by Kat | Jan 31, 2008 | General
Well, in a world where every other day we get a blanket of white this knitter is fighting back with some blankets of a different kind!
I am working on blankets – the Manos Four Season Throw – in lovely Autumnal colors… This is for the knit along that Country Needle Works is having this year – so I am finished with my first block… just in time for February’s installment will be due!
And, this week I cast on Brooklyn Tweed’s Lovely Hemlock Ring Blanket with some Cascade 129 that I got at Mecca in the most lovely dark orange shade. This is incredibly genius – and I would never have thought to do something so creative at to take a doily pattern and knit it from a bulky weight yarn. I am loving this knit – and Heidi saw the blanket tonight. I think if I don’t watch this one – it will wander off with her!
And – since it is so dratted cold out – my dear friend Susan is in need of some warmth… so I will be working on that this weekend.
Now, back to the books – I have a big test tomorrow.
by Kat | Jan 30, 2008 | General
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, you might want to head to Florida this morning. If you can get there from here, that is.
All of West Michigan is having some difficulty in travel today. Yesterday we had that nice, if brief, January Thaw – and over night Old Man Winter roared back in – in less that 4 hours we had dropped from 47 balmy degrees to temperatures in the single digits – with below zero wind chills.
Thunder was replaced with gale force winds that raced around my condo all night.
All that rain – flash frozen on the roads.
But the precipitation did not stop – the rain changed to snow and that is now still falling. The winds are still howling and they are causing large snow drifts to pile up in open spaces.
No school for the kids today – and no school for the mom either!
As you can see – the snow is covering windows, siding, bushes, any nook or cranny it has been driven in to.
So, I might have to sit down with Alice today and see if I cannot fill up some more of these….
Have Baby Alpaca – will spin! And, look – an empty bobbin to fill!
Hopefully the “cleaning lady” will have her work done shortly and I will be able to devote the afternoon to some one on one time with dear Alice!
Stay warm and safe today, gentle readers!
by Kat | Jan 29, 2008 | General
The weather has warmed up considerably. The snow is almost all melted.
So, the 2 feet or so that we had is but a few crusty inches. And, I have a river running through my back yard which is quite lovely, not!
Currently it is 46 degrees outside (that is Farenheit for all you International readers!)….
But, never fear – before midnight it will be a whopping ZERO outside with a wind chill factor that is supposed to be well into the negative numbers.
And, there will be snow – truck loads of it.
Insanity, thy name is Weather!
I cannot believe how exhausted I am at the end of the day.
Brain Dead.
Thought Free.
And, I still have one more chapter to read for school tomorrow – and then there is the studying for the big test on Friday.
I am off to finish up, gentle readers.
Have a peaceful evening!
by Kat | Jan 28, 2008 | General
Homework – done.
Dinner – done.
Laundry – done.
Knitting time – you have got to be kidding me!
Who’d of ever thunk that I’d find myself at the end of a day and not wanting to pick up a knitting needle and while away the time knitting.
That day has arrived, gentle readers.
My brain is officially fried.
Last night I gleefully finished my edited version of Sonnet – Sonnetina. And, then I went to get the buttons to sew them on. And, they were not in my knitting bag….
Okay, maybe they are in the other knitting bag….
I could not find those buttons anywhere.
My vest could not be finished…. Alas, poor Yorick!
Actually-
Alas, poor Wallet!
Yes, I had to stop and purchase 3 more buttons today after school to finish my vest.
But, it is now completed – and I have proof. These buttons are divine – as well they should be as they cost me almost $5 a piece!
Okay – without further adieu – I present to you Sonnetina!
The required “in the mirror self-portrait”…
Note the amazingly expensive glorious buttons. See the little “peplum-ish” added edging – I like how this turned out. I think it will lay flatter when I block it. But I am so wearing this tomorrow! Blocking, be damned!
Again – note the buttons! FIRMLY attached to the vest. There will be no loosing these babies!
And finally – a nice view of the neck – both inside and out. And – one last shot of those AMAZING buttons.
So, I will leave you with the specks of my Sonnetina.
Cast on – Friday January 18, 2008
Finished – Monday January 28, 2008.
Yarn – Now discontinued Classic Elite Gatsby
Needles – Addi 10 1/2 for body of vest.
Addi 13 for applied i-cord.
This is truly the fastest thing I have ever knit and I am so happy with the end result.
Now, I think I hear Bonnie and Clyde calling my name…. stay tuned.
by Kat | Jan 27, 2008 | General
Hold the phone, gentle readers, I have success!!
Yes, after much trial and tribulation and a couple of trips to the frog pond – the answer came to me today as I showered.
Here is the test of true knitterly thinking, you cannot stop puzzling over a problem – it swirls and swirls around in your head until the logic of the solution steps up and scrubs your back (figuratively) in the shower early on a Sunday morning.
I have arrived!
My brain is a knitting test ground.
Must be the great company of yesterday – or the great thoughts of an amazing fiber artist (Hello Beth!!)…
Anyway – I have solved the attached i-cord dilema.
Beatifully solved, I might add!
I even have proof… see for yourselves!
Note the seamless attachment. It is truly a thing of wonder!
Here – a bit closer for you to see both the front and back sides… see – no funky ridge from my picked up stitches….
Here is the back side – sorry it is a bit blurry – but as you can see, no funky ridge here either!
So, are you curious, gentle reader, how I accomplished this knitterly feat????
I shall share with you – when I picked up stitches – I just picked up the stitch – no pulling yarn through to “create a new stitch”. I just picked up a portion of the existing stitch of my fabric.
The end result – no funky ridge at all. My applied i-cord is the perfect finish for this vest. I am working on finishing the arm holes. Then all I need to do is sew on buttons – and voila! A completed object! My plan is to wear it to school on day one.
Proof to my ability to figure out a solution to a dilema.
A good way to start – as the amazing Brenda Dayne says – “Start as you mean to go on”… And, Dame Brenda – I most certainly will!
Then, if this was not the best and most amazing thing of the weekend – I got this award from not one, but two amazing bloggers.
I am so honored that I make their day, but truly – they inspire me. So, here is a huge thanks to both The Incomparable Judy at Persistent Illusion and The Brilliant and Talented Susan at A Few Stitches Short (of a full row). These women are truly amazing women. I am humbled by this reward – truly humbled.
And, in my attempt to share the love with others out there… I want to share with you all those bloggers that Make My Day!
Cheryl at A Simple Yarn
Rob at the Black Dog
Jane at By Jane
Matt at the Crowing Ram
Tracey at Extreme Adventures in Knitting and Motherhood
Sarah (I knew her when) at Hand Knitter
Lynne at I was knit together in my mothers womb
Wendy at Knit and the City
Brilliant and Prolific Anne at Knitspot
Marica at Purls Before Swine
Marie at Raggedy Reee
Wanda – The Wanda Woman Knits
Ann at Punkie 53
Elizabeth at Random Snapshots
Kimberly at Woven Spun
Julia The Yarn Maven
The One and Only Yarn Harlot – Stephanie Pearl McPhee
These bloggers inspire me daily in ways that help me daily to be a better person than I was the day before.
If you are not reading their blogs – do so. They may inspire you as well!
Have a blessed evening everyone!
by Kat | Jan 26, 2008 | General
… a Franklin Habit
Yes, that is correct – The Panopticon was at Mecca today doing a photo shoot for his 1000 Knitters Project. And was it busy!!
I pulled in the parking lot shortly after noon and it was packed.
There had to be 500 knitters vehicles in the lot.
So, I parked and made my way inside Mecca got my number and began the wait to knit on the scarf and spend a few minutes with Franklin.
It was so enjoyable – Franklin is brilliant. And, it was his birthday. Even better!
I spent the afternoon knitting with friends. Of course Rob and Matt were there. And, when I was walking around I stumbled into Christy and she led me to Marcia and Sharon and Dirty Sue. With much laughter and general merriment I waited for my number to be called. Before long Ewe-niss and 2 of her lovely daughters showed up. It was an amazing afternoon and before it was over Laurie rounded out the fun!
I cannot think of a better way to spend an afternoon – or with a better group of people!
I even managed to knit a row or two! And, I watched the most amazing, fastest, ENGLISH knitter in all of North America. I think we should have a little Knitting Throw Down… I am telling you. This knitter would whoop the Yarn Harlot (sorry Stephanie) needles down! I am hoping one of you Lansing Knitters will share with me the name of this most agile of knitters! And, in advance, I apologize to this Mystery Knitter for not paying attention when her name was said.
I am headed off to soak in the bathtub and then I am crawling in bed.
Too much excitement for this girl today!!
