This is really a gorgeous kit and comes in an array of colors. Directions in each kit include a number of ways to knit the throw.

I really didn't want to commit myself to that much time -- or expense -- and some of the yarns have wool in them, so I felt the throw would get very little use.

I decided to see if one of my mini poncho patterns would work, since the number of stitches was the same. I knitted the design, following the pattern for yarn, until it was long enough to go around me. Then I made fringe to hold it along the top. For the fringe to hold, it has to pass through both sides; hold them even, and make a single knot. It is not attached like normal fringe. The shawl drapes on the bias.

I figured if I didn't like it, I could just keep knitting, and I'd have the throw. Just the same, I was a bit anxious to see if it would do as I hoped.

I have nearly enough yarn, or I have enough, to make a second shawl, especially if I would fudge the pattern and use the yarn down to the last inch. There is definitely enough if I were to make it for one of my children or a smaller adult. Whatever odd bits of yarn could be incorporated into the fringe.

I was happy with the way it turned out. What do you think?

Karin
www.savvythnker.com

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Originally posted 2009-03-23 08:01:21.

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In Praise of Books

A book is a garden you can hold in your hand,
An orchard you can take on your lap.

A book is a companion who sleeps
Only when you are asleep,
And speaks only when you wish him to.

A book is a tree that lives long
And bears delicious and abundant fruit
That is easy to pick and perfectly ripe
At all times of the year.

A book obeys you by night and by day,
Abroad and at home;
It has no need of sleep
And does not grow weary from sitting up.

--Al-Jahiz (Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahral-Jahiz, known to his friends as al-Jahiz, was born in Basra in 776 and was the leading literary and intellectual figure of his age.)

I like that when reading a book, we can commune with the author no matter what time frame they lived in. People we'd have no chance to sit down or talk with, are as close as our thoughts when reading the words they have written.

Another thing I like about books, outside of the fact that I like to read and have broad interests, is that they can be put down and later picked back up again -- that's an important thing in a busy life. Invariably if I try to watch TV, I am interrupted. I might as well not try to watch TV unless it is recorded so that I can treat it like a book.

Plus reading a book is one of the few things that gets a little bit more done each time, like knitting or embroidery, unlike the chores of life that are never ending. You can actually see progress in reading a book as you get further into it, similar to seeing an embroidery begin to take shape.

I have, however, in recent years given myself permission not to finish a book if it doesn't strike me in one way or another. Because I read fast, I could skim to finish -- but when time is at a premium, I'd rather move on to another book or another project. It's the rare book that I read every word at a pace that is savoring it.

I like the tactile nature of books, holding them in my hands. I'm not really into using wooden stands to help me hold a book, though it might be nice if a book is particularly heavy. And I like the way most books smell -- a combination of paper and ink.

Android Phone Apps and such for reading
I store and read parts of books (and books with the Kindle for Android App or Stanza)on my iPod Touch (quotes and such) and at one time had the Bible downloaded into my Palm. I now have a Bible App for my Android phone that offers many versions.

ebooks
And now that I have a Kindle, I have read many ebooks. I have read a friend's manuscript on the computer. I did not print it out. Then I converted it for Kindle. I have also done this with some research I have done.

Audio books
I have listened to a couple of audio books which were very well done. The Harry Potter audio books are excellent. Jim Dale, the reader, voices every character differently. Another I read (and heard) took place in England. The reader had an English accent, so it had a different feel than reading it to myself with my own voice which is not English, but American. I get impatient listening to a book because I can read it so much faster, but it is a good pastime in the car on long or repetitive rides.

What are you reading?

Video
I thought this video was quite funny. Introducing the book (with subtitles.) This is a skit showing how a monk might have learned to read a book when he was used only to a scroll. Not too far off from introducing a computer or an ebook. We gotta learn how to do it!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Originally posted 2007-02-16 08:03:57.

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I haven't done any beading in a month or so. Life just gets in the way and moreso over the last few weeks than usually.

But I came across a quote that I felt I wanted front and center right now:

...grace notes of happiness. Alexandra Stoddard

So after an appointment yesterday that took me into the neck of the woods of one of our beading stores, I dropped in and picked up small sterling silver block letters. Between the words I put Capri blue Swarovski crystals nestled between the little square shaped pave on all four sides crystals, and at the back to make it fit, a few more of the blue and a larger square not quite citrine looking AB crystal. They are strung on elastic, very easy to slip on, and voila! I have the words before me. And the blue makes me happy.

I think it's important when life gets in the way to recognize those grace notes of happiness that occur in all of our lives, if we keep our eyes and heart open to see them. They truly are grace notes.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-04-20 09:25:06.

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Have you ever used glass knitting needles?

These are intriquing to me. I've never seen them in person or used them, but they appeal to my aesthetic nature. I don't know how practical they are. They might be aesthetically pleasing, but annoying to use.

If you've ever seen or used them, let me know. One of the sites even has circular needles.

And here's a whole list of sites
when I googled them.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2007-01-17 09:21:39.

No related posts.

There are two pictures of this embroidery here. One is particularly lifelike.

Someday I would like to see the double sided embroidery, where each side is a different design. I can't imagine learning this style or being artistic enough to execute it.

At one time I did a lot of needlepoint, including some petit point, and cross stitching. I didn't particularly like crewel because it was working with yarn (even though needlepoint does also.) I don't enjoy doing hooked rugs, as they are so messy and the canvas is hard on the fingers. I liked doing the designs totally done in a stitch similar to French knots.

I'm doing beading now, even though I haven't done much in weeks. I totally lack any impetus at the moment.

I'll probably start to knit here again in a while, though my yarn is just making eyes at me, making me feel almost guilty for having it stacked up ready to knit. I might donate some for holiday items.

I appreciate the work done by others.

Do you do any of these things? Which do you prefer to do?

Karin

Originally posted 2007-08-09 19:14:04.

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Well, the best laid plans...and all that.

The quartz that I bought is drilled like briolettes, top drilled, not center drilled, so that changed the whole project. Therefore, what I started out to do is not what I ended up doing. I should have paid more attention when I bought them, or the store should have pointed it out, knowing how I intended to use them. OTOH, if they had, I wouldn't have done the project I did. So it's a toss up.

On the whole, I don't like briolettes. They are hard to work with, unless you want the only style they are pretty much used in, and that's not a style I generally wear. These fooled me because they are flatter, not so round. If they had been round, I would have known they were briolettes.

I ended up making a lariat with a briolette at each end. I can use the S clasp freely anywhere along the piece to make it any length I'd like, but the S is not attached. And I made earrings with a briolette on the end of each. With some left over beads I made a normal briolette necklace that when worn with the lariat looks as though it is part of the lariat, but it is not. And with the very most left over beads, I made a small piece with a briolette in the center, hung from thin leather cord. That's fun. And considering that I took apart a necklace that I hadn't worn in years to get to some of the beads, I will wear these, in some combination, a lot more often.

When beading, it is the beads that dictate the finished project. I have to wait until they speak to me. I might still try to make the original project, but only if I can get the right components. I'm not in a hurry. I'm surprised I beaded at all, it's been so long.

I'm really pleased with the way the lariat and earrings turned out. I'm not sorry I bought all the rutilated quartz pieces. That way I was sure to have enough, since the store is not convenient to get back to, if I had wanted a few more. I think I have 5 left. If I had had less, I would have made only the lariat and earrings.

I must be on a creative kick. I made a couple of knitted collars this past week. Knitting is more relaxing than beading, because there is less thought put into coming up with a pattern. Once I decide on a pattern for beading, it is relaxing too. Sort of, anyway! Either one I can do in the midst of family life.

Do you like to bead? or knit? Now's the time to knit up a few scarves. The weather will be turning cold for most of you.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-09-18 09:47:55.

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Another combination that is nice is most any yarn carried with an eyelash yarn. Choose any two yarns that you like the combined look of. You can choose to be complementary or to contrast.

I knit a couple of rows to make sure I'm happy with it, before I knit any further. Occasionally, I don't like what I chose, so I take those rows apart and combine the yarns with other yarns.

Pick one of the patterns that I gave earlier, or knit 16 or 18 stitches, depending on the length of yarn you have and the width you want your scarf to be.

Your only limitation is the number of yards in your shorter skein, if you are striving to stay to one skein. If you find the yarns you chose are very bulky, you might need to use fewer stitches and a bigger needle. Experiment!

Here's a closeup of a navy eyelash with a varigated blue yarn.

And here's how it looks completed.

Originally posted 2009-03-08 23:52:35.

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A couple of the boutiques here have shown very expensive purses made out of jeans. They take the top, cut them off, add a base and lining, a beaded handle, and insert a fancy belt through the loops...somehow it is stiffened very, very stiff so it holds its shape...

My then 9 yo had a darling pair of denim shorts with tiny embroidered flowers. She'd worn them so much that the seat was pretty well gone in them, but I had hung onto them thinking I would iron on a patch, but then didn't think it would look right...so they sat in my mending area until she outgrew them. (Sound familiar?)

I decided to make a belt bag out of it or a shoulder bag. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I generally don't carry a purse, but wear a belt bag.

I did not line or stiffen it.

Here's the finished purse:

When I thread the back of the shorts onto my belt, it is a belt bag. I still use a shoulder strap to keep it from opening, as I haven't decided what to do with the opening yet. It works fine like this. I use the strap through two of the front loops. There is no weight on my shoulder this way.

Or, if I wear it as a shoulder bag, I do the strap through a back loop and a front loop, and it hangs right.

So far, I'm getting some compliments on it and people ask me if I've seen the other bags.

There was basically zero cost to me, but a little time. I stitched across the middle seam to make the shorts lay like a skirt, cut the excess, and stitched the leg openings just above the hem so that the vent would still show. This morning, I patched the back on the inside as I felt I would continue to wear this area out. Much of it was already hidden in the seam.

Here's the back:
You can better see how I seamed it and how it was worn out, then patched, but since this is to my body side, no one sees it. It is still nicely embroidered!

I put into the purse one of those purse inserts that you can buy at Bed Bath and Beyond. I already had one. It sort of conforms to the inside dimensions and adds just enough shape. (It is not inside the purse in these pictures.) What a waste to have thrown out the shorts with so much pretty embroidery.

What do you think?
You could go on a hunt at Goodwill for pretty shorts to do the same thing with.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-15 09:40:09.

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I had only one skein of Ritratto, 198 yards, and had to figure out what to do with it. It is very pretty worked up. The other dye lots had more gold in them, so I couldn't use them. Color 14

As you can see, it is a work in progress, and I changed the pattern part way (and like it better) so I will either shirr the early part or embroider it or just fold it under. I didn't feel like ripping it out.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Size 10 needles, cast on 25 stitches. [If you are using worsted weight yarn, switch to bigger needles and likely 7 rows between cables.]

Every row: Slip first stitch as if to knit. K1. [2 stitches] end with K2. This keeps the edges from curling.

Row 1 K2, P2, K4, P2, K5, P2, K4, P2, K2.
Row 2 K entire row.

Row 3 K2, P2, K4, P2, K5, P2, K4, P2, K2.
Row 4 K4, P4, K9, P4, K4.

Begin pattern for openwork. Over 4 rows, alternate the openwork to stagger the holes.
Row 5, K2, P2, K4, P2, [openwork K1, YO, K2 Tog, YO K2 tog], P2, K4, P2, K2.
Row 6 (and all even rows) K4, P4, K9, P4, K4.
Row 7 (cable row) and openwork
K2, P2, [over next 4 stitches: skip 1st two, knit next 2 but don't take off needle; K first two, slip all 4 off needles] [do this for all cables][next openwork which staggers the holes: YO, K2 Tog; YO, K2 Tog; K1] P2, [do cable on cable rows or K4 when not a cable row], P2, K2.
Row 8 repeat row 6.

Either every 5th or every 7th row, do cables, depending on how close you want the cables together, and the weight of the yarn you are using.

Be sure to check the count of your stitches often, so you don't either gain or lose a stitch.

Following pattern of first two rows, end last two rows and bind off loosely in pattern.

Make it as long as you like. Block when finished.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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I made this for the first time with 1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn (185 yards). I used size 10 needles, and I slip stitched the first stitch of every outside row, but otherwise followed the pattern. I believe it is a little heavier weight than worsted, so it is a bit bulkier. It measured approx 36 inch and is perfect in size. I wear it folded in half around my neck (which makes a sort of double collar look) and then the rest of the ruffles hang down the front of my jacket. I'm debating making it again, with fewer stitches. [I tried it, but didn't like it so increased to 20 stitches and made the same] OTOH, this looks perfect. I started with a tail and ended with a tail and used these to sew up the funny forked beginning and end, so it lays right.

Red Ruffle Scarf

Gray Ruffle Scarf (work in process) (same yarn)

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

You can find other pictures, the pattern, and some discussion here. http://savvythinker.com/category/arts/crafts/knitting/ruffled-scarf/

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