Episode: 39
\n\nProduction scheduling
\nProduction
\nKnitting Mojo exhausted
\nWhat\u2019s in My Teapot
\nMaterials Sourcing
\nAfter 5
\nProduction
\nGnome Socks By Spilly Jane
\nAnother week of little progress. Last time we talked I wasn\u2019t liking my tension which was skewing my gauge. The big debate was to Frog, perfect and frog, or Plunge on. I\u2019m taking the path of least resistance and plunging forward with an eye to perfect and frog. I also manage to botch the pattern this week. Which has made me lay these down in disgust. (With myself\u2026 and my lack of skills\u2026) So Despite having a few more rows done I\u2019m pretty much in the same conundrum \u2026 \u201cTo frog, or not to frog, that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous color work,
Or to take up needles against a Sea of troubles\u2026\u201d
Back onto the project pile they go.
\nRuffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers
\nRuffed and Ruched Redux
\nThe party is next weekend! ARGH! Where have I frittered my time away to?!
\nI finished the 1st half. Unraveled the provisional cast on and will be starting the final ribbing on the scarf. With any luck my knitting mojo will hold up and I\u2019ll be able to finish this before I have to wrap it on the 31st.
\nAs mentioned last week this is a gift for someone who I\u2019m not totally convinced will not A) turn it into a cat bed or B) toss it in the wash so I\u2019m using and acrylic / alpaca blend. I believe this is a Hobby Lobby house brand. I like the color, the feel is nice and soft\u2026 about as far away from crunch as acrylic get but I\u2019m _really_ not happy about the knots. I had one knot that was a complete break and 2 that one ply had a break and was knotted and plied to a non \u2013 broken single. REALLY?!
\nKnitted Knockers of a Good Yarn Shop
\nKnitted Knockers is part of Debbie Macomber\u2019s Knit 1 Bless 2 initiative for 2012. I found out about them through a suggestion on my knit groups face book page. I try to be fairly open to trying any thing once so why not try to knit a prosthetic breast. The pattern is free and can be linked to through Debbie Macomber\u2019s web site or through www.agoodyarnshop.com
\nThe pattern calls for cotton or any soft and washable yarn. I picked up some Rowan Hand Knitting Cotton at the yarn shop this week for mine in a mauve that Joe calls \u201cBright Red\u201d. All in all the pattern is easy. The hardest part was starting out with the i-cord and then increasing in each stitch to work in the round. Doesn\u2019t sound hard but the needles were a bit \u201cfiddly\u201d in my opinion with only 2 stitches a piece. Nothing insurmountable and since the back side is decreased in the same way at the front increases knitting the back before the front doesn\u2019t help. I knit a B cup the pattern can be sized to a DD. I went with the smallish size so as to maybe be able to complete a pair from my tiny ball of yarn. I finished it in one night so this is a quick and easy piece of charity knitting that can be done socially. Note for the squeamish\u2026 it looks like a baby hat. No one need know what it truly is\u2026 unless of course you\u2019re like me and my knit group co hort who though maybe a piercing would jazz it up\u2026
\nHexipuff Count for the week.
\n\xbd I took it along to knit group and I ran out of yarn \xbd ways into my puff.
\nWhat\u2019s In My Tea Pot
\nOriental Treasure Green Tea (The Boston Tea Company)
\nI was bumming around Tuesday Morning looking for yarn and I found tea! Almost as good.
\nBack of tin:
\nEven though the canister says Connoisseur\u2019s Favorite. I beg to differ. For a Green this tea goes bitter quick. This may be a case of \u201cI bought tea at Tuesday Morning\u2026.\u201d But BLECH. Even the packaging is clunky the top of the canister has come off several times and dumped the canister into my desk drawer. (Why I have some sort of crushed herb in my desk drawer is not something I want to discuss with HR! \u201cIt\u2019s tea! Honest!\u201d) I also don\u2019t believe that what\u2019s in this canister could be considered \u201cLoose Leaf\u201d It\u2019s crushed beyond belief and could at best be considered Fannings.
\nLesson learned\u2026 if it\u2019s marked down from 6.99 to 2.99, probably not worth drinking.
\nMaterials Sourcing
\nWhatever it was that sapped my knitting Mojo didn\u2019t extend to my spinning,
\nFinished!
\nThe Jacob Fleece from the Anne Arbor Fiber expo.
\nA lot of burrs and that wonkiness with the staple length.
\nBut with all that kvetching and complaining what I think was 4 oz of fiber turned into gorgeous and squishy DK worsted \u2013 ish (some heavier some lighter\u2026) yarn. When I first started swatching for plying. I thought I\u2019d want a nice rustic, chunky, three ply. But when I knit up the two ply the gray and black made gorgeous stripes that faded into each other. While the heavier three ply just muddled the colors. In the end I could part with the stripes. SO another thinner yarn into the stash.
\nSqueezing this yarn makes me happy this week. So I have it hanging in the dining room so I can squish it every time I walk by.
\nBlack Cherry Mystery Wool Roving
\nFinally this ball of roving is done.
\nIn my world just about everything has its place. I do tend to get grumpy though when I buy something expecting it to behave a certain way and find out that I\u2019ve been sold a bill of goods. When I bought this fiber the section I \u201ctested\u201d was too small and I was too inexperienced to see what I was getting. The small piece I drafted out looked smooth and lovely. What I got was a textured roving that was never meant to be the smooth yarn I had in my head. It\u2019s spun now in to a pretty cool \u201carty\u201d yarn full of lumps and bumps. Not the softest thing in the world but will make an awesome hat or Pair of mittens. 4 oz came in at 297 yds.
\nOn the wheel
\nI took a look through my stash and I wanted something with bright colors and something easy. I need a break from the veg matter and issues the Jacob and to a lesser extent my homemade camel batt had. So I pulled out a 4 oz ball of Merino from Copperpot Woolies in Cotton Candy. This was the ball I had to go \u201cHockey Mom\u201d (A well place elbow / hip combo\u2026. Just Kidding. But I did grab it and ran away when she turned her head to talk to her friend\u2026) the colors in this are lime green, Aqua Blue, and an Electric purple. I\u2019ve about half a bobbin so far and it\u2019s spinning like \u201cbuttah\u201d. The colors make me smile. I can\u2019t wait to see how this plies up.
\nAfter 5
\nWhat a Week.
\nJoe had a Brush with unemployment.
\nThe stress is what probably killed my knitting Mojo.
\nSt Patty\u2019s Day Truffles
\nSo Rich\u2026. Sooo Good\u2026. Soooo Simple.
\n1 Package of Cool Mint Oreos 22 with Filling 8-10 Without
\n1 Brick of Cream Cheese
\n\nSmash the Oreos\xa0and combine with cream cheese.\xa0 Roll mixture into balls for centers and cool in fridge or Freezer on Wax paper to firm up.
\n\nMelt Chocolate for Coating.\xa0 I got mine at party city green was on sale.\xa0 Zap in Microwave for 30 second intervals until smooth.\xa0 Coat centers.\xa0 (use a fork to coat and then tap off the excess chocolate.) \xa0\xa0Melt white chocolate in a Ziploc.\xa0 Snip off corner and drizzle whit over green or Pipe on shamrocks.\xa0 (Use a tooth pick to smooth out the shamrock)
\n\nIt\u2019s that easy.
\n\nB\u2019s Birthday party at the Science Center
\nDry Ice + Bubble Solution = Awsome!
\nPeople who RSVP and don\u2019t show\u2026 GRRRRR
\nThe Vacation that wasn\u2019t
\nWe had planned to see the Shed Aquarium and the Field Museum in Chicago this week. Long story short\u2026 there were some \u201cElder Health\u201d issues and my Ollie sitter had to cancel so we stayed home. Oh well\u2026. There\u2019s always next year.
\nbbb