Look at What I am Finding

Posted on December 29, 2020 | Comments Off on Look at What I am Finding

I am updating and sometimes totally getting rid of dead links on this site. While doing this I am discovering links to some sites I find interesting. Take a look at what I am finding:

I also updated the some of links original post: Aprons and Stargazer’s Site. Some of the dead links remain simply to maintain the integrity of the post.

There are still a lot of dead links but they are mostly on posts that were made more than a decade ago. Some of them are links to pictures I can no longer locate, either in my Media files on WordPress on in my personal files of pictures. The dead links to sites have not been able to be corrected by searching the Web Archive or other sources.

Have a great day and be safe!

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Best Laid Plans

Posted on December 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Best Laid Plans

My plans to start updating this site include starting with updating or removing dead links. That sounds simple enough. It turns out I was wrong. The result is that it is a larger project than planned. One of my favorite places to start searching for pages no longer available is the Web Archive . It seems to be having a bit of a problem today so some my research is taking a bit of a detour for now. We will see how far I get in the next couple of days.

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Gratitude

Posted on August 10, 2019 | Comments Off on Gratitude

This post is long overdue. I don’t mean to be sappy or unrealistic but in the past few months I have come to realize how many things there are to be grateful for having.

Some of the things for which I am grateful for today are:

  1. The ability see clearly. I have worn glasses most of my life but after developing cataracts and having them renewed I have a new appreciation for sight. I still wear glasses, but in the scope of life that is a minor issue.
  2. My stash of yarn, patterns, hooks and needles. I have been collecting and using of them for a long time and have a bit of all of them. It is good to know that they are here to use. Not only does using them make wonderful items, but it is also relaxing and fun.
  3. Air conditioning. Our previous air conditioner had to be replaced a few weeks ago because it wore out after being used for a very long time. It had been repaired to the point where it was no longer repairable. We lived with it barely working and then completely not working for about a week or two.This happening in the middle of the summer was not a pleasant or comfortable experience for anyone in my household. Since having the new one installed, there is a greater appreciation for the coolness in the house on a hot summer day.

This list is not complete, but it is a few of the things for which I am grateful.

Have a good day!

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Decisions

Posted on January 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Decisions

I have spent more than a little time thinking about what I want and feel that needs to happen in this upcoming year. A lot of it is personal and will not be shared here. There are some things that can and will be shared here. Doing so will involve more than one post.

One of the decisions I have made is to minimize the amount of yarn I purchase this year. There is yarn of all types in my stash including cotton, acrylic, sock yarns and a bit of wool. All of it is beautiful and loved. Some of it was bought for a specific project; some of it was on sale for a price that could not be resisted; and some of it was acquired just because I like it for one reason or another. The truth is I am a Yarnaholic. That is not necessarily bad, but it is part of who and what I am. I have come to realize in the past several months that I might possibly have more than enough to last the rest of my life….I am not old, but my stash is not small by any means. As much as my sister, nieces and friends are loved and treasured, I do not want for them to all of what I currently have in case something should render me not able to use it in the next year or two. Having said that, I have decided to embark on attempting to use as much of it as possible while I am able to do so. Why should they have all of the fun of using my yarn?

The first type of yarn I decided to start is with the cotton yarn . More than a decade ago, I discovered the joy of I discovered the joy of making my own cotton dishcloths. About the same time, I learned about the original Peaches and Creme Yarn made by Pisgah Yarn and Dyeing Company while shopping in a big box store. Eventually I also found Pisgah’s website as well as other and soon became addicted to all manner of things including making dishcloths; collecting patterns and buying all colors and brands of cotton yarn. And then came Ravelry which as some of you know, is an amazing community of and for knitters and crocheters. The essence of all of this is that I have plenty of yarn and patterns to keep my hands and mind wonderfully busy for a long time.

It is my sincere hope that each of you is having a safe and good day!

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Little Hats

Posted on February 6, 2018 | Comments Off on Little Hats

As a general rule, I try to be very private about what I do for others. My motivation is simply that I am not seeking praise from others and that it is my way of giving back to the community. There are a couple of causes that are near and dear to my heart. The Little Hats, Big Hearts Project sponsored by the American Heart Association is one of them.  There are two reasons for this. The first is that a friend in nursing school who was a year ahead of me had congenital heart disease. Her courage and zest for life was amazing. Her life was an inspiration to many.  It is partially in remembrance of her that in the past couple of years I have been participating in this project and will continue to do so for the remainder of my life as long as  I am able to do so.

The  second reason, is that I am fortunate to be alive due  to the wisdom of an Emergency Room Dr. who insisted that I remain in the hospital, despite my protests, when I went to the  hospital  with chest pain and atypical signs of heart disease more than a decade ago.  She said she knew there was a problem that required further attention and required and overnight stay in the hospital. Under much protest I was admitted to the hospital and met one the most patient and persistent doctors  I have ever had the privilege of meeting. He convinced this very stubborn woman to allow him to perform a procedure that saved my life.  I will always be grateful to him for that.I remain his patient to this day. He and his staff are incredible. There is more to this story, but this is neither the time or place to share it.

It is for those two reasons and my knowledge of the importance of educating others about heart disease, that I participate in this project.

I will be posting here about the details of making hats for this project.

 

 

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Changes Made

Posted on February 5, 2018 | Comments Off on Changes Made

I made several changes in the appearance and structure here today. All of the pages are now in the menus at the top of the site.  I also  re-did the links on the side bars. There are some more I want to add, but doing that will wait for another day.  There are still some dead links on some of the pages that will be taken care of  over the next few days.  For now I am satisfied with the progress made today.

 

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Time for an Update

Posted on January 8, 2018 | Comments Off on Time for an Update

Life has gotten in the way of this blog.. I am not making any excuses. It is time for an update.  This week the links will be updated. I will begin updating and correcting  at least one pattern here.  My goal for this site  is to update it enough  to be able to tell you what has been done by the end of the week.

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Bib and Cloth

Posted on March 6, 2015 | Comments Off on Bib and Cloth

On the surface it does not seem like much was accomplished in terms of knitting  last week, but  in reality there was. I was growing weary  of knitting dish and washcloths to use the cotton in my stash and was thinking about other things to make with my stash.  I had  recently received a copy of the monthly local Newborns in Need Chapter a couple  days prior to the weekend.  I wrote the person who sends out the newsletter to see if baby bibs  and burp cloths would be accepted. She assured me they would. I also heard from a long time friend saying she would accept bibs and cloths for the charity with whom she is involved.  This information provided the boost I needed.

I set off on a search of Ravelry for bibs and burp cloths. A few moments into my search I saw a link to a pattern by Elaine Fitzgerald, the owner of Down Cloverlaine. That was exactly the person  for whose patterns I was searching.  The patterns she writes are always clear, accurate and easily understood. I allowed myself the luxury of reading the past several entries of her blog before deciding to make a bib using her pattern: Rhonda’s Delight. It has always been and still is, one of my favorites because it shows off the colors in the ombre yarns in my stash. The next item I saw was Slipped Rib and Bib  which is  a design I had been wanting to try but could not because it was not available to the public.  The pattern is now available and you can read about it in her post: Blast From the Past. I chose to knit the cloth to try out the pattern.

I am not sure which of these two patterns I like the most. Knitting the Rhonda’s Favorite Bib reminded me of visiting an old friend. My hands and needles enjoyed the feel and rhythm of the pattern. The bib turned out looking quite nice. Knitting the Slipped Rib Cloth was a bit of a knitting adventure at first. It did not take my brain or hands long to memorize the stitch pattern.  Once that happened I relaxed and enjoyed the time knitting it. The pattern shows off the colors of the ombre yarn wonderfully.  Each of these are destined to become part of a bib and cloth set.  My conclusion is that they are equally my favorites.

May you enjoy these patterns at least as much as I do.

 

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More Dischloths

Posted on March 5, 2015 | Comments Off on More Dischloths

Because life has been more busy than normal in the past few weeks, I have not had much time to knit.

This first dishcloth is a Hole-less ( Reverse Miter Cloth ).  The Cream yarn used in it was the last bit of one of the first cones I bought of the Original Peaches and Creme yarn . The blue is Hot Blue made by the makers of Sugar’n’Cream.  This is one of may favorite patterns to use because it can be made with scraps if desired. Cream-and-Blue

The item below is  made from the same pattern as the dishcloth above. There was not enough yarn on the cone to make a regular size dishcloth so I decided to make it into a Small Mat. It is the first of what will be a set of mats in an assortment of sizes and colors.  It will serve as a large coaster for cups or glasses  and  as a place mat for plates and bowls.  It is made from the last yarn on one of the first cones of Peaches and Creme  Passion that I purchased.  There are twenty four stitches on either side of the center stitch.  I could have added more yarn of the same color and dye lot or used a coordinating color but chose not to do so.

Small-Mat-#1

Enjoy the rest of the week!

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Exploring Patterns

Posted on February 26, 2015 | 2 comments

A couple of weeks ago I started looking online again for patterns that were either inexpensive or free. I found and made two I have never seen before.

This first one is a Ravelry download called : My Six Row Dishcloth.

I made it using the large cone of Yellow cotton in my stash:

Six-Row-ClothThis was an easy pattern to crochet. I think the fact that it does not lie straight is because I pulled the center yarn too tight.

This next one I found thanks to a Google Alert. The pattern is Dashed Stripe and can be found here on Georgina Giles site.

Dashed-StripeI made this using a cone of Potpourri Ombre made by Lily Sugar’n’Cream. It was easy to knit and has great texture.

The next two cloths are from Dishcloth Diva by Deb Buckingham. The book is available from bookstores, amazon.com or as a Ravelry  download.

They were both easy and pleasant to knit. These are larger cloths and used 1.7 and 1.5 ounces of yarn. I want to make the In Style cloth again using a solid color to show off the pattern.

The last two cloths to show are both made using the pattern My Fave Dishcloth by Kathy North:

The pooling of the cloth made from the Sea Mist is interesting. It just happened that way.

I will be posting more about my Cotton project on the weekend.

May all of you be safe and warm.

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