Remember when?

Remember when I used to go to spinning group?  Remember when I used to post pictures of knitting and roving and spinning wheels in motion?  Remember when I had a social life?

Well, it's a new year and I am taking back the reins of my calendar!  I went to spinning group yesterday and had a very good time.  Its been so long I had trouble remembering which street my friend's house was on.  I even passed the subdivision and had to turn around.  But I made it. We had a great group of spinners & knitters with four wheels whirring all at once. Someone said we must have lowered the room temp by a few degrees, and it was probably true!  What a comforting sound. :-)

Here are the pics with no real descriptions - they speak for themselves.

 

After a great time with my spinning pals, I embarked on another adventure: ladies night!
A friend of mine invited me to come join her and another friend for dinner and a movie (my husband was with her husband for the evening!) so I said in a word, YES.  In two words, heck yes!
So glad I did, but was not sure about the long drive home.  Slept well last night and am ready to plant some lettuce seeds today!!!!!!!!
Yes, it's warming up into the 50's today, which means no snow and no frozen ground in the vegetable patch.  I really should get some soil enhancers, but I doubt I'll do it.  I am way too ready to be outside!  You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl.

Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside. 

I mentioned above that I was taking back the reins of my calendar.  I have to say, I don't know what happens when you are a woman and a mom, but somehow obligation and guilt begin to control every single decision you make about every single thing.  You can't ever get away from those nagging thoughts that are so numerous and loud. Thoughts that leave zero room for personal freedom.  And when you do decide to do something totally selfish and me oriented, you don't last long.  Eventually it will happen.  The inevitable bubble burst where guilt and obligation raise their silly cartoon heads and remind you that someone somewhere is going to disapprove of what you're doing.  Someone somewhere will try to talk you out of your 'dream' or fantasy.  I learned one thing from my therapist a few years ago.  You have to give yourself permission.  

So here I go.  I'm giving myself permission, today!!

French Press Cozy

Okay, I finally, finally found some inspiration.  I have kept this picture bookmarked for probably two years and always thought it would make a great fair isle project.

I was pondering yesterday what I did/did not want to knit.  Socks or gloves? No; not two of anything.
Scarf? Too much of a commitment.  Hat? Not feelin' it.
I wanted something with some interest that was small but that I would only have to knit once.

Then it hit me like I'd won the lottery. Light bulb burning in my head, I found the bookmarked picture and picked these three yarns from my stash.

Excited, I started right away on the project with the naivete of a ten year old girl.  It was going so well, even though I could see it would need some serious blocking when I was finished.  I even scanned, printed and colored a graph for continuity.  But it soon became apparent that I would have to frog it.  The cozy was loose and the pattern would need some tweaking, because of a silly mistake I had made.

Then the point of no return came when I realized I hadn't allowed for the handle.  Oh - My - Gosh.  Like making a sweater with no armholes. What a complete and total testament to my jumping the gun!  I can hear the ref call "Off Sides" and see yellow flags being thrown all over the place.
So I went to Ravelry and looked up French Press Cozy and got enough hits to realize this could not be knit in the round, and I did NOT want to do argyle on straight needles.  Not really.

I recently listened to the Belle of the Ball podcast where she gets a cup of French Press coffee.  I am definitely a Starbucks kind of girl (aka snob) and I don't like the grounds that a French Press leaves in your cup. Ewww.  But the idea of making a cozy for a coffee maker is much better than making a matching set of cozies for your bathroom potty.  Don't you think?  And the colors in this Fair Isle project are so pleasing to me.   I love neutral tones and natural colors!  Perfect project for another snowy week!

Expiration Dates

The last few days have been full and busy, but in a good way.  My birthday was yesterday and we've had out of town company so there was  food to fix,with a few trips to town and some re-arranging cars in the driveway so folks could  get in and out of the garage.  (All good problems to have and I'm extremely thankful.)  One of the best birthdays ever!I still have some leftover chocolate cake on the table and there are sheets to wash in the laundry room, but I'm not about to start them till Monday.

I have only knitted a little swatch with this yarn but I'm determined to post something of knit-value before the week is out.  Otherwise, I'm a complete failure as a knit-blogger.

The stitch is called the Rose Hip Stitch, and is not reversible in case you ask.  The needles are size 6 Harmony.  The Elsebeth Lavold yarn is call pine green/014 on this website, but I'm calling it teal.  The first picture above is a truer color representation, FYI. 

I'd like to do something with this white worsted yarn, that's been in the garage for years, literally.  There's no expiration date on the label (what label?) but I'm sure it needs to be used up.  

I have turned 46 and my expiration date is still a long way off, even though I'm pooped today.   We shopped and ran around yesterday, as they say.  After a good long trip to Hobby Lobby for the girls, I walked out to the parking lot to bring the car to the front of the store to pick up the gang.  No can do.  Car won't start.

So I call DH, who doesn't answer.  My DDIL says she can get my car jumped off, since we also had my daughter's car with us, and both of us had jumper cables.  Before too long, the damage was done and we were on our way back home.  All the fellas were watching a movie and had no idea we were even late getting back.  They knew we girls were shopping and talking and have fun, so in the end, there was no harm done.
I did start my car today and let it run a while, just to be sure my battery was good for tomorrow.  It is good, by the way.
I'm trying to stay warm, and I see the weatherman is forecasting more snow this week.  It is good to have all this snow, because I will be more thankful than ever when it gets hot this summer.  I just wish I could have one warm day to plant my lettuce.  It should have been in the ground by the 15th and I'm way behind.  Oh me!

Don't Hold Your Breath

Just because things appear one way, doesn't necessarily mean that's the way they are or the way they'll stay.  For a short period of time, a little more than 24 hours, I've had nothing on the needles.  I have tried to remember if there is something, anything, anywhere that I have started to knit and put aside.   I am not kidding when I tell you there is absolutely nothing on the needles right now.  For REAL!  Nothing waiting to be finished.  And I can't find a shred of inspiration. Pooh.

So I am thinking about as fast as all the little mice in my brain can pedal; trying to come up with something to start.  I have a couple of ideas but I'm just not convinced yet.  One is this hat from Fossil with ear flaps, white with cables and the ear flap ties are braids like an Indian girl.  Lovely in solid white.  (That's behind door number one!)

Still thinking about the other possibilities. What might possibly be behind doors #2 and 3.

It could be because I'm really preoccupied with something.  I have some special company coming in tomorrow.  To say that I'm happy would be an understatement.  I'm giddy.  We've grocery shopped this evening and I made arrangements to be off work tomorrow afternoon in order to be home before they get here. I'm also off Friday.  PTL!  So I'm just gonna have to sit down with a good book tonight before bed and try to concentrate on Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage.  She's a very good writer by the way. 
Also, I've noticed that guy DaVinci paints pretty good, too.  I like the one with the girl smiling.

Hummingbird

After I received the Yarn of the Month samples for January, I decided to knit a swatch each week to try out stitches while deciding what I thought about the yarn.  This weekend I knitted the Eyelet stitch with the Vintage yarn from Berroco.

It was so pretty in color and the swatch turned out very nice.  It's a soft yarn with good stitch definition.  I used my plastic size 7 needles from a thousand years ago.

I bought them in the early days after 9/11 when you didn't know what kind of needles they'd allow on planes.  Now they still can't decide but bamboo seems to make it through the radars pretty well, FYI!

I also closed the heel and toe of the Gold slippers for my DH, and started the second one.  It's just such an easy thing to knit, that getting to the kitchener stitch doesn't even phase me.  No fear, no dread!  How about that?

I spun some more of the coral wool that's carded in the little basket by my wheel.  I heard the song by Seals & Crofts called Hummingbird and it really made me think of this wool.
 
I took some marvelous pictures of a hummingbird on a trip I took to Central America last spring.  The bird just sat on a large bush and waited for us to shoot picture after picture.  He came back almost every morning.


If you haven't been noticing my 'tree' pictures, then you're probably not a regular reader of my blog.  (I think about four people read this, but it hasn't slowed me down yet!)

It has been hard to capture good pictures without them looking like a silhouette, so I guess that's what's meant to be.  It's just that time of year, and the sun isn't out very much right now.  I'm enjoying the cold weather though; it's crisp and breezy most days and keeps me moving.  Not all bad, really.

iT sNOWeD aLOT tHIS wEEK

Monday we were pretty much snowed in, Tuesday was better (they plowed our street Mon. night) so you could get out if you had to, Wednesday and Thursday I went to work on very clean but still-getting-snowed-on streets.  I looked out the window this morning and the snow has still not melted.  When I got home yesterday, I found a little surprise out in my back yard when I went to dump the compost bucket. 

 (this one's not mine but illustrates my point)
We have two heating/cooling units; one for upstairs and one for downstairs.  The upstairs unit was completed wrapped with snow, inside and out.  All the lines were covered with about an inch of snow and ice and it was not twirling at all.  Normally there is some movement, but I think it had given up at least 24 hours prior.  So I spent a couple of hours scraping, dousing, and blow drying the whole she-bang.  If I could have said last rites over it, it would have been appropriate.  Today I'm hoping for a miracle.  A resurrection if you will.  I'm praying for my little upstairs unit to come to life, so I won't have to call the heating and cooling undertaker.  :-(

The other night my DH asked if I had any of my grandmother's old knitted slippers that he could wear.  I found an old pair of socks, but there was a little puff of smoke where I had been standing, once I handed them over.  You know it girl!  I was in the garage at the speed of light, finding some yarn to knit him some of "Granny's Slippers".

The thing I always hated about them was that there was a big hole in each toe.  What's up with that?? Why would anyone design slippers with a hole in each one, on purpose?  So, I started the slippers at the back, going back and forth, and switched to knitting in the round from the instep to the toe.  I will do decreases and maybe even a Kitchener Stitch closure.  Either way, I am bound and determined to build a better mouse trap!

The yarn is of course acrylic.  Gold, cause I'm out of the navy from the Kinder Mitts.  I had bought three skeins of yarn a few years ago when my daughter was in art school.  Her classmate was doing a fashion design project and needed some knitted hats (I think... I can hardly remember!) so I still have the leftovers in my stash.  I'm using my new needles from Knit Picks; the nickle plated circular, size 7. Actually I've already started the ribbing, so I'm now using bamboo DPNs, same size.

Granny always finished off each pair with an alternate color crochet trim and a pom pom.  Should I?  I'm not sure my husband would find the pom poms so cute, but it would at least give them a little more bling! 

I did quite of bit of carding and spinning on my two snow days this week.  Here's what I carded.

Selection includes Midnight Blue, Coral, Peacock, Bronze (looks yellow), and Terra Cotta.

It may not look like much, but this is about the equivalent of half a fleece! I crammed a lot of wool in these two containers.
 I also did a little spindle spinning and spun and plied a whole hank of 3 ply yarn, perfectly balanced of course.

And I spent some time on the Spin Off Spin/Knit eMag that my sister bought for me. Beautiful!
You see, there's still some good that comes from every kind of weather!

What matters to a spinner who knits

It's so important to knitters to have a yarn that feels good against your skin and that is aesthetically pleasing.  The same holds true for spinners who knit, but with the added requirement that the yarn be organic.  Most spinners want to know what their yarn is made of and usually want to know the number of plies in the yarn.

Those things don't always matter to non spinners but can play a role. The make up of the yarn influences the care of the garment being made and the appropriateness of the gift for the person you're knitting for.  It's understood that most knitting ends up being a gift, and baby gifts should never be dry clean only.  You see my point. Better yarns (those with organic or exotic fibers) require more care and attention!

 I feel the same way about people.  I am very interested in where people come from and what they're made of.  The outside matters and is interesting but I like to get to know people's background and history.  I think it really plays a role in who they are.  I told a friend today that no matter how bad you think your parents were, they must have done something right in raising you, otherwise you wouldn't care about it at all in the first place.  You are probably the result of a few tears and sleepless nights, even if you didn't witness them.

When I'm knitting yarn, I'm very aware of what went into the making of that yarn.  You can tell if a fleece was exposed to too much sun (while on the sheep's back!), if there was not good nutrition or if the sheep went through a lot of stress before being sheared.  There will be weakness in the fibers and they may break easily.  I believe people are the same way.  If they tend to break easily, they may have gone through some significant stress or not received all the nourishment they should have. It's important to remember that we all need a little grace and forgiveness now and then!

Here my friend, is the finished pair of Kinder Mitts, made entirely of acrylic yarn!  Starring Plymouth size 5 bamboo DPNs, Fibertech wooden cable needle, and a pink stitch holder I got from my mother in law when she was still alive.  All of these humble elements went into these now award winning fingerless mittens.  They probably have some serious super-hero powers, if you want to try them on!

The Postman Rang Twice

It's snowing today but that is not a problem for me; I have two wonderful surprises to keep me company this morning (aside from my friends the Cardinals - click the photo to see Mr. C ).

This week there were two deliveries left at my house.  One was a complete surprise as I was heading to the grocery store. The large envelope was thin and I thought it was probably my two packs of lettuce seeds, which I would not be able to get to until we have a sunny day that coincides with a day off for me.  Instead it was this!!!!!
 The first installment from my yarn of the month club!

I felt like that little pig on the Geico commercial with the pinwheel, all the way to the grocery store.  I couldn't wait to get home and play with my new samples.

Today I knit the first of the swatches.

This is the stitch I chose from my book, 400 Knitting Stitches.  It's call the Andalusian stitch. Perfect for a swatch.  The yarn is call Princess by Filanda; 100% wool and the colorway is #089.

The needles I used were from my second surprise delivery, which came yesterday.  Bought with some Christmas moo-lah!  It's a Knit Picks circular needle sampler containing  size 6 Harmony wood, size 7 nickle plate and size 8 Zephyr acrylic set(s) of points with two 24" cables and the little plastic stoppers for holding your work.

Dear hubby brought it to me last night while I was getting ready for our 'date night'.   He saw my face light up and asked what he could do in the future to elicit that kind of response.  "Buy me more of these!!"

For Christmas I also received an Amazon gift card which I used for a new Kindle book by Agatha Christie.  I had been reading a large history based novel but after 300 pages I have decided to put it away.  Too steamy and not enough suspense for my taste.  

Since you asked

It's been so cold and gray outside today, I think I might as well pretend I live in the Pacific Northwest.  The weather there is supposed to be wet and cold, and it sure feels like that's the way its gonna be here for a while, you know?  So, IF I lived in a really cold, snowy climate, I would probably knit like crazy.  Okay, sounds like a plan to me!

I have been blazing trails with the Kinder Mitts.  They are really easy to knit and the yarn/needle pair up is perfect.  I'll post an update photo next time!

Hubby asked me last night if I've done any spinning lately and I told him no, that I just don't have anything carded right now and it takes several hours to card enough to spin.  I said I'd love to card some in the garage today, but he reminded me that the weather forecast was for pretty cold weather and the garage gets very chilly this time of year.  He said I should just card inside.  Huh?  Inside?  I can testify that whenever I bring that stuff inside, it's only a matter of minutes before I start to hear sneezing in various rooms in the house.  Yet he said he wouldn't mind.  What a saint! 

So guess what I did today.  Go ahead, just guess.  (sigh!) You're exactly right.  I carded wool. Coral wool to be exact!!!

Isn't it lovely?  And there is the previous bobbin I spun several weeks ago, sitting on top of the batts.

I also did a little sample of this medium dark peacock blue.  Very, very soft but lots of VM.  If you click the photo, you can see it in the bag to the right of the carder.  (I had to run the vacuum after I finished, in case you wondered!)  By the way, I was the one who was sneezing today! LOL!

Happy New Year!

There is nothing like a fresh start!  It is wonderful to have traditions and holidays but it's equally wonderful to put things away and start new things.  I promised to share the lovely trees with you as part of my resolutions so here are two, one from the front yard and one from the back.

The weather is cold and gray today, after a little warm weather Friday and Saturday.  We had a very quiet, private New Year's Eve celebration; when I got home from work my husband brought home some great Chinese take-out.  It was perfect!  I had spent the day at three different places.  One was the home of a wealthy lady who needed help taking down her Christmas decorations. She is well connected and told us some incredible stories including a New Years party she went to where some professional athletes were more like gangsters if you know what I mean....
The last stop was to help a couple set up for a party.  They were cooking in the kitchen and needed help setting out table linens and washing wine glasses.  They are also well connected, as they are both famous and have lots of friends.  After a not so leisurely drive home, my quiet dinner at home with hubby was just right!

So, back to knitting!  I am going to allow the pictures to tell you the thousand words I can't think of to say.

Kinder Mitts Progress - step by step

You may have wondered if I had determined somewhere along the way if there was enough yarn to do the second Kinder Mitt.  Proof positive:

Amount of yarn needed for mitt: approx. 1.3 ounces. Amount of yarn left on skein? C4URself.

So there you have it. Cables, thumb gusset, cast off and all while I listened to the Belle of the Ball podcast. ##121, 122, & 125 where she mentions our local Cannonsburgh Harvest Days and Fiber Festival from October (I'm behind on the podcasts!).

I will tell you the rest of my resolutions in no particular order. 

Photograph trees

Go to movies with spouse

Update Ravelry posts every month

Quit smoking cigars

Stop going to monster truck events 

(Okay, the last two won't be a problem, really, but I needed to pad the list so it looks legit.) 

On Purpose

Do you remember way back when, in the olden days, before Christmas when I started these fingerless mitts?

Well, since I've really truly completed the infinity scarf for my daughter, and closed the toe on the second Pebble Beach sock, there was only one thing left to do - grab the UFO basket and get busy!

This yarn may be acrylic, but it is super soft and cushy and springy; so much so that I found myself holding the mitt in my hand every time I evaluated the progress.
I knitted over twenty rows tonight while watching a documentary about the Kindertransport. It was very good to watch but out of nowhere, at the very end, a quote by a survivor made me break down and cry. He said he knew he survived because there was a purpose for his life.
I guess I'll just have to name these mitts the Kinder-Mitts.  I'm sure it's a perfect name.

The holiday season is almost over, as New Year's Eve is tomorrow night.  That means it's time for my resolutions list to be finalized.   I have a few that I'll go ahead and mention.  One I mentioned before, is that I'd like to go to more 'real' movies in the future.  Another is the subject of my photography.  I think I'll be focusing on trees this year.  Two years ago were sunsets and last year was clouds.  This year's topic should be a breeze.

I have begun to receive those glorious and welcome seed catalogs, and they are beautiful.

Cooks Garden has the lettuce I'm looking for, and Burpee has lots of good veggies.  I feel so wanted when they all send me their catalogs at once!!!!