Jeez What a Week!

Saturday was my meeting with the Algonquin spinning and weaving guild. On the way down to it my truck started making intermittent grinding noises. At the meeting some of us learned to operate a 1800's sock knitting machine. At first it was a bit daunting, but we got the hang of it. Now we can fill in at festivals and help demonstrate the machine. On the way home my truck seemed OK until I turned onto route 43 then all hell broke loose. It started grinding ,banging and it sounded like the whole front was coming off. Well as my Dad would say " to make a long story short" it was a wheel bearing in the front hub and it was my tire that was falling off.
Now if all that wasn't exciting enough I spent the morning in the urgicare because I have Pink eye. I will be contagious for 24 more hours.

SPINNING
The blue beast has been spun and I have plied 2 balls of yarn. I have 2 more full spindels and one half spindle that I plan to mix with some white.


KNITTING
I finished the sailboat washcloth.


I also took the two pumpkin hats I knitted to the guild to see if they OK for them. They thought that they were great, so I guess I will make some more.
At the guild meeting I bought a pound of a white and maroon wool from Liz. Oooo it looks so pretty.

SOCK LOOM
Yep, I started the second sock. It's hard to focus with only one good eye.



Here is a picture of Daisy because she is cute.

One down and one to go.

It's hard to believe that a week has gone by. I have to say that a lot got accomplished.

Amy came over on Sat. and we went to the little knitting shop by me. She had never been there before. We both bought some sock yarn and a hand died yarn that is woven in a dish cloth looking thing. When your ready to knit you unravel the corner and knit away. From the sample they had at the store it had a crinkle look and the pattern will be a mystery. I bought a small flower loom ( To make the bug on) and a tape measure that looks like a lamb. It's very high on the cute scale. I now have the color for the next couple pairs of socks, but first I have to finish the pair I,m working on.

Things finished this week; I finished one sock that was on the sock loom. YEAH! my first sock and it even fits. Almost had a disaster when I dropped a stitch 4 rows from the end. Thank goodness I was able to grab it and weave it in. I think I would have cried if I would have had to rip it out and start all over again. One down and one to go.



I saw a pattern for a love bug and since it was a few days to Valentine's day I went ahead and made it. The body and head were made on a small flower loom. I use a pink and white yarn. I've got to say that it looked more like a wiener warmer than a bug. It got even worse when I started to stuff it. It looks like a bug and I guess it's OK. After I had finished I remembered I don't like knitted toys. So far I still don't.


Another project that I finished was a latch hook pillow that had been sitting around for a year. It took me 2 days to finish it. I've already picked out the pillow fabric out of my stash and am ready to make it into a pillow.



In Progress

I casted on a wash cloth that has a sailboat picture on it. I wish when I decided to learn to knit that I did a mess of wash cloths first. For me it is a good way to work on technique and how to read and understand patterns.



My unfinished project I've selected is a cross stitch we got when we visited Mystic Seaport. It sat around the house for 5 years then I started it. I put it down and it laid forgotten for another year or so. Starting it once more I think I know why I lost interest in it. The fabric is a small stitch count and is hard for me to see. I have been stitching it under a magnifying glass and light combo. So far so good. This project should take me a while because there is a lot to do.


I am still spinning to blue wool or the blue beast as I call it. After this spindle I will ply some on them. I did get a book for the library 25 Gorgeous sweaters for the beginning knitter and I found several in there that I would like to do. One of those will be made form the blue beast.

Sleepless nights

So, while laying awake the last few nights my mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts on the projects I was working on , things I wanted to start, and I realized I have all kinds of projects started and never finished. I've noticed I like to learn new crafts go like crazy on them until the next one comes along. That said my crafting covers a very wide gambit. I also realized that I tend to give a lot away without any record of what I made. Hopefully this will take care of that by posting pictures of what I made. My hope for this year is to finish what I start before starting something else, and try to finish a bunch of projects already started.


OOPS!
After knitting for almost a year my husband Bob (who learned a few weeks ago) pointed out that I was knitting wrong. WHAT! He showed me a video on you tube and he was right.
GREAT NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO ABOUT THE AFGHAN I'M KNITTING. It is made in strips and I have finished 3 1/2 out of the 7. I started this project because it taught me purling (p), knit two together (k2tog), and yarn over (YO). Working in strips meant that I didn't have to handle a large number of stitches on the needles. The yarn was recycled yarn from an afghan my daughter Amy had made. It was too heavy for the yarn used and pulled apart. She and I took it apart and balled up the yarn. I'm thinking that because it is a beginning project I might start knitting the right way from where I left off on the strip and see how noticeable it is. If it looks bad then I might have to start that piece again. More on that later.

KNITTING
Now I needed a small project to learn to knit the correct way. I went on line and found a easy beginner dishcloth to make. This was the perfect project for me. It consisted of the knit stitch, purl stitch, knit 2 together, and yarn over every thing that I already knew how to do. It went fast and in a couple of days I had a completed dish cloth, so I made another one. I liked making them so much I have several others planned.





SPINNING WHEEL
On my wheel I have the denim blue wool that I got from a member of the guild that was cleaning out their stash and selling it at the meetings. I will have to ask he what exactly what it is. I have completed 2 bobbling and part of a third. I would dearly love to make a sweater out of it, but I'm not ready to do that yet.





LOOMS
I put a plural here because a have a bunch of looms. I have a set of long looms (including one that is hand made)for making scarfs, A set of circular looms for making hats, a sock loom given to me as a Christmas present from Amy,a spool loom that makes belts, purse handles etc. and a Ridged Heddle loom that make cloth up to 36 inches.
On the sock loom I'm currently working on a sock. I am almost up to starting the toe. I had to rip out the first one,because when I got to the heel I dropped a stitch and it ran like a snag in a stocking. I could,'t figure how to put it back up through the sock, so I had to start over.


UFO'S (Un-finished objects)
I have a sailboat latch hook pillow started and I thing that will be the first UFO to complete.