Hemlock Ring info

A few people have asked where to get the instructions for this blanket. You can find the info here at Jared's blog. There is also a yahoo group HemlockRingKAL full of instructions.


I did mine in Cascade EcoWool - Latte color and it only took two skeins (956 yards). I used US size 9 needles - but the pattern calls for US size 10. At $15.00 a skein it was VERY AFFORDABLE. If you want to make a bigger blanket - just buy an extra skein and expand the chart.

I started the blanket in September & finished it mid-November, so it took about 6 weeks of evening knitting for me. I know some people have finished it in a weekend or two. I work full time and only get to knit about an hour or two in the evenings. I also have a couple of projects on the needles (not many though). So it is a quick knit - but gets a little boring at the end.


It measures about 4.5 feet across. It is just right for a nice lap blanket.

I like the detail of the Feather & Fan.

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Hemlock Ring

Barely made it -
Barely

I made it through the bind off the Hemlock Ring Blanket.

Barely.

I had three yards left - 3.

I was sweating it the whole time...

Here it is blocking:



It is really pretty and I took it to Starbuck's with me last night...
More later....

What is the best thing ever? Friendship

Do you know
what would be the best thing to get in the mail?

Could you imagine if I went to my mailbox and found a large package in there?

Can you imagine if someone was terrific enough to send me back my Autumn shawl?

Wouldn't it be wonderful?


Well...

I went to my mailbox yesterday and found a large package.

I set it on the counter and wondered what could possibly be inside.

I opened the package and to my wondering amazement
there it was..

Yup, my Autumn shawl -

BEFORE I knit it.

Do you know where this wondrous package came from?

From some of the most wonderful people in the entire world.

From some of my dearest friends.

From:
Shelly
Susanne
Kathy
Tasha

I don't get weepy and cry very often.

But I sat right down and cried when I opened this package.

yup - cried like a baby.

You guys are wonderful.

amazing - loving - terrific

I don't deserve such wonderful people in my life.

thank you for letting me count you as friends.

Thank you for giving me the chance to have my Autumn shawl back.

This will be one I make for me.
because it was given to me by the best people in the world

my friends

Don't count your chickens...

Wow.


I can’t believe all the people that have commented and emailed me…

I am so touched
(not ‘tetched’ – like happened to Grandma
when she was out in the sun too long)

Everyone has been so sweet.


You know – when you think that no one cares –
all you have to do is reach out to
SOMEONE (even virtually) and you will find out that isn’t true.

Thank you to everyone who has written –
I can’t express how I feel about the whole thing…
just WOW.
You guys are wonderful and I feel very cared for...
Y'all make me believe I can do anything.
Y'all tell me the things
that I should be telling myself
and I don't.

thank you thank you thank you.


Ok – now that I have had my ‘emotional’ moment –
I am going to get back to real blogging.


Yeah - it is just a random bit of yarn - I don't know why I put it in here -
just wanted to put in a picture.

I haven’t been able to get a lot of knitting done this week. I am binding off the Hemlock Ring blanket and I HOPE that I have enough yarn -
(because if I don’t – it will just bite and I will have to rip out the bind off and the last rows
– cuz I am NOT buying more yarn and it may just put me
over the edge of reason and I MAY have to put the whole thing in time out –
which would really be bad
because I think this is a BEAUTIFUL blanket).

Anyway

I am still working on the SOTS.

It doesn’t matter to that I am still only on Clue #1
and EVERYONE else is on Clue #7.
really – it doesn’t matter -
not much anyway…
I am enjoying doing it - it is just slow. I am having to knit American (or whatever it is when you throw), so that I will not mess up. It is making me go a little slower and it keeps my stitches nice & tight.

Oh yeah – that is something that I realized.
I am a loose CONTINENTAL knitter. But I am SPOT ON GAUGE when I throw.

Who knew?

ANYWAY… I love knitting the lace – I just cannot do it for long periods of time.
I get too tense and I don’t want knitting to be tense.

I am sure once I get more comfortable with the ‘skinny’ yarn it will go faster.

I really want to finish both Boop’s blanket & the Hemlock Ring – because then I will cast on some NEW projects!!

I MAY cast on the Rainbow shawl.


I MAY cast on the Spiral sweater.
(that is the project that I am doing with my friend as a
“Rhinebeck memory” sweater –
we are doing the same pattern – but in different yarns)

I WILL cast on another Autumn shawl – but I am going to have to name it something different – maybe Entrelac Recovery or something. I don’t know.
I want to name it something that will symbolize that
it’s purpose is to recover from the loss of the Autumn shawl.

If anyone has any ideas – please let me know.

I still have the “Toe Up Pink Granite” socks on the needles. I am in no rush to finish them. I am just working on them as I can – a row here and a row there.

I will probably work on them this weekend during the football game.
(Come on - I live in Texas - football is big here)

I haven’t decided on the final patterning for the tops – probably just a slip stitch pattern – but who knows?


Sometimes you just have to let go and enjoy the process.



I am soooo looking forward to next week. Not only is it going to be Thanksgiving
(and the menu at our house is just AWESOME), but also
MANDA is coming into town!!

Manda has a blog and podcast.

She is one of the most fun people! And her laugh is infectious!

I can’t wait to see her.

Our regular group of knitters meets on Tuesday nights


Hmm – I should probably explain that I hang with a LOT of knitters
– a bunch of different groups.

There is one group that meets every Tuesday at a Starbucks.
We practically take over the entire place and people are always
talking to us and we have even been interviewed for the newspaper
– yeah as Dawn says – “we are rockstars”. Seems strange to me
– but people do treat us like rockstars there.

I am also in a Guild – it is the “Bluebonnet Knitting Guild of North Texas”.
I am the Vice-president this year and President Elect for next year.
We meet the second Thursday of each month. It is a great group
of ladies and we learn a lot.

I also go to a “Meet Up” group of knitters. – They are called
“The Fort Worth Knitting Meetup Group”.
We meet every third Thursday of the month.

I sometimes go to a group of “Stitch & Bitch” knitters who
meet at a local Barnes & Noble every other Tuesday
(or is it every Tuesday?).

Then every first Monday of the month I meet with
a mini-group of the Rockstars (above) at
a local coffee house.

And there are more groups –
let’s just say that I can knit at least ONCE a week with a group
– sometimes more than that.

There have been weeks that I was only home on Friday night because I
was out knitting every other night. But I really try not to do that too often.
Not because The Big Texan minds (he really doesn’t mind) –
but because I get
VERY LITTLE knitting done at knitting meetups!

I should probably take Boop’s blanket to all my meetups –
because I can knit that in my sleep now. It is a bit bulky though
– not too easy to carry around and pull out. Sometimes I worry
about what I will do when I finish it.
I have had it on the needles for so long now that
I can’t imagine not having that hanging over my head.
It has become a permanent fixture in my knitting.

Once I finish it –
I will have at least an extra HOUR of knitting time
EVERY DAY!!!

Golly – it is almost like having MONEY!!!
It is like paying off a debt – where you pay and pay and
pay and finally you have whatever it is paid off and
then you have this extra money to do stuff with!!

But in this case, it is TIME!!

Ok – Ok – I have to calm down. I haven’t finished it yet.

I still have eight skeins of yarn to go
(or something close to that).

Here it is in June 2006




Here it is about two weeks ago -
remember I have done
another 12+ rows since then.

I am on the home stretch - but...


Like Grandma says
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

Why blog – part two

Blogging is not easy. Sometimes it is hard to think of a new topic or to even get started.

This happens even though I blog for me and for my love of knitting.

Sometimes even the best of us get down. There are times that I think – “I don’t need to blog, no one reads it anyway.” Then I get a comment from someone that says “…I love your blog…” and it is worth it.

I really do write it for me – but sometimes – sometimes – you need positive reinforcement from others that it is worth the effort.

So I want to specifically thank “TexanaPurls”

for leaving a comment.

Your comment came when I really needed to hear a positive sound from someone. I have gotten other positive comments and trust me – I read every one. I am always thrilled when people comment. I always want to write back, but sometimes I don’t have a good email address for the commenter.

I have learned that I can’t write back to everyone. I hate that – but it the way it is.

I never know if what I write hits a chord or not.

I happen to know that The Big Texan’s sister “Sissy Tex” reads

my blog.

But the only reason I know is because I don’t have to tell her

a lot of news.

I know my kids don’t read it – but I think Navy Wife does.

Anyway…

Sometimes you need to hear positive words.

If you read blogs and you really enjoy them –

please comment to those people.

Let them know that you appreciate their efforts.

If you don’t say anything

– they really don’t know that you are reading a

nd enjoying what they have to say.

I try to comment on my favorite blogs. I try to let the bloggers know that they matter to me. Please do the same thing for your favorite blogs.

I have been thinking about starting a podcast, but I am terribly insecure about all of it. I don’t want to feel like an idiot and I don’t want people to think – ‘how lame, why does she even bother?’

I know I shouldn’t worry about what everyone else thinks. I know that I should only care about what I think. But hey, we are all human.

So – if I started a podcast – would anyone listen?

Does anyone really care if I post or not?

These are my questions today.

Tomorrow I may have different questions.

New Yarns & what am I knitting?

I have finally posted my yarn that I purchased in Rhinebeck. I have just been able to face the bags that I bought.
No - not because I spent too much -
I didn't even hit my full budget.

Because of the loss of the Autumn Shawl.

but Now...
I have listed the yarn and I am ready to look at the new projects that they signify.

I am knitting the Autumn shawl for a friend of mine. Yes I have wonderful friends and NO I will not be keeping this one - it is FOR HER - really. (I couldn't wear it because the colors would wash me out). She had asked me a while back if I would make one for her & I was NOT going to do that much work for someone else. Now, I want to. When she gave the yarn to me so that I could begin, I began to let go of the old hurt and realized I was on my way to letting go of the situation. I haven't cast on yet because I want to finish the Hemlock Ring first -but it won't be long.

I STILL WANT THE
(notice I didn't say MY?)
AUTUMN SHAWL BACK - but I can move on.

I am also ok with knitting it for someone else before I knit it for me. It may be a subconscious thing - but I want to make one ON PURPOSE that I won't be keeping.

Here is a posting of my stash - (no I did NOT buy everything posted here at Rhinebeck - but I don't want to separate that yarn out and I don't want to post it individually in my blog).

I am knitting on these two projects right now.

(Beside's Betty Boop's blanket - which is still ongoing... Yes this is an old picture - NO I am not going to take another picture of it until it is finished - It is HUGE. The next pic I take of it will be when I give it to her.)



The toe up Pink Granite Socks



The Hemlock Ring blanket


I am also working on the "Secret of the Stole" It is slooooooow going - but I will get there (someday).
My first (successful) lace!!


Ok- I thought I could maybe put a picture of just the Rhinebeck yarn up and here it is!