Before and Afters

I have one of those knitting projects that refuses to be completed. My Socks for Pops. Incredibly, I finished one sock about two inches short. What the @#$#? I know, I know. Slow and steady - rip back and finish it. But you know how it is when you are just so darn bored with the project and all you can think about is the 28 other projects sitting in your Ravelry queue.

Anyway, I started on a red hat that has been under my bed for over a year. Eventually, I'll get around to pictures.

I have been busy elsewhere. I was asked to write for a retail shop and I think I'm ready to share the link. So, without further ado, Book Mama. It's my first REAL writing gig, so I'm thrilled and terrified at the same time. You can also reach the link by going to Hot Mama - www.shopmama.com and clicking on the BookMama tab.

By the way, don't try typing hotmama into your http:// spot or you'll get more than a clothing store.

Even better than all of this has been the efforts of my best friend to help me get organized. She has transformed my kitchen into THE coolest place ever. She is amazing. She has literally transformed my kitchen from a disaster area to the most beautiful space. T - I can't thank you enough. It's truly amazing what a talented eye and a can of paint can do. Wow.

Here are some before and after pics:

before

after

beforebefore

after

Do you remember . . .

Do you remember a while back, I had asked for sock donations for a charity? I should have posted this much much sooner, but alas, it slipped my mind. We did manage to fill a box of socks thanks to the generous donations of my knitty bloggy buddies (I'm talking to you). I mailed them off to Vis de Copil which is a homeless shelter in the middle of Arad, Romania. They do amazing things for the poorest of the people there. Please take a minute to check out their blog. One of their recent posts has a short video of some teens dancing.

Hello out there!

I need your help!

I've been asked to write a book blog for a retailer that is based here in Minnesota.

I'd like to offer suggestions for 'classic' books, but my list is fairly limited to Northern European and North-American literature.

Any multi-cultural suggestions you may have would be appreciated!

Rani

Crochet Coral Reef (i'm not kidding)

picture from www.timeout.com

Has anyone heard of this?

Makes me want to pick up my granny's crochet hooks.pic from The Institute for Figuring

This is a traveling exhibit put on by The Institute for Figuring - trying to promote awareness for our endangered coral reefs.

The Chicago Reader has a good little article with some more information about the concept.

If you're on Ravelry, do a search of patterns using the "search tags" or "search projects" option and type in Coral Reef. Or go to "bluesmoothie's" notebook.

A New Craft

A kind friend taught my sons how to tie fishing flies. I think I have a knack for it.
Lunker was not impressed that he tied his first "woolly bugger" in Viking colors.

A traitorous child who is a loyal to the Green Bay Packers - but there were no green/gold feathers to be found.

Anyway, remember this? One of my FO's? I unraveled and knit up a swatch for a special project I'm going to try out. (You can buy that pattern on Etsy from a very talented Icelandic fiber artist ).And guess what? Lumpy decided this would make a great case for his new flies.
I agree.

Dang! I forgot about these socks for my dad. They were intended to be a Christmas gift, but never made it off the needles. I found them sleeping in a basket under my bed, right next to my beautiful lace stole with the seven-dropped-stitches-of-doom.


His birthday is in less than a week. Wish me luck!


ps. would anyone think me crazy if I admit that I am sad to see the warm weather today which is melting all my pretty snow?

Bill Holm

During the last blizzard that howled through town, Bill Holm passed away in a South Dakota Hospital. For those of you who don't recognize the name, Bill Holm was a writer from Minneota, Minnesota. His writings about his Icelandic heritage and memories from his past were especially poignant for me because they remind me of my own heritage and the stories from my grandparents.

He was a big man with a wonderful voice and he will be greatly missed.

"For it is life we want. We want the world, the whole beautiful world, alive — and we alive in it. That is the actual god we long for and seek, yet we have already found it, if we open our senses, our whole bodies, thus our souls. That is why I have written, and intend to continue, until someone among you takes up the happy work of keeping the chain letter of the soul moving along into whatever future will come." - Bill Holm

Litla Barnebirkie

This is a heavily modified version of the pattern Swell (free pattern).
Needles: US 6
Yarn: Cascade 220 (worsted weight)

This is Lunker sporting the first version. I have no idea who that dude is in the black.

Birkie Knitting

This weekend, we took a family trip up to Hayward, WI to watch the hubby come over the finish line of the NA Birkebeiner. (cool slide show) We're very proud of him!


There were even races for the young Birkies-in-Training.
Moi'? I don't exercise. I get irritable and grouchy when I have to jog with the dog up to the mail box. So imagine my surprise when I shook hands with four other women after a few too many glasses of wine. I had taken an oath to ski in next years Kortelopet, which is about half the distance of the Birkebeiner, yet still a daunting distance of 23 K.

I turn 39 this summer, so skiing the Korte is supposed to be some sort of sick and twisted 40th birthday gift to myself, according to said girlfriends. I'm already grouchy just thinking about it. In fact, I don't want to talk about it anymore.

I did knit, though. It's a little Birkie hat for my daughter who is at school right now, so I can't take a picture.

Spring (ha ha wishful thinking) Cleaning

I am cleaning out my knitting cupboard/bins and here is SOME of what I found.

A gaggle of UFOs (that's unfinished objects for the non-knitter)

I believe I have my work cut out for me . . .

broken socks

My first Monkeys (socks are two different gauges)

Charlene Schurch - cabled watch cap

Scarf that will be too short
(probably frog and start over at a smaller width)

Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern by Nancy Bush

Baby Cable Rib by Charlene Schurch

Rivendell Sock by Janel Laidman

"Little Pumpkins" Socks by Sabine Ruppert

Striped stocking cap - just need to weave in all the ends.

Snake Scarf

Lori's Mitten (just one. have to finish the other)

Noro Bag (have to sew on handles)

Baby Selbu Mits

Art Scarf

NERD ALERT: Weasley Sweater - first attempt at a sweater - total disaster - will frog and make hot pads instead.

Next post: In which Raniknits readers will decide which UFO I should finish next.

PS. There is another box of UFO's under my bed that I just found. Too busy to take pics.

Blog Following

I found out how to check all my favorite blogs in a FRACTION of the time. If you have a blogspot account, go to your Dashboard and find READING LIST. You can add as many blogs as you like and then you can check your dashboard and it will keep track of who has updated their blogs! I have fallen in love with this. It used to take me forever on my ancient 2 year old computer to click on every.single.blog.

Now I check my dashboard, it shows me that 4 of my favs have updated and I can immediately read them. No fuss no muss.

oh, and you can post that list on your blog (see that to the left?) The order in which they are sorted is by the most recently updated.

So, just thought I'd let you know. It makes blog life so much easier.

Look what I found in the drawer.

The Hat.

Oh well. Compulsive behaviors do provide some benefits:My new shopping bag. At quite a discount from Mimi the Sardine.
It will be my early Mother's Day gift to myself.

And now . . . no more spending. But here I have to say that it's just like putting yourself on a diet. As soon as you start your diet, you begin to crave crazy junk food and you end up eating worse than before you went on your diet.

But enough is enough.

I must squeeze some fresh creative juices and start making things from the stuff I already have.