OH MY GOD IT'S HOT!!


It's days like this that I regret the fact that I work in a factory. Tempered air my a--! At 100+ degrees indoors, tempered air just isn't enough.

S.

2nd Clapotis Update


Well here are more pictures of my 2nd Clapotis. I'm up to my 8th "section 3" repeat, and I'm almost done with my second of four balls of yarn. I'm going to do at least 3 or 4 extra straight sections for length. I'm still not loving the colors, and it seems a lot thinner than my first, despite doing one additional increase section. I'm thinking maybe the wool blend sock yarn, and the smaller needles are the cause. I'll have to remember that for next time.



A few days ago I went to a LYS and started having a conversation with a really nice lady regarding sock making. I have been very reluctant to try knitting socks. The whole dpns and heel turning scares me to no end. Also, the small needles are intimidating to me too. Well, after talking to her for a while she calmed a lot of my fears. So some time this week I will be casting on my first pair of socks, using the magic loop cast on. Daring aren't I? We'll see how it goes.

2nd Clapotis Update



As you can see I've made it into section 3 (straight rows), 5th repeat. I love this pattern. I'm moving alot faster this time. Probably because this is my 2nd shawl.

My Koigu yarn came in a few days ago. I can't wait to start on that one. I'm hoping this color way will look as nice as I think it will.

I'll keep you all posted.

S

2nd Clapotis has begun.



My sister loved my first Clapotis so much she begged me to use the sock yarn I bought and make one for her. I personally don't like the colors that much for a Clap, but she said it would match a skirt she owns perfectly.



I'm on the hunt to find yarn for the Clapotis I want to make for my mom for her birthday (Sept. 25th). Not sure if I want to make it in the "Red Hat Society" colors or simple neutral tones, which is what she usually wears. I'd like to get started on it by the middle of August, to give myself plenty of time to complete it.

Yesterday I attended the last meeting of a local knitting group that meets in a very popular yarn shop here. While there the owner invited me to her knitting groups new meeting. The idea of knitting on the "People Mover" through downtown Detroit has gotten me so excited I can't wait for Tuesday. I'll try to take some pics and post them after the meeting.

Home At Last...



Vacations are great, but boy am I glad to be back home. Now I need a vacation after my vacation. Being around teenagers when you don't havee any yourself is draining. Trying to keep them entertained when it's too hot to go outside. Trying to keep up with them at the amusement/water park. Or just being in the presence of endless questions and requests is exhausting. But don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time as always.

S

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!





Thank you all so much for the nice comments on my first Clapotis. For those of you who were wondering...yes, that's Plymouth Yarn's Bamboo. The bamboo is sooooooo soft next to the skin. Believe it or not, the color is not actually purple. I know, I thought it was too! I was told by the owner of the shop where I purchased it, that it's called Deep Maroon. Yeah sure. As far as I'm concerned it's purple and I love it. I might have liked the lighter shade of purple I purchased a little better, but I love this one all the same.

My sister asked me how long it took me to make it, so I sat back and tried to figure it out. Let's see, I started it on or around the 14th of June and decided that while I was on vacation visiting my sister, no matter what, I was going to finish it before I returned home. And, I did it! Yeah to me!

As I am an obsessive personality, lol, I have also started another one. I'm using the "Sockota" sock yarn that I purchsed here on vacation. Right now, though, I'm not to sure I like this yarn for a Clapotis. It's a lot thinner than the Bamboo, so it's starting out looking very lacy. I'm going to try to get to the drop stitches section before I give up on it though. I'll post some pics of what I've gotten done so far, later this afternoon.

Thanks again for all the great comments on my 1st Clapotis.

S.

My Clapotis is finished!!!


I did it! I finished my Clapotis this afternoon. I love it!. So, without further ado...





I love it! It came out a lot better than I thought it would. It's not as long because I had to skip a couple of straight sections in order to ensure I had enough yarn. Even doing that I was sweating the decrease and end sections. I thought I wasn't going to run short of yarn. Boy would that have truly sucked. If I had to frog the whole thing I would have just died. I choose to use yarn that I had bought a while back, and had to run out more than once and buy more. And at the time that was all they had. If I had ran out of yarn I don't know what I would have done? Especially since I'm out of town visiting my family. I would hate to have had to sit on a unfinnished Clapotis for two weeks.

My sister and her husband have been oohhing and aahhing all afternoon. She kept saying how it didn't look hand made, it looked store bought. I know better, but I think it's really sweet of her. She likes it, loose strings and all.

All that's left for me to do now is clip the loose yarns and block it. I can't wait to start on another. I've been collecting different yarns to try out as Clapotis' since I started this first one. My next one will probably be made out of either Koigu or maybe a lace weight yarn. Not sure yet...

Happy be-lated 4th of July...


I hope everyone is having a great holiday. Mine turned out much better than I thought it would. At our local family picnic on the 4th, which I don't usually get to attend. I saw relatives I haven't seen in almost a decade. And my nephews who were visiting me at the time got to meet relatives they had never met before. A great day was had by all, I think.

Today, I'm out of town visiting my sister,and as usual I'm having a ball. I took an hour for myself though and went to a local knitting shop and picked up some sock yarn...





Since I've never made socks before, the reason for the purchase was purely stash enhancement driven. I'm starting to think I might have a yarn addiction. Oh well, it's not like there's a "yarn-a-holics anonymous'. And even if there was one it wouldn't matter to me. You see, "I have my yarn addiction under control", "and I can quit buying yarn anytime I want!"

Does that sound as ridiculous to everyone else as it does to me? Ridiculous, but sooo true!!!

I saw this test in several blogs, and couldn't resist filling it out myself.

Thanks GinX.


Bold the ones you’ve done.. (Re-colored my entries)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (in church…I hate it when that happens)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a rollercoaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero (Gassina…don’t ask)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (two — as extras)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour (I saw the Jacksons’ Victory tour in 2 different cities. I guess that counts)
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (for about a minute in cadets)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life