Tech - Schmec!

Wednesday October 19, 2005
I'm so disgusted with all my technology stuff. My computer continues to drive me batty on a daily basis. My photo card reader seems to be dead. My battery charger isn't working the way it usually does.
My only consolation is that my knitting needles don't take batteries, don't have any "drives", and don't have to 'read' anything. I love low-tech!!LOL
I took pictures of Lake Michigan on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday evening I took pictures of my K4C knitting that I got done last week. I haven't been able to upload them.

October evening at the beach

I stopped by Silver Beach in ST. Joseph, MI this evening. Got a far-away shot of the lighthouse. It's kind of sad to see the snow fence up already. It will keep the parking lot clear all winter though, so I can't complain. I have to get my Lake Michigan fix every time that I go into town. When we were walking the fur babies at 1 am we could hear the waves down on the beach. We are about an eigth of mile + or - from the lake here at home. We don't have any access here. But, we sure can hear the action of the waves when it is windy down there. It adds a whole new dimension to our walks on the windy days. I love that sound. Since I can't have the ocean in my back yard, this is wonderful.

I took my camera to the farmers market in downtown Benton Harbor this afternoon. I meant to get a picture of the market. It was a beautiful sunny day and the market always looks so nice with all the blue canopies in rows around the lot. I have so enjoyed going to the market every friday. I will miss it and look forward to it next summer. It has been such a positive addition to the downtown area. And of course the fresh locally grown produce and flowers have been wonderful. I have had fresh flowers in the house most of the summer. thanks to the market venders. Anyway, I forgot to take a picture. Phooey!

I can hardly believe that the month is half gone, already. I am not quite half done with my goal for my CIC knitting. I did work on it this week, a little.
I finished up this wool-ease scarf and hat for Stand Up For Kids. My camera just doesn't take good pics of dark colored objects. Of course if the flash worked it would help.
I started another scarf to match a hat that I just finished in Jiffy yarn. It is just 14 sts on size 15 us neeldles and garter st. This set will go to SU4K, also. I think that this set will be my last for this year. I need to concentrate on some other things.


This is a pic of a multi-directional scarf that I a making from Bernat Super Saver. I am not really a fan of any of these yarns. But I have tons of it and I really wanted to make another chemo hat and a matching scarf for Laura. This set is going to take a little while so I think that I will send her the other hats that I have done already. It is getting colder here in Michigan and she lives in Ludington which is about 2 hours north of here. I'm sure she needs them by now. I wore a hat one night last week out walking the fur babies.
I love the multi-directional knitting. This pic doesn't show it very well in this darker yarn. It is striping up really nicely, tho.
I tried some Mountain Colors yarn in the color called garnet. It is so vibrant and rich, it looked great, but I was using the new multi-dir. zigzag pattern that Iris sent me and I made a boo-boo and had to take it out. I will have to re-start next week. I want to be sure to get it done and get the picture up on the website for others to see. I know how much I like being able to see each pattern done in various yarns.
I am still trying to save my pennies so that I can get some ArtYarn when my Modular Knits book comes. LYS is till trying to get it, back ordered, bummer. I really am a yarn snob, but my budget doesn't allow me to indulge my love of fine yarns and fibers. Gotta get that J-O-B!
Gotta go click my needles and get some sleep. lol
DJ

Wednesday October 12,2005

On the knitting front:
Just a quick note. I knitted a pair of booties for Warm Hearts/Warm Babies last night and started a scarf in the new ZigZag pattern that Iris Schreier sent me yesterday. I am still neglecting my CIC knitting. I feel bad about it, but this sweater isn't very creative and it isn't very fast and that is what I need right now. Fast and creative! I will get that sweater done. but, it might be at the last minute.
Job hunt:
Still no job. I will be hitting the road tomorrow after my Dr. appt. and see if I can come up with something, anything.
Gotta go click those needles,
DJ

Mrs Busy Needles!

Knitting Blitz!
I had the needles clicking all weekend. I was able to get 11 preemie hats done for Knitting for Children's Lubbock challenge. I also got 3 pair of booties done for Warm Hearts/Warm Babies.
When I took this pic, I thought that I was done with the K4C knitting for the weekend. But I got a change to add another hat and the booties. Yeah! I am going to start back in on my CIC knitting now. I have been neglecting it. I really want to at least finish the 2 sweaters that I currently have on the needles to go with the one that I posted about a week or so ago. I had hoped to get at least one pr. of CIC soxies done too this month. We'll see.
I'm still looking for a j-o-b. So, that is slowing things down in the knitting time. If I actually get a j-o-b, I will really lose knitting time. Bummer. Can someone tell me why I was'nt born independently wealthy, please! This being poor is for the birds. hee-hee-hee. I really do have so much. I just want everything! My knitting time and money too. that shouldn't be too much to ask. lol
Am applying tomorrrow for a retail auditing position that dd3 turned down because as better one came along. Its only part time and she got something with more hours and more potential.
Gotta go vacuum and then get my needles clicking while I finish the laundry. yuk!
knitting is more better!
\Hugs, Dj

Saturday, again!

Saturday October 9, 2005
I can't believe that it is Sat. again and I'm just finally getting back here. I have had my needles clicking.
I have only gotten to the mid-sleeve area on one of the sleeves of the CIC sweater in the last post. I have knitted 4(getting ready to finish no. 5) preemie hats for Lubbock. I made a pair of mittens for the Head Start Center and have another pair to the point of starting the thumbs.
Is it yarn yet?!?!
I finally made a drop spindle on friday evening and actually spun about 18 inches of yarn. Well......I guess its yarn. It's some funky looking stuff. It was fun, but I would prefer to have someone holding my hand. I'm just going by info in an old SPIN-OFF magazine and some info that I got of the net. I can see that I am going to have to practice several times a week if I ever want to get "real" yarn. I have quite abit of angora to spin, once I get to the point that I can really make decent yarn. I know, patience, patience.
Gotta go click my needles,
DJ

More CIC Knitting Fun

Saturday October 1,2005

I finally found another pattern to try, since I like doing sweaters from the neck down. I am sort of adapting a couple of patterns to try to come up with something that I can live with. I want fast because I am a slow knitter. the pattern has to compensate for my lack of speed. I started this this morning, I have since added several rounds. It doesn't look like much right now. I think from what I have seen with all the top-down baby cardigans that I have knit, that this is going to work out for me. I'm certainly hoping, anyway. This is Lopi in a nice rich deep golden color. I have a lot of Lopi, so this will be great if I can work out the pattern.

Here is a picture of the batch of things that I sent to Univ. Med. Center in Lubbock last month. They are all preemie size. The hats are mostly from various baby sport wt. yarns. 1 or 2 are Caron Simply Soft. I think the little booties are Bernat Softee Baby or something like that/baby spt. wt. These little things are so much fun to knit. Easy Peasy! I am working on a little preemie hat right now as my computer time project. It is Bernat Baby/fingering wt. But I am using 2 strand at once and size 5 needles. It is a little more firm than I like, so next time I will use size 6.

Here is a picture of dd Kim and dgs Anthony. Kimie caught this northern pike in the Black River in South Haven, MI; upstream from where it empties into Lake Michigan. they had a great time and Kimie loves beating the guys at "their" game. hee-hee-hee! I just wish that I had thought to have him turn the fish sideways, so it would show up better. But, this is proof that a fish was caught that day, and we all know that even tho Kimie let Ant'ny hold it, she was the champ that day!
Time to call it good and get some e-mail read(if the puter let's me) and got to get back to the knitting for CIC.
Happy knitting all,
DJ

Fun and Games

Having fun on the computer. Oh, yeah! It's been a royal pain in the neck. But, I finally got here.
This is a picture of the little sweater that I made for CIC for the fall challenge. I am not happy with the neck and may frog it and re-knit the neck opening. I stayed up all night last night to finish it. The particulars on yarn are in my last post. I have been looking all evening for a different pattern to use. That was kind of a waste of time. I may just modify this one. It was knit in one piece, from the bottom up and I prefer to knit from the neck down. I think I may justt try to turn the pattern upside down, sort of!

I don't know what happened, I just uploaded another pic. Well, I thought that I did. and Blogger told me that it had successfully uploaded. But, I don't see it here. Well, if it shows up when I publish this post, it is a pic of the last batch of sox that I sent to CIC for the summer of sox challenge. The pic isn't very good. They were such nice colors and they all just look dark in the pic. I don't have flash on my camera. It got dropped by someone on the pavement and that took care of the flast feature.
Well, I am calling it a night. More pics to come in future days if my puter continues to work.
Oh, cool! I just went back and edited and was able to add the pic!

Happy knitting,
DJ