jeannie's hands at work

Knitting, crocheting, other handwork, and personal.

Friday, January 25, 2008

I love this site. It's always good for a laugh.

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Socks Update and Learning Curve


Diagonal Rib Socks in Paradise Fibers 50-50 silk & alpaca.

I have the heels on the first pair of socks turned and I'm starting the home stretch. These socks are for a friend.
I have learned so much doing them. I had to figure out more than I bargained for:
the pattern is for an average women's foot and the socks have to be larger than that. I've done More MATH this last week than I've done in a year. When I do the next pair I'll have the notes to make it easier.
I had the heels turned the week before last, actually. I had one of my knitting group whose feet are close to the same size, try them on for reference. OMG! They were too big. I had to frog about 2 1/2" and do them over. That set me back yet another week.
Something else happened with them this morning. See, I"m doing these toe-up. If you google the pattern it's cuff down. So I'm to a place where I can knit in pattern all the way around the leg. No the stitch count is off. I'll fiddle with it tonight and that's all the time I'll take. Other than that, it'll be ribbing around the back and pattern on the front where it shows.
Deadlines in knitting: I need to NOT give them. I really have learned about myself -I don't do knitting deadlines well. Even the most interesting pattern gets boring to me after awhile. I need the leeway to put one project down and work on another one.
I am definitely a process knitter -not a project knitter. That's not to say I don't finish anything - I do. I can see that when I gather FO's to show my classes.But WIP's are much more likely to be lying around my apartment waiting to be worked on for a bit.

My classes start this Saturday. I got all the supplies in and will put them together tonight. I put together "kits" for each new knitter. That way everyone had the same start and doesn't Have to spend anything extra till they're ready. They also don't start out with Homespun or fun fur or black yarn -my personal 3 big challenges. :-)
So that's it for now.
Check me out on Ravelry -I'm just getting started on putting up my stuff.
Thanks, you know who you are, for finding me and adding me to your friends list. I added you to mine today.
More soon.
Happy Knitting.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Rug details - crummy photos


Boy, I can't take pics inside anymore -they're getting worse, not better. Sorry, but it does show the detail for the waffle stitch. I made this one from light and dark sage Red Heart yarn held together. The edging is rows of each color to frame the body of the rug.
The picture below accented by 2 of 3 cats, is to show the general size. Big enough, but not So big it will be hard to find a place to put it. About 3ft x 2.
This rug and the triangle in the last post are the same stitch.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

2008 Resolutions and FO's from Christmas

Repeated from my comment to Lime'nViolet's Daily Chum today:

"Happy New Year! Knitting Resolutions -
1 - Organize my stash more: I teach5 classes per semester, spin, and knit with several groups. I start out well organized until my classes start and then yarn and patterns and stuff end up everywhere. I work full-time and teach knitting and crochet on Saturdays, socks on Wednesday nights. I have 2 closets in my room and one is more than full of fibery stuff. Some of my stash is more than 10 years old! Time to knit or give it away.
2- Finish some of my 12+ UFO's. That rug yarn scarf from the 70's (gasp!!!) needs to be finished and worn or begone.
3- Teach at least one workshop for a conference, fiber festival, or "event" in the US this year.
4- Save up for a Robin wheel.
5- Start planning and saving to attend Stitches West, Estes Park, and or Rheinebeck in 2009.
6- Get my Ravelry space up and running. Addendum: January 17th, 2008, I got my Ravelry account going. Yay! My name is JeannieF so look for me. Hooray!
That's enough for now. (Oh, my gosh...)
;0)
Oops -one more:
Knit up the 12 pairs of socks I have waiting in the sock yarn stash. "

So here's one of the rugs I made over the holiday season. It's crocheted in a waffle stitch. What a great stitch. I taught myself to crochet with a pattern 25+ years ago using that stitch. It's just double crochet and post double crochet. That's it. It looks so complex but it's soooo easy. I redesigned the shape of the rug this time, a triangular shape instead of rectangular, and left off the fringe. I rushed the photos so you can't see then detail very well - sorry. I have another one coming up in the next post or so that will be better.
It went to my boss who lay it beside his bed so he has something "cushy" under his feet while he puts his shoes on in the morning.
He said he took the rug home, put it by the bed and it's just right. He went in the other room and when he came in to do something later, his daughter's little wiener (sp?) dog was lying on his back on the rug! 'Guess he'll have to share it now.





I have two scarves I'm crocheting but thy're not ready to photograph quite yet.

Oh, man! I just realized I said nothing in my resolutions about crocheted UFO's etc.
I think the same thoughts and intentions can apply. I must say as I think on it I only have 3 crochet UFO's. A hat with a boyfriend curse, a wrap that I probably will frog ('cause it ain't that cute), and the last of 3 rugs I made for Christmas.

My spinning resolutions -ah, yes - spin all of my roving up and work on plying, more even singles, and spinning sock yarn.

Ok - I'm done for today. I'm tired just reading these resolutions. Ha, ha.

Happy New Year and HAPPY KNITTING everyone.