OFF THE NEEDLES
Liesl is a done deal – knitted, ends woven in and blocked. It fits and I’m really, really excited at how it turned out.
Knitpicks Cotlin in Brown Sugar
Cocoknits
I’m linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO today.
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant
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THIS IS A TEST, THIS IS ONLY A TEST
I’ve been experimenting a lot with different paints and inks over the past few days, since I had a small cash windfall last week and was able to buy a couple of items that I’d been coveting for a while, buying one thing at a time when I’d saved a little bit of what my mom called “mad money”. Anyway, I bought two bottles of Dylusions ink,one bottle of Fresh Lime and one bottle of London Blue. I’ve enjoyed just playing with the colors trying out different techniques that I see being demoed (is that a word?) on Facebook.
KNOCK KNOCK WHO’S THERE
This guy was on our doorstep yesterday when I went to bring in the newspaper. He looks mad, probably because he couldn’t reach the doorbell – unless it was him I caught doing the big nasty with his girlfriend and took a picture, in which case that’s what he’s mad about.
WONDROUS BOX
Hurray!! My July Yarnbox arrived yesterday, here’s what was inside-
Two skeins of Airy from Unique Chic Studio
1000(!) yd each
80% Tussah Silk/20% Merino
Fresh Colorway
Now, what does this lovely fiber want to be? A scarf? A shawl? Whatever it decides, it’s sure to be delicate,lacy and floaty.
Linking with Frontier Dreams and Tami today. Pay them a visit and prepare to be inspired!
PARTING SHOT
1906 Postcard
The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B. James Yorke
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ON THE NEEDLES
The Liesl Sweater is coming along nicely, I love patterns that move along faster and faster the closer to one gets to the finish. When the first line of a pattern directs you to cast on 276 stitches, I know I’m in for a long haul to the finish. I have to REALLY love the finished product for that first line not to faze me. That describes Liesl.
Notice my nest? Everything I need within an easy reach, sketchbook,iPod,iPhone.
Oh, by the way, that odd sort of flappy thing in the middle? It’s a pocket and there’s another one on the other side.
BROWN NO MORE
When I inherited Mr. IKnead’s iPad, I also inherited the case. Absolutely nothing wrong with it – except for the color. Don’t misunderstand me – I love brown, look at Liesl up there. Brown is good, the color of coffee and chocolate, after all, but the brown cover just wasn’t doing it for me. So, I changed it. There’s a little of everything, inks, stamps, stencils and acrylic paint. I love the way it turned out. Take a look for yourself.
The Outside
The Inside
Am I finished? I haven’t decided. I went ahead and sprayed it with Krylon Kamar Fixative since some of the inks I used are waterbased and will run/spread with direct contact with liquid; going ahead with the fixative may have made my decision for me, if it can’t be painted or inked after the Krylon has been applied.
BOOKLOVE
I’m rereading Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 and it’s just as creepy as it was the first time around.
I’m linking with the usual Wednesday folks, Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. Carl Jung
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OFF THE NEEDLES
Yay!!! I finally have a FO! I finished the Crazy Monkey socks and they turned out to be fabulous! I haven’t decided whether they will be a gift or whether they will take up residence in MY sock drawer, even though they’re a tad snug. If you missed the details, you can catch up here.
If you’re new to knitting two at a time toe ups or just want to try the technique, this pattern is a good one, well written with easy to understand instructions.
MOMM*/THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT UPDATES
I have a couple of mixed media projects to share, along with this week’s TDL completed challenge. The challenge this week was to add a wish list. My list ended up underneath my project layers, with just a word or two showing.
The bubbles on the facing page just sort of happened when I was trying out new markers and pencils, I love how it looks!
You can read more about The Documented Life Project here.
Here are some “freestyle” mixed media projects I’ve been working on.
I usually just start out with a color that appeals to me, then the layers of whatever catch my eye just happen.
Watch the Birdie
I’ve been a little fixated on birds for a while, so they show up pretty regularly. It helps that the bird shape is simple enough for me to sketch freehand.
Drawing flowers is another recent fixation, I found a photo of a gorgeous calla lily on Pinterest and tried to recreate it.
SOON TO BE BIG SISTER
My precious middle granddaughter and soon to be big sister, Babydiva
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius
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*My Own Mixed Media
ON THE NEEDLES
Blog, meet Liesl; Liesl, meet Blog.
Liesl Tunic
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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ON THE NEEDLES
Los Manos Locos aka The Crazy Monkeys, with just a couple more pattern repeats before starting the cuff. By the way, this is a free Ravelry pattern. You can find it here.
BOOKLOVE
i have two books today, one in progress and one finished. I finished a great one last weekend, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Good, good book, well worth a look. In progress, almost finished, is Gifted Hands, an autobiography by Ben Carson, M.D., a pediatric neurosurgeon. Another great book well worth reading.
OUT OF THE DYEPOT
Here is a look at the fiber I dyed Sunday-
Dyed with Jacquard Acid Dye, Sky Blue
I started spinning this today and so far, it’s spinning up easily and quickly. I really love the intense blue. I’m a little out of practice, but I’m shooting for sock yarn. The spinning bug again took up residence in my head, I didn’t realiize just how much I missed spinning until today, when I started on this roving. I’m glad to be gettting back into it.
I’m linking today with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.
PARTING SHOT
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
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INTO THE DYEPOT
I’ve finally gotten around to dyeing the last bit of roving that’s been hanging around Violet, looking so sad. It’s been so long since I started spinning it that I can’t remember where it came from or even what type fiber it is. I know it’s wool, but what kind, no clue. Maybe when I get in there I’ll get lucky and figure it out. Wish me luck! Found it! It’s superwash merino. Meanwhile, here is a look into the dyepot.
Jacquard Acid Dye
Sky Blue
INDEPENDENCE DAY GRANDS
We had a big cookout for the holiday, unfortunately, I took no pictures because my camera was kind of inaccessible, in the same room that JosiePug is banished to whenever the little ones visit. Unhappily, she’s not good with the kids – not because she doesn’t like them, but because she loves them TOO much, jumping and running and just generally being way too much pug for them. She still outweighs the two littlest grands and 20 pounds of Josie goes a long way. We still hope for the time that we can ALL enjoy each other, but until then, we keep them apart. I do have some photos from the concert and fireworks at the river that night that Bigmommy and Babymama were nice enough to share.
Lots of dancing and flag waving!
PARTING SHOT
Hand Study
If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. Albert Einstein
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SOUL FOOD
I’ve been sort of hit or miss with blogging these past few weeks, and I’ve missed sitting down and putting my thoughts in order and then onto paper or into my iPad. I’ve been too busy painting or drawing (these are new things for me) or reading or knitting or baking or gardening or art journaling or throwing pots or grandmothering or any of the other things that grab my interest. Here’s the perfect description for what I’m blessed with – an embarrassment of riches. According to (all-knowing) Wiki, an embarrassment of riches is an idiom that means an overabundance of something, or too much of a good thing. All these things do more than keep me occupied – they feed my soul, I guess you could say I have an embarrassment of blessings. With all the above said, I think what I really mean is “Thanks, God, for everything”.
Now, moving along…
ON THE NEEDLES
A pair of Los Manos Locos or Crazy Monkey Socks, a twist on Cookie A’s awesome Monkey Socks, toe up and purl-less.
This colorway is called Java Jive and I’m loving how it’s knitting up. You can find out more about this yarn here.
The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it. Carl Jung
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ON THE NEEDLES
Wavy Garden Shawl is presently OTN, but not for long. (heavy sigh). I saw that somehow, what I call the backbone, where a pattern calls for a yarnover, knit, YO, is wonky, off a couple of stitches. So I suppose you could say it’s developed scoliosis. I hope I can take it back a few rows and reknit instead of frogging the whole shebang and restarting. Dang.
BOOKLOVE
I finished Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny Monday and am just as enamored as I was when I first read it, lo those 45 or so years ago. So, I’m giving away my age (you do the math), who cares??? In my head I’m 16. When does a person become a grownup anyway? OK, back to booklove. I started an smazing book right on the heels of Mutiny – The Snow Queen. I don’t have the author’s name right at my fingertips, but I’ll get it in here before I post. Take a minute check it out here. Michael Cunningham, that’s the guy’s name.
Here are a couple of *MOMMs that I’ve working on:
Curlicue Tree
Because I Like It #5
TDL Week 26 Challenge
Add a Bible verse or a line from your favorite book that inspires you
Mine is Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
ONE OF THE GRANDS
Babydiva
I think it was a reward for behaving in the store. She’s going to be a big sister here in about seven weeks!
Oh my gosh! That skin!!!!
Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.
*My Own Mixed Media
Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Mother Teresa
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R.I.P.
It is with ginormous regret that I inform you that the Cable and Pleat Tunic is no more. (Sobsniff). After taking a hard look at it last evening and then sleeping on my decision , I decided to go ahead with my plan to frog, let it rest and then start from scratch in the near (I hope) future. Next time, I’ll go down a couple of needle sizes, it was very loose and I knew I’d never wear it without something underneath and knowing how hot Arkansas summers are, it just wasn’t going to work. Besides, it’s not like I don’t have other WIPs to work on. I can hear The Socks On A Plane Socks whimpering to be picked up even as I type.
BUT THEN, AGAIN
A Wondrous Box arrived in the mail today, and man, is it ever going to be hard to keep my grubby paws off the goods long enough to carry out the abovementioned plan. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean!
Two hanks of incredible merino and as a little extra surprise, a sample of lovely silver silk with sequins and beads, all from Artyarns, thanks to Yarnbox. Could you stay strong in the face of this???
BOOKLOVE
I’m rereading an old, old favorite, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. It still lights my dials. I read this book as a kid, maybe junior high or a little younger, probably because my parents owned a copy and I’d most likely finished my library books and then gone hunting for something else to read. This became a favorite immediately. One thing I’ll always be thankful for is that my parents never, ever put any sort of limitations on what I read and I loved to read. My dad was also a Reader with a capital R and it wasn’t unusual for he and I to be reading the same book. He was an omnivorous reader and thanks to him, so am I. Best gift ever, thanks Mom and Dad!!!!
Linking with the usual Wednesday bunch – Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.
I’m not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today. William White
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ON THE NEEDLES
I’m coming right along with the Cable and Pleat Tunic, being really close to finishing the front and side shaping. For once, the color in the photo is nearly, if not completely, true. Another awesome thing about the patio – it’s a fantastic place for taking pictures.
POTS
Here’s my latest set of pots, which once again exceeded my glazing expectations.
I have one or two left to glaze and plan to go into the studio this weekend to finish them up. Class has a two week break before the next session and it’s always nice to go into the studio with a clean slate as far as projects go.
BOOKLIKE
This week’s book is a biography of Johnny Cash by Robert Hilburn. I like it, I don’t love it. It had parts that are hard to read, it feels like you are in the front row for his self destruction at times. It also goes into minute detail seemingly sbout everything, which bogs me down sometimes. This probably won’t be a repeater, it’s a library book, so I don’t feel guilty about just skimming it in parts. I’m anxiously waiting for my Audible credits to show up so that I can get Stephen King’s newest, Mr. Mercedes. They should be coming any time now.
AN ASIDE
Mr. iknead figured out how to turn the autocorrect off, but now, I get aggravated at all the typos and have to proofread much more carefully. I know, gripe, gripe, gripe. Sheesh!
I’m linking with the Wednesday regulars, Tami, Frontier Dreams and Ginny.
You must train your intuition — you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide. Ingrid Bergman
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TIME OUT
I feel like I’m falling down on the job – I haven’t posted since Sunday, not for a lack of postable material, but it’s SO hard to pull myself away from the other things that I love and that make me so happy. I feel so blessed to be at this point in my life, the point where if I want to spend the entire day baking or painting or knitting or reading or anything else that catches my rather short attention span I can, and it’s ok.
GREEN LEAFY STUFF
The plants that Mr. Iknead and I managed to put out before the rains hit are thriving like crazy, leafing and budding and flowering. It’s been raining here off and on, mostly on, since last Thursday, with some bad storms with high winds and torrential rain. No tornados and no hail, thank goodness, but things are a muddy mess. I know that we’ll all be crying for rain by the time August rolls around, but today, a little sunshine would be welcomed. I took these today between rain showers-
Basil is growing like a house afire. In the narrow box is more basil that took root after I thinned the ones in the clay pots.
I love my begonias! My mother loved begonias and at first, I got them because they reminded me of her. Now, I’ve fallen in love with them, too.
This is our first time with a butterfly bush, I think it’s doubled in size over the past week. It’s a keeper for sure.
PARTING SHOT
Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. Albert Einstein
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A little about knitting and a lot about nothing...
Exploring the world one fiber at a time
Food Photography & Recipes
The Cricket Pages
Raku pottery, vases, and gifts
Just a little crunchy.
Playin’ with mud after midnight.......
...and sewing, quilting, painting, and a whole lot more
Celebrating life, literature, and the persuit of fiber-y goodness.
yeah right.
Yarn Collecting and Occasional Knitting
A geeky creator just making through the days
Enjoying the little things in life.
Welcome to the world of cats!
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