Slowly Working on Getting Back to Blogging

In an attempt to slowly get caught back up on blogging my posts may be short. I know, I know – you’re just dying for me to ramble on incessantly about how amazing and interesting my life is but please, don’t cry! 😉

Where to start? Hmm…at the beginning I suppose, catching up on three weeks of knitting. If I go by my Flickr  timeline then I need to start with (one) of my new pairs of socks! Thanks to Operation Sock Drawer and especially Knitting with Sarah’s #sockswithsarah KAL my sock drawer is almost presentable! This pair was once again Magic Looped, which is now officially my favorite way in the world to make socks. I used Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in the color way  Singin’ the Blues – which is a great name for a pair of socks! I’m also sticking with my version of the Knitmore Girl’s Vanilla Sock Pattern. I know it’s time to try something new, but until my hubby gets a pair of socks on his feet I’m sticking with the happy-go-lucky sock pattern that makes me so … so happy!

Singin’ the Blues Socks

I am really getting the hang of this whole sock thing, so much so that this is my seventh pair since October. It used to be that turning the heel really slowed me down, but learning to knit backwards has saved my hands that awful back and forth motion. I used to cringe when I saw this on my needles….

Time for the (not so) dreaded instep shaping.

Now I just go merrily along my way. Next pair? Well (spoiler) they’re already done! But that is for another day. Remember – I am trying to recover from my B.A.D.D so give me a little time. Until then friends and neighbors, I am going to be chillin’ in my Singin’ the Blues Socks!

Happy New Year & Hello 2014!

Howdy friends and neighbors, it seems a new year has begun and that means big plans to fill the next 365 days! Oh the plans I have, not resolutions so much as grand plans for all the things that I want to get into in the next 52 weeks. Let’s see the list shall we?

• Find a year long KAL – any suggestions would be helpful by the way.
• Join KALs to meet even more amazing online knitters
• Finish a sweater
• Finish that lace beaded lace shawl.
• Find that perfect sock formula
• Stash bust 50% of my stash
• Actually spin things I want to share on the internet 😉
• Try my hand at designing more intricate things 
• Try weaving – it looks like fun!
• Keep all my social media up to date. aka Ravelry, Twitter, Facebook,  Flickr (my personal favorite), Tumblr and Instagram
• Be so much better about updating my Etsy store
  
• BLOG MORE!

But here is the one I am really, really excited for….

~ 52 Weeks of New Experiences! ~

I never make New Year’s Resolutions – they usually lead to disappointment. But this year I want to try something new, I want to try 1 new thing a week (or a total of 52 new things in a year). This can be knitting related or anything else my mind dreams up. Life is too short to not keep learn and trying new things. I already know what I want to do for week 1, which is really exciting!, but I am going to have to keep reading blogs, books, magazines and anything I can get my hands on to keep expanding as a person.

This is going to be a very full year indeed. So now I beg for your input friends and neighbors – what knitting are you doing this coming year? Heard of any good KALs? Seen something that tickles your fancy? Please share! I am here and sooo ready to listen!

 

My Cat Made Me Make This

When I was taking a break from knitting, aka wearing two braces and icing my two misbehaving hands, my cat went on a yarn bender. I found him Saturday night with my knitting cabinet open, yarn strewn across the floor, and him curled up in my WIP bag. So, I got him a new ball of yarn and he slept all night.

My Maxwell and his yarn.

Little did Max (or Trevor for that matter) know that I was planning on making something with this as soon as the braces came off. When all you do all week is work, talk on the phone (I couldn’t drive with the braces and all my close friends have new babies) and marinate in your need to make something, you get very creative in…um…sneaking around.

So, as soon as my hands felt close enough to ready I casted on. I really like this yarn, it is Patons Classic Wool in Harmony and it will be nice and warm this winter. The first hat I did had a ridiculous thick brim to keep your ears nice and toasty.

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Instacollage

Feedback from the hubby was that, while it was good for me and all my hair, that for him the brim was just a little too wide. So, what would any good knitter do when she already has the yarn and didn’t get yelled out for knitting? I made another one!

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This one is half the height of the first hat brim-wise, but otherwise all the same design ideas. The best news being that this one went over swimmingly with the hubby! I have to agree with him that the smaller brim looks really good on him and once it gets a bath it’ll lose all its itchiness.

So again, a little sparse on content but lots and lots of pictures! Thank you again for sticking with me while I try to hunt and peck out blog entries – I am enjoying all your blogs so much and I cannot wait to get commenting again!

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!

 

Two Firsts for Me!

When I am bummed out about my hand I watch movie trailers – it takes me to my happy place which is a very, very good thing. The Wolves of Wall Street Trailer is my new favorite – I am literally vibrating with anticipation to see this movie. Enjoy the GIF. Enjoy the Trailer. Enjoy your day because there is a lot going down tomorrow.

Not really, just loads of photos if Flickr ever comes back up!

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.

Unemployment & Gardening & Panic Monsters & Photographs…My What a Title!

Mmm….The dirt under my nails, my hair swelling from the heat, the sweet – oh so sweet – breeze that cools off the day. Fantastic!

It has been a good day so far, the hubby and I have been buzzing around the house with a new purpose – to clean/repair/improve every inch of the house and the garden. Within our budgetary means, which means anything we can do for free.

We have both been a little, preoccupied. Him not having a job is obviously already taking its toll, he’s like a hummingbird on crack. We will get through this no doubt, but I just wish I could ease the stress lines that are appearing on his face. It’ll be good for us to be together and working in the house, refreshing even. We can take our time, enjoy what we have and realized that we have more than enough in our lives.

I feel like I should be knitting, should be working on my Etsy store, should be blogging, should be taking photos, should be reading on how to….you know what? Never mind. In the here and now, I am happy just the way I am. I am going to drink my iced tea with lemonade and relax with a nice fiction book in all it’s purposeless splendor.

Just for fun (despite the Panic Monster’s fear of humiliation) here are some photos I’ve recently taken. Enjoy your weekend everyone, I will try to be more organized come Monday!

One Pink Rose.

Sky at Sunrise

Before the Storm

Flowers in Focus

Full Moon at Sunrise

Golden Flowers

Full Moon at 4am

Magical Sunrise

Rosebud

Water on Flowers

Hungry for Bird Feed

Bird in Tree

Dragonfly? Alien? Hmm…

Stupid Luck I Got This

Water Collected

Stitch Pattern Week 10 – A Misbehaving Hand & WIPs & Photos for Fun…Oh My!

I feel as if I have been quite neglectful of my blog here recently. Since the little setback with my hand I’ve lost a bit of my knitting confidence, afraid that I’ll make a mistake on something simple and feel utterly lost on how to proceed. Luckily I did this weeks stitch pattern on the 12th, so here it is friends and neighbors – The Chevron Stitch!

The Chevron Stitch

I’ve gotta tell you, GG really gave it to me when I found this pattern. She called it the Triangles Stitch (no help there) and the instructions….I thought I would rather curl up and die than try to figure this out. Once I figured it out, which admittedly took way to much time, I was on a roll. It is a simple, dimensional and textural stitch, and now that I know what is going on I think I want to try to work with it in another way.

Trying to identify the textures.

Edited to death trying to find stitch distinction.

The Chevron Stitch.

The Chevron Stitch shot upwards.

*Please forgive me in advance if there are any errors in my typing, I am going at this using the hunt and peck method to avoid straining my hand. I am normally a decent editor, but after a while I get tired of finding all these stupid mistakes caused by my misbehaving appendage.

 * * So GG, What Torture Awaits Us This Week? * * 

My notebook on how to discern crazy.

r1 k1 p7k1 – Row 1: K1; *P7, K1; rep. from * till end (okay, not to bad so far, she even gave me a space between row and pattern. I doesn’t last but hey!, I will take what I can get)

r2 p1 k7p1 way – Row 2: P1; *K7, P1; rep from * till end of row (what does way mean? all they way? way to go? I am way laughing at you? I think it’s the latter.)

3 k2 p5k3 –  Row 3: K2; *P5, K3; rep. from * till last rep., P5, K2. (We’ve given up the niceties of putting “r” in front of the row, I am sensing a deterioration! Not to mention that the last repeats of the rows are not as written, I am filling in the gaps here.) 

4 p2k5p3 – Row 4: P2; *K5, P3; rep from * till last rep.. K5, P2. (Okay, now we’ve almost given up on spaces. Luckily the pattern was obviously starting to take shape, so an intuitive leap wasn’t that far)

5 k3p3x5 – Row 5: K3; *P3, K5; rep from * till last rep., P3, K3 (I am sure the “x” was a “k” at some point or another, or maybe she just got tired of writing down the letter “k”? Your guess is as good as mine.

6p3k3p5 – Row 6: P3; *K3, P5; rep. from * till last rep., K3, P3 (All right, GG is getting really, really tired of writing this pattern. Even her handwriting is starting to take a nosedive, she just wants to knit people!)

7k4p1k7 – Row 7: K4; *P1, K7; rep. from * till last rep., P1, K4 (Almost there, hang strong!)

8p417 – Row 8: P4 *K1, P7; rep. from *till last rep., K1, P4 (While I am sure she understood this jumble of numbers (and if you think about it, it does follow a pattern) but how on earth could she share this with anyone?)

* * THIS IS ABOUT TO GET REALLY FUNNY, PREPARE YOURSELVES * *

R9 to16. work beg sets backwards. (Umm…SERIOUSLY! This was how that pattern ended, with a cryptic instruction so insane the CIA couldn’t crack it. Thank goodness for the internet.)

• Row 9: Rep. Row 2.
• Row 10: Rep. Row 1.
• Row 11: Rep Row 4.
• Row 12: Rep. Row 3.
• Row 13: Rep. Row 6
• Row 14: Rep. Row 5
• Row 15: Rep. Row 8
• Row 16: Rep. Row 7

* * WIP it Baby, WIP it All Night…ALL NIGHT! * * 

There was no WIP Wednesday this week due to my hand, but here is a run down of what’s currently on my needles.

1. The Fault in Our Stars Scarf
2. Baby Blanket
3. A Duo of OSU Buckeye Hats (I cannot wait to finish these!)
4. Knitted Necklace (certain to be a disaster but I can handle 3 stitches at a time.)
5. Magical Thinking Scarf (I really need to think about where I put it, I can’t find it!)

Magical Thinking Scarf

Roman Pillar Baby Blanket

The Fault in Our Stars

Knitted Jewelry.

OSU Buckeye Hat part 1. Mainly Gray.

* * Photos For Fun * * 

I may not be knitting all that I would like to, but that hasn’t kept me away from taking photos and playing with filters. These are some truly bad photos I admit, my hands are shaky and my positioning is for crap. This will not deter me however, I love taking a walk and just snapping away. Enjoy!

Rain on Elephant Ear.

Sunrise.

Orange Roses.

Rain on Leaves.

My Slice of Heaven.

My ridiculous arthritis glove.

Downpour on Leaves.

Bedside Table Study.

Pink Roses.

Orange Flower- Full Sun.

Two Birds, SO Lucky I got this!

So here we are friends and neighbors, at the end of a labor of love post. I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen and read. As always insight in welcome and I hope to hear from you soon!

Hello Hinagiku Hat!

Spring has sprung here in the Buckeye State and I am loving every moment of it. Sitting out outside, watching the birds frolic amongst the bird feeders and the cloying sweet smell of freshly cut grass. Heavenly. With a new-found confidence that I will not allow either the panic monster or my arthritic hand from stopping me from doing what I love to do, so I pick up my needles and cast on. Hoping for the best.

* * * * * * * *

With circular needles in hand, I went on a hat making mission. Perhaps this is because of my miserable horror of making a pair of socks; I have the yarn, the needles, the pattern and overwhelming fear of failure! Out of misery came hats, so it can’t be all bad!

Max’s New Favorite Hat!

The pattern came from Ravelry user 87Cafe and I loved the new twist on the daisy stitch. The moving of the first stitch to the last stitch created this awesome twisted texture that just had me head over heals for the pattern. Look and see! 🙂

Close Up of Brim of Hat

Check Out That Slouch!

Side Shot…and ADORABLE Kitty

Spiraled Back of Hat

Look at that Face…both Max’s and the Foam Head

Hingakiu Hat

Nice and Slouchy

Max’s New Favorite Hat!

The Back of Max’s New Best Friend!

Admittedly, I had some trouble with this pattern. The brim of the hat is a tight rib done on size 3 needles, which made my errant hand scream in protest. There was a lot of ice and Advil in the first section of the hat (not to mention a nosebleed. Oh the joys of aspirin therapy!) but it was worth it. Changing to size 8 needles made the daisy stitch seem like a walk in the park, even the K3tog went smoothly with a looser gauge. I tried to take more pictures of the process; maybe just to remind myself that it was getting done, there was indeed progress despite the many trips to freezer for a bag of soothing peas. All told, the pictures were inspiring to me. Picking up my iPod and scrolling through the photos was enough to keep me motivated.

As you can see, I had some fun with the filters. It was a nice distraction from the knitting, it also served as a way to rest my hand without feeling like I was failing. Working on the pictures was like working on the project, so no guilty no-no feelings about my knitting breaks. Plus, the whole photo editing with an iPod still seems so new and shiny, like a child with a new toy.

Confidence is a beautiful thing. After my husband read my post (yes, my husband read my blog 🙂 he wrapped me in a big bear hug and said “I never doubted you, I just want what is best for you. I want to protect you from pain, but you are obviously too damn stubborn for that”. It’s been a very, very good day.

* * * * * * * *

So, friends and neighbors, how do you take breaks from your knitting? With so many projects on the needles I tend to feel guilty not working on it. Even if it not knitting you are taking a break from, how do you relax these days?