Knitting

13, Bigmommy’s Birthday

July 12, 2013July 12, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

Besides scaling it down a little, I used an I-cord bind-off, mostly so I could practice it. I do like the rolled edge it makes, though.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Happy birthday, Bigmommy! I love you and am so proud of the beautiful woman you’ve become. It’s been a pleasure (mostly). Much love.

BY THE BOOK

I finally was able to get started in Joyland by Stephen King and it’s fabulous enough that I didn’t pick up my needles once yesterday because I couldn’t stop reading. Now that’s a good book. I totally plan on finishing it today and am anxiously awaiting Dr. Sleep. I think it’s due to come out in September.

Linking up with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO

Anyone who keeps the abilith to see beauty in every age of life really never grows old. Franz Kafka

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 07/03/13

July 3, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Socks for Mr. Iknead

75% Medano Bag

I reduced the this pattern by 25% and went down a needle size. The full sized bag was just too big for me to comfortably carry.

Yarn Along

I’m linking up today, as usual, with Tami Ami’s, Frontier Dreams and Ginny’s Yarn Along. Pay them a visit, willya?

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. Walter Bagehot

Knitting

FO Friday 06/14/13, Best SIL Ever, Too Hot To Bake?

June 14, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Linking up with Tami’s FO Friday blog today.

OFF THE NEEDLES

Medano Beach Bag

Sugar’n Cream 100% cotton

Ecru and Country Red

This bag is proof that stockinette in the round with two colors CAN be messed up. I was nearly to the bind off when I noticed that I’d missed a stripe, wrestled momentarily with wanting to frog the whole thing and decided to leave it be. So, the bag has a unique pattern, designed for easy recognition in case it’s ever in a pile with 20 other red and white Medano bags. :p My only complaint was that this bag grew so slowly, due to my decision to use number 4 needles instead of the number 7 or 8 recommended. I do like the density of stitches that the small needles gave me, I’ll just scale the whole bag down a little next time.

YOU SHOULD BE SO BLESSED

Happy birthday to my best son in law ever! I truly believe he was sent to us (not just to Bigmommy, thank you very much) straight from above. His gifts of love, faith, positivity, strength, generosity, ideas of fun, common sense, intelligence, loyalty and sense of humor have elevated us all. (He has a ton more assets but I ran out of fingers.) Great father, great husband, great friend, great preacher, great man of God – Clefton, you’ve covered all the bases! We love you!

Clefton and Annabelle

IN THE OVEN

Yeah, it’s pretty hot but I’m baking today anyway. I think I’ll start with Sundried Tomato Basil Bread using my own fresh basil and maybe move on to something sweet, Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread, maybe.

Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity. William Menninger

Knitting

WIPW 6/12/13, Eek!

June 12, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Granny’s Grab Bag is still growing, slowly for sure, but growing all the same and since it’s done with leftover sock yarn, who knows how big it will end up? (I have a seemingly bottomless leftover sock yarn stash).

Then, Mr. Iknead’s socks, using Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Sock, with wool free yarn that I can’t remember the name of right now.

Last up is Heidi Kirrmaier’s Medano Beach bag, if you look closely, you can see where I’ve finished the body and made a teeny tiny amount of progress on one of the straps.

LOOK WHO’S HERE!

Our new, beautified beyond belief front flower bed has a new resident named David (of course), standing guard over some important plumbing feature, keeping it safe during my occasional uncontrollable bouts with rakes and shovels.

BY THE BOOK

I’ve finished The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, not the most uplifting book ever, but it had an interesting backstory and kept me engaged and started Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian, which I’m loving. In accordance with Mr. Iknead’s austerity plan, these are library books and I have to admit, because of this, if I don’t like a book, I can put it aside and start another without feeling guilty. I’m liking that.

EEK!!!

There’s A Mouse In The Pool, EEEKKKKKK!

Great swim up until then!

I’m linking up today with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams KCCO, don’t forget to pay them a visit!

All books are divisible into two classes; the books of the hour and the books of all time. John Ruskin, Sesame and Lilies

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-