Fingerless gloves

Here is a picture of the gloves that I made from the Mikado Ribbon yarn that I bought on clearance last week. I started with the cabled gloves from Knitty.com, but the cable was lost in the variegation of the yarn. I really like the easiness of this simple ribbed pattern. It is not quite as stylish as the cabled gloves, but if you are using a variegated yarn, this pattern is better suited. They are so quick and so comfortable. The cotton ribbon hugs your hand warmly.


















As you can see, they have a lot of elasticity. This is the pattern that I will use for my hand spun yarn. I have already cast on and have knit a few inches. I did not think that I would care for fingerless gloves. I thought that my fingers would still be cold and unprotected. I have decided that the warmth that they give the rest of your hand makes up for that. These are great for wearing when you have a lot of computer work. They keep your mouse hand warm and allow your fingers to be free to type. These are a definite "must have" and "must knit" project. Dig in your stash and try these out.
As far as my other knitting goes, I am almost 1/2 way done on 2 Table Runners. I have fallen into the "having too many projects going at one time" problem! I hope to finish the 2 Table Runners this week and not start another for a while. I will probably concentrate on the Ribbed Fingerless Mittens for a few weeks. They are very portable, brainless knitting and the fact that they use so little yarn is an added bonus. I know that you are just itching to check out the odd ball clearance at your local yarn store and start a pair! Email me if you want my version of a Ribbed Fingerless Mittens. I did not feel that there were enough stitches on the patterns that I found and I wanted the ribbed pattern to continue into the thumb gusset.

Super Tuesday

Today was the first time for our son, Ben, to vote. What an honor! The whole 9 years that I home schooled him, I took him with me to vote. I always explained the process and the privilege that the act was. I was not raised in a voting family. I can NEVER remember my mom or dad voting. It did not matter to them. They were like dead fish being carried down stream with all the other dead fish. When I met my husband that changed for me. My father-in-law is a WWII veteran. He was very serious about voting. I came to understand that if you don't vote, you can't complain about the way things go. My first election that I got the honor of voting in was for Ronald Reagan. I was SO proud to be an American. What a great man he was. Perfect? No. There are no perfects! Sometimes it comes down to the lesser of two evils, but even then, I WILL vote. Even if the election does not go the way I would hope, I WILL vote. I think that it is one of the most important parts of being an American.
I have a correction from yesterday's blog. My husband said that I misquoted him. He said that I was an "impatient tightwad". Okay, I am both impatient and patient, but I am definitely a tightwad.
I finished my Table Runner last night. I will use this one as a wedding present. Now, I have to get some more yarn to finish the other one or find another easy project. Maybe I will start another pair of clogs. I am so excited about getting Christmas presents finished!

Busy, productive weekend...

I had a busy, productive weekend. The weather cooperated and we got to go to the Spin-In at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR. The ladies at this guild are just the most amazing women. They enjoy all the crafts with such enthusiasm and I always come away with so many helpful hints and ideas. We bring out the best in each other. I, especially, adore Martha and Glenda. They are two that I love sitting and spinning with.


I finished almost 2 bobbins of spinning. I hope to get to ply these sometime this week.
I, also, started another lace Table Runner. I ran out of yarn on the one that I was working on and have not had the opportunity to go get another skein, so I had nothing brainless to knit on the winding roads. Upon digging in my "Loom Room", I came across enough of a tan cotton yarn to start another one. As you can tell by the picture, I am almost finished with it. I started it Friday night and will probably finish it in a couple of days. This is one of the designs that will be in my knitting lace tutorial that will be coming out in June. It is a sampler and quite enjoyable to make. It changes lace pattern stitches often enough to keep it from being boring and it is a rather quick, elegant knitting project. It makes a great wedding gift.


I have been waiting for a certain sewing machine to go on sale at Sears. It is still not at the price that I would like. But I have done all my homework and know that this is the one that I am going to buy. I have been saving for about 6 months and have enough to buy it, but I still can't bring myself to spend the money on it. I am what my husband calls "a patient tightwad". I like that! It made me laugh. It is so true of me. You could say that I am a commissioned salesman's worst nightmare. I keep telling myself that maybe it will go down lower in price. It is not like I have time to play with a new sewing machine right now, so I may wait and wait and wait. After all, I am a "patient tightwad". Yes, I like that!

Yes, I love my coffee

My friends all know that I am not a morning person and sometimes I need a nap in the afternoon. I am not a night owl, either, but have more of a tendency to be a late night knitter. The phrase "just one more row" comes to mind. It is hard to find a stopping place in my knitting. I get in the groove and time flies. So to put it mildly, I desperately need my coffee the next day. I love the taste of it, the smell of it when it is grinding and brewing. My alarm clock is the beep of my coffee maker. My sweet Michael sets it up for me the night before and lets me know when it is done in the morning. With this new carafe, it does not get that nasty taste of being on the burner too long. That is helpful if I have had a rough night with pain and need a few more ZZZZZZZZZZZZ's.
I forgot to mention one of my favorite gifts from my Michael. It is a CD of guitar music, no voices, no songs and very few, if any, other instruments. It is just pure, acoustical guitar beauty. It is called "Guitar Fingerstyle2". I love the sound of the fingers sliding on the frets. A cup of good coffee, my guitar music on, my heated throw on my lap, in my favorite chair, and an enticing knitting project with yummy yarn, spells pure comfort for me!!! (to my friends I would say that it makes "my liver quiver")
I finished my table runner last night. I have it soaking, ready to be blocked. I will photo it after I pin it out. I started the edging on another one. It is a nice project to always have going. Much better than socks. I almost know the pattern stitches by heart. I have worked them so much. Well, the blocking board is calling.