Just A Thought...

How did a fool and his money get together?

Apple Blossoms

Our apple tree is in blossom and it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop this year. I have snapped a few photos of the blossoms.


So far I have been using the auto mode on my camera to take pictures. There are so many more options on my DSLR camera which I do not know how to use and I do not know where to begin. At first, I thought about subscribing to a photography magazine. However, I am trying to pair down and my libray is already stuffed. I have come across Digital Photography School on the internet. It's web site has articles for the beginner and provides a weekly email newsletter. The associated blog offers hands-on "Weekly Assignments", each dwelling on different aspect of a camera's function, lighting, photo composition and more. On top of all this, it is free.

Mckenzie Purse Handle

I have finally cast on for the handles of this purse. However, I am not sure I like the i-cord knitted on size 11 US needles. I think I may rip it out and knit in the round instead. I plan to insert and secure 1/8 inch plastic tubing (from hardware store) in the handle. Now, how shall I connect the handles to the purse? I have thought about making a flange at each end of the handle by knitting the yarn flat for about four or five inches on each end. When it is felted it should be about half of it's original size and all I need to do is to tack the flange to the purse. Another thought would be to secure the flanges to purse metal rings and sew the rings to the purse. If I choose to do that I will need to place an order for the rings. Hmm.... Decisions.

On another note, I bought a Ashland Sky Needle Knit Sack from Elann to store my circular needles. The problem I am facing is that I have way more needles that can fit in the holders. I guess this is a good time to pare down.

Just A Thought...

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

A Nice Day To Be Outside

Yesterday was an ideal spring day to be outside. The sun was shining and the temperature was nice and warm. Our grandson, Hunter, had spent the weekend with us. He pitched in to help wash the pots. We planted three types of tomato plants, two of each, cheery, beef steak and roma. Mike bought them the weekend before at a local mom and pop farm in the valley. The corner of the deck is the initial resting place for the tomato plants. As they grow, they will no doubt be moved to more advantages spots.

Our ground here is hard pan with topsoil added for lawn. Planting anything here means hauling out the picks and removing rocks, rocks and more rocks. We have an acre and a quarter of land and after building the house, I began to build flower beds. I could only manage one bed per year as it meant digging down at least a foot and a half and bringing in the appropriate soil. Many years later the beds, trees, shrubs, roses, bulbs, perennials, raspberries, grapes and blueberries are in. The planting bug has been replaced by just trying to keep up as my health's ups and downs permit. That being said, I bought a tree to replace one that we had to remove due to being planted to close to the house. Ah, the trials and errors of gardening. This poor little tree sat in its' one gallon pot for three or four years. At first I could not decide were to plant it and second neither my husband nor I wanted to drag out the pick.

Enter one nine year old with bounds of energy, a small landscaping ax and some heavy bribing (pizza for fuel and some cold cash) from two tired grandparents and the poor little root bound tree was planted. All that was needed was some guidance from grandma as Hunter dug, planted and then watered the tree.

The tree is now called Hunter's Tree.

Yes, that is a dandelion next to the tulips and forget me nots. I have not weeded that flower bed yet so I have decided to treat it as a "pretty yellow flower" until I yank it out. What is in your flower bed?

Angel Puff Scarf - Finished & Lessons Learned

I am sort of happy with this scarf. I plan to re-block the edges of the scarf as I was not able to insert blocking wires into the sides. The stitches were too small after felting and the pin marks are visible. I will try steaming the edges to remove the marks. Another thing I noticed was my knitting tension was more relaxed by the time I finished the scarf. The felted fabric on one end of the scarf was tighter and I had to stretch that area to match. The Silken Kydd is a lace weight yarn and mohair is very unforgiving. I plan to knit a jacket (no felting) with this yarn in black. I will certainly pay attention to this.

With puffs, what you see before felting is what you will get after. When wrapping the marbles it is imperative that the placement and the fabric is adjusted to produce the puff effect that you want. Can you see the dangling puff at the lower left side of the scarf? The rubber band had a strangle hold on the fabric behind the puff and should have been adjusted closer to the marble.

So would I do it again? Yes. I had an opportunity to work with a lace weight yarn and try a new yarn manipulation technique. Have you tried anything like this? Please share your experience.

Note: Measurements before felting was 6 x 68 inches and after 4 x 53 inches. I had cast on 36 stitches instead of 45 the it called for in the pattern.

Adding Puffs To The Angel Puff Scarf

I used rubber bands to secure small marbles to make the puffs for this scarf. I washed the scarf by hand in hot tap water and dish soap in a large bowl. I agitated and rubbed the scarf to force the felting and shocked it with a cold water rinse. At that point, I determined that more felting was needed and repeated the process, adding a little hair conditioner in the last rinse. A few of the marbles along the edges fell out few times during the felting. I just secured them back in the fabric with the rubber bands. The scarf in now pinned and drying on a towel on the living room carpet. The picture to the left shows the scarf before felting.

Notes & Tips

Keep a folded square of waxed paper in your knitting bag. Before starting a project, buff your wood or bamboo needles to keep your stitches sliding smoothly.

Angel Puff Scarf

Alright, I finished knitting this scarf. It measures 6" x 68". I was planning to knit it to 70" in length, but I just wanted this scarf to end. I am dealing with some pain in my back right now and the knitting does not help. If the weather would just level out for a while, I would not feel like a pain barometer. Ah, time for a pain pill miss grumpy. Yes. Now off to make the puffs and some felting. My washer is a front loader and I felted my purse in it with no problems. However, I want to control the amount of felting of this scarf so I plan to swish it around in a large bowl of hot soapy water. I will take some pictures of the before and after of the scarf. But first, my pain pill needs to kick in.

Just added this picture. I will use small marbles and rubber bands. The rubber bands are used to secure the fabric covered marbles.

Just A Thought...

If the #2 pencil is so popular, why is it still #2?

Think Big - Cozies

I seem to have cozies on the brain lately. I was just cruising the Ravelry forums and found an entry titled "Gas Station Cozy". Curiosity got the best of me, I just had to click and the link and see. Are you curious too? Here is the link to the web site.

Ok, now that you have seen the cozy, check out this giant pink wool bunny.


These are not big, but there are some strange cozies at this site. Someone has actually tested cozies of all kinds. The purpose here is to see is which will keep beer the coldest. See where the knitted one showed in the rankings.

I think that cozies have taken on a life of their own. There seem to be all over the web. Here are some patterns for a whole slew of cozies along with some other items.

Purse To Go - Inserts

Note: Here is the Purse To Go website.
I found these Purse To Go inserts on Ebay a while back and finally decided to give them a try. They are purse inserts which have several pockets inside the perimeter of each. The idea is that you fill it with your purse items and just move the loaded insert from purse to purse. Quick and easy. They come in different colors and three different sizes and can be purchased singly or with all three sizes in a pack. I just bought the three different sizes pack in black. I am thinking that the mid sized one will fit my Makenzie purse and all I would need to do is sew it in. No fuss and muss of making a fabric liner by hand. Now I better get working on the handles. I love it when a plan comes together. I will let you now how it goes in a future post.

I am also thinking of using one of the inserts in my knitting bag.

Has anyone else tried these? Let me know what you think of these.

Sari Silk Yarn

Look what came in the mail today. Yeah! Sari Silk yarn from Darn Good Yarns on the internet. For $37.00 you get 5 skeins, 500gms total, 400-450 yards of gorgeous yarn. The price includes shipping. What a sweet deal. The spinning on these skeins are nice an even it is comparable to worsted weight. Now what should I knit? A shawl or maybe a stole. I can see some swatching will be done tonight.

What have you made with this type of yarn. Please share your experience. I would loved to see what you have made.

Note: This picture does not reflect the true deep jewel tones of this beautiful yarn.

Garden and Angel Puff Scarf

I spent some time in the garden yesterday and managed to get some pruning, raking and the pulling of some weeds. Oh, and I planted some Oriental Lilies. It felt good to be outside.

I found a bird's nest atop the front porch light. Looks like there was an earlier attempt that had slid off and lay resting on the entry tile. The nest was empty and hubby removed it. Sorry little birds, but you leave nasty little droppings on the tile.

I have used up a ball of Silken Kydd on the Angel Puff Scarf. The scarf is now 6" x 46" . I attached a second ball of yarn and will knit the length to 60" as I want the felted results to be longer that the 32" as indicated in the pattern.

Rock Band Game's Drum Cozies

Hey gamers! Is your Rock Band drumming driving everyone nuts? I found the perfect solution for you on Etsy. The set shown at this link's picture has been made by a clever crocheter. But a knitter and/ or felter could also conjure up their own version of these. What a great stash burner and it would certainly make peace in your family. Gift them to all your wanna be drummer game friends. Do not stop there! Make a larger set and give it to that heavy metal garage band that practices down the block. Do not forget the electric guitar player's amp. I am sure it needs a muzzle, er.., uhm.. a cozy. Just think about the harmony you could spread.

Cozy Dish Cloth?

One evening, about week ago, I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Standing at the sink and filling my glass from the tap I glimpsed my mug cozy sitting on the counter near the sink. I thought this odd as I usually keep it atop an over sized mug that holds espresso making paraphernalia. I picked up the cozy to return it to its home and found it was wet. What the.... heck? With wet cozy in hand, I walk into the den to see my husband. Before I could get the words out I saw the sheepish but guilty grin on my his face. "I thought it was a dish cloth" he said. He had washed out the sinks and wiped the counters that evening. Part way through the chore he had realized that dish cloths do not have ties and are not tubular.

Hhmm... How should I react? Do I chalk this up as a honest mistake or was this a fiendish assault on my mug cozy? Let's look at the facts:

• Dish cloths are made of cotton and were hand knitted by me.

• Hubby can not tell the difference between cotton and wool. I believe this is due to the fact that males have one missing chromosome. ;)

• Clean dish clothes are keep in a drawer with the kitchen towels.

• The cozy resides at its home (atop the storage mug) next to the espresso machine and on the opposite side of the kitchen.
  

• My hubby did realize his error and corrected it.

• He was obliviously remorseful.
  

• The kitchen sink and counters were nice and clean

• The kitchen was not cleaned by me (yeah).

Hmm... "Yes dear, I understand how you could mistake this cozy for a dish cloth", I said and smiled. The relief smoothed over his face. I left the room, hand washed the cozy and placed it on a heat vent to dry for it's next day of use. Did I mention how how nice and clean the kitchen looked?

What hand crafted fiasco have you had with a family member, friend or acquaintance? Please share.

Spring Stash Organization

Not much actual knitting going on right now. But I did do some knitting/spinning organization and destash. I pulled out some older Knit 'N Style magazines. I have not knit anything from them and decided it was time for them to go. My sister likes the magazines and so there is a box with here name on it. I did look through them and copied a few summer tops and reference pages. I also dug out some old Fashion Knitting magazines and added them to the box. If she does not care for those she can take to the thrift store that she volunteers at. OK, now an addition to my stash. I was able to buy some Knitter's magazines from a fellow knitter on Ravelry. I had let my subscription lapse and she just happened to have the two years that were missing from my library. What a sweet deal.

I also brought out some yarns from my stash. I am putting all of my yarns into Raverly, a little at a time. Just need to snap some pictures of these and upload them. It is nice to have a visual reference and see what others made with the same yarn. I have some of those space saver bags that I plan place a lot of my yarn in. I am thinking it would be easier to see the yarns in these bags rather than rummaging through the storage containers in my attic... er, fiber room.

How do you store your yarns? In a cupboard, dresser, under the bed? Do you remember what you have or are you like me, always surprised to see what is there?

Knitting Never Felt Better - Review

What lead me to this book? A desktop wallpaper that I found and downloaded from the Vogue Knitting site. I kept staring at those "puffs" on my computer screen and wondered how they were made. I could see that there were knitted, but they were hollow and how did they stay in that shape? I could not get my mind around it. One day (really one of many days) as I was perusing patterns and other knitter's projects on Ravelry I came across several scarves with "puffs". The same type of puffs that are in my desktop wallpaper picture. Quickly, I navigated to the pattern source. Ah ha, "Knitting Never Felt Better, The Definitive Guide To Fabulous Felting" by Nicky Epstein. The puffs belong to the Angel Puff Scarf which I have on the needles. I immediately ordered the book.

I think the overall layout of the book is nicely done and everything is well photographed with before and after felting. Chapters cover the basics of felting, dimensional, stitch patterns, techniques, appliques, cords and handles, templates and sculptural felting. Patterns include two hats, two cute purses, different types purse handles, a shawl, scarves, toys, stuffed animals, fruit, flowers and more. It also has directions for the felting of old sweaters to create fabric which can be used with the section of included templates.

If you are just looking just for felting patterns this book may not be for you. However, it you want to be inspired to create your own felted objects, buy this book. It is an excellent resource and will take its place next to Barbra Walker's knitting stitches and other knitting reference books in my library. Amazon has the book for just under $20.00 and in my opinion it is well worth it.

I will be making a I-cord purse handle (for Mckenzie bag) from this book. Now, to decide which one to use. Decisions.

So do you have this book or are you thinking about getting it? Let me know what you think about it.

Ready To Spin The Wheel

About two weeks ago I dusted off and oiled my spinning wheel. It had been sitting patiently in the corner of the the dinning room waiting for me to pay attention to it. It is now resting near the living room in a prominent place where I to walk past it during the day. Today I took it outside to take its picture during a sun break between the rain, hail and snow. It seems spring is still arm wrestling winter for seasonal dominance. I made a to make a trip to the fiber room, formally known as the upstairs attic, to choose some wool to spin. The spinning fiber rivals my yarn stash. I also refuse to count the pillow cases stuff with washed and tag wool. I did come across a tall basket of fiber I had dyed in different colors a few years back. Next step will be to card it. This will be fun.

The wheel is a Jensen Tina II that I bought about 10 years ago but could not remember the name of it. I look for the receipt in the file cabinet but could locate it. I perused dozens of internet yarn and spinning shops before I came across it. I think I will write the name of it on the under side of the wheel.

What kind of wheel do you have and what is your favorite fiber to spin? What is your least favorite?

Fluffy Pink Stuff - Mindless Knitting? Not!

Angel Puff Scarf - I seriously thought I would have been done with the knitting of this scarf by now. In an earlier post I had deemed this project as "mindless knitting". Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. The yarn, Silken Kydd, is actually a thin thread of silk with baby fine mohair spun into it. When knitted, is is a very soft and somewhat fuzzy. Due to my caviler attitude about this project, I found that I had dropped far to many stitches that could not be knitted back up without puckering the fabric. So I frogged a nearly half done scarf and started over. It is a bear to rip out fuzzy mohair! I am slowly proceeding and keeping my eye out for any elusive errant stitch