Tag: Shibui

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

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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

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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

 

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FO Friday 06/07/13, Yarn, The Sprout

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First things first –

OFF THE NEEDLES AND INTO THE SOCK DRAWER

Sunday Swing Socks

Shubui Sock

Poodle Skirt Colorway

Finally got colorway and pattern to play nice in the sandbox and I’m loving the almost candy cane color changes!

ALMOST ON THE NEEDLES

A little while back, Mr. Iknead requested a pair of blue striped socks, so off and on I’ve been scoping out different yarns and patterns, thinking maybe something with little or no wool (way too hot for our Arkansas summers) and chanced upon this yarn yesterday at Hobby Lobby.  Blue – check, no wool – check, sock weight – check, price – $4.99.  All systems go.  Label says 93% acrylic, 7% PBT (whatever that is).

These are destined to be plain vanilla, quick knit, ribbed socks.  All that pretty lacy stuff is lost on Mr. Iknead. 🙂

THE BIEBERSPROUT

Cutest Sprout Ever!

Annabelle at 8 months

Linking up with Tami’s FO Friday blog and Frontier Dreams KCCO blog.  Pay them a visit, OK?   They’re always brimming over with FO goodness!

When the voices of children are heard on the green

And laughing is heard on the hill

My heart is at rest within my breast

And everything else is still

                                                    William Blake

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Knitting

FO Finally!

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OFF THE NEEDLES AND INTO THE SOCK DRAWER

Crocus Vernus in Shibui Sock

I had several setbacks with this project, but am glad I stuck with it.  They turned out really well, I think!  The Shibui color is mystery pink, found two skeins in the sale bin at Yarn Mart which had lost their bands.  Excellent find!  Will be making another LYS run sometime this afternoon, probably on my way to the Art Center for some clay play.  With the holiday Monday, I’ve not been able to get to the pottery studio in a week, I’m having a little bit of withdrawal.  I had a couple of things that were ready to fire.  Hopefully, they were included in the kiln and since with clay and glazes, what you see is not usually what you get, the suspense is killing me.  I might even remember to take some pictures!

Don’t forget to drop in on Tami’s FO Friday blog to catch some amazing FOs.

Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction. Pablo Picasso

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Knitting

WIPW 04/17/12

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ON THE NEEDLES

I’ve been able to rein in my knitting ADD, at least for the moment, trying really hard not to veer off into the ozone with knitting projects.  I’m working on Knitty‘s Interlocking Leaves socks in the oh so pretty Shibui Poodleskirt color and I also started another Olivia Petit sweater, this one in a larger size.  Oh yeah, I’ve been knitting up dishcloths at Bigmama’s request and they’re a nice break from those long rows of Olivia.

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Interlocking Leaves

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Olivia Petit 2.0

In case you’re wondering, that’s a set of frosted glass windchimes that I was too lazy to put away this morning, thus their debut on WIPW 04/17/13

FIELD TRIP

Babymama and I, along with Babydiva, Bela the standard poodle and Josie Pug have plans to visit the dog park this afternoon.  I’m expecting it to be loads of fun, and am right now charging Mr. Canon’s battery (sounds kind of nasty, doesn’t it?) to document all the fun.  Look for pictures to be posted later this week.

Don’t forget to visit Tami Ami’s WIPW blog and check out all the neat WIPs!

Develop a passion for learning.  If you do, you will never cease to grow.  Anthony J. D’Angelo

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Knitting

WIPW 04/10/13, Yarn Along and Sock Pattern Lust

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ON THE NEEDLES

I decided to give myself a little break from fiddly stuff for a bit and have been knitting up dish towels instead, finally using some of that Sugar and Cream that’s been in the stash for lo, how many years.  My current favorite is the Yarn Over Cable Cloth from Dishcloth Boutique.  After just a couple of repeats, I’d memorized the four row pattern, a welcome relief from having to look from pattern to knitting and back to pattern.

I’m getting the sock knitting itch again, I just wound some new Shibui Sock from Yarn Mart and am pondering patterns even as I type.  I have a couple of ideas – Spring Forward or Kew, both from Knitty.  Love them both, maybe I’ll flip a coin.  Here’s a look at the new Shibui –

This color is called Poodle Skirt and how cute is that??

MR. CANON AND ME, WE GETTIN’ TIGHT

Beginning to feel much more comfortable with Mr. Canon and today, it took only about 30-45 minutes to remember and do what took hours yesterday.  Josie, Mr. Canon and I just may take a field trip tomorrow morning, especially if the weather stays as beautiful as it has the last two days.

Photobomb by Josie

BY THE BOOK

My Yarn Along contribution today is Stephen King’s Under the Dome, in preparation for the mini-series scheduled for sometime in June.  I’m still technically reading Annie Dillard‘s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but haven’t picked it back up since Monday afternoon at the library.  I’m planning to get started again this afternoon, the weather is predicted to be stormy and this seems like it would be a good book to cocoon with.

DON’T FORGET TO

Visit Tamis Amis’ WIPW blog for more WIP goodies and Ginny Sheller’s Yarn Along for lots more book and yarn love.  Prepare to be inspired!

The better part of happiness is to wish to be what you are.  Desiderius Erasmus

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Yippee, WIPW 02/06/13 and a Stash Dive

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YIPPEE!

Thanks Mollie aka deepbluerenegade for making me the winner of your 100 Blog Posts contest.  I opted for a $10.00 gift card from Mr. Yarn and plan to use this to feed my Shibui Sock addiction.  I’ll make my final decision sometime today and get it posted to share the yarny love.  I love me some contests!

THE GRANDS

I found this cute pic when I hacked into visited Mr. Iknead’s Shutterfly stuff.  I’m a Flickr-phile myself so every so often I check out his Shutterfly to see if I’ve missed something.  Here’s this week’s fave –

I love the way the Papoose has her chin in her hand, it seems to be such a “big girl” attitude and the way Babydiva is looking at her, little girl learning from big girl.  So cute!

WARNING!  STASH DIVING CAN BE HAZARDOUS!

Earlier this week, I got it into my head that I’d misplaced a skein of really expensive (for me) sock yarn and since I didn’t have any socks on the needles, decided I couldn’t go one more minute without getting a pair started and absolutely, positively couldn’t use anything but the misplaced yarn.  Naturally, this meant turning my yarn stash upside down, digging feverishly, just knowing it had to be in the next box or bin or bag.  Didn’t find it.  Looked under furniture.  Didn’t find it.  Looked in the stash overflow area.  Didn’t find it.  Instead, this is what I did find – balls and skeins and hanks of yarn that I, either intentionally or unintentionally, had forgotten and this is why organizing/reorganizing your stash can be hazardous – you get caught up in one of two reactions or at least, I did.  The “what was I thinking??” reaction or the “OMG, I love this stuff!  How could it have been languishing all this time??”  When this happens, all work comes to a screeching halt and for the next little while, I’m looking, remembering, fondling and running to Mr. Iknead repeatedly showing him the treasures I’ve found.  Mr. Iknead’s enthusiasm for this is so low as to be nonexistent, by the way.

OK, back on track.  Anyhow, last night I figured out why, after multiple searches, this yarn is still MIA.  It’s because it’s been wound already and I’ve been looking for a hank.  I even remember winding it. Today I’m going to search again, but for the correct shape and I bet I find it right away.  This yarn has nearly reached “Holy Grail” status in my single minded obsession to find it.  Is that odd?

ON THE NEEDLES

Here’s what I’ve accomplished on the Etched Rio Wrap so far, when I wasn’t turning my stash upside down (see above).

I love the color of this Metalico yarn from Blue Sky Alpacas, a pinky-gold.

BY THE BOOK

I’m currenting listening to A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  Strangely enough, I learned about this book while watching one of those sort of embarrassing shows on the I.D. channel.  You know the ones, with bad reenactments and strange voice overs.  The author committed suicide back in the early 1970s and after his death, his family found this unpublished novel hidden away, sent it to a publisher and, bang, a bestseller.  Interesting book, interesting back story.

Don’t forget to visit Tami Amis blog  and  Small Things Yarn Along for more WIPW goodness!

Man’s mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.  Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Knitting

Get your WIP, Get your WIP Wednesday here! – 1/23/13

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ON THE NEEDLES

This week’s WIP Wednesday offering is the second Phloem sock from Knitty, using Shibui Sock that I’ve named Sand and Sky.  I loved the way the first sock took shape, with a botanical bent and so I was probably a tad bit over confident when I cast on the second.  I just dove right in, not an unusual plan for me.  After all, I finally had the pattern down and what the stitch key showed, right?  So, last night, about two inches into it, I went back just to review something in the pattern and noticed that I’d completely forgotten to do the cuff.  I waffled about just forging ahead and pretending it was OK but I just couldn’t, I knew it would bug me just knowing it was supposed to have a cuff but didn’t, so I frogged and started over.  I can rest easy now.  Yes, sometimes I tend to have a perfectionistic streak a mile wide and sometimes it serves me well, like last night.  So here’s the do-over.

THE GRANDS

Remember Babysis, the Papoose’s baby sister? Well, I changed her name from Babysis to Alfalfa Sprout, as in Our Gang/The Little Rascals.  She has a huge, no holds barred cowlick on the crown of her head that is so freakin’ cute I almost can’t stand it.  I just thought that Sprout was a better fit than Babysis.  See what I mean?

I wasn’t kidding, was I?

THE GREAT WASHING MACHING CRISIS

It’s over, it’s really, finally over – at least until another appliance gives up the ghost.  Got my new, fancy washing machine delivered and hooked up.  I think I did at least 15 loads that first day.  Man, does laundry pile up or what?!  Mr. Iknead laughed when I took a picture to share.  I think he thinks posting pictures of washing machines is a little odd, but I tend to blog things that I’m happy about and things that interest me and I’m definitely both about my new washer.  I think it’s very handsome, myself.  To each his own.

NOT ON THE NEEDLES, YET

The Yarn Mart just called and said my special order yarn, Metalico Gold Dust, has arrived so I’m hot-footing over to pick it up.  Pictures and description later, it’s calling my name.

Want more WIP Wednesday?  Check out Tami’s Amis, you can’t miss.

You never truly understand something, until you can explain it to your grandmother.  Albert Einstein

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Knitting

FO Friday 01/18/13

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ON AND OFF THE NEEDLES

This week’s FO Friday is Meg White’s Cabled Hat, a free Ravelry pattern.  Turned out right nice as a friend of mine would say.

A quick knit, with just enough fiddliness to keep me interested.  I think the yarn is some I picked up at Hobby Lobby a while back, I Love This Yarn 100% wool.  Due to our (Mr. Iknead’s and mine) new austerity plan, I’m working toward losing at least a little of my yarn snobbiness.   I’m trying as hard as I can to bring Mr. Iknead, a very thrifty (read tightwad) guy over to the dark side, knitting him a pair of soft, warm, merino socks, I think it might be working.  The upshot of this plan is that in order for me to be able to stay home, baking and knitting, I have to scale back on some things, like high end sock yarn.  Ouch.

I’m still working on the Phloem socks using a happy discovery of two hanks of beautiful Shibui Sock that I found during a stash dive.  Hopefully by the next FO Friday, I’ll have them ready to wear.  I loves me some Shibui!

BY THE BOOK

Another casualty opportunity to cut back is with my book and audiobook habit.  I downgraded my Audible membership and have been using our local library instead.  I love the downloadables, both e-books and audios and I’m nearly always at the ten book limit at any given time.  One I’m listening to now is Danger to Self: On the Front Line with an ER Psy.chiatrist, by Paul R. Linde.  Fascinating.

IN THE OVEN

Have butter and eggs sitting out, getting ready to make Sour Cream Pound Cake, a recipe from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, a wedding gift 33 years ago.  It’s been well used and well loved, judging from the stains and sticky stuff between the pages and is the first cookbook I grab when thinking about what to have for supper or what to bake when my sweet tooth kicks in.  A classic and a favorite.

Check out Tami Amis blog for more FO Friday goodness.

Simplicity is the key to brilliance.  Bruce Lee

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 01/16/13 and Home Again

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ON THE NEEDLES

Here’s my current WIP for this week. This sock actually started out a really fiddly Celtic cable, but after about five rounds, I knew it was way over the top too fiddly to work on while visiting the Stuttgart grands, sent it to the frog pond and restarted, this time on Rachel Coopey’s Phloem, from Knitty Spring/Summer 2012. It’s also fairly fiddly but doesn’t require a cable needle, a definite plus when keeping company with a very curious and busy two year old.

The yarn is one I ran across while stash diving looking for a good take-along project for my Stuttgart visit.  It’s Shibui 100% superwash merino, color 6001 and since I believe everything should have a real name, not just a number, I’m calling it Sand and Sky.  Nice, I think.

BACK IN THE NEST

Bigmommy brought me back home this morning and as much fun as I had with the babies over the past few days, it sure is good to be back.  Back where my chair is dented in all the right places, my pillow is always perfect and I know where the toilet paper is kept.  Funny what things make homes homey, isn’t it?

THE CRISIS CONTINUES

The great washing machine crisis is now in its fifth day and I don’t mind telling you that the laundry has somehow learned to multiply and seems to be doubling itself by the hour.  Really though, the new kid on the block is to be delivered and hooked up between three and five o’clock this afternoon.  I’m thinking positive and have already separated darks from lights, delicates from heavy duty and hand knits get to solo.  No unintentional felting allowed, zero, zip, zilch, none, not on my watch, nope.

Don’t forget to check out Tami Ami’s blog for more awesome WIPs.

It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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Knitting

FO Friday 1/11/13 and the Great Washing Machine Crisis

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ON AND OFF THE NEEDLES

I finished the Sideways Grande Hat last night, just in time for today and earned the Mr. Iknead Seal of Approval.

Don’t know the reason for the odd look, there’s no telling.  At least my mouth is closed.  It seems like every photo has me with my mouth open, either talking or eating and sometimes (I’m not proud of this) both at the same time.  Anyway, I think the hat is way cute and it was a quick, easy knit.

I’m nearly finished with Meg White’s Cabled Hat, ready to start the crown decreases and am now browsing through Cookie A.’s Knit.Sock.Love.  On an expedition into the stash the other day, I ran across some awesome Shibui sock yarn that just begged to be transformed into a pair of socks and, well, I aim to please.

NOW WHAT?

We finally finished all the electrical work this week, which turned out even better than I had hoped, just to have the washing machine bite the dust.  I’m waiting on the repairman now.  There’s something busted about the spin cycle, when it hits that part, it starts making an awful banging noise and shuts itself off.  I’m not talking about the I’m unbalanced thump, this is the I’m getting ready explode and scatter shrapnel banging.  Here’s hoping that it’s an easy fix and not the arm and a leg and my firstborn child sort of fix.  Anything under $250.00 would be good.  Here’s hoping!

Check out Tami Amis blog for more awe inspiring FOs.  You’ll be glad you did.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast.  Alexander Pope

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