Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Bit of Summer


A Bit of Summer
Originally uploaded by january spin
This greets me in the kitchen. I love having a bit of the outdoors to look at while I'm washing dishes or cooking. Ok, the cooking part is something of a stretch, but it is the kitchen after all and I might cook sometime.

The tall lacy looking flowers are curly leaf parsley that is going to seed. The purple flowers are Purple Coneflower and actually the green is the same thing. It just decided to be green in the midst of all the purple flowers. The green plant showed up about 4 years after I originally planted the Purple Coneflowers.

The vase was one I found several years ago and it and the orange dressed mermaid given to me by friends, make me smile. Not a bad way to start the day.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Hotter Than...

When it gets to be in the 90s without a lot of relief in sight, I find it is a great excuse to hibernate and knit. Hmm, yes I know, I rarely need an excuse to hibernate and knit but if I say that it's because of the heat, it sounds better. Maybe.

The day started off with taking the dogs to the veterinarian. Allie had managed to get something in her eye over the weekend and scratched it a bit. Fortunately I was able to get them there before it became roasty toasty outside.


I am "making yarn" for a shawl for a friend. She wanted something in red which of course is adding to the sense of warmth even with the a/c cranked on "just above really, really cold." Actually, after looking at my electric bill last year, I am using my 2 floor fans more this summer.

The yarns are a lot more red and less "pink" than this picture shows.

Yarn for red shawl

Now onto the knitting. I have about 5 or 6 red yarns that I am using for this shawl and will add more as I go along.  The CO will be about 140 sts and I'm using size 13 circular needles so once I actually start knitting, it should go rather quickly.

When I talk about "making yarn" I mean that I am cutting various yarns into 12-14" pieces and then just knotting them together with an overhand knot as I did for the blue shawl.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

From Momma's stash


From Momma's stash
Originally uploaded by january spin
I was sorting through my Mom's knitting needles and found these. No
telling how old they are as Mom passed away over 26 years ago.

I just love that there is that connection of knitting still after all
these years. It made those years disappear and once again I am a
little girl sitting next to her trying to learn to knit and crochet.

Miss you Mom.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Having a Sabbath Day

It's been a while since I have stayed home almost all day without doing a lot. I went out at lunch time to bring some food home but other than that, I have been hibernating. There is a whole long list of should dos but it is now late afternoon and I am just resting.

It's a day of resting on the couch watching the traffic, what there is of it, go by and generally just taking it easy. I don't often do this but every once in a while the allergies / sinuses decide to let me know they're around and rest becomes important and necessary. It's not a bad thing. Thus, the title of having a Sabbath day. It's a day of rest and if I think of it that way, I'm not chomping at the bit to get out and "do" something.  I don't know about the rest of you but I can let my life get to the point that extremely busy becomes the norm. It's only when I make a determined effort to rest that I realize the peace involved in a Sabbath type day.

I did a bit of knitting on a washcloth and , obviously, I'm writing on my blog but that pretty much covers the extent of my effort at anything today. I have found that when I am forced to rest like this, the mind wanders and I think of possibilities. Possibilities are exciting things. You may never actually DO them, but thinking about them provides great entertainment.

Oh, I have been playing Words With Friends on my iPhone today. If you have an iPhone, and don't have this app, be sure to get it. Lots of fun and a great way to stretch the mind. I think I am currently playing WWF with 5 other people but since a couple of the people I am playing with only make a move every few days, it's not a high pressure thing.

One of the things I have been thinking about is January Spin-in. I am so excited about one of the things Cheryl and I have decided to do. Isn't it fun to have a friend whose mind is as twisted as your own?

Hmm, sitting on the couch looking out the window has made me realize that although I would love to have a front yard filled with flowers and lots of mulch, I would miss the look of the grass in the shade. It looks so cool out there and I know it's not.

Did I mention that the mind tends to ramble during Sabbath time? Apparently mine does but it's restful kind of rambling, not frantic, "oh I have to get that done" type of rambling.

Ok, it's probably time to rest the fingers and the dogs are starting to make noises about being hungry---again.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Busting the Stash

Well, I am working on a project that is really going to bust the stash. I am knitting a blue / turquoise shawl out of anything cotton, ribbon, acrylic, or unknown fiber which meets the criteria of being in that color range. I cast on what seems like 18 zillion stitches as I am knitting the length. The needle size is 10 circulars and the Addis are working beautifully as the various fibers slide nicely along the shaft. This is important when some of the fibers you are using tend to cling together.

This shawl is going to be heavier that I had anticipated but I also think it is going to be a very fun thing to wear. ... in cooler weather.

Preparation for this shawl has involved gathering the yarns together (I've been back to the stash several times) and then cutting them into 12-14 inch strips. Some of the yarns, such as the ribbons, stand alone but other are put in groups of 2 or 3 . They are tied together using an overhand knot (yea for the days as a Cub Scout leader) and this is done without any order so no pattern of yarn use is established. That has been necessary as I am sure I am going to run out of a couple of the yarns before I'm finished. I have actually held back some of a couple of the yarns so I can reintroduce them later in the shawl.

I am probably half way done and am already to move on to another project. Yes, it has once again become apparent that I am a process person. I have figured out how to do this shawl and am looking for the next thing. I'll finish this one because there are several different stages to it and because I am sure I will enjoy the finished project but mentally, I think I have moved to something else.