Fun Times

Note:  I'm not complaining at all.  I'm just posting.

It's been a fun week (please note the sarcasm) around here!  Earlier in the week I found out a good friend (I'll call "T" has brain cancer.  On top of that is is inoperable.  I wouldn't know a lot of things without having knowing "T".  Because of him I have a lot of funny stories.  My roommate knows him too and she found out at the same time.  We went to visit him the following day.  He always likes to know what we are doing with our hobbies so I showed him the pattern for my latest knitting project. 

This project is for another person I know.  Another person was going to do it, but they had trouble with it so I am doing it.  "T" loved the photo or rather the colors in the photo.  He has never asked for something to be knit or otherwise be made for him and we have never been able to figure out what to make for him.  "T" wouldn't ask for something to be made, but seeing how he liked the item and the colors he was asked if he wanted a blanket.  He smiled.  So now the push is on to get an afghan made as fast as possible.

That is on top of making the other project without slowing down.  thankfully I already had some afghan squares I had already made for another project just waiting to be mailed.  That project can wait while my friend cannot.  So the days of  my roommate and me are being spent on putting this afghan together while the nights are going to my other project.  Hopefully the afghan will be done for when we visit him next week.

I also have a report unrelated to any fiber arts to write and will have to write it after the afghan is done.  I just don't like having reports hanging over my head and will just have to grin and bear it.  Like I said, it's been a fun week.

Oh, I have somehow given my elbow rug burn too.  That's from spending so much time on the floor putting the afghan together.  A little pain to take for a friend that has given so much.

January Wrap-up

It's been a busy knitting month.  I finished an entrelac scarf that was started on Christmas.  Started and finished a lace shawl. and started an entrelac shawl.  I wanted to redo the cuffs on a pair of socks.  That isn't going to happen though because of the heal that has developed on them from washing and wearing them.  I have also rounded up my WIPS and decided whether or not to frog them.  All but one was frogged because I was either: sick of it; lost the pattern; or it was something that was in time-out so long for not cooperating I forgot where I was.  Only one project survived.  I also started to organize my patter leaflets and printed patterns.  Stage 2 has yet to happen yet. 

While working on the lace shawl I learned about the importance of placing lifelines.  I also learned to NOT use waxed dental floss when placing a lifeline.  It just doesn't work.  Next time I do lace I will definitely place liflelines with something more slippery.  Of course all my projects are on Ravelry.  How did one survive without Ravelry?

Year in Temperatures Scarf

One of my big knitting projects will be the My Year in Temperatures Scarf.  It will be a previous year and going from a birthdate to birthdate.  It will have 15 colors plus another to denote the beginning and end of months plus rows at the end of the scarf for the start and end of year.  While laying out the colors I realized I missed a high temperature so I will do one row of a completely different color for that one day instead of completely redoing all the colors.  Every color for temps denotes a 4 degree Fahrenheit range. 

Through a group on Ravelry and a wonderful person who posted I was able to obtain the temps for the date range and area I wanted.  I was also able to get them onto a spreadsheet.  I ten went and filled each date with the color for that temp.  Now to get the yarn and start.  Maybe this will be a Ravellenics project.  Who knows.  I am contemplating another project though.  I have no clue yet what will be my Ravellenics project.

New Year Coming

Well, the new year is upon us.  The holidays went well.  In the fiber arts department overall from friends and family I received: a set of Knitters Pride Trendz Interchangable Needles , 2 skeins Araucania Tepa, 2 Skeins

Queensland Collection Alpaca Bamboo Soft, 2skeins of Farmhouse Yarns, 1 Blue Ridge Footlights, and a gift certificate to my LYS.  I've already spent my Gift certificate and got 2 skeins of Cascade Heritage to make a shawl, the Regia Sock Calendar, and Around the World in Socks.  Needless to say I am a VERY happy camper in the fiber arts department.

The Tepa has already been cast on and is well underway as well as the Queensland Collection slow going.  I have joined the 14 in 2014 group on Ravelry and am looking forward to working on my goals. 

Knitting Technique List

Let's see what I've done and not done.  This list has been kicking around for a while is some way, shape or form.  The general idea is that you put in bold is what you've done and  in italics what you plan or want to do. 



Afghan
American/English knitting
Baby items
Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cable stitch patterns
Cardigan
Charity knitting
Combination knitting
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm-warmers
Darning
Designing knitted garments
Domino knitting
Drop stitch patterns
Dyeing spinning fiber
Dyeing with plant colors
Dying yarn
Entrelac
Fair Isle knitting
Free-form knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
Gloves
Graffiti knitting
Hair accessories
Hats: Cuff-up
Hats: Top-down
Holiday related knitting
Household items
I-cord
Intarsia
Jewelry
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Knitting a gift
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Knitting and purling backwards

Knitting art
Knitting for a living
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting on a loom
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars (done both ways and and do not like 2 circs.  Started a shawl with 2 circs and got it onto 1 as soon as it was large enough to fit on one)
Knitting to make money
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn (cannot do due to allergy to tropical fruit and do not want to risk setting off allergy)
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Knitting with dpns
Knitting with linen (unsuccesful)
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk

Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with wool
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Machine knitting
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participate in an exchange
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book
Purses/bags
Rug
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns
Slippers
Socks: toe-up
Socks: top-down
Steeks 
Stockinette stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater
Tassels
Teaching a child to knit
Teaching a male how to knit
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern

Busy Busy

I've been gone since late August.  It's just been a hectic few months.  Amongst everything going on, two wonderful people retired in the past 3 months.  One person's party had lots of tears and the Commissioner of an agency showed up.  She is based in the Capitol and took time from her VERY busy schedule to come and say a few words.  The other person they still haven't found a replacement for she was that great.

Other things have been birthdays, the holidays, organizations, family, friends, and birthdays, along with other things.  All is well though.  

Christmas knitting and weaving is done and now onto finishing the Christmas spinning.  For Christmas 1 woven scarf, 3 knit scarves, 3 knit hats, 1 pair fingerless mittens, 7 pairs mittens, ans 1 loom knit scarf.Now I'm on to a 2 ply hand spun yarn that is 50% wool 50% alpaca.  The alpaca is dyed by me.  A little wrench may be thrown into t he works by having not dyed enough and having to dye more.  I've already plied and hanked 260 yards and have to spin more of one of the colors (the dyed), then ply and see where I come out.  I was just too eager to see how it was going to look together.

Learning new Crochet Technique and having fun

I started crocheting between Christmas and New Years Eve of 2009.  Last year or the year before my grandfather gave me crohooks that he made himself.  They are wonderful.  The other day I decided to try Tunisian or Afghan Crochet. 

So far after checking with a book, the internet, and my mom I am off and going.  I have made a couple 6" squares.  I have been making a lot of crocheted squares of late.  They all go into a box and make their way to a lady that puts them together with other peoples squares to make some beautiful afghans.  Those afghans then go to Pine Ridge Reservation.  There is a wonderful Ravelry group that I do this all through.  This month 99 squares went.  They were made by me, my chapter regent, and one by my roommate. 

I have so much fun doing these squares and now that I have learned a new technique even more fun.  In fact I am having so much fun I am having trouble pulling myself away to do other projects.  Projects such as the second sock in a pair, my holiday knitting for family and veterans.  I keep telling myself that I must take a break from the squares, but I keep getting lured back. 

New Blog Time

Well due to not being able to get into my old blog I am now going over to this new one. I am a fiber artist so who knows what will show up around here.