ZimDee has started a new hobby lately, which is taking his sister's pajama pant bottoms and stuffing them with his body, along with a few puffy blankets. It does beg the age old question: WTF? The picture looks like something out of a crime scene photo or scary movie: dismembered legs with no body. What WILL he think of next? I'm almost afraid to ask.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
To quote mamma...
In the famous words of Mamma, WTF?
ZimDee has started a new hobby lately, which is taking his sister's pajama pant bottoms and stuffing them with his body, along with a few puffy blankets. It does beg the age old question: WTF? The picture looks like something out of a crime scene photo or scary movie: dismembered legs with no body. What WILL he think of next? I'm almost afraid to ask.
ZimDee has started a new hobby lately, which is taking his sister's pajama pant bottoms and stuffing them with his body, along with a few puffy blankets. It does beg the age old question: WTF? The picture looks like something out of a crime scene photo or scary movie: dismembered legs with no body. What WILL he think of next? I'm almost afraid to ask.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
State Fair Knitalong
I apologize for not posting this sooner, but blogger has not been very cooperative when I've been trying to post pictures lately. We've since made up, and hopefully we can put it all behind us now.
You may have noticed from my sidebar that I joined the State Fair-along, hosted by Larissa. I attended the kickoff party this week, and as a door prize I was given this adorable bag with the Booga bag pattern and the Noro yarn to make it with.
Score! I want to say thank you to Larissa for putting the KAL together, and to Abundant Yarn for donating the bag. It will definitely be put to good use!
I still have to decide what I want to make for the fair. I'd like to submit the project to both the county and state fair. Maybe I could knit another silk scarf? Any thoughts?
I know it seems liked I've gotten very spoiled this week, but I assure you that I've maintained my composure and haven't let it go to my head. What's a little spoilage among friends?
You may have noticed from my sidebar that I joined the State Fair-along, hosted by Larissa. I attended the kickoff party this week, and as a door prize I was given this adorable bag with the Booga bag pattern and the Noro yarn to make it with.
Score! I want to say thank you to Larissa for putting the KAL together, and to Abundant Yarn for donating the bag. It will definitely be put to good use!I still have to decide what I want to make for the fair. I'd like to submit the project to both the county and state fair. Maybe I could knit another silk scarf? Any thoughts?
I know it seems liked I've gotten very spoiled this week, but I assure you that I've maintained my composure and haven't let it go to my head. What's a little spoilage among friends?
Silk Scarf
Since blogger is actually letting me post more than one picture at a time, I can finally show you a finished object. It's a silk scarf I knit for ZimDee's fabulous teacher, who is retiring this summer.
Specifics: Knit with two skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. Modified from an Artyarns pattern by Iris Schreier. Needles used: my trusty steel size 8 straights. Prominent pattern: Daisy stitch. Here is a close-up of the stitch detail:
I wrote an article about the knitting of this scarf for the Tigard Knitting Guild's June newsletter. Here is the article:
"How do you say goodbye to a wonderful teacher who is retiring that has made such a difference in your child’s life? Words can hardly convey my appreciation, but I can express myself through my knitting, weaving warm thoughts into every stitch.
Like a lot of knitters, I try to purchase yarn for a specific project. Otherwise, you can soon find your nooks and crannies stuffed with yarn that doesn’t yet have a purpose. But there are times when a certain yarn catches your eye, and even though you don’t know what you’re going to do with it yet, you know you must have it. Such was the case when Pure Silk yarn by Debbie Bliss called my name. The fiber content is exactly what the name implies: 100% silk. What attracted me to this yarn was its shimmer and luxurious softness. At $13.95 per 137 yard skein, it is fairly reasonably priced for silk.
While on the lookout for the perfect project to knit with this yarn, I ran across the Flower Shawlette pattern by ArtYarns, designed by Iris Schreier. The pattern calls for two skeins of ArtYarns Royal Silk yarn, and while very lovely, is priced higher ($22 for 163 yards) than the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. The pattern also calls for silk fur yarn for trim, which I preferred to leave off. I opted to make a scarf rather than a shawlette, so instead of making it 8” wide, I chose to make it closer to 5”, which would also allow for the difference in yardage.
The pattern is made up of the Daisy stitch, which shows off the sheen of the silk perfectly. The pattern is a 4 stitch repeat, so it was easy to modify the width of the scarf. The Daisy stitch is as follows: purl 3 stitches together, leaving the original 3 stitches on the left needle; wrap the yarn over and around the right needle, then purl the original 3 stitches again, this time pulling them off the needle.
You can find the Daisy stitch in Barbara Walker’s first Treasury of Knitting Patterns. To quote from her description: “This beautiful fabric is a relative of Trinity stitch, although both technique and appearance are different. Daisy stitch is definitely feminine, dressy, and decorative. It can be used in many different ways to make delightful garments for women and girls, or pretty baby blankets. It makes a flat, shapely piece, requiring little or no blocking.”
Montse Stanley describes the Daisy stitch in Knitter’s Handbook as the sequence of stitches being staggered, so the flowers run diagonally slanting to the right throughout the knitted piece.
I expected the yarn to be very slippery as I knit with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t necessarily the case. While a bit slicker than wool, I didn’t encounter too much trouble in keeping the stitches on the needles. The strand of silk is similar to cotton in its lack of elasticity. While this sometimes created a slight challenge when attempting to purl three stitches together, it wasn’t terribly frustrating or impossible.
The knitted fabric itself is fairly elastic, and quite striking the way the sheen of the silk catches the light and enhances the stitch detail.
True to Barbara Walker’s words, the Daisy stitch fabric does lie flat and even, but I found the garter stitch border in need of some blocking. I pinned the scarf down and lightly applied steam, and am happy to report that this yarn blocks like a dream.
I am thrilled with how this project turned out. I’m proud of my handiwork and am excited to give this dainty silk scarf to my son’s beloved teacher. She will be missed."
Specifics: Knit with two skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. Modified from an Artyarns pattern by Iris Schreier. Needles used: my trusty steel size 8 straights. Prominent pattern: Daisy stitch. Here is a close-up of the stitch detail:
I wrote an article about the knitting of this scarf for the Tigard Knitting Guild's June newsletter. Here is the article:"How do you say goodbye to a wonderful teacher who is retiring that has made such a difference in your child’s life? Words can hardly convey my appreciation, but I can express myself through my knitting, weaving warm thoughts into every stitch.
Like a lot of knitters, I try to purchase yarn for a specific project. Otherwise, you can soon find your nooks and crannies stuffed with yarn that doesn’t yet have a purpose. But there are times when a certain yarn catches your eye, and even though you don’t know what you’re going to do with it yet, you know you must have it. Such was the case when Pure Silk yarn by Debbie Bliss called my name. The fiber content is exactly what the name implies: 100% silk. What attracted me to this yarn was its shimmer and luxurious softness. At $13.95 per 137 yard skein, it is fairly reasonably priced for silk.
While on the lookout for the perfect project to knit with this yarn, I ran across the Flower Shawlette pattern by ArtYarns, designed by Iris Schreier. The pattern calls for two skeins of ArtYarns Royal Silk yarn, and while very lovely, is priced higher ($22 for 163 yards) than the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. The pattern also calls for silk fur yarn for trim, which I preferred to leave off. I opted to make a scarf rather than a shawlette, so instead of making it 8” wide, I chose to make it closer to 5”, which would also allow for the difference in yardage.
The pattern is made up of the Daisy stitch, which shows off the sheen of the silk perfectly. The pattern is a 4 stitch repeat, so it was easy to modify the width of the scarf. The Daisy stitch is as follows: purl 3 stitches together, leaving the original 3 stitches on the left needle; wrap the yarn over and around the right needle, then purl the original 3 stitches again, this time pulling them off the needle.
You can find the Daisy stitch in Barbara Walker’s first Treasury of Knitting Patterns. To quote from her description: “This beautiful fabric is a relative of Trinity stitch, although both technique and appearance are different. Daisy stitch is definitely feminine, dressy, and decorative. It can be used in many different ways to make delightful garments for women and girls, or pretty baby blankets. It makes a flat, shapely piece, requiring little or no blocking.”
Montse Stanley describes the Daisy stitch in Knitter’s Handbook as the sequence of stitches being staggered, so the flowers run diagonally slanting to the right throughout the knitted piece.
I expected the yarn to be very slippery as I knit with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t necessarily the case. While a bit slicker than wool, I didn’t encounter too much trouble in keeping the stitches on the needles. The strand of silk is similar to cotton in its lack of elasticity. While this sometimes created a slight challenge when attempting to purl three stitches together, it wasn’t terribly frustrating or impossible.
The knitted fabric itself is fairly elastic, and quite striking the way the sheen of the silk catches the light and enhances the stitch detail.
True to Barbara Walker’s words, the Daisy stitch fabric does lie flat and even, but I found the garter stitch border in need of some blocking. I pinned the scarf down and lightly applied steam, and am happy to report that this yarn blocks like a dream.
I am thrilled with how this project turned out. I’m proud of my handiwork and am excited to give this dainty silk scarf to my son’s beloved teacher. She will be missed."
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Thank you, Marji!
I am sure being spoiled lately. Look what the mailman brought me today:
It's my Knitting Vacation Swap package from the fabulous Marji. She sent me the most adorable hand-knit tea cozy, which Girlie wants to steal. And I'm so proud of myself--I didn't peek at it on her blog when she posted a link to it. She also sent two proper tea cups and saucers, made in England. I love them! Along with those, she sent a tin of tea and some yummy lemon and chocolate tea biscuits. She also included the book A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber, which I've been wanting to read. Last but certainly not least, she sent a skein of Plymouth Sockata yarn, and I am in love with the colors in it. Thank you so much, Marji! You are far too kind.
I'm kinda likin' this swap thing.
It's my Knitting Vacation Swap package from the fabulous Marji. She sent me the most adorable hand-knit tea cozy, which Girlie wants to steal. And I'm so proud of myself--I didn't peek at it on her blog when she posted a link to it. She also sent two proper tea cups and saucers, made in England. I love them! Along with those, she sent a tin of tea and some yummy lemon and chocolate tea biscuits. She also included the book A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber, which I've been wanting to read. Last but certainly not least, she sent a skein of Plymouth Sockata yarn, and I am in love with the colors in it. Thank you so much, Marji! You are far too kind.I'm kinda likin' this swap thing.
Thank You, Secret Pal!
Lookie here what the mailman brought:
A wonderful package from my Secret Pal. In it was Miss Bea's Seaside pattern book, The Yarn Harlot book, 2 skeins of Galway pure wool yarn (in purple, of course), and some hand-made stitch markers that she made herself. The pattern book is perfect because I love to knit garments for my little ones, and this book is full of adorable patterns, designed by Louisa Harding using Rowan yarns. That's a match made in heaven for me. I already found several patterns that I want to knit Right Now. And I love the Yarn Harlot. She's always good for a laugh.
Here is a close-up of the stitch markers:
Aren't they beautiful? I just love them!! I am so excited to get them, because I really really wanted fancy stitch markers and didn't have any yet. How did you know???
Thank you so much, Secret Pal! I feel very spoiled indeed.
A wonderful package from my Secret Pal. In it was Miss Bea's Seaside pattern book, The Yarn Harlot book, 2 skeins of Galway pure wool yarn (in purple, of course), and some hand-made stitch markers that she made herself. The pattern book is perfect because I love to knit garments for my little ones, and this book is full of adorable patterns, designed by Louisa Harding using Rowan yarns. That's a match made in heaven for me. I already found several patterns that I want to knit Right Now. And I love the Yarn Harlot. She's always good for a laugh.Here is a close-up of the stitch markers:
Aren't they beautiful? I just love them!! I am so excited to get them, because I really really wanted fancy stitch markers and didn't have any yet. How did you know???Thank you so much, Secret Pal! I feel very spoiled indeed.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Thank You, Kim!
The mystery has been solved. The secret sender of the coveted JambaCard was Kim, who was my spoilee in the Knitting Vacation Swap. The card was sent as a thank you for the package I sent to her. How sweet is that? Thank you so much, Kim!
Congratulations to Jennifer for winning the movie line contest from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A lot of people have families like that. I myself married into one. The movie is so universal in that the loud, boisterous family could be from any country, not just Greece, and the characters still fit. So when you watch this movie you are also watching my in-laws in all their glory.
Much knitting has been happening here, but for whatever reason I'm having a real challenge trying to get blogger to display my pictures. Right now I'm working on teacher thank-you gifts. Nothing like leaving them for the last minute. I can't wait to share them with you. And the croc socks are slow but steady.
The next movie line contest up for consideration is one of my personal favorites, quoted randomly by me at odd moments:
"You parked in my driveway you're breakin the laaaaaw!"
Good luck to all.
Congratulations to Jennifer for winning the movie line contest from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A lot of people have families like that. I myself married into one. The movie is so universal in that the loud, boisterous family could be from any country, not just Greece, and the characters still fit. So when you watch this movie you are also watching my in-laws in all their glory.
Much knitting has been happening here, but for whatever reason I'm having a real challenge trying to get blogger to display my pictures. Right now I'm working on teacher thank-you gifts. Nothing like leaving them for the last minute. I can't wait to share them with you. And the croc socks are slow but steady.
The next movie line contest up for consideration is one of my personal favorites, quoted randomly by me at odd moments:
"You parked in my driveway you're breakin the laaaaaw!"
Good luck to all.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Congratulations to mamma
Congratulations to mamma for winning the movie line contest from Notting Hill. Nice job!
A big thank you to Jennifer for letting me know about the books on tape websites (www.librivox.org and www.podiobooks.com). What a great resource!
Girlie's teacher arranged for an Author's Tea for her 2nd grade class. The students wrote, then "published" their books at school. On the night of the event, they dressed up in their finest and read their books aloud into a microphone in front of the audience of family members. It was quite an evening.
A big thank you to Jennifer for letting me know about the books on tape websites (www.librivox.org and www.podiobooks.com). What a great resource!
Girlie's teacher arranged for an Author's Tea for her 2nd grade class. The students wrote, then "published" their books at school. On the night of the event, they dressed up in their finest and read their books aloud into a microphone in front of the audience of family members. It was quite an evening.
Girlie did well. It brought back memories for me of why 2nd grade was one of my favorite years of school: because the world of imagination really started to soar. I was very proud of my angel girl. And she felt pretty because I let her wear my shiny lip gloss.
Speaking of the world of imagination, guess what project Girlie is working on now? She is hatching a batch of sea monkeys. Does anyone else remember doing this as a kid? Well, let's put it this way: I tried to grow sea monkeys, but they never hatched. But now it's all high-tech, see? The kit comes with a thermometer, which is set for "the triops zone". (I guess sea monkeys are actually called triops, or brine shrimp. Who knew?) You must make sure that the water is the correct temperature by warming it under a lamp. The directions are very specific. Maybe that's why I was not successful as a kid. But today when Girlie came home from school, she was delighted to find four little sea monkeys floating/swimming around. They're about as big as a small flea and they're kind of transparent. The book says they only live for about 20 days or so, so I don't have to worry about getting a pet-sitter or anything like that. Fun stuff.
And guess what the mailman brought today? 
That is a Jamba Juice gift card. I would like to say thank you to whoever sent this to me, thus enabling my addiction, but alas, the card wasn't signed, and there was no indication who it was from. Would anyone like to 'fess up so I can thank you properly?
And now it's time for another movie line contest. The line up for consideration is:
"So today here, we have apples and oranges. We're all different now, but in the end, we're all fruit."
Good luck to all.
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