FO, & A short visit...

I finally finished the Noro Kuryeon Shawl! Took me just under a month and ended up using all 6 skeins. Weaving in all the ends was a real PITA. Here it is, as yet unblocked:

I also took a short trip to my home town of B--- and visited my grandparent's grave for the first time in years. I had a horrific childhood, and my grandparents, particularly my grandmother, were the only people in my life who truly cared about me. Here is a pic of their grave, with the flowers I left from myself and my daughter in the middle:

A big thank you to my Nouna Joanie for offering to come with me, and putting up with my brief (I hope!) walk down memory lane.

Time to Tat!

Today is International Tatting Day! So grab some chocolate and a glass of your favorite libation and hit that needle/shuttle! Don't know how to tat? GASP!!!! Oh my, you just gave me an attack of the vapors! never mind - you can learn how here:

This 'n' Tat - Shuttle Tatting Lessons

If you are a more visual learner, try this video:

Tatting From Start to Finishing (Shuttle tatting)

And finally, Needle Tatting instructions: Video - Needle Tatting, Double Stitch Illustrated - First Steps in Needle Tatting

Which way do I tat? Well, mostly needle, as shuttle tatting tends to make my hands hurt - and I've never been very good at it!

Why should I tat, I hear you ask. Well, because it's a beautiful art form, there is pride in making things with your own two hands, and it helps you to slow down, relax and enjoy being in the moment - all good things!

And just to whet your appetite, here's some tatted eye candy:

COTW: Three Cheers For Captain Vegetable!

Ahh, the classics never die:

Tatting Thread SALE!

I was at Joann Fabrics yesterday and couldn't believe my eyes! They now carry Lizbeth Tatting Thread! One of the very top of the line threads out there - at Joann Fabrics! So I snagged myself several balls for a few reasons:

-I am a tatting fiend, and thread hoarding is a part of the sickness.

-Lizbeth threads are some of the very best out there - their variegated shades are still hand dyed.

-They were all ON SALE!!! I normally would pay $4/ball + s&H. Joann had them for $2.99, no s&H.

Yeah, I know this makes me even more of a fiber geek than I already was, but...I have Lizbeth thread and YOU don't! (But you could, if you hurry to Joann Fabrics - I think I left a few!)

Birthday loot!

My daughter and son in law gave me a gift certificate to Yarn Market! I snagged me some Noro Kureyon, color #240, "Pinks & Purples". Here it is in the box:

And here's a closeup of 2 of the skeins:



And here's the naughty kitty who thinks she's cuter than any old yarn:



What a couple of great kids - thanks, guys!

COTW

As (almost) always, for you, Pemma!

Beanies Abound!

I've finished off three beanies over the past two days, two pinks and a green. The green one isn't in the photo because I need to re-work the brim. Here are the other 2:

On left is Beanie & Cecil from my own pattern - available for free in the right sidebar. On the right is the Twin Stitch Variation of The Solid DC Skully.

Both are made from KnitPick's Shine Sport in "Blush". The crochet skully used a size 7 hook (4.5mm). This version of Beanie & Cecil used size 4 dpns(3.5mm). I did modify the pattern to work better with the sport weight yarn. If interested, leave me a message and I'll let you know just what I did.

One FO, One SIP

That's one Finished Object and one Shawl-in-Progress for those of you who don't speak knit.

First, the FO. 'Tis a plain & simple pair of grey mittens for meself:

The Details:

Pattern: Classic 4 Needle Mittens from Purple Kitty

Yarn: Vanna's Choice, 1 skein "Silver Grey" ( 860-149)

Needles: Set of 4 double pointed needles, U.S. #4 (3.5 mm)

Here's the obligatory kitty shot:

(Special thanks to HRH Isabella, Queen of Spain for deigning to pose for me.)


Now the SIP. It's a shawl, just starting out, with enormous help from the custom stitch markers my daughter made for me, never mind the yarn she gifted me to knit it with! Eventually, it will have a forest green border on it. More pics to come soon...

The Details:

Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in soft grey/silver (8407) & dark/forest green(8267).

Needles: Size 10, U.S. (6mm)

Pattern: "Akimbo" by Stephen West

Please send a message to my daughter, KnavyKnitter on Ravelry, for details on the gorgeous stitch markers she made!

COTW - A tribute to my bald sisters!

Gotcha Covered

Well, my new Kindle2, at least! Sorry the pics are fuzzy, but here is my FABULOUS Kindle, all kitty-fied:



The skin is from DecalGirl, who has a HUGE selection of skins for Kindles, Nooks, iPhones, laptops, you name it!

All Shawl, Y'all!

Finished another gray shawl:

Details:
Pattern: All Shawl by Doris Chan
Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun in "Edwardian"(#790-312 )& "Candy Apple"(#790-375)
Hook: "L" (U.S.)

The edging is minus the very last (Picot Fan) row for 2 reasons: 1) I disliked the “nipple” effect the picots gave it and 2) I wasn’t sure I’d have enough yarn to finish the whole row anyhow!

The model in the second photo is, of course, HRH The Duke of York, who deigned to grace the shawl with his furry seal of approval.

COTW - Bill Bailey + Legos

For Emma, as always. Enjoy!

New Shawl Finished

This is a simple V Shawl, in a color of Lion Brand Homespun I love, "Edwardian". Details below the photo.

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun, "Edwardian" (790-312)
Needles: Size 11 (U.S.)
Pattern: V Shawl free from Lion Brand Yarn

COTW - Kitteh!

I am pleased to announce the return of the COTW (Clip of the Week)! It isn't usually my own video, but I recently shot a little clip of HRH Isabella, Queen of Spain (Izzy for short) trying to take a snow bath, so I thought I'd share it. Enjoy!

Peace,
Liz

Here we go again!

UPDATE: The prize has been claimed! A $10 donation was made to the winner's favorite charity. The correct answer was: William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

I swore I wasn't going to have a blog anymore, but.....I missed it! All of my free patterns will be posted in the sidebar very soon, as well as various buttons and banners.

Today I just wanted to get things started. Here's a piccy of a Christmas gift I received from my mother in law. I give you:

THE KNITTING SHEEP!

How cool is that?! My wonderful daughter and son in law gave me a freakin' Wii!!! They also gave me the Wii Fit+ and a whole boatload of nifty Wii accessories. Did I raise a good kid or what?

Well, that's it for now, but more bloggish stuff to come soon, I promise!

Peace,
Liz

P.S. A small prize goes to the first person to tell me where my blog title comes from!