2020

Move

August 12, 2021 mud&string2 Comments

The much anticipated relocation of Casa Coleman has been and gone, leaving behind mountains of boxes. Who knew we had so much stuff? Mr. iKnead made the final old house to new house run about 8 o’clock last night. It could have been a bittersweet moment, leaving the old house but we were so exhausted neither of us even thought about it until this morning. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our new home, even with the box mountains and questions of “what the heck is this?” and “why did I think I needed this (fill in the blank)??

ON MY NEEDLES

I started a new pair of Skype socks, knowing that the two row repeat pattern would be relaxing and easy to pick up and put down on short notice.

Skype Socks
Patons Kroy Socks FX
Cascade Colors

ON THE WHEEL

Absolutely nothing, but I have an actual pottery room, my wheel is in, the sink works and the kiln is in its place. Maybe tomorrow…….

ON THE MACHINE

Again. nothing. Have I mentioned that about a month ago I started quilting? Yeah, because taking up a new hobby is clearly what sane people do when undertaking a megatask with just enough spare time left over to attend to personal hygiene on a good day. 🤪🤪🤪

But, it’s all good. ❤️

Lowering My Standards or Giving Myself A Break

February 28, 2021March 1, 2021 mud&string1 Comment

I’ll take the latter, thank you very much. 🙂

When I was a worker bee, I published a post three times a week on average, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Since retirement, I MIGHT get a blog post in once a week or so, all the while making promises to myself that “next week I’m getting back to three times a week”. Now, if you are a regular reader, you know that three posts a week has yet to happen.

Why was I a more productive blogger back then when I worked 40 hours a week than I currently am as a happy retiree? Seems counterintuitive (am I using that word correctly?) doesn’t it?

I think I know the answer. I’m still working, but at knitting, working with clay, throwing pots, doing a bit of sewing, painting a bit and having a go at whatever catches my curiosity at any particular time.

All this leads to full happy days and these full happy days tend to squeeze out my blogging time.

So, I’m cutting myself some slack and instead of beating myself up for what I haven’t done, from now on my goal is one post a week and actually enjoying sharing thoughts and projects.

This is what I’ve been working on this past week –

I started these yesterday. Sadly, this photo doesn’t do this yarn justice and doesn’t show off its sparkle.

I rediscovered my love for counted cross stitch, which has been back burnered for about 20 years and went all in with this gargantuan project.

I can tell how long I’ve been away from cross stitch by just how much my close vision has gone downhill. My new bifocals are supposed to arrive today and none too soon. I expect they’ll make a HUGE difference! 🤓

Cookie A’s Pomatomus Socks are off my needles!

These make me particularly proud since this pattern has defeated me at least three times in the past. Yay me!!!!

Details on all these projects can be found here, and here.

For success, attitude is equally as important as ability. Harry F. Banks.

2020 · Arkansas Art Center Sale · Knitting · pottery

Five Roses Finish!

November 27, 2020 mud&string1 Comment

OFF MY NEEDLES

My Five Roses Shawl is finally finished and I think it turned out really well. There were a few moments when I seriously considered frogging and starting over but I’m glad I didn’t. My project notes are here.

Christmas knitting continues. With My Five Roses completed, some of my self imposed pressure has eased and I plan to focus on my Christmas projects for the next few weeks. No new projects until 2021 is my mantra for the time being. 🧘‍♀️

I have high hopes for these little bowls. I got a sample pack of brand new Amaco glazes and can’t wait to see how they turn out.🤞

We see things not as they are, but as we are. Our perception is shaped by our previous experiences. Dennis Kimbro

2020 · Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/21/20

October 21, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON MY NEEDLES

My Gray Days sweater continues to grow, however slowly. Four more inches of cables are all that stand between me and separating for the sleeves. I’m loving the colors in this yarn, purple and robin egg blue, which happens to be my favorite color at the moment.

It drives me nuts that this photo is sideways, it refuses to be rotated so I guess I’ll have to live with it. 😠

A Bit Twisted Flower is also growing, even though it doesn’t seem so. It’s been a while since I knitted socks using dpns; add in a cable needle and it can feel like wrestling a porcupine! 🙂

Other wips await my attention and the words “Christmas knitting” are beginning to give me the shivers. All in good time I keep telling myself, all in good time. ⏰

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself. Alfred Sheinwold

FYI – You can find the details of these wips in my project notes on Ravelry.

2020 · Knitting · Other Obsessions

I Wish, WIPs and I Never Thought

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

I wish WordPress wouldn’t strive so hard to make blogging easier. It seems like about the time I get familiar with the new and improved WordPress, it changes and once again I’m back at square one. Square one is where it takes me HOURS to do what normally takes an hour or so and my frustration gets so intense I just want to pitch it all and be done, that the cost:benefit ratio isn’t worth it. But I don’t and here I am.

ON MY NEEDLES

Details can be found in my project notes.

I NEVER THOUGHT

That Mr. iknead and I would be putting our current home on the market and building a new one, but the time feels right to us and it’s a seller’s market, so there ya go. This time next year I hope we’ll be in a new Casa Coleman and settled in. My attitude has changed from “just thinking about moving sort of makes my stomach hurt” to “OMG! I’m so EXCITED!! WHEN CAN WE START???”. 😍😍😍 You know it’s serious when you start a new Pinterest board named New House. 🙂

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Adams

Random

WIPs As Far As The Eye Can See

September 30, 2020October 1, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON MY NEEDLES

I’m going to dive right in……..

New Gray Day Sweater

Knitpicks Wool of the Andes

Sprinkle Heather

Five Roses Shawl

Knitologie by Knitcrate Sparkling Sock in Turquoise (speckled)

Emma’s Yarn in Turquoise

Twisted Flower

Yarn Bee

Rainbow Wrapsody

Kew Socks

URU.YARN by Knitcrate Sugared Sock

Hidden Pool

Dissent Cowl

Faithful Beauty by The Verdant Gryphon

Arco Iris by Malabrigo

Shell Cottage from The Handmade Sock Society

Knitpicks Stroll Fingering in Seashell Tonal

Helen Stewart, Designer

So, lots of knitting happening here at Casa Coleman, just not a lot of finishing. 🙂 I’m trying to be more diligent about recordkeeping and such, so you can find pattern details and progress in my project pages.

Silence is a fence around wisdom. German Proverb

Random

Show and Tell, More Proactive Changes and What’s On My Needles

July 17, 2020July 16, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

SHOW AND TELL

My sweet son in law has been requesting a pitcher for I don’t know how long. Being a pastor, he wanted something he could use for baptisms and communion. After many unsuccessful attempts, I finally came up with one that passed muster.

Clefton’s Pitcher

Inside glazed with Spectrum Cinnamon Ripple

Outside glazed with Amaco Seaweed

Test Bowl

Outside glaze Amaco Seaweed PC-51

Inside glazed with Mayco Stoneware Glaze

SW-156

Galaxy

Here’s a better look at the inside –

TODAY’S PROACTIVE CHANGE

This one is turning out to be the most difficult – putting all my devices aside 30 minutes before bedtime. Yep, this one is by far the most difficult. There’s always just one more thing I want to check on, which leads to another page, then one more site and then just one more peek at Facebook. Putting it all aside 30 minutes before bedtime gives my brain enough time to calm down and I fall asleep faster and stay asleep. 🥱😴

ON MY NEEDLES

Shibui Sock

Colorway unknown

100% Merino

Petty Harbour by Rayna Curtis

We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision. Anonymous

Random

Has My Warranty Expired? or Now What!!??

May 20, 2020June 8, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

It’s 11:48 p.m. and I’m wearing my insomniac hat tonight. Now, it’s 11:49 p.m. which gives me about 11 minutes to have that last glass of water before midnight. If you’ve ever undergone a “procedure”, you’re familiar with the nothing to eat or drink after midnight rule. So, yes, there is a “procedure” in my near future. To be more specific, tomorrow at 11:30, I’m having oral surgery to extract three molars on the right and placement of two screws into my upper jawbone for eventual implants and a bridge. I admit that while I don’t have a phobia regarding dentists, I do get anxious a few days beforehand. I will be under heavy sedation so intellectually I know that it will be painless and quick, it’s just that my nervous stomach and jitters haven’t received the It’ll be OK memo.

This dental adventure on top of my broken arm and my subsequent ER visit, followed by a visit to a hand and arm specialist and the surgery to repair it using a steel fixator and let’s not forget about Covid-19 and it’s cousin, Quarantine, has me wondering what next!

I got a photo of my postop x-ray. BTW, if looking at stuff like this makes you feel woozy or sick I encourage you to skip over the low tolerance stuff.

This month’s Knit Crate carried a naked hank of yarn and enough kool-ade to dye it up right. Here’s how mine turned out using cherry on half and blue raspberry on the other half. I think it will knit up into a very interesting pair of socks.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein

Random

Could the End Be In Sight??

April 29, 2020April 30, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

You’d think that with the quarantine/social distancing/mask wearing and sheltering in place I’d be throwing pots and knitting like a maniac, but my orthopedic adventures brought these things to a screeching halt. The backstory is here if you missed it the first time around.

Anyhow, besides just the couple of weeks being bored out of my mind because I couldn’t do much of anything – when you break your dominant arm you’re pretty much out of luck for a while – being housebound hasn’t been too bad. You can bet, though, as soon as I got my cast off I was knitting, even if it was a super slow process. I got my hands back into the clay, finally able to finish what I’d started before I broke my arm and every day is a little bit better than the day before. Here’s three very patient pots that waited for me to heal.

Word on the street is that life is starting to normalize. Mr. iknead said there was toilet paper on the grocery shelves, no hand sanitizer or gloves, but at least it’s a move in the right direction.

From error to error one discovers the entire truth. Sigmund Freud

p.s. Don’t forget to visit my Etsy shop, ClayDreamsPottery. I’m always adding new pots and you don’t want to miss out on the perfect one!

Random

Cooler Heads

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 mud&string

Thank heaven for cooler heads!!! I took ya’lls advice and put Gray Days in timeout for about a week, during which I calmed down a bit, enough for an attitude adjustment. . I picked it up again Monday morning and Gray Days is knitting up well and once again, all is well at Casa Coleman. 🙂 Here’s a look at my new, improved Gray Days Gansey:

Things are also going well in the pottery studio also. I’ve had a couple of kiln unloads that I’m very pleased with and want to share with you all. Both pieces are made of the same clay, Speckled Brownstone.

Thanks to all who sent me good advice when I was ready to relegate Gray Days to my personal limbo — the back of my closet.

Oh, and don’t forget to visit my etsy shop for more pottery love!

And we are put on this earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love.

William Blake

Random

Bummed

February 9, 2020February 9, 2020 mud&string1 Comment

So for the second time, I frogged the cable section on Gray Day and tried to fix a mistake. Made a bigger mistake that just got worse and worse. I’m fighting the temptation to relegate it to the WIP basket that resides in the deepest, darkest part of my closet, never to be seen again. Should I give it another chance?? What would you do?

One fails forward toward success. Charles Kettering

Knitting · pottery

Score!

January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 mud&stringLeave a comment

After a try out of Kollage Square Circular Knitting Needles I’ve fallen deeply in love with these babies and want one of every size and length. The rub? Kollage has quit making them.😢 My LYS does carry them, but with very limited choices. I spent way too much time last night trying to track some down – a rollercoaster of emotion, let me tell you. I was ultimately successful, finding a nice selection of needle sizes and cord lengths at Paradise Fibers and bought three new circs, sizes 1,1.5 and 2 with 60” cables, my favorite! I’ll start stalking our mailman in the next day or so.

ON MY NEEDLES

I’m back on track with my Gray Day Gansey and am about an inch away from separating for the sleeves.

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