9.30.10
It rains today. Weirdly beautiful. Just the right weather to learn to play the bagpipes, which we are doing. Today will be our third chanter lesson. The teacher at the center says he will bring in his hearth pipes to play for us on the last lesson day, sometime in November I think. The chanter is difficult at first. I love bagpipe music but I will probably never play a set of pipes. My chantering in a lot like barnyard animals in pain.
9.29.10
Best sleeping weather! With the windows open!
Finished a little sachet yesterday. It looks like hairpin lace but it is much simpler than that. It is a combination of knits, wraps and then dropping the wraps.
Cotton voile to make an inner liner, filled with lavender buds.
Finished and on its way to Oregon with the leaf scarf.
Finished a little sachet yesterday. It looks like hairpin lace but it is much simpler than that. It is a combination of knits, wraps and then dropping the wraps.
Cotton voile to make an inner liner, filled with lavender buds.Finished and on its way to Oregon with the leaf scarf.
9.28.10
Weather is pretty, but destined to be warm all day. Nothing new going on except a gauge swatch. I am trying out an idea for a knitted hood. No pictures today.
9.27.10
Took the button band and neckline ribbing out of the North Shore. Decided to make that part look better. It will be a great "go-to" cardigan for around the house. I will probably choose mother of pearl buttons. It is comfortable, has some wool in it as well as some acrylic.
Our weather promises to cool down soon. It has been a very hot summer and rain is predicted here and there around this area. It is gray outside while I write this and the mountain I usually look at in the morning with my first cup of coffee in hand is covered by a cloud of fog. Thunder rumbles in the distance.
Our weather promises to cool down soon. It has been a very hot summer and rain is predicted here and there around this area. It is gray outside while I write this and the mountain I usually look at in the morning with my first cup of coffee in hand is covered by a cloud of fog. Thunder rumbles in the distance.
9.26.10
Yes, it was all but done. The North Shore Pullover. Now why would anyone who HATES "wrong-side-out" styled sweaters make a sweater that consists of six panels which have exposed seams? I don't even like the purl background of cables, if it is too obvious. I took it apart again and I am in the process of seaming it on the wrong--that is to say CORRECT--side.
Then, instead of seaming up the front, I will put on ribbing from the right center bottom all the way up and around the neck and back down again. It will be a good chance for me to learn buttonholes and a good chance for me to use stash buttons.
9.25.10
Finally! Containers for the pins! I bought them at a local discount mini-store. They were a package of four toothpick containers and the lids pop off nicely. One was cracked beyond use but the price was right for the package--$1.00! I even have an extra thousand toothpicks. If only I could think of how to use them. Maybe I will make a bunch of tiny knitting fairies.
9.24.10
The purple monster is finished. The shoulders hang wa-a-a-a-a-ay down and the whole thing has a sort of sweat-shirty look. I switched to Cascade 220 for the ribbing and I am glad I did that. The last two rows of the neck ribbing I switched to a needle a size even smaller than the rest of the ribbing and bound off tightly so the neckline wouldn't flop. Not bad for a first sweater. I think it is even wearable if temperatures ever leave the 80s (27+ in Celsius) and we get some REAL fall weather...
9.23.10
I love this bag and it was fun to make. I have a
couple more of the suede bottoms but when I
finish with them, what do I do with them? Gave
one of the bottoms to my mother to work with but she is busy with socks and felting.
couple more of the suede bottoms but when I
finish with them, what do I do with them? Gave
one of the bottoms to my mother to work with but she is busy with socks and felting.
9.22.10
I really should do something about embellishing this bag. It is a pattern I got from some book somewhere. The last part of the directions are completely messed up so it is just as well that I can not recommend the book to you. I will have to rewrite the pattern if I plan to make it again. I have colors set aside for flowers to needle felt onto the green part and leaves to embroider on the pink part.
9.21.10
I have been knitting a lot of sleeves lately. Not
terribly exciting but knittable thanks to my
computer which allows me to wallow in Star Trek. Did I mention that I have seen the recent Star Trek movie 11 times? In one week? Yay, Netflix.
On this website I just discovered, I can watch all the old television episodes. The only drawback is I can not pause it or go back or ahead. Once it starts I have to see the whole show from the beginning because it is a simple loop.
terribly exciting but knittable thanks to my
computer which allows me to wallow in Star Trek. Did I mention that I have seen the recent Star Trek movie 11 times? In one week? Yay, Netflix.
On this website I just discovered, I can watch all the old television episodes. The only drawback is I can not pause it or go back or ahead. Once it starts I have to see the whole show from the beginning because it is a simple loop.
9.20.10
I am not like some knitters, I do not hate blocking. I do not particularly care for seaming the pieces together, but blocking gives me the same satisfaction as ironing. If I enjoyed yard work, I would probably get the same satisfaction from mowing.
Can you tell that I like all my pins to face the same direction? Keeps me from stabbing myself. Anyway, one thing that will completely take the joy out of blocking is having the pins spilling out every direction. Why do things still come packaged in these flimsy containers? Where can I get a container that fits the pins that has a clear-view lid, that does not break!!!
9.18.10
Need to clean up the studio--it is almost time for September company! I am moving along well with the sweaters after a few setbacks. This afternoon I intend to finally figure out for all future sweaters how to set up decreases for top-down sleeves. I have this book to help:
Which you can still buy for about $20.00 and if you click on it, it should take you to Amazon where you can order your own copy. I heart Barbara G. Walker.
Which you can still buy for about $20.00 and if you click on it, it should take you to Amazon where you can order your own copy. I heart Barbara G. Walker.
9.17.10
The quilt is a half-square triangle style made from a Moda charm pack I bought from my second-favorite quilt store which is no longer in business. The backing and inner border came from my first favorite quilt store, also no longer in business. When I get serious about quilting again, I will be making trips to Marietta.
The back of my little wall quilt. I button-tied it using buttons from my stash of old, antique, unwanted buttons in the cream, tan, and brown colors. Too bad because the corners matched up nicely but you can not tell by looking at the finished piece. It hangs in the master bedroom between the closet and bathroom doors. I plan to move the cedar chest under it and put some bears and dolls on the chest.
9.16.10
We are starting to decorate for fall. My wreathe is up inside and I am hoping to get HMHC to help me arrange some dried flowers.
I love the chinese lanterns. Maybe I can grow my own next year. The basil I planted in my petunia basket is growing nicely. I will bring it in when the weather gets nippy.
I haven't decided what to put on the mantle. I have a couple of seasonal wall quilts almost ready to hang. I will have to get those out and work on them. Check back tomorrow--I DID get one wall quilt up!
9.15.10
One or two reddish leaves on the maples. The lovely cool weather a couple of weeks back did not stay lovely. It was quite hot last week but somewhat cooler the past two days. Nice. Going to try to hold out on turning on the heat as long as possible. I have all of my knitted mitts at the ready.
Piecing together North Shore, now that the sleeves are done and blocked. I still have the problem with one half the back considerably larger than the other. Guess I will try to "ease to fit" and then make sure I note it on the pattern. I am knitting away steadily on the new(er) grapey purple Ann Norling pullover. Maybe it will be done by Sunday.
9.14.10
Planning to visit HMHC, if she is receiving.
Sourwood leaves are beginning to turn. Some of the poplars have yellow leaves. I will look for some maples today.
9.13.10
Sleeves almost finished and ready to block, back and front halves blocking since Saturday. This is the North Shore pullover by Oat Couture. I called them when I found that one of the back halves knits out to be TWO INCHES bigger all around than the other. I asked if there was a problem in the pattern since there is obviously a discrepancy in the number of cast-on stitches for each half. I asked if I should keep knitting or block it before joining. I was not given much help so I am forging on as if I know what I am doing. The person "helping" me said to just follow the directions and everything would be just fine. Hah.
As you can see, the parts are NOT sewn together and I AM blocking them first. I decided to skip the insipid stitch pattern for the sleeves and I have substituted one of my personal favorites, broken rib. I don't think the sleeves will be too ribby since I intend to block them! Before sewing them to the sweater! So there! This sweater may end up belonging to HMHC. It may suit her better.
9.12.10
This school scarf was knit a couple of years ago in a horrible yarn called Comfort. For awhile it was my stoplight scarf. Don't need one up here! there are not many stoplights and when you find one, the red doesn't last long. Anyway, I knit it for this sweater.
Take a last look, it will be unknit and put up in balls by the end of this week. It is Takamay cotton with little flecks of deep red. The pattern is for a Henley style sweater and it was a disaster from the very beginning. I signed up for a class, figuring I could learn the finer points of sweater making from an expert. Since it was a class at a shop, I was expected to buy the yarn there. I could not afford what I liked and when I found something that would do, inevitably there was not enough of it. This was probably my fourth choice.
It was okay to knit with, but there was very little to the lessons. I wanted to make a top down, crew neck sweater with long sleeves. I was given a Henley pattern with short set in sleeves and told it would be easy to convert it. Several weeks of struggle (figuring out rewrites to a pattern that had NONE of the features I wanted) got me as far as the sleeves. I was told to find yet another pattern to cobble together some sort of decrease system for those sleeves and rip it back if I didn't like them.
This week I AM ripping it back and I AM ripping up the pattern! The yarn will become the top-down raglan I wanted. I even have the RIGHT pattern this time!
9.9.10
Aunt Lola's Baskets
To the left is what I think might have been a summer purse or summer work basket. It has plastic yellow lining and is woven of some sort of paper product and rope with wood splats, wood lid and bottom. The hasp and handles have plastic "leather".
These nesting baslets have yellow barkcloth. I think sets of these were sold in threes but I'm not sure.
This is one of my favorites. It is a yarn basket and has a hole in the top. Yarn is inside and draws through the hole. The yarn stays clean and out of kitty's reach. If the project is small enough, it can be stored in the basket. I have seen smaller ones and even bought one but it was missing the woven handles. I think this is a basket made by the MicMac Indians for trade.Why baskets? I have always loved them, collected them, and enjoyed making them. I hope to be on the list today for an OASIS basketry class. I am required to take the very beginning class before taking the more advanced classes even though I have taught the more advanced ones!
P.S. Didn't get in the class. Maybe someday I will tell you what class I AM taking
9.8.10
Not much to say. Here are some mindless cotton washcloths. Spent yesterday on a hunt for a store I will never go to again. It is a chain store, so next time I need sewing supplies, I will drive south for 12 hours and go to the one in Orlando.We DID manage to get both of the sewing machines from the repair place and I found a new place to buy quilt fabrics--8,000 bolts worth! Tiny Stitches. My new favorite quilt store.
9.7.10
In the front of the sweater queue:
This is Oat Couture's North Shore Pullover. Mine is at the 4 panels done stage and I have re-knit one of the panels because I could not figure out where I stopped knitting in the stitch pattern when I put the needles down. I think this is the second year this has been a project.
I am using Encore Worsted in a seafoam green color. Not my favorite yarn, not my favorite color but HMHC and I cast on at the same time and it was a dual knitting project. The yarn was inexpensive and there was enough of the seafoam color in the sale bin for my size. Maybe I should send this to the front of the queue. It IS nearly finished. Needs sleeves.
This is a project from Knitting Pure and Simple and is for Elder Son. Also in Encore, it is a tweedy blue which after I cast-on and knitted a few rows I could see was completely wrong. He wants it quite short. It is worked top down and I just got to and knitted the bottom band last week. This December will be its second Christmas on needles. Needs sleeves.
There is no picture of the Maggie Mae and Me sweater on the needles. I have looked all over the web for it and my copy is pretty raggedy. Here is the yarn. It is Berrocco Vintage in the juniper colorway. It is lovely to knit. It reminds me of blueberries. The blue yarn is exactly the color of blueberry skins and it has a little halo in the red-violet color of the meat of the berry. This sweater is a top-down raglan with a crew neck. It has been on the needles only 3 weeks and is finished down to the band at the bottom. Guess what. Needs sleeves.
New project as of Thursday. It is an Ann Norling. Beautiful sale yarn in a grape. I am making the smaller, front version with the wide neck. It is almost done! Needs sleeves.
Watch for the sock queue, coming soon.
This is Oat Couture's North Shore Pullover. Mine is at the 4 panels done stage and I have re-knit one of the panels because I could not figure out where I stopped knitting in the stitch pattern when I put the needles down. I think this is the second year this has been a project.
I am using Encore Worsted in a seafoam green color. Not my favorite yarn, not my favorite color but HMHC and I cast on at the same time and it was a dual knitting project. The yarn was inexpensive and there was enough of the seafoam color in the sale bin for my size. Maybe I should send this to the front of the queue. It IS nearly finished. Needs sleeves.
This is a project from Knitting Pure and Simple and is for Elder Son. Also in Encore, it is a tweedy blue which after I cast-on and knitted a few rows I could see was completely wrong. He wants it quite short. It is worked top down and I just got to and knitted the bottom band last week. This December will be its second Christmas on needles. Needs sleeves.
There is no picture of the Maggie Mae and Me sweater on the needles. I have looked all over the web for it and my copy is pretty raggedy. Here is the yarn. It is Berrocco Vintage in the juniper colorway. It is lovely to knit. It reminds me of blueberries. The blue yarn is exactly the color of blueberry skins and it has a little halo in the red-violet color of the meat of the berry. This sweater is a top-down raglan with a crew neck. It has been on the needles only 3 weeks and is finished down to the band at the bottom. Guess what. Needs sleeves.
New project as of Thursday. It is an Ann Norling. Beautiful sale yarn in a grape. I am making the smaller, front version with the wide neck. It is almost done! Needs sleeves.Watch for the sock queue, coming soon.
9.6.10
Finally blocked: a wonderful wool Noro entrelac made for me by HMHC. I can hardly wait to wear it!Look how well the colors line up on both ends of the scarf. I tried entrelac once and it is not for me, but I sure appreciate the final product!
Another finally blocked piece: Alpaca lace scarf. The only good things about this scarf: it is made of alpaca and it was luxury to hold while knitting, it is finally finished. Drawbacks: I hate the pattern, I hate that the person who "helped me" at the yarn store looked at my gauge and said it was good for the project because, "It is just a scarf, gauge doesn't matter." WRONG. Gauge in a lace stitch always matters. This scarf has been finished for about 4 or 5 years and never blocked until this summer because I could see that it should have been knit looser. Anyone want an alpaca scarf?9.5.10
Yup, it is 48 degrees F.
What is it? I do not know, but whatever it is, it is finished. It is a sort of rectangle shape and drapes across the shoulders like a shawl but it is not really shawl length, more cape-like. The yarn is: Misti Alpaca chunky with Cherry Tree Hill Alpaca Glitter. I knit it and unknit it and reknit it and unknit it and finally on the last reknit, I said, "That's enough of that." It is what it is.
I found a huge button in my stash just the right size and color. Helen and I both found similar difficulty working on this very simple pattern. It was a case of seeing one in the shop, getting excited about it, buying the yarn and being told, "You don't need a pattern; here's what you do--" and then a myriad of interruptions follow and Helen and Michelle give up and decide to figure it out on their own. How hard could it be?
When Jeff and I arrived in the mountains in July, THIS shawl had a moth on it the size of Kentucky. Maybe it was never destined to be a garment and is in a temporary shape awaiting its turn to be food for larval moths.
I really enjoyed the Farmers' Market yesterday. I bought summer squash, red peppers, and corn. Then we went to a smallish festival out at the Historical Museum and I met a lady who learned to spin this summer. She had a beautiful Kromski Minstrel wheel. Maybe I will meet more spinners soon.
I love my Kaleidoscope program. It makes my market veggies look like art.
What is it? I do not know, but whatever it is, it is finished. It is a sort of rectangle shape and drapes across the shoulders like a shawl but it is not really shawl length, more cape-like. The yarn is: Misti Alpaca chunky with Cherry Tree Hill Alpaca Glitter. I knit it and unknit it and reknit it and unknit it and finally on the last reknit, I said, "That's enough of that." It is what it is.
I found a huge button in my stash just the right size and color. Helen and I both found similar difficulty working on this very simple pattern. It was a case of seeing one in the shop, getting excited about it, buying the yarn and being told, "You don't need a pattern; here's what you do--" and then a myriad of interruptions follow and Helen and Michelle give up and decide to figure it out on their own. How hard could it be?When Jeff and I arrived in the mountains in July, THIS shawl had a moth on it the size of Kentucky. Maybe it was never destined to be a garment and is in a temporary shape awaiting its turn to be food for larval moths.
I really enjoyed the Farmers' Market yesterday. I bought summer squash, red peppers, and corn. Then we went to a smallish festival out at the Historical Museum and I met a lady who learned to spin this summer. She had a beautiful Kromski Minstrel wheel. Maybe I will meet more spinners soon.
I love my Kaleidoscope program. It makes my market veggies look like art.
9.4.10
Our "new" car.We were not expecting to buy a car so soon but circumstances allowed us to do so.
It has 4 wheel drive which will help us get to town during the winter. One time before we lived here full-time we visited in the winter. When our vacation was over, we had a difficult time leaving due to snow on some of the hills. That shouldn't be a problem this winter.
It is not green and not blue at the same time. The official name is Verdant Green. I find that ironic since it is technically an SUV; just about the least verdant green thing a private citizen can own.It was the smallest 4 wheel drive on our search.
We only use it about twice a week.
Today we plan to go to the Farmers' Market in Blairsville. Then we will go to Blue Ridge or not depending entirely on whim. Since Blue Ridge is on our schedule for Tuesday, we may wait.
9.3.10
I am growing parsley and basil! In the middle is where chives are not growing.
We make our own pizza on Fridays. I buy whole wheat pizza shells, brush them with olive oil, layer on sliced ripe tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, and top with my own home grown basil for the finishing touch! Dinner costs about $4.00 for two. It really is better with fresh, expensive mozzarella but the cheap stuff is pretty good, also, because of the fresh basil.
Finished, finally: one pair pink and purple socks.
No, that is NOT how they look now. Back in June 2009 I remarked that the heels were turned. Yup. Total rip out. Here they are finally reknitted:
This is Seacoast yarn, colorway TAFFY. I've blogged about them before but this time they really are done. They are somewhat longer than most crew socks. They weigh 68 grams and I have about 44 grams left over. The Seacoast Super Sock skeins have 570 yards on them so I estimate that I have about 250 yards left over.
HMHC and I took some cedar sachet to the yarn shop for sale, yesterday. When my sewing machines get out of the shop, I will make up some more bags for some lavender sachets.
Jeff and I were upposed to go to Atlanta today to buy some foam pieces to re-do cushions on the porch furniture. We probably will not go, though. We went into town yesterday and I have been begging to go to the Farmer's Market Saturday. That is enough traveling for one week. No sense putting a two hour trip south in the mix!
We make our own pizza on Fridays. I buy whole wheat pizza shells, brush them with olive oil, layer on sliced ripe tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, and top with my own home grown basil for the finishing touch! Dinner costs about $4.00 for two. It really is better with fresh, expensive mozzarella but the cheap stuff is pretty good, also, because of the fresh basil.
Finished, finally: one pair pink and purple socks.
No, that is NOT how they look now. Back in June 2009 I remarked that the heels were turned. Yup. Total rip out. Here they are finally reknitted:
This is Seacoast yarn, colorway TAFFY. I've blogged about them before but this time they really are done. They are somewhat longer than most crew socks. They weigh 68 grams and I have about 44 grams left over. The Seacoast Super Sock skeins have 570 yards on them so I estimate that I have about 250 yards left over.
HMHC and I took some cedar sachet to the yarn shop for sale, yesterday. When my sewing machines get out of the shop, I will make up some more bags for some lavender sachets.
Jeff and I were upposed to go to Atlanta today to buy some foam pieces to re-do cushions on the porch furniture. We probably will not go, though. We went into town yesterday and I have been begging to go to the Farmer's Market Saturday. That is enough traveling for one week. No sense putting a two hour trip south in the mix!
9.2.10
I finally finished the leaf scarf for a beloved sister-in-law. Her birthday is coming up soon!
It is 10 inches by 41 inches, blocked. I used Karabella Aurora 8. It is 100%Merino worsted and is a dream to knit. I bought it at Knit! in Longwood, Florida.
It has such great stitch definition I chose to use a stitch pattern that shows a little of what it can do as lace and as cable. You can't tell from the picture of the scarf but the stitches cross to make the center vein of the leaf. That is not really a cable but it is close.
We washed the pollen from the windows and screens yesterday. It is time to open the windows! Overnight temperatures are in the upper 50s and right now it is 61F (16C) I love sleeping with the windows open. That was a really narrow *window of time* when I was a Floridian.
I did a few random stitches here and there on different projects, did some writing, and then started looking for the right embellishments to finish a recent project. Oops. Now I am finished organizing all but one element of my extensive button stash. That was time I enjoyed but I still have 6 pair of socks on needles and only knit 21 of the 32 rows I had left to pronounce a long-time sock pair finished. I will finish today and you might see them tomorrow.
Today we are going into town. It is knitting day for HMHC and me. Most Thursdays I get together with my dear friend, HMHC. She lives about 25 minutes from here but halfway to the YARN STORE. When we feel like it, we go and sit at the table with PJ, Julie (if she is not busy), Ginny, Sheila, Ro, and anyone else who wanders in to the shop. They used to have a website but I can't find it right now. Maybe they took it down since they are brick and mortar but not an internet store.
9.1.10
The triangle windows are right over my studio desk. They face north and in the fall and winter the sun comes up to my far right, just the other side of the window frame so it does not bother my eyes. Instead, I can see a beautiful sunlit sky every day.
This morning I sat on the porch to watch the sun rise. It sure is loud in the country! The crickets were full-throttle, hounds were baying, crows were ridiculing each other, and the hummingbirds were making their zooom noises, like light sabers. We have two different kinds of hummingbirds. I am fairly sure one is the ruby throat. The males' coloring is very vivid. The other may be the broad tailed.
In this close up of my studio window you can look through and see that I have windows on my west wall, also.
Do you see the hummingbird feeder? Do you wonder how it gets filled? My husband climbs out the bedroom window on the south side of the house and walks around to take it off the bracket. He brings it back to the bedroom window and I take it and fill it for him to re-hang.
We enjoy the hummingbirds so much we put feeders in view of both the living room and dining room. When they are empty, the birds hover at the window as if waiting for a refill.
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