New projects

I have been making lots of facecloths for the craft shows.  The first one is November 20 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Key West.  I still need to make soaps to go with some of them & others are father/son or mother/daughter sets.

I am borrowing an idea from the Mason/Dixon Knitting girls and knitting a baby blanket in Log Cabin quilt design.  But I am only using 2 colors so it'll look like a squared off spiral.  I'm using more of the Sugar 'n Spice & Peaches 'n Cream cottons so it'll be very durable.

Also, I have started a little Bangle Bag that swings from a pair of bangle bracelets.  And there is the Sea Bag which will be a felted lace pattern.  I've done the swatches for that, but haven't started on the actual bag yet.

I still need to get the design done for the Cockatiel Ruana so I'll be ready to start it when Colin finishes dying my yarn.

So much yarn, so little time.

YeeHaw!!

I FINALLY finished the Ziggy Wrap!!  For a while I didn't think i was ever going to get done.  It almost fell victim to my worst knitting habit - Once I get the pattern figured out, I have a really bad time forcing myself to finish it.  If it's a small project, it's not too bad, but a big one like this, I have to nag myself (luckily I have lots of practice on Hubby) to get it finished.  I used 5 skeins of Lion Wool-Ease & it is about 29" x 62".

It seems I love the puzzle of making yarn & stitiches come out right, but once that's done, bleah.  Not that the pattern is bleah by any means.  It is actually one of my favorites I've done in a long while.  But my brain has moved on to the next design so is no longer interested in the item.

It will be available on my Etsy sight later, but here are pix for now:

I tried to get the entire Wrap in this picture but just couldn't do it.

Here is a closer view of the stitch patterns. 

Getting There!

Well, only 4 more repeats of the main pattern to go until the Ziggy Shawl is FINISHED!!!  Yeah!!  It's much larger than the original design, but it has become a nice, warm, cozy shawl just right for Autumn weather.

Now to get the pattern done and published on my Etsy site.

I'm back...Sorta

Well, I'm still working off my daughter's old clunker so I haven't been online much.  The Ziggy Shawl is getting closer to completion though.

I am also working on lots of washcloths for my craft booth at upcoming craft fairs.  I'm thinking of doing some candles also.  If I get time.

And I got a new idea for something to make for a lttle wrist bag from my daughter.  So lots to do.

Update

My computer has died.  Again.  Please check back for updates in a week or so.  Thanks.

    - Wendy

Quote of the day

From a book I just started, Casting Spells,by Barbara Bretton:

"If there were any magic spells out there to help a girl block a shawl, I hadn't found them, and believe me, I'd looked.  Blocking, like life, was equal parts intuition, brute strength and dumb luck."

Work is backing up

So with the feeding of the babies & the new Xbox cord, I've been way too distracted.  I am not getting to the Ziggy Shawl until late at night and still haven't felted the latest sample for the Sea Bag.

I get easily distracted (damn ADD!) but I find that if I make a list and keep checking it during the day, it helps to keep me on track.  I just have to make time for knitting on that schedule.

So much yarn, so little time.

The ongoing saga of the Ziggy Shawl

And the Ziggy Shawl still is undone.  When redoing it, I realized that I didn't think it was wide enough.  Something I thought when I was knitting it first time around.  So I frogged it again, back to the beginning loop.


There are now 5 repeats of the middle pattern & the seed stitch border is 9 stitches wide instead of 5.  WAY wider.  But I think it'll look much better that way.


Unfortunately, the power strip for the Xbox 360 came a couple of days ago so I'm being tempted away with my game.  But I am determined to finish it so I can move on.


I have 2 designs left to finish for my ebook after the Ziggy Shawl.  A felted bag & a ruana.  Or maybe a vest.  I may do the Cockatiel Shawl as a ruana instead.  Or maybe both.  Sometimes I have to start designing before the actual shape presents itself.


My yarn for the Cockatiel Shawl/Ruana (whatever!) will be coming either later this month or early next month, depending on when Colin gets it done.  I'm having him custom dye some beautiful baby alpaca/cashmere/silk in Lutino Cockatiel colors (yellows & a spot of orange).  It'll be like all of Colin's work, too beautiful to use, but I'll use it anyway.  I have a drawer devoted to his works of art.

Slogging away

I worked on the Ziggy Shawl some more last night while watching a couple of episodes of X-Files. Great TV to knit too as you don't have to watch it closely, the conversations tell the story. Three repeats done, 16 to go.

I'm Baaaaack

Well, it's certainly been an interesting year. "Interesting" as in the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." I had to have major surgery in March & the recovery time is a year, but with all my other problems, it'll be 2. So, needless to say, I haven't done as much crafting as I wanted to do.

Also, we have increased our cockatiel production so I've been very busy with those. I am now hand feeding 3 babies, a new adventure for me. That blog is: http://sevenshadesaviary.blogspot.com/. Check it out for the latest baby pix & developments.

I do have most of the patterns done for my book on Moose Lace. I am working on the Ziggy Shawl and had it finished except for the last 5 border rows when I noticed a BIG mistake in the second repeat (of 19). I ripped out almost 200 rows. I didn't cuss. Much anyway. So I'm back to near the beginning. The good news is, the pattern is so familiar that I am making fast progress in re-doing it.

Ziggy Shawl

I've also been working on fast, easy items for craft booths this fall. Using the WWII washcloth pattern, I've worked up a bunch in different colors. I'm going to make some small soaps and wrap them in the washcloths for a quick & relatively inexpensive gift or stocking stuffer.

Not much of a poster yet

I mean to post regularly, but life always seems to get in the way. I am working on two different e-books of knitting patterns. One is Called Many Mini Bags & the other is Living Large Lace (or Lace Living Large, I haven't decided yet). The first will feature about a dozen or so tiny bags, the second will be lace patterns done in thick yarn & large needles. I have several patterns already, but need more so there are at least 10 patterns in each book. Then, I need to flesh out the books with general instructions, links to sites for yarns, and so on.