Cracked Cup

Snipshot.com

This post is more or less a rant! Im frustrated by my lack of technical knowledge and ALSO by typepad's instructions. I will say that I learned about one very interesting program to use when fiddleing with photos. http://snipshot.com/ It was suggested by the folks at typepad, so I should be grateful. It is a very easy way to resize images and then save them for the web. But there is where it all breaks down. I am simply trying to get a photo of a "cracked cup" on my sidebar in a typelist. This image will be a link to my site so if someone wanted to "take" it they could. A little badge of sorts. I can't do it!!!!!(&*%^$&(&+

I also want to add the image to my banner and keep the letters, "Cracked Cup" Evidently that's not so easy to do either. I'm supposed to edit my banner in photoshop and save and add. It's difficult to be a creative spirit and not be able to apply the creativity. I look at other's blogs and drool. http://knitandtonic.typepad.com/knitandtonic/

Or this

http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/   sigh............. Or to really push me over the edge

http://www.allsorts.typepad.com/     I'm such a wannabe.

This is my sad, sad, did I say sad?, first attempt at socks. They are made on size 10 double pointed needles with  a ball of some favorite stash I've had so long I don't know it's name. They were made to be worn at home like house shoes out of a very soft wool.  It's rainy and cold so the photo sucks.  Or maybe the photographer needs help with camera as well as knitting. I won't even tell you the pattern becuase clearly I butchered it. Wouldn't want any blame to be accidently shifted to the pattern. They are completely different sizes and I got the stitching somehow reversed on the heel flap.... I know some might wonder why I didn't notice the size being so differernt. It's my FIRST sock set. I just didn't get it. Also, instead of counting rows you are to do inches......Oh crap. Now do I undo both and wind up this beautiful yarn for something else?

However, first lace scarf is turning out wa betta. This simple lace pattern is from Clara at Knitter's Review. http://www.knittersreview.com/article_how_to.asp?article=/review/profile/020704_a.asp  You will have to scroll down through her infomation on lace to find the simple 4 line pattern, w of which are straight knitting. I'm using Debbie Bliss Casmerino Aran and will end up using two balls.

Blogging has taken backseat to a new Dell Latitude notebook computer my husband surprised me with last week. I should have called in the Geeks, but instead I wanted to do the wireless router myself and try and get all my programs up and working.  I don't call this blog cracked for naught. 60 Minutes had a segment on Sunday's show about the Geek Squad and why they are so necessary. I wish that had aired a week earlier.  I'm now on my way to Comp USA to get a portable hard drive to do data transport. I've been assured by my 24 year old son that this is easy. Right. Also, it can act as backup for my hard drive. Well isn't that a novel concept. Backup....

Do not be afraid!

That bright light you see in the eastern sky is the sun! Hallelujah! I'm sure churches all over the city will be singing the Hallelujah Chorus to celebrate the power of light over darkness. Days and days and days and days of dark, somber, cold rain. We are not used to such prolonged periods of dreariness here in sunny Texas. We get the weird extremes with periods of bitter cold and blistering heat. But always around every weather corner is a bright, sunny, blue sky. This time I thought we'd gone to the permanent "dark side".  I am noticing this morning that my windows are dirty. It is supposed to reach 50 degrees today. Is that warm enough to wash windows?

I've been whipping up my own version of sunshine the last few days. I finished this scarf in record time, for me :>)

I love the colors...the lightest is a wonderful citrine green that appears more yellow in the photo. I'm trying, I'm trying.  New camera but old photographer! The yarn is Berroco 50% alpaca, 50% wool, knitted on size 8 circular needles. The scarf has a  soft, supple feel. Prior to this, my scarves have been a little chunkier. Today I am going to block. I'd like to see if that will reduce the curling on the edges. Either way, I am really pleased!

Brrrrrrrr

It is finally, and it seems permanently, winter in Dallas, Texas. The weather men kept saying all weekend it was going to sleet and snow. Nada. Then yesterday all the same weather was predicted to move south to the Hill Country, Austin, etc. It would stay S of Dallas, Fort Worth. Naturally, at 4:00 this morning I woke to  ice pelting the window. Maybe we need to get one of those barometer thingy's where the balloons move up and down through the  colored liquid in a little glass vial. It's not supposed to  warm up much for the next few days and that suits me fine. We need to kill the mosquitos. Plus knitters like cold weather!!

I helped out at my office part of the day answering phones. A little ice and everyone else stayed home. I got one fairly lame property call and a lot of knitting on stripped scarf accomplished. My office manager hooked up some speakers to the computer in the workroom so I could listen through my earphones to podcasts. They all think I'm a little alien listening to this knitting stuff on the computer. I'm amazed at the number of people who have never read a blog and the many who have never heard of a podcast. People, WAKE UP! Hopefully I will have a FO in the next day or two to post.  I'm ready to move on.....socks?

Color, color, color

Oooh baby! I love this color combination!!  I am knitting the Bright Stripes pattern in Scarf Style. The pattern by Kristin Nicholas is fun, easy knitting! Working with the changing colors is going to be the joy of this scarf!! I wish it was finished for today. We are having a little ice storm here in Dallas and it would come in handy. I just poked my head out the door and it's  sleeting like mad.  Or technically, it may still be freezing rain. Whatever, it's cold and the streets are going to be slick. So if I have to get out, I'll wear this scarf I knitted right before Christmas.

The baby blanket is finished in time to make the trip to Washington D.C. with the proud grandparents.  It is supple, soft and altogether yummy. Chocolate brown and softest pink stripes!

Happy, happy birthday baby...

My friend Beverly gave me this wonderful antique postal station for my birthday! I think she was driven to gift me with this after seeing my craft room over the holidays. What a total train wreck!! Bev and I used to be partners in an antique space called Fishcamp located at Forestwood Mall in Dallas. I gave up my half of that little venture a few months ago. I'm a full time realtor and admitted obsessive-compulsive artist/crafter. To many irons in the fire and so I had to bow out. You think yarn stash is expensive? Try antique stash. Rediculous. So the yarn looks magnificent in this old nooky piece of the past. On a scale of 1 to 10 how out of control is my yarn stash? I am a rookie knitter and do not have close knitting friends, so it's hard to know.

Speaking of birthdays, I am one lucky duck. I've been dined and wined for days culminating with THE party last night at Meredith and Hohman's house, aka as son and daughter-in-law. Delicious food and so much fun. I am blessed.

I've finished the pink and brown striped baby blanket and will probably block it. Aren't you supposed to do that? Today I cast on for the striped scarf I mentioned in a previous post. Later!

Wonderful Store and pattern woe

This is a photo of my favorite place to knit, get advice, and of course BUY yarn! Passion Knit is located in Snider Plaza at the corner of Hillcrest and Lovers Lane in Dallas, TX. The staff is amazing, all knitters extraordinaire! Just last week I filled up my first frequent buyer card and got a nifty $$ credit to spend. I've used  a smidge already and may apply the rest to a lace class. Or a sock class. I'm afraid of both, so should definitely conquier early on in 07. Speaking of, How are we to refer to this decade? The "aught" decade, as opposed tho the 80's or 90's??

Okedoke, this weekend I was a true yarn $%@#?! Ive got a few projects on the needles, one with a deadline, so what do I do? Buy more yarn and obsess over it for a couple of days. Throw into the mix some guilt over shopping at a different yarn store, and I'm a mess. Really, isn't it normal to want to check out all the local yarn places? I ask you, do you not shop at several grocery stores? But alas, I'm no dummy. The folks at the grocery store don't hold my hand through recipe woes, or fix my unfixable screw-ups so I don't have to recook my dinner. I'm going to release on this someday. Nobody reads my blog anyway. It's still my secret. But if it matters, I am being given payback.

I bought this gorgeous  book! Certainly that is no punishment. It is absolute eye candy with some very sophisticated patterns. (what was I thinking?)

The Noro yarn was purchased with original intent to knit a scarf version of Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole by Kathleen Johnson. However, that involves short row knitting and I felt like I needed help for that. Also, I'm using the NORO Silk Garden pictured above. It is the first time I've knitted NORO and it has a very different drag on the needles.  One of the nice people at Shabby Sheep suggested I try Misty Garden by Jo Sharp. Ive cast on and knit the first 7 rows five times. I finally cut my yarn because I was wearing it out. People, it is a four row pattern with only one row being the actual pattern. Over and over. K a row, P a row, then pattern, then K.

You cast on 38 but after the second time I do the pattern row my rows have grown and the pattern doesn't work.  I know it is something I am doing wrong, but after five tries I can't see what that might be. Idiota!!

I did just notice that the first pattern in the book is from Kristin Nicholas. It is pure Kristin, colorful and fun! And easy. It may be the easiest scarf in the book. So I may return some of my Noro, check my stash and fill in what is needed and go for this one first. Then the sadistice part of me wants to knit my way through the book no matter what. On to #2, then #3, etc. I'll be spending my food money on private lessons, but I sure would learn a lot. Regarding food money, anyone who knows me would doubt my giving up food:>)

Felted Bag

I finished this bag a couple of months ago and was really pleased with the way it turned out. Ignorance is bliss! I'd never knitted little designs and decided to give it a try. I was going for an ethnic, kinda Ralph Lauren look. I'm sure Ralph wouldn't be impressed, but I'm happy. I got the pattern from http://www.jenanne.com/PATTERNfeltedbag.htm. You can see that I made my bag flat....more like a mail pouch (I made that up!@#)  Also, the choice of yarn makes any "pattern" and individual expression. That is one of the things I love about knitting. I used Lambs Pride and it felted beautifully. After finishing this project I got some great little spoolie things to keep various colors of yarn neat while using several colors in a pattern. That will make it a lot easier in the future.

I'm still knitting along on my sweater. I was at Passion Knit in Snider Plaza yesterday getting a little remedial pattern tutoring. Could they make em any more confusing? Im working with a Rowan pattern and their designs are wonderful. But as a relatively new knitter, the patterns can make you nuts! More on that later.

Jolly Green Giant

I'm fairly freaked out to be growing broccoli. True, I put out the plants in late summer. It was more of a way to fill a spot in the garden next to the patio. It had been sizzling hot and many of the flowers were kaput. When I went to the nursery the selection was limited, but these broccoli plants were good filler. They survived the frigid temperatures we had a few weeks ago. In fact, right after the deep freeze, when all the other plants turned to wilted soupy stuff, we started noticing a smell like maybe a little skunk had visited. This went on for several days. Lewis came in one day and said it wasn't a skunk, it was the broccoli. The what? Oh yeah, that stuff. Then the smell went away and low and behold broccoli was growing out of the middle. Was the smell akin to broccoli birth pains...no noise, just stinky?

I'm pretty sure all knitters have more than one project going at a time. This is my first attempt at a sweater. It is in the before mentioned Alpaca. Chunky, Misty Alpaca, 100% baby alpaca. Soooo soft! The pattern is a super simple Rowan from

I'm doing a  cardigan called Murmur, Design # 16 by Kim Hargreaves.

I've mastered photo albums and put up one of a few of my paintings. More to come. I haven't been photographing my knitting so I'll have to backtrack. Since I've given most of it away, that may be interesting. S'cuse me, can I borrow that?

Creative Thread

I used to paint, mostly with oil. For whatever reason I stopped painting a couple of years ago. I had no particular plans to engage in any other creative endeavor. I think the actual reason for not painting was to force myself to focus on my business. Business, shmizzness. It always manages to get done and take care of me I and I take care of it. So the grand plan to DEVOTE myself to it was destined to fail. You see a void must be filled. So the "creative one" lurking inside was not to be denied.

I tried mosaic. The highlight was a wonderful workshop taught by Sonia King. I live in Dallas and we have the good fortune to have Sonia right here. She regularly teaches at the Creative Arts Center. An author and celebrated artist, she is a great teacher.  My efforts are no reflection on her abilities!

   

I've tried a few other things, but that can be saved for another time. Today I am going to focus on finishing the baby blanket for my friend's first grandchild, Anya. I'm using the softest Alpaca chunky yarn and Addie turbo needles. Heaven!