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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Écharpe Torsade Ezra

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Voilà, une nouvelle écharpe torsade, modèle dessous...

Écharpe torsade Ezra

Modèle: Ezra Cable Scarf
Laine: Elann Luxury Merino Superwash, Viola Phlox
Aiguille: 5mm (US8)

Cette écharpe est facile à tricoter. Le motif est en fait composé de courtes sections de torsades qui commencent et se terminent. Ce n'est pas un modèle exceptionnel, mais il est peu intéressant si on est ennuyé de faire des rayures. Les mecs doivent aimer cette écharpe comme cette écharpe n'est pas trop féminene. Les pseudo-rayures font une écharpe douce et « scrunchable ». L'écharpe, avant bloquage, est d'environ 18 cm de large et 148 cm de long (7" x 58").

Écharpe torsade Ezra

Je ne sais pas pourquoi l'écharpe est rose dans les photos. La laine est violet, comme cet échantillon:

Couleur Viola Phlox

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Ezra Cable Scarf Pattern:
Ezra Scarf Pattern from Box.com and Ezra Scarf Chart from Box.com (no registration required, just click on link & save file)

My series of cable scarves...

Persephone Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/12/persephone.html
Ariel Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/04/ariel.html
Miranda Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/06/miranda-scarf.html
Osiris Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/09/osiris.html
Bernadette Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/11/bernadette.html
Regina Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/12/regina.html
Paquin Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/03/paquin.html
Beaumonde Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/04/beaumonde.html
Shadow Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/04/shadow.html
Hera Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/08/hera-scarf-pattern.html
Triumph Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/08/triumph-cable-scarf-pattern.html
Ezra Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/09/ezra-cable-scarf-pattern.html
Sihnon Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/10/sihnon.html
St. Albans Valentine Cable Scarf:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/11/scarf-15.html




elann.com Peruvian Luxury Merino Superwash
100% Machine Washable Fine Merino Wool
21-22 st/4 inches 3.75-4.0 mm (US 5-6)
112 m (122 yards) per 50g (1.75 oz) ball
$3.98 USD per ball

Stitches used in the Ezra Cable Scarf include:
Unnamed Cable Pattern from Beautiful Knitting Patterns, pg 48

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2008. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.
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Friday, September 26, 2008

J'aime votre blog

Il semble que ce blog ne soit plus en anglais. Et je sais que mon français n'est pas bien, parce que je manque de la pratique. Mais c'est temporaire (je promets!), je viens de faire des expériences. Je vous dirai plus, plus tard. (ou, on peut voir mon profil de Ravelry)






Bets m'a nominé de ce prix, plus tard AuburnChick m'en a nominé, et en suite Darcy. Ainsi, je fais d'une piere trois coups. :-) Merci bien de ce prix. Quelle bonne idée pour découvrir de nouveaux blogs!
Here are the instructions:

1. Please put the award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate
at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.
C'est vraiment difficile de choisir seulement 4 blogs quand il y a tant de merveilleux blogs. Je vais choisir certains que je ne crois pas que j'ai nommé plus tôt:

Crimson Purl - Love her detailed accounts of all her projects; you can tell she takes her time to write up her blog posts. Gosh, I wish I could get that organized with my project details!
Knit One Bake Too - Lovely knitting, and you can easily drool over your keyboard with her foody posts.
Knitting Garden - Pretty photos of Knits, Food, Flowers and other things.
My Knitting Island - Her needle are on fire, she makes beautiful knits in a blink of an eye and they always look great on her!
Paris Daily Photo - What can I say? If I can't be there physically, I can still enjoy photos from a native's perspective.
PDXKnitterati - She always has beautiful photos on her blog, of knitting and other things. Definitely eye candy here.
Res Ipsa Knit With Her - More eye candy here. Colorful knits, beautiful photos. Don't forget to check out her photo blog too.
Separated by a Common Language - Not a knitting blog. An interesting read if you're interested in British English vs. American English.

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Échantillon Elann Baby Silk

Ce petit échantillon, tricoté en Elann Baby Silk, n'est pas formidable. C'est une partie d'un projet sécret. Je vous expliquerai plus tard.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2008. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.
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Monday, September 22, 2008

Pastagalaine


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Je viens de découvrir un balado (« podcast »???) de tricot en français, Pastagalaine, c'est super. C'est mon premier balado. :-) Peut-être j'apprendrai un petit de français au fur et à mesure que je l'écoute. Ce balado est créé par Céline, son blog est ici. Elle m'a recommandé deux balados de tricot en anglais: Cast On et Stash and Burn.

Il semble que ce blog ne soit plus en anglais. Et je sais que mon français n'est pas bien, parce que je manque de la pratique. Mais c'est temporaire (je promets!), je viens de faire des expériences. Je vous dirai plus, plus tard.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2008. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Les huiles essentielles


Elann Baby Silk
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Les huiles essentielles sont des produits extrêmement concentrés et doivent être utilisées avec beaucoup de précautions, Il ne faut pas oublier que ce sont avant tout des médicaments. Ainsi, l'huile essentielle de girofle est bien connue comme désinfectant dentaire et son efficacité est telle qu’une émulsion à seulement 1 % à peine est 3 à 4 fois plus active que le Phénol (un puissant désinfectant). Quant à l'huile essentielle de thym, elle est encore plus étonnante : une solution à 5 % tue le bacille de la fièvre typhoïde et celui de la dysenterie en 2 minutes, le colibacille, le streptocoque et le staphylocoque en 8 minutes.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2008. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.
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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Merino, Silk, and Cashmere, Oh my!

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I saw a beautiful darning egg on Cindy's blog and wondered how it was used. To my surprise, Cindy took the time to post a photo tutorial on how to darn a sock! Thanks Cindy! I had always wondered what it meant to "darn" something, and now I have a much better idea.

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We've had a few challenges here at Chez Smariek this past week. While Miss M was happy about going to day care last month, it's been quite a different thing this month. It's like night and day. Now she uses delay tactics in the mornings and is kicking and screaming about not wanting to go. Screaming about wanting to stay home instead, or go to Costco, or go to a different school. I think it all started when one of the other girls at the school was a bit too overly aggressive with Miss M and it scared her so much that she no longer wants to go there. Poor girl. It baffles me that Miss M is so good at voicing her displeasure at home, yet she has difficulties asserting herself at the daycare center.

My goal tomorrow is to go cell phone and cell plan shopping. We've had our current Very Good Cell Phone Service Provider for about 5 years now and have been very happy with them until we moved into our new house where we get zero reception inside our house. Our phones worked better when we stepped outside the house. (Oh, it's not our phones either, because DH & I have different model phones) This is very frustrating! So we need to switch from our current provider to the other Big Evil Cell Phone Service Provider (BECPSP), the one where you feel like you're in hell whenever you need to call for any type of customer support. We know that reception should work inside our house with BECPSP because the cable guy used his BECPSP phone inside our house and had great reception. We'll hope for the best, that we'll never have to call BECPSP for any support.

Goal #2 for tomorrow is to write the check for our mortgage payment. It's a funny thing with my handwriting. It usually looks like chicken scratch, so bad that I often can't even read my own writing! However my best penmanship is when I write checks using a fountain pen. Odd, huh?

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I've been wanting the KnitPicks Harmony Wood DPN set for quite some time now and had been saving up for it in recent months. Yes, I realize that the DPN set costs less than filling up the gas tank these days, however I am a stay-at-home-mom who hasn't seen one penny of my virtual $117,000 salary. So by saving up, I really should say justifying this purchase.
'Salary' for stay-at-home-moms nearly $117,000
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/11/business/fi-consumerbriefs11

Mom's Salary Wizard
http://swz.salary.com/momsalarywizard/layoutscripts/mswl_newsearch.asp
Unfortunately, I totally blew it this month when my DPN set funds got redirected towards some yarny purchases which I couldn't resist. Yes, I was weak. I was unable to resist. But look what I got! Some Lana Gatto Feeling yarn, a combination of merino wool, silk, and cashmere. I had very dry skin lately and couldn't tell how soft the yarn was when it arrived. Now that the skin on my fingers has improved a bit, I can feel it is a soft yarn.


Lana Gatto Feeling Orchid


Lana Gatto Feeling Violet


Lana Gatto Feeling Plum

I can never help myself, I always gravitate towards the purples. I really did not need 3 shades of purple yarn!!! If you look at my yarny stash, you'll find that most of it is purple. The downside to this is that the amount of purple yarn is not commensurate to the number of people I can gift purple items to.

But I did get a couple of other colors too...


Lana Gatto Feeling Jade Green

Green is not my color. It never was. So it was quite an aberration for me to choose this color. I'm sure I'll find someone who would like this color.



Lana Gatto Feeling Cranberry


Lana Gatto Feeling Gentle Teal

The blues and reds tend to be my second choice colors after purple. They're really extensions of purple, aren't they?

But that's not all! I also added to my Elann Baby Cashmere collection, nevermind that I've still got tons of this stuff marinating since 2005!


Elann Baby Cashmere, Mulled Grape


Elann Baby Cashmere Pewter

Pewter is not a color I would normally get, however I needed to add something that wasn't too pastel.


Lace Scarf

Here's a little something I've been playing around with. It's some Elann Baby Cashmere yarn. It might or might not be a gift for one of Miss M's daycare teachers. She started out with 2 teachers in her classroom, but this month she has 3 of them and they're all very nice ladies. I'd like to make each a little something by Christmas, I just hope I can finish them in time!

The scarf is slow going partly because of the dry spots on my fingers which catch on the yarn in a bad way. I'm also not sure I like the pattern enough to stick with it for an entire scarf. Of course I realize that lace looks like wet cabbage until it is blocked. Perhaps it will improve after blocking?

I'm still working on Elann HUGe Swap item #10 and I really need to get cracking on that so I can mail it to Theresa before the October 12 (13?) deadline.

I also have a some cables in the works (of course) and hope to have photos to share soon.


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Monday, September 08, 2008

My Cuzco Experiment


Elann Luxury Merino Superwash DK yarn, Merlot color
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Check out Zandra's gorgeous cable afghan, which won 1st place in a contest!

And for those of you who are photographers, check out these Photographer Mitts that'll keep your hands warm AND still let you take photos on those cold days. Pretty nifty, eh?

AcornBud has some cute project bags in her Etsy shop, there was one with a dragonfly print that was very lovely but I don't see it there now so it must have been sold, however you can see what it looked like on her blog. She also has some nice needle rolls too.

Voting has begun on the current smoke ring projects for The Fashionably Late in '08 KAL.

Grace is having a blogiversary contest, go check it out and let her know I sent you. :-)


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Not a whole lot going on here. I'm working up to starting item #10 for the Elann HUGe Swap. Why is it so much more difficult to do the last one? The deadline is to have the arrive at T's house by October 12 or 13, so I still have some time.

I was trying to create a chart for the Petra Scarf, spent a couple hours on it in Excel, and then gave up. I am too inexperienced in charting to figure out how it works in lace knitting, especially when the stitch count varies from row to row. I will try to come back to it again later when I have regained some more patience and see if I can make more progress on it.

Miss M is in daycare today, so my goal today is to finish vacuuming the house. Funny how I threw some laundry in the washer, went to vacuum the bedrooms and hallway, and when I got to the computer room, I ended up hopping onto the computer instead of vacuuming the room! I'm so easily sidetracked. My reward for finishing up the vacuuming, folding the laundry, and doing bills (unfortunately, some of it is done online, so there is a high chance of being sidetracked again) is to finish watching A Room with a View (1985) which I had never seen before. I had to get my hands on this copy after having recently caught this TV version of A Room with a View (1997) on PBS. The PBS version wasn't very good and I think it has made me enjoy the 1985 version even more.

I am currently working on another cable scarf (in the Merlot colored Elann Luxury Merino Superwash yarn you see above), although I've got an itch to start another lace scarf. I have A LOT of Elann Baby Cashmere that I really must try to make a dent through. However despite this I seem to have thrown in some Pewter and Mulled Grape colored Baby Cashmere into my Elann shopping cart.

The Beast at Tanagra. It looks like all leaves on the trees on my block are starting to fall. This happened last year after we moved into our new house. That's when we discovered which way the wind blows here and how everyone else's leaves fall and blow towards our house. So we ended up sweeping up our leaves and those of our neighbors. It's a losing battle. I'm thinking of investing in a leaf blower now...

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Pattern: Seeded Rib Scarf
Yarn: Elann Cuzco, 3 balls
Needles: 9mm

I finished this one back in January, and just realized that I hadn't blogged about it. I think what happened here is that I uploaded the photo to Ravelry to show Diane (ravlink) my Cuzco project so that she could see how my Cuzco looked compared to the Cuzco in her Cuzco Poncho (ravlink). I think my blue ball of Cuzco was more "fluffy" than her purple ball. And after our discussion about Cuzco, I think in my mind I thought that I had already blogged about the scarf.

Anyhow, this was my experiment to see what would happen when I amalgamated the Seeded Rib Scarf pattern with Elann Cuzco yarn. I wanted to see if the results came out better than my first Cuzco scarf using the Double Broken Rib stitch pattern. I couldn't help but think "cozy bathrobe" while working on both of these scarves. Cuzco is such cozy SOFT yarn, very lightweight and warm too.

I cast on 15 stitches on 9mm needles and knit until I ran out of yarn. The scarf came out to around 6.5 inches wide x 60 inches long (17 cm x 152 cm). It's interesting to see how casting on 1 less stitch gave me a scarf 6 inches shorter than the Cozy Bathrobe Scarf.

When I attached the 3rd ball of Cuzco, I noticed that this 3rd ball was more "fluffy" than the 1st and 2nd balls I used. I was afraid it would be very noticeable however in the end I don't think anybody would look that closely to see this flaw. It seemed strange that there should be an odd ball because all three balls had the same lot number and I would assume that meant they came out of the same batch??? And I bought all three at the same time. So I'm not sure how that happened.

I love this yarn, but must say it would not be a good choice for a first time knitter or very first knitting project because it is very hard to see your stitches due to all that fluffiness. I say this because I am reminded of my first knitting project using Patons Twister yarn. I remember how hard it was to work with. Now don't think I'm trying to compare the quality of these two yarns, cuz that would be comparing apples to oranges. The Cuzco is a much better yarn.

So with 1 ball red and 1 ball blue Cuzco remaining, I had to add 2 balls red and 2 balls blue to my stash so that I would have enough to make two more scarves. It's easier to think of it in terms of 3 balls here, 3 balls here. But I hate to think that I actually bought a total of 12 balls of Cuzco. In retrospect, I don't think that was a very good idea, since there are so many other yarns I like better than Cuzco that would allow me to make better looking gift scarves.
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Elann Cuzco info:
Fibre Content: 100% Brushed Fine Grade Alpaca
Made In: Peru
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 8 st/4 inches on 9.0 mm (US 13)
Yardage: 40 m (43 yards)
Size: 50g (1.75 oz) ball
Price: $4.60 USD
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Petra Lace Scarf Pattern

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It's amazing how much can be accomplished when Miss M spends the night with her grandparents. They took her for 2 nights! It was quite liberating for us. :-)

So here is what happens when I get a little more free time than I am accustomed to....

Elann Baby Cashmere, Dusky Lavender

I take a few balls of this yarn, Elann Baby Cashmere in the Dusky Lavender colorway, and ...

Circular knitting needles, size 3.75 mm (US5)

push them around this pair of 3.75 mm (US5) circular knitting needles, graft two halves, and ...

Petra Scarf blocking

block the result after a little soak in Eucalan wool wash, and ...

Petra Lace Scarf

end up with this little lacy scarf!!! I haven't done a lace scarf in quite a while because I have concentration issues, however I thought it was time for a little change after all the cable knitting I've been doing lately.

Pattern: Petra Lace Scarf (scroll down for pattern)
Yarn: Elann Baby Cashmere, Dusky Lavender
Needles: 3.75 mm (US5)

I can't say exactly why I was drawn to this design. Perhaps it is because it looks somewhat like a lacy version of the Marijke Scarf, both having 3 dangling "cherries". So of course I had to name this scarf Petra, after Marijke's friend, because of this small similarity between this scarf and the Marijke Scarf. This is just a basic lace scarf, nothing fancy. The pattern looks more complicated than it really is. After you start knitting a repeat or two, you will start to anticipate what comes next.

I love how soft Elann Baby Cashmere yarn is and I love love love the Dusky Lavender colorway. I've used this color before for Persephone Mitts in the same Elann Baby Cashmere yarn and also for Vicki's Persephone Scarf in Elann Highland Silk yarn (discontinued). I believe I even have some Elann Highland Wool yarn in this color too!!!

I knit this scarf using 3.75 mm (US5) size needles -- 2 sizes larger than the yarn label recommendation -- so that the scarf wouldn't turn out too open or too lacy. I think it came out just right. I wanted the lace pattern to be right-side up so I knit two halves and then used kitchener stitch (see link in sidebar) to graft them at the center. I knit 7 repeats of the pattern in each half. My scarf was around 8 inches x 46 inches before blocking. The finished size after blocking is 10 inches x 59 inches (25.5 cm x 150 cm).

Petra Scarf worn

Note: Pattern updated on 8 Sept 2008 to correct typo on Row 27. Please download this version if you have an earlier copy.



Petra Lace Scarf pattern:
Petra Lace Scarf Pattern from box.com (no registration required, just click on link & save file)

9 Nov 2008 update: Barbara at CatBookMom's Yarns created a chart for the Petra Lace Scarf. Barbara told me that the RS (odd numbers) rows are read from right to left and the WS rows are read from left to right. The chart has not been tested yet. If anyone knits from this chart, I would appreciate knowing whether it is OK. Thanks!

Petra Lace Scarf Chart created by Barbara at CatBookMom's Yarns can be downloaded here:
Petra Lace Scarf Chart from box.com.


Petra Lace Scarf close up


elann.com Peruvian Baby Cashmere
60% Baby Alpaca/ 30% Merino Wool/ 10% Cashmere
28 st/4 inches 3.25 mm (US 3)
100 m (109 yards) per 25g (0.88 oz) ball
$3.30 USD per ball


Stitches used in this scarf include:
Bell Lace, BW2 pg 291
Garter Stitch, BW1 pg 10

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Monday, September 01, 2008

Any felting in my future?

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I'm not sure there will be any felting in my future now...

I've never felted before mostly out of a fear of over-felting and ending up with something doll sized in the end. Even so, there was always the possibility of felting if I ever chose to do it since we had a top-loading washing machine at the Old House and we inherited an old top-loading washing machine with our New House.

This is what came with our New House:


Old washer & dryer that came with the New House

Yup, that's the way it was connected too. As I understand it, the previous owners moved this fridge from the kitchen into the garage. They connected a power strip to the wall, and then plugged in the fridge and dryer to the power strip.

We had some electrical work done to the house before we moved in, and I think we added an extra outlet back there so that we could plug the fridge into the wall and plug in the dryer back where the power strip was plugged into the wall.

We had been thinking about replacing these for some time, the only thing really holding us back was the expense. But with the dry years lately and the dreaded D word that finally came up, we made more effort to replace them sooner with newer more energy & water efficient models.

Look what got delivered on at the end of July:


New front-loading washer & dryer

I was really impressed with delivery. The salesperson told us that the delivery people would call us 30 minutes before arrival. The night before delivery day, we received a phone call informing us that our delivery window was 3:15 PM to 5:15 PM. Hey, it's better than those 4-hr+ windows! Anyhow, on delivery day, I received a phone call at 2:30 PM informing me that they'd arrive in 20 to 30 minutes. Hung up. OK, I was thinking more like 30 minutes or more. 5 minutes later... ding dong. They were already at my front door!

It didn't take them very long to remove the old units and put in the new ones. There was a little concern about whether the gas hose would reach. With the ways the doors are oriented on the new units, the washer needs to be on the left and the dryer on the right. This is the reverse of the old units. Fortunately it all worked out by shifting the units leftwards a bit, and I didn't even have to move the fridge further left. (Looking at the before & after photos, it looks like I had moved the fridge at some point in time shortly after we moved in, probably after we did the electrical work and plugged it into its own outlet) Of course by shifting the washer/dryer to the left, it exposed the part of the wall that was previously hidden by the washer. It's not pretty to look at. Oh well.



So of course I had to try out my new toy that afternoon. I did an empty load first per instructions in the manual. Yes, I actually read. :-) Then I did a real load of laundry. I thought I was over stuffing it by shoving in more stuff that I normally would have in the old washer. Then the washer started. It was very interesting to see how it filled with water and spun around. Stopped Filled with water and spun in the opposite direction. Anyhow once it was in full wash mode, I was totally surprised at seeing very little water in there. They weren't kidding when they said these front loading washing machines use a lot less water!!! I was expecting to see some water level around halfway or more up the window. And while it was washing, it looked like I didn't really put much clothing in there. Oh, I almost forgot to mention how QUIET this washer is. I couldn't believe it. You can barely hear it. And you definitely don't hear it in the family room which is adjacent to the garage. We used to hear the old washer loud and clear, especially while spinning and when it spun off balance. And the "done" beep indicator for both units is a nice soft beep, not the loud wake-up-the-dead buzz the old dryer used to make.

I'm still making the adjustment to knowing how much laundry I can actually wash in one load.

As for using HE laundry detergent, I picked up a huge box of the Costco Kirkland Ultra HE laundry detergent whose box states that it can be used in both standard and HE washers. Ok, it's nice that one detergent can work in both. What totally confuses me is the chart on the back that pretty much says to use more detergent for the HE washer than the standard washer. I would have thought it would be the other way around.

So did you notice that the washer (left) has chrome around the door and the dryer (right) is white around the door? They're not really matching units.

While shopping for a washer, we were mainly looking for features we were interested in and at a sweet price point. This turned out to be the Kenmore HE5t non-steam washer. Yes, I know steam is the latest thing in washers; we decided that this wasn't a must-have feature. Kenmore didn't have a matching HE5 non-steam dryer and we also decided that we did not want the (more expensive) HE5 steam version dryer, so we downgraded to the (more affordable) Kenmore HE3 non-steam dryer.

While at Sears, the salesperson gave Miss M an inflatable red ball. This kept her occupied and content while we shopped. After making our purchase, I keep thinking that this was a very expensive ball. lol.

I still can't believe how much the washer and dryer cost, even with the sale price. I keep telling myself this is a good thing in the long run. Uses less energy. Uses less water. And it's supposed to be big enough to shove a comforter inside. Yes! That's what they advertised.

Many weeks after using the new washer for regular laundry, I finally worked up to shoving our big queen size comforter into it. Boy was that a snug fit. But it did fit! The comforter came out feeling as though there was some slippery soapy residue, so I gave it another rinse. Next time I wash this comforter I must remember to use less detergent and use the 2nd rinse feature. The comforter also fit in the dryer. The only thing I had to do was dry one side, then flip it over and dry the other side.

So back to felting. Although I've never intentionally felted any of my knitting, I did understand how it was supposed to work in a top-loading washing machine. I just don't see how it would happen in a front loader. It seems like I would have to drain out the water each time I check on felting progress, then refill it with water if it needs more felting.

I have non-intentionally semi-felted something. It was Miss M's baby blanket, knit with superwash wool, which went through the wash so many times that it eventually semi-felted. The blanket is not quite as soft or flexible as it used to be, and it has also shrunk a wee bit.

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Isn't the sheep pattern on this needle holder cute? This is from Aunt Kathy -- thanks Kathy!!! -- and the needle holder is made by Loraskeyhole. DPNs and crochet hooks fit in the needle holder. There are 3 pockets and you can see the two crochet hooks I placed in it if you look carefully in the middle and right pockets.

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This is a Cable Needle Necklace from Darcy and Leslie Wind -- thanks!!! Leslie Wind makes these cable needles herself! My first thought when I saw this on Darcy's blog was how does this work? Fortunately Darcy has a couple of videos on her blog that show how it is used. Both videos show back cable crosses where you hold the cable needle in the back. You would just hold the cable needle in front for front cable crosses. Picking up the stitches from left-to-right requires a little adjustment but you'll get used to it like any other knitting technique you would learn. The great thing about having this hanging around your neck is that you will never lose your cable needle while you're knitting (or in my case, toddlers won't pick it up off the sofa or table and walk away with it). That is so clever!

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I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. I love 3-day weekends here because a lot of people leave town. You can really notice the difference when you are driving. Definitely less traffic!

Miss M is staying overnight with the grandparents so I managed to finish a scarf which is blocking now. Aaaahh... it is so much easier to block stuff when I have the house to myself. :-) I'll try to share photos and more details in my next post.


Petra Scarf blocking

I finally got around to seeing the movie Cars, which was better than I expected however not quite as good or fun as Ratatouille. although I have to say that Monters, Inc is one of my favorites. Let's see, other movies I get to choose from this week include: Transformers, The Painted Veil, The Last King of Scotland, and King Kong. Which one would you choose? I'd like to see The Painted Veil. Although I have read a number of WS Maugham novels, this is one I hadn't gotten to yet.

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Friday Fill-In #87

1. When I'm sick I feel even more miserable because I can't quite get the rest I need while still taking care of my toddler.

2. When I take a walk, I think about what I will knit next, designing things in my mind, or what I will blog about next, then forgetting the details when I get home! (I do the same thing while driving too).

3. Money can't buy happiness but it can it can make sure the bills are paid.

4. Cotton makes me feel cool and comfortable and leather makes me think of shoes and handbags.

5. The strangest person/character I've had lewd thoughts about was no one, can't think of anybody.

6. My favorite color these days is purple because well, I'm not sure why but it is my favorite color and I am usually drawn to objects of that color.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having seared ahi tuna, tomorrow my plans include dropping off Miss M with her grandparents and Sunday, I want to knit & catch up on Tivo'd stuff!

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Okeedokee ... it's time for us to go pick up Miss M ...

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