Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/24/12

October 24, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I’m on the downhill side of Pretty Maids, I think I have about ten rows left to complete, bearing in mind, though, that these are long, long rows, approximately 350 stitches and increasing by two stitches each row. I’m enjoying this second go round so much more than the first, I’m sure it’s because I’m not having to constantly check the pattern and the symbol guide. It’s not flying off the needles by any stretch of the imagination, but it is moving faster this time.

BY THE BOOK

I finished Opium Fiend yesterday during my daily treadmill and have moved on to The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth by Alison Weir. Very interesting, up to Anne Boleyn at the moment. I’m finishing my books much slower than I’m adding them and they’re beginning to pile up, but I can’t resist a new book. I keep telling myself that I’ll get caught up in December and January, when I’ve retired and the weather is too cold and nasty to be anywhere but inside by the fire.

VIOLET

Lately I’ve become obsessed with everything violet and I’m blaming it all on getting my tat, which is a violet ball of yarn and knitting needles. So last weekend, when I was prowling Goodwill, looking for odd and ends to craft with, I saw these and pounced –

They don’t match anything in my house – yet. Is it over the top to paint a room around the color of a couple of candlesticks from Goodwill instead of the other way around? It could totally happen. My research tells me that people who are drawn to the color violet are usually nuclear physicists or performance artists. That’s me in a nutshell. OK, maybe not the physicist part, but performance artist? Absolutely and I have embarrassing pictures to prove it.

THE GRANDS

The Papoose wants Babysis to sleep in her bed with her. Bigmommy sent me this yesterday.

Is this not the sweetest thing?

No man is rich enough to buy back his past. Oscar Wilde (see above paragraph)

Knitting

As promised

October 22, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE GRANDS

As promised, here are some pics of Babydiva’s baptism.

Babydiva with her fav cousin, the Papoose.

IN THE OVEN

I finally was able to do a little baking yesterday, something new I lifted from Pinterest – a cream cheese pound cake that was out of this world, really. Although, with three sticks of butter, cream cheese and six eggs, it would be hard for it to be anything but delicious. I took the time to cut a slice to bring to work this morning as a treat with my coffee. Yum.

Amazing cake!

Here’s the original Pinterest post:

Source: elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com via Ali on Pinterest

Technically this is not baking, but I got a sourdough starter going this weekend and I was right about the weather being good starter weather. I think this one is the fastest I’ve had one develop ever. Friday I started with the usual half cup flour and half cup warm water and by yesterday afternoon (Sunday) it was bubbly and had the typical sour smell. It should move into its beery, yeasty smell in the next day or so. Much as I love sourdough, this is my least liked stage. Until it matures, it smells like feet. I have to keep reminding myself that this part doesn’t last long. : )

48 hours old

See how nice and bubbly it is?

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. Benjamin Franklin

Knitting

Still on Pretty Maids

October 20, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I’m going great guns on my Pretty Maids shawl from Knitty and this time around it’s going very well. Here’s Josie graciously modeling it for a picture or two.

Can’t tell much about it as it’s a WIP and I’m anxious to have it finished and blocked so I can get the full effect.

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION

I took my phone with me on my walk this morning and took some pics. I’m trying to get better at it. Here’s a couple –

I think the lichens found on trees are beautiful with their silver/brown/ gray color palette. There could totally be a knitting project with these colors. But not before Pretty Maids is done! Promise!

He who does nothing makes no mistakes.

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/17/12

October 17, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Plugging along on the Pretty Maids shawl and am so happy I decided to frog the first attempt, the second try is 100% better. I’m able to “read” my knitting better and as a result, if I make a mistake, I notice it quicker and can fix it more easily. A much happier project! Here’s a photo –

Stitch close up

The Big Picture

THE GRANDS

I have a new picture of Babysis Annabelle and can’t resist blogging it. Talk about a lucky shot!

Isn’t she precious???

IN THE OVEN

I have big plans for baking this coming weekend. I’m going to bake bread and attempt to get a sourdough starter going. The weather should help out quite a bit, low humidity, warm but not hot temperatures. I’ve missed baking these past few months, first it was way to hot to use the oven, then I was too busy, what with the grands, work, Mom and the zillion other tiny things that seem to be of no consequence, but turn into a mountain with attempts to accomplish them.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. A.A. Milne

Knitting

Experimenting

October 15, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

DABBLINGS

I’ve been trying out some different crafts in the past few weeks, mostly jewelry, but also glass dyeing. I’ve for sure not perfected my glass dyeing technique, but it’s fun to try different things, different shapes and different colors. Here’s a sample; this what they look like before they’ve dried –

And this is about 24 hours later, after they’ve had some drying time. I love how they start out opaque and then slowly clear and true colors appear.

Now my challenge is deciding what to do with them, pretty much every horizontal surface in my house is taken. I’m thinking I might take them to the nursing home where my mom lives, I think she’d enjoy them on her windowsill. With the sun shining through, they look like stained glass.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Babymama had a birthday last week, here’s Mr. Iknead’s and my gift.

I finished it about a week before her actual birthday, it was so hard not to give it to her ahead of time! I couldn’t wait to find out if she liked it. She did and has worn it several times since.

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Robert Fulghum

Knitting

Babies and baptisms

October 14, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

WHAT WENT DOWN

Mr. Iknead and I had 2/3 of the grands in house this weekend, along with Bigdaddy and Bigmommy, and it was a million things all at once – exhausting (we’re not youngsters anymore no matter what we try to make you believe), exhilirating (try not to be excited by the prospect of a walk with a two year old or snuggles with a three week old), humbling (in the face of two year old wisdom, “because I don’t want to”) and joyful (just because). Babydiva’s baptism was last evening and she handled it with her usual diva cool, not batting an eye when Monsignor poured the water over her head. Mr. Iknead took pictures but hasn’t uploaded them yet. I’m moving that to the top of his to do list and hopefully, I’ll have some to show in the next day or so. Meanwhile, here’s the Papoose and Babysis –

The Papoose

Babysis

ON THE NEEDLES

After the drama with the Pretty Maids shawl last week, I ended up completely frogging it and starting over. I realized the first go round was a trainwreck, bit the bullet and frogged. This time, we’re getting along much, much better. Will get a picture tomorrow in the sunshine.

RECAP

Babies

Baptism

Knit

Frog

Knit

Blog

A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Knitting

Evening with the grands

October 12, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE GRANDS

Bigdaddy and bigmommy are out celebrating their sixth anniversary so guess what Mr. Iknead and I are doing. That’s right- we have baby duty! Here’s 2/3 of the grands:

Continue reading “Evening with the grands” →

Knitting

Crisis averted/WIP Wednesday 10/10/12

October 10, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Ouch! When I went to take a photo of the ongoing Pretty Maids shawl project to post to WIP Wednesday, I ACCIDENTLY PULLED THE NEEDLES OUT OF THE KNITTING! My heart just sank. Seriously, I thought I would throw up when I saw it. I was three rows from finishing it. Jeez. Luckily, I was able to put it back on the needles and am now in the process of tinking it back to a recognizable row to get moving forward on it again. Even though I know “it’s just knitting”, it’s my knitting and my time invested in it and I love it. Hopefully, this evening I’ll see forward progress again.

It’s really hard to make out what it looks like when it’s unblocked lace. Patience, patience and hopefully, it will be finished, washed and blocked by this time next week.

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pike

Knitting

So I saw this bracelet in a catalog

October 8, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

iCOVET

So, I saw this bracelet in a catalog (one of about a jillion that I get) months ago and fell in love with it right away. What I didn’t fall in love with was the price tag, $88.00 but I kept looking at it, checking to see if it had gone on sale, looking at it some more, then more checking and more looking. Finally, last week, as I was doing more looking, one of the little voices in my head (yes, I have a committee in my head) said, “You could totally make that, you know”. So I set about doing just that. I’ve been playing around with jewelry making and experimenting with different things, I had a spool of waxed linen cording and little silver beads that didn’t work for another project and this is what happened:

This one’s mine This one’s theirs

Pretty good for a total investment of about five bucks and thirty minutes, wouldn’t you say? And it fits perfectly (I have very skinny wrists). I did good, in my never to be humble opinion.

THE GRANDS

Babydiva’s baptism is scheduled for Saturday, so we tried the family baptistmal gown on her Saturday and I’m happy to report that it’s a perfect fit; the bonnet not so much. She’s the fourth baby to wear it. OK, technically, she’s the third since her dad, Babydaddy, couldn’t squeeze into it when he was her age. But, he did have it on for a minute or so, so I’m counting that as a wearing. If I remember correctly, he was very, very bad tempered about trying it on, too. Isn’t she a beauty??

Babydiva AKA Harper

BY THE BOOK

Am reading American Passage , a history of Ellis Island, which has always fascinated me and on my Nook, Killer Photos with Your iPhone. I’ve pretty much quit using anything but my phone to take pictures, this book has already taught me a lot, both how to set up a good photo and how to use my iPhone and its features to make pictures. Hopefully my pics will improve the more I learn. I’m ashamed to admit that I had to ask Mr. Iknead what kind of phone I have, 3G? 3GS? It’s a 4. Learn something new every day.

Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit. Abbie Hoffman

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/03/12

October 3, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Pretty Maids shawl, from Knitty Deep Fall 2010, done in Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk Paint, 85% Merino Superwash Wool/15% Mulberry Silk, color number 9801, which I call Bonfire because everything should have a name.

A HAPPY

When I visited my mother this morning, she knew me and told me she loved me. This can make the worst day one of the best. I miss the mom I had before dementia, but am coming to love the person she is now.

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after a committee of sleep has worked on it. John Steinbeck

Knitting

The New Normal

October 2, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE GRANDS

Our new normal finds us adding another granddaughter, Annabelle Kate, born September 23, 2012 and I’m liking it a lot. The Papoose is very pleased to be a big sister (so far) and seems to be taking the changes in her kingdom in stride. As she loves her cousin, Babydiva, like crazy, I expect she’ll feel the same about baby sister Annabelle. Three baby girl grands is just about more than Mr. Iknead can take, he’s totally, completely, no turning back and all bets are off in love with them, separately and collectively. Can’t smack the smile off his face.

Annabelle Kate

ON THE NEEDLES

Dropsy is finished, but really, I ran out of yarn and so made a design feature change from scarf to cowl. The yarn was in the bargain bin at my LYS and I only had two skeins. Too short for a real scarf, but perfect for a cowl, so, that’s what it is.

IN THE OVEN

Sadly, nothing really, I’ve been too busy to do any baking, but I did try out a few new recipes when I was caretaking Annabelle and family. One was a crockpot recipe of rice and porkchops, thanks to Grandmary, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo which was a Campbell’s soup recipe and lastly, something called Chili Mac Skillet. I think Grandmary’s rice and porkchops won out, with the Alfredo a close second.

To be able to look back upon one’s life in satisfaction, is to live twice. Kahlil Gibran

Knitting

New baby, new sister

September 27, 2012September 27, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

, a photo by loonyhoot@sbcglobal.net on Flickr.

THE GRANDS

Proud Pawpaw aka Mr.Iknead and prouder big sister, Susannah aka the Papoose with the new kid in town, Annabelle Kate. Three grands, three girls. Can it get any better? And what about Babydiva? She’s only so freaking cute that there ought to be a law! I’ll get more pics up when I get home. I’m doing this post on my nook so there’s no telling how this post is going to turn out. I’ll be back home with my laptop and post more, I promise.