Tag: Ravelry

2020

Christmas Countdown

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Ten days until Christmas and while I’m definitely in hurry up and get these projects finished mode, I’m not panicking. I am, however, hyperfocused and am determined to be finished by Christmas Eve. No photos as these projects are destined to be gifts, but here is a photo of the grandkids to ooooh and ahhhh over.

Susannah, Harper, Annabelle, Charlee and Emma

Shepherd

After a long dry knitting spell I think I’ve gotten my knitting mojo back and have finished several projects that were started pre-covid. I keep forgetting that one of the biggest reasons my knitting/pottery projects were in limbo was because I broke my arm in March. It’s impossible to knit with a casted arm!

My First Go at Arm Knitting

Trieste Hat

These two FOs aren’t gifts so I decided to go ahead and show them off. The arm knitting experiment was interesting and easy so I ordered 12 skeins of jumbo yarn to knit up into one of those ginormous squishy throws that keep showing up in my Pinterest feed. The Trieste hat is for me to wear when I walk Dixie. My ball cap just hasn’t cut it warmth-wise on our last couple of walks!

Details on these projects can be found here and here.

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. Epictetus

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WIPs As Far As The Eye Can See

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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

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Family · Knitting · pottery

Betcha Thought I Forgot About This Old Blog….

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OK, at 63 (!) I’ve been been trying on a few different personas, just one more sign of my decision to never grow up, but here I am once more, an amalgamation of several whos and whats, as reflected in my new title, Mud and String.

As I type this, I’m en route to Bangkok, Thailand again, accompanying Big Mommy and the three grands, the Papoose, the Sprout and the Peach. All growing up so so fast and leaving me in the dust regarding what’s cool and what’s not. Anyhow……..

This trip has been very crazy, beginning with the first leg of the 30 hour trip being delayed an hour in Little Rock due to weather in Dallas, setting off a chain of situations like dominos falling. First, we missed our connecting flight to Hong Kong and so were stranded in Dallas for 24 hours, waiting for the next plane to Hong Kong. An adventure unto itself…More on that later.

So here we are, 32000 feet in the air, five hours into a 16 hour flight, with the outside time showing as -43.6F, wearing clothes that were fresh yesterday – Wednesday morning around 5 a.m. –  closing in on 48 hours. The time is 4:49 pm on Thursday, according to my ipad. I pity our seatmates! 🤭🤭🤭🤢🤢🤢

We made it to Hong Kong! Here’s the view from our gate waiting area-

Before I close this out, a few pics of recent projects

Ninilchik Swoncho

The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.

 

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Knitting

Better Late Than Never

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I’m finished with the Christmas gift knitting which, unfortunately, was started way later than it should have.  Yay anyway because she loved it and didn’t mind giving it back to be finished right after opening.❤️❤️❤️

DETAILS

 Sunburst Lichen Cowl

 Malabrigo Rios

Ravelry Red

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.  Zig Ziglar

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Knitting

Sometimes You Just Need………

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A QUICKIE

Something fast, something that gives (almost) immediate gratification.  I’m in the middle of a sweater, a huge crocheted shawl, a pair of socks, a dog sweater and the cutest flag garland ever.   I’m not counting my Christmas knitting — it’s not the last minute yet and I don’t want to let the cat out of the gift bag.  Anyhow, despite my vow to not start anything new until the WIPs are at least a little bit under control, I caved.  I needed a project that offered some immediate gratification.  Rav served up the perfect pattern, Leafy Washcloth.   I knit up the first one last evening and it’s blocking as I type this.

 

I used some Sugar and Cream cotton that I had around and size 7 straight needles, filling the immediate gratification bill perfectly.  Feels so good to have a FO!

The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it.  Mal Pancoast

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Knitting

As Promised – A Bit of Knitting, A Bit of Throwing, A Bit of Ringing

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ON MY NEEDLES

I seem to be caught in a startitis vortex, convinced that every new project start magically completes the WIP above it in the Everlasting Endless Knitting Queue, except it doesn’t.  The tabletop  next to my knitting chair continues to become more and more crowded and is developing a layered look, sort of like what you’d find in an archeological dig with recent stuff on top and progressively older stuff underneath that.  Here’s a few off the top-

Freak Flags

Sequences

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 5

 

Freak Flags has progressed to this –

I’ve recently fallen in love with banners and such so when I saw the Freak Flags in MDK Sequences it was all over but the knitting.  The plan is to make a set of seasonal set for my mantle, with this particular set in fall colors.  Winter will be next using blues, grays and whites.

I’m making good progress on my Simple Skype socks –

Enlarged to show stitch detail

Simple Skype Socks

Fingerpaints Supersock Self Striping

100% Superwash Merino

Java Jive

RINGING

Have I ever mentioned that I’m a handbell ringer?  Advent is upon us, a busy busy time for musicians, with extra rehearsals and the butterflies that go hand in hand with ringing in public,but it’s a labor of love.  Aren’t they beautiful?

THROWING

Here’s a look at the first pot out of my very first glaze kiln –

 

  Multiuse Pot

B clay with grog

 Mayco Jungle Gems Peacock Green on outside and Blue Azure on the inside

I like the inside better I think.

BIG DAY TODAY

Hit the ground running this morning…..Baby Shepherd will be baptized at 10:30 mass this morning and we’re having a Baptism/Birthday/Belated Birthday chili supper this evening to celebrate.  I’ll do my best to get photos of the Baptism Boy and Birthday Boys up on the blog in the next few days.  Busy with blessings!

Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.  Albert Schweiter

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Knitting

Knit All The Things, Finish None of Them (A Temporary Situation, I Hope)

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ON MY NEEDLES

Due to an overwhelming case of wanting to cast on all the things, my WIP to FO ratio has fallen so far as to be nonexistent.  Every time I pick up whatever catches my eye in the WIP pile, I swear to myself that THIS IS THE ONE, the one that will spark my stick-to-a-tive-ness and soon it will move from the Land of WIPS into the Paradise of FOs. Yeah, still working on that.

Work continues on the Simple Skype Socks.  Link to my project page here.

This project probably would have been finished if I hadn’t noticed a few rows that were cataclysmically   screwed up.  I finally ended up frogging them completely, after trying for at least an hour to tink them back.  Lesson learned, don’t try to tink on the last leg of a 20+ hour trip.  It’s much more efficient to rip and start over.

Don’t even ask me what this hot mess is.  I think it’s a bit of handspun that I decided keep as a single.  This obviously was a mistake on my part.  I got busy and plied it into a double and we’re all a lot happier with the result.  See?

Found my notes on this hot mess!  Yay!  Organic Polwarth from Three Waters Farm Top of the Month Club in Maple and Hickory.

ON MY WHEEL

This is slowly becoming this –

 I’m working on spinning this lovely roving close to laceweight, hoping to end up with a nice sock yarn after plying – a challenge. This roving is from, you guessed it, Three Waters Farm Top of the Month  Club.  It’s a Blueface Leicester wool and called Living Color.

Anybody can make history.  Only a great man can write it.  Oscar Wilde

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Knitting

Oops, It’s Been Awhile, Hasn’t It?, Lots of Excitement at Casa Coleman and Happy Easter!

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It seems that the harder I try to plan and always, always intend to sit down and blog at least a few lines about whatever is catching my attention, somehow, it never happens.  I also know that one of the keys to blogging regularly is planning, which I’ve thrown aside for the last little while – stream of consciousness anyone??

Like I said in the title, lots of  excitement here at Casa Coleman these past few weeks, here are a couple of the high points….

After a run of five little grandgirls in a row, Babymama, Babydaddy, Baby Diva and the Elf are set to welcome a new BABY BOY this summer!  We’re all very very excited — think hitting the lottery or winning the Superbowl!  At their last ultrasound, Baby Boy cooperated beautifully, allowing a good shot of (ahem) what little boys are made of. 🤗

Next, our Bangkok trip is pretty much upon us; we leave Wednesday – DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!! This is about the time that my anticipation usually gets the best of me and I become very scattered, trying to do too many things at once without really accomplishing anything.  I’ve been mentally packing for days and tried on last summer’s shorts just to be sure they still fit (they do! Yay!), next to try – swimsuit – which isn’t something I ever look forward to. ☹️

As usual, I have several things on my needles, but only one WIP that I’ve made real progress on.

Julie’s Sweater

All this baby is lacking is the cowl neck and the second sleeve.  I’m debating whether or not to carry it to Bangkok, 25-30 hours of flight (knitting) time would just about do it.  It’s just a lot of sweater in what I’m afraid will be a small space.  Maybe Mr. iknead and I will get lucky and the third seat will be unoccupied, providing me with more elbow room and a place to put all my knitting essentials.  It’s happened before. 🤞🤞🤞

Spinning continues on the Summer Palette roving, but should be finished before we leave.

Summer Palette

Roving from Three Waters Farm

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do.  The hard part is doing it.  Norman Schwarzkopf

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Knitting

And So It Continues…….

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STILL ON MY NEEDLES

My Julie’s Sweater is coming along nicely after that small hitch in the cabling.  Will I have it finished in time to wear it this winter? Who knows, anything is possible. 🙂

After much back and forth with yarn, needles – wood or metal, double points or circular, and technique – toe up or cuff down, two at a time or one at a time, magic loop or two circulars.  After a couple of false starts, I settled down and got into the rhythm of Simple Skype socks.  See?

Simple Skype Socks

Patons Kroy Socks Yarn

Eclipse Stripes

I’ve been spinning up a storm – ha!  it’s been raining for the past three days with more on the way today – visit tomorrow to see what’s finished and what’s waiting in the wings! I can’t wait to get started!

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. © Buddha

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Knitting

Seeing Red

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RED

I’ve started three new projects this week and it’s easy to see their common thread – red.

 

Hermione’s Half Blood Prince Socks

Stash yarn – no ball band

Mercerized cotton

Sockhead Hat

Malabrigo Rios

Ravelry Red

Simplex Shawl 

Frosting Worsted

Delicious Yarns

Cherry

and

Sweets Worsted

Delicious Yarns

Red Velvet

This is a Yarnbox project.

What can I say?  I love red!

Roses red and violets blue and all the sweetest flowers, that in the forest grew.  Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

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Knitting

Infatuated!

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OFF THE NEEDLES AND I CAN’T WAIT FOR FO FRIDAY!!!

I’m calling this bag Infatuated bacause…I’m infatuated!  Felting is finished and it’s sunbathing dry.

Infatuated_Bag.JPG

Infatuation

Noro Kureyon 352 and Cascade 220 #7801

Designed by Irina Poludnenko

It has a lot of fuzz, but I expect that will diminish with some patient lint brushing.

Family · Knitting

FO Friday, I Do, Wise Words

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OFF THE NEEDLES

image

Honey Nectar Cowl

Tosh Chunky in One of a Kind Nectar

This yarn was much prettier after it was knit up.  The colors seemed sort of, I don’t know, blah, I guess.  I’m so glad I stayed with it to the finish.  I love the soft, subtle colors now!

I DO RENEW

Mr. Iknead and I are renewing our marriage vows this evening, with our sweet son in law officiating.  It’s very low key, just family, the kids and their spouses and the grands, in front of the fireplace here at home, with dinner afterward. The past 35(!) years hold so much laughter and love, along with some tears, of course, but the love and laughs far outweigh anything else.  So, yeah, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.  Pictures to follow.

A WORD TO THE WISE

When your paper carrier leaves your paper right on top of your sprinkler system, do not, I repeat, do not attempt to dry it, the paper, not the carrier, in the microwave; or at least, don’t get distracted and walk away.

I didn’t know paper would ignite at around the 20 second mark.  Yeah, my attention span is about that short.  Burned clean through the first section and about halfway through the second, FYI.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.  Henry Ford

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