Monday, March 26, 2018

Monday - 03/26/2018

                        S P O I L E R     A L E R T if you subscribe to Little Skein in the Big Wool's March box of goodies do not go any further!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's the good and the bad..........but first let me say that Nitty and Grace are both doing well.  Grace is beginning to eat and her ears are 'pinking  up' and her gums which means the yellow caused from her liver dysfunction is going away.  She's perkier and is more like her old self.  I am still going to give her the Urgent Care Science Diet by syringe but just not as often.  I mix a little mineral oil and potassium supplement in it that keeps her bowels running good and her potassium had been low.   Once I am sure that she is 100% then I will stop the syringe feeding.  As for Nitty, she acts totally normal and her back leg is no worse that it was before and she still manages to go up and down the stairs so PTL!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for the bad...........I frogged my Hitch Hiker shawl!  I know...I was halfway done!!!  That will teach me to think I can watch t.v. and do any knitting whatsoever regardless of how simple it is.  I did make an attempt to rip back and I must admit I did good but then there was a dropped stitch and it went downhill from there.  It's okay though, I've restarted and truth be told.....Mandala yarn has knots and I have no idea where my head was but the first knot I knitted right over it and it showed on both sides of the shawl!  The way to do it is to cut out the knot and join the yarn as you would any join then you can weave the ends in and not even see it but the ends on the knots where they join are very short and you cannot weave them in.  So, sad but not devastating....after all, it's just knitting.  There are much worse things...way worse!  Plus, I really enjoy working on this shawl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the good side..........I received my Little Skein in the big wool subscription box!  Yay!!!!  I only did it for this one time as I'm not sure yet but I love it!  If you have not gotten yours if you are a subscriber than LOOK AWAY ----SPOILER ALERT!!!
 Beautifully wrapped and packaged............
 2 mini skeins of Anne's house yarn...this is fingering weight with cashmere in it......oh my!  I have never had any yarn with cashmere......so soft!  And the colors are beautiful.  These are large mini-skeins too....100 yards/28 grams 70% merino wool, 20% nylon and 10% cashmere......... 
 The theme was Beatrix Potter.....one of my favs!!! I got a cute little tin of stitch markers, a Peter Rabbit tin full of a lavender potpourri mix, a carrot progress keeper and an enamel pin that I think says Read, Knit, Read.....I need to get my glasses out! LOL!   Also, some lovely hand balm from Tuft Woolens.
 and last but not least a knitting pattern to go with the yarn and a coaster although I would never use it as such........everything in the box related to Beatrix Potter and it couldn't have been more perfect for me!  Thank you, Anne!
 I also got the new Knit Picks catalog in the mail so I will be cuddling up with a cup of tea and the catalog tonight!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had a storm early this morning and it was a real down pour and when I got up there was hail on the ground under my gutter.  It looked like a little pile of snow.   They were at least dime size and that is after they melted a bit.  No wonder it sounded so loud! LOL!  We have a flood watch and more rain tonight and tomorrow but it's 76 out so very nice but overcast.  They had predicted rain for today so I had housework planned already.  I hope you all had a nice start to your week and that it just keeps getting better!
Happy Trails!!!
  

Sunday, March 25, 2018

YOP Week #39


 FO's (Finished Objects) -
I was fairly monogamous this week and because of that I was able to finish my sweater!  Ta Da!  My first sweater but definitely not my last!  I'm still thinking about a zipper, I tried it on and it fits even though I did not do a gauge swatch...I am one lucky gal!  I will do one from now on!  Thank you Lynn for the link about how to install a zipper in a sweater.  I haven't woven in ends yet or blocked it but those are minor details.  I am ecstatic about this sweater and will cherish it for the confidence it gave me.  I am one fearless knitter now!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WIP's (Works in Progress)
 I missed working on my Hitch Hiker shawl........it is such a pleasant knit and easy to memorize.
I am about half way according to the pattern but I will probably try and use up the skein depending on how big it gets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm still catching up with The Yarn Hoarder pod casts and I have gotten so much inspiration and great ideas from her for gifts.   Come July when  the new YOP year starts I have these projects to put on the list.  I thought I would preview them in case any of  you wanted to make them so you could add them to your list.  After I look at every one's list in July then I, of course, want to add all the things to my list! LOL!
First, are these wool dryer balls..........
   Amber said they are very easy to make and what a great gift plus I could use them myself.  If you like your laundry scented you can dab them with essential oils.  I was looking at this tutorial
from Live Simply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then there are aprons to make from a free pattern on Purl Soho 
I want to make them for the grands so I will probably have to do some adjusting........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She also made garlands for her Christmas trees and there were 2 kinds.........one made with tiny wool felted balls that you can buy and there was also a kit and then another less expensive option was a Walmart bead garland that you crochet around and over but she did say it was pretty tedious but then she made like a dozen or more! LOL!  Here' something similar.........
The one made of felted wool balls is easier because you can buy the balls but if you're on a budget you can felt your own...........plus, you can spread them out....they don't need to be right next to each other...............
But in looking I found one that I like even better as it is like the old fashioned ones with popcorn and cranberries...............crocheted of course.............so pretty!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, the last thing Amber made were dish towels....75 to be exact!  That girl never does anything in a small way....her motto is "go big or go home"...LOL!  I didn't even know there was such a thing as towel fabric (this is Moda) ...........I found these I would like to make for Christmas and for MOI! I think you use about 3/4 of a yard per towel.  Amber tells you all about these projects in her Episode 23.


  There are so many to chose from.  There is a grey with blue stripes that might make nice aprons for the grands!?!  Plus, I'm thinking they would make nice table runners too!  Don't ask me why I am so 'gung ho' on Christmas right now but you know how slow I am so it's not a bad thing for me to be planning ahead! LOL!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No acquisitions but they are coming! Oh, and don't get me going on sewing for my Spring/Summer wardrobe! LOL!  To see other fabulous makes and makers please visit our other YOP participants
Happy Trails!!!