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

11/24/23

The Glass Snowflake Star Ornament

 I've made my very first 3-D peyote stitched Star ornament.



The pattern is The Glass Snowflake Star from Crystalstargems on Etsy. The star is made by constructing 5 warped squares in peyote stitch, then sewing each square together to form a star. Here is a close up of one point so you can see the pattern better. The main color is clear. I used a very pale lilac with a darker shade lilac for the geometric patterns.



Inside there is a support tube made with peyote stitch that helps support the shape, but I admit I did stuff the whole thing. I used plastic wrap in hopes that light will go through it. There's a flat crystal in the center of each side. This helps to hold the inside support in place.



The pattern has just one crystal bicone and then a delica on each point. I used some very sparkly round crystals with a small 3mm bicone crystal and then the delica.



The star took a lot more time to do than I expected. I really love how it turned out though. I'm looking forward to hanging it on my tree this year.


I had a nice Thanksgiving. It was low key this year. A total of seven of us for dinner, not including Zoey. We still managed to have enough food for 20 people. I made Strawberry Jello salad, the stuffing, an apple pie which didn't get touched, and a Raspberry Victoria Cake


It turned out almost perfect. I'm getting better at the cake making thing. That whipped cream looks so white and it was so good! The filling included raspberry jam. Goodness, it was so delicious, we didn't eat any of the other desserts.

Tonight we had the annual Park family Leftovers dinner at Dan's house. So much delicious food. This time the pies were eaten. I didn't take the leftover cake because there wasn't enough left to bother hauling it over there.

Making progress on the socks. The first one turned out just a little bit big so I'm making the second one shorter. After it's done, I'll frog the first one back and shorten the foot. I'll be much happier if I do that.

In the meantime, I've decided not to make the first socks I started yet. I don't have time before I have to send this stuff to it's destination. I found a very nice hat pattern with Octopus on it. I've ordered the yarn and it should be here next week.  After Christmas I'll go back to the first socks and make them for Opal's birthday, which is in January.

That is all for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//





My nephew Jonny and his family made the rest of the meal. 

11/23/23

Happy Thanksgiving

 I hope you have a lot to be thankful for. I know I do.



Live long and prosper. \\//

11/15/23

WIP Wednesday

 An update on the projects. I started a beaded 3-D star a few months ago. Apparently I've not mentioned it here until now. It's peyote stitch, so it's been very slow going but, last week I finally finished the five pieces needed to make the star, called warped squares. Last night I managed to sew the front part together. 



I need to sew the back pieces together now. Probably will do that later this week. It takes a lot of concentration. It also involves inserting the little beaded tube there beside it while I'm at it. It supports the star so it doesn't need to be stuffed. Tonight is Survivor and The Masked Singer night, so no heavy crafting for me.


I'd love to get it done by Christmas.

In the last couple of days, I've worked on the heel for the floral sock. It's toe up socks with a short row heel. I did the one in the pattern, but I didn't like it. I'm sorry to all of you who love the German Short row Heel. I just don't like how it looks, so I frogged it. Then I looked for other short row heels. Tried a couple different ones, frogged them. I finally found the Mock Short Row Heel. That one, I like!



It is super easy to do. This is the sole side.



This looks kind of fuzzy. I added a lace weight strand of yarn I found in the stash that turned out to have a halo to it, which I kind of like. This is the instep side of the heel.


Speaking of fuzzy, I had to take a few rows of the foot out because I knit further than I was supposed to before starting the heel. After I did that, I rolled the yarn back onto the balls. The white yarn was very pink. AAAAHHH!!! My first thought was that the red yarn is running already, and I haven't even got it wet yet. Then I saw the red fuzz. I pulled it off the white yarn and it was still white underneath. Whew! That was close!

Live long and prosper. \\//




11/12/23

A Knitting Weekend

 Since I finished the last layette set, I've been working on Christmas knitting. I started out working on socks for Opal. I found a really cool pattern that combines slip stitch with twisted stitches. This is what they're supposed to look like.


I'm using turquoise and coral pink.


This is where I'm at, after a week of knitting. Sigh... I get a few inches into it and it looks so awful that I frog it back to the cuff. I'm having problems making smooth stitches at the needle changes. After my 4th failure, I've put it in time out and started the second Christmas gift. Socks again.


Good old fashions stranded color work. I've been enjoying this one a lot. Not so easy that I can get complacent, but not too hard to frustrate me. I'll get back to the slip-twists after this sock is done.

Our weather has been cold and wet. Some sun, but very little warmth. It has been above freezing though, so all precipitation has been rain.

We lost a beloved family member yesterday. My brother-in-laws dog, Tripper passed away.


He was such a good dog, and he was Cables best friend before she died.  


He was getting pretty old, so we knew it was coming. It still hurts when it happens. We are going to miss him a lot. 

Sometimes getting up in the morning just isn't worth it. Hoping for better days.

Live long and prosper. \\//




11/5/23

The Last Layette for Knitwits- #63

 This is a bittersweet post. I have made the last layette set for KnitWits. I'm done. I joined KnitWits in 2007, about a year after I'd closed my needle craft shop. I remember my first project. I knit a blanket using 2 strands of yarn-one red and one white- from my stash. I used the infamous Beginner Diamond Dishcloth pattern that just about every knitter learns about at one time or another. It's been around forever. It originally was a free pattern put out by a yarn company that came on the back of the label. If you use size 10 or 11 needles and knit with 2 strands of worsted weight yarn, it makes a cute baby blanket.

I'm going to miss having the group so much, but I also see knitting projects for me and my family in my future too. I've already got the patterns and yarn and I'm getting excited about it. But first, here's Layette Set #63.

Cardigan



PatternLittle Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith
Size: 6 months

Yarn: Loop and Threads Impeccable Glitter
Content: 97% Acrylic/3% Metallic, worsted weight
Color: 12310 Ultra Violet

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: Parakeet

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: 9780 Robins egg

Needles: Circular size 7 and 8

Started: October 12, 2023
Finished: October 25, 2023

Comments: I've used this pattern before. It's just been awhile. Instead of following the stripe pattern that's in the pattern, I decided to do something different. I found a Random Stripe Generator online. I fed in the 3 colors of yarn I'd chosen and the parameters of stripe size, 1-3 rows, and used that for the stripe pattern in this little sweater, which turned out to be rather fun! 



I did switch colors on 2 of the stripes in the middle to make carrying the yarns up the side a little easier. I love the result!



I was seriously lacking in fun buttons in my stash, so I settled for these basic pale purple ones. I just wasn't willing to drive into Coeur d'Alene for some buttons. It doesn't show much in these pictures, but the dark purple yarn has a shiny metallic purple thread in it.



Hat



PatternBaby Hat by Scarlet Taylor
Size: 6 months

Yarn: Loop and Threads Impeccable Glitter
Content: 97% Acrylic/3% Metallic, worsted weight
Color: 12310 Ultra Violet

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: Parakeet

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: 9780 Robins egg

Needles: Circular size 7

Started: October 26, 2023
Finished: October 28, 2023

Comments: This was an interesting knit. It was a little confusing the way it's written, but it's a free pattern, so you get what you pay for. I put a pompom on top of it. I used the Clover pompom maker. I think it's an awesome tool.


 
I made cords at the end of the earflaps so it can be tied on under babies little chin.



Booties



Pattern: Seamless Garter Tassel Booties by Karen Strauss

Size: 6 months

Yarn: Loop and Threads Impeccable Glitter
Content: 97% Acrylic/3% Metallic, worsted weight
Color: 12310 Ultra Violet

Needle Size: Circular 7

Started: October 29, 2023
Finished: October 29, 2023

They're knit as written in the pattern. No modifications, except the buttons behind the tassels.



Blanket



Pattern: Shell stitch

Size: 30 by 36 inches

Yarn: Loop and Threads Impeccable Glitter
Content: 97% Acrylic/3% Metallic, worsted weight
Color: 12310 Ultra Violet

Hook: Size G

Started: October 30, 2023
Finished: October 30, 2023

I hope the parents who receive this for their baby like it.


For the last few months it's been a real struggle doing my blog posts, or anything else I've done with my laptop. It became difficult to highlight and copy or cut something with my mouse. I, of course, assumed it was my own fault. Well, I was super frustrated the other day when I was trying to cut and paste and it just wouldn't work. I decided maybe it was an out-of-date driver, but there was no update. My husband, who can hear me muttering and exclaiming in frustration, asked to see my mouse. The left button was broken! My new mouse arrived today. Yay! 

It's not purple. It is pink. The model I purchased didn't come in purple. Function was more important than color this time.


I bought a Logitech mouse, Model M650. It's so nice. Smooth and quiet and actually does what I want it too. I am very happy with it. 

Live long and prosper. \\//

11/4/23

Last Hat for Knitwits

 One of last months finishes. Turned it in Wednesday at our last KnitWits meeting. I'm going to miss that group very much. Anyway, the hat.



PatternTwo Color Hat by Andrea Wong
Size: Medium Adult

Yarn: Assorted Leftovers
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: Black, Dark Sage, Purple, Royal Blue, White

Needles: Circular size 7

Started: October 4, 2023
Finished: October 7, 20223



The pattern calls for just 2 colors. I just thought I'd use more. It's an interesting pattern. After the ribbed cuff, there are a couple rows of purl. Then it's stockinette for the patterned part, then purl after the patterns are done. It needed to be blocked harder than usual because the purl sections made the hat kind of wonky.


I have finished my last layette set for KnitWits too, but I'll do a separate blog post for that.

We've got a new resident in our yard hanging around the buffet. Isn't it beautiful? The beak is such a pretty shade of pink. This is a very rare bird! We are so lucky to have seen it.



It's a House Finch with Leucitic, or perhaps Albino, coloring. It showed up a couple weeks ago with a few normally colored finches. We thought they may be passing through, but seems like they're going to stay awhile.



We had an absolutely frigid week last week. Got way below freezing. The Marigolds are thoroughly dead. Now it's warmed up a bit and we're getting lots of rain today. Might get as much as 3 inches.

Early in October (or was it late September?) I saw my regular doctor. My feet and ankles have been in a lot of pain for months now. X-rays were done and we found out I have arthritis in my foot joints and ankles. It's making it very hard to walk. Sometimes the pain wakes me up at night. I've been using Tylenol. It helps. I probably need to take something stronger. I should make an appointment about it.

I have an update for the sick kitty, Merino. He did not get better after the vet visit a month ago. So I took him back to the vet and spent an enormous amount of money for tests. Everything showed he was healthy as a horse. So X-rays were ordered. Found out the problem! He has arthritis in his lower back and it's been so painful it's making him hold his pee and poo in an effort to avoid the pain of going. Unfortunately, he can only hold it so long, so he lets go where ever he happens to be at the time. 

We put him on pain killers. Wow! What a difference. He's his old lovey dovey self again. He's stopped peeing outside the box. He is eating again and starting to gain some weight. He hasn't stopped pooping outside the box yet. I replaced all three litter boxes with new ones because we thought he might be associating the original boxes with the pain. He's been trying to poop in them, but is still dealing with constipation. I praise him when he's trying, and scold him when he uses the dining room floor. Hopefully, this will change. It's probably just going to take time.

They have a new pain killer for cats that is just one shot a month. I asked the vet if I could have some of it in my ankles. She laughed, and said no. 😞 It's not been approved for humans yet. Yet! That gives me hope.

Now that KnitWits is done, I can get serious about the Christmas knitting. I've got 3 pairs of socks to do. I'm going to give each sock a week. They all should be done in time if I do that. I better get busy, so until next time...

Live long and prosper. \\//