Category: Blog

It came yesterday close to 6pm, I am on the end of every delivery route around here. But that is okay, it teaches me patience. I marked all the pages of the colorwork patterns that will defenitely have to be made into some things!

Persian Poppies, the shawl design

I didn’t look at the name of the next one, I was so tired I just stared happily at it for a while. At one point a few years ago I would have taken the picture into a tattoo artist & had it done, full back, with some changes. I love lotus flowers!

So here is the plan. Finish the Jefferson sweater, come up with a color plan & start swatching the persian poppies for a shawl pattern. Although the more I look at the lotus flowers the more I like them. When the time comes we’ll see! I say that a lot don’t I? Well, that is just how I work. Don’t plan too far ahead you never know what life is going to throw at you!

Going through some of my stash yesterday I came across something I completely forgot I had! Rowan Cotton Tape & the cotton tape book.  I bought them to make Carla

That is the perfect summer sweater! I have it on my chair waiting to be cast on. that is a very portable project so I don’t feel bad casting on when Jefferson still needs a front!

And last but not least, I leave you with the attack of the snails shot!

While weeding we found a snail nesting ground. Once their home was disturbed they decided to move on out! They are crossing the patio to who knows where. The larger ones have little ones piggyback. Almost cute! Of course, the kids just wanted to keep them all as pets, all named Gary.

Let’s just be honest, once I knew last weekend there was no way to get George’s sweater, the Jefferson,  done in time for his trip this Friday I gave up knitting full speed on it. I am still knitting it. Actually it is the only hand knit project I am working on at the moment. I have the crocheted granny square blanket but I put that aside in hopes of finishing the Jefferson. Unfortunately the knitting machine has temporarily taken over. Yesterday I messed around trying different yarns, most of which did not work out so well. So I broke out a bunch of different cone yarns to try. I found a super-winner!

100 stitches by 400 rows in just under 2 hours!! Once I get the edging finished I will take a picture wearing it so you can see the size, it’s the perfect large shawl!

Last night Suzanne, Tracy & I met for some coffee, knitting & Ross. Surprise! We ran into Summers & Jayme out for dinner! It was a nice surprise, they had been to Solvang and Summers had on the cutest windmill solvang t~ I am so jealous & getting myself one dammit!

Suzanne came bearing gifts, which always makes me want to yell Yippee!!! She gave me a poncho/capelet that she made and found it was the wrong size. I love it!! And it smells so good, Suz, you always smell soooo goooood!!!!

Isn’t it so pretty with the greens, so many greens! I have never met another with my love of all things green!

My dad loved his felted clogs! They were a tad too big but that is the good thing about felted gifts! They are easily resized.

I need to finish my sisters socks that are a just because gift. I need to get the lace scarf for my mom finished before Mother’s Day. I am making the Trellis Scarf using Knitpicks  Gossamer in color Red Hat. 

Other than that I am free to do whatever I want. I will finish the Jefferson sweater before I start anymore sweaters. It may be tough not to cast on for the Vogue microspun sweater.

We had a nice, relaxing but eventful weekend here at our house! Tracy & I had plans, big plans, for our Saturday; lotion making and machine knitting! We first (I should say Tracy, I was busy with work junk) got the machines all set up on the table out in the play room.

Then we decided we would go to our original plan of making lotion bars first thing, then spend the rest of the day, maybe night, knitting charity blankets.

Tracy has made the lotion bars before & they were very well received so we decided to make them again but different shapes this time. Using ice cube trays and fresh cut lavendar flowers & leaves we made us some bars!

Don’t they look fabulous?? So creamy and pretty with their lavendar and orange essential oils. They make me happy! So does my new table cloth they are on. Ross, of course!

Once they were poured & cooling we went back out to the playroom for our extended knit-a-thon. Jayme had given me a ton of donated yarn, mostly red heart but all acrylics, a year or so ago to store & use. We thought it was damn time we got rid of some of it! We have all said over & over how we should use it up on charity blankets & items & then it doesn’t happen. So we got on the ball!

Mind you, Sadie took most of my pictures and didn’t realize that the camera was set on closeup shots not distance so they are all blurry. Sorry ’bout that.

Here are Tracy & I hunched over my machine while she shows me just how NOT to do some things! Gee, I wonder why our backs hurt so much! You can go to Tracy’s blog to see better, more clear pictures of the whole event also.

That is the first blanket that I did, over halfway done. I did have a bit of a hard time on the first half of this blanket. I had to learn the mechanics of the machine, how much tension to hold when and just how the machine feels while it is knitting.

How nifty is that?? A row counter, it’s too bad we can’t use it on our regular knitting, every time you pass it up it keeps count, Genius!

Here is the pink blanket being bound off. I like this part, Tracy does not. So we would swap, I would bind hers off while she cast on my next blanket. Nice huh?? We so compliment eachother!

So here is the sum of 6 hours of machine knitting. 4 charity blankets, 2 girl (I made those, the 2 pinks on the back of the couch), 2 boy (Tracy made those, the 2 blues on the arm of the couch to the left) and finally Tracy made herself half of a blanket, 3’x6′, using some awesome cotton yarn, that is the stripy blanket on the couch cushions. She will do the other half of it another time, we are a tad bit machine knitted out. Although I do still have one set up in the playroom & I will be doing a bit more knitting with the machine until I just can’t stand it anymore. I am thinking shawls, a couple more charity blankets and then some washcloths, dishcloths, handtowels.

I will finish off those 4 charity blankets with some crocheted edges, wash them and iron the hell out of them to get the curl out of the edges. The machine knits them so tight that even after an edge & washing they will have a tendency to roll in. I think the colors are HORRID but I am very pleased that we did something we have been talking about for years!

I posted a new photo to Photosnotknitting.

I received a comment today from KKF, she directed me to this book.

I can’t get the picture to copy but trust me, it’s the same colorwork and pattern as THE shawl! I ordered the book & will receive it shortly!

Yippee! Now to make myself a shawl chart once I get the book!

Thank you so much Julie for the guidance in the comment!

Has anyone ever seen this pattern in a book/magazine/website before??

I am desperate to make it! I think I even have enough yarn for it I just NEED the pattern! I found the picture on a danish blog today & George isn’t home to translate for me. I don’t see a link to a pattern or even a pattern name so I am hoping that I can have George leave a comment for me to get the answer but I thought I would try here too!

EDIT

I did find the designers website and now I just need George to help me find how to purchase the pattern or book. She has amazing work! Go look!

Firstly, I finished a pair of clogs for my father’s birthday next week.

Using the felted clog pattern and lamb’s pride worsted weight yarn in navy and olive, these are the unfelted clogs.

Secondly, here they are felted

Happy Birthday Dad!! Finally done!

Thirdly, the lovely ups man dropped off  a package & in it was the pencil roving I ordered off of Ebay from the Chenille Yarn Shop (link on the right sidebar). Janice is great with fast shipping and good service.

You can get a better idea of the gauge of the yarn in my hand

The cone is 3 lbs so I have quite a bit. Now the dilemma, do I spin it or just knit the roving? I bought it to just knit the roving & that is what I will try first. But the idea of getting more out of it by spinning it makes the thrift-ho in me happy. We’ll just have to wait & see, won’t we?

I posted a new photo to apad2.

It’s overcast & rain is looming, again! I don’t want to do housework or cleaning of any kind. The kids are finally back at school & it’s quiet….sssshhhhh……

See? Isn’t that nice? Coffee is good, knitting is not so bad.

I am about 3″ away from being finished with the back of Jefferson. Then I will cast on the sleeves & work both at once. I like doing that with any cabled or lace sleeves. I like my increases to match row for row.

The new Knitty came out today. I am not so thrilled. Only pattern that got printed was the nauties. The boys will love to play with them all through the summer! I would like to make them water friendly but I am not sure what I should use for stuffing that would dry quickly. Huh, that’s a question!

I also worked on the homespun granny square blanket a little bit last night.

It’s now 45″ across.

This is a project that will use most of the homespun in my stash (plus 4 balls that I bought this last week on sale at Michaels). It’s not a gorgeous piece of work, well I think it’s fantastic, but it’s going to be so useful! I love homespun for blankets! Yummy soft. Who knows how big it will be at the end! It already takes me over 20 minutes to do one round!

I also went through all my stash yarn & have a crapload to take Thursday to the swap/sale at Java Station knitting. Most will be free but there will be a few that I ask some $$ for. Not much mind you. I didn’t spend that much on them. Most I have made something with and it’s what is left over that will be free. It’s George’s birthday on Thursday so I won’t be there for the whole night but we’ll pop in at some point to see what’s swappin’.

Why do I always have my camera with me at knitting but I never take any photos?? Lamo!

By the way, I have requested, very vehemenetly may I add, that for Mother’s Day I get a new camera. An ad, with photo, were given to my man last weekend so he has plenty of time to get it taken care of! Now, if I don’t get said camera I will still love him but I will be rather disappointed. I have been using the oldest, cheapest ($70 back in 2000) digital camera. It does what I want most of the time but that is only because I know it’s limitations and I don’t stretch them.

On to knitting!

Java Station was fun last night. We are going to do another swap of knitting stuff next week if anyone want to join in the fun & de-stash! It’s George’s birthday so I can’t stay but I may have Tracy bring my stuff, cones of yarn that I am sure noone wants but will try to get rid of. ;o)

If you do want to bring anything you can always post on the santabarbaraknitters site to advertise what you are bringing. Books, knit items you don’t want or wear anymore, yarn, accessories, etc.

I have been working on the Rowan sweater, Jefferson, for George. The back is now 10 inches long, whew! I did get some more rows done on the granny square blanket the other night so I thought I would share.

It’s funky, I will say that! I am just going until I have no more homespun so it may end up pretty large & that is alright by me! Right now I would say it’s about 28″ across. I am standing on my footstool to get the picture. Bad light, old camera, not a chance at getting a focused picture.

I came across this pattern

 and I think I am in love! How fun is that? Crazy stripes in the center yet still masculine! And the stripes are my favorite color combination. mmmm…..okay he’s pretty nice to look at too.