Darn Blogger!!!!

What's up with Blogger lately?  Last week, for 24 hours, Blogger was eating up people's comments but not till after they had been posted.

Today, I can't leave comments on blogs.  It is very frustrating.  I have not been a regular blogger as of late and am trying to return to being more in touch with all my readers.  However, I noticed that numbers were down and I figured readers just thought I upped and moved on to something else but probably it was because Blogger is being so damn fickle. 

In my last post I mentioned I purchased a new IPad.  Blogger does not yet have an app for it so I can't blog using my new toy!  WordPress has an app and relatively user friendly.  However, I hate, hate, hate moving my blog.  I had almost 300 posts on Yahoo 360 when they totally went to an insane assylum and most of us abandoned ship and moved elsewhere totally trying to keep track of all the friendships we had formed.  I now have over 250 posts on Blogger.  It's like living in the same house for years and accumulating all this "stuff" and you just don't want to move which you might say is true about my life in general.

Import your posts, you say!  I imported my Yahoo 360 posts to WordPress about five years ago.  Every posts lost the first picture in each post....the parent went away but the children were left behind.

Is anyone else having problems.....but then of course, you won't be able to leave me a comment today if this continues.

It could be worse!!!

In the meantime..............Happy Knitting!

Guilty Pleasures

In my last post I mentioned that the money I earn from teaching knitting classes is being spent on some fun things (and sometimes practical things as well). I felt guilty about my latest purchases.

It started with this.

It's been extremely frustrating trying to get the screen on my laptop to stop dancing with one hand while I type with the other.  Never mind that the letter "e" sometimes doesn't work.

Some days, it behaves and the screen looks lik this.

So for Mother's Day I purchased myself this little Vera Bradley tote.  I'm always good to myself on special occasions.  I've always envied women who have one of Vera's bags, and though I think that they are overpriced, I now feel that the quality warrants the cost.

Check out the swivel buckles.    A couple of pockets comes in handy as well.

Can you guess what is inside?  C'mon......guess!!!!

The orange cover puts "it" to sleep.

It's an IPad 2.  You'll have to break my arm to take it away from me.  I must say that it has been an adjustment in my way of thinking when it comes to computers.  I had never heard of a "cloud" before, or "air printing".  The apps for it are absolutely, absolutely wonderful.

One of my hobbies is photography.  I have an app that once I enter an address and a date, it will tell me when is the best time to take a picture showing the location as an aerial view, the angle of the sun, etc. using the GPS system.

If someone were to steal my IPad, I can go on any computer and locate my IPad. 

Just one little problem..........Blogger needs to upgrade their technology so I can continue blogging on my IPad itself.  WordPress, I'm told, is the blog site to go with.  I don't want to transfer just yet.

Any of you readers have an IPad?  Any tips, comments, suggestions?

Happy Knitting!

Strawberry Baby Hat

This cute little hat is a very quick knit.  There's no intended baby recipient but it is always nice to have a baby gift waiting in my stash of handknits when the occasion arises.

I purchased this yarn at A.C. Moore and it is a joy to work with.  This particular pattern has several "fruit" hats from grapes to pumpkins and Paton's has an excellent choice of colorways for any of these hats. 



The floats are a little long but because it is a hat and there will be no little fingers or toes to get caught in the floats, long is ok.

This coming week is the last class I will be teaching in the latest series of classes.  The money from the classes has been earmarked towards some "fun" things that I am not divulging until I get over a case of "the guilts" so stay tuned.

The wrist has been acting up so there has not been as much knitting as I'd like.  I find that I also tend to knit more when I blog regularly but this darn computer has been extremely tempermental lately.

Happy Knitting!

Bling, Bling Baby Sweater

Pattern:  Knit Lace & Leaves (Leisure Arts)
Yarn:  Lion Brand Cotton Ease
Needles:  Size 5 & 7 (I went up one size)
Erratas for this pattern: Can you believe all the errors in the pattern....geesh!!!!

I loved this sweater the minute I saw it.  I'm a sucker for garter stitch.  Probably one of the reasons I usually enjoy knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann patterns. 

It looked beautiful as I knitted it.  However, once completed, I felt that the leaves really overpowered the sweater and needed to be a little more dainty.

I fell in love with these buttons.  Every little girl needs to be exposed to a little "bling-bling" at an early age so I obliged.

The pattern....isn't that baby adorable!

 I won't be knitting the blanket.  However, that would be one gorgeous gift!

 The pattern booklet gives you the choice of two hats.  I love the bonnet.

But I'll be knitting the cap to match.

I hated knitting with this yarn.  Colorways are beautiful but I find cotton hard on my hands when it comes to knitting.  When knitting baby things I put my "yarn snobbiness" aside in favor for "easy of care" and "cost".  I'm really not excited about Lion Brand's Vanna White's yarn either.

I'm off to a birthday celebration lunch.  Lots of fun things coming up in the next two months.  More on that later.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Apps

I must confess. I have a new addiction. Yes, I know that it is one of many but all my addictions are creative and not harmful except for the Diet Pepsi monster. This newest one is free to affordable. It's apps for my phone...you know, like in applications.

The contract on my cell phone with Verizon expired last October at which time I could upgrade for a small to huge fee, of course. The rumor mill was ripe with information that the IPhone 4 would soon be available with my Verizon carrier. The magic date in February arrived and the  IPhone 4 cell phone purchased was made. I love it!I don’t know how I ever lived without it.

So, you are wondering about the knitting apps. They are pretty cool!!!!!

Here are a few I have downloaded and if my aging memory serves me right, they were all free except for the spinning app.

StitchMinder - My favorite knitting app, I think it is self-explanatory.  The settings allow ascending and descending tracking.

KnitGauge - Useful tool for measuring swatches. I’m amazed at how this one works.  Align your swatch with the needles and drag one of the needles to the area you designate on your swatch and it will provide you with the info you want.

I really like the measuring tape and find it useful for a number of things when shopping.

Row Counter - Very basic and useful

Knit Counter - (sorry, no pic available) A lot like Ravelry except you can keep this info private till you are ready to share it with the Ravelry knitting world.


KnitMinder - Keeps track of projects, UFO, etc. Similar to some of the others that are available.

IKnit NdlSzr - not that impressive but it works in a pinch

SockCalc - (forgot to take a picture of this one) Want customized socks? This free app is for you. Late last year I purchased a similar software program for $30. Just goes to show you that if you wait awhile, it will be free.

A spinning app for fiber addicts!

WEBS, Kaleidescope Yarn (my LYS) and Knitting Daily, where are the topics are neatly stored as opposed to lost in my e-mail in-box, are part of this group.

I have many other apps ranging from NASA to entertainment. I have the Martha Stewart app where every afternoon (I selected the time) I receive a recipe along with a grocery list specialized to my local grocery store of choice according to aisle.
 
Happy Knitting!

Baby Surprise Jacket

Pattern:  Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ)

Yarn:  TLC Supersoft (but not sure as I lost the ball band

Needles:  Size 6

Skill Level:  Advanced Beginner

Ravelry BSJ Info that is invaluable

(Scroll down for more informative links.)

I have missed you, my loyal blogging friends.  You fed my knitting ego with your comments and I really appreciated it.  However, I needed a break for awhile and I am now back by popular demand to stay with my goal of at least one post per week.

I just finished teaching the BSJ class.  The BSJ, by Elizabeth Zimmermann a/k/a knitting guru, is a piece of knitted origami.  It can be a little confusing for a new knitter as the knitter is not aware if they are knitting a sleeve, a front or a back, etc. 

I've been teaching knitting for several years and this was probably the most challenging class I've taught for a variety of reasons.  It sold out so "the pie" was divided in many more sections.  The knitted piece looks like this just before folding so you can understand a student's apprehension.

Some of the skills learned in this class were different methods of increasing and decreasing and the finished appearance of each,    M1 (make one) versus K1FB (knit one in front and back) which creates increased and K2 tog (knit 2 together) versus sl1kpsso (slip 1, knit 1 and passover the slip stitch).

We planned on how to have the "applied I-cord bind-off" to start and end at the center back neck when the remaining live stitches begin at the top right, down and around the sweater and up the left side.  We didn't want the seam to be in the front, top-most corner which was likely going to happen without some modifications. 

Notice the special finish.  It's like graduating from grade school to high school (i.e. bind off to I-cord bind off).  A little more time-consuming, it is definitely worth the effort.

This YouTube link demonstrates beautifully how to turn the corner with a knitted I-cord bind-off.

Here is the link to the  "BSJ Spreadsheet" that I found extremely helpful and complimented the actual pattern very well.  Thank you to the creator.

 I added my personalized label to the lower inside front of the sweater so that it would not "scratch or itch" baby's neck. 

 (Note to self:  trim those threads...don't you hate it when you notice these things after you've taken the picture.)

Pattern can be found in the above and below-pictured books.  

Sweater is now folded and tucked away for a future, special baby!

I'm excited that I've been invited to teach at a weekend yoga/knitting retreat this September.  It is still in the planning stages so I'll provide you with more information in the near future.  However, I'll tease you with the fact that at this Vermont location there are beautiful small log cabins with 1-2 bedrooms, fireplaces, fantastic views and more.  A maximum of 20 registrants will be accepted.

Happy Knitting!

"She's Back!!!!

I'm knitting another "Baby J" sweater, same as the last post, different yarn.  Boring at this point!!!  It was a skein that was laying around so I grabbed it and wouldn't you know that I have six more rows to knit on the sleeve and I ran out of yarn.  I can't find any more.  Come on!!!!  It's a baby sweater.  Six rows is probably less than a yard of yarn.  Maybe, I'll knit the cuffs a different color.  After all, babies don't know their colors yet at 9 months.


Not sure I like the "pooling" but it does grow on you after awhile.  I added a "faux" button band up the front.


It's been almost a month since I have posted.  I took a little trip.  Quite the ride. 

 I just couldn't wait.  I was up all night trying to decide what to do.  My destination was all but about 2 miles from home.    I'm so adventuresome.

Formerly a Catholic hospital, there are still religious statues on the grounds.  As I drove by St. Joseph, I thought it was a "good sign".


Hmmm....the name has been changed from "Immediate Health Care" to "Walk-In Care Center".  Duh!!!.....a clue.

It was 7:30 a.m.  I discovered they don't open till 9:00 a.m.  Surely, there must be a very dedicated person who came in early on a Saturday of a holiday weekend and would let me in, at least out of the cold. 


See that little white box.  The lady on the other end of the phone suggested an ambulance that would transport me to the nearest hospital.  I didn't argue.  I didn't care that my insurance would not cover it.   I told her I would wait in my car which was illegally parked in a handicap zone about 10 paces from the phone.


She sent out a security guard to stay with me till the ambulance arrived.  If this man was single and potential marriage material, I really blew that one as he had to watch me "barf" (and worse....listen) in my Trader Joe's brown bag I was saving as a souvenir (don't ask me why!!!).


I thought I had food poisoning.  Well, what do I know?  At my age, I suppose it could be anything.  I had a very bad case of Meunier's Disease.  It seems that everything I look up on the internet these days regarding a malady says the following:  "This illness is common in people over 60."  What's up with that?  I paid my dues in life.  I've had my bumps in the road.  It's time for things to be easy.


Honestly, I deserve to win the lottery (don't we all). I'm single and I enjoy my independence and freedom........A LOT!  But while ill I probably would have married the first man who showed an interest in that sort of commitment.  (Snowball's chance in hell of that happening.)  "Honey, can you heat up some soup?  Sweetheart, can you go to the pharmacy for me? Can you....?" (fill in the blanks).  Well, I must have been running  a temperature as high as a hot and sweltering summer day in the Arizona desert because after later thinking about it, I decided that I just needed someone to "take me out back and shoot me".   Just a little rash moment on my part.  I'm glad I had no takers. 


Happy Knitting!

Baby "J" Multi-Directional Cardigan #420

Pattern:  Baby "J" Multi-Directional Cardigan #420
Needles:  Size 6
Yarn:  Plymouth Dream Baby DK

This little baby sweater, in a beautiful raspberry colorway, was on display at my LYS.  Looking at the pattern, I never would have purchased it because it just did not do this sweater justice.  Very poor photography. 

It is also known as the "Compass" sweater as you eventually knit in every direction.  The neck band is knitted first, then the fronts (south). The back is knitted north on the imaginary compass, the right front is knitted to the west and the left is knitted to the east.

I love garter stitch and this multi-directional knitting keeps the interest alive.

 

The Back!

The cuff!

I love the cuff as baby's mom won't have to struggle to get those little, delicious fingers through the sleeve.  It also allows for baby's growth!

The sweater is aqua with flecks of blue and yellow.  The vote by my co-workers was that it was "girly" so I purchased girly buttons.  I really wanted the sweater to be unisex and would have purchased different buttons.

I still need to knit the hat and booties but that is not on my schedule till after the 1st of the year.

The "Dark and Stormy" sweater is almost finished.  Fronts, back and sleeves look great with the front band and collar awaiting me.  It has become to heavy to lug to work to knit on my lunch hour or carry in the car.

I have exciting news to share with you as soon as I finalize things.  It's been one of my goals for some time and I am very pleased.  Just a little "teaser"!!!

This time change kills me.  My body does not like the adjustments that are needed.  I have been staying out as late as I can after work to enjoy the natural daylight.  Already, I miss knitting by the lake so it will be a long winter till I can do that again perhaps come May.

Happy Knitting!

Abandoned Child - Yes? - No?

I think this post warrants its own space and I'll write another today to show my knitting progress.

I've never been accused of "minding my own business".  Of course, I have at times as after all I did go through a divorce.  However, I will often "speak up" and then think that perhaps I may have put myself into a situation that could have gotten out of hand and my safety might be in jeopardy.

So, today I was out the door before daylight to take my car to the garage.  When done, I had a craving for a chocolate-glazed donut so I went through the drive-thru at Dunkin Donuts.  All of a sudden, I saw a very young child, perhaps about 3 years old, getting out of a car to walk, perhaps run, across the very crowded parking lot.  There was no adult in site near this beat-up car.  I stopped my own vehicle and watched, perhaps scaring the child as he tugged at the door to close it again.

Now, I get infuriated when someone leaves their dog in a hot car and though it is now currently quite cold in Vermont, I still felt anger that a child had been left alone in an unlocked car, not that a locked car would have been that much better but certainly would have delayed a possible snatching.

I parked my car (again), walked into the overcrowded glassed-front donut shop and walking to the long line of folks I loudly asked,  "whose child is that?" as I pointed in the direction of the car in question.  Everyone said, "not my child".  I walked over to the seated area and asked again, "Whose child is that?"  Everyone again said the same thing.  I looked towards the rest room hoping someone would come walking out and want to claim this child.  No one!!!  So, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, I said, "Well, I guess I am just going to have to call the police!"...hoping someone would man-up, or woman-up.

I returned to my car, thinking perhaps this child had been abandoned, called the police and waited and watched and watched.  Finally, a non-chalant coffee-carrying man walked to the car at which time I informed him I had just called the police and told him why.  As I spoke I noticed that the look in the child's eyes was terrifying and in my most comforting voice I said, "It's ok, honey, it's okay."

"I was concerned about your child, very concerned about your beautiful child", I told the man.  His reply was "Oh, he knows to watch for cars!"  I wanted to remind him that this child would have had absolutely no defense against someone snatching him, etc.

He did agree to wait for the police to respond to my call.  When they arrived they obviously recognized his name because I heard the man say, "yes, the police were at my house the other night!".  (Wonder why??) 

If nothing else, the father will be fined for not having a car seat in the car for this child.  Now, really!!!!  someone who would leave such a young child unattended in a car could probably care less about having the required car seat in the vehicle. 

Obviously, this so-called father did not want to lose his place in line at the donut shop and is the reason he didn't speak up when I asked who the parent was.  Perhaps he thought I would just go away.  Not me!!!!

So, on that note....have you seen the TV program, "What Would You Do?"  It's a modern day version of "Candid Camera" that show people who step up to the plate to help a stranger (actors)in need.  Very heartwarming!

The Sweater Curse

No, no.....this is not a handknit.  It's a sweater repair job I have inherited.

You've heard of the "sweater curse".  You've heard of the book ..."Never Knit Your Man A Sweater*".....*till you have the ring!  Read on!!!

My co-worker's son's girlfriend gifted him this sweater!  They broke up  (i.e. the sweater curse) and now the brother loves the sweater. 

 It's a Dale of Norway sweater.  They usually sell for around $300.

I believe it may be a "second" because the tag is snipped.  Still pricey, however.

Notice the row of knitting just below the "Dale" tag.  It's what needs repairing.

Here's the inside of the sweater....unraveling in all it's glory.  When I asked my co-worker if she was hand-washing or dry-cleaning this sweater as it would make a difference on what I used for yarn for the repair job, her response was, "Oh, use anything you want, any color you want!".  Well, that won't work with my signature on this repair job.  I have a reputation to uphold in the knitting world.  It will look nice.

Have you experienced the curse?

On another note....I saw snow on the mountaintop when I left work today.  I'm getting those scarves and mittens ready.

Happy Knitting!

Journey Wheel or Bostworth Charka Wheel

I never heard of this spinning wheel till today.  But, friends, I do not know much about spinning. 

This is the Bosworth Charka Wheel by Jonathan Bloomenthal.  See links at end of post.  I'll tell you more about my friend later in the post and how this all came about.

My friend Leah is preparing to spin.

 In the above picture, Leah is turning the wheel and spinning.


 In this picture, she is packing up the wheel.  Notice how the fiber is tucked in.

Here is Leah with her wheel, all folded up.  This gives you an idea of how small it is.  Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures but I only had my cell phone with me.

Journey Wheel  ...click for more information on purchasing and pricing.

Bosworth Charka Demo ... click for a YouTube demo on how this wheel operates.  Pretty informative!

This is how the day developed.....I was at a store that sells quality yarn amongst a gazillion other very interesting things.  I ran into Leah and instantly we knew we knew each other but from where?  Our paths have crossed before at a knitting group and at the farmer's market and it was one of those things where while exchanging phone numbers we say..."Call me!" and life gets in the way and we never do.  So, today, we stopped and "smelled the roses" and went and had coffee together. 

Leah gave me a demo of her gorgeous wheel right there in the crowded parking lot on the hood of the car.  Fun, fun, fun!!!

I was so energized after spending time with Leah and exchanging craft ideas that I am ready to tackle the horrendous amount of housework waiting for me before I knit more on my "Dark and Stormy" sweater.  I had planned on showing you a progress photo today but more on that later.

I haven't posted much in the last couple of weeks.  I've been too busy having fun with my fiber friends.  Those ladies in my current knitting class are an absolute hoot!!!!  Class sold out and this Tuesday is the last class (boohoo!)

Happy Knitting!

Valery - A Hip Knit Hat

Pattern:  Valery
Yarn:  Alpaca
Needles:  Size 11

I am a little disappointed with this hat.  Perhaps it's my yarn selection.  Yarn is beautiful but too soft to hold the shape of this pattern.

It's a quick knit.  An evening relaxing and watching TV will get it done.  It's a quick and easy Christmas present!!!

The pattern is from the below-pictured book which has a lot of hats that I really like.  It was worth the purchase.

We had torrential rain this week as did most of the East Coast.  I had two events I really wanted to go to.  One was my class reunion in Maine.  The other was the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival and I opted for that one. 

Norma and I were scheduled to go today but decided that after last year's experience of ankle-deep mud, spinning tires trying to free itself from suctioning mud, we decided to wait till tomorrow and let the fields dry out a bit. 

With other events being canceled already for next weekend for fear of ruining parking fields, we decided not to go tomorrow.  It would have been a 4-hr round trip and fearing the worse, we decided to be sensible and stay home.

I taught my first Fair Isle class this past Tuesday.  The class achieved its maximum enrollment.  The ladies are delightful, absolutely delightful. 

After almost drowning in the frog pond with my top-down blue cabled sweater, I am back on track and will soon be below the armholes.  I missed a very important sentence in the pattern instructing me to read the chart starting with column 19-34 and then 1-19.  Whoever thought of reading a chart starting in the center of the graph?

It's a fun knit and difficult to put down.

So.........on that note........

Happy Knitting!