I am taking a break today from knitting mitts. I have to get away from them or I am going to snap. I have two mitts that need partners. I have to admit, I threw them down once before and well...that little purple mitt needs a thumb and his partner. The blue mitt is finished but, he needs his partner. I was thinking of starting the last mitt color and leaving it there with the other two. So, when this happens, I need a day away from the things.
I picked up the hubby's sock and I am slowly working on it. Why slowly...you ask...well, I am using size US 2 needles and they aren't fast with this particular yarn I am working with. Skinny yarn, skinny needles. Seriously slow.
I dropped the bombshell the other day when I mentioned I was going to knit myself a sweater this year. Hubby's head swiveled around thinking I had lost my mind. Nope...I am going to do it. I will get past my hatred of sleeves to make myself something warm and lasting. Sweaters aren't cheap and they are cheaply made. Are you sick of paying astronomical prices for crap? I am.
I have the yarn stash to pull it off over here so, I can make myself a nice sweater and yes, it will be expensive but, the yarn is already paid for. :) That is the wonderful thing about having such an extensive yarn stash.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Fingerless Mitts...A Dirty Word
As everyone knows, I will knit for charity. I have come to realize I hate knitting fingerless mitts. I hate them. I am tired of the same old pattern. I started to change up on the needle sizes to make it more interesting. It has done a little bit of newness but, I am sick of them.
I am also knitting my hubby a pair of socks for Christmas...he knows about them. I am using Elann's Sock it To Me Madrid color 67. It is the blues, greens, blacks and brown sock yarn. Why this particular yarn? It has amazing abilities to repel carpet. If you knit a softer sock yarn then you know what carpet can do to that yarn...it will eat holes into it. Yep, this is true.
I asked him if he would love another pair of socks and he said yes. The man has seriously cold feet in winter and sometimes in summer. He likes to stick those cold eagles claws on me in the middle of the night. Makes me crazy. I get even with him in winter and do the same thing. :)
Last night I was working on another pair of charity mitts...I am on my 4th pair. I finished the third pair and started the 4th pair. I am on the thumb portion of the 4th pair and when I finish it, I can cast on for the last one of the 4th pair and then finish up the thumb on the start of the 5th pair. I had thrown them down in frustration and started knitting hats. Now, I need to get them done and out the door next week.
I let the lady who is expecting them that I should be mailing them out to her next week. If you too would love to share your talent and would love to volunteer your time, please head on over to Ravelry and check out the Charity Knitting group and click on the link about the fingerless mitts. She needs 200 pairs to fit girls between the ages of 13 and 18.
I am also knitting my hubby a pair of socks for Christmas...he knows about them. I am using Elann's Sock it To Me Madrid color 67. It is the blues, greens, blacks and brown sock yarn. Why this particular yarn? It has amazing abilities to repel carpet. If you knit a softer sock yarn then you know what carpet can do to that yarn...it will eat holes into it. Yep, this is true.
I asked him if he would love another pair of socks and he said yes. The man has seriously cold feet in winter and sometimes in summer. He likes to stick those cold eagles claws on me in the middle of the night. Makes me crazy. I get even with him in winter and do the same thing. :)
Last night I was working on another pair of charity mitts...I am on my 4th pair. I finished the third pair and started the 4th pair. I am on the thumb portion of the 4th pair and when I finish it, I can cast on for the last one of the 4th pair and then finish up the thumb on the start of the 5th pair. I had thrown them down in frustration and started knitting hats. Now, I need to get them done and out the door next week.
I let the lady who is expecting them that I should be mailing them out to her next week. If you too would love to share your talent and would love to volunteer your time, please head on over to Ravelry and check out the Charity Knitting group and click on the link about the fingerless mitts. She needs 200 pairs to fit girls between the ages of 13 and 18.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Wool...Why I Love It!
I was about to purchase a store bought cardigan. Then I saw it, it was 100% acrylic. Oh hell no! I am not going to buy that crap. I love wool because it has several properties which most people have no idea about. Acrylic traps the sweat next to your skin and you freeze in winter and it is nasty stuff. It makes my fingers peel and the only time I use it is to teach knitting. It is cheap and easy to work with for first time knitters. When they get a feel of the merino wools, most of them are hooked.
Wool breathes and will keep you nice and warm and cool depending on the circumstances. For those of you who live in the North and keep telling me that it is too hot to wear in Texas...yeah right...I don't listen because what they fail to realize is that it gets damn cold in Texas in Winter, we have a moist cold that goes right through a body. Wool is perfect since it does breathe and when it is wet, it still insulates our bodies.
It won't burn unless a match is placed right next to it. Why do you think that people in the past, took their wool blankets, soaked them in water and beat out fires with them?
I know all of the knitters are shaking their heads about now. Yep, that is the good stuff. I love wool, in it's many forms. Why do you think I paint it? It is a love affair that won't end. There are so many versions of it. There are completely harsh wools that need to be seriously combed and then there is the buttery soft merino wool. It is a dream to knit with and it is beautiful to work with. It depends on the fiber but, they all take the dye differently.
I love to spin Wensleydale, it has a natural shine to it. It makes beautiful yarn. There is an American fiber called Sweet Grass Targhee that is springy and squishy. It spins beautifully. I get looks when I take it with me to craft fairs...most people have never heard of it. I tell them to pull it out of the bag and play with it. If you can't touch it, what is the point?
I am getting ready to go to my usual yearly venue...Katy Rice Harvest Festival. I am trying to knit as fast as my fingers will let me. I am burned out on hats right now. I need to do knit several pairs of mitts for a charity. I promised several pairs of fingerless mitts. I will take care of them and send them out to the ladies but, after that, it is time for me. I am going to finally break down and knit myself a cardigan. It will be a proper wool one. I have the yarn in my stash.
See this post was getting somewhere. I decided not to spend my money on a cardi in acrylic when I have delectable Peruvian Highland wool here to knit with. :) For the niece who told me she wanted to learn to knit so she could make herself a sweater that wouldn't fall apart after the first wash. I tried to teach her but, she put it down and walked away from it. If anyone needs to knit, she is the one...she hates her job and is seriously raging and needs to knit to stop the raging. She has so much stress that it is seriously affecting her health. I am worried that she is going to have a freaking heart attack from it.
I knit when I need to resolve a crisis in my life. If I didn't knit, I would be insane. Each stitch helps me to work through my problems. I also knit for the fun of it. Who doesn't love knitting socks? I love socks. I have several pairs of my own hand knit socks. I am in demand with my family members where socks are concerned and now I have several orders for ear flap hats.
I have to finish a pair of mittens and a set will be ready for my niece, Maribeth. The hat and mitts are really girly. Later on this set. I will take pics and show them off later. After RHF, I will be adding things to the shop. Not only yarn but, actual items people can purchase from me. I want to test the market with RHF and then I will add them to the shop, should they sell really well.
Wool breathes and will keep you nice and warm and cool depending on the circumstances. For those of you who live in the North and keep telling me that it is too hot to wear in Texas...yeah right...I don't listen because what they fail to realize is that it gets damn cold in Texas in Winter, we have a moist cold that goes right through a body. Wool is perfect since it does breathe and when it is wet, it still insulates our bodies.
It won't burn unless a match is placed right next to it. Why do you think that people in the past, took their wool blankets, soaked them in water and beat out fires with them?
I know all of the knitters are shaking their heads about now. Yep, that is the good stuff. I love wool, in it's many forms. Why do you think I paint it? It is a love affair that won't end. There are so many versions of it. There are completely harsh wools that need to be seriously combed and then there is the buttery soft merino wool. It is a dream to knit with and it is beautiful to work with. It depends on the fiber but, they all take the dye differently.
I love to spin Wensleydale, it has a natural shine to it. It makes beautiful yarn. There is an American fiber called Sweet Grass Targhee that is springy and squishy. It spins beautifully. I get looks when I take it with me to craft fairs...most people have never heard of it. I tell them to pull it out of the bag and play with it. If you can't touch it, what is the point?
I am getting ready to go to my usual yearly venue...Katy Rice Harvest Festival. I am trying to knit as fast as my fingers will let me. I am burned out on hats right now. I need to do knit several pairs of mitts for a charity. I promised several pairs of fingerless mitts. I will take care of them and send them out to the ladies but, after that, it is time for me. I am going to finally break down and knit myself a cardigan. It will be a proper wool one. I have the yarn in my stash.
See this post was getting somewhere. I decided not to spend my money on a cardi in acrylic when I have delectable Peruvian Highland wool here to knit with. :) For the niece who told me she wanted to learn to knit so she could make herself a sweater that wouldn't fall apart after the first wash. I tried to teach her but, she put it down and walked away from it. If anyone needs to knit, she is the one...she hates her job and is seriously raging and needs to knit to stop the raging. She has so much stress that it is seriously affecting her health. I am worried that she is going to have a freaking heart attack from it.
I knit when I need to resolve a crisis in my life. If I didn't knit, I would be insane. Each stitch helps me to work through my problems. I also knit for the fun of it. Who doesn't love knitting socks? I love socks. I have several pairs of my own hand knit socks. I am in demand with my family members where socks are concerned and now I have several orders for ear flap hats.
I have to finish a pair of mittens and a set will be ready for my niece, Maribeth. The hat and mitts are really girly. Later on this set. I will take pics and show them off later. After RHF, I will be adding things to the shop. Not only yarn but, actual items people can purchase from me. I want to test the market with RHF and then I will add them to the shop, should they sell really well.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Yeehaw...it is Friday!
I am so glad that today is Friday. I love Fridays, I was even born on a Friday. That explains so much. :) Last night, I came home from my meeting and I was a little short of a voice. I had talked so much to the ladies of the chapter and with this crap cold...it really does suck, my voice was about gone when I made it home.
On my way home, I decided to pop Stewie up to 80 on the freeway, I wanted to just drive and do it as fast as possible within legal means when I saw him....Damn damn damn. I had to hit the breaks because there was a DPS officer sitting on the side of the damn road on the downhill side of the over pass. Thankfully, the guy in the next lane was a speeder as well and we both hit the brakes at different enough times to interrupt the radar. So, I was spared, again. I know my big ass ticket is coming one of these days. Hopefully, not around the corner any time soon.
I will have to be careful and do the speed limit. sigh!
I woke up early after going to bed at a reasonable time. No 4 am last night. So, I woke up at 5:38 am after Gary was fighting someone in his sleep. He woke me up bouncing around in his quest to kill whatever person he was fighting with. Scared the crap out of me. I had to turn on the light to look to make sure he was okay. He was snoring away over there. So, I got up and let the dogs out for their early morning constitutional. They needed it. I stayed up and made my breakfast, turned on the tv and watched some old movie that was on and Gary came down the stairs around 7 am. He watched it with me and then came upstairs to start his work day. He telecommutes.
I was working on my lust socks and then I started a toddler sock. It will be for the KRHF. If I can finish it. I am running out of steam on making stuff for this thing. Sad but, true.
On my way home, I decided to pop Stewie up to 80 on the freeway, I wanted to just drive and do it as fast as possible within legal means when I saw him....Damn damn damn. I had to hit the breaks because there was a DPS officer sitting on the side of the damn road on the downhill side of the over pass. Thankfully, the guy in the next lane was a speeder as well and we both hit the brakes at different enough times to interrupt the radar. So, I was spared, again. I know my big ass ticket is coming one of these days. Hopefully, not around the corner any time soon.
I will have to be careful and do the speed limit. sigh!
I woke up early after going to bed at a reasonable time. No 4 am last night. So, I woke up at 5:38 am after Gary was fighting someone in his sleep. He woke me up bouncing around in his quest to kill whatever person he was fighting with. Scared the crap out of me. I had to turn on the light to look to make sure he was okay. He was snoring away over there. So, I got up and let the dogs out for their early morning constitutional. They needed it. I stayed up and made my breakfast, turned on the tv and watched some old movie that was on and Gary came down the stairs around 7 am. He watched it with me and then came upstairs to start his work day. He telecommutes.
I was working on my lust socks and then I started a toddler sock. It will be for the KRHF. If I can finish it. I am running out of steam on making stuff for this thing. Sad but, true.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Well...Ain't That a Kick in the Pants
I was talking to one of my sisters today and found out that our lovely President has done another one...did you know that he approved FEMA for only the Bastrop, Texas fires but, the rest of the state can go hang? What about those poor souls down the road from me? They can't get FEMA even though, they too have lost their homes. What about them? If you are going to give relief to some, you need to give relief to the others, it is only right. I guess that pretty much sums up how this administration is run...half assed.
Pictures of the smoke as it billows across my view. Notice what looks like fog in the background...that is smoke from the fires in Waller County.
Several people were able to get back to see what is left of their homes and the pictures are pretty grim, not much left, just rubble. One subdivision is still off limits since the fire is still smoldering. Some of the areas managed to relight themselves from the charcoal because the wind changed directions.
We were very lucky and did not have to evacuate at all. One of my nieces had to evacuate her apartment complex in West Houston courtesy of another wild fire that broke out. She returned home and was lucky, their apartment complex was saved with no damage and no fire around them.
Please pray that Texas gets rain and soon. We are in desperate need of it.
Several people were able to get back to see what is left of their homes and the pictures are pretty grim, not much left, just rubble. One subdivision is still off limits since the fire is still smoldering. Some of the areas managed to relight themselves from the charcoal because the wind changed directions.
We were very lucky and did not have to evacuate at all. One of my nieces had to evacuate her apartment complex in West Houston courtesy of another wild fire that broke out. She returned home and was lucky, their apartment complex was saved with no damage and no fire around them.
Please pray that Texas gets rain and soon. We are in desperate need of it.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Mr. Air Purifier
Gary went out yesterday and bought me an air purifier. Oh let me tell you, I love this little machine. I am happy he bought it for me. I honestly think it saved me. I was gagging and barfing yesterday from all of the mucus from the smoke off of the wild fires from down the road. I was begging him for help because I couldn't breathe. It was truly awful. I thought about heading to the ER for oxygen.
He went and bought me an air purifier and now, I am feeling better even though the crud has moved down to my lungs. Great...I woke up this morning and felt like I was drowning. Not a good feeling. I slept with my air purifier on last night, I actually was able to sleep for the first time in days. I haven't been sleeping as well as I should have.
Today I dragged it downstairs with me and slept on the couch with it on. I had three naps and was able to breathe all because of my air purifier. It came upstairs with me tonight and it is in the bedroom right now cleaning the air.
It is a great thing clean air and I have noticed that Bootsy loves sleeping in front of it. He likes clean air as much as I do. Pickles was sleeping in front of it last night, she has allergies and the smoke was getting to her, too. Poor kitty.
He went and bought me an air purifier and now, I am feeling better even though the crud has moved down to my lungs. Great...I woke up this morning and felt like I was drowning. Not a good feeling. I slept with my air purifier on last night, I actually was able to sleep for the first time in days. I haven't been sleeping as well as I should have.
Today I dragged it downstairs with me and slept on the couch with it on. I had three naps and was able to breathe all because of my air purifier. It came upstairs with me tonight and it is in the bedroom right now cleaning the air.
It is a great thing clean air and I have noticed that Bootsy loves sleeping in front of it. He likes clean air as much as I do. Pickles was sleeping in front of it last night, she has allergies and the smoke was getting to her, too. Poor kitty.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Smoke and Wild Fires!
We have so much smoke rolling through our subdivision right now...I can't go outside since I am an asthmatic. As it is, I have a hideous sore throat, and I am run down. Tonight, I had to clean my nebulizer and use it. It helped some. I have pics of the smoke moving through the place but, my camera is downstairs and I am not going down there until tomorrow.
Gary tells me he is starting to get congested from the poor air quality around here. He had to run and get my prescriptions for me today. He is a very good hubby. I have been doing a lot of sleeping courtesy of this crap. My sister woke me up around 11 am and wanted to know what I was up to...uh, sleeping. I was snoozing on the couch and I haven't even had the energy to knit.
Melinda is sick as well. She was telling me her eyes are swollen shut from the crap air and she is also staying indoors, she and Maribeth are both asthmatics like me. Always fun.
The wild fires are down the road from me. I am hoping that we won't have to evacuate because I really do not want to lose my house to flames. No thank you. I hope they get the fires under control and I pray that those poor people who have lost their homes and everything they own are able to get help.
If you want to help us out, please donate to the American Red Cross and specify it for the Texas wild fires. People have literally lost everything they own. Some of them don't even have a change of clothes, they only have what they are wearing. Please pray for rain for us...it is so hot here that it is making it really difficult for the people out there fighting those fires.
Gary tells me he is starting to get congested from the poor air quality around here. He had to run and get my prescriptions for me today. He is a very good hubby. I have been doing a lot of sleeping courtesy of this crap. My sister woke me up around 11 am and wanted to know what I was up to...uh, sleeping. I was snoozing on the couch and I haven't even had the energy to knit.
Melinda is sick as well. She was telling me her eyes are swollen shut from the crap air and she is also staying indoors, she and Maribeth are both asthmatics like me. Always fun.
The wild fires are down the road from me. I am hoping that we won't have to evacuate because I really do not want to lose my house to flames. No thank you. I hope they get the fires under control and I pray that those poor people who have lost their homes and everything they own are able to get help.
If you want to help us out, please donate to the American Red Cross and specify it for the Texas wild fires. People have literally lost everything they own. Some of them don't even have a change of clothes, they only have what they are wearing. Please pray for rain for us...it is so hot here that it is making it really difficult for the people out there fighting those fires.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Okra Makes a Mighty Fine Omelette
For those of you who love to cook...let me share a very wonderful ingredient that works well with eggs...Okra. I love slicing it up and sauteeing it with my fresh spinach and tomatoes for my omelettes. It works great in fritattas as well. If you have a chance...grill it. Coat it lightly with some olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and grill. When it has char marks on it and it is soft, pull it off of the grill and enjoy...so heavenly. My hubby wasn't a fan of okra until I planted 5 plants and now, he loves it. He is a fan of the grilled okra and okra in the eggs mixture.
He says he doesn't like it coated in corn meal and fried, it doesn't do it for him. He isn't a Southern boy at all so, that explains it. I love fried okra. Yummy.
He says he doesn't like it coated in corn meal and fried, it doesn't do it for him. He isn't a Southern boy at all so, that explains it. I love fried okra. Yummy.
The Opinonated One
The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun, the color is Painted Desert. Do not ask me the lot number because I don't have the label up here with me. I am using a size N hook. This one is a medium/large. I will be making more of these things in small/medium. I will have to do a stash dig to see what I can come up with and I want to make some kids sizes as well. I might make a kids poncho after I knit more mitts.
I have to stagger it or I will go freaking insane and take my DH with me. I get really nasty tempered when I have to crochet a lot. It is like working on cars...do not talk to me when I am under the hood or under my car, I am a mean bitch. I don't want to be bothered and if someone distracts me, watch out, you are going to get an earful.
I am slowly painting yarns and listing them into the shop. Just realize that life is so busy for me between all of my responsibilites around here and dealing with being a Regent. This is my last year...yippee! There, I said it. Ha!
I am getting things taken care of as fast as I can. Tonight I counted the last of the flags from the parade and we handed out 850 this year. I didn't think there were that many people out there but apparently there were. Go figure.
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