"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

3/17/17

Layette Set # 18

Another Layette set. You know, I keep telling myself I'm going to use another pattern for the cardigan, but I keep going back to this one. I just love it.



The Cardigan



Pattern: Super Natural Stripes by Fawn Pea

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Tangerine (they really ought to call it Hunter Orange)

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: White

Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Fairy Tale

Needles: U.S. size 7 circulars

Started: February 28, 2017
Finished: March 5, 2017

The Hat



Pattern: Chibi Striped Baby Hat by Chiaki Hayashi

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Tangerine (they really ought to call it Hunter Orange)

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: White

Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Fairy Tale

Needles: U.S. size 7 circulars

Started: March 7, 2017
Finished: March 8, 2017

The Booties



Pattern: Seamless Garter Tassel Booties by Karen Strauss

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Tangerine (they really ought to call it Hunter Orange)

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: White

Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Fairy Tale

Needles: U.S. size 7 circulars

Started: March 9, 2017
Finished: March 10, 2017

The Blanket



Pattern: Three rows of (Sc1, Ch1) all the way around.

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Tangerine (they really ought to call it Hunter Orange)

Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted weight
Color: Fairy Tale

Hook: U.S. size G

Started: March 14, 2017
Finished: March 14, 2017

Set number 19 is under way.



Live long and prosper. \\//

3/16/17

Lilacs By The Water

I have an actual finished beading project. The twisted triangle of 2 years ago is now a necklace. I've named it Lilacs By The Water.



I decided to go the easy way and did a Spiral Rope chain.



I put glass pearls and bi-cone crystals between the triangle and the chain.



It goes pretty well with the spirals in the triangle.



The clasp is a simple sterling silver toggle and loop.



The triangle is made with size 15, 11, and 8 Japanese seed beads and size 11 delicas. I want to make another one of them. They're fun. It's just a regular peyote triangle done with different sized beads to cause the undulation, or as it's more commonly known, Cellini Spiral stitch . If you are interested, the pattern is here: Gimlet. Be aware, it's in Russian.



I put a silver cone with a glass pearl on the bottom point with 5 seed bead fringes.



It's been nice putting beading back into my life.



What old beading project will I finish next? Hmm....

Live long and prosper. \\//

3/6/17

Beading

I have started beading again.



I've got several projects I started and haven't finished yet. I hope to maybe get some of those done this year. I am currently working on a spiral rope to turn the waving triangle in the picture above into a necklace. I made that triangle two years ago.

I've also got a fringe necklace that needs to be finished, some beaded beads that never got done, a couple bead embroidery projects, a netted necklace, a peyote bracelet, a couple Christmas ornament covers, goodness! I need to catch a case of finishitis.

I have not been beading because my eyesight is not so good for doing work with little tiny things anymore, even with bifocals. I have bought a couple magnifiers over the past couple years that helped some, but not quite good enough. I have to bend my neck down in a way that causes it to start aching when using them. Someone suggested I try a dentists loupe, so I'm going to do that. It should be here sometime later this week.

I've got two Beginning Knitting classes starting this week. One on Tuesday, the other next Saturday. I'm told there are registered students. Yay! There is a request for a sock class too, so I guess I'll be scheduling it. Gonna be a busy month.

Live long and prosper. \\//

3/5/17

Blue Rose Bud

We live in a mobile home built in the early 90's with vinyl wallpapered bathrooms cuz that is what was popular back then, so I'm stuck with it until we decide we want to spend the money to get rid of it. To be honest, I like it in the guest bathroom. It's a nice print of pink and blue leaves on a white background. I recently redecorated this bathroom with navy blue accessories. You know, shower curtain, window valance, towels, rug. Got rid of the pink now that the youngest is off to college. I decided I needed a navy blue rose bud toilet tissue cover. It required I use my crochet skills.




Pattern: Tissue Cover from Annie's Crochet Newsletter Jan/Feb 1992

Made For: My house.

Size: To fit a roll of toilet tissue

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic
Colors: Navy, Frosty Green

Hook: Size H

Started: March 2, 2017
Finished: March 3, 2017

I like to have a spare roll of tissue sitting on the back of the toilet in case someone runs out and needs it. Toilet tissue covers were pretty popular in the 80's. I dusted off the H crochet hook, got a skein of navy blue, and dug out an old pattern. I'm surprised I could remember where I put it. It was right where I remember putting it too. A miracle, I assure you. The rose bud looks nice doing it's appointed duty.



This is the magazine the pattern is in.



I took a short walk down memory lane while digging it out of the cupboard. My mother-in-law, Naomi, introduced me to Annie's Attic publications, owned and operated by Annie Potter, back in the 80's. They had two publications that we both loved. Annie's Attic Pattern Club and Annie's Attic Crochet Newsletter. Crochet was pretty popular at that time and the patterns Annie's Attic produced were amazing.

In the early 2000's Annie's Attic was sold to DRG Publishing. They discontinued the magazines and took most of the patterns and books off the market because crochet was no longer as popular. Crochet is coming back now, so I expect they'll bring back some of those publications, but I doubt it will ever be as wonderful as the original Annie's Attic was. You can find some of the original Annie's Attic publications on Ebay.

Speaking of discontinuing, we had to make a traumatic change in the life of our little cat, Chenille, yesterday. She's thoroughly angry at me. The house is full of tension and a lot of yeowling, hissing, and whining as a result, but it had to be done.



Chenille is almost 15 years old. For years her domain has been on top of one of the 8 ft high bookshelves in the living room. We have a tall cat tree, about 5 feet high, that has been next to that shelf. Chenille would get up on the tree, then jump from there on top of the shelf. I put a little bed up there so she'd be comfortable. Well, she's aged enough now that she's having trouble getting back down. So much so that instead of getting down and using the litter box yesterday, we caught her pooping up there. Sweet hubby brought in our step ladder so I could get up there to clean up the mess and I discovered, to my horror, that it was not the first time. She's been laying on a layer of dried feces on her bed. Ugh! It has to be new behavior because I washed that bed before we went on the cruise. It explained why she's been rather odorous when wanting to sit in my lap the last couple weeks. This kind of thing can't go on so we moved the cat tree to the dining room and she can no longer get up there. I threw the little bed away. It was too disgusting to put in my washing machine.

She wandered around the house for hours meowing LOUDLY her distress and looking for a new place to call her domain. She hissed at the other fur kids if any got near her, and made everyone's life miserable so she wasn't suffering alone. She will adjust, in time. She's quiet today, so far, and is hunkered down on a towel on top my ironing board glaring at me. I think she'll be okay. I worry about her. She's not got much more time left on this earth.

Live long and prosper. \\//


3/1/17

WIP Wednesday 3/1/2017

It's WIP Wednesday time. I am showing 2 projects today. Yesterday, at the Rathdrum Knitalong meeting, I started a new layette set with the casting on of the cardigan.



I still have some of the white, violet, orange, and teal paisley print fleece that needs to be used. I've decided to go with the white, orange, and violet in the fabric.

I've also been working on the white and mint mitten.



As you can see in these photos, there is not enough contrast to see the color pattern clearly, so I am going to frog these and find some other yarn for this project.



I'm taking this yarn back to KnitWits. Someone else can find a better use for it.

Another issue I've had with this mitten is the needles are tarnishing. These are Addi Turbo Lace needles, which I love. I'm getting black all over my hands, and some on the yarn too. I googled it this morning and found out that some of the Turbo Lace needles do this because they are made of brass and the clear coating that is ordinarily put on them to prevent tarnishing didn't get put on some batches. There are solutions to the problem. I ordered some polish from Amazon to clean the tarnish off. The polish will leave a coating that will prevent the needles from tarnishing again.

It is snowing this morning. Ugh.

Live long and prosper. \\//