It Grows While Your Sleeping

I wanted to post yesterday, but the recent weather in my lovely area has prohibitive to my being able to sit, move, or form cohesive thought processes. Because of my lack of sitting ability, I wasn't able to find the clip art for the post I wanted to make, so I'll save that for latter.
I also realized I spent 25.00 dollars on the worlds junkiest, waste of money, piece of &*(^ camera ever. Yes, it was cheap, and you get what you pay for, but I once had a free camera from Earthlink that was better than this. My DD and GD spent the day Sunday. I loaded the camera with new batteries, only to find it ate the next morning, it ate them and burped my pictures into oblivion somewhere. I digress, I'm just not having a good time lately.

As for stitching progress, I work on my luxury knitting in the mornings while it's cool. Risa took my advise and bought some of the Seta and compared it to the Haze. It seems I was right, it is the same just different name, manufacturer and better price. So far, several links have been posted about Little Knits because of me. I just hope at this rate they don't sell out on the Seta. I want to get some black and pink, maybe some more white to dye turquoise.

I realized the mystery of Kid Silk/Seta phenomenon as documented by Yarn Harlot. Her theory was there is a knitting black hole. I wish I had taken pictures, but they would have been eaten/burped anyway so it hardly matters. Anyway, Monday morning, I had about an inch on the Jeweled tank. I knitted for an hour, measured, 1 1/2 inches. It's seven rows to the inch, I know in that hour I must have knitted atleast ten rows. I knitted another hour, 1 3/4 inches. I know I knitted another 10 rows. 20 rows should equal almost 3 inches. Giving up, and getting too warm for mohair, I secured it in it's place in the closet safe from the paws of this.









As well as her cohort in crime.






The next morning, I knitted a couple rows, it seemed to have suddenly grown. I measured, 3 1/2 inches, from 2 rows? I knitted some more on and off throughout the day because of the sitting problem and my cushy rocker suddenly becoming a thrown of stone. At five inches the luxury knitting was locked and secured in it's vault. When I woke this morning, I pulled it out and immediately measured, still five inches. Two rows of knitting, it grew to seven inches. It seems that it's growing over night, but only after I knit two rows it relaxes to it's full height.

Here it rests on the dining room table. Ignore the Halloween tablecloth. lol I really want to finish this so I can have the needles for Soleil. But I'm afraid if I marathon knit the body in one day, I might wake up the next morning to a 28 inch tube, that wouldn't be good.

On the cross stitch front, I didn't get to work on Teddy's Trunk of Treasures, because once I start on Venetian Mask I have a hard time putting it down. There is a wonderful picture of it finished here. I switched out the blues that was with it for 3844, 3845 & 3846. The bright turquoise seems stand out nicely with the rusts and peaches. Thinking I might like to design a sweater with this colorway.

There are so many projects I want to work on, I wish I could multi-task and stitch several at the same time. *sigh*

Until next time, happy needling.

A Bit of This and That

I've tried about four times this week to write a post. Each time, DSO either came home or decided he needed a turn on the computer. We've been down to sharing mine for about five months now. Being the over nice person I am, I let him use it. Sometimes it really sucks being an over nice person.

I was going to post a bit about me, but decided if readers were going read this blog they would probably come for knitting, or cross stitch or the plethora of needlework I have going on. A sane person would not believe the WIP's I've been able to accumulate since being taken out of work a year ago.

So, a wee bit about me then on to the needlework. I'm 39, totally/permanently partial disabled once upon a time nurse, mother of three, grandmother or 2. About six years ago, I sustained a particularly nasty back injury trying to save a resident in the nursing home. It was me versus a 300 lb med cart and an elevator. Being I'm all of 115 (soaking wet), guess who won? It looked I won at the time, but the next day told a different sad ending. I say particularly nasty injury because it isn't bad enough for surgery, but bad enough that after everyone finished messing around left me in a state of constant chronic pain. More about that another time, but just leave that if I could find a way to control the pain I would to work as a nurse again, or just somewhere doing anything outside this apartment.

I live with DSO, five cats and one Netherland Dwarf bunny. I've wracking my brain (which happens often) whether to use DSO (dear significant other) or DBF (boyfriend) which sounds childish at my age.

On to needlework, on the knitting needles, I started a pair of socks for DSO this week with yarn I've dyed. (This cheap camera sucks, I really need to get a scanner. Hopefully a better camera soon after) In real life, this yarn is a darker turquoise with dark blue and purple splotches. I was trying for a solid dark blue but dye broke and made nice combination. These are supposed to be Cubs socks, DSO said to go with it, and they're now tie dye Cubs.

I put several inches on a tank top I'm making with Lion Brand Micro Spun turquoise. I won't being taking any pictures because I'm still deciding how I want to publish it. There will be major happy dancing when I finish it.

For luxury knitting, I reward myself (when it's cool) with this Jeweled Shell using this from Little Knits.

On the cross stitch front, I started this last June. I really want to finish it soon.

I've been gazing at this wanting to put more stitches on it.

So that should make for a busy weekend. I'm going to try to change the background.

Happy needling.

Needlework Throughout My Life

I was going to name this my needlework history, but the word history made me feel old. I've been feeling "old" for other reasons, for quite awhile as it is. I know those older than me will say age is just a number. But, I have my reasons for feeling this way, that I don't feeling like going into.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about my life with needlework, not feeling older that dirt or rocks. My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was four, that was thirty-five years ago. Just the sound of, I've been crocheting for thirty-five years sounds old. (Yes, I know there are those out there older than me, that started about the same age and have more years, but this is me feeling old.) (Another aside, yes, I know, I wasn't going to go on about being "old".) She and my mom had gotten those ripple afghan kits that were so popular in the early 70's, and I wanted to work on an afghan too. I remember I had this very small skein she bought me, I chained stitched about a mile long and declared it was going to be a bedspread for my mom. Of course, the single crochet rows didn't go very far.

When I was about 9, we went on a school field trip to Mendon Ponds Park. The guide showed us a bush with berries that were used to dye fabric. I forget now what they were called, but created a lovely red violet color on white yarn. I saved a bunch in my sandwich baggy. That night I single crocheted oval throw rugs for my Barbies, with white yarn, then squished the berries in spots. I was a budding fiber artist back then, too bad life got in the way later on.

I was about 8, when my mom "tried" to teach me how make granny squares. It took her the whole weekend of me throwing the hook and yarn down and dramatically crying about how I'll never learn. Of course, the "light bulb" eventually came on and I entered a new realm of crochet. So much so, that when one of the department stores had a closing sale that year, my mom's bf bought me bags and bags of cheap yarn to make an afghan for his king size waterbed. Imagine one "king" size granny square of afghan. I have double bed size granny square on the back of my couch now. The only surviving afghan my grandma made. She followed my humongous granny idea to use up her scraps. It's really too bad, I think my uncle threw out her nicer afghans, when he cleaned out her house after she died.

About the same year, I wanted to learn embroidery, so Grandma bought me a stamped sampler kit. I still have a chart left over from a bird sampler kit, I bought around that time. I had the actual stitched piece up until a couple years ago, it disappeared with a couple other pieces like magic.

I was around 10 when I spent the week with my aunt, uncle and cousins at their lake side cottage. I had wanted to learn how to knit for years, but my mom and grandma said that nobody in family knew how. We were a family of crocheters, not knitters. My cousins knew how to garter stitch squares and wanted to learn how to crochet. They were a family of knitters, not crocheters. So, we teased each other all week stitching as fast as we could, occasionally slowing down so the other could learn. Little girls. *sigh*

The night my mom picked me up, I asked her to stop at the grocery store so I could buy a pair of knitting needles. Does anyone else remember back when the grocery stores had sewing centers and small pet sections? The next day, I tried and tried to remember how they started, but couldn't. "I wish there was someone close by that knows how to knit!!!" I cried. That's when my grandma said very quietly, "Your grandpa knows how to knit." What!??!! Grandpa doesn't know how, he's a "guy." About that time, grandpa woke up from his recliner, with what's going on look. "Your grandpa knows how to knit, he used to knit socks for the army during WWI." He finally admitted to it, and showed me not only garter stitch, but purl stitch and stockinette. For months we worked on scarves together. He would knit during the day while I was at school and I would take over when I came home. I wish I still had one of those scarves.

Later that year, he taught me to make lanyard keychains with a square knot and boondogle. I wish I could remember how. That was the start of my having many interests in needlework. That same year, a teacher at school taught me needlepoint. Then my grandmother tried to teach me how to shuttle tat. She tried and tried, but I only would get frustrated and wanted nothing to do with it. It was another four years later when I came to her ready to learn. She only knew how to make rings, but I bought a book and learned how to do chains and follow patterns to make doilies. She was really proud how I surpassed in what I could do. I'm really proud that she taught me.

From there, I went on to learn how to follow patterns, sew, crewel embroidery, quilt, seed beading and many other crafts as well. Mostly self taught from there, if there is a book about it, I'll figure out how to do it. Now, I'm determined to teach myself how to spin on a spindle. When finances allow, I'll think about a wheel, and that might be the first time I actually consider taking a class.

I promise not to always be so long winded. Soon I will post pictures of the myriad of WIP's and the few FO's I have laying about.

The First Post Is Always the Hardest

I've tried this blogging before, when it first became popular. I think because there wasn't many topic specific blogs around at the time; or I should say needlework specific. Something happened while I was living life, hundreds, possibly thousands of topic (needlework, actually knitting) specific blogs came out of the woodwork. From calculations it seems most were born in the fall last year. I'm guessing they were begat from the few persevered from earlier times.

Anyhow, I've been wanting to do this for quite some time, but lacked a digital camera, or a scanner. (I wanted to share cool pictures of what I working on, as well.) Oh, I once was in possession of said items when I first got a computer, back in 1999. But, I had three teenagers in residence, and said items met with a quick and painful demise.

Several times, I thought they killed the computer as well, luckily, I knew a few computer geeks, who kept the old girl chugging along. She and I developed a bond, we would not succumb to their torture. The poor girl gave out on Labor day last year, her poor motherboard just couldn't handle the mother lode anymore.

Anyway, as of this week, I'm teenager or offspringless once again. They've been teasing me for the three years, one popping out, then two popping out, free at last. Nope, one pops back in, then out, then the next pops back and stays for two years.

So, this week, I went out and bought a cheap, er, crappy, er inexpensive digital camera. Just until I know for sure the coast is clear and I can buy the one I really want. Sorry in advance, the pictures won't be as clear and as wonderful as I would like, but atleast I can share.

So much for a short first post. lol
BTW, if anyone comments on this thing, I'll fallout in shock.