Several of us made amigurumi.  Here is my peacock following the directions from Larah Uyeda.

I also completed the Peggy Straker Gretel sweater using Paton's Classic Wool.  I had made the sweater many years ago in pink.

Knitting Night - Second Tuesday 2012

10 Jan 2012 - Ruth, Ann and I knitted together.

Ruth worked on a pair of socks.

Ann showed us three very cute striped hats she knitted for three special little girls in her life. She worked on a lace patterned shawl.

I put the final touches on a little stuffed parakeet for Anna; his name is Cassie. They are currently tucked into bed, side by side, fast asleep.

Knitting Night - First Wednesday 2012

Hi, All,

Linda, Ruth and I had the pleasure of knitting together last night. I can't promise a detailed write-up after each of our gatherings, but I thought it would be fun to at least post a photo each time.

Ruth was working on a charity project, a scarf for Special Olympics. She wisely chose the softer of the two acceptable yarns for the project, Red Heart Soft. It's not as wide as she had hoped, so will be adding a crocheted edge.

Linda worked on a dishcloth. She also has another small project in the works. Sarah requested a warm headband for chilly Pittsburgh and sent a photo to mom. Of course Linda jumped right on the opportunity to design and knit for her daughter. Linda is working up her own variation of a pattern she found on Ravelry to match the photo from Sarah. Linda wants to take copious notes as she knits that project and will require a more quiet atmosphere than us at B&N. Greg can help her with that.

I worked on the final step of the shrug for my niece. It has a ruffle around it that is taking way longer to knit than I expected.

We all had some good laughs, especially on our way out the door. For me it was one of those laughs that made my belly hurt. Now I can't even remember what was so funny, but it had something to do with 'Words With Friends". Last night I introduced Ruth to the app. She immediately downloaded and is currently beating me 122 - 18. I'm no longer laughing ;).

Cool Giveaway

Hi JustKnitting Group,
Check out this link, a woman is giving away an entire flock of Angora Goats...with a shed to house them in. It's a cool thing and I want to help pass the word along. And I want to win the other prize she's giving away to someone who helps spread the word!! Yeah, there's no way Chuck's putting up with a herd of goats!
Pat

http://www.fiberfarm.com/2009/09/a-mighty-big-giveaway

Sorry it’s taken so long to write this up.

Above is the picture that Beth took on April 22, 2009 of me holding the basket I felted. It is based on a worsted weight knitting basket by Lucia Tedesco on Ravelry. Here is the link:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitting-basket

I used a little less than six skeins of Bernat’s Felting Natural Wool (a chunky yarn) and a #11 needle. Because of misunderstanding the directions, the bottom was increased to 126 stitches instead of 120. Except for that and knitting the sides for fifteen or sixteen inches (directions said thirteen) before binding off and on for the handles, I followed the directions.

Since Beth took the picture, I felted the basket again and it is currently drying.

Ruth

Pysanky Making

On Saturday Jen, Gina, Marsha and I gathered at my house for a morning of making pysanky.  Jen had made these eggs in high school art class and quickly remembered the technique.  Gina and Marsha caught on fast.  Brad joined in the fun too.  Before kids he and would make some of these eggs every year.  If you are looking for pysanky supplies, here is the place to shop.  Happy Easter.

A Very Special Project

Thanks to all who knit a scarf for a very special group of people.
The scarves are now on their way to Utah for the Winter Games and will be ready to embrace some lucky Special Olympians!

Both my aunt and my nephew have participated in Special Olympic events and if you've never seen the proud faces of those athletes, you don't know what you're missing.

reading

i love to read almost as much as i love to knit. i don't think i can confine this list to just a few books that have really touched me. i'll try to keep it down. i can never remember authors but i have all these books if anyone wants to borrow them.

A Fine Balance is a moving story of life in india.

the vanishing of esme lennox - is recent and a bit disturbing but still a moving story of triumph. i still get shivers every now and then as a bit it of come into my memory.

garden spells - fun and quick.

robert ruark - something of value - omg. older book about the maumau (sp?) revolution in africa
cloud atlas - there are two by different authors. very different but both good reads

anything by ayn rand. who is john galt?

anything by leon uris.

ok. i'm getting carried away here. i'll stop.

Beth Reads

Sometimes I can sit still long enough to read and comprehend what I'm reading.  But, it doesn't happen very often.  Here's what I've been enjoying most recently in the way of books:

1.  Not Quite What I Was Planning:  Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser

Read this book cover to cover in one sitting or use as a bathroom reader (or both!).  It is just what its title suggests:  a collection of six-word memoirs.  How would you describe your life in six words?

By the way, my first knitting publication is going to have the same title, Not Quite What I Was Planning.  Unless, of course, that would be a copyright infringement!

2.   The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick 

The story revolves around the secret life of a young boy.  The book was written for 9-12 yr olds, but I think most adults will enjoy it too.   Believe the author when he says that the book is "not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things."  

Did you clutch a black and white notebook as you explored alleys in your neighborhood after reading  Harriet The Spy?  Were you ready to move into an art museum after reading From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?  If so, you'll be ready for another exciting adventure after reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Secret Pal Reveal - March 27, 2008

Here are the pictures from our Secret Pal Reveal on March 27, 2008. It was so much fun!

I hate to hog the blog but.........

Once again, I'm saying huge thanks to my SP!

I just got home to find a HUGE bunch of roses waiting
for me. Flowers are one of my very favorite things
but I don't remember telling you all that. These
are beautiful. They're in a great metal European-
style metal vase and were accompanied by a nice note
on a beautiful postcard.

Work has been very stressful lately and this was such
a happy surprise. Again, many thanks!

Mark was home when my SP stopped by with them and he
teased he knows something I don't know yet. Oh well;
it won't be long until I can say thank you live.

hugs back to you, SP,
Deb.

Thank you, Secret Pal!

I had to drop you all a quick note to say "thank you", once again,
to my Secret Pal. She left a nice package at the front door
containing a note, adorable (and delicious) bunny-shaped sugar
cookies as well as Irish Potatoes. Sugar cookies are way up on
my list of favorite foods and the Irish Potatoes were good, as
well. I'd heard of Irish Potatoes but never before tried them.
Like most sweet things, I can now claim that I do like them. :)

Quite some time ago we talked about guessing our SP's identity.
While I don't know who mine is, I do know a few things about her.
They include:
1. She's an excellent cook.
2. She and I don't work together in my office. This one is an
observation from the five-year old and is an easy one since I
don't work with any of you!
3. I know her from knitting. Again, a point made by the shortest
part of the family. This one, too, makes me giggle since I know
all the potential candidates through knitting.
4. She's considerate and thoughtful, thinking of more than just
me. The five year old is looking forward to knowing who she
is almost as much as I am!

The list, above, could apply to the whole group, I believe. In
other words, I have no good ideas yet. Looking forward to saying
"thank you" in person tomorrow night!

Yipes! Stripes!

Here is our first strippy blanket for Afghans for Afghans. Held by volunteer Ann Batman and photographed by Laura Truffaut, the Scarlet Knitter...http://scarletknitter.typepad.com/ in the basement in San Francisco where Afghans for Afghans packs all the boxes. (I am probably the only person who wants to go to San Francisco so I can go down into the basement of the AFSC building. . .)

Another one is in progress. This one doesn't look half bad!

We should all be very proud! (Even though I did not knit a single stitch of this one. I put my time in on seaming, though.)

Leap Year

For all you knitter's out there. I suggest you celebrate Leap Year by frogging a project that you've had sitting around for more than ten years that is less than half complete.

Free to good homes

A few years ago, I worked for an organization that has huge archives on stuff on the history of chemistry and the molecular sciences. While I was there, IUPAC (The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) donated their archives to my organization. The stuff came from Oxford, England, in a couple hundred moving boxes, several dozen of which I brought home to use for moving into my house.

The papers were filed in these "Hunt File Boxes" (which were made by Hunts Office Equipment Group in Oxford but are no long manufactured by anyone, it seems). The archivists at my organization were keeping the papers but discarding the boxes, so anyone who wanted them was allowed to bring them home. I couldn't bear to see such sturdy boxes tossed into the trash, so I brought some home. Actually, I brought a lot of them home--two or four at a time on the subway and the R5.

I've found these useful for storing magazines, papers, crafting supplies, and all sorts of stuff. But I have far more of these than I'll ever need (and I don't have the shelf space to accommodate them), so I need to find new homes for the surplus.

Dimensions are 14.75" tall, 9.75" wide, and 3" deep. The frame of each box file is actually made of wood, the fronts and backs are very thick pressboard. The interiors are covered with a marbled paper, and the exteriors are covered with book cloth. The boxes are very stuy and are in excellent condition; they can be stacked on a shelf vertically or on top of each other horizontally.

If you want some of these boxes, please let me know. (I have dozens of them, so there are plenty to go around.) I'll bring one to knitting next week so you can see it in person.

A very happy

Cardigan Complete

After six month in the making the Debbie Bliss jacket is finally complete, except the buttons are not sewn on yet. It fits her and she likes it.

I miscounted rows and have ten evenly-spaced buttonholes instead of seven. I had planned to use the buttons shown, but I only have eight of them. I think ten buttons along the packet would look too crowded. I'm looking for suggestions, fellow knitters?

MY SP Wants to Know

My secret pal really gets around (and changes handwriting from town to town -- hmmmm. . .). Postmarks so far from San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Boston. . . I'm waiting for Duluth, or how about my favorite town, Durand, Wisconsin? Oh, but where was I . . . right. SP wants to know "What are your three favorite things you've ever knit?" I've been mulling this over, and I'm not sure I can answer. My current favorite is the big purple mitered square blanket, appearing here. After that, I really don't know. . . maybe the Norwegian sweater, with an all-over pattern of stars, that I knit for my boyfriend the fall after I graduated from college. Having never done colorwork before. I loved that project. No one told me it might be hard, and it was just beautiful. And then. . . well, I just don't know. Possibly Bill's "elf" hat -- navy blue with 1-inch stripes in all the colors of the rainbow. He won't wear wool, and my hands don't like working with cotton (ouch) or acrylic (squeak squeak squeak) so it's the only thing I've made for him. I gave it to him for Christmas 2005, and he wore it all day, and he's worn it every day from November through March since then (not at work, just while getting there and back). I think he might get a new one next year. It's more about matching the project to the recipient for me than about virtuoso knitting. And since a good deal of my knitting time comes late at night, autopilot is usually the best kind. Not to say I don't have ideas about magnificent, complex achievements -- just maybe not this year.

twin baby pattern suggestions sought

I recently found out a co-worker and his wife are expecting
identical twin girls in June. Thanks to new 3-D ultrasounds,
earlier this week, everyone in the office saw their sweet
little faces. It's amazing how much better this new technology
is than what was available even a few years ago!

Anyone have any suggestions for gift knitting for the two?

I'd suggest something not overly complicated or ridiculously
time consuming and not booties. Other than those two
guidelines, I'm open.

I look forward to your ideas!

A visit from my secret groundhog pal

Even though yesterday's Groundhog Day party got canceled--and even though Phil says we've got six more weeks of winter--I still managed to have a great Groundhog Day.

Jan, Sylvia, and I went out to lunch with an old friend (whom we haven't seen in six years because he now lives in Yakima). When we returned, I checked our mailbox and found another gift from my secret pal. A beautiful card (with a woodcut that reminds me a lot of some of the woodcut art I've seen in Vermont and really adore) wished me a happy Groundhog Day. Accompanying it was a book that's been on my wish list for a long time (I think my secret pal is a mind reader!): Rowan Babies, by Kim Hargreaves. The designs in here are adorable--I am really looking forward to knitting them up!

Thank you, secret pal!