And Another One Bites the Dust

Well, not literally.  But Betty's blue silk shawl is off the needles and ready for delivery, as well as the trip to Rhinebeck.
At least my knitting can go, even if I can't.
I will have better pictures soon, too.  Laptop is in for a tuneup, so this is via smartphone.
So what's next?  I plan on finishing my red triangle shawl, with work on my blue Henley for knit night.
But I am taking a class tomorrow on how to make Double Heelix socks, (pattern found on Knitty).  I'll try to add a link when I get the laptop back. 
Then on to an alpaca faroese shawl for my friend Evelyn.
The knitting goes on!

When It Rains....

As if Younger Son's accident wasn't enough, this past Saturday was the topper.

Many friends know that my job in the Local History Room at the local library has been in danger all summer, if not before.  The foundation that fully funded our room always has had certain specifications on where the grant money was to be spent.  When an audit was done, there was no receipts to back up the spending.  And since the foundation wanted to continue to specify where its money was being spent in our room, it was going to require receipts showing the money was spent as it was intended.

The library directory, and under his direction, the library board declined to accept any conditions on the money it was getting, and so they did not get the grant.  (Which, in the past, was the sole means of supporting this room.)

Well, on Saturday I got a letter, along with my co-worker, stating our jobs would be terminated on December 29 of this year.  Ironically enough, the same day my job at the local lawyer's office will end, with his retirement.
Sigh.

But, also ironically, it is as though a great weight has been lifted.  I don't feel as down as I would have imagined.  From being the best job I have ever had, this has deteriorated into a job that I almost dread going to, asside from the fact that I worked with my good friend.  And as our hours were  cut, we hardly saw each other anyway.  But now I can start lookng into new opportunities. 

Which I can almost see on the horizon.

I will keep you posted.

Progress Doesn't Show

Don't you hate it when you can knit and knit but it doesn't look like anything is getting accomplished?
I have been knitting away on the blue silk triangje.  The picture may look the same as before, but the first skein has shrunk a great deal.
Of course, if I had grabbed it when leaving for the hospital, I could be well into the second ball.
Ahhh well.
And speaking of hospitals, while Younger Son is doing better, and hardly needing the walker, he does have pneumonia.
Meanwhile, enjoy the pretty knitting.

Why Farmmom is so Gray

Sons will do that to you. And this pas weekend, Younger Son added several more to my "silver highlights" as I like to call them.

He has (HAD!!) a moped/scooter. I always worried that while riding home after dark, he would get hit by a deer, or a car would pop up and not see him well on the dark country roads. I never imagined he would get hit in town, on a street with lights.
But he got rearended and I ended up with him from 2am until 6pm Sunday. No sleep, chairs in the ER do not give the family member a place to lean their head, and I was to nervous most of the time. Plus I had no knitting or reading material!! It was an extremely long day.
Luckily he came through with no surgery needed. Two compression fractures, with the break no where near the spinal cord. Thank you, Lord!
He is back home, and walking, with the help of a walker that I told him makes him look like an old fart. He was in too much pain to care. Now to worry about his job and paying bills. He has no insurance, and neither do we, except our car insurance.
The next most exciting part was trying to find the main hospital lobby, but my driver, a friend of my son's, and I had to go to 3 different lobbies, on the same street, before we could find the right main lobby.
I am more and more of a small town girl all the time.

Pattern--Cotton Candy Shawl

Cotton Candy Shawl

Yarn: Bulky weight organic cotton Sprout, 4 skeins. This yarn is a slightly nubby yarn by Classic Elite and is part of their Verde collection. I used the color called Pea Blossom. 109 yards per skein.
(See adaptations section at end of pattern.)

The basics.
One side of the marker will be the plain garter stitch field, the other side is the lace section, with a 4 row repeat. On the field side you will increase 1 stitch every right side row until you reach length desired. Once there, I knit one lace repeat with no increases or decreases. Then began decreases in the field while on row one of lace pattern, decrease until down to 6 stitches and cast off. Only change the garter field from Increase to Even to Decrease sections when the lace section is at the end of a lace pattern repeat.

Begin.
Cast on 6 stitches. (2 for garter field, 4 for lace section.)

Increase section.
Row 1 (right side): K 1, YO, K1, place marker and begin lace: YO, P2tog, , K1, YO twice, K1 (3 field stitches, 6 lace stitches)
Row 2: K2, P1 K1, YO, P2tog, slip marker, Knit to end
Row 3, K to one stitch before marker, YO, K1, slip marker, YO P2tog, K4
Row 4, Bind off 2 stitches, K1, YO, P2tog, slip marker, Knit to end.

Continue knitting as established. On the field section knitting to 1 stitch before marker on right side rows, and plain knitting on wrong side, and repeating the lace section as above.

Even section
Once you reach length desired, or are reaching near the end of first half of your yarn, knit 4 rows with out increases:
Row one: K to 3 stitches before marker, K2tog, YO, K1, slip marker, and row one of lace.
Row 2: Knit row 2 of lace, slip marker, Knit to end.
Row 3: K to 3 stitches before marker, K2tog, YO, K1, slip marker, Knit row 3 of pattern.
Row 4: Knit Row 4 of lace, slip marker, Knit to end

You can continue even section as long as desired, but once you finish 2nd skein, or half of your yarn, finish lace row 4, and start decrease section.

Decrease section.
Row one: K to 4 stitches before marker, K2tog, YO, K2tog slip marker, and row one of lace.
Row 2: Knit row 2 of lace, slip marker, Knit to end.
Row 3: K to 4 stitches before marker, K2tog, YO, K2tog, slip marker, Knit row 3 of pattern.
Row 4: Knit Row 4 of lace, slip marker, Knit to end

Continue decrease section until down to 2 field stitches and 4 lace stitches. Should be at end of lace repeat.
Bind off after row 4.

Adaptations. You can change the lace to a pattern of your choice. Just find a lace edging and make sure the final row bind offs occur on a wrong side row. And make the changes between increase, even and decrease sections at end of the lace pattern repeat.
I made another out of dk homespun alpaca with a different lace pattern.  Warm and lovely.

Too Much Knitting Going On?

I know that statement seems ludicrous, at least to passionate knitters.  And I love all my knitting.
But, as I packed up to go to Spin Guild today, I realized I had no empty bobbins.   Except for my louet plying wheel.
Obviously, not enough plying has been going on.
And since the louet, with its attached skeinwinder, will not easily fit in my car, I guess I will use my Joy to finally ply a couple of partial bobbins of merino silk into another partial bobbin of mystery wool.  (Doesn't everyone have one of those?)
And tonight, after getting offline, I ply.

The Latest Project

I have been planning all weekend to get online.  I have banking and blotting to do.
But every time I want to, Hubby calls someone, and has to leave a message.  So, I'm reduced to phone blogging.   That is why there may be occasional commas stuck in odd places.
But I mentioned a new project.  My latest Betty knitting, as shown below is in heavenly pure silk.  A simple triangle, with diagonal yarn overs making a lattice design.  I actually had it this big a couple days ago when I frogged it back.  I didn't think I liked the lattice going to the edges, so now there is a ten stitch garter border on each side.
The silk is heaven to knit with.  I'm loving this project.

To Commenter Diane

I'm not sure where she.got the patterns. You could try to link to the Etsy stow for her farm.  Or search Ravelry.
As for northern Michigan cemetaries, you might check local history societies, for Houghton county especially. 
Hope that helps.  Or comment with e-mail address.  After I get it, ill delete the comment.

Power Struggle

What a weekend.
I spent Friday trucking Lizzie to the vet for wellness check, and then getting groceries.  I did some knitting and turned in early.  Visions of a full day Saturday danced in my head.
Alas.  I woke Saturday to no lights, and worse, no water!  The joys of country living.  Even though I trekked to town, and a nearby town, neither of which had power, I still wasn't aware of the extent of the storm, being without access to news.  I had a radio, but couldn't get anything but delayed games, no news.  And even worse, no cell service.  And the house was too dim to do much knitting.
Finally after church, we got our power back early Sunday afternoon.  Apparently at one time 75% of the county was without power!
So life resumes, with knitting.  Remember this?  While I await the handdyed yarn for Betty's last shawl, I picked up my handspun cormo-silk belated Pentecost shawl.  Maybe by next Pentecost.

Frugal Farmer

When  married to a thrifty, frugal (cheap?) farmer, I never know what will happen next. 
Recently, Hubby found a flat on a small 2 wheeled trailer that he uses around the farm, hauling assorted "stuff."   Not wanting to pay for a cheap used tire somewhere, he remembered one that was near the pasture fence, that still held air.
And that brings the interesting aside:  Why was the tire, that still held air. next to the ditch, near the pasture in the first place?  How long had it been there?  Well apparently for a while.
Hubby needed the hydralics to fetch the tire to to barn.  And here is why.

Yes, thats right.  There is a tree growing through  the rim of the tire.
Here is a better angle.

So Hubby cut and pried and pulled.  And finally he got it out.
It didn't fit.