Friday, March 31, 2017

Fun and Games

The Verdant Gryphon is one of my favorite places to buy yarn.  Their yarn is pricey, so I can't shop there often, but when I do, my picks are always based on the names of the colorways rather than the colorways themselves.  This
is "Wonka Bar."  It was part of a "Twinsies" set, so I bought the set and sent one of the skeins to My Twinnie.  We are now having our own little knitalong, making the Coastal Cap.  I've only got a little over three rows knit;  there'll be photos here when there is more to show.

Tomorrow, there will be a fairly big Knitters' Hunk/Knitters' Chick contest here.  There are going to be five questions, and the first five people to answer them correctly will be winners.  The first winner will choose a prize from five possibilities.  The second will choose from the four prizes left, the third from three, the second from two, and the prize that is left will go to the fifth respondent.  Questions, and photos of the prizes, will be up tomorrow. 

Watch this space.


Monday, March 27, 2017

Since I Had A Minute. . .

*Do you have any teams left in the Final Four?
  My Vandy Commodores were out in the first round.  I'm hitching my wagon to Twinnie's Oregon Ducks now!
*How do you lose 8 pounds in a day?
I can't top the "have a baby" answer.
*In a word describe the weekend’s weather in your neck of the woods-
Overcast and pleasant.
*Would you rather knit a shawl in a gradient yarn or change colors yourself and deal with the weaving in of ends?
Gradient.
*Would you rather have a creme egg, a marshmallow egg, a peanut butter egg or a malted milk ball egg?
Peanut butter.  Easy.
*Would you rather knit a crescent, rectangle or triangular shawl?
Triangle, I suppose.  Crescents are fun, too.
*Are Knitting /Crocheting Magazines interesting to you anymore?
I still thumb through them, but scarcely ever actually buy one.
*Do you own a cowboy hat?
Absolutely.
*Have you ever worn bib overalls?
Oh, yeah!  Very popular when I was in college.
*Whats the largest size circular needles you own?
13.  I've never used them.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Hmmm?

Yesterday would have been my mother's 88th birthday.  I don't say that looking for sympathy --- it's just that the arithmetic surprised me.  Then I realized that next year, my husband would have been 70.  That is hard to get my mind around.

The shades-of-blue feather and fan shawl (the 589-stitcher) had to go into the "Maybe Another Day" file.  Somewhere along the way, I lost the pattern stitch and couldn't fix it without frogging way, way back.  It's irritated me to no end, but there really wasn't anything else to do.

Something occurred to me the other day.  If this is already being done, I didn't know, so I'm not trying to steal anyone's thunder.  You know those cake/cocoa/cookie mixes in a jar?
Why couldn't that be done with yarn "cakes"?  



Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Cold Shoulders

There were 589 stitches!  They were the beginning of this:
It's the Superior Waves Shawl from Willow Yarns.  This is one of the kits Kathy was asking about the other day.

Speaking of which, here are this week's questions:
Sure sign of Springs: bugs.  Has anything bitten you yet?
No, though the carpenter bees are back flying around the bench on the front porch.
Do you knit for practice?  I don't mean for gauge;  for a stitch pattern?
If I have, I don't remember.
Have you tried One Touch Latte for your coffee?
Not a coffee drinker.
Have you seen or tried Persi laundry detergent?
I'd never heard of it 'til now.
When was the last time you wore one of your own handknits?
Over the weekend --- some socks made from Noro.

If the waves shawl weren't keeping me busy enough, I'm also working on 28's Cousin 53.  I'm making it out of yarn that will turn purple when I wear it in the sun.
What will they think of next?

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Hit and Miss

Well, I suppose it's fitting that an Irishman won the green-wearing vote:

I have to admit that I whiffed on my Knitters' Chick question this week.  On the 14th --- which is Pi(e) Day --- I meant to ask which KC you'd want to bake pie with.  Or do math problems with, whichever.

This afternoon, I cast on 589 stitches for a shawl.  At least I hope it was 589.  I haven't worked the first row yet, and the plan is to count then.  If it isn't the right stitch count, I plan to get there by increasing or decreasing as required.  I refuse to try keeping up with that many again.  It seems that there was a "formula" I once used to determine how much yarn you needed to measure out for the number of stitches you had to cast on.  If it did exist, it's lost to time now, though.  And not having enough yarn to cast on what you need remains the most aggravating part of knitting to me.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

The Wearing of the Green

Consider the green sweater:
Then, in celebration of ten years of Knitters' Hunk, vote for which past KH winner would look wear the sweater best:

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Show and Tell

I've made one scarf and one shawl from this pattern lately.  It's so easy, and a surprisingly good way to use leftover skeins (if you don't have self-striping.)

This week's Kathy Questions:
What is your favorite warm weather yarn?
You know, I don't really have a favorite.  I knit whatever I'm in the mood for, whenever I'm in the mood for it.
Do you eat corned beef and cabbage?
As often as I possibly can. . .
How many pairs of sandals do you own?
I actually counted.  Five.
Do you miss the snow? (cause I'll send you some!)
Oh, if you only could send some. . .  I think about snow all year long.
How do you deal with humidity and your hair?
Humidity troubles all of my body except my hair!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Chewy Influencer

 This month, we tried some canine products on behalf of Mr. Rupert here.

First,
This is a probiotic to sprinkle on your dog's food.  It promotes digestive health.  Rupert was having none of it.  He's a little old man, after all (17 in June), and set in his ways.  He took less than a full sniff and turned his head away.

For a second, it looked like we were going to have better luck with this
It's another "meal mixer," and Rupert sniffed and sniffed at it, took a tiny nibble, sniffed some more, and --- again with the head turn.  The fact that it is to be mixed in with his food may have thrown him off;  I'm going to go back to it in a couple of days and try to give it to him on its own.

So, Meal Mixer Superblends gets a hesitant "maybe," and the FortiFlora gets a "no."

I receive products from Chewy.com each month to review.  These are the honest accounts of my experiences,  No money exchanges hands at any point.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Recent Finds That Have Made Me Happy

My children practically grew up on Pokemon, and are still avid players.  And, as I mentioned here the other day, Chris Evans (a/k/a Captain America) is a favorite.

Kmkat provided us all a link to a yarn supplier new to me: Mothy and the Squid.  Their colorways are breathtaking, including those shaded after moths:

I'm working with Mighty Stitch yarn from KnitPicks, and am impressed with both the color and the feel.  It's very, very soft.  I'm making a pair of fingerless gloves in this:

which neither KnitPicks nor I can photograph well.  This color is much deeper and richer than this.

I finished a truly excellent book.

I watched two very good movies this week as well:



As much as I enjoy actively shopping for Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick prizes, it's wonderful when something just sort of shows up.  A couple of somethings showed up this week, and, no, I can't post a picture of them.





Monday, March 6, 2017

First March Questions

*How many KITS of yarn and pattern do you have in your stash?
Eight, I think.  Though I got a catalog today that has some tempting ones, so that count will probably go up.
*Have you ever seen a snow rainbow?
Unfortunately, no.
*Have you tried virtual reality glasses on?
No.
*What is the farthest thing OUT marked on your calendar right now?
A former student's graduation in May.
*What one item in your wardrobe is most lacking?  In other words, what do you need to shop for soon?
Short-sleeved tops other than t-shirts.
*How many National Parks in the U.S. have you been to?
Two --- the Great Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Cave.
*What will you do with a single skein of handspun in dk weight that’s pure wool?
Most likely, fingerless mitts.  For myself (!).


48

If you've ever rented a movie on Amazon Prime, you know you have 48 hours in which to watch it.  (By the way, why do we "watch"...