Tuesday Tumbler

 I have two skeins of Nashua Creative Focus Superwash Wool yarn by Westminster Fibers, color #25 which is a darker shade of the color copper patina. I decided to make a car seat/ stroller blanket with it. Each skein has 218 yards, so the two should make a nice little blanket. The pattern I chose is Grandmother's Favorite, will it is when using it to knit a dishcloth. With this pattern I can knit increasing rows until the first skein is used up. Then I can start the decreasing rows with the second skein. When completed the blanket will go into one of the gift boxes to have a baby gift just incase.

I have a UFO that was originally intended for a Christmas gift for either Christmas last year or the year before. I have the main part of it about 4/5 of the way completed. I will definitely have finished for this Christmas!

Until I post again I'll  be stitching madly!

WIP vs UFO and the journy with them both!

What makes a project, or projects, a UFO (Un Finished Object) or a WIP (Work In Progress)? Allegedly if you're still actively working on it then it's a WIP. If it's sitting somewhere, wherever up keep such things, not being worked and/or being avoided, or if it's been quite some time since you've worked on it, then it's a UFO. I have a few UFO's, they're lurking in bags in the closet, in a corner in the master bedroom, in storage carts in t he master and on the landing, and when I ran out of room in the house....I have some in the backseat of my car! The WPI's are rotated in out of the UFO list.

My current WIP's include a summer cardigan out of Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima Cotton in a chartreuse color. It's the Ultra Pima Summer Waves Cardigan and is available for free on the Cascade Yarns website. The cardigan is worked from the top down and is virtually seamless. After working the cardigan,  you pick up stitches along the fronts of the cardigan and knit a little lace edging on both sides.

Also there is a couple of shawls, I refer to them as the German Shawls A and B. The instructions are written in German, which I don't read or speak, with charts. I have a cheat sheet that tells me what the icons on the chart mean which allows me to knit the shawls. But since I don't read the language I have no clue what the name actually is. I have a booklet with these patterns, and others, by Erich Engeln.The booklet is titled, "Spitzenstricken". The shawls seem to be titled, "Musserzusammenstelling von Modellentwurfen",  There is an A and a B. I have version A idling in time out, but not in with the UFO's. I decided to start version B today, so I have it going now. I have view A going in a turquoise silk/wool blend lace yarn. View B is going in a soft blue silk/wool blend lace yarn.

My other WIP's include "The Adamas Shawl" that I purchased off of knitpicks. com back when the pattern was a new release. The pattern is no longer there but is available for free download from Ravelry. I have it going in a beautiful purple silk/wool blend lace yarn.

I also have some flower shaped dishcloths going in various Christmas colored cotton worsted yarns. These are for Christmas gifts. They are always in the WIP rotation as they are a good "grab-n-go" project to have on hand. Besides, I like watching people groan when I tell them I am already working on Christmas gifts!

I am working on this twirly curly scarf (not sure what the name of it actually is), the pattern I copied from Pinterest. Is easy as pie short row pattern that is almost Mindless Knit ting. I am using lower cost Red Heart Supersaver yarn. I am thinking of doing much the same as the picture on Pinterest showed: pink on the first few inches. followed by a soft green. It will have the "feel" of a flower without being a flower. This is an experiment and I work on it every now and then. It too is a good 'grab-m-go" project.

I have two different round throws from Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima Cotton. One in a soft green, brown, and taupe colorways. The second throw is a darker, but bright, turquoise color. The turquoise throw will be smaller as I only have three skeins of it. The former throw will be roughly twice the size of the turquoise one as I have one skein of the green, two skeins of the brown, and three skeins of the taupe. I work on these at least twice a week. They are different designs, both of them by me, and both using the Pi shawl formula.

There are sweaters, shawls, house shoes, a hat or two, socks, and all sorts of things in the UFO category. I won't list them here because I am unsure just what all they are, and I am sort of living in denial where most of them are concerned any way.

I have a lap robe going as well. I am one of the ladies at church who knit/crochet lap robes for hospice. They provide the yarn, well ok I bought some because I wanted different colors to work with. The first on I made was a zig-zag, aka chevron, pattern. The current one is a pattern called, "Jacob's Ladder". I will need more yarn before I can make another one.

Now to get off of the computer and back to knitting.

Until I return I'll be Stitching Madly!
[Two posts in one day! ]

Lost N Found

I haven't been able to get online, except on my smartphone, for the last several months. I was finally able to get my laptop fixed, safety software installed, and a service to upkeep my software and laptop this last week. I am back up and running, as they say, and back to blogging. I was tempted to delete this blog and start over, but decided against it in the end. Those of us who regularly met at the shop were able to shop for free after the shop closed.

My local yarn shop is no more. In January the owner had a stroke and bleed on the brain. She and husband decided to close the shop. The latter half of January, and most of February, a number of the ladies ran the shop during it's half price closing sale. Finally on February 21st the shop closed for good. The ladies didn't want to loose the friendships and socializing that we had developed over the years, so we now meet one day a week at the local community center.

Money is tight, but I won't bore you with the details.

I returned to the religion of my youth last summer. I regularly attend bible class and church now. I am involved in the group of ladies who prepare a meal at the end of the month to two couples. Group one fixes the meal in the odd months. Group two, the group that I am in, fixes the meal in the even months. Each of us in the group prepare one item of the meal each. This month I am preparing the meat, and fixing stew. My mother is also in group two, and she is fixing the dessert this time.

Well this is enough for the moment. Until I return, I'll be stitching madly!

Apoligies Tendered

I do apologize for not posting in over a week. I have been busy and, for at least four days of the time, I was away from home and away from my computer. I will do my best not to be away so long again. (I make that promise to myself, and to anyone else that wants to be included.)

Last Wednesday evening my brother and nephew brought my treadmill over from my parents'. My mother gave me the treadmill back in April but I've had trouble finding help in getting it over to my place. I also only recently convinced my husband to let me bring it here. Now that I have it here, I have to start using it!

I spent the day at my parents' home Thursday with my brother, nephew and his two year old son. I then spent the night at my parents' home. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I house sat for my friend while she was out of town. I know, BORING.

On the third Tuesday or Wednesday of every month I go to a local church and get help from their food pantry. On any given Saturday, usually the last one of the month, I go to another church's Comfort Kitchen for lunch and help from their pantry. Our situation has developed in such a way that where we once only had to seek help with food once in a while, we now need to do it every month. I hate it. I wish we didn't have to do it. I am, however, grateful that there are places to get help from. If there is a food bank in your area and you are able, please donate.

I have started oldest son's birthday and Christmas gifts, a skinny tie and a pair of socks. (It's ok, he doesn't read the blog!) I have started my mom's Christmas gift, a Swedish Weave blanket/throw in her living room colors. I have youngest son's gift started, a red and white and blue afghan. Dad's gift is about halfway done, a red "Reader's Wrap". I have a handful of cowls made for generic female gifts for whomever. I have a neck scarf about a third done for whomever. Then there is the several UFO's that I have going.........but they'll have to be fitted in in between gift knitting, or so I am telling myself now.

Well I must go for now. Until next time, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan  

Nailed!

Just a quickie.

I am getting back into doing my nails, and in doing nail art. For the most part I won't clog the blog, so to speak, with that. That will be on my Insta Gram account. Look for me there I am @Caffinna on Insta Gram. Just for this time, here's my current mani!

All Tied Up

The night before last I couldn't sleep so I was awake all night. Then I was up all day yesterday. Then yesterday evening I laid down at 7:30 just for a few minutes. I woke up at 10 and took my bedtime medicine and went to bed by 10:45. I slept until around 10 am this morning. Hopefully I'll sleep ok tonight.

The local yarn shop owner is taking tomorrow and Saturday off because her grandson is in town. She asked if a friend and I would watch the shop tomorrow. So I'll be at the yarn shop tomorrow. I just wish I had enough cash to eat lunch out. As it is I'll have a delicious bologna and ham sandwiches to eat!

I am knitting a necktie! A skinny necktie. My oldest son said he'd wear one, I've been wanting to knit one, so I've started on it. I am adapting the pattern in the Early Fall 2014 edition of "Vogue Knitting". (The picture is on page 53, and the pattern begins on page 85.) I am not using the color, brand, or exact fiber content of the requested yarn. I shopped in my stash instead and am using Red Heart, Heart and Sole yarn in the Faded Jeans color. I am also not doing the color/yarn changes the pattern calls for. I am using a self striping yarn and feel that that is more than enough for my first tie.

                                                             A picture of the tie so far.

I haven't but half an inch left to knit on the front ribbing and my vest will be done. Well ok, the knitting on it will be. I'll still have to weave in the ends and block it, but it's almost done. Maybe I can get it done tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I have a few items that I actually have the knitting finished, I just have to weave in ends and block them. Not many granted, but a few. I then have quite a handful of ufo's {Un Finished Objects} that I need to tackle. Yeah I know, shut up and get to work on them.

Until later, I'll be stitching madly.
Jan

Friday

Well I spent the entire day upstairs. I didn't go downstairs even once. I stuck my head out the door once, but didn't even step out on the landing. Not even once! Why? It's blooming hot. The central ac doesn't and hasn't, in the nearly 7 years we've lived here, work right. So the window ac in the upstairs window is the only working ac in the house. In other words, upstairs is the only cool place in the house with a temp of 94 f outside! Yup, I am a heat wiener.

I played with nail polish and doing my nails today. Naturally that means I didn't work on kiddo's, youngest son, crochet birthday blanket. I so want to work on other stuff for awhile. Yup I have it the "Bored and Wanna Move On" phase of working on the blanket. If I could manage to make myself work on it steady like, without delays during the days I work on it, I could get this done quickly. I, however, keep hitting the antsy boredom thing and delay is the game. I keep telling myself maybe a little off would help. But I know it likely won't.

I go tomorrow to stay the night at a friend's house. She is allergic to wool and is going to give me the wool and wool blend sock yarn in her stash. Yah! Free yarn! Plus she wants helps doing some things around the house. I can help, even without the free yarn.

Well until later, I'll be stitching madly!
Jan