Knitting difficulty

I tried a pattern in the Vogue Magazine that was intriguing. However, as with any pattern, there are always modifications. The yarn I used, although the right weight and gauge, was too heavy for the pattern and will not drape as nicely as a softer yarn would(see above).

It is always difficult for a new knitter to determine if a pattern is going to be within their skill level. The Vogue magazine has a temperature-type gauge that helps a knitter decide if a pattern is going to be within their grasp. Over the years, I have developed a system of my own:

Beginner: Television on, comfortable chair, visiting with others. No Post-it necessary.
Intermediate: Television on, comfortable chair, Post-it following pattern rows, no other distractions.
Experienced: Television off, sit at table with more than one Post-it on pattern and row, no one else in room.

The above pattern was for experienced knitters, in fact I had to start it three times before I could get beyond the first four rows. Remember regardless of your level of knitting, there will always be patterns that will test your experience and patience.

Coupons

I went to Joann's today to buy cotton for dishcloths. The cotton I wanted was not on sale so I checked at the counter for a coupon. Thanks to the 40% coupon the cashier gave me, I bought 4 oz. of cotton yarn for less than I normally pay for 2 oz. It is such a good feeling to get a bargain. When I worked at Michael's, I was amazed at the lengths some people would go to for a coupon. Now I am one of them!

What was I thinking!!!

This week has been a very busy one--the bazaar started on Friday so we had to finish all the projects and set up our booth. Everyone has been a little frantic. I have been trying to finish all my knitting projects and also work on increasing my tatting skills, not to mention keeping up with work, etc. However in a moment of weakness I bought the new Vogue Knitting magazine and started a scarf (pattern #8) that is more than just a little challenging. I have started it and ripped it out three times and the pattern still eludes me. What was I thinking? Now is definitely not the time to start a project especially one requiring this level of concentration. I should probably save it for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

I finished another Susan Wittig Albert book "Lavendar Lies". (I really have been busy, it's just that I read while I eat and during commercials, etc.) This was another good book although I liked "Bloodroot" better. Lavendar Lies was more of a cozy mystery.

The bazaar was not as busy as we expected it to be and our sales were not as good. However we did learn a lot. The really big sellers were the dishcloths and I have orders for approximately 20 more. I did sell a couple of the lambs but the dog sweaters were a bust. We have two more bazaars lined up; one at the Congregational Church in two weeks and then one in Central Point two weeks later. We were warned that the economy was slow and sales down but it was still fun.

Dog Sweaters

 

 

Here are the dog sweaters that are now finished and ready to go. Precious and Teddy will receive the two sweaters, the others are ready for the bazaar this weekend.

Impossible Dream

One of the crochet students brought some information on needle tattingto class and was interested in trying it. I have spent more time than I should have looking for tatting needles and have had no luck at all. I thought Joann's or Micheal's would surely carry them but they don't. Needle tatting will not be offered with shuttle tatting at this time!!!

My dog sweaters are really turning out nice. I have finished the ones for Precious and Teddy, the one for Precious has an embroidered saying on it and that was much harder than I expected. The embroidery was freehand and I need a pattern.

I finished Bloodroot by Susan Wattig Albert and just loved it. It is so different from most murder mysteries. Actually, I have enjoyed all her books so far.

The class is tonight, they opted to knit rather than party for Halloween, are they my soulmates or what!

The delicate art of tatting

This will be the first tatting project for the class. We will be starting after the first of the year and I hope there is enough interest to proceed. I want to try a tatted necklace with beads next, they are similar to the necklaces that are so popular right now so want to see how they turn out. I also want to make a tatted snowflake for following class project.

The knitting projects are doing quite nicely, I will have some lambs for my next posting. The Central Point Parks and Recreation knitting group is meeting here tonight. We can't meet Friday because several have conflicts. We are calling ourselves the "Twisted Stitchers" from a comment one of them made as I was explaining about twisting the stitches.

Obviously, I haven't been reading very much. Right now I am reading the Hippotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters but have barely started it.