The Red Scarf Project

The red scarf was started during Superbowl earlier this year (and completed). I'm just getting around to taking pictures. The scarf will be donated to Norma's favorite charity ..... The Red Scarf Project. which supplies scarves for orphaned kids.  I used Cascade 220 but can't remember the name of the pattern.  This is the scarf that is  the center picture of my blog banner.


I've been on vacation.  I'd like to tell you that I lived up to my blog title and went to the ocean and spent my time knitting.  No such luck!  My Toyota with only 44,000 miles behaved like a spoiled child and decided that it wanted attention.  Some of it was expected and about $800 worth not expected.  Get this, $1,500 later the car will be like new.  Fortunately for me, almost $600 was covered by my extended warranty. 


Folks, I am on a self-imposed yarn diet after that bill.  By now, I could work as a consultant on car repairs.  Dealing with all this in a short period of time was a little more stress than I wanted.


For years I have wanted the music box that was on my mom's bureau when I was a little girl. 


I described it to a friend and he purchased this similar one for me years ago.

The music box plays this song.

I loved it but not the same as the one I was so fond of in my memory.


Recently my mom located the music box in her storage.  It is about 65 years old.  My sister saw it and immediately wanted it.  Nanananananaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......sister, mom sent to me in time for my birthday which was last Sunday.  So sister, take comfort in the fact that you got mom's motor home, boat and $30,000 collectible car.  Not nice, I know...but just once in a while it feels good to be victorious.

There is storage for rings, etc. beneath the lid.  As a child, after my bath and a t-shirt warming on the oven door, my mom would play the music box for me.  The song..........

When I first started learning to play the organ, I even purchased this very simple basic sheet music. (and I mean very basic!!!)

I still need to insert my favorite childhood pictures.

Lonely no more.......they have each other on my bureau!

Happy Knitting!

Update - Kaleidescope Scarf and Socks

 Sorry, I scheduled this post and forgot to upload the pictures till later.

This scarf really is called the "Jared Flood Noro Scarf".  However, it looks like a kaleidoscope to me.

I started knitting this scarf because it really is "mindless knitting".  I liked it but was not excited about it till today.  While gassing up I realized that it really was quite chilly and reached for this scarf on the seat of my car.  I wrapped it around my neck and loved all the colors weaving around each other. 

Though a little pricey to knit, approximately ....well, let's not go there, the pattern calls for four skeins of Noro yarn.  No two scarf will be the same and it is a surprise how the colors flow unless you deliberately break the yarn and select another color in the skein. 

My scarves are usually 60" long.  I kept knitting till all four skeins were knitted up.  It is approximately 84" long....almost long enough to be a body wrap.

I love the fact that this scarf is reversible and the edging is "clean".  I may have to knit another with a selection of different colorways.

These socks were started about four years ago.  I wasn't particularly excited by the yarn from knitpicks.com.  I then misplaced the project and looked high and low for it.  I found it the other day hiding in my stash.  I had not dug down deep enough...lol.
Happy Knitting!

Palindrome Scarf

Pattern:  Palindrome Scarf  (<--click for free pattern)

Yarn:  Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk

Needles:  Size 10

What I really like about this scarf is that it is completely reversible.  The yarn I used has a "halo" and I would recommend using a solid color worsted though it calls for DK.  I added a cable repeat and increased the needles by one size and also added two rows between repeats.  The scarf in the picture has not yet been blocked.  The true color is a peacock blue and not anywhere close to what the camera captured.

Last week I purchased this delicate wash for my handknits.  A little expensive at $11 for the bottle, you only use 1/2 tsp. per half gallon of water.  With no rinsing involved, I don't know how I ever lived without this soap.  I purchased the lavendar scent which is delicate and acts as a moth repellant.  The wash also comes in smaller bottles.

Eucalan free sample  Click the link for a free sample.  There are several scents available including eucalyptus, grapefruit and fragrance free.

Obsessed, possessed, addicted or passionate.....well, I know that passionate fits the description when it comes to my knitting.  However, my soap buying purchases of the past week may fall in another one of those categories.  I was shopping today at a store that announced a special on hand soap.  Hello!!!! that's what I was there for as I was already swishing water in my soap dispenser trying to get the last of the soap till I could get to the store.  This soap was 27 cents a bottle so I purchased a dozen bottles.  And yes, I've tried it and I do like it.

Happy Knitting!!!

More Finished Projects

Hope you have all had a Happy Holiday!  I had a great time with my older daughter and her family in Rhode Island. 

This hat is a very quick knit and was one of my Christmas presents to my daughter.  I promised I wouldn't knit for Christmas this year and I broke that promise about 10 days before the 25th.  I guess I needed a little last minute stress.

Pattern: Thorpe Hat  (free pattern)

and a matching scarf! 

I put this ornament together using wooden skewers cut to faux knitting needle length.  I glued a bead on the ends.  I wound leftover yarn which was a great way of using up bits of yarn you don't know what to do with.

I printed out and attached this tag which is apropos for all of us knitters!

So, while we were on the "emergency" track, I ordered my daughter and myself this knitting bag.  Customer service from this site was fantastic!  Check out their other colors at Illiane's Corner.

Christmas Day was spent at my son-in-law's family home.  His mom passed away last January.  She was a wonderful mom, grandma, crafter, etc. The tree was decorated with all her hand-crocheted ornaments, mostly victorian and snowflakes.  All were white with an occasional touch of color.  

There were probably 25+ people there.  At the end of the day, all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren were invited to go up to the Christmas tree and select an ornament(s) to bring home with them as a momento of their beloved grandma.  It was very touching to see what everyone selected.  Every year there was a handmade quilt, sweater, or mittens under the tree for them.  She is definitely missed.

My daughter and I went to WEBS the day after Christmas.  WEBS is known as the world's largest yarn shop.  Again, the customer service just cannot be beat.

My daughter asked me if shopping at WEBS ever becomes less overwhelming.  I told her it gets easier.  However, by the time I left the store, I was totally exhausted and overcome by the fiber fumes. 

If you can't find the yarn you are looking for at this store, it doesn't exist.

I purchased nine skeins of Berocco Lustra which is one of their new lines.  It is Merino and Tencel and is marvelously soft.  I received the Knitpicks "Harmony" needle set as a Christmas present and the combination of this yarn and needles is a marriage made in heaven.

Revisited - Cat Bordhi

A few weeks ago I received a request that said, "We’d like to feature your photo on the Ravelry page for "Cat Bordhi - Swinging-Mikado". I was quite honored. The Moebius scarf above was knitted at a workshop with Cat.

I attended that workshop with Cat when she was here in the fall of 2007 to speak at a fund raiser for the Vermont Cancer Center. She is friends with the the woman who manufactures the Denise Needles. Her brother, an ocology specialist doc works in my department. If you purchase the pink set, $5 is donated towards breast cancer research.

Cat is extremely witty and I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I won the door prize that day to add to the excitement.

Happy Knitting!

Spiral Scarf

The scarf was knitting with lace weight yarn (silk/merino) from Knitpicks. Pattern was purchased at Webs.

We, as knitters, want our projects to be the best one thus far until you cast on the next project. This spiral scarf really fell short of the mark. I've only worn it a couple of times, and though I always get compliments on it, I'm just not happy with it. I feel like I am wearing a clown's collar or a collar on one of those medieval women's dresses. What was I thinking? I love the yarn and fortunately I have two more skeins to play with.

I completed this scarf last summer and waited to blog about it in the hopes that ....well, I'm not sure what I expected as it is what it is.

I wet, pinned and blocked this wayward scarf. The yarn is stubborn like it's owner. Now, stubborn can be good in some instances. For me, it is synonomous with determination. The dang scarf just will not conform and curls as if it were a bathing beauty's hair at the ocean on a hot, humid, summer day.

I crocheted an edge around the neck because, as its name implies, it was spiralling out of control. Nope.....that didn't help much either.

So, I've adopted the attitude that there has to be a few "not so hot" knitting projects to really appreciate the good ones.

Happy Knitting!

Diagonal Lace Scarf and More

Pattern: Diagonal Lace Scarf (<--click for free pattern), also on Ravelry

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca - 1 skein

Needles: Size 7 circular

A closer look................

If you click on the link above, you'll see a more accurate picture on someone else's blog and discover how truly beautiful this pattern is. It was a fun, easy knit which took 3-4 nights. I knitted mine slightly wider as I love the feel of a full scarf.

Knitted to match the infamous lost, but now found, mitten. Picture is a little dark to show the start of the second mitten. I'm getting there folks but these mittens are on size 1 needles and uses the modular method so it really takes a lot of time.

Jakob, my grandson who will be 2 years old this week, loves tractors. I should say LOVES because his mom has to take the tractor keys along whenever they go out. Not much done yet on this little sweater but there is no real hurry as I am knitting a size to fit him next winter.
I traveled to Maine yesterday to visit Halcyon Yarns in Bath, Maine. I was a little nervous when I realized they were closing earlier than I had anticipated. It's a great yarn shop. However, considering the distance, I would travel to Webs instead in the future. It's hard to beat Web's for selection and customer service. While at Halcyon I only purchased a couple skeins of yarn. I was looking for Noro Silk Garden in colorway 229. They didn't have that colorway and I decided it was just as well as it is a pricey scarf to knit and falls in the $40-$45 range for yarn. It is a favorite with the Yarn Harlot and Brooklyn Tweed.

I was in Portsmouth, NH after dark when I stopped and asked for directions at a gas station. I had my car window rolled down and speaking to the attendant, I suddenly realized that there was something wrong with this individual who was now giving me the creeps. I realized I was blocked by an empty car in the front at the pump (owned by the station) and couldn't see well enough to quickly back out. I refused when he told me "Get out of the car, NOW!!" I finally managed to maneuver my car out of the station. It was a busy highway but would anyone have noticed if there was something wrong?

Brian, I was on the highway near the rotary headed (in the wrong direction, of course) to where Yoken's Restaurant was located but is no longer there.

Note to self: Make sure car doors are always locked, cell phone handy, and handbag on the floor instead of on the seat next to me. I should have been more selective as to where I stopped. The busy highway felt safe but in retrospect, I'm not so sure. Any other safety tips are welcome!!!! (besides making sure I know where the heck I am going..lol.)

I just thought of a great solution. Get my car one of those GPS systems!!! This way I won't have to stop and ask for directions.

Happy Knitting!!

Alligator Scarf

Pattern: Alligator Scarf from Morehouse Merino
Yarn: Red Heart (yikes!)
Needles: Size 6
The scarf is smaller than it appears and I am not happy with this one. I just couldn't find washable yarn that I liked for this project. It is for my grandchild, Jakob, who is not quite 2 years old. You know that a 2 year old is attracted to dirt, mud pies, etc. Jakob insist on his mom taking the tractor key with her when they go outside. He loves tractors, helicopters and motorcycles and anything electronic. He is all boy!

So, I started a green one instead last night. I may still complete the brown one and donate it to local scarf project.

Not much to report except that I need to yet pass on a blogging award that I received.

I also have great news to tell you about my younger daughter but I want to get a picture first.

Looking out the window this morning there was a flock of honking geese flying south. There is always a stray one trying to catch up to the rest of them. That is a definite sign of winter on it's way. We are suppose to have a dusting of snow in the valley tonight and 1-2 inches of snow at higher elevations. Time of all those wool socks I knitted along with the mittens and scarves.

Happy Knitting!

Pattern: DK Buttoned Neck Warmer and Hat (free pattern from my LYS)
Yarn: Manos Silk Blend (30% Silk, 70% Merino)
Needles: Size 6 circular

These buttons are not what I had in mind but I couldn't locate anything better. The color is "hot pink" and not red as in the pic. Now sewn, I do like them better. In the back of my mind I've been wanting to try polymer clay and make my own buttons. Will someone please take my temperature? I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head. I knitted this simple rolled brim hat to go with the neck warmer. It was a simple and quick knit and I'm very happy with the hat. I usually like my hats simple.

My anemia is beginning to resolve itself with my iron supplements. As a result, I ran around like a mad woman this weekend getting a lot of things done. It felt so good to get to those tasks. Speaking of anemia...that mannequin head needs some of my supplements, you think?

I actually completed four UFO's (unfinished objects) this weekend. I have so many of them that I stopped putting them on Ravelry out of embarrassment. However, I did start two more projects. One is a must but I feel guilty starting the second. More details soon.

Can someone tell me if when I respond to a comment someone has left on my blog, and it says (no comment/no reply) next to their name, if it still goes through to them? I've wanted to reply to several new readers this week but not sure how to go about it.

Happy Knitting!

Midwest Moonlight Scarf

Pattern: Midwest Moonlight from the book, "Scarf Style"
Yarn: Classic Yarns Cashsoft DK 57 ultra fine merino, 33% acrylic, 10% cashmere
Needles: Size 8

The scarf pattern from the book pictured above had several false starts. I frogged several times before getting it right. It was knitter fatigue, I decided.
The scarf is fairly wide and could be used as a head scarf which I love the feeling of being enveloped in warmth and softness on those days when snowflakes are slowly falling. If you are in a warm climate, does the thought of snowflakes make you feel cooler?

I'm told the pattern looks like the quilting "Falling Blocks". Kim help me out on this one!!! Kim is the greatest quilter so check out her blog.
I included the above picture as can't you almost feel the softness. Just 10% cashmere really makes a difference.

I'm keeping this scarf for myself. It almost, now I said almost, makes me wish for winter. (Someone please take my temperature!)

The weather has been beautiful. Our local fair has been the attraction this week. They predicted 350,000 people would attend. (Can that # be correct?) Anyway, I think they were all here today as the Jonas Brothers were having a concert.

Regarding the info on adoption on my blog the other day, several of you rightfully expressed concern. The adoptee, first thought to be a baby by my daughter, is actually a 14 year-old girl who was an exchange student with the family who adopted her. They have no other children. I don't know the details of how she became adoptable but she is safe with this loving and caring family.

I've been closely listening to the news today. I pray that people down South will be safe. Gustav is predicted to be the storm of the century.