THE KNITORIOUS MRS.B

A PACKAGE FROM ANGIE ARRIVES!

2011-10-03T11:28:00.000-04:00

I love yarn. What's even more to love is yarn that comes in the mail to you FREE!

So, lucky me received a BIG package in the mail a few weeks ago from one of my favorite bloggers and Crocheter Extraordinaire, Angie, of Le Monde de Sucrette. Go visit. She celebrated her one year Blog Anniversary by hosting a Giveaway and I was her Random Generated Winner!!! What a lovely note too!

Thrilling! Angie sent 5 balls of Nako, a very nice acrylic yarn made in Turkey, which I plan to make something granny square and fun with! I really like the colors! See my new little friend there? He was made by Angie and he's terribly exhausted from his long trip from Beirut. I named him Sucrette.
Let's let him rest a bit on his cushy bed of yarn.

Sucrette is channeling Vanna White as he displays the mini balls of Nako. Again, adorable colors to work with.

Buttons galore and so unusual. Click on the photo for closer detail. I'll have lots of fun finding ways to use them in my knitting and crochet projects!

My petite Sucrette is urging me to try out the new 4 mm crochet hook Angie included.

Seriously cute, this little guy! Love his curly tail.

Angie, many thanks again for picking my name and making my day.
Oh, and by the way, keep YOUR eye out for a package arriving at YOUR door someday soon!

COMFY CROCHET WASH CLOTH

2011-09-12T12:34:00.002-04:00

What can I say. I just enjoy crocheting little things for my home!

Often I spend a lot of time knitting. Mostly gifts for others, which I enjoy doing, and less often, it seems, trying to complete one of several projects for myself. Example: Einstein Jacket-circa: many years ago! Status: Not done yet, but almost.

It's a very rare thing for me, during the summer months, to NOT be knitting on my back porch or poolside, a Ball Band dish cloth. None knitted this summer. Nope, not a one.

But, I do like to make things for my home.

This year, my summer turned into THE SUMMER OF CROCHET LOVE for me. My back porch time was usually spent crocheting little cloths at 2 am while my aged collie, Scotty, was leisurely relieving himself in the moonlight. This was my coping skill to deal with my enforced sleep deprivation.

These little wash cloths were made with Plymouth Earth Oceanside Organic Cotton, purchased at the Knitters Edge, in Bethlehem, Pa., in assorted natural color tones. This was my very first experience working with organic cotton of any kind. This yarn is very soft and works into a great wash cloth, which, from personal experience, feels quite luxurious. Keep them for yourself or gift to a friend!

Here is the pattern. Enjoy!

COMFY CROCHET WASH CLOTH

2 balls of Plymouth Earth Oceanside Organic Cotton, in 2 different colors.

F Hook

Two balls make roughly 3 cloths, with contrasting color border edging.

Size approximately 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches

Chain 30

Starting from second chain from hook, single crochet across, chain 1, turn.

Row 1: Single crochet across row.

Repeat row 1 for 35 rows or until desired length. Cut yarn and attaching contrast color, single crochet along all 4 sides, making 2 single crochet stitches in each corner stitch. Cut yarn, weave in tails, and make another one!

FLOWER GARDEN GLOVES TUTORIAL

2011-08-01T13:21:00.001-04:00

Every year a small group of us that knit and crochet together meet in January for our own little Christmas/Hanuka celebration luncheon. And, because our lives seem to be getting more and more hectic, this year we had to postpone our celebration until July!

So this year we had a Christmas In July Party, which really was much less stressful than if we had kept to our January schedule!The timing was really fortunate for me because I still hadn't completed all of my gifts! Please don't think I'm a procrastinator-I just get sidetracked throughout the year with all the many different projects that come along as gifts for others! Let's just say I do lots of multi-tasking when it comes to my craft!

Anyway, the rules for our group's holiday gift giving is to make all or some of the gifts, preferably using materials from our stash. Of course, no one says we can't keep adding to our stash(s) but you get the main point, right?

So, this year, being so totally into flowers and crochet, I wanted to give the gift of flowers to my Knitting Chicas!

Here is how I did it:

FLOWER GARDEN GLOVES TUTORIAL

The hardest part of this project was deciding which flower from which book to make! I used Perle Cotton and a size 7 steel crochet hook. I had on hand a surprisingly good quality fleece gloves found at the Dollar Tree in December, and without knowing exactly what to do with them, had bought and put them aside until I had that crochet Epiphany!

It really wasn't difficult....I picked flowers from several books that I thought the recipient would like.

I dug out my collection of beads to embellish....

The flowers kind of decided on their own where they would be arranged on each pair.

I pinned each flower in place, the glove mate a mirror image of the other, and sewed them on with black thread.

And, each pair of gloves fit nicely in a little project basket from Lantern Moon.

I was very pleased with how they urn out. My friends seemed to really like their gloves. Of course, they'll need to be hand laundered. Now I must make a pair for myself!

FEATHER AND FAN BABY CAR SEAT WRAP

2011-07-25T11:18:00.006-04:00

I continue to knit for the soon-to-be-born-babies of my co-workers.

This little car seat blankie/wrap was made with Bernat Cottontots yarn from my yarn stash. It's been perfect to knit and crochet with during the recent heat wave. It is a very soft yarn that becomes even softer once it's washed and dried on low. The blanket/wrap is not too big, so it will be easy for Mom to handle. Later it could be a little doll blanket!

I have amassed a nice stash of cotton yarn over the years. It's a great feeling to be able to make something from that yarn stash of mine! Most of the Cottontots was purchased on sale or with coupons from Michael's and Hobby Lobby. When the price of cotton began to increase I saved a lot of money buying a little of this, a little of that, a little here, a little there...

Do you like my rationalization?

The stitch pattern is worked across the row 4 times and there is a 4 stitch Garter Stitch border on each side. I suggest using a stitch marker on each side to denote the borders.

FEATHER AND FAN BABY CAR SEAT WRAP

Length: 29 inches

Width: 19 inches

Yarn: Bernat Cottontots/colors: (A)Grape Berry, (B) Lovely Lilac, (C)Very Berry, (D) Wonder White. One ball in each color. Choose the colors that work best for your baby!

Needle size: #8 circular-24 inch length

Stitch Markers: 2

With Color A, C/O 80 stitches and knit 4 rows.

(RS) Row 1: K4, Place Marker, knit to last 4 stitches, Place Marker, K4.

(WS)Row 2: K 4, pass marker, purl across to last 4 stitches, pass marker, K4

(RS) Row 3: K4, PM, *(K2TOG x 3) (YO, K1 x 6)(K2TOG x3)** repeat from * to**, until marker, PM, K4

(WS) Row 4: K4, pm, k across, pm, k4.

Continue working with Color A until you reach end of the ball. For me, that worked out to be about 9 wavey ridges facing the Right Side. Attach Color B, and continue in pattern, repeating 4 Row pattern until you have finished Colors B, C, and in the case of Color D, worked Row 4, followed by 3 rows Garter Stitch and Binding Off. Let me know if there are any errors or the pattern is unclear.

AN AFGHAN OF HOPE

2011-07-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

When one of my co-workers experienced a very serious health crisis recently it was only natural that I wanted to do something to show my concern. Having participated in many Loveghan projects for folks I never met over the years, this was the very first time I had a personal connection to the recipient. I wanted to work quickly, so I decided that this Loveghan would be crocheted, instead of knitted.

Since I work with a fabulous group of people who are so willing to lend a hand through thick and thin, a one woman project grew into a group effort to create a blanket of love.

What was so amazing about this was that a good part of this afghan was made by people that hadn't a clue how to crochet...

but were so eager to learn how to in order to be a part of this show of support for a friend and colleague!
Several people donated money to purchase crochet hooks and extra yarn to supplement what we used from my yarn stash.

A Tunisian Crochet square was a perfect canvas to embroider our message of care and concern!

Thirty 9x9 inch blocks and a double crochet shell border later it was completed!

Our blocks were an inch larger because we were mostly loose crocheters!

This required more yarn than the 11 skeins listed in the pattern.

The pattern came from here and the yarn used was Vanna's Choice, so soft and colorful!

If ever you have an opportunity to contribute just one square toward a Loveghan, please do so! It will bring comfort to someone in need of good thoughts!

AN UNEXPECTED TREASURE!

2011-07-14T14:14:00.004-04:00

You just never know what you'll find when you go on a motorcycle ride with one's dear husband!

I had purchased this pattern a short time ago as my way of contributing to the Japan relief effort. You can order it here and read about it on the Mason-Dixon Knitting Blog. Since the background yarn is now discontinued and a very rare find, folks, including myself, must consider other yarn substitutions for the square's background color. So, I just tabled this project until a sub could be found.

We traveled to Jim Thorpe, Pa, recently, and we stopped at Hooked on Yarn, just to browse and pick up a little yarn token....such as a lovely skein of Rowan something. I'll save that for another post!

Anyway, as I came through the shop's doorway, I happened to look down, and my heart quickened! Could it be? The MYTHICAL Silk Garden that possibly no longer exists anywhere in this Universe? The Mother Lode??? Diane, the shop owner, informed me she had 30 skeins left of her original 60 skein order.
Well, upon returning home, I checked the pattern and miraculously it was indeed THE YARN DYE LOT! I contacted Diane and gave her my order for 13 skeins of Noro Silk Garden #269-E. My check was in the mail faster than you could say "SSK"! And, she kindly shipped that beautiful 269 to my awaiting arms.

So, Gentle Knitter, if you had also purchased the pattern, and have been wondering what to do about the yarn substitution, here is your chance to buy the 13 skeins of #269 needed for the blanket. I had told Diane I would post her shop info. Maybe I should send a note about this to Kay also? I wonder if #269 can be found anywhere else? Or, could this really be the very last of it? Forever.

When it comes to finding unexpected treasures...
Always look down!

A TOTALLY SURPRISING BLOG AWARD FOR ME!!!!

2011-06-05T01:40:00.000-04:00

That totally terrific blogger and prolific crocheter, Angie, of Le Monde de Sucrette
http://lemondedesucrette.wordpress.com/ (go visit her -but beware! You'll feel compelled to take up the hook and crochet colorful versions of her free motif patterns!)
recently selected me as one of her award recipients. Such a kind thing to bestow upon a fellow blogger!
I'm tickled, of course to think anyone pays attention to any of my blog offerings, let alone considering them worthy of any recognition! So, many thanks, dear girl, for thinking of me!

With this honor comes an obligation to nominate a few bloggers I admire, and to reveal 10 things about myself. First, my favorite bloggers:
Grammy Pammy You are amazing!

Julie Your blog is a fun place to stroll!

Hakucho Always something fresh and new to see!

smariek Beautiful cloth patterns offered freely!

Now, 10 things you probably didn't know about me:

1. I can write words and sentences backwards.
2. I can say the "Hail Mary" in Spanish 37 years post catholic high school Spanish class.
3. My favorite Christmas movie is "It's a Wonderful Life".
4. I had a huge crush on Prince Charles, circa late 1960's, principally during the time of his Investiture as Prince of Wales.
5. I regretted never getting tickets to see Yul Brynner in the revival of "The King and I" before his death.
6. My favorite ice cream is Hershey Moose Tracks.
7. My secret hope was that I could play the guest arraignment judge on the original "Law & Order", just like writer Fran Lebowitz, another L&O fan. But, alas, the show was cancelled and with it, the dream!
8. I knit continental.
9. I always get weepy when I hear Susan Boyle sing "I Dreamed a Dream". Always.
10. I painted my kitchen walls a shade of green called Benjamin Moore "dill pickle" and have yellow, orange accents. Can we say "Hello 1970s"?

well, that's it for now! Take care.

BABY SHOWERS and all that knit...

2011-05-23T14:32:00.004-04:00

If you're wondering what I've been up to, well it involves lots of knitting and crocheting for all those babies who are getting ready to be born in the upcoming months! Their Moms all work with me, it seems. So I've put most of my personal knitting and crocheting to the side for the time being.

For the most part I've been trolling for baby patterns on the net, pouring through my personal library, and all the patterns stored in my filing cabinet (yes, it's that bad-did you think I only collected yarn?) in search of THE PERFECT BABY PATTERN. What qualifies as "perfect"? It must be:
1. Cute as-all-get-out!
2. Adaptable to the yarns in my STASH-stash friendly!
3. Not too fussy a written pattern
4. Something that little baby wouldn't be embaressed to be seen in
5. QUICK-QUICK-QUICK!

So there are lots of baby patterns out there and at home, but the problem lies in that there are JUST SO MANY to choose from!

Since the stress of the hunt was making me gnash my teeth, I decided to take some sort of decisive action and design this little bib (QUICK! STASH-FRIENDLY! BABY WORTHY)
Although by no means would I ever consider this a perfect baby pattern, my design is simple to work up in no time flat. It's worked in Tunisian Crochet (SURPRISE! You should have seen that coming!) It makes a bib that is thick and looks woven, so baby or toddler stays nice and tidy!
It's so easy and did I menton that it goes really fast? Give it a try.

Basic TSS-Tunisian simple stitch-is so easy to learn if you know how to chain and work a single crochet already. Here is a great video to help you get started

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEvFHE8wYtQ&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy and get crackin' 'cause those babies arrive sooner than expected more times than not! THE TC BABY BIB by Linda Ball

Materials:
1 skein stash yarn-worsted weight cotton or acrylic (I used Sugar and Cream cotton from my stash!)
Hook size G

Directions:
Chain 37
Begin TSS by picking up 36 loops to create the foundation/base row.
You will have a total of 37 loops on your hook
Work as directed in video until bib is 8 inches long. Wasn't that simply the most mindless fun!

O.k. Now it's time to start binding off and make the straps:
Watch this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ZO5M-6TLs

Ready-let's go!
Starting a forward pass, (go toward the left-remember?)
Work 9 TSS, then bo 19, then continue to TSS 9 st. You'll have loops, a big gap, and more loops!

Now, continue working TSS on the single strap ( the strap will be on the left side of the bib facing you and you will have loops on the hook on the right edge for a while while you work this strap!) for 6 inches, B/O these stitches, and cut yarn.

Attach the yarn to the bound off neck edge nearest to the loops on the hook and work a return pass on the remaining loops. Now work TSS for 6 inches.

Time to make the buttonhole!
Starting with a Forward pass, work 4 stitches, B?O 1 st, work 3 st.
Return pass: Work 4, chain 1, work remaining stitches.
Continue in TSS until strap measures 7 inches total, then B/O and cut yarn. Weave in all ends. Securely sew on button to opposite strap. Wet block to tame that bottom curl of you're not going to attach a edge.

RUFFLE EDGE (optional)
I knit my ruffle by picking up and knitting the stitches along the edge for one row. I worked in stockinette pattern , increasing the stitch number by knitting in the front and back loops in each stitch across on every right side row and just purling straight back on every wrong side row.

Do this until you get the ruffle length and fullness you want and then B/O. I repeated this one time before I was satisfied. A crocheted edge would look beautiful too! Lots of possibilities!

Now, wasn't that quick? Leave a comment telling me how yours turned out or if there are any issues with the pattern.
Send me a photo link if you'd like! Hope you enjoyed this pattern!

This is a free pattern from me to you, so please don't sell this pattern or any article made from it. Why not make one to gift and another to give to your favorite baby charity!

CATCHING UP WITH THINGS....

2011-03-28T13:18:00.005-04:00

So, first off, I mailed my surprise stash yarn package to my winner Hakucho. She's been a reader of my blog for a few years now, and I've followed her blog too! Why don't you drop by her blog today and see all the beautiful knitting she does. So inspiring, practical and fun! Maybe she even posted photos of what she received from me.... Speaking of readership... Even though I supposedly have over 26, 000 visitors to my blog (if you can believe the counter)based on the lack of commenter's, I couldn't help but notice that mine has dropped off a bit. Of course, I'm totally to blame because I have so sadly neglected my blog over the past year. To maintain a blog one needs time and lots of it! How to repair the damage I've done? Post more and relevantly too? And, how does one go about generating a large following? By posting regularly? Daily? weekly? Sign up with a blog list? Does anyone one know of any good ones? And, hey folks, leave a comment already! I love hearing from you guys! I make it a point to always visit the blogs that leave comments. It's the neighborly thing to do. I always drop a line or two when I visit others, so don't you be shy! Anyway, how to increase my readership..... Posting scads of colorful and unique creations or just plain old vanilla type knit or crochet? AH! And should it be knitting, crocheting or both? IMHO, I think crochet is undergoing it's very own renaissance movement right now. Take a look at this, this, and this, favorite sites of mine and you'll see what I mean. The new catch phrase is "Granny Chic". I love it! Looks like knitting might be taking a turn in the back seat, but not for too long. Everything is cyclic, even in the creative craft world. Which leads me to this: I want to concentrate on crocheting more for my charity because the results are quick, and gratifying. There are excellent videos on YouTube for the Scrappy Steps Afghan. Looks like a great stash buster for oddballs of leftover yarn. Aren't those baby shoes adorable? My favorite is the pair that looks Japanese.

I can honestly tell you that this is an excellent resource for anyone who loves to crochet. Even if you're only thinking of learning, or a brand newbie, this book is full of easy to follow instructions, covering basics to Tunisian. I'm loving more and more the way a simply single crocheted dishcloth made with Sugar and Creme cotton and a size H hook looks and feels. I blinked and it was done! Chain 25, work only the back loops, quit when it feels right to do so. No blocking needed. Yes, I still love my knitting needles, just in case you've been wondering if I've gone completely GA-GA for crochet! I've been wanting for years to give The Accidental Bobble by Coming Unravelled a go.

This, too, worked up very quickly, and was quite pretty, so I was glad that I finally made the time to try this pattern. Find it here. As we were invited by our neighbors to a weekend ST. Patrick's dinner, I added this quickly knit shamrock to my last minute hostess gift. My thanks to Vicki Howell for this one. As long as you can knit or crochet you need never go empty handed to a social gathering! Until later, Happy Spring!

GOOD MORNING, MONDAY!!!

2011-03-07T10:26:00.008-05:00

Keeping with my commitment to a regular posting schedule, today I'll update you with a few photos of recent FOs.

Ever since returning from Stitches East 2010 in Hartford, Ct. I've been totally intrigued with the art of Tunisian Crochet. The Bagsmith provided great demos at the show for both knitting and working Tunisian stitches on gigantic long crochet hooks and needles, using several combinations of yarns at once. Think "Stash Buster"! If you visit the site I linked you'll see a great video on getting started crocheting Tunisian style. Although I'm eager to dig into my Stash and get busy working with the collection of interesting novelty yarns I've amassed over the years, I've played around mostly with the dishcloth cotton stash and Tunisian crochet. I enjoy the process and the outcome!Very easy and quick, IMHO. The cotton becomes more like a thickened woven mat with a stiffer body. I'm seeing the potential for a bath mat or baskets.

I probably could have just left the potholder as a single layer but wanted to have two different front and back designs. The checkerboard design was worked in panels, with the second and third panels connected to the previous panel as each end of row stitch was worked. I really didn't have a pattern for this initially, just made it work for me as I went along. But, you can order this book for some guidance and patterns, which I eventually did!
And here is the back. Just some Sugar and Cream cotton Ombre and some bits of hot green to finish around the edges and connect the two cloths at the same time. I think I used a G or J hook, but you get some great looks and draping by going up in hook sizes. I like to use a K double hook for dishcloths for just that reason and to change colors, but, really, you could get by with just a crochet hook that's a bit on the longer side to accommodate your # of stitches.

I'll be doing a lot more of this, I think!

Until next week-happy Tunisian!

AND THE WINNER IS....

2011-03-01T10:57:00.010-05:00

HAKUCHO!!!!!!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Stop by her great blog for a visit and a little inspiration too! And Hakucho, let me know what type of fiber you'd let me to send to you!

Many thanks to those who responded. I appreciate your comments and kind thoughts!

Not a big response to my previous post. Apparently, various knitting groups no longer allowtheir members to post blog updates or giveaways to the group. AHEM! Oh well, that's the way the yarn ball rolls....

Or, perhaps the lack of response has more to do with folks HAVING MORE OF THEIR OWN STASH THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY USE UP IN THEIR LIFETIME???

I get it.

Anyway, here's what I've been up to:

Another nice dent made in my dishcloth cotton stash.
Until next week-
Happy knitting!

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY POST

2011-02-23T05:46:00.003-05:00

It's my birthday today and to celebrate I am giving away a little surprise or two from my STASH! Just leave a comment, telling me what type of fiber you like to knit or crochet with. I will randomly select a winner and post her/his name on Monday, February 28th. I will select that fiber or a reasonable facsimile thereof and send it to you. So leave a comment at the end of this post!

Now February is almost over and I feel like I still haven't caught my breath from all the holiday knitting deadlines! I also have several new projects added to the long list of old projects waiting in the wings to begin sometime, hopefully, in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, here are a few completed gifts:

I knit a slouchie hat for my brother who is starting to bald a bit. I used a skein of a tweedy gray Plymouth Alpaca Grande and probably size 9 circs since I knit loose continental. Very soft, warm and happy to have one less skein languishing in my stash!
Slipper socks for Bigfoot, my16 year old son, size 11 shoe. Lots of knitting with a skein of Red Heart Supersaver. He has a thing for neon green, otherwise everything else he wears has to be black. Teenage boys, you know.

I doodled with some Sugar and Cream cotton yarn and came up with this thing. Knit baby size, it's my alternative to the everyday utilitarian baby drool bib. I think it's a bit elegant. It also fits the cats nicely, so it would work as a collar for a smaller dog too. I'm happy whenever I am able to knit something from my dishcloth cotton stash. How much do I have? Enough to completely fill a large floor trunk! And I offer no apologies for that, either, because I love my stash! Perhaps in a future post I might show you my yarn room and The Stash Entire.

Happy knitting until next week!

SO, DID YOU MISS ME?

2011-02-14T17:29:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know. Much time has passed, Dear Gentle Knitter, (and I'll also say, Gentle Crocheter!) since the last time I posted to my blog. No excuses to offer because everyone IS busy these days! My New Year Resolution: To blog weekly again, as before, as in the days when this blog was new and I was so enchanted with the idea of having my very own knitting blog! Can anyone relate to this?

Instead of blogging, I've spent a lot of my time online soaking up inspiration from all those truly wonderfully talented, creative knitters and crocheters out there!

I have been knitting too, but also rediscovered that there is a great big crochet community out there doing some really beautiful things with the hook!

So, I've become really smitten with crochet, so upcoming posts will certainly include links to new blogs I've discovered, as well as more personal crocheted projects. Knitting too. But, please don't make me choose between the two!

Meanwhile, today I have a few items to show from the tail end of 2010 into the beginning of 2011.

An apple cloth for an October birthday gift. From a Susan B. Anderson free apple pattern. Don't have the link but it up when you Google. The pumpkin is from my brief affair with needle felting with roving, and the cloth was stitched during the pre-bifocal counted cross stitch period in my life!

This are really, (I think) really quick, cute and easy gifts to make with 99 cent square retractable measuring tapes (discounted from Pier One) and my collection of DMC Perle cotton floss! So its NOT Lantern Moon, but just as nice IMHO! I believe I worked them with no. 5 steel hook. Not difficult at all. Just two different grannies joined together with single crochet and then finished with a shell border. The center hole of the square is positioned over the little push button.

My usual 14 x14 reading pillow needed a new cover as the quilted square cover bought in Lancaster years ago was tattered and worn beyond repair. I dug into my DK weight yarn stash and crocheted a new cover over one of those recently miserably cold weekends. I used a C hook and I really like the look! This is the back/sometimes the front of the pillow.....

And this is the other side! I don't duplicate the patterns because I get easily bored! I just use the same yarns throughout in a different pattern. I crocheted a shell border in red. I think the yarn was mostly Sirdir DK weight. Makes one feel good to attack that yarn stash and actually accomplish something, doesn't it?

So now, since I have broken blog silence, I'll not be a stranger, and will try very hard to live up to my resolution and post updates weekly.

Until next Monday-Happy everything!

WHAT I DID DURING SUMMER VACATION...

2010-09-20T15:36:00.011-04:00

My friend, Susan, has been a faithful follower of my blog, despite being a nonknitter. Admittedly, I've been really lax in updating my so-called knitting life. It's definitely time to correct this!

So, here is a mostly pictural overview of the past summer.

a departing gift

Hubby keeps one of several pairs of readers in MY purse! Self cleaning.

A toy for a baby

My version of a Sarah London crocheted pillow

I taught a summer lace knitting class

knitting for charity

crocheted a birthday gift

a just " because you're sweet" gift

poolside knitting and inpirational reading-courtesy of the public library!

A weekly knit-in at my house

Kringle passed away peacefully a few days after this photo was taken. He was very frail and had been loved by us every day of his sixteen years

My friend is knitting another sweater.
Shelby and her comforter

Ringo

Plotting.....

Scotty, our 13 year old pup

the garden

harvest

zucchini

Zucchini lasagna

a few home decor projects....

flowers

flutterby

morning glories

Hope you enjoyed your summer!

SO SWIFT...

2010-02-26T15:12:00.013-05:00

Hello Gentle Knitter. Hoping you are able to stay home and be warm and content with whatever craftiness you desire! Since it's been over a month since my last posting I'll let you browse through my photos at your leisure to see what's new.

Enjoy!

Sweet 16 and still going strong!!!

Kringle sometimes leaves the bathroom to explore.
Scratches an itch

and considers his trip back to his nook.

Church knitting for the winter months involve making hats, scarves and mittens for our parishioners, who generously keep us supplied with yarn donations!
I've been playing around with crochet and this was inspired by Chez Plums Design. I purchased the patterns for adult and infant sizes because I liked this concept so much! Sylvie's hat pattern will be featured in Annie Modesitt's soon to be released 1,ooo Fabulous Hats
But, my McGivered version permits several different looks!
Well..... maybe not.
I think this one is really cute! Ready for St Patty's day!
My version, not so bad, but I know I'll like the ones I end up making from the patterns better! I like that her original adult was made with Noro Kureyon! I'll tell you what, though, this hat was finished in a jiff!
Just one of my own creations with some worsted weight yarn. My love affair with feather and fan knitting...
New cat in the house. Meet Ringo. Found January 30th outside Music store, 10 degree weather. A very nice cat and a nice addition to our family.
Getting to know you, getting to know aaaall about yooooouuu! Shelby is learning to share her space in the Yarn Room!
My birthday in February. 54. We didn't need to advertise it. Cake made by Mike. Tastey!

Things to do when it's snowing...

Paint the kitchen...finally got started!
Take a swim in a heated pool.

Read a good book-it's even better when you paid only $2 at the B&N discount table!!! Sorry Stephanie, but a good deal is a good deal!

More unbelievable $2 deals!!!!

Feeling extravagant, I acquired these a few weeks before at $5 a piece!

Completely free! Courtesy of author Maggie Sefton, master of the knitting mystery novel!

MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

2010-01-19T12:06:00.005-05:00

January is a time of year when the cold and dark days make me feel just plain miserable. Miss knitting on the back porch or poolside. Instead I weigh myself down with blankets to keep warm, when I could be knitting one! Hey, that's an idea!

Boredom was beginning to set in after all that pre-Christmas mayhem. As a lark I entered the contest sponsored by this blog and Maggie Sefton, a terrific writer of knitting based murder mysteries. I submitted some titles for possible book titles.

AND I'M ONE OF THE FIRST PLACE WINNERS!

I was flabbergasted. Unfortunately I can't reveal what my winning title was because apparently, good title stealing is quite the treachery in the writing world! I'll be receiving as my prize a set of autographed books from the author's Kelly Flynn series. Í enjoyed "Knit One, Kill Two", so I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels. What a really nice surprise!

Meanwhile, after completing my big Wallaby sweater project for Shaun's gift I was desperate for a little, mindless project.

One that would fulfill my need to exercise some thrift and at the same time make use of the many clutterballs of cotton yarn I've accumulated. Not to mention it's been a while since I've knitted a Ballband Dishcloth!

Well, it never hurts to throw in a Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth for good measure now, does it?

A nice beginning to reducing the surplus of dishcloth cotton! I've also been paying more attention to how I wet block the cloths to give them a nicer finish. If you spritz the top and bottoms really well and push and pull with your fingers a bit you can get a nice "pie crimping"to those frequently overlooked edges.

I'm making a slow but steady progress with my Paintbox Afghan. Only 14 more Log Cabin Rectangles to go! Not big enough to cover up with yet. All the blocks are joined by knitting them together with a black yarn. I'm keeping a list of the Noro Kureyon colors I've used so I don't repeat any colors. It has been a nice little take along project so far. Not too big or complex to work on at basketball games or while waiting for our appetizers to arrive.

Doesn't everyone knit while they're waiting in a restaurant?

I happen to think pure bliss is a a good log cabin/ ball band/toe up sock and a three olive dirty martini!

I've also been trying to set aside more time to actually complete some charity knitting for our Church Knitting Ministry. I wasn't sure how much yardage I had to work with so I knit both adult and baby beanies from the top down. Some excellent links for this method are here and here.

Have a good week knitting and using up all your yarn clutterballs!

A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONTEST WINNER!

2010-01-02T18:03:00.007-05:00

The contest is officially closed now and I've been looking forward to selecting the lucky number Using The Random Number Generator the lucky number selected was number 18!!!

Congratulations Vigdis-all the way from Norway!!!

Here was her comment:

Hello from Norway!My favorite knitting things are:* I have a little box that rooms all my tiny knitting things like, a beautiful little sizzor, needles, stitchmarkers, and a little ruler.* I have a yarnstashroom that is sooooooo great!* I have a great library of knitting and craft books.* I have some wonderful friends to share my love for knitting with.' I love all the wonderful knitting blogs (like yours) all over the world!Merry Christmas!Love Vigdis from Norway

Thank you everyone who played along. I enjoyed reading your comments and plan to visit all of your blogs to see what's going on in your knitting worlds! I'll be having more contests in 2010, just because they're fun, you guys are great to get to know and, maybe sharing my stash might bring a little happiness to someone who loves knitting as much as I do!

Vigdis, who I've learned is a big sock knitting lover, will be receiving some sock yarn from my Give Away Basket once she lets me know what her preferences are.

I was able to whip up a few stitch markers this afternoon to accompany some of the other goodies that are going to Norway!

I think my new year is starting out great! How about yours?

What makes me smile lately are these cozy Nana slippers I received as part of a co-worker Christmas Party Exchange Gift which was a totally random pick on my part. I love stuff like this, especially since I've never taken the time to knit myself a pair of my own!The photo was snapped on Christmas Eve and my legs are covered with the famous Wallaby sweater from Cottage Creations that, at that point in time, I was painfully aware would not be completed in time for Christmas morning. That blasted hood was taking forever to be finished! But, I had a plan.

The Christmas Pickle Plan!

On New Years Eve morning the Wallaby was completed, and placed in a gift bag. Shaun "competed"" with Mike for the the Christmas Pickle Last Gift. Shaun was very perplexed when he opened his gift because he had watched me knit "my sweater". Happily, he liked it, and it fit nicely in all the critical places.

I have knitter's peace now!

I have a few little projects to knit as gifts but I'm glad to say I am on garter ridge # 56 of my Einstein Jacket bottom. Lots more to go!

Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!

MY FAVORITE THINGS-A KNITTING HOLIDAY CONTEST!

2009-12-21T10:41:00.015-05:00

Sadly, there's been some PC issues that Mike is trying to resolve in his free time so I'm unable to share with you any personal knitting photos. Needless to say, this little detail has given way to a bit of knitting photo posting withdrawal while I await resolution of this temporary inconvenience. The cute mittens photo is courtesy of Picapp and is probably from an advertisement. Love the colors!

Thinking another contest would be a nice antidote to my computer angst, I decided to base it on folks posting a comment naming their FAVORITE KNITTING THINGS!

Just post a comment naming one or more of your favorite knitting things and I will select a random winner from the group on January 2, 2010.

Oh, yes, the prize!

I'm putting together a nice little goodie box that will include a very lovely skein of sock yarn, among other knitting related items! So, why not try your luck?

I 'm including a list of my favorite knitting things that make knitting a joy for me and for which I am extremely grateful!

I tried to limit the list to 12 spots, which was very hard to do.

MY FAVORITE KNITTING THINGS:

1. My Knitting Amigas! Eileen, Jean, Nan, and Roberta, who share the joy and always provide hugs, laughs and inspiration in abundant doses! Also, my not so secret anymore pal, Maggie from Virginia, who I met through the Ample Knitters Digest in 2004(?). If I had never picked up the needles, I would have never blessed with their friendships! Or all those wacky unfinished projects.

1.5. My OLOM Knitting Ministry Members and My NACC Knitting Students. Both old and young folks dedicated to the art of handknitting.

2. My Yarn Room, a containment area that provides some sort of order and sanity to the stash.

2.5. My knitting stash. Beautiful. Diverse. Always singing the sirens song.

3. 40 % off coupons from Michael's, AC Moore, Joanne's, which enable me to stock up on acrylic yarns for my Knitting Ministry projects.

4. Knitting Pattern Central. Let's face it, if you need it quick, it's probably there! No offense, Ravelry, but I tend to take extremely looong trips on your site, verses the express line. Not always able to take the time to take the leisurely browse.

5. My local Barnes and Noble Bookseller for stocking all those great knitting magazines and knitting books that keep the knitting dreams alive!

6. Bethlehem Public Library, for their fabulous selection of new and old knitting books. No more buying the whole book just for one or two great patterns!

7. My home library of knitting books. Nothing beats curling up with a beautifully designed knitting book.

8. Anything Mason-Dixon Knitting Related. Anything at all.

8.5. The Ball Band Washcloth Knitting pattern. Bow your heads when you say this out loud.

9. Local Yarn Shoppes who get all my money and keep me in the knitting poorhouse. You all know who you are and my bank account and I do thank you!

9.5. WEBS and Elann. Lots of yarn bang for the buck!

10. The Feather and Fan Stitch Pattern. Beautiful in any yarn.

11. Noro Kureyon, Silk Garden, Cascade 220, Koigu, Balangor Angora, Patons Classic Wool, Rowan Cashsoft, Plymouth Encore Worsted, and Peaches and Cream Cotton. Sock Yarn. Any kind will do.

12. The many, MANY knitting blogs that provide the inspiration and their bloggers who are kind enough to drop by and comment on whatever I happen to be doing.

So, what are YOUR favorite things?

Hugs to you all, may all your knitting gauge always be spot on and your holidays as joyous as this found video!

THAT STITCHES IMPULSE...

2009-11-02T10:53:00.007-05:00

Totally a last minute decision, and with the good fortune of finding a room cancellation at the Crown Plaza, we hurriedly packed the night before and set out for a very early morning ( 5 a.m. departure! ) four hour car ride to Hartford to attend Stitches East!
My travel companions, Roberta and Nan, enjoyed the ease with which we were able to travel about the downtown area near the Hartford Convention area by city shuttle. We ran into pals Jeanie, Eileen and Amanda, from The Knitter's Edge, on the Market Floor, and because of the extremely enforced rules prohibiting all photography on the Market Floor, there are sadly no pictures on site. Roberta had her new Jane Slicer Smith book signed by the designer. We had a lovely, relaxed and fun time, but didn't overdo in the spending this year. Translation: No Knitter's Guilt!

BARGAIN! Jo Sharp for $ 2 a ball. Fingerless mitts or a cowl anyone?

An enterprising young knitter and writer developed a comic book series featuring a super hero theme.

Knitting pattern in each issue! Purchased to support a budding writer.

Couldn't come home without buying some buttons. This vendor had a great selection.

Angora. For those never-ending baby gifts.

Limited myself to just one ball of sock yarn this year. Zauberball. Will look nice with jeans. I'm due for some sock knitting, BUT the next pair most likely will be knit with some Blue Moon that's been maturing in the sock dresser drawer.

Our only GROUP PROJECT purchase. (remember the Koigu mitered squares jacket of Stitches 2008? It sits, half of the back knit....sigh.) Planning to do a needle felting progressive get-together during the darkest, bleakest part of the winter months!

A beautiful Artyarns scarf kit. A gift for a friend who does so much for others.

Have been planning to knit a tea cozy for years and this one can be found in the book, "Knitter's Stash", which I've had forever and only just rediscovered, has terrific patterns in it! Didn't need to purchase the pattern, and Margi, shop owner and designer, was very nice.

Overall, the Market seemed to be very subdued when we were there on Friday and Saturday. Lots of vendors seem to be offering their patterns for sale only in kits with their yarn. I didn't think that folks were really buying a lot of yarn. Remember when you could buy sock yarn for around $13? Was it my imagination or did yarn prices seem higher? As also pattern prices?

I, personally, spent well under half of my usual amount this year on the Market floor. There were 11 rows of vendors and some vendors had multi booths. Some vendors offered some simple free patterns and candy. I noticed again that novelty yarn continues to be incorporated in many scarves and sweaters. Probably because folks still have so much of it lanquishing in their stashes. Like me! BTW, We saw many beautiful handknit sweaters, wraps and scarves worn by attendees this year. A few Clapotis. Lots of lace shawls and tasteful novelty scarves. A few February sweaters.

The lighting and climate control were great. For your convenience there was a coat check. The concession was fairly prices and run very efficiently. I liked the Connecticut venue, despite the travel time/distance. It was easy to catch the shuttle bus to eat at local places like The Hot Tomato (great Italian!) and City Steam Brewery Cafe. People were friendly and helpful. Yes, I'll probably go back next year.

Back at home...

I completed my knitted beaded bracelet after taking a class at Knitter's Edge. I made it more of a bangle, foregoing the toggle and ring closures. I'm happy with the appearance. Any kind of gold lame' or silver ropey yarn would work. My beads are 6mm amethysts.

I swear this is my last pair of pocket book slippers! They're just too addicting. Nan and Roberta are now knitting them too!

The legendary 2009 Knitting Ministry Afghan Project is complete! A labor of love.

Speaking of love...

Shelby has settled in nicely. She is very verbal, squeeks and likes to be near us. Her hangout is the bed in the yarn room, across from Kringle and his love seat.

Kringle remains content in his twilight years. Skin over bones, but, when awake, can be found sitting on the bathroom sink's edge, waiting for someone to turn on the faucet.

May you have a happy knitting week!

KNITTING WHAT I LOVE...

2009-10-20T11:06:00.008-04:00

I recently took the big plunge and opened a wee Etsy shop, linked on my sidebar. It's fun to create with the colorful yarns I've collected! After many years of being a neutral tones loving gal, I've stepped away from playing it safe by playing with more color! We need color in our lives right now!!!

The hardest thing about knitting for sale is determining what the correct price point is for each item. One must take into consideration the economic recession and I, for one, am really picky these days about what I spend my money. Currently I'm working with chunky alpaca and really enjoying it's softness. Some cowls and a long scarf currently available.

I love purple. Would like to put it up for sale, but might need this for a gift!
The pattern mimics a crocheted look but it's a neat knit pattern.

Speaking of gifts! My Knitting Amiga, Nan, knit this beautiful bolero for me "just because." Just because she knows I'll never get around to knitting this pattern for myself! I love it so much I even wear it to bed! It really chases the chills away, especially when I loose the war of the thermostat to Mike! Made with Plymouth Alpaca Boucle. Yes, we're all fans of alpaca!

Birthday celebrations this month for Eileen, front row, middle, at Granny McCarthy's Tea Room in Bethlehem. She is flanked by Roberta and Jeannie, with myself and Nan in the back row. Our favorite place to lunch, knit and partake of large pots of tea.
I knit Eileen a apple dishcloth from Susan B. Anderson's Blog. A great free pattern to knit while finishing up the Six Feet Under series.

Believe it or not! A finished project finally! Purchased at Stitches East, circa 2003.

Shelby seems very cynical about my beginning Einstein Jacket. Yarn maturing since 2002!
I love these pocketbook slippers! One size fits most adults. After knitting this pair I'm making more for charity. Thanks to Knitwits Heaven and Hakucho for the inspiration!
Trying to finish this scarf for tonight's Knitting Ministry group. Combined 2 complementary colorways of Red Heart Kollage together. It's the mate to the hat knit a few weeks ago to be sold at our November Christmas Bazaar.

Here is my rather ambitious, loooong term project! Go here for the source of inspiration. Drooling permitted. One little ball of Noro K at time. Scroll down her blog for the details. Check out Ravelry for the Paintbox project knitalong too!

Up to my armpits on the Wallaby for Shaun, I begin knitting a sleeve. How many days until Christmas?

Happy knitting!

ISN'T SHE LOVELY...

2009-09-23T15:44:00.006-04:00

Well, time has passed, and we felt we were ready to adopt a new feline member into our family. I had told everyone that the next cat would be 3 legged, one eyed and missing a tail. One out of three isn't too bad! Some caring soul had found her with a badly injured, infected eye. Her official name at the vet's was "Kaleidoscope", but, being a bit of a mouthful, I named her "Shelby" for her tortoise shell markings and after the Shelby series of Mustangs. She does motor around the house at top speed, but otherwise, a beautiful and delightful kitty!

MULTIPURPOSE KNITTING:
I knit a convertible cowl/hat with Knit One, Crochet Too's Geologee. I used 2 skeins of the same colorway, but alternated balls every two or so rows so my striping was completely random.
I worked an eyelet row near the end so I could run an i-cord through to pull it closed. I really like how it turned out. It seems I never really have too many knitted things of my own to were when the weather turns cold! I bet that's true for a lot of knitters, eh?

Here is a woman's hat for our Church Christmas bazaar, knit with 2 different variegated shades of Red Heart Collage. The colors separately seemed very muted and blah, but were more pleasing to me when knit together. It's a warm hat. Perhaps I can knit a pair of mittens to go with it.

Slowly and carefully I am piecing together each motif block for our knitting Ministry's group project. It will be a beautiful afghan! It's a Bernat pattern adapted from a very old ivory counterpane pattern that I believe is floating around free somewhere on line.

Just a simple Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth for a breast cancer survivor friend. I always try to send her a little something pink every October.

Some cloths for a very nice neighbor. Saving for Christmas. Three months away, don't you know!

My latest pair of socks. Knit with a very old ball of Opal that I purchased from Astrid's Sock Obsession years ago before the shipping for orders from the Netherlands got ridiculous IMHO! I'm swearing off the sock yarn for the remainder of the year because I possess two completely stuffed dresser drawers full of sock yarn! No brag, just fact. I'll be casting on pretty soon for a pair for Shaun for Christmas. I still knit away on his secret Wallaby with the hope that I'll be done by October 15, his birthday. With a knit and a prayer...

I decided to forgo Stitches East this year. Saddened that they changed the venue from Baltimore. And, really, I am having a real difficult time justifying any more yarn purchases when I have an actual Yarn Room chock full of the stuff. All the more reason for my start up Etsy Shop. I simply need to reduce the mother lode of yarn stash. Maybe make someone happy by creating something lovely with yarn that I love working with? Are folks buying anything this year with this awful recession?

My Beginners Knitting Class began a few weeks ago at our local community college and I adore all 11 of my students! They are true blue knitters in their souls! It gives me so much joy to be able to teach others the skills to do something that might bring them some happiness. I'm excited to see their homework next week!

Happy knitting!

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

2009-09-02T10:14:00.018-04:00

This was a peculiar summer for me this year. I usually snap plenty of photos of things that interest me and post to my blog, but this year I seemed to be very neglectful in documenting my knittingcentric life. I don't know why. A busy life, perhaps? Nothing of interest to blog about?

I blame the rain. We certainly had plenty of it, and much more than I really needed to experience day in and day out this summer. Though not clinically depressed, am I the only one that will honestly admit to spending many a day indoors in my pajamas? Sunny days were cherished. And too few and far between the dreary ones.

Today I shamed myself into reviewing and posting those photos taken throughout this past spring/summer. It was good to see snippets of knitting days gone by, as well of those aspects of my world that I enjoy. Begging your indulgence of this heavy pictorial, hope you, Gentle Knitter, find some enjoyment!

HOME SWEET KNITTING:

SCRAPPY CLOTH- DISHCLOTH WAS INSPIRED BY A KINDRED SPIRIT BLOGGER......
I TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND KNIT AN OLD FASHION DISHTOWEL-SO VERSITILE IT DOUBLES AS A FINGERTIP IN THE BATH!

ANOTHER SCRAPPY TOWEL THAT DOES EXTRA DUTY AS A TANK COVER. MIKE EVEN NOTICED! HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?

A MASON-DIXON MOMENT....
WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THIS ADDS EXCITEMENT TO MY CLEANING DAYS!

HAVE I GONE TOO FAR? FLY SWATTERS NEED BALLBAND LOVE TOO, YOU KNOW!

GIFTS TO GIVE TO LITTLE ONES...

BIBS, BIBS, AND MORE BIBS.....MASON-DIXON INSPIRED.

MY "MISS THING" BABY BIB PATTEN. SURPRISINGLY A FEW FOLKS ON RAVELRY LIKED IT ENOUGH TO KNIT IT TOO. I FEEL HONORED.

I LOVE CAMO TOO-FOR BOYS AND GIRLS....

GIFTS GIVEN TO BIG GIRLS....
INSPIRED BY DEBBIE BLISS "HOME" AND JANE BROCKET OF "YARNSTORM" FAME. FOR NAN'S BIRTHDAY IN MAY.
GEDIFRA ANGORA MERINO AND ROWAN CASHSOFT DK.

BEAUTIFUL GIFTS RECEIVED FROM DEAR FRIENDS ...
MY FRIEND ROBERTA SURE SEWS A BEAUTIFUL BAG! VISIT HER ETSY SHOP AT GRAB THAT BAG

MY PAL, MAGGIE, SENT THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK YEARS AGO, BEFORE I WAS READY FOR BEAD KNITTING.....

AFTER KNITTING THIS AT KNITTERS EDGE, I THINK I'M READY FOR IT NOW!

ANOTHER PROJECT WORKING ON IN A KNITTERS EDGE CLASS-THE SWIRL SCARF. SLOW GOING.

AND, YET ANOTHER KNITTERS EDGE CLASS-THE WONDERFUL WALLABY SWEATER. FOR SHAUN. REMEMBER. IT TOOK 5 YEARS TO COMPLETE MIKE'S SWEATER. HENCE THE NEED TO COMMIT TO A WEEKLY CLASS. I NEED THE PEER PRESSURE.

I FINISHED THESE SOCKS SOME TIME AGO AND WEAR THEM OCCASIONALLY WITH MY NURSING SCRUBS. OPAL, I BELIEVE. I LOVE AN AFTERTHOUGHT HEEL, AND THESE WERE KNIT MAGIC LOOP, TOE UP, 2 AT A TIME.

WORKING ON THE LAST AFTERTHOUGHT HEEL NOW.
SOMETHING I'VE BEEN CONTEMPLATING FOR YEARS. A SOCK WEIGHT PATCHWORK THROW CONSISTING OF ROBIN'S EGG BLUE/ AQUA AND BROWN COLORWAYS. A TOTALLY TORTUROUS AND NUTTY PROJECT THAT I NEED TO GET OUT OF MY SYSTEM.
I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT MY YARN ROOM NO LONGER RESEMBLES A DISASTER AREA. PRETTY PICTURES TO FOLLOW AT ANOTHER TIME.

I FINALLY USED THE LEFTOVER EASTER EGG DYE. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT.
WILL BLOSSOM INTO A SCARF SOMEDAY.

SCENES FROM THE BACKYARD...
THIS IS MY OUTDOOR KNITTING OASIS.
AND SCOTTY IS MY LOVING COMPANION.
OCCASIONALLY, KRINGLE IS PERMITTED OUTSIDE TO SUNBATH. WITH SUPERVISION. BECAUSE...

REMEMBER THE DRAMA OF PEEP LAST SUMMER? HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAACK!

I ALSO PLAY HOSTESS TO A DOVE COUPLE. LOOKING OUT MY BACK DOOR.

LOOKING OUT MY FRONT DOOR...
WE HAD TO CUT DOWN OUR THREE VERY OLD, VERY DISEASED SYCAMORE TREES AFTER A VIOLENT STORM KNOCKED DOWN PART OF ONE IN OUR DRIVEWAY. A VERY CLOSE CALL. I LOVED THOSE TREES. TO APPEASE ME MIKE AND SHAUN CREATED THIS PERENNIAL BED. MOST OF THE PLANTS CAME FROM OUR BACKYARD.

KNITTING FOR A GOOD CAUSE...

THIS WAS A CHURCH PROJECT MY KNITTING MINISTRY UNDERTOOK.
SIX OF US EACH COMPLETED 4 SQUARES. I'LL SEW TOGETHER AND ANOTHER WILL KNIT THE OUTSIDE BORDER.
HERE ARE ALL THE HAND KNITS DONATED BY THE OUR LADY OF MERCY KNITTING MINISTRY IN APRIL TO THE SLATE BELT PREGNANCY CENTER.
WE'RE CURRENTLY KNITTING ITEMS FOR OUR OCTOBER DONATIONS PLUS FOR OUR NOVEMBER CHRISTMAS BAZAAR. BUSY, BUSY FINGERS!

MY FAVORITE THINGS...

READING AND KNITTING OUTDOORS ON SUNNY DAYS.

ZUCCHINI PIE MADE WITH BISQUICK.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT. MY VERY FIRST HOMEGROWN ZUCCHINI EVER!
ABUNDANCE OF CHERRY TOMATOES PLANTED AROUND MY BACK PORCH.

MUG CAKE RECIPE. I THINK MICROWAVE FOR 3 MINUTES. IT'S INCREDIBLE.

FINALLY, TO WRAP IT UP, SOME BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO LOOK AT....

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?
UM, AS MUCH AS I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE INTERWEAVE KNITS, I CAN FIND NOTHING KIND TO SAY ABOUT THIS PATTERN THEY ARE OFFERING IN "WEEKEND KNITS."

SERIOUSLY. YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT.

I'M CALLING THIS "LOST WEEKEND KNIT".

UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAPPY KNITTING!

CHELSEA MARIE

2009-08-16T12:29:00.006-04:00

Sadly, my sweet 17 year old baby girl crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on August 1, 2009. She suddenly began slowly failing over a 2 week period and it was difficult to face that the inevitable was nearing. After IV infusion, lab work and, how ironic, a cat scan, the diagnosis was end stage renal failure. Such a sad time it was for our family. Had no idea that her leaving us would hurt so much.

It's not easy to let go of our beloved pets, is it?

I know, with all the horrible injustices in the world, the loss of one little elderly cat cannot compare. But, the longer Chelsea was with us the more "family" she became.

Climbing out of my blue funk, I occasionally catch a glimpse of her from the corner of my eye. The other night I swore I heard her "meow". One of her favorite spots was to curl up at the bottom of the bed in my yarn room. She very much resented when I had knitting on my lap and asserted her squatters rights to that lap! She could be a "mean ol' grinchy cat" sometimes, as Shaun was found of saying about her. But, for 17 years she slept near the top of my head and was the first face I saw in the morning and the last one before I closed my eyes at night. I knew her longer than my husband. Not many folks are lucky to have such a constant in their lives.

Lots of empty spaces now that she is gone.

My 16 year old cat, Kringle, and 12 year old collie, Scotty, are slowly adjusting to her absence.

She is greatly missed, but, when the time is right, we'll fill those empty spaces with another ball of fur.

Nan, thanks so much for the contraband chocolate.

What would I do without family and friends?
And the comfort of knitting.

As that great woman, Elizabeth Zimmerman said:
"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises."

DROPPING STITCHES OVER NURSE JACKIE AND HawthoRNe

2009-06-29T10:38:00.006-04:00

Normally I blog mainly about knitting and neutral events in my life. Knitting is a wonderful way to cope with the daily stressors of our private and professional lives, don't you think? As an RN it sure has given me a means to relax!

Well, now I'm irritated. Enough to blog about it.

I'm not happy with how nursing is depicted in Nurse Jackie and HawthoRNe.

You can read commentary about this by going to this link:

Nurse Jackie/ HawthoRNe

As a nurse, I had been looking forward to the premiers of these two new nurse centered dramas with the hope that the lead characters would admirably represent the nursing profession. Something that has been sadly lacking in the portrayal of nurses by the media. Lots of inaccurate stereotypes. No real examples of the intelligent work that nurse DO in collaboration with physicians and all the other disciplines ( pharmacists, dietitians etc.) that make up a health care team.

What I got instead is that nurses have now graduated from being depicted by the media as wallpaper/handmaidens (ER, Grey's Anatomy) to stoner/wimps (Nurse Jackie, HawthoRNe)

Is this the new normal for nurses?
Is this how I want the public to view the nursing profession?
Professionally, shouldn't we insist that we be represented in the ideal or does that not make for good t.v. drama? What's with this trend toward making healthcare workers deeply flawed, bizarre or morally corrupt?

Sure, who wouldn't want to be a nurse after watching these shows?

Too meek to address your professional conflicts? HawthoRNe to the rescue, flying in on her white lab coat.
Nursing shortage problem solved.
Believe me, my job is hard enough without Mrs. Smith in room 317 thinking I'm snorting her Percocet in the nurses lounge!

The various responses by nurses were mostly unfavorable.
Here is mine:

I'd rather be yelled at by 100 physicians than have one dead patient due to a preventable medical error! That portrayal was a major insult to my profession.
Maybe we DO need one or two shows that present nursing professionals as perfect beings, because that representation on t.v. is long overdue. I'd prefer it to the current farce.

The public needs to see nursing at it's best. Medicine had Marcus Welby MD. It's time for Marcia Welby RN!

You can find me perched on my pedestal. Part of my customer service responsibilities. And my Nightingale Pledge.

Perhaps you've seen the programs and have an opinion. Nurse or health care consumer, go to the link and leave a comment No matter what your opinion, it's important that you be heard.

Now, I have an urge to knit this

Happy knitting!

SO WHERE'S THE KNITTING?

2009-06-15T11:02:00.002-04:00

Gentle Knitter,
I have not abandoned my knitting blog, nor my knitting.

Life has just been busy.

Mike converted our computer to Linux and hasn't installed my photo/camera features yet. No photos, just commentary. Sorry.

...I have been knitting-baby bibs and sweaters-must have at least 6 current pregnancies to knit for! I did a fair amount of bib knitting at the Pelham 123 movie last week with son, Shaun. ( Mom, how do you knit in the dark?)

Started a Maggie Jackson wrap from The Gathered Look, book 15, called Alaca that was kitted with the help of Maggie, herself, at Stitches East 2008! Working on it with friend, Roberta. Another perfect companion whilst I knit this is my most recent local library find-Six Feet Under, Season 1. Never watched when it was first run on HBO and don't know why. Very absorbing.

Knit Ballband and scrappy dishcloths and hand towels in between the serious stuff.
Despite owning the latest Mason-Dixon knitting book have not knit one single thing from it yet! Something wrong here.

Organized my Yarn Room to the point where it is so pretty to look at but don't dare open the closet door! Going through binders of downloaded patterns to discard or file. Still need to sift through the storage bags of yarn to decide what to keep, what to donate and what to yard sale. Maybe. It's hard to let go. Have many projects set aside for later dates. Much later. State of yarn inventory has made me seriously curtail any yarn purchases. So goes it too for knitting books. Simply not any more room to contain any new additions to my abundant stash.Nor time to invest in managing all of this stuff. Seriously. Just alone the dishcloth cotton is contained in a large, old trunk, circa Michael's grandfather or great uncle.
I'm certain there are many who feel as I do. Go ahead, dare to admit your yarn gluttony!

Koigu Mitered Squired Jacket is on a Hiatus until-oh-August. And that Mohair color blocked Rambling Rows Cardi that I mooned over for years and years, bought from Stitches East years ago-well it seems I knit about 75 % of it before deciding I absolutely despise the way the large mitered color blocks look! The time of color blocked design has passed, at least for me! At some point I will get into a rippy mood and begin anew with some other sweater concept with this yarn. The colors are beautiful, the yarn itself is a dream. Just not as it was originally intended.

Planted and weeded the veggie garden. Broccoli bolted - Must be all this rain. ISO six new plants of something to replace them. I have tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, swiss chard, mustard greens, collards, and a few strawberry plants. A ground hog the size of a baby bear cub lives under our backyard shed. So far, no garden invasion. I spread collie fur and marigolds around the garden. Like I know what I'm doing!

Church knitting continues in preparation for our November Christmas Bazaar, as well as knitting for the baby charities, and lap robes.

Also have been kicking around the idea to knit for sale on Etsey and with local merchants-we'll see. Have picked several shop names-as would like to set up 3 separate shops featuring baby, adult and household hand knits. A business plan would commit me to knitting for profit and might kill the fun factor of knitting! Would I enjoy making money from doing something I love?It sure would help reduce the yarn stash.

Please feel free to comment on that one, folks!

Things to do:
Mail Squares to Pam of the Ghana Project-have got quite a few from my ladies at Our Lady of Mercy Church. Haven't forgotten you, Pam. Imagine you're on your, what, Trillionth afghan by now! What a dedicated lady!

That's it for now. Feedback on this post greatly appreciated as I've been out of the loop for a while.

Happy knitting!