Major Knitter

Woven Tanglewood Fibers

Sunday was a wonderful day.  The boys were away.  BF was golfing.  It was a pleasant autumn day.  I started the day off by going to the Wakeman Town Farm pancake breakfast fundraiser with my friend Joyce.  

We enjoyed our breakfast outdoors surround by the farm.  I just loved the chicken coop with a rooster and hens.

Everything was yummy - pancakes, real maple syrup, homemade strawberry jam and the best organic bacon EVER!

The bacon came from Double L Market in Westport - and it's about to be a regular item on my shopping list.  Mmmmm.  Bacon.  The dollop of homemade strawberry jam was made by the Farmer's wife - Carrie A - who is a dear sweet woman.  

After my wonderful breakfast with Joyce and the tour of the farm - I went home and gathered my knitting - and head over to my favorite LYS - Westport Yarns - for a couple of refresher courses.  Then I rushed home to put what I learned into practice.

I quickly finished my handwoven scarf made with Spud & Chloe fingering weight yarn for the warp and Tanglewood Fiber Creations for the weft.  As soon as I was done with my homework, I went back to Westport Yarns for a second trip of the day to learn how to take my Finished Object off the loom.  It was easy peasy.  I really like the way my very simple first weaving project turned out - in part because of the beautiful hand-painted Tanglewood Fiber Creations fingering weight yarn.  I think I'll definitely try this again!  Thanks Laura for being such a wonderfully patient teacher!  You're the best.

What a great day!  What did you do today?

 

The Owlery

I had so much fun knitting Ollie the Owl that I quickly knit a second one so Ollie could have a friend.  Please join me in welcoming Olivia the Owl.  She's so happy to be with us today.

And here's my little collection of owls.

That's quite a gang of owls!  What a hoot.  These will be gift items at the Wood Badge dinner coming up next month.  I can see why owls are so contagious.  They're pretty darned cute!

The Wise Old Owl

I'm on to the next critter.  This time I decided to knit an owl.  So I went on ravelry and found the Cordell the Owl pattern by Knitazoo.

Here's my 99% completed Ollie the Owl.  He just needs those really adorable safety eyes to put in the center of his whites and I can declare him finished.

What a hoot!

Snuggly Girl

It's nap time for Wilma. In fact, it's always nap time for Wilma. And a nap just isn't a nap unless she has a snuggly toy.

She was sound asleep until I turned on the camera and it beeped.

I'm not sure she's too pleased to be disturbed from her slumber.

"Now that you're done taking pictures for the blog, may I please go back to sleep?"

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

It only took 1,460 days or exactly four years, but I finally resurrected this Forgotten Object and turned it into a Finished Object.

It's my Sweetheart Baby Blanket which was knit using the following

• 5 skeins of Plymouth Encore worsted weight yarn in a lovely purple Color 2426
• US size 7 needles
• My own pattern - which is really only a graph
• Lots of seed stitch hearts and borders.
• Finished measurements = 

Here it is draped over a chaise longue.

A close up of the seed stitch hearts.

This was a lazy weekend and yesterday at the diner for a very late brunch, Secundogeniture asked some questions about this epic blanket:

Secundogeniture:  Who's the blanket for?

Major Knitter:  I don't know.  Maybe I'll just put it away and it can be for your child someday.

Secundogeniture:  That's a little creepy.  Here's a blanket I knit for you fifty years ago for a child you didn't even have.

Alrighty then.  I guess it won't be going into Secundogeniture's baby hope chest any time soon...  Maybe Primogeniture's hope chest?  He probably doesn't read this blog and would never know.  Bwahahahaha.

Press On

So I managed to bandage my damaged digits and somehow was able to figure out a way to knit the purple sweetheart blanket with a certain level of success.

Thank goodness for Flexible Fabric Band-aids.  I might even have a FO to show you before the weekend's end.

Foiled Again

I had some great plans for progress pictures today... but God had other plans.  I think he's telling me to slow down and I haven't been listening.  In the last 24 hours he took a few more drastic steps.  I sliced open my forefinger on my swifty new kitchen gadget (that I had warned everyone else about being careful).  That should have stopped me... but NO... I simply put double bandages on my pointer finger and knit on.  This morning I was already reviewing which project to finish and I burnt the thumb on the other hand while making chocolate chip pancakes.  Who knew melted chocolate chips were like molten lava?

So... I think I'll find something else to do today.  Something that will make me slow down.  I'm listening.  I'm listening.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful Columbus Day Weekend.  Do you get Monday off?

Jimmy Crack Corn

I have a love hate relationship with candy corn.  

• I love it.  It is so sweet and colorful and evokes wonderful happy childhood memories.
• I hate it.  It's sugary sickening sweetness makes me ill, literally.  Also, I swear it's crack.  You really can't eat just one (or two, or three...).  It may possibly be the single most addictive candy ever.

But it's October, my favorite month of the year, and it's out.  Candy corn is everywhere.  My friend Lori even found these hand knit candy corn on The Purl Bee.  I think they might be as addictive as their edible counterparts.  What's a girl to do?  

 

PS - Since the Jimmy Crack Corn song came to mind, I simply had to google it.  Surprising what I found. I had no idea about the backstory(ies) on this song.  

Happy October!

Blocking Day

I finished the final strip for the Sampler Afghan this weekend and chose today to block the five strips.  Sorry, I know you're disappointed I didn't photograph each individual swatch from the last strip.  Maybe later.  First I soaked the five strips in the kitchen sink with a gentle handwash detergent and cold water.

After twenty minutes, I rinsed them thoroughly in cool clear water.  Then I blotted them dry (no wringing) and took them outside to the patio to block.

I know.  You're probably wondering why I did that.  Well, it was honestly the only place I had that was big enough to spread out the entire blanket.

It's a mostly sunny today, so I suspect my strips will dry quickly.  Then I'll bring them in and begin the sewing process.  I have about 1/2 skein left.  I think it's enough, but I'm a little nervous.  Keep your fingers crossed!