The Colberth Rock Shawl and A Thrift Store Find

 Yesterday, I picked up a  shawl I started.......ok, wait for this now.......July 4th. 2017!

 It use to be a free pattern on Ravelry Now it's a few bucks so looking for the pattern was necessary. I finally found it (the last 2 pages of it) and picked up where I left off in the mesh lace. Then about 16 rows down I obviously dropped several stitches in one place. Trying to mend lace was not successful so I frogged about 16 rows. I found a rest row (knitting all stitches) and picked up with a smaller needle finally. The yarn is Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine  and is 40% alpaca. Its a beautiful, soft red. 

After knitting a pair of socks, switching to size 9 US needles with worsted weight was very different.

I frogged almost back to the point where I picked it up. I may have shown this on the blog in the distant past as I started it a long time ago but here's a few pics from then. The true color is in the last 2 pics.

The Colberth Rock Shawl by Rhonda Craven (in progress)

Mystitchmarkers match the yarn :) 

I'm on the second skein now.

It's really a basic triangular shawl.

591 yards of cushiony, soft goodness.

The label has suggestion to use size 7 needles and I started it out like this but my tension must be tight because I ended up switching to a size 9 into the mesh lace portion.

And now.

Definitely will need some good blocking.

And my latest thrift store find!

A wood bowl and some old spools.

just because.........

I have a little soft spot for old sewing notions

and wood bowls........

And I'm getting the bug on this very rainy day to do some thrifting again. It just makes a dreary day brighter.

Have a great day!

More Thoughts on Fiber Arts and Health Benefits

Hey dear friends!

I had a question about the book I reviewed on the previous post by Betsan Corkhill, Knit for Health and Wellness that prompted me to share a bit more information that can apply to cross stitching as well.  Excellent question!

 As a lover of cross stitch myself as well as knitting now for the past 5 years, there is a website that the author promotes called Stitchlinks and Stitchlinksplus. I'm still reading through these and they have good information as well as the book. There is great information about the topic and she mentions that this applies to other needlecrafts as well.

click on this:

http://www.stitchlinks.com/quotes_and_comments.html

and look at the bottom of the list where cross stitching is mentioned.

Personally, I do believe that the book is helpful for anyone in the fiberarts, However, if you do not knit at all or not interested you may want to explore Stitchlinks site and also go to Amazon and click on the book to read the first part of the book.
Similarities of both include:

the portability of the craft
picking out and choosing colors, textures
choosing to stitch/knit in groups or alone
the ability to make things for others to pay it forward
switching between projects
the process of creating
the movement of our hands/fingers
the effects of all fiber arts on our mental and physical health
and many more

Also click HERE   and in particular  HERE to find that cross stitching is including as well as crochet or other needlearts to the health benefits.

I love to watch both knitting and cross stitching podcasts on You Tube. I mentioned Kristy Glass as she interviews alot of people and she is just soooooo good at it. She also loves fiberarts and can personally testify that knitting in her life and crocheting has helped her with a particular medical event that happened a few years ago.

I think we are all so fortunate to find that crafters of fiber are generally very caring at heart. I have found this to be true with few exceptions.

Even though I knew that even in World War II, the military used knitting or stitching with soldiers who were recovering or coping with PTSD, I was intrigued by this book with anything medical because that is my career.

I personally know for a fact that cross stitching helped me cope with some pretty severe life incidents in the past and I still love it. 5 years ago when I learned through a Crafsty.com class how to knit and still learn many new things on You Tube, I have knitted through extremely stressful situations and found it to be calming.

If you click on the website for comments about cross stitching, I think we all can relate to how helpful sitting down to our particular craft can be.

Here is a quote amongst many on the site as an example:

Found an old cross stitch kit i'd started before daughter was born and found that by concentrating on this i could find some relief from pain. Started stitching to give as presents to friends and family and found it gave me back a feeling of self worth.


I  hope your week has been peaceful. My physical therapy on Wednesday showed much improvement my PT said since the prior Thursday. I go three days a week. Pretty sore on the day and night after but in the long run, I'm keeping a positive attitude that some things just take time to heal.
This morning I went in for my session of PT, still pretty doggone sore but the therapist measured my progress and said even in the last 2 days, I have progressed even better.  I think that starting yoga again has helped overall and exercising 3 times a day now as required for rehab has got me looking forward to incorporating exercise in my daily life again.

I had to stop and think. Hmmmmmm  I wonder if that 4 hours of knitting yesterday helped?????  :)

Tonight, I'm in pain but I know that it will get better and some pain is necessary to reach the long term goal.
So on PT nights, I rest and watch podcasts, pray and go to bed hoping each day gets better.
Monday I have another post surgical followup.

As far as what I'm working on in knitting right now and for the past 5 weeks, I'm 3/4's finished. It's a pretty special piece for me and will share it in the future.

As far as cross stitching, I'm getting Mr. Darcy this weekend to put my floor stand up again and go through some WIPs I've had for quite some time. I enjoy both knitting and cross stitching so I wish some days had 40 hours instead of 24!!  I do know that at some point I will be selling all 40ct linen due to my vision loss with glaucoma. I feel best to stitch with 28 or 32 linen.

Thank you to all for being so kind.

Till later,
Jennifer

Book Review~~ Knit For Health and Wellness by Betsan Corkhill

I am a lover of all podcasts when it comes to knitting and cross stitch  (my two favorite loves). I could sit for hours and listen to people who are basically all over the world sharing their thoughts and WIPs and FO and oh, don't let me forget STASH enhancements.

Kristy Glass has a great You Tube channel and she is one. top. notch. interviewer. I think she deserves many more subscribing to her channel.

You can find Kristy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChz_jz50dnm5IlYn6GQHAqg here if you click on the link.

She is very smart and creative with interviews including needleshop owners, designers, and authors.
She brings good info to the knitting world.

At the beginning of May she started a book club for the book by Betsan Corkhill called Knit for Health and Wellness. Kristy said May was mental health month awareness and this book was a must-read to explain how crafting improves our brain and our health.

She interviewed the author here:

My take on the book is that it's an excellent read. I love the large print used in the book for my eyesight. It's definitely filled with well developed content about how knitting really effects our mental health.

I found the book material to come at a perfect time as I am in physical therapy/rehab for major shoulder surgery back in April. I have had chronic pain ever since, some days are intolerable.

I have been knitting as my arm will allow me but there is power for use of knitting in pain management.

She talks about how our choices of yarn, projects, patterns, etc all are enabling us to have good mental health.

I would suggest getting this book on Amazon if possible. I got the paperback version so I can make notes in it. I like the questions at the end of the chapter which stimulate deeper thinking about knitting and wellness in our every day life.

I just thought I would share this information today as I review the book again.

If you subscribe to Kristy Glass's channel let her know I sent you!!!!  She really is the sweetest and smartest.

She just put up a video on another book recommendation for this month called The Yarn Whisperer.

I haven't gotten this one yet but will. She has a video on this book as well.

I hope you are having a good start to your Tuesday.

Always,

Jennifer

And a New Beginning/ Cozy Memories Blanket-Knit

Yup, I decided to use up some acrylic yarn that had been hanging around my yarn basket for..........a couple of years.  When I first started knitting, without knowing better of the quality and luxury of other fibers, I bought alot of acrylic yarn due to cost. If I had to pick 2 favorite brands from Joanne's or Michael or Hobby Lobby, it would be Hobby Lobby brands, I Love this Yarn and I love this Cotton. Also Caron Simply So Soft, and Lion Brand Hometown. The colors are gorgeous of all the ones if you are making something requiring solids.

However, I do love the Indie Dyed yarns the best and I have quite an accumulation of these as well in my stash.

But something drew me to start on another blanket. I'm still working on the scrap one but I will say I learned some things from it that I should do differently and this intrigued me along with "Robin's Egg" colorway of a Caron Simply So Soft brand as I looked through my stash this week.

This was my progress up until yesterday morning. I have since added 2 more squares on a drive to see my daddy until my shoulder couldnt take the pain anymore.

I'm really enjoying my Springy bee here. This is the only way I enjoy bees though.

I find casting on and connected the squares still a bit challenging but have improved somewhat.

I have a gazillion ends to weave in.

The lighter color gold did not even have the ball band on it in my stash but I am thinking its a Caron Simply So Soft as well.

The darker squares are called Honey/ Simply So Soft/ Caron.

The beautiful springy blue is Caron's colorwary Robin's Egg.

Spring is a time for fresh new colors. I dove into this but have a gazillion other projects including cross stitching projects on the  needles in progress.

I'm about to have shoulder surgery on Wednesday and have heard so many different stories of recovery, which some quite frankly scare me but I think the worse thing is I may not be able to knit or cross stitch for a few weeks.

I'm going to set up my needlework stand and have a project on the ready in the stand so that I may try to tackle left handed stitching only. Even if it's slow, it's something.

Honestly, I think later on knitting will help rehab my hands. We will see.

I wish it was not my dominant arm that will be out of service but I'm thankful I have an arm!

Thank you all for the prayers for my daddy. I went to see him yesterday and he is so much weaker. He just looks in my eyes and sometimes grimaces like he wants to cry. I talk to him, took pictures of me and him when I was about 6 years old and that was the only relief I saw in his face. He looked at me and I could tell by the top of his nose he was smiling inside. 

The situation with him is breaking my brother, my mother, and mine's heart and we again thank you for your much needed prayers and thoughts. Besides burying my son in 1985, this has been the second worst if not the same grief and heartbreak I've ever had. 

I read an Irish saying this week that deeply describes the feeling.

"Losing a father is like losing your umbrella in a storm"

and that my friends is how I feel because my daddy was my rock.

Almost Finished with Pretty Basic Shawl--free pattern

Almost to bind off now!!!!!!  I love knitting this shawl. Pretty Basic by Janina Kallio is a great free pattern on Ravelry that has enough interest for detail but not too hard for some TV knitting rows as well.

Yarn---- (Pink speckle)  The Homespun House (Molly in Germany)

colorway In Bloom/ from my stash since last February 2016 Valentines colorway

It is a fingering weight of 100% merino

The light green/sage yarn is from stash from about a year ago of which I had in mind to work with this particular pink yarn for contrast. You can find it here: https://www.yarn.com/products/manos-del-uruguay-alegria

in the colorway Celery, fingering weight 

I'm using a number 5 Addi turbo lace circular needles (my favorite)

my handy little notions pouch from my LYS

You can see the flecks of green in the pink yarn.

One thing different I'm doing this year is keeping/making a knitting journal. I know that Ravelry has a place to record but I'm liking to write my own including a little piece of each of the yarns used in it for remembrance.

I also added to my T pins for blocking a set of blocking wires. I found those on Amazon. I will be using this while blocking the project above and post on progress/review.

I hope  you had a great Valentine's Day!

I certainly did. I got an absolutely gorgeous bouquet of roses in my favorite colors and a caring husband for close conversation and sharing a meal.

This morning I am so grateful for all the things I have been blessed with. I count knitting and cross stitching and any expressive form of art a gift from God. To take a pause out of my day to remember that God made me with His own handiwork is amazing. 

Do you have some special things you treasure in your stitching stash?

What makes them special to you?

I am finishing a shawl called Pretty Basic by Janina Kallio on Ravelry. It is a free pattern and is simply that which the title says. However, there is room for modifying the pattern and is even encouraged by the designer. I like to have choices like that. 

I'm about to bind off. My goal for finishing this was Valentines Day but didn't quite meet that goal.

But I've cut myself a little slack knowing I have other things going on in my life that need attending and also I wanted to make sure it was "just right".

You know, God made sure we were "just right" when he made us and God has prepared us to do good works. He prepared this in advance!!!!

He has a plan for our life just as we have plans on how we want to knit up or stitch up a pattern..

The result is a beautiful work and is worth the extra time we spend to making it "just right".

As you go through your day, keep this verse in your heart. It will encourage you to know that your Maker already has a design of which we should take no worry but just have the commitment to follow through.

Enjoy your day!

Jennifer

Yarn Bee from Hobby Lobby FAIR ISLE Knit Scarf

Happy Memorial Day to All!!

At the Homestead this weekend was lots of rest. Yup, saying WAS because we are going out to shop some sales some time during the day. Mr. Darcy had flashbacks of Thanksgiving Day at the mall but he said he needed to go anyway to get some professional attire for work.

 Kate Spade here I come!

Also been reading alot with my new glasses for glaucoma. The computer contrast with these are sooooooo much better. It takes all the blue light out and helps so much.

While at my last eye appointment I had a 1: 40p appointment and they called me back at 5:30pm. I was prepared as always though big glasses and knitting project in hand. As the nurses called patients they would comment on how I knew to come prepared. They have a hot tea and coffee machine and I just always know it's a 3-5 hour deal there so I had a blanket scarf around me in case the AC was too much, knit project bag complete with lotions and notions, and a tote bag full of my Ipad mini with kindle, and much more. The lady beside me finally asked if I brought dinner in that bag too.

While sitting there, I cast on a vanilla knit project, because I have to have one of those for TV knitting or when I just knit for the process. I cannot do lace counting in shawl work while watching TV. Just way too many mistakes.

So I cast on with this yarn from Hobby Lobby that was in my stash. What sold me was a swatch that HL had beside the yarn in the fair isle print. Gorgeous!

I wanted to do a simple stockinette material but I knew it ALWAYS curls. And this one is doing it too.

However, I have learned that it takes more than 3 knit stitches on a border to stop the curling and as long as I learn something from what I'm doing that's the point.

Yarn BEE---Brand
Fair Isle in colorway Red /Blue multi
80 % acryllic and 20% alpaca

see here for ordering

Using Addi Turbo number 7 needles. I LOVE those

What do I think so far?

1. I don't care for acryllic as much anymore and prefer merino/silk/cotton/cashmere but this is really a pretty good yarn considering quantity and that 20% is alpaca.
2. At first, if you look closely there is about  2in white hairs throughout the ball of yarn. Funny I though this was Abbie hair but finially I figured out it was part of the yarn itself.
3. I LOVE the self striping and fair isle effect
4. I LOVE the shades of blue and red and gray and off white in this.
5. Dang it, I didn't nail how to make it not curl again. I can lay it flat for pictures but oh my the curling.
6. Reinforces that I love nice yarn shops with expensive yarns but I also like Hobby Lobby's yarns in my stash too.
7. Mr. Darcy is eyeing this project way much and thinks it looks really good. I think he is hinting to have it for himself.

The most random is that I picked out a Blue Red mindless TV knitting project for Memorial Day weekend. I promise I didn't reach in my stash on purpose for color coordination. However, may be our gut instincts from what to pull from stash is really what is in our heart.

Through a 15 hour watching of Greys Anatomy old episodes yesterday with Mr. Darcy I got here:

Have a great day!

Jennifer

Sautee Sunset Summer Scarf Progress

Progress on Sautee Sunset summer scarf I'm making. The colors again are faded due to poor quality on my Ipad camera. I hope to get you a truer representation of the vivid, gorgeous colors when I get my camera fixed. I thought I would share my progress.

This yarn is Santorini which is 58% viscose and 42% cotton. Its a great combo. For a little history I looked up the viscose and basically its a rayon that actually has been around since the 1800's. I found a great little history site discussing cotton and viscose.

If you are interested in a bit more about the type of textile and why it is put in some yarns/fabrics, this is a good short read. I learned a few history bits about it.

click HERE

I started not to post pics as they are faded colors until I could get my camera into working order. Seems like a cloud or lavender effect in these pics but you will get the jist of the design.

I do get a few rows in  each morning really early or at lunchtime. 

I am using a sweet little heart marker progress keeper from Molly.

Her podcast and website is A Homespun House.

I'm starting on the second skein.

Each skein is 125 yards.

I was so surprised at how far the the first one was.

The colorway only has a number and is 2107

It is from Classic Elite Yarns.

I purchased this in Dahlonega Ga at Magical Threads.

I'm using a number 7 Addi circular needles

The actual colors are so vivid and actually look like a sunset on a clear day.

I made increases and decreases to create a "mountainous" effect.

I'm looking forward to incorporating this in my wardrobe with denim and a crisp white shirt and it will also be great into early Fall due to the autumn deep rust colors and navy scattered throughout.

The cotton and viscose with a lace pattern make it a great Summer accessory, not too hot, just right to still wear something you knit!

Our sunsets and sunrises here in North GA mountains are breaktaking.

It is awesome to be inspired to create living here. 

Future posts will show accurate colors of this project with the help of Mr. Darcy soon.

Here's hoping you are getting the weekend starting off at peace and have something on your needles to enjoy this cool Spring air!

For our weekend, we are going out to eat and working around the house cleaning out and donating many many bags of items, and actual pieces of furniture to the local battered women's shelter.

So far we have donated 8 large bags. Much more to go as I simplify our living space. 

See ya soon!

Jennifer

Coming Undone and Waitin' on Tom Video

Sometimes, even as much as our creative juices are flowing, mistakes happen in the pattern and, well, it can't be fixed. 

I tried everything with this pattern.

I absolutely loved the edging it was making.

and as big and far as I had gone............into the first lace chart, I had to take it all back apart. 

I mean...........to the first knit stitch.

Coming undone.  I was undone to say the least. 

I spent a good 6 hours trying to avoid that but I decided knitting is a hobby not something to stress over, so the answer was to make something better with it. 

Lessons were definitely learned:

when starting to learn a new technique, start on a small scale

always, always, always keep a lifeline row!

don't knit when sleepy

everything can have a new beginning

sometimes we can even make something better

My DH took me for a road trip and consoled me as I did rewind the entire skein. 

I was inspired again to start over but not using that pattern. Nope. Had way too many start overs with it. It is a beautiful lace pattern but on to something new.

So, with some inspiration one morning near our homestead, I decided to try again.

Of course it also helped to be on the way to the local yarn shop.

The  colors in the early Fall air and clear skies got me thinking.

Even Abbie got to thinking.

So I tried to make a go of blending to start a new shawl.

I also was inspired by some Etsy stash of new, little owl markers from this sweet lady who sent her card and a bird. Right now, it looks like a turkey to me, but that could be because I see about 25 or them every morning and evening feeding in the yard, getting fatter and fatter for Thanksgiving.

If you order from her on Etsy, I can assure you she has great service, quick and fair shipping and will put in 1-2 gifties extra like these buttons and the extra marker.

Guess what?

I made a mistake again.......................

and I couldn't fix it.

so............my mojo for cross stitching a WIP was really making me antsy and 

I pulled out this one from about 3 years ago and re-pulled my threads to start working on it.

This is Pink Hill Manor from Blackbird Designs. 

With the use of my magnifying glasses with a light, I was in Heaven again...........enjoying my work, like revisiting a long-lost friend, and getting somewhere!

And I have had the best week on staycation!!!!

Instead of going on a trip, we both wanted to work on our house alot and we have really worked the outside and the inside, moving some rooms completely to other rooms, purging and finally letting go of some things I should have a long time ago. It's nice and cozy again. 

We also got the complete season 1-5 of Downton Abbey on DVD now and watching a few episodes, starting all over with popcorn and cuddling in the evenings. 

We've taken bookoodles of pictures of turkeys and put them on FB and we even made a video that was quite funny.

Even though we could have gone anywhere for the week on vacation, we really enjoyed it more staying home together. Improving our homestead and putting love in it, readying it for the Fall and Winter guests!!!

Enjoy!

 

not only these guests but people guests too!  :)