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.


.
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.