Knitting

Finally FO Friday

May 20, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

If you read my Saturday post, you know my Yahoo e-mail account was hacked, I was locked out of my account and then things snowballed when anything that remotely connected with my Yahoo was locked and by the time I finally was able to get things up and going again, I was pretty close to crazy. No matter, it was fixed and I’m up and rolling again. So, it’s a couple of days late but the Karma sweater is finished and turned out like this:

Karma

Neckline Detail

This sweater was truly a joy to knit, with no seaming (which I hate to do) and super clear instructions. I’m so happy that the yarn is now a sweater that I really love and will probably wear until it falls apart instead of having to avert my eyes every time I open my closet door.

KCCO

I’m linking up with Frontier Dreams’ Keep Calm Craft On today, so along with Karma, I’m showing and telling this sweet wooden ladder that I found at a garage sale for about 5 bucks, brought home, sponge painted and upcycled into a plant stand.

My morning glories are a little peaked this morning. They look thirsty.

It feels wonderful to post again!

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. Robert Frost

Knitting

I Spy?, Harlot Visit and Where’s Spring?

May 3, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

SPY?

My neighbors probably think I’m spying on them. Remember, I’m the weird lady out taking photos of yarn in her pajamas every so often? The scoop is that since I put out bird feeders a few weeks ago, we have a lot of wildlife activity in the yard, mostly squirrels, birds and now, bunnies and in my quest to declutter, go through, donate or throw out, I found a pair of binoculars and that’s what’s been happening the past few days. Honest, mister, I’m really not interested in what goes on across the fence. I just want to see the birds and bunnies.

I’M SO EXCITED!

I can’t wait until Saturday – Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka as the Yarn Harlot, is coming to Arkansas to speak at the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza. I’ve been an admirer of hers since I started knitting. The Extravaganza is being held at the Lodge at Mt. Magazine, one of the most beautiful spots in Arkansas. I was there a few years ago for the very first knitting get together and always wanted to go back, if not for a weekend, just for a day.

Beautiful!

OFF THE NEEDLES

Last weekend, again in my quest to organize and declutter, this time my yarn room, I unearthed two unfinished scarfs, lacking only casting off and weaving in ends. I got busy and they officially became FOs.

All I can remember about this one is that it’s a pattern from Classic Elite Yarns. This is the second scarf in this pattern that I’ve done. The first was done in Liberty Wool. This yarn, I don’t remember. I’ll do a stash dive later and see what I can come up with.

ON THE NEEDLES or LIKE I NEED TO START ANOTHER PROJECT

I caved in last night and cast on Crocus Vernus from The Knitter’s Curiosity Cabinet, using the pink mystery Shibui Sock I found on sale at my LYS, Yarn Mart. Loving it already, the color and the pattern. And yes, I’m still working on the Sunday Swing Socks. I have to admit it’s very gratifying to see that this pattern really does show off the colors in the Shibui Poodle Skirt yarn to their best advantage. I love it when a plan (finally) comes together!

WAIT, IT’S MAY, NOT JANUARY

I think someone neglected to send Mother Nature the memo that it’s May. As I type this, the temperature is 40 degrees in Little Rock, it’s snowing in Fayetteville and raining here. What happened to Spring? It was here a day ago, I saw it.

Lots more FO Friday projects at Tami Ami’s blog! Don’t forget to pay them a visit!

The minute you choose to do what you really want to do it’s a different kind of life. Buckminster Fuller

Knitting

I Need a Tissue, For the Birds, The Good Life

April 26, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

BOO HOO HOO

No FO Friday project to post today. Several WIPs, just no FOs. I just can’t seem to settle down to focus on any one thing; I’ll pick a project up, knit a couple of rows, put it down, pick up a different one, knit a couple of rows and on and on. I suppose I need to tweak my outlook a little. Instead of feeling unable to settle and work on one thing enough to make a big dent, I need to look at it as working on all projects, neglecting none. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I’m attending to everything. Commence attitude tweaking now. Ah, much better.

WOULDJA LOOK AT THAT

A pair of doves have built a nest and taken up residence on our electrical box outside, underneath our patio roof. I’m pretty sure there are eggs in the nest, they’ve not left it untended since building it. Us going in and out, taking pictures of them, watering plants, this all occurs within probably eight feet of the nest, but they seem unperturbed by the activity. We put a feeder out in the yard so they wouldn’t have to range far for food. I’ve seen a dove a couple of times at the feeder, I hope it’s one of the pair.

Under the covered deck – smart birds, I think

CAN YOU STAND TWO MORE?

Pool Fun, Reunion 2013

The Sprout says, “It doesn’t get any better that this.” and “Oh, Poolboy, bring me another bottle, straight up, room temp.”

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. John Ruskin

Knitting

FO Friday Quickie

April 19, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES, INTO FO FRIDAYVILLE

I cast off Laura Spradlin’s Grrlfriend Market Bag yesterday, just in time for pics and this week’s FO Friday post. Super pattern, super bag. Nice and stretchy to hold whatever you fancy. I had some orphan balls of Sugar and Cream, so that’s what they became. My only thumbs down on this project is that personally, Sugar and Cream yarn is really hard on the joints in my hands. Much of this is just age related arthritis, but every time I knit with Sugar and Cream or any other 100% cotton yarn, my hands suffer and I can only do a few rows at a time before taking a break to let my hands rest. Other than that, I’m really happy with how this project turned out.

Grrlfriend Market Bag

Don’t forget to visit Tami Ami’s FO Friday blog for more FO inspiration!

Any fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. Albert Einstein

Knitting

FO Friday 04/12/13

April 12, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

DATELINE THURSDAY, 1400 HOURS

I’ve been plagued this week with startitis and have had a hard time settling down to any one project long enough to complete it. So far this week I’ve started another, larger Olivia sweater, a pair of socks for me and a knitted market bag and with two more days left to go this week I can’t guarentee I won’t start something else. All this and the Sprout’s new Olivia sweater lacks only buttons.

OFF THE NEEDLES

Olivia is finally, actually, happily done! I found some cute buttons this week while cruising

Hobby Lobby

and I think they’re perfect. I’ve always loved purples and greens together and these buttons allowed me to indulge in my favorite color combo. I’m so excited to be unveiling this sweet sweater! Now all I have to do is get a photo of the Sprout modeling it.

Olivia Petite Sweater

Pattern from Quince&Co.

Don’t forget to visit Tami Ami’s FO Friday blog for today for more FO Friday treats! I’m always impressed and inspired and I bet you will be too!

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

Knitting

FO Friday, Blogs and Monkey Pool

April 5, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES OR TGIFOF

The Monkey Pool socks are finished as of yesterday. The Parakeet yarn was amazing to work with, unfortunately, the pattern I started out with, Spring Pools, not so much. This was totally my fault. The pretty pattern was lost in the busy colors on the yarn. Of course, I decided this AFTER the first sock was finished. So, I changed canoes so to speak in the middle of the stream and the second sock is a Crazy Monkey, making these a pair of Monkey Pool socks.

FYI – I tried to post a link for the Parakeet yarn but can’t read the name of the web address on the label. Sorry about that. It’s from The Great Adirondack Yarn Company.

L – Spring Pools R- Crazy Monkey

I’m still on the lookout for the perfect buttons for Olivia. I’m going to Goodwill today to search for some I can repurpose and if not, then I’ll continue my stalking. This search has motivated me to start stockpiling buttons that catch my interest and since I’m a diehard collector, the house will be awash in buttons in no time. Besides, I think buttons are cool. Speaking of Olivia, she’s blocked and ready to receive the final touches, an applied I-cord (which I’m going to need help with) and, of course, the buttons. I’ll show her off as soon as she’s officially totally completed, FO Friday or not!

SHAMELESS PLUG

While you’re blog surfing, please check out these two, which are near and dear to my heart, wife.mother.disciple at susiemom.wordpress.com and The Mommy Life 101 at kcoleman1009.wordpress.com. As mentioned in another post, these blogs are Bigmommy and Babymama’s first blogs ever and we all know, especially with blogging, a little encouragement goes a long way! Thanks in advance!

Another blog you don’t want to miss is Tamis Ami’s and since it’s FO Friday, it’s full of FO goodness. You’ll be blown away by the creativity of us fiber freaks, I always am!

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. Erich Fromm

Knitting

DITD, Book Love, Birthday Girl, FO Friday

March 29, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

WHAT’S UP

I’ve been a tad down in the dumps the last few days or so, nothing spectacular and nothing that makes me want to stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head, just a mild case of long sighs and dysmotivation*. I should tell you that there’s no real reason for this dumpy mood, except maybe that my calendar says spring, the clothes catalogues say spring and last week one day it was 70 degrees, but the last few days have been cold and windy. Windy to the point that power was out in some parts of the city. Thankfully, we didn’t lose power, that might have pushed me right over the edge and I would have been forced to go buy a pair of sandals or a new pocketbook or something. Dodged that bullet.

BY THE BOOK

I’m continuing my love affair with the writings of John Steinbeck with Travels with Charley. I’m late to the party with this particular one and am thoroughly enjoying this travelogue. This affair all started with East of Eden, first in a Reader’s Digest condensed book, so long ago I can’t remember the year or my age. I’m pretty certain it was junior high, around 1968 or so. Later, I filled in the blanks (it was a condensed book, remember) with a paperback from some school book club, probably Scholastic. Remember the Scholastic book club? I lived for the days they handed out the new Scholastic book catalogues and would study them for days, making lists of the ones I wanted. Even so many years ago, it was always “so many books, so little time”. I got into trouble more than once for hiding a book inside another book in class, just because I needed to finish “just one more page, I promise”.

YOU BET I’M PROUD

I usually am tooting my own horn over the grands and I will, later in this post, but I want to share how proud I am of my big girls, my daughter and my daughter in law, Bigmommy and Babymama. They’ve both started blogs and mentioned me as their inspiration. Teared me right up, it did. So, pop over to The Mommy Life 101: Welcome to Motherhood and wife*mother*disciple and see why I’m usually awestruck by these two young women and their accomplishments.

IT’S BABYDIVA’S DAY

Three hundred sixty five days ago, Mr. Iknead and I were up in Labor and Delivery, anxiously awaiting the birth of another precious granddaughter. Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed and happily added Babydiva to the growing roster of grands. So much happens in a year and I forget how quickly babies grow and change,

from this

to this

Happy First Birthday Babydiva!

FINALLY FO FRIDAY

Lolita Vest

I think it turned out nicely. I wearing it today, again.

Don’t forget to check out Tami Ami’s blog for more FO Friday treats.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create. Albert Einstein

*Dysmotivation – a word I made up to describe the feeling of not wanting to do anything resembling most definitions of productivity and being compelled instead to read, watch trash TV and surf Rav.

Knitting

How Cool Is That?, Free at Last and Olivia Petit

March 15, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

HOW COOL IS THAT?

A couple of years ago, 3/23/11 to be exact ’cause I went back and checked, I decided that I wanted – no, make that needed, to learn how to make pottery. Like a lot of things I get obsessed with, this idea eventually seemed to fade and then take its place in what I call the idea cabinet part of my head. It never fully got relegated to the back side of the cabinet. It just hung around, surfacing every now and then in the foreground of whatever I was mentally working on. Long story short I signed up for a basic handbuilding pottery class at the art center here in Little Rock yesterday after seeing a random class schedule online. The first class is April 1 and to say I’m excited is like saying Albert Einstein is a math whiz. Personally, I think looking at the collection of pottery at the library Monday shook something loose.

IN THE OVEN

It’s been a while since I’ve done any what I call real baking, meaning from scratch, not a box. Not knocking the box thing, Lord knows it’s saved my fanny more times than I like to count, it’s just not as satisfying to me as measuring out ingredients and watching my big Kitchenaid do its thing. So, this afternoon, I pulled out the fresh blueberries I found Tuesday, the pecans I got cheap at Christmas and froze and the little bit of sour cream I had left over from some other cooking project and made a (surprise) blueberry-pecan-sour cream coffee cake that smells heavenly. I’m having cake for supper. Oh, you haven’t heard?? They’ve made coffee cake a food group!

SEE YA NEXT YEAR, BUH-BYE

I had my last visit (hurray hurray) with my hematologist today and he released me, to come back in a year. His release was the final step in getting back to normal after my surgery. For the first time in a long, long time, my blood counts are normal and I don’t have to be followed every week or so with blood draws and lab tests. To give you an idea, about a week before my surgery, my hematocrit was 9.5-ish and today, it was 12; translated into realspeak, my doctor said it pretty much means that I have 2 1/2 more pints of blood today than I had a month ago. No wonder I feel more energized. Please excuse me, I’m going now to leap a tall building in a single bound. While I’m leaping, you can admire the flowers I saw outside the clinic this morning ; )

Little Rock Hematology Oncology Clinic

REDEMPTION

The Olivia Petit sweater and I have come to an agreement. I’ll do a better job of reading the pattern and making sure I understand directions and she’ll be a good sport and knit up all pretty and sweet like she promised. Really, it was operator error with the difficulties earlier this week. After I put her aside, slept and reread her pattern more slowly and closely, my mistake was obvious and best of all, fixable. It did entail several, like ten, rows of tinking, but I’m finally back on track with most of my sanity intact. This is what she looks like so far –

If you look closely, you can see the first two buttonholes; we won’t

discuss last night’s buttonhole frustration.

Don’t forget to check Tami Ami’s FO Friday blog – it’s always a treat!

What’s your latest dream come true?

Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building. Stephen Covey

Knitting

Late Start

March 8, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

WHAT’S UP

I’m getting a late start on blogging/computer housekeeping today, usually by this time I’ve blogged, cleaned out my inbox, answered e-mail, peeked in on what what’s going on with Rav, oohed and ahhed over the Friday FOs and moved on to thinking about dinner, maybe baking a little, knitting and reading and doing the straightening up that never seems to be quite finished around our house. Not today. Thinking about dinner has been accomplished, with chicken thawing, a couple of loads of laundry is in process and I just measured my newest on the needles project at a good, honest (no stretching allowed) 12 inches, a good start on a pattern that starts out with 16 inches of knitting in pattern.

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME

I’m now 17 days out from my surgery and continue to feel a little better every day. I’d been missing my daily walks with Josie and decided to start back yesterday morning. We (Josie and I) walked to the post office, probably about a half mile round trip and probably since my speed is a lot slower than usual, I spotted some springy goodness along the way. Can spring be too far off?

I have an appointment Monday morning with my surgeon and am very hopeful he’ll release me to drive then. I’m beginning to get a little stir crazy here at home, even a trip to the grocery store sounds fun and exciting. Yeah, it’s that bad.

THE GRANDS

The Sprout – Just Happy to be Here!

Babydiva at Her Most Charming

and last, but certainly not least –

The Papoose Rocking the Shades

Cutest, sweetest, smartest, most beautiful and all other superlatives grands ever. I promise.

Real love stories never have endings. Richard Bach

Knitting

FO Friday 03/01/13, A Stash Tour

March 1, 2013March 4, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

It’s finished and is all I’d hoped for and more! Introducing –

Etched Rio Wrap! TA DA!

I love it – it’s the perfect weight (not too hot, not too cool), the perfect color (love caramel), it stays put (not falling off one of my narrow to the point of almost nonexistent shoulders or the other) and the drape (OMG). After some initial misbehavior on the yarn’s part, we came to an understanding and this project truly became a labor of love.

STEP UP, STEP RIGHT UP

After reading a post on uknit2, I decided to document my stash status and share a little of it here. At the moment, it’s relatively neat and more or less organized, sock yarn, sport weight, lace weight, bulky, you get it, you’re a knitter but the more I looked the more odd I thought part of my stash was. Here, you be the judge.

Sock Yarn

Sport Weight

Odds and Ends

Here’s what I think is sort of odd

A Ziploc/Shopping Bag Stash

Actually, come to think of it, it’s not odd at all that I hoard ziplocs and shopping bags. After all, fiberphiles use more ziplocs than anyone else on the planet and for your safety, don’t get between me and a nice, heavy, handled shopping bag. I won’t pretend to speak for other crafty types, I’m trying to stick with what I know – but no, it’s not odd at all, it’s more than a little smart, green and best of all, frees up more bucks for my fiber fixation. So, strike the odd. Smarter than the average bear, us fiberphiles. I rest my totally turned around case.

IN THE OVEN

Not yet, kneading takes more than a little energy and I’m still promising Mr. Iknead to take it easy, but soon, very soon there will be fresh bread. I knead it (get it?)! I know, I love a corny play on words.

Fly by Tami Amis for more FO Friday treats – you’ll be glad you did!

Live so that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. Will Rogers

FLASH – Bigmommy and the babies are in town and are headed over!! Pics and report tomorrow! Yay, getting a little lonesome!

Knitting

From WIP to 02/08/13 FO Friday Ready in Just One Hour

February 8, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON AND OFF THE NEEDLES

Still working hard at the Etched Rio Wrap, I’ve done ten repeats of the 28 repeats the pattern calls for and I’m still loving both yarn and pattern. The knitted yarn has amazing drape and softness, the only thing I can think of in the con category is that it’s very “grabby” and requires care not to become entangled with itself. This happened with the first skein, it got very tangled and by the time I got it sorted out, the yarn had lost some of its sheen and was a little what I call pilly. I’m trying to decide whether to bite the bullet and buy another skein (if I can find a matching dye lot) or go ahead and use the previously tangled yarn, probably at the very end where hopefully it won’t be too noticeable. Here’s what I mean:

Looks even worse than I thought. What’s your opinion? Use or not?

Now, on a happier note. In my efforts to find the misplaced yarn, I ran across a couple of WIPs that just needed to be cast off with the ends woven in. That’s how a project goes from WIP to FO in an hour; why did I procrastinate on this, that’s not usually how I am, did I get distracted by a newer, sexier yarn or pattern, did I put it down and lose it in the mess of the stash (this seems much more likely) or was it abducted by aliens and returned last week?

A good sized wrap/shawl/blanket I’m calling Rib and Ruffle because, well, it’s ribbed and has a ruffle. Why was it unfinished?

THE GRANDS

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted pics of the grands and boy do I have some cuteness today. First up, Babydiva

The Sprout during tummy time –

The Papoose in action –

Blessed, Mr. Iknead and I. A million times over and then some.

Don’t forget to visit Tami Amis for lot more FO Friday awesome!

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

Knitting

Hit and Run, FOF 02/01/13

February 1, 2013February 1, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

They’re finished! The Phloem Socks are finished, with ends woven in, tried on, pictures taken and finally, shown off for this week’s FO Friday.

This one shows a little more detail. Turned out well, I think.

ALMOST ON THE NEEDLES

OK, let’s see –

Towels in dryer – check

Beds made – check

Banana bread in oven – check

Fire started – check

Fancy coffee in cup – check

Dishwasher loaded and running – check

I swatched my newest project last night, Etched Rio Wrap in Metalico Gold Dust, got close enough to gauge, wound the six skeins and I’m good to go. I love the excitement of a new project, this must be what opening night on Broadway feels like! Oooh, there’s my cue!

Sorry about the hit and run blog style this week, I know you understand, it being a new project and all.

What lights a fire under you? Shopping for yarn? Looking at patterns? Winding? Admiring someone else’s project? I’d love to know!

Head on over to Tamis Amis for lots more FOF love.

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes