Pasta, Poppers, Toilet Paper Roll, and Cardiac Collage

I love lite pasta dishes.  I love that you don't need lots of ingredients, and that you can do almost a one pan meal in about 15-20 minutes.  Onion, mushrooms sauteed, add fresh cut up tomatoes (these are homegrown from our neighborhood market), a handful or two of mix salad greens...lightly stir, add al dente pasta ( I like the very lite angle hair for summer).  Blend, add olive oil if it seems to dry (though usually the tomatoes provide enough liquid or almost enough.  Season with fresh grown pepper and Italian cheese of choose.  

Poppers.......another idea of what to do with your empty toilet paper rolls.  Aren't they pretty!  Fill them with candy, trinkets for youngsters.  I also think you could wrap some gifts this way. Jewelry for example would work...maybe not all jewelry, but rings, some necklaces and bracelets, pendants.  Some hair accessories would work also, ribbons, barrettes, pony tail clips.

Sorry the pictures are out of order.  Here's the meal on the plate from the stove top view you saw in the first photo.

 Cardiac Collage continues to grow, both in the number of colors used, as well as in the number of squares, and the size of the squares/rectangles.  Below picture is quite crooked.  Squares aren't perfect, but they're not as crooked as they look in the bottom picture.  The square pictured on the bottom is the largest.  I like size of it, and will probably add a edge here and there to others blocks to make them close to the same size.  The two most recent colors added are:

The blue and the brown seen in the last square.  Can add a bit of those colors to already existing squares, but don't want that to always be the colors on the edge so won't add it to all.  Will start another couple of blocks with those colors.  The peach color is retired, all out of that, and close with the darkest purple and one of the greens, so need to mix these blocks up to have colors throughout.

Cardiac College, The Great Train Robbery...Toilet Paper Rolls Again

Cardiac Collage is growing.  Got 6 blocks, or parts there-off done.  Managed to tuck some ends after this photo was taken.  Surely don't want to wait til the end have a ton of them to do at one time.  The arrangement above isn't what it will be, I can see there's no orange in the 2nd row, so need to mix that up a bit, and there's no dark dark purple in the 2nd row either.  It's good to take pictures along the way to see, study the color combinations and balance there-off.  

Didn't find just a picture or poster of the move, but did find this video.  This is a two part story.  Part One is the story from the criminals side of things.  How they planned it, who was involved and their mind set.  Part 2 is the Scotland Yard perspective and how ...one by one, they got them.  Some arrests were pretty quick, others took a while.  This is a true story, so found the whole thing fascinating.  This is one hubby chose, he's not watched any of the others I've posted.... He likes more action stuff so this worked from his perspective.  I highly recommend this.

More, what to do with your toilet paper rolls.  I didn't find this particularly interesting or creative...after all we can make yarn balls without using the toilet paper rolls, or we can wind into cakes if we have winders...but, one thought came to mind with this method.  You could slide these over a paper towel dispenser (at leas the type with a rod), and your yarn would unwind nicely while you knit or crochet?  Perhaps I'll give it a try.

LOl....well, just thought this humorous ditty worth a share. 

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.

Looking for Old Sweater Pattern,Knitting Cardiac Collage Afghan, Downloading Problems

 

Here's Cardiac Collage in it's early stages.  This was before adding other colors so things have grown quite a bit from this start.  But, this is the start from my hospital sitting, during a cardiac event my husband had.  Hopefully the next picture I will be able to show you more.  Having some ipad issues and so am using a shared computer and therefore not able to show you the new picture just yet.

This crochet sweater is one I made for my Mother YEARS ago.  I loved the pattern and wish I still had it.  It had great inset raglan sleeves and ribbed sweater bottom and sleeves.  The pattern was well written.  I don't know how I lost it, or I sorta think maybe I loaned it and never got it back.  It was made with sport yarn.  I've posted this once or twice through the years in hopes of someone recognizing the pattern.  I've searched antique patterns but haven't had any luck finding it.  From memory (almost 100% certain), the picture on the front of the pattern was a pretty mintish green or blue-green.  The pattern was I think a Leisure ARts Pattern.  One of those single leaflets that opened and had a pattern on the front and the back.

Not a great picture, used phone but was by a window so it's a bit light.  You can however see some progress with Cardiac Collage.  Since it was small it was/is portable and therefore has come to forefront.  I plan to make squares using up odds and ends and then piece them together.  The squares with have different numbers of colors, different amounts of shared colors.  Truly no symmetry to it.  Somehow, the lack of symmetry and predictable pattern seems fitting for cardiac collage (cardiac events are not at all symmetrical).

Haven't watched any good English TV of late, as hubby and I have been involved in other matters.  But, I do have a question for you.  Have tried to download movies and or tv series from my ipad using my Amazon Prime Membership so that I might watch something while on a couple of long plane rides.  I've googled and it appears I should be able to do that.  However, I do not see a download option.  Google tells me you can watch now, or download...any help on this would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Bomb Girls, Knitting Cardiac Collage, Jeweled Lines and Butterflies

LOVED this show.  Two seasons were available on Amazon Prime.  Lots of romance, history of WWII, with strong emphasis on the importance of Women and despite all they did, how they still didn’t get the respect or the pay they deserved.  People, both male and female somehow still thought they needed to cook all the meals, do all the cleaning, paint their nails and look pretty.  Looking pretty and finding a man...and goodness don't let anyone know you have a brain.  Young women should watch this show to have an understanding of how the role of women in the workforce has changed.


I was disappointed when it ended after two seasons...was a bit up in the air it seemed to me.  You can certainly see how Rosy The Riveter came to be.

Years ago at Christmas.  My older brother holding a cross Stitch Butterfly I made him.  As a kid he had quite a collection of butterflies and was very knowledgeable about them.  I also made the frame...or perhaps it's more accurate to say I put it together as one of those do it yourself places.

This yarn still looks the same.....in that it has not been casted onto any needles.  I have sorted patterns and believe I've found one I can use this yarn for to make a shawl.  But, am a bit nervous as it says it takes 400 yards and that's exactly what I have according to the label.  Not having extra makes me nervous, cause who's gage is perfect!  I may purchase something to go with it to do some minimal stripping just to give me a sense of comfort.

Jeweled Lines is almost done, but I don't have a picture to show you.  I'm in the very last section, but it's now on the back burner for a couple of weeks, as I needed a project that could be mobile, and it's far too big to big mobile.  So..you get a break from looking at the same thing over and over for awhile.  LOL

Cardiac Collage is mobile and so am working on it.  Posting from a borrowed computer as I was having trouble with my ipad and so can't show you a picture yet of this project either.  Hopefully soon.