Surprise! Rainy Days & Baby Surprise Jacket

I went outside to find something that was a bit of a surprise. This is a reflection of a holly tree in the water standing in a depression in my driveway. I guess the lesson is that even in the depressions of our lives, something good can still shine through!

Well, since my goal is to post once a week so I will have time to knit, this will be short. Today I finished my first (I'm sure there will be others) Baby Surprise Jacket and couldn't wait to post it! (I'm beelke2 on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/ ,if you would like to see a picture). The day has been overcast and rainy since about noon. When I first got up this morning I knew I only had about 10 ridges before the knitting was finished on my EZ Baby Suprise Jacket. So I jumped right in and got that part done. Then came the part that I really don't enjoy, weaving in the ends and sewing the seams. I even surprised myself that I got that done, washed the garmet, and it is now drying to the blocked size. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

...till next time,

b

Azaleas & Bamboo Socks

This week the azaleas have bloomed. My dogwood tree, which every year prior to this one had only a handful of blooms, is loaded with flower buds. They are so beautiful!

My main knitting focus this week has been to finish one of my current wips, the Regia Bamboo socks, and I was able to kitchener the second toe last night. So far, all of my socks have been "top down", yet even so, every time I have to sit in front of my computer and work with a demonstration video for kitchener stitch to graft the toes. But not this time! At least not on the second sock :) Now that's progress! Next time, I may have to watch again, but thanks to the generous knitters on line, I can refresh my memory with their videos any time.

If you've never tried kitchener stitch, or you have tried and have gotten frustrated as I have, there are several great demonstration videos on line to help. The one I have used most often is found at http://www.knittinghelp.com/. After going to this site, just go to the "Advanced Knitting Techniques" and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the video. There are a lot of other very helpful videos for other knitting techniques on this site as well. When I googled "kitchener stitch videos", several sites came up. Two others that I viewed were http://lectio.ca/ and http://www.knitwitch.com/. These actually came up in a bigger screen, making viewing the knitting process easier. All three videos were execellent! I hope they will help to give you confidence to graft those toes!

One of the main reasons I wanted to finish my socks at this time is to have them for a upcoming class that I am taking with Lucy Neatby (http://www.tradewindknits.com/). She will be at my LYS the weekend of Mother's Day, and one class will be on socks. I can't wait!

Socks make great lunch time or travel knitting. Especially the plain ribbed, stockinette kind. I've made several pairs. This particular pair, though, actually turned out too big. I cast on for the larger size, using smaller needles, thinking I was knitting too tightly on the previous ones (did I hear someone ask "Swatch?") Anyway, I've got more Regia Bamboo, so I think I will go ahead and start another pair. I think I will stick to my tried and true 60 stitches and 2.25 mm needles for these.

It's time to knit. Let me leave you with something that I have been thinking about this week. It is a quote from Charles Swindoll:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. . . I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes."

...till next time

b

Casting On a New Chapter - Blogging!

Today is a beautiful Sunday in the South. The sun is shining; the birds are singing; and the trees and grass have turned green once again. Spring is definitely here! So why am I in the house on this computer?!
Because I am beginning a new chapter in my life. I'm learning to blog. Ok, I know it is no big deal to most of you out there. Why, I've been reading blogs for years! I watched my daughter, Meghann, create a web page and blog years ago. She's since finished 5 years of art school in SF, has gotten married, and has been working for at least a year. After all these years, she still has her site, which is one of the ways I am able to see what she does with her art work. Oh the wonders of the web!

I suppose several things peaked my interest in creating this blog at this particular time. On my way to work (I drive about 45 minutes one way) I like to listen to podcasts, mostly knitting podcasts, but others, too. I learn so much from the creative people who give so much of their lives to the delight of others. And they almost all have blogs where they lists links to the information that they talk about on their podcasts. I love to read, so I chase the links that lead to unlimited information about the times and adventures of real people.

The second reason I've decided to give this a try is because of the knitting community Ravelry! It has been so much fun to see what everyone is doing and what they like. So many people have blogs. So, if they can, why can't I? We'll see where it leads. (If you are a knitter, crocheter or other fiber artist and you aren't on Ravelry, you really should check it out! http://www.ravelry.com/)

Thus begins a new chapter in my life, my thoughts all knit together in one place. I'm sure some of it should, from time to time, be frogged (ripped out). But I'm excited to see how it develops! (I feel like I should have some catchy phrase to end with, but all I can think of is )

....till next time.

b