Juggling three knitting projects!

Compared to my mom, I feel pretty pathetic now. Here she is, managing her household (upside-down though it may be right now), working on her knitting projects, blogging, AND making the meals. So, here I am...back in blogland once more. I have been faithfully working on my knitting lately, and they are really moving right along! I finally got my order from Ram Wools and it was so exciting! I got Patons Kroy Jacquard self patterning.


So, I am using the brown/blue/cream yarn for a pair of knee socks for Levi, and I will be using the red for a pair for Kelsey. We bought Sock Wizard software and I used it to generate my pattern. It's so great!

I am knitting these socks 2 at a time on circular needles and I love doing that. It really prevents those one-sock-blues :)






I am also in the middle of my stole, I really hope I will have enough yarn to finish it to the length I want. I am looking for about 5 1/2 feet so we'll see! I am keeping my fingers crossed, and will keep updating online.


Project number three is an afghan for a friend of mine. I have been forbidden to post pictures of it online, but you can see it by clicking here. It getting pretty big and I have discovered the joys and perils of knitting something so large and warm. On a cool evening it's great, but in the heat of the day it's not so great :)

I have gotten the photo book that I ordered from Shutterfly. It's 20 pages of Bailey pictures and I love how it turned out! It would normally have been about $30 and after getting this one, I would do it again! It's bound just like a really hardcover book and the pictures look great!

I am off to continue working on one of my three WIP's. Wish me luck!

Update on knitting projects & remodeling

Sorry that it's been so long since I have posted, we have been hopping over here at the Thornton Household. My uncle came up from Arkansas to work on some remodeling we wanted done in our house. It's going to be great when it's all done, but in the meantime it just makes a huge mess! I have been working on my stole as often as I can invent an excuse to sit down and grab it :) I have had to frog it 3 times, but I finally got the hang of this lace pattern and now it's flying along. I will be posting pictures soon, when I get enough done to actually give you an idea of what it's supposed to look like (and when I can find the camera amidst everything). I got some yarn the other day in Nashville for my rogue hoodie pattern and I can't wait to start that! Of course, now that I am already (selfishly) working on something for me, I think it will be awhile before I start it. I found out last night that my little ballerina sister wants some leg warmers for Christmas. She wants them thigh-high in that classic ballet pink color. I don't think it will be too difficult (especially since she's a short little thing), and I know she will love them. She also wants a wrap around sweater in that same pink, so I think I will put some other colorful project between those two. You can only take so much pink at once, lol. I am still waiting on my self-patterning sock yarn from Ram Wools and I am really looking forward to making socks out of that! I've never done anything with that kind of yarn and it's so exciting!

Of mowing and stitch marker creation

Mowing is something that isn't usually very fun. It's hot, sticky, and you get grass clippings all over yourself, and its very loud. Yesterday, my sister Aubrey and I did the mowing together. We now have 2 mowers, one is a very agile Dixon and one is a very not agile Cub Cadet. So, Aubrey zipped around all the trees and shrubbery with the Dixon and I plodded around and around on the Cub Cadet. It was my first time driving it, and it's so cool! It even has cruise control! actually had a pretty good time with us working on it together and as you can see, the yard looks great! It was very rewarding :) This is the view from our front porch, and that's Levi there in the corner. This is approximately 1/4 of the yard.



Today I worked on making some beaded stitch markers for my mom. I am actually really proud of how well they turned out, even though I wasn't able to do as many as I wanted to. We have seen the beautiful stitch markers that June has, and I was inspired to try some myself. I looked online at all the different methods that people have used to make these, and finally settled on using the circular side of a plain toggle clasp. It worked perfectly, and I think they will safely fit all the needle sizes that we use. So, I feel that the past two days has been pretty productive for me!

Knitting through time and space

There has been a warp in the time-space continuum of my knitting universe. Is there a penalty for bumping knitting projects up in your queue 3, 4, or 5 places? :) I sincerely hope not because, as you are about to read, I would be in big trouble!

You know that purple Shapely Tank that I was working on? I decided that I was displeased with it and not even enjoying working on it anymore so...out it went! So, then I thought, I will start working on that pair of socks for Levi. As I am knitting along happily on the gauge, I was talking to Levi about what he would want in a pair of homemade socks. Turns out he wanted something colorful with stripes, of course- something I have none of! I then decided to go online and I ordered enough yarn to make 4 different pairs of socks: 2 skeins each of the 4 different colors of Kroy Jacquard (Patons) from Ram Wools. While I am waiting for that order to arrive, I think to myself, I will start that hooded sweater pattern that's in my queue! I have been wanting to do that for so long now and I got really excited about it. I bought some purple yarn from a store in Cincinnati recently just for this pattern, so I begin to whip up the gauge. About this time, I thought to look at the pattern and check the yardage requirements-I have 1200 yards...the pattern calls for 1500!! ARGH!

SOOOO...The only thing left on my queue that I could do (without going to buy new yarn) is a stole :) And, I couldn't possible be without a knitting project right now! I could never show my face in polite society again! ;) So I have now taken that same yarn that was intended for the hoodie and am making myself a stole. I knew I would get to that stole, but I didn't know it would be this soon! I took a pattern for a scarf from the Little Box of Scarves by Melissa Matthay and Sheryl Thies. I chose the fern lace wrap pattern and am making it about 3 times as wide as the scarf pattern. I am 2 rows into the pattern and it is turning out very beautifully.

I also bought some yarn today to work on that lap afghan. So, I will be doing those at the same time, I think I will take the afghan to knitting night at B&N because I am planning on doing it plain garter stitch. That will be so easy! No interruptions from chatting!

As far as my spinning, I think I will use that merino for a scarf for myself. I have chosen one, but I might see something I like better between now and then. Who knows, that might not be too far away! :)

I have found a blog that has inspired me to add SEVERAL more things to my knitting queue. I don't even know if anyone needs these items, but who cares! You have to go check out Brooklyn Tweed- Especially if you are a fan of Elizabeth Zimmerman. I am just in awe of all his completed projects and have to have a Tomten Jacket just like his! My mom introduced me to EZ's patterns and we both love her. We went to knitting camp in 2002 and fell in love with her daughter, Meg Swansen, as well.

Great Perseids: Meteor Shower on August 12th

I get updates from NASA Science News in my email every so often and this seemed like one to share. I love meteor showers and will definitely be out there on the 12th!

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Got a calendar? Circle this date: Sunday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "all night" and "Meteors!" Attach the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2007 Perseid meteor shower.

"It's going to be a great show," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Moon is new on August 12th--which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors." How many? Cooke estimates one or two Perseids per minute at the shower's peak.

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, the comet's tail does intersect Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a smidgen of dust makes a vivid streak of light--a meteor--when it disintegrates. Because Swift-Tuttle's meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live.

The show begins between 9:00 and 10:00 pm on Sunday, August 12th, when Perseus rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping the surface of a pond.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these--"at most"--but seeing even one makes the long night worthwhile.

As the night unfolds, Perseus climbs higher and the meteor rate will increase many-fold. "By 2 am on Monday morning, August 13th, dozens of Perseids may be flitting across the sky every hour." The crescendo comes before dawn when rates could exceed a meteor a minute.

For maximum effect, Cooke advises, "get away from city lights." The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.

Knitting,spinning dogs, and life

This is my puppy, Bailey Marie, a blue merle sheltie. As you can probably see, one of her eyes is blue. Isn't she beautiful?! She's 7 moths old now and I don't know what life would be like without her :) She's everything I always wanted in a dog- loyal to a fault, (she ran alongside my dad's truck tonight when she saw that I was in the back) sweet and loving, affectionate and very happy. Pets make life all that much better! Oh, and Bailey enjoys my spinning as well ;)



As I mentioned in my last post, I am a member of Dogster. I have thoroughly enjoyed that and they just recently sent me an email informing me that I had a special offer from Shutterfly, who has recently teamed up with Dogster. Anyway, they gave me a free 8.5" x 11", 20 page photo book for free since I have been a member with Dosgter since before June of this year. I have been working on compiling all my photos of Bailey and arranging them in this book. They give you all different kinds of backgrounds, layouts, and options to add text and captions. It's so awesome! So, I am almost done with it and I just have a few more pics to add...I will keep you updated on this (although it is probably not exciting to anyone but me, lol).

Today was my sister, Kelsey's ninth birthday and we all had a very good time. We have a family tradition that the birthday girl (or boy) gets to choose their birthday dinner. Kelsey chose sauteed vegetables and fresh corn. We had a dessert of oreo pie and ice cream :)


My knitting projects are frustrating me right now. I am about 3/4 of the way done with my shapely tank, but I ran out of yarn. So off we go to Hobby Lobby to get some more, and, of course, the dye lot was a teeny bit off. My brilliant mother gave me the idea to change the pattern of the top half of my tank to disguise the yarn color change, and it IS working! The only drawback is that I am doing a seed stitch now, and that takes me about twice as long to knit, lol. Anyway, I am STILL working on that and I am so ready to be done with it. I mentioned before about the pair of Christmas socks I also have on the needles, but to be perfectly honest, I still haven't officially casted on for those. Tuesday night, at our knitting group, I did a gauge swatch. Then I realized that I should've done my swatch in the round...so I took it all out and started again. About 1/3 of the way through that swatch, I realized that my needles weren't the same size so I was totally throwing my gauge off. Since then, I have found the other pair of size 2 needles, but haven't had the heart to start again. :) I am also working on finding that magical measurement of the intended foot x stitches ratio and that's slowing down my motivation as well. Tomorrow, I WILL tackle that!

I am almost done with my Tour De Fleece-fleece :) I have been faithful to spin each day and I am very proud of myself! I am using a double treadle Lendrum wheel and it spins like a dream. Of course, I already had this bit of purple merino about halfway spun up before I started this, so I guess it doesn't really count. I will be starting something new soon and I am excited about that! I have been inspired by Peggy and my other knitting friends to branch out, break free, and otherwise cast all bonds of one-project-at-a-time-itis aside and have more than one project going at a time! You would be proud of me ladies! (and my mom, who has started to at least think about it, lol)

Dogster

For those of you in the blogging world who love to blog AND love your dog, you have to check out Dogster. It's like MySpace for dogs! It's so cute, and really fun to browse through and read about all the different pups. You can make your dog's complete profile, upload up to 10 photos, and even write journal entries for your puppy. Bailey and Angel both have a dogster page, feel free to go over and see them! Oh, and the pups appreciate it if you give them a bone when you visit :) If you sign up, please let me know so I can see your pup's pics!

Stole pattern

I think I may have decided on a stole pattern. Once again, I am not actually starting this project...just planning ahead :) I also have to measure how many yards of yarn I have spun to see if this will work with this pattern. I think its a very beautiful design and I cant wait to work on it! So, I am going to stay motivated to finish my other projects, right? Of course!


Right now I am working on a pair of socks for one of my brothers for Christmas (Levi), and I hope to get a pair done for each of my youngest siblings (5) before then as well. I haven't ever been able to actually accomplish this, but this year I have a new found fervor. I will do it!
(We'll see, lol)

Tour De Fleece Project

I have begun my spinning project for the Tour De Fleece! This is the fiber I am working on (merino) as well as what I have plied so far.I am very thrilled with how it turned out. I am planning on using this for a stole, but we'll see what happens between now and then, lol.

I have had a recent opportunity to experience one of my pet peeves. I cannot abide when one bobbin of singles has more on it than the other! When you ply, you are left with singles on one bobbin and not the other...what is the cure for this malady? Please, someone give me an idea! I was talking to a couple of my knitting friends (Peggy and June) and they mentioned weighing your bobbins before starting to ply to determine that you have an even amount on each. I may have to resort to this method! As you can see, I have a significant amount left on this bobbin, ARGH!

So, I will soon be looking for that stole pattern. It will be my first shawl/stole to make and I am actually pretty excited about it! I will be posting the link to the pattern as soon as I decide on which one I like the best. Of course, if you have looked at my knitting queue, you will know that I have no business thinking about this yet, but a girl can dream, right? :)

The myth of the center-pull ball

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have successfully found the end of yarn in the center of the center-pull ball. ARGH! I always end up pulling out about 15 yards before stumbling upon that elusive end. Would someone please tell me that I am not alone here?! It's a great concept in theory...this pretty little ball of yarn, but evil lurks beneath that fluffy exterior. Be warned!

Knitting projects now and later

Well, at this moment, I have several knitting projects I would like to be working on. I continue to file more and more away as "I'll do that next" projects.
Right now I am working on the Shapely Tank, which was a free pattern I got online from White Lies Designs. This photo is what the pattern is supposed to look like, but I don't think mine will be quite this "shapely". For one thing, I had such trouble getting my gauge to match the pattern that I ended up just improvising and altering it to suit my fancy. I am just approaching the point where I have to start shaping at the underarms, so we'll see how it goes! As far as my knitting queue, I have added a little knitted monkey, a pair of socks for each of my five younger siblings (we'll see how far I get on that goal, lol) a hooded sweater for myself that is just gorgeous, a shawl that I have yet to choose, a scarf, and an afghan for a friend of mine. I am sure there are more things I am wanting to do, but they haven't surfaced in my mind yet...Is this ridiculous or what? I have decided to add a running list here on my blog to keep track of my project to-do list and the order that I want to do them in. Maybe this will keep me motivated to stick to the list and not stray too far into that enticing land of knitting patterns, LOL. All you knitters out there have to know what I am talking about! So much to knit, so little time!!

To Thine Own Self Be True

Yet here, Laertes! Aboard, aboard for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for.
There ... my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in,
Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!

-Hamlet, William Shakespeare-