Absent from the Blog

I’ve been absent. Not from the computer, just from my blogs. I apologize, but it might continue. I’m on facebook. Addicted? Oh, probably, but it’s offered a new and interesting way to catch up with people in my life. People I haven’t seen for years, and people I see ever Sunday. It’s been awesome, but by hanging out there, I know I’ve been missing some of my readers here. If you are interested in ‘joining’ me over at facebook, leave a message. I’ve been busy with the Center for Pregnancy Choices. It’s officially open. Paperwork, knitting, everything is pretty much geared towards that the past few months. This will probably continue to be. I’m volunteering there around 12 to 15 hours a week. Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. It’s been 11 years since I’ve had a job outside the home, and they aren’t used to sharing me with the rest of the world. So far it’s going okay, but it’s new and interesting. I’m still knitting, mostly baby items to use up my stash yarn, with the hope that I can use all that lace weight yarn I have hiding in my closet, soon. I’m also spinning yarn on a borrowed spinning wheel and loving it. It really slows down my mind and helps me think clearly. I love starting my day with a good spinning session!

So… I’ll be around, k?

Help the Center for Pregnancy Choices get a website! Please Vote!

I’m not one that usually does these type of things, but this is a wonderful opportunity for our Center. We are quickly approaching our launch day of Jan 22nd, 2009, the anniversary of Roe vs Wade. We choose this day for many reasons, one to reclaim it for the mission of sanctity of life.

Our center is called the Center for Pregnancy Choices, is 100% pro-life, education and support and right now has a great opportunity for a free website. We are in the finalist and just need enough votes to ‘win’ On the website below you can read a bit about the 3 choices and cast your vote. Of course I’d love if it was for our center, but all three do seem to have a wonderful chance to help many people.

Thanks!
http://mediaoutreach.com/?page_id=701

Still Knitting

I’m still knitting, although been icky feeling past few days. I really don’t have anything cool to show you and might not for the next few weeks. My knitting comprises of the Market Bags (pattern coming eventually, I promise) and Star Dishcloth/booties for the Craft fair in November. I’m trying to do one project a day, and other than yesterday I am keeping on track.

I think I’ll cast on another sweater for Marissa though later today, so I have something other than cotton yarn, bags and booties to knit. You can get bored knitting the same 14 stitches over and over again sometimes.

Been writing more on my other blog, Arms Wide and Heart Abandoned in the mean time.

Another Blog

I’ve told a few of my readers about my idea of starting another blog. This blog, Pieceful Creations, is craft driven, and I usually only post on here when I have something to say about one of my finished objects.

Over the years, I’ve felt like I needed to keep it craft centered. I figure most people really don’t want to get to know me past that (not that there is much probably to get to know)So, some months there is more here than other months. It matters what and how much I’m knitting.

But once upon a time, I used to be a writer. My greatest avenue of self discovery and emotional release was through writing, and this year, of all years, my soul has really been crying out for me to write again. I’m SO out of habit though. It’s a way of expression that my heart wants to travel, but the words fail me…

I didn’t want to bore those that come to this blog with my emotional scrabble, so I figured I’ll start another blog. For those that just here for the crafts, Stay here! You don’t have to leap over there and read anything. If you want to know more about me, you can skip a few visits to the new blog once in a while. It won’t be a safe place for you to visit, if you don’t want to get to know me. I could very well offend some of my readers some days, especially when I express certain frustrations I might have living where I do… just a warning.  It’s not that I don’t love my friends who are here in this valley, I do, and if I write anything over there that upsets or distances you, please let me know… But, it’s me, you’ll read over there.  About the me, you might not see at knitters night…

The name of the blog is Arms Wide and Heart Abandoned

http://utahdove.wordpress.com

A Knitting Retreat

This past weekend I was at the yearly Yarn Today Knitting retreat held in Logan, Utah. It was my first time there. I had the opportunity to teach a Chart Reading and Lace Knitting class. I was told my class went very well, but I hardly remember it. Got to love adrenaline. I was quite tired after the retreat, but had great fun. Here’s some pictures of what I got from it, and what projects I completed from it. Of course I didn’t take as many pictures as I should have! And didn’t get any permission to post peoples pictures to the blog, so they will just be object pictures.

Double Knit Class - Taught By Rita

My Finished Wash Cloth (Cotton)

Double Knit (Other Side)

My Knitting Class

The Clog Class - Taught by Brenda - with Mucho Yarn

Marissa Clogs - Pre-Felted

Marissa Clogs - Post Felted and Drying

Many Free Patterns

More Goodies - The Free Needles

Beautiful Kit I won - Silk!

Books, Patterns, Leaflets

2 Free Bags. I love them both

Me after Retreat - Tired and Voiceless - Was Fun!

Stars and Sweaters

Trying to get out of doing my class homework (the workbook is up to 30 pages so far) I’ve been knitting on the side. I bought some yarn at Kings when I was on my cotton yarn hunt in town. It’s the red heart version of dishcloth cotton (creme dela creame or something like that) It’s much thinner than SNC or PNC and has knots in the skein. I did a few bags out of it, but it really looks different so I wanted to try and find a pattern that I could use the various length of yarn (knot free). I found a star dishcloth, and a bootie pattern on Rav.

I’ve changed them both a bit since these pictures. The booties have k2tog decreases. I’ve changed them to paired k2tog/ssk and on the purl side p2tog, and p2togtbl. I also do provisional cast ons for both projects and do a Kitchener (in garter stitch purl, knit, knit purl instead of knit, purl purl knit) to do most of the seaming. Also added a few rounds of plain st st to the booties before starting the top edges. And only cast on 14 stitches for the dishcloth. It’s true. I can’t do a pattern with out changing it.

Patterns: (Rav links of course)

Starfish Cloth

Becky’s Baby Booties
Last night I started a T-Top Sweater

I had to change the construction. I casted on with a provisional cast on the total amount of stitches I wanted with the sleeves. Then I knitted for about 4 inches then I knitted to the middleish section, casted off some stitches, finished the row. On the next row I knitted to the middleish section, re-casted on the stitches (thus the neckline) and went to the end of row. Then I knitted 4 more inchs. I then graphed the bottom of the arms together, and picked up the remaining stitches and knitted in the round to the bottom, finishing in a rib pattern.  It went so fast. I started it before dinner last night and ended it around midnight last night.

And it fits Marissa! But she won’t sit still in it to get a good picture. The neck edging might be a bit big… but she has a cute neck and shoulders that i think the drop shoulder look is sweet.

Going to the Market

As of today, I have 22 Marketbags finished for the charity tables that will be at Novemberfest in Logan. The charity is: The Center for Pregnancy Choices, which we still hope will open its much needed doors this month.

I love the different colors of Cotton yarn these days. They vary greatly from brand to brand, and they all have cute names.

From top to bottom, left to right we have

• French Country (blue/yellow)
• Old Blue Jeans (Blues)
• Pretty Pastels (light blues/purples)
• Desert Rising (sunset colors)
• Key Lime Pie (greens)
• Terra Firma (dark browns)
• Earth Ombre (grey/browns)
• Painted desert (Red/blue/browns)
• Early American (red/whtie/blue)
• Tropical Mist (yellow/pink/blues)
• Swimming Pool (teals)
• Strawberry (pinks)
• Candy Store (variety)
• Pink Lilacs (pink/purple)
• Jewels (blues/purples)
• Orange Sherbt (orange)
• Violet Stripes (purple/green/blues)
• Summer Splash (green/blue)
• Chocolate (browns)
• Winter Berry (muted blues/purples)
• Bowl of Cherries (reds)
• Mountain Forest (greens)

Soup Weather

I love Autumn lately.  The brisk cool air is such soup weather.

The funnest part of soup is experimenting. This one my son named “Antique Artifact Soup’ because he said the wacky pasta looked like something you’d excavate.

Let’s see what’s in it. It was definitely one of those “go to the pantry and see what you have” soup. It started with Wacky Pasta, this bag of multi colored and multi shaped pasta. Add a few cans of chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, veg all, real potatoes, half and half, chicken breasts, lots of seasonings, and you have a yummy homemade creamy heart-killing but tummy warming soup!

I finished my baby sweater. The 6 month size is 3T when I knit it. Alas, guage you are not a friendly master.

I’m to lazy to relink the pattern, so look 2 posts down for the info! I had to fudge the ending a bit because I really ran out of yarn… but I think it is okay.  Will be a few years before I get a picture with Marissa wearing it though.

Pattern Release: Pieceful Creations Lace Stole

A few years ago, I didn’t know how much I would enjoy knitting lace. It’s not so much I had a fear of charts, but I was in open rebellion against them. But then Mim of Mimknits.com started designing some beautiful, chart only patterns.  If I wanted to knit those I would have to learn charts. (It didn’t help that I often saw the real life shawls in person, when she lived still in my small Mountain Valley) She was and continues to be an inspiration. I love her patterns

So, I sat down and learned to read, understand and knit charts. Lace caught hold of my heart and I haven’t turned back.  This month, I have the chance to teach others, what Mim shared with me. The open window of great opportunity.  Learning to read, understand and knit charts.

This is the stole pattern that I will be teaching in the class, but I wanted to offer it for those who will not be able to attend. Enjoy

Pattern Release:

Pieceful Creations Lace Stole

• Craft: Knitting
• Type: Shawl/Wrap/Stole
• Published: September 2008
• Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece 215 yards [4 skeins of Driftwood]
• Yardage 800 – 850 yards
• Size shown 24 inch by 77 inch
• Needles: Size 4 (or size appropriate for your yarn)

The Pieceful Creations Lace Stole is a journey in sample lace knitting. Different lace patterns are spaced between a filler pattern to provide an enjoyable and distinctive knitted shawl.

Many of these patterns can be used to create their own separate knitted pieces, but when combined together create a beautiful visual display of different lace stitches, framed in a charming floral border.

Fully Charted – 17 page pattern – English – Highly adaptable

PDF instant download.

This pattern is available for $5.50. (paypal)

Stripes

I worked a bit today, got 5 pages of my new pattern ready. Still lots to go, but I figured I better start working on it!

I’ve been knitting market bags like crazy. I’m up to around 20. I’ll take a picture of all of them laid out this weekend. Still lots to go, around 30 plus at least. I have til Thanksgiving Day to get them done. Plenty of time…. I hope….

To take a break from lace knitting (have 2 shawls on the needles) I decided to dig through my stash and see if I had any yarn to make this: Phazelia’s Mitered Baby Jacket (Rav Link)

I really wanted a self striping sock yarn, but I didn’t have any good candidates. Then I realized I had a bag of yarn that was the left overs from a future publish Knit Pick Test Knit I did in June:

So i’ve casted on. Using the Random Stripe Generator I put in the 6 colors, with 4 rows each and let it splurt out a random arrangement of stripes. This is what I have so far:

I’m digging it so far! I have no clue how big it will be (yeah I could measure Gauge but usually I’m wrong.. it will be a surprise…) If it fits my Marissa -yipee. If it is smaller, it will probably be a Christmas present for an soon to be born niece. If it’s bigger… umm.. hmm we’ll have to see how big it is.

So, my baby is growing up. (/cry) She’s getting so big. We’ve been trying to take her bottles away from her, but somehow she found a super-size machine and made one of her bottles Big. (just kidding)

I’ve been waiting to dress her in the below outfit all summer. It was just a tad bit chilly (barely) the other day on our walk so I got to put it on her. I think she liked it and even modeled a bit for me!

(yes I have 3 other children. Someday I’ll show you their pictures, but well, they aren’t hanging out with me 100% of the day… it’s hard to remember to take pictures of them)