No More Nudity

Peanut is coming to visit, so I am forced to make sure that everyone has pants on...

And shirts, too. Sometimes even hats...these were borrowed from the eggs. Remember the egg hats? Well, we're still having a cold day (with snow) every now and again, so hats it is!

No more nudity around here, not even on the dolls, at least for Peanut's visit. Of course, if there were an instance of "naked-baby-butt" over the next few days, it wouldn't be too surprising...but I'm sure that the rest of us will keep our pants on...lol! 

Looking forward to their visit, and knitting up a storm to get some things finished before they get here. So much time and so little to [do]. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you. 

And knit in good health!

Field Trip! - Medina, March 2014

That's right. We are not too old for field trips in my knitting group! The CKW gals met up in Lorain County, 

and we hit the road last Saturday. We didn't go far, spending the better part of the day in Medina! We started out at Studio Knit (where I cannot believe that I did not snap a single photo...too busy buying yarn, I guess), then stopped into the Potomac Bead Company (again, no photos...just the beads I purchased...lol)! After that, it was on to the Olive Tap.

That photo shows a giant keg of Fig Balsamic Vinegar...super yummy! I've never been to a place where you can taste the vinegar and oil before you buy it. At first it was weird to sip condiments from communion cups, but after a short time, I really got into it! I came home with oil, vinegar and artisan bread from this wonderful shop! I didn't sip so much that I forgot about lunch, however! Neither did the girls, so we set off in search of yummy-ness...

GPS on your phone is great, if your phone knows where you are! 

We thought about stopping off for tattoos, too...but our tummies told us NO!

So we headed on to lunch at Thyme, a lovely restaurant that was just a little farther away than we thought, but not too far! Some of us had our knitting, and with fingers flying...

we ordered and waited for our yummy lunch!

After lunch, we hoofed it back to the cars, and headed to Hobby Lobby, where we shopped 'til we dropped! So much goodness at Hobby Lobby...it was actually the inspiration for the trip! If you have one close-by, count your lucky stars! This one is not too-too far for a field trip for me, but it's a bit out of the way to be a destination in and of itself on any kind of regular basis, so I was super glad to go! By the way, no pictures in the store again...but plenty of purchases! See?

It was a super-fun day, and then we put in a Knit Picks order for yarn on Monday, because that's how we roll. How was your weekend? Did'ja do anything super fun? 

Knit in Good Health!

They Stood on the Porch in Their Underwear...

Many years ago, when my children were small, and Sweetie was in the Navy, and I didn't have a job that paid in anything more than peanut butter kisses and chocolate fingerprints on everything, I was a bit of a bored housewife. I mean, I treasured peanut butter kisses, and I didn't even mind the fingerprints (much), but I needed a hobby. Oh, I was already a yarnigan...and I had been crocheting for more than a decade, but I was looking for something new.

I looked around in the craft stores, and I finally decided on a victorian dollhouse kit. It cost a lot, especially on our then shoestring budget, but even Sweetie knew I needed something to fill my evenings after the kids went to bed. Wine and TV by myself on the sofa when Sweetie was deployed or on duty was no longer a healthy alternative! So, I shelled out the cash, and brought home the kit (and some paint, dollhouse wallpaper, an electrical kit, and a few pieces of upholstery fabric to use for carpeting). Go big or go home wasn't a big catch-phrase in my world back then, but it was apparently my dollhouse motto, in 1:12 scale!

I spent several months working on the dollhouse, and eventually I spent several months creating furniture and draperies in balsa, styrofoam, lightweight quilting fabric, wood glue and acrylic paint. I guarded the house...I had great plans for becoming a great miniaturist, and turning my dollhouse into a showpiece, so I never let my kids play with it. Then they were suddenly too old for it anyway, even before I put the shingles on and installed the electric kit, and I lost interest. A few years after that, I started to see the silliness in keeping it tucked safely away, unfinished and neglected. Eventually, I gifted it to a family with 5 girls who loved it well, and returned it to me just last year. (Thank you Becky, Jaime, Rachel, Sarah, Leah and Erin!)

As I received the house (still sans shingles, etc.), I spent quite a bit of time re-acquainting myself with it...this quite-average dollhouse that I had made from a kit with my own two hands. I dusted the remaining furniture that I had built, and cleaned up the wallpaper and upholstery the best I could. I regret that I was too uptight to ever let Dollface actually play with it. It was never a masterpiece, and I honestly think that it's now used status makes it more dear to me. As a matter of fact, Peanut will be coming to visit soon, and I am really looking forward to seeing if she likes it.

Of course, anticipation of the upcoming visit led me to the realization that a dollhouse isn't much fun without dolls to live in it, so I grabbed some yarn and set to work, creating these two:

And even though the man doll is 7-and-a-half-feet tall (to 1:12 scale, lol!), and his "wife" is just a bit shorter, I took the house down last night to see how they "fit." They walked around inside a bit, checked the mattress, and the sofa, and found that he could easily reach things for her from the top of the refrigerator. I also think I heard her planning a windowsill herb garden, so I think they will be very happy here. :) At the end of the evening, I promised that I would get busy with my needles to make some clothing, but they said there's no rush really...they kind of like the pants-optional prospects of owning their first home. That's what they said anyway, as they stood on the porch in their underwear.

Remember to call first if you're coming for a visit. Apparently my dolls' house is pants-optional, but I'll try to remedy that as quickly as I can. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Knit in Good Health!

Guys, Guys! Guess What?

Well, didja guess? Guess what, guess what!? 

I was looking at my Rav page on Monday morning, and I HAVE 400 PROJECTS! 

When did that happen? I've been on Ravelry for seven years...so that's an average of ~57 projects a year...which is an average of between 4-5 projects a month...who knew I knit that much? And who knew that I would knit such a goofy dog sweater and hat (with plans to make another hat that might actually fit the dog)?

Oh, you knew all that? Well, you must've been paying more attention than I was, because this just blew me away on Monday! 400 projects (and even one green one, not in honor of St. Paddy's Day, but a happy accident), and I may or may not have danced a little jig! And do you know what I did to celebrate 400 projects? That's exactly right...I cast on a couple more! A pair of socks...

...and some tiny knitted dolls for a dollhouse that I hope to share with my darling Peanut on her next visit. :)

Wow, 400 projects! Now...on to 500! Wow!

How many projects do you have on Ravelry?

A Little Bi-Polar

This has been quite a winter. Spring is coming, or so the weather men tell me, but I'm still not sure I trust them. Maybe they've just forgotten their meds. As a matter of fact, has anyone checked in with Mother Nature lately? She may be overdue for a trip to the druggist, as well! Our last week has looked like this:

Monday - The weather had a warmer feel. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, but the snow piles were melting, giving the impression that maybe, just maybe, Spring was actually on her way...

Tuesday - Almost 60⁰F! (I know that it did not actually reach 60, because the weather man on channel 8 has not shaved his beard. Oh, how I long for that day...) Anyway, the sun shone most of the day, and nearly all the snow melted! Sweetie and I took to the streets for a sloppy, melting, 4-mile walk. I perspired. No, there was actual sweat. It was good, and this is what my back yard looked like:

Wednesday - As predicted, Mother Nature played the role of wicked witch of the North again, dumping snow over all the land, and blowing up a storm! The wind actually howled. This is what the back yard looked like. I cried a little.

Thursday - Still cold, but clear. This is a good thing, because...well, KNIT NIGHT IS ON THURSDAY, and I am not sure my sanity would survive missing knit night for somebody else's mental instability. (I'm talking to YOU, Mother Nature!)

Friday - Sunny and beautiful! I could almost hear the snow melting, and I could definitely hear the dripping of melted snow from the church roof, as the temperature reached 58⁰ (but not 60...weather beard is still with us, sigh!). Still, it was a beautiful day. 

Today it has been sunny, and a little cooler than yesterday, and I've been inside knitting most of the day. Sure, I could go out and take a walk, enjoy the fresh air, yada-yada...but the last time I did that (on Tuesday), THERE WAS A BLIZZARD THE NEXT DAY. Therefore, I will not tempt the ides of March by going for a lovely walk today. Instead, I'll work on a baby afghan, with my baseball stitch markers. C'mon, Spring!!!

I don't know what Mother Nature is doing in your neck of the woods, but if you see her before I do, would you ask her to please stop it? All this up-and-down in the weather is making ME feel a little bit bi-polar myself, and most days I don't really need a lot of help with that. Thanks.

Knit in good health, people!

Gimme Some Water...

Magical, mystery water...it is the best part of lace knitting. Take, for instance, this boot cuff...fresh off the needles, in a natural, lace-weight yarn:

Now, if I take that same cuff, and soak it in a little water and dry flat, and...viola!

It's magically delicious! The stitches are all even and pretty...the fabric is soft and dainty...so much love for the lace in a few drops of water.

For the pictures above, I used a spray bottle to dampen the cuff. But when I soaked both cuffs in a bowl of lukewarm water, they came out even more beautiful, and totally worthy of the vintage glass buttons I found in Grandma's button box. 

Yes, these were quick and fun, and I am glad that I knit them for my friend's wedding. :) I can't wait until I can get a couple pics of them actually peeking out of her boots...

Boot cuffs, who knew they were such a pretty addition? I guess I do now! Of course, the cats don't really care either way...even when it snows, they do not wear boots.

Are you wearing your boots today?

A Little Alliteration...

Saturday...

Good morning, Saturday!

Sweater...

Finished the Beagle for my Boy!

Socks...

Funky Waffle Socks finished. Funky...lol!

Slippers...

After 27 years, this photo of our slippers makes me giddy. :)

Stash...

It's not all mine...honest...I'm holding it for a friend.

Sweet!

PS - Don't forget to Spring forward before bed tonight! 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes....

Well, in all honesty, we are skipping the knees here, but I'll cover heads, shoulders and toes in this post! Let's take it from the top, shall we, with a darling baby hat in Pipsqueak yarn:

And, since there was a baby head covered, shouldn't we also cover those sweet toes? Of course we should!

And then I lost my head...I fell down the rabbit hole that is ARM KNITTING (cue the falling music, Wonderland-like) with some bulky yarns I've been stashing for awhile. It's a scarf, and I think I like it. 

A few weeks ago, my friend Connie brought some arm knitting to Thursday night, and she gave it a go. It was not her thing, and I remained at the other end of the table, resisting as well as I was able. I did just fine for a few weeks. Then, on a whim, I went to the basement to do some stash wrangling, and I ran across that box of bulky yarn. The next thing I knew, Whoops! I was making a scarf!

And, just like they say in all the You Tube videos, it took about half an hour, and it was (dare I say it?) kinda fun...lol! I'm not sure I really love the finished scarf...it looks good, but the stitches are really large (arm-sized, in fact), so I am constantly worried I'll catch them on something, and I don't like the place where I joined the two ends together because it is very bulky there. But, I think I have the solution for that last problem...provisional cast on and grafting together like a sock toe. I know. I knoooowww. I said it was a rabbit hole, and I still have a substantial box of bulky yarns...it's only a matter of time, isn't it? lol! And, with yarns this bulky, my neck and shoulders will NEVER be cold again! :)

Have you ever tried arm knitting? "If you never did, you should. [Arm knitting] is fun, and fun is good." (Loosely translated, Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.) And that's all I have to say about that. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

In Like a Lion...?

It is March 1st. The sun is shining, and the promise of Spring is in the air, and in the longer days...but I'm not counting the daffodils just yet. I live in northeast Ohio, where it is not uncommon to see snow well into April. So, while I sit on the sofa, warmed by the cats and knitting a lovely scarf for my daughter-in-law, 

I know that winter still has some bite to it...and the weather gurus predict another day or so of dumping snow in our very near future. Don't be fooled by that sunshine, March is coming in Like a Lion this year. Are you ready? I think I am...

I have a sweater to finish,

and several new balls of yarn on their way to my house (because the Thursday night knitters have placed orders for the past two weeks in a row...it's becoming part of the regular routine).

Yes, I will weather this next winter storm just fine. After all, I've got "my Love" (plus yarn, plus cats) to keep me warm!

Stay warm, especially if you live in my neck of the woods (or anywhere these next two storms are promising to converge)...and Knit in Good Health!