Cats N Lace

My dear friend Lois was going through her knitting library and sent me these. Appropriate eh?



And I finally finished the fingerless gloves for a certain 12 year old.



Now onward!

Winter update

Here is our cute little tree. Alex decorated it while I was in the hospital cardio ward for 4 days .



And this is Kitty, our only outdoor cat, in his winter coat and ruff.



The second mitt is almost finished. 10 more rounds on the hand and then the thumb. More later.

Fingerless Gloves

This one too a while because I tried several things. This gift is for a young man. First tried a gauntlet with several twists spiraling up the arm. Worked out fine but too tame for this young man. Then I tried a Spiderman pattern on a fingerless glove but it wasn't really working because I didn't have the right color yarns. So I decided simplest was best and I let the yarn do the designing.



You like my blocker? I scanned my hand, cut out the picture, pasted it to some cardboard and cut it out. Now if I just had a nice foot to do that with!

Back to making the second glove!

Purple Socks

Finally finished the purple socks. The second one was a struggle because I didn't make good notes on the first one. It is my version of the Veil of Leaves sock from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways book. I used Knit Picks Essentials in African Violet. Lovely and soft! First time knitting with a size #1 Harmony circ. Very nice but I wish the cable was longer.

These are for a tall, slender young lady with dainty size 5 feet. I sure hope these aren't too narrow for her! Pardon the very inexpertly made hanger/sock blocker.





And just a catly comment...



This is Merlin. This is NOT Merlin's bed! Now Percy has moved into Merlin's cave, a larger bed under a hassock. There's room for two Percy"s in there! I bet Percy would like a new cave of his own for Christmas. Santa... ?

Cabled Socks

Just finished a pair of socks for a fella on my list with big feet. :o) Not sure of the yarn but it seems to be superwash because I can't spit join it. Most of the sock is 2x2 ribbing but there is a cruller cable running down both sides of the sock. It's hard to see in the picture. If you click on the pic you will see a bigger version and the cable might be more visible.



Next up is a pair of purple socks for a lovely young lady on my list.

Yellow Lace Scarf

This scarf is for my niece and I dare say it is definitely longer than she is tall! I knitted it lengthwise and should have cast on a few stitches less. I used a very nice yellow wool yarn I found online from Yarn Treehouse and a #9 circ. (This yarn would make pretty socks too.) I used a stitch pattern from Wrapped in Comfort, the Blue Jay Shawl. Alison gives stitch counts for every stitch pattern used in the shawls. She intended for people to be able to use the patterns for other things too.

Here are a couple of pics of it blocking. Hope you like!

Trilby Goes Home

In 1994 I had a dental appointment. It was about 4 blocks away from my home so I walked. Asleep on the doormat was a lovely fluffy kitten about 4 months old. Before I went in I stooped to pet the little thing. She was affectionate but not very energetic. The receptionist told me she had been sleeping on the doormat for several days and that they wouldn't let her in nor had anyone fed her. When I left I stopped and talked to her for a few minutes before I started to walk home. When I arrived at my doorstep I saw that she had followed me home! I let her in and she cautiously greeted the other cats, had a quick look around and staked out the kitchen. After a good meal and a long drink of water she rounded my ankles with a lovely trilling voice then curled up for a nap in Uncle Mitzie's favorite sun spot. Trilby was home!

We will miss Trilby's mischievous eyes, her fierce defense of the food bowl and her frisky personality. She passed over the rainbow bridge in her sleep tonight. I'm sure many Jack-O-lanterns lit her way. She never met a pumpkin she didn't like.

Finished purple lace

Here is a model (of sorts) wearing the purple Water Turtles shawl. Here also is a closeup of the design. The picture was taken flat on the ironing board but I rotated it so you could see how it would look hanging.





It is very light and delicate. I haven't tried but I might be able to get it through a wedding ring.

Now onward!

The Purple Blob blooms!

I know this is sort of cheating, but I just couldn't face getting down on the floor again. I ordered this blocking kit called Knitters Block. It's 9 large interlocking foam tiles with sort of a rough, carpet like covering. You can lay them out in whatever shape you need and they are very good for pinning.

So with the tiles and my blocking wires I decided to pin out the shawl while it was folded in half. Might take a little longer to dry but I think it will work ok. I will let you know.



This is The Water Turtles shawl from Wrapped in Comfort, knit with Knit Picks Shadow lace weight in the color Grape Jelly.

The Purple Blob!

Ok Lois, just for you!





I hope I didn't stop knitting too soon! Blocking tomorrow will tell. Cross your fingers!

More finished goodies!

Last Wednesday, 10/17 was my hubby Alex's 72nd birthday. He never tells me what he wants except more of what he already has plenty of. So I tend to take clues from other things he says. Like nagging me to make curtains for the dining room and Parlor and etc.

The old cotton curtains we hung when we moved in 20 years ago are just disintegrating and my sis had sent me a box of lace bolt ends from where she works with a designer. There was enough to do the dining room and one of the parlor windows, although we stretched it to cover both windows for now. So I've sent my sis these pictures and asked, "Please, may I have more?" Here's hoping!



The dining room.



The parlor.

And I've been crocheting some quick doily/coaster sets. The little pineapple doily takes about 5 hours and the coasters take a little over an hour each. I can even do them without the pattern now. That's a first for me! Won't tell who they're for in case they peek. :o) One more set I think and then I need to knit something. My yarn is fussing at me and I feel it.



Oh the little rainbow coaster is for one of my SIL's kitties who likes to carry around dainty things. Maybe I'll soak it in catnip. LOL!

A Nice Surprise and a FO

Hi Folks. I got a box from a publisher last week. I hadn't ordered anything from them so it was a bit of a puzzle. Inside was the pattern-a-day Crochet Calendar for 2008. Remember that filet crochet pattern I had submitted for this year's calendar? They sent it back and I thought that was that. Imagine my delight while leafing through the calendar to find my pattern on Monday, April 7th! Cool!





And the UFO currently blocking on my floor is Alison's Ann Arbor shawl from her book Wrapped in Comfort. It's for my SIL Mary, a red head who looks fab in greens. I told Alison that I was worried that it would come out looking like a sick chameleon but I'm relieved to say I quite like it. BIG difference in how it looks before and after blocking. First time I've used blocking wires too. I got the wires from Knit Picks and really like them.

I had to scootch around the floor on my fanny to get it all pinned out. Nothing else to pin it to but the rug. I'd love to use my bed but with 10 cats in the house it was more of a challenge than I wanted to face today. Maybe next time.



I used 10 shades of Knit Picks Palette. I can hardly wait for it to be dry!



Now I have to hurry up and finish sewing Alex's birthday present for this Wednesday, the 17th. Then back to making Christmas gifts!

Enchanted Forest Cardi is FINISHED!!!

Hope you like!



The buttons worked SO well! My only concern is that they might be a teensy bit heavy. I hope to try it on my brother Greg tomorrow to see how it "hangs". Click an any of the images for a close up look.



This is the tree I put on the sleeves.



And this is the panorama on the back.

SO glad this is finished! Now I have to find the perfect box. Seeya later!

Update - Blocking

Well, today I washed the Enchanted Forest Cardi. That's a LOT of sweater! Even after I rolled it in several layers of towel and foot massaged it, it was still heavy. Here are a couple of pictures of it being wet blocked on my dining room table.





Right now it is between layers of clean sheet on my studio floor with a fan blowing across it. The cats think it's something weird and walk all around it. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the buttons on and take some more pictures.

Til then...

Buttons???

The sweater is finished. All seams sewn. All ends tucked in good. What I need now are the perfect buttons. At first I was thinking something woodsy like Oak leaves or Acorns. Well, my brother Greg and I went on an adventure to Petaluma today. We went to a quilting store where we bought each other early Christmas presents. We went for a walk and found a high end knitting store where all I could afford to do was pet the yarn and breathe the heavenly fumes.

And we went to a bead store. The first thing I saw when I walked in were a lot of pretty glass "donuts" in various mouth watering colors. But the green ones really caught my eye as the perfect color (and size) for buttons for the sweater. But it's only got one big hole in the middle. I needed something to put in the middle that was slightly bigger than the hole that I could use to attach the big button to the sweater.



So, here are the beads.



And here are the buttons. Cool eh? Now give me a little time to get the sweater vacuumed (cat hair), washed and blocked and put the buttons on and I'll show you the finished sweater before I wrap it up and hide it. :o)

Later!

EFC Update

Not a very good picture I know. Click on the pic for better detail. But you can see where I am. Joined the shoulders, knit the front bands, remembering to reverse the buttonhole side. (Note to Self: ALWAYS keep the edge stitch in stockinette. Much easier to pick up stitches.) Learned a new (to me) bind off for K1P1 rib. It's done with a tapestry needle and is sort of like Kitchener only easier. Next time I do a sock toe I'm going to put all the stitches on one needle and try it this way. Saw it on http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/bind-off.php. It's called the Knit-One Purl-One Bind-Off and the videos are very clear.It makes a very nice edge and doesn't flair the ribbing at all. I love it!

Next to knit the collar, sew on the sleeves and sew up the sides and find some appropriately woodsy buttons. Then to wash and block and wrap it up safe.I probably could've knocked off a day of knitting if I wasn't so obsessive/compulsive about picking cat hairs off of it. I live with 10 cats for goodness sake! The black ones with white tips are from Cleo. The orange ones are from Merlin. The orange ones with a little white are from Rufus. The super wispy light grey ones are courtesy of Percy and Mittens. The occasional long shiny white ones... well even my hair seems to want to get into the act. I need one of those itty bitty vacuums like they use on computers.

So there you are, updated. Seeya later!

EF Update and Mau?

Hi folks. Been knitting like mad on the EF cardi.



Both fronts.



And the back. I'm knitting the sleeves now. Didn't want them to be plain moss stitch so I've added a tree.

Thank you for all the lovely comments!

Someone emailed me about Mittens being an Egyptian Mau. I answered her that I thought Mittens was a small grey tabbie but never heard an answer. Eventually I looked up the Egyptian Mau and realized she must have been talking about Cleo! Yes she definitely looks like she has a lot of Mau in her genes.



I named her before I knew about that. I named her Cleopatra because she is a very relaxed kitty and her pose made me think of Cleopatra an her barge floating down the Nile. In the picture above she is sitting on top of a pile of kitty toys. In the short time she has lived here she has grown out of that box but she still loves it.



Here she is, thinking about moving her lazy self to go catch a feather toy.



Here she has caught the silly thing when it ventured too close and saved her the effort. She is still growing. Look at those feet! Everyday she gets more beautiful and a little bigger. All the male cats in the house are in complete awe, but she keeps them in their place. She likes to hunker down and waggle her hind end whenever she sees little Mittens. Mittens is so small she must look like a toy to Cleo. But as a grown up lady of some years I'm sure she would love to teach Cleo some respect.

Till next time, keep knitting and love your kitties!

Captured! The grey streak!

Hi folks! I finally got a couple of pictures of Mittens, our elusive little grey streak. The bathroom window is one of her favorite spots.




Got Cleo too.



The other pic of Cleo is just her rump as she is face down in the food bowl, so I will spare you. She is quite the chow hound!

Finished the left front of the Enchanted Forest cardigan.



Thanks to my friend Lois I learned how to short row the armhole and neck shaping so there is no stair-stepping, just a nice, smooth curve. I wish this color wasn't so hard to photograph accurately because it's really neat looking. Here's a detail shot.



If you click on the picture you can see the detail better. That's it for now!

A Different Plan?

Hi Folks. Hard to believe it's August already. A book I'm reading says that maybe time seems to go slow when you're young because it's a large percentage of of your life so far. when we are older a year seems to fly because it's a small percentage of your life. I don't know what it is but the older I get the faster time goes! Anyone remember that old song, "Stop the World! I Want to Get Off!!!" Where's the slow button?

When Blackie died I told Alex I didn't ever want to adopt an adult kitty again, just a kitten, and not for a long time to come. Well, seems God had a different plan for me. Alex's best friend Diets lives in a Senior complex near us and he had been feeding a stray kiitty for a couple of weeks. When a neighbor said she was going to call animal control and have the cat taken to the pound, well Deits called us! Alex had to talk me into it. Quite a switch!

She's a black tabby, like Blackie was. Maybe a year old, very skinny, not shy, very affectionate and beautiful. She has a very long body and big feet to grow into. The first night I stayed up with her all night. Why? Because the male kitties in the household were fascinated with her. She was very comfy in my room, sleeping in the blue basket Blackie used to use. But if she wanted to get up and have a drink of water or a bite to eat or use the box she was confronted with a male admirer or 2. So I stayed up to run interference for her.



That's Merlin adoring her from afar.



She's not crazy about the attention but she was patient.

We needed a good name for her, so, after a couple days of observation, named her Cleo (patra). For her long, sinuous body and her beautiful markings, especially around her eyes. And, she already answers to her name! We hope she is fixed but can't tell just yet. Time will tell! For now she is doing a lot of eating and sleeping and lapping up lots of affection. She doesn't run and hide when the doorbell rings. She is cautiously getting along with everyone, has a sweet voice, purrs easily and has a playful side. She is lovely! Blackie would have loved her.

Those first 2 log cabin blocks I knitted? Didn't like that rust color in there at all. So I frogged them and added a few new colors to the pool and knitted 6 more.



What do you think? I like them. And they are addictive! But I have set them aside to start my Christmas knitting. Here's how they looked before I put them away. The turquoise is waste yarn keeping all the edge stitches live.

I started the Enchanted Forest cardigan from the New Vogue Knitting magazine. My husband is crazy for trees so I thought this would be nice for him. He can wear it to Bonsai meetings and Master Gardener things with my Mom. This is the left front so far. Not much to see yet. If you click on the picture you can see the detail better.



So, that's all for now. Back to knitting!

Sadness, frustration and something new.

This was beautiful, sweet, affectionate, lovely Blackie. He came to live with us in May, on my birthday. He seemed very healthy. Nobody knew he was sick until the very sudden end, last Wednesday. Even at the vet, while we tried to save him, he was never out of my arms. Now he sleeps in the back yard, along with some very elderly but much loved family kitties. It doesn't seem fair that he should leave us so soon and so young. It has left quite a painful hole in my heart. I picture them all young and healthy again, frolicking in a meadow, happy forever.

After two mobius starts on the lace panel for the dress I decided to knit back and forth a few rows before I joined. After nearly 2 repeats of the lace pattern what do my unbelieving eyes see? Another mobius!!! So, for now, I give up. Frogged completely. Will try again later

I want to knit one of Alison's delicious shawls but I'm not sure of my yarns. I have lots of laceweight but the numbering system for yarns lumps an awful lot into #1. So I started something I've wanted to do since last year. The log cabin afghan in The Knitting Experience - Color, page 83. I've finished a couple of blocks. But I want to add a couple more colors.



A warm brown and a pale, buttery yellow. Maybe a lilac? We shall see.

Lace Panel 1

As requested I am posting what I have done so far on lace panel 1, before I rip it out and start over. I don't see any reason why this dress can't be knit in the round! I know how to seam but don't like to do it. So, here I go again. :o) Here is the lace dress in question, from the Summer IK.



And here is what I've knitted so far. (My niece likes yellow.)



You see all those seams? NO WAY! There is a BETTER way! You'll see.