Reading - Knitting Notions

Lights in the darkness

I know I have been a lazy blogger. I swear this has been the grayest, wettest December EVER and maybe that is what is making me want to do nothing but read and knit. I have done a fair bit of both, well maybe more reading than knitting. The only knitting progress I have to show is the finished first sock and a good 40% on the second sock.

I have finished several books in the last month. At the moment I have picked back up where I left off on Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. I just finished book #3 Voyager and started #4 Drums of Autumn. I have never been into this type of book before. I guess you would call it a cross between and adventure story and a romance? They are pretty good, if you don’t mind a series that has so far 7 books of 900-1000 pages each.

There has been some Christmas baking going on here too. We have a few traditional ones we love to do every year and the children have taken it on the last few years. They seem to enjoy making them almost as much as eating them.

We also relented and put the presents out early this year. We usually wait until Christmas Eve so that they don’t get pawed over but space is limited and for want of anywhere else to stash them, we put them under the tree.

More decking of the halls went on, literally. LOL!

Posted on December 22, 2011 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

Ella Funt finished

Ella Funt is all done and I am very happy with how it turned out.

See how nicely the yoke lays without puckering? I think it was partly that the Rowan Felted Tweed was a good choice for this type of knitting. It has that slightly sticky quality that jumper weight Shetland wool yarn has; at least it seems so to me. This is how it looks after weaving in the ends and washing/blocking it.

Here’s how it looked before all that was done. Still pretty good, but the finish work really made an improvement.

Here’s a view of the wrong side to see the lovely neat floats. Smile The color is truer in these three middle pictures that were taken outside before the finishing was done when the light was good.

Unfortunately today was rainy and gray all day and I couldn’t wait to share this so I took some indoor shots this afternoon. I will get some proper lighting pictures outdoors with Elijah wearing it as soon as we get another sunny day.

I did make a few modifications to the pattern.

I bound off the neck stitches and picked up the button band stitches first, then picked up the collar stitches after the button bands were knit.
I substituted a ribbed stitch for the button band to match the other edges instead of the garter stitch the designer chose.
If I had thought of it at the time I would have also added some short row shaping to the back neck before I bound it off, but I forgot at the time. So if I were to make this again that is what I would do next time.

In other news, did you notice my new banner up there at the top? Go ahead..scroll up. I’ll wait.

You like? It’s just a simple one, but I like it. There is also a new widget over to the right where you can “like” my Knitting Notions page on Facebook. Hint. Hint. Heh.

Let’s see, how about a reading update? I got the Masterpiece Theater version of The Woman in White from Netflix after I finished it last week and was not impressed. I didn’t even watch the whole thing. I was warned by a friend that it wasn’t as good as the book and I agree with her review. It departed from the story in too many points and it just annoyed the crap out of me.

I did start a new book though which is very good. I had been hearing some chatter and good reviews about the book Child 44 and since I saw it available to check out from my library onto my Nook I decided to give it a go. I am finding the view from inside the mind of this KGB officer during Stalin’s Soviet Union very enlightening. I am about halfway done with it already.

Okay, I need to close for now and get some supper. Later.

Posted on November 21, 2011November 21, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Knitting and other ramblings

I promised some progress on the Ella Funt sweater on my next post so it took several days to get enough completed to be worthy of a picture. I am finally to the color work yoke section which is where the fun really begins.

As you can see I have completed the first section, which is the adorable little elephants and the first set of decreases.

I don’t do color work very often but who could resist this, I ask you? I can see the rest of the sweater going very fast so it should be all done in a few days.

I actually have some more gorgeous knitting to share with you today, although it’s not mine. I sent some Classic Merino Sport off the Kristi to knit another Cradle Me blanket for the booth since the original I knit is Elijah’s “blankie” and therefore is NOT an option to take it for the booth anymore. She has knit for me before and does such a wonderful job!

Isn’t it delicious? She had plenty of yarn left from the three skeins I sent her for the smallest size so she volunteered to make pair of Fallberry Mitts with some of it.

I think they are exquisite! Thank you so much Kristi! Well done. Smile

Let’s see, what else do I have to share today? Oh, yeah! I made some new business cards with the new logo and just got them from the printer.

We still need to design an new banner for the booth and redesign the labels, but I like the changes so far.

I also finished reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins this morning. I don’t know why I had the idea this was going to be a ghost story? It wasn’t. I did enjoy it though. I guess this would be classified as a mystery? It’s not really a murder mystery either though. Like a good mystery, it does wrap itself up nicely at the end with most of the characters getting their just desserts.

Posted on November 14, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Ch, ch, ch, ch, Changes

I have quite a few things to talk about but first the knitting, right? I finished the Hedgerow Mitts and it was very close on yarn, I tell you. I probably only had a dozen yards or so left. Whew!

It is, as you probably know, not very easy to take a picture of both of your hands at once; well unless you want to mess with the timer and try to find some thing to use as a tripod since I don’t have one, and so, yeah..you get still life with fingerless mitts.

Ella Funt sweater is coming along nicely but no knitting time yesterday so the second sleeve isn’t much longer than last time, so no new picture. Maybe I can knit on it tonight and finish the sleeve and start the body section while I watch the rest of my Pearl Jam Twenty DVD I got on Monday.

I am still reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and it is so good! It is written in a very interesting style where the story is told chronologically but with different narratives by the characters so that you get the plot from different points of view. Now, that may sound like it could be chaotic, and you would be right. It could be if done less skillfully. The author however, does a beautiful job of unfolding the story and introducing the characters so that you don’t lose the flow at all. I am into the third narrative at the moment, so about third of the way through. I can’t wait to see how it comes out!

I have read a fair bit of English literature, and I am finding this to be one of the most enjoyable books of the genre I have ever read. If you aren’t usually into reading the Classics because they can be more challenging in sentence structure and so forth, I encourage you to give this one a look.

Okay now on to some very exciting, to me at least, developments with our business. Remember how I told you that we were thinking about getting a new logo and doing some website changes? Well we have made a few of those goals come true already and are still working on more for the coming year. First, my daughter Meredith did a fabulous job on coming up with a new logo for us. I just really love it!

We will probably use both of these, for different applications. Aren’t they awesome? I think I need a yarnmama10 logo too, don’t you? Hear that, Meredith?

I even ordered T-shirts for us to wear in our booth, LOL! I give Kristi credit for that idea since she suggested it on our Facebook page. I also opened a Café-Press shop if anyone wants to order one of their own.

I was also finally able to acquire the domain knittingnotions.com which I tried to get years ago but the guy wanted more than I was willing to pay for it. My son-in-law contacted him and negotiated a more reasonable price and I snapped it up. It will still redirect to the knittingnotionsonline.com domain for now, but eventually it will be the main domain. I am unreasonably excited about this. LOL!

So there will be lots of website overhauling in the near future. Not only the logo, domain name and colors, but we may even be changing our cart software. We are test driving one at the moment.

Okay that’s it for now, kids.

Posted on October 26, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

I used to be a Knitter….

I have not knit a single stitch since my last post. Sob. I miss knitting, really I do.

I did get some dyeing done, so there was yarn in my week. Honestly though dyeing is work to me, not like knitting at all. LOL! It needed doing and if I don’t set priorities and be firm about them, all these balls I am juggling will come crashing down. Paperwork is still waiting and the repair on the trailer brake system so those will need to get done this week. New swifts need bags made and packed too, before SAFF. Oh, and third quarter sales taxes are due this month for the states that I am required to file quarterly with. Oh, joy. LOL

What else has been keeping me busy? Well, I have been working with my son-in-law on my website, getting some stuff reworked and exploring some possible changes for the near future. I would really like to get a new logo and some graphics designed. Anyone know a good one? I am open to barter but am perfectly happy to pay for it too. Let me know if you or anyone you know is interested.

I have been reading at least, since I do that before sleeping as a way to settle my mind in for sleep I guess. I have still been reading the Alan Jacobson books still. I am on the fourth Karen Vail book, which is Inmate 1577 and yeah, they are a tiny bit cheesy in their dialogue, kind of like watching an episode of Criminal Minds or something, but I can enjoy it despite that. I can overlook it if it’s other wise entertaining, which to me they both are. This book is basically a stand alone volume, but if you have already read the other three you have a head start on knowing the characters. He does refer to pertinent content from previous cases when it is necessary or if it will introduce an aspect of a character that adds understanding to this story, so again you could read it by itself. But then again why would you do that? Don’t you feel like I do, that series books MUST BE read in sequence or why bother? That’s normal, right?

Posted on October 10, 2011 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Stitches is over for another year and new socks

Finished the socks finally and started a pair for the baby in the booth (Stitches Midwest) on Sunday with the leftover yarn since I needed easy knitting for that. Here’s how far I got on that by the time we were all packed up and in the hotel for the night. Again I meant to take pictures during loading but we were in a hurry to get it done, so..ah well. Maybe next time.

We had a really nice suite at the Holiday Inn Express in Schaumberg. I have a Priority Club membership and since I have Platinum status, oo la la, I sometimes get free upgrades. Open-mouthed smile It was nice too have extra room since we were there for a full week.

Here’s the finished pair and if you notice I started the third book in the Karen Vail series on my Nook Sunday morning too. I also finished my audiobook of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and listened to the The Girl who Played with Fire on the drive home yesterday. I am enjoying both of these series very much.

We had a great time at Stitches and I want to take a moment and say that we appreciate everyone who came out to support the show. Smile

We drove home yesterday and will have eight days home before we have to leave again for Wisconsin Sheep & Wool. It’s a long haul but we usually do it all in one day.

I planned to write more but at the moment I have a whining toddler on my lap and need to do something about that, so….more later.

Posted on August 30, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Post from Audible for Android

I’m listening to Christine Falls: A Novel (Unabridged) Part 1 on #Audible for #Android. Get the app free: http://audible.com/wireless @audible_com

This book is pretty darn good. I listened to almost the whole thing on my trip today. I love the character development. I don’t want to give away much about the story, so I won’t go into details about that. I found the reader’s voice just right for the story too. Highly recommended!

We are here in the hotel in Holland MI. I just ordered pizza and have to get the baby ready for bed soon. It’s been a long day; more tomorrow!

Posted on August 17, 2011August 17, 2011 by yarnmama — 1 Comment

Sunday fun

We had a rare but nice relaxing Sunday afternoon here in Nashville. The weather was pretty mild in comparison to what it has been so I took my NOOK outside after dinner to get some reading done. I started Crush by Alan Jacobson which is the second inthe Karen Vail series. It falls pretty quick on the heels of the first one. It takes place in the Napa Valley where she and Robby are on vacation. They are quickly drawn into a murder investigation when a body is discovered in the area. I am about 25% in already so a fun and quick read so far.

I wasn’t alone for long however but I did get an opportunity to try out my new phone’s camera. It us not bad at all actually. It is also so easy to upload right to my social networking sites and my blog. I had fun playing with it and took some cute shots of my littlest hams. :-)

Okay gotta get some trip shopping and laundry done today.

Posted on August 15, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Good Reads

Well I finished the book I was reading The 7th Victim that I told you about last week and it was quite an interesting read. Now, I admit that I saw where it was going, long before the main character did, but there was a twist I hadn’t predicted. I am excited to start the next episode in Crush. As I said before, I think, this is not the genre I usually read, but it is one of my favorite TV/Movie genres. It’s nice to have light reading sometimes in between more challenging stuff, no?

I am still listening to the The Moonstone when I can and it’s wrapping up the mystery about now in the last two hours. Being 19th century English literature, it’s much more descriptive and complex. It’s got a larger cast of characters some of which you don’t get much advantage to know very well, so I find I can’t listen to it and be doing something that requires my full concentration. I mostly listen while driving or occasionally while knitting something easy, like a simple sock.

I will be on the road next week on the way to Allegan, MI for the Michigan Fiber Festival so that will be a good chance to finish it up. I haven’t yet picked out what other book I will download for the trip. I found none of the 3 for 2 credit offerings at Audible.com this week to my liking, but I do have quite a few in my wish list. I am leaning towards Christine Falls or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets such mixed reviews that I am not sure I even want that one. I am pretty sure I would like Christine Falls. Anyone got any feedback on either of these?

Knitting is still moving along at a snail’s pace. I have started the gusset on the second sock but that’s it. No new picture. Just scroll down and imagine that one a little longer. Winking smile

We have been labeling yarn and packing more stock in the trailer for our trip next week. We are going to Allegan, MI, as I said above and from there we will go straight to Schaumburg, IL for Stitches Midwest. We will be in booths 323-325. I’ll be blogging more from the shows. Smile

Okay parting picture for the day (can’t have a post without a picture) are these of Elijah playing on Emma’s bed among her menagerie.

Posted on August 12, 2011 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

On to the Next One

This is all I’ve got for knitting content folks. Better than nothing, but it’s not too exciting for you. I am enjoying knitting with this yarn though and the finished sock feels good. My only slight annoyance is that I went ahead and knit them with the short row heel rather than converting to a heel flap and I wish I hadn’t. I know the short row heels don’t fit my foot as comfortably, but for some reason ignored that and thought that maybe this time would be different. Why do we do things like that? Anyway, it’s an okay fit, but a heel flap would have been better.

I should be knitting my Sprossling, but for some reason I am just not in the mood right now. Socks are about all I can manage right now. We are trying to get so much done right now since we will be on the road soon for the late summer and fall shows and won’t be home very much for that whole season. I am also trying to focus on the children’s lessons while I can too, so that just really doesn’t leave much time left for knitting, and certainly nothing which requires much concentration. I want mindless wind down time stuff, so socks fit that bill.

Speaking of wind down time, after finishing The Help last week, I wanted another very easy to read book, so I shopped my stash on my Nook and decided on a Free Friday download from awhile back. 7th Victim is not my usual genre, but I do like crime dramas and currently am watching my way through Criminal Minds, and this book is very similar to that. It is, in fact, about a serial killer and the main character is a lone woman who is a FBI profiler. It’s good, and even bought the second book with this character,Crush, for when I finish this one. So far there are two more after that if I want to read more.

I have noticed that since I got my Nook I have read many books I might not otherwise have tried. I used to stick mainly to Classics, and still do read them a lot, but it’s fun to have choices from modern authors too for a change. I am currently listening to The Moonstone on my iPod for my Classics fix. I can do that while doing monotonous chores and while driving. I just hate to waste that driving time, don’t you? I have 3 credits at Audible.com that I haven’t used yet. I think I’ll wait for the 3 books for 2 credits sale later this month. I don’t know when that starts though, just that it will be this month. Anyone have a membership and know?

Posted on August 5, 2011 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Category: Reading

Lights in the darkness

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Ella Funt finished

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Knitting and other ramblings

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Ch, ch, ch, ch, Changes

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I used to be a Knitter….

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Stitches is over for another year and new socks

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Post from Audible for Android

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Sunday fun

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Good Reads

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On to the Next One

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