MIA - Where have I been??

Sometimes I just disappear. I don't know why, but I just don't feel like posting whats going on. I am now working on two different projects. I am designing a shrug which feels very luxurious, it has a high, lovely feeling collar around the neck. I will post pictures as soon as I am done. The other project is a new hat for my daughter. She loved the hat I made for her that fit baby sawyer, so I am committed to making one that will fit her now. I got the yarn yesterday... a lovely orange and a varigated blue/green/orange for a band around the head. I will try to do better and post more often.

Instant Gratification

I find that I am in the need for instant gratification. In this case it cost me $24 in yarn and $30 in supplies. I have to admit that I need to rein in the spending, but if I am going to be selling things I do need the tools of the trade. Today I am working on a beautiful hat. It will be heavily felted with a slight brim. Lovely! It should be done by tomorrow.

The norwegian purl

Ok, so I learned how to norwegian purl, and I love it. I love it so much I overshot my mark on my daughters sweater by 10 rows :) So I got to also practice ripping out rows of stitches, what a pain. I could go all year and not be sad if I didnt have to rip out rows again. I always twist the stitches putting them on the needle then have to correct as I am knitting stitch by stitch. I could be done with the sweater by now!! Ah well, its down to binding off. I will post a picture when it is done...

To Steek or not to Steek, and Oysters...

I ran across a neat childs sweater which requires norwegian steeking for the arms. Apparently you knit in the round, then you CUT what you knitted in order to sew in the arms. ACK!!! I dont know if I am brave enough to do that ... but maybe on a kiddies sweater? One that only took a few days to make? and if it works, the world is my oyster!!

The New Year Rush

Ok, so its a new year. I didn't make even one resolution. When I was younger I made a gazillion resolutions, all of which failed. My daughter asked me on new years eve what my resolution was this year, and I told her that I resolved not to make any more resolutions =-) She was not amused, but I occasionally crack myself up.

Unfortunately, since I didnt make any resolutions, i have in essence given myself free reign to do what I please. Hence my uncontrollable search for my next knitting project. Will it be a felted knitting bag? Will I design my own sweater? I adore the celtic designs and have a cross stitch book upstairs... how easy it would be to translate the designs!!

Never mind that I still have 3 projects to go before I can begin another one... or is that 4? Perhaps my resolution should have been to not search out new projects prior to finishing what is on my plate....

Knitting and copyright law

There was a big todo regarding copyright law and knitted garments for the last few days. I think I will probably just avoid posting on contraversial subjects. I really think that copyrighting your pattern is to stop people from mass producing and selling garments made from your pattern. But think about it. How many variations can you make to that pattern to make it yours? If you like the basic bones of the pattern, you can keep those, but change other things. What about the trim, the way the sleeves drape, the collar, the size of the buttons, the length of the ribbing, etc. If you make multiple changes that are notable, then it is no longer the same pattern, is it. I guess if you dont know pattern conversions that would be difficult, but hey... learn something new! Thats my take anyways, but who am I? As I said, I am avoiding contraversial subjects :-D

Xmas, I am glad its over with~

Xmas has come and gone. I had under one roof my daughter and all her family (this is where I live) and my son who I went and got from Fort Bliss for the Holidays. Mike and Lianna dont get along very well, never had and never will. Its getting better, but it will never be perfect. Mike and my grand-daughter Alex dont get along a great deal either. Mike thinks that Alex should instantly obey him because he is 21 and she is 13. Like that is ever going to happen. Does anyone out there remember their own 13 year old daughters? They are great, but not great at obedience, and they suffer from foot in mouth disease.

Everything was fine for around 4 days, and on the 5th day was Xmas. Have you ever visited hell? It certainly felt that way to me. Was it too much to ask that everyone get along for 8 blessed days???? I guess it was because it simply didnt happen :(

Finally Mike left, but it wasnt a nice leaving either. Now I feel like I am a bad mom because I raised him after all. It must be my fault that he is so rigid. But how did that happen? I am not rigid, my daughter is also pretty flexible. Mikes dad is very rigid, and he raised mike til he was almost 11. So ok, he should share some of the blame, but shouldnt I have been able to break through his earlier programing? I had him for the rest of his days until he joined the Army.

Ok, enough of my rant. I wish you the best of holidays. Peace.

I am a bad daughter... Time to make a flap cap.

I thought that I had made or bought xmas gifts for everyone on my list. My daughter normally buys the gifts for my Mom as she tracks the budget for everyone in the house. This year my Mom got left behind. I feel so bad! She only had one gift under the tree from my sister. She was happy anyways. She has always gotten great gifts on good years.

Because I missed her on Xmas, I am now making her a quick flap cap which she requested the day before xmas. It is being made in her favorite colour.... Red. I dislike the colour red. I am not into those bright primary colours myself. I prefer muted earth tones. I think I would enjoy making the cap much more if it was in a colour I enjoyed. However, this cap is not for me... so I will send it to her for her bday in January.

*Sigh* I am a bad daughter.

Family. You gotta love them!

I had a conversation with my 13 year old granddaughter Alex, who also happens to be my nighttime buddy for doing crafts and watching our favorite shows. Alex and her mom (my daughter Lianna) are having issues. I really thought I would be the one that Alex would rebel against since I am here most often with her and my other 5 grandchildren, but really she likes me now and is livid at her mom all the time. I almost wish that she would turn on me rather than Lianna, but hey... it is what it is. Lianna rebelled against me at about 13, so I guess she is going to learn how that feels. But I wish I could take this on myself.. I have more time and energy than Lianna does.

Lianna is a graduate psychology student. When she is done she will have her PhD. Boy, I could never have spent so much time in school. Her husband Dan, who is a really great guy, is in the Army. He just got back (thank god) from Iraq. He was in Afghanistan last year for 16 months. Because he is posted so far away, and is deployed alot, I moved with Lianna to Kentucky from Lake Tahoe California and Nevada. I am now a stay at home grandma watching the 5 kids and filling in the blanks for Dan and Lianna. I really love those kids! It is going to be tough to let go once Lianna has her degree and has time to be Mom again =-(

Creating Knitting Markers

Yesterday I shot over to Michaels and got all the stuff to make knitting markers. They were pretty easy to make. Jump rings, crimp beads, stone beads of two different sizes, head pins, and a few rondells. It was pretty cool when I completed the project.

I am giving six of the markers to a friend of mine in a little tin box. It is kind of hard to make the darn things stay in one place though. I should sew the darn things onto the batting, but I think that would be rough for the person trying to get the darn things off the batting for first use! I haven't seen anything like this at the local stores, maybe I should market them? I would be curious to see what my Ravelry friends think about this!