Yarn diet exemption shopping.....

The yarn diet is going well. The Knitter's Breakfast was today, and, as it was scheduled as an exemption from the diet, I had fun. I bought some yummy Malabrigo to make a new scarf. Also picked up a new book and a couple of circular needles. One pair is Addis. It's the first time I have used them and hope I like them. The project I plan to use them with is a mobius I saw on Knitty Gritty a couple of weeks ago. The tank top needs finishing first. I have started the neck edging, so it should be finished by the end of this week, if there are any delays. Also, the next pair of socks are waiting for me. I like taking sock projects in my work bag, since they are so portable.

Pooh is growing fast -- 4 months old now. He's totally housebroken, sleeps and plays with the other dogs constantly, and now weighs 9.6 pounds. I hope he doesn't get too much bigger. Pics will follow soon.

My Yarn Diet Continues......

I am still not shopping for new yarn. I decided to work on de-stashing a bit before adding any new stuff. The exception is fiber, because there is not that much of that in the house. Also, I have joined Lime N Violet's knit from your sock yarn knit-a-long. I started late, but have done about a mile, which was my goal. Yarn purchases are allowed during the knit-a-long, which is a good thing.

The yarn diet co-incides with the food diet. Part of the deal is, no yarn can be purchased until I lose 25 more pounds. Then, I am allowing myself to buy yarn for one project only. Every 25 pounds earns me another project. Meantime, I continue with the stash. So far, I'm down 5 pounds and have 20 more to lose for the first reward.

Pooh is growing fast. Already he has learned to fetch and return his toy when I throw it. The barking is down to only when he thinks the other dogs have his toys or he wants them to play with him. Only a couple of piddling accidents, so the housebreaking is almost perfect. He cuddles up and sleeps with the older 2 all the time. Such a sweet picture. Two cats give him "kisses" now as well.

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 003
Originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

He actually growled at it when I played tug o war with him. Then, he proceeded to shake the daylights out of it, and attack it's ears. He's so cute and funny to watch.

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 005

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 005
Originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 002

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 002
Originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 004

pooh playing with his stuffed toy 004
Originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

pooh puppy 8 weeks old first visit to house 004
Originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

We have a new addition to our household. He came to be introduced to the two older Pekes last Tues, Jan.2, when we took this pic. He came home to stay this past Sat, Jan 6. The old dog has adopted him and treats him like he is her own puppy, instead of her nephew. His grandma and my oldest dog were sisters.

Pooh is a sweetheart, but a bundle of energy, as well as still young and needs a lot of training. He is learning although he does not like his crate at this time. He wants to be with you constantly, because his original human was always holding him or his brother.

2007 Resolution from Live Journal Site.....

Go spinning three times a week.
Go to the cats every month.
Cut down on my knitting.
Buy new day trips.
Get back in contact with some old plants.


I found this on a Live Journal site and decided to see how I did. The above is what I got. No questions are asked. All I did was put in my blog name. It's a bit freaky. First, as anyone reading my blog knows, I am a relatively new spinner. I live with a few cats, a couple of small dogs, and one terrific husband. I knit EVERY DAY. A few of my friends and I are planning a couple of day trips for the springtime. My poor plants have been getting a little ignored lately. Like I said, a bit freaky.

Finishing FOs and Spinning Woes

I'm trying to finish all my FOs before the end of the year. I have the tank top from the beginning of the summer, a sock from two different patterns, and a lace scarf in alpaca all demanding my attention at the same time. I plan to finish the socks first because they are Christmas gifts. The scarf is next because it may be a birthday gift next month. The tank is mine, so that can be finished last.

After all these, I need to make the white socks for work. I also have decided to be brave and make the sleeves of my first sweater smaller. When I knit the sweater, I was afraid the sleeves would be too tight, so I made them a size bigger than the body. The pattern has a lacy loose cuff/edging on the sleeves and around the bottom of the body. I found the pattern in a plus sized pattern book. If I sew the sleeve partially up the arm, I can cut the part off that is too loose. I guess this would be a form of steeking. I have never cut my knitting intentionally and am very nervous to do it now, but I would like to wear the garment. It's been in the sweater drawer for over 2 years now, where I take it out, look at it and put it back.

I had my spinning lesson this past Saturday and found out I am doing almost everything wrong. Now I have learned the correct way to spin, I have homework before I can go back for the plying lesson. The way I think of it is: If I'm going to spin, I want to do it properly. Also need to send in my membership for the local spinning guild.

Spinning issues solved

I couldn't figure out why I was having a problem with drafting the fiber for spinning on the wheel. The first yarn looked pretty sad. It's destined to become a small felted project in the near future.

I went to see Jonne at the shop and pick up my Niddy Noddy as well as some different fiber to try. I got some natural fiber I think he said was coopworth or something like that. While talking to him, I told him the other fiber I had tried was actually Merino which had been dyed a nice blend of pinks. This explained the problem with the drafting. I should have been drafting that from the fold, not the end. Tonight, the spinning will commence again, hopefully correctly with this fiber.

Socks are still the WIPs at the moment, especially with the need of the white ones. I did manage to locate some white yarn at the local Fabric Place store. It's a cotton/nylon blend in pure white. That should please the people at work. I went back to work this past Wednesday, after being home for a whole month with my knee. The first thing I see when walking into the building???? TWO people wearing colored socks!!! How dare they wear them after what I have been through over this! Obviously, the new rule is not being enforced fully at this time. I wonder if I can sneak a pair of dark blue variegated socks under dark blue pants in this week? A girl has to try. Hee-hee.

I did copy a drawing of a spinning wheel while at the library the other day. I now need to trace it onto copy paper and figure out exactly how to make it work as a pattern. The drawing has several sections to it, so I don't think I will need to adjust it too much. I will have to scan it and send a copy to Laurie in Florida and see if she has any advise to improve my design plan. Then I need to enlarge it at the copy store. They are very strict about copyright, although I don't think there should be any problem if I change the drawing to accomodate me. Then it is my creation.

The original drawing also has a sheep in back of the wheel which I want to use in another glass project. I am thinking of putting together a panel with all fiber animals -- a sheep, a rabbit, an alpaca, and a goat -- in a pasture or field background. I have the alpaca and rabbit patterns already. Just need the goat picture to get it started.

Socktoberfest is over.

My expectations were set too high. My goal was to complete two pairs and start a third one. I finished the Dublin Bay socks as I said before. Aspirations to finishing the Entrelac sock did not come out as planned. I did manage to finish one of the socks up to the grafting of the toe. I stopped to make sure it would be big enough for my friend's foot only to find out I had made it too short. She has a size 6 not 5 foot. Thankfully, I had not cut the yarn and it was still on the two DPNs.

Also, finished was one of the Open Lace Rib socks. I got the pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and knitted it in Knit Picks Memories "Yukon" merino yarn. The shading of the blues and grays are so nice. I will want to make another pair of socks in a different pattern with this colorway in the future. Plans are to finish these two pairs and then go back to my other UFOs and get them out of the way too.

I am definitely spoiled now as far as socks are concerned. I love the way handmade ones feel on my feet and really hate to go back to store bought.

Unfortunately, thanks to the powers that be on my job, I have no choice. Many CNAs and nurses wear colored sock to match their scrubs. I think this looks fine. Not the bosses. They have mandated only white socks to be worn at work. If your socks are clean, why should anyone care what color they are???? I finally have enough handmade colors to wear to work and this is what happens!!!! Now I need to find a white sock yarn that will appease work. I have found one brand online at Elann that may work. I plan to order enough to make a pair. One of the benefits of my job is after 28 years service, you can retire and get your pension no matter how old you are. I have one more year and will be out of there at 47. Yippee!!! If I don't want to keep all the white socks I now need to knit, I can dye them after retirement as a declaration of freedom. After a while, work should become lax about the socks and then, hopefully, I can wear whatever I feel like.

The first yarn is plied. I tried a sample and it looked like cat yack. After a quick visit to Jonne, I moved the driveband to the larger whorl like he said. This made a big improvement on the plying. Even though the singles were over and under plied, I plan to knit up a little change purse and felt it. Felting it should hide some of my more drastic imperfections. I don't want to throw away the yarn since it is my first attempt. Isabella and Tiger were thinking mommy had a new toy hanging in the kitchen for them. I had hung the yarn on the edge of the top shelf of the baker's rack so it could dry. This proved to be a huge temptation to them. They thought new toy, and, instead got a squirt from the water bottle. Now, the yarn is hanging in the bedroom until I can make it into a center pull ball.

I am looking for a good picture of a spinning wheel I can use as a pattern in stained glass. I want to make one up to hang in the other window of the craft room. I have the pattern for the alpaca already prepped for the first window. Now I can get into the room and move around, thanks to the re-org a few weeks ago. Hopefully, the alpaca can be started soon.

My Wheel Is HERE!!!!

On this damp, dreary Friday afternoon, there sits, next to my desk in the living room, a box containing my spinning wheel. I received a call this morning about 11:30 from the fiber store letting me know it was in. I planned on picking it around 3 this afternoon, but left my poor DH to his own devices and rushed out the house to get it.

It was carried to the car by Jonne and placed in the back of the wagon, where I could glance at the box on the way home. Of course, mother nature had to let the rain start during this. Upon arriving home, I rushed the box into the house and put it on the kitchen table. DH took it into the living room for safe keeping from my box-loving kitty, Katy. If she had her way, she would be in the box before it was even empty.

I have the video out and plan to watch it in a few minutes. The anticipation of actually putting it together is going to be tough. DH had to go to work, so I have to just glance covetously at the box until around midnight. Hopefully, he doesn't have to stay late like he has been. If so, it will be tomorrow morning before it's ready for me to use. I have been touching the parts I can just to introduce myself to it. As I have said before, DH is very mechanically inclined, so he gets to put it together for me. It will probably take him less than an hour. It would probably take me about 2!

I think it will be in the bedroom tonight either way - assembled or not.

My Spinning Wheel Is On It's Way - I Hope

My spinning wheel is ordered, and hopefully on it's way to me. I feel like a kid at Christmas time.

I re-arranged the craft room and left the center clear so I have plenty of room to set it up and use it. I put all my glass supplies on one side of the room and my knitting stuff on the other. I am including the roving for the spinning with the yarn storage area.

I also took down one of my indoor greenhouses and put those plants in the other one. It's a bit crowded for them now, but I never could have had enough room to get around in there otherwise. The greenhouse spot now has the table in it, pushed up against the wall.

Poor Rosebud, the cat, didn't know where to run and hide during the renovations to her home. She still has her food and litter areas in the same spots. Just her sleeping spot is moved. I checked on her a few times, and she is adapting well.

Well, time to make lunch and get back to my latest sock. It's entrelac and not coming out the way I wanted it to. It's too small !!! I have posted a help request on KnittersReview.com and have one reply that is helpful. I hope to get some more answers before attempting to make them again in the future.

Early Birthday Gift for Me!!! I'm Getting My Spinning Wheel!!

My DH is the absolute best!! He knows I have been wanting to eventually someday get myself a spinning wheel, but have no immediate plans to do this. I first need to learn to ply from the spindle. I have had so much going on, I have not had time to get back for my second lesson from Jonne.

Well, DH decided to surprise me with an early birthday gift. The other day he told me to order my wheel now!! I am so excited!! I've been checking them out on line, at demonstrations, and at Jonne's shop. I went over today and placed the order for a Kromski Minstrel in the walnut finish. It should be here just in time to actually fall on my b-day at the end of the month. Now I need to schedule classes to be ready to use it. This may be a problem right now, since I hurt my knee last week at work. I have a soft tissue injury and need to rest it a lot. I am suppose to sit 80% of the time. This is a great excuse to knit my butt off, seeing as how I am home from work right now until healed.

Socktoberfest "Dublin Bay" Socks completed

I have made it my goal to finish at least 3 pairs of socks for Socktoberfest. I am proud to say, I finished the second sock of my "Dublin Bay" pair on Wednesday and started a pair of Entrelac Socks on Thursday. I found a pattern on line for these, but did not want to keep changing colors. The pattern is not that difficult to adapt to my idea of how I want these to turn out. I chose to make them in a variegated yarn from Knit Picks Sock Memories in the "Easter" colorway. The colors go dark purple, light purple, teal,and a bright orange. I have a shirt in the purple with the teal and orange as trim cords, and a pair of purple slacks, so these will go terrific with that outfit. I would like to make the third pair in a "Butterfly" pattern. I need to figure out how to make this yet.

I had to come to terms with myself that it is necessary to cut the yarn and rejoin it in appropriate places to make the rounds. It's my first time attempting to knit entrelac in the round and had a mental block when it came to doing this. I am used to simply knitting round and round without any interruption in the yarn. Anyway, I am about to start tier 5 of the required 7 tiers. I hope to finish the last 3 and the end set of triangles tonight. Hopefully, I can also start the heel before I need to quit for sleep.

There was another Knitter's Breakfast last month on the 30th at Fabric Place. I showed great restraint and walked out of the store at the end after only spending around 30 dollars. I picked up "Bags - A Knitter's Dozen", and 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon to make "Zigzag On The Town" and felt it. This is planned for sometime in the winter when it is cold and snowy outside. Also, this will be my first attempt at felting. I have plans to make some slippers, but figured it would be a good idea to try felting a bag or scarf first before something that has to actually fit a body part. As far as the book is concerned, I had viewed it online before and had not been very impressed with it. There were three of the items on display at the Breakfast. After seeing them, I changed my mind about it. There are also plans here to make the Market Bag, an Entrelac pattern, as well. The socks are actually a good practice run for the bag now I think of it.

Among the activities at the Breakfast, were three ladies spinning. Two were using a wheel and one a spindle. I had the opportunity to ask questions and observe them for a while. One of the women also happened to be in charge of our local spinning newsletter. After giving her my email address, she promised to send me a copy of the latest issue. It was in my mailbox the next morning. Now I need to sign up for a membership. The fee is very reasonable for a year's membership.

Well, time to get back to that sock. Keep knitting and have a great day/night.

Socktoberfest Button

Socktoberfest Button
Originally uploaded by LollyKnit.

I have just joined Socktoberfest 2006. If you are into knitting socks and would like to participate, go to Knitter's Review and check out the forum post for Socktoberfest listed under Knitterly Events and Happenings. All the info and links can be found there.

Happy Dance in Progress!!! Socks are done!!!!!

I finished my pair of socks today and can't wait to wear them. I put them on for a few minutes and they felt so toasty on my toes, I know they will be terrific on a cold New England winter day. I knitted a very simple garter rib pattern from the "Sensational Knitted Socks" book, using size 2 DPNs.

Now, to decide which color and pattern for the next pair......... I have so many sock yarns in the stash to pick from, the decision will be torture. The Cherry Bomb tank must be finished first. I just have half the back, shoulder straps, and neck trim to finish. Hopefully, it will be done before Oct.

My first spinning bee experience....


My DH took me to Marshfield Fair in Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago just so I could see spinning wheels in action. I learned a great deal and had a terrific time watching everyone. Hopefully, I will have a wheel next year and will be able to participate in that spinning bee then. Also, there was a spindle competition. Unfortunately, I had left mine home and could not join in this time.

I have been debating which wheel would be best for me. After seeing the Ashford Traveler in action, I still think I prefer the Kromski Minstrel more. They are about the same in price, but, the Minstrel appears to fit my needs better.

I have been spinning with the spindle and getting very good at it. Now it is time to make my appointment to learn plying.

I also have been knitting up a pair of adorable socks in Knit Picks Sock Garden Merino Sock Yarn in the color "Pansy". This yarn has the exact colors of the flowers and is sooooooo soft. I put the first sock on my foot and fell instantly in love with the way it felt.

My poor tank top got pushed aside for a bit so I could make the socks. The reason this happened was because I went camping and wanted a smaller project to take with me. I plan to finish the toe of the second sock hopefully tomorrow or Sunday. Then, I can finish the tank top. I would like to get to wear it at least once this season. I guess I could always wear something over it, but really wanted to wear it alone.

My poor old cat Katy has been diagnosed with diabetes. DH gives her the insulin shot every morning faithfully. She seems her old self, so I guess she's feeling better. She is still hitting the dog whenever I scold her for being into something.

I found some nice glass nuggets in pretty shades of red and green for Christmas stained glass projects. I have some patterns for ornaments and these will make nice berries. I also have some in white and plan to make some candy cane ornaments, trimmed with a bow, or wreaths.

It's late, I'm tired, so good night for now. Happy knitting to all.

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

have you done this?


Thanks to dragon knitter for this. It's kinda interesting!

Bold the ones you've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone.
08 Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23.Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31.Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62.Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64.Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68.Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69.Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married (only one time at 43 yo 2 years ago)
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (both plus my only sister)
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror. (audience participation only)
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country1
00. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Kind of normal I guess. Nothing too exciting here. Now it's your turn to see how many you have done.

Spindle assaulted!!!!!

I have to confess. I have committed a crime against my spindle. Here I was spinning along, making a decent amount of progress. As I start to work a join in the draft, it happened.

Let me just say, it was not pre-meditated in any way or manner. As anyone who has spun yarn on a spindle knows, part of the process is to occassionally drop the foolish thing. I have done this several times, and even managed to catch it a few times as it was dropped.

Well, I have hardwood floors that are not very forgiving if you bang things on them. The tile in the kitchen is just as difficult about this issue.

Anyway, the other night, was the final attack. I cracked the top of the spindle near the hook, but wasn't too worried at that time about it. Giving it a test spin, it seemed fine. About a half hour later, it was a totally different scenario. I was happily spinning away when the hook popped out of the top and the spindle just spun itself across my living room floor.

I was in shock! Oh, my! What do I do now? I tried to glue the hook back in, but the crack had opened up too much to hold it.

I knew my DH would rescue me when he got home. He went right to his massive stash of construction supplies and pulled out some kind of epoxy glue, re-assured me it would be fine in a little while, and proceeded to put everything back together again. My hero!!

The spindle has a few scars, but works fine. I am using it tonight to try to finish my first yarn so I can return to the shop next week for my plying lesson.

At least the cats don't seem to care about it spinning in front of them so far. Shhhh. Don't let them know I think I am safe from their paws.

My Intarsia Sweater is finally finished.....

and guess what.... It fits!!!! I am very happy with how it turned out. Now I am trying to finish my bobble and ridge shawl. I have decided I do better being semi-faithful to one project at a time (with only small lapses to other WIPs occasionally) in order to complete things.

I also have been working with my spindle. Unfortunately, I dropped it so many times last night, I put a crack in the wood near the hook. It appears to be spinning o.k. though, so I can continue. I will have to try to stop by the shop and see if it all right to use like this.

I had a bit of a panic Friday night. I thought I saw a moth in my craft room. After checking all my yarn stash for unwanted invaders, and finding none, I checked in with a fellow knitting / fiber friend. She asked a lot of questions about the creature. After I described the loathsome thing, she asked if I had plants in the room. It was definitely not a baby moth, I have been told. According to her, it sounds like a plant pest called whitefly. Now I have to bathe all my foliage babies with soapy water and hope to rid them of unwanted guests. One of my cats, Rosebud, lives in this room and never was fazed by the foolish thing flying around. She's a very timid cat and was problably afraid of it. lol

Well, the weather is sunny and 90 degrees today so we went for a nice long ride this morning. Needless to say, my shawl accompanied me. I spent half the trip winding a skein into a ball, which was very relaxing to do. I never did pick up the needles.

Housework calls to me, so I must obey. Otherwise nothing will get accompished and I will have no free time to knit or spin tonight.

Bye for now. Happy Father's Day to all.

My first spinning lesson was today!

I had my first lesson to learn how to use a spindle. It was a bit mind boggling to learn so much at one time. I have found an excellent instructor. He is very patient, explains everything in a way you can understand easily, and is very encouraging. I know my attempt was pathetic today, but he told me not to be critical of myself.

I did come home with "homework" to do. He wants me to spin a certain amount on the spindle and then call him so I can come back to learn the plying part. Yep, I"m so slow it will take me a month. Jonne said no - about a week or so. (I still think it will be longer than that, but I said o.k.) Right now it is not relaxing to do, as I was told. I guess once I get better at it, I will find it to be more soothing. I went through this with the knitting and stained glass lessons at the beginning too. I kind of lack self confidence when I start a new adventure. I will prevail!! I refuse to give in to a piece of fluff and a wooden stick!

My poor sweater is still not finished. I had wanted it finished before the spinning lesson. Unfortunately, I got a bit lazy about knitting some nights. I also have the excuse that I had to work a lot of late nights the last few weeks. Housework and DH also figured in there somewhere, too. It will be finished this week, though, at the exclusion of everything else (except the spinning). I only have about 3 or 4 inches to go on the sleeves, knit the neckband, and put in the sleeves. I can make it. (I hope)

I have gotten very interested in listening to different knitting podcasts lately. I have downloaded some including, CastOn, Knitting D and the City, PixiePurls, and KnitWits. I get my knitting out, put on the headphones and get comfortable in front of my computer for a while. Sometimes, I will laugh at a funny part and my DH thinks I am losing it. Then he realizes the headphones are on my ears. I really enjoy them and hope they are all around for a long time. I also loved the one Clara from Knitter'sReview.com did.

Well, the washer has stopped and the dryer is waiting for me. I have to go do the "necessary" stuff so that I can enjoy my "fun" stuff after.

Have a great day and thanks for reading my musings.

Time to catch up with my world here.

I have been busy with many different things the last couple of months and have ignored this poor blog.

I have finished a few knitting projects and am now working on several that are more involved. I have the shawl with the bobbles and reverse stockinette stitch to finish (about 1/4 done). My Mary Jane Cardigan is languishing on the needles. I haven't even looked at it. One pair of socks is done, while another is waiting to be cast on. I also have the Felted Booties from KnitPicks calling my name so they can be cast on. The Danica scarf is finished, although I changed the pattern a little bit. I added a single crochet around the outside and nice fringe just to trim it up a bit.

My main project on the knitting needles right now is an intarsia sweater I fell in love with. My boss brought this pattern to work to show me along with the yarn of her choice. This was before I started my Bobble Shawl in February. I had to go to the Fabric Place for a longer size 13 circular needle for the shawl and saw the original sample of the sweater on display. Well, let me just say this. The sample was done up in the yarn the pattern called for and looked totally different from what she was making. Not to say I don't like hers, but this is nicer. I fell in love with it and had to make it. I bought the yarn, Fusion, which is a mohair blend. I didn't like the earth tones too much, so I chose the purple-green variegation and a multi-green variegation for the other color. This pattern is worked in diagonals up the body and sleeves. It is done up in stockinette stitch and has a simple rounded neck and has drop sleeves and ribbed trim. I think this makes it a great sweater to learn intarsia. I have the back and about 1/4 of the front finished.

I also got an Ott Lamp to work by. I have the floor model with the neck you can bend to adjust for your needs. The colors and clarity of the yarns are great and I can see the stitches much better now. Also my DH can watch t.v. without a glaring light on in the room.

I am planning on learning how to spin yarn soon. I discovered a wonderful little shop in Warwick, near the Mall and Pontiac Mills called "Manmade by Jonne". I had a very interesting conversation with Jonne, the owner, about what was involved and need to set up my first lesson soon. I just want to finish up a few of these projects first. Probably will start the lessons in May. There is a fiber show locally on May 21st I really want to go to also. He has it listed on his site.

The kittens are doing great and getting really big now. All three plus Katy were spayed or neutered and had all their shots.

Lady Eleanor is done!!!!!

Hand me a medal please! My Lady E is done after a major snafu last weekend. She was moving right along when I decided to count the tiers. On one edge, I had 21 and on the other, I had only 19. Half way across tier 15, I had put her down to go do something and when I came back, I knit in the wrong direction. Happily knitting along, never realizing what I had done, I finished 5 more tiers. It was 2 a.m. on a Saturday night when I had this reality check.

I could not leave this blatant error glaring at me. Frogging 5 tiers, with tears not far away, I felt doomed to not finish. Sunday was make up day instead of progress day. All 5 tiers were back in place properly before bedtime Sunday.

My stained glass class was cancelled on Monday, thus I had one more day to make up the lost time from the weekend goof. Knitting every minute I could, she is done and looks beautiful. I need to get pics to post. I am still not very good at that.

Today, my house will appreciate my attention, the laundry will be finished, ironing done, and supper cooked. I have been neglecting it all for this. The dust bunnies are being chased by the kittens. Laundry has been languishing with only a load done now and then. All will be better today. lol

I now need to finish the training project, Danica, so I can wear that in this cold weather we are having.

Let the Knitting Olympics Begin!!!

The flame is lit and the games have begun. I cast on along with over 4000 fellow knitters for this wonderful event. It will be grueling to make it to the finish line, but perseverance is the key to success.

Lady Eleanor is a bit intimidating due to her size, but I am confident I can handle it. The first ball of yarn has been consumed by my project and now I know how many it will actually take to complete. I feared being short a skein at the end for the fringe. Out of one ball I completed the first four tiers and half plus the base triangle row and cast on. The project has 34 tiers plus 2 ends of triangle rows, totaling 36. I have 12 skeins so I figure I need 10 for the body and 1 for the fringe.

I need to run to the glass store and pick up some more stuff today. This will interrupt my knitting event temporarily, but I can catch up tonight. My goal is to knit between 1.5 and 2 skeins a day. This will fit nicely into the 16 days we have with a couple of days left over for "in case I haven't time" interruptions, like work. lol

My husband is the best!!!

I found some Noro yarn on eBay and he got it for me. It is #74 and has beautiful colors in it. It has green, purple, fushia, hot pink, and blue. Now I am ready to start the Knitting Olympics mentioned on Knitter's Review. Stephanie McPhee (a.k.a. the Yarn Harlot) started this on her site. I signed up and plan to make the Lady Eleanor Stole. You cast on when the flame is lit on February 10 and knit until the flame goes out on February 26. The idea is to pick something you feel will challenge you.

I have the pattern down pretty good, since working on the Danica scarf. My challenge will be to finish the Lady in 10 days. I am planning to use about 12 balls so that means about 2 balls a day and a couple of days to fringe. It might have a different fringe than what is shown in the pics in the Scarf Style book because I am not sure I like the length of the multi level fringe. I have to find a space big enough to lay it out for blocking after I finish it. Maybe my fabric board in my craft room. The only problem is I can already see my cat Rosebud laying all over it. Yuck! Her white fur everywhere!! Need to cover the stole with a white sheet. Mmmm~~ it might work.


The kittens are getting big and into everything!! They are just so precious and we love to watch them play. Each has a very distinct personality. The little girl is very independent while one boy is very in your face for attention. The other boy is just too sweet for words. He is the only one who does not seem to get in trouble. lol They all like to be petted and held for lovings.

I have picked out glass to start another project this week. I am planning to make a scene involving a cascading waterfall, a body of water, tree, and greenery along with some agate slices that look like boulders and some nuggets. It is a original idea and I really don't have a pattern for it. Sort of free style stained glass. However it comes out is what I get. I found some gorgeous glass at two of the supply stores and the idea just popped in my head. Can't wait for the end result. It should be something really spectacular.

Lady Eleanor shawl is calling to me.

I went to the Fabric Place in Warwick today to pick up the Noro yarn I needed for the Lady Eleanor shawl, which is done in entrelac. Unfortunately, it is not available because the store has not been able to keep it in stock for the last few weeks. It just flies off the shelf as fast as it is replaced. It does not matter what color it is - every skein is going. I wonder if this has something to do with some of the other ladies from Knitter's Review who may be making the shawl.

I did manage to get a very nice variegated yarn at the suggestion of Cindy, the salesperson. She is wonderful at helping you figure out what will work as replacement yarns. The last time she helped me, I ended up with a beautiful sweater I knitted from the neck down. Anyway, this time she helped me to pick out a nice purple, teal,blue variegated yarn by Plymouth to make my Lady Eleanor in. She had suggested a green combo, but I prefer the jewel tones myself. Cindy also suggested making it on size 8 needles instead of the recommended size 10. This means my shawl will be a bit smaller, but still beautiful. There is a sample of an entrelac shawl on display in the store that Cindy knitted from an on line pattern. It's just gorgeous.

I also picked up some buttons made from stone that were 20% off. No set plans for these, but could not pass them up. Now I have an excuse to knit something that requires a closure.

My poor dog has been sick for a couple of days. She was falling over and leaning to the right. Her head kept tipping to the right and when you called her , she couldn't seem to locate you. The vet said it is either a very bad ear infection, which is treatable or a brain tumor, which is fatal. She is on prednisone right now and got a shot las night from the doctor. Today, she is moving around a bit better and eating small meals. She is acting a bit more like herself so we hope and pray it's the ear problem. It also happened to be her 15th birthday yesterday.

The Town and Country scarf gave me so much grief and aggravation, I had to restart it 11 times before it behaved. My friends all said give up on it. I refused to and now have about 5 inches intact. Only 55 inches more to go. It will not beat me. The Mary Jane Cardigan never saw the light of day thanks to the scarf taking so much of my time. Maybe this week after I start the Lady Eleanor. I also need to order more sock yarn from Knit Picks. I don't know what I was thinking, but I only ordered one skein each of the three colors I wanted to use. I need another skein of each for the second socks!

Elizabeth I scarf is started for the fourth time.

I started my "Town and Country" scarf again today during my lunch break. I am ready to do the first row of lace and pray I can follow the chart correctly. I have never actually worked with charts. All my other projects were written directions. We are expecting 1 to 3 inches of snow for New Year's Eve. I will be hunkered down with this, a hot drink, and watching the white stuff from the window.

I just peaked in at KR and saw Ellieknits had left a thread about her gift from me. I am so glad she really liked everything. If she wants more of the yarn, I will offer to give her name to my friend, Robin, who has it.The fleece for this yarn came from the farm where her daughter works and Robin had it spun into yarn. I also bought some of the same yarn for myself. We exchanged gifts at work and she gave me some of a dark gray/black color to complement my natural tone. All the yarn is in it's natural shades . There also was a new tote bag and the book shaped like a sock. She knows I like to make socks and thought I would like it. It's one of the few books that was not in my library and now is proudly displayed on the shelf with it's sister sock books for future use.

I am itching to start my Mary Jane Cardigan too. I might start that this weekend as well as work on the scarf.

The three kittens went to the vet yesterday with my DH and got their rabies shots. "Daddy" is so good with them. They don't know I plan to wean them from the bedroom this weekend and hope to have them completely out of there by next week. My other cats don't go in there at all unless they sneak in when I open the door. All the "kids" have the run of the rest of the house so they are not deprived. Spoiled is more like it. Last night Katy stole my tuna I had just put in a bowl on the counter. I hated to do it, but I had to punish her for it. Everyone else, including the dog, got the tuna. She got nothing and a long lecture from me. You would think she knew what I was saying. She started meowing at me loudly in protest, but I would not give in to her. Little brat.

Fantanstic gift elf experience!!!!

What a wonderful surprise met me when I got home from work the other day! I could not wait to open that box. As I already told my elf partner, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning tearing into my gifts. My heart was thumping with excitement and anticipation of what could be inside. This was sweetened by the hint from Laura that she had made me something. I don't recieve many handmade items from people, because they know I knit and do the stained glass so this especially appreciated by me.

Inside this big box I discovered a huge bag of delicious blue corn chips and two kinds of homemade salsa. The mild is very good. My DH even got some of that one. The hot was.....HOT!!
It burned the mouth, watered the eyes, and cleared the nose. Oh it's good!! I have yet to try the raspberry jalapeno jam. Laura knew I had to have sugar free stuff and this was one of them. The other was a big box of Whitman's chocolates.

Well, that takes care of the edible goodies. Now onto the rest. She gave me some stitch markers, a skein of Lamb's Pride in a very pretty shade of pink, and a set of circular needles I needed to start my Mary Jane Cardigan. She made me the Entrelac Tote from Knit Picks!! It's beautiful.

I will take pics this weekend and post them. The best part of the gift is the new friend I have made from the experience. I hope to continue to hear from Laura from time to time. I also plan to be included in the exchange next year if we have one.

I started the Elizabeth I which includes three different patterns based on Queen Elizabeth. I started the "Town and Country" scarf. I ordered this from Knit Picks a while ago. I had to frog it 3 times already. Once because I started to do the wrong pattern and was short on the cast on. This was not realized until row 8. Once because the stitches were too loose. And once because I made a mistake in row 9 and could not find it without messing up the previous couple of rows. I am working it in Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Iris. This is a very soft pink/grey color.

I also sort of finished the hooded scarf for Kathy. I took a cowl neck scarf pattern and altered it to work as a scarf or hood. I did this up in fun fur in a purple/pink blend, since she loves purple.

Learning new computer skills

I finally learned how to download pictures for my blog. I signed up for Flickr and now I need to take some pictures of my FOs to post. I am going to have fun doing this. Now I need to figure out how to add some other stuff to my blog.

Gifts were exchanged at work today and everyone got some nice goodies. I need to wrap a couple of things and take them in to work for tomorrow. I took a day out of work yesterday due to the Migraine Monster and did not know we were exchanging today. This meant I only had a couple of things with me, so I need to bring my stuff in tomorrow.

I need to finish the stained glass rooster by tomorrow night. It just needs to have the patina and wax done. It came out really nice.

Now, the knitting is another story. I need to get that hooded scarf out of the way and start on some more goodies to clear the stash. My New Years resolutions include no yarn acquistions until the stash is under control. :( Gonna be a tough year with the forced yarn diet. I think the food diet will be easier to handle.

5 Kittens

5 kittens,
originally uploaded by calicokitty6.

This is a photo of the kittens when they were about 4 weeks old. What a mess they made in the crate.We had to keep them in there for a while until they were bigger. Now they are about 12 weeks old and run all over the place.

Very Busy Week

Oh what a week it was. I never made it to the post office last weekend because the oilman was very late getting here and it closed. Now I have to go today. I had planned to get there after work one day this week, but I had so much happening, I never made it. I will be going as soon as I finish this.

I did manage to finish another Christmas gift. Now I need to finish 2 more stained glass gifts this weekend and I will only have the hooded scarf to complete. That may have to become a birthday gift in February instead of a Santa gift. I can't wait to finish my "to do for the holidays" list so I can get back to my "me" list. I have some things on that list earmarked for gifts, but with no need to be finished by dates. Less stress.

A friend of ours rescued some kittens in the end of September and we did the foster care for them. All five of them survived and are now getting into everything. We ended up keeping three of them, since my husband became so attached to them. The person who saved them has the other two. We visit them several times a week and get to see the babies too.

I had done foster care before and knew what to expect. It was a first time experience with kittens for my DH, so he was a bit nervous at first. He had done this with puppies before and it was the same thing. Once I showed him how to feed, burp, and make the babies go to the bathroom, he was fine and got right into doing it. He was wonderful. I tried not to get too attached to them, because originally they were to be found new homes when we weaned them from the bottle. Now we have them for good, I love them as much as he does.

My other cat, Katy, is still hissing at them. The intro to her is going very slowly. We only let them together when we are in the room. Hanna, our younger Peke, is very protective of the kittens, shadowing them when they walk around the livingroom. Babs, the mother Peke, checks them out and could care less if they are here.

Just a little test for you.

This is a quiz I found on line and thought you might like to take. I did, and, as you can see the results say I am a Knitting Guru. ha - ha


You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by

Finishing Christmas Gifts

As the days count down to Christmas, I am furiously working on the last few gifts that must be finished. The socks for yours truly became a gift for another friend who saw and fell in love with them. I need to make a hooded scarf for someone else, but that may become a birthday gift instead if it is not finished in time. Also need to finish a couple of stained glass gifts. At the same time, my own stuff is on hold for now. The ceramic angel will have to wait til next year to get painted.

My elf gift is ready to go in the mail today. I am waiting for the oil man to come so I can go to the post office with it.

I have been very busy creating socks. I never planned to fall into this area of creativity, but now I am here, I am truly enjoying myself. I never realized how much work went into making these little creations until I had decided to learn for myself.

To tackle these beauties, I chose to learn the two circular needle method. The only part I had a problem with was the gusset. Once I figured that out, the rest was clear sailing. I had a problem figuring out how to place two socks on the needles together, but have since figured that out as well.

I had one sock made for a friend, and learned she really did not want them, so they were frogged and are now happily on their way to being a pair for yours truly. I hope to have pics to post soon.

I have also discovered KnitPicks on line and have fallen in love with the yarns available there.

It's finished!!!!!!!

My sweater is finally finished!!! It came out just right. I was thinking of possibly giving it to a friend for Christmas, but, found out she hates sweaters! Oh well, I guess it's gonna become mine after all. lol

I have another knitting project in my head for my dear friend anyway. She loved the scarfs I made her last year as part of her gift pack.

The socks are unfortunately another story. I have no one who can help me in person with the 2 circ method since no one I know has made socks before. I bought some larger circs today and cheap acrylic yarn to practice with tonight. I am determined to get past the cast on if it kills me. I really want to master this item since I don't think it should be this difficult to do. I think the brain cells may have gone on vacation for this one for some unknown reason. I hope it's short term.

The gift exchange on Knitter's Review is a cool idea and I am very glad to have signed up to be part of it. I already bought a couple of items for my "elf partner" and plan to pick up some more items this week. I am also tossing around the idea to include something that is a bit different, but still knitting related.

I am having a problem with my eyes and can't knit or do any craft for a long time. My right eye is getting blurry for some reason. It feels like a film is over my eye, distorting the edges of everything slightly. Long distance and close up are both effected. I noticed the difference in my vision on Monday and thought my eyes were just tired, but it has gotten worse as the week goes by. My opthomologist fit me in for an emergency visit tomorrow. I hope it is just my eyes getting older and not my diabetes acting up. The numbers have been good lately. I told my husband and now he is worried. Maybe I should have waited until seeing the doctor tomorrow before saying anything to him. The thing is, I may need a ride home if my eyes are dilated. I hope the doc uses the fast acting drops if he does dilate them. That way, I can work on something tomorrow night for a little while. I also think the pressure in the head and vertigo I have been experiencing recently may be related to the vision problem.

If Laurie has a class tomorrow night and I can see to drive, I plan to stop by and make up my Monday class which was cancelled due to a power outage. I need advice on the patina of the seascape since I forgot to put it on before glueing some piece at the end of the project. In the immortal words of Fred Sanford -- "Dummy!!"
I also have a new project in mind that I really want to start. Plus I really need to finish my window!!

Happy Labor Day!!

The weather here on the east coast has been fantastic this weekend! Not too hot, no rain so far, nice breeze every now and then. My husband and I went to a flea market in New Hampshire yesterday, Sunday, and it was perfect to be out walking around. It feels good to open windows and let the fresh air inside for a change instead of air conditioning.

My second sleeve had moved from snail pace to turtle pace during the week. It suddenly took off at rabbit pace yesterday and all I need to do is finish the ribbing. Hope to get it done tonight. All I have left is the neck ribbing. I love knitting from the top down and plan to make more sweaters this way. It is intimidating when you first read the pattern, but as you work it out, it is easy to understand.

I have a friend at work who is attempting this sweater in the same size I did. I had her put it on when it had one sleeve to measure her. Since her arms are the same length as mine, I wrote all the decreases out for her to follow. She is still having a small problem getting used to the circulars. I hope she won't give up on it.

My four-legged kids are good. My cat Katy tried to smack Rosebud but, she felt the wrath of the squirt bottle. Now my poor Rosebud, is left to herself to relax. She is such a good and loving kitty.

All the kids are back to school and it is so quiet around here now. I have not seen much of them outside all weekend.

I am sending my prayers for everyone suffering from Katrina and hope they are safe.

Sleeve number two is moving along like a snail!

Sleeve number two is progressing slowly due to distractions in other areas. It is now about a quarter done. I have been helping another person work this pattern and she is having problems. I hope she doesn't quit because it is nice when worked up.

It's Saturday before school starts up around here again. The stores are jammed full of people trying to get things together, excited kids, frustrated drivers looking for parking spaces, plus all the usual weekend rushing is happening. I ran some errands and could not wait to get home.

I picked up some new glass for a project not even selected or thought out in my head. All I know was it looked too pretty to pass up. Not a problem -- just tuck it into the stash for now.

I also went to the new LYS in my area. I managed to restrain myself from buying anything, but that was not easy to do. I saw a really nice mohair yarn by Artful Yarns that has what appears to be seed beading or ribbon woven through it. There was a sample worked up and I fell in love with it. It's on my list for future purchase once my yarn stash goes down. I even have a pattern in mind for it.

Now, it's time to kick back and relax a bit before making supper.

My sweater has a sleeve!!

I now own a one sleeved sweater. I hope to get the other one in this week. I learned a lot from this process. Learning Double Points Needles was not as bad as I thought it would be. I need more practice with them though. I tried the sweater on and it fits nice. The sleeve is the perfect length.

Unfortunately, it took longer to do the sleeve than I planned. I got involved with some other projects and unscheduled activities during vacation week. Oh well, that's what vacations are for - no time table to follow.

Thursday, I signed up for the October 1st Knitter's Breakfast at Fabric Place. It costs $5 a person and is not open to the public. This is a very cool event. I can't wait to go to this one. I went to the last one in the spring and had a wonderful time.

There is, of course, a breakfast served buffet style. After you fill your tummy, you head back downstairs to the fiber department and the fun really begins. They have people demonstrating spinning, knitting, crochet and other things. Also, there are some hands on spots where you can try something new. A drawing is also going on for door prizes. Included are books and yarns. The $5 you prepaid with registration is actually given back to you in merchandise. The entire store is on sale for 20 or 25 percent off.

Vacation week!!

Oh how sweet it is to have a whole week off to knit!! I do have other things to do but, this is my uppermost thought regarding the next week. I plan to get at least one of the sleeves done on my sweater.

I also plan to do a summer cleaning of the house and basement. I follow the Flylady method sometimes, but at times I fall off track. So, I plan to get back on track and do each room this week. This will make it easier to stay ahead of the work again.

I am going to a glass supply shop in Massachusetts one day with a friend. Hopefully they will have some different glass for me to try. Of course the knitting will travel in the car with me if I don't have to drive. This will be prime knitting time, since it is at least an hour riding time each way.

The weather yesterday was the worst so far this summer with a temperature of 99 and a heat index of about 105. If Mother Nature cooperates and keeps the heat and humidity away, it will be a fantastic week to accomplish all this and maybe more.

Stay out of the heat, drink lots of water, and enjoy the week.

Knit, knit, knit.....

That is what I have been doing lately. Why is it the last portion of something always takes so long to get done? The last inch needed before I make the side splits near the bottom of my sweater just seems to not end. Once that part is done, I can knit the side split portion and start on the sleeves.

I am knitting so furiously, one side of my circulars is now flat instead of round. It still slides the yarn o.k. so I will keep using them anyway.

For some unknown reason, the body appeared to be using more yarn than the pattern called for. To play it safe, I picked up two extra skeins at my local LYS. They were having a buy one-get one half off sale. I exercised my self-control and only bought the two skeins I needed and got out of the store really fast before temptation called me back. If I don't need them, they can go back to the store later.

The seascape is progressing as well and hopefully will be completed soon. I need to finish my hummingbird and blossom window soon too. I hit the stained glass store sale yesterday and stocked up on red glass -- needed that for future projects. Now I need to plan something with it.

I found a nice fireplace screen today at a flea market and snatched it up cheap,cheap. It called to me and I had to buy it. I am one of those people who can go to the flea markets and not buy anything usually. I think I will pick something with flowers for the theme of that. My husband thought I planned to use it as is with the screen in place. When I told him my plans for it, he thought it was a good idea. I hope he likes the finished product.

The crochet is on hold with me trying to finish the knitting right now. Plan to get back to that soon.

All 4-legged children are behaving and not fighting. I am so thankful for that. Maybe it's too hot for them to be bothered to move much.


Well, back to work tomorrow ---- yuck. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and I will ramble some more soon.

Hello.


What a crazy week this has been!

First, I still have pain and bruising from the klutz monster incident last week. Second, I got a nasty cold and had to stay out of work for three days. (That part was not too bad--got a lot of knitting done).

The good part of the week is that the seascape is redone and about half way together. It is looking gorgeous and I can't wait to display it in my livingroom window. It is a one of a kind piece. I plan to take pics when it is finished and post them here.

My sweater from the neck down is moving along fast now, thanks to being home this week sick. I just sat on the sofa and knit, knit, knit all day--especially yesterday. My hubby kept getting me cold drinks and I just rested, took my medicine, coughed alot and blew my nose. I think the knitting is a form of medicine because if I had not been working on something, I would have been doing more around the house and not resting. I still made supper and did laundry in between when I took a knitting break.
Like I said, the sweater is working up fast. I am past the armholes and working on a simple stockinette stitch for the body. I am using a size 6 circular needle which is kind of small. Hopefully I can finish the body by next weekend. The reason I give myself another whole week is that I am a plus size princess and it takes a bit longer to get around one row than it would with a small size. I will post pics of this as soon as I take some.

The animals even know I don't feel up to par. They are behaving and just hanging around my feet or near me on the sofa. It is funny how they can sense things and offer their own form of comfort and sympathy when you need it. At least no one has climbed up on my lap and added any personal fiber to the sweater yet.

Have a great weekend and try to stay out of the heat as much as possible. :)

The klutz monster strikes

Tragedy struck my house last night. When I came home from stained glass class, I went to put my seascape, extra glass sheets, and tools away in my craft room. The klutz monster came out and I tripped over the gate. I should have opened the gate instead of climbing over the dumb thing. One of my cats live in this room because one of the others beats up on her. The big bully. The water bowl splashed all over me and the dry food flew in every direction. There I was belly-down covered in kitty kibble and soaking wet with glass fragments all around and under me. The seascape was totally destroyed along with the three full sheets of glass I had just bought before class. Luckily, I was not impaled by any of the pieces. I just hurt my knee, leg, have a couple of small cuts on one hand, and wounded my pride for being so stupid to do this in the first place.
Thanks to my dear, sweet husband, the mess got cleaned up fast. Now I need to start over with the seascape this weekend. Maybe it will be even better.

After all this commotion, I had to knit a while to calm me down. Whoever said knitting is relaxing knows what they are talking about. I just sat with the ice pack on my leg and knit away.

Since the weekend is suppose to be lousy weather-wise, I am setting my goal at 20 rows on the sweater and ribbing on the socks. I intend to make it no matter what.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Update

Hello everyone. Just a quick update on the knitting. I managed to put the three rows back in plus another five. I stuck a movie in and just kept knitting away. It was a good movie too.

I am heading out to stained glass class to see if I can work on the seascape a bit tonight. I hope to get all the pieces cut and ready for the soldering. Have to wait and see how far I get.

I hope everyone had a good day and did not have to work too hard in the heat. It was really muggy here in New England and tempers were very short. Several people were cranky from the weather.

Well, I gotta get moving or I will be late. See ya later. :))

Hello and welcome to my blog.

This site is dedicated to my foolish ramblings and notations. I have a great love for cats as you can tell from my name. I am owned by four such creatures at the present time.

I also enjoy knitting, crochet, painting ceramics, and working with stained glass. I also love to read romance books. Especially the historical ones lately.

At the present time I have several projects going on at the same time. I am in the middle of a stained glass window which I need to re-do partly. I made some pieces too short and can't frame it properly. This means taking about a third of the window apart and starting over. Oh well, dumb mistake on my part. I thought it would still work -- wrong. Also started a seascape of a whale with her baby. It's developing a bit differently than I had pictured it in my mind, but it will be beautiful when finished thanks to much help from my instructor, Laurie. Awesome teacher and lady.

As for the crochet, I am working on a lacy smock. It is coming along nicely. The back is finished and the front is about a quarter of the way done.

Ahhh, now the knitting. I am trying to make a sweater in the round from the neck down. It is not as difficult as it sounds. Instead of a lot of decreasing, you have a lot of increasing. I am just at the chest area and found a mistake so had to rip out three rounds. I could have left the mistake, since it was so small. But, I would have known it was there and it would have drove me batty. I plan to put the three rounds back tonight and hopefully a few more as well. I am also attempting to make socks. This is not going very well. So far I have the yarn, needles, and pattern in a bag together. That's it. I think they will stay there until this weekend.

I have not been working on any ceramic painting at the present time. I have a beautiful angel to do up before Christmas, but have plenty of time to get to that. I also have a few gifts to finish before the holidays.

I have been trying to go to water aerobics twice a week, but usually make it only once. Need to improve on that. Also need to start walking again now the weather is nice. After working all day --sometimes late, I come home and take care of housework and spend some time with my dear husband, 4 cats and 2 dogs. I need more hours in the day to get to everything!!

Well thanks for visiting my blog. As I said at the beginning, this is just my spot to ramble a bit. Please come back again soon!!