Knitting

FO Friday, What To Do Next?, Pretty!

August 22, 2014August 22, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

My Guernsey Wrap

It’s unblocked and I’m sure the stitches will really pop after blocking, but I’m so excited to have something finished for today that I couldn’t wait. I’ll post another photo, I promise.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

What next? Socks maybe? Another wrap? A sweater? Maybe one of each?

SHINY!

This is my anniversary gift from Mr. Iknead. We’re renewing our vows next week with son in law Clefton officiating. Thirty-five years and he’s still my best friend. (I’m leaving out the lover stuff because it grosses the kids out.) He’s getting better at his gift giving, but he still needs more practice ;). I saw this when we went to get our wedding rings cleaned and resized, and I loved it. I never dreamed I’d have it on my finger! I can’t stop admiring it!

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/2/14, Booklove, Leak Be Gone

April 2, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

PLUMBING UPDATE

Our plumber rocks! The leak I mentioned in my last post is history! As it turned out, he found the leak, fixed it and only charged us $145.50. If you’ve had to call a plumber in the last ten years, you’ll know we got off easy, fix-wise and money-wise, with no fuss and very little muss. What a relief!

BOOKLOVE

I’ve finished one book, Benediction, by Kent Haruf and started two others, an ebook, God’s Hotel by Victoria Sweet and an audiobook, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen. I wasn’t too sure about Benediction, it took me a bit to see where the author was going with the story, but I got involved before too long and ended up enjoying it very much. I like it when at the end of the book, there are still some loose ends, not everything is tied up nice, tight and neat. Real life seems to always have loose ends!

ON THE NEEDLES

Woodlands Scarf in the found merino, Papercut, both of which I’m liking a lot. I tentatively started a new pair of socks using my first Yarnbox yarn, in a new pattern, Leaf on the Wind, but ended up frogging after deciding that my choice of both pattern did not do the yarn justice and vice versa.

Yes, the photo is upside down but it just took me an hour to figure out how to insert a picture in a post on the iPad. I’m not up for another hour of frustration today.

I’m linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO, please pay them a visit. Oops, I almost forgot Ginny’s Yarn Along!

Skill to do comes of doing. Ralph Emerson

Knitting

WIPW 02/05/14, Barbie Sweater Update

February 5, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

I’ve been under the weather with a bad cold the last couple of days, but feel much better this morning – just in time for WIPW!

ON THE NEEDLES

The Mariella Cardi has taken on a life of its own. I had great plans to finish it last week, but noticed on Wednesday there was a BIG difference between the number of stitches on the right and left front panels, where the raglan shaping decreases are done. BIG difference as in 30 stitches on the left panel and 15 or so stitches on the right panel. How the heck could I have not noticed that??? I tried to make some unobtrusive increases and decreases to bring them back in line with each other but finally faced facts. Not going to work, no way, no how, so I frogged back to the point where the decreases started and redid it. Obvious stitch miscount there. Still….. I’m ready to move on, but sheer stubbornness says I must finish what I started, so have been slogging through.

Mariella Cardi (again)

I did cave and started a pair of Kew socks from Knitty: Fall 2006 using some stashed Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Wonderstone. I fall in love with this yarn a little more every time I pick it up!

IT WORKED!!!

Remember the sweater that I was mourning in this post? Some sweet reader suggested I google how to stretch a sweater after it had shrunk so I did. Google said to soak the sweater in cheap hair conditioner and water and then block into original shape/size. Did that and lo and behold…. it worked! It now fits again and I’m overjoyed!

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams KCCO today. Pay them a visit for inspiration overload.

We should all be thankful for thos people who rekindle the inner spirit. Albert Schweitzer

Knitting

Look What I Got, WIPW 08/21/13 and Snakewoman

August 21, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

I’M SO EXCITED AND I JUST CAN’T HIDE IT

OK, so I’ve been lusting after a spinning wheel, putting a little money back every now and then and doing a lot of window shopping online. Then, yesterday, I found out that a lady who worked where I used to work had a spinning wheel and was wanting to sell it. She and I e-mailed back and forth, she sent me some pics and now, as of 5:00 p.m., I have a wheel and not just any wheel, an Ashford Traveller! Here in the south, it’s considered bad manners to talk about money, much less bragging (that’s what I was taught, anyway), but without stating the amount, it was less than half of what I thought I’d have to pay for one. Isn’t she beautiful???

Pay no attention to the fact that I’ve never used a wheel before, hopefully, I’ll catch on pretty quick. Isn’t that what YouTube is for?

ON THE NEEDLES

I’ve been so excited about the new wheel, I almost let this WIP Wednesday get away from me, but here’s my WIPW offering this week –

Ruffle Tank, using the Knit One Crochet Too Kettle Tweed I named My Destin-E.

and last, but not least

BY THE BOOK

My current book in progress is Snakewoman of Little Egypt by Robert Hellenga and I’m loving it! Very quirky, just like I like it.

Snakewoman of Little Egypt

Here’s to learning new skills!

I almost forgot – I’m linking with Tami’s and Frontier Dreams today.

A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism

Knitting

WIPW 06/05/13 and A Makeover

June 5, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

For your viewing pleasure, I present Heidi Kirrmaier’s Mendano Beach bag, in Sugar and Cream 100% cotton, Country Red and Ecru, started last evening. I love everything about this bag, especially the tie shoulder strap. Being vertically, ahem, challenged, bag straps are usually too long, so a adjustable strap is always a good thing. The price is right also, a free Rav pattern.

MOVING ALONG

The Sunday Swing socks are finished, cast off, ends woven and photos taken but you’ll have to wait until FO Friday for the unveiling. There will be no FOs posted until it’s time. ; ) Remember those old commercials, for Bartles and Jaymes, I think. A blast from the past as they say.

LANDSCAPED AND LOVELY

For another type of finished project, look at our new front yard! We’ve gone from the ugliest yard on the block to the most beautiful, IMO. We finally were able to have a sprinkler system installed and had real, live landscapers come in and transform it for us. Here’s a really embarrassing before photo-

and a couple of afters, as of yesterday morning

Love my Hydrangeas!

I’m linking up with Tami’s WIPW blog and Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On blog on this Wednesday. Don’t forget to pay them a visit!

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle

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

WIPW, KCCO and Books – Can It Get Any Better?

May 1, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE WHOLE FAM DAMLY (ALMOST)

Last Reunion 2013 picture – I promise.

All Present and Accounted For Except for Policeman Jason, Who Was Keeping St. Louis Safe

NEWEST ACQUISITION

I went to Yarn Mart last week, just to see what I could see and look what I found in the back, in the sale bin!! Two skeins of pink Shibui Sock, which pairs up great with the Poodle Skirt yarn that hasn’t decided what it wants to be yet.

Actually, this evening, the Poodle Skirt decided to become Kristel Nyberg’s Sunday Swing Socks, which are my WIPW offering this week.

ON THE NEEDLES

After much consideration and test knitting for the perfect sock pattern, Poodle Skirt is going to become Sunday Swing Socks, from Knitty Summer 2009. I think it will go perfectly with the color changes in the yarn, showing to their best advantage. I started them last evening.

Toes Complete, Ready for Foot

BY THE BOOK

I’m starting two books today, Anna Quindlen‘s One True Thing and The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers, books that I started a couple of years ago and then life intervened, reading time was reduced and I forgot about them. In the process of cleaning out, donating and organizing, I ran across them again and decided to have another go. If you like seeing what others are reading and knitting, check out Yarn Along. It always give me ideas about what to read or knit next.

Begonias, WIP, Books and Josie

LOOK WHAT I MADE!

I’ve also started to occasionally link up with Frontier Dreams and KCCO (Keep Calm, Craft On) and get a ton of inspiration there. Check it out, bet you’ll like it as much as I do. I made this bracelet for my daughter in law. It was so easy to do and she loves it!