Friday, June 23, 2006

Little brag


I finished a sweater in LESS than a week! Ok, it wasn't knitted, but I still did it. This is Cupcake from "Stitch n' Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker." Though I've crocheted many, many afghans, I have never found a pattern for a crocheted garment that was the least bit appealing. Until now. There are at least two other sweater patterns in this book that I will probably make at some point. I made the sleeves first--they went SO quickly!--then worked on the back mostly during the car trip to and from the family reunion Saturday, finished up the back and started the front on Sunday, dawdled along on the front Monday and Tuesday, finished up the crocheting of the front and sewing on Wednesday, and completed the finishing touches on Thursday morning. The only alteration I made to the pattern was to take out a couple of inches of the length for two reasons: 1. I'm terribly shortwaisted and didn't want a tunic, and 2. I was using yarn originally purchased for another project and wanted to be sure I had enough to make it. I will never finish that picovoli I started, and ya know, it just really doesn't bother me!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Fun with the ball winder

Since my dad made me my swift, I've been itching for some free time (and empty counter space) to set it up and wind the hanks from knitpicks. First though, here's me in a hat I made for dh, that I SWEAR I got gauge on before starting, followed the pattern measurements no matter how crazy they seemed at the time, and ended up with a hat that won't fit ANYONE's head. Dh tried to suffer with it cuz he knows how hard I worked on it, but eventually he had to break the news to me that it just wasn't going to work. Really, it's absurdly big. Check out this picture of it on me. Note how far up I have it folded, and it still comes to my chin.

So it's being frogged and wound back into a ball. Maybe it will have a new life as hats for two people. Heck, there might be enough yarn in the thing to make matching hats for the whole family! Anyway, here it is after frogging and winding.

On to the yarn from knitpicks. It is Sock Memories in Grandma--lovely name for yarn...not! Anyway, I had tried to wind it after getting my winder and before getting the swift. I don't recommend it. Here's the set up with the swift and winder.

Two of these things are not like the others. Two of these things are kind of the same. Two of these things are lumpy and funny-looking. And now we'll play our game. It's time to play our game. Which two balls were wound using the swift, and which two were wound with much frustration off my hands, the furniture, strung around the house, etc.? I think you know. ;)

The ball winder is really a lot of fun. I can't wait to wind all the loose skeins I have lying around.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

UFOs/OTNs

Here are lots of things I've started. Colors may not be true. I toook these photos by the light of this overcast, rainy morning. First we have the Lucy bag I started this morning as a birthday present to myself.
Next up, the baby socks that have been on the needles forever. Yes, I am working on two different socks at one time. At the time I started these, they were going to be for boy/girl twins. Then I got tired of the project so they've been in limbo forever. If I ever get to working on them again, I'll at least have one pair done pretty quickly, but then another whole sock to work on. *sigh*
This will some day be a picovoli. The yarn is Knitpicks Shine in blush. When I cast it on, I had just finished a honeymoon cami also in Shine and I think I was just tired of working with that yarn! I'll get back to this one eventually.
The blasted X-back tank. This stuff would be fine if I just could keep from sticking the blasted needles through it. *twitch* This project may turn into a dress for dd.
And here we have the one sock, destined to be 1/2 of a pair for an undetermined period of time, especially if the carpal tunnel keeps acting up. I'd post the pic of it on my foot, but it makes my ankle look fat, and my ankle is NOT fat, dammit!

I may post some FOs later today to redeem myself cuz I have finished stuff, really, I have!

Friday, June 09, 2006

Other Garden Pictures

I thought it'd be a nice idea to post some pictures that are NOT roses. This first one is the shade garden in front of the living room window. Those are fern leaf bleeding hearts and hosta 'striptease' and primroses mainly. You can't really make out the mini-hostas in this picture. All the way to the right in front of the bush is a heuchera 'amber waves' that greens up no matter what exposure I give it. I'll probably move it again.
This one is technically the roses, but I thought I'd post it for context. We refer to it as the rose garden. It was very hard to fit it all in.

This was supposed to be a perennial garden, but I removed the monarda when it started taking over, voles got my columbines and coreopsis, and the coneflowers just didn't come up this year. The catmint has taken over and is very pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice. Those things sticking up are irises past their prime. I don't know if I got any pics of them when they were blooming. I'll have to look.

This is a shrub rose that came with the house and the orange lilies that also came with the house. I like the lilies, but I've never been a big fan of the rose. It's very thorny. I cut it all the way back this spring when I pruned the roses. It will get quite large if allowed.


This is what's left of the above-mentioned columbines. I managed to get some seed pods off this one the year before the voles got it. I had this white one, a red and white one, and a blue and white one, all this little dwarf size, and I just loved them. Yeah, that's my foot in there to give perspective on how small they are. The little pink flower is a hardy geranium that I thought had died but must have set seed before perishing.

Yet more roses

More roses in no particular order. Most of these I haven't posted previously. Most of the ones I've previously posted are now past their prime. :(
This is the old-fashioned rose on the fence and my little helper who can't stand for me to walk around the yard without her. This rose is a very pale pink and smells just like a rose should smell--not spicy, not citrusy, not sweet, just like a rose.


This one is Showbiz, a floribunda and the only truly red rose I have.

This is JFK, a white hybrid tea and not a great one. The edges of the petals brown before the blooms are even completely open. It is not a favorite and will probably be replaced eventually.

This is supposed to be Climbing Peace, though I don't think it's a true climber. The canes don't even get very long. Queen Elizabeth is taller than this one has ever gotten. Oh well. It's pretty--the picture doesn't do it justice. It's a pretty pale yellow blushed on the edges with pink.

I have posted pics of Pretty Lady's blooms, but this is what the bush looks like in full bloom. It is just covered! I love it!

This is Queen Elizabeth. She looks particularly stately right now with several blooms open. She's about 5 feet tall too.