Knitting

Short and Sweet

October 21, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

I’M BACK

With such a difficult week last week, I’ve let my blog slide and I can tell. I’ve missed blogging and reading other’s blogs. It’s good to be back.

GOING POTTY

Again, with all that’s gone on the last couple of weeks, I totally forgot to show off my first photoworthy wheel thrown pots. So, without further ado, here they are.

Today’s a pottery class day. Hopefully, I’ll have something to show off by the end of class – if I can remember to take a picture!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

Knitting

Release for Mom, Relief for Us

October 18, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

FINISH

We buried my mom yesterday in the family plot in Batesville and I think we all heaved a secret sigh of relief to have it over and done with. Now comes the getting used to part, the part where there’s no more extra laundry, no more nursing home visits, no more knots in the pit of my stomach when the caller ID on my phone says Nursing Home. I miss my mom, but dementia took her away long before yesterday.

Moving on……

ON THE NEEDLES

One Christmas project finished, another ready to begin and I’m feverishly trying to finish my Hilton Field Cowl. Check this out, my first colorwork knitting that’s not stripes –

YESTERDAY’S BEST THING

The weather was beautiful, cool and sunny and I got to take a walk with the Papoose in a quiet, pretty place, her talking my ear off, giggling, giving the hand she was holding lots of kisses and saying I love you. That’s the best thing.

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. Henry Miller

Knitting

This Is A Tough One

October 14, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that my mom has suffered from dementia for several years. It’s not something I blog about usually, mostly due to my mom’s extremely private nature, but also because my blog is one of my “happy places” and nothing about dementia is happy. At times, it’s funny because sometimes, all you can do is laugh, but it’s more often heartbreaking to see a loved one slip away, but continue to be present in body. That being said; my mom passed away early yesterday morning from her disease. I’ll miss my mother, even though at times we had a “prickly” relationship, but I like to think that in recent years both of us had mellowed and were able to enjoy each others company more often than not.

Again, I’ll miss my mom, but truly, her death was a release and a relief.

I love you, Mom. R.I.P.

Life is an adventure in forgiveness. Norman Cousins

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/09/13

October 9, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Christmas knitting is going like gangbusters. One more evening of knitting on this particular project should wrap it up.

Les Miz scarf/shawl is moving right along, although when I took it outdoors for a picture I noticed that somehow one of the needles has pulled out, so that will be today’s Les Miz knitting.

Yesterday was a day of galloping startitis, so I caved and started Hilton Field Cowl, designed by Kate Gagnon Osborn, in a book called November Knits . I’m using Cascade 220 that I found in the sale bin at Yarn Mart, in the colors I love. Does it get any better than sale yarn in favorite colors? I don’t think so.

ON THE BOBBIN

This

is in the process of becoming

this

Merino from Diamond B Sheep in Greenwood, Arkansas

Linking up with Tami’s WIPW blog and Frontier Dreams. Visit them for inspiration overload.

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Ella Williams

Knitting

Phestival Phun, Phorget The Photos, If I Were a Knitpicks Cable

October 6, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

WHAT I DID AND WHAT I DIDN’T DO

Remember all the photos I promised of the Fiber Festival? Didn’t.Take.One. As a matter of fact, my camera didn’t even make it to the festival. That’s right, after being obsessive about making sure I had the camera, it never even made it to the festivities. I remembered it about the time we pulled into the parking lot. I suppose I could have pressed Mr. Iknead into going back and getting it, but the festival and the camera were about 20 miles apart and I just didn’t have the heart to ask him to go back and get on that cold and rainy morning. But……..

MY PHESTIVAL TAKE AWAY

Prepare to be awed:

This, my friends, is a bag of beautiful baby alpaca. It feels like buttah.

It’s from Whirlwind Ranch in Lebanon, Missouri and cries out to be fondled.

Here we have “Raspberry Ice”, domestic wool top from

Diamond B Sheep Farm of Greenwood Arkansas

More from the Diamond B – 100% merino, just waiting to become someone’s favorite socks.

More Diamond B merino, which hasn’t decided yet what it should be, given the amazing possibilities.

A wool, Angelina, silk noil and faux cashmere batt from you know where.

Can you see the little sparklies? I learned that those are called Angelina.

A wool, Tussah silk and bamboo batt, from my favorite Arkansas sheep farm.

All this fiber and I stayed within my budget (give or take about five bucks). This should keep Violet and me spinning for a while!

IF I WERE A KNITPICKS INTERCHANGEABLE CABLE

Where would I be? All I know is that all my lovely interchangeable cables are missing and I’ve pretty much exhausted all possible hiding places. I’ve looked in every bag, basket and drawer in the knitting room, I’ve called my housekeeper, I’ve called Bigmommy and even enlisted St. Anthony. No cables. They may have been abducted by aliens, since I’ve ruled out someone breaking into my house, sneaking into the knitting room and taking off with a ziplock bag of cables. Sigh. They’re sure to turn up now, since I ordered a new set last night. Sigh.

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin

Knitting

I Brake for Fiber

October 4, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

MY PHIRST PHIBER PHESTIVAL

Yeah, yeah. I know that that’s lame, but I couldn’t resist. As I tell Mr. Iknead all the time, “Just humor me, OK?” The first ever Diamond State Fiber Festival starts today and runs through Saturday and I’m soooo excited. I’m taking a beginning spinning class and hopefully I won’t have to unlearn many bad habits from being self and YouTube taught. This will be Violet’s first road trip, hopefully the first of many. I’ll have to remember to take lots of pictures, though what usually happens is that I get so involved in whatever it is I want to photograph that I completely forget to take pics. I’ll do better this time, I’ll keep the camera around my neck as a reminder.

SPINNING OUT

I ordered four Knitpicks Bare Wool of the Andes and I have to say, it’s been a pleasure to spin. As I get better and better at it (and I am, even I can tell), I’m spinning finer and finer yarn. Think sock or fingering yarn. From someone who a year ago never had any desire to spin, I’m now the proud owner of Violet, my Ashford Traveller wheel and spin some everyday. I find the whole process very calming and centering. I’m planning on coming back from the festival with loads and loads of roving and maybe some fleeces too. Here’s a look at the Knitpicks Bare Roving after spinning.

Now, should I dye it or let it alone? Decisions, decisions.

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight. Michael Bridge

Knitting

Cutie Pie

October 3, 2013October 3, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

CUTE OR WHAT?

Yesterday, on my regular walk, I looked down and spotted this sweet little thing and couldn’t resist taking a pic –

Cutest Toadstool Ever

What is it about tiny things that makes me want to coo? Puppies, kitties, babies of any sort, booties, any newborn baby stuff and again, just tiny things in general stop me in my tracks and reduce me to coos and babytalk. Is it a mothering thing? I kind of think it is. Mr. Iknead gets embarrassed sometimes so I try to dial it down when it happens when he’s around, sometimes meeting with success, most times, not. What reduces you to a bowl of jello when you encounter it?

We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. Anne Frank

Knitting

Frog Pond/WIP Wednesday 10/02/13

October 2, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

If this Le Miz shawl looks smaller than last week, it’s because it is. I found an awful, unfixable, un-live-withable mistake way, way back nearly at the beginning. This shawl is 712 rows long and I was probably on row 400 or so. No way I was going to tink it back. Ever. Timewise, it made more sense to just bite the bullet and start the whole thing over. So I did.

Linking with Tami’s WIP Wednesday and Frontier Dreams today.

If you cannot be silent be brilliant and thoughtful. Byron Pulsifer

Knitting

Shutdown, Spirals and Festival

October 1, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

YOU CAN DO THAT? REALLY?

Mr. Iknead and I woke up this morning still wondering about the predicted government shutdown, even though we pretty much knew from last night that nothing had changed or had been agreed upon. This hits pretty close to home for us – Mr. Iknead works for the State of Arkansas, which in turn is contracted by the Feds, so we’re sort of up in the air. I feel very, very fortunate that at this point in our lives we don’t have to worry about our finances and if Mr. Iknead is furloughed for a bit, it’s not a crisis situation. I know others who are not so fortunate. Thank you, Mr. Iknead, for the austerity program, even though I gripe about it sometimes.

GONE TO POT

Pottery class is going well. Teach told me yesterday that I definitely had gotten the hang of using the wheel and with practice, I’ll get better at it. Still have nothing post worthy, but I’m planning on going in to work on the wheel more this week and hopefully, I have something at least minimally postable.

Here’s the spiral bowl I glazed this weekend with shiny black. Can you tell that I totally didn’t check the background when I whipped out my phone to take a pic? This one cracks me up. It looks like it’s drinking out of the bowl –

LOOKING AHEAD

The first Diamond State Fiber Festival is this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it and I’ve already got some extra money budgeted for whatever strikes my fancy (up to a point, of course). Hoping to come home with enough fiber to keep me spinning for a little while, at least. Violet, yeah, that’s my wheel’s name, is making the trip and hopefully, I’m going to learn a lot in the beginning spinning class I’m taking. I’ll take lots of pictures.

The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno

Knitting

September 29, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE GRANDS

Mr. Iknead and I had the pleasure of some two on one time yesterday with Babydiva while Babymama and Babydaddy caught a matinee (did I spell that right?) of Wicked and it’s hard to tell who had the better time. We went on a field trip to Good Earth Garden Center and we had a blast. I took lots of pictures of the back of Babydiva’s head, since she never quits moving and her philosophy is “why sit when you can walk and why walk when you can run?” Note to self – wear running shoes next time. See what I mean?

Look at that sweet hand!

I got it, Pawpaw.

Then, there’s the Papoose and Sprout.

Precious Sprout

The Papoose and cookie dough love.

What did we do before we had grands?

Patience and perseverence have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Adams

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 9/25/13 and Happy Birthday

September 25, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Happy First Birthday, Sprout!

I’M INTO POTS

Oh my gosh! What a difference seven days makes! First pottery throwing class was last week and I admit it – I wasn’t sure that that whole wheel thing was for me. I did promise myself that I’d give it four weeks and if I still wasn’t feeling it, I’d go back into the morning handbuilding class. Well, yesterday’s attempt at the wheel was totally different, something clicked inside my head (in a good way) and it was so cool! The clay stuck to the wheel, just like it was supposed to, centering the pot on the wheel was a million times easier and by the end of class, my hands were beginning to know what to do to cone the clay up and down on their own. Nothing post-worthy yet, but I may go to the Art Center today to practice more, besides, I have a pot that needs to be glazed and I’m thinking black.

GRINS AND GRANDS

I ran across this photo when I was looking for something else on Flickr. I don’t know how I missed it because I love it! My son, Jordan, and his niece, Susannah. Isn’t it sweet?

ON THE NEEDLES

Les Miserables from Cynthia Parker, Hand Held Knitting in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Using

I’ve also started on some Christmas knitting, which, for obvious reasons, must be kept under wraps until then.

TOPSPIN

My roving FINALLY arrived and this is what it has become –

Mixed undyed black and white roving from Fire and Fluff, this may further morph into socks, but I’ve still not decided for sure.

Linking with Tami Amis and Frontier Dreams.

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

Knitting

Looky here, Grands and Cookies

September 20, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

LOOK WHAT I MADE!

A very kind friend donated some fabric scraps a couple of weeks ago when she found out I was doing some crafty sewing – we’re talking high end stuff. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’d forgotten all about them, which happens a lot around here. It doesn’t help that I have fabric and yarn and quite a bit of found stuff that I found intriguing and brought home from who knows where. Really, I do know where, I find stuff on my walks all.the.time. Stuff I can’t resist picking up and examining, always wondering about the backstory. My children keep reminding me that this is how hoarders get started. But I digress. Backing it up… I started digging around in some fabric that I had laid aside a while ago and found this really cool upholstery fabric. Thanks Jean! Look what I made!

A new needle roll to corral at least a few of the (knitting) needles I have at any given time close to hand.

Here’s a look at the outside

A peek inside

I put a big pocket on the end to hold circulars

Rolled up

I like it!

THE GRANDS

I had the joy of one on one time with a couple of the grands yesterday – The Sprout and I, along with Babymama and Babydiva, visited the library for Book Babies and a good time was had by all. Books, babies, songs, rhymes, it was so fun! I probably had more fun than anyone else. Sometimes, my enthusiam embarrasses my kids, but my grands love it and I have no plans to scale back any time soon.

After lunch, I put the Sprout down for a nap and the Papoose and I made chocolate chip cookies, best I’d ever tasted! I took pictures:

Just getting started – modeling her apron