News From The Nest

And So It Goes...

I cast on for this baby blanket after finishing the Baby Surprise Jacket. It's Ann Norling's Crib-Blanket-  
Afghan IV Pattern.  The pattern features instructions for two designs (Ladder Stitch and Garter with Yarn Overs) in three sizes and in five gauges. I'm knitting the Garter with Yarn Overs design. For work, I spend a lot of time waiting in waiting rooms until I'm called back to meet with the doctors. As I sit, I knit. I always keep some project going that doesn't require much thinking. This baby blanket fits the bill.

I wanted something washable and very low maintenance. So, I'm knitting it out of Plymouth Yarn's Encore Colorspun (Col. 7179, Lot 40812). It's primarily turquoise blue and has flecks of red, blue, and yellow with some white thrown in for good measure. It reminds me of sea glass for some reason. This yarn is a little harsher feeling than other Encore I've worked with - maybe it's because of the dyes.  Hopefully once it's finished and washed it will soften up. I really do like the pattern.

Abracadabra!

It's an unidentified knitted object!   

No.

Wait! 

Shazam! 

It's a Baby Surprise Jacket!!!!

This is hands-down the most clever design I've ever knit. I just followed the directions and knit and knit and knit some more. Then, all of a sudden - with a twist of this and a twist of that and a few magic words - I had a baby jacket!   

It is just too cute! 

Of course, I have no idea what size baby it will fit. I need to find a baby to try it on. 

I used about one-and-a-half skeins of the Lorna's Laces Worsted Weight Shepherds Wool. I purchased four skeins so have plenty left to do a hat to match. It's so funny about the colors - there is so much purple and blue in the yarn but the hot pink totally takes over. The colors you see here are way off. I'll try to take one outside in natural light. 

I still need to sew the shoulder seams and attach the buttons. The construction is just amazing! The seams from the neck across the left and right shoulders are the ONLY seams you have to sew together.  

Check out this site - Knit Wiki - for great info on this pattern.

I will definitely be knitting more of these jackets.

Thank you, Elizabeth Zimmerman, for this ingenious design. 

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I had a work appointment today in Springfield, OH so took Highway 68 up through Xenia and through Yellow Springs. I love that route. Love going through Yellow Springs. 

On the way back, I saw a sign for Brandeberry Winery. I turned right and headed 2.6 miles into the country. This is the first Ohio winery I've visited. Jim, the Lil' Olde Winemaker, greeted me and coerced (wasn't hard to do) me to do a wine tasting. Taste six wines - keep the glass was the deal. Six tastes later - ending with the Cherry Truffle - I was on my way home with a few bottles for later.

The winery features live music on Friday nights, a Girls' Night Out, and special dinners. Three of their wines were awarded medals at the 2010 Ohio Commercial Wine Competition. Well deserved from the tastes I had.

The turn to Brandeberry Winery is right up the road from Young's Jersey Dairy where A Wool Gathering will be held September 18th and 19th. Might be nice to sit and sip a glass of wine with friends and discuss the findings of the fiber show. 

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I already mentioned that I love Yellow Springs, OH. A cute, eclectic, a little on-the-hippy-side town. I try to stop there every chance I get. If I don't have a chance to stop and go in any of the shops, I just ride around the streets looking at everything. 

Today, I stopped by "would you, could you" In a Frame but it was closed. This is a great shop full of quality handcrafted jewelry and artwork. I peeped in her windows and then headed back to the car.

As I turned the car around to exit the lot, I spied this! Last year, on my first trip to Yellow Springs, I spotted knitting on a sidewalk bench. Now, this telephone pole. And, not just knitting! Wool-on-wool appliqué and more. The black portion full of 3-D appliquéd flowers was terrific! Looks like Jafagirls struck again! Dressing up their town one tree - one pole - one bench at a time. What a hoot!

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Knit On Yellow Springs and everyone everywhere! 

May you knit up a little magic of your own!

Big Ball O' .... Yarn!

I went to knitting on Saturday at Dorothy Lane Market. As usual, a good time was had by all. Last time, Karen cracked us all up when she pulled a cucumber out of her purse and Saturday it was Sarah's turn. She pulled this ginormous ball of yarn out of her bag. Here it is next to a normal size ball of yarn. It was huge! I think this should be a tribute of some kind to the plastic ball winder she wound it on. 

I'm almost finished with my Baby Surprise Jacket - plan to finish it tonight. I think it's going to be a good size when done. I'm still picturing little pewter buttons for it - maybe some pewter rabbits. Check back for a picture soon.

We have had so many female finches this summer. I think all the babies this spring were females. There were seven of  them playing in the bird bath but when I came back with the camera, there were only two. Looked like they were having a good time.

Nothing Too Exciting

Thanks to all of you who offered feedback on ball winders and Fricke wheels in the last post. I think I'll be steering Santa's sleigh to Nancy's KnitKnacks Heavy Duty Ball Winder come December! I still can't find my plastic one so am going to visit Meg later today so I can wind more yarn for my BSJ below. 

Nothing too exciting going on here these days. Going through the routine - work WEEKEND work WEEKEND.... 

Every now and then, there will be a touch of Fall in the air. Not often enough to suit me, though. Soon, there will be more festivals planned in this area than you can shake a stick at. I'm especially looking forward to one - A Wool Gathering.

A Wool Gathering will take place at Young's Jersey Dairy on September 18th and 19th. It was a lot of fun last year and I felt that they planned it just for me - to welcome me to Ohio. It's hard to believe that come Labor Day weekend, I will have lived in Ohio for one year. The time has flown.  

I have been busily working on my Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. Since I ripped back and started over following the row-by-row instructions for the Cast On 160 Stitches version, things have gone smoothly. I still don't have a clue what size this will be but maybe that's the surprise!

I LOVE the yarn I'm using - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted 100% Superwash Merino Wool in the Watercolor colorway. It both feels and looks luscious. I'm picturing little pewter buttons of some sort. We'll see.

Most nights, I'm still working in the "library" organizing all my knitting patterns. Remember back to the table full of loose patterns a few posts back??? I have emptied most of the old binders, weeded out duplicate patterns, sorted via category and then purchased, free, or internet, replaced old plastic page savers with new, etc. etc. Once the patterns are ready to put back in binders, I have separated the categories with labeled dividers and also labeled the spines of the notebooks. 

The notebooks that you see here with labels on the spines are done! I still have a few patterns left - children's sweaters, toys, socks, etc. - but am definitely gaining on it. I have really enjoyed becoming reacquainted with my patterns again. One problem -- I have about a gamillion that I want to do NEXT!

Today is Saturday, so gotta run --- knitting group awaits!

Feedback Appreciated

Ball Winder - 

I have yet to unearth my ball winder from the sea of boxes in my basement. I know it's somewhere down there but where is the question. 

Since I can't find it, I think this might be a good time to ask Santa Claus (thinking ahead here!) for a new better heavy-duty model for Christmas. I'm tired of the groaning and creaking of the old one. It just complained too much when I used it - especially with large hanks of yarn.  And, it is at least twenty years old - purchased it sometime in the 1980's. Maybe it deserves to be retired.

I would appreciate your feedback. I am considering one of these two ball winders. I like both of them but have no personal experience with either and am hoping that some of you have used one or both and can give me your opinions. If you have used one or both ---- what do you like???  

Contestant Number 1 - Nancy's Knit Knacks - Heavy Duty Ball Winder (HDBW)

Contestant Number 2 - Strauch Fiber Co. - Jumbo Ball Winder

Fricke Spinning Wheels - 

Faye, a reader, wrote and asked if I know anything about Fricke spinning wheels. I do know several people back in Virginia who have them and they are very pleased with them. Can anyone reading this offer some insights about Fricke wheels for Faye??  

Knitting - 

I have set aside my Hapi Wrap to knit Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket. I was having a time!! The surprise was that I was having such trouble with the directions. I was doing the CO 134 stitch version for the 5 sts/in. size. Finally, I ripped it out and started over. I cast on 160 stitches this time. The pattern gives row by row directions for this version. Things are going very smoothly now. The only surprise now is going to be the size of the finished sweater! I LOVE the yarn I'm using and will  post pictures soon.

Happy Birthday, EZ!

Today, knitters across the United States - and, dare I guess the world - are celebrating the birthday of
Elizabeth Zimmerman.  

Born in England on August 9, 1910, she and her husband eventually moved to the US and settled in Wisconsin. She is widely known for revolutionizing knitting with her advocation of using circular needles and knitting in the round.  She was also a fan of Continental Knitting believing that it was more efficient. Her patterns are numerous and they have been featured by Elizabeth in newsletters, TV, books, etc. Presently, her daughter, Meg Swanson, keeps her mother's spirit alive and well through Schoolhouse Press, knitting camps, and workshops.  

As I cast on today to knit your Baby Surprise Jacket I wish you Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Zimmerman! You continue to be an inspiration. A Knitter Extraordinaire. The Queen.

I am casting on tonight to knit Elizabeth's Baby Surprise Jacket out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. This yarn is 100% Superwash Merino Wool in the colorway Watercolor. It's gorgeous and so so soft! 

So, the adventure continues and to quote Elizabeth - "Knit on, with confidence & hope, through all crises."  

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What a difference color makes! Andy finished painting the master bathroom last week. The paint is Brandywine by Sherwin-Williams. We also painted one of the guest bedrooms this color. We still need to buy and put up towel bars but I'm LOVIN' this color!!! 

Here are before and after pictures.

Now, he's working on painting the master bedroom. That color - Rustic City - is also by Sherwin-Williams. I'll post a picture when finished. 

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Went out to water the garden this morning and something has been digging at the base of my flowers again!!! Looks just like what I would catch that skunk doing. We've killed two skunks. Wonder how many more are left?? 

Thought I'd leave you today with this pretty picture. Amazing nature! Just beautifully put together.

  

Knitting And The Blues

Yesterday was knitting day and it was fun as always! We had a fun crowd of eleven people. I look so forward to knitting on Saturdays - I laugh harder than I do all week. Very cathartic. Good for the soul. 

We were all talking and knitting along when all of a sudden Karen discovers that she's been carrying around a cucumber in her purse. She whips it out and all of us die laughing! You just should've been there. It was hysterical. Dorothy Lane Market might start doing knitting bag and purse checks on us to make sure we're not packing any concealed cucumbers!

Rita knit not only a regular size market bag but a smaller one for her grand-daughter and an even smaller one for her grand's doll. So cute!

People were knitting socks, baby hats, sweaters, bracelets, and a lacy jacket. I finished the second in my Party Hat Series. I'm not real sure why I'm on this party hat or happy hat jag but they make me smile. Just wish I could see them on a live baby.

After knitting, Andy and I went to Lebanon (about 10 miles or so south of us) to the 12th Annual Lebanon Blues Festival. We got there and found great parking and walked the street to see what it was all about. It seemed to be all about two things - music and food with a beer garden thrown in for good measure. There was everything you can think of to eat - ribs, steak, chicken, crawfish, shrimp, fish, funnel cakes, shaved ice, turkey legs, pork chops, lemonade, cherry, apple, and blueberry pies, Pad Thai Chicken, BBQ, veggies, corn on the cob, etc. etc. etc.  

When we arrived, Them Bones was performing.They advertise themselves as "blues with an attitude". I thought they were very good. Next up was Robin Lacy & DeZydeco. By this time, Andy and I had settled our pop-up chairs under a tree along a side street about a block away from the stage. It was a GREAT place. Shaded and cool with a breeze and away from the huddle of people. We got a lot of people-watching in while we sat and listened to the music. I read a book, took pictures, watched as a couple of hot-air balloons floated by overhead, and just chilled. 

Finally, we decided to leave -- it was after 8:00 PM and Andy had to  work in the morning. We got to hear a little of Bryan Lee as we grabbed a grilled steak sandwich on the main street. Blind from childhood, he was amazing! 

As we were coming in the driveway, we spied a skunk!!!! Another one! I had noticed some little holes and dug up places in the flower garden yesterday morning when I watered but didn't pay it much attention. Well, this time, we didn't wait. Andy took care of him right away. It surprises me that they wander around in the daylight. Too much risk of having him take up in the garage or spraying us as he just seems pretty oblivious.  

 

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This morning, I was watching a local news show and it appears that Cincinnati has won the privilege of hosting the 2012 World Choir Games. Check out this YouTube video promoting the city - Cincinnati USA. Cincinnati is the first North American city to be awarded this honor. This is a big deal and will be phenomenal for the area. There will be choirs with singers of all ages participating   from all over the world. Not only do they participate in the competition but they also give concerts to the public in areas in and around the host city. 

The 2010 games were just held in Shanghai, Shaoxing China and you can Google various YouTube clips to watch. Here you can watch the choir from Wales doing a fantastic rendition of Bohemian Rhasody. And, here is the Sri Lanka group singing Michael Jackson. 

Yes, in July 2012, the hills of the Cincinnati in Southwestern Ohio will be alive with the sound of music! 

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Here are my party hats mentioned above. 

The white one is my second one and I used a novelty yarn for the decorative rows. I like the look but each hat I do - working with the novelty yarn though - even for a few rows - reminds me why I don't care for it. But, the finished products are worth the effort. 

The Week In Review or OMG!, It's Been Almost a Week Since I Last Posted!

Well, this week sure zipped right by! How does that happen? Some weeks just d-r-a-g by and others fly like the wind. This one was a zippy type so here's my week in review.

It was HOT HOT HOT here this week. Although I might have felt this hot, I think our thermometer is off just a tad. I keep reminding myself that it's not as hot here as it is / has been back in Virginia. They've been having 100+ heat. Maybe this thermometer thinks it's still in Virginia!

Interestingly, there were signs everywhere due to the heat. The gas station advised me to fill up at night, along the highway I was alerted of smog and advised to combine my trips. That particular day, I just happened to have to go south to Cincinnati not once but twice for work appointments. One very early in the morning and the second appointment wasn't until late in the afternoon. Oh well. Would've if I could've.  

My flowers and vegetables have been struggling a bit and I'm tired of watering! Thank goodness we finally got rain Wednesday night. I think I'll get a couple more squash off the plant but I don't see any cucumbers even thinking about growing. The cherry tomato plants are winding down, too. So, my fresh veggie period may be about over. Maybe next year we'll have real in-the-ground gardens which will probably do much better in the heat than terra cotta pots.

In the flower garden, the Coneflowers and Lantana are going strong! Lantana will definitely be my annual of choice next year. I love them! I picked these Court Daisies several days ago. Aren't they crazy looking?? They look they've made a trip or two through the paper shredder!

I spotted this butterfly in the garden this week. He kept playing hard-to-get and kept flying away as soon as I'd get  close enough to snap his picture. I finally managed to get him when he landed and rested a bit on the screen. He was beautiful.

One reason I've been quiet this week ----- I've been going through all my knitting patterns. To say I have a few is an understatement of gargantuan proportion. 

I've kept my patterns in looseleaf binders but over the years,   they've gotten mixed up and I needed to combine old binders full of patterns with new binders full of patterns. This was a job. The shawl pattern pile alone filled three   binders. So far, I have binders and / or sections for cardigans, pullover sweaters, short sleeve sweaters, vests and sleeveless sweaters, shawls, scarfs, hats, and mitts, home knits, pet knits, felted totes, unfelted totes and market bags, toys, holiday knits, and socks. I haven't started on the children and baby patterns yet. The baby patterns will be another huge pile. I love baby knits! 

I'm going to show you a before of my pattern task so you'll be able to fully appreciate the after in a future post. 

Now, me organizing all these patterns is a win-win situation for me and the knitting group. Tomorrow, I'll be taking a rather large stack of duplicate patterns to knitting and they'll all be for sale at a discounted price. Win for them saving money and win for me because they would've filled another 3-4 binders! UGH!  

Andy and I ate at Bentino's Pizza in Waynesville tonight. On the way back home, we stopped at the Caesar Creek Visitor Center and walked around. They have a pretty garden of wildflowers native to Ohio near the door to the center. There were Coneflowers, Chokeberry, and more. We walked down to the lookout deck to get a pretty view of the lake through the trees. The temperature  outside was so nice. Even cool. 

Our lake view looked like this --------

Well, that's the week that was.

Tomorrow is knitting day!!!  

Yippeeee!