This and That and Some Knitting

Something new for fall decoration, cheap, colorful and making the living room smile with cheeriness: colorful plastic acorns.  Now really, don't they look like glass?  You, too, can have them for mere pennies and they are available at Michael's.

The Mr. and I attended two fun events this week. One was a picnic for Hospice of Western Colorado volunteers with a beach party theme.

And the pictures are of the Mr., and friend Mary who was a whiz at hoola hooping.  You can figure out who is who.

Libby Sweetpea is actually the Therapy Dog International volunteer for Hospice and I just drive her around to make her visits with hospice patients. It was the thought on the day of the picnic to leave her home because it would have actually been work for her to greet people, let them pet her, coo over her, and she would have had to be on her best behavior.  So she got the day off after working for four years for Hospice, and we allowed her to sleep in

while her driver enjoyed some picnic food of pork loin.

Then last night was the Gala Event for Community Hospital with the Moulin Rouge theme.  Proceeds ...errr...profits from the gala will be used to buy defibrillator units for our local schools.

On the needles this week is the Broken Rib Cowl:

and these baby booties (except my yarn is pink):

 with the pattern found here.

Thank you for reading my blog.  Thank you for submitting comments; they are very much appreciated.  And thank you all new followers. Please take a visit to these newest followers and say a friendly hello: The Shop Around the Corner, Merione, and Diana Evans.

Knitted Socks Ready in a Casual, Chic Sort of Way

Yup, two weeks later, here they are, as shown on the Mr.'s hands:

I used Knit Picks Stroll in a 75% wool, 25% nylon fingering weight wool.  The pattern is here. Gardening, walking, clogging...these socks are ready to go!

ODE TO MY SOCKS
by Pablo Neruda

Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
that she knit with her
shepherd's hands.

Two socks as soft
as rabbit fur.

I thrust my feet
inside them
as if they were
two
little boxes
knit
from threads
of sunset
and sheepskin.

My feet were
two woolen
fish
in those outrageous socks,
two gangly,
navy-blue sharks
impaled
on a golden thread,
two giant blackbirds,
two cannons:

thus
were my feet
honored
by
those
heavenly
socks.

They were
so beautiful
I found my feet
unlovable
for the very first time,
like two crusty old
firemen, firemen
unworthy
of that embroidered
fire,
those incandescent
socks.

Nevertheless
I fought
the sharp temptation
to put them away
the way schoolboys
put
fireflies in a bottle,
the way scholars
hoard
holy writ.

I fought
the mad urge
to lock them
in a golden
cage
and feed them birdseed
and morsels of pink melon
every day.

Like jungle
explorers
who deliver a young deer
of the rarest species
to the roasting spit
then wolf it down
in shame,
I stretched
my feet forward
and pulled on
those
gorgeous
socks,
and over them
my shoes.

So this is
the moral of my ode:
beauty is beauty
twice over
and good things are doubly
good
when you're talking
about
a pair of wool
socks
in the dead of winter.

Shrinky Dink Charms: Downton Abbey Peeps

Making shrinky dinks is not just for kids, although they would have fun making them.  This site has a good tutorial, but you can just buy a package (six sheets per package) at your local craft store, instructions included.

These are Downton Abbey characters downloaded and printed on to the special paper (remember to dull down the colors as they become brighter once they are baked).

They are stitch markers used for knitting up this sock which is in progress.  Sock pattern here.

Linking to WOYWW.

Three Shawls Knit Over the Summer

Three?  Did I need THREE shawls, the husband asked.  Well, yes, I did.  Started August 2, 2012 and completed August 27, 2012 in 100% cotton:

close up of the lace:

It blocked out at 86 inches at the widest point by 36 inches in length.  It is Wendy D. Johnson's Seriously Simple Shawl and is a free pattern found here on Ravelry.


Then on to another shawl I knit in June, July and finished on August 1, 2012, the Different Lines Shawl by Veera Välimäki:

And lastly, the WINGSPAN:

This pattern has been worked up 4,280 times at the writing. I knit it from June 27 to July 23, 2012.
This pattern is by maylin Tri'Coterie Designs; it is a free pattern and can be found here.

Just documenting some summer knitting; waiting for cooler weather to wear this neckware.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Linking to WOWW, two things/tasks/fun projects are on my outdoor table just begging to be finished:

The first is the Different Lines Shawl, a lovely pattern that can be purchased here. It uses complementary colors and results in stripes (mostly) with two borders in a solid color.  About a thousand people on Ravelry have completed it with fantastic results.  Here is a link to see what others have knit with this pattern.


And the second work in progress is a painting of dragonflies on a yellow/chartreuse background. It started out in acrylics, but it will likely end in oils.

My lower back has been out of commission, probably due to working in the yard AND bending over this dragonfly canvas!

What is on YOUR work desk?  Go here to link up your projects.

A Nice Pair of Socks and a Watercolor

...are finished.  Hermione's Everyday Socks were knit from a free pattern available here on Ravelry.  It is the second pair I've knit from that same pattern.

The yarn was purchased almost two years ago at The Rummer Tavern in Cardiff, Wales at a meet up with independent yarn dyers.  Thanks, "Jellybean," for this nice sock yarn you dyed in autumn colors.

The heel was knit in a different yarn just for the grins of it.  It took about two weeks to knit this pair.  And that yarn is exactly the colors in my old Keen Sandals...

source

Then I saw a little bird that I thought would look cute hanging on a clothes line with my knitted socks, so I drew it and painted it in those Derwent Inktense pencils.  Here it is:

(Next time I'll use watercolor paper; this was painted on a canvas board...not such a good idea, but fun.)

Letter to the Dormouse Regarding Carrot Soup

Dear Fat Dormouse Getting Thinner:

Thank you very much for the recipe I found here on your blog.  I did want you to know that it was quite delicious.  But somehow, cooking times did not equate at high altitudes.  Your recipe called for cooking the vegetables for about 20 minutes after the liquid came to a boil.  I was extremely hungry when I began soup preparation, just so you know.

So after cooking the onions, carrots and sweet potatoes for 55 minutes in the chicken stock, and flavoring with a Tbsp. of orange marmalade (the grocery shopping elves had not picked up any orange juice by noon today), I hoped it was ready.  I zuzzed it all together, and put it in my favorite poppy mug.  Can you see the steam?  No?  It was there, believe me.

(knitters please note that those are Hermione's Everyday Socks on the needles)

I was too hungry to make it pretty with a little parsley on top for garnish.

Anyway, thanks again Dormouse,
Nancy

P.S.:  the roof of my mouth got burned while sipping the soup because I did not want to wait for it to cool (did I tell you I was hungry?)

P.P.S: I drank the soup and had Weight Watchers popcorn with the soup and it was extra delish

KnitCompanion and the Holden Shawl

Here is a shawl I finished yesterday, with the help of a new app for my iPad.  The app is called KnitCompanion and can be found here, or on iTunes for a download.  There is a Ravelry group where you can get lots of help, and it is here.  I tried it out, and will definitely use it for all my pdf knitting patterns.  The learning curve was fairly fast, and I went through the YouTube videos in one morning.

Now for the Holden Shawl, a free download by Mindy Wilkes found here.

KnitCompanion allows different crops and ways to put knitting instructions together in the manner YOU want, making reading instructions easier by far.  Try it.  You will probably like it.

(above photo from It's About Time)

Participating in Paint Party Friday found here!

Back on the Knitting Front: Bitterroot Shawl and Hermione's Socks

From painting, now back to knitting.  I finished the Bitterroot Shawl and another pair of socks.  First, the Bitterroot shawl by designer Romi Hill.  She created this pattern, saying:

Legend has it that long ago, hunger swept through the Native American tribes. As time passed slowly and food supplies dwindled, famine beckoned disease and death closer and closer.  One day, a mother knelt in sorrow by the river, her children sick and dying. The Sun heard her cries of anguish and took pity on the mother, changing her tears to Bitterroot, that her people might never be hungry and sick again.

Now I did not quite understand how the shawl looked like bitterroot.  But it sounded like a nice legend, and it did have a methodical pattern to it, so I'll just put it together in my mind that way.  Here are some pictures, but won't bore the post with how many beads were put onto it or how long it took to knit.  All those details can be found here.

a close up:

The Bitterroot was finished just in time for spring, along with Hermione's Everyday Socks.

Now for Hermione's socks. I decided to knit these because podcaster Tina from Knitting Blooms likes this pattern a lot.  Designer of the pattern Erica Leuder (free pattern on Ravelry found here) says...

Hermione, as described in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series, is a rather smart and practical heroine. While she can dress up with the best of them, these socks remind me of something she might wear while practicing charms or transfiguration or reading up on Arithromancy in the Gryffindor Common Room.

 Well said.  So I can wear these in any Common Room.

The sock yarn is Regia, my favorite blend of wool and nylon for long wear.  The best part of the sock, IMHO, is the eye of partridge heel that is very sturdy and closely knitted.  My close up is not as good as designer Leuder's, so I'll just show her heel photo:

Thanks for looking.

Poppies on the Wall and Piper's Journey Shawl

First it was Sheep on the Wall, now it is poppies directly underneath the sheep:

Width: 40"; Depth 36" (acrylics on wall)

And a finished Piper's Journey Shawl:

Now to just frame the poppies with that last rough firring strip of wood.

The Little Box of Socks

Schurch and Parott's The Little Box of Socks was one of the first knitting books I purchased several years ago.

The box is literally a cardboard box that snaps open (and shut).  Included are twenty different sock projects; each of the sock patterns are laminated on heavy stock paper for easy portability.

A favorite pattern in the little box is the "Lace Rib Sock", constructed in such a way that knitterly skills are shown off to good advantage.  It is a tightly woven sock and designed for a solid color yarn project.  The yarn is from Blue Moon Fibers, a popular supplier for specialty dyed yarns.  I subscribed to the 2012 Rockin' Sock Club where...

Each Kit that is delivered to your door every other month includes: 

400 yd skeins of Socks that Rock® lightweight or mediumweight yarn in a unique club colourway. (Working from shaded solids all the way through the spectrum to multicolourways.)  

2 (that’s right, two) patterns developed by two different designers for color, form and function. We promise one will be a sock, the other—who knows? Both the patterns and colourways will not be available to the general public for a full year after you receive it. Tina’s Dyer’s Notes explaining each shipment’s inspiration(s). 

Notorious Sock Knitter gear like mini skeins, buttons, stickers and a swag surprise or two. 

A blog and forum for sharing and support. A 15% off coupon good until December 1, 2012. A community of Notorious Sock knitters just like your self. (Priceless!) Each package leaves the Blue Moon barn and heads your way during the last week of January, March, May, July, September and November. Let’s rock the rainbow together!

The first shipment arrived in a beautiful colorway called "HRH Crown Princess of Purple, Violetta."  I got busy on the Lace Rib pattern and completed these:

close up of heel:

 The second of six shipments should be mailed out in two weeks.  It is always fun to anticipate a UPS package from Blue Moon Fibers and to guess the clues on what color and new patterns will arrive.

Sheep on the Wall

Why not have some sheep to keep me company in my craft room?  And maybe they could knit along with me. There's an idea.

Folk art has easy lines and is fairly quick to draw.  Inspiration came from Kathy's Needleworks in the form of canvases for needlepoint.  I copied John Blake's sheep from a canvas available at the needlework site.  After sketching them onto the wall, I then painted them in acrylics.  It is about half finished in the above picture.  If the next owner of the house does not want sheep in this room, a quick primer and another coat of paint will cover over the critters.

(Finished: inside dimensions 40" x 32")

Rough cut 2 inch firring strips frame the sheep; they are stained and add a barn-like touch.

But for now, those woolly gals are just making me happy and keeping me company while I knit Piper's Journey Shawl in a celestial blue that is 15% cashmere and 85% merino wool.

 The sheep approve.

Scroll Lace Scarf

Popular knitwear designer Ysolda Teague showcases her Scroll Lace Scarf available here with it wrapped around the shoulders on this pretty model:

It looked easy, so I began it with some hand dyed yarn from KnittingRose.

This was one pattern that definitely did not turn out as expected, and was a project that schooled me in what NOT to do from the start of the project to its very end.

Although it ultimately turned out well, the learning experiences for me were:

1: Use SMALLER needles; the lace holes were from 3/4 to 1 inch in size, way too large for wearing without poking a finger into the holes. Will use size 6 needles next time it is knit
2: Do NOT use circular needles. Awkward to hold while doing the 15 row, 15 stitch repeat ad infinitum.
3: ...not crazy about the picot border; think about another edging next time
4: ...stockinette stitch will curl on the body, so ensure some purl rows are included every 6 rows or so.
5: ...perhaps too many lace repeats since it is LONG! 

Finished dimensions: 85”length x 12” at widest middle point with the called for 28 repeats...Make less lace repeats next time it is knit for less length in the scarf

With these thoughts in mind, I started another Ysolda Teague Scroll Lace Scarf last night. Practice, practice, practice.

Knitting in January

While in Waco, I made a bit of progress on a new project with a pattern from Ysolda Teague:  the Scroll Lace Scarf.  Hand dyed yarn from KnittingRose, a 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon for stability, KnittingRose dyes beautifully.

Because I was listening to Aunt Mary and stories from her college years in the 1940's at Hardin Simmons in Abilene, Texas, it was easier to knit a sock in the round than to follow a lace chart.  So the socks below were begun, using Knit Picks yarn in a fingering weight.  I'm going to complete an afterthought heel.  The pattern is again from Ravelry, and is from LaLa found here.

Aunt Mary thought it was fascinating that the yarn was self striping.  She had never heard of that aspect of knitting.  For a video showing how to complete an afterthought heel,  go here.

One quick story from Aunt Mary, who has a dry sense of humor and kept me giggling. Wish I could quote her, but the gist of the story was this, with apologies to my male cousins Mark and David.

First born Cindy, a good student, industrious and courteous and kind to a fault, was a pleasure to teach.  One of her teachers took Mary aside and told Mary that she should write a book about how to rear children since Mary was both a preacher's wife and an excellent mother.  Mary's other two younger children, boys, were a real handful in school.  Mary said after the boys got into school, not a single teacher EVER again asked her to write a parents' handbook. 

Now this shawl by Rose Beck, available on Ravelry and found here, was finished on January 1, 2012.  I really like the stitch definition, and the yarn from Quince and Company was a dream to hold and knit. It is my first project finished in the new year, regardless that it was begun in 2011.

(close up for stitch definition and pattern)

January continues, and I am knitting in color after all that olive green wool.  What are you knitting or crocheting, sewing, painting or cooking?