Startitis, Un-knitting And Cocktail Hour

LOVE this color, teal and brown.  Forgot I had this yarn, but came across it the other day when cleaning out my office area (or at least partially).  Decided the startitis I've had lately that I've been trying ignore just kicked in when I spotted this yarn.  I wanted to use the multi-directional scarf pattern.  You start with a triangle (what you see at the top where you see more brownish.........then when it's the size you need you start doing short rows  (what you see on the  bottom) and up to the ridge.......which is the join of the 2 triangles.  You go back and forth.  This pattern recommends using shaded, self striping yarn, or variegated yarn; but.......I found this yarn just didn't seem to change color frequently enough to see the changes in direction?  Soooooooooo, after knitting several hours, I did the un-knitting.  Will put this yarn aside and use for something else, as I really wanted to do this pattern.

Potato Chip Scarf has grown quite a bit since the last picture.  It's now 38 inches.  So am chipping away, snarky pun.

Have mentioned I don't decorate a lot and I don't start early; but I do love cocktail hour, cocktail napkins........and well this seemed a good place to start.

The snow-flake napkin holder is on top of the wine rack in the dining room..so decorating did begin about 10 days ago.

 Before the cocktail napkins were switched out, a Manhattan and fancy nuts cocktail evening.

Then another night it was an Old Fashion and chips and guacamole night.  We do enjoy our cocktail hours.  We sit and talk without the tv on, tell each other about our days.  Then we move onto dinner.

On the Old Fashion, Chips and Guacamole night, we had chicken enchilada's.  First time I've made it, turned out yummy and will be repeated.  Found black beans with jalepeno's  and lime, very tasty.  Definitely a repeat.

And leaving you with a bit of humor.  I'm not a fan of winter so this had me nodding in agreement.

Mish Mosh my Week or So

Sharing these beautiful flowers my daughter gave me for Mother's Day a few years ago.  Why now?  Pretty sure I did way back as well, but why now?  Cause it's ugly, cold, dark, and dreary out and I wanted to see something pretty.  I may add a count down to Spring on my blog.

No, I haven't done any Christmas Decorating yet, but I did manage to change place mats, and napkins prior to Thanksgiving with a nice colorful fall look.  Even leaf glass holders that go with the leaf napkin rings.  Now...I need to dig around and see where my Christmas ones are.  I might have discarded them last year....after having the same ones and not sure they held up after being laundered......hum, not sure.

Not me, but I started 2 new apps for doing a 30 day plank challenge.  Had no clue there were so many different types of planks.  I don't find these easy to do at all!

AND these really hurt my shoulders, plus I can't get straight like this, so not going to be doing these anymore.  Made my low back hurt as well.

There's a heater inside.  2nd to last home football game for The Ohio State Buckeyes, and it was COLD.  Having the tarps up on 2 sides really helped block the wind while we tailgated.  And the game after this one rained so I didn't go.  Sat through one really bad rain a few weeks prior and just wasn't up for it again.

Thought some of my knitting and crochet friends would enjoy this.  A few on there I've never heard of...PIG...oh how I should show you pictures of that system I have, except I have up-scaled it and they're not in grocery bags, but canvass totes.  

I'm still working on Potato Chip Scarf, just haven't taken any new pictures.  It's coming along.  AND I've managed to fight the start-itis problem, but did spend lots of time today and found the next pattern I want to make....so, I predict something will get started probably before Potato Chip is finished.  Just saying.

How's your week coming along?

I'm Participating in a new to me Linky Party

Yarn Purchases, Potato Chip Scarf and.............Dieting?

I've got a case of start-itis.  I've been fighting it for awhile. 

•  The red and gray are very basic sock yarn but, it's Berroco's Comfort Sock and is beyond super soft.  AND these are Buckeye Colors, and each skein has 447 yards soooooo plenty to make something.  I'm sorta seeing a striped shawl, or scarf...perhaps a Diagonal scarf, or something along that line where the stripes really make the project.
• The larger cake upper right Plymouth Yarn Hot Cakes is 404 yards of WW yarn, also kinda Buckeye Colors, which I bought before the solid sock yarn. Since this is self striping and due to being heavier weight yarn would work up quickier, perhaps this is the one that should be a diagonal scarf.  Or might this make a fun potato chip scarf?
• Then there's the 2 yummy Queensland collection, Perth....like the fun purple and gray I'm currently using to make the potato chip scarf.  But, oh look at those yummy jewel tones

No, I'm not done with any of my current projects (2 afghans, plus the yellow shawl, and the purple potato chip scarf.

But, it is now just over 33 inches, so lots of headway since my previous picture showing you how well the 2nd lucky skein matched.

 Then there's also this Cooper Corgi YUMMY YUMMY yarn from Savannah, Georgia I bought while in Hilton Head a few weeks ago.  Two pictures so you could see the front and back of the hank to see the colors.

It's hand dyed and twisted thus the $45.00 price tag for 460 yards of 100% superwash Merino.  Softer than butter...

This is the sample of a shawl on display at the yarn shop using the above hand dyed.  I really wanted to be able to lay this sample out so it could be seen but was limited with space.  I did purchase this pattern.

We've all just eaten a bunch no doubt at Thanksgiving, so perhaps we're thinking how to drop a few pounds before Christmas and New Years.  I am not vegan or vegetarian and have NO desire to be, but this tickled my funny bone.

Do you get start-itis?  Which one would you start with?  Is there a pattern that calls out to you using above fibers?

Are you dieting after Thanksgiving?  Let me know in your comments.

Shawls For Me and for You, Drink Up

YIPPEE!!  In my previous post I discussed the possibility of adding the orange -green yarn to this potato chips scarf, as it seemed I wasn't going to have enough yarn otherwise.  I asked for some input on whether or not the two would work together and got mixed reviews.  One of ladies I asked is a high school friend who works at my local yarn shop.  She said, "I don't think  you'll be happy with it if you do."  Love people giving you a honest answer.  I bought this yarn on the West Coast months ago and didn't have the label to give me a color number of anything to match it with.  On line searching didn't look like anyone carried this yarn, but my yarn shop had a few skeins and my friend remembered it.  Yippee, problem solved.  See where the red circle is in the picture, that's where I added the new skein........so I've made some good headway with this scarf and am really liking it.  Pleased you really can't tell.  Who knows if the dye lot was the same.  I still have some of the 1st cake so will get to the 2/3rd's point and switch back to it.  

AND, I've made really good headway with my drop stitch shawl.  In the previous post you can see I've just gotten to the 5 rows of lace in the first solid yellow section.  After that lace section I've done a section of garter stitch of solid yellow, garter stitch darker bland, garter stitch solid yellow....which is the half way point.  Beyond that I've done a garter stitch section of light blend, followed by another solid yellow garter stitch section and am now at the end of the yellow lace section.  Quite a few additional inches.  Will move back to the mix sections of light and dark blends with lace and garter stitches.  Then, I will add yellow I think to both ends to pull it all together.

When last I showed you this gray blend shawl it needed to have it's ends worked in.  Yippee........got that done, something I put off.  Here's the shawl nicely draped with a fabulous hand made shawl pin.  I'm very pleased I found that, think it really finishes it off.  This is a gift for a very good friend who likes gray and hinted at that when I made the pink and green for myself awhile back.

A close up of the pin with those gray stones......I really thought it was perfect.

This is my upper arm, 4 days after getting my Shingles shot.  It was hot to the touch for a week, but got better each day.  Muscle type soreness.  My cost after insurance was $143.00.....and I still need the 2nd go round several months down the road.  Even with all that said, it beats getting the shingles, so I do recommend you get yours if you haven't already.

LOL......spotted this recently in a little gift shop and it spoke to me.  And with that, I'm heading to the kitchen to make Manhattan's for tonight.  Hubby just called and said he's finally leaving work.

Bet You Can't Eat Just One, Potato Chip Scarf.

 Well...a bit of start-itis hit me.  I've been anxious to start working with this yarn, Queensland Collection, Perth 3.5 oz 437 yards and finally decided on this ruffle scarf.  The pattern is called Potato Chip.  I'm adding a link to a video that describes how you accomplish this using short rows.  I didn't find this video until I was at the point you see above.  In the video she goes from a small amount of stitches to a larger, the pattern I used did the opposite.

VIDEO HERE

The pattern I used though is HERE, but I am not using worsted weight yarn, and therefore I used 1.5...in that I cast on 30, and used 12-9-6 for my short row count.  Then thought it wasn't quite full enough and periodically changed to 15-11-8 and then would go back to 12-9-6.  My problem now is wondering if I'll have enough yarn as I was going to use both of this in fairly large blocks.  On my recent ladies trip to Hilton Head, my friend talked me into just using the purple.........gotta get my scale out and weigh how much I have left and decide if this is going to work.

Have done a few more rows on my mellow yellow (just decided on that name) shawl.  The drop stitches show up so much more on the solid yellow because you can see the carpet behind.

I've not signed up for the official challenge, but am using this photo to try and limber up with yoga a bit.  Still having a few issues with vertigo; but trying to work through it.

Night two of my 50th class reunion.  YES.......I am that old!  We were setting things up here before the non committee classmates showed up.  A fun, but tiring weekend.  It was just one day after that when I headed out of town for ladies week.

Was nice to get away and relax afterwards.  How's things going with you?

Lacy Yellow Shawl, A Bright Future, Get Your Amazon On!

Making headway, but slower than I would like with my yellow shawl.  I tend not to work on this at night while watching tv.  The light weight sock yarn and I do better in the light of day without distractions......thus it's taking longer.  Since it's laying on my green chair and ottoman you can see through the yellow section better than the multi-colored sections.  Think you can now better see the lacy effect better than you could before the yellow section was added.

Folks there seems to be technical trouble.  The sound isn't working now on this video.  It worked, then it didn't, then it did again, and now not.  Will leave it for now in case it works itself out.  Now some folks are hearing it and some aren't.  I hear it when I open using Explorer, but not currently with google.....yikes.  Give it a try though folks, he really is cute.

Snarky.......yes, but it made me smile, so thought I'd share.  So much going on right now, hard to keep up with all the scandals and lies.  Never in my life did I think we'd be in such a state with so many people at the top being so inappropriate.  

As a person who LOVES Amazon Prime..........I had to snatch this picture!

Shawls, and Photo Bombs

Making headway with my drop stitch shawl.  Partially cause it's bigger than it was when I last posted a picture, and partially because I found a pretty yellow for the next section that blends nicely with it.  On the left you see a section of garter, followed by drop stitch (in the darker blend), then a larger section of the lighter blend with fewer rows of garter between the lace/drop stitch.  Next section is back to the darker blend.  I'm hoping you can see the variance in the next garter stitch section which starts with dark, then light, and back to dark.  Then it's back to the lace/drop stitch area in the lighter blend, followed by another large garter only stitch area which is the reverse of the previous section and is light-dark-light. (click to enlarge picture so you help me with the sections).

I believe this puts this at a good point to enter the 3rd color, solid yellow.  Currently it measures just under 20 inches (doubling that would 40), so it needs a middle section and then repeat what's already here.  That's the current plan.  What I'm undecided about is......

• Solid yellow mixing sections of garter and drop stitch
• Solid yellow drop stitches with a mix of garter stitch sections in both the two multi-blends (light and dark)

Love to have some input.  This has been a piecemeal thing, in that I bought the light yellow blend, then decided I didn't have enough for a shawl...found the darker blend and liked the two together, but still wasn't sure I had enough yarn.....thus the solid yellow.

Meanwhile.......isn't this cute!  One of the ladies who donates to my charity, Bridge and Beyond sent this to me with her latest donation.  She knows how I hate  to see summer end and fall and winter come.  I personally don't like those seasons, but with regard to my charity, I worry about the homeless in those cold wet seasons.  This will serve as a nice reminder to me that spring will come again.  Currently it's on the tv stand in the living room, but I think I'll hang it on the wall here in my office where I'll see it more often.  Thank you Sandra R from Florida.  What a sweet thing to do.

And

I had laid this aside trying to decide whether or not to rip it out.  I decided not to.  As you can there's not enough left to another repeat which is 10 rows and would form one more point, so I cast off.  I've left the yarn attached as I'm debating about knitting or crocheting (probably crocheting) a bit of an edge on the side where you see the yarn down to the last point on the scalloped side???  The edge would look different, so I don't know if that's a plus or minus?  It's not an asymmetrical shape shawl...so maybe I leave that edge alone (that's the way the pattern is written).  Plus...I don't know how far my left over yarn would go.  Thoughts???  There are several bad spots due to a couple of my errors and not being able to properly fix it, plus a couple of places where the yarn was bad.  This was suppose to be a gift, but....I probably won't gift it.  Probably will keep it for myself.

Got a kick out of this meme on Facebook and thought I'd share it.

About the only thing I've seen recently that's funny when it comes to politics......things have really gotten messy.  But, this photo bomb of Bill Clinton's made me laugh.  We have to keep laughing or we'll go nuts from the shear magnitude of all of this current administrations dealings.

Another Week and What's to Show For It?

This seems to say a lot.  Spotted this meme on Facebook a few days ago and thought it worth sharing.  

I've never seen anything like this before and wondered if you all had?  This was in an airport, though I'm not sure I remember which one....perhaps Portland or San Francisco, as I think it was from a Mother Daughter trip a few months back.

I've not worked on this project in awhile and should, but I'm contemplating, ripping it out to start over.  Stay tuned.

No new picture on the yellow shawl, as it hasn't moved forward enough to look any different to you.  It's really slow going.

It's crazy I know, but....I keep wanting to start something with this yarn.  Do you suffer from start-itis?  I have multiple projects going, but want to start another one.

This is close to being done, but I made a mistake that I couldn't fix, plus there's a spot where there was bad yarn.........argh....so I've put it away and am trying to decide whether to finish or rip it out.  It was going to be a gift.  The mistake is one I could probably ignore if I were wearing it myself...hide it by the way it was tied etc; but.............

Had a very busy week.  My cousin from out of state came and I spend lots of time taking her places and to visit with Dad.  Vertigo is much improved, thanks to all of you who've asked.  Not gone, but much improved.

Stuff and Such on Sunday

 Pink Himalyanan Salt Light.  Have you heard of them, seen then, use them?  They're often used in Yoda Studios which is how my friend learn about them.  They provide a very nice soft light and are quite relaxing.  Thus the yoga connection.  However, they are reported to have other benefits like increased energy, improved mood, better sleep.  Some say they purify the air.  I bought mine through Amazon for under $20.00 and it had the low wattage bulb with it.  It also has a dimmer with 5 selections which is nice.  We tend to use it on the lowest or 2nd to lowest setting.  The light is actually a chunk of pink Himalayan Salt from the area of the Khewna Salt Mines in Pakistan.  They're decorative.  I bought it to see if helped hubby sleep...I think maybe it does, which in turn helps me to sleep or perhaps it helps us both directly?

 A recent meal that was particularly good.  Pork Tenderloin, fresh green beans and a nice salad.  I like to prepare the pork when I bring it home from the grocery.  But, when buying from Cosco you get a rather large package and each package has 4 tenderloins which I season, cut in half, wrap in wax paper, then foil and then freeze in a zip lock bag.   By seasoning ahead (and doing all 8 pieces at a time), you have less mess and safe time.......but additionally the meat has a chance to absorb the flavors of the seasoning more than just seasoning them when you're ready to cook them.  A half piece of tenderloin is perfect for a dinner for 2 people.  3 slices for me, and usually 4 for hubby.

 Travel Hangers.  They are laid out in the 1-2-3 of how to use.  They come folded (like the blue one).  Step one fold down the 2 sides (gives you the size of the pink one), fold out the ends of the 2 sides gives you the size of the yellow one.  They are light weight plastic.  I spotted them advertised the other day and immediately wanted them.  Oddly enough my friend (that told me about the Himalayan Light), sent me a text saying she spotted them too.  We often compare notes on good things travel related.  I ordered them pronto, believe she did also.  I got a package of 10 from Amazon for $9.55.  I think they will be really handy when traveling in Europe where often hangers can't be removed from the closet.  If you ever need to de-wrinkle clothes in the shower, or do a little hand laundry...you need to be able to move the hangers.

 Amazon, my favorite place to shop probably really likes me lately.  I've been shopping from the comfort of my computer.  So much talk of late about the condition of our environment and what we can do to help.  Not using plastic bags at grocery stores for fruits and vegetables is a big one.  The package says these are reusable mesh produce bags that are safe, washable, and eco-friendly; as well as BPA free.  So, thought I would give them a try.  There are 2 sizes, 5 of each size.  I paid less than $10.00 from memory, but can't find my original order to be exact.  I didn't know when I ordered them but, they are made from re-cycled plastic bottles which is an added bonus in my opinion.

I still have the Vertigo, so saved this on my computer in hopes of being able to do these stretches later on.  If you try them, let me know what you think.  They look like good beginner yoga moves.  I am doing more walking again (but sometimes have to stop to slow the dizzies.  But leaning over to do these right now.......nope, not happening.

"Dirty Little Lies".  A HBO series with views of the beach, and The Bridge was perfect for my daughter and I to watch while we were in San Francisco (though the actual bridge photographed was in Big Sur...it felt like we were where it all was filmed.  Based on a best seller by Liane Morarty this 2 season series is packed with stars: Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Joe Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley.............at least those are the women who's names are listed as they appear in the above photo.  It appears though there won't be a 3rd season from what I can find.  Darn it, enjoyed it.  Though doubt hubby would have, it was a good chic flick.  AND we don't have HBO...so there you go.  Have you watched?

No pictures of projects or yarn, cause I have nothing new to show you all, but hope you're keeping busy.