St. Louis Summer

it's been a simple summer ... an overzealous 'to do' list that has reminded me just exactly why i DON'T like "to do" lists .... too much pressure because i write down too much, can see too many things to be done and then panic at the thought of all that is NOT being done rather than celebrating all the things that HAVE BEEN accomplished.  For instance:  my Knitting Class with The Knitting Guild .... 16 swatches to do - only 6 completed.  BUT  i also wanted to learn to knit socks using the Magic Loop ... and i actually DID get that done .... not just one pair but TWO pair of socks ....

 

are they pretty?  from a distance, yes!  up close ... well ..... i'll just say i have learned aLOT .... i'm really good at ripping out and 'reloading' the stitches on my needles ..... and have already started my 3rd pair.

We spent the weekend with Bo in St. Louis and during that special time i discovered some really neat places to sit and knit while there ....

Socks at the Cardinal's Game

Socks at the Arch

worked on my Knitter's Tan
and WOOL socks by the pool!

Always time to grab a few quick stitches wherever we went ... the kids had fun swimming, i had fun listening to them laugh with each other, and i got a few more rows done on my socks!  The Cardinal's played a great game, and yes! i DID watch the game, but found time to sit and knit between innings!  And the Arch!  It was beautiful .. but also VERY Hot on that Saturday so i sat for a minute and looked out over the Mississippi River and added a few more rows to my socks....

Before long we were heading back to Birmingham and by the time we crossed over the Missouri state line i had finished my 2nd sock of the pair, complete w/ Kitchener Stitch, and quickly grabbed a new skein for a new pair. I think these will be straight knit, easy and mindless and striped in lavender and green .... some Debra Norville yarn i found at Joann's to try.  

just one of MANY rows
 inside The Loopy Ewe!

While we were out and about on Friday Bo was kind enough to let me stop in at The Loopy Ewe (http://www.theloopyewe.com/)  .... and WOW!!!!  what an amazing selection of yarn to actually see in person!  And the ladies that were so busy working their mail order side of the business were kind enough to stop and help and offer advice and suggestions .. i found yarn for MORE socks for me, for Bo and for ... ???  if you get a minute check out their web site ... and just get ready!  so much fun ....

it's time to go back to work and while my To Do list still has much To Be Done, i do believe that the simple summer of 2010 has left nice feeling of satisfaction at learning that even small steps of progress count!  Knit So Simple ... one row at a time!

Just July .....

Where has the time gone?  For 6 months we've been knitting small sections of lace ... learning new techniques ....increases, decreases, yarn overs (that are legit and not mistakes!) .....and each month serves as a small documentation of things, times, places ... a journey that we're half way through.

however in the midst of all this lace i found myself taking a quick summer siesta .... put down the lace, the swatches for the Master Knitting class ... and picked up some cotton .... i am participating in a Cloth and Soap swap through a group on Ravelry so i finished cloths for a mother & daughter and then sent an extra cloth to a new friend who is currently undergoing chemo and didn't feel like she could participate.   i found some really neat soap molds on line and make each of them a complimentary bar of "knitting soap" .. scented w/ sweet pea .. packed them up and mailed them off!

Moss Stitch & Basketweave
make pretty washcloths

Easy Peasey Baby Bib
pattern available for free
at Ravelry.com

and since i was on such a cotton roll i managed to complete 2 of the easiest little baby bibs for some upcoming showers .... $1.87 = 2 little prizes.  it doesn't get much better than that!

and did i mention that i finished my 1st pair of socks!!! and am hoping to put the toe in sock #1 of my 2nd pair!   i am LOVING this Magic Loop Sock knitting .... don't you want to join me?  i PROMISE .. it's so very easy ... just 1 set of circular needles and 95% of the time ... you just KNIT!!!!!  (unless you just WANT to get all complicated!) ....

July's lace pattern is attached ... how much fun to find 'fishtale' lace ... in the middle of summer ... 4th of July .. fishing and picnicking and just enjoying time with family and friends ... Click here to cast your yarn ... to catch the only fish that will leave a smile on your face and no foul fish odor when it's all said and done!

Don't forget to check out the Pattern Drawer for back lace patterns or look at The Stitch Knitch for instructions for the washcloths.

Confessions of Knitting Knerd!

my 1st full week of summer is over and has actually proven to be filled with lots and lots of Knitting Knowledge!  i'm been flipping through my knitting books, searching on the internet and knitting and ripping and trying again until i felt like i had a really strong grasp of the concept that The Knitting Guild is looking for in the swatches that are submitted for review.

Did you know that are a million different ways to Cast On?  To INCREASE stitch counts? To Bind Off? ... and that's just the first 6 swatches i've done so far!

And in the midst of all the swatches and research i received a package from Knit Picks filled with more sock knitting needles and cables ... AND a couple of skeins of yarn - rightly called Gingerbread House - just waiting for another pair of socks!  I'm LOVING the Magic Loop method and have actually been able to incorporate (justify) what i've learned knitting socks into my Swatches for TKGA! 

 Things Accomplished on my To-Do List for this Summer                        6 of the 16 swatches completed  for the Master Level 1, as well as notes being taken for the Questions AND the Paper that is required (i've even borrowed a MLA book from a friend so i can cite my sources.  Another pair of socks have been started and i've learned yet another way to knit a heel - and i think i like it better than the 1st pair which has a heel flap - but we'll wait to see.  Who knew there was such a thing as an hourglass heel?

Socks on ONE needle
Magic Loop - Hourglass Heel and Toe
SO MUCH FUN!!!!

start the clock! ....................

Summer's here and all those things i've put off until "summer" are now .... being recorded on a list and requiring me to put my money where my mouth has been for the past 9 months!   Time to sit still long enough to MAKE a list ... and then start Checking it off! ....  Suddenly i'm a bit panicked at that option .... can it all be done????  let's make the list and see...

1st and foremost:  I want to complete Level 1 of the Master Hand Knitting Program.  This will require 16 swatches, a knitted toboggan and a paper to be written.  Lots to new things to learn .... which technique would be "best" in a given scenario rather than always reverting back to comfort of 'the way i've always done it!" .... knitting in the round - changing colors - all while creating 'jogless' stripes ... who knew?  and a 2 page, single spaced paper on Blocking and Care of Knitted Garments.  My ultimate goal:  to be a knitting nerd, complete with a knitting watch that sports a ball of yarn and needles on the face!

2nd:  i would like to have the rest of the lace 'calendar scarf' complete - or atleast all of the patterns picked out for the remainder of the year.  Once all the patterns are picked out, i'd be content with having July AND August also knitted, photographed and charts typed, ready to be posted at the appropriate time.

3rd:  Complete 2 more pair of socks!  i've learned how to knit using the Magic Loop method and would like to perhaps get a jump on some Christmas and/or birthday gifts.

4th:  In the midst of all of this i have once again joined in a traveling scarf group so that will require a new 'section' to be knit and mailed every 2 weeks ..... which will equate to approximately 4 sections of knitting during my 'summer' break!

Clock's ticking ..... 41 days of summer before time to report back to begin another school year.... better get those needles clicking too!

Sitting in the Seaweed

Summer ..... Sand .... Sun .... Seaweed? 

The only seaweed that i'm a fan of, from this point forward, will be those gentle waves that i can create (and control) in lace ..... the simple sway of stitches that wraps around my needles and not my knees!  It's hard to believe that I have already completed 6 months of lace patterns, learned many ways to create increases and decreases, and have probably learned even MORE ways that don't, or won't work!

I found this Wavy Lace Pattern in my Interweave Knits, Spring 2010 edition and think it would also make a beautiful scarf in this stitch alone.  The original pattern, as pictured in the magazine, uses the lace pattern in a cardigan which has a beautiful drape and would make a great accessory as well.  Working on this Calendar Scarf has taught me to look at patterns in completely different, and much broader, light.  Sweater patterns CAN be used for scarves ... Sock lace patterns can be used for Mittens .... lace patterns can be used in whole OR in part ..... as the knitter I get to decide what my options are!

So sit back, grab your favorite knitting magazine or book and browse through the pages and patterns and look for inspriration where you least expect it .... and don't forget the sunscreen!   Click Here for some simple waves that won't leave any sand between your toes!

I finished! sort of ....

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

--Scott Adams

I finished my sweater .... sort of! i still have to weave in all the loose ends and then find that perfect piece of ribbon to run down the front placket. But the most important thing is ... it's finished and i actually still LIKE it!

I also did something rather grown up and mature - - i did a SWATCH ... checked my gauge AND then made appropriate (and CORRECT) adjustments to the pattern! and voila ... it actually fits!

so .... for all those years i rolled my eyes and just jumped in .... i guess i have to apologize ... at least a little bit! I changed the yarn the original pattern called for but i did the swatch thing, adjusted my needle size to get it to the drape i wanted ... and i'm actually rather pleased ...

i made mistakes ... i ripped them out ... i recalculated .... and although it's nothing fancy, today i'm pleased with my golden cotton ART sweater!

My Garden

May is a month filled with hope ..... Femininity is celebrated as we stop and express our gratitude to all those women in our lives whose hearts and dedication have made a difference and impact in our every day. Flowers are blooming - all those seedlings are beginning to show promise as we pause long enough to follow the tendrils of a plant that is moving slowly and steadily towards the warmth of the sun .... Hope that was planted months before now gives way to a garden landscape that is beginning to grow together and fill in all those empty spaces ..... isn't that kind of how motherhood works as well? What is it about the role of a woman in our lives that compells them to see beyond the small seeds of kindness that are planted, that stirs them to nurture, and prune and weed and continue investing in a hope or dream that perhaps we ourselves don't see ... but in their wisdom, they believe in ... and are dedicated to see it brought to fruition! ?

This month's lace pattern was found on Ravelry as i searched the patterns for leaf lace. When i saw these leaves, i knew it was May - and the garden i often dream of having, despite my obvious lack of green thumb, was captured in lace. This will make a beautiful scarf if done in nothing but these leaves ... and watching the gentle swaying that seemed to grow as the yarn fell from the needles and into my lap has me weeding out my stash now for another garden to cast on and share in anticipation of gifts for those women in my life who truly are the flowers of blessing that only God could send my way!

Click here so you can beginning sowing the knits and purls of YOUR own lace garden and watch how gently the soft and lacey rows will bloom ... right where you plant them.

"A single rose can be my garden .... a single friend, my world."

Leo Buscaglia