Books To Read

A few weeks back when my hands first started giving me fits, I started thinking about what I could do to give them a rest (after my Christmas knitting is finished).  Back in the day, I used to be an avid reader.  Romances were my thing, you know the ones, you could start on a wintry Sunday afternoon and finish before bed.  A friend of mine would give them by the bag full and I would share with my mom and aunties.

My reading tastes have changed a bit, I prefer my romances on Hallmark now.  I started collecting some books that I could have on hand while recuperating.  The 2 Knit Lit Chicks were most helpful over the last couple of months adding to my collection of titles to check out.

I pulled out a couple that I have had waiting to add to the list.  The top is the latest from Diana Gabaldon and the bottom is an old book that my friend Nancy's Uncle was a part of and is very much different from my regular reading.

And just because one has to cut back on the knitting, there is absolutely no reason, one cannot read about knitting.

And just in case, I run out, I still have some books on my iPad ready to read.

Happy Tuesday/Happy Reading.

Fast and Furious

You know when you are working, you watch the clock-- there are some days when you see it and you think, "seriously, it's only______ o'clock?"

This is not one of those weeks.  The clock is moving way too fast and I've got way too many things I need to do at work and show my assistant before Wednesday.  And I've already forewarned her, I'll not be worth a damn by Wednesday!  The nerves will start to kick in, my stomach will be churning, my mouth will be speaking double time to get it out and everyone and I mean everyone will be waiting until that very moment to ask me something or want a problem solved.

In the words of 

I pity the fool!

Happy Monday!

What's On the Needles This Week?

I have always been quite open about my knitting WIPS.  So, when you see this week's on the needles, you may be surprised to see what I've brought forward.  It is no secret, I like to cast on projects, I like thinking about them, imagining how it will feel to work on them and to finally finished them.

Next Thursday, I am having foot surgery.  I'll be non-weight baring for probably at least a month and off of work totally for about 10 weeks.  And it is my right foot, so I am not sure exactly at one point I will be driving anywhere.

With that all in mind, I've got a nice little bag of WIPS by my chair ready to be knitted on.  I thought while I was off and sitting around doing nothing, I might just as well see if I can get some needles back in their case and finish some things.  (IF) the hands cooperate, but we'll worry about that when the good pain meds wear off.

First up, is the Honey Cowl for Baby Boy B's girlfriend.  The yarn is Cascade's Dolce leftover from a nice cable sweater I knit years ago.  The girlfriend likes pink, at least that is what I hear and she has to walk aways into work from her car, so I thought a nice fluffy, alpaca cowl might be handy.

Next up is Mona Lisa's hat for Christmas.  These are the only two Christmas knits I want to have done for Christmas, so I should be able to make that timeframe.

A couple of years back, I loved loved a sweater that Bonne Marie of Chic Knits knit.  It is a simple cardi out of a turquoise yarn, but what sold it for me was some super red buttons she added to it.  I just had to duplicate it.  It is the perfect recovery project as right now there is about 18 inches to be just done in plain stockinette.

In between meds, I am hoping to be able to knit a bit more on my snood.  I've got all the yarns wound, but just have not been able to show it any love for sometime and the hands can only knit so small of a needle right now.

Another great project for recovery which does not require a whole lot of thought is my Hap Shawl by Denise Bell.  Lots of garter and only have to remember to increase at the start and not at the end.

Second sock syndrome - my second Smooth Operator Sock is cast on and waiting.

And a fall shawl.  Not sure how much I will knit on this one, but hey, if I get it done this year, it will be all ready for next Fall.  You know when I'll have a nice new foot.

And the fingerless mitts out of Briar Rose Wistful.  These will come in handy later when it starts to act like Fall, and I need some warmth on my hands while sitting around watching Hallmark and knitting.

And last but not really, just last in the bag next to me, my Nancy's vest from Carol Sunday.  Small needles and small yarn, but it is some nice yarn, I'm telling you!  More stockinette of which I think I'll be grateful to have by my side.

So stay tuned for next Sunday's What's On the Needles.  I have a feeling it may be a repeat of this week!

Have a great week!!

Knitting Video Casts

I love You Tube!  And now that we have our Amazon Fire Stick, I can watch my knitting video casts on our t.v.  Here are some that I tune into and I'll be catching up on later next week:

The Yarn Hoarder
Stockinette Zombies
Knit Girllls
Grocery Girls
Dramatic Knits
Legacy Knitz
Fruity Knitting
In a sKnit
Bakery Bears
Kristy Glass Knits
Fiber Trek
A Homespun House
Dye Another Day
Knitting Expat
Stitching the High Notes
The Fat Squirrel Speaks
The Gentle Knitter
Tilly Trout
YarnGasm

It is quite the list, now isn't it!

Finally Finished Friday

A couple of items this week.

Poppy's Christmas Hat  - I bought the kit at Stitches Midwest from the Steven Be booth.  It is from DMC and it is called Top This.

The skein had three yarns in it that went from a cord to a beige to a fluffy yarn. But, I did not realize it until way after I snipped what I thought was a bad frayed yarn at the start.  When I came to the very top of the hat and had more frayed yarn, I decided to look at the label.

Hmmm, 3 textures.  Moral of the story, read the label...

Also, finished this Friday, is a Hospice blanket finished for yesterday.  The home is a little low on blankets for men and I happened to have one on the needles in the wip patch.  

And finally for this Friday, the 11th of November.  It's Veteran's Day!  Thank you!!

Happy Birthday to Me and the Marine Corps!

As a kid I loved that my birthday was on the 10th of November because the next day was the 11th which is Veteran's Day and that meant I had the day off after my birthday from school.  It gave me a whole day to play with my birthday presents.  

When I worked on the floor for a department  store, one of the perks was that we got our birthday off with pay.  Back then, I probably slept in and enjoyed the day.

Today, I took the day off to get some errands ran, go to a final doc appointment and go to Hospice and be able to stay the whole time without having to rush out and go back to work.  What a way to start a birthday!  How much better can a birthday be celebrated than with your Hospice Sisters?  Knitting, laughing, tears, coffee, donuts!

And presents  -  The bestest presents are yarn!  And I received so many cool yarns.  I cannot wait to kick back this weekend and plan.

I am so truly blessed in my friends.  These ladies, I just cannot tell you how much I treasure their friendships and how much they continue to change my life and enrich it.  They make birthdays special, knitting fun and give so much meaning to friendship.

What a great 59th birthday today was!!

It's Election Day

All I've got to say is to echo what everyone else is saying or thinking.  Is it over yet?

And the same response  - No, and even when it is over it is not going to be over.

Please go out and vote today.

Audio Podcasts I Listen To

Always in my car, I listen to knitting podcasts.  It has been forever since I actually listened to the radio. I'm not sure I even know what the cool songs are anymore!

I access all of the podcasts I listen to through an apron my iPhone that simply says podcasts.  I subscribe to the individual podcasts through the link for each through the app.  That way, when one of the podcasters upload a new one, it appears in my app.

Here are the ones I subscribe to, you may want to check them out.

NH Knits - Love the chickens
Knitting Boutique - it is just like sitting with them in the shop
Knitting Butterflies - in addition to the knitting, Emily has great photography tips
Curious Handmade - a fan of her shawls
Knitmoregirls - a multi-generational podcast with lots of info
The Yarniacs - they are always bringing sweaters to my attention that I want to stalk
Yarn Thing with Marly - get to hear interviews from people in the industry
Prairie Girls - Delightful young ladies and hey they are in states close by Illinois
2 Knit Lit Chicks - mother/daughter team and have led me to try new book genres
Woolful - pleasant voice and interviews which just make you want to start a business
Twin Set Designs - Twin sisters who knit and I think we may be in the same age bracket
Knit Circus - of the famed gradient yarns and Amy Detjen
Knitting Pipeline - A Central IL and close by native and actually met Elizabeth Zimmermann


Ones I don't currently subscribe to but will maybe in the future or occasionally I'll tune into:

Cultivate and Create
Knit British
Down Cellar Studio
Actually Knitting
Knit Actually

Do you listen any that I should be?

What's On the Needles This Week?

I am bound and determined to get this Hospice blanket off the needles this week and blocked before Hospice on Thursday.

 

Also, on the needles is a hat for Mona Lisa for Christmas.

I'm going to pop this pom from StevenBe's booth I picked up at Stitches Midwest last August.

It is another one of those beautiful, drop dead Sunday in Central Illinois!  I am not complaining, but are we sure this is Fall?

Have a great week!

Friday Finds

The Stockinette Zombies Birthday Kit.  It came with a super cool shawl pattern designed by Megan and a two color sock pattern from Amy.

And from one of my co-calendar friends, a bag and cards from her artwork.  She is amazing.

Thursday Things I Love

The new Webs catalog came yesterday.  There are some super cool cowls for my 40 Cowls 40 months project in it.

And from Coldwater Creek catalog, some things I would love to duplicate in my own knitting.

Love Love this long duster sweater, but yes that would be a lot of knitting.  And I love the olive green in the foreground and the oatmeal in the back.

Hat and scarf - this could be so duplicated with a variegated yarn.

And without the sleeves, a long vest to cover the you know what.  Again, a LOT of stockinette.  but maybe in a nice wool knit in the round and then steeked up the front?

I love this take on the monkey sock color way.

And the hottest of the hot these days, mug covers/cozies.

And last, but not least, how is this for snuggling down for the winter.

Just love when the holiday catalogs start coming in the mail!  So many wonderful things that are just begging to be knit duplicated!

Wednesday WIP

Despite a unplanned trip today to the doc to confirm that their new best guess is tendonitis in both hands, but more in the right than left, I do have a WIP that is a must knit right now.  And with braces on both hands, I can still do a bit of knitting without pain.

Over four years ago, you may remember I knit a stocking for Mona Lisa.  At the time, we were all calling her by her short name so that is what is on the stocking.  Fast forward to now, where she is being called by the long version and her parents wanted me to change the name on the stocking.  

Now in order to do that, it requires some new knitting, a lot of finagling since there just does not seem to be enough stitches and major surgery to get the two together.  I'll blog when there is a finished project and it is in the mail to them.

In the mean time in Central Illinois today - nope this is not snow, it is hail.  LOL!

And at this posting, it is still 61 degrees.  Not bad for the 2nd of November!  Happy Hump Day!

Happy Halloween!

What's On the Needles This Week?

Well, I am not sure what is going to be on the needles all week, as this dang thumb and wrist have been acting up.  I'm given the Aleve and wrist brace a try to start out, but may have to break down and call the doc and see if I can get in before my appointment on the 10th. The way I knit aggravates it and I am trying to keep the right thumb in place when throwing which is not as easy as seems after 30 plus years of bad knitting habit.

 I'm gonna need my hands in good working order on the 17th for several weeks (not just for knitting, but for crutches too) so we need to get this problem resolved PDQ.  But, enough of that.

I've got some Christmas knitting on the needles for Poppy. The rest of his Christmas presents are ready to wrap, just need to get this cute hat done.  I bought the kit last August at Stitches Midwest from the Stephen Be booth.

I'm still pluggin away on the Hospice Blanket and am so ready for it to be off of the needles, but it has some ways to go.

And just in case the hands don't want to cooperate with knitting, I've dug out a WIP from the past that I may have to resort to - to keep from going batty in a few weeks.  Before knitting all the time and before it was cool, I dabbled in a lot of cross stitch.  In fact, my dear friend Norma and I bonded over cross stitch many years ago.  And today, when I was scoping this out I found a box that she gave to me with a note in it.  It brought back so many fond unexpected memories.  You know the ones.

Today is not as nice outside as yesterday was in Central Illinois, but at least it is not raining.  The burning bush is turning red, which is a sure sign Fall is coming, even though the temps say differently.

 Happy Sunday!

Friday Finds on Saturday

Yep, I'm a bit late for Friday Finds, but just had to show you what came into PJKnits this week.

Those darn Grocery Girls made me buy these next two yarns.  I cannot wait to wind them up and make something out of them!

And from Molly Klein Designs, two new bags and DPN holders.  I've got my secret Christmas knitting in them both!  Molly knows me so well.  Whenever she finds new Peanuts/Snoopy fab she gives me a shout out.  She knows I cannot resist!

We are having a beautiful weekend here in Central Illinois.  Temps in the 70's after last week in the 50's!  Enjoy your weekend!!

Whats Up Wednesday

Today's cast-on to go in my Halloween bag from Molly Klein Design.  I just could not resist!

Happy Hump Day!  And thank you Nancy for my card, I loved it!!!!