Hot, Humid Lazy Days of Summer…

In the hot, humid summer days we have been catching up on yard work, house work, and discovered Roku!

A great cheap way to get our TV. So I’ve had some TV knitting! We have had just an antenna for about 4 years now, so there are all kinds of shows out there I’ve never seen.

I’m starting another quilt. More on that later. And thinking of letting my hair go grey. The coloring is becoming rather tiring. Every two weeks is too expensive to go professional. I have been using henna for almost two years. Love the feel of my hair with it. But e-gods it is messy, and with the increasing greys, comes more of an orange color vs.: auburn. I found Anne Kreamer’s book Going Gray, and have been inspired to give it a go, after all I can color it again if I don’t like it. I also found this web site, Going Gray and Looking Great, if my hair actually looks like any of these ladies does, I’ll be happy.

Anyone out there letting their color grow out? I’ve been coloring since I was in my mid-late 20’s, and have let it grow out 2x’s. I ended up recoloring it soon after the grow out was finished. But I haven’t let it show up for about 10 years or more.

Scary! Anyone have any words of wisdom?

Keep knitting..

Catching up

This summer has been busy! My brother got married to a wonderful gal who has a cool edgy daughter. I am super excited to have a sister-in-law and be an aunt all at once!

Lots of yard work! We are enjoying beautiful flowers, and even have some tomatoes! Of course I’ve had help from Syd, who loves to oversee (and help with) any digging in the yard.

In the way of knitting, I finally took stock of my UFO’s and decided that the toe up sock had sat long enough, I frogged it and started a plain sock in self patterning yarn in the two circular needle method! Paula who blogs as The Quilter, urged me to try this method. I have tried various methods and always returned to the dpn’s. But this one is a keeper, easy, fast and great for travel knitting! No dpn’s to slide out of my stitches and get lost!

Take a look at this You Tube video on using two circular needles to knit socks, it is easy and fun! The Video is by Cat Bordhi and is the same method as her book. (which I recommend, it has a variety of good patterns to get you started)

Links here….knitting socks on two circulars part 1, knitting socks on two circulars part 2 (all by Cat Bordhi)

Keep creating!!

Wouldn't You Like To Be Knitting Here??

No vacation for us this year. I've got my surgery scheduled, so there goes my PTO time.

So I'll have to enjoy everyone's vacation photos, and do some knitting while I'm at it.

May your knitting needles fly as fast as Dragonflies.....

Baby Surprise Jacket, Tomtem

Back to my same theme, who doesn’t love Elizabeth Zimmermann??

Her baby Surprise jacket (rav link)  is the evolution of several patterns.

From what I can piece together, that pattern is the result of her playing around with the basic idea for a bit.

I see that she made the Baby Garter-stitch Jacket: The Prequel, which is published in Wool Gathering #61, sept 99. A very nice simple baby jacket. I also found the Surplice Jacket, (rav link) published in Woolgathering #50

. I also found the Tomtem jacket (rav link), which has a hood, and I love this addition to the pattern. Although this pattern was written for a child, I decided to give it a go, and try to make it for a baby present!

Yarn:I settled on some Organic Cotton, I had knitted a small project with this and fell in love with it. It just keeps getting softer and nicer. I also wanted a color that wasn’t a baby color, and finally decided on this one called “spice”.

I fearlessly cast on, knit about 6 rows and realize this would fit me, not a baby. OK, frog it, and start over, after repeating this with smaller needles, and then, decreasing the stitches needed. I finally come up with something that looks like it would fit a baby!

The term Tomtem or Tomte is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. Tomte or Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the house folk were asleep.

In the 1840s the farm's nisse became the bearer of Christmas presents in Denmark, and was then called julenisse (Yule Nisse), this little guy looks like our Santa Claus.

At any rate, a cross between Santa and a Gnome, this farm troll is a fitting creature to protect children.

After much dithering around about how to install the zipper, I ended up basting it in, (this made it much easier!!) , and then using the sewing machine to sew it. I whip stitched along the edges. I decided this would be sturdier in the long run, and the application turned out to be simple.

Now I just have to wrap it up and send it off. I think her baby has just arrived!

May your knitting needles fly as fast as Dragonflies…..

Road trip knitting

Frogged my toe up socks, couldn't figure out where i was in the pattern and started some generic socks using the two circular needle method.

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