A bit of this and that...

Summer is right around the corner. Time to pull out the cotton. In the past, I've knit quit a collection of dishcloths at the park. These seem to be the perfect take-along project for summer knitting while the kids play. These 2 I knit awhile back...and they were in my stash of knit dishcloths. On Monday, they cried out to be mailed off to a friend. They're in an envelope...on their way to...

...you'll just have to wait and see.

Rex has been trying to spend more time outside. Sometimes he's good and will just lay in a patch of sun. They other day he took off for a bit. I hate when he does that since he doesn't have claws. I don't want to see him get in a fight with a squirrel. He did come back home though, and we found him trying to open the screen door with his paw. Silly kitty. Rex wants more blog time...I might just decide to join Whiskers on Wednesday. At least for now...I've got a kitty on a Wednesday post.

Maybe I can count better now...

A friend gifted me with some laceweight alpaca for a shawl. I CO right after I receive this. I read the directions wrong. I frogged. I started again doing the right increase. This time I couldn't count to 4 (4 garter ridges between the increase rows). I frogged and started again, but I put this in my knitting bag didn't work on this while taking any of the medications that prevent me from counting.

I pulled it out again after I finished Blanket #2. I just found an error and I'm trying to decide if I frog AGAIN or if I convince myself that this doesn't bother me. So, in this close up can you see the little hole on the edge below the blue rubberband? You might have to click on the photo to see the larger image. The hole is right where the cable goes under the knitting.

What would you do? It's likely that this tiny hole will be under my hair when I wear the shawl. And...can you even see it? Or is it just so obvious to me because I know it's there?

All I can say is that this will be as light as a feather when knit up! I'm really excited to wear it...hopefully by the fall.

Blanket #2

Well, really this is blanket #4 or #5 of this same pattern. But, this is the 2nd one I've knit since the beginning of the year. I knit one for 7's birthday. And then I started one for my MIL's birthday. 12 skeins of homespun in garter stitch hardly holds one's attention. I actually did ok for the first 18 skeins. Half way through this 2nd blanket my attention waned. Add that to the fun times I was having with pain killers and muscle relaxants. I didn't finish on time. But, it sure is pretty. I think she'll like it. The colors match her living room. Lionbrand Homespun: Prairie.

6 skeins makes a blanket that is about 60" square. It's a good size for cuddling on the couch. This blanket has been great on my lap as I've knit. I am glad to be moving on though.

I think the only problem with this gift is that someone seems to think this is HIS blanket. He'll have to find a replacement. ;0)

Happy Birthday to me!

I had a wonderful birthday weekend! It's great having a Friday birthday. My celebration started with a brunch for CBS. No, it wasn't my party, but I can think that if I want to. Then I headed over to a shoe sale to find a pair of tennies with my birthday money from my Gramp. Friday night, one of M's core group guys offered to babysit for us. M & I went out for gelato. And then we walked a bit around downtown. We didn't say out late since the next day was our church's GraceWorks weekend. We were helping out with the clean up at our local elementary school. Saturday night my mom and brother came over and we BBQed burgers. Then Sunday was a relaxed day. We finished the weekend with dinner at Tapps with M's side of the family. I really enjoyed the grilled artichoke and the S'mores Alaska. When is it not a good thing that your dessert is a pyrotechnic display right at your table?!

So...the flip side of the birthday weekend. While I was at the CBS brunch, M was cleaning our house in preparation of having 12 kids 3 & under here Saturday morning. I came home to a clean house, but somehow when dad wasn't looking...7 gave 5 a haircut!!! There's a chunk missing from the center of her bangs and the back is all crooked!!! How's that for a birthday present?! I wore my trusty white sandals Friday morning and it seems that I must get rid of them. They make my back hurt...even when I'm not standing for long. So before the gelato, I spend 30 minutes laying on ice and trying to get my back to cooperate. Saturday morning was a low turn-out. Seems there's a fever going around and some families couldn't make it. I'm not complaining here...I just wish more of our friends could have made it. Later we had a fun dinner with my mom and brother. Sunday...I'm not sure what got into the kids. They were horrid. Let's just say that they're questioning everything I say and often choosing to do the exact opposite of what they're told. I ended up telling 5 & 7 to take a 45 minute rest on their beds. If not for that rest time, they would have had to stay home and not enjoy our time at the restaurant. I'm glad that Monday showed an improvement in behavior!

And...since I have to be careful with shoes...and they're expensive...that's what I asked for my birthday. A new pair of Danskos. A pair of sandles. And the tennis shoes. What is your favorite kind/pair of shoes?

An early Mother's Day!

Over our Easter break we visited my Gramp and my Great Aunt & Great Uncle joined us for Easter dinner. M snapped this picture of me, 5, and my mom. I love it. Three generations in GreatGram's kitchen. I know she (my mom's mom) was there with us in spirit.

I planned to post this photo for Mother's Day, but I saw this contest on We Are THAT Family today. I'm so blessed to have a heritage of faith in my family. I hope that I am that blessing to my daughter.

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What a Yarn

There’s one love that we all share: yarn. Blog about a particular yarn you have used in the past or own in your stash, or perhaps one that you covet from afar. If it is a yarn you have used you could show the project that you used it for, perhaps writing a mini ‘review’. Perhaps, instead, you pine for the feel of the almost mythical qiviut? You could explore and research the raw material and manufacturing process if you were feeling investigative.

I love YARN. I'm not picky enough to say...I won't knit with anything that's not wool. In fact, wool just doesn't work all the time in California. I really enjoy projects I've knit with Rowan Calmer and Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. Although, I think my favorite yarn so far has been Dream in Color Smooshy. I knit my Clapotis in that...and I use it all. the. time. Enough that I'd like another in a different color. I think my big list is yarns I dream about. I want to try something with Habu Textiles. Stainless Steel and Linen...so neat. I want to knit in Denim. I want to try SO MANY of the fun sock yarns out there. It's a good thing I don't want to ever quit knitting. ;0)

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Revisit a past F/O

Bring the fortune and life of a past finished project up to the present. Document the current state and use of an object you have knitted or crocheted, whether it is the hat your sister wears to school almost every day, or a pair of socks you wore until they were full of hole. Or maybe that jumper that your did just didn’t like that much...

One of the first things I knit after the 36 fun fur scarves was this pink poncho. It's a rectangle, and another piece that starts with a rectangle and tapers to a point. The 2 pieces are stitched together and the trim is crocheted on. It's Paton's Divine on big needles. It goes against every thing a knitter will say is cool...but I still like to wear it. It's WARM. It feels like I'm wearing a blanket. On a rainy day, I'll throw on a black knit dress and this poncho...and I'm warm.

I wore this back in February for Chan's Pink Parade. Only, I'm just now posting these photos. I still wanted to link back. There's so many reasons PINK still needs to cause us to remember those we've lost, those we love...and remember to get checked!

And it seems that non-knitters still don't know how "un-cool" fun fur is. Especially the 5-8yo girls...they all want to sit on my lap during story time...or next to me and hold onto the "blanket".

So...while it's not October...remember to schedule your DR's appointments. I'm due to see my DR in June.

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