Cute, but the problem is ...

They're not my size! I did follow the directions. It said Women's medium but these might fit a 5 yr old! I used Paton's which I think is the best yarn for felting. I don't like to see any stitch definition and I let it go through an entire wash. Not going to check it every few minutes! So, I guess I'll try again later and knit them much larger. I should have taken an unfelted photo. They were big! Oh, the pattern is called 'Fuzzy Feet' and I found it at Knitty

A New Skill ...... I hope!

Simple embroidery. I don't know many fancy stitches yet but I'd like to learn. I have a couple books to help. This one is just a running stem stitch. I found the pattern here NeedleCrafter.I've done embroidery before but never really kept it up. I ordered the large flour sack towels from AmericanChairStore. I know it doesn't sound like a place for dishtowels but these are really nice ones and perfect for this purpose. I want to use these and not just hang them for looks!

I'll have a knitted finished project very soon!

Don't Forget to Remember

My first Fiber Festival

It was today at Sedalia Lots of vendors with lots of fiber of all sorts and handspun, hand-dyed yarns, rovings, weaving, etc. And what did I forget but my checkbook!!! Had some cash but would have gotten something else from Dee Dee at Rivanna River Farm in Ruckersville, VA. She had the most beautiful Alpaca yarns I've ever seen and fondled! I was able to get some roving from her in browns and cream, quite lovely.

I also bought from Yarn Theory a skein of Koigu at half price and a skein of Claudia Handpainted sock yarn also at half price because they were their last of those dye lots I guess. I can add them in socks!

My favorite purchase was a pair of woven wool mittens from Kim Harrison, Fiber Arts (no website) in Moseley, VA. She was quite the talent and I enjoyed talking with her.

This was the only picture I took. A wee little one waiting to be sold.

And the Winner Is ...............

Me! Thanks to Junie Moon I received this wonderful surprise in the mail today! The bag is a Japanese Knot Bag that June made herself! She is quite the seamstress and I love checking her blog daily to see what she's up to. She even included the most dainty fan too.. an oriental flair! (Does she know about hot flashes?) I've decided that the red socks I'm knitting will be carried in this great little tote! So how did this gift land in my mailbox? She just had her 200th blog post and simply ask for comments and later my name was drawn. THANK YOU, JUNE!
My day is brightened!

A Summer Knit

This is from Sirdar pattern leaflet #5872 purchased at my local knit shop. It's done in Cabin Fever Tweed a DK weight cotton blend. I love the red with the denim specks. It would be a quick knit if I weren't knitting 7 other things at the same time! Almost finished with the back.

The Julie Project

This is Julie, now 6 years old. You cannot begin to imagine what horror she has gone through. She does have a happy ending but many women and children of the Congo do not. Find out more Julie She now lives here in the states. She's happy, she dances and laughs and has a mommy and daddy that adore her. She's an example of what God can do to restore the broken hearted.
What's being done to these women and children and what is being done for them now? Watch this CongoCast

How about knitted lace trim for a pillow case or something? Just thought I'd give it a try. Size 0 needle with DMC crochet thread size 10. I want to try it in a thinner thread too. The pattern came in the Knitting Daily email yesterday found Lace

In the past I've done some simple filet crochet and would like to do more of that too.

Other knitting ..... I am finishing up a pair of baby socks, my cotton tank, k3,p1 socks in some Regia, and Hedgerow socks in Louet Gems, Wool Peddlers Shawl in Peace Fleece and the Kinsale. And yes, in a weeks time I do knit on all of them!

Does your life really go before your eyes?

You know when some people say that their life went blazing before their eyes at the moment of near death? It didn't happen for me. I was gone all this past week with my daughter finally getting her prosthetic leg (story somewhere below). On our way we had an accident on the interstate. It was raining and we did this : Hydroplaning by a road vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the rubber tires of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to the loss of traction and thus preventing the vehicle from responding to control inputs such as steering, braking or accelerating. It becomes, in effect, an unpowered and unsteered sled. That's exactly the feeling 'unpowered', helpless. You literally take off like a plane! All of a sudden, with no warning. We were in the right lane of the interstate, went cross the left into the median and at some point did a couple complete circles and hit a steel cabled fence in the middle of the grassy median and came to a stop but still after hitting the fence and turning again! You can imagine what 2 girls were doing while this was going on ..... screaming! After waiting for the state trooper to come and calling the insurance and my husband we were on our way again to SC, in another vehicle. My husband and son had to drive 2 hours to us and give me another vehicle to use the rest of the trip.

What do you do after something like that? You give all the praise and glory to the Lord for protecting you. I have no doubt His hand was on us. The location had a lot to do with surviving it. The median was very wide and flat, lots of grass. We noticed coming home yesterday where there is little space between the oncoming lanes and where there were no fence at all or where it was a solid type guard rail separating the lanes and the median was narrow. Had it happened elsewhere it would have involved other cars and no happy ending. God is Good! Thank you Lord!

Traveling Cables Cardigan Update

Making progress. If I would just stick to knitting on one thing until it's finished instead of a half dozen at a time I could make some progress. I think I'm a fickle knitter! Remember my Traveling Cables Cardigan by Karabella? I really want to finish this. I just started the right front yesterday so if I can stick with it I'll be on the sleeves very soon! I love all the cables and will probably wear this one a lot but as far as fun to knit, it's not! I've read other opinions of the pattern and it was a pain to a few others too. Crap!!! As I am typing this I just remembered I've forgotten to add the buttonholes! Looks like it will be a cardigan without buttons! There is supposed to be a buttonhole an inch and half into it. As you can see that is quite a ways back. Nope, not taking it out! Argh!

It's all in the bag!

Hedgerow Socks by Jane Cochran a free pattern online. Hard to see the pattern here and actually at this point it's hard to see when you've got it right in front of you! It's Louet Gems yarn so I know it will be wonderful.
Hedgerow and a K3P1 simple pattern knit with Regia sock yarn. Regia is great and durable. I've got another pair that has been worn and washed lots and still perfect.
I've got so many choices! Wool Peddler's Shawl, 2 socks and a summer knit with Cabin Fever Cotton Tweed in a simple K3P3 rib pattern by Sidar. I could also add my Traveling Cables Cardigan of which I finished the back and one front side panel and of course my Kinsale that I am still plugging away on.
Spinning too!

Lace Beginnings

I thought I was an experienced knitter but I am having my doubts. It's not hard but it's tedious and slow. I'm on row 13. It's definitely an all summer project even if I didn't work on my other knitting too. So maybe it will be finished next summer! I'll probably go back to my favorite fingering weight after this. So, I guess I won't make it into that 'class' of knitter's.

Honeybee Stole

My first real lace weight project (I'm rather fond of fingering weight) the Honeybee Stole. Skacel Lace weight Merino in pastel's. Aren't you surprised? I'm doing good at making color changes. It's even got some pink but fortunately for me, not much. Mostly blue and yellow which I love together. So far I've managed the provisional cast-on. Didn't like that. I'm on row 3 and first thing tomorrow I'm going to my local knit shop for some lace needles! Mine are not for lace and they are too long. I think that will help my current frustration. There are these 'winglets' on the ends of some rows where you CO 2 then turn and bind them off. It's using the backward loop cast on which doesn't really bind off well. You'd probably have to go try it before you'd get what I mean. I don't like that particular CO but not many choices doing it at the end of a row. I could try casting on at the beginning of the row then bind them off? Nothing though till I get those needles! Off to finish baby socks, their easy!

As you can see I've been playing with templates today. I have the most wonderful picture as my new header! These babies live on Gumbo Lily's ranch. Aren't they the sweetest and I know they are well taken care of. I sure appreciate her allowing me to use one of her sheep photos.

She's Back!!!

The Bug is all better now, new/old engine and boy does she purr!!! Gotta go somewhere! Maybe a trip to Knitters Knook our new LYS. I bought my laceweight for the honeybee stole there and forgot to get it all balled up! No skein winder here. Like my MAGNET?

Heavy wool in summer

Wool Peddlers Shawl. I think everyone has knit one but me. I have refrained because of all the garter stitch. In searching Ravelry I saw some gorgeous ones so I succumbed. I've had this Peace Fleece purchased from Kary at TheKnottySheep for a long time meant for something else that I can't even remember. It's the color Lena's Meadow. A soft sea foam green with flecks of blue and purple. As you can see I am branching out from my personal color world!

On other knits, I am knitting my Kinsale on a regular basis. I also rescued from hibernation the 'Traveling Cables' Karabella cardigan. I was on a roll only to realize a mistake and took out 6 inches last night! I love the softness of this yarn but I have run into a few knots in the skeins and it splits at times. My faith in Karabella is waning! (Remember the 'slubbing' of the Soft Tweed in my vest?)

I had to capture a few more shots.....

Tulips are beautiful to be sure but short lived. I thought more photos were in order before they fully open. I love red and yellow together.
I even have a special skein of yarn dyed by Dave Simpson at

CyberFyber
The man KNOWS color and is an expert spinner! It's only one skein. I did buy two but gifted one to a very generous person in Florida that gifted me with some Koigu for my Keepsake Shawl a while back. She is a former yarn store owner with a stocked garage so what do you give a person like that? Why some local handspun that's what!

"I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains” Anne Frank

Shawl for Henrietta!

Henrietta is my VW bug. She makes a nice backdrop doesn't she? She sits awaiting a new/used engine. I thought I'd wrap my completed Forest Canopy Shawl around her. Plymouth, 'Happy Feet' 5 skeins knit with a 5. I added one repeat of the last rows and wished I had added more but I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn. Of course now I see that I could have added one or two more. Even so I suppose no one would have noticed but me anyway! I do know I need blocking wires if I keep this shawl thing up!!