Lighting and a visitor

I was over at Sister's Choice blog and Nichole was asking about lighting. I told her I had the same issues with lighting. There are days in my life that there just isn't enough. No matter how bright and sunny or how many lights are on. Times like these you sure could use a friend. Ikea is your friend!
As you can see in the picture on the right of my machine I have not one but TWO Ikea lights. Some days it is just a two light day. One is a goose neck lamp and one is a clip on goose neck lamp.
 On the left attached to the top of my machine is one of those bright bendy lights. I have heard friends say they don't love their bendy lights because they bounce up and down when they sew. I don't normally have that problem. Maybe I sew slower than they do. I do know if I am doing something I hate (hemming pants for a child) I can get the speed up on my machine where it's kind of bouncy, but
not very often. That bendy light is very bright and I can really see my needle so I love it.
What you don't see is the large OTT light. I removed it. The OTT light was an old large weighted desk ones with one of the long arms that only had a join in the middle so it didn't adjust easily but once you did get it adjusted, it was good.  I noticed I was having lots of issues with my Rosacea when I spent a lot of time in my sewing room. I would come out with two huge red cheeks that were hot to the touch and tender. I decided to try the Ikea light instead for a while to see if the light was causing this. As soon as the lights were switched my face cleared up.  Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I put the OTT light back and back came the red face. So my unscientific results are...out goes the OTT light.






I had a visitor. Can you see him?



Can you see him now?

He sat there for a very long time just watching me. He didn't even move when I removed the stuff in
the window to get a better picture.

Diane

Carrying on with the tote idea

Yesterday was a whole day of appointments at Dr.'s offices, medical tests and waiting on these things.  Fortunately every visit and test came back good so I am happy.  Unfortunately the very first visit was with the Opthamologist. At 9am. In the fog. So instead of being able to leave my house at 8:30, I had to leave at 8:10 and pray and white knuckle it all the way and just made it with less than 10 minutes to spare. There I had a full field of vision test that I have annually. Not a problem except my eyes are dilated. So Once again I white knuckle it just down the street about a mile (straight shot, no turns and several lights so I only got up to 30mph) to a shopping center so I can walk around and shop until I can see well enough to drive to the yarn store down the freeway. 

While in this shopping center I was able to go into Joann. They had all kinds of cute fabric on sale between 30% and 50% off.  I didn't go crazy, but I did buy a few pieces to make some zip bags for toiletries or sewing/knitting notions or whatever I need them for. I will make my daughter a couple since she has had a habit for the past 10 years to basically live out of her car. She can never find what she needs unless she tunnels through the trunk or back seat. I thought if she had some bright bags she could find the smaller items easier.

Valentine fabric 50% off

Cute girlie fabrics 30% off

Cute monster and dino fabrics 30% off

Then I went into the quilt shop. Remember the tote bag I was discussing the last time? Well I found this pattern and thought this might be something that would work. I think it would also be nice for my daughter. She is in a band and they travel all over in a bus. She could fill it with all sorts of stuff and it would still fit inside of her huge suitcase of a purse.  Or it might be good for college. Lots of possibilities.

$10 @ quilt shop

I guess this time they gave me larger dose of eye dilate because I was still at the shopping center at 3:30pm and I was just starting to see well enough that I felt comfortable driving on the freeway. But...I had my next appointment in less than an hour. GRR! No time to go to the yarn store.

So I came home and knitted after dinner. Is it starting to look like a sock? It's going to be a short house sock. The cuff is on top. The heel is on the right side with my fingers inside the gusset part. I tell you, working with 4 needles is a challenge.

Diane

Finished and he likes it!

 I stopped the original hat that was on the needles and started this one to try a new shorter needle to see if I like it better than the longer needle and the magic loop method.
I like the shorter needle and it is easier and faster to make without the ML method, until...
you get closer to the end. I got confused on what to do so I went ahead and put the long needles with the long cord back in service and finished up the hat.

It looks like it works!  :)

I think the next hat with this yarn will be knit on a smaller size needle. This hat was made on US-8 for the ribbing and US-10 for the hat. Joseph thinks it will be fine for our warm Florida winters.

On the needles

I'm so excited I just had to show what I'm knitting.
I'm taking a class on Craftsy called Knit Lab- Knitting in the Round (I think that is correct) with Stefanie Japel and I really like it. I have taken an earlier class with the same instructor and I learned a lot and felt so good afterward I thought I would take this one when it was recently on sale.

I watched the first two projects and liked them pretty well, but the hat was what I wanted to do. Joseph told me when I knitted a hat he would wear it. So...

My first knitted hat...or almost.
I have some small ladders and one stitch is large because I did a yarn over and when I didn't mean to and noticed it on the next round, but so far so good.
I have learned knitting in the round with a design is not for perfectionist. I don't care for the jog in the design where they join up, but if you don't look for it you won't see it.

Today I am going to try and get to a knit shop that is not too far away, but they have such hours that I never get to go. I was thinking about looking for some soft warm yarn for my niece a hat. She lives in Oklahoma and walks every day. Last week it was one of the coldest spots in the lower 48 states. She needs a cute, warm hat. She will have to buy gloves, I haven't learned them yet.

Later,
Diane

What's on my needles

Again, I am making a dishcloth. :)

I found out my niece is getting married in September so I thought I would make her a few items. Her mom is a quilter so I will let her do that. 

While at Hobby Lobby this  week I found some cotton yarn called "I love this Cotton" and boy do I! It is so soft and has a slight sheen to it and feels so nice going through my fingers. 

Diane

What's on the needles

I've never been able to do this type if post before now, since I am just now learning to knit.

I'm showing three if the dishcloths I have made. 

Pardon the picture, it was taken while driving through Texas from Oklahoma at about 65mph.

 

 

Look what I learned !

I give credit to Judy Laquidara. I admire her socks all the time and would love to make my own. SE always tells everyone, " If you want to do something, learn how and do it!"
Well I have tried for years and I mean years, to learn to knit. I can crochet and love it, but knitting always confused me. Years ago while living in Mobile we had a quilt guild member from England that gave us knitting lessons. She was very patient and everyone learned so much for her. Everyone that is but me. I couldn't do it to save my life. It was a mental block I guess.

Long story short...I was playing around on You Tube Saturday night and happened to see a "learn to cast on" video. I watched it and nothing...couldn't see what she was doing. Who do so many people load videos that actually show the table they are at, but not so much what they are trying to show us?
Anyway...I tried another video...better but couldn't do it. I said I would try one more. Third time is a charm! I got it! It made sense! I can only cast on and do the knit stitch, but it's a start. My thoughts are make a dishcloth and get really good at this knit stitch then try to learn to purl.

WooHoo!

Diane