Organizing my Junk Drawer

Well, I found it!!

Here is my Judging Evaluation Form from my Minnesota State Fair scarf entry.

How did I find it? Well, I had to call my website hosting company and was told ahead of time that the wait would be approximately 8 minutes. Thank you www.godaddy.com for being honest!

I thought, "well this will be boring", as I stood in my kitchen where all the dishes were done, the dishwasher was cleaned out and it was not yet time to start dinner. So, I remembered what Kathy, my favorite organizer person taught me...in 8 minutes of focused time I could have a clean drawer, or purse, or use your imagination here...

So, as I took out all the items in my kitchen junk drawer I found my Judging Evaluation. I also took a huge stack of old school papers and filled the recycling basket. Kathy has tons of great organization ideas, you can get more information at her website... www.projectpartnerservices.com.

My score was 90 out of 100. I received Very Good on General Appearance, Color and Design, Construction/Workmanship, and Level of Difficulty. I forgot to sew in one of the ends of yarn, thus the "ends should be better hidden" comment. And I received at Good rating for the Choice and handling of Finishing category. Apparently my cast off was too tight!

Over all 90 out of 100 is pretty impressive to me. It was a great experience to go through and would recommend it to anyone thinking about entering something in their state fair.

As for the scarf, I gave it to my mother-in-law for a birthday present in October. She is often chilly and I am sure she will wear it inside and outside her home this winter!

Thank you to Three Kittens Needle Arts!

Today was the day to sew the front of the coral sweater to the back at the shoulders. And then also attach the sleeves. I can do this, I thought!!

Well, in my ignorance I turned the sweater inside out, matched up the front and back edges and started to sew. Much like one would do when sewing a dress or shirt using a sewing machine. I stitched away, turned the sweater right side out to see the results and it was not pretty!. So, I undid the stitches, turned the sweater inside out, lined up the front and back edges and started to sew. Once again, not so good. Didn't someone say the definition of insanity was doing the sames steps and expecting different results?

In my quest to continue enjoying my upgraded sanity level (since all 5 kids are now back in school) I decided to ask an expert.

A local knitting shop offers free knitting help every afternoon. How nice is that?

I put my project into my cute knitting basket and drove to the store. The freedom of having an idea occur to me and being able to implement it in the following moment is still new to me. I took a deep breath and was able to savor the moment!

I drove to Three Kittens Needle Arts in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. http://www.3kittensneedlearts.com/

It must have been quite obvious that I needed help as I walked into the store with my project basket. The ladies asked if I needed help, and quickly decided Laura was the "seam expert".

Laura came out from the back room and assessed the seam. It was such an "outside the box" experience for me. First she put the edges together with the sweater right side out. Then she proceeded to show me how to stitch the seam and make it look like another row of the knitting. It is almost seamless! I felt like I was learning top secret information from one of the best.

She also took the time to show me how to do the sleeves when I was ready to attach them.

The "it's all who you know". Or in my case, knowing who to ask really is true.

Thank you to all the ladies at Three Kittens Needle Arts!

New Beginnings

Today I started again on the prayer shawl. This should be it... I went from 63 stitches to 48. This seems like a better width and I will get the length I am looking for.

Next, since I am soooo close finishing the coral sweater I thought I had better get my next project lined up.

One thing to do is make a super cute self patterning hat for my friend's new baby. The baby isn't going to arrive until early December and I have the yarn, and needles for that project.


I am going to use the same yarn I used for the booties I made for my new little neighbor...

The baby hat is going to wait for another day.

I have decided to try a pair of socks, but where to begin?

Prayer Shawl Part 2

Well, after knitting through almost all of my large ball of yarn I realized that the prayer shawl was looking more like a lap blanket. It was too wide and the yarn shortage was an issue. Do I drive all the way back to the Yarn Garage, www.yarngarage.com (my favorite Rosemount, MN yarn shop), or do I rip out my work, and restart with less stitches?

Here is what I ended up doing...



I ripped it out. Kids #1,2,4 & 5 were very sad about the whole situation. Much sadder than me. They knew I had put in a lot of time and were sorry to see it go. "Oh, mom!". Kid #3 trusted my judgment and and knew that what had to be done, had to be done.

OK, confession here, the main reason I ripped it out and was glad for an excuse of low yarn was pure pride! The first 5 rows were not exactly the K3 P3 (knit 3 purl 3) pattern that I was attempting to follow. The mistakes were glaring.

Since this is a gift for a friend I am glad to rip it out and begin again...tomorrow.

The Coral Sweater Next Chapter

Progress is good on the coral sweater I am making for kid #4.



I have finished the back, except for the middle stitches waiting on a holder to become part of the neck. I finished the left side all the way up to the shoulder. I have the middle front also waiting on a holder to become part of the neck. Next is to take the left side up to the shoulder.

Then figure out the neck!! One step at a time is what I am doing now.

A Prayer Shawl

Here is the beginnings of a prayer shawl for a friend of mine. I picked a very soft yarn with a flowing pattern. My friend W just found out she is pregnant with baby number 8! She is a bit overwhelmed. So, to me this prayer shawl is a special place she can hide and pray for strength! W you are a very strong woman and will do great!! I hope to finish this in the next few weeks.

This project is great after my bootie adventure!

It is very relaxing to work the simple pattern and not have to check and count very often. And, the yarn is so chunky that a "mistake" here and there really won't show.

I found the simple pattern at http://www.shawlministry.com/instructions.html.

Baby Booties for AS

Welcome new neighbor AS!! You are so cute! and now you have some new booties to wear.

Has this ever happened to you? You try to make something new and the first one really should be left as a practice one? My first attempt at a bootie is the one on the left. It seems to be a bit looser and rounder than the one on the right.

My pattern picture actually looks more like the one on the left. Oh well, the booties are complete and AS will know they are warm.

I made these on four double pointed needles. A bit tricky, but fun to make something in one piece. NO sewing pieces together!!! I do like that.

Tomorrow... the matching hat.

The Coral Sweater

I know I mentioned the coral sweater earlier this year. As I reenter the knitting arena I am finding joy in having more than one project going at a time! It is always fun to start a new project, so why wait until one is completed before beginning another? Also, it is so gratifying to finish a project, so why not stagger the results! And finally, for those of us who get bored easily, more choices as to what to work on is great!

So, back to the coral sweater. I started the body by knitting in the round and went until I got to the part where some sleeves should be added. I decided this by trying the round body part directly on kid #4 who will be wearing the sweater soon. Then I knit 2 sleeves. Then I called my mom!!

She showed me what to do and now the back is complete. I just need to finish the front and attach the sleeves!

However, I have been side tracked by a neighbor who just had a baby. I just had to make my first pair of booties!

One persons overabundance is anothers treasure!

Today a friend invited me over to help her "unload" her "extra" yarn. I was the recipient of some beautiful colors and textures of yarn...

The beauty of this exchange is two fold. This yarn was once wanted, once had been part of a masterful plan. Over time, it became more of a burden, taking up space in a home and in a brain of someone who had grown and changed. It was time to get rid of it, and I was just the person receive it!

As I am just starting out again as a knitter, it is fun to receive yarn to use in all the projects being created in my mind. My girls are also wanted to learn to knit and create their own beautiful things. As beginners it can be difficult to spend a lot of money on supplies when one is not positive the project will be completed, or may turn out to be a practice piece.

Thank you M for a wonderful morning! I left your home with some great yarn, smiles of our great conversation, and a warm body from the tea you made for us.

I'm sure you will all see some new pieces from my new stockpile.

Next is how to store all this yarn, and keep it away from the puppy!

Ta Daaaa!

Ta Daaaa...

Here is my scarf with the tag still on it. 1st Entry has been printed at the top of the tag.

Note to self...keep all documentation until it has been blogged about!!

I did receive a "report card" from the people at the judging booth. Out of 100 possible points I received 90. Which I was rather proud of!! I cannot show it to you because it is gone. Probably in the recycling pile in St. Paul somewhere.

The State Fair was a great adventure, and somehow I feel a bit more Minnesotan for having entered my scarf.