Entries from June 2008
Have I mentioned I just love learning new things? That is one of the reasons I just love this Summer Sampler. This week in section #4, I learned how to SSSK (knit 3 together leaning left.) I love how this weeks pattern looks like leaves hanging on a vine.
I’m also making progress on hubbys socks. My mother in law fell and broke a bone in her shoulder area last week. (She is doing well, it will take time to heal.) Hubby and I went to the hospital to be with her while she waited to see the doctor in the ER. I took my socks and knit away in the ER waiting room. Five hours in a waiting room makes for a great knitting opportunity!
I met a very nice gal and her father who were also waiting to see a doctor. She asked about the sock and said that her mother was also addicted to knitting! She complimented me on my sock and it felt sooooo good 
I guess I always think that people that really know me just say the things I make are good, just CAUSE they know me. So, if you see someone knitting that you don’t know…stop and compliment them…its an awesome gift!
I’m also working on a February Lady Sweater for myself. I struggled for quite awhile with making the button holes. I didn’t like the way they were looking, and I didn’t like that the first button hole was so close to the edge of the sweater. So I put the project in time out and went back to it this week with a fresh look. I am making the button holes several rows after the location specified in the pattern by:
knitting up to where the button hole will start and casting off 3 stitches. Then on the next row, I knit into the front and back of the last stitch before the button hole, and cast on 1 stitch, then knit into the front and back of the next stitch.
I found this idea on this blog. This manner of making the button hole worked for me and I’m back to knitting the sweater!
Here is the post card I received from Son#1 who was in New Zealand for past month. Funny boy!
Both Son#1 and Son#2 come home this week! Happy Mama Alert!
Categories: knitting
Tagged: Summer Sampler 2008
This past weekend, I spent a good amount of time reading a most excellent book! I thought I’d share a quick review. (This is not a paid review in anyway. I simply loved the book and want to share!)
Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–And the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller
I was born in 1960. These gals were in their early 20’s in 1960. This book tells the story of their lives in the 60’s and beyond.
Carole, Joni and Carly led the way for women in music. Each came from a different family background, yet ended up changing the world of music. Each had a connection to James Taylor. (I LOVE James Taylor! I had no idea about his addiction to drugs, which shocked me.)
They were all coming of age smack dab in the middle of the women’s revolution. What an enjoyable read!
I came away feeling like I have a better understanding of not just musical history, but the history of being a woman during this time.
So far, this is my best read this summer! If you are going on vacation, or just have some spare time….read this book this summer!
You can read the first chapter for free here!
Categories: Book Review
Tagged: "Girls Like Us", Book Review
Pattern number three was released a day early, and I could not wait to get started on it! I learned two things in completing this pattern.
- A new to me stitch: Knit three together centered (double vertical decrease) I found a great tutorial here.
- How to read the chart correctly. In the chart instructions it states:
Repeat chart rows 1 once, rows 2- 13 three time, rows 14 – 20 once.
Being new to working with charts, I was confused what this instruction meant to do. What I learned is read it exactly as it is stated. Knit the first row once. Then knit rows 2-13 three times total, then knit rows 14-20 once. It seems so easy once I stopped trying to read into it what I thought it meant! I think the word “Repeat” is what threw me the most. I thought I needed to knit row 1 once, then repeat it, etc…thankfully the designer and others on the BadCatsDesigns yahoo group generously explained the correct way to read the chart. I so very much appreciate the folks on the yahoo group that are patient with a newbie lace knitter!
Today was Father’s Day, and I made hubby his favorite food. SOUP. And believe it or not, I made it all from scratch! It turned out great and was if I say so myself mighty tasty!
Categories: knitting
Tagged: Summer Sampler 2008
Happy Father’s Day Daddy! Love, your little girl
Categories: Family
After ripping several rows, about 5 times…I finally finished the second step of the Summer Sampler. Those of you that are experienced lace knitters will notice that I got one row of YO’s messed up, way back down in the middle of the pattern…see it there? Second and third column from the left… AARGH! I decided it is my personal touch on the pattern. heh heh This was step two of twelve. I am certain I will have MANY personal touches before I am done!
I got an awesome gift in the mail this week! I won this cute mug (it says “So much yarn, so little time”! Ain’t that the truth!!), assorted tea, and some really yummy candy covered peanuts (which I ate before I took a picture!) Thanks Monica! I keep telling her that I want to move in. She has all the fun fibery toys a girl could ever dream of! Check out her site!
I also won an awesome dvd recently on Green Girl LA’s blog. I really enjoyed the dvd and have mailed it off to Son #1 in New Zealand. He’s into geology, so he will really love it! Thanks Siel! Green Girl LA’s blog is awesome! She writes about everything one can do to be green. She also is a blog writer for the LA Times, a section called “Emerald City.” Always a good read!
I’ve been making progress on a pair of socks for hubby. The pattern is a free pattern “Hareton Socks” by Kate Blackburn. I am a lot father down the leg on these, I took the picture last week. I am enjoying watching the diamonds appear as I knit! I am knitting them in Dream in Color Smooshy yarn. And smooooshy it is. Totaly worth the cost, this yarn! Kate has a ton of great patterns on her site. I want to make them all!
I also have a small cabled project going…cause I just love cables! This is a cabled neckwarmer. You can get this free pattern here. Another site in which I want to make every single project! This yarn is yummy Three Irish Girls yarn. I just LOVE their yarn!
Categories: knitting
Tagged: knitting, summer sampler
Susan tagged me for this meme. I’ve seen it going around and I won’t tag anyone, but would love to read your meme!
The Rules:
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was living in Fort Collins, CO. I was a single Mom with two not yet teenage boys. I was working as a Senior Network Specialist for the City of Fort Collins. I had just met my now husband online the year before and was planning a road trip with the boys to St Louis for the fourth of July. I remember this time of my life to be one of my happiest!
What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
- Face the fact that I am 48 years old today!
- Work on “so you think you can hat”
- Work on my second Stansfield sock
- Open presents YAY!
- Go out to dinner with hubby and Son #3
Snacks I enjoy:
Homemade peanut butter cookies, chips and salsa, Reeses peanut butter cups, mixed nuts, red hots.
Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Buy a ranch near Steamboat Springs, CO that would have sheep and alpacha (of course!) Buy each of my sons a home of their own. Go on a knitting cruise! Purchase a winter home in Costa Rica. Invest and build a yarn company like Malaabrigo in Costa Rica that would employ women that also love fiber and give them a chance for a great career. Travel! Invest in hubby’s theatre company.
Places I have lived:
I have lived in Harvard, IL; Tempe, AZ; Fort Collins, CO and Chesterfield, MO.
Categories: knitting
Hubby and Son #3 drug me to see the movie, Ironman tonight. It was a lot of fun! Great acting, awesome technology. I didn’t expect much, being it is based on a comic book, but was pleasantly surprised! I especially enjoyed walking out of the theater singing the “I am Ironman” theme and stomping. Excellent embarass the kid moment. heh heh
I not only finished my monkey socks, I’ve worn them twice. I LOVE these socks! While I have a ton of other patterns I’m anxious to knit up, I know I will make at least another pair of monkeys.
I had put this baby sweater in time out a few months ago, because I was at a section I wasn’t sure what to do next…time out always works! I have one sleeve and the neck to finish. The section that put it in time out was the applied icord. I just couldn’t grasp what I was to do back when I put it in time out. Let me tell you, applied icord ROCKS! I love the way it looks!
I’m excited to be working on the Summer Sampler by BadCatDesigns. A section of the pattern is released once a week on BadCatDesigns blog. The pattern calls for lace weight yarn…I tried to swatch with lace weight, but I had trouble with the thin yarn and small needles. So, I cast on with some sportweight yarn I had in my stash, Sinfonia. I used this yarn last year to make the lace shawl for my mother-in-law and it shows stitch patterns really well. My finished summer sampler will be much larger than the samplers made with lace weight, but I’m okay with that. I’m all about the learning experience, ya know.
It’s not to late to join in the fun knit the summer sampler! The first section of the pattern was released May 31. Below is the information about the sampler from Ravelry.
A lace sampler stole to be published in weekly installments over the Summer 2008 on the designers blog, http://badcatdesigns.blogspot.com/. Background information was posted during May, the pattern starts in June and runs through to September.
The final sampler will be approximately 18 inches wide by 72 inches long if using the same materials as the designer and following her gauge/tension but detailed advice is given on alternatives and how to calculate sizing.
The designer also runs a Yahoo Group! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BadCatDesigns/ – an on-topic group for people working on any BadCat designs.
Categories: knitting
