The Droll Eclectic

Year-end WIP 'n WOW

2010-12-29T21:24:00.004-06:00

Trying to wrap some things up here before the new year. There are just three WIPs. Yes, just three. One on the loom (leno scarves), one on the needles (Christmas stocking - hey! It's early for NEXT year!), and one on the hook (Moorish Mosaic Afghan, yes, still, started it in October of 2009).

I suppose to be truly forthcoming I need to mention that there is one small project in hibernation, and this count does not include any of the mending, sewing, or stitching projects that are in various stages, or the house and yard projects that are somewhere between start and checking it off the list. I do not have a final tally for 2010, but I do know that there was a net decrease in stash. I did add a little fiber so I have something to spin on my new wheel! I guess I need to start tracking that by weight so I can monitor myself and attempt to keep it under control.

Temperatures in North Texas have been all over this place this month. It was nice to have the windows open, and you can see the cats fully enjoyed it as well. Unfortunately the screen really messes up the picture.

Norton decided he was going to help with some of the fiber projects. I'm still looking for my mini snowman he knocked off the shelf.

Independence Days July 13-27

2010-07-28T15:07:00.002-05:00

I worked for three days, then we were gone for four-and-a-half days for the family reunion, so this is a two-week update.

1. Plant something: Planted asparagus beans for tunnel and bird house gourds for teepee. Transplanted tomatoes, peppers, basil, sage, rosemary, Mexican heather, rudibeckia, coneflowers.

2. Harvest something: Peach and cantaloupe. Rainwater.

3. Preserve something: Nothing.

4. Waste not: Eating leftovers. Weekly recycling & composting. Reusable cups/mugs and bags. Cloth napkins. Recycled bags for trash. Scrap paper. Using bricks from an old walkway on our property to border the three sisters garden. Used branches for stakes.

5. Want not. Secondhand shop finds: 1960s folding chairs in excellent condition; three Crazy Daisy plates & four mixing bowls; jelly jar glass to match the others I have.

6. Build community: Reconnected with family at the reunion. Long-distance community, but vital nonetheless.

7. Eat the food: Ate the peach and cantaloupe. Ate some homegrown items brought to the reunion potluck. Also enjoying some homegrown sweet corn given to us by one of Jeff's cousins.

8. Life-long learner: Reading The Rodale Book of Composting.

Here is the original information about the Independence Days Challenge.

Blurry WOW & WIPs

2010-07-28T14:55:00.002-05:00

Had to include this picture of Frank even though I took it with the camera on who-knows-what setting. A good pictorial representation of how I feel today...

From the WIP post on the 14th, there have been no changes to #s 1,3,4,6,7, and 8. #s 5, 9, and 10 were frogged. The ends are woven in on the dishcloths, #11, and I finished knitting the Danica Scarf #2 -- it needs to be blocked and I need to sew the backing on it. I started the Swallowtail shawl on Saturday. Just did the third Lily of the Valley row, and need to tink 1/2 the row because I forgot a stitch. Using beads instead of nupps because I want to use beads and make sure I have enough yarn, not because I have anything against nupps.

Well, whaddayaknow. It just started raining here.

WIP 'n WOW

2010-07-14T15:52:00.005-05:00

I know there is at least one hibernating project missing from this photo (Deciduous). And I see two things that didn't make it to Ravelry yet. Glad I'm starting to take a little bit of an inventory. Eventually I'll have to add in the non-knitting/crocheting projects, too.

1. Heroine Jacket -- 2/3rds of back done. May frog. Probably will not be able to match gauge, and not 100% sure the yarn & project go together.
2. The Scarf That Shall Not Be Named, aka The Scarf That Never Ends, aka if I'd just make it the pick up project I'd be done with the dern thing. (Danica is the pattern.)
3. Mallow Moorish Mosaic Afghan -- 6/30 hexagons, 20/20 squares, 0/18 triangles. Plus ends and assembly. I'm enjoying it, but I do have to pay attention to it.
4. something that was supposed to grow into a Kokeshi Doll. Someday.
5. Cool Beans that I now should just frog & restart because I will never get the same gauge. I love them and they were fun knit -- looking forward to doing them again
6. Headless Giraffe. Yes, this IS just sad.
7. USA hat was finished before the end of the Olympics, but the pattern is not yet written so I've included it in the pile.
8. Looks like I tried to knit some Patriotic Baby Socks. Maybe Monkey pattern.
9. Coquille. Yes, the pattern came out in Knitty a week ago. No denying this is a new cast-on. Not quite half-way through -- LOVE it.
10. Sock to be frogged. I want my yarn back.
11. Two Nine-Patch Dishcloths. Amazing how the ends are not magically weaving themselves in. Simply amazing.

Three of the five little kittens in our backyard. We haven't seen them since June 20th. We were hoping to keep them close to hand tame them, spay/neuter, and find homes. We still see momma every day, so she still has them close to our house.

Independence Days July 6-12

2010-07-13T12:44:00.002-05:00

A bit of a drive-by blog today. I won't take the time today to describe the Independence Days concept/challenge and my personal version of it, but will jump in with the first weekly report.

1. Plant something: Planted corn, sunflowers, summer squash. Transplanted tomatoes, marigolds, and lisianthus.

2. Harvest something: Swiss chard. Sunflower seeds. Rainwater.

3. Preserve something: Set aside a few sunflower seeds for next year.

4. Waste not: Eating leftovers. Weekly recycling & composting. Reusable bags for shopping. Recycled bags for trash. Scrap paper. Cleaned out pantry & took inventory.

5. Want not. Purchased more pots for buried clay pot irrigation (three sisters garden). Purchased perennials to attract hummingbirds & beneficial insects. Jeff changed the oil in the Element and performed maintenance on the motorcycle.

6. Build community: Nothing this week.

7. Eat the food: Sauteed the chard in a little olive oil. Remaining sunflower seeds went to the birds.

8. Life-long learner: Reading The Rodale Book of Composting. Small amount of online research about permaculture.

First Blush

2010-07-07T21:52:00.005-05:00

It is so much fun to see things growing and ripening! I took these pictures this evening.

Is it a little bashful?

Perhaps I should have made a taller trellis. The chard seems to be at a standstill. The lima beans seem to be doing well for the most part. I'm not sure there is any pollination going on -- the cumbers are dropping flowers but no fruit is forming.

Getting closer to melon time!

Two eight-inch clay pots for irrigation. From front to back down the center, two each yellow pear, Amish paste, brandywine and beefsteak tomatoes. Along the edge I put in a few petite marigolds. In the next couple of weeks I will put in a trellis down the center of bed.

Rain

2010-07-02T14:09:00.009-05:00

For most of the past week when I look out the window, this is what I see:

We had a short break and it was finally dry enough to mow and do a little digging, but as you can see it is pouring once again. I am certainly not complaining, although it REALLY makes me wish our rainwater catchment system was in place.

Pictures of the play garden from the 28th. Need to fill in a couple of sunflowers and morning glories that didn't germinate. The seedlings are really taking a beating in these downpours.

Even though these pictures are just from Monday, they seem old! The cucumber now reach the next tier on the trellis, and the melon is bigger!

We have a break in the rain, so I need to go put the pool pump back together.

Vine Is a Four-Letter Word

2010-06-15T21:37:00.014-05:00

The pile of what I pulled out over the weekend. More to remove at this location, and at least two other spots in the yard.

Sometime a couple of weeks ago I commented on FaceBook that gardening was great except for the bugs that bite you and eat your plants. I believe I need to add "weeds that bite back when you remove them" to the list of gardening unpleasantries. In creating the play garden (it needs a better name, but for now, that's it), I needed to remove some vines, including poison ivy from the west end of the area. I was wearing gloves, but only a short-sleeved shirt. I thought I was doing okay except for the one branch that smacked me in the face. I came inside frequently and soaped up past my elbows to try to remove any oil that may have made contact. Apparently, I didn't get it all. I watched one disturbing looking spot all day yesterday trying to determine if it was a spider bite or a poison ivy rash. Today, as the spots have emerged on both arms below the elbow, one arm past the armpit, and the place on my stomach my arm touches while I sleep -- there's no question. I applied a topical gel to the one spot yesterday and Ivarest to everything today, but more spots are appearing. So far no itch. So far.

Two kinds of ivy, both need to go. The picture on the right shows the largest tree in our yard. You can just barely see the root flare on the right side. This is not good. We need to remove the ivy, which has caused damage to the tree during the periods the property was abandoned, and dig away some of the soil to expose more of the root flare. Hopefully by doing that, removing a few of the large branches, and adding some soil amendments, we can avoid losing the tree.

The side of the tree (same one as above) facing the pool showing the ivy damage. I don't know for certain if the ivy caused the first split, removing about one third of the tree, but it certainly looks like it is trying to split what is left.

The unknown vine on the left is a weed and STINKS! Eeeewwwwww! On the right is Virginia Creeper. Not too bad, but it is in many places we don't want it and from what I understand is very difficult to kill.

But there are many more wonderful things happening here:

My gorgeous Apricot Brandy Hibiscus and a little cicada with a bent wing.

WoW #5

2010-06-09T12:17:00.001-05:00

It's Thursday

2010-06-03T17:16:00.017-05:00

No better excuse for blogging. We've harvested over 2.75 pounds of food since May 7th. That includes 13 ounces of blackberries, with many more to come! Our first watermelon radish weighed in at 2.2 ounces! I have not been good about taking pictures, so I went out this afternoon to catch things as they stand now.The amazing 2.2 ounce Watermelon Radish! I have a couple more in the garden now -- I'll try to remember to take pictures of the inside (which explains the name) before devouring them. I sauteed this and some other radishes with homegrown spinach and a little chard.

I found my thrill... we will only have a handful this year (provided the birds don't find them!). We planted four additional bushes for a total of six.

The citrus trees and stacking pots full of marigolds with the vegetable garden beds in the background. Looking forward to relocating the blackberries (where? don't know yet) and putting the citrus in bigger pots on the south side of the house. This is a location where we can erect a temporary greenhouse over them each winter, and not have to move the pots! Two Mexican limes (no fruit right now), two Satsumo Mandarin oranges, and one each Meyer Lemon, Lemon Drop, and The Valley Lemon.

This box has served as an orphanage of sorts. The fig was rescued from a backyard where the resident dog thought it was a tug-of-war toy. The wandering Jew came from the blackberry bed. It was in the yard before our in-laws rented the house six years ago. The beans in the pots are from the thinning of the bean/pea bed. The side of the box you can't see is also full of beans from that thinning. And the chard is in the box next to it. I'll take out the remaining chard soon to make room for the next planting.

TOM-TOM! And some (blurry) beanie-babies.

Baby zucchini (finally!) and a wee-baby watermelon!

This month we are "supposed to" plant melons, pumpkins, gourds, okra, and southern peas. I have a couple of special projects planned for the pumpkins and gourds, as well as some sunflowers, morning glories, and yard-long beans. Of course it requires more work of the digging and raking variety. I've spent the last two days clearing the weeds from the patio around the pool. I was too embarrassed to take before pictures, but really wish I had! Now my shoulders have had it, and my blisters got blisters, so I'm not sure how I can keep using a shovel unless I learn how to walk on my hands and hold the tools with my feet!

I'm also starting to do some long-term planning with the yard and finding a place for everything. We cleaned out the tool shed and the garage last week during Jeff's staycation, and he got the pool in swimming condition. We are hoping to have a good grasp on our vegetable gardens as we go through our fall planting so we can get our ducks next spring. I did well as far as not planting more than I could handle, but need to plant a little more for the bugs. Our organic methods are serving us well, but we could use at least a little buffer. For the fall garden we need a better watering system in place. I have made some clay pots for irrigation, and we may try to set up a drip or soaker system. We've been shopping for rain barrels...and the list goes on!

On the energy conservation front, Jeff has been installing soffit vents and a radiant barrier in the attic. The whole house fan will be next. With these changes we should be able to shorten our use of air conditioning by two weeks on each end of the season. I'm going to try to position the grapevines so that they shade our AC unit and the south side of the house. I still have to make the insulating shades. I keep thinking a rain day will come so I can do some housework and sewing projects, but the rain keeps missing us! Please come this way!

Hunting and Gathering

2010-05-07T21:59:00.007-05:00

First hunting...

...then gathering.The red-shouldered hawk was in our backyard for a while before flying up to the neighbor's telephone pole for a look around the field. The radishes are our first harvest for 2010! Two White Icicle, two Early Scarlet Globe, and the fifth is either a Cherry Belle or a French Breakfast. The White Icicle on the right isn't icicle shaped because it was right up against another, which I have left to flower so I could see what it looked like. More pix soon!

WoW #4

2010-04-21T16:36:00.001-05:00

Try not to drop your laptops. Yup, an actual Whiskers on Wednesday... on Wednesday.

Too Old for This

2010-04-20T06:31:00.004-05:00

Most of the seeds went in three weeks ago tomorrow. I thought all of my seeds were from 2007 and took a calculated risk that many would not germinate. At this point if it was going to come up, it would have, so I'm clearing the weeds to put in new seeds today. In the meantime, I found several sources with estimations on how long properly stored seeds should last. These seeds were anything but properly stored, and seeing as they didn't germinate I began to go through the stack to throw them away. Upon further examination, I saw half the seed packs were from 2004 with a few from 2001. I must have looked at the handful from 2007 and thought they were all together.

The fact that I missed these dates does not bother me. I checked a couple of dates and went ahead with the project rather than just sitting and waiting for it to be perfect or happen on its own. That is a good thing. What concerns me is that some of those seeds were transported from the house we sold to the rent house, half-way across the country to Virginia, back across to El Paso, back to the rent house here, then into the house we are in now. Packrat? Hoarder? Unrealistic dreamer? Completely unorganized? Those things frighten me. To be burdened with things that are useless. Pointless. There's a declutterin' a comin'. A big one.

Four planted beds and a potato box on March 24. All reclaimed lumber and no, none of it is treated. If you ignore the ugly chain link fence you can see two pear and two plum trees in the background. The fifth bed was planted later, and three more are waiting to be filled with soil. I need to relocate a couple of the beds for better light.

Yellow

2010-04-17T10:38:00.006-05:00

First, a double date. It is definitely spring around here, and "love" is in the air.

Next, at the risk of inciting an earworm... well, you know where I am and what these are.The roses are reaching about five inches in diameter. We only have one red rose for now.Our blackberries are doing well. I'm already dreaming of cobbler.The rain has driven me inside today to tend to some long-neglected projects. If I get down to the yarn cave today I should have some fiber photos to share.

Tax Man

2010-04-14T14:10:00.005-05:00

I thought a somewhat patriotic picture would be appropriate for paying taxes. The "I'd rather be knitting" quip has crossed my mind more than once today, but not as much as "I'd rather be weeding." It may sound strange, but it is an absolutely beautiful day and there is just something wonderfully satisfying in digging out those nasties by the roots.

The bags are reversible project bags I made for the Sisters of the Wool Ravelympics team. Yes, we had a knitting competition right along with the athletic competition. Four of us finished what we set out to do. I need to wash & block my hat before I show it off properly. I have "medals" that say "Captain," "Hat Half-Pipe," and "Designer Original Dance." Those are just clip art, but I did buy the pin with the same artwork and 2010 written on it.

Brief note on the homestead front: the vegetable garden is struggling a bit because there is too high of a clay content in our soil. As soon as the taxes are done I'll be working on a better mixture for the three boxes that were not planted, then fixing what we can on the first five. The potatoes that were planted on a lark from some store-bought fingerling potatoes (in red, white, and blue, of course!) are doing really well. I'll post a link to the design instructions for the potato box in a later post.

Two and a Half Months in a Nutshell

2010-04-13T08:02:00.006-05:00

....hmmm... don't think I can do it. Not when it includes the biggest snowstorm in North Texas in decades AND the beginning of spring, along with knitting and the work we are doing around the homestead. But I need to start someplace!
Two months ago, this little female goldfinch was dodging snowflakes for a meal. (May be a warbler instead, this is quite the angle for identification!)
Last week, this little male goldfinch was showing off before heading north.
Yes, both were a bit uncooperative in posing. The sassy Carolina wren was a bit more cooperative.I need to make sure I catch the garbage truck this morning, so I will have to continue this later. Wherever you find yourself, enjoy the spring!

Better Late Than Never

2010-01-28T06:36:00.004-06:00

My sweet Norton. (Whiskers on Wednesday post a bit late...) Didn't want to skip another week, as there are too many good shots of these guys to share. Can you believe he's fifteen years old? He hasn't been acting like it lately. Norton is very much in touch with his inner kitten.
WIP Wednesday? I still need to hem, color set, and wash the guest washcloths I wove. It is an interesting adventure switching from knitting to weaving. In knitting, usually we end up with an odd, crumpled mess until it is dressed (blocked) and the stitch pattern opens up magically. In weaving, the dressing process draws in the fabric and tightens up the weave. My first project, the Made in Texas scarf, has now shrunk to a mere 4 1/2 inches wide from what I thought was a five inch finished width. So much to learn!

The Hey Jude socks are moving along at a snail's pace -- plan to finish the first today and cast on the second. Since today will be a mellow craft & watch movies day (I was up sick most of the night), I will finish the lobsters and the Tea Ball Slippers. I think with the third attempt at the Tea Balls I'll have what I'm looking for. So far, niece #5 (8 yo) and niece #4 (12 yo) have slippers -- I've been trying for SIL #3 (US Women's size 7 1/2). I'll get the adult size yet! Also want to work on the Cloud Bolero today. The Danica Scarf and Waterfall socks are being set aside until the Ravelympics. That just leaves Heroine, Celadon Jacket, and the Mallow Moorish Mosaic Afghan. Not in too big of a rush on those. Need to get working on more Kokeshi dolls, a small RAK project, and an item for my St. Patrick's Day swap partner, not to mention some patterns that are rattling around in my head.

Lots of FOs and Ribbed Yoga Socks

2010-01-26T14:00:00.005-06:00

So far I've been tearing through the stash at a pretty good clip. I have finished a project every other day this month! They are mostly smaller items, but it still kind of blows my mind. Most of the projects are knit, a few are crocheted, and I should be able to finish up the first weaving project of the month today. I'll easily go though a mile of yarn this month!

Ribbed Yoga Socks

There isn't a whole lot to this pattern, but if someone out there is wondering what I did, here it is! They were made for a US women's size 8 1/2 - 9, but are pictured on my size 7 1/2 feet.

Yarn: Less than 200 yards of sock yarn. (I used 170 yards.) If working two-at-a-time from the inside and outside of the ball, be sure to first cut off two lengths of yarn long enough to cast on 30 stitches after the heel opening is made.
Needles: 2.50 mm (US 1 1/2). I used two-on-two circs, but you could easily use DPNs if you prefer.
Gauge: Not too critical, as the 2x2 ribbing makes a stretchy fabric. Ensure that your fabric is not too loose (will fall off or slouch) or too tight (will not go over heel or will cut off circulation!).

Directions: Cast on 60 stitches. I like using the Estonian cast on shown in this video with Nancy Bush. I use just the basic part, not where she doubles the yarn. To make the "pairs" start from the beginning, start with your slip knot, then "part B" as she refers to it. Then just repeat part A and part B until you have the number of stitches you need. When you start your ribbing, you will see the cast on edge "pairs" line up with your ribbing.

Work in K2, P2 (2x2) ribbing for approximately 4 1/2 inches. Bind off 30 stitches. On the remaining 30 stitches, work a RS row, a WS row, then a RS row again. Using a separate strand of yarn as your long tail, cast on 30 stitches in the same manner as you did for the initial cast on. Rejoin in the round and continue with 2x2 ribbing for another 4 1/2 inches, or length needed to leave the ball of the foot exposed. Bind off.

This pattern is intended for personal use only. Please do not sell this pattern or make items using this pattern for sale. Thanks!

Progress in the New Year

2010-01-14T13:31:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been too busy studying and knitting/crocheting to post. Time to get a few random thoughts out here before any more time goes by. Absolutely cannot believe we've already been through the first two weeks of 2010!

Here's a glimpse of the WIPs as of January 1st. I am very happy to say that as of today they only cover about one fourth of the table. There have even been two projects cast on and bound off that aren't in the picture! Only one frogging -- I feared I wouldn't get the same gauge on the hat I started for my brother ages ago, so it's better to just start over on such a small project.

It was wonderful to have a little taste of winter here this year. A white Christmas! By the end of this weekend we'll be back up to 67 degrees or so, which works out well for the winter pruning. I took this picture Christmas Eve Day:

WoW #3 (Whiskers on Wednesday)

2009-12-09T16:36:00.007-06:00

Haven't WoWed for a while, so here are a few to enjoy.Receiving supervision while I trim the hedge along the driveway.Cold weather makes for cuddly cats.Norton inspects the Christmas cactus. The cactus is eleven years old. It used to be three times its current size, but was neglected for about six months when my house sitter stopped showing up. It is recovering beautifully!Frank was on hand to help me warp my new Kromski Harp, 32" rigid heddle loom. I managed to keep my discipline at the Kid 'n Ewe Festival this year and only bought one skein of yarn (Plain and Fancy) for An American in China, but the Harp kept calling my name! Speaking of Kid 'n Ewe, not all whiskers are on kittens!Still trying to get the Christmas knitting done and enjoying the cold weather.

If you wait long enough to change your header...

2009-12-07T08:50:00.003-06:00

...it will come right back in season. Back with the chilly weather here, putting the "North" into "North Texas." We were fortunate Friday to have our heat pump fixed -- the fear was that we would need to replace our old unit. Should be able to get at least one more year out of it. If anyone in the DFW area needs a recommendation for an HVAC repair person, message me and I'll give you Hector's number.

College ball was the big news this weekend. I know, I know. I didn't think I'd ever write about sports on my blog, either. Cousins Dave and Jon came down from Nebraska for the Nebraska-UT game on Saturday. Nebraska lost 13-12 in the last second of the game. We had precious little time with them because it was a drill weekend, but were thrilled to have them come down. Managed to eat lunch with them Saturday at The Railhead in Fort Worth, and Jeff was able to give them a tour of one of our planes. (That was at the same time I was dying a slow death by power point/video presentation. Knitting kept me awake and sane.) We learned that a whipped cream bribe will get Frank to make an appearance in front of company and were reminded that Norton knows no strangers.

Jeff still has the crud, and I'm teetering just over on the healthy side of things, so I'm trying to take it easy. I would love to start posting pictures of what I'm knitting, but it will have to wait another two-and-a-half weeks until everyone has received their Christmas presents! My Ravelry page is short quite a few pictures.

Time to make breakfast/brunch. I'll upload some pictures later today.

Sum It Up Sunday

2009-11-08T11:34:00.002-06:00

Earlier this week I had a successful culinary creation. I've actually been having quite a few lately, but there is photographic evidence for this one:Lemon Garlic Shrimp on a bed of spaghetti squash in a nest of green beans. Yum in any language. Almost forgot to mention that I had the pleasure of using our homegrown Meyer lemons for this one!

Tuesday involved a little field trip to the Dallas Arboretum. Gorgeous day and gorgeous landscaping! Need to download the pix and show a few in a post of its own.

Myron & Jeff removed our back fence yesterday. By Wednesday we should have a new fence put up in anticipation of dog sitting Tank regularly and Massey's occasional visits. Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate. I need to build a square foot garden bed and pull the dirt from the fence line. It is obvious it was a dumping ground for leaves and some other organic debris and there is some good soil there waiting to be used. That will get us started with a few things (broccoli, radishes, lettuce). Still clearing out and covering the beds against the house. All I can say to that end is what a mess. Making progress also on picking up all the broken glass around the property.

Although the knitmeter has not been updated, there has been knitting. More starting than finishing, but progress nonetheless. Of course this time of year much of what is OTN falls into the gift category, so that severely restricts what can be posted. I'll see what I can pull together this week to get some knitting/yarn p0rn up on the site. If all goes well I'll be headed to Boerne this weekend! I'm the only one in our group going without a spinning wheel, so I've been trying to at least pull together the parts for a kick spindle. I think I can get the rest today and try construction tomorrow. The idea is to bring with me the roving I bought *ahem* last year and work on spinning it this year. I took a picture of my haul from last year to bring with me to remind myself that I don't need any more! Three finished objects resulted from that trip, and there is one WIP, but there is still more yarn...

Back from Blogging Oblivion with a Bang! (and a free pattern!)

2009-10-30T15:55:00.002-05:00

It's the age-old dilemma: when you actually have something in life worth blogging about, you don't have the time to blog! No good way to restart other than to jump back in with both feet. So here is the pattern I finished months ago, and a link to it on Ravelry here.

Since March, I moved from Biloxi to Wichita Falls, then back to Mansfield. We recently took a very wet vacation to Maine, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. We've been fixing "those little gray pieces of... aircraft" and I've been studying, knitting, cooking, and trying to actually get moved in enough that we can start some remodeling. Yes, I know we've been in the house for a year, but I was gone for half of that, so cut me some slack! Throughout November I hope to "catch up" with the blog. Mainly knitting, gardening, and cooking content, with some travel and (hopefully) remodeling thrown in the mix. And of course, I will get back on track with WOW so Norton and Frank can get their face time!

Carrington Scarf

2009-10-30T14:14:00.008-05:00

Here's a pattern that is reversible and works well with hand-dyed yarns.
Carrington Scarf
Finished size: 5" wide by 67" long
Materials: 1 skein Plain & Fancy Sport, 400 yards per 100 grams (used the WHOLE skein)
Needles: US size 9
Gauge: not critical, just make sure you are getting the drape you want
Notions: two stitch markers if you choose to separate border stitches from main pattern

Abbreviations:
K: Knit
P: Purl
[B]: Border
Sl1wyif: slip one stitch with yarn held in front of work
MK: Make Knot: p3tog & leave on left needle, yo, p3tog again & slip off needle
Rep: repeat
Sts: stitches
BO: bind off

Border: Repeat these two rows for first four and last four stitches each row:
Row 1: K1, sl1wyif, k1, p1 [Carrington stitch pattern] p1, k1, sl1wyif, k1
Row 2: [Sl1wyif, k1] twice [Carrington stitch pattern] [k1, sl1wyif] twice.

Directions: CO 33 stitches using the Channel Island Cast On. If you choose to make a wider scarf, increase in increments of four stitches.

Row 1: [B] K4, p1, *k3, p1, rep from * to last 8 sts, k4 [B].
Row 2: [B] P4, k1, *p3, k1, rep from * to last 8 sts, p4 [B].
Row 3: [B] K1, *mk, p1, rep from * to last 8 sts, mk, k1 [B].
Row 4: Rep Row 2.
Row 5: [B] K2, p1, *k3, p1, rep from * to last 6 sts, k2 [B].
Row 6: [B] P2, k1, *p3, k1, rep from * to last 6 sts, p2 [B].
Row 7: [B] K2, p1, *mk, p1, rep from * to last 6 sts, k2 [B].
Row 8: Rep Row 6.

Repeat these 8 rows until scarf reaches desired length or you are nearly out of yarn. Bind off using a picot variation bind off as follows: *backward loop cast on 1 stitch, bind off 3 stitches, slip last BO stitch back to left needle and repeat from * to the end. (Bind off using k2, pass 1st over 2nd, *k1, pass 1st on right needle over new stitch, rep from *).

Chart: Read odd numbered rows right to left and even numbered rows left to right.

This pattern will eventually be available in a pdf with a more legible chart.
This pattern is intended for personal use only. Please do not sell this pattern or make items using this pattern for sale. Thanks!

Sock Madness Tree House

2009-03-22T22:35:00.004-05:00

This post is dedicated to all those knitting away on their Tropical Mer-tinis. The Bailey's is cold, the cookies are hot out of the oven, and as you can see, we just need to run across the street if we find ourselves short on supplies.

Darn, I have more pictures to load, but everyone must be playing video games right now. Sah-low! Time for bed. Will attempt to at least get more pictures posted, if not stories of diodes and diving pelicans!

Sum It Up Sunday

2009-03-01T20:51:00.004-06:00

Yes, I am still among the living. There was the unexpected trip to New England, then the whirlwind final week before arriving in Biloxi. And of course there was nary a down moment to be had this first week. Well, I have walked/run on the beach four of the last seven days... And I did go out to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge... And today there was a brief exploration of old town Biloxi... AND Friday night I ate at The Shack... Okay, I confess, there have been a few down times, but not time to devote to sitting in front of a computer. Time on the beach is part of my physical training. I just HAVE to do it. And it IS migration season -- just can't miss everyone passing through.

I enlarged the picture once I downloaded it to my computer, only to be disappointed to find that these are the migratory cranes, not the Mississippi ones. (The MS cranes are banded on the leg above the knee joint.) The good part is that I still have opportunities to see the locals.

So much more to be said about everything, but for now I must go to bed.

WoW #3

2009-02-04T16:18:00.003-06:00

I really need to get my hands on a video camera. Frank was in rare form last night with his lion.

The Soho shawl is finished but needs to be blocked. I also finished knitting a pair of slippers and now just have to felt them. Currently working on a fish hat. Knitting will come to an abrupt halt tomorrow as our weather is going to turn GORGEOUS for the next three days and the landscape is in desperate need of attention. If all goes as planned, I'll be off to school in 2 1/2 weeks.

WoW #2 (Whiskers on Wednesday)

2009-01-28T16:55:00.005-06:00

Cold weather makes for VERY friendly cats.As far as the knitting goes...there was great progress being made on the Soho Wrap until Frank decided he needed to be in my lap. My hand is stuck underneath him as well. He really didn't see the problem with this. In his mind, the only purpose for my existence is to provide for his every need and meet his every whim. Whipped cream only leaves the refrigerator to be served to him. He can hear the can shaking from the other side of the house.

As far as the Soho goes, I WAS involved in a knit-a-long with several Sisters of the Wool, but I think everyone else has temporarily left the project for other things. It is simple, but there are a few issues with the pattern. The designer has been following our KAL on Ravelry, and to the best of my knowledge is updating the pattern with the hiccups we find along the way. It has been especially nice to work on it over the past two days with our frigid weather, because it is now big enough that it covers my lap (hence the Frank problem).

Happy as a Clam!

2009-01-26T18:13:00.003-06:00

Finally finished this little guy. Now where's the linguine & olive oil? Kidding! Just the eyes, stuffing, and a whole lot of finishing work (for such a little guy), but he is just so huggable! Tonight I'll try to finish the turkey in between sections of the Soho wrap.

Had the most delightfully dreary Monday today. Fire in the fireplace & hot chocolate & knitting while cold & rainy outside kind of delightful. Started off the day with family/friends over for breakfast (ohhh those yummy banana oatmeal waffles!). My oldest niece and a friend are headed off to a semester in Prague. Yup, jealous. One day I will see more of Europe than the inside of an airport. One day. In the meantime... I refilled the suet/peanut nugget feeder, much to the delight of the red-bellied woodpeckers, wrens, and warblers. Will have to try to capture a shot at rush hour out here. In addition to the previously mentioned birds, it usually involves over a dozen mourning doves, half-a-dozen cardinals, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches, house finches, juncos, chickadees, tufted titmice, blue jays, and a couple of phoebes by the pool. The Cooper's Hawk comes through every so often to make sure everyone is on their toes.

Whiskers on Wednesday

2009-01-21T17:57:00.002-06:00

24, 7, 2, 7, 12, 1

2008-12-18T05:56:00.007-06:00

{Please bear with me as this is the first time I've attempted to post to my blog via iPhone.}

Yes, it has been months. I am still here, just hindered by no Internet access at home. We moved into our new house, and hubby never ceases to amaze me with his "mad skillz" in home & auto repair. Still a long ways to go, but it feels like our home. Just recently ended my barista job to get ready to go off to school to cross-train in avionics. No exotic trips, but otherwise it has been life as usual.

The title of the post? Well, 24 is the number of unfinished knitting objects I found. Some just need a little finishing work, but that is just crazy! Seven is the number of gifts I'd like to finish before Christmas, and two is the number of of those projects that are part of the 24. Seven is also the number of days I have left to finish! Twelve is the number of sweaters I've committed to knit next year through NaKniSweMoDo. (National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathelon)

And one is the number of brain cells I apparently have left in my head!

And the Tofu Brain Continues...

2008-07-22T21:19:00.003-05:00

Fortunately, when the AC stops working, it is a quick fix. Has it really only been three weeks since I blogged? Yikes! It seems like much longer! We found a house, THE house, and we close the middle of next month. I've read seven books, including the first four in the "Bloody Jack" series by Louis A. Meyer -- awesome books, couldn't put them down! I started Letterboxing and Geocaching (which is a challenge since I don't have a handheld GPS unit). I secured a part-time java job (start next week). My husband took off for Germany on Monday. In knitting news, there has been progress on the Annetrelac socks. I finished packing up my yarn from the second batch in the freezer. Oooo... I want to play with it all, and I want to play with it all NOW! I signed up for the knitting Olympics a while ago, and today just found the UFO Olympics. I have to choose one, and can't decide which will be best for the knitting mojo. The biggest complication is that I am packing up our house (by myself) and close on the new house in the middle of the Olympics. That may even be something I do alone, along with the beginning of the move. Of course before the move there must be cleaning -- LOTS of cleaning. The house has been empty for two years, and four of the windows were broken out. The crew that - ahem - "cleaned" it prior to showing left a lot of broken glass both inside and out. The pool will also need to be scrubbed. (Yes, I said POOL! Squee!!!! I have always wanted one! I don't care that it is a lot of work, so don't bother trying to rain on this parade!)

To give a little photo content, I'm sharing my Flair board from Facebook. Not over there as much as I was in the beginning, but still having fun with it. If you want a laugh, read the first three flair in the bottom row as consecutive sentences.

How COULD I forget?

2008-06-29T08:41:00.003-05:00

The past six weeks! What ELSE have I been doing? Couponing has been resurrected! Yes, I AM one of those crazy coupon ladies, and I am not bashful about it! When I did it a couple of years ago, my successes included trips such as $465 worth of groceries for $65, and $123 for $0 (that isn't a typo). The big trip included beef and chicken, so don't even bother to start lecturing me on how it's only good for convenience foods that you normally don't eat anyway. So far I've scored $0.25 dish soap, $0.19 boxes of cereal, and several free items. Plus I have $7.00 more than what I spent at CVS the other day. Right now I'm mostly using The Grocery Game, with frequent trips over to Coupon Mom's website. I need to get back in touch with The Savvy Shopper, a gal in Mansfield who has her finger on the pulse of the local goings-on. BTW, if you decide to use The Grocery Game, please use my email (tayaschram AT yahoo DOT com) as the referring member. Once you get it set up, it doesn't take all that much time provided you maintain your book weekly. Last time I figured up my hourly wage to be $60 for couponing, including the time spent sorting the coupons and the actual shopping time. (And remember, you have to shop for food regardless of your methods.) Even if I donate a third of what I get, it is still the equivalent of $40 per hour for my efforts.

Purring cat...

2008-06-27T21:28:00.002-05:00

...in my lap. Shadow. Frank's sister. She has quite the motor. I sit here faced with probably the same dilemma that I've had for the past, oh, six weeks? I'm tired, need to pack up and drive home (to the land of no internet access), I desire to blog, but just don't feel the comments to be worthy. Or there is so much jumbled up in the head I'm afraid once I start, I won't stop!

So, what has consumed me for the past six weeks? I lost my knitting mojo. Gone. Finito. Bye-bye. Not sure if it was the abrupt end of the yarn store plans (put on hold indefinitely for bigger & better things), or a burning out as a result of the Sock Madness frenzy (which yes, I realize I STILL have not blogged). Probably a combination, and I'm sure the little skin condition that popped up on my "yarn finger" contributed. Oh, and there was also knitting an afghan square with that HORRID cotton/acrylic yarn -- Knit Picks Comfy. Blech. I am happy to report that the mojo is slowly returning. Not sure if this is linked to finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for the highlighter yellow socks, or pulling all of my stash together and freezing it. I decided I needed to freeze & bag everything, rather than taking a chance on losing the stash to the moths. The bizarre thing is that I now know I have 44 cubic feet of stash, because I filled my chest freezer twice. Random facts -- I just love 'em. I also participated in the Fort Worth Knit in Public Day.

Wii Fit and Facebook. Don't remember which came first in May. It isn't even my Wii, but I've spent more time on it than anyone else in the family. Facebook has just been fun, and I think part of what might have been my blogging efforts ended up over there. I've reconnected with people I haven't seen since college and high school, and some family members who are distant by geography. I'm also learning more about my local family members based on their pages.

Read a little, did a little sewing, husband came home (Squee!!!!), and still trying to work that Guard transfer. House hunted. Gave a couple 30 minute massages. OH! How could I forget! Hawaiian Falls! Have a season pass, VERY challenging to blog underwater. They frown on taking laptops down the water slides, too. So there you have it. The perfect excuse for lack of blogging. It may also be noteworthy that my brain completely turns to tofu in the Texas summer heat & humidity. (There is a REASON we TRIED to move to Virginia!) I do think the water park is one of the keys to survival. And certainly more fun than a cold bath.

What do insomnia & slow internet connection have in common?

2008-05-16T23:21:00.006-05:00

They both stink. Put them together, and you have my Friday night. I was in bed nearly three hours ago, but laid awake, so I finally got up to watch some Hulu. The connection is a little slow tonight, so it keeps hiccuping. A bit of a drag.

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind, so the blog was dropped first, with the swimsuit bootcamp closely following. The best part of the whole thing was that Jeff was home in the middle of it! I've also enjoyed my time cooking for a crowd, and going on a field trip with my niece's first grade class. I don't think I'd even heard of the Dallas World Aquarium before going -- the place is MAJORLY COOL! It did make me yearn to go diving again, especially when we saw a woman in the water feeding the manatees. It's been two years since my last dive. In addition to all of the aquatic life, there were many birds & other animals. Here are two of my favorite pictures:

Thursday's Flowers

2008-05-09T15:53:00.006-05:00

The weather has been lovely, but there is a bit of that humidity sneaking in, and the temperatures are beginning to creep up. Blech. But, we know this is all part of living in north Texas. Spring is long and full of flowers, including some roses in my backyard. I miss the rose garden from our house in Grand Prairie: Jeff gave me half a dozen rose BUSHES one year. All heirloom varieties -- just gorgeous! He's quite a guy! My strawberry plants are also developing new flowers, so I suspect I still have many berries to come.

Makin' Whoopie!

2008-05-07T21:16:00.005-05:00

Whaaaaaat! No, not THAT! Whoopie pies! Here they are, in all their yummy, gooey goodness!
It was a recipe from my Aunt Gail, and I made it for my nieces & nephews. I also made Chicken Tetrazzini. It was great to cook for a dozen people for a change, instead of just one. And I was finally able to photograph that second pair of felted clogs. They took a day and a half to knit, but sat unfelted for four months...
I'm very glad I tried the pattern again after my first pair came out warped. These are done in Paton's Classic Wool Merino.

Errands & Exhaustion

2008-05-06T23:20:00.005-05:00

Not even a photo today. I do, however, have a lawnmower (unassembled, in the box), 40 pounds of sunflower seed, and two cubic feet of compost in my Beetle. What's in your car? Oh! And I forgot to mention yesterday the Danica scarf that is the current "keep it in the car" project in case I lose my sensibilities and forget to take a WIP with me when I run out the door. So that's keeping the lawnmower, sunflower seed, and compost company.

Unfortunately, Frank is apparently bored tonight and getting into everything. Okay, where is my Flip Video? I didn't even finish typing that sentence and he knocked over a table (with a glass top, mind you) and broke a lamp. All I could do was sit here and watched it go down in slow motion. I don't know how the glass survived. Yes, I had to change my mind and stop and take photos when I saw this:

Do you think he's trying to show me that the glass wasn't broken? I guess I'm adding super glue to my shopping list. This is the table he was under, and the reason he was under it and knocked it over is at the bottom of the picture.

Okay, now it is really time for bed.

A New Beginning

2008-05-05T21:20:00.007-05:00

How exactly is one supposed to begin a new blog? I could easily have spent hours scouring the internet at the first post on hundreds of other blogs and stolen, ahem, borrowed a clever format or idea, but I spend more than enough time in cyberspace as it is. Aside from the usual email and the Ravelry dark hole, there is Sock Madness. Those crazy adventures deserve their own post, which will come in a couple of weeks when the Madness is complete. (And yes, I've already expressed interest to the moderators to include me for next year. Hence, the Madness.) This month, there is the Swimsuit Bootcamp over at SparkPeople. I've grown accustomed to navigating through the pages in Ravelry, and it is taking a little while to get my bearing over at SparkPeople so I can move through it quickly.

This blog is not yet formatted the way I would like it to look and function, but I'm battling the urges of that underlying disease of procrastifectionism and posting anyway. I mean seriously, if I waited until I had all my poop in a group there would never be a post. Life just kind of goes along that way.

Generally, there is something that needs to be finished before another thing can begin, so in that vein I'll reveal my current pile of UFOs. I also am aware that a post without pictures is very boring. Very boring indeed.

Nighttime photography under compact fluorescents does not lend itself to the best color representation, but hey, I'm doing my part to save the earth, right? Left to right starting with the red blob: the beginnings of two felted lobsters, a felted clam, a hat, Lucy's Diamonds scarf, Catherina Lace Seaman's scarf. Then there is a mouse that needs to be dressed & given facial features, Annetrelac socks, Something's Shady socks, an afghan square, the legs of another mouse, and the dark blob at the bottom is actually a forest green felted clog. One. It is lonely.

Full disclosure means I must also include this second photo. Traditionally, "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but I think it can be used to describe a knitted finished object. "Almost" is when you bind off just a little too tightly and the project sits in the basket until you feel like you have nothing better to do that pick out the bind off on something where the stark contrast in the yarn completely obscures the lace pattern. (These socks have been worn on occasion, with the tail tucked in.) "Almost" is adequate to describe that pair of gift socks that cannot accommodate the recipient's high arch. (And of course they are done in a one-of-a-kind, made-just-for-her hand-dyed yarn that she LOVES, so the option of finding someone else they fit and knitting her a completely different pair is out.) "Almost" certainly must be appropriate for describing that bag that just didn't felt to expectations. And my husband's socks were finished, but now sit with the rest of them until I have the desire to duplicate stitch the soles while there are still soles left to reinforce. So nice to know the man loves his socks. So embarrassing to admit he still only has one pair.

That will wrap it up for tonight. Didn't come up with any grand and hopeful goals for when the pile will be complete, I just wanted to lay it out there. Perhaps there could be a common thread of "UFO Mondays?" Perhaps.