Sunday, December 28, 2008

Merry Christmas! Happy Bacon scarfing!

Hi!  I have been bacon scarfing!!


Hope you all had a great holiday and are enjoying your family and friends. 

 I am in Show Low and this evening Carson and I made a bacon scarf.  The photo to the right shows it up close along with a felting needle.  the photo on the right shows the finished product.  First you lay out the paper--it is made by Artfelt and is the base of the project.  You lay the roving on it and tack it with the felting needle at the color joins and the edges, it keeps it from  falling off of the paper.  Then you squirt it with water until the fabric and roving are soaked.  You lay a piece of plastic over it comes with the fabric) and roll it up.  You stick into a knee hi nylon, tie a knot in the end, and throw it in the dryer.  


It took 2 15 minute hot cycles in the dryer, then one more 10 minute cycle.  Then you put it in the sink and pour boiling water over it, which makes the paper dissolve.  

Amazing!  A wearable meat facsimile!  



















Wednesday, December 17, 2008

It's Christmas time!!!


BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! It is cold in the desert southwest triangle!  Cold in the desert is somewhere between the 40's and high 60's.  Mind you, that's the high.  We get colder at night.  Most people think that you can't get hypothermia here, but surprise!  You can!  
Speaking of getting cold, I know 4 ladies at San Luis High School that won't be getting cold because of a knitter who loves them!   Here she is:
 

This is Fran.  Fran has been a VERY BUSY KNITTER the last week.  See the abundance of capelets and scarves she is wearing AND knitting?  These are the products of ONLY ONE WEEK OF KNITtiNg!
Feel like a slacker?  I do.  SHe is wearing a capelet, three scarves, and is about to finish the capelet that she is knitting.  Here is a closeup:











Remember the picture of Maya knitting from her backpack two posts ago?  This is her mom.  Hmmmmmmm.............hey Maya, did you knit some of these for your mom and she is taking the credit?  Just wondering.   Maya was getting to be a seriously fast knitter last time I looked.  I bet that the lucky recipients of these knitterly gifts will be absolutely thrilled.   If you have ever worked in a school, you know how important the Secretaries are to the organization.  The Administrators can leave for conferences, etc., but when the Secretaries are gone, the whole thing falls apart.  Fran must get to work with some really great people, I am sure they all deserve these cool things.  
     
I wasn't going to knit anything for my TA's (kids who work in my office) this year.  So, I lined up all of my Christmas knitting and kind of mapped out my knitting schedule.  Then I decided to knit for my TAs.  As a knitter, it is hard to say no, even to yourself at this time of year.  So I started in with 2 hats and 4 pairs of fingerless gloves or wristwarmers.  Here are two of my TAs:


They went really fast.  I used a chunky weight yarn, size 9 needles, cast on 24 stitches and knit in a 2 X 2 rib until they were as long as I wanted, measuring from mid middle finger to a few inches past my wrist.  I picked up 14 sts on either side as if to knit, and did a 3 needle bindoff.  From the other end, I picked up 9 sts and did a 3 needle bind off, which left a thumb hole.  Just enough to keep your wrists warm, and you don't have to take them off to write, eat, or pass out tylenol!  

Better run---by the way, my blog topped 1000 hits this week.  I did have a comment from a reader from Sweden, but as I was trying to publish their comment I hit a wrong button and I lost it:(  .  If you read this, please write back, yours is only the second comment I have ever received on my blog!  I appreciate any feedback. Heck, I might even have a contest with a prize like some of my sock camp buddies.  

By the way---Sock Camp this year is during Spring Break, so I will feel even less guilty that last year.  I am excited--last year was Camp Crow's Feet, this year, it is 
Camp KnittyHaHa!  I wonder what the Blue Moon Crew has dreamed up, last year will be hard to beat!

I will post in a day or two---I actually finished my mom's Stahman shawl, I am knitting the border and will block it tomorrow:)  Happy Knitting1







Monday, December 15, 2008

Hi....my name is Blarg....

(use your best robot voice)

Hi.  My name is Blarg. I am looking for a boy named Blake.  I am Blarg the Monkey.  Blake is a boy who is loved by a knitter, which is a very good thing.









                                 
I have 9 green hairs and big green ears because I have supersonic hearing.  I have pink lips.  I have  a brown tattoo on my left shoulder.
If you kiss my tattoo good things 
will happen to you.









However, you cannot kiss my pink place under my tail because this is where I keep my Secret Monkey Powers.  








This is my friend Amy who is not a Monkey.  She also has a friend who is a knitter.This is a good thing.  When she wears her hat she has Special Powers, but not Special Monkey Powers. 

Good bye.  Must go find my friend Blake and get into some Monkey Business.... 








Tuesday, December 09, 2008

So much to knit, so little time!


Are you done with your holiday knitting yet?  Do you keep adding more projects to your list of gifts?  Mine keeps getting ridiculously long.  To the point that I am considering getting up at 4:30 or 5 every morning just to get some extra time in. I wasn't going to gift knitting to the TAs in my office,  but of course I changed my mind.  They are all getting wristwarmers or hats.  

 I haven't blogged in a long time because it takes up precious knitting time.  I am so excited tonight though that I can hardly go to sleep.  Why you ask?

Many reasons, and this photo shows one---This is Maya.  See what she is doing?  Knitting!  Maya is Fran's daughter, and she is knitting away on her first scarf. Check out the length of the scarf--she did this in about an hour, after she finished her homework, of course!  She even has her ball of yarn tucked into her backpack.  Very cool Maya!  Way to go!  



The next thing I am excited about is Sock Camp 09.  The first year it was called Camp Cockamamie, and I didn't find out about it early enough to go.  Last year, It was called Camp Crow's Feet, I went, and the rest of history.  This year, it is called Camp Knittyhaha.   Seriously, and even better, it is going to be held DURING SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So I am REALLY stoked!  It is going to be on Whidbey Island, I think.  More info will be sent out later, I can't wait!!! 

That's all for today.  I really need to blog a couple of times a week.  But dang it, it takes away from precious knitting time.  I promise to be a better blogger.  Seriously. It's "not that hard".  I have more photos from our knitting and the Garden, so I promise to post them next time, which will be soon.  Seriously.

Later!