Backdating posts

Needles to say (spelling intended), for various related reasons, January, February and March were stressful. So here over Memorial Day Weekend, I am back posting everything that got put on hold...

My Mom's Amirgumi

My mom made all this stuff in the 70s when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure. She had to take potassium for medical reasons, but making these cute little animals also relaxed her. She was way ahead of her time!

First up, the Goose

Then the Mouse

Bunny

Mr. Giraffe

looking very Lascaux cave painting...

Here's looking at YOU, kid...

The pig, made from panty hose

The other bunny

and the crocheted pig

Ta da!

Les Autres Chats

Feb 21 / The other cats

Left to right:
Felix, Kitten, Midnight, Simon

... and my blue tote making a cameo appearance, top left corner

Felix visits the Vet

Feb 7 / The spring was a little stressful. I took the stray cat inside in December, and when she first went into heat, I scheduled her to be neutered. Then, Kitten aka "Fat Cat" and Felix got into a fight. I walked in to the commotion to see Kitten with a mouthful of hair in his mouth, looking as innocent as he could. I thought Felix was ok, but after a week I noticed he had pus on his back and after unsuccessfully trying to clean it / cure it (it's one of those "don't try this at home" instructions), I brought him to the Vet. This is his homecoming after four nights at Kitty Club Med. Advice to pet owner's: bring them right away.

in the waiting room, homecoming day!

Conehead

(lots of stitches)

Lil

Lilith loves her mommy...

Guideposts Sweaters mailed!

April 8 / I finished sewing in the loose ends of three of the original pattern Guideposts sweaters I made. I had taken Wednesday off and was preparing to mail my sweaters, Rodica's, and Marybeth's.

Purple sweater

Muted Fruit Loop's sweater

Multi-pastel sweater

the front and back are interchangeable ...


Marybeth's sweater (made by Adam's Nanny, aka Marybeth)

Stephanie's hat

My knitting buddy, Marybeth, gave me a couple bags of acrylic yarn to play with. In the middle of one of the bags I found this hat, which was very colorful and perfect for Stephanie!

It seems to be a 4 stitch cable + 2 purls, repeating over 6 rows

I did not make this, but I will one day try make a similar one with the yarn she gave me...

Mohan's Baby Blanket

I made this for a co-workers' baby. He wanted sky blue and sunshine yellow. I kept telling him the two colors didn't really go well together. Then I made it. It went well together! And perfectly in the blue yellow baby's room! (What do I know?)

Marina's scarf

This was a difficult project for me. I started a scarf for Marina in Homespun's red apple, since red is her favorite color. I was working it in a K1P1 rib, which is a pattern her mother had done for her. All very well and fine, but then she wanted it mixed with purple. The purple was a little subdued, and the red was bright. But it turned out alright.


When I showed it to my knitting buddies they asked if she was a Red Hatter. Aaargh! Marina is two decades to being a red hatter. And given she is originally from Russia, I let her know about Red Hatters, just in case anyone might stop her and ask that question.

Fav things

Jan 24 / Here are some of my favorite things...

Tea Pot Hat

I started this at Kathy's house, at a Teapot Cozy party that Maggie had arranged. I almost finished it that Sunday, but then I ripped a few rows out to make it taller, and didn't finish it till months later.

Hanging with Lil

Jan 11 / Despite the stress of the first quarter of 2009, I was really blessed to have Lil in my life. Here we are hanging in her room, with yarn...

Time Warp

Here begins the time warp. Today is Friday, May 22, and I am back posting items to my blog. I had grown accustomed to a different way of posting my projects, which didn't hinge on sequential date order. But that way has been blocked, and so I recreate what I can, in a linear format.

April 1 through May 21 dates of posting are false.

Etsy membership

So, I've discovered this new website, which has been around for a few years, but I was never really on it: www.etsy.com

And I start looking around, and I find these simply exquisite stitch markers from a friend's daughter, who had been caught up with us in the Rav Rapture. And they're so reasonably priced, that I just had to buy them. And in order to buy them, I had to join Etsy. So, I join Etsy, which bills itself as a "place to buy & sell all things handmade", and within an hour of joining I'd bought from not just one, but two different sellers! Now I know I didn't buy from that other place. And I'd been there for well over a year. Hmm. So, hmm. It was word of mouth that led me to buy, not any advertising...

This is what I got (along with her permission to use the photos):

7 Piece stitch marker set © rlguerri.etsy.com

Vinyl Keychain Envelope © rlguerri.etsy.com

And I'm not one to buy or even use stitch markers, but since 3-14-2009, I have been converted. I used to use just contrasting pieces of yarn, and even twist ties, but these are just so gorgeous! And to top it all off, I ordered on a Saturday, they shipped on Monday, and I received them Wednesday! The packaging was worth even more than the total order. The seller, rlguerri, aka Deer Creek Artisans, had packaged them in her own unique, origami container, which I was showing off to co-workers and knitting circles, along with the stitch markers and envelope I store them in, for at least a week.


I am so thrilled with my purchase! I also ordered these (below) from another very creative, reasonably priced seller, and her link is here, jeanettejed.etsy.com.

Sodalite Medium Loop Snag Free Stitch Markers Set of 8
© jeannettejed.etsy.com

I can't wait to use these. When I get a little more money put aside, I want to go back and buy some more from both sellers!

And maybe I'll even try the hand spun / hand dyed yarn! Oh, I would so love to buy this yarn!!! Landscapes Lace Mermaid Merino - 880 yards for $35!!!

Landscapes Lace Mermaid Merino Yarn © rlguerri.etsy.com

Does anyone know of a good pattern to use for this? And how much yardage I would need?

Before and after

This is Lil checking out my projects, on Feb 7, 2009. Isn't she cute?


And this is a screen capture as of Mar 17, 2009, on a computer where the IP address is not banned.

W A R N I N G to others:

This can happen to you, too, anytime, any reason.
But don't take my word for it.

Read, print and electronically save your Terms of Services, found at the bottom of each page. It's periodically updated.

Suspended from Ravelry

I was suspended from Ravelry today, Saturday the 14th of March, in the year of our Lord, 2009.

I have an e-mail off to inquiry why.

I suspect why: Freedom of Speech died in this country.

Lil has good taste...

Her she is with a book by C.S. Lewis. And Jim Legge's website in the background. She actually tries to play with the mouse on the screen!

"Starburst (Pinker Lily)"
web image © Jim Legge
www.jimlegge.com

Lil with her beanie baby

I had this toy hanging out in the basement, and I thought it would make a nice little something for little Lil...

Christmas with Lil

Ok, so yes, I took her in and this was her looking cute on Christmas Day. I didn't even pose her on the background!

. . . and using my iPhone . . .

Afghan for Kaitlyn

This blanket was made for Kaitlyn, little Pete's baby sister. I'd made little Pete a blanket when he was about one, and shipped it to him the day his father was leaving for Iraq. I didn't get to photograph that one, since getting it to him was a higher priority.

But for Kaitlyn, here are the photos. Her mother, Kristin, asked for lavender and green, so I also threw some white and deep purple in. It reminds me of my favorite comforters.

Jacqueline's Bead Scarf

Marybeth from Thursday night knitting had given me two skeins of Moda Dea Bead-nik in the fall, or was it summer... ?

Well, I had been making a series of scarfs for co-workers, and when I saw this one, I knew who I had to make it for! I knitted up a sample inch in garter, and then showed it to Jacqueline to get her opinion on the yarn. She liked it, so I told her I was planning on knitting a scarf for her out of it. (Such a good idea to get buy-in at the get go, because she wears the scarf and gets many compliments!!!)

I love the color on her, and how the sparkles pick up the highlights in her hair. It's very dressy. Not meant for warmth.

Additionally, the day I presented it to her, unbeknownst to me, she had dropped her scarf in a puddle and her neck was chilled. So the timing was perfect!

Scarf for 15 year old Erica

Here is a scarf / Christmas package that I prepared and delivered for someone at church. The scarf is in Homespun, knit 15 stitches in garter on size 13 needles till it is long enough. Takes just one skein.

I'm in love!!!

OK, so I'm totally in love with this stray cat, who is oh-so cute. I've been letting her inside after work for an hour or so, but she just hisses at my other cats. She seems to be taking the alpha-male role, if that is possible, which just stuns me, given she is half the size and a fraction of the years.

Thing One inside

And I'm miserable because she's out in the cold, wet rain tonight.

Happiness is...

Well, it could be the cutest little once-feral, now-stray tabby, that I like to call Thing One:


Or it could be a brand new printer. But I say, happiness is a yarn closet full of Lion Brand Homespun!!!

Oh, the hue-manity...

Markeeta's Scarf

Here is the scarf I started in August, in Lion Boucle, Snow Cone color. It looked perfect on Markeeta, so in November I finished it. (I had to wait to visit her to see what length would be best for her.) Here we are going into church.

I quickly followed up with a hot pink one for her younger sister. Which I didn't get to photograph, because I was in a hurry to mail it. The scarf took just over one skein, and in my not so thorough packing, I only grabbed only one skein of the Rose. Halfway through, I knew it wouldn't be finished that weekend.

Scarf for Kathy

I made a scarf for Kathy's birthday. Something simple, but classy. She enjoyed it, but not as nearly as much as the yodels Terri made for me to give to her!

Yodels for Kathy!!!

My co-worker has a love of yodels. So when my friend, Terri, showed me a picture from her camera of handmade yodels she had knit, I just had to order some:



Kathy LOVED them! I wish I'd taken a picture of her face when she realized they were not to be eaten. It was priceless.

Thank you, Terri, for making these for Kathy.

Your work is incredible!!!

Tea cozy party

Ok, so I haven't finished the hat I was making at the Tea Cozy Party that Maggie and Kathy M. had on October 12. We had a choice of making a tea cozy (which I wouldn't use, since my teapots are decorative, only) or a hat. The hat seemed practical.

Felted tea cozy and purse that Kathy created

If I can just find my other set of size 9 circular needles, I'll have this done in no time. Ha!


Boy, but Kathy's house is beautiful!!!

Rodica is amazing, simply amazing

My friend, Rodica, has amazing talent. A couple of us on Thursday nights had been working on the Guideposts Knit for Kids sweater. I had explained to Rodica that Guideposts teams with WorldVision and the sweaters are then shipped off to children all over the world. She said she would make a few, so I brought her the pattern the following Thursday.

Well, Rodica likes to 'embellish' patterns, and this is what she came up with:

Sweater #1: Crew Neck

Sweater #2: Three Color Button Down

Sweater #3: Two Color

Sweater #4: Little Girl Ruffle

Note the two colors for hem and sleeve!

Maggie told Rodica she better make 50 of these because we didn't want the girls fighting over it!

Sweater #5: Cardigan

Try as I may, I couldn't get the lighting right when photographing these, even with Rebecca's help! Oh, did I mention she had almost three done in a week?

Thank you, Rodica!!!

Scarf from Astrid

I'll back date this. Because I forgot the real date I received it. Yes, the memory is going in mid age!!!

But this is sooooo beautiful. I should really photograph the knitting needle jewelry she gave me too.

401(k)

I ran across this on Ravelry and unfortunately I don't know the source, though I think it's great!!!

If only we'd all invested in a different kind of 401K. Er, wait. I have!
I did!!!!

Question: One more reason to stockpile in yarn?

My sister Astrid had this response:

Answer: Within reason anyway! It's good to have a diversified portfolio; don't have all your assets in one basket! : )

Mom's Rules...

NEW KNITTING RULES FOR NANA
by my mom

(For herself but you might find them helpful too)

1. Try to avoid stopping in unfished row.

2. When you lay down your knitting, place both needles on top of each other and fasten together with rubber band at tips to avoid picking up later and having yarn slip off needles.

3. Rubber bands make good stoppers if you don't have those little thingies. I keep one loosely around a finger while I work

Samantha's blanket

This is for little Samantha Elizabeth. Her room is lavender and the furniture is white. Her mom picked out the colors of the blanket: Lionbrand Homespun in Hepplewhite, Lavender and Barrington.

I love it! I haven't mailed it, yet...

Bennett's baby blanket and sweater

I made this blanket for Brooke's baby, Bennett. And the sweater. Way back in May! Just posting about it, now...

Note the non-symmetrical patterning. Almost symmetrical, but not quite. A first.

The sweater is from the Caron Simply Soft wrapper, entitled, "Child's Aran Pullover". I made the size 2, which only called for two skeins. Not bad!

Needless to say, I enjoyed trying a new pattern (new to me) and was thrilled with the way it turned out!

Front

Back

World Wide Knitting in Public Day: June 14, 2008

What a great day! I woke up to cool air, sunshine, low humidity. My favorite cat, Sophie, is alive. The turtles have a future home in a natural setting (as opposed to the 10 gallon tank they currently inhabit), and all is good except I cannot sleep in and be lazy.

Today was World Wide Knitting in Public Day. Here are some of the images:

Left to right:
Row 1: Emma. Row 2: Evelyn, Linda, Mary Ann, Janet, Terri. Row 3: Marianne, Marie, Agnes, Aggie, Monica, Marion, Janice, Mary Beth, Jackie, Maggie, Rita, Devera, Denise.
(I'm taking the picture)

Denise is working on a pair of socks. Her second pair. Her first pair was red and came out a little oversize. Kathy bought her the yarn and the needles for this pair. It's beautiful. So is she. She is one of the most beautiful women I know, inside out.

. . .

This is Marie's project. Also socks. I kind of wish I'd joined the bandwagon of summertime socks, since they are a small project, they don't rest in your lap, and they certainly don't create too much heat.

. . .

Here is Emma. She's also beautiful.

And a close-up of her crochet.

. . .

Ahh. The Knit-iots. Mary Ann and myself.

I'm sure neither of us like this picture but aren't the shirts great!?!?!?!?!?!?!? She made them.

Thank you, Marie, for organizing and getting
us WWKIP buttons!!!! Way to go!

My very creative Mom

This post is dedicated to my mom, who gave me my love of knitting, crocheting, art, and a whole lot of other things.


This is her favorite flower, Lily of the Valley, which reminds me both of her and her mother, Mae:


Check out the great wall shelf her husband Gerald built! I have never, ever, ever in my life seen Homespun displayed prominently in a living room, and vertically, on top of that! Like books!


All the paintings on the wall are by her very talented husband, Gerald. I would love to get his work into a gallery so more people in the world could enjoy it. Someday. A portrait of my mom, by Gerald, and our flag:


And here are some of her creations:

Toast and eggs

Crocheted placemat and coasters

Mailbox for her yarn!

My Mom's Measurements

Or rather, the measurements for infant and children's sweaters that she swears by...

The Genesis of Knitting

The Gospel According to Barb

... and on the eighth day, the Lord saw Eve sitting under the Tree
of Good and Evil, and saw that she was twiddling her thumbs, and it was not good.

God said, "Eve, idle hands are the devil's workshop."

So he brought her a lamb and showed her how to spin its fleece, and behold! She had yarn, and it was good.

Then he pulled two slender branches from the tree (size 8) and showed her how to twist the yarn onto the twigs, and it was good.

And Eve began to knit, and the Lord showed her how to purl, and to increase, and decrease, and bind off, and it was good.

And the Lord showed Adam how to go out and hunt, and that was good.

And the Lord said to Eve, "Behold, sometimes you can have too little
yarn, but you can never have too much!

And Eve said, "Thank you, Lord!"

... and the rest is history.

© 2008 by Barb Ulfsparre

Kathy's Project

This was just too gorgeous not to blog about! This little knitted sweater is not mine, but Kathy's (a.k.a. Spinlady on Ravelry).

The pattern is called "Tulips" by Lindsay Pekny, a 'colorful cardigan for baby', and can be viewed on www.dreamincoloryarn.com ... wow! What a lot of nice patterns there!!!!

Left front:Back:

Chez Marie: Thursday Nights

This is where I am Thursday nights. With my knitting buddies. Pure bliss and complete ROI.


From left to right we have: Jane, Mary Beth, Linda, Patty, Kathy (hidden), Maggie our mentor in center, then Janet, Mary Ann, Linda (another Linda), Denise, and Marie's hands...

Of course Patsy (not shown) is busy making wonderful delights for us to drink and eat.

Pink Plastic Bag Tote

Ahhh... pink. The new black.

What woman can resist pink? (One who does not like pink, but those women are truly rare and wonderful, if not a little color blind!)

Here is my PINK plastic bag tote! The pink plastic bags are from National Wholesale Liquidators. And the brown bags on the base are from Publix in Miami, and the brown bags which are almost the exact same color, attaching the store bought handles, are from Krogers in Garland, TX.


Easter Saturday. The start... I was able to go to NWL and buy pillows and Easter Lilies and get lots of bags!!!!

The handles from AC Moore Paramus:

And the piece complete:

I just LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!

See my first one:

http://gottoknit.blogspot.com/2008/02/plastic-bag-tote-completed.html

My new work digs

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge some of the stress in the past few weeks has been because of relocating from Manhattan to NJ in my job. Yes, the views were pretty spectacular in NYC, but the commute is so much better in NJ!!!

Here is my new desk:


And here is the view when I leave the building:


Nice, huh?

Elizabeth's Baby Blanket

Here is the blanket I made for baby Elizabeth, Clarena and Greg's little girl. She is now 15 months old, and in this country since April 2008. I'm so happy for them!

See www.gregyclarena.blogspot.com

to see how adorable the new family is!

scroll to April 21 to see the blanket in Eli's crib:

http://gregyclarena.blogspot.com/2008/04/.html

And here is the afghan finished on a Sunday at Robert's cafe in Bayonne, with my knitting buddy, Marie. Amazing how the colors match her sneakers perfectly!

I'm back!

Wow -- I've been away so long. Where to start. First, my keyboard died on me. I thought it was my mac. Or was that what happened first. My whole world changed and went upside down on March 12, when my ex-husband was attacked. You take someone for granted, and God shows you just how much you need them. We were so lucky. I pray that the gang of kids find real meaning in their lives, and that the attacks on innocent bystanders stop happening.

Easter Lilies. A sign of hope. And renewal. And most importantly, rebirth.

Red Grey White Baby Blanket

Toni at church announced in February that she was a new grandmother. She is much too young looking and in shape to be a grandmother (but then so is Arlene)! I told her I could make her a baby blanket for her granddaughter, and brought in the pink white grey one to show her, and some other colors. She loved the pink, but said the accessories were in red. So I recreated the blanket substituting Lion Brand's Covered Bridge Red for the Boston Rose. I love it!

I gave her the blanket today, March 2, 2008.

It has only one small deviation in symmetry...
(but only a mathematical mind overly considered with order will likely catch it)

. . .

For directions, see Pink White Grey blanket, one post below

Pink Grey White Baby Blanket

This blanket was started November 11, 2007, at a art meeting. I needed something to do with my hands. It was finished in time for the GCVV Crafts Fair in December, but it was not until February 18? 2008, that it found its rightful home with Nikos's little daughter, Anais...

Here's the recipe:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This was made with a combination of the following: Lion Brand’s Homespun Hepplewhite / Metropolis / Black / Boston Rose

With size K hook, chain 85 + 2 more to turn. Double crochet for ~ 66 rows or to desired length

6 white
2 grey
4 pink
4 black
4 pink
2 grey
6 white
10 grey -- 5 is halfway
6 white
2 grey
4 pink
4 black
4 pink
2 grey
6 white

That's it!!! 66 rows

Now where in the world did I come up with the idea of pink, white and black together?

Yellow Green Red Baby Blanket

OK, this one was also created for the GCVV Crafts Fair in December 2007. I have a surplus of Lion Brand's Homespun in Sunshine State, that La Beth bought for me years ago at an incredible price of $2 or $3 a skein. Of which I haven't been able to use up.


I thought the colors of Africa would go well together. These are Sunshine State, Florida Keys Green, Coral Gables, with a touch of Olive for accent:

. . . . .

Yellow Blue Baby Blanket

And the last post of the night: the Lion Brand Homespun Sunshine State and Williamsburg baby blanket.

I was attempting to finish this one for the GCVV Crafts Fair in December 2007, but I only got halfway. I ended up finishing it in January 2008:

Maroon and Pink Baby Blanket for Kaylee!

This blanket was created in maroon and pink especially for Paula's little girl, Kaylee. Kaylee just turned one the other week (Feb 23), and I was able to start and finish it and mail it just before Christmas 2007.


The challenge for me was using maroon (Lion Brand's Antique, Boston Rose, Cotton Candy and of course Hepplewhite), together. It actually turned out pretty nice, and here it is photographed in an office at work!

Plastic Bag tote - completed!!!

Saturday, Feb 9, 2008

I went to join Marybeth and Gail at the Prayer Shawl Knitting ministry, and completed my very first plastic bag bag!!!


It originally was going to be taller and with handles in the same material, but I bought some gorgeous plastic handles at Knit-a-Bit's Superbowl Weekend sale, and wanted to use them on a shorter height, instead.

I'm so pleased with it. I had to crazy-glue the screws of the handles into place, and I'd like to try some future bags with completely recycled material, but this is nice:

Here is the recipe:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Plastic Bag Tote

This is my very first tote bag made with plastic bags as the yarn. I used four bags of Krogers, imported from Garland, Texas, and I don’t know how many Pathmark bags from Jersey City and the Bronx.

---

With four Krogers’ bags (a nice brown), chain at least 25 stitches. Then single crochet (sc) around both sides. When you get to about the third row, single crochet 3 scs in each of the “corners”. You’ll need to eyeball this as it is not an exact science. I ran out of brown after using four Krogers’ bags. Then I switched to the Pathmark bags, stopped increasing in the corners, and worked “up”. When it get high enough to cover my Bible plus an inch, I stopped. Then I made the handle connectors, which are three rows of 14 scs, with a tail to sew them onto the bags and handles.

Note: I thought the handle “connecters” would make an attractive design element, but upon sewing plastic bag thread to plastic bag crochet, it kind of melted visually into each other like modeling clay. Next time I’ll try a contrasting color.

See also the start and how to and what else you can do with plastic bags...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12 Step Program / My Yarn Overfloweth

Oh my God, do I have yarn...

I probably now have MORE yarn than I could possibly use in two lifetimes...

And bags.

On my way to knitting tonight, I stopped at Deals, a $1 plus store in Bayonne, to pick up crazy glue, to secure the screws on the handles of my plastic bag bag. And sure enough, they had some yarn. I had spotted some in there last December '07, when I went in to buy Christmas gift bags. Being that it was a dollar (plus) store, I was taken completely by surprise to see they had YARN. And being that it was still 2007, I had to gasp and really control myself, since I had resolved not to buy yarn that year. It's one thing to go to AC Moore, knowing that there is yarn and mentally preparing oneself before entering. But to come upon it unexpectedly, at the price of only $1.00, was extremely difficult to deal with, so close to the end of the year's resolution.

Flash back to the present. This time they had Lionbrand Ribbon yarn, and Lionbrand Boucle. The boucle was bright orange and bright green, but the ribbon had two different multi-colors. I bought three skeins of one mixture for myself, and four skeins of another color that included orange, for my colleague Carin, at work. (See, I only got three for myself, and four for her.) So I get to Thursday night knitting, and I'm showing off my new purchases, when Linda B. told me she had bought in bags of yarn that her daughter was throwing out, and did I want any? Of course I did. I picked out a few skeins, trying really hard to control myself. Twenty minutes later she tells me that the rest will be thrown out, which killed me, so of course I took the remaining lot, which filled half a garbage bag! For Carin, of course! Not just for myself.


My yarn overfloweth...

And the bags! Not to get Linda in trouble, but she brought in 32 bags of a certain color, from a certain company, that are both grey and PINK! Add that to the sample one she brought me last week, and boy will I have a really cool plastic bag bag!!! She saved 32 for herself, and next Wednesday I hope to work with her and get us both started on new plastic bag bags. And someone else brought me in a SLEW of Stop and Shop bags.

And two Sundays ago, I stopped at my friend Beth's house in the Heights, to pick up the bags she had been saving. I accidentally called the landline on my way home from church, and when I asked her husband Michael if I could stop by for the bags, he cautiously said, "I don't know. You'll have to check with Beth. She's very particular about her bags." Way to go, Beth! So I called her mobile and she said, "Yes, please pick them up." And they filled my trunk.

Then this past Sunday, Andrea at church gave me a whole garbage bag full of bags that were sitting between her refrigerator and her cabinet. She was overjoyed to find a useful way to get rid of them. I was overjoyed to take them. But let me tell you, this garbage bag was chock full of bags. Solid. Unlike Beth's two bags, this one didn't move it was so FULL of bags.

I need to take a day or two off from work just to sort the colors and get it all straightened out.

Thankfully, my son is just 17, and knows not how deeply overboard his mother is into the knitting and crocheting ... or does he?

Which brings me to Carin's advice from 2006 that I need a six step program, based on AA's twelve step program, defined below:

Wikipedia defines the twelve-step program as follows:

A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles for recovery from addictive, compulsive, or other behavioral problems, originally developed by the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for recovery from alcoholism.^[1] The Twelve Steps were initially published in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous ("The Big Book") in 1939; since then more than 25 million copies have been printed in many languages.^[2] This method has been adapted as the foundation of other twelve-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Co-Dependents Anonymous and Emotions Anonymous and Knitting. As summarized by the American Psychological Association, working the Twelve Steps involves the following.^[1]

• admitting that one cannot control one's addiction or compulsion; Yes
  
• recognizing a greater power that can give strength; of course
  
• examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member / experienced knitter);
• making amends for these errors; ripping
• learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior; translated: buying new yarn or trying new patterns
  
• helping others that suffer from the same addictions or compulsions yarn groups or conventions, (i.e., Stitches, Knit-Out & Crochet, etc.)
  

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program
I think I can copy this text if I add the following:

Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

Now, knitters and crocheters, does this fit us to a T
or what!?!?!?

All kidding aside, my heart and prayers go out to those killed today, and the families/friends/fellow students at Northern Illinois University:
Feb 14, 2008

Knit-a-Bit: Superbowl Weekend Sale!

Saturday, Feb 2, 2008

I'd never been to Knit-a-Bit before, and understandably when I walked into their showroom in Westfield, NJ, I was just a wee bit overwhelmed with the assortment of yarn, needles, buttons, kits, etc. (flowing into three rooms), and books in a fourth room. We were on a knitting field trip with Maggie, hitting the big two day sale.

I came only to buy needles...

But then I saw the bag. And after having shown off my incomplete plastic-bag bag to Pam and Pam, I decided I had to have a Knit-a-Bit bag. To show off my yarn, of course! But which size?

Decisions, decisions. Pam suggested I get BOTH! After all, they were on sale, as was almost everything in the store.

And it just went on from there. I was too pulled in by all that gorgeous yarn on sale (prices ranging from 20 - 50% off marked price) that I went a little Superbowl crazy. Mary Ann did her level best to be my financial conscience, but it was to no avail. And I wound up coming home with the following yummy yarns and colors:

Lang Mille Colori #88 and 06

. . .

Rowan Cocoon #805, 803 and 804

. . .

Boise #67 Wedgewood Blue and #64 Rose

(the colors on these two are way off ... oh well)

And I did get the set of Addi Turbo needles I came in for, and a book, "Knitting from the Top Down for Toddlers", a button, and cool handles for my plastic bag. But I beat Maggie and Marybeth's totals.

Didn't I realize I needed to pay my oil company!?!?!?


Ah, but look at how nice it looks in my two new bags, with newly purchased wool in the smaller package, and baby Michael's completed Homespun afghan in the larger package!

Who says only sports enthusiasts can have fun on Superbowl Weekend!

Julio's Blanket

Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008

I finished the blanket for Julio's son, Michael. The room is blue with white trim, and I used Homespun Sky Blue and Hepplewhite. 10 rows of each, seven rows total...

Tiffany's Scarf

I was ready to ship Dan's helmet liners and Tiffany's prayer shawl this week, and I think, wow, what a waste of postage/time if I'm shipping just the shawl, a summer shawl at that, to Tiffany. So I call her up on Friday, to see how she's doing and all, and to sneakily find out what color coat she has, so I can at least make her a winter scarf to slip into the package.


And she has a navy coat (Lionbrand does not carry navy Homespun), and a black coat. No hat to match a color to, and no mittens. So I decide to use Metropolis, with an edge of Black, to make a nice accent on her black coat. I start it about noon on Saturday, and finished a little after 1:00 pm, (only because I made almost a dozen scarves prior to this one was I able to crank it out so quickly.)

The sun is shining so I take pictures of the scarf, the shawl, and more pix of the helmet liners...


And I rush to the Post Office and get all my projects in the mail. Now just to blog!

Tiffany's Prayer Shawl

I started this prayer shawl for Tiffany over the summer, working on it on the bus and at Thursday night knitting. I was thrilled to finally finish it this past Wednesday! But I shipped it off before I could write down all the details.

I do know it's 20 inches wide, and at least 64 inches long. Tiffany is very tall, and I tried it out on a woman at church over the summer. I've been told that shawls should be as long as the wrist to wrist measurement per person, so I made it long. And then I added fringe.

At first I didn't like the fringe, and so I left it alone for four months or so. And since January is the month to finish projects started long ago, I brought it back in to church last week. And my tall model was not in. But then Jana came to my rescue, modeled it, and declared the original fringe much better than the traditional fringe I was experimenting with.


Basically, this is how I made it:

I chained enough to make it 20 inches wide, then came back with a double crochet, chain one, skip a loop, repeat. The next one I might do lengthwise, so the edges aren't scallopy. But it still looks nice. For the fringe, I chained 42 and then came back and tacked with a single crochet, then chained another 42, etc. Why? I wanted Tiff to be able to wash it, and I was afraid traditional fringe would fray horribly.

Helmet Liners

My buddy and co-worker, Dan, is on his second tour in Iraq. I came across this pattern as a link in the Lionbrand weekly newsletter in November/December and had to try it. Alas, it called for pure wool. All I had was pink. I put the wool on my Christmas List, but it was a little too hard for Santa to find, and I had to wait till January 2008 to buy it at AC Moore.

Needless to say, I was able to finish not one, but two of these helmet liners:

...Talking Heads...

Why wool? Because it keeps our Troops warmer than acrylic, won't melt in an emergency, and is warm even when wet.

I shipped them off at the Post Office today, and I can't wait to find out how they work in action!

Helmet Liner Pattern

Here is the link to the original pattern:

http://www.geocities.com/helmetliner/

Many, many thanks to Dan and ALL our troops!

May God keep you safe and bring you home soon...

How to Crochet w/Plastic Bags

I could take some pictures and show you how to do this, but this link is the best I've seen by far!!! I think the author is a fellow Swede, Helle Jorgensen, from down under...

http://hellejorgensen.typepad.com/gooseflesh/2007/02/plastic_bag_yar.html

just click link (above), and ENJOY the journey!

And if you REALLY want to be amazed, Google "Helle Jorgensen" and find some incredible creations on the following links:

http://www.crochetinsider.com/HelleJorgensen.html
http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/helle-jorgensen.html

Plastic Bag Tote - the start

So here is my plastic bag tote. My very first creation using grocery store plastic bags.

The base was formed using four Krogers bags. I didn't realize where I'd gotten the Krogers bags from. They are a nice tan, darker than the usual Pathmark bag, and they form a very attractive base. I pulled up www.krogers.com on the Internet, plugged in a NYC zip code, only to find out they were not local. I began to wonder if they came from Newcastle, England, where one of my bosses had spent seven months. When I talked to my mom the next week, I realized they came from Texas.

Here is the base, in Krogers:


On one of the websites, it suggested I start with a chain of at least 25 stitches (I used a K hook, and approx. 1" wide strips of plastic bags). After about 3 rows I started doing "three single crochets in the corners", and then I ran out of tan. At that point I switched to the Pathmark bags and worked even, which meant I was going to no longer increase but would work "up" instead:


This all happened last Sunday, Jan 13. I had to take a call from American Airlines about a cancelled flight for another boss, but I kept on crocheting...

Here I am, over a week later, Jan 22. When I ran out of "yarn" on Jan 13, I thought to myself, "Wow, I need to go grocery shopping!" And though I have quite a bundle of those nice grocery store shopping bags, the ones that are environmentally friendly and hold way more than the plastic, I found myself wondering what I could buy and what I could double bag. Not exactly green thinking.

My co-worker, Carin, brought in a bunch of Pathmark bags for me. And I went shopping the following Sunday, and yes I did buy some stuff I didn't need, including a free Star Ledger, which I could bag. Honest to blog. Heard that on Good Day NY. And I timed myself, and it takes me about three minutes to cut up each individual bag and chain it into my ball of yarn. Not including the time it takes to fold the bag in sixths, if that is a word. So it's not a super-easy process. And crocheting DOES take a bit of a work out on my arm, as I'd like a bigger crochet hook (in metal) than the K. Next time perhaps 1/2 inch strips or so.

Here are the pictures from today, Jan 22, with my Nikon:




So, I'm almost at the right height. And I have to start thinking about how to make the handles. I did seriously consider going to my friend Elaine who makes bags, to see if I could have her give me / buy some handles: www.elainearsenault.com
But I think crocheted ones, perhaps as thin as a chain, will work fine...

Plastic Bag Links

I started a tote bag crocheted from plastic bags last week. I'm so excited about it. At the GCVV fair in December, I had bought a crocheted bag from Sophia's mother-in-law. She had made them out of grocery store plastic bags, and mine was made out of jute and another fiber (no plastic bag), and lined. Sophia's mother-in-law does beautiful work, and Sophia told me the pattern could be found on the Internet. So I googled it a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, came upon these wonderful sites:

Crocheted Sandals:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/04/04/sandals-crocheted-fr.html

Check out these dresses:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mleak/324536601/
Wedding dress: http://people.tribe.net/1ea907a2-d307-482b-96ad-406ad8124875/photos/f70f6a43-2ce0-4420-ad1f-ba3cb080084c

The ultimate "how to" and other stuff:
http://hellejorgensen.typepad.com/gooseflesh/2007/02/plastic_bag_yar.html

for the fuser (non-crocheter):
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2007/06/fusing_plastic_bag_tutorial.html

and my favorite: http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/round%20plastic%20bag%20tote.html

Google is a wonderful tool / resource on the Internet. I believe I typed in "crocheted plastic bags". But you can use it to find just about anything. And I mean, anything!

Bin's Scarf

December 8, 2007

So here's the dilemma. Do I back-post my blog entries to match the actual dates, more or less as a diary, or do I enter my blogs and photos in mechanical order as I get to them? Really only Marybeth and Carin are my dedicated readers, so who'll know if I mangle with the dates?

Here is a picture of Bin and the Olive and Hepplewhite scarf she bought from me. I was so happy to see her wearing it the second day of the GCVV Fair, too!


And here is my friend Beth's booth at same fair. I know she won't mind if I post her wares!

The One that Sold...

December 8, 2007

The GCVV Arts & Crafts Bazaar. I had four crocheted baby afghans/lap blankets, one in the making, and almost ten crocheted scarves. Of course I also had my photographs, printed as greeting cards, but that's another blog.

Here is the afghan that sold. I was inspired by Donna's morning glories across the street. They were a deep purple, against a tan wooden fence:

Notice the light that emanates from the center of the morning glory. To the naked eye, it's not really seen. To the camera, you can't help but see it!

I had just completed William's "jungle" afghan and shipped that in late September or early October. I really liked the way the Homespun Baroque my niece gave me last Christmas (2006) was blending with other colors, and I wanted to use it again. So I combined it with Olive (green), Grape (purple), Fawn, and below is the completed afghan. It by far is one of my favorites, but then I have a lot of favorites.

Through the beauty of technology, I am back-posting in 2008 to dates referenced in these events...

Marley's Baby Blanket

OK. It wouldn't be January without at least one crocheted baby blanket. And this month I'm trying for two. A woman at my church has a daughter that gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at the end of December. I don't remember the exact date, but she can be claimed as a 2007 tax credit. In either case, I was able to ask the mother what color the room would be, and she said purple. The next Sunday I brought samples of Baroque (only having one skein in stock), Grape (perhaps as many as four skeins), and a really cool, discontinued Disco, (four precious skeins), which is a blend of purple, tealy green, and black. I also brought the current Lionbrand catalog to show the grandmother-to-be, now a grandmother, the Lavender from the catalog. Well, Arlene liked the Baroque, but did suggest I choose. Thankfully, and I mean thankfully, it finally became 2008 and I was gloriously happy to go to AC Moore and purchase new yarn to my heart's content. I decided to make the blanket in Lavender, a beautiful soft lavender as the name implies, when it suddenly became positioned next to a scrap piece of Cotton Candy, a nice soft pink as pink as the name implies. Those of you who are familiar with the Lionbrand colors of Homespun will know exactly what I am referring to.

So here is the completed blankie:


I did 7 strips of ten rows, starting and ending in Lavender. And I'm happy to say I was able to give the finished project to Arlene on Sunday, January 6, 2008. And here are some close ups:



My camera doesn't do justice to the cotton candy pink. For that you really have to check out the website, or I need to take a better picture...

See http://cache.lionbrand.com//yarns/homespun.htm for all the colors!

AC Moore is open!!!

I just called AC Moore in Watchung and they are open!!!!!!!! Till 6:00 pm. And on top of that, everything in the store is 20% off!

God is so good to me... did I mention the sun is shining? Literally!

2008!

It's a new year, a new day, a new beginning. Time to cast on new yarn, new ways, more forgiving!

I woke up this morning in the dark, thinking it was 6:00 am. The rain is outside and it's wet and gray. And it feels like CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been one full, long year, and I have fulfilled my 2007 New Year's resolution of not to buy yarn in 2007, until I used up all that I had (with rules and exceptions, see last year's post: 2007 New Years Resolution.

I can't WAIT to call AC Moore to see if they are open.

Seriously, this has been a rough year at times, though it has also been filled with countless blessings. I still cannot get over the loss of my friend's young son, and I wake up each morning asking why. I feel for his family. And my buddy Dan, in Iraq, emails of countless more tragedies than would be fit for the U.S. after dinner table talk. We are so blessed, here. So blessed.

But today the thought of buying yarn is a bright, fat ray of sunshine in the drizzle! It's a second Christmas in the season!

Count your blessings, not your tangles.

Mary Ann's Scarf

This is Mary Ann (without her face) and the scarf she is making. She started it Wednesday night and was almost finished with it at tonight's Thursday night knitting. She's hiding the size 50 needle under her forearm. The scarf is going to a woman she knows who has survived breast cancer. She'd like to make it long enough to do the chain loop around the neck... NYC Style?


Here is the recipe, below:

size 50 needles
three kinds of yarn, worsted weight or so

Cast on 10 stitches using three strands of yarn (any kind, not too thick or thin). Knit in garter (knitting on both sides) till scarf measures 44" or desired length. Bind off. Fringe optional.

Denise's Blanket

This is a picture of Denise and the log cabin blanket she made for her grandaughter. It's beautiful! So is she!



We had a nice time at knitting tonight.

I'm back!

It's been sooooooooooooo long since I posted to my blog. Needless to say, I've been very busy with ART (check out my website: www.ulfsparre.com) and worrying about my almost 17 year old son, a senior in high school. Will he get to school on time? Will they kick him out for being late? Oh, the perils of being a parent.

I have been knitting and crocheting, and can't wait to get those pictures off my camera and onto my mac, and uploaded. But, alas, I do have a full time job, a three hour commute (1.5 each direction), a teenager, six cats, and two turtles. So not much down time...

And to make matters worse, I developed an arm pain in late July. It was pretty bad in August. I was hoping it was just stress and might go away when I took vacation mid month. But it just got worse. My doctor, aka my PCP, was too busy to see me. I asked my knitting buddies to recommend someone that was good and actually would have time to see a patient when the patient is sick, and I still need to do that. In the meantime, I had a WONDERFUL reiki treatment, and can recommend Paula to anyone who is interested. And my PCP approved a referral, and I had xrays taken at the chiropractor Wednesday. I go back Friday for some real work.

You guessed it, the pain is in my right arm, my crocheting arm. Could it be all that crocheting? I switched my mouse at work to my left hand two months ago. And my knitting bag now goes on my left shoulder. And I'm really trying hard not to carry too much yarn, because I don't want the same thing happening to my left arm. And I don't think I could really learn to crochet left-handed, not after all these years.

I do hope I can come home Friday night and blog some good news about the treatment!

RagShop is closing... woe is me

My beloved RagShop is closing their doors, going out of business. My son rejoiced and said he never thought he'd see the day! Here is their announcement:


I dragged him off to our local store last night. The yarn was 20% off (for now), and what's left of it will probably be gone before the discount goes higher. There was some perfectly lovely blue yarn for only $1.99, which would have had an additional 20% off of that, if only I could buy it! I almost, almost, almost had my son ready to buy me some for my birthday in September, when I realized it was too much like 2006, when I gave him money to buy yarn early in the year and thereby broke my resolution. I haven't come as far as JUNE to break it now! So, the confessed yarn-a-holic walked away with some large size crochet hooks and buttons for baby sweaters...

Oh, to join my colleagues in a massive buying binge.

Dorothy's Granny Squares

These aren't mine, but I couldn't resist showing you how beautiful these granny squares are that Dorothy is making. I met her at the Prayer Shawl knitting today, and they are just gorgeous.



Monyca had said this morning that she wanted to learn how to crochet so she could make a granny square baby afghan. Well, check this one out!!! All from one basic square...

Greenie

Now, I know this doesn't belong in a knitting blog, but it's cute.

Maggie, Babara, Lois and I were leaving the church this morning and I was going to give them all a ride. We crossed the street and I noticed something green by my passenger side rear tire. As I got closer, I saw it was a tiny stuffed animal, leaning up against my car, almost like a dog using it, but not. We all got a good laugh over how cute he is, and why someone might have left him there.


Sombeody CLEARLY placed him. He is a little dirty and run over, but I will wash him Sunday afternoon when I'm done using the car. For now he is hanging out watching me drive...

Benjamin's blanket

I'm done!!!


I finished the baby blanket for Tom's baby, Benjamin. And, I tied in all the loose ends, immediately after finishing the last row. It's not so hard to tie them all in when you can't wait to see what it looks like finished!

Today was a great crocheting day! First off, St. Matthews church with my buddies Maggie and Monyca: 10:00-1:00 pm. Then off to Trinity Church for Jane's prayer shawl knitting: 1:00-3:00 pm. And when I got home, my son had already bought something to eat, so I was able to crochet from about 4:00 till 6:00 pm uninterrupted, then spent another half hour tieing in the ends, and then photographing it. And of course, someone, well, someones, tried to sneak into the picture. A loud, "Scram" and they both did run.



Can't wait to ship it. But I'll have to wait till after Thursday night so I can show it to the ladies I knit with at Chez Marie. On to the next project...

Kindem's Blanket

It's tax time, and I need to finish my NJ taxes. And I'm crocheting. But I also did jury duty today. And I called ahead and found out they wouldn't allow plastic or wooden knitting needles in to the Court House (no sharp objects), and I didn't want to chance it with my circular needles. So I'm comforting myself by doing something I really enjoy, after a long day of uncertainty.

So I started something new, but not really. Technically I can call it a WIP (work in progress), because even though it was only six rows of double crochet (Homespun Roccoco) and a quarter row of white, it still was started. And started I don't know how many years ago, but less than six.

And this one is for Tom's baby boy. All he told me is the room is off white. No hint about any other color whatsoever. I've added some brown mohair as an accent row (Patons Divine, Deep Earth - hope it washes well!), and I'm using a dark dye lot of Denim, and am going to do the middle in Blue Sky. Here are some photographs of the progress. Note how each new row takes on a world of difference in terms of color.




(My computer is still having computer work arounds, and I can't connect the photos to download and use the mouse at the same time.)

And after I switched to the Roccoco again, I looked at all the photos I took today, and behold! Looks like this is what gave me my inspiration! But I picked these colors out last night. Perhaps the yarn inspired my photography...


One more row (or two) and I will get to the NJ taxes. Blog first.

Debbie Bliss sweater

I started this project two years ago, and put it aside. I picked it up again after finishing Liz' hat. Liz' hat was the only thing I did in March, and I felt bad about that, particularly as I'd made some decent progress in January. Do you realize just exactly HOW difficult it is to pick a pattern up after two years? That should teach me not to put something aside again.

Well, I tried every week at knitting to study the pattern to figure out what row I was on. Then I put it away. The next week I would try again, then I put it away.

And I fretted about my New Year's Resolution, and I craved buying more Homespun. But I only have a limited supply, and what if I need a particular color later this year? So many babies, so little yarn! One morning I actually woke up thinking about different colors of yarn. I told my boyfriend. He was thinking about different colors of paint...

Finally after about two to three weeks of not getting anywhere, the knitter's block lifted. Here is a picture of the thing started. I'm up to the point where I have to start working the neck on the right front, and the sleeves will be all that's left after the collar.

Liz' Hat / Alyssa's Yarn

Here it is March 25, 2007.

My whole goal of using up all the yarn in my house this year before I buy more yarn is being turned upside down. First, the practicalness of it. I got off to a good start in January, with some bulky yarns quickly working up into scarves, etc. And not so bad in February, by seaming together some projects I'd done months earlier ... pumping the numbers. But March has really disappointed me, yarnwise, as it took me a whole two weeks to make one hat. And then another two weeks to photograph said hat. (A few minutes of writing and editing to get it on the web.)

Granted, March has been a thought provoking month. My little Mac mini just up and died on me one Sunday night. I took it to a well-known mac repair shop, and though they tried, they pronounced it dead, with a price tag of $600 for data recovery. Data would have to be transferred to a new external hard drive, starting at $109. Needless to say they were pretty surprised that I chose not to go that $600 + 109 route. (The computer only cost $700!!!!) But it did have my photos, and my personal stuff on it, and just like most of you, I hadn't completely backed that up.

But thank God, Disk Warrior, Newer Technology, Apple's disk utility software, and a lot of perserverance, for $240 I somehow managed to fix it myself, or rather, without the repair shop. I certainly didn't do it on my own.

And then of course, there's Jamie. My sweet 24 year old nephew. Who was in a car accident 10 days ago. Hydroplaned on a wet road in the wee hours of the morning, lost control, and hit a tree. Actually, the tree took a nice tour of his SUV. Entered from one side, moved the engine, into the driver's seat, and then decided to plant itself in the back seat. Miracle one: he ended up on the passenger seat. Miracle two: His earth angel girlfriend, by chance, was following behind and saw it all happen. Miracle three: twelve broken ribs, a punctured spleen, a punctured lung, refusal for routine epidural, and seven days later he's well enough to go home (that includes three days in ICU). You do the math.

So what's a little yarn worth compared to a miracle?

But here's the hat, with a close up and a cameo from one of the cats.




Yarn compliments of Alyssa. Pattern compliments of Sande. Recipient Liz. Thank you everyone!

February's projects

I woke up this morning and thought, "Wow, I got all three sweaters seamed that I started to seam on Sunday. But can I blog about them in time?"

I'll call this "Blogger's Vanity", as I can't really call it knitter's vanity. And thankfully the sun was shining this morning, because I like to take pictures of my work in natural light, as opposed to incandescent or flourescent light, which I usually must resort to. But photographers cannot always be choosers. And the pictures don't really do the sweaters justice, but for the sake of honesty, I am posting them here and now while I am still in February.

The three sweaters, starting off with the pink and navy striped one:

Followed quickly by the pink one, navy edging, and why not an intarsia heart?

Oh, that was too much fun. Why not reverse the colors and add some ruffles?

And of course, the blue / yellow sweater delivered to Aaron on Feb 25:

Which was to accompany the blue Williamsburg afghan (Homespun, of course), delievered Feb 18. I won't repeat the photo as you can see it a few posts below.

I also was able to deliver a Williamsburg afghan to Bintou and her son, Max, on Feb 4th? Funny how I can't remember these dates, once they pass. Which is one of the major reasons I wanted to get back into blogging, to keep an electronic diary of these projects that is both easily accessible, and neat. Since we all know yarn stashes and yarn related items can tend be m e s s y. And who can find that knitting journal when you really want it?

So, that's it for February. A lot of hopes, some achieved! Very pleased that I got these three sweaters seamed in three days, as they've been waiting since last Spring. (Or was it early Summer?) See how useful a blog is?

Now what unfinished projects can I start to complete for March?

WIPs!

I knitted a pink and blue striped sweater in 2005. Then I tried to recreate it in 2006, which I did:


It was the inspiration for three more sweaters in late Spring / early Summer 2006. I quickly knitted the pieces, and just as quickly decided I didn't feel like seaming them together.

Here, as much as I hate to admit it, is my miserable, unfinished, miscellaneous yarn stash pile in my bedroom. I'm sure we all have something like it:


So, at the end of January, realizing I had a month of so much productivity, I decided I would "cheat" for February and finish things that were nearly done, rather than start from scratch!




The result: three solid days of seaming from Sunday to Tuesday!

Blue and yellow baby sweater: finished!

I finished the blue and yellow baby sweater for Patricia and Aaron's baby Saturday, Feb 24. It was adorable. All I needed to do was to tighten up that first buttonhole on the bottom. I saved that for Sunday morning, in the car, on the way to church. (Aren't you glad you don't live near me?) As far as I can tell, there is no law against knitting or sewing while driving. Though I sure do try to get a lot of things done at red lights, and NO I don't really drive while knitting!

Here are a couple of pictures of it:


If I were to make a second one, I think I'd make the sleeves symmetrical (in coloring), though these are cute:



And the back is seven stripes, 5 rows of garter ridges:


I do hope it fits little David in season!!!

Gauge

Oops!!! Did I mention gauge?

I really didn't use any gauge on this sweater, just eye-balled it. The back is a square, the two fronts half the width of the square plus 4 stitches overlap (for buttonholes), and the sleeves start out at half the width of the back plus one for the seam. Taper at the rate you'd like.

Blue and yellow baby sweater: in stages

Patricia had really liked the Cobalt and Sunshine State Homespun, but rather than make that afghan in stripes, I decided to make a baby sweater in similar colors using Caron's Simply Soft, worsted weight. I will try to write down the recipe, but for now here is the start of it:

A blue and yellow striped back, 40 stitches wide and 35 rows of garter high (roughly a square). The two fronts are 24 stitches wide (a four stitch overlap), and the button holes were supposed to be smack in the middle of every fifth ridge, but they ended up being five ridges of garter apart. No matter, six buttons on the front is plenty for any mother to button. Better than seven. And I only had six.


Then I seamed the shoulders, stitching together 8 on each side. For the sleeves, I picked up 20 stitches on the front, one for the shoulder seam, and 20 stitches on the back. Decreased to 39 shortly after, and then decreased one on each side (a stitch in) every six rows. For the last stripe, I didn't do the decrease but left it at 29 stitches, and then did six rows of K1, p1 ribbing.


At one point, I had tried decreasing at a rate of every eight rows, but thought it wouldn't be enough. So the sleeve you see above (front right) was later ripped out, as I preferred the steeper tapering, front left (below).

Rebecca and Felix took back-to-back turns helping me. Or were they trying to fool me with their similar markings?


Oh, and things I learned with this project: Never, ever, try to do both sleeves at the same time when working in stripes unless you use FOUR skeins of yarn. Inevitably it will tangle into an impossible mess which will result in much swearing (possibly) and ultimate ripping out, or worse yet, cutting the yarn.

And decide the size of your project by considering when the baby is due and what season the baby might be able to fit your handmade garment. Hopefully, Patricia has air conditioning as this might fit perfectly in August.

Patricia's Blue Afghan

Here is the blue afghan I made for Patricia and Aaron, for little David, who is due in March. I didn't get to bring it to the surprise baby shower (I was in Moorestown), but was able to give it to her, finished, the following Sunday, Feb 18:


Made of Lion Brand's Homespun: Williamsburg. The same denim "Ragnar" received.

WIPs: Works in Progress

I had high hopes for February. Hopes that I would finish a lot of works in progress, otherwise known in the knitting world as WIPs. After adding all the photos for January's finished projects, and with February being only 28 days (this year, as it is 75% of the time), I thought I'd tackle all the unseamed baby sweaters I made last spring and summer. Thought it would be e a s y .

Well, two funerals and a wake within seven days is a good reason to slow me down. But I'm not giving up...

"At Knit's End"

My sister in Miami sent me "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, for President's Day. This is, of course, a delayed holiday package for Hannukah/Christmas.

I LOVE IT!

I started reading it on the PATH train this morning and was chuckling. But on the bus tonight, I had to hold back the laughter and the grinning and the "Oh, my God, that's me!" My son was so surprised that I was in such a good mood when I got home.

I so relate, I so relate, I so relate...

January's projects

Here is a list of all the projects I completed in January, descending order...

Jan 31 - CancerCare Hat 1 and 2:


Jan 28 - Black, pink, orange scarf:


Jan 28 - Mailed the Red Scarf project, shown here with Kitten (he's actually 10 years old and 20 lbs):


Jan 27 - Gave Decio the green afghan for two year old Andre (finished earlier this month) pictured below, with Nic's

Jan 27 - Nic's tan afghan (edged with blue) was ready to go and at work, but the cold weather and/or client kept him out of the office. He picked it up Jan 29 and Christa loves it!!!

Here are pictures of both, again with Kitten helping:






Jan 16 - Fedexed Little Pete's afghan (no picture), for the man of the house while big Pete does a one year tour in Baghdad. This was really cool because he wanted Penn State colors. I ended up using Williamsburg, Slate Gray and Hepplewhite, Homespun, of course. It looked very similar to Avery's b&w afghan, but the white was in the middle and it, of course, had colors...

Jan 13 - Mailed Little Avery's afghan, shown here with Rebecca and Felix in camouflauge:



Jan 13 - Mailed Little Ragnar's afghan, since correctly named Ryan

Jan 7 - Delivered Dolly's afghan to her in person, completed in December. It really dwarfed her!

Red Scarf: complete!!!

Saturday's Scarf

I started another scarf Saturday late afternoon, around 5:00 pm. I was using something I'd picked up in Baltimore Dec 24, 2006 (last year) at a certain store that should remain nameless. I grabbed some pink size 17 needles, and was getting quite far when I had to stop to head to an art opening, so I brought the project along.

To my surprise, I met another knitter there as I sat knitting: Emma. Emma has only been knitting since October, and was taught at school. She is also nine years old. We got to talking, and since I had an emergency project in my coat pocket, I was able to let her knit some of my scarf while I reworked one of the CancerCare hats. It's probably the first time I've collaborated on a project, ever. And to her credit, I can't tell the difference between my knitting and hers, and I've been knitting for decades!

Needless to say, her father wanted her to come see the performance that was starting, and my boyfriend wanted me to see it as well. So we packed up our needles. But she's a great knitter and I hope her teacher shows her how to purl! (I refrained from showing her my way, which causes me to knit the purled rows out of the back loop.)

Here is a picture of the scarf at midnight, and one also of it completed... I finished it Sunday, within 24 hours.

Emergency Project: potholder "recipe"

I was so bummed out tonight. The PATH train had "10-15 minute delays due to signal problems". And I let the overpacked first train go by without me, thinking there would be more room on the next one...

And I'd already done too many rows of crochet on my emergency project. The Lily's Sugar and Creme potholder that I was making, that conveniently fit into the upper pocket of my leather jacket. For emergencies.

So there wasn't even room to pull out my dpns and work on my reworked CancerCare hat. So I had to read.

Here is the potholder recipe:
................................................

C O T T O N & C R E M E

Chain 72 with a J Hook. Join together. Single crochet in back loop only. Work 16 rows (or about). Fold carefully at an angle. Then sew together.

................................................

I started my first one New Year's Eve. And worked it on the PATH train. My mom couldn't really explain how you fold it over the phone, so I'm going to have to take some pictures so you can see how to do it.

But I am also very happy that approximately one ball of yarn completes one potholder. I crochet so loose, though, that my second one I went down to a smaller hook and only 60 stitches. That doesn't use up the yarn, though. And Primary Objective is to use up my stash, with as little leftover skeins as possible.

Finishing Stuff: the Red Scarf

Well, I started my red scarf on Tuesday night. After ripping it out about four times, I was finally happy with 14 stitches on size 17 needles, Lion Brand's "Jiffy" or "Jiffy Thick and Quick" black and red combo. It may be a discontinued color or a different brand, I don't know. But I felt like I was cheating working with such a bulky yarn!!! And I got to 59" on the bus home the next day, Wednesday, less than 24 hours from the time I started it. It was a real let down.

So, tonight I picked it up again, having gotten home too late to get to my Thursday night knitting. And you know I live for my Thursday night knitting. And my 2nd and 4th Saturday knitting, and my first Saturday of the month Prayer Shawl knitting, and my Wednesday Knitting 101. I wrapped the thing around my neck, and I like to wrap twice, and it was too short to do so comfortably. So, I'm extending it past the 60", one, because that's the way I like my scarves, and two, it will use up my stash! I was so THRILLED to be able to dip into my existing yarn for this project.

And the next morning after I started it, I actually began to hope. Hope that I might actually be able to complete my New Year's Resolution and use up all the yarn in my house! I do so many Homespun afghans, and they are beautiful and fun and rewarding, and the parents that get them so enjoy them, as do the babies. But I find myself not doing anything else. So this year-long project (or sooner if I'm quick) is getting me out of my routine and giving me more of an opportunity to devise ways and projects for the other yarns in my house. I already have transported 90% of the yarn in my upstairs closet to my downstairs walk-in closet, and there is now plenty of room for my vacuum and toilet paper.

Oh, here is a knot. One of those manufacturer's knots that they must think, "Oh, the buyer won't notice," when you know darn well that we're very careful about our knots. My clue that maybe it is time to stop. About 64" unstretched, over 70" stretched.

The heat is on: Red Scarf Project

Literally, and figuratively. I spoke with my oil company today to have them come out and check the boiler, and now we have heat!

And I just heard about the Red Scarf project Sunday night, via e-mail. See http://www.orphan.org/red_scarf_project.xhtml for details. Thing is, the scarves are due, in house, before the end of January. So, I'm almost done with my CancerCare hat, and I'm about to start yet another project. I am not a one project woman!

Monyca - you're on!

Step One: Organize the Stash

Or perhaps I should have started with Step 0: State the resolution. (See three posts, below)

So, how do I go about this CRAZY idea of not buying yarn for a whole year? Well, I had off from work between Christmas and New Years, and from Dec 26-30 I spent the entire days and nights shredding charity mail from my kitchen table (it's a major problem) and organizing my yarn closet. I have a walk-in closet at the front of my house, which also contains a real closet. I had so many photos (artsy-fartsy ones), framed, that I took myself, and of course, yarn. Needless to say, I couldn't even walk into it.

I started by taking out all the photography and banishing that to an upstair's closet. Maybe someday these things will sell. But for now, I'm not getting a decent ROI. And knitting is SUCH immediate gratification!


Then, I tried to organize the yarn. I had a giant bin, about 18x24x18, full of Homespun, and on top of that a basket full of Simply Soft Brites. Beyond that, towards my front door (unused door, of course), was a growing pile of bags of Homespun and other nonsense, which were making great insulation. Too bad I didn't take a "before" picture. Perhaps that comes under the 5th Ammendment. I was able to reach for the bags on top pretty easily, but as I worked my way down, I had to bend over the yarn basket. Before I realized it, I'd lost my footing and found myself literally resting on top of the yarn, my feet and arms dangling, literally SWIMMING in yarn. I laughed so hard for a good ten minutes or so, realizing how crazy I was and wondering if my son would hear me.














Well, a few days later, I'm in CH Martin (which by the way has extremely good bargains and I'm not getting paid to say that), and I see these perfect, inexpensive, cheap plastic shelves. Modular. And I say to myself, what if I turned them on their side and put them on my dresser in my walk-in closet? So for $12.99, (or was it $11.99?), I buy one, and love it so much I buy another one a day or so later. In minutes I have 2 of the 3 shelves put together, which I then rotate 90 degrees, and put on top of my green dresser in my walk-in closet. Then the fun part. I populate it (can you tell I work for a management consulting firm?) with Homespun and Simply Soft. Oh, how beautiful. My boyfriend says it looks like art, like an installation. (Translated: special art work created specifically for a gallery space, for you non-visual artists out there.) The photo on the left is from the packaging. The photo on the right is what I did with it.

And I'm in Heaven. My yarn. Visible. Not in my upstairs closet beneath the vacuum cleaner and beside the rolls of toilet paper. Downstairs in my walk-in closet in plain view, taking precedence, and looking beautiful.


And I soon realize that not everything will fit in my little plastic world of yarn. No matter. Put likes together, and then those likes in attractive plastic or paper or cloth bags, and hang it off the knobs of the dresser drawers.





And for the really pretty mohair, just put it in a nice basket, let that sit on the hard wood floor, and call it a day...

My mom says...

Well, my mom corrected me. She's great. She said, "Knitting is NOT an obsession! It is next to praying! And in many cases can be multi-tasked with praying."

So true. It is extremely meditative. Happy knitting.

Recognizing the obsession

You see, I am a yarn junkie. I am a frequenter of AC Moore's "Moonlight Madness" sales (25% off all non-sale merchandise), and my friend, Jackie, conveniently lets me know when the next ones take place. I went to one in September, spent $105 on Homespun, and while taking her home, was pulled over for doing 44 in a 25 mph zone. The ticket was also $105. Well, anyways, I still went back for more in October, November and I don't remember if we shopped in December.

I fill the cart with Homespun. I buy in units of four. I crochet baby afghans with it, and have made hundreds in the past few years for people I work with, their spouse, and alum. I will post a few pictures of some of the more interesting ones. I love working on them while I commute, and they are what Meg Rapp used to refer to as "idiot work". The stuff that doesn't tax your mind. I gave up driving to my local parking lot, and went back to taking the bus to the PATH train, in order to get an hour of knitting/crocheting in in the morning, and an hour at night. Clearly, it was not a good idea to try to knit while driving, though I was able to get a few stitches in at stop lights.


Homespun is just so beautiful and I really should have bought stock in Lion Brand. The colors are just so great, and everyone seems so amazed with how soft and warm and cuddly the blankets are!

2007: New Year's Resolution

It's a new year! And a perfect time to renew old New Year's resolutions! My knitting friends aren't really sure I can do this, but this year my New Year's resolution is:

"I will not buy any more yarn until I use up the yarn in my house."

Here are my conditions:

1) The yarn in the drawer of my platform bed does not count, as it has been there for six years or more, and therefore does not qualify as a recent purchase (i.e., purchase in the last two or three years).

2) If I still have unused yarn in my collection by Jan 1, 2008, I can either renew the resolution or choose not to.

3) Ends of skeins (partial skein and too small for even the "One Skein M.A." projects do not count.) I'll do my best to work these into other projects, though.

4) The yarn given to me at Maggie's knitting party (for CancerCare hats) does not count as a purchase, even though I paid $5 to attend.

I know. Some of you are laughing. You know I tried this last year without much success. It got to the point where I was going into the Ragshop with my son, choosing a color or two from the Simply Soft Brites collection, and handing him the money to buy it. How bad is that?!?! I didn't even make it to Easter. So, what makes me think I can do this in 2007? My 16 year old son, Chris, gave up McDonald's and Burger King for 2006, and made it through the whole year. (We did eat a lot of Wendy's, but that's OK.)

Rebecca

This is my cat, Rebecca. One of my six cats. She likes to help me in the kitchen. She tests all the meat I prepare. If she licks it right out of the package, I know it will be a good dinner. I then rinse off her little cat germs. She also likes to watch while I clean the litter box and wash the turtles' 10 gallon tank. I bought the two turtles on a street corner in NYC for five bucks each in 2002. They have gotten big. Really big. But Rebecca is a very good cat. She is sweet and small and has two of her offspring living with us, Felix and Midnight. They were the only two in her last litter, and they were born on my lap one Memorial Day weekend. I had taken her in as a stray (from a really nice lady who was taking care of her) to add to our previous three, Simon, Sophie and Kitten, and didn't realize she was pregnant. My son, of course, didn't want to give the two little ones away, since he "loved them, very much". So add the dwarf rabbit I bought July 15, 2001, to make a real zoo in my home.

So here is Rebecca helping me photograph one of the little sweaters I gave away to baby Nicole, who is due in September.

Got to Knit

This is my first attempt at a blog. In the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., "and so it goes".