Preemie blanket in dishcloth pattern.

First 8 rows of the petal sweater.

Blurry close up of the petal sweater. 

Memorial Day greetings

I hope everyone is having a nice Memorial Day. The sun is shining and the day promises to be very nice here. We are having a picnic this afternoon with the Tripps', my mother, and our new minister and his family. It should be fun.

I have been knitting lately even if I still haven't finished anything. The dishcloth pattern baby blanket is moving right along. I should start the decrease portion soon. That's my mindless computer knitting.

I started a baby sweater in the petal pattern that was posted to the Baby Sweaters group. I finished the first 8 row repeat but haven't worked on it in a couple of days. It's lace so I have to pay close attention when I'm working on it. I also started a baby sweater from the Leisure Arts "Precious Layettes" book. I'm using sport weight yarn and size 7 needles so it's going to be newborn size instead of 6 month size. I've made quite a few of these sweaters so I know it works up quickly. It will go to one of the two new charity groups I joined this weekend.

Actually I rejoined God's Tiny Angels. I belonged to this group a couple of years ago and I don't remember why I unsubscribed. I probably wasn't contributing much at the time. I did enjoy the group to I joined again. And then I joined Charity Crafting. I like donating baby items.

And that's about it for today. Hopefully, I can post some new progress pictures in the next couple of days. Maybe even a picture of a completed baby sweater!

Explanations are in order...

I suppose you are all wondering about the picture of my father's headstone and the caption "planting flowers on Dad". I guess you have to know my family.

On Saturday, 3 of my sisters (I have 4 and the 4th one is a book in herself) and I decided to plant flowers on my (our) father's grave. By total coincidence, it's the same weekend that we planted flowers last year. The cemetary is in White Lake which is about an hour's drive from where we live and is in the very beginning of the Adirondack Park in northern NY. So, after many side trips, stops and starts, we arrived at White Lake. The actual planting of the flowers takes us approximately 15 minutes. While we were planting, we reminisced about the house we grew up in and how it is haunted. I have actually written down the goings on in that house and each sister added an incident that I either didn't know about or had forgotten. Looks like a rewrite is in order.

Jolene, my youngest sister, gave our annual outing a new name - "Grave Day". And if you laugh at this name - good! I laugh every time I hear it. It seems she was working Friday night at the hospital (she's an RN) and was telling her fellow nurses that she was glad she hadn't been mandated to work another 4 hours on top of the 12 she had already worked. She wanted to say that we were going up to plant flowers on Dad's grave and all that came out was "I have Grave Day." Her coworkers kind of laughed and asked what "Grave Day" was. When she explained, one of the girls apologized for laughing. Jolene told her not to feel bad since we spend about 15 minutes planting the flowers and then drive another 20 minutes north and spend the day in Old Forge. We shop in the gift shops and have lunch. It's a nice outing and Dad would wholeheartedly approve. He was one of the biggest practical jokers I know. I cannot tell you how many ice cubes I had slipped down my shirt when I lived at home. He thought that was hysterical. When we visited his grave soon after his burial, we found dozens of radish "roses" among the flowers. It seems he used to steal radish roses off the salad bar at one of the local taverns and everyone who knew him in White Lake stole a rose and put it on his grave. (Okay, that memory is making me teary eyed). And the upshot of this story is that a picture of my father's headstone with the flowers we just planted on him is totally appropriate to post. My sister Michelle was getting a little nervous as she dug the holes for the flowers but I told her she had about 6 feet to go before she should worry. We are an irreverent bunch.

Don't you love the pictures of 4th Lake? It's the largest of the Fulton chain of lakes and runs from Old Forge to Inlet. That's a distance of about 10 miles when you're driving the road. There are 8 lakes in the Fulton chain. As I said, we shopped in Old Forge for a while and then drove about 5 miles north to eat lunch at Daikers Inn. (It's about halfway between Old Forge and Inlet.) I haven't been there in quite a few years and was surprised to find that they had built a brand new building. It's a great example of an Adirondack lodge. Log railings and sidings on the outside of the building and a large bar and firepit inside along with booths and an outdoor deck for dining. I could have sat there all afternoon drinking Coronas and talking. But Jolene and I limited ourselves to one Corona with lunch. Michelle and Lynne don't drink beer. Then I took pictures of the lake and we drove home in the pouring rain. It would not be the Adirondack Mountains without rain.

On a side note, Scott and his family owned a camp in Inlet for more than 20 years. We spent many a summer vacation at that camp and loved every minute of it. It's now owned by his oldest sister and his middle brother. We decided to buy a travel trailer and camp that way. I love my trailer (and you will be seeing pictures soon) but I think we need to take it up to Old Forge Camping Resort this summer. I love it up there.

Oh, knitting content? Well, the Old Forge Hardware has a nice yarn section and I found the size 13 double pointed needles I've been searching for and a Knitting Pur and Simple pattern for a basic cardigan vest. And they carry Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride wool which I cannot find anywhere close!

Now for Sunday. It will be quicker, I promise. Sunday morning Alek, Scott and I got up and were in Utica by 7:30 a.m. so they could run a half marathon. That's 13.1 miles. Alek came in first in the 20-29 year old age group which is why I have a picture of him on the 1st place stanchion. Scott also finished in good time. I'm the cheering section and do a damned fine job of it!

I hope you like my stories and will join me again. I have a feeling I'm going to have to post haunted house stories next.

Coming soon...

I've posted some pictures but the update will take place a little later. Check back soon...

4th Lake in the Adirondack Mountains, NY. Taken from the deck of Daikers Inn.

4th Lake in the Adirondack Mts., NY. Taken from the deck of Daikers Inn.

Another shot of 4th Lake.

Saturday activities - planting flowers on Dad.

Sunday activities - Alek taking 1st in his age group for the half marathon. 

Felted bag

You can see from the photo I posted yesterday that I started making a felted bag. I'm using a pattern I bought and Reynold's Lopi yarn. This is the same pattern I used to make 4 felted bags for Christmas and I know it works up quickly. It should on the size 13 needles I'm using. I'm making it for the Felted Bags KAL (which I still haven't added the button for). I'll try to do that today. The picture shows the bag done to the half way point. It's knit from the top garter stitch border, then in stockingette stitch to the garter stitch bottom, stockingette stitch back up the other side to the final garter stitch border. Sew the sides, make i-cord handles to sew on, and you have a bag ready for felting. Very, very easy. If you want to see the photos of the Christmas bags, check my Yahoo photos at Photos.

I haven't completely abandoned my Wool Peddler's shawl, though. Since I'm still doing the garter stitch portion, I have been working on it while walking on my treadmill. I find I'll stay on the treadmill a little longer if I have a book to read and my knitting to work on while I walk. I can't walk quite as fast when I'm knitting but if it keeps me on it longer, that's okay.

Tomorrow 3 of my 4 sisters and I are going to plant flowers on my father's grave. Since the cemetary is about an hour away and in the Adirondack Mountains, we're making a day of it. We'll plant the flowers and then head for Old Forge to do some window shopping and have lunch. Old Forge is a small Adirondack town that has several gift shops, a water theme park, and lots of camps on the lake. We love it up there. I just hope the black flies aren't too bad yet. Oh, and did I mention that the Old Forge Hardware is now carrying yarn? The Old Forge Hardware store is not just nuts and bolts. It is a huge store with just about anything you want. There are housewares, building supplies, gift items, a nice book section, toys, baskets, lawn furniture, etc. It's stuffed to the gills with all kinds of fun stuff. I usually hit the books and the yarn. Because that's what I do! :)

Lopi bag completed to the half way point.

This is a family photo taken 2 years ago at Wellesley State Park in the Thousand Islands, NY. 

Yarn shops are evil!

Yesterday Sue and I decided to go to Cooperstown and visit Sybil's Yarn Shop. After only one wrong turn (and if you know Sue and I that's pretty darn good) and an hour and a half of driving, I found it again. We had a great time looking around and picking out yarn. Like either of us need any more yarn. But that's not the point. The point is we had fun. And I ate lunch in Cooperstown for the second week in a row. I normally go to Cooperstown once a year and this year I've been there 3 times already. And I realized that I can get to Sybil's much faster if I go through Cooperstown instead of through Cherry Valley.

I've posted pictures of my purchases. The Cascade 220 and the Ballybrae are both 100% wool that I'd like to make into felted bags. I've used the Cascade for felting before so I know what to expect from it. The Ballybrae I'll have to knit a swatch, then wash and felt it to see how it behaves. It still has the lanolin in it so I'm not sure what it will take to get it to felt. The Ballybrae colors are dark green with flecks and black with flecks. They should look good as bags. The Cascade 220 is a light sagey green. The Crystal Palace bamboo needles are a size 7 to make 2 needle mittens.

The Patons Colours are acrylic and I bought them to make charity items. I made one mitten using my favorite 2 needle mittens patterns from one of the Colours last night using the CP bamboo needles. I made the kids size 6. I started it before dinner and finished it after dinner. That's one reason I love that pattern, it's so quick. And I have it totally memorized. For all four sizes. But when I finished it, I wasn't as happy with the way it looked. I think it might be time to memorize a 4 needle mitten pattern. They will take me a little longer to make but they will look nice. And, no sewing! I will finish the second 2 needle mitten first. I loved using the CP needles, though.

I've joined yet another yahoo group. This one is the Felted Bag KAL. I'll post the button on my sidebar soon. That's why I bought the yarn to make some felted bags. I'd like to have some on hand to use for gifts. And I want one for myself.

And that's it for this Sunday evening. More knitting adventures later.

2 needle mitten from Patons Colours.

Cascade 220 and Ballybrae wool.

Patons Colours and Crystal Palace bamboo needles. 

Fidelity is boring.

My marriage is just fine, thanks. But I got your attention, didn't I?

I'm talking about being faithful to one knitting project. If you've read any of my previous posts, you know how fickle I am when it comes to completing a knitting project. Especially one that takes more than 2 days. I tend to get distracted easily. But for the past week, I've only worked on the Wool Peddler's Shawl. (Well, except for the brief interlude when I did another 10 row repeat on the Branching Out scarf but it was only once!) It's easy to work on while I'm reading email so I pick it up quite often. And I don't have another project that has to be done for a deadline. Except for Rachelann's socks and they don't have to be done until the end of July. Of course, a triangular shawl is faster to knit in the beginning when there are fewer stitches per row but it's still moving along. Now we'll have to see what happens when I get to the lace pattern. I hope it's easy enough to hold my interest.

Look at the cool stuff Christine sent me for the Yarn Yoga Tool Swap. I told her that she did a good job picking out things that I don't have. I almost didn't sign up for the swap because I have so many knitting tools and gadgets. In addition to the ones I've bought for myself, I have all the ones my grandmother and mother used to have plus a bunch that a woman at church gave me since she doesn't knit any more. But Christine came through. She sent me a set of size 19 bamboo needles. These things are huge! They'll be great for making really quick afghans and scarves. (And we know how much I like "quick" projects!) Or a nice garter stitch shawl. And don't you just love the cute little knitting spool?! I can make all kinds of things with the cord that makes. And, then, because she only sent me two things (although those bamboo needles are expensive!), she dropped in a skein of Berrocco Optik yarn in really cool colors. All I can say is "Thanks, Christine!!"

That's all the news on the knitting front for now. I have to go update my new blog What a 'novel' concept. Check it out if you have a minute.

Wool Peddler's shawl at 83 rows.

Close up of my Tool Swap goodies.

Tool Swap goodies from Christine in yarn yoga. 

Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle.

Another shawl pic.

New centerpiece with candles. 

Happy Mom's Day!

I had a very nice Mother's Day weekend. Yesterday Ariane and her cousin, Megan, took my sister in law, Lisa, and I to Cooperstown for the day. They treated us to lunch and we wandered around the shops. A lot of the shops are baseball oriented, naturally, but there are some other cute places. I naturally bought books.

Today Ariane, Scott and I went to Utica and shopped at Pier One for things for the living room. We got a nice centerpiece and candles for the coffee table. Then we went out to dinner. After dinner, Ariane headed back to Rochester and we came home. Alek called me before we left to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and to tell me my card would arrive tomorrow. Since it's the first time he's remembered to send me a card since he went away to college, I don't care if it's late. Actually, we're going to get him on Thursday since he'll be done with school for the year. So I'll see him soon.

I've done quite a bit of knitting on my Wool Peddler's shawl this weekend. I'm up to row 80 of the first 111 rows. I also got another 10 row repeat done on the Branching Out scarf. I didn't get the buttons on the charity sweaters, though. I'm posting a pic of the WPS shawl but I took the picture before I got to row 80. And a pic of my new centerpiece with the candles. Then I'm going to chill for the rest of the evening.

Rainbow as seen from the front of the house. 

Now what?!

I have no idea what I did to this blog but my sidebar overlaps my main part. I'm hoping this weekend I have a chance to look over my html code and see if I can figure it out. I don't know a whole lot about html but it has to have been something I added recently so maybe I can see it.

I did it again. I joined another yahoo group and I cast on for another project. I know I'm supposed to be finishing up UFO's but this was yelling to me. I joined the Folk Shawls and cast on for the Wool Peddlers Shawl. I'm using Lion Brand WoolEase in forest heather green because there was enough of it in my stash. So far it's working up quickly and it's really easy to do. I have 36 of the 111 garter stitch rows done. Once I get to 111 rows, I can start the lace part. Depending on how far I get on it tonight, I may post a picture tomorrow. There really isn't anything exciting to show right now.

I have a baby sweater and matching hat and another baby sweater and matching booties that I want to send to charity tomorrow. I just have to sew the buttons on the sweaters and lace the ribbon through the booties. If I get them finished, I'll post pics of them, too.

Tonight I'm going to post a picture I took the other day of a rainbow that we could see from our front yard. With the view we have of the hills, we see quite a few rainbows. Enjoy!

New entertainment center and coffee table. The rocking chair will be upholstered next month some time.

The wall behind the couch still needs some artwork.

Back of the room.

Finished iPod case.

iPod case with USB cable coming out of the buttonhole. 

FO's!

The first FO is the living room. I'm posting a couple of pictures which were taken this weekend so more has actually been done but you get the general idea. The empty oak table now holds my computer again.

The other FO is the iPod case for Ariane. I found the pattern online at http://radio.weblogs.com/0129449/categories/Knitting/2003/12/30. I didn't change colors since I was using varigated yarn and I didn't follow the buttonhole directions exactly but it all works. The yarn is Plymouth Fantasy which is cotton. I don't have the iPod here so I took the picture with the camera's USB cable coming out the buttonhole.

I'm still trying to finish up UFO's. The next one to be completed is the zip-up-the back baby sweater. I have about 6 rows of the body, the bottom ribbing and the sleeves left to knit. Then I'll put the zipper in the back and it's done. I should probably pull out the socks I want to finish for Rachelann's birthday in July. It'll take me that long to finish them, I think. She wears a size 11 shoe!

That's it for today. I have to run an errand before work and I'm not even ready to go.