A Better Way

                                                              * Pruned Tree *

After reading Yarn Harlot's post (2/7/11) about sorting her needles, and after having cleaned my house really good, gotten a shower and consequently read the aforementioned post while listening to the Soul Channel on XM Radio (Al Green - Love & Happiness, Smokey Robinson - Special Occasion, Dramatics - Whatcha See) gave me so much inspiration that I almost choked.  I'm not kidding.  And you know what happens when I get inspired, don't you?
Empty whirling chair followed by a curl of smoke where I was sitting, and maybe a few feathers settling to the ground (picture Tweety Bird's cage swinging) and there I am in the garage looking, digging, flinging things until I find what it is I'm looking for.  There it is, the leftover bit of quilted fabric from making my husband an amp cover, and the piece of checkered fabric I've been saving for over 15 years because I just really, really like it.

I WILL make a needle roll.  I have to.  It's not even 3 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm off today and my work is done.  So I Googled the term needle roll/case and came up with this page: the one that made me choke.
Because I'm a born-organized person, and I love knitting and have a jar full of needles sitting on the shelf in my office, the writing is clearly on the wall. 

It must be said that my spinning wheel is being used a lot lately.  This curry colored wool is beautiful to spin but full of little 'bits' that I have to pick.  I don't think they are second cuts, and the crimp is really fine so they must just be small 'bits' that didn't get carded. Could be...

It's still a little greasy and I promise you that I spent a good deal of time washing this stuff last summer and spring.  I suppose at some point the grease will come out, but you should see my hands when I've done a bunch of spinning.  They're almost shiny with lanolin.  Not all bad this time of year, and especially for a girl who cleans houses. .

And while we're on the subject of cleaning house, I have to say a brief shout out to the folks I clean for during the week.  Three of them are up for Grammy awards this week!  Woo Hoo! 
Tomorrow I'll actually be babysitting then trying out a new pizza/Italian restaurant with my husband in a town called Smyrna, of the acclaimed TV show, "CSI Smyrna".

Little Smitty

When I started blogging in October of 2004, it was all the rage to have a little mascot in your posts.  Some crafty bloggers bordered on the ridiculous with their creative use of props.  At the time I had been given a wooden human mannequin (lg) as a gift that seemed perfect for my new blog mascot.  We nicknamed him Smitty.

                                                    (Smitty, Sr. 2005)
Since that time I've hardly used him in any of my pictures.  I did knit a couple of sweaters for him, and he was featured in a few posts but today I thought I'd bring in his cohort.
Meet Little Smitty.  He was a gift a few years ago that I kept at my desk when I worked for a law firm.  My co-workers would engage him in various poses and make things out of sticky notes for him to hold.  I've been wanting to make a sweater for him (why is this not a girl?) and I decided today was the day!

The design is from a Christmas ornament pattern that I adjusted for his diminutive stature.  (Don't say anything - he's kind of sensitive!) I reduced all the proportions by about 1/3.  

Cast on 18 (divisible by 3 and 2) for a three inch circumference; big enough to pull over his head.

The needles are size three Inox and I made the yarn at spinning group last year when we had a yarn toss. It's made by mixing various types of fiber that we carded and spun just to see what we came up with.  The blend has enough angora to create a halo with lots of warmth for a wooden mannequin.

I noticed something when doing the raglan sleeve increases.  After every row of increases, there's a plain row of knitting.  Almost like a rest.  It helps to stabilize the jogs made by each increase.  The purpose of increasing stitches gradually is to make the finished project smooth and in my opinion, more manageable.  Once again, I've learned a life lesson from my fiber.  When life expands, we sometimes need a little rest before the next increase.  When we are called upon to grow, we almost always need to take a breather before we can handle another one.  I know many people who are going through some trying circumstances and I'm sure they would agree that a little recoup before the next go-around is always helpful!

To Tell the Truth

Here is the finished French Press cozy.  It's not the original, but more like a template, or practice run.  I'm no longer inspired to make the one with the great colors, but this satisfied the itch.

Flat knitting in Fair isle stitch is tough, I'm here to tell you.  What a challenge!  You definitely need stitch markers and a sticky not to keep your place on the chart.

I still haven't put the buttons on (safety pins for now) but they are coming.

I also did my swatch for the week.  This is done with Riverstone yarn  by Louet in 'Mustard'.

I used the Zephyr acrylic needles from Knit Picks, and I think they're size 8.  Stitch pattern is called 2/2 Garter stitch rib from the book, "400 Knitting Stitches".

And I planted my lettuce last weekend, while we had a bit of warm weather.  The ground was still frozen, but I made-do with planters!  Am I clever or what??

So proud of myself for getting these seeds in the soil before the next snow came (today).  I will be glad I planned ahead when spring gets here!!


In the last few months I've started watching the show Lie To Me, and so have a lot of other people I know, apparently.  It's such fun to watch the innocent be vindicated and the liar be exposed.  Not that we don't all lie, but some can tell hum-dingers without batting an eye.  The TV show explains how our body language gives us away.
"No, I love your new hair do!"
"Really, honey, those 'jegging' pants don't make you look fat."  You get the idea.

I can say that without much equivocation, a liar bothers me just about more than anything else in this world.  I don't care if you fail, if you're mistaken or if you're just downright lazy, if you'll just tell me the truth to my face.  But when I hear about someone telling a bold face, out and out, 100 percent flat out lie, it makes me angry.  And the thing that makes a lie just a little bit worse, is when someone else knows about the lie and does nothing about it.   My husband will tell you, that's where I draw the line.  I have lost all patience at that point, and I'm a pretty patient person.
I heard about a liar getting 'caught' this week and I'll have to say, there was a sigh of relief from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.  And I'm so proud of the person who did the confronting.  I know it was not easy, but it shows an awful lot of courage to take on a liar.  They are usually pretty good at weaseling out of things, so it takes a bit of skill and the grace of God to get the truth out of a dishonest person.  Bravo!

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!