A Stitch in Time

Oh, my! The world has come to an end!

2011-12-14T18:52:00.005-06:00

After all this time, would you believe there is actually a new post about . . . wait for it . . . me committing knitting. Yep, I am knitting a simple lace scarf because I really need to relax and there is nothing more relaxing than knitting. Well, there's also cross stitching and crocheting, but I'm not currently working anything involving those so knitting wins by default.

The scarf is being done in (Cascade Yarns) Heritage hand painted sock yarn color 9848 on size 6 needles.

I'm using a seed stitch edging with one repeat of the dimple eyelet pattern followed by one repeat of the ridged ribbon eyelet with an extra knit row and an extra purl row between the ridged ribbon eyelet and the dimple eyelet patterns.

2011-12-01T19:40:00.000-06:00

This blog has moved

2010-03-13T12:34:00.001-06:00

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2009-12-22T09:49:00.001-06:00

The status is still quo

2009-10-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

Still jobless. Still pain in the hands. However . . .

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Happy 09/09/09, everyone!

2009-09-09T10:38:00.001-05:00

No change on the status quo

2009-08-12T11:52:00.002-05:00

Still without a job. Still battling pains in the hands. But I did find an interesting sweater for the scientifically inclined . . .

Another for the "now I've seen everything" file

2009-05-03T11:36:00.000-05:00

Because every 'pandemic' needs some levity...

No drugs, no crafting

2009-03-31T16:59:00.001-05:00

I was laid off last Friday. No job means no insurance means no drugs means no crafting until further notice.

Hands still a mess, but . . .

2009-03-01T10:07:00.001-06:00

. . . I did stumble across a seriously cute pattern to make for Easter.

http://www.alandart.co.uk/products/product/38

A quick update since I have been notoriously absent

2009-02-07T12:43:00.001-06:00

My doctor has taken me off my medications because they are interfering with my liver. I've been off the one since September and the other since November. Needless to say, the psoriasis is back with a vengeance and the arthritis has decided to settle in my hands - which is good since it isn't anywhere else in my body, but it's bad because, well, it's in my hands. I can't do much of anything with these iffy hands. Today is actually a good day. I can turn the doorknob without help and I can type - hence this post. But what I would really like to do is knit and I just don't think my hands would put up with that. Oh, well. Life goes on. I'm just trailing a little behind it right now.

!! Happy New Year !!

2009-01-01T11:12:00.001-06:00

May the best thing that happened to you in 2008 be the worst thing that happens to you in 2009.

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Now playing: Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon

2008-12-24T12:49:00.001-06:00

Illogical

2008-06-27T19:38:00.001-05:00

Another one for the "Now I've seen everything" annals . . . Spock ears!

Argosy guarded by Horus and inspected by Bear

2008-04-12T15:11:00.003-05:00

I haven't worked much on the Argosy scarf from knitty.com. I've been tracking time and I've only spent 4.25 hours total on it. I have almost eleven repeats of Section 2.

I tried to take indoor update photos, but, as always, Horus had to sit guard over the item and this time Bear had to come inspect it as well. Horus is very firmly sitting in place, but you can just barely make out Bear sneaking up on the ball of yarn just in case it is EVIL and willing to attack an unsuspecting cat.

I took an "unposed" snap of the scarf being held in front of my bedroom door as I was taking it back to safety. This one doesn't have any cats in it but it does show up the color mix.

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Now playing: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
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Happy Easter

2008-03-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

Argosy Scarf

2008-03-22T23:09:00.003-05:00

I didn't have much opportunity to work on the scarf this week. I only managed about half an hour on Tuesday, so this isn't much as far as weekly updates go. I still haven't decided who the recipient of this will be.

Knitting time: 1.5 hours

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Now playing: Bob Dylan - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
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Jingle Bells (#130)

2008-03-22T22:44:00.003-05:00

Pattern #130
201 Cross-Stitch Christmas Designs
by Kooler Design Studio

I stitched this piece for my Friend From Work for Christmas, 2008. It was stitched on 14 count white Aida by Charles Craft.

Sure and begorra, 'tis a fine day!

2008-03-17T19:08:00.001-05:00

The History of St. Patrick's Day

Not your standard shamrock . . .

Would you believe knitting content?

2008-03-15T15:24:00.002-05:00

Yes, after all this time there really is honest to goodness knitting content on my blog. I can hardly believe it myself. This is about an hour's worth of work on the Argosy scarf from knitty.com. I started it at work on Wednesday during lunch. Let me tell you that it's really hard keeping count when you sit with a bunch of friends in the lunchroom at work and gossip. It took three tries to get it started without making a mistake. I'm not sure who I'm making this for yet.

It doesn't look like much, but it does pretty up the further along I get. I know this because I actually started the scarf last year before the finger business put a kibosh on my life and I had it about a quarter done. After the surgery and before the arthritis came along, when I thought I was fit enough to knit, I added a couple of pattern repeats only to realize I'd made a serious boo-boo. There was no way I could keep going with the pattern mistake I'd made so I finally frogged it on Tuesday and started over again. I intend for this to be my lunchtime project until I finish it.

And speaking of the finger business, here's a shot of me holding the yarn after I snapped the picture above. Doesn't really look much better, does it? I still can't straighten the finger, but I can use it for typing and knitting and holding things so that's progress at least.

And, yes, my had is a bit swollen. I'm back on blood pressure meds. The one I'm on now is a diuretic since I'm retaining over 20 pounds of water weight that I've put on in the last two months. That's apparently when the blood pressure went out of whack again. Oh, well. At least I can knit again.

Now, isn't that interesting . . .

2008-03-08T18:33:00.003-06:00

OK, it probably isn't to everybody else on the planet, but it is to me. I was messing around getting some email accounts created at (in . . . on?) my domain so I thought I'd take a gander at some statistics since I haven't done that in a while. My little corner of the 'web seems to be popular in Norway (2.24%), Germany (2.22%), and France (1.05%). When you keep in mind that slightly better than 91% of all my web traffic comes from ".com", ".net", and ".edu", those percentages are pretty impressive.

I wonder who I know in Norway and France. I know who I know in Germany but I don't think she's generating all that traffic by her little lonesome.

I also wonder which blog is generating all the traffic. Instinct tells me it's this one since there are a lot of knitters in Europe.

So, anyway, if you're from Norway, Germany, or France - or any other place, for that matter - leave a comment and say "Hi!".

Yeowda

2008-02-23T08:14:00.001-06:00

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Now playing: André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 5, Op. 47: IV. Allegro non troppo
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I'm on Ravelry!

2008-02-18T22:52:00.004-06:00

Woohoo! I got my invite tonight and I've signed in. I haven't done much yet other than some basic profile stuff, and I probably won't get much of anything else done until this weekend, but I'm on Ravelry! Woohoo!

Oh, of course, I'm Seitherin there so that's how you can find me.

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Now playing: Loreena McKennitt - The Mystic's Dream
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I got books!

2008-02-03T08:49:00.000-06:00

This is as close to crafting as I've gotten since the arthritis caused by the finger ailment put me on Remicade treatments in December. Did I ever mention the ordeal of the finger caused an outbreak of psoriasis which lead to an extremely debilitating case of psoriatic arthritis for which I've been undergoing treatment since December? If I didn't before, I have now. The finger still doesn't work worth a darn, but at least I can mostly use it to do mostly normal things like holding cups and cutting my own meat. Anyway, I've finally perked up enough to be interested in knitting again and I ordered two books which arrived yesterday. I really like both of them. I'm toying with the idea of scarves in people's futures.

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Now playing: Loreena McKennitt - Kecharitomene
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!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

2008-01-01T00:04:00.001-06:00

May the best thing that happened to you in 2007 be the worst thing that happens in 2008.

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Now playing: Corvus Corax - Urmawi

2007-12-25T09:38:00.001-06:00

Still no knitting

2007-12-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

Or anything else either. But I have hope that will change come January.

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Now playing: Eagles - Hotel California

Knitting on hold

2007-11-10T14:21:00.000-06:00

As if you couldn't tell since I haven't posted anything in practically forever. The finger is not improving (in my opinion) but the doctor seems pleased with the pace of the therapy. Anyway, my hands get very tired very quickly so I haven't done much of anything and the finger has taken to swelling again. I've gone to see another doctor, but I'm not prepared to say anything about that yet since I don't know anything definitive and may not even know anything after I see her again the end of next week.

Oh, well. At least I'm catching up on my reading.

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Now playing: Enya - Less Than A Pearl
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My eyes! My eyes! Oh, the horror!

2007-10-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

Horror on the Slopes!

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Now playing: Bowling for Soup - 1985
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Want a Ferrari?

2007-10-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

Knit it yourself.

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Now playing: Five for Fighting - 100 Years
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Been a while

2007-09-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

Finger is status quo. I can knit, but I'm not in the mood at the moment. I'm reading two books and I can't seem to maintain interest in either. However, I did stumble across a link that falls into the "now I've seen everything!" category and I just had to share it . . .

Dog Star Wars Costumes - Pictures of Halloween Pet Costumes

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Now playing: Mediaeval Baebes - Kilmeny
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There was knitting

2007-09-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! I stopped at the Pasadena SnB on my way home tonight to introduce myself and I pulled out the knitting I haven't touched since March or April and I actually knit two repeats of the pattern. Although the finger still isn't worth a darn, it works well enough to knit.

I am such a happy camper, you can't even possibly begin to imagine.

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Now playing: David Arkenstone - The Quest of Culhwch
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Here there be kittens!

2007-08-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

If you click over to my other blog, you'll find lots of kitty pictures. There are some of the older cats and a post about the new kittens being two weeks old.

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Now playing: Hedningarna - Räven (Fox Woman)
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New arrivals

2007-08-14T19:21:00.001-05:00

They were born this morning. There are four - three orange and one dark. These belong to Meli.

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Now playing: M.C. Hammer - U Can't Touch This
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Surgery's done!

2007-07-31T13:57:00.001-05:00

I'm home and about to take a nap. The finger hurts like the dickens and my arm is in a sling. Got stabbed three times before a vein was found for the IV.

Later...

Can you pick out the bad finger?

2007-07-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Slice and dice on Tuesday

2007-07-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

I go in for surgery on my finger next Tuesday (7/31). Outpatient surgery. I had an MRI done and it showed no infection, no mass, no tendon tears, no bone lesions. It did show fluid buildup all up the finger. The doctor thinks there still might be infection since the tenosynovitis got worse instead of better and showed no response at all to any of the drugs I was on.

I have to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. The surgery is supposed to start at 7:30 a.m. and be done by 8:30 a.m. I get to sit around in recovery until 10:30 a.m. at which time I get to go home. The Prodigal Son gets to take me up and bring me back, and he gets to babysit me all day to make sure nothing happens.

I'm looking forward to getting some relief, but I'm not looking forward to surgery.

And your point is?

2007-07-01T15:42:00.001-05:00

There is still no improvement on the finger front. I'm going to call the doctor next week and see what the next step is. I don't know if I want to try the steroid injections or just go straight for the surgery. I'm leaning toward surgery since I've had this problem for about three months now and I'm getting really tired of it.

Oh, well. We'll see . . .

Point

2007-06-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

Still no significant improvement on the finger front. I'm on the fourth prescription and I'm honestly beginning to think that surgery will really be my only recourse. Either that or learning to knit left-handed.

Hmmm . . . that might actually be an interesting experiment.

Updated to add: The Celebrex I was on did zip for my finger but it did seem to clear up the problem that was developing with my knee.

Updated update: In case anyone is interested, in order, I've been on Diclofenac, Prednisone, Celebrex, and Etodolac.

I thought Trigger was a horse . . .

2007-05-23T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well . . . (Deep subject for such a shallow mind.)

My finger ailment has a name. Actually, it has two of them. There's the sort of generic medical term - tenosynovitis - and then there's the catchy name everybody uses - trigger finger. And the lovely hand surgeon has put me on a third anti-inflammatory to see if this one will help. The catch is that I have to take it for two weeks before we'll know. And if this one doesn't work, there's a few dozen others we can try. And if none of them work, then there's a steroid injection into the tendon. And if that doesn't work, then there is a minor surgical procedure that can be done that will leave my hand unusable for at least two weeks. (The minor part is that it can be done under local anesthetic and takes about 20 minutes.)

~ sigh ~

It looks like I have to live with my finger problem for a bunch more weeks.

~ sigh ~

The Friday Night Knitting Club

2007-05-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

Wonderful feel good tear jerker chick lit.

(I do have a quibble about the tear jerker part. I thought it was forced and unnecessary and it spoiled what was otherwise an enjoyable quick read.)

Bummer

2007-05-06T07:49:00.000-05:00

I've been in the mood to knit, but the gimpy finger has prevented me from picking up needles. For my style of knitting, the left index finger is integral.

Bummer!

I broke myself

2007-04-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

Just got home from the doctor. He thinks I have a very bad and extremely painful case of tendinitis in the index finger of my left hand. I have no idea what I did. I went to bed feeling fine and woke up unable to flex - or otherwise move - my left index finger. I have a prescription for something. I dropped it off at the pharmacy and I haven't gone back to pick it up yet. Needless to say, everything - including typing - is uncomfortable and often painful. It looks like this is my year to have things go wrong.

Oh, well.

VisualDNA

2007-04-25T19:27:00.001-05:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T10:08:00.001-05:00

Sure and begorra, 'tis a fine day!

2007-03-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

The History of St. Patrick's Day

Not your standard shamrock . . .

I'm still alive

2007-02-19T19:09:00.000-06:00

Really, I am. Things have been very, very busy at work and I've gotten in a reading mood so there hasn't been any crafting to speak off since I finished the last pair of socks.

I haven't taken any new pictures of the kittens who still all reside with me. We've been fighting a rather nasty bout of ringworm - which I've now managed to catch - and they were diagnosed with tapeworm just this last Friday. Since I've now got one splotch of ringworm on my palm, I'm definitely not going to do anything crafty until it clears up.

So, how's things with everybody else?

Hippo birdie two ewe, Prodigal Son!

2007-01-21T11:56:00.000-06:00

Irish Moss Spiral Socks

2007-01-07T16:32:00.001-06:00

Pattern: Irish Moss Spiral

Round 1: *k4, p, k, p, k, p, k, p, k*; repeat to end
Round 2: *k5, p, k, p, k, p, k, p*; repeat to end
Round 3: *p, k5, p, k, p, k, p, k*; repeat to end
Round 4: *k, p, k5, p, k, p, k, p*; repeat to end
Round 5: *p, k, p, k5, p, k, p, k*; repeat to end
Round 6: *k, p, k, p, k5, p, k, p*; repeat to end
Round 7: *p, k, p, k, p, k5, p, k*; repeat to end
Round 8: *k, p, k, p, k, p, k5, p*; repeat to end
Round 9: *p, k, p, k, p, k, p, k5*; repeat to end
Round 10: *k, p, k, p, k, p, k, p, k4*; repeat to end
Round 11: *k2, p, k, p, k, p, k, p, k3*; repeat to end
Round 12: *k3, p, k, p, k, p, k, p, k2; repeat to end

I made these socks for the daughter of the co-worker I gave these socks to. I finished the socks on Friday.

The socks were made of fingering weight superwash Merino wool using 48 stitches with the pattern consisting of 12 stitches. The pattern can be modified for larger sizes by simply adding an extra stitch to the moss pattern and an extra stitch to the stockinette pattern.

(The second photo links to a larger version of the picture which shows the spiral to marginally better effect.)

!! Happy New Year !!

2007-01-01T10:32:00.000-06:00

May the best day of 2006 be the worst day of 2007!

Crocheting the Lorenz manifold

2006-12-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

Crocheting the Lorenz manifold pdf instructions

I haven't a clue what a Lorenz manifold is and I don't really have any need to crochet one, but I kind of like odd stuff and this definitely qualifies as odd stuff.

2006-12-24T12:18:00.000-06:00

Irish Moss Socks

2006-12-22T14:03:00.000-06:00

These are a Christmas gift for the Prodigal Son's girlfriend. Simple socks using an Irish Moss stitch.

Pattern:

Round 1: *k1, p1*; repeat to end
Round 2: *p1, k1*; repeat to end
Round 3: *p1, k1*; repeat to end
Round 4: *k1, p1*; repeat to end

More kitten cuteness

2006-12-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

All in a bunch and each one being held by the Prodigal Son.

The Winter Knitty is here!

2006-12-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

I'll bet you can't guess what my favorite pattern is! Nope, it's not the socks. Give up? Check it out!

I ask you, who could resist?

Early Christmas present

2006-12-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

Take a look!

Happy feet

2006-12-02T17:36:00.000-06:00

The co-worker I gave the last pair of socks to snapped a shot of her happy feet wearing the socks. I'm seriously thinking of making another pair of socks for her so she and her daughter don't have to fight over the one pair.

Sock envy

2006-11-16T22:55:00.000-06:00

~ snerkle ~

The co-worker reported this morning she was able to wear her warm wooly socks for about an hour before her daughter noticed them and immediately took possession of them.

It's nice to know my socks are so well loved.

Crusoe from knitty.com

2006-11-14T21:22:00.000-06:00

I finished another pair of socks today. This pair was intended for me but the pattern wound up being so much tighter than I expected that the socks are actually too tight for my comfort. The pattern is Cursoe from knitty.com and they have found a good home with a co-worker who very graciously volunteered to take the socks off my hands.

The co-worker can't wait to get the socks home. The weatherman predicted some really cold overnight temperatures and she's looking forward to the socks keeping her feet nice and toasty.

Did you vote?

2006-11-07T19:41:00.000-06:00

Shame on you if you didn't!

Goblin has died

2006-11-02T17:51:00.000-06:00

The Prodigal and I were with her as she drew her last few breaths. I've taken her to the vet to be cremated.

Socks for me

2006-10-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

Another no name pattern. This one is open with texture. You know me, I like texture.

Round 1: k
Round 2: *k1, k1b*; repeat to end
Round 3: k
Round 4: *k1b, k1*; repeat to end
Round 5: k
Round 6: *k2tog, yo*; repeat to end

k1b = knit in back leg instead of front leg

More stash

2006-10-27T19:30:00.000-05:00

Watch out for the snakes!

2006-10-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

At last, the snake scale socks from Six Sox Knitalong are done. Don't tell her, but they are for the Best Friend for Christmas along with the scarf. I hope they fit.

Yarn, with occasional kitten

2006-10-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Long drawn out sigh

2006-09-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on the socks. I have one completed and the other is about a quarter done. I've just been so exhausted from work the last couple of weeks that I haven't done much of anything when I get home. Or on the weekends either for that matter. Can you believe they actually expect me to, like, work when I'm at the office? I think that's terribly unfair.

Spare me, Obi-Wan

2006-09-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

From the category of "Now I've seen everything" . . . The Leia Hat.

The difference between day and night

2006-08-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a break from knitting to snap a shot of the socks I'm working on. Out of curiosity, I took one picture with the "Auto" flash . . .

. . . and one with the "Night time" flash . . .

. . . The flash makes the difference between blue and purple which is the color the socks are.

These socks are based on a pattern being worked up on the Six Sox Knitalong group on Yahoo!

Only the second pair I've made this year

2006-08-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

I got bored with being bored so I finished the red, purple, and blue socks for the Prodigal Son. He isn't home at the moment otherwise I'd have him modeling them instead of having them laid out on the table. As always, the photos do not do the color justice. The colors are quite delicious.

M&M KAL from LSSK

2006-08-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned before joining the LSSK group on Yahoo! and this was a mystery cloth we did last week. It was designed by a list member. This is my first time working with cotton yarn and my tension leaves a lot to be desired. Even knowing what the pattern is, it's really hard to tell. Part is my wonky tension and part is the color, I think. But it was fun to do. The only thing I'd change is the garter stitch edge on each side. Since garter stitch works up at a different tension than stockinette stitch (which is basically what the rest of the cloth is), you tend to wind up with a sort of hourglass effect. I've pretty much switched to using seed stitch as my edging because it works up at the same tension as stockinette and is usually as effective as a garter stitch edge.

As you can see, I still have to work in the ends so it's not completely done yet. (I hate doing in ends and I let that sit until I absolutely have to get it done.)

This time Horus was protecting the poor wash cloth from the nasty camera. I think that shade of blue suits him, don't you?

At long last socks

2006-08-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

Sort of. One is done and one is still on the needles, but I'm knitting the first pair, for the Prodigal Son of course, using the superwash merino. This is just a boring, standard sock pattern knit in stockinette stitch but the color is scrumptious, a very nice blend of reds, purples, and just a hint of blues. As you can see, Horus was supervising this photography session as well.

New yarn

2006-08-12T13:59:00.000-05:00

OK, so it's not exactly new. I've had it since the 3rd, but with one thing or another, I just haven't had the time or inclination to photograph it till today. The two in back are superwash merino in glow in the dark green and a wonderful purple, and the two in front are lace weight merino in purple and green and blue, pink and purple.

And as a special treat, here's Horus overseeing me taking pictures of the yarn. We all know that nothing happens in this house without the god emperor of the universe being in on it.

As almost always, this yarn comes from kbrece at Kindred Spirits Yarn.

It's done!

2006-08-05T18:05:00.000-05:00

I've just finished the scarf (which will be for the Best Friend, but don't tell her that) using the Missy Lace pattern from the LSSK KAL. I felt like knitting today so that's what I worked on. I think it turned out much better than I thought it would look when I first started. I'm not generally a fan of garter stitch.

As you can see from the last picture, I was also enjoying Stargate SG-1 during my knit fest. I'm watching the 5th DVD of the 5th season.

Would you believe . . .

2006-07-15T09:04:00.000-05:00

These two skeins of yarn are a very vibrant deep royal purple of very nearly the same shade.

And just to make things interesting, I've placed the two purple skeins next to two blue skeins of yarn. The two blue skeins are very different shades. The leftover skein in the front is pretty much a true blue. The skein in the back has more green to it but it is a really deep vibrant color. Neither one is washed out like the colors in the photo.

And just to keep things interesting, I put the skeins on the end of my coffee table in a patch of sunshine coming through the window in my living room. The purple looks purplish, but all the colors are still washed out.

So then I thought I'd take these little fellows outside to see what shaded daylight would do for the colors. This snap is of them sitting on the hood of the Prodigal's car.

And this is of them sitting on the trunk of my car. Notice how my car doesn't look the green that it actually is.

And lastly, I brought them back in and sat them against a white wall just to see what would happen.

So there you have the saga of the yarn and the camera that can't capture color.

Someone know a good 12 step program?

2006-07-15T08:59:00.000-05:00

I need one. I am a full-fledged stashaholic. Seven new additions received this week.

I can't get over how bad the pictures taken with my camera are. It distorts color like nobody's business.

As almost always, this yarn comes from kbrece at Kindred Spirits Yarn.

I have been working on it!

2006-06-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

See . . . Five iterations of the lace pattern done.

And as a special treat . . . Horus pointedly ignoring me 'cause I won't let him play with my yarn or my needles.

More stash

2006-06-27T19:41:00.000-05:00

The entire back row is superwash merino. The front left is fingering weight and the front right is lace weight. All the yarn is from my favorite supplier, kbrece at Kindred Spirits Yarn.

Just a quick note

2006-06-22T19:52:00.000-05:00

The co-worker and her husband loved Abigaile's Afghan. The husband especially liked the colors because he was ready to overdose on pink.

I'm still working on the LSSK lace scarf but rather sporadically. I'm still very much in a reading mood and I seem to have settled on C. J. Cherryh for my author of choice at the moment.

And I've discovered a couple of shows on BBC America that I rather like. As a matter of fact, the first is about to start in about 6 minutes. That would be Waterloo Road. The other is Hex. I'm rather fonder of Waterloo Road than I am of Hex. I missed the very first episode of Hex so I'm a bit lost but that's never really stopped me before.

Anyway, off I go to plug myself into the TV.

LSSK Missy Lace KAL, an experiment

2006-06-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

I joined a Yahoo! group the other day and they were just about to begin a knit along. Since I'd finished Abigaile's Afghan sooner than I thought I would, I decided to give the knit along a try. One of the group members designed the pattern and it is for a lace scarf or shawl. There are instructions for making both.

I dug through my stash and didn't have any lace weight yarn that would work with the pattern, so I decided to give it a try with some of the sock weight yarn. I'm using size US 9 needles.

Now, I'm not sure whether it's the camera or my monitor, but the yarn is not blue. It is very obviously purple with just the odd hint of blue here and there. Anyhoo . . . I'm about to start on row 10 of the main pattern.

Abigaile's Afghan, completed but not finished

2006-06-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Abigaile's Afghan, Day 3

2006-06-03T22:35:00.000-05:00

One more 'intractable' skein

2006-06-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

Acquired from Kreative Kitties Kustom Krafts on eBay.

Abigaile's Afghan, Day 2

2006-05-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

Famous last words

2006-05-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

Just yesterday I was bemoaning the fact I have been uninspired, craftily speaking, so what do I do today? I begin a baby afghan for a co-worker's baby shower to be held in the middle of June. Here's your first look at Abigaile's Afghan . . .

After the red, there will be two more colors before the colors repeat.

This is a basic ripple afghan. The pattern is three rows of double crochet in whatever wonderful color(s) you have handy followed by one row of single crochet in the highlight color.

I'm using fingering weight/sock yarn with a size G (US) crochet hook. Starting with a 219 stitch chain gets an afghan about 28 - 29 inches in width. Since it's not done yet, I can't tell you how long it will be. Well, that isn't strictly true. I could do the math to figure it out, but this is the weekend and I don't do math.

;D

Busy, sick, and just plain lazy

2006-05-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

I'm still pretty much on a reading kick. I can't seem to work up the interest to knit or cross stitch. And this week I've been in agony with an abscessed tooth (for which I'm taking antibiotics) so I haven't really been interested in doing anything.

However, I have increased my stash again . . .

The three on the left are from Kreative Kitties and the three on the right are from kbrece.

Another 'intractable' skein

2006-04-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: I got the yarn from J. Knits on eBay.

What do I need . . .

2006-04-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

. . . to turn these things into one of these?

Anyone . . . Bueller . . .

I did manage to change the skein on the right

into this ball

all by my lonesome without benefit of handy tools or, well, just another pair of hands. It took a very long time and turned into the Herculean task of unraveling the Gordian Knot (which, unlike Alexander, I did not cleave in twain.)

So I ask, what tools do I need to turn an annoying skein into a much friendlier and more tractable center pull ball?

Still burned out, but . . .

2006-04-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

. . . I do have one new skein of yarn to show off. It just amazes me how the pictures I take look nothing like the color the yarn actually is. This one is actually a very deep, sinfully luxurious blue and not the pale blue of this photo.

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

Scarcity

2006-04-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

I know I've been a bit scarce of late, but I've been on a reading kick, having burned myself out on crafty things. The white on white cross stitch on the butterfly fairy was driving me mad so I decided to take a few weeks off from that. I was very industriously knitting scarves - as is evidenced by the two samples I posted last month - but I've managed to seriously screw up twice on the very simple scarf I'm working on now so I decided it was break time from knitting for a few weeks as well.

As for the reading, I'm about half done with the third Tawny Man book by Robin Hobb. Not a particular favorite, but it is soothingly mindless.

Falling Leaves Scarf

2006-03-26T13:07:00.000-06:00

Begun Sunday, March 5, 2006, and completed Sunday, March 26, 2006. The intended recipient is my former mother-in-law. It will be this year's Christmas gift.

Yarn: Hand painted 100% merino wool in various shades of mauve from Kindred Spirit Yarn, fingering weight, approximately 440 yards

Needles: Size 7 US

Gauge: Don't know, don't care

Size: Don't know, still can't find my measuring tape

Pattern: If I give an instruction that is incomprehensible, post a comment and I'll try to clear things up.

k# - knit specified number of stitches
p# - purl specified number of stitches
sl2tog - slip two stitches simultaneously as if to knit
p2sso - pass the two slipped stitches over
yo - yarn over
ssk - slip two stitches individually as if to knit then knit the two together thru the back loop
k2tog - knit two together

NOTE: The pattern is worked over 10 + 6 stitches (the 10 stitch repeat is worked twice) plus 5 stitches on each end for the garter stitch edges for a total of 36 stitches across. The scarf begins and ends with 10 rows of garter stitch. Listed below are the pattern stitches only. The garter stitch edges are not included.

Row 1: k1, yo, k3, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, k2tog

Row 2: p

Row 3: k2, yo, k2, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog

Row 4: p

Row 5: k3, yo, k1, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, k2tog

Row 6: p

Row 7: k4, yo, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, yo, k7, yo, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, yo, k7, yo, k2tog

Row 8: p

Row 9: ssk, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k3, yo, k1

Row 10: p

Row 11: ssk, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k2

Row 12: p

Row 13: ssk, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k1, yo, k3

Row 14: p

Row 15: ssk, yo, k7, yo, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, yo, k7, yo, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, yo, k4

Row 16: p

Note: I still have to weave in the ends and block it. The garter stitch rib tends to curl under.

Guess what I got?

2006-03-24T19:26:00.000-06:00

Before I forget

2006-03-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

I tossed out the disaster I created. I was totally displeased with the results and I wasn't going to try dying that yarn again and I certainly wasn't going to use it for anything. I haven't had time to try again and it might be that I shall just keep buying other people's successes.

As noted elsewhere

2006-03-19T07:43:00.000-06:00

I haven't done much crafty stuff this week because I've been working on rolling up a new D&D character I plan on playing starting this Monday.

But I have been working on the butterfly fairy at work. I have quite a bit of the white part of the moon done. I can get about a row of stitches done during those lunch breaks where I get the chance to stitch. I haven't taken a picture because it's just too boring for words.

And I've gotten more yarn for my now overflowing stash box. Three skeins are from Kindred Spirit Yarn and two are from another vendor. I was curious about her yarn so I bid on a couple of skeins. Needless to say, I prefer Krystal's. Given all the pictures I've put up of Krystal's yarns, I'll bet you can tell which is which.

More stash

2006-03-08T19:59:00.000-06:00

Please be advised I have run out of room in my stash box.

Dragon Scales Scarf

2006-03-05T20:38:00.000-06:00

Begun Saturday, March 4, 2006, and completed Sunday, March 5, 2006. The intended recipient is my sister-in-law.

I made a slight modification to the original pattern. I changed the garter stitch edges to seed stitch.

Yarn: Hand painted 100% merino wool in blues, purples, and pinks from Kindred Spirit Yarn, fingering weight, approximately 440 yards

Needles: Size 7 US

Gauge: Don't know, don't care

Size: Don't know, can't find my measuring tape

Updated March 7, 2006: The scarf isn't completely done yet. I still need to weave in the ends and block it. When it is finished, it will be a Christmas gift this year.

It's no longer a stash

2006-02-27T20:52:00.000-06:00

It's starting to look like inventory for a yarn shop. I just received four more skeins of yarn which brings my total inventory up to 24 skeins.

I guess this means I need to hurry up and start knitting socks and scarves again.

Doesn't look like a bear, does it?

2006-02-25T13:24:00.000-06:00

But these are all the parts finally knitted to make a small one. I still haven't made it to Hobby Lobby yet to see if they have safety eyes and joints. I don't know when that will happen so I don't know when there will be a completed bear. Today is such a miserable day I don't feel much like going outside.

Still a disaster

2006-02-18T16:02:00.000-06:00

Well, I tried dying the yarn again with purple Kool-Aid, and it still turned out a disaster. See for yourselves . . .

Don't let what looks like color in the photos fool you. The overall color of the yarn seems to be a vaguely purplish muddy sort of brown with kind of a yellow tinge. I may give this one more shot before I call it quits, but I'm going to need a fresh batch of yarn to experiment on.

We'll see.

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!

2006-02-17T23:37:00.000-06:00

Would you believe this little bit of yarn is going to be a teddy bear? Doesn't look like much, does it?

I had already had half the body done and set aside when I realized I'd made a serious mistake on it. I frogged the piece and that little ball of yarn is how much half the body took. I'm almost done with the other half.

This is just a test to see how complicated knitting a bear is. I suspect the knitting part will be easy and the construction part will be . . . well . . . pardon the pun . . . a bear. I have no idea whether the local Hobby Lobby or even WalMart carry the safety eyes for stuffed animals or the joints to give them movable parts. I will probably find that out tomorrow. If I can't find any of that stuff locally, it may be a while before a finished bear wanders in and makes himself at home.

The pattern for the bear comes from this book:

The Knitted Teddy Bear, Sandra Polley