Mid-August Bookmark

I decided to try 2 bookmarks at the same time this month. They look a bit wonky right now, but I think they will be really cute when blocked. Both of them are in size 10 crochet cotton on US1 needles. The blue one is a lot stiffer than the green one - I wonder why that would be?

Temari

I did something this past weekend that I have been wanting to do for a very long time - take a class on Temari Ball making. Our local needlework shop was holding classes and lo and behold, there was an opening for me!! This is my first Temari ball and I can already tell that this will be a very addicting craft!

Top of the Temari ball
Bottom of the Temari ball

Side (my own design here)

This is a finished dishcloth from the monthly dishcloth group - only a few weeks late :o)

Another tesselating fish.

In other news, I have been able to keep up with and exceed the 4 lace rows of knitting an evening on the MS3 and my hip seems to be getting better - I will probably be able to start walking again for exercise next week- YIPPEE!!!

Stalled

Ok ... I am a little out of sorts today. I have been training for a half marathon and have hurt my back and hips. Went to the doctor yesterday and he said no running until I am pain free (I can't even remember when the last time that was - my back always hurts) and no hills probably forever. He also let me know that pretty much the way I do everything is wrong for my back. Sitting at the computer, knitting, driving the car, loading and unloading the dishwasher and clothes washer - you get the idea. I should be changing all of that. Do like my mother told me and "Stop slouching - Sit straight!!". Getting old kinda sucks.

We are also coming to the end of summer and the kids go back to school in less than 2 weeks and I am going to miss them. I have thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with them this summer - deciding what we are going to do each day as a family and then just heading out with our lunch bag and doing it. Some of my friends think I am crazy - they can't wait for school to start because all this "together" time is driving them bonkers. I guess by the end of the day I am starting to feel that way, but then I wake up the next day and the whole day is in front of us for a new adventure - it's been kind of neat. During school it is "THE SCHEDULE" that drives us unmercifully during the week. Also, I will only have one at home this year - 4 are in school now and my home will feel pretty empty and quiet.

MS3 is simply killing me. It is gorgeous and I love the pattern, the yarn, the needles, the beads, BUT I have just finished clue 5 and clue 7 was released this morning. It against my nature to be project monogomous and I have done pretty well until the last week or so and I have cast on a half dozen or so new projects with yarn coming for more.. Can you spell O-B-S-E-S-S-I-O-N?!! I realize I just need to keep plugging away (I am so close to finishing) but for some reason it has become a chore instead of a pleasure. THE PLAN: 4 lace rows an evening until completed. Let's see if I can stick to that.



This is the August bag from the Bag-a-holics group. It is called "Last Summer Splash" and it looks extremely cute. I am using Tahki Cotton Classic yarn for the bag and Crystal Palace Squiggle for the accent yarn. The pattern appears to be very well written and easy to follow. I am only 3 rows into it, but I can already tell that the yarn is nice to knit with and I do like the colors.

The MS3 beast clue 5 complete.

Well.....Hollis did not disappoint!! This beaded silk will be used for the accent on the Sahara sweater that I plan to start in September at one of the classes offered at the LYS.



Isn't this yummy!!! I love the color - this is just for the trim. Can you see the little clear beads attached to the yarn?? They are divine. I have on order the same color without beads for the body of the sweater. I am so excited about this project - I ordered the pattern ages ago and have been drooling over it since then. Now I can't wait to receive my yarn so that I can start!!

These are kits to make beaded lariats (sp?). Obviously I couldn't decide on a color. The only bummer for this project is that the beads have to be strung on to the thread first. YUCK!! BUT...you should have seen the samples - they are really cute!! I feel some holiday presents for the kids coming on :o)

New needles in size 000 for the above kits :o) They are sharp and tiny - perfect for me!

My finished bookmark from the monthly bookmark club. I actually finished this a few days ago but am not sure that I like it. I just don't know how a zig zag bookmark will work so I will try it out.

I am having a case of cast on-itis!! I will post more about new projects in the next few days. This always happens when I am supposed to be working solely on one project (i.e. the MS3) and am having a hard time maintaining that monogamy.

OOOO WEEE ....

I am getting out tonight!! To my LYS, Full Thread Ahead for a much needed break! Hollis always has something yummy to share with us and I don't feel like I have a lot of will power tonight! Bring it on.......

New Knitting!

I am totally in love with this pattern!! It is Bee Fields from http://www.knitspot.com and I bought the kit from http://www.woolywonkafibers.com. Great service and pretty quick. I would definitely order from them again.


The yarn is 100% merino wool laceweight in colorway Tupelo Gold. I am so excited to start this. I might have to go get a ball winder now that I have several hanks of yarn that look like this and winding them off of the handle of the stroller is time consuming and makes it hard to use the stoller for the intended use until all of the yarn is wound.

This is a close up of the shawl. Isn't it gorgeous?? I am making myself hold off casting on for this until I get clue 5 done on the MS3. I'll be working diligently tonight on it :o)

HAH - other knitting

The first two days of the Monthly Bookmark KAL. Yes, Virginia, there is other knitting going on than the MS3! Right now it looks a little wonky, but I think after a few more repeats and a good blocking it will look really nice. Using Crochet Cotton size 10 and Size US1 needles. I find that I really like the smaller threads and needles.

MS3 clue #4-The Story!

The short of it - clue #4 is finally done. This clue really did not want to be completed - I had a brain block against it and fought and wrangled it - AAHH it is done. This is just a close up of the top of the clue - sideways of course since I still have not figured that part out :o)









The Story:



Clue #4 was started on the Saturday after it's release to the group. It was started at a swim meet for DD#2 and was worked diligently through all events that she was not participating. Progress was made - good progress.



Then family came into town and the knitting of the MS3 was laid to the side for lots of fun with everyone and tiredness at the end of the day that comes from having a total of 7 kids and anywhere from 6 to 14 extra adults at the house at any given moment in time. With all the cooking and cleaning and entertaining of these extra bodies all that entails. No complaints here - I loved every moment of it!!



Then ..... the trip to Disneyland. I decided to knit in the car on the way down to Disneyland. It's a 6 hour ride with nothing for me to do so MS3 was my form of entertainment. Containers were loaded with food, markers, paper, beads, pipe cleaners, stickers, and more for the kids so they would be occupied.



We left .... 6 hours in the car = 26 rows of knitting on the MS3 - ALL Correct. Whew what a miracle; however, the next morning on the VERY next row of lace knitting at the hotel before the kids awake, 2 forgotten YO's. How does that happen???? How can I knit in the car when it's bumpy and the pattern is falling off my lap and I have to hold the crochet hook in my left hand completely straight so that the bead that is balanced on the tip won't fall off while I knit up to the placement stitch for the bead - It gets dark and I am knitting with the car overhead light because I forgot to bring my miner's lamp my FIL gave me .... and all is well - not one error. BUT...sitting in a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee, ample light, a table for supplies, I am stationary - there are problems!! HUH defies explanation!! I should go back to the car.



Then, oh wait, after counting the stitches on the needle, excuse me, there should be 99 stitches not 98. I am still short one more stitch-EEEEKKK (hair pulling). Look back, count each section and find yet another YO missing.



Ok, ok, ok - deep breath time - fix mistakes. Keep going, a row or so each morning we are there with no more real catastrophes.



Drive home - 27 more error free rows. Get home unload car, unpack, do laundry, be home for a day and a half, repack, get back in the car and go to Safari West for the weekend. 15 more rows on the drive each way. Error free I might add.



Get home and feel that Clue #4 is in the home stretch - work row 319 and after the first 5 stitches work only 4 knitted stitches in the pattern instead of 5 and don't notice until the end of the row - UGH!!! TINK back finish row - finish clue.



AHH! The fight of Clue #4 is done and she is resting!

Non-knitting blog entry

I have not been doing a whole lot of knitting in the last couple of weeks unfortunately. Family and vacations have taken a toll on my needles!!! More of an update on the knitted projects later - the big thing - a 10K race complete!

I have completed my first 10K race in almost 9 years!!! After I got pregnant with my 3rd child, I was not exercising very much (read "not at all"), then he was born and I got pregnant 10 months later with our 4th and then our 5th came along and I was kind of busy and preocuppied.

Now I have decided that I need to take a little better care of myself and that I really can work some sort of exercize into my schedule so I am up at 5:00 every morning and am out the door by 5:30am. I trained hard for this 10K and am very excited that I finished it without stopping or walking. I averaged a 12 minute mile finishing the whole thing in an hour, 12 minutes and 57 seconds. I realize that to some this is a really slow pace, but to me it is a HUGE accomplishment.