Promise Blanket Square

Here is my completed square for The Promise Blanket! I used Shelly Kang's Sock Blanket recipe and upsized it! Great yarn (Mochi Plus from Crystal Palace) on size 8 needles. Upsizing also meant co 61 sts (sock blanket square is co 31 sts) and knit as for Sock Blanket Mitered Square.

Yummy yarn.
Yummy project.

What if . . . ?

I am officially a What If'er. You know.









What if I forgot to lock the back door? Pad pad pad, check the back door--locked. What if I didn't turn off the coffee pot? You know.

So, I started a pair of Spiral Boot Socks. The pattern suggests three skeins of Reynold's Soft Sea Wool which accumulates to 486 yards. I have ONE skein of Dream In Color Smooshy. It has (4 oz) 450 yards. The pattern is written for a size 8 foot. I have a 6 1/2 to 7 foot. I figure that's about 36 yards less yarn in foot length.

Knit.
Think.
What if I run out of yarn?
Call The Yarn Store.

Usually, I keep a project's yarn label, along with a sample stapled in my knitting notebook and copious notes about the project (not unlike My Grama, who kept track of every pitch, hit, run, ball, strike, fowl of every Twins baseball game on radio or TV in her notebook when I was growing up). I keep ball bands and labels (which has stitch count, fiber content, colorway, dye lot, etc). Lost this.

Trying to explain the above to the woman at The Yarn Store, she totally understands (whew). We make an elaborate plan for me to bring in my project, she has some saved in the back in the same colorway, different weight. So, I did this. And, we make a second plan to order another skein.

While waiting for The Yarn Store Woman to write up my contact information, I peruse the shelf and other available colors because by now, I love the yarn.

I FOUND ANOTHER SKEIN IN THE BACK OF THE DISPLAY CUBBY! It was right there way in the back waiting for me! It knew about me and "what if's" and was just waiting! Some exaltations and elations and I purchased the yarn!

Now, just more knitting!

Mail Miscellany

This knitting needle case is a vintage purchase from Etsy. It came with a little note from the
seller (swinging retro) . . .

with all of these nice needles.














And, of course I would show you my coveted Susan Todd Bark Cloth Knitting Projects Bag!

Both came via our Superhero Post-Woman who delivers mail faster than a speeding bullet.

Knitting Project Bag

The other day, while looking through "Mason Dixon Knitting", I came across a photo of some knitting bags in
the front (p. 13) of the book (Gardiner, K. & Shayne, A., 2006. Mason Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitter's Guide. Random House, Inc: New York, NY). It reminded me how I did not ever buy The Bag and it is now probably too late.


Years ago, I pined over a Susan Todd birch cloth bag--The Bag--for my knitting. It was a small tote, of yellow-ish birch cloth . . . amazing. It had a little button closure and a fabulously long handle that did not put the bag in your armpit.

This was one of those purchases that I had committed to "someday".

I found Susan Todd online somehow . . . (long story shortened here).
SHEEEE'S MAKING ME A BAG!!!

Garden Bling

The other morning, as the sun was coming up over the house, I went out to the flower garden to capture some morning dew.

I found this spider's home in the grass.









And some sun flowers that had finally come out to show their faces.

Humming Bird

The other morning, My Husband was looking out the back, sliding-glass-deck door and saw a hummingbird in the flower garden. I had to take a closer look, so went out onto the deck.

The hummingbird flitted over to another side-area garden and did his/her flitty flying into the flowers there. It then LANDED ON THE CLOSE LINE and sat there looking at us on the deck. Then, IT FLEW UP TO THE DECK RAILING AND FLITTI-ED WITHIN A FOOT OF OUR FACES! It was looking at us looking at it!

This is nothing a camera could capture (otherwise I would post the photo on this blog entry) especially since the camera was inside and we were outside. This is one of those photos that will have to be captured in our memory. I'll be old(er) and remark "remember the hummingbird on the closeline" and it will cause a smile.

Chrissy Gardiner Class (aka: My Sock Summit 2009)

I went to Textured Colorwork (really a sock class) today with Chrissy Gardiner. She just published this book:

We learned stranding techniques, colorwork and the phrase "whatever works" (as a good reminder that sometimes there is not a "right" way to do a technique). Reinforces that we all come to knitting (or whatever) with our own skill set. We know stuff. About stuff. Now, I know more stuff. We studied Bohus design. Amazing.



I took this learning opportunity to go shopping. I bought Chrissy's book. NOTE: I can call her Chrissy as I have met her in person. I think she'd be okay with that. She's originally from Minnesota, which makes us almost related.

And some nice yarn in mini-hanks that will make their way to The Sock Blanket.





And a VERY nice Project Bag from the Yarnery. It is crafted by their own talented "Sarah". It's kindof a green thing to do. Nice bag, too!














Afterwards, I had a nice lunch with a nice friend. Good day!