Sign Off

I have entered a new era of my life. As such, I will no longer be blogging. I have really enjoyed being part of the online knitting community and will continue on Ravelry. Thanks to everyone who has been a reader!

"The man who goes out alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready." --Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau is on to something there.

I am excited by what God has in store for me in the future. With that in mind, I want to share this final video link, which I think is fitting for my blog sign-off. I'm proud of Kylie, rock on, sistah!

I can't resist posting a kitty video :) They are wild things, Fruit Cat and Monkey. (Fruit Cat aka Gibbs eats strawberries out of my hand, and helps himself to any fruit on the countertop)



Having Kitty-kids is great fun, they run to greet me at the door just like my doggie Fizz...a sweet end to the workday!

"People often miss opportunity because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." --Thomas Edison

Here is my final blog project, the 'Not A Drop' scarf I finished a couple weeks ago in Yarntini sockyarn called 'Sweet Honeytini:'

Upward and onward in my Christ-directed life.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."--Helen Keller



Keep your hands busy,





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"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." --Wayne Gretzky

It's Fall!

Wow, turn the calendar page, and the weather magically obeys! It is frigid here today; given that 2 days ago it was 99degrees outside, today's 65 degrees has me bundled up shivering in a wool sweater. DS and I are crying about it today, because it feels so SHOCKING to our systems!

Fall used to be my favorite season, but I have to admit that the past several years it has been harder and harder to adjust to the temperatures dropping. I never used to think about it when I was younger--I'm beginning to feel like a geezer!

We had a lovely bon voyage party for DD, who is deploying to the Middle East later this month with her Reserves unit. We are sending her off with style!

So, because of the party yesterday, I actually have photos of my Shrugalicious that I finished a month ago:

Pay no attention to that belly roll--I'm workin' on it!


Too bad I didn't get any photos of the back of the shrug, it is lovely the way it drapes down with its circular hemline.

I have spent the day so far recuperating from the party =) Been surfing, and I found something really cool: needle felting to darn a sock! What a cool idea!

Been walkin' to work as often as I can--weather permitting. Don't know how long I'll remain at this job, I'm getting the sense now is the time to begin putting in efforts to relocate somewhere WARM! Anyway, I'm trying to make the most of living close enought to walk to work--I've lost 10 lbs since April when I started, and that is not doing any other aerobic exercise but the distance walking! Yay, 30 more to go....

Today's breakfast was chicken salad sandwich and an Italian sub with my hot coffee. Then lunch: a bowl of cheddar broccoli soup with an Italian sub (guess what I had leftover from yesterday's party!) I need to get outside in the sun, this cold air is making me crazy.

Hope to show some weaving results soon! And, today I plan on casting on Klaralund--I need wool to work on, and rather than pick up old hibernating projects, I want to start something new (and easy)!

Happy Autumn!

Aim

Surfing again

A wee bit of early morning surfin' yielded some really great finds:

For quilters, if you don't yet know of Paper Panache website, it is an amazing site with paper-piecing patterns that are available free for a limited time, after which they are sold by the designer. If you were lucky like me, and downloaded her paper-pieced nativity pattern while it was free several years ago, you feel truly lucky! While I haven't yet attempted making this pattern, I found a blog that is documenting all the work that goes into it! (link to Paper Piecing the Nativity.)

For the crocheters out there, here are some sites that show patterns for lacework: Fantasia di Crys, Edivana Crochet, You must use your own conscience to tell you whether it is acceptable to print and use these published works. If you are like me, just looking at them for the sheer inspiration is enough. I love eye-candy!

Or, look at SkyMagenta's blog where she made a crocheted pirate ship! Now that is fun!

I am indulging in surf-time, but it is time to get ready for work. Sigh. I am going to try to get some Christmas wrapping done this morning before I have to leave :)

Stay warm y'all!

Aim

Latest Lace

I love fan lace edgings. I have spent a lot of time and effort collecting patterns for fan laces. And so, when I saw Piecework Magazine's latest issue with a recreated vintage version, I had to try it:

I love this pattern, but it is written out in a manner that makes it difficult to follow, and to pick it up again once you put it down. I simply cannot see being stuck to the magazine page the whole time I am making this. So I will be charting it in symbols--I think it will be worth it, I love the resulting lace!

gotta get ready for work. Sigh. Happy T-day everyone!

Aim

Foody

See the little crescent moon?!


I AM A FOODY! I LOVE to cook. Of course there are times when a quick casserole or fix-it-fast type recipe is needed. But I really like to cook good, healthy, unique food from scratch.

YUM! Here's a great-looking recipe for Creme Fraiche Ice Cream! And a different DIY version of Creme Fraiche. I have used CF a couple of times before and fell completely in love with it's richness. A dollop of that on top of a robust autumn pureed soup, and you will feel like royalty!

I was visiting one of my fav food blogs yesterday, and saw they are publishing a cookbook. I LOVE the trend wherein fantastic bloggers end up with a book contract, that is such fun! You go, Mennonite Girls!

I got the Pioneer Woman Cooks book when it came out, that is from one of my most favorite blogs....and several of the sewing and crafting blogs I have visited have recently published also. This is a great time for book publishing!

Now for some fun posts: love this next idea to salvage embroidered bits! I'm forever cutting off the embroidery from old pillowcases that are ruined, but I have stagnated on ideas to use them. This is great!

And here are instructions for the cutest crocheted clothes hangers.....looks like a fast project. What I never understood though, is why people choose to cover beautiful wood hangers with crochet....I want to cover the ugly wire or plastic hangers. I figure that the wire hangers you can squeeze into the overall shape of the wood ones, and just proceed with the directions as written. This is great for the free wire hangers you get from the dry-cleaners, but I'd really like to see someone dress up plastic hangers.

I have dressed up my own plastic hangers for years by salvaging old sheets/pillowcases embroidered bits, and creating a hanger 'slipcover':

These are good to keep the clothes from slipping off,

but they are kinda fussy to put the clothing on the hanger....maybe some buttons to keep them in place? Anyway....

Hope y'all had a lovely weekend.

To finish, here's a pic of my finished doily, I'm so happy it's done, but it has been done for about a month, and blocked for a few weeks. I'm just distracted from posting!



Aim

Al Finalmente!

Looking Back at Yellowstone 2009

Oh, yeah! Another doily down, and a birdie doily at that! I am so happy to be done with this (as of 8/20/10)--I mean this in several ways. First, I love this doily and I love Ferosa Harald's designs. This doily was the thing I most wanted to make in this book. But, filet crochet is more boring than I can stand, so I'm really glad to be done!




This is 15 inches by 30 inches--Someone smack me if I ever say I'm going to make a filet crochet project ever again....

On the subject of birds--In my world, there has been some baby birdie drama. A nest right in front of our kitchen window caught our eye when a bright red cardinal was coming to feed his babies. So we got a close up view of them for 3-4 days. Man they are loud when they are hungry! Mom and dad have been run off their wings trying to keep them fed. I was going to try to get some pics or a video, but put it off for 2 days. Came home at lunch on 8/19 and peeked at them--business as usual. But when I looked 4 hours later they were no longer in the nest.

I had to look around, but saw both of them had left the nest. They were making so much noise!!! One was only a couple of twigs away from the nest and peeping for all he was worth! I think he was saying 'Wait for me!' because the other one had flitted to the other side of the tree. Mom was still flying in to feed them and encouraging them to fly....

At dusk I returned from walking the pup, and saw the mom fly under a neighboring bush--I peeked under there and one of the babies was sitting on the ground deep in the heart of the bush. Making as much noise as usual! I nearly went back outside to scoop him up and put him into the nest as it was getting dark. I hope the baby was able to find his wings!!! I'm looking forward to seeing the family of birdies around...

So, anyway, I finished the birdie mat in size 10 thread--it's freakin' huge!!! What the?! I am tempted to try this again (I know, I know, I'm asking to be smacked) using the extended double crochet stitch (scroll down) and smaller gauge thread. Am I nuts?! But my proportions are all stretched out as I obviously don't know the finesse required to get SQUARE FILET CROCHET! Never tried the EDC stitch, but it is supposed to make your work in filet more square....(see what the original doves doily looks like here)

I did not go to Stitches, in order to save money, but then popped into Hobby Lobby that same weekend to assuage my stash (heh) and bought a bunch of colors of "Happy Hands Lizbeth" size 20 cotton thread. I LOVE this stuff, and I only spent about $35 on it (a fraction of what I would have been tempted to spend at Stitches!!!!!)

I am already partway done with my next doily from a vintage Magic Crochet issue (#47), and it has little violets sprinkled around it. I am using the new size 20 thread, and a size 10 steel US hook--and magnifying glasses! The delicacy of the work is worth the effort, though.

The only bummer about this thread is that it only comes in 200 yard balls, but really, who is going to be making a huge project out of this tiny thread?!

Sooooo, fall is here, you can really feel it by the low altitude of the sun now when I get out of work. I've already worn my wool poncho to work some mornings! And, the geese are on the move overhead....

Was going to go to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, but upheaval in my life might prevent that. I guess that there is a season for everything...as King Solomon said. Maybe next year?!

Yesterday I went to a chain craft store after my haircut, and saw some Aunt Lydia's Bamboo Crochet Thread size 10. I made a mistake and touched this yarn in the store--which led me to bring it home!!! This stuff is lovely and soft, I'll bet it makes wonderful drapey lace projects! And it's cheap, comes in 300 yd balls in sweet colors.

Is stashing a form of getting ready for winter? It feels like it to me, I'm all snug in bad weather, working on my projects! If I just had a fireplace....

Happy Autumn, y'all!

"L" is for

Love. Have you seen the love in this lion video?! This is truly amazing (best have a box of tissues handy):



Did you cry? I did, and I do every time I watch that thrill of recognition where Christian runs to greet them after years of separation....

I am truly amazed that love can exist in the animal kingdom. We tend to think of animals as somehow lesser species, yet they are capable of so much!

As knitting goes, well, we all know that L is for Lace! And here is a great link to Eunny Jang's tutorial series Woo hoo, I've now broken the lace barrier, and am looking forward to my next project! I still have to pick up the Mananita project and finish it. And NOW I have such a better grasp of lace. Wheeeee!

And speaking of Lace Love, I love this great doily scarf Such a great idea, and a beautiful use for lace that would otherwise moulder in a drawer.

And...if you want to see some glorious and amazing crochet lace clothing, you should go to Antonina K's Flickr account and surf her designs. They are amazing! I am completely in love with this one (photo used with permission):

Whoa. That is some serious lace crochet! I'm floored.

Originally written 1/10/09...hope the linkies still work :)
(I think that is my favorite online video ever)

Lace all Over

New washcloths for us, thick and soft cotton, in granny-style! These are awesome, I love this pattern, they whip up in less than 2 hours each. I used dishcloth weight cottons from my stash and a size G hook. Only mods I made were on round 8: I made the two center clusters on each side in 2-hdc (instead of the 3-hdc clusters) to eliminate the bulk when it is "gathered" in rnd 9.

I have been busy making lace. Can't seem to stop lately :)

It is my stress release at this time of ongoing loss in my life. There are some amazing lace creations out there, so I'm inspired to spend every free moment crocheting, and it is a mindful process that I love.

This is a daffodil doily I messed up:

Of course, I don't care, that just makes it unique.

It was supposed to be a six-sided doily, with each flower having 6 petals, but somehow only one of my flowers had 6 petals, the rest had 5!!! I like how old-fashioned this appears.

I am madly working on Ferosah Harald's Turtle Doves doily in filet crochet. I am nearly 50% done.

Yesterday, I finally finished the tape-lace part of my first Bruges style doily, from Yoko Suzuki's Book "Laceworks". In case you don't know what Bruges crochet is, there are instructions here and here, and a cool video tutorial here! Somewhat challenging in my opinion, and next time I make a Bruges design, I'll start with a finished center and build the tape lace outside it. I'm thinking that might be easier.

I also made her Thistle design, which is finished and blocked:



Here is a pic of my patriotic doily blocked, I did promise that last post!

Happy 4th!

Independence Day, my favorite!

I love this holiday, it has always meant family, swimming, cookouts and summer. My grampa's B-day was the 4th, but he passed last year...so in memory of him, I made this 4th of July Doily (it's unblocked in that photo). The pattern is from OrientalMom's crochet Holiday doily collection on Ebay.


Lace-mania: I have made a doily a week since my stay-cation in early June! Just before that, I made a pineapple lace curtain panel for my kitchen window--we just had the pear tree chopped down, so we really needed privacy and a bit of a screen for the brightness!



Next, I made a snowflake doily from one of my Japanese books:


Then, my own Shabby Chic! An Elizabeth Hiddleson design from book #6, quite the ordeal this one was:



I ran out of thread on the body of the doily, and since the thread was leftover from probably 10 years ago, I just looked for something in my stash of similar weight. But the color was off...

so I decided to overdye the doily before adding the flowers.

Not wanting to run to the store for dye, I used a concentrated coffee/tea mixture with vinegar for the mordant, then nuked it until it was steaming, and rinsed it until the water ran clear.

Before and After Dying




I blocked and dried it, then started making the flowers! Wheew, but quite happy with the results :)

I really like how the "dye" took differently to the different colors, it makes it look more "shabby"!


Last week I finished this daisy doily, from an old issue of Magic Crochet magazine. It was supposed to be a sunflower, but I don't have those colors, so I used what I had.

The stinking orange bled when it was put in hot water, but luckily I saw this right away and was able to rinse only the orange part until it ran clear. But if you look real close, you can see where it bled into the cream color (grrr).

After that episode, I tested the dark blue and red for my Independence Day Doily, and was very happy they were colorfast in hot water. I always wash my laces in hot water, and sometimes even throw them in the dryer. I like when they shrink up as much as they will...call me crazy!

Til next time!
Happy knitting and crocheting!

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Recycling and Whip Up

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!

Finally, look at Anne's cute red & white theme she has going (love the polka dots too!)

Gotta run, or I'll be late for work.
Happy crocheting and knitting and recycling and sewing and crafting and cooking and...well, you get the picture.

March is not over yet....

This is the view at 5 AM. Sigh.

Good golly (and jeepers) I hate spending so much time trying to reconfigure my computer. Every night this week after I got home from work, I have worked to fix it up. I'm getting very annoyed.

Anyway, at least my display is working well enough for me to be able to see online now.

I have been very busy, my pretties. I started a shawl: the Swedish Heartwarmer from "Handknit for the Holidays" by Melanie Falick. I saw someone's version on Ravelry, and it looked so different in the colors she chose, that I got inspired. And, I feel so happy: I used my multi-colored homespun. And I LOVE the way it looks!

Here is a pic of the work in progress. My mods include using different charts, and making the upper portion of this in stripes using normal yarn alternating with my lumpy homespun. It's so cushy!!! I had a bit of a time figuring out measurements due to the difference in gauge in the two yarns, but that has been a learning experience. I'm also substituting some of the charts on the shawl with different ones.

Right now I'm working a (slightly adapted) chart from my new book "The Art of Fair Isle Knitting" by Ann Feitelson.

(One of my fav patterns on Rav is in this book: Hillswick Lumber. Someday I'll make that.) I had a birthday last week, and DH treated me to a shopping spree at one of my fav knit shops. I got this great book, 2 random skeins of Noro Kureyon for stashing, and 2 sets of Addi needles for the shawl. (I was in such a hurry to make this once I had the idea, I cast on with straight needles, and ran out of needle-space on the way to the store! B-day shopping came just in time!!!)

Also, for my b-day, I brought 3 bottles of wine to Friday night knitting. Heh. I didn't knit a stitch, but not b/c of the wine =D A friend who has always wanted to learn to knit was there, and I spent the whole night showing her--I think she got it. She learns really quick!

I have tried to pick up the Summer Sampler Shawl to finish the edging, now that I have yarn. (It looks like the yarn will match!!! Good thing I bought a natural color to begin with!) It's gonna take some concentration to relearn the chart symbols and the pattern repeat. Not really into it right now.

I also came to the unhappy realization that my gauge has tightened up on the Hanne Falkenberg kit (Ballerina) that I started. I got the whole left front done, then when I looked at it ON ME--it is way too short. I'm long-waisted anyway. Grrr. I may have to unravel and start over. So I put that one down too. Sigh.

Spring is finally here, I can't wait to get outside and work in the yard. Last Sunday would've been a great day to do that, but I had a scrapbooking day with DD--we spent 6 hours doing it!!! What a blast, though I do feel like I missed out on the weather! It's snowing heavily right now. Look at the great big "snowballs" that are falling from the sky!!!

Happy Spring!

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"E" is for

Estonian Lace. Oh my. Have you seen this new book? I might have to get this, as I am wild about the lily-of-the-valley lace pattern. This book has that pattern knit in every possible permutation. (I guess it's called 'nupps') It takes my breath away. I looked, but our library doesn't have it. That's okay, my LYS has it, and I looked through it Friday at knit night. Whew.


Estonian knitting sure seems to be an amazing wealth of perfected techniques! Their well-documented culture of knitting has given so much to us. I am experiencing the knit-in braid on the Bird in Hand mittens, and it's kinda neat to see how that's formed. Though I'd like it better in a looser gauge I'm sure. Just sayin'....

I'd love to investigate the other Estonian knit techniques.

E is for "energized singles." Don't you love that phrase? I want to open a martini bar with that name!!!

I got up this AM(Jan 25) at 1:15 when DH came to bed, and since I'd already slept 5 hours, I started spinning. Go figure. This was the night to do it, after a 4-6 month hiatus!

I picked up again spinning this lovely Merino 4 oz top,

and finished it up.


Then I plied it.

My lumpy crazy yarn will be a collector's item someday, I'm sure, as it is AWFUL! So irregular--I better get practicing. Once every 6 months is no way to better your technique :)

Anyway, it was fun, and I am looking forward to knitting this stuff up someday, into something warm and soft.

Maybe a hat. How far will 4 oz go in this DK-to-bulky thick/thin yarn...? My guess on the yardage after spinning--about 80 yards.

This is not something I've done before, so I'm not sure if that's accurate. But I just measured: one trip around my niddy-noddy, when wrapped correctly, yields 2 yards.

My finished yarn totalled 55 trips around the niddy-noddy, which at 2 yards each, ought to give me some 110 yds total. But the yarn was really stretched out on the niddy-noddy; once off that tool, it sprang back quite a bit. So I'm guessing my yarn to be 1-1/2 yards each trip around instead...~80 yds.

Hopefully enough for one hat :)


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Wooly update

The Republic hat from my last post. Here's the pic. Cute hat, huh? It is not too tight, so it doesn't smash my hairdo, but it sure is warm.

Update on my WIPs...

Summer Sampler Stole: here's what I finally did. I looked in many of my great books for a narrower knit edging that would take up half as much yarn. Like this:


or one of these:

From this library book:


This is not my preference though, as it would require frogging the many hours of knitting I've already done on the original edging. I'm extremely reluctant to rip out all that effort. So yesterday, I went instead to Yubina.com, where I had purchased my original yarn from, and ordered the same item number that I'd gotten before. It should be here in short order. And if the yarn doesn't match, I'll have to follow my backup plan of frogging and re-knitting a narrower edge. I'll cry if I have to do that though!

My newest WIP is my Bird in Hand mittens from Kate Gilbert. First cuff:

I'm loving the colorwork, and I'm actually getting gauge with this. However, I'm not a big fan of knitting with worsted weight yarn on size 1 needles! I will most certainly have tendonitis when I'm done. Next time I use this pattern, it will be DK or sport weight on 4's or 5's. But this is making an ironclad fabric! Your hands won't be cold in these mittens.

Next up is: Junie Moon's bandage drive--knit or crochet a cotton bandage (4 feet by 3 inches) to send to lepers in Vietnam. There are links regarding this story at her blog--it seems a touching thing to knit.

If I had a knitting machine, I'd crank out lots of these for charity. Seems like that would be more efficient. But I don't have a knitting machine. So I'm knitting one "prayer bandage" for someone who I hope it will comfort. If you want to participate in Junie's bandage drive, better hurry. She needs your bandages by Feb 14.... I'm thinking superbowl knitting!

That's all the yarny news for now, folks.