Ten for '10, the New Decade

I guess maybe I could come up with some resolutions. Since I am not good at New Year’s Resolutions, maybe I can do better if I make them for a whole 10 years.

1 Live long enough to retire.
2 Get a job I can retire from.
3 Make a sweater or shawl—a big project--out of homespun yarn .
4 Make another.
5 Try to get Hubby into something hand-knit.
6 Blog faithfully, at least 2 weekly/8 times a month minimum.
7 For every project I buy yarn for, make another out of stash yarn—at least sometimes, until stash gets low. “Low” being determined by my own judgment.
8 Continue to use crock-pots for meals.
9 Spend time with yarn every day—knitting or spinning or both
10 Become a grandma. I think ten years should be enough time for the boys to find someone nice and settle down. I won’t hold my breath on this one though.

Well—that sounds like a doable list, especially if I stretch it out over ten years. No one will remember after that much time what I resolved.

Nine from '09

Here is a list of movies I discovered and loved this year. All old and mostly thanks to Turner Classic Movie channel. Nine from 2009.

1—Roberta. It’s a musical with Fred Astaire and Randolph Scott. You got to love a movie that has that macho cowboy as a romantic lead, and the owner of a Paris fashion shop.
2—Golddiggers of 1933. Again a musical. Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and with Ginger Rogers singing “We’re in the Money” in Pig Latin. Hilarious, even in today’s economy. I especially love when a friend comes over to borrow the “good dress” and silk stockings for a job interview.
3—Wuthering Heights. I read the book years ago and had trouble understanding it. I understand it better now, and love Olivier in it. A perfect Heathcliff.
4—Now, Voyager. I generally am not a fan of Bette Davis. Too tough for me to enjoy. But in this role she is much more sympathic, and I love her transformation.
5—The Man Who Came to Dinner. What a romp! Again, a Bette Davis I can love. During the intro, they say that she is playing opposite the role she usually plays, and its true. No wonder I like her in this.
6—Dinner at Eight. Another old ensemble piece. The different guests with their own agendas. Such fun to watch.
7—Key Largo. Wasn’t what I expected, but loved every minute of it. A great surprise. I almost changed the channel, and am glad I didn’t.
8—The Private Live of Henry VIII. From 1933 and a great film. Elsa Lancaster tricking Henry to divorce her is a riot.
9—Captains Courageous. I was delighted with this one. I knew it starred Tracey as an Latin fisherman, but it wasn’t what I expected. Freddy Bartholomew almost made me change the channel early on, but I held on and loved the piece.

There they are, my favorite “new” discoveries from this past year. And not a new movie in the bunch.

Greening the Church

Sunday was the last Sunday in Advent, so we greened the church following the service. The kids helped set up the manger scene.

Others decorated the gree. Dawn put the angel on top and decorated the high spots from a chair.

And others decorated down low while Lindsey "fluffed" the branches. This is our first artificial tree. It does look nice though. I miss the candle sconces on the walls though.

Another One Off the Needles

I finished Younger Son's Very Warm Hat. He tried it on yesterday, and approved the fit, so picked up the lining and finished it this afternoon. Bulky wool and double layered. No way he should get cold ears in this one. After finishing I weighed the left over and should have enough for another whole hat without even starting the second skeins of each color.

Toasty Fingers

I finished my red mittens last night and tried them out today. Warm and toasty fingers. And since the fleece that I lined them with still had the lanolin in it, they make my skin soft.
And since Younger Son finally showed some interest in having his own wooly warm hat, I started his own Very Warm Hat. It is bulky wool, in charcoal and medium gray.




I have the outside almost done and should be able to start the inside tomorrow, if it fits. I decided not to cut if off until he tries it on. Gilbert the wonder dog just says "Knittin', Schmittin. Move those needles Mama so I can sit on your lap."

And Counting

As near as I can calculate, there is 1 month and 29 days until the next Daytona 500.
Go Mark!!

Yet Another Finished Project

Let's face it. Lately I've been a knitting fool. This is the Milkweed Shawl by Laura Chau. I started on November 30, and frogged the next 2 days, so this took less than 2 weeks. It is made of Alpaca Sox.

I have another skein in a soft mauvy pink, the same yarn to knit one up for the fair's silent auction. Since the pattern asks that it not be used for commercial puposes, I wrote and got her permission to use for the auction. I only have to list the pattern name and designer name and website. If any of my readers want to get one the lazy way, be sure to come and bid at fair time.
If anyone is inspired to try this pattern, I want to warn you that I upsized the needle to a size 7 to get the size I wanted. I also used almost all of the yarn and this skein had 100 more yards than the pattern called for, since I did use a larger gauge.
I also finished the first mitten of the pair of red thrummed mittens.

It does look better on the outside than the inside I showed in a previous post. I have a bunch of thrumms ready to knit up into the next mitten. It is really warm.
On another note, I went in to sit with a phone rep to see if I am still interested in trying for the job I was contacted about last week. I am and hope to hear more from them. They are looking to start people the end of January or so. But first I have to take a test tomorrow, online and then make it through the interview.

Now This Is More Like It!

I was greatly dissappointed with the storm yesterday. Even though all the schools were closed, by the time I drove into work yesterday, the roads were not bad. They were empty. As a result I was able to stop and take some great pictures on my way to work. The snow had mostly stopped by the time I went in.

By this time the road was wet and sloppy. It did make for some great pictures though.

This was taken off the back porch today. While we aren't getting the wind for a blizzard, we are windy and snowy.

Just as a comparison--this is looking over the pasture to the back woods yesterday in the heavy wet snow, early in the morning.

This is almost the same view, taken from the same place. With windy lake effect, dryer, finer snow.

Neat, huh?

I love winter. I think I'll go knit.

Knit Knite Knews

I was afraid that we wouldn't be having Knit Nite tonight, but so far, the winter storm is, as I said before, a bust.

We had a smaller group, as Christine lives a little south, and the snow started earlier there. Bonnie came and has almost knit up her entire skein. She is even looking toward her next project! She wants some Fun Fur or eyelash yarn to knit another one. Sandy was finishing some socks for her great-grandsons in Maine. Flo was working on a Christmas present--an afghan in sherbert orange.

I was there working on my red mittens. Instead of knitting in a lining, I am lining them with Lincoln locks, in the grease. The white are when I knit in the bits of "thrumms" that I make from the carded locks. They are really going to be warm and hopefully a little waterproof with the lanolin still in the locks..

Because, as you see, the inside looks like fuzzy throat of an exterrestial. But once the fuzzies felt down, won't they be warm?

The highlight of the evening whas when we coerced our priest Duncan to come in. The vestry met tonight, and because they met extra early, they were done before we left. When Duncan came in, Flo showed him the hat she had made him. It was a superwash, self striping sock yarn, but in a worsted weight. He wanted an earflap hat that wasn't too tight. When he saw it, he lit up like a little boy.

He pronounced the fit perfect. Now he can ride his bicycle all winter with warm ears.

Farmers' Woes

It sure has been hard around here for the farmers this year. 
First October was cold and wet.  Frigid even.  Because field corn had not yet ripened, the ears of cor were pointing up. So all the rain and snow ran down inside and accumulated inside the husks. 

Come November, warm and practically balmy.  Once the farmers were finally able to get into the fields, after the ears finally started to turn downward, they started picking corn.  Problem is, now the corn after sitting in the damp husks, and after the wet, cold and then warm weather, has started to mold on the cob.

Rain, mud, mold and now, the combine on the farm where Oldest Son works, has a broken transmission.  By the time they get done, if it snows, the snow-covered ground won't freeze solid so they can get in the fields.

Plus we are supposed to be under a blizzard/winter snow warning. 

(Doesn't look much like snowy weather to me.  I'll believe it when I see it.)

Other Knitting Knews

Update time. I have made great progress on the two at a time socks. These are the ones from a kool-aid dyed sock blank. They started live on 2 circular needles, but I didn't like that method. After switching to double points (luckily I had 2 matching sets of Knit Picks double points) I have made better progress. Since that picture was taken I have done heel flap and turned the heel, and started the gussets, on both socks. I try to knit one, then the other to keep the surplus yarn even.

Next is a new project I started this past week, after finishing the sweater. I am using a light/dark blue and brown sock yarn--Alpaca Sox. The pattern is Laura Chau's Milkweed Shawl and it is more of a sholder shawl.

I have restarted it 3 times, to get the right needle/gauge, but am happy with it now. It goes fairly quickly too.
Next is mittens. I started a couple weeks ago, but then rethunk them. I decided instead of using the cream alpaca, I am going to use bits of fleece knit along at a regular pace to give a tufted wool lining that will felt to my hands with use. I found some raw fleece so the lanolin will help make them waterproof as well. I hope

And here is something that has been on the back burner, but is still a great travel project and has been traveling to Knit Night, as backup when I run into some problem on my main knitting. I have been describing this Pi Are Square shawl to people as the knitting equivelant of a crazy quilt, with my use of the mill ends, but I really do love it.

And I promise, I will return th the February Pink Lady sweater and the Lady Eleanor entralac shawl.

Soon.

Maybe next month.

Sweater Girl

Here, as promised is the Old Jeans Cardigan. Finished and I am loving it. It is so comfortable, warm and I love how the cables turned out.

Here is another shot with it laid out on the table.

The cables show up better here, as do the pewter buttons. Did you notice the cables are mirrored?

Shades of Mark Twain

I did get pictures of my sweater at Knit Night last night and will be posting them soon.  I also got a couple updated pictures of the warm fuzzy mass that is my Pi Are Square shawl.  I have started new knitting, the Milkweed Shawl in alpaca sock yarn.  I have frogged and changed needle sizes upwards once, and may decide to to it again.  I am debating that issue in my head.

 

The funny was that one of the gals was telling me her husband that I had died.  He was reading the obituaries in the paper and told her that lady you knit with died.  You know, Bob A---'s daughter.  She looked at it and said, no she's married and her name changed.   We got a good chuckle out of it last night. 

 

So when I looked through the local paper today, I checked out the obituaries as usual.  This time I was startled to see my name, from my hometown.  Whoa.

 

Wait, it was my maiden name, and I am still here after all.  It is a strange experience to see your own name in the obituaries when you live in a small town and know so many people.  The strange thing was that I didn't know this woman whose married name was my maiden name. 

 

I feel like Mark Twain today. It seems that reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

Old Jeans Sweater--FO

Yup, the blue grey Old Jeans Sweater is finished. Last night actually and I am wearing it today. I will get a picture of it tonight at Knit Nite to have one to post.

I think the gap in front is a little bigger than I would like. I think blocking/steaming the cables out flatter would have helped that. The cables do pucker up the fabric and I didn't allow extra ease for that. But the sleeves are wonderful and the cables to look delightful.

My boss Sandy says it looks alike a "real sweater".

I think that was a compliment. I'll post a picture and let you decide.