The Turtle Found Over-Drive

Poor Hemi looks tired out from helping me work on my Secret of the Stole. Here I've been back and forth from Hint 3 into Hint 4 and so on far too many times. The cool thing is that just a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have noticed my errors. Worse? I wouldn't have bothered to "fix em". I just would have incorporated em into the project and thought of em as my own interpretation of the design. I know better now and I care much more about how I re-create someone else's hard work and creativity.
I had myself a little knitting marathon yesterday and did all of Hint 5 in one sitting. It was so cool! I started knitting to a tempo in my head and didn't stop! No mistakes either; at one point I looked down and said to myself "Whoa there Cowgirl...how about a lifeline?" I hadn't even bothered to move a lifeline for 20 some rows. How cool is that?!? A totally bright (and I'm sure - rare) moment in my knitting life that I'll remember for a long time.
Bet you love seeing my messy office/dining room behind the ladder, huh? And I'm such a Goober...I wanted a wooden ladder so as to push pins into it to hang the Stole on...and I grabbed the super-tall orchard ladder! It just barely opens in the kitchen. It's blowing a gale outside and rainy off and on so I had no choice but to try this inside. It worked but golly, there's nothing like natural sunlight.

Friends Rock

So...my friend calls me yesterday and casually mentions that she'll send a bag of yarn home when the Old Man comes by. And THIS is that bag. It looks innocent enough. It's just a bag of yarn...right? But...that's an awfully big bag! Hmmm...peeking inside, there's a whole lot of varigated and rug yarn. Wonder what else is in there? With my friend Janet, there's no telling!
Wowsers! That's a whole lot of yarn! See, Janet helps manage a second-hand shop. The Owner buys abandoned storage units - blindly - so they never know what they're going to find when they start opening bags and boxes. And since we do fun things for each other, she knows to keep an eye out for yarn and needles for me. But this - THIS - is Wowser!
Even Sneakers the dog and Hemi the Siamese came over to see what all my excitement was about. Unfortunately, Sneakers sort of frightened Hemi with her barking but hey, I was barking too! Not only was there a whole bunch of non-allergenic machine-washable acrylic for charity projects, there was about 16 skeins of Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn and a few balls of Peaches and Cream cotton too. OH...and remember the Welch's jelly glasses? There was one in there with Tom and Jerry on it! Thanks Janet!

Thinking and Tinking

The Turtle Plods Steadily Onward

I got a few things done today...like setting up the canopy so I could split firewood in the rain without getting wet...like trying to learn how to pick and clean Dungeoness crab meat and then catching the dog scarfing down about a pound of it...and some knitting.
Yes, I finally finished Hint 3 of our Secret of the Stole KAL. This is one pretty piece of work and I can't wait to see what else designer Nautical Knitter has up her sleeve! And yes, when you look closely, you can see a few mistakes. I'm all good with them and I'll tell you why. As my first lace project, my first chart project, etc., etc., etc., I am learning SO much. Each mistake brings to mind something I learned, a new technique or a new method "of attack". Sooo...it's all good!
I'm going to have to remember to pin this out on a white towel next time. You can't see the detail very well and this is part of the Stole that I think I did pretty good on too! But the ladies over on the Yahoo Group are right...the longer it gets, the harder it is to photograph. Even standing on a chair...after moving a cat. I guess I'll just have to start getting creative. Well, it looks to be a quiet rainy night here in the NW so I might just get some done on Hint 4. Watch out now...the Turtle is catching up to the Tortoises who are chasing down the Rabbits!

Busy Couple of Days

I've had a busy couple of days. That's a good thing...boredom sucks. But honestly? I am seldom bored...there's just too much living to do! It's been a fibery few days for me...I got to visit our newest yarn shop: Apple Yarns, right in Bellingham. This shop is a MUST VISIT if you're in the area! Unfortunately, I tend to spend a wee bit of money every time I go but I've not been too awfully naughty! (Just a wee bit, really)( Seriously) (Well...)
And then I got to meet these ladies. Allow me to introduce Dolly, Daisy, her daughter Daffodil, Sumatra and Kahlua...Shetland ewes from a local farm. I also got to meet their Shepherdess; Betty, and I can only hope that when I am her age that I'm half as spunky as she is! I got an absolute score on 7 fleeces total...for a song! (More or less-lol) Now all I need is the time to start skirting, picking, scouring and spinning. Sigh. Cloning time anyone?!?
I spread out a 10 X 20 foot tarp and laid out the fleeces. The cats, whom you can see at the top of the pic, are not the least bit interested. I am really glad for this but it baffles me too. I know if I was a cat, I'd be all over this fluffy smelly stuff! Not mine though. Well, Freaky Kitty does like Alpaca but she has incredibly high standards. Even for a cat.
This is a close-up of young Daffodil's fleece. The sun was just setting so there's a wee bit of reddish tint to the pics but oh my! This is some soft fleece...especially for Shetland. (No hate mails please...I've had both soft and scratchy Shetland and THIS stuff is soft!) It's all fairly full of lanolin and VM so it's gonna take a bit of effort to clean up but hey, it's all good!
In knitting news, this is the start of a toe-up sock for my dear daughter. Green is her favorite color and this is Happy Forest from Dream In Color Yarn. The basic socks I was tussling with earlier are in a time-out, as is the hemp/cashmere beret. Like the pattern but that yarn - Grrr. And yes, this yarn is some of my recently acquired treasure from Apple Yarns. Smooshy...it really IS smooshy! Love it love it love it!
And of course, a blog entry would not be complete without an update on the Secret of the Stole KAL.Although this bears a remarkable resemblence to a bowl of cat yak, it really is my stole so far. It's (We? It and I?) are about 3/4 of the way through Hint 3. A bummer since Hint 5 came out this morning. Can you call me a Turtle? I can - I happened to glance at a clock while working on this earlier and it took me 10 or 11 minutes to knit one pattern row and one rest row. Whoa. That's slow. But I'm steady and so might even be caught up by next week's hint. Maybe. Hopefully. If I can ignore the blackberries and stay away from ditches.
And in bloggy news...Mrs. H (of the Outlaw Knitters and the new I Like Yarn podcast) released a new episode of her podcast today...and she awarded me her "Yarn Ball of Bloggy Excellence"! Woohoo! I've got it up already...over there on the side panel. It links to her podcast and you really should go listen...she's a neat gal and not only do I enjoy hearing about what her fun kids have been up to but she does one of the best book and pattern reviews around. She also started the Outlaw Knitters blog and Ravelry group. I'm an Outlaw Knitter and soon I'll have my snazzy new hoodie to show the world! Are you an Outlaw Knitter? Come to the blog, read and laugh then think about sharing a bit...we love knowing there's lots of us out there!
Now...life is good - it can be short so go tell someone you love them, take care of yourself and then knit something!

Helping Hand

We're all hearing about the wild fires in San Diego and of how many folks are losing their homes, their memories, everything. Offer a helping hand by joining me in making 8 inch squares to be joined with love into blankets for these people. Any machine-washable non-allergenic yarn (say...that Red Heart stuff in the back of your stash?) is perfect. It'll be quick, easy and while it makes you feel warm inside, you'll be helping make someone else feel warm all over. Check the Ravelry Group or go straight to their new blog San Diego Wild Fire Blankets here on blogspot.com. It's a good thing to do.

Better a Turtle Than a Frog

Sorry about the slightly blurry pic but it's the best Puddha Kitty and I could manage today. Yes, that's my Secret of the Stole he's sprawled on. And yes, he's making it clear to me that I've done enough on it for now. No matter that I'm only on row 201 and the next Hint is released tomorrow. No matter that I really was on a roll and wanted to keep going for a bit. But...he was probably right. I needed the "cat love" session more than I needed to reach a nearly impossible goal set by myself for myself. Aack, it's all good...I'll get there and maybe by next week, I'll even be caught up. (Snort) At least, maybe only if next week is a little better than this week has been.
Let's see...first there were the 5 days of headache/migraine (yes, it dances on that line called pain in my head and all because of that stupid neck and back injury). Then there were the DR appointments which resulted in a case of "we found some boob rocks"...again. Yippee. It was so much fun last time too. (Sigh) And to top things off is the "Cold from Hell" that my Dear Daughter graciously shared with me. The mass doses of echineacia and vitamins didn't even slow it down. (Sniff) Well, things could always get worse. At least the telephone folks came out - after 2 weeks - to look at the pole clipped neatly off at it's base by (I'm assuming) a drunk driver (either that or one lucky son of a bit#h). So I have a land-line telephone again but now I realize how quiet it was without the sales people calling.
In other knitting news...Janet (of the infamous "now she wants a poncho") stopped by last night, exclaimed with awe how lovely my stole is so I caved and told her how I had fought with 9 cast-ons to do one for her. Guess what. Now she wants it anyway. Good news is she'll wait for it. Bad news is she still wants a poncho too. Also, I've made progress on the Colorado Lynne sweater...finished the back and it's now resting comfortably on it's stitch holder in a new tote bag. I cast on the front earlier but only managed 2 rows before letting it rest. Gotta find my cable needles before I get the ribbing done and it should be smooth sailing from there. And that's all the news that's fit to print. For now anyway.

No Title Needed

In case this doesn't make any sense, read the last part of the previous post.
Now, break time. I'm off to the Library. A few months ago, I saw this book on lace work...

Lace Knitting is Fun. Not.

Completed. In my own twisted way, of course but Hint 2 of The Secret of the Stole is done. Just in time for Hint 3. Seriously. Just as I clicked to add my photo and post to the Group that I had finally finished the 2nd Hint, my email alerted and poof! There was Hint 3. Waiting. Mocking. Pointing at me...the World's Worst Lace Knitter. Oh, and the World's Slowest Knitter too. Aack, it's all good. Sorta.
I've made many mistakes in here but I guess that's not too awfully bad because of all the right things I'm doing. Like learning. And paying attention. And trying new ways of doing things. And exercising my patience. And cleaning the medicine cabinet looking for Valium. (Just kidding but it's a thought!) I've gotten so bad that last night, while slicing smoked sausage for dinner, I was counting my slices! If I had tried to pass that slipped sausage over, I would have quit right there and then. With the butcher knife in my hand, onions flying, spices running amuck - not a pretty picture.
So this morning I'm all full of positive thinking. I have joined the Mystic Waters Shawl KAL but purely as a lurker. Well, if I can ever get the freakin' swatch done, I might at least post that and do a quiet sort of intro. I really tried this morning. My DD brought me a set of the new Addi Turbo Lace circs and I even put out a treat for myself when I got the first repeat of the pattern done. HA! I couldn't get past the first row of garter! I am seriously thinking I need to try learning a new way to knit. I simply cannot feel the yarn (thread!) in either hand (too much damage from injuries) and have to look with my eyes for my fingers. Maybe if I try a more Continental style? And of course, I'm so stubborn that I'll learn with this teensy crap instead of pulling out some worsted from the ole stash. Sigh. Sometimes it sucks to be me. LOL? Being OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is not easy. Once that idea or task is in my head, it will happen or I'll die trying. Grrr. But for now, I'm going to go do something I know I'm good at. Like cleaning the cat boxes. I can sweep and mop too. Yeah. That'll work.

Hint 1 of the Secret of the Stole Complete!

The Bad News is that the Old Man whacked out his back again. His surgery in late Feb. was immensely helpful in relieving pain and enabling movement. But a few days ago, he walked HARD into an immoveable object at work and jarred a couple of bad vertebrae out of place. Today, he was unable to get up to even think about leaving the house for work so he's been home with me and the critters. Of course, I was focused on knitting the Secret of the Stole and must express gratitude for an understanding Doctor and narcotic pain killers. Vicodan is our Friend.
The Good News is that while he was off in his codeine-based fog, I was finishing the last 8 rows (again!) of Hint One. Here's a close-up of the left point. I really like this yarn - even though it's a bit stiff, it's got lovely colors all through it. (It would make a great winter sweater!) The beads are barely visible but I like it. And at this point, that's all that counts.
And here's a full project shot. I see two possible "oopses" and two definite oopses. BUT...I'm not ripping it out again and the two definites can be tidied up with sewing skills. (You wouldn't know they were there if I hadn't just told you!) Before the next hint is released, I must do row 84 anyway and will check it more closely then. Now, I just had to photograph it and put it away for a day or two. If you know what I mean! (And yes, many of you do know what I mean!)
And now, since he's finally somewhat comfortable in his "Papa Chair", and Hint 1 is truely and really finished...I'm going to curl up in my own "Mama Bear Chair" next to him, listen to him breathe, (always a concern with narcotics that are respiratory depressants) and calmly work on my Colorado Lynne sweater.

Secret of the Stole Progress

Wink Wink - I started my version of the Secret of the Stole 9 times just to make sure it was correct. Yeah, right! But at least I know it's ok now. Notice I didn't say "right" because I'm just not sure - that's a lack of confidence showing, huh. It's all good - I'm learning SO much! Look, you can see my notes to myself...like writing down exactly where I put in the latest lifeline. Oh, and using a lifeline too!
Sometimes progress ain't pretty. Here, I've had to seperate the 2 points (which I was doing at the same time on one needle) as I had dropped a stitch on the right one. I also stuck tape with a big "R" on the right one as well as put stitch markers on the right side of my work so as to better keep track of what was what. 2 points, 2 bags of balls of yarn, 2 sets of needles, 2 cats watching and not enough notes. Learning is happening here again.
Almost there. This pic shows today's current status. I've joined the 2 points and am making solid progress towards the end of the first hint. I'm ready to do row 71 and this first hint goes through row 85, I think it is. Since I'm caught up on outside chores (and it's looking like rain again), after posting with the Group, I'll settle down to finish this up. Since I'll soon be working on this again, I didn't want to put it onto wire - so it's a bit scrunched up. But I've compared it with some of the awesome work of the more experienced lace knitters on the Group and I really think it's right. Humph...who'da thought. (Notes to self: Continue to use ruler, work in baby steps across the row, use pen as arrow pointer for those steps, count everything, count tricky stuff twice - even to the last 2, insert more lifelines, ignore the phone, cats, significant other, anatomical functions, fire, etc.)

October's New Treasure

I've found new treasure! Well, truthfully? I found this a couple weeks ago but wasn't able to actually farm it out until today. It's a Utility Cart - Timothy Lawrence the Lawn Tractor has a new play buddy. I'm just tickled. Now, all the stuff I was dragging around by hand, smacking myself in the glasses with tree branches and huffing and puffing with the wheelbarrow...I'm cartin' it now!
And look...it dumps too! It's pretty solid steel - needs a serious episode with the wire brush and some "slow down the rust" shaker can paint but check it out: It's got 14 inch sides, a pull-out tailgate and a cantilever dump system. The hitch pin is ridiculously easy to do and un-do and the tongue of the hitch is solid as can be. You can just color me happy.
The Old Man got the new belt on the lawn tractor yesterday and I finally blazed a path from the front of the property to the back. Here's Freaky Kitty waiting for the curious mousies to come out and explore. You can see how high all the brush is - it might take me a while but eventually, I'll have this property tamed. And who knows what else I find out there! (The utilty cart was back in this brush about 100 feet behind where Freaky Kitty is sitting).

Rippit - Rippit All Out

Ass deep in the Frogging Pond again. Sigh. I spend entirely too much time in there. At least I have proof that I AM able to follow a pattern and that I CAN use a chart and that I can even do modified lace work. I'm just an easily distracted idiot who worries too much about saving electricity and therefore knits in the dark. And now this after all I went through this morning just to get started. Sigh.
There I was, happily following the chart; marking off my rows, counting my stitches and, in general, having a grand ole time. In comes the Old Man; in a rush; "Hi Honey I love you can you do this for me and I'm in a hurry". Silly me doesn't finish her row, doesn't mark where she was but instead, thought: "I'm doing so well, I will know exactly where I'm at and it's all gonna be good". Yeah. Right. I skipped a WS row and didn't even notice until 20 or so rows later. It's like this...it was too cold to knit outside and it's not too bright inside this house. But the trade of electrcial use is the heating pad for the overhead light. So the first half of my work; albeit beautiful work, (done with a warm back), is right side on right side. But the last half is wrong side on right side. I had even put in a lifeline but it was 3 rows below my flip act. And I know myself...there's no way I could tink and friggle my way back to it without losing it all anyway.
Confession time: I have never been able to frog row by row and am pretty good at screwing up a stitch by stitch tink routine too. I have to rip it all out and start over. At least I try to learn something along the way. Number 2: I've never - seriously - never - followed a pattern. Of any kind. At all. Never ever. Yeah sure, I look at em and note the finished sizing...taught to sew as a kid, that all makes sense. But the patterns themselves always baffled me. I just figured out how to get to the finished product my own way. But it's time I learned, doncha think? Number 3: I've never even looked at a chart before this KAL. And I'm making myself do it now cold turkey.
So...there you have it...all my secrets. It seemed appropriate to share all this now...in our shared "Secret". Forgive me? Understand me? Support me? Or laugh at me - right along with me?!?

First Hint for the Secret of the Stole!

This is what I'm supposed to be doing...sorting and organizing all of these sockets for one of our many tool boxes. Sneakers; our "antique" dog of 17 years, agrees and is patiently waiting for me to join her on the floor. In the mean-time, she's helping by mixing up the 3/8 inch drive with the 1/4 inch drive and making sure the metric and standard ones are all well blended - again. Sigh.
But THIS is what I HAVE been doing. 3 computers, 3 printers, 3 hours. That's what it took to get the first Hint from the Secret of the Stole KAL. I have a friend who is deep into Astrology and she warned me that with Mercury going retrograde that communications would be challenged for a while. Boy howdy, she wasn't kidding! I had computers on top of printers, side by side with other computers on top of printers...how could it not communicate with what it is sitting on top of?!? Grrrr....my printer said out of black ink - put in new black ink. Then it said, oh no...we need yellow and light cyan too. Well, my DD had every color but yellow. OK...hmmm...took the laptop upstairs to plug into her printer - error. Printer not responding. Hmmm....it's a MacBook Pro so I re-booted from Mac OS to Windows...downloaded the Acrobat Reader I needed and it STILL wouldn't work. Dragged the monster downstairs - not supposed to be doing that with my back just now getting better but hey, a girl's gotta get her knitting info! Plugged it in - no go. Back upstairs for the Teen Beast's printer - drug it downstairs, rummaged for a USB cable; the only one I could find was exactly 14 inches long. Balancing the printer precariously on top of the old Windows tower, I finally, Freakin' FINALLY - after 3 hours - got the charts and instructions printed out!
I got the first hint! So now...I've brewed a fresh pot of coffee, am going to set up the ole heating pad right here in my desk chair and grab the first project bag. I want to stay near the computer as there's been maybe 7 digest's sent out from this Group and each one has a question answered for me or an explanation I needed. I swear, with the exception of an earthquake, I am gonna sit right here until I've got some sort of progress made on at least one of the stoles! (At least I got a few rows done on the Colorado sweater while waiting on error messages and the like).

So Far Behind...

I'm so far behind, I think I'm back in 1st place!
Actually, with this, our first storm of the season still hanging around...the focus is starting to shift indoors. I'm thinking it's the shift that's making me feel behind and somewhat out of sorts.
OK, to begin the "catching up": note the Progress Bars have been adjusted. The Baby Blanket That Won't End will be gift-wrapped today - so it's gone from the list.
The Moebius Cowl is now in hibernation - maybe permanently. I've just lost my "go get em" on that project. Perhaps it's the consistent frogging of that lovely yarn I'm quietly bemoaning. The Socks suffered a direct hit from Cat Mischeif a few days ago. Puddha didn't mean it, I think he thought he was helping. But...the sock is no more. Had to frog it out completely and have just cast it back on...no real work on it yet.
Newly cast-on and loving it is this shawl-collar pullover from the mag Knit N Style. I'm doing it in an indestructible machine-wash blend as it's destined to become a chore sweater. I simply love - and always have - shawl collars on pullover sweaters. And since my injuries a few years ago, it seems I can never keep my neck and shoulders warm enough. This pattern fits the bill perfectly.I had finished all my UFO's and had sorted and carried up to the fiber room all my "stuff" in anticipation of the first clue for The Secret of the Stole KAL. Alas, I couldn't stand the wait and cast on this sweater. I'm hoping I'll be able to make time to work on it in-between keeping up with the release of clues for the SotS as I'll hate to see it languish until New Year's Eve.
In other fiber news, I got my invite to Ravelry! OMG...this is an OCD person's dreamland! I have spent many hours already just cruising around - absorbing, exploring and filling out information. Now that I'm "in", I've had to get serious about organization of the fiber room and all my tools, supplies and stash. For those of you still on the waiting list, now is the time to get those pics taken and uploaded to flickr.com. Now is the time to hunt down those rogue needles lazying about in UFO's and jot down their vitals. Gather your patterns into one place...like, a binder or something. Organize, list and document! Oh, and go get the web browser FireFox. Ravelry was and is designed for it and besides, the "other guys" not only leave you vulnerable to hacksters, they act a bit odd with it. It's so worth it to use the FireFox.
Since the stater went out on the Jetta last week, the "outside project" focus shifted from the wood pile to auto mechanics. This became one of those tasks that soon rocketed out of my skill kit. The Old Man busted his fanny - night after night - re-building fuel and ignition parts to work with the new starter and just last night, we got her running again. For an 18 year old car with over 500,000 miles on her, she still runs pretty good. (I'll snap a pic of her when it stops raining - I think you'll be surprised by how good she looks for her age).
As far as the wood pile goes...it's going too quickly! With the sudden drop of temps during this storm and trying to work on Betty the Jetty in the cold and rain...we've had the wood stove going most nights. Sure am gonna have to get better at slower burning for more efficient heating.
OK...cat on lap (Freaky Kitty), rain on the slider but have stuff to do. More - and pics - soon as something's done!

Catching Up

Catching up here as there's been a whole lot happening but not a lot to show for it. Doncha just hate that? You work your fanny off but when you step back and look at the source of your sweat, the only thing you feel is frustration. Grrr.
Anyhoo, you might have noticed my progress bars to the right are all wonky. Well, it's not the bars - it's the projects. Let's see...the Baby Blanket is done but I haven't gifted it to the new Mama and Baby yet so it's still on the list. The Hemp/Cashmere Beret for my DD is truely the Project from Hell. Cast on 4 times, frogged 4 times. Made it up to 5 rows and it sucks. I hate the yarn. The pattern is blech. At times I've got all 5 DPN's fumbling in my fingers. Grrr all over. And then there's the Moebius Cowl. It's 99.9 percent done - but - it's wrong. Too long, too narrow and not quite enough yarn to finish casting off. More Grrr. I'm going to frog the whole mess (that poor yarn - this makes the 5th time it's been knitted then frogged out), then I'll cast on with a co-ordinating yarn, do a few rows with that, do the bulk of the cowl in that yummy and durable stuff then do the I-cord cast off in the previously used starting yarn. I'll make it about a third smaller and it should be about right for me. Whew.
As far as news in other areas, this shows the giant brush pile I faced to dig up my latest treasure and to tidy that portion of the driveway. I've made huge progress - can even hitch up "the treasure" and tow it out in the open now if I want. I've got several rows of seasoned wood I found under the brush and have had a few nicely warming fires in the wood stove this past week. There's a neat stack of twigs drying that will be broken into stove-sized lengths for kindling and a bunch of bigger stuff that I'll need to use the saw on. I even found a few dozen fence posts! The Old Man is right this moment bringing home some wood to add to the project but I'll try to get a pic here soon. It's so nice to actually see a before and after of things.
Knitting news is not good, I'm afraid. My Ravelry invite is coming closer - maybe even this week. So up the stairs I went - camera in hand - to start the fun but daunting process of photographing all of my yarn and fiber stash. Problem? I'm baby-sitting my daughter's cat, who came here with fleas and decided to force her way into the fiber room. I now have a full-fledged infestation! I'm massively bummed as all - ALL - of my yarn is up there (plus a hundred pounds or more of fiber) and with the other projects on hold or done, I can't get to any of it to start anything! I've got the room sealed up, a fogger went off earlier today and I'm still using the powdered Borax everywhere upstairs. Sigh. I guess I've got it easy since tomorrow the perpetrator of this horrible crime gets a bath. Gasp. (Have you ever bathed a Siamese? The thought makes me shudder).
So, how was your week?

A Treasure Hunt for You and Me

I've written previously about working on my "wood pile". That's because - when you heat with wood, you need to have wood and you need to store it properly. Well, it's been rather chilly here the past couple of days and it got me to thinking about finally digging out/clearing/building/stacking my wood pile. This is what I was starting out with...a week or two's wood but in the "tall-as-me" grass and blackberries. I'll need space to stack more as I obtain it.
I did some of my famous "tromping" technique and cleared out a good sized space to stack wood. There's pallets underneath the few grass clumps I've not pulled or cut yet. The fence posts are mostly deep into the ground to act as an open-air support wall. I'm gonna go out on a limb (hehe, I made a funny) and say that I think I can stack about 5 cords of split wood in this space. Maybe More?
I spy with my little eye some treasure hiding under this brush pile! How-about I have a fun little contest here and offer the following: I'll send a set of "made for you" row and stitch markers to one lucky Reader who can 1)guess what the treasure is and 2) offer an idea for better blog reading here at Vykky With "Y"s.
Here's a hint! Let's see...there's a can covering an exhaust pipe of sorts and that's a spark plug...so we can assume it's a gas-powered engine of some kind. (That, and the 3 old, cracked and in pieces gas cans I found in the brush!) And, you can't see it but it's sitting on an axle with road tires on it. Hmmm...
Another hint! This is the "business end" of the contraption. Looks like pretty heavy steel to me. And hoses of some kind going which-a-way. What in the world? Post a comment to this entry (or my blog in general) and share your guess as to what this treasure might be. After a week or so, I'll see if anyone has guessed right and then will randomly pick amongst those who figured out the treasure!

Stitch Marker Experimentations

I love a rainy day. They mean I can light up the wood stove and stay inside with my knitting and other fun stuff. I was in need of some stitch markers and had finally dug out my beading supplies from the storage loft so it became a "stitch marker making" kind of afternoon. Here's some of my ideas that sort of put themselves together......
These swirly red glass beads are so cool! Hand-made and unique, they are going to look really pretty in use with my Secret of the Stole project - the one in Mist colorway that I might just keep for myself! I think I'll use the "Frog Pond" set on Janet's stole...the blue yarn will look really nice with them.
In my knitting world, every project usually has it's turn in the "Frog Pond" so it seemed appropriate for me to put together this set. The frog is a row marker - as it's a bit bigger - and the other 4 are simple stitch markers. There's a turtle, a bee, a butterfly and a floating leaf. Fun for my frogging adventures and maybe - just maybe - they'll help me keep my feet dry and out of that darned frog pond.
Last but not least is one I did up last night. I asked the Old Man to choose the bead and color to go with this sterling silver kitty. He chose a vivid blue cat's-eye glass rounder. I think he picked that one as my DD's Siamese cat; with her bright blue eyes and queenly demeanor, was sitting regally in his lap. I put it right to use on my moebius cowl. That old ugly earring had to go.
These have been fun to make and I'm going to do some more another day but I'll try the next ones not-so dangly. I like using the sterling silver charms but I also have some precious and semi-precious stone beads I want to use. I wonder if anyone would be interested in being "gifted" with a set. I just might have to do a contest for a giveaway or something. Ideas? Suggestions?

Progress on the Home Front

In recognition of my new Progress Bars (to the right in the sidebar), for which I thank Yarn Tomato...here is the infamous Moebius Cowl. Yes, I'm way late in jumping onboard the moebius boat but hey, better late than never, right? Besides, I just love Love LOVE this yarn and it's taken a few frogging adventures to find out what it wanted to become. At first, the whole cast-on and progress fought with my left-handed high IQ brain...but then the light bulb went on and my brain exhalted gleefully "This is Cool!"
And here we have the "Baby Blanket That Won't End". It's nearly done which is why I indicated it at 95%. That means I have to get off my lazy butt, weave in all those loose ends (can you say 8 skeins of yarn in this bad boy?!?) and then do the wash/freshen/block dance. THEN I'll happily wrap it up and give it to Mama-to-be. I folded it in half and then again and it measures a full 3 inches thick - lots of cushy for da baby tushy. And of course, machine washable. I hope he likes it.
No, the angle of this pic isn't off and no, I'm not messing with your head. The door is cut on an angle and is only about 4 feet tall at it's highest/inside corner point. This will eventually become my Fiber Room. Oh, I'll also stash my bead stuff and soapmaking supplies and probably the candle-making gear in here too but the point is, (and I do have one), is that it's going to be MY Space! Besides, this little Hobbitt-type room is way too small for the Old Man to ever want to muck around in. (Evil laughter echoes off the eaves...) Note also the clear shoe-boxes for future yarn storage, the shelves hauled up the steep stairway and the motivational bag of buffalo fluff.
Last but not least and way off the fiber topic is progress in other areas of the house. (Geesh, how long will I live here until I feel like I've got everything unpacked and in it's proper place?) This space is actually the foyer to the front door - which is never used. However, the Old Man had decided that it was the ideal spot to stash boxes after making a run to storage. Vykky says "NOT". So, 5 boxes and 1 large tote later, we've got a mini-library. Yes, there's still a couple of boxes hiding in there and - OH - look...it's my vacuum too! Guess I've no more excuses, huh.