Traveling

I don't know why I was so worried about "Travel Knitting". Did I forget I was going to be the only one in the car? Did I think that after a solitary day driving with the sun in my eyes or torrential rain I was going to do anything other than eat and then pass out? What was I thinking????

I did pick out two vanilla sock projects and two scarf projects to take with me. If I had an unpacked camera after choosing them I would have taken pictures of them. IF I could get the mobile blogger to work with my Phone I could upload pictures. So my next projects will have to be a surprise.

Arizona in July is Crazy HOT! I go out early in the morning briefly and usually late at night. The stars are amazing away from the lights of Chicago. I truly understand the reason for "Siesta" now and understand the old saying "Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the Midday Sun." I have to run any errands early in the morning and get home in the cool air. We unofficially hit 120 degrees F the other day and it made quite an impression on me. That was my "Siesta" afternoon, and I Thank God for every Ceiling Fan in my house! I have that Northern Sludge in my blood veins and probably won't be comfortable until I have a full year here to thin it out. I am thinking this winter is going to be a breeze! I'll be in shorts when everyone else is in a Parka!

I did finish a pair of the socks in the evening this week and they will be a perfect "Thank You" for a friend. I just can NOT imagine working on anything bigger than that at the moment. Hopefully I will come to the end of my boxes before too long, and find a camera.......

Limbo!

I hate being in Limbo!

We have been put in Limbo over the sale of our home and move to Arizona. This puts my KNITTING in Limbo! I have 90% of my knitting products packed. I have items I don't work on because I don't want them spread out, beads are are involved. I look to start new projects but.......are the materials I need packed away? Do I need to keep it small? I have never needed urging to purchase yarn (snicker) I feel S Unproductive!


I always have a pair of socks in my purse, just in case. I am running out of sock yarn. Scarves? Do I want to use some of the yarn I have put away for a light weight shawl? Then have left over yarn. I hate to break up a quantity of yarn purchased for a specific size project.
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My Son Finally tried the socks I made for my Grandson on his fat little feet. I have not seen him (except on Skype)in months so I could only guess on the size. They fit his fat little feet perfectly. I could take all the odd little balls of yarn and make More socks for him. That could get boring VERY Fast, add matching mittens?

I need the perfect travel project I can pick up and put down, and will not be finished too quickly. It needs to last a couple of weeks and not be something I can lose my place too easily. I think I just need a small suit case of knitting projects to have available to me. I can work on them while we are in Limbo land. Then I will need something in the car while traveling, in hotel rooms, AND in my new home while all the other stuff is still in boxes.

Any suggestions? Is there any one perfect project?

Not Lost!

  I always said I did not want to be one of those Blogger's who starts and stops.......Well HERE I am!

My only excuse is with the house on the market I got busy. Then we sold the house.  Then we went to AZ and bought a house. Then maybe we didn't buy the house because it had been flipped two times in 60 days by builders.......Oh, OK now we HAVE bought a house.

So now we are home packing. Now maybe we haven't sold our house 10 days before closing because the buyer has a last minute issue. Holy Crap Batman whats next? I'm packing... I'm not packing. Do I call the utility companies and tell them not to turn off every thing on that date? What about the movers? Are they going to have an empty truck?

So I have not finished the last couple of inches of Blue Simurgh. I just could not keep it all spread out with the beads and people coming and going. I did knit a couple pairs of socks for family Birthdays and a Scarf for a special fried of my daughter. Do I have pictures? No I can't even think now. It is mindless knitting to help me keep my sanity. So I thought  would add this to a post I started a while back so it would have some knitting content.


These are Hats and Scarves I made for Christmas gifts. They were both made with the same pattern but  Different Fibers. The Pattern is Stephanee Pearl-McPhee's "One Row Scarf Pattern." I LOVE the pattern! It was so simple but really brought out the beauty of each yarn.

The first is 50/50 Silk & Moreno yarn. I tried a few different stitches in swatches before choosing this one.The second is a Malabrigo hand painted. Both the same stitch, each looking very different. I Love the way that works.

So Until I get my head back in the game, I am not sure how much knitting content there will be. I will not be a Dead End Blogger!

Beaded Blue Simurgh Pictures FINALLY!

There Here!!! Pictures of the "BBS"!!!!!

Big Blue Simurgh

Beaded Blue Simurgh

Beautiful Blue Simurgh

(etc.)

The subtle color changes and the different colors of the beads are not showing very well in the pictures.It's not easy to get the right light on a grey winter day.  But I think on a sunny day it will look like Sparkling Troplical Waves.There are Emerald Green, Sapphire Blue, Capri Blue and Crystal/Silver 8/0 seed beads through out the pattern. I tried to arrange them in a way that would look like waves. Along the edge which does not show in these pictures, there are points. At the tip of each point is an Azure Blue, Megatoma bead. .

As I said befor this pattern was origionally designed to look like Black Raven Feathers. Since this is a present for a Tall Fair Blond I needed to make some adjustments. The yarn is Geisha by Blue Moon Fiber Arts, the color way is Saphire. The yarn is a Blend of Kidmo and Silk, 2 skeins for the larger size. The Pattern is available on Ravelry.

Hopefully I will be able to finish it soon!

What's Goin' ON?

I have been absent much longer than planned! I have been a busy Girl! Our house is for sale so there have been open house days, and so much going on!!I have not had the opportunity to pin out the "Blue Simurgh" and take pictures.

I do have a picture here that is from a couple weeks ago. You can't see the beading in this because it's not blocked. But you can see that I have made some headway. Actually I have knit all the way to the end of the first half. I got stuck on the edging. After ripping out a section of edging 3 times (!) I thought it was best to move on for the moment. So I capped off that cable, took my needles to the temporary cast on, connected a new cable to my needles and started to knit in the other direction. No need to to stop knitting!

I did add an additional repeat of the second chart to add some length as I mentioned I might do. Better too long than too short on a tall person. I am going to have Plenty of left over yarn so that is not a worry, AND extra beads. SO there might actually be a scarf for me at the end of this project! Yay! Also I DID randomly place my beading into what I thought would look like waves. Something I am looking forward to seeing. You never know how it REALLY looks until it's blocked.

I spent a few minutes trying to set myself up as a "Mobile Blogger" so I could I could take "quick pics" to post without having to find the camera and the upload to the computer blablabla. Well it's still Blablabla because for some reason my phone says there is no such place. Another Goal to be met. Especially with a move in my future. That's what my kids are good for!

I should take a moment to say my house has been on the market since august. We made a poor choice of agents so nothing happened. With our new agent it has been a whirlwind! Also last August I packed up my Craft room into boxes and it all sits in my garage. I left out only things I thought I would use in the next 2 months. BIG MISTAKE! I have unpacked some of my pattern books but no yarn. I was smart enough to leave out 6 skeins of sock yarn for emergency use.(almost gone) I was busy enough with gift knitting that I have not had enough time to spin the small amount of fiber I left out, but it is getting close! God Forbid I should have to buy more fiber. It would just break my heart Hahahahahahahhahahhahah! (Evil Grin)

It IS a good time to look a close out yarn! All the spring yarns are coming out and retailers are closing out their winter stock. I recently purchased Cream color, lace weight Alpaca/Silk (8 0z)for a beaded wrap my youngest daughter wants ........for half off! Also a Peach colored, Baby Alpaca, lace weight, (1200 meters) for 1/3 of the cost! I figure I have two Christmas presents paid for already! Even though I don't know what patterns I will use, I know I have roughly 2000 yards of each yarn and that will cover most any large size shawl. So I could possible get 2 projects out of each yarn depending on the items. AND with the colors chosen there is a possibility of using the left overs together and making another big item. Endless possibilities. Since I don't have endless cash I LOVE buying close out yarn as long as there is a big enough quantity. Singles are not worth buying.

Enough Fiber Fun! off to work!

Blue Simurgh

This is the beginning of the "Blue Simurgh." I found the pattern in Ravelry. It was designed to be Black Raven Feathers and is gorgeous. The pattern starts with a larger feather pattern and changes patterns to smaller and smaller feathers.

As lovely as it is I just can't make myself knit Simurgh in Black. It is a project that will be worked on mostly in the evening at home since I work full time. After knitting my first "Concerto" in Dark Blue I swore "Never Again" would I knit a large project in Dark Colors! It made me Cross Eyed trying to see it at night. I spent too much time fixing mistakes by daylight.


This Shawl is a gift for a Lovely, Tall, Blond Lady and I am making some changes to compliment to her size and coloring. So I chose this"Sapphire Blue" which will be wonderful with her blue eyes and fair skin.. The Pattern calls for 2 skeins of "Geisha" by Blue Moon Fiber Arts for the larger size shawl. There will be approximately 1/2 skein left over. So I intend to increase one pattern repeat in each direction to add length to the Shawl.


When you look at the yarn and the knitted piece there is a variation in color that does not show here in these pictures. It reminds me of waves of Tropical Blue Waters, the Caribbean. What is missing? Oh the sparkling foam! Well we can just add that in with ...........BEADS!


Yes, I am out of my Freaking Mind! (never say never)


I have added them in at the end of pattern repeats so it looks like sparkling waves with white foamy edges. It is sort of random but it gives the effect I am looking for and does not add too much extra weight to the shawl. I don't want to change the way it hangs. I will be sure to pin it out so the pattern and beads show for the next set of pictures.

I think this calls for a new name.....Any suggestions?

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sherylg1/simurgh

The Concerto KAL

   In the last post I mentioned I joined a KAL to learn about Knitting Lace and working from Charts. The group was "Yarnfeathers" and I found it on Ravelry.

  The Pattern was written by De-De Heater who is a very talented, generous Knitter /Teacher. The name of the pattern is "Concerto" and has 7 sections. Each section has a different pattern of lace, and teaches something new. There is a chart, written pattern directions, and a tutorial with tips and tricks used by experienced knitters which are not usually written into directions.

  I fought with it at first. I was use to mindless knitting. I would knit and watch "Dancing with the Stars" at the same time. NOT while knitting lace! Not when you are too tired! Not with slippery yarn and Nickel Plated needles! I learned about "life Lines" which I really don't care for, and had to get used to using stitch markers again. I wanted a challange.......I got one. After one trip to the Frog Pond, and changing needle sizes I got it all together. So much so that I could not wait for the next weeks section.
  So I started another one. The second Stole is knit in a yarn by Blue Moon Fiber Arts, called Geisha. It's Kidmo/Silk Blend and wonderful to work with. I usually can't stand Mohair but this is so soft to the skin and just Luscious! These were Great Presents and lead to Sarah's Scarf which was my opening post.

After all I learned on this KAL I felt like I could take on almost anything. I keep reading several lace kniting lists to learn more. Wait until you see what my Next big project is. You won't believe it. I can't believe I had the Nerve to take it on!

Coming soon...."Simurgh."

So We Start!

   I thought it woud nice to start with "Sarah's Scarf"  since it was my favorite New piece. I had taken on the challange of learning to knit Lace AND work from a Chart, not a Written Pattern. I joined a KAL and learned an amazing amount. (more about that later). But not enough to realize what I was getting myself into when I dreamed up this Scarf!

   "The Plan" was to take a section of the Stole learned on the KAL and use it to make the whole scarf. It would be 2 skeins of yarn, Malabrgo Lace, and knit in one direction until the ball was gone. Then remove the temporary cast on and knit in the other direction until the other ball of yarn was gone. It sounds so simple dosen't it? It always starts out that way. As the scarf progressed I had conversations with my other daughter about scarves with beads. I had never used beads in knitting before, "Why not add a few to this scarf? it shouldn't be that hard."


   So I ran myself right out to JoAnns Fabrics to find beads the next day. The beads all looked So Big!  "I like these shinny little 11/0 seed beads and they won't overwhelm the knitting!" I didn't realize they would be so hard to put on, or see!  So I went home and dug out the #16 Steel Crochet Hook that was passed down to me and went to work. Where to place them? How Long it took to place them......... One Friggin Bead at a time really slows down the Whole Process! So in my new found wisdome I chose to place them every other section in random patterns. You could only see them as a small flash in the right light anyway.

  Then I ordered 8/0 seed beads in 2 other colors. As light weight as the lace material was turning out to be I wanted to add some weight at the ends. I get so carried away I don't ever do things the easy way.  I was able to use a larger crochet hook but it did not take any less time. I beaded a section in the lighter color, skipped a section, and then beaded in the darker color. Whew! I was finally getting close to the end of the ball of yarn! Then what do I do at the end? I did not have an edging in mind. "Oh I will do a beaded edging!" I am so Brilliant, not. The heavily beaded piece you see in the picture is the edging. I was so relieved to be done with it. It was so Tedious. "Thank God It's Done!"

   Then I remembered I had the Other Half to do!! Did I mention this was a Chrismas Present and I only had a coulpe of weeks to finish almost 4 feet of Lace and Beading so it could be washed, blocked, dried, and shipped  in time to get to California? Oh and to work the Christmas rush  too........  When I was finished there was 16 in. by over 8 ft. of Beaded Lace Beauty! I hope she loves it because I will never do that again.  LOLOLOL so I said then. I am such a Glutton for punishment.


WEDNESDAY 1/13/10
Full Circle..............Family


  When my son was young he had "Severe Chronic Asthma". Which means he had severe Allergic Reactions to many things made worse by emotion (getting scared because you can't breath). He would turn Blue at the drop of a hat. We became very close he and I, spending all that time in emergency rooms and learning how to deal with it together. We put together a "Mini Emergency Room" in our bathroom with a Stethoscope, Peak Flow Meter, Ultrasonic Nebulizer, and Epi Pens. Not to mention all the drugs he had to take and the side effects.

  He survived, grew up, went to college, earned two degrees, got married, and has a 7 month old baby of his own now. My son takes very few Asthma Medications these days, all preventative and has a good quality of life. He still keeps the Nebulizer in the house, because when he dose gets sick, it settles in his lungs. The little shit.  Ahem........Young Man, even smokes cigarettes now and still breaths. Harmones are an amazing thing. Puberty made all the difference in the world.ON To The Point!

  My Grandson Max was very sick yesterday and so was his mother. My Son took the baby to the Doctor. Max has a virus that setteled into his lungs, and two ear infections. My son sent me a picture from his iPhone showing Max chewing on the mouth piece of the Nubulizer. I can't tell you what it did to my heart. I was glad he was teething and wanted chew on the mouth piece. It is So Hard to Nebulize a baby! (inhailed medication vapor) He did get a great deal of relief and I am so glad they have the Nebulizer in the house. Being able to use it at home will keep him so much more comfortable."Full Circle."

  So the only thing to do was to make a big batch of his Grandmothers Chicken Soup."Jewish Penicillin." I talked him through the process and he made extra carrots to put in a blender with Chicken, Matzo Ball (soft dumpling) and Broth to make a meal for Max."Full Circle".It makes me wonder How Many Circles? My mother in law went through same thing with my husband. I now know how "She" felt when it was "My Son" and "Her Grandson".........and she taught me how to make "Jewish Penicillin."

Labels: family