F is for Frog

It seems as though I've been doing more frogging then knitting this year. I made this hat for my brother and, as with most hats I make, I had to frog it because I'd made it ginormous. I got some Wool-Ease and didn't check Ravelry to see what number of stitches people were casting on for hats in Wool-Ease. I just relied on my clearly faulty math. The hat was huge even for my big-head husband.

So I ripped. And redid. It was actually a very good thing I redid it because my less-then-stellar fair isle skills made the first hat's skull look skinny and lumpy, more alien face then skull.

Here's how it came out the second time...

Modeled by my lovely husband...

Pattern: my own devising - CO 96, rib for a bit, knit 4 rows stockinette, do the skull chart from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker, knit 4 rows stockinette, do the spiral decreases from Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules book, BO, seam up the back.

Yarn: Wool-Ease in black and in gray.

I made a pair of Fetching's for my SP pal. No ripping here - yay!


I was designing a vest and hoped to have it finished for January entry for the Sweater-a-Month KAL . Sadly, after ripping and restarting 5 times it's still not looking the way I want it to so it's making yet another trip to the frog pond.

I had to use my cop-out already. Here's the Mason Dixon nightie I finished on October 2007. The only thing it needed was for me to sew on the straps. I couldn't find straps I liked so I ended up buying a cheap bra that had what I was looking for.

Please excuse the dorky look on my face and the excess weight on my bod...

Pattern: Mason-Dixon nightie

Yarn: Ornaghi Filati Gong

Not a lot of frogging with that project but my February project (and yes, kmkat, you were right, it's the February Lady Sweater), I've ripped it out at least once so far. I did the cast on and got to row 8, then ripped it out and started over. It's a top-down sweater, free pattern, and the raglan increases call for bar make-one's that don't leave little holes for the increases. BUT, if you look at the pictures, there's clearly holes along the raglan increases. I like the holes, they look pretty and decorative to me. So I ripped and started over, using YO increases to get the holes I wanted.

Whenever I have to frog something, I always grit my teeth and think, well... it's a good thing I love to knit because now I get to knit this again. sigh.

I also think of a bar near U of A in Tucson called Frog 'n Firkin. It's an English style pub and as I rip out the yarn, I say to myself, Frog 'n Firkin, Frog 'n Firkin. It almost sounds like cursing and it makes me laugh.

I'm a simple girl, Ruth!

The Knitting Heretic and More Books

Annie Modesitt is coming to Littleton to teach! Here's the email I got...

[Annie's on her way!It's official -- Annie Modesitt will be teaching four classes for us at the end of the month. (We're pleased to report that her husband is doing well after his bone-marrow transplant! For details, check out Annie's blog.)Annie's famous as the Knitting Heretic, and she's the author of many other knitting books, most recently Romantic Knits, which is a current best-seller in Amazon's Crafts/Fashion category, and Men Who Knit and the Dogs Who Love Them (woof!)She 'll be teaching four three-hour workshops, so you can take all four or pick the ones that suit your interests.

Combination Knitting/Cables without a Cable Needle - This is the knitting technique that made Annie a heretic -- and famous! Now dubbed Combination Knitting, it is faster than conventional knitting and creates a nicer tension with less row variation and wrist strain. Experienced knitters will appreciate this refined method, and new knitters will get a head start on smooth, easy knitting. Annie will also cover how to work cables without a pesky cable needle -- yeah!Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 am -12 pm
Embellishments - Accentuate your beautiful projects with knitted embellishments such as flowers, leaves, knots, knit fringes, cord and even knit buttons! Learn to see knitting as a three-dimensional craft with new potential.Saturday, Oct. 27, 1-4 pm
Double Knitting - You can knit socks and mittens on straight needles with no seams with this traditional technique. You'll learn several techniques for creating a reversible, double fabric with or without colorwork accents.Sunday, Oct. 28, 9 am -12 pm
Corset Sampler - This technique sampler will feature lace, ribbing, specialty bind-offs and cast-ons, cables and buttonholes -- all the techniques for Annie's Ribbed Corset top, a sexy little number that can also be made with cap sleeves. A great intro to a multitude of new techniques, even if you're not going to make the corset. Be sure to check out the similar Red Carpet Convertible on Annie's website -- as Annie says, everyone looks HOT in a convertible, and the same is true of this darling top. Sunday, Oct. 28, 1-4 pm

Each three-hour class is $45. To reserve a spot, call us at 303-730-0366.]


Wanna play??? I signed up for the combo knitting class.


All right - 100 Books - Part 3


Scary Stuff

38. The Stand – Stephen King. – Anything by this man is fine by me but this is my favorite.

39. The Skeleton Crew – Stephen King. – This book of short stories was given to me in 8th grade by my best friend, Nikie. It’s what got me started with Stephen King. I’ve read it so many times, I can tell you from memory the order the stories come. Nikie and I are still close and 8th grade for us was in the early-80’s.

40. The Great and Secret Show – Clive Barker. – What a fantastic scary fairy tale of a story.

41. Coraline – Neil Gaiman. – A “children’s” book. A fantastic, dark, sinister story that one critic called the next Alice in Wonderland. I wonder if the critic read either book! While I would read Alice to my little boys, I think Coraline would be too scary.

42. Ripper – Michael Slade – When I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, I got a second job at a Hasting’s Book Store. I spent most of that paycheck at the store. I had just finished reading some really heavy, long book (can’t even remember what it was) and wanted something light and stupid. I went to my favorite section (the scary books) and was drawn by the red spine that said “Ripper”. Holy shit. What an excellent read. Not really light and fluffy at all and certainly not stupid. It was good enough that I’ve read all the other Michael Slade books. It’s a locked door mystery combining serial killer, detective, and all kinds of other stuff. Reminiscent of the next pick…

43. And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie – Love this book. I read a ton and watch a shitload of TV and movies (old b/w’s, new, doesn’t matter) so it’s hard to surprise me (nothing new under the sun, right?) but the ending on this one shocked me. Brilliant!

44. The Bone-collector – Jeffrey Deaver – another one that was good enough to lead me to read most everything the author has written.

45. The Devil’s Teardrop – Jeffrey Deaver – I think this is his best one yet.

46. Primal Fear – excellent twists and turns. Amazing.

47. The Da Vinci Code – OK, not scary, more of a thriller but damn what a fast read! I’m glad I read this before his previous book. When I read Angels and Demons by him, it was a real letdown and like reading déjà vu. Let’s see, someone gets murdered, they call the symbologist, the girl in the book is related to the dead guy, the person doing the killings doesn’t know who’s really pulling the strings and they’re all really, really smart. The only difference is that Angels/Demons wasn’t paced at the breakneck speed Da Vinci Code was. The rest of the author's books are pretty damn good, too.

48. Dracula – Bram Stoker – read this one in high school. The first scary book I ever read where I actually had to put it down and take a break. Heart-racing! (Of course, I was in adolescence…)

49. The Hunger – Whitley Streiber – this book is an excellent read. It’s also quite racy at times! It’s a great take on the classic vampire story.

50. The Last Vampire – Whitley Streiber – This sequel to The Hunger was written some 20 years after. Another good read but I wish the author had re-read his original before he made the sequel. I read them back-to-back and there were tons of discrepancies between the two books concerning the main vampire’s life!

51. The Thief of Always – Clive Barker – This, like Coraline (#41), could almost be read to kids as a scary fairy tale.

52. Red Dragon – Thomas Harris – No fairy tale here! Like Grisham, Thomas Harris’ first book is still his best.

53. Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk – This book was so gruesome, I actually got nauseous a couple of times. I have an iron stomach so that’s pretty bad.

54. Funeral March – Frank de Felita – This author is much better known for his book-turned-movie For Love of Audrey Rose. The book I’ve listed is a perfect blend for me. My favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock and in this book the killer uses his movies as inspiration for his methods of killing. (OK, I have problems!)

55. Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton – what a nail-biter!

56. Rose Madder – Stephen King – this is one of my favorites from him. It switches between this world and another. I always thought that if they made it into a movie, the other world should be animated. Not cartoony, but like a sharp and gritty animation.

Spooooooky, Ruth!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Here's a pic of my Mason-Dixon After Dark Nightie in progress....

See anything wrong?

How about now....

Nothing? See, that's what I thought, too. I've had skeins in the past that aren't the exact yardage stated on the ball band. One will have a little more or less then another. Happens all the time!

OK, look here...

I gave a tip in the past about casting on two pieces at once and how much faster things go. With all the stress lately, I forgot to pay close attention to which "side" I finished with and ended up knitting on one side more then the other. I know the pic is dark and hard to see, but I have around 10 extra rows on one side.

OK, let's look at something else....

Looks like a furry placemat, right? It's supposed to be a scarf. Back when I learned how to knit, I was selling a LOT of my stuff. This was a very popular scarf (2003, also known as The Year of the Eyelash) and this was my third time making it. You'd think after making 2, I'd remember that I was to cast on 13, not 25. Clearly, I'm insane.

Here's what it's supposed to look like (on the left)...

I actually finished this scarf while watching this guy....

He's Anthony R. Byrne and he made a series of videos on recruiting in 1988 (the year I graduated high school!). If you can get past the goofiness of the guy's look, he really knows his stuff. There's 8 videos and I've watched the first 3 (while finishing the furry scarf). The videos are so old (and two are missing) that the tracking's off. My husband said, "You're supposed to be working, not knitting." I told him I was doing both and that I couldn't actually watch the videos as it would give anyone a huge headache (or an epileptic fit!) and that I could only listen to them. So there!

So at least I have an FO. Don't have any idea what I'll do with it. I'd've taken a pic of it, but you can see what it looks like in the second furry pic above. It's like the scarf on the left, just much longer.

The second to last day of Trev's school, Davis got a sticker from the front desk ladies. He ran over to me and said, "Here Mommy, this is for you!" and stuck it to my hand...

sigh.

Off to the Frog Pond, Ruth!

Fundraiser

I'm sick today. My throat's killing me and I can't stop sneezing. Don't get too close. Trev was in the same boat on Monday so I'm pretty sure where I got this bug!

Even so, I'm healthier then most.


Today is the last day you can get discounted patterns at StitchDiva. Proceeds are going to help Annie Modesitt and one other family. I bought the Sahara pattern. I've wanted it for awhile but balked at spending $7 for one pattern. It's on sale for $5.25!

LAST DAY: SAVE MONEY by HELPING OUT
25% off our patterns for 1 MORE DAY
Sale ends 11:59 pm Pacific on Wed, Aug. 1
75% of all proceeds to 2 families in NEED
We are cutting our prices to make it easy for you to help.
Take advantage of this chance to get yourself a deal on our patterns and feel good that your purchase will be helping out two "knitting and crochet" families that really need help.
These families are experiencing very bad times because a family member is seriously ill and needs life-saving treatments. Insurance doesn't come close to covering all the miscellaneous expenses needed for these families to get necessary help to the people they love.

Evan - son of Allison
When Evan was only 8 weeks old, he was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor (Hypothalamic Hamartoma). Although the tumor itself is benign, it causes seizures approximately every 15-20 minutes, 24 hours/day. The seizures are damaging his brain. Evan's best chance for a normal life is to have surgery to remove this tumor and there is only one place in the world the specializes in this disorder. Allison is facing a battle not only with the needs of a baby that has seizures 4 times per hour, but with insurance companies and a medical system that are not making it easy for Allison to get Evan the care he needs. Read more about Allison and Evan here.

How you can help:
ETA: I got an email from Allison (11/10) that Evan is doing really well and she asked that I remove links to her sites as she has re-entered the corporate world and we all know how that can be! I'm happy to hear he's doing well and I wish them the best!

Buy a Stitch Diva Studios Pattern in the next 24 hours


Gerry - Husband of Annie Modesitt and father of Max and Hannah
Annie's strong personality and beautiful design work have made her a stand-out in the knit and crochet communities. She moved with her family earlier this year to Minnesota for a life change to focus on her design work: Her husband Gerry, formerly a television producer, was going to be "Mr. Mom". During their move, it became clear that Gerry's "bad back" was infinitely more serious and was actually a symptom of Multiple Myeloma, a painful blood cancer that manifests itself in the bone marrow. Gerry is scheduled for a stem cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic in August, and the family has been given somber projections for life after the bone marrow transplant. Annie is curtailing much of her teaching activity to spend more time with Gerry, and their savings is eroding. Read more about Gerry and the family's situation here.

How you can help:
Purchase Annie's Red Carpet Convertible pattern or any pattern offered for sale on her website.
NEW: Knit Along! Love one of Annie's patterns? Once you purchase it, organize a knit along either online, at your yarn store, or at your "Stitch and Bitch" group. You will be encouraging other people to buy the pattern to support Annie, you will end up knitting something that is beautiful, and you will have lots of fun in the process.
Purchase one of Annie's books.
Donate directly on the Red Carpet Convertible page.
NEW: Get the word out. Feel free to forward this email to friends that might be interested or copy any of the text or pictures in this story on your blog.
Buy a Stitch Diva Studios Pattern in the next 24 hours

Go and get some new patterns and help out.

Pass the word!

Looking for my Nyquil, Ruth!