Lavendar Petals Scarf

I recently completed another quick knitting project.  This is a fun scarf that has a slot to slide the other side through. The pattern is aptly named, "Petals Scarf" by Jennifer Fleury, and you can find it on Ravelry. The pattern is suitable for beginners! I loved the pattern and will definitely be making more!

I used some yarn that I already had on hand, Plymouth Yarn, Baby Alpaca Worsted and used size 9 bamboo knitting needles. The yarn is of course super soft because it is 100% alpaca wool. The color number is 6071, and it may be a color that is discontinued, as I bought several skeins of this yarn from WEBS. Alpaca fiber is naturally very stretchy, so it is perfect for something like a scarf. This scarf took approximately 120 yards or about 60 grams of yarn to make, which  is roughly a skein, and then some.

Fall is definitely here, as I find myself knitting even more! However, the weather thinks it is still summer! I won't complain though, the wet Winter will be here before we know it! 

Keeping The Feet Warm

Not a whole lot of creativity going on here at the moment. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, I will be back to painting and refinishing furniture. In the meantime, I am lucky to get the laundry done!  I finished one of the socks I was knitting.

It's a bit too tight in areas and too long in others. It may end up getting frogged. For you knitters out there, you understand the term "Frogged."  I still really liked the pattern, "Flutter-by socks" by Shannon Robalino, which you can find on Ravelry,  I just realized after hours and hours of knitting, that I probably should have used size 2 needles and not size 1. I will eventually start all over with the same pattern, but use larger needles. Such is life. Socks are particularly hard as well. I know a few knitters that end up getting "Second Sock Syndrome." They finish one sock, and then have a hard time getting motivated about starting on the second one.  I'm there, and then some.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of some other socks that I knitted last winter.

Baby Cardi

I finished the Baby Cardigan I was working on.

The yarn.

 Early in the summer, when I was at St. Vincent de Paul's, I found a Ziploc bag that had 8 skeins of this yarn for only $1.50. I knew a good deal on wool yarn when I see it, no matter how crazy the colors were. The brand is OnLine Linie 157 Tessa Tweed and it is 100% virgin superwash wool.

This probably would have retailed for around $5.00 for a 50g skein. So I got a good deal. Now the colors, I wasn't crazy about, but I bought it anyway. I used about 3-4 skeins to make this cardi, that is supposed to fit a 6 month old baby. The pattern was easy, however the yarn kept splitting, so that was only slightly maddening. I tried multiple skeins and would repeatedly come across sections of the yarn that were split. Grrr. But for $1.50 for 8 skeins that WEREN'T acrylic, I can't complain.

Versatality

The Cape on the Corner thinks I am a versatile blogger and gave me an award! She is passing on via:
 

I think I found The Cape's blog through one of the many decor blogs that was featuring a furniture link up party. I clicked on her blog, did some reading and liked what I saw. She makes me laugh and I get her sense of humor. I also like her take on life. She asked me to list 7 interesting things about myself. (Thanks Cape)!

 

  

1. I used to be an amateur boxer.

 It was fun. I did it for 4 years, and stopped 2 years ago due to too many hand injuries. However, boxing did a number on my nose, and I suffered dearly. So now I am recouping from sinus surgery, a septoplasty and a functional open rhinoplasty. I had constant sinus headaches, infections, and severely impaired breathing that necessitated the surgery. This lead to two doctors, an ENT and a plastic surgeon, spending 6 hours working on my nose that had a septum that had split in two and pieces of cartilage that had collapsed and buckled obstructing my nasal passages.

Now I am sporting a new nose that has multiple cartilage grafts. I am looking forward to the day when things are less swollen inside and out and I can breathe fully and have less sinus issues. I am forever indebted to those two extremely skilled surgeons.  I have since sworn off contact sports.

2. My friends and family refer to me as "Dr. Google" or "Internet M.D."

 I do a ton of research on medical issues, and drugs... just because it is interesting to me. I have had family members and friends ask for my opinion on something medically related after they have been to their Dr. I find it humorous as  in the grand scheme of things, I know absolutely nothing.

However...

Someday I may go back to school and do something health field related.

3. I am a straight shooter and like to "tell it like it is."

I have learned to just be me and not worry about impressing other people.

4. Being popular is not important to me.

I would rather have a few really close friends that I can count on. When I do find a good friend, I am fiercely loyal. I have been let down by friends before, and if I feel like I am getting used or burned, or they are not genuine, I step back quite a bit and take some distance from, or terminate the friendship.

5. I am lucky to be the parent of two incredible little girls.

 

 I love being a mom to my two very different girls, one of which has developmental disabilities which has led me to be more patient. I have also learned a ton in researching her issues and how best to help her succeed in the world.

6. On my "Bucket List" is to learn how to fence someday.  

This doesn't count as a "contact sport" in my book, since the face is protected and it is less likely that you would take a fist or foot to the face. LOL

7. I love Diet Pepsi.

There is something satisfying about the fizzy bubbles running down your throat. It puts a smile on my face everyday. I particularly like fountain drinks from white trashy gas stations.

 Yes, I am addicted, and yes I realize that consuming it in large quantities is not the best thing for my health.

But hey, everybody needs a hobby.

So there you go!

I am passing on the award to:

Lenore at Lather.Write.Repeat

Tiffany at Babes and Kids

Brenda at Cozy Little House

Gail at My Repurposed Life

Knit Picking.

Hello Dear Blogging Friends. I am enjoying a few lucid moments, so thought I would pop in and type a word or two. This recovering from major surgery is tiring. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't. Fortunately my spouse took the week off of work to help me out, and the kids as well. Speaking of which... my girls started back to school today. Summer went by entirely way to fast.

So... I thought I would delve into one of my other creative outlets that I haven't gone into detail about previously here on my blog.

I like to crochet, and I like to knit.

My grandmother taught me how to crochet a simple chain when I was around 10 years old after Thanksgiving dinner one year. She was very adept at crocheting and made my siblings, cousins and I many toys, afghans etc. out of yarn. Growing up, my mother did a lot of thread crocheting. She made lots of snowflakes, angels, and other delicate and decorative items that she would decorate her Christmas tree with.

Fast forward to 9 years ago. After I had my second daughter, I found myself in need of a hobby, so I took up crocheting and taught myself how to crochet and was hooked! Pun intended.

Then 3-4 years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a gander at knitting. So I taught myself using just a book. I knit Continental Style, which probably comes from years of crocheting.

I think I enjoy knitting even more than crocheting at this point. I have also become a bit of a yarn snob. One of my mantra's is "Life's Too Short to Knit With Cheap Yarn."

If you are on the knit and crochet community Ravelry, you can always sift through my projects. My username is harpfingers.  There you can find project details as far as patterns are concerned, needles used, and yarns used.

But for now, here is a sampling of some things that I have knitted.
I am currently working on a pair of socks.

And a multi colored baby cardigan. I picked up some funky wool yarn at the GoodWill several months ago for an incredibly good price. Pictures to come - soon.

The following were some bibs I made for a baby gift several months ago.

 A couple of cardi's that I made for my eldest daughter.

Some fun socks.

... and just a tip of the iceberg. As the weather gets cooler, there will be more knitting.

So that's it for now. And if this post seems rather disjunct and all over the place... well, we'll blame it on fatigue and pain meds.

Just Recouping

No Projects to report of for a bit. You see, I am recouping from nasal surgery that I had done on Thursday.

It was a lengthy process - a 6 hour surgery requiring the skills of both an E.N.T. and a plastic surgeon. The short of it was that I have had chronic sinusitis, constant sinus infections due to obstructions, and severe breathing difficulties resulting from collapsed nasal valves for a few years now... and a septum that had split in two. Both doctors worked their magic, and hopefully when things are all said and done, I will be breathing a lot more freely and no longer have daily sinus headaches.

In the meantime, I am stuffed up, doped up and sleeping for the most part and trying to keep my head elevated.

This may give me some time to get caught up on some knitting projects!  But for now, I am off to get some more rest.