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.

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.

Vertigo Reduces Steps but Increases Knitting Time

Headway has been rather slow with my drop stitch shawl.  You may remember in the previous post the great un-knitting that took place.  The headway has been the 2nd section of the darker yarn.  I went almost a week after getting back in town before I picked it up and did any knitting......not the way to make much progress.

But..........

I've been extremely busy each day working in the yard.  After being gone, the flower beds were screaming for attention.  The amount of thistles that grew in my absence..yikes.  Anyway, working in the yard each day and getting in my daily walks.  As many of you know I'm an avid walker and had a banner week last week, breaking many of my benchmark records on Fitbit.  So, with walking and yard work, no knitting was accomplished. (flowers are gorgeous about 8 inches in diameter, Mallows).

Since tomorrow is Monday, thought this ditty was worth a laugh.  Are you singing it?

Bunheads!  I never heard of the show, so seldom watch tv, but my daughter and I watched this recently on a trip together.  It's fun, a bit different.  The only person I recognized was Kelly Bishop of Dirty Dancing and Gilmore Girls (Mom in both cases.  I guess from my googling it didn't make it past 1 season..........too bad was entertaining.

**Having broken my records for steps last week 103,258 with the highest day being 22,723 and lowest day being 12,258...I'm already in the whole for the week after.  I've been sitting pretty still for a few days with a bout of Vertigo.  Ugh, balance was off, dizzy, and nausea.  Does anyone else deal with Vertigo?  Have been reading a lot about it, as this is my 2nd episode in 6 wks.  AND, that's why I made some progress with the knitting on the shawl........sitting not stepping.

Yarn Here and Where I travel...and Look Ice Cream!

Started this shawl on a recent vacation.  Needed something small and easy to work on while on the plane.  I've since lost my note and need to refresh my memory, but finding the pattern again on line.  I know you were to go as far as you wanted before starting to decrease to make the 2nd half, but I'm having trouble visualizing how to do the decrease so I keep the design where the yarn overs are.  The yarn overs for you non knitters is the edge with texture you see on the left.  I didn't work on during vacation, and couldn't work on it on the return flight cause I lost my note.  Argh.

Instead I worked on this during vacation.  It too is a shawl, but after I did several additional rows of light gray and yellow, I decided I didn't like it.  And the beginning which is tighter due to using bad needles when I started it......was very apparent to me............so I frogged the whole thing.  Another ARGH.

Here's my Un-knitting.  They look better together in balls than when it was knitted.  So the yellow and gray will have to be for a different project.

And here's how far I got while on vacation after ripping out.  I also decided it was too wide so cast on about 3/4th of the number of stitches as the first go round.  AND decided to start with the darker combo and paced the stitches different.  I did both single and double YO on the first one, but singles really aren't noticeable so didn't use them the 2nd time.  I'm also using more garter stitches in between sections of changing colors to add a bit more sturdiness to it.  Debating if I have enough yarn or should so find a yellow or blue that blends to add it.  From memory believe each ball is slightly over 400 yards.

Went to an art fair while on vacation........more on this later on my travel blog

Did lots of walking and hiking.  Enjoyed a DQ after one hike, but as you can see it was hot and the cone was melting very quickly so when we ordered, she immediately put the cones in a cup.

Haven't joined this blog hop before...but like the idea.

*The blog badge is a link*
Took a nice long walk and have already hit my goal of 11K a day.  Am thankful I can walk that far, and even more thankful I managed it by 11:30 am, so all the rest of the day will be a bonus.

More Knitting and Family Heirlooms

 As you can see, making good headway on my latest shawl.  However, in the picture it looks like shades of blue, when in fact it's shades of gray and even when I tried to edit the picture, couldn't get the color right.  Why does that happen?  As I look back at the previous post where this was barely started, it also looked more blue than gray.  I've not had to rip out and start over as I did when I made the pink-green one, so am pleased it's going much quicker.  I really love the shape of the shawl and plan to make several more, so stay tuned.  Just about half way in this picture, though took it two days ago, so am further along.

 What to keep and what to part with?  This clock is not in working order, and I don't know how costly it would be to fix it.  I also don't know how long it's been since it did work.  I wonder if anyone in the family knows.  We're getting down to the wire for a tag sale at my Dad's place.  On one hand I feel like we should keep things, but then our already over full house would end up like my Dad's....too full of stuff to get rid of.  This clock apparently belonged to my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather.  I think perhaps it was a wedding present; but ...maybe it will bring a good price at the tag sale?  It's something my folks have had for a long time, but I don't think they got it from Granny, I think one of her daughters had it for years, then my folks.  I don't know for certain.  But, you just can't keep everything, or all you would be doing is moving stuff from one house to another, compounding the quantity of stuff.

How does one take a picture without getting a reflection when glass is involved?  You saw this family doily in the previous post, but now I have if framed in a shadow box.  I hope my older brother likes it.  Think it will look nice on his mantel.  This might have been made by Granny (owner of above clock?), or one of her daughters, Great Aunt Irene who I know did some other stitch work.  Sure wish we knew whom.

Family Heirlooms, Knitting and Crocheting and Selling a Family Home

This antique filet crochet doily is a family piece.  I don't know who made it, or how old it is; as I've never seen it before.  When the brothers and I were cleaning out and organizing my Dad's house to prepare it for sale, we found this in a badly broken old frame.  If you click to enlarge the picture, you can see the stains.........both of age, and on the two edges that were touching the frame.  Believe it absorbed the stain from the frame.  I examined it carefully and could see no signs of instability and so decided I would chance washing it.  I washed in cold water, in light detergent in a laundry bag for fine linens to protect it.  It's now dried and looks more clean, but the stain is still present...just better.  I plan to find an appropriate sized shadow box frame for it.  The old frame isn't repairable and wasn't the right size to begin with, which is how the edges were all matted against the frame and some of the filet wasn't actually visible in the old frame.  What a find!  Just wish I had seen this before, when I could have asked my mother, or grandmother, or one of my great aunts who made it, where it came from, who's house it had belonged to.  Such a shame to have family pieces without knowing the story.

Finished my shawl!  Just need to weave in the ends.  Really wanted another section of the pretty green, but wasn't sure I had enough yarn left to continue the next repeat.  Each repeat was 10 rows, and at the end of the 10 rows you bind off 4 to give you the pointed edge.  I ended up with 24 points, pattern indicated you might get 25 from the cake of yarn.  Love the points edge...very pretty, and the scooped edge that will be the neck edge (you can see it if you click to enlarge picture...it's the top edge where you do the increases with kfb.  The right edge is the edge you bind off.  Debating whether or not I should try to crochet a little edge there...or whether it would look weird, even if I do have enough yarn to do that..........love your thoughts gang.

And so, I've started another one.  This one won't be as colorful...black, gray and white.  So far it's hard to see any shading in the colors.  If you remember, I had to rip out the pink and green one when I was close to half way through, and lost some yarn in the process.  Since, I now know the pattern that shouldn't happen, and presumably I should be able to get the 25 points?  Time will tell.  This one is for a friend who requested the black, gray and white.  

Coffee Latte is continuing to grow.  Am working on the dark brown section now that you see at the bottom of the picture.  Completed 2 more sections since the last picture and it now measures 38 (before blocking) inches in depth.  The previous large dark brown section is the middle point of the afghan.

Some of  you know I've been blogging less due to being super busy dealing with my Dad being in an assisted living center...and working on his house to prepare for sale.  This is his house, fingers and toes crossed...we have a contract.  Just waiting on the inspection now.  Will be a huge relief to get this taken care of.

Knitting and Yoga

Spotted this the other day on Facebook and thought it was too funny not to share.  I especially like downward facing cake, lol.  I'm not really even a big lover of cake, prefer pie...but it made me laugh.

Making headway with my shawl............the 2nd time through.  I was farther along than the previous picture shows when I realized I had a major error, I wasn't able to fix it, so totally un-knitted it and started over.  Currently I have 18 scallops for the edge, pattern says they will be about 25 when finished.  Wasn't happy about having to totally rip it out and start over; but I didn't put a marker for the right side in, which got my count off...my own fault.  The 2nd time I put the marker in.  Lesson learned.  LOL.  What I can't visualize is how my long un-scalloped edge is going to shape up.  Seems too long to only get 7 more scallops in..........time will tell I guess.

Haven't worked on this drop stitch lace shawl in awhile, but hope to in the next couple of days.  

Coffee Latte is now over half way.  The current section of variegated starts the 2nd half (at the top of the photo), with the dark brown section being the middle.

This is a series hubby and I are watching.  It's an interesting view of Atlantic City back in the day with crime bosses and Capone and I love the clothes of the period.

Been out of town a bit, and very busy with Dad at the Assisted Living Center, and preparing his house for sale.  Thus, the being behind with blogging.

On and Off the Needles as we Move into The New Year!

 Trying to get a picture with bad light isn't easy.  Neither of these is quite right in terms of color.  But, the first photo I lightened on the computer and think it's probably closest.  I'm using two color strands that are quite similar in color, just different intensity.  I started this shawl back in July for myself, and it got put away.........which is what always happens when I try to make something for myself.

Additionally, it's not something I can work on easily while watching tv at night.  Two fold, the fingering yarn is so fine, I find it hard to see at night using light vs day light.  AND the yarn is sooooooooo wonderfully soft it easily slids off the needle if I'm looking up to watch tv.  Which is why I only work on it once in a blue moon.  

This is the real color of the fiber/yarn of the lighter section before I did anything with it.  Perhaps the next picture will be better.  Anyway.  Thought I'd work on it for a few days during the day since I had just finished

Earth and Sky a few days ago.  (posted in previous post).  This is prior to being laundered and blocked.  Am pleased as it now is laying out to dry as it's being blocked.  It measures 60 x 65 ish.  

 After finishing above Earth and Sky, I dug out Cardiac Collage.  No doubt most of you will remember it.  I edged each square with the darker blue, crochet them together and ended up with a square measuring about 54 inches, from memory.  It was drying and being blocked yesterday.  After measuring it, I should have written it down, but think I'm not too far off in my memory.

The turquoise in the bottom picture is a bit closer, though the other colors in the first picture look pretty close.  So many gray drab days here in Ohio, it's often difficult to get colors to show up correctly in pictures.  Both afghans will be donated to Bridge and Beyond, my charity focused on helping the Homeless.

I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and families, I posted some Christmas memories in my previous post.  This picture just seems so appropriate to me.  I hope and pray, 2019 will rid of us of some of these horrible politicians.  So very tired of their ruining this country of ours.

If you're traveling for holiday, please be safe!

Afghans, Shawls, Toilet Paper Rolls and Ladies in Lavender...Oh MY!

Cardiac Collage is coming along, it's growing both in numbers of pieces and size of the pieces.  You can see some irregularity in shapes due to some slightly different texture with the various yarns...one problem when you use bits and pieces.  But, I think when things are pieces together and playing off each other...then it get's laundered and blocked, it will be alright.  I'm enjoying the pieces parts, the mish mosh look to it.  The irregularity to it, speaks to cardiac events. (participating in Slow Sunday Stitch, see blog badge in right side bar--yippee, haven't been able to participate for several weeks, and just realized, thought the link is correct and the badge is correct, I've been referring to it as Slow Stitch Sunday...oophs)

I mentioned in my last post (please scroll back if you missed it), things you can use toilet paper rolls for.  Mentioned that I had saved several pictures of things that seemed like a good idea to me....but, could only find one (the bird seed thing in the last post).  YIPPEE in a totally unrelated file I stumbled onto some of the other pictures I thought I'd saved.  And, this is one of them.  Depending on where you live, this isn't one you can do much with now...but come next Spring.  Now I didn't read the article about this idea, but think...once you start the seeds you could plant the whole roll? Vs having to to try and remove the seedlings?  Thoughts??

Been awhile since I've posted about another enjoyable British series or movie.  Since I've been able to be a bit more active, less sitting and icing...equates to less watch my ipad.  That, and I was out of town for two weeks.  I had started watching this several week prior and just now got back to it.  Finished watching it last night.  Sweet sweet movie.  Very enjoyable, but than what's not to like with both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith!  Highly recommend this.

For my cross stitching friends.  A gift I made long ago for a shower gift.  Long enough ago, pre-digital, so this is a scan of a an picture, thus the quality is lacking.

Headway, even if minimal with my drop stitch (elongated garter stitch) shawl.  You can see the two cakes of yarn are basically the same colors but different intensities or different levels of how vibrant the colors are.  I think it will be an interesting look.........at least I hope so, as the fiber was $$$$$.  It's super soft, fingering.  The lighter version is BAAH New York, (Island Sorbet) 400yards, (100% SW Merino) the darker version is Swanky Sock 378 yards (10% cashmere, 10% nylon and 80% superwash merino Magpie, a local in the Park City area from my understanding.  You can see the pattern beginning to show with small drops, than larger drops...light and dark.  You can also the dreaded needles I moan about in the last post, Loops and Threads.  See how the cord won't lay flat at all...

And more importantly look at the significant bump where the cords joins the needle.  Horrible things.  Happy to say it's knitted off those needles onto the wonderful ChiaoGoo.......what a difference.  No bump to work over and the cord does NOT coil.  Worth paying twice as much.  Note to self, that's a mistake you don't repeatl

Home Again with Yarn and Needles, Don't buy Cheap Needles!

Isn't this a cleaver idea?  Spotted this and some other ideas the other day for how to use/re-use toilet paper rolls.  I thought I'd saved about half of them, but when I went to look for them, they weren't in my files.  I tried doing this while out of town using my ipad...and always seem to have issues with stuff when I don't have my trusty computer.  It's simply rolled in peanut butter and then bird seed.  Tie it on a tree or slide it on a branch.  Birds don't need this right now, but come winter, might be nice.

This is a possible layout with blocks from my start with the Cardiac Collage AFghan.  You'll remember I started this sitting in the ER while hubby was having a Cardiac Event.  No real pattern....amounts of color and size vary.  I want it to be very sporadic looking.  I've got 2 other sections started, but they didn't make the picture....And, as time goes on this may not be the arrangement, but you get the idea.  The smaller squares (15.5 x 11.5 so far) were easier to tote on the plane on my recent vacation, as well as the sitting at the hospital.  Then I can put them together.

A wee start on a shawl with fingering weight yarn and size 4 needles.  I had the yarn with me, but didn't have the right size needles so bought some at Michaels....horrible things they are.  Loops and Threads.  They were cheap and the join from the needle to the cord is horrible.  I had to really coax the yarn/fiber across it with my finger nail.  Didn't get very far before I decided I really needed better needles.  This was my first attempt at elongated garter stitch (wrap and drop).  Hard to see in the picture but there are several rows of single wraps and drops and then 2 wraps and drops  to give it a light airy lacy feel and look.   Next picture will be after purchasing nicer needles and actually being able to knit comfortably.

Now home, and am once again working on Jeweled Lines, the last section so picture of completed ghan soon.

Added some notes about luggage and packing cubes on my travel blog, Traveling Suitcase, if you'd care to check it out.  Our trips was 2 weeks at Park City, Utah.  More to follow there.