Reading Circle

I’m currently gobbling up the Raylan novels by Elmore Leonard. They are so good! Most people know the name Raylan Givens from the show on FX called Justified. It’s the show that got me to reading the novels. 

 While the books have a different setting than the show, the main character, Raylan, a U.S. Deputy Marshal, is exactly the same. And honestly, isn’t that the biggest part of a story–the hero?

In contrast, Justified gives a spotlight to the antagonist, Boyd Crowder, and it’s like watching Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp together. They’re on opposite sides of the law, but they look out for each other at times, or maybe they are forced into joining forces as circumstances demand.

Both the novels and show are good. I recommend them both.

 

 

The Yarn is Nearly Finished!

Here’s one of four spools of yarn I plied last night.

This is a niddy-noddy, and the yarn I have on the afore mentioned spools will wind onto this little gadget.

Taking the yarn from the niddy-noddy, the yarn becomes what is known as a hank. The hank will have to then be soaked in a tub of soapy water over night, rinsed, then hung up to dry. Once dry, I can wind the hank into a ball of yarn and begin knitting with it.

In other knitting news, I have nearly finished my Norwegian sweater. I only have to secure and cut the steeks (pictures will follow), then attach the arms to the sweater. I will then block the sweater on a special sweater tree that will give the sweater its form. I hope to enter the sweater in the county fair this year as well as the TRON double-knit scarf I made for my eldest daughter.

Christmas in May

My Christmas Cactus blooming in late May.

Spring?

We’ve had record cold temps down here the last few days. It seems the grip of winter isn’t letting up so easily. I guess after having been nipped the last two years, winter is clinging as long as it can.

I’ve finish carding all of Lovee’s fur with the merino and now I have to finish spinning it. I think if I really buckle down, I can finish spinning it in the next week to ten days.

I finished Leighana’s TRON scarf, it turned out awesome!

I have a Norwegian sweater to cast on, plus I still haven’t finished my LORD OF THE RINGS SCARF. I plan to get back to work on it when I’m done with Loo-Loo’s scarf.

What I’ve Been Up To

Okay, so I’ve been absent a good while, but I haven’t been idle. I’ve got several projects going on at once.

I have figured out how to make the dog hair yarn and have started brushing it together. I also fixed my spinning wheel. Someone spun the wheel when my drive belt wasn’t on there good and the whole belt tangled up around the wheel shaft and I had to cut it off and make a new one.

I’m making a creeper plushie for my oldest twin boy. It is Tunsian Crochet and I don’t have a pattern. I am using pictures I find online to figure out the pieces I’ve had to make and sew together. Obviously, I don’t have it stuffed yet, either.

I’ve been working on a couple double-knit projects. The One Ring Scarf from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein.

I created a TRON pattern for a scarf that I will give to my eldest daughter.

I am also working on making embroidery scripture pieces for the Soaring Wings Quilts that go to the foster children of the Soaring Wings Ranch that is in Holland, Arkansas (that’s near Conway).
My friends and I have been doing this for 7 1/2 years now and have made 78 quilts so far. By the end of this month, we will have made over 80 quilts. The tops are sewn by machine, then the sandwich (top, batting, and backing) is hand-quilted together.

I am also quilting for myself, well, for my new nephew that was born on the 8th of this month. I hope to have his quilt finished in a couple of w

Knit It Again, Sam

I’m trying desperately to knit up this cable sweater. It is causing me so many problems, I decided to knit up a scarf, instead. It is The One Ring scarf from Ravelry

It’s double-knit, and it is going much faster than I thought it would.

Knit it again

This is my sweater in its new form. You can’t see it right now, but in a few weeks it will become a beautiful cabled sweater.

Happy New Year

Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful 2013. May we all keep our New Year’s resolutions, and if none are made, then have a great year, making the most of it!

The Frog Pond

Here’s the body of my Irish Sweater

 

 

But there is a big problem with the very first cable pattern. I twisted the middle cable wrong and hence, the cables don’t weave in and out like they should. So, I had to dive into the frog pond and rippitt, rippitt, rippitt. When I climbed out of the frog pond, here’s what my sweater looks like now.

 

I will have a sweater with no mistakes and possibly a complete memorization of this cable pattern 🙂 

 

 

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We had quite the snowstorm last night. We received about 10 inches here in North Central Arkansas.

It’s a winter wonderland out there!