Month: April 2014

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/30/14, Booklove

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ON THE NEEDLES

1) Hitchhiker

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2) Socks on a Plane, #2

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3) Vivacious Chocolate Shrug

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BOOKLOVE

I’m still loving Frog Music as much as I did when I started it; since the story is told backward, end to beginning, the suspense  is building and I’m less sure of “who did what, when and why”.  I love that in a book – do you?   And since I’m very seldom book monogamous, I started Anya.  You can read about it here.

I’m linking with my usual Wednesday blogs, Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along.  Do you have others you’d like to share?

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.  Eleanor Roosevelt

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Knitting

The Clan

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THERE’S A BUNCH OF US

We had some professional photos made before we left our reunion in St.Louis and they are amazing!  You can definitely tell the ones that were counted down, 1-2-3 and the ones that weren’t.  I love both!  Do you have any idea how hard it is to get everyone looking in the same direction at the same time?

1-2-3

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No Count

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Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.  Anthony Brandt

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Knitting

Perspective

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THE 500

I had planned to make a big deal about this post, my 500th, a milestone.  Then, last night’s tornados brought perspective;  the Iknead family is safe and untouched, but so many have lost loved ones and all they owned. So, thank you to all who’ve encouraged me, reading and commenting on this blog and then, back to the things that are truly important.

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Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.  Mother Teresa

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Knitting

Spinning Sunday

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FIRST EVER

I was finally able to spend some time on my new blending board this past week.  I’d been saving roving scraps for a while, not because I had plans for them, but because someday I might have a use for them.  They were perfect practice bits and here’s what they became:

My First Rolags

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Not very pretty, but I’m itching to spin them.  This will be anther first, I’ve never spun from a rolag.

TOMORROW WE DYE

For some reason I’ve gotten into the habit of doing my wool dyeing on Sundays.  I have really nice Rambouillet wool that’s already carded and I have some green acid fast dye that I’ve not done anything with.  Tomorrow will be more or less a dye experiment.  Since my first attempt at space dyeing was a complete flop, I may give it another try, but then, again, I may just use the old drop it into the dye and don’t move it around too much method.  That technique seems to work best for me. Results to follow…..

No one has ever become poor by giving.  Anne Frank

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Knitting

Artsy Saturday

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ON THE AGENDA

Mr. Iknead and I plan to take in an art festival this morning in North Little Rock, something we’ve never done.  I’m becoming more and more interested in different mediums and outside the box interpretations.  This is so, so new for me, I’ve never considered myself an artist in any form or fashion; but over the past year or so, I’ve gained creative confidence and love to see other peoples ideas and projects. 

FRIDAY FIELD TRIP

We paid a visit to our favorite place yesterday, The Good Earth Garden Center, we came away with some new flowers and a birdbath for the backyard. My favorite take-away, though, was this:

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How often can you get your picture made with a huge fake gorilla?

We came away with other goodies, like these-

and this

A nice surprise was that because there was a chip (which neither of us noticed until it was pointed out) it was half the price on the tag!

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.  Buddha

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Knitting

New, Attempted Murder and Shoes

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SWAP

The Iknead iPad swap is complete and both of us are well satisfied.

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I took possession of his old one and both of us are busy learning the ins and outs of our newest gadgets.

LUCKY FOR HER

Yesterday, while I was happily spinning away, I looked into the hallway and saw that Josie was very busy trying to “kill” what I thought was one of her toys.  She loves squishy and has a toy box full of assorted soft, floppy toys.  On closer inspection, it wasn’t a toy at all, it was MY IN-PROGRESS HITCHHIKER SHAWL!!!!!!  I whipped out my phone to take a pic to post to Dogshaming; she wasn’t even ashamed enough to stick around for the photo.  That’s a Pug for you.  Luckily, no damage was done, except for pulling a bit of the yarn off the skein, it does have a whiff of Josie drool, but a little airing should take care of that.

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TDLP

My week 17 completed project for The Documented Life.  This challenge was to draw or photograph my favorite pair of shoes.

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I can hardly wait for the next one! Visit their website for more awesome!

Whenever you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.  Arthur Conan Doyle

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and TDLP Obsessed

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ON THE NEEDLES

Newest WIP is another Hitchhiker, in Sachet Patons Lace that I picked up I don’t know when on a Hobby Lobby run.

I’m really liking the way this is knitting up.

Socks on a Plane are still on the needles, but have grown not a bit in the last week.  Tomorrow, I keep telling them, just hang on.  So, yes, the crazy yarn lady is talking to her unfinished socks now…..

BOOKLOVE

102 pages in and it has me walking extra miles on the treadmill.  That’s how fantastic this book is, a repeater, for sure.  I’m so glad I bought this instead of checking it out at the library, it’s a book to be savored.

WORD DOC

I got my first challenge for The Documented Life project completed and posted; the challenge was to use a cardboard food box in an unexpected manner; this is what I came up with –

The new challenge for Week 17 is on the drawing board.  I’ll be sharing it soon, meanwhile, check out it out, don’t be surprised if you find yourself drawn in and then obsessed.  Everyperson Art.  Love. It.

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly of the soul.  John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice

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Knitting

Spinning Sunday

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WHAT’S NEW?

Hurray!  It’s here!  With our tax refund this year Mr. Iknead and I gifted ourselves with some things we’d been pining after for a while.  I gave myself an Ashford blending board and on my first trial run, I could see.what a difference using it is going to make in my spinning adventures.  Mr. Iknead has chosen to go with upgrading to an iPad Air.  Can you guess what this means?  It means that I’m getting his old iPad and my blending board!  Two happys at once!  I love it!

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Here’s what’s currently on the bobbin

 

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Super wash Merino dyed with Jacquard Acid Fast Dye, Sky Blue

Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.  Hasidic saying

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Knitting

FO=Frustration Overload

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TODAY’S FO

Here’s something I bet you don’t know about me:  I want to be a seamstress – badly.  The only hitch in my get along is that I don’t really know how to sew.  I get these delusions of grandeur periodically, the most recent came upon me a few weeks ago.  So far, I’ve produced a skirt and a pair of pants and to my shock, they both are wearable.  So, with my confidence at an all time high, I started another skirt, navy blue with a pattern of white leaves, with a sort of flouncy bottom. The skirt bottom, not my bottom.  Cutting and sewing went well, boosting my confidence a little more, BUT, on trying it on, it’s too small.  Way too small.  Dang.  The pattern was the size I wear, seam allowances jibed.  Does my backside have delusions of grandeur all its own?  Do patterns run smaller than ready made?  Any answers from seamstresses?

RANDOM SNAPS

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Happy Easter!

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.  Willa Cather

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Knitting

Word Doc

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DOCUMENT ME, PLEASE

After reading Pixelknit’s Ponderings and admiring her pages, I’ve decided to join in The Documented Life, a yearlong journal/art project from Art to the Fifth.  OK, my confession is:  I’m not artistic.  I can’t draw or paint and have always colored outside the lines, but I love creating things and if I can do something in an unexpected way, all the better.  Also, journaling is not my strong suit, but ask me one question a day or give me an idea and I’m off and running.  Also, I love buying journals, all that blank space makes me feel like anything is possible, brand new and open to anything.  Listen to me, waxing positively dreamy.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.  Lauren Bacall

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/16/14 and Booklove

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ON THE NEEDLES

Since the first version of Socks on a Plane was way too small, I frogged and started over, this time with a total of 64 stitches instead of 56 (as best I can remember, I seem to have blocked it from my memory) and this time around the fit is much better.  I’m glad because it just about kills me to frog something that is so close to being finished.  Close as in one inch of cuff and I’m finished and moving on.  I did it and I’m glad I did, but still…

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Second Go Round

BOOKLOVE

I’m still reading God’s Hotel, which is taking longer than usual to finish since I seem to only read it when I’m on the treadmill.  This is a good thing most of the time because if I have a “special treadmill book”, climbing on and walking for 45 minutes or an hour doesn’t seem to be as much of a chore.  I downloaded a new book, Frog Music, that I’m looking forward to reading; I suppose you could call it my carrot and stick, since I’ve resolved to finish Hotel before I start anything new.

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I’m linking up today, as usual with Ginny, Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO.  Inspiration Central, like always.

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.  Joseph Clinton Pearce

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Knitting

Out with the Old

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I don’t know about anyone else but this whole security breach thing with tumblr is about to drive me nuts.  Actually, what’s driving me there is having to change passwords.  You practically have to include every letter, upper and lower case, pick a number between 1 and a billion, throw a couple of odd symbols in and just in case, include your firstborn child.  Really, I understand the importance of a secure internet; I just have trouble coming up with a reasonably memorable password that fits the above criteria.  I consider myself somewhat creative, but new passwords stump me. Every. Time.

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS PART TWO

 

Dinner the last night at J. Greene’s Pub

 

Dessert at Ted Drewe’s, it’s never too cold for frozen custard!  

 

Grammy with Carter

 

 

 
The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.

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