Mens Mittens for Knitwits #14

I've finished another pair of mittens for Knitwits

Little Brick Checks Mens Mittens (for Knitwits #14)

Pattern: Little Brick Checks by me.
Size: Mens Large

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Colorspun Worsted
Content: 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, worsted weight
Color: 7596 Natural

Needles: Circulars size 5.

Cast on: June 25, 2015
Completed: August 7, 2015

These ones turned out so pretty.

With a little bit of effort, I was able to make them match fairly well. Here's a close up of the stitch pattern.

I only had a few yards of yarn left when they were done, so I was sweating that last thumb. 

I've already started pair number 15.

I finished the teal layette set last night. It is completely done. I will post photos later.

When daughter wasn't looking, I borrowed her knitting bag so I could take some good pics.

Here's the cute button I found for it.

And the back.

The pattern for this bag is here:  Charm Pack Tote Bag

If you've never worked with Charm packs before, be warned. They can be addicting.

We had a couple cooler days with a bit of rain, but the heat is back. It's being relentless this summer. So glad for that air conditioning!

I am almost done with the revamping of the flower beds. The front is completed and about 2/3rds of the back. Sweet Hubby helped me out with it on Sunday. I need 10 more bags of beauty bark to finish. What's done is sure looking nice though. The Forsythia bush I planted last spring is doing very well. I think it likes it's new home. I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom next spring.

Fair season is coming upon us. I've got 47 entries for the Knitwits this year. They are all registered, tagged, packed, and ready to go. I turn them in next week.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Orchids in Bloom

It was a boiling hot day today! It is also extremely smoky out. Thick dirty smoke making my eyes burn and my asthma angry. Urg. So I spent the day indoors, puttering. I've been doing a lot of puttering of late. Puttering is when I drift around the house cleaning and organizing small areas that have been neglected (like organizing the junk drawer, and the cup I keep my crochet hooks in, or cleaning the top shelves where I can not see, let alone reach). I've changed light bulbs, replaced batteries, repaired things that need gluing, hemmed pants that needed hemming, finished little projects that needed finishing. I have actually been quite productive, but if you walked into the house you wouldn't know it.

I wish it would cool down a bit and the air clear out. I want to get busy with my newspaper mulching. I bought 20 bags of beauty bark that I have stacked neatly in the front yard. I have quite a few piles of newspapers from friends and family (Thanks guys!).

I have decided I'm pulling out the rose bushes in the front yard. I've had them for years and they have never amounted to anything. They get about a foot tall, have 1 flower each, and that's it. They should be big bushes by now. I need to plant things that will actually like the poor soil, though I don't know what their problem is. I give them rose food, and they are in an area where wild roses grow like weeds. Urg. It's not fair!

The azaelas and forsythia I planted last May are doing fantastic. So there are things that like it out there.

The woods are very dry and crispy now. We've seen deer every day for a week nibbling on our green oasis. I have fences around all the baby trees so they are safe.

Indoors my orchids have been blooming quite nicely for more than 4 months now. I've taken a few pics. I have 5 Dendrobium orchids. 2 haven't bloomed this year. They are pretty small plants so I'm not surprised. One finished blooming last month and I never got pics of it. But these two are still going strong.

This one has a most unusual coloring. This is the last flower on the plant. It had a total of 3.

This one I've had for a few years. Long enough that I couldn't remember what color it was, so I was quite pleased when it bloomed this year. It's a pale green with purple stripes and red lip.

There are tiny red spots on the yellow throatr.

This is the Pansy orchid Sarah and Frank sent me for Mothers Day. It's still going very strong. Has lots of flowers yet.

Today also was my daughter Ruth's birthday. Finally! I could give her the knitting bag I made for her. She loves it! Hurray! This is what it looks like.

Oh darn! I forgot I took this before I put the button on it. It has a lime green and white polka dot button for the tab. Perhaps I can steal it back a bit tomorrow and take a more current pic. Anyway, the pattern for this can be found here: Charm Pack Tote Bag

This is my first project using a charm pack. It is a Moda My Sister & Me pack that apparently is no longer available cuz I was gonna link to it and I can't find it anywhere. I must have bought the last one in all the world.

Well, that's the news for tonight. Hopefully the nephew will be by tomorrow to finish his work. He's leaving for football camp later in the week and I would be quite unhappy if he couldn't finish for me before he leaves. He's got a football scholarship to the University of Idaho, if I'm remembering correctly. He is working very hard to be ready for the football season. He's quite good at it, though he doesn't want to make a career of it. He plans to major in Political Science

Live long and prosper. \\//

Projects

I frogged the color work mitten. I got to the top decreases and it was going to be 3 inches longer than my hand. I was not happy with the workmanship either. Such sloppy tension. Urg! I decided to start it over. I've dropped down to size 0 needles and it looks much better, and is closer to proper gauge. I got this far over the weekend.

I've also been busily cross stitching Snowman Row. I finished Snowman 11. Yay!

Outlining the graphic pattern on that scarf was quite the challenge. I have started Snowman 12 too!

I am so close to having this project done, finally! I'm so excited! I'll be cross stitching like crazy over the next few evenings to finish it.

Today I did some sewing. I'm working on a quilted bag. It has a front pocket that is made of small pieces. My first real piecing project. I cut the pieces out last week and started sewing it together today. I got all the little bitty pieces put together.

While I was sewing my daughter took this photo of me.

It was kind of a rough weekend for me. Last Thursday I went out to check on the hot tub. While coming back up the steps to the upper deck I managed to trip and fall on my right knee rather hard. It is all swollen and black and blue and extremely painful. Fortunately, I didn't break anything. It hurts like heck. Worse than it did after the fall in Times Square last March. It's ice packs and taking it easy for a couple weeks for me. I really need to get into the habit of holding the rail when going up steps. I do it when going down. Why can't I do it going up? I'm glad I bought a cane earlier this year. It's coming in handy.

Live long and prosper. \\//

My Cashmere Cowl

It's finished. Hurray!

Cashmere Cowl

Pattern: Fine Art Cowl by Heather Dixon

Yarn: Mountain Colors Louisa
Content: 65% Cashmere/35% Silk, fingering weight
Color: Lady Slipper

Needles: ChiaoGoo Twist Red Lace Circular size 5

Cast on: October 20, 2014
Completed: November 28, 2014

This is my first mobius loop project. The pattern is well written and super easy to knit. The stitch pattern was easy to memorize. This would be a good project for new knitters looking for their first simple lace project.

The yarn is to die for! It's expensive, so I could afford only one skein. It is so soft and warm. It has a nice fuzzy halo and was wonderful to work with.

I made it for me, to go with my purple fur coat. I wore it today. My neck was very happy.

Another project I finished is a set of quilted pot holders. I used leftover fabric from the apron I made last year for my daughter Sarah.

Front

The pattern is a free one I found on the internet: Potholder Mitt . They have a pocket in the front so they can be used as oven mitts as well as pot holders.

Back

This is my official first quilting project. They're no where near perfect. Everything that could be crooked is, and the binding is awful! I'm gonna need lots of practice before I get good at it. I'm happy with them though. For my first, it didn't come out half bad.

Live long and prosper. \\//