture of Puck and Bottom plus a review.

The "talk back" after the Friday performance was wonderful. Over 100 kids stayed for that and really asked some good questions. Steve Haggard, who plays Demetrius, seemed to still be in character as he was swatting/dodging bugs during the talk back. Too funny! And David Daniel...he is always a character!

Since Friday of last week we've got together 3 copies of the play and are in various stages of reading it (not the dumbed down versions). Some us have read it more than once since Friday. My youngest is having me read it out loud to her and she'll jump up and act out the parts. She showed me last night that she has started reading ahead but still wants me to read it aloud also. We enjoy remembering how the players had delivered their lines. If only they sold an audio version of the performance!

My pastor and his wife are on their way to the play this morning. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did! We sure wish we could have joined them today!

Upstairs is finished!

2008-09-24T07:44:00.007-05:00

Blocked measurements: 19" x 60"

I increased the length by 4 pattern repeats. I had about 1/4 of the second skein leftover. I used size 5 needles.

The bind off is a stretchy crocheted bind off. We decided against a knit on edge.

More pictures on my Ravelry project page.

Upstairs

2008-09-13T07:26:00.004-05:00

My dd is planning on attending a Homecoming dance. She has had her dress for a few months and we thought a nice warm wrap would look pretty and functional for a cool October evening. She decided on the Upstairs Shawl (it is rectangular) after looking through the millions of choices on Ravelry.

We then had to find the perfect yarn. Of course I had procrastinated on picking out the yarn so time started to become an issue. We ordered some pink lace weight online. It looked the perfect color on the monitor but was too purple of a pink in real life. Then we tried Cascade Sock yarn. It is so very soft but after knitting up a swatch it was just too brown of a pink. Our last attempt was successful. It is Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in the Peppermint colorway. It is very, very soft and a pleasure to knit!

The pattern is knitting up fairly fast. Although I am working hard to get it done by Sept 21st to make the Seasons of Lace deadline. Plus the dance is early October so I want it done soon anyway. I am almost halfway done and I started it Sept 3rd.

The original pattern is in German. There is a Free Ravelry download of the pattern in English.

I decided to start the pattern with a Provisional Crocheted Cast-on so that each end would look the same for the bind off. I may also decide to add a small knit on border on the short edges. Then I wouldn't have to think about the bind off not being stretchy enough when it comes time to block it.

I can't wait to see it blocked! I wasn't enjoying this pattern when I did the swatch. It just didn't look right. We even decided to start looking for a different pattern. Then I blocked the swatch! Wow! That changed our minds completely!

Black Olives

2008-08-28T07:12:00.006-05:00

Finished and blocked!

Size: 20" x 69"

The yarn is one cone of Rayon Petalspun (Art. 2025) from Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co. in black. This yarn is very soft. I just weighed what is left of my one pound cone. It is about 8oz. So I used about 1/2 of the cone.

It was knit on size 5 bamboo needles. I used circulars because that is what I had available at the time I started this project.

The pattern is one I was writing up to be a cloth pattern but upon knitting the cloth it cried out to be a stole. I thought it would look nice with a knit on border that complemented the diagonal main body. I plan to write up the pattern and make it available on Ravelry.

I chose this yarn because I wanted this stole to be able to be used with my swimsuit at the pool on those cool days. I didn't want to worry it would lose its blocking if it got wet. The pool closed before I finished but I did get to throw it over my shoulders once while I knit on the first border. I also wanted the yarn to have a bit of a sheen to it so it would go nicely with some of my outfits. (Not this particular outfit! I wore this so the lace would show up nicely in the photos.)

Summer goes way too fast!

2008-08-21T14:33:00.007-05:00

NOTE: You can see photos of the projects in progress down the right hand side of my blog. And if you click on the picture it will take you to Flickr to see a bigger picture. And Ravelry members can click on the name of the project in the side bar to go to the project pages for the details...like yarn, needles and notes. There is no cost to be a Ravelry member and the wait to get in is about a day or so. (I waited months!) Ravelry is still in it's Beta stage which is why they are still using the invitation method.

Update on the Pi Cloth...since that was pretty much my last blog entry. The pattern is almost completed. I will be teaching a class in October for this cloth at my LYS. First class. I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

Black Olives...That is the summer stole I've been concentrating on the last couple weeks since summer is escaping so fast. I'm very close to finishing it. Just one short edge and about 4 pattern repeats left of the edge I'm working on. And then blocking.

Nephew's socks...That was another project I worked hard at this summer (although my knitting attention has been spread among a host of projects). I got one sock up past the heel with multiple fittings taken before my nephew leaves again for college. I've even got the second sock started and am past the toe. I'm knitting them toe to cuff.

Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery shawl is taking a back seat at the moment while I concentrate on these more time sensitive projects. But I can't wait to pick that up again. I've seen so many finished ones and they are all beautiful and different. (rav link)

Summer Siesta is taking a siesta. I'm not happy with the bottom. But I like the lacy part. Hate to frog the lacy part to get to the bottom but that is what needs to be done. The lacy part would make a great light weight produce bag.

Here's a finished item.....

I cast on, knit, did a crochet bind off and blocked all in one day! This is Snowflake Star by Judy Gibson. My Rav project page entry.

So you are thinking (and so am I) that some of these projects should be further along or finished by now. We've had some non knitting projects going this summer as well. Besides plenty of swimming, a multitude of sleepovers (more rightly dubbed awakeovers) and being "helpers" at Vacation Bible School we also painted the girls new bedroom. We had some water leakage and this is what resulted...

The room was previously all car-siding like you see in the left side of the picture. Now it is drywall and BRIGHT! Even the car-siding you see in that picture is now painted blue and the closet door painted green (you can see the door laying in front of the bedding in the next picture.)

Here's a picture of the bedding we found at Target AFTER the room was painted. It matches so well it almost looks like we had the bedding first and chose the room colors from that.

And for those of you not familiar with the power of Kahlua. Let me show you what it can do:

That is the back right burner. A crack also runs through the front right burner and the front left burner. The back left burner escaped the powers of Kahlua and remains the sole non-cracked burner.

Why did the Kahlua bottle want to jump off the refrigerator to fight the stove? Well, he was dragged into the fight by the strap of the water bottle bag. Or more correctly....I apparently placed the Kahlua bottle on the strap of the water bag the night before when I "drizzled" Kahlua over my ice cream and smashed up Oreos. What an expensive sundae (or Sunday...since it happened at 7:15am Sunday morning on our way out to early church.)

The stove is/was over 10 years old so we can't just replace the top. Looks like we'll be getting a coil stove again. Good thing I still have all my cast iron pans...right mom!?!

On the bright side...the Kahlua bottle didn't break and I have since "drizzled" more Kahlua over smashed up oreos and ice cream. It has been relocated to the counter top until a more permanent place of residence can be found or I run out of oreos and ice cream. (Like that might happen!)

How to Read a Knitting Chart

2008-07-26T08:17:00.004-05:00

This is a great tutorial for learning how knit from a chart. It really isn't so scary!

Pi Cloth Experimentation

2008-07-22T08:54:00.009-05:00

It was time for a circular cloth knit in the round.

This is a great way to practice the Lighter Circular Beginning (second half of that video) Or if you don't like youtube here it is in still pictures: last entry here

This is also a great way to get your mind wrapped around a knit on border. It is easier to knit a knit on border than it is to figure out how to knit a knit on border. In other words once you have the start of it figured out the rest is a snap to knit.

For the doubling rounds I used the knit in the front and back of each stitch so I wouldn’t have the YO holes. The pattern on the main part of the cloth was not from a stitch dictionary. I drew it in Excel. The knit on border is from a stitch dictionary.

Unblocked (smoothed flat) it is about 10” in diameter.

Blocked it measures 10.5 inches.

The yarn is Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc America's Best Article 960, Perle Cotton (Size 5, mercerized). Color: Lime #56.

I used size 2 double pointed bamboo needles (8" long) for the whole thing.

The pattern is still in handwritten notes but I do have plans on writing it up with links and details for the tricky parts.

Ravelry link to project.

On Other Blogs

2008-07-11T07:51:00.007-05:00

On Drilling in ANWR......Do you know what ANWR is? Very interesting!

On the stupidity of the Clean Energy Act of 2007
Made in the USA....NOT! Watch this short video. Inconceivable!

On Follow up Visits. It hurts worse when you only have major medical insurance.

On the rising grocery bill....or is it lowering product content. Nothing new under the sun.

Sorry. Moving on to more pleasant things.

On the love of a pet....even a wild one! Another video but this one made me cry in a happy way not like the other video above. I want a lion hug!

On current events and topics discussed from a Lutheran perspective.....
Issues, Etc.: Christ-centered Cross-focused talk radio back on the air! Listen on your computer or download podcasts to your MP3 player.

Center Squares Dishcloth

2008-07-07T10:36:00.003-05:00

I’ve been wanting to do a square dishcloth knit in the round for sometime. I liked the looks of this pattern.

I cast on while we waited for the fireworks to start. I used the Lighter circular cast on (second half of this video) with 8 sts on size 6 dpns. I didn’t want to come back and finish the center. Then I increased in each of the eight stitches to get to the 16 required in the pattern. I used Kfb (knit in the front and back of st.) for all the increases in this pattern. If I make it again I may try Cat Bordhi type increases (LRinc and LLinc). I actually use the Crazy Toe and Heels increase but it is similar.

I also did all 8 increases (the ones in all the other increase rounds) in one round instead of doing the first increase after the last increase in the round. I was lazy.

I also accidentally did round 1 as my last round. Oh well.

The knitted on border was fun and easy to do while I watched a movie.

The directions for the edging were very well written and explained. My grafting wasn’t the best but I have to really look to find which corner was the last.

This pattern would look really nice as a square shawl (yep, got shawls on my brain) or a blanket/throw.

Oh...the yarn. This is Peaches and Cream worsted weight cotton. The color is Passion. It was on special at the Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co website. Four 2 oz skeins (98 yds each) for $4.08. Plus shipping which was kind of pricey but I ordered a few other things as well. Shipping was extremely fast! There was a mishap in the packing end of the shipment but the company was very, very generous in making up for that error.

Latin Proverbs

2008-07-05T10:02:00.004-05:00

Sorry....here's another Latin proverb I'd like to remember...... and I know my blog can handle that job better than my brain!

Vigilo et spero.

This saying should be fairly easy to figure out even without any Latin classes. For the first word...think Mad Eye Moody's favorite phrase. My personal favorite! I always liked to shout that out when I was reading The Goblet of Fire aloud to the kids. They loved that...yeah, right. But I also explained to them the continued importance "in real life" of what Moody demands. Am I being cryptic enough!?! Okay...if you want to cheat and NOT read the book click here. Personally, I'd read the book! All seven!

The last word I connected with Spanish classes in the late 70's. If I'm remembering correctly (and it is VERY possible that I'm not!), this last word was part of my sister's name in her Spanish class.

Why I am a Lutheran

2008-07-05T09:49:00.005-05:00

"When Did I become a Lutheran?" This is most certainly true!

Twisted Trails

2008-07-04T15:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Independence Day!

I finished the cloth I've been knitting. I am offering this pattern for free again. It is a charted pattern I've called Twisted Trails.

The cotton I used is J&P Coats Royale Fashion Crochet Cotton (Size 3). This is the navy blue although the pictures shows it to be a lighter blue.

I knit this on size 3 needles.

I'll be putting this pattern up on Ravelry as a free download and adding it to the sidebar here. But first I have to refresh my member as to how to do that.

Seasons of Lace

2008-06-27T07:03:00.006-05:00

The other "big" start on the 21st was for the Seasons of Lace (Rav link) and the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. This is a Pi Shawl. You can still sign up for this KAL (knit along) until the 30th of June!

Goddess Knits site to sign up for this free pattern
Yahoo Group link ...where the pattern is uploaded so you can download.
Group on Ravelry

Clue 1 was fast. Completed it June 21st. This is Chart A. You had to pick one of the four charts.

Clue 2 was released on the 21st. I finished on the 23rd. This is the shawl so far. I didn't stretch it out completely.

For Clue 2 I used Chart B....again four different charts to chose from. As of this moment there is the possibility of 16 different shawls. If Clue 3 has four chart choices again then we're up to a possible 64 different shawls. Then Clue 4...256 different possibilities. Then there will be one more choice at the end to make it bigger if desired....if I'm remembering correctly.

The yarn is from Handpaintedyarn.com
I chose this yarn for the color and the price. The color is Mares Profundos. It is a very deep dark blue - semisolid. As I hand wound one of the two hanks I noticed that it isn’t consistent in its width. Some areas are a little thicker and some a little thinner. There were some kinks too. I’m not a spinner but those little kinks look like some spots may be over spun???? No clue if that is the case though. Some spots don’t look spun at all. So I have no idea. Anyway…I love the color. I hope it blocks ok...and keeps the block! Most of the items I've blocked tend to shrink up again...sometimes on the first wearing.

I'm using size 5 needles. I moved it to 24" circular needles as soon as possible. The bamboo dpns tips were a bit too rounded for long term lace knitting. They did work to get it started though.

Charcoal Socks for Christmas

2008-06-27T05:52:00.003-05:00

I cast on June 21st for the Summer of Socks (see previous post for links) with this Christmas present for my nephew. I'm zipping along. We will be seeing him on Sunday and I hope to have the sock to the point where the heel starts. Once I know it fits fine I'll cast on for the second one on another set of needles.

This is another Crazy Toes & Heels (see sidebar for link) sock to fit size 14 extra wide feet. (What did I get myself into!?) Gauge 10spi. Size 0 circular needles. Toe up. Aloha Cast on (9). Inc to 48 sts. Start gusset increases at Row 45.

The yarn is Pace. The color is Charcoal. I bought a TON of this charcoal when I did the socks for my dad and brother-in-law. Luckily that is the color that my nephew wanted as well. Wonder what color Nephew #2 will want??? I'll start his socks much closer to Christmas as his feet are still growing fast.

I bought the yarn from Loose Ends Yarn Shop before she moved down the street. This link will take you to the store owners blog for some new shop window pictures. Her new store is very nice! Even has a back porch if Knit Night wants to spill out into the out-of-doors on lovely evenings.

Tick, Tock

2008-06-18T08:24:00.007-05:00

I'm biding my time.

I love knitting socks so I signed up for "Summer of Socks". (Link to group at Ravelry) Sign ups are now closed because the start date is fast upon us...Saturday June 21st! But that also means that I've been waiting and waiting to cast on for a sock. I really miss having a sock project along in my purse to take up those wasted minutes that present themselves unexpectedly.

I haven't cast on another lace project either because I also signed up for Seasons of Lace. (Link to group at Ravelry) Lace socks also count! Anything lace! It also begins June 21st. Sign up for that group is still open a few more days I think.

And I thought, "Hey, if I'm going to be knitting lace why not sign up for the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl Along group?" Whew, what a mouthful. Cut and paste comes in handy. Here's the Ravelry link for that group. The first "clue" was posted on the 14th of June. I'm still swatching and waiting for the starting gun for Seasons of Lace before I officially cast on for this circular shawl. Sign up is still open for that as well (as of today anyway).

I also started messing around with a new cloth pattern but it turned into a stole with a knitted on border on both ends. I've swatched for that too...but not with the yarn I want to use exactly. I've swatched and blocked with 100% mercerized cotton (fingering weight). I'm currently swatching with Euroflax linen (sport weight). But I've got some yarn (cotton/linen blend, lace weight?) on order to experiment with. I didn't want to spend a lot of money since this is all an experiment. And I wanted a yarn that I could wear over my swimming suit at the pool. Some not-so-hot days I'd rather throw on a cover up than an old beach towel. I'm cautiously optimistic about this project at this point.

Since there aren't any pictures...
This is Caesar. We inherited him from my mother-in-law after her fall last October. He is a friendly bird and loves to greet daddy when he gets home from work. He also loves his veggie/noodles, showers and chattering! He doesn't like to be pet but he does like to sit on your finger, or head, or toes, or whatever. This picture shows him getting comfortable on my daughter's arm with his foot up. Look at all those new little head feathers!

Buddy

2008-06-14T15:54:00.006-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of our house bunny named Buddy. He turned 5 this past May. He loves his hayloft.

Added June 18th:
This original post was made it a hurry to show the pictures to someone in particular. So here's a bit more about Buddy.

Buddy loves to come out of his cage. He can open the door himself (if it's not locked). He used to run and jump more but since our carpet has been removed most of the running and jumping occurs on the couch and throw rugs. He loves to lay on the throw rug by my chair (especially when I have the foot thingee up...it's like a little fort). He only sits on your lap when the mood suits him. He will lay down when you start to pet him and get back up again when you stop.

Birds and bunnies...they have to be two of the messiest pets...but we do love them to pieces.

Bit by the lace bug!

2008-06-05T21:27:00.008-05:00

Yes, more lace!

This is the Adamas Shawl designed by Miriam Felton. For those of you who know your Greek (or Latin ) the name will most likely be familiar to you. If you need a little help, check out the link for the translation. Or here's a hint....adamant. "I was adamant in my desire to knit this shawl even though my husband thought I was nuts!"

The designer loves to name her patterns with classically derived names. I love that! This yarn has been in my stash for years and was going to be Icarus but I was afraid I was going to be a little short on the yardage. But I have many reasons why I still need to knit Icarus. One reason being my love of the band Kansas. That may seem a weird connection but you Kansas fans know what I'm talking about. (I'm sure I'm only talking to myself but oh well)

Anyway...this yarn is one skein (850 yds) of Alpaca with a Twist "Fino". It is 70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk. The color is a light lilac or periwinkle. I used size 4 Knitpicks Options needles (love those pointy tips!). After blocking the size is 72" across the back and 36" from upper edge to the point.

More Calorimetries

2008-06-05T20:54:00.014-05:00

These three are done with TOFUtsies sock yarn. All the sock yarn ones are done on size 2 needles. The pattern was linked in the previous post but here it is again if you missed it.

Red/pink one:
136 sts. 10 markers each side.

Pink/blue/green:
128 sts. 10 markers each side.

Green/brown:
144 sts. 11 markers each side.

This one is Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton sock yarn. It was some elastic in it. This yarn was fairly splity and completely unplied itself when I was doing the sewn bind off. But I did like the softness and how the stitches looked on the finished piece. 128 sts. 10 markers each side.

This is the only worsted weight one of the bunch. This is Tess Designer yarns superwash worsted weight I had leftover from a project a few years back. This yarn is super soft! Size 5 needles. 88 sts. 9 markers each side.

Calorimetry

2008-05-30T13:45:00.006-05:00

I'm still working on the Adamas Shawl but I've also been experimenting with the Calorimetry. My first attempt was ripped down before pictures were taken. It was too big. 120 stitches on size 7 needles with worsted weight yarn. It was very stretchy. This picture shows my second attempt. It was done with sock yarn, size 2 needles and 88 stitches. It was a wee bit tight but works ok for a headband for a small 9 yo.

This next picture is same yarn, same needles but 120 stitches. Worked row 5 until I had 10 markers on each side (not counting the first 2 sts on each side). The fit was good. I say "was" because the day after it was finished it was lost. I'm thinking it will turn up sooner or later. But until then a new yarn was picked to make a second one.

I've made two others...no pictures?!? Plus I've got the replacement one made. I'm going to do some modeling shoots today.

Diamond Fantasy off the Blocking Board

2008-05-13T13:52:00.007-05:00

Approximate finished measurements:
Top to tip: 27"
Tip to top corners: over 36"
Top edge: 52"

The Miracle of Lace

2008-05-12T08:41:00.009-05:00

Here is my Diamond Fantasy shawl (really more a scarf size again) right off the needles. Looks cozy and warm and all but not anything like it is suppose to look. Even the color of the yarn is not portrayed accurately in this photo.

Here it is after a bath and a good stretching. It is still pinned to the blocking board. This is one of those folding cardboard boards that I used to use for cutting fabric. To protect the cardboard from the wet shawl I covered the board in a medium weight clear plastic. That's the stuff you can get at Wal-mart or a Ben Franklin type store located in the fabric section by the large rolls of vinyl tablecloth. This board worked WAY better than the gingham checked fabric I used previously. Hope it's dry by bed time! (Oops...I cut the sheets out of the picture. It's blocked on the bed!)

Now about the pattern....

The Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding can be made scarf size or shawl size. The one I made is scarf size and only uses 350 yds of fingering weight yarn. I used one skein of Mountain Colors-Bearfoot . I love it for socks and thought it would be pretty for this scarf-sized shawl. The color name is Pheasant and it is made up of 60 % Superwash Wool, 25 % Mohair, 15 % Nylon. The dye did bleed out a bit when I soaked the shawl before blocking. I used size 5 circular needles (3.75mm).

I followed the pattern exactly and had about 20 yards of yarn leftover. I was worried that I was going to run short so I placed a lifeline at one half pattern repeat on the last repeat. If I ran out of yarn I would have then ripped back to that lifeline.

Doing the lifeline was easy. I just threaded a piece of thread (still attached to the spool) through the keyhole of my KnitPicks Option needle. Tied a knot so the thread would pull along while I knit the next row. When the row was finished I just had to be sure to leave the thread long enough, cut the thread from the spool, and cut it free from my needle. This also meant that my stitch markers were trapped on that row. But as I used a thinly sliced soda straw (which makes about 50,000 markers...okay maybe not quite that many) I just pulled out some more markers to place on the next row. I also used my row counter that I made with jump rings. The thread was thin enough to just slide through the crack of the jump ring. So I didn't need to let that dangle.

Undulating Rib Socks

2008-05-09T08:36:00.007-05:00

I've been a bad blogger. These socks were finished April 29th and I'm first blogging about them now. Oh, well...better late than never.

This sock was my March entry for the SKA (Sock Knitters Anonymous Raverly group). The challenge for March was either an Ann Budd pattern or entrelac. They needed to be finished by April 30th to qualify. I just squeaked under the deadline. (Yeah, I knew to steer clear from the entrelac based on my raveled entrelac dishcloth experience. Here's a link if you want to see entrelac and how it's done.)

This picture doesn't show the pattern very nicely at all. It doesn't look too bad if you click on the picture to make it bigger. I was hoping to get a better picture on my feet. All I managed was a close up shot.

The pattern is from Favorite Socks. It is written to be knit from the cuff to the toe. I knit it the other way...from toe to cuff. So I didn't follow the pattern 100% as written in the book. I used size 0 circular needles...that's 2.0mm for you metric people out there.

This was my first time knitting with SWTC TOFUtsies. I liked the yarn. It was a little splity but not so much that it bugged me. This yarn is 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin. What's chitin? Something made from shrimp and crab shells. Never thought I'd be wearing that on my feet.

I loved the color (#847) of this yarn. It would make a nice wrap on those cool weather days...or a summery sweater. But I'm all out.

I bought this yarn at Loose Ends Yarn Shop in Mayville. (NB: This shop will be moving at the end of May but luckily the new store front is just south a block or two...on the river side of the street.)

Oh and for a little teaser of what's coming next.
Well, I guess it's not much of a teaser if you look at my "in progress" projects on the side bar. The knitting part is done. I've got to block it yet...get it wet and stretch the dickens out of it. This picture shows the color fairly well.

Swallowtail Shawl

2008-04-15T17:36:00.006-05:00

Here's the Swallowtail Shawl. This is a pattern from Interweave Knits Spring 2006 issue. It is also being offered right now for a limited time as a free pattern at the Knitting Daily site (along with 4 other patterns).

The knitting wasn't too hard...although I did have to pay attention and count more than usual. I feared the nupps (the part that looks like Lilies of the Valley). After reading through the tips at Ravelry I made the decision to go ahead and give them a go (some replace the nupps with beads). The trick to the nupps are making the k1, yo, k1, yo k1 (all in one st) very very loose....like a half an inch of yarn pulled out for each k1.

The cast off I did with a needle 2 sizes bigger but it still may have been done too tightly. My "swallowtail" peaks didn't stay very pointed at all. Ahhh well...maybe next time I block it I'll try something different. I'm not an expert blocker by any stretch of the imagination.

This shawl, although called a shawl, is really scarf size which is what I wanted. Here are some pictures of how I've experimented in wearing it today. It's my first triangular shawl/scarf and thought I'd have some fun with it.

This was knit with Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud. Stream was the name of the color. It is very soft yarn. It took less than 1 skein (50 gms). I probably have about 13 gms left over.

Row Counters

2008-04-12T15:41:00.004-05:00

Here's what I worked on today for a friend from Ravelry....

I went with spring colors...even though we've got snow in the air.

The craft stores I checked didn't have the wine glass charm rings that I wanted so I went with the hoop earring hardware instead. Worked nicely I think.

Brigit Socks done!

2008-04-01T09:02:00.006-05:00

The yarn that I used for these is Anne from Schaefer Yarn Company. It is very fine and very soft. The content is 60% merino wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon. The mohair gives a bit of a halo effect.

The pattern is Brigit...all that info is in the previous post. Here are my notes of the tweaks I made to the pattern.

Cast on: long tail method in knit and purl combo following the stitch sequence. Here's how to long tail cast on in purl.

I ended up charting the stitch pattern which made the knitting much quicker for me. This stitch pattern is an 18 stitch/35 row repeat. A magnetic chart holder and my row counter made the job a piece of cake. Oh...and a pretty pink coated small paper clip bent into a cable needle.

Before knitting the heel flap I moved 3 sts from beg of N#2 to end of N#1 AND 7 sts from beg N#1 to end of N#2. 40 sts on instep and 32 on heel. I would do this differently on the next pair by putting 38 on the instep…one knit st on each side of the instep should be moved to the heel needle (34 sts) based on my original stitch move. This centered the stitch pattern on the instep.

I continued the rib pattern down the heel flap but not the cable.

I used “Heels by Numbers” to turn the heel. (This isn't the one I used but it's the same type of thing.)

For the toe I decreased every other round until 18 sts remained on each needle (using 2 circs). Then decreased every row until 8 sts remained on each needle. Donkey ear trick. Kitchener.

One sock done!

2008-03-17T11:23:00.003-05:00

This sock is called Brigit. It is a pattern designed by Momma Monkey (Monkey Toes). The pattern is currently unavailable as Momma Monkey (Gigi Silva) has recently passed away. How very sad for such a young family. The Socktopia group on Ravelry is the group to watch for information of when (or if) Gigi's patterns will become available again.

Brigit is my Sock Knitters Anonymous (Ravelry link) February sockdown challenge. Good thing I have until the end of March to finish the mate. It also was my February memorial purple knitalong but I didn't make that deadline. oh well. I'm still enjoying the pattern.

Some tweaking of the pattern was done. I'll fill you in on the tweaks later.

Sorry for all the Raverly links. You need to sign up (and wait for an invite) before you can view those links. The sign up is FREE and the wait is MUCH shorter than it used to be. I waited a few months. I think the wait now is about a week.

MonthlyDishcloths for February

2008-02-27T08:56:00.004-06:00

I joined Monthly Dishcloth yahoo group. These are the two cloths for February. Dd#1 knit the Valentine Candy box cloth. The picture is of the reverse side but I like that side better. I did the striped one. Both are larger and bulkier than I like to use. Regardless I liked both patterns and they could be tweaked for the thinner cotton I prefer.

Christmas knitting DONE!

2008-02-27T08:11:00.005-06:00

It took about 7 days per sock but they are done!

In the previous blog entry I mentioned that these are Roza's Socks from Interweave Knit. I didn't mention that the pattern is written for knitting them cuff to toe. I did these from toe to cuff. I used the general method from Crazy Toes and Heels and just inserted the stitch pattern from the Roza's socks with some tweaking to fit the recipient. The fit is perfect.

Here are the notes (in blue) I put in my Ravelry entry. If you own the Crazy Toes and Heels book the notes will make sense. If you don't own it, I highly recommend the book for making socks that fit....any yarn, any needles.

I’m doing these toe up on 2 circs. Crazy Toe and Heel style.

Aloha cast on: 9 Inc to 35 sts. Even round. Increase round: 2 sts on each end of heel needle only. Stitches on instep: 35. On heel: 37. Total: 72. One more plain round then begin pattern st on instep.

Row 55 start gusset inc. At 15 sts start slip st heel. At 21 sts end. 4 plain rounds. (94 rows)

Heel to 11 sts.

Cuff: Row 35 add one st on knit rib #’s 2&5 (both needles) 76 sts. Row 55 add one st on knit rib #’s 3&4 (both needles) 80 sts.

Round 71: p 72: k 73: p

Increase 1 st in knit ribs 1&6 (both needles) using kf/b as increase. This is now plain 4X3 rib. 16 rows.

First sock done Feb 17th. Cast on #2 Feb 18th. Second sock done Feb 25th.

Christmas Knitting...still

2008-02-15T12:54:00.005-06:00

Another pair of socks done. These are a Christmas (2007...yes, I know I'm late) present to my brother-in-law. They aren't much different than the pair for my dad (see two posts below) so I tried to take a picture to show the true color vs. showing the sock. I think this picture captured the color (dark charcoal) pretty well. These are off to be washed so they are ready when we see him next week.

This is my last pair of Christmas socks. They are for my mom. I'm using the Roza's sock pattern again from Interweave Knitter Spring 2007. I love this pattern. The purl stitches turn out so pretty. I've had to tweak the pattern a bit for fit. But once the math is/was done it should be a fairly quick knit.

The plan was to do a felted bag with yarn she already had in her stash. But the yarn didn't cooperate. So the back up plan was socks.

Dd#3 is purling!

2008-01-29T15:30:00.001-06:00

Dd#3 has been knitting coaster size squares (garter st) for a several months on and off. She wasn't interested in learning how to purl.

Then I ordered Kids Learn to Knit by Lucinda Guy.

She found a cute little owl project in that book that she wanted to make. It required purling which she picked up in a flash. 2 stockinette squares later and some felt shapes cut and we've got Flapping Fred.

She now also knows how to cast on using the reverse loop method. She'll sometimes just grab yarn and needles and cast on over and over.

Polly Pocket also received a rug designed and knit by dd#3.

Happy Herbie is next in her queue.

3 pairs of socks done!

2008-01-29T15:08:00.001-06:00

I finished the pair of Philosopher's House Socks (Nov/Jan sock class) for Cat Bordhi's sock book. They fit nicely over a pair of regular wool socks...so I've got extra warmth for these really really cold days. The yarn is Cascade 220...more leftovers from the Wonderful Wallaby sweaters. Needles: Size 4 dpns.

This purple pair is for dd#3.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Wildfoote, Columbine
Needles: Size 0 circulars
Method: Toe up, Crazy Toe & Heel style

This charcoal pair is my dad's Christmas present. It looks really black in the photo but it is a dark charcoal in real life. These were toe up - Crazy Toe & Heel style on size 0 circs. The yarn is called Pace from Universal Yarns.

I've got my brother-in-law's socks...same color, same size as these....on the needles . One foot is to the heel and the other is almost halfway to the heel.

Knitting and Reading

2008-01-17T19:04:00.000-06:00

There has been some talk on the KnitList about knitting while reading.

I use a nifty little book holder called The Book Gem if I'm reading a printed book while knitting.

If the book is on CD...then a CD player will do.

I've recently acquired a Sony MP3 player (dd#2's old one). Today Wendy (from the KnitList) shared a link for LibriVox. This site provides free audiobooks for works in the public domain. That looks like a great resource! I'll have to learn how to download the files....not today....I've already got a book on CD and several "real" books going at the moment.

Another fun way to get a daily dose of literature is Daily Lit. They email you a small portion of a book of your choice each day at the time of your choosing. You can also omit weekends if you like. Set your mouse to slowly scroll and grab your knitting.

NB....I don't always read while knitting. Sometimes the TV is going (I don't often get control of the remote) or I'm visiting with friends or knitting in public....or sometimes everything is quiet. That doesn't happen real often in this house.

Philosopher's House Socks

2008-01-12T15:25:00.001-06:00

This is the sock that we worked on in our sock class in November and December. December's class was snowed out so we met on the 8th of January for the final class.

We did the arch expansion to the heel turn in class. I finished the heel and cuff the next morning (way too early). It was knit in worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220...left over from my Wallaby). Fast knit. Although I'll use them more for slipper socks. They're a bit too thick for my regular shoes.

This pattern is from Cat Bordhi's newest sock book:
New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One on page 72.

I've got the toe started on its mate.

Christmas Crafting

2008-01-07T07:19:00.000-06:00

Here are some crocheted soap bags. The pattern is from the Klutz Crochet Book. I did a twisted cord instead of a chain for the ties and also made them drawstring bags. It's about 3" wide and 5.5" high. Irish Spring or a bar of Dove fit just fine. The bag for the little one was filled with candy instead of soap.

My husband's work friends received Tribbles (scrubbies) knit by dd#1. This link doesn't seem to be working for me. Could just be my computer.

My sister got a storage case for her knitting needles.

The large plastic pockets are 3.5" x 6.75". The smaller plastic pockets that hold the needle labels are 2.5" x 1.75". I cut two pieces of coordinating fabric 30" x 28" and a piece of window screen 16.5" x 28" (to add stiffness to where the needles are stored). To fold: Flop the top down. Fold the left and right sides in toward each other 3 times and secure with ribbon and button. The button isn't really necessary but I liked it. I tie the half knot above the button and the loops of the bow below the button.

She also received the pink lacy round linen cloth (already pictured here). My mom also got one in a dark purple. I didn't take a picture of the purple one...hmmm. I also promised my mom that'd I'd knit her a bag with yarn she had been hoping would turn into a felted bag. Unfortunately the yarn didn't cooperate so she asked instead for a pair of socks in fingering weight yarn. She's got the first pair of socks I ever knit but they are in sport weight and don't fit in her shoes so well.

My dad and brother-in-law are also both getting a pair of socks. I had one toe of a sock started before Christmas for my dad. My b-i-l wants the same color as dad's...charcoal. One sock is about an inch from being complete. If it is a smidget too short for dad (and that is my only concern at the moment) it should fit my b-i-l just fine.

(This picture is from the 29th of December. The heel is done but with dental floss as a life line in case it didn't fit and I had to reknit the heel.)

My mother-in-law received the Truly Tasha Shawl...previous pictures here. We tried to get a picture on Christmas Eve of her wearing it (at least long enough to get a picture) but before I had it over her shoulders she had it off. Hope she comes to love the warmth it will provide her as she reads her books and/or surfs the webTV.

Friends at church and our next door neighbor received crocheted diagonal potholders, knit cloths, and tribbles.

Truly Tasha's Shawl

2007-12-21T19:38:00.000-06:00

Blocked....

Posed for a picture....

or two....

Folded neatly to be wrapped and delivered to recipient December 24th. Hope she likes it....or not....I wouldn't mind keeping it!

Christmas Stockings

2007-12-21T08:50:00.000-06:00

I've been lured by all the pretty knit Christmas stocking patterns but this is the reason why I won't be knitting any for us....

I really like these. I like that they have the Luke account of the Jesus' birth on them. Mine is the first on the left (Luke 2: 4, 5, 6). Then dd#1 (vs 7). Dd#3 (vs 8). Dd#2 (vs 9). Daddy (vs 11).

I cross stitched these back in 1994, 1997, and 3 in 1998. I had dd#3's stocking done before she was born...all except the name. (There are names on them under the top border. I've airbrushed them out to protect the innocent.)

My sister did the sewing part of the project. That part made me too nervous.

Edited Jan 10th: Having not attended the award ceremony, I had no idea that I won a Golden Aardvark Award. I went to the list of awards to read the posts of friends who won and ended up finding this blog post of mine on the list of winners. Wow! Very unexpected! Thank you Aardvark Alley!

Socks for dd#2

2007-12-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Yarn: Trekking XXL
Needles: 0 circulars
Method: Crazy Toes and Heels
CO: 9
Inc. to 35
Rib: 3 x 2

This color reminds me of watermelon.

Ready for some Cat Bordhi Mindbending

2007-12-12T07:58:00.001-06:00

Attended the first class....got the New Pathways for Sock Knitters book....got my beaded markers done....then it snowed....second class postponed until January....which is good since December is always so busy.

Beaded markers made with things in my basement....DMC floss, jump rings, leftover beads.

Truly Tasha's Shawl

2007-12-10T07:13:00.001-06:00

I was wanting to knit a Christmas present for someone to keep warm while she is surfing online or reading a book. I decided on the Truly Tasha's Shawl because it was a little heavier (although I didn't want it as dense...pattern recommended size 4/3.50mm needles), looked quick to knit, and I liked the lace edging (esp. turned to be a collar around the neck).

Next was the run to the yarn store (Dec 4th)...I wanted pink because the recipient looks very nice in pink. There was a pretty mauvy pink with brown that would have self striped but I decided on this brighter pink because I wanted a cheerier color to brighten the recipient's mood.

This is Cascade's Eco (478 yds/250 gms/8.75 oz). I used 10.5 (6.5mm) needles. I knit until it measured from tip to the top edge, allowing for the future border lace, the finished measurement...28". I maybe should have gone a bit more. The "across the top" measurement is a little smaller than 60" and the diagonal edge is the most off the mark. But I'm hoping that blocking will get those measurements more in the ballpark.

I made a second run to the yarn store on Dec 5th to pick up a second skein of yarn. I had knit about half of the first skein and it looked to me like it was going to be close. And this picture shows just how close it was. The little tail of yarn is all that is left of the first skein. I had about 6-7" left of the lace border to finish. And I finished off that little bit last night (Dec 9th)...right off my swift so I wouldn't have to wind the 478 yd skein. I probably have 468 yds left.

I neatly tied a few spots around the skein, retwisted and relabeled it...it's all set to take back to my yarn store like it's never been used. LOL...just teasing you, Michele! I've already got plans for it for next Christmas...a possible cabled fingerless mitts/scarf combo...unless it calls out to be something else in the meantime. Although I really should get a head start for next Christmas!

Oh yeah! You'd probably like to see the whole shawl finished? Well...I'm not ready for that yet. I'll be washing and blocking it first...then a finished picture. So stay tuned!

Knitted Lacy Round Dishcloth

2007-11-27T06:32:00.001-06:00

This Knitted Lacy Round Dishcloth is a free pattern from Knitting Knonsense.

It is a fairly fast knit and looks beautiful.

I decided to use Euroflax Linen for this cloth so it wouldn't get too big. I knit this on size 3 needles. It's about 9 1/2" in diameter.

I did the kitchener stitch incorrectly. I used the reverse stockinette method on this cloth. But I've already made another cloth and used the garter stitch kitchener. (That link is a PDF download)

It really needed to be blocked. Here's a picture of it blocked on my 0000 needles:

Blogger wouldn't download that picture (having hiccups or something) so this picture is downloaded from flickr. You can see a larger picture if you click on this and then the "all sizes" link above the flickr picture.

Elfin Lace Scarf

2007-11-20T09:46:00.000-06:00

This scarf has been finished for some time...the knitting anyway.

I finally blocked it yesterday! I used blocking wires for the first time. Wow! They worked great!

It is about 10 1/4" wide and about 5 feet long (or so).

The pattern (for the cloth) is here.

I made it the same width as the cloth just kept on knitting the length.

The cashmere is from Belisa Cashmere, Bundanoon, NSW, Australia. This was purchased at Stitches Midwest 2006. (I used size 5 needles.)

I decided not to add a border on the bottom/top edges. I like it as it is. I was also going to try to reverse the pattern so the hearts would go the same direction but I didn't do that either. So now it is hearts on one side and spades down the other. Just need some diamonds and clubs...

Scrumptious Shagged Slipper Socks

2007-11-20T09:19:00.000-06:00

The girls have outgrown the felted slippers my dsis made for them. (Actually dd#1 wore her slippers so much that she's worn the bottom through...several times...she keeps needle felting over the holes.) So this time was my turn. They decided they want slippers like daddy.

This is a fast easy knit with two strands of Cascade 220 held together throughout. The shagging is easy peasy and makes a very soft cushion to walk on. I've got some inside of the slipper pictures here in case you don't know what shagging is...besides the slang meaning! :blush:

And speaking of slippers...I am sporting a very lovely purple pair of Fiber Trends Felted Clogs that my dsis so kindly knit for me. Thank you so much! They really keep my feet warm!

Another Tribble

2007-11-02T11:13:00.001-05:00

Here's another Tribble I made with leftover purple Sugar'n Cream and some 1" strips of purple tulle held together.

The tulle isn't called for in the pattern but it does add some scrubbie-ness to it.

The first and last stitch is knit without the tulle. This kept the edge stitches from being too thick when gathering to close.

I also used separate lengths of yarn to pull the holes shut tightly. Then tied a knot and hid the ends inside.

Sugar'n Cream Stripes - Potholders

2007-11-02T11:08:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd give the Sugar'n Cream Strips a try with the diagonally crocheted potholders. Yeah...looks nice I think!

I think I'll make them a set with the dishcloths a few blog entries below.

My Traveling Socks

2007-10-29T22:28:00.000-05:00

These finally got finished! They've traveled there and back again.

I started with a pattern from More Sensational Socks but ended up starting over and doing just a generic rib. I think dd#1 will be wearing these the most.

This was Socks that Rock - lightweight yarn that I purchased at Stitches Midwest 2006.

The hanger sock blockers are new...bent them just today. Thought that'd work ok for taking pictures.

Now I've got to figure out what will be my next traveling sock project....hmmm...so many choices....

Baby Booties

2007-10-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the finished booties. The pattern is here.

I think the pattern gets obscured with this yarn...although this yarn is VERY soft.

Sugar'n Cream Stripes

2007-10-26T23:31:00.000-05:00

I had to give this yarn a try...

And I've gotten the second baby mitt done and one of the booties. One down...one to go. Pictures will be posted when finished.

And I finished my last crocheted potholder this week too!
(no pics of that)

Two Color Hat

2007-10-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

The Two-Color Hat is finished!

Here are my notes:
Make it like store bought hat...except do in the round.

(I used Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Rules" for basic directions.)

Oct 12th...did swatch. Andean Treasure is *so* soft!

Cast on green 112 sts. Size 2 needles.
1. 4 rows 2x2 rib green
2. 2 rows rib blue
3. 4 rows rib green
4. 6 rows rib blue
5. 3 rows rib green

Change to size 3 needles for stockinette sts in blue.

Knit until hat equals length of hand of hat wearer.

No swirl decrease...

1. Decrease round: K3, k2tog (around),
knit even 3 rounds.
2. Decrease round: k2, k2tog (around),
knit even 2 or 3 rounds.
3. Decrease round: k1, k2tog (around),
knit even 2 rounds.
4. Decrease round: k2tog (around),
knit even 1 or 2 rounds.
5. Repeat decrease round 4 until 6
stitches remain. Kitchener.

Finished Oct 21st.

Hats

2007-10-20T16:09:00.001-05:00

My dd#2 has a favorite knit hat. It is store bought and has seams. The seams make the hat look funny when worn. I think so anyway! So I promised that I'd make a hat for her just like the store bought one except NO seams.

This hat is in Andean Treasure (Knitpicks) and is super soft.

This next hat is for my cousin's friend who is having a baby in December. Free Pattern Here. This yarn is Sirdar Snuggly Bubbly. I was only able to get one skein of pink so I am also using white because she wanted a hat....a pair of baby mitts (one done)....
and a pair of baby booties (soon to be started).

I'd have to say that I'm not overly fond of this yarn even though it is super soft.

Jaywalkers done!

2007-10-12T19:55:00.000-05:00

Amen!

I had issues with this sock...too loose....too tight....way too much ripping back. One whole cuff, one whole foot and about 3" of the other foot.

But they are done and my dd loves them and I finished them in time for the game tonight. All I had left to do this morning was to Kitchener the toes shut...no big deal there.

I ended up doing a plain stockinette stitch foot. The toes are decreased on the pinky toe side. So they are left foot/right foot socks.

I used size 0's with 84 sts.
(Tried 1's but the socks were too big)
Zwerger Garn Opal Krokodil / Crocodile sock yarn.

Progress....or not!

2007-10-05T09:08:00.000-05:00

The Eesti Trail Hiking socks got ripped back....

I had the heel completed. The decrease for the gusset stitches was wonky...so I searched online for pattern errata. Well....I found the errata but it was for the charted color work in the middle of the leg which, of course, was done. Bummer! So I ripped out the gusset, the heel and the color work.

As for the gusset....I never found an errata for that. But it's a mistake none the less. The pattern has you decrease 4 sts on the first round after picking up the sts along the heel flaps...and two sts on each side of the instep. The pattern says "dec 2 sts".

So when I reknit this I will decrease 4 sts on the first round...that helps with the holes that sometimes appear in those corners. But then on the other decrease rounds I will only decrease on the heel needles....not the instep needles also.

I cast on for the Jaywalkers Socks. They are for dd#1 and I'm hoping to finish them by next Friday. One cuff is done and the other is about 1.5 inches. Luckily she wants short cuffs. They are in the high school's colors (even though we homeschool). She's going to the Homecoming game and wants to dress in school colors.

Stranded Diagonal Potholder

2007-09-28T14:29:00.001-05:00

Here's the inside of the potholder....
Isn't it purty!

Things I learned in this "little" experiment:

1. 42 stitches on each needle (2 circs - size 3) is not enough stitches. Finished size is 6.5" on the diagonal. Works nice to keep my arm of this nasty cold metal desk but for taking hot casserole dishes from the oven it would be useless.

2. Don't worry about the stockinette sts rolling. They will behave eventually.

I had done some garter rows to prevent the rolling. I don't like how that looks. If I had done more stripes of it in other places I wouldn't have minded. But this experiment was about doing color work not texture.

3. I chose to use the vertical straight lines in my colorwork to disguise the "jog". That worked for hiding the jog.....Except the lines don't line up...a jog may have been less noticeable. (I know there's a wrong stitch in there too...oh well...just a practice piece)

4. Next time try a smaller repeat.

5. Doing a stranded sweater with Cascade 220 (Wallaby leftovers) would be EXTREMELY warm!

NOTE: This post may not make sense on its own. Here's the previous "Potholder" post.

A Latin Riddle

2007-09-28T10:35:00.000-05:00

Hey..... A Hobbit-type riddle in Latin!

Hic mortui vivunt, hic muti loquuntur.

Plus Laura Gibbs offers great encouragement for reading out loud....in Latin....but I'd include any language!

Dd#1's Rag Rug

2007-09-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

Here's the rug dd#1 is working on.

It's made of bed sheets ripped into 1" strips and then hand sewn together.

As you can see she's almost out of sheets....but we've still got a very large bag here yet to be ripped. It's a very dusty job so we do it outside! Today would be a beautiful day to get some done.

Our neighbor double crochets rugs like this. We tried.....but our hands (and heads) favor the knitting needles.

Tribble

2007-09-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

I love Ravelry! You can find all sorts of neat patterns and ideas there!

Here's a pattern that uses up scraps of dishcloth yarn. It's also a scrubbie of sorts.

I added 6 strips of fine tulle (1" wide) to make it even scrubbier.

Note: Ravelry is still in its beta stage but won't be long and it will be open to the public. You can put your name on a waiting list (if you haven't yet...it doesn't take too long to get an invite).

Crocheted Pot Scrubber

2007-09-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

I bought 1 yd of large holed tulle (from a fabric bolt). Cut in 2" strips...from fold to selvage edge. Tie 6 pieces together with square knots (leave tails 4 inches or so...the tails become the stuffing on the inside).

Pattern is here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf192070.tip.html

It is Dawn's post on August 31, 2007.

This feels real scratchy...like steel wool.

I don't think I'll be making too many of these. I really love the soft wool going through my fingers instead of scratchy tulle.

Roza's Socks

2007-09-24T20:21:00.001-05:00

These are Roza's Socks, designed by Grumperina from the Interweave Knits Spring 2007 magazine.

Needles: Size 1 bamboo dpns
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Aktiv Color 100 #7639

I added 6 sts (66 sts total) since I have size 8.5 feet.

Top cuff: 1 3/4" = 20 rounds
Whole cuff: 8" = 80 rounds

74 rounds from gusset to beg of toe shaping:
Round 74 on 4th needle knit first 2 sts together.

Arrange 31 sts on heel needles. 33 sts on instep needles.

Set up round: decrease 1 sts on each instep needle (#2 & #3).

Round 1: decrease on each needle (as per pattern).
Round 2: knit even

Decrease until 11 sts on heel (#4 & #1) and instep needles (#2 & #3). No even knitting round after this....do another decrease round to get 9 sts on heel and instep needles.

Do donkey ear trick.

Kitchener.

I had quite a bit of yarn left over. No worries about running out even though the cuff was fairly long.

I love how the brioche stitch looks in the ribbing.