Yarn crafts and Science

Yes, you read that correctly. Science combines with crochet and knitting to solve some of the big questions in the thinking world. Scienceline has a wonderful article that I highly encourage you to read regarding this subject. I would attempt to summarize it for you here, but I wouldn't do it justice. Suffice it to say that it is eye-opening and enlightening. Who doesn't need that?

Well, that is it for now. I am sorry that it has been so long between posts but I have had my hooks and needles flying and I will post pics and details soon. Really!

UFOs

How many UFOs do you have hidden away?

I ask because I recently went into my overcrowded yarn closet and tried to find a small ball of yarn to embellish something with and had to pull out a lot of stuff to find it. As I searched I came across a baby sweater that I started almost a year ago, had to buy more yarn for it, then totally forgot about it. This is never going to fit the child it was intended for. I then found a scarf that I had completed, the rest of the yarn is still with it, but I never made the mittens to match. Luckily, those are the only 2 UFOs that I had in the closet, but it made me wonder if everyone else has some forgotten or avoided UFOs in their closets too. Am I the only one?

Also, I would like to let you know that Vickie Howell has a great give away contest on her blog. The contest ends June 26th, so don't hesitate as the prizes are books!

Heel success!

Hello everyone! I am in a much better mood today. The reason: I have successfully turned the heel and knit the heel flap for my toe-up nanner socks!!! (and the crowd goes wild!) Yes, it is true, success at last. I must give much thanks to the very helpful and knowledgeable knitters on Ravelry . Their patience and guidance had a lot to do with my finally understanding the how, if not the why, of the pattern. All that is left is the leg and cuff of the sock, which I hope to complete with a minimum of frogging. Oh yeah, there is the matter of the 2nd sock. Oh well, I am not going to dwell on that during this jubilant celebration of the nanner sock heel.

I would like to thank all who have read this blog and sat on the edge of your seat, just hoping for me to make it over this knitting hump. I know that you too are sharing in my joy :)

Frogging...again.

I have been frogging, and frogging, and frogging. I loath frogging. It seems like just when I think I have figured out this toe-up sock, I have to frog again. That is why I haven't posted for so long, since I haven't produced anything of consequence.

I have decided that frogging is a learning experience. That is the mantra I repeat as I frog. Frogging is a learning experience....ohhhhmmmmmmm. If this theory holds up, I must be a genius by now! I guess the fact that I keep frogging the same heel turn stitches means that I haven't learned anything yet, but I will keep trying. You keep on trying too!

Mondays...

What is it that makes a Monday so...you know? Today it may be the weather. It is dismal, dreary and drizzling here in central Maine. But not all Monday weather is bad. So why do Mondays seem so much more difficult. More importantly, how do we change it? Is is just a perception? Answers seem to be evading me.

Well, I have managed to work the toe increases and then start on the lace pattern. Knitting lace is a first for me. Also, I have never knit from a chart before. So I did have to frog frequently, but I have a couple of repeats completed and I am quite pleased with myself. I don't know for sure if it is correct, but it is okay until someone tells me otherwise. Below is a picture of what I have done so far. More pics to come when they are completed.

Nanner Socks!

Let me ask you this: Have you heard enough about Plurk from me yet? Well, an amazing and generous designer with whom I plurk, Wendy Johnson, designed a sock pattern to represent the dancing banana emoticon that we plurkers seem to be fascinated with and she shared it with me. Yes, ME! I am so honored and grateful.

Last night (actually in the wee hours of the morning...insomniac, ugh) I decided that I would make my socks in Cascade Heritage Paints. The colorway is not named but is a blue/green/purple variegation. I don't own the size 0 circs, so I am casting onto dpns. I googled a toe up cast on and settled on Judy's Magic Cast-on . It took me 2 attempts, but I have the first sock on my needles and have started the increases for the toe!

Now, if anyone has ever read my blog, you know that I said I was going to try not to start another project until I completed the dreaded afghan, but I just couldn't resist! Nanner socks are plurk related, so they feed into my newest addition plurklectly, umm...I mean perfectly.

Also, my wonderful brothers stopped in this afternoon to visit. This is always a treat, because they are funny and interesting people and I love them dearly. I am truly blessed as far as my family is concerned. Well, while they were here I was making my 2nd attempt at casting on for the socks. I mentioned how much easier it would be if I had the circs, so my youngest brother has offered to get them. I told him that I could get by without them but he won't listen. He and the rest of my family have this incredible generosity gene that I wish I could afford to reciprocate. I just hope they all know how much they are appreciated and loved.

My name is Beverly and I am a plurker.

Addiction is an ugly thing my friend. It lures you. It seduces you. Then it owns you. Yes, I admit it, I AM A PLURKER.

The real question is, am I ready to go through the steps of recovery. NO! That would take some time and I don't have time for anything other than plurking. Really, I don't have any time. It has taken me 34 minutes to write this much of my blog while plurking! Even my knitting and crocheting projects are starting to suffer.

There is one ray of hope in all this. I received a really cool nanner sock pattern from WendyKnits who is also a plurker. I am going to cast on for these lovely socks when I finally turn off the computer....hhmmmm...does anyone else sense a problem here?

Ok...gotta go plurk...I'm getting the shakes and miss the incredible knitters, crocheters, spinners, and others who live in plurkdom! Don't you want to visit the lovely land of plurk ?

WIPs

I have been finishing up several of my WIPs recently and realized that as the number of projects that I have going diminishes, the more I want to start new projects. I really dislike having just one project at a time going.

Currently, I have just two projects left in progress: The 2008 ThreadTeds Challenge and my sister-in-laws afghan. (there are always squares to be made for the Hugs From The Heart afghans or Scarves From the Heart too, but they are always needed) The ThreadTeds project is nearing completion with only a day or two of work left. I am going to try to avoid starting new projects until I finish the afghan as it is long overdue.

Now I go to lie down as I am not feeling well today. Sorry.

Deadlines....WHY?

I hate deadlines. Period. When I start a project that has a deadline, I know from the beginning, that it won't be completed until moments before it is due, usually. Sometimes it will take a bit longer, especially if I get distracted. (shiny objects? No, but close.)

Lately I have been online much more than I would like to admit. I am in pain while sitting here in this chair, but still I persist. Ever since I discovered the online knitting and crochet communities I have been addicted to the camaraderie of those with similar interests.

Now, I have been lured in, unsuspectingly may I add, to a new time wasting online space. Plurk. I was reading a wonderful knitting blog and clicked on the plurk link out of curiosity. I found a myriad of talented crafters to plurk with. I must warn you that plurking is highly addictive and fun. Please click the Plurk link with extreme caution lest you be drawn into the vortex of addictive plurking. If you are drawn in, relax and give me a shout out. We will all have good times. Wow, have I been away from the plurkdom this long??? Gotta go............

I have finally finished my Sweet Sweater #2 . This is not how I envisioned it when I started it, but I think it turned out okay. It was made with size 5 thread in cream and lilac (brand unknown) on a 3.25 mm steel hook. The Sweet Sweater Pattern is designed to be a custom fit, so I would estimate this top to be about a 4X. It took me about a month to complete while I was simultaneously working on a couple of pair of socks of which I previously posted pics.

Below is a picture of the neckline detail.

The picture below shows the bottom edging.

Now I have to complete my bear and the bear's doll for the 2008 ThreadTeds Challenge.

Lazy Weekend

This weekend is hot, humid and hazy...ugh. I don't feel like doing anything in this heat. I become a lump. Saturday evening I did work a little on the crochet trim for my Sweet Sweater but not much. I still have too many WIPs staring back at me, but my desire to complete them goes way down in the summer.

Does that happen to anyone else? I just don't want extra fibers in my lap or hands during the oppressive heat. I tend to not have much energy for anything when it is hot. It zaps me. Then I get into that "should" cycle, where everything I look at is something that I "should" be taking action on, but don't. That is depressing, which keeps the cycle...well...cycling. Guilt helps too. I see others who push on (like my masculine family members who are building my mom a new home in this heat, sacraficing their weekends...they are amazing) and that gives the "should" cycle more impetus.

With that said, I guess I "should" try to get something accomplished today. I folded laundry earlier today and managed a shower.....does that count? I think I will try to finish the Sweet Sweater.

Sasquatch Socks are done!

Yes, finally Jeff's Sasquatch Socks are complete. Yippeeeee! I could have made 3 "normal" sized pairs of socks in the same amount of time. The pattern I used is the Basic Sock Pattern by Antje Gillingham in "Knitting Circles Around Socks". I used Plymouth Encore Knitting Worsted in moss green. I know that they will be very warm for him because when my hands got cold while knitting them I would stick them inside the socks to warm up. It worked great.

I also have a picture of some socks that I knit for

myself. The pattern is the Lettuce-Edge Sock by Edie Eckman from the book "Knit Socks Whatever the Yarn". I made them of a white sport weight baby yarn that I had in my stash which was left over from a baby afghan I made several years ago. It is incredibly soft and cozy on my feet in the evenings when they tend to get cold. The quilt behind them was made by my beautiful and talented sister.

Ok, now I must get back to my post and finish my Sweet Sweater for the CAL. I am working on the trim so I should have a picture of it in a day or two.