Friday, August 28, 2009

Why, Why not, and Why, Why, Why????

Why?

..are there doors...

and...look closer.....

with doorknobs on them up so high?

Why Not?
...use your hooded sweatshirt..

...to hold your yarn while you're knitting and crocheting so it won't fall on the ground..
(I tuck the sleeves around my waist and lean on them against the back of my chair, creating a bit of a cushion for the small of my back.)

and the biggest of all...

Why, Why, WHY???

Monday, August 24, 2009

slow moving these days

Now that the purple Wallaby sweater has been delivered over the past weekend, here's a picture of the back of the sweater, with the kitchernered hood shown. It's getting better, but I guess I need to make a few more to practice the technique! I noticed today that Major Knitter has a couple of more on her needles. This whole Wallaby thing, I blame on her! *wink wink*...now there are 2 of the yahoo groups that I posted on that are in search of the patterns! I'm telling you, it's a quickie but a really good pattern to knit up..and fast!

Now, I have a little sneak peek here...one part has been sent for a swap...the rest are waiting for the future...


The Twins' BSJs are moving along, but quite slowly....here's the past two weeks worth of progress

Now, why is the knitting slow? well.....

Here's a wee bit of a clue...I have developed a cyst on my wrist. The doc said massaging it would help, but so would not using it...ulg. I don't like that suggestion. So I've been going slowly...if you look carefully at the BSJ's pictures, you'll see I've also started one of the last two Crayon Ripple Throws needed for the twins, too. I am hoping that with a little bit of work here, and there, and switching knitting for crocheting it will let me get some advancement done with changing the angle that I'm working on while slowing down...and it can get better while I still get some work done. Let's hope it's fast! Because check out what I saw today....

And you KNOW if these are all lined up....school is ready to start..which means November won't be too far behind! (November is when the Twins are due!) So....keep on knitting...but be good to your wrists...and they'll be good to you!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Aloha Kitchen Set

Would you like to see what my pattern set looks like in the 2010 calendar?


http://www.dishclothcalendar.com
Pre-orders Started Friday, to be shipped on September 5th.

Aloha Kitchen Set

Aloha Dishcloth

Aloha Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel

Aloha Placemat

Aloha Sack Sock


Thanks for celebrating this with me!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Dishcloth Hangups For 2010, Gifts From The Heart...Back to Basics

Now that I'm able to connect to the Internet again...sorry for the delay, but..it's noon somewhere..right?

Remember this button picture?

How about this I-cord picture?

Want to know where you can see these patterns and whole lot more? You've come to the right place!

I am proud to announce that Pre-orders for the 2010 edition of the Dishcloth Calendar begins today! AND, if you go to http://www.dishclothcalendar.com/ and click on the "About the Designers" tab, you just might see a familiar name, or 10!

My patterns for the Aloha Kitchen Set are included in the calendar! You'll find the Aloha Dishcloth, Aloha Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel, Aloha Placemat and the Aloha Sack Sock included with the rest of the 38 patterns included in this year's "Dishcloth Hangups For 2010, Gifts From The Heart...Back to Basics".

Please allow me to take this moment to publicly thank Sue Schaefer of Harvest Moon Designs and Janet Nogle for including me in the company of these designers! I am thankful to Sue for suggesting my name and am also grateful that Janet was so very patient with all my last minute questions.

Pre-orders begin today for the printed calendars to be shipped on September 5, 2009.

I'm so excited about this...question: Does this mean I've been "Published"?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Stay tuned!

Be watching here tomorrow....about noonish..for a really neat announcement...well...I certainly think it is...I'm really excited!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

2:34 am - finished

Daughter's plane leaves at noon today, and at 2:34 am, the last thread was tucked in and snipped. I had to wait until now to get pictures. But, I made it!

Wonderful Wallaby - W03, Cottage Creations
Child's size 4
I Love This Yarn! Grape, 1.41 skeins, ~504 yards
~3 days worth of knitting...give or take a few moments here and there.

Yes, I'll make this again..over and over!

Monday, August 10, 2009

See?

This is where I stopped last night. I'm really hopeful that I'll finish this tonight. Too bad I didn't wear a child's size 4 so I could make one for me this fast! But then we have some Rice Krispy treats that need to be made yet today, too!

Update in the afternoon....

Kissy Lips and Hearts with all the Love in it...compliments of the cute 7 year old. Ah...summer is good when the kids are all home.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Wow, this is fast...

I can't believe how fast a knit this is! I started this late Friday night, and didn't spend too much time yesterday working on it. Then, a little bit last night and a little bit more today and see how far I am? I'm about to attach the sleeves to the body and begin the yoke. With luck, that will be finished tonight, the hood tomorrow, and daughter can pack it to take with her on Tuesday.

The count down for her return to NY is upon us. I hate that part. However, as I told her last night, she can't finish up there, if she doesn't go back. I'm praying that her next 2 semesters go as fast for her, as this little size 4 purple Wallaby has been for me!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Trying to play catch up here


When I came home from Michigan, I had stuffed the two sweaters for the soon to be twins into a box and mailed them home. I pulled them out the other day to take some pictures now that I'm able to stand and sit for a reasonable amount of time in a vertical world. They have gotten a little bit wrinkled, but they are underway. I'm thinking they'll shake out soon.


I was also able to finish the 2nd of 4 rainbow baby blankets.This is the 'Crayon Ripple Throw' from http://www.lionbrand.com/ only I've gone down to a size 'h' crochet hook for a baby sized blanket and used the Simply Soft yarns from Caron.


The other night we 'camped' in the backyard for a little while so we could make some s'mores. Giggles were all over the place...while we were roasting the marshmallows..but...


Have you EVER made them with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup? OHHHHHHHH My! They were good!


See?


Then one big sister recreated old bedtime singing with the 'Free Willy' song to remind little brother how it used to be..but let herself know he's not the little baby anymore..he's getting ready for 2nd grade! And a lot bigger to cradle these days. I think they'd all like to make that clock stop for awhile.


This morning, I got to recreate the roll of Mom with a camera as the oldest (temporarily renamed 'The Freeway Girl"can you tell why?) ran her first 10K run. She found a run while out here to participate in, as she's getting ready to run a 1/2 marathon in September. Oh, I just love that title...Mom with a camera!


While she was running, I had the chance to work on this fun knit. I started it last night-it's a Wonderful Wallaby from Cottage Creations. I am using some Grape, I Love This Yarn! in worsted weight for a size 4. I would have started the sleeves if I had not forgotten the smaller needles this morning. I started it last night and by 9am this is how far I had gotten. What a quick knit! Can't wait to make one for me, now! Major Knitter...I see what attracted you to this pattern!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Add to my 'knitting tools'...

Who would have ever guessed that an ice bag would be included in my knitting tools? AH...certainly not me! However, I have found that if I pack one up really full, put it into a plastic grocery bag (yea, I know, we're not supposed to have them anymore...but doggone it, they sure do come in handy! hmmmm must be why I've made so many sack socks! Reduce, reuse, recycle..see? reuse. One of those 'r' words, but I digress...

Back to the story today. If I fill the ice bag, pop it into a reused plastic grocery bag, then put a towel behind it and under it, I can wedge the ice behind my lower back and the chair and sit long enough to get a bit of vertical knitting and crocheting done. Not to mention some vertical living! Wooooo hoooo...what a way to appreciate some living these days-from a vertical perspective!

See what I mean? I'm hoping this will be finished by tomorrow night! That makes 2 down (first one done 4/30/09) and 2 more to go for the twins due in November. But, since multiples generally come early....oh boy, that means I'm really far behind!

Thanks for all of the well wishes for my back..they're gratefully appreciated! Every day I see a little bit of improvement, here's hoping it won't take the full 6 weeks to finish heeling! I have some major deadlines to beat-there are babies on the way!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

a word from our sponsors

...or something like that. Isn't that what they say when there's a break in the regular schedule of your program? Did you miss me much? I've spent the better part of the past 2 weeks laying flat on the floor with a couple of herniated disks in my back. Let me just say, it's not been a picnic at the beach. And I'd rather not repeat this event ever again. Most of the time I haven't been able to even knit! At one point, I went for 6 full days without any! Since then most days get about 10 minutes tops before I have to quit.


This is a Tems machine, and along with a heating pad, ice bag, fish oil, bio freeze and Motrin, have become my newest 'best friends' over the past 2 weeks, rather than my yarn and knitting needles.

I would prefer my knitting.
Hands Down.


Prior to that I was working a on a couple of projects...2 of them were parts of swaps with online knitting groups. This is the Christmas Lace Dishcloth that I knit up in Lion Cotton, Morning Glory Blue. I'm thinking my kitchen should have some of these at some point. But this one was sent off to Kansas with a post card from my hometown. That Ravelry group swap was for only a dishcloth and a post card. It was a 'sort of' round robin, so while my cloth went to Kansas,


This blue one came all the way from Paris, France! The colors are perfect for my kitchen, and with the crochet stitches reminds me of my Mom's crocheting she used to do. Most of the dishcloths she made for me years ago are really showing their age. And by that, I mean..they're falling to shreds because they've been very well loved over time. But, can you imagine this? When I first moved to California, I didn't know when I'd be able to go home again, if ever. Letter writing became a regular activity as it was certainly cheaper than a phone call. Little by little my friends went their way, and as I had more babies, I went mine. Now here we are nearly 30 years later, the Internet puts me in touch not only with new friends from around this country, but from worlds away and those who love to knit and crochet, too! It's no longer a solitary craft for me to love. I know for all you 'younguns'....you're rolling your eyes, but for me, well, I welcome the new technologies that have spun faster than the pages of the calendars had flipped over the past 3 decades. Never in my wildest thoughts could I have come up with such a fabulous concept as email and Internet..not to mention blogging!


In one of the Yahoo groups, we did a Red, White and Blue swap and had to send at least 3 r/w/b dishcloths. I'd sent this set to North Carolina...


And look at what she sent back! 5 dishcloths, a towel/holder and a book with not just patterns, but stitch ideas! I've already got my eye on a couple of the stitches in there...down the road a bit.

Then we had some company that we've not hugged in a veryyyyyyyyyyyy long time! These girls used to live next door to us when the kids were all little. Peggy came to live with us some time later for a short while before getting married and having some kids of her own. It was a really great evening when Steph and I had the opportunity to sit and laugh over dinner and play catch up. They now live a few hours away from us again, so we're planning on lots more visits without waiting 15 or more years in between!

Last night I was able to work on this blanket for awhile and am hoping to send it back to NY with my oldest who is now in town visiting for a couple of weeks. Only 2 more white pattern repeats before the top rainbow section. With any luck it should be finished before the week's end. That will be 2 of the 4 crocheted afghans finished I'd started back at the end of April. Good the the last 2 babies aren't due until November at the slow rate I'm getting these done.

Now, I'll have some fun news coming up here in a couple of weeks...so stay tuned, but in the mean time...here's a couple of teasers for you all!

Check out the button....


and the I-cord...any guesses?

Stay tuned!