Everyone Needs Some Eye Candy

Max loves knitted socks.

Guess who showed up to work two hours early by accident? This kid! I am going to try to cram in a post while I have some real downtime, it’s actually pretty darn exciting! Okay, let’s get on with the good stuff.

~ Socks with Sarah Progress #sockswithsarah ~

I currently have two pairs of socks on the needles, one for myself and one for my Dad. I am working on my socks everyday – even if it is just a row or two. I find that knitting socks is my knitting happy place at the moment. Is it bad I want to finish my Dad’s socks just so I can work on my socks exclusively? I’m gonna go with no, it’ll help me sleep better at night.

Both socks are a variation on the Knitmore Vanilla Sock pattern. My Dad’s socks are Patons Kroy in Flax and mine are Patons Kroy Jacquards in Fiesta Jacquard.

My Dad’s First Sock.

Big…

Bigger….

Finished!

 

~ A Very Berry Fascination ~

After my husband spied my newly organized stash, he asked me a simple question; “Why do you only make one thing in each color when you have multiple balls?”. After I quit giggling from the multiple balls comment I couldn’t come up with a good answer. Does “I am so sick of that color when I am finished that I just have to get another” work?

Well, no. It really doesn’t.

So I took on the challenge of taking two balls (teehee) of Red Heart Soft in Berry – which has a whopping 256 yards per ball – and decided I was going to knit through both. I started with the Twisted Toque from 60 Quick Knits: 20 Hats, 20 Scarves, 20 Mittens. I liked the pattern; the errata was small, the hat was easy to make and virtually brainless, which is a plus these days. I will say that the length measurements given were a bit long though, so long that I ended up folding the brim just to make the hat work.

Another 4am FO.

 

Twisted Toque

The second project was from the same book, kinda. The pattern was Mock Cable Wristers and I hated this pattern. There is a vividly fierce hatred of how this pattern was written – so I changed it. I elongated the cuffs so they were 4″ and more of a gauntlet style, I changed the position of the thumb. I changed the purl increases, I added a thumb, I added length to create fingerless mitts, I did Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Cast-On and Bind-Off. Basically, I stripped the pattern to the bare bolts and started over.

 

This took a full ball and about 20 yards of the second – leaving me to figure out what to do with the remaining 236 yards. I decided I wanted a long cowl to go with the revamped mitts. I wrote the pattern (which I will be making available for FREE on Ravelry just as soon as I get it done). I took the basic concept of the faux cables and just fiddled with the stitches. I wanted them to pop out at you a bit, and I wanted the cowl to be nice and wide and a little less dense than the cable on the mitts.

Ta-Da!

That took care of both balls (teehee). Now I am just so ready to get my finger on a new color that it is eating me alive!

Oh yeah – I finished the mitts from last week. Side note: that horrible join blocked out really nicely. I would have taken a picture but they were out the door and into someone else’s home very quickly.

That blocked out … seriously!

So that’s it for me today friends and neighbors. I have week 2 of my 52 weeks of new experiences all ready to go – I just need to find the time to write it. Who knows, maybe I can show up to work early again and get it hammered out. Happy Thursday blogger buddies!

 

 

 

October 9th – 20th Yarn Photo a Day Contest

Let’s see if I can get back into the blogging groove, starting with loads of photos should help! Okay, here we go!

So here we have day nine, socks! I finally casted on my second sock, um, almost four months later *sigh*. Spoiler Alert: there may be a post on this later this week. 😉

Day 10 was themed around morning. I was at my Mom’s house, drinking blond coffee and staring lovingly at knitting that needed finished. Still healing that day so there was no knitting, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t look….longingly.

 

Day 11 was circles, and boy howdy does this chart have circles in it! It is a small section of a chart I am working on right now (not all of it, I swear). I am still pretty intimidated by charts – this one is growing on me though.

 

A was for Abundance! This is a snap of my LYS after they had actually stocked everything, seems my timing was impeccable. There is something so magical about a fully stocked yarn store – so wonderful, so fluffy, so full of yarny possibilities! Goofy? Yup, but I’m embracing it!

 

 

Day 13 led me to sharing my secret weapon – my yarn/needle chart. I carry a laminated copy of this (OCD has some perks) in my wallet and pull it out when I am second-guessing myself. It is a very handy little thing to keep with any knitter.

 

Day 14 was a sign that my not-so-secret knitting needed a rest. This is the compression glove that I use on my arthritic hand. These are Thermoskin Arthritic Gloves and can be found on Amazon, which is pretty amazing because they are amazing! They keep my hands warm, pull the swelling out of my hands and have a nice grippy texture. Excellent little investment.

 

Just so you know, I know my knitted pumpkin isn’t really edible…but it still looks delicious!

 

So the knitted part of day sixteen’s key challenge was actually my keychain. It was bought off of Etsy – forgive me, I have no idea what Etsy store it was – for Christmas last year. I will try to find the seller of this amazing key chain because I am really rough on my keys and my keychain is still in pristine shape.

 

 

For my imperfect photo I chose the hot mess that was me trying to use a ball winder without a swift or chair. The yarn danced merrily around my laundry room until the giant knot from Hades appeared. Four hours later I learned my lesson.

 

These babies are of course my Addi-Click lace interchangeable needles. My thoughtful hubby got them for me and they have changed the way that I knit. They are AH-mazing!

Day 20 featured the antique ball holder (gesh, why does all knitting terminology sound so dirty? ;)). It is made of iron and hangs proudly in my laundry/office/knitting Mecca room.

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

That’s it for knitting pictures this week, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I loved taking them!

One more thing – I was wondering if any knitters/spinners/crocheters/readers have seen any events that are starting in NOVEMBER! I have had so much fun doing this little side challenge that I am chomping on the bit for something to do in DECEMBER!

Friends and neighbors, any suggestions are really appreciated!

 

October #yarnpadc

Okay, keep in mind that I am at work and have NO idea how to link or do anything like that in my iPod.

So The Knitterly Hooker had a post today for October’s yarn picture a day contest and I’m totally going for it.

Luckily I took a pic before I left today to send to the lovely lady I am making this for do I am good to go! Join in, follow at #yarnpadc on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter. Here’s to making it through the month!

Day one – On the Needles – complete!

There is Always Time for a Quickie….

Post! Your dirty minds should have seen that coming a mile away! 😉

I cannot believe I have somehow managed to neglect my blog for a week and a half – it this blog was a child the state would be involved. There was drama but frankly I am just not in the mood to dissect all of it at the moment (or ever). Not to mention the fact that whenever I go near my computer I am bombarded with all the things that need to be done of the silly machine like:

• Making new business cards.
• Making care instructions for all the new knits.
• Updating my Ravelry page.
• Updating my Etsy page.
• Replying to a million emails I would rather avoid (the ones I want to respond to I try to do in a more timely fashion).
• and of course…Updating my blog.

It’s been a bit of a struggle since I’ve been on a ruffle scarf binge again. I wanted to be able to buy a pair of needles for the Katniss Cowl. I got the needles but managed to much up the pattern so badly that I am seriously considering just doing it all over again – I owe it to my niece  and more importantly I owe it to Lolly over at Lolly Knits. Silly genius made me a perfect pattern and I’ve mucked it up.

Let’s talk about what the hell I’ve been up to – if you’d like to, of course.

** BOOKS **

• I read Delirium to see if it would be something Gloria would be interested in, since I have heard such wonderful things about Before I Fall. The whole romance thing is something she wouldn’t be interested in and I found it a bit lacking, especially since reading quite a bit of really good YA fiction. If this can count as a review here it is – this book is the first in a trilogy and I haven’t bought any of the other books yet. Enough said.
• The End of Your Life Book Club was…Amazing. It is one of those that after you finish reading you almost cannot start a new book, it feels too close to cheating. I love this book, and if you are a lover of books, reading, family and life then seriously go find a copy.
• I am so glad I am almost done with The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club – it’s bloody awful! Set outside of London the completely formulaic story may not have sucked that bad if the author would capitalize ever-single-solitary word she wants to emphasize. Every time I saw something Capitalized it took me right out of the story.

** MUSIC **

Imagine Dragons

Florence and the Machine

Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde

Elliott Smith

I could try to explain why I love this music but eh, I just wanna share what I’ve been listening to. Here is Imagine Dragons Radioactive though, the music video is painfully stupid but if you just listen to the song it’s all good!

** KNITTING AWARDS **

The Versatile Blogger

One Lovely Blog Award.

The Wordpress Family Award.

The Liebster Award.

The lovely bloggers who’ve nominated me for these wonderful awards deserve a proper “Thank You” shout out, which I will put in the Award section on the upper part of my blog. But if I blog it here their blogs might get read twice!

• Heartmade
• kfklever
• iknitiatives
• Me in Stitches

Go check out some amazing blogs and keep posted for their long overdue tributes on the Awards section of the blog.

** KNITTING **

• The Reversible Cabled Scarf was a stash-buster which made me so utterly happy that I made two. I found it on Ravelry originally, but when I went to find the link it’s gone. I remember it was free though so if you have an interest lemme know.
• The Herringbone Stitch cowl is made with the same roving yarn was the cabled scarves, in honor of Lolly and her Katniss Cowl pattern. Plus, I wanted the yarn out of my stash.
• The cowl was a purchased pattern from my LYS and it turned out amazing! And yes, I did find another WIP in the bottom of my bag – it’s like Mary Poppins’ freaking knitting bag!
• The baby hat was from Itty-Bitty Knits with a few alterations on my part, when the I-cord is place I will get a proper picture. I am pretty sure it is going to be adorable.

** THE END CREDITS **

If you’ve made it through my ramblings good for you because I don’t think I could! I can’t wait to get down and dirty with the Knit Along details, get some more knitting under my belt and do Lolly some justice with that cowl. You know, if I didn’t have a full-time job I could get a lot more done! 😉 Well Friends and Neighbors, hope all is well, cannot wait to catch up with all of you and hope to hear from you soon!

This is the scolding look I get from Max when I don’t blog enough. Scary, isn’t it?

A Quickie – I Believe I was Buried Under Ruffle Yarn

I have been working doubles for the past few days, thus no posts. Add to that the pressure of 1) trying to figure out how to organize a Knit Along 2) work being so busy I cannot even read my blogs and of course 3) F&*King Ruffles…

These are just the NON-dupliaceted ones.

These are just a few – a few – of the ruffle scarves I have finished. Basically what you are looking at is all the different yarn colors, if I had taken pictures of all the ruffle scarves in my house right now I never would have gotten around to actually writing this post. I’ve missed blogging, I’ve missed reading your blogs. I miss living in a less ruffly world 😉

These are just the NON-dupliaceted ones.

These are just the NON-dupliaceted ones.

** WHAT I’VE BEEN READING**

Since I didn’t have time to check my book reviews with Rob over at Rob’s Surf Report (my new best friend for helping me figure out how to write a decent book review) I am just gonna show you what I’ve been reading this past week or so.

5 out of 5 Stars.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

4 out of 5 Stars.

5 out of 5 Stars.

A special thanks to Hannah Rose over at A World Created for suggesting Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. This books was a rarity, something as hard to find as good Mexican street food in Ohio. It was incredible, anyone interested in period pieces, not shy of a little gruesomeness and a truly unique experience go check it out.

**  WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO**

XX – XX

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Cary Brothers – What You Are

This is my favorite Bon Iver song – Skinny Love

** MY PLANS FOR THE WEEK **

• Get my Ravelry Page updated – it is so far behind.
• Get all the Stitch Patterns put in the upper header.
• Make a bazillion more ruffle scarves.
• Organize this Knit Along -or at least get a good idea of it.
• Write my 100th post!! 🙂
• Figure out what to write for my 100th blog post 😦
• Knit squares for the Get Well Soon Blanket (more on this is the person I am knitting for will let me discuss it).
• Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair in Saturday!
• Sleep.

** THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND **

I have no idea where the next 100 posts will go, what direction content wise. All I know is that, just in case I forget to mention this in my 100th post, without you bloggers I wouldn’t be becoming the knitter I always wanted to be. So, thank you.

Oh yea! This is the cartoon my husband gave me this weekend assuring me this is how he felt. Well friends and neighbors, even though it was a joke you have to wonder!

Poor Trevor is Living in a House of Ruffles!

The Great Ruffle Scarf Conundrum

If you remember from last Friday, I had decided to cast of (haha) the idea of making ruffle scarfs in an attempt to make money just for the sake of making it. I thought filling my Etsy store wall to wall with ruffle scarves might bring me a profit – but I was missing “real” knitting. So after a very rejuvenating weekend of knitting whatever I wanted – including another ruffle scarf for my grandmother, go figure – I was feeling like myself again.

Till Monday came around….

Monday morning I received a very excited phone call from my grandmother, she loved the scarf. Fantastic! I love giving presents that someone is going to use and love. Good times. She quickly handed the phone to my Mom, who was there visiting, and my Mom asked how much I would charge per scarf if she bought the yarn. I named a fair price and figured I was in for making two or three more scarves.

Holy crap Batman….I was wrong.

28 Skeins of Ruffle Yarn.

There are 28 (TWENTY-EIGHT) skeins of ruffle yarn in the bin that showed up this morning, along with my very enthusiastic mother. I am going to take this as a good thing – if I don’t I will be contemplating how to stab the yarn to death with my knitting needles. So here is a rundown of what I’ve learned about ruffle yarn so far.

• Patons Pirouette – This is my favorite. It is the easiest to work with and knits up the fastest. I also like the different types of layering (sequins, metallic floss, even roving yarn) that creates a great deal of depth.
• Premier Yarns Starbella – This is my second pick for ruffle yarn. It takes a bit longer with a little less effect and the yarn twists a great deal. I think I spend more time untwisting than I do knitting.
• Red Heart Boutique Sashay – Is my new least favorite yarn to work with in the world. It has a weird, super synthetic silky feel – but not in a good way. The yarn wants to splinter so badly that you really have to take your time. It twists far worse than the Starbella and the scarf, following the instructions, is too long. Frankly – it is like knitting with fish net stalkings that had a long night on a very busy hooker. I hope I have made my point.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

With that said I would never turn down the opportunity to bring some money into the house, even a little goes a long way with two people who know how to budget. So I am on a ruffle pilgrimage and so far have made four scarves in two and a half days. Wanna see some photos?

** Patons Pirouette **

28 Skeins of Ruffle Yarn.

** Premier Yarns Starbella **

OSU Ruffle Scarf.

** The Evil Red Heart Boutique Sashay **

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

So there you have it, four down and twenty-four more to go. I have a horrible feeling that there will be more ruffle yarn in my future but for now I am going to take it in stride. I am timing myself so that I don’t work with this yarn for more than 75 minutes a day, this seems like a good amount of time and I can still work on my other knitting and spinning endeavors.

So, friends and neighbors, what gets you through a project that makes you want to pull your hair out?

 

What a Wonderful Weekend ♥

This weekend I turned off my computer – turned off any access to the internet at all and embraced a simpler life. I gardened, I went for long walks, I read and most importantly I rediscovered my love for knitting. It sounds strange that just three days could change my perspective – I guess I owe that in large part to all of you. My own version of the constant readers. 😉

I owe all of you a great deal of thanks. Praise and admiration for all of you that helped me clear my head and rid me of my Panic Monster. All of your comments, your feedback and you kind words reminded me that if you love something, well, that’s all that matters. I could write thousands of words in this post, but I think I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Thank you so much for reminding me that I truly love my craftiness.

♥♥ The Shawl ♥♥

My Baby Being Blocked.

It’s had a bath, it’s being blocked and I am just head over heels in love with it!

My Baby Being Blocked.

♥♥ The Cowl. The Cape. The Shrug. All in One ♥♥

The Stash Busting Beauty.

I have been sitting on this pattern for months, the beautiful little stash buster that it is. So my aunt Kathy’s Christmas Present is all done!

The Stash Busting Beauty.

♥♥ Hexipuffs for My Beekeeper’s Quilt ♥♥

Hexipuffs.

I haven’t made a single hexipuff for weeks! I’ve been so busy worrying about selling that I forgot how much I love this quilt. Even though Max ate part of the brown one (no great loss, it was super cheap sock yarn) the Yarny Cakes yarn – the gorgeous purple color way – was a freaking delight to work with! Here is Yarny Cakes BLOG, the FACEBOOK PAGE and of course the ETSY STORE.

♥♥ The Stitch Pattern That Became a Scarf ♥♥

Horizontal Weaving -or- Waves Scarf.

Another wonderful stash buster! The scarf knit up in a few hours and I was pleasantly thrilled with how it turned out, front and back. Just wish I had taken better pictures, after I blocked it but before it got mailed to a friend. 😉

Dressmaker Dummy Overload

Front of the Stitch

The Front and the Back

 

♥♥ The Ruffle Scarf for my Mimi ♥♥

Yup. Another Ruffle Scarf.

I know I was going to swear these things off but when your grandmother (my Mimi) tells you she loves it and would you pretty please make one – you do. You know what’s funny? I really liked making this scarf….perspective is everything.

Yup. Another Ruffle Scarf.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So for a weekend I put the outside world out of my mind and knitted. Knitted so much in fact I cannot believe my needles aren’t smoking! Now it is time to go back to the real world, but that doesn’t seem so daunting now. It has its perks – now I can catch up on all my favorite blogs! So I wonder friends and neighbors, do you have a favorite pattern?

I’ve missed you, I thank you. You are all overwhelmingly amazing!

 

A Knitter’s Dream Garage Sale!! GOODIES!!

Okay, it may be yet another day and the lace shawl is still on my needles but I have a good reason – well, three good reasons. The first being that I am over-thinking this so simple a beginner could do it pattern so much that I keep making mistakes. The second is that I was slaving over my Etsy Store, worrying about selling anything. Ever. The third is that I hit the mother-load of all garage sales today!

We were just driving back from my parent’s house when we saw the garage sale sign. Now normally I am not a garage sale kinda gal, more because I am always afraid to leave my car on the side of the road than anything but something caught my eye. “TREVOR! SPINNING WHEEL!” I screamed and he found a safe place to stow the care and on we went.

Arriving at this sale was like arriving at a divorce court. A married couple, clearly quite angry with one another, were bickering like small children. What I gathered from my eavesdropping (I have now shame) is that she decided to take up knitting about two years ago. When she did she must have spent a fortune on everything she bought – and she bought everything! Drop spindles, fiber, yarn, spinning wheels (yes, wheels), needles and memorabilia for her “craft room”. Then, well, she never touched one bit of it. The husband had simply had enough and just wanted the room back. Thus, friends and neighbors, my goodies!

** My First Ball Winder **

My pretty new ball winder.

It’s an actual Standwood!

My first ball winder cost $2.00 (retail on Amazon is $59.87). I could have cried I was so excited to see this. The two spinning wheels (each costing a mere $15.00) had both sold, but the winder was mine! I learned the hard way that I am going to have to buy a swift, as you can see below, but who cares!

How I am going to spend my night.

Knots happen without a swift.

** My First Purchase of Fiber **

I have actually only spun one hank? skein? load? (what the heck to I call a pile of wool?) before so I was hesitant. They were selling drop spindles for $1.00 (I bought another one) and the two sections of wool cost $0.50 cents. FIFTY CENTS!

Fifty Cents! Now…what to do with it?

** Knitting Antiques Anyone? **

These two of these three pieces came out of an old factory in Ohio. The two spindles were from a plant the made wool in Southern Ohio during the first World War. The cradle is an antique she found in a store. You open it up and put your center pull ball in and close the sucker tight, then proceed to hang it for easy access. Total price, $1.00. AWESOME!

Cradle Open.

World War I Spindles.

Can kinda see the lettering.

Closed to keep yarn in place.

What an incredible day, so many good finds! Now I just need to figure out how to spin the fiber into pretty yarn (advice is appreciated) and untangle my newly purchased Cascade yarn. Oh – and price a good swift (also, advice is appreciated!). I am feeling so good, how about some flamingos?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just in case the slideshow doesn’t work – I’ve never tried it before and the pictures are just so fun!

Stitch Patterns Weeks 18 & 19

It seems that since this month has begun I have been trying to play catchup, every single day. I cannot believe it is Sunday and I am JUST getting around to posting not one, but two weeks worth of my great-grandmother’s stitch patterns. Well better late than never I suppose.

So, friends and neighbors, with no further adieu I present the stitch patterns for weeks 18 and 19!

** Week 18 – The Tulle Stitch **

The Tulle Stitch

• Needles: Size 5 US (3.75mm)
• Yarn: Bernat 100% Cotton in Blue
• Stitches: Multiple of 2 + 1 Stitch -or- ×2+1 ( I also alway do at least 1 stitch garter on either edge)

kythkek – Row 1: *K1, yarn forward, K1*. Repeat till last stitch, K1 (Okay. So “yth” for you non-veteran readers means “yarn towards heart” in my great-grandmothers scrawl. As for the “e” that popped up – after a little investigating it meant “end”).

pand p3-1 – Row 2: P1, *P3, slip 1st stitch of these 3 over other 2stitches*; repeat to end. ( I am going to beg mercy at giving up after 4 frogs trying to figure this out. I turned to a stitch pattern book from the library – which is also where I found the name of the stitch. I mean, come on! Who could figure out what “p3-1” meant!)

k1an kythk – Row 3: K1, *K1, yarn forward, K1*; repeat to end. (I had already decoded this before turing to the stitch book – thank you very much ;))

p3-1ep – Row 4: *P3, slip 1st stitch over second 2 stitches*; repeat to last stitch, P1 (Again, the book reaffirmed what I (might) have figured out – but it was still nice to know that I would be giving you a readable pattern).

So for fun (more my fun than yours I suppose) here are the unedited photos….

Full Frontal

Full Section

Up Close and Blurry

Up Close

and here are the fun, edited ones…..

The Tulle Stitch

********************* **********  *********** *********************
ONWARD!

** Stitch Pattern Week 19 – Horizontal Weaving / The Wave **

The Wave Stitch (or Horizontal Weaving).

The real pattern is called horizontal weaving (thank you LYS!) but under her notations it was called the wave. She actually made a baby blanked out of this pattern – it was adorable!

• Needles: Size 5US (3.75mm)
• Yarn: Bernat 100% Cotton in Blue
• Stitches: Multiples of 3’s + 1 stitch -or- ×3+1st.

k – Row 1: Knit all stitches (*JUMPING* *CLAPPING* *GIGGLING*! It is like Christmas morning to find a pattern that has a no-brainer row).

kskip2pythk – Row 2: K1 *Slip 2 stitches purl wise (with yarn in back), K1*; Repeat to the end of row (Okay, this was a head scratcher to be sure. If you are “skipping” then you must be slipping…right? RIGHT! Moving right alone to “yarn towards heart” and your home free!).

Again…unedited….

Close Up

Mid Section

Entire Cloth

and the far sharper (both literally and figuratively) edited ones….

The Wave Stitch (or Horizontal Weaving).

********************* **********  *********** *********************

Since I took the photos with my Canon instead of just my iPod I thought it might be fun to see the difference in the unedited vs. the edited photos. It gives me a little more perspective on what I can accomplish with a little bit of touching up. It also lets me play with filters – which is always fun!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks installment and I wonder, friends and neighbors, which pattern do you like better?

Last Night I Dreamt of Ruffled Scarves Again…

So with – nope not gonna tell you how many of these things I have made – ruffle scarves under my belt I can finally say that all the ruffle yarn has been stash busted! Of course, I think there is actually more hiding in the bowels of my stash somewhere, a gift from someone who didn’t know what a pain it is to work with. The scarves are fun, frilly, ruffley goodness though.

Friends and neighbors, let’s go look at some pictures courtesy of Flickr, Instagram, Phototoaster , Photoshop and of course my trusty Canon!!

** Monotone Ruffles **

This is, of course, the ruffle that started it all. A gift from a friend that turned into something that reminds me of The Great Gatsby a bit. I do love how this stupid  scarf looks.

It is so airy and flow-y, feminine and girly, delicate and gentle. Basically, it is a bad ass scarf.

If it sells, I will gladly make as many of these as needed – but I just doesn’t feel the same way I do when I am knitting. Time will tell!

** OSU Buckeye Ruffle Scarf – Shades of Gray, Red, Black and White **

After the first ruffle scarf in monotone colors were made, I received a lot of questions from fellow Buckeyes about whether or not this could be done in our football teams colors. We bleed scarlet and gray here in the Buckeye State and everyone want to wear the colors with pride – at home, tailgating or at the game. It’s like a state law.

So after visiting a few more yarn shops I found this beauty waiting to come home with me. I can’t say I was super excited about working with this yarn again (it doesn’t really feel like knitting – more like unraveling a ball an errant yarn) but the idea is to bring people into the shop right?

After a few curse words mumbled under my breath I gathered some momentum and pumped out a few of these bad boys. Football season is not all that far away – gnarled fingers crossed!

OSU Ruffle Scarf.

I’ve Been Real Busy – Promise!

When I think that I haven’t even gotten to read so many of your blog posts the last few days I have to sit and think…why? Well, my needles are steaming so I guess that means I have been keeping pretty busy!

Also, just before we get to picture-y goodness, I have also:

• Redone my About Page for the Blog.
• Am getting all the Stitch Patterns into their own drop-down menu on the blog – hopefully I will finish that tonight.
• Major amounts of photo editing.
• Updating my Etsy Store with things that most likely won’t sell – I still have hope.

Okay friends and neighbors, now to the pictures!!!

** THE LINK HAT – LONG STRIPED STOCKING HAT **

THE LINK LIKE HAT!

So I have made two of these in the past week, one for Sheri whose package never arrive on our swap (UPDATE: I just got an email that her package has finally arrived in Germany!! It only took one and a half months – God Bless the United States Postal Service). So now both hats need to be put up on the store.

Full Frontal Heavy Goodness.

For Gloria

The Back

So Heavy I Had to Hold It.

Covering the Face in Shame.

Right Side

** BOBBLES AND LACE AND SLOUCHY HAT GOODNESS **

 

So after starting down the road of super adventurous (and time-consuming) knitting, I needed a quick fix. This hat knit up very quickly and has all sorts of yummy bobbles, lace, ribbing, dimension and super fun stuff. I highly recommend it!

Top of the Hat

Face Left

Face Left – Up Close

Flat

Face Right

Another Face Left

** SWEET AS HONEY RIBBED HAT **

I forgot that I had started making another one of these after the first one – because I gave the first one to a friend. This may be the biggest hurdle in running a business for me, I love giving things away! So when I saw it all lonely at the bottom of my knitting bag I went ahead and finished it.

Face Left

Face Right Up Close

Full Frontal

Profile

Back of Hat

Nice and Flat

** THE RUFFLE SCARF FROM HELL – WELL… TWO RUFFLE SCARVES FROM HELL **

Okay, this baby was born from the very sweet gift from a friend. It is Patons Pirouette Yarn and it is pretty when it is finished. Working with it though made me want to punch a wall and pull out my hair. Oh well, the two skeins are gone and I have two scarves to show for it.

I Hate You Ruffle Scarf Yarn….Even Though You Are Beautiful

** MY NEW ADVENTURE IN LACE KNITTING!! **

This has been the project taking up the majority of my time here lately, my very first attempt into lace knitting! I am so excited….like a kid at Christmas. The lace yarn (Patons again) was found at the bottom of my yarn stash so I just dug in. Size 3US circular needles and a nice, simple pattern for a beginner. I cannot wait to finish my precious!

Humble Beginnings

At About 120 Stitches

It Keeps Growing!

Close Up of the Lace. LACE

 

Alrighty, that about catches me up I think. I need to go work on my store, organize the pages for the Stitch Patterns a week, need to do the stitch patterns for this week and last week, work on my lace….

Sorry, I got distracted there.

Okay, plan B. I am going to knit then I am going to catch up with all my delicious blogging friends. I’ve missed you and cannot wait to see what you’ve been up to!

 

The 30th Anniversary Party! LOADS OF PHOTOS!

Thank heavens this is over! The party went fantastically despite the downpour that kept most of us in the house – this may also have been a blessing considering it was 108 degrees out. The flowers – both knitted and planted – done! The blank index cards from the guests – done! The two days of almost 17 hours of cooking – DONE!

I should have taken more pictures, but when the weather turned and the kitchen demanded constant attention I got a bit sidetracked. Despite my negligence, I want to show you what we’ve done.

By the way, I cannot wait to get caught back up with my blogging friends and neighbors without feeling guilty again!

Okay, let’s see if I can organize these is a way that makes the most sense…hope you enjoy!

** Edited Photos **

 ** Knitted Flowers **

100 Knitted Flowers for Mom and Dad’s 30th Wedding Anniversary!

** The Foodie Goodness! **

I could just kick myself for not taking pictures of any of the cooked food! I got so busy trying not to set anything on fire that I just forgot.

I thought I would include our menu, and maybe on a later post I will add recipes because it was delicious!

** The Menu **

• Veggie Tray – Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Stop-Light Pepper Assortment, Cherry Tomato and Celery.
• Fruit Trays – Cantaloupe, Grapes, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and Watermelon.
• Panzanella Salad
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
• Fresh Basil, Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato Skewers
• Artichoke Bruschetta 
• Almond Cake with Buttercream Frosting
• Key Lime Cupcakes
• Chocolate Truffles – Cocoa Dusted, Espresso Dusted and Plain

I know I am forgetting something – but my brain is still pretty fried. I will go through everything when I do the post with the recipes!

** Balloons ** 

And last but not in the least Last….

** The Flowers we Planted **

More Purple Flowers

One Pink Rose.

Orange Flower- Full Sun.

Oh So Pretty

Lilacs

** Then There are the Friends and Neighbors…and Family! **

That be all she wrote friends and neighbors!

I do believe I am going to go take a nap before I attempt to read any blogs, otherwise my comments are going to be as jumbled as my mind is at the moment – but I cannot wait.

Two for One Special! Stitch Patterns for Week’s 16 & 17

Hello friends and neighbors. Before I get started I just want to apologize for just now getting back to all your wonderful comments – I fear I am being a bit neglectful of my blog lately. With the unplanned vacation, even more unplanned flood and my Mom and Dad’s 30th anniversary party I am being pulled in a million directions. This being said, as soon as I get this post up I am going to spend some quality time with you and your posts. Just please don’t lose hope, the party is over on the 16th and things should be back to normal by then.

Okay, enough begging for your patience (by the way, pretty please?!). It is time to see what GG has been doing to me these past two weeks. So, with no further adieu we have stitch patterns for week 16 and 17! Enjoy!

♥♥♥♥ Week 16 – Let’s Call it the Picnic Blanket Stitch ♥♥♥♥

Full Size at an Angle.

Something I have noticed about my great-grandmother is that she dealt almost entirely with knit and purl stitches. There are the occasional cables, but not many. I have to say this is giving me a new appreciation of the basics. Now, let’s see about this pattern shall we?

– Needles: Size 5 US (3.75mm)
– Yarn: Bernat 100% Cotton in Coral
–Stitches: (I think, this is guess-work here) Multiple of 5+4 stitches. I also do 2 stitches on each             edge so it’ll lay straight.

• 1k – Row 1: Knit (Gotcha, good good!)
• 2p4and kp4 – Row 2: P4, *K1, P4* rep. till end of row (Not sure I’ve seen the “and” before, so this ended up getting frogged once before I got it).
• 4p4k1p4 : Row 4: *P4, K1, P4* rep till end (Um…guys? What happened to the rest of the rows?)
• Okay, so this is also where some guess-work and frogging occurred. I figured if she didn’t write it then it had to be knit. If there was a change on row 4 then there would have to be two rows knit after it for symmetry (I tried 5 rows but it looked wonky). So this is the actual pattern down yonder ↓ in a pretty blue color.
• Row 1, 3, 5 and 6: Knit
• Row 2: P4, *K1, P4* rep. till end of row.
• Row 4: *P4, K1, P4* rep till end of row.
  

The Picnic Blanket Stitch Dishcloth.

Full Cloth in Monotones.

Straight On in Sepia.

Up Tilt Angle.

Yes…I Blocked a Dishcloth.

 

This pattern was a bit like playing a knitting detective, which makes me feel (goofily) like a knitting super hero. Goofy? Oh, yes. Definitely. I just wondered if she only knitted it once or she just knew that it had to be a repeat of 6 rows. So many unanswered questions. Anyway, ONWARD!

 ♥♥♥♥ Stitch Pattern Week 17 – The…Morse Code Stitch? ♥♥♥♥

Full On

– Needles – Size 5US (3.75mm)
– Yarn – Bernat 100% Cotton in Coral
– Stitches – Multiple of 10 + 4 stitches  (Totally sure about this one :)) 8 row repeat.

• 1k – Row 1: Knit
• p – Row 2: Purl (Okay, no more numbers – she has a way doesn’t she?)
• 1 – Row 3: Knit (Really? Somewhere this old bag is laughing at me, I just know it!)
• 4p4 and k6p4 – Row 4: P4, *K6, P4*. Rep. *to* till end of row. (Well, at least the numbers showed up again. How kind!)
• k – Row 5: Knit (AND there gone again….curious).
• p – Row 6: Purl
• k – Row  7: Knit ( I should add here that at least this pattern was written vertically, so at least there was some actual separation of the rows. It is rare in here writing, but it was also written on the back of a doctor’s business card – so maybe it was a space thing).
• k3k1p4k4 – Row 8: K4, *K1, P4, K5*. Rep. till end of row (Did you notice that the K3 was wrong? Well I sure didn’t…frogged twice before simple math made me feel like a simpleton. As long as the pattern gets done who cares right?).

Vibrant and Sharpened

Brown Cast Overlay

The Horizontal Dash Dishcloth.

Full On

Well, that’s about all for me tonight folks. Now it is time to catch up with my blogging family – make sure you guys haven’t been up to any shenanigans! One more thing to leave on tonight though…Have you ever tried to get a good picture of you knitting only to be foiled by the light? Well, taking a pair of knitting needles, a hair tie and a pocket light stabbed into the couch might work! Think I am kidding? Well, at least the couch is old! 🙂

Knitting Needles, a Hair Tie and a Pocket Light stabbed into the Couch.

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award…For Me?

I don’t think that I could possibly hide my surprise when Movies, Silently sent me this nomination. I love her blog, the magic and mystery of the silent movie era are described in such a vibrant tone everyday – I look forward to reading each and every post. Old souls are far more common here in the blogging community than I imagined, and she is this wonderful, inspiring writer reminding us of the golden age of movies. My thanks to her will never be enough.

There is a small part of me that hopes that this award is true, that somehow I have inspired at least one person who has read this blog. Maybe a knitter wanting a new pattern, a reader wanting a new book or someone up against the odds who can find some sort of strength in what I write…and more importantly all the wonderful comments that come through this blog. The readers of this blog have made me a better person, and I mean this. I hope this doesn’t come off as pompous or pretentious – hells bells it comes straight from my heart!

So, now let’s get down and dirty with the awards rules!

1. Display the award logo on your blog. (√ CHECK!)
2. Link back to the person who nominated you. (√ CHECK!)
3. Nominate 10 (yes, I changed it – it used to be 15 but I hate to bombard people with the need to post awards. Also, I figure with less nominees the chances of having their blogs discovered is higher.) other bloggers for this award and link to them. (√ CHECK!)

4. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements. (I will get right on it – with great pleasure I might add!)

 

** So, here are my wonderful, amazing, talented, super awesome bloggers! **

1. lollyknits – Lolly has shown me the wonderful world of artist expression through her spinning, knitting and writing. She is also a wonderful source of encouragement and support to her fellow bloggers.
2. Cross(stitch) Your Heart – Another blogger that is always willing a helping hand, her blog boast beautiful pictures, rich prose and a wry sense of humor. Yes – I know you already got this award but I want to give it to you because you inspire me. Deal with it 😉
3. A World Created – There are just not enough good things to say about Hannah Rose and her huge, inspiring heart. My advice, go see for yourself!
4. Intricate Knits – I have been personally inspired both by her blog and her comments. She takes her time,  you never feel like she is rushing to get through her posts or her conversations with other bloggers.
5. Rob’s Surf Report – My daily dose of writing and brow furrowing thinking comes for his brain to my computer screen every day. He is a joy to converse with and his blog is incredible! If I had half his writing talent I would just up and quit my day job.
6. jelliefishcrafts – She is a relatively new blogger on my list but I just love how her mind thinks. She has these amazing to-do lists she plans to conquer and she has been quite helpful with my quires on my blog. I wish I could give her the Amazing Team Member Award as well.
7. Sara Crafts – When I first started blogging and was struggling with getting it all together, she almost (at the time) single-handedly kept me from throwing in the towel. If that isn’t inspiring I don’t know what is.
8. feelgoodknitting – Inspiration comes from this blogger because she really reminds you that it DOES feel good knitting! Forget frogging, socks that are too big or sleeves that aren’t the same length – take strength from someone who loves what they do!
9. knitrun4sanity – (@knitrun4sanity – you know you are totally deserving of this award twice over). To the rest of the readers, this runner/crafter awesome blogger is not only a great read but a great reference. I love her posts, I love the convos we’ve had and I love that she reminds me to keep up – no matter what!
10. Through a Cracked Lens – Want to talk inspiration? This blogger talked me into sharing my photos on my blog – something my particular Panic Monster was keeping me from doing. Her photos, her writing, everything about her blog resonates with me. I love seeing it in  my reading queue and throughly enjoy our commenting back and forth.

Still with me? ACES! There is one more bit of fun that Movies, Silently has set up for us!

But it wouldn’t be fun to just give this award out without a little bit of a challenge so here are three questions:

1. What is your favorite post on your blog (please include a link): My favorite post is actually one I did just a few days ago – A Quick Call to Knitter, Crocheters and Designers! This post was asking how to go about writing a pattern for my niece and received a whopping 153 response! Everyone came up and wanted to help, to share, to contribute. Since I don’t curse on my blog (often) I am going to pretend to be British for a moment…It was BLOODY AWESOME!

2. Did you consider blogging about any other subject? If yes, what? I have wondered a great deal about blogging about my families genealogy, there are so many wonderful stories to tell that I think people would get a real kick out of!

3. Is there a particular time or place when inspiration strikes you? If yes, when and where? When I go to bed, my mind starts racing with ideas of what I want to write about next. The best time for me to write however is late at night, the house is quite and I can focus of what I am doing – from there my mind just takes over and I just try to keep up!

Thank you friends and neighbors, thank you so much for making blogging this much fun. As a bonus for getting through 1,000 words – ANY COMMENTER TO THIS POST IS FREE TO NOMINATE ONE PERSON IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND PING IT BACK. LET US NOT HIDE HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OUR FELLOW BLOGGERS – LETS SHARE THE LOVE!

 

Stitch Week 15 & Finding a Blogging Rhythm & Nerdtastic Photos

Before I start, the Read-A-Thon Schedule is posted! Click →HERE← for info!!

Ahhh…It feels so good to be back at the computer with a clear head and something new to share! Thankfully this week I did not lost GG’s notes – not moving around a whole lot was quite helpful as it turns out. So, with no further adieu – here is Stitch Pattern Week 15!

Full Length of Footsteps Pattern.

Since I went through all of my stitch dictionaries and normal internet sites searching for a name, to no avail, I am naming this the Footsteps Pattern. It looks a bit to me like murky steps in crackled snow. That could be the lingering effects of pain killers but I like it and I am going to stick with it.

Natural – Even though the yarn was baby blue.

Up Slope – Sepia.

Textured.

Full Length of Footsteps Pattern.

Green Scale – Hi-Def

Footsteps Stitch Dishcloth

Pinky Tones

Original – Sharpened and Desaturated.

For those who read the blog the following content needs no explanation, but there is hope that there will be new readers out there! So here is the low down: My explanation is bolded and it’s italicized – it may also be a bit snarky if the mood suits me! 😉

** The Pattern as GG Wrote It vs. The Pattern That Makes Sense…To Me. **

• r1k2p2 – Row 1: K2, P2 across entire row. (Very kind of you GG- my thanks go out to where ever you are).
• r2k2p1addp1over – Row 2: *K2, P1, YO, P1; Rep * across the entire row (I thought about taking back my thank you – what does add mean? Well….I went with YO).
• nrk3p2 – Row 3: K3, P2 across entire row. (It appears that numbers were becoming a hassle, so nr is taken as “next row” in my book. It feels a bit like a guessing game doesn’t it?).
• nrk2p2 – Row 4: K2, P3 across entire row. (Alright, simple enough….feel like I am getting my footing back…haha….footing….get it?….bad foot?…Never mind)
• nrk1k2-p2 – Row 5: *K1, K2tog, P2; Rep *across entire row (now the “2-” I am again left guessing that it is “k2tog”. In reality, I may be messing this whole thing up).
• k1addk1p2 – Row 6: *K1, YO, K1, P2; Rep * across entire row. (Good grief, not even a “nr” – just a space from here on out).
• k2p3 – Row 7: K2, P3 across entire row
• k3p3 – Row 8: K2, P2 across entire row (Again, I am guessing that the “p3” was written wrong – not enough stitches to cover it and it doesn’t really work with the rest of the pattern).
• k2p1p2- – Row 9: *K2, P1, P2tog; Rep * across entire row (Whew, it’s over!!)

Fun with photoshop and loads of apps up above today, I am getting more and more intrigued about messing around with hues and saturation to make the stitches pop. I think I may be finding a nice rhythm with it, or perhaps I just really like playing with photo editors. Either way works for me.

There is a part of me that thinks I cannot find this pattern because I have translated it incorrectly. Honestly, the stitches are a little wonky but I still think it is fun – not to mention it is just a dishcloth. Hopefully I have done the old girl some justice!

** Blogging Rhythms **

So the question I want to pose to you today is how much should one publish in a post? I tend to get overly excited about all the things that are jumping around in my mind and end up with very long posts. I wonder if I could reach more people (or just keep them interested) if I posted more often with less content. So, friends and neighbors, what do you think?

** Some Goofy Pictures for Surviving My Diatribe!! **

Flowers in the Park – Before the Foot Injury.

Niece with a Magnifying Glass.

Hubby Magnified!

All Formal for a Wedding. Not Really Goofy but Fun!

Stitch Pattern Week 14 & Oops…

This is going to be very quick friends and neighbors because I LOST GG’s copy of this pattern! I cannot believe I actually did this, I took it to work to rewrite it so I could post this morning and I think I may have ended up in the trash before I left. 

Well, live and learn I guess….still a HUGE bummer.

So, with no introductions to make on GG’s behalf, here is the Basket Weave Stitch Pattern!

Even the Photos are Bad This Week…

** Pattern **

• Rows 1 and 3: P2 *K2, P4*. Rep till last 4 stitches, K2, P2
• Rows 2 and 4: K2, P2 *K4, P2*. Rep till last 2 stitches; K2
• Rows 5 and 7: K1, P1 *K4, P2*. Rep till last 4 stitches; P3, K1
• Rows 6 and 8: P1, K3 *K1, P2, K3*. Rep till last 2 stitches; K1, P1

The Basket-weave Dishcloth

Up Close and Personal

Lightened and Sharpened

Even the Photos are Bad This Week…

This has been a cruddy past couple of days, I don’t really want to get into it because I am still processing but this is not the quality of work that I want to be putting out. My blog is important to me – not just for myself but also for anyone who is reading it. The standards have been set very high in this blogging community and I hate thinking that I am dropping the ball.

If I am able to find the pattern I will most certainly update this post. Plus, I am working on putting all the weeks of stitch patterns in a drop-down menu at the top of my blog. More than anything, I am just embarrassed with what I have to post today.

Live and learn and then do better next time right? Have a wonderful weekend friends and neighbors!

Loads of Photos for the Weekend!

Geez, the weekend has already seemed to have gotten away from me! I meant to post these lovelies yesterday, instead I got to spend a glorious day with Gloria and T. Nothing is a better than losing yourself – and time – surrounded by your two favorite people. We played Scrabble, ate pizza, watched movies, painted our nails (not T of course) and just reveled in each others company. It was an excellent Saturday!

So on to the photos! T and I took a very long walk in one of the parks around town, my Canon and I hindering our process of calling real exercise despite the 5 miles under our belts. It was so relaxing, very reminiscent of the cabin in the woods, and I came home with loads of photos. I hope you enjoy!

Hello Babies!

Who doesn’t love a little fuzzy baby ducky? I am trying something new here today – if you cannot tell. I have admittedly admitted that I am not a talented photographer, but I do know what I am doing with messing around with saturation and hues. So showing completely unedited photographs is a bit….terrifying. If I have learned anything in the past few weeks, it’s that the community that I write for won’t mind – if anything I am going to get some very constructive feedback.

The Heron.

Okay, I got a little (a lot) carried away taking pictures of the Heron – but he is so pretty! The edited photo at the top really brought out his natural coloring, the rest of the photos seem a bit dull in comparison. However I promised myself to show the good and the not so good here today.

The Water Tower.

I only took one photo, so edited it is!

Bird in Flight. I love how confused the other bird looks.

I love the bird feeder, I know it is not from the park but I could not resist sharing!

Manly Duck…Just Relaxing.

Running at our approach.

The male ducks stayed together, never even approaching the females or the babies. I thought it was odd. Men, can’t live with them – can never try to understand what they’re thinking.

Fuzzy Focus. I like how it turned out.

I really like the ducks in the background with the plant leaves in focus. It seemed to be a very happy accident.

Both of these are edited, but not as much as you would think. The only think I did was to sharpen the focus and put a frame on it. All the rest of it was me remembering how to properly use my camera. It will take time and my hands will shake, but I will love every moment of it!

Look Who I Found Again!

I’ve probably overloaded you with photos today. I really hope you enjoyed them!

This week my blogging plans are as follows:

• No Page Left Unturned (the library shelves project I need to get on)
• Stitch Pattern a Week (cannot forget GG and her antics)
• My Parents 30th Wedding Anniversary Plans (part rant – part brainstorming)
• Finishing the Header section with all the Stitch Patterns to date, just so you don’t have to go searching for patterns!
• WIPs and FOs
• More Photos (of course more photos!)

Have a wonderful Father’s Day friends and neighbors and I look forward to hearing from all of you again ASAP!

Stitch Week 13 & The Infamous Manly Man Beanie

Alright, let’s jump right on in and get to the good stuff!

♥ Stitch Pattern Week 13 – The Triangle Stitch ♥

Dark Orange

As you can see, I got a little over ambitious with the whole photo editing aspect of this pattern. Even though I knitted it with the orange yarn you see above, I was still a bit desperate for contrast – something that would make the pattern pop out at you. I hope I did it, but if not…well…playing with photos is always fun!

Red Sharpened at an Angle

Triangle Stitch Dishcloth.

Light Orange

Dark Orange

Dark Gray and Flat

Light Gray and a bit Blurry

I did the above pattern with Sugar and Cream yarn and size 6 needles, and I will be the first to admit that I am a little in love with it. It is so simple, just knitting and purling and you get this fun pattern that just comes out of nowhere. The pattern however – well – GG had it in for me this week. After last week’s breeze of a pattern the last thing I should do is complain, but boy howdy she made me work for it.

≈ The GG Pattern and The Actual Readable Pattern  ≈

• k5p5 – Row 1: K5, P5 (Excellent way to start off friends and neighbors!)
• k4p1k1p4 – Row 2: K4, P1, K1, P4 ( My oh my, am I flushed and heady with happiness…YES!)
• k3p2k2p3 – Row 3: K3, P2, K2, P2 ( I am swooning, yup – a totally readable pattern!)
• k2p3k3p2 – Row 4: K2, P3, K3, P2 ( …*this is where I stopped and did a happy dance*…)
• k1p4k4p1 – Row 5: K1, P4, K4, P1 (Two weeks in a row, things are looking so delecitably simple… I should have figured out that after there was a scribble of a phone number and cost for diabetes medication that things were about to take a turn for the confusing).

Okay, so here is where it gets real weird…just a warning.

• wrong1 – Row 6: P5, K5 (Okay, not to shabby. Not “wrong” exactly, just the opposite. I will not be deterred).
• from out work backwards (From here I was on my own. Working backwards makes sense – you are creating triangles that are going in opposite directions, that much I figured out from row 6. I still wonder why she stopped though…odd).
• Row 7: K1, P4, K4, P1
• Row 8: K2, P3,K3, P2
• Marcy should’ve used common sense, I mean how stupid does a woman need to be for me to have to rewrite a pattern, she’s been knitting since God was a baby. Row 9: K3, P2, K2, P3 (The rant was written where row 9 would have been and I wanted to share. As it turns out, Mary and I have something in common…my GG’s patterns are not always the easiest to read!)
• Row 10: K4, P1, K1, P4

Below this pattern was a note that, luckily, Marcy never received (this is also copied exactly, so please excuse spelling errors):

Dear Marcy,

I have gone through and see nothin wrong with my pattern. A woman as old as you should have the wits in her brain to figure out how to knit, you’ve been doin it longer than I have. If you really need it writen step by step go buy a book cause I’ve another great grand on the way and your wastin my time.

Jessie Sovine

Gesh GG, reign in that temper old girl. 🙂

♥ The Manly Man Hat That Turned Out Better Than Okay! ♥

A Beanie for a Manly Man.

So this picture is a little sharp, but the point was to show that there is no decipherable difference from the size 3 needles to the size 4. Success! So for all of you that were so comforting and helpful during my crazy tirade, I want to thank you. The knitting/bloggine community has once again shown its kindness in all it’s splendiferous glory!

Manly Beanie Right

Manly Beanie Left

Manly Beanie Top Decrease

Manly Beanie Top

Manly Beanie Front

A Beanie for a Manly Man.

The beanie was a blast to knit up by they way, I cannot get enough of cable work. Even when the cables are hard on my hand, that instant twist in my knitting makes me near giddy, and this baby had 2 sets of cables so it was my lucky day. The yarn is from my stash – which is currently getting busted – and very easy to work with. If I hadn’t broken the needles yesterday it would have taken no time at all to finish, as it was I had to worry about twisted stitches and changes in gauge. The last repeat round and all the finishing was done at a snail’s pace to prevent another mishap, and thus another total nervous breakdown.

The Panic Monster has been defeat and my house is spotless! The hat is all done and currently drying on my mat. The best part of this project? T let me take a picture of him in the hat!

My Manly Man in a Manly Beanie.

This is a good start to my Friday and tomorrow…OH TOMORROW…there are so many wonderful pictures that I want to share from our recent nature hike. I dare say that I am pleased with every single one of them, even before editing!

So I will end this long post in preparation of another long post tomorrow, just with far fewer words. I will leave this with you as I end this post: So, friends and neighbors, what has been the most disastrous thing to happen to you mid-project? It doesn’t need to just be knitting either, and my ears are wide open.

HAPPY FRIDAY Y’ALL!!!!

Knitting Emergency and Attack of the Panic Monster!

Beware friends and neighbors, there is about the be a full on attack from the Panic Monster….

This is Why You Don’t Buy Cheap Needles

Now, I know this may have happened to many of you out there, but this has never happened to me. I am sitting, drinking my coffee and working a round of particularly demanding cables when BOOM! there goes my needle off the cord. Stitches are flying, cables are unraveling and my mind has just jumped into OCD Panic Monster mode.

Serves you right for buying cheap needles Rachel. This wouldn’t have happened with nicer needles. How are you planning on fixing your epic failure here? Hmm…you probably don’t know how to. Best to just frog the whole hat and start over, you’ll never figure it out.

– Panic Monster

So, sitting here I am faced with a dilemma, do I try to figure out how to get the stitches back on the needled or do I frog? Well, first I needed to pace the house a bit to calm down…then do the dishes…then clean the bath tub… After doing so I managed to save all the stitches in the goofiest fashion ever.

Needles and Cords Held Together…sans Harmony.

After saving the stitches and ensuring they were back on the needles/cord correctly I felt pretty good about myself.

Then came my next problem.

The needles I was using were a size 3, and I don’t have another pair of size 3 needles. Usually the idea – even in this situation – of going out to buy new needles would have been delightful, but there has been a stop put on:

• Buying new yarn.
• Buying new tools.
• Buying new books.
• Buying anything that isn’t absolutely necessary!

So…cannot afford to buy new needles, big deal right? Well, yes. It is a big deal. It makes me feel so small knowing that I cannot afford to buy something so simple as a new pair of needles to fix my project. I was so enjoying doing this hat and now the only way to finish it is to put it on a pair of size 4 needles and pray that you cannot tell the difference in the gauge. I am crestfallen, 28 years old and I cannot afford to buy a new pair of needles.

Back on the Needles. Just on the Wrong Size.

I keep reminding myself that this is bullshit (pardon my language), and temporary. I don’t have cancer, no one has died, and money isn’t everything. I’ve never even really considered it a big thing – but then we’ve always both had jobs. I just wish the store would sell something or I could get a part-time job where I could bring in some extra money. I feel like I am letting my husband down, and it is a wicked bad feeling. I just never expected to be financially responsible for so many people (my niece (kinda), my mother and father in law, my husband and myself…and Max).

GET A GRIP RACHEL!

Okay…I’m back. So the hat is on bigger needles, the world will continue to turn and I am strung so tightly that gauge shouldn’t be an issue ;). So, I will hopefully finish this hat today so I can post about it tomorrow with the new stitch pattern. Until then, please enjoy the newest bird that has come to visit our feeder.

Footloose and Fancy Free Bird. Lucky Bastard! (Again, sorry about the language).