Knitting

FO Finally!

May 31, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES AND INTO THE SOCK DRAWER

I had several setbacks with this project, but am glad I stuck with it. They turned out really well, I think! The Shibui color is mystery pink, found two skeins in the sale bin at Yarn Mart which had lost their bands. Excellent find! Will be making another LYS run sometime this afternoon, probably on my way to the Art Center for some clay play. With the holiday Monday, I’ve not been able to get to the pottery studio in a week, I’m having a little bit of withdrawal. I had a couple of things that were ready to fire. Hopefully, they were included in the kiln and since with clay and glazes, what you see is not usually what you get, the suspense is killing me. I might even remember to take some pictures!

Don’t forget to drop in on Tami’s FO Friday blog to catch some amazing FOs.

Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction. Pablo Picasso

Knitting

WIPW 5/29/13 w/ Yarn Along

May 29, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

After the needle crisis last week, complete frogging and after starting the Crocus Vernus socks one more time, all was peachy keen. I was loving my new metal needles, how smooth they were and the way the socks nearly FLEW off them – until it all came to a screeching halt Monday evening. Actually, the screeching was me after finding the cable on my new needles had apparently gotten mixed up with something sharp resulting in microdamage to the cable. Nothing slid any more. Can’t see it, can barely feel it, but it’s there. There to the point of not being able to move the sock past that point in the cable. Frustratus maximus*. I tried to smooth it with an emery board, tried to paint over it with clear nail polish, nothing worked. So, see ya later nice metal circs that I’d been so excited about. Changed needles out, back on the old, reliable Knitpicks Harmonies. At least, no frogging was involved. I think that might have completely driven me ’round the knitting bend – which may be closer than I ever thought, according to my daughter, a really, really dedicated non-knitter person who has never turned down a knitted gift. (I’m just sayin’…….)

Yarn Along/WIPW with Crocus Vernus

I’m linking up today with Tami’s WIPW blog and Ginny’s Yarn Along, pay them a visit, will you? They’re always a midweek treat!

The secret of success is constancy to purpose. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield

*Frustratus maximus – a term I just made up to describe the feeling I get when I want to chuck the whole knitting project and move on to something else.

Knitting

Socks, Suits and Swimming

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

The first Crocus Vernus sock is (finally) off the needles and I’m pretty happy about the way it turned out. If you remember, this was the project that inadvertantly was left behind after the Papoose’s birthday party and had one of the needles pulled out before I could reclaim it. I gave putting it back on the needle a quick try but then decided to suck it up and frog. I made a change or two, mainly deciding to just do three pattern repeats for the leg instead of eight, making it shorter and hopefully not quite so hot on the feet this summer.

I started the second sock yesterday and am on the second of the three pattern repeats on the leg. A FO Friday post seems possible.

JUST ADD WATER AND PLEASE PASS THE SUNSCREEN

Mr. Iknead and I are joining kids and the grands today for a swim and then a cookout. Babydaddy is smoking some ribs and my contribution will probably be something sweet and maybe some deviled eggs.

Saturday afternoon, I began the much dreaded, once every two or three years, search for the perfect swimsuit. You know the one – it gives me the same body that I had 30 years ago, when I could laugh in the face of gravity, and shows off the perfect tan that I slaved over, beginning in March, shivering in a bathing suit but sure it would all be worth it when I heard the gasps, ooohs and ahhhs of envy around the pool. Never happened, never will but I did get two new bathing suits without too much damage to my self esteem. Still, could someone just tell me why the lighting in dressing rooms invariably makes my skin look like cottage cheese?

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. Thomas Edison

Knitting

WIPW 05/22/13, Yarn Along

May 22, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

No, this isn’t the second Crocus Vernus sock. 😦 In the hustle and bustle of the Papoose’s birthday Saturday afternoon, when it came time to go home, the Crocus project bag was left behind. No problem. Texted Bigmommy, she’d found it and since she was coming to Little Rock Monday, she’d bring it. Still no problem. Got project back. Tiny issue. Looking to make sure that the sock in progress was in the bag, she accidently pulled one of the needles out. Wahhhhh. So, nearly finished Crocus Vernus sock totally frogged and restarted. You can bet I’ll be a lot more careful about getting all my projects in the knitting bag before I leave next time. It’s OK Bigmommy, I know it was an accident.

Still loving the Grrlfriend Market Bag so much I started another.

Still rolling on Granny’s Grab Bag Blanket using my left over sock yarn.

THE GRANDS

Happy birthday, Papoose. You’re three!

Papoose Playhouse

I’m linking up with Tami’s WIPW blog and Ginny’s Yarn Along, so head on over there for more WIPW and book love.

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. Mother Teresa

Knitting

Surprise, Hey Chick!

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

In my ongoing organizing, donating, trashing, recycling project, I came across a box that’s been underfoot for a long time but remained uninvestigated in recent memory. Opened that baby up and look what I found!!! I vaguely, very vaguely, a brief infatuation with novelty yarn but I’ve no clue why I am the owner of a cone of Sugar and Cream, colorway Potpourri. I see a lot of dishcloths in my future. Wait!! Babymama has recently fallen madly in love with knitting dishcloths and given Babydaddy’s austerity program, this could be right down her alley. Now I see lot of dishcloths in HER future. There were other goodies in the box, two pairs of brand spanking new Clover needles, size 8 and size 13, you can never have too many needles, you know.

DOVE WATCH

We have a chick!!! It’s pretty good size, probably about a week old or so, and fuzzy. I spotted it this morning when I went out to check on Mama Dove. I guess it’s just now getting to the peeking out of the nest phase. Can you see it’s beady black eyes? It’s to the right of Mama Dove, just peeking over the big leaf.

ON THE NEEDLES

No FO Friday offering today, but the Karma sweater is humming along nicely, along with the Crocus and Sunday Swing Socks. Maybe next week……

Persistence is self-discipline in action. Brian Tracy

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 05/08/13 Short n Sweet

May 8, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I think I have more WIPs than I ever have, due to a terminal case of startitis over the past month or so. I’ve been working steadily on each of them and so far project boredom hasn’t set in, which is a good thing, because that’s how my startitis starts. So, here they are, in no particular order:

Crocus Vernus Socks from Knitter’s Curiosity Cabinet

The yarn is a mystery Shibui Sock that I discovered in the sale bin at Yarn Mart. I think it’s perfect, don’t you?

Sunday Swing Socks

These are also knitted using Shibui Sock, colorway Poodle Skirt and are sharing the stage with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee‘s newest book. I’m linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along this week, so don’t forget to drop by and check out more projects and current reads.

Last, but certainly not least, is a simple, top down sweater I’m calling Karma as it started out as the Imagine Sweater, morphed into the Yarn Formerly Known As Sweater and is now born again. Instant Karma, anyone??