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  • FO Report: Halloween Scarf

    Halloween scarf completed
    Halloween scarf completed

    Project Name: Halloween Scarf
    Source: http://circe.canalblog.com/archives/2009/04/23/index.html
    Yarn Used: Various, but featuring Vitreous Humor, by Insubordiknit
    Needle Size: 13, for the eyeball yarn
    Date Started: June 2, 2009
    Date Completed: June 9, 2009

    Notes: I knit most of this scarf on my Singer Cord Knitter, so each cord went fairly quickly. The eyeball yarn cord was knit by hand on size 13 needles. I actually have a little bit left over so I’m trying to decide what to do with it. I think I’ll keep it for decoration. I braided most of the cords loosely and tacked them together a little bit but I did not tack down the eyeball cord in case I ever want to recycle it for another scarf. I’ll try to get a photo of my daughter wearing it tomorrow. It looks much better on a person than on a chair!

    Yarn Yummies

    Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

    Cascade Eco Alpaca
    Cascade Eco Alpaca

    It’s Cascade Eco Alpaca which I purchased from The Loopy Ewe for 20% off. Sheri is hosting a knitalong for Jared Flood’s Girasole pattern, and well, I had to jump on the bandwagon! The knitalong is supposed to run through October 1, but I doubt I will finish in time. But, wow, the yarn is SO soft and SO yummy… I had to jump at the chance to get some at a discounted price. Oh wow, even though I know I can’t start my blanket just yet, I really want to! I can’t wait to have that yarn in my fingers. Yummy!

    Well, I guess I better get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin… just wanted to share the day’s knitting news with people who I know would understand and share my joy. I’m sure most of you know what it’s like to live with people who love you but only tolerate your knitting? That’s what it’s like for me most of the time. Nobody here shares my excitement over the softest yarn ever or the joy of a completed project. (Though I do think my daughter is coveting a skein of the Eco Alpaca at the moment–guess I’d better be sure to count them before casting on for my project!) So, thank you for reading and sharing in the moments with me. It’s great having a community of knitters to share these little things with.

    Until next time…

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  • Bowie Borders Knitting Meetup

    Date: July 11, 2009

    Time: 2:00 p.m.

    Location:
    Borders (in the same strip as Target)
    4420 Mitchellville Road
    Bowie, MD 20716

    Phone: 301.352.5560

    Since the first Saturday of the month is July 4th, we decided to hold the July meeting of the Bowie Borders Knitting Meetup at 2:00 on the 11th instead. I hope everyone can make it!

    See you there!

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  • I Love the Knitters!

    Yesterday was the monthly meeting of our Bowie Borders Knitting Group. (Do we need a catchier name? “The Saturday Afternoon Mostly Once A Month Knit Group”? Hmmm. I’m open to ideas! Someone wanted to know what our group was called yesterday. Haha. We don’t have a name. How about, “Just Show Up And Knit”? I dunno.

    Anyway, it was a fun afternoon! As usual I had my camera handy, and took some pictures to mark the occasion. Click to biggefy:

    We were pleased to welcome two newbies to the group yesterday: Helene and Stacy. Helene impressed everyone with her beautiful stranded knitting, and the gorgeous dress she’s making. Most everyone was making something wearable… sweaters, socks, shawls, a dress… even my silly i-cord is going to be incorporated into a scarf. Rhoda is making good progress on her bucket bag, and Jo had some gorgeous socks on the needles that she was making with her own handspun yarn. Of course there was much chatter, yummy desserts, and plenty of pouring over magazines and books while group members helped each other with their knitting conundrums.

    Not pictured with the group this time are Amber and Leslie. Not sure how they escaped my camera. Sorry!

    Next week, June 13, 2009, is Worldwide Knit in Public Day. I didn’t get it together enough to list us as an official event, but rest assured, the Bowie Maryland Knitters Group (or whatever the heck we’re called) will be in our usual spot at 2:00 p.m., doing what we love to do best. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and knit a bit. We’d love to have you.

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  • Bowie Borders Knitting Meetup

    Date: June 6, 2009

    Time: 2:00 p.m.

    Location:
    Borders (in the same strip as Target)
    4420 Mitchellville Road
    Bowie, MD 20716

    Phone: 301.352.5560

    See you there!

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  • Crankin’ Out the Cords

    I’ve been busy cranking out the i-cords with my handy dandy cord knitter machine:

    two i-cords next to balls of yarn
    two i-cords next to balls of yarn

    The two cords that I have made so far were done with Rowan Wool Cotton and Cascade 220. Now I’m wondering if I should try it tomorrow with my Noro Kureyon yarn. Should I dare? If so, I’ll let you know how it goes.

    This machine works well, if you use it very slowly and make sure you push the errant stitches down on the hooks so they’re below the latches as the next bit of yarn is being caught in the hooks. And I find I have to put my hand down on the base to hold it steady as I crank because the suction cups don’t stick well on my table. Your mileage may vary on that. I definitely need to use the weight to hold the cord down as it comes out the bottom. That helps a lot. So I alternate between using my thumb to push the stitches down as it goes round and round (I only need to do this every four or five stitches) and placing my palm on the base of the machine as I crank.

    The second cord went way faster than the first. The first one took all evening to get the rhythm of the thing. The second took just under two hours. So, despite its quirks, I say this thing is a success. For me at least, the not-speed-knitter, it was way faster than doing it by hand. So, yay! Only the fattest cords will be done by hand. So this project will go very fast. That, my friends, is a very good thing.

    A Beautiful Little Song

    Someone on Ravelry posted this little song on YouTube on Monday. I heard it yesterday for the first time and it just about brought me to tears. Have a listen:

    See? I told you so.

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  • Happy Birthday, DH!

    My DH is tolerant, in fact, fully supportive, of my knitting habit. Frequently I’ll find a knitting bag for my birthday or a needle set under the Christmas tree. But, you see… he’s not a wearer of knitwear. He doesn’t wear hats, unless he’s shoveling snow. Never a scarf or mittens. And sweaters? Forget about it. A couple years ago when we remodeled the bedroom we took every last one of them to Goodwill. (Well, except for a lovely cabled cardigan which I kept for myself!)

    So, I’ve never knit him anything. Until now:

    knit birthday card
    knit birthday card

    Ok, it’s small, but it’s the thought that counts! I love making knitted do-dads for note cards. and this, I guess, is my first stab at a birthday card. It just takes a few minutes of knitting and some card stock and glue…

    Anyway, we have a fun day planned. I’m taking DH to see the Star Trek movie this afternoon and then we’re having dinner out. No kids. How cool is that?

    Happy birthday to my DH! Gotta run for now…

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