No! BEE socks.
A friend of mine is a science writer and she has done several stories about the disappearing bees. I made the bee mummy for her (long story)
so for the holiday I gave her some bee socks
Non-knitters sometimes ask the silliest questions! "Why do you have all this yarn?"
Lots of reasons!
1) I see the yarn in the store for a project that will be next in line. I can't be sure I'll finish (or even start) before the dye lot is sold out so maybe I should buy a few extra skeins just in case. Once the project is done and I have the leftovers (whole or partial skein doesn't matter at that point) there's nothing for it but putting it in the stash. Take the whole skeins back to the store? That's just crazy talk!
2) I see the yarn in the store and I think of a project I'd love to do so I buy the yarn for that project. But something comes up (like another project) and I don't get a chance to cast on or warp the loom. What else can I do but put it in the stash?
3) I see yarn in the store and I buy it because of the color (texture, etc.) but I don't know what I'm going to use it for quite yet. I'll know the perfect project when I see it. However if I don't buy it now the perfect project will come along and I won't be able to get that yarn. Stash now; knit later.
4) I see yarn in the store and it's on sale! I don't know what I'll use it for yet but I'm sure I'll be able to figure out something. I mean, look at it! How can it not be great for something? And the price! That's such a good price! Buy it; stash it.
5) I see the yarn in the store and I just have to have it -- hmmm, a pattern emerging? -- because I'm a hoarder of yarn and it's mine, mine, all mine!
"Once there is a stash, why buy more? Why not work from the stash?"
That's just more crazy talk! The stash is where all the ideas come from. It's the "cabbage patch" of projects, if you will. There sit all the skeins of yarn. Look at the way they can be combined and ideas will just pop into your head. A Plethora of projects. All the possibilities are right there before your eyes. Once you make a choice, all the possibilities disappear as if they were never there at all.
That idea depresses me. Excuse me. I'm going to the yarn store now. I need to buy some yarn in order to get out of this funk.
Today I went to a luncheon where the speaker was Oliver "Buck" Revell. The talk was very good. The man is a former FBI agent and was talking about "global terrorism." His responses to the questions were interesting and direct. No hedging, which I appreciated. Of course there were no specifics because a) the time was too short and b) that would be telling and that's something thee FBI just doesn't do.
There was a whole "Charlie Wilson's War" edge to it. He also mentioned the book. I think I'd like to read that. I think I'll look for that one as well as Revell's book next time I go to the bookstore.
Of course I also want ot get another Lee Nichols book. And let's not forget "The Eclectic Sole." I saw a "Clean House" where Trish actually said, "How many knitting books does one person really need?" It's a good thing I wasn't there to bitchslap her! Silly girl! Silly question!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Looks like this is going to be cool but I have to wait until July. Damn WB!
I saw "Australia" last Saturday. It was good. All the aboriginals were magnificent! Very well cast! Hugh Jackman was brilliant AND droolworthy. I'm not a big Nicole Kidman fan. She's a very adequate craftsman but not a brilliant actress. However, she kept her British accent amidst the Aussies. That's very difficult considering she's originally an Aussie.
Continuity left much to be desired.
Whew! I was worried that Eileen wouldn't get them or that she wouldn't like them. But she did and she did. Mom kept asking "What's not to like?" and Scott threatened to ask me to make some for his grandkids. lol
I guess they were ok after all!
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
The Christmas stockings are finally finished. I trust no one would mind if I vow at this moment never to do these stockings again.
I finally finished the stockings. Last night I sewed one together. Tonight I'll sew the other and block both. Tomorrow I can send them through campus mail. If I'm very, very lucky they will arrive to Eileen on Wednesday.
If I'm not so lucky they will arrive on Monday. If I'm totally SOL they'll get lost in interoffice mail.
Yesterday I had to go to the dr. to see about my wrist (still to be decided and tests to be done). I get out and the car won't start. No click; no sound. The running lights and the inside lights come on. So does a "check engine" light. Very not good.
I call Geico and Geico calls Tennis Towing. The Tennis driver said he was pretty sure it was just the battery so he jumped it. The car started and then I had to go to Saturn. I now have a new battery and an appointment to have the on-board computer replaced plus inspection done on Black Friday.
This is so not what I wanted to do with $500.
A'ndrea and I have decided we are going to pull together to help each other - sometime. We both have stashes in desperate need of organization. She and I have decided to get together and help each other do just that. I want to put mine in the "stash" section of Ravelry as well as in a spread sheet so maybe - just maybe - I can figure out what I have and what projects are squirreled around.
I need to turn some WIPs and UFOs into FOs, dammit!
One stocking is finished except for the name and sewing it together. The other one has been started.
In the meantime I am reading. I guess I should not be taking the time to read instead of knit or warping but I've been waiting for "Remember Me?" to come out in paperback and it finally has. I'm not quite 1/2 way through but there's enough to keep me reading.
At the same time I also got "The Audacity of Hope." I'm reading that as well but I don't drop that in my purse and take it with me. It's more of a sit down and read chapters at a time. It's not like Kinsella's books where I can read a page or two and pick it up later.
I really liked "Undomestic Goddess." Even though the premise was a little out there - ok, a lot out there - it was a fun read. The first of the Shopaholics books was like that.
I need see if there are more by the woman who wrote "The Little Lady Agency." Those were a blast to read.
All I can say is thank goodness for the AAUW. Now when I'm finished with a book that isn't meant to be put in my library, I toss it in my trunk and stop at the drop-off on my way past.
The candy cane and the name are supposed to be knitted in or duplicate stitched later. Duplicate is NOT working! I think I'm going to cross stitch both on.
Last night I knitted a a strip three stitches wide, alternating the green and white as the candy cane requires and I could sew that on. I also thought about making it out of felt and sewing it on. Either option still would not address the name issue. I like the idea that the candy cane and the name are made in the same way for continuity of the project.
There are supposed to be some felt holly leave on this somewhere but I don't think I'm going to put those on. I could decorate the tree with French knots maybe.
One side of the stocking has a tree; the other side has a candy cane. The tree lends itself nicely to intarsia but the candy cane is only 2 stitches wide in most places and striped at that.
I could (if I had done it earlier) purl the stitches of the cane and duplicate stitch them after. Or I could duplicate stitch then on knit. Or I could crochet them either way. Ot I could make the candy cane and then sew it on. Hmmmm....
I couldn't stand the Red Heart any longer. I wasn't getting anywhere with the project because I couldn't stand the feel of the yarn. Vilevilevilevile!!!!
I changed to Plymouth Encore. Now it's never going to be my favorite yarn; however I like it for projects like the Christmas stockings and for afghans, children's sweaters, things I know are going to require ease in washing and drying.
It's going much better!
Ripping out! I was counting stitches last night. There should be an uneven number of stitches in the Christmas tree. There were not. Several rows back I didn't increase on the one side. Ripping back tonight!
Read more...I found the pattern. It was in the file so that's settled. I did the ribbing and the band. Now I'm ready to start the tree. I emailed Eileen to ask some details like the names and where does the holly go. She's going to cut out the holly and sew it on.
I wasn't sure about the placement of the names on the top but she was able to answer that for me. I was deciding whether to do the tree in duplicate or Intarsia. I thin k Intarsia will be best but the candy cane and the names are duplicate stitch.
The yarn is VILE!
I totally forgot I'm supposed to make two Christmas stockings for a woman I used to work with. With the move and all I gave the stocking back that she loaned me. I did not want to lose that, I can tell you! It was one that was made for her daughter when her daughter was a young girl. I know how I would feel if the one mom sewed for me was lost!
Problem: where in the world did I put the pattern??? I saw it not long ago but did I put it with the yarn? Nooooooooo! Of course not! Worst case I call the woman and ask for a copy of the original - which I gave back with the stocking.
I think I know where it is. I look this morning in the folding file where I have a bunch of patterns I need to put in page savers. Then I have to put then in my pattern notbook. Of course because I was so sure the pattern was in there - it wasn't.
Next stop - my file drawer. Now I'm certain that's where I last saw the pattern. Uh huh. We'll see tonight when I actually find the pattern. not finding it is really not an option. (It is but it isn't.)
If I sit down and just do them I can probably have both finished next week.
That's exactly what I did. The twists where the cable join were not coming out clearly.
I'm going to put two purl stitches in the center to see if that gives a little more definition. I also have to make just one twist instead of two. That's the problem with variegated yarn.
So here's where it is now
So here I am. Out of the apartment with the killer stairs. I can't say I'm sad to leave those friggin' stairs behind. My knee will thank me.
Dan died July 25, 2007 leaving the apartment to mom. However because of the way it all shook out, we ended up having to buy the apartment from the estate. Nightmare!! One year later and it's still not completely done. The estate was in MO; the apartment is in PA. Legal hassles, people moving all around; a paper chase ensues.
I've moved into this apartment with mom. It's not as hard as one might think except the part where we combine the two households. Thank god for self-storage, charities that "recycle" and friends looking for a change.
I'm still digging out. I'm using my textiles as a carrot. If I get this done, I may spend this amount of time knitting, weaving, reading, whatever. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think.
I've got the next weaving project decided on. There's something called a tubular spectrum that I'd like to try in a shadow weave or some twill variation.
I also want to weave some small bedside rugs or bath mats - maybe both. I have medium weight pastel cottolin for warp with cream cotton chenille weft.
Future projects include a silk chenille throw, skirt length of Zephyr 50/50 silk and wool, and I'd like to weave a bed cover in the "Lee's Surrender" pattern. I'm going to use Bermudian pastels in Shetland weight 100% wool for the warp. If I ever get the rest spun, I'll be using hand-dyed merino for the weft. It looks like a Bermudian sunset so I think some sampling will be necessary to make sure I'm not going to muddy the pattern with too many colors. Fingers crossed.
© Blogger template ProBlogger Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
