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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Busting Blue Stash

blue stashBusting my blue stash now. This is the 3rd color. Process continues the same. Dump bag, sort, separate, roll, and yank out small balls to add to the corner to corner ghan. It's been fun organizing my yarn, reminding me what I actually have, and fun to see how the ghan is taking shape, in hues of the same color done in batches.
ghanWill work until the blue's gone, or until I feel like busting another color. This ghan will be for Bridge and Beyond.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Starts for the trip

I generally like to start a few small projects in preparation for packing for a trip. I like to start it before leaving home to see if I'm going to like my idea rather than do that actually on the trip.

Taos yarnHere's my little start. A lacy scarf with 100% wool from one of my favorites Taos. This is I think a discontinued colorway. Why, I don't know because I really like it. Got it in the sale bin at my LYS (local yarn shop). Still not cheap, but more reasonably priced then it typical is. Taos is never cheap yarn to my way of thinking.
lace scarfHolding it up here so you can see the lace pattern a bit. It's the old fashioned faggot stitch. Colorway is Tucson. When I originally purchase the yarn I thought I'd probably make myself a new scarf with it; but am now thinking maybe it will be a Christmas gift for youngest niece? Not sure yet. When I get further along I'll decide if it's youthful looking. This was one of the projects I started and put in my carry on bag for the trip to Mexico.

My plan for this past week to work on 10 rows for the corner to corner ghan for the homeless for The Bridge, and 10 rows for the scarf I'm working on my DD for Christmas fell a bit short. I did manage my 10 rows a day for the corner to corner ghan; but only managed 18 of 60 rows for the scarf assuming 10 x 6 through yesterday. I also planned to visit 5 people daily from my blog log and didn't manage that successfully daily--though yesterday hit a good number and just finished the remainder today. Seems lots of folks on my blog log aren't blogging as much as they used too, and for some reason Knitting by the Ocean--Joansie, is now a closed blog? Am receiving a message saying it seems you've not been invited to read this blog. What's up with that, anyone know? Joansie and I've been visiting and commenting on each other's blog a long time, so am puzzled and wonder if we've got a blogspot snafu of some sort.

Hope you all have a good rest of the weekend. I'm hoping to get 10 more rows on corner to corner, and see about catching up and or finishing DD scarf.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Everyone Loves Purple and Green

knitted purple and green scarfStarted this scarf for my DD on the plane to Mexico last week. It's purple and green of course. Her colors, but apparently not just her's. Several folks on the plane and in the lines mentioned how popular green and purple are right now. One young gal they're really "IN". lol I'd be using them even if they weren't. Knitting this from 100% wool, Crystal Palace which is one of my favorite yarns for scarves. Light weight, pretty, soft, but still warm. No fancy stitching to detract from the pretty yarn are necessary. Using a real favorite, The Condo Stitch with size 15 and 8 knitting needles. One of the nice things about using your interchangeable knitting needles is the ability to use 2 different sizes at the same time.

The plan of 10 rows mentioned in my previous post isn't going quite as well as I had hoped. Currently doing 10 rows a day on this scarf I should be at 40 by the end of today, and am only on 19. AND following the same plan for the corner to corner ghan I'm knitting for Bridge and Beyond, I should also be at 40 by days end and am at 25. The day's not over yet, so there's hope but as I finish this post, I'm heading to work soooooooooooooo.....beyond doing a little during my dinner break, I don't know if I'll make it or not.

My other plan of visiting 5 blog mates a day has fallen way short. Too short to report, but I will keep trying.

Hope you're all having a wonderful day. Pretty fall day here, hope it is for you as well.

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Sandy's Sunday Thoughts

There really is never enough hours in the day.

People really can really surprise you with their big hearts.

Immigration and airport security are stressful, long, involved and I wonder....do they really serve a purpose?

Yes, I really do need more time in each and everyday. I am soooooooo behind at blogging on this blog and in visiting all my blog friends. I plan to visit at least 5 of you everyday this week in an effort to catch up. And I need to get a couple of posts written, scheduled and get back in the swing of things...show you what I've been working on, what I've been doing, and find out the same from you.

Been gone for a week, and was thrilled thrilled thrilled to see so many wonderful donations for Bridge and Beyond.

Get in this line, show this paper, move over here. Put your papers away, take your papers back out. Leave your shoes on. Get them tied again, now take your shoes off. Good Grief. How much do you have to declare, what did you buy? Why don't they ask for receipts if they really care? Where did you go, how long did you stay, what happens if you don't tell the truth? How would they know? I'm not sure they would. But...I sure spent lots of time in line..........Geessssssssss Lots of details, pictures, and information to follow on my travel blog, Traveling Suitcase

Daily plan for the week:
Knit 10 rows on scarf I started for DD for Christmas (picture tomorrow)
Knit 10 rows on corner to corner (ghan for homeless, keep checking Bridge and Beyond for progress, in a blue phase now
Crochet 10 rows or stitch together sections for blue burgundy ghan for homeless, keep checking Bridge and Beyond for progress

Goals for the week:
Streamline new tab areas on Bridge and Beyond to include slipper patterns, consolidate mitten patterns
Make exciting announcement about who won the mitten challenge on The Bridge (and tally final total of mittens received for challenge made my member Beth
Make exciting announcement regarding magazine article.............drum roll please.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Adding Green to the Ghan

Dumped out, sorted, rolled, organized Green. Wow...look at all the shades of green. We've got lime green, Christmas Green, several shades of olive green, Forest Green, minty greens, almost black greens. Some almost look blue depending on what you place it next too. I followed the pink procedure and pulled out the small balls of green and have continued.

corner to corner knitted afghanThe pictures a bit blurry, sorry bout that. Still have more green to add; but making good progress. Depending on how much green there is, the decrease might start after the green. Kinda fun using up the small balls of yarn this way and seeing the way the colors show up next to each other. This will go to Faith Mission for Bridge and Beyond.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Making it Pink

Because it's October and we all think about Pink I pulled out my pink stash. Did some untangling, some sorting, some rolling balls. Decided I would pull out all the small balls things about 1-2 inches and use them up.
Here's the start. After the pink section I'm currently working on, I have one more small ball of pink....so then will yank out the green stash and do the same thing. This is helpful, it's reminding me what I have. Giving me a chance to organize a bit too, since some of the hanks etc have been in the bags of stash awhile and they do get a little messy. So far I've managed to actually end at the end of the rows, though ...when you're knitting a corner to corner the first rows are much shorter so that's easier to do. I probably won't as time goes on, and I think that's ok. Changing mid row, might add some character to this ghan. I also don't think I'll make an effort to always end on the right or wrong side. After all I want to use up the balls. I've become a real fan of the corner to corner ghans. They're easy and work up fairly fast with just doing garter stitch. They're a good way to use up yarn, they look decorative I think with the edge made from the yarn overs. This one will probably go Bridge and Beyond for Faith Mission. Those women and children are truly in need.

Apologies, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted. Wow, I never let it go that long. I've been working more hours, and have put lots of time and energy into working on the blog for Bridge and Beyond. Adding tabs, doing more frequent posts to help it's placement in the search engines, and doing lots of posting and promotions on other blogs, and forums to obtain more helping hands.

Would love you all to take time to visit The Bridge, maybe you could print a flier or two which you'll find in the tabs across the top of the blog to help spread the word. Could I also ask you to visit and comment on 2 or 3 different posts? That's helpful as well with the whole search engine thing.

I hope to get around to visiting you all again, please know you're not forgotten.