Third Time is the Charm

Susan and I are knitting a prayer shawl for Joyce. Joyce has been battling breast cancer and has just recently had to have a radical mastectomy. We love Joyce and want her to feel better and get cancer free. Both Susan and I are knitting half of the shawl and then Susan will join the two halves together using the kitchner stitch. By all rights, I should have 12 inches done. However, ....


I have started my half for the third time. With the first attempt I sneezed and dropped about six stitches and they got away from me. It was a hopeless mess, the stitches were sloppy, and the lace design was off. I learned several things with the first attempt. (1) Don't try knitting lace in the hotel lobby bar at Madrona, there are too many destractions, the lighting is bad, and wine (in this case) doesn't help, (2) if you are having a sneezing fit due to allergies PUT DOWN THE LACE KNITTING, and (3) stitch markers are your friend.

With the second attempt, I dropped stitches, made a mess fixing them, and then messed up on the count. I ended up again with sloppy knitting, with a right lean bias, and the cast on and garter stitch border at the beginning were too tight. I learned with the second attempt that (1) lifelines are your friend, (2) don't knit in bad light, (3) gauge is important in the cast on, (4) USE LACE NEEDLES, and finally (5) don't try to use a new knitting method with lace. Last night I frogged the whole mess and was ready to call Susan and say "no way."

After a good night's sleep, I'm trying for the third time. This time I cast on using size 8 needles, knit the garter stitch border with size 7 needles, and am knitting the shawl with size 6 lace needles. It's looking better, and I'm feeling better.

We are using sock yarn from Fancy Image Yarns in a color we know will be beautiful on Joyce.

I put on one stitch marker so I will know when to start the k2tog, yo, k2tog ... row. Not a difficult stitch, but I need to know when I am ready to start row four. With the first attempt, I started the lace row on row five a couple of times, and well, it was a mess.

I was feeling like a hopeless failure until I read Stephanie's blog. There must be something in the air. If the Yarn Harlot is having problems with lace knitting, then I'm doing okay. Stephanie, if I can do it, you most definitely can!

Also, Stephanie, I'll take your advice and practice the lever knitting technique on something else instead of the lace.

TTFN

Sue

Look Twice

Some people are just too clever, with unlimited imaginations. I'm sorry to say I'm not one of them. I came across this picture last night. This is too funny. I had to look at this picture twice before I got it.


See what I mean?

TTFN

Sue

Socks and Dogs

I finished a pair of socks today. These socks are from the sock sheet I painted last summer in Sequim. A Dropped Stitch celebrated their first year in their current location and invited a bunch of us out to Nora's for dinner. I unraveled as I knit, which seemed really, really odd at first. The texture of the yarn is kinky so the texture of the knitted sock is different. The socks were fun to do and after a while there was a bit of a thrill to be constructively unraveling knitting. I like the socks.

In taking pictures of these socks I was trying to figure out how do some of my fellow bloggers get really good pictures. Either the light is off ...

I don't get the entire sock into the picture ...

and maybe it's because I get help. Louie, quite frankly, wanted me to move my foot and quit with the flash, so he could get back to his nap.
A.J. wasn't disturbed, just would have like to have been able to see what was going on.

Edgar? Well, do I need to say more?

And then there's Johnny!!!!

TTFN

Sue

The Teddy Bears Have a New Home

We had a baby shower at work. Katie is expecting her baby boy any day now and her baby seemed like the perfect match for this blanket.Unfortunately, this picture really doesn't show off the embossed bears. I got this pattern here. I love this blanket and it was a fun project. I plan to make it again for another baby.

When I walked into the conference room where we were having the shower I saw this cake and thought "wow."

Teddy bear, and the same color.
Katie loves it and is planning on keeping her little baby boy nice and warm in it. I told Katie it's a snuggle blankie and completely washable. Every baby boy needs a sturdy snuggle blankie he can drag around with him.

Happy baby Katie!

TTFN

Sue

What a Weekend!!!!

Susan and I went to Madrona this past weekend and what a weekend it was. I took great classes, we met some wonderful people, said hello to old friends, bought yarn, and knit. I didn't take any pictures, too busy knitting, talking and enjoying the weekend. Each night as I fell asleep I had pictures of new knitting projects I wanted to start, and new techniques I wanted to perfect. Whew!

On Thursday I took Vivian Hoxbro's class Colors in Knitting and what a blast it was. Vivian loves color and her love is contagious. She is such a delightful woman and makes you see color in such an amazing way. For someone like me who has a hard time visualizing different color combinations, this class was a revelation. Thank you Vivian. Susan and I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Vivian one morning and what a delight it was.

Friday morning found Susan and I in Sally Melville's class Knit to Flatter and Fit. This was the class we needed our "truth be told" paper dolls. We laughed, we listened, and learned. What was quite the surprise, however, was to discover that Susan and I both had pretty much been using the "flatter" principles already. Love Sally. Sally loves to teach and you can tell that she does. The morning went by FAST.

Saturday morning I took Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's class Knitting for Speed and Efficiency: So Many Knits So Little Time! Stephanie taught her "lever" method of knitting and I was amazed at how much faster I can knit using this technique. We did two time tests, one at the beginning of class and the other at the end of class using the new technique. I knit 16 stitches per minute at the beginning and 30 stitches per minute at the end. I'm going to work on this. I have so many things I want to knit. Of course, Stephanie was a delight and the class was fun.

Yesterday I got to spend the whole day with Sally in her class Essential Skills for the Self-Taught Knitter. Loved it. Not only is Sally an amazing teacher, she is such a delight to learn from. I learned how to pick up stitches around a neckline (WOW!) and beautiful knit buttonholes. She also showed us how to sew seams using the mattress stitch and it finally makes sense to me. Sally, thanks so much.

I started a prayer shawl and a sock while at Madrona. I think I need to frog both because it's obvious I was visiting, listening, drinking, and just having too much fun. The knitting in the sock is a mess, and the stitch pattern in the shaw is interesting.

Well, off to do laundry and to work on the lever method of knitting.

Thanks to Suzanne and Corny for putting together Madrona. You two ladies are gems.

TTFN

Sue

31 Wonderful Years and More to Come

Happy Anniversary to David and I. Last Wednesday we celebrated our 31st anniversary of marital vows. It's hard to believe. It doesn't seem like it until we start recapping everything we have done in the last 31 years.

We have moved 10 times.

We've lived in three states; Oregon, Alaska and Washington.

We have raised two wonderful sons.

We have said goodbye to too many friends and relatives, including one Dad and two Moms.

We have remodeled our house too many times to remember.

We bought and love Edgar's Acres.

We have loved and lost six pets.

We currently have 5.

We have owned 8 cars.

We have made new friends, and said goodbye to old friends.

We have gotten grayer, rounder and a little slower.

We've advanced from beer to wine.

We have moved from the Disney Channel with out sons, to American Idol and the Animal Planet with our dogs.

We used to give each other romantic anniversary gifts, now its trailers to hook to a riding lawnmower, and having the furnace and ducting cleaned.

We have finally figured out how to grow all the produce we need organically in the Pacific Maritine Northwest region.

In each of the 31 years, we have cherished the time we could have together.

We still have a lot we want to do, and do it together.

Happy Anniversary David. I love you and love our life together.

Sue

Edgar Has a New Sweater

On Christmas Day Susan came over with her Dog Sweater Book and told Edgar she was going to knit him a sweater. Frank and John were there and said "Uh, wait a minute. A sweater for Edgar, what kind of a sweater?" Susan showed them the patterns and designs in the book and assured them that Edgar's sweater would be very fitting for him.

Look at Edgar. He loves his sweater.

Susan knit him a fair isle sweater and he loves it. He so kindly posed for us so we could take his picture and show everyone how handsome he looks.

He told me I had to take a close up so you could see the lovely fair isle design in his sweater.
He walked around and showed off his sweater to all of us ...
and then he decided he was ready for a nap. As we all know, Edgar loves to sleep.
And he does it so well.

This weekend Susan and I came over to Edgar's Acres for a lovely knitting respite. We came over on Thursday night because of Friday I had the Karsten Homes guy coming over to do some final finishing touches. Then Casey, the deck guy, came over in the afternoon to give the me bid for the decking we need done at Edgar's Acres.

Friday night Susan and I went through the seed cataloges to finalize what we are going to plant in the garden patch and then I hooked up and ordered the seeds and plants I wanted from Johnny's Seeds and Territorial Seeds. I always order my seeds from these two companies since they both primarily feature seeds specifically for a northern climate such as Edgar's Acres.

Saturday we ran errands and went to visit Nora and Jean at A Dropped Stitch. Love those ladies and love their store. I picked up some lovely Alpaca With A Twist to make a pair of gloves with. Katy came over Saturday to spend the night and we had a great visit. Since Katy is not a knitter we waited to make our trip to the lumber store until she got here. We then went and I got David's anniversary gift. For once I'm ahead of the game.

Yesterday we went over to Fort Hadlock to see Sandy at Textile Fiber Arts and had a wonderful visit with her. Even Katy went with us. It was the first time she had ever been in a yarn store, but she was a good sport. I picked up some more yarn for this project ...

I started this project the week after Christmas. I just couldn't do any more socks, hats or sweaters. I also needed to knit something in COLOR since all of the knitting I had done for three months was in the male range of colors ... black, brown, gray. I have had this idea for an afghan in my head for quite a while and decided this would be the perfect project. It is. I can't put it down. I have become obsessed with garter stitch segments, picking up stitches, and casting off. This block of the afphan now looks like this.

It measures 35 x 25 inches. It is now too cumbersome to drag along when I'm traveling so I started another block.

I'm thinking four blocks will be enough for a good sized afghan. Now, if you feel like tilting your head, here's what they look like next to each other (can't figure out how to rotate on this Blogspot).

I am having fun with this. I don't need to count. Don't need to worry if I have enough yarn. Best of all, I don't need to worry if it is going to fit.

Last night Susan and I made paper dolls for our Fit and Flatter class with Sally Melville at the Madrona Knitting Retreat. Only for Sally.


Well, the lovely knitting retreat is coming to an end. Susan and I promised Louie that we would let him take a sunbath on the deck this afternoon before we head back to Bellevue. He was taking a lovely sunbath yesterday when we told him we were heading over to Sandy's (she won't let me in the place without Louie).

TTFN

Sue