Dyeing Up Loose Ends- Knovel One

So I went to the local library and checked out the book Dyeing Up Loose Ends I choose this because it is the most recent book in a series by the popular novelist Maggie Selfton.  The book also contains a pattern for a Travel Shawl that measures 26" x 60"

I think the easiest way to begin is to go chapter by chaptper and row by row (:-))

In the introducion the author mentions the ways to keep up with her and her projects.
She has 2 Facebook pages and 1 blog:
Maggie Sefton
Maggie Sefton Author
cozychicksblog.com

In the acknowledgements she thanks the Lambspun Knitting Shop from Ft. Collins, Colorado and she agent Jessica Faust.  She also thanks Maggie Osborne, who writes historical romances. Samantha Mandor, Sandra Harding, and Michelle Vega who are editors and Perkley Prime Crime are also mentioned.

Chapter 1:
The book begins with Kelly Flynn and her son Jack going to a playground.  While there, they meet up with her friend AnaSofia and her son Jerry.
Aftwerward they head to their LYS named Lambspun of Colorado.  They encounter Burt Parker who is a retired police officer and a college student named Cassie at the store.   We learn that Mimi Shafer Parker's son died while in college.  He died in the Poudre Canyon.

Kelly told Cassie a  secret about Mimi, which in my opinion was not an appealing characteristic, so I already don't like her. The secret was a woman died in the shop from drowning in a sink filled with Aztec Blue dye.


The Shawl Pattern

The shawl pattern asks that you use 70 yards of 100% Alpaca for the main shawl and 70 yards of 100% Superwash Fine Merino for the borders.

It also askes for 32" size 8-9 circular needles.

I had some of the Merino in my stash but went to my LYS (Yarntiques) to get the alpaca in a coordinating color.
I have an eye appointment Monday so hopefully I can cast on the shawl then.  Today I have only gotten my supplies ready.  

I have found you!!

I have found you my lovely. I am so sorry I went away for so long.  The bain of lost passwords and forgotten emails.  Now that winter is coming I hope to be updating you since I have started knitting again.  Currently I am working on a hat but more reading and knitting to come.
I feel renewed at returning to this site.  Yay!! So happy.

Wow! I need to get back to this.

Hopefully in 2015 (yikes) I will get back to this blog.  I have downloaded several free ebooks about knitting on my kindle.  We shall see how it goes.

This moment

Inspired by Amanda Soule and her blog www.soulemama.com

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

Christmas Gift

This bowl was given to me by my sister-in-law.  She is so great and I can't believe she got something so wonderful. I love the color, the shape and the size.

I am trying to locate my camera to take a picture of it. I will update as soon as possible.

A new convert

well, I am so excited. My niece wanted me to teach her how to knit!!! I have just showed her the basic knit stitch and am having her work on a scarf. 

So excited!

I must say I feel so good to have that blasted knot out of my yarn. Right now I am just doing stockinette stitch for 7 1/2 inches for the bottom(?) of the foot. At least I am making daily progress and haven't given up.  Maybe I will get to the cat bed for Christmas. We will see.
 

Phew! I did it.

Well, after many, many attempts I finally got the knotted wad in the yarn. :-)

I can continue now

I made a beginner mistake.  Of course, I am a beginner so I don't feel too bad. I just started using yarn straight out of the skein.  I didn't make a ball first.  The yarn got a HUGE knot in it about 3/4 of the way through.  It was bad because I had so much on the needles I didn't want to frog it.  So I had to undo the partial ball that I had already started.  It took at least 3 weekends of frustration to finally get it undone.

I must admit, I am very excited now to keep on working on the sock.  Of course, I have learned my lesson the hard way but i do feel proud of getting it fixed. There were many times I wanted to just grab some scissors, cut out the yarn, and restart.

Onward and upward.:-)

 

Yikes!

I need to get back to it.  I cleaned up my yarn area so I am getting inspired again.  Unfortunately, with school starting again and the knotted yarn, I lost my momentum.  Since I have Monday off I think I am going to get set up again.
There is a project called Make Something 365 which I think would help because I have lots of fabric and fiber that I would like to use up and get some new.  I am not sure what to do though.  With knitting I can just do something like "Knit at least 2 rows a day, or knit while I listen to a podcast"  The fabric is going to be a little bit hard though.  I will have to think of something good.
It is amazing that if you went to someone 100 year ago and said that you had time to make one thing every day they would think you are crazy.
Well, gotta go do some laundry. :-)
 

Flap and Turn

After finishing up the leg, I worked on the heel flap. I must admit I worked on it during a meeting at school. I don't see how my knitting is any different from everyone texting back and forth.
The sock has the standard Slip 1 knit 1 pattern for the flap.  This was on Friday morning. The pattern was for 20 rows. This gave me 10 large stitches on the side that I can pick up for the gussets.

Today, I began the heel turn. It was pretty simple but you have to pay careful attention.   Row One we knitted 12 stitches in (out of a total of 20) and then started the short rows.



After this, I then piced up through the back loops to create my gussets. I hope it works. I have 52 stitches just like the book says. So that is at least a good thing.  I don't know if I will finish by the closing ceremonies though.  I am going on trip and will be in the car for 2 hours so hopefully this will help.

This is my favorite view!!

First Socks

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Go Team!!

I am continuing to work on my socks for the 2012 Ravellenic Games. Currently I am getting ready for the heel flap.  I have finished the leg part.  I counted 25 rows from the cuff to where I have stopped.  I am not sure if this is the length I want.
Pros:

• It is the same length as the socks that I wear now
• I can get finished quicker
• I am getting a little bored with the stockinette stitch

Cons:

• They seem quite a bit shorter than those in the book
• I don't want to regret making them too short.
• I can use more stash if I make them longer

can you tell which is handmade?

I am excited about starting the second part of the sock.  I am trying to make notes on everything because I don't want to have the second sock look different.

I deliberately tried to make it look like the picture.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast....

For Ravelympics 2012!!1
This is my first year participating and I am excited to actually begin something on-time.  The team I am on is Team Tribute after The Hunger Games. WooHoo!!!
The project I am trying is my first pair of socks.

I have had to reknit the cuff several times. First, I measured the widest part of my foot like the book advises. Then I multiplied it my 5 stitches per inch.  Multipling 8.5 *5 gave me 48 stitches. The opening ceremonies were starting and I wanted to get started so I cast-on these and worked for about 5 rows.

After the Internet was available again, I looked up the gauge of the yarn I was knitting.  It turns out the yarn I was knitting is 4.5 stitches to the inch.  This gave me 39 stitches which was easily divisible by the 3 needles used to knit the socks.  I had 13 stitches per needle. Following the directions, the ribbing was worked in knit 3 purl 1 for about 2 inches.

It didn't match up.  It was always ending up with a knit 2 section before starting again. After feeling disgruntled, I read the instructions.  It said that these socks would be knit using a double ribbing, knit 2 purl 2, for the cuffs. 
Yikes, I had to restart again.  This time, cast on the 40 stitches to make the pattern work out. It turn out that 40 stitches was what the pattern suggested I cast on in the first place!! 
Sometimes you have to do things wrong 4 times to get it right once.

Back to the Beginning

Well, I have frogged the sweater.  I was trying something new: cables.  The cables did not seem to work out. That tends to happen when you don't know what you are doing.:-)
I am going to start again.  I don't think that I am going to cast on as many stitches as before.  When I was frogging, the sweater just seemed to be WAY to large ( and for me that is saying something).  On to the knovel.

In these next two chapters we find out that Martha is Helen's cousin from Wyoming.  Helen stayed with Martha for a while when she was younger.Helen had gotten preganant in high school.  She then went to Wyoming to have the child and give it up for adoption. They two became very close during that time.

Martha was also suffered from some domestic abuse and that is why she came to Fort Conner. Helen helped her and got her a lawyer, Mr. Chambers to help settle things. Her husband died in January and they are looking to see if Martha is going to inherit anything. 

On the lighter side, Steve helps Kelly with her dog.  He brings over some old golf balls to keep Carl occupied.  Some of the golfers try to say that Carl is a danger and needs to leave the golf balls alone.  However, Steve offers to give some free golf lessons an that appeases them.  Steve must be a great player because they are all excited.

Training for the Ravelompics

Well, I have decided to try and participate in the Ravelompics 2012. 

The pattern I am going to do is the Basic Socks in the book Getting Started Knitting Socks.

Team Tribute is the group I am going to be knitting for.  Since I love the Hunger Games, I thought it would be great.

Because I am doing these socks as a present and using some old yarn, this projects can be counted under:

• Synchronized Stash Busting
• Holiday Hurdles
• Sock Put

According to the rules, I can't cast on for the project until the Opening Ceremonies of the Games.  However, I can knit a gauge to make sure the yarn and needles are the right size.

I am using the Bernat Cot'n Corn in Avocado and the current gauge is

4 knit and 41/2 purl stitches to the inch on size 7 needles.  There are approximately 6 knit and 7 purl rows to the inch as well.

Sign of summer

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Chapters 5 & 6- She learns to knit!

In these two chapters Kelly starts to learn to knit.  They, predictably, have her knit a scarf for her first project.  While she is learning, Steve comes by to talk to Mimi about some cabinets. Of course he flirts with her and convinces her to play on the softball team with Lisa.

Kelly talks to her boss who allows here to work for a couple of months in Colorado.  She needs to find someone to sublet her apartment but she thinks she knows someone at work who will.

She also begins to share her doubts Helen’s death with Burt, the retired detective who spins. Burt however, keeps referring her back to lead detective, which he should. However; when she mentions the $20000 he does get more interested.

Helen also had a cousin named Martha (great name) that we find out about.  She appears to be very devotedly religious. They plan on her being at church on Sunday so Mimi can point her out to Kelly.

Because the pattern is a simple stockinette stitch, I am going to try and "spice" it up a bit.  I have started to try and do a cable on the front.  So far, it isn't looking too good. There are holes when I switched stitches for the pattern.  ALso, because the yarn is so "shiny" that I am afraid the cables will get lost in the yarn.

Focusing- Chapter 3

Do the right thing(ish)

It seems that when you do things they way they are designed, life goes so much better. Tonight, while sitting on the porch, I turned on the podcast that I listen to and actually knitted while listening.  The Cast-On podcast is designed to be listened to while you knit. It lasts approximately 1 hour. When I actually did this, I couldn't believe the progress I made. 

By having a set time to knit, instead of just knitting "when I can" I got much more done. I doubled the size of my knitting.  I had 2 inches of ribbing and added 2 inches of stockinette stitch.

WooHoo!  If I keep this up the sweater will hopefully be finished in no time.

 

As for the book, however..

Chapter3 begins with all the friends going to Aunt  house to help clean it up and straighten out things for Kelly. Jennifer takes the loan papers while the others vacuum and clean windows. They notice that Helen's family quilt is missing and can't find it anywhere.

After meeting with the detectivie in charge of the case, Kelly also finds out that a knitting needle is broken and purple yarn is missing.  Why would a vagrant take a quilt and knitting? The two off-duty dectectives found him on the golf course that borders Helen's property but, as it is pointed out, the golf course goes all the way to Old Town and the river.

Kelly also learns the bad news that they loan has some pretty strict rules and penalties. The house can't be sold or refinancesd for 2 years from the acceptance of the loan.  If she decides to sell the house, with all the penalities involved, Kelly will wind up having to pay about $30,000 instead of the original $20,000. Yikes!

We also meet, Steve, who comes over to get some balls that Carl took off the golf course. He knows Mimi and helps with repairs to the shop. I think this is going to be the "love interest" for Kelly.

Chapter Two-Ribbing

Well, as soon as I started the sweater, I decided to change the pattern and do a 2 inch ribbing at the bottom.  I just like the look of the ribbing. While I was working on the ribbing, I was listening to my favorite podcast Cast-On.  It was one of the first episodes and she was discussing how she forgot to change to lower size needles to do the ribbing on a sweater on time. 

Yikes! I realized I was doing the same thing. I immediately frogged all that hard work and switched to lower size needles.  The needles I was working on were size 15. The needles that I had available were size 11.  I am not sure how it will work but we will see.

Right size ribbing

Chapter Two- Knit One, Kill Two

This is the chapter where Kelly goes to the yarn shop that used to be her aunt's house.  It has been named "House of Lambspun" and she loves it. Being an accountant, she isn't used to all the bright colors and wonderful textures.

The other characters at the shop are introduced at a potluck they are having at the yarn shop.
          Jennifer- the waitress from the coffee shop who is also a real estate agent.
          Lisa- physical therapist.
          Megan- consultant
          Mimi- the older owner of the shop known as Mother Mimi
          Burt- retired police investigator who spins for the store

We also learn that the man arrested didn't have any money on him but Aunt Helen's purse was in the bushes. The ladies also volunteer to come over to Aunt Helen's house in the morning to help with straightening the house and papers.

Finally

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see