Spinning Bug & Writing Update

I have been, once again, bitten by the spinning bug. It has been gone for a few years,
allowing me to learn to bead and improve my knitting, but I fear it is here again.
And I LOVE IT!
This is the result of a few hours of courtship between my wheel
and some lovely Moreno.


Novel word count 43,787. I may make it.

Have a great day.

Christmas Gift 1

Pattern: "Chunky Cable Handbag" Free Pattern from Knit Picks
Yarn: (Double Stranded) Cascade 128 in color 7633 (LYS - Knitique) 2 skeins
Needles: US11 Addi Circs
Lining: Canvas tote bag from craft store

Start to finish including sewing the lining in takes about 5 hours. Another blog said it took them 2 hours, but I am a slow seamstress. (translated, it takes me 20 minutes to thread the needle and another 20 minutes to apply the band-aid to all my "pokes")

Have a great day!

Elegance

I absolutely adore this picture. If only I looked so elegant knitting. In 20 years of knitting, I've never seen myself knit, but most assuredly I do not look this elegant!
I am officially behind in my writing and will try to catch up this week.

Have a great day.

Rogue Finished

Rogue Front

Rogue Hood

Rogue Back

Fini!! Now, on to writing.

Have a great day!

God Save the Queen

I am moving back to England!!

Nancy Pelosi as Speaker? WTF?
Well, if nothing else this ought to be entertaining to watch.

Luckily some of the stupid decisions Bush made were nulified by our Constitution, lets hope the same will happen with the "Nut Case" from SF as Speaker. Even Hilary is better than this. At least she is an intellegent woman who learns from her mistakes (and knows how to deal with and make the best of an idiot of a husband. Right there she knows how to govern with the best of them)

Well, head down, knit and write. The lord said, "this to shall pass", not "this to will come and stay". She will go away eventually, then we can fix what was broken and move forward.

Working..........Where?

Jane asked "How do you Blog" in a physical sense. Well, this is where I blog/work/sometimes knit from. As with everything I do, it is controlled chaos. Most things have a purpose and a place and still, yanking every word of this novel is herculian. Organization should count for something!! But alas, unless you sit your butt in the chair and crank out some decent S%*t, I mean work, then who the heck cares how organized it was?

50k by 11-30-06 Good Heavens!

Well, this is coming along rather nicely. I've yet to finish the rest of the hood, attach the sleeves and knit the hem. I should be done by weekend.

Which is lucky because I have committed myself to an insane writing goal. 50k words by 11-30-06. I've lost my bloody mind! I will keep you posted on the word count and will be relying on the kindness of Jane and Danielle (because I am a football widow until December) to make sure I see the real world at least on Wednesday nights.
Have a great day!

Gone Rogue

Pattern : Rogue from Girl from Auntie
Yarn: Cascade 220 #9338 (green heather)
Needles: Knit Picks Options #7

Love it.
Advice - Don't try to talk and read the directions/charts for the first time, and think you can get it right.
More Advice - don't do it three times in a row.
Final Advice - let your friends help you!!!!

Have a great day!

For Chloe

Chloe is 4 months old. Red hair, blue eyes and lovely.

This cardigan is for her.

Pattern: Jasmine Lace Edge Cardigan from "Natural Knits" by Louisa Harding

Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK in sh515 which is a soft sage/celery green

Needles: US 5 circulars (Knit Picks Options)

Buttons: JHB 309 from JoAnnes Fabrics

* This pattern and yarn were a joy to work with. Some changes were made to the pattern, just for personal preference. I did not care for the "round" look in the original pattern so did not switch to larger needles after the first two garter rows. The neck edging lays better if all edges are bound off and the stitches picked-up all the way around and then knit vs. picking-up and knitting each stitch. The original buttons were a clear pink strawberry, but of course I managed to lose them. But I do like these as well.

Welcome Chloe.

Have a great day!

Break Time

Tea and T-mobile. I could be an ad.

Knitting for Peace

I picked up this truely inspirational book at my LYS, Knitique, last week. This is the first knitting book to bring me to tears.
Yes, there are projects. Yes, there is beautiful photography. Yes, it's well written and produced.

But, no, it is not your everyday knitting tome.

Images of clumsy prison convicts armed with yarn and needles to knit for orphans in middle eastern countries is just not something one thinks about. But one of the many charitable and peaceful things you will read about in "Knitting for Peace" by Betty Christiansen.

I hope you enjoy it and are as inspired as I was to go forth an make a difference "one stich at a time". Have a great day!

Hemp Tank

In all the craziness I never posted the picture of the finished Hempathy Tank. This yarn is wonderful and I plan on using it again. The pattern needed a bit of tweeking but all-in-all was a good knit.

Yarn: Hempathy "Elsebeth Lavold"
Needles: US2 Addis
Pattern: Sebring

Stash & Novel Outline

All stash as of 9-11-06.
Not too bad. Considering this
entire cabnet was full in Dec 05.
















Story as of 9-11-06. I feel so official!




Have a great day!

Defining

I am sorting through things lately. Not just stuff, but my life in general. Trying to define what this phase of living is going to be about. In the cycle of Maiden, Mother and Crone, I am now in Crone.
The previous two phases where fabulous, but I am unsure as to the path to follow in the last one.
A path I have every intention of defining myself. The last two phases had too much of "others" involved and dependent upon, to be entirely mine.
But this one, this last phase, this is all mine. And I intent to LIVE it. That being said, knitting brings much joy to my life, as does the writing of a good mystery. The knitting will remain my semi-private indulgence, but the writing will become public. It is a dream I have had for ages and am now undertaking with a vengence. Writing classes have begun along with manditory sessions were my butt is in a chair and my brain is engaged in the tedious process of page after page after page of what can only be explained as pure fear, not for my characters, but me. Oh, the fear! What if I fail? Fail? Hell, what if I succeed? That is almost more frightening. But as with everything I have ever done, there comes a point were you just say "Fuck it" I am jumping in with both feet. I will learn as I go and "I ... will... win." Here goes.........................splash!

Yeah, I have my site back

I am so happy to have my site back. Blogging and knitting and whatever can now commence.