Mittens and More!

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Didn't get as much work done on the second mitten as I'd hoped. Spent a good part of the afternoon running errands (mailed out the last of our out of town gifts) and getting in some last minute shopping for stuff to finish making stuff for Christmas. However with a bit of planning on my part today, I should be able to get it finished. Maybe even dyed!I discovered a new way of doing an increase. And it really is very close to being invisible. On the mitten on the right I made my gusset increases by lifting the bar between the sts to M1. On the left I knit into the front loop of the st below going in from left to right. You can see the M1 is a bit "bigger" as it appears and there is a definite change in the sts. With knitting into the st below, there is just a tiny distortion of the st but you really have to know what you're looking for to find it. Try it next time!Every Friday, Kathleen has some paper dolls on her site that can be printed out. Yesterday, one of the things I went to buy was card stock to print some of the dolls out. I haven't decided if the clothes should be on card stock or not.... What do you think? Anyway, this is part of the Christmas presents for my granddaughters. I figure it should keep them busy cutting for a good part of Christmas vacation! And playing for the rest of it!

Sweet Paul's idea was to cut up a thrift store sweater to make this candle glass cozy. But...being knitters, we could figure out a way to make it ourselves, yes?
Ice candles. Did you ever make these? My dad was a church candle salesman, so we always had candle stubs laying around. My dad and I used to make these every few years for teacher gifts. They are so easy they are kind of anti-climactic.

Cute sheepy stuff!

Okay, this is a great idea! Why didn't I think of this? And it doesn't have to just be for socks. Imagine dyeing a thrift shop sweater pieces this way, unraveling and reknitting. Too much fun!

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Keeping the "We" in "Yes, We Can!"

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Eleven things to know about food! Food is an issue in this world. Oh, we have plenty of it here in the US of A, but most of it has little to no nutritional value and much of it is harmful.
kmkat talks about a Secretary of (Sustainable) Foods. And then read about (and sign) the Declaration of Healthy Food and Agriculture. Then check out and candidates for the Secretary of Agriculture petition.

One perk of the shrinking economy - everything else is shrinking, too.

Simplify the holidays. EZ says it all: “Is an exciting new improved Christmas every year really necessary? Is it in the spirit of the Solstice? The human heart hankers after stability and tradition. The feel and atmosphere of Christmases past, the anticipation of those to come, and the magic presence of Christmas now should all blend and blur, to give the distraught soul something to hang on to in a year bedeviled by new improved machines, soaps, music, spectator sports and recipes, many of which will prove to be dull, destructive, and sometimes downright damnable.”

Did you know that over 80% of the water Americans use deals with flushing the toilet? I'm jus' sayin'....

Frogs and February Sweaters

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I spent all my knitting time trying to get the yarn and needles to cooperate. It just wasn't gonna happen. At 6:00 pm I finally frogged it for the third and final time, cast on with a different yarn, and got as far as I was when I got up yesterday morning. But now it's all nice and even and pretty....I'm using YOs as my increases here as I thought a little ribbon woven through the eyelets would be pretty.

Had a really busy day yesterday. Youngest Daughter had outpatient surgery so there was the delivering and retrieving of her, her scrips, a trip to the Food Bank*, and to the grocery store.

The new issue of Knitty.com is up. I like, in no particular order, Ziggy, Autogyro, BYOB, Helena,

Jared, at brooklyntweed, has done it again. He made EZ's Garter Stitch Blanket from The Opinionated Knitter. (Ravelry) He did his in one color, but here's a pic of a scrap one, a pic of another "in progress, and finished. This one goes on the "To Knit" list after I finish my Log Cabin scrapghan. The selling point? "The beauty, to me, is that throughout the entire process you always have 24 stitches on your needle. Always. And there is nary a purl stitch to be found. Netflix Knitters Dream Project? Yes!" says Jared.

Ray's got a new t-shirt:

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GRANDMA'S MISSING

THE COMPUTER SWALLOWED GRANDMA
The computer swallowed grandma. Yes, honestly its true!
She pressed 'control' and 'enter'And disappeared from view.
It devoured her completely,The thought just makes me squirm.......
She must have caught a virus Or been eaten by a worm.
I've searched through the recycle bin And files of every kind;
I've even used the Internet, But nothing did I find.
In desperation, I asked Jeeves......My searches to refine....
The reply from him was negative, Not a thing was found 'online.'
So, if inside your 'Inbox,'My Grandma you should see,
Please 'Copy,''Scan' and 'Paste' her....And send her back to me. :)

*The Food Bank is not just for the very poor. It's a good place to get basic staples (and sometimes a treat) at a very good price. Sometimes there are famous brand names, sometimes store brands, and sometimes brands not recognized. However, its all good food, none of it is past it's sell date. It's a good way to supplement your food dollar (or is it food fifty cents now?). I came home with five grocery sized bags of food for $40. Lots of canned goods, staples, boxed mixes, even some Stove Top!