It's here!!!

My spinning wheel arrived on Wednesday. I was so excited that Ray and I opened the box immediately and I stared lovingly at my box full of packing peanuts. Well, that was all that was visible at first, but with diligent fumbling by Ray (I couldn't reach into the depths of the box) we withdrew from the blankety-blank packing peanuts the many parts of an Ashford Traditional SD spinning wheel.

We contemplated the pieces of wood and some metal, the with baggies of tiny oddments, plus a sheet of paper with screws taped to it, and scratched our heads. I went online and looked for assembly instructions, which I found, but could not understand. Then we picked up all the pieces and gently put the back into the box, atop the blankety-blank packing peanuts and decided that I would have to call for help.

The next day my sister came to my rescue. She did most of the work of assembling all the pieces with me putting in my two-cents worth, usually to late to prevent having to dismantle something. Such as realizing after the side rails were attached and the wheel on, that the rails were upside down. I think the most difficult part of the entire process was when sis was trying to get the locking pin lined up in the wheel.

Finally we were able to admire it. I treadled it a bit to try to get used to the rhythm. The drive band kept jumping off the wheel, to which my sister said, "that is an operator issue, my work here is done!". Isn't she just the best sister in the whole world? She certainly is to me!So, I went to the best source of information that I know of for all things yarn, MY PLURK PALS! I told them what the drive band was doing and I got a couple of responses to check my tension, which I tried to do until I realized that I didn't have any fiber on it yet, so that couldn't be the problem. Then Silver said that my wheel may not be lined up correctly with the flyer and winner, winner, chicken dinner, that was it! I made the adjustment and there was no more trouble.

After treadling for a little while longer, I tried to decide what would be the first fiber that I would try to spin. I was having so much trouble with the decision that I simply decided to spin the first fiber that was gifted to me for a wheel warming. That was the mystery fiber that Knitting Dragon sent to me.

It was not easy at first, and it was not looking as good as my first drop spindle yarn, but it was going much faster. As I kept spinning, it started to get a little more even, and not as bulky or awkward. By the time all the fiber was spun up it was beginning to look like my spindle spun yarn! Unfortunately, my legs had begun to swell from not being elevated (I have lymphdema), so I had to stop for the evening.

Today, I re-watched videos on how to Navajo ply (which I had never been able to do with a spindle) and then went for it. Again, it started out really rough, but as I went along it started to become very rhythmic and by the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good about Navajo plying. The final result is not the best yarn in the world, but it is mine and I love it. It is not even and ranges from a DK weight to a bulky weight 3 play yarn. It is approximately 30 yards of yarn.
Now it is hanging to dry in my living room, so that I can look at it. I am trying to decide what little thing I can knit from it as a keep sake. When I knit it up, I will post a picture here so that you can see the grand finally of my first spinning wheel project.

Finally, I can't say enough about the amazing woman who sold the wheel to me and all the trouble she went through to get it to me. She is an amazing person and fellow raveler, and I am eternally grateful to her.

My Plurk Pals Are Amazing!

If you don't know what Plurk is all about, you are missing out on a great group of people. I have over 200 of the most amazing friends on Plurk. Most, but not all, of these friends are fiber fiends like me, but the discussions are not limited to that subject by any means. I have never met any of these people, but I have been a grateful recipient of their kindness, caring, wisdom, laughter and generosity.

Speaking of generosity, they offered their advice while I was trying to decide which spinning wheel would be right for me. They cheered me on when I tried to win an ebay bidding war for a wheel. They consoled me when I lost. They congratulated me when I finally purchased a wheel from a fellow Raveler, and they have been helping me try to be patient while I wait for it to be delivered. Could I be any more blessed?

You betcha! (I can hear the groans) These wonderful people passed my address amongst them and sent me fiber as wheel warming gifts!!! Can you believe it? Each day a little squooshy package has been arriving at my door, filling me with delight, gratitude and an overwhelming sense of what a privileged it is to be able to get to know these incredible people from all over the world. Where else would a handicapped person, who sometimes feels trapped in her own home, get the opportunity to associate in any way with such a diverse, global and yet close group of people? Bonus, they are constantly making me laugh!

Here are some pictures of the wonderful fibers I have received. (I apologize for the quality, as photography is not my thing.) The first picture is of some very colorful mystery fibers from plurk's Knitting Dragon. Yes, I am speaking of that incredible man with the sexy voice from the Sweaters for Dragons podcast fame! Don't forget to check out his online store, Cables & Lace.The second photo is of orange merino with a little bag of black mohair from plurk's kchealy! You can explore her online store and blog, Wool Obsession.
The third and forth photos are of Hungry for Handspun rovings from plurk's Moonlightbaker! You can find her lovely fibers at her etsy store, Hungry For Handspun.
The fifth photo is from plurk's Boutrosbabe. She only lives about 20 miles from me, so I hope one day I will meet her. This fiber is from Ashland Bay, it is merino in the Primrose colorway.The final photo is from plurk's Loribird, whom I suspect of being an organizer. She is also from Maine, so I have hope of meeting her one day too. I wish I could have caught the sparkle in this fiber, to do it justice. It is from Enchanted Knoll Farm, here in Maine. You can also check out Loribird's wonderful fibers at From the Wool Room. I have purchased some sock yarn from her and it is almost as wonderful as she is!
I am at a loss for how to adequately thank each of them. Will you please help me thank them by visiting their online stores and if you see something you like, purchase from them? You won't regret it! Also, if you see the postal delivery person with my spinning wheel, please tell him I'm waiting. Thank you!

Failure

I missed my deadline, again. The ever so formidable Maine Moose Afghan is still not completed and my SIL's birthday has come and gone. I have failed, again. This behemoth of a project is approximately two-thirds completed and I will not quit. She will get this afghan some day. I just hope that she won't have changed her room theme by the time I finish it.

In other news, Saturday I received an e-mail from the person that I have purchased my spinning wheel from, stating that she took it to a packaging-shipping company and it is on it's way. I am absolutely giddy with excitement and ready to pounce on any delivery person who comes within striking distance. Gimme!

I think I am going to work on a 2nd sock today, to see if I can actually complete a project for a change. What are you working on?

Craft Books

This post is just to redirect you to another bloggers post about how books, especially craft books are made versus how they should be made. I strongly encourage you to go to the Knitting Purl's blog, Knit-A-While, read what she has to say on this subject, and please leave a comment. My hope is that a publisher will read her blog and the readers comments, then heed the wisdom to be found there.

I am so excited!!!

I have just sent payment for a spinning wheel! Yes, really! I have been wanting one for so very long and the right one for me was offered for sale by a wonderful person on Ravelry. She has been wonderful to deal with and very generous in the deal as well.

The following information and picture were provided by the seller:

Ashford Traditional SD Double Treadle, plus the original single treadle.

• 4 regular bobbins
• Jumbo set with maiden, Jumbo flyer, 4 Jumbo bobbins, plus a bushing so you can use regular bobbins on the Jumbo flyer 3 Speed Flyer (ratios of 6.5, 12.5 & 17.5:1)
• Original kate (holds 3 bobbins at a time)
• Ashford Maintenance Kit
• Stretchy drive band (about a month old)

This wheel spins beautifully and is super smooth. Double treadle, jumbo set up and 3 speed flyer were purchased about a month ago.She will be shipping it out to me on Saturday and I am simply overcome by anticipation! Okay, I am a little disappointed that the cutie pie chihuahua doesn't come with it, but I will get over that.

It has been an exhausting process of elimination, trying to decide what spinning wheel would become my first, and most likely my only, spinning wheel. I need to thank my plurk pals for their support and feedback during this process, as it has been invaluable. Also, the man in life has been very encouraging and that means a lot to me as this is a big investment for our meager means. I feel that I have made a good choice and look forward to many years of happy spinning. Now I just need to try to be patient while waiting for it to get here.

IS IT SATURDAY YET? ha-ha!

For a Great Cause, Plus Prizes!

An amazing woman, Janice (obstiknit to fellow Ravelers), is going to be walking in the Philadelphia 3-day walk for breast cancer, October 16-18! She is trying to raise funds for research and is offering a chance at some incredible yarny prizes for those who donate to this worthy cause. So far there are a few skeins of Wollmeise, a signed book by Wendy Johnson and a Namaste Jetsetter bag!

Please take a few minutes to check out Janice's informational blog, The Delaware Tata Savers, for all the details about how to donate to a very worthy cause and the possibility to win some nice stash enhancement.

Cross-stitch

Long ago in a distant galaxy ....Okay, Last March 2008, one of my sisters-in-law requested that I make her an afghan for her birthday, in April. Yeah, you heard me, APRIL, I had less than a month. She wanted a very specific type of afghan, Tunisian crochet with cross-stitched moose and tree motifs. Oh, and did I forget to mention that she wanted it to be king-sized! Needless to say that even with my best efforts, it was no where near ready for her birthday last year. The 3 panels of the afghan base were completed about a month after her birthday and, may I add, my wrists and shoulders were throbbing.

Looking at those afghan panels and the many hours worth of cross-stitch that lay ahead of me became the bane of my life. It mocked me. I would stack finished items on top of the project so that I didn't have to face the fact that I really needed to get back to work on it before her next birthday...sigh...which is now quickly approaching.

I picked the afghan back up this week and I have started to work exclusively on the cross-stitch for this afghan. Every time I am tempted to work on anything else, I mentally slap my self around and wag my finger in my face, then get down to business working on this never ending project from hell.

While my fingers worked the tidy little stitches across the crocheted grid, I asked myself, "Why do I hate doing this so much?". It turns out there are a few reasons.

• I had to design this afghan myself, since I couldn't find a pattern that encompassed all that she requested. Unfortunately, I am not confidant that what I have tried to come up with will pass muster. So, it appears that fear of failure, and the possible rejection of my work have stopped me in my tracks. This issue has come up so many times in my life.
• Pain. This is a huge, and very heavy project to work on and I experience a lot of pain and discomfort in just supporting it with my hands, wrists and shoulders. Of course, if I had worked on it a little bit at a time throughout this past year, instead of waiting until it is almost time for her birthday again, I may have been able to mitigate much of that pain. Now I must endure long, painful sessions working on it if I am to complete it in time for this April.
  
• Lastly, I get annoyed with the fact that I have to re-thread this damn needle every 10 minutes or so. When I knit or crochet I use a continuous fiber that only needs to have a new end attached when I come to the end of a skein. With this cross-stitch project, I am working with 24 inch lengths of yarn that last me 10 minutes or less. But in all honesty, this is just a mere annoyance and the first 2 reasons are much more relevant.

Well, I wish I could take the time to expound on this topic, but I am mentally wagging my finger in my face right now, because I really should be working on my SIL's afghan. Slap! Ouch...okay, I'm going!

An Oops and a Finished Project..

I fell off the wagon, again. It had been several months since I last purchased yarn, and I had pledged to work only from my stash until I cut it down to an amount that would fit in my new book shelves of the previous post. Wel-l-l-l-l-llll, I only ordered one skein of sock yarn and everyone says that sock yarn doesn't count as stash (unfortunately, it still costs money).

So what yarn was so irresistible to me? Well, I ordered it from Loribird (Ravelry and Plurk ID) at The Wool Room and it is incredibly soft. The colors are just as beautiful in real life as the picture. I am thinking that it will become a pair of fingerless mitts, if I can stop petting it long enough to take my needles to it. I advise everyone to rush to The Wool Room and buy up the lovely, squishy yarn and vivid, gorgeous rovings! I have a finished object to share with you all, as well. It is my Just Add Needles Toe-up Socks for the Knitting Purls Toe-up KAL, knit in STR light-weight in the January One colorway. They are for my size 12, sasquatch feet and they are only anklets because I don't wear socks that could be restrictive on the lymphedema of my legs.
That is all for now. I will try to post again soon!

A Frogging I Will Go

Last weekend my beautiful sister and her handy hubby came over to assemble my shelving units for my stash and my craft library. They did an awesome job and I am very grateful! Not all of my stash fits in the shelves, but my apartment is too small for that many shelves!After the first unit was up, my sister started to unpack some of the bins and boxes that my stash was stored in. Amid everything she found the parts to the 2nd sweater I had ever tried to make. It was beyond my capabilities when I started it, and it quickly became a UFO. I told her that I was going to frog it, but upon inspection it became evident that all the pieces were there, just waiting to be assembled.

I decided to put this together and started the seaming, as much as I loath the process. Once I had a sleeve set in I held it up for inspection and both Ray and I started laughing instantly. This was going to be the most ridiculous looking sweater ever and would require a contortionist to wear it. I started frogging instantly. There is no way I am giving up the yummy yarn that this was knit in. I just wish that I could remember what it is. The ball band has long ago been lost, but this wool feels wonderful and I will reincarnate it as something wonderful now that I am no longer a novice knitter.

I have completed a little knitting. Surprise! I have completed 2 projects for Knitting Purls Stash Busting Colorwork KAL. The first is the Beginners Fair Isle by Catherine Kerth. I used left over acrylic from a couple of kids projects. I really like the effect of using a variegated yarn gave to the fair isle stitches. The 2nd project is the Ankara Headband designed by Nanette Blanchard. This was a little more challenging for me in chart reading and stranding technique. I am taking baby steps in learning fair isle. (Obviously, I haven't blocked either piece before taking photos. Sorry.)I am still working on the toe-up ankle socks for the toe-up KAL and I hope to finish those soon. My next fair isle project is going to be a pair of socks too, but I am not sharing what that one is just yet. Stay tuned in for more!

I'd like to thank the academy......huh?

I feel so honored and surprised to let you know that a very talented blogger has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! My gracious nominator is none other than Lunaticraft! I want to thank her and honor the spirit of the award by nominating other blogs that I really enjoy.

So now it's my turn.

Here are the rules for the nominees:

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 8 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

The following are my nominees:

1. Dips in the Road of Creativity
2. Trish Knits
3. Mingling Yarn
4. Adventures in Crochet
5. Laugh.Love.Knit
6. Monster Crochet
7. Come to Silver
8. Short-N-Crafty Sista

Check Out Fiber Fiends!

Thank You Everyone!

Thank you for the advice you all gave to me, both here in the comments and on Plurk. I have decided not to frog the sock. I will cast off and then cast on the 2nd. I think I will prefer them to be slightly snug for wearing with shoes, and my feet are a bit more swollen than usual, so I should take that into consideration too. I truly appreciate your opinions and how the knitting community in general is so very helpful. Have a great day!

Free cuppa & Should I Frog?

Hey, I just signed up for a free sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee. You can too!



Now that you have some coffee, should I or shouldn't I frog? I have only completed 5 pairs of socks in my knitting lifetime. Only one of those pairs did I keep for myself and they are too big, too loosely knit, and they are acrylic. I am currently working on my 2nd pair of toe-up socks which I intend to keep for myself. I turned the heel and I have started ribbing as these are meant to be ankle socks. I attempted to try the sock on and it is just a little snug. I like the gauge and I am using a wonderful yarn, STR lightweight. I would like to know if other, more experienced knitters think that more negative ease or positive ease is better. Which will wear better? Which will be more comfortable? I know that the one pair of acrylic socks that I have bunch up too much if I try to wear them in shoes or boots, so I don't want to make that mistake again. Please give me your opinion, so that I can decide how to proceed. Thank you!

Shelves? What Shelves?

Yeah, we don't have any shelves put together yet. My stash is still a disorganized pile of boxes and bags with yarny bits spilling out. I have failed, again.

We took each part of the first shelving unit out and carefully laid them out. We were sure that we could do this. We had found the tool box and prepared for battle. Then, we read the instructions. YIKES! Nothing was labeled as the instructions indicated that it should be. We were overwhelmed from the start. We just kept staring at the garble on the page like it would suddenly decipher itself and we would become carpenters. Nope, none of that for us. We carefully put everything back in the box and added it to the mountain of stash boxes. Now, we must wait for a kind but overworked family member to take mercy on us.

As for knitting. I have almost completed one ankle sock for the Knitting Purls Toe-Up Sock KAL. My other WIPs are sitting in the pile, waiting for attention.

Time to Catch Up.

Hey, I'm still alive! I have been knitting, and I have some pictures to share with you of three sweaters that I have made. The first two are for my twin nieces who recently turned two years old. The pattern is the Childs Plain Crew Neck Cardigan by Patons in their Upside-Downers Cardigan booklet #718, size 2. The yarn is Red Heart Super Saver, in Bonbon Print and Sunshine Print respectively.
The third sweater is for the twins older brother. It is the same pattern in a size 6, but I modified it to be a pullover instead of a cardigan. The yarn is Patons Canadiana (there wasn't any colorway indicated on the ball band). I must say that for an acrylic yarn, this one is nice.That is all the finished projects for now. I am still working on the mohair scarf/shawl and I am casting on a pair of socks for a Toe-Up Kal in Knitting Purls Ravelry group. She has a Stash-Busting KAL that is still open to sign ups that I will be moderating, so I encourage you to head over and sign up. The theme is not only that you must work from your stash, but we are all doing colorwork techniques to strengthen our skills or, as in my case, learn new skills. There are many there who will be very willing to answer questions.

That is it for now. Ray and I are going to be attempting to put together some shelves in hopes of organizing my stash this afternoon. We are very tired of looking at the piles of boxes and I am frustrated trying to find what I need for new projects. Please wish us luck, as we are not mechanically inclined and we are both disabled.

Some knitting, finally!

Okay, I have dug out the camera and taken some pictures. Perhaps I should have warned you to sit down for that shocking news. I really haven't been knitting that much, or at least not that productively, since the holiday knitting ended. I have been rather fickle about projects, starting and then just frogging the whole thing to start something else. I have no interest in my WIPs at all.

I have finished two projects. The first is a pair of fingerless mitts for.....hold onto your whatevers ....ME! My hands get achy and cold while I knit and crochet, so I decided I need at least one pair of these handy mitts to help me be more comfortable. I may have accidentally discovered a new addiction. Watch out socks, here come the mitts! These are Mirror Twist Mitts designed by Rachel Maxson and made up in Schachenmayr Nomotta Regia Jacquard in the Farbe Partie colorway. The only changes I made to the pattern were to cast on 12 more stitches to accommodate my fat hands(the designer advises adding multiples of 6 stitches to enlarge) and I added matching ribbing to the thumbs.The next project was just easy fun. A cute Starfish Cloth designed by Sew-Funky and made up in Sugar & Cream cotton. Finally, I currently have on my needles a scarf that I am calling Cotton Candy Haze Scarf that I am working up in Berroco Classic Mohair on US size 10.5 needles. What have you been knitting or crocheting? Do you make things mostly for yourself or mostly for others? Do you go through phases in your knitting where, perhaps you only make socks, or only do lace or colorwork? Please share with me in the comments.

I did it and I found it.

Thank you. dear friends and followers. With your encouragement I have started a 2nd blog. This new blog is to document my journey to have weight loss surgery. If you want to follow along with me, the blog is called Beverly's Journey.

As for knitting, I have finished a couple of projects, and I hope to get some pictures posted here sometime this weekend. Also, my recent move garnished a great find. In a previous move, I lost a bag containing 10 skeins of Berroco Classic Mohair and while packing for the recent move it was found. I had a shawl on the needles (needles that I thought I had also lost), so now I am in search of the pattern so that I can finish it, or I will frog it to make something else of this lovely cloud of pink mohair.

I hope you have a crafty weekend!

Woot!

My free pattern Traffic Cones, was pattern of the day today on The Daily Knitter! I am very grateful to The Daily Knitter for this honor. Also, a big thanks to my friend Nancy for the heads up on Facebook.

I will try to make this post very brief, as my entire right arm, from my shoulder down to my fingertips, is extremely painful. I have been avoiding much online time today as well as any craft activity, in hopes that this pain will subside.

My primary reason for posting today is to ask for your opinion. I am thinking of starting an additional blog of my hopeful journey back to the land of the "upright and mobile". I am hoping to have weight-loss surgery so that I can lose enough weight to qualify for hip replacement surgery. I need both hips replaced in order to kick my dependence on a walker and cane.

What do you think? Should I post about this journey? I have no guarantee that it will go well or that I will even qualify for all the procedures I need and the funding that it requires. Is this too personal a journey to log in this way or could it be inspirational for someone else, as so many other such blogged journeys have been for me?

What has prompted this idea at this time is that I have finally been given a date at which I will start to be covered by Medicare, which is May 1, 2009. So, if I am going to blog the entire journey, the blog will have to start soon. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think. Thank you.

I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

Hi! Did ya miss me? I sure missed all my internet friends! I don't ever want to go that long without internet access again. I was very surprised to realize that I didn't miss the television as much as I missed the internet. I guess that is because the internet is so much more interactive, rather than the passive brain sludge of television.

The move is over, although I still don't know where most of this is going to go. Our new apartment is nice; much smaller than our prior apartment, but nice. My amazing family moved us, since Ray and I are both handicapped. They did such a fantastic job of making it as easy for us as humanly possible and we owe them more than we will ever be able to repay.

It is astounding how much stuff you can accumulate without realizing it. Moving seems to be the only time that I ever purge my life of some of this accumulation. Many items were simply tossed, such as calendars from years past, old Readers Digest, and then there is the shredding. Shredding of old bills and other mailings that have too much information on them to just be thrown. Every time I move I say that from this time on, I will shred as I go instead of letting it pile up, but that never happens.

Some things were donated, such as two large bags of acrylic yarn that will now keep other hands busy. As I learn and grow as a yarn enthusiast, the more finicky I am about what I want to work with and at this point, I am more interested in natural fibers. So, I am not sad that this yarn has found a new home.

I also gave away some clothes that, just face it, are never going to fit. Why is it that I develop emotional attachments to clothing? I would hold up a top that I haven't worn in years and just think about how great I will look in this out-of-date style when I lose weight.......reality check! Me, lose weight? IF that were to happen, I wouldn't want to be seen in what I used to wear, so get rid of if! Which I did.

There was a bag of scarves and hats that my sister took to donate for me. I love to work on some mindlessly easy projects every once in a while, and then just save them up for a good cause. I don't know who will get them this time, but I just hope that they will help someone.

So, the purging done, and everything else packed up, we moved. The look of overwhelmed fear that was on my face as the boxes seemed to endlessly pile into the new local, must have been very evident to my sister. She kept saying, "don't worry, it will all fit".

What became very clear is that I will have to reduce my stash significantly and keep it under control. At this moment, my yarn, UFOs, WIPs, other assorted craft supplies and craft library are piled in the living room in a very unattractive arrangement. Most of it is still in boxes. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO BUY MORE YARN. Period. If you see me about to purchase yarn, you have my permission to slap me. I mean it. Print this out and carry it with you if you must. I must find a way to contain all of my yarn to only a couple of bins. I think that if I just knit from my stash and complete my UFOs and WIPs, then within the first 6 months of living here I should be down to a manageable level. Until then, I'm the one behind the stack of boxes, trying to find my camera.

I AM MOVING !!!

Not my blog! Ray and I are moving to a new apartment that is more affordable on our limited disability income and it doesn't have stairs for me to try to navigate with my walker or Ray with his leg braces. They are even installing safety handrails in the bathroom for us. Bonus: Dover-Foxcroft, Maine has a knitting group. Needless to say, I am very excited! Ray will be happy if the neighbors allow him to sleep.

Unfortunately, the cable company, which shall remain nameless, will not be able to provide me internet or TV access until the 15th of January! This means that I will be out of touch with all you wonderful people for far longer than I care to be. But, it also means that I will have plenty of time to knit, crochet and spin, so although I will miss you all dearly, I will have the comfort and company of my yarn. Oh yeah, Ray will be there too.

On a different topic, I need to let you all know what a bonehead I have been. I was feverishly knitting and crocheting Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews, and decided that I would wait until I got them all done to take pictures of them all at the same time for the blog and Ravelry. Unfortunately, I was knitting right down to the wire, and then wrapped them up as fast as I could to pass them out. I didn't take the pictures!!! Fortunately, my lovely sister allowed me to use her camera to take pictures of the kids with their gifts, so as soon as she e-mails me the pictures AND I am back online, I will start posting about my projects.

Please wish me luck with the move and don't forget to check back after the 15th to find out how it went. I'll miss you all!

Will You Help?

I hope that my fellow knitters and crocheters will take a little time from your very busy day to do what you do so well, knit or crochet for others. Please read the following and if it touches your heart, help.

Sudan is an extremely war-torn country, and has been for a long time. The current genocide in Darfur, before that the Second Sudanese Civil War, in which over 2 million people were killed have made it difficult for the Sudanese people to go on living normally, like sending their children to school.

HELPSudan (http://www.helpsudaninternational.org) was formed by the Lost Boys of Sudan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_boys_of_sudan) to establish learning facilities, recruit teachers and provide school supplies as well as provide health resources and clean water especially in Southern Sudan. HELPSudan is raising funds for the purpose of starting more schools in Southern Sudan; ”providing pencils and notebooks for hands that might have taken up arms, and an education for minds that once only understood war.”

The Ravelry Darfur group, (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/darfur–end-the-genoicide) thought the knitting and crocheting community could help raising funds, and at the same time making something useful for the Sudanese children.

The object to be made is a pencil case, because they’re easy, quick, inexpensive and light, and because they can be both sold to benefit HELPSudan financially as well as given to the Sudanese school children along with pens and notebooks.

Some other generous designers have made patterns for the project, too, and are publishing them in their own blogs and Ravelry. You will find the current link list of available patterns at www.worsted-knitt.net.

Once the knitting gets going, there’ll be a voting on the most beautiful pencil case on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/982148@N21/) with lovely prizes!

The challenge is here: HELPSudan’s next Annual Fund Raiser is just few weeks away. They say some pencil cases would be a great addition to their Silent Auction of arts and crafts… however, HELPSudan have said that they will have need for pencil cases after the event, too, so this KAL/CAL will be active for at least until the end of March. Updates will be published at www.worsted-knitt.net as well as Ravelry Darfur group.

The finished pencil cases can be sent directly to HELPSudan at

HELPSudan
5255 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
USA

Resolutions?

Nope. Not me. I don't do resolutions, of that I am very resolute. But I do think about it, and think about it, and...well, you get the idea. The reason I don't make these resolutions is that it feels like I am setting myself up to fail. I prefer to just set small goals throughout the year.

For those of you who are making resolutions there are several "trackers" to help you keep your resolve and assess your progress. Life Hacker lists some guidelines on how to make resolutions that are achievable, as well as posting a compilation of many of these trackers for you.

One thing I do enjoy this time of year is hearing about my friends resolutions and why they decided on them. Just because the process doesn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for others, so I wish everyone good luck! I hope that you will leave me a comment about some of your New Years Resolutions.

Lastly, I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and safe new year.

Wishing the Warmest and Happiest of Holidays to Everyone!!!

Please celebrate safely.

Hibernating?

It seems like forever since I took the time to blog and looking at the date of my last post, I guess it has been. Well, I have been knitting, even if I haven't been writing about it. The problem is that with the short day length and lack of sunshine in the little cave of a basement apartment that I inhabit, it is difficult to get good photos of my projects to post for you.

Fortunately, my lovely sister-in-law, is better about taking pictures than I am. She took some pictures of the hat that I made for my brother for his birthday and I will post them here. The hat is a simple K1, P1 ribbed hat with no particular pattern. I have written it down and I have made a 2nd one for one of my nephews in a child's size, so I will type it up and post it here on the blog for anyone who wants it, but it will probably be after the holidays before I get that done. So here are the pictures of my brother's hat.


I have 6 other finished projects that I will try to get photographed and blogged, plus several other WIPs that should be completed soon, so please check back! Good luck with your craft projects and please leave me a comment with a link to your blog so that I can see what you have made.

A Huge Contest

I have been very lucky and I want others to be able to have some good fortune in their lives too. There is a huge giveaway of HP products that you can enter to win such as:

$6,000 dollars worth of Hardware and Software
· HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC
· HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC
· HP MediaSmart Connect
· HP Pavilion dv4 series Entertainment Notebook PC (with Windows Live)
· HP Mini 1000 (with XP)
Accessories
· HP Photosmart C6380 Wireless AIO (printer)
· HP 564 Photo Value Pak
Software
· Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Home Premium or Microsoft Windows XP pre- installed on all units (Mini 1000 runs XP)
· Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 (Student-Teacher Edition) – 1 DVD with 3 licenses
· Microsoft Windows Live
· Corel VideoStudio X2
Entertainment
· Kung Fu Panda (2 widescreen DVDs; 1 widescreen Blu-ray disc)

Find the details at HP's Magic Give Away site and good luck to everyone!

One of the places that I have entered the contest is at Thoughts on Poetics & Tech by commenting on one of her posts, "I Am Not The Wheelchair: Air travel and disability". I highly recommend her blog. My comment to the post, which is also part of my entry in to the contest can be see here. One of the great things that all of us can get out of the HP magic give away is the opportunity to find the blogs of amazing people that we may not have otherwise known about.

My Lucky Day!

I am still stunned by Friday. I am not sure why I was so fortunate, but I am very grateful for my good fortune. What good fortune, you may ask...hello, is anyone out there asking?

First, I was informed by NAMG on plurk that I won the contest that she and several other plurkers sponsored! You may remember that I blogged about the contest earlier in the week, if you would like to check out all of their blogs. The prize is yet to be determined but I am so grateful that I was lucky enough to be randomly picked. Thank you so much!

Then, as if that wasn't wonderful enough, another plurk pal asked if I would like to test one of her incredible products for free! I know I am being a bit obtuse about the what and the who of this, but as soon as I get permission from her, I will tell you all about it and where you can get it too.

Finally, I saved the best for last. We received a letter informing us that a handicap accessible apartment is now available, after being on a waiting list for 8 months! We still have to interview for it, so it isn't a done deal, but Ray and I have been waiting for something to become available for so long and it could make such a huge difference in our lives. We should hear more by Tuesday, hopefully. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

I was already feeling pretty grateful for my family, my friends, a roof over my head and plenty to eat, so now I am feeling quite overwhelmed, blessed, and even more grateful. Also, I must admit, I did think that I should go buy a lottery ticket on my lucky day, but common sense prevailed.

I wish for everyone to have a such a lucky day and may every day bring to you some joy!

Wishing Everyone A....

Another Contest For You To Enter!

Some wonderful plurk pals of mine are running a contest on their blogs. I was not able to help sponsor it with them, but I would like to let everyone know about it so that you can enjoy it and possibly win.

To enter the contest you simply need to post a comment on one or all of the participating blogs. You may do so once per day per blog from Sunday, November 23rd through Wednesday, November 26th. On black Friday, November 28th, they will announce the 2 winners of the contest. To read more information about the contest and to enter, please go to one or all of the following blogs and good luck!

As Kat Knits

Not A Mean Girl

Alana's Passion

The PQ Nation

Middle Aged Suburban Diva

Popping Bubbles

SU Comments

Random Ramblings of a Stay At Home Mom

I Read Banned Books

Daily Douz

Puntiglio

Three Ring 'Surf' ace

Andrea's Internet Cafe

Win A Craft Book...

The amazing Vickie Howell of Knitty Gritty fame is running a contest on her blog in celebration of her 35th birthday. She will be giving away 35 craft books to lucky entrants!!! So, what are you still doing reading the dreck on my blog? Get over to her blog and enter! Good luck!

Vickie Howell's 35th Birthday Craft Book Contest

Knitting Purls

Hello everyone! I know that it has been quite a long time since my last post. Most of the time, I post only when I have a project completed, or when I have hit a snag in my current project and want to share the process and/or frustration of the situation. Well, none of that has happened. Hurrah!

I am working on a couple of identical sweaters (except in color) for my twin nieces and it is going quite well, but it will take some time before I have pictures of the finished objects, simply
because I am a slow knitter. Since, I don't have project info or pictures for you I thought I would post some information about something else that has begun to take up a little time in my life.

Knitting Purls is a lot of things. To start, Knitting Purls is the company of a friend of mine, Ida Walker. She is a knitter and so much more, who aspires to become a mogul. I met her on Plurk and learned that she published an e-zine fittingly called "Knitting Purls", so I subscribed to it. It is very well written, with a wealth of information in each issue. She is passionate about supporting the indie fiber artists and it shows in not only her e-zine, but in other endeavors that she has developed, such as Knitting Purls Sock Club, her Knitting Purls podcast which is available for free download on itunes, and by the beginning of 2009 there will be a Knitting Purls line of yarn and fiber available.

Along with the Knitting Purls e-zine, she also has developed 2 other e-zines: Spinning and Dyeing for those whose love of fiber goes much deeper than just buying yarn, and Hooks and String for the crocheters among us. I highly recommend subscribing to all 3 e-zines, since there is no fee to do so and so much to be learned.

Ida also has a charitable non-profit, The Lily M. Foundation. This foundation has a two-fold purpose. First, to assist with veterinary care for pets of seniors and of those in need through Lily's Friends. This program offers Patterns for Paws in a fund raising effort with some wonderful designers, like Wendy Johnson of Wendy Knits fame, donating their patterns to benefit the cause. The second purpose is to help combat illiteracy through the Lily M. Literacy Campaign. Please take the time to go to the blog and read more about both of these important causes and purchase the patterns to help the causes.

For the fans of Knitting Purls who want to interact with other fans or get to know Ida better, she does have a fan group on Ravelry called Knitting Purls. She is there to answer questions and loves to hear ideas from friends and fans, of what we would like to see in the e-zines. She sponsors KALs and design contests too, so stop by the group to check out the fun. You can also find more information about her sock club and how to become a member. Oh, by-the-way, I am a moderator in the group, so you can find me there too.

Now, if I have piqued your interest, you must be wondering where do I find this incredible Knitting Purls. I will attempt to list as many sources that I can.

Knitting Purls Blog
Knitting Purls Ravelry Group
Knitting Purls Etsy Shop

E-zine Subscriptions can be obtained by sending an e-mail to the following addresses with subscribe in the subject line.

Knitting Purls e-zine: info@knittingpurls.com
Spinning and Dyeing e-zine: info@spinanddye.com
Hooks and String e-zine: info@hooksandstring.com

Holiday Gift Knitting

My, how time flies! I can't believe there are only 7 weeks, yes, just 7 weeks left until Christmas, which is my gift giving holiday. Many of you may have even less time if you are knitting for other holidays or celebrations. About one-third of my gifts have been made so far and I have so many more gifts to get knit and/or crocheted.

Since I last posted a picture, I have completed a few things. First are 2 pair of thumbless mittens with crocheted I-cords for my twin nieces.

This is a Fun Fur Bottom Hat that I made for another one of my nieces. I should have blocked it before photographing it. What's next? I have cast on for a child size 2 cardigan and I cast on a rather girly hat. I will keep you updated with pictures of those as soon as I complete them.

How are you doing on your holiday gift knitting?

VOTE!

Please, go to the polls and vote. I won't try to convince you of who to vote for, just please vote, because I think that what you think should count for something. Thank you!

Happy Halloween!!!

I hope that everyone enjoyed the pagan holiday of tricks or treats. I don't have children, so I take my joy from seeing the local children dressed up and giving them candy. I didn't dress up this year. I have a difficult enough time just getting dressed in the morning.

What I did do was knit a wig. Unfortunately I didn't find the wig pattern until last night and wasn't able to complete it until after all the trick or treaters had come and gone. There is always next year, right?

The pattern is the Hallowig designed by Megan Reardon. I do have some obvious errors in the decreases due to sleep knitting. I was knitting when I should have been sleeping but couldn't sleep due to hammering from the apartment above. I tinked back several rows to restart the decreases, but they kept creeping in. Ultimately, I decided that they were the correct number of decreases even if they didn't lean the right way, so I left them. I am modeling the wig, just for you (since I didn't get in finished in time for anyone else). So laugh with me or at me, but laugh!

Aqua Cowl

No, I have not died. I am just lazy. That is why I have not blogged. No excuses here, just simple facts.

Although I am a lazy blogger, that doesn't mean I haven't been knitting. I always have time to knit. I have been working on projects for KnittingPurls Winter Warmies KAL in her Ravelry group. I made this Tube Scarf in Lion Brand Landscapes bulky yarn Deep Sea colorway. The pattern was on the ball band.

The following picture is of The Old Shale Smoke Ring cowl designed by Cosette Cornelius-Bates, knit in Red Heart sport weight aqua colorway. I like this one better.Now I am working on Thumbless Mittens for my twin nieces. Shhhhh, please don't tell them. They aren't 2 years old yet and I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Coffee Mug Cozy???

I love coffee. I feel it is vital to my ability to function. However, in my relationship with coffee, I have never once thought, "I wish I had a cozy for my coffee mug".

Why am I sharing this? Well, I enjoy helping new designers get their patterns off the ground by volunteering to test their patterns for them. Recently, I volunteered to test crochet a pattern, the CLF Coffee Cozie, for new designer, Candi Oldfield. Testing this pattern, does not mean that I need a cozy, just that I want to help. As I crocheted I wondered to myself, "why would anyone make one?". It seemed to me to be a frivolous item.

I completed the test crochet of the pattern and then put it on one of my mugs to photograph it for the designer. After I took the picture I filled the mug up with coffee and discovered the usefulness of a mug cozy. I could hold my coffee mug in a couple of different ways without being burned. I usually feel the hot mug on my knuckles as I carry it to my chair and can't set it down fast enough. Not any more! I think this designer is a genius. I present to you, The CLF Coffee Cozie.

Front of the CLF Coffee Cozie

Back of the CLF Coffee Cozie

By the way, CLF stands for Crochet Liberation Front and if you want to learn more about them you can check out their web site at http://www.crochetliberationfront.com/. The pattern for the CLF Coffee Cozie is in their first book, which is available on the website.

I Dropped A Stitch, WAHOO!

Now why in the world would I be celebrating the dropping of a stitch? Well, if you had read a post of mine about being afraid to drop a stitch in a pattern, the Clapotis, then you know that I had frozen on this bit of the pattern. I actually put the scarf down and didn't touch it again until last night, when some plurk pals encouraged me to move on. I did it! I dropped the stitch and have since, dropped 2 more. Wow, what an incredible feeling to watch that stitch work its way down the scarf and form a ladder. I can't wait to finish this project and wear it.

This may seem like a small step to you, but it is yet another venture outside my comfort zone to expand my creative world. What have you done lately that is out of your comfort zone? I can't wait to hear from you!

A book and a KAL

I have started reading a book, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. My sister-in-law had read it and has now lent it to me, for which I am grateful. I have wanted to read one of the many knitting themed novels out there for quite some time. Though I have only just begun the book, I must say that I am already enjoying the familiarity of the LYS and the way the knitting group evolved. The characters are coming to life for me and I am looking forward to seeing where they will take me.

On a different topic, the Knitting Purls Winter Warmies KAL has begun today. For those of you who may not be familiar with what a KAL is, it stands for Knit-A-Long. Several knitters commit to knitting something within a time frame. What they knit may be all the same pattern, or the same yarn/fiber, or perhaps, as in this case, all the same theme. The Winter Warmies theme means that the participants simply have to knit something that keeps them warm in the winter leaving the choice of pattern and fiber up to each knitter. I am helping to organize and moderate it, so in the spirit of the KAL, I have cast on a basic mitten pattern that I have made many dozens of times.

What's one more WIP?

Yes, I have cast on yet another project. Yes, I have several other projects still in progress, but what is one more WIP to keep the others company in my work basket?

I have cast on for a Clapotis which was designed by Kate Gilbert. I am actually going to drop stitches on purpose! I know, I can't believe it either. I have been told that I will find this liberating, but so far I am just finding it impossible. I have reached the first point where I need to drop a stitch and I have just stopped. I can't seem to let it go and just run a ladder down my neatly knit stitches. I have spent too many years attempting to prevent just that thing. What to do, what to do?...............to be continued..............

New Addiction

What have I been up to lately, that has been keeping me from blogging? Would that be knitting? NO! Crocheting or spinning perhaps? NO! Plurking even? NO! My latest addiction is a free browser game called Molehill Empire!

This game brings out the virtual gardener in me. You can create your own garden, earn points to advance to different levels and trade your produce with others according to what the market demands. You don't need nimble fingers to blast opponents or meet a time limit, so this game operates at my pace or your pace if you give it a try. I hope you too will come by and check out http://www.molehillempire.com/ !

Friends

When I became disabled, I moved back to my home town so that my family could help me, but I don't want to bug them too much. Since I have trouble walking, I have to depend on others to get out and go places. So, sometimes I feel a little isolated or trapped. Because of this, my online friends are probably more special to me than they know. I cherish my friends and the laughter they bring into my life.

Sometimes friends can surprise you too. I mean really surprise you. One friend, who insists on remaining anonymous, did that in a big way this week. She sent me a gift box....OF YARN!...and oh, what yarn it is. I was so overwhelmed by her generosity that I told her that I was going to send it back to her, to which she replied with threats to my well being and destruction of my walker. She also said that we would look quite foolish sending the package back and forth and back and forth, etc. The following pictures are of the yarn that she sent.

Yup, that last one is Wollmeise! Can you believe this ? I know I am still in shock. I keep cradling it and petting it. I have never felt such a beautiful yarn in my life. She also picked the most perfect colorway she could have for me! I think it will ultimately become a Clapotis Scarf, once I am able to stop cuddling it and then take my pointy sticks to it.

Well, now I have a problem, don't I. How do I properly thank her for this incredible act of kindness and generosity? Unfortunately, I cannot afford to thank her in kind, but I must find a meaningful thank you, because my words just seem so inadequate. This is going to take some thought.

House Warming Gift

My Mom has a new house. My amazing and talented siblings built it for her. They didn't just pay for it, they built it with the help of several family members and friends! I am in awe of how quickly they got it built and how wonderful it looks.

A few weeks ago she was able to move into the house and has been trying to settle in ever since. She has been busy unpacking, shopping for new items and taking furniture and appliance deliveries.

I gave her a house warming gift that consisted of knitted dish cloths, knitted hanging towels, and crocheted doilies in a basket. I won't bore you with dish cloth and towel pictures, but I will share pictures of the doilies I made.This one is Park Avenue, designed by Patricia Kristoffersen and the pattern can be found in "Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies"This one is Pineapple Passion, also by Patricia Kristoffersen in "Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies"

Lastly, this one is Sunflower Bloom, and is also by Patricia Kristoffersen in "Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies"

Traffic Cones

I originally made these up as a joke gift for my brother to set on his office desk and indicate an impending paper avalanche or projects that were in danger. Only after the fact, did it occur to me that they would be great for children to use with toy cars and trucks. I like the traditional bright orange, but these are a great, quick way to use up any of your yarn scraps.

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn scraps
U.S. size 5 dpns
Tapestry needle
Polyester fiber fill

Cone: Cast-on 6 stitches and divide them on 3 dpns.
Knit 2 rounds even.
*K1, m1, knit to end of needle, repeat on each needle
Knit 2 rounds even**
Repeat from * to ** until there are 24 stitches total.
Bind off leaving a long tail to sew with.
Weave in the beginning end.

Base: Cast-on 14 stitches.
Knit in garter stitch until length of the square equals the width and bind off. Weave in ends.

Assembly: Stuff the cone with fiberfill, but not so firmly that it starts to bulge the cone. Center the cone on the bottom square and using the long tail, sew the cone to the square and weave in the end. You may want to pin the cone in place to keep it centered while you sew. I didn't.

Notes
1. I used a couple of dpns to knit the bottom too, so I didn't need another set of needles.
2. You could use any weight scrap yarn to make this, but adjust the needles to make sure you are getting a firm (tight) knit fabric, so that the stuffing doesn't poke through.
3. This pattern has not been tested, so please notify me if you find any errors. Thank you!

Has it really been that long?

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post. I apologize for neglecting my blog. It's not that I haven't been producing any new projects, it's just that I haven't really felt like I had anything to say. Well, I'm still not sure I have anything to say, but I know that I need to get some project pictures taken and posted before I give the projects away.

It is evening time here in Maine, so I will be taking pictures in the morning, hopefully with the sunshine helping out. I promise a post tomorrow with photos and pattern details tomorrow. Until then, have a wonderful evening and a good night!

Final Ravelympics Results

I hope that you all enjoyed watching the 2008 Summer Olympics as much as I did. All of the athletes were amazing! I was not impressed with NBC's coverage of the events, and because of that I watched many of the events on CBC out of Canada.

As for the last 2 Ravelympic events that I signed up for, I only got one project completed. I know, I will have to train much harder for the winter Olympics. The final one that I did complete was for the mitten medley, From the Top Down Mittens by Mei Lynne Travis. I love this pattern because I am able to make them two at a time on two circs, so both mittens are completed at the same time. I used Bernat Berrella in Aqua on 2 size 5 circulars and I used size 3 dpns for the cuffs.

The event project that I didn't complete was for the sock put, The Basic Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I used Patons Kroy Jacquards in the Tutti-Frutti colorway, which is a self-striping sock yarn, so this is really a no-brainer, but I simply ran out of time. I am knitting on a 2.5mm circ with a 47" cable. I was able to turn the heel on this 1st sock during the closing ceremonies so they are a bit more along than the picture shows.

So here are the Ravelympic medals that I won for completing 3 of the events that I entered, the Hat Dash, the Scarf Stroke, and the Mitten Medley. I am so glad that I participated in this first Ravelympics and I look forward to the next one. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the wonderful people at Ravelry for the amazing job they did in running everything!

Finally, I am proud to say that all of the participants, from many countries around the world, showed wonderful sportsmanship and to my knowledge, no steroids were found in any of the ravathletes. Isn't it great to have a controversy free, international event!