Lifestyles of A Selfish Knitter

WIP Wednesday

2012-02-08T09:06:00.001-06:00

The Irish Diamond Shawl is coming along pretty well. There are 600+ stitches per row now so it's a slow go but I'm still enjoying it & will hate to see it end. The first lace pattern is totally mindless. Once you're in the groove you don't even need the pattern except as a brief reminder. You can easily read your knitting to tell which row you're on so you don't even need a row counter. LOVE. IT. I don't have a more recent picture but I'm into the second repeat of the 2nd lace pattern so only about 20 rows to the end. Of course, every other row increases 8 stitches so it's getting slower & slower. The second lace repeat is a little more challenging than the first but still easy to memorize as a row goes along. It's almost a Zen type mediatative knit. Ok, I'll quit gushing over it. It was planned for Mom's birthday but that has come & gone. I'm still planning to finish it this month. Maybe the one month anniversary of her birthday. LOL.

The Canaletto Cowl was a quick, fun knit. The pic isn't very good, I know. I enjoyed the knit just wish there was more cold weather so I could wear it!

What else is on my needles?

Several projects. Seems that I have a mild case of startitis. I was thinking the other day about my progress as a knitter. When I was a new knitter I rarely had more than one project going at a time. I started one & I finished it. Totally typical. Now, I find that as I near the end of one project I start searching for another one comparable in difficulty level. And I always need a challenging project as well as one completely mindless project. As I'm ending the Irish Diamond Shawl I searched for another lace project.

To that end I've started the Diamond Lace Dress Up Scarf. It seems that diamonds are appealing to me lately. I really love the look of those open diamond patterns on the edges. I'm using some luscious alpaca/bamboo yarn that was gifted to me by my SS this year.

I also have started, frogged & re started the River Slippers from IK Winter 2011. But, I'm just not loving the pattern. I have one slipper almost finished & it has been sitting lonely & neglected in my knitting basket for several weeks. It would be a quick knit if I would just get into it.

For my easy/mindless project I started another Stripe the Squares Baby! This one is being done in chocolate, strawberry & bone Simply Soft. Reminds me of Neapolitan ice cream. This is a fun, quick & mindless knit.

I finished the Mixed Blues Cowl awhile back but have not seamed it together yet.

I am working on swatches for my sweater design. This designing stuff is hard work & slow going. I need quiet & plenty of it to work on the design. The original yarn I chose will not work. I don't know why but I think it was too soft to really show the design well. So, I'm on my second swatch using Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Tweed in Brass Heather. It's looking pretty good so far.

What am I reading you ask?

I just started The Hunger Games yesterday. This book is so good. It doesn't sound like something I'd like but it got such great reviews that I thought I'd give it a shot. I am hooked! The book takes place in the future in North America. The government sponsors an annual Hunger Games in which young participants are chosen by random draw to participate in a fight to the death "game" which is televised.

I'm also still into the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb. I'm listening to these on audiobooks. I just finished Ceremony In Death & am taking a break to read The Hunger Games.

Also, reading The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Gee! I am really into futuristic sci/fi type books. Weird!

One more thing to leave you with.... a cool yarn desktop for February.

My Latest FO

2012-01-28T22:05:00.001-06:00

Actually finished this little pretty a few weeks ago. I am so freaking proud of it! It's taken me over 2 years to finish it, not that I've knitted on it exclusively by any stretch of the imagination but it was a pretty complicated knit for me. And I added beads which might not have been the smartest choice. Wish I had a good picture showing the beads.

The pattern is from Victorian Lace Today. Alpine Knit Scarf with Double Rose Leaf Center Pattern and Diamond Border. Whew! I don't think I've ever known the true name of it until now when I looked it up. I always called it the Alpine Shawl. Anyway, that book has the most boring & ridiculous names for such gorgeous shawls/scarves!

I had a few mishaps along the way. But, oh yea...wanted to tell you what yarn I used. Gorgeous stuff. Claudia Handpainted Silk Lace. OMG! This yarn is so gorgeous. The colorway that I bought (at Old Oaks Ranch in like 2008) is called DK Green. Again, a dumb name, imo. The yarn color changes very subtly from a greyish green to a more grey and then back again. Just gorgeous. I don't usually go for handpainted yarns but this one was so subtle that I actually wished for a tiny bit more color change.

Ok...so now to the nitty gritty. The book is lovely. They spent a lot of $ and pages on lovely artwork. They could've spent some of that on better charts & directions. Just my opinion. Or maybe that's just me trying to shift the blame. LOL. Suffice it to say that Chart A is very confusing. Look at my Ravelry page for my detailed notes.

One bit of advice, if you knit this....after you figure out how to do Chart A, remember what you did on the first edge because you're gonna have to do it again at the other end. Duh!

Free Pattern-Cozy Soft Earwarmer

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was trying to find a hat that looked good on my little pointy head & would keep my ears warm. Nada. Zip. I look awful in caps & hats. I think it's because of my short hair & my angular face. Anyway, after searching the net for an earwarmer I decided to design my own. I like it & it was a great use for that single skein of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran that I've had marinating for about 4 years. I'm pleased with the results & thought I'd offer the pattern to anyone else that needs such a thing. Please let me know if you make it & if there are any errors. UPDATE: There was an error on row 1 which I have now corrected. It said c3b & should have been c3b. I'm so sorry!!

Also, here's the link to a downloadable pattern. Earwarmer

Earwarmer

wendydancer.blogspot.com

Skills:

Advancingbeginner

Easy cable stitch

Seaming ends or 3 needle bindoff (optional)

Provisional Cast on(optional)

Materials:

5.5 mm (US 9) needles

1 skein of Debbie BlissAlpaca Silk

1 cable needle

1 darning needle

Gauge:

About17 sts=4 inches. Not critical.

Abbreviations:

k= knit

p=purl

sts=stitches

c2b=slip next stitch ontocable needle, hold to back of work and knit the next stitch, k the stitch fromthe cable needle.

c2f=slip the next stitch ontocable needle, hold cable needle to front of work and knit the next stitch, knitthe stitch from the cable needle.

Note: Youmay prefer to use a provisional cast on & then finish the earwarmer with athree needle bind off rather than sewing the ends together.

Pattern:

Row1: k4, p3, c2b, p1, c2b, p3, k4

Row 2: k4, k3, p2, k1, p2,k3, k4

Row 3: k4, p3, c2f, p1, c2f,p3, k4

Row 4: k4, k3, p2, k1, p2,k3, k4

Directions:

Cast on 19 sts. Pattern isworked keeping the first & last 4 sts on each row in garter stitch. Oddrows are right side, even rows are wrong side. On even rows, knit the knits& purl the purls, except for the 1^st & last 4 sts which areknit on every row.

Begin pattern & workuntil it is long enough to fit snugly around the head. Cast off & seam endstogether or use 3 needle bind off if you began with a provisional cast on.

Change of Title

2012-01-08T10:36:00.001-06:00

I've decided to change the title of my blog from Lifestyles of the Knot so Rich & Famous (which I always thought was a very stupid title but couldn't come up with anything better) to a much more suitable one.

Lifestyles of A Selfish Knitter. Because I am. And I'm not ashamed of it. I came across this article recently & I love it. I embrace it!!

I want to share another cool site that I stumbled across recently. Knitting and crochet themed wallpapers for your computer desktop that also include a calendar! How cool is that?

Off to dance this afternoon..........

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-28T10:16:00.001-06:00

Aside from my normal new year's resolutions to get more exercise, lose 5 lbs, have more sex (ok maybe that isn't in your list but I'm betting it is)...here are my knitting resolutions.

1-Finish the Alpine Lace Stole. Absolutely! I started it in Sept 2009. It is time!

2-Design a sweater. I have it planned out in my mind. Just gotta do the swatching & figuring. Can't show you a picture because that would spoil the surprise. But here is the yarn I'm planning to use. If it behaves nicely in the swatch.

3-Do something in entrelac. I'd love to do a scarf like this from Lion Brand.

Or these socks...or both. Speaking of socks....I also want to do toe up socks.

4-Make a fair isle hat for my son in law.

5-Design a shawl. I really do want to design a shawl/stole. Really.

6-I want to make a small throw for my living room like this except in my earth tone colors. I may have to move this up to number 2. Or 3. Yeah it's number 3. But, I'm not re writing this.

7-Make this scarf with my SS yarn from Carrie K.

8- Make this scarf with the yarn I got from my SS (Jackie C) in 2009.

9-And the biggie....buy no more yarn except what is needed for the above ~~four~~ ~~five~~ ~~six~~ items.

2011 In Pictures

2011-12-27T13:33:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of most of my knitting projects from 2011 in no particular order. If you want more information they are all on my Ravelry page.

Five Hour Baby Sweater
done in pink camo yarn-fun knit

Drops Bolero

Gilet Noeud Noeud
very cute little sweater

Hats for Susie

Lace Cardi
a royal pita!

Leaf Yoke Top
fun knit-love the yarn!

Luggage Blossoms

Openwork Shrug
love this!

Quickie Baby Sweater

Soften His World Baby Blanket
cutest baby blanket ever!

30 minute Baby Hat & Cape
darling little hat

Ruffled Scarf
very fun & quick knit

Another Ruffled Scarf

Another

Again

One More Time

Just One More

Paneled Cabled Afghan
almost 3 years in the making

Lion Neck Cardi
crap picture but another quick knit

Please...somebody stop me!

Absolutely the last ruffled scarf!

Progress Report

2011-08-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this afghan off and on for a little over two years! Definitely my longest WIP ever!! A few weeks ago I finished the next to last panel (the green honeycomb panel on the left) and decided that in order to get some motivation to finish the thing I needed to seam together all that I can at this point. Whew! That was a really long sentence! I really love it! I've started the last panel which is another honeycomb cable in the green yarn. I really think it will need a border in the green to tie it all together so I've been looking at edging patterns & have found a few that I like. One possibility is the Spindles border from the Sleeping Beauty Baby Blanket. Here is a close-up pic of the panel details. Here's the link to my project page on Ravelry if you are really interested.

In A Funk

2011-04-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

I've been in something of a funk lately with my knitting. I still enjoy it when I'm knitting something that holds my interest. BUT, and it's been a big but, I have countless shawls & sweaters that I've knitted for myself & only worn one time. Like this one. Because it's too hot in Texas!

So, I have been a little depressed and wondering what is the point of all this knitting if I make stuff that just sits in a drawer unused? And honestly, most of the things that I've gifted, I've felt were not appreciated. I still remember going to the Hospice center & donating the afghan that I made while Angie was in the hospital. The reception was less than thrilling! I should've just taken my afghan and walked out!

I am still working on the Paneled Afghan but I'm so tired of it. I only have 2 more small panels to go & it'll be finished. I swear that I will never knit another afghan! And the Alpine Lace Scarf/Shawl is over halfway finished but I still have lots of yarn left & the miserly way I was raised insists that I use up every last drop of that $42 yarn! It's a really slow knit because of the laceweight yarn & the beads. But it'll be gorgeous. Wonder where I'll ever wear it?

Well, after several days of pattern searching & soul searching I've decided it's ok if I knit just because I enjoy it. TAA DAA!! It's really hard for me to do something just for me. As it is for most women. I have a large queue on Ravelry & many things that I've bought the yarn for. So, I pulled out my #1 and cast on. And I'm loving it. Leaf Yoke Top from Knit. 1/Spring Summer 2009. I bought the yarn on an impulse last November in Fredericksburg because the LYS had one on display & it was so gorgeous. They didn't have the pattern but assured me it only took 1 hank. Oh yeah, this yarn was $40+ per hank. But the hank has 560 yards. I digress...Got home found the pattern, ordered it. Lo & behold I would need more than one hank for the medium size. Called the LYS. They didn't have any more. Found a gal on Ravelry who had a partial hank. Pm'd her & asked if she'd sell it. She GAVE IT TO ME!! However, the dyelots are not the same. It's really really different. So, I'm alternating the two and so far it looks great! I don't have a picture yet because it's not far enough along to look like anything. So, here's a picture from the magazine. And I'm going to look as snooty as she does when I wear it!
And look at this little top from Caron. It resembles the Leaf Yoke Top. I think I'll make it too! I don't know who it's for and I don't care! Well, maybe a little bit....

Catching Up

2011-04-01T10:19:00.000-06:00

I've been MIA for awhile but just been way too busy to update the blog! Grin...So many friends doing it lately, that I thought I'd update mine. We had a wonderful 2 months in South Texas dancing every day. We were really into Round Dancing (aka choreographed ballroom dancing) this year & learned so much. We had a wonderful time! The weather was cold there but nothing like it was everywhere else so we felt lucky. We had ice one day & were without power for about 4 hours.

Orange tree with icicles all over!

Surprisingly to me, they said the ice on the orange trees actually protected the trees from damage from the freezing temps.

On the knitting front, I managed to whip up a few things in between dancing. Like the fingerless mitts using some yummy soft Royal Fiber Spinnery 100% Baby Alpaca that I got from my Secret Santa MB. So soft & they sure were useful this winter!

Yummy soft mitts!

Another pattern that I love is the Openwork Shrug. I've made several of these now & they are so great for wearing at dances where it is chilly when you first walk in. Then, once you warm up a bit you can toss it aside. This one was made from an aran weight yarns so it's especially warm & cozy. Then I made another one using awesome Brook Farms Acero fingering weight yarn that I adore! It's the perfect weight for spring! I have modified the pattern a little bit because I found that the double yo's weren't to my liking. Instead I did k2, kf&b for the increase rows. It is much nicer, imho.

Love this!

Last but not least is the Knot Knot Vest. The "real" name for this pattern is Gilet noeud noeud. But being the dork that I am I wondered what it translated to in English. So, from Google & Reverso I found that Gilet translates to Vest & noeud is either node or knot. Anyway, this is my interpretation of her pattern. I'm also making a hat to go with it called Knot Knot Chapeau. I plan to donate the set to my square dance club for a silent auction on the 9th of April.

Adorable little sweater

Well, that's it for today. If you stuck it out....you have my sympathies!

On the Road Again….

2011-01-04T12:04:00.000-06:00

Haven’t checked in with the blog in quite a long time. Not sure anybody reads it anyway….and that’s ok because it’s for me mostly.

We’re traveling at the moment but I am finding time to knit a little. Finished a pair of fingerless mitss using the yarn that Marsha gave me as Secret Santa. They are cute & I’ll post a pic on of these days! Thinking on my next project…

Josephine Top

2010-08-31T09:40:00.004-05:00

Started June 1, 2010

Finished July 26, 2010

Project info

Name

Josephine Top

Pattern

Josephine Top by Deborah Newton

Craft

Knitting

Made for

Size

36 1/2"

Apricots & Femme Fatale

2010-06-15T07:36:00.006-05:00

I went over to some friends house last Friday and picked apricots from their tree. The tree was the biggest apricot tree I've ever seen & had dropped lots of apricots already. The yard was a gooey, sticky mess and their driveway was too. Bad idea to plant an apricot tree near a driveway! By the time I got home I had apricot goo all over my shoes & even on my shorts. But it was worth it! Yummy!! This picture is a very small sampling of all the apricots I got. I had 5 times this many!

And here's a pic of the Apricot Coconut Squares (except that I did not put coconut).

I finished the Femme Fatale Wrap yesterday at knitting group. I gave it to L because she admired it early on. I hope she uses it! Here are the specifics:

Pattern: Femme Fatale Wrap Creative Knitting Nov. 2007

yarn: Malabrigo Worsted - Black 4 hanks

Needles: Knitpicks Harmony size 7 US

Started: April 13, 2010

Finished: June 14, 2010

I did make some mods to the pattern & found a couple of errors. These are detailed on my Ravelry project page which I am sharing.

Also finished the socks within the last few weeks. They are ok. A little bit rough on the inside to my sensitive feet. I tried felting them a little bit with no luck. Wouldn't you know it? When you want something to felt it won't.

Happy Victoria Day!

2010-05-24T08:50:00.008-05:00

According to my calendar it's Victoria Day in Canada. So, Happy Victoria Day y'all.

I finished Mom's Shawl & gave it to her for Mother's Day along with the Mother's Day Cloth. She loved them both. Here's the link to my project page on Rav which I am sharing with you. I'm sweet like that.

The Mother's Day cloth is from KrisKnits.

The Femme Fatale Wrap is about 80%. I have decided to give it to Letty when I finish it. I offered it to her at WHIBSIB because she was commenting how much she loves it. I told her that she could either have this one or buy herself some yarn & I would make her one. She chose the one that I'm making. I am going to make the back section about 1 extra repeat because she is a little larger than I am. I am making the small/medium size. The only worry that I have is how much will the Malabrigo stretch when I block it? I haven't taken a picture of it because black is so hard to photograph.

I started back on my 2nd sock last night and am up to the heel flap. My first problem is that i don't remember which pattern I used for the first sock. I THOUGHT it was the one on the wrapper for the yarn. I was almost positive so that's the one I've been using on the 2nd sock. Well, when I got to the heel flap I realized that it isn't because the pattern says to sl1, k1 on rs rows for the heel flap. And that's not what I did on the first one. Oh well. That's what I'm doing on the 2nd one. it's just a sock, right?

Anyway, here's the question: Do I slip as if to purl or as if to knit? Do I hold the yarn in front or in back? In other knitting when a pattern tells me to slip and I don't do anything else with that stitch on that row I always slip as if to purl w/yarn in front. That's how I learned from something I read somewhere over the past few years. But it's a pita to do that and then knit the next stitch across the whole row. Ya know? And it wraps the yarn in front of the slipped stitch.

What is the correct way to do this type of heel and does it have a name?

I started the Knitayear project on May 1st. Link to project page on Ravelry. I'm enjoying it although I don't know that I will continue with it. My plan is to bind off each month and start a new one. That will prevent it from getting so long. In the end I can seam them together and it will be a rug or wall hanging.

Here's a picture after the first week.

I really want to start the EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Shawl. I joined a Ravelry group called 10 Shawls in 2010 and they are enablers deluxe. The aforementioned shawl is designed to commemorate Elizabeth Zimmerman's 100th birthday. She was born August 9, 1910 (8/9/10). So, the shawl is designed using repeats of 8, 9 & 10. I think that's really cool. And my grandmother was also born on August 9, 1910. So it's especially meaningful to me. I bought KnitPicks Palette yarn in Aster. Purple was grandma's favorite color. She had a bedroom upstairs that was decorated in purple & white. It was all ruffly and girly and I loved that room. A few times I got to sleep in it and I always felt so proud when I did.

Truth Time

2010-04-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

I don't usually have more than 3 projects otn at any one time. I've always been anal about that. But, last night I was searching for missing needles and discovered a terrible truth. I have 6 projects otn right now and am dying to start a 7th. Hence, the search for the missing size 6 needles.

So, it's time to fess up, face the music, tell the truth.

1-Paneled Lace Afghan which I started last summer and it probably won't be finished in 2010. I do work on it every Monday at the library for a couple of hours but it's slow going and I'm ok with that because it's my easy carry around project.

2-Alpine Lace Shawl - I started this last fall and while I love it, it takes a lot of focus and concentration because every row is patterned and I'm using beads, too. I do intend to complete it this year.

3- Serenity Socks - I started these in December 2009 and have one finished and the other is about 25%. I don't knit on them very often but I keep them in the car for knitting emergencies. I call them Serenity socks because that's the name of the yarn I'm using. I'm not real creative.

4- Grace's Blanket - started very recently using the Rambling Rows pattern and scraps of Cotton Tots yarn. I've almost run out of scraps so it's on hold until I can buy more which sort of defeats the purpose of the blanket.

5- Fischgratlein - This is an openwork shawl from a pattern called Fish Scales Shawl. I started it in a fit of "gotta find a new project". It will probably not get finished.

6- Femme Fatale Wrap - Started this yesterday and it's really fun so far. Pattern comes from Creative Knitting November 2007.

Oops....I just remembered there are two more. Ugh. One was my design for the LSSK design contest last summer that I never finished. Maybe I will. The other is a variation of the Fish Scales Shawl that I was working on. Need to frog it.

And I really, really want to start the Haruni Shawl by Emily Ross. I saw a picture of it on Ravelry and several people have used the Jojo Melody yarn and it looks spectacular. And I have 3 balls of that yarn that I bought to make the Spiral Scarf with and decided that I didn't like it.

Calais Shawl

2010-04-04T21:13:00.002-05:00

I finished this so fast that it didn't even have a chance to get on my WIP list. I loved every minute of the knitting. The yarn was so awesome and the pattern was fun and easy with just enough challenge to keep me interested in it! I hated for it to be over!

Details:

Pattern-Calais Shawl

Yarn-Tweed Sport from Weaving Southwest Taos, NM

Needles-US 7 Knitpicks Harmony

Started-March 25, 2010

Finished-April 2, 2010

Not sure what my next project will be. There are a couple of sweaters/wraps that I like. In the meantime I'm doing mitered square dishcloths and starting a preemie size Rambling Rows Afghan.

Lion Neck Cardigan

2010-03-06T15:24:00.005-06:00

I finally got a picture of the Lion Neck Cardigan that I started for DD back in December. I finished it on Feb 5 and mailed it to her. It was really an easy and quick knit, but I had too much dancing to do so I didn't get it finished very quickly.

It fits pretty well, except that the sleeves are too long and they are a little baggy at the underarms. The pattern is from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard. I made the largest size which had me worried because it was labeled as 3X which DD does NOT wear, she more of a L or maybe XL. But the chest measurement for the 3X was exactly what hers is so I went with that size. I never really did understand the sizing on this sweater...The large size listed a 36 3/4" chest measurement which I think should be a small or maybe a medium. Anyway, I am reasonably happy with the outcome except for the sleeve length and width. When I got to the underarms I only cast on an extra 4 sts which made my sleeves more the large size and still they are too big. I wanted to take the sweater back and fix the sleeves but DD assured me that she likes it the way it is. So, I'm happy!

Details:

Lion-Neck Cardigan by Wendy Bernard in Custom Knits

Needle size 11 Harmony circular

Yarn-Lion Brand Jiffy Camel Spray colorway

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T09:04:00.005-06:00

It has been quite a while since I updated the blog. I'm so far behind that I don't know where to start. The summer trip was wonderful but left us scrambling to get our house/yard/lives back on track. I think maybe we are caught up finally after a couple of months! Maybe.

On the knitting front....I finished my first ever pair of socks last week. Knitted them in Simply Soft Caron on size 4 needles. I would post a pic but they are in the laundry hamper. I never had any urge to knit socks but I did enjoy it and have bought yarn and needles for another pair. Actual sock yarn this time. Eeekkkk! And size 2 needles....Double Eeeekkkk!

I am still slogging away at the Alpine Lace Stole. I can only get 4 rows per day done at the most so it's gonna take awhile. But that's ok.

I have finished the second panel of the Paneled Afghan. It's looking good and I have the 3rd panel planned. It's going to be done using the Zurich Scarf pattern.

I just started the Heelhead Scarf in black Malabrigo worsted. I think it will be nice. I plan to make one for Mother and one for myself.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is just as stuffed as I am!

Design Contest!

2009-10-08T09:17:00.003-05:00

Only two days left to vote but I forgot to put up the link until today! The Lone Star State Knitters have a design contest every year and the time is now. There are some really great designs this year.

How do you see for yourself? Go here, then click on Design Contest on the left hand side. Scroll down that page to see the designs and at the bottom of the page there is a link to vote. Anyone can vote!

I know you are all disappointed not to hear more about my trip this summer.....LOL. Maybe next week I will resume the travel tales. Or Not!

Tales of Travels

2009-09-11T13:25:00.010-05:00

I have been gone for 7 weeks and decided that I would write a little about our trip. Hopefully, it will be interesting to read. If not, well....just don't read it!

We have an RV and have traveled in it for years but this was to be our first trip of a more rustic nature. We bought a generator and G had researched campgrounds in National Forests and parks where we could have a little more space and enjoy nature. Call it boondocking, dry camping, roughing it...whatever. We were excited to try something new and get away from the crowded rv parks.

July 21, 2009-Left home headed for Ruidoso, NM.

Well, I've heard before that if you want to make God laugh....make plans. He must've had a really good belly laugh today. We were up early and had planned to leave home no later than 8 am so we could get to Brownfield, TX before the hottest (105 degree) part of the day. As I went into the spare bedroom to gather some things from the bed, I noticed that the bed was wet and water was dripping from the light fixture above the bed. I went out to tell G the bad news....the a/c drain is stopped up and leaking into the guest bedroom.....we spent about an hour and a half unstopping the drain. Had to climb up in the attic and then take the drain apart under the bathroom sink. Oh it was gross and messy and not the way to start a trip. I was ready to give up and try again tomorrow. But we did leave, albeit a few hours later than planned, and made our destination.

Then we spent about 5 days in Ruidoso, NM and had a great time. Our campsite was in the Lincoln National Forest and was just so gorgeous. Our front yard was the forest. No neighbors! Except for the deer and hummingbirds. We had a great time there.

My parents were in the area and my aunt and uncle so we were able to visit with them some and went out the the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino one day for lunch. It was really good food and what a bargain-$10 for a huge buffet.

One cute story....one afternoon a man, woman and little boy showed up and began setting up their tent next to us. Being the friendly one, G went over to say hi to them. They were from Mexico and spoke very little English. The man (grandpa) spoke some English and the grandma and grandson did not speak it at all. But, we all managed to visit a little. The little boy was 6 yrs old and had beautiful green eyes and long dark lashes. He was very talkative but we couldn't understand a word he said!

G told them that we'd been told there were bears in the campground and if they happened to see one that they could come knock on our door and we'd let them come in. Later that afternoon it got cold and began to rain (again no hot dogs!). I looked out to see the little grandson sitting on his chair by the fire pit (no fire) holding a stick with a marshmallow on the end of it. He was very patient in waiting for grandpa and grandma to make him a fire to roast marshmallows. At least a half hour passed before they had a smoldering, smoky fire going. But it was enough for him to roast his marshmallows. They were all dressed in their heavy coats with hoods pulled up, braving the rain. It began to get dark and rain harder. I heard a commotion and saw them all three running for their van. They started the engine and left! We were so surprised but figured that it had gotten too cold and wet and they decided to go to a hotel. The next day they came back about noon and began packing up their tent. I went over to find out what had happened. Grandpa told me that a bear had walked into their campground and that was why they left! oh my gosh, and this was just maybe 100 yards from our camper! Grandpa said that there was no way the grandson was camping in a tent after seeing the oso.

I worked on the Swirl Scarf while there but have decided that I just don't like the colorway of the JoJo Melody that I bought so I will have to find another color.

Next update will be from Red River, NM.

Knitting in the Forest

2009-08-11T16:53:00.004-05:00

We are having a wonderful time in the cool mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. So far we've spent a week in Ruidoso, a week in Red River and 5 days in Chama, NM. We are now in Towaoc, CO (pronounced toy'yack) which is near Cortez. It is a little warm...got up to 90 today but it was 48 last night.

I finished the Hey Teach! before I left for vacation. I love it. Cool pattern and very fun. I don't have a picture of it here on the laptop so will have to link to the Rav page.

I started the Swirl Scarf while on this trip. Bought the yarn in GT right before I left. I bought the JoJoLand Melody Superwash in ms11. It looks so pretty on the ball but like crap knitted up. I am so dissappointed. I love the pattern and will go back for prettier yarn when I get home.

Too Much to Say

2009-06-07T12:19:00.007-05:00

I'm way behind on updating this blog! Now, I have more to say and show than anyone will want to see. Dang! So, I thought if I started with a picture of a sweet little baby deer I might entice you to read. It is birthing time for the deer around here and we have 3 babies sleeping in our flower beds and under the shade trees.

Let's see...I finished Flit N Float and it is lovely! Thanks to Birdy for such an awesome pattern! I used Jaggerspun Zephyr in Cassis on size 4 needles. My Rav project page has more information.

I also finished the Ballet Sytle Sweater from Lion Brand. I used Yarn Bee Icelandic jewels and size 10 1/2 needles. That yarn was not my favorite to work with. But I like the sweater overall. I used a button closure on the outside rather than the bow that the pattern called for.

The MF group is so much fun and I just love them all. Some of us have gotten the bug to make vintage style aprons lately. I've made two which are so much fun. The first one I made using leftover scraps from my kitchen curtains. It turned out great.

The second one I made using some Christmas fabric that I bought on the remnants table at Joann's. I used an old pattern Simplicity 9807. Turned out pretty cute I think.

If you've made it this far you deserve an award!! One last picture to share..my Hey Teach! using Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton and size 7 needles. I have the back completed and about one third of the left front.

The Alpine Lace Shawl was frogged due to losing a stitch somewhere. I will restart it this week!

I Just Can't Get Enough

2009-05-03T14:49:00.003-05:00

Of these bags! This is my favorite one so far. Done with el cheapo Red Heart and a crocheted star. I also have a star button to add one of these days.

My next project is the Flit N Float scarf which I have blogged about before. I love it and am nearing the home stretch on it. Although, I have had to frog almost all of the work I did on it last weekend. Seems I was buzzing along on the wrong chart. Damn!

The Ballet Style sweater from Lion Brand is nearing the home stretch too. I have one sleeve half done. But I am not sure what I'm doing because I made the armholes 8" instead of 7" as the pattern says. I just thought a 7" armhole would be too tight. So, now I am winging it on getting the sleeve to fit. This sleeve is made differently than any other that I've done so I'm even less sure than usual how it's going to go together! No picture worth showing at this point.

I think my next project will be Hey Teach! from Knitty. I am planning to use I Love This Cotton in forest. Should be fun.

Tax Day is Done!

2009-04-16T16:42:00.005-05:00

We can all breathe a sigh of relief. It is done. Taxes are filed and paid. At least mine are. Ugh. What a chore.

Now, to more uplifting news...I have finished my third Windmill Bag. Can you tell that I love knitting these bags? Such a great pattern and mindless, tv knitting to boot! This one will be a great book bag for the library. Or, as my friend Peggy suggested, it would make a carrier for a pie or dish to any of the many pot lucks that I attend. Oy. I sound like an old lady. I guess maybe I am.

From Knitting 2009

Project specs:
Yarn: Peaches and Creme yellow and gumdrop
Needles: size 6 US
Pattern Mods: Cast on 25 sts instead of 20 and knit 110 rows. Made handles about 2" longer than the panel.
My opinion: The original co of 20 sts and 100 rows is better.

I also made 6 Easter bunnies. Five were made using this pattern. They were cute and exactly what I was looking for because you can put a Cadbury egg inside it.

From Knitting 2009

But lately, I've been focusing most of my knitting time on the Flit N Float scarf. It's really lovely and I'm almost halfway done. I had a minor catastrophe yesterday. I had been cleaning house/laundry/etc today. Sat down after lunch to knit a bit on the Flit N Float. Finished Chart C and came into computer room to print out Chart D. Saw Birdy was on Rav so thought I'd ask her a quick question. She answered...took my Chart D back to living room and prepared to begin. Can you feel the impending doom??? My stupid floor lamp decided to take a header into my lap. I reflexively jerked my hands and Flit N Float went flying. I did say a few bad words. It left me with 4 wonky stitches on the end and 1 stitch missing in action. I know that it could've been worse but I was very upset and couldn't find that missing stitch. I emailed Birdy and she offered to try to walk me through the fix. So here is the picture of my mess with Birdy's notes.

Thank you, Birdy! It is fixed now and I'm buzzing along.

The Red Thang

2009-03-25T20:36:00.004-06:00

This post is really about Girasole, but around my house we've taken to calling it "the red thang".

From Knitting 2009

It began with hubby asking what I was knitting and I showed him the pattern and picture and he said "But what is it?" Good question.

"Well, it could be a blanket but since I'm using fingering weight yarn (blank stare) it'll be a shawl."

"Oh. So, where's the hole for your head?"

"Ok, not a poncho....a shawl. Like over my shoulders."

"Oh." (blank stare)

So, a few nights later...."what are you knitting?"

"That red shawl."

"HUH?"

"Remember the red thang that could be a blanket but it's too small so it's a shawl?"

"Where's the hole for your head?"

And so it went. Also, my friends know that I knit but some of them don't knit. gasp! They always seem interested so the same conversation has been repeated many, many times over the past nearly three months. Ergo....the red thang.

All this to say....the red thang is finished! And it is gorgeous. And blocking. And I am so thrilled and yet sad to see it go. It was the most fun thing (thang) I ever knit. Challenging, gorgeous, and yet somehow easy. Cool!

What will I do with it? Not sure. I might use it as a shawl but where is the hole for my head???

From Knitting 2009

Somebody Stop Me!

2009-02-17T10:26:00.003-06:00

This is totally unrelated to knitting....it began on Sunday morning when I decided to make bisquits for breakfast. As I opened the oven to put them in I noticed that my oven is--was--(note to self...figure out how to do that nifty cross out trick you see on other blogs) very cruddy. So I said to myself "I'm going to clean that oven this afternoon." It was on my list anyway.

As I was breaking my back scrubbing the oven I decided to remove the drawer underneath it and clean it out. It was disgustingly dirty. Then I made the mistake of looking under the stove. Eewwww! Dried out Cheerios and macaroni....got out the vacuum and sucked them up along with some dust bunnies and there was even a piece of wood from when the house was built 10 years ago. How embarrassing!

So I had to get a wet rag and wash the floor under the stove. Wow! That floor looked so good and the floor around the outside was really gunky. So, I picked up my trusty SOS pad and scrubbed the floor around the outside eges of the stove. Viola! Before I knew it I had scrubbed a swath of floor about 18" wide x 6' long. Thank God I ran out of SOS pads!

G walked in at that point and I showed him my results with pride. "Just where is this going? What is your plan here?" So, I sent him off to purchase a big box of SOS pads this morning. But, I'm going to take some Aleve before he gets back.

I actually thought about posting a picture of my progress but then decided that I really don't want to show how dirty my floor is.

A Tale of Two Hats or Three

2009-02-07T11:55:00.000-06:00

I finished two hats recently. The purple one is done in some nasty acrylic with sparkly bits in it. I have no idea what brand or anything about it as it came from my dear departed sister in law from whom I inherited a garbage bag full of partial skeins of acrylic worsted weight yarn. Most without labels. But mom likes the hat and that's what counts. Oh yes, the pattern is from Knitty and is called Foliage. Ummmm. there is a red x where the picture should be. Hope I can fix that. But the picture is kind of wierd anyway because it's one of those self portraits taken in the bathroom mirror.

The blue one is smariek's Cap Karma Hat with the modifications made by Brooklyntweed for the top decreases. It is a nice pattern and quick and easy. I mostly worked on it while on the exercise bike. I am trying to improve my cable abilities so I think I will try the Honeycomb hat next.

Progress on Girasole

2009-01-27T20:16:00.002-06:00

Ok, I have totally given up trying to find cute/cool titles. This is about the progress on the Girasole. First, let me say it is an awesome pattern...so easy to follow and so frickin' gorgeous! Jared is a genius!

Now, I know this doesn't look all that impressive. But it is a closeup of the pattern through Chart D row 4. Tonight I am on row 14 and discovered a yo omitted two rows back. Argh. Whether to tink back or try to fudge it....Decided to wait until tomorrow to decide.

From Knitting 2009

Some FO's

2009-01-21T21:16:00.004-06:00

I finished the Rivulet scarf in late December. I really like the way it turned out and that both ends are the same. I used the JaggerSpun Zephyr DK leftovers from the Shawl Back Shrug. It is nice and soft.

Then, I finished the Cabled Wristlets from Creative Knitting November 2008. They are so cute and I used acrylic yarn from stash given to me by my sister in law.

From Knitting 2009

The Girasole is going good. I am loving knitting it even though I know it's going to be a PITA when it gets much larger. Oh, and guess what I've discovered??? Remember how I used to be terrified of knitting in the round? Well....no more. I actually love it now because I know there will be no seams.

I also made the Foliage hat for mom but haven't yet gotten a good closeup pic of the hat. Here is one of her & me together with her wearing it.

From Knitting 2009

Knitting Resolutions

2009-01-04T08:40:00.006-06:00

I started the Girasole and I love it so far. Of course, I've not made a lot of progress yet. This pic is through row 3 on Chart B. I'm using JaggerSpun Main Line 2/8 and I'm not thrilled with this yarn. It splits easily and it is a little rough to the hand. But, it was a bargain. Woo Hoo! And I think it will make a nice centerpiece for next Christmas.

Now for the resolutions. I'm a little late on this but...here goes.

First to review last years resolutions. They were:

1-Finish MS3 (even if it kills me).

Yay!! I did finish MS3. And I did not die. Big yay!!

2-Design (& knit) a sweater. (who am I kidding?)

I sort of did this one. I designed the Ballerina Shrug and knitted it. Close enough? Sure.

3-Finish mom's afghan (which was supposed to be Christmas '07 gift)

Well, not so much on this one. I hated that blasted afghan so much that it became a lap blanket and I gave it to the county hospice program.

4-Knit at least one item from each of my books.

I'm pretty sure that I knitted something from every book I owned at the time I wrote the list. Later on in the year I got Mason Dixon Knitting and haven't made anything from it yet.

Now, without further ado, my 2009 knitting resolutions:

1-string market bag

2-the pi shawl from EZ's Knitting Workshop

3-do another intarsia project (maybe a Christmas stocking?)

4-secret design project

5-make one baby square per month at least

Not a Fan of Big yarn and Big Needles

2008-12-29T17:01:00.002-06:00

Chanel's earwarmer and neckwarmer
Originally uploaded by wendydancer

I'm not usually a fan of super bulky yarn and size 15 needles. But, it was so much fun to whip Paulina's neckwarmer out in a day. And her earwarmer would've been as fast except life got in the way. I made the earwarmer a little wider by doing one extra increase. I used Lion Brand Landscapes yarn and size 10 1/2 needles on the earwarmer and size 15 needles on the neckwarmer. Fun! And I am pretty sure that my 18 year old granddaughter will like them for her birthday in February. Unless I decide to keep them for myself....Please ignore the wrinkles in my face....really I usually look better. Or not.

These patterns are definitely keepers for next year Christmas knitting quickies!

Christmas Knitting

2008-12-27T12:39:00.005-06:00

I thought I would share my Christmas knitting FO's with you. For my daughter, I made the Cabled Lace Bookmark from Knitting Pattern A Day Calendar 2007.

I added a few beads along the sides by using the Beaded Picot edge like on the Muir shawl. And I sprinkled a few beads in the pattern too. I used fingering weight yarn and size 6/0 beads so it went pretty fast. It actually is a little large but that's ok.

And, I made mom some slippers using the Irish Ewe's 2 needle slipper pattern. I made a few modifications for a snugger fit. I cast on 76 stitches using a size 6 needle. Then, I knit the cuff down to 36 stitches and then knit 5 rows in plain ss. Finally, I ended the cuff with 10 rows of garter. I really think if I made them again I would do about 10 rows of ss instead of 5. This would make them go up the leg a little higher. But as they turned out they fit really nice. Mom wears a size 6 1/2 shoe and they fit her well. I could even get them on my size 9's but they were a little snug. However, the pattern as written using 86 sts and size 6 needles was way too loose for me.

I also made hats for Dad and Adam and Gary Don. But they were just basic hats. No photos.

I am almost finished with the Rivulet scarf using the Jaggerspun Zephyr DK and I have the One Hour Earwarmer about half finished. Not sure who either of them are for. Maybe I will save them for next Christmas gifting. I would like to finish both of these before the end of the year. Then I will start Jared Flood's Girasole.

Playing Catch up

2008-12-14T16:36:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted in several months and so I'll try to catch up. I have been busy. Finished the Moss & Ribs Cardi. Not in time for Kid N Ewe but a few weeks later. I love it even though it is a little tight across the mid section and I really can't button it. The button band gaps and I hate that.

And I finished the Santa intarsia pillow KAL. I really love how it turned out. I gave it to my sister in law yesterday and I think she liked it. Although, she has Alzheimer's and so it was a little confusing for her.

My current projects include the Rivulet scarf, Irish Ewe's 2 needle slippers and several hats for the guys Christmas presents. I want to make some fingerless mitts for my granddaughter and myself but I may not have time. Here is the Rivulet after a few inches. I have about 3' now and so not much more before I finish it.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I plan to start Jared Flood's Girasole after Christmas. I have the yarn, the pattern and the needles. Can. Not. Wait.

Christmas Anyone?

2008-10-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago I joined an Intarsia Pillow KAL (and yes, I am capitalizing it) in LSSK. I chose the small Santa pillow. I really had a struggle getting through all those dangling ends and getting the wrapping just right. But by the last 1/4, I was actually enjoying it. Now, all I have left is the back and the stuffing....

I think that I will knit the back in the green in seed stitch. I really don't like doing seed stitch but I love the end product.

PVC Yarn Swift and a FO

2008-10-05T22:03:00.003-05:00

Let's just get this out there first. DH made this for me a few weeks ago and I think he did a wonderful job. We used the basic plan from The House at Two Palms so we can't take credit for design. Mostly, I was trying to find a project for him that would get him out of my hair for a day or two. Well, that was a total failure because he needed my input on the design and when all was said and done he had it made in less than 4 hours and that included an hour and a half trip to town to purchase the washers and a few other things. Oh well.

Anyway, I used it today and wound my blue yarn from Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co on it. And I took a picture for you of one of the finished balls, but then I accidentally erased the picture from my camera. Oops! I used the instructions from Knits With Balls for winding the center pull ball and it worked great! Highly recommend it.

So, I cast on today for the third time and the Moss & Ribs Cardigan using my newly balled lovely yarn. I really, really hope that it goes smoothly this time. I have new lovely matching yarn and am using size 4 and 5 needles which I have swatched with and they should work great. And best of all...I've done this pattern so many times now that I totally have it memorized. Yee Haw! I should've taken a picture of my progress but I didn't so I'll just tell you that I've done about 3" of the back. And just to add a little pressure to myself...I sort of promised to bring the finished sweater to Kid N Ewe in November (early November if I remember correctly) to show Grayce who was so sweet to work with me and my possibly OCD behavior regarding her lovely yarn. Which I totally love!

I finished the Leaf T today and I really like it. It is blocking right now. I tried it on unblocked and was really tempted not to block it because it fit really well. But everything I have read says that everything benefits from blocking. So...blocking it is.
You can probably see that I added some shaping to this sweater. Hopefully it will look less lumpy when I'm wearing it than it does in this pic.

I really enjoyed knitting this sweater. Want to know why? Of course, you do! Well, for one thing I used the rest of the cone of Jaggerspun Zephyr DK yarn from Mom's Featherweight Fantasy. I mean I used all but like 10 yards. I think that is so cool! And, I knitted it in the round which was a huge accomplishment for me. I have absolutely hated and avoided all things knit in the round in the past because I always ended up with these open stitches where they weren't joined properly. On this sweater I just tugged pretty hard for the first two or three stitches at the join and voila! it looks really good. Ok, another fun thing is how easy it was. Almost boring but great for knitting anywhere, anytim. And last but not least...I knitted the sleeves using two circs which was totally awesome. No seams baby!!

Ballerina Shrug

2008-09-23T22:35:00.004-05:00

This is my design for the 2008 Lone Star State Knitters design contest. I won second place! I was so thrilled and excited to have won anything. Cool. My sweet friend, Birdy, won first place with her Snow Flurries Baby Blanket. Keep checking back to her site. Rumour has it that the pattern will be for sale soon. And it is gorgeous!

So, I thought I'd offer the pattern for my shrug here. If you make one, I'd love to see a picture and will even put it up here.

I called it Ballerina Shrug for several reasons. One-the yarn color was Ballerina, two-I think it looks like something a ballerina would wear after she's been practicing, three-I saw an episode of Three and A Half Men where Charlie was dating a woman who taught ballet and she was wearing a very similar shrug. I debated about the ruffled edging around the neck and this picture shows it without the ruffle edge. I really like it both ways.

Ballerina Shrug
By wendydancer at gmail dot com
Copyright 2008
Size-36”(but this pattern is very flexible)
Yarn- Bernat Haven (77 yards/50g per skein) 6 skeins
Needles-US 10.5
5 stitch markers
Gauge-13 st x 19 rows in ss

Cast on 17 stitches.
Set up row: knit 1, pm, knit 3, pm, knit 9, pm, knit 3, pm, knit 1.

Row 1 (RS): Kf&b, sm, Kf&b, k1, Kf&b, sm, kf&b, k7, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k1, kf&b, sm, Kf&b (25 sts)
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl across
Row 3: Kf&b, Kf&b, sm, kf&b, k3, kf&b, sm, Kf&b, k9, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k3, kf&b, sm, kf&b, kf&b (35 sts)
Row 5: k3, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k5, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k11, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k5, kf&b, sm, kf&b, k3 (43 sts)

Continue as above, knitting in the front and back of each stitch before and after each marker. On every other right side row you will also knit in the front and back of the first and last stitch. Knit until the back section measures approximately 18” wide. This was 41 rows for me and the stitch count at that point was L Front-32, L Arm-45, Back-51, R Arm-45, R front-32 for a total of 205 stitches.

Move the fronts and back to a stitch holder or waste yarn.

Continue knitting the sleeves straight in stockinet stitch for about 3 ½” with no increasing. Then begin decreasing 1 stitch on each side of both sleeves every other RS row. Decrease 10 times until you have reduced your sleeves by 20 stitches. Knit even in stockinet stitch until the sleeve is the length that you want it. I made mine to my wrists at this point.

Sleeve Ruffles:
RS-K1, Kf&b until one stitch remains, k1.
WS-K3, P3 across. Work in K3, P3 rib for 2” ending with a RS row. Bind off in pattern.

Fronts and Back:
Put the fronts and back on the needles and knit even in stockinet stitch for 2 inches ending with a WS row.

Bottom Ribbing Band:
Continuing to knit in ss, cast on about 36 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows so that your total stitch count is divisible by 6. It doesn’t matter if one side is a stitch or two less than the other. Since my two fronts were 32 stitches and the back was 51 (total 115) I cast on 35 stitches on the first row and 36 stitches on the next row so that my total was 186. Knit in K3, P3 ribbing for 1” ending with a WS row. Bind off in pattern.

Neckline Ruffle:
Start with RS facing you at the right front edge where the tie meets the body. Pick up and knit 50 stitches along the front edge to the first raglan line at the sleeve. Continue to pick up and knit 20 stitches along the neck to the left sleeve and another 50 stitches along the left front to the edge where the front meets the tie. Knit front and back in each stitch. Work k3, p3 rib for one inch. End with a WS row. Bind off in pattern.

Weave in ends.

Do YOU wear the stuff you knit?

2008-09-18T23:36:00.008-05:00

Not a very catchy title, but it's what I am thinking about. I have been knitting for 3 1/2 years. And I've knit a lot of stuff. Started off with the usual scarves, ventured out to hats, moved on to lace shawls, then shrugs and cowls and sweaters. Now, I'm in a baby knitting phase. And I suspect it has a whole lot to do with the fact that I almost never wear anything I've knitted. And even the things that I love the most...I loved knitting them and I love looking at them...why don't I love wearing them?

Well. Let's face facts. I live in Texas. South Central Texas. It never gets cold here. And when it might be cold in January and February...I'm in deep South Texas. Ok. That is probably a lot of the reason. But it's not the entire reason.

Another reason is that I knit things like this. And while it is really pretty to look at...I feel like an old frump when I wear it.

I tried giving it to my mom and she said it was too "old lady" for her. She is 70. Oy. So, it sits in the closet and I take it out occasionally and fondle it.And yet, it has the most favs of my Rav projects-16. What does that say about it?

Now, I do wear the shawls more than anything else that I've made. But even that...how often do you get the chance to wear a shawl? I have the lovely Sunray Shawl hanging in my bathroom window as a curtain/valance.

So, in an effort to find things to knit that I might actually get some use out of...I've entered the sweater knitting phase. I am working on the Lace T right now and am about halfway done with it (provided I don't run out of yarn which is a very real possibility). Next will be the Moss & Ribs Cardi take 3. I got more yarn from Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co (love this yarn!) yesterday so I am really excited to start this one. I plan to wear it to KidnEwe in Novemeber. Wish me luck.

I'd really like to know if y'all wear the things you knit or do they lie in your drawers and closets only to be taken out and petted on occasion?

And if you made it this far...go over to the sidebar and vote in my poll.

Vote!

2008-09-14T21:42:00.002-05:00

Lone Star State Knitters have a design contest every year. And it's on now! Go take a look at the entries and scroll to the bottom of the screen for the link to vote. Good luck to all the entrants!

Leafy Tee

2008-09-08T08:00:00.005-05:00

I started a new project yesterday and I think I'm going to love it. It's the Raglan Leaf T-shirt and I'm doing it with some modifications that I found on Ravelry done by JennBelcher.

I have been in a very conservative mood lately when it comes to my knitting. I've been using my stash a lot and even ripped a couple of things that I never wear to reuse the yarn. Just call me green, I guess.

I have a couple of inches done on the Leaf T. I'm doing it on US 5's with the black Jaggerspun Zephyr DK that I got from Jessica at Weaving Rainbow. I absolutely adore Zephyr and I had half a cone left after making the Featherweight Fantasy for mom.

The exciting thing about this is that I think I have finally overcome my fear of knitting in the round! The little hat that I made a few weeks ago was done in the round and I didn't have any problems with it. And the Ice Queen was done in the round. It was a breeze. And so far I've managed fine on the Leaf T in the round. Yippee! I actually am beginning to enjoy it. Except the needle feels so stiff. I am having to use the Boye set because the Harmony's smallest length is 24". But soon I will be able to change over.

Lessons I've Learned From Moss & Ribs Cardi

2008-08-28T13:14:00.004-05:00

How to read the chart. Ok, now I am a fairly intelligent person and I do know how to read charts. I've knitted lots of things from charts. And I could not figure this one out. Period. So, I emailed the designer. She answered me quickly and didn't make me feel stupid! Cool beans!
When you do a swatch (and I know we all makes swatches) be sure you make notes as to the size before blocking and what needles you used. Don't do what I did...I made my swatch a month or more before I was ready to start the sweater. When I went back to it, I couldn't remember what needles I had used. Not good.
When you begin knitting a pattern make a few notes on the pattern itself so that if you get distracted by some other shiny project and have to steal the needles...you can come to your notes to remind you what size needles you were using. "Oh I'll remember" did not work for me!
When knitting a cardigan with a button band that is added on by picking up and knitting it's not a good idea to slip the first stitch on the edge where the button band will be added.

See how much I've learned so far? And right now I have zero, zip, nada to show for it.

I did my swatch for MRC back in March. No notes. I'll remember what size needles I used. Uhhh huh. Well, of course by April when I started the cardi I could not remember what size needles I had used on the swatch. So, in keeping with my pattern of behavior I made no notes as to needles used on the cardi. In my defense, I normally finish a project within a quick enough time frame that I don't have to rely on my memory because the needles are with the project. In this case, that didn't happen because of the unfortunate incident with the unmatching 2nd ball of yarn. I finished the back and did about half of the front before deciding that the 2nd ball was decidedly lighter shade than the other 2.

I bound off the half finished front and blocked it figuring I might as well get something good from it. Sure enough it is not going to be large enough. So, I put it all aside (once again I did not make any notes as to what size it was before I blocked it)and out of my mind until last week when I decided that I love this yarn and this pattern so much and cannot quit thinking about it. So, it must be knit!

This is when things really went to hell.

So, I contacted the yarn company and she is going to try to match the yarn I have and send me two more skeins. Yippee!

I am so excited and thrilled. I dug out the pattern and the parts that I had knitted. My memory tells me that I used the size needles listed in the pattern. My other memory tells me that was 5's and 6's. Well, one of you is wrong because the pattern calls for 3's and 4's and for some unknown reason I have removed the needles from the completed cardigan back and left it dangling on the cable. Now, I do seem to remember removing those needles for another project but I don't remember having a project since April that used size 4 needles. Oh dear. This is getting so confusing. Why would I have removed the needles if I didn't need them for another project? (Edited to add: I finally remembered why I removed the needles from the back. It was to start the front you moron!) Well, sometimes I do get into an organizing frenzy.

Ok, thing I know-the cardi as I knitted it thus far will be too small. My memory says I used the needle size called for in the pattern. So, I bravely cast on using 4's and 5's and knitted merrily along.

I actually had to resort to looking at pics I had taken in an effort to figure out what needles I had used. If you look at this picture really closely you can see some white plastic showing through the stitches. This tells me that I used the Boye set. And the only reason I would've used it is that the Harmonys don't come in size 3. Ahh Hah!

My next screw up: I read somewhere that it's a good idea to always slip the first stitch and knit the last stitch and this helps those pesky loose edges. Great! I'm doing that and it looks great. Then I read ahead in the pattern and see where the front band will be picked up and knitted 2 stitches for every 3 rows. Now, I do know enough to realize that by slipping the first stitch I only have one "chain" along the edge for every two stitches. This is not good. I check with my knitting gurus who inform me that this was a bad idea.

So, guess what I did today? Frogged it all. The whole sheebang. And I am not going to start again until I get the new yarn in hand and verify that it matches the 2 that I have.

But it will be knit.

The Ice Queen Cometh Part 2

2008-08-26T21:22:00.005-05:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

And here she is....

as you can see I did manage to rescue the lovely Ice Queen from her puddle of despair. I wasn't able to get all the stitches back on the needles correctly because some of them ran and I just couldn't quite figure out how to do it. But I did stop the running and get the right number of stitches back on the needles and finished the lovely Ice Queen and got it blocked before the Olympic flame was extinguished...so I felt like a real winner! And I really don't think many people will be able to find my screwups except for the really good lace knitters because it is lace and it's really open. And it was so close to the top edge. Like two rows later was the row with the T3 and that kind of skews the edge a bit. And, best of all, the lady I'm gifting it to is eighty something years old so I'm betting that her eyesight isn't what it once was.

Oh what the heck...here's a front view although not the best picture of me! But I want to show how pretty it is in the front. You can see the beads pretty well. They are size 6/0 and the color is gunmetal. It took 185 beads (yes I counted them). I did version A but I did the beaded picot bind off on both ends. I will make more of these. It was very fun and I know several ladies who would like one.

And, I got medals for finishing...

Pretty impressive, huh?

I have some really exciting news about the Moss & Ribs Cardi but I'll save it for another day. Betcha' just can't wait huh?

The Ice Queen Cometh

2008-08-21T21:17:00.004-05:00

This is a play on words from an old movie called The Iceman Cometh. Really dark movie but it has some great actors in it.

And since this post is about the Ice Queen and how great it was coming along it seemed to fit. I mean it was really going fast. And I was loving it. Notice the use of the word "was". uhh huhh

I had decided yesterday that 14 repeats of the pattern would not be enough because I'm using a size 7 needle and this yarn is really sproingy. My swatch came out a little small and just really wouldn't block out as much as I wanted it to. It is mystery laceweight of unknown content but I suspect it has some acrylic or manmade fiber in it. I do know it has wool too because it will felt somewhat if washed in the machine. But I digress...

So, I knitted my ass off today and got 19 repeats done. Decided that was enough and proceeded to transfer the lovely Ice Queen to my size 5 needles per the pattern for the final 4 rows and then the lovely beaded picot bind off. Ohhhh the anticipation was building and I was so excited.

This was at 2:15 this afternoon while waiting for DH to get ready to leave to go dancing. I really should not have started it when I knew we needed to leave in 15 minutes. And I really planned to put in a lifeline before I transferred the stitches. But in the heat and excitement of the moment...I forgot the lifeline. And the phone rang while DH was in the shower and I swore a little and looked up and somehow the lovely Ice Queen slipped off my size 5 needles and landed in my lap.

Then I really swore. A lot. And used some really bad words. Not your normal everyday swear words...you know the ones I'm talking about here. Uhh huh.

So, we left to go dance and I left Ice Queen lying in a sad little puddle half on the size 7's and half dangling. We just got home. And I am not going to touch the lovely Ice Queen until tomorrow morning when I am well rested and the light is bright and I've had coffee.

Ravelympics/Llympics BSJ is FO

2008-08-18T14:21:00.003-05:00

I think it turned out pretty cute. I love the collar. It really adds a finished look, I think.

I'm not 100% happy with it, however. I don't like the way that last white section looks. I was trying to make it border the button band but didn't figure it right. But I was too lazy to rip back and fix it. The way I look at it...the Mom will probably take one look at it and toss it aside in favor of the cute little Gap sweater. I'm such a cynic. But that's ok. I made it because I wanted to and the baby was just an excuse. I am also making booties and hat to match for said baby. Or really, I guess they're for myself.

I have about 4" done on the Ice Queen and it is really addictive. I have to force myself to put it aside and rest my hands. I would post a picture of it, but basically it looks like a very pretty blue blob.

My Day

2008-08-15T21:36:00.007-05:00

There was good news and bad news today...

Our kitchen faucet has been leaking for a couple of weeks (bad). DH decided that today was finally the day to fix it (good). So, of course, he needed to go into town to get some parts...yee haw...I get a few hours of peace because that's how long it takes him to go to town and back. He left at 10:30 am and got back about 3 pm. (good)

However...his job is to do the dishes. So he did not do the breakfast dishes before he left and he did not unload the dishwasher. Even worse than that he took the freakin' faucet off and turned off the water in the kitchen sink. (bad, bad and bad)

I had my own agenda for the day and it did not include unloading the dishwasher or doing the breakfast/lunch dishes. I knitted. (good)

We did get the faucet repaired later in the day. So, the day ended on a good note. (good)

The End. (good)

Olympics, Ravelympics and Llympics

2008-08-13T15:34:00.007-05:00

It has been several weeks since I posted last but I've been very busy, as usual. I changed the look of the blog...new picture at the top and new colors. How do you like it?

Ok-let's see...what have I been doing....

Oh yeah! Finished the Featherweight Fantasy in Black for Mom. I love love love it! I really would like to keep it for myself. It is so nice and cozy. A really great size too. I used Jaggerspun Zephyr DK in Ebony on size 10 1/2 needles.

I joined in the insanity that is Ravelympics and my projects are Baby Surprise Jacket for Kari's second baby boy, Foliage (which I probably won't get to) and Ice Queen (which I love after seeing Deb's at Borders last month. It was already in my queue and seeing it made it move to the top of the list). I have been wanting to make something for Bertha who gave me something like 30,000 yards of laceweight yarn last year. I will use the Blue Heather and it will really be beautiful on her.

Here is a picture of Kari's BSJ taken a few days ago. I am almost finished with it now. I have just 4 rows and then bind off.

I am seriously considering adding a hood to it ala saradenise who was so sweet to share her method of adding the hood.

I bought some gunmetal gray beads for the Ice Queen and used a few on the swatch

and also some white ones, gold ones, clear ones...but now I'm thinking that they may be too heavy and I should use 8's instead of 6's. I have ordered a 16" circ from Knitpicks which should be here any day. I can't start it until the needle arrives!

Domestic Miss - A Sweet And Sour Slice of Life: Knitting Give-Away

2008-07-28T15:12:00.002-05:00

Domestic Miss - A Sweet And Sour Slice of Life: Knitting Give-Away

Domestic Miss is having a give away on her blog. Addi Lace Turbo needles and some very cute cupcake buttons. Check it out by clicking on the link above.

Having fun is soooo exhausting!

2008-07-18T13:00:00.006-05:00

I've been busy as usual. Take yesterday for instance...we left the house at 10:30 am to go do a demo dance at a "retirement community". We danced from noon until 1 pm. Then they fed us lunch (hot dogs and watermelon, but I only ate watermelon. I just don't care for hot dogs). Then we danced a little more. When we left there, one of the other couples invited us all over to their house for wine, snacks, margaritas and visiting. Fun, fun. We left there around 3 pm. I made a quick call to some other friends whom we've been intending to go visit. We figured...hey we're on a roll. Might as well do it. Yes, they said, come on over. So, another hour or two was spent visiting with friends. Got home about 5:30. There was a message on the answering machine from another couple. Hey we're going to take the boat out for a cruise this evening. Want to come? Sure! Gulp down a quick South Beach dinner (nasty things but they do come in handy). Change clothes, grab a bottle of wine and we're off. There were 7 adults and 4 kids and one dog on the cruise. It was really nice. We cruised over to Rick & Cheryl's "manse" and played in the pool for awhile. The return cruise was really great....full moon and Camp Champions had a gorgeous fireworks display so we just sat out on the lake and watched. We pulled into our driveway about 11:30 last night. Whew! Being retired is hard work!

So, I have been knitting a little. The Myrtle Leaf Shawl from VLT was cast on a week or two ago. I'm using Claudia's Handpainted Laceweight in DF Green. Love the yarn! I'm not sure about the shawl though. It seems too holey and I don't know that it's worth the time and effort that it will take. It is patterned on both sides with SSP and P2tog on the WS. SSP is a PITA! There are so many other shawls that I love...Icarus, Adamas, Fir Cone, Swallowtail, Highland Triangle....why should I spend time doing this one if I don't love it? Anyway, here's a picture. I tried to smoosh it out so you can see it. This is after one repeat. Oh yeah, another thing that I don't like about it is that on row 13 the first stitch of the first repeat is done as a K1 and on all the other repeats on that row the first stitch is a k2tog. The last stitch is a k2tog. So that totally screws up the markers for that row and the next row. PITA!

The Featherweight Fantasy is coming along very fast. I am more than halfway done with it. I'm using Zephyr DK in Ebony. I LOVE Zephyr DK. It has such awesome stitch definition.

Rescue and Recovery? NOT!

2008-07-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

This post is very unusual for me and I promise not to make a habit of things like this. But....I am just amazed and stunned by this whole ordeal and have to share it with somebody. Lucky you!

I have a Lenovo 3000 series desktop computer that I bought about a year ago. It has Vista on it and 225 gb hard drive. It came pre loaded with some Lenovo software called Think Vantage, Rescue & Recovery. I went through the tutorials when I first got the computer as we all do (right?). I found out that the system is set to automatically make backups of your ENTIRE system so that in case of a failure you can recover. Sounds good huh? One glitch, the default is set to make the back up to your hard drive. Now, excuse me, I'm no computer genius, but doesn't it seem a tad bit let me think...how to put this fairly....IN-FREAKIN'-SANE!! to backup your hard drive that might go bad to your hard drive. Somebody please explain the logic to me!

So, I went in to the program and turned off the automatic backup and assumed all was cool.

Fast forward to this spring...I began noticing that my hard drive space was down to about 50 gb. And everytime I would look at it, there was less space. Last week I finally got really concerned when I saw that I only had 11 gb free. I went through all the files and could not come up with anywhere near the 200+ gb that I must be using to only have 11 gb free. I downloaded a program called Treesize (freeware) and it didn't show any unusually large files.

Enter google....I googled "lenovo disappearing hard disk space". And found some information that said the Rescue and Recovery program was the culprit. No way, I thought smugly. I turned that backup off. Hmph! But what the hell, I'll check into it. As it turns out, there are two different places that you have to turn off the scheduled backups. One in the Rescue and Recovery program which I did and another in the Maintenance program which I did not. So, it was making backups to my hard drive of my hard drive. Genius!

So, I opened the Rescue & Recovery program, clicked on the advanced tab, clicked on Delete Backups....and it gave me a list of the backups. There were six and they totalled 150+ gb. Can you believe this?? So, I went through the list and deleted them. A word of advice here...start with the most recent backup and delete in that order. In other words, start at the bottom of the list and delete up. Any other order takes forever. Trust me, I tried.

I am so happy now. I have 160 gb free!!

Success!

2008-06-29T09:35:00.008-05:00

There was no bloodshed in the house. MS3 is done. Can we all breath a sigh of relief? Well, I will anyway. You can see the seam down the back, but I'm ok with that. I'm just so thrilled with it and actually once I got the groove of grafting it wasn't so bad. But, I will certainly shy away from projects with that word in them. Or at least lace projects.

So, now that that's done. And, by the way, it took me three days less than one year to finish it. Of course, I didn't work on it exclusively. In fact, I didn't touch it for several months.

Last night I finished this really cute crocheted Floppy Brim Hat. Pattern here. I had to modify the pattern to make it fit my tiny head and it still turned out a little large. But, I like it fine. Except that I don't look nearly as glamorous as I'd hoped. A good grip on reality has never been one of my strong points.

Next up...Featherweight Fantasy Shawl in black Zephyr DK for mom. I'd also like to start the Myrtle Leaf shawl in the Claudia's laceweight that I got at WHIBSIB. The VLT yahoo is doing this as their KAL for July.

We're dancing this afternoon so I better go get my butt in gear.

Holy Grafting, Batman!

2008-06-25T10:39:00.003-05:00

Back several months ago when I blithly commented that I was going to make the MS3 in two symmetrical panels and graft them together, why oh why, didn't someone slap me?

I. HAD. NO. CLUE.

Do not be mislead...grafting lace is not for the faint of heart. I almost puked after about 15 minutes of it. Seriously. It took me an hour and 15 minutes (not counting the time I spent just staring at it swearing) to do just the 20 or so stitches in the edge. And when I came back to it the next day it was seriously screwed up. The little row of yo's did not match up. Not even close. So, I bravely set forth to un-graft. You ever done that? Well, let me tell you....it's even harder than grafting.

So, this is how much I have done now after about 3 hours. I am halfway. Yippee. I have kindly pointed out my f&%$ups aahhh errors for you by circling them in red.

The next time you hear from me...it will either be finished or there will be bloodshed in this household. Ok, maybe not quite that severe. But, let's hope for finished.

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket

2008-06-23T11:36:00.004-05:00

Here's a baby blanket pattern that I made a couple of years ago and thought I'd put it up here as a freebie. It's also on google docs and listed in the Freebies! link at the sidebar along with the two spreadsheets that I made for yarn weights and yardages for VLT and Folk Shawls.

Edited to add link to pdf file that you can download.

Enjoy!

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket

Materials: Worsted Weight Yarn (I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I used about 5 ½ balls.) Size 8 29” circular needle, 2 stitch markers. The Quilted Blocks pattern comes from several sources including Barbara Walker’s Treasury.

Cast on 176 stitches. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. The first and last 4 stitches of each row form a seed stitch border along the sides. The markers are used to mark the border. Slip all markers on all rows when you come to them. pm=place marker

Row 1 (WS): k1,p1,k1,p1, pm, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, pm, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 2: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1

Row 3: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 4: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1

Row 5: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 6: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 7: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 8: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 9: k1,p1,k1,p1, p5, *k4, p10; rep from *, end last rpt k4, p5, k1,p1,k1,p1

Row 10: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 11: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1

Row 12: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Repeat these 12 rows until desired length is achieved. End with row 5. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. Bind off loosely.

Some Goodies for Ya!

2008-06-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago I got really frustrated because I was spending a whole lot of time thumbing through some of my books and then researching yarns online to find out first) the weight of the yarn used in the book and then second) an acceptable substitute. I started making notes and before long my book was crammed with little post its and odd scraps of paper. Finally sat down one day and made a spreadsheet of my research. So, for what it's worth, I am going to link to my spreadsheets that I made for the Folk Shawls book and Victorian Lace Today. And please remember that I am human and make mistakes so please verify anything before you take it to the bank....Look for the links in my sidebar. The spreadsheets are stored on google documents and you should be able to print or download them from there.

Enjoy and let me know if you find them helpful!

Moss & Ribs Cardi Disaster

2008-06-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

Moss & ribs Cardi
Originally uploaded by wendydancer

I am feeling really sick right now. I've been trying to tell myself that it's my imagination or the lighting or that it'll look ok once I get more of it done. Well, I'm nearly halfway done with the front left and it definitely is lighter colored than the back. Even DH says so. And we all know that men can't see color variations, right?

I think you can see it in the picture. The back has a lot of really dark blue bits and the front has none, zero, nada. It's almost a stone washed denim look. Very pretty, but not very matchy!

The yarn co/dyer was very accomodating and offered several options to remedy the situation. One of which was for me to frog, send her the yarn back and she would dye me up 3 hanks that match.

I told her that I will try to find another project or projects for this yarn where it doesn't matter so much that the color varies. I do love this yarn. And I love the sweater pattern and I think it would look awesome in this yarn! Waaaaaa!

Let's take a look at those New Year's Resolutions

2008-06-08T15:10:00.008-05:00

Since it's already June and the year is half over I thought it would be appropriate to review my knitting resolutions. Here they are again as a reminder:

1-Finish MS3 (even if it kills me).
2-Design (& knit) a sweater. (who am I kidding?)
3-Finish mom's afghan (which was supposed to be Christmas '07 gift)
4-Knit at least one item from each of my books. (I edited and added this one because I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it was a great idea!)

Ummmhmmmm.

#1- MS3. I am still working on it and have about 100 rows to complete it. The picture above is of both halves. The first half (the completed one) is through row 258 and the 2nd half is at about row 180. I'm not sure how many more rows I will knit because I'm just going to piece together two of the Chart D's and try to find a place that looks good. Melanie said to stop at row 313 and graft the two together there but if you do that the Cat's Paw (I think that's what the pattern in the middle is called) won't be offset at the join. Anyhoo...I'm trying to do 10 rows a day on it.

#2- Well, I am knitting a sweater. Finished the back and started the left front. But I'm worried that it's going to be too small. Will that moss & ribs pattern flatten out with blocking? But I digress. And I do have an awesome idea for a sweater. Just waiting for my abilities to catch up with my ideas.

#3-Mom's afghan is finished. However, it is now a baby blanket. And a damned ugly one at that. Maybe if I add some fringe or ribbon it'll look more baby'ish. I am not proud. But, at least it is off the needles. So, I can check it off my list because that's just how compulsive I am. I even took a picture to prove that it's done. (Which I should've cropped before putting it up because you can see my toe and part of my shorts leg.) I think this may be pushing the envelope of what's actually allowed to be counted as completing a resolution...but frankly my dear.....

#4-Hmmmm. I forgot about that one. Well, I still have 6 months to work on that.

Peppers and Tomato

2008-06-06T07:55:00.000-05:00

We've been to North Carolina to see our granddaughter graduate from High School. She was Valedictorian and is a very smart and beautiful and poised young lady. We are so proud of her!

We drove our little Ford Focus all the way. It gets 33 mpg which is pretty good but I'm still afraid to calculate how much we spent on gas. We took a leisurely trip going up there. We left on Saturday around 11 am. Yes, I said 11 am! We'd helped host a party the night before and didn't get to bed until around 1....so there! We stayed in Fairfield Inns all the way up there and they are very nice for the most part. They have indoor pool and hot tubs which is what we wanted because DH's left hip is really bothering him. And we did enjoy the hot tubs. I must say that the Fairfield Inn in Jackson, MS was not great. But the others were wonderful. Especially the one in downtown Atlanta. Very nice.

We stopped at a Popeye's Chicken somewhere in Alabama on the way up. It was Sunday afternoon and very crowded with the little old ladies in their church finery. We were munching away when I heard a small voice "hi". I turned to look and this tiny little black boy was smiling at me. I said hi back and he put his arms around my waist and laid his head on my chest. Oh my heart be still!! It was so sweet. Then he looked at me and said "heart". Seriously I almost bawled. Then I realized that he was looking at my heart pendant. So, I said yes, it's a heart. And he pointed to his t-shirt and said "SPIDERMAN!!". Cute, cute, cute. (It wasn't a spiderman t but I guess he didn't know that.) Meanwhile his mama and grandma were telling him to come back over here and eat your lunch and fussing at him and they were just in shock that he'd done that.

Another cute story ...we were in the hottub at Fairfield Inn in Jackson MS the next night. I had my eyes closed and was really relaxed....when I felt water splashing my face....I ignored it for a few minutes but it kept on. You know sometimes those hot tubs can get a little rambunctious. I finally opened my eyes to see this little doll of about 2 yrs old splashing me. He was squatting on the edge of the tub and leaning over to splash water on my face. When I opened my eyes he gave me the most beautiful, sweet smile. I guess I am just a magnet for little 2-3 yr old black boys. {grin} Where was his mother, you ask? Sitting right there letting him splash me. Hmmmmm....

Oh yes, the subject of this post....The weather was very hot and windy here at home while we were gone so I was a bit worried about my tomato and pepper plants. But, they survived. We have ONE tomato! Several jalapeno peppers and I picked one today and used it in my gazpacho. It was very good, not too hot but a little heat there. There is a whole story about these pepper and tomato plants that is quite funny. About 6 weeks ago, I got the idea of planting tomatos and peppers in pots on our deck. And it seemed like a really great idea and DH was into it too. So, we trotted off to the garden center and bought pots and soil and plants. Somewhere in the range of $25 spent. It's all good. Tomatoes are so expensive at the grocery and they don't have any taste at all yada, yada, yada. Well, a few days later we realized that it was a possibility that the deer might come up onto the deck and munch our lovely plants. Remember the Hibiscus debacle? So, we went down and bought cages for the tomatoes and netting to put over the plants. Another $20. It's all good. We are loving it. Then we had like 8" of rain in four days and 3 hail storms. Oh the plants are not looking good. I fertilize. I turn the water off. I worry. I fret. I trot over to my neighbors who has this humungous garden and inspect her tomato plants. They already have tomatoes on them. I ask her what should I do for mine because they look really, really bad. She tells me about this stuff called Bloom Set. But it at the garden center. A natural growth hormone for vegetables. Spray it on when you see flowers. Ok, another $4.95 and I'm ready. I go out and inspect the plants every day waiting for blooms.....waiting...waiting....oh to hell with it. Spray 'em.

So, we're sitting on the deck one evening having a glass of wine and discussing our lack of vegetables and the upcoming trip to NC. DH has an interesting thought....what if the deer come up on the deck while we're gone and no one is around and they eat up the veggies? Yikes. What can we do? Well, we can enclose the deck with more railing and a gate. Yee Haw, he's a genious. Off we trot to the building supply place. You dont' even want to know how much we spent there. Suffice it to say that those 5 peppers and that one tomato are very, very expensive.

Well, since I'm on a writing roll....how about a little knitting content?

I finished the back of the Moss & Ribs Cardi while on the trip and could've gotten more done but I forgot to take my US 3 circs with me. And being the tightwad that I am....I refused to buy a set of size 3 straights when I know I'll never use them again. The only places to buy yarn or needles was Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Wal-Mart. I also made another of the circular washcloths. I was 8 rows from finishing when I ran out of yarn. I searched everywhere for matching yarn, but the afore mentioned stores did not have it. It's some kind of striped cotton yarn. Sugar & cream or peaches & cream or some such.

I have decided that Mom's afghan is not going to be mom's afghan. It's going to be a baby blanket for a preemie. I am just sick to death of knitting that thing. It's time to put us both out of our misery. But again...I am such a tightwad and so wierd that I cannot bear to rip it out so I am finishing it and will give it away.

If you've made it through this post to the end...you deserve a medal!

VLT Scarf finished

2008-05-06T22:27:00.003-05:00

Well, dang. I hate that I cannot find more exciting titles for my posts! What a dork. Anyhoo...I did finish the scarf a few weeks ago and here it is.

I really loved making it. Not sure what it's good for...too small for a shawl...too wide for a scarf. Maybe a table runner!

I'm Terrified of Knitting in the Round

2008-04-10T20:51:00.004-05:00

Yep. It's true. Knitting in the round scares the crap outta me.

I have only knit a couple of hats in the round and they weren't really pretty. Wish I had (not) pictures to share. There is always a gap thing going on at least on the first 3-4 rows. I don't really know why and I don't like it. Really. I'd just rather knit flat and sew the sumbitch. Ok, so I said it.

But....there is this sweater that I really love. http://shop.interweave.com/store/popup.htm?images/Gathered_Pullover_L.jpg But it's done in the round. And the freaking gauge is in the round. What does that mean? Oy! But, I think the yarn pictured above would work really well. It is Plain and Fancy wool sport. It's so soft and squishy. I just love it. And I have swatched with it. Just not in the frickin' round! http://www.ravelry.com/people/wendydancer/stash/sport

Fortunately,I still have the VLT scarf to keep me occupied...and I am loving it right now. I'm in the groove on the last border and it's like magic the way that border attaches and becomes one with the scarf. Who comes up with this stuff? I'm willing to bet that no one has thought up an original knitting idea in....forever!

Party Time

2008-04-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

The past few 10 days has just been crazy busy around our house! Our friends from Michigan, John & Diana, came through on their way back home from the Valley. We had a little party on the day they arrived, Sunday, March 30. Then we danced the next night, then another party for them the next night, the next day we spent all day long working our asses off at Rick & Cheryl's new "playhouse" helping them clean up and move furniture into it to get ready for....yes, another party on Friday night. But wait...let's don't forget there was another party on Thursday night with more food and even dancing. Friday night was an awesome dance from 6:30-8:30 and then the afterparty which went on until 1 am. There were about 40 people there.

Rick & Cheryl's "playhouse" is a 4 car garage with one bay for a motorhome. The top floor has a gorgeous kitchen with granite countertops and custom cabinetry and built in entertainment center. It also has two bathrooms upstairs and one downstairs. The key is the beautiful hardwood flooring upstairs. Everything in this place is top quality. But why wouldn't it be?? Their home is even more gorgeous!

Ok, so we're up to Saturday now. Saturday we spent much of the day preparing for the dance that night. And nursing a severe headache....couldn't have been caused by too much wine and not enough sleep could it? Saturday night the dance was just wonderful and there was another afterparty. This one at Evelyn's. Another beautiful home. I think there were about 50 people at that party.

Sunday, we rested!!

There was a little knitting content during this period. I worked on the VLT scarf and got to the point of starting the last border. I spent all my spare time over Friday and Saturday which wasn't much trying to figure out what was wrong with that blasted pattern because I kept ending up at row 1 in the chart but the shawl was on the WS. Finally on Sunday, I found the problem. ME!! I had failed to read one little sentence in the directions. PURL ONE ROW, YOU IDIOT! So, now I'm rolling on that. The really embarassing thing is that I posted on several sites all about my woes and then had to go back and basically say, "never mind. I'm an idiot."

In between all the partying and knitting there was also dentist appts, mom & dad needed computer help and massive amounts of laundry.

But it's all good.

Double Digit Favs

2008-04-06T11:19:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited because one of my Ravelry projects has been faved by 10 people! Yeehaw!! It's the beautiful Horseshoe Lace Shawl designed by RainyK. I don't know why it thrills me so much that it's been faved 10 times, but it honestly does. Maybe because I LOVE that shawl, too!

I am ready to put the last border on the VLT scarf. The photo is at the 60% mark so it's longer now than that pic. But, anyhoo....I can't quite get the border worked out in my head. Even though I've done a knitted on border before on the MissyLace Shawl for some reason I can't get my head around it this time.

Here's where I am having trouble..

After the last repeat of Chart B you end on a WS row. Then it says knit one row (that would be RS). Then it says don't turn. Crochet cast on 41 stitches. Ok, so this is on the right side and now I've got this long cast on. And I'm supposed to start the Chart A at this point. But if I turn the work here as normal, I'll be on the WS and the chart starts with RS. Argh! I need help.

Tomorrow is Easter

2008-03-22T20:17:00.005-06:00

Doesn't this sweater just scream Easter? So, I finished this Baby Surprise jacket a few days ago and it just reminds me of Easter and spring and Easter eggs. It is so cute. The little buttons are either butterflies or bees, I can't really decide. But they are so cute! I don't have a baby to gift it to so I will just hold on to it until I find one.

Today we went over to some friends "Ranch" and danced and ate and had a wonderful time. Met some new people and laughed 'til we cried. I had one of those moments where you just look around you at the beautiful blue sky and the smiling friends and think "Wow! This is really special!"

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and Mom & Dad & James are coming over for lunch. I am making a ham, sweet potatoes, salad and chocolate cake. Mom is bringing bread and James is bringing ice cream. Yummy!

Now, I haven't showed any progress reports on the VLT scarf in awhile. I did work on it in the valley and I am about halfway done with it. I am using the Elsebeth Lavold hempathy yarn. I used most of one ball for the first edge. My scale says there is 12 g left in the first ball. I got 9 repeats and 7 rows done on Chart B with the second ball and just went to the third ball today. So, I should just barely be able to make the scarf as called for in the pattern with 21 repeats of Chart B. I love the main body of the scarf but am not so crazy about the edge. I just think it looks too different.

I still have the afghan for mom otn and the blasted MS3. The other day Mom asked me to knit her a lightweight shawl in off white. So tomorrow we are going to look at patterns. I am thrilled that she asked me for a shawl. I made the Wool Peddler's for her a couple of years ago but it's really too small and a little heavy. This will be fun. I would like to make the Highland Triangle Shawl but I don't know if she wants a rectangle or triangle shape.

Plain 'ol Cuppa Joe

2008-03-16T09:00:00.001-06:00

Sadly boring, but true....

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated

You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys

Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites.

And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

What I've been doing the past 2 months.....

2008-02-25T09:36:00.007-06:00

Ok, so there was some New Year's Eve partying.....with our friends John & Nancy.

And then there were the cookouts and potluck dinners and more partying.....

There was some birdwatching.....(yes those bright orange and yellow spots are birds). In fact they are beautiful Altamira Orioles. There are also Green Jays in the picture and Kiskadees.

And there was even a little knitting. This is the finished first border for the scarf from VLT pg. 100.

And a whole lot of dancing, although I didn't get any pictures of dancing because....well I was dancing.

So, Thursday we are off the Big Bend National Park for a week or so then we'll be back home in mid March.

New Year Knitting Resolutions

2007-12-31T17:59:00.000-06:00

So, Dawn had this knitting resolutions thing on her blog and I thought it was a cool idea. So without further ado....here are mine.

1-Finish MS3 (even if it kills me).

2-Design (& knit) a sweater. (who am I kidding?)

3-Finish mom's afghan (which was supposed to be Christmas '07 gift)

4-Knit at least one item from each of my books. (I edited and added this one because I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it was a great idea!)

Ok. I think that's enough. I feel a little lightheaded.

I finished the Montego Bay scarf a couple of days ago and I think it looks great. Better than the photo. But here's DH in all his workclothes glory posing for me. What a guy!

I have cast on for mom's afghan and knitted about 3" on it. So, I'll put it in a gift bag with the yarn and a picture of the finished afghan. Also, I bought her a nice pair of gold hoop earrings.

I cast on the scarf from VLT on pg 100 with the Hempathy yarn that Carrie gifted me. I love the yarn. Not sure I love the pattern. It uses k2tog for all the decreases and I'm not sure I like how that looks when the decrease line is pointed left. I cannot believe that I even recognize there might be a better way. I've only done about 2 inches on it so no loss. I can frog and try another pattern.

Blogging is Hard Work!

2007-11-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

No really, it is! But, I had to toot my horn a bit...the shawl back shrug is finished and really do like it. Honestly, the pattern was way too vague for my taste. But I had Vicki to hold my hand all the way and it turned out just awesome!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was great. Just a small group of family and friends...turkey, dressing, desserts...what more can you ask for?

I've started a new project. The Montego Bay Scarf from IK Summer '07 (I'm pretty sure of the issue!). It's really fun and I'm using the Plymouth Royal Bamboo Multi. It really looks nice and it's so soft. The potato chip scarf just wasn't happening.

But really, I'm in limbo on knitting projects. Nothing that really has me loving it like the SBS did. I am still slogging away on MS3....I actually took a pic today but still I'm only on clue 4. Ugh. I doubt that I will ever finish it. I just can't get into the wing and I HATE the idea of doing it all over again so I can graft it together. I don't know why that bugs me. If I were just continuing on....I'd finish. hmmmm. I could do this same silly pattern for another 2 feet and that would be ok. But the thought of starting over....not happening.

Houston, we have sleeves!

2007-11-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

Yeah! Sleeves are done and the rest of the SBS has been picked up and knitted. The picking up and knitting was really tricky for me to get done. I had the back on a lifeline and the fronts on seperate life lines. Some of the stitches had pulled through and were buried so that I had to get a tiny crochet hook and dig them out. At one point I had a crochet hook, a darning needle, a size 2 knitting needle and a stitch holder all poked in various spots trying to get those stitches lifted. Then I messed up on the back...instead of slip, k2tog, psso....I did slip, slip, k2tog, psso....And of course, I knitted way past it before I stopped to look it over. My clue was that the numbers weren't coming out right. But for some odd reason, I just kept on knitting. And once I realized my mistake I spent several minutes trying to figure out a way to ummmm, shall we say, cheat. I hate tinking back!

It fits a little snugly, but that's ok, I think. I know that I can block it out bigger. Right?

I love this yarn. It's so soft and just looks gorgeous! I think the body will go fast because from here I do about an inch straight and then start decreasing. The final part is to pick up all alround the outside edge and knit on an edging. The thought of that scares me so...I just try not to think about it. Just call me Scarlet.

Capelet is finito!

2007-10-25T21:35:00.001-05:00

The New Vintage Capelet is finished.

I am not totally thrilled with it because it is way longer than the one in the pattern. Speaking of the pattern....the web link no longer works. So, it really is finito. I think that is just so sad. I have love this cape from the first time I saw it and I am so glad that I saved it for myself in doc format. But it's sad that it's not out there anymore! Michelle Kissoore....put it out somewhere else, please!

I think I will give this to my mom. I will offer it anyway, and if she doesn't like it well she doesn't have to take it.

I wore my Sun Ray Shawl today and it was great! The weather is so awesome right now. Perfect fall weather!

Ready for Sleeves?

2007-10-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

I think I'm ready to put the sleeves on seperate needles and knit them up. I am excited about this but realized yesterday that I'll have to cut my yarn (I'm using a cone of yarn) then estimate how much I'll need for one sleeve and ball it up. I'm nervous about starting the sleeves because I'm not 100% sure how wide the back is. I guess I should put it on a piece of scrap yarn so I can get a good measurement. And then there's the blocking to factor in. This will be a learning experience that's for sure. If it's too big for me, I don't know who I'll give it to.

The New Vintage Capelet is coming along quickly. I've done about half of the decreases so it shouldn't be much longer. I think I will take it with me this weekend to work on in the car. I should be able to finish it. I need to get another pic of it.

MacGyver Level 3

2007-10-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

So, I don't know if you've seen this site or not http://www.cast-on.com/?page_id=123 but it's pretty funny. I believe I've earned at least three badges:

1)The “Knitting Whilst Under the Influence” Badge - This applies to both actual knitting under the influence, as well as achieving moments of stunning intellectual clarity about ones knitting under the influence. Presumes talking about knitting whilst under the influence a given.

2)The “Proselytize Knitting” Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga.

But my proudest one- 3)The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Three) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario working towards the Greater Good. For instance, recipient used a Clover yarn cutter, a 30” Addi Turbo circular needle, and a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears to foster world peace.

Here's the story: DH was trying to transfer some 30 years old tapes of his dear departed dad singing religious songs. DH's sister has had these tapes for years and she recently found them. She had a stroke last year and isn't herself anymore. But, she does remember the past and loves talking about it. So, DH decided he would take the tapes and put them on cd for his sister and himself. But he was afraid that if he rewound them using the tape player, they would break. Being as they're 30 years old. So, he came to me for help. "I need something to turn the tape with." My response was "use your finger". He didn't like that idea. His fingers are big and it would take forever to rewind the tape that way. We tried a pencil (too small) and various other item. Then, I had an idea! My rubber point protector and a size 2 needle did the trick! So, you see? The Greater Good being dear sister's happiness. Right? Anyway, we are going today to deliver said cds. yee haw!

Becoming a Better Knitter?

2007-09-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmm. Well, after 2 1/2 years I do think I'm entering a new phase in my knitting. I've noticed lately that I seem to be faster and stuff looks better....stitches are neater....could be that Zephyr DK yarn....

But, more importantly, I think I'm developing a sense of what I actually enjoy knitting. And it's surprising me. A year ago I was all about triangular shawls. Loved 'em. Couldn't get enough of 'em. And they are nice. But. What drives me to drink about 'em (aside from my use of 'em way too much) is that they get bigger and bigger and it's so hard to determine how much yarn you'll need to do one more repeat or even the bind off. And it's just depressing for the rows to get bigger. So, now I still love shawls. Just not the triangular as much. Hmmmmm.

Ok. Lost my train of thought. Hold on...Oh yeah. And I used to hate doing hats but thought they were required for new knitters. Now, I like them because they're quick ways to try new stitches. For instance, I'm doing Smariek's 3 hr cable hat just so I can try cables again. But, I still hate dishcloths and think they are lame.

So, I am really enjoying the New Vintage Capelet (google it). It's fast, looks awesome and it frickin' decreases rather than increases. Yay! But really, I'm amazed at how fast this is going particularly since I am doing other projects too. Of course, it's on US 10's and ww yarn so should go fast, but trust me, a year ago I would've been struggling with it. And the other thing that I love about it is that it's the only pattern in my files that has stood the test of time. What I mean is that I saw this pattern like 2 years ago and loved it. But I knew I couldn't do it. So I saved it. And by golly, I still love the way it looks and love knitting it. And now it's easy peasy! How cool is that? Way cool!

I am really feeling verbose tonight. So, I'll continue. My other fav project: Shawl-Back Shrug from elann.com is totally awesome. But only because I have someone who is there to help me with it. She's there in the wings and I never would've started it without that knowledge. Thanks Vicki!! But so far, it's not too hard and it looks great! Again....the yarn - Zephyr DK. Love it! Now, I know this pattern is going to eat me alive when I get to the sleeves. But, for now, I LOVE it!

I was going to write some about the lace articles in Interweave Knits Summer 2006 and Fall 2006. But, I'm getting sleepy. So, I'll save those for another day. But, seriously, they are great articles. And I just felt so validated reading them. Because a lot of the information in them was stuff "I know" but seeing it in print by someone who knows their shit means a whole lot. And they gave me confidence in my abilities. Cool!

I'll leave you with a website that I found today and it is great!
http://www.knitmap.com/ You enter the city or zip code where you want to find a yarn shop and it'll tell you the ones nearby. As far as I can tell, it's all user contributed data and I think it's awesome!

Progress Report

2007-09-24T13:53:00.000-05:00

I have been knitting on the New Vintage Capelet and I really love it. It's going fast. I am finished with the lace portion at the bottom and am a few rows into the straight ss portion. I also love the big honking ball 'o yarn from Canada. It's soft and so far there have been no knots! I have no idea why that is underlined and I cannot figure out how to remove it!

I've also done my swatch for the Shawl Back Shrug from elann.com and have cast on for it. I'm using Zephyr DK in Real Red and I love this yarn! It is so soft and the stitches just look gorgeous which is saying a lot for this yarn to make my stitches look good!

I am really thinking that blogging is a huge waste of time and may quit soon. I could be knitting ya know! Or napping or cleaning house....nah!

Wanna See My Swatch?

2007-09-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

I am so clever, I know. Actually there are 3 swatch piccies.
The one on the right is done with the Shetland Heather 2/20 cone yarn I got from Berta. I knitted a 4 inch square in the Fir Cone pattern on size 4 bamboo circs. I wet blocked it and it was still a little puffy in the denser areas. So, I threw it in the wash with some jeans. Viola! It felted. So, now I know that it is mostly wool, but I think a little acrylic too.

So, the brown swatch is the New Vintage Capelet . The swatch was done with the big honking ball 'o yarn from Canada on size 10 needles. First I wet blocked it and it looked good. So, in the washer it went with a load of undies. Laid it on top of the dryer to dry. And it looks great, much better than pre-blocked. but I forgot to take a pic of it before blocking. But trust me, it really opened up nicely. I think it's going to look terrific! I cast on last night for the S/M size but only got one row done before deciding to have a second glass of wine.

But yesterday, I ordered Zephyr DK yarn in Real Red colorway from sarahsyarns.com for the Shawl-Back Shrug from elann. Some of the LSSK gals are going to do a KAL on it. I am excited about that!

Beautiful Sun Ray

2007-09-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

The sunray shawl is finished! I really love it and I think the Cotton Fleece will be really nice. It was amazing how much it changed with a light blocking. All I did was stretch it out on my foam boards then spray it lightly with water and pin it down. I had to re-pin and re-spray a couple of times. But I was really amazed at how different it was when it dried. Very drapey and soft and just so much nicer.

Here I am wearing the Sun Ray Shawl with my zig zag lace top and my cute little floral skirt. Love this outfit!

And this other pic is the Sun Ray trying to be artistic by draping itself on my back deck railing. Silly shawl....so dramatic, really.

But quite lovely.....

Big Honking Ball 'o Yarn

2007-09-03T19:20:00.000-05:00

As promised (or maybe not) here's a pic of the big ass ball of yarn that I bought in Canada. It's 400 grams (that's almost a lb to you Yanks har har).

Although it is 80% acrylic and only 20% wool, it really seems quite lovely. And I figured I travelled all that way....I had to buy some yarn. And the shop owner was so sweet and she was making a cabled sweater with this yarn and it looked really good, and I've really been wanting some brown yarn......Ok, enough excuses! I like it. So there!

Here's what I want to make with it- New Vintage Capelet and I hope it'll work ok and look good being that it's 80% acrylic. Whadda ya think?

But I also really like this shrug from elann.com although it is done with dk weight. But I could probably work it out. Ohhhh too many choices.

MS3-Started clue 4. Still undecided on the wing. Although the pics I've seen of the finished stole with wing are awesome!

Sun Ray Shawl-99% complete baby! All I have left is the picot bind off. Maybe tomorrow will be the day.

Wednesday, 9/5 is our 27th wedding anniversary so I don't expect to be knitting on that day. We are undecided what to do. Usually our most fun times are totally simple so we are thinking of taking the boat out and going up to the falls, swim a little....take a picnic and some wine....Or maybe instead go to the movies and a nice dinner in town.....Hmmmmm....

Oh Canada!

2007-08-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

So, we went to Ontario on the 22nd of August. It was such fun! Our friends have a cottage on Lake Erie and they invited us to come up for a week.

So, here are Mollie (the lab), Gary (the dh), Fritz (friend) and Steve (friend) on our first day.

We arrived about 3 pm on the 22nd and after a little sightseeing in Buffalo we headed for the Anchor Bar. This is the home of Buffalo Wings. Cool, huh? We had an order of medium and ya gotta have the suicide wings, right? OMG! I only ate one and my lips felt burned, nose was running and eyes watering. Not a pretty sight!

The next day, Thursday, we slept late (as was our usual routine on this trip) and headed for some of the wineries in Ontario. We visited Maleta Estate Winery (awesome wines & super nice people), Coyote's Run (we didn't find a lot that we liked there but the guy who did the tasting was entertaining), Frogpond Farm Organic Estate Winery (our favorite as far as the atmosphere and people...again not so much on the wines), Marynissen Estates (really pretty place and a very good Chardonnay for $22) and Caroline Cellars where we liked the Baca Pinot (I think). After that we drove over to the Niagara College Teaching Winery. This is a really cool culinary college with it's own winery and beautiful gardens. We strolled the gardens and I was amazed that many of the plants and flowers were the same ones we have here. The winery was closed already so we headed in to the restaurant for a wonderful four course fixed price dinner. Two appetizers, an entree and dessert. Oh and 2 glasses of house wine. All that for $48 per person. And it was wonderful! I had the cucumber and dill cold soup, a warm heirloom tomato tart with fresh baby greens (absolutely delicious), grilled salmon and peach tart. It was all great!

The next day was Friday and they have a farmer's market in Port Colborne on Friday. So, off we went. It was amazing! Probably my favorite part of the trip. They had the best strawberries I've ever eaten. We bought corn, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, yummy fresh breads, bell peppers and onion. That night we cooked steaks on the grill with onion and bell peppers and corn on the cob. Oh it was heavenly!

On Saturday we drove to Old Fort Niagara near Youngstown, NY on Lake Ontario. It was really interesting and quite a pleasant day. We got to see an actual musket fired by one of the volunteers dressed in appropriate garb.

Then we drove back into Buffalo to visit with a friend of Steves whose hobby is breeding and collecting reptiles. He lives in an old house that is a basement, two floors and an attic. That house is filled with reptiles of all kinds....snakes, lizards, etc. The tour took about 20 minutes, then we were off to the Founding Fathers Bar. Very cool bar owned by a high school friend of Steves. This friend, Mike, has a great love of American History and knows lots of trivia. We had a really nice evening there. Good sandwiches and beer too!

On Monday we drove up to Welland and I visited The Wool Shop. A very nice owner but rather dissappointing yarns. Mostly acrylics. I managed to find something to purchase though. A 400 gram ball of Aran acrylic/wool blend. The owner was making a cabled sweater with it and it was really pretty. The we visited the Beer Store and a bike shop. And it was off of Niagara Falls.

Niagra Falls is a must see! Wow! Just amazing and such a wonderful force of nature! Can you believe that I took this picture?? I totally cannot believe it!

On Tuesday we drove up to Selkirk Provincial park and had a nice picnic. Then back home fairly early so we could pack and get ready for our flight home.

Taaa Freakin' Dah

2007-08-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

Yeah! I finished the Zigzag Lace Top! And I love it...well I like it anyway. It is a little snug so maybe I shouldn't have made it smaller. But, maybe that'll keep me honest with my self.

The picture isn't really all that good because I was in a rush trying to get ready to go dance and this wasn't what I was going to wear. I mean really now! Would I chance sweating in this gorgeous sweater?

But, for all the anguish I am really quite thrilled with it!!!

Look what I got!

2007-08-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

Isn't this bag just soooo cute? It's made of denim with drawstring straps. It's sort of like a backpack, but softer and denim.

I'm going to use it to carry my dance shoes!

And the best part? I bought it at the thrift store for $3.50!!! And was like new. In fact, I think it'd never been used because once I got it home and checked inside it, the original price tag was in there. So, I washed it and dried it and it's just perfect.

Update on the zigzag lace top-I am nearing the finish line. I have about 20 rows to go and the second sleeve will be finished. Then attach sleeves and sew it up and it's done! I really, really want to finish it before we go to Canada (next week).

I'm In!!!!!

2007-08-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry!"Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site.Let me know if you have any questions or problems!

Got my invite to Ravelry today! Yeah! Now I can waste errr spend even more time online rather than doing housework, yardwork, knitting.....My id is wendydancer - duh!

On the MS3-I'm almost done with clue 3 but have put it aside to work on the Zigzag Lace Top. I have the front and back done and about 20% of one sleeve. The Sunray Shawl has also been sidelined but I'm about 80% on it. I've done 5 repeats and plan to do one more.

Sunray Shawl in Cotton Fleece

Zigzag lace top-front

MS3-clue 2

Well, I would write more but DH is sitting staring at me waiting to use my computer to make illegal copies of something....errrr I mean totally legal copies.

See ya on Ravelry!

This is so much fun!

2007-07-19T08:56:00.001-05:00

I've finished clue 2 on the Mystery Stole 3. I am really loving the way this is looking. I'm not having too much trouble with it. I have tinked a few rows here and there, but overall I'm really proud of how I'm doing. I absolutely cannot believe that I'm doing something so gorgeous!

Part of me (the nice part) wants to give this to Evelyn when I'm finished with it. She has been so sweet to me and given me 2 pairs of gorgeous Glide dance shoes and she gave me a beautiful gold petticoat. That stuff is very expensive to buy new! But most of me (the evil, selfish, greedy part) wants to keep this lovely thing all for me. Guess, I'll wait until I finish it to decide...

So, we are off to the coast for the weekend to dance. Should be lots of fun. Ricky & cheryl, Sharon & Gary are going down also. And we will get to see June, Sue, Bob, Art & Vicki and probably lots of other friends will be down there! If we aren't full of dancing we'll stop in SA on the way home Sunday afternoon and round dance with David & Terri's group.

Sweet Deer

2007-07-16T16:29:00.001-05:00

See these deer? Aren't they so sweeeettttt? Make you want to say "awwwww". Well they really aren't sweet at all. They are destructive little critters. I know, I know....they were here first...we're encroaching on their habitat...yada yada yada. They still piss me off!

They eat your potted plants that are out on your deck. And make your hibiscus look like this.....

My hisbiscus used to be beautiful with red flowers on the left and orange flowers on the one on the right. I have another picture here somewhere.....of a beautiful blooming hibiscus.

So, now I have my deck chairs strategically placed on the deck so maybe the deer won't get up there again and munch. Not that there's anything left to eat! Should I try to save the hibiscus or give them up as deer food?

My Life is So Wonderful

2007-07-10T20:27:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but it is! And then some normal crap happens and I can just barely handle it!

Take yesterday. Gary got up complaining of pain in his lower abdomen. Well, he had this a month ago. He thinks he has kidney stones again. Or maybe a bladder infection.

So, right away I start reminding him of that and telling him to call the dr.....No. That doesn't happen. All day long....him complaining and me saying "call the dr!"

Finally at 3 pm....I say "call the dr. or I will!" What a woman! So, he calls the dr. Tells them his symptoms and guess what??? Come on over!

So, he rolls back in about 5:45 and I am dressed and ready to leave for square dance. It's our regular Monday night weekly dance and we are Presidents of the club. Not that I expected him to go, but I would go make a presence. Florence Freakin' Nightingale, I'm not!

Anyhoo....so the dr says he has a bladder infection and gives him Cipro antibiotics. All is well. I go off to the dance.

This morning I awake to the sound of the shower running at 7 am. Not a good sign! I rub my eyes and say a few choice words then roll out of bed to find out what the hell is going on.

"I'm getting ready to go to the emergency room" he says. So, I scramble to get dressed, brush teeth, grab some knitting cause I know I'll need that, maybe a book too. Do I have time for makeup? Well, now he's in the bathroom trying to pee. So, I go for a little foundation.

"Did you try to call the dr?"

"Why? They don't open til 8 and I can be at the hospital by then."

Oh jeez! So, we call the dr's exchange and the recording says if it's an emergency go to the emergency room. Shit!

He's hurting and so off we go. En route, I hand him the cell and the drs card and say call them again. Lo and behold they answer. After several minutes....the result is that we have an appointment to have xrays at 11 am and see the dr at 1 pm. It is freaking 8 am and he's in agony. So, ok they will call in a rx for pain pills. We go to the pharmacy. They don't open until 9. And it's a thirty minute drive back home.

Ummmm...ok. I need coffee. "Let's go have some breakfast and go back to the pharmacy at 9." Good plan, tonto! So, 30 minutes later I feel a little better. Back to the pharmacy... 30 minutes later, he feels better. Pain pills have been ingested. So, now we have an hour and a half to kill before the xray appointment.

Lord have mercy!

Finally, after going to fill the car with gas and trying to think of something to do to kill time we opt for going to the imaging center and hoping we'll get in early.

Thank goodness for small towns! We arrived at the imaging center at 10 (an hour early). They xray and cat scan and we were out by 10:50. So, hoping our luck will hold we haul ass for the drs office. Drop off the films and hope they can squeeze him in early.

No such luck. So, it's 11:10 and we have an appointment for 1. pm. So, a stroll through Wal-Mart to kill time, then a trip to the grocery store to kill more time. Trying to be cheery when he's in pain and I am just wishing for a xanax.

Finally it's 12:45 so we figure we can get into the waiting room at least and sit down in the a/c. Ahhhhh!

He's in....he's out....back to the pharmacy for yet 3 more prescriptions. That's 5 prescriptions in 2 days! The pharmacy says 45 minutes....45 minutes later they say 15 minutes.....By now I've lost track of time....I am running on autopilot. He's had 2 more pain pills and is sleeping in the car on the way home.

So, it's diverticulitis. Painful as hell, but when we left this morning I was figuring he'd be in surgery....

So, my life is wonderful~

MS3 Update

2007-07-09T08:14:00.000-05:00

So, I am finished with clue 1 on MS3 and up to row 105 on clue 2. I know that I'll fall behind from here on out because I really want to get back to the zigzag lace top. It is a summer top after all and I'd like to wear it at least once before summer ends. silly me! So, on the zigzag...I've finished the back and it's sitting all blocked and pretty. I've done one and a half repeats on the front. So....long way to go. But it goes pretty fast.

We square danced at Rick & cheryl's again on Saturday morning from 9-11. Then we had our round dance yesterday afternoon from 2-5 pm. Tonight is square dancing again. Wednesday night we go square dancing again in Georgetown. Saturday we will dance in Marble Falls for the Founder's Day. I'm not even sure what that is. But we'll be there as entertainment. And then next Sunday we'll be round dancing again. Geez, I gotta find time to knit somewhere in there!

I Love to Dance With You!

2007-07-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

This is the name of a song that we round dance to. It's a cha and I absolutely love this song and can't get it out of my head! It's such a cute beat. I have googled for it and can't find it anywhere. Gary says it is from the 60's and is a Patty Paige song. WHO?? Anyway....if anyone knows where I can get a copy of this song, I'd love to have it. The words go something like: "I love to dance with you. Tell me you love it too. Da da dee da da da."

The round dance on Saturday was really wonderful. We had 19 couples and 2 singles so 40 dancers total. Very nice crowd. From 2-4 pm we had a workshop where Lucy & Jerry taught us a couple of dances. Sweet Petite (an easy phase II two step) and I Love to Lead (a hard phase IV foxtrot). Gary & I tried really hard on the foxtrot but we stumbled some. I think we can do it with a little more practice. There were pretzels, nuts, chex mix and other salty snacks as well as coffee, water and lemonade.

Then we all went to eat at the Country Club. Sounds really posh....but get real....it was in Kingsland. The food was good, the service was outstanding, and we got back to the hall before 6 pm ready for our evening dance. The Pate's did an outstanding job cueing the dance and I think everyone had a great time. They danced "I Love to Lead" for us and it was really beautiful! We had cookies and brownies available for the dancers to enjoy with their coffee and lemonade during the evening.

I think everyone was pleased with the day and I hope we can do it again in the fall.

Cash Crashed

2007-06-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I was surfing this morning and thought I'd go look at Save Cash! Use Your Stash! Got this

Page Not FoundThe requested URL was not found on this server. Please visit the Blogger homepage or the Blogger Knowledge Base for further assistance.
Home About Buzz Help Discuss Language Developers Gear Terms of Service Privacy Content Policy Copyright © 1999 – 2007 Google

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So then I thought well, I must've screwed up the link. I'll google it. Got this-

Save Cash! Use Your Stash!
I'm sorry to announce that I will need to dissolve the Save Cash Use Your Stash-Along. Due to returning to school full-time and working, I will need to cut ...savecashuseyourstash.blogspot.com/ - 63k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

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I am seriously pissed off about this. Ok maybe not SERIOUSLY, but still. If you start a site and invite people to join don't you have a moral obligation to keep it up and running? I know that people volunteered to help her with it because she was hinting at shutting it down a week or so ago. Anyway, I guess I'll get over it. But what reason do I have now to use my stash instead of buying new yarn? Not that it was working real well anyway. I just bought this lovely soft laceweight yarn off ebay last week from yarntreehouse. Ya know another thing that pisses me off? I can't figure out how to put pictures where I want them in these posts. I can drag them around but when I do they won't open anymore in a larger window. What's up with that?

Round dance today from 1-8 pm. Maybe I'll take some pics and post them tomorrow. Like anyone cares! Ok, yes, I have an attitiude today.

Update on Zigzag Lace

2007-06-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

I have finished the back of the zigzag lace top! I'm so thrilled and I think it's going to look good. I would like to keep on knitting it but MS3 started today and so I'm working on that. On row 35 of 100. Pretty good start, but it starts out small and grows. here is the zigzag back blocking. I've already bought 2 cami's to wear under it. Can't decide which one I like the best. One is a paler color than the top and is lacy. The other is darker and is smooth cotton.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2007-06-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know the entire state has had lots of rain this spring. But, we had 4 inches Tuesday between midnight and 8 am Wednesday morning. And another two inches today. This is just getting insane! Many of our friends had 10-12 inches and in Marble Falls they had about 20 inches. This picture is of a road locally known as Slab Road. Normally there might be a trickle of water running over it as the Llano River runs through there. But most of the time it is bone dry. Not today! If you look hard you can see the road emerging on the other side.

Lamps, Lamps & More Lamps

2007-06-21T15:06:00.001-05:00

So, I've been on a little bit of a lamp search lately. In search of the perfect lamp for reading and knitting. First someone told me of a lamp that they got at IKEA that was great. So, off I went to IKEA (wierd store!) and found a lamp that I thought was great for only $14.99. The catch was that the bulbs were going to cost more than the lamp. So, I went to Home Depot to get the bulbs and did indeed save a ton of money. But, I found another lamp there that I liked even better because the little attached flexible arm lamp took a 60 W bulb and the IKEA only took a 40W. So, I bought bulbs for the IKEA lamp and the new Hampton Bay lamp at Home Depot. This is the Home Depot lamp. Turns out that I didn't like it very much. It still wasn't bright enough.

So, then we went into this huge Walmart in Corsicana and I couldn't believe it but they had an Ott-Lite! I paid the $79.99 and took it home. I was sooo excited! Hmmmm. Turns out it is only a 13W which translates into about a 65W incandesant bulb. I've been doing a whole lot of reading on the CFL bulbs here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

This is the Walmart Ott-Lite. I will be returning it.

This is the IKEA lamp which I am taking to my daughter's this weekend and going to give it to her for her birthday. Kinda cheap, huh? But she needs a lamp in her spare bedroom for her guests to read by and it should be great for that. And I'm the guest who needs a lamp to read by.

So, even as I type, hubby is on his way to Home Depot for this baby http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100050643&amp;amp;langId=-1&catalogId=10053&srccode=cii_1038957&cpncode=10-43215609-2&cm_mmc=shop_comp-_-yahoo-_-27-_-100050643

I may have totally gone out of my mind. In the space of a few weeks I have bought 4 floor lamps! And of course, I still have my old floor lamp to dispose of....

2007-06-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

I have joined the MS3 KAL and can't wait for it to start! I have swatched and will be using Silk City Silk Denim (fingering wt) in a dark green called Jasper. Thsi yarn is like 80/20 cotton/silk. I'm using size 6 needles. Should be fun!
I don't really understand the whole thing with clues but I guess I'll figure it out!

2007-06-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

I have decided to leave my msn spaces blog and just do one blog here. It was getting to take too much time to try to have two seperate ones and I really don't have that much interesting to say anyway.

Plus, BIG PLUS, the msn spaces live or whatever it's called it just too limiting. You can't add buttons or html/java code to it. So, screw 'em. I'm outta there. But I did like their photo album feature. Ahhh well.

2007-06-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm having a serious crisis here....I am so loving knitting this zigzag top. But....I'm worried that it's going to be too small. I did my swatches and measured and calculated and recalculated and rewrote the pattern. My goal is to make it the same size as this Liz Claiborne top that I love and that fits perfectly. And it seems to be the same size when I lay it out on the floor and smash it flat. But will it lay like that when I'm wearing it or will be all tight and make me look fat? And what if I gain more weight? I seem to be on a weight gain cycle right now....what if I can't lose what I've gained and/or gain more? You see the crisis?

And will there be a problem when I come to the sleeves? I've never done sleeves. Should I have considered this before I rewrote the pattern?

I am almost crippled by doubt and fear....I am afraid to continue knitting on this top. Here's some pics. One with the skirt that it's to go with and one with the top that I'm using as my gauge.

And there is the fact that I spent $53 on yarn for this top. That's a lot of money for a little cotton top. What if I totally screw it up and hate it? The only other top I've made...Simple and Sleeveless...I didn't spend much and I hate it because it's too short and the bottom rolls up. So, I tried to fix that problem with this top.

I had a really scary idea today...to make a spreadsheet listing all the projects I've completed and how much they cost. But I'm afraid the results would shock me...

2007-06-11T08:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, hubby and I took our bicycles and kayak and drove 45 miles to the Colorado River and a little campground. We beached the kayak, then drove to the point where we figured we'd be ready to take out and left the pickup. Then rode the bikes back UP the hill to the starting point. And it was almost noon and humid and hot as hell. We put in and started merrily down the stream. Things quickly went south and we managed to hit a rock and turn over. I fell out of the kayak and our paddles headed on down the river. Meanwhile hubby was yelling "Help me flip this ****ing thing over!" Oh joy! After several minutes of pandemonium we were back in the kayak. "Do you see the paddles?" "Yeah, I think we can catch up to them." And so we were dogpaddling the kayak. We finally caught up with them and beached the kayak and loaded it on the pickup. Then drove back to the bikes and got them. Then to the showers for a change to dry clothes. Thankfully SOMEONE thought to bring extra clothes and towels.

So, Friday was truly "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (cause if I was a name dropper I could tell you who the rich & famous father of the friend is....But I won't. Cause I'm not a name dropper.) Today was "The Beverly Hillbillies"!

There will be no pictures from today. Oh yeah, and hubby lost his keys in the kayak flip. Good thing SOMEONE brought a spare set and kept them in her little fanny pack in a zipper bag with the cell phone!

2007-06-10T07:51:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we went to some friends house on the lake for an impromptu square dance. What fun! We danced for an hour or so then ate lunch....everyone brought a dish....then danced for another hour or more. The house was absolutely amazing! I wish I had taken my camera. I've never been in a house so expensive. They have 5 bedrooms (ok that's not all that impressive) but listen to this...they have 9 bathrooms. I only managed to pee in 7 of them and never found the other two. But they said they have 9 bathrooms. They also have a gorgeous swimming pool and jacuzzi surrounded by limestone pavers all the way down to the lake edge. They have 4 boats and 2 jet ski's and every toy imaginable. It was a gorgeous home and even more important...they are terrific people.

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket

2006-12-17T10:27:00.000-06:00

The beautiful baby blanket is finished and off in the mail to the new mama!! I'm so glad to be finished with it but feel a little lost without that "job" to do everyday. So, here's a pic.

Here's the pattern if anyone wants it.

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket
Copyright © 2006 by wendydancer at gmail dot com

Materials: Worsted Weight Yarn (I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I used about 5 ½ balls.) Size 8 29” circular needle, 2 stitch markers. The Quilted Blocks pattern comes from several sources including Barbara Walker’s Treasury.

Cast on 176 stitches. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. The first and last 4 stitches of each row form a seed stitch border along the sides. The markers are used to mark the border. Slip all markers on all rows when you come to them. pm=place marker

Row 1 (WS): k1,p1,k1,p1, pm, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, pm, k1,p1,k1,p1.
Row 2: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1
Row 3: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.
Row 4: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1
Row 5: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.
Row 6: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.
Row 7: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1.
Row 8: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.
Row 9: k1,p1,k1,p1, p5, *k4, p10; rep from *, end last rpt k4, p5, k1,p1,k1,p1
Row 10: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.
Row 11: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1
Row 12: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Repeat these 12 rows until desired length is achieved. End with row 5. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. Bind off loosely.

2006-10-29T08:01:00.000-06:00

I finished the Wool Peddler's Shawl yesterday and blocked it. I plan to take some pics today of it. It was a really fun knit and I'd like to do it again. The yarn was Elann's Peruvian Highland Silk which is a dk weight. It was great to work with but I'm not sure how it'll hold it. It seemed to get a little fuzzy with washing.

2006-10-28T08:35:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this? Can't believe it was created in Texas at the Texas State Fair. Or maybe I can believe it. Have you noticed how many fat people there are in Texas?

Because we don't already have enough fried foods.. - Yahoo! News

2006-08-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

I finished a shrug recently and thought I'd post the pic here. My spaces blog is all screwed up because they changed the format and some of the pics are gone. Anyway, here's the shrug. Done in Caron Simply Soft in orchid.

2006-06-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

I am so jazzed because I finished the Elegantly Simple Baby Blanket last night! It turned out nice, I think and I can't wait to give it to Irene who's expecting her first grandchild later this month.
Now waiting for the lace KAL to start...

2006-05-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

I don't really have time to do this right now. Just get something down.

Piccies

2004-07-16T15:52:00.000-05:00