Knitwits Traveling Scarf!

I got my first scarf from the Knitwits Traveling Scarf Group yesterday and I am incredibly proud of my contribution because not only did I have to increase 2 stitches but I did a "fancy" basketweave stitch and did not screw it up! I think I'm a knitter!! Also I got a loverly RAK package in the mail from grammargirl ****LOVE IT**** look at the yummy blues and pretty pearly grays!

Recycled Sweater Hat

I bought this sweater in Goodwill, it is 85%wool, 10% acrylic and 5%angora. I took it apart and made hubby's requested hat out of some of it. Hubby wanted a penguin head on it (????) but otherwise I followed this pattern.

Fat Princess

Sony has a new game out that is pissing off feminists, but its just so frickin cute. Plus, I mean, cake is involved.

The Helpers

Last night I attented the Asheville UU service for the Tennessee Valley UU congregation. I am so proud of my church family. So glad I am a part of this wonderful, loving, intelligent group of people! Our children's educator Taryn got up and spoke, and told us all a story about Mr Rogers
that has been of comfort. When he was small, Mr. Rogers liked to watch the news on TV, even the "bad" things. His mom and grandmother explained to him that it was ok to watch these awful things as long as he remembered what the important part was- the helpers. They told him that whenever bad things happen there are helpers. That's the important thing, that's what he was to look for.
Taryn said there were a lot of helpers at TVUU.

WTF

Um, scary and sad today. This is what happened in Tennessee this morning. We were in church this morning, does it make it scarier that we are UU? You bet. One article is saying the shooter is "not" mentally ill, but you have to be, not off, but frickin nuts, to open fire in a church sanctuary DURING a children's MUSICAL. Somebody just hand me some yarn, I need to do something simple, comforting and repetitive.

I'm furniture

As you can see, Boots either thinks he is a parrot or has decided that I am a throne fit for a pugkinglet. I have started my seedlet for the traveling scarf group 22 Knitwits. I'm using the stitch markers this time and some great soft yarn from the LYS. Cross yer fingers I don't drop any stitches because I will howl.

Knitted Nazis

That's right, folks. A whole set of patterns including the knitted Hitler
Just makes me wonder.

Pretty Lace Scarf

Domestic Miss - A Sweet And Sour Slice of Life: And Finally... She Makes It
This generous gifted knitter is doing a special giveaway contest. Take a look!

Pug Outfit

Last night I finished making this outfit for Boots. The pattern can be found here
but I had to adapt it for fatboy.

Scarf Anxiety

I hope this first traveling scarf piece is ok, hope she likes it and that I did not attach at the wrong side or something...eeks!!!!!!!!!

Traveling Scarf!

I have been waiting all day and it finally arrived! I love love love this whole traveling scarf idea. Our group on Ravelry is #17 "Crochet Coffee and Candy" How awesome is that?! OK so I got Tara's sweet lil scarflet, and her notebook. Can't wait to write in it! She included some goodies too, which being such a noob I hope I'm understanding that goodies are for me? And this means I get to buy goodies for pooterprincess... YAY!! Goodies are some funky yarns, a cute notepad and magnet with matching pen, and some nice scrapbook stickers. I hope you will all do traveling scarves (my legion of readers....cough) and include goodies like yarn, candy, yarn, coffee mugs, yarn, stickers, etc.
Thanks Tara!

FO!!

My arm hurts, and I need a liner, but here is a Noro Silk Garden version of the 7-round

Inga's Haekelbeutel

yarn and politics

holy crap. I'm on a blog. Who knew that yarn was such a motivator?

Knitting Guild

Went to the knitting guild meeting tonight at the Sr Center. Its at 36 Grove St. Every 2nd Mon night. There was myself and four really interesting ladies tonight. We went around and did a show n tell and they kindly took all of that old yarn off my hands which is great since I got this from ebay in the mail today....

Parkside Protest

I feel so guilty today. I really had such a nice time at the parkside protest. The weather was lovely and I met some great people. Jennifer is a knitter friend from Raveler with a great smile. The innocent looking older lady is the real heart of the protest but I'm horrid with names, so you can find her here. The sharp dressed fellow is Fred Adams (hope I got that right) who used to work at this center for non-violent training in Highlands where Rosa Parks went before the sit down on the bus. Then there's the graceful Lady in the hat, Lady of a local coven who is committed to staying at the magnolia 24/7 to protect it from the bad guys. I sat and crocheted in the shade of the wonderful tree and added a tiny bit of hope that somehow this Mr. Coleman guy will find his way to NOT plunking a huge condo in the park. Rally tomorrow at 4pm! Yay!

Traveling Scarf Fun

Here is the first granny square that I made for the traveling scarf swap on Ravelry. I decided that I want all pinks (yay pink) and granny squares, but people can use whatever pink they have and whatever granny they like. Mine is from the Sun Daze pattern by Dayna Audirsch found here.
I stopped at row 7. Also, I'm trying the Inga's Haekelbeutel
in Noro Silk Garden so I have posted the squares I have so far. I think the changes in color are fun but the colorway is not my favorite.
Some idiot is shooting off firecrackers at 11pm on a Sun night and the herd of dogs here is going berserk. On a lighter/funnier note I was just reading a post in Ravelry about a humungous yarn sale and hubby asks "why are you reading that? Don't you have plenty of yarn already" Which is, ya know, seriously funny in the world of yarn-obsessed wonderful creatures such as meself.

Creative Use of Toys

I personally prefer to hand-wind my yarn. I like to let the yarn pull through my fingers. It feels like I'm playing with color. Some people prefer toys and that is so creative!

Antisocial me

Look what I won on ebay. yum...
Did you ever skip a KIP so you could stay home and play with yarn? I wanted to go to knit night tonight but I was too busy playing with yarn and watching Nanny911... Arg.

Crochet Fever is Catching

Here is son #1's best friend, who is over from GA for a few weeks. After I made his funky hat (yep with some of the antique wool) he decided he wanted to learn crochet. He is modeling his new belt, ankle bracelet, bracelet and necklace. Son #2 and #3 as well as hubby are all working on chain stitching and sc. I'm kinda flabbergasted.

felted city cap

hey it worked!

What to Do with Antique Yarn?

OK that guy was not kidding. The yarn is from the early 1900's, Brehm & Stehle Textile Co out of PA. They made yarn for rugs. Some of it is too old to use, but I think most of it just needs a good airing out.
I am planning on going to a KIP in protest of the greedy silverback who wants to tear down the Magnolia tree. This is planned for Mon 4-6 and I'm hauling a lot of the yarn with me to give away. Yay!

Funky Hat

I couldn't stand it any longer. I kept frogging the Malabrigo that I got in the puglovers swap because I suck at knitting. I finally decided to just crochet with it, and it turned out great! I used two strands of the Malabrigo held together. I used this pattern: www.crochetme.com/patterns/funky-hat
Now I've decided to be brave: I read that Malabrigo felts easily... We'll see. the pic here is before felting.
Going today to pick up fifty pounds YEAH FIFTY pounds of FREE WOOL YARN that some guy offered me off of freecycle. I suppose THAT will be pics for next post. Cross your fingers he's not a serial killer.

crocheted tampons....

Well, I do have a pattern for crocheted swiffer refills. Which led me to wonder if there was a pattern for a crocheted menstrual pad...and this chick had the tampon idea which I must say is pretty freking clever!

Yarny Day

Had a great day today, much better than yesterday's forced march through downtown Asheville in 90 degree weather with three boys and two dogs. (We were going to the july 4th thingey). Well actually things got better right after that because Son #1's best friend surprised us by coming from GA a day early and we celebrated July 4th by going to Black Mountain to watch fireworks. They were glorious! This morning I headed over to the church and met with the Fibre Friends. We had an absolutely lovely time, showing our projects, and they each told about where they'd lived before and how long they'd been going to UU. I'm the only crocheter and that seemed fine. I heard one lady named Margaret tell such an adventurous lifestory about her childhood in the UK, joining the RAF in WW2 and meeting her husband, who was Canadian and how they ended up in Florida then here. Just a great group. Also they had a huge donated yarn supply and I was able to take all the pinks and a few other pastels for the gourmet crochet Amigurumi projects I wanted to do. Plus I found three balls of NORO in there they let me have!
Next I drove over to this new place just opened called the Free Book Exchange in Riverside Park off Lyman St. Fell in love with it right away. It's a small loft type space, all hippified with small reading nooks a toy area and crammed full of various free books. They were having a clothing exchange so I dropped off some things and two boxes of books and roamed around looking for crochet or knitting books. Didn't ind any but the people were very nice, and they said of course we could CIP/KIP there, hold classes, even display art for sale (!) I left with a few pr shorts for the boys, a copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, a Lloyd Alexander book, Thoreau, and a book about a captive of the Sioux Indians that I had eyed a year or so ago.
Got home and the boys had actually been OUTSIDE building forts in the woods, a huge hobby of mine as a child, and I was so glad that they were outdoors! Then hubby told me he's fixed the commode. I am overflowing with joy (no pun intended). We had a nice supper, minimal squabbling, no loose dogs, and I've been attempting to knit the Noro since six pm. Just a very peaceful day. Tomorrow will be interesting- taking the boys to church. We decided its high time we force fed them SOME sort of value system, and at least UU gives them plenty of choices and empowers them to think for themselves while respecting other people's ethics.

New Pattern and Crap

So I have been feeling kinda off lately, could it be withdrawal from the anxiety meds?! New shrink appt is not till July 21. I knew I felt dizzy (and anxious, har har) but went to a doc yesterday finally and he says not only am I dizzy from that junk but I have a freking ear infection, I managed to damage some discs in me back moving in, and he tells me to stay horizontal for three days on all kinds of meds. Do you know how hard it is to crochet lying down?! I had been thinking though, about making a scarf to match the accidentally cute granny squarey hat that I made a few weeks ago. I decided to do two small squares on each end, with fringeys, and the middle is a puffstitch alternating with a double crochet. When I finish it I think I will post pics and pattern, wont that be exciting. Right now I have to go take the anxiety meds, the cortizone inhaler, the amoxicillin, the muscle relaxer and the pain pill. And I thought I was dizzy before.... i think i might puke.