Card reader has been found on the kitchen table. So here’s a picture-full post to catch up. These are some of the mats and mitts that were Christmas gifts. Quite a few things got away without being photo-ed.
Houndstooth placemats
Plaid mats which should have been bigger. Hey, I’m still learning.
Boo placemats
Log cabin Mats
Cascade 220 mittens
Tristan’s mittens
Perfect Day Yarns mittens
Mochi plus mittens
Grace and peace to all and to my knitting friends no tinks, no frogs, just knits.
I’m still picture-less and may have to try hooking camera to computer with USB cable. I still can’t find my SD card reader.
On the knitting front, I spent some quality time on telephone with my friend, R, who is also knitting a Multnomah. Fair warning to any who plan to knit it in future. Row 3 of fan and feather put parentheses around yo k1 so pattern reads *k2 tog 3 times, (yo, k1) 6 times, k2 tog 3 times. Repeat from * to next marker. Also I would suggest that row 4 become rows 4 and 5 and that one repeat rows 2-5 10 times. I myself have just started 3rd repeat of fan and feather and was able to figure out pattern only because I’d used fan and feather several times.
Finished knitted objects Daniel’s beanie which I made in Lana Bambu using an improvised pattern and the cabled charity kid’s sweater.
From the loom, using Perle cotton 3/2 I wove 4 napkins for my pastor to use when serving Communion. She has a pottery plate, pitcher and cup that she uses. I used some floats and have to say that fabric is beautiful (even if I did it myself).
From the wheel, finished the alpaca silk singles. This was a little hard to spin a first due to its softness.
On the needles–colonnade shawl for charity, EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket, Nebula Sock 2, and Multnomah.
I plan to warp loom with a prayer shawl this week and haven’t picked my next spinning project.
Grace and peace to all, and no frogs, no tinks, just knits to all my knitting friends…
Christmas is over. All gifts finished before Epiphany but I still have one to deliver. I wove 5 sets of placemats and knitted 3 kids’ sweaters, 3 ice scraper mitts, one neckwarmer, 4 pairs of mittens, and 7 pairs of fingerless mitts.
For a while, my kitchen table has become the dwelling place for finished projects that need to be blocked, ironed, or given away, for handspun that needs a storage space and for materials for future projects and unknown objects that have become buried beneath these projects.
My goal this week is to clean off the kitchen table because I’ve misplaced several things–my good Gingher scissors and my SD card reader which is one reason why this post has no pictures. Other things are missing too and I feel sure they’re on that kitchen table. So here’s hoping that the missing items are on the kitchen table. If not, then a whole house reorganization may be necessary which would truly cramp my knitting style.
Oh and the other reason for no pictures, I dropped the camera and the “door” to the battery/SD card compartment won’t stay closed so uploading with USB cable would be problematic.
Grace and peace to all and to my knitting friends, no tinks, no frogs just knits.
My plan was to set aside Sunday afternoons for gift knitting. This would eliminate the last minute knitting frenzy in November and December. Sounds good–right? Not exactly what happened. I started in January 2009 knitting baby sweaters (actually I had a do-over first) then a couple of birthday gifts. When I finished these, July was here. I had learned to weave and decided that weaving placemats would be quicker so gift-knitting Sundays became general-knitting Sundays. In hindsight, they should have become gift-weaving Sundays. I realized November 1 that all the placemats that I’d planned to make would not be done by Christmas but they will be finished in 2010. So I regrouped and drug out 101 One Skein Wonders in quest of quickly knitted gifts. I’d planned sweaters for 3 children which are still in the plan. I then reviewed the list to determine who could receive last-minute-stocking-stuffer-type gifts. Those folks are at the bottom of the gifts-to-knit list. Things are moving along well. So far I’ve finished one children’s sweater (ends are woven but want to make sure it’s long enough first). This is Sailor’s Rib Sweater from Interweave Knits Weekend. Yarn is Berroco Comfort. 
Also finished is an ice scraper mitt from 101 One Skein Wonders in Cascade 220.
I also blocked the Whispering Pines shawl designed my Anne Hanson and knitted in Malabrigo Lace. This project took so long that I nicknamed it the shawl from hell. Knitting it required a great deal of mental attention so only worked on it a couple of hours a day. Here’s a fabric close up
This is not a gift. It’s for me. Also for me is a Cat Bordhi Moebius Cowl in Nashua Grand Opera to match the sparkly sweater
On the needles is the second Sailor’s Rib Sweater 
another ice scraper mitt
and another jelly bean sweater for charity
Here’s a picture of Debit who was helping me block shawl 
To my knitting friends no frogs, no tinks, just knits and to all grace and peace for a happy Thanksgiving.
Yes I’ve been knitting, weaving and spinning. I have some FOs and some WIPs. For my non-knitting pals, that means I’ve finished some projects and started some more projects. The ones on this post are all knitted projects. I’ll post about weaving and spinning later. First the finished objects (FOs). This is Leafprints Neckwarmer from Knitspot in Great Northern Yarn 70% mink 30% cashmere.
These are the mitts that match it.
Here’s the red sparkly sweater which is based on Knitting Pure & Simple Neckdown Shaped T-Shirt. Mine is not shaped. Yarn is Nashua Grand Opera.
Grand Opera is sparkly even though the picture doesn’t show it. Here’s a charity Jelly Bean sweater in Mexican Wave
No for the works in progress (WIPs). Here is a Sailor’s Rib Sweater from Interweave Weekend in Berroco Comfort 
Here’s a scraper mitt from 101 One Skein Wonders in Cascade 220 (my on-the-go project).
Both of the above projects are Christmas knitting. The next one is a for-me project and is a Cat Bordhi moebius cowl in Nashua Grand Opera to wear with my t-shirt.
Maybe if the weather co-operates and I don’t lose my camera again, I’ll blog some weaving projects later in the week.
For now to my knitting friends, no frogs, no tinks, just knits and to all grace and peace.
About a month ago, while searching for something on e-Bay, I discovered a weasel (skein winder) that was in reasonably good shape. Having been searching for one for a while, I bid the opening bid thinking that I wouldn’t win. As ending time drew nigh, I began to experience buyer’s remorse because no one else was bidding. Did I miss something in the description? Was I going to get “burned”? The auction ended and I won and sent my payment. The seller was slow to ship and sent it the slowest mail rate so it was 2 more weeks before it arrived. During which time I worried and fretted that I’d bid too much or that maybe it wouldn’t work. It arrived last week and here it is…
It does work but doesn’t pop but I know that 4 rotations is 10 yards and I don’t mind counting. It has a counter dial and I’m not sure how that works. The big problem is no room in my den/living room/studio for any more equipment. Guess I’ll have to move some furniture out.
I know I promised pictures of works in progress but rainy Monday prevented the photo session.
On the needles, red sparkly tee top in Nashua Grand Opera, the Whispering Pines shawl which should be finished by SAFF time, a Jelly Bean sweater (youth-sized) for charity which also will be finished next week and Nebula socks in Cherry Tree Hill which are taking a nap. Also napping until cooler weather comes is my Oregon Cardigan.
On the loom are some log cabin placemats in Christmas green and white.
On the wheel I just finished plying some alpaca. I think I’ll spin some Gale Arts BFL next.
Debit and I went to the Blessing of the Animals service Sunday. Debit is generally obnoxious when leashed and in the presence of other dogs. She was a good dog at this service. The PD, Lucy, was kissing her on the cheek and Debit didn’t feel the love for this and grumbled a little.
Here we are.
Grace and peace to all and to my knitting friends, no frogs, no tinks, just knits.
One of the reasons that I haven’t settled into a schedule since semi-retiring is that I signed up for a knit-a-long (KAL). I had decreed that I would not participate in any more KALs as they have deadlines and had become very stressful. I’m deadline-oriented and get very stressed when I don’t meet them–even when for fun. My online knitting friends were participating in this one and kept posting their pictures of works-in-progress so I caved to their unintentional peer pressure. The deadline was October 1. So for the last few weeks this project has been the priority.
I finished it on September 30 and blocked it over the weekend.
Here are a couple of pictures which really don’t do the colorway justice. It’s made from Dream in Color Baby in Cloud Jungle colorway.
Hopefully now I can settle into more of a routine.
I attend knitting groups in Danville and in Reidsville weekly and Greensboro a couple of times a month.
Other things on the needles are Nebula socks (only worked about 4 rows), Jelly Bean sweater (my own design) for charity, a sparkly tee top and Whispering Pines Shawl. I’ll post pics of their progress in later posts.
The Whispering Pines Shawl has been on the needles much longer than I like for projects to be in progress and has been nicknamed the shawl from hell. It’s a beautiful design and I love its looks and its feel but it has not been an easy knit for me. I attended a class that Anne Hanson, the designer of this shawl, taught. She stated that to knit lace one must have one’s mind and lifelines. My mind frequently takes vacations and I now appreciate the value of lifelines.
On the wheel is some alpaca which I’m plying. On the loom I’m weaving some Christmas placemats using log cabin design.
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting to my knitting friends.
Okay I haven’t blogged in so long that I couldn’t remember my password. The truth is that I’ve been knitting on a lace project since April and it’s not finished yet. Yes, I’ve finished some other things and I could post pictures. I may do a “catch-up” blog of just pix.
Notice that the name of this post is Ch-ch-ch-changes. I’ve undergone a life-change. I’ve semi-retired (again) and working half days. I received my first social security check this week.
What this means is that, hopefully, I’ll have time to blog more. I’m participating in a KAL (yeah, I know I said no more) which has an October 1 deadline so I probably won’t blog again till it’s done. I leave you with a picture of my last weaving project.
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting/weaving/spinning to my fiber friends.
The last weekend of April I traveled to The Loopy Ewe Spring Fling. I did some knitting but had no FOs. 
I had a great time with knitting friends old and new,
attended classes led by wonderful designer/teachers
and finally was given a new knitting identity to use on Ravelry and other places that require user names. I’m now southparknitter because all my knitting friends called me “Timmeh!” like Timmy on South Park.
Last weekend on Sunday I ventured over to Rising Meadows Farm and the Goat Lady Dairy for open farm. I didn’t get out of the car at Goat Lady Farm as I had inappropriate footwear for the hike from the parking lot and frankly the cheese would need to be exquisite for me to walk that far to get it. I do however and will walk for fiber or yarn.
At Rising Meadows I purchased Cocoa’s fleece (moorit corriedale)
and some roving made from the wool of Josie and Arianna who are Navajo Churros. My plan is to spin and dye (?) Cocoa to knit a sweater.
I finally finished my Daily Sweater. This sweater is from MASON DIXON’S OUTSIDE THE LINES book and knit is Cascade Pima Melange.
Also finished is sock 1 of my St Louis Socks. I’m also working a pair of plain vanilla socks, 2 baby sweaters (one in assembly stage), Oregon cardigan which will be hibernating for the summer for fear that sweaty hands will cause felting and a Comfort Shawl for prayer shawl.
One of the things that happens when I go on retreats is that I come home inspired and ready to cast on new types of projects. This time it was lace. I’ve been “chomping at the bit” for two weeks wanting to cast on Knitspot’s Whispering Pines in Malabrigo Lace Emerald. My new rules require that I finish the St Louis socks before I cast on but rules are made to be broken–right? So last night I could wait no longer and I cast on and knitted a few rows. Hopefully that will satisfy me until sock 2 is done.
Due to technical difficulties (no internet at home for several days), posting of this blog was delayed. I’ve completed several items and have my new loom. Pictures to follow soon (I hope).
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting to my knitting friends.
The last several weeks I’ve focused on knitting one main project at a time in an effort to de-stress my knitting time. I blogged about this earlier. I felt like nothing was getting finished. I still have a gift project, the Oregon cardigan and a small on-the-go project that I’m working. It worked. Knitting time is much more enjoyable. If I sleep knit, so what, tomorrow is another day.
I finished Randy’s prayer/power throw (sorry no picture) and four pencil pouches.
Now I’m focused on my Daily Sweater. This is in Cascade Pima Melange. The goal is to finish the body before I leave for Spring Fling.
I assembled a baby sweater from Plymouth’s Cotton Kisses kit. I like the pattern but the yarn is splitty. The second Cotton Kisses sweater is off the needles but probably won’t assemble until after Fling.
I’ve finished the first chart of the Oregon Cardigan. I will probably increase the amount of time that I work on this as it is going much slower than I’d hoped.
On-the-go, I’m working on wendyknits St Louis Socks in Claudia Handpainted Shells on the Beach. I’ve made a bit of progress as I’m now working it on knit nights.
I also cast on a “plain vanilla” toe-up in Lana Grassa self-patterning yarn. This was mainly to break the tedium of knitting 2.5 inches of 1×1 ribbing around the gazillion stitches of the Daily Sweater body.
Another reason for changing my knitting strategy was to allow more time for other fiber arts such as spinning and weaving. I’ve finished spinning and plying the corriedale-mohair that I bought at Gate City Yarns (see picture) and am now spinning some 50/50 kid mohair and border leicester roving that I bought last year at the Sedalia Festival from Kid Hollow Farm. The finished yarn will be used probably to make a shawl (maybe).
Since starting this post, I’ve completed the ribbing on the Daily Sweater and tried it on. I love the way it fits. It’s now hibernating until after Fling.
To my knitting friends, happy knitting and to all grace and peace…
