The Secret Life

Am I the only one done with 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'? It started out as an interesting concept and has now dissolved into a farce with really bad acting. One teenage pregnancy would be enough but the little circle of friends now has another teenager pregnant. (Why don't they just make a pregnancy pact so we can have it all over with in one season?) I suppose it's going into the abortion/adoption/keep the baby drama but I can't get over the stale writing and the bad acting. And I find the Ashley character terribly annoying and don't know anyone who has a teen like that or anyone who lets a teen act like that and if any of the creators have a kid like that or lets their kid behave like that well, then, it should be kept a secret.

I am not so far removed from high school (or reality) that I didn't know there were pregnant girls in high school; there were, but seriously, I can count the conversations about sex my friends and I had and still have most of both hands left over and some of us were active.

And why aren't those kids ever in class? They are never in class. They're always in the hall maybe if they had a class they'd get their minds off of sex. Perhaps gym class would be a good place for all of them.

OK, enough of standing on that particular soap (opera) box. On to the important stuff...like knitting projects. I'm taking a little breather from the granny square afghan. I have 14 squares to go on that and will finish it this week so I can mail it off. The stash bust is still on so I am making another square afghan inspired by one I saw in a book. It uses knit, crochet and sewn squares. I don't have the sewn squares but as you can see by the stack on the left, knit and crochet I have. It looks like it's going to be mainly blue, but that's just because you can't see the yellows, purples and other colors that are in there. Also, it's supposed to have 42 squares and I'm up to 17 so I still have some ways to go and I and certain I will run out of the purple skein I am working on and then there's this buttercup one waiting in the wings.

I don't know if this has happened to you and maybe it's just something playing in my mind but have your ever started a skein, made all sorts of things with it and the skein just never dies? That's how I feel about this purple skein. I've made five squares so far and it was a skein that had already been started so something else was made with it and I can't tell when this puppy is going to end. The same thing with the blue skein I was knitting with before this. No wonder my stash is so big.

Here's another thing: showing some love for the crochet. Yes. I look forward to making the squares. I even started a crochet afghan until it frustrated me. It gets the same hook knitting gets - I will start over three times and if I don't make it to the end, I move on to another project. I have made a crochet afghan before - within the past few years but nothing since then. I will make it one day because I'm loving the crochet.

Don't worry - knitting still rules. More variety. More diversity of stitches. But crochet is faster (and you know I need to be faster.) Now, i know you crocheters out there will say there is a great deal of variety - OK. I have yet to discover how diverse the stitches can be, but I do have a crochet stitch guide by the wonderful Erika Knight so I am certain to find out.

In the meantime, I have to and reschedule the DVR to take off that show that could have been so useful and now is just dribble - and then I have more work to do!

Back on the Block - Simple Stitch #4

So there I was cleaning out some of the emails in my in box. (There's over 700 unread and hardly any of it is spam) when I came across a Knitting Daily issue from February (yes, the oldest unread email is from February, but I am confident I will at least get to March before I'm through.)

Anyway, I was reading the issue that has the question was raised: What do you do to keep your knitting fresh and fun?
I'd be interested in hearing from you all what you do to keep it fresh. For me, freshness is key because I have an attention span as short as a....

what was I saying?

This afghan is helping me to keep it fun and fresh. I have one more square on the needles and it's a bobbin stitch and it's turning out to be great fun. My mind has been engaged and though I am feeling the time (it's almost a month in the making) there are tools that can be used on on other projects. That's always a great benefit with knitting: that stitch I learned for the afghan can be used in a hat.
Stitch 4 is a lattice weave and it's the first time I've completed the whole thing. I've tried it a few times and got myself lost in the pattern. (Tip, use a post it note to mark where you are my placing the edge of it underneath the line of the pattern you're working)

Just one more square to get off the needles and I can put this whole thing together. And if I do say so myself, it's looking pretty cute.

The question in the issue made me think I should come right over here and let you know what I do to keep the knitting mojo from up and leaving. So, come on and share. Let 's here from each other on what we do to keep our knitting funky, fresh and fun!

I've got to get back to cleaning out the mailbox...

Back on the Block - Simple Stitch #3

This is called Hunter Stitch. Don't ask me why cuz it looks like embossed ribbing to me. I wonder if there are any new stitches in the world or just old stitches with different names. In any case, this is the 3rd stitch out of 60 in Sampler Afghans.

Wow, you know what? It looks pretty in the picture. It looks pretty in three dimensions, too, but what you don't see is how soft this whole thing is. While watching 'Pride and Prejudice' last night with Keira what's her name and Matthew Macfayden. (Yes, I know it's Knightley) I decided to start putting strips together. It's less than two weeks before the wedding and I need to get moving on it. I crocheted them together with wrong side facing so to add a nice trim all around and then April in my knitting group gave me the idea of going around the entire afghan with a couple of different color strands. I'm going to take her up on that advice. But the steaming of the squares makes the whole afghan so soft. It's nice to touch. I hope they like it. Or at least put it out when I come for a visit.

I have about six squares to go and half of those may end up being stockinette. I've already done one and was about to start another when I saw a simple square in the book and decided on that. If I work at it, perhaps I can knock that one out today. Off to work!

Start to Finish - 60 Easy Pattern Stitches - Sampler Afghans

It hit me.
I was working on another square in the wedding afghan when I realized I was working the squares from one book. (OK, I threw in a straight stockinette square and another kind of square because I was bored.) But for the most part, the squares have all come from this book.

This afghan is going to be at least 20 squares big. That's a potential twenty posts because, I tell ya, each square has it own challenges. There hasn't been one yet that I would call beginner simple - no matter the title says easy to knit, they don't say easy for whom. So, now I feel compelled to share them with you. And I feel compelled to make all 60 - call it my homage to Julie/Julia.

I have nine squares made already so I am a little ahead of the game (but remember a few of the squares are not from the book so I won't be telling you about those) but I will tell you the trials and tribulations of each of these squares because while some have been an easier knit than others, they each have a story to tell. And since I am the closest ear they have - they are telling those stories to me and I will tell them to you. I would have started with one this post, but it is dark out and I don't want to take the picture at this time of night so I am waiting for the daylight. When the sun comes, the story will come.

I know you're all just waiting to see and hear.

Mission Name: Operation Stash Bust

This has been under the dining room table for - heck, I don't how long. Yes, I have too much yarn. There, I've said it again. I have too much yarn. I am also itching to try Epais Yarn and it's on sale at Hobby Lobby this week but I am not even going to get behind the wheel of the car in case some yarn spirit takes over and forces the car to go to the Hobby Lobby where it will be met by the fiber fairy who will then force me to purchase aforementioned Epais Yarn and I couldn't very well use the excuse that the devil made me to do since it would be spirits and angels.

So, for some strange reason instead of just putting the box down in the basement with the rest of the stash, I decided I needed to start yet another project and thus Operation Stashbust is now in effect. I say again, Operation Stashbust is now in effect.
Now, I am still working on the wedding present afghan (8 squares down!) and the time crunch is on. I don't want to start sewing the squares together because I don't yet know what the other squares will look like or what color, or rather shade of blue, they will be. But I am compelled to get some of the yarn into something marketable. (It occurs to me, I could put together those mystery bags of yarn and sell them - nah!)

I decided to look in my Ravelry queue and the first thing there was the Falling Leaves afghan
Perfecto! This definitely a stash buster and since I can pull off one those puppies in about 20 mins. I can start off each knitting season with two leaves and then start on the blue afghan. Which is just what I did. There are six leaves pinned onto the press board (if I don't tell you the two big squares are two of the blue afghan, then you won't know it's part of the wedding present afghan, will you? I'm not saying they are, mind you, I'm just asking a question.)

I have to make the blue afghan the priority because of the time crunch so the Falling Leaves will keep me from getting A.A.D.D. (Afghan Attention Deficit Disorder.) I have to make 276 of the full leaves and 30 something of the half leaves. That stash should be well and truly busted.

Who-rah!

021604

What A Feeling!

I so badly want to put the picture there. I almost pulled out the camera to take some shots of what it is I want to show you and then I remembered:


It's a secret.

Well, not really, it's not a secret; it's a gift and I suppose you could announce the gift for all the world to see before you give it to the recipients; especially since it is still in the creating stage. But then that kind of messes it up for the receiver. Doesn't it? I mean, they still get it and they could check back here to see how it progresses. Anticipation could build.

Not likely.

Nope, while I can make an argument for why it would be fine to share, it boils down to this: the people who receive the gift should be the ones to open it.

Right? Oh dear.

OK, I'll tell you this much because this isn't a surprise to anyone in the family who knows I knit and I am part of the handmade movement: it's the afghan I'm making for my nephew, Jeremy, and his soon to be bride, Lily. Remember I told you Lily says her favorite color is blue - but not a baby blue a bright, bold blue? Or something like that. Well, I found a blue and bought skeins of it and then I had a brain drizzle (brain storms are just too taxing) and pulled out all the blues I could find in the stash. So the back of the love seat is lined with all these different skeins (including a baby blue) and I am making squares of different blues into an afghan for their wedding present.

The squares are turning out to be 16x12 and the only decision left to make is whether it will be a 20 or 25 square afghan. (Did I mention the wedding is in three weeks?) There are seven squares done - but I'm not panicking (much). Cool as a cuke. That's me.

Hopefully they will at least like the afghan and will send me a photo with them both snuggled in it. Then you can all see it. It will be big enough, right? You see how I worry?

Sigh.

Conviction of the Heart

The Sit & Knit or SNK as Knitting Knoobie coined it, was a success. Not everyone who RSVP'd showed, but there were a couple of dozen knitters who came and sat on the Veranda of Pleasant Home - Mills Park and did some stitching for Compassionate Care Hospice.

Lisa, on the left, was the first to arrive and she did not know how to knit. She has a friend who does high end doggy sweaters and that friend gave her acrylic needles and merino yarn. I was assigned to teach newbies to knit and I tested my new teaching theory which is to teach people how to do a knit cast on because it's almost the same as teaching them the knit stitch. I am glad to say Lisa, Georgia and Aida were all knitting within a half hour! Lisa picked it up within minutes - this girl is going to be a knitting fiend. Georgia is going to be great, too, she has beautiful hand rhythm. I moved my registration table to the porch because I was stuck inside all last year and didn't want a repeat of that. The day started out rainy, cleared up long enough for some of our knitters to take a tour of the mansion (you can't take photos of the inside or you would have them here) and then stormed off and on and we stayed dry on the veranda throughout the whole thing.

You've heard me talk about Marilyn. Here she is already starting to put the squares together for the hospice afghan. I made my squares earlier - I made about twenty of them to get us started. She loves the challenge of getting all these different squares and making them somehow cohesive and she manages to do a great job of it.

Can I also tell you the food was great? Oh, my gosh. The grapes, cheese, goat cheese stuff tomatoes, chips, crackers, bagels and Georgia made her addictive sun teas and lemonade. Our thanks again to our corporate sponsor P.J. Clarkes.
Our youngest knitter was a teenager and our oldest is older than Marilyn (and Marilyn taught Mary how to knit - you know, that Mary.)

Steamed!

I've been staying up all night - literally going to bed later than my normal 2am; I've been going at 3 to 4 in the morning because I am excited about the new venture in my head where writing and knitting can combine and I can branch off into another area where passion lies and earn a living without ever walking back into corporate America.

This lead me to venture outside in the snowy, cold weather to purchase something I would never have purchased if it wasn't for the dream.

I bought this:
It is a steamer. A portable steamer, to be exact. A Sharper Image portable steamer because I'm classy! Now understand, I don't block. I never liked to block. Marilyn blocks. She says the least I should do is block seams. Marilyn blocks everything. I think she blocks yarn labels. But not me. I avoid it like a cheap plague. But something came inside my head and said. "If you are going to sell homemade goods, you should make sure they are homemade and not handmade."

Sigh.

That would mean getting out the iron and the ironing board and trying to figure out how the iron makes steam (cuz I don't iron, either) and then it hit me this morning: get a portable steamer and you won't need the ironing board or the iron. You can pin down blocks on the press board you have and the bigger items on the huge beach towels, steam those puppies, let em dry and call it a good day. It also automatically disinfects and makes em smell cleaner. It's a trifecta!

I'm friggin' brilliant.

I have a block afghan wip. I have three strips of five blocks each already sewn together. I am thinking of undoing them and blocking the squares. I am also thinking of blocking the strips themselves and then blocking the rest of the squares as they are made. I think I will opt for that - excited I am, but I'm not totally insane.

I brought my steamer home and showed the HB - he does ironing every week even though he's retired. I thought he would be totally underwhelmed. He looked at it and said, "Hey, I wonder if I can use that on my cotton shirts?"

I flipped the box over and showed him the picture of someone doing a shirt. "Nice." he said.

I do believe somewhere an angel got his wings.

At Long Last - Cai!!

It's finally done! That's the hubby-bubby holding it in the second pic! I can't believe how huge it is and the HB says it's very warm as well. I can't believe I thought I could get that done in seventeen days. But, hey, there's nothing wrong with optimism.
I can't even begin to tell all the yarns that went into this. There's some very old Sayelle yarn, some Caron By the Pound, Caron Natura, some "I Love This Yarn" and I don't know what all. It was a good use for the stash, though you couldn't tell I even touched the yarn load. I still don't need to buy any yarn, though I am going to by the end of the month because Herschnerr's is running the free shipment and I can stock up on their chunky weight yarn which I like.

I used size nine needles and the whole thing is taller than I am - not that that's much of a stretch.

So, it's done and I am onto the baby blanket. I am almost certain to start another project really soon and I look forward to that as well. In the meantime, I took a really long walk this morning and I am sore. I am going to take that same long walk again tomorrow. The HB gave me my birthday present early - a trip to Florida in 10 weeks and I need to get into walking shape for it. With Cai out of the way, I am better mentally to get the legs in shape!

Cai - In Progress

It bugged me that I had nothing to show - boy, if I were in therapy that's a beginning of a session!

So, I took photos of Cai, my afghan that I have been working on since 8/8/08. This is 3 of the 5 strips that will go into the afghan. The fourth strip is done, but constructed in such a way that it cannot be added. So, I have to do the last one before I can add the next to the last one. What possessed me, you may ponder, to believe I could finish a 25 square afghan in a mere two weeks. Especially with squares like this one in the mix. I have no idea what I was thinking! So the final strip has begun and it will be finished some time soon and then the real fun begins of sewing them together. I am thinking of just doing a cross stitch in the darkest color or a simple mattress stitch. The sewing part is not my best event, but I will persevere. And I will post the final pics when all is said and done!

I Got Nuthin

Happy September!

I love firsts and I love first days of months that start on Monday. It's a quirk. Anyway, I have uploaded all the projects I've done. I've gone through all the photos and I got nuthin left. I do have some projects on my needles. Cai, my earthtone afghan is closer to the finished line. There are five strips in total and I am about to complete the 4th one. The baby blanket for the nephew arriving in a few weeks is on the needles. I have not touched it since the day I cast it on and worked on it because I will start a new project about every ten days or so (it's on my schedule) but I only work on one project at a time. So, when Cai is done, I will pick up the baby blanket and work on it. I have the second Travis Wrap to work on as well but that is still in my mind and I haven't even selected the yarn for it and according to my schedule, a new (as yet unknown) project, will come to life within about a week.

So, it's the start of a new month...and I got nuthin'. I am working on Cai to the tune of about a square a day so it should be done in about six days. That will depend upon the work schedule, of course, and the times of the Cubs games because time stands still for the Cubs. (Die hard since 1969!)

I need to stop blogging and go the store to get bathroom cleaning supplies - don't envy me my glamourous life-you, too can live this way if you choose!

When Is an Afghan Not an Afghan.

Ok, so here's another pillow that started out as an afghan. I made about seven of these Aran cable squares and for whatever reason, didn't feel like finishing the remaining five squares I would need. So, I turned two of the squares into a pillow. Just like I did with the beach blanket. Unlike the beach blanket squares, the rest of the cable squares will go into an afghan. They are being used in Cai. Which I wanted to finish in time for the Ravelympics, but I won't be able to get it done -I'm just on the second of five strips. However, I am keen on finishing it as I am pulling stitch patterns from different sources to complete the 25 square afghan. The pillow will make its way to the November sale where it will sit with the beach blanket pillow. Hopefully someone will want to give it a nice home.

Knitting One Project at a Time

Here's the thing: I used to have up to seven knitting projects going at one time. I would alternate them every day. Then one day, I thought I was driving myself crazy. So I changed my chaotic way and went down to one project at a time and I think I've probably been that way for the better part of a year.

Every once in a while I would put down a project to whip off a quick prayer shawl because we needed one at church or a hospital would contact us saying they needed more preemie hats, but as a rule, I was doing just one project at a time.

At the moment, I am working on some squares for an afghan I designed and I have the itch to begin another project. I find there may be several reasons for this:

1. We have a sale coming in November and I am always worried about not having enough items to sell.

2. My next 10 projects are full sized afghans (I don't work on more than one, but I know what they are) and I am a bit afraid of never leaving the afghan world if I don't get through these next ten projects.

3. I have a ton of yarn but I always have the urge to buy more. However, my house already resembles a LYS so I have to use it up before I can satisfy the gnawing urge to order more.

4. I'm stalling because the colors I chose for my design is not as stunning as I thought, but I have to carry it through. (None of the photos in this post is the square - under wraps it is.)

5. The squares will take a bit of time to complete and I have the attention span the size of a newborn gnat.

Now, I personally believe there's a little bit of all those reasons in the itch I have, but the last two are probably the most true with reason three a strong next in line.
So, will I start a new project? Not today. But I have solved the problem by putting a new item in my schedule: "New project" Yep, it's an actual part of my schedule like my workout and cleaning the kitchen. My weekly schedule takes about 10 days to get through so I suspect I will start the next afghan around Tuesday or so. I believe I can happily alternate between two projects and by the time I get around to that entry in my schedule again, one of them will probably be very close to completion and I will be ready to begin again - because hope springs eternal.

The Knitter as a Writer

I had to change my profile and I've changed my schedule. I use an Excel spreadsheet to hold my weekly schedule and the days are broken down into hours.

This is the hour I am to be a writer. I have two clients, I have the blog, I have to source new clients (because I freelance) and I have my own projects I would like to work on. So, this writing session (which includes this blog) will take about five hours and I work five days a week. Doing the basic math, that means I work about 25 hours a week.

Not bad.

I understand how blessed I am. I understand how many talents gifts I have been given - and I really understand how long it has taken me to acknowledge the creativity I have because I was so scared people would call me arrogant.

And they have. But I don't believe I am - I believe I have a great capacity for it - but I do believe I fall short of it. (Thank God!)

I am coming to believe how incredibly important it is to recognize what God and the universe has given each of us in the way of lights to shine. I think we need to tell what gift we have that we can offer to others and learn what they can offer to us. We share that knowledge and share the gifts because we share the planet.

It just makes sense.

So, I have several hours to go on my job. I have some hours ahead of me. I am going to look for some new clients. Then work on the projects of the clients I have and end the session with working on my next project - I think I know what it is - but I'm not letting the cat out of the bag just yet. And I will knit. I was knitting right before I started working. I am working on a nice afghan that I designed. I am eager to see it finished and placed on line - I am eager to see if anyone finds it.

Smooches.

What's New

OK, so it's been about eleven days since my last entry. I actually have completed two more projects in that time. I've done a prayer shawl and I just completed a hat and scarf project. I've taken the pics of them and they are on the laptop computer. I just haven't gotten around to writing and posting.

I suppose life has been in the way...which really isn't an excuse at all. I haven't thought about the postings and when I have; i haven't thought enough to get up and write about the knitting I've been doing.

And I've been doing the knitting. The truth is, I had begun to design my own afghan making my first pattern and I didn't like how it turned out. That's when I moved on to the prayer shawl and the hat and scarf. But, I looked in my books, 200 Knitted Blocks and Knitting Out of Africa and I came up with something.

I didn't think I was ready to tackle the sweater in the Africa book, but it did include the pattern for a square I could make and I was thinking about how to do the design. I know that same square is the 200 book so I leafed through it and came up with a design I really liked. I looked all through the book again to make sure I wasn't stealing a design and I wasn't. I started work on the afghan last night using the yarn I have left over from the Sit & Knit. It will take a total of 56 squares. Of course, if it comes out right, I will have made a major breakthrough.

Wish me luck!

The Knitter's Restaurant - Sit & Knit Info

The registration and information for Sit & Knit is here.

OK. So, here's the deal.

Here's the link for the pattern for the child/adult hat.
Here's the link for crochet hats.
Here's the link for the knitted preemie hat.
Here's the link for the crocheted preemie hat.

You may create your squares in any pattern you like as long as it is 10 inches before blocking. Please weave in your ends.

We will have a class for novices/beginners and a class to learn cables. Class size will be restricted to the first 15 to sign up at the registration desk on Saturday.

We will have copies of the patterns at Pleasant Home. You can register in person if you haven't turned in your form.

The weather outlook is good, so if you want to bring a blanket to sit outside, please feel free to do so.

Thank you for all who have sent in their registration forms. I look forward to meeting and seeing you all this weekend!

So, You Can't Make it to the Sit & Knit

Information and registration for the Sit & Knit is here.

Ahhhh, you can't make it to the Sit & Knit. I'm so sorry, I wanted to see everyone there. We would like to see every inch of Pleasant Home filled with knitters and crafters. (That's a photo of the foyer.)

But if you cannot make it to the event and you would still like to participate, there's nothing stopping you from knitting or crocheting a square or preemie hat and sending it to us if you don't live close enough to drop it off.

Just send the completed item to the address on the registration form and we will add it to the rest of the items to be blessed and distributed. Don't forget to send us your contact info so we can confirm receipt of it. (An email would be great!)

But if you can come, then by all means join us. It promises to be a lot of fun.

Sit & Knit - Pattern 3 - Squares

Information and registration for the Sit & Knit can be found here.

Make squares to be sewn together
You may use whatever stitch pattern you like (I do caution against doing an open weave kind of pattern however, these afghans will get plenty of use and need to be practical.)

The squares should be about 10 inches, eh, square of course. Do not leave a tail, please knit or weave them in. We will have folks doing nothing but sewing them together to make afghans and blankets. You may bring some already done as long as they are the required size. Most of these in the photo will be going over to the Sit & Knit to get the seamers started.

It would be nice if we can get a few hundred squares done (is that a lot?!) each blanket will be about 60" square so will need 60 squares for each one.

It is ambitious - but what's a Heaven for?

UMW & Pleasant Home First Sit & Knit May 31, 2008

The StitchCraft Circle of First United Methodist Church of Oak Park and Pleasant Home announces their first Sit & Kit to take place May 31, 2008 at Pleasant Home (on the corners of Pleasant and Home in Oak Park)

The all day event is the launch of the circle's Head2Toe Project.
Registration form and information are here.

The Head2Toe Project is an intiative to give assistance to area hospitals and agencies by providing handcrafted items.

At first, the idea was for people to donate a new pair of socks for a child or adult and StitchCraft would create a hat and scarf to go with and then donate them to ChildServ. Well, ChildServ never answered our phone calls or emails, but we were enthusiastic about the idea so we revampled it and here we are at the Sit & Knit.

More information will be coming in other posts including the patterns we will be using, information on Pleasant Home (it's beautiful!) and the organizations we hope to help!

Stay Tuned!

It's Cool to be Square

So, what have I been doing the past few days? Besides making a cute little doggie sweater (as soon as I put the buttons on it, I will put a photo up), I have been making squares. All kinds of squares. These squares will go into at least two different afghans.

The white squares are Aran cables. Seven have been completed so far and there are five more to go. The other squares will all be framed in a wine colored rim and there will be some solid wine colored squares to pull them all together. There will be about 30 - 36 squares to form one huge afghan.

I am using two sources for the square patterns: The Little Box of Knitted Throws for the aran squares and also 200 Knitted Blocks for the rest of the squares.

What's the great thing about squares?

• You can express yourself with color and/or texture.
• They are wonderful take along projects - even if you have to add a cable needle.
• You can test out new stitches without making something big like a sweater or even a scarf. A block is usually not that big and you can see how the stitch will come out without a big time commitment.
  
• You can play around with design and stitches. You can put them together the way you want to and if it doesn't work out, pull the pieces apart and redesign or undo the square - they don't take that much time or that much yarn. You can indulge whatever muse is sitting on your shoulder.
• Great opportunity to use the scrap yarn. A few ounces of leftover yarn can make a square and if you use a stretchy stitch, you can block it even larger.
• If you want to get started in mission or charity knitting, there are places that will take the squares (such as Warm Up America) you make and turn them into blankets to distribute to those in need. So, if you're a fan of the knitting, but not so much of the sewing, you can have your cake and let someone else have theirs.
  

The web is full of stitch patterns and patterns that use squares to make afghans, scarves, even jackets - do a search, find a pattern that excites you, and let your imagination go wild!