WIP Wednesday 6/4/2025

 I'm making good progress on my projects. Today I'm featuring two of them. First is the felt applique stocking I'm making for Zoey.

I'm not happy that that lollipop is crooked. I'm going to be redoing that! I did steam the stocking, though, and got the creases out. I'm still having problems with the brown ink bleeding. It's getting all over my hands too. I hope I can fix that after it's done.

The second thing I'm going to show you is the cross stitch train picture I started in February. I started it, then put it aside to get some birthday projects done. Last weekend I had the thought that I really should get back to working on it because Christmas is not that far away.

The first thing I discovered was that I'd used the wrong color on  the part I'd started. This is one of the train cars. It looks a little easier than the other cars.

Our weather has been really nice the last few days. Before that we got rain. I've spent a few days outside working on the yard and enjoying my deck. I've taken to sitting out there in the morning reading my Kindle and drinking coffee. I'm hoping wildfire season will be delayed, maybe even cancelled this year. Probably a pipe dream, huh? Anyway, I got the deck flower boxes planted with Marigolds. I got them from a local nursery rather than Home Depot or some other box store garden department. This is how they looked after I was finished planting. I think they're going to be beautiful.

Yesterday I installed the drip system. I thought it would take about an hour at the most. Three hours later I was having to quit because I ran out of parts. I need some more of the mini drippers. A few broke during the winter. I've ordered some. I did get it working enough to turn it on. Just need to hand water a couple things until I get them, which should be tomorrow.

Next week my husband is going in for heart surgery. He's got a ton of tests to do beforehand. I am getting anxious. I sure hope this works or I don't know what we'll do. He can't just go on living this way where he has no energy whatsoever to get things done. He can't even ride his bike. I'll be keeping the fingers crossed-figuratively speaking.

One more thing. I made Creme Brulee' last weekend. It's my favorite dessert.

The week before that I made a Coconut cake to take to a meeting. It required 6 egg whites. I didn't want to just throw away the yolks, so I did a search for recipes using 6 yolks and found a Crème Brulee' recipe. It was so easy, and so good. I used to make it before we had kids (using a slightly different recipe, of course). I don't know why I stopped. If you've never had it, give it a try. It's heavenly. It's a creamy silky custard with a sugar crust on top. To die for, I swear!

Live long and prosper. \\//

Kisurakkaus Mittens

 I finished these mittens just in time. I need to send them to my daughter next week if they're gonna make it there by her birthday.

Pattern: Kisurakkaus Kirjoneulelapaset by Hanna Pesonen

Size: Womens Medium

Yarn: Lana Gatto Wool Gatto

Content: 100% Superwash Wool, Sport weight
Color: Black

Yarn: Berroco Comfort Sock
Content: 50% Nylon, 50% Acrylic. Fingering weight
Color: 1812

Needles: Circular size 3

Started: March 21, 2024
Finished: April 21, 2024

Comments: I learned so much making these mittens. I wouldn't recommend them for a beginner though, that's for sure! First of all, the pattern is written in Finnish, which I don't know anything about. The charts are pretty good though, so I figured I'd figure it out.

The designer made these with Aran weight yarn and got a gauge of 29 stitches to 4 inches. With ARAN yarn! I could not get that gauge using a light worsted weight (I originally planned to use Cascade 220 Wool) and size 1. I dug in my stash and found a skein of sport weight black Lana Gatto. I found two skeins of Berroco Comfort fingering sock yarn for the second color. Decided to knit with 2 strands held together of that. I got gauge with a size 3 needle.

I made a small change to the pattern. I started with 3 rounds of 1 by 1 rib. I felt the need for something to pull the fabric in just a bit before that first Latvian Braid. It has a kind of stabilizing effect.

The main motif on the back of the hand is this cute little Art Deco style cat. 

The pattern only has one chart, so I had to figure out how to reverse it for the second mitten so the cats would face each other. I scanned the chart into my computer as a jpeg, flipped it and called it good.

This is the palm side.

Here's a close up of the paw print.

Detail of the thumb. Little cat heads. The back side is just the alternating dot pattern. The thumb gave me a hard time. When you put the thumb stitches on a holder, you then cast on just 3 stitches in the space made and carry on. When it is time to put the thumb stitches back on the needle, you then have to pick up 11 more sts, but there's only three in that space. I've not seen a thumb like that before. Fortunately, my daughter came to the rescue and found a video that explains how to do that here:

Picking Up Stitches For The Thumb

And, because people ask, here's the inside floats.

There was a lot of tinking and frogging for this project so I'm super glad to have them done. With any luck, I'll get them in the mail later this week.

I still don't have my Medicare card. I talked to them on the phone a second time which resulted in them sending me a form to have my husband fill out which confirmed I'm his wife. Then two weeks ago I found out my application has been denied for not having enough work credits. 

That was it! I've been waiting for 3 months! Friday of that week I finally called Senator Crapo, who is our Senator, and asked for help. Their problem solver emailed me a form to fill out giving them permission to look into my files, and I was told they'll get it fixed. Last Friday I received the official application denial from Social Security in the mail. Haven't heard from Crapo's office since sending in the form.

Contrary to what SSA seems to think, I am qualified to receive Medicare. I've been married to my husband for 42 years. I figure I've worked maybe a total of 7 years during that time. The rest of the time I've been the house wife/stay at home mom. Doug worked enough to qualify us both for Medicare. Sheesh, what a mess!

This year I bought my plants for the deck flower boxes early. Plants are readily available too soon by at least 6 weeks for my personal weather zone. I can't plant until after Mothers Day. I thought I could keep them alive by putting them out during the day, and bringing them in at night so they don't freeze. I got 36 marigolds and 12 strawberries. Yup. That didn't work out. I forgot to bring them in 2 nights later and we got a freeze cold enough to kill the marigolds (strawberries are fine). I was lamenting this to my friend on Monday and she told me about a tiny little greenhouse on sale at BiMart. She went with me to the store to help me find them. I bought one. I also bought marigolds to replace the dead ones. 

This little house works! It's surprisingly well made. The front has a doorway that zips closed. I've been putting a pot of tap hot water on the bottom shelf at night to make extra sure my plants stay alive, but it's supposed to be able to keep them alive down to 20F with the door zipped up.

I'm very happy with it.

Still working on Andoa. I'll talk about it another time.

Live long and prosper. \\//

WIP Wednesday April 8, 2020

It's WIP Wednesday. Here are some WIPs.

The dog sweater has turned into something.

I had finished the neck ribbing and started the body, doing a solid color 5 by 1 rib pattern when I started thinking creatively. Next thing I know, I've ripped back 4 inches to the neck ribbing, grabbed a 3rd color from my stash, and started knitting fairisle. I don't know what came over me. This was supposed to be easy, right? I've been doing it back and forth, and right now the thought has come to my mind "Why didn't I do it in the round?". AAAHH! I may be frogging later. I'm not in a hurry, so......

This is the cowl.

Today we had the most awesome weather. Sunshine, and warm enough to sit out in the sunshine. I decided to work on grafting the two ends of this baby together. After about 2 hours, I got halfway through when I noticed the vertical white lines on the sides didn't line up. They were off by 2 stitches. I checked things back at the beginning of the round and discovered I started it that way. WT...??? I had to undo all the grafting I'd just done. It took me 1.5 hours. I went back into the house and started writing this. I need to give the cowl a break.

So, all in all, knitting hasn't really been going all that well lately.

Spring is finally officially here at the Parkarosa. The snow pile in front of the house is completely gone, today. The plants have started sprouting. I have tiny little crocus blooming in the front yard.

Technically, they're growing in the lawn.

When we first moved into the house, I made a big bulb garden right in the front, in a half circle shape. A few years later, I dug it all up and planted grass seed. Apparently, I missed some crocus and they've been blooming ever since.

The Salome daffodils have sprouted. This is one of the three bunches I have. It's super loaded this year.

.

The Bleeding Heart is up too.

These are the items that always sprout first. I am so very happy to see them. Winter is over, and I made it through once again. We are going to have a few days of warmth. It's actually gonna get up to 70F degrees this weekend. I am so happy. With all this staying at home because of the Covid 19 virus, it felt so good just to get outside of the house. Deck knitting is in the future.

Live long and prosper. \\//

What I've Been Working On

Well, contrary to my plans, I was not able to block Margaret yet. The weekend was rather busy. So I've been knitting and stitching instead. I went back to working on the felt applique stocking.

I'm getting close to it being done. I'm making the tiny little felt ornaments that will be attached to the tree. Putting on the gold beaded garland was fun. I need to dig in my fabric stash and find something to line the stocking with.

I cast on for another sweater for Zoey. She chose the colors. I'm knitting it in the round and putting a nice little garter rib stitch pattern in it to liven things up just a bit for me.

Somewhere in the house I have a kit for making dog collars. I wonder where it is? I could make collars to go with her sweaters. Hmmm...

The Honeycrisp apples are growing nicely. They're big enough I can see them from the kitchen window now.

Sweet Hubby is getting ready for school to start. He's been registering for classes, preparing a class to teach, and filling out piles of paperwork. He is going to teach his very first class this year, as a graduate student. It will be interesting to see how he does. I've never thought he would have the patience to be a good teacher. Especially after his stroke. I'm hoping I'm wrong and he does very well. I know he's excited about it and that is winning half the battle.

U of Idaho is paying him a small stipend, which will cover this years tuition. I am so happy because we don't have money coming in. We've been living on our savings ever since he got laid off 2 years ago. This will help immensely cuz the savings is dropping in amount fast.

It has become quite obvious to me that U of Idaho is grooming Sweet Hubby to become a professor in the computer science department. He's been told they'll hire him when he graduates, which, hopefully, will be next year. He's going to be working on his thesis this school year as well as taking classes and teaching a class. He will be busy.

It's a nice warm summer day. Not overly hot. I don't even have the air conditioner on. It was predicted a week ago that it would be horrible hot and smokey, but ha ha. We got storms over the weekend that dropped a lot of rain clearing the smoke out and cooling things off. The air is very clear today. We are having much cooler weather this summer than we usually have. I'm enjoying it. I hope it stays this way.

Until next time...

Live long and prosper.\\//

Oh My Goodness!

Dogwood and Hummingbird. I've finished it! Only took 2 days. Why didn't I finish it months ago?

I got frustrated with it when I started doing the back stitching on the back of one of the Hummingbirds. It was so confusing to stitch because the lines are diagonal across the squares and the back stitch thread is barely a different color than the stitches I had to stitch over. I had a hard time seeing them. I had a terrible time keeping straight which ones I'd done. I decided to put it away for awhile. Ended up being 2 years!

Last week I joined a couple Cross Stitch groups on Facebook and got inspired to finish it. I looked at the pattern again and figured out a way to stitch it without getting lost or confused. It feels so good to get it done. Now I just need to wash it, block it, mount it, and frame it. I should be able to enter this one in the fair this year. Huzzah!

I've also done a bit on the applique Christmas stocking.

I'm enjoying it immensely.

Yesterday, bad back and knees regardless, I took on the task of weeding the front flower bed. My daughter Ruth helped. I am so thankful she did because if she hadn't it would have been a huge job for me. With her help, we got it done in just a couple hours.

This morning my sprained knee hurt quite a bit more than it did the day before because of the yard work I'd done, but I think I'll be okay. I was expecting the backs of my thighs to hurt a lot, but they don't. Yay! The front yard is looking pretty good now. Tomorrow I plan to do a little work with the weed trimmer. Then it will be done. Maintenance from that point should be easy if I keep up with it.

We've had such nice weather all this week. They're predicting rain on Saturday. I'll be glad to get it. It gives me an excuse to put off the yard work in the back yard for a day. I could use the rest.

Well, I need to get dinner started.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Flowers 'n Stuff

I took some pictures of flowers in my yard yesterday. I figured we'd be having a frost last night and that would be the end of them. However, we didn't get that frost. Probably tonight though. These pics are for me, so during the coming winter I can look at them.

My favorites among the 40 Petunias in the boxes on the deck.

Candy stripes.

True black.

Gotta have purple.

The Dahlia bloomed very well this year. My first real success at growing one. It's been blooming for several weeks. This is the last one of the year.

Despite the terrible care my veggie garden got this year, we actually got stuff out of it. I picked the last of the tomatoes, and the one zucchini. First time I've grown a zucchini that didn't provide enough to feed everyone within 200 miles.

We've had 4 meals from the green beans so far, and Ruth picked enough for 2 more meals so I put them in the fridge.

This coming weekend I plan to see what can be found in the row of carrots and beets. Don't know if there'll be anything or not. The ground squirrels have really done a number on the root crops.

I started another pair of slippers today. It will be pair #5. I'll post the 2 pairs I just recently finished soon.

Live long and prosper. \\//

She's Ready to Party!

Got the snaps sewed on the dress and took pics.

Lets Party!

Pattern: By me. (Not available)

Yarn: N.Y. Yarns Fluff Print in variegated pinks
Content: 100% Nylon, worsted weight
Yarn: S. Charles Collezione Ritratto in Northern Lights
Content: 53% Rayon/ 28% Mohair/ 10% Nylon/ 9% Polyester, DK weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 0 and 1

Cast on: August 5, 2013
Completed: September 1, 2013

Comments: I love how this turned out! I've adjusted the pattern for a perfect fit. It's not easy knitting with either of the yarns, but the trouble is worth it! There are 4 snaps in the back opening.

Pink furry yarn was used to make the yoke. This yarn is quite a bit thinner than the bulky yarn I used for the purple and black dress, so it was much easier to incorporate. I got gauge using one strand on the size 1 needles.

Ellie is ready to party!

I've cast on for another one. Haven't decided what color fur to use for the yoke. I have a couple different possibilities to choose from. I have a large supply of N.Y. Fluffy Print in my stash in several colors.

One more pic to share. I have 2 cherry tomato plants growing in large pots on the deck. They're producing now. Our first harvest. We ate them in salad tonight. Yum, were they every sweet and tasty!

We went through the whole month of August without a frost. I can't remember the last time that's happened. It's giving my tomatoes time to get ripe. Woo hoo!

Fire and Blood

It's been more than a week since my last post! How did that happen? Been busy busy busy. I'm posting a FO today.

2x2 Ribbed Fingerless Mitts

Pattern: Fingerless Mitts by Amanda Gill.

Yarn: Mixed Fiber Novelty by Gala
Content: Acrylic/nylon/polyester mix, worsted weight

Color: Gold/Red/Brown

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 6

Cast on: May 2, 2013
Completed: May 22, 2013

Comments: I altered the pattern some. Did my own thing for the thumb gusset. This is one of the yarns I found at BigLots!.The yarn is difficult to work with because the red/brown is a strand of boucle' that likes to get caught on the needle tips, but other than that, I like it very much. It's soft and warm, and machine washable. Can't argue with that.

I made them for Knitwits.

The past week has been very stressful. It's hard to take care of my father from such a long distance. Over the weekend I did some gardening, helped work on the hot tub, and knitted. On Saturday we went and saw the new Star Trek Into Darkness movie. I love it. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Lots of fun, action, explosions, humor, and entertainment. I really like the way J.J. Abrams makes movies. I want to go see it again. I will be owning the DVD.

I haven't slept much in the last few days or so. I have been trying very hard not to let the difficult personal stuff going on in my life bother me, but I'm failing miserably. The stress has taken it's toll. Besides being unable to sleep, on Tuesday my bladder started bleeding. I didn't really understand that's what was happening though. I thought all that red in my urine was dye from all the Fruit Punch Mio I'd drank the day before. Not one of my brightest moments.

Early Wednesday morning (about 3am) I asked my husband to take me to the hospital emergency. I was in a great deal of pain, bleeding, and unable to pee even though my bladder was very very full. As it turned out, the blood in my bladder had clotted and was blocking up the plumbing. While at the hospital, I managed to push it out. Very painful at first, but oh! When the dam broke it felt sooooooo good! They took some blood and urine for tests. They found nothing wrong. No reason for it other than stress. No infections or anything else could be found. I have been taking Coumadin for a few years because of a blood clotting disorder. The doctor said bleeding in the bladder can happen for that reason, combined with the stress. I was sent home with instructions to rest and follow up with my personal doctor in a few days. So that's what I've been doing. Resting. I even managed to get some sleep last night. The bleeding stopped after I got home. I still feel so tired though. It'll be a couple more days before I'm back to normal.

As I said, I've been knitting. I've finished the red doll dress and the knitting on the silver shrug. I need to sew up the sleeve seams and it'll be done too. All of my little knit projects are done. I guess I'll have to start casting on some more. Can't decide what to start with. So many choices! Maybe I'll start with another pair of fingerless mitts with the second color of the above yarn. I have some in a pretty silver gray with a gold/brown boucle' strand in it.

Stuff has started sprouting in the garden. I mean-stuff I've planted. Not just weeds. We have baby Sunflowers, Beets, Sweet Peas, Carrots, and Turnips. The Dahlias and Lilys I planted in the pots on the deck are sprouting too. We got a nasty frost last night, but everything seems to be doing fine despite it. The air is thick with pine pollen right now. It's that time of year. I've had to use the inhaler more than usual as a result. Yesterday it rained pretty much all day, which beat it all to the ground so the air is much cleaner today.

I'm planning for my next post to be about the two doll dresses and the pair of slacks I've finished. Hoping that works out for me.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Service Berries

Last I left you, I was about to tackle defrosting the freezer. Well, I did it. I'm so proud of myself. Daughter Ruth helped.

First we turned the freezer off and emptied the contents into the camping coolers. Then I set up the big box fan across the room from it (it's a tiny room. It sat on top the washing machine). I left the freezer door open with the fan blowing in it. This melts the ice faster than if I didn't use a fan.

One of the things I hate the most about defrosting it is that I have to empty a cake pan of water every 10 minutes. There's a little drain in the bottom of the freezer that leads to a little hose that comes out the bottom. It is very low to the ground so the tallest pan I can use and have it still work is a cake pan, which fills about every 10 minutes. It's a messy and boring process. However, this year my brain must have been on fire or something cuz I came up with a fantastic idea that removed the pan emptying step out of the process.

You can see the little gray hose in the picture. The hammer is anchoring it down. I made a chute out of aluminum foil and some wood pieces, set it up at an angle out the front door, and just let everything drain outside. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. It made the whole job a piece of cake. Took about 3 hours. While this was going on I knitted, puttered in the yard, cleaned house, and had fun. After it was done draining, I wiped it down with some warm water and a sponge, dried it with paper towels, turned it back on, and put everything back in. Job done.

Saturday was the hottest day of the year thus far. It got up to 88F degrees! In May! In the FIRST HALF of May! I did some knitting out on the deck in the morning. Then we headed into Coeur d'Alene to visit Home Depot to purchase supplies needed to install the hot tub. Spent all day there, pretty much. Spent a couple hours roaming around looking for what we needed. Then we went to Zip's for a quick lunch. While at Zip's Sweet Hubby remembered a couple more items he'd forgotten. So we went back to Home Depot for an hour. Finally, we headed for home.

When we got home Sweet Hubby discovered he'd bought the wrong sizes for two of the required supplies. So back to Home Depot I went. No one human would go with me though. So I took Cable. She enjoyed the ride immensely.

When I got home again I declared no more trips for me to Home Depot for the rest of the weekend! I was exhausted! By the way, I should mention, the air conditioners were not working at Home Depot. It's only the first part of May.

Sunday was Mothers Day and it was a good one. The weather was a bit cooler, and cloudy all day. My daughter Sarah and her husband sent me a lovely basket full of Jonquil bulbs. They've sprouted right away and are growing like crazy. I'm looking forward to them blooming. I spent the day knitting and working on planting the garden.

Sweet Hubby worked on getting the electrical set up for the hot tub installation. He had to go to Home Depot again. I refused to go. It was Mothers Day. I don't have to go to hardware stores on Mothers Day.

We went out for dinner to La Cabana, a Mexican restaurant in Rathdrum. I was in the mood for enchiladas. Dan and Sue went with us and we had a good visit.

One of the wild flowers that grows around here is Serviceberries. They have a dark purple berry that is actually pretty tasty, but by the time I get around to thinking about picking some, the birds have eaten them all. They are in full bloom right now. So beautiful. Here is the biggest one growing in our yard.

It stands about 14 feet tall. It's extra beautiful this year. Here are some close ups of the flowers. The sprinklers were on when I took this pic.

Oddly, they smell horrible. Not unlike the inside of a garbage can. So I don't bring cuttings of them into the house.

The petals are such a pure white.

A smaller bush by the deck has this on it.

There's a star in the center.

Monday was cold, gray, and wet. It rained pretty much all day, which is fine because we needed a bit of rain. Today I have Rathdrum Knitalong, and some errands to run. The day should be drier and just a bit warmer. The fridge is in need of restocking, and I need to go get a State Park sticker for the pick-up truck so we aren't charged extra when we go on this summer's camping trips. The sticker will give us free entrance to the parks too.

The new Star Trek opens this coming weekend. Hurray! I can hardly wait!

Live long and prosper. \\//