Category: garden

Gauge Woes

Marie Haigh1 Comment

As you know, I am knitting an adult size version of the Barbie shawl. As knitting rules state, one must knit a gauge first. For me, it’s especially imperitive in order to write the accompanying pattern. However, after tinkering with the mesh pattern yesterday, I am still unhappy with the outcome. The whole pattern leans to the left. (I ripped it out to save the yarn .. and plum forgot to take a pic first. I was too frustrated to see beyond the end of my nose!)

I have once again tinkered with the pattern. Today, I will knit up two version of the pattern. Here’s hoping at least one provides me with the results I am looking for. (This time I’ll be sure to take pics so you can help me decide which is the best choice).

So, as you might guess, yesterday afternoon ended on a sour note.

But, to cheer my day, I recieved a package from Laurel. It was filled with the paper I had requeseted from her destashing efforts. Along with all the paper, she even included a book: Instant Gratification Cards by Sterbenzes. It made my day! Here’s a pic of it all.

I’ll post a picture of the first card I make from this stash later this week. I’ve already laid the materials out. It will be a Hippo card. Just what everybody needs. =)

After opening up this package, I decided to tackle my hedges by the lamp post. Some of the bushes had grown over the top of the post! Enough was enough.

I believe I won the battle!

Then, just to make sure today started off on the right foot, I baked up a Berry Coffee Cake.


I think it helped. Here’s the beginnings of my next block in the “Ode to Quilting” afghan. It is one square in what will be a 9-patch block.


It looks dreadfully boring right now, but just wait.

One Sleeve Down

Marie HaighLeave a comment

While I was watching the Phillies win their game against the Marlins (OK…OK… so we pulled it out in the bottom of the 9th, but, hey!, a win is a win), I finished the left sleeve. It’s done! No pics please, though. It hasn’t been blocked or the ends weaved in or sewn to the sweater body. It’s not a pretty sight, plus my cam is on the fritz again. Hubby took the good cam with him and left me the “Sometimes I’ll work, sometimes I won’t” cam. You can guess which one it picked. Nothing but a black screen. Arg.

Back to the joy of finishing the sleeve: I even managed to save some brown yarn in the process. There are now 7 tiny balls of brown yarn ready and waiting for me to continue knitting the right sleeve. Oh, I suppose I have to at least try. I’ll wait to start until Monday. Monday is a good day to tackle sleeves that may or may not have enough yarn to complete, right?

I simply can’t do it this weekend. I have a left sleeve to seam together with the body. More importantly, I have a new quilt to start. I have decided to make my sister and her husband a wall quilt for their kitchen. It’s never too early to start making Christmas presents. (Every year I start all my Christmas projects earlier in the year in the hopes that I won’t be staying up past midnight on Christmas Eve trying to finish everything. It never works! This past year, on Christmas morning, I was still stitching up the matching doll pajamas for my younger niece.)

Here is my inspiration for my new knitting project: Ode to Quilting. (Many thanks to my good friend, Jen, for giving this to me as a Christmas present!)


This basket is filled with Lion Brand’s Wool (100%). I plan to use as many of the colors as I can to make an afghan in true quilter’s style. It will be an afghan that can use up a knitter’s leftover balls of yarn from previous projects. Shapes (mostly squares and triangles) will be knit up, then sewn together to form larger squares, and then these squares will be sewn together to make the afghan front. Lastly, the front will be seamed to the back. Minor details still have to be ironed out, such as what the back should look like. I’m giddy to start the gauge process. This project will combine two of my favorite hobbies: knitting and sewing/quilting. (I suppose true quilt lovers wouldn’t lump sewing with their hobby, but since sewing came first for me, I still have a fondness for it).

My other accomplishment today was building a wall around Big Brother (the biggest of my Weeping Japanese Red Maple saplings).


I’d like to see my husband mow him down!