Thursday, March 30, 2006

Mesh Stitch, in detail

It seems that my MESH stitch is the most popular thing I have ever done. So, it is time for me to explain it in more detail. The stitch is a modification of the MOCK CROCHET stitch. The stitch is done "in the round" rather than as a flat panel. YOU DO NOT TURN, just continue with the sets of three. The stitch will have a spiral look to it as your piece grows. The mesh is accomplished by skipping every other peg. Make sure that on the skipped pegs that the yarn is woven BEHIND the peg.






You can use this stitch for many applications. Tote bags, shawls, shrug...the possibilities are endless. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Another day goes by.....

I really need to stop with my starting projects and moving on to starting another one. I can't beleive how many I have started in the last week. Its absurd! Last night I started yet another project, this one on the loom. OK, no backlash about the orange, I said I didn't like neon, acrylic orange. This does not fall into that category. In fact, this is so soft I may make it into a afghan instead of a shawl. What do you think. I was thinking cute spring shawl to wear with jeans, but it would be so nice to cuddle up in on the couch too.





On to other things, my sweet, online friend, Jami, sent me a wonderful care packge. I can't wait to try out the fun needles, they are Susan Bates Acrylics. Note, one package of candy was already gone before I took the picture....nummmmmmm. I can't tell you how sweet that was of Jami. I was having a horrible day when the package arrived. Talk about timing. (((((((HUGZ))))))) to Jami.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

GEE!!!

Gee, it's time for G, the letter that is.

Gorgeous Granddaughter

Here is my my granddaughter, Lilly, wearing the poncho that I just made for her. G also stands for Gerber Baby, I mean come on, how can you resist those chubby cheeks!




G can also stand for Good Grief....is it spring yet? Yesterday we reached 70 degrees during the day, very windy, but 70. Last night at midnight, this is what it looked like......


Saturday, March 25, 2006

OK Then.......

Well, now I have really done it. I have volunteered to teach/mentor on a new Yahoo Group, LOOM CLASS I think it will be alot of fun and a great way for me to challenge myself. A ton of people have signed up to be students and so far only 5 teachers. I'm sure I can handle it, I have taught so many other things and written trainings. This will just be a new realm. Everyone seems to like my MESH STITCH so I have started taking photos of the process. Crystal used my stitch to make a MESH BAG. I have made a modification of the bag using her "flat bottom" method but using a more solid stitch then changing to the mesh stitch. I'll keep you posted on the progress of this endeavor and of my mesh bags.








And here is the semi finished bags without ends woven in and only 1 handle..

Friday, March 24, 2006

Laid up and busy

I have been laid up for the last couple of days which means lots of knitting and looming. I thought I would share some of the stupid little projects.

At the top of the silly list is.....A kitty ball. A good way to use up scraps of fun fur. I made this on the ITA thumb loom and just inserted a cheap kitty ball into it and gathered both ends. The pink ball is what I inserted.

OK, I jumped on the bandwagon and had to try my hand at the Knitted Kitty Making this out of some Homespun that has been lying around here for years. Time to get it out of my stash.


Next on my list, I started a couple of things on the needles. First is a soft mohair scarf. Yes, I know it is spring, but hey, winter will come again in a few months.


Next, I have always wanted a Ruana, so here is the beginning of one. This is only the "ends" that will have this yarn. I will be using a simpler yarn for the main body of it. Its all squished up on my #13 needles because I only had 10" needles.


OK, on to a loom again. I finally pulled this scarf off the loom. Not out of any driving desire to finish a UFO, but more out of, I needed that loom for something else.


I will continue this tomrrow with the 2 bags. But here is my question.... Are there really people out there who only have one project at a time going? I can't imagine....

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Lilly's Poncho

I can't believe it is finished. My first needle knit project. I can't wait to see the poncho on Lilly. The yarn is so soft. I also decided to make it on bigger needles, #13. Since it is spring I wanted a looser knit so it would not be as hot. Now I want to make a BIG girl spring poncho for me. I some beautiful ribbon yarns in nice springy colors. Hmmmmmmmmm, I need to go dig in my yarn!


Lilly's Poncho

This is way to cool to miss!!! Click here

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Frustrated

Ok, I know I did F yesterday but I am so frustrated today. I was 15" into the second version of the first panel for my granddaughter's poncho and realized I had made it 2" to narrow. On an adult poncho, you could survive without that 2 inches but not on a baby poncho.


FROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG again!

Started a THIRD panel (I could have finsihed the dang thing by now). I took my knitting to the opera with me (as I always do) and lost track of what I was doing and missed 1 row....ya, kinda threw the whole pattern off. I didn't notice until several rows later. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Froooooooooog. My 7 month old granddaughter may go to her Senior Prom before I finsish the poncho. I am so mad at myself for all the wasted time. Oh well, practice, practice, practice. I am going now to basically start a 3rd attempt. Wish me luck!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

FABULOUS!!!!

Fabulously caught up in the ABC along.....I think. Or how about Flute, as in The Magic Flute. I am going to go see it tomorrow. Don't worry, we will get to the letter O and cover Opera :) Or possibly the letter M and Mozart, never can tell. But for now we will stick with Fabulous and Flute for the letter F!


Can you say EEEEEEWWWWW

Last night I stayed up WAY too late knitting and ended up starting a poncho for my granddaughter. I was almost finsished, well about 2/3 finished with one of the panels and decided I didn't like it, so I started again. AHHH.. FROG, F is for FROG, I do a lot of it. Not because of mistakes, but changing my mind or not liking a pattern or just because I feel like destorying a couple hours worth of work for the sheer thrill of it LOL. ANyway, the poncho. I will take a picture of the first panel and post tomorrow, actually both panels, the frogged one and the right one, you will see.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Sitting and Waiting

I had a Dr's appointment yesterday to get a cortisone shot in my left knee (not as bad as it sounds). Of course that meant I had A LOT of waiting to do. Waiting to get x-rays, waiting to see the Dr, waiting for him to come back in with the big huge needle. So, I got a lot of knitting done. Its funny the responses you get to knitting. Some people just keep giving you the "oh please don't see me looking" glance, others stare openly, but don't ask a thing though you know they want to say something. And then those who are actually friendly. I got all of them yesterday. The friendly one was actually one of the Drs and she wanted to know if it was as relaxing as they say it is. Of course I HAD to tell her how wonderful it was and it is a great way to get your mind off of things and relax, meditate. I was working on more of my squares and I have decided to make a small blanket for my granddaughter with them. The yarn is so soft, perfect to snuggle up with. When I start putting it together I will post some pictures of it.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

eBay


How much more E Can that be? I used to have an eBay business selling disheware, vintage and hard to find as well as other kitchen items. I am hoping to get the business back online again this weekend. I also buy almost all of my yarn from sellers on eBay. Much cheaper than the yarn stores if you shop right and I have never been disappointed. I can truly see how people can get addicted to eBay like you would gambling or something. It has been an easy, overly accesible way for me to feed my yarn habit "Hi, my name is Suzanne and I am addicted to beautiful, lucious, soft, colorful, amazing fibers that creat the most wonderful things....errrr I mean I am addicted to yarn". Come on, I know you guys reading this feel the same way about yarn....it is irresitible.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Dum De Dum for D

D....hmmmmm this one has had me stumped. Dumb? Ditzy? Determined? Dreary?

Actually, I have to say it is Digging in the DIrt!! I like to dig in my garden in nice weather. I am one of those gardners who hates to wear gloves too. I like to feel the dirt on my hands. After a good rain is the best time to go putter about. I can't walk by a weed without pulling it when it has rained. ANd no, I don;t have an imaculate yard, I haven't been able to get much done because of kknee problems, but I hope to have that resolved within the next couple years.

You are an Iris:

You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise. You are studious by nature and may prefer books to people. You tend to be a serious person but are capable of making others laugh with your dry sense of humor. Friends always benefit from your advice.

Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in love.

Which Flower are You?
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Sunday, March 12, 2006

TA DA!!!!


SO, to all you experienced needle knitters, this photo seems pretty sad and pathetic. BUT, to me it is my teaching tool. I have been learning to follow a pattern and trying different knit/purl patterns by making dishcloths. I am using a pair of 10" 10.5 needles using Bernat cotton. I am using patterns from the Arco book of Knitting Stitches. This has been a nice form of meditaion during the last couple of stressful weeks. And no, these are not all that I have done in 2 weeks. Just what I have not given away.

Also on the loom, I have the scarf I am making for the scarf exchange, It is actually almost done, but atleast you can see the colors I am using. Also, I have had alot of requests for the stitch on the duster I posted in January. I will write it up and post it. I love to create new stitches and such but I am not very good at writing them down. So bear with me while I struggle with that. I also created another very cushy stitch. I will make an square and post that also, with the instructions.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Yarn...Again!!!!!

OK, I am going to attack another poor, defenseless type/color of yarn. Variegated bright/neon/lime green RH acrylic ....BLECH!!! Can you even buy the stuff anymore? Or are there just huge cache's of it that keep somehow surfacing. I have always wondered why it is that some yarns were ever created in the first place. For some reason there is this mindset of "inexpensive has to be ugly". Have you ever noticed that most of the RH super huge skeins of acrylic are horrid colors? OK, I digress. Back to to the variegated that looks and feels like artificial grass. Maybe it was designed by someone who was color blind, or possibly a 3 year old who had just learned the color green.....kind of.

That color of yarn seems to pop up in the most disgusting uses. Not only is the yarn bad, but the things made with it are even worse. I mean, honestly, WHO would display a big, crocheted Scarlet O'Hara-ish dress with a cheap Barbie type body stuffed in it? PA-leeeeeeese. Or how about the ever coveted toilet paper roll cover...man just what I have always wanted in MY bathroom. I guess you could use the stuff to make a huge rug to put on the dirt in front of your RV to mimic grass. It is probably pretty indestructible. My bet is that it falls into the cockroach/fireant/fly category of surviving a nuclear attack. Let me know what you think. Although not made in the color in question, these are equally bad.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Let me see...."C"

Crochet, in addition to knitting and loom knitting, I also crochet. I began crocheting when I was 12. My grandmother was trying to teach my sister how to crochet and finally tossed me a scrap of yarn and a hook. I watched over thier shoulders while she tried teaching my sister a granny square. I learned and my sister never did. Everything past that has all been self taught.

OK, I haven't talked about my knitting or yarn in a few days. We have had a family crisis that needed to be dealt with. It was all resolved in the courts on Tuesday. I am now trying to get back on with my life. First on the agenda is finding a job.

My knitting has been my "thread" of sanity for the last several days. To practice my knitting I have been making dishcloths using different stitch patterns for each. It has been a good way to learn how to follow patterns with needle knitting. Every needlecraft is different in pattern following. When I find my digital camera I will take photos of a couple of them and post.


Today is C
interchangeable
You are interchangeable.
Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!

What kind of knitting needles are you?
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Monday, March 06, 2006

B is for......

I have not been on in a few days, we are having a family crisis. BUT, I will try to catch up on the ABC Along. Today is my letter B...

B is for Bipolar. It really isn't as bad as it sounds. It is a disorder that, like Diabetes, can be controlled quite well with medication. I have my mood swings, but so long as I take my meds I am fine (no Tom Cruise ideology here). My bipolar has a tendancy to sit more on the depressive side of things. My knitting and crocheting help keep me focused. It is my sort of meditation, a way to clear my mind of things and de-stress. I'm sure I am not the only knitter who feels that way. Next time I will bring in the letter C.

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