Monthly Archives: June 2007

Blog Anniversary

The first anniversary of this blog was missed last week. That was not what I wanted to have happen, but it did. This blog began in a different location and was moved here on Nov. 7, 2oo6. There was no post here to commemorate that wonderful day.  :(  At that time life was difficult and I was  in the middle of  looking for work outside the home.

A lot has happened since that first post of June 2o, 2006:

  • I have met some wonderful and talented people in the Blogosphere
  • Many hours have been spent writing this blog and reading those of others.
  • Most of all I have had a lot of fun as  a blogger.

Here and Knitting

I am still here and knitting daily. My emphasis is dishcloths and squares for Rebuilding Greensburg. I weighed a couple of squares on our new kitchen scale last night to see how much yarn it is taking to make one. Of the five I checked, two weighed 1.2 ounces and three weighed 1.1 ounce. It takes so little yarn to do so much good, regardless of their destination.

The Mad Dash Cloth is finished. A picture of it will be posted tomorrow along with a couple of other dishcloths. I am currently making the Darrell Waltrip cloth using Passion yarn from my recent purchase from  Elmore Pisgah. It is so pretty. Pictures of it will be posted tomorrow. This will become a well used pattern for some of the multicolored yarns in my stash.

In A Rut

While updating one of my blogs today, I realized that I am in a rut. One of my passions is making dishcloths. They can be crocheted, knitted or Cro-hooked. The method used depends on my mood at the moment. I go through phases where one method is used more than the other. They are quick, fun and can be as hard or easy as the pattern chosen.

There are lots of free patterns available on line; in my home, in the stores and in the Library. My own collection includes a fairly large variety of new and vintage books which abound in patterns and pattern ideas. This does not include the patterns which have been downloaded over the years from friends, groups and web sites that may or may not still be with us.

When it comes time to start making another dish cloth, do I bother to check any of the above resources? Normally the answer is “No.” Instead I automatically begin using one of several patterns that have been used so often they are memorized.

Today was different. In the course of working online I came across a site that jerked me alert to my laziness when it comes to dish and wash cloth making. I saw some of the most unique dishcloths I have seen in a while. The one that stood out from the rest for me today is the Mad Dash Cloth. The reason is not certain. What is certain is that one is on my needles now. It is being made with my all time favorite cotton color, Peaches n Cream Potpurri Ombre. I chose the small cloth because the smaller size is my favorite.

Mad Dash

Hopefully, it looks like it should. If not, I will try again.

This has definitely gotten me out of the rut.

More About Rebuilding Greensburg

I realized I forgot to say something about the Rebuild Greensburg Project in my last post. Items other than squares are being accepted. Wash and dish cloths, warm winter hats, socks, mittens and baby bibs are also welcome.

Greensburg and Stash

A few days ago I learned about Rebuilding Greensburg -Block by Block while reading Knit and Pray. This struck a tender nerve in my heart. First of all the community was wiped out by the effects of the tornado that hit it. Having lived in Missouri most of my life I have seen some of the effects of this type of storm. They can be horrific to say the least. My heart goes out to all of those affected by it.

Secondly, I made a commitment years ago to return to the community part of what it has given to me. Even though this tragedy did not strike my immediate neighborhood it did hit happen and does affect real people. I recall all too vividly the sense of loss and displacement my family felt last summer and winter during some power outages that hit our St. Louis area. I can barely imagine the great sense of loss happening in Greensburg due to the tornado damage. It must far surpass anything my town and family has experienced.

My response to this situation is to begin to do my part to help. This week has seen a cloth and one square completed.

Cloths1

This is not much, but it is a start. Please excuse the loose ends. They will be woven in before being mailed. Each is in various stages of completion. The square is made from a blue ombre in my stash.The cloth in the picture is a smaller version of the square pattern. It works up quickly and easily. In the next few days I will become a bit more creative in my choice of patterns used.

My choice so far has been to knit squares and cloths. According to the information on the website, crocheted squares are also accepted. I may crochet a few as well. The dish cloths I make will be knitted or crocheted.

Earlier this week the decision was made for me to order some cotton yarn from Elmore-Pisgah. I have been wanting to do this for years because the color selection available on line is better than it is locally. I was told the order would take a few days to arrive. Fair enough… I am in Missouri and the company is in North Carolina. Much to my surprise and delight, it came yesterday while I was home.

I knew the order was large, but take a look at this:

Yarn box

The box is big and packed reasonably full of yarn. I was so excited. It was fun unloading the box and examining its contents. Here are more pictures:

EP Bags

Cones

Mill Ends

The last picture is of the Mill Ends I ordered. From what I have seen so far, they are fine. Based on my past experience with reputable companies such as this one, I don’t expect any problem with them.

This, combined with other cotton yarn from my stash is enough to keep me busy for a while. I will share more about the colors received as cloths are made from them.

Socks and Slipper Socks

This has been a busy week on the sock knitting front in my house. About a month ago I purchased some Instant Gratification Sock Yarn from Hill Country Yarns. The colorway I chose was Country Carribean. My original plan was to make them on size #7 needles. Thanks to the wise advice received from the Socknitters group at Yahoo, I chose to make a gauge swatch and use much smaller needles. They are now being made on size #2 DPN’s. They were on 2 circular needles for a while so the stitches would not come off the needles while I was recovering for a few hours in the hospital from a test.

The first one was started on Thursday, May 31. Here is a picture of it a couple of hours ago:
second-socks.jpg

This is the fastest I have ever made a sock. It looks a lot neater than the my first pair. The stitches are more even and there is no hole at the start of the gusset. It is also proving to be much easier.

I also finally got the end of the toe woven in on the first pair today.They turned out fine considering the fact that this was my first time making socks. Here are some pictures:
First socks

First Socks again

These were made using Trekking Colorway #135. I used size #3 needles for these. The next time around with this yarn I will use smaller needles. The stripes do not match, but that was done on purpose. I wanted to make them without cutting the yarn in between them just to see how they would look. I am happy with them. Now that they have been washed and dried in the dryer, they are soft and comfortable. They are great socks and will be worn with pleasure. :)

Here is a picture of the completed pair of slipper socks made for my husband:
Slipper socks
I used Red Heart Worsted Wt. from my stash. Making them served as extra practice in sock making since they are made from a basic sock pattern on size #7 needles. He has been wearing them happily despite the unmanly color.

Field Trip

Yesterday was a most delightful day spent with some very special friends. They are members of the St. Louis Crochet Club.  Some of us met here in Missouri and traveled the short distance to meet with others in Fairview Heights, Illinois.

The day was bright and sunny, which made for a perfect day to take a field trip. The company of long time friends and some new to me friends was most delightful.

Ronnie graciously gave me a ride both ways. The time spent visiting with her and catching up on each others lives was most pleasant.

I was fortunate to find some skeins of discontinued  Caron Cozi. It will make some beautiful and warm scarves for winter.

For a much better account of the days events I refer you to Crochet News @ CraftGossip. My friend Joani tells the tale far better than I would.

All in all it was a wonderful treat and a great way to spend a Saturday!

Side Bar and Learning

If you  happened to visit this blog between about 6:50 and 7:10 pm Central Standard Time today, you may have noticed the  side bar looking a bit weird. I was in the process of adding the Magic 28 button and was having all sorts of difficulty getting the correct code in the text widget. It was one of those times when things were not working the way they should.

I extend my apologies to anyone who may have been offended by the situation.

Heart Disease and Women

The procedure which has been dreaded for the past two weeks was done today. The result is that there are no changes in the disease which affects my body! This is fantastic news!

Thanks to any and all of you who offered prayers on my behalf.

According to the National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease, I am one of 8 million American women living with heart disease in this country. The American Heart Association says it is the # 1 killer of American women. Indeed, I am one of the fortunate ones because I have not actually had a heart attack or stroke. I also do not want to be a statistic. Starting today his instructions will be taken far more seriously than they have been in the past because I do not want to require the testing which was done today ever again. I also have no desire to experience the long term affects of this disease.

For the next couple of days I will be taking it easy while allowing my body to recuperate from the test performed today. I have mixed feelings about this since there is a lot to be done around my home this weekend. By the same token, I can very easily take advantage of the situation to do some updating on my blogs; answer some email and take knitting and crocheting time.

Now for some knitting news. A couple of days ago I cast on a basic pair of socks using this beautiful yarn: Country Caribean.They started off being made on #2 DPN’s and were changed to 2 pr. of #2 circulars this afternoon while lying flat on my back after the test at the hospital.  This was done because of a fear of losing control of the needles at the angle from which I was knitting. The odds of them returning to the DPN’s for the heel and gusset are great.

They have been tried on and are a great fit so far. Pictures will be taken and posted later this weekend.