mail call

5-9-21 ETA:  The ribbed brim of the Clingman's Dome Cap is now 3.25", needing only .75" before I start the texture pattern.

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5/2/21

Got a phone call from someone with a strong Indian or Pakistani accent, saying he was calling from UPS.  He asked (I think) if I had received a box of cards (?).  I just could not figure out what he said; we have a lot of scam calls from people who sound like this fella.  Sometimes they try to ship unordered back or knee braces to us, so I got rude with this guy and hung up. Half an hour later the door bell sounds, Plaidman goes out to find a big box on the porch.  No return address.  Looks suspicious.  Plaidman opens it, lots of brown wrapping paper, and one very special item:

A copy of the 3rd Army WWII campaign map.  One of the troops in Big Tom's unit made several for the unit, this one was Tom's.  Good ol' Brother Mike must have found it while cleaning house.  We are jist thrilled to have it!  Now to see about conserving it & finding a framer, which I'd like to have done by the Plaidman's birthday.

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In knitting news, the Mountain Hiker hat was finished 4/30, and it fits every head in the house except the cat's.  Also on Friday, I restarted the Clingman's Dome hat; I hope I've read the pattern and the instruction to purl below  will not throw a spanner in the works.  This one is two solid colors, so the stitch definition  should be better.  

Worth it

For almost two years now, I've been dealing with costochondritis -- a condition of inflammed muscles & connective tissue between ribs -- which sometimes gets so bad I have trouble sleeping.  It's been bad all this week, and I've been resisting taking the NSAIDs around the clock, but the pain was interfering with my work.  As I'm currently the only gainfully employed member of the Plaid Patrol, it's rather important that I be able to work!  So I took some OTC NSAIDs Wednesday night, and followed with more eight hours later, and again Thursday afternoon.  I'd been afraid I wouldn't be able to enjoy the class in Fair Isle knitting, since I was hurting so.  But by class time, I wasn't in such bad shape -- still hurting, just not to the point of it being a total distraction.  And the class was just lovely, a real upper for my mood -- and I'm knitting a Fair Isle cap for a toddler!  I can so totally do this.  Had to buy some Dreamz needles (two sizes, there's ribbing involved), and I rather like them in spite of them being wooden.  I am just thrilled to be FINALLY getting to this year's "Knitting Resolution".  So, who else wishes they were Kate Davies cousin? 

Still plugging away on the Bunny Hop, but I think my "jogless" stripes on the first sleeve are kinda wonky.  I hate the thought, but I may have to frog & reknit, see if I can make that transition smoother.  Also, I think I may try carrying the yarn up the sleeve -- although it will always be two strands carried, I guess I can catch them alternately.  The stripes are all 8 rows deep, and I think I can use less yarn if I carry it along.  Sure hope I have enough!  Maybe the sleeves will be 3/4 length? 

What new craft techniques are YOU learning?  And who is your teacher?

Hey, guys! I got pictures!

Oh, I had such a terrific time in Texas back in October -- didn't really do a whole lot, but relax! First, I have to show you my gorgeous niece in her fabulous lace beret:

Is she gorgeous, or what?!?!? She's very bright, plays the cello, and is just the nicest young gal you could hope to meet. And proved her "knit-worthiness" by wearing this beret almost the whole time I was visiting; I think she took it off to sleep & bathe, but that was it. The younger niece, Princess T, wanted a hat too. I had a ball of K1C2 Ty-Dy sock yarn with me, and access to Ravelry--so started a beret based on the Feather & Fan aka Old Shale pattern. Had some issues with it, didn't try to get it done while I was there, but frogged & restarted it once I was home. It's turned out well. Voila!:

I had quite a bit of yarn left, so I'm whipping up some itty fingerless mitts for the Princess:

And, taking an idea from Knucks in Knitty, I will embroider the right mitt with "PRIN" and the left with "CESS" -- which should make her mother crazy.
I did visit Hill Country Weavers, down on Congress in Austin, and took a picture or three:

Yes, I bought some from the clearance section (the first pic) and I bought a ball of this lace yarn, which I haven't seen since -- Sis is supposed to be mailing this stuff to me; I hope it gets home soon! I mentioned sitting in on a class, that didn't seem to really be a class so much as a sit-n-stitch, and here are the ladies of the class (if any of you see yourselves, please give me a holler--I'd love to know who you are!):

Well, we had a lovely visit, and I really should write another thank-you note. I've sent one to Sis already, but her Mum-In-Law, my "other" Betty, was kind enough to spend part of the Saturday with me--we two went to the neighborhood's Garage-A-Palooza yard sale! Most streets in this large (& well-to-do!) neighborhood had several yard sales in progress; we just cruised around until we saw several close together, then jumped out & visited all of 'em. I picked up several cashmere sweaters for pennies, practically! I don't think they'll fit me, but they can be unravelled & the yarn put to other uses. I bought some purses, and some earrings too. All in all, it was a splendid haul for very little $. Thanks, Betty Too!

Buzzy

We went straight from the tag-end of winter into 91F summer over the weekend! The wasps & hornets have hatched! Run for your lives!!
Knitting news: I finished a Gwen Slouchy Beret, even blocked it! It is so purty! I used Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe in colorway Beach Glass, which is a really nice light aqua-teal color. This was a free pattern, and is on Ravelry. Being a wool-bamboo blend, it's a bit more suitable for spring & summer than just wool. So, who wants it? Yes, I'm giving it away! Comment on this blog between 4/12 and 4/29; I'll draw a winner 4/30 from all commentors. This hat will fit a head up to 23", while the ribbing is stretchy so will hold onto a smaller noggin.


I've heard from Fleegle, so I'd better get it together & pack up the March goodies. I still have not heard from Ele, either on the blog or on Ravelry (I'm AnnBan). So..the suspense is killing me...

T minus 3.5 days...

To the March giveaway! Not much other "news" per se, just stuff I/we have been up to:
The weekend of St Patrick's Day wasn't too dreadful. I did finally get to put the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes & carrots (plus 2 bottles of Killian's Red beer!) into the crock pot for Sunday dinner. Did that about 7:30 a.m & we ate it at about 5:30 p.m. The beef was delish & very tender, the veggies tender & flavorful. I cooked a good size slab of beef, about 2.75 lbs., and so have some left for hash or sandwiches.
The purple lace hat has been frogged again. All I can figure is that the designer must knit extremely loosely! I went up two needle sizes for the brim (still using same # of stitches, tubular cast on)--the brim was fine. Then I went up two sizes for the rest of the hat AND added another horizontal repeat of the lace pattern. I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn to work 4 complete repeats vertically, but the lace was very much "lacier" so I thought 3 repeats would work for a beret. Well, it didn't work..I still had a beanie when I got to the top. (Are the knitting demi-gods laughing? Hope so; somebody ought to get a kick out of it!)
I got some more Paton's Lacette in Maroon Mist! So I'm back to work on the pink stole, with one minor glitch: I was going to pick out the bind off edge & continue on, only I unpicked the cast on. Of course, it's not unravelling--I just don't know what to do with it now! I've put the stitches on a holder, picked out the bind off & am adding more lace panels for length. Now that I have plenty of the Lacette, I can think about putting a wide border on the long edges, and a narrower one on the short sides (ends). Which should I work first? I think working the side borders first would allow me work the end border across the entire width, and might pull the thing together.
Disco says she needs more beads....girl needs to get a job; her hobby is costing me! We're still wrangling the stitchmarkers for the giveaway, so I need to hold her feet to fire now.

Agony of defeat

I finished the Janet Beret last night; it seemed small, but I knew the tubular cast on would definitely stretch to 21" or 22". I made it in the "slouchy" version, with four 8-round repeats of the pattern as called for. Well, there was a brief struggle before I could get it on my head--and it's a beanie. A very pretty lace beanie, to be sure! But not what I wanted. So, it will go to the frog pond over the weekend, and I'll use bigger needles & increase more stitches -- a repeat of the lace pattern is 12 sts wide, adding a repeat above the brim would bring the total to 120 sts. Starting with 90 sts (actually 45 for the tubular cast on), I'd increase by 1 every third stitch. If the cast on is worked in US 7, then the 4 repeats of 8 rounds each could be worked on oh, say US 9? That should make a beret. I did have a good bit of the skein leftover, so will hope to have enough. Le sigh. I was really hoping I could have this ready to go to TEXAS real soon.

Lookee, new stuff!

Hi y'all! If it's Saturday, I must be posting from the library...and I am. I have some more pictures of this month's giveaway, which will be drawn on 3/25 from commentors on my previous post. Here's a pretty item up for grabs:

























I have pics of this month's stitchmarkers, but I haven't decided which ones I can bear to part with! DiscoDame is all about "reduce, re-use, recycle", so she's been saving the big pony beads from her old hair dodads, and put them to use in these:


I'm working on another lace beret, called the Janet Beret, and this is also done in a Stitch Nation yarn--Alpaca Love, in color Dusk. It's a lovely deep purple, which just happens to be a favorite of one of my nieces. I think I missed her birthday, but maybe a pretty lace beret would make her forget that!

Drumroll, please! Giveaway Time!

3/26/11 ETA: Due to extenuating circumstances, the drawing date for this month's Giveaway will be extended to 3/31/11 (midnight my time!). Later posts show a picture of the lace beret that's part of the "package"; here's a few shots of this month's stitchmarkers (the alphabet ones are examples; I promise there'll be more than two!):
The buttons used here are only 1/4" wide; I've used some of these on baby booties!

In addition to these cute little things & the two hats, one of this month's winners will receive a copy of the shawl pattern relesed by Wendy, Japanese Garden. She's sending her part of the payment for this pattern to the Red Cross's relief efforts in Japan, so if you have a Ravelry ID I can gift the pattern to you directly and you can be part of the relief effort. If you're not keen on the Red Cross, please check out Mason-Dixon Knitting--the ladies have a blanket pattern for sale, proceeds of which are to go to Doctors Without Borders. You know we knitters can shake & move the world when we pull together!










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I've got a hat ready to give away for my March readers' gift:



These are really easy to make, and I just sold two to the Sarge. The yarn is Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick, machine wash & dry on low, very easy care and Sarge says his kids fight over them. They are wonderfully warm. There's a very deep ribbing, which can be rolled up for something like a watch cap or left unrolled.
I'm also working on an All-Day Beret, a Debbie Stoller design for Stitch Nation, in a lovely spring green--yes, it's Bamboo Ewe! Debbie had sent me some sample skeins she'd had from the maker (Red Heart), and this is the first I've used. No pics yet; but I'm about 6" up from the cast on edge, and it's very easy & quick. DiscoDame has been busy making more stitchmarkers, so I'll be offering them too--just gotta pick which set I'll part with! I packed up the February gift, including a little extra goodie (none of your business!), but to my surprise the Post Office was already closed this morning when I got there at 11:15! So Knitterofhats will have to wait another couple of days, but it will be mailed Monday.
Also on the needles: a Janet beret in Alpaca Love (more of Debbie's gift!), for which I worked a tubular cast on to start the ribbing -- nice & stretchy! I'm torn as to whether to offer it with the giveaway, as it's in Niece#1's favorite color. And I kinda owe her a birthday pressie...so maybe this first one goes to her, and I'll work another for next month, ok?
******I'm upping the ante this month, here's the deal: Starting 3/1/11, leave a comment on this blog post with either a link to your blog or to your profile on Ravelry. Then, on your blog or in the Blog Train group on Ravelry, mention my giveaway! I'll check these on 3/25/11, & for each mention of my giveaway, you'll get a chance to win a gift drawn on or about 3/25! I'll contact you for your particulars, and this month's drawing is open to addresses in North & South America & the EU & Australia. Just be sure to comment on this post, and leave me some contact info (blog or Ravelry). Good luck!

Next up

I'm working on a hat for the March giveaway, and should have it finished in time to post a picture by the end of the weekend. I'd like to made another hat, maybe something a little more spring-like. I was thinking of a beret, maybe in a fingering weight wool blend (aka sock yarn) or a cotton blend. If you've got an opnion either way, let me know via the comments. Tomorrow I'll mail KOH's gift; I hope the sun will come out long enough to get a photo of her items together. Whew! I think it might be time for a vacation. Oh, to lay about & do nothing for a week...

Claimed!

Amy aka knitterofhats has claimed the larger stitchmarker set, with the green beads. I plan to close the giveaway this Friday at midnight our time (Central time zone), so hurry up & comment on Cha-cha-changes!
I'm working on something I've never done before: duplicate stitch! I made some more hats for the Sarge, in Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick colors Barley & whatever they call their olive green (haven't looked at the ball band; it's pretty obviously olive!). For the barley (brown) I used a partial ball left from all the cowl knitting. I got to the last 3 rows, and ran out!! So I grabbed some leftover Oatmeal color worsted Wool Ease, triple-stranded it & used it to close the top of the hat. Doesn't look bad, but something made me offer to duplicate stitch in the Oatmeal on the rest of the hat, just a few simple shapes. It's trickier than I thought it would be. So far, I have a squashed-looking diamond shape, a scraggly rectangle, and a slightly lop-sided X on 3 of the wide ribs of the hat. Terrific. I hope I get better at it very quickly!

GO TEAM!!

Way to go STEELERS!! Heading to the Super Bowl again, let's see if we can make it our own for the 7th time. Pup & I talked on the phone after the game, both of us just tickled to see Franco & Rocky come up to congratulate "the boys". The Jets couldn't keep from tripping on their own feet, except for about a 10-minute interlude of having "it" together. I should have taken some pictures; both DiscoDame & I were in team gear. Pup has another bit of memorabilia that he wants to send, which will likely wind up in Disco's room. Her door has "Steelers Nation" and a logo displayed.
Of course, I knitted during the game--it's got so I really can't watch TV without some knitting in my hands. I'm still working on the Diamond Chain Lace stole, but I'll have to put it aside for a while as I have a commission for the Sgt. He'd like two more hats just like the two I've already made for him, thank you. Wouldn't be a problem if I could just locate the dang pattern! It's basically a watchcap, with ribbing that is first increased then decreased so that the large ribs are leaf-shaped. I'll have to go on Ravelry & see if I can find a link to the pattern on my projects page.

Mulligan

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I took the Chunky Monkey Hat home Wednesday night, and removed the ears--I'd decided they were A) too small and B) placed too high on the hat. So I got out a bigger crochet hook (an N - seriously big) and remade those ears, sewed the new ears on the hat, and took more pics of the hat being modelled by our sweet little TomTom Kitty. DiscoDame & I about laughed ourselves silly. So, now it's on my desk at work, waiting for the "client" to pick it up, and garnering a few compliments. I did put it in the wash between the picture-taking and bringing it to work; the yarn is so much softer now!


It looks like I'll have to make another one for TomTom; he's enjoying it so!

Commisioned work

One down, one in progress. Miss A's hat has been delivered to her and she looks GREAT in it, don't know if she'll let me take a cellphone pic or not but I got shots of it before delivery:
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*** I am plugging away at the other commission, another baby hat. The Granny brought me some Deb Norville Serenity sock yarn:

It's self-striping, and honestly? It looks absolutely dreadful as a baby hat. Also, it's so splitty that I made the Plaidman look closely at the label and repeat the name, then told him to NEVER BUY this stuff for me. He said he'd actually looked at it in the store, but didn't buy it because it was "pricey" (at about $3.50 per ball!). Then I told him to compare it to the absolutely lovely ShiBui Knits Sock, 100% merino, ever so much nicer--which was probably a bargain at over $10.00 a hank! Quality counts, folks!
EDTA: Speaking of quality, DiscoDame now has her diploma! Check it out:

Clicking along

I've been busy.


Two tiny preemie caps, for a very young lady (3 months) who already has her own blog!
(ShiBui Knit sock, 100% merino, oh so soft.) I'm not linking, because I haven't okayed that with her parents. I hope to see pictures on the little one.


And Dolly Blankie #2 is ready to send, so I'd better round up a medium sized box & get down to the Post Office tomorrow. Pictures are so weird: note how items in the sun have such intense color? I did an auto correct to get some color, as those things looked washed out. The shots taken in the shade have the softer colors, which are closer to what these goodies actually look like.
Today Disco & I worked on the Yarn Pile, trying to whittle it down some & find a few "lost sheep". The wooly yarns are now mostly under cover in plastic storage crates, in ziplocs -- the goddess' gift to knitters. I had some of it in ziplocs already, but TomTom Kitty has been chewing on them! The acrylic yarns are mostly in less secure storage, except for one large sackful which is going to charity. I'm keeping the baby yarns -- I still owe 3 more Dolly Blankies to Princess T, and they'll be the same easy care stuff as the first two.
Can you believe this sweet little face could hide such EVIL?