Another Crocheted Favorite

This is the picture of another favorite of mine -- a 3 corner crocheted shawl from a 1970s issue of Magic Crochet . The magazine was printed in France by the same people who did Mon Tricot. I believe it's been out of print for years.

I made the shawl from an off-white mohair like fingering yarn, an acrylic if I remember right, and left off the fringe. My daughter asked for hers to be made from snow-white worsted weight yarn with the fringe. Both shawls were great. Hers is just bigger and warmer, but the fringe is glorious. Now my 8 year old granddaughter wants one. But do I want to do that much crocheting? I really prefer to knit... Ah, well. Grandkids have their ways.


As an aside, I'll mention that the nightgown directions on the left of the page make a great summer gown. I made mine of skirt-weight cotton gauze (not the bandage type gauze! :) ) The crocheted bodice worked beautifully with it. I'd still be wearing it if a new puppy hadn't decided to snack on the shoulder straps and half the side...

To be able to use the directions, you will need to save the image to your computer, then enlarge it.

Crocheted Tam-O-Shanter

Ok, it's not knitting, but I love this pattern. I went looking for it to teach it to a friend, but couldn't find the original. Gee. It's only from the 1960s. Why can't I lay my hands on it?

I studied the hat and wrote the instructions. I'll post it here for posterity.

Crocheted Tam-o-Shanter
If you add a pom-pom to the center of the top, it’s a Tam-O-Shanter. If you leave it plain, it’s a beret. I like to change the color of the last two rows to make a trim.
I’m a bit vague on what size crochet hook I used to make my first Tam. Probably an F or a G. Choose one that fits your yarn. Adjust the stitches according to the thickness of your yarn (bulky will need fewer stitches and fewer rounds) Directions are given for worsted weight yarn.
YARN: 1 skein primary color (Color A); 1 small ball of scrap yarn for trim (Color B).
Stitches you need to know: chain stitch, double crochet, slip stitch, decrease, single crochet.
Abbreviations: Ch = chain stitch; DC = double crochet; SS = slip stitch; DEC = decrease; SC = single crochet. Repeat directions between the *s.

To do a decrease: Work 1 DC until there are 2 loops on the hook, work next DC until there are 4 loops on the hook. Yarn over the hook, pull through and work off 2 loops. There will be 3 loops left on your hook. Yarn over and pull through to work off last 3 loops. One loop will be left on the hook to create the next stitch.
Adjustments for hook size and yarn differences: If work will not lay flat after each round, omit last increase (“DC 2 in following stitch”) of each round. Your row count will change, but the overall effect will be the same. The important thing is to have the increases evenly spaced around the circle. As long as your increases are spaced evenly apart (hence the 1 DC between, then 2 DC between, then 3, etc.) the circle will grow evenly. You should be able to see a “pie shape” pattern growing between your increases.
You may not notice a wave in the edge until several rows past the spot where you should have dropped the extra increase. If that is the case, rip out your work to the last point it laid flat, and redo it omitting the last increase.
Pattern:
Center: Chain six and join (by slip stitching to first stitch of the row). Ch 3. (12 stitches)

1. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 2 in each stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (1^st Ch3 counts as 1 DC when counting; 24 stitches)
2. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 2 in each stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (36 stitches)
3. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next stitch. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (48 stitches).
4. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 2 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (60 stitches)
5. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 3 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (72 stitches)
6. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 4 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (84 stitches)
7. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 5 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (96 stitches)
8. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 6 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (108 stitches)
9. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 7 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (120 stitches).
10. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 8 stitches. DC 2 in following stitch* around. Join. Ch 3. (132 stitches; circle should be 11”to 12”” in diameter).

Begin decreasing to make fold and size down to head band:

1. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 8 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join. Ch 3. (132 stitches)
2. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 6 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join. Ch 3.
3. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 5 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join. Ch 3.
4. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 4 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join. Ch 3.
5. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 3 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join. Ch 3.
6. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in next 2 stitches. DEC in following 2 stitches* around. Join.

Headband:

1. Ch 3. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in each stitch* around
2. Ch 3. 1 DC next to Ch 3. *DC 1 in each stitch* around
3. Cut yarn. Join trim color. “Bury” ends by SC over them in this row. *SC 1 in each stitch* around.
4. *SC 1 in each stitch* around.
5. SS around to secure edge. Cut yarn. Weave in end.

Pom-Pom:
To make a 1”-2” pom-pom.

1. Wind Color B yarn around a heavy piece of cardboard or object about six inches wide (at least 2 inches larger than finished pom-pom diameter, to give you “trim room”.). Make at least 100 windings. You want a full pom-pom. More can’t hurt.
2. Pinch center and hold it firmly. (You may want a helper if this is your first time making a pom-pom.)
3. Slip yarn off cardboard.
4. Tie tightly with a piece of matching yarn. Leave tie ends long for attaching to hat. TIE VERY TIGHTLY. You don’t want threads slipping out of the pom-pom.
5. Fluff to make it take a ball shape. It will be straggly.
6. Holding over a trash can by the tie ends, trim with sharp scissors until the ball is the right shape and “perky”. (Don’t cut the tie ends).
7. Place on hat and pull tie ends through outer edge of the center circle. Tie securely. Bury ends under crochet loops.

Above is the first crocheted Tam I ever made -- circa 1968. I still wear it. It was made from the scrap yarn left over from an Icelandic sweater my mother knitted for my brother. That's some good yarn!

Knitting is in the Bag

We had our annual Regional Library System In-Service Training yesterday. Sharon from KansasKnits and Hollis, who works with Kathy G. of KansasKnits, were both presenters. Sharon was there in her professional capacity along with her cohort Julie to tell us about how they used knitting as a hook to teach folks about technology. I learned about all sorts of things I didn't know before.

I didn't get to hear Hollis speak because I was introducing the speaker at a parallel session. Her talk was on finding hidden markets in your community. I was introducing the session called "Why is That Dog in Here?" about the Reading with Dogs program in libraries. (I had fun petting Sophie.)

Where all this is leading is the new knitting bag I found to use at the in-service. Since Sharon's topic was related to knitting, we encouraged folks to bring their work. I saw several folks KIPing during the day.

My bag was small, just a bit bigger than a very large apple -- there was just room for a ball of yarn and my short bamboo needles, a business card case that carried my ID, ATM card and a few business cards, and my small, slim digital camera. It clipped to my belt loop, so I never lost my knitting or my "purse" and I could snap photos where ever I found something interesting happening. (I'm the editor, chief writer, camera-gal and Girl Friday of the system newsletter.)Since I was the coordinator of this workshop, I was all over the place doing one thing or another. If I ever laid anything down, it was gone. I really enjoyed my little knitting bag.

If you have to be on the go and want to be hands free, I recommend a bag like this. Mine looks like a mini-backpack. I found it at Staples in a back-to-school bin in September. If I remember right, it was under $10. If they still have them, they may be on the clearance rack by now. Hm... note to self -- go back and check Staples for more of these.

AND how has your knitting week been? Now that the in-service is over, I plan to have my life back and get to knit more often!

Patron Saint/ Goddess of Knitting

It appears knitting is a fairly young craft. It can't be documented before 1200-1500 AD. (That doesn't mean it wasn't around before then. It just can't be documented. After all, fiber rots.) There is something called nalbinding that looked like knitting that was around earlier, but it was created by a different process. http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=knitting

This means knitting wasn't out there, standing in line, when goddesses and patrons saints were being handed out. Knitters may have to share with other crafters in some "blanket goddess/saint". St. Clair of Assisi seems to get the most votes because she is the Patron Saint of Needle Workers. http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintc03.htm

I found quite a lot of blog chatter about patron saints. When I searched "goddess of knitting" I got every blogger in the world who has named herself a knitting goddess. Some have a good sense of humor, like Evil Bitch Goddess of Knitting or Knitting Goddess #9 and High Goddess of Knitting and Small Fluffy Dogs

There have been some interesting suggestions on other blogs and sites. I'll consolidate a few.

Franklin in Chicago picked St. Clair. I like his logic:
I want to say a prayer but don’t know who the patron saint of knitters is. I decide on St. Clare of Assisi – she’s the patroness of embroiderers and can always pass along the message – and the Virgin Mary, who is obviously fond of shawls. http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2005/08/stitches-midwest-diary-part-one.html

Bridget in Philadelphia has quite a discussion of patron saints and goddesses spurred by her blog. I only listed one.
And speaking of saints, I was trying to locate the patron saint of knitters. I couldn't come across anything definitive, since there were no specific listings under "knitting," or "knitters." I did learn that St. Blaise (he of the blessing of the throats) is the patron saint of wool workers. But in the end, I think we have to go with St. Clare of Assisi, who is listed as the patron saint of embroiderers and needle workers, among other things.
Teabird17 responded to her with:

I wouldn't be able to help you with the patron saint of knitters, but I've read that the Greek Goddess would be Hestia - the Chinese would be Kuan Yin, Goddess of compassion, I think, for the warmth we create,and the Hindu might be Sarasvati, for creativity.

http://the-ravelld-sleave.blogspot.com/2006/11/november-1st.html

The New York Times offers this tidbit:
" There is no company of stocking-knitters known earlier than 1527, in which year a company established itself in Paris, choosing for its patron saint St. Fiacre, because he was supposed (in France) to be a Scotch Prince, the son of a Scotch King, and it wanted to do Scotland, the knitting country, every honor"
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9807EFD71F3AE533A25750C1A9649C94609FD7CF&oref=slogin

St. Fiacre, was actually Irish and a gardener. Do we want to share knitting with the Patron Saint of Hemorrhoids?

Patronage

barrenness; box makers; cab drivers; fistula; florists; gardeners; haemorrhoids; hosiers; pewterers; piles; taxi drivers; sterility; syphilis; tile makers; venereal disease

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintf13.htm

I'm not the only one wondering about such things. E.Zimmerman cries out:

Anyone know the patron saint of knitters? (I found St. Pareasceva for spinners and FOUR for weavers including St. Parasceva, St. Antony Claret, St. Maurice, and St. Onuphrius. Lucky ducks for the weavers out there!) Anyway, my patron looking out for me on that first pair of socks, is obviously doing other important work, because the second pair is TOUGH!

http://twinsunplus1.wordpress.com/category/e-zimmerman/

Then there is a blog that offers to find you a patron saint, no matter what:

YOU NEED ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GET!

Shop Announcement

Stuck in an office with a horrible cubicle mate? St. Therese, patron saint of people who are annoyed by the annoying habits of others. Sewing? St. Ann. Embroidery? St. Clair. Trekkies? St. Martin de Porres. There really IS a patron saint for everything! We can custom match a saint for whatever your needs may be, just contact us! Each item comes with a holy card pictorial story of your saint.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=53281

After reading all of this, my friend Steve suggested Saint Rafqa. She is the Patron Saint of Bodily Ills (hm... someone I can relate to), but at least she was a knitter!
On the feast of the Holy Rosary in 1885, Rafqa prayed that she might share Christ's sufferings. Her health began to deteriorate, and she was soon blind and crippled. She spent as much of her remaining 30 years in prayer as she could, but always insisted on working in the convent as well as she could with her disabilities, usually spinning wool and knitting.

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintr27.htm


Maybe we still need to stay anonymous. Moth Heaven sort of sums it up in her plea,

Help me oh sweet patron saint of knitters, whomever you are. (Even if I am a Unitarian).

http://scrubberbum.typepad.com/moth_heaven/2005/07/okay_okay_ill_u.html

So Much Yarn, So Little Time

Working sure interferes with my playing. The only time I get to knit is when I'm a passenger in a car. I do a lot of commuting and have road time in my job, but I'm usually driving. RATS!

Sandy, the Youth Consultant, and I took a trip to Coffeyville last Thursday. She drove, so I got to knit. (Nice lady, Sandy.)

Did you know you could knit four socks at one time? I did it! I had Pat's white socks and Kayleigh's pink socks both in my traveling bag. I couldn't decide which pair I wanted to work on. Both were being worked on Size 1 circulars and two of the circs were extra long. Hm... I wonder.

Sure enough, I was able to slip all four socks onto the two longest circulars. I merrily knitted on both pairs all the way to Coffeyville and back. I'd still be working on both pairs, but Pat's socks are through the part that needed size 1 needles and needed to switch back to size 2.

Pat's socks are being knit in a wool blend sport weight yarn that I got at JoAnns. I am trying a trick I learned from Carla of KansasKnits. She said she knits the ankle part of her socks on needles one size smaller than the rest of the sock. This makes the sock fit more snuggly and prevents bagging. I'm 3/4 finished with Pat's socks, so we'll see soon how this works.

I love the yarn I'm using for Kayleigh's socks! It's a cotton/elastic blend called Cascade Fixation. It feels good, just to hold it. This is going to be my yarn of choice when I knit for grandkids. The girls are going to love the colors. I have pink self-striping yarn for Kayleigh. I haven't decided who will get the violet self-striping yarn. Pat III has requested green socks, so I need to make an expedition to a yarn store to find his yarn.

I'm finding the yarn stores! I've been to Yarn Barn in Lawrence and Twist in Wichita. The Kansas City knitters on KansasKnits have found KitWits in Olathe. Pat and I drove past The Shivering Sheep in Abilene when we were coming home from a library event in Salina. (He wouldn't let me go in. Just because he had a schedule! Men!!) After a library meeting in Manhattan I visited Wildflower and found the toe-up sock knitting book that is my Bible. I have heard a rumor that there is a new yarn store in Garnett. I do hope it's real. That will be my closest yarn store (27 miles away). I am about 60 miles from Olathe, 59 miles from Lawrence and 120 miles from Wichita. I only get to go to Twist, Shivering Sheep and Wildflower if I'm in the area for other reasons (that usually means something library related.)

You folks who live in urban areas with a source of yarn ten minutes away, please thank your Yarn God. Hm... wonder who would be the goddess of knitting or Patron Saint of Knitters? Arachne is for spinners... But that will be another blog entry.

TROOPS NEED KNITTERS/CROCHETERS

If you want to knit for the troops, this (or socks ) would be a good project. 

Today, U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and South Korea, as well as many parts of the United States, are exposed to winds and bitter cold during the winter months. Riding in open trucks and humvees, they often encounter sub-zero wind chills. The military head gear issued to our troops is made of synthetic material which is not as warm as wool. Just as in WWI and WWII, volunteers are needed to make these wool caps for our troops. The wool head covering which can be worn under the Kevlar helmet provides warmth to the head and neck but does not restrict vision.
According to Dr. Richard H. Garretson, M.D., Crossroads Community Hospital, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, approximately 30 percent of a person’s body heat loss is through the head. It is important to keep the head warm, so the body temperature stays up. The brain controls everything else in the body, the ability to think and act as well as the ability for the body to maintain a particular temperature.
One way to increase the comfort level of our troops in cold climates is to provide knitted/crocheted wool caps, or "wooly pulleys" to them. “The cap is definitely warm. It has certainly been a help, or should I say warmth.” said Corporal Juan M. Perez, Jr., who is stationed in Iraq.
The patterns are available at www.geocities.com/helmetliner. If you have any questions, please contact helmetliner@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 236, Auburn, IL 62615. Completed helmetliners may be sent to Helmetliner, P.O. Box 236, Auburn, IL 62615, where they will be sent directly to our troops.
Donations to help defray shipping costs may be made payable to Helmetliner and sent to the address above.
Other links to helmet liners. The knitting.about.com site gives the same pattern, but the other two offer WWI and WWII helmet liners.


http://knitting.about.com/od/hatpatterns...
http://www.agoodyarn.net/pt_helmet.htm...
http://www.hjsstudio.com/redbala.html...

Beginning Knitters, Big Stitches, and Yahoo Answers

This person had the opposite problem from the one I mentioned earlier. Her stitches were too big. Another Yahoo Answerer, named Sue, suggested she rip out and reknit. I came back with "the rest of the story."

Sue gave an excellent answer. Frog it (rippit rippit) to a few stitches before the bobble, then knit it better on the next try. My Mom always said "If you don't rip out, you don't wear out." meaning "if you don't go back and fix it, you won't want to be seen in public wearing it." I will give you a no-rip solution at the bottom of this message. Sometimes the oops is so far down that you just hate to rip back that far.

NOW -- why did it happen in the first place? It's a matter of tension. You did not control the yarn as it came through your fingers. If you look at an instruction book, it usually shows you twining the ball end of the yarn through your fingers in some manner. This is to put a little bit of drag on the yarn so you can control the amount of yarn you pull through in stitch formation. In this case, you pulled through a lot of yarn and didn't snug it up to your needle enough.

Most beginners have the opposite problem from you. They snug their yarn so tightly they don't leave enough room to slip the second needle in to form the next stitch. Either problem is solved by being aware of the finishing stage of stitch formation and being certain the loop is a regular size -- not too tight, not too loose.

NO-RIP SOLUTION. This doesn't always work, but it's worth trying before you frog. Lay your knitted fabric on a flat surface, such as a table, and find the line of yarn that formed the too-big stitch. Using the point of one of your needles, tug on the yarn before and after the too big stitch to bring it down to the right size. Move left (or right) to the next stitch and adjust it to take up the slack. Keep moving over one stitch taking up slack until you have dispersed the extra yarn evenly through the row. Don't worry that now the entire row looks a bit too loose. When you wash the item the tug/tug of washing will readjust the tension throughout the piece. Check yarn care instructions. Machine washing does more for tension readjustment than hand-washing, but not all yarns are machine washable.

Beginning Knitters, Split Yarn and Yahoo Answers

I like to read Yahoo Answers. My friend KR says the Reference Librarian in me is why I get so many "Best Answer" replies. Librarians are trained to hear the question behind the question.

Recently one person wrote in:
HELP! My yarn keeps splitting when I am knitting! I am using size 8 needles and this is my second time knitting. My needles are bamboo.
She rated my reply as Best Answer.

You say you are using bamboo needles, so that rules out your needles being too pointed. Bamboo needles are more rounded than metal ones. Bamboo, by its nature, gives your yarn a bit more traction as it runs along the needle. It's good to use with shiny, slippery yarns. Metal needles, on the other hand, have smaller points and slippery surfaces. They let yarn that catches and drags slide more smoothly during stitch formation.

If tension isn't your problem, you might try switching to metal needles to see if the problem is being caused by the nature of your needles.

With that said, I'm guessing the problem IS tension. You say this is your second knitting project. Almost every beginner I've ever taught to knit or crochet knits tightly because s/he is so intent on learning. If the loop of the stitch is really tight around the first needle, there is no slack to let the second needle in to form a new stitch. As you fight to insert the needle, you snag the yarn and split it. You can also snag your finger and poke holes. I've known beginning knitters to look like they lost a battle with a porcupine because they keep poking themselves with the needles.

Now, the hard part is -- how do you release tension?

1. You can consciously watch how you form your stitches and stop before you feel you have pulled the stitch down completely. (Stop at 3/4 instead of completely done.) It will take two-three rows before the new slack becomes evident.

2. You can ask a more experienced knitter to knit a few rows loosely for you. When you take the fabric back, it will feel like the other knitter was real "sloppy" compared to what you have been doing. Work to repeat the "sloppy" tension and keep yours that way. (Not working tightly is hard to do! It's like not thinking about pink elephants. )

3. You can quit holding the yarn that comes from the ball -- don't hold it with either hand. Let it hang loose. Don't think about tension right now. Concentrate on forming the stitches. Some will be big and sloppy. Some will be tight, but you will learn to make the stitches. Later, when you wash your project, the swish/swish tug of washing should readjust the tension throughout the pieces so you won't see big holes. (Read the care label. Some yarns need to be hand washed.)

Later, after you have the mechanics of stitch formation under control, you can start catching that yarn in one hand and holding it to put a little drag on the stitch to make the shape more uniform. There are two methods of stitch formation and carrying the yarn. One is European, one is American. Both are good. When you are ready, use the one that appeals to you.

Most of all, trust that after you have made one or two projects, you will catch on and not have this problem any more.

Goodbye, Big Friend

When my son Joe came to visit today, he found Hagar dead by the back steps. We had left him on the

dog run today because both Pat and I both were going to be gone. We didn't want him to have to stay inside for more that eight hours without a potty run. I wish now we'd left him inside. What is a puddle to clean up against losing a family member? The cable of the dog run got tangled in the steps and Hagar choked himself fighting to get free.

Hagar was my Pound Puppy. German Shepherd Rescue located him for me at the Everman City Pound. I really thought I wanted the little female they had there, but Hagar wouldn't leave me alone. The minute I walked inside the gate, he was following me and nudging my hand, wanting to be petted. The little female was too shy to come out to be seen, but Hagar loved me from the minute he saw me.

The people at the Pound called him Traveler because he was found running stray. Even though he was obviously a purebred dog, no one ever claimed him. One guy took him for a while, but brought him back when he learned he couldn't use him for stud if he didn't have papers. So there he was, probably on borrowed time, when we found each other. That was seven years ago.

I wanted to name him Thor, but Pat prevailed and we named him Hagar the Horrible, after the Viking in the funny papers. He was about 18 months old, and didn't have a lot of sense. I took him through obedience training. Pat taught him to quit slipping out the door and running off the moment it was opened. And he proceeded to become Family in Fur.

Lala was about the same age as Hagar. She was a sturdy toddler who liked to walk with her baby fist clutching his back. Of course, the minute he turned around, the wagging tail bowled her over. Lala never seemed to mind. He was her furry uncle. Years later, when we moved to Kansas, she missed Hagar so much that I wrote her a letter chronicling Flat Lala's adventures playing with Hagar in the evening. (More about Flat Lala at http://flatlala.blogspot.com )

Hagar liked being in the middle of our lives. That nose was constantly finding its way into your hand so you could pet him. Then he'd prance over to the old popcorn can that we kept dog biscuits in and poke it until we got the message he wanted a biscuit. (Not that we didn't really know.) Pat would take out two and make Hagar choose. There seemed to be a reason he wanted one over the other. Maybe he knew it didn't matter 'cause Pat would give him the second after he finished the first Still, he played Pat's game. I was a push over. Once the lid was open, he got his biscuit immediately. He had to do other tricks for Pat. He had to sit down and offer a paw to shake. We never could get him to chase a ball or roll over. There were some limits to what foolishness he'd put up with.


I was never sure if Hagar was Furball's dog, or if Furball was Hagar's cat. In 2002 when Pat was taking his Tour USA motorcycle trip, I found a six-week old black kitten caught in the potted plants on Helen's front porch. I knew the little thing wasn't Helen's, because Helen is allergic to cats. I was dressed for work and going to be late, but I took the baby back into my house and fed her some milk, then left her in the care of my three adult cats and Hagar. She was so small. I was afraid she'd get out the doggy door and get lost.

That evening I grabbed cat food, litter and kitten and took her to my friend Steve. He kept her until she was big enough to handle my herd, then she came home. I'd taken her over there so quickly that I hadn't even named her. Steve was the one who dubbed her Furball. Later I gave her the full name of L.C. Furball to go with my tuxedo cat, Dewey D. Cat. (Hey, I'm a librarian. What can I say?)

Furball was about 3 months old when she came back to our house. She still wanted a Mommy and she found one in Hagar. Wherever Hagar was, the kitten wasn't far away. She liked to curl up against his side or between his front feet. She played "Catch the Tail". It might have been dangerous if Hagar had noticed she was back there. Of course the night Pat got him to wagging his tail frantically for a biscuit and Furball was trying to catch it on the other end nearly sent the kitten flying across the kitchen like a hockey puck. Still, their bond was strong. Furball is a fine, dignified ladycat now, but she still cuddled her dog at every opportunity.

We had lots of adventures together. Hagar went with me to Kansas when I drove alone to my mother's funeral. He guarded our back yard against squirrels, bluejays and other mauraders. He slept with grandkids and gave them all the doggy love they ever wanted. He endured baths.

Hagar really loved it when we moved to Kansas. He thought he was a FARM DOG. No matter that we don't live on a farm -- we live in a village of 675 people. That was close enough for the dog that grew up in a suburb of Dallas. He got to ride in the back of Pat's pick-up. He got to run loose in the back yard whenever we were outside. He'd spend hours keeping Pat company as Pat worked in the shop. He had squirrels to chase and stray cats to keep off our property. Best of all, since Pat was self-employed, one of his people was home with him almost everyday. What more could a dog ask for?

Here there was no fenced yard. There was a big dog pen, but Hagar could dig out of it faster than Pat could fix it. So, Joe ran a 30' cable from the back porch to a corner of the dog pen and suspended a dog cable from it. That was the dog run. Hagar didn't use it much because he could get caught on a stalk of dead grass or the corner of a rock. He weighed 115 lbs., but he wouldn't pull himself free from dead grass. He'd just lay down, usually under the butternut tree, and wait for someone to get him loose.

I sure wish he'd sat down and waited today.

KnitPicks has a great Help Site

 

In the latest e-mail from KnitPicks, they offer help on how to join yarn. That's always a topic near my heart. I do like the Russian join, but am always open to learn new things.
Here's their link
http://www.knitpicks.com/content/index.php/cat/joining-yarn/different-color/?...
They give detailed instructions for Double Knit In, Duplicate Stitch, Felted In, Russain and Weaver's Knot joins. Check it out if you want to learn a new way to connect two pieces of yarn.
Once you are at their Help Site, browse their topics list. They cover all kinds of things: fiber notes, binding off, blocking, chart reading, knitting terms, felting... even How to Knit. It's a good resource to bookmark.

Links to Repairing a Dropped Stitch

I said earlier this summer that I would write how to fix a dropped stitch. Unfortunately, I haven't been free to do it.

Fortunately -- I don't have to! There are already great sources available on the Internet. If these don't work for you, just use Google, Dogpile, Altavista, AOL or whatever search engine you prefer and search "knitting dropped stitches". You'll find many more sites to explore.

(You will also find a decorative stitch called the "dropped stitch" which looks interesting. Hm... I wonder if it could be incorporated in socks? Hm...)

Here are the first ones I found. Knittinghelp.com and knitty.com are my "picks of the litter." They are well illustrated and even my aged eyes can see what they are doing.
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/misc.php
http://www.ehow.com/how_113555_pick-dropped-stitch.html
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/FEATtheresa.html
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_2996614,00...

Texas Grandkids Visit

When we returned from Texas yesterday, we brought back the Texas grandkids, Reyes and Lala. Reyes is 10; Lala is 8. They will be here Thurs. and Friday and Uncle Joe will take them to Oklahoma City to meet their Mom on Saturday. (OKC is about half way to Dallas from here.)  We're getting it ready to sell. (Anyone want to buy a house in a suburb of Dallas?)

We bought them yarn and spool knitters to work on in the van, but they mainly dozed and asked "are we there yet?" We ended the "Are we there yet?" question by stopping in Oklahoma and Kansas at the Tourist Information Centers. We got each kid his/her own map of the state we were driving through and showed them how to follow the line for I-35. Every time we'd pass a town, I'd ask "What town will we come to next?"

Lala caught on quickly, but Reyes has a bit of his parents' ADD. He swore he didn't know how to read a map. On the other hand, he quit asking "Are we there yet?" because he could tell we hadn't traveled all the way along the green line yet.

Mean ol' Grandma. Making a kid learn something on a summer vacation!

Actually, I think the kids are here to visit Uncle Joe. They really love their uncle and don't get to see much of him while he's going to school at Emporia State. Pat and I both worked today and will again tomorrow. Fortunately, Uncle Joe is between school sessions, so he is the designated babysitter. (Ah, that's hard on all of them! He missed the kids as much as they missed him.)

They talked him into taking them swimming today. I've already heard plans to go again tomorrow. They are watching videos and playing Runescape when they aren't pestering their Uncle. This part of vacation is good!

What I've Learned About Knitting Socks

I've found my pattern! I've found the way I like to do socks! I particularly like to make toe-up socks two at the same time. I discovered that this week as I started my July pair on Sunday when we left for Texas and was more than half way across the arch of the foot by the time we got back to Kansas. Travel time is really great for concentrated knitting time. The best part is when I'm finished, I'm finished with the entire pair.

Here's what I posted on KansasKnits about my sock knitting experiences.

I will add to this Jo's comment that acrylic socks retain foot odor. (Ok, they can STINK!!) I'll be looking for cotton/wool blends that are machine washable for my 9 pairs of grandkid socks. The sock challenge mentioned is Jo's challenge to the KansasKnitters to knit a pair of socks a month for 2007. I said I'd knit a SOCK (singular) a month and haven't even been able to do that.

Posted to KansasKnits:
I haven't kept up with the sock challenge very well. I did finish 1 sock of my second pair. It looks pretty pathetic, but I learned a BUNCH making it. I can now make toe up socks!!

Rather than making the mate to this poor bedraggled survivor, I'm going to retire it as a learning experience. You see there is this 1/2 inch jog to the right where the heel begins. It fits okay when you put it on, but it will never be pretty or fold properly. I think my row markers drifted at some point. This caused the edge of the toe to not line up with the edge of the heel. (Ah, but I'm so much smarter now because of it all. . It hurts to cry. )

Things I've learned:

1. I like knitting toe up socks!

2. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE where you place the row markers. Keep them in the same place!

3. Knitting black toes and heels is for the birds. It's hard to see the stitches in black yarn.

4. Tighten the edge stitches as you make them to keep the gaps to a minimum.

5. Short row heels are a lot easier than the heel flaps and gussets used on the top down socks.

6. Totally stockinette socks are monotonous.(Jo says they are more fun with varigated or self stipeing yarn).

7. Knitting socks with circular needles beats the heck out of double pointed needles!

8. To prevent grabbing the wrong circ. when you are knitting with 2 circular needles, use sets that are not identical.

They can be different colors, the barrels can be of different lengths, or the cables can be of different lengths (or any combination of these characteristics.) The purpose is to have quick visual identification of the circ you are using at the present. For example, one of my circs. is silver, the other magenta. The silver one happens to be a 32" Susan Bates and the magenta is a 24" Boye. The cables look totally different. There is no way I'll grab one end of the Susan Bates set when I am working stitches off the other end of the Boye set. I will immediately know I have the wrong needle.

No more working to the end of the row and having one set of circs fall free in my hand because I stitched with the wrong set!

9. Don't try to use my body as a measure for knitting socks for someone with different sized feet than I have. I thought I was making Pat's socks bigger than my measurement, but when we tried on the black heel and toe sock, it fit me, not him.

SO -- I have started the July socks. Again for Pat. I'm going to get a tape measure and get real numbers this time, not comparisons between him and me. AND I'm knitting two socks at the same time. It's fun. I'm really enjoying it.

Of course, when I showed my work in progress to my daughter this evening, she asked if I was making a bra for a doll or ear warmers for the German Shepherd. There is nothing on the needles yet but these two small cones held together by circular needles. (I hope it starts to look like socks soon...)

Baby Projects

I have finished Sandy's blanket and Jaime's baby kimono. All I have left to do is to sew up the kimono and add the ties. I'd like to make a bib or burb cloth for Jaime, too. Have to get more yarn, first. The blanket took a lot of yarn. They are both made with Lily Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn. Figured that was better for summer babies.
Jaime had her baby on July 2. Dominik Anton Prideaux, 7 lb., 10 oz, 20 or 21 inches long. Congratulations, Jaime and Dom!

Sandy's due date has come and gone and she is still coming to work each day. You know it's got to be hard on her. She's so tiny to start with, but she's keeping good spirits. Pat and I are traveling to Texas for a few days, leaving tomorrow. I do hope to learn Sandy's baby has come before we get back!
Sandy had her baby on July 18! It's a little girl, 8 lb., 2 oz. They haven't decided on a name, but I heard they were leaning toward Amelia.

Third sock finished!

Finally! After so many ups and downs, my third sock ever has been finished. I'm not happy with it -- there is a jog it makes at the heel. My markers drifted? It's not worth frogging but I'm not going to make #2. We'll call this quite an educational experience.

The socks were to be for Pat, but they are too small. They don't even fit Reyes. They fit me exactly, but they are plain "guy" socks, white with black toes and heels. For the entire saga, go to the entry labeled "Slow progress."

Speaking of more interesting yarn. I received my new Herschnners catalog. They have acrylic sock yarn in colors that will appeal to the grandkids. Be still my heart! I didn't want to make kids socks from wool.

I've ordered 2 or three books of sock patterns. Just have six months to get 9 pairs finished. Better get cracking!

FOLLOW UP: This sock sorted itself out after washing. Now I have to make the next one.

Bragging on Grandkids!

I'm so impressed with Kayleigh and Emily! They learned to knit this week and they are really good at it. By the way, I love the picture of them at work, but am so sorry I took it AFTER Emmy ran into a pole on the school yard. She has the most beautiful shiner to show for it. Will her Mom ever let her visit Grandma's again??

Kayleigh is 10, Emmy is 6. They are visiting us from Illinois this week. Kayleigh likes to do handwork and I had promised her we'd knit this week. I found her circular needles and some Lion Brand Cottontots yarn in pink and white. She wanted to make a purse. I cast on for her and taught her the ditty for making the knit stitch. (In through the door, run around the back, out the window, off jumps Jack!). She had it down pat in minutes. The only problem she had was with a few dropped stitches along the way. She finished the purse yesterday. I added eyelets for the drawstring and bound it off. It looks terrific!

Emmy wanted to make a purse, too. She learned to spool knit. (That's right -- now it's called loom knitting...) At first I had her using Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. We set it up and she took to town with it, but kept getting confused which way the yarn should go. That's when I realized Emmy is left handed!. I took the yarn off, and laid the stitches going the other way, then showed her how to work the loom left-handed instead of right. Oh! That was easier. She was off like a rocket.

Unfortunately, that yarn was so thin, she wasn't making any progress at all. We found her some bulky yarn and tried again. That's all she needed! In the course of one evening's movie watching, she produced four inches of knitting!!. No dropped stitches. It's beautiful work.

I couldn't believe a six year old had that kind of attention span. She really enjoys her loom.

They go home tomorrow. I hope to get a picture of them knitting before they go.

Wanderin' Star

My brother and I have always liked the song from Paint Your Wagon called "Wanderin' Star". It was sung in the movie by Lee Marvin, of all folks. A line we took to heart was "wheels were made for rolling. Mules were made to pack. I never saw a sight that didn't look better lookin' back."

Besides living all over the Midwest, I've done a bit of visiting too, with and without my brother.
My whole family has itchy feet. My brother could put more states on his map, and a few foreign countries, too, thanks to Uncle Sam. He was stationed in Germany before he was sent to Viet Nam. Of course we both got to visit Mexico when we lived in South Texas. My present husband took a 48 state motorcycle trip a few years ago. He'd get to color in the whole US map for the Lower 48 and Hawaii. He's been to Mexico for fun and Viet Nam thanks to Uncle Sam. My first husband was born in Honduras, so he could add that one to his map. When he was stationed at NAS Dallas, he was sent to Rota, Spain and Sicily for a few weeks. More spots for the map.

Maybe the best traveled of my friends is my friend Steve, from whom I cribbed the source of these maps. http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/index.html Steve was an Air Force brat so he covered a lot of states and foreign countries while growing up. Oddly enough, he graduated from high school in Wichita, Kansas and looks at Kansas as home base. I'm a Kansan, too, but we had to go to Dallas-Ft.Worth to meet each other.

I guess that just goes to show it's really a small world, and getting smaller everyday. If we put pins in the map forall the folks who read this blog ... Well, we'd probably manage to get a goodly part of the globe.

Guess that Wanderin' Star shines on all of us.

Transplanted Iris

I can't quite sing the song "I've Been Everywhere, Man" but I can sure claim the Midwest. The above map shows where I've lived. It doesn't quite tell the whole story, because I'm 58 and have moved 34 times. With all of that, we managed to live 20 years in the same town -- Grand Prairie,Texas. Of course, my moving started when I was two years old, so that gives me some running room on the traveling. It also instilled an early love of geography and fascination with geology. How did that get formed? Why is it there and not over yonder?
I'm glad to be settled where it all began now. I was born 25 miles from where I am now living. It's all come full circle. If you want to know about our adventures remodeling our 104 year old house, check my other blog http://grannytilla.blogspot.com

Knitting in Public at ALA

Last week I was in Washington, D.C. for the American Library Assn. convention. It was ALA's 100th birthday and the largest convention they've ever held. Librarians, vendors and other guests brought the total around 26,000 people. Wow! That's a small city.
I enjoyed the convention. There were all sorts of great sessions to attend. I came home feeling less intimidated by Library Boards of Trustees because of one session. I have contact information for continuing education ideas, and ideas about training Technical Processing staff. There were far more speakers than I could listen to. My roommate came home pumped from hearing Robert Kennedy, Jr. speak. Together, she and I attended the premiere of the documentary The Hollywood Librarian. I was expecting something fluffy about how librarians are depicted in movies but the film maker (a librarian herself) juxtaposed celluloid librarians with real life librarians facing real life problems -- whether it's fighting to keep the doors open or reaching out to prisoners to encourage reading and literacy.
Julie Andrews gave a short, but on-target speech about libraries and reading. I was less impressed with Garrison Kiellor as the closing speaker, but maybe it was just too early in the morning. I do believe I dosed off during some of his talk.
I took my knitting with me. I knitted on the plane going and coming, and knitted in the airport and hotel lobby when I was waiting for things. I didn't have room to carry knitting to the sessions but there were some down-times when I wished I had it with me. My roommate was a walker, so she hiked me all over DC until the blisters got too bad and I had to bow out of some of her projects.
That's when I did most of my knitting in public. I knit when I found time to sit and give my feet a rest. The knitting attracted many interesting people who stopped to chat with me.
My seatmate going to DC on the second leg of my journey was traveling from Wisconsin to DC for a wedding. She said she crocheted, but always liked the look of knitting. Unfortunately, she didn't knit. She hadn't been able to get the hang of knitting when she tried it many years ago. Her frustration was how to pick up dropped stitches. I promised I'd add a message on my blog explaining how to do it. I will, too, but it will have to wait until I can get into the guest room for my camera. We have company using the room for the next three weeks. I promise to add a blog on that topic around the end of the month.
I suggested the lady visit her local library for a book or video on the knitting. There are lots of good instructional materials available today. A great online source is http://knittinghelp.com.
When I gave the Wisconsin lady this blog address, the woman sitting in front of me turned around, handing me a piece of paper. "Can I have the address, too?" Wild! I hope you all enjoy reading this.
I had a lot of waiting time on Tuesday when I returned to Kansas. First at the hotel I waited for my roommate to finish some of her projects so we could share a taxi to the airport. Then I had a seven hour wait until my plane left. At the hotel I met three young librarians from California. They were my daughter's age or a bit younger. It surprised me that one spotted my knitting and had to know what I was making. She knits and is part of a knitting group at their library. Again the blog address came out. She said she's going to share it with her group. Wow. More readers!!
I spent about five hours as the only person seated at the gate where the Kansas City plane would eventually depart. As I waited, I met a young man from Hamburg who missed his flight to Mexico City by 5 minutes. He was so frustrated. I don't blame him. The plane from Hamburg must have been delayed and that ruined a tight schedule. He could see the Mexico City plane, but they wouldn't let him on because his luggage hadn't gotten off the Hamburg plane and made it through customs.
Later in the afternoon, one of the workers, a Muslim man, came in, found an unobtrusive corner facing East, made his salaams and began his prayers. I was knitting in public, but he was praying in public. That warmed me. I quietly crossed myself and said a few prayers for travelers and understanding. Two of us, of different religions, but taking a moment to talk to God during the day. He's far more faithful than I am. I wouldn't have thought to pray if he hadn't lead me.
I met a girl from Serbia who was en route to Kansas to see her boyfriend. She was fun to talk to. We compared notes on many things, then together we befriended a Hungarian lady who was also going to Kansas. She had her 5 yr old son and 2 year old daughter with her. They had been visiting the grandparents in Hungary. The kids were restless and the (by then) three hour wait was hard on them. I ended up cutting some of my extra yarn and making story strings for the kids. Mom was able to teach the boy to do cat's cradle, but the girl didn't have the attention span for anything.
I tried to remember how to do some of the string stories I did as a children's librarian. Of course, the brain went blank. So I knitted instead. The little girl joined me and I showed her how the knit stitch was made and told her the ditty that Lala likes for the knit stitch: "Through the door, run around the back. Out the window, Off jumps Jack!" The girl liked that and had me show her several times. Planting knitting seeds early? Hm..
By the time I got on the plane, I felt I was honorary grandma for the entire airport.
I was working on Sandy's baby blanket as I waited in the airport. I got within 100 rows of having it finished by the time I got to Kansas City. (Yeah!). I really expected to have it finished sooner, but it just kept using yarn, and more yarn, and more yarn. I did finish it on Saturday June 30. Now I have to get Jaime's finished. Today is her due date! I hope the baby came. I have to wait until I get back to work on Monday to see if there is any news. (Sandy is due in 2 weeks. I've been telling them Sandy will come early and we'll get "library twins". )
Now I hear all this rain we've been having caused Iola to flood over the weekend. I called my boss to see if there was anything I needed to know. He wasn't worried about the library or Iola, he was just wondering if the roads I usually take will be passable. Well, the rain quit Saturday afternoon. Hopefully the creeks will be down on the back roads I take to work. Otherwise I'll have to come home and work from home. Glad I brought my library computer home with me.
Then again, if I'm here, that knitting project will be beckoning me. Jaime's baby kimono is nearly done. Just 1/4 of the right side to finish.
Maybe I'd better try really hard on getting to work. Working at home might be difficult.

Great-Grandma's McCoy Teapot Set

I have to show this off. It says McCoy on the bottom. Mom tucked a note inside to say it was a present from her step-grandmother on Mom's wedding day (July 28, 1943). Great-Grandma told Mom "Sometimes getting something old is better than getting something new."  [My apologies. Somewhere in the either my photo got lost and I have borrowed one from the internet.]

It may have been a collectible even then. I'm guessing it was made in the 1930s, but I have no idea about it's value as a tea set.

I'm getting quite a collection of teapots by accident. I like to drink tea and I like teapots. Now that I've inherited Mom's things and Grandma Bethell's things that Mom had and some of Grandma Hull's things. Well, like I said, I'm getting quite a collection of teapots. 

The McCoy is one of the more interesting ones in the collection.

New Note: a McCoy collector, Dewayne Imsand, gave me some background on my teapot. He tells me this:

What you have is a tea pot set that was made by the Nelson McCoy Pottery and issued in 1942. It is called "Daisy Tea Pot." The primary color that this tea pot was issued in is a brown-green combination. Your pink and green is also a production color, but somewhat more uncommon.

In good condition its value is around $100.00 to $125.00.

Thanks, Dewayne! Guess I'll take better care of it. I don't have very many $100 teapots.
(I actually gave the teapot set to my sister-in-law who loved it. It resides in a place of honor in their living room.)

Look What Lion Brand Has!

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/BK4K-0702003.html?noImages=0 Eco-Friendly Expandable Shopping Bag Lion Brand® Lion Organic Cotton GAUGE: 16 stitches by 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) with US #8 (5mm) needles BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.

BAG With A and smaller needles, cast on 59 stitches. Rows 1-8: Knit Row 9: Knit 1, *bind off one stitch, knit 1. Repeat from * to end of row - 30 stitches. Row 10-34: Change to B and larger needles. Knit. Row 35: Change to A and smaller needles. Knit 1, **yarn over, knit 1. Repeat from ** until end of row -- 59 stitches. Rows 36-44: Knit Row 45: Change to circular needle. Place a marker. Knit to end of row. Cast on 196 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist knitting. Rows 46-50: Knit Row 51: Purl Row 52: Knit Row 53: Purl Row 54-58: Knit Row 59: Knit 59 stitches, bind off until the marker is reached. Row 60-68: Change to straight needle, knit. Row 69: Knit 1, *bind off one stitch, knit 1. Repeat from * to end of row - 30 stitches. Rows 70-94: Change to B and larger needles. Knit. Row 95: Change to A and smaller needles. Knit 1, **yarn over, knit 1. Repeat from ** until end of row -- 59 stitches. Rows 96-104: Knit Bind off all stitches. When the piece is lying flat before assembly, there will be two sides and a continuous loop that is the handle. FINISHING: Thread a large-eyed, blunt needle with about 24 inches [60 cm] of A. Starting at the bottom of the bag, sew sides to handle. Where A is joined to A, one row should join to one stitch. Where the side row of (A) is being joined to (B), the center part of the (B) stitches is positioned every third stitch on the strap. Tie off, weave in ends. During assembly, the two sides are folded up along the loop and sewn so that the continuous loop becomes the handle of the bag

Slow Progress -- Second Pair of Socks

No pictures yet to post of my second set of socks. I've spent more time frogging this adventure than knitting. Sock 1 is past the heel and 1/2 way up the ankle now. FINALLY!

My first socks were knitted top down. I wanted to learn toe up. Carmen recommended her favorite book. Johanna recommended her favorite website. AJ gave me more advice. I visited them all, read them all and it was Greek. I couldn't figure out how to get started.

This is a blow to my ego because I've been knitting close to 40 years now. I should be able to do this. SO -- I took a little from one; a little from the other and just started. I liked the way the toe cast on and decided this would be a pair of socks for Pat. Rip out the white yarn. Start over with black. I'm going to make Pat's socks white with black toe and heel.

First problem: how long do I make the foot of the sock? We were in the process of traveling to Texas for Easter when I was at this point so I kept making Joe and Pat bare their feet and let me measure to see if it was long enough. (Joe's feet are same size as Pat's. He was wearing sandals, so he became the official measuring source. Besides that, Pat was driving.)

When I got back to Kansas and my computer, Johanna told me the trick of measuring the wearer's hand to get the foot size. She said the length of the hand from longest finger to bottom of the heel is same as distance from where the heel ends and rest of sock goes to the toes. GREAT! I started measuring to Pat's hand.

Second problem: The patterns I was reading were doing a heel turn much like I had done on the top down sock. I dropped the white thread and started black for the heel flap, picking up white on the other side. After about six rows I discovered my black wasn't attathed to the white at all. This heel would not work. FROG! I resigned myself to a white heel and maybe some black trim at the top of the sock to balance the black toe.

Keeping track of the peacock stitch and the gussetting of the heel was driving me to distraction. While in Manhattan, Ks. (The Little Apple, as they call themselves) for a library meeting, I visited Wildflower, AJ and Johanna's favorite yarn store. The lady there had a small pamphlet on toe up sock knitting! AND it made sense! Even better, it had a different sort of heel turn that would let me use the black yarn. ( I can't remember what the turn is called, but it doesn't require a gusset.) FROG again. (about the 6th time by now. Had a lot of problems at the beginning.)

OOPS! The heel was turned and I had about an inch of white knitted above it when I tried the sock on Pat. It was too short. It fit me. I still don't know how this happened with all the measuring I was doing, but I can only figure this new heel turn made a shorter turn than the gusseted one. I'm not frogging again! The socks will be for Reyes, now, instead of Pat. Nice to have grandsons...

But now it's Spring and there's yard work and lots of library visits and I'm not getting home until late (or inside the house until late.) I also need to finish the baby gifts for Sandy and Jaime. They are both due in July. Looks like the sock is on the back burner.

One the bright side, we have found a broadband provider and left the dial-up service we had. (YEA!!) I can play my stupid computer game again!! (Runescape.) Steve is working for lvl 99 cooking which requires lots of fish. I'm helping him fish and fishing is one of the most boring activities on Runescape. Irial does it all with very little interaction from me. I just move the mouse once in a while to keep the screen from logging off. SO -- I knit while I fish.

See, there's always a way to work in the vices (knitting and Runescape being high on my list.)

Oh yes -- after I make this pair of toe up socks, I'm going to learn knitting two socks at the same time. With 8 more pairs (at least) to make before Christmas, I need to get faster at this.

Kansas Alpaca Farm

I'm looking forward to Saturday. My cousin Marie and I are going north of Ottawa to the holiday Open House at Kansas Alpaca Farm. Bonnie Samuel, one of the farm's owners, is a member of KansasKnits.

She surprised me when Pat and I visited last winter. The first thing you see when you enter the barn/show room is an 8x10 framed print of the KansasKnits logo! Bonnie doesn't chat much on this list, but you can tell she enjoys reading it!

Another reason I'm looking forward to the outing is reconnecting with Marie. She's the oldest of the cousins and I'm the baby. We haven't had much chance to get to know each other until recently. Ten years and lots of physical distance has separated us at other times in our lives. Now we're finding out how much we have in common. Isn't it great to reconnect with family?

Flat Lala

Granddaughter Lala's class read the book Flat Stanley, about a boy who has a bulletin board drop on him and it makes him "flat as a pancake." Other than that, Stanley is quite healthy. He finds his new condition fun -- he can fold himself into an envelope and mail himself on vacations.
The class made Flat Students and has mailed them to family and friends all over the country. They are going to learn math (how far did your Flat Student travel?), geography (where did s/he travel?), reading and language skills as well as social studies from the project.
Flat Lala arrived at our house yesterday. She went to work with me today and helped type library cards, make calls to schedule library visits and she rode in the Camaro with the convertible top down. (Of course she wore her safety belt so she wouldn't fly away.)
Tonight Flat Lala received a hand knit skirt (that can be worn as a poncho) and a crocheted lavender beret. She may be one of the best dressed Flat Students going.
The above picture shows Flat Lala reading her bedtime story.
I'm having fun with this project. I hope real Lala enjoys it as much as Grandma does!
By the way, Flat Lala has her own blog. It's http://FlatLala.blogspot.com

Why I Didn't Finish My Knitting

It was sock #2 of my first pair of socks and I only had the toe left to finish. When I went to get my knitting, I found the basket was full.
Meet Morris, Joe's #1 cat.

Great Sock Challenge 2007

Here's the logo Johanna designed for the Great Sock Challenge. Hm... when I get brave, I may make a pair that looks like this.

I love KansasKnits!

Just short of a year ago, I started a chat group for Kansans and Kansans-at-heart who knit and crochet. I called it KansasKnits. I was afraid no one would join us, but we have about 30 members now.
I've only met a handful of the KansasKnitters in person, but I feel like they are all my good friends. Carmen lives in Kansas City. She loves cats and knitting and enjoys spoiling her niece, but is happy to see the little charmer go back to Mama when the visits over. Oh, do I relate to that one! I do love my grandkids, but I enjoy the quiet when they go home, too.
Johanna recently graduated from K-State and has taken a job in KC. She and Carmen and Cheryl and some of the other KansasKnitters in the area get together at one of the local yarn stores and have knit-nights. What fun! Johanna is the source of our 2007 Sock Challenge. She's Challenged us all to make a pair of socks a month for the year. I may not make my quota, but I'm taking on socks, something I've never been brave enough to try before. Good for you, Johanna!
Bonnie raises alpacas outside Ottawa. Pat and I had a great time visiting her before Christmas. I couldn't make up my mind which yarn I wanted. Pat had fun watching the alpacas and llamas romping outside the barn. I found a kindred spirit in the Great Pyrennes sheepdog dozing in a sunbeam.
Sherry and Cathy V. have knitting groups in their libraries. I want to visit them on knitting days.
Some of the KansasKnitters have been recruited from gals I work with. Cheryl, Lisa, Kathy R., and Katy have all shared patterns and ideas on breaks. Jennie and Becky are family. They get an intense dose of knitting when they are near me.
Some of our knitters are far away -- Elisabeth lives in New Jersey. I've had fun reading one of the mysteries she wrote. Kathy S. lives in Wisconsin and Kathy R. is in Texas. We had a member from the West Coast for a while, but I haven't heard from her lately. I hope she's just lurking. Cheryl started chatting with us when she lived in California. She found our group just before she moved to KC.
Others range across the state. Kathy G. just joined us from the Wichita area. AJ is in Manhattan. Many of us cluster on the eastern side of the state.
The thing we all have in common is a love of knitting and the joy of talking about it. We share problems; ask advice; share the joy of finishing a project and tell each other about good books and great patterns.
It's a wonderful group. Boy, I'm glad I was frustrated when I couldn't find a Kansas group and took the step to start one myself. This is a great bunch of knitters. My life is so much richer for knowing all of them.

Double Knit Hats for the Boys of all Ages

This is a wonderful, warm hat pattern. I found it at the following site : http://alison.knitsmiths.us/pattern_double_knit_cap.html

It's so much fun to do double knit and watch both layers grow as you go! It is a standard watch-cap style ski hat. My husband, Pat, wanted a cuff that the original pattern didn't have, so I added two inches before doing the stripes. That means his hat is 7 inches to the first stripe instead of 5 inches.My son wants even more length because he wants to roll the cuff twice. I anticipate 9-12 inches before the first stripe on the next hat I make him. (Pretty soon I'll just make him a hooded sweater and be done with it. :) )

Many of the hats I have mader are made with two colors of Lion Brand Wool-Ease. I used needles that let me knit to gauge, but it still came out too large. The pattern says to cast on 164 stitches. I cast on 154 stitches. (That means the decreases begin at 5 not 7 later on.) It is still loose on Pat, so I plan to make the grandsons' hats 144 stitches in circumference. The hat in the photo was made of Red Heart acrylic using size 6 needles. I cast on 72/144 stitches for this hat. This number of stitches means you have six decreases evenly spaced 12 stitches apart (for the first decrease.) Easy math!
I've made the pattern twice now. My son, Joe, who is going to college at Emporia State University requested one last winter because his ears got so cold when the wind came whistling down between the buildings on winter days. He's a well-fed young man with a luxurious shock of hair. I made it to gauge, but still had to take out those ten stitches from the circumference the pattern. I made his hat from Red Heart acrylic yarn I had in my stash. I wanted something he could mistreat and keep on going. It's stood up well, but he is hinting he wants one like Pat's that has a longer body. It still doesn't cover his ears as far as he'd like. Personally, I think he really wants a double knit ski mask. Hm... wonder if anyone has a pattern for one of those?

Lion Brand Chenlle Hood

I'm going to make hats and hoods for the grandkids this year, but I'm starting early! Here's the first hood. It's from the Lion Brand Chenille hood pattern, but I used a different yarn. It worked up a bit tighter, so this will be for one of the younger granddaughters. The boys will get double knit ski caps.
(I was outvoted. When I visited the Indiana/Illinois grandkids in March they all prefered socks, not hats. Poor Emmy. The shrug I made her was outgrown within weeks of Christmas. I gave her this hood. She won't grow out of it.)
Pattern Number: 867 http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/kctq-hood.html?noImages=0

Velvety HoodLion Brand® Chenille Thick & Quick® Wear as a cowl, a neckwarmer or as a hood! SKILL LEVEL: Beginner SIZE: Small, Medium, Large Circumference 24 (26) inches Note: Pattern is written for smallest size with changes for larger sizes in parentheses. When only one number is given, it applies to all sizes. To follow pattern more easily, circle all numbers pertaining to your size before beginning. CORRECTIONS: None GAUGE: 8 sts = 4 inches (10 cm) in pat. BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.

NOTEHood may be worked on circular needles or straight needles. VERSION A: HOOD (worked in-the-round on circular needles) Stitch Pattern Rnds 1-4 Purl. Rnds 5-8 Knit. Rep Rnds 1-8 for in-the-round version. Hood (in-the-rnd version) With circular needles, cast on 48 (52) sts. Join, taking care not to twist sts. Place marker for beg of rnds. Work in pat for in-the-rnd version until 23" from beg, ending with pat Rnd 4. Last rnd Bind off in purl. Weave in ends. VERSION B: HOOD (worked flat, back and forth on straight needles) Stitch Pattern Rows 1 & 3 (RS) Purl. Rows 2 & 4 Knit. Rows 5 & 7 Knit. Rows 6 & 8 Purl. Rep Rows 1-8 for flat version. Hood (flat version) With straight needles, cast on 50 (54) sts. Work in pat for flat version until 23" from beg, ending with pat Row 4. Last row Bind off in purl. Sew back seam. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS / REFERENCES Click for explanation and illustration beg = begin(s)(ning) pat = pattern rnd(s) = round(s) RS = right side st(s) = stitch(es)

Learn to Knit instructions: http://learnToKnit.LionBrand.com