VERONA'S STRICKSTUBE

Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Six...

2012-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

I saw this book at Joann's and just happened that I had a 40% off coupon with me... so it was mine to buy. Just like the other volumes in the Ultimate Stitch Dictionaries from the Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine, this one is a great knitting resource, for every edge imaginable.

Stress and other happenings ...

2012-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

After all the stress and happenings this week I need time to reflect, regroup my thoughts and clear my mind. Some things we cannot change other we wish we could, and again others we hope that people high enough on the ladder discover what’s going on, accepting the truth and moreover, are willing to execute changes. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part… however; I am a strong believer in justice, and as our 16^th president, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) once said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”. So it’s just a matter of time…sooner rather than later, let's hope.

To regroup my thoughts I visited Eldorado a home for the mentally disabled, where I have been a volunteer for more than 15 years. The residents are kind, loving and cheerful, just the right combination to forget.

Last week while searching for a fabric label company for my new designer labels I came across an article explaining how to make your own labels cheaper and just the way you like them fitting every project you may have. The article was about “doing it yourself” and I thought that’s a great idea. Quickly I discovered that my sewing machine does have a view embroidery stitches but not the one needed for the label project. Searching the net using the terms “Embroidery”, I was linked to the Brother embroidery -sewing machine website. A little while later I found what I was looking for. Small not too big, lot’s of pre installed stitches, computer adaptable with the capacity to download more stitches from the Internet. The price was right and I really wanted to have this machine. I ordered and now I am having the machine at home, studying the manual to learning the buttons and functions. It is a great machine… Brother SE400

Birthplace of American Cuisine...

2012-02-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine gave me to read a cook book named “Birthplace of American Cuisine”. This book is really fascinating and very interesting. I couldn't agree more with the books description on Amazon… (see below)

"There is no other place in the United States where you can experience authentic early American culinary history. City Tavern was the social, political, and economic center of late 18th-century Philadelphia. Called the “most genteel” tavern in America by John Adams, it gained fame as the gathering place for members of the Continental Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, and for officials of the early Federal Government.

With more than 300 tempting, simple-to-make recipes and full-color photography, City Tavern will help home chefs and history buffs alike recreate the same dishes enjoyed by George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Featuring traditional favorites such as West Indies pepper pot soup, roasted duckling with chutney, Martha Washington’s recipe for chocolate mousse cake, and Thomas Jefferson’s own recipe for sweet-potato biscuits, this book’s recipes are sure to entice adults and children alike, while simultaneously providing them with a wealth of fascinating American and culinary history!"

More than just a cookbook, City Tavern is a treasury of American history.

Red Crimson Hat...

2012-01-31T20:45:00.000-08:00

Using Ella Rae Color #58Crimson, Fiber: 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool
Yardage: 200 Stitches: 5 Needle size: 8 Ball weight: 100g - using open cast on and caston 95 stitches in Ella Rae color#1 white and knitting 1x1 ribbing for 10 rounds. Changing to red andknitting desired length of beanie. Last three rounds k2togt, use darning needle andslip through all stitches, close opening. Using color red and cast on 3 Stitchesstart binding off with an I-cord. (Add three stitches and move them on theright needle; K2, k1-togt, slip the three stitches back to the left hand needleand repeat until all stitches bind off. Secure all tails and enjoy your new beanie.

Sirdar Escape

2012-01-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Easy to knit, stylish beanie, in Germany called Mütze.It is a beginner project and knitted in plain simple stockinette stitch and 1x1ribbing. The Mütze is knitted in the round. Yarn used: 2 skeins of SirdarEscape; Fiber 51% Wool, 49% Acrylic; Yardage 110; Stitches 5.5; Needle size 6; Ball weight 50g; color Euphoria #183. The yarn waspurchased at Yarntastik.org an online yarn shop.

What a great idea....

2012-01-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

I receivedthe pictures and description about a couple who purchased an old church inKyloe, Northumberland, PA. According to the Email text, the owners’ left theexterior nearly completely intact while focusing on the interior transformationof the church.
I have yetto take the time to investigate if this is true or a hoax. For all I recall, (I am originally from Europe) Northumberland is not in the US it’s in England.

Regardless,the pictures are beautiful, unique and just plain stunning. I wouldn't mindliving in an old church next to a cemetery. At least the neighbors are quiet.The walls probably so thick you will not hear any neighbor who has the absurddesire to entertain the entire neighborhood with his loud, annoying andobnoxious music. Sadly this kind of neighbor moved into my neighborhood twoyears ago and the weekly parties haven't gotten any better... on the contrarytheir irritating taste of music or what these people call music is an insult toreal music. ....
So real ornot... the pictures are amazing...

Ella Rae Baby Boy Blanket....

2012-01-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

I just completed one of the blankets I was blogging about earlier this week. Yarns used:

Ella Rae color #4 - Seafoam, and around the edges Ella Rae color #131 - Kashmir Blue Heather; Fiber: 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool,Yardage: 200 Stitches: 5 Needle size: 8 Ball weight: 100g

Escape by Sirdar

2012-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

I am working on a hat using Escape by Sirdar color #183,Fiber: 51% Wool, 49% Acrylic, Yardage: 110 Stitches: 5.5 Needle size: 6 Ballweight: 50g;

The yarn is comfortable to knit with and it knits up fast. I started from the top working my way down to the ribbing. When ribbingis completed I will sew a small visor in the front into the ribbing. I like a lot the different shades of greens and golden browns in the yarn.

Eggies….

2012-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

A funny name for a contraption which promotes theboiling of an egg without the shell by placing it into a plastic four-piececapsule which, in return, needs to float in a pot filled with boiling wateruntil hard boiled. It cost $10 plus $7.95 shipping cost. According to theonline advertisement, you can get two sets of “Eggies” for the price of one ifyou pay extra shipping, and as an added bonus, you will also receive two roundegg slicer.

I guess you’re asking yourself why I am posting this on mysite…. Well, I decided to do a product review because it just happened that the“Eggies” arrived just in time to be my new subject review. I could have pickeda pillow my husband recently purchased via the Internet, which I will do at alater time. So here is my “Eggies”review.

As I mentioned, my husband found an advertisement for“Eggies” on the Internet. He thought itwas interesting and maybe a useful addition for our other kitchen “toys”.

It was delivered yesterday, and after opening the box, Ithought, “Why not try it out?”

I made pictures, so you can follow step-by-step how theyturned out. Of course, after opening thebox and studying the content of it, I remembered my time in culinary school andon the subject of how to shape boiled eggs for decoration. It’s a fairly simpleprocess… and “Eggies” is using its interesting shape to produce a boiled egg,which is flat on one site and oval on the other. Advantages…. “Eggies” eggs aren’t rolling offthe table and sit flat on a surface, which eliminates the step of cutting eggsin half when making deviled eggs. Good point…. I used one “Eggie” container andone round plastic container for my boiled-without-a-shell egg experiment.

I assembled the “Eggie” mold according to the directions andoiled the inside of the mold. I did the same for my little plasticcontainer.

After placing both containers into a pot with warm water, Inoticed that while the “Eggie” contraption was standing on its little “feet”,whereas my little plastic mold was floating in the pot. Physics taught us when liquid is placedinside a container and placed in water; the container will tumble whilefloating. This is exactly what happenedto the little, round container.

The egg yolk was pulling the container on one side underwater, and as a result of this, the egg boiled into an oddly looking roundshape.

As you can see on the picture below, the eggs both came outcooked, no peeling was necessary, and the taste was not any different boiled the old fashion way with the shell.

I noticed that when the ring and lid aren’t screwed on tightenough on the “Eggies”. The egg willleak, and the egg white will run into the hot water. Also, the plastic lid on my little blue roundcontainer expanded and fell off during the cooking process because of the heatfrom the water. After removing the water from the container, the egg was edibleand tasted good. It had the taste and looks similar to a poached egg sort.

Whereas the "Eggie" egg (above) had an odd shaped look, being flat on one end, and oval shaped on the end.

All in all, is it money well spent? I’d say that unless you use dozens of hardboiled eggs a day and have to peel them, no, it’s not any faster; it doesn’ttaste any different, but maybe it’s a novelty way to boil an egg. However, you haveto clean the “Eggies” afterwards, and since the molds need to be oiled beforeplacing the raw egg in, it is more work.

Also, the opening for pouring the raw egg in the “Eggies” israther small, and if you miss the opening, your egg will most likely run ontoyour counter.

My opinion… It’s a nice toy you can use when cooking with your children and grandchildren, but for the everyday use, its up to you to decide if the extra cleaning is worthwhile to you.

I made a nice healthy salad with the boiled eggs from the "Eggies" experiment.

different projects...

2012-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

I am working on different projects concurrently in the hopesto get them all finished on time. I started a baby blue blanket and will start a second one on Wednesday. The main blanket is a full needle rib knit, made on the Bulky Brother 260 andyarns used are Ella Rae color #4 - Seafoam. I will crochet around the edgesin Ella Rae color #131 - Kashmir Blue Heather. And for the other blanket I will useElla Rae #44 - Baby Pink and for the edges either Ella Rae #13 - Khaki or color#15 - Raspberry. If I have enough time I will needlepoint a few stars on the pink and maybelittle cars on to the blue blanket.

I also got a few new books I would like to share...

1961 Marriner Children's Cosy Cardigans

2012-01-15T00:49:00.000-08:00

I started this little jacket before Christmas and somehow lost sight of it. Today, while searching for a special fiber I came across the unfinished project. Hench, I stopped what I was doing and completed the jacket. Yarns used... Ella Rae, Amity cherry red color 51, and Amity in color 01 white. The pattern is a raglan from the 1961 Marriner Children's Cosy Cardigans 4 page leaflet. The colors and stars are my own idea. The original 1961 Marriner Children's Cosy Cardigan was made in baby blue and the yarn suggestion was an acyclic fiber.

Vacation Project

2012-01-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Vacation is over and I will be back at work tomorrow. With the help of my friend Karin, who is also my machine knitting expert friend from Germany I learned how to use a (the) ribber. I have never really took the time to learn the function of the ribber. Now with Karin's help I did something incredible.... besides breaking six needles, jamming one into my thumb and hitting my head on the ribber bed mover (crawled under the knitting table to pick up a needle) I'm happy to show you my very own design .... a pink and white baby sweater with little snowflake.

front of sweater

back of sweater

just before adding the stars

shell before adding sleeves

Froehliche Weihnachten... Merry Christmas....Feliz Navidad...Joyeux Noël...Buon Natale...Feliz Natal...メリークリスマス...С Рождеством...Vrolijk kerstfeest...God jul...Veselé vánoce...Mutlu Noeller

2011-12-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Aphorism...

2011-12-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

There are many aphorisms around, but that one is one of my favorite….

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes"

-Charles Spurgeon

Busy knitting Christmas gifts, one scarf at a time…

2011-12-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

I have so many Lion Brand FunFur, Bernat Boa and Patons ChaCha left that I spontaneously decided to knit it all up in nice scarves with a decent length of 55 inches and 9 inches in the width. It takes between 3.5 and 4 skeins to reach the above measurements for each scarf. So far, I finished 5 scarves in different colors using Bernat Boa, and I still have three more colors I haven’t used yet. I need to make about 15 scarves total to give away. In case you may wonder…. I am not doing them by hand. Because of time constrains, I am taking advantage of my Bulky 260, a Brother Knitting Machine, setting the dial to #5 so that the fabric is somewhat fluffy and soft, and knitting 280 rows. Naturally, it does go very fast when the yarn is already prepared and rolled on the yarn winder and ready to be used.

I just love that one....

2011-12-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

Wittles and other creatures….

2011-12-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

Lena, who is a student at the Art Center in Pasadena, had to create for one of her finals something what doesn’t exist yet. My kid is always reading and is fascinated by fables, so came up with a thing called “Wittles”…

She created it on paper, and I showed her how to use the knitting machine…. After a couple hours… the “WITTLES” were born. She wrote.. “Wittles are rock spirits that hide as ordinary rocks until no one is looking. Then they come alive and create mischief wherever they go. With adorable fat heads and pudgy little arms, the naughty Wittles can’t be blamed for long. Lose a toy? Or a sock? Perhaps the Wittles have taken them away to play! With such adorbale little creatures, naturally my kid passed her final with flying colors.

Christmas gifts made by hand with love and …

2011-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Being in the habit of giving only handmade (or made by me on the knitting machine) Christmas gifts I am almost done with my gift list. This scarf will go to a good friend in Germany… its cold there so he will love to have something warm around his neck. Of course all gifts are made with the recipient in mind and with love…

Yarn used: combination yarn consistent of 40% Wool and 60% Alpaca. Knits easy and fast… Yarn was purchased in Peru, three years ago.

The World in Color....

2011-12-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Red and white always looks nice ....

2011-12-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

Having some red and white yarn leftover from another project I spontaneously started to knit a little jacket for a new born. Knits for the littlest ones are fast and always a welcomed gift.
Yarns used: Ella Rae Red Amity color red 51 and Ella Rae Amity color white 01.
The pattern is an easy raglan from the 1961 Marriner Children's Cosy Cardigans 4 page leaflet.

SOMETHING CUTE FOR THE NEW EARTHLING… Strickstuben Design II

2011-11-28T16:27:00.000-08:00

I finished the little sweater last night.... came out really cute!

SOMETHING CUTE FOR THE NEW EARTHLING… Strickstuben Design

2011-11-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine became a grandmother for the second time, and I thought... since not having anything important on any needle to knit a little something for the new arrival.

Using Lanes Du Nord Maxi, a surprisingly soft and easy to knit yarn, made of 70% Merino and 30% Acrylic. 50g have 109 yards and needle size 6 is recommended. It’s another worsted weight yarn made in Italy and it needs to be hand washed. I am using a soft olive green (color 597) and white (color 2). I wanted to be done with this little sweater yesterday; after all it’s for a new born and doesn’t take much time. However, I somehow lost track of time and as if my time flew a way yesterday, when I looked at the clock it was nearly 2AM. I went to bed and made plans to finish it today. Sunday is almost over, and I haven’t even looked at it since last night. I did however, made a picture of how far I’ve gotten. I still have to knit the collar and the buttonhole band.

THAT IS SO TRUE…..

2011-11-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

STRIPED BOY SWEATER

2011-11-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

For the past few day's I was working on a new sweater design. I like to use SIRDAR yarns from England a lot and picked Sirdar's Click 70% acrylic, 30% wool, shade 134 (3 balls) for this project. I couldn't find any red yarn I liked, so I used Debbie Bliss "STELLA" shade 09, made of 60% silk, 20% rayon and 20% cotton (1.5 balls) for the stripes. I do like how the sweater came out, however it's missing something in the front to set it apart from other striped sweaters. Thinking in terms of an application, either to sew on or to stitch on, I am playing with the idea of putting a "Thomas the Red Fire Engine" on the front of the sweater. Stay tuned...

HOLIDAY HOMECOMING BAZAAR

2011-11-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year... reserve next weekend for the Home Coming Bazaar. All items on display are hand crafted by local artist.Ms. Suzanna opens her home every year to host this wonderful creative event.
Since pictures speak more than a 1000 words, here we go... hope to see many of you there...

Cold and Flu Season here I come….

2011-10-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

…Since last week, I’ve been nurturing a cold or flu. Last week Saturday after my knitting group left, I went to bed and didn’t get up until Monday morning at 3:00 a.m., to get ready for work. I felt that the cold/flu symptoms hadn’t fully “hatched” yet, so I went to work. All week, I felt kind off miserable; my voice cracked and my temperature started to rise. It wasn’t enough to be concerned about it, but by Friday, all the classical symptoms of the flu hit me with such a force. I did manage to teach a beginning knitting class to my newest student and finish two scarves for a charity knit next month. However, I gave one of the scarves to my new student for her little girl. I always feel girls can’t have enough accessories when it comes to fashion. Besides, wearing a scarf never gets old anyway. The yarn I used for the scarves: Bernat Boa color #81505 Phoenix/Phenix. It’s a nice orange-copper color, very autumn- like.

After reading the paper this morning, I am now awake, doing my chores as I see fit. Of course, one always should have a “TO DO” list to remember what has to be done, if not for that reason, maybe for the simple pleasure feeling some sort of an accomplishment when crossing off a already completed tasks.

CHARITY KNITS

2011-10-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

I promised to knit a total of 150 items for a wide array of charities I am involved in this year. So far, I have completed 40 helmet liners for our military men and woman in Afghanistan and Iraq, 12 scarves and 15 hats for the Kaiser Cancer Group in Baldwin Park, and another 45 scarves for the back-to- school project in my own community. Now I am on the last leg, working on yet another 20 scarves and 20 hats for a homeless shelter. Although we are in California, our winters can be cold and wet, and for someone living outside, a hat and scarf can be very comforting in such hard weather conditions. Besides, isn’t it nice to give something to the less fortunate, and at the same time feel blessed that your life is great and you are in a position to give rather than to take and judge? A list of Charity Groups you can donate your items to can be found here.

With that, anyone who would like to knit a nice scarf or hat for the homeless shelter to be given away in November and December, I have high quality yarns leftover from my discontinued co-owner ship of All About Yarn. If you have the time to knit/crochet something for a good cause, please email me, let’s get together and do something selfless for someone else.

If you have any yarn leftover and like to donate it, here is another great source to do so. The following link is a listing of charities that need supplies, and not finished projects. And as always, contact the organisation first before sending your donations, in case they have moved.

Knitting Charities: Knitting for a Better World

I think I'm getting sick....

2011-10-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

It is warm outside, but I am cold. I am wearing a wool sweater and am not getting cozy. I believe I’m breading and nurturing some sort of a virus or such. Sitting on the sofa with a blanket on my lab, I finally finished today the red cable jacket I was working on for the past two weeks. Going through my button boxes, I found really cute porcelain buttons, hand painted and made in Germany and kinda old… just waiting to be sewed onto this jacket. So for the moment, here is a picture of my just finished cable baby jacket. Yarn used: Ella Rae Amity color Cherry Red, needle size 7 for a 6 – 15 month old baby.

At 3:00 p.m. I am getting together with my knitting group and am hoping to start a new project. I bought a new book called, colorwork creations, hats mittens and gloves. It’s Fair Isle and I do love to knot color strands and think one of these projects will make a great gift for a friend in a colder climate. I thought I will use either Opal sock yarn for this project or Regia sock yarn. I have a variety of colors left from both yarn makers. Maybe an alternative could be Click from Cirdar, since I have dozens of different colors left from this yarn as well. Except, there is no way I could knit a steek with the Sirdar yarn because it’s not 100% wool, ergo it will not hold together when cut.

How about creating...

2011-09-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I work on a sweater or pullover while knitting and reading the pattern, I think I would have done things a little differently. Just happened again…

I feel like creating my own pattern. After I finished the Cotton Candy sweater the other day, I decided spontaneously that it’s time to get creative again. Maybe I also feel like doing something productive because, currently, I am not very happy. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians sums it up pretty much, and naturally, situations like this create a lot of unnecessary stress. And when I am stressed, I need to knit and do something what keeps me calm and where I am in control. Now is the best time to start something creative… I have something specific in mind. Using Ella Rae Amity color red #58, dye lot 987, I started a jacket in size 4. I create this pattern as I knit along.

Cotton Candy Pullover

2011-09-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

All I did today was knitting... it was fun, relaxing and I loved that I was able to complete my newest project, which I started two days ago. I found this cute little pullover pattern in the book: TimelessKnits, by Chris de Longpré. I liked the pattern and the color of the knit. As soon as I saw it, I remembered I had some skeins of Amity color #45 by Ella Ray.. It was just the right color for this project. I used, 2 skeins, (400 yards total). It's a beginner project and knits up fast. After I was done I thought I should have used a different shaping for the armholes. Now the project is finished and it’s too late for any changes. Regardless, the pullover looks really charming, the yarn is soft and the color is just right for a little girl. I knitted the smallest size and it will fit a 3 – 4 year old.

Ella Rae Book Series....

2011-09-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

I have a number of great Ella Rae book. Last week my friend Nicolle gave me another one as a gift. It’s the Book Three for hand knitting called HOME WARES using Ella Rae Classic yarns throughout the book. Many lovely patterns from throws to pillows to jackets are included. That will keep me a while busy to try pout some of the pattern.

Karabella Yarns...

2011-09-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

I started a nice checker scarf using Karabella Yarns #7 from the Iris collection. I just love this yarn. It's bulky, knits up fast and is very soft. Unsurprisingly yarns made of extrafine merino wool, silk and cashmere has to be very soft.

When knife meets finger....

2011-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

...that means there is no knitting going on for the next few days.
I had a little cooking accident while cutting cauliflower. I slipped up with the knife and cut myself in the finger so deep that I needed to go to the emergency room and required three stitches to close the gap. Now I have to wear a "fashionable" metal splint for a while and holding a knitting needle feels odd with this contraption.

I looked through my books the other day searching for something more exiting to knit then a blanket. I ended up admiring a jacket, which was featured on page 9 in volume 3 of the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary. The pattern is called houndstooth and knitted with two colors. I really like it and am now looking through my yearnshop shelves in hopes of finding the right yarn. I am lucky, because It's nice to have access to hundreds of colorful skeins, and dozens of designer yarns when starting something new. Although, I am not yet certain what second color I will use for this cardigan, but the main color for sure is black.... maybe a green shade would look nice?

I love to knit with ....

2011-09-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

... Ella Rae Classic yarn. It's not only easy to knit with it glides clean and soft through your fingers when knitting. I found this cute pattern of stripes and thought I will knit a little blanket for a child. In November, Suzanne's annual Home Coming Bazaar will open and I was invited to display a few of my designs and items I knitted during the year. I am still not sure what I want to display just yet, but as the date comes closer I will be ready with some really nice knitted items for the bazaar.

I am using 12 different colors of Ella Rae Classic; Color # 01, 11, 17, 21, 26, 35, 42, 49, 58, 57, 60, 115,

I will knit one square of each color, and 8 striped squares. After that I will create a color chart and assemble the different squares to a blanket. Naturally, since I have a wonderful Brother, KH 260 knitting machines to my disposal I thought I will knit the plain colored squares on the machine, it's faster and easier at the same time. So stay tuned I’m hoping to have some of the squares ready to showcase within the next week or so.

I am behind updating...

2011-09-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

...my blog regularly… I apologize. I changed jobs, and am rather busy getting the ritual of all of what is expected of me on paper work and other necessities associated with my new position. Needless to say, my new position is keeping me busy but not in the sense that I wouldn’t have time to knit or do other creative things. The Saturday afternoon knitting group meets regularly at my house and we’re having a great time. My online yarn shop (Yarntastik) is doing well and I am religiously keeping up with my daily 60 minutes exercise regimen, and am making sure that my pedometer reads a minimum of 10-thousand steps a day. Currently the group is learning the art of knitting socks. Yarns we’re using, Opal and Regia and I made a pair of socks with Ella Rae Classic, 100% wool. Since I have a lot of yarn left over from the socks I started a pair of fingerless gloves with a “lid”. I found the pattern in the English knitting magazine, Simply Knitting, October 2010 issue, page 59.

Isn't he adorable?

2011-08-14T17:33:00.001-07:00

MODERN ART....

2011-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

I love that......and it is so true...

Modern Art
by Craig Damrauer

THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:

2011-07-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

1. You had to wash the clothesline before hanging any clothes – walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.

2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.

3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail! What would the neighbors think?

4. Wash day on a Monday! ...... Never hang clothes on the weekend or for-sure, not on Sunday!

5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)

6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather ... clothes would "freeze-dry".

7. Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"

8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins with the next washed item.

9. Clothes off the line before dinner time; neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.

10. IRONED? On Tuesday.. Well, that's a whole other subject!

City of Bell.....

2011-07-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

I just was watching a news segment on channel 2, concerning the City of Bell’s fruitless search for a city manager. Judging by the news report and the pictures,the council meeting shown, resembles more like a three ring circus, with many people jumping from the seats and shouting. On the other hand, can you blame them? I guess not, these people have been deceived in such criminal way, it's unbelievable. It’s a wonder that Rizzo and his henchman didn’t get physically hurt.

Honestly I wonder, how difficult can it be to manage a city? I mean, we have instances of people who are elected, or appointed to city and state wide offices on an idea or a personal opinion without any experiences whatsoever. I think it’s all a matter of how you look at. The current interim manager, Pedro Carillo (God bless his heart) did a wonderful job keeping the city afloat and working through all the controversies surrounding his city, and his former boss. I think the mayor of the city, AliSaleh said it in one smart sentence… “I’ll do it if we can’t find one”. Hopefully Mr. Mayor you will find a suitable city manager, replacing the interim. If you need help… let me know. I have a background in business and negotiation, work well with others, leadership experiences, can manage money, read a budget and I am always up for new challenges…. The city deserves a brighter, better future after what Rizzo and his cronies did to the citizens of Bell. Maybe I should apply…. or maybe not…

Are You Ready for a Career Change?

2011-07-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Are You Ready for a Career Change? I received this question and a quiz from Inside Tech. According to their website the test has been taken 322 times. The quiz has 10 questions…

1. How often do you job hunt at the office?

2. What percentage of your day is spent surfing the web?

3. When waking up in the morning, you think …

4. How often do you play the lottery?

5. How often do you feel excited to be working on a project?

6. What is your main goal at your current job?

7. How much coffee/soda do you drink in a workday?

8. How often do you attend Happy Hour during the workweek?

9. How many times do you get up from your desk during the day?

10. How often do you explain details of your job to friends and family?

… the first thing I saw, after clicking the finish button is an advertisement from Keller graduate school… and finally… what does the results hold in store for me? “You Just Need a Vacation” I read in big letters, and underneath “You are burned out and need to take an extended break from your desk — and a three-day weekend doesn't count. Take a week off, drop the kids off with your parents and head to Hawaii for a nice, relaxing vacation. If that doesn't work, talk to your boss about relieving some of your workload or changing some of your duties”.

Well I guess my boss is on the same page as I am, unfortunately, the school budget hinges on the CA state budget, and we all know the alarming circumstances and sad stories around that subject matter. Anyway, I am a school teacher and only work a handful of summer school hours… so I have plenty of time to relax right now. I actually wish right the opposite… more work, more hours…

Maybe you like to take the quiz too? Just follow the link…

WORDS OF WISDOM...

2011-07-12T15:16:00.001-07:00

...GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

‘We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. (We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! )

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets… .’

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

YELLOW-GREEN AND YELLOW AMITY SCARF...

2011-07-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

...using leftover Ella Rae Amity, in color #42 yellow and #28 greenish yellow, according to KF website it's called yellow, I think it looks more like a shade of green... what ever we call color #28... it's a gorgeous color and in harmony with color shade #42. As I mentioned before, I need to reduce my "leftover" stash of half'used skeins.

So another scarf for the Home Coming Bazaar in November.

Using leftover yarns….

2011-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

...and creating something lovely to give away as gifts or to keep yourself… whatever you decide, using the old scraps of surplus yarns from other projects is most creative. I did just that, using a darker blue cotton acrylic yarn and a lighter shade of blue, Amity from Ella Rae. I crocheted an attractive scarf for a friend, a collector of hand-knitted and crocheted scarfs, whose birthday is right around the corner.

Another leftover yarn project is this nice-looking beanie, made of Sirdar Breeze Cotton-rich DK, shade 0065, and a few yards of Spumoni Tahki shade 19. The pattern is generic, and therefore the beanie is easy and fast to make.

Iris Karabella Yarn Baby Jacket

2011-06-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

A gift for Morgan's baby girl...

Yarn used: 230 yards (3.5 balls) Iris Karabella 70% extra-fine merino wool, 20% silk, 10% cashmere,

Needle size 10
Contrasting color... any matching color

You will find the pattern free on Ravelry

Summer School... and other News…

2011-06-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

First week of summer school… although teaching only one course still a lot of work to prepare the lessons, student files and all the material and headache that go with it. I am supposed to be at the school board meeting tonight, but somehow I lost track of time…. I’m reviewing a Moodle 2.0 book for a publisher and was busy writing my review. I also have to finish the wildfiber yarn shop review, which I promised to have done by next week. Being that busy leaves not much time for other things. Nevertheless something exciting happened last week. I wore my pink/green necktie to a workshop in Los Angeles and met a lovely young woman who said she loves the tie and that the colors are the colors of her sorority. As were talking, somehow the conversation came to knitting and neck tie in sorority colors and when we were ready to conclude out conversation we exchanged addresses. I am now knitting three necktie proto- designs and send it to her. With a little luck the sorority ladies like what they see and may order ties from my design studio “Strickstuben Design”. That would be so awesome!!!

I just have to show this...

2011-06-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

When I am old I gonna to things like that too and will have lot's of fun....

WILDFIBER

2011-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

I call this yarn shop "Seventh Heaven", and I wish I had had more time to browse through the huge selection of incredibly fine and exotic yarns displayed at “Wildfiber”. Lucinda and I went there to write a yarn shop review… “Wildfiber” is an elegant and extravagant yarn shop in Santa Monica with exceptional customer service, and is the friendliest and most pleasant “yarn paradise” you can wish for when shopping for yarn...

Come back in a few day's and read all about our Santa Monica yarn shop adventure...

Easy to Remember Pattern...

2011-06-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

This pattern only has 4 rows and is easy to remember. I am using Lion Brand Landscape 100% wool and needle size 13. It knits up fast and is a nice break from the size 3-6 needles I usually work with.

CO 18 stitches, Edge stitches are worked in garter st throughout.
Row1: K2, (K2,P1) 4 times, ending K4
Row2: K2, P2 (K1, P2) 4 times, ending K2.
Row3: K2, (K2,P1) 4 times, ending K4

Row4: Knit

Repeat the 4 rows as many times, until scarf measures desired length, ending with a Row2, and BO loosely all stitches.

I haven’t had much time recently to knit. Although I have my knitting group every Saturday and am giving private lessons on Wednesday evenings I wasn’t able to knit much during the past two and half month. I got sick and between being sick, my teaching job, my family and my knitting friends I lay most at the time in bed. I’m much better now but hope that after the surgery in July I will be back to my old self….

Summer school starts next week, and although I teaching one computer science course and about 30 hours of course development I feel it’s a welcome break from the routine teaching assignment I had this last semester. During the summer everything is so much more relaxed and less stress full.

Coming Monday evening I am at the formal pinning ceremony for our vocational medical students… (I created all the online course modules used) and Tuesday evening we will have our regular scheduled graduation. This one is not only formal but also very festive. We teachers, leading the procession wearing our own cap and gowns with our replicas representing the degree earned from our respective universities. (I received my masters from Ashford University in Clinton Iowa, in Education—Teaching and Learning with Technology). Excitingly, if all goes as planned the school counselor and I will sing together the national anthem at the beginning of the ceremony. It’s always special and humble to see our students graduating and getting their pins, degrees and certificates. Seeing the students walking and receiving their diplomas is a proud moment, not only for the students and their families, but also for all teachers who crossed paths with the students….

Viktoria's first project ...

2011-06-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Vicky one of our former exchange student which we hosted in 2005 is visiting us from Germany right now. Semester break and she thought visiting us would be great. Naturally, we always love and welcome back our many exchange students. We hosted a total of six and still have a great relation ship with all of them. Vicky, after graduating from Glendora High School went back to Germany and studied Chemistry at the university of Koeln.

She never knitted before and I thought it would be an experience for her to try out the knitting machine.She did great..... I added two rows of crochet to the sites to stop it from curling.... Yarn used...

2 Ella Rae Amity color # 13

As you can see the scarf she made looks really and fashionable.

more finished projects...

2011-05-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Christina started to knit a few month ago for the very first time. Since I am a strong believer in continental knitting, she learned the continental way and finished her scarf today....
Yarn used...Sirdar Peru, Color Inca,Needle Size 8

Sherry has been working on a another scarf for the Kaiser Cancer Foundation in Baldwin Park. Her scarf is made of Sirdar Click, color lilac, yarn used little more then two skeins.

Verona's Strickstuben Design.....

2011-05-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

finished the little boy's jacket started a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't able to knit as much as I'd have loved due to my current limitations. However, last but not least I finished the jacket for the little guy.

Design:
Verona's Strickstube
Yarn:
2 skein of Patons Classic Wool in color Cognac Heather
1 skein of Patons Kroy Socks Jacquards
4 Buttons
The details are in the bind off.... I've used Icord bind off and think it's the most beautiful finishing s of all.
Care:
Wash cold, dry on flat surface

Knitting America...

2011-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

...A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art, is the title of the new book in my knitting library. It also includes 20 historical knitting pattern and many stories and pictures and examples on how garment were done. The book talks about traveling stitches and about Utopian knitters. Interesting looking stockings, knee breeches from 1790, which where knitted in cotton and lined with linen. Great pictures of Amish and Mennonite knitting projects can be seen reaching back as far as 1873.

I liked reading about the native Alaskan Qiviut Lace knitting, which was documented by Donna Druchunas and I loved in chapter five the story about "Knitting for an Age of Optimism". Some of the modern patterns we use today are clearly related to these old projects. The knit picot stitch shawl or the neck wrap from the "ladydown" sweater are only two of dozens seen in the book.

Chapter six talks about "The Knitting War" and how it came that the world started to knit for the war.
According to the story, that even before America entered the war, "knitters around the world were already sending hand-knit comforts to soldiers and refugees in Europe". Knitters in Australia knitted socks "astonishing" numbers of socks to be send to Europe. Also knitting and poetry was very closely related at the home front. Mrs. Philadelphia N. Robertson wrote the poem, "A Woman's Prayer:"

I am so placid as I sit

In train or tram and knit and knit;

Within the house I give due heed

To every duty, each one's need.

Sometimes the newsboys hurry by,

And then my needles seem to fly

And when the house has grown quite still,

I lean out on my window sill -

And Pray to god to see to it

That I keep sane enough to knit.

It's a nice poem and when we think about it.... it hits home again…nothing has changed... we write the year 2011 and America is engaged in two wars. Woman all over the world knit for soldiers to give them comfort and love by knitting and sending warm clothing, needed most. A knitted helmet liner a pair of socks, a scarf or some mittens, each of those hand knitted items let our soldiers know that we are thankful to each and every one of them. Liked thousands of knitters around the world I too participated and knitted about 15 pair of socks, dozens of helmet liners and mittens to be shipped to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Knitting America ISBN: 978-0-7603-2621-3 printed by Voyageur Press

Boy's Jacket....

2011-05-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

This adorable little jacket when done is for an equally adorable little guy named Corbin. Using Patons 100% pure Classic Wool and Patons Kroy Socks Jacquards 75% wool, 25% nylon, needle size 6. Fronts and back are made in one piece up to the armhole decreases. It's knitted in stockinette stitch. I used an open cast on and added the rib the last. The I-cord bin-off gives the hem a nice finishing touch. I am currently working on the sleeves.

Vogue Knitting coming to Los Angeles....

2011-04-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

Isn't that cool??? Click to get the scoop...
or click to see the video clip.

Socks done... next.. gloves

2011-04-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

I completed the socks and am now working on matching gloves and beanie. My daughter is going on a ski trip to Austria in December and these items will came pretty handy when enjoying the snowy Alps.

Socks are easy, fun and fast to knit...

2011-04-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

I found 2 skeins of Regia sock yarn in my stash which I received a while ago from Germany. I also got a Regia sock yarn box, but not with the yarn pictured on top. The yarns used for this striped version of a basic sock are: Regia Softy a 4ply fuzzy yarn in white and for the accent color I’ve chosen a skein of alpaca yarn, which I bought a long time ago on EBay.

... and a pillow case it is...

2011-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Using up all these little balls of yarn, leftovers from other projects is fun. Creating something new, something what isn't featured in any book, because it's your own creation. I did just that with two 1/2 skeins of yarn I had leftover from the Barbara Walker afghan and from a cardigan I made a while ago for my friend in Arizona. I had a small pillow lying around with an old cotton cover, not nice looking any more. With this knitted cover, the pillow has a new lease on life. Each side looks different, what lends this pillow some charm.

What life has to offer...

2011-04-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

...well in our case a leaking main water line from the meter to the house. The water came in small streams out of the concrete on the driveway. The pipe must have been leaking for quiet some time. A lot of mess and a huge repair bill later the pipe was replaced and everything is back to normal...

In order to lay the pipe free a section of the front yard was opened up all the way to the garage.

See the water coming out from under the driveway by the truck?

Strickstuben Design

2011-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

…it started out as eyelet vest and somehow ended up as something totally different. Reason why>? I found it rather annoying having to jump from one place in the pattern to the next in order to keep up with the pattern sequence. Why are designer sometimes so difficult to get? The pattern I’ve chosen was so wired written that I just gave up and kept on doing my own thing. I hate when the pattern ask me to jump all over, having to turn pages, searching for section and not clear written in order to get the right shaping done. Anyhow what’s done is done and here are the results of my frustration…. Or so I thought. I like the vest and it will be a very nice gift for a friend of mine. Yarn Sirdar Breeze 100% cotton, Color Mint, 3x100gram skeins

The front of the vest falls open and is hanging in triangles down. The material is nice and soft and has a certain flow to the pattern. The size shown XL.

Fran finished....

2011-04-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

her Entrelac scarf and as you can see the colors are perfectly mixed and matched in each entralac.

Fran also completed a another scarf with Katia Rizos yarn, which is a novelty yarn and looks like a crossover between a tape and a ladder yarn.

Finally completed...

2011-04-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

This little boy’s jacket is really cute and a sweet taste that it is finally completed. Just ask Margaret….she is happy that she now can give it a way.

Cropped Eyelet Vest

2011-03-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

… my new project is coming along, a little slow.... I have somewhat trouble to get into the rhythm of this pattern. slow or fast..the pattern looks great in Sirdar Breeze mint.

Baby Booties in Pink...

2011-03-23T22:31:00.001-07:00

Baby booties are so cute....

new project...

2011-03-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

…it seems like times flies fast especially when you have so much to do that you’re afraid not been able to get everything done as planned. I am supposed to work on a project which I will present on April 1th to a number of school administrators. I am working on instructional design and online course development. I am halfway through the design process and feel it’s not good enough. On the other hand husband tells me it’s a great project and very good.
To keep second guessing my presentation, I decided to take a break and start a new project. The project I have in mind is from the great designer Irina Poludnenko and called cropped eyelet vest.

easy to knit and nice to look at....

2011-03-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Home Coming Bazaar

2011-03-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well it may be still a little early to think on holiday bazaar’s but it’s never too early to start working on possible projects. Karin had these adorable hats and I copied one of them. Naturally without a pattern it always will look different, oh and that fur pompom I exchanged for a wool pompom.

I really like them...

2011-03-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

...don't the hats look great? Karin my knitting friend from Germany, who has her own yarn shop called Karinsocke, made these adorable looking hats, or German language called "Műtzen"

JoJo's Birthday Gift...

2011-03-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

...is ready to be send to Germany. I found at Old Navy a little blouse. Together with the vest it looks just adorable. Can't wait to see her wearing it. It's a little big for her but kids grow fast....

She Lives In A Boeing 727

2011-03-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

What a creative idea! Joanne Ussary bought a used Boeing 727. She paid $2,000.00 for the plane. It cost $4,000.00 to move and $24,000.00 to renovate. (She has a LOT of wood and specialty windows for $24,000! I want her carpenter!) Not bad for a $30,000.00 investment.... The stairs open with a garage door remote and one of the bathrooms is still intact. There is a personal Jacuzzi in the cockpit. The Boeing home is featured as part of a collection of creative conversions.

JoAnn Ussery and her airliner home, on the shores of Lake Whittington in Mississippi.

A living room occupies the forward section of the converted airliner. The TV and entertainment center is setup in the former cockpit.

The kitchen area has all of the standard appliances.

THE WOMAN WHO DID THIS IS A GENIUS....VERY CREATIVE!

Cool!

http://www.airportjournals.com/Display.cfm?varID=0305005

EXOTIC ROSEWOOD KNITTING NEEDLES...

2011-02-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

... a must for the professional knitter, or so I thought. I clipped two 50% off coupons from Michael's which I found in my Sunday papers and decided spontaneously that I NEED new needles. I always wanted Rosewood needles but shied away from it because of its price tag. However, 50% off is a deal I couldn’t refuse. So I bought a pair #7 and #8, 14 inch straight long Rosewood needles and in about an hour I will sit down and knit a hat using my new needles.

tired little pooch...

2011-02-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

...cuddling up in a warm Barbara Walker afghan which I've made a long time ago for my husband.

little vest for JoJo...

2011-02-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

I made this adorable vest for my niece JoJo (Johanna) in Germany. Yarns used: Sirdar Click and a Newtons cotton cone in variegated cotton candy.

SECOND BABY BLANKET READY...

2011-02-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

...to be picked up. This one is for a baby girl. Yarns used, Sirdar Breeze in pink/rose and a Newtons cotton cone in variegated cotton candy. Pattern 4 x 1 rib, 6 row color change, 200 rows, 180 stitches wide. Crochet around the edges, one row single crochet, 1 row double crochet, 1 row half dp crochet, 1 row shells (*3 dp crochet in same space, skip one 3 dp crochet in same space, skip one*).

MINT GREEN AND WHITE BABY BLANKET...

2011-02-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

I was asked by a friend if I can make (quickly) two baby blankets. With the help of the “bulky” I was able to finished the first one on Thursday evening and I am almost done with the second one. Yarns used: Sirdar Breeze in mint, off white hand spun pure cotton.

STRIPES FOR KARIN’S FIRST BABY…

2011-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

...a very dear friend from Germany, whom I know since she was 14 years old is having her first baby. Karin babysat my daughter in Germany when Lena was a toddler. Later Karin spends almost a year with us in America taking a load of my shoulder. I worked two jobs and Karin was my helper in every situation. Taking care of Lena when I was at work, getting her on time to school, supervising her homework, making sure the animals are taken care of, and doing housework and so on. Without her I would have never been able to explore the one time opportunity I’ve got in 2001 advancing my carrier. Now back in Germany, becoming a kindergarten teacher, she is happily married and expecting her first baby any day now. I thought I will get creative and knit something colorful for the new arrival.
Yarns used:
Ella Rae Classic in the colors #21 (maroon) #35 (lime) #49 (water blue) 100% Wool;
Knit Picks: 100% Merino wool in natural white. I bought the merino wool a long time ago, when I had my natural color dye projects done. I found some cute balloons buttons which totally round up he color theme of the jacket.

ELLA RAY CLASSIC PROJECT...

2011-02-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

I've completed this great looking shell. Ella Ray Classix in color # 49. This is a faily easy project for the beginning knitter. If you like this simple pattern, please send me an email, it's free and I will email it to you.

KNITTED TIE...

2011-01-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

Knitted ties are the hit in Europe right now. Katja, showed me a picture of a kit she wanted to order from a company in England. My first thought was "wow that's expensive"...Taking a closer look after getting over the price shocker I noticed that tie was in garter stitch and just a straight forward pattern. I estimated the stitches after I read what needs and what type of yarn the kit included. Anyhow, make a long story short, I took two colors of Katia VIP yarn and started to knit the tie from memory. Here it is....since I will wear it, I used pastel colors matching many of my blouses.

SHELDON...

2011-01-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

...may I introduce Sheldon the "Super Turtle" to you? A adorable and lovable creature. I found the free pattern on a Website and was magically drawn to this charming little thing. Easy and quick to make, and I am certain every child would love Sheldon.

Sheldon is name the designer gave the little guy, and I say the name fits perfectly.

EASY KNITS...

2011-01-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Legwarmers are the easiest and one of the fasted projects to knit. Legwarmers are a great gift for little Ballerinas or friends who live, say in New York with its many snow storms this year.

DEBBIE BLISS BOAT NECK SWEATER

2011-01-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

My friend in Germany is expecting her first baby, a boy. When I saw the little sweater in one of Debbie Bliss's books I thought immediately of my friend and her soon to be born baby boy. I had DB Baby Cashmerino yarn in my stash and as you can see it knits up rather fast, with almost no shaping involved.

A GREAT CABLE JACKET...

2011-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

using bulky yarn is a blessing when something has to be done quick. This cute little jacket can be knit up within days. It's a basic project and knits up fairly easy.

MY NEXT PROJECT

2011-01-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a great Fair Isle project? I just love it and have to knit it...

2011-01-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Knitted Purse...

2011-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

I found this cute bag pattern on the Internet and am happy to finally have found a great use for all my left over Ella Rae yarn.

BABY JACKET AND MATCHING HAT...

2011-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

I thought this little jacket and hat combination would be a great gift for a baby shower. Using Sirdar Snuggly Soft and Bella Bee buttons.

Maxine...

2011-01-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

a woman you just have to love ....

Maxime on knitting...

Heritage Sock Yarn....

2011-01-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

In a couple of weeks we will start a new sock class. I've chosen Opal and Heritage yarns for my students. Here is a lovely to knit sock pattern. Sample sock made with Cascade Heritage yarn.

It's done....

2011-01-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

kitchen renovation on its last "leg"...

2011-01-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

and granite it is... believe it, the renovation is almost completed. The counter top installation is in full swing. I have four handsome handy professionals here installing 92 sq feet of counter top and full size back splash. Here is a little sneak peak of one of the corner's almost completed..... what a beautiful kitchen... can't wait to start cooking again.

my new granite counter top

Decorative knitted throw pillow cover...

2011-01-09T23:14:00.000-08:00

I had some left over yarn from a sweater I've made some time ago for my friend in Germany, and a toss pillow without proper cover in a drawer. A perfect match... it took only one and half skeins of Plymouth Encore yarn to knit up this interesting looking pillow cover.

ELEGANT CABLE SEED STITCH BERET

2011-01-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

This elegant cable and seed stitch beret is an easy and fast evening project for the advanced beginner /intermediate knitter. Knowledge of chart reading is required. Yarn used, Debbie Bliss 100% Pure Cotton color # 05, silver gray, 50gram /82meter. Needle: two 16 inch circular needle in sizes 7 and 8, or sizes to obtain gauge.

Collared Scarf by Debbie Bliss

2011-01-03T22:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Nicolle surprised me with the new Debbie Bliss “The Knitters’s Year” on Christmas. Having many other Debbie Bliss books I noticed a couple of her designs in this book are recycled from other books by her. Which reminds me I’ve observed that even in her magazine which is barley two years old that is recycling some of her older designs? Regardless I found this nice scarf she calls collared scarf, and it looks like a collar, I thought it would be a great accessory to many outfits. The pattern calls for DB Cashmerino Aran a blend of 55% merino wool, 33 % microfiber, and 12% cashmere. I've chosen DB Rialto which is a 100% Merino wool superfine.

used: 2 skeins of DB Rialto

a cable beret with continental chic...

2011-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

that's how Debbie Bliss describes this adorable beret design in her new book, with which my friend Nicolle surprised me on Christmas. The pattern calls for DB Rialto a 100% Merino wool superfine. I like DB yarn and one of my favorite is "Rialto".

A Debbie Bliss Design

Baby Cardigan Set

2010-12-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

Cardigan

Hat

Socks

MATERIALS:

Smaller sizes: 1 skeins Opal Brazil [or color of choice]

Larger Size: 2 skeins

Size 1 Straight Needles & set of

dpns Size 2.5 - 3.0mm (U.S. Size 1)

5 little buttons - 2 Stitch holders

SIZE: for 3, 6 and 9 months

Measurements:

Cardigan: chest width 64 (68, 72 cm), length 24 (27, 30 cm)

Hat: head width 40 (42, 44) cm, length 13 (14, 15) cm.

GAUGE: 28 sts. is 10 cm in stockinette stitch.

NOTE: cardigan is knitted from sleeve to sleeve.

FIRST SLEEVE: front and back:

Cast on 40 (42, 44) sts for the first sleeve and knit garter st. for 5 rows.

Increase 1 st at each side of the sleeve in every 4th row until 62 (68, 74)

sts. Continue until sleeve measures 12 (16, 20) cm in height. Don't break

the yarn and cast on an additional 36 (42, 48) sts for the front. Knit the sts

of the front, then the sts of the sleeve, and (again with the same thread!)

make another 36 (42, 48) sts for the back (134, 152, 170 sts). Knit the first

and last 5 sts in garter stitch all the way. This will form the waistband.

Continue to a total height of 22,5 (27, 31,5) cm.

LEFT FRONT:

Now the work will be divided in two and the front neck will be formed.

Knit the first 67 (76, 87) sts and put them on a stitch holder. This will

become the back eventually. Continue for the left front and decrease 1

stitch at the beginning of the row. Repeat this decrease in every 2nd row

12 x until 55 (64, 75) sts are left. Continue until left front measures 16 (17, 18) cm. The total height of your work should be 27 (32, 37) cm. now. Knit

another 2 cm. in garter st. for the button band. Cast off loosely. Put the

piece aside until needed.

RIGHT FRONT:

Cast on 55 (64, 75) sts for the second front. Work 2 cm in garter stitch for

the band and knit 5 little buttonholes evenly divided after 1 cm. Continue

to work the right front as given for the left front, but in reverse. Put the 67

(76, 87) stitches on a stitch holder until needed.

BACK:

Put the sts for the back on the needle again and work until back measures

21,5 (23, 24,5) cm in hight. Total height of your work should be 33,5 (39,

44,5) cm.

BACK AND RIGHT FRONT:

Put the right front on the needle again and knit back and front until back

measures 32 (34, 36) cm in height. Total height of your work should be 44

(50, 56) cm. Cast off 36 (42, 48) sts at beginning of next 2 rows. Only the

sts. for the second sleeve are left on your needle now. There should be 62,

(68, 72) sts remaining.

SECOND SLEEVE:

Knit the sleeve as given for the first sleeve, but in reverse. So decrease 1

stitch at each side of the row in every 4th row until 40 (42, 44) sts and

finish with knitting 5 rows in garter stitch at a height of 12 (16, 20) cm.

Total height of your work from wrist to wrist should be 56 (66, 76) cm.

COLLAR AND FINISHING:

From the wrong side, pick up and knit 64 (68, 72) stitches between

buttonhole bands for the neck. Work 6 cm in garter stitch. Cast off loosely.

Join sleeve and side seams. Sew on 5 buttons.

HAT:

Use dpn needles and cast on 112 (118, 124) sts. Work 2 cm ribbing 2/2.

Continue in st.st. until 9 (10, 11) cm. Now decrease in every 4th row by

knitting every 6th and 7th stitch together. Continue to do so until 14 sts

remain. Finish the hat any way you please. For instance: keep on

decreasing until no sts. remain. Or continue knitting the 14 sts for a while.

Bind off. Or make a long I-Cord tube with the 14 st. and put a knot in it.

Use your imagination and enjoy!

Zigzag Socks

2010-12-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Materials

Opal Self-patterning or Handpainted, 75% superwash wool/25% polyamid,

465 yds / 425 m per 100 g skein: 1 skein color #11.

US 1 / 2.25mm set of 5 double pointed needles; darning needle

This Pattern knits Opal Prisma Collection GREAT!

Yarn substitutes

Variegated yarns will work well with this pattern; self-patterning (faux Fairisle, etc.) yarns may obscure the zigzag pattern.

Sizes

8 inches / 20 cm (9 inches / 23 cm) around foot and 9 inches / 23 cm (9 1/2 inches / 24 cm) from top of

leg to bottom of heel

Gauge

38 sts over 4 inches / 10 cm in zigzag pattern stitch

31 sts over 4 inches / 10 cm in circular stockinette stitch

Abbreviations

k-f/b: increase 1 stitch by knitting in the front and back loops of the same stitch

ssk: slip slip knit – slip 2 stitches individually as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop.

dd: double decrease – slip 2 stitches together as if to knit, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitches

over the knitted stitch

sl1 – slip 1 stitch as if to purl

Leg

Cast on 76 (84) sts. Divide sts. onto 4 needles, 19 (21) sts on each. Join into a round, being careful not

to twist sts.

Note: this join is the beginning of all future rounds; it is at the back of the leg. Needles are numbered

relative to this join – the first one worked is #1, etc.

Begin ribbing: *k2, p2; repeat from * around. Work established ribbing pattern for 1 inch / 2.5 cm.

Begin zigzag pattern:

Round 1: k every stitch.

Round 2: *k-f/b, k7 (8), dd, k7 (8), k-f/b; repeat from * a total of 4 times.

Work zigzag pattern until leg measures 6 3/4 inches / 17 cm (7 inches / 18 cm) or desired length to top

of heel. End with round 1.

Heel

Heel flap: k19 (21) sts on needle #1, turn. Sl1, P37 (41), turn. These 38 (42) sts form the heel flap. The

remaining 38 (42) sts form the instep and are unused for the moment. Work heel back and forth, turning

after every row.

Row 1: *sl1, k1; repeat from *.

Row 2: sl1, p37 (41).

Repeat the last 2 rows 15 (17) more times.

Turn heel:

Row 1: sl1, k20 (22), ssk, k1, turn.

Row 2: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 3: sl1, knit within 1 st of the gap, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 4: sl1, purl to within one st of the gap, p2tog, p1, turn.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all heel sts are worked. There are 22 (24) heel sts.
Heel gussets:

sl1, k21 (23) heel sts, pick up and k16 (18) sts along the side of the heel flap. Work 38

(42) instep sts in established pattern (round 2 of zigzag pattern, but repeat from * a total of 2 times). With

an empty needle, pick up and k16 (18) sts along the other side of the heel flap, k11 (12) sts from the

heel needle. There are 19 (21) sts on needles #2 and #3, 27 (30) sts on needles #1 and #4.

Round 1: Work to 3 sts from end of needle #1, k2tog, k1. Work instep sts in established pattern (round 1

of zigzag pattern). K1, ssk at beginning of needle #4, work to end.

Round 2: Work to 1 st from end of needle #1, sl1. Work instep sts in established pattern (round 2 of

zigzag pattern). Sl1 at beginning of needle #4, work to end.

Note: in the heel and foot portions, the instep stitches on needles #2 and #3 are demarcated by slipped

stitches at each side to resemble the patterning of the leg portion. The slipped stitches are made every

other round on those edges of needles #1 and #4 which border the instep.

Repeat the last 2 rounds until there are 16 (18) sts on needles #1 and #4. There are 38 (42) instep sts

and 32 (36) sole stitches, 70 (78) sts total. The difference in the number of instep and sole stitches

accounts for the varying tensions of zigzag and stockinette stitch patterns.

Foot

Continue even in established pattern (including the slipped stitches mentioned above) until foot

measures 2 inches (5 cm) less than desired finished length. End with round 1 of zigzag pattern.

Toe

Round 1: Work needle #1 even. *K1, ssk at the beginning of needle #2, work to 3 sts from end of needle,

k2tog, k1. Repeat from * for needle #3. Work needle #4 even. 66 (74) sts remain.

Round 2: Work needle #1 even. K1, ssk at the beginning of needle #2. Work to 3 sts from end of needle

#3, k2tog, k1. Work needle #4 even. 64 (72) sts remain.

Round 3: Work even.

Round 4: Work to 3 sts from end of needle #1, k2tog, k1. K1, ssk at beginning of needle #2. Work to 3

sts from end of needle #3, k2tog, k1. K1, ssk at beginning of needle #4, work to end of needle.

Round 5: Work even.

Repeat the last 2 rounds until there are 7 sts on each needle, 28 stitches total. Work to the end of

needle #1. Move the sts on needles #1 and #4 onto one needle, and the other stitches on another

needle. Kitchener stitch these sts together.

Finishing Weave in all ends.

Almost done and exhausted...

2010-12-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

The kitchen is almost done… I really mean almost done. The last piece missing is the countertop. The company will come to take the measurements on Friday, and on Saturday, we will travel to Anaheim to pick out a slab of granite-more like two slabs I guess, since I like the backsplash fully covered with granite as well. Final date to install the granite is on January 12, provided everything goes as planned; the partial renovation of my house will then be completed. The last two months were exhausting, and at times, challenging. Having no kitchen to cook in, no means of doing laundry (the laundry machine had to break down during the renovation) and a lot of dust to deal with is something I didn’t really imagine when we started this project. However, looking at all the finished projects we did, such as new wall colors throughout the house, new carpet and baseboards, a well-designed kitchen, and my newly enlarged work area, I’m happy; nevertheless, I’m exhausted from all of what was involved in making our home a great place to live in. The entire family is happy that everything is back to normal… almost…

TV / Reading Room

Kitchen

dining room/day room

dining room/ front room

work - computer- yarn - knitting machine area

Kitchen Renovation part two...

2010-12-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely we’re coming to the end of the renovation process. I have high hopes that the kitchen is done by tonight! I am anxious to put my dishes back into the shelves and restore some sort of order in my home. Not for long because tomorrow and on Saturday I will get new carpets and new baseboards throughout the house. On Sunday I am hoping to get ready decorating for Christmas. Although with all the mess and remodeling there isn't much Christmas magic yet. Last week I had painting (TV room, hallway, living room and kitchen) some wood flooring out in at both back and front doors and the kitchen floor got wall to wall tiles. Naturally, there was no time for knitting and other likes. I did finished the gloves I started a few weeks back. I can't wait sitting in my living room again everything back in order, having fun with my knitting group on Wednesday and Saturday. I'll miss them the get together and the fun we have.

kitchen renovation...mulberry hat

2010-12-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

I am having my kitchen renovated and am living in a glow of dust, anticipation, frustration and excitement. Many things can go wrong, some did…

I bought a new book by Kristina McGowan “modern top-down knitting. I found a really cute beret on page 87 called mulberry hat. Just happened that I had two balls of Debbie Bliss chasmerino aran and I knew where to find them in my stash. I started last night the mulberry hat to keep me feel in control of something.

My old kitchen is gone, new electricity is done, new water lines are completed and tomorrow we not only have it painted also the tile floor will be laid. All the mess, the stress and I am not able to do much other then reminding myself the chaos is only temporally and will be all done in two weeks. We are on a pretty tied timeline. The furniture will be delivered on the 10th; the new carpet goes in after the kitchen tile. Kitchen will be installed on the 15 until the 17th. It takes two day’s we were told. When kitchen is installed the company who does the granite counter top will come and measure. Until then I will have my old one just laid on top until the new one comes, sometime in January. Last night I was sitting in the TV room looking into the kitchen and felt I need to start something creative otherwise I am getting crazy with all the mess.

man's scarf...

2010-11-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

I just finished a very long man's scarf with a nice part pattern and bind off is done using the Kitchener stitch. . Yarn used 600yards (3 skeins) of Ella Rae Amity in the color 28, which is a lovely lime green color.I made this scarf for Jennifer, a gift she will give to one of her teachers in Chicago.

Next project...Mittens

2010-11-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

I am focused already on another project which is also intended for the colder climate. Yarns used: Boko from Plymouth, 95% wool 5% silk. Boku as you can see in the picture has a variety of lovely shades of colors. I've used color #9. It is nice to knit with and has 99yards in a 50 gram skein.