IS THIS REALLY KNITTING?

I hesitate to call this knitting, however it is in a way. I found the new scarf yarns something to behold in color and texture. Just had to give them a try. Just picking up a bit of the webbing at the top and pulling it through the next loop. What is this I thought? I did end up with a lovely light weight scarf. Great fun and oh so quick to knit. With my schedule this seems to be what I can accomplish.

I really am working on unloading a lot of yarn on ebay these days. I had thought when I happily brought it home I would certainly knit it all up. Well 10 plus years later after keeping it stored carefully I know this will not happen. They also continue to make yarn. I guess that was something I forgot about when I was filling plastic bin after plastic bin. Takes quite a bit of time to weigh, package and get the yarn ready to mail but I am working on it. It just does not seem right to "hoard" all this yarn. I guess I fear the yarn police will make a raid so this has kept me busy.

I have also make 6 large needle rolls for some of the ladies who frequent one of the yarn shops I hang out in. Then there is the massive clean up the sewing room going on here as well. My serger has returned from the hospital so I can use it once again.

I am headed off to see the grandchildren later today, oldest one has a big part in the high school play and I would not miss it for anything. My it seems yesterday he was just a little infant in my arms.

When I get home I will post my other big project on repairing my old cherished quilts. I have learned a lot I will share with you.

I'M STILL ALIVE AND BACK AT THE BLOG

Well after way to long an absence I have returned to "blogsphere". The new eyes took a bit of getting used to. But wonderful none the less. I have been working on some sewing projects in the meantime. Have a new shawl on the needles hopefully to show you next week. I am doing a lot of teaching knitting so my time to knit is spent on little samples of "how to do it". I truly love to be able to share what I have learned all these many years.

I have new double pointed needles and they needed a case. I am a lover of double pointed needles. I feel I knit smoother and faster than the other methods such as "magic loop" two circulars. Now I love things that match and I adore my Lexie Barnes Lady B knitting bag. Mine is an older pattern called Kiri and I had purchased some small zip bags to match. Well when the new 6" metal double points from ChiaoGoo arrived I needed a special case. I have made little zipper cases like this from fabric for a long time. Now however everything is matching. I love it. I used the case that was about 6 1/2" deep and just stitched in the pockets. Used a white out pen and wrote on the number. I am pleased with what I have created. Yes it only holds up to size 8 but I rarely use the larger sizes and they are in the old cases I made before this one.

I shall try to get a few more things I have been working on posted very soon. I have an idea of how to repair an antique quilt where on corner has rotted due to the exposure to the sun. Also some other things in progress.

Why I am not knitting

Here is what goes here and why I am not knitting.

A week ago I had cataract surgery. An amazing thing to be sure. But only done on the left eye. So since I was blind as a bat before I can now see with that eye like magic, except for the close vision so then I need my "cheater" glasses. At first I thought well just take the left lens out and I would be good to go. Not so you can see there are the old glasses sans left lens. Thought it was a good plan. Well the progressive lens in the right eye made me feel like a drunk so now I just close that eye and move ahead. But to knit with one eye makes the other one way to tired. So I am just puttering around here waiting for September 22. Then the right eye will match the left and I am good to go. Truly amazing to get out of bed in the morning and not have to put on my glasses. It was always trauma if I dropped them as I could not find them. Such is progress in the medical world and I am most grateful. Thanks Dr. Nick you worked a miracle for me. so be patient out there all you who wait for knitting content it will happen soon.

Worth the wait

At last I am getting a few projects finished up. Here is a pair of fingerless gloves. Great fun to knit and I was able to use some silk yarn from my stash. A double pleasure. Here it is summer and I am thinking gloves. I recently saw an article that called them reading gloves. Now I like that description. I love to sit with the Kindle at night and read in bed. This will keep my hands warm. I think I might just make some more. I have other things on needles and now perhaps I can finish up a few more in the next week. Then things knitterly come to a halt. Grandchildren will return for another visit as well as dear friends. Guess it is time to open up the kitchen. I spent yesterday getting a couple of things made and into the freezer and that will help out a lot. Tomorrow I hope to get more baking done. At least it was cool and that makes me feel more like doing baking.

I am hostess at bridge on Wednesday so will be doing a cake for that I am trying something new and will later let all of you who read this know the results.

On the 25th I will have cataract surgery and I am really looking forward to that. I know that sounds crazy but I have not been driving after dark as I know I don't see as well as I should. One eye will be done this month and the next 4 weeks later. Just in time for fall when it gets dark earlier. Now I call that planning ahead. Dr. Nick has promised I will be able to read all the writing on the TV screen from across the room. I guess we could get a larger TV but then what fun would that be?

Our dry weather has come and gone and the yard and flowers are most appreciative for some cooler temps and the rain. Now I need to work on a few that did not make it during the heat. They are sure looking sad.

More tomorrow on progress in the knitting department.

DON'T FORGET TOMORROW IS SIGN UP DAY FOR DISH RAG TAG!!!

A new class in the works

I am getting ready to teach a new class in a week. Beads I just love them. Great fun and a quick reward for your knitting time. These darling little "mini purses" are such fun to make. Do not let the small needle size get to you. They are not difficult. You may purchase kits for these from
http://www.purseparadise.com/

Here are a few little hints to help you in your knitting. I think if you attach the pin to the frame first it is much easier than after you have the purse sewn to the frame. Then sew the knitting to the frame before seaming up the sides. (fewer ends to work in). Work over a table the entire time with a towel or piece of fabric placed on top to catch loose beads. Now make a couple and have a ready supple of unique gifts.

The big 50

Not knitting this past weekend. Dave and I celebrated 50 years of marriage with close friends and family. It was a glorious day.

Where or Where have I been lately?

I feel badly I have neglected posting for so long and will try and get more pictures up for you to check out the knitting. I just returned from the knitting camp held by Meg Swansen in Wisconsin. We had a project for a contest and we all knit a "Suspender Sweater" from her new book "Knit One Knit All" A great contest for all of us. Here is a picture of mine. Hopefully more pictures in the days to follow, I am doing a lot of teaching these days and really do love it as well as working as a sales rep. I just need more hours in the day. Tomorrow my family arrives, daughter, hubby, Louis and Lillie and 3 dogs. Then they will be returning my 2 dogs! What 5 dogs in the house. It will be busy. Saturday is our 50th yes I said 50th wedding anniversary and we will be having a small party. So after all of that I shall be a better blogger.

I am still alive

I know it has been forever since I was able to pay any attention to this blog. There is news however. Susie and I met for the first time in April. It is a 12 hour trip It was so wonderful just like we had known each other for years. And that parallel lives thing kept coming up. How can two women who live 1000 of miles apart go shopping and purchase the same ball point pen. What are the odds? This is just one of the things we continue to discover about each other. I have been really busy working at a new thing. I am doing some designing and some sample knitting for Hand Painted Knitting Yarn. Add this to my teaching schedule, working as a rep for ChiaoGoo. Then there is home and family. Plus the two little dogs. My life is full. What I am knitting is for someone else so until it is posted and I can give you a link no pictures. I do however have a couple of personal things on needles at at the point where they are finished I will let you see what goes on.

All of this plus I am working very hard to destash the yarn closet or should I say room. I need to get things put away. When you run out of room in a giant storage space it is time to get busy and do something about this. Therefore I have been very busy on ebay. Also dividing the things that will work for charity knitting to donate.

Add a bit of sewing to all of this and you know why you have not heard from me. I promise to do better.

ANNIS SHAWL

I have always been thrilled with the beauty of the shawls from Estonia. Particularly the ones based on the Lily of the Valley. Such a beautiful flower and in the spring the ones that grow at my back door have a fragrance I adore. That being said the "nups" in the patterns have made me think about doing one of these. So when I saw Annis on Knitty I thought this would be a perfect time to try them out. Then I found the U-Tube demo on the crochet hook method. I was off and knitting. This is a fun shawl and I loved knitting it. Now if we could just have some warmer weather I will be able to wear this pretty pink treat. I have a few other projects that must come first then I think I shall cast on for the Lily of the Valley. Now understand there are 3 other shawls that must come first. Plus some work for upcoming classes but keep watching I will let you know when I start.

EVERY THING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

A number of years ago (I forget how many) I worked out this pattern. Then it went to the "unfinished boutique" I am working hard at getting things organized, well at least as organized as I will ever be. I am now writing directions and the like after finishing the sample. I gave away sample 1 a long time ago. So it is back to square one. I have a shawl I must get busy working on as I am planning my December donation shawl now. None of the waiting until my life gets in the way stuff as in years past. Hubby's work schedule has changed once again so now I need to change my work schedule as well. No lace knitting when the TV is on full blast with some sort or other of sporting event. We have moved from football now to college basketball. I just can't count when they are yelling numbers at the top of their lungs in "surround sound" . This means I must work when he works. OK the house will keep and the kitchen floor is clean enough to be healthy. Thank goodness for little puppy Vera who is a great cleaner up of any food that might have landed there.

I AM NOT LOST IN THE SNOW!

I am not lost in the snow but have been busy doing knitting things. I try in January to get caught up with all the items that never quite were finished at Christmas. Then it is also time to prepare for upcoming classes. We have had more snow than I can remember in years and keep in mind that memory goes back a long long time. I did finish up this black hat it is felted Gallway and some sort of fun fur yarn that I really don't remember. The pattern is from Fiber Trends and believe it or not it is for me....Perfect for this dreadful weather we are having.

There is one good thing about snow and cold weather here. We are all well prepared for it. My heart goes out to those of you who live where "real winter" is not something you are used to. Our heating systems, roofs, insulation and a large generator should we loose power. We are made for this stuff. We have a large tractor mounted snow blower that can send that white stuff miles if he wants to do it. So all is well with us.

I also made a couple of hats of my own design and I like to call this embossed knitting. Many years ago at Meg Swanson's Knitting camp we were delving into the Swedish Twined Knitting. With no translation of the first book on this it was pure guess work. So I designed this hat to use this way of "not twined twined knitting" I call it embossed knitting. I really do love to do it and this is going to be part of my classes before long.

Then we come to the always popular Wallaby by Carol Anderson. You know this is a favorite when grandchildren outgrow theirs and ask for a new one. So I knit up a little one in red as a class sample. I also have a large one almost finished now for Louis who requested it at Christmas. If that were not enough I have a pink one started for Lillie. I am doing a Wallaby Knit along class at Yarn for Ewe in Kennedy, Ny and this is all in preparation for these classes.

I have printed hand outs that go along with the pattern book so I have been working hard at getting these all ready for Saturday.

Then there were several days of sewing, cleaning the sewing room only to trash it again as I look for fabric.

More about that later. Keep warm