Fiber Arts and FO Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday!! One more day and three whole days off!!!

Little baby sweater and hat is finished.  Since time is NOT on my side, I'll need my daughter to do the finishing before she gives it my DIL.  Pagewood Farms Yukon colorway Navajo.  Basic top-down raglan sleeve sweater with a basic knit hat.

It's amazing how fast an upset grandmother can crochet.  Due to privacy issues I can't share what happened to my oldest granddaughter.  I just hope she can get some comfort.  I would need my daughter's permission and then it's a question of just how much one should share on a blog.  So, I will talk about the yarn.

I used Simply Soft, which is my favorite acrylic yarn to work with.  To me it feels like cotton.  Not cotton yarn, but cotton batts or balls.  Does anyone remember back when Johnson & Johnson made those sterile cotton rolls that came in the blue box?  Ours never stayed sterile for long as I was always opening the box and petting it when my Mom wasn't looking.

This evening I worked a little on my spinning.  Cupcake Fibers superwash bfl with some nylon.  I don't know how much I will get finished between now and Tuesday when I'm back to running for the bus, again.

Thanks for stopping by. Click the following links for more FO's  and Fiber Arts.

WIP Wednesday

I'm exhausted from my day off.  I need a day off from my day off.  Yes, that's right back to work tomorrow to rest up from being home.  There is a lacking in the WIPs from the finishing in the past few days.

The little sweater is finished as of this morning.  This is the hat, that is also now finished.

I just love the colors in this yarn.

A little more progress on the purple sock.

I needed to run up to Wal-mart for some buttons for the baby sweater.  Duane went with me, so we bought day passes and made a day of it.  This is the yarn I bought for Faith's Honey Bunny.

Duane saw this blouse and decided it was me and bought this and a pair of jean looking leggings.

Cellphone Luddite makes her decision.  This LG Enlighten was $1.06 with a two year Verizon contract. I told her the basics of what I wanted and she didn't try to oversell me.   I'm trying to figure out how to use the thing. Smartphone is too smart for me. The saleslady said I could download my MP3's off my laptop, but be darned if I could figure it out.  Duane said he might mess around with it tonight, while I'm sleeping.  He's back on the up all night schedule.  Besides, he has better MP3's on his desktop.

With the quick crash course the saleslady gave me, I can make calls and take pictures.  Yay, me! I figured out how to download this picture from my phone to my laptop.  Not a bad picture for a cellphone.  I guess figuring out this darn phone will be a WIP for awhile.

Duane wanted to stop at the Chinese Buffet on the way home, but he was running out of oxygen and I didn't bring a second tank.  We came back home, dropped off the Wal-mart stuff, hooked him back up with a new tank and headed in the other direction to the Greek restaurant he's been wanting to try.  We both had the Gyros plate. Ton of food for a reasonable price.

From there we stopped at Whole Foods for bunny carrots.  They had a bunch of plants outside on sale.  I picked out a sweet basil and strawberry plant to add to my growing collection.  I have a bunch of pictures I took of my garden, but I'll save those for Thursday's post.  When the snow is deep up north, you all can come here over the winter and see how my garden is growing.  We are still in the 90's, 10 degrees higher than normal.  The weather people are claiming it should start cooling off after the weekend, by a whopping 5 degrees.

This morning I need to run up to the post office on the bus before work to mail off the package to my daughter and my hexi-puff swap yarn. Duane bought my daughter a little surprise to stick in the package. (She'll read this and wonder.)   I was supposed to mail the swap by Saturday, but with my work schedule, I just couldn't get up there.  I'm the one holding up the swap, I'm admitting to it.

So much more to post, but I'll save that for Thursday and Friday.  It's all good.  Here's the best news.  My schedule for this next week, I have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off.  Three whole days. I won't know what to do, I'm so used to going to work now.   I'm scheduled of course for the Saturday of Duane's birthday, but that's ok, I'll take the point for calling in.  It will give me something to earn back the next few months, since we can't bank the points more than the twelve they give us from the beginning.

For more WIPW posts go to Tami's Ami's.

FO Friday

If you are a FB friend of mine you would have already saw a preview.  The gifts were all gladly received yesterday and promptly ripped open.  My oldest son was the first to call and put me on speaker phone.  First thing he said was, "Mom, why did you knit humping deer on our hats?"

From Knitting Kitties

He took a picture of the three of them and posted it to his FB page, stating they need sweaters to match their hats.  Yeah, he has high hopes.

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Left to right, Jacob (my youngest), David (their father), Avery (oldest son).

From Knitting Kitties

From Knitting Kitties

Details:  These were knit with fingering weight superwash merino that I dyed.  Cast on 128 sts, knit 2 purl 2 ribbing.  Then I doubled into each stitch to create a double sided fabric.  Chart pattern: Fornicating Reindeer

My daughter called and hopefully she will get a picture of my granddaughter with her hat on Saturday.  I wasn't able to finish the afghan in time.  It will be an after New Year surprise for her. Mom got her cowl in time for her to head out of town today.  We'll see if my brother gets a picture of her.

All this deadline knitting, I've been lacking in my housework.  Courtesy of or borrowed from Hyperbole And a Half this is me today.

From Knitting Kitties

I plan on spending the rest of the holiday in quiet solitude, as D has to work tomorrow.  D bought me this kit two years ago, so this is what I'm working on at the moment.  Over the weekend, I'll probably bounce from project to project like a butterfly on meth. 

From Knitting Kitties

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and that you get to spend the holiday exactly the way you want to. 

From Knitting Kitties

From Knitting Kitties

From Knitting Kitties

Did She Make It?

I know those of you who have been following along the past few weeks are wondering if I finished those hats in time to mail out for Christmas.

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The answer is yes, by a very narrow margin.  The last stitch was knitted at 6:45am Tuesday with the last notes of Whole Lotta Love playing.  To Dammit's pleasure I put his Led Zeppelin dvd 2nd disc in and let just re-play 3 times as I sat up all night knitting.

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D kept telling me it wouldn't matter if I sent them out later.  However, it would have mattered to me.  I needed to prove to myself I could set my mind to doing something and get it finished.  Even after it got to the point I no longer wanted or liked doing it.

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I will head into the New Year with a sense of accomplishment, knowing I can accomplish the goals I have set for myself.  It would have helped me to finish with less distractions and Santa Claus could bring me one of these.



When I got back from the post office Tuesday, it looked like a horrible rain storm poured on just our complex while I was away that short time.  A pipe burst right next the manager's and my apartment. Very close to the spot we had the leak back in October.  I ran inside to check my corner and was glad to find it dry.  There was no way I could handle another episode of flood with no sleep.  So, I slept from Tuesday afternoon until finally this morning, only getting for a couple hours then deciding to go back to bed.  I wanted to post for WIP Wenesday, however I had a migraine from the tension and the low pressure system that went through.

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Full pictures and details of these hats tomorrow for FO Friday.  They should have received the package by then.

I won an ornament from Teresa's blog and it came over the weekend.  Thank you Teresa, it looks good on my bare little Charlie Brown tree.

From Knitting Kitties

From Knitting Kitties

The girls have been taking advantage of Butterscotch's mild nature and beating on him the past few days.  They've done this before and he gets very paranoid and hides.  I have to bring him out of hiding to make sure he eats and drinks.  I wish I knew what was the cause of them doing this.  Especially when they find his hiding spot at 2am and we are awaken by a huge cat fight.

From Knitting Kitties

Butterscotch says, "I really hope Santa brings me an invisibility shield." 

WIP Wednesday

It's that day again, the busiest blog day of the week. When I get to go check out what everyone is making on Tami's blog.

From Knitting Kitties

with flash on

I made a little headway on the hat, it wasn't for lack of trying.  Yesterday, I had the worst Fibro flare that I've had in a long while.  I think incredible fatigue is worse than all the body aches. This really bothers me because I don't know what precipitated it.  I fear it may be some allergens I ran into on my walk Tuesday.  The bad thing about the desert this time of year is all the desert pollens that I seem to be quite allergic to.  I've considered getting one of those blue face masks for my walks.  Then I will have a very strange face tan with white around my mouth where the mask is.  *laughs* As my grandmother would say, I can't win for losing.

  Today, my sciatic nerve is inflamed and it hurts just to touch my left butt cheek. That was how I woke up, Bright Eyes put her paw on the nerve and I dreamed a horse kicked me in the backside.  However, I will plod on with the knitting.  Will be skeining up and dying some red later today for the last hat.  Me thinks there maybe much crying and gnashing of teeth this weekend while I try to finish up for mail on Monday.  Tuesday morning at the latest.  I think if I sent Priority Mail Tuesday morning it should still get to NY by Friday.

From Knitting Kitties

flash off

For those of you who may not have been following my hat chronicles these past weeks.  I'm knitting three of these for my guys back in NY.  I'm using superwash merino that I dyed.  This one is for my youngest son who has more of a square head, so I'm going to knit the crown using Jared Flood's Turn A Square method.

Thank you in advance for any comments of encouragement, it's really getting to be crunch time here.  The cats are biting their nails wondering if I make the deadline.

From Knitting Kitties

Butterscotch says, "I trying to make Mama feel better with my cute."

*Forgot to switch the setting off landscape when taking this photo.  Too damn cute not to share.

Random Monday- Weekend Report

It's me, reporting from Hat Hell.  Progress isn't going very well. Yeah, you knew it, FB games.  I did figure out what the attraction is for me. As you may know, I suffer from anxiety and PTSD.  With the stress of finishing stuff and it being that time of year, my anxiety levels are going through the roof.  Playing those games, I can kinda zone out for a bit, except it causes more stress as I'm getting farther and farther behind schedule.

From Knitting Kitties

The blue is a shade darker than the photo.  More like a bright royal blue.  I really need to buckle down and just finish already.

Friday night D finally gave in and got me Netflix.  They don't tell you, or maybe they do. In the fine print, half way down the page, right at the point your eyes started to glaze over and the words become blurry.  They bill your card or bank account two weeks after sign up, not 30 days like the front page implies.  This doesn't work well with our budget.  So I will call, see if I can cancel then sign up again two weeks later when it will be better for us.

I'm really enjoying the streaming video aspect.  I just wish they had more available online vs. DVD. It really makes sense as far as expense for them with the postage. I'm sure it has to do with contracts and the copyright owners.

From Knitting Kitties

Saturday, I broke out of Hat Hell and took a walk in a different direction up to the Dollar Tree and Wal-mart.  This is my little piece of the NE.  There are three huge sugar maples in front of this church.  Every time I walk by, I wander into the grass and wave my arms in the air at the trees.  Deciduous trees can be grown down here if their trunks are coated with a special latex like material when they are young to prevent the trunks from drying out and splitting.  That and constant watering.

From Knitting Kitties

The leaves are starting to change from that cold snap we had right after Thanksgiving. However, we've been enjoying warmer than normal temps and supposed to have a record high in the 80's today.  Which will be nice when I take my walk for cat food later. This is what we moved down here for.

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Here is a closer view of the mountains I see from outside my apartment. These pictures were taken from the back of the plaza.

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Well, I have ton of cleaning and knitting to do.  Need to try to ignore all the distractions of the traffic going back in forth in front of my window, and the neighbors shouting to each other.  Makes me hate Mondays.

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Butterscotch says, Mom is so hyper today, I can't bear to watch.

FO Friday

It's me that crazy catlady in Tucson sitting in hat hell. I bet you didn't think I would be posting a FO today. Me either.  I had something I finished last year that just needed blocking but I couldn't find it.  So rather than make place look worse than it already does, I blocked the stole I finished last month, but didn't show you the finish.

From Knitting Kitties

sorry for the blurry photo. The sun only shines in the bedroom very early in the morning to wake me up. Grrrr

The truth is I was quite disappointed in how it turned out.  The yarn I used on the ends didn't match as well as I thought it would.  This was going to be a gift but now, I just don't know.  Maybe I'll find something I can drape it over and hide the ends.  Or I'll rip it out when I'm in fit a boredom from everything else., like that will ever happen.

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The other end that I had started in provisional cast on, didn't work out with the feather and fan pattern.  I should have realized that when I started, but there you have it.  Sometimes even those of us who've been knitting since the very dark ages don't always think things through.  So after two rows and a some cursing, I just bound it off.

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I didn't take measurements as I was so disgusted with the thing. It's about 12 inches wide and the length of a queen size mattress minus pillow space.  Knit with alpaca lace weight that I dyed and spun.

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I finished the first hat at 4am.  Blame FB, I went on to check messages and got enticed by a new game Cityville.  Gah, I need to banned from that place.

From Knitting Kitties

Two more to go.  I really might end up back in a corner of my closet sitting a tote crying and pulling my eyelashes out before this over.  Be sure that either the cats or the bunnies will be all to happy to come and report back to you.  I'll need to hide the camera so they can't video the evidence.

All comments of encouragement will be greatly appreciated or brandy.  Brandy will be good for when I'm in the closet.

Oh, that skein wasn't as badly tangled as I had feared.  I was able to fix it and wind it up rather quickly.  No, melbatoast the bunnies don't bother my yarn, except to nudge a ball on the floor when it gets in their way.  Bootsie and Butterscotch like to go tote diving for balls of yarn but they just carry it around for awhile.  They are past the yarn stringing stage. Thank goodness.

WIP Wednesday

I had hoped to have the hat I posted on Monday finished by now.  There is still 6 pattern rows left, then I'll probably do another 6 rows of solid color before I begin the decreases. I can't show you an updated picture as the pattern is too obvious.  I dyed more blue yarn for the second hat yesterday, then I will have to dye some red for the third.

This is day 5 on this hat.  Being that the first two days I only spent a few hours knitting on it and getting used to the tension, I'm still hopeful I will have time to do the other two.  I really wish you could feel the fabric it's quite squishy. It should keep a head nice and warm during the bitter cold Western NY winter, if not, they might should consider just staying inside.

From Knitting Kitties

This is not my first time with stranded knitting, just double knitting.  My first stranded/fair isle project was in 95 when I was working nights as a nurse in a nursing home.  The hours between 2am and 5am were excruciating trying to stay awake with everyone else sound asleep.  I needed something interesting enough to hold my attention when I finished with my charting.

I found this magazine, and I still have somewhere in a box.  There was a pattern for a fair isle sweater that had  a lace stripe between the pattern stripes, made with soft, fuzzy mohair.  My 12year daughter fell in love with it.  So, I headed down to the yarn store a mile away all excited myself that I finally had the income to afford the yarn the pattern called for.  The lady talked me out of the pure mohair, they didn't carry it as she said it was too expensive and didn't sell well.  Instead she special order some Sandes Garn Kitten. I'm glad she did as my daughter later lost it. It survived our house fire but not my daughter's skatter brain.

She's been begging me to make her another one.  As much as I would really, really love to make another one, she's still not very good at holding onto things. I have made other things using a variegated with a solid, but they were all gifts and before digital or internet access.  Hope I didn't bore you with that little story.

From Knitting Kitties

From Knitting Kitties

Do you remember my granddaughter's afghan I started this past fall? It doesn't look much different.  I could really kick myself for not sewing the second set of squares before now. I want to do one more set of squares to make it longer.  With the squares I have now it would be the size of baby blanket, which would be a good size for a 6 yr old to cuddle with while watching tv. I want it to last her for awhile, so I think a bit longer would be the way to go.

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While I was avoiding starting the double knitting Friday night, I cast on this cowl for someone who thinks I won't make him anything.  He said if I ever made him anything he would be so honored he would have it framed.  I'm really hoping he wears it and not frames it.  When I came across this pattern for The Guy Next Door Cowl, I knew it would be perfect for the guy next door. I'm using superwash BFL that I dyed and spun last year.   I can't show the other present I have going because the girl next door sometimes reads my blog on FB. She has promised not to show this post to the guy.  He doesn't go online, so I'm safe.

That's all that's going on here.   What are you working on and are you stressing the clock ticking down as well?