Welding optional

Glen Fodale, gracious man that he is, not only gifted William with the space to build a forge, but the materials as well. Here are William, Ginger and Glen creating the forge. It weights a ton. It is going to be used to first make tools for future forging.

Midsouth Eclectic Homeschoolers field trip

Thanks to Ron Brister, Director of Collections (I hope I got that right). Ron has been with the Pink Palace family of museums for a few decades and is a fount of information. The MEHS were privileged to get a behind the scenes tour of the Pink with Ron as their guide. When he retires he's interested in resuming some of the programs that the museum hasn't had the staff for, including the Junior Curator program! The Pink also owns Coon Creek which has a full camp facility and I have high hopes it will re-open for summer or seasonal camps before our own children are too old to join in.

Veterans Day Thunder

Aunt Kimmie came to town! A dear friend (she's know us since college, eek!) came to town and while we didn't exactly wine and dine her, we did enjoy having her around and including her in our daily crazy lives. We haven't seen each other for almost 14 years and she laughed and said we hadn't changed at all (while she was listening to us bicker :)) We took her out to Veteran's Day Thunder, a local bike ride fundraiser. Aunt Bev was there and though freshly unemployed, she was in good spirits (it's called shock).
top photo l-r, Ginger, Max, Kimmi, Diane, William
bottom photo Aunt Bev and Max

Thanks again Denise! Another Brown Sheep Sweater FINISHED!

You might recall that I had other plans for this yarn, but I had not consulted the yarns when I made my plans. After sitting and making friends, the yarn conspired against my gauge swatch for Tubey. No amount of fiddling with needles would yield gauge. I pondered and pondered. Drew and scribbled and the yarn spoke. Here is the very simple, knit just-to-fit-my-40-year-old-body sweater. Knit from Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in the most luscious cocoa imaginable and some super deeply discounted Bingo (Lana Grossa). I used the Handy book of sweater patterns and unvinted this baseball inspired slouchy sweater (or as slouchy as I care go to). I made the sleeves a tad too short and decided to pick the CO out and pick up and knit the opposite direction. Nothing I'm eager to do again, but it solved the problem. I'm hoping that blocking fixes the rolling of the bottom edge, but if it doesn't I'll pick up and knit a few more rows of ribbing. This is the perfect Memphis winter wear-with-jeans-around-the-house-while-homeschooling-the-urchins sweater.

Fuzzy Feet Slippers from Knitty.com

When the eldest "stole" my pair and the youngest "stole" his, I had to CO for another pair! These were intented for me, but had minds of their own. After the initial felting they were a bit too long, but way too big, after the 2nd felting they were actually too small. I wore them all day trying to coax them into submission, but finally gave up that evening. I tossed them in the washer for another quick spin and presented them to my darling bride. They fit her perfectly. I enjoy these quick knit slippers. The problem this time was my memory. I forgot if I knit the others on size 10 or 11 (pattern calls for 10.5, but I do not own that). These were knit with size 11, obviously NOT what I used previously! I have since made a pair on size 10 that felted perfectly and are on my feet. There are more of these on my "To Knit List" Peggy and Margo are getting the next pair when I see them in a few weeks. Renee' and Shelly are getting the next pairs as house-warming gifts. Their new house has hardwood floors, wool slippers are a must. And it appears youngest son will also get another pair as the ones he "stole" from his brother were accidentally washed and now fit his best friend. Perhaps these should be called Fuzzy Traveling Feet?

We made it in 2 newspapers and for 2 different events!

From the St-Louis Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/ym9zjr
"'We will teach you'

"Whatever you can bring is valued," said Diane Thornton of Memphis, Tenn., who brings along her 11- and 14-year-old sons to Ozark Trail-building events. "Even if you're young or out of shape, their motto is we will teach you."

That wasn't the case in her home state. Thornton said that when she took her sons to a weeklong trail build in Tennessee, they were eventually asked to leave. She said her son felt humiliated, and "I didn't want him to feel left out again."

Her son, William, who turns 12 this month, said, "I like doing stuff with my hands. It's fun. I see new people's faces. They admire me for what I'm doing for the environment."

and if you check out October 16, 2006 Memphis Commercial Appeal apparently William and I are in the photo of the cast iron being poured at the National Ornamental Metal Museum. The photo is not on the web, or I haven't been able to get it to come up. Max, to his credit, volunteered Sunday afternoon and helped break down and stack chairs and tables.

Left-handed knitting (The Left Out Knitter)

I have started a book. In my small withering mind, the book is about left-handed knitting. There are two distinct combinations of left-handed knit and purl stitches that result in a flat knitted fabric. There are any number of combinations that do not, stitches are re-oriented and twisted stitches result. In a burst of productivity, I have documented every possible way of knitting left-handed! I mean knitting from right needle to left needle. I even wrote Yarn Harlot (maybe I should send her chocolate again) about her agent. I have absolutely no idea how to get this idea and rough draft to a publishing house. I am now thinking the mind-set will be negative. After all, lefties have been left out of knitting for ages, why would the resurgence of knitting change that? Despite the plethora of knitting books, shows and DVDs there is not one single publication dealing with left-handed knitting. Even those that do give it a mention show only the basic stitches and expect left-handed knitters to use mirrors or PhotoShop to flip more complicated stitch instructions. If it were that easy, why in the world would there be a million dollar publishing industry for right handed knitting? Wouldn't a simple comment be enough? Lefties need printed knitting material too. Not separate patterns.
KnitMythBusters:
The biggest myth in the knitting world is that knitting is 2 handed so lefties can do it the "right way". That's wrong, knitting is 2 handed, but some brains can't wrap themselves around manipulating the yarn with the right hand. The second biggest knitting myth is lefty knitters have to reverse patterns. If righties sat down over an adult beverage and contemplated this comment it might, just might dawn on them that their very own cardigan patterns say "right front: repeat as for left front reversing shaping" ::GASP:: You mean they don't have to have it written out exactly opposite? That they can grasp the difference between a right leaning decrease and a left leaning decrease? How CAN that be? Listen knitting siblings, lefties can do it to. And while it may seem like an incredible praise to say to a right to left knitter "it's amazing you can do that" it only shows your bias. Knitting right to left is as easy for their brain as knitting left to right is for yours. It is not rocket science, but a comforting and creative passion that they refuse to be "left" out of.
I hope to have a short article accepted on this topic by a major knitting publication and it is still my dream to find a publisher that recognizes the market for a left-handed knitting book. If righties have to have specific pictures for their increases and decreases, why not lefties? My ideal book will show both methods of creating flat knitting right (needle) to left (needle) and their corresponding increases and decreases. It would be wonderful if a very small DVD accompanied it for the basic stitches. Until some agent sees the merit. This remains just another dream of a Left-out Knitter.

Naval Live Oaks Resource Day

Pensacola Unschoolers held Resource day at the Gulf Breeze Naval Live Oaks visitor center. We watched a few short movies, had a picnic lunch and a short nature hike. The yellow garden spiders were in abundance as were butterflies who refused to have their pictures taken and several 5 lined skinks.
Since there are some more movies we didn't see, I will probably do this again next Fall
.

Blogspot Beta problem SOLVED

If you are trying to load my blog using Internet Explorer 6.0 or above, you will get a script error. to solve this problem you will need to either view my blog using Firefox (another browser) or develop the patience of Job and disable the scripts when the IE box pops up. Sorry! I am, however, thrilled to see that all my hard work is still here. Welcome back to my blog!

KnitPicks Shipping RANT!

I have just had the WORST experience with my darling KnitPicks. If it were the first time I ordered from them, I would never order again and Elann would have all my business. As some of you know, I had a circular needle crisis several weeks ago. Those socks are still on the needles. The new circular needle that I sweet-talked Ginger into letting me purchase is lost in never never land. The order was placed September 14, 2006 and shipping supposedly via USPS September 15th. Here I sit, on this beautiful island with cool Fall weather and crystal clear Gulf of Mexico, but sans said circular needle. :::sigh::: What went wrong? Apparently the planets aligned to thwart this knitting project, or maybe it's the future one they're fiddling with, I don't know. The tracking information available via the KnitPicks order status page is NOT actual USPS tracking information. It has not been updated daily and my package (containing 2 circulars and 2 skeins of Donagal sock yarn) spent 5 days in Ohio waiting to ship out and 2 days in Orlando then disappeared for 4 days before being posted (one day late) that it was in Gulf Breeze. The problem? Gulf Breeze does not have it! And the tracking information I was once given by a KnitPicks Customer Service agent is not actual tracking. That agent said I had to wait an additional THREE days for the 14 day guarantee. A knitter, without functioning sock needles. I need a cocktail and it's only 9:40 am!
The local, kind, patient postal mistress (remember, it's a small island) has literally scoured the mail man's bag and has not located my package for 2 days. Now KnitPicks Customer Service, in their wisdom (another agent) says they will replace it. One of them said something about free, but I didn't hear that word from this one! I told her my time constraints and delivery problems and this time she says they'll ship via UPS. Good old UPS. They deliver to my door. Now if they will get here I can work on those socks. Until then, I'm finishing up the I-cord edging on the cardigan and will be forced to CO for the sleeves of the Tahki Leaf sweater, won't I?
Micki, if you're reading this, you MUST tell me if I won a ribbon at the Midsouth Fair. It will ease my knitting angst :)
UPDATE: KnitPicks screwed up AGAIN. They sent it to the replacement order to the WRONG ADDRESS!!! Yes, I'm shouting, hell, I'm cussing! supposedly this will be cleared up by October 5th, 2006. They are shipping a replacement for the replacement. This time 2nd day air. ::sigh:: What have I done to get this kind of lousy service? I am a faithful addict and proselytize of their most excellent fibers. I suppose an email from Kelly isn't going to happen :)

Rays in the Gulf of Mexico

It is my firm belief that these are stingrays of the eagle ray family. They may possibly be butterfly rays. They travel in groups and have a 24-32" wingspan. They stay close to the shore and feed. They are dark on top and light underneath. They do have long tails. Their shape is unlike a manta ray in that they appear to be 2 right trianges attached to a long body and their head is forward. I love watching them. Today they came by several times as did the dolphins and once I saw an entire school of medium sized fish fly out of the ocean!

Beautiful beach boys

The ocean, the weather and the boys conspired to give me one perfect day. I thank them all.

Tahki Leaf sweater body, blocking

So shoot me. I blocked it in direct sun. Whatever. It took no time to dry :) I am happy with the fit. I was concerned the BS Cotton Fleece knit up too tight, but after blocking I like it. I am a fan of negative ease, but this pattern is very loose and baggy. I will now cast on for the sleeves with confidence (if not with another set of needles, still waiting for the extra money for that purchase) This picture is taken on the lower balcony of our beach rental. We love the owners!!!

Ice Cream on Quietwater Sound

We regret that Jubilee has not yet re-opened, but their outdoor eating area is accessible and we enjoyed some decadent ice cream from Alvin's Island while reminiscing about the many meals we have had at Jubilee. We think William even lost a tooth here one year!

William negotiated with his (very indulgent) Aunt Laura to borrow her Xbox for 2 weeks of our vacation. You will note that he is not the one with the controller. :::sigh:: I am very grateful we had an experiement with this evil device. Our children are hard-wired for addiction to video games so we are cheerfully renewing our video game ban. It's bad enough they play Runescape, but this video stuff appears to be much less intellectually challenging. And Ginger "weighed in" with her opinion of the whole schmear... 

Morning on the beach

Pensacola Beach, the Emerald Coast at 8 in the morning. The water temperature and weather are absolutely perfect.
Did You Know?The stunning sugar white beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore are composed of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains. The sand is carried seaward by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along the shore. Did You Know?The stunning sugar white beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore are composed of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains. The sand is carried seaward by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along the shore.
(source, http://www.nps.gov/guis/forteachers/index.htm)

Knitting on the beach

Here I am on the lower balcony (we have two this year) knitting with Nature's Spectrum (Brown Sheep) making a cardiagan for myself. You can see the sugar white sand and just a hint of the gulf behind me. William sweetly agreed to take this picture. 

Troubled trip to the Emerald Coast

I had a bad omen about this trip. In the end it was okay, but not without problems including a flat tire and having to get it repaired late on a Sunday night in Mississippi. I wish we'd had the sense to grab the camera so you could see me in my pink floral circle skirt and pink pastel top changing the tire on the Element while the Dyke was on the phone to AAA. Quite a sight! The very well built repiar guy seemed truly flabergasted that we had changed the tire ourselves. Then again stunned when I hoisted it into the tire well and pack the Element back up. Ginger paid for it :) We also got stopped for speeding RIGHT AFTER I pointed out to the darling driver the 45 MPH speed limit. The nice officer listened when I said we'd just dealt with a flat tire and finding a repair spot late at night and gave HRH a verbal warning to "slow down", which I felt required to repeat throughout the remainder of the drive as her short term memory appears to have been faulty :) 

Harvest Basket Socks

My Midsouth Fair Entry for Socks or other footwear. These are knit from Trampoline Stretch on size 3 circulars (2 circ/2 socks) using a Turkish cast-on and a short-row heel. The leg is knit in a basket weave (K3, P3 5 rows, then K one row) and the top is a standard K2, P2 rib with a Russian bind-off (K1, *slip stitch back on needle, K2tog* repeat to end) I think I used a total of 60 stitches for this sock, a woman's medium. I got 6.5-7 stitches per inch, I'm too lazy to get up and check my notes.

Cable 4 Right

I hope this helps another left-handed knitter. This demo is from a Aran braid headband I made for Ginger. This demonstrates the right leaning portion of this pattern.