Yarn Along

New to me, joining Yarn Along, and of course, WIP Wednesday.

Reading: on Kindle app When We Were Strangers (Schoenewaldt) and Death on A Longship (Taylor) and of course, At the Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time (Arthur)

Knitting:  Caffe Macchiato (pattern by Moldan).

Cooking: Last night I made for the fourth time my new favorite recipe  Chicken Tikka Masala (Epicurious).

 

I'll be checking in on your blog and seeing what you are knitting, crafting, thinking.  Leave a comment and I'll be sure to follow you.

 



Dangerous Knitting

Check out this link sent by my husband.  Who knew we knitters could be such a hazardous group to the safety and welfare of the general public?

A knitting group said it was no longer allowed to meet at a library because its needles are "dangerous" and its members are too noisy ...more

source

 

Disregarding the hazards of knitting with sharp needles, I've started another pair of socks from a hot new pattern, Caffee Macchiato.

 

 

 

Hand dyed sock yarn by MustStash.  It is called Jump & Jive, a Tribute to the 70's.  Makes me happy.

 



Soysilk Fiber: a Cowl with Drape

When I opened up my package of soysilk yarn, I really did not know the makeup of this fiber.  From reading others' remarks about the cowl that looked good in the pictures on Ravelry, it was necessary to knit up this cowl shell with a yarn that had lots of drape.  Silk and silk blends were mentioned, but the designer of the Cowl Shell (Myrna Batten) used Oasis brand, a 100% soysilk fiber.

South West Trading Company says

SOYSILK® brand fiber is made from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing.  This process is 100-percent natural and free of any petrochemicals, making it an extremely environmentally friendly product.  Soy is a completely renewable resource – coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable.   As early as the 1940s, textile experts dreamed of a fiber made from soy.  (In fact, Henry Ford had a suit made of soy as an early prototype.)  SOYSILK® brand fiber offers superior moisture absorption and ventilation properties along with beautiful draping, softness and warmth.

It took two weeks to knit this up and I am very pleased with the cowl.  And it is environmentally green as it contains natural anti-bacterial agents which can restrain the growth of certain types of bacteria and is therefore considered a very sanitary fiber.

It has the softness and smoothness of cashmere but isn’t hazardous to the environment. The fiber also has the same moisture absorption as cotton but with better moisture transmission, making it more comfortable and sanitary (from here).

 

 

The soysilk fiber (actually 100% soy) drapes nicely.  Now I'm on to knitting up another one in this variegated color:

 



 

 This is on my Works in Progress for Wednesday.  Go here to see others' projects that Tami hosts!

 

 



Tote Bags - Easy!

Thanks to Abbi, I came across her tutorial on how to make a simple double sided tote bag.  How serendipitous that just yesterday I purchased two fat quarters of fabric to make such a tote!

Here are the fabric pieces.

 

This is Mrs. Pfaff.  She came home yesterday after cleaning and repairs at her spa: Adams Vacuum & Sewing Machine Sales and Repair.

 

Mrs. Pfaff says to hurry up and get her settled into her cabinet home so she can get back to work.

 

And also for Works in Progress Wednesday, I am starting my second repeat on the Creature Comforts Cardigan. 

 

 



Visit others' blogs at Tami's for WIP Wednesday.

What is Happening Today

1.  Corneal abrasion two weeks ago on Libby Sweetpea's right eye with emergency call visit.  Not healed yesterday, so 2nd vet visit.  A plastic lens on the eye to hold in strong antibiotics with an Elizabethan Collar of Shame that has to be worn for four days.  But OUCH, out came the plastic lens in the middle of the night, and a 3rd visit to the vet again this afternoon for another lens stain and abrasion.

2.  A baby sweater being knitted up for Jackie who is in her third trimester with Jackson.  Jackie is a huge Denver Broncos  football fan, and I am sure she will be ensuring Baby Jackson will be also. This is almost finished:

Orange and blue buttons, of course, with a contrasting grosgrain ribbon to back the buttons.  The self striping sock yarn came all the way from New Zealand, hand dyed by Stray Cats.  The shipping was costly, but where else have you ever seen orange and blue sock yarn?  The pattern is Beyond Puerperium, by Kelly Brooker and is an ingenious little knit.

3.  An outdoor decades old rocker that needs a re-finish.  Sanded and ready for new stain:

The stain mix: an ounce of oil paint, a scant cup of turpentine, a scant quarter cup of boiled linseed oil.  Stay tuned.  A previous post here explains it all.  Also this post gives a true recipe for wood stain.

4. Chicken Tikki Masala for dinner. The hub will grill the chicken and likely make the recipe if I can convince him that I am still refinishing that rocker.  (He does NOT like painting.)

Linking up with  Tami at Work in Progress Wednesday

In Process

Linking to Tami (WIP) and to Our Sheltering Tree because in process today are...

• A Hospice visit with Libby to see a patient in a rehab hospital (Therapy Dogs International)
• Two Knitting Projects

• finishing up painting interior walls
• whipping up these delicious apple treats, from a Mennonite Girls recipe found here, along with their photograph
• sending off a book for a tweeners' birthday

Please leave your blog address and I will be sure to visit you to see what you are up to today!