Always seem to be...

...trying to catch up! So let's see. Pieced 2 sets (24 blocks) of Origami Bow Ties in Civil War reproduction fabrics, sewn on my 1876 Singer New Family model 12. The old gal did quite a good job and I am proud of her. Not bad for 130 years old! Got the blocks all signed and mailed off my "squishy" today. In a couple of weeks I'll get back another squishy with 24 blocks from other exchange participants.




Got the next Round Robin to work on in the mail Saturday. It's so cute! I think the computer need a teensy little Mac Apple on it. And Miss Sunbonnet Sue needs some lace and ruffles. Not sure what I'm going to do for a border. The last person to work on it seems to think it needs "calming down". Hmmm...



Finally got around to mailing my granddaughter's ruffly wrist warmers to her. I'm starting to get used to going to the post office. It's close enough to be a quick trip that doesn't leave me super anxious to "just get home". Even Alex is a little impressed that I am going out to run little errands more often. Maybe there's hope for the old hermit after all! :o)

I am itching to get back to knitting! Got to do a couple of quick design submissions for a new crochet book first though. And I can't leave the Round Robin until the last minute this time. HAVE to mail it by the 31st! And the taxes are waiting to be done. It will be interesting this time, after my first year of retirement.

Well, time for bed. Nighty night!

Feelin' old

It's surprising how much 3 days of intensive piecing, after years of not making all those movements, can affect older muscles and bones. You hold your entire body differently when using a sewing machine. And rotary cutting layers of fabric on the dining room table? OY! My back, my hands... ow!

I woke up today wondering if I was coming down with the flu. Aching all over and moving like molasses in Winter. Getting physically older is a drag! No other symptoms though, just achy and tired, tired, tired!

So I had my cup of hot Ovaltine and took some Advil and went off to the post office to mail the Round Robin. Got a bright yellow box for it, the same yellow of the blooming Oxalis that is swallowing up my front yard. Also mailed another DVD to my cyber twin. (Hi Laura!) Came home and made breakfast and commenced to wade through the 300+ emails waiting for me since I hardly read any yesterday. Just finished the last one half an hour ago! Whew!

So I made it through the day with just a very short nap. Did 7 loads of laundry, read all my email and thought about all that I plan to do tomorrow. My desk is an incredible mess, as usual. Need to tidy up my fabrics, pay the bills (ugh), vacuum up the thread bunnies and maybe work in a lovely hot shower. My Mom had one of those new baths installed, the kind you walk into, shut the door and sit down. No more trying to struggle up out of a slippery tub. I'm going to try it out when she cruises off to Turkey this month.

Well, I should get to bed. It is storming again tonight so I should sleep good. See y'all later!

Round Robin #1

Tonight finished three intense days of measuring and cutting and piecing and sewing and pressing and snipping and remembering what it was like to do this all the time. Now it's time to pack it up and mail it on to the next Robin. The next one is already in the mail to me and I am definitely not going to procrastinate on this one! Here's a picture of what I added to the center square.



I chose colors out of Kelly's background fabric to use in the flying geese. She wants her block to end up on point so, at first I was trying to figure out what to do for corners to do what she wants. But I wasn't inspired so I'll let the next person figure out the corners. :o) The geese are all flying toward the point so I at least acknowledged Kelly's wish.

Next I need to sew a bunch of blocks using my 1890's hand cranked Singer sewing machine and Civil War reproduction fabrics. Have to get those in the mail by Saturday. Then a little break to finish the slipper patterns and then start contemplating the next Round Robin center.

I recorded ALL the Olympics because I didn't want to miss anything and I knew I wouldn't be able to catch it all "live". Tonight I watched the women's snowboarding. One of them is named Gretchen! How cool is that! Someone in the crowd was holding up a huge sign that said Gretchen USA. Love it!

Well, been a long day and I am ready to rest. Lots to do tomorrow! G'night all!

Rip it out! Do it over! Make it better!

I swear! I can't stop! I finish knitting something. I look at it and I see ways it can, and should be improved. Especially when it is something I am designing and hope to be able to sell.

What do you call that? NO! I am NOT a perfectionist! Really! I'm not! Anyone who could see my house, especially my studio, would know that in an instant.

Sometimes I am sort of embarrassed when someone exclaims over something I've created. But they don't know that that itty bitty stuffed heart somewhere on the quilt covers a booboo, a blood stain, an "oops" in the fabric. It's sort of my signature on any quilt I make. Or that the slipper when folded flat looks fine, except that if you look at the whole thing you see that the toe is off center because my center marker fell off the needle and I put it back in the wrong place. Aaargh!!!

But I do know I can do better. This slipper pattern is just making me a little crazy I guess. Gonna take a break this weekend and get the Round Robin done. I have to mail it by Tuesday and I haven't even pulled out fabrics for it! I know, in my head, what I am going to do but I really shouldn't have waited so long. My bad! Not to mention the deadline for mailing the Civil War bow tie blocks for the TreadleOn exchange is next Friday.

Hello. My name is Gretchen and I am a Procrastinator. Is there a program??? I make these "to do" lists and if I accomplish half of it in a week I'm doing good. I won't even tell you the kind of everyday, normal things I put on my lists. It's shameful.

So, tomorrow I sew. There! I've given myself permission to rip out the slippers tonight before I go to bed. Oooh! I feel better already! Hmmm... blogging is good therapy! :o)

Brief Report

Knitted up the sole of the Men's medium size (11) with the Highland Chunky but it wasn't tight enough for me. "Grin through" in the sole is not a good thing. :o) It would probably be good with a smaller needle and would make a smaller size. Hmmm... gives me ideas! Oh, I forgot to mention that one skein of the Sierra made one slipper, with about 2 yards left over. The Sierra is 110 yards so one skein of Cascade 220, knitting with 2 strands, works just as well.

So I'm going back to the Sierra in a different color for now. I've had one person say they liked the unfolded cuff better because it made the big foot seem more in proportion. And another that liked the turned down cuff better because it looked more slipper-like. I like it both ways but, to me, the turned down one is stuffed to look more like a natural foot.

That's it. Just a short note. Just so y'all know I'm thinkin' of ya. :o)

PROGRESS!

Well, I finally successfully completed a Men's Large sample slipper. Size 13 is so big! I took 2 pictures. The first one with the cuff not folded and the foot stuffed with several balls of sock yarn. The second is with the cuff folded and the foot shaped with a couple of round little candy cans and one ball of sock yarn. Which one do y'all like?





I guess to me #2 looks more like a normal foot. It's just so huge!

So tonight I've cast on for the Men's medium in a nice heathery blue Highland Chunky from Elann. The green one is in KnitPicks Bulky Sierra. Lovely stuff! The Elann isn't as tightly twisted as the KnitPicks so we shall see how it stands up. I think this would be nice in a patterned yarn too. Have to play with that when there is time.

Been glued to the Olympics. Tonight was the best so far. It was so nice to see the ice dancing with no falls or terrible mistakes. I am really looking forward to the start of figure skating tomorrow.

Well, that all for now. The Men's medium shouldn't take as long as the large because I don't have to rewrite the pattern as I am knitting. (Knock on wood!) Y'all be good now!

Math weary brain

Sorry for the lack of postings lately. Between keeping up with the Olympic schedule and taping all I can, and slaving over the Men's sizes in my slipper pattern I haven't felt very chatty.

I wouldn't say I'm a math whiz but I was a bookkeeper for 35 years. So most math problems in knitting and quilting aren't a big deal. But one of the things I've been wrestling with in the Men's sizes was how much to knit back after a wrap and turn. After going to bed with a math induced headache for a couple of nights I just had to break out the graph paper. Thank goodness it worked!!! Now I can get on with knitting samples for pictures. This poor yarn I've been using for the test knitting has been frogged and re-knitted SO many times it is begging for mercy.

But I am having another little problem that I need to solve. I get a hole wherever I do a wrap and turn. I think it's the wrap that's doing it. Maybe I'll just try it without the wrap and see.

Had a nice Valentine's Day and hope you all did too. Alex gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers, a box of my favorite sugar free pecan turtles, a very sweet card and made steak and mushrooms and asparagus for dinner. I made him a special card and gave him a big box of his favorite cherry cordials. Santa gave him some for Christmas but, um, he didn't get many of them. (Smirk, they were very good!)

Then our nephew Seth came over with a box of cookies, a Bonsai Bear book for Alex (who is a bonsai master) and Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit DVD for me. He is such a sweetie!

I vacuumed my studio today. Maybe that helped the math? Whatever, I am just so relieved to be able to move on! I have to get to work on the Round Robin center and get it on its way. And I have bow tie blocks to sew on my pre 1900 handcrank Singer with Civil War reprduction fabrics. And there is a mystery shawl about to start. And... and... you get the picture. So, maybe tomorrow I'll get around to some pictures. :o)

Happy teeth!

This is just a short little post to wish my friend Lois to GET WELL SOON!!!

What is a Round Robin?

Cyber twin Laura asked what happens in a Round Robin. There are all different kinds. Quilt centers that are added on to, rows of blocks that are added on to, and it doesn't really have to be a quilt. I could see this working with knitting or crocheting too.

In this Round Robin there are six of us who have made a center for a quilt and sent them to the next person on the list. #1 sends to #2 etc. As of this week we have all recieved another person's center. We each have the rest of the month to add, corners or a border or whatever, to the center and send it to the next person on the list. Each person always mails to the same recipient so that keeps that part simple. Eventually everyone will have worked on every center and will receive their own back with all the additions. A lovely surprise and an experience with neat memories.

One of our participants has made really nice journals for each of us to write in and pass along with each center. So we will not only get back our own quilt but also have the journal too.

I got my first center the other day, a compass rose medallion. Gorgeous! She wants it to end up with the blue on point. Have to do right by it now. Wish me luck!

Time Flies!

Good grief! It's nearly Wednesday already! The older I get the faster time goes by. All that humbug about "when you're having fun"? Balderdash!!! It's relativity I tell you! When you get older time speeds up. Doesn't have anything to do with slowing down and having to take naps. NO! It's all a physicist's plot. (grumble, grumble)

So for 2 days I have slaved over writing this slipper pattern, and working out changes for different sizes. And I only took 2 eensy weensy naps. Honest! I even went to the post office today to mail my Round Robin box.

Did you know the post office has ***pretty*** boxes now? Mine has roses all over it! It's gorgeous! And big enough for the pieced center, extra fabric, a few goodies for the participants and room to spare for as the project grows. Very cool I think.

I ran into 2 neighbors while I was at the post office. I love living in a small town. :o) One of them wanted to come home with me to look at my sewing machines again. Oh Lord! All the Christmas stuff has been taken down but the boxes haven't been put back up in the attic yet. So one can barely get in the front door. And, for the same reason, one can hardly get into the parlor where most of the handcrank machines are, which is what she wanted to see. She was polite. I was embarrassed.

On the upside though, Percy didn't run away from this sweet little red haired lady. That's a first! Maybe it was her soft English accent. Or maybe because she really is a short little lady, 4 foot somethig. Poor Percy, everyone is a giant to him.

So, here I am, about to go nighty night. There's supposed to be a big storm coming with lots of rain. I hope so. Good storms always energize me. Tomorrow I'll bake bread! Cinnamon raisin and egg bread. I better get to bed. I'm getting hungry. :o)

Bits and pieces

Took a break from knitting to get my center done for the Treadleon Round Robin I talked myself into organizing. Have to mail it on Tuesday! Nothing like waiting until the last minute! :o) The centers I've seen so far have been medallions, that is, the same design on all sides. Like a compass rose or a feathered star. Mine is different in that it is a scene.



But I expect the other participants will have fun with it. It will be exciting to see how it comes back. I know how but I don't do applique so I hope there is some of that.

This scene is a tribute to a friend who died way too young. He was my quilt design partner and encouraged me to get into teaching and publishing my designs. He died while I was recovering from open heart surgery and I was so devastated I mostly gave up on quilting. It still appeals to me. But I find knitting much more rewarding, comforting and practical, at least these days.

Still working on my slipper pattern. The size tens for Vera were one thing. Being able to get more sizes is something else altogether. If others are going to use my pattern is has to be more user friendly.

Got to do laundry today so I'd better get to it! Bye for now. :o)

Feelings

Alex brought home a nice note from friend Vera today. She loved the slippers and they fit perfectly! That's a happy feeling. :o)

Nice thing number 2 is... Fiber Trends is interested in the pattern!!! That's a WOW feeling! And Alex is proud of me. That's an awesome feeling!!!

I "fell off the wagon" and bought a bunch of Sierra Bulky at Knit Picks. Now I know exactly why! Gotta work out different sizes for the slippers and knit samples. It was preordained! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :o)

Just finished winding the Sierra and filled up a whole 'nother bag. That's a yummy feeling.

Tomorrow I must clear off my desk and pay bills. That's a yucky feeling. But then I will finish 2 quilt projects that are on deadlines and that will be a relieved feeling. That relief started tonight as I found the 2 little bags of Civil War fabrics I had been saving. Cleaning up my room makes such simple magic.

And the topper for the good feeling day, my friend Lois is finally through with the Canadian election and we had our first "visit" in weeks tonight. I sure missed yacking with her online nearly every night. Guess I'm spoiled. Oh well!

Nighty night!

Non Felted Clog Version 2

Just finished the second version of the not-to-be-felted clog for friend Vera. I think I like this one better. Gotta whip up another one tomorrow so Alex can deliver them Wednesday when he goes to play in her garden.

Learned a few things. Since this is totally knitted on circs, in order to get garter stitch for the nice thick sole you have to alternate knit rounds and purl rounds. The majority of the shaping is every other round so I wanted those shaping rounds to be on a knit round. That meant I had to start with a purl round. The Turkish cast on as I learned it isn't good for purl as a first round, plus, even as knit as a first round, left a non garter "seam".

So I played with it and here's what I did. When doing the Turkish cast on, instead of wrapping the yarn *under* the 2 needles I wrapped it **over** the 2 needles. It gave me a perfect start for a purl round. AND there is absolutely NO distinguishable seam, on either side! I was so pleased!

As I followed the pattern from there I saw that my counts were always right on and the shape of the slipper seemed to be much better defined. Instead of the rolled cuff that just seemed to look sloppy to me, I did 12 rows of 1x1 ribbing and folded it down. I like it alot! Here's a pic with the first one for comparison.



So whadaya think? Anyone interested in this? Wonder what Fiber Trends would think of what I did with their pattern? Hmmm...

Nighty night :o)

Tagged!

My cyber twin Laura has tagged me!

Four jobs in my life [best to worst]:Assuming these must be paid jobs...

1.) Lifeguard and swimming instructor at Temescal Pool. 1966
2.) Quilting lecturer and teacher, also did commission quilting, designed and published my own patterns and wrote a miniature quilting column for several magazines.
3.) Bookkeeper for Coastal Ordinance in San Leandro for Captain Wolfe. He was a good man.
4.) Bookkeeper for Encore Glass. Twenty Two year of pure misery.
(Absolute favorite job is what I am doing now, being retired and a knitting housewife.)

Four Movies you could watch over and over:

1.) The Abyss
2.) All Star Wars Movies
3.) All Harry Potter movies
4.) Any Jimmie Stewart movie

Four Places you have lived: Just 4? Sheesh!

1.) Thirty miles outside of Madison, Wisconsin, in a cozy trailer in the snow. 1949 - 1954
2.) Vancouver, B.C. Canada, 2 years of ice skating in the street, playing violin in the Kitsalano school orchestra, playing Badminton, loooong summer days camping with the Girl Guides, cycling to the beach for fish & chips with my best friend, and to the soda shop for 25 cent root beer floats on Saturdays. Good times! 1961 - 1962
3.) Millington, Tennessee in an off-base 2 room duplex, shared with a TON of cockroaches. My son David was born there and that is the only good memory I have of Millington.
4.) Benicia, California, in an 1887 Victorian 3 doors away from where Alex was born and raised. A real home at last!

Four Places you have been on vacation:

1.) 1978 - Cross country camping from Oakland, California to Dallas, Texas, in August, in a tent, in constant thunderstorms, with new husband Alex who had only left the state of California to go to Germany for the Army. Alex had never seen Carlesbad Caverns or the Painted Desert or the Indian countries. Or camped in a tent tied to the car so it wouldn't blow away in the pounding rain with lots of thunder and lightening. We were going so Alex could meet my Grandparents. My PawPaw died the day before we got there.

2.) 1980 - Camping alone in October for 2 weeks, moving from lake to lake in Northern California, fishing with the companionship of a darling kitten who adopted me in the wild and who loved to ride in the car. Peaceful and quiet at that time of year. I loved it!

3.) 1956 - Carlesbad Caverns and the Petrified Forrest, just me and my PawPaw. Sure miss him!

4.) 1959 - Cabin camping in Mina, Arkansas with my Dad's parents and brother, Grampa Mac, Coco and Uncle Mike. Good swimmin', fishin' and wraslin'.

Four websites you visit daily: Beyond a lot of blogs and knitting websites...

1.) My bank

2.) Buy & Hold to check on my tiny portfolio.

3.) Seattle Times to read Crankshaft.

4.) Grimmy to read Mother Goose & Grim.

Four of my favorite foods: Along with eggs any way, dark chocolate with nuts and caramel, BLTs, Southern fried chicken livers and fresh hot biscuits, cold hot dogs and cold pork and beans right out of the can...

1.) Shrimp, prawns, langoustine, whatever you want to call 'em. More is better!

2.) Rare filet mignon with sauted mushrooms and spinach salad (with baby shrimp). (Excuse me, I have to wipe my chin.)

3.) Crab (and shrimp) Louis, with fresh French bread and real butter.

4.) Creamy Navy beans with hot buttered cornbread.

Four places you'd rather be right now:

Can't think of any! I'm so happy right here, in front of the computer, knitting on the desk, television above, surrounded by beautiful yarn and affectionate kitties, talking to my friends.

Four Bloggers i am tagging:

1.) Yarn Harlot - http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/
2.) Pink Lemon Twist - http://www.pinklemontwist.blogspot.com/
3.) The Knitting Doctor - http://mousepotato.typepad.com/knittingdoctor/
4.) Will Work For Yarn - http://willwork4yarn.blogspot.com/

In Memory of MayMay

MayMay
1989 May 3 -- 2006 January 21

Best friend and long time companion of my dear friend Kati.

And the 3rd one was just right!

I feel like Goldilocks, really! The Turkish cast on worked great! I used the smallest size on the pattern. Too small. Tried the largest women's size. Too big. While I was ripping it all out again to try the middle size Alex came home from Michael's where he had gone for another Christmas storge box, with 2 skeins of Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the perfect color for Vera! I didn't even ask! He is the BEST husband!!!

So I sot right down and knitted this...



I am SO pleased! I hope Vera likes them. They are the perfect size and color. Whadaya think?

And Alex's hand is so much better! Swelling almost all gone. No redness and the heat is gone too. We are so blessed! Anyone who sent healing thoughts, thank you!

Tonight, just before dinner, Alex started to sneeze... and sneeze and sneeze. He kept it up until I gave him some hot tea and sent him to bed. We've been so lucky with no colds or flu for over a year. I hope this was just a bit of stray cat hair and not a darned bug.

Well, that's a wrap for tonight. Sleep tight all!

Fussy Old lady!

Well, I am still fussing with this not-to-be-felted clog for friend Vera. It worked out to knit it on smaller needles, size 8, it came out to my size (8-1/2) using the women's small in the directions. So I've ripped it all out and started over using the women's large directions.

I fiddled around with toe up type cast ons so there wouldn't have to be a seam in the middle of the sole. But nothing seems to work out. The figure 8 leaves a loose ladder down the middle. Before that I tried the Turkish cast on with a different slipper pattern that didn't work well. I'm going to try it with the clog pattern now and see how that goes. If it doesn't all work out tomorrow then I'll just knit the clog as written and she'll have a seam down the middle of the sole.

I'm worried about Alex. Yesterday while working in Mom's garden a rose thorn poked him in the hand, that fleshy part between the thumb and the forefinger. He says it bled and he washed it, but by the time he got home it was all swollen and red and hot. I worked it over with peroxide and neosporin and a bandaid, and we did it again before bed. Today he says it's better but it doesn't look like it to me. He must be a little worried about it because it didn't rain today but he stayed in, ALL day! That is not like him at all.

This worries ME because way back when we were newlyweds he had a puncture on the same hand from a kitty tooth. But he didn't tell me about it until he showed me a red line going up his arm! At the hospital he had IV antibiotic, then at home we did Betadine soaks for a week. I sure don't want to go through that again!!! If it isn't better tomorrow I guess we'll start the soaks.

I know it's not a big thing compared to so many other things that could happen. But healing thoughts would be appreciated. :o) Guess I'll go say my prayers and get to bed. Love and Hugs!

Well...

Yesterday an old order finally came. Some bulky and some cotton. So I wound it all and put it in the appropriate bags. Feels nice to be organized, in one area anyway. :o)

Today I've been working on a problem. I have this elderly friend, a dear lady of 93 who loves to bake goodies and send them home with Alex when he works in her garden. I told her all about the felted clogs and that I wanted to make some for her. Problem is, she's allergic to wool. I've hunted around for slipper patterns that look nice that I can knit with a bulky synthetic and I haven't really been able to find anything I like. So I had this little idea. What if I use the bulky that I have, with the clog pattern I have, but use much smaller needles? So I've been experimenting, ripping out, experimenting some more, etc... All the while thinking about the other things I want to be knitting right now.

If this doesn't work out soon I think I will knit a few little swatches for her to test herself with. The last time she was irritated by wool was ages ago and I think wool qualities have changed for the better and what exists now might be nicer than anything she has tried. I've already done a little felted swatch for her to try next week. Who knows? We might both be pleasantly surprized!

Well, that's what is exciting in my life for now! Remember how I said I was going to try to get to bed by 12 from now on? Little by little I slid back to 3AM, 4AM, 5AM... Why is it so dang hard for a nightowl to turn over a new leaf? I just get so much done when it is all quiet and peaceful. Oh well, nighty night!

Big sigh of happiness...

It's all done! Now I can knit! YAY!!! There is one thing left to wind but it's going to take a while and be a fiddly mess. Here's what tangled up cobweb looks like.



That itty bitty little bit of winding has lots of ends in it. And that took an hour!

Anyway, on to the good stuff! The first picture - clockwise from bottom right - bag of "exotic" yarns, Schaefer's Elaine and Noro Spring Garden, bag of Cascade 220, bag of mohair, bag of bulky (soon to be filled), bag of foo foo yarns, and bag of cottons.



Next picture, from left to right - bag of dk weight, bag of worsted weight, bag of lace etc. for shawls, and bag of sock yarn.



Can't leave out the crochet thread!



And lastly, my happy little Percy who can finally get close to Mommy now that all the bags are out of the way.



What's next? A quick pair of bulky slippers for an old friend. Then I have to get busy on a christening gown for my dear friend Lois' granddaughter Sioban. ( Shi-vahn) We call her Babe. :o) I am honorary Great Auntie Gretchen!

Then I have 3 mystery shawls to catch up with, not to mention all the other shawls I want to knit. Including a small one for little Sarah, the daughter of my dear friend Betsy. And I want to use some of that pretty cotton for something summery. And I'm crazy about shrugs! And I want to give an heirloom shawl out of the book Heirloom Knitting a try with the cobweb.

And I'm on 2 deadlines, one is to make a bunch of bowtie quilt blocks with heirloom fabrics on my Singer New Family handcrank sewing machine, and the other is a pieced center medallion for a Round Robin that I have to mail on the last day of January. And my Mom gave me a quilt top that I have been drooling over for several years, but I had to promise to hand quilt it. So I have to show some progress with that now and then. :o)

Not to mention the pantry is waiting for the second phase of clean out and reorganize. Oh it's going to be a busy year boys and girls!

Wanna swap?

I know I said I was going to be all done winding tonight but... Maybe it's the energetic younger me who lurks within this beat up old carcass that makes me think I can accomplish things faster than I really can. It's hard to "think old"!

So I wound yarn most all day, but I saved the hardest for last. Three HUGE hanks of cobweb. Two of them were neatly tied and the winding went fine. It just took a long, long time. I switch hands regularly but it still tires out the arms. The third hank of cobweb is a nightmare. It wasn't tied and has some tangles. Fortunately it spit splices easily but there are going to be a lot of breaks necessary to get it untangled. I'll save that for tomorrow.

In the bottom of the last bag were these 4 balls of hot pink Stretch Jaeger. Don't know what I would use it for! Anybody want to trade something for it? Here's a picture.



This next picture has the two wound hanks of cobweb, red on the bottom, white on top. Next to them are skeins of Lion Fisherman. There are miles of cobweb in those yarn cakes, compared to 465 yards in the Fisherman. Heck of a comparison!



Well, time for my long Winter's nap. Plenty to do tomorrow and it's laundry day too. Nighty night!

Waaay tired!

Sorry gang. No pics tonight. I am bushed! Spent part of the day taking down Christmas decorations and have been winding ever since. Gonna get the last of it done tomorrow. Then I'll have all these wonderful, neat and organized bags of yarn, like giant jewels. And my knitting machines will be uncovered and might actually get used sometime for something other than piling stuff on. What a concept! :o)

And I'll be able to sew again! Mom wants a new fleece jacket. And I have to make some quilt blocks for an exchange, using a 100 year old handcrank Singer. And mending? Let's not go there. Anyway, I'll be able to see my room again as a place to be creative.

So, if y'all will pardon me, I want to get to bed before the sun comes up. Nighty night!

And winding...

I'm still at it. Feels so good to be getting organized! And I shocked myself today, while digging around in the piles, by finding not one, not two, not even 3, but FIVE skeins of Opal Handpainted! I'm going to surprize Alex with lots of socks this year. :o) Wanna see what I did today?





Not too bad huh? But there's more, tomorrow. Nighty night!

Winding...

Hi Folks! Well I did it! Picked up all the stuff off the floor. Mostly kitty toys and kitty beds and kitty scratchers. Then I vacuumed very thoroughly. When the floor was completely defurred I sat down (doesn't everyone vacuum sitting down?) pulled out the tube attachment and the extra lengths and the dusting tool and caught me a whole bunch of dust bunnies under my desk and behind the computer and behind the monitor and... well, you get the picture.

Then I decided I deserved a treat, but one that would be useful. So I spent the rest of the day winding yarn. I LOVE to wind yarn! I love watching the swift whirl around and seeing the neat yarn cake form on the winder. They're so neat and tidy and stackable and storable. And, best of all, they are so ready to be knitted!

This first picture is 3 skeins of beautiful blue sock yarn, 2 huge hanks of blue green lace weight I won on eBay, some super soft variegated that came without a label, a hank of dusty pink Germantown and a chunk of pinky/lavender fingering, also without a label. All but the eBay laceweight came from my cyber twin Laura. (Hi kiddo!)



The next picture is my sock yarn storage bag which is now too small. The 3 yarn cakes on top of it are 2 skeins from Laura and the red, white and blue Opal I got in the mail today. (Thank you Soxie!!!) Behind the sock yarn bag is my bag of Elaine. Lovely stuff to knit with. :o) Those cones of yarn you see off in the corner? That is one of 2 HUGE yarn trees filled with coned yarn, mostly for machine knitting, but I do use it occasionally for hand knitting.



The last picture is of 2 storage bags under the table. The big one is all Cascade 220, mostly for felted stuff. And the smaller bag is what I call my shawl bag, because it is all lovely lacy stuff and I have LOTS of shawls I want to knit. :o) Oh, and the little bag that fell off a nearby pile is all my "foo foo" yarn. And please notice you can actually see the pattern in the rug now!



So, it was a good day! I am trying to get to bed by midnight from now on. Trying to cure myself of being such a night owl. It makes Alex happy and it's probably good for me. We shall see. G'nite all!

Slowly...

You know that list I made last week? I might get it all done in the next couple of days. :o) A friend sent me this... Actually I think this describes Middle aged A.A.A.D.D. I have graduated to elderly A.A.A.D.D. That's when you sit and think of all the things that need to be done, trying to decide what should be done first. By bedtime everything is consigned to tomorrow.

Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D.
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests;

I decide to water my lawn.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye - they need to be watered. I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the living room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the lawn isn't watered, the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only one check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, I don't remember what I did with the car keys, and my neighbor called to tell me he turned off the hose that was flooding the driveway.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC

Sound like any of you?

As promised...

Ok. Here are the finished clogs. They came out a lot fuzzier than all the other clogs too. They're comfy though.

The rest of the day was a disorganized, sleep deprived fog. I'm going to bed now!

Lists, schmists! And felting observations...

Yeah, so, I didn't get everything on the list done today. So what else is new? My lists are always overly wishful. Didn't get my room cleaned. That is ***FIRST*** on the list for tomorrow! Did get the pot roast done. Didn't bake bread. Did finish the clogs! They are on the rack in the dryer right now. Hopefully I can wear them when I get up tomorrow. Read a ton of email, browsed a little.

Observations on felting... this is the 6th or 7th pair of clogs I have felted, all successfully. I've always used warm water and it has taken about 20 minutes. Low water level and fast agitation and I always use the same shampoo (Pert Plus :o). This time I used hot water to see if it would go faster. Surprise! It took twice as long! And left twice as much fuzz for me to fish out. So. next time I do this I'll try cold water and see how that goes. Alex says I'm just impatient to see the magic happening, and he's probably right.

I wear my felted clogs constantly. And in a house with 9 kitties you can imagine what the bottoms look like after a while. I'm thinking of adding suede soles to see if they will stay cleaner longer. I've never had sweaty feet but I do have to remove little patches of fuzz from the inside that I guess my feet rub loose during wearing. But is is beyond me how those kitty whiskers get in there now and then! Sammy used to run off with a wool sock all the time and carry it around like it was a prized trophy. But he hasn't done that with any of the clogs. Maybe it's the shampoo?

So, anyway, tomorrow there will be a picture of the new clogs. And my room will be cleaned up and I'll finish Alex's birthday socks before I cast on the shawl I want to knit next. Maybe there will be a picture of the finished socks too! Maybe...

Busy Work

Why no post Saturday morning? Well... Friday was a busy day of wading through a pile of accumulated mail on my desk, balancing my accounts in Quicken, paying bills, reading a ton of email, submitting a resume for a part time job here in my hometown, discovering my fax line was dead and figuring out how to do it through my computer, dubbing tapes to DVDs for a friend, recording the new episodes of SG1, Atlantis and Gallactica for later dubbing and finally, ripping out the cuff on my clog and redoing it in the contrasting sole color.

After all that, while the knitting needles were still "hot" (so to speak) I cast on for the second clog and almost finished knitting all but the second sole before I looked at the clock. It was after 4AM! So instead of posting some babble on my blog I went to bed. I didn't even read my funnies or play a few games of Spider, as I usually do to relax me before bed. (Laura, it really does relax me! )

So what have I done today you ask? Pretty much more of the same. Plus I got a couple of books from my nephews that were "You ***really*** shouldn't have" gifts. But they were from my nephews so I felt obligated to go through them before I found better homes for them. One was the Redneck Grilling Cookbook. The pages are a quarter inch thick so it didn't take too long. There weren't any recipes that I would use but the illustrations were cute. The second was a 1996 book of Dilbert cartoons. Brought back all the horrid memories from the office and all the (insert your favorite derisive term here) I had to deal with for 22 years. Took far too long but I did it. I rewarded and consoled myself by going through the new Herrschners Yarn Shoppe catalogue. Lotsa yummy stuff in there! I am firmly on a yarn diet but... books don't count, right?

So, as soon as I post this blog entry I will read my Sunday funnies, try to finish the second clog, play a couple games of Spider and get to bed. Tomorrow will be clean my room, laundry, cook a pot roast, bake some cinnamon-raisin bread and felt my clogs. Along with reading all my email that ought to keep me busy, don't you think? :o)

Frustration!

Yesterday and today were spent trying to find the best way to add "MultiFizz" to the cuff of my slipper. Last time I made myself clogs I used something like "Whisper", but it was softer, had a longer eyelash and a very fine base. And I can't for the life of me remember where I got it or what it was called! This "MultiFizz" has a nice eyelash, is the perfect color, but has a very coarse base and the eyelashes are rather sparse. I've tried every technique I know of but it just won't work! So, I give up. I will felt them with no fuzzy stuff of the cuffs. (***pout***).

Here's a pic of the unfelted one so you can see the rediculous size. Isn't that hilarious? Judy and Brandon, that's what your slippers looked like before I shrank the heck out of them. That bump in front of the cuff is a cola can inserted to hold it up for the picture.



So now I'll cast on and knit the other clog so I can just get these done. Got lots of other stuff I want to knit!

Babble, babble...

Well, my dear granddaughter is of the opinion that I should post to my blog everyday, even if I don't have much to show and tell. So I shall!

Let's see... yesterday I left the house for the first time this year and ran a few errands. Had to mail a couple of very old craft magazines from the 1920's and 30's that I sold on eBay. I found out that I could print the mailing label AND the postage (paid through Paypal) right on my computer. Way cool! If I hadn't had other errands to run I could have had the envelopes picked up by the post office for free. I think this is really neat and I'm going to be selling a lot more stuff on eBay this year.

But, as I was saying, all I did yesterday was go out and run a few errands. Nothing too strenuous except for climbing in and out of the car a few times and getting up and down my rickety Victorian stairs. But this morning I woke up stiff and aching! No fair! Physically aging is no fun.

Almost finished with one of my green clogs. Just adding some green fuzzy stuff to the cuff tonight. I'll post a "before" picture before I felt these. They are so huge!

That's all the babble for tonight. :o)

Woo Hoo!

The Ham was yummy, the blackeyed peas were delish, the cornbread was hot and dripping melted butter, and we had a lovely Muscat instead of champagne. I'm not much of a wine drinker so this was really nice! First foot was some gorgeous Chrystal Dark glasses so now we have 8 and can use them when we have more than 4 folks for dinner. And a pair of fluffy green bath sheets that will match my new felted clogs. And he didn't even know they were going to be green! That's because I do most of my knitting in my room in front of the computer, with the pattern and yarn on the desk and the Ott light over my shoulder. He usually doesn't see my knitting until it is all finished.

But that's not what I'm woo hooing about. :o) The very first edition of the Opal Chatter's Newsletter came out a few minutes ago and there is a feature called "Blog Spotter", and my blog was chosen as one of the 3 for the New Year!!! Woo Hoo!!! And if that wasn't enough I'll get a free skein of Opal too!

Wow! What a nice start for the New Year! Thanks Mary Lou and Soxie! You can see the Opal Chatter's Newsletter here - http://www.ptyarn.com/newsletter.html.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Hello friends! I hope everyone is at their favorite New Year's Eve pastime. Me, I got blackeyed peas in the pot, a ham in the oven, hot buttered cornbread, and fudge and champagne with peaches for dessert. I am knitting (of course :0) and watching MacGyver DVDs I got for Christmas from my nephew.

I finished nephew's scarf the day after Christmas, then got granddaughter's ruffly wristers done. The clogs I made myself last year need a deep cleaning break so I'm making myself another pair tonight. Last year's were royal blue. This year's are 2-tone green and I've got the perfect fuzzy stuff for the cuff. :o)

I love Richard Dean Anderson! Got acquainted with him this year while becoming a dedicated fan of Stargate SG1. Nephew always fussed at me for never having seen MacGyver and that's why he gave me the DVD set of the first season. He's so young and skinny! But he sure is cute! And clever! I sort of miss the cynicism that he has in SG1 though. I wish Jack were in more episodes this season. I hope he and Carter are secretly married or carrying on behind the scene. :o)

Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful New Year, full of health, happiness, financial comfort and lovely, scrumptious, contented knitting. Here are a few pics. The nephew's scarf, granddaughter's ruffly wristers, and some more kitties!



For the scarf I used one hank of Schaefer's Elaine in the colorway "Nancy Ward" and one hank of a blue-gray Cascade. Simple pattern. One edge stitch, 3 garter st., 15 st. of 3x3 rib, 3 more garter st. and another edge stitch. I knitted until I ran out of yarn and it was perfect! He wanted a 6 foot scarf and that's exactly what he got. :o)



This is the "Mrs. Beeson" pattern from Knitty.com. I used a Patton DK weight and a sock yarn I don't know the name of. They are fairly easy to knit and next time I will add beads. Found excellent directions here http://fluffyknitterdeb.blogspot.com/2005/08/by-special-request-beading-made-easy.html. (Thanks Deb!)

Now let's see, you've met Merlin and Arthur, Trilby and Kitty and Percy. So here are Rufus, Polly, Sammy and Penny.



Rufus is about 4 years old, still a teenager. That fuzzy blue pad was in the carrier I brought him home in when he was a teensy orphan and he hasn't been parted from it since. He "nurses" on a fuzzy spot when he's feeling really contented. And he sleeps with his yellow blankie and loves to be tucked into it on a chilly night. He's very affectionate and sweet, but he can be a rambunctious little guy when he feels like it.



Polly is nearly 18 years old. Her adorable brother, Uncle Mitzie, was everyone's best friend but he passed away last year. Polly is a big, foofy old sweetie. When she meows it is hardly ever audible. But when she walks around with her favorite mousie in her mouth she yodels up a storm!



Sammy is about 16. He's sweet, sort of a dufus, will eat anything but citrus and never gains any weight. If you give him a toy with feathers he will growl and scurry off to a corner with his "catch". He loved Uncle Mitzie and misses him so much he cuddles up to Polly every chance he gets.



Penny is Sammy's sister. She's sweet and loves attention, but to most of the male kittie in the house she is "walking bait". Meant to be chased at every opportunity. So she lives on top of the refrigerator most of the time and has her own private cat tree to get up there. She's a fangless wonder too. Had to have them pulled a couple of years ago. So she has this weird little sneer now and then.

And now you've met them all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

A WONDERFUL Christmas!

I hope all my friends had a wonderful Christmas day. We sure did! We fell into bed much later than planned last night while Santa tapped an impatient toe on the roof. Got a few hours sleep then up early to get the bird into the oven and get the vacuuming and tidying finished. Had a quick breakfast and went through our stockings then settled down to wait until the kids arrived, which was supposed to be around 2PM. For the first time EVER we decided to wait until we were all together to open gifts, much to Alex's dismay.

At 2PM my Mom arrived. We checked the turkey and it was done much earlier than expected. We were supposed to eat at 5! So we tented the bird and let it rest and keep warm. Time ticked by... nobody arrived. By 3:30 we were a bit worried. David was driving down from Jenny's Uncle's house in Sacramento and the weather wasn't great for anyone, much less someone driving in unfamiliar territory. I went to check my email and there were 3 from Jenny. They had left later than expected and were bogged down in traffic. At 4:30 sister-in-law Mary and nephew Alec arrived. Still no kids! Check the email! They were through the traffic and were about 20 minutes away.

Tick... tick... tick... 4:55, there are footsteps on the porch. The kitties hear children's voices and vanish to their hiding places. They're here!!! Hugs all around. Ooohs and aaahs over the Christmas tree, the heaps of colorful gifts, the inviting dining table. Let's eat! No unwrapping until after dinner. "Aw Mom!" And that was Grampa Alex! :o)

Dinner was a royal success. Now for the unwrapping! No orderly one-at-a-time for us. Gifts were piled around each recipient and the mayhem commenced. I was so busy taking pictures that I had hardly unwrapped anything when everyone else was done. Lordy! What wonderful things! A mouse pad with a picture of the family on it. Coffee mugs with pictures of the kids on them. Coasters with pictures of the kids on them. Wow! Mary gave me a framed picture of Alex from when he was a football star in high school back in the 50's. It quickly joined the rest of the family pictures on the piano. And so much more.

Judy and Brandon were joyful over each present. The felted clogs brought excited squeals and were put on immediately. They fit!!! Disbelief that I made them and demands to explain how they were made.

Who me? Happy? :o) You betchum!!!

We tidied up and the kids played and hunted for kitties in hiding. Then it was time for dessert. Mary had made a tray of individual lemon cheesecakes, a tray of individual chocolate bundt cakes, piles and piles of fabulous cookies, and my Mom brought a pumpkin pie. So we all lounged at the table with coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream, having a little of this and a little of that. By the time Brandon was trying to feed crumbs to his Lego charcters and Judy had a lapful of contented kitty we had all had a wonderful relaxed gab session and caught up on all the latest news.

The grandkids and I wandered off to my messy room to "Lookit alla yarn!" and find Judy some replacement knitting needles for the ones she had lost and answer a bazillion questions from Brandon about "What's this?" and "Did you make that?" and "Can you make this for me?" etc. etc. etc... David came in to use the computer for a map to their next destination, Jenny's Sorority sister where they were spending the night before heading back to Los Angeles on Monday.

So, lots of hugs and kisses and fond farewells and suddenly the house was quiet again. The kitties came creeping out of their hidey holes to sniff out all the strange smells and beg for treats and cuddles now that it was "safe". Alex and I looked at the happy mess and took a lovely nap.

Here are the best of the pictures for you to enjoy. The pretty table before the feast, the happy crowd around the table, the Jedi trainees with their light sabers and the kids with their felted clogs and delighted smiles. Enjoy!


Now if we can just keep the kitties off the table!


Around the table from the left... daughter-in-law Jenny, grandson Brandon, son David, granddaughter Judy, my Mom, Alex's sister Mary, nephew Alec and hubby Alex.


The well done and falling apart turkey.


Jedi Brandon with blue light saber.


Jedi Judy with purple light saber. (I tried to sneak off with this one but...)


Brandon with red clogs.


Judy with purple clogs. Did I mention she's a "purple person"? :o)

And there you have it! A WONDERFUL Christmas!!! Now I just have this piece of dressing encrusted turkey skin to finish munching and I am off to bed for a loverly "long Winter's nap", and I am sooooo ready. (yaaaaaawn). I'll just post this and check it and... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's almost here! I am all finished wrapping. Still have 2 gifts in progress but the recipients will get I.O.U.s in a box with a little poem. Took pics of our little tree and of the felted clogs I made for my Grandkids. Dinner is at 5 and I still have to make my cornbread for the stuffing tonight. Alex is out looking for a shirt for our nephew and hasn't wrapped anything yet!

I wish all my friends the Blessings of the Season. Merry Christmas and a Very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year!

Here is our little tree...



And Brandon's felted clogs...



And Judy's felted clogs...



I will post lots more tomorrow! And to all a GOOD Night!

My Christmas elf name!

Christmas Elf Name My Christmas Elf Name is Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

Peppy? That's what I wish I was right now! Trying hard to make Christmas gifts, decorate our little tree, continue de-cluttering as the situation comes along and just remember everything that needs to be done before Christmas. Yikes! A package from Sears containing 4 Christmas presents for Alex and my grandkids has not been delivered yet. Even though the UPS tracking page says it was delivered last week! Maybe it was delivered but it wasn't to MY address! So I'm waiting for email from Sears and UPS. What is an elf to do!? Make elaborate IOU's and wrap them in large boxes so the tree has more under it? Oh well, what will be will be. I'll just keep praying. :o)

Here's are a couple more kitties from our herd. First is Arthur, Merlin's brother. Second is Kitty (the creme Burman) and Trilby.

Thoughts about Lyra

A friend asked me to give her something quotable to put on the Lyra blog so I sent her a lot of stuff to choose from. But to me, now that I've calmed down a bit, it was good therapy to write it all out. So I think I'll post it here for posterity. :o)

Challenges, well... not getting too sidetracked, like I did for a couple of months knitting other things. And while I was sticking to it, trying not to think about other things I wanted and needed to knit. Knitting something like this with my style of "combined" knitting. Blocking it was a major challenge. I bought those ABC jigsaw mat pieces off eBay to block it with. Would have liked a bigger, sturdier platform that I could mark lines on. I did mark on the back of a corner of one of the pieces with a fine point Sharpie. Then I rubbed it with a dampened clump of the cotton thread I was knitting with. Sadly the color came off onto the cotton. I could have stretched it even more than I did to get it more square. But I ran out of mat and was a little afraid to as well. I was worried about feeling let down when it was all over too. So the minute it was pinned out I started knitting myself a warm shrug. I was also worried abut the kitties wanting to lie all over it while it was trying to dry. I got very lucky there!

Frustrations - getting 3 different numbers on 3 separate counts of the same segment. Finding that I had dropped a stitch that raveled back through 2 weeks of work. When the work was young and the rounds were shorter I used lifelines. Later I couldn't bring myself to do it. Sometimes I would tink back to fix an error and create a new one by dropping a stitch during the tinking. Finding I didn't have the next size circ I needed to do the round version.

Revelations - I learned how to find an error many rounds back and unravel a group of stitches all the way down and reknit using separate dp needles and a crochet hook. A couple of places I just couldn't figure out how to do that so there are a couple of errors that are very visible to me, although nobody else seems to see them. I learned how to tink carefully. I learned how to tell right away if I was on track by "reading" my knitting as I was doing it. Stitch by stitch I could tell where I was by how the stitch felt when being made. It is something very hard to describe!

Joys - believing I could even try to do something like this! I've been collecting patterns like this that I never really thought I could do. Now I know I can. Seeing it turn into real lace as I was blocking it. Hearing my husband say that it was beautiful. His usual praise is "fine" or "OK". Showing the work in progress to my Mom and watching her go cross eyed and shake her head. :o) She taught me to knit when I was 5. And the best joy of all will be when Mary opens it on Christmas day.

Observation - I think the stress on that last set of flower leaves could be relieved by narrowing that fat, outer part of the calyx. I would love to figure out how to do that. I would also love to figure out how to add a long straight center to make this into a long oval tablecloth for my own table. I do dream don't I? :o)

Ta Da!!!

Lyra is done! I am SO relieved! I worked hard to convince it that it was supposed to be a square. I am quite pleased with my first ever effort at "real" lace. But you know what? Next one is going to be round! :o) Those corners came out really nice (I think) but actually it was hard to block the rest of it to go along with the corners. If I could just do 4 of those corners and make a doily without all the rest I would love it.

The great thing is that I now know I *can* knit real lace, and that I really enjoyed it. Here are a few pics. Wish I had Mary's table to show it on but I won't be able to do that until after Christmas. BTW, she doesn't "do" computers, so I am safe. :o)







Now I have to go check on Alex. He was dozing in front of the telly when I went in and turned on the Victoria's Secret "Fashion" Show" and bumped his chair on the way back to my room. Didn't hear any desparate gasping but I did hear him muttering the word absurd. I do love my man!

Lyra is off...

The needles that is. Been too busy knitting to post. Anyway, crocheted it off the needles and darned in all the ends and plopped it on the table for a look-see. Now I am praying it will block out nicely. It is to be my Christmas gift for my dear Sister-in-law. I wanted to do it round but I didn't have the next size needle required for a round version. There was a lot of discussion on the Lyra list about modifying the pattern because the 3rd round of leaves always pulls. But I knit it following the pattern as charted. It will be interesting to see how it comes out.

So now I have to wash it and block it out. That's the part that scares me the most! I think I'll probably have to evict the kitties from the bedroon for a day. It should stretch a lot more than the dining room table is wide and I want to add another layer of jigsaw pieces to the matt. I wonder... if I draw lines and circles on the back of the matt with a fine line Sharpie, it should be safe to block a wet hunk of lace, shouldn't it? Guess I should test, huh? :o)

Here's a pic of it unblocked. Some folks just HAVE to have before and after pictures!