Our sweet dog Jelly Bean died today; lying by the Christmas tree, her doggy heart gave out. She lived a long life, and even had some Christmas ham yesterday.
We will miss her "I live for treats" attitude, her simple companionship. She used to follow us around while we worked on the garden, just happy to be outside in the sun, happy to be with us. We are glad she had one more Christmas in her.
May she roam in peace, in endless gardens of treats.
And, I have a few FOs to show off! Yay for productivity!!
Here is Aim's "granny" poncho:
This was from a free DROPS pattern here, meant for little girls. I started with an opening large enough for an adult (I chained 128--I think it was an "I" hook), then worked around and around til it was the size that I wanted, which was also when I ran out of yarn! Cool! I used RYC Cashsoft DK yarn ~9 balls. A fun stash project.
This poncho has been great for walking the dog in our early fall temperatures. So glad I made it!
Next, I made a Baktus out of Mint Chocolatini colorway sock yarn from Yarntini.
I love the way it looks with the bobbles, which I copied from a Raveler.
This scarf is a great way to use up one ball of sockyarn.
I also started and finished a Chanson en Crochet, a cute little shawl-ette that really keeps the chill off! I made it in Brooks Farm Riata yarn, a nice mohair/wool/silk that worked out very nice. Because I only had one ball, I had to skip several rows of pattern, but you can't even tell. I already used it last Saturday morning when it was FREEZING out the morning of my garage sale. It really kept me warm enough, with a short sleeved tee underneath, until the fog cleared midmorning and the sun came out and then we were baking!
As the Nana Slippers go, I finished 1 and 7/8 of the pair, but ran out of yarn. Grrr, I have to find the calorimetry I made in that yarn and frog it (I don't like it anyway) and then I can finish the slipper. Very frustrated with that!
As usual, I've overextended myself to the point that I can't keep up. I have promised multiple great things from this blog, but have been unable to deliver. So sorry about that. I am thinking of taking blogging hiatus, but before I do I'd like to finish up some of the promises....like the tutorial I promised long ago (it's very minimal, but I DID promise!) and finish the nana slipper pattern. So I'm gonna try to do some of these things prior to signing off!
Pearl Geyser glows eerily in Yellowstone National Park.
I just found the coolest tutorial. It is non-knitting related, but still the best crafting/recycling post I've ever seen! It shows how to make fabric shades out of old cheezy miniblinds!! Go check it out at Little Green Notebook
I found that tutorial via whip-up, one of my fav blogs. I have not read any blogs in months, I feel bad about that. I have been knitting, working and spending my time on Ravelry. But this morning I decided to link to some of my chicas and see what they are up to. I have really been missing out!
(A big thank you to those who have been reading and commenting on my blog in spite of the small little world I've been living in the past couple of months!)
Anyway, here's an amazing website (in Portuguese) with gorgeous lace projects. You could spend hours scrolling her beautiful photos. I'm in love with that style of crochet lace, very reminiscent of Irish Lace, but updated with gorgeous colors! Sigh... If I only had 300 years to make everything I want!
My Goompa was known for his gardening and his poetry. He was very witty, and wrote humorous poems that always made you laugh. He was even published in the Saturday Evening Post!
My Nana was known for her hospitality, her knitting, ceramics, and sense of style. She wore wonderful outfits with matching chunky jewelry (it WAS the 1970s girls), and always looked just so. There is a photo of her with my grandfather in the 1920s, a stately teenager gorgeous in her ruffle-sleeved polka-dot dress with a cloche. What a stunner...
She always knit. In fact, she kept all 8 of her grandchildren (and her children and in-laws) in slippers and mittens and hats. Throughout my childhood she knit continuously. When we would visit she always pulled a box of mittens and slippers from under the bed, and let us choose our own. She also gave them as gifts each Christmas. We never once wore store-bought mittens or slippers until we were well into adulthood, when she was too ill to knit anymore.
(In addition, she supplied her church's annual holiday bazaar and various charities with those same knitted items EVERY YEAR. She was amazing.)
Sadly, during her lifetime I crocheted, sewed, and crafted, but I did not knit. I purchased "The Principles of Knitting" in about 1995 to help me learn more of knitting. But knitting never really caught on until 2002; Nana passed away in January 2003. She never saw my knit items.
Every single stitch I create now reminds me of her. I miss her, but what a legacy she left!
My point is this: My brother mentioned that he sure misses the slippers Nana used to make, and do I know how to make them because he'd love them for a Christmas gift?! (Also, he stated he is still wearing the last pair she gave--they have to be about 15 years old at this point!)
That comment made me go stash diving into my patterns. I thought I remembered seeing a hand-written sketchy pattern for slippers from my Nana's estate.
I dove in and pulled out this:
written in her own hand! (click for better view)
I cast on eagerly: if I'm gonna make these for gifts I'd best get started! And never a better time for "reminknitting" than when the loss of loved ones is so fresh.
I thought I'd share this timeless pattern for slippers, as I have scoured Ravelry without success looking for it:
NANA SLIPPERS
size US 4 knitting needles 4 ply worsted weight yarn
CO 3 STS K1 ROW ACROSS K1, INC 1 ST, THEN K ACROSS; REPEAT THIS ROW UNTIL 32 STITCHES ARE ON THE NEEDLE
NOW, INC IN EVERY STITCH--64 STS.
(You can change colors here if you like) *K2 P2* REPEAT ACROSS. REPEAT THIS ROW FOR 5 INCHES
(change back to the first color here) K2 TOG, REPEAT THIS ACROSS THE ROW--32 STS. DEC IN 2ND STITCH UNTIL 3 STS LEFT. BO.
SEW UP TOE & VAMP. SEW UP VAMP FOR HEEL.
(You will fold this oddly shaped square into a triangle with the garterstitch points together. Then sew from this point down one side completely. On the other side, you will only sew together the ribbing section for a heel!)
As much as I'm a yarn snob now, I grew up in these slippers knit in acrylic yarn. They lasted through many washings and really the only thing that ever ruined them (I remember) is snagging them on a loose nail on the flooring, which ripped a hole. A testimony to how long they can last is my brother wearing his 15 year-old pair!
I hope that my posting this pattern will lead to a whole bunch of people knitting these for loved ones this Christmas--I will try to "pdf" this at some point, and get it listed on Ravelry. And, I'll be back to update this post once I get a finished slipper to photograph!!!
Mammoth Hot Springs, view of the town from the top of the hot springs formation. Our happy little cabin is tucked back in there!
I just read Maeve Binchy's latest book, "Heart and Soul". She writes such good stories about life in contemporary Ireland. I have read all her others as they came out, and always wait impatiently for the next one.
I just finished reading "Journal of a Trapper" by Osborne Russell, one of the original mountain men who traversed the Yellowstone area in the first half of the 19th century. It was sometimes tedious reading as he really kept a log of miles traveled each day and in what direction, but it is also interspersed with very lovely prose and accounts of the beauty of the wilderness, gripping Indian encounters, and tales of the trappers' life. A great book if you are interested in history, and at all familiar with the area of which he writes.
I remember always being fascinated with that particular group in American History class in High School, the mountain men were a very hardy bunch, and, though trapping and hunting in that era contributed to the plundering of the land (and near-extinction of some species), that lifestyle has always appealed to me in a romantic sort of way. Imagine working all day for yourself, in the company of only the wilderness, and you are only as well-off as your persistence and ingenuity make you.
Anyway, I remember being in the bookstores of Yellowstone national park and seeing quite a few titles about the historical figures of the area. So now I am on a quest to read as many of them as I can find. And I will start here, in the online bookstore of the Yellowstone Association. Each book usually gives plenty of references to others, too.
I really want to revisit that beautiful outdoor theater of the great wild West...
A perfect cloudless hot summer day. She gets home from work feeling run down; today is the first day of another summer virus. So she sets up a cushion on the patio lounge chair to relax in the late afternoon balm.
Her spouse brings in the mail; brings out to her a special letter. It is in her mother's handwriting, with her late Grandfather's return address. She opens it--it contains a card that says "I miss you" and inside is a check for her inheritance from his will.
She cries. She misses him so much. And while the grief threatens to overwhelm her, she looks up. Above her, in an otherwise cloudless sky, hovers an oddly shaped cloud. It fully captures her attention in the midst of her sorrow. As soon as she sees it, the cloud hesitates, and then begins to shrink slowly from sight. Wonder gradually displaces grief. Suddenly, she understands. He is here, attending her reciept of his gift. Making sure she remembers that he loves her.
The cloud does not blow along to the horizon like clouds do; it simply grows smaller and smaller until it dissipates directly above her. A sense of peace, and bittersweet sorrow, and gratitude for a lifetime of memories are all that remain.
Til I see you in Heaven, Goompa. My life with you was a precious gift. Thank you.
Oh ho, ah ha ha haaa haaaaaaa! I HAD to post it, ha ha, it's just too too good. Let's see how did that go? Oh yes: "vote for change." Ho ho. Ha ha.
Too bad the joke's on us. We're stuck with that for 4 YEARS.
Knitwise, I have been doing some serious Ravelresearch...to keep myself distracted from the sale of my family's lake house. Here are links to some of the coolest patterns I've found, I thought I'd share them with you:
The most exciting project I found was these seahorse mittens. Aren't these great?! I can't wait to make a pair!!! (Perfect for taking to Hawaii when I move, I'm sure I'll need mittens, heh.)
I also want to make this pair of picot ankle socks. Looks good to me because it is plain--no foo foo lace pattern to follow--and they look quick! Someone on rav said they had to put elastic into the cuff to make them fit right, though.
I'm trying to be a more positive influence in the blogosphere. It's so easy to be negative, and I don't want to add that to the world at large. So after the maudlin post yesterday about poor me, here is something more upbeat.
I plan on making this sweater next, it's the Leaf Yoke Top from Knit1 S/S09 issue. I love this pattern, it looks to be a pleasurable knit.
But I have one question....why did Michael Jackson pose in this sweater?! Wierd.
I'll move on.
Random things you never wanted to know about me:
1) Pinecones that are shaped like turds freak me out. 2) I love a man in a uniform (with MANY exceptions, as the girls at work have pointed out!) 3) I NEED sunshine to keep me happy.
I'm goin' crazy in the midwest this year with the overcast 60s all the time. I'm really whiney about this, because it makes so much difference to my mood. The rare sunny days we get are during the work week and the weekends are ALL rainy, cold, and gray. If I wanted to live in Seattle, I would move there. Hawaii is looking mighty good right now. I can't take much more of this.
Back to knitting: here are some fun links. I LOVE RAVELRY!
Another nice blog about spinning, knitting and weaving. I'm interested in learning weaving, have been for 25+ years, but I recently realized I don't have time for yet another hobby so for now I'll be happy with knit, spin, crochet, tat, scrapbook, sew, cook, garden, write, read, and Bible study. Yes, I have enough to do!
I saw someone's version of this lace top by Shiri, and now it's on my WIST list! So pretty!
68 degrees out, and cloudy. That echoes my emotions. Mom just told me my Grampa's lakehouse sold. It closes in 3 days. I'm so sad about this, as are DD and my brothers.
I guess I was in denial that it would really sell, trying to put on a brave face that faked me out too. I'm so unhappy to lose something so meaningful to our family. I am trying to rally by knowing that it is LOVED by the people that bought it, so likely it won't be torn down and rebuilt as a nouveau mansion like so many of the other cottages along there. There will be children there again, playing in the lake, swimming and running in the sunshine. The love of that property will go on.
And we have a lifetime of memories and photos and videos and love. A reminder that all things are temporary, except God. And I have to tell myself it wouldn't be the same without my grandparents there, anyway. But it is so hard to let go of this.
So I turn to knitting. I am comfort-knitting right now, while the tears stain the wool in my hands. March Lady Sweater will always remind me of this trial. And hopefully it will get me through this.
I spent Sunday finishing some WIPs, and that feels really good.
First of all, I made myself some sock-blockers and mitten-blockers for two dollars!
I bought laminated placemats at W*lm*rt for a buck each, then cut out a pattern shape from it, and added a punched hole at the top. Voila!
Now for the items I'm blocking on them. Here is a pic of my Bird in Hand mittens, blocking in the dish strainer:
I charted out a copy of the birdie that Natsuko (rav name) put into hers, and put it into my mitten palm also--very cute. I love these mittens, but to get gauge in my chosen worsted weight yarn, I had to use size 1 needles. That was a very tight knit, and hard on the hands. No wonder I put it down for 6 months!
The other project I finished was my Jaywalkers socks. My second pair of socks ever.
These have a wierd fit, that yarn is really stiff and has it's own mind. Not sure I'll make these again--I mean, I like the stitch pattern, but I prefer to work my socks toe-up. Plus, I need to tweak the stitch count because I have such a narrow foot. These look awful saggy on me. But glad to be done!
And, in other news, my March Lady Sweater is more than half done! This pattern rocks!! I finished the body of the sweater today, will be working sleeves next. So excited! And, even better: I might have enough yarn to finish it after all! AWESOME!
Here's a pic I took yesterday, with antler buttons I had on hand. I think they work well with this knit. Love that yarn....
I am gearing up to cast on for another new project, but I should really finish last years Summer Sampler Lace Shawl--I have 1/3 of the edging to do to complete it...
My February Lady Sweater (which I am dubbing March Lady Sweater) is coming along so fast I can hardly believe it! Sweater body is halfway done, and it's only been 4 days since I started!!! This is a really fast knit...in spite of stupid frogging incidents, like knitting in the round this morning, when the whole sweater has been knit back and forth! Can't believe I did that, but it WAS 4:30 in the morning and still dark out and my coffee hadn't kicked in yet. Heh. I knit in dangerous times.....
I am disappointed to see that I didn't buy enough yarn for this project. I only have 2 skeins left and will need at least one of them for the sweater body, and still have to knit both 3/4 length sleeves. Grrrrr, I hate that. And how many times have I done that?! (I still need to order more Cascade 220 Heather for my cabled wrap sweater that came to a halt last fall. Pretty soon they'll discontinue it and then I'll really be stuck!)
Swatching mystery linen project has stalled while I ENJOY the FLS knitting. Aaaaah, so nice to knit easy!
Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs. Click to see how amazing up close!
Swatching lately for a s'prise project. I mentioned the linen yarn I bought (Euroflax sport). It already has incredible drape, and I'm still swatching! I plan on measuring the swatch before and after washing, to plan for any shrinkage. Looking forward to this project, but at times the planning and technicality are annoying. At times that lace chart makes me want to rip my hair out. That's when I need some easy knitting...
Enter the February Lady Sweater. I cast on this morning; I already love this sweater and I'm only on row 14!! The yarn I'm using is a wonderful caramel color purchased at the Midwest Folk and Fiber Festival yesterday.
I was thinking about NOT going to the fest this year, especially as I heard a bunch of people at Knit night grumbling about the first day of the fest. But I realized that they had grumbled about it every year, and I had LOVED it every year so far. I am very glad I went this year, too. Lots of fun vendors, and as much of it for spinners as for knitters. I had to bring home at least one bundle of fiber to spin--it'll be my first time spinning a blend (merino + soy). And best of all, I got to see alpacas in person and up close! I really thought they would be bigger, but are they ever cute!
The crowd is all talking, but if you listen closely, that "crying baby" sound you hear is the alpacas!! The dark one is 10 months old, the lighter is 3 yrs old. They are less than 6 feet tall--funny that they could look me in the eye. My pup woulda loved them.
I also got some pink mohair/silk/merino yarn to knit up a Lacy Kercheif Scarf with. Been eyeballing that pattern, and I was able to score the back issue of IK that the pattern is in at the festival! Woohoo! Lastly, I also purchased this book: Spin Control, by Amy King. This is going to help my spinning a lot! I knew as soon as I saw it that I needed it.
Oh, my final fiber fest memory for 2009--deep fried Twinkies! Yum! (I didn't have enough money left after yarn purchases to buy the BBQ pork sandwich I wanted, so I opted for that fried delicacy.) They even sold deep fried Reese's, Snickers, and pickles (done the pickles before, those rock too! Everything's better deep fried)
Other patterns I'm planning with all the knitterly ADD I can muster, include Baktus with some of my sock yarn stash. I'd love to drape that around my neck in cooler weather....And a pair of Double Diamond Socks. B/c, ya know, I'm such an advanced sock knitter. (ahem!)
I also want to make the Textured Shawl. Don't know when I'll get to that one, but I love how it looks so tailored and warm. Lots of surfing fun on Ravelry lately.
I might as well post this pattern. Unless I do it today while it is fresh on my mind, it'll probably be more months before I get around to it!
Okay, don't laugh guys. I'm a beginning designer, and really only an intermediate knitter. My patterns reflect this.
This is my version of Grandmother's Favorite Washcloth. I wanted big picots on mine, so here goes:
CO one stitch. K one, turn. KFB, turn. KFB, KFB, turn. KFB, K2, KFB. (6 stitches) K across for 2 rows. KFB, KFB, YO, K across. KFB, KFB, YO, K across. BO the first 2 stitches (using up the first 3 stitches), K1, YO, K across. BO the first 2 stitches (as above), K1, YO, K across. Repeat these last 4 rows until the diagonal of piece is the size you want--I knit mine to 50 sts. Then K2, YO, K across, turn. Repeat last row. KFB, KFB and slip the second stitch you made back onto the left-hand needle. Now, K2tog (the one you just slipped with the next one), YO, K2tog, then K across. Turn. Repeat this row back in the other direction. BO the first 2 stitches (using 3 stitches total), K1, YO, K2tog, K across. Turn. Repeat this row. Repeat the last 4 rows until you have 9 stitches left. BO2 as nml on picot, then K2tog, YO, K2tog, K across. (6 stitches) K1, K2tog, K2tog, K1. (4 stitches) K across. K1, K2tog, K1. (3 st) K1, K2tog. K2 tog. BO last stitch.
And there you have it! Easy peasy, right? (p.s. please let me know if there are errors in the pattern cuz I'm still new to pattern writing)
I culled this from the stalled alphablogging "Letter K" post that has been sitting unfinished since April 21! But I'm not done with alphablogging, I just need to get my mojo back.
Other news: I baked me a pie. Blueberry, to be exact.
My top crust is homemade-looking, but this thing tasted divine. I make pies a lot, but this was the first time I used my new stoneware for it. It worked great, I didn't have to make a foil "tent" for the crust, it never came close to burning! YAY for less fuss!
I went to the Haeger Pottery Outlet near us several weeks ago--I'd forgotten this place is so close, and it has some really good buys. Since I didn't need any new lamps, vases, or plant pots, I couldn't resist this baking-stone type cookware. (I have a pizza stone we've been using for 10 years, that thing makes the best pizzas on the planet. I love it!)
Next up will be either a cobbler or lasagna in my new casserole dish! Yum.
Happy knitting, and watch the road for those notorious babies on skates!
Ah, the luxury of three days off in a row! I'm feelin' good here.
I wasted the first day, laying around as I mentioned. Yesterday I opened up a can of Whoop Ass (Chili) and made cornbread b/c it has been COLD and rainy around here. Yeh, I know. In July.
I anticipate finishing the Simple Knitted Tee today! Woo hoo! Then that cotton sucka is going into the hottest washer setting and then the drier. After that pre-shrink, I will wet it again, and block it (that's if it looks like crap coming straight out of the drier. I think it will.)
I had some reflection time yesterday while knitting. Still dealing with my grandfather's death. His birthday was the 4th of July, so every year I will be reminded sweetly of him and my grandma, and their lovely influence on my life. I miss them...
I didn't let on, but last weekend I finally acquired some much-lusted-after Louet Euroflax in the Goldilocks colorway. I think I might cast on for a linen sweater next. I don't have a linen sweater, but I love the linen pants I've had forever, and the drape just keeps getting better with each washing. I have plenty of wool sweaters on the needles, but it's not wool-knitting weather, ya know? (At least mentally....)
While on the subject of linen, I remember seeing an article in Martha magazine (or maybe it was on her first show) about linen sheets. I am lusting after those, too. I can only imagine how crisp, soft and luxurious they are to sleep on--but it must be a high thread count. I hate sleeping on coarsely woven bedding.
I am nearly finished processing (uploading, cataloguing, captioning, organizing) all 4,000 or so photos of Yellowstone. Don't worry, I would not dream of boring you with all of them. The beauty of a digital camera is that the more photos I take, the more GOOD ONES I've captured. So I'll keep sharing some of THOSE. (I've probably ditched about 200 completely useless pics....)
Here is a photo of as close as I got to a black bear in Yellowstone
You can see the police car there--this was required to KEEP PEOPLE MOVING! It took us about 15 minutes to get past there, and by the time we could see what the fuss was about we were not allowed to stop. Grrrr. But look how cute they look (from a car!)
Sedated doggies finally asleep (the older dog, JellyBean, got into the bathtub she was so scared by the neighborhood fireworks), crockpot going with pork shoulder and chick peas for tomorrow, a tummy full of "Whoop-Ass" Chili and fresh cornbread, cool air and a drizzly rain have all combined to make me very very drowsy =D
I was gonna curl up and knit on my leather chair, but first, I think I'll take me a nice nap. I started reading a new book "Tracking the Spirit of Yellowstone" by Orville E Bach, Jr. This is a memoir of a 31-year veteran ranger of the park, and I'm enjoying the inside look at life as a ranger. That was my first love in high school, I wanted to be a forest ranger, and to go to smoke-jumping school in Missoula MT. Obviously however, my life took a different course!
So, knitting will just have to take a back seat right now. Naps are higher on the priority list.
Poor pups. My doggie is terrified of fireworks. Sigh, every year it's the same thing, I feel so bad for him.
In years past, my vet had me give him first Benadryl, then some doggie sedative, and now Xanax. He is inconsolable this time of year; now it is July 3rd again, and even 2 doses of the Xanax is not enough. So I had to refer back to this dosing of puppy benadryl, and give him some of that too. I hope he can relax soon! I stayed home from knitting to be with him but my presence only does so much.
And because he is such a FREAK about this stuff, our older dog is starting to act nervous about it too. Sigh.
I spent a marvelous lazy day reading, laying around, eating ice cream and processing my vacation videos and photos. Yay for time off! I have finished 2 books about Yellowstone: one is called "Death in Yellowstone" and chronicles deaths of all kinds in the national park. When you think about it, it has not been that long since that area was made a National Park (1872). That is really a short time, as history goes! It was fascinating to read about bear attacks, boiling hot springs, freezing to death, falling over cliffs, etc. In a strange sort of way. I've never read anything like that before!
The other book I finished today was called "37 days of Peril; Lost in Yellowstone" and is a true account by one of the first explorers of that area, who got separated from his party and whose horse ran away with all his tools, clothing, and supplies! This guy had to survive on thistle roots and keep warm during snowstorms by sleeping next to hot springs! Very interesting reading (from the comfort of my armchair with plenty of food and modern conveniences at my beck and call!)
I'm fascinated with the Mountain Men of American History, and have 2 more books to read about Yellowstone from their eyes. Should be fun =)
Have a happy holiday weekend, and enjoy your freedom--it is hard-earned.
Bitterroot flower on the alpine prairie. These look divine and smell even better!
For those who have not seen Yellowstone and are contemplating a visit, here's one of the best videos I took of formations at Mammoth Hot Springs (p.s. that's the place to stay if you go there!)
Hope you'all don't mind I keep going on about Yellowstone. I've never seen anything so amazing in my life.
I got a haul at the library last night after work, lots of fun knitting books. More ideas and WISTs--my head's gonna bust I want to try so many things. It was an intense work week, and that was a nice end to it; also DH and I walked to our neighborhood restaurant for dinner, then rented the first Transformers movie (I'd never seen it. That rocked!)
We are still having the wierdest weather ever around here. You cannot plan hot-weather meals or cold-weather meals. I had to wear Meinstein to work the first day of July, b/c it had to be 40 degrees in the office. The maintenance guys can't keep up with the weather shifts--last week it was putrid hot and muggy around here. If the weather would just S T A B I L I Z E, for crying out loud....
My new WIST: have you all seen the gorgeous Cathedral Sweater that one of the Rainey Sisters knit recently?! OMG I aspire to knit that pattern. I'll have to get that book. Those Japanese sweaters are the bomb, I totally love them!
Am still plugging away on the knit tee. Kinda losing steam, but I have to finish it. I have way too many WIP and this needs to be done so I can wear it in the warm weather (whenever that comes!)
I'd like to go to knit night tonight, but my dog is deathly afraid of fireworks, so I'll either have to heavily sedate him and make sure someone stays home with him, or stay home myself...I thought about trying to bring him, but don't know if he'd behave in a yarn store. He's a bit bigger than most people are used to, so it's not the best option!
Sigh. Happy memories. Everytime I see a picture, I feel like that's MY National Park!
So, I'm 3/4 done with the tee I cast on during the flight to Yellowstone.
I tried it on with help from people at my LYS and it looks like the size might fit. It is supposed to be loosefitting, but since my gauge is way off, I've been eyeballing it the whole way. Luckily the yarn is drapey! (Ty-Dye in Tropicale colorway)
Here is my Yellowstone Hat, homespun, handknit, and happily worn during windy snowstorms and icy rain while hiking! I'm loving the bobbles.
Of course, I had hat hair after wearing this: some of my photos show this. But hey, who wants to be perfectly coiffed in the wilderness?!
This shrug I finished at least 6 weeks ago! I just never got around to photographing it.
I've worn it to work a couple times when the morning is very cool, and it's been just enough.
I feel well-adjusted right now =D There is nothing like a nice vacation to wash away your worries and put things back into their proper perspective!
And, I have a few FOs to show off! Yay for productivity!!
This was from a free DROPS pattern here, meant for little girls. I started with an opening large enough for an adult (I chained 128--I think it was an "I" hook), then worked around and around til it was the size that I wanted, which was also when I ran out of yarn! Cool! I used RYC Cashsoft DK yarn ~9 balls. A fun stash project.
This poncho has been great for walking the dog in our early fall temperatures. So glad I made it!
I love the way it looks with the bobbles, which I copied from a Raveler. 
This scarf is a great way to use up one ball of sockyarn. 
written in her own hand! (click for better view)
But I have one question....why did Michael Jackson pose in this sweater?! Wierd. 
.JPG)
I bought laminated placemats at W*lm*rt for a buck each, then cut out a pattern shape from it, and added a punched hole at the top. Voila!
I charted out a copy of the birdie that Natsuko (rav name) put into hers, and put it into my mitten palm also--very cute. I love these mittens, but to get gauge in my chosen worsted weight yarn, I had to use size 1 needles. That was a very tight knit, and hard on the hands. No wonder I put it down for 6 months!
The other project I finished was my Jaywalkers socks. My second pair of socks ever.
These have a wierd fit, that yarn is really stiff and has it's own mind. Not sure I'll make these again--I mean, I like the stitch pattern, but I prefer to work my socks toe-up. Plus, I need to tweak the stitch count because I have such a narrow foot. These look awful saggy on me. But glad to be done!
Here's a pic I took yesterday, with antler buttons I had on hand. I think they work well with this knit. Love that yarn.....JPG)
Don't you just want to hug this guy?!.JPG)
Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs. Click to see how amazing up close!
This is my version of Grandmother's Favorite Washcloth. I wanted big picots on mine, so here goes:.JPG)
My top crust is homemade-looking, but this thing tasted divine. I make pies a lot, but this was the first time I used my new stoneware for it. It worked great, I didn't have to make a foil "tent" for the crust, it never came close to burning! YAY for less fuss!
Next up will be either a cobbler or lasagna in my new casserole dish! Yum.
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Female and kid Bighorn Sheep, Yellowstone.
You can see the police car there--this was required to KEEP PEOPLE MOVING! It took us about 15 minutes to get past there, and by the time we could see what the fuss was about we were not allowed to stop. Grrrr. But look how cute they look (from a car!) .JPG)
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Bitterroot flower on the alpine prairie. These look divine and smell even better! .JPG)
I tried it on with help from people at my LYS and it looks like the size might fit. It is supposed to be loosefitting, but since my gauge is way off, I've been eyeballing it the whole way. Luckily the yarn is drapey! (Ty-Dye in Tropicale colorway)
Of course, I had hat hair after wearing this: some of my photos show this. But hey, who wants to be perfectly coiffed in the wilderness?! .JPG)
I've worn it to work a couple times when the morning is very cool, and it's been just enough.
