Knitting

The Documented Life Project – Playing Catch Up

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

CATCHING UP

I’ve been promising to catch up my TDL Art Journal photos and now is the time. Here goes:

Add a flap to your flap

Collage something you recycled

Make a list of the things that make you you

Draw, photograph or collage a bird onto.your page

This one is especially special to me. I gave my mother the hummingbird magnet several years ago and it was on her refrigerator up until she passed away and my oldest grandbaby painted the picture of the ducks as a gift to me.

Cut up a magazine -add

Use a rubber stamp in a new way

Add embroidery or embroidery floss to your page -no floss? Use thread

I printed out my favorite poem, gave it a watercolor wash and sewed it into my journal. Then, I added a pocket to contain a vintage handmade hankie that belonged to one of my favorite aunts.

So that’s it so far. A new challenge will be posted Saturday morning, so stay tuned!

We are all something, but none of us are everything.

Knitting

WIP Wednesday, “This Is Gray”, Booklove

May 21, 2014May 21, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

“THIS IS…….”

When I went to the salon this morning, I showed the pictures I posted yesterday to my stylist. If you missed yesterday’s post, you can read it here. My stylist, who was my friend before she was my hairdresser, looked at the pictures, looked at me like I was crazy and said, “This is gray, your hair will not look like this.” “How come?” “You’re not gray enough” she says. Oh. OK. She could make it more ashy and less gold, she said. Again, “OK”. So she did and I love it. Love. It.

The Big Reveal

FYI – Back in the day (up until 2006), I pretty much kept my hair ultra short – think crew cut. My daughter asked me to grow my hair out for her wedding. I did and have loved my long hair much more than I ever expected.

ON THE NEEDLES

Still working on My Harmonia, but am in the last stages. A few more 12 row repeats and I should be home free.

Last but not in any way, least

BOOKLOVE

In the throes of insane Booklove, and yes, I know I say that every week, with Far From The Tree, Parents, Children, and The Search For Identity, written by Andrew Solomon. This book was one of the 2012 Ten Best Books according to the New York Times Book Review. Incredible book. Don’t be put off by its size, it’s a great read and the pages fly.

Linking with Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny.

I have done my plowing: I have sown my seed. Again I have time to sit and read my books. T’ao Chien

Knitting

Maybe A Change?

May 20, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

SHOULD I?

I have a hair appointment this morning and have been thinking about letting my hair just go its natural color. My hair is naturally blonde , but as I’ve aged, it has darkened a little, with some gray coming in. I’ve been having blonder highlights put in, mostly to brighten it up. It seems very mousy and drab without at least a little help and I’ve been seeing posts about women letting their hair go naturally gray or silver and I have to say – I like the look. So, I’m going to talk to my hairdresser this a.m. and who knows, I may walk out a silver fox rather than a golden girl. As an aside, I literally grew up in what was called back then, a beauty shop (three of my mother’s five sisters were what was called back then, beauty operators) so changing styles, color or texture has never intimidated me. I’m thinking something like this:

Or this

I’m really loving this more natural look. I may have a surprise come this afternoon. Oh, here’s my hair right now.

Getting a little pumped, even as we speak!

Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level. Joyce Brothers

Knitting

A Nasty Bit of Business

May 17, 2014May 17, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

THIS HAD UGLY POTENTIAL

Confession: The technique for a provisional cast-on eludes me. For the past eight years I’ve avoided them entirely – up until a week or so ago when I started work on the Harmonia Shrug. The pattern called for a provisional cast-on, which was unavoidable. So I did my version a PCO and it went fine. Perfect, until the first half of the shrug was done and the second half required removing the PCO and picking up the stitches. Horrible. Horrible because I really don’t know what I’m doing and removing the CO took HOURS. It was all twisty and some of it was backwards (I think) and most of the stitches to be picked up were also twisty and bass-akward. After many hours, a headache and a stiff neck, I think I got it fixed around midnight. No not a bit obsessive, I much prefer the terms persistent or goal oriented. No pic of shame though, I need a Happy Picture.

Happy Baby Alpaca

I have never been hurt by anything I didn’t say. Calvin Coolidge

Knitting

A Different Sort of FO

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

TAKING ANOTHER RUN AT IT

Several weeks ago, I decided to dust off my practically nonexistent sewing skills and make a skirt. You can read about the whole disappointing episode here. Anyway, I felt enough time had passed, my psychic wounds were more or less healed and with the correct pattern size and some fabric found on a clearance table at Jo-Ann, I tried again. Guess what!!!! I made a skirt and it fit and so what if there were just two pieces to the pattern! I MADE A SKIRT!!!!! Pretty proud of myself (giving myself a hug). Here’s a look –

Now, if the weather will cooperate and start feeling like spring again……..

Linking up with Tami today.

I will prepare and someday my chance will come. Abraham Lincoln

Knitting

Unblocked, Birthday Joy

May 15, 2014May 15, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE

Thankfully, whatever caused the mental block earlier this week has moved on and I was able to restart and then finish challenge #20, which was Use A Rubber Stamp In An Unexpected Way. Admittedly, I didn’t reinvent the wheel this week, I used a stamp exactly the way you would expect but after feeling totally blank as far as challenge ideas went, I felt that beggars can’t be choosers and just went with it. I’m behind with posting photos. That’s on my list to get caught up on today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

The Papoose turns four today!!!!!!! Hard to believe, but true. Look at me, still getting teary, four years and innumeral blessings later.

Fresh

Four Years

Going in search of a tissue……

One joy dispels a hundred cares. Confucius

Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Raging Booklove and This Always Cracks Me Up

May 14, 2014May 13, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Vivacious Chocolate Shrug is still on the needles, but just barely. The bottom line on this particular project is that I don’t have enough yarn to finish it. No matter how many times I do the math, I’m still about a skein short of a project (that sounds like a joke) and decided to find one that fit both my yarn yardage and needle size. I stalked Ravelry patterns for hours until I decided on Rita Taylor’s Harmonia Shrug, here’s my progress so far:

BOOKLOVE

At the moment, I’m in the throes of infatuation for two books. First up is The Other Family, by Joanna Trollope and the second is a memoir, New Life, No Instructions by Gail Caldwell. Both are awesome in their own way. I (finally) finished Frogmusic and have queued it up to read again after the current two. Book crazy, always have been, always will be.

STILL LAUGHING

Seriously, who can read that and NOT laugh?

I’m linking with the usual suspects, Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams KCCO.

If Borg’s parents hadn’t liked the name, he might never have been Bjorn. Marty Indik

Knitting

Idea Underload, Grand Fun

May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

TDL

My work on this week’s challenge has been less than inspired. Usually, ideas are easy for me to come up with, to the point of idea overload, which results in inability to focus on any one thing and going in a thousand different directions at once. A touch of ADD? Probably so. I went ahead and made the less than inspired entry in my art journal, hoping that before long this block or whatever you want to call it, will move out of the way and I can get back on my normal, harem-scarem, million things at once track.

THE GRANDS

Mr. Iknead and I had a ball taking care of the Papoose and Sprout over the weekend. We painted, we colored, we snacked, we napped, we laughed, we snuggled, we read, we sang. Then, we started all over again. We made memories and as tired as I was when it was over, with lips chapped from kisses and arms tired from hugs, I never wanted it to end.

We missed Babydiva, who stayed home to hone her potty skills and wear her big girl panties. Way to go, Babydiva. You rock!!!

I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. Everett Dirksen

Knitting

Finally FO Friday

May 9, 2014May 8, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

Hitchhiker

Patons Lace

Sachet

ON THE NEEDLES

For the third time, I frogged my Vivacious Chocolate Shrug and started from scratch. I hope this time’s a charm. I’m getting burned out on the first three rows. Thinking positive thoughts.

THE GRANDS

Mr. Iknead and I are in Stuttgart, riding herd on the Papoose and Sprout while their mom and dad fly off to somewhere in Texas for a wedding that their dad is officiating. A short working vacation I suppose you’d call it. So far, so good. The girls went to bed with no fuss, no muss. Here’s hoping that tomorrow is pretty for a visit to the park.

I’m linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams.

Indulge your imagination in every possible flight. Jane Austen

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/7/14

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Vivacious Chocolate Shrug

Fyberspates Mixed Magenta

So far, this is not going well, due completely to in attention on my part. Frogged twice in the last two days. It can only get better, right?

Linking with Tami today.

Going back to zero can help creative juices no matter the art form you are attempting to create. Byron Pulsifer

Knitting

Busy, But With What?

May 6, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

DISTRACTED

Suddenly this evening I realized that I hadn’t posted since Saturday. I know it’s only Monday, but I’ve really worked at getting into the at least three posts a week habit and truly, I enjoy posting, putting my thoughts in order and then onto the page; I mean, the “virtual” page. I don’t remember the last time I hunted up a workable pen and a sheet of paper to write. Nowadays, handwriting, for me, is limited to list making and reminders, and even those are slowly being edged out by my iPad.

TDLP

My art journal has been kept me especially occupied the last few days. Here are a couple of my entries over the past few days.

This Week’s Challenge

Document a Random Act of Kindness

The two coffee cups represent the RAK I received in the drive-thru at Starbucks when the person ahead of me paid for my latte, which I then passed on to the car behind me.

Last Week’s Challenge

Document an Inspirational Quote

I loved the imagination/kite analogy. I’m not sure who to credit for this, maybe Lauren Bacall?

ON/OFF THE NEEDLES

Hitchhiker is finished! Official FO pics on Friday. Very pleased with how it turned out. Stay tuned….

Knitting has commenced in earnest on Vivacious Chocolate Shrug with the first three inches of the first cuff completed. The Fyberspates yarn is a joy to knit, with just the right amount of squishy; I see more of this yarn in my future.

If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. Thomas Edison

Knitting

To Market To Market

May 3, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

FARMER’S MARKET

We had a fun morning at the Farmer’s Market down by the river. So many vendors, all with beautiful things, from jewelry, to fruits and veggies, to clothes, to greyhounds. Naturally, at the greyhound rescue booth I wanted to take all the hounds home, every last one. Never mind that Mr. Iknead and I decided a while ago not to add another dog to our mix, Josie enjoys being an “only child” and we kind of like it, too. I’m a total pushover though and all it takes for me to forget all about our agreement is the sight of anything with fuzz, fur or feathers. Extra points if they happen to be babies, look like babies or were babies at any point in time. Speaking of babies…This young man is Mr. Iknead’s and my son, Jordan, holding HIS baby.