Lazy daisy knits . . . lazy knitting for the masses

Big city or small city?

2012-01-17T11:22:00.001-06:00

As a belated anniversary present, my husband and I took a quick trip to New York City this past weekend.

We had a lovely time, walking and shopping and eating, visiting museums and seeing a Broadway show (Warhorse!) and even hitting up some yarn shops - Knitty City and The Yarn Company.

A real highlight was this view from the top of the Empire State Building.

That little blue area? The skating rink at Rockefeller Center!

And then we came back to catch the last game of Youngest Child's outside Mite's hockey tournament.

Mite hockey tournament at Phalen Recreation Center in Saint Paul

It was just such a wonderful juxtaposition of winter experiences.

I am starting another project that is a juxtaposition of sorts - the Teknika conductive thread glove pattern from Knitty.com. The pattern calls for a solid yarn and a crazy, multi colored yarn and these are my picks:

CascadeYarn's Heritage sock yarn in mustard

Schoppel Wolle's Crazy Zauberball #1701

Yes, I'm still thinking about a Drapey Tam for Oldest Daughter and I really just need to tidy up some finishing on my Turn of the Glass cardigan but this just looks lively and fun! Now, remind me of that in about a month!

I'm also participating in Knittymama's Monthly Apparel project (make something to wear every month!) and the Craftsy.com's Block of the Month quilting project , so it's time to get to work!

One new challenge and a finished object

2012-01-11T18:42:00.003-06:00

Last year I read 147 books in Book Chick City's 100 Books in a year Challenge. Well, I can never resist a challenge . . .

Meet 2012's 100+ Books in a Year Challenge!

Check it out here!

(I can just hear my husband groaning in the background . . .)

And meet the year's first finished object.

The Christopher Anderson Cap from Cottage Creations' Scandinavian Caps for the Guys.

Just call this "The Fall of the House of Gingerbread."

This is prior to blocking and the addition of ear flaps.

Not my last knit . . .

2012-01-05T22:57:00.000-06:00

I'm getting ready to go out of town - it's just a quick jaunt but I'm bringing two knitting projects! - so I thought I'd leave you a little something to ponder while I was gone.

This will be on the quiz!

Step away from the knitting and pick up a book!

2012-01-02T20:46:00.001-06:00

Last year I participated in the . . .

It was a blast.

Although I have been part of a book group for many years and read a lot on my own, getting over 100 books took a little time and dedication. I listed and reviewed all my 2011 books over on Shelfari.com's 2011 Book Challenge Group (where I am also Humbledaisy) and got up to 147 books.

Whew!

What did I learn from all this reading? Some of the best books are "Young Adult" books. Not everyone has the imagination of Jane Austen. Sometimes, the silliest books have the best "morals." Charlaine Harris   writes the best "small town" tales - no matter how crime-ridden or supernatural. Craig Johnson's western/mysteries are amazing! I never imagined I'd like a western. After reading many historical novels, I am so glad I live in the 21st Century! Antibiotics, vaccines, printed books and the right to vote - woot! Despite all that, I am a definite Anglophile. Knitting books are wonderful.

My favorite book of 2011? A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Yes, it's a supernatural/mystery/romance but that lady can write a book! I read it two times in a row and then bought the audio book and loaded it onto my Ipod and I have the CDs at home.

Most surprising read of 2011? Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith  . Yes, it's a mash-up of history and horror but oh, so funny and potentially believable. It's been made into a movie that comes out in June and I can't wait.

Here's the list if you are interested in looking up any of them:

January 2011:

Through the Children’s Gate - Adam Gopnik  

Turkish Delight and Treasure Hunts - Jane Brocket

Shop class as Soulcraft - Matthew B. Crawford  

East of the Sun - Julia Gregson

The Makioka Sisters - Jun’ichiro

  Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes - Roald Dahl

It sucks to be me - Kimberly Pauley  

Troubling a star - Madeline L’Engle  

This Book will save your life - A.M. Homes  

The dead travel fast - Deanna Rayburn

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot:  Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country - Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer

 Bleeding Violet - Dia Reeves

  Silent in the grave - Deanna Raybourn

Silent in the Sanctuary - Deanna Raybourn 

  Silent on the moor - Deanna Raybourn  

February 2011:

  The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien  

  Slice of Cherry - Dia Reeves  

The Grand Tour, or, The Purloined Coronation Regalia: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality - Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline

  The Random House Book of Ghost Stories - Susan Hill  

  The Englishwoman’s Wardrobe (Twenty-Five Englishwomen talk about their Clothes) - Angela Huth  

The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett

  A Hat full of sky - Terry Pratchett  

  Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett  

  I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story - Glen Duncan

  The shooting in the shop - Simon Brett  

I shall wear midnight - Terry Pratchett  

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - C. Alan Bradley  

  Miss Happiness and Miss Flower - Rumer Goddard

  Impunity Jane - Rumer Goddard

The Dolls’ House - Rumer Goddard  

  China Court - Rumer Goddard  

March 2011:

  Cowl Girls: The Neck’s Big Thing to Knit - Cathy Carron  

  The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag - Alan C. Bradley  

  The Wee Mad Road - Jack Maloney

  Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

  The forgotten garden - Kate Morton  

  The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York - Deborah Blum  

The distant hours - Kate Morton  

  Knit Your Own Dog: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 25 Pedigree Pooches - Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne  

  The Attenbury Emeralds - Jill Paton Walsh  

  The House at Riverton or, The Shifting Fog - Kate Morton  

April 2011:

  Scary Stuff - Sharon Fiffer

  Backstage Stuff - Sharon Fiffer

  The Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn: Techniques and Projects for Handpainted and Multicolored Yarn - Lorna Miser

  The Kitchen Madonna - Rumer Godden

  A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan C. Bradley  

Busy Body - M. C. Beaton

The Geography of Bliss - Eric Weiner

Missing Susan - Sharyn McCrumb

The pms outlaw: an Elizabeth MacPherson novel - Sharyn McCrumb   The Agatha Christie mystery - Derrick Murdoch

May 2011:

Staggerford: A Novel - Jon The Mysteries - Lisa

  The Red Garden - Alice Hoffman  

  Across the Universe - Beth Revis

The Pillow Friend - Lisa Tuttle

  Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War - Drew Gilpin Faust

  Dead over heels - Charlaine Harris  

 Last Scene Alive - Charlaine Harris

  Spinning Around: Spinning, Dyeing & Knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Classics - Jeannine Bakriges

  Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris  

Why We Get Fat And What to Do About It - Gary Taubes

  This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War - Drew Gilpin Faust  

Meet the Austins - Madeleine L’Engle  

The Staggerford Flood - Jon Hassler

  Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris

  My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey - Jill Bolte Taylor

Mother-Daughter Knits: 30 Designs to Flatter and Fit - Sally Melville & Caddy Melville Ledbetter

  Warm Knits, Cool Gifts: Celebrate the Love of Knitting and Family with more than 35 Charming Designs - Caddy Melville Ledbetter & Sally Melville  

June 2011:

  Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There - David Brooks  

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith  

  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now With Ultraviolent Mayhem! - Seth Grahame-Smith  

  Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne - Michael R. Waters

  Galloway’s Book on Running - Jeff

  Writing Road to Reading 5th Rev Ed: The Spalding Method for Teaching Speech, Spelling, Writing, and Reading - Romalda Bishop Spalding  

The New Woman : A Staggerford Novel - Jon Hassler

The Staggerford Murders and Nancy Clancy’s Nephew - Jon Hassler

  Mummy Dearest - Joan Hess

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance- Edmund De Waal  

  92 Pacific Boulevard - Debbie Macomber

  1022 Evergreen Place - Debbier

  Gingerbread Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meier  

  Queen of Kings - Maria Dahvana Headley

The Alice behind wonderland - by Simon Winchester

  The Union Quilters - Jennifer

  Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home - Rhoda Janzen  

July 2011:

About Alice - Calvin Trillin  

  Side Jobs - Jim Butcher

Hot and Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance - edit. Jean Rabe

  We Took to the Woods - Louise D. Rich  

Little Women and Werewolves - Porter Grand

  Here If You Need Me: A True Story - Kate Braestrup  

  Finger Lickin’ Fifteen - Janet Evanovich  

  The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker - Roger Ebert

  A Turn in the Road - Debbie Macomber  

The Cold Dish - Craig Johnson  

August 2011:

The Gentle Art of Domesticity - Jane

  The Home-Maker - Dorothy Canfield Fisher

  Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography - Rob Lowe  

  The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child - Donalyn Miller

At Mrs Lippincote’s - Elizabeth

  Forever - Pete Hamill

  The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love - Kristin Kimball  

A discovery of witches - Deborah Harkness

  Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont - Elizabeth

  What Happened to Goodbye - Sarah Dessen  

  A Certain Justice - P. D. James

September 2011

A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh  

  Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson

  The Woman in Black - Susan Hill

  Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn  

  Hell Is Empty - Craig Johnson  

October 2011:

  Counting My Chickens . . .: And Other Home Thoughts - Susan Hill & Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford Cavendish Devonshire

  Growing, older : a chronicle of death, life, and vegetables - Joan Dye Gussow

Graveminder - Melissa Marr  

  The Devil’s Diadem - Sara Douglass

Wait for Me! - Memoirs - Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford Cavendish Devonshire  

  Louisa and the Missing Heiress - Anna Maclean  

  Travels with Alice - Calvin Trillin  

November 2011:

   How to Knit a Love Song: A Cypress Hollow Yarn - Rachael Herron  

How to Knit a Heart Back Home - Rachael Herron  

  Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs

  The Greyfriar - Susan and Clay Griffith  

The Knights of the Cornerstone - James P. Blaylock  

  No Plot? No Problem! -  A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days - Chris Baty  

  River Marked - Patricia Briggs

  Lady Audley’s Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Her Majesty’s Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage - Stephen Budiansky  

  Mere Christianity - C. S. Lewis

December 2011:

  The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime  - All the Great Detectives and a Few Great Crooks - Michael Sims  

  Pride and Prescience (Or A Truth Universally Acknowledged) (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) - Carrie Bebris  

Suspense And Sensibility - Or, First Impressions Revisited - Carrie Bebris

  Swallowing Darkness - Laurell K. Hamilton  

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K.

North By Northanger Or, The Shades of Pemberley - Carrie Bebris  

  The Matters at Mansfield  Or, The Crawford Affair - Carrie Bebris  

  I Am Half-Sick of Shadows - Alan C. Bradley  

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

The Intrigue at Highbury - Or, Emma’s Match by Carrie Bebris

  The Deception at Lyme or, The Peril of Persuasion by Carrie Bebris

What Would Madame Defarge Knit? - Heather Ordover

  That Holiday Feeling (Silver Bells / The Perfect Holiday / Under the Christmas Tree) -Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods, Robyn Carr  

To paraphrase knitting guru Elizabeth Zimmerman, "Read On!"

Another New Year? Way to go!

2012-01-01T21:49:00.001-06:00

Although I love autumn the most - probably because I've always loved starting a new school year - I also enjoy the "start-itis" of New Year's.

Time to start training for athletic events, time to start new knitting projects and time to start new plans of all sorts. It doesn't even matter if I don't ever get around to doing them - it's the planning that is the fun part!

It's like what Brenda Dayne calls "Imaginary Knitting." That's when you plan out knitting projects (and sometime even assign them yarn!) that you have no intention of starting. Fantastic lace shawls, cabled sweater-coats, complicated socks. I am free to chose any or all of them!

My knitting count for 2011 was a little scanty - only twelve finished items.

My 2011 creations

Originally uploaded by humbledaisy

I also managed to send a third child to college, volunteer at chess club (even though I can't beat anyone at chess!), start a walking club with friends from my book club, plan twelve different programs for the Minnesota Knitters' Guild, help Youngest Child with his training for the Miracle Kids Triathlon, swim 3,320 yards in an hour and read 147 books. That's enough for me!

On the home front this week, Christmas has been both very, very good . . .

(two knitting kits from Knit Picks as well as yarn, accessories and books!)

and very, very bad.

Wretched Dog Zelda got a hold of Youngest Child's Christmas stocking. It was knitted years ago - long before Ravelry. Time for a new one, I guess.

And on the knitting front - I've knitted Youngest Child's Anderson Cap three times so far! Gauge, gauge and gauge.

It's back to the hat for me and a

Happy New Year for You!

Last minute knitting!

2011-12-24T13:43:00.003-06:00

One down -

A Walk in the Woods Cowl

Another one on the way . . .

An Anderson Cap

Can you say, "Last minute?"

Merry Christmas - again.

A Christmas Card for you!

2011-12-22T21:24:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas crunch . . .

2011-12-21T10:13:00.001-06:00

Even Father Christmas feels holiday stress -

Did you post early? I know I have a few more for the mail today.

Just in case the Christmas hammer really comes down and I don't get away to blog -

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Holiday bling!

2011-12-17T23:17:00.002-06:00

We like a flashy Christmas.

I've asked for plain white lights for a while but, apparently, that isn't traditional in our family.

I've been pushing St. Lucia Day (December 13) as a tradition for some time. Now that Youngest Child is the only one left, though, we had to mix our metaphors.

Meet Star Boy & Lucia!

I decided to extend the season by making some beaded pins. I used this artwork (from Lucia, Child of Light: The History And Traditions of Sweden's Lucia Celebration by

Florence Ekstrand) as my inspiration.

I sketched it to be just larger than a pin back.

Maybe not so many beads?

My first pin - light blue felt front and red backing.

I decided to embroider the greens on the the wreath and bead only the candles, flames and berries.

After I beaded the design, I sewed the pin back to the backing felt piece, then glued them together. I added a bit of embroidery around the edges and Ta-Da!

Pin #2. This one looked a bit like an advent wreath.

I ended up with three different designs.

There has been some knitting going on as well - but those are presents!

Happy Holidays!

Which one?

2011-11-30T16:46:00.001-06:00

Which one of these excerpts represents how I spent this past week?

1) "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

2) Attach sts of left front to sts at top of sleeve cap using short rows as follows:
Row 1 [WS]: Work in pattern to 1 st before first marker; p2tog, removing marker and replacing it on left needle after p2tog is worked; turn work.
Row 2 [RS]: Work in pattern to end.
Repeat these 2 rows 3 times more.

Next Row [WS]: Work in pattern to 1 st before first marker; p2tog, removing marker; p to next marker, slip marker. Proceed to Row 1 of next section. 5 sts remain for left sleeve cap.

3) 'With a leap that startled Lucy and almost pulled her off her feet, Penny dashed forward the last few yards and began to bark ferociously. The pile seemed to shiver for a moment – and then something small and brown jumped up. Frozen, it stood hissing at them with small dark eyes that glittered and a mouth almost too full of sharp teeth. Whatever animal it was, it was quite large – Lucy thought it seemed almost Penny’s height – and it seemed to clutching the bundle of rags. Almost as if it was gnawing the collection of greasy rags and tattered clothes . . . Penny’s barking ratcheted up even louder and she lunged to the end of her leash. In the confines of the alley, the sound echoed off the brick pavement and walls and seemed to sound like two or three large dogs.

For a moment, Lucy stared straight into an oddly bare face full of teeth and hate and then the animal – what was it? – turned and dashed halfway down the alley, jumped the low wall and escaped through the backyards down the block.

“Hey, who’s out here?” A voice called from above. “Hello?”'

Okay - the answer is both 2) & 3). Two is a section of the Turn of the Glass cardigan. The section where I went wrong. Yes, I was knitting in church and I got caught up and by the time I got home, I discovered a serious problem. The good thing about this? If you contact the pattern's author, Kathleen Dames, she emails you back with some help!

Three is from my first entry into NaMoWrimo! That's where you write a 50,000 novel in a month. Now, I hit that word count on Sunday but in order to finish my story, I was writing until 1:15 a.m. this morning. It's not the best story - but then, I was only "In it, to Finish It!" Basically, you write, write, write and don't bother to edit because you are forcing yourself to get 50,000 words.

This writing challenge was developed by The Office of Letters and Light and their motto is "Thirty Days and Nights of Literary Abandon." Yes, I am lucky in that Mr. Daisy enjoys cooking the Thanksgiving turkey because I spent most of the holiday weekend writing.

I haven't been writing much since graduate school and it was fun, albeit tiring, month!

Now, it's time to finally catch up with my Christmas movie viewing (I've been saving the ones from the Hallmark Channel since before Thanksgiving!) and my other knitting projects - perhaps a few Christmas presents?

(#1 is, of course, the opening lines of Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel, Paul Clifford. Its distinctive awfulness is what inspired the The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Their motto is "Where “WWW” means “Wretched Writers Welcome” and I recommend their site!)

A new friend or . . .

2011-11-28T09:35:00.001-06:00

a tasty reminder of our trip to New Orleans?

Phil's got some attitude.
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.”

This young pup has come to live at our house, courtesy of my son's third grade teacher. As a Red Swamp Crayfish, he doesn't do much and I'm the one having to clean his tank and feed him. Yet, every day when Youngest Child comes home from school, he runs to say hello to "Phil Falafel."

What I found disturbing was that right in the middle of my Thanksgiving food photos were these:

They almost look like we are raising him until he's big enough for some of this:

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:29:00.001-06:00

This year's pies were coconut cream and cherry. Both were delicious.

It made up for having to go out tomorrow to shop.

Yes, I have to exchange yarn at Lila & Claudine's Yarn and Gifts because ~~a daughter~~ someone has decided to start knitting a gift for a person that I was going to make a gift for out of lovely yarn.

So, it's off to exchange it for another color so that I can make this cute pattern for someone else.

Fun times, out on the roads on Black Friday.

On my needles, I've been doing a bit more knitting on the Turn of the Glass cardigan.

I still love the seed stitch edging!

I've just been fiddling around with this sweater since last spring and I'm really looking forward to being done

Hope your weekend is peaceful and full of delicious things!

The Full Elvis

2011-11-17T08:40:00.001-06:00

So, I'm working away at home. Mr. Daisy comes home for lunch (yes, if his office was any closer, it would be in my living room) and starts making some bacon. He looks at my sad little peanut butter and banana sandwich and says, "That looks like it needs some bacon." And, surprisingly, it did!

We called it, "The Full Elvis."

It was delicious!

I will just tell myself it was in honor of my blogaversary. Yes, I started writing about knitting six years ago just prior to Thanksgiving. Bit by bit, I've added in spinning, weaving, cooking, sewing, etc., etc.

Thanks for hanging in there!

I'm not knitting baby sweaters very much anymore but I'll tell you one embarrassing fact: I still have the blue sweater that I was knitting for my daughter. I knit it. Ripped it out. Swatched for another sweater. Tried another pattern. Ripped it out. I'm hoping to finally finish this project before she graduates from college. Keep your fingers crossed.

As for knitting, I'm currently ripping apart an unfortunate-looking hat (it was supposed to be Elizabeth Zimmerman's Snail Hat) to turn it into a Star Tam from Homespun, Handknit.

Long ago, the ripped apart hat was originally some of my own hand-spun yarn.

I think I bought the fiber at a Weavers' Guild Holiday sale but I know I didn't start spinning it until summer 2009. After about two skeins, I got bored. Well, I finally unearthed the rest of the fiber and it turns out, I need a winter hat. It's currently 20 degrees F. outside.

This is why the shoemaker's children have no shoes!

Add this to the fact that I'm doing NaNoWrimo this year and Thanksgiving is next week and I'm really suffering from a lack of sleep!

Back to those sandwiches . . .

See the pumpkin . . .

2011-11-03T22:31:00.001-05:00

eat the pumpkin!

Traditionally, I've made my kids eat a "real meal" prior to going out to make the rounds. This year - vegetable pot pie with cheese biscuit crust - in the shape of pumpkins. Very yummy!

As a former theatre costume shop manager, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. This year, I was fighting off a cold all weekend until Youngest Child told me that he wouldn't be able to go trick or treating because I hadn't finished his costume. Well, that made me break out the liquid cold medicine and get stitching.

This looks like a particularly busty knight but it just comes from trying to fit a "Youngest Child" sized costume on a "me" sized dress form.

Sir Knight right before he hit the road

with the rest of the neighborhood gang.

Zombies, ninjas and angels - oh, my!

It was a beautiful evening for trick or treating so they had a long night of it.

But, what about the knitting, you say. Knitting? Well . . . maybe tomorrow.

Spinning my wheel (s)

2011-10-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

After listening to a few bad episodes of The Knitmore Girls podcast that mentioned cleaning your spinning wheel, I threw caution to the winds and cleaned (with Murphy's Oil Soap) and waxed my Lendrum.

I've been spinning about an hour a day since then. I'm still working on "The Endless Fleece" - my first grey Shetland fleece - but I'm hoping to finally finish it up this fall. The plied yarn is a lofty soft grey - I think I'm going to measure it all out and see if there is enough for a sweater.

I'm also still working on those "two at a time" sleeves. Sigh. That's all you can say.

Outside the fiber world, I was inspired by the Vikings/Packers game on Sunday to make a chicken pot pie for dinner. Despite the final score - the pie was delicious!

Banners at work

2011-10-17T12:48:00.000-05:00

Halloween banners are totally workplace appropriate!

Or so Oldest Daughter told me. She took my latest into work to brighten up the help desk! I don't know who these two dudes are but they don't look impressed.

Shawls vs Sweaters

2011-10-13T23:10:00.000-05:00

Partner in Crime, GFMelissa tempted me to come out scootering with her this past week. She looked much better (color cordinated!) so I used her picture instead. We puttered over to a local coffee shop and had a little knitting consult.

You see, we had a little agreement this summer - she would knit a lace shawl and I would knit a Lopi sweater. Well, the shoe has fallen. She's started her lace shawl (the Skywalker shawl) and I am now doomed to start the Hans Lopi sweater.

I love the Lopi designs but - I'm not sure about the yarn. Let me confess, I actually bought the yarn for this sweater years ago.

I actually dug out the box of Lopi yarn that I bought (from Webs) and I believe that it says "2007" on the label.

I only bought enough of the main yarn for a size 6 and Youngest Child now wears an 8 so I'm going to buy some two more skeins for the sleeves.

So, it's time to break out the size 6 needles and the dustbuster - Lopi yarn sheds like a son of a gun! - and get knitting.

I did finally finish up the Holden Shawlette. I just needed to wake up and knit. The picot edging was particularly snooze inducing.

I like the floppy look of the edging but I didn't like the time it took to knit.

Besides knitting here and there during the last month, I've been sewing again.

Holiday banners

and gift bags.

I found this cute fabric on Spoonflower.com. Middle Daughter has a thing for elephants so I may be making something for her next package.

I've still been collecting Saturday Seven's - this week is tee shirts and sweat shirts.

Now, on to the next set of projects!

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

2011-09-26T11:26:00.000-05:00

on the way home from the Minnesota Knitters' Guild. It was one of those nights that you only read about - windy, dark, spitting rain and lonely. Since I've been re-reading the various permutations of Sherlock Holmes, it was particularly apt!

As for the rest of my life, not particularly mysterious. A bit trying, though.

Our September MKG meeting is always our largest meeting with a huge number of members bringing in their State Fair submissions and presenting them along with the most humorous part - reading aloud the judges comments.

With such terrible weather, we had fewer participants but each one had several items. We provided bottled water but pots of tea or coffee - or possibly bottles of wine! - were what we really needed to keep staff and guests from running out of steam.

I would also not recommend starting a lace pattern late at night, whilst laying on a couch and watching television. My entire knitting this past weekend was removing the misplaced laced pattern that I added in before finishing the main body of my Holden Shawlette.

Before I went away for the weekend, I did find the time to choose a Saturday Seven - and drop them off at GFMelissa's house for her youngest child. Pants, shirts, a robe and a stuffed animal. Enjoy!

Not quite out from under the bed but . . .

2011-09-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

close enough. Three girls go off to college and I get to clean up. And that means clean out! This collection - books, pants and sheets.

More pants (these are little boy's pants, though) clipboards, pencil cases and shoes.

More jeans and sheets.

Pants, shorts, sweaters and tee shirts.

An afghan, tee shirts, a book, a pair of kid's sunglasses and a camping table.

Socks, sewing patterns, sports bras and swimming goggles.

This little box full of . . .

toddler toys and animals. Just consider this as seven weeks of Saturday Sevens all at one time.

And back on the knitting front - still crawling along on the Holden Shawlette. One small feature I didn't quite pick up on - the lace pattern doesn't start until you work your way up to 193 stitches. Me? I'm at about 120. Ho, hum until then.

This was originally going to be a travel project and right now, I'm thinking I'd better get working on the Turn of the Glass cardigan. Next week's chilly weather speaks "cardigan" to me! The Holden can wait.

Especially as I've recently received a request. A knitting request for a Dr. Watson Sweater. This pattern for a variation on this sweater. Oh, my, it's going to be a busy autumn!

A flurry of activity . . .

2011-09-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

turns into a swamp of very little.

Youngest Child may have found his career!

This Girl found a new friend!

I didn't make any of these but I plan on following their owners home.

And these fine items? Not mine either. I was in Maryland when entries were dropped off so, no State Fair entries for me.

These were from my fellow Textile Center enthusiasts.

Wee Folk!

This is all that This Girl left behind when she moved out. So I washed them and put them in her drawer.

Then I bought this to start the next pair.

This Holden Shawlette is still crawling about.

I am still waiting for my favorite season, Autumn, to really get started.

The best part? No more weeding!

Frogging?

2011-08-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

No, this is a brand new project!

"Toadaly tired?"

No, just resting.

We've been exploring nature as part of a scouting requirement. Many bug bites later, I am happy to be inside again and casting on for a) a new pair of socks: the Sailor's Delight from 2-at-a-time Socks and b) the Holden Shawlette. No photos but simply some travel knitting for the upcoming Parental Migration.

One tiny thing . . .

2011-08-10T13:21:00.001-05:00

Hey you!

Yes, you! What are you doing over there?

Just modeling the latest Cabled Chemo Cap!

It's been a busy summer - lots of little things means very little finished knitting. And definitely nothing for the State Fair! :(

But, I have picked up my crochet hook again - and yet another book to see if I can teach myself!

Also, this amazing little green gadget. Above, it's closed.

Here, it's open. It's an Ottlite Mini Flip! I got mine in green but there will be a pink one as a door prize at the next (August 16, 2011) Minnesota Knitters' Guild! Be there or squint . . .

On the Saturday Seven front - things have been pretty slim pickings. Until Mr. Daisy cleaned out his closet. You just have to love a man who neatly packs up all his old dress shirts to give away!

On the non-knitting front, I've been listening to lots of "Harry Potter" audio books, sewing skirts for my daughters and getting Youngest Daughter ready to go off to college.

I've enjoyed having them all home from college but it is definitely time for them to find their entertainment elsewhere. I just spent a raucous lunch hour with them, trying to explain the plot line of "Baby Island," This book by Carol Ryrie Brink was one of their absolute favorites when they were little but they didn't remember it at all.

When I got to the part about milking the goats, Youngest Daughter said, "You milk my goats, I eat your baby!" Not the audience the author was looking for!

I'll be AWOL from blogging later this month when we start the Traditional Parental Migration. We are road tripping from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, visiting relatives and dropping one daughter's college gear off then taking off for Maryland for Youngest Daughter's move-in day. Then back to Pennsylvania where we bid adieu to Middle Daughter.

Then back to Minnesota where we will welcome the Fabulous Miss H. (a longtime family friend) who is coming to Macalester College for her Freshman year. Then, our own Oldest Daughter starts her senior year (and we move her into her new dorm!) and then, finally, Youngest Child starts third grade. Whew!

I sense a run on Vodka Tonics starting about September 6th!

Blue skies ahead . . .

2011-07-27T23:29:00.000-05:00

watch out for the scouts!

Yep, when the rain finally cleared out this weekend, I spent Sunday biking around Minneapolis with Mr. Daisy, Youngest Child and his Bear pack or den or whatever they call it. Thankfully, everyone came home alive.

Although I've been still working on the "2-at-a-time" sleeves of my Turn of the Glass cardigan, I've progressed the most on my second Cabled Chemo Hat for the Minnesota Knitters' Guild.

Since I can't clean my children's rooms (they would notice!) or get them to clean their rooms, the Saturday Sevens have really slowed down. Just wait until they leave for college again, heh heh.

Trying something a little new is always hard!

2011-07-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

I should have been spinning today but, really, I've been spending my last day of Youngest Child freedom walking the dog, reading a book and - trying to make this button.

Just because. If you see it on the side of the blog, then I've succeeded. If not - the dog needed walking again on this lovely day!

From zombies to college

2011-07-21T23:45:00.000-05:00

Any week that starts with zombies might be a bad one - unless they are made from delicious cake!

It's been a busy week at Chez Daisy - and it all started with a lovely wedding and some tasty CAKE! I didn't get a piece of this one so I'm hoping they are using it for their anniversary cake.

Then, we moved onto hockey camp.

As I am not the one at camp - I thought I would get some time off. Actually, I've reffed more home patio hockey games this week than I could have imagined. And what with moving all the patio furniture and actually making goals out of drying racks and towels - I think I've done mothers everywhere proud!

Any of my own free time has been sucked into participating in the Tour de Fleece - and you know, my rear end really appreciates a well padded bike short right now. Those spinning stools just aren't as comfortable as they could be.

But the results are coming along and I am dreaming of what I'll be knitting this fall out of the Mystery Shetland Fiber.

Youngest Daughter will going off to college in August - so there also has been a lot of college themed clothes shopping going on. It almost makes me long for the days of high school uniforms . . .

Busy, busy, busy . . . ah, summer!

A busy, busy weekend!

2011-07-18T00:38:00.000-05:00

Well, Saturday was 96 degrees F. and humid - but luckily that all blew in after Youngest Child's Big Day at the Lake Nokomis Miracle Kids Triathlon.

Hanging out on the beach before his wave is pretty much his speed. He loves the music, making friends with the other kids and doesn't have any problem with the training. That's really all you can ask of an 8 year old!

There he goes!

The sun finally came out afterward and we were glad to go home. This week? Hockey camp will be the perfect place to be to beat the heat.

As for me, I'm making waves, no stripes.

I'm not going to have enough Cascade Fixation in green to make a second hat so GFMelissa gave me some of her leftovers and I'm making a striped chemo hat for the MKG service committee.

And I'm spinning up a storm of "Mystery Fiber - probably Merino" for the Tour de Fleece.

The only problem is that my spinning stool is killing me! I seriously need a cushion or something - there is a reason wooden stools went out of fashion!

Time to run the race - again!

2011-07-12T22:47:00.000-05:00

Youngest Child is at it again - he's racing in the Miracle Kids Triathlon on this Saturday, July 16 at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, MN.

This is a kids triathlon where he'll be swimming 100 yards, biking three miles and running 1/2 half mile. He's racing in the name of Collin, 12 year old who is in treatment for B-cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

This race (and its sister race in August at Lake Ann) is a fundraiser for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation and its theme is: Kids Racing for Kids Who Can’t.

One proud Dad!

Because they spent a lot of time and effort describing MoMF, we took this explanation from their website:

"Daily Miracles … in the Spirit of Mitch

The Miracles of Mitch are the daily good works inspired by 9-year-old Mitch Chepokas to help the families of children battling cancer in Minnesota. Sealed with a pinky swear between Mitch and his father, Steve, The Miracles of Mitch Foundation (MOMF) was created to honor Mitch’s desire to support these families during a stressful time in their lives.

Before he died in 2003, Mitch Chepokas used his own money to donate to other kids with cancer and convinced his parents, MOMF founders, Becky and Steve Chepokas, to continue helping these families after he was gone, easing families' financial burden so they can enjoy their time together.

MOMF assists families of pediatric cancer patients by: making mortgage/rent and car payments, purchasing groceries, hosting a five-day summer camp for current and past pediatric cancer patients and their siblings, hosting Minnesota Miracle weekend getaways, and creating specially-tailored quality-of-life initiatives for kids with an advanced stage of cancer."

My family and I hope you will visit our MOMF fundraising page here and make a donation to help this organization. Youngest Child is pretty excited about this hard work - if you go to http://www.miraclekidstriathlon.org (the Miracle Kids Triathlon website), you can see what all the excitement is about!

Time to run!

Mystery solved!

2011-07-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

As part of the Tour de Fleece, I picked up a bag of "mystery rolags" to work on from out of my stash.

(You must admit that not knowing what kind of fleece or when, exactly, you turned it into rolags is a sign that I should be spinning more!)

After working on it for a while, I decided to run the rolags through my carder (the rolags were pretty flat by now) and, lo and behold, when I pulled out the carder, I found a large bag of shetland fleece.

Three flat batts of Shetland

Possibly the first fleece that Mr. Daisy ever bought me at Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival!

The "un-rolaged" bag is 10 ounces and the (now carded and spun up a bit) bag of rolags is 4 ounces.

Here's the former rolags carded up into batts.

So, I've pretty much got the rest of the Tour de Fleece laid out before me. Shetland fleece, good to go!

I was going to call this post "Why you shouldn't knit at the movies."

The knife is strictly for effect!

I started this on the ride home from Mount Rushmore but then, I finished it at the movies.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I discovered that I had made a mistake. A big one so, time to frog it back.

A Fistful of

2011-07-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

BFL!

First off, I hope you had a Happy Fourth of July. Lovely hot weather here topped off with a great fireworks display on the river.

Things were busy around here with a sci-fi convention for my daughters (and me, I confess. I went for the Torchwood and Dr. Who panels), one heck of a lot of spinning for Tour de Fleece (8 oz BFL spun and plied) and hat knitting.

It's not terribly fine spinning but I've been using the bulky head for my Lendrum and I'm not that familiar with its weight and ratio.

The skein on the far right is the biggest - I decided to spin two full smaller bobbins into one. I haven't counted the yards yet.

I finished my service project hat for the MKG. This was my trip knitting project along with

this teeny tiny Splish Splash washcloth from Evelyn A. Clark.

I finally took three shopping bags of Saturday Seven clothes from Oldest Daughter over to the local rummage sale. I didn't photograph or count but it was way over seven items! How does she get that much extra stuff in her room?

Like you all have time on your hands . . .

2011-07-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's 95 degrees F. outside right now and that is limiting our free time options. Until the weather breaks, it's time to explore inside entertainment options.

Knitting? Check.
Spinning? Check.
Playing games? Check (especially if you are playing Dominoes or Dutch Blitz! We love these both!)
Playing on-line games? CHECK!!

Yes, I'm a sharing a big time sink of a game with you. The Floating City.

This is a free game based on the music of Thomas Dolby. Yes, the "Blinded by Science" guy. He has done lots of other things and this online game is the latest. Basically, it is a post-apocalyptic scenario in that time has gone awry, the magnetic poles are shifting and everyone is escaping by boat.

It is a slow but steady, "trading for supplies to get ahead" kind of game. It's oddly satisfying to check in every few hours to see if any of your trades have been accepted. And it is free so, that's something!

You can sign up at this link HERE.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled knitting . . .

Tour de Fleece 201

2011-06-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

Remember this beauty? Time to spin it up!

I've been spinning for a few years but I've never participated in the Tour de Fleece. That's an online "contest" (maybe I should call it a "challenge?") that involves spinning every day the Tour de France riders ride, if possible.

That's Saturday July 2nd through Sunday July 24th. I've heard there are rest days (Monday July 11th and Monday July 18th) but I'm not sure how that works.

It's kind of fun in that on a day when something especially challenging is going on, you are supposed to spin something especially hard. That's Wednesday, July 20th, when the Tour has an intense mountain stage through five mountain passes. I love going up hills on my bike (although, oddly, not going down) so I'm looking forward to that one!

This Lincoln Long Wool has always seemed challenging to spin.

Some people DVR the Tour to watch during their spinning but I think I'll be traveling with The Doctor. Dr. Who, that is!

All participants are supposed to wear yellow on Sunday, July 24, to announce victory as yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour. I'm not sure how that will go - I actually don't own anything yellow - but we'll see . . . I'm much more of "polka-dot jersey" wearer as that signifies you are a climber.

Perhaps I'll start with these curly locks?

So, I invite you to join me in the fun! Maybe we'll take the break on July 18th to go see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?"

"Travel broadens the mind"

2011-06-26T09:37:00.000-05:00

but perhaps, it makes it taller?" Heightens the mind? I'm not really sure what the exact phrase is!

But we definitely have moved into "more rarified circles?" I'm not sure if I can keep this punning up much longer . . .

Obviously, we are traveling out west - Colorado to be exact. Everyone is having a good time (which is a miracle indeed), I am knitting in the car and all is right with the world

Here's the prairies for good measure - Nebraska!

A photo montage for your inspection:

Pike's Peak

My daughter's photo of the US Air Force Academy - she was aiming for the "Air Force guys!"

Garden of the Guys, er, Gods!

Lovely!

"I thought I saw a Black Widow Spider - Classic Peg!"

I preferred this kind of bug.

People watching in Boulder on a Saturday morning was amazing. And so was my trip to Gypsy Wools - just a little yarn for the road.

More to come - perhaps a finished object even?

Transitions

2011-06-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

This lovely young thing is now a high school graduate!

Youngest Daughter is officially out of high school and moving on to college in Maryland.

I'm not sure where she'll end up but I'm sure there will be lots of books, dreams and feisty opinions.

I should find a graduation quote from Oscar Wilde (one of her favorite authors) but I'll pick one from a favorite of mine instead.

“Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors.”

-- Louisa May Alcott

Well done, m'dear!

Today, all that's left is the clean-up.

Tasty pies and . . .

otherwise!

Good to go

2011-06-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

Somewhere between the 103 degrees F. Monday and the 63 degree F. Thursday was a perfect summer day.

Sure, I walked for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Summer of Walking but then I grabbed GFMelissa and went swimming!

We drove out to Square Lake and while GFM sat on the shore and provided emergency backup (she's a former collegiate level swimmer and a lifeguard as well as an excellent Girl Scout!), I did a little warming up for the swimming season.

No cute swimsuits for me - just the plain old racer suit and a swim cap.

Got to get those goggles on just right!

Working on a high elbow stroke!

Now, because GFM wasn't actually in the water with me or accompanying me in an escort boat, I swam inside the ropes. I have swum around the lake before but Wednesday it was back and forth, back and forth. Not very exciting but oh, so nice.

My dream house will be on a swimming lake someday. Boating? Bleh. Fishing? So-so. Swimming? Ah!

We're getting ready for a graduation around here with an upcoming Senior Dinner, ceremony and party so at home, I'm mostly weeding and sweeping up those @%^& helicopter leaves! Swimming was a nice break in the chores.

Ah, the days of summer!

2011-06-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

The Pioneer Press newspaper has started a Summer of Walking series and I've been walking along with them. They are also encouraging Tweeps to Twitter about their walks using the #pioneerwalk hashtag.

Yesterday, I forgot my camera but today was just glorious!

The flowers are bursting everywhere!

I walked this route this morning - ran into a lawyer I knew and two men whom I can only hope were a trainer and his client. They were doing a lot of close-up sweating!

Now that it's 90 degrees F., I'm really glad I walked early today.

I've moved on to the sleeves of my Turn of the Glass cardigan. I'm doing them two at a time because I think they go faster that way.

The cuffs are seed stitch just like the collar of the jacket.

On Friday, I stopped by Three Kittens Needle Arts to kill some time and came home with one of their lovely Grab Bags. 10 balls of yarn for $10 - mine all came in shades of white, black and gray and I'm looking forward to coming up for a use for them.

Only four items made this Saturday Seven photos (three hats and some soccer shoes) but the other two items already went to a neighbor boy - three work books for school.

Again and again . . .

2011-05-31T13:58:00.000-05:00

the knitting remains the same. Yep, the knitting is almost the same. Just more rows, more cables, more hard to photograph sweater.

I did get out of the town this weekend visiting relatives. On the way back, I turned around to see

this:

a smiling, sleeping boy with his hand in the lego box. Sweet!

I did have seven things (already given away) for the Saturday Seven.

Two pairs of shoes, a string bag, a sweater, a t-ball hat, a pair of shorts and a blouse.

Just some boring old knitting . . .

2011-05-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

I read a blog recently where the author said she regretted taking so much time off from her blog. I really don't regret anything but not knitting.

Life is just rolling along here and my Turn of The Glass cardigan is also inching along with me. It's a bit too large to carry everywhere and if I knit it at home in the evening, it is a given that I will have to rip something out.

So, just to recap:

Saturday Seven on 5/21/11:

Seven pairs of shorts and pants. Some mine and some are Middle Daughter's. They've already gone over to the neighborhood rummage sale.

Turn of the Glass Cardigan:

This photo shows the design increases and decreases. I'm just above the waistline here.

This photo is the right color - but you can see why I don't knit this at night!

Move along now - nothing to see here!

Finally, the sun!

2011-05-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

We had a busy weekend at Chez Daisy. Some garage painting and some yard work really ate up the available time. But, at least we made room for . . .

Mexican Food!

We took a Mexican food cooking class at Cooks of Crocus Hill and it was delicious! Excuse my terrible photos - the lighting was very bright where we were sitting.

My favorite part was the Avocado Soup.

My knitting has not been so successful - just rows and rows of the Turn of the Glass cardigan. Not enough, though, to take a good picture.

My Saturday Seven (shirts, shorts and socks) already went over to GFMelissa's house. Her Youngest Child is now enjoying the fruits of my closet cleaning.

Sun and showers

2011-05-08T22:38:00.002-05:00

This darling annual called "Flirtation" came home with me from the Friends School of Minnesota Plant Sale.

The sun stayed out one more day for my Saturday trip to Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival. This is one of our family's favorite Mother's Day trips. I went out on Saturday to work at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild Knitting Help table but I got to visit again on Sunday with the rest of the family. No sunshine but there still was a lot to see . . .

I've been coveting Angora Rabbits for a while but Mr. Daisy is not so keen on the idea.

Youngest Child is absolutely sure he could take care of one. He even offered to help clean up the poop!

Oldest Daughter was admiring the spinning wheels for sale.

Although we mostly did "window shopping", I picked up two lovely skeins of Opulence sock yarn from All for Love of Yarn.

Perhaps a little hipster scarf (as Oldest Daughter calls them) from this lovely 80% Superwash Merino Wool 10% Cashmere 10% Nylon in the Freesia colorway.

I also hunted down the Ewetopia Fiber Shop booth and bought a skein of hand dyed brushed mohair in the conifer colorway.

I'd seen this yarn at Yarnover last week and loved it. There is also a very cute "Fern" shrug pattern that came with the yarn.

I had a little time this week to clean out my own closet. I have to admit this is the Saturday Seven of failure for me. Seven items that I bought over the years and kept - hoping against hope that I would want to wear them or that they would someday look better on me - until admitting defeat.

Four pairs of pants, two pullovers and a cardigan - except for one I gave to Oldest Daughter - are all going to a rummage sale. Sigh.

We love the knitting goodies

2011-05-01T19:36:00.001-05:00

Whether they are bright like these skeins from Little Gidding Farm Suri Alpacas

or muted like these skeins of Briar Rose Fibers.

Saturday's Minnesota Knitters' Guild's Yarnover was entirely satisfying. I got to help some teachers as a "Teacher Angel", learn how to make the better buttonhole and sew on zippers using a rug hook. I really spent the most amount of my time simply visiting, knitting and people watching.

There was a little bit of purchasing as well.

This pattern is also available from the Ewetopia Fiber Online Shop

I bought this lovely top down cardigan pattern and five skeins of naturally brown worsted weight from Ewetopia Fiber Shop. This was a really nice vendor at Yarnover and I'm looking forward to seeing what they are bringing to Shepherd's Harvest. I'm not taking any classes but I am working at the MKG Knitting Help table on Saturday morning.

I also bought these wonderful antique buttons for the sweater . . .

GFMelissa said that I was being surprisingly original because none of the buttons match each other. I was really just trying to not give myself a reason to jump into the project!

Looking ahead, next weekend is once again the perfect storm of Spring Formal/Friends School Plant Sale/Shepherd's Harvest . . . oh, what the heck.

Be there or Be Square!

This week's Saturday Seven was really more of a Sunday Seven. I was cleaning out the CD drawer - putting lost cds away in their cases and I managed to clean out seven less than favorite cds. Off to the rummage sale!

The Really Big Show . . .

2011-04-29T16:45:00.002-05:00

DSC_1478
Originally uploaded by andrewdent72
It may be the Royal Wedding for the rest of the world but for us . . .

it was the girls' first big road trip down to Saint Louis for the Midwest World Kuk Sool Won tournament.
And for me - it's the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's Yarnover on Saturday.

Last year, I learned to take fiber photos from Franklin Habit.

This year, I'm taking a class from the Techknitter. Buttonhole Fears, be gone!

Easter means

2011-04-24T21:50:00.000-05:00

family, pie and . . . Farkel.

Of course, for Christians, Easter is also the high point of the liturgical year. No pictures of that but you might be interested in this site where many people are sharing their Easter stories.

After the pie, we spent a little time looking for an "holiday" movie. You know, they used to show some sort of "big" movie like The Sound of Music or The Greatest Story Ever Told on Easter night. Not anymore, apparently. We had to make do with a great documentary on Netflix about Robert E. Lee.

I've been inching along on my Turn of the Glass cardigan.

Since we are mostly just lounging about this weekend, this week's Saturday Seven were some "free" toys my son has collected over the winter. They went to a rummage sale in the neighborhood.

Happy Easter!

Spring, sprang, sprung . . .

2011-04-20T09:03:00.001-05:00

Everyone's talking about spring. Mostly about where it went!

Yesterday, I picked up Youngest Daughter's bike from my neighborhood bike shop, Omnium Bike Shop. We'd refurbished an old bike for her; a beaut we'd bought back in Pennsylvania.

This is that fence today. I was really hoping for a spin to break in Youngest Daughter's new ride!

On the knitting front, I've been working bit by bit on the Turn of the Glass pattern.

I thought this little guy might give my knitting some perspective.

I'm willing to have a knitting intern if he can keep my gauge.

Don't worry - I do wash them before I give them away!

This last Saturday Seven was simply a matter of cleaning up - a fleece blanket, jeans, pants, 3 shirts and a wool skirt. I have a new policy in place - if something has been lying on the floor for weeks, out it goes. So far, nobody has batted an eyelash over this . . . grrr.

Three midweek peaks to interrupt your knitting . . .

2011-04-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

I finally pinned out that Rosemary's Little Sweater - it's ready for gift giving. Fun and easy - I'd recommend this pattern.

My Artisan Vest turned out a little wide but it is very warm and comfortable. The buttons are an antiqued brass color.

My Saturday Seven was a motley crew. Some SAT prep books, socks, tee shirts and a tablecloth.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming . . .

Yarn Quest 2011 - now turning into Yawn Quest . . .

2011-04-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today was a long, long day. I loved this shop hop even though I had to spread it out over several days due to family and church events. However, I am exhausted.

Not covered in yarn, however. I really kept the purchasing to a minimum. A copy of "Tea Leaves Cardigan" (from the Yarnery) , some lotion and some delicious smelling soap (from Shepherd's Choice)

and one skein of yarn.

This is All For Love of Yarn's special Yarnery colorway and it is just lovely. You might remember that I bought some of her yarn before for my Citron Shawl.

The best thing of the whole shop hop is coming home with six new free patterns and a chance at the big door prizes . . . I have my fingers crossed!

Tomorrow is another long day - we are driving down to Iowa to visit Cornell College. Tonight there is a tornado warning in Iowa so wish us good weather!

Hold still!

2011-04-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Blocked sweaters rarely make history. Unblocked sweaters get carried around the house and photographed - a lot.

Finally, I used a few coasters to hold down the edges and forced a decent photo of my Rosemary's Little Sweater - a size two baby sweater. Since I didn't have a two year old sized baby nearby to model - I used a bookcase.

I wanted the cabled shoulders to show - very simple but pretty.

And I wanted the rolled neck and cuffs to show as well.

Now, time to pin down the little wild thing and steam the heck out of it!

Saturday's Seven was just a little something from a drawer - seven collectable pins that I really don't need.

The square ones are actually button covers from a blouse I had ages ago. I'm sure they'll fit right in on the jewelry table at the rummage sale.

Spring breaks

2011-03-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we're finally home to Minnesota. Dirty dishes, a "not walked enough" dog and a dent in the minivan makes me think I won't be choosing the "leave the older teenagers at home" route again.

As for Pennsylvania,

Rainbow Bridge (for those Grovers in the know!)

We got lots of family visits in and, while the weather wasn't exactly warm, it was sunny. That seemed springlike enough!

I got to test some cookies for science fair project

I finished a shawl out of that free mohair (Mohair #9)

and got about a quarter of the way through Rosemary's Little Sweater.

The cute bag came from my husband's trip to New York City and KnittyCity.

Now, back to cleaning up and getting some of the garbage out of the house. Grr.

Saturday Seven to arrive sometime later this week . . .

Yarn - forward!

2011-03-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was not only relaxing - it was rewarding.

I acquired two lots of unusual yarn and bought one lot for only $1! And I won a book!

I've used this Persia Color in another colorway before - it knits up beautifully next to a plain color wool. And - it was the $1 yarn!

I just love the sparkle and fluff.

This was two skeins of an old but free yarn called Laine Dor - it might even be Laine D'or but the label is done is a spiffy 1970s font and I can't read it. It's mohair and I'm using it on my trip to Pennsylvania to make a simple little shawl from the free patterns on the Mary Maxim site. Plane knitting in all senses of the word!

I also got this skein of yarn in my goody bag.

It's a lovely blue color and it seems destined for mittens or a hat.

As a door prize, I also won this fun book.

One of my table mates offered me "a lot of yarn" for it but I think the patterns are well worth the keeping.

Although I'd love to be working on my Turning Glass cardigan, I need to knit a baby sweater for a little baby girl at my church. And I need to knit it before she grows even more! So I'm pulling out some stash yarn

Jamieson's Soft Shetland in granny smith colorway

to knit a Rosemary's Little Sweater. Simple and quick (or so I'm hoping.)

And I'll be traveling with all this knitting so - you probably won't getting another post until about Monday. Enjoy the snow!

Please come closer . . .

2011-03-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

Saturday's "Supermoon" - but at a distance.

closer . .

A little closer - hazy but discernable.

Oh, no - a little too close!

* Are you flashing back to Disney's "Alladin" movie? Try saying it in a Robin Williams voice!

Argh!

Like many other photographers, I was trying for a nice shot of Saturday's "14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter" appearance of the moon but - not my night.

It was a beautiful sight, however, when viewed from the shore of Cross Lake in Minnesota. I was at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's "Great Guild Getaway" this weekend and had a lovely (if still quite snowy) time.

Lots of knitting (almost finished my vest) and lots of free yarn and books. Great food and company as well. If you are in Minnesota, you really need to check this out next year. It's open to all knitters, not just guild members, and it is very relaxing.

I almost finished my Artisan vest - I had a fidgety time with the crochet edging and buttonholes.

Luckily, the retreat was jam packed full of crocheters and I got a lot of help. Today, it's time to crochet the armholes and then I have to find some buttons.

Too close?

I'm counting that blocking will straighten up the edging.

I'm going to blog about the wonderful books and yarns I won and bought (yes, a "clean out your stash" auction is one of the events at the retreat) in a day or two . . .

My Saturday Seven is more little boy clothes - he's just not that little anymore.

Peppers! And way in the back, tomatoes!

And I, too, finally have some sprouts! (And what looks like a wicked case of mold but actually that is dirt that has washed into my basement through the window well as a result of all this snow melt.)

I splurged and bought a pack of the Fabulous Beekman Boys' Beekman 1802 heirloom seeds. It's still only time to start some of the seeds (peppers and tomatoes) in Minnesota but I'll be working on the rest of the seeds later in the season. The Beekman television show is aiming at creating a "virtual community garden" by encourage their viewers to try raising the same kind of heirloom seeds - I'll keep you posted on how this turns out.

Oh, really?

2011-03-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

The weeks after being sick, sick, sick are usually pretty quiet. But not here. Two weeks of missed cleaning? Check that off. Two weeks of missed laundry. Check. Finally going grocery shopping? Check.

Add in a birthday

And a ski trip to Northern Minnesota

The view isn't much here - but that's because we were in the middle of a lake!

Lovely Liz and I had this trip by ourselves (we decided that the ice was faster to ski on but the snow trail was quieter) but the whole weekend was knit, ski, knit, ski with breaks for eating.

Even Youngest Child was exhausted by Saturday night.

And we finally had knitting here at Chez Daisy. Alas, it was poorly done knitting.

I have some advice for you - do not knit when you have the flu. I've spent the last week or so frogging "Knitting under the influence" on socks and my vest. The socks are done now - but I've given them away as they look odd.

Lovely yarn (Pagewood Farms Yukon in Vineyard Blues) and a pretty pattern but I don't have any idea of where I went wrong to make them so "wrinkly."

The vest - I did all the shoulder decreases before I was supposed to knit 7 to 9 inches. So, time to lay it all out and reknit. Sigh.

Saturday's Seven is going to the rummage sale today. I may be showing my age but - I long for the days of the good old regular weight turtleneck.

Four of the items here are light "tissue weight" turtlenecks. Nasty, stretchy, not fit to keep you warm turtlenecks. Why they even make them, I don't know. A skirt, a boy tee shirt and a pair of boots rounded out the seven.

More blue - not like cheese

2011-03-03T17:42:00.000-06:00

It's been so gray here lately that I thought a little retail therapy was in order. This is Madelinetosh DK in the Ink colorway. I'm planning on making a Turn of the Glass from the Winter 2011 Knitty.

It's a lovely dark/light blue - really pretty!

If this doesn't work - chocolate and red wine might be next.

Blue - like cheese?

2011-02-28T21:06:00.000-06:00

Well, we're not sick anymore. That's a good thing.

But we did have to cancel a family trip because all five of us were sick with influenza and right now, I'm having a hard time working up any more enthusiasm for winter. I want to see some bare ground. Maybe a bud on a branch somewhere. Just a wee sign of spring. Sigh.

With Youngest Child's last mite hockey game over with, I am transfering my Tangled Up in Blue socks back into regular knitting rotation.

They have an odd wrinkly toe - I probably increased incorrectly - but the rest of the pattern is just fine. This photo is right before the start of the gusset.

Row, row, row my wrinkly blue socks!

It was hard to get enthused for a Saturday Seven. Mostly, it was just pants I decided I could live without.

I hate buying pants - I can never find what I want and it feels very wasteful to end up getting rid of a pair that you've hardly worn. Four pairs of pants, a nightgown and two tee shirts off to the rummage sale at St. John the Evangelist.

Knitting a weekend

2011-02-19T17:43:00.002-06:00

So, this past week I've been knitting on my Artisan vest.

Knit, Knit, Knit. Knit.

Three family members go down sick and I'm doing the rest of the work.

Knit. Knit. Knit.

I start coming down with the influenza as well.

Knit. Knit.

While making dinner today, I cut the heck out of my hand and have to go find a germ ridden spouse to bandage it.

Knit.

Heck - I'm giving up and taking a Knitting Pass! Netflix instant downloads and the couch for me.

Three projects - or are they UFOs?

2011-02-14T22:25:00.000-06:00

My husband asked me the other day, "You do have more than one project, right?"

Well, yes.

And, no.

Currently, I'm working mostly on this Artisan's Vest from The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book. Hopefully, this is my Vestuary project for 2011. I'm using the lovely Aisha Cecilia's Vivian yarn (50% alpaca, 50% wool) in a worsted weight.

I'm still working on my Tangled Up in Blue socks. These are mostly my "hockey game" or travel work socks so, not so much of a change here.

Hmm - what is project number three?

It should be the brown River Gansey Sweater!

But it is much more likely to become the Rosemary's Little Sweater from The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book.

I'm thinking of using up my precious Jamieson's Soft Shetland in granny smith green.

I think it's time to let it go - and I know a baby girl who needs a sweater. This sounds much more fun than . . . brown. Sorry honey!

This week's Saturday Seven just jumped out of my children's drawers. Jeans, a sweater, a pair of shoes, a pair of socks and three small pairs of pants. Off to the rummage sale - farewell!

Two mittens - lovely and warm!

2011-02-05T16:00:00.000-06:00

Two Quo Vadis mittens finished. I tried to get a photo with the scarf I am planing to wear them with. The scarf is mostly blues, grays, blacks, gold and orange and my new puffy coat is black so I am set for winter.

I wore them to another outside hockey game and they were toasty!

The pattern designer, Spillyjane, also has a contest involving her latest free pattern, Camilla. If you knit a pair of her Camilla mittens and send her a photo of the finished mittens by February 28, she'll give you one of her patterns free! Free is always a good word and her knitting patterns are lovely.

For some reason, I didn't take another picture of the full set of bags. I think it was because the rest were in the back of my van. Seven duffle bags (seven totally unnecessary bags, by the way!) finally went to the rummage sale.

Hmm. Do I go back to my Tangled up in blue socks or do I start the Camilla Mittens? Or a Vest for Vestuary? HMM - I think I need help!

Mitten, mitten, who's got the mitten?

2011-01-29T20:15:00.000-06:00

Me, that's who!

It's actually very hard to use one hand to photograph the other hand as it reaches for the brownies . . .

I love the colors and the fact that I'm mostly using up odds and end from other projects. It makes me feel thrifty even if I'm actually not!

Today was a very busy day, culminating in a last minute dash for a new swim cap as I have a swim meet tomorrow - the Minnesota Masters Ice Breaker Meet. I'm really only aiming to keep my goggles on when I dive off the blocks.

This week's Saturday Seven - a sweater, a pair of pants, four books and some artificial flowers. See, even small stuff takes up room so off to the rummage sale it all goes.

Freezing cold but we're still here!

2011-01-25T11:44:00.000-06:00

Oh, I'm still here alright! Still knitting - although on another pair of mittens by now - and still waiting out winter.

Although I meant to make the Ruth's Mittens from Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum but I seem to have mislaid my copy of the book. This is driving me crazy! So I switched back to my old standby - Family Mittens from Homespun and Handknit.

Since then, I've started a pair of Quo Vadis mittens from Spillyjane Knits. I'm trying to knit multicolor mittens to match a scarf I wear with my new black puffy winter coat. I need more color to get through this winter!

This week's Saturday Seven was pretty simple - cleaning out a few cupboard brought out mugs, sweaters and a puzzle. Bye, bye clutter!

More outdoor hockey this week - here's hoping our sore throats all go away!

Let's go Gold!

Getting our "grit" - Minnesota style!

2011-01-15T23:38:00.000-06:00

This was the first outside mite hockey tournament for our family. Three days of games - all outside. Oldest Daughter didn't play until she was 10 and she skipped the mite system so it's all new to us.

Wednesday night and we are all watching by standing on a big mound of snow just outside the boards. Good thing those little kids are so darn cute - otherwise we would have all gone back inside.

I asked Youngest Child if his coach gave him any special instructions and he said, "Yes. The coach said the other team were all little kids so don't knock them down." As Youngest Child is only 7, the other team must have been composed of four year olds!

This may have lead to his Gold Team's amazing win! And they won again today, too. There may be something in this hockey thing . . . let's see if they can make it a three-peat tomorrow!

As for the whole knitting thing, you can't knit standing on a mound of snow outside in the 15 degree F. weather. So, I'm still creeping along on the Tangled Up In Blue socks. And I'm thinking of using some of this project's

leftover yarn - Dream in Color Classy - to make some mittens. I have a new winter coat that needs some cute mittens!

Today's Saturday Seven was easy.

I've been cataloging my books using the Shelfari.com site and it makes weeding out books very easy. I'm thinking of offering them up at my Monday Night Book Club next week. Then, the remainders go to a rummage sale.

Anti-knucks?

2011-01-09T21:57:00.000-06:00

Knucks are fingerless gloves - they cover your knuckles, get it?

These, however, only cover fingertips. What they are, of course, are the toes of 2-at-a-time Tangled up in blue socks. I'm finally out of the toe increase section and into the true ribbed foot portion.

I've been dividing up my knitting time between the socks and my old Brown Aran Sweater project.

It never photographs well - but I am on the underarm and chest portion. I'm on the fence as to whether I should rip it out and start again. I originally started this with combination knitting and I just don't like the way the fabric lies.

I may start another bottom portion and see which one I like better. One big problem is that the yarn is so dark that I can only knit on it during the day!

This week has been Project Week at Youngest Daughter's school and she has been building a balsa wood bridge with a partner. Once the first one was built, they took it to school and smashed it! All for science, of course.

Now, they are on bridge #2. I think this whole week has been fueled by Mountain Dew and gallons of ice tea!

"Drs. Stanley and Livingstone I presume?'

As for the Saturday Seven, sad to say, I didn't photograph it. Youngest Child's outgrown socks, polo shirts and sport shorts. Off to the rummage sale!

*Content not necessarily related to knitting

2011-01-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm a reader. I read a lot. Much of it is related to knitting - because I do that a lot as well - but much of it is strictly recreational.

In 2009 on Shelfari, I participated in the 50 Book Challenge group and got up to 85 books.

In 2010, I participated in the 50 Book Challenge group again but I made my challenge a 100 book challenge - and made it to 122 books.

This year I finally found the Shelfari 100 Book Challenge group and I'm shooting for 100 or more books.

I've already made a start on my reading but the most fun have been trolling the other member's book lists to find titles I'll want to read in the upcoming year.

Courtesy of one of those other member's personal website, I found this great book reading blog,

Book Chick City.

Well, her site sounds right up my alley and I've signed on to her own personal challenge, the 100 books in a year challenge.

You can find out the information about the challenge here or by clicking through her button on my sidebar. Luckily, I can overlap all these "100 book" challenge or I'd never get anything else done.

I'm always on the lookout for new books to read - send me any book title suggestions through the comments page!

Shaking things up in the New Year

2011-01-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

I took a little time out today to revamp my running playlists for my Ipod. For some reason, I can't find a "real" video of this song but this is an excellent song to listen to when you are working out. Bouncy, silly and a great beat - these describe almost all the Fountains of Wayne songs on my playlists.

Have a nice Wednesday!

Jumping into the New Year feet first!

2011-01-04T16:44:00.000-06:00

Hello!

How are you? We are fine here at Chez Daisy - just jumping from project to project in honor of the New Year.

First off - some time ago I promised a photograph of the Little Bits quilt from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I sewed this quilt over a year ago for Youngest Child - but just never got around to quilting it. Well, the lovely ladies over at Two Quilting Ladies finished it up for me and I bound the edges and wrapped it up for Christmas.

Not the most exciting present this year but he's been using it every night!

After that project was out of the way, I finished up the ruffled skirt I learned to make from a pattern in Sew Serendipity. This is a great book with good ideas for adapting patterns to fit different figures.

It was a bit tricky trying to find patterned fabrics that I would wear in both summer and winter.

Tan, browns and black fabrics seemed a safe bet!

Then, I had a few days off the sewing for the holidays.

Or, as the cartoonist put it, "Then, a miracle occurs."

I used some of that rest time to finish up my Citron Shawl. It's lovely - soft and warm - just in time for freezing winter at my house.

I also used my time off to finish a last minute Loopy Scarf for Youngest Daughter. I bought five skeins of Patons Bohemian yarn at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild Holiday Party for all of $4 TOTAL!

I've also been using these sunny cold Minnesota Days to work on Mr. Daisy's brown River Grass Gansey. The color is just too dark to work on at night - so I've started a new light-colored project for evening knitting!

A toe up pattern - Tangled Up in Blue by Judy Becker - with some Pagewood Farms Yukon sock yarn in the Vineyard Blues colorway.

That, a cup of tea and some Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix have been keeping me awake this week!

So, really, most of these projects are done and gone. This may look like a lot of crafting but spread it out over December and it's a reasonable amount.

The sweater and the socks are going to be my boon knitting companions this month - I promise!

I even had some time for a Saturday Seven.

A cook book, some unopened Christmas cards, some cheese spreaders, an ipod accessory, some coasters, a tea caddy and a pen.

More sewing news later this week and updates on the gansey. See you later!

A very merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T18:19:00.000-06:00

We've been having a little fun at my house today. Mr. Daisy and Youngest Child are setting up a race track in the dining room and Daughters Three are watching a movie. Me? I'm playing with Walter, my new Nabaztag Rabbit!

It's days like this when Mr. Daisy says I'm pumping the handcart to Hummeldom . . .

Still here after all these years!

2010-12-18T15:19:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know I had a blogaversary back in November. Six years ago, in November of 2005, I started this blog to talk about knitting:

What's on the needles, what I wish I was working on and what I've learned in the process. Probably that there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I want - and still get a nap.

Well, that's still what's keeping me around the Internet. Still knitting, still swimming, still spinning, still reading and, now, still weaving. And still wishing for a nap.

I've had fun meeting some of you readers out there and still more fun following some of you on Twitter.

Thanks for all the kind words and great suggestions over the years.

This week, I've been delving into the world of fruitcake - using the Fabulous Beekman Boys' recipe - and fulfilling a last minute request for a Christmas stocking.

Fruitcake photo from http://beekman1802.com

Their Generous Fruitcake recipe is full of the fruit and nuts you might like - no oddly colored cherries! - and is very easy. My edition made one large fruitcake and eight small loaves. All are currently wrapped in rum-soaked cheesecloth and mulling away in the refrigerator. All except for the one loaf Mr. Daisy and I ate on Friday! Very good but it could use a little sweet something - icing perhaps? - to cut the rum. I'll let you know what I decide to do.

Merry Christmas Mr. Daisy!
Although this is not our traditional stocking placement . . .

Mr. Daisy reminded me that he never had a "real" Christmas stocking so I made him one!

I used the free Cascade Christmas Stocking pattern and the odds and ends of either Cascade 220 or Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted from my stash. It did take a bit of time - I took it here and there to work on - but it turned out very nicely and I would rate it as easy to medium.

I may even decide to make another one - but after Christmas!

I did have time to round up a Saturday Seven.

It was finally time to pull out all my winter skirts and try them on. Three of today's Saturday Seven were hand me downs from my mother in law from several years ago and it was time to let them go. One teeshirt from behind Youngest Daughter's bed, a set of note card dividers, a turtleneck and a bottle of floor cleaner. Goodbye, clutter!

I was roaming the interweb the other day and ran across this video over at Eating Out in Tokyo with Jon. Although I love holiday music and switch to the Christmas radio stations as soon as they show up on the dial, I've heard this holiday song from Slade. Enjoy!

A little pre-Christmas festivity!

2010-12-08T22:50:00.000-06:00

Take a break, eat a cookie and enjoy!

What is a picture worth?

2010-12-05T21:21:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone.

There were relatives . . .

pies . . .

eating . . .

Saturday Sevens . . .

Knitting of Pop Up Paws (otherwise known as Flip Top Mittens),

open . . . *

shut . . .*

And, starting today, hockey!

Naps will be taken!

* Repeat.

Sew What!

2010-11-29T23:03:00.000-06:00

The past two Monday nights I've been taking a sewing class using patterns from Sew Serendipity: Fresh and Pretty Designs to Make and Wear by Kay Whit.

I'm still not finished - I had to put away my sewing machine so that someone could sleep in my sewing room over Thanksgiving! - but it's been a great experience. I've learned how to sew a much better zipper than I've been using since high school and a much better way to adapt patterns. The actual skirts in the book are fairly simple but there are patterns for dresses and coats as well.

Part of the class involved making ruffles so I'm thinking my Christmas presents will have lots of them!

Thanksgiving at our house was very relaxed - lots of eating, visiting museums and trips to the movies.

I also had some time to finish up the Hedgerow Socks.

If I had made them any longer - I would have run out of yarn!

Fancy a bite?

I also had some time to start a pair of Pop Up Paws for Mr. Daisy. Middle Daughter decided to knit a pair for herself and I thought I should give them a whirl as well. I'm not so crazy about the finger sections - they are a little rough and ready - but Mr. Daisy always wanted a pair.

I've also picked up Youngest Child's quilt. It's still waiting for the edging but one Christmas Present down, five more to go.

The pattern is called Little Bits from the Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by

Joelle Hoverson.

When you have to clean house for holiday guests, you end up with a lot of odd things to give away. Two trash cans, a basket, two sewing patterns and two tee shirts. Good bye Saturday Seven!

Just in time for the holidays . . .

2010-11-22T15:29:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how many things get finished when death is on the line - oh, no, that's "The Princess Bride."

It's amazing how many things get finished when cleaning the house for Thanksgiving is on the line.

I needed to put my my rigid heddle loom away for the holidays. So I decided to make a bag for it. The large bag holds the loom and the little bag holds the heddle, the shuttles and the pick-up stick.

I also found time to finally sew on the button on the Mr. Greenjeans sweater. Not my original lovely button but an okay substitute.

Also - remember this?

I finally finished it as well. I really like the loom - not so much the cotton yarn. I'm looking forward to making another shawl or scarf!

And this? You know, the Little Bits quilt from two years ago? Finally, I picked it up from the quilters, Two Quilting Ladies, today. I'm going to put the binding on next weekend and then I'll take a photograph.

And the Hedgerow Socks? I'm decreasing for the toes! Excitement!

And there is even more knitting going on around here -

Middle Daughter is home from school for Thanksgiving break and she is knitting! All those years and she never wanted to knit anything. All it took was a "good friend" who needed a hat.

Oh, and that Saturday Seven?

More tapes that went to the rummage sale at Youngest Boy's school.

Things at Chez Daisy are getting tidier every day!

Snow, snow and snow.

2010-11-13T17:26:00.000-06:00

Bah. I like snow as much as anyone else but it did interfere with my plans to mulch the garden this weekend.

Luckily, most everything was picked up because of the "Quidditch fest" we had on Halloween weekend and as long as I can still get to the bird feeders, I'll be fine.

I'm not resisting temptation any more on the Citron front. Yes, my second skein of Sumptuosity arrived this week and I am champing at the bit.

As soon as this blog entry gets finished, I'm casting on and settling down to watch Coraline with Youngest Child. I loved this movie and my book group read it last year but we just haven't sat down together to enjoy it yet.

I thought I might get finished with the Hedgerow Socks as a 21st birthday present for Oldest Daughter

- yes, she is that old! - but the cold that swept through my house cut down on all productivity, knitting included.

Today's Saturday Seven went out last week to my son's school's rummage sale. Bye bye books and tapes!

I can't believe I forgot!

2010-11-07T18:32:00.000-06:00

I have so few finished items lately that I can't believe I forgot to list one.

Some time ago, I picked up some Cascade 220 to make a set of a hat and mittens for the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's service knitting project. I originally planned on the Ruth Hat and Mittens from Norwegian Handknits: Heriloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum.

Alas, I was stuck away from the book one night (it was in my knitting bag, in my car, with my husband at a meeting) but I did have access to the pattern for the 3 a.m. Cable Hat. So that's what I made. I'm still planning to do the Ruth Mittens with what is left of my two skeins.

The cables are very easy and the clever decreases allow the cables to continue all the way to the top. I doubled the Cascade 220 so it would be a bulkier hat.