Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and Babylove

September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Lark in Twig

So, before Mr. Iknead and I took off to Mt. Magazine last weekend, I did a stash dive and came up with ten (!) skeins of this lovely yarn. I’m a little embarrassed to reveal that I’d completely forgotten about this little bit of stash enhancement. Obviously, I’d bought it with a particular project in mind, what with ten skeins and all, but as for the planned project, no clue. Anyway, I started cruising Ravelry for patterns and settled on a sweet and simple vest from Redheart.

Vested and Stylish

Redheart

Sorry sbout the crazy photos, my phone battery bit the dust and photos taken on my ipad are HUGE. We’re charging, by the way. The pattern and the Lark yarn seem to be a perfect match; I love it when a plan comes together! 😉

WEDNESDAY BOOKLOVE

I just finished Anthony Rapp’s memoir, Without You. This is another happy discovery, Mr. Rapp was one of the lead characters in my all-time favorite play, Rent. FYI, he played Mark, an aspiring filmmaker. A good read, especially since I love Rent so much, of course, it was loaded with Rent references and bits of insider trivia. Next up is Lucky Us, by Amy Bloom, a book I know next to nothing about, other than the synopsis sounded interesting.

GRANDBABY LOVE

New Kid on the Block

Charlee Faith, who is all of one month as of Monday. Beautiful, right??

She’s #4 in the grandbaby line up and I’m here to tell you, the grandparent thing?, it never gets old. Ever.

I’m linking today with Tami, Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams.

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

Knitting

Monday Love, Pots, This Is Why

January 13, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

IHEARTMONDAY

At the risk of being tarred and feathered by the present workforce, I have to say that I love Mondays. Let me tell you why: Monday mornings are a happy reminder that Mr. Iknead and I are retired. We are learning how to “not work”; for us, this means deciding to go out to lunch on a whim, or watching that movie/episode that we’ve just never gotten around to, looking outside to check the weather and not thinking “OMG, it’s raining/snowing/sleeting/storming and I need to get a move on this morning, just in case.” and instead, thinking “OMG, it’s raining/snowing/sleeting/storming and I think I WILL have that extra cup of coffee now.” My apologies if I’m gloating, I don’t mean to; it’s just that all this is so new to us, like opening a present each and every morning and knowing that it’s going to “fit” perfectly.

MUDSLINGING

Remembering one of my pottery goals this year, I snapped a few pictures last time I was in the pottery studio.

This one should be ready to trim today.

(Don’t know whose backside that is.)

This may be our new fruit bowl.

I see a possible yarn bowl.

This one’s a wild card. What do you see?

BACK INTO THE POND

This is the reason I frogged a nearly complete sleeve that seemed to take FOREVER on the Mariella Cardi –

Ladders, ladders everywhere

The pattern called for DPNs and for once, I actually followed directions, resulting in ladders between every needle. So, I gritted my teeth, bought a size 5 circular needle, frogged and restarted. It’s going much better, thank you. How come I try to delude myself every time I see a glitch that a) it will block out, b) I’ve made a mistake I’m calling a design feature and/or c) really, no one is going to notice? This delusion carries me until I’m within spitting distance of completion, then the glitch rises up, gives me a smack upside the head and says, “What were you thinking??” Thus, the frogging and restarting, with all the required fuming and sighs. Whew … I feel much better now.

I think somehow we learn who we really are and then live with that decision. Eleanor Roosevelt

Knitting

WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along 01/08/14

January 8, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

A couple of things:

The first sleeve on the Quince & Co. Mariella Cardi –

and

some random sock, done in some stash mystery yarn (maybe Seasilk???). I started this one toe up because I haven’t decided whether to do a real pattern or just a nice, comfy, go-to kind of sock. As you can see, the jury is still out….

OUT OF THE OVEN

Yesterday, while sort of browsing through some older posts, it dawned on me that I haven’t posted any baking projects lately. I sort of think I need to do that every once in a while, I mean, the blog is called iknead2knit and all. So, with that in mind, I grabbed the camera and snapped a few pics of yesterdays project – homemade granola.

The base recipe is one I got from my pottery instructor (thanks, Jean, the Pottery Queen), with 1 egg white, 1/2 cup agave nectar instead of sugar, 1/4 cup olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal. I tweak it with stuff we like (and what’s in the pantry), cinnamon, raisins, almond slivers, unsweetened coconut and sometimes pumpkin seeds or shelled pistachios. I bake it at 300 degrees, stirring every ten minutes or so until it’s brown and dry. Then, it’s hard to keep from munching on it every time I pass it in the kitchen. Putting a little bit in vanilla yogurt is my favorite, with just enough crunch and sweet/salty to satisfy. Yum!

BY THE BOOK

I’m starting The Book Thief this afternoon. I can’t wait!! Pretty much cleared my calendar for it. I hope it lives up to its rep.

The Book Thief

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams today, as always, inspiration central!

Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event. Brian Tracy

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 11/13/13

November 13, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

From Quince & Company, this scarf:

Scapula, done in Lark yarn, color Bird’s Egg, 100% American wool

This has to be in my top ten fave projects, both the pattern and the yarn. Though I prefer to “buy local” to support my LYS, I have to admit that Quince & Co. has turned my head a time or two.

Another couple of projects, both Hitchhiker shawls, are still on the needles also, but progress is slow and nearly imperceptible. I’ll spare you the nearly identical pics. Hopefully, they’ll join the ranks of FOs in the next week or so.

Linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams.

Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler. Albert Einstein

Knitting

FO Friday 07/19/13

July 19, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

I FINALLY finished the Papoose’s Olivia Petit sweater this week. If you will recall, I had intended to knit three (what was I thinking??) of these sweet sweaters, one for each grand, for Easter. Clearly, I must have been intoxicated from the heady fumes of possibility that this pattern was emitting at that particular point in time. Be that as it may, here’s the finished product, blocked, with buttons and ends woven in.

Front

Back

Remember this? My very first handspun and dyed yarn?

It went from this –

To a Cowl

OFF THE MACHINE

Here’s what I made yesterday – I’m getting more confident all the time on the sewing machine. I think I might make a trip to Jo-Ann today and brainstorm.

Lining

I have to admit I’m more than a little proud of myself. On Monday, I couldn’t even thread the machine! Still on a learning curve, but I can see the possibilities that knowing how to sew will open.

OK, enough already.

I’m linking up again with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO. Pay a visit, willya?

Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it. Leonardo da Vinci

Knitting

Just Call Me Tinkerbell

March 23, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

BY THE BOOK

Not reading/listening much at the moment. There are a couple of books that have piqued my interest, Mary Coin by Marisa Silver and Fever by Mary Beth Keane. As far as I can tell, neither one is in my local library’s collection yet, frustrating for me due to our (Mr. Iknead’s) austerity plan. I’ve requested them, but this takes time, which I have a lot of, but unfortunately I’m continually short on patience. Could this be a sign that I need to finish the books I’ve started to make room for those I want to start? Possibly.

JUST WHEN

I think winter is really over and begin to anticipate spring with warmer temps and greener everything, Mother Nature brings another surprise. After a couple of days of short sleeves and sunshine, the weather turned cold again with snow in the northern part of the state and rain and sleet for the rest. I’m tired of sweaters and long sleeves and am finding myself thinking more and more about swimsuits, sandals and the beach. Our August vacation seems soooo far away!

ON/OFF THE NEEDLES

I cast off Lolita last night, all she lacks is a light blocking and then sewing the shoulder seams. I’ll get a picture when she’s officially finished. Still working on the first Olivia Petit sweater. I ended up tinking back even more when I noticed a dropped stitch about ten or 12 rows back. I tried to convince myself that I could totally live with it, that with a little blocking it would be next to unnoticeable. You know how far that got me. Bit the bullet, tinked back and redid and am much happier. Two more buttonholes, then separating for the sleeves and I’ll be ready to start knitting the peplum. Suddenly, knitting two more of these doesn’t seem like such a great idea. Hmmm, wonder why? Here it is so far:

Sorry the pic sucks.

Off to start blocking Lolita!

Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back. Arthur Rubinstein

Knitting

Tiny Dancer, Pacy Covet and New Project Excitement

March 5, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

IF YOU’VE MISSED OUT

on seeing a naked two and a half year old ballerina stopping mid pirouette to potty, you’ve truly missed out on the highest form of funny cuteness. That’s right friends, the Papoose is in the midst of potty training and I think it might have clicked yesterday. Then, just when our giggles were starting to slow, she ran into the bathroom to flush – her potty chair is in the den, getting us going all over again. Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, it’s all on video. If you’re wondering why her potty’s in the den, you need to know that potty training at this stage is more about timing and convenience and less about location. What’s true in real estate, location, location, location ain’t necessarily so in potty training.

BY THE BOOK

Way way invested in Robert Massie‘s biography, Catherine the Great. I’m just right at her arranged marriage to 17 year old Peter of Holstein. I’ve mentioned my fascination with the Russian imperial family before and finished Nicholas and Alexandra a little bit ago. Loved it and am loving CTG just as much.

BUSTING TO BE

on the needles is Olivia Petit, a sweater I blogged about in How Come. I got the yarn ordered this morning (13 skeins) and am anxious to see it in person and start gauging. After a little more thought over the past few days, I think I’m going to scale back my grand plans just a little and just go for a Easter sweater for the Sprout, I’ve not knitted anything for this poor babe. I guess that comes from being #3 in the grandbaby line up, so I’m giving her first dibs. Check my blog post How Come? to see the project picture. It’s the cutest thing!

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

the much coveted monkey pacifier that the Sprout got as a baby gift. It is really, really cute, a pacifier with a soft, floppy monkey (think Beanie Baby) attached, making it easy for little hands to hang on to. Well, let me tell you, this monkey pacy is much admired and coveted within the Coleman/Vaughan circle of grands and is fair game if it gets dropped or somehow laid aside and forgotten. See what I mean?