Knitting Interrupted

While I HAVE been working on the Cherry Leaf Shoulder shawl (12 complete pattern repeats so far), I got caught up with my Knitters Loom. I had started this over a year ago. The warm is Nature Spun fingering, in light and dark green. The weft is a self striping yarn, in either sport or worsted. Also wool.

This was warped and started, but I had no idea how to tell the length of woven faberic. I just know I had a long warp.
After being inspired by Mary's weavings (ruana and a baby blanket in just a month or two after getting the loom.) I dug it back out.

It went quite well.I was pleased with the plaid I ended up with. The finished shawl or table runner. I don't have a table worthy of a runner, so Gertrude is posing with it as an 11 inch wide shawl. I rather like it.
I think I need a bigger loom.

Tour De Fleece 2010

I just heard that the 2010 edition of Le Tour de Fleece is coming up in a few days--July 3 to July 25.  There are some rest days built in, just like the bikers have.  Isn't nice that they ride while we spin? 
While no longer on a separate blog, there is a group on Ravelry for the Tour.  I just joined the group and will mention it to Spin Guild. 
Since I just started my Lorna's Lace Red Rover I will work on that when at Spin Guild, but think I may sort out another batch of wool for spinning at home.  I don't want to mix up tensions by doing that on different wheels, when I have plans for a sweater with the Red Rover. 
Hmmm.  Must think on what I want for my home spinning.
That also means, not much home knitting for those couple weeks--and I was coming along so nicely on the Cherry Leaf Shoulder Shawl too lately.

Yarn and Knitting Updates

I started these socks quite some time ago. They were the back-up socks shortly after I finished one pair. Now, since finishing the last pair, they are the primary socks. I like this yarn and this color. Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace is a slightly larger weight, and a single ply. It blooms and is very soft and comfy. My first pair is wearing well, and in the winter, when its cool enough to wear them they are one of my favorite pairs.
This is my yarn I am spinning in the Red Rover colorway. I have three bags and this is about a third of the first bag. I hope to make a sweater out of it. If need be, I may have to find some yarn to supplement it.

Isn't it a great color?

Baby Baby

Last week I finished the baby sweater I was making for the 4H fair silent auction. I finished a autumny colored shawl last fall, but finally decided on this as the perfect item.

More people may be interested in baby clothes than a shawl. I almost put buttons on it, but went with the two ties as shown in the pattern. It is at least a size 12, so that should help make it more attractive to prospective buyers as well. I decided to forego knitting with wool, again considering the public. I used Vanna's Choice. It is a rather nice feeling acrylic in a color way called sea spray.

On an additional baby front--these were delivered Saturday. Our barn cats needed new blood.

Aren't they little cuties?

Fun With Duct Tape

Saturday's class on making your own body double was fun. Hot, but at least I wasn't the one getting wrapped in duct tape!
According to Angie, you can get some great back support while being wrapped. She chose black for the slimming effect.

Sheila was going bold. Her red made for great pictures. It was hard to laught hard when you were the one in the duct tape though.

All wrapped up and ready to go. The taping went fast, as we had 2 tapers and one tapee for each of the doubles. Gertrude, Trudy and Tillie.

I think eveyone needs a duct tape buddy.

Making Dummies

Saturday's class on making your own duct tape dress form was a riot.  I got lots of incriminating pictures and will try to get them posted later today.
The first look at what you really look like  can be scarey.

Go Busch?

I can't believe I am saying that for this coming NASCAR race. While I am still rooting for Mark Martin all the way, I want even more to stop Kevin Harvick. He has become a bully, pushing anyone around who gets in his way. I never forgave him for winning the Dayton 500 a few years ago when Mark had been leading for quite a while. But his actions lately have been over the top, and he doesn't care! I really want him to get spun out of the race and even the Chase. . Kurt Busch is hot on his heels, and since Kyle became a truck team owner, he has been quite bearable this year. Much more mature. I would prefer anyone but Harvick in the lead
I want Harvick out of the Chase so so badly, I will even cheer for Kyle Busch.
I can't believe I said that.

New Ditch

I came home from work today to see this at one end of our U-shaped drive.

And this was blocking half the road.

The reason, a new culvert in the ditch at the end of our drive.

This is our "working" drive, where the tractor, wagons, equipment and boys in trucks enter and exit. When the tractor has to exit or enter with the baler, it was always a sharp turn. One day I came home to see Hubby in the ditch with a hose and long pole, trying to unplug the tube. After he determined it was broken, the County was contacted. And today, we got a new culvert. The old cement one was 18 feet long. The new one is 30. Should be plenty of room for tractors, wagons.

And for the big truck that will be delivering a new batch of logs in another month for this winters heat. Lots of room. I think he will like it.

Foggy Pictures

I finally figured a way to get the pictures of the Baby Genius Burp Cloth and Baby Bib o' Love off the telephone and on to the blog with an intervening step. I needed to be able to downsize them somehow. I needed to e-mail them to my work address so I could then use Fotosizer to reduce the file size.
So here they are.You will notice the old timey"filmed through Vaseline" look like they used on Dynasty with Joan Collins and in old movies with wrinkled stars. I guess that even though the camera was set for high resolution (which I have since adjusted), the clear film over the camera hole in the protective case gives it that gauzy look.
That leaves me with a dilemma. I can either try cutting the film off the protective case, thus leaving the lens susceptible to scratches and rendering it useless. Or I can leave the film in place, protecting the lens, but causing blurry pictures, thus still rendering the camera useless.
Ahh well.
Anyway, above is the bib. I modified the button tabs by changing to I-cord after about an inch and making ties.
Below is a closeup of the burp cloth. I love the colors and textures. A very quick, mindless knit. All you have to be able to do is count to 4. Once you cast on that is.
Now Daddy can take baby Levi to the woods and be able to feed and burp him!

The Grandma Shower

What a great time we had today at Spin Guild.
Mary is becoming a first time grandma, but the problem is, Momma and Baby are in Colorado and she is here in Michigan. So, since she couldn't get to any of the showers out there, we had one her during our regular Spin Guild meeting.

We had presents--Sheila was the good do-bee and passed them from the table to Mary.

After she opened them, Mary made us each pose with our gift so she could take a picture.

Of course there was food. Cake, with watermelon chasers. No not drinks, just chunks of juicy watermelon. Yum!

Even with a couple people missing, we still had a good turnout. And we still got some spinning done. Here is the pink Lillie Sweater I made, I think she liked it.

We told baby stories, laughed and generally had a good time.

I'm pretty sure Mary had a good time too.

Fair Project

I have been progressing along quite well on the baby cardigan for the silent auction for the 4H fair. I wanted to get this project out of the way so I could concentrate on others.

Next priority is finishing the Cherry Leaf Shoulder Shawl. Baby items have interferred, but I am almost ready to devote myself to that until finished.

On a side note, I am watching Duck Soup now that the NASCAR race is over. Yesterday i saw the Marx Brothers in Monkey Business. I am becoming a Marx Brothers fan. I also have been playing with my Droid phone. Making lists, playing cribbage and watching Reader and Facebook. What a great time killer. The only thing I have trouble with is figuring out how to make phone calls!

We Have a Baby

At least, we have one and my nephew has one.

Ours arrived yesterday, a frisky but shy black simmetal heifer calf. So far I have only seen her white face once from a distance, as Momma keeps hiding her in the grass.

My nephew and his wife did not have an Al Al, but a Levi Andew. Mother and baby doing well and I may need to get another sweather going soon.

Well actually......

I found some yarn and an easy baby sweater pattern. Its a hoodie and instead of buttons, it has 2 ties. I need something quick and easy for our 4H silent auction. I don't have enough time for a shawl, as I had planned, but this will be quick and should be a popular item. It is top down and I have started already. I hope to have it done within a week.

He's Back!

Well, actually he has been home for a couple weeks now. Can you see him behind the centerpiece? My handsome and favorite ex-Captain, now private citizen and favorite single nephew.

I finally collected a hug from him too.

Finished Knitting

I finished and delivered the Bib and Burp Cloth for my new (to be born tomorrow) grand nephew who I am calling Al Al. I delivered them so quick, that I didn't even get pictures of the finished items.
I tried out the telephone camera, and uploaded to Picasa, but I can't find it, and it was a huge picture file, so maybe I am better off not finding it.
So alas, no pictures just finished projects.

Sheepish Frankie

Frankie has been acting a bit under the weather lately. He hasn't touched the pellets or even the papaya. The papaya was the biggest shock.

I asked one of my friends at Spin Guild yesterday what she thought and she said--take his hair off. So, not having clippers, and assuming that more than just a combing or plucking was in order, I took the scissors to the dear boy.

Those white patches you see are perilously close to the skin. I think the poor boy is a bit embarrassed. But on the bright side, I have a bunch of new fiber to card!

Latest Knitting

I felt the need, after finishing the baby sweater for Mary's grandbaby and the shower we are having for her, to make something for my imminent grand nephew--name still unknown. (The parents are keeping their names secret--do they have some horrid name planned--Aloyious Allen perhaps?) (I could call him Al Al. Or not.)

Anyway, the sweater looked well, but the pattern is too girly for Al Al. Even if I change the color.

So I turned to some cotton yarn I found at Joannes a few weeks ago, and I started on a new, quick project.
Behold, the beginning of the Baby Genius Burp Cloth. from Mason Dixon Knitting, the first book. I figured that since they wanted camo colors for Luke, I'll give Al Al a bib in camo colors, so Daddy can take him to the woods and be able to burp him there.

Next up, and in progress already is the Baby Bib O' Love in the same colors.

A Bad Day?

You just know the trucker who was driving down Main Street today, while I was at work, was not having a good day.
First, he is sitting at the light, main intersection in town and when the light changes, he tried to take off when BANG! He wasn't moving.
So the driver gets out, checks out the hitch and then goes to check to second trailer. But before he gets to the second trailer, he bent over and goes under the trailer and comes up with a big chunk of jagged metal.
Not a good thing.
He sat there for a half an hour, 10 am to 10:30 on a Monday morning, on the downtown main drag.
Finally a big payloader, not a tow truck, comes and finally tows him away.
Oh well, it was entertaining while it lasted. And Russ, my boss, missed the whole thing. He was across the street having coffee.

Wow

I just signed up for a FaceBook page yesterday and already have a ton of e-mail and friend requests. Most I know I know and I have to check out a few others. If anyone has friended me and I don't respond, please be patient with me. I don't know exactly what I am doing.
I just today figured out what a Wall Post is. And I won't be back on until at least tonight.
Tthe old Farm Mom is plugging away at it.
But I think I will still like blogging better.