Tucked In Angel Wings

I was asked by the moderator for the RSE2 to be an angel for Julie. Apparently, her upstream was unable to fulfill her commitment, so I was an angel. Most of the participants had received their box by the first week in August, so I was notified after that. I started the scarf on the 12th and finished knitting it on the 31st. I can't divulge the particulars (pics were taken) yet, since Julie is heading to Wisconsin for the wool festival there later on this week. She will return home on Sept. 8, so will have to wait until then. I thought that she shouldn't have to wait for me to finish knitting .... she could just as well enjoy a surprise box that I sent in mid-August. She did like it ..... check out her blog. I've really enjoyed our pms the past couple of weeks. I have packed the last bit of surprises and her scarf ... will mail them tomorrow noon when my classes at school are finished for the day.

Other than mailing the envelope, this year I can spend the rest of the afternoon doing household chores or better yet ..... knitting! I put my February Lady Sweater on the back burner while knitting the RSE angel scarf, so have taken that out to do nothing more than ..... FROG! I didn't care for the row of yo increases about every 7 stitches, so replaced them with kfb increases. Like the looks of those a lot better. I have one more row to knit and then I start the lace that goes from the underarms to the hem. I have the correct numbers of sts, so shouldn't have too many problems.

I'm looking through my many patterns for an idea for some socks for the month. Will probably start some with some MC Bearfoot in the Alpine (blue, green, purple & occasional brown) or some tussah silk/merino sock yarn from The Unique Sheep (shaded reds)....both were gifts from swap partners. I could really knit a pair of socks a week for a year and I might have most of my sock yarn stash gone ..... but more would probably be there in its place!

Happy knitting, everyone! TLGB

I'm An Angel!

My dh had the week-end off, so we were at our dd's home constructing a block wall for an area for plants on the backside of her home. We got the job done ...... here's the pic of the finished product ..... it's late to be planting, so will do the plants this fall and next spring. The only black dirt in her yard is what came in on the sod that was put down, so dh brought compost w/manure and some peat moss to try to help a bit. We'll add the good top soil later. The Brittany spaniel to the left is dh's hunting buddy and the white fluff of behind on the right belongs to dd's bichon frise. My apricot poodle was in the yard, too, but just out of camera range.

When I signed up for the Ravelry Scarf Exchange 2008, I once again volunteered to be an angel ... that is to supply a scarf and other goodies in the case of the bailout of a participant. Well,..... the angel call came on Saturday while at dd's. I waited until the return home to check out my ample stash ..... had two balls of the perfect color for the swap partner. So, this morning I've been trying different size needles until now I have the first inch of a 60 inch scarf. I figure that knitting from one to four o'clock each afternoon, I should finish about the middle of next week ..... that is also the week that school resumes for the district, so this teacher will be back to work in the morning only. With retirement approaching in a few years, that doesn't sound too bad to me.

I'm working on February Lady Sweater KAL her on Ravelry. Have almost finished the yoke of the sweater .... four rows to go. Then the body is a lacy stitch .... I think I'm going to substitute a different st. I've consulted a very old stitch pattern book I have (from the 1960's) and am going to try a couple. Hopefully, I'll like one.

Did some work out with the perreniels ..... cutting off spent blossoms/flowers and dead growth. I'm about half-done, so will still spend time tomorrow.

Knitting News

The Adamas Shawl that I started July 21 is finished, blocked, and dry! Here's a pic of it hanging on the fence ....had to put a sheet underneath it for any of the design to display. Below is the closeup ..... I'm really going to enjoy wearing this.
Last night I joined the February Lady Sweater KAL on Ravelry. I already had the yarn .... BMFA Twisted in the Rook-y colorway (one of the Ravel colorways). Decided that I wanted some 1x1 ribbing around the neck and then to carry it down the 8 sts edging on either side. I've made the first buttonhole using a new technique that was given on the pattern. Went downtown to the local fabric shop to look for buttons (one buttonhole is finished) and found some beautiful Celtic knot buttons .... only ..... there was only one card left and the owner said that she was getting a new button display in September. Well, when we are out and about in nearby towns, I'll just have to look for buttons since this is going to be a quick knit. After sock knitting and lace knitting the past two years, it will be a joy to work on a sweater with worsted weight yarn. Here's a pic of the neck ribbing and about 4 rows garter st.

DH is teaching a lot of classes for area EMS services, so I get a lot of knitting time at night while I'm watching television.

While I was at the fabric shop, I saw a lady that had knitted with a group of us in late 70's and early 80's. We had a group of about eight ladies that would meet at each other's home every Tuesday to just knit and taste some good desserts. My dd, Alcariel on ravelry, was born on a knitting group day in 1981. That must be the reason that she is such a good knitter now. One of the ladies, a former public librarian here, is turning 100 years old on Aug. 12. I've decided that I'm going to finish SOS2 for her and send it out to her in Goleta, California, where she moved about 15 years ago to be near her son. Kitty was a very avid knitter but no longer is able to do such intricate patterns due to loss of her eyesight. She is, however, still able to knit a simple hat or scarf. Happy Almost Birthday, Kitty!

Happy knitting, TLGB!