A bit better now..

So anyways..

(Hey...here's the shrug from a thrift store sweater that
was unraveled.
And no..I really dont appologise for anything.
I'm not neat, I'm not skinny, and I make stupid faces.
We'll all get over it.
Machine knit body and hand finished cuffs and ruffled edges.
The cuffs and edges are NOT recycled yarn...they are
Lion Brand Jiffy...erm..colorway is..el paso?)

In spite of being hit by the worst pain in my life on
Friday afternoon, it's been an nice weekend.

First of all, I have some lovely news.
I am the new editor for the Painting catagory at craftgossip.

I am being brief, tonight because I'm running
low on energy, and I want to make a new personal blog
that will help me to keep track of my projects.

I guess the "first of all" is going to be
the ONLY of all. I am really tired
and lacking focus right now.

Hmm..Bill just called and is telling me
almost all of the schools in the area
closed due to the extreme cold.

My weather thingy

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST TUESDAY.

SINGLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES WILL
COMBINE WITH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH
TO PRODUCE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND
CHILLS. WIND CHILL READINGS OF 15
TO 25 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT
INTO MONDAY MORNING. WIND
CHILLS WILL STILL BE 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO
MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN
A STRONG WIND WILL COMBINE
WITH COLD TEMPERATURES TO CREATE
DANGEROUSLY COLD CONDITIONS FOR
EXPOSED SKIN. THE WIND WILL MAKE IT
FEEL LIKE IT IS BETWEEN 10 AND
25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. THOSE PLANNING
TO VENTURE OUTDOORS SHOULD
USE COMMON SENSE AND DRESS WARMLY
...MAKING SURE THAT ALL EXPOSED
SKIN IS COVERED.

Well...the girls have a different set up at school..no waiting for a bus.

Eh..I'm seriously sick of fighting with blogger for now.
Stupid italics.

 

cute intarsia!

http://www.swakknit.com/

This place has some awesome patterns ...You just have to see for yourself. I am inspired.

Well...he'll kill me, but I am going to show off Bill's first knitting. I'm so proud!



And next we have his guage swatch for his first real project...a dishcloth...well..we decided that the swatch is also a project...a coaster ofcourse.
Even though it's just a dishcloth, I am having him approach it like it was a sweater. Planning, swatching, following a pattern that I am writing for him based on his guage. The dishcloth will teach him how to follow a knitting pattern, as well as how to follow written instructions for a stitch pattern...and how to manually do it...getting used to the switches of the yarn from front to back.
That was why I had him do those few squares on his first swatch.
I have to say his speed has increased dramatically...as well as how long he can knit at a session, before being mentally worn out.

Anyways...the guage swatch! Not too bad for cotton, and being a beginner.


And now show and tell for me.

On the USM...this was the first thing I made...basically it is a rectangle..I made it into a bag to hold Bill's juggling balls.



Next..I made Becca a scarf to match the hat that I made her...hat is handmade, and took two days...plus finishing.
Scarf...took two hours....still needs hand finishing.
Not to brag...but the hat actually has nicer, more even stitching than the scarf...hmmm...



Well..I have other pics...but they can wait.
I am going to change the main blog pic...
it has nothing to do with knitting, I just like it.
It's my bedroom window.

"I'll stick to my knitting."

That was the second part of Bill's statement, 
reflecting his opinion of crochet.
I thought that learning crochet would help him a
bit with the issue he is having in holding the working yarn.
I guess, it's my issue. His tension is fine...he just goes so slow
and looks so uncomfortable, with the needles anchored on his leg,
pointing to the sky...and his deliberate wind of the yarn when he
is making a stitch.

The first part of his statement about crochet...

"I HATE crochet"

I have never heard him say he hates anything
except for when people call him, "Will", "Willie", or "Billy" .

oo...and he "HATES" brussel sprouts...but who doesn't?

By the way...an interesting tidbit for the argument over knitting being art or not...and yes..I have had it more than once, with more than one person.
I was looking at Grove Art Online today...accessed through my local library's website. Here is how they describe themselves.

"Grove Art Online comprises the full text of The Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, edited by Hugh Brigstocke (2001)."

There is an entry for knitting..an entire page in fact. If the DICTIONARY of ART, defines knitting as art...then..well...so THERE!

Acceptance

I screwed up the guage with a cardigan sweater I am knitting for my youngest daughter. I had to rip out 3/4 of the finished back and both front sides.
My husband died with each pull of the yarn, even as he himself helped me to rip it out.
But I knew there was no point in proceeding...it wouldn't have fit her until she was 40 at the size it was turning out.
I easily accepted it as a part of knitting.

Bill is knitting a bit better. But he isn't yet a knitter.
He will be.

Hey..it was free..

Mom gave me the ball of yarn from Joann's called "shaggy". I wasn't too crazy about it..still am not, but it was free yarn!
I made my daughter a scarf in 2 hours too!( first time I ever actually used those size 17 needles...it was weird.)The scarf is the last pic because I'm stupid...so there.
Also pictured is part of my other daughters costume...she's going to be a poodle.
Also a pic of another cat sweater...I won that yarn.10 balls of Phoenix by...ummm...I dont recall but at list price it was about 100.00 worth of yarn that I won! I combined it with knitpics palette to give more body to the fabric..

So..that completes our novelty yarn fashions for the family show.

In other news...I taught my husband to knit the other day.
In even more other news. I will be at Michaels tomorrow teaching people to knit for Warm Up America!