woolythyme

Yarn along....WIP Wedneday

Granny is nearing the finish line!!  I'm working on the final edging row (but will undoubtedly run out of yarn and have to take a break while another skein is ordered).   20 squares by 16 squares has made it large enough to cover the top of a queen size bed, but it's been pretty happy on the sofa, and will probably stay there.  The perfect snuggly to drag in front of the fire, too, with a book (and a wish for snow).  (Done with KnitPicks Swish worsted wt--squishy soft.)

I've been listening to an audible download of the Night Circus (recommended by several yarn-along-ers)--and am loving this Jonathan Stange/Mr. Norrell era fantasy.    I finished listening to P. D. James' new book, Death at Pemberley and was rather disappointed.  P.D. James meets Jane Austen--perfect, right!!!? But, no twists, no turns--and, because I was listening to it, I really didn't know how much more of the story was left....and when it ended, I thought--that's it?  I'm a rather devoted fan of English mysteries--and love most of James' work.  Just not this one.

The book in the picture is "queued"...The Reading Promise, my father and the books we shared by Alice Ozma.  My dad was a huge reader--and even after he lost his sight (I set him up with talking books) he was still reviewing and recommending books to me.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this reading adventure between a daughter and her librarian father; it's a discussion book at our local library.  Let you know next week, maybe--still slogging along with the Prague Cemetery; liking it, but not having oodles of time for it.   (One chapter before lights out isn't moving it along too fast!)

What are you reading and working on this week?  Hop over to Ginny's yarn along for other great reading recommendations and project ideas!!! 

Weekending....

 

 

 

 

 :: a little  a whole lot of  wrapping

:: a little bread making

:: a little candy-ing (peppermint bark)

:: cookies!!!  (my mom's chocolate cookies--yum!!!)

:: watched The Christmas Story

:: watched PapaGeek suffer through a kidney stone episode (and felt so helpless.  he's fine now.)

:: made soup (creamy wild rice...yum)

:: played Santa and delivered/mailed some gifts

:: crocheted, crocheted, crocheted

:: resisted the urge to go buy buy buy; it's so easy to get caught up in the consumer frenzy--just one more little gift...oh, maybe one more...this is definitely the downside to "finishing" early; am I really finished?  I could make one more thing...buy one more book (that's good for the grandkids, right? which means one more times seven...) make one more batch of cookies (when there are more calories sitting in the pantry and more tins to be delivered than are healthy!!!!) I resisted...(except for the cookies...) so far.

:: and I crocheted, crocheted, crocheted...........

:: it was a relaxing weekend...getting mentally ready for a whirlwind 36/48 hours with all 7 grandkids (under 8 years), having both my son and daughter together, celebrating Christmas and two birthdays---can't wait!!!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥

 

PS  I need an opinion...I changed my font.  I looked back on some of my posts, and I felt like I was shouting.  Honestly, I wasn't.  But, is this better?

want to see how others have spent their weekends?  Join amanda at the habit of being!

 

 

WIP Wednesday ----and Yarn along!

Last week's projects are this week's projects.....

We had a lot of car time this week and a lot of baseball playoff time (go Cardinals!), so two more rows got added to granny.  Live Oak Shawlette got me to "July" in the Happiness Project before I finished the stockinette stitch section; I'm now into the lace pattern.  Can't read and knit lace!

We like to listen to talking books on road trips, and usually the choice is a spy thriller/adventure thriller--something totally mindless.  For some reason, I just wasn't in the mood, and picked up It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump written and read by John Hurley.  Life lessons brought to you by your dog--if you listen closely.  Exercise with all your heart; nap every chance you get--you get the idea.  It was cute.

Since I ran out of easy knitting before I got to December in the Happiness Project, I decided to start the Annabel Cardigan, which I have renamed in my Ravelry projects Lori's Cardigan.  Lori's photography is amazing, in general, but she photographed the most beautiful gray yarn by Quince and Co (and I'm such a sucker for gray!); I'm just hoping she believes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, because I'm afraid there is going to be a midwest cardi that is going to look an awful lot like her west coast one.

Books in the to-read pile: Stealing Rembrandts-- thievery in the art world.  Written by Anthony Amore, art security expert now working at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  He is committed to solving the heist that occured there in 1990, and this book is the result of his research into all aspects of art theft.  So far, reads like a detective novel. (Thomas Crowne Affair is one of my all time favorite movies--Pierce Bronson was good, but you gotta love Steve McQueen!!!) 

And if you all haven't seen Cute and Easy Crochet---take a peek.  Remember, I'm not a crocheter...I'm not a crocheter...I'm not a crocheter....(this is my mantra this week....because I want to start just about every project in this book!!!)

 

WIP Wednesday with Tami and Yarn Along with Ginny.  Won't you join us???

WIP Wednesday---Yarn Along

The granny blanket is moving very slowly.  I keep thinking I'd like to work on it more if the temperatures here could just inch below 80 degrees.  It's too HOT with all that wool on my lap.  So....only one row added this week.

It looks slightly bigger when all the squares are jumbled up....

don't you think????

While on vacation, I wandered in to an independent bookstore and discovered The Happiness Project and I'm loving it!!!  Written by a lawyer who clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor, Gretchen Rubin decided lawyering was not for her, and became a writer.  She had a nice career, beautiful family, happy marriage--but one day thought that in spite of her wonderful life--she could possibly be happier (and make people around her happier) and went on a year's quest of how to do this.  Sounds somewhat self-serving, but she researched meticulously all aspects of her project--divides it by month, and while I'm only to April, I'm pretty much into this!!!  Who couldn't use a bit more happiness in their lives?  I needed a project I could knit while reading, had already fallen in love with Karen's Live Oak Shawlette (at Pumpkin Sunrise),  and it seemed to fit the reading criteria (at least the stockinette beginning).   

Yarn is Bugga from the Sanguine Gryphon in Blue Lobster color.  Lobsters, books, knitting, happiness--life really is good!

 

WIP Wednesday with Tami and Yarn along with Ginny. 

WIP Wednesday.......and Yarn Along

It's been a free-wheeling week.....crocheted wheels, that is.....

 

 
I decided to make small squares again--turning the wheel into a square with just one additional round of crocheting.  So far, so good.  Decision made. 

How big?  I've done a couple of lap size crocheted afghans--10 squares by 10 squares with a border and edging.  Love the border and edging, so I'll do that again.  But for some reason, I get so focused with getting to the end that I really don't enjoy the journey (like with knitting)--I just  blast through the project--sore hands and all.  Not this time.  I thought if I commit to a HUGE project, I simply CAN'T get too compulsive about it.  (I'm not sure this rationalization is going to hold, but it's my theory for now and I'm sticking to it.)  SOOOOO. 

This little blankie is going to be queen size--20 squares by 20 squares.  Yep--that's 400 squares--I have 3 rows of 20 connected....that's 60 squares done....if I do a row a week, I've got 17 weeks to go--plus another week or so to do the border and edging---that puts me way after Christmas.  Back up---2 rows a week and a week for the border---done mid December.....and I'll probably still be able to squeeze in a couple of Christmas presents....but, when can I finish 22 Britannia Road (Amanda Hodgkinson)?????--it's really, really good!!

AmI getting a bit compulsive already?   drat!!!!!

 

WIP with Tami and Yarn-along with Ginny

WIP Wednesday

After all that frantic starting last week, I put most of those projects down, and finally pretty much settled in with Peasy, knit on a size 3mm (US 2) needle (I'm a ridiculously loose knitter), with Wensleydale Longwool dk that a friend very very generously gifted me from a trip overseas.  This is a UK yarn--the color is a rich maroon (in spite of how it looks in the picture), and a real wooly wool.  A sweater to layer for those brisk autumn walks with the dog!

 
 
I keep measuring and measuring--it's looking sort of on the small side.  A BIG blocking might help, but the measurements I THINK are pretty much right on.  The yarn is doing a real roll-job, so it's sort of hard to get a good measurement. Plus, I've got the stitches really scrunched on a 24" length needle, and they keep falling off when I try to measure.  

I was sort of surprised when I printed off the pattern to discover that this is another one by Heide Kirrmaier (of Vitamin D  fame from last week).  I guess I'm a groupie.

This is a perfect sweater to read with--after the lacey insets, it's just STOCKINETTE for. a. very. long. time.  I just (as in I just came from the grocery store, where I spent 20 minutes in the book aisle reading this....) started Tatiana de Rosnay's (Sarah's Key) new book, A Secret Kept, and will probably finish the sweater with this one--it pretty much grabbed me.

 I've also been listening (audible.com) to the Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews and making more wheels.  After working with the colors for awhile, I decided I needed just a couple more colors, so soon yellow, red, and light blue are going to be added to the mix.  I'm going to have to eventually decide what these wheels are going to turn into....small squares?  Center to larger squares?  Random colors?  All squares edged with a single color?  Lapsize?  Bed size?

 

 

 

Too many decisions.  Back to Dempsey and her old house restoration/renovations.  Now there's a girl with decisions to make!!! 

 

joinging...tamisamis for WIP Wednesday and gsheller for yarn along .....won't you join them, too?

Where the magic happens...

In our little cottage, most of the knitting "magic" takes place in 85 square feet (I just measured it) of former porch space.  Now, this might not sound like much room, but when you live in a cottage just a tad over 1000 square feet, reclaiming 85 sq ft of space is HUGE!!!   Over the years, previous owners have whittled away the original wrap around porch--the bedroom was enlarged, a bedroom was made (now my laundry room), PapaGeek's computer room was created--and about 8 years ago, we took an unused screened in porch and made it a "room".  I love my space.  I've FILLED my space.  And I spend a ridiculous amount of time in this space.  Want to see?

 
Let's see...the hutch holds knitting books.  It's full. I can't open it 'cause things fall out when I do.  There are a bunch of patterns stacked in there that haven't been "filed",either.  (I'm a former librarian--this is rather an embarrassment, so we just won't look.)  The crocheted bag--is holding wheels and yarn for that project.  I don't rock--the chair is to hold projects.  What's that yarn doing hanging from the door???  When something is around so long you don't see it anymore.  I think I was trying to untangle that and gave up.  (Glad I took this picture.  Need to do some tidying--obviously.)

 
hmmmmm--I see the quilt awaiting to be quilted, a cut out sundress (missed that season, didn't I?) some yarn for a shawl (maybe), a big glass container full of dishcloth/facecloth yarn, and some charity dish clothes that haven't been delivered yet. My granddad made the little doggy bench that holds all the sewing books. (I don't have many--I don't really know how to sew anything that has to fit.)  The blanket chest I think is full of soapmaking stuff--I don't do that too often.  And the old tool chest has beads, sewing stuff, and stretcher bars.

 

 

    
"THE CHAIR"!  Now I know why my Mom loved this chair so much.  It's really comfy.  The ottoman holds more projects, usually the "chosen" project of the moment.  The computer is within easy reach.

That's the scrapgan on the back of the chair.  Nope--not done, you just can't see the needles dangling from it.  It got too hot to work on--just about time to give it some love again.  (And speaking of what you can't see behind the chair--or under the chair...well, we just aren't going to go there, either!!!  That's where at least one sweater and 4-5 needlepoint projects have gone to sort of die hibernate.)

 
Little table by the chair--one bag is holding a shawl and a scarf (not sure why I doubled up there--surely I'm not out of bags!) and the other has another scarf started.  It holds all the knitting gadgets.  I LOVE gadgets--I'll empty it sometime and show you.  There is some cool stuff in there.

 
My Interweave Knits--I like them, they have a special spot (plus they don't fit in the cupboard.)  The queue of books--I really do read and knit at the same time.  A basket--two socks and a scarf started, and it looks like a couple of "maybe patterns" to try.  The ceramic pot on the bottom shelf is sort of a precursor to the yarn bowl.  It has a scarf in it that I don't like.  I just haven't gotten around to frogging it.  Two bags hanging--yep, more WIPs; Tiny Tears still doesn't own any knitted things. 

You know, this place is really a pit.  I don't even have any flowers on the desk--I ALWAYS have flowers over there (sometimes they are almost dead, but there's always something there...just not now.)   

In spite of the flag counter on the blog, I'm still pretty convinced no one is really reading this...it's still my little knitting journal...Pretend you haven't seen this-- I'm going to go clean it up (move all those WIP to the "WIP closet"--old house, we don't really have closets!!!)--and show it to you again someday----- when I have readers and it's CLEAN. 

WIP Wednesday...

Lots of starting, lots of going from one project to another, lots of rummaging in the stash......I'm afraid I'm stutter-starting projects, looking for the ONE I really want to work on.  A couple of contenders......

I haven't done any socks for awhile, so I cast on for Frosted Fields a pattern written by Beth Lutz for the Loopy Ewe and was one of the patterns offered in their (April??) yarn club--I got mine at the store, so I'm not sure which month this was.  It uses Paca-Peds, a superwash alpaca sock yarn from the Alpaca Yarn Company--very soft, very nice to knit with, and the kit offered contrasting yarn for the cuff, heel, and toe, a nice little touch.

 

My "mindless" project unfortunately, isn't going to be mindless for long...it's the Elfin Leaves scarf.  It starts out with a center section of garter stitch (perfect for reading... Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum) but when that section is done, it will get a bit more fiddly with a picked up border of leaves.  Using Noro silk garden sock yarn for this one.

 

I just had to get my hands into all that Knit Picks Swish I got over the weekend.  So I made a few crocheted "wheels"....

 
I guess this will eventually turn in to another random granny square throw; I'm in for the long haul with this one, so not expecting great things fast. 

 

I'll think I'll save the other 83 WIPs to show you another day.

What are you working on for fall???  (It's really almost here!!!!!!!!!)

 

joining tamisamis.blogspot.com with WIP Wednesday

and ginny at small things

I'm not a crocheter

No, I'm not a crocheter (I'm a KNITTER!).  This doesn't mean, though, that I don't ever crochet.  I do--sort of. 

There is something just old-fashioned cozy about granny squares.  I used to think of granny square afghans as so totally awful and grandma-ish (duh!), until I discovered Lucy's Attic24 blog.  Her colors!  Her style!  Her fun approach to granny squares and crocheting in general has made me a mini convert.  And crocheting goes FAST.

This was the overriding reason I started a boo-boo blanket for the CandyMan.  I decided he needed this--and I only had a couple weeks to finish it before he had some minor surgery (if you call any kind of surgery on a 7 year old minor).  Colors were a given--it would have to be University of Kentucky Wildcat blue and white.  (We live in Kentucky--about 3/4 of the inhabitants of Kentucky claim their blood runs blue for UK, whether they are alums or not.  I don't get this.  My blood just runs red.)

Anyway, I had a limited time to finish this, so crocheting it had to be.  On your mark, get set CROCHET!!!  100 little granny squares and the border--if I do x number of squares a day....oh, I can do a few more than that...a couple of insomniatic nights...got a few extra in there...put some pasta on to boil, I can get a square done while it cooks...yep, I was POSSESSED!!!!!!!!!!!   Started on a Thursday and it was done by Sunday morning.  PHEW.  I'm happy.  DONE.  (I think this makes me a project (not process) crocheter.)

SUCCESS.