Short Story Long

Just in time for February I have actually finished my sweater.  Pattern:  February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne Yarn:  Patons Silk Bamboo in Moss (it leans a little more toward yellow than the above picture) Needles: Size US 8, 32" I think? Button:  vintage, out of my grandmother's notions This is my first garment for me!  I thought about giving it away instead of fixing it, but I spent a LOT of time on it.  And I wouldn't want anyone else to see the ends I wove "in" (ha) under the arms when it was two hours past my bedtime.  There were many stops and starts.  Shall we review: ~I had problems getting the yarn-overs over the joints on my circular needles, so I finally decided to skip the lace portion and just knit stockinette instead.  (My Addis are so worth the money.  I will never buy cheap circulars again.)  ~I knitted the whole thing only to see it was entirely humongous on me. ~I ripped all the way back into t...

Yesterday I took some photos for Marly of her mittens.  My sister graciously agreed to model for me on her lunch hour.  I took some pictures right outside her office.  There's a busy highway and a big building behind her but you can't tell because it was a cold and snowy afternoon!  I designed these pictures to be so white and I'm giddy about how they turned out! I just wish I'd had some of my own projects to shoot.  On a slightly different topic, you know what they say about beauty being in the eyes of the beholder.  That's very true, don't you find?  But beauty and artistic talent are not the same thing.  I don't know if you're anything like me, but I've seen some pretty hideous stuff in galleries and museums.  Then I really stop and think about it, and I know, it's not something I could duplicate.  Someone has talent, there, they just aren't using it the way I would.  My point is that some talent is not necessarily a...

Here are more pictures of the quilt blocks I've been working on.  This quilt is called Star Power and was in the April 2009 American Patchwork and Quilting .  If you go to the link you can see the original on the table.  I liked the fabrics and colors in the original.  The brown sashing in the original is not my favorite.  I don't mind the colors but it changes the shape of the block.  In order to use the two reds I left out, I had to incorporate a few more fabrics, which means some are now duplicated.  And can you believe it, when I was done, I found another fat quarter.  Honestly!  Some gnomes must be rummaging around in my sewing room, rearranging the stacks!  So at this point, I have fifteen 11-inch blocks, and if I used some scraps and the other left out fabric, I could make two more.  I think it is kind of busy.  Are those bias stripes making your eyes go wonky like they do mine?  I am thinking of blue s...

This month has been weird for me.  I have kind of had a craft / art funk, and those really throw my brain off track.  I don't know why this is happening.  BFJ thinks this is the cloudiest January we've had in many years, so maybe that has something to do with it.  If you don't live around here, you might be surprised to know that Colorado ranks pretty high with days of sun per year.  This day has been no exception with the ups and downs including this minor set-back...  My head is jammed up lately with knitting thoughts, so I thought I should give quilting a go.  And as someone recently pointed out, this is a quilt blog.  Yesterday, I finally figured out where I had left a quilt pattern I wanted to try, and I got to work on it.  This afternoon, I finished all the blocks!  Or so I thought.   Somehow, I had left out two fabrics, and it's one of those patterns where you stack and cut them all at the same time, and the...

Thanks for your many kind comments on my photos!  Someone asked if I was depressed.  No, not really; I just have the January Blahs.   Recently, someone my husband used to play in a band with asked if I would scan some pictures, and I finally got around to scanning them - and a bunch of others, tonight.  I am surprised, and relieved, to see how much my photography has improved in the past ten or fifteen years.    We celebrated our anniversary last month, more than ten years, less than fifteen.  I have had a lot of hairdos since I met him.  One thing I love about him, he always thinks my new hairdo is the best one.  Here's a few from the past, if you are curious:  Aren't we cute?  You can imagine what heartbreakers our kids are gonna be!

Pattern:  Curious Cables - by me! Yarn:  Knitting on Impulse's Superwash Merino/Silk in Lupin colorway I have this new buttony thing on the sidebar there.  It is, somewhat, an experiment in how things work.  It's where you can go to purchase my first ever published knitting pattern!  I made these socks for my mom for Christmas, as previously mentioned, and was encouraged by friends to write a pattern for them, so I did!  Writing the pattern was actually more work than I'd anticipated, (and it's not so much that I have extra time around here) but it was an interesting experience.  Apparently you can't follow the link without being a member of Ravelry, although if you're a knitter and want a pattern, I don't know why you wouldn't want to join Ravelry!  I know there's a way to make it accessible to everyone.  I'll have to figure that out.  On my birthday a few weeks ago, I went to my knitting group's gift swap.  Everyo...

I have a friend with a birthday this week.  She loves the Twilight series, including the movies, so I am making her Bella's Mittens from subliminalrabbit .  So far I have one done:  Pattern:  Bella's Mittens Yarn:  Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra in Tapenade (I hear my LYS will no longer be carrying this as it has to be shipped from Australia!  Too sad, I really like it.) Modifications:  There are a lot; they are convertible because moms need fingers and they have a thumb hole for texting!  (If anyone responds to this, is not on Ravelry, and wants to know what I did, I will respond with more info.)   My book group is discussing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society next week, and next we're reading The Help.  I had links on here but somehow they disappeared and I'm too tired to go track them down.  I really liked TGL&PPPS, especially the era - post WWII 1940s.  There were some heavy moments in the book ...

When the calendar turns to the New Year, garden plans move to the front of my mind.  I guess I just really don't like being cold.  Incidentally, all this knitting has led me back to the wonderful warmth of wool.  But regardless, I still look forward to morning sunbeams and green growth.  My sage advice is simply this:  if you own one square foot of yard, you should plant some culinary sage.  Even in our wintry weather, I went outside a bit ago to get some sage for a recipe I'm making.  My sage plant is still green and growing, although not full like it will be in summer.  It is nice that some of the herbs are perennials here in my zone (USDA 5).  One of the reasons I like this plant so much is because it is so green so early in the spring, and is the last plant to die back.  And it has beautiful purple flowers, too!  Last spring, I cut my sage to the ground in March.  I can't believe I don't have a better picture ...