PPG Postcard

Falling Water in cookies with train at PPG. Lots of gingerbread for all the Santas!

What the Boys Have Been Waiting For

Snow.

The morning after Thanksgiving and it is finally feeling like the Holidays.

The boys are coloring snow men and making paper snow flakes.

We have been out already and picked up a gingerbread house and egg nog.

Funny how amusing the first flakes of snow are and how unamusing they will be by January. So, let's think about my first handspun yarn, instead.
I have wound it into balls and my intention is to make mittens.
Obviously, I need some practice. But I am very pleased with the first attmept.
I hope your Thanksgiving was full of gratitude and love, our was.
I hope the rest of this joyous season is fabulous for you, too.
By the way, only 32 days until Christmas... how's your knitting coming?

They are back! Carnegie NHM Postcard

Very cool exhibit. Open to public Nov 21!

A Little Help from My Friends

Yes, that means YOU!!
So I have a friend that is going on a mission trip to Jamaica. And I was thinking about how it would be nice to contribute something to their work. And then I thought about this and how maybe I could do that and well, then I thought of YOU! In that post, there is a pdf download of a pattern for a knitted bear (quite quick and simple, I made one to send last year) and if you knit it and get it to me, I will get it to my friend. Simple, yes?! So send me an email at pisellogirl at yahoo dot com (replace the words with the things) and I will give you my snail mail.
They are going in January, I don't have the exact date yet, but if we give ourselves a deadline of December 31 (until I get the exact date) I bet we can each knit at least one gift for one child that has no bear to love, let alone all the other things that we take for granted.
So whip out the needles, use up the odd balls, give a little love.

Mittens

I finished the Party Lace scarf. It is blocking as we speak... Man, the last 6 inches of a scarf are the worst! I don't know what made me think scarves would be good teacher gifts. Ugh. The Aurora scarf is pretty, but slow, too. Next year, remind me, mittens.

Bad, but not Naughty

or, Spoiled, but not Rotten... You pick, I cannot decide.

I forgot my camera this morning. I was going to document the entire thing and blog like crazy. But no. I forgot the camera. Oh well, trust me when I say that Ms.A had 3 very, very nice spinning wheels and one beginner wheel sitting in her living room when I arrived this morning. *gasp* Yes, I was giddy.
I have had one lesson on a wheel in Waynesburg at their sheep and wool festival- oh, a year and a half ago. Laurie taught me how to use the drop spindle prior to that, but my shoulder just won't tolerate it.
So, when Ms.A offered to give me the run around on her wheels, I jumped at the chance... and I got to spend a morning visiting with Ms.A, which is a treat in and of itself. So, long morning short, no pictures to see, she lent me an Ashford Traditional to play with and with the intent (by me) to talk the Mister into relieving her of it.
The trouble comes here. The boys are well aware that the only thing on my Christmas list is a spinning wheel. How does one come to acquire a second hand one when Santa thinks that I want him to bring one... Yeah, you see the conversation that danced around this afternoon. Hmm. Well, I suppose Daddy could talk to Santa and see if it is ok... Or I don't know that Santa would be disappoointed if Daddy gave it to me instead... The Mister says I am digging my own grave for when the, *ummmm* you know, truth comes out. Yeah, well... I am not going to break it out just cuz I am cheap *frugal* and feel much better with recycling and giving new life to the neglected object rather than new for the sake of new.
Either way, I am going to go fill another bobbin with crappy learning to spin singles. *grin*
I think I am settling on SPOILED.

It's Been a Week, Already?

Well, almost a week.

For not having anything much to do, it sure went fast!

Of course, it could be because I got distracted by Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat.

Several times.

And I am not done- since I just cast on another while waiting for Blogger to upload my pictures.The first one I knit with RYC Soft Tweed- leftovers from my cardigan. It didn't even take a whole ball! I used 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needles because 1. I had them, 2. I am American, 3. That means I don't have 7mm needles, 4. I wasn't sure if I would be able to find some, 5. I wanted to cast on right then, 6. How much could .5mm really make in a hat?

Stop laughing. Gauge smauge.

It turned out.... a little small.

It 'fit' INBA, but he said it was a little tight. Ok, maybe, "too tight."

Still it is on his head.

So, I bought 7mm (10 3/4) DPNs at Bloomin' Yarns and made another.

I don't like knitting a hat on big fat DPNs. So I went back and bought a 16"circular. I finished the second hat, INBA put it on and took it to the closet to put up on the shelf for himself.

I think that means good things.

I accidentally bought some Malabrigo Chunky when I bought those DPNs.

It made a gorgeous hat.

I used a cable cast on for this one...OOOOH, preeety.

I started that bag for a birthday.
And then I need some help.
Saving MS3.

I don't know.
I picked it up this morning, feeling bad because I have not looked at it in ages. It was banished to wide-awake knitting too long ago. So today was the day to make up.
I jumped in to the spot in clue 5 where I had previously gone to fix a mistake, and what do you know? I still had extra stitches, but could not see where I had more than I should. grr.
So I ripped out clue 5.
I am proud of myself for doing so. That was hours of work and frustration, since I had ripped a few rows prior to this...but how much is the frustration of trying to make it work worth if I can just rip and reknit it properly?
Hmmm.
Anyway, I did it.
Then there was this other problem that I couldn't get most of the last row of clue 4 to slide across the needle. The stitches on the cable were holding on to each other and were tiny like the cable. Not good.
So, I decided to tink that row and reknit them loosely to maybe accomodate the time they will spend on the cable while doing short-rows for the wing.
But even as I was tinking, the stitches were not giving and moving up onto the needle.
At last, a good use for that cable needle I never use anymore.
I had to pick the stitch and pull it big to get it over the end of the needle. 70 times. *sigh*
This is where I need help. I don't know what to do.
I am concerned that I am going to have this problem again as I do the short rows. I am having misgivings about my ability to even get those short rows right- which is probably why I should do it.
But what if I just kept knitting the cat's paw pattern and then did some similar triangle thing at the other end? Would that be too weird?
What would you do?
And don't say junk it. There are hundreds of hours there and I am not willing to junk it.
"Save me!"

Hello, Monday!

Status... anxious.

I really don't like this time of year. (Please note how I avoided using the word 'hate.')

I suppose it is as much the darkness as it is the greed and unreasonable expectations associated with secularized holidays.

I am all out of wack with the time change. The boys don't seem to care.

And I just heard on the radio the first forecast of snow for tomorrow or the day after.

*Sigh*

So rather than dwell on that which we cannot control...

I present the finished B4 bag.

It has been knitted and fulled for a while now. It took me a bit to find the right buttons, I should have taken a closeup for you. Oh well. I just lined it this weekend. It has a nice bright blue lining to go with the bits of blue in the yarn. I sewed plastic canvas into the bottom to give it some stability.I like this bag a WHOLE lot. I am contemplating giving it to a certain person for xmas. The Mister is encouraging me to do so. We both know that that person will certainly like and appreciate and use it.

Still. I like it a WHOLE lot. I guess that is the best reason to give it away.

Besides, I can make another.

Oh, but there is this bag that Mother of the Pea picked out in FEBRUARY when I was out visiting her. I did tell her that it may not be ready for this birthday, but really, is there a good reason that it shouldn't be, given that I have been looking at it for 10 months? Her bday is in 5 weeks. I think I could squeeze it in.

If that is what I SHOULD be working on, I guess I can show you what I AM working on.

1. This is a 2nd grade teacher gift.

Noro Aurora, colors 1 and 5, size 6 needles.

I am trying to do what Rani did with Noro.

It looks really subtle in the picture, not so much in RL, but I am hoping it gets better as we go.

2. Kindergarten teacher gift. PartyLace scarf from MagKnits. KidSilk Night, size 7 needles.

Sparkle-y yarn and beads.

Oh, baby.

I do like this pattern, too. It is super easy to remember the 2 row pattern and goes pretty quick when I actually work on it! I am about half way.

3. And the Mister's socks. They are for his stocking, he knows about them. I had to ask him some pertinent questions about what kind of pattern I could put in the leg. Oh, and he noticed and admired this yarn every time I picked it up- including when I showed him the purchase while we were in Michigan. So it wasn't like I would be able to keep it a secret.

Anyway, what does he want, you ask?

Ribbing. Plain, regular ribbing. And on the top of the foot, too.
shocking.

I am hot to cast on some gifts I would like to give for xmas to both nieces, a nephew, and some of those cork elves to give most everyone I know... I am restraining myself until I get the above closer to done. Oh, the discipline! Isn't it scary?!?!

Anything Else for the Week?

Not too much on the calendar, just yet.

I need to be working on a whole list of crap to get the house organized (I was not born organized and it annoys me) and some of the useless crap out of our way. Isn't it ridiculous the stuff we hold on to? And there is laundry. I feel awful that we didn't get the screens off the windows and the windows cleaned this weekend. First of all, the house is nicely brighter when the screens are off and the windows clean. Second, if it gets cold, I don't know when it will get done! UGH! I may have to do that in the afternoons when it is as warm as it is going to get... Hmm, maybe I should go get started. Or, I could go update my Ravelry. *sheepish grin*

Have a great week!

Making Connections

I made French Toast today.
INBA says, "French Toast? Is that what they ate during the French and Indian War?!"
Um, I don't know.