Tag: Yarn Along

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 7/23/14, How Cool Is This?, Booklove

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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.

imageNotice 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

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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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Knitting

Buh-bye, Wondrous Box, Booklove

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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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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 6/11/14, Booklike, Pots

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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.

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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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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and Paisley

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ON THE NEEDLES

My Cable and Pleat Tunic is once again on the needles, after starting and then frogging three times.  I’m hoping that this attempt is THE one and I’ll finally see real progress.

MORE CRAFTINESS

I decided to I needed some kind of jar or pot to store the assorted brushes, pencils and markers that are accumulating quickly on my craft table.  I love paisley- bet you didn’t know that about me- and decided to experiment with some paisley shapes and a straight sided glass jar.  It’s not finished, I plan to cover the jar completely with paisley and then outline to make them stand out.  Here’s what I have so far-

 

Yeah, I can see that outlining them is going to be a must to delineate the paisley shapes.

BOOKLOVE

I just finished Maeve Binchy’s A Week in Winter yesterday and it was OK.  I enjoyed it, but probably won’t pick it up to read again.  Admittedly, it was a departure for me, I generally go for nonfiction or horror or crime novels.  Still, I liked it enough to finish it.

FIRST TIME

This morning was the first time I’ve been able to enjoy my coffee and newspaper on the patio.  Birdsong and cool breezes, coffee and newspaper=perfect place to spend the morning.  Crazy good.

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams today.

Who we are never changes.  Who we think we are does.  Mary Almanac

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Patio, Hello Beautiful

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ON THE NEEDLES

See that little ball in the photo?  That’s all the yarn I have left and the Harmonia Shrug just isn’t. quite. finished.  All that’s left is adding ribbing to the other sleeve, binding off and finishing with a tiny ruffle.  Luckily, for once I saw this coming and was able to order one more skein from a yarn shop in the UK.   I’ll have nearly an entire skein left over, but I can definitely see the rest transformed into gift(s) this fall.  That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, as they say.

OUTSIDE

Our patio upgrade/redo is FINALLY finished and are we enjoying it!  We’ve had our coffee outside on it for the last few days and have relaxed in the late afternoons with our respective cold drinks and iPads.  Totally worth the $ and frustration.  We have plans tomorrow to start shopping for an umbrella table and a swing. 

HELLO BEAUTIFUL

Here’s my most recent picture of Babydiva, who grows more gorgeous all the time.

Babydiva and doggy sister, Bela

This may be my all-time favorite photo of my son and his daughter, sharing homework time.  I have a phenomenal son, who is also a phenomenal husband and father and this sweet photo proves it over and over.  

PARTING SHOT

Our only chick in the nest now, Josie, who is always right in the thick of things.  She was very put out that her daddy went inside for two seconds and shut the door before she could follow.

Linking with Frontier Dreams, Ginny’s Yarn Along and Tami.

I admit to having an imagination feverish enough to melt good judgment.  Dean R. Koontz

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, “This Is Gray”, Booklove

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“THIS IS…….”

When I went to the salon this morning, I showed the pictures I posted yesterday to my stylist.  If you missed yesterday’s post, you can read it here.  My stylist, who was my friend before she was my hairdresser, looked at the pictures, looked at me like I was crazy and said, “This is gray, your hair will not look like this.”  “How come?”   “You’re not gray enough” she says.  Oh.  OK.  She could make it more ashy and less gold, she said.  Again, “OK”.  So she did and I love it.  Love. It.

The Big Reveal

FYI – Back in the day (up until 2006), I pretty much kept my hair ultra short – think crew cut.  My daughter asked me to grow my hair out for her wedding.  I did and have loved my long hair much more than I ever expected.

ON THE NEEDLES

Still working on My Harmonia, but am in the last stages.  A few more 12 row repeats and I should be home free.

Last but not in any way, least

BOOKLOVE

In the throes of insane Booklove, and yes, I know I say that every week, with Far From The Tree, Parents, Children, and The  Search For Identity, written by Andrew Solomon.  This book was one of the 2012 Ten Best Books according to the New York Times Book Review.  Incredible book.  Don’t be put off by its size, it’s a great read and the pages fly.

 

Linking with Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny.

 

I have done my plowing: I have sown my seed.  Again I have time to sit and read my books.  T’ao Chien

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/30/14, Booklove

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ON THE NEEDLES

1) Hitchhiker

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2) Socks on a Plane, #2

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3) Vivacious Chocolate Shrug

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BOOKLOVE

I’m still loving Frog Music as much as I did when I started it; since the story is told backward, end to beginning, the suspense  is building and I’m less sure of “who did what, when and why”.  I love that in a book – do you?   And since I’m very seldom book monogamous, I started Anya.  You can read about it here.

I’m linking with my usual Wednesday blogs, Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along.  Do you have others you’d like to share?

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.  Eleanor Roosevelt

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and TDLP Obsessed

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ON THE NEEDLES

Newest WIP is another Hitchhiker, in Sachet Patons Lace that I picked up I don’t know when on a Hobby Lobby run.

I’m really liking the way this is knitting up.

Socks on a Plane are still on the needles, but have grown not a bit in the last week.  Tomorrow, I keep telling them, just hang on.  So, yes, the crazy yarn lady is talking to her unfinished socks now…..

BOOKLOVE

102 pages in and it has me walking extra miles on the treadmill.  That’s how fantastic this book is, a repeater, for sure.  I’m so glad I bought this instead of checking it out at the library, it’s a book to be savored.

WORD DOC

I got my first challenge for The Documented Life project completed and posted; the challenge was to use a cardboard food box in an unexpected manner; this is what I came up with –

The new challenge for Week 17 is on the drawing board.  I’ll be sharing it soon, meanwhile, check out it out, don’t be surprised if you find yourself drawn in and then obsessed.  Everyperson Art.  Love. It.

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly of the soul.  John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 4/2/14, Booklove, Leak Be Gone

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PLUMBING UPDATE

Our plumber rocks!  The leak I mentioned in my last post is history!  As it turned out, he found the leak, fixed it and only charged us $145.50.  If you’ve had to call a plumber in the last ten years, you’ll know we got off easy, fix-wise and money-wise, with no fuss and very little muss.  What a relief!

BOOKLOVE

I’ve finished one book, Benediction, by Kent Haruf and started two others, an ebook, God’s  Hotel by Victoria Sweet and an audiobook, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen.  I wasn’t too sure about  Benediction, it took me a bit to see where the author was going with the story, but I got involved before too long and ended up enjoying it very much.  I like it when at the end of the book, there are still some loose ends, not everything is tied up nice, tight and neat.  Real life seems to always have loose ends!

ON THE NEEDLES

Woodlands Scarf in the found merino, Papercut, both of which I’m liking a lot.  I tentatively started a new pair of socks using my first Yarnbox yarn,  in a new pattern, Leaf on the Wind, but ended up frogging after deciding that my choice of both pattern did not do the yarn justice and vice versa.

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Yes, the photo is upside down but it just took me an hour to figure out how to insert a picture in a post on the iPad.  I’m not up for another hour of frustration today.

I’m linking with Tami and Frontier Dreams KCCO, please pay them a visit.  Oops, I almost forgot Ginny’s Yarn Along!

Skill to do comes of doing.  Ralph Emerson

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Knitting

WIPW 02/05/14, Barbie Sweater Update

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I’ve been under the weather with a bad cold the last couple of days, but feel much better this morning – just in time for WIPW!

ON THE NEEDLES

The Mariella Cardi has taken on a life of its own.  I had great plans to finish it last week, but noticed on Wednesday there was a BIG difference between the number of stitches on the right and left front panels, where the raglan shaping decreases are done.  BIG difference as in 30 stitches on the left panel and 15 or so stitches on the right panel.  How the heck could I have not noticed that???  I tried to make some unobtrusive increases and decreases to bring them back in line with each other but finally faced facts.  Not going to work, no way, no how, so I frogged back to the point where the decreases started and redid it.  Obvious stitch miscount there. Still….. I’m ready to move on, but sheer stubbornness says I must finish what I started, so have  been slogging through.

Mariella Cardi (again)

I did cave and started a pair of Kew socks from Knitty: Fall 2006 using some stashed Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Wonderstone.  I fall in love with this yarn a little more every time I pick it up!

IT WORKED!!!

Remember the sweater that I was mourning in this post?  Some sweet reader suggested I google how to stretch a sweater after it had shrunk so I did.  Google said to soak the sweater in cheap hair conditioner and water and then block into original shape/size.  Did that and lo and behold…. it worked!  It now fits again and I’m overjoyed!

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams KCCO today.  Pay them a visit for inspiration overload.

We should all be thankful for thos people who rekindle the inner spirit.  Albert Schweitzer

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along 01/08/14

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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

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 9/4/13, Yarn Along and Spinning

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ON THE NEEDLES

Today’s entry is the CEY Ruffled Tank, which lacks only the ruffles to be finished.  Actually, I’m pretty proud of myself today.  I sat down this morning and did the part of completing a project that I HATE – the mattress stitch.  This is a real accomplishment for me as I can think of at least a couple of projects that are entirely finished – except for putting them together.  I dislike it so much that I’ll put something that I put a lot of time and effort into on the back burner, never to be seen or worked on again.  Maybe I should go unearth something and finish it while I’m still congratulating myself, on that cloud of optimism that comes with finishing a dreaded task.  Nah.  Tomorrow.  Maybe.

CEY Ruffled Tank

in Knit One Crochet Too Kettle Dyed, in Seaside

SPIN OUT

I’m getting better at it, I can see it.  My long anticipated roving arrived yesterday and after a period of oohs and aahs, I decided on the natural gray and white BFL to start and this is what resulted:

Is this beautiful or what?

Before spinning, mixed BFL

Nutmeg Merino

Copper – Colonial

This lovely fiber came from Fire and Fluff and you can bet I’ll be paying them another virtual visit soon.

BY THE BOOK

Here’s what I’m reading at the moment –

Orphan Train

Linking with Tami’s WIP Wednesday blog, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along.  Pay them  a visit, they’re always a treat!

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.  Zig Ziglar

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