Rear Window

So, here is my rear window. Isn't it a happy window? It looks out into our backyard. Right now, the backyard is a vision of green... with oxalis stricta.

You can't see it through the window, but we've unfortunately have a toilet in the back yard too. With the weeds, I guess the contractor forgot to take it. Nor do you see all the other junk in the back yard. What you can see is the 2 doors we had removed during our remodel, and the chair that one of the workers had out there when he ate lunch.

I decided to use a smaller linen thread than what was used for the front window (because it arrived after I started the Steinrose curtains for the front of course).

I'm now at the first of many many leaves. This is a very straight forward pattern (as all Nieblings are). After I finish the first set of leaves, I'll block and calculate how many more leaf sets I'll do before the funky flowers.

Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love coned yarn/thread? Love it! How many yards are on this cone? More than you or I can imagine...Okay, so, it's 25 Lea (I forgot and had to double check). I've got over a pound of this thread, so, I have over 8000 yds of this. I can make curtains til the cows come home.

By the way, here's my front window, looking out. Why yes, it does make me happy.

Curtain #2

I'm embarking on a new knitting project. Yay. It's the back door curtains. I have been checking out the Ikea curtains, and have decided that I shall instead knit this for the home. I'm doing the Teerose curtains from Burda Special E418.

I also decided to use even finer Irish linen (ebay). It's 20 Lea. So, doing the handy dandy conversion (1Lea=300yd/lb) equals 6000yds/lb...which to my eye, feels like a #80 thread? Much thinner than what I used for the front door curtains. But all's well.

My swatch was 20stitches/3 inches, so I should be able to do 3 complete flowers for this curtain.

Cast on 180 +14 stitches using #0 needles.

Knit a few rows of stockinette, and I'm ready to rumble.

Eyeballs!

I have a goofy daughter. We call her Creature...well...because she is.

I love her dearly. She's super funny. Her most recent 'word of choice' is yep "Eyeballs". For some strange reason, the utterance of that word results in reducing a gaggle of 3-4 year olds to fits of giggles.

I don't get it. But here's an example. She goes to dance class, and part of the warm-up routine is that they sit and pretend to build a pizza. Things like rolling out the dough, putting cheese on, spreading sauce, putting on toppings, etc. This way, the kids get a little stretched out and limber as they pretend to do these things. Anyway, the instructor asks each child what they want on their pizza...

Child One: cheese!

Child Two: pepperoni!

Child Three: cupcake! (hey, I get it)

Creature: Eyeballs!

Which then sends all the little girls into fits of laughter and a whole bunch of rolling around on the ground. Then, all the other girls around the circle want eyeballs too...(yep)...yes, that's my child.

So, anywhoo... yes. knitting. I saw the Polka Dot Alien Hat pattern and I just knew I needed to make it for the Creature. In Purple, of course.

I looked at the pattern, and decided I can do this. Just your normal hat using Thick and Bulky. Cast on 56 stitches and knit a normal hat.

Then came the eyeballs. Well. It said to knit I-cords and then break yarn and then knit the eyeball part (snooze...I lost interest at that point and decided I can do it myself).

Anyway, my hack is to knit them 2 at a time so that if they're wrong, at least they're both equally wrong. Knit 2 inches of I-cord, then increased in each stitch to go from 4 to 8 stitches. A row of knit, then knit1, inc1...kn2, inc1...til I tested the eyeball (aka pingpong ball) to fit. Cast off 3 stitches and knit back and forth, reconnected the round and decreased.

Sewed the eyeballs on, and ta da! Eyeball hat!

Stitches

Note to self: get back to blogging! (especially after watching last night's episode of House--at least I don't blog everything in my life, just the knittery stuff).

Anyway, I went to Stitches West w/ a couple of friends. And the convo down to Santa Clara was humorous (to me). This is my recollection, not verbatum:

Knitter 1: what are you getting?

Knitter 2: downloaded sweater patterns. Got the info and buying for a sweater

Knitter 1: getting yarn for sock pattern.

Knitter 2: me too.

.

.

.

me? I said: Nothing. I'm not getting anything. No plans. Maybe if I see something I really want...

So....here's my 'nothing'.

purse handles

Stardust sock yarn (see all the sparklies?)

Misti Alpaca lace

Cardi pattern

Babs sock yarn in grey and deep purple