Doh! What was I thinking?

See that picture in the previous post with the swinging monkey afghan piece? Had to tear it all out. OK, I didn't have to tear it all out but I didn't feel like picking up 248 stitches after tearing out a dozen rows and struggling with getting them all going the right directions. So I just redid the border too.

Was forming one of the stitches incorrectly. If you look at the picture you can see a line of bars running up the right hand side instead of a smooth line of stitches moving over magically on the fabric.

Well, it's torn out now and I'm already further along than I was previously. Now I really need to get a wiggle on. This puts me even further behind than I was before. Drat!

And that Knitmeter is so lying on me. I've actually done almost 20 miles so far this year. I just don't like updating that app, it's too cumbersome.

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth

Although I have been distracted. For 3 whole years? ! ? How time flies when you're doing other stuff. Actually I've been watching a lot of TV and being depressed about the state of the world, my lack of success and why there's no significant other in my life. But an event can change your attitude about life in general. Recently an event happened peripherally to me that radically altered a lot of lives. Mine included. So on we go with renewed determination. I'm on Ravelry as SpaceWhisper and right now I'm working on a test knit for the Affable Knitter for a Swinging Monkey baby afghan. It's been slow going trying to read the written out instructions and it's always interesting to see how other peoples logic systems work. Here's how far I've gotten.

And I need to get a wiggle on. The requested completion date is 7/15/13. Which means I have to work on it for over an hour every day in order to make my stitch count for that date. That's 13 rows of 235 stitches every day I would be further along but didn't pay attention to the stitches that were forming under my hands and was doing one of the faux cable stitches incorrectly. It was an interesting effect but that's not what you're shooting for when doing a test knit. So frogged and restarted.

Ha! I've been invited...

to take part in a square exchange on Ravelry.

You always get this tingle when you're invited to do something. That tingle that says 'I'm special. People really like me.' That's your ego talking. In truth, I know that lots of stitchers on Ravelry have been invited to join this group but it will be a fun exercise (and get rid of some of this yarn stash).

The basic premise is that you make 11 (12, keep one for yourself) granny squares which are 12" on the side, you ship off 11 of them to the names of your group and all the people in that group will have enough squares to make a blankie, lap throw or what have you. I think this will be great, to see what other people are doing, what materials they are using and, as I said, use of some of the yarn stash that is hiding in the basement.


I just went through and repacked a bunch of that stuff. I keep thinking 'This has got to be getting smaller but I'm not seeing it. I think the main drawback is that 13 big plastic containers that are stuffed full of yarn. There are also ancillary cardboard boxes that are full of yarn and when I get rid of one of the cardboard boxes, it doesn't register as an accomplishment because the plastic containers are still there and still stuffed full of yarn.


And then, some people will donate yarn to me for my Project Linus blankets. A great, big ole Thank You to the people that do this, but where am I going to put it all? Guess I'll have to work faster.


I did get a couple of projects done for Project Linus from the last donation of yarn that I received. I had to go out and buy another skein of Hepplewhite white Lion Brand Homespun to finish the pattern on one. The things we do for charity.

Score!

I make blankets for Project Linus. I have made blankets for that charity for 4 or more years. As is people's wont, I have mentioned this in the course of conversations with different people and I was asked if I would take some yarn from one of the women I spoke to about this.

She had purchased the yarn for projects and now had decided that her interests lay in a different direction and she no longer wanted it her house, she preferred to have the space for other things.

After no hesitation at all, I said 'Yes, I'd be happy to take the yarn for Project Linus blankets.' I've had other people also donate yarn to me for charity work in the past.

Now I'll be honest and say that if I receive some yarn from someone for a charity that I think I can use in another project, I'll use it. Some people will be horrified to hear that items that were donated to me to use for charity, I decide to use for my personal items. But I'm OK with that. I donate lots of blankets to Project Linus every year. Way more blankets than I have ever been gifted yarn for, so that means that I'm using my yarn for the charity. Swapping out some of the donated yarn for the my yarn that I use, it works for me. And some of the stuff I receive goes right on to another charity depending upon the condition, quantity and type of yarn received.

Have a different opinion? That's what the Comment section is for.

A great big Thank You to Inger for donating this yarn to the charity effort. As you can see in the second photo, I've already started a blanket from the donation she gave me.

It's that time of year.....

I just finished my first Christmas Stocking for 2009. And it's not even Halloween yet.
Can you tell it was made for Steve? I've added it to my projects list on Ravelry, a pretty cool on-line knitting and crochet networking area, if you have checked it out I recommend it.

It's getting so I have to set the alarm on my watch when I sit down at the computer. Between Facebook, Ravelry, Etsy, blogging and e-mail I can lose half the day and not even notice it. Obviously I'm not the only one afflicted, one of the recent posts I saw on Facebook was the bemoaning of lost time on-line. Think up a way to prevent that and make a fortune.

But I did make the time to go out and take a couple of photos. When the rose bush finally blooms in late October you should get a picture of it.
When I mentioned that the rose bush had finally bloomed I was told by an acquaintance that roses like cool weather and bloom better then. I may have missed something in the translation but I remember turning my air conditioner off in mid-September because the summer here in KC has been so mild this time around. If roses like cooler weather then shouldn't it have been blooming at least once before now? I'm afraid this may be the last hurrah for this rose bush. Hope not, I like the color of the blooms.