Phlubliefitttzzz... :(

I have another blog.  It's called Fabric Follies Two and on it I have put up some free crochet and knit patterns for anyone who would like to use them.  But... I did NOT plan on Lion Brand taking them and calling them their own!  When they took the scarf pattern I sent them an email... this time I won't bother.  These patterns are the most popular on my blog and are listed as mine on Ravelry.  I'm not sure why I am so upset about this, but I am!







On a happier note, I have a new scarf pattern that I put together for one of my sons.  It's a combination pattern scarf using ribbing, long cable and short cable.  It's made from I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.  It is 100% wool and knits up really well. It should be toasty this coming winter.. :)

The weather here has cooled.. and that's a good thing.  However, I am still having those "personal vacations in the tropics" causing rivers of sweat to cascade from my being every time I walk across the room.  My sweet DH has started wearing long sleeve shirts while I, for the first time, spend most of my time in shorts.. phew  I suppose if it keeps up much longer I will have to make a trip to the Dr. to see what's up with the hormones .. :(

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Have a great day.. :)

Pumpkin Bread....

When the kids were small I would make pumpkin bread and it never lasted out the day...lol Last week I made some and without them around, it still would not have lasted out the day if I hadn't finally just made myself stuff it in the freezer... Do love that stuff... However, this is a rare occurence since DH has diabetes.

The weather is warming up and that's good. It's off to McKinney this morning to the allergist and I'm hoping we can stop off at the Londoner for lunch...but not holding my breath.

I've been working on this take-off of the basketweave stitch scarf for a couple of days. It is 100% Merino/Romney X handspun. It's turning out well. I found a site that talks about an abacus you wear on your wrist... so, I had to try to make one...

And what does this have to do with the basketweave scarf...

I am forever having to stop and count rows.. and then I miss every now and then and wind up with uneven basketweaves. Believe it or not, this really works. I must work on this some more and come up with a better one or find someone who makes them. This is great. And it would be wonderful for card/tabletweaving also to count the turning of the cards.

Maybe 3rd Time is Charm

Blogger seems to have the hiccups these days... This post was written twice yesterday and both times it just disappeared into cyberspace and then Blogger wouldn't come up again to re-write... so it was just not meant for me to post yesterday...lol

I am really wishing that I had taken the time years ago to practice and work with knitting more. Knitting has a much better feel than crochet and is not any harder to do once a person is comfortable with the main stitches.

The feather and fan is a pattern that has long been one of my favorites...even if I didn't know it had a name...lol I think I finally have it down... I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and bought slightly larger needles and some soft yarn to make this scarf.

Jackie at Heart Strings Fiber Arts.com has a feather and fan pattern baby blanket pattern that is gorgeous. I will make that next and change the size yarn and needle to larger...making it an afghan.

Just in case you didn't know, there is a give away in progress over on Fabric Follies Two... as a way of saying "Thank you!" for the 300,000+ hits that have come that way in the last 22 months. Pop over and say hello...

Mammograms & Lace Knitting

I grabbed my knitting as I raced out the door to my follow up mammogram appt. only to realize after I got there that the pattern was still sitting on the arm of my chair...sigh Oh well.. I had some nalbinding in a plastic bag, so I didn't have to sit there and twiddle my thumbs.

This is the follow up for the MRI I had about 6 months ago. It seems that one lump is quite persistent and this time when the sonogram was done following the mammogram it was not just the left side, but also the right that was checked. So will be a little antsy until I finally hear something. Hopefully, that will be today. [Hello, Pat... ;o) ]

This is a hand spun yarn from a bamboo, mohair and wool batt that I got in McKinney. It took me a while to realize that I really needed to card this stuff and I like the soft gold color that comes when I finish. After I knitted the "Linh's Ivy" scarf, I thought how pretty it would look in this thread, so I am trying it. I think I really need a much thinner thread to show off the stitch of this lovely pattern. I'm not sure that I like this and may pull it back out and do a broomstick lace with this yarn. We'll see....

Jim... send me pics of how you're coming with the quilt! Would love to see!

Knitting at night...

As I sit watching television in the evening with my sweet DH, I usually have to have something to do with my hands. Lately I have been knitting. I am totally in love with Yarn Harlot's pattern for this scarf...I use it for everything...

This alpaca blend feels wonderfully soft when done in this pattern with really big needles.

This spindle spun lace weight yarn is also done in the same pattern. Quick, easy and one that I don't mess up too badly...lol

The next thing I am going to do is make a baby blanket with this pattern. I think it will be totally soft and lovely....

Seasons

The cooler temps and sunshiny days have made the days wonderful for the last week or so. This evening is Halloween...tomorrow is November. Didn't this year just start a week ago?

We seldom have any Trick or Treats show up at our door. The highway is much too busy even at night for children to be walking up and down the road. So we miss much of the fun of the holiday. But plans are underway for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

With both of us recuperating, there has not been massive amounts of "hobbying" being done. But the evenings do require something in the hands..grin So the coffee 2-ply is slowly becoming a naalbound scarf. It's done in a tube which will be warmer and will have fringe closing the ends. The coffee color does not show up well in the photo due to the warm tones...(will have to change that setting on my camera!) I tried it on my neck and found it a little scratchy... will have to get to my Yahoo spinners group and see if all Corriedale is that way or if it is something I am doing with the dyeing process...

Don't Use Downy!

When I knitted this shawl last winter, I loved it and wore it continually all winter. So .. early this spring I hand washed it in the sink and used a little Downy to make it soft and have a delicious smell... Well, I won't do it again. The back now reaches the floor and the stitches are much larger than they were before.. sagging a bit instead of the close warm feeling ones of before. I did not know that Downy will loosen the fibers...ughhh.

Well, before I found out, I knitted this scarf with the first hand spun I did that was usable Blue Faced Leicester wool.... When I hand washed it after I finished it and then blocked it... well, you can see how widely spaced the stitches become. I won't do that again....