Friday the 13th!

I am not superstitious. My Grandpa Porgy, on the other hand, is extremely superstitious. His beliefs go beyond the normal ones like not letting a black cat cross your path, not walking under a ladder, etc. He was a fisherman for many years and they have their own set of superstitions. For example: never leave the hatch of a boat upside down, only get on a boat with your right foot first, if you encounter a red-head on your way to the pier then don't set sail, etc., etc. Anyway, he is at home today and I doubt flood or fire could persuade him to leave. It's a good thing Friday the 13th doesn't happen that often.



I started the Fair Isle part of the body of my Philosopher's wool sweater for the knit along. And yes, the instructions do say to start with a sleeve first to avoid discouragement, but I hate knitting sleeves. I'm also sewing together the other cardigan.

The pattern isn't difficult, but I have a long way to go before mastering that two-handed method. It may be that one and 1/2 hands will all I ever achieve. Surprisingly, the addi-turbo knitting needles aren't making my hands ache. Part of this may be due to the movement involved with using two colors. One's hands need to be repositioned often so there isn't as much repetition or clenching.


After this project it will definately be time to do something in oranges, reds or some "warm" colorway!





This morning Brian cleaned out the overflow drain on our bathroom sink. Inside it he found 22 bobby pins, 1 safety pin and a Betty Spaghetti leg. In addition to these treasures, A3 likes to squeeze our toothpaste down the little hole. The sink drains better now. It was a gross job and I'm thankful that he did it.

Postcards and Stitch increases

I just received this adorably funny card from my Secret Pal... Oh thank you Secret Pal! Chickens and knitting, two of my favorite things. Cluck, knit, cluck knit!
















Luckily, I had my philosopher's fair isle sweater w/me when I went to pick up A1 & A2 from school this afternoon. Sherrill (Baa Bonny Belle) walked by and was able to show me the proper way to increase so that I don't have gaping holes in my knitting. Thank heavens there wasn't much ripping out involved, I'd only completed the 4th row beyond the ribbing. I was really unhappy with how it looked before, and now it won't drive me crazy! Thank you Sherrill.




I am so sick of rain. I've lived most of my life in western Washington so I am used to damp, soggy winters. However, this is ridiculous. This is the 25th straight day of rain. Aack!

Blocking & Laundry

FINALLY, the Stella sweater pieces are finished and blocking. My blocking buddy, Bonny, couldn't wait to sit on the damp pieces. That makes them important and it was a perfect place for her to "do her laundry".



Happy Wednesday to all!

Are Willie Warmers for real?

I keep reading about Willie Warmers and there are tons of patterns out there for these. The link is to one that someone in the cyber fiber world has just completed. So, I have to ask, are these a joke or do people really use them? Not having the necessary parts to wear a Willie Warmer I can only guess that they would be itchy and uncomfortable. Maybe I'll stick to socks!

Secret Pal Seven

SECRET PAL 7 QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
Yes, I am a yarn snob. Occasionally I'll pick up a novelty yarn from Lion, etc., but I'd prefer
to use natural fibers. After all, why spend all of that time to create something just to have
it fall apart or look awful!
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I can crochet, but I'd prefer knitting. I would love to learn to spin, but so far I
haven't had the time or room.
3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a large, hinged basket that also serves as an end table next to our sofa.
4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'd consider myself to be an intermediate-level knitter. I've been knitting since I was
10, so it's been about 28 years now (yikes!). This last Christmas I spent more time on quantity though and I was cranking out lots of beginning level projects. I look forward to settling in w/ some more challenging works.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla or other food scents. I don't like perfume-smelling items.
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes, Chocolate!
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Needle felting, Gardening, quilting, embroidery, cross stitch and painting.
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I don't know if my computer can play MP3, but my husband has a player and his computer can. My musical tastes are eclectic with the exception of rap. I hate rap music.
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love green and all of the autumn colors (rust, brown, orange, tan). I don't care a lot for pastels.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married with three daughters, Amber 9, Autumn 7 and Ashley 5. We serve two spoiled cats and have 4 chickens. The chickens will never see a stew pot, they are my gardening companions and bonus egg layers.
12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I do wear scarves, hats and mittens when the weather requires it. I don't wear ponchos out of the house but wraps are nice for knitting and watching movies in.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
No particular favorites. I like to experiment with different things.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm finding it more and more difficult to knit with fuzzy yarns like Mohair. My fingers seem to get tangled up with them. Could be age, could be due to health, who knows.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Everything! I love to try knitting different things.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
No favorites, I just love to be making something.
17. What are you knitting right now?
A "Stella" cardigan (almost finished, will be for an old friend's birthday)and I'm anxiously awaiting to start a Philosopher's Fair Isle sweater.
18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes! Anybody can buy something, but not everybody can or will make something.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Depends on the project.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo. Metal needles tend to make my hands hurt. Although I did just purchase some nickel-plated Skacel (sp?) needles and they are supposed to be nice to work with. We'll see.
.21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No. Alas, I drape the skeins around my trusty old rocking chair. Maybe next year we can get one.
22. How did you learn to knit?
My Maternal Grandmother originally taught me and then both of my Grandmothers and Mother helped me learn new techniques, etc. Over the years.
23. How old is your oldest UFO? I inherited a 20 year old sweater that my sister started and lost the pattern for. I don't have any knitting ufo's of my own other than the afore-mentioned cardigan. I have lots of quilts, etc. That are as of yet unfinished though... Do they count too?
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Cats. Definitely cats. I like most animals, and if we had the time and finances I'd like to get a goat or sheep too. I grew up with lots of animals.
25. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween or the 4th of July. Both holidays have low stress levels and require minimal preparation. Christmas was fun as a kid, but the past few years have turned it into something stressful and to be dreaded. We've also lost a lot of family members so Christmas is especially hard.
26. Is there anything that you collect?
Fiesta dishes and yarn.
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None
28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Not in particular. I'm a junkie so they all look delightful.
29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Two-handed fair-isle. I'll be learning that this month... Hopefully!
30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes. I wear a US women's 8 1/2 and my foot measurements are 9" long and 3 1/2" wide at the widest point.
31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
July 18th.
32. Do you have any allergies? Only to Aspartame and penicillin and since I doubt I'll be knitting with diet yarn this shouldn't be a problem!

Sunday Birthdays, etc.

Happy birthday Michelle P. and Erin C... on a side note, it's also Elvis Presley's birthday. I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, but for some reason birthdays stick with me.

Yesterday was Grandma Helen's memorial service. Grandpa Porgy seems to be doing a little bit better, all things considered. Grandma's surviving brother, Uncle Leo, was there and I really enjoyed talking with him and looking at pictures. All in all it was a nice service.

Because I drove the two and half hours to Grayland I didn't have a chance to finish off the Stella cardigan. I'm dying to cast on the Philosopher's Fair Isle sweater but I vowed last month to complete projects prior to starting others. Of course this only applies to knitting. I have four quilts waiting to be finished, two embroidery and three cross stitch pictures that are unfinished. Then there is the children's book I started illustrating 6 years ago. Sometimes I wish people didn't require sleep or that we could win the lottery and pay somebody to take care of the cooking, cleaning and laundry.

Well, my husband just woke up so I'm off to the grocery store while he watches the kidlets.