New Projects

I dug out an old Bernat Treasury of Afghans book, why you ask when you have bought all those new books--well I was looking for something else and ran across this and this afghan caught my eye. The pattern called for it to be knit in panels--but that would have been 15! panels to sew up so I decided to do it as one. Did 10 rows x233 stitches = 2033 stitches-did not like how it was turning out--ripped those out--started over with smaller needles--liked that. But now as I look at it -after another 3495 stitches- I am not sure I like the pattern in the color of the yarn--I like the pattern--I like the color but maybe not together. Wish I had done it in panels as the pattern

was written--then I wouldn't be ripping out 2033 or 3495 stitches.

While I make up my mind whether I am going to continue, I started another project. I have been resisting buying Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns series because I have so many stitch dictionaries. I broke down the other day and ordered a second hand copy--I love it!! Volume 2 has arrived but volume one is hopefully on its way--I wish that I had bought a new copy although there is really nothing wrong with the one I got. I am chart challenged and her second volume has the printed instructions so it is perfect for me--started this scarf-name of pattern is wheat sheaves.

I still have some presents to wrap--so hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday. See you next year.

The Wedding

The weather was horrible-lots of snow and sleet, not sure of the exact amout but at my house and driveway I think the full 6 inches fell. The out of town relatives called and weren't able to make it, but most of the folks around here braved the storm and made it to the wedding.

I thought the wedding turned out wonderfully. I admit that there were several things about the wedding I was not sure of--but in the end, as they say. everything turned out for the best. The girls all looked beautiful and the boys all looked handsome. Here are a few pictures of the happy event. I really enjoyed the wedding and I'm really glad that it is over.

Life after Shrugery

Tonight is the rehersal dinner and tomorrow is the big day! Of course we have a winter storm watch for Saturaday with the possibility of six inches of snow accumulation. However, they have been predicting bad weather for the last couple of days and we have dodged the bullet, so here's hoping that our luck holds out for two more days.

Have had a little bit of time to do some little projects--the cream colored and red hat are from a pattern from Monica Jines as are the mittens. A kit for the hat and mittens can be purchased here https://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=230/630.0.0.0.0.0.0 . The hats are knit in some practice yarn and the mittens are knit in the South West Trading Company Gianna. I really liked the feel of that yarn but found that it was more challenging to work with--made my hands tired.

The lighter blue hat was made before the shrugs were started and it is from an old pattern from a leaflet called Cozy Quartet by Bernat. The darker blue hat was just a simple rib hat.

The scarf below was from a lion brand pattern called Sweet Scallops--I made one smaller for a scarf for a gift and then made it in shawl size for another person for a Christmas gift. That pattern can be found here http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/60744A.html?noImages=0.

Bad Pictures

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving--23 of us were able to be there. My sister's house looked beautiful and we all enjoyed being together. Also on a happy note, I was able to gift some of my yarn that I will probably never use to my cousin. She and her daughter are learning to knit and continue to crochet. (hehe-more room in the yarn closet for new stuff!)

I have also finished the shrugs-oh happy day!! This is a bad picture of them but my daughter came unexpectedly to collect them and she hurried to take a picture of all of them. So--even though its not the best picture--I still wanted a shot of them all together. The one that looks like a different color--is a different color and was the practice shrug. The little black one belongs to the flower girl and you can barely see, but the red and black one was a prototype that didn't get used. I frogged the other two that didn't work out for the yarn.


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My daughter has decided that she wants a stole from the material for the bolero jacket so at least I am saved making another shrug.

I did get to knit a couple of different things this week--finished the Irish Hiking scarf for her male attendant--thought he should get something since the female attendants received the shrugs.



I also almost finished a hat, but have made a mistake in my decreases so I need to redo the rows starting with the decrease rows.

And lastly have started crocheting the scarf item below.




One more good news to report--I have only a couple of more gifts to get and then I will have my Christmas shopping done. another--oh happy day!

My Invitation Came Too

Yeah! I got my invitation to Ravelry last night. I am Bethn on ravelry. Not much time to play with it yet, but I can see that there is a lot to do and see.

Second arm of the 8th shrug--the end is in site.

November

The engagement picture--doesn't she look beautiful? They both look so happy and peaceful.

Ok--how can it be November--it was just October. This is getting to be scary--time flying by so fast that I can't keep up. Well the wedding is just 6 weeks off and I am getting nervous about whether everything will be done. She is such an individual and is so determined to do things her way, plus doing her student teaching, plus taking a class and trying to work--she is very stressed out at the moment and that stresses me!

The eighth shrug is on the needles, not very far along, but just one more to go after this one--That is unless she can't find someone to make her bolero jacket. It has been such a long time since I sewed anything--I don't think I am up to working on a tailored jacket to go with a wedding gown. We did find a shrug pattern she liked if we can't find a pattern she likes or someone to sew the jacket. Here is the link http://www.knitscene.com/photos/project22.asp. Her gown is ivory so will need to find right yarn if she decides to go in that direction.
It seems that each shrug continues to take that much longer than the last one. I am not letting myself start anything else until I am done with them and it is getting so boring. Here is one of
the junior bridesmaids trying on the dress and shrug. Doesn't she look beautiful too!


I have some new patterns that I am dying to try out. The Loppy Ewe has several of Monica's patterns and I have purchased some yarn from the Loopy Ewe with some of those patterns in mind. I finally decided it was time to drag out my swift and ball winder. I have had them for two years -purchased with the 50% off coupon at one time or another at Joann's, but have continuted to wind the yarn by hand until now. Turns out there is a learning curve--at least there was for me--I have seen everybody else's neat little cakes of yarn and assumed that I would get the same result. Here is the pic of the first result. Poor little misshapen shaped cakes of yarn!





I did get somewhat better, but I certainly have seen neater ones.
My picture taking ability is very poor--the yarn doesn't show up nearly as pretty as it is.


All for now--must get back to the shrugs--sigh.

How Can It Be October

I can not believe that it is actually October. The summer flew by and apparently the fall is going to follow the same course. It has been very dry in September so the outside is not looking so much like fall as of yet. No pretty colors on the leaves--although my yard is starting to fill up with brown ones!

Disaster--while the lawn people were mowing--a rock kicked up (apparently a rock) and broke my sliding glass door. It shattered but did not fall out until a week and one day later. Unfortunately the door was a non standard door and took a week and 3 days to come in. When the glass fell out--Sunday morning at 6 am of course--the door would not open or shut and Jasmine was fighting to get out. I had to call my poor sister over to hold onto Jasmine so I could sweep up the glass. A very nice person who had looked at the door when it happened and said that we had a 50-50 chance of it staying intact until the new one got in--came over and knocked out the rest of the glass and fixed it so I could open and shut the door. Amazing how heavy the broken glass of a sliding glass door turns out to be.

Next disaster--I noticed that my car's heater was not working a couple of weeks ago--had it on the back burner to take into the shop--then--the coolant warning light came on! Turned out the gasket head and water pump ( I think that's what they called everything) both had leaks. As the repair person who called to tell me said--"I have some bad news". Expensive bad news but the good news was they could fix it.

Shrugs--I have four done now--five to go--have misplaced my camera so no pictures yet. I am so sick of shrugs!! I suppose there it a very good reason why the pattern does not tell you to knit the arms in the round--however, I can't figure out the reason, so I have figured out how to knit the whole garment without any sewing up seams. yeah for that at least. I got my new knitpicks option needles and was knitting away on the last one when the plastic tube separated from the metal part that screws into the needle-- a mini disaster as I lost the beginning of my round--however--I faked it and I can't tell that it harmed it. Knitpicks were very helpful and are replacing the cable free of charge.

Happy fall to everyone.

Have been busy straightening house and trying to organize--have been trying for awhile without a lot of success, but this past week, I have made enough headway that maybe I could make some headway!

We have had alot of rain and the grass is as green as in the spring. It's growing just as fast too.First week of school and of course it was super hot a couple of those days--poor kids and teachers.

I did finish the practice shrug--my daughter likes it--I like it for just a shrug--but it is her wedding so if she ever brings me the measurements, I guess I will start on the nine shrugs. (She only wanted her picture taken from the back!) I hope that no one else wants any cranberry, claret colored yarn as I have cornered the market on a good share of it trying to find one to match the one red dress. I have found a couple that will probably work.

I made a test square of the afghan pattern I thought I wanted to do--you start out on circular needles and work from the outside to the inside. I'm not quite as sure as I was that I want to do that one.

I also finally finished my daisy squares and will send them off to Krochet Krystal. Here is a link to her blog if you would like to contribute to her charity afghans.

http://krochetkrystal.blogspot.com/

Messenger Bag

Just finished this bag for the CB exchange. I had been wanting to try this pattern. (link for pattern http://www.berroco.com/knitbits/knitbits_154_H.html )
I really liked the fair isle flap, but the yarn I was using felt too flimsy even with the stranding. I thought the cables might prevent me from having to line the bag, but I think I am going to do another crocheted lining.

We have had heat warnings several days this past week--I think my newly planted (in the spring) forsythia is gone-- It wilted down every day and finally, this Saturday the water did not revive it. I don't know if I drowned it or the heat got it.

My daughter who is getting married December 15, has decided her attendents need a shrug to tie in the colors--red and black. She is having one flower girl, two junior bridesmaids, 5 female bridesmaids , one male attendant on her side and her maid of honor. She wants me to make nine shrugs--8 red and one black-- the flower girl's dress is red and the rest are black. Of course she has never knitted or crocheted and she tells me none of attendants or their mother's knit. Of course, I am not sure we can even find the color of red yarn or the type we need. Anyway, there are two afghan patterns that I want to start (still working on the crocheted one), but I may not have a lot of time to work on them. I am working on two different patterns of shrugs to see if any one of them would look right with the dress.

Clearing a Few Things UP

My goodness time has flown by--July is gone and August has been here. I have been trying to clear up a few things--sort out unfinished projects, clear out closets, and get rid of stuff I am not using. Ireally have a hard time with saving things I don't need and then having so much stuff that I don't know what I have. I did take 8 bags to the Good Will and have thrown out about 10 bags. The really sad part, that all came from my bedroom and I still have one more closet to go through.

This past month has not been the most successful one. I have ripped out more than what I have to show. Some of these things probably should have been frogged--but then I would have nothing to show.

This first picture shows something that was supposed to be a purse but turned into a questionable pillow. One of the members of K&C had made this for a purse exchange and posted the pattern link on her blog. Hers was so pretty that I, too, attempted it, however--number one, I couldn't figure out the last couple of rounds and number two, I used the wrong yarn--hence the pillow.






After I decided to make it into a pillow and put it on my bed--I bought a new bedspread and so it will not match at all. Probably the closet for this one.


I bought a new hat book by Schurch and loved all of the patterns. Here are two attempts of the hats.





Made this for a purse exchange--a little project bag and the purse.,

It is so true , if you don't like the yarn, the project will take forevere! I have made some more squares of the bargain yarn that wasn't the best bargain.

Don't Spit in the Wind and Other Things I Have Learned!

These are things that I have learned that can make your life easier: Don't spit in the wind, don't date Little Joe Cartwright, (for sure don't get engaged to him) , don't volunteer for Captain Kirk's landing party unless you have a recurring role in the show, and last but not least, plan your afghans carefully!! I finally have finished my knit afghan and there are some things that I really like about it. I like all three of the different patterns that I used. I like my colors--the picture may look like cream and gray, but the yarn label says it is French Lavendar. My sister, who has seen the afghan in person, wonders why I would make a gray afghan. I repeat--it is cream and French lavendar--that's my story and I am sticking to it!!

There are also some things that I don't like about it--it is way to wide-I guess I could have made it longer to even it out, but it is pretty huge as it is--very heavy and very warm. It's hard to tell if it is too warm when we have had 90 degree weather but definitely, this is a warm blanket. If I had planned it more carefully, I would have had three leaf panels and two lattice panels. The problem was, that I put the edging on the two end panels on the outside edge and then put edging on both side of the trellis panels --resulting that the middle leaf panel would not have been the same size and would have looked funny. I liked the bouquet panel (my one sister says diamonds and my other sister says grapes) but I made it too wide--thus resulting in a very wide blanket.

Anyway, it is done--I have learned some things for next time and I can move on to another project.

June 11, 2007

Progess on my knit afghan--I have decided to call my afghan the garden--I have leaves, a lattice panel and the middle section will be bouquets. I have another leaf section completed and have five repeats done on the lattice panel. I need 21 repeats. I have not yet started the center panel. I should be done with this project but have not been in the mood to hurry.

The following picture denotes why I should not have internet access and a credit card--it is just too darn easy to order anything you want or think that you want. You don't have to get dressed, you can shop at 3AM--(I frequently have) and there is no time to back out of a purchase. In a store, you at least have to walk to the check out counter so you have a few minutes to talk to yourself about whether this is a good purchase for you-on the internet, you just have to click that little button! This yarn was bought strictly on impulse. It was super, super cheap and I thought surely I would have some need for this yarn. Because it was so cheap--I even bought tons of it. Of course, many times things are super cheap for a reason. This yarn has been taking up yarn space for over a year and I have decided I must do something with it to move it out. This is all I can think of to do with it.

Progress So Far

It's a little cooler today and there is a thunder storm passing through. Probably shouldn't be on the computer but I am going to hope my surge protector works!

Last night I had a little visitor. I tried to get a picture but you can't really see it very well. I heard this fluttering noise and when I looked over at my patio door, I saw this little bird--not a baby bird, maybe a teenage bird that was sitting on the step looking in at me. He just sat there, must have been resting and getting out of the rain. Even when Jasmine--the dog--went over and barked at him, he just continued to sit and look in at everything. After he had rested a bit, pretty soon he hopped down and went on his way.

I have not been doing any knitting or crocheting other than my knit afghan. I now have two panels done and even sewed together. I am afraid that it is falling in to that disappointing category. When I start a project, I always have a picture in my head of how beautiful it will be--this is not quite measuring up to what I thought it would look like. I have decided to continue on, in hopes that it will turn the

corner and begin to look like I wanted it to look.

Since two of the three panels will be the same, it would make the most sense to work on them while I have the patterns pretty well in my head. Of course, what I want to do is start on the middle panel to give me something new to work on--I will see--maybe I have enough needles to start all three.

I got a new camera today--just learning how to use it So far it seems like it takes pretty good pictures. Quite a bit more complicated than my other ones, however.

Here is a picture where I was just playing with the camera.

I have just been working on my knit afghan and have run into a few problems. I had to frog almost 10 inches of the lavender heather panel!! I absolutely must pay better attention! Both the cream and heather panels have still increased by about 8-10 inches . I have figured out that I can't use the same cream panel in the center (it would be narrower than the end panels) and so I think I will go with the bouquet stitch. I think I will post a picture of my progress weekly to keep me going.

Knit Afghan

I am trying a knit afghan this time--I think I am going to go with three of the cream panels and two of the lavendar heather panels. The lavendar heather is really a pretty color although it doesn't show in the picture. It's a work in progress--I may change my mind.

In other news--there is a frost warning! May 17th and my flowers will once again be traumatized!

Finished

Ok--I have finally finished the ripple afghan. That will be the only ripple afghan I ever make--probably. It took forever and was pretty boring to do. Just found out that one of my aunts is having her 80th birthday--the afghan has found its home!

This is a picture of an afghan I made a couple of years ago--I have to post it because I was too lazy to take it off the chair and some of it shows. (Really, I think I have it arranged just the way I like it and I am afraid if I take it off, I won't get it arranged the way I like it again)

OK--here is a pic of the new afghan and a close up of the border.

And here is a picture of Jasmine, depressed because I am playing on the computer and not with her. She is resting her head on one of her favorite toys.

Spring

It's a beautiful day today--the perfect spring day. The grass is green, the temperature is 72 and the sun is shining. For awhile, it didn't seem like spring would be coming. I didn't think that my tree would bloom this year with the late frost and snow, but it did look pretty for a day or two. Unfortuneately, we had a wind advisory the first day it really looked pretty and then it poured down rain the next two days--I did manage to get this picture before it was all gone.

I received my dishcloth swap package from Maria. She sent me some really nice things. I love the colors and the patterns. I am munching on the licorice twists as I write.

Well sitting all my unfinished work in front of me has worked to a certain extent. I frogged one more of them and I am working on the ripple afghan. That has to be the most boring pattern I have ever worked on--just single crochet. There is a really pretty border which is the reason that I started it in the first place, if I can just hang on until I get to that part. I have decided that I am not making it as big as what the pattern says. When I finish this skein, I will start the border.

This does not show it very well but you get the idea. Back to work on it.

Forgot one

One more dish cloth that I forgot to post a picture.

Unfinished Work

I have been torturing myself. I have grouped all my unfinished projects and laid them on or around the footstool in front of the chair that I sit in when I knit or crochet. Two afghans, a scarf, five different pairs of socks and dozens of patterns that I am contemplating beginning. Needless to say, the room is a mess. I solved one of the problems--I frogged the entire project. That wasn't that quick and to undo all of them would be time consuming and then there is the lost time that I spent working on them. What is it that drives one to finish some projects and to let others sit neglected in favor of beginning yet another project. Is it boredom with the project--is the project too hard--or am I just a quitter. Who knows, but guess what I did today--started another sock!!! Shame on me--that is definitely the last new project started before I finish one of the old ones!


I have completed my package for the dishcloth swap--this is what I am sending my partner --I think it is safe to post as I have not really advertised that I have this blog. This was how I avoided my unfinished works for the past week. The potholders are crocheted and the dish clothes are knitted. I really liked the round one--my first round knitted object.





In addition to the one's I am sending to my partner, I also completed these.





Well, I should go work on my ufo's or my new project--or should I look through my books for my next project!