Monthly Archives: September 2017

WIP it, WIP it good

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I need to manage my WIPs.  I wonder if buying some fancy project bags would help. I keep finding really neat looking ones. I have a few cute bags, like my Nantucket Bag, and my Art Bin tote, but most are clear mesh bags or zip locks bags.

I have three little cases that hold my knitting paraphernalia. Accessories? Notions?  I think that’s the word I was looking for. I need to manage those, too. The notions get scattered and start to collect in the bottom of my knitting bag, my purse, and on the surface of every table I sit next to while I knit. Every so often I dump all of the things out of all of the bags, gather the rest up from their hiding places, and sort them back into their bags.

I’ll get right on those WIPs, after I start a new thing or two.

I might give myself permission to frog a granny square blanket WIP to make a knitted pattern. How crazy would that be? How on earth do I choose from all the ones I want to make?

 

Little things coming off the needles

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These are the little things coming off my needles. I decided that I wanted to make a Halloween wreath. I don’t have the resources right now to go out and purchase the materials to make the one I want. The one I want to make involves purchasing a lot of ribbon.  Maybe after Halloween, I’ll start gathering clearance ribbon.

I do, however, have this fabulous orange wreath that Janalee made for me for my 50th birthday.  It’s so amazingly orange, I love it, and I’ve wanted to dress it up for Halloween ever since I got it. This year, I’m doing it. I’ve made a little ghost for it.

I also want to make a T.A.R.D.I.S. blanket. I looked at several patterns but nothing was quite what I wanted. I didn’t want one big T.A.R.D.I.S., I wanted a blanket of T.A.R.D.I.S. squares. I fiddled a bit and made up something that I liked.

I decided to not continue the rounds to make the top and bottom edges and the light on top. It will be obvious what this thing is without them. For my next one, I will just single crochet around the edges and use less stitches to keep the edge from rippling.

I’m also back to making the watch caps, I may or may not push myself really hard to get it finished this month for an HPKCHC.

As long as I get Danica’s shawl finished on time 😉 

 

 

Stitch Markers

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While I was sorting through my accessories, I found a string of beads I purchased at an LYS that was going out of business.  They are little ceramic animals.  Chynna looked at them and determined they were Chinese zodiac animals.  Indeed, that’s what they turned out to be. I turned them into stitch markers.

While I was at it, I made a few more Halloween stitch markers

Update:  I had a very good question from the lovely Shev: How do you remove stitch markers after you’re through with them? Aren’t they stitched into the pattern?

In knitting, stitch markers aren’t fixed to the work, they slide across the needle between stitches.

When you crochet, you need different stitch markers because you don’t have “live” stitches, the kind that unravel when you knit.

This kind of marker has an opening and is made to slide out of the work without snagging the yarn.

Halloween decorations and 1900 house

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I feel it’s never to early to start planning for Halloween decorations and the minute I found candy corn in the store I bought some.

Find a decoration. I liked this black stick arrangement.

Place in large jar or vase.

Fill with candy corn.

I discovered this in my basement the other day.

I shut off the water to the tanks, eventually remembered to turn off the heater, and took a couple of days to decide on what to do.  The temporary tank will be installed on Monday and a week later a new tankless system will be installed.

Until then, it’s cold showers and heating water on the stove to have warm water to do dishes. I’d feel little more like 1900 House if I weren’t heating it in a microwave.