Knitting Class Part II

Today Sandy, Alvira and I got together to conquer the garterlac dishcloth pattern.  It is so nice to share time, conversation and knitting! 

A Yarn Experiment

 Remember how I dyed these 100 gram superwash wool rovings into thirds.........

 Well, I spun the pink one.......after splitting the roving in half for two plies.  The colors didn't line up exactly so that there would be some color blending between the color changes and this is the result-

367 yards of fingering weight yarn which will be a small shawl soon!

Blast Off and Blooms

 The shuttle is hard to see in this picture but it was nice to be able to see the last one blast off while standing in our backyard!

 There are so many blooms on our magnolia tree-they are hard to see in this shot but the close up reallys shows them off-

 if only I could share the fragrance!  There are so many flowers that are not fragrant but this one does it right!

 The blooms are large-8-10" across and the breeze carries the sweet aroma throughout the yard!

 Our mailbox has a new resident-a wren has built a nest inside the unused newspaper box under our mailbox-she flies out when I get the mail-I hope she doesn't scare the mail delivery person!

 The hibiscus has new blooms almost every day-they will continue to fill the yard with color until the frost interrupts their show next Dec/Jan.

 The desert rose is outdoing itself-the hummingbirds like it, too.

 In the back yard, the mexican petunias are filling in nicely after their winter freeze setback.  They are starting to spread now which was the plan when we planted them!

 They share garden space with these plumbagos-the blue is a pretty view from the pool area.

 In the hedge next to the house there is an area covered with the trumpet vines.........

I am on the foot now and the pattern is nearing the toes, finally!  I never have second sock syndrome but I might have my first attack-I am sorely tempted to knit a plain sock and rip this one out!  I will try and be strong and resist but.......

Ideas

I finally sat at the loom again-a plastic bag tote was needed.

  PuffDaddy helped me every step of the way....the fringe tying was his favorite part!

 It was exhausting work!

 Into the sewing room next to attach the straps and then serge the sides!

 One tote to go-this one is made of bags from HomeDepot and a Stramping Store (pink)

 While I was in the sewing room, I decided to finish the quilted tote bag, too.  I did the machine quilting on my sewing machine-took a bit to get back into THAT groove !

I used nylon screen for the bottom-this was an idea I have had for a while and it worked just fine!  Very easy material to work with-I wanted the bottom to be open for a beach bag-just right!

On the needles; a new sock from old handspun yarn (merino and silk)  .  I am knitting from the new issue of Knits, the hourglass socks.  The pattern does work well but it is not a mindless knit-there is a lot of purl stitching.  I will finish this pair I am certain but a good plain pair of socks is much more to my liking!

Mother's Day

 When Matthew and Caleb got off work, they came for a visit and we got right out on the boat for a ride and then dinner at Corky Bells!  See this mama smile!

 This horizon is not caused by the clouds but by a wildlife area hit by lightening last week and now hundreds of acres are on fire.

This is the sun setting on Crescent Lake.............what a perfect end to this week.  Thank you, sons.

Thread and Yarn

I was gifted this yarn and have enough to make several hats.......pattern from Quince & Co (Bouns Hat) and a fast knit on #10 needles and worsted weight yarn.  I did use this KnitPicks Bulky Wool of the Andes and just have fewer repeats of the smocking rounds-thanks for the yarn, Sharon!  I was going to send it to Jared because they are still having temps in the 30's but Bill says it is too feminine-what say you?

I finished the bookmarks on the loom ;  I had fun varying the density of this weft-good way to experiment with this narrow width of weaving.  Unfortunately, I still have terrible gaps and holes when I wind the warp forward......it takes a beautiful piece of weaving and turns it into a wierdo tapestry look. 

 I am frustrated because I don't know why it happens so I can't figure out how to prevent it! These are made of tencel and are very pretty in spite of the lace areas!  I have another kit so will be making some more of these bookmarks after the next project.  I need to get the loom warped for a plastic bag tote.  I am psyching myself for the task.   

Warping is like cleaning the bathroom-it has to be done but it isn't the highlight of the day.......!

Wood Worker

 I have had the lumber to make this loom caddy for a several months and finally got the urge to build it!

 I used maple like the rest of the loom so it will darken to the same honey color in a few years, especially after I wax it for a finish. 

This will hold my supplies much better and a certain feline will not be able to knock them off as is her wont.

Nyki immediately joined in the inspection.

 She was pleased to sit comfortably now, the old piece of paneling that was sitting on top of the loom used to fall off and dump her if she moved too quickly!

 I have had this bookmark kit from Weavezine on since January but I couldn't get the log cabin pattern to work.  Instead of burning it.....I just wove it plain and will enjoy the beauty  of the tencel threads as they make nice interplays of color.

JD knows how to spend her afternoons..........no one naps better than a cat!

Happy Birthday!

I love the woman you have grown into!

Pretty In Pink

Here are the matching sweaters I made for Marsel and Abigail!  They wore them to their mother/daughter luncheon .  (Interweave's Knits Magazine, Ruched Yoke Tee pattern, Spring 2011 issue.) 

I made a pair of plain socks from the left over Haruni shawl yarn-nothing like a plain pair of socks for knitting relaxation!

With the left over cotton sweater yarn, I have made a cute little summer sweater-

It will fit nicely over a sleeveless summer dress, don't you think? 

The pattern is going to be available at KnitPicks soon; it is a KayMeadors design.  (You can find her patterns on Ravelry , too, under the user name of NaturalStateKnit)  I used KnitPicks simply cotton, sport weight yarn on  7 needles in Dogwood heather.

I got to test knit it because of the pattern's name, Cindy Lou-which is my name, too!  One of the perks of the internet is to make friends of similar faith and interests-a wonderful perk in fact!

Nyki helps in the sewing room as I cut up some plastic bags for a new tote.

She always makes this face when I take her pic-I don't think she likes the camera staring at her!

(Off to do some alterations on the pile of shirts in the background!)

Yard Tour

 The prickly pear is in bloom!  I missed the first blossom, it only blooms for one day so you can't put it off!

 There are quite a few in the field out back in bloom , too, but this one is in the front yard and much easier to note its progress!

 The desert rose is in bloom after its winter rest.  All the foliage fell off but it has recovered and bloomed in just a few months.

 The sandhill cranes still visit us and come running when we yell 'bread' to them!  The baby is really growing and starting to spread his wings and flap them-beautiful!

Here is a pretty part of the yard I don't think I have posted before.  It is the 'someday' home of the gazebo.  The temperature drops by at least 10degrees in the shaded under these live oaks.