Summer Solstice, New Progress Keepers and Lace Bookmarks

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Sorry Word Press has changed some things and I don’t know how to get around in it yet, sigh.

Ok it’s the Summer Solstice, which for me means our daylight hrs will start to get shorter.  I only pay attention to the solstices because they signal days getting shorter or longer.  I always look more forward to the Winter Solstice, because it means the daylight hrs are increasing and Spring is coming. 🙂  I guess I shouldn’t look at Summer Solstice as a negative and just enjoy the summer and fall without worrying about winter yet.  Can you tell I am not a winter person, and yet I live in the Mid West?

I have been working on the lace book marks and they are now all sent out to their intended recipients.  I knit them on size 1 (US size) needles using left over sock yarn, used about 4 to 5 grams including the tassle, depending on how thick your sock yarn is.  They are quick and easy.

This past week I got a surprise package in the mail.  I opened it up and it was from one of my favorite stitch marker/progress keeper makers, Adoreknit .  She knows I am an huge Mandalorian fan.  I was so excited when I opened it and found these two Mandalorian progress keepers!  Put a big smile on my face, baby Yoda is adorning one of my WIPs, is he not so cute!  Makers are the best people!

I got the new yarn I ordered for the wedding shawl that I need to have done before October.   The yarn I ordered before was too coarse for bare shoulders and I returned it.  I ordered both yarns from LoveCrafts and they were very good about taking the previous order back.   I’m using my Daisy Rectangular Shawl pattern.  I hope I have corrected the error (miscalculation) on two rows being too close.  I haven’t updated my pattern yet because I want to knit up my correction to make sure I didn’t make it worse :P.  If this corrects it, I will update the pattern.  I will post more on this shawl (yarn, needles etc) as I get further in the pattern as I have only finished the border on the bottom at the moment.

I’m on the last sleeve of the Flax baby sweater.  I will post a picture when it’s done :).

New Bobbins, New Baby Flax on the Needles, Lace Bookmark and New Needles!

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Lots of pictures today!  Ok, the first picture is the one of the Rick Reeves bobbins I had made by a furniture maker (on the left) and the bobbin I sent him to copy (on the right) from a few months ago. The hole was a little off center, didn’t have the metal sheath in it to protect the wood when it was spinning and the hole was actually to small to fit on the flyer (the flyer is pictured underneath that one.) I did find another wood worker who has made these bobbins before and I had him make me two. He did and as you can see they fix perfectly and look exactly like the original one!! Makes me a happy camper :).

I have made 4 of these lace bookmarks in the last month or so but keep forgetting to get a picture before giving them to the friends I made them for.  But this time I remembered!!!  These are easy to knit and because they are small they don’t take very long to make, an hr or two depending on how fast you knit.  The pattern is Bookmark Tri which is a free pattern on Ravelry.  I used the lace pattern.  It is a fun pattern to knit and a quick gift that looks really nice :).

I did start a new Flax baby sweater, size 6 month to 1 year, in Hobby Lobby’s Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek yarn in the color Denim Stripe, eventually I will need a little boy sweater ;).  Using size 5 needles for neck and sleeve cuffs and size 7 for yoke, body and sleeves.  After you get the yoke done this is a mindless knit and since it’s a baby sweater it goes pretty fast.  I will get to give the pink and purple sweaters to the intended recipients (hopefully) on Tuesday! One was born last month and the other one is due soon.

I was hoping I would be knitting this on the new needles I ordered.  They were on sale on line at Webs (about $25 off) and I was so excited to order them since I had wanted this set for almost 2 years, but since they were on sale they ran out and had to wait for more stock to get in, so I had to wait 2 weeks.   When it came in my mail, I opened it up and realized that they hadn’t sent me the Knitter’s Pride Ginger Interchangeable Special Set, but instead the Knitter’s Pride Ginger Interchangeable Deluxe set.  They are both the same cost and beautiful needle sets, and I eventually wanted to get the Deluxe set but the Special set has shorter needles for the size 16″ and 20″ cable lengths they come with, which I wanted for the hats and baby sweaters I knit.  The Deluxe set is nice and has the same sizes in the needles but the needles are longer and have size 24″, 34″ and 40″ cable lengths.  I told them I would keep this set, since I wanted it eventually anyway and will just save for another 6 months and wait for another sale, as they are anything but cheap.  But they are beautiful wooden needles with a very nice case.

We have already had one 90F degree day a week or so ago, and it looks like tomorrow will be 90F again.  On Wednesday it looks like it will go back into 70’s for about 4 days then back up into the 80’s.  Summer is here!

Hope everyone is in a safe place.

Memorial Day 2020

/ LDSVenus

memorial day

I give a special reverence to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, for what they loved, a free and safe country for their families and all of us.    May we honor them in all we do and may we always remember that freedom has a price and keep this country free and safe in their honor.

May the 4th Be With You!

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May the 4th

I almost forgot to post this today!  After Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, days just seem to swirl together as I try to figure out what day it is during the middle of the week, let alone remember the dates.

I have been wanting to switch rooms for my bedroom and craft room for quite a while, but lots of heavy stuff to move and it just seemed to daunting.  But I got a little help from a family member who was more than eager to come to my house one day last week and get out of his own for a while, lol.  I got the rooms switched!!  The “old” bedroom was large and had lots of natural light, the “old” craft room was small and the window was on the wrong wall to get the lots of natural light I need for sewing.  I like the rooms switched much better, but now I will have weeks of sorting and pitching or boxing up, rearranging and getting it just the way I want and to be less cluttered, lol.  It’s ok tho, I have decided to spend about an hr in the craft room everyday working on the sorting and de-cluttering, as the clutter will drive me crazy until it’s all sorted out, but I am already happier :).

I had to find someone else to make bobbins for my Rick Reeves wheel as the last ones I had made from a furniture maker didn’t work out.  The person, I’m getting them from now, makes them for others and knows exactly how they need to be.  He said they should be made and ready to ship by the 15th, I’m excited to get the bobbins so I can make some 2 ply yarn on it.

Hope you all are getting out in the sun a bit, I have been spinning or knitting on my balcony on the days the sun shines on it. 🙂  It’s so peaceful to be out there in the sun, listening to the birds or wind chimes.

New Child’s Flax Sweater and Some New Progress Keepers!

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Before I start, just wanted to say, I didn’t forget Easter.  I celebrated Easter on the phone (conference call) with some members of my church, it was nice.  I just didn’t get on the computer afterwards.  Hope everyone had a good Easter, even tho we were all physically distancing ourselves.

I did finally get a picture of my Spring Robin :).  He kept his back to me so I didn’t get that beautiful red breast, but there he is :).

I didn’t get around to posting 1/2 way through this new Flax knit but here it is all finished.  Still using Hobby Lobby’s Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek, colorway Violet Stripe.  I think I neglected to say in my previous Flax sweaters my needle sizes etc.  It calls for a worsted/aran yarn and the one I am using is worsted.  I generally have to go down a size needle to get correct gauge because I am a looser knitter, but I went down two sizes on the body and sleeves and one size on the neck and cuffs.  So I used a size #5 on the ribbing and cuffs and a size #6 on the body and sleeves.  I’m sorry I don’t know what the mm sizes are :(, I like the fabric it created much better.  I used a 16 inch circular on the neck and body and 9 inch circular on the sleeves and cuffs.  I do like the way the color blocks on this yarn and pattern :).

I think my next project will be some more of those cute lace bookmarksI made 2 years ago.  They are a free pattern and the link for those is on my linked page.

I did some spinning on my balcony today, since it was about 60F.  It was nice to sit outside and enjoy a peaceful spin :).  I’m working on the second bobbin for the white wool/alpaca I am spinning.  I am having to have someone to make new bobbins for my Rick Reeves wheel, the other ones I had made didn’t fit and they didn’t have the metal piece in the middle to protect them while I spun.  I found someone who specifically makes them for this wheel.  Hopefully I can order them next month.

And as you can see, I bought some more progress keepers from CharmingMinis , they are sooooo cute, her artistry with polymer clay is amazing!! She always sneaks in a extra gift.

Hope everyone is staying safe and that we get back to normal soon, at least it’s getting warm!

New Flax Baby Sweater Finished :)

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Flax Baby Sweater 3d  Finished this baby sweater Flax by Tin Can Knits, newborn to 4XL sizes.  I love this yarn, Hobby Lobby’s Yarn Bee Soft and Sleek, colorway Pink Stripe.  This pattern is is a top down so no sewing seams and is pretty easy to knit and the yarn did all the hard work for color.  The I love the way the stripes are blocks on the smaller diameter sweater.  I did have to do a little color management on the sleeves but not a lot.  I will definitely be knitting this pattern and using this yarn again. 🙂  Now to decide what I want to work on next :).

I hope everyone is staying well and finding ways to be entertained.  My knitting and some old TV series I use to watch a long time ago that they have on Roku keeps me busy :).  I’ve started using my elliptical machine again cos it just seems easier than going out for a walk lately.  My legs were sure sore for a few days after I started it again, sheesh.

General Conference! And Progress on the Flax Baby Sweater

/ LDSVenus / 4 Comments

Semi Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  will be this morning’s session (11 am to 1 pm central time) and this afternoon’s session (3 pm to 5 pm central time) and tomorrow morning and afternoon sessions will be at the same times as today’s.  I love these weekend semi annual conferences, they are so uplifting and bring much peace.  Tho I always look forward to this, we can especially use peace and comfort right now.

Baby Flax sweater 3b  I didn’t realize when I bought this yarn, it would be in stripes, maybe because I didn’t look at the color name, just thought the pink shades would be perfect for a little girl’s sweater.  I was stunned at the way this color has turned out.  The color name is Pink Stripe, well duh!  I love the color blocking on a baby sweater because of it’s smaller diameter!  I will probably have to do a bit of color management and weaving in ends on the sleeves, but it will be well worth it. :).  I bought two skeins because this is worsted weight and only has 186 yards per 4 ozs and I’m sure I will need 200 and something yards especially doing color management.  I’m knitting this in a 6 to 12 months size because her baby is due in May and I wanted the baby to be able to wear it this coming winter.  Hope it will be well loved.  Plus it will be nice knitting during the conference sessions!

Hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying knitting, or art or whatever you are doing to keep busy and be comforted.

New Stitch Markers and Progress Keeper, Spring But Not, Fiber Festival and that Dang Virus.

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I have been enamored with The Mandalorian from the Disney Star Wars series.  I have finished all the season “chapters” as they are called and await this fall when the new new season comes out.  Ugh only one season a year.  But while I wait, I bought a Mandalorian stitch markers set with a Yoda progress keeper.  I got them from Adoreknit and as usual they are wonderful.  She even gave me an extra progress keeper that has the Mandaloian helmet in color and a stitch marker holder to keep them safe.  She is a great maker!

It’s Spring here but not, I have seen a few Robins, no pictures yet, might not happen this year, go into that later.  I have seen the Geese coming back, but because I live in the mid-west, Mother Nature said it’s not Spring until she says so and she sent us more snow last Saturday.  It was raining today.  Spring will be here sooner than later tho :).

The Saturday before last I went to a fairly local fiber fair with my son and his spouse.  Picture shows part of their set up and I have a picture of my son using his new sock knitting machine.  He loves it and makes a pair of socks pretty quickly :).  They had me bring my more portable Rick Reeves spinning wheel and spin while I was there.  Almost finished with bobbin number 1 of the Alpaca/wool blend I was spinning at the Mall fair in Dec (yeah I’m a slow poke sometimes) then I will spin another bobbin and ply a skein of yarn :).  It was a fun day.  This wheel spins very well and I’m enjoying the experience on a double drive wheel.

I did get another charity hat done, but haven’t gotten around to getting a picture yet.  Caught another cold about 3 weeks ago (does that make 4 or 5 this winter?) and just dealing with some bronchitis now.  It’s not as bad as usual but I haven’t felt like doing a lot.  I’m doing my best to stay inside because of that dang virus going around (that is why I don’t have any first Robin pictures, but I’ll keep trying), tho once in a while I remember something I forgot at the grocery store, I try not to go, but you know how it is :P.  I was able to start and finish all of the 2 seasons of Lost in Space.  It was pretty good but oh my gosh the new season doesn’t start until next year!  All these one season a year shows will make our heads explode!  In the mean time I’ll just re-watch Merlin, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Star Trek series, at least they are all finished and aren’t going anywhere.  I do enjoy a good marathon from time to time :).

Everyone stay safe.

Happy Leap Day!

/ LDSVenus

New Charity Hat6Almost forgot to wish everyone a Happy Leap Day :).  I won’t say how many I’ve seen in my life, but it’s nice to have an extra day :).

Here is my latest finished charity hat.  Love the way the colors came out, hope it will be loved.  This was I Love this Yarn in the colorway Strawberry Jam.

I have started the next hat with the skein on the left.  These are quick and mindless knits but very purposeful and useful, to both the receiver and the giver. 🙂

Hope you all had a wonderful Leap Day 🙂

Happy Valentines Day!

/ LDSVenus / 2 Comments

For Valentines Day I bought myself some new stitch markers and Progress keepers from AdoreKnit , she has some pretty cute stitch markers and progress keepers and she even threw in a tape measure!  My next purchase will be CharmingMinisShop who does hand crafted polymer clay progress keepers, they are beautiful.

The second picture is a newly finished charity hat and the skein on the left is for the new charity hat that I have just cast on.  The color is pretty, I’ll try to get a picture posted in the next week or so.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day, even if you are single, treat yourself to something special, you are worth it, honest!!