"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

11/29/17

Doll Knitting

I've been knitting doll clothes. Mostly to fit my Iplehouse JID dolls. I've made a couple sweaters that don't look like much in these pics.



However, they fit my dolls perfectly. I'll be taking pictures of them wearing these eventually.



I've made some hats too. Getting closer to putting some new things in my Etsy store.



I've also started a cross stitch project. I'm not sure what it is, but at this time of year I get a hankering for cross stitch. A couple of years ago I found an awesome set of free cross stitch patterns on a blog called Mini Star Trek. I am working on something using them. Mine will have 19 characters from the original series. I've finished the first two. Can you guess who they are?



We got some snow last night. Just an inch. It spent the day melting. Winter weather is in the forcast.

I don't think I've been blogging about my hot tub woes. In October, as a matter of routine, I emptied the hot tub to clean it, and the filter. I got it all done, refilled the tub, and started it up. The next day I went out to use it and the water level was down a good inch and a half. It had leaked the water overnight. I discovered a leak on the pump and told sweet hubby about it. He fixed it the following day. I filled the tub up again. It still leaked. A third of the water had leaked out overnight. I was quite upset about it. Instead of getting better, it was getting worse. We couldn't figure out where the leak was.

Sweet hubby went on Google and discovered Fix a Leak. It's for fixing pool and hot
tub leaks. You pour it in the water with the filter removed and circulate the water. The stuff fills up the leaks. It will plug leaks up to an eighth of an inch wide. You let it cure for a few days before you can use the pool. We decided to try it. It WORKED! My tub doesn't leak anymore! I am SO happy. Now I can use my tub again.

I got our Christmas tree up today with the lights on. I haven't put the star or ornaments on it yet. I can't remember where I put the star last year after I took it down. I'll do a little search later this week.

Tomorrow I have Yarnies. I'm working on another pair of kids mittens. I probably will take that project with me.

I started another baby cardigan too. I've been working on writing up the pattern for the little letterman jacket style sweater I designed. The pattern is being tested on Ravelry. I'm going to knit up a model to photograph for the pattern. It's coming along nicely. Should be done by the end of the year.

Well, that's the news for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//

11/28/17

Mittens for KnitWits

A couple weeks ago or so I went over to Jan's house to help her with the job of getting the KnitWits items sorted out and bagged for our next meeting. The distribution meeting. When I walked in the door of her house I saw mittens and hats and scarves and afghans all over the place. Stacked on tables, lined up on the floor in several rooms. We've made a lot of things. In the course of working on the task at hand, Jan mentioned we are 80 pairs short on child size mittens. In other words-we received requests for 80 pairs more than we actually have. We have 44 baby layette sets, and need 80.

This happens every year, of course. It is impossible for us to make enough to fill the needs of our county. It leaves a person feeling overwhelmed and somewhat frustrated because we want to help everyone, but we can't. I went home that day feeling a great need to make some more mittens in size Child 5-7 before our next meeting. Here's the first pair.



Pattern: Classic Mittens No. 615 by Bernhard Ulmann Co.

Made For: KnitWits

Size: Childs 5-7

Yarn: Unknown Acrylic
Content: 100% Acrylic
Color: Aran

Needles: Circular size 5

Started: November 10, 2017
Finished: November 16, 2017

Comment: I am getting bored with stockinette stitch. So I did some Little Garter Check on this pair.




Now, I have a confession to make.



Last Sunday evening, I was working on my computer and got so engrossed in what I was doing I neglected to keep attention on Zoey. She managed to get the mittens down off the dining room table. She chewed the thumb off of one of them. Urg. So the above left mitten no longer exists. I have made a replacement though. Did almost all of it last night. Just need to finish up the thumb. I'll be so glad when Zoey grows out of her puppy mentality.

Live long and prosper. \\//

11/11/17

Forced To Change

About 3 weeks or so ago I started getting messages and emails from people who were visiting my patterns blog complaining that the links to the pdf files weren't working. They were getting a "Not found" message. I checked it out and I sometimes got the message, but most of the time I had no problems.

I figured out that if I was logged into Box.net, the web site where I store my patterns for sharing, it worked. If I logged out, the downloads didn't work. Box has made some changes, and even though the links are supposed to be open to the public without registration, it doesn't seem to be working that way and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I had to find an alternative solution.

I decided to open a store on Ravelry and upload the knitting patterns there.



They allow you to have a store with all free patterns in it. So many times I've been asked by someone to do that. Well, now it seems a good idea. I uploaded them all and I've updated the links on the patterns blog. You do not have to have a Ravelry account to access them. I think this will work out pretty good.

Check out my new Ravelry Shop

There are two patterns that I could not put on Ravelry, the beaded Christmas ornament cover pattern, and the Aran Baby Set that I have linked to here on this blog. I don't know what I'm going to do about that yet.

But, at least you can access the rest of them.

Live long and prosper. \\//

11/6/17

The Simple Woman's Daybook for November 6, 2017



Outside my window...
Snow. Tons and tons of snow! It started snowing on Friday and did not stop until this morning. We've got about 8 or 9 inches.

I am thinking...
It's too early to be getting this much snow. Winter is not fooling around. It came with a bang.

I am thankful for...
The new roof. The snow is sliding right off just like it's supposed to. Hopefully there will be no shoveling of snow off our roof ever again.

From the kitchen...
Making meatloaf tonight. Yum! My meatloaf recipe consists of ground beef, a package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, an egg, a couple slices of stale bread crumbled, and ketchup. It's good. I can't decide if I want Potatoes Au Gratin, or baked potatoes, with it.

I am wearing...
Jeans and a black and red print button down blouse with 3/4 sleeves.

I am creating...
I had to accompany my husband to the North Idaho Dermatology for a small surgery to remove some skin cancer this morning. I took my knitting bag with me and started another doll skirt. Testing out a pattern I've written for my JID dolls. I'm using a lovely Aqua Cascade Sunseeker yarn. I really like this yarn. It's nice. Husbands surgery went fine and all the cancer is gone.

I am going...
to knitting at the Rathdrum Library tomorrow, and Yarnies on Thursday. That's assuming Runge's doesn't decide to deliver the new furniture during those times.

I am reading...
The Lost City by Clive Cussler.  I'm enjoying it very much. I've never read this guys stuff before. However, I've seen the movie Sahara starring Mathew McConaughey. It's one of my favorites. I did not know that story was written by Clive Cussler until my friend, Barb, told me last week. Our library is having a $1 a bag book sale. I filled my bag with several Clive Cussler novels, and an original edition of A Wrinkle In Time. As a side note- A Wrinkle in Time and it's sequels were my favorite scifi novels when I was in elementary school.

I am hearing...
the pitter patter of my husbands feet as he hobbles to the kitchen. Poor guy is feeling poorly. The anesthesia has worn off.

Around the house...
the lights are already on because it's dark and it's only 4:15 pm as I write this. I hate winter.

One of my favorite things...
Spring- which I am ready for.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
I hope to finish the little aqua skirt and get a couple new outfits up in my Etsy shop this week. I need something new for it. I haven't paid much attention to it during the fall.

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...
This morning.



If you want to join the Simple Woman's Daybook, click here.

Live long and prosper. \\//

11/4/17

Mittens for Knitwits

Finished a pair of mittens sized for children ages 4-6. Originaly I was going to make these blue and brown striped. Changed my mind. I can do that. Change my mind, that is.



Pattern: Classic Mittens No. 615 by Bernhard Ulmann Co.

Made For: KnitWits

Size: Childs 4-6

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Content: 100% Superwash Wool
Color: Turquoise

Needles: Circular size 5

Started: May 15, 2017
Finished: November 2, 2017




So, we got snow. Our first sticking snow of the winter. 2 inches on Thursday night and 2 inches last night. Winter is here.

Yesterday I dragged Sweet Hubby out of the house and we went furniture shopping. Our couch is broken and I've never liked that couch anyway. I've been shopping for months trying to find one I like to replace it. Well, I found it, at Runge's Fuirnture. I love this couch.



It's a Stanton. Lifetime warranty, good quality. Has two recliners in it. They're controlled electronically, plus there's 2 USB ports in the thing. Ain't technology wonderful? It is so comfortable. Way better than the Hug. It's also on sale, plus I got an extra 6% taken off for bringing a bag of non-perishable food items for their food drive. I decided to get the matching love seat too.


It also has 2 recliners in it. We're moving the Hug and my husbands current recliner, which is slightly broken and uncomfortable to him, into the sun room. (I'm going to make a little reading place in there.) The love seat will be inhabited by me, and there's plenty of room for the dog.

I love the fabric. It looks like suede, but it's microfiber. Super soft, easy to take care of. The two pieces will be delivered next week. I'm excited.

Live long and prosper. \\//