SNOW!!!

We have had a week of snow here in Wisconsin. It started last Friday night, and on Saturday morning I woke up to see 18 inches of the white stuff. Just a few days before, I had been contemplating getting out the rake and starting on the front lawn. Ha!

I have a very powerful snow blower, and yet it took me two hours to clear away what usually only takes 30 minutes. Several times the chute clogged because I was trying to blow the snow over drifts already up to my shoulders. Sunday was more of the same, with six inches of new snow. Monday it tapered back to three inches. Then we had a few clear days, and last night it started up again, with six inches of new snow this morning.

Actually, I love it. This is how I remember winter. This is what we should have been dealing with since December.

The photo of the house is from Monday, and it really doesn't show the snow depth very well. But look how pretty the snow makes the house look! The trees are three of the spruces I have growing on the west side yard. I went out on Thursday and knocked the snow off, because we were forecast to get freezing rain, and I was afraid they would snap.
All these snow days mean one thing - more time for knitting! Well, that's what's on tap for this afternoon anyway. I'm going to work at my desk until noontime, then at 2 pm "Sense and Sensibility" is on TCM, so I'll take a break and do some knitting. I finished my tote for the Tote Exchange, but I still have plenty of projects to work on. Tomorrow I'll give a summary of February's stash busting efforts. Knit on!

Sven, Interrupted...

Confession is good for the knitting soul...right?

Here is Sven, brought up from the basement, after a lapse of maybe 12 years or more. I'm going to add him to the list of unfinished projects, and try to get him finished once and for all.

This cute pattern is from Cottage Creations. Carole Anderson doesn't appear to have a website, but if you google her company you can find plenty of vendors carrying her patterns. She has a whole series of these knitted people, and I think I have patterns for German dolls and Polish as well. But Sven came first, and so far, not so good.

Oh, the pattern is very well written, and I remember that I enjoyed getting as far as I got. For some reason, I just never got finished. He's been sitting in a box for years, first at my mom's house, and now at my own house, waiting to become a real boy. I do remember that for several years, the pattern and the project got separated from each other, so that was a good excuse. But poor one-legged Sven has been waiting patiently for way too long.

Hopefully I'll be sharing more of his knitting story with you, and we'll have one more finished project before too long! After all, I've owned up to it, so now I've just got to follow through. Don't read back to the beginning of the blog though, because there are even more recent projects (from last year), that still aren't finished!

Finally, I've noticed that the "k" key on my computer seems to not always function. A very bad key for a knitter to lose, don't you think? Could it be that I've worn this key out? Or could it be that there's just a huge wad of cat hair under there???

My Kitties Love Me!

Just look at the beautiful roses they gave me for Valentine's Day! They are gorgeous. Ok, yes, I had to buy them, but I know it's the kind of thing the cats would have done, if only they could have gotten to the store. Or had any money. They would have chosen roses, or catnip, or dead mice, or live mice...I'm sure.

Rollie is here with the flowers. He's getting ready to chomp on that piece of ferny stuff they put in with the roses. Rusty is already heading out of the photo - he had a bite of it already! And Lilly's just too small to jump way up on the table...

Seriously though, these blooms were a no brainer. The grocery store had 65 cases of roses delivered, and they were $3.00 for a half dozen. A pittance for something so lovely. I guess by now you can tell I'm a pushover when it comes to flowers!

Well, it Didn't Take Long...

…to find a new project to start! I had been thinking about making a shawl, and seeing some on the knitting blogs only helped that desire along. I made a simple shawl a few years ago, and sold it at a craft fair, so it is one piece of knitting that I don’t have for myself.

I’m not sure I’m the shawl type, but I guess if I had the right one, I could be. So I looked through my pattern books, and decided to make the Wool Peddler’s Shawl from Cheryl Oberle’s “Folk Shawls”. The yarn I chose from the stash is a beautiful medium denim blue color of Kimmet Croft Softee, which is a blend of 80% Rambouillet wool and 20% angora. This yarn is lovely and supersoft, and I forgot how much I adore it. I bought it directly from Jan Kimmet during one of Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camps, so it’s been hanging around for at least ten years.

I was trying to remember if I’d purchased it with any particular garment in mind, and I think it must have been for a shawl, even way back then. Knitting Camp was a wonderful experience, and I attending during the years when Marilyn Van Keppel was working on translating the patterns from the Faroese Shawl book into English. I think she wore a different shawl every day, and during her portion of “show and tell” they came out one after another, each one more spectacular than its predecessor. It’s a wonder I didn’t start one right then and there!

I wound the first hank into a ball on Sunday, and that could have gone better. I put the hank on the swift, and clipped the threads that tied it together, but I guess I didn’t pick the right loose end to start winding with. Sometimes it’s easy to figure out which one to start with, sometimes it’s deceptive. Well, the strand I picked was caught around some other strands part way around the hank, so I couldn’t use the ball winder. I had to wind the ball by hand, and every time I got to the twisted section, feed the ball through and untangle it. It took a little longer this way, but the yarn is a joy to handle, so that made up for it. I got started with the knitting, and have a nice little triangle made already.

I added a stitch to each edge so I could make a slip-stitch selvedge. I plan on working a single crochet or perhaps an I-cord border across this edge when the shawl is done. Since it is the upper edge of the shawl and will probably get the most stress, I want to be sure it’s sturdy. Pictures by the weekend, I hope!

I worked on a rotation of six projects on Sunday evening, doing a few rows on each in turn. As I said, I really like everything I’m working on right now, so it was a pleasant evening. My next goal though, since I finished some booties last night, is to pull an older project into the rotation. I can’t keep working on new stuff all the time!

Another Accomplishment and Another Rule....

I just finished cleaning out the fridge and scrubbing it down, so I think I'm done with chores for the day! That job took a couple of hours and got me soaking wet, but it looks so sparkly in there now!

I finished this crocheted tote last night. The pattern is from the 2006 Crochet Pattern a Day Calendar, July 1, I think. The bag was supposed to be made with plastic store bags, but I didn't have very many, and wanted to use up this yarn anyway. I made the tote deeper than the pattern, again, because I was using up yarn. I like the way it turned out. It's just big enough for an average size project, or a few books, or a nice lunch! The yarn is Skacel Airone, a wool and acrylic blend.

My new rule is actually an old rule. Since I posted that list of uncompleted projects a few days ago, it's been bugging me. Especially because I found more projects that I could add to the list. Some from years and years ago. So my new rule is this: I need to complete two old projects before I can start a new project. I tried this a few years ago, and it worked pretty well for a few months, then everything went haywire.

I actually completed another project today, so I can start something, if I like! I finished knitting a ski hat from the Fall 2006 issue of Knit It - it was the cover cap. It turned out way too large, so now I'm going to try shrinking it to see if it will actually be an ok hat. Pictures will come later on in the shrinking process, although I should have taken one today, when it was soaking yet and covering my whole head down to my chin!

As for what new project to start, I'm not sure. I have one idea, but I don't think I'll start anything just yet. I'm liking all the projects I'm working on right now.

Finally here's a photo of Lilly and her pretty blue eyes....

Scarf in Progress

Here’s a project I started in December. I thought that maybe I’d make scarves for everyone for Christmas this year. In reality, I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. I have 15 people on my list to knit for, so that would be 1.25 scarves per month. Since it’s February, and I’m still knitting scarf #1, and want to be able to work on other projects, I might have to figure something else out.

I like this pattern, and I’m enjoying working on the scarf. I found the pattern here. The yarn I’m using is a mohair/acrylic blend coned yarn that I got from Webs a few years back. I’m using it double stranded on #3 needles. I was worried that the fluff of the mohair might obscure the lace pattern, and it does a bit, but I still like the look of it.
The photo is from the beginning of January. The scarf is 6 inches wide and about 3 feet long now, about halfway done. It’s going to have to be blocked, because at this length it’s started to fold over on itself, in spite of the added garter edging. It’s actually folding on the center of the lace pattern repeat, which is acting like a crease. I probably could have knit with only a single strand of this yarn, but I was worried that the knitting would be too loose. Now it seems a little too bulky. Did I swatch to check this out ahead of time? Of course not!

Happy Holidays from the U.S. Postal Service!

Look what the Postal Service is doing for knitting! This year’s stamps have been unveiled, and the holiday series will feature knitting – four lovely designs. On close inspection, it looks like the color work is done by duplicate stitch, at least on one of the designs, because the stitches are going in both directions. But these are lovely! I’ll be stocking up on these stamps when they are issued, that’s for sure. Last year with the snowflake stamps, USPS had all kinds of extras available – note cards, ornaments, etc. It will be interesting to see what items they come up with to sell along with the knitting stamps. I’d better start saving my pennies!

Stash Busting Report for January, 2007

January was an average month for completed projects. I made 13 items: 9 catnip toys, 2 tote bags, 1 pair of socks, and 1 watchcap.

This effort used up 18 balls of yarn. I know that part of the stash busting program is to also own up to the amount of stash. Well, that’s a bit difficult. What I have inventoried: 937 balls. Additional yarn not inventoried: probably another 500 balls. Coned yarn: approximately 150 cones. So you see, using up a puny 18 balls is not very significant. The key is not to add more yarn. I didn’t purchase any yarn in January, but a friend did gift me with four balls early in the month. I’m still ahead of the game though!

I should probably do more crochet, since crochet goes faster and uses more yarn. But I want to make projects that are useful, and not just make things that will sit around, just to use up stash. Anything I make should have a purpose – either to be used by me, given as a gift to someone, or as a saleable item.

I should get the looms threaded again too, and get busy weaving, because that uses lots of yarn as well. There is actually “waste yarn” involved in weaving – the lengths at the beginning and end of the warp that are attached to the loom’s front and back beams. These lengths can be several inches to over a foot long, depending on the loom. But even they can be used somehow, so I hate to toss them.

February is a short month, but I hope I can increase the number of balls used. I didn’t complete any old unfinished projects from ages ago, so if I can get some of those items done, I will accomplish two goals.

To that end, I will now list the current WIP’s, in order t make myself more accountable:

Scrap Afghan – knit, about half finished
Shapely Tee – knit, front piece half finished
Baby Afghan – knit, ¾ finished
Red Lace Runner – knit – maybe half finished
Woolease Child’s Cardigan – knit – only needs button band and buttons!
Rust/peach Mittens – knit - ¾ finished
Chenille Scarf – knit - half finished
Einstein Coat – knit – just started
Tote for Tote Exchange – knit – 1/3 finished
Fishtail Scarf – knit – half finished
Brown Tweed Socks – knit - one sock half knit
Brown/Gold/Black Baby Booties - knit – one bootie finished, second one started
Tote Bag – crochet – only three rounds left!
Fuchsia Baby Sweater – knit – working on the back.

I see I passed a baker’s dozen, so I’ll stop. These are the “current” projects. I’m sure I could start digging and find many older projects to add to the list.

Finally, Rollie says: “How inconsiderate of you to photograph me while I’m trying to perform my daily ablutions!”

Flowers in the Dead of Winter...

Do you know where that line comes from? Olivia Walton (Patricia Neal), in the original "Homecoming" movie, when John finally makes it home and brings her roses. It’s one of my Christmas "must watch" movies.

My winter flowers come from two splurges I made last year. If you haven’t noticed a theme developing in the blog this year, it’s this: I need to cut out all the non-essential expenses, buckle down, pay off the big bills, and put some money into the upkeep of the house. Another reason why I love the Waltons movie. The theme of poor people getting by on next to nothing appeals to me. I can relate. I didn’t grow up in a financially sound household, yet we got by. It taught me to be creative, if nothing else.

The first flowers are on an orange tree I purchased last summer. I got it at a local shop, and it sat outside most of the summer. When it bloomed in August, the scent came right in the house every time a breeze blew. The oranges developed, but stayed green. It bloomed again before I brought it inside for the winter. I’ve been watching the oranges get bigger, and turn orange, and then right after Christmas it bloomed for the third time. I took this picture in mid-January, when I had ripe oranges, green oranges, and blooms all at once. Although I paid more for this tree than I usually spend on a houseplant, it’s been worth it. I’ve even tasted the oranges, and although they are more sour than lemons, I’m going to use the rest of them mixed with some yogurt for a nice treat.

The other flower splurge was on this Amaryllis. I got it in November at La Crosse Floral, while I was at a used book sale. The bulbs were $15 each, or three for $40. I stopped myself from buying three, and picked out one. A little voice inside kept asking "Why do you need this, you can buy three bulbs for this price at the discount store. And how many bulbs do you already have at home? Work on getting them to bloom again." Even worse, I set the bulb aside when I got home, and didn’t pot it up until after Christmas. When I pulled it out it was very pale, and the bud was a little bent. I potted it and set it in the sun. Little by little it greened up, and spurted up. I still questioned my purchase, especially now that I’m cutting my spending. But on January 15 the first bloom opened, and all my doubts were put aside. Look how beautiful. Not just a single-petal bloom, but a triple- petal bloom. Just lovely. And, it’s taking some time to open, so I’m sure I’ll be enjoying this flower all winter long. Especially since there’s another bud poking up from the bulb!

Bags Galore!

I joined the Third International Tote Exchange, which has just gotten underway. It’s funny how just by signing up, I was put in the mood to make bags. So even before I had a pal assigned to me, I got started. The first bag I knit was from a pattern I found here. I knew I had one ball of Kureyon rolling around, so I used it up making this bag. I changed the handle, although I like the braided handles on the pattern. I just wanted something a little simpler this time around. I’m still in the fulling process, so I don’t have a finished product to show.

The second bag was a crocheted mesh market bag. I’ve been wanting to make one of these, and one day when I was cleaning in the basement, I unearthed a pattern that I tore out of a 1980's Family Circle magazine. I pulled out a nice mercerised cotton from Lane Borgosesia in a muted green, and got going. The one thing I love about crochet - it’s so speedy. I finished the bag in three days. I changed the bottom shaping to make it less severe, and changed the strap, and although it doesn’t look like much, I really like it.

Last weekend our swap partners were assigned, and now I get to start all over and plan another bag. What fun!

New Beginnings

I’d meant to write about new beginnings sometime around January 1st. Better late than never! At least it’s still January. Barely.

I want to get back on track this year with my journal of knitting projects. In 2004, I kept up a pretty good log, with detailed notes, photos of finished items, etc. I really enjoy looking back at it, especially since most of the items were either sold or given as gifts. Without this record I would have forgotten all about them! Why I fell off the wagon in 2005 and 2006, I’m not sure. But I’m going to give it a try, and I’m sure the blog will big a big help.

One of my knitting goals this year is to use up stash and not buy more yarn. I know I am not alone in this endeavor - here are two stash busting blogs to prove it - ! My pledge will be:
1. Bust the stash for the entire year.
2. The only day I will buy brand new yarn will be one specific day in June, when I go to an annual sale.
3. Buying yarn at thrift shops or garage sales will be allowed, but only if it’s a really good bargain.

I’ve made a pretty good start in January. I’ve finished one pair of socks, which I forgot to photograph before I sold them to a friend. Bad blogger! I also made two bags, one cap, and several cat toys. Details about these will be added in the future. I guess one advantage I have in trying to bust my stash is that I like to make a lot of different things, just to be knitting. I’ll make baby knits, even though I don’t have babies. I’ll make hats, even though I have more than I can use. In that respect the yarn in my stash has many more opportunities to be used in projects, instead of just waiting for the right sweater or sock pattern to some along. Of course, maybe that’s why I have a stash problem to begin with!

Seriously though, I really don’t consider my stash a problem. Yes, it’s taken over the house, but that’s ok. I splurged when I could afford to splurge. Now I need to watch what I spend, and cut out all the non-essential expenses. So the stash is able to provide me with what I need, and allow me to save my money for more important expenses.

My other big crafting goal for the year is to finish projects that are already started. I’ve got some in the works since I was nine years old! Seriously! My mom showed me how to sew yo-yo’s for a quilt, and I made bags full, and the quilt has never been put together. In the thrifty, frugal lifestyle, this would be deemed wasteful. It’s not something that keeps me awake at night, but I do feel just a little panicky when I start thinking of all the projects left undone. Especially when I could use a lovely yo-yo quilt for my bed...

I’ve made a real botch of this in January, starting new projects left and right, and not touching any of the old ones. But I’ll step it up in February. I’d better, now that I’ve officially made myself accountable!

News Flash!

I finally have my Etsy shop up and running! Hooray! Here's the link. Only three items listed so far, but now that I've got the hang of it, I'm going to add more over the weekend. Something a little different than eBay, and much more fun. I love doing the random searches, and seeing what everyone is making. Some very clever and imaginative pieces. Hopefully this will help supplement the income a little. I sell some items at a local shop, but never really have enough items made to justify participating in the local craft fairs. Once again the Internet comes to the rescue! Here's a photo of one of my items, just in time for the holidays!

Information Overload

September and October are my busy months at work, so I try schedule my vacation for the end of October or beginning of November, because by that time I really need a break, and my birthday’s at the beginning of November, and a long time ago someone told me I shouldn’t have to work on my birthday, and I decided they were right!

People have been asking me what I’m going to do on my vacation. Where am I going to go? Being the financially-challenged person that I am, and the homebody that I am, a big trip is out of the question. Then I realized: I’m going to take a trip into space – CYBER SPACE!!

I have been overwhelmed at the information overload that is available on the Internet. If you read or watch the news at all, you’ve probably come across the story about how the amount of information we are exposed to is growing exponentially, and growing at such a pace that we are unable to keep up with it. I first heard this at a conference over 15 years ago, when we had only one computer for our whole staff, and e-mail only, no web pages. The thought stuck with me. Look how far we have come…

This is so evident to me when I start looking for knitting information on the web. Only a few short years ago, there was ONE premier knitting webpage, “Woolworks”, that gathered knitting information into one accessible location. Now, you Google “Knitting” and a seemingly endless amount of sites appear. Not only that, but when you look at these sites, and start jumping from link to link to link, it is very easy to get lost down the cyber rabbit hole! And you can start again, and go a completely different direction. And over and over again. That’s just regular knitting sites. It’s even worse with blogs. I get so carried away clicking on buttons on blogs, and learning about all sorts of new knitting-related blogs, and groups, and exchanges. Webrings for knitters of different knitting specialties, different religions, different sexual orientations, different nationalities, different familial makeups, all manner of focus groups! I myself belong to the cat knitters webring, the fluffy knitters webring, and could probably join a few more, once I found them. Then there are the exchanges. You can join a secret pal exchange, a tote exchange, a pattern exchange, a sock knitters exchange, a knitters’ tea lovers exchange, and on and on.

Then there are the podcasts! Only a short year or so ago, I think there were two knitting podcasts: Cast-On, and KnitCast. Just recently I found a list of knitting podcasts on a blog, and I think there were close to two dozen! A few weekends ago, I downloaded all the past episodes of Cast-On and KnitCast, and have been slowly catching up with what I’ve been missing.

The same goes for the Internet knitting magazines. There used to be just one: KnitNet. Now, we have Knitty, MagKnits, and more. And as before, these are full of knitting information, knitting patterns, and links, links links!

Now, I don’t plan to spend my entire vacation staring at my laptop. I do intend to get some work done, to get more organized, to get outdoors and get some exercise, and to relax with some huge chunks of knitting time. But I do want to spend some time exploring this wonderful resource, and, like Alice in Wonderland, get lost down the rabbit hole. Now instead of a bottle that says "Drink Me", Alice would have a button that says "Click Me"!

Hang On!

Oh my, it's been forever since I've updated this little blog...well, I hope to do just that this weekend, with some fun photos and knitting news. Let's just say that September is my busiest month at work, and most nights by the time I get home, all the good brain cells have been used up for the day. My mind is like mush. I can only do mundane little things, that don't involve much thought.

But, the month is almost over, and hopefully I'll regain some of the brain function soon, and be able to concentrate on more of the fun aspects of life, instead of work, work, work.

Until then, here's a photo of one of the projects that I've been working on. I made almost a dozen of these Apple Caps. Very quick and easy, and just in time for apple season!

In My Little Town...

Here's a photo showing my hometown of Trempealeau, Wisconsin, from the mid 1960's, when I was a wee young girl. Not much has changed since then. Ok, a few things have - later this week I'll get a photo from the same spot for comparison. But one of the reasons I've stayed here all my life is that although there are better places, this one is pretty darned good. So when you start out someplace good to begin with, maybe the urge to roam isn't so strong. My Mom moved here from the bustling city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1952 when she married my Dad. I often asked her if she regretted leaving city life for "the sticks", and she never did. Sure there were some surprises and some disappointments, but she enjoyed the small town life, and raised me to have the same appreciation.

Why is this blogworthy? Today I took a walk around town, something I used to do almost daily, and need to get back to doing. I walked from my house at one end of town, to my brother's house at the other end. A half mile, through the "heart" of the village. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a tranquil summer day.

On my return trip, I saw a family playing volleyball in their backyard. Further along, I walked through Central Park, and another family was there, having a picnic. There was laundry out on someone's clothesline; dozens of baby rompers. In another yard, a woman was picking flowers from her garden. Climbing the steps up the church hill, I wondered if the town could be any more Norman Rockwell than that. So like Lake Wobegon. I think this especially hit home because I realized at that moment that in a few days we would observe the 5th anniversary of 9-11. It shook us all, but five years later, at least in this little village, the appearance of life as usual was ever present.

That's something very precious to me. I know our town has changed in some ways. It will continue to grow, as the whole region is growing. But it's a comfort to know that on a warm summer afternoon, a walk through town is pretty much the same as it was 40-some years ago.

On the Road Again....

I can't believe August is more than half over, and I haven't updated the blog. I should've known it would be a busy month! And here's how it started - with another road trip. This time the destination was Savanna, Illinois, for a work meeting. I took my own car, and was able to stop at a few roadside attractions, including "The Dickeyville Grotto" in Dickeyville, Wisconsin. This is my second grotto of the year, and it is quite expansive, with separate small grottos covering all of the churchyard, cemetery, and schoolyard. It was built in the 1920's by a Catholic priest, Father Wernerus, who died in 1931. Again, the themes are religion and patriotism, but this grotto also has much more of a park-like or garden atmosphere. Here is a detail of the top railing of the shrine "Patriotism in Stone." This series of anchors went completely around a large semi-circular area. This grotto also had more unusual fossils than in others I've seen, including sea urchins, eels, and other creatures. Where does one find sea urchins in Southwestern Wisconsin?

Places like this continue to amaze me. That they were built by people with little or no engineering skills is one thing. That they are still standing after more than 80 years is another. In our harsh Wisconsin winters, the freeze/thaw action wreaks havoc on even the most common concrete surfaces. Why these structures have not crumbled to pieces is truly a marvel. They inspire my creative spirit to no end. They give me this...

Heels Over Head About Socks!!

Here are my Trekking Socks, all finished. I got some exercise while trying to take this picture too! Sock Exercise #1 - Lie on floor. Raise legs in air. Do crunches while trying to snap photos with digital camera. Then realize that arms can also raise, to meet level of feet in the air, and take a less skewed photo. Relax. I skimped on the length of these, since the previous pair of socks I made used more than a 100 gram ball. I only had one ball of Trekking, and didn't want to run out. As a result, I have enough left over to make at least one pair of baby booties. One is already finished.

Last week I started a spreadsheet of all my current projects, and tried to prioritize them. I made columns for details like needle size, gauge, brand of yarn, etc. I still don't have it all filled in, but the hardest part was trying to prioritize. One project was obvious - sock's for my niece's birthday in August. But since that's a carry-along project, should I really be working on it at home, where I can work on something bigger? I'm sure I'll get them done in time. So then what? Should the oldest project have priority, because it's old? Should the project closest to being finished have priority? I only ended up choosing the top two projects, and the rest will have to wait for a number.

The scary thing about all this is that my spreadsheet has 10 projects on it. With the exception of the hat I work on while on the treadmill, all of these are in the living room. There are countless others upstairs, and in the bedroom, in various stages of completion. The further away the project is, the more details I've forgotten about it. My cousin commented that she's amazed by the number of things I get done. If she only knew the frightening number of things still waiting to be finished - some date back 20 years. (Now she will know, since she reads this blog!)

It certainly looks like a clean out is in order. The bad thing about clean outs, is that I always get motivated to start new projects!! And this is just the knitting. Not to mention crochet, weaving, spinning, cross stitch, embroidery, quilting, sewing, polymer clay, stained glass...gosh could that be all? What am I doing sitting at the computer? I've got work to do!

We Will, We Will, SOCK YOU!

Apologies to Queen. I've been spending too many nights at the ball games this week, hearing the "thump-thump-clap" over the loudspeaker. The baseball's been good, and the knitting even better. Here's the latest finished pair of sockies...

Ok, I know that's only one anklet, but trust me, there's another one. I just thought it would look better photographed "on-foot", and it was tricky enough getting that shot! Not to mention I had to crop off my "Little Lotta" looking leg. Ma, these socks make my legs look fat! Maybe it's just me. Anyway, they are comfy, and right in time to have something to wear around the house. The yarn was Plymouth Sockotta, and I've got plenty left from one ball to make another pair. And I picked up a similar looking yarn this week in several other bright colors to make more anklets. Good summer knitting!

Now on deck, I mean "on the needles" is a pair of regular socks made from Trekking. Which reminds me, I have to pick up stitches around the heel flap before tonight's game. I got that far last night and it was too dark in our section of the stands to see very well. I actually had to stop knitting and fully concentrate on the ball game. At that point it was pretty much a blow-out, with the Loggers winning 14-2.

More tomorrow, when I will actually have a day where I don't have to be anywhere and do anything. Well, anything except dishes, and house cleaning, and other chores. Sigh...

Here a Sock, There a Sock...

Hooray! I finally finished something! It's been a while. These socks are made from Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn. They actually took 1.25 balls of yarn. I guess I made them a little longer than usual, or maybe it's the ribbing that eats up more yarn. About halfway through the knitting, I remembered that I had actually bought this yarn to make a fun baby sweater. Oh well, I'll try that another time. I used some of the heavier Regia yarn to make this baby sweater a few years ago, and I really like how it turned out. So, another fun sweater like this will have to wait until I can find some more fun stripey yarn. The Magic Stripes took forever to make a repeat. Everytime I thought I had it figured out, a new color came out of the ball. I shouldn't complain though - my current socks on the needles are in Trekking, and I understand that it "never" repeats!

I'm getting a lot of knitting done at the ball games. The last two nights it was cold in the stands, and when I finished a sock I seriously thought about wearing it as a mitten! I'm working on a pair of footie type socks now in Plymouth Sockotta. Not sure if I like the Sockotta, but the socks are turning out nice enough.

Finally, here is a picture of the new kitty, Lilly. I was thinking it was going to take months for her to get adjusted to being here, but just look!

She's making herself right at home, and is even coming around for petting. Rusty and Rollie are still not sure what to make of her. So far she's stayed out of their hair, but the more settled in she gets, the more interaction they're having. Sometimes it's good, sometimes noisy! At least the house is big enough that they can each claim their own space. Not the best picture of her, but rest assured, more will follow...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Baseball season in our area has officially begun. My brother and I have season tickets for the LaCrosse Loggers, a team in the Northwoods League. This league is a summer baseball league, made up of college ball players from across the country. Each team is operated similar to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions using wooden bats, minor league specification baseballs, experiencing overnight road trips, and playing nightly before fans in a stadium.

This is the fourth year for the team, and the games are fun to watch. They have the style of pro ball, but a hometown feel. Unfortunately, the team is not off to a great start this year, losing two out of the first three games. But it's early, and there's a lot of baseball yet to come.

Of course, I take my knitting with me to the ball games. Usually socks or other small projects. I almost have a pair of Lion Magic Stripes Socks finished, and hope to complete them at today's game. A picture will be posted as soon as they're done. I'm also working on some footies in Sockotta, which I'm not sure I like (the yarn), but they seem to be turning out all right.

The other big news is that I'm adopting another cat from the Coulee Region Humane Society. I thought that two cats were just fine, but I've always said I'd get another British Shorthair if I got the chance. This week, one showed up on their website, and I knew I had to rescue her. She's a pretty girl named Lilly. Her humane society photos don't do her justice, so look for more photos once she's here.

In the Blink of an Eye....

One of my goals for the weekend was to create this hat. A friend asked me to come up with a pattern for a garter stitch hat. It was supposed to fit an adult sized head. My first attempt became a toddler or child-sized hat. It was a very quick knit, maybe less than four hours from start to finish. The resulting pattern is here. It's a PDF file, so you should be able to just right-click on it and save it if you like. I may keep working at it, and add a size for adults, but for now I wanted to share it, in case anyone is looking for a quick gift idea.

I'm only learning the ins and outs of blogging, so I'm not sure how to get that file to open here in the blog. If you have any problems with it, please let me know.

Finally, Rollie says "Don't look now, but I think I'm being watched..."

From One Bag to Another...

After the Booga Bag, I was hooked, and promptly started another. This one took me a little longer to finish, but today I gave it a second fulling with the laundry, sewed on a vintage button, and called it done. This pattern was in the Jamieson's Shetland Book #3, and it was designed by the "Two Old Bags" ladies. I don't care for that name very much, but I didn't like the previous name of their business, "Wool You Order" either. The pattern was very good, up until the handle. The handle was in plain stockinette, and it curled a lot when it was fulled, which made it a tiny bit skinnier than I would have liked. I'd make the bag again, but change the handle to something flatter and wider. Maybe double knit, or seed or linen stitch.

The yarn was the same as the Booga, more Tahki Ambrosia Slim. I already have a third bag started, this time a Market Squares bag from Knitter's. I made this pattern a few years ago, when it came out, but only made it half as big. It turned into a lovely hat. The yarn was some coned 2-ply wool from Webs. Very nice to work with.

I'm using more of the Ambrosia Slim in the new bag, but in a different colorway. This yarn is fulling very nicely, so it's fun to work with.

Now that summer's almost here, it's hard to find knitting time. I am so far behind in yardwork, housework, eBay work, you name it. I get a little knitting squeezed in during lunch and meetings, but that's only on small things, like socks, washcloths, booties, etc. There are so many yarns and patterns waiting to be made. As soon as I finish this, I'm going to sit down with my needles and knit for the rest of the evening. Wish I didn't feel soooo sleepy....

Finally, Rusty shows just how boring it can be to be kept inside when all the little birdies are outside just dying to play with him...didn't know cats could sulk, did you?

Knit One, Rip One

This has been a hectic week. On Monday, my computer at work caught fire. Luckily, I was still able to back it up, and remove the hard drive, send it up to tech support, and will be getting a replacement by the end of the week. However, being without a computer for even three or four days just feels wrong. I've been trying to get some things done, but I'm definitely out of sync.

Tuesday I thought I'd just knit and relax in the evening. I picked up three balls of Lion Watercolor yarn in the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby, and thought I would make a baby sweater. Found a pattern on the internet, and cast on. After knitting for a couple of hours, and almost coming to the end of the first ball, I realized that I should have made the smallest size instead of the largest, because I was probably going to run out of yarn. So I ripped it all out. Normally I wouldn't have noticed, but this time it really felt like two hours wasted. I guess I'm just having an "off" week.

Wednesday wasn't much better, with a tick bite that landed me at the clinic. I did manage to transplant 46 strawberry plants, and start a new bed, so that makes the future look bright. This is such a busy time of year for yardwork, it really cuts into the knitting time. But I'm really feeling like I need to relax with my feet up and the needles clicking. Maybe Friday night...

Finally, Rusty says "Don't bother me, I'm getting my catnip fix."

Have VW, Will Travel....

Yesterday was adventure. It's hard to schedule an adventure - sometimes they just have to happen. But, because my brother and I both have to work for a living, sometimes they have to be planned. We both managed to get a Friday off, and decided to ignore the skyrocketing gas prices and take a road trip.

I had been hoping to go further afield, but we stuck close to home, relatively speaking. We explored the better parts of Vernon County, Wisconsin, located in Southwestern Wisconsin. On our way there, we made a stop at St. Joseph Ridge, to visit this grotto.Because the weather was against us, raining and spitting snow, and 40 degrees, we did't stay too long at the grotto. But I'll say right now, these types of places fascinate me. There are enough of them located in my part of the state to do an in depth study on. I'm kind of "collecting" them - grottos and sculpture gardens. This one was built in the 1920's. Someday, I'd like to build my own. Most of the grottos and sculpture gardens I've seen have been made by immigrants, but they didn't start building them until they were in their 60's or later. So the way I figure it, I've got about 20 years yet to do my research, and collect my rocks and pieces of glass and other interesting articles. Every grotto or garden seems to have religious symbols, and patritoic symbols. Maybe I will put in some knitting symbols as well.In addition to man-made structures, it's fun to find geologic features that seem to defy reason. Here's a landform called "3 Chimneys", located between Viroqua and Westby. I'm going to have to do a bit of studying on this one too. My brother knew where it was located (in a farm field on a country road), but neither of us could find out why it was formed or what material it was. We were in an unglaciated part of the state, and I thought we were too far away from the areas overrun by glacial meltwaters, but I'm not sure.
In addition to finding unique landforms, we were also exploring Amish country. At first, we bought a few things from a "commercial" shop that carried crafts by local Amish and other artisans. Then we started going down the country roads, and finding the actual farmsteads, many of which sell their goods right from home. At one home my brother bought a peach pie, fresh from the oven. It was too nasty a day for a picnic, so the pie rode in the backseat, filling the car with the most wonderful aroma! Every place we stopped, when we got back in the car, the fragance of baked peaches made us swoon. At another home I bought a bent hickory footstool and we visited with the carpenter in his woodshop. Later we realized that we had only found one of several Amish communities in the area, so another trip is planned.

In spite of the weather, we had a good time, probably spent too much money, learned a bit more about the Viroqua area, and basically had a nice break.

Coming soon - KNITTING CONTENT - I promise, really I do...

Happy Birthday, Ma...

Today would have been my Mom's 90th birthday. She passed away nearly eight years ago, and I still miss her so much it hurts sometimes. She would have loved today - the weather was beautiful, the May flowers are blooming - it was a picture perfect day. We could have had a wonderful birthday celebration.

In her memory today, I baked cookies. Lots of cookies. Over 300 - we are having an event at the refuge this week, and I offered to bake cookies for the volunteers and presenters. Ma would have loved the baking day - she taught me to bake when I was very young, and she had a huge recipe collection. I'm not sure how many actually got made, but she was forever clipping recipes or copying them down. I still have most of her recipes and need to sort through them and get them organized and preserved.

She taught me a lot about needlework too. Embroidery, sewing, crocheting, but surprisingly, she didn't teach me to knit. She claimed not to know how, but I think it came and went. I have a baby sweater she knit for me, and I remember asking her to knit a garter stitch sweater from a "Woman's Day" magazine for me when I was in high school. She did, but it was terribly heavy and uncomfortable. I think she ripped it out and used the yarn in an afghan. She was an expert crocheter, and among other things, made beautiful lace hankies, many of which she gave as bridal or anniversary gifts.

Perhaps her best known trait was to be able to make something out of almost nothing. She was very creative, and saved almost everything, because you never knew what you might need it for. Juice cans were lashed together and upholstered and became footstools. Scrap lumber and molding became a triple decker bunk bed for my dolls. Old curtains were used to make the doll's bedding. A large piece of plastic draped over piled up timbers became my swimming/sliding pool. I could go on and on.

It's that creative spirit that I hope to carry on, whether it's in cooking, or knitting, or gardening. You can see from the photo that she had a pretty good green thumb. Tomorrow I hope to start in on the gardening, and I'm sure she'll be with me in spirit. I can't wait. Happy Birthday Ma!

Knitting Find...or Should that be Fiend?

The Village Wide Rummage Sales are over for another Spring. I think there will be another one in the Fall, but I will probably only be a consumer at that one. My sister and I did pretty well. We each made a small sum, but better than that, I had three less containers of stuff to haul back home! One box of stuff will go to Goodwill, one goes back into storage, and the remaining books will go back on Amazon.

I decided to be good yesterday, and not go around to any sales. My brother though, was instructed to look for and pick up any "things I'd like". This is one of the items he came back with - a cute little knitting tin, complete with the hole on top for the yarn to feed through. There's also a kitty on the other side. Sweet. For a dollar, no less!

Not much else going on knit-wise. It's raining today, and it would be a lovely day to put on some old movies and knit away, but I need to get busy and catolog some of these books I keep bringing home and get them on the new shelves my brother put up for me last weekend. There's another book sale coming up in May, so I need to make room for more.

Finally, Rusty asks, "Why is there no mention of me? I thought this was supposed to be my blog...I demand some attention!"

Something to Tide You Over...

I realize that it's been too long since I've updated this blog. Now loyal readers are starting to wonder what's up. (Didn't realize I had loyal readers...)

I've plunged headlong into Sparkpeople, and it's consumed a lot of my time. But the results have been oh so worth it! I've lost 15 pounds in four weeks! I'm starting to notice a difference in the way I feel; the clothes are getting a little looser, I'm not soooo tired, and some of the health issues are starting to fade away. How wonderful. On the downside, though, I've been camping out on the Spark website so much, that I've gotten little else done. I realize that after a month, it's time to start getting back to my normal routine.

Wait, my normal routine was work, come home, sit on couch, knit, sleep. That doesn't sound very good. I'll have to find a new normal, one that's fun and exciting, that won't put you dear readers to sleep!

I am getting ready for a rummage sale at my sister's house this weekend. It's the annual Village Wide Rummage Sale. Actually, I've been putting this off too, but I'm off work tomorrow, and as soon as I finish this I'm heading for the basement to sort through boxes and have a good clear out. I promise. No hopping on the treadmill and then getting too tired to work. No way. Not even 10 minutes. After all, I need money to pay for the darn thing, don't I?
So I will leave you with this interesting little photo. Many years ago, I bought one of these little gadgets from The Nature Company, that lets you see the world as a fly sees it. A curved, faceted lens sunk into a little piece of wood. Similar to a teliedescope, it gives you a fresh look at ordinary objects. Great for anyone who likes to design and combine colors. This picture was taken holding the lens in front of the digital camera, and it's a picture of the stained glass light fixture that hangs above the dining room table. Cool, yes?

After Booga

Here's the Booga Bag, all finished! I like the way it turned out, but I am going to change a few things for the next one. I think I will put in some yarnovers to make holes in the top of the bag, and string a large shoelace or something through them during the fulling process, to keep them open. This was a suggestion of some of the knitlisters. Also, instead of knitting one long length of cord and cutting it in half, I'll make two cords instead. That way all the cording will have the same tapered end, instead of a sharp edge on two ends.

I have some two-ply worsted wool coned yarn I got from Webs a couple of years ago, and some boucle novelty yarn - maybe for an accent stripe? The next bag beckons.

Finishing a project always leaves me a little bit at loose ends. Should I start something new, like another bag, or something completely new, or go back to an unfinished project? I did work on a couple of old projects last night. Decisions, decisions!

Finally, Rusty and Rollie want everyone to have a great weekend! Here they are, looking very comfy...

Booga Before...

Here is my first Booga Bag, all knit and ready to be fulled with the laundry today. I still have to dig out my zippered pillowcase, but it's down in the basement somewhere. I couldn't find the Noro Kureyon that I planned on using, so I used some old Tahki Ambrosia Slim instead. This yarn is about 20 years old, but looks great! It was way ahead of its time, with the gradual shading effect. The bag and cording only used 1.5 balls, so maybe I'll make more, once I see how this one turns out.

Last week was kind of frustrating. I bought a new treadmill, and let's just say, for the record (broken record, actually) that I despise Sears. But Sears was where I had to go to get my Nordic Track. Buying it wasn't so bad, except I had to wait over 30 minutes before a salesperson would talk to me. Several walked by, but it wasn't their department, so apparently they weren't allowed to even acknowledge my existence. Finally the lone sales guy was free, and the actual demo and purchase probably took less than 10 minutes. Two days later, my brother picked up the crate, which weighed 250 pounds, and it filled up his pickup! We strapped it to his appliance dolly and managed to squeeze it down the stairs to the basement, with me on the bottom going "yeah, I got it", and hoping he wouldn't let go.

I'd only cleared enough space for the machine, not the machine plus the box, so inching it out of the carton took a while. Finally the two main parts were free, and then we started looking for the directions. No directions. No hardware. No manual. It's 8:30 at night, and we're screwed. I call the store, talk to a different guy, who says "If you want to bring it back, we'll give you another one." I politely explain that there's no way on earth that I'm going to get the thing back in the crate, much less ask my brother to pull 250 pounds upstairs. And get to the store in the next 30 minutes. In my head, much colorful language was floating around. Luckily, none of it came out of my mouth.

Finally the guy told me to come to the store the next day, and they'd give me a parts kit and manual from another machine. Which is the probably the reason why mine didn't have any. So the next day I left work early, drove another 40 mile round trip to Sears, talked to three different guys, who all scratched their heads for about 30 minutes, and was finally given a parts kit and manual.

After all this frustration, is it any wonder why I headed to the nearest yarn store?? And here's what I bought, to calm myself...
Lovely, soft, Australian Merino that will someday become a pair of socks. I love the tweedy yarns, so this was right up my alley.

Hours later, and two free dinners in a row for my brother, the treadmill was finally put together and running. That night I was on it for 48 minutes, and almost couldn't walk when I got off! Since then, I've learned a little moderation. Still haven't figured out how to knit and treadmill at the same time, but that's coming...

Hippity Hoppity/Casting a Vote!

Here's the bunny, all finished at last! I don't like the arms, but I guess it's cute enough. If I can figure out a way to make the arms more seamless, I might make more. Actually I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to knit back and forth for a few rows, then join back up and knit the head and ears, which would leave an opening to pick up stitches for arms. I'll have to try that, but not right away. I need a bunny break. I suppose it didn't help that I made this prototype with fingering weight yarn. It was very tiny to turn inside out, only a couple of inches across. I have a big ball of worsted weight acrylic that I could use for the next one.

Voting - I actually got to knit while queuing to vote today! Not too long, but for our small town, that's a first. I didn't even have to wait in line at the last Presidential Election! The hot item on the ballot today was a school referendum where the school district is asking permission to go into debt and raise the tax levy $800,000 per year for the next five years. Financial type votes always bring out a crowd. I was number 273 in the voting line-up, with 3 hours to go. School board and village board races also had multiple candidates, which is again unusual for teeny, tiny Trempealeau. Most people run unopposed.

Tomorrow I get a big new toy - a Treadmill! I am serious about this lose weight, get healthy kick, and have wanted one for years. I would love to be able to knit and walk on it, but I have visions of the yarn falling and getting tangled in the belt, and the motor burning out!! We'll have to see - maybe one of those waist hooks or knitting pouches will come in handy.

Shake Your Bootie

I finished these baby booties on Friday night. This is the kind of project I take along in my knitting bag, to work, or in the car, so I always have something with me to work on. The projects are usually small, like socks, washcloths, booties, and caps. This pattern is one that I adapted from the book "Knitting Tips and Trade Secrets" from Taunton, called "Stay On Booties". I do wish Taunton would publish a knitting magazine. The knitting articles they had in Threads were wonderful, then it became an all-sewing magazine. I actually have a tip published in this book, on page 113! The yarn I used for these booties is some leftover Tahki Socka. I think the bright multicolors make a nice change from all the pastel baby items.

My goal for the weekend is to finish the bunny (the ears have been ripped out and re-worked), and then to start a Booga Bag, which I finally have the pattern for. It's raining here today, and it's supposed to last all day, so I feel like pulling out my "Rebecca" video and nestling in on the sofa with needles and yarn, tea and kitties.

Finally Rollie asks "Why did you shut the door on me yesterday and leave me upstairs in the knitting room for three hours while you went galavanting? Why? Was it something I did?"

Wascally Wabbit

I didn't get very far on the knitted bunny this weekend. After finishing the second ear, and starting the arms, I realized that I would indeed run out of yarn. Phooey.

Also, I didn't like the top of the bunny's head. I'm modifying the original pattern, and I don't like what I did. I left two stitches on the front and back of the head to make a space between the ears. The stitches would be Kitchener stitched. Have you ever tried to Kitchener only two stitches? It doesn't work very well. Plus, there were some gaps where the ear stitches were joined, and in trying to pull everything together, I only managed to make bunny look like he had a bad brain surgery episode.

With only enough yarn left to make one arm, I put the bunny aside and picked up the Baby Blocks Afghan that I've been working on for the past few months. I started this last fall, and since it's for no one in particular, I 've only worked on it when I needed a no-brainer project. The pattern is from "The Shop on Blossom Street" by Debbie Macomber. I enjoyed reading here two "Shop" books, even though they were as sweet as marshmallow fluff. I tried reading one of her other novels, but just couldn't get interested in it. I guess it was the yarn shop setting and knitting content that held my attention.

Today I went upstairs and lo-and-behold, I found more bunny yarn! It was another partial skein of Bernat Meadowspun - from the 1950's! I forgot that I was trying to use it up in this project. Still, I think I going to rip out the ears, and give them another go, modifying the top of the head yet again. How many days until Easter?

Kitty Update - I made Rusty sick on Saturday. I had to run an errand, and since we had been outside exploring that morning. I thought he might like to come along with me in the car. He's done it before. He was fine going, but coming back he got very green (surprising, for an orange cat) and tossed his breakfast. When He got back to the house he just sat in front on his food dish, feeling empty, but not able to eat. I think his world was spinning, poor thing. I felt so bad for him. I hope he's not traumatized for life by this little episode. Cats have an amazing memory for such things. He's still not forgiven the vet for cleaning his teeth!

First Knitting Content!

These are some of the pieces I've completed in the past month or so. I missed the dealine to enter the Official Olympic Knitting challenge, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I set a goal to see how many Dale of Norway accessories I could knit during the Winter Olympics. The first piece I completed was this hat - from the 1995 Thunder Bay Book. I used Dale Heilo, and #1 needles, since I knit loosely. The hat turned out great, but it's too small for me. I made the ladies size, but this would really fit a a child. I wasn't paying attention to gauge, I just wanted to make a fabric that had a nice body - not to tight or too loose. I think if I make another in the man's size, it will be fine for an adult head.

The next thing I made were kid's mittens, also from Thunder Bay. Because the Heilo hat turned out small, I found some worsted weight yarn for the mittens, thinking they would turn out bigger. Nope, still kid sized! The light yarn here is an anciet ball of Bernat Berella, from when it was 100% wool, and the dark is K1C2 Parfait Solids. They have been sitting in my odd ball bin for a long time, and they go well together. I had yarn left from the mittens, so I decided to make another pair, in an adult size, but reversing the light and dark. This pattern is from the 1999 Vail Book. I didn't get these finished, I kind of ran out of steam.

Here's what I'm working on this weekend. It's a bunny, from an old (1970's) McCalls Special Baby Issue. I'm altering the pattern a little bit, to make most of it in one piece. I thought I might run out of my ball of leftover yarn, but now I think I'll be ok. I had planned to have a bunch of these done before Easter, but now I'll be lucky to get this one done. I'm still not sure how it will turn out.

Long time, no Blog...

Happy Spring! Even though it still feels like winter today, the generous amount of daylight is helping me wake up just a little cheerier each morning. I am not looking forward to the time change in April, when I get plunged back into darkness in the a.m. Just another thing the government messes with.

I really doubt if anybody's looked at this blog, but if they did, they probably gave up on it right away. I did too, until today, when I was reading someone's knitting blog, and remembered that I had one too! Well, sort of had one. Thanks to blogspot for not dropping me for no activity. I had tried another blog a year or two ago, and after 30 days of no postings, the host site dropped me like a hot potato. So I'm slow.

Anyway, maybe now I can devote a little more time to this, and have some fun with it. To that end, here's a photo of the two kitties, Rusty and Rollie, happily napping. Rusty is an 8-year-old British Shorthair, and 3-year-old Rollie is just Rollie. I got them both at the local Humane Society in 2003, after my cat Dusty passed away at the ripe old age of 18. Rusty is mellow, and Rollie is a spitfire. They keep me entertained, and are more fun than most people!