On the Brink of a Snowstorm

This has got to be one of the most difficult times of the year... We anticipate spring, we begin to see the early signs of it, then we receive a setback. A snowstorm is headed our way. Although there is no mistaking the beauty of freshly fallen snow, it reminds us that winter still has to stay it's course. I finished my very first KAL. It was lots of fun. I didn't exactly stay on schedule, but the advantage of the line by line directions is that it is easy to catch up. I like to use smaller sized needles - and for this cloth I used No. 5s. Andi, our group's moderator is so good at reminding all of our members not to post secrets to the dishcloth's design until the very end. Thank you so much Andi! It takes an incredible amount of work to lead a group such as this and her work is so appreciated! My current projects include a tic-tac-toe pattern cloth, a Mason Dixon Cloth (of which I am needing help on to proceed) and a simple rib-stitch scarf. Which will be finished first??? We will have to wait and see. We just purchased my daughters Junior Prom dress. Why didn't anyone ever warn me how expensive these dresses can be???? The event is at the end of April, but as most mom's of juniors know, the dress shopping begins so much earlier. Soon I am going to have to add something to my blog to drive in a little traffic. Any ideas? Something to add a little excitement and more visitors. I will have to give it some thought. By-the-way... did you watch Idol this week??? I can't believe that Antonella made it through! Oh, boy. I sort of felt sorry for the girl. Until next time, be well and may God pour out His blessings on you and your families. ...

On the Upswing

I absolutely love it - when now in the early mornig hours I can begin to see daylight tiptoe in earlier each day. It gives a mom a reason to hope~ I am progressing on my group KAL. My first that I will complete. I have been mostly lurking on the groups previous cloths. I ran behind the first few days of this KAL but managed to catch up last night. I looks great - although is a bit smaller than I have made in the past. I must be creating jumbo dishcloths! No wonder it takes me so darn long to finish them! The kids say that Nana can finish one in an hour! Hmmm... I must need lots of practice! One of my goals would be to have the ability to knit and read my Bible simultaneously. Guess I have a ways to go. I have a cottage kitchen. These cloths are really perfect for my taste. Although I must admit that it took me a day or two to get used to washing my dishes with a "sweater". All is good now though! I even began a stash for my new cloths. I will reserve the select pieces for gifts. Of course they need to be given to the right person, for it is not everyone that appreciates a knit dishcloth. It only took me 18 years to see the beauty in them! :) The other current project now on needle is the cloth from Mason Dixon. I am stumped on the first bobble. I need to drop a note to the girls on the board today... I will let you know if I can decipher things from that point... Be back later. For now: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths. Proverbs: 5-6  ...

Bag Lady

I am so excited! We received our Marucca order in at the shop. I was hoping that the large, new style bag would fit my needs for knitting and it is perfect! The new pattern, color and style of the bag is just right for me. It has a bottom which supports itself, is roomy and has the right length straps, too. I use the little accessory bag for my tip protectors, scissors, row counter, stitch markers and other knitting paraphernalia.  Today starts the midmonth knit along with my group. I hope that I can keep up! It doesn't sound like much when we simply need to knit only 9 or so rows a day, but, they pile up if I get behind. I began knitting a round cloth from Mason Dixon. I am stuck on the first bobble. I will have to research it before moving ahead. I just might have to ask the girls in my group. They are so helpful to all of us novices. Thanks girls! ;)  ...

Getting side-stitched

Ok, so I can tend to get side (tracked) stitched. I will admit that I have ADD, but I still think that it is a personality trait and NOT a disorder!   On my needles right now I have three different projects going. This is great for sidestepping the yarn color boredom that sometimes sets in. Having said this, I am sure that most knitters have a few or more projects going on simultaneously. Does this conclude that most knitters are ADD positive? I think not.   I have decided to put up a few graphics now and then for you to "borrow". If there is something in particular that you would like me to create for you - ask!   Until later... keep knitting. ...

Loosen Up A Little!

I finally finished my Lace Heart Cloth. My problem with this dishcloth was simply that I needed to loosen up my knitting! I am a tight knitter and I use bamboo needles, which makes the stitching on this cloth a bit more of a challenge (for a newbie knitter). As soon as I relaxed my grip - I found this cloth easier to work on. What type of needles do you prefer to knit with? I love bamboo. They have the perfect balance of flexibility and firmness. Since I am an artist and often work with paint brushes, perhaps a similarity exists with the feel of bamboo needles and my brushes. I have seen many knitters knit these dishcloths on circular needles. I intend on trying them out soon. In the distant future, I hope to try my hand at designing a dish cloth. I need a lot more work on my stitches first! I have been knitting now for approximately one month. Here are some things that I have learned: Long tail cast on works best for me. I like to work the tail in on the first several stitches of the first knitted row. (Unless the tail will be used for a seam) I like the even edges that is created by slipping the first stitch in every row. I prefer Bamboo needles. Aluminum needles are too slippery and I do not like the sound! Acrylic needles are too stiff. Plastic needles are too mushy. I prefer Lion or Peaches and Cream yarns. Sugar and Cream yarn has terrific colors but the yarn tends to split and unravel too easily. I use my dishcloths! They have a way of brightening an entire kitchen! A little bit of kitty fur never hurts anything. "Angora" cloths are nice! I will soon be trying out Cotton Tots yarn. I have found that there is a severe lack of cotton yarns on the market. I would love to hear what brands of yarns you use. Here is a sample of some of the personalized note cards that I create.   Have a lovely day and thank you so much for visiting! ...

Monday and frigidly cold!

Good Monday morning. We woke up today and found that school had been cancelled because of the cold. My daughter, who is a junior in high school was disappointed - she loves school. I decided to let my eighth grade son sleep. We all had a busy weekend. A high school dance on Saturday night, a trip to market to buy merchandise for my shop and the Super Bowl on top of it. The day off will be welcomed by me. AND, another day to knit.

I was being challenged by the lace heart cloth that I had been working on - so I decided to take a short break and work on something else. I chose the "Infamous" Darrell Waltrip Cloth" which can be found here. As a rule, I do not like working with variegated yarn. I simply am a solid color person. This cloth turned out nicely though! I used number 5 needles - as I prefer smaller stitches. This cloth used a lot of yarn and is very dense! For the first time, I tried (the new-to-me) slipping the first stitch of every row. It really cleaned up the edges beautifully! I was very pleased. I am going to continue with this method.

My son sleeps on!

My knit along cloth is also progressing nicely. I will not let you in on the theme yet - but it is a perfect cloth for February. Thank you Andi, for doing such a great job moderating this group!

I had to clean my house (at least downstairs) in preparation for my dinner guests on Saturday evening. What a perfect time this would be to begin organizing! This is an area where I am sadly deficient. I would even call my deficiency a disability. I need to count on the Lord to help me in this area!

I am an artist. I love working with Illustrator. To knit - and to begin learning this fine art from the very bottom - is indeed a challenge.

Have a blessed day!