Tag: Books

Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On? Wednesday #3, Booklove 12/10/14, Two Weeks left

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ON MY NEEDLES

Christmas knitting continues, but slowly.  Next year, I’m starting holiday knitting in January! My  rule of one knitted gift per year will stand, I’m just trying to minimize the stress of “down to the wire” knitting.  We’ll see how it goes.  Once again, my WIP is this:

 

BOOKLOVE

I’m immersed in Ann Hood’s An Italian Wife, which I’m enjoying very much and have The Night Circus at the head of the queue when Wife is finished.  After that, who knows???

JUST TWO MORE!

I can hardly believe that the 2014 Documented Life Art Journal has just two more weeks, two more prompts and bang, 2014 shuffles off stage and the brand spanking new 2015 project will take its place.  Know what I’m most proud of?  I stuck with it, even with only the vaguest idea of what an art journal is, and learned more than I ever thought possible.  The most amazing thing I learned?  I’m an artist and I love art!  This is a huge take away for me, who has always had problems with “staying in the lines” and always “marched to the beat of a different drummer”.

I’m linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams today.  Visit  and be inspired!

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.  Lao Tzu 


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It’s that day again!

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Knitting

Dream Vacation

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IN MY DREAMS

I have a confession to make:

I tried hard to make this week’s Documented Life prompt, week 50 if you’re keeping track, about a dream vacation at the beach, I cut out pictures, made a background and arranged everything just so.  Except……

My dream vacation isn’t the beach – before I go any further, I need to make this clear – I love the beach, I do, but being the hardcore homebody I am, I confess that my dream vacation is being home, with my family, my pets, my bed and my spot on the couch, the spot where the cushions fit me perfectly and the lamp is perfect for knitting or writing or reading or a conversation with Mr. Iknead.  I figured this out when I was putting together a packing list for my dream vacation and noticed that I could put my hand on everything I listed from my spot on the couch — books, knitting, paper, pens and family.

So, that’s my confession.  I’m owning it.  Most days, I’m living my dream vacation.  The only tan I have is the one I get from being outside in my yard, playing with grandchildren or pets, or piddling around my patio and plants.  I don’t have a ton of vacation pictures to share, unless you count the ones I take of knitting projects, funny family, art projects and those odd ones you get when you accidently hit the button on my iPhone, I do have a ton of those.

I know this sounds sickly sweet and too good to be true, but it is.  True, some days are better than others and I’m happy to see some days disappear from my life’s rear view mirror, but I’m a radical optimist and believe every day holds something good.  Sometimes you have to look a little harder to find it, but it’s there, every. single. day.

I am lucky.  I am blessed.  This is my dream vacation.

HEY!!!! Wanna see some vacation pics??????

 The latest photo of my ridiculously precious newest grand, the Elf and her equally precious mommy.

You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backward.  James Thurber


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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove 10/14/14

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ON THE NEEDLES

 My Simplex Shawl continues to grow.  According to the pattern, it’s more than halfway finished.  More about it here.

BOOKLOVE

Where do I start?  I’m rereading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and am up to Book Three, The Waste Lands.  I read The Wind Through the Keyhole in Florida, a book that technically falls between Books Four and Five, but was released in February, 2012.  This series continues to be my all time favorite.  Crazy love them all.

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE

I got a little behind in my art journal while on vacation and am just finishing up last week’s prompt, which was Polka Dots.  After a couple of false starts, I got into the groove, using a circle stencil to draw flowers, then handcoloring them and cutting them out to layer with stenciled dots, spray ink and, probably some stamps.  I drew and colored these flowers just for fun today.  I don’t have a current plan for these, but I thought they turned out well.

 I love drawing and coloring flowers – they’re probably my favorite, but I’ve been sort of down on myself because I’m not good at faces and because lettering also isn’t something I feel I do well, especially when I compare my stuff to projects others post, but I’m adjusting my attitude starting now.  New mindset:  So what if all I can draw is flowers – I love doing them.  So what if every face I draw is weird and more than a little wonky – I’ll never be commissioned to do a portrait.  So what if my lettering leaves something to be desired – I can practice and get better at it and if that doesn’t pan out, I’ll use my computer.  So what if my journal pages will never be hung in the Museum of Modern Art or the Louvre – they make me happy and creating them feeds my soul, just like they’re supposed to and because of that, I am an artist!

Linking with Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.  T.S. Eliot

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and Babylove

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ON THE NEEDLES

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Knit Vested and Stylish

Quince&Co.

Lark in Twig

So, before Mr. Iknead and I took off to Mt. Magazine last weekend, I did a stash dive and came up with ten (!) skeins of this lovely yarn.  I’m a little embarrassed to reveal that I’d completely forgotten about this little bit of stash enhancement.  Obviously, I’d bought it with a particular project in mind, what with ten skeins and all, but as for the planned project, no clue.    Anyway, I started  cruising Ravelry for patterns and settled on a  sweet and simple vest from Redheart.

Vested and Stylish

Redheart

Sorry sbout the crazy photos, my phone battery bit the dust and photos taken on my ipad are HUGE. We’re charging, by the way.  The pattern and the Lark yarn seem to be a perfect match; I love it when a plan comes together! 😉

WEDNESDAY BOOKLOVE

I just finished Anthony Rapp’s memoir, Without You.  This is another happy discovery, Mr. Rapp was one of the lead characters in my all-time favorite play, Rent.  FYI, he played Mark, an aspiring filmmaker.  A good read, especially since I love Rent so much, of course, it was loaded with Rent references and bits of insider trivia.  Next up is Lucky Us, by Amy Bloom, a book I know next to nothing about, other than the synopsis sounded interesting.

GRANDBABY LOVE

New Kid on the Block

Charlee Faith, who is all of one month as of Monday.  Beautiful, right??

She’s #4 in the grandbaby line up and I’m here to tell you, the grandparent thing?,  it never gets old.  Ever.

I’m linking today with Tami, Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams.

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.  Michelangelo

 

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Knitting

Love in the Library

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READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

I’ve been burning up our local library’s downloadable collection more than usual these last few weeks.  My most recent read is Mambo in Chinatown written by Jean Kwok, a book I checked out because the title intrigued me.  For the longest time, I only read nonfiction, history and/or bio/memoirs mostly, but lately I’ve been branching out into fiction and (this is my dirty little secret) YA.  I love my library, I love that it’s right around the corner from my house and I can walk there.  I love it that the staff seems to always have time for a quick book discussion or recommendation.  I love that I can settle into a comfortable chair and knit the afternoon away without odd looks or feeling that I should move along and free up space for “real readers”.  I love seeing my tax dollars at work!  I love my library!

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.  Buddha

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove

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ON THE NEEDLES

Though it looks the same as it did last week, I have made progress on My Guernsey Wrap and hopefully will have knitted the last stitch in time to post it as a FO on Friday.  If I didn’t jinx it by saying that, that is.  You can read more about it here.

BOOKLOVE

Man, I’ve been burning through the downloaded library books this week.  So far, I’ve finished Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg, Grey Wolf by Simon Dunstan, Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld and started Delicious, by Ruth Reichl.  All great books, but I  think my favorite is going to be Delicious, but really, it’s too soon to tell.

FIXED

I had a challenge or two with my last post with a couple of pictures missing.  It’s fixed (I hope) and if you’d like to give it another look, it’s here.

I’m linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along, Tami and Frontier Dreams.

Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.  Booker Washington

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Knitting

Booklove, WIP Wednesday and Grandbaby Countdown

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ON THE NEEDLES

Blog, meet Liesl; Liesl, meet Blog. 

Liesl Tunic

Cocoknits

Knitpicks Cotlin

Brown Sugar Colorway

Started 7-14-14

BOOKLOVE

I have a different sort of booklove today.  Here’s the backstory:  I lost my calendar a while ago, a calendar I loved – just the right size, illustrated by my favorite artist, everything about it was perfect.  It has remained wayward and I decided to finally replace it yesterday.  So, Mr. Iknead and I made a trip to our local bookstore to look for one.  The new calendar had to meet a few requirements before coming home with me.  It needed to be small enough to carry around in my purse, the writing space needed to be fairly large (my eyes aren’t as good as they once were) and it needed to have both traditional calender pages AND weekly planner pages.  Oh, and it had to be cute.  So, I looked at big ones and small ones, spiral bound and traditionally bound, ones with reminder stickers and pockets, minimalist planners and elaborate ones.  After much inner debate (I try really hard to not talk to myself out loud in public places), I chose this cutie-

 

It has traditional calendar pages, traditional planner pages and then sort of a hybrid of both, and don’t forget the cute factor, gotta have one that makes me smile every time I pick it up and use it.  This one fits the bill nicely, I think.

GRAND COUNTDOWN

T minus 19 days and counting.  Baby Charlee is due on August 4 and all of us are anxious to meet her, but none more than Babymama and Babydaddy.  It’s getting close!

I’m linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams today.

The Possible’s slow fuse is lit by the Imagination.  Emily Dickinson

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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

WIP Wednesday and Booklove 3/19/14

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ON THE NEEDLES

Seafoam shrug. At first I couldn’t quite figure out how this would work, thinking those 60 rows of  K1P1 ribbing were way little for a neckline. Silly me. I went back and studied the pattern and realized it was knit cuff to cuff. Duh. Yeah, it is a perfect sleeve. Makes perfect sense.

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BOOKLOVE

Two thumbs up for Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler, a story with two voices, one elderly, one not so elderly, one white, one black and their unexpected friendship to kinship over the years. It’s been a long time since a story brought me to tears. I love this book.

Linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO.

Linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along.

Every choice you make has an end result.  Zig Ziglar

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Knitting

Go Team Girl, Birthday Swag, More Booklove

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NEWS FLASH

So the big reveal Tuesday was drum roll please a girl, bringing the Iknead grandgirl total to four. Her name is Charlotte Faith, Charlie for short. The name Charlotte carries special significance for me as it was my mom’s name. Charlie is expected to make her debut this August and Mr. Iknead and I are once again over the moon excited to add another precious grand to our collection.

BIRTHDAY SWAG

The Stuttgart branch of the Iknead family got me this guy, along with everything I needed to make him feel right at home.

I’ve named him Snoopy.

The Little Rock branch of the Iknead family got me this, which I’m planning to try out today.  Don’t cake pops sound fun?

BOOKLOVE

I’m rereading In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White and am loving it just as much as I did the first time around.  I also downloaded a new library book yesterday, The Scar Boys, by Len Vlahos.  OK, I’m coming out of the closet with this one – I admit it, I love Young Adult Fiction.  There, I said it, my secret is out and I’m glad.  🙂

ON THE NEEDLES

I’ve finished the first Kew sock and cast on the second last night.  Since this pattern has kicked my fanny in the past, I’m glad to say it appears to have been conquered and is now marching to the beat of my drummer.

I love my past.  I love my present.  I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had, and I’m not sad because I have it no longer.  Colette

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 7/17/13, Doing the Herb

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ON THE NEEDLES

Mr. Iknead’s socks continue to grow.  The first of the pair is finished, and the second maybe 2/3 finished.  My goal is to have them done in time for FO Friday.  I’ve said that before and been defeated, but hope springs eternal and all that.

Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Socks for Mr. Iknead

THE HERB

I noticed yesterday that my basil was beginning to flower and that means it needed to be harvested quickly if I’m to have more basil this summer.  I was going to dry it, but learned that because basil has a high water content, it does better when frozen than when dried.  Learn something new every day, I do.

That’s plain basil on the left, lime basil on the right

My kitchen smells HEAVENLY!

BY THE BOOK

I’m nearly through with Joyland and have enjoyed it immensely, wishing sometimes that there were just a couple more hours in the day, like 26 or 27 instead of just 24, just so I could squeeze in a little more of my favorite pastimes.  (I think I just heard a few moms of toddlers groan.)  I also checked out a couple of library books on spinning and knitting; the pictures are lovely, I may never get to the text!

I’m linking up today with Tami, Ginny’s Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams KCCO.  Don’t forget to visit these awesome blogs!

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.  John Lennon

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Uncategorized

The one where I finished

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one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time:  Dark Places, byGillian Flynn.  It kept me guessing until the very end.  I’m totally addicted to audiobooks, it goes along with my issues of always multi-tasking, but as much as I love them, sometimes I want to feel the weight of a book in my hands and smell the paper and ink.  I’ll probably always be a little old school for books, always on the lookout for odds and ends, my current favorite bookstore is Dickson Street Used Books in Fayetteville.  Can’t make a trip to the ‘ville without dropping by Dickson Street at least once.

I’ve had a challenge the past few weeks keeping up with my blog resolution.  Suffice it to say that that particular goal has fallen by the wayside.  Now I’m happy if I can get one entry posted every few days.  I’ve been running to and from my parents’ house, a three hour drive away, trying to tie up loose ends and just being there for my folks, making sure they’re (somewhat) OK.  All that, coupled with no internet access down in the wilds of southwest Arkansas, has my blogging on the back burner.  Sigh…..

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.  John A. Shedd (1859-1928)

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