Sheep Shots

The Mittnz Are Rolling In

2008-07-21T16:03:00.004-05:00

Jean G made this batch. I really really [heart] the snowman ones (click to make it bigger so you can see how very cute).

The pattern is on her blog. (There's a really cute "sweater along" there, too!)

Proud As a Peacock

2008-07-21T05:40:00.001-05:00

The Other Half voted for the little white lace collar (I wasn't so sure, and besides,the pattern called for it to be the same color).

He called it "icing."

He also said that this is a Princess Dress, the kind a little girl puts on and feels just like a princess. The man is a poet!

I always knew there was a reason I kept him around!

Here's a closeup of the "icing."

It's only 5 rows from cast on to cast off, and has the look of tatting.

And here's the lacy skirt. Looks like feather and fan, but isn't.

The waves are formed by two decrease rounds followed by a round of k1, yo.

There's a picot bind off at the scalloped hem edge.

And a picot edge on the sleeve.

Details, Details

Pattern: Mary Jane Dress from Rich Designs' Kids to Grown-Ups Seamless Sweaters

Yarn: Paton's Astra color 2746 (rich Peacock green/blue, if I had to give it a name) and Lion Brand Jamie Baby White, both 100% acrylic, both 6 st./in.

The pattern calls for 500 yards of DK weight cotton for the size 3 (23" finished chest). Weighing the remaining yarn tells me that the yardage is accurate.

I followed the directions for a "fuller skirt," but left off the ribbing at the faux waist. In my experience, most 3 year olds don't actually have a waist.

Today is my 4th blogiversary! Let the wild revels begin! Oh, it's Monday. And you know what that means!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2008-07-20T08:20:00.003-05:00

I have known you for more than 2/3 of your life. As the Older Kid and the Younger Kid woyuld have said in their younger days: That's even longer than you've known us!

May you have many, many happy beach days ahead!

And Then All H*ll Broke Loose!

2008-07-18T04:23:00.003-05:00

The sky was bright blue when out of nowhere. . .a giant clap of thunder broke the peace of Thursday afternoon.

That sent Sparky the Bob-tailed Wonder Cat under the bed. Then nothing, for several minutes, then the distant roll of thunder, and then. . .

Lightning, thunder and a driving rain so hard that we had to close all the windows, and then the lights went out.

Fortunately, dinner was nearly cooked and so, we didn't starve. And then, it was early to bed for the Other Half and me.

The fury of the storm made me wish there was room under that bed for two more!

Lights came back on at 1:15 this morning. Ask me how I know this.

Day Late, Dollar Short?

2008-07-15T04:09:00.004-05:00

I know I promised pictures of knitting, and here they are (finally)!

I ~~have~~ had all of this On Line Linie 121 (Summertime) that I bought way back 15 months ago. (Yeh, 4 bags, bite me!) I've used a bit to make things for the Tiny Prince (frog suit, surplice sweater), but face it, 40X 135 meters is a heck of a lot of yarn!*

I figured that I would try it double-stranded and make a blankie for the rez, you know, the giant dishcloth one. That consumed considerable yardage.

Well, the fabric is so cushie and snuggly that I decided to make a

little sweater to go with the blankie. (Pattern is a very basic top-down raglan, seamless--pattern in a book I found remaindered at Ollie's--the Portable Crafter: Knitting by Leanne Bennet.)

That used up another couple of balls (3.5 oz. or so).

I found the perfect flat yellow buttons in the Button Stash and called it a finished baby set.

Then I realized that one of the possible fair categories is 3-piece Infant set, blanket, sweater and

cap!

And so, I cast on Tammy's In a Flap Cap. It doesn't require strings or ribbons to keep it on baby's head. The ears are covered. What more can you ask of a little hat?

I think the fabric is loose for my taste, but in person, it looks good and it, too, is nice and cushie.

Summertime knit fabric is very similar to French Terry. All cak, all the time.

*Even after all that, I still have more than 2 miles of the stuff left! I have a full bag of grenadine (orangy red), a nearly full bag (missing about 20 yards) of Marine (navy blue) and 6 balls of this yellow. I forsee a couple more blankies after the fair knitting is complete!

The Further Adventures of Sparky, the Bob-tailed Wonder Cat

2008-07-12T18:15:00.005-05:00

. . .Formerly Kitten

We have gone through "bladder issues" with our cat. A couple of years ago, she finally wound up having general anesthesia and a sterile urine sample removed during a pneumocystic scan (x-ray with the bladder blown up with air).

After all that, the culture was negative for bizarre bacteria. Four different types/rounds of antibiotics later, she appeared "cured."

We finally wound up keeping a Feliway plug-in running constantly in the house. There is some suspicion that part of her problem was stress. She was on an anti-depressant (Elavil) for years and had to come off cold turkey because of her thyroid (the two meds don't play nicely together).

The up side was that her belly fur is growing back in! (Side effect of the mood med was an itchy rash--poor baby was chewing herself raw!) (Digression: this is the second time in recent months that I have self-diagnosed a serious symptom just by reading the package insert. Is it too much to ask that medical personnel do the same? )

Sparky went to the vet this morning for her regular blood draw (now, we are trying to get her thyroid medication stabilized).

Here's what we do: Sparky gets her leash on (it's a figure 8 rabbit harness), then she starts howling. We hop in the car (okay, I hop, she clings and howls). I start the car and turn on the CD player REALLY LOUD. Then we sing along for the 15 minute ride (she's partial to Helen Reddy and Rod Stewart).

When she was finished with the 2 minute procedure, she walked from the door, down the walk, across the parking lot to our car, just like a well-behaved, trained kitty. On her leash.

(The techs in the vet's office are probably still laughing at that sight!)

Two Inches, Who Woulda Thunk?

2008-07-11T19:01:00.004-05:00

Get your collective minds Out Of the Gutter! Now!

A couple of months ago, we replaced our geriatric king-size water bed with a new mattress and box spring. I won't even go into the difference between 18" off the floor and, what, 30?; that is significant unto itself and fodder for a blog entry somewhere down the road.

No, the two inches I'm talking about are the 78 X 80 dimensions of a king-size bed. It's 78 inches wide (side to side) and 80 inches long (head to foot).

The salesman told us (uh, oh, here it comes) that since it's a pillow-top (with a big cushy built-in pad) that it shouldn't be turned over (I sort of figured taht out on my own, but rather sort of twisted 90 degrees each month or so (WTF? the mattress we had before the water bed was foam and it didn't get turned at all, ditto the water bed except for the occasional shift of the tubes because we were acquiring gullies). Clearly, we were entering uncharted waters.

Okay, I'm all for following instructions, so the last time I changed the sheets, I dutifully turned the damned thing so that the sides were now at the head and foot (and the stripes on the sheets ran horizontal on the bottom one and vertical on the top one). Then we spent the next week or more with our toes hanging off the end of the mattress. Two Freakin' Inches! Did I mention that there was an overhang on the sides and a little ledge at the foot?

In upcoming episodes, read: Why the Mattress Will Never Again Be Shifted 90 Degrees, How the Cat Copes With an Extra 12" Leap, How the Humans Cope With a Tall Bed. Why There Isn't More Room Under the Bed? and other interesting slices of life.

Next Episode: Actual Knitting!

To the Pollster Who Called Tonight

2008-07-09T20:41:00.001-05:00

The wording of your questions made it very clear which way you wanted the answers to go.

A Squeeze of Lime

2008-07-07T19:10:00.003-05:00

With a little math, I reverse engineered this:

from this photo.

If you want to make your own, buy the pattern. It is so worth it. I ripped and reknit 4 times before I was satisfied with the angles.

I like the straight lines on the original better than the spirals on mine. I could probably block them out, but then, I'd have a hexagon, not a circle.

I may try again--for an orange slice, or perhaps a lemon. I don't seem to have quite enough lime-color left. (Thank goodness for the scale. It has saved me more than once.)

The yarn? Some sort of cotton stuff (probably Tahki Cotton Classic) left over from another project and Sugar and Cream or Salt and Something. You know, the dishcloth stuff from the big box store. Both doubled. On size 9.

Do I need to say it's a pot holder?

Memories

2008-07-05T22:44:00.002-05:00

We watched a recorded movie last night. It brought overwhelming memories of college and hope and all sorts of feelings back.

I can't help but wonder how different life would be today if RFK had not died back in 1968. Forty years ago.

Whether he would have been elected President is something that we will never know. But even if he had not, I suspect that he would have kept us honest and grounded.

Yep. Things would have been different.

Why Fireworks Are Illegal

2008-07-04T22:13:00.001-05:00

They are dangerous.

They disturb the peace.

They scare other people's pets.

And now that the actual holiday is over, please put them away until next year.

Thank you very much.

Pond Scum

2008-06-30T19:24:00.004-05:00

The people who did this:

have hit the absolute depths!

Of course, the people who did this are even lower.

It's not bad enough that gas prices are soaring and people are having a hard time putting food on the table.

Stealing from hungry poor people? Disgusting!

A Finished Object and Bad Photos

2008-06-29T13:48:00.004-05:00

After several minor issues were resolved, it was full speed ahead on the Christmas Stocking, knitted, and just a little while ago, I finished the last weaving in.

Of course, photo shoot turned into nightmare as I attempted to get a decent shot of bright (Jockey) red acrylic. It didn't work in front of the stash, nor on the rocker, nor hanging from my yarn drying hooks on the magnolia tree, nor on the grass.

Finally, a decent depiction on the throw pillow on the living room sofa. With major tweaking in the edit process.

If you click (and it works) you can make it big enough to see the XO cable and the pine tree motif. Maybe.

Here's my first afterthought heel.

Putting it right into the middle of the cable twist (per the pattern directions) was not the best idea in the world.

I have made afterthought thumbs, so I knew what to expect, but correcting the problems in the cable where I took out the contrast yarn proved to be "interesting" on the upside. (Think about removing a cast on edge and trying to frog from that end.) The untangling made for pretty slow going. Then I had to pick up stitches that I simply Could Not Find.

But it's done. And no turning back.

Here's how much yarn was left from a 100 gram skein. Three (3) grams. Of course, I have 4+ skeins left over on the shelf, but it felt good not to need to try to splice.

Particulars:

Pattern: Pine Trees and Cables Stocking from Creative Knitting (November 2007).

Yarn: Red Heart Classic (100% acrylic) Jockey Red ($1.59 at the hardware store--cheaper elsewhere--any elsewhere!)

Needles: Bryspun dpns, size 5

My opinion: Christmas stockings (assuming you celebrate) are a good way to learn the basics of sock knitting. Most patterns call for worsted weight yarn and bigger needles, so the knitting goes fast. Yet you get to practice all the same techniques: if you are a traditionalist, knitting in the round on double points (or circulars if you're more contemporary than I), turning a heel (magic, no matter what style heel you choose), capping off a toe, kitchenering.

And you only have to make one!

The FSM Has a Sense of Humor

2008-06-28T15:54:00.007-05:00

Saturdays are for shopping at the farmers market (see many previous postings) and people watching. It never ceases to amaze the Other Half that people dress the way that they do.

Now, I will grant you that we don't get dressed "up" to shop. I was wearing a clean (but not pressed) pair of jeans. a polo shirt, and sandals. He had on khakis and clogs and a polo shirt. But my mercifullordinheavenabove, the outfits!

Of course, the woman we saw at The Tree on the way home. . .

I can only hope that she doesn't own a mirror, because if she does, she would have No Excuse At All. Clearly, this was the first time in years that she could get her Skinny Jeans zipped. Not muffin top. But the whole damned 3 dollar loaf (see photo--demitasse and sandwich cookies for scale)!

If your butt is still a size 22, it's not a good idea to squeeze it into size 12. Even if the zipper closes! (I would have Kineared, but I feared for my life.)

Moving right along.

Bear Claw is finished.

The particulars are posted way back this time last year. Yarn is Elann Sock It To Me! and Cervinia Calzetteria sock weight wool/nylon blend held double. All 4 colors are No Longer Available.

Size 5 and 8 needles. Finished size, about 40" square.

The original pattern also finishes to 40", but it calls for Koigu solids held single and size 0 and 2 needles. It also has 9 blocks.

And here's looking at: How to fix a mis-twist

Isolate the errant stitches.

I use 5" or 6" double-pointed sock needles in the same size as the piece is being knitted. The needle is shown here only for illustration purposes. There is no real reason to transfer the stitches to another needle at this point.

Note that I have isolated only one twist (4 stitches) of this 8 stitch cable.

Now, the scary part.

Pull the needle out of the stitches and frog the stitches down to the wrong-way twist. Remove the twisted row carefully, keeping the strands of yarn in order.

Correct the twist. I find it easier to use a short dpn than a long cable needle. (translate: I was too lazy to look for my short birdwing cable needle).

Re-knit each row using the strands of yarn that are being held at the back.

This can be a frustratingly slow process. If you discover the mis-twist sooner, rather than later, it may be less time-consuming to frog and reknit.

Next, I repeated the process on the other half of the cable.

Then I repeated again on the other cable. (Yes, there are two. Yes, I mis-twisted on both.)

I forged on and have added the contrasting yarn where the afterthought heel will go.

Oh, Noes!!

2008-06-25T17:49:00.001-05:00

Can you see it??

I will not be ripping or tinking! I will not frog.

I will drop down those 8 stitches and re-knit those 9 or so rows.

It will be okay.

Move along. There is nothing to see.

Here's the Score

2008-06-23T19:14:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Santa is sitting over there looking depressed and dejected because Mr. is no further along(just flat pieces) than he was in September. Patience, Sweetie!

The Christmas stocking is 40 rows (58.4%) to go (plus the toe and heel).

The Bear Claw blankie has 8 border rows and a bind off on one side plus 4 teeny, tiny corners and it's finished.

The Penny sock is in the same state as Mr.

The car blankie is fast approaching the center (where the rows start to get shorter). Okay, the truth. I will still be knitting this puppy when I have 6 grandchildren.

I need to work up at least 22 more ideas.

Or 32. Or even 40.

The painters started on the interior at work. It stinks and my eyes are all burny.

The exterior, however, looks wonderful. So clean. So new! First person to put his/her foot on the wall by the ashtray dies slowly, painfully.

Just saying!

Friday Night Lite

2008-06-21T06:42:00.003-05:00

I'd love to be able to write that I finished Bear Claw last night, but that would be a lie.

Fact is, I finished the second last round of wide bands and 3 of the 4 corner squares and have added the 4th color. So, yeh, almost finished.

One more corner on this round, 12 more rows on each side, 4 more corners, and I can stick a fork in it.

Meanwhile, that yellow blob to the right of Bear Claw is the beginning of a giant dishcloth square blankie. I was planning a 3-piece baby set (blanket, hat, booties), but you know what they say about "best laid plans." The Premium Book for the fair calls a 3-piece set blanket, hat, sweater. ::sigh:: so I'm thinking that a baby surprise might be in the works. Something classic. Or a top down raglan. Or an envelope-shoulder pullover.

Here's the progress on this year's Christmas stocking.

The written out directions for the Pine Tree motif were giving my weary eyes fits, so as soon as I finished Row 16, I charted the damned thing. That's so much better!

I slide the paper ruler up as I complete each row so that the the ruler is above the one I am working on at the moment. I find that this works better for me than putting my marker (ruler) under the row (thereby covering up the already completed patterning). Try it both ways and use the one that works for you.

I have completed 20 of 96 rows (a little over 20%).

Sparky's fans have been asking after her. Here's a picture from earlier this morning. The Other Half was there but he got up to um, you know.

No other cat we have ever owned was ever allowed to sleep on or near the pillows. Either he's mellowing in his advancing years, or Sparky's a lot more aggressive than Cats Past.

She goes for blood work in about an hour. Still trying to regulate her thyroid. The belly gnawing has all but stopped after more years than I care to research. (I posted a picture when it was just starting.) I'm starting to wonder if it was a reaction to the anti-depressants that she was taking for years and years. (Yes, my cat was on mood altering drugs. Trust me. It was drugs or a different home!)

Mittnz reminder: If you want in on the prizes (currently: 7 really great books, bunches of yarn, some tools, some lotion, and I haven't added mine in yet!) you will need to email me (amcmanus@ptd.net) a photo (or send me a link where I can capture the image) of your 8 (or more) completed pairs so that I can post it here. Then you need to mail your mittnz to Cheyenne River Reservation (Cheyenne River Youth Project, P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625) the last week in September.

There is no requirement to join any group in order to participate in the Challenge and be eligible for a prize. That said, Native American Support welcomes new members to our group. If you are looking for a worthy charity to craft for and some fun people to chat with come check it out.

Children in Common has just announced that they are joining us in Mittn Blitzn again this summer. We appreciate their support!

On the Home Stretch, Sort Of

2008-06-19T19:11:00.003-05:00

It is looking a whole lot like Bear Claw will be finished this weekend. And not a minute too soon.
At least this Garter Stitch Hell is somewhat interesting (unlike the Garter Stitch Car Knitting I have going right now--but that's blog fodder for another day). The change of color/change of direction thing that this pattern has going is a damned sight better than good old Granny's Favorite Dishcloth!

Not that there's anything wrong with Granny.

And since I was so close to the finish line, I couldn't help but cast on ::ta dah:: the Christmas Stocking, knit (Pine Trees and Cables from Creative Knitting November 2007).

I really wish that the pattern was charted (it's words), but I am soldiering on, one round at a time (12 finished--84 to go). There's an afterthought heel which I have yet to enter in the fair.

Lessons learned. (I like that in an entry!)

Has anyone besides me noticed how difficult red is to photograph?

Yes, that is Red Heart Classic. Why?

This week has been one constant "open mouth, insert foot," thus the disclaimers above re: garter stitch, granny, and Red Heart.

Dear Lawn Care Pros,

2008-06-18T19:10:00.001-05:00

Eight o'clock at night is a little late to be ringing doorbells to offer your services.

Especially when the homebodies get up at 5.

Just a thought.

The Sheepies

Say "Uncle!"

2008-06-15T10:51:00.003-05:00

You know how every once in a while the clutter, trash, and just plain dirt get to you?

Well, that happened to me this week.

Over the past couple of days, the building pressures at work (nothing I can talk about here) and the realization that 4 (that's one more than 3) of the people that I respect, rely on, and yes, even love, have recently revealed serious illness and let's just say that I am overwhelmed.

Couple that with the absolute dump that my house has devolved to since, oh, January or so, and I threw myself into a frenzy of cleaning and organizing that just won't quit. Normally, I would just lie down until the sensation passed, but not this time.

I'll spare you photos of the more mundane parts of the house. (I am assuming that all of my readers have toilets and kitchen floors. Please correct me if I am wrong on that score.)

Instead, let's turn to the organization of the stash.
I have not updated the sidebar yarn countdown for a couple months, because the yarn stash has ceased its downward spiral.

I have been in a acquition mode (I know I mentioned the stuff Mary sent me) and have not logged the new stuff in.

I also discovered that there's a lot of older stuff (something like nearly 2 bags of sock-weight that I am using on Bear Claw) that was never logged in either.

What that boils down to is the knitting of vast quantities of yarn with nary a dent in the stash sheet ::sob:: (and I started buying sweatersworths of yarn for Christmas knitting that won't be logged in either).

Ignoring the stash shelves went along with ignoring the sheet and there was much spillage onto the floor to the point that I could neither identify, nor even find, some of the yarn I sought, and indeed, it was becoming more and more difficult to approach the shelves with several square feet of yarn mess spread hither and yon, mostly hither.

Add to that, the guilt. Someone on the NAS group mentioned that there comes a time when we all need to say (or even shout) "enough!" and start divesting ourselves of some of the "stuff" we've acquired but will never use. (Did I mention the Rowan Magpie that I just bought from a friend?) so I packed up a bunch of straight needles and mailed them to the Reservation, because lord knows, it's been years since I've touched a 14" straight needle. (I'm inclined toward circs, and I have some 10"ers that I use all the time!)

As I was cleaning, I gave a moment's thought to culling as well. I found two balls that I can feel okay about sending on to someone else. Come on! Only two?

I looked at the odds and ends in these bins and could not bring myself to part with even the crappy ribbon yarn or the pink variegated crochet cotton!

It's a sickeness and I don't wanna get well!

Twins!

2008-06-14T07:39:00.003-05:00

I finished Mittnz pair #9 this morning after procrastinating for days over the thumbs (or was it weeks? It might have been.)

They weren't anything special, just basic "afterthought" of a sort. What was holding me hostage was the matching of the stripes. Should I just take the next color as it came (the dark green to navy) and conserve yarn, or should I go with the burgundy tweedy bit and waste several yards X 2?

Eyes left for my solution. I think these look great.

Pattern should be evident. It's from Knit Mittens! by Robin Hansen. I used the pattern from Stop and Go Mittens (the first one in the book) modified a whole lot because the pattern calls for bulky weight yarn knit at 5 st/in on 2s and 3s.

While I recognize the need for windproofery and thickness, I also would like to live to knit another day. So I used Moda Dea Sassy Stripes, a "light" that knits up at 4.5 st/in on 3-4 mm needles (about a 2.5- 5 US size) and the 2s and 3s. I got a nice fabric and a good shape and I am happy.

These will be a fair entry in August and on to the reservation in September. There's enough left to make a hat.

And speaking of the fair, I am making some nice progress on the Penny sock (first of 2) and I'm onto the border on the Bear Claw.

I finished a dishcloth and started (and frogged twice) a potholder.

The Santa pair remain untouched since the last fair came and went without me finishing them. All the parts are there, I just need to seam and stuff. That may be a project for the coming week.

More Random Spelling

2008-06-12T05:48:00.002-05:00

These two are way too common for me to think they are random:

pattern

shawl

(You know who you are!)

ETA: _o_ (and I know better, so let's add: too=also and to=toward to the list. Thanks Lizzy)

Random spelling

2008-06-08T19:31:00.003-05:00

GAUGE

AISLE (you walk down it, you shop in it)

ISLE (it's land surrounded by water)

IT'S (it is)

ITS (belongs to it)

THERE ( not here)

THEIR (belongs to them)

THEY'RE (they are)

YOUR (belongs to you)

YOU'RE (you are)

There is NO Apostrophe (') in HERS. Apostrophes denote missing letters (don't = do not--the apostrophe "stands in" for the missing 'o') or possession (Ann's=belonging to Ann). They are not used to denote plural!

To All the Mittnz Knitters

2008-06-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

more cat pictures

Just saying.

They Didn't Stop

2008-06-07T07:03:00.004-05:00

While I was away, the Overachievers continued their battle for world Mittn Domination. I figure, let 'em fight it out!

Meanwhile, quietly in the background, ~~folks~~ knittrz like Emily G are making sweet little Mittnz like the ones shown here. Way to go, Emily!

Your name is in the hat for the prize draw to be held in October.

And speaking of. . .

Yours truly (that would be me) has finished 8 pairs (6 of mittnz, 2 of mitts) herself. And well ahead of deadline, which is a good thing, as the fair looms.

Labor Day comes early this year, so the Fair does as well. That means that I have a week less than usual to get my act together. (Would anyone care to jump in and remind me that there are about 52 weeks between Fairs, no matter when Labor Day falls? Just like Christmas.)

Pair # 9 (the ones over there on the corner of the desk without the thumbs) and a matching hat will be an entry. A Ship Support hat that I posted earlier, the Bear Claw blankie, the Pi blankie, and the pair o' Santas that have been in the works for freakin' ever will also be up for judging.

I need to sit with the premium book and some patterns and get serious and identify yarn from the stash and order yarn from some of my favorite pushers. (Oh, that will be such a trial.)

The rules changed this year and there is no longer a limit on the number of entries (though it's still one per category). I suspect this may be in response to dwindling interest in "home arts" all around.

I will be knitting my fingers to the nubs over the next several weeks. Watch for updates.