Yummy Mummy Wristwarmers

Several of you emailed me with a request for this pattern. It is a free Ravelry download.

If you haven't joined Ravelry, a free site for knitters and crocheters, allow me to encourage you to go there and register. There are currently over half a million registered members.

I admit to spending way too many hours browsing patterns, and finished objects made by the members. I have my own projects page and my user name is Fibermania. I have also designed a bunch of patterns and have a designer page under Melody Johnson. It is so fun!

This is also where I found local knitters and semi-local knitting groups.

I have a ton of knitting books and magazines, but since Ravelry offers a search engine where one can find just exactly what one needs, well, it makes everything else kinda obsolete.

When a person likes a particular project they can comment or just collect it as a favorite (with a heart symbol), and save it for future inspiration. This saving as a favorite shows up on the project page of the maker and shows how many times the page has been visited. One of the most 'faved' of my projects is the recent Simon Cowl.

Of course there are a ton of free patterns or pay as you knit patterns, but so inexpensive. I just found another pattern for mitts that I just have to make. Here. One can join groups with themes that may focus one on a particular idea. I have joined such varied groups as East Tennessee Knitters, Just a Scarf, Quilters Knitting, to the Barefoot Contessa group. Wha? Well the idea is that people in the group share an interest in something similar. They can get to know you by forums, or comments, emailing through message pages, or just watching your uploads of what you are making.

Kinda like a worldwide knitting party. I have had comments from people from Russia, Germany, Australia, and Canada. We are all addicted to needlearts.

Gift Knitting

These strange things are all the rage with the Twilight set. My niece especially. My sister says that the closer I can get to the color of the ones worn by Alice in the film, the more my niece will like them.

Lucky for me, I had just the right yarn, merino superwash dk. Very soft, not the least bit itchy and so turquoise-y.

These were a cinch to knit with a nice gusset for the thumb area. When this fashion dwindles I can always go back and add the rest of the mitten. Pattern available for free here.

I prefer, for myself, these beauties.

I have the pattern and am just scrounging through my stash for the right yarn. O, I will finish them off as mittens, being Out of it and Proud of it.

The Entertainment Gene

Here's the proof. China, silver, place cards, candles and decorations. Brooke knows how to set a beautiful table, no?

There must be bacon...Brooke even had a bar of bacon chocolate to share.

Basil-garlic butter-corn, and after the broccoli is cranberry marshmallow salad and homemade Parker House Rolls made by my b-i-l Terry. Wonderful.

Niece Glory is now 14 and what a lovely young lady. She is modeling my Mitered Kerchief.

It was a lovely day for a drive into Chattanooga and an even lovelier time to begin new traditions. Brooke mentioned that this was our first Thanksgiving together. Wha? She is 44 and I am 61 and this is the first time we have shared this holiday? How did that happen?

Brooke was almost two years old when I (19) married my first husband, September 1967. We moved to Colorado for several years (USAF) and when we finally returned to Illinois I think we may have had one Thanksgiving with our family...but Brooke was like maybe 8. Not too memorable for either of us, I guess. Then events transpired to prevent further occurrences of the day. (How's that for leaving out gory details?)

So with all that behind us now, we are forming new traditions for our special occasions, including putting up the Christmas tree. We loaned their family our tree, since we are coming back to their place for Christmas and Dave brought home a Norway Spruce for our yard. It is staying outside, as it about 14 feet tall. Pictures will follow when it gets decorated.

We concluded that doing Thankgiving like this, prepared mostly ahead of time and sharing the dishes, made this a really easy holiday dinner. There was no football, no movie watching, just talking, laughing and eating and decorating the tree. Sometimes simple is best.

Thanksgiving Turkey Lasagna

Everything starts with a good ovenproof container. Actually I started a few days ago and roasted the unstuffed turkey in an oven bag, took off the whole breast afterwards and then simmered the rest of the cooked bird and vegs to make a good broth and the O So Necessary Gravy.

Removing skin, bones and icky things with no name, slice in large chunks.

Pour in a bit of the highly seasoned broth, and top with a layer of turkey breast.

Top that with dressing, made with Pepperidge cornbread stuffing mix, flavored with apples, raisins, cooked Jimmy Dean Hot pork sausage, sauteed onions, garlic and celery, broth and lots of butter.

Keep layering meat and dressing until the container is full and looks like a magazine picture.

Pour the remaining broth over all, since none of us wants dry dressing or turkey. Cover with foil and Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the aroma begins to drive everyone nuts. Un-foil and let the top brown for 10-15. Dig in.

Yesterday I made pumpkin pie for me and my sister. Cool Whip awaits.

And then pecan tarts for the undiscriminating. I intend to eat plenty of both.

I am wearing expandomatics, in black.

Glad You Dropped By...

It's the Blog's 5th Anniversary and I am so glad to have your company. Thanks for your continued support and also for your perseverance and patience, as you wait for your favorite subject to reemerge.
Having this place to spew, show and tell, and sometimes whine, and sometimes celebrate...has saved what little sanity I have. And your comments mean so much to me.
Recently I have received some 'love emails' from readers thanking me for the blog, but no, it is I who must thank you, for returning and reading and encouraging me.

Now that I have retired, the blog is my 'boss' and it gives me a reason to keep on keepin' on, so I'll have something to show for my lazyass self-indulgent time-wastin' procrastinating-not-ever-finishing-the-laundry life.
I am considering writing a book on how to lose weight without getting out of your easy chair. It has something to do with being so occupied with something you love that you forget to eat.
As if.
Lovestamundo to you all and thanks for dropping by.
Melody

Mitered Diamond Poncho


Easy to make poncho is really a big square made up of mitered diamonds.
Using Noro Kureyon, and size 8 needles, cast on 41 stitches for each diamond and decrease on the three center stitches as follows: Right side only, slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over.

Begin at square one, of course, and pick up stitches along finished edge of that square for #2.

Pick up 20 sts and cast on 21. Knit in garter or choose 3 rows stockinette and do the fourth in reverse stockinette (K on wrong side) to form this design.

For the wrist and neck triangles: Right side: decrease one stitch at each side as well as center decreases. Bind off when 5 stitches remain.

To make the collar: Pick up stitches around the edges of the neck triangles and knit for 5-10 rounds as desired.

Finishing: sew underarm seams from wrist to half way toward bottom points. Block! for size.

Cowlabunga !

It feels like playing dress-up with color. I needed an all purpose neckwarmer that would go with anything in my wardrobe and this fills the bill. Purples, pinks, orangey reds, aqua, green, lavender. Just about everything but yellow.

Wear it loose or fastened and feature the color of the garment or its contrast.

Knit in seed stitch it integrates the changing yarns for a better blend. I used alternating hand dyed yarns, two rows of each and changed colors every 2"-3". This left me with lots of ends to weave in, but worth it.

Pattern: Leftover merino hand dyed sock yarns, such as Koigu, Sophie's Toes or Yarn2dye4

Size 3 Addi turbo circular needles

Crochet cast on 60 stitches to facilitate the three needle bind off at the end.

Knit in Seed Stitch: Right side-K1, P1, Wrong side-P1,K1, until desired length.

Join with three needle bind off.

Slippers into Socks

These slippers are often seen on knitting sites and knitting books and are kind of a puzzle to make. See these directions which are in Finnish, but the picture tells it all.

Are you back yet?

Looks simple here shown in parts, but really does anyone really want to be sewing these together?

Why can't we just knit them in one piece?

So that question got under my skin today and I had to make them without having to sew squares together. While I was at it, I thought why can't I make the same pattern into a sock?

IT WORKED!!

I kept trying it on as each mitered diamond was added and knew from my recent mitered mittens how to make a tube from these units. But when it came to the heel I had to go on faith that everything would be molded to the shape of my foot. Feet are not square, yet all the parts of this sock are. Knitting is just amazing to me.

This Side view shows a pretty shallow heel, yet it does gain stretch from the adjacent side diamonds. The diamonds for the ankle are partnered with mitered triangles front and back, and then the cuff is picked up from that flat top part. I used these several yarns and did not cut one thread. I know I will not be using this as an actual garment, so I can unravel these and knit them with the good yarn that I do plan to wear.

Since I had the squares from my mitered mitten study lying around, I started with those and just kept adding squares, picking up stitches from the previous square. Looking at the pictures of the slippers above told me when and where to pick up stitches to make the heel.

The underside of the sock.

Pattern: This is a study and uses worsted weight wool, size 5 dpns and is based on a 25 stitch mitered square. The gauge is 3.5"on the diagonal and 2.5" as the base of the square. (Square and diamond are the same thing in this case). See this pattern for the directions and use the pictures above for the placement of each square.

Knitters!

For a few weeks I have been on the search, doing detective work, to find a knitting group to join and perhaps make some friends. Now I have found three! And maybe one or two more...

The one I attended yesterday was LOUD which I loved, because it engenders enthusiasm and lifts the spirits when you have to shout across the table to be heard. Nutty? Yup.

The thing about knitters for me is that there is very little competition. If you are a beginner, there will be plenty of helpers, and if you are fabulously expert, you will inspire others and offer
hints that help everyone. No one cares what you are making as long as you are enjoying it. (and where did you buy that yarn?)

For a stiff competitor like me, this is a good change of pace. I can be relaxed and just do my thing and listen...learn... and maybe make friends. My only problem is that I live so darn far away. There are no nearby groups, so I do have the hour's drive to get to them.

This group met in the Hobby Lobby in Hixson (where I managed to browse and not make a purchase!) and right nearby is the library which would work out just great for me, not to mention TJMAXX and Panera. O dear. Am I going for the extras or the group?

Another Knitting Group

I frogged yesterday's knit and began anew. Nothing like the first one, but I have a good idea for this one, so far anyway.

And I am off to try another new knitting group which meets today in Hixson, and may include some gals I have already met. As you may know, the knitting group from the quilt shop ended when the shop closed, so hopefully some of them have been absorbed by this new group.

The directions for these mittens are now written and available here.

Sometimes a Great Notion...

...turns out to be a dopey idea. This looked good in the sketch, but the colors really aren't working together as I had hoped and so this will not become the neckwarmer, shawlette, collar or scarf or other finished but never-worn project.

But all is not lost. I discovered a better idea as I worked this and maybe I will have the fortitude to follow through. I really do like the long pointed rectangles, started here. I think they could be repeated, one attached to the previous one until a scarf is formed. Or not.

And I do love the yarn, just not all together in one project.

It must be my old age that has quenched the need for all colors, all the time. I do love looking at them, but I guess it's a case of been there done that which prevents me from repeating and repeating this same theme.

Hard to resist yarn candy. But experience being the great teacher, I know I would much rather have a garment or accessory that is less carnival and more coordinated.

So I will be frogging this experiment and will have nothing but neat little short yardage balls of yarn to show for my day of work. I am not upset. I know it's all in the process and if I learned something valuable, it was worth it.

Today I may finally plant the hosta that I bought in August. The leaves have all died off, so planting them just will be digging a hole and emptying the pots, with nothing on top to show for it. But I know (if the voles don't get them) something good will come of this work, eventually.

I am sensing a theme...