From Knitting |
From Knitting |
Patience, paitence. I only made a single, need to ply two to make the yarn and then wash and dry and winding into balls before I can knit with it. It’s a long process, not one for some one with no patience!!
From Knitting |
From Knitting |
Patience, paitence. I only made a single, need to ply two to make the yarn and then wash and dry and winding into balls before I can knit with it. It’s a long process, not one for some one with no patience!!
From Knitting |
Yarn: 100% wool, color is red, orange, green, blue.
Color No. 7-y06.
50g, 220 yards per ball.
10 balls per bag. 2200 yards per bag.�
Fingering weight, sock yarn.
http://www.jojoland.com/do/item/Select?topIndex=0&itemID=%0D%0A7-y06&subIndex=8
Needle: Size 8
Pattern: Frost Flowers p. 204 Barbara Walter A Treasury of Knitting Patterns
The day started off pretty good with sun shining in the morning. I went to the 2nd followup for the surgery. The doctor said everything was going well and I am allowed to slowly build my exercise level back up. Leo and I went to Luna’s for the $1.99 house breakfast. The coffee is almost as much as the breakfast. We both liked it cause breakfast is breakfast. Nothing is really that different for scrambl eggs or home fries or the toast. I like these meals as we eat and talk at leisure. Or in the morning when we drink our coffee and talk at leisure now that he doesn’t need to rush into work in the morning any more. He always makes coffee for me in bed. I know, I know. I’m royally spoiled.
After brunch, the weather was looking gloomy with the threat of rain. Leo went to the trail trying to find his glasses and I stayed home and waited for some phone calls. In the mean time, I got the throw out and found a new podcast (Cast-on) and listened to the last episode. I like Brenda’s style of talking, she’s very soothing and friendly so I decided to subscribe to her podcast and downloaded all the episodes so I can listen while I knit or clean. Also got the 3rd book of the Twilight series from Audible. Now I’m all loaded and ready with the iphone.
Oh, yeah. Leo found EveryTrail fo the iphone very interesting and has been using it whenever he goes hiking. It can not only record your route but also allows you to take a photo and also remembers where the photo was taken, it then shows the elevation and the time you take for the hike. Very, very impressive for a free app.
Later on, I came downstairs and ripped another video tape and burned a couple of DVDs. This free form kind of day is just so easy to get into with no pressure or stress, and yet you are getting things done and productive and also learning and entertaining yourself at the same time.
I finished my Bolero 2 days ago. And now I’m working on the Feather and Fan Throw in Suri Dream from KnitPicks. I am on next to the last ball of yarn. Almost done. Maybe I will finish it today if I watch 24 and dance with the stars and knit.
Just learned a bad news of a friend and still processing it myself. Life throws curve balls at you all the time and it is so difficult to stay on your feet sometimes. Hopefully there is a silver lining to the whole thing.
Reading written instructions for a pattern is slow and painful for me. especially if it’s a lace work. After working on the fan and feather throw for a few weeks, it got boring and repetitive. So I got the bolero out. It’s a pattern from a Treasury of Knitting Patterns called Frost Flower. Pretty soon, it got frustrating and the progress was crawling. I need a chart for lace patterns. Finally got the charting paper out and was going to do it by hand. Then I wondered if there is anything on the web. Lo and behold, I found knitchart.
It is so exciting to find something high-tech in the low-tech craft. Leo had to wait till I finished the chart before we went out to El Campeseno. It is easy to use and after fumbling a bit, I managed to print it as a pdf too. The knitting progressed much faster and easier after that. It’s a wonderful world on the web. You can almost find anything you need.
Lately the knitting bug has bitten me. I finished a new sweather for Tido in two color tone. Well, I ran out of green and used navy blue for the second half. Left over sock yars work great for his sweater. Now I have intasia or texture fabric in my mind for his next one. I’m back working on Leo’s drop shoulder sweater again. I’m near the end for the body round and working the neck shaping right now. Still have to get Meg’s DVD out to review the technique often but it’s progressing very nicely.
My daily routine is like this. I get up, taking my time to come to full consciousness, usually after a cup of coffee and some knitting video viewing, take my shower. Usually, Benny would be whining to go out at this point, so I get bundled up (it’s still between teens and twenties most of the time, but there is heat wave today, it’s 49 now) and we go for a walk for about 15 – 20 minutes. The walk is usually plesant and he would do his business while I marvel at the progress for the house that’s coming up across the street. Those construction works are amazingly speedy. One day the trusses (sp?) would just start to be anchored, the next day the whole house is already boarded up. I have heard new house construction night mares before, and it usually takes months and months and months, but these houses go up in a matter of weeks. I don’t know how they do it. Either they have a fantastic project manager or they are really skilled. I wouldn’t consider the possibility of cutting corners though. At least I hope not. Ok, after the walk, I come home and eat some breakfast, usually a bagel or some hot oatmeat. Then my marathon of knitting starts. Most of the time, the audible book plays on the iphone to accompany me, or sometimes I play Leo’s Mozart and just knit mindlessly. I would only stop shortly if I have to do some work for Esther or read my email or wander around on the web drooling over yarns or getting lost in Ravelry. But 90% of the time, I knit and knit and knit. I can’t seem to put it down, well, I know I can’t cause I don’t till it’s almost 3:30 and i have to stop to think about dinner. Sometimes, I just email Leo and tell him that I really don’t want to cook and keep on knitting till he gets home.
This is heaven for me. I don’t think very many knitters can indulge like me. I can really neglect everything else and just knit to my heart’s content. Leo kept saying it’s too much work for me to knit his sweater. He just doesn’t know that I really truly enjoy it. I don’t know what it is. My guess is that I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I look at the fabric that emerges from the needles from balls of yarn to something utilitalian or vanity beautiful. I just can’t wait to see the next progress when the body is done and the sleeves are cast on or the next round of lace on top of the current one. I have in my mind already been planning for the next project where I can try a new technique or a new design. In the mean time, my mind can either follow the story line from the interesting book I’m listening to or simply slip into a meditative phase and thus build up the need to spill it all out here. The nonsense that really leads to nothing profound and yet has to have an outlet or it will explode.
So here goes my knitting maniac phase. I am totally enjoying it and can’t be thankful enough that I can indulge in this phase right now. Even though I don’t have the means to buy things or go out, I am very happy to stay home and work on my knitting projects and dream about the next one. Actually, I have a lace project waiting to be picked up again after the sweater. And I have some spinning books coming so I can read up on that process and try my hand in it.
Because of my other hobby, the ballroom dancing, I have to think about making some income and going back to work part time. I may not be able to indulge myself in knitting like this when I do. But in the mean time, I’m taking full advantage of it .
It started off great and I was excited to do the steaking and the sleeves joining and cardigan cutting. All went well till I cut it and then realized that I miscalculated the body and the arm holes were cut too close to the back and made it too small for Leo. I still finished the sweater but it’s my lounge sweater for home now. I am still glad to learn the techniques to do a drop shoulder sweater in the round and the steaking though. I am going to cast on another one for Leo in the same yarn. Good thing I ordered too much for one. I found more and ordered enough to make another one. It’s cheap so I don’t feel too bad about the mistake.
I’ve been watching Elizabeth Zimmerman’s DVDs and Meg Swanson’s cardigan DVD. I’m learning a lot from these DVDs, it really helps to see something done than trying to decipher from the written instructions. A lot of learning is visual like dancing and knitting and most of other things I’m trying to learn. Like trying to learn how to better use my Nikon SLR has been so painfully frustrating. I can read about apature, shutter speed and ISO till my teeth fall out, but I still can’t apply to real situations. I’m having a hard time taking pictures in the studio because of the lighting, and I still can’t figure out how to adjust the silly camera. It just refuses to snap a picture when I pressed the button. Very frustrating….
Spent most of the day at Connie’s yesterday, I stayed home today. I’m slowly becoming a home body whether I intended to or not. For a while, I would get restless if I stay home all day. Now, I seem to find unending tasks to do and the day just flies by.
I started Leo’s sweater yesterday on the circular needle. It’s just stockingnet stitches but it’s going pretty fast. Today, I have been running between the laudry cycles, the knitting/kindle, and the computer working/messing with Photoshop. Before I know it, it’s 2pm already. We’re going to Sandy’s tonight for hot pot, I’m really looking forward to it. Leo still thinks he can handle the spicy food better than Sandy. But I think they are quite even honestly.
I am going to dig into the photoshop and learn more tricks and tips in it. I could create more flyers for Esther by myself instead of looking at the same word templates hoping to find something I like. Koyote showed a few basic moves Sunday and it really looked cool. I can’t wait to feel comfortable in photoshop and making my own banners and graphics.
I am torn between the Kindle and the Audible now. But I can’t really complain. 🙂 There are times when Audible is the only choice, like when I’m driving or cleaning the house. I’m still practicing to knit and read at the same time. But I make too many mistakes to fix when I read. Takes more practice.
I have been thinking about making the wrist warmers for Elim and Logan. If I have time, I want to do the Moebius wrap too. For Eny and Brandon, how about mittens or socks. I don’t have enough time actually to do all. Next year, I need to start a bit earlier and start knitting the gifts to finish in time for christmas.
I’d also like to write more consistently here. This is one of the creative outlet and I need to make it a practice to write here everyday. Picutres. I need to put more pictures too.