Jenny's Thoughts and Crafts

Maryland Sheep and Wool Fri and Sat

2011-05-15T06:28:00.001-04:00

Warning: This is a very picture heavy post.

In December of 2010, I decided to attend this year's annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in West Friendship, MD. The MDSW is one of the largest sheep and wool festivals on the East Coast. It is always held the first weekend in May. I ended up having a blast.

I was getting ready for the festival for several weeks before hand, buying food and supplies. I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and slept in the bed. The night before I left for Maryland, I spent the night at my grandmother's, because they lived in the direction I was going. At 7:30, I got on the road. Almost the entire trip was on various interstates; specifically: I-64, I-79, I-68 and I-70. It was an eight hour drive, and since I was by myself, I used a variety of different things to keep it from being boring, mostly listening to music and audiobooks on my Ipod.

Even though I only stopped three times on the way, twice to use the restroom and get a Maryland state map, and once to eat lunch, I didn't reach the campground were I would be staying until 3:30. The campground I was staying at was called Patapsco Valley State Park. There were several other people from Ravelry staying there, including Lucinda and Joe from New York, and Mike and Ruth from Pennsylvania.

I spent most of the afternoon fighting to keep my campfire lit. They sold wood at the campground, but it was green and difficult to keep lit. I ended up hunting the ground around my site and was able to find several pieces of wood that had been trimmed from the trees around my site. With them, I was able to get enough heat to roast a few hot dogs and make s'mores. However, when it came time to roast the hot dogs, I discovered I had forgotten both a can opener and a pot for the sauce, so ended up having my dogs with just ketchup.

After I ate, I wandered around the campground for a while. Half the people there were for the festival and many of those were on Ravelry. I met and spoke to the people around me, and found a few more. While talking to a few ladies who were all there together, we noticed that it was starting to look like it might rain and I headed back to my site. Because I was sleeping in the bed, I had very limited space in the bed of the truck, so put the remaining wood, and the cooler and plastic bin in the cab. I climbed in the truck at around 8:30, just as the rain started. It was soon to dark to read without the flashlight and I didn't want to use up the batteries, so at first I listened to music on my Ipod. I then decided that the rain was nicer and was soon asleep.

The next day, I got up at 7:30 in order to get to the festival early and get a good spot in the line for the t-shirts. That early, the traffic was not that bad, and I was parked and heading for the gate by 8:45. I got in line and ended up talking to a very nice lady named Patty who asked me about the sock I was knitting. She was knitting a hat for her mother for Mother's Day, and was unsure of how to use DPNs. I was able to answer her question easily and chatted with her and her husband as the line moved.

I was using a food saver bag with Marshall University on the side and was spotted by another knitter from Huntington. I ended up telling her about the local guild and invited her the next meeting. There were a few other guild members there, but I didn't see any of them. After I got my t-shirt, I headed out to check out the rest of the festival. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny and the fairgrounds were fairly crowded. This is the view from the top of the hill:

I started at the far end of the festival. MDSW has grown so much that this year there was an entirely new section at the bottom of the hill, by the sheep dog demos. I ended up buying an oz of CVM fiber. I then decided to concentrate mostly on fiber, to find as many different breeds as possible and play with them to see which I liked best.

After a quick stop for a lambburger from the boy scouts, I headed for the main barn. I ended buying a BFL grab bag from Bullen's Wullens, totalling 4 oz and was given a free CD spindle kit when I traded them several ones for a ten.

I then wandered through the barn until I found the booth I was most interested in: Golding Fiber Tools. I had been coveting a Golding Spindle for several years, but wanted to see and test them before buying one. I soon selected and purchased a Golding Tsunami in cherry wood, weighting 0.75 oz. It spins like a dream and is beautiful to boot, see:

I continued through the main barn, including checking out the items in the fleece sale. I ended up deciding that a raw fleece would have to wait for another year, even though one lady was interested in splitting a lovely gray Romney fleece with me, with about 4 pounds for each of us. I also spent an educational few minutes listening to one of the volunteers talk about the qualities of a good fleece. I continued on and bought a 4 oz braid of BFL from Cloverleaf Farms, colorway Spruce Goose:

After Cloverleaf Farms, I headed on through the main barn. My next purchase was at Shadeyside Farms, were I found about 3-4 oz of a Shetland-Icelandic cross. It is the fiber in the above pictures of my Golding. I then left the main barn and headed for the others. In barn 6 I made two more purchases of 4 oz of Jacob roving from the Jacob Sheep Breeder's Association and over a pound of cleaned, processed Romney for $15.00. I was told by several people that was a good price.

I then wandered through the other two barns. I decided to save the outside vendors in the North and East sections for Sunday. So, I headed to check out the sheep barns. Some people complain about the smell of the sheep, but to me, it smells of county fairs and I find it a comforting smell. In the sheep barns I made my last purchase of the day when I got about 3 oz of black Finn sheep. The lady selling it was very nice and through in a bit extra.

It was now about 5:30 and I was tired, so I decided to head back to the campsite.

This was my home away from home for the weekend:

I cooked dinner (more hot-dogs) and had a bit of show and tell with the other festival-goers in the campground. Some of the Ravelry people had a little get together around a fire-pit, and I didn't go to bed until 10:00. I ended up waking up at 3 am, from the cold and could not get back to sleep until I added a couple blankets my mom had insisted I bring. I texted her in the morning that she was right and got a text back saying I told you so.

The post for Sun and Mon will be posted later, it is getting too big.

Late Christmas post

2011-01-19T11:15:00.005-05:00

Ok, Christmas come and (long) gone and I still have not posted all the projects I made, so here you go. (Just a warning, a few of these were taken on my camera phone, so they are not the greatest.)

First off, Mamaw Rose's Clapotis shawl. She loved it and used it Christmas night after I gave it to her.

Then, my brother asked me to make him some fingerless mitts after he saw a pair that I made for myself, so here they are:

Then both of my nieces got teddy bears (and Airianna's was literally finished Christmas Eve.) This is Airianna.

And this is Kira and her mom Kristen.

Then my nephew, Hunter got a scarf.

My mom got a pair of socks:

And my Mamaw Mary also got a scarf:

I also knit about seven or eight dishcloths, but I am not posting all the pictures of they here, so if you really want to see them, check out my photostream at Flickr.com: WVrambler

Pics and Progress

2010-11-24T16:41:00.003-05:00

Well, the Christmas knitting is almost complete and here are the pictures of the finished projects that I have.

Mamaw Rose's Clapotis (the shawl is finished, but final pic will be her wearing it):

Then there is Mamaw Mary's scarf. I found the scarf I made her a few years ago in the utility room, so I guess she has been wearing it, but she said that is itches and I can not blame her; I knit it out of Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool, before I started going to LYS and not just shopping at the chain craft store.My nephew, Hunter, is also getting a scarf. He has an olive green coat with orange detailing, so I am hoping this matches okay.

And the last for today is a pair of fingerless mitts for my older brother, Bruce. They aren't finished yet, but should be by the end of the week. I am about 5 rows from the end, and then have to knit the mate, but it only took me from Monday evening until today to do the first. I am seriously think of making a pair for Mommy and a pair for myself also.

Progress Report

2010-11-03T10:53:00.003-04:00

Okay, the move is over, except for some stuff at Mamaw Mary's but that is stuff that I can do without for the moment. The entire weekend was dedicated to work and moving. I went to work on Sat. made a quick run form storage to the apartment. Then went home and tried to sleep for a few hours. Tried is the key word there. My neighbor has a pit bull in his yard that belongs to his daughter, and I swear, that dog never shuts up! I gave up on sleeping after about two hours and worked on some knitting instead.

Then work Sunday night and let me tell you, a twelve hour midnight shift after no sleep is no fun. I then collected my older brother Bruce and we went to meet my uncle Chris for the moving. My dad had let me borrow his truck and Chris also had a truck, so it only took us two trips. It was a bit of a hassle to move the love seat in (the hazard of living upstairs). But they got it in and now I just need to unpack. I didn't realize I owned so many books. That is what the majority of the boxes held. I will be looking into donating some of them. The Kenova Public Library would probably like some, their budget was cut this past year.

There are still boxes all over the living room, the furniture needs rearranged and my bed is currently in pieces, but I started staying there Sunday evening. I was planning on staying at Mamaw's, but Mike's dog started up again, and it was a question of going to the apartment, or killing the stupid dog! So, I packed up some clothes and crashed on the mattress on the floor. It is so much easier to go to and from work form within town instead of having to drive 45 minutes one way! Though, I managed to spook Bruce and his family, and he spooked me. They can hear when I go up the stairs and he thought I was still at work when I can in. I was in the middle of taking out my contacts when the doorbell rang, and it is loud. It is an actual bell, rung by a clapper in the hall. I almost put one of my eyes out! So, I explained to Bruce that I get off work at midnight during the week.

Also, I have finished another Christmas gift. Mamaw Mary's cable scarf is finished. I literally finished it in on of my classes. Due to the fact that I didn't have any yarn other than kitchen cotton (it is still all at Mamaw's), I hunted Ravelry for a free dishcloth pattern. I will probably give it to someone out at Heritage Farm. Pics to be posted once I take them.

Moving and Christmas Knitting

2010-10-28T17:51:00.002-04:00

Since July of 2009, I have been living with my grandmother after moving out of an apartment in Ceredo, WV. I love my Mamaw, but frankly, we do not see eye to eye. She is an utter neat freak, while I see nothing wrong with having things on the floor if there is no other place around my to put them. This mostly includes books, various knitting projects, and occasionally dishes. She tends to freak if everything is not 'in its place'.

So, this week, I took steps to relieve both of us: I rented an apartment. I told my older brother, Bruce that I was looking for a place and he told me that the apartment above his is empty and that the landlord wanted to rent it out to me for less because I was Bruce's sister. We checked it out on Monday and I signed the lease. It is a very nice apartment, a one bedroom, and I also have the attic space for storage. I got the electric on on Tuesday and the water today. I also had to have a fridge put in, but it is now there. Also, the last tenant left a couch behind because the stairs are steep and narrow and he didn't want to deal with moving it out. Now, I just have to deal with moving my stuff in. I am trying to get my Uncle Chris to help with the furniture, so Daddy does not have to. He is 56 and moving the love-seat, and dresser (the largest stuff I own) is hard on him.

Also, it gives me more time for knitting. I am now living within walking distance of Marshall University, and on 25 minutes away from work, as opposed to 45 minutes away. So, it will save me a lot in gas.

And speaking of knitting, I am currently in the middle of knitting Christmas gifts. I have finished one, have two on the needles and am planning several more, although most of them are small enough to finish in a day (I hope). Here is the breakdown for my Christmas knitting:

Mamaw Mary: Twisted Cable Scarf-50%
Mamaw Rose: Clapotis-finished
Bruce (brother): fingerless mitts-planned with yarn in stash
Hunter: scarf-planned with yarn in stash
nieces : Ruby Bear-one 75%, other one planned
everyone else: soap socks-planned

Cass Scenic Railroad Trip

2010-10-14T16:59:00.010-04:00

Last week was fun. As a long time resident of WV (meaning I have never lived anywhere else), I am a huge fan of the numerous and different state parks. But one of the best and most unique state parks in all WV is Cass Scenic Railroad. Cass used to be a logging town back when most logging in the state was done by railroads. There used to be 3000 miles of railroad tracks throughout the state, but now there is only 11 miles left, built in 1901, and they are at Cass.

When the company that owned Cass closed down, it seemed that the town of Cass would become a ghost town as people moved to find work, but in 1961, Cass was purchased by the state and designated a state park. Since it opened to the public in 1963, giving people rides to the timber camp if Whittaker Station, then to Bald Knob, the third highest point in WV, in 1966, and then to the ghost town of Spruce, which used to be owned by the same company as Cass, in 2004.

Well, last week I had a day off from work, and decided to go to Cass before the season ended at the end of October. I decided to make it a two day trip because driving to Cass from home is about five to six hours. So, I got online and found a neat little bed n breakfast called the Old Clark Inn, in Marlinton.

The Old Clark Inn is an alternative to standard hotels and motels. You can rent a bed, a room with the bathroom in the hall that you share with others, or a room with its own bathroom. I ended up picking the room with the shared bath.

I left Huntington at around 12:30. I would have left earlier, but I had a midterm to take in one of my classes and could not miss it. I decided to avoid I-64 and the other, more main roads past Charleston, so I left the interstate at the town of Chelyan, and got in Rte 60 until I reached the town of Gauley Bridge, then took Rte 39. I stopped in the town of Summersville to use the restroom and also, to check out their quilt shop, which had moved to a much larger building since I was last there in June.

I then continued on into Marlinton and after having to backtrack once, I found the inn fairly easily. I checked in, got my room key and then signed the register. While signing the register, I noticed that the people who had registered before me were also from Huntington. I mentioned it to the innkeeper, who said that they had checked in about 15 minutes before I had. I wondered if I would bump into them. I then went outside to get my bag from the car, and as I was walking back in, I saw a woman in the dining room of the inn. I stopped to say hi and ask were she was from; as it turned out, she and her husband were the couple from Huntington.

Their names were Betty and Peter and they had spent the week visiting family in Virginia, mostly on a motorcycle. They had decided to stay at the inn because it was motorcycle friendly. Peter was a retired minister and Betty a retired teacher and they were both alumni of Marshall University. I spent a few minutes talking with them, then mentioned that I wanted to get something to eat. All I had had that day since breakfast was two apple, a bag of chips and a candy bar. Somehow, without any of us saying a word, we decided to go eat together. The inn had provided menus for guest use, and we decided that a local restaurant called Dories sounded good.

It was only a few blocks and the weather was nice, so we decided to walk over. After arriving and sitting down, we all decided that the spaghetti sounded good. what followed was one of the most pleasant evenings I have had in a long time. We talking about everything, including their faith (both were members of the Anglican Church) my classes, history in general, Cass and a dozen other things. They decided to split a piece of pie and we then headed back to the inn. On the way back, I noticed the most interesting mural on the wall. It depicted different things about the area, such as Cass, Droop Mountain Battlefield, skiing and fishing.

After we got back to the inn, I headed to bed. I slept ok, for being in a strange place. I woke up around 8:00 and headed down to the continental breakfast offered by the inn. I spoke some more with Betty and Peter, and also some other people who had stayed at the inn. They were bicyclists riding on the Greenbriar River Trail, a 78 mile long trail that used to be a section of railroad tracks, but has been converted for use by hikers, bikers and horseback riders. No motorized vehicle are allowed, except for motorized wheelchairs.

I got on the road to Cass at about 9:30 and got there just at 10:00, about an hour before the train I planned to ride left. I had decided to go on Friday because that is the day the train to the ghost town of Spruce runs. I have been to Whittaker Station several times and Bald Knob once several years ago, but had never been on the Spruce train.

I spent a leisurely hour poking around the gift shop and ordered a box lunch to take with me on the train. Also I found another knitter, or maybe I should say that she found me; as I was standing in front of the depot waiting for the trian, an older woman walked up to me and performed the knitter's handshake: she started petting the shoulder of the handknit vest I was wearing. She clearly was an experienced knitter as well, she was only one size off of the needle size I used.

At about 10:30 to train pulled into the station. The train that would be taking us up to Cass that day was Shay 6, (also called Big Six), the largest Shay engine still running in the world. For a video of Big Six pulling up, check out this video on YouTube. Also, here is a picture taken from the steps of the gift shop.

Here I am in the engine! We left the station at 11:00 and headed up to Spruce. First we headed up the track to Whittaker Station, which took about an hour. We stopped there for a restroom break and so some people could go to the concession stand, which is claimed to have the best hot dogs on the mountain.

We were at Whittaker for about 20 minutes before continuing on. There were some phenomenal views of the distant mountains, including the boundary between West Virginia and Virginia and the leaves were already turning at the higher elevations. I was able to get a little knitting in during the trip.

After about two hours, we arrived at the ghost town of Spruce. There really isn't much left after all this time. Spruce was developed for the production of pulpwood and was active from 1904 until about 1950, when it was abandoned. While active, Spruce was one of the highest towns in the eastern US. All that is left now is the foundations for the mill and some other buildings.

We wandered around the site for about an hour, and then headed back. We didn't stop on the trip back, except on one of the switchbacks so that the 2:30 train to Whittaker Station could pass us. We stopped just short of the switchback and the Whittaker train, pulled by Shay 5, went into the switchback, then we entered the switchback behind them and pulled onto the next section, while they continued on up. We got back to Cass at about 3:15 and I decided to buy a few of the things I had been looking at earlier. I got a coffee mug and a hiking stick medallion. I then headed home, with a detour through Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. They were having a reenactment that weekend, but were still setting up when I got there. So, I decided that it would be easiest to go home by I-64. I stopped at Tamarack and had a very nice chicken potpie for dinner and arrived back home at about 10:00.

Shop Hop Details

2010-06-16T18:15:00.004-04:00

As mentioned in a previous post, last week I participated in the Mountain Quilt Quest Shop Hop, which is a shop hop held by several quilt shops throughout West Virginia. It ran from Wed. to Sat. with each shop having extended hours for the duration of the shop hop. Each shop has a block that when put together makes an entire quilt. They all have a quilt (or several) made using the fabric and blocks from all the different shops. Most also sell kits so you can make your own version of theirs.

This year, the fabric was made especially by a WV artist, Tina Richardson, for the Shop Hop. It incorporated 18 different things representing WV, including important landmarks, state animals and things like that.

Something else that I had planned to do was to buy two Batik fat quarters from each shop and use them to make another quilt. At first I figured to just make a nine patch quilt, then decided to make the Turning Twenty Again quilt instead. The first shop I went to was Quilts by Phyllis in Hurricane. Phyllis' shop is a large, open shop with a very large selection of fabric, notions, and several long arm machines. While there, I found out that the friend I had planned to bring along was unable to come and decided to go on to the rest of the western stores that day instead of waiting until the next day.

I then decided to go to the farthest store and work my way back to the shop in Ceredo and then go on to work. The farthest store on the chain of the western stores was The Quilt Shoppe LLC in Summersville. That store is a smallish store with shelves everywhere. It should feel cluttered, but it doesn't. Instead, there is a sense of wondering what is around the next corner. The owner seems to prefer more older types of styles, such as 30's repros and Civil War fabrics, but there is a good mix of more modern styles as well. I found out while there that the owner is also a knitter and ended up talking to her about Ravelry.

The next shop was Quilts and More in Victor, just outside Hawk's Nest State Park. They had the quilt pattern I liked best. They didn't have the kits already made, which was actually a good thing, because I could not have afforded it that day, but I left my information with the owner and she will call me when it is ready.

The next shop I went to was Sneed's Sewing and Vacuum Shop in Charleston. they don't have much fabric, but they do sell a lot of notion and Bernina sewing machines. I hope to buy a Bernina Aurora 440QE sewing machine. While I was there, I realized that I was not going to be able to visit the shop in Ceredo that day, due to time constraints. In fact, I ended up being a half hour late for work.

So, I went to Sew Many Blessings in Ceredo on Thursday instead. Sew Many Blessings is my own LQS. It is the most convenient, being right on the way to work and the owners, Winona and Heidi, are both members of my quilt guild, the Creative Quilters in Huntington, WV, as well as being lovely ladies. They are both every into breast cancer funding and donations and this was reflected in their quilt. The fabric for the quilt was black and white, so some of the other shops added some red and Phyllis also used yellow fabric, but Winona and Heidi used pink as a accent border.

Then came Friday. I knew that Friday was going to be a long day. My plan was to start in Parkersburg as the northern most shop and travel to Elkins, the southern most store. I knew it was going to be an all day venture and I was right. I left at 7:30 am and got home at 9:30 pm, so, I was on the road for a total of 14 hours, mostly driving between the shops.

The Parkersburg store was the Parkersburg Sewing and Quilting Center. I liked their store, but they had the long -arm machine running the entire time I was there and it made it a bit hard to hear people. Also, their quilt seemed a bit off to me. As said before, most people added red or some other complementary color to their quilts, but Parkersburg added a bright green that didn't go with the black and white very well, IMHO.

While in Parkersburg, I could not resist checking out Market Street Yarn & Craft shop, which is also in Parkersburg. I ended up buying some sock yarn as a souvenir.

The next shop to visit was the Woolen Willow in Williamstown. The Woolen Willow is a very interesting store. It not only sells fabric, but also yarn, rug-hooking and needle-felting designs. It also sold lots of primitive decorations.

I then headed to Pieces of the Past shop. That has to be one of the smallest quilt shops I have ever seen. It is in an old house and consists of three rooms, one with fabric, one with patterns and one with notions and embroidery thread and supplies. If that shop had 100 bolts of fabric, I would be surprised. Still, when I bought my batiks, I found one that ended up being one of my favorites. She didn't have very many pre-cut fat quarters, but said it would be no trouble to but some from the bolts. I selected a pretty ecru batik and a dark blue with electric light blue lines shot though it. I was surprised to see that when opened out, the electric blue lines formed swordfish. When cutting the fabric, I made sure to fussy cut one of the swordfish out.

I then had a 2.5 hour drive to the next shop in Fairmont, called Sew Chic. By the time I got to Fairmont, it was about 1:30 and I was starving. I ended up getting of the interstate and eating at MacDonald's. Since I am trying to lose a little weight, I have avoided MacDonald's recently and usually had a salad when I did eat there. This time I didn't care about my weight or anything but eating as much as I could manage. I ended up getting a #1 combo with a large sweet tea. I figured that I would walk it off in the quilt shops before I was done.

Sew Chic is one of the easiest shops to find. It is a quarter mile off of I-79 and in a large red barn. It is a very orderly shop, with all kinds of different fabrics, Bernina sewing machines and notions. I signed up for their newsletter during my first shop hop in 2007 and still receive it. I doubt that I would ever get the chance to go to it otherwise because it is several hours drive.

I then headed to Morgantown and The Sew Inn, Ltd. I have been on three shop hops now and have never seen more of Morgantown than the route to the shop hop. The Sew Inn is a very large, bright store. They sell Viking sewing and embroidery machines and lots of patterns and notions. They also were selling T-shirts a s souvenirs of the shop hop, but I didn't have the money to get one.

While at The Sew Inn, the long day and all that driving caught up with me. I really didn't want to go on to the last two shops. The shop in Buckhannon was not that far, but the Elkins Sewing Center was 40 miles one way. I decided I had come to far to not finish out the rest of the stores and got going.

The Buckhannon store was in what was in a large house. It was very interesting, wandering through the different rooms to see what the fabric was. The selection was excellent and I wish I had more money so I could have spent more at each shop. I then headed to the last shop, the Elkins Sewing Center. The drive was not as bad as I had thought it was going to be. I think the slump at Morgantown was the after effects of the sweet tea I had at lunch.

The Elkins Sewing Center was fun. I had just arrived and was talking to a few of the ladies helping during the shop hop when a bus tour arrived. After that it was very crazy trying to get around a suddenly very full store. I ended up talking to a few ladies who were from Pennsylvania on the Shop Hop.

After I left Elkins Sewing Center, I decided to head home. I saw a Dollar General a few doors down from the shop and decided I wanted some food to take with me. I bought a coke and a snickers bar and headed off. I was just a few miles out of town when I realized that my camera, which I had had with me all day was not on the passenger side seat where it should have been. I had left it in Elkins! I quickly turned around and hoped I had left it in the shop and not the dollar General. As it turned out, it was in the Dollar General. The cashier had set it aside and I was able to retrieve it. It was the only thing I forgot all day, a fact that I am rather proud of, with my memory! I had by that time been on the road for 12 hours, so I think I can be excused.

Well, that was a good, long post, wasn't it?

Pics and Shop Hopping

2010-06-09T17:29:00.007-04:00

OK, so the Internet is working on my computer again, so here are the pics of my most recent projects.

First off, the Demeter Camisole:

Next is my niece's toddler socks:

Then there are my WIPs. First is a Memory Shawl that I am making using the little oddballs of my stash.

Then there are my current pair of socks, basic socks knit 2aat.

The last pic is of the ball band dishcloth that I work on when bored with the socks. It is knit with Sugar and Cream yarn on size 10 needles.

The shop hop I am going on this week is not knitting, however, but quilting. Every year several stores in WV participate in the Mountain State Quilt Quest Shop Hop. This year there are twelve stores participating in the shop hop. I went to four today, will go to one tomorrow and will get the rest on Friday. A friend of mine, Brian, was going to go with me, but he just got a job and has orientation the next few days. More on the shop hop later after I visit the rest of the stores.

Hello

2010-06-08T19:20:00.004-04:00

Wow, I didn't realize that I had not posted for almost three months. I really need to work on this thing more. So, time for a quick bit of catchup. My Demeter Camisole is finished and fits great. I would post pictures, but I am not on my computer, so those will have to wait. I ended up having a bit of good luck with out meaning to. The pattern read that after the waist decreasing, you were then supposed to increase one row, then knit six plain rows. For some reason, my brain decided to follow the directions for 5 repeats and then begin to knit the increase row and then knit 10 plain rows. I had just finished the increases when I realized what I had done and decided against frogging. It turns out that if I had follow the pattern the way it was written, it would not have fit in the bust.

The toddler socks are not only finished, but I decided to knit mates for them as well. I gave them to my brother and sister-in-law for my niece, Kira. The designer that published the first taat socks has now developed taat toe-up socks, so there will soon be more toddler socks for my niece.

Last Sunday, I decided to check to see how much money I would be offered for tuition for the 2010-2011 school year. I know better that to list the full amount online, but it will be enough to pay my tuition, rent an apartment and pay off one of my other loans! So, today, I went and spoke to the representative of one of the nicer apartment complexes in the area. They have some very nice one bedroom apartments, an exercise room, laundry on site, allow pets, and offer cable at a greatly reduced rate. Also, I would only have to pay the electric bill, all the other utilities are taken care of. There is off the street parking, and the local bus service runs nearby. So, I will definitely be looking forward to living there come fall.

So, the rest of the day before going to work was checking out some of the local furniture places. I think it is about time to get a new bed and mattress. I have had the same ones for about 10 years now and the the bed is a real pain to put together. I would also like a bigger bed, the one I have is a twin. I saw a very nice queen sized bed for $399.99 at Value City Furniture. I could also get the matching dresser and mirror for $999.99, but am debating that. I thought about also getting a new couch and chair, bu realized that I could easily (and much more cheaply) spruce up the old ones with some slipcovers.

I have decided to make knitting for the Sweater Odyssey much easier by knitting a memory shawl out of the little odd balls that have accumulated in my stash. At last measurement, it was just over 7in long. I am shooting for twenty by the end of the month. I am also working on a new pair of socks for the Great Sock-Off of 2010. I have done much better this year than last. This pair is a pair of basic socks in Paton's Kroy Socks Jacquard, in colorway Fern Rose. Paton's has put out some nice new Jacquard colorways recently.

That is all I can think of for now, so talk at you later.

Not Much To It

2010-04-08T21:14:00.003-04:00

This should be a fairly brief post. One of those fun random posts that can have anything in them, so here goes.

I had an interesting time at the farm today. It rained on and off all day, so Mrs. Perry had me sweeping the transportation building to make things easier for the cleaning lady tomorrow. It took about an hour, though it would have taken less time had Dan not come in with a tour. I had to detour around them and wait a few times as they were in the area I planned to sweep. I then went back to the office, and tried to work on my Demeter Camisole (every time I type that I end up thinking of the musical Cats).

Despite Mrs. Perry's prediction that the rain would keep people away, another tour came in, a family from Ironton, Ohio and their relatives from Utah. I went around with them and a guide I had not met before named Nancy. She was ok, but I think I like working with Dan more. That took the rest of the day. I then decided to go eat at Griffiths and Feil's, an old fashioned soda fountain and pharmacy. I had the Berkley Turkey, a turkey sandwich with a slice of pineapple, cream cheese and sweet mustard. It was really good. I would have liked some ice cream as well, but had to go to work.

While at work, I cast on for a new pair of socks TAAT. It is some of Cyndi Bolt's sock yarn in the Grass and Violets colorway. The needles are Knitpicks Harmony 40' circs, size US 1.5. They are perfect for TAAT socks. The cable is so flexible, you don't even need to soak it to get the kinks out, you can work with it right out of the package. After reading some of the posts on Ravelry, I figured that I could knit from one ball, if I was careful, so I cast on Cookie A's Monkeys. The variegated yarn should look pretty good. Pictures to follow when I remember my camera.

Deliciously Appropriate

2010-04-06T16:37:00.005-04:00

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently got a job as a tour guide at Heritage Farm Museum and Village, a locally owned museum and bed and breakfast. While that may sound a bit strange, it actually works out quite well.

The owner's, Mr. and Mrs. Perry opened the museum fourteen years ago in an old dairy barn on their property. About twelve years ago, Mr. Perry began buying old log structures around the area, moving to the farm and eventually built the farm into what it is today, with 17 buildings detailing life in Appalachia from about 1800 to the present.

Most of the building house the museum itself, but five building have been turned into inns: Applebutter Inn, Hollyberry Inn, Woodbury Inn, Strawberry Inn and Blackberry Inn. There is also a church that is very popular for wedding, and if fact one of the other guides, Dan, is a minister and often presides over the weddings.

Somehow, it just seem so appropriate to be sitting on the front porch of the Welcome Center, knitting for myself or for my family. Admittedly, the pioneer women living in these builds when they were first built would not have been using purple pastel acrylic/bamboo mix yarn on metal circular needles, but still, the connection is there. They are not forgotten.

As for the knitting itself, I have finished the decreases of the Demeter Camisole and am preparing to begin increasing again for the bust. Also, I am working the toe decreases for the toddler socks for my niece (which niece will depend on which one they fit).

New

2010-04-03T02:08:00.009-04:00

I have many new things happening, so I will write a (hopefully) interesting post about them.

The main new thing is my new job at Heritage Farm Museum and Village, a local history museum dedicated to raising interest and awareness of Appalachian culture. It is therefore right up my alley. I walked on last February and asked for a tour. As it turned out, they were doing some renovations, so no tours were available. I then got to talking about volunteering for the festival they hold every year on the first Saturday in May. I will be demoing drop spindling in the progress building, one of the main buildings at the farm. I then asked if they were hiring tour guides. As it turned out, they were, due to one guide having triple-bypass surgery, and another having knee replacement surgery.

I spoke to one of the owners, Mrs. Perry and she said that they would send me and application. Well, a few weeks later, I got the application, and a phone call from Mrs. Perry about coming in to talk about working and go around with some of the different guides. While there on Wednesday, they asked me to fill out some paperwork. It was the W-2 forms for my taxes on my paycheck.

Another new thing is my new car. About two weeks ago, my dad and I went to go look at used cars. The plan was to start in Milton and stop at the different used-car dealerships in Barboursville and Huntington. We checked the place in Milton, but didn't find anything interesting. Daddy then mentioned a small dealership near the Huntington Mall called C&C Used Car Brokers. In their lot was a little '99 Pontiac Sunfire. For an eleven year old car, it was in very good shape.

Well, after a lot of running to the bank where I took out a loan to get the car, home to get Mamaw Mary as co-signer, back to the bank and then back to the dealership, I drove home in my new (used) car. Pictures will be added to the blog tomorrow when it is daylight.

Another new thing is that I am currently knitting two projects that are different and new techniques. One is a camisole knit from the bottom up in the round. It is call the Demeter Camisole from the Sensual Knits book. Only, instead of knitting in the very expensive yarn they call for in the book, I am using NaturallyCaron Spa, in the colorway Berry Frappe. It looks more purple than the blue shown on the site. So far, that is going good. I had to frog my first attempt when I twisted the cast on edge, then ran out of yarn in the long tail, and had to start over again.

The other new technique is knitting two socks on one long needle. Called Magic Loop, it was developed by a designer name Melissa Morgan-Oakes, in this book. I think I will like this tehnique, because it eliminates second sock syndrome, because both are finished at the same time. Right now I am simply working on the sample toddler socks, but hope to get to a more complex pattern soon.

Interesting Week

2010-01-13T19:23:00.002-05:00

This week has been a dozy! Due to the bad weather, I was in a hotel all weekend and went to my first class of the Spring 2010 semester from there. I was a bit late and walked into a class that was is full swing. I grabbed a seat and started trying to catch up. The professor was talking about math problems. I suck at math and was not pleased. Plus, I could not for the life of me figure out what the stuff had to do with the subject I was taking: geology.

It was only at the end of class that I discovered there had been a schedule conflict and that was a statistics class! I then ended up haunting the science building for the next hour until my professor returned to his office. It turned out that the statistics class was in the wrong room. So I didn't miss anything. My next class was a few hours later, called HST 480Fashion and Gender, but it is mainly about the history and production of textiles. That is the class for me!

I have another large break between the textiles class and my next class, sociology. It sounds like that is going to be an interesting class. The Professor started off by showing a clip from the movie The Matrix, where Neo takes the red pill, and said we chose the red pill in deciding to take the class.

That was my last class for that day. I have the geology class Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the textiles class Monday and Wednesday and sociology on Monday. I have another class HST 428 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have had the professor who teaches it, Dr. Palmer, before. He is pretty cool and tries to make it interesting.

I got through class and was going to meet up with my dad. My birthday was last week and we were going to go to A.C. Moore and buy my birthday present, an electric ball-winder. I was driving on 5th avenue, and had the green light. I proceeded through the light and ended up being T-boned in the driver's side door by a car that had run the red light. We were both shook up, and she claimed that I had been the one who ran the light. There were no witnesses that came forward, so our insurance companies will have to sort things out.

I was lucky that I was driving the truck. The other woman, who is about my age, was driving a much lower vehicle. If I had been in a smaller car, or she had been in a larger one, I could have been hurt badly. As it turned out, I spent several hours in a neck brace in St. Mary's ER.

Also, my truck is probably totalled. It looked like the frame is bent. It is a good thing I got the refund from my tuition yesterday, because I may have to buy a new vehicle. Right now, I am playing musical cars with my mom and grandmother.

Full Circle

2010-01-05T16:26:00.003-05:00

Big post due to recent craziness, starting just before Christmas. That weekend, I checked into a hotel because it was snowing like crazy and I was afraid that I would not be able to get to work. I ended up in the hotel from Saturday morning to Monday morning. And on Saturday morning, while still at work, I got a call from my mom that my grandmother had fallen down the stairs. Mamaw Mary was in a wreck in the early 90s and has a lot of problems with her right leg. So, I was plenty worried that she was badly hurt. Luckily, she was only bruised and banged up. She didn't actually fall down the stairs so much as she slide down them on her rear end.

As it turned out, the reason she was upstairs to begin with was because she had been woken up by the smoke alarm in my bedroom going off and the room was full of smoke. She called my brother to come out and call the fire deportment. They ended up tearing a great big hole in the ceiling to find the hot spot and put it out.

The power was already out on the road due to the snowstorm, and Mamaw got an electrician to come out. It turned out that her breaker box and the cord leading into the house were messed up and needed replaced. I know Mamaw is terrified that the house would catch fire again. She had my mom unplug everything electric upstairs.

While all this was going on, I was at work. I got a phone call on Monday morning at 9:30 from my area supervisor, Dave. They wanted me to watch an AEP site in Huntington to prevent angry customers from following the trucks onto the lot. I was to work this site for a week from 10:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night. I would, once again be working on Christmas. If nothing else, it gave me plenty of time to finish my Christmas knitting. I finished Mommy's socks and Mamaw's mitts and cast on for a sweater.

I ended up missing the yearly Christmas Eve party at Mamaw's, but my parents, brother and sister-in-law and my nephew got up early on Christmas morning so I could open presents with them.

Things mostly went back to normal after that, except that Mamaw did not want me sleeping upstairs, so I have spent the last few weeks sleeping in her bed while she sleeps with my aunt Charlene. That was the status quo until yesterday, when it began to snow again. It is not a big snowstorm like before, it has just snowed pretty much steadily since yesterday morning and is supposed to continue until this weekend. So, I am back in a hotel until Thursday morning. Here's hoping nothing else happens while I am gone.

Troubles

2009-12-12T00:10:00.003-05:00

I tried on my mom's socks and they did not fit. Her feet are about the same size as mine, so I can check, and I could not get them on. So, I went up a needle and a half, to a size US2.5 (I have no idea what the mm is) and now they should be fine. I just need to get them done by Christmas or she may be getting them on the needles. I have also purchased the pants for my dad.

I may have also started my sister-in-law knitting. I gave her a DVD, yarn and needles and invited her to SnB next week. So, she will also be getting a knitting kit for Christmas.

Christmas

2009-12-01T19:07:00.004-05:00

is just around the corner and I need to get cracking on buying gifts. So, here is my planned list so far:

Mommy: Pretty Petals Socks and shirts
Daddy: pants
Bruce: pants
Kristen: shirts
Hunter: Thomas and puzzle-done
Kira: quilt (in progress)
Arianna: shirt and stuffed animal
Mama Mary: fingerless mitts
Char: ?
Uncle Jim: pajama bottoms
Mama and Papa Rose: gift certificate

So, here goes!

Christmas Gifts

2009-11-03T13:26:00.002-05:00

OK, I know I said the only present I was going to be knitting was my mom's sock, but my grandmother asked for a pair of fingerless mitts. I left my Flames fingerless mitts in the kitchen last night, she used them this morning and asked if I would make her a pair. Only she wants them a bit further in the fingers and black. This woman has no color sense.

Pretty Petals Socks

2009-10-25T07:29:00.004-04:00

Well, so far everything is going good with the socks. I have had to add new sections twice now, but it is not too much trouble yet. The pattern says to work the petals pattern for 5 repeats, but I think I will only do four. I am using 2.25mm needles and it is knitting up fairly quickly. See:

I just hope they will fit my mom!

Malabrigo and Moths

2009-10-24T03:32:00.003-04:00

Just lovely. I get a good pattern from a friend (available online for free) that I think will make my mom a very nice Christmas present. She is the only member of my family I bother to knit for because she is the only one who appreciates and actually uses the stuff. So, I dig through the stash, find my Malabrigo yarn, purchased at the Kanawha City Yarn Company about a year ago and prepared to start winding it. Bear in mind I own neither a ball winder or a swift, so I have to wind by hand.

I immediately discovered the problem when I was left holding two frayed ends. I hoped it was an isolated problem and continued on. After the same thing happened three more times, I decided I needed to wait until the next day and go to the store.

At KCYC, after telling Sarah, the owner, about the problem, she set it up on her ball winder and swift and commenced winding. We then discovered that the
d#$% moths had done considerable damage. I lost probably about 3-5 yards from pieces too small to bother knotting and will have to splice about 8-10 times while working on these socks. My only consolation at this point is that it can't get much worse (I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!).

Busy, busy, busy!

2009-10-20T16:24:00.007-04:00

Sorry for not posting for a few months, but I have been insanely busy with both work and school. I am working 40 hours and taking full time classes, so it has been a hectic few months. That, however, has not stopped me from knitting up a storm. I have several projects finished and a few still on the needles.

One of the projects still on the needles is the Spring Forward Sweater. I am about halfway done with the front, with the arm shaping coming up soon. I also cast on a cabled hat, but don't have any current pictures. I decided that my Flames socks should become fingerless mitts instead and still have a ton of the yarn left. Here is

what they look like:

Pretty nice, huh?

I am also working on another pair of socks. They are Kroy stripes in pastel colors. The toe of the first sock was a little wonky and I just finished the gusset decreases on the second sock.

Recently, one of the LYS went out of business. The owner was retiring to spend more time with her grandchildren. So I was able to score some very nice yarn at half off. I went a bit nuts on the Cherry Tree Hill and bought several skeins.

I lucked into two different kinds on yarn, CTH Silk and Merino DK and CTH Silky Kidd in the same colorway and knit a scarf with the two yarns held together. I chose garter stitch so the main focus would be on the yarn and not the pattern, but I was not bored at all! I am apparently easily amused by the color changes! It is finished, but I do not have a good picture, so this will have to do for now:

Pictures!

2009-08-16T00:15:00.010-04:00

It is about time I posted some pictures of my knitting. I have recently finished a few items, made progress on one and am about to cast on another. So, here we go!

The first item is my Grass and Violets tank top. It turned out great, even if the pictures are a bit odd. There was no one to help take the pics, so they are of my reflection in a mirror at my parents.

As you can see, it turned out a little shorter than I had intended. Here is a nice close up.

I also finished my worsted weight socks. I had to redo the heel of the second one after developing a massive gap between needles during the instep decreases, but it was smooth sailing after that. I finished the second sock at the SnB and was going to wait until I got home to graft the toe, but the lovely Nadine offered to do it for me and did a great job. Thank you, Nadine and happy birthday!

Next up is my Spring Forward sweater. It has been going good. The stitch definition is showing up better, but I am having a little trouble with the decreases for the sleeves. Still, I am almost finished with the back.

Tonight, I am going to cast on for another pair of socks. I am going camping this week, and socks are a good travel project. Plus, the colorway is called 'Flames' and I find it delicious to be knitting flaming socks in front of a roaring campfire! The yarn is more of Cyndi Bolt's. This time it is 402 yards of superwash wool. I am thinking of doing a seed stitch instead of the stockinette stitch I usually do.

More Hours

2009-08-04T17:37:00.003-04:00

Due to a change in the work schedule at Allevard Springs, I am now working 40 hours a week: a four-midnight shift on Tuesday and Wednesday, and my usual midnight to noon shifts on Saturday and Sunday. I can definitely use the money! Even though I am now living with my grandmother and am not paying rent, I still have bills to pay. A loan that I still have about a year and a half left to pay and two credit cards. However, I did decide to take both loans after all. I can use the excess to pay off my credit cards. They are both in-store cards, but they build up fast!

In knitting news, my tank top is finished! I have to take some good pictures and post them later. I have started working on the Spring Forward Sweater from Creative Magazine. I am not entirely happy with the yarn I chose. The Caron’s Simply Soft is not showing up the stitch definition very well. But, I am not going to frog; I am too far along and can live with it.

I am also working on a pair of basic boot socks in worsted weight yarn. I turned the heel of the first one on a bus and the second one in a movie theater before the show started.

School is going pretty good. I think having more than one class in the summer is a mistake, because you have so much coming at you at once. We have studies from the U.S. Civil War up the Cold War at present in just three and half weeks. I had my second test today and did okay (I hope). I am actually looking forward to the Fall semester starting.

A Load Off

2009-06-21T02:14:00.003-04:00

As mentioned before, I am a History Major at Marshall University. I am hoping to get my BA in History in a few years and then receive my MA in Museum Studies. I have begun sounding out museums in the area to see what and who is hiring and their requirements for employment.

Well, a large step has now been taken. When I first started college, frankly, I was stupid and lost me financial aid eligibility. Now, I have finally gotten it straighted out and am back in good standing. I have offered a grant and two loans. The grant is automatic, but I will have to choose which of the loans I want. Getting them both is overkill. I don't need $6,000.

The tuition and fees will equal about $3,000. When I got online and saw the amount I was being offered, I immediately called my mom, even though it was 1:30 in the morning. Luckily, I get my night-owl tendency from her and she was still awake. So, as long as I don't screw up again, I should be good!

Long Time, No Post

2009-05-24T01:14:00.006-04:00

Jeez, I did not realize how long it had been since I posted here. Therefore, I have a lot to post and will probably spread it across a few days. In fiber news (what else) I finished my Marsh socks at the end of April and will not be worrying about doing the rest.

I don't like knitting more than a few things at a time, and I currently have a tank top, a sweater, another pair of socks, and a hibernating dishcloth on the needles. At the moment, I am mainly knitting on the tank top. It is beautiful! It is 50% cotton and 50% rayon and is a very shimmery green and purple. See!

It was hand dyed by a local independent spinner, weaver and dyer named Cyndi. I mentioned in a previous post that I had put some yarn in layaway in December. Well this is it! I have over 1200 yards, which is a good thing, because it is a lighter weight yarn than the pattern calls for. I am knitting a plain stockinette stitch tank, mostly because this is the kind of yarn where a simple pattern is best.

In other fiber news, the first weekend of April was the River Cities Fiber Guild's annual retreat. I was unable to stay the full time due to work, but many others stayed all night. It was held at a local church camp, so there where plenty of beds. Several of my friends from the guild were there, as will as a few people I didn't know.

This is Cyndi, who dyed the lovely yarn above; Debbie, a very talented spinner;

Ellen, who gave samples of fleece for the goody bags. I helped her write the name of the place where she got them o (Wool Grower's in Columbus, Ohio) on the bags and she gave me several more that were extra.

This is Elaine (on the left) and Grace (on the right). Elaine was actually spinning a large fluffy synthetic fiber usually used for packing material. It was a pure white and she blended in some orange wool with a drum carder and it looked great!

This is Judy, one of the founding members of the guild. She is a absolutely adorable, sweet woman with a very quirky sense of humor

And this is Mitzi, one of the other founding members and Judy's daughter. They own several llamas and got started spinning because of that.

This is Nadine, who is a 'spinning prodigy' to use Grace's words on Ravelry. She has been spinning only about a year and her stuff is phenomenal!

This a Maria, a good friend and an excellent knitter, as shown by the entrelac shawl she is wearing.

Nancy, a very good spinner and knitter,

Sam, who is a very good knitter and is developing into an exceptional spinner as well (blame Nadine, she got her hooked).

Then there is Dana (on the right) and Trish (on the left). Dana has made some of the most intricate socks I have ever seem and Trish spins some of the best yarn. She taught me to Andean ply last year.

Finally, there were several people from a WV guild several hours away. They are the ones that convinced Mitzi and Judy to develop the guild here. I think there names were Linda, Linda, Lynda and Deb.

Ok, there is more to catch up on, but I think I will leave it until tomorrow. It is another pic heavy post.

Just a quick note to say

2009-03-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

My Feb socks are done, and I have cast on my first sweater. More details in next post.

Did you know

2009-02-07T20:30:00.003-05:00

That they tax you on your tax return? Doesn't that rather defeat the point. Oh, well, thank God for schooling credits, or I would be getting back almost nothing. As it is, I will be getting about $600.00 from state and federal together. I plan to pay off a few outstanding debts (like paying Cindy for the yarn I have in layaway) and will sit on the rest to supplement my income when things fall short on payday. You'd think with two jobs, I would not have this problem! But, I don't work full time at either job, so that is not the case. I just need to hold out until my lease expires in July and find a cheaper apartment. Hopefully, cheaper will not equal rat-trap!

In fibery news, my February socks are going good. They are two-by-two rib in two striped white and green. Will be great for St. Patrick's day and Marshall games. I was doing them in stockinette stitch, and had already turned the heel, when I realized that they would be too big. So, I frogged them and started again. They should fit fine. The striping made picking the gusset stitches a bit tricky and at one point the stripes are off, but no one but me could really tell. I will post pics when the first sock is finished.

Tomorrow is the birthday of both Jon, and my great-grandmother, Mamaw Crow. Jon will be 26 and Mamaw will be 100. Mine and Jon's second anniversary will be later this month. I don't know what to get Jon, except for more art supplies. His drawing skillz are amazing!

Winter Weather

2009-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Question I was asked at the gas station today "When did we move to Canada?" The Tri-state region of West Virginia; usually a region of moderate temperatures protected from much snowfall by the mountains around us. Well, not today. It started snowing late last night and has not stopped all today, except when it switches to freezing rain, that is.

Right now the entire area is covered with snow and ice and everyone is praying the power doesn't go out. I got up around 1:00 this afternoon, called Taco Bell to see if the paychecks were in (they were) and hauled my but out of bed to go get and cash mine. After a brief stop at the gas station mentioned above, I got on the road. Now I work a good way from where I live, but it usually only takes about 20-30 minutes to get to Taco Bell. Today it took a good hour. Luckily, my credit union is right next door to Taco Bell.

I finally got my check cashed and headed to Walmart to get chili fixings. If this isn't chili weather, I don't know what is. I visited Jon while there (he works in the electronic dept.) and headed home. The roads were a bit clearer, so it didn't take as long. I then started the chili in the crockpot (I love that thing) and started a new loaf of homemade bread. My last attempt at bread fell flat a bit; it was still raw dough in the middle. This one turned out fine, though.

So, my plans for the rest of today and all of tomorrow is simply to veg, knit my February socks and watch my fave TV show, Most Haunted, on Youtube. I finished my Wavy scarf last night and will hopefully post pics tomorrow. I also began my February socks. They will be green and white striped. The cuff, heel and toe of one will be green and the cuff, heel and toe of the other will be white. Beyond it is just two-row stripes. I will probably post pics of it tomorrow also.

New Obsession?

2009-01-26T14:36:00.000-05:00

I have created a monster! No, actually I have created bread:

My first loaf of homemade bread! It tastes better than store-bought and is healthier, what with the no preservitives. I used this recipe and it can out good after I called my grandmother a few times for advice. The directions did not say to add water.

Also, my January socks for the Great 2009 Sock Off are finished and feel and look great.

Yah!

2009-01-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

For more hours at work. A slight emergency with scheduling gave me am additional 8 hours at my security job. The down side is those 8 hours are attached to the next eight. Translation: I have to work a 16 hour shift, go home and sleep for 12 hour and come back in for another 12. Oh, well, at least I will be able to pay the rent. I really hope we get the stimulus check they are talking about in the next couple months. If I can just get my credit cards paid off, I will be much better off!

Onto fiber related topics. My first pair of socks for the year are going quite good. One is finished and I am about half done with the heel flap of the other. It helps that several people have uploaded episodes of one of my fave TV shows onto YouTube. The show is called Most Haunted, and as the name suggests, they spend the night in haunted locations. It is interesting and can be scary at times. A lot of people believe it is fake, but some stuff is hard to fake.

Random Thoughts

2009-01-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

I am very happy because I finished this hat Sunday morning while at work. It was my first time knitting cables, and they came out very well. I started using a cable needle but ended up using a 5in dpn for most of it. I wore it this morning while walking to the post office. Cold or not, I was not going to waste the gas to drive a block!

A few days after Christmas I entered into a trade with a knitter on Ravelry. I traded her some roving I decided I would probably never use for the Yarn Harlot's Never Not Knitting page-a-day calender. We were both beginning to to wonder if it got lost, because she mailed it on Jan 2 and it still had not arrived. She got the roving last week. But there it was this morning, in all it's harloty glory!

I am getting a bit peeved at my landlord. I paid the rent on Jan 3 and the check still has not cleared. If he lost it, I am not writing another one. Once it leaves my hands, it is his responsibility.

Once again I am going to sing the praises of my crock-pot. I don't get paid until tomorrow and the cupboards are bare. So what did I do? Simply dug the leftover chili from where I froze it last week, stuck it in the fridge to thaw and there you go, two meals in one Ziploc bag. After I cash my paycheck, I am planing to make beef stew. All I need is beef, a few potatoes, baby carrots and seasoning.

It feels weird not to be starting class today. I was not eligible for financial aid and was unable to pay the tuition. So, I will have to take a class in the summer and reapply for financial aid after I get my tax info from last year.

You will probably (hopefully) be seeing a lot of socks on this blog this year. On Ravelry, on of the new groups I have joined is the Sock Challenge of 2009. The challenge is to knit 1 pair of socks per month in 09. I thought it sounded cool and I have enough sock yarn to last me about 4 months. I am almost finished with the first socks, the YH basic sock recipe, and have queue the next pair, a cable pattern based off of the basic sock recipe. They will be knit in Cestari sock yarn, colorway Green Heather. I have managed to avoid casting them on until I finish the first pair.

I also cast on a scarf for myself. I realized that I have knit about six scarves, and never kept one for my own use. So, I am knitting the same pattern as Kara's Christmas scarf, but in four colors instead of two. I am using remnants of another finished project. It is Oasis Yarn Aussi Wool.

Late Christmas Post

2009-01-11T16:36:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to post the drama around my boyfriend's scarf. At the October meeting of the River Cities Fiber Guild, one of the guild members, Beth, brought in some remnants of yarn she had sitting around. I liked a skein and ball of a blue/purple/pink variegated yarn and a plain light blue yarn. I had already decided to make a scarf for my boyfriend, Jon, and this yarn was perfect. I am a very lucky knitter, in that Jon loves vibrant colors, mostly in blue and purple.

The only problem was, I didn't know how much of the yarn I had. Of the variegated, there was a good-sized yarn cake and a small hand wound ball. I cast on 28 stitches in garter stitch. I thought at first to use 2x2 rib, but had just finished a 2x2 rib for my aunt, and was about sick of it.

I worked diligently on the scarf, around other projects until December 23. The days preceding this had been unusually warm and rainy, but that night the temperature dropped drastically and the although the rain had stopped, the roads were icy. I was on I-64, having just left my grandmother's, when I became stuck in a massive traffic jam.

It turned out that a cherry-picker truck had overturned on a bridge and was blocking all 4 lanes. I didn't know that then, but after sitting for about 20 minutes, I fished Jon's scarf out of my knitting bag. I figured it would be best because the other projects I was working on all required counting and it was to dark to see well. So, this is what I did:

I ended up stuck in that traffic jam for two hours! Still, I got a lot done. After I finally got home I stretched out the scarf to measure it. I had only about 2 yards of the variegated yarn left and only 40 inches. After an initial bit of panicking and use of language unbecoming a knitter, I figured out what to do. I took the blue yarn I received from Beth and continued on the cast off end for 5 inches. I then undid the cast on edge and added the blue yarn for an additional five inches. I didn't have much time to add the extra inches. I was due to meet Jon and go to my parents for Christmas morning at 9:00. I ended up finishing at 6:30.

I could not believe how good it looked! It looked like I had actually planned that from the beginning. I told Jon about it and he didn't believe it either.

Crock-pot cooking

2009-01-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

works for me! I finally got around to cooking something other than chili. I like it, but almost 2 weeks of eating it is enough. So yesterday, I bought a 3.75 roasting chicken and made chicken stock, which is now in the freezer. I am currently using the chicken to cook a slightly modified version of the Crockpot Lady's Brown Sugar Chicken. Except I am making it with the already cooked chicken. Here's hoping it goes well!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-01-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today I turn 26 years old. And what do I have planned for myself today? Cleaning my apartment. Two weeks of night shifts from eight at night to eight in the morning means my apt is trashed. I have already cleaned the bathroom and took down the Christmas tree. I am planning to clean and organize my spare room. I have a two bedroom apt, but the front bedroom only contains my stash and the various junk that is not immediately needed after moving.

So, everything is going in boxes and is going to be neatly stacked (I hope). While doing that, I need to wash about three loads of laundry. The laundry facilities are a bit touch and go around here. There is only one washer and dryer and they are shared by all 8 apts in the building. I have an advantage in that I don't work days. So, I tend to wash clothes when most other residents are at work.

Now it is time for the Christmas recap. I had several things on my list that I considered necessities, not just stuff I wanted for the heck of it. One such item was a slow-cooker. I got a 5-quart Rival Crock-pot from my grandmother and have already used it twice. Both times I made my dad's chili. It is easy and very cheap. All you need is 2-5 cans of Luck's Pinto Beans, a 16oz can of tomato sauce, a packet of McCormick chili seasoning and a pound of hamburger.

Mix the seasoning in a 1/2 cup of water.
Add the tomato sauce.
Open the cans of beans and put in slow-cooker.
Add the seasoning/tomato sauce mix.
Brown the hamburger and add to mixture in cooker.

6. Allow to simmer for 1-2 hours.

7. Enjoy.

I decided to make to chili because it was easy. Also, all ingredients totaled about $6.50. I just made a weeks worth of food for the price of one combo at McDonald's! It tasted just like my dad's too. I ended up calling him about 3 times asking for instructions :).

Here is what it looked like in the Crock-pot:

And this is what it looked like in the bowl:

It tasted just like my dads.

Earth to Jenny

2009-01-05T07:39:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post so you know I haven't died. My internet connection is somewhat spotty right now, but I intend to have a real post in a few days.

Merry Christmas to All

2008-12-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

And to all a good night. If only I wasn't spending my night at work. Oh, well. at least I get good holiday pay. I was able to spend a little time at my grandmother's house and see some of my family. I gave gifts to the ones that were there, and here are the pics:

My knitted gifts were a big hit. I gave several to various members of my family. It took me forever to decide which dishcloth went to whom, but that is also sorted.

The first item I knitted for Christmas was a scarf for my cousin, Kara. She asked for one in WVU colors after she saw the scarf I made for Mamaw Mary last year. I think she was a little surprised I remembered.

The dishcloths were a big hit with my grandmother and aunts. My mamaw has trouble with ladybugs invading her house every winter, so I gave her the ladybug dishcloth as a joke. She thought it was a pineapple until I told her what it was! And my aunts, Jackie and Sandi liked the crocheted dishcloths.

I do have a bit of a problem. Ever since I started Jon's scarf, I wondered if I would have enough yarn. And the answer is: no! I only need about 10 more inches, so I am going to add 5 inches to each end, so it doesn't look like I ran out.

So, that is what I will be doing most of the night. Tomorrow will be visiting both my family and Jon's all day, then back to work at 8:00 pm. So, a 12 hour shift on no sleep. If my post tomorrow is coherent, you can color me stunned (and comatose). So stay safe and Merry Christmas.

More Finished Christmas Gifts

2008-12-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

I was looking at the blog and realized that I am a bit behind in posting pics of my finished knitted Christmas gifts. Also I plan to make a list on here and actually keep track of what I have both made and bought. So here goes:

Mommy-two dishcloths: Frog and Hummingbirds; two pairs of jeans=done
Daddy- two pairs of jeans=done
Bruce (DB)-shirt=done
Kristen (SIL)-one knitted dishcloth, one crocheted dishcloth=done
Kira (DN)-teddy bear=done
Hunter (DN)-game=needs wrapped
Mamaw Mary-Ladybug dishcloth=done
Charlene (DA)-scarf=done
Kara-scarf=done
Mamaw and Papaw Rose-Solid Bee Skep dishcloth and chipped in on gift certificate to Golden Corral=done
Jon (DBF)-scarf=60%; shirts-need to buy
Jen (D nephew's mom)-need to buy shirt
Kim (Jon's mom)-Lighthouse dishcloth; lighthouse calender

So that is my list. And here are the missing pictures of some of this stuff:

This is the Hummingbird and Vine dishcloth for my mom.

And this is the Frog dishcloth, also for my mom.

The Bee Skep (who named this thing) is for my Mamaw Rose.

This last one is Jon's scarf. I just need about 25 more inches and it should be done.

Christmas Troubles and Towns

2008-12-21T01:28:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I was informed by my mom that the plant where my dad has worked for the last 18-20 years has been shut down. Apparently, the company, American National Rubber, filed bankruptcy and was bought out by another company. This company then proceeded to place ads in the paper to hire new employees before informing the former employees that they were fired.

Now, the old company was unionized and my dad had been the local union president for about 5 years now. Since the new company waited until foreclosure of ANR, they don't have to recognize the union and since my dad was president, there is almost no chance that he, or any other member of the union’s executive board will be rehired.

They could not have picked a worse time. In addition to the usually bills, they will have to deal with the Christmas spending on a reduced budget. My dad draws unemployment but it is not as much as he was getting. Plus, with the economy troubles, it will be very hard for him to find another job.

So I might be moving back home to help with utilities and other bills. I spoke to my landlord and he said that this being unforeseen circumstances, granted he could re-rent the apt, he didn't mind.

On a better note, every Christmas my mom puts up a large Christmas town set. She has been building on to it for about 10 years and has grown out of three former locations in the house. It started on the mantel, moved to the sideboard in the dining room, then to the dining room table.

It not only outgrew the table, it also got in the way. Three hundred sixty three days of the year, that table serves as my parent’s desk. It is only used on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It now lives from about mid-November to January on an 8x4 piece of plywood in the living room. My family uses the den for all activities, so it is not in the way there. When I was taking the pictures my dad told me that if she used all the houses, building and accents she had, it would cover a board twice as big. She must have 50 houses and well over 100 accent pieces.

So here it is: That's my dad, turning on the town set's lights.

This one is my favorite. This one nicely shows off the detail of the set.

Sorry this one is so blurry.

From Me to You

2008-12-07T15:31:00.000-05:00

Or possibly from me to myself. Sometimes I wonder why I am writing this blog. I don't think it is very interesting, and the only people who read it are members of my local guild and SnB. I was trying to figure it out today, when I realized. I have kept a journal most of my life, but I could never make it worth reading, even to myself. Until 2001.

Several things happened that year. September 11th is the most obvious, but for me it was only one of a series. A little under two months after 9/11 my grandfather died of the cancer he had been fighting for almost a year. When I was called out of school, I knew it had to be him. He died at midnight that night. I am getting choked up just remembering that awful day of tension and dread.

That was also the beginning of my senior year of high school. Everyone always said they would love to relive their high school years. Personally, with very few exceptions, I hated high school. I was never the same as the others and they let me know that. I did not listen to the same music, wear the same cloths, did not wear makeup at all. I always had a book in my hand, which could be anything from Harry Potter to Stephen King, to Les Miserable. Until my senior year I was always an outcast. That year I actually made a few friends. One of them would, six years later, become my beloved Jon.

That year I started a new journal, and it was interesting. From my feeling of fear and dread after 9/11 to my grief at my papaw's passing. I could not believe he was actually gone until I wrote it down. I then preceded to fall apart on my dad's shoulder.

So that is why I am writing, to see my own fears, doubts and joys laid out before me.

And one of those doubts is why I am writing today. I am sometimes afraid of my own personality. I don't mean I think I am a serial killer or something, but I do have a very obsessive personality. My last boyfriend thought I was a bit of a prude because I never drank much alcohol (which is on of the reason he is now my EX-boyfriend). I never told him it was because I had seen the affects of drinking in my family. My mom's brother lives next door to up, and he is an alcoholic and he is not the only one in my family. And I know I have the possibility in my makeup to become one as well, because I become obsessed with things very easily.

I usually manage to keep it somewhat under control, but my range of interests can change in the blink of an eye. Last week, it was the Harry Potter books and fan fiction. Now it has become the Beatles and their music. My interests pogos around like a yo-yo.

The Beatles are actually the worst one. I have always enjoyed their music, so much so that my parents bought me a compilation tape of their songs from 1962-1966. I played it so much it finally literally fell apart. Then, when I was in middle school, the Beatles Anthology can out and I when from a fan to a true Beatlemaniac. However, at the time, my income was limited to what I could talk my parents out of. So I made do with the Anthology on VHS, that old cassette tape, and three CDs. At that time CDs were still about $20.00. I had 'Please Please Me' and the soundtracks to 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help'. After a lucky break, I then had the movies themselves when my dad recorded them from TV. Eventually, my interest when to other thing and the movies and CDs gathered dust.

Then, when I was just starting college, I decided to make a cross-stitch baby blanket for a expected nephew. I didn't realize how big it was when I first bought it. While working on that blanket, I often watched TV. Then I can across the old Beatles Anthology VHS. I decided to watch it while cross-stitching and my second Beatles obsession was born. With one slight different this time: I had a job. It was fast-food and very unglamorous, but it supplied me with something lacking before, the money to buy items as I saw fit. I was living with my parents and the only bill I had was my car insurance.

I think that is what kick-started the whole thing off. Before, I had been satisfied with the little I had because I had no choice but to be, but now I could get what I wanted when I wanted. Within a month I had almost every Beatles CD except 'Magic Mystery Tour' and 'Abbey Road'. I had books, DVDs (including an expanded version of the Anthology), and even T-shirts and posters.

Still, my extreme interest in the Beatles waned, and my eye passed to other things. But now it is back. I was fooling around on YouTube and came across the old Beatles cartoon show, made back in the late '60s and it has started a new Beatles obsession. Yesterday, I burned all my Beatles CDs onto my computer, and today, synced them onto my MP3 player.

Still, the Beatles are better than alcohol; the CDs last longer and don't leave you hung over. I could be obsessed with worse things. Plus, I am somewhat happered by the fact that once again I have no money, this time because it is all going to bills. Ah, the joys of living on your own! With Christmas and my birthday coming up soon, I just might finish my collection.

Is anybody there?

2008-12-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

I was starting to wonder if anyone was reading this, since there have been no comments left. Now I know at least Nadine has been, since she told me on Thursday. She told me I needed to update more, so here you go!

I am still working on the dishcloths. I recently finished one intended for my boyfriends mother. She loves lighthouses, so I searched Ravelry for a lighthouse dishcloth pattern, and lo and behold, I found one. God, I love Ravelry! The pattern was designed by Rhonda White. It and tons of other free dishcloth patterns can be found at Knitting Knonsense.

It was a bit tricky, because it uses yarn overs to make the holes for the beams, then you immediately k2tog to keep the stitch count the same. On the other side, you psso then yo. It made for a few headaches, especially when I made the mistake of trying to knit it at the Stitch and Bitch. After frogging twice, I finally decided home would be a better place to work on it and got another project.

That other project is a scarf for my boyfriend, Jon. I was talking about his mom's dishcloth and he said he would like a scarf. I had some yarn I got from a fellow member of the River Cities Fiber Guild in blue/purple variegated. It is plain garter stitch, because after that 2x2 rib scarf for Char, I think anymore ribbing would drive me a bit nuts (more than I already am that is).

I know it is wool and I know it is worsted weight and I am knitting it in US 10 needles. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. And, while I am on the subject of scarves and because I haven't posted pic of them yet, here is Char's scarf:

It is the 2x2 rib, knit out of Red Heart Super Saver on US 13 needles.

Also, here is Kara's scarf:

Kara's was knit from Cascade 220. I would tell you the color names, but to be honest, I don't know what they are! I could never find them on the ball band. It was knit on US 10 needles. The pattern is a cool on called 'Wavy Rib'. It was good for the color changes, because it repeats every 24 rows. So, when the repeat came, I changed colors, easy as pie.

Ooh, I just remembered. The local Lions Club is holding a Arts and Crafts fair this weekend at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. I went at about 10:00 this morning. I didn't have long to look, because, I had to be at work at 12:00. While wandering around I encountered one of the members of the fiber guild selling yarn and roving. Her name is Cindy Bolt, and she dyes the most gorgeous yarns. I have been coveting a cotton/rayon mix for a tank-top for months. It is called 'Grass and Violets.

And today when I told Cindy this, she said she could put it on layaway. So, four payments in four months and I will get my yarn just in time to make a summer tank-top. If not for the fact I was in public, I would have been doing the happy knitter dance ;-).

Well, that is a good long post, so as a parting gift, I will post one more picture. It was a happy accident from fiddling with my digital camera.

Not bad, huh? I was fooling with the various setting. There are options for background and nighttime pictures. I took three, but they were all blurry or to dark. I set my camera on top of my truck, which is a light blue in color and got the reflection as pure coincidence. Looks like water, doesn't it? I now have this as the background on my computer.

Another one done

2008-11-29T19:35:00.000-05:00

Why the heck didn't I think about knitting dishcloths for Christmas presents before. I mean, usually I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to get everything in time. Now, I have finished three presents in about 5 days. I just bound off the Ladybug dishcloth and here it is:

After I finished the Michigan Cherries dishcloth, I realized I still had a ton of yarn left on the ball, so I cast on the Ladybug dishcloth from the same ball. I just figured if it was enough, all well and good and if not, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Well, it did work and I still have a few yards left. See:

I put my tape measure beside it for perspective. I was going to cast on the next dishcloth, but decided to work in my aunt's scarf instead. It is a 2x2 rib in Red Heart Super Saver. It feels a bit weird because I was knitting the dishcloths on US 8s and am knitting the scarf on US 13s, so its odd jumping to the much larger needle size. The scarf looks good. It is about half done and I figure to get more done at school next week. Thank God it is almost time for finals!

I already finished one scarf for my cousin, Kara. Last year, I made my grandmother a 3x3 rib scarf in Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool. When Kara saw it, she asked for a scarf, only in WVU colors, because she was an undergrad there. So, I knitted it , finished last month, and just need to take a picture of it.

spindling

2008-11-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

I forgot to add to yesterday's post that I also drop spindle with a spindle I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I don't much care for it, I don't think the balance is very good. I currently have my eye on a Golding beginner spindling kit that includes a 1.9 oz spindle, coopworth roving and a book called "Spin It". It is $66.00 and I want it so bad. But, I can't afford it at the moment. Maybe in a few months.

In other news, I am halfway through the next dishcloth. I am knitting the patterns from a book I bought at Jo-anns called "Garden Dishcloths to Knit" by Melissa Bergland Burnham. It has several adorable and easy patterns, using only knit and purl. The patterns include a frog, various flowers, a butterfly and things like that. If you are a member of Ravelry, some on her designs are free for downloading.

About me

2008-11-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

I figured, since I doubt too many people will go back to check out my old blog, I would tell a little about myself. I am a 25 year old History Major at Marshall University in West Virginia. My main area of focus will be the history of the Appalachias. I am proud to be from WV, and want to gain better understanding of the past, to better understand why this state is as it is today. Trust me, get me started and I will talk about it for hours.

I am also a knitter. I started knitting about three years ago, when I bought one of those Boyes 'Teach Yourself to Knit' kits at Walmart. The kit included an instruction book, a set of US 6 and US 8 needles, stitch markers, a stitch holder, a cable needle, two point protector, two darning needles and a row counter. I decided I didn't learn form the book very well, and went out and bought a 'I Can't Believe I Am Knitting' DVD. I have never looked back.

Knitting has brought me a great deal. I am somewhat shy and don't make friends easily, but knitting opened up a whole new world for me. While at my favorite LYS, Yarn and More in Ashland, Kentucky, the owner, Linda told me about the local guild that meets every month in South Point, the River Cities Fiber Guild. I went to my first meeting in March of 2008 and immediately loved it. Everyone was so friendly. Two meetings later, I learned to spin on a drop spindle. I was watching a woman, who's name I can't remember, and she held it out to me and asked if I wanted to try. That is the way it always is, if someone wants to try something new, all they need to do is ask.

I also began attending a local Stitch and Bitch. A few people in the SnB were also in the guild, which is how I found out about it. Every Thursday, we meet in a local coffee bar, and sit, talk, eat and knit. I love the friends I have made there.

At the moment I am just happy I finished two of the dishcloths. I am sure I can finish enough for most of my family for Christmas. Also, Jon told me he needed a scarf. Which answers the question of whether he would wear one if I made it.

Here are the pictures of the two finished dishcloths.

The red one is called Michigan Cherries and the variegated is called Bee Skep. I think the cherries will be going to my Aunt Sandi and the bees to my Mamaw Rose.

I am also a quilter and am in the process of hand-quilting a crib quilt for my niece, Kira. She is three months old and is cute as a button. The quilt is in 30s repro, from a charm pack I bought at a LQS. I will post a picture when I finish it. I have been quilting for about 5 years.

Let's see, what else. I also cross-stitch. In fact, I learned to cross-stitch long before I learn to quilt or knit. It started with a high school home-ec class for extra credit. But I fell in love and now have a ton of patterns and thread at home.

Well, I think that is enough for now. TTFN.

Changing thing around, things to be thankful for.

2008-11-27T23:58:00.000-05:00

I decided I didn't care for my old blog provider and changed to this one. If anyone cares to check out the old blog, the address is http://jenram.blog.com/. I will have to load my projects and my boyfriend's artwork onto this blog, but I am currently at work, so I will do that later.

I had planned to write this for a few days, but held off because it never comes out on the screen like it is in my head. So, here goes.

I am thankful for my boyfriend, Jon. He is just right for me, because as I am addicted to knitting, he is addicted to artwork. He draws what is known as Furry art. It is very unusual. I have been going through some financial troubles lately, and he has helped all he can, despite not being much better off than I am. I know I can be myself with Jon. He is unpretentious and very accepting of people. We have some different tastes, especially in music, but I know that no matter what I do, he will be there.

I am thankful for a family I can turn to when needed. My dad's parents paid 2,000 dollars out of pocket for my tuition last year. I am also having trouble keeping my apt. due to a lose of hours at work, and both my parents and my maternal grandmother have said I am welcome to come back home for as long as I need to. They are also good for a laugh. Early this afternoon, Jon and I went to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. Jon fit right in with my very odd, crazy family.

It was interesting. My mom overcooked the turkey in the roaster oven. It was the first time she used it, and she thought the turkey was not brown enough. When my dad finally convinced her it was fine, the turkey literally fell apart when they lifted it out. It was the first time I ever ate a drumstick without the bone; it came out when I picked it up.

I am thankful that my 99 year old great-grandmother, Mamaw Crow, was able to come home. She fell and broke her hip about a month ago. It was surgically repaired and she was in a nursing home for therapy until last night. She is nearly blind, almost stone deaf, and ever since she fell, her mental state has deteriorated. Therefore, I was very thankful when I went up to her and she recognized me. Two of her primary care givers, my grandmother and great aunt were surprised. Mamaw Rose told me that at times, she didn't even recognize them.

I am thankful I finally figured out what for get the majority of my family for Christmas. I am a knitter and was trying to come with a way to give presents out of the stash when a much better idea was presented to me. I am a member of the River Cities Fiber Guild, and we had our monthly meeting this past Monday. While there, I got into a discussion about knitting gifts. One of the other guild members mentioned dishcloths.

Eureka! I already had a book of dishcloth patterns and a cone of Peaches and Creme variegated cotton yarn. I cast on and finished the dishcloth the next day. The only problem was the variegated yarn does not show the pattern well. So, I went and bought some 122yd balls at Walmart. They are only $1.50 apiece, so I bought4 balls: 2 light blue, one ecru and one red. I started on the first one on 11/25/08 and should have it finished tonight. Also my cousin Kara is getting a scarf, my great-aunt Char is also, and my neice, Kira is getting a crib quilt if I ever finish it.

So, that went better than I thought it would. Oh, just a side note, I am a member of Ravelry and my member name is WVrambler.