If you are behind on you Christmas knitting

Christmas Knitting
Twas the night before Easter, And all thru the stash
I’d finished last Christmas’ knitting, mailed it off in a flash
The socks were now finished, shawls completed and blocked
Done the sweaters full of cables and the hats that were flocked.

The project bags were empty, the needles – they were still
The bare spots in the yarn cabinets I saw with a thrill
I’d knitted and knitted and frogged a little too
As I’d struggled to keep up with what went to who

The bright wools and acrylics were staring me down
“I could have used that!” I said with a frown
The pattern books and magazines were stacked kinda dizzy
I tried hard to ignore them and their shouts to get busy

The needles they beckoned from their place on the shelf
“You really should knit something just for yourself”
My hands began twitching making the motions of the purl
As new ideas blossomed my mind started to whirl

My knees turned to jelly and I started to quiver
The desire to start something I felt clear to my liver
The plastic cards were a groaning as I gave in once more
So I shouted with glee as I headed to the yarn store

Buy cotton! Buy wool blend!
Buy silk and angora!
More mohair! More cashmere!
More alpaca and Noro!
To the display of Addis!
To the notions on the wall!
Now stash away! Stash away!
Stash away all!

FOs

FOs I have finished 3 things on this list. The size 35 fuzzy scarf, the LSSK birthday star and the dead peacock. I started a baby sweater, so my list has not really gone down much.

Lacemaking Conditions

Lacemaking Conditions Ideal Lace Making Conditions

If I am to engage in the delicate creating of lace
There are some things that need to be in place
Quietness needs to be at the level of dropping a pin
The dogs need to be fed, to be out, definitely not in.

The light on my shoulder should be bright like the sun
The needles, yarn and the pattern must function as one
My mind must not think of a thousand renditions
For me to have ideal lace making conditions

WIP update

WIP UpdateI have a lot of things on the needles. So here goes the LIST….

1. Dead peacock scarf (red heart kiss that is terrible to work with but very soft. Very boring project)
2. Cozy – made with KnitPicks memories sock yarn in the Easter color way.
3. Highland triangle shawl – made with black silky wool. Not much progress on this lately as it requires concentration and a good light.
4. Wool shawl – my longest running project, simple triangle and very boring. I have been working on it for about 3 years. I keep finding other things I would rather work on.
5. Bulky sweater – about 8 inches into the remake of this. I made it once and had to frog as it was way too big even though I checked gage and everything. Too bulky for a carry along project. Hopefully I can work on it soon as I want to wear it this fall.
6. Missy lace scarf – I think it is still in a bag in there somewhere, on the body and I think on the second pattern repeat.
7. Missy lace shawl – just barely started.
8. Weaver’s mini shawl – measures eleven inches and it is growing as ity is my take to work for lunchtime knitting project.
9. LSSK birthday KAL star – made with dmc senso cotton yarn. About halfway thru.
10. Fuzzy scarf on size 35 needles that has been frogged back and reknit to the place I was at when I realized I had too many stitches.
11. Camo hat I just started last Tuesday and will probably be my Tuesday night project for a while.
12. Fluffy neck ring on the round loom thingy – doesn’t grow much cause I would rather use needles, but this yarn does not want to cooperate with needles so it went on the loom thingy.
13. Baby blanket – definitely on the back burner.

And I want to start a few things as I got the INKnitters and Knitters holiday mags this weekend. So my list may grow a little but it is much better than it has been in the past….

Till later from Decatur….

Knitting and Other Odd Thoughts

Knitting and Other Odd Thoughts

Weekend

weekendI actually had a little bit of knitting time over the weekend. Saturday I did a marathon house cleaning session as there were supposed to be people coming over that evening. We ended up having the house to ourselves and all of the cookies I baked for just us, so it was not all bad. I was able to sit for a while once all that was done and knit a whole pattern rep on the mini weavers shawl. The first ball was only about 2/3rds there and I am now well into the second ball of yarn. I am beginning to think that I will be wanting a fourth ball in order to make it long enough. Yesterday instead of doing more on the weavers shawl, I started a new project. I started crocheting the v shaped shawl that I got the pattern for at the knit-out. It is all doubles so is going fast. I am using a ball of worsted weight wool-ease I got on clearance at hobby lobby.

God, Husband and Country...

I’ve known for a while I need to get serious about doing this blog. It is supposed to be about knitting, but my knitting time has been severely curtailed. It is also supposed to be about how I love God, husband and country. That can sometimes be a hard thing to put into words.

It is convention time! The Southwest Believers Convention is in full swing (see KCM link for more info). I have been listening to it during the day from the internet and going down each night for the evening session. My body I very tired, but it has been really good. Tonight DH should be going with me and tomorrow is staff day so I will get to attend all day. My favorite speaker for convention time is speaking tonight – JESSE!! He is so funny at times and can really make you think.

Last week we had special services at our church, but only were able to attend on Tuesday. The thing I remember about that was that it came…….to pass. Whatever is going on even though it came, it will pass.

DH and I have been working hard on fencing in our 10 acres and should be soon finished. It is solid rock in places as shallow as 6 inches under ground. Lots of “good quality time” spent together.

I love my country and am a veteran. However I am concerned for them. The Bible plainly states that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed and whoever curses Israel will be cursed. We need to continue to support them in their right to defend themselves and for their quest for peace in their land.

My Fair Knitting Lady?

I got a little crazy today and this is what I came up with. Sing to the tune of “Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" from My Fair Lady


My Fair Knitting Lady?

All I want is a comfy chair
Cotton, alpaca and some mohair
Lace weight, worsted, or fuzzy hair
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly.

Needles clicking just can’t be beat
Knit one purl two and then repeat
Sweater, afghan, socks so neat
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly.

Oh so loverly knitting up all the lace and frills
I will always splurge, who cares about the high yarn bill

A filled yarn basket beside my knee
Stash abounds as far as I can see
Who wants to envy me?
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly,
loverly, loverly, loverly, loverly

Amazing Lace Poetry

Amazing Lace Poetry

When the room is somewhat chilly, I like to wear a shawl
I’m really not a fan of the “one style is good for all”
I looked and saw a square, looked again and saw one round
I looked and looked some more and this is what I found
A pleasant shape to look upon and void of beads and bangle
It’s one of Cheryl’s “Folks” in the shape of a triangle
The needles in my hands are smooth and never pull
Loaded now they are with black and silky wool
The end’s a far off distance I sometimes get dismayed
As stitch by stitch I go along till another lifeline’s laid
The small round markers slip across at barely snails pace
Till I feel as if I’m not competing yet in this Amazing Lace.

The Lace Race is ON!!!

The Lace Race is ON!!!And the lace race is on….. We started tonight with much caution. We did not want to redo the mistakes of the past. Silky Wool was a little reluctant saying “I’ve been down this path before”, stitch markers and lifelines rushed in and made their presence felt. The first 30 rows are done, each one a little longer than the one before. Highland Triangle Shawl (HTS from now on) began to unfold it’s mysteries as the row counter clicked. HTS is beginning to take shape. What will tomorrow hold?

Amazing Lace Team

To say that there are only two members of this team would be to slight Silky Wool with which the shawl is to be made. Silky Wool and I first made our acquaintance when I was looking for yarn for another shawl. It was not my first choice nor was it my first color. That is why I cannot slight it in this race. I will be depending on it to make us (the other teammates) look good. As its black loveliness twists and loops as demanded by Highland Triangle Shawl and as executed by me, we will indeed see that it will be the most visible member of the team.
The second and most demanding member if this team, is Highland Triangle Shawl. I first became acquainted with it after I received the book Folk Shawls for Christmas. As I glanced thru the pages, it spoke to me. I looked at the pattern and thought “too hard, too much”, but it continued to call my name. Silky Wool sat in the bag from which it had traveled home from LYS, begging to be used. The insistence of both together could not be ignored. I became excited as I watched the string go between swift and winder, winding into neat little balls. I quickly bound off a half-hearted project so I could use my trusty needles and cast on. The first row – I could not find the bar to lift, it was too tight and I did not have enough light. Out it came. A looser cast on and a row of knitting, got me thru a few rows, but my increases were still not right, so once again, we became three individuals instead of one team. At this point, Highland Triangle and I had a nice long talk and I wrote out the chart. Once we had come to an understanding, we began again to run. It was a proud moment to say “I have finished 22 rows!”, but the excitement was short lived as I found I was missing a stitch. Silky Wool had its revenge on me for past mistakes. We are currently at this impasse as I gather more supporting members of this team – lifelines and stitch markers.
My pep talk as team captain reminds them that even though our team has had a rocky start, we can do this. I will draw on my many and varied experiences with knitting to get them past the rough places, but they must trust my instincts. I remind them that I am qualified to do this since I have been leading teams such as this since I was a teenager. Yes, this team and race are unique, but we shall prevail.

Lacey Summer ahead

I joined “The Amazing Lace” at http://amazinglace.licketyknit.com/ I know I have attempted to start the Highland Triangle Shawl already twice, so hopefully the third time will work. I have the chart all written out, I have a plan for where lifelines should go, and even a plan as to where to put in markers to help me keep my place. Highland Triangle Shawl is from Folk Shawls. I also have a lace KAL that I will be doing this summer. I have already ordered the yarn from KnitPicks (http://www.knitpicks.com/). Hopefully I can do both of these at the same time. I will conquer lace!!! There is nothing like a lacey summer.

I am still around

I am still around Just a quick note to say I am still alive. I finished the socks for DH, finished the shawl that was supposed to be a sweater and finished my third Texas square. Had a great weekend of yarn and knitting with friends. Still recovering from that.

Also since last posting we went thru Sterling being sick and recovering. I wish he would learn to not eat bugs. Life is fun.

update

knitting update Last week, I started to knit another “love letter” for DH, but brought the wrong size needles with me. They only take a few minutes to do as they are only 19 stitches and 24 rows. Love letter story. I love dove dark chocolate and they each come with a little saying in them. One of them is “send a love letter this week”. Since my DH desk is about 100 feet from mine, I sometimes like to leave a little something for him to find when he comes to work at night. One day I had some cotton ease with me and wanted to try my hand at charting things, so I charted a T (for Tony) and knitted it from the red cotton ease thus creating a “Love Letter”. I wanted to add to the collection last week by doing a heart and a G. I finally got those finished and given to him yesterday.

I have also been busy knitting. I finished 2 things last week!! I finished the second TX square and I finished a “hug” for a gal in the office whose mom died a week ago and then the day she got back in the office was our first day with our new department chief. I started it on a Friday and finished it on Wednesday, it is a simple dropped stitch stole/scarf thingy made from wool-ease thick and quick, size 17 needles. I am diligently working on the socks for DH birthday (April 7) and am past the decreases after turning the heel on the first sock. I think I can knit 1.5 socks on a month, even though I cannot work on them at home. The shawl that was supposed to be a sweater is slowly but surely coming along. I seem to get two or three rows done on it most evenings while watching TV. I am trying to not start anything else until I get both the socks and that shawl done, except for maybe my lace shawl or the other TX square or some other impulsive thing I run across. I saw the Knitty Gritty episode Monday; it was really interesting with all of the fancy stitches. I want to try the crossed dropped stitch. It looks like it would be interesting.


This past weekend was a bit different. We had planned to finish our taxes and efile them and then work around the house a bit. When I tried to log into the internet, I could not get a connection at all. We found that during one of the storms last week, our modem had fried. Thankfully we had unplugged the new DLP LCD TV and it had no damage from what must have been a lightening strike. Our cordless phone also is dead. So Saturday we had to go shopping for a new modem. We also got a UPS to protect the pc and new modem. Sunday I was going to finish up the taxes, but knew that I needed to get an update for the turbo tax software, but that took several hours (I do not know how long cause I went to bed way before it finished). So I should be able to finish that tonight. I spent yesterday afternoon taking apart my yard swing since the cushions need to be redone. Hopefully I can find the fabric I have for that and do those soon.

Psalm 72 (excerpts) May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful, because the king does what is right. May he live as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon continues in the skies. Yes, forever! May his reign be as refreshing as the springtime rains-- like the showers that water the earth. May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the end of time. May he reign from sea to sea; his enemies will fall before him in the dust. He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him. Long live the king! May the people always pray for him and bless him all day long. May there be abundant crops throughout the land, flourishing even on the mountaintops. May the fruit trees flourish, sprouting up like grass in a field. May the king's name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through him and bring him praise. Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Bless his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

Good Monday

Good Monday
Good Monday to yall. We were supposed to put rocks around the bottom of our fence this weekend (to keep dog in) but it did not happen. The wind was howling at about 30+ mph and the temp was in the mid 30’s, so we decided it could wait. We may be able to get to the worst edge tonight. This morning, I ended up leaving them securely in the house as earlier I heard them at the fence barking and went out to find 3 100+ pound dogs on the other side of the fence. I shooed them away and picked up Sterling as he was being quite aggravating to them and we all went back inside. I live 10 acres in the boonies. We have many stray and allowed to run loose big dogs in the area as well as coyotes that get pretty close. I have 2 dogs: Sunshine – a 30 pound terrier mix who is perfectly content to stay in her yard and Sterling – a 17 pound Yorkie-Poo who has the nickname of hairy Houdini as he wants to be out and about all of the time.
Knitting content: I talked with my dad Friday night (he is enjoying his socks) and he was wondering who taught me to knit. I tried to learn on my own thru a book when I was about 9 or 10, could not quite figure it out. I had an aunt that tried to teach me about a year later, did not take. When I was about 13 or so, another aunt was successful in getting me to become a knitter. I also had some instruction in a home ec class in high school. I have knitted off and on ever since then, only picking it up enough to remember my skills until 3 years ago. I picked it up as a guard against boredom (I answer technical service calls and when there are no calls I need something to occupy my time) and as therapy to keep my fingers limber for typing.

Psalm 45:1-2 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
Happy Valentines Day

my av

WIP Update

WIP Update: "WIP:

Fuzzy mindless scarf – very boring, hard to make myself work on.
Sweater from bulky yarn – in the process of becoming a shawl.
Lace table cloth – may frog and start again with better yarn.
Wool shawl – a few rows farther that the last time I reported.
Baby blanket – finished.
Baby sweater – finished.
Striped sweater – do not like the way it is coming out.
Double knitting experiment – frogged.
Shell lace bookmark – frogged
Felted hot pad/oven mitt set. – Mitt waiting to be felted, one hot pad needing one more crochet around, one not started.
CHAP – halfway thru one pattern repeat, may get frogged.
As of Jan 30, 2006

I've been quiet

Quiet Howdy. I know I have been kinda quiet, but I have tried to keep up with the reading. I seem to have no real direction with my knitting right now as it seems that whatever I try to do makes my thumb hurt. I have not picked up the CHAP for a while and will probably frog it. The felted potholder I was working on at the Denton knit nite and did the crochet around is still at the same stage as the crocheting hurt worse than the knitting did (and it needs another round of crochet to be finished). I started a new easy self fringing shawl on Friday, made from the bulky yarn that was supposed to be for a sweater. I am using size 17 needles and that seems to be ok for now. So that will probably be the project I work on till it gets finished or I decide to try to work on another project.

We have been working on the house to get it ready for a super bowl party for a group from our church. So far we have put up new mini blinds in the kitchen eating area (finally got rid of the yucky green ones!!!!) and cornice board (I think that’s what it is called) that I plan to cover with fabric. I also finally hung the curtains I have had for my kitchen for a year. I think I will be rethinking this since these curtains do not seem to be what I really want and that I cannot find them any more to get more pieces. We also cleaned the carpet in 2 of the rooms (they do not look any better, but they do smell nice).

The rain this weekend was really nice. There a few of the smaller cracks that have started to swell shut, but the bigger ones still look really bad. Sterling has found a way to get thru the skirting by the back door and under the trailer and out the front, so they have not had the benefit of using the doggie door till we can get new skirting that he cannot push down. They have the barn to hide in from the rain. So last night, he dug around one the gates and got out again. When I came to work this morning, he was safely ensconced in the laundry room, by himself. When will he learn!!

Till later.

WIP Story

knitting and other odd thoughts Yesterday was a red letter day as far as knitting. At lunch time, I unexpectedly had to take the afternoon off. So after getting home, I sat and knitted all of the afternoon. And I have 3 FO to report. I had been crocheting a cat bed out of the yarn that was supposed to be hats, but stretched and fuzzed something awful when I washed it - I finished that. I have a baby sweater that has been a WIP for over 20 years; I finished the actual knitting about 2 years ago, but had never put it together. I put it together yesterday. I also have a baby blanket that I started about 15 years ago that I finished up yesterday. I even did a few rows on my bulky wool shawl that I have been working on for at least 2 years. All non frustrating stuff that can be done quietly and without much active thought.