State Fair Update

Last week I went to a christian women's retreat at Cedine Bible Camp in Spring City, Tennessee. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. This was our cabin...


and this was our front yard.



It was a glorious spirit-filled weekend with breakout sessions and workshops. Marlean Felix, mother of olympian Allison Felix, was the guest speaker. This was my first time attending and I hope to attend another in 2009.

I went to the fair again yesterday and was able to take pictures of my entries. The quality isn't all that great since most of them were in glass enclosed display cases. I'll take more once I get them home on Monday.








We went to the fair again to see Anthony Hamilton in concert and the show was fantastic. He is truly and entertainer and not a studio artist like so many of them are today. He sounds just as great in person as he does on his cd's. The only downside was that we had to get there so early, 2:00 pm, because there was a football game scheduled that evening in order to find parking. Needless to say having been there for over 6 hours made for an exhausting day.

I finished the February Lady Sweater prior to the trip to Cedine and mom wore it while we were in the mountains. I forgot to get a picture then but will get one up soon. I love the way it turned out and she does to. I briefly toyed with the idea of making another but I'm not a fan of the rows and rows of garter stitch. She looks cute in it so I'll try to get her to model it for this week. Maybe by then I will have located my camera which seems to have disappeared. I can only hope that I didn't take it somewhere and forgot it.

State of Shock

I'm in a state of shock. I won the knitting sweepstakes prize at the SC State Fair! No details on the list so I don't know which entry won. I received 5 first place ribbons and 1 second place. I hope I can hold out going until Monday.

Catching Up

Wow! Time has really gotten away from me. While my knitting did go through a lull and I wasn't feeling all that great, I didn't realize that it has been well over a month since I last blogged.

Things picked back up last month and I've been working on the February Lady Sweater for the guild's kal. I've completed the first foot and started the second of my third pair of socks for SOS08.


I doubt that I'll get the fourth pair made since I'm busy working on some other special projects. One is the Andean Child's Cap for one of the special girls in my life. I need to add the straps and the pompom to complete it.


Last month I went to Florida for vacation and got caught up in TS Faye. The trip wasn't a complete bust as I got some knitting done and the hotel was great and the common areas very nice. The storm hung around for so long that we ended up driving through the tropical storm force rains on the way back home. That was an experience I hope to never repeat as there were times when I could barely see the highway.

It's time to think about Christmas knitting. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'm going to knit any gifts. If I do it will more than likely be a gift for my mother. My hands are itching to knit some of the Noro that's stashed into some type of modular garment. I'd like to make a jacket or cardigan which highlights the color changes. That's the short list for the moment unless I get sidetracked by one of the UFO's calling for some attention.

SOS08 2nd Pair

I finished the second of four pairs of socks for SOS08. These are basic toe-up socks with a short-row heel.


Specs:

Yarn: Online Supersocke Fun Color
Needles: 1 & 2 US Inox dpn's
Size: Women's 10
Stitches: 68 with 1x1 rib

I figured out my problem with the Viola sweater. For some reason I stopped the armholes way too short. It had to have been a brain fart but now I'm back on track with the front finished and working on the back.


I'll be searching for the next project patterns from either the Ralvery queue or the spreadsheet project list. At this time I'm still undecided about the next socks and the yarn for them. I want to do something a little complicated but portable. Any suggestions?

Third time up?

Twice I've knitted the front of the garter carriage sweater and twice I've gotten to the same point and made an unrecoverable error. It is so frustrating to knit over 200 rows at this fine a gauge and get stuck at the same point each time. Perhaps this is too advanced and I need more practice on easier garments before the knitting machine shaping will come to me.

My hand knitting slowed down a bit due to some sleep issues. I've gotten more sleep the past two nights than in the past two months and the mind is working better. I'm still working on the second pair of SOS08 socks. They're a basic toe-up pattern.


The next pair will probably be a Cookie A pattern. I broke down and purchased several that I had been eyeing for a while.

The pillows for the barbecue are finished. I sewed the last one yesterday and am so glad to have this project behind me. I may make a few smaller pillows from the leftovers.

I've been steadily picking tomatoes.



I planted banana peppers, tomatoes and bell peppers and the first two are going like gang busters. Last year I didn't have hardly any tomatoes, but this year I've been sharing peppers and maters with neighbors, friends and family. Next year I think I'll plant a few squash and zucchini plants if I can find the space. At one time I had a large garden and it's something that I really enjoy doing. I love the summertime because of all the fresh fruits and vegetables available. The heat I hate, but the food I love.

Embossed Leaves

Specs:

Pattern: Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Potluck Water
Needles: 2 US dpn's and 2 US addi Turbo Lace for Magic Loop
Size: 9..5
Started: June 21, 2008 Finished: July 4, 2008

No mods except I knitted my pointy toe. The shape of my toes isn't suitable for round toe socks.


This is the back of the machine knit sweater I'm working. I made an error on the front and then made it worse so I'll have to start that piece over.

I've cast on sock #2 for sos08. They are a pair of plain socks for the moment in Online Supersock Fun Color. These will be for mom as I decide which pattern to use for the next pair. My biggest dilemma is deciding whether or not I'm going to knit any thing to enter into the state fair. I want to in a way, but I'm not sure if I want to devote my knitting time to the projects. I'll have to make a decision one way or the other.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the usual afternoon thunderstorm. I love the sound of rain falling.

Butter Beans

Saturday morning I got up early and traveled with my sister-in-law to Blythewood, SC to pick fresh farm grown vegetables. We opted for the butter beans and corn. I was able to pick almost a half bushel which cost only $7.00!


I shelled all the beans Saturday and cooked some on Sunday. They were delicious. I haven't tried the corn. Mom is making creamed corn tonight.

I finished the first Embossed Leaves sock this evening.


It never ceases to puzzle me that I still have to consult the directions for doing the kitchener stitch. I'm sure part of the problem is that I so rarely knit socks from the top-down that I don't get enough practice. One day it will all click, but until then I'm grateful for Knitting Help.

This afternoon I cast a sweater on the knitting machine. I've been listening to the chug-a-lug of the garter carriage since then. I'm using the v-neck pattern from this book Caernafron Castle. It's not as complex as it looks so I"m hopeful that I can complete this one. It's for mom and I already have several on the to-do list.

I'm still working on the cushions and have switched to the assembly line approach. It's not necessarily faster but it is more organized. I'll use the long holiday weekend to knock this project on out.