Design Wall

I love the way this is coming together but there is so much trimming to do with each block. Trim to 9 1/2 inches then sew two together add triangles then trim again. It does sew together better when all parts are the same size. This is Metro Rings using the Quick Curve Ruler. So much trimming to do.....trim the tree.......trim the stair rail.............to the top of the cabinets and the fireplace....deck the halls and the walls with lots of quilts. linking to Judy's DWM. --Ann--

On and Off the Needles

 Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My pop out thermometer popped out before the turkey was done so it had to go back in the oven so everyone poured another glass of wine and I forgot to cook the asparagus. Judging from the leftovers it wasn't missed. I did get to sit down and relax later and knit an inch on the socks. Reading mitts are done and that is all the yarn I had left from a 142 yard ball. I cast on 56 stitches and knit from both ends, when I had about 30 yards left I unwound the rest of the yarn and cut it so I could knit the thumbs then finished the finger opening and I was out of yarn! No leftovers!!! Linking to Judy's OTN --Ann--

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have a collection of miniatures this little turkey is less than 2 inches tall and is very old; it was my Grandmas along with the black pots, 2 squirrels and  plaster turkeys. 

On the menu for tomorrow:

Brie Cheese With Hot Pepper Raspberry Preserves on Pretzel Chips

Small Smoked Wild  Hen Turkey Shot by Son

Domestic Backup Turkey

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Wild Rice Dressing

Asparagus

Spinach Salad

Cranberry Chutney with Ginger and Onion

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

Relishes

Homemade Dinner Rolls with butter

Apple Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pecan Tassies

Coffee

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving--Ann--

on and off the needles

 It is time to prioritize which projects need to be finished before Christmas. Socks for me, socks for someone special, reading mitts for someone special, gloves just to see how knitting the fingers work what is a finger on a glove? a thumb without a gusset?!? it can't be that hard.  A couple super secret projects that won't be blogged  until after Christmas................De-clutter the kitchen and dining room, plan Thanksgiving menu, buy groceries, get cooking......

The colors started stacking up in an interesting pattern as I knit the gusset and heel then it was back to the same old color pattern. The heel just naturally folds into a funny face when I fold the socks in half.

I finished my scarf, hat and mitts to go with my boiled wool coat and has been too cold to wear it with a temperature rating of +20 degrees, I'll just have to put a cozy sweater on then the coat. Linking to Judy's OTN and see all the cozy knits.  --Ann--

Winter and Reading

 Winter came two weeks ago and stayed, our first snow usually disappears as fast as it comes but not this year and we have not been hit nearly as hard as other parts of the country. Ironically the last book I finished reading was A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. It is about a bed and breakfast ready for business on the west coast of Ireland, each chapter is about a staff member or guest and how each came to be at Stoneybridge B&B and how their life was changed. Fun book on a chilly night.

 I had son's dog over the weekend she found her favorite partially deflated volley ball right where she left it and forgot all about me trying to turn her into a house dog. Snow is for fun!! She had a blast while I shoveled then looked at me with those big brown eyes as I said "No, you cannot bring that ball into the house." hunkering down for winter--Ann--

On and off the needles

A dear friend gave me the pattern for these slippers. They are super fast to knit because after the garter stitch sole every other stitch in every other row is a slip stitch. One fourth less knitting. The blue pair is on size 6 needles and the orange are on size 7 just a little difference in the size.

I broke my needle. It was on the arm of the chair and put my hand on it with a little too much weight.

More socks for colder weather here.  That center double decrease looks so much better when done right scroll down to previous post for "how to" and linking to Judy's OTN. --Ann--

Like Edison...................

"Ben Gates: [paraphrasing Thomas Edison, about invention of light bulb] I didn't fail, I found 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb; I only need to find one way to make it work." -   --  National Treasure 

I feel the same way about some knitting directions.   Another pair of socks imagine that............. These have narrow rows of color changes so I thought I would try a wave pattern which is
Row 1: k1, p1, yo, k4, cdd, k4, yo, p1, k1 repeat. Row 2: k1, p1, ktbl, k9, ktbl,  p1, k1 repeat.
The cdd is a central double decrease which is also written either Sl 1- k2tog- psso or sk2p. What the knitter is doing is slipping one stitch-knitting the next 2 together-then passing the slipped stitch over the  knit together.  It can also be Sl2-k1-psso or s2kp.  The knitter is slipping 2 stitches-knitting the next one- then slipping the two stitches over the knit stitch. But no where in the directions does it say whether to slip the stitch purl wise, point to point as if to purl or knit wise as if knitting the stitch one at a time or two at a time. These little details make a difference in the way the finished stitch looks. The cdd can either lean left or right or have a nice knit stitch up the center. This stitch pattern said Sl2-k1-psso. My first row of the pattern I slipped the 2 stitches purl wise, it looks like there is a wrap around the center stitch. The next time I tried slipping the stitches as if to knit one at a time, that row looks like it has 2 wraps around the knit stitch. Then I referred to my knitting books. In the back of 400 knitting stitches Potter Craft it said to slip 2 together as if to knit. The third time that is what I did and yippee skippy that is what I needed to do to get the nice knit stitch in the center of the decrease.  And it didn't take 2000 tries to get it right. Happily knitting now--Ann--

By the way ktbl is knitting through the back loop of the yarn over. If you knit the yarn over with a regular knit stitch you get a hole, great for lacy patterns, knitting through the back loop twists the yarn over closing the hole.