Watermelon Moebius Cowl

 

My favorite model - Abby, my youngest

I'm knitting again!  Not that I really stopped, but 2 surgeries in 2 months did weigh me down a bit.  I thought I would just sit in bed while my ankle healed (no weight bearing for 6 weeks) and knit, read and eat bonbons.  Not so.  Turns out I can't stand just sitting and would spend time taking excursions to the first floor to scavenge for food or hobble to the car to pick up kids, then return exhausted because it's hard to get around on crutches.  Oh well, that's past now and I am happy to announce that I can walk now without overturning my ankle and breaking it.  So on to the good stuff!








One book I did take the time to read was Cat Bordhi's A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting,  which contains brilliant creations all using the Moebius concept.  I am fascinated with the never ending Moebius single-side (one surface).  Even more fascinating is the cast on and knitting of a Moebius in which you knit the right and wrong sides continuously without turning your knitting.  Both sides (or the continuous one side, depending on your point of view) magically flow from you needles.  I love it!  My teenage daughter, on the other hand, won't look at it because the concept freaks her out and questions her concept of basic 3-dimensional logic.  But whatever logic you follow, go with the flow and have fun.

Abby and her chicken Chelsea hope you have fun!

Oh and I found a great youTube video that explains and shows you how to cast on and knit.  One requirement is using a long circular needle that is at least 47" and 60" long.  http://youtu.be/LVnTda7F2V4

Charted Lace Shawl -- First Timer Jinx

Because I was stuck mostly in my bedroom after ankle reconstruction surgery, I thought it would be the perfect time to tackle my first charted lace shawl.  This blurry picture is probably my 6th restart.  As I continued to reread the chart, I kept realizing that I needed to make corrections.  For instance, I didn't realize that the even rows needed to be interpreted opposite of what is written.  And I missed that the odd rows had switched to knit.  How many stitches was I supposed to have?

I've made it to the second chart and now am stymied about how to/where/etc. work the repeats.  Almost made it to that point but had to frog it again.  I will keep at it and keep everyone informed.


Gail

Failure! Procrastination! Perhaps --- Defeat? Never.

Oh Mom!

Ok, I have ignored common sense and once again set myself up for failure.  How, you might ask, or perhaps you don't care.  But I must expound in any case.  In my defense I have been busy with normal kid and family life.  Added to that I have also been out of town to help my sister who had emergency abdominal surgery.  And then there's that little matter of ankle surgery that I had a couple weeks ago that banished me to our second floor.  Oh, and did I forget that we have no kitchen and our first floor is under construction?

These are but excuses.  I could have blogged.  I should have blogged.  Instead I found every reason to not write.  If you don't do it, then you don't have to worry about failing in your effort.  No success when you accept defeat by non-performance.

Enough of this!  During my avoidance maneuvers I have been mulling over my situation.  And weighing my predicament.  As well as realizing the obvious--to me anyway.  I don't like wallowing in my self-made pity party.

So I need to write.  regularly and often.  I will organize this blog as my wandering through the world of knitting and sewing and upcycling/refashioning.  I am a novice, I must admit.  And I will show my defeats and victories and everything inbetween.

We're banished?

Except for guest appearances.

I am also toying with the idea of resurrecting a blog I quasi-started a couple years ago before I knew what a blog really was.  I think I wrote a total of 2 posts.  That blog will become my down to life blog.  The house remodeling, the chickens, my family, even the weather--like if it continues to snow into July this year.  

Now, I need to go look for pictures to add to this post so that it isn't boring. 

Please come back to visit.  I have some awesome sweaters that I got from eBay.  And I found a great skirt that I want to turn into a dress for my 16 year old.  And I am starting my first shawl using a graft no less.  Savvy even agreed to be a regular on the blog.   

Stay tuned.  

Savvy says: I was bribed.

My Featherweight Sewing Machine is Back!

 At the end of January I left my little sewing machine with our local sewing machine repair man, Mr. Brown.  His eyes sparkled as I carried in the machine that my mom bought around the time I was born.  He called it a "210" and asked if I was a quilter. (I'm not . . . yet).  For all you non-quilters, the featherweight sought by quilters for reasons I haven't discovered yet but hope to.  As I left that day, Mr. Brown told me he would be gently with the machine.

I have had my mom's Singer for three or four decades now.  If I'm not mistaken, my mom let me have it way back when I was pregnant with my now 40 year old first born daughter.  Back in those days, maternity clothes were almost non-existent.  Sears was the only store I found that had any maternity clothes and those were not only poorly made but also downright ugly.  And there were no maternity jeans!!!  Rather than go without jeans, I found some stretchy material, "borrowed" my mother's Singer, cut out the front of the pants and voila! I had maternity jeans.

My Singer came home again on Tuesday, all spiffed up.  And not only did Mr. Brown the sewing machine repairman treat my baby gently, he also gave me two boxes of attachments to keep me busy.  Who needs a computerized sewing machine.  I've got my featherweight and gazillion attachments.  Thank you Mr. B!

Now that I think about it, my Singer should finally have a name.  Penelope sounds just right.