Interest in Pinterest

Like so many other gals who love Pinterest, I'm finding lots of inspiration from a site I found recently.  Its a tutorial on how to make a little knitting-on-the-go bag.  I loved it when I saw it; I had to make it!

For those of you who don't know about Pinterest, its a virtual community bulletin board. Lots of people have gotten on board (pun intended), including businesses and commercial entities.  Its a great way to get your "stuff" seen by lots of people, and marketing folks love it because it helps them to see what's hot and what's not.
Women are brutal, by the way, and its mostly women on Pinterest, so be forewarned!

On the positive side of pinning, you can find inspiration on all kinds of topics, and you can learn a lot from some pretty smart people.  I love it.  And I love this little knitting bag.  Like I said, I had to make it.

finished knitting on the go bag!

flat circles sewn together with strap

Golden Grommets (sounds like a band name, looks like a flounder!)

I bought the materials yesterday during my "me" time.  I had a blast shopping and browsing, even buying what I need to make another project, a jewelry roll.

A jewelry roll is a small travel accessory used for carrying your jewelry safely and without tangles.  But mostly its just another cute thing to bring along when you travel.

In case you haven't noticed, women love pretty luggage and will pay a fortune for a Louis Vuitton bag or suitcase.  Its status, if nothing else.  Ms. Kardashian sets the bar high, and its not surprising to have the suitcase cost more than the clothes inside. (What's wrong with that?)

So I've started a new knitting project, socks made of scrap yarn!
Here's my inspiration photo:

(I have these exact shoes, a present from a dear friend who moved far away. )

And here's the sock I've been working on. Shorter than the inspiration photo, obviously.

I'm definitely in the homestretch, getting close to the toe. 

What's next?

What a year this has been!  As a knitter, you're always looking toward the next project and always feeling a sense of anticipation.  Since the first of the year, I've been thinking baby thoughts and doing baby knitting.
And wrapping up lots of projects recently makes me wonder what's next, and I keep going back to the same thing. SOCKS. 

I'm ready for some one-shot knitting (okay, two shots) without any piecing together.  Without any pressing, blocking or measuring.  I want to knit something that is funky, but functional. Whimsical but wearable.  Something that inspires me but doesn't tire me.  (I feel a rap song coming on...)

Socks are great because you can choose from a gazillion different yarns, lace / rib patterns, and start with virtually no prep work.  All you need is a quick SPI gauge number and voila, you've begun.
So after we celebrate the first grandchild in the family tomorrow at the baby shower, I will probably switch gears for a month and grab a set of sock needles and some cutie-patootie yarn. Time to knit some crazy socks for fall!
 
My vegetable garden has produced some uber-fresh and tasty vegetables. The apple tree has lots of fruit but after a long drought and the heavy rains, the fruit has split and is falling off the tree a bit early.  I suppose I just need to get the ladder next week, pick all the apples and make a few apple pies.

Book wise I've been reading Agatha Christie's  And Then There Were None. Agatha said this was one of her favorites. It is the best selling mystery of all time, at over 100 million copies sold.  I didn't actually buy my copy, but borrowed it from my local library through their e-book lending system! Gotta love it.
The language, written long ago to a British audience, is thoroughly offensive today, but taken with a grain of salt, its a good read, especially when read while listening to classical music.

Containment issues

Lest you think I fell off the face of the earth, I thought I'd better write a blog post to update you on all the knitting I've been up to lately. 

The beginning - a pattern, some vintage needles and a ball of white yarn!

 I started a great little Debbie Bliss dress with some pretty small needles and a boat load of white yarn.  Yarn that I bought and made sure I bought enough so that I wouldn't run out, even after the Lord comes back.  I may be knitting in heaven, if heaven is what I think its gonna be like. :-)

blocking the back

blocked and ready for piecing

I blocked the back last night and am currently working on the front.  Its pretty straightforward now, especially after I read through the pattern.  You're always supposed to read it all the way through, before you begin.  Like the way your teacher in school said to read over the whole test before taking it.  I remember a few teachers who'd make the last question be something like, "since you followed the directions, put you name on the paper and turn it back in, and you'll get an A."
Reading through the pattern didn't get me an A, but it has cleared up the parts I didn't understand on the first half of the back. I had not read through the pattern at that time.  Lessons learned!

Little cream cardigan

I've finished blocking the pieces of the little cream cardigan sweater.  Its so sweet and I can't wait to piece it together!  Love the little sleeves and that it could possible fit a kitty cat if I had one.

pieces awaiting their big reveal!

The recent heat wave/drought has ended and now my once dead back garden is alive and well.  Dear hubby cut the grass and it looks amazing.  The vegetables have finally taken off and we are eating them daily.

squash

tomatoes

apples

banana peppers

My roses and petunias are blooming, even thriving, believing they must be in Florida now, on vacation.

Alpha male petunias, the envy of the neighbors jungle gym

Petunias with inferiority complex hanging on the fence

roses rising from the dead

Vegetables harvested and acting nonchalant by the sink.

Summer Time

A whole week away can do wonders for your outlook.  Its amazes me how hard it is for me to unplug and just relax, but the week I was in California, I did it.  We spent 6 days there and I am so much the better for it.  We visited with family and went to a wedding and acted like tourists. We went to Laguna Beach, Disneyland, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Los Angeles. We stayed in Orange County and shopped at South Coast Plaza Mall.  What a blast!  And coming home was just fine, because I'd had a chance to refresh and get my bearings straight.

San Clemente Pier Restaurant

Beverly Hills

Aunt Judy's back yard

Laguna (Pacific Coast Highway)

 *******

Now that we're back, I've started and almost completely finished my next baby project. Its a sort of template sweater on medium sized needles with worsted weight yarn.  Worsted weight yarn is not baby yarn or fine thin yarn, but neither is it bulky, chunky yarn.  For those who don't knit, its your standard, Ford or Chevy yarn.  Dependable, durable and easy to handle.

Grandma's yarn

This particular yarn is special because it came from the "estate" of my husband's mother.  She was also a knitter and there was this one skein left over from a project she'd been working on when she passed away.  She'd been making a shell-stitch throw that I completed years ago and now use in the cold months.  It's actually crochet.  The yarn is off white, and there's only the one skein so I had my fingers crossed that there would be enough for this sweater.

 Last night I finished the right front portion and all that's left is to press the sweater pieces, put them together and add the neck band.  If I run out of yarn, I can use an alternate color to add the trim, and it should look fine, but I think I'm good.  I had a panic moment last week when all looked dim and I thought I'd run out.  Not the end of the world, though.
 
I've spent quite a lot of time lately in the garage, shaping up my little spinning/carding area.  I have this great area rug from my mom's old house and it makes me think of that house every time I stand on it.  We had brick floors in those days and it was no fun to lay around on brick floors watching TV.  The house, being a beach house, needed floors that could stand a lot of wear and tear from dripping, sandy bathing suits and flip flops.  So we had these rugs all over the house. The furniture was rattan with washable cushions.  I never really gave it a second thought until I was older, but it must have been a never ending task to keep that house clean. 

Before we left for California, my husband asked a friend of ours to install some flooring in the attic above the garage for extra storage space.  It definitely made my spinning area more accessible.  What a treat to have my own personal studio!

Attic floor installation

Before clean up

After the attic floor was finished, and the boxes were cleared away, I began my "studio" clean up.
I got out the lace flyer I bought once upon a time and hitched it up to my Ashford Traveler. I played with the yarn meter I got for Christmas years ago that I couldn't seem to get working (now it does!) and set up everything including my new wool combs and drum carder so that I only have to walk in and start working.
 Like a sewing room, its dedicated to all my fiber pursuits, my lifelong yarn hobby.
Don't forget to look at the rug!

After

Baby, what a big surprise!

Today was one of those milestone days. The day I bought my first outfit for a little girl who's coming to see me real soon.  My very first grandchild!

short set on hand knit baby blanket that's waiting for satin ribbon trim

I bought the little baby short-set today while shopping for maternity clothes with my lovely daughter in law.  We had a really nice time and she picked up some serious bargains!

 And I finally got something to wear to the wedding in California. Yahoo!  So cute. 

And I am totally getting inspired to spin this great looking silk cap and roving for my next project.  Just need to get the pattern for it!

I spun up a sample and crocheted a little chain to see how it looks.  Absolutely gorgeous!

My grandmother's crochet hook

I was telling my son and his wife today about my grandmother that taught me to crochet, and my grandfather who always took me to the drug store for a toy, let me drink coffee with him and taught me to play solitaire.
Josh didn't know his great grand father had been a policeman and before that was a small business owner.  They owned a "filling station" as we called them in those days.  Gas station to those of you born after about 1970!

There's a new generation coming our way and I couldn't be happier!

California Dreamin'

Next week I'm taking a trip to the west coast with my family.  We are going to a relative's wedding, but it's a great opportunity to add a few days of sightseeing and fun. (We plan to go to Disneyland as a family.)
 I can't tell you how much I need this.  Let me say that when life hands you a few bits of citrus and you make some cool drinks, it can be fun. For a little while.  Then more citrus, a little more refreshment.  After a while, doctors tell you that your teeth can begin to erode, if you're not careful.  You know what I'm saying?  I'm so grateful for grace, mercy, patience and opportunities to grow as a person.  Looking on the bright side, counting my blessings and all that.  But sometimes you just really, really need to get away for an extended period of time.  The time is now!  Or next week, as the case may be. Hallelujah!

I had coffee yesterday with a new friend who shared with me some of her experiences of loss and her ministry as a result.  Its amazing how comforting it is to meet people who have truly compassionate hearts!  We miss out on the opportunity to learn compassion when everything is always going our way.  And its also needful to find good resources to refill your emotional tank when you're running low. My friend has that kind of ministry. 

I'm reading a great book that I'd reserved at the library a few weeks ago.  It just came in yesterday and I've got it for 3 whole weeks.  Monday Mornings by Sanjay Gupta.  Its a book about the meetings that surgeons have every so often to talk about their mistakes in a safe, private environment.  What a great concept!

I'm setting aside the book I just bought with my Mother's Day money from my father in law, Destiny of the Republic.  Very good, by the way!  I'm still working on Mornings on Horseback (Audible) and its about the same period of time as the former book mentioned.  I think Downton Abbey has got me brushing up on my turn of the century history!

There's virtually no knitting or spinning progress to report.  I've spun some white silk which looks "splendid" to borrow an adjective from Teddy Roosevelt.  I've run out of yarn for the white baby blanket and need to get some more. I can't really get to my carding and combing equipment right now.  We've been blessed to have my daughter and her husband with us for the week, while they're waiting for their new place to be ready.  Moving day is Saturday and some of their stuff is in the garage, so I'll get back to some combing when I get back from California. My husband's friend is going to make me a special table, just for my drum carder and wool combs too.  I can't wait to put it all to good use! 
We also have another houseguest for a few weeks and of course my father in law now lives with us, so we have six people in the house. Our driveway looks a bit like a used car lot at night when everybody gets home! But it's sweet to have so many loving people in our lives. We are blessed.

I don't plan to take any knitting with me on the trip.  I have done lots of alterations from my new sewing closet, and I really look forward to actually starting a new sewing project soon.  But for now, my dreams are of the west coast and sunny beaches!  Woo hoo! Time to dust off the suitcase and grab some flip flops!

The Biggest News in Years!

This week I bought something for myself that is life-changing, monumental and may even bring about world peace.  I got the biggest, baddest wool combs available. So righteous are these combs, that Iran wishes they had skipped that namby-pamby nuclear program and bought these combs instead.

We should have bought the 5 pitch English combs!  What were we thinking?

 So lethal that the CIA and some local governments are thinking of issuing permits before letting you take a pair home. Yes, they are English five pitch combs like the ones from the Middle Ages. 

Now for some background, you need to know that I've never bought combs before. Not mini combs, not  even two pitch. I've seen the videos and watched my friends use theirs, but never invested in any myself. So its like a toddler skipping the tricycle and going straight to a Harley.

But in all fairness, I don't think I made the wrong choice.  I actually think it was one of those ordained moments when everything lined up and there was a little beam of light shining on the spot where I was standing when I bought them.

So let me back up and tell you how it happened, since world peace may be at stake.  I have been curious about combs in general for years and I became interested in getting a set about three or four years ago.   I was meeting regularly with my spinning group at Susie's house,  when I would look at her wool combs and listen to her talk about how she would order a great fleece, wash it and comb the wool (as opposed to carding it) and come up with some super fine, really nice "top" (which is what the end product is called after combing). 

I'd hear others talk about the whole process and knew someday I'd buy a pair.  But being extremely frugal, as all spinners are, I have put it off for a really long time.  So on Wednesday morning, I told my husband I was going to a LYS that had just moved to a new location. He said to go ahead, and if I saw something I really wanted, to go ahead and get it. And not to worry about he price.  I told him I actually had something in mind, and he said to go for it!

Now I love this yarn shop because its the only one anywhere close by that carries real, true spinning stuff.  And my visit did not disappoint.  There was an Ashford wheel prominently displayed in the front window, and halfway back was a large table loom on top of a yarn display case.  Wow.
I said hello and congratulated Meredith on their move and said how nice the store was.  I told her I was looking to buy some wool combs and she said she only had one pair in the store. I knew this might be it.  That moment when you know you're going to throw down.

And I did.  I brought them home after meeting my son for coffee. I took him to my car   and opened the back door so he could look in the box.  He just blinked for a moment.  Anyway, they're set up in the garage now and I've already combed three different kinds of wool and spun the samples on my little Ashford spindle.  Super fine thread with no noils.  Serendipity.

Birthday Girl!

Baby mama is 28!

Last night was my daughter in law's birthday so we had the family over for supper.

Snicker cake!

My son, Josh made his sweet wife a delicious Snickers Cake.  It was awesome!! 

Josh and Amber and the cake

We have such a good time when we're together and I never, ever take these occasions for granted!

Adam and Betsy

My hubby had treated me earlier in the day to a visit to the garden center.  I endured it, I tell 'ya!  We got wicker box planters, petunias and potting mix. Just as soon as we got home, he went straight to the back yard to install the hooks to hang my planters on.

Petunia baskets

Today I got the soil and plants into the baskets.  They look so good and in a few weeks, they'll be spilling out of the baskets and wowing all the birds and squirrels that I hang out with in the back yard.

perfectly cut grass featuring newest flower bed/veg garden on right

Today I went out to survey my husband's handy work, and all of nature scattered when I opened the back door.  He had cut the grass and trimmed everything so neatly, for last night's birthday party! It looks amazing and I'm so proud of him.  He always does so many nice things for me and for so many other people.  Things most folks will never find out about, but I know.  He's a treasure.  He made sure I got a great little desk in my new sewing closet.

father and son

 He takes me out to eat if I even exhale like I'm tired.  He goes out of his way to take care of my car, make sure the trash is on the curb on Thursday night, keeps up with all the bills, and warns me when I try to do things that aren't prudent or safe.  There's nobody that's got my back like Jamie, my hero.  My knight in shining armor (blue jeans). 

The Man!

I will love this man till the day I die!

Coming out of the closet

I am such a freaky creature - I  crave order.  I'm not kidding.  I can clean and organize and forget to eat.  That's how much I crave order.

And when there's not order, I get grumpy.  When things don't belong somewhere, I am unsettled until they are in their right place.  I don't obsess (OCD) but it just bugs me and I want to make things right.
 
You know how you grab a ball point pen and it doesn't work, and you scribble on paper for a while hoping it will work and it doesn't?  And then you toss it, like its a bad pen; like someone did something wrong.  (Poor pen!) Anyway, that's how I feel when things are a mess.  If I can't fix the mess, I go somewhere else where I feel like things are in better shape.  Or someplace where I can fix things. 

So.....ever since I moved my office upstairs last summer, there has been a nagging feeling that something is just not right.  Where my spinning wheel sits, how my desk is ordered, the cramped quarters and the inability to get to things without a lot of hassle.
Today much of that has been remedied.  And it feels so good!  I have cleared out things that just don't belong in my little office.  Now I've added a sewing area to the newly emptied closet. I've got the sewing machine and Serger set up, plugged in and ready for action.  Or sewing.   All the what-not stuff that's been piled around, laying in limbo without a place to land, has been put away. Or thrown away.  Done.