Week 9

Good day friends and family.  Another week of projects post is due up today and I have a small amount of knitting to show for the week.

Last week, I was bemoaning the fact I really wanted to cast on another pair of socks so I could use my new DPNs.  So......I did it.

Don't laugh at the small amount of progress I have made.  I had a whole bunch more done but ripped it all out.  I am making a pair of pedicure socks for a gift.  The original pattern I was using called for a size 3 US needle and casting on 55 stitches and only use 3 needles.  While it was going fairly fast and I had over 2 inches done in a day, I also had loads of laddering.  I never ladder with DPN's and was all sorts of confused as to why.  So I ripped it out and tried it again.  Same thing.  Then it dawned on me.  I ALWAYS use 4 needles to do socks.  I decided I would make my own pattern for these socks.  I pulled out my 1.5 US needles and cast on my normal 64 stitches.  I am using a 1x1 ribbing for the cuff and then it will be a plain stockinette stitch the rest of the way with a fish kiss heel.  I will us the pedicure sock pattern I printed to figure out how and when to stop knitting and how to put in the toe strap.  I have never done a 1x1 ribbing before.......it is quite time consuming but I like the look of it and how firm the rib is.

In other knitting news..................you all know that I completed the test shawl last week.  The pattern was published this week.  It is by our own Ruth McKeon at Celtic Knits.  I can now show the photos of the finished knit that I did.

This is the blocking I did.  I had to use a ladder to take this photo.  That is an 8 foot wing span and the V is 26 inches.

It is very light and airy and such a lovely knit.

My model was my grand daughter.  I will say, she was so sweet.  You see......it was 111 F outside when we did the photo shoot.  This is an acrylic/wool/mohair shawl and it is quite warm.  She is highly allergic to wool, so the photo shoot was pretty quickly done too.

The name of the pattern is Aer na Farraige.  I love the fact, Ruth, tells the story behind each of her designs and what the name of them means.

Also, last week, I was wanting to know what to do about a nice camera.  I want to thank all of you for your responses.  I do read each one of them and they mean a lot to me.  And no response is too long, Becki!

Anyway, I finally made a decision on a camera.  I looked at DSLR, Bridge, point and shoot etc.  Hubby and I spent many hours perusing all the info we could get on each model I thought I would like.  We went to a store so I could pick up and hold them and get a feel as to if they would fit my hand.  It was an exciting time but totally time consuming.

Friday morning, I woke up quite early and sat in my chair and picked up my tablet to once again do more research on cameras when it hit me........I knew exactly which camera I wanted and what I wanted it to come with.  Hubby strolled out about 2 hours later and asked if I was researching again.  Imagine his surprise when I told him no more research needed to be done as I had made my selection.  (Actually, I think I heard him give a sigh of relief)

I chose the Sony A6300 mirrorless DSLR camera.  It is so light and with my RA, I never know when I am going to be attacked and this camera doesn't even weight one pound!  With the lenses it will be heavier, but that is to be expected.  Anyway..............It is ordered along with some lenses and other accessories that I wanted.  It should be here in about a week.  I can hardly wait to take some photos with it to see the difference .  I have been using my 9 year old point and shoot and will continue to keep it close at hand.  It is a nice little camera.  I have also used my phone, but I really do not want GPS attachments to my photos.  Like the photos of my text knit......................I don't need GPS embedded in it as that is my minor grandchild there.  No need to announce my coordinated with the world.  So I made sure if the camera has GPS it can be turned off.  Hence the reason I rarely use my phone for blog photos.

So that pretty much sums up my week.  I am working on the men's prayer shawl today and hoping to get quite a bit of it done if not completed.  Then I will be turning my attention to my holiday gift knitting to be done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time.............................happy crafting!

Week 8

It is very early on Sunday morning here.  In fact, it is just now 4am.  Sleep has not been my friend the past couple of weeks.  I have no idea why, but I seem to catch about 6 hours max and then my eyes pop wide open.  I figured, since I am wide awake, I should go ahead and update my blog.

I don't know how many of you caught my middle of the week YoP post last week.  But, the test knit is done.  You can catch up on that here.

Today, I have another FO!  Can you believe it?  Two completed items in less than one week?  I am so impressed.  Don't expect this to happen again for a while.  The next items I have to finish will be a while....................well, I should have another one done next week, but I will get to that later.

Anyway...................on Monday, our family welcomed this precious girl into the world.

Kaidence Elizabeth has joined her mom, dad and big brother.  She is healthy and doing great.  But you know what that meant?  Yup, the C2C blanket needed to get completed.

It was completed yesterday, even got all the ends woven in.  I know it doesn't look very big there but how about this:

That's a foot long ruler in the middle of it.  I just hope it isn't too heavy.  I didn't even think of that when I started this blanket.  It is made with worsted weight yarn.  The dark purple is a Debbie Norville anti pill acrylic that is so soft and yummy (I know, and it is acrylic!).  The edging is done in I Love This Yarn.

Speaking of the edging:

That is 11 rows of edging.  I had some of you asking for me to share the pattern for the edging.  Well.................here is the deal..............I found one I loved on Pinterest.  I went to her pages of instructions and started out following along.  By row 7 I could no longer understand what the heck she was talking about.  So..................I winged it.  The edging is a bit ruffled which is fine with me, since this is for a little girl.  What you can not see in the edging photo (taken at 4 this morning) is the final row is the eggplant colored yarn.  We will be heading up to next month to deliver the blanket and to play with the newborn (and her brother).

So, what to do next?  I am going to finish up the men's prayer shawl.  I started back on it last night and will continue until it is completed.  It should be done by the end of this week if not soon.  I also worked a bit on hubby's socks.  I had him try then on again and they seem to be ok this time.  I will knit another inch or two and have him try then again to make sure they will go over his heel.  If not..............................they will be frogged and put in time out until I can figure out why that yarn is being so tricky to work with.  I have never used it before, so there might be a learning curve with it.  It does not feel like there is any give to it while working with it and yet is called Saucon Sock yarn.  It says it has cotton/acrylic/nylon in it.  I'm not feeling much other than the cotton.  We will see.

After the shawl is completed, The Azels will be my main project to work on.  Those will have to be an at home project.  Bulky yarn just doesn't seem to travel as well as sock or DK yarn. Which means, I will need to make sure I have socks on the go at all times too.  Gosh, I just don't know if I can handle all that pressure......LOL  But I really am itching to get to my new DPN's.  I may just have to cast on a new pair of socks this week too.  Shhhhhh, don't let hubby know.

HELP!!!

Now...................I need to ask all of you a question.  I am looking to purchase a new camera. You know, a real one with lenses you can change out.  I have been using a little Canon Power Shot A480 for the past 9 years.  It's a point and shoot and it has been a darn good little camera to stick in my purse and use. The best part, it was a free gift for taking surveys! But, I am really wanting a decent camera to take photos with.  I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on one, but I was wondering, what kind of cameras you all use for your photo shoots of your projects.  I have 2 in mind that I think would be good ones. There is a Canon and there is a Nikon that I like very much.  Anyone with opinions on these two brands or any other brand, please speak up.  Hubby and I have been doing lots of research for the past couple of weeks and our brains are fried.  I appreciate any response I get.

Ok, I think that about sums up my week.  Until next time.........................Happy Crafting!

Week 7.5

Yup, I am late this week.  Very late actually.  It happens to all of us......right?  Ok, it happens to some of us.

So I finally finished knitting on the test knit,  it has been blocked and I have completed my info for it.  I am ever so happy with the outcome.  I am thinking about making another one in a different weight and type of yarn.  Not right away, but sometime in the future.  I will give you a bit of a peek again.

It is so lovely and just has such a nice drape and the way it moves in the breeze was wonderful.  I will tell you it was 111 degrees out when we took these photos.  Needless to say, my model was not too happy about having a wool/mohair/acrylic shawl draped over her.

So, now I HAVE to complete the C2C blanket.  The baby was born yesterday.  She was a whopping 7 lbs 15.5 ounces and 19.5 inches long.  Mommy and baby are doing fine.  We are going up to where they live next month and I would love to have the blanket done to give to her.  She wanted booties too, but that just may not happen.  I was never a fan of booties with any of my children.  They never stayed on.  I used the Humpty Dumpty socks that could not be kicked off.  

I have been so busy the past three days, I have not even gotten to read any of my fellow bloggers blogs!  That is unheard of.  That is normally my morning routine.  I get up, make my morning nutri-blast green shake and then sit and read blogs that I follow.  So, tomorrow morning, I will have a bunch of catching up to do.  

Speaking of tomorrow...............that will be shopping day for hubby and I.  We will hit Costco (big box store) and the veggie market.  Then we are going to pick up a 30 pound bag of roasted green chili.  We will be bagging and freezing that after it gets to our house.  I love the smell of roasted green chili.  I love eating it more!  This will keep us stocked up until next year.  We will be able to make all our favorite Mexican meals and salsas, plus we will give some of it to relatives to enjoy too.

Hubby and I have been watching the Olympics since it started.  I am just amazed at the ability of all the young men and women.  I never care who wins, although, if it is the USA, I get a little teary eyed.  Otherwise, I am just happy to watch the people perform their talents and I love the interviews that take place too.

It is time for me to put away the computer, fold up my crocheting, grab a nice big glass of ice water and go and relax for a while and watch the wrap up of the Olympics.

Until next time...................Happy Crafting!

YoP 6 week 6

There really isn't much to report this week.   If you look at my post from last week, it will be the same info.  The only item I am working on isthe test knit. I am over half way done and hope to complete it next week.  Today, I am devoting my time to working on it all day.

Once that is completed, the mans prayer shawl will get my attention.  It should not take long to complete that item.  I crochet very fast, which is the reason all my prayer shawls are crocheted.  

The next project will be, completing the border on the C2C blanket.   I had almost forgotten about that one until Friday, when I caught a glimpse of it peeking out of it's project bag. I really loved making that blanket and am very excited about the border I have chosen. 

Then it will be time to hit those Azels for Christmas giving. The only issue I have with those is, the needles.  Those size 13s hurt my hands to use for very long.  They don't make that size in my normal brand of needle. 

I am resisting the urge to cast on another pair of socks.  Hubby's socks are not exciting me at all.  The taat is frustrating me and yet that is the first way I learned to knit socks.  Many of you find DPNs too fiddly, but I find their rythmn quite comforting.  Plus, I seldom drop stitches or loose my pattern place with them.  It might also be the fact, I just ordered and received my knitters pride nova platina cubics DPNs too.  I love this brand of needle. My hands never cramp and Arthur doesn't try and take over when I use them.

On a personal note........yesterday I was invaded by eleven 9-12 year old girls.  It was a pool party for our Grand daughter.  What a blast they all had.  There were a few who went home with some pink faces and shoulders.  We sun screened everyone in the morning, but seemed to miss a few in the afternoon.  I think the grand had a great time. Pretty sure there were 11 girls that slept really well last night too.  I know, I did.

Hubby came home yesterday, from his weeks stay in Texas with those Grands.  Sounds like he had a great time with them. Sure do miss those kids.  Hopefully, now that I'm retired, I can go to see them more than once a year.

That's all for today.  Until next time. ..........Happy Crafting!

Mid week ramblings

Hump day................half way through a work week..............that is, if you work.  

Last night, I thought I would be super smart and turn on my self cleaning oven.  That way it could heat up during the coolest part of the day (night time) and be all done when I got up the next morning.  Perfect........................not so much.  At 4 this morning, I awoke to a consistent beeping noise.  The oven was done and needed to have the button pushed to turn it off.  Got up, turned off the oven, unlocked the oven door, went back to bed and could not go back to sleep.  UGH!

My lovely mind kept going over what I needed to do in the next three days.  It refused to go blank and let me sleep another 2 hours.  What did I do?  I got up, cleaned three bathrooms, swept and mopped the kitchen, dining room, laundry room, hallway and family room. The stove got wiped out from the ash on the bottom.

I had made my menus up for the next week and now I have a grocery list to go with it.  So after cleaning up, I will be off to the grocery store to complete my 'chores' for the day.  Maybe once that is done, I will be able to truly relax and enjoy the next couple of days.  My test knit is screaming at me. I have only done 2 rows on it since I arrived home from my trip. Needless to say, this is not normal for me.  Normally I manage to work for a couple of hours each day on my knitting.  Today, I will be able to do that.  All I have left to do is some laundry and that can be done throughout the next couple of days.  It is not a MAJOR issue.  There just might be a nap in my future today too.

We got rain last night.  Lots of rain!  It rained for a little over an hour and we managed to get almost 2 inches in that time.  Remember, I live in the desert, so rain is not an everyday occurrence for us.  Our yearly rainfall is about 7 inches.  My backyard started to flood, the pool water was up to the top of the pool, the street was flooded up to the top of the curbs and I loved every minute of it.  My dogs, are not fans of the thunder and there was some very loud thunder this time.  It actually shook the pictures on my walls one time.  

Time for me to get ready for the day.  LOL  Now that the house is all nice and clean, I am going to head out and complete all my errands for the day.  Hopefully, I will be all done with everything by noon and can then relax until further notice.

Have a great day!

YOP 6 Week 5

Hello blogging friends.  I have arrived safely home from my journeys and am so happy to making a blog post.  I missed making one in the middle of the week as I was busy playing with my grand kids and their parents.  Hubby is still there but I am home and glad to be here.  I missed my bed and my puppies.  Also, today is one of our grand daughter's birthdays and I did not want to miss that.  She is 11 today, and seems way to grown up to me.  Actually, she is very much still a kid and her parents want her to stay a kid as long as they can make that happen.

Any who................................While I was gone, I only worked on one item.  My test knit.

I am almost half way done with it.  I am so enjoying it and it has been very easy to memorize the pattern.  I am really excited to see how it looks once it is soaked and blocked.  I just know those lacy areas will really pop out.

I did have a moment while on vacation that about stopped my heart....................the doorbell rang and company came over.  One of their dogs likes to give gifts when people come in the house, so he grabbed my test knit and ran around the house with it!  We finally caught him and I only had to rip back 2 rows to be able to continue on.  He is not a small dog either.........he is about 80 pounds and his head hits me at my hip!  (I am 5' 5")

I have a rather busy week coming up.  There is a birthday pool party happening in our backyard on Saturday.  I am getting the house all spiffed up to greet all the young girls that will be here as well as any parents that decide to stay.

I also need to do some major grocery shopping as we tried not to stock up on anything before we left town.  I also need to make pedicure appointments for my puppies, go to the cardiologist with my mother, make out menus for next week, and do general housekeeping.  I will save my evenings for knitting.  It so relaxes me before bed.  

I did get quite a bit of knitting done on the airplane trips.  

This happened while waiting for our plane that was 2 hours late coming to get us.  No one knew what the issue was either.

See that sweet sleeping brown dog?  That is the one that grabbed my knitting.  He is a biggie!  But he is such a sweetheart, I couldn't stay mad at him for very long.

That is about all I have to talk about right now.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Until next time

Happy Crafting!!!!