Shawl Knitting update

I just love knitting in the evenings.  You know that already...  

A couple of weeks ago, I started this Diving In Shawl.   I pick away at it.  No pressure, because it's only to wear this winter.  I've made great progress knitting only an hour in the evenings...  I would say another week or so of knitting and it will be done.     This is a free form pattern.  There was no instruction on how to include stripes, or how many stripes.  It was more of a recipe, than an actual pattern.   It's an asymmetrical shawl.  Very simple.  I think I'm going to love the shape.   You make all the decisions on where to make stripes or do color changes.  Great for knitting with left over yarn.    I'm using Paint Box Simply DK with size 4 mm needles.      

 I've been knitting a long time, and I love learning new techniques. In particular, the modified garter stitch in this pattern was new to me.    I made the block of many stripes using the modified garter.   The benefit of the modification is that the stripes look the same from the front or back of the shawl.   I tried just a regular garter in the single brown stripe, and you can definitely tell the difference between front and back.  Neat.    I would have never understood how to do the modified garter just by reading.  You need to read each word of the instruction, then actually knit it....and by the time I had several rows knit, I realized the difference.  

But that's all the knitting on this shawl for now.  

I'm on vacation... yippee.

Stay tuned, I'll be back in a couple of weeks.. 

A New Wallet to Travel

It's time to change wallets.  

My favorite wallet is showing signs of wear.   It's been two years that I was carrying it.   So, in preparation for my trip, I've cleaned out my wallet and put the necessary things back in my new cork wallet.  I made it last spring and had been using it as a sample in my classes.   

  It's brown and it goes with everything.  It has a bit of a different style front that will show off the stitching.   The batiks on the interior are fun and kind of wild.    I found it a bit tricky to sew with, but I may have been too cautious by using no iron and no pins.   

Over time, I am interested to see how this new new cork fabric wears.  

Purity Rolls for the kids

In a little flurry of visits from our kids before we head out on our Baltic adventure, I decided to make minestrone soup and home made rolls for lunch.    The house smells wonderful.  

Just look at these....    I just love my old Purity cookbook from the '70's.    

I know some will ask, so here is the recipe..    It says makes 4 dozen, but

if you want large rolls like these, it will only make 2 dozen.  

Sewing but Not Quite Quilting

It's been sort of a funny summer sewing wise.  I can't seem to settle down and get into a large quilt project.    I've been enjoying some knitting, and working on using up some of my fabric stash in various ways.    Have a look..

Saw this great Fabric at Country Crafts and Curtains last week.  
Aurora wants all things Paris in her bedroom.  
I've bought her a few little things, 
and now she will have a Paris themed pillowcase
for her Bed.  She's coming up later this week and will
use it while spending some time with us.

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using Atkinson Designs, pattern, Stowaway, Aurora now has
a pencil sized case to put her school pens, tape erasers etc.
It's made out of the leftover piece of Paris fabric from
her pillowcase.  

This fall, my grand daughter Emily will be doing some fundraising
 for a school trip. I thought I would help out and make
 a few things.  To start here are 14 simple zipped pencil
case pouches.  I hope to make more things as time goes on.

It's yours truly.   I've always said that I never make myself clothes.
But I was intrigued by this pattern by the So Sew Easy folks.
This is a wrap top pattern. Besides the pdf instructions,
there was an online video.  I didn't mind making it.  I actually like it.
I think I'll make another.   So it's a good lesson for me.
Never Say Never

Does this pillow look bohemian.   I made a cover for a large pillow for
my granddaughter Jessica's dorm room at Dalhousie University
in Halifax this year.  She has a great
wall hanging that this will go perfectly with.

A screen bag for my yarn stash.   I cleaned out my yarn stash last year
only to find myself with a heap of new yarn stash.  This bag will
hold it nicely.   I'm making a rule.   Once this bag is full, I must knit, or
get rid of some yarn before more yarn comes in.

I made a few scarves using a narrow hemmer foot.
Hemmed all 4 sides of light chiffon type fabric.
I made skinny ones, and big shawl size ones.
They will be good to take on our trip that is coming up soon.

Cowl Done, and on to the Shawlette

It seems odd to be knitting winter wear in the summer, but I'm loving sitting on my porch knitting up a few rows/rounds.    This Spiral Eyelet cowl was a delight to knit with the Paint Box Simply DK. The 4 stitch sequence was easy to remember.  I loved the cast off technique which was new to me.  It's called the elastic cast-off.   I like how it has a slight stretch.

I'm contemplating how to block the cowl.  I will research later on how the best way to do it is.

I thought I'd share this next project that I've already started.  It's the Dive In Recipe Shawl.  The author says that this two-color shawl is more of a recipe rather than an exact pattern.   I like the idea of the skinny stripes and the technique is neat.   I'm using two colors of the Paint Box Simply DK.  Cream and the Medium Brown.  (Many thanks LoveKnitting.com)

This shawl will take me longer to knit of course, because it's a bigger project.  I'm looking forward to see how this turns out.

And just so you know, I haven't abandoned my sewing totally this summer.  Stay tuned and in a few days I'll show you some of the things that I've been sewing.

Hard to find Knitting Needles

When I started to knit the little bunnies, one of the sizes of straight knitting needles I needed was a 2.50 mm.   It's quite small.  Turns out they are harder to find than you might think.   While popular in the UK, they are not that popular here, and non-existent in the USA.  Even look at my needle gauge, there's no size for 2.5 mm.  So I ordered mine online.  The only length they had was 14 inches long.   Now these little bunnies have many parts, and the most stitches that I cast on is 30 or 35.  So 14" needles is way overkill.    I really want the 10" ones if they can be had.     

It just so happens that the dollar store here had some 2.5 mm needles. I bought a set and tasked my husband to shorten them.    All he was able to do was cut them off, but had no way to save the ends.   He suggested I glue a bead on the end.   Brilliant... I did, and now I have a set of short 2.5 mm needles that fit in my little needle case.   

Knitting a Scarf

I have had fun this past week (or two) doing research on Ravelry.   It's hard to know when to stop researching, and start knitting.   I have found at least 15 perfect projects that I want to knit and my must-knit list has grown exponentially.  But my research this week was intended to find projects to use my gifted-to-me Paint Box Yarns.   I want to knit a shawl type of scarf.  I'm down to 6 or 7 choices.   I'm in a delema, rectangle, or triangular.   I can't seem to make a decision.

While I ponder my delema, I decided that I really need to stop researching, and start knitting.  I'll start with a cowl.  I've been wanting to do a spiral cowl for a while, so this was an easy decision.   I chose this Spiral Eyelet Cowl pattern because the spiral is clear and not complicated.  But, after reading the pattern, I could not understand how that spiral design could happen/develop with the two-row repeat.  I thought for sure it would be a 10-row repeat.  How does the eyelet spiral?

Well, I just started to cast on, and I figured once I start knitting, I'll figure it out.    I still haven't figured it out, even after knitting 5 repeats of the two rows.  But I am liking the look and it's easy to knit while watching TV.  The Paint Box Simply DK yarn is very soft and is perfect weight for my size 4 mm 24"circular needles.   I will definitely get this cowl done out of one of the 100 gram balls of the Simply DK.   I hope to have a shawl/scarf decision made by the end of the week.

Stay Tuned and Happy Stitching..

Bunny Sweater - Adding Buttons

I really enjoyed my knitting in the park experience this week.   Aurora had a great time at the park with the day camp folks.  During all this, I sat slightly in the shade and worked away at the little sweater for the Bunny.   I never realized how bright light can make knitting so much more pleasurable.   

The little bunny sweater is done.   The final step is to sew on three little buttons.   The hard part is to choose a button color.      White, black, yellow, green or orange.     What would you pick? 

Knitting with Paint Box DK cotton

When I saw this fine cotton yarn, I knew exactly what I was going to knit.   This little piebald bunny, that I knit this spring, needs new clothes.  

She needs a red dress and a light green sweater.    The dress pattern and the sweater pattern calls for cotton DK yarn.   I've never tried the cotton DK before, so now is a good chance.

Today, I have an hour to knit in the bright sunshine in a park.  This is a totally different spot for me to knit, but I'm looking forward.   See, Miss Aurora is visiting and she's attending a morning craft camp and I'll be nearby starting my little bunny sweater.   I'm anxious to see how much I can get done at the park.

Where do you Love Knitting?

LoveKnitting.com thought they'd like to work with me by sponsoring some of my knitting.  It's the best kind of partnership.   They provide the yarn and I knit what ever I want to!!   Awesome!    I didn't know what yarns they were sending me so waited until I received the yarn to research what I would knit.

Well, I received the yarn and was I ever delighted!   The yarn is the Paintbox brand.  I've seen it advertised but never had the opportunity to use it.  They are two different lighter weights of yarn.  One is 5 shades fine DK cotton yarn and I know what I'm going to knit with it.  I'll share in a few days once I get started.  

The other is 5 shades of 100 gram Double Knitting (DK), that use a size 4 mm knitting needle. That's my favorite size needle.   

I do have a few small things on my knitting to-do list, but I've been having fun searching through Ravelry's and Loveknitting.com's patterns, for projects that would be perfect.   I've got it narrowed down to a poncho, shawl or shawlette.    I have a dozen patterns flagged.   Now, from that dozen, it's a matter of looking at the patterns to make sure there's nothing too complicated.    I'll narrow it down to my top three soon.   

For now, have a look at these yummy skeins of yarn.   In a couple of days, I'll share my top three shawl designs, and ultimately the one I've chosen.  

Thanks Loveknitting.com for making my summer knitting more interesting.  

Stay tuned...

PS: I Love Knitting on the couch while watching TV.    Where do you Love Knitting?

My Sweet Garden

Last fall my husband and brother in law built this sweet garden for me in our back yard.  It's about 10 x 12' and is U shaped.  The little walkway in the center will give me access to the three sides of the garden.  The mesh fencing is intended to keep out most of the big critters, like deer and raccoons that we have visiting on a regular basis.  

We've been working at it for the past few weeks to get the soil prepared and planted.  First came flower planters that flank the gate.   Then came the veggies.  There's yellow and green pole beans and regular bush beans, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, beets and a zucchini.  My husband bought me a new set of small gardening tools and put a hook right on the rail so the tools are there when I need them.   I've visited every garden center looking for seeds, set plants, flowers, fertilizer and nice plant pots.  Sometimes successful, sometimes not.

Now that it's done, every morning I visit to see if anything is up yet.   So far, the swollen green and yellow beans are starting to peek through.   Also the romaine is coming up.     I can see that those will have to be thinned.   And I pulled my first weed.  

I know that I'm just going to love spending the summer with my garden.   

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This Land is Your Land

Earlier this week I finished a Row by Row for Diane at Country Crafts and Curtains.   This is her third year participating in the Row by Row Experience.   

This summer's theme is "On The Go".   Since it is Canada's 150 year, Diane wanted to incorporate the Canada theme.  

I took this picture as I was about half done machine quilting the row.  Quilting sure makes a difference, don't you think.   I loved doing this row and I'm looking forward to seeing the row in many RxR quilts.  

To look at the finished row, read out Diane's blog here..