Into the Desert

Proverbial Cap

2010-08-31T17:15:00.006-06:00

I have been intrigued by twisted stitches or Bayerische knitting. I really love how textural the stitches are and theway the stitches travel across your knitting project. When this fall's Interweave Knits came out, I was so excited. There was a 4 page article by Meg Swansen on the techniques used for knitting these wonderful twisted stitches. I knew I had to knit the Proverbial Cap once I saw the pattern.

I cast on the hat with Nature Spun by Brown Sheep. This yarn is a little smaller than the original yarn, Quebecoise, but I didn't know that when I cast on the cap. I started the cap with a size 4 needle and after knitting a good size swatch, aka the hat for 4 inches, I realized my gauge was too small. So, I ripped it out and said that was good practice. Then I started knitting with #5 needles.

The double helix motif really gave me fits. I was ok with the first helix in the pattern but when it came to knitting the helix in reverse to travel the opposite way, well, let's say I had a brain fart. I ripped it back twice. Finally when I got it started the correct way, it was easy sailing.

I had a little difficulty with the decreases and keeping the knitting in pattern. But I worked it out by knitting the knot pattern in the ribbing portion as it is between the knots. I was a little surprised that I had trouble with the compensation portion of knitting. I haven't really had problems with compensation in needlework.

I am very happy with this hat. I now understand why knitters love 100% wool for cables. This Nature Spun yarn really makes the stitches pop. I actually knit a project that more than 10 knitters on Ravelry have knit. I think I may have to knit the Alpen Socken out of this issue also. I could always use another pair of socks.

The new world of Podcasts.

2010-08-08T15:36:00.005-06:00

I just got an iPod Nano for my birthday. My daughters all decided that since I have been exercising regularly for the last 7 months that my old Walkman needed to be retired. I looked so "last century". Now with the new iPod, I was introduced into the world of podcasts. I had two basic misconceptions about podcasts. One that they were for younger knitters and two that you have an iPod to listen to them. I found out that you can download the podcasts to your computer from iTunes and listen to them without an iPod. Who knew!

I asked the kind women on my favorite Ravelry group about podcasts and found out that two of the regulars in the groups listen to podcasts regularly. So, I have been introduced to Stash and Burn, where Jenny and Nicole talk about knitting. Duh! They remind me of women sitting and chatting in a knit group. I just listened to Episode 74 where they were talking about changing your pattern and your gauge. It was great fun because I am always changing and tweaking things. I love that they viewed sewing and knitting as two compatible crafts. They talked about how sewing influenced their knitting. I have just started looking at how knitting is just creating fabric and that I can bend and create with this "blank slate". I have sewn garment for far more years than I have knit. So this was a whole new paradigm for me.

The other podcast I started listening to is Sticks and Strings. I like that I could start with Episode 1 of Sticks and Strings. One of the things I like about Sticks and Strings is that David Reedy is a scientist/teacher as his day job. When he started recording his podcasts, he had just recently started knitting again after a 35 year hiatus. I will be interested in his interviews as I progress through his shows. At this point, David's shows are more structured with essays about knitting and music inserted into the show.

I am a newbie at Podcasts and uploading music onto my iPod. I love that I now have an other virtual knitting group. Do you have a favorite podcast that you listen to while you are knitting or driving or running at the gym?

Little Gwen

2010-08-06T17:04:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time since I posted a new blog entry. It just seems like life got in the way. I am very happy to report that I have a new Grandbaby, baby Gwen. She is now about 2 weeks old.

Of course little Gwen needed a blanket. I knit her a Fan and Feather blanket from the book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies. The blanket is called Wavy Cashmere and the original blanket was knit with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I wanted a machine washable blanket so I knit the blanket with Dreambaby DK. Baby Cashmerino is a fingering weight yarn and I knit with a DK weight yarn, so my blanket was larger than the pattern size. The finished size is 32" by 11.5", almost the same size as Morgan's blanket.

Now, every big sister needs a blanket for her baby doll. So, I knit Morgan a blanket to match Gwen's blanket. Morgan was delighted with the blanket.

Here's a picture of the happy big sister.

And one of Nana and P-Pa with Morgan and Gwen.

It was a wonderful 2 week trip in New Jersey. I have to say I am glad to be home out of the humidity!

One Sock Down

2010-04-04T15:26:00.006-06:00

One sock down, one to go. I finished the first Slipstitch Ring Sock about 5 days ago. I didn't knit much when my parents were in town. I finished knitting the toe on the way to Vegas while we were driving my parents to the airport. And here's the finished sock on the sock blocker. I haven't soaked and blocked it yet. I knit this sock with Wildfoote yarns in the Sonatina colorway and Little Lilac. I used #1 circular needles for the project.

I really like the Spring colors. I called this Spring Chicken sock on my project page on Ravelry because it took me 2 years to get the nerve up to try a Cat Bordhi New Pathways sock. The Slipstitch Ring pattern is knit with the Cedar Sockitecture. Take a good look at the instep of the sock. There is no triangular increases. The Cedar technique has equally spaced increases in the body of the sock.

The heel flap is on the bottom of the sock. This heel is called the Reinforced Heel. I am hoping that because the heel stitch is thicker on the bottom of the sock, that I won't wear out the heel area like I have in 2 other pairs of socks.

I really like this slipstitch pattern at the top of the sock. Notice the cuff treatment. Cat calls this the Cobblestone Cuff. I think I talked about this in my last post. I am not too sure about the Spiral Toe. I have never knit a spiral toe and it seems a little pointy. I will let you know if I don't like it.

And last but not least is a picture of my Dad wearing his Alligator Teeth sweater. I am really happy with the fit of the sweater.

The back shows the pattern nicely. The sweater is actually a deeper darker red, green and brown than the photo.

It was great to have my parents visit. I was so afraid that something would happen with Dad's health again that he wouldn't be able to make it. We took many daytrips and had a wonderful time sharing the desert Southwest with them.

Why Don't I Listen?

2010-03-17T14:45:00.006-06:00

Jan, the owner of Heindselmann's Too Yarn and Gifts and I decided that we were going to knit socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I bought stitch markers for Jan and I and we decided to knit Slipstitch Rings - Cedar. Sorry, that this pattern is a Ravelry link. I couldn't find another link. So, I cast on the socks and away I went knitting.

Cat has a different edging for the top of the sock called the Cobblestone Cuff. So, I thought, go for it! You start by casting on with Judy's Magic Cast On. If you have never seen this cast on, you need to watch the link. It is brillant for toe up socks. So, I am starting and I cast on 54 stitches and knit 3 rounds which makes a fun little "solid" area. Step 2, folded together and knit one stitch from each of the two circular needles. Ok, I do that but the stitches are now 27. This will never fit around my leg. Rip out, start again. Do the same cast on and knit 3 rounds. Yeah, it says knit together to make a binding. Rip out again. Then I read the instructions! Oh, cast on 54 stitches on each needle. That makes more sense so when you knit them together you still have 54 stitches. Got it (after 4 tries!). So, now I'm on to the body of the sock.

Here's an innocent looking sock in the wild. I tried the sock on after about 4 inches. It fit snug like I like my socks to fit. Now, I have to tell you that I had been reading about this pattern on Ravelry. And almost everyone said that the sock was really long. And I thought, great. I might actually use the whole skein of Wildfoote for this sock. I was really happy how the slip stitch pattern was turning out. And since we were camping, I sat in the sun and knit all afternoon. I sunburnt my hands on the thumb side where they were upwards towards the sun! I was a dedicated sock knitter. Last night when we got home, I was knitting the heel of the sock. And I thought this would be the perfect time to try on the sock. Foot in, fits nice and snug. It won't fit over my calf! There is no increases or decreases for the size of my chubby calf! Rippit, rippit, rippit.

At this point, I pulled out these socks. I finished my Ragtime socks in February before the Ravelry Olympics and the marathon knitting on Dad's sweater. These socks are knit with Wildfoote also with a #1 needle. I got 8 stitches to the inch and had cast on 64 stitches for this plain vanilla sock. (We won't talk about the fact that it took 2 years to finish the boring all stockinette sock!) I like the fit of these socks so I went to the Slipstitch Rings pattern and went to the size with about 64 stitches. I cast on 66 stitches by Judy's Magic Cast On, which I can say I have now mastered, and began knitting again. Today, I have the Cobblestone Cuff, which I also have mastered, and the first slipstitch repeat done.

At least the view was great! My apologies to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. The view was too tempting to photograph without the sock.

Alligator Teeth Revisited

2010-03-12T16:12:00.005-07:00

I can't believe it's March already! Where did my days go? Actually, probably working. I joined a group on Ravelry called 2010 -- The year of the WIPS. This has really encouraged me to finish up some WIPS. This is WIP #4 for the year and it was a biggy. I have been working on Dad's sweater for about 4 years. I started it when I lived in New Jersey. I got both sleeves knit and then it got hot. This yarn is an organic yarn from Philosopher's Wool located on Lake Huron in Canada. And I have to say it is a heavy, warm Canadian wool. The first picture is the finished body and sleeves laying out ready for steaking.

If the neckline looks a little funny with all those stitch markers, it's because I wanted to keep track of all my decreases. At Dad's request, I knit a v-neck cardigan. When knitting in the round, I looked up v-neck cardigans in Elizabeth Zimmermann's book, which one I used I don't have a clue! I started decreasing one stitch on each side of the steek every other row when I got to the bottom of the armhole area. I stopped decreasing when I got 3 inches short of the armhole length. Here I am sewing the steek. This looks like the armhole. I stitched the steek with black thread so that it wouldn't show once it was cut.

I stitched right along the other most stitch in the steek. This armhole steek was 3 stitches wide.

Now, it's time to cut. I cut every carefully down the middle of the steek.

This is the sweater after the steek were cut. The color is duller than the sweater really is in person.

I used the 3 needle bind off to join the shoulders. This will give me a strong shoulder seam to hold the weight of the sweater.

Next I picked up 3 stitches for every 4 rows on the body of the sweater. I knit a k1p1 ribbing around the neck and down the border. I gave the neckline a little shaping with about 8 decreases around the back of the neck so it would curve a little more. I forgot to take a picture of picking up the stitches. I didn't follow Ann Bourgeois' advice and cut the steek before picking up the stitches. I'm not sure what advantage there is in picking the stitches up before cutting. I used Elizabeth Zimmermann's method and it worked out fine.

And here is the finished sweater. It had a good soak and was blocked. The stitches set in nicely with the blocking. I am very happy with the sweater. And I can't wait to see Dad wear it in 2 weeks.

WIP #2 for 2010

2010-01-19T13:51:00.008-07:00

I have WIP#2 done. I finished Lindsay's Aria scarf while camping last week. And I didn't take a finished picture because, well, it didn't look any different when it was done than the WIP picture, just longer. I finished my Purple Ladder Scarf by Chris Bylsma. The scarf is knit in a knit 5, purl 5 ribbing. You knit the scarf lengthwise.

The magic is in the bind off. You drop the fifth stitch and vola! You have this lacey scarf. I knit this scarf out of a ribbon yarn from my stash. It is knit with Crystal Palace's "Glam", a superbly textured ribbon yarn with a "dual finish": one side with a matte finish and the other with a metallic sheen. Its beautiful variegated hues will give you sensational highlights to gleam and dazzle with any changes in lighting. That great description is from Yarn Market. I only used 2 skeins of yarn so I still have 2 more to play with in the future. This scarf is a gift. Shhhhh. It's a secret!

I also have been working on my Shawl Collar Cardigan. I have been knitting on wips only so far this year. This is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern and I love it. The yarn is Tonalita Nightlife by Trendsetters yarn. The yarn is a wool with a wonderful cooper metallic strand. I love the color. I am finished with the body, just binding off. Next I pick up the neckline and edging. I really like how this is turning out.

Is anyone participating in the Ravelympics? I am on Team Nana-Gramma. I am entering in the WIPS catagory. Do you see a continuous thread here?

First 4 stitches

2010-01-04T11:29:00.005-07:00

It's January 4th and so far I have kept up with the stitch of the day. The stitch patterns are taken from 365 Knitting Stitches A Year, perpetual calendar. So, here we go! The first stitch pattern is January 1, Basket Rib.

I really liked this stitch. The swatch was very even and laid flat. I found out very quickly that stitch swatches are not the easiest things to photograph! I have a greater respect for the calendar photographer.

The January 2nd stitch is Whelk Stitch, another slip stitch pattern.

This stitch pattern was a little trickier to follow if I put the swatch down. I didn't realize that I made a row mistake until I had taken the picture. These 2 swatches were very close in composition. I think I like the Basket Rib better.

My third stitch is Brick Rib.

Now I have to tell you, I really don't like to do ribbing. I find it boring and I hate doing it on socks. So, I wasn't excited about knitting this swatch. However, I really liked knitting this. I guess it was the fact that the pattern changed. It is very elastic and the twisted knit stitches really stand out in the swatch which the close up shows fairly well. I would use this as a substitute for regular 2x2 ribbing.

The final stitch pattern for this posting is Zigzag Openwork. Now, knitting this swatch was a little slow. There is something about K2tog after a row with a YO that is a little tendious for me. I guess I haven't done much lace knitting.

I blocked the swatch. In the calendar, it doesn't look blocked. So, my swatch really doesn't look much like the calendar. But, I figured if I did all the YO and K2tog's I was going to show them off! So, with these 4 swatches, I have finished the left over skein of Encore Worst 1385, pink. This was left over from Morgan's hats. I hope this is interesting to you as the reader. I am finding it fun and interesting. I have been knitting on Lindsay's Aria Scarf. I am hoping to finish it this week. So, an actual knitting post. Who knew? : )

New Year Promises and some knitting.

2009-12-27T16:25:00.003-07:00

It's the end of 2009. And it's time to think about goals for the new year. I like to call them promises to me. Resolutions sound like something that needs changed.

1. I will work out 3 times a week. I have been thinking about this promise a lot. I want to be able to hike more in the new year. And with all the nagging physical "problems" from 2009, the only way I was going to achieve this promise to myself was to work out with a personal trainer. So, I signed up for 6 sessions with a personal trainer at the Summit. I had my first session where we set up a program and I have started exercising/lifting free weights. My legs have been sore so I think the program is working. So, I have a start on this goal.

2. Knit a new stitch a day. I joined a group on Ravelry called A Stitch a Day. This group is stitching the stitch of the day using the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year perpetual calendar. I have owned this calendar for at least 6 years and have tried one or two of the stitches. I want to knit the swatches and keep them in a notebook for reference. I will be using Encore Worst weight yarn that is left over in my stash.

3. I will draw or do exercises in Drawing and Design for Embroidery by Richard Box weekly. I think this is an ambitious goal. After my retreat in Colorado, I realized that I really miss embroidery. So, I want to get back into embroidery again. I also am planning on going to the National Seminar in San Francisco. You can see the projects on this link.

And because this is a knitting blog, here's some knitting! This is Morgan's flower hat. It is the Color Pop! Beanie from Baby Beanies by Amanda Keeys.

And here's Morgan modeling her little hat.

I bought some cashmere at an unbelieve close out price from Jimmy Beans Wool this summer. It is Rowan RYC Cashmere Tweed in charcoal. I knew I would be knitting a scarf for Lindsay. But I wanted it to be a classic scarf that she would a) love and b) wear for a long time. I asked Lindsay for her favorite scarves out of the book Knitting New Scarves. She choose Aria.

I love this scarf pattern. After a couple mis-steps, I finally wrapped my head around the short row pattern. I have knit 4 skeins of the yarn with 3 left to go.

This is a close up of the scarf. The cashmere is wonderful. I have never knit with cashmere before and now I know what all the fuss is about.

Thinkin' and Knittin'

2009-11-19T23:02:00.004-07:00

I haven't posted much lately. I have been busy working and then going to NJ. Got home worked a bunch and went on vacation with my good friends, Pat and Janet. I have been knitting and embroidering. The retreat was a design and embroidery retreat at Rivendell in Hotchkiss, Colorado. I loved being away for 6 days with my two good friends. We had our design classes in the morning where we drew, and colored the designs and then stitched them. In the afternoon, we poked around the town going to some antique shops and just relaxed. It was wonderful.

I haven't been blogging much. I have been spending time on Ravelry, talking the the wonderful women in my Grandma's group. We have become friends over there. And by the time I tell them all my news, it does leave much time to blog about it. I will have to see if I can make some time for blogging. We will see.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Morgan's Little Poncho

2009-09-16T19:04:00.004-06:00

Ta-duh! Morgan's little poncho is done. It was fun, fast and easy. This little poncho is knit with bulky weight yarn. I saw the Strawberries and Lime colorway of Crystal Palace Meringue yarn on Ebay and had to buy it. I mean 5 skeins for $10! How could I go wrong? This yarn is super soft merino and acrylic blend. It is super stretchy and not for everyone.

I knit the collar and cuffs with 2 different brands of DK weight yarn. I went stash diving for the perfect magenta and green Anny Blatt Merinos DK weight yarn. I bought several random balls of Anny Blatt for colorwork samples. These 2 colors were perfect. And for the light color accent I used peachy pink yarn from Morgan's Cable blanket, Dreambaby color 106. I love how this project turned out. The embroidery adds the perfect accent down the front. And I am bubbling over about the little daisy buttons. Cute and functional. I can't wait to see Morgan in this poncho.

Some fancy lace

2009-09-12T01:37:00.000-06:00

This is my first attempt at knitting a pattern out of Victorian Lace Today. This is the bottom border of Scarf with French Trellis Border from Weldon's 1890 with Bramble Leaf. If you have Ravelry access, please check out all the scarves knit from this pattern. They are very beautiful.

I am learning how to use lifelines with this project. I am also learning to knit with lace weight yarn. I love how this yarn is knitting up. It is so very soft. I am impatient to see this lace blocked.

Morgan's Color Block Sweater

2009-09-03T16:12:00.004-06:00

Another finished sweater. This is Morgan's Color Block sweater. I started this sweater last December while Tina and I were at Hot Topics Neonatology Meeting. It is knit with Encore Colorspun color 7518. This is a worst weight self striping yarn. I used 3 coordinating colors for the sleeves, hood and bands.

This is a close up of the pocket. This was my first time knitting pockets. Jan Moore, the designer and LYS owner, has you pick up stitches after leaving an 18 inch tail on the wrong side of your work. After you knit the pocket flat, you sew up the pocket from the bottom to the top with the tail. And then knit the other side with the tail. This leaves minimal tails to weave in.

I never knit a hood before this little sweater. I am happy with how the shaping came out.

I know this is a little big for little Morgan. She probably won't be able to wear this until the Spring. I am very happy with this sweater.

Not-so-Blue Bobble finished!

2009-08-14T14:27:00.004-06:00

Not-So-Blue Bobble is finished! It was 3 years in the making but it's done! I had some self-induced heartburn over twisting the purl stitches on the whole back. So, I had a new design element that I had to remember to do.

Jan Moore, at my local yarn shop, helped me out by knitting the neck bands. I was so tired of this project on day that I asked her to help. Or the sweater would still be in the maturing pile. She did a beautiful job.

I am very happy with how the sweater turned out. I love the cable down the back. This is also on the sleeves. Some one on Ravelry asked how I liked knitting the bobbles. I actually like knitting them. Next time, I will use Lucy Neatby's method of centering the middle stitch in the bobble. She says it keeps the bobble from leaning.

This pattern is Blue Bobble by Mari Lynn Patrick from Interweave Knits, Spring 2006. The yarn is Cestari, a cotton, wool and silk blend in the Seashell color. You can't tell from the picture but the yarn has tiny flecks of peach and blue in the yarn. I used 5 skeins of the yarn. These pictures were prior to blocking the sweater. I blocked it "hard" because it was a little on the small size. I guess I gained a few pounds since I started the sweater. Maybe it will fit better if I keeping on swimming!

Bowknot Revisited 2

2009-08-12T11:04:00.007-06:00

Finished! 8/11 at 9:30 pm but who's counting?! I really love how this sweater turned out. I made 4 major modifications. First of all, it's intarsia. The original Bowknot sweater was knit in the Armenian stranded knitting style. I wasn't wild about the "flecks" of color showing through the solid areas. I know that's the effect that Schiaparelli wanted for her sweater but it wasn't my favorite.

The second modification was in the yarn choice. The original yarn is a light weight wool. Schiaparelli wanted a light weight, warm sweater. And I guess in the 1920's shetland wool would have been the logical choice. I knit my version in Wildflower DK by Plymouth, a cotton blend. I thought Lindsay would get a long season with the cotton than wool.

My next modification was the neckline. I have never had much luck with a crochet edge around stockinette stitch. Mine always rolls. So, I decided to try out a rolled reverse stockinette binding. I had a little heartburn over the v-neck. But decided to knit it straight and over lap the center. I think it looks pretty neat.

My last major modification was the sleeve. Lindsay did not want long sleeves. She saw a beautiful sleeve on a very high end sweater. She copied the picture and Jan wrote out a pattern. After the first sleeve was too big, we reduced the stitches and came up with a cute puff sleeve. I knit a reverse stockinette binding on the sleeve edge also.

My final thought in this whole process is that I basically used the Bowknot chart for the intarsia design. And designed the sweater using an old favorite as a guide. My stitch and row gauge are different than the original. Lindsay really got a custom fit sweater.

While writing this post, I found a wonderful site about Schiaparelli and the Shocking exhibit. Click here for a beautiful blog about her work and gorgeous clothing. I'm sure Schiaprelli herself would not be that pleased that her design was altered. But the chart/Bowknot really held up over time.

Success

2009-07-26T15:54:00.004-06:00

Success! I eliminated the beads on the yarn overs and guess what? I got the pattern to work. Now, if I can get Blogger to upload my pictures, we'll be in business.

EDITED: I finally got Blogger to upload the pictures. This is a dry run on blocking. I really wanted to see how the lace pattern looked. Pretty good even if it doesn't have all the beads on. I really wanted a beaded knitting project that was successful. I think I'm on my way.

I finished the first chart of 20 set up rows. I am now on the repeat charts. I have six 20 row repeats to go until I bind off. I am sure I will have tons of beads left over.

Lace and Beads 2

2009-07-25T18:13:00.004-06:00

Grrrrrrrr! The beads keep migrating into voids and spaces beyond my attention. I keep moving them and then I drop a stitch while trying to fidget the beads in place. GRRRRRRR!

So, I decided to forget the beaded yarn overs and place a bead between the k2tog and ssk space. This will make a nice "beaded spine" for the moth butterfly. Now, maybe I can go back to knitting instead of ripping!

Lace and Beads

2009-07-24T16:55:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged. I have been very busy with work and not much play time. Hey, Joe and I haven't even camped since the June trip to Great Basin. But I have been going a little knitting. In fact, I started another project, Entomology by Laura Nelkin. I loved this shawl from the first time I saw it in Knitty.com. And I bought a "used" stash yarn from a Ravelry seller that is Anne by Schaefer yarn. I bought a skein of Catherine the Great or I think it's Catherine the Great. I didn't know that was the name of the yarn until after I bought it. I love the rose color of this yarn. I have wanted to try this yarn which technically is a sock yarn. But, I don't know if I would knit sock with a mohair blend. I would be afraid it would wear out too fast.

I am digressing. Entomology is written specially to be knit with Anne. So, I was in luck. Last weekend, Larry and Joan and Joe and I went to Vegas for some shopping. Joan is a beader and I wanted beads for this lace project. I bought 45 grams of size 8 beads. I love the deep rose color. I went to the LYS Monday and sat and strung my beads. Now the pattern calls for 1205 #8 seed beads for the pattern. Now, I am counting challenged so fortunately for me Laura Nelkin gives her method of calculating the beads we need to string. You string 20 beads on your yarn. Measure one inch and count the number of beads in one inch. Then divide the number of beads that you need for the project by the number of beads per inch. This gives you the length of yarn that you need to string. I had 11 beads per inch. 1205 divided by 11 is about 110 inches of yarn. So, I strung beads and strung beads. And this is the beads during the process.

Yep. They are on the floor. They are very "slippery" and fall on the floor easily. I like knitting with beads when they are prestrung. I didn't like the technique of adding the beads with a crochet hook.

This pattern has been a little challenging in that the beads move from the long yarn over float. I ripped the lace back once because I thought I knit it wrong and now I know that was wrong! The beads just migrated. I will have to move them along when I block the shawl. The first chart is 20 rows long and most of it is set rows. I can't wait to finish these first rows. Then I will add markers and make my life easier.

I will have better pictures when I am blocking. I even bought beads to knit this. Aeolian is a little more difficult that Entomology. I have the red wool lace yarn and 3 tubes of #8 seed beads. I will keep you posted when I string my basillion beads for that shawl.

What's up? Toe up!

2009-07-08T17:35:00.004-06:00

I have been wanting to learn how to knit toe up socks for awhile now. So, when I was at Barnes and Noble the other day, I picked up Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. Now, I have heard some mixed reviewed from other knitters. But after looking at the book, I decided it looked like a book I like. I think her explainations are clear and I like the more classic socks. Now, I really like Cookie A's socks. But I think her socks in her latest book, Sock Innovation, are a little more complex than I want to knit at this time.

So here is the beginning of my sock.

It is Lace and Cable Sock knit with Smooshy in Go Go Grassy. The color is pretty true. I think of wild grasses when I see this yarn. I love how the cables travel up the side of the sock. I used Judy's Magic Cast on for the initial cast on technique. Here's a link by Cat Bordhi demonstrating this cast on technique. I found this a little challenging at first. I wish I had Cat's YouTube link when I was starting the sock. Not only did I learn toe up socks, I am knitting with 2 circular needles. I really like this technique and I may not use double points again. What did we do before YouTube and the internet?

Great Basin National Park

2009-07-01T16:53:00.011-06:00

It's been a week since we got home from Great Basin. Just enough time to edit the pictures and do stuff like work! According to our ranger guide, Great Basin is the least visited park in the US with 80,000 visitors a year. This could be because it is in a remote area of Nevada. It was a 3 and 1/2 hour drive from St. George through some very remote areas. We were camping over my birthday, the 23rd.

We camped at the Baker Creek Campground. It was about 7700 feet with pines and aspens in the campground.

The site was really a tent site with the tent "pad" hidden in an alcove of pines. We parked the trailer on the uneven ground and parked the Jeep sideways off the campground road.

Madison, the wonder poodle, stayed with Britt and Jerid and kids for her puppy vacation because she wasn't allowed on the trails or cave tour. Now, I really couldn't hike because my foot and knee are still rehabing, but we did take the cave tour. Lehman Caves is one of the biggest attractions in Great Basin NP. The link will give you more information than you probably want to know about the caves. The cave was discovered by Absolom S. Lehman, who owned the ranch where the cave is located. In 1881, Absolom ran it as an attraction allowing anyone who could pay the $1 entrance fee to explore the cave by candle light for 24 hours. I took many pictures of the cave but they really don't have the scale needed for such a large cave.

When stalactites and stalagmites meet, they form columns.

Joe and I took the 90 minute Ranger led tour. It was well worth the money and time. I have never been in a cave before and this was quite an experience. This link has some good pictures of the cave.

I was very surprised to find out that Great Basin NP is home to the second highest peak in Nevada, Wheeler's Peak at 13,063-feet. The Wheeler Peak Campground at approx. 10,000-feet is accessible by a narrow winding road. While we were there, it was still going below freezing at night, so there was no running water at the campground.

We were able to hike the Nature Trail at the Wheeler's Peak trail head area. This is a gentle even terrain trail that is wheelchair accessible. But, I have to warn you, it is about 10,000 feet in elevation and there was snow still around in the middle of June.

And this site has some wonderful pictures of the area. Kristi Fillman is a photographer with her site Highdesertwest.com. She has some really gorgeous photos of this little known area. I want to go back to Great Basin next year when my foot is better and we can try some hikes.

Cuddle Blanket

2009-06-24T23:12:00.004-06:00

This is my most recent project. It's Morgan's cuddle blanket. Mom, Ariella, requested a blanket knit like a hooded bath towel. She wanted a soft blanket to cuddle with Morgan. So, of course, I had to knit it in a very bright color. I love this color. It is color 1386, Jelly Beanz by Plymouth yarn. I will knit it until it is a 36 inch square. Then I will knit a triangle to go over little Morgan's head.

In a camping note, Joe and I just got home from Great Basin National Park. I will try to post some pictures in the next couple days. For those with sharp eyes, the backgroung for Morgan's cuddle blanket is a flat large rock at our campsite. More later!

Summer Knitty

2009-06-10T19:25:00.002-06:00

Have you seen the Summer '09 Knitty? I really love Entomology. I bought a skein on Anne by Schaefer Yarns a few weeks ago on a Ravelry yarn sale site. The yarn is a lovely shade of rose. I think it is Ashes of Roses but there wasn't a tag with the skein. I wanted to try this yarn because I love the colorways dyed by Schaefer. I have knit some socks in Lola and I loved how soft and spongey the socks were. So, I took a dive with this yarn. I think I will knit this little shoulder wrap without the beads. I am excited and would usually just start knitting it tonight. But I have a whopper of a chest cold and am not feeling so great. In fact, I slept 11 hours last night and took today off work. I am currently working on a cuddle blanket for Morgan. Ariella requested a blanket with a little hood like the hooded bath towels. So I am knitting the cuddle blanket in Jelli Beanz in color 1386, a red with flecks of yellow, blue and purple.

And the Winner is.......

2009-06-07T11:39:00.002-06:00

And the winner is....... Sara. I've notified Sara and I hope to get the bracelet out this week.

I have been having some stressful times since coming home from NJ. It involves work personnel issues but not me. Let's just say, I've been stressed and a little sad. It is hard for me to blog when I'm not feeling really up. I have been knitting a little but now I have a cold. I'm sure I set myself up with the stress! Oh, well. It's time to relax, drink some tea and nap.

Graduation for Jenny

2009-05-24T16:21:00.003-06:00

I feel like a slacker. I have not blogged since we went to NJ for the very big event....Jenny's graduation from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. It was a busy 12 days filled with a graduation party, moving Jenny out of her apartment, the graduation ceremony and an ear infection for little Morgan.

Here's our proud graduate, Jenny. This is the first picture of Jenny we have since freshman year in high school. She doesn't like to have her picture taken and refused to have a senior portrait! Some kids!

This is Joe, Jenny and I.

And finally, Lindsay, Jenny and Ariella. I really like this picture of the 3 girls.

Now, this little miss was enjoying her wading pool. We took very few pictures of Morgan this trip because she was feeling so poorly with her ear infection. 103 temps and not eating well. I'm surprised her enjoyed the wading pool.

While we were in NJ, I did get a little knitting done. This is the left front of the Smock Coat by Debbie Bliss. I have the back and this front finished. I started the right front. It is a lot of seed stitch.

There are 2 more days left in my contest. Just drop me a comment and you are in the drawing.

Crazy Lake Days

2009-05-06T18:48:00.003-06:00

The summer season is officially here in Southern Utah. Joe and I and Madison the wonder poodle went to Lake Powell for the weekend. Temperatures were in the 80s with very few people at the lake. I didn't take knitting to the lake. We ride to the houseboat in a small boat and I have gotten my knitting wet in previous years. Plus, my good friend, Joan, is a beader. So, I have been taking beads and beading projects.

Now, Joan and I are two different kind of beaders. Joan strings semi-precious beads and pearls. She has a torch and is a metalsmith with silver. She makes amazing necklaces with semi-precious cabochons and crystals. She is also very good at finishing necklaces with the findings. I have not taken classes in finishing. So, I am learning some good techniques from Joan.

This necklace is a pale peachy-pink potato pearl necklace I made. These are 5 mm pearls with 3 mm brass spacer beads. I saw a necklace similar to this in the Smithsonian Store that cost about $100. I actually like my necklace better.

Here's a closer look at the necklace. I have had these pearls for several years and just didn't know what I wanted to make with them.

These vintage coral beads have been in my collection for many years. I bought them on ebay and they were just strung on a temporary string. They are strung with 3 mm turquoise beads and pearls. This is not the best picture of them. I love the combination of turquoise and coral.

I am a bead weaver. I love the repetitive motion of hand bead weaving. I have beaded for about 4-5 years. I think I have begun to be a beader again.

This bracelet is a petite project from the Embroiderer's Guild of America. When I was a member of the Monmouth Chapter EGA, I signed up for almost every class offered. I wanted to support the chapter and the teachers. I never beaded this kit until this weekend. This petite project has the uninspired title of "Even count Peyote Bracelet" by Candy Jepsen. I call this bracelet "Crazy Lake Days". This bracelet was inspired by crazy quilts. It is beaded with Delica beads. Delica beads are cylinder shaped and very even. They have a large hole for weaving thread through several times. The colors of the bracelet are medium to medium dark and most of the beads have a iris rainbow finish. I have decided to have a contest for this bracelet. To be the winner of this bracelet, all you need to do is leave me a comment and link this posting to your blog. Because I'm not the most organized blogger, I will continue this contest until May 25.

For all you knitter, I photographed the beadwork on my Stonington Shawl. I didn't understand the light weight quality of the DK yarn used by Elizabeth Zimmermann. And I knit my shawl with a worsted weight alpaca. It is now a throw for the sofa.

So, leave me a comment and good luck.

Roses, roses, roses

2009-04-26T16:50:00.003-06:00

It's spring time again. Every year I blog about my roses. Roses are my favorite flowers. They grow like weeds out here in SW Utah. In New Jersey, I was battling black spot and mildew just for the pleasure of a few roses. Out here, I pretty much plug them in the ground, give them water and let them grow.

This is the Love rosebush. It is original to the house and is about 5-6 feet tall. It is probably 15 years old. I didn't get to prune it this year so it doesn't have as many roses on it as last year. Roses love being pruned to grow better.

The Love rose close up. This florigrande is a velvety red rose on the inside and a silvery white on the outside. I tried growing this is NJ and it was a skinny, puny little bush.

This is my "new" rose garden off the office. My mom, dad and I planted this 3 years ago. And look at how big the bushes are now. You can't even really see my statue in the middle. She will need to be moved this fall after the roses are done blooming. This garden grows my Heirloom Roses.

This is Charlotte. I wish you had smell-a-vison. Charlotte has a wonderful sweet perfumey smell.

This is the newest rose, Carpet of Color. This is a short ground cover rose. It is getting completely covered by the other roses. I will need to transplant it this fall when it goes dormant.

I also have St. Swithum. This light pink rose is not blooming yet. It is prolific and very sweet smelling also.

I think the roses lining the patio are Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. Again, this rosebush was here when I moved to the house 4 years ago. I prune this bush back severely and it has been producing gorgeous roses for me ever since. The picture has one old spent bloom, two "good" blooms and some buds. My biggest problem with the patio rose garden is that it gets too much sun in the summer and the roses fade quickly. But I love my roses.

Hittle Bottom

2009-04-21T12:06:00.004-06:00

Joe and I went camping the past few days. We planned on camping close to the town of Moab but when we got to Moab Friday afternoon, the camp grounds were almost all taken. Getting there late Friday afternoon, bad idea. We did find a spot in the Hittle Bottom Recreation Area, 22 miles east of Moab.

The area was spectacular. We were close to the Fisher Towers area. In fact, you could see Fisher Towers out the "window" over the sofa area of the pop-up. Ok, it was cold the first day and we kept the vinyl up on the camper. But, you get the idea.

We weren't able to hike so we explored and 4 wheeled for the 3 days. The first day was checked out several campgrounds and drove around. We went down Mineral Bottom Road. Check out this YouTube clip.

Joe is pointing at SUVs and mountain bikers going down the switchbacks.

This is the switchbacks from the top of the canyon. The specks on the road are a SUV and the smaller speck is a mountain biker. We didn't ride down the switchbacks this time because there were so many mountain bikers. We didn't want to pass them as we drove down.

One of the 4 wheel road we took was Long Canyon Road. Check out this photo. We DROVE under that rock! There were portions of this road that were hairier than any road we have driven. I don't have pictures of my own of this drive because we didn't want to stop at the hairy parts. Well, we didn't want to meet anyone coming up the road as we were going down. Ok, the picture makes the road look flat and smooth. It was steep and rutted. It's rated a 4 out of 8-10. Most of the road was good but the one section was.... well, hairy.

We did go to Arches National Park for a full day. I love Arches. The color and the rock formations are wonderful.

Here's Delicate Arch from the view area. That's as close to the arch as we got this time. Usually we hike to the arch and relax at the arch with a sandwich and water. You can't see it in this picture, but there were a lot of people at the arch. It's about a 3 mile round trip hike on slick rock to get to the arch. Here's some information about Delicate Arch from Wikipedia.

We also went to the Fiery Furnace View point area. Check out that link. It has some good pictures of inside Fiery Furnace on the ranger led hike.

Here's a picture of Fiery Furnace from the view point. The hikers are in the left hand bottom corner. That's the scale of the place.

Here's another hiker. Actually, I think it was the same family. The woman is in blue. The area is gorgeous. The Ranger led hike is by reservation only and well worth the small fee.

And did I knit? Yes. I knit a good bit on my sock in the car on the way to Moab. Then the last night I knit outside at sunset with the alpine glow on the rocks. It was wonderful. I don't have the pair finished. But I'll post them when they are done.

Progress

2009-04-16T13:47:00.004-06:00

I've made some progress on Bowknot.

I knit the ribbing on both the front and back. And now I am finishing up the front. I am at the point where I am knitting the "collar". I have about 1/2 of the back knit. I am happy that I am making headway on this sweater.

Tomorrow we are heading out to Moab to camp for a few days. It's been drizzling here all day. We put off going for a day because we heard at Moab it was 40 with the threat of snow. I really didn't want to camp in the snow! See you on the flip side.

Bowknot Revisited

2009-04-11T20:51:00.003-06:00

Lynn commented that I haven't been blogging much. And she's right. There are a couple reasons, none really bad. I have been working a lot the last month. I had my time stacked together so I could go to Texas for a training session on how to program and run SimNewB. This wonderful manikin is going to help tremendously with my simulation training program. This baby will simulate "a bad delivery". The baby will turn blue, will be limp, will stop breathing and will have a low heart rate. When the nurses and doctors do the right steps in resuscitation, SimNewB will turn pink, move, breath and have a good heart rate. Now, since I had the training session, I have the travel trip from hell to get home, all with the surgical boot in place. Then I had my days stacked together on the other end of the trip. So, I'm tired.

How tired you ask? Tired enough, that I really haven't been knitting. I went to the knit shop the other day to get advice about my Bowknot Sweater and I was so tired I didn't even knit there. Here's the Bowknot Sweater if you have forgotten what it looks like.

My problem with the sweater was that I know the stockinette stitch will roll and the bottom border I planned probably would not prevent the rolling. I started with a provisional cast on. So, I decided to knit an inch and half 2x2 rib border. The biggest problem was that I have never designed an armhole. So, I needed Jan's help. I now have a plan on how to procede, but I didn't knit a stitch yesterday. This evening I have knit a few rows on the bottom ribbing.

Plus, any of my friends who have known me for awhile know that when I get really tired, I can't make creative decisions. And blogging is creative. So, I am trying to hang in there. This surgery took more out of me than I wanted to admit. Ok, Janet, stop laughing! You would deny it too! lol Next week I have a week off, just how the schedule falls. I think we may go to Moab where I can sleep and play and recharge my battery!

Knitting Too Much

2009-04-10T21:11:00.002-06:00

You Know You Knit Too Much When...

...you think it's pretty reasonable that you're knitting egg cozies for all of the Easter eggs. (Double points if you're planning to make more than two dozen and if you have allowed yourself less than 12 hours to do it.)

Stephanie Pearl McPhee

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T18:20:00.002-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Wearing green? Drinking green beer? Eating corned beef and cabbage? Yes, No, Yes! This is the one day I cook corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, carrots and leeks topped with horseradish whipped cream. MMMMMM. Want to come over next year? We will have our party again next year. This year was tight with my surgery.

On that note, I am walking! Yeah! I can walk short distances. I still have to use the Roll-a-bout for long distances. And I drove today for the first time in 6 weeks. This is so much easier than using the roll-a-bout.

Have great green day. Drink one for me.

Still Here

2009-03-15T19:49:00.002-06:00

I'm still here. Since I started back to work, I have been very tired. I am taking naps and sleeping in on my days off but this recovery time is long. I knew it would be. That was one of the reasons I put off the surgery for so long. Work has been slow, so I took a nap today. And I know I will be able to sleep tonight, if I don't go to some deliveries.

On the fun front, Joe, Madison-the-wonder-poodle and I went to Death Valley this week while I was off. I was able to transfer into the pop-up trailer easily. Getting out was difficult. I would get out for the day and stay out until bedtime. The hardest part of camping was slugging through the gravel to the bathroom with the roll-a-bout. We drove around Death Valley and sat around the campfire at night. I saw a shooting star and the weather was gorgeous. The warm sunny weather was good for my psyche. We took our time and slept in and all in all it was a fun 3 days. I have a picture of the pop-up that I'll post when I am able to walk down stairs.

I go to my doctor's appointment tomorrow. And I really hope he lets me weight-bear tomorrow. I am sooooooooo ready for walking. I know it will be slow and a little achy but I am sick of the roll-a-bout. I'll keep you posted.

More Seed Stitch

2009-03-03T19:43:00.002-07:00

My friend, Teri, asked how I knit Morgan's sweater with both #2 & 3 needles. I didn't explain really well while I was ranting. I knit the bottom of the skirt area of the back with #3 needles over 109 stitches. I decreased by knitting 3 seed stitches then k3 tog. This left 69 stitches for the bodice. I then switched to #2 needles and knit for another 5 or so inches for the bodice. The good news is that I have finished the back. And I am now knitting the left front.

I went to the doctor's Monday and got the cast off. I had my before pictures taken on the camera and was excited to climb the stairs to post before and after pictures. However, fates and medical science had another idea in mind. I am now in a knee high surgical boot and still non-weightbearing for another 2 weeks. The good news is that I can get into a real shower! Yeah! And I can get different pants on for the first time in 4 weeks. I was really getting tired of the navy or black pants. Alternating every other day of course.

Ok, that's my exciting world. We'll talk later.

Evil Seed Stitch

2009-02-26T18:12:00.002-07:00

Have you read The Yarn Harlot today? I can so identify! I have so been there! Right now it is seed stitch with DK weight yarn on size 2 & 3 needles. And it is size 2 & 3 needles so I can get gauge. Did I mention that it is a dark grapey-red tweed and that my living room has inadequate lighting? Did I mention that "said designer" has you knit 10.25 inches of seed stitch on size tiny needles over 109 stitches making the bottom of the back 20 inches wide? Did I mention that this is sweater to a 12-18 months old baby? I have messed up that simple p1,k1,p1 so many times that I am only knitting the sweater during the daytime. Oh, anything for little Morgan!

Still Here

2009-02-20T14:51:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here. I'm feeling a little boring and yeah, bored. I went to the surgeon's Wednesday for a cast change and suture removal. And it hurt to have to sutures removed. My foot is tender. It was good to have the cast off for a little while. Lube up the very dry skin and flex the foot. I have about 2 more weeks in the cast. Then I change the cast out for the infamous boot. Yeah, you've seen those boot/shoe things people wear after foot surgery. They are so fashion forward. March 2nd is the day that I can finally be weight bearing.

Yesterday, Joe, Madison and I went for a drive. We drove up Kolob Terrace Road. This is the road up to Lava Point campground area. Now, half way up Kolob Terrace Road the park service doesn't plow the snow. So, we were interested in how far we would get up the road and how much snow there would be on the ground. The drive is through a beautiful section of Zion National Park in the back country. There was about 18 inches of snow on the ground. About half way up, the road was closed. Madison and Joe got out and walked around. Madison, being a wonder poodle, sniffed and peed, sniffed and peed. It was a beautiful drive. Just riding in the car outside of the house was good for my ego.

On the knitting front, I have begun Morgan's Smock Coat by Debbie Bliss. The bottom of the back portion is about 18 inches across. The little coat has a very roomy bottom portion and decreases a little above the waist. I am knitting it with Encore DK in a red- purple grapey tweed. I am knitting it during the daytime only because the dark color makes seed stitch on #3 needles almost impossible to see. Am I crazy for knitting this little sweater? It's all about Morgan.

The world from my Sofa

2009-02-11T13:14:00.003-07:00

Well, it certainly feels like the sofa is my world. I have been pretty good about not getting up very much. The foot really needs elevated or it hurts. This is a good motivator. I have been knitting a good bit. I now separated the sleeves from the body on Garter Yoke cardi. And I am knitting the body. There is good amount of pooling going on in the sweater. But then it's a hand painted yarn and I like pooling.

What is my day like you ask? I get up late, about 10. I haven't been sleeping well. When I turn I wake up thinking that Madison is sleeping on my feet, no it's my cast. I wash up, no shower while the cast is on! And I have tea and breakfast. I check my email and read some Ravelry. I thought I was keeping up with my blogs but I found several postings that I hadn't read. So, sorry if you haven't heard from me. Sometimes, lunch melts into breakfast. We have MSNBC on TV in the morning. When I am ready to shoot someone on the news, I either change to DIY, HGTV or Food network. If there is nothing there to watch, I pop in a knitting DVD. One of my favorite people to watch and learn new techniques from is Lucy Neatby. Her hot pink hair is great. We eat dinner and then surf around for hockey or Joe loves basketball. 9:30 pm we watch The Colbert Report and then watch some news before Letterman. We have been going to bed late (which is why I get up late!). Some days, I nap in the afternoon. Some days I don't. I am always sharing the sofa with Madison the wonder poodle. She's been a good little poodle. She is disappointed that the Standard Poodle did not win Best in Show last night at Westminster. So you have my world from the sofa. It's the best I can do for now! Gotta go knit.

Garter Yoke Cardigan

2009-02-08T13:53:00.002-07:00

Yes, I am still here. Yeah, right here...on the sofa with my leg up. I'm getting restless. I mean I am used to working several days a week and hiking on days off. So, sitting around is getting old!

I am getting some knitting down. I started Garter Yoke Cardigan from knit.1. This magazine usually doesn't have styles that I would wear. Jenny and Lindsay would be more interested in them. But this issue has several top down sweaters. I love the Garter Yoke Cardi and I love this one and this one. I will probably knit all three from this issue.

Here's a picture of the Garter Yoke Cardi on a real woman's body. I am knitting with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worst in Layette. The monitor makes the colors of layette look darker. Think cream, light yellow and lavender. I have knit the yoke and am starting the raglan sleeves. I really need a medium weight cardigan to wear in the car. So, I think this is the ticket.

Check up day

2009-02-04T20:00:00.002-07:00

It's been a week since my surgery and I have been sitting with my foot up in the air. Madison only stepped on my leg once since surgery so I'm doing good. I went to the doctor's today and he changed the dressing. Boy! My toes are bruised and swollen. I am now the proud owner of a cast. The doctor said I had the Mother of all Bunions! Great. Just what you want to hear. The pain is controllable. I will be casted and non-weight bearing for 2 weeks. Cut the cast off, take the stitches out and recast the foot. I should have a cast for 4 weeks. I go back to work after 3 weeks so the rollabout and I will be good friends. I have the basic no steering wheel model. Glad I am renting it from the podiatrist.

I finished my Glacier Teal Raglan. No pictures until I can climb stairs. It will be about 4 weeks or more until I can climb stairs. I am now knitting the sleeves of Blue Bobble Aran only my version is a natural color with flecks of blue-gray and peach. This is one of my older UFOs. Hopefully, I will get some progress on some of the UFOs.

Another Winter Day

2009-01-29T09:11:00.003-07:00

I have about 30 minutes before I go to the hospital for my outpatient surgery. I'm getting hungry so I thought I would blog to keep my mind off my stomach. Thank God Joe isn't frying bacon this morning!

Yesterday Joe and I went to Zion for the last hurrah before I'm house bound for 3 weeks. It was sunny but only about 45. We had been getting rain all weekend so I wanted to see if there were some waterfalls in Zion. Well, the water was ice!

We had lunch at the lodge and then drove up to the Temple of Sinewava. We walked down the River Walk. And watched ice falling from the cliff walls. What thunder! This is the end of the walk looking up the Narrows. Do you see all the river rocks on the river bottom? They are like that the whole way up the Narrows. So, you really need a walking stick to hike the Narrows.

Ok, time to go to the hospital. Talk to you all in a couple days.

Progress

2009-01-26T07:35:00.004-07:00

I am making progress on my top down raglan. The first picture is in the living room close to the windows. The winter sun is at an angle that it washes out the color.

This picture is closer to the real color. I am happy with how the sweater is fitting. I knit this sweater closer to the body. I finished the decreases for the waist area and am currently increasing for the hip area. I am going to redo the neckline. It looked big enough before I added the ribbing. But it is now like a mock turtle neck and I know I won't get much wear out of it here.

Dad is doing much better. He is now in the Step Down unit and starting to walk. He was arguing with the case manager that he didn't need to go to rehab. So, he getting back to his old self. Thanks everyone for your support.

Recovery

2009-01-24T08:53:00.003-07:00

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments and prayers. I really appreciate them. Dad is finally doing better. The breathing tube is out and he has been off the ventilator for about 2 days. He took his first couple steps last night and had a little food. He probably will be transferred to the step-down unit today. It is a big relief. Now I can concentrate on my minor surgery- bunion surgery. I have the surgery Thursday. The good news for that is that I will have some knitting time. I am lining up the projects in the living room as I won't be climbing stairs for a while.

We are having weird weather this weekend in St. George. It has been raining for 2 days, light rain but rain in the desert is good rain no matter what. But this morning it was foggy. Fog in the desert? We usually have about 10-15% humidity. It's 82% humidity! Strange, strange, strange.

On the knitting front, I am knitting the body of Glacier Teal Raglan. Soon I will be done with the body and I can decide on the sleeves. Pictures before surgery!

Good News, Bad News

2009-01-18T17:54:00.003-07:00

I feel like the old joke: I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is fun. And the bad news is .... well, bad.

Good News: Saturday I met Caroline at the LYS. I don't even remember when I first read Caroline's blog but I immediately felt a kinship with her. Mainly because I been to Boulder, Ut and not many people even know where it is located. Boulder is a town of about 600 in central Utah in the Grand Staircase-Escalante area. It is a great place to 4 wheel and camp. It's between Kodachrome Basin State Park and Capital Reef National Park, a great area. Caroline is now a full time resident of Boulder and a volunteer fire fighter. She was at fire school this weekend and I got to meet her in person. It was a fun 2 hours of knitting and talking at the LYS. She said my Glacier Teal Top down sweater is a richer color in person with more gradual color gradations. Glad to have the time to meet you.

Bad News: I've put off blogging about my Dad's health. Because, well, I guess I was putting my head in the sand and hoping all would be better. Saturday January 10, my Dad had a massive heart attack and was transported to Charlotte Regional Medical Center in Punta Gorda, FL. He had quadruple bypass surgery and a valve replacement on 1/14. During the surgery, the surgeons found that his Aortic valve, which they were replacing, was infected badly. He is still in the Cardiac Intensive Care and in on a ventilator for congestive heart failure. I haven't been able to go to Florida to see him. My mother said to stay put, he was happy that I went to Pennsylvania to see him this October and sort out some medical issues then. But it has been stressful for me. My neck is in a knot. So, if I take off for part unknown on short notice you'll know why. Sorry for the down cast note but I felt I needed to tell my blogging friends.

Picnic at Gold Butte

2009-01-15T19:02:00.003-07:00

Today was a great day for a picnic. Yesterday the temperature was 67 in Nevada, so Joe and I made sandwiches and took a drive. We went to The Gold Butte BLM area, 31 miles into the desert from Mesquite, NV.

The sun was warm. It felt great to sit and listen to nature. We haven't been in the desert for a couple months. Madison's leg and surgery prevented us from coming out sooner.

There were several places to walk around and between the rocks. Madison and Joe explored some while I knit.

Oh, Hi, Mom. No Dad didn't see me climb up this rock. My leg feels much better. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

I hear Dad. Gotta go.

Glacier Teal Raglan

2009-01-14T16:37:00.005-07:00

Guess what! Another hat. This one The Pixie Hat by Debbie Bliss. The pattern is in the Simply Baby book. The yarn is Dreambaby DK 119-pink and Snuggly DK 075-gray. I used a pompon maker for the pink pompon. And I am happy with how it turned out. I think the hat is a little big but hey, Morgan will grow.

This is the beginning of my Glacier Teal Raglan. One of my goals for 2009 was to learn to design sweaters. I started with the Barbara Walker Knitting from the Top book. I went stash diving and found 4 skeins of 4/8 Weaver's Wool by Mountain Colors. This has been maturing in my stash waiting for the right project. I am working on the sleeves. I have the left on knit to the elbow length and now on some waste yarn. I will knit the right sleeve to the same length. Then finish the body. Once I know how much yarn I have left, I will finish the sleeves.

Cute hats

2009-01-10T07:41:00.002-07:00

We were in NJ visiting the kids and of course Morgan. This was our offical Christmas visit. Christmas was simple this year with most of the gifts going to Morgan! Morgan has very little hair on her little bean so she needed hats. These 2 hats were knit 2 months ago but I wasn't in NJ to take pictures of her in them.

Hey, who's taking my picture!

This one is called Kitty and I can't remember the name of the pamphlet. The yarn is Wildflower DK from Plymouth and it was knit to match her Minnie sweater. The size is a little big and the cotton stretchs. So she will have a couple of seasons with this little hat.

Her second hat is Ear Cozies by Bev Galeskas for Fiber Trends. This little hat is a winner. It is knit with Sara Superwash in pink to match Morgan's February Baby Sweater by EZ.

I love how is hugs her little face. The earflaps cover both ears to keep them toasty.

Morgan is doing well. She had RSV or a bad chest cold whatever you want to call it over Christmas. It took her a good 2 weeks to recover and she was under the weather when we first arrived in NJ. She got her first tooth, learned to crawl and wave Bye-bye all in the same 2 week period. Babies are amazing.

Paying It Forward

2008-12-28T17:53:00.003-07:00

Sara , a blogger friend, was Paying It Forward and I decided to join too. I usually don't join internet exchanges but this sounds very exciting. I am never very good at deciding what to make. This is funny because I usually am pretty decisive. I'm usually the one saying, Just make a decision, right or wrong! Just a decision. So, this is a new goal for me.

So here is how it works:

"For those of you that have not seen the movie the concept is this. Whenever someone does a good deed for you instead of doing something nice back to that same person you pay it forward. It's simple. You select 3 people to send gifts to. Their only liability to you is that they promise to also pay it forward three fold. The gifts I make will be sent out sometime in the next six months. Then in return, you make the same PIF promise on your blog. You must have a blog to participate and you have up to six months to send out your handmade gifts. Ready to join in the fun?"

If you want to participate - please leave me a comment that you want to Pay It Forward!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:38:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas from my house to yours.

And a happy, healthy New Year.

Books, Books, Books

2008-12-17T19:52:00.003-07:00

I thought this was a fun meme. The Books in Bold are the books I have read.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)*
22. The Catcher in the Rye(J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)2
8. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) *
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)*
42. The Kite Runner(Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible*
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64 - Interview With the Vampire
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)*
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)*
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91.The Skin of the Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)*
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

I was on a roll there for a while.

Long Time Gone

2008-12-15T12:01:00.004-07:00

I was in Washington, DC for 6 days for medical education meetings. After the meetings I worked an every other with our Christmas party in between. Needless to say it feels like a Long Time Gone since I have blogged about knitting.

This is the right front of Morgan's Color Block sweater.

And this is the left front. I am steam blocking them so I can knit and attach the patch pockets. This is a fun and fast knit project. I love the sample at the LYS and I could not resist knitting it for Morgan even though it is a size 2 and she is only 7 months old. At least it will be finished long before she out grows it. Which she is doing with Minnie, the purple dot sweater! What are you knitting for the holidays?

Live Earth--Don't Let it all Unravel.

2008-12-13T20:33:00.002-07:00

This is a good little film.

A New Sweater

2008-12-04T18:17:00.003-07:00

I needed an easy project to take to Washington, DC with me. So, Morgan will be the lucky winner of a new sweater. It is called "Mckenzie's Sweater" design by Jan Moore, my wonderful friend and LYS owner. I am knitting the body in a blue/purple self striping yarn with medium purple borders and hood. One sleeve will be medium blue with the other peacock blue. I haven't decided about the pockets yet.

Madison is doing better today. She is walking and a little more normal.

I am going to the Vermont Oxford Network Annual meeting and Hot Topics medical meetings in DC tomorrow. I will be gone for about 7 days and then working like mad when I get home. I will be computer-less, so I won't be able to read all your great blogs. I will have to play catch up when I get home.

Home from Surgery

2008-12-02T18:29:00.005-07:00

Madison is home from her surgery. She did tear her ligament but the meniscus was fine. She has been taking her pain pills and sleeping like a good puppy. The vet said her bandage coordinates with her fur!

Chinle Trail

2008-11-30T10:43:00.010-07:00

Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day were rainy and overcast here in the desert. Now, we always need rain but it was beginning to feel like East coast weather. (Sorry, Twig, I do feel for you!) It was too nice to work out at the gym so, Joe and I head to the Zion National Park back country to hike.

The Chinle Trail starts on BLM land and winds through a small housing development. These houses are living in the view and have terrific views of the Zion back country.

The back country has views of Zion canyon without being in the canyon. I love the cliffs here.

After we hiked in about 3 miles, we came to Huber Wash. It is beautiful and these pictures are dark. There probably was quite a bit of water running through this the last couple days. It's amazing how fast the ground drains after a storm.

After crossing the damp wash, we were in prime petrified wood territory. It looked to be littered all over the trail. Chinle is a type of shale formation where you find petrified wood.

Tiny pieces, bigger pieces. And finally big logs still half in the ground.

We hiked about 4 miles on the very long trail and it was 3:30pm. Time to turn around before the sun would start to set.

The afternoon warm orange sunlight always makes the mesas and cliffs glow. We will hike this again in the spring and the plateau floor will be covered in wild flowers.

My knitting is a little boring. I am still knitting my father's sweater and it is slow going. You can't see much progress. I have about 3 inches left to knit before I assemble to sweater. I should say cut the steek!

Blocking Lace

2008-11-24T07:29:00.007-07:00

Saturday was blocking day. I think the most exciting part of lace knitting is blocking. Watching a shapeless mass evolve into lace is magical. Actually, the knitting is fun too. Here's the Seraphim shawl fresh off the needles. It isn't an amorphic blog, but it needs shape.

First a good soak in the tub. No agitation! After about 15-20 minutes, a light spin.

Wet and ready for blocking. I block on my double bed. I have enough floor space but this is handpainted yarn and I was afraid it might bleed. So, the mattress cover was less expensive than the carpeting.

All pinned out. I think I will invest in blocking wires.
I love triangle shawls and the long straight edge would have been stick straight with blocking wires.

Here's a close up of the point of the shawl. I love how lace starts as a blob and ends up pretty and airy.

This is the side.

Here's the shawl in the sunlight on my faithful dress maniken. Poor thing lost it's stand in the move to Utah. The shawl blocked out longer than I thought. Of course, I forgot to measure the shawl to give you dimensions. I will add the dimensions tomorrow when I measure the shawl.

I never occured to me how a Shawl collar got it's name. Now, I know. Look how nice it drapes and hugs the neck.

The true color of the yarn is the colors shown in the bed shots. I love this indy dyer's yarn. It drapes beautifully. I loved the pattern by Mim Knits. The charts were accurate and easy to read. The directions were very understandable. I would easily knit another pattern by her. Actually I love the Icarus shawl. It was featured in Interweave Knits awhile back. And I thought about it but thought "lace is hard"! The Grapevine Seraphim shawl is ready for my lucky friend for Christmas. No names, she reads the blog!

Autumn in Zion

2008-11-23T16:25:00.009-07:00

The beautiful November weather is one of the best things about living in Southern Utah. The weather was 65-70 with cloudless blue skies. So last week, Joe and I went hiking in Zion. The West Rim trail leads to Angel's Landing. This will be heavy with pictures. The Grotto picnic area is gorgeous with the Cottonwoods at their peak--golden yellow.

Hardly a place to park the car to start hiking. This is way the shuttle buses run April until the end of October. Riding is optional in November.

What a better place to start you hike. Now Angel's Landing is not for the faint of heart. The trail to Angels Landing is a steep, 2.5 mile route to a rocky viewpoint 1500 feet above Zion Canyon and the the Virgin River.

These switchbacks are called Walter's wiggles. They snake their way up the side of the cliff.
Yes, those are people way up on the Wiggles. And they are as steep as they look. It actually is hard to get a picture of Walter's Wiggles. Most of my pictures look like a solid wall. Here's a nice link to that shows the steep trail.
This is the view of Angel's Landing from Scout's Lookout. I am very happy to stop here. The last half mile to Angel's Landing is very steep with 1500 foot drop offs. There are chains to hold onto but I don't like the drop offs. So, Joe went on without me. I "had" to wait and enjoy the views. Poor me!

Here's a photographer setting up opposite Scout's Landing. He was waiting for the afternoon light. He views you some sense of the scale of the whole cliff area.

This is Angel's Landing. It is a narrow strip of cliff high above the canyon floor.

Those upright ants are hikers!

Here's Joe coming down Angel's Landing. I don't have the crazy off the cliff shots. I am afraid of looking down over the side!

And a beauty shot. Four in the afternoon. The shadows are getting longer and it is getting chilly in the canyon. Time to go home.

Madison's knee

2008-11-22T11:52:00.004-07:00

Even Wonder Poodles have their bad days. Madison tore her ACL in her right knee. Two years ago she tore the ACL in her left knee and needed surgery. We knew there was a 50% chance she would tear the other knees. So, Wednesday Joe and Maddy were outside. She was running up the stairs (she does everything at break neck speed) and he heard a yelp. Then a come-and -get me bark. She was limping badly and in pain. Joe knew immediately that she tore the ACL. She is scheduled for surgery Dec. 2. It is a 6 week recovery with her on leash when outside and no jumping or climbing. It was difficult to keep her down last time. So, I am not looking forward to restricting her this time. Needless to say, we will not be camping in the near future as Madison won't be up for it. I just hope she doesn't develop bad arthritis in both knees because of the surgery.

New Camera

2008-11-12T15:38:00.004-07:00

I got my camera! I have pictures on my blog! My little camera is a Canon PowerShot A590. I got it from Amazon for $115 which I thought was a good price. Cameras sure have come down in price. So far I love it.

I am working on 3 projects at the same time: Dad's Alligator Teeth sweater, The Seraphim shawl and a new player, Waves of Grain. Lindsay's Bowknot sweater is on the back burner as it is short sleeved and more suited for Spring and Summer. I really want to get Dad's sweater done soon.

This first picture shows my project bag with Dad's Alligator Teeth sweater. The color of the sweater is truer in this bag than the other pictures. The colors are deep and bold. I think the colorway is Hollyberry, but I'm not sure. When you buy the kits from your local yarn shop, Philosopher's Wool don't always label the colorway. Or at least they didn't when I bought this 5 years ago.

The second picture here show the front where I will steek the sweater. I originally was knitting a pullover but Dad would prefer a cardigan. So the steek is narrower than it would have been it I knew he wanted a cardigan when I began the sweater.

This picture shows how many more repeats I have knit since last report. I am knitting this only during the daytime because there is very little difference in value between the green, browns and black yarn. It is very difficult to knit at night because of this. Also, the sweater is heavy and I can't knit longer than an hour or two because it starts to hurt my hands. One thing I really love about Philosopher's Wool is with all the lanolin in the organic wool, my hands are very soft after knitting. However, if you don't like minimally processed wool, this is not the wool for you. I find little bits of grass, hay etc in the wool which I think is fun. I think of the sheep eating in the fields. This is an outer wear sweater. It is very heavy. I wear mine as a coat/jacket here in St. George in the winter.

So, call me a lemming. Ever since the Fall '08 Knitty came out, I loved this scarf. When the Yarn Harlot said she was knitting Waves of Grain, I knew a lot of people would be knitting this little pattern. This is my first lace weight project. It is knit with S. R. Kertzer Ovation lace weight yarn in periwinkle. I had some wonderful size 6 beads in my stash from Caravan Beads. The colorway is a mix called delphinium. I love the colors of delphiniums even if I never could grow them. I had one hiccup with the lace weight yarn. I didn't get the pattern right the first time. I wasn't taking the stitch off the needle completely. So, I corrected that and now the pattern is set up and ready to knit. I have the first segment of beads on and I am loving it. Can you said I am loving lace?

10 More Rows

2008-11-08T20:38:00.003-07:00

I have 10 more rows until I bind off Seraphim. I am very excited. I can't wait to block the shawl. This shawl has excited my lace soul. I pulled out Victorian Lace Today again and started reading. My friend, Janet, bought me the book at Stitches East when it first came out. I hadn't even realized that Jane Sowerby signed my copy. I have been reading the text and drooling. I love lace and I was trying to teach myself lace knitting when I lived in New Jersey. I didn't really know anyone who knit lace. I was told by an unnamed knitter that knitting lace was "really hard". So, I muddled along and failed. I still have one shawl started and the hem is still in the needles. I just couldn't get the lace stitch. When I first stepped in Heindelman's Too , I asked Jan if she had lace weight yarn and if she would teach me how to knit lace. Well, that was 3 years ago. And I just am getting around to learning how to knit lace. I still can't knit it in the shop. I still need to concentrate. Oh, well. I will take pictures of the lace before, after and during the blocking. My camera was shipped and according to UPS tracking, the package is in Salt Lake. It should be coming any day now, hopefully Monday.

Election Over!

2008-11-05T11:03:00.002-07:00

I am not a very political animal but I do have my opinions. And I am glad this election is over. I voted for Obama even though I knew Utah would go to McCain. My family has always been a dyed in the wool Democratic family back to the Kennedy era. I really liked the fact that Joe and I both heard Obama and Biden speak in person. Obama address the Northwestern University graduates when our daughter, Lindsay, graduated. And Biden spoke at Joe's graduation at the University of Scranton when Biden was the junior senator from Delaware. It was exciting for us to have heard speeches from both candidates now president-elect and vice president-elect. I just hope that change does happen in our country. OK, enough serious stuff and on to knitting!

Mr. Snowman

2008-11-02T18:44:00.007-07:00

Are you ready for some snow? I have had this little snowman bead for quite awhile. He is about 1.25 inches tall and very cute. He is a lampwork bead by Mavis Smith. Check out her beads. They are quite creative. My favorites are her mermaids and goddesses. My friend Britt loves snowmen. She watches Madison the wonder poodle when Joe and I are traveling. So I thought she would love this little guy.

The necklace is about 18-20 inches long. Mr Snowman is the only type of snowman who won't melt in St. George.

As you can see, my camera cooperated today. So I have a picture of Serphim. The color is pretty accurate. What you can't tell from this shot is that the dark areas are a deep purple to deep green. Lace looks like a funny mess when you are knitting it.

I ordered a camera today on line. I can't wait for the new camera to come. Yeah!

A Christmas Gift

2008-11-01T15:12:00.004-06:00

seraphim2, originally uploaded by mimsical.

I have been knitting away on a Christmas gift for a very special friend. She reads this blog, so I won't say who it is being knit for. Let's just say, I think she will be very surprised. I have been knitting Seraphim by Miriam Felton. Miriam Felton design the Icarus shawl that was very popular in Interweave knits. I am really enjoying this knit. I finished the second chart and am beginning the third chart. I am definitely in the long row portion. I think it is taking me 30 minutes to knit a right side row. I am at the very bottom of the first repeat on the lace. I counted about 360 stitches on the needle, probably a new record for me. I love how the hand painted yarn is working in this shawl. There is enough plain knit/stockinette areas that the color shows well. And the lace is relatively simple. This is the first lace project that I have really been successful knitting. OK, OK, the Super Spiral Shawl was the first but I really didn't feel like it was much lace. Gratuitous repeat pictures so this blog isn't so boring!

Meg Swanson must be really tall because that shawl is long. I am short so I didn't knit it as long as the pattern suggests.

Oh, and that first picture of the Serapim shawl is Miriam Felton's version. I hope to purchase a camera soon. I miss my camera!

Minnie and apple dumplings

2008-10-25T13:27:00.005-06:00

Here's my favorite little model--Morgan. She is modeling Minnie by Zoe Mellor. This was my first Intarsia project. Proud Mommy Ariella is in the background.

Minnie was knit with Plymouth Wildflower DK in purple 159 and white. The little white daisy buttons complimented the sweater with a yellow center.

This is my father aka Great-Pappy with little Morgan. I love this picture.

I have been in Pennsylvania for the last week visiting with my parents checking out my father's health. He is doing ok but needs some medication adjustments. So I feel better about his health situation. We traveled to New Jersey for the weekend to see "the girls", Andy and Morgan. She's my little ray of sunshine smiling all the time.

This is passing of the torch to a new generation of apple dumpling bakers. My mother is teaching Jenny how to make apple dumplings. It's all in the dough. We had a little assembly line going on here. I was peeling the apples, Mom aka Nana, was teaching Jenny how to make the dough and assemble the dumplings. Ariella was bagging them for freezing. It was a great afternoon with my family.

Camping again

2008-10-09T17:35:00.007-06:00

Valley of Fire, Las Vegas, Nevada, originally uploaded by picazam.

This weekend we hit the road again. We were going to Moab but it was raining and we couldn't tow the pop-up on wet slippery roads. So we opted for shorter trips. Sunday was drove to Valley of Fire. It's a Nevada state park about an hour or so from the house. It is red rocks in the Mohave Desert. Very different than the surrounding desert.

The second night we camped at Lake Mead. The campgrounds were interesting because you could see the lake from the pop-up. We hiked all 3 days and generally played around. I read at night and knit some during the day. And I have to confess, I am weak. I started a new project without finishing Lindsay's sweater. I was tired of knitting navy blue stockinette! I started the Seraphim Shawl. I am knitting with a fingering weight hand dyed yarn by an indy dyer, Over the Rainbow Yarns, Lotus Blossom on Ebay. The colorway I am knitting with is Grapevine. I will try to get some pictures with the defunct camera but no promises!

Test your Color IQ

2008-09-29T22:49:00.000-06:00

This is a fun test.

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

You drag and drop the colors in each row to arrange them by hue order. Next you have the computer score it. The lower the score the better you are at identifying the color spectrum. I had problems identifying colors in the blue and brown range. DUH! I'm blue brown color blind! I scored 44. I was pretty happy with that score. So, what's your score?

The Counter

2008-09-24T22:44:00.001-06:00

I just put on count on my blog about a month ago. I was curious what kind of activity I was getting. And boy was I surprised. Today I had 100 hits. That has to be some kind of a record for me. I am knitting away on the back of the Bowknot sweater. No pictures, just knitting navy blue stockinette!

Onward to Healthy Living

2008-09-23T09:35:00.003-06:00

OK, We all know that feeling. Oh, yeah. That wake up call feeling. All summer I have been fighting with my asthma. I have been a little tight since I came back from New Jersey. Rain and humidity do me in. Now, it wasn't bad. I wasn't needing the nebulizer but I was a little tight. I knew I had my bi-annual pulmonalogy appoint in September so as a good nurse I just waited it out. Well, the wake up call was the day of the pulmonary function test. I had to stand on the dreaded scale. I gained weight after a year of a soft diet. Then the pulmonologist started me on a long-acting bronchodilator and an other steroid inhaler. And guess what? I can breath easier. I really should have called him earlier.

So, I am officially back on the healthy wagon. I am working out at the Summit and on the low carb diet bandwagon. My friend, Joan of the houseboat fame, lost 70 pound this last year and a half with the low carb and work out routine. So, guess who is my personal trainer, Joan. Did I also mention she is a good friend! I will keep you all posted on my progress.

Bowknot update

2008-09-22T19:51:00.005-06:00

Here's the latest picture of Lindsay's Bowknot sweater. I am at the point where I need to start the armhole shaping. It is 14.5 inches long. Jan is still recovering from her surgery, so I will start the back. I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do, but I will wait for her to return. I am happy with it so far.

ripit, ripit

2008-09-16T11:09:00.005-06:00

A few days ago, before the wonderful camping trip, I was knitting merrily along on Lindsay's Bowknot Sweater. I had been making good progress and we were very happy. It was getting dark but I want to have the ties finished so I could knit the "knots" the next morning. They take a long yarn technique that I would need to knit along with my Intarsia Untangled DVD. So, I laid the sweater down to admire and read my work. All looked good at first glance. When I examined the back, I found a big error. The kind of error that intarsia knitters hate because the cure is ripit. I was knitting this area between the two ties.

You knit a segment of cream, one stitch of blue and then another segment of cream. Somehow, I picked up the wrong cream strand and circled the blue stitch. What this did was create a permanent hole between the blue and cream. Of course, I did not think to take a photo for the blog. That would be something Grumperina would remember to do and post a lovely segment on errors in intarsia and how to fix them. I, on the other hand, sat down at the dining room table and planned my attack. I mean this is serious if I knit at the table! First I tried dropping the offending stitch down 2 rows and reknitting. The problem with this approach is that I don't have enough experience knitting intarsia to know how to wrap the stitch on a repair. I think Jan, my LYS guru, would know. I know Lucy Neatby would know. (I love that picture of her on her homepage. I just got brave enough to highlight my graying hair and she dyes her hair hot pink and purple!) I fiddled with the knitting for about an hour. Then I gave up. I knew I had to ripit, ripit, ripit. So, I started picking up stitches 4 rows down at the last decrease row on the tie. But, it was nighttime now and I could not see the navy stitches. The pick up would have to wait for the morning.

I am proud to say all the stitches have been picked up, the offending wrong wrap eliminated and I am ready to knit again. I will be knitting the front to the armhole area and placing it on holder/yarn. Then I will knit the back. The reason, I need Jan's help with planning the armhole areas. And she had the nerve to have surgery! I mean, come on. It's all about the knitters! Seriously, she had neck surgery and she thinks she will be in the shop part time in 2 weeks. But, I doubt that because it is major surgery. Why do we as women think recovery time is for wimps? So, if you hear me blogging about a different project it isn't because I gave up on little Bowknot. It's because 16 inches of navy blue stockinette for the back is boring blog material.

Lava Point Campgrounds.

2008-09-15T17:46:00.004-06:00

Lava Point Overlook, originally uploaded by rejuvesite.

Joe and I took the tent trailer out this weekend for the second time to test out all the little modifications he made before we hit the road for Moab. Lava Point is in Zion National Park but you need to travel towards Kolab Resevior to get to the campgrounds. It is an area of the park that is known for hiking and the campgrounds are rarely full. The 2 lane road to the campgrounds is steep and winding. Driving up the mountain with the tent camper taxed the Jeep Liberty but we made it. It was a beautiful night with temperatures in the 40's. It's hard to believe that this mountain top campground is 60 minutes from St. George.

The next night we camped at Sand Hollow, a Utah state park about 25 minutes from St. George. Here's a better picture. (Of course, the flickle camera did not work this weekend.) What I like about Sand Hollow is that the reservior is surrounded by red rock sandstone. The sand area the reservior is red (duh!) and it feels like the beach, but with fresh water. We laid around all afternoon and took a dunk in the reservior and Madison even swam. Then we had a beer around the campfire in the evening. It was great. I didn't even mind the coyotes yelping around 5 am. Next trip should be Moab!

Bowknots and Bead, oh my!

2008-09-06T17:41:00.005-06:00

Here's the long await first photo of the Bowknot sweater. I knit 5.5 inches of navy stockinette before starting the intarsia chart. I love how the cream contrasts with the navy.

I was a little nervous about having a single navy stitch separating the two creams areas of the tie. But I just knit it like any other intarsia area and so far it is working out nicely. I had to adjust the row count and enlongage the ties. My row gauge was different than the intarsia pattern and this chart really would show the difference with a very short torsio if I didn't make the adjustments. I really have to sing praises to Lucy Neatby. Her Intarsa Untangled 1 and 2 DVDs have really helped my intarsia knitting. Old over new, old over new!

And here's the Red Rock Necklace. The color is a little light in the photo. But there is a wide variety of red-brown beads. I love jasper! And the jasper donut has been in my collection for many years waiting to be created into a necklace. I used Jeannette Cook's Beady Eyed Women book and techniques for inspiration.

I still have the findings to attach to the necklace before it is finished. I think I will add a third row of beads to the neck area with a strong braided thread to help the Nymo thread. I am very happy with this piece. I haven't beaded in several years and it was fun to bead again. I do have to say it is harder on my wrists than knitting. There is a repetitive motion in beading that puts more stress on my wrist than knitting. Oh, and the duct tape camera was cooperating today. Go figure!

Knittin' and beadin' on the lake

2008-09-04T05:51:00.008-06:00

Back from my vacation on Lake Powell. Every trip to Lake Powell is different. The water levels change and the lake changes. It is dynamic. This trip was no different. The best "hike" was again, the Labyrinth. This is a picture from last year.

Joan again guided the tour through the canyon. We were boating into the canyon and the water level was very high. We got to the mouth of Labyrinth canyon and kept going. We boated in until the boat got "stuck" in the canyon walls. We pushed the boat out, put it in reverse and anchored on the side of the canyon. There was still water at the beginning of the slot canyon but that's not unusual for some slot canyons. We all agreed a little swimming would be good and then we could hike the rest of the way. So, we started swimming...and swimming...and swimming. The canyon walls got narrower. At one point it was less than 5 feet across because if I laid sideways, I could place my feet on the side of the canyon and "walk" on it. After about 30 minutes of swimming, we could hear, Joan, our fearless leader say that the canyon floor was sucking mud and we couldn't hike. So, back we swam. All in all, I'd say we swam about a mile. We estimate that the water was at least 15 feet above the floor from last year. We don't have pictures of any of the 5 of us swimming in the slot canyon because we didn't want to get the cameras wet! I have posted my favorite pictures from last year.

They are a little drier than this summer's canyon experience.

We did have afternoons free and I did a lot of knitting and beading. I knit about 10 inches on The Bowknot Sweater. I am knitting the cream bow portions and currently have 5 balls of yarn running and tangling around the back side of the work. I also spent 2 of the afternoons beading away on my free form peyote necklace. It is beaded with deep canyon red brown beads, jasper, coral and assorted green and pink coral seed beads. Now, I don't have pictures because the old duct tape camera is being finicky. So, when it decides to turn on and take pictures, I will post some. I really need a new camera!

The Beginnings

2008-08-23T12:35:00.004-06:00

I have started the Bowknot sweater. Check out Supermolio's blog. She has some really cool vintage pictures of a Bowknot sweater on an actual woman. So, anyhow, I spent the day yesterday at the yarn shop with Jan, the wonderful owner and master knitter. She is teaching me how to knit a sweater by copying an old favorite. Lindsay very kindly lent me a sweater that she loves the fit as the model sweater to copy. We measured said sweater and compared it to my gauge swatch. Then there is the simple math. Then I casted on the main color, navy and started to knit. According to the chart for the Bowknot sweater, I knit about 5 1/2 inches of navy until I get to the intarsia chart. Now, navy stockinette is not interesting blogging. So this is a picture less entry. I really wanted to start this sweater before we go to the lake this week. I see myself sitting on the top desk knitting while drinking a beer. When I get too hot, it's down for a dip in the lake. Then more knitting and drying in the sun. Sounds good to me!

Morgan at 3 months

2008-08-14T20:02:00.005-06:00

It has been 2 and half months since Joe and I last visited with Ariella and Andy and Morgan. And boy has she changed. She rolls over from back to front with a great big "umph" and coos. She still is a fairly quiet baby giving you a warning shot and then the wail if you ignore the first cry.

Even though she is quiet, she is very active. She holds herself upright very well and is enjoying some toys that are a little old for her. I am a very proud Grandma.

Now Morgan's little sweater is about 90% finished. I finished knitting the last little sleeve while we were in New Jersey. I am weaving in the ends tonight while I watch the Olympics. There are a lot of ends to weave in. Then I sew up the sweater and knit the button bands. And off to New Jersey it goes.

Big Neckline

2008-08-05T04:26:00.004-06:00

OK, I wore my Yellow top down sweater to work today and I like it. However, the neckline stretched. You know that feeling when you keep tugging at the neckline because it won't stay in place. I knew from knitting this sweater, that the yellow yarn tended to stretch some but I thought the ribbing would pull it in. Well, apparently not enough. I will have to take the ribbing off and decrease some so the neckline is more comfortable. I probably will do that with Jan at my arm cheering me on. However, that won't happen until I come back from New Jersey. Joe and I are going to visit A&A and Morgan. Also, Lindsay and Jenny! And this time I will take the camera---duck tact and all!

Yellow and Blue Knitting

2008-08-03T12:33:00.007-06:00

Here's a quick recapped of why the simple top down sweater took a year to finish, other than I get bored with projects! I started this sweater last August. I was knitting away and when I got to the point where you separate off for the sleeves, my stitch count was wrong. Like 50-60 off. I had no patience. So the sweater set around maturing. This spring, I decided to evaluate my WIPs. And I figured out what was wrong with the stitch count. When I cast on for the neck front, I didn’t continue increasing for the front raglan sleeves. Aha! The missing stitches. So I ripped back to the point where the front started and began reknitting. The pattern is Picnics in the Park by Knitters Magazine, Summer 2007.

I had an AHA! moment today. I thought I would employee my sad looking dress making mankikin for a model. I am no long as small as the model but she will do in a pinch. This yarn, Solista, really drapes nicely after a good soak.

I love these buttons. I bought them years ago at the Needlepoint Joint in Ogden, UT. And I only have 4 which is the number I needed for the sweater. If you ever are in the Salt Lake area, it is worth the trip to Ogden to go to the Needlepoint Joint. The shop itself is gorgeous and the yarns and buttons are wonderful. I can't wait to wear this to work tomorrow.

This is a swatch for the Bowknot Sweater for Lindsay. Elsa Schiaparelli's famous trompe l'oile Bowknot Sweater was part of her November 1927 collection. The Philadelphia Museum of Art's Costume and Textile Department, of which Lisa Stockebrand is part, staged "Shocking ! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli" -a comprehensive retrospective exhibit of Schiaparelli's work- from September 28 2003- January 4 2004. Prior to the exhibit, Lisa wrote an updated Bowknot Sweater pattern based on the sweater in the museum's collection using a larger gauge and making slight accommodations for a more modern fit.

When Lindsay and I went to go the exhibit, we both loved the sweater. When I found the sweater on Ravelry, I knew I had to knit it for her. The kit is available through Schoolhouse press as well as the free pattern. Lindsay doesn't want the sweater knit in wool, so I am adapting it to a cotton blend, Wildflower by Plymouth. I want to start this with the help of Jan at Heindelmann's Too soon. But I am very excited about the swatch. It is soft and has a nice hand. I knit the swatch on #5 Addi needles with the white "binding" on size #3. I may go down a size on the binding so it is neater. You will be hearing more about this sweater in the weeks to come.

Duck tape and knitting.

2008-07-13T15:27:00.004-06:00

Ok, I duck taped the old camera together. Yes, literally the battery compartment doesn't work unless it is duck taped. I just wanted to have a few pictures of my knitting. I miss my blogger friends. So here are my two works in progress. First up is Jennifer's Orange Surprise scarf, aka the Dead Muppet scarf.

Jenny has a vintage 1970's outfit in this color combination. It is very chic looking but oh so 70's. She wanted a scarf to go with the dress and jacket to extend the wear time of the outfit. Oh, and did I say that the outfit is hound's tooth! I have a ways to knit yet. The scarf is going to be VERY long. It currently is 60 inches long and about 15 inches wide, all garter stitch. She wants it about 100 inches. The yarns are the bright orange eyelash from Turkey (who else would make such a color!) and the ribbon is from Tess yarns of Maine. I don't see the rayon ribbon on the website anymore. It sure is a gorgeous yarn but a dickens to roll into a ball from the skein.

Next is my Picnics in the Park top down sweater. I started this last year this time after I finished my other top down sweater. I was knitting away on this sweater and when I needed to place the sleeves on a holder to continue the body, I realized my stitch count was off. Way off....like 50 stitches off. So, it went into the corner to mature. I picked it up the other day when my friend, Janet, was down and we were looking at UFOs. I figured out that I didn't add the second raglan increase on the sleeve. So I ripped back to the front neck opening and started from there. I am happy to report that I have the correct stitch count and I have about 1/4 left to knit. This yellow yarn, Solista, is my favorite colorway. But when I was knitting the first sweater, there wasn't enough yarn in my LYS. Other, another knitting friend finished her sweater and had several skeins of yarns left over. So I snatched them up and I now have enough yarn for this little sweater. Thank you to Faye for the extra yarn.

I hope all my blogger friends are well. And I will try to add a few more pictures in a day or two.

Still knitting

2008-07-10T16:15:00.003-06:00

I'm still knitting and still don't have a workable camera. I'm sure the "new" camera is shot. Oh, well. So, it's another pictureless post.

I am working on finishing up projects. I have several that have been maturing for quite a while and are ready for harvest. First up is a top down sweater called Picnics in the Park by Knitters. It is the same issues as my other top down sweater from last summer and surprise, surprise, it's knit from the same yarn Solista only this time it is bright yellow and white, color 1142. I stopped knitting the sweater last year because when I came to the point where I placed my raglan sleeves on a stitch holder and continue on with the body, my stitch count was off. Oh it was off alright by about 50! I forgot to yarn over for the second half on the raglan sleeves. So I ripped back to the back neck and back sleeve area and reknit. And guess what! My stitch count is perfect. I am about 7 inches into the body so I have about 6 more inches to go and then the short little sleeves. So I am feeling very good about this sweater.

Tomorrow I am going to the quilt shop with my friend from work, Barb, who wants to learn to applique. I taught hand applique while I was taking time off from burn out at work. I am excited. I haven't appliqued in years even though I loved it. My favorite style of applique is Baltimore Album and I love Elly Sienkiewicz. Check out her home page. This quilt has many blocks that are similar to the ones I have appliqued. This article shows some vintage blocks. Elly's style is both historical and addes a modern twist. I have taken classes with her and she always made me feel like I was appliqueing with her in her living room. So, much fun. More about my quilt blocks at a later time.

Ten on Tuesday

2008-07-03T17:53:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I know. It's Thursday but Tuesday was a busy day. I have just started getting the "Ten on Tuesday" email list ideas. And this was the first one that I thought sounded really like me.

'10 Favorite Sports to Play/Watch'

1. Baseball. I love baseball. Ever since I saw Roberto Clemente being walked so the Cubbies could pitch to Stargell. Then Willie Stargell hit a grand slam. I've been hooked! Thoses were the days to be a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. Nowadays, I root for the New York Mets and the St. George Roadrunners. And being a host family, we have season tickets to the Road Runners. It's been a fun summer.

2. Hockey. I started watching NHL hockey about 10 years ago. And I love the NY Rangers. I started really watching the Rangers when we got Madison Square Garden network on cable. Sadly, it was after they won the cup. But, now hockey rivals on love for baseball. Although, I have a tough time knitting while watching hockey. Too much fast action in hockey.

3. Le Tour. Our family is a faithful Tour de France family. We watch the tour on OLN/Versus every day during July. I was hooked when Greg LeMond won the tour in the final stage. I love watching the mountain stages. I mean, I can't even hike up some peaks let alone ride a bike up one. Sure there's doping, but I am hoping that the sport can right itself.

4. Swimming. My oldest daughter swam competitively in high school. I love the smell of chlorine at a pool with the kids on the starting blocks. I would love to see the Olympic swimming competition in person.

5. Hiking. This is one sport I can actually do. I am not atheletic but I found hiking when I was in my 30's. One foot in front of the other. There is a goal and it's outdoors. We started hiking with our daughters at Acadia National Park. They always likeed to hike Cadillac Mountain. Hiking in the western states is more challenging but I still love hiking.

6. Football. I like watching college football. The NFL is good but rooting for your favorite college team is better.

7. Billards. I have started watching Women's billards on ESPN after we moved to our home in St. George. We have a pool table for the first time in my life. Watching pros shoot pool is impressive.

8. Track and Field. I love to watch track events. From the Penn Relays to the Olympics. It's great to watch talented athletes compete. My favorite athelete was Edwin Moses and the 400 meter hurdles.

9. & 10. The summer and winter Olympics. I am a steady fan during the Olympics. I love some of the lesser known sports that are highlighted only during these times.

So, there you have it. Those are my top favorites. I grew up with brothers who participated in all types of sports.

Camera-less

2008-07-01T10:28:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I posted. Since then, Joe and Madison have been to Lake Powell for 10 days and we did go camping for 2 nights. On the last day of camping, Joe mentioned that the camera got wet. Ok, he is Mr. Understatement. So it probably wasn't just splashed! The camera and battery are officially dead. So the blog will be pictureless for a while until I get my act together and buy a new camera.

The camping trip was fun. We left Lake Powell and drove through Monument Valley. Then we drove to Goosenecks State Park. That was interesting with 4 gooseneck canyons. But it was hot and camping with no trees or shelter was out. Then we drove to the town of Monticello and went up Mount Abajo in the Manti-LaSal National Forrest . We camped at about 7,000 feet. Madison had a great time growling at the deer because you know you just can't trust deer. It was cool at night and very comfortable in the day. The next day we drove into the Needles section of Canyonlands. There we found out that Madison the wonder poodle really wasn't able to do any activities in the National Park. She could ride in the car on the main roads and walk on pavement. We couldn't even take her 4 wheeling. So, that was a fast trip.

Then we drove up to Moab for lunch and food for camping that evening. It was very hot is Moab, about 105 and Madison is a black little dog. She got too hot and need to be wet down and sit in the air conditioned car. So we decided to go to the next campground early--the La Sal mountains. The mountain loop road led us right to the campground road. We drove up the mountain into the aspen trees. They grow at high elevations on the mountains. Our campground was at 8,000 feet and was beautiful. The trees were the largest aspen trees I have ever saw. It was a little nippy that night but the sleeping bags really worked. And Joe and I were toasty. Madison curled up into the smallest ball! She hunkered down in between Joe and I with a blanket on her.

So, I didn't bring knitting on the trip because desert camping is very dirty. If I knew we were going into the mountains, I could have knit. But I was reading my Ruth Rendell book, The Water's Lovely. She sure can write creepy books!

I am currently sewing up a UFO -- Lola by Rowan, in Premier. I will have pictures when I get a camera. I may just buy the same camera. But I don't think it will go to Lake Powell next time. Oh, check out this interesting aeral shot of St. George. We definitely are in the valley. The Pine Valley Mountains North of town are about 10,000 feet. These are really cool pictures. The internet is amazing.

Carpe Diem

2008-06-21T14:10:00.002-06:00

Okay, I'm feeling old. I haven't posted in a while. I have been working and working and sleeping. Joe and Madison the wonder poodle have been on a lovely 10 excursion to Lake Powell with our friends Larry and Joan, who own the houseboat. They were traveling on their annual, Up River (or Up Canyon) Marathon of boating, hiking and merry-making. I had to work 4-24 hour shifts in this time so I encouraged Joe to go. Why should he miss all the fun? I gave him a 2 minute this is how the camera works and sent them on their way 100 miles up Lake Powell to new canyons and waterways.

My friend, Janet, from New Jersey and Salt Lake (it's a long story), came down for my 4 day stretch and we had our own whirl wind tour! I work 24 on Sunday and was up a lot, so I slept Monday. She came in late Monday afternoon. We ate Mushroom and Gorgonzola Risotto, drank wine, laughed and went to bed. Tuesday was a design day at Heindelmann's Two, aka the LYS. Wednesday, I sleep and we perused my studio room looking at my UFOs and deciding which needed finishing and which headed for the Frog Pond (not many!). We got hungry, ate lunch at the cafe at Barnes and Noble where we spent 3 hours reading mysteries and knitting books. Then we hit Chico's summer sale on the way out of the mall complex. Dinner, wine, yakking, etc! Thursday was part two of the design marathon. Dinner, wine, yakking, knitting....you get the picture. I felt like I had to go to work on Friday to get rest from all the fun!

So, that leads me to this morning. I was up after a fairly easy night at work. I was printing out labs for Tina for the morning rounds, feeling tired and quite frankly old. I mean, I am tired from playing for God Sakes! And I was whining that Joe wants to go camping in the Moab area this weekend and I thought it was going to be too hot, blah, blah, blah. Tina listened like a good friend and then spoke her mind. (Tina is very good at that. I need to learn more of that from her.) She said "You are my parents age and you still do all these really cool things. Seize the day!" I, immediately, felt younger. Thank you, Tina!

Grandma's creations

2008-06-05T07:55:00.004-06:00

Here's sweet little Morgan modeling her new knitwear. The Cable Blanket by Debbie Bliss is just the right size for a newborn. Ariella and Andy use it all the time when she is in the Pack-n-Play or her car seat. I love that it is knit with microfiber and can be machine washed.

The Wee Ones socks fit well. They stay on her little feet the best. Monica has a great little pattern in these socks. You can buy the Wee Ones Pattern from The Loopy Ewe. They really will fit Morgan until she is 3 months old. They are a little big now but she is a growing girl! Nothing is as sweet as a sleeping baby.

It's all about Morgan

2008-05-23T15:39:00.002-06:00

Thank you for all the great comments about baby Morgan. She is a sweetie if I must say so myself. She has the undivided attention of 4 adults for the last 2 weeks. Time has gone by quickly. And Joe and I have 2 more days here in South Jersey. Morgan has gained a pound over the 2 weeks that we have been here and at 3 weeks is becoming more alert. Her Mommy and Daddy are very proud but still figuring out the whole day/night time continuum deal. Morgan doesn't have a schedule and some nights likes to be awake while everyone else sleeps.

Now, I can't believe, I was half way to Vegas from St. George, when I realized that I didn't pack my camera! Yes, I did this really stupid trick. Luckily, Ariella and Andy have their own blog and it is listed on the right hand side of my blog. They have been trying to post pictures about once a week. And that will be very important when Joe and I go home.

On, the baseball front, the St. George Road Runner's season has begun with a lost last night to Long Beach. The season we are starting with a catcher and a 2nd base man, Wiki and Liu. They are staying in our house and we will meet them Sunday night. It will be good to see Madison again on Monday. I miss Madison the wonder poodle. I am sure she is having a poodly good time at Brit and Jarrid's house.

I have been knitting a little on Morgan's purple sweater and some on Jenny's orange and fuchsia scarf which has been named the Dead Moppet scarf. You will understand when you see pictures!

Leaving on the Red Eye

2008-05-09T15:24:00.003-06:00

Joe and I are flying to New Jersey tonight on the Red Eye. I am excited to be going but hate flying at night. We have aisle seats. And I am packing the bags now. Madison the wonder poodle is staying with friends and their kids for a 2 week poodle vacation. She met the family and the house last week. The kids are excited to have her come and stay.

Our St. George Roadrunner baseball players will be staying in the house while we are gone. They are starting spring training for the new season. So you will hear some blog reports about the progress of the team during the season.

I will post pictures of Morgan with Grandma and Grandpa sometime this week. Off to Jersey we go.

Morgan Elizabeth

2008-05-03T18:41:00.003-06:00

Baby girl was born today, May 3. Morgan Elizabeth is 7 pound 14 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Ariella and Andy are the proud parents. Joe and I are the proud grandparents. Pictures to come!

Threads, threads, threads!

2008-04-29T18:14:00.002-06:00

So, here's the right side of the sweater. (the back of the sweater)

And here's the wrong side! Just a few threads to weave in.

And here's the Love Rosebush this spring. Lots of roses. Now, I have to weave, weave, weave!

Intarsia

2008-04-26T13:24:00.002-06:00

I learned how to knit Intarsia style! I am doing the happy dance. I have attempted several projects with limited success. Somehow I always have holes where the yarns change. I found the pattern Minnie by Zoe Mellor in Rowan 33. I loved the simple white dots on color. So I decided to go to the Yarn shop and sit with Jan. Jan has knit a lot of great looking Intarsia so I knew she was the woman to knit with. After about an hour and some simple down to earth tips, I did it! Baby Girls gets an Intarsia sweater. So I am now a Intarsia knitting fool. Pictures to follow when I finish the back!

And she knits too

2008-04-24T10:03:00.002-06:00

Wow, a finished object! Imagine that. This is the February Baby Sweater or Baby sweater on 2 needles by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I love knitting this and it knit up in no time flat. The little sweater is knit all in one piece. You cast on at the neck and knit 8 ridges of garter stitch. Then you increase 3 times; knitting 8 ridges of garter in between. Then you knit the lace pattern for 4 inches. The sleeve division is easy now that I have done it. But I find with EZs pattern you must have faith that what she has written will turn into the sweater as advertised.

The sweater is knit with Sara Superwash by Plymouth. It took about 3 skeins to knit the little sweater. Now that I have said that I loved knitting this, I also have to say that I ripped back the little booger several times. The first 3 times were during the yoke the first 2 times I didn't have the right number of stitches. And the thirds was because after you have made your increases, then EZ mentions the placement of buttonholes! So if you plan to knit this little sweater, place your first buttonhole after the first garter ridge. I will take a picture of the sweater on baby girl when she arrives.

Toadstools

2008-04-23T14:39:00.003-06:00

Last week Joe and I and Madison the wonder poodle attempted to go camping. It was a beautiful Spring day in St. George-85 degrees. So we thought camping on the beach at Lake Powell sounded like just the ticket. We loaded up the car and drove over to the Page, AZ . As we drove, the wind picked up in Colorado City. Yes, the Colorado City with Warren Jeffs and the polygamists. We take care of some of the infants from this community but that could be a whole other posting! The wind was really whipping across the desert and kicking up the dust. But we continued on. By the time we got to Lake Powell, the winds were 25-30 mph with guts up to 55. The sand on the beach was scouring our legs like sand blasting. Look at the picture. The sky is hazy. That is sand and dust! We stayed the night in a Motel 6 with Madison.

The next day we decided to do a few day trips in the Jeep and go home. One short hike was to the Toadstool area in Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument. This is an interesting 3/4 mile hike with these fun rock formations in the area. The fuzzy picture of Madison and me gives you some scale of the rocks.

I am happy that we did not camp that night because the stomach flu visited me with a vengeance. I have been under the weather for about 5 days and then working. However, I did finish a knit project. The February Baby sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann. My camera batteries are not cooperating today. So the pictures will follow another day.

My Vintage Girl

2008-04-09T15:14:00.003-06:00

This is my Vintage Girl, Jenny. She loves all things vintage. She wears vintage clothing and buys them at flea markets, vintage shops and on line. She looks very cute in the old stuff and has a flare about her. So when she asked for a That 70's Poncho, I knew I had to knit one for her. But, being an art student, she altered the colors, 70's appliance avocado and burnt orange. If this story sounds familiar, you are a good friend and reader. I blogged about this in September when I finished it. And while I love Wendy, (and you know I do Wendy!) Jenny cuts a dashing figure in the poncho.

So when she came to Baby Girl's shower in the poncho, I knew I would blog about the poncho again. Yes, Jenny has art school hair. I loved it when she dyed it hot pink, reminded me of Lucy Neatby. Jen said that she gets asked all the time if the poncho is vintage and then the passer-bys can't believe it was knit in the '00s. (Is that a real term?)

I am trying to blog a goodily amount while I can. I have been very busy at work with end of the year statistics and the unit, sadily for the parents, has been very busy. This weekend we had 25 babies admitted in our little unit. The usual is about 12-15. On a very happy note, Ariella is 35 weeks along now. So I can stop holding my breathe and breath deepily. The worst nightmare for a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner is to have a sick preterm baby or grandbaby. Joe and I will be going back for 2 weeks in May when the baby is due. I am very excited.

The Origami Scarf

2008-04-07T20:41:00.003-06:00

I finished a couple projects while back in New Jersey. This little scarf, I call the Origami Scarf. Lindsay works for Style Notes. She is writer who loves fashion. She found a picture of a $200.00 scarf and forwarded the picture to me. We assume the scarf was cashmere and I have no idea who designed the scarf. Lindsay said the scarf is by Mike and Chris. The picture showed a scarf wrapped around a very thin waif-like model and it was difficult to decipher how it was wrapped. After about 45 minutes of studying the photo, Jan and I came up with an idea of how the scarf was wrapped and I began knitting.

The scarf is secured with buttons. At first we thought the scarf aligned the buttonholes and doubled back on itself. Then I decided that we were over thinking the whole design process. The scarf was ready to wear and would not have as complicated design.

So, I knit the scarf to the length that wrapped around my neck. Next I knit simple yarn over buttonholes.

This final picture is actually the beginning of the scarf. After the scarf is buttoned you continue wrapping it around your neck and tuck it under the wraps so it resembles a man's tie. I call it the Origami scarf because it is tucked and wrapped. The scarf is knit in Lamb's Pride Bulky by Brown Sheep Company in color M-06 Deep Charcoal. Lindsay plans on wearing her scarf this spring with a light jacket while she walks to work. She lives and works in Brooklyn in the area called Dumbo, Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Bridge Overpass. Yes, I live in an area with little population and she lives in one of the USA's great cities. I miss her, but she loves living in New York. She will look so stylish walking to Style Notes. She and her younger sister keep me busy with pictures of knitwear they love but can't afford to buy. Two skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky at about $7 a piece sure bets $200.00. What are people thinking of when you buy that silly scarf?

Wee Ones Socks and other knit wear

2008-04-03T18:00:00.006-06:00

The Wee Ones socks are finished! They were finished on the way to New Jersey and in time for Baby Girl's shower. The pattern is by Monica Knits. Monica sells her sock patterns through The Loopy Ewe. The pattern includes both the girl's version that I knit and a cute cabled sock more suited for boys. Monica writes a great pattern with no errors and it is easy to read. I knit my first short row heel with the great instructions. My favorite part of the pattern is that she tells you how many rounds to knit the foot. Small socks are so much easier to knit by counting rows than by measuring inches. My Wee Ones sock is knit from Lorna's Laces, Child's Play. I love knitting with Lorna's Laces.

This second little sweater is 24 years young. I knit it while pregnant with my second child. It was an unknown pattern which I wish I still had around. I knit this little aran sweater in a 100% wool baby weight yarn. Now I am an ambious knitter. I did not have a lot of experience knitting when I tackled this pattern. I just blindly followed the pattern and jumped in with both feet. The pattern had an error in probably about row 24 of the 32 row repeat. Of course, it was a Saturday night at 10:00 pm. I ripped back and reknit and ripped and reknit more times than I like to think about. Finally I figured it out and wrote down the corrected version. I went to the Yarn shop on Monday and the owner corrected the other patterns.

My sad tale for this little sweater is that it was knit in the 80's during the height of wash and wear yarns. After Lindsay was born, my mother was staying with us and she washed the sweater in the machine. It felted into a newborn size! It was a 12 month size. So, Lindsay wore it a little and then it lived with her teddy bear. She decided that Baby Girl should wear the little sweater while she can. I love the little sweater and after Baby Girl outgrows it, I will bring it to Utah to make a larger copy of the fateful sweater. Only, this time, I will knit it in superwash.

Baby Girl's Blanket--Finished at last!

2008-03-20T18:56:00.002-06:00

The Cable Blanket by Debbie Bliss is finished. It has been finished for about a week now but I haven't had time to photograph it. The blanket is knit from Dreambaby D. K. by Plymouth Yarn in color 106 a warm pink. I did not block the blanket as I am sure Ariella will machine wash and machine dry the little blankie. The measurements are 18" X 28" unblocked. I love the texture of the blanket. And the size is a nice car seat and carriage size. My good friend, Joan, said she sees the baby dragging that blanket around everywhere. The yarn is a good texture for kids as it is indestructable. For those who are interested, Mr Bear is my teddy bear. He is 50 years old. My Father bought him for me while stationed in Germany. The reason he is in such good shape is that he is very scratchy. He lived on my bed or dresser as a child. He still lives on my bedroom dresser.

Today is the first official day of Spring and the last day you can drive through Zion Canyon. The rest of the summer through October, you must take a shuttle bus through Zion Canyon. Joe and I decided to drive to Zion today to take advantage of this gorgeous Spring day without sitting on the Shuttle. I know the Shuttles are necessary because the traffic congestion in peak season is unbearable with no place to park. But the shuttles are slow. It take 45 minutes for the shuttle to drive up canyon. This first photo is the falls at the Upper Emerald Pool.

The snow melt this year is making great waterfalls. The Emerald Pools hike is about 3 miles round trip and very popular. There were many families there on their Easter vacation. I don't have a picture of the pools. They are not Emerald green yet as the sun hasn't penetrated the canyon enough to cox the algae into greening up.

The last two pictures are of the lower pool area. People are hiking under the rocks and under the falls. In the summer, there is a small trickle of water over the falls unless you are there after a thunderstorm. And then the water will gush over the falls. It was a lovely 72 degree day. I was able to hike the moderately strenous hike easily. I guess some of the time at the gym is working a little with my asthma. Happy Easter. Happy Spring!

Hard Core Nature Buffs

2008-03-09T18:33:00.004-06:00

While I have been knitting on Baby Girl's blanket and making some progress, it is a little uneventful for blog fodder. I have 5 rows of cable left, 1 row of decreases and 6 garter border rows until I am finished. While I am excited about finishing, a square of cables is not the most exciting pictures to post. So I deceided to post some pictures of our trip 2 weeks ago to Moab.

The weather was not the best for the trip 2 weeks ago. Snow, rain, overcast skies and cold weather are not what most people think of when they think of Moab. But we made the best of it. We started with a hike to Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park. While hiking on the slick rock in the open areas was easy, hiking around the back side of the mesa to the arch was snowy and icy, a little slippery. We did make it there and back unscathed. It was well worth the trip to see snow under the arch. That's Joe under the arch.

We did drive over to Canyonlands National Park. I think Canyonlands is one of my favorite National Parks. The Canyons are vast and go on seemingly forever. We weren't able to go 4 wheeling this trip. The Shaffer Trail was covered with ice and snow.

This is the view from Mesa Arch. The rock formation on the canyon ridge is Washer Woman and is about 1000 feet from the edge of the Arch. The sun co-operated and shone beautifully through the clouds, casting highlights on the landscape. The afternoon sun was a welcome sight because the next day a storm was sweeping into Utah. We deceided that we are hard core National Park people who enjoy the beauty of nature even in subprime conditions.

Signs of Spring

2008-03-05T17:39:00.004-07:00

Baby Girl's blanket is now 23 inches long. Just 7 more to go. I want to have it all knit for the shower at the end of the month. I would also like to knit these cute socks by Monica. Scroll down to Instant Gratification. Monica designs the nicest socks. I would also like to knit this teddy bear for Baby Girl. It is also from Debbie Bliss' Simply Baby. But for now, it knit, knit, knit those cables.

Another sign of Spring is the beginning of some hiking and 4 wheeling. Today Joe and I, and Madison the wonder poodle, went to these petroglyphs. They are the Canaan Gap Petroglyphs. It was not the easily place to find. We had some detailed directions or we probably would not have found them.

The second picture of petroglyphs show some very unusual ones. These were carved very deep into the rock. They looked to be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. We theorize that the sandstone on this rock is very soft and eroded faster than the other ones. Petroglyphs are wonderful to look at but never touch or make etchings. That can destroy the ancient carvings. And I would never take any shard of pottery or disrespect these ancient sites. It is a privilege to see these ancient arts.

And lastly, this is Canaan Mountain. The last sign of Spring today is NO RAIN! The 4 wheel drive roads are dry and ready for exploring. In about another week, the desert should be blooming with wild flowers. Spring is sprung.

Busy Month

2008-02-17T19:01:00.004-07:00

This has been a very busy month. I usually work about 4-8 hours overtime every week because our practice is "young" and we need the coverage. But this month I am teaching 4 newborn resuscitation classes on top of the regular overtime. And I have to tell you it is kicking my 50 year old butt! All I want to do is sleep. And the days that I have been working at the unit, I have been up in the middle of the night with really sick babies. I know this is a little whiny but I needed to let you all know that I am still around!

Nancy, over at Days Go By is having her 300th post contest. She is a fellow Jersey girl. I just found her blog and she has some great pictures of the shore in the winter, one of my favorite times to go to the beach. She asked people to post tips about knitting on their blog along with the link for her contest. My tip is not original but it really helps. When knitting with slippery yarns like rayon ribbon and such, place the ball of yarn in a plastic baggie to help control the yarn. It helps keep the ribbon yarn from slipping off the ball and on the floor where you know it will somehow get in a big knot. Also, wind the skein into a solid ball by hand not a ball winder when winding a rayon ribbon. You are just asking for trouble if you try to wind that bad boy with a ball winder. Ask me how I know????!!

So go on over to Nancy's blog and wish her a happy 300th!

An Extreme Country

2008-02-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

A winter wonderland! Super Bowl Sunday, the southern Utah area had some unusual winter weather. It was raining, unusual enough for the desert but then it turned cold and the rain turned to wet heavy snow. Jersey shore wet sloppy snow. Not the Champagne Powder that Utah is famous for in the mountains. So, Monday morning, Joe and I decided to have lunch at Zion in the Lodge. Little did we know the snowy wonder ahead.

I have been out on this patio/picnic area eating when it is 105 and the seats are too hot for exposed skin. Four inches of snow just doesn't seem right!

The great white throne is very white today.

We drove down Zion Canyon heading to the end of the Canyon, The Temple of Sinawava. This is where the Virgin River bends and The Narrows begin. Now, the Narrows are hiked in the River in the summer and that will be a whole other blog this summer. But today, the trail is snow covered and well narrrow! Only 2 foot width wide.

The snow on the fence gives you an idea of the depth of snow. I am sure it will be in the canyon for several days. The canyon doesn't get much direct sunlight so it will be "protected".

This bend has a waterfall in the early Spring during the snow melt. You can see the ice hanging on the cliffs. Just before I took the picture, a large amount of snow thundered off the top of the cliff with a resounding bang! I have never been in an avalanche and after hearing that boom, I really don't ever want to be in the area!

The mule deer were grazing in the warm wetland area. She was about 20 feet from us, not really caring that we were there. Just stay on the trail human! She had 2 babies on the side of the cliff eating but I couldn't get a good picture of them. They blended right into the picture! Amazing.

Just a great view from the trail.

These last two pictures are the best of the day. It was about 3 pm and the sunlight is fading. The color of the light at that time of day is fabulous. The next time I blog about the River Walk will probably be Spring. I hope to get there when the snow pack is melting and the waterfalls are flowing. The desert is certainly an extreme country with winter snows and summer heat.

Late entry. I see from the comments that people are surprised to see we get snow here in the desert. In St. George, we will have one or two snow "showers" with no accumulation each winter. We can see snow on the mountains which are at 5,000 feet elevation or higher. This snow fall was very unusual. And the Virgin River was running high yesterday.

Autumn Vest

2008-02-04T11:44:00.001-07:00

I knit the Autumn vest about 4-5 years ago. I knit it with a combination of a Penny Straker vest pattern and Elizabeth Zimmermann's percentage system. The vest with knit to fit right on the top of my hip. I knit this vest in a modified Quaker rib pattern--4 rounds of knit, and 2 rows of purl. I really liked the texture of the fabric knit this way. What I didn't think about is that this gives the fabric a type of ribbing and pulled the vest up vertically. I lived with this for about 4 years as a short vest, thinking all the while about how I could fix the problem. I knew that Elizabeth Zimmermann said that if children grewth you just took the ribbing and cuffs off the sweater and knit new ones. So I thought, if EZ says you can do it then it must be true.

So about 2 weeks ago, I got up one morning determined to try to fix my vest. I first picked up the stitches under the mohair yarns.

Next, I snipped a knit stitch. I know that took some faith! But EZ has not led me astray before this! And I slowly unraveled the knitting between the ribbing and my needles.
Here's the vest on the circular needle and the ribbing on the rug. I knit about 3 inches of Quaker Rib with yarn I had left over from the original project. Then I knit the ribbing. If I had thought this through, I would have left the ribbing intact and knit from it when replacing the new ribbing. I realized when I was writing this post, that I don't have a picture of the vest after knitting the ribbing. DH doesn't do well with the camera and I tried to take a few pictures with the camera in one hand. And let's just say that I don't do well taking pictures that way! So, when I go to the LYS next, I will have Jan take a photo. I am very happy with the results of the vest and I don't have the need to tug at it anymore!

Right Brain vs Left Brain

2008-01-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting test on Right brain people vs. Left Brain people. I found it on Terry's blog

I always thought I was more right brain oriented and this test shows a 64% right-brain orientation. I have always had more problems with memorizing numbers and math. And spelling.....all I can say is Thank God for spell check!

About this test DisclaimerThank you for taking the Creativity Test. The results show your brain dominance as being:

Left Brain 36%
Right Brain 64%

You are more right-brained than left-brained. The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. In addition to being known as right-brained, you are also known as a creative thinker who uses feeling and intuition to gather information. You retain this information through the use of images and patterns. You are able to visualize the "whole" picture first, and then work backwards to put the pieces together to create the "whole" picture. Your thought process can appear quite illogical and meandering. The problem-solving techniques that you use involve free association, which is often very innovative and creative. The routes taken to arrive at your conclusions are completely opposite to what a left-brained person would be accustomed. You probably find it easy to express yourself using art, dance, or music. Some occupations usually held by a right-brained person are forest ranger, athlete, beautician, actor/actress, craftsman, and artist.

Ok, and being the right-brained person, I went back over the text and deleted the boring technical stuff!

Knitting away on Baby Girl's Cable Blanket

2008-01-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting away on Baby Girl's Cable Blanket. It is now 11 inches long. The cable pattern has been easy to remember now that I have knit through the first repeat. I just forgot how long it takes to knit with DK weight yarn.

On the Ravelry front, I have posted a bunch of old projects. And have been surfing all around on that site. It is interesting but some of the Groups rehash the same old, same old. So I don't know how much I will actually be reading on the site. However, logging my books on the site has been very interesting. Now, I love books. Not a book around that I wouldn't pick to look at. Still, I was amazed when my total was 65. And some of my books are not listed on Ravelry. I don't want to imagine how many books total I have between embroidery and Art books! All I know is that the boxes of books kept coming when Joe shipped them to me. It was fun to see all the books out of the boxes. It was like Christmas everyday!

Kureyon Kozy

2008-01-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

Lindsay wanted a tea cozy. Her directions were to knit from the stash.

So I surfed through the internet looking for just the right tea cozy. Her teapot is a small 2 cup pot so that made the search a little more challenging. First, I found this. I love the cozy but it was too big. Then I found the Kureyon Kozy. It is knit with Kureyon, one of my favorite yarns and I had a random skein in the stash maturing and waiting to be knit. The pattern has 2 sizes, small and large. I went down a needle size to be sure that the cozy would fit a 2 cup pot.

This design is a hip modern, not your mother's tea cozy. I can't tell you the colorway of this Kureyon. The ballband is long gone. I know I did buy it at The Wooly Monmouth in Red Bank. If you ever are in Red Bank, NJ, check out The Wooly Monmouth. Dory has a very cute, hip shop.

I will be knit, knit, knitting on Baby Girl's blanket. I think that 30 inches will be as long as it gets!