Finished Friday on Thursday night

OK, I'll admit I'm excited to tell you about my latest loom work. And since tomorrow is all about doctor appointments and miscellaneous errands with MIL, I'm blogging this evening.

This what I spent most of last summer and fall working on - I Can't Believe I'm Loom Knitting.


It has just been released so I'm not sure when you'll find it on Amazon, at Walmart, or in hobby stores. But it should be in time for your 2010 fall/winter loom knitting. Of course if you can't wait, you can order it from Leisure Arts. :)

There are new stitch patterns inside that come together for a sampler afghan.

The stitch patterns are then used to make a variety of items. Here's a little peak.

Child hat

Baby blanket or lap afghan

Adult hat and neck scarf

A lace wrap

A total of 18 projects that includes beginner hats but with other more complicated designs that make this perfect for seasoned loom knitter too.

A lot of love and brain power went into this little publication. Hopefully you'll find it filled with goodies that you can't wait to make!

Wednesday WIP and "Wii Knitting"

I've spent the last week primarily working on this sample knit for Knit Picks.



Part of the *deal* of being a sample knitter is that you are not allowed to blog about the pattern, and I'm not. Well, except for this part - I've learned a new way to do sleeves of sweater and want to find more information about it.

The sleeves are knitted first and put onto waste yarn until the body is knitted to the bottom arm hole. Then the sleeves are attached by knitting them on. There is a great deal more involved, including decreasing at armhole, but I won't go into that as that might be pushing the limits of what I can discuss about the sample. But IF you know what this type of sleeve knitting is called, EMAIL ME! I have some references to research once I have more time but it's fairly daunting without an exact name of the technique (or phrase to use).

What I did run across in the few minutes of research I did was the method of picking up stitches along the armhole of the body and knitting the sleeves using short rows to shape them. Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top discusses this technique. And it's just in time for for me to use in the sweater I've swatched for myself.

As I'm still knitting from my stash (can you say YARN DIET?), I have to find patterns that work for the amount of yarn already on hand. (And let me tell you - this is getting mighty old!) In the stash is 10 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cathay (now discontinued) that is enough for a short sleeve sweater in my size...maybe....depending on the pattern.

This pattern showed up in my in-box earlier this week. I like it! And if I use the short row shaping method of doing the sleeves, I can make the sleeves shorter if the amount of yarn I have won't work. Good plan.

Swatch is done.
I'm casting on as soon as I finish the sample knit.
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I recently came across this comic. Wii Knitting!!

Love it! hahaha

Finished Friday

Once in awhile I manage to finish something that's for family. This little guy was requested by my daughter as she saw a pattern I found on Ravelry (Ravelry link here; designer's blog post here)

The pattern is called Grumpasaurus.

You know - for those grumpy days. But Angela decided we had way to many grumps in the house already......you don't suppose she meant me!?

Anyway, she wanted him to be a Cuteasaurus. So I improvised. :)

Wednesday WIP and earthquakes

I am terrible at blogging! I immerse myself into projects or real life, and before I know it a week or two flies by without a thought to blogging.

Perhaps if I have a regular topic to blog about, I might be better (ya think?). So I thought I'd do a Wednesday WIP (work in progress). Hopefully a guaranteed topic will help me to blog weekly (at least!), and encourage people to visit and perhaps to comment.

This week's WIP is a bead crochet bracelet (most likely) . I have considered using it as a necklace/chain for an amulet bag. Time will tell.

I'm using size 11 green beads (favorite color and reminds me that Spring is here) that have a gold luster finish, which I've enhanced by using gold color thread. Sparkly!

It may be awhile before this one is finished. But it's such a treat to be beading again.

Bead crochet is one of my favorite crochet techniques. It combines two mediums that are near and dear to my heart. Plus I love bracelets - specifically bangles

I think the most difficult part of bead crochet is stringing the beads. There are two different methods I use for getting the beads onto the yarn.

1. If the beads are loose, I use a bead spinner. You can make your own with these instructions.
   
2. If the beads are in a hank (pre-strung), I use floss threader as a bead needle to take the beads from the string and onto the yarn/string I intend to crochet with.
   
   
   Floss threaders are inexpensive and easy to find (local drug store). They have a large "eye" so that any size yarn can fit in it. And the eye is collapsible so that almost any size bead will go over it, and onto the yarn.

A good learn-to-bead-crochet video can be found at Bead Wrangler's site (she also has great options for thread). There are also many books on the subject including my favorites from Judith Bertoglio-Giffin

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Having lived in Southern California, I know about earthquakes. Experienced quite a few.

I was surprised to find that Oklahoma has them too. But in Oklahoma, I can hear them coming. Seriously. This morning, just before noon, we had a little one (only a 2.5). But I heard it a second or two before I felt it. Sounds a little like cattle stampede....then they wallop you! The epi-center is more shallow here then in California which makes the shaking felt more.

Problem solved

It's difficult for me to knit with dark yarns unless I'm in bright light. I was reminded of the problem while knitting with brown yarn last night without the overhead light on (lamp only).

This morning, while drinking my morning coffee and browsing the internet, I stumbled upon the solution to my problem - a clever gadget from Nancy's Knit Knacks

picture from Nancy's Knit Knacks

The Knit Light might be well-known to all of you (and why didn't you mention it?) but I've just found it. Order is placed and I am already wondering how long it will take to arrive.

Spring cleaning...

...inside and out. That's what I've been up to. I have been immersed in dirt outside, and cleaning up the dirt inside. Never ending cycle haha

Since we moved less then 2 years ago, very little spring cleaning was needed except for the carpets. With 3 dogs, and family members who forget to wipe feet, the carpets suffer. Which is why having my very own rug doctor is so great.

Love the convenience of having one for when I have an extra hour or two for cleaning carpet in a room.

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We finished the closet remodeling and unpacking of a few more boxes just in time for Spring-time temperatures. So we headed outside to play in the dirt. :)

Out the front door is a walkway that leads to a side patio. Flower bed between the walkway and the house was filled with bushes.


I knew I wanted that tall one out. It grew faster then we could trim it!


So out it came. Actually it was two that had grown into one great big one!


I really like the openness of the area without it. That was incentive enough for taking out the medium size bushes too (there were 3). And I dug out the water grass-type things on the other side of the walkway (excuse the finger that slipped into view as I took the picture)


This was 2 weekends worth of work, with one weekend of snow in between. And even though I've been working out, my muscles ached for days after. Moral - if you want to find muscles that were not getting exercised, try doing some landscape work.

Anyway, with the removal process completed, I started planting this past weekend. Flowers! I love green and all, but more bolder colors are found with blooming plants. I started with my beloved roses - red, pink, deep yellow and pale yellow to begin with. Daughter chose two lily-type plants that love sunshine. And I planted spring bulbs (fingers crossed on those).


I'm not sure how much more I'll do in the flower bed for now. We couldn't get that 2nd stump out with digging. Had to resort to chemical death for it. So I think I'll be content with that flower bed for now, and work on the container planting I want to do for that side patio.

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In between the cleaning and planting, and all the day-to-day stuff, I've started a bead crochet project. Funny thing - starting a bead project has made me want to knit again. So I am. More later.

I'm bursting with pride

A great group of people at Easter Seals Southern California have been loom knitting for good causes as well as helping Scouts to put together neckerchiefs that help cool our troups overseas (also with encouraging messages from home).

The Scout project is helped along by a young man I adore (both he and his Mom are good friends of me and my daughter). And I'm happy to say that I taught this group to loom knit.

Check it out
Lancaster Adult Day Service Gives Back

Ladies and gents, I'm proud of you!

Let me count the ways...

...that I fail to socialize online.

First there is Twitter. I signed up a few months ago and have tweeted (I think that's the phrase) exactly 24 times. Not a good tweeter am I?

Next there is Facebook. Signed up to visit with cousins. Found some loom knit friends and high school pals. So I do post there a couple of times a week. But mainly I play games - very relaxing and no brain required.

I guess I'm an old fashion email type of gal. Wanna visit? Email me. :)
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While there has been some knitting...


...I think I need to bring out the beads. My subconscious has been prodding me in that direction with some dreams of beading (at least it's not nightmares). So I'm planning a couple of beading projects.

There has been some creativity in the form of house projects. Last month it was closets.

This one....

is now a coat closet....


And this one....



is now a video/CD closet.

I can unpack these boxes now.

With the spring-like weather we're having, I am now planning on spending time working on the flower beds. Details and pictures later.

Most supportive family

I have the most supportive husband and daughter. They've been loving and concerned during the past 4 weeks of me being sick (IBS flare up). Thankfully I think I'm on the upswing of awful episode.

But hey...it wasn't a total horrible experience! I realized last week that I can now fit into a size smaller blue jean! Not a diet I recommend but a silver lining to an otherwise dark cloud. :P

I haven't spent much time knitting over the last month. If I've had energy for anything, it was mainly family related. But I have managed to knit on my Shipwreck shawl and work some on the next edition of LKC.

Scarves for Special Olympics 2010

Being a parent of a disabled adult, Special Olympics holds a special place in my heart.

Scarves for Special Olympics was a huge success last year. Let's do it again. ;)

Pertinent info here

I cannot contain myself any longer.....

Lost! Tomorrow night!!

I gave in to the internal pressure (yes, my own) to watch previews at the ABC link. The little box on the right side of the screen has several teasers including one (about) 2 minute segment from the premiere episode. I had to watch it since I became impatient for Feb 2nd as soon as the episode appeared on the TiVo recording schedule.
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Knitting

Finished DH's gloves in mid-January.


Currently trying to finish this loom knit for LKC.
I should have had it done in December but ran into some extra work on the Leisure Arts publication...and then took a break from loom knitting during the holidays.

Shipwreck shawl is still in the works, and I'm getting anxious to get it done. I want to start this sweater pattern which somehow escaped my radar. It's much more appealing to me then the slinky ribs pattern for the cotlin yarn. I seem to be having a fling with lace. ;)

Lovely

1. Ice storm moved in on Thursday.

2. Snowed all day Friday.

3. I'm sick today.

Lovely.

The ice storm cometh

January is ending on an icy note. After living in Southern California for so many years, I'm having a difficult time getting use to having "weather"...

I had a grocery store list to shop for yesterday. Normal shopping...no big deal, right? Wrong. My first clue should have been when I had a difficult time finding a parking space. But it didn't hit me what was going on until I couldn't find a grocery cart. Everyone was getting ready for today's ice storm. Must be serious.

Well they must have lived here longer then I have....so they probably know what they are doing! OK, I stocked up on bottled water as we are on a well....if electricity goes out, so does water for us. And firewood is stacked by the fireplace to keep it dry...for it to keep us warm. Plus we have plenty of batteries for flashlights. I should be ready. ;)

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Family members have had numerous doctor appointments this month. Plus daughter is starting vision therapy. That means I've spent most of my days driving from one appointment to the next for most of January. Subsequently there hasn't been much time for knitting, and even less to update the blog about knitting. And this is primarily a knitting blog, right? Hopefully next time.

Round Tuit's

The month of January is always busy...every year. I use to wonder why that was. Then I realized it's because I put things off starting in late November until after the new year. I am happily immersed in holiday happenings and do not want to be bothered with mundane issues like doctor appointments, phone calls, insurance, etc. Then in January - I get "round tuit"



and become a functioning adult again. It is nice to be able to mark off the "to-do" list instead of add to it.

One of my "round tuit's" was to decide on a pattern for this yarn

that I mentioned in October. After looking through a few patterns that this yarn would work for, I decided on Slinky Ribs Pullover. And I have enough in my stash to do it in my size without cheating on my yarn diet! Funny thing - I knitted the sample for Knit Picks (seen in the link) and it's the same yarn and color that I have stashed. Seems like destiny to me.

Confessions of a yarn-addict

My resolution to keep knitting from yarn stash was broken last night. I couldn't help it...it was love at first sight. These cuties are a kit from Knit Picks


And the kit includes yarn for each fox.

Dang...tempted by big brown eyes, red hair, and the promise of a cuddle (haha)

Oh well. I mustn't let one slip up discourage me from this yarn diet but I really have to stop looking at every yarn catalog that shows up!

As the temperatures drop....

...my "to-do" list gets longer. That's the only problem with vacation, must-do's wait for you to return. And so I've spent this week taking down Christmas decorations and taking family members to various doctor appointments. But I did it (mostly) with a smile as I remember the last two weeks of 2009.

We started our vacation with family. A joyous Christmas with my Mother, sister and her family. Chatting, eating, and playing with toys....what a great Christmas!



From East Texas, we took the RV to San Antonio for a little fun. For the first time since our move to Oklahoma, the 3 of us had some fun!!

We went to seaworld...


took a boat ride on the San Antonio Riverwalk....


went to the Alamo (of course)...


and ate out every night. I had a chance to work on Shipwreck and get it to the point of adding beads as well as watch a little of Lost season 5 (a Christmas present) to get ready for Feb 2nd. ;D


I also started a pair of gloves for hubby. He told me he has never had a pair of gloves that fit right. Well, he will soon. I am designing this pattern specifically to fit his sausage fingers (his words).


At the end of two weeks, we came home to this....



...the remains of the Christmas Eve blizzard in OK City. It's now ice as the temperatures hover in the 20's during the day...and single digits at night. Cold and slippery.

But it's OK...I don't live in North Dakota were the temperatures have a minus sign in front of them. Nice positive note to end this post on as Elvis says he needs to go out.