In a hurry

Just got a minute or two, to say that I finished re-working the Christmas Granny Square stockings! They're to be washed today, & get photographed, & then they'll come up to work with me tomorrow! Maybe I can get the recipient to pose with them draped over her? I recently bought a sim card for my phone, and found out that the camera in the phone actually takes a fair pic. Nice to know, huh? Other FOs are the teal cob-stitch mitts & the brown ones for Abby; will get pics ASAP (it's rainy today). Did a dumb thing this morning: packed a project without a) the pattern or b)the next size of needles. So it's sitting on the desk, stuck on the row before the needle size change. GRRR!

Yes, I've been knitting! Can't post a pic yet as my project is a) unfinished and b)not yet given to the intended recipient. I'm pretty sure she's completely unaware that I have a blog, but you never know. I made one more of the penny bags, for the DiscoDame, since she thought they were entirely too cute (and she's my only little chickadee, so she can have one too). I do have pics:


The drawstring closure allows it to be worn as a bracelet:


It's sooo little, it looks like an amulet or charm bag:


But I guess a lucky penny is a charm, n'est pas?
Anyway, the knit project (super secret! shhh!)is mostly miles of seed stitch. I can hear you groaning, you know. My friend will, I hope, be thrilled to have it. She's been the recipient of my handiwork before now, and always seems appreciative -- which means I'll always be willing to make more for her! I haven't even thought about working on a shawl, or picking up the second sock for my Moc Croc pair. It's officially been over a year since I started that pair of socks; it's hard to work up any enthusiam for the second sock. Perservere!

Now with 15% more crafty-ness!

I have forgotten to mention the finished crochet project! All 5 new, super-size granny square stockings were delivered to Donna K, and I collected $30/each! I have pics in the camera, but haven't loaded them into the 'puter yet. Unfortunately, the pics were taken in the late evening, indoors--so they're pretty crappy. Justice is not done to the fabulousness of my granny square stockings. But Ms. Donna was pleased, and I had some fun making them. In fact, I had so much fun that it reminded me of why I like crochet, and I may wind up doing more of that in the future.


The Plaidmobile should (cross fingers, knock on wood!) be ready for pick up this afternoon, if the shop wasn't just blowing smoke up the Plaidman's arse. We took the rental car back last Monday (that wound up costing us as much as our deductible on the car insurance), and have gone an entire week with just one car. So no Sit'N Stitch this week, and very few extracurricular activities at all. And this is truly the BEST TIME OF YEAR to have massive added expenses... I was soooo happy to get paid for the crochet stockings, I told Donna that now I could go grocery shopping--I wasn't kidding! But I think she thought I was, or hoped I was.

I still haven't gotten the Wool Ease Thick N Quick I need for the Plaidman's hat; if I can get DiscoDame up & moving I'll head over to the Hobby Lobby. Yes, I know Angel Hair Yarns is going out of business & has a huge sale, but I don't think they carry Wool Ease. Speaking of the DD, she's been commenting on my blog--as if we don't speak regularly or something! I wouldn't mind seeing some other comments too--I have been making a point of commenting on some of the other blogs I read, so maybe someone will return the favor. But lordy, I only have time for surfing the innerwebs on the weekends! Somebody needs to bring high-speed access to Joelton, TN! Actually, I haven't checked for hi-speed in a while, so maybe someone did? Hope springs eternal.....

More fun than.....

My fingers are gonna fall off! I have been working on the Big Crochet Project, and it's just wearing me out. Current status: all squares made, & an extra round of half-double crochet worked on each (of 50!)square to bring them up to the same size as the model. Eight sides stitched up, 5 squares each. Six & a half sides have edging applied. So what's left to do? Stitch together the last two sides, and finish edging on 3.5, THEN WORK IN ENDS, then crochet the sides together to get 5 stockings, and make a topping for each. Whew! I have been seriously busy with this project, but did take the time to head downtown for the Veterans' Day Parade, with DiscoDame along for the ride. She was in charge of the camera, check it out:
And this one (we knew these guys were approaching...):

Lots of vehicles with lights & sirens, some marching bands (White's Creek was the sharpest group--GO COBRAS!!). It was fun, and patriotic. We stood on the sidewalk in front of the First Baptist Church, and the daycare was turned out to watch the parade--what cuties! We thought it might be best not to take their pictures, but enjoyed their reactions to all the fun.
Speaking of fun, guess what the Plaidman did on Wednesday? He hit a deer! He & DiscoDame were coming home from the library, it's already pitch dark, and a &*#^&$ buck jumps out of the ditch right in front of the Neon. Fortunately, neither of them are hurt; but the buck's hind legs are both broken. Poor thing tried to get up, tried to drag itself the rest of the way across the street. The lady in the car behind the Neon pulled over, got out & tried to guide the beastie back to the ditch. Some folks living near came out, then went back home & got a firearm to finish off the buck---and took it home for supper! I'm glad it didn't go to waste, but I kinda wish I knew how to butcher a deer. Anyway, we're down to one car and playing phone tag with the insurance estimator. Wish us luck.

New Frontiers

Our resident techno geek, the DiscoDame, managed to get a picture of herself inserted into an earlier post (4/25/08). Too cool, and now I know it will work. I have so got to take some shots of the shawl & the restarted sock. If it's nice out later, I'll take the WIPs outside for picture time.

Picture! from 6/26 photo session, showing my lovely WIP, the Moc Croc sock(s). Yarn is Regia Design Line, by Kaffe Fassett.

Today (6/25)I rewound the frogged & washed yarn from the first sock effort, knit some more on the sock, and started crocheting some granny squares for stockings. These stockings are about three feet long, super for loads of small goodies from a doting grandma--like the lady who's asked me to make them. I'm using stashed acrylic, of which I have a ton & a half, with maybe half a ton of it being red, green & white worsted. I've done several other projects for this same gal, including repairing an "antique" crocheted baby blankie that had mouse damage. But the dadblamed granny squares are addictive! Last year, I made tiny granny square sachets: Using sport or fingering weight yarns, make grannies of about 3 (sport wt) or 4 (fingering) rounds. Take a dryer softener sheet, used or not, and wrap up a small amount of polyfil. Lay this on your granny square, and fold the corners in towards the middle. Stitch the corners and edges together; if you leave a really long end in a corner, you can make a crochet chain, fold it over & stitch it to the corner --now the sachet can be used in the closet or drawer. I bought some essential oils, and have used a hat pin dipped in the oil & inserted through spaces in the crochet to apply the scent to the dryer sheet/polyfil. I would advise against applying oils directly to the crocheted acrylic, as acrylic stains badly. Anyway, I gave several of these away last year, and made a bunch more in spring (or baby) colors. These are super for using up small amounts of yarn.

While on vacation (-at-home), I wanted to wind up some skeins of lace weight wonderfulness. I figured I've got two roomies, that's two sets of arms for living swifts. The roomies aren't exactly thrilled, but I had a thought: If they're really unhappy with being swifts, maybe they'll get me a real one? Only time will tell....

It only took about 2 very long hours to hand-wind one of the Cherry Tree Hill Orenburg Lace skeins (Cherry Blossom colorway), with DiscoDame playing "swift". I got some more pics, see my lovely WIP feather & fan shawl, in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport colorway Baltic Sea: