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..

Come for Tea!

Well, if you are coming to my house anytime soon, I'll be insisting on serving you tea.    Not because I like tea, which I do, but because I want to show off my cute garden tea cozy!  

I finished this tea cozy to take as a sample of what what else you can do with the flowers technique in my Secret Garden bag class at Quilt Canada.  

I know this is an odd shape for a tea cozy, but it fits my favorite Paderno teapot, which is kind of a different shape.   More taller than stout if you know what I mean.  

And while I was at it, I made a couple of pouches using the same techniques.   You have seen these before.   So quick and easy to make using up your colorful scraps.   

Love Cookies

For a family wedding shower this past weekend, I made these cookies without the help of my grandkids.  I had fun just the same..

I start out with a great sugar cookie recipe and cut out square cookies.  Bake and Cool.   Then using royal icing, I make a square around each cookie.  

Then add the word love.  

After the first few cookies, the need for perfect lettering fades away.  

And how about a few wedding dress cookies.  

These were wrapped these in cello bags so so the bridal party kids could take them home.    

After the shower, not one cookie left, except for the bride cookies.

Rainy days bring spring flowers

How about all these spring flowers.  The rain brought them...  Sorta...

This weeks rainy weather gave me some extra time in the sewing room.  It was a great chance to cut out fusible flowers for a class next month.  They will be the flowers for the Secret Garden Bag.    I'm just itching to make a few class samples using them.  Watch for them next week.  

Getting ready for Quilt Canada

I'm getting excited about teaching at quilt Canada next month.    I'm almost already.    I am thinking of all the extra things I might need while away.   One thing that came to mind is that I will have classroom assistants for each of my four classes.   I'll make little "Canada" themed pouches to use as thank you gifts.  

The pouches start out with piecing scraps together to make a strip.    Add a strip of plain fabric on top.    Then stitch curves on the plain fabric.  On my older Pfaff sewing machine, I have a cute maple leaf stitch that is just perfect for the 150 Canada celebrations..  The red thread is used to stitch a few maple leaves.  Then I add my label and finish off the zipped pouch.    I just love them....

What are these pouches good for, you ask.    Well, anything small I guess.    

Your rotary cutter, or your good collection of special pens..

Corked!!

I've been preparing to go to Nova Scotia for a week.   I didn't want to start anything new until after I got home.  

With it being a drizzly day, and not much planned, I thought I'd cut out a project so I could work on it when I get home.     Well, one thing lead to another, and I am almost finished.

It's cork fabric.    I bought it while in the states over the winter.  It's quite expensive so I thought I'd try a small project with it.    It's a bit difficult to work with since you are not supposed to iron it or pin it.   I used wonderclips ...

And here it is.     It's not quite done.   I haven't figured out how to make the strap.  I'm thinking on it.