Bonnie Knits
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
I know I have been bad writing in this Blog. Hopefully I can improve some. It has been so long since I have updated, that I actually had problems logging in!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
I am back to work and school, as always, is very busy. I finished both navy sweaters with the flecks and they both came out "presentable". For me, "presentable" is quite a feat. I have not as yet worn my navy sweater with the flecks for work but I did wear a solid black sweater that I hand knit and that worked out fine.
My present project is a sort of tweedish cotton sweater in shades of navy, burgundy and cream. All of these sweaters I have been working on are top down, seamless sweaters as this is the only pattern that I actually know how to work with.
DD is back at school and would be graduating this December except that she has had serious questions as to the major she selected. She started out with a nursing major but then switched to sociology/anthropology with a religion minor. Now that graduation is upon us, she is not sure what she can do with this major and may be continuing on switching majors to Allied Health. This will involve doing some summer course work, another year full time at school and then a year of clinicals at the hospital. I hope this all goes well for her.
I am back to work and school, as always, is very busy. I finished both navy sweaters with the flecks and they both came out "presentable". For me, "presentable" is quite a feat. I have not as yet worn my navy sweater with the flecks for work but I did wear a solid black sweater that I hand knit and that worked out fine.
My present project is a sort of tweedish cotton sweater in shades of navy, burgundy and cream. All of these sweaters I have been working on are top down, seamless sweaters as this is the only pattern that I actually know how to work with.
DD is back at school and would be graduating this December except that she has had serious questions as to the major she selected. She started out with a nursing major but then switched to sociology/anthropology with a religion minor. Now that graduation is upon us, she is not sure what she can do with this major and may be continuing on switching majors to Allied Health. This will involve doing some summer course work, another year full time at school and then a year of clinicals at the hospital. I hope this all goes well for her.
Friday, August 06, 2004
Well, we are back from vacation. We went to Aruba for three weeks and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is not our first visit to Aruba as we have a timeshare there so it was basically a comfortable, relaxing vacation. I had time to visit and spend what I imagine could be called "quality time" with DD which was wonderful. I even learned how to snorkel and DD and I did that. This is quite a feat for me in that I cannot swim. I think that the fact I had the mask on and could see plus breathe through the snorkeling tube gave me the confidence to float around and I really enjoyed it.
Now, on to knitting. Yes, I knit in Aruba and knit on the plane going down and coming back. I had absolutely no problems at all with knitting needles on the plane ... they were never questioned. I was, however, one of the people who set off the metal detector and had to be thoroughly hand searched. It must have been a combination of my jewelry and the underwire bra. Ha Ha Ha!
I had originally thought about finishing the sweater for DD and taking yarn down to begin a sweater for myself. Once I had all the yarn packed, there was hardly room for clothing in the luggage. I also took yarn for a scarf for DD and a miscellaneous skein for another scarf in the event I finished the first one. I hate to be without a knitting project!
DD suggested that I just take yarn for a sweater for myself. That way, the sweater would be started down in Aruba and I would, most likely, only need yarn for the one. This is what I did and I finished the sweater on Thursday of our final week. I am sure others may have knit this sweater much faster than I did but I am a slow knitter and I would rather enjoy the process than rush things and end up making it into a stressful activity.
I am now in the process of trying to finish up the sweater for DD.
Now, on to knitting. Yes, I knit in Aruba and knit on the plane going down and coming back. I had absolutely no problems at all with knitting needles on the plane ... they were never questioned. I was, however, one of the people who set off the metal detector and had to be thoroughly hand searched. It must have been a combination of my jewelry and the underwire bra. Ha Ha Ha!
I had originally thought about finishing the sweater for DD and taking yarn down to begin a sweater for myself. Once I had all the yarn packed, there was hardly room for clothing in the luggage. I also took yarn for a scarf for DD and a miscellaneous skein for another scarf in the event I finished the first one. I hate to be without a knitting project!
DD suggested that I just take yarn for a sweater for myself. That way, the sweater would be started down in Aruba and I would, most likely, only need yarn for the one. This is what I did and I finished the sweater on Thursday of our final week. I am sure others may have knit this sweater much faster than I did but I am a slow knitter and I would rather enjoy the process than rush things and end up making it into a stressful activity.
I am now in the process of trying to finish up the sweater for DD.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Well, it has been quite a while since I have had a chance to "Blog". Work was really busy. I work in an elementary school and year end just creates a ton of work. The other secretary I work with had gastric bypass surgery on June 14th and so I ended up with more than the usual to get done. I am now officially "on vacation". I don't usually work during the summer and so starting this past Wednesday, my summer begins.
We are packing and getting ready to leave for Aruba tomorrow for three weeks. We have a timeshare there and actually have gone to Aruba every year for the past probably 25 years. It is nice, quiet, relaxing and a place where you know what you are getting.
Our 22 year old daughter will be going and spending the entire 3 weeks with us and that is certainly a treat. At age 22, any time they can spend with you is a gift.
Knitting .... I finished the black pullover top down sweater and, for a beginner, it came out pretty good. I am now working on a navy sweater with flecks of other colors for DD. I have pretty much the whole body done. I love this yarn. It is only Red Heart but then I am not a "yarn snob" and I will use Red Heart or Lion Brand or other yarns readily available and within my budget.
With DD's sweater more than half done, I decided to start another sweater for the Aruba trip. This one, believe it or not, will be done with the same color of yarn but this one will be for me. No, we are not going to wear "mother and daughter sweaters" but I had originally bought this flecked yarn for myself because I wanted a sweater from it. When DD chose it for her sweater, I knew I would have to get more and make one for me.
We are pretty much packed. We take far less on vacation than we used to and DH and DD's suitcases are not even bulging. My suitcase, however, seems to be the most full ... that is most likely due to all the yarn! Yarn seems to take up more room in luggage than clothing.
I am taking yarn for the navy sweater plus yarn for a scarf for DD. I will work on the scarf on the plane ... God willing the knitting needles make it through security. I also have thrown another skein of Lion Brand Homespun in the luggage in the event I were to finish the sweater AND the scarf. I can make another scarf from this Homespun for a gift.
As always, I am nervous about the flying tomorrow but I am looking forward to three weeks of total relaxation and knitting on the beach and at the pool. I am also looking forward to the shopping. Aruba is neat for shopping and I am hopeful I can fine some sort of a thin band with diamonds to wear between my wedding ring and engagement ring. This year will be DH's and my 35th wedding anniversary!
We are packing and getting ready to leave for Aruba tomorrow for three weeks. We have a timeshare there and actually have gone to Aruba every year for the past probably 25 years. It is nice, quiet, relaxing and a place where you know what you are getting.
Our 22 year old daughter will be going and spending the entire 3 weeks with us and that is certainly a treat. At age 22, any time they can spend with you is a gift.
Knitting .... I finished the black pullover top down sweater and, for a beginner, it came out pretty good. I am now working on a navy sweater with flecks of other colors for DD. I have pretty much the whole body done. I love this yarn. It is only Red Heart but then I am not a "yarn snob" and I will use Red Heart or Lion Brand or other yarns readily available and within my budget.
With DD's sweater more than half done, I decided to start another sweater for the Aruba trip. This one, believe it or not, will be done with the same color of yarn but this one will be for me. No, we are not going to wear "mother and daughter sweaters" but I had originally bought this flecked yarn for myself because I wanted a sweater from it. When DD chose it for her sweater, I knew I would have to get more and make one for me.
We are pretty much packed. We take far less on vacation than we used to and DH and DD's suitcases are not even bulging. My suitcase, however, seems to be the most full ... that is most likely due to all the yarn! Yarn seems to take up more room in luggage than clothing.
I am taking yarn for the navy sweater plus yarn for a scarf for DD. I will work on the scarf on the plane ... God willing the knitting needles make it through security. I also have thrown another skein of Lion Brand Homespun in the luggage in the event I were to finish the sweater AND the scarf. I can make another scarf from this Homespun for a gift.
As always, I am nervous about the flying tomorrow but I am looking forward to three weeks of total relaxation and knitting on the beach and at the pool. I am also looking forward to the shopping. Aruba is neat for shopping and I am hopeful I can fine some sort of a thin band with diamonds to wear between my wedding ring and engagement ring. This year will be DH's and my 35th wedding anniversary!
Saturday, May 22, 2004
The black sweater has been finished! Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! I think that I must be one of the slowest knitters on the face of the earth. The sweater took me over 2 months to complete. I think I am pleased with it. I am pleased with the fit but I am going to have to "go over" the yarn. Black seems to pick up everything and so I have lint and cat fur and whatever else on the sweater. Hopefully, I will be more pleased once I have this taken care of.
Along with the sweater, I have been working on a brown/black mottled scarf for myself. I always like to have a project going (like a scarf) that is just straight knit. This is the project I can pick up and take anywhere and not have to think about it while I work on it.
The other project I have been working on is a pair of mittens to go with a scarf I knitted for my sister in law for Christmas. The mittens are a new experience for me but they seem to be coming along OK.
My DD has decided that she wants a sweater knit by me so that is my latest current project. The sweater will be in the exact "top down" pattern as the other two I made for myself but will be of navy yarn with some flecks of other colors in it. I really like the yarn and I may just pick up 6 more skeins and make a sweater for myself of this yarn too.
I am going to have to pick my projects for our vacation soon. We leave for Aruba July 10th and hopefully I will be able to do some knitting on the plane as well as knitting down there while we are at the beach and the pool.
DD will be accompanying us and staying through Thursday of our second week there. She will be leaving on Thursday and flying home alone (nervous mother here) and then driving up to Maine with her BF. I am not excited about this whole proposition but, when your DD is 22 years old, there is not much you can say about it. I am really going to miss spending the whole three weeks with her. That vacation time is one of the high points of my entire year.
Along with the sweater, I have been working on a brown/black mottled scarf for myself. I always like to have a project going (like a scarf) that is just straight knit. This is the project I can pick up and take anywhere and not have to think about it while I work on it.
The other project I have been working on is a pair of mittens to go with a scarf I knitted for my sister in law for Christmas. The mittens are a new experience for me but they seem to be coming along OK.
My DD has decided that she wants a sweater knit by me so that is my latest current project. The sweater will be in the exact "top down" pattern as the other two I made for myself but will be of navy yarn with some flecks of other colors in it. I really like the yarn and I may just pick up 6 more skeins and make a sweater for myself of this yarn too.
I am going to have to pick my projects for our vacation soon. We leave for Aruba July 10th and hopefully I will be able to do some knitting on the plane as well as knitting down there while we are at the beach and the pool.
DD will be accompanying us and staying through Thursday of our second week there. She will be leaving on Thursday and flying home alone (nervous mother here) and then driving up to Maine with her BF. I am not excited about this whole proposition but, when your DD is 22 years old, there is not much you can say about it. I am really going to miss spending the whole three weeks with her. That vacation time is one of the high points of my entire year.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
My God, the entire month of March has come and gone and I haven't made an entry. Knitting wise, I continue to work on the black top down sweater and that is coming along. I have a scarf in the works for my sister-in-law for next Christmas and I have been trying to master the art of knitting mittens. Mittens seem much less intimidating than socks but are a small project that I can probably whip up in a short time. Over the past weekend, I did knit one mitten. This was done in some of the gray yarn leftover from the gray sweater I made. These will be for me when I finish them as I am sure they will be filled with errors. Hopefully, I can correct the errors before I actually try to start making them for gifts.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Apparently, I am Bamboo! I was a little surprised. I started out liking to knit only with wooden or bamboo needles ... that is until I tried the Addi Turbos and now I am hooked on them.
An update on knitting. I did complete the gray top down sweater and it is OK. I am not totally pleased. With the fact that the dye lots didn't match and having to add the stripes, I ended up with a sweater other than what I had planned it to be. I used Red Heart yarn which, I understand, no one likes but it is affordable. I used the gray heather color and I found the yarn to be very soft. However, even before I wore the sweater, it seems like there is either pilling or balling or just fuzzing activity going on from the knitting process.
The sweater also came out huge. I do like my sweaters "oversized" but this one is really big. I think that when I do the pattern again, I can try to adjust for that and I am doing the pattern again. I started it using black yarn ... again by Red Heart (Will I ever learn???) but this is the "No Dye Lot" variety. Wish me luck!!!!
An update on knitting. I did complete the gray top down sweater and it is OK. I am not totally pleased. With the fact that the dye lots didn't match and having to add the stripes, I ended up with a sweater other than what I had planned it to be. I used Red Heart yarn which, I understand, no one likes but it is affordable. I used the gray heather color and I found the yarn to be very soft. However, even before I wore the sweater, it seems like there is either pilling or balling or just fuzzing activity going on from the knitting process.
The sweater also came out huge. I do like my sweaters "oversized" but this one is really big. I think that when I do the pattern again, I can try to adjust for that and I am doing the pattern again. I started it using black yarn ... again by Red Heart (Will I ever learn???) but this is the "No Dye Lot" variety. Wish me luck!!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Work continues. I spent a lot of time yesterday working on that second sleeve. I will have to admit that I am (1) a slow knitter and (2) one who tends to get distracted. One of the things that I enjoy so much about knitting is that I can let my mind go free to wander while I knit. Sometimes this wandering will end up with me thinking up a new project to try, something in the house that needs to be done or changes I can make to decor to make things look nicer.
I also ended up frogging the entire piece I had knitted that was going to be a scarf for my sister in law of Lion Brand Homespun. I was having such a time with that ... I was having this twisting problem with the yarn coming up to the needles so bad that I was only able to knit 10 to 15 stitches at a time and I would have to push what seemed like this blob of fiber down the yarn so I could continue to knit.
I posed the question to the Knitter's Forum and got some wonderful advice along with advice from the Lion Brand Company who I also e-mailed. Apparently, I have been using too much tension in holding my yarn and I was advised to decrease my tension on the yarn. I tried that and it does seem to work much better. This gives me hope that the bunches of Lion Brand Homespun I have in my stach might eventually turn into something.
The reason for the frogging was that there was a distinct difference in gauge with the knitting once I eased up on the tension and so there was actually a line showing where I started doing that and so I had to frog.
I still am not crazy about knitting with the Homespun but I do love the colors and the price. I have a couple of balls of yarn I purchased at The Fabric Place on Thursday. These are just a knitting worstered weight and, believe it or not, I never looked at the brand. I was only looking for color as my sister-in-law's coat is a really bright turquoise color.
I started a scarf using this yarn last night. Knitting with the knitting worstered weight of yarn is such a pleasure and is truly relaxing. I started the scarf and actually did some knitting on it while riding the exercise bike last night.
I also ended up frogging the entire piece I had knitted that was going to be a scarf for my sister in law of Lion Brand Homespun. I was having such a time with that ... I was having this twisting problem with the yarn coming up to the needles so bad that I was only able to knit 10 to 15 stitches at a time and I would have to push what seemed like this blob of fiber down the yarn so I could continue to knit.
I posed the question to the Knitter's Forum and got some wonderful advice along with advice from the Lion Brand Company who I also e-mailed. Apparently, I have been using too much tension in holding my yarn and I was advised to decrease my tension on the yarn. I tried that and it does seem to work much better. This gives me hope that the bunches of Lion Brand Homespun I have in my stach might eventually turn into something.
The reason for the frogging was that there was a distinct difference in gauge with the knitting once I eased up on the tension and so there was actually a line showing where I started doing that and so I had to frog.
I still am not crazy about knitting with the Homespun but I do love the colors and the price. I have a couple of balls of yarn I purchased at The Fabric Place on Thursday. These are just a knitting worstered weight and, believe it or not, I never looked at the brand. I was only looking for color as my sister-in-law's coat is a really bright turquoise color.
I started a scarf using this yarn last night. Knitting with the knitting worstered weight of yarn is such a pleasure and is truly relaxing. I started the scarf and actually did some knitting on it while riding the exercise bike last night.
