Thoughtful Thursday

I'm still here! In fact, I check my blog everyday and read blogs that I like to follow. I even have things I want to blog about. But, I've just been too busy to plan out the posts, take pictures, and spend the time putting it all together. What have I been up to? Well...

I'm taking a ceramics class with my daughter at the local college. That's taking up a couple nights a week along with a little homework time. My daughter took this class last semester and had a lot of fun. She wanted me to take it with her this semester. In fact, she practically begged me to do it. How cool is that? I couldn't pass that up. Not many kids want their moms to take a class with them. It's a great opportunity to spend time with her, have fun, and make memories. Some of my first projects are starting to come out of the kiln and I plan to post some pictures soon.

I've been deep into Spring cleaning. Actually, my husband and daughter have been too. We've been getting rid of stuff that we just don't use, need or want. We've been filling the trash can and taking loads of stuff to donate. It's surprising to have so much going out because we thought we were keeping up on this kind of thing. We take stuff to donate every couple of months or so. Simplifying and cleaning even more feels great! Hubby built some storage into my daughter's walk-in closet and we're making plans for some other home improvement projects too.

The tendonitis in my elbows is doing soooo much better. The physical therapy and time have made a world of difference and I'm doing things I haven't been able to do in a couple of years! It's so exciting! I've been riding my mountain bike again and not just on dirt roads but on rocky, technical trails! Yeeha! All the time off my bike and not being able to do it make it even more fun now that ever. I also went skiing last week! Pretty cool because last winter I couldn't even hold a ski pole! I forgot how much I love to ski! It was one of my best ski days ever! We're planning to go again very soon! I can't wait!

I've been doing very little in the way of knitting, crochet or any other crafty pursuits. It's not for lack of trying. I've tried several patterns that just don't seem to work. And, I've spent a lot of time lately trying to match patterns to stash yarn. That often feels like an impossible task! I did find a pattern and yarn match late one evening that I really liked but didn't have the right size of circular needle to start it. Ugh! The next day I decided I really needed to start on a baby gift instead. So, I'm working on a little sleep sack and hat set now. I'm not sure if I'll get it done in time though...the baby shower is this Saturday! Oh...and I did get out that problem vest project and I've worked on it a little. I really need more hours in the day!

Well, I'd better end this and get started with my day. I have a dog to walk, a load of stuff to donate and a baby gift to knit, among other things. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

So Close...

But...so far!


I only had a few more stitches to go on this shawl to complete the final row but there's just not enough yarn to make it to the end. I had to rip out the row and now I have yet another tiny ball of leftover yarn.


I know...I said I was going to work on finishing my vest and lacey socks. I haven't forgotten. Really! I guess I'm just practicing my avoidance skills. This is only the second shawl I've made in the past couple of weeks. Oh yeah...and then there was a pair of socks...and the sheep bowl. And, now, I need to block my new shawls. Hmmmm?! Maybe I need more practice with focus than avoidance! Ugh! Ok...I'll go get my vest project out. I hope another ball of yarn, a pattern, and a hook or needles don't grab me first! ;-)

Baa Baa Bowl Sheep

I'm on a mission to complete projects that have been sitting in time out. I finished a pair of socks earlier this week. Today, I finished needle felting sheep onto a knitted and felted bowl that I made months ago. I originally blogged about it HERE.

The bowl...


One sheep...


Two sheep...


Three sheep...


It's done and that feels good. However, I can't say that I love it. I really think the green should have been greener (the blue is bluer in real life). And, now that it's done, I'm not sure what I will do with it. But, it's one less thing on my to-do list. Now, it's back to the shawl I blogged about yesterday and deciding what to do with it or the troublesome vest or those started-long-ago Pomatomus socks. Hmmmm?

Help!

I just don't think I can take it anymore! I started knitting the "Gabriel's Wings" shawl over a year ago and it's still not done! HERE is the original post. It's been in time-out many times because it's just NO FUN! I've made silly mistakes on it, gotten confused as to where I was/am, and this project is just plain boring. I'm attempting to finish up projects that have been sitting around. I'm just not sure I can finish this one. I've probably knitted about 2/3 to 3/4 of the yarn ball but that last bit...I just don't know if I can do it! Would it be crazy to rip it all out and use the yarn for a project that's actually FUN?! Have you ever gotten that far on a project and not been able to make yourself finish it? Have you ripped out that much work? I mean...this shawl is pretty...but...

It's a Match!

I recently blogged about a pair of socks I was mindlessly knitting that turned out to be horribly mismatched. The mismatch wouldn't have shown from under my jeans and no one would have cared...except for me. So, I ripped the second sock out and started again. You can read about that HERE.

When I knit socks, I would normally find the start of one of the colors and cast on. That way, I could later find the start of that same color to cast on the second sock and have a matched pair. Since I didn't do that this time, I had to come up with a solution and hope it worked. Luckily, it did. I now own a brand new, perfectly matched pair of socks!


To restart my second sock, I pulled yarn from the ball until I found a brown section like the one near the top of the first sock. From that spot, I wrapped yarn around one of my needles (going backward from the brown) 48 times (the number of stitches I needed to cast on). Next, I took that length of yarn and measured seven lengths (the number of rows above the brown stripe on the first sock and still measuring backward from the brown) and cast on with the seventh length. I felt pretty confident that this would work but I didn't imagine it would work this well. The stripes are perfectly matched!


If I had paid better attention, I could have made longer socks. It turns out that I only used half the ball of yarn. That means I have enough yarn left over to make another short pair.

I really should learn how to knit socks from the toe up! That way, I could divide a ball of sock yarn in half and get the maximum use from it...and longer socks too!

Fabulous Finds

As I get back into blogging, I'm finding things to catch up on. Like, some fabulous things I've found over the past month or so...

I spotted a Santo doll years ago in a decorating book and have been on the lookout for one ever since. I found some a few years ago that were (supposedly) authentic antiques. They were, however, very expensive! I just couldn't bring myself to spend so much on one. I kept looking and recently found a reproduction Santo that was more in my price range. She's so beautiful and I've been wanting one so bad that I splurged. I love her face!


The antique store that I found her in had a pretty rosary draped around her neck. After I brought her home, I quickly went on Etsy and bought a red one for her.


She's 27" tall. The orginal Santos were used in Catholic ceremonies and were heavily adorned. I'm thinking that she might look really pretty with a gathered silk skirt in an antique ivory color.


Something else I've been wanting for a long time...years...are some cowgirl boots. And, not just any cowgirl boots. I wanted "Old Gringo" brand boots. I've tried on mannnny boots over the past few years and always fall in love with Old Gringo. They have such a great look and feel. I like how the tops are narrower than most brands too. That works well on my skinny legs. The only problem...they're usually around $500! That's definitely not in my budget! Imagine my excitement when I found some online for only $149! I bought them for myself for my birthday. Here they are...


I've heard women talk about how, when they put on a great pair of high heeled shoes, they feel powerful, wonderful and like they could conquer the world. When I put these on, I know exactly what they're talking about! I love them!


I'm always on the lookout for transferware. These days, it's pretty hard to find. When I do find it, it's usually expensive. I stopped in at one of my favorite antique stores recently and found three pieces of transferware! And, the prices were great!

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this pattern. It's called "Paisley"...


Here's the back...


Another cute little plate in the "Branble" pattern...


Here's the back of this one...


I even found a little cup!


Here's it's bottom...


I feel like I've been hitting the jackpot of fabulous finds lately! I wonder what I'll find next?! I can hardly wait to find out!

Do Over!

I recently started knitting a pair of socks with yarn from my stash, Berroco Comfort Sock. I knitted a pair of socks with this yarn in the past and thought I didn't like the feel of them. When I actually wore them, I loved them! So, it makes perfect sense to make another pair. First sock, done! Looks great!

I dove right into the second sock...


But, I did so without thinking! I forgot to do a little planning and make sure I started the yarn in the same color spot so the stripes would match!


I tried to go with it but I just can't! I know, they won't show under my jeans. But, I'll know!


Rip!


Time to start over! And, this time, with a little thought and planning!


If I had done a little homework before I started this pair, I could have had longer socks too! I weighed the first sock this morning and it only weighs about half an ounce. I have over two ounces left! Ugh! I should know better because I usually plan better. Oh well. At least I can do the second one over.

Happy Knitting!

Yarn Trippin'

The Riverside Knitting Guild hosted a yarn trip on Saturday to four Los Angeles yarn shops. The $25 charge was a good deal, considering it would have cost that much or more in gas to drive there myself, plus lunch, and I would have had to deal with traffic. This way, we all boarded the bus, visited, knitted and didn't have to worry about which freeways to take, addresses, parking, or traffic. Lunch was even included!

There were about 40 of us. They had us split in half and dropped half at one shop, half at another, and then switch. We did that again in the afternoon with two more shops. It worked pretty well for us to see the shops but not overwhelm the shops (too much) with too many people all at once.

Our first stop was in Brentwood. What a lovely place. The J. Paul Getty Museum was on a hill just above the yarn shop (a must visit museum and garden). The shops and cafes were charming...


The area was filled with fancy cars, fancy shops, and even fancy dogs...


The yarn shop was tucked into a group of little stores with a fountain, pretty tiles (on the stairs), and the day was simply gorgeous...blue skies and temps in the 70's.


Jennifer Knits is a cute little store with a really nice owner and employees. They can make custom patterns for their customers. And, they even have an upstairs area with bargains...yarns for $5 and up!


Our second stop was at "Compatto Yarn Salon" in Santa Monica.


The shop was just up the street from the ocean and was busy with classes and customers. It was filled with lots of beautifully colored yarns!


I was on the look out that day for gorgeous lace weight yarn. I found some here! They wound all 950 yards of it on an electric winder...


It's "Madeline Tosh, Tosh Lace, Hand Dyed yarn" in the color, "Baltic". Gorgeous!!!


Next, we all gathered at a park for lunch. What a beautiful day!


The third shop was "Wild Fiber", also in Santa Monica. I loved this store! It was filled with soooo many gorgeous yarns!


So many wonderful possibilities!


I bought "Punta Yarn, MeriSock, Hand Painted". It doesn't have a color name, just HP60. But, just look at all the pretty colors!


We stopped at one more shop but I won't name names because I wasn't impressed. It was mostly discount and outdated styles of yarn...acrylics, furry yarns, etc. Plus, I was shopped out by then and had spent plenty on my two fancy skeins of yarn. At that point, our bus decided to break down. As we waited for another bus to come and get us, we made good use of our time. Some of the ladies worked on projects they brought, others started new ones with their new yarns, patterns and/or needles, some relaxed and chatted, and some of us wound our new yarn by hand...that's what I did with the beautiful MeriSock yarn that I bought.

I'm excited to get started on new projects with my new yarns!

Cottage Socks

I recently ran across a chunky sock pattern on Ravelry that I HAD to make! I thought they were cute and would be great to keep my feet warm around the house. I had no idea when I got started how cute they'd look with my wellies...


They're soft, warm, and make my wellies feel and fit better!


The "Cottage Socks" pattern is free on Ravelry and the Lion Brand website. I knit them with two skeins of Michael's Loops and Threads Charisma yarn and size 10 1/2 double point needles. I made them long enough to go up to my knees and fit me perfectly. However, when my daughter modeled them for pictures, I found it interesting that, even though we're the same height, our leg proportions are very different...they don't reach her knees!


They were super simple and quick to make...except for the gussets. I had so much trouble with them and I'm not sure why. But, I was determined to make these and just kept working until I got it! The pattern was a bit confusing on the toe part. So, I tweeked them and made them work. I finished the toe with about eight stitches across (eight in the front and eight in the back) and kitchener stitches.


I love 'em!

Ahhhhhh...

Warm weather is paying us a much appreciated visit. It feels sooo good after months of cold! We were so excited about the warmer temps that we packed up our RV and went to the beach for three nights and four days! It felt so good to thaw out, relax and enjoy the amazing views. Check out this sunset...be sure to click on the picture and enlarge it for full, warm weather, sunset enjoyment...Oh...and notice the paddle boarders and surfers watching the sunset...


In the foreground of the top photo, there are some small birds. I don't think I've ever seen this kind before. They might be migrating through. They sat near the water in groups. I had to get a closer look. I like the reflections of them on the sand...


They moved as a group and it was either very smooth or the whole group bounced up and down. As we got closer, we found out why. They all stand around on one leg and pivot to see things. They even move around on one leg, hopping! Thus, the bouncing/hopping movement of the group. At first, I wondered if they all had only one leg. But, then one of them scratched with it's other leg. Later, they all used both legs when the group wanted to move faster and that's when they moved smoothly. They're adorable!


These plants were lying on the beach. They're so delicate and pretty. They remind me of ferns or feathers...


Salsa enjoyed the warm weather too! We took her on long walks on the beach where she enjoyed splashing in the water and some good old fashioned digging time. At camp, she spent time lounging on a chair...


A camping trip at San Elijo/Cardiff By The Sea wouldn't be complete without a trip to the "Seaside Market"! It's a wonderful little market with lots of organic and exotic produce, fresh sausages that they make each day and lots of other amazingly yummy treats! I just had to take a picture of this beautiful heirloom tomato that we got...


The weather has been slowly warming since about Wednesday. It was in the mid 70's when we were at the beach. Today, at home, it was in the 80's. Ahhhhh! I'm soaking up every minute of it before it cools down again next weekend.