Stinky- a bird lover!

Spring time is so exciting here with new blooms and birds arriving.

here are a few of the birds that Stinky gets to see..

Can't see to catch a shot of a huge wood pecker,, an eagle flying overhead and male bright red cardinals . Yesterday my son saw an eagle swoop down to a baby duck in the river.

Rose breasted grosbeak
Indigo blue bunting

indigo blue bunting ( this is my favorite!)
yellow finch

rose breasted grosbeak


purple finch
purple finch ( but looks red!)

wood pecker

Slow slow Bee

If this is a Slow going group- I need a snail group. Clue 2 has been out since last Friday and I am only half done with Clue 1. It is not that I have not been working on it either. Going away this weekend and a sinus infection may have hindered progress but adding beads and recounting along with my slow "throwing "knitting method is making this even SLOWer. . But slow and steady is fine - although going faster would make it easier on my eyes and hands .

Clue 1

Stinky loves to sleep on his scratch box

My wee sock and purchases

Winter Clove Spinning Retreat was a good time . Claudia was super organized and everything was perfect including the other interesting participant's. What a beautiful setting for the retreat at the quaint Winter Clove Inn!
What puts a slight damper on these situations is my hearing loss which makes it very stressful .Forget being able to carry on a conversation when it is a large group in a big room or a noisy dining area so most of the time I sit there not talking to anyone. Hearing the instructions were even more stressful. Claudia did have a nice visual packet that helped follow what was going on and my friends are patient about helping me. Hearing loss sucks but vision loss would be much worse not being able to read , knit or drive.

Enough whining...

This wee sock (in picture way above) is a sample of what yarn spun..white, green, pink and purple were carded together to make this color. The purple was a mohair blend that made the yarn softer and flexible. Notice a new book and Lucy Neatby's DVD on Double knitting were added to my stash.

Spinning Weekend

whew....I am packed and ready to go for my spinning guild weekend . Between knitting, spinning wheel and supplies, wine and a few clothes not much room left in car .The theme for the weekend is learning how to spin sock yarn but mine will be secretly turned into shawl yarn. I have bins of lovely sock yarn that are waiting for my number two needles but my stash of shawl yarn is limited but quickly getting sufficient. Added to this my spinning skills are really lacking so this yarn will not be consistent enough for socks.

I am moving along at a tortoise pace on the Slow Bee shawl with only half of clue 1 done. Clue 2 is out today but will be waiting and then all the comments and explanations will be there to read. Not much will be accomplished this weekend as total concentration is needed for this with no wine and chatting at same time. My camera is packed so no pictures of it but it is so impressive . Doing this KAL makes me realize I have moved up in my knitting level. I am officially no longer an advanced beginner! maybe now classified as an daring intermediate with much more to learn..

My new Dell Inspiron came last night. Most the night was spent setting it up along with a wireless router. DH was impressed that I figured this all out as he does not have the patience but the LinkSYS router has step by step directions that were very helpful. The test will be if it works this weekend at this resort that offers free wireless.

Mother's Day Weekend/wedding details? Slow Bee

Mother's Day gifts for myself!



Whew the weekend flew by! Friday I drove up to Albany and stopped by the shop in Cohoes. The people were friendly and pleasant but nothing hit my eye to buy . Then I shadowed my daughter as she registered for at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Invites for her Albany area bridal shower(shhh) are out so this needed to be done.

While using her computer this weekend a short cut to my blog is there so I must be cautious about surprise stuff.

Sat. we went to this shop in Saratoga. Oh- this place is fantastic with such a variety of yarns and classy projects . I browsed for over an hour while my daughter patiently sat. Could have browsed more but spent way too much already. Lunch was spent on a sidewalk cafes where we people watched, chatted and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then the rest of the day more wedding details accomplished with flower vases, ribbons and candles purchased for wedding tables.

Stinky gives his approval

Liz and I toke her wedding invitation to get weighed at post office in order to get the stamps. The envelope is a larger size so finding pretty stamps was harder. She had to take the Forever stamps for the response cards beucas eof no pretty choices with prices changing today but decided on 2 of a pretty pink heart stamp for the invites . Total cost of each invite is about $1.50! They did not have enough so she will have to go back and get the rest.

I printed off the fist clue of Slow Bee while at my daughter's but could not get to it till late last night after visiting with my mother in Middletown most of the day. It is a good thing because got to read all the comments first and see people's pictures to help me understand . yes- This is going to be a challenge for me but I am totally excited about it. A few rows were started last night but my eyes and body were pooped so I am off to it now for a short period while DH is out and I can concentrate.

torture not knitting....happy Mother's Day

No knitting last two days has been very difficult. Knitting has become my therapy to relieve stress. ( and this week continues to be stressful getting my unhappy and hard to please mother settled in her new apartment ) Knitting and using the mouse on my right hand results in pain. This rainy and damp weather does not help. Instead of knitting -I have been just drooling over patterns and future lace yarn purchases and wishing I was a speed knitter with painless hands. But this weekend knititng won't be missed..

because

I am off to Albany area today to spend the night with my best friend , my daughter. I am leaving extra time to stop at this shop in Cohoes NY.http://www.beauknitsltd.com/
What a perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day!

lace is like chocolate

These arrived yesterday from Knit Picks. Reading these is like being in a candy store and wanting to taste them all. Problem is is if you eat too much -you get sick. Knitting lace too much results in hand and wrist pains . Now I must go on a lace diet for a few days to ease this pain.

My second swatch with size 3 needles of the Slow Bee Mystery was painfully completed last night.

My feline helper and I decided the original one in size 4 looks much better

size 4 is on the left..The pattern looks much clearer to me .

( Honestly- it might be because last night my hands hurt so much and it may be knit looser so my hand would not hurt as much ) Either way- I think the size 4 will be easier on my hands .

The birds continue to come to our feeders . Yesterday first hummingbird of the season was at the feeder. I love looking out over my sink and seeing colorful these birds. So does Stinky!

yellow finch
woodpecker

more lace

First swatch for Slow Bee Mystery is completed. I used size 4 Addis.

While blocking it looked a bit long compared to what is suggested by Moni. After it dried it was closer to the correct swatch size. I plan on doing another swatch in size 3 to see how the lace looks and size . That has to be done before next Sunday. I have silvery beads on one end that don't show up in the pictures but look better in real life. The dark multi ones showed up in the picture on the right side but can hardly be seen on swatch. Who would ever believe that one could get so excited over a lace KAL?

Last summer it was socks, winter was mobius and now it is lace. I decided against the River Stole after I started a few rows with the lace merino. It was too open and lacy. That patterns needs a fuzzier yarn. After looking thru websites and my books at home I have decided to try another Forest Canopy. If that does not turn out- my next option is trying one from Victorian Lace book.

Look what returned to my bird feeder. Sorry about the glare.

Rose- Breasted Grosbeak

Forest Canopy done

My feline helper, Stinky, and I blocked this at midnight last night
I never blocked anything before so I need his expert help!

Even with all the mistakes it looks beautiful to me!
yes- I am officially I am hooked on lace .

more good news
The Boy got home this am from his fishing trip in Costa Rica. He had a fantastic time and full of fish stories and adventures.

Slow Bee Mystery

Slow Bee Starts soon

.

First clues come May11. If you want to join this KAL -you need to do it now as Moni is closing membership .

My Forest Canopy is almost done.The stitch count for the border is way off but I am continuing anyway. Not a good week here for concentrating on lace but next week should be better.

Ravelry lists the pattern called River Stole as free but the link does not work. Jolynn suggested this for a bride and it looks absolutely perfect. Now- if only I can find the pattern .

*******Thanks to Beth via Ravelry who sent me this link to the River Stole/Wrap

http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Knitting-pattern-lacy-wrap/v1

knitting on hold

Not much knitting done this past 4 days as my mother is moving . It has been extremely emotionally and physically draining plus time consuming. Packing her up and getting everything in a new spot has not been easy. Coordinating cable,phone ,newspaper and electric have been a nightmare. I waited for the cable guy 4 hours Sat but when he shows up at last minute he decides he needs to come back again today instead so another 12- 4 waiting for them to show up. Quess where I will be all week? My car is still full and the old apartment needs cleaning and stuff in closests removed. Please let my mother be happy after all of this.
So I tried doing one row of lace last night when I got home. The stitch count was way off. So I had to just put it on hold till I calm down.

DH is in Costa Rica. I hope he is having a good time but iI miss him helping me.

Help to find Bridal shawl pattern

Yesterday this brilliant idea came to my head !

Why not make a simple but delicate bridal shawl for my daughter?

I have the yarn and the beads but now need a pattern. The wedding is 8/16 so I have time?right? (along with 2 Kal and an afghan)

Anyone know of a pattern that :

Not anything too big

maybe rectangle or triangle

not too complicated..

Is it obvious I am an addict? Thanks again to Sue

some patterns to consider:

another Forest Canopy?

or

http://elann.com/ShowFreePattern.asp?Id=228024

or

• http://www.alltangledup.com/movabletype/my_images/my_patterns/kiri.pdf
  
  

Bits of news good . and sad

good news:

May 11 Kal for Slow Bee 1 starts . What a perfect Mother's Day gift. You know what I will be doing that day. My yarn is picked and some beads . I ordered the yarn from http://sarahsyarns.com/JSZephyrColorCard_big.html . Two sets of beads were purchased on EBay from Emilia Beadelia'a Bead Shop. I love the name of this store . Long ago I read Amelia Bedelia books to my daughter many, many times. One set of beads is multi colored with some blues and the other looks like little ice crystals. When I do a swatch( Yikes- for once it will be done) a few beads will be placed to help make the decision.My shopping has been a little out of control lately due to this KAL obsession with the purchase of Addi Lace needles in several sizes, blocking wires and pins.

Knitty Gritty is taped automatically so last night nothing new was on TV so I watched Lily Chin demonstrate a 9 Block Baby Blanket. Never would I actually do the blanket but her blocking methods got my attention and the idea to change the afghan pattern being made for my daughter. This is mindless knitting in between lace. Only 4 squares of 15 are done and need this by July 19th shower . My worry was that the squares are not turning out to be the same size but Lily showed how she uses a foam template and pins each square to that to make them squares.. Wires will even make it easier. She single crochets around each square and then sews them together .The whole blanket gets a single crochet edge around it eventually. My pattern calls for knitting sections in between the blocks and then attaching them. After they are blocked it will be easier to decide. But- thank you Lily chin and Knitty Gritty for showing me a simple way to block the squares using inexpensive foam. My worry was this blanket would turn out like crap! I bought the kit at Stitches 2 years ago when I saw a sample blanket displayed and spent much $ on it. Really should have done it in a washable yarn because my daughter has 3 cats and a dog but so what.

PATCHWORK AFGHAN Knit Simple Holiday 2006
includes 18 skeins of Nashua Handkits - Creative Focus Worsted yarn & magazineUS 6 needles (not included)
This beauty of a blanket is pieced together from large squares of simple colorwork and solid stockinette using 8 different jewel tones shades!!

and now more good news

171 rows are completed out of 196 on my Forest Canopy Shawl. It looks very small so another one or 2 sections of the pattern will be completed. How much bigger will it get when I block it? I am loving this project but now understand why it has been slightly problematic. I just read in The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes that you should never use boucle for lace . Quoted from her book:

"While boucle yarns can look gorgeous on the skein - especially those hand- dyed in variegated colors - they can be problematic to knit. Those open loop act a magnets for even the dullest- tipped needles , snagging again again. Most boucles, whether simple or complex, want to be knit in the simple stockinette. Anything else will be totally lost beneath the wonderfully jumbled surface."

The pattern is not showing up as much and the stitch count has been off with the little magnet nubs but on the other hand all my mistakes won't show up either- right?

some sad news:

My husband's best friend and fishing partner since grade school died last night of lung cancer. My husband is one of those guys who does not cry so seeing him last night so upset and choking with tears broke my heart.

This is the my DH (tall guy) and Warren fishing here on the Delaware last fall..

I have knitting . My DH's addiction is fishing .This morning he got up at 7am and went fishing with thoughts of his best buddy on his mind. Tomorrow he will travel to his wake and funeral. This will be an emotional week for him and me. He shuts me out at times like this and sometimes is not easy to live with but after almost 22 years I understand and accept it.

Friday he leaves for Costa Rica for a dream fishing trip.The timing of this trip is good.

I will be busy moving my mother into a senior complex this next weekend. Packing up up things last few weeks has been my job.. She is very sad and depressed. Maybe being around healthy people her age will help. All she sees now is my comatose father and the other helpless and sick residents. Nursing homes are way up there on my list of emotionally upsetting and sad places.It is a constant reminder of how fragile life is and that I am getting older too fast.

Lace addict/ Spanx

Thanks to my blog pal, Sue from NJ, http://craftitagain.blogspot.com/ ( who just happens to have a Mini and a spoiled canine like me) I have become addicted to lace. Yes -Even after I had to painfully frog 2 nights worth yesterday because for some stupid reason I took the first life line out thinking everything was ok. On further examining it in the sunlight yesterday it was obvious an even row was skipped so it was half and half front and back . No housework was done yesterday as that Forest Canopy Shawl kept calling me . At midnight I was still counting and celebrating every time a finished row was correct. My problem solving and counting skills are slowly improving . Knitting lace is much like doing a Sudoku puzzle that gives my aging brain daily exercise.



This is very hard to believe considering my frustration and observation levels are not strong.. It is a miracle I can even knit as my coordination and patience are lacking. I was never a crafty person. When I first started knitting 2 years ago it took me months to actually see the difference between a knit and purl . DH can't believe how far along my knitting progress and how dedicated ( obsessed) I have become.

Shhh Today he is fishing so as soon as he leaves I plan to plop in the sun and get back to the lace shawl.( no cleaning or yard work done for another day)



Dress for my daughter's wedding
( This is Not me!- found at Dillard's web site)

Good news ..I lost one more pound at Weight Watcher this week ! Only 5 more to go and I will be back to my goal. Lace may be postponed temporally to take a walk today. A dress was picked out for my daughter's wedding .(Damn -it costs 40$ less at Dillard's than what I paid locally) It is tight around the middle but the next size was too big. 5 pounds should make it fit .If not -I wear this which I bought on EBay . The owner of the bridal shop was raving about them and how comfortable they are but make you look 5 pounds thinner. Oprah endorse them here. Have till August 16 to get rid of the middle. Unfortunately - knitting only exercises the brain not the gut!

Forest Canopy Shawl/ more animal shots

Imagine if digital cameras were around when my kids were babies in the 80's. I would have so many more photos of them. Back then you had to go back and forth to the photo developing places and crossing your fingers to see if they turned out. Instead now I take a million pictures of my animal babies.

Molly doing her yoga poise-

Stinky doing a little lounging



basking in sun on Sunday

To get ready for the Slow Bee Mystery KAl this was started this weekend.


Forest Canopy Shawl pattern was purchased here http://knittingasfastasican.com/forest-canopy-shoulder-shawl/
The directions are very clear and this is perfect for beginning lace.
This is the yarn being used for the Canopy Shawl. Not exactly the best choice of using the boucle as the nubs of it make it easy to miss or pick up an extra stitch. I have been saving this yarn in my stash since I started knitting 2 years ago for some thing special.

Here is my progress so far. .

It is very very slow as I need to count after each row to make sure that a stitch is not missed or added. Lifelines are being used but painfully so. Reading the knitting has not clicked yet. Last night while reading a helpful Ravelry forum one post said said t the center decreases should line up . So far the center stitch that is knit btl along with having a marker is really the only thing that stands out .

Baby Shadow Sweater. DONE!!!!!

Two different colors of Tofuties sock yarn SWTC were used. The light pink ridge makes a shadow effect . The pattern level said easy- NOT for me..!

Finally- this %$!@ sweater is done ( except for buttons sewn on). Never before in my knitting experience have I encountered such frustration- not even with my first socks .The seams were sewn and the ends woven . A crochet edge was added around the neck to make it look neater.

All the mistakes pop right out at me. It is a gift for my daughter's coworker.

pink pearly buttons to add...

Dogs on Thursday-Buddy

Buddy at my son's wedding 2005

Buddy is my part time pug but I love him full time. When my son moved out a few years ago he took Bud with him. Everybody loves Bud because he is so calm and friendly.
I helped deliver Buddy 8 years ago when Molly had her second litter of 5. Poor Buddy was a sick little pug and needed surgery on his elongated palate so we kept him.

Buddy stays for long periods of time because of my son's weird work hours and his wife being so busy with teaching and finishing up her doctorate at Columbia. Buddy loves to visit his relatives . Magoo is his father and Peek, a sibling from another litter, and of course his mommy, Molly!

BUDDY


Last night Buddy came as my son and DH are going fishing. He jumped right up on the chair and took a nap next to Stinky ( not a blood relative but sort of family)

VA retreat/ Happy Birthday DAd

Happy 87th to my dad. My mother ( pictured) and I brought the party to him at nursing home.

He is falling sleep while he eats. HIs face is bruised and cut from falling last week while trying to get out of bed .

Posting this picture makes me cry. All my poor Dad does is sleep and suffer pain when he is awake. Gettng him to stay awake to eat or talk is a challenge. Yesterday - he said to me " This is a hell of a state to be in - but I guess things could be worse." This dear man has suffered for two years and overcame mutiple flus and infections but still hangs on. It is time ....

Dad loves my log cabin blanket .

Now on to happier things......

Vogue Fashion show by local yarn shop located Woodstock, VA.

Christina and Peggy

loads of tempting fibery stuff

It was beautiful weather with blossoms and flowers bursting!

The main building where we ate. Inside the dining area resembled Harry Potter's

This past weekend was spent in VA at a relaxing Fiber retreat organized by Christina Parham . http://www.dyepot.com/ . On Friday the thought of driving 6 hours was making me have some doubts. Did I want to drive this long alone in the snow, rain and fog and spend all that gas? Am I crazy? But, what a pleasant surprise this retreat was with no high ( self -inflicted) pressure classes and just a bunch of friendly and sharing southern ladies. Some of the things shared that made me excited were Navajo plying, starting the Danish shawl in the new Spin-Off and the Baby Albert sweater. And oh yes- Christina had plenty of beautiful fiber stuff to purchase that was so reasonable in price one could not resist.