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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Happy Post Thanksgiving!

We have had a influx of loving relatives, and feel thoroughly loved. With my in-laws we had an early thanksgiving complete with ham, turkey and another family. With my parents we had a late Thanksgiving, had more friends over on SUnday and toured the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co again. Today they flew off back to their warmer State. And we're having the first real snowfall now!

While trying to find "I Was Just Flipped Off By a Silver-Haired Old Lady With a 'Honk if You Love Jesus' Sticker on the Bumper of Her Car," by Antsy McClain of Antsy McClain and the Trailerpark Troubadours, I came across this instead:



Happy Holidays, everyone!

(Next time you guys have to do something we can REALLY talk about!)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Candy Cane Hat for Newborns



Here is some info on the infant hat I finished yesterday, and gave away...

Enjoy!


Required: red and white sock yarn, dpn 2.25mm, yarn needle, cardboard and scissors for pompom
Gauge: 29 st x 22 rows = 2 inches unstretched
The hat is 8” diameter unstretched, but 15” stretched comfortably, as K2, P2 fabric is very stretchy.

CO 104 st. Join in the round being careful not to twist.

K1, * P2, K2 * K1 all the way around. Cont in set pattern for 5.5”.

For the start of crown decrease, move the odd K or P stitch to the next needle to even up the K2, P2 stitches.

R1: Following the set pattern, * K2, P2, K2, P2tog *
R2 and all even rows, knit k st, purl p stitches.
R3: * K2, P2tog, K2, P1 *
R5: * K2, P1, K2tog, P1 *
R7: * K2tog, P1, K1, P1 *
R9: * K2tog, K1, P1 *
R11: * K2tog, P1 *
R13 & R15: K2tog all around

Pull the yarn through the remaining stitches, and pull tight, with tail on the inside.
Make a pompom from the variegated yarn, wrapping it around a 1.5” diameter cardboard. Sew on top.
Bedeck your Christmas baby, take pictures and enjoy them for years to come!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Busy Week

This week, we celebrated an important birthday in our house, my in-laws came to visit and house shop, we had an early Thanksgiving, and I had two knit design submissions accepted for publication next Spring! I'm over the moon!

The book is What Would Madame Defarge Knit II. The first WWMDfK? was published this Spring by Cooperative Press. It is the brainchild of one Heather Ordover, podcaster and crafter extraordinaire, found at www.crafting-a-life.com. Her podcast combines classic literature and crafts. The literature is included having been borrowed from Librivox or rerecorded for the purpose of inclusion there. Heather previews each week's selection with teaching factoids, and info about what crafts she is currently working on. Right now, we are in the throes of Dracula-- good stuff, but definitely creepy.

The book combines those same two elements of literature and craft, specifically knitting. You see, Madame Defarge was a character in Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities. She sat beneath the guillotine and knit names of its victims into her work. The book is fun knitting designs based on classic literature like this: Ancient Mariner's watch-cap, Madame Defarge's shawl, etc.

My two submissions are a felted book bag, and a doll's shawl, with matching girl's shawl. I shan't post pictures and whatnot, unless I receive info that it is okay to do so before publication.

But in the meantime, I have been busy hand quilting and knitting. I don't have a current photo of the quilt, but here is a sweet little ribbed baby hat, done in Christmas colors for our music teacher who is expecting her first.



That joins an October hat for a dear friend in Fort Wayne who had a little lumpshin (not her first). Since I forgot to say anything here then, here is that picture:



Here is a quilt I made for a friend who had her first grandchild! I think that was in early October.



Then, here is the October quilt I made for my eldest.







My big knitting project has been "Bee's Knee" by Mary Scott Huff. It has been a lot of fun to knit! I had some Knitpicks yarn I got on clearance because it was overly twisted, but that works fine with color work. The colors worked tremendously well with this project. In fact, I think I like it better than the yellow/brown the pattern originally calls for!



The body is knit in one piece, and the arms are knit together with extra stitches between. Both are done, but WHAT AM I WAITING FOR? You might well ask. I am waiting to cut them apart with a pair of sharp scissors. Yeah, I know. That's why I haven't done it yet.

All in all, a busy, productive time!

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Here's another sampling of our trip out East:

We stopped by a family graveyard, and the kids got to meet their great-great-great grandparents!



My brother and sister and I grew up with our dad reading this man's diary to us: fascinating stories of pre-Civil War days on the farm, and equally fascinating stories of battles in the war.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Busy Month

Made a quilt for the eldest:


Designed a hat:

I also designed a shawl. Have I posted the pdfs anywhere? No. Sigh.

Went to NY and had a nice visit with my sister!


We did a one mile fun run (and the sis did a 10K) in the 'burbs...


Then later we went down to lower Manhattan