Solitude

I love this time of night: windows are open, the breeze is light, but the streets are quiet. Everyone else in my house is asleep. The three cats are dozing around me. The X-Files is on (volume low) as I am knitting on the hood of a poncho for my little step-granddaughter. I have the most peaceful feeling. Usually at least one other person is up this time of night, so I don't get enough of these kinds of late nights any more. I miss them, and I wonder if that makes me selfish. Is it selfish to prefer the quiet? Or to enjoy solitude? Surely not. I am sure that those who live alone (not by choice) would tell me that if I lived totally alone, I would crave the company and noise of other people. Perhaps. I certainly don't envy a widow, for example; greener grass and knowing what you've got before it's gone. And unlike many women, I enjoy the company of my husband; he is my friend and companion as well as my spouse. Generally speaking, I enjoy the company of my nearly-grown sons, too -- though like most parents there are times they drive me bonkers. I've always felt that contentment comes from within. I spent many, many night like this in the past. My husband going off to bed early before he retired from his job; children in bed early, too. I had long quiet evenings to stitch and read. As the boys got older, they stayed up later, my evenings either got shorter, or I stayed up later (usually the latter). Now even dear hubby stays up later with me -- and that is a nice change from all those years of being awake many hours after he went to bed -- and the boys keep their own weird hours (one is a nightowl like his mother). For whatever reasons, I'm not usually alone at 11:00pm. So, I'm going off to enjoy a couple hours of quiet knitting... sweet dreams, LC

Pictures, Finally

Hats, hats, hats! This is the Floppy Brim Hat. There are two sets of rows of reverse stockinette at the edge of the brim; I will add some seed bead embellishment there before sending it to a friend of mine in AK. I used part of a ball of Heirloom "Breeze" -- a very soft cotton/wool/lycra blend. Love this yarn. The four caps are for the 'men' in my step-daughter's family. Very late Christmas gifts. They are all made with LB Wool-Ease from my mom's stash. The last is LB Woolspun in navy, just a roll-brim cap. I think it is going to a friend in MD, or maybe my SIL. Sweet Jackie ES wrote me back this morning about the Juliet cap. I really appreciate her taking time to help me. Looks like I will back the needle size down and try again. Must take pictures of the finished pieces I mentioned yesterday.... find my missing WinME cd.... and all those other mundane chores piling up on top of umteen loads of laundry. LC

Disappointments

[Well.. all my photos seem to have disappeared off the server. I will try to get is resolved as quickly as possible.] I popped in to finish updating on a couple more FO... the poncho for my grandneice, and my cropped top. Guess it will have to wait until I fix the problem with MSN. Doesn't seem to be just me as the photos for Bead Art Forum are 'missing' as well. Whatever. I spent all afternoon swatching. I'm really frustrated. I want to make this, Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer and Laura Anderson's Scalloped Juliet Cap. I have a varigated rayon I bought in a large hank from a Knitswapper. I really don't know what weight/type. The pattern gauge is 3.5" over a 12-stitch modified feather-and-fan pattern. They used Heritage Cotton Chenille on size 7US and Heirloom Easycare 12 on size 10US. I've had to go to 10.5US to get gauge... it's really loose and rather uncomfortable to knit. I'm going to keep going for a bit; maybe it will work out all right. I think I need some more satisfying knitting for the rest of the evening, so I can read some blogs... I may just cast on for another poncho; a different pattern, this one from Family Circle Easy Knitting Fall 2002, #38. I've got some pretty baby boucle I'll try the pattern on. Sorry about the photos. LC

Husbands & Wives, Weddings & Marriages

Lots going on around me, knit and otherwise. First thing to come to my mind this morning was that 27 years ago today I got married -- the first time. Unfortunately, I was divorced three and a half years later. The image in my mind though was this one:

With me is a precious little girl for whom I had been babysitting for years. She is now a grown woman with three children of her own. I haven't seen her in a long time, but stay in touch through the grapevine of parental email and annual Christmas cards. She is, like me, a MoonChild... all starry-eyed and romantic over a big fancy wedding. If only the wedding made the marriage.

I have been spending a fair amount of time helping my sons find scholarships for which to apply. They are finishing up their last semester at community college and now the "big bucks" are required.

Still, I have gotten a fair amount of knitting done lately... and since I finally found the cable for my digital camera (it had fallen behind a lapboard I keep behind the end table by the sofa -- cat's knocked it off... big surprise!), I can post photos again.

Let's see..... I posted on Feb 20 that I had just finished a sock. It was the child's sock pattern from Bernat's Hot Sox wrapper. Here it is:

And on MY foot?

Nope, I don't have tiny feet either; usually a size 7.

When I saw how big the leg/heel/foot part was, I just extended the length so it would fit me. However, it is all frogged now. I didn't really care for the way it felt enough to finish the second one and actually wear them. The fabric stretched too much to be comfortable (if that makes any sense). Will try again with smaller needles. I sure thought I was on gauge, but the yarn is so soft, and my tension was just too loose I guess. I don't know. I was just pleased that I could follow the pattern and actually make a sock!

Now, this hat is something with which I'm rather pleased:

I made it for a dear friend's husband; they celebrated their first anniversary on Feb 15th (my mother's and her grandmother's birthday -- um, two women, not the same woman). I just love him, not only because he's such a great guy, but he has made my friend very happy. We keep them in our prayers.

There are three bands of garter and then a doubled brim. I used a discontinued yarn from Berella called Muskoka. It's a washable, 100% wool -- extremely soft and wonderful to knit, in my opinion. It was the only ball I had; found in a clearance bin at Hobby Lobby. Wonder why it was discontinued?

Ignore that hanging thread; I hadn't woven the end when I took the photo. But, look at that long, curly hair on my dear hubby.... he's got hair most women would kill for. Second time was a charm for us both: 23 years this coming October! And we were married at the county courthouse.

Seems a good place to stop. I'll catch up on posting my other photos later tonight or Sunday. Heading to Jackson tomorrow for our Embroiderer's Guild meeting. I'm teaching Smyrna Cross stitch and continuing our WIP canvas piece, Spring Landscape. I haven't put in a single stitch on mine since last month!

LC

Silly, but fun

You are interchangeable. Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every
eventuality covered and every opportunity just
has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and
every day is a new beginning. You are good at
so many things, it's amazing, but you can
easily lose your place and forget to show up.
They have row counters for people like you!

What kind of knitting needles are you?
brought to you by Quizilla LC

Leaping and leaping

It was 4:30am this morning when I finally got the finally stitching done and the black wool (Berella Muskoka) cap for my dear friend off the needles! I had it almost finished a few days ago and ran out of thread before I had the double-layer finished. So rip, rip, rip, and work a rib cuff til I ran out of thread. It is packaged up and ready for the post tomorrow. I did take photos, but they will stay on the camera for a while: I seem to have misplaced the cable to connect to my computer! Just one more thing on the MIA list, which includes my close-work glasses with the clip-on magnifiers and my thermal-eaze gloves. In the mail yesterday arrived a poncho pattern, which, of course, I *had* to begin today. Actually, I'm supposed to meet up with another knitter tomorrow (which also means KWR -- knitting while riding -- time), so I wanted something sort of simple to take along. Didn't get my dance costumes sewn this weekend as I planned... again. But, at least the room is in better shape for some sewing now, and I have the fabric ready to be sewn, including three pairs of harem pants, three skirts and some veils. Back to the poncho, LC

woo-hoo!

It's 70 degrees outside, and I just finished my first sock! Also, all four hats for step-grandsons, and am doing the neck on step-daughter's caplet! Photos later, as well as much updating for these past couple weeks I've been gone. LC

February is for Secrets

  Adapting from Allison's NY Street Cap and Stasia's pattern (see her 1/23/04 blog entry), I finally have a hat I'm sort of happy with -- I think it is a bit too long for as wide as it is -- I have already started another one using the tan (which is the contrasting color in this one) as the main color. I like working them top down, as Stasia's pattern instructs. I don't care for the I-cord though. I started with 12-stitch temporary cast-on for the second hat, as the 6-stitch beginning of the one below ended up with a little bump on top. I had to frog out that first row to fix it. I'm using some balls of Wool-Ease that were among my mother's things. She has bought a lot of the Heathers for an afghan. I was going to make it up, but... well, she loved Granny Squares and I don't. So, I'm not going to make it afterall.   This is the first time I have tried to 'carry' a contrasting color thread. I'm not doing it right... so will be doing some reading on that.   One down and four more to go -- still finishing Christmas gifts. Other knitting:     I ran out of yarn for the Shapely Tank Top (1/26/04 entry has in-progress photo), so that is on hold for a few days. I only have the last few rows of the back/shoulders, the edging and sleeves. Then I'll return to the lower edge and decide just what to do there.     I have received several packages this week -- purchases from knitters on Yahoo's Knitswap list! Needles, yarn, and magazines! I found the answer to my problem with the item I was knitting for #2step-daughter in the new Knit-It -- I am going to use the shaping from the capelet in that magazine to finish her piece. However, I need to be thinking about what I'm doing, so I have set it aside for a couple days because....   I'm having computer woes!! My Baby (laptop) is running a fever. No, it's not a virus, thankfully, but the fan is running constantly and the area where the graphics card and the processor are get very hot. Of course, BestBuy won't work on it locally; I have to send it away. Which means hours of transferring files to backup my data. Fortunately I have a spare desktop, but -- in typical Murphy's Universe -- it still hadn't been cleaned up from some other backups as we have moved/changed computers and hard drives among family members. So, in a way it is good that I am taking the time to wade through all the useless and duplicated files. Just very time consuming to go from a 2GHz to a 500Mhz processor! Yikes.   What's the secret?? Well, it's a secret... can't tell. I will say the focus of my knitting will change this month, in honor of my mother's birthday on the 15th. LC

Time Flies

What a disappointing day: I woke up sick. Probably started about 5am, reached medication stage at 10am. I showered at 11am, still hoping to make my 'date' with fellow knitter on the coast. Just wasn't meant to be today. At noonish, I called to cancel, much to DH's relief. I think he thought I would push myself to go and regret it. He's right. I took my lead from him (for once), and from the pains in my stomach. Unfortunately, by 5pm I was still too puny to go to dance class -- last thing you need to do is belly rolls when you've had pains all day. However, by 7pm I was feeling much better and hungry. I am full, but feeling even better since I ate. And relaxed for the first time today. I can't believe I haven't posted in a full week -- but I have ripped and frogged so much this week I was just too frustrated to write. I forgot the second set of bind-off rows at the underarms of the Shapely Tank Top I'm modifying for a cropped top (for dance class). Now, it is all back on, the front is complete up to the should bind-off row, and I'm almost to the neckline bind-off rows on the back. Isn't it a mess? LOL I am determined not to pick up anything else to knit until this is finished. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I am not happy at all with the wimple/smoke-ring/snood/hood I've been making for #2SD. I'm about ready to set it aside, grab the Cha-Cha and a fine carrying thread and make something for her from the Paton's Fabulous Fur booklet of patterns! And then ponder what to do with three balls of Paton's Divine! Something in me wants to make it lacey... is that crazy?? Monday's almost over; a whole week ahead of us all. Make the most of it! LC

Copy Cats: by the dawn's early light

See what happens when you need to rest your fingers from knitting and have had too much tea to drink so you aren't sleepy, little squirrel? More than you will ever need to know! At least I got #2Son up for his eight o'clock class. Another diddie for your amusement: The things you find in the shop windows of the French Quarter! LC

Real Friends Share

their yarn!! I have this pretty impressive friend who surprised me last Saturday with a bag of yarn from her stash. See my new pretties? The blue, pink, and varigated balls are cotton blends. Will probably hold onto it until I know whether my neices unborn child is a boy or girl; then whatever is left will probably be used in charity knitting. The varigated is so much prettier than the photo shows! I'm thinking of a cropped-top for dance class (will ask on knitlist for pattern ideas). I know the very pink ball is LB Homespun; not sure about the green boucle. I'm not usually much of a green person, but this is a surprisingly lovely shade. I did have to begin my stepdaughter's smoke-ring again. It was twice as wide as necessary. I didn't bother to frog it, just started with a new skein. Always one to try to 'make lemonade' I did a three-needle cast-off with the active edge -- first time to try that. It's long and thin, and I'm thinking of putting my new buckwheat hull pillow in it and seaming up the other side, then using it in the living room. Maybe I'll think of something else. On the new start, I used a cable cast-on (second time for that) instead of my usual long-tail cast on. Haven't touched the socks, though. Determined to get this last Christmas present done before I do anything else. Spent a lot of time last night reading other knitting blogs, setting up some more links in my sidebar from those I like to read. Am not through my list yet though! LC

Heels or Froggin'?

Been spending way more time reading about knitting than doing it, I guess, because I don't seem to have much to show for the past five days. I've finished two balls of Bernat's Divine working on my youngest step-daughter's smoke-ring/wimple -- I'm afraid it is too big around. The piece is 10 inches deep so far. I finished the second ball on Saturday night, but I've put off starting the third ball. I guess the best thing to do is take a piece of scrap yarn, thread it through the loops and try on the piece. I'm working on circulars, so that's the only way I can figure to see just what it is looking like as a whole. I do love the way it feels and looks. Very soft. Kind of chunky & bumpy. I'm almost ready to do the heel on the kids sock! Since I don't have a knitting or beading photo to upload tonight, I'll add a picture of my 'bestest' sweetheart. The four-legged one, anyway. LC

Hat's Done...

but I'm not happy with it. I guess it is just that it is too big. The bottom is too loose and I don't know how to tighten it. So much for 'cast on loosely' (which is NO reflection on the pattern, just me). I sort of used the London Beanie instructions, but I also followed the decreasing instructions in Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears. Anyway, it ended up looking more like a woman's hat than a man's. So, off in the mail it goes tomorrow, along with the scarf of same thread (both for my NIL); a LB Fun Fur scarf & Bernat Boa hat for DN... Veggie Tales stuffed animals and some fleece pants for little precious one of theirs, and other assorted goodies. Off to find some other thing to not knit correctly. LC

Unbelievable!

I don't know which is more unbelievable: the trouble I've had with a 'simple' beanie hat or the fact that it is 28 degrees outside right now! LC

Hurrah!

Mark's scarf is finally finished! I only had 12 rows left when I went to bed at 3am this morning, but no telling how many times I would have had to 'tink' it if I'd tried to finish it then. Today I decided it was sort of wide, so I seamed it down the edge and gathered the ends tightly together. Now I'm casting on to see if I can get a beanie out of the remaining yarn; if not, I'll just it away for 'kid' knitting. Did I mention it has been in the mid-70's here since New Year's Eve? I've had my windows open. January and I'm wearing sandals without socks. But, I'm not gloating or anything. No, of course, not. LC

Hello to 2 0 0 4 ! ! !

Tradition (or, some may say, superstition) in my home growing up was that New Year's Day should be a snapshot of the whole year to come. In other words, do all the things on that day that you hope/need to do that year. Mom always made sure to do a little of those 'have-to' things, as well as the 'want-to' things. I've always pretty much followed her way. So, each New Year's Day, I try to cook a little, clean a little, and definitely stitch a lot! I put a few more rows on the socks. The DPs still feel awkward, and twice I've grabbed the wrong needle to 'work' the next portion. Yikes! Fortunately, the stitches stayed put. We ran to Ryan's to eat -- I just didn't feel like cooking New Year's dinner. I'd forgotten to get groceries for it on Wednesday anyway, then we stayed up until 3am this morning, so it was easier just to go out. Fine with me, of course!! Took care of those Southern New Year's eating traditions: pork, cabbage, & black-eyed peas. Bad news is that it looks like I'll be tinking this year too. Last night at a friend's house, I missed a row of the pattern in the scarf I took to work on. Had to rip out all those rows today. boo-hoo Well, back to the scarf. I can't believe something so simple is taking so long. It would be twice as long (and therefore finished ) if I didn't keep having to tink. Once it gets long enough, I think I will work from the other end of the ball and see if I can get a beanie out of the remaining yarn. ... enjoying the scent of bayberry candle (another family NY tradition) LC

Good-bye to 2 0 0 3 ! ! !

Is the last day of the year a good day to try to learn something totally new?? Well, it isn't a Friday* so I guess I'll find out. My Bryspun double-pointed needles from Clevenger Creations arrived yesterday, so, of course, I had to try them. I had picked up two balls of Bernat's Hot Sox to practice/learn to make socks... there was also a child's sock pattern on the label, so that was handy. One ball is supposed to make a pair. So, here's as far as I have gotten. I feel all thumbs, but so far so good. I stopped to post on this last day of 2003, before I head out for dinner at friends. Will take the (Alternating) Twin Rib scarf along with me . . . . gotta pick up some Powerball tickets too. I listed the following on a forum a couple days ago as my resolutions for 2004:

(1) to remember birthdays ON-TIME

(2) to use my creative skills to give tangible results to those around me

(3) to delve deeper into my personal spirituality in order to attain resolution, for myself at least, over several personal situations

(4) to be content -- always my primary goal

Four is enough, I think: "Four has long been a number of completion, stability and predictability, as well as the representation of all earthly things." LC *Momma never started anything on Friday she couldn't finish before she went to bed.

I Promised, But...

I can't get a photograph to show what I actually did, and I'm not sure I will explain it well enough. I'm talking about the way I knitted Jenna's scarf. I had one ball each of Lion's Fun Fur in Hot Pink & Confetti. The pink was so dark and bright, I was afraid it would overwhelm the variegated, and I also though a back & forth (two rows) would stripe the scarf more than I wanted... so... I worked only one row in each color, slipping the stitches to the opposite end of the circular needles to pick up the next color. What this did (beside make for rather loose edge stitches) was to make three rows look like stockinette, then two rows of garter, and so on. Sort of neat looking, but a little tricky to keep up with. The close-up photo doesn't show what I did, and of course, unless you look closely, you can't see the stitching for the fur anyway. Just thought I'd share (some more of) my weird ways! LC

Beadin' Braggin' Bloggers

is a newly created (by me) webring for beaders. Once I discovered all the fiber artists who are sharing their talents on the web via their blogs, I knew it was something beaders could do equally as well. We'll see if there is interest. There's now a link to the webring home on this site, so pass the word to beaders you know, if you please. So, for some OBC (obligatory beading content), here are some quickie gifts I put together for my stepdaughters and niece. The idea is not mine; it came from a magazine (perhaps Woman's World, not sure). These sets of nine stretchy, seed bead bracelets are not endowed with magical powers, but one just might find magical things happening to one's health and weight if used properly. We are encouraged to eat nine portions of vegetables and fruit each day. So, every morning, place all nine of the bracelets on your left arm. As you eat a portion of fruit or vegetables, move one bracelet to your right arm. At the end of the day, are all the bracelets on your right arm? Then you got all your portions -- didn't do so good today?? Well, tomorrow is another day, Scarlett. LC

One More Finished!

Finally finished Jenna's giftslast night. I'm not happy at all with the hat, and I reworked it three times. I shall tell her if she doesn't think she will wear it, I will just recycle the yarn -- it certainly won't hurt my feelings! Makes me think of that one Barbie I had with the pink fuzzy hat. She was the Fashion Queen Barbie, where you could change the wigs. Well, maybe it is sort of fun-looking. See: it made me smile! LC