Tag Archives: Knitting

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.

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.

Knitting & Priorities

Since returning to the working world, I have been faced with the fact that it takes effort, at least for me, to keep my priorities in order.  I will explain.

I am glad to be back at work for a lot of reasons, of which money is only. There is a sense of being needed and wanted by colleagues and co-workers that is  important. There is also the normal sense of being busy that I thrive on. This means there is no time for boredom. :) The list could  continue almost infinitely.

However, this is where knitting and the fiber arts come in. I realized this week that I have not picked up my beloved hooks or needles in the past 2 weeks. Even though I needed a break from them, 2 weeks is feeling like forever. The last time was during a trip to a local emergency room. While there, I nearly finished the second sock of my very first pair ever. It only needs about 15-20 more minutes of work. There are other projects in various stages of completeness. None of them have been touched.

Sure, I have enjoyed the break in many ways, but something is missing in my life.  Could it possibly be the pleasurable feel of hooks and needles? I think so.

Now the problem has been identified. My course of action is simple. It’s time to pick up where I left off, at least sort of anyway. Completing the sock will have to wait until there is time to sit at the kitchen table and do it properly. I just happen to have some empty size # 7 DPNs and a lot of acrylic yarn. The combination of the two will make a great pair of slipper socks to be donated to a local charity. The hard part of this is going to be choosing the yarn and casting on the first stitch Once that is done the rest will be easy.

There are errands to be done today that are saved for my weekend off. Since we are dong them as a family I will have sitting time in the car. This means fiber time, or in this situation, knitting time.  I will see how far I get later today.

Spring and Knitting

Wow! It’s Wednesday already. I almost can’t believe the past week has gone by so quickly. Life has been a bit busy around here to say the least.

Since it is Spring, I am in my usual Spring cleaning mode. This activity has dominated a good portion of my free time. Most recently this has meant catching up on laundry that has been ignore in the laundry room, de-cluttering the homeschool/computer/craft room and helping as needed in the cleaning of son’s room. My next day off will find me moving the living room furniture, cleaning baseboards in the living room and that sort of thing. My husband did  some of the same sorts of things in the bedrooms this past week end.  None of this is exciting, but it is part of life in my family.

There was time last week for knitting, so I almost finished the second sock of my first pair. It is down to taking the last eight stitches off the needles and weaving in the loose ends. I’ll do that on my day off in the middle of the week in a couple of days.  I also have a gauge swatch for another pair on the needles. At the rate I am going, it will be my day off before it gets completed and the next pair of socks gets started.

Knitting and crocheting are two of my passions, but at this time of the year, I normally take a bit of a break from them. Nothing is wrong. I just need a bit of a break for a  week or two.

In the meantime, I have decided it is time to catch up on some reading and to learn HTML, CSS and about web design. Since computing has been one of my hobbies for a long time, this is a natural progression. The knowledge gained doing this will be for my own use and for fun. It is one of those areas I have wanted to explore for a long time.

Last week I read Debbie MacComber’s ‘Back on Blossom Street’. I have started, but not finished ‘Susannah’s Garden’. These have proven to be good relaxing reading in my opinion.  ( I have no connection, financial or otherwise to these books or the author. )

Socks

My original plan today included working on the second sock of my first pair. My logic was that since it is my day off in the middle of the week and I have no plans to go anywhere, then there should be plenty of time to knit. I have not made it that far at this time. There were a few things that interfered with doing so:

  • cleaning the kitchen
  • reading e-mail
  • taking a nap
  • looking up information for my husband on-line
  • de-cluttering and vacuuming the living
  • paying some bills
  • exploring the idea of upgrading one of my blogs to having CSS
  • doing laundry

I will eventually get to the sock. It is at the point where the toe is being shaped. The rows alternate between a decrease row and a plain knitting row. In order to keep myself from getting confused I normally knit two rows before stopping.

A week or so ago I bought this some Hill Country Instant Gratification Superwash Sock Yarn in the Country Caribean colorway. I made the mistake of starting the sock on #6 needles. I have learned from talking with those more knowledgeable about sock knitting at the Socknitters Group on Yahoo that this was not the best thing to do. The sock has been frogged and the yarn is waiting for me to do a gauge swatch on smaller needles. Once this is done, a new sock will be started. :) Right now it looks like the new sock will be worked on tomorrow.

Week End Fun

This weekend proved to be very fun and interesting. On Saturday we explored a historic part of one of the nearby towns. It has several antique shops most of which are in some of the old houses. Our goals were to:

  1. Have a good time.
  2. Do some treasure hunting.
  3. Maybe learn some history.
  4. Have some good family time.

All of those things happened. We explored until we were tired and ready to come home. I found some soon to be containers for hooks and needles:

Needleholders

Sunday found us at a flea market a little less than an hour from home. My husband and I have been talking about going there for a long time. This place was much larger than we has anticipated so it turned out to be quite an adventure. It would have been worth the time if we had not purchased anything. My treasure was a bunch of needle arts books. Here are pictures of a few of them:

Booksa

Booksb

More books

bookse.jpg

booksf.jpg

The lady from whom they were purchased said they originally belonged to a friend of hers who had to move out of her home. After a bit of negotiation, I paid $18 for more than one hundred books and magazines. As you can tell there are both knitting and crocheting books here. Some a newer and others are a bit older. Each is a treasure in its own right. Together they are an amazing find. :)