Monday, February 28, 2005


Here's the beginning of the baby blanket. Posted by Hello

Enter witty title here

I guess the nor'easter is on it's way. The good news is that we aren't supposed to get the 6-10" that they were first predicting. The bad news is that we're still supposed to get 4-6" of that cold white stuff. I'm getting really tired of snow.

Today's picture is a scan of the baby blanket I decided to do for the baby shower. It's from Leisure Arts #3109, "Quick Knit Keepsakes". I'm doing it in Caron One Pound acrylic in azure blue. I was going to use WoolEase in a light blue but was afraid the baby might have wool allergies so I went with acrylic. I like how easy the pattern is to memorize. The number of beginning and ending stitches varies but the basic stitch is yo, ssk, knit 4. Each knit row moves the yo over one stitch so the pattern is on a diagonal. Now I just hope I can get it done by 3/19. I'm also going to make a pair of baby booties to go with the helmet.

Speaking of baby booties, I did go to the LYS Saturday and bought another copy of the Sirdar pattern I like. I never found the orginal one I had but it'll turn up. I don't mind having two copies as I tend to misplace patterns I use a lot. I also bought more of the Cascade 220 that I'm using on the alien scarf. I don't know if I'll need it but I'd rather have too much than too little. And I can make a hat to go with the scarf. She only had one skein of the light green left so I snatched it up. And I picked up two skeins of Patons Astra in varigated crayon colors to make a newborn sweater if I have time. I probably won't have time but I can always make it another time.

Saturday I took pictures of the outdoor fireplace as before storm pics and tomorrow I'll take pictures again to show how much snow we actually get. So stay tuned...

Saturday, February 26, 2005


Here's my big comfy chair that I sit in when I'm knitting or reading.

This is the basket where I put my finished knitted items.

This is my crazy little dog, Isabella. Posted by Hello

Bored!

I'm bored tonight. Scott had to go out on a service call for a customer with no heat, there's nothing good on t.v., I don't feel like reading my book, and I'm bored with my knitting projects. This is not good.

I posted some pictures I took the other day. One's a picture of my big comfy chair surrounded by my knitting projects. There's a couple of reading books on the ottoman, too. You can see the nice Vera Bradley knitting bag that the kids bought me for my birthday last year. It has lots of pockets inside that hold my needles and notions. It drives Scott nuts when I get it all piled up that way so I clean it up periodically. It's cleaned up right now. That'll last for a day or two. As you can see from how close the knitting bags are, the fireplace doesn't get used. The flue needs to be checked and it gets too hot in the living room so we don't use it much. We haven't used it at all this year.

The chair's days are numbered, though. We ordered a new couch and a chair and a half a couple of weeks ago. So the couch that Isabella is sleeping on is going, too. We bought the furniture probably 10 years ago when the kids were little. It was a cheap set that we knew wouldn't last too long. Now that the kids are both grown, it's time to redo the living room. The old furniture is going to be split up between the two kids. Ariane thinks she wants my chair and Alek is taking the couch. Unfortunately, we allowed the dog to get on the furniture when we first got her and we won't be able to break her of that habit now. I'll have to find a nice blanket to put down for her.

Isabella is our two year old miniature schnauzer. She is the weirdest dog we've ever had. She's very skittish around strangers so she tends to nip people. She won't leave our yard because she's afraid of everything. Does make it easy to keep track of her. She was over a year old before she'd go either upstairs or downstairs in our house. She'd do it at friends' houses but not ours. She's lucky she's so darn cute. And she's very affectionate with us. She likes to sit on the arm of the couch and look out the window. Weird, weird dog.

I also took a picture of the basket where I put all my finished knitted items. I wish I'd taken a picture of it when I had the 30 pairs of charity mittens in it. They looked really pretty all stacked together. Guess I'll just have to do another mitten blitz for charity.

That's about it, I guess. Scott is back and CSI is on so I'll go watch that and work on the alien scarf for a while. What a wild Saturday night!

Friday, February 25, 2005

Drats!

You would think that I would learn by now not to try and post after 10 p.m. In my previous post I enthusiastically (is that spelled right?) raved about the knit blog group. And gave the wrong address for it. If you are interested in this group, try going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knitblogs/ . It might work a little better.

Now I am going to bed! Until tomorrow...

Excitement!

I am sooo excited. I asked how to add links to my blog on the www.knitblogs.yahoogroups.com list and got great answers! I now have blog links on my sidebars. Next stop will be adding buttons!

I pulled out some afghan pattern books and have started two for the baby gift. One is a crocheted ripple stitch afghan that I've made before. I am using Carons Dazzleaire in mint green to start. The pattern has 3 colors and I have mint green, off white, and light purple in this yarn. I don't know if I want these colors but I figure if I make it, I can send it somewhere. I like this crochet pattern and it's a change from knitting so I'll probably continue with it. Actually, I made this pattern afghan for Alek when I was pregnant for him. That was 20 years ago. Man, I really don't throw things out! The other pattern is a knit one that I've started in WoolEase in a light blue. Well, I'm still in the process of casting on for this one. It's a yarn over pattern on an angle. Maybe tomorrow I'll scan a picture of the book. Again, it's a Leisure Arts pattern.

Tomorrow morning, Donna and I are going to the LYS in Utica. I want to see if I can find another copy of the Sirdar booklet that has the bootie pattern and I'm wondering if I should get more of the Cascade 220 for the Alien scarf. I think I have enough but I'm not sure. Or I might get some Patons Canadiana to make the knit afghan out of. I'm not sure about using WoolEase for a baby. And the Canadiana comes in some great varigated colorways.

The weatherman is talking about the possibility of a major nor'easter coming up the coast on Monday and Tuesday. Right now they don't know if we'll get a major storm or just some snow. With our luck, it'll be major accumulation. Kind of like two years ago when we got 30" on Christmas Day. I think if I buy milk tomorrow, I'll be all set to be snowed in. Ooh, might be a good idea to get a bottle of wine, too. And maybe rent a couple of movies. Getting snowed in is not always a bad thing. But now that I'm thinking that way, it'll miss us. Or we'll lose power instead and we don't have any firewood for the fireplace. I'll let you know what happens. One thing I do know - I have enough yarn and books to read to last me through being snowed in for a long time!

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Decisions, decisions...

I don't know what I want to knit for the new baby. I started the hooded zip sweater in the dk weight yarn and it's way too small. And I didn't use smaller needles, I used bigger ones. So that's out. Then I pulled out a Plymouth Yarns basketweave sweater pattern, cast on 126 sts., knit about 8 rows and don't really like that pattern, either. Maybe I should make a blanket instead. Or I could make the same Precious Layettes pattern that I always make for baby gifts. Maybe I'll just go to the LYS and look for another pattern on Saturday.

I worked on the alien scarf tonight once I decided I didn't like the baby sweater. Each pattern repeat is 80 rows long and I'm up to row 71 of the first repeat. Just 5 more repeats to go. Of 80 rows each. Hmm, good thing it's so easy. Hopefully Alek will get it before winter is over. Of course, he's at school in Oswego which is on Lake Ontario and it's winter there a little longer. The campus is right on the lake and the wind blows off the lake all the time. So if I work on it steadily, he'll get use out of it this year. And, he's only a junior so he'll use it next year, too.

Well, it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow. And the cheesy Harlequin movie I'm watching is almost over. So, it's bedtime for me. Au revoir!

Wednesday, February 23, 2005


This is the wrong side of the alien scarf.

Alien scarf on the right side. Kind of spooky! Posted by Hello

Sometimes I'm so thick!

Remember the picture I posted of the alien illusion scarf I'm working on? Well, when I scanned it, I scanned the wrong side because that's where I could see the alien. And that side isn't the illusion. The illusion is on the right side because if you look at it straight on, it's just a scarf. You have to hold it at kind of an angle to see the alien. Luckily, when I scan the right side of the scarf, the alien shows up nicely. I've posted pictures of both the wrong side and the right side. It's really kind of eerie looking.

I got an invitation to a baby shower for Carol's grandson today. It looks like I'm going to have to make a sweater set in the next month. I don't have enough of the Sirdar Snuggly DK to make a matching sweater so I'll use the Bernat Baby Softee I bought at A.C. Moore last Saturday. It's a varigated blue, green, white and yellow colorway called Dreamy Blue. I think I'm going to try making the hooded baby sweater that zips up the back from the Leisure Arts Booklet 144 "Baby's Book". I've made it in the past but the pattern is for a 6 month size in worsted weight. The Baby Softee yarn is sport weight and I'll use smaller needles. I don't know if it'll work or not. I'd better get started on it quickly because if it doesn't work, I have to think of something else to make before March 19.

I wanted to make a pair of booties to match the baby helmet but I can't find my favorite bootie pattern. It's another Sirdar pattern and I've made over a dozen pairs. I can almost do it from memory. Unfortunately, 'almost' is the key word here. It's a good thing I made some working copies of this pattern in case I misplaced the original, huh? Too bad I have no idea where they are, either. This really bugs me because I don't have that many places that I put patterns. I have a lot of patterns but they're all in only a couple of places. Grrrr! I guess I'll keep looking. Especially since my favorite 2 needle mitten pattern is in the same plastic protector. Fortunately, that one I can do from memory. And it's only my working copy. I still have the original. Somewhere. If I don't find the bootie pattern soon, I'll head up to the LYS where I bought it and see if she has another copy. Good excuse to go to the yarn shop!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2005


This is the pattern for the baby helmet. It's the one in the bottom right corner.

This is the hat on the American Girl doll.

I stuffed it with a washcloth and took this picture from the front. Posted by Hello

Denied!

I can't believe it! I tried to join a Yahoo group and I was turned down. I've been joining groups on Yahoo for quite a few years and I have never been turned down before. It's really not a big deal but I was so surprised. Humpf!

I finished a baby helmet for Carol's new grandson today. Isn't it the cutest thing? I put it on Ariane's American Girls doll that she had to have when she was twelve. I think she played with it half a dozen times and put it away. She never did like dolls. Oops, didn't mean to get side tracked. Back to the hat. I used Sirdar Pattern #3064. And I used Sirdar Snuggly DK yarn. This yarn is sooo soft. Now I'll make a pair of socks or booties to go with it.

I got the hat finished today because I had an unexpected day off today. Scott decided he wanted to work on painting the cellar so he only went in long enough to get the guys started on jobs. He told me I didn't have to go in if I didn't want to. I really have quite a bit of bookwork to get done but it didn't take me long to decide to stay home. I got all the laundry done but not much else. Oh, I did go to the post office and mail out the cabled hat, seaman scarf and hat, and crocheted had to Stand Up for Kids!, a charity in Colorado. And I went to the library and picked up the copy of Stitch 'N Bitch Nation they were holding for me. Not a bad day at all.

I let the dog out a while ago and she saw a deer and came running back to the house whimpering. She is such a chicken. Scott had looked out the dining room window and saw 5 of them in the yard. They like to eat out of the bird feeder and sleep under the pine trees. I can't imagine how many would be in the yard if we lived in the country instead of in town.

Visitor counter!

It's late and I really should be in bed. So this will be a quick post.

I figured out how to add a visitor counter to this site! I went to www.sitemeter.com and signed up. At first I tried to have the counter automatically added to my blog but there was something in the html code that wouldn't let sitemeter have access. So I read the instructions on how to add the html to my template manually and it worked!

I didn't knit on anything today. This morning I played around on the computer, then I did some laundry. Scott was home in time for lunch and then my mother had a doctor's appointment so we took her up there. While she was at the doctor's getting a cortizone shot in her finger, we went to Jo Ann's Fabrics and ordered the fabric for the new living room curtains. The dog went with us and sat in the backseat with her head on my lap so I didn't do any knitting in the truck. By the time we got home, it was 5 p.m. and time to start dinner. I printed out recipes while dinner was cooking. After dinner, I sat down and read email. When I was done with that, I picked up my book and have been reading ever since. And now it's time for bed. Quite the non-day. Ugh. Of course, I guess I didn't mention how long it took me to figure out the yardage for the curtains, or how long it took us to decide on the fabric and order it, or that dinner took 1 1/2 hours to get ready. So I was doing things all day but I didn't really accomplish much.

Poor Mom found out that the knitting she did this winter is probably what caused the problem with her finger. So she's not going to knit any more. I guess cortizone shots are quite painful not to mention the pain in her hands from the knitting. So far I can ignore the pain in my wrists and fingers. I hope it doesn't get worse.

Well, this was a non-post to go with my non-day. But I'm going to try to post more often. I'll just do it earlier in the day so I can write something interesting. This late at night, I'm less than inspired.

Sweet dreams!

Sunday, February 20, 2005


Alien scarf from Stitch 'N Bitch book. Posted by Hello

New things going on, I hope.

I bought a book called "Creating a Web Page with HTML" by Elizabeth Castro. I want to add some punch to this page and have no idea how to do it. This books says it will help me make a great Web page without getting "bogged down in the details". Let's hope it's true. I don't know when the changes will take place but I hope they are soon. Depends on how quickly my brain wraps around the whole HTML thing.

I guess I've jumped on the "Stitch 'N Bitch" bandwagon. I got the book out of the library and like some of the projects. I started the Alien Scarf for Alek. If you look at my picture, you can actually see the first alien starting to emerge. Pretty darn cool! And easy, too.

I didn't use the digital camera for this picture, I used the Lexmark printer/scanner/copier I now have. The Epson printer that came free with my Dell finally died. Lasted fairly long for a cheapy printer. The Lexmark printer/scanner/copier/fax that we had at the shop died a few weeks ago and was replaced by the p/s/c that now resides here at home. The amount of printing we do at the shop was more than the printer cartridge could handle. So we got a laser printer for the shop and the Lexmark came home with me. I like having a copier and scanner here at the house. This printer is a little longer and wider than the Epson so I moved it off the library table the computer sits on and set in on a little table of its own. This little table is only about 18" high which means that the dog is eye level with it. She loves it when I print something because she can watch the paper come out. First couple of times, she growled at it. One of these times, I expect her to take it out of the printer and eat the copy.

The library is holding a copy of "Stitch 'N Bitch Nation" for me right now. I didn't get down there before 3 p.m. yesterday and now it's closed on Monday for President's Day so it will be Tuesday before I can take it out. Good thing I have plenty of projects to keep me busy.

Yesterday Sue and I were in Barnes and Noble and I bought a copy of Piecework magazine. There were a couple of really interesting articles on vintage clothing in it. And a pattern for a Fan and Feather shawl that I'd like to try. I also bought Better Homes and Gardens book "Hip Knits". Sue has the book and likes it and it was 40% off so I got it. There are a few patterns in it I'd like to try. I was a little disappointed that they included crochet patterns and didn't let you know on the cover. Don't get me wrong. Crochet is fine and I have crocheted many things but when I buy a book of knitting patterns, I want just knitting patterns! Or at least tell me that some of the patterns I quickly skimmed by are crocheted and not knit.

Time to go do some constructive things, I guess. Personal tax stuff has to be pulled together, a little shoveling is left in the driveway, laundry is always hanging around waiting to be done. Or, I could always work on the alien scarf, the baby sweater, a couple of second socks, start a shawl...

Wednesday, February 16, 2005


Hat knit from Patons Classic Merino wool Posted by Hello

Non knitting content

Today I have posted a few pictures of a crazy quilt square that I did a couple of years ago. It was a round robin so I only did part of it. I cross stitched the pansy and used it as one of the fabric sections on the square. I sewed all the different fabric shapes onto a muslin backing and sent it out to about 10 other people. They each added a design on either the seams or one of the fabric shapes. The work that was done on this square is magnificent! If you want to see more of the sections close up, go to http://photos.yahoo.com/suefaye13350 where I have added a couple of albums. One is for the crazy quilt square and the other is of a couple of cross stitch round robins that I did almost 10 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long.

I made a hat for Alek the other night but I think it's too short. I'm going to try another one on a larger needle. I'll also add more rows into it. I took a picture of it on a stuffed bear. Not the best picture but you get the idea. I made it out of Patons Classic Merino wool. I got the pattern from the 2004 issue of Knit It! by Better Homes and Gardens. It was really quick to make. I started it Saturday night and finished it Sunday. It's so fast that I'll probably make a few of them to send to Oswego. Alek can take his pick and give the rest to his roommates if they want them.

Carol is a grandmother as of Saturday night. James Karlyle made his entrance at 11:09 p.m. I'm making him a sweater set. The sweater is done except for the buttons and the hat is started. Then I'll make a pair of socks to go with it. He's a little peanut - 6 lbs., 7 ozs., 19". The sweater will fit a six month old so it'll be a while before he wears it. Maybe I should do a smaller one first.

Craft night was here last night. Sue, Carol, Donna, and Diann showed up. We had a nice visit. The next knitting group at the library is tomorrow night but I don't know if any of us are going. I'll probably decide tomorrow if I'm going.

Well, I guess it's that "get ready for work" time again. Enjoy the pictures!


This is a crazy quilt square round robin I did a couple of years ago.

Close up of the center

Close up of another section. Posted by Hello

Wednesday, February 09, 2005


This is a seaman scarf and a hat I knit for charity. The yarn is acrylic.

Here's the cabled hat finished and a crocheted hat that I did last year. They are both for charity. Posted by Hello

Charity is a good thing...

I've posted some pictures of hats and a scarf I knit for Stand Up for Kids! in Boulder, CO. This charity gives to homeless teenagers in Colorado. The online charity group I belong to (knitting4children.yahoogroups.com) gives to the Boulder chapter of Stand Up for Kids! I hope to get these in the mail this week.

I'm trying to finish up a cabled baby hat so I can have my 16" size 8 circular needles back. I need them to make the hat to go with the baby sweater I just finished and to make the "Cool Hat" from Knit It! 2004 for Alek. I guess it's time to buy another 16" size 8 circular needle.

I don't have much else to say tonight. (Gasp!) Oh, wait. I think I'm going to order some wool from the new Knitpicks catalog to make myself a felted bag. I like the ones I made for Christmas gifts and want one for me.

Oh, and I'm down to turning the heel on the second white Lopi sock. Maybe I'll get it done soon. Then onto the second House sock for Ariane. That will be a pair of socks for Ariane and a pair for each of her two roommates.

Here's another thing - Ariane is off her crutches finally! Makes her a happy camper. Now I just hope she gets her full range of motion back in that leg. She finally got her knee to bend 90 degrees today. It should have done that much sooner but now that it's done it once, things should be good.

That's it for today. Here's hoping the rain falling right now doesn't turn into the 12" of snow that's predicted.

Monday, February 07, 2005


Camel and green handspun.

Close up of handspun yarn

Noro Kureyon Color 102, Lot U

Close up of the Noro swatch""What's everyone else working on???

Anita
Close up of the Noro swatch

Noro swatch close up Posted by Hello

Never believe me...

when I say I will probably post something tomorrow. Because chances are, I won't. I just took pictures of the handspun yarn this morning. The more I look at it, I think the two yarns are spun too differently to work together. The camel color is a definite thick/thin yarn and the green (which has mohair in it) is more a thick spun yarn. So I guess I have to swatch to find out if they work together. I don't think this yarn is going to work for the Faroese shawl, though.

Last Thursday was the second knitting group at the library. I picked my mother up and brought her along. The first lady I taught to knit last week was back and was knitting a fuzzy scarf out of her Fun Fur and a worsted weight yarn. She had forgotten how to cast on so someone else showed her and she got about 4 inches done. And her knitting is nice and consistent. The second lady never came back. Oh well. I tried asking how to purl continental but since I hadn't tried knitting continental yet, my questions weren't specific enough. I'm going to have to try it and ask again if I don't get it. Donna, Carol and Sue came and Donna brought Diann along. There were some of the same people with a couple of the originals missing and a couple new ones added. It made for a nice fun group. A much better experience than last time.

I frogged the Starlights scarf. The pattern wasn't working and I didn't like it. Now I'm thinking of combining it with some mohair and some novelty yarns and trying a lengthwise scarf that self fringes. I'm going to have to pick up some novelty yarns to use. I have the mohair but should get some ribbon yarn, too. I have some Noro Kureyon that I was thinking of using but I don't know if the colors will go. I'm posting a picture of the swatch.

Our wine and cheese tasting party was a big success. There were 15 people here (including Scott and I) and everyone brought a different kind of wine to taste. We bought some unusual cheeses and had some great desserts. A lot of fun!

We picked out a couch and a chair and a half for the living room. It's LaZ Boy and had to be ordered so it'll be 4-6 weeks before we get it. That's okay since we have to repaint the living room, replace the french doors, and revarnish the hardwood floor first. We need to keep our eyes open for another chair, too. This will keep us busy for a while.

Well, we have a full day planned. The old french doors have to go to the store so they can match up where to put the hardware on the new doors, the dog has a vet's appointment, we have to attend a wake for our next door neighbor (the one on the other side died this fall), and Scott has a pastor search meeting tonight. I don't really have any cleaning since I cleaned all week for the party but Scott wants to continue cleaning out the cellar. And I do have laundry. So I need to go get take my shower after I post my pictures.



Wednesday, February 02, 2005


I almost forgot to send this picture.

This is looking down the driveway at my car that I couldn't get up the driveway in the snow storm.

Isabella watching me take pictures of the driveway.  Posted by Hello

Happy Groundhog Day - or not!

So the groundhog saw his shadow and says 6 more weeks of winter. What the heck does a groundhog know?! One of the pics I'm posting today is of my house as it looked 3 weeks ago. We have more snow than that now. Not a lot more but definitely more. The weather's been decent here for the past few days and is supposed to continue to be nice. I'll take it for as long as it lasts.

I also have a couple pictures of a Faroese style shawl I made for Sue's daughter, Allie. The pattern is in the Spring 2004 issue of Cast On magazine. The pattern called for Lion Brand Homespun but I really don't like working with that yarn. I substituted Lion Brand Jiffy in a denim blue. The Jiffy isn't quite as heavy as the Homespun so I used more yarn and it could have been a little bigger. I probably would have worked more repeats if it hadn't been August and if Allie hadn't been leaving for college. I liked the fact that it was an acrylic yarn since I was giving it to a college freshman. I'd like to make one of these for me but in a chunky wool yarn. It takes 370 yards of the LB Homespun. I have 310 yards of a thick/thin handspun in a nice green. That might not be quite enough but I also have 200 yards of the same handspun in a camel color. I could stripe it. I should wind up one of the hanks and do a swatch. That would make a really pretty shawl, I think. If I have time, I'll take pictures of the handspun yarn tomorrow to post.

I'm supposed to go to a consistory meeting at church tonight. Consistory is the governing board of the Herkimer Reformed Church and I'm a deacon. I think I'm going to play hooky, though. I've only missed one meeting since July and Scott and I are hosting a wine and cheese tasting party Saturday night. I'd like to get my folding chairs recovered before Saturday. We've invited 15 people and asked each couple/single person to bring a certain kind of wine. It'll be fun but I have some cooking and cleaning to do before then.

I'm making penne with vodka sauce for dinner tonight. Yum! This is the best vodka sauce recipe I've found. If you'd like a copy of it, go to www.allrecipes.com and search for penne in vodka cream. The only change I make to the recipe is to use 1/4 cup of vodka instead of the 3/4 cup it calls for. 3/4 cup makes the sauce bitter. Really good recipe, though.

Well, it's time to go have dinner. Later!


Faroese style shawl from Cast On Magazine Spring 2004 in Lion Brand Jiffy.

A wider view of the shawl.  Posted by Hello