On the Needles

 Progress on the Laura Aylor sweater called Sea Salt. So far so good. I finished the shoulder and on to the sleeve cap with short rows.  No problems no worries.  Hubby decided it was time for a road trip so we went to Lake of the Woods in Northern Minnesota and Canada to look at fishing lodges for a trip next summer.  Its a long drive up there so lots of knitting in the car.  I 29 goes the length of North Dakota from north to south.  North Dakota is flat on the eastern edge, any change on the horizon is due to the federal government piling up some dirt to make a ramp to get on or off the highway.  They grow beans, corn, sugar beets, potatoes and wheat so it is not a very exciting landscape.  After you have seen one field you have seen them all in my opinion.  It rained the whole time we were there too so no pictures of sunsets on the lake or wildflowers.

I finished the sleeve and neckline and started on the lower bodice.  Just follow the directions they are written for a reason.  I got to a point where I needed to do some serious counting so I set the sweater aside for socks.

I love knitting plain socks with opal yarn, the colors are fun, they wash so nice and feel even better.

I was afraid I would lose my cable needle or sit on it and break it in the car so these were left behind.  A couple more rows and I will start the short rows then the slip stitch heel.  Linking to Judy's OTN. --Ann--

On the Needles

 What do I knit when I don't know what to knit?!?  More socks!!!  from left over yarn.  I thought learning some of the stitches used in Aran sweaters would be a prerequisite for knitting an Aran sweater.  (I bet I haven't used the word prerequisite since high school home ec class.... always prerequisites before going to the next step I liked skipping steps but here I am doing it. Don't tell Mrs I. or Mrs. C.)   This is a variation of the honeycomb stitch, my book of stitches called it a wasp nest stitch.  It is kinda fiddly to do on size 0 needles but then if I ever do an Aran sweater it will be easy on big needles.  Maybe. Thats the reasoning anyway.

I needed to clear another little project from my sewing room. Pom poms for all my footies.  The heel stays up better than my store bought footies but not always.  Is it the socks that slide down or the shoes that cause them to slide down or is it my foot?? They stay up in some shoes but not all shoes and its too much work to remember which socks stay up in which shoes so pom poms for all.

Once I got in the groove for starting things I couldn't stop so the sleeve of a sweater is also on the needles the pattern is Sea Salt by Laura Aylor.  All the reviews on ravelry said it was easy and gosh darn it is! I have read the directions 4 or 5 times and reread them as I have knit (don't tell Mrs. I or Mrs. C from home ec class that reading directions helps)This pattern has you knitting the sleeve then the bodice and the other sleeve with no seams. Then you pick up stitches and knit the neckline, then pick up the stitches at the bottom of the bodice and knit the rest.   No seams!!  Linking to Judy's OTN.  --Ann--

Nine Patch

It was easy to stay in my sewing room all day every day last week when it was in the 90's here.  All the fabrics including the backing was in my stash.  I love sewing from my stash.  The only thing left is to sew a label.  --Ann--

Something new on the wall

There  is a new baby boy on hubby's side of the family. Something simple and quick and very boyish. Nine patches and a couple more half square triangles,  a little rearranging and sew them together.  And I'm back in the rut.  --Ann--

a short story

After vacation I would go to my sewing room and try to get started on something, something new, something old, something, anything.  But nothing.   Sometimes I need to find some tiny little project for that instant feeling of success.  This tiny little project has been sitting there for a couple years, it was even sitting on the materials to do the project. 

Once upon a time there was a little bear who needed a little girl.  He found her and he went everywhere with her.  He rode on the dashboard on a trip to Medora, ND,  he was in her carry on bag to Williamsburg, Virginia, he went everywhere with her until she went to school.  He would sleep all day and when she came home he wanted to play all night.  Sometimes he would play tricks on her by hiding at bedtime but someone always found me.  Sometimes I would sit in the hall by her bedroom so she wouldn't forget to play with me.  I even went to college with her until she noticed the beads were ready to pop out of my feet, then she left me at home and I sat in the sewing room for a very long time.  Now my little girl is done with college and has a job.  I wonder if our adventures will continue now that my paws are good to go?    A very short story--Ann--

Big Things and Little things in Ireland and Scotland

Big thing.......my cousin's  climbing rose on the holly tree

Little thing......the multitude of blossoms that came down like snow when the wind came

big thing............. roses as big as saucers

little thing........... all those buds yet to bloom

big thing.....tree that died and was felled 5 feet in diameter

big thing...........the beech tree that blow over in the wind probably 200 years old and 6 feet in diameter

 little thing......all the flowers that weren't crushed when the tree blew over

big thing..........the trees that shade the lane

little thing.........the peep holes to the sky

big thing.............. holly flowers en mass

little thing.....individual holly blossoms

 Big thing..........leaves of the gunnera plant that makes rhubarb look petite

Little thing.............shamrocks growing under the ferns

big thing.............the emblems of Scotland

little thing........we call them weeds but the thistle poked the invading Vikings and made them scream which alerted the Scots to prepare to fight.  The Thistle is the national emblem.
                                                                              I don't know if this little flower is the flower of Scotland but it is tiny and looks like the flower on the castle pipe.

Big thing.........Celtic crosses for legends, this is where Flora MacDonald is buried who helped hide Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Big thing.............Celtic crosses for the mortals.

Little thing........7th century Celtic cross from the graveyard at Fahan where a couple of my ancestors are buried.  My big purchase.

Big thing..............Highland cattle

Little thing and a wee ditty............Heiley coos go moo because Highland cows don't say mow (rhymes with cow)

And that's the end of my travel pictures. --Ann--

On the Needles

I've got nothing on my needles at the moment but...........Do you ever wonder what kind of sheep grows a particular type of wool for yarn?

  I have seen blue faced leicester yarn on websites and wondered....then at the Limavady Stock show here are those very words...... blue faced leicester! There were also blackfaced and border leicester the top photo are border leicester.  And then there were these yellow and orange sheep.  I never did get a satisfactory answer as to why they were dyed except maybe as an eye catcher for the judges.

These sheep were not dyed for eye appeal  I thought these sheep were the best and notice the fancy head gear.  Polka dot sheep called Jacob sheep.  Polka dot fleece, polka dot yarn, polka dot sweaters and polka dot socks.  Where do I find yarn like that??

sheep grazing in Ireland

Sheep grazing in Scotland can you find them?

Zoomed in on the sheep grazing in Scotland in the rain.

A little tiny yarn and knit shop in Derry, Northern Ireland,  beautiful yarns and hand knit sweaters by the owner all were one of a kind and no patterns available.  There were lots of cute little shops in the square including a quilt shop but that had sadly closed.  My cousin and I made a quick trip to Buncranna to another quilt shop she frequents but it closed just before we got there.  So I didn't see the inside of a quilt shop in Ireland or Scotland. I thought I would see more yarn shops but didn't.  I did go in a couple craft shops but they had mostly synthetic yarn where I found this pattern book.  I wonder if I will every be skilled enough for an Aran sweater.

So I bought a sweater and wore it.  It felt very cozy on those cold rainy days in Scotland and there were a lot of rainy days.

My one yarn purchase in Scotland.  It is 100% wool.  It might be a scarf, it might be gloves, it might be socks.  I might have something on some needles next week in the meantime linking to Judy's OTN. --Ann--