WIP Wednesday

I only have 2 WIP right now.....key word being progress! LOL!  I have lots of other projects unfinished....LOTS!  But these are the ones that I'm actually picking up right now.  This is my bunting from the crochet book I am working through.  The basic triangle is done and one is completed which I noticed I placed with wrong side up in the picture.  I just have to edge the others and crochet together.  Hopefully I'll have an FO by Friday!

Below is a Christmas present I'm working on.  It is the first time I have knit cables and Ruth, they ARE fun!  Who knew!?!?!  It's turning out great I think and although right now it seems like it could be more of a rug than a scarf, it is soft and pliable but is stiff on the sticks.  I am using Lion Brand Wool-Ease, a Super Bulky I got at Wal-Mart and it is so nice.  I bought 3 skeins so that is how big the scarf will be! LOL!  I'm using size 10/6mm needles for it.  It is the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern free on Ravelry.  I'll be making a matching hat too. 

 

   That's all for this week so far.  I have to go visit and see what you all have been up to!  Be sure and click on the WIP button on the right side of my blog to see what everyone else is making.  TTYL!

Monday Reading Material and a couple great links!

Still slogging away on this...another crrrrrazzy book unless I'm crazy and therefore nothing normal makes sense to me?  I'm on page 308 so you'd think by now there would be some semblance of a plot or a storyline of some kind?  How much do they have to pay these people to write these glowing recommendations on the covers?  From now on I'm not trusting them or anyone  under 50 who recommends a book to me! LOL!  Maybe I spent too many years reading computer manuals?  I understood them but this?  Not so much.

Did I tell you I finished this one last week?   Another good mystery by Maggie Sefton.  If you like knitting, yarn shops, Colorado, mysteries (but not gore or extreme violence), and recipes and feeling like you belong to their "group", you will love her books.  They are what I call "cozy".  In fact, if you want lots of "cozy" book titles visit Cozy Mystery and she also has a blog which is interesting.  I like it too because you can discover new authors and also get lists of their books in order and see what you might have missed!

This book is turning out to be quite interesting and well-written.  This girl had guts for her age or were we all brave when we didn't know how scary the world can really be?  I remember I wanted to bike across the U.S. with my dog during the Summer between high school and college but my parents wouldn't hear of it.  I could not understand what THEIR problem was! LOL!  Actually, I still think it's a great idea but maybe with a group of friends...not solo.

I finally finished listening to Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson.  This was very good and a tear jerker!  I highly recommend it as it is a great story and I still can't get over the fact that James Patterson wrote it!  I only listen to audio books when I have things to do that are boring enough that I can listen and do what I'm doing....such as ironing, some needlework, and house cleaning for sure! LOL!  This one is a "keeper" for me also and goes in my "special" bookcase.  This audio has 4 cd's and was $34.00 new....I got it at the Thrift Store for less than $2.00.  Don't forget to check your localThrift Stores for books and cd's.  Once I got a whole bunch  of PBS video tapes, travel ones, and audio books of Agatha Christie and other great mystery writers.  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven....some were only $.50!

  Here's the next audio I will be listening too.  This was from a library sale.  I never pay full price if I don't have to unless it's special and there are lots of those too.

There was a great list of books I ran across today of " 32 books that will actually change your life".....not so sure about "change" but maybe books you will never forget?  I've read a few on it, a few I've started and not finished and a few I would probably never read but here's the list in case your interested.  I LOVE book lists!  I will try and find one to include each week as I can't possibly read fast enough to hold anyone's interest! LOL!  Have a great week everyone and "Stay Calm and Read On"!

YOP Sunday

 

Say goodbye to Blackberry Salad blankie...for awhile anyway.  Remember last week when I said it really wasn't crooked on the end of the blanket?  Well, I was looking through the camera lens and I really did believe in my heart of hearts that I had just stretched it when I laid it out to take the picture.  In fact, I went on this last week to do several more rows and then I decided to weave in the threads on the end that was when I noticed the HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE edge of the blanket!  Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Here it is in all it's miserableness...........what the heck?????  I must not have seen it for all the ends that were hanging there before I wove them in.  Anyway, I am putting it "aside" for now and maybe forever as I have had way too many failures in the needlework area lately.  I chose to believe that I am supposed to be doing other things as the pc has been crashing a lot too.  So, I did landscaping and cleaning and clearing and decluttering and I must say it's a good feeling!  The guest room is almost ready for my guests and I'm waiting for the Warm and Natural quilt batting to arrive as I could not bring myself to use the stuff from Walmart....pure chemicals.  I have decided that when I have a heartbreaking and disappointing failure that I will get back in the saddle by starting a new project!~   LOL!  Who doesn't love to "move on" to something better?  Tear off those rear view mirrors and don't look back!

So, on that note I bring you my crocheted bunting.....not done but having fun doing it!

  The one in the middle is done and then I decided to do all 6 of the triangles and then crochet their edgings and then crochet them all together....bunting style!  One of my projects this year is to crochet everything in this book...........

I was going to go in order but the first project is a huge blanket of small Granny Squares which I am starting but which will take a long, long time so while doing the squares I thought I would continue through the book and the next project is the bunting.  

I also started on Christmas presents which will accomplish both a present and learning cables at the same time.  This is Lion Brand Wool-Ease which I found at Wal-mart and I love it.  It is Super Chunky yarn and I am doing an Irish Hiking Scarf and hat to match.  So far, so good!  You knew I couldn't totally put the sticks down and lose my knitting edge? LOL!  The picture doesn't show it but I've actually done a row of the cable stitches since I took that picture and no problem so far.  I did find that it was easier to use a DPN as opposed to a cable needle to hold the cable stitches.  I also adore my Lantern Moon wooden needles.  I think the dark heathered gray and black yarn will also help me not be so knit-picky (bad pun) about my stitches and will hide any sins I make along the way.  The yarn is soft yet feels like wool and is machine washable and dryable which is good because it is a gift for one of my sons who would machine wash and dry it regardless! LOL!  They don't read my blog so I don't think I have to worry about them finding out.

I hope you had a great week and please say a prayer that I don't mess up these new projects! LOL!  

P.S.  BTW, my pc is having REAL problems...it heats up because the fan no longer works and then it shuts down (better than starting a fire...thank you) but it does it a lot and that is why I am not blogging or reading as much.  It crashed 3 times while writing this blog!  So, please don't take offense if I haven't been by or commented.  I'm trying but after awhile I give up and go do other things which in many ways is a good thing!  Ha! Ha!  TTYL if my pc stays up!