Saturday Sky 08-28-10

More than one person has told me that they miss my Saturday Sky pictures. To tell the truth, I had forgotten all about them, so I'll try to resume. I do have a problem keeping my days straight though, so it could be a problem! Fridays always seem like Saturday to me for some reason. Anyway, this is taken in Maple Grove near a busy shopping area and visible from a major interstate. The temperature reached the low 90's-again-but the breeze was nice so it didn't feel as bad as some 90 degree days have. Not a cloud in the sky all day.

Learning to Cook

Our grand daughter, Sarah, wants to learn to cook, so when it was time for Rylea's first birthday party, she helped make "Dirt." Dirt has become a traditional birthday dessert in our family. It is a pudding, cool whip concoction with Oreo cookies on top. It is supposed to be put in a flower pot with a flower on top, but we just do it in a bowl and use the birthday person's choice of decoration. The most popular is gummy worms, with gummy bears and the candy that looks like rocks, but has chocolate inside. Sarah actually did most of the work on this batch!

When Sarah's parents were out of town and I was staying with them, Sarah and her friend decided to bake a cake. She had this cute silicone cake pan which makes the cupcake when the two pieces are put together. After her friend went home, Sarah decided to decorate it for an anniversary cake for her parents who's anniversary was while they were gone. We checked the wedding pictures and decorated this very much like the original with the addition of the writing and heart. The next day the two girls told me they decided to cut the cake in half and put more decoration on the half without the writing and eat it. So, they did-adding lots of colored sprinkles. It was good!

Stitches Midwest 2010

My husband and I went to Illinois with the primary purpose of me attending Stitches Midwest Market. It was an easy sale to get my husband to go along as he grew up in Chicago so planned to have lunch with two of his high school classmates. Here we are after lunch. (I'm the one in the pink shirt.)

The next day I went to Stitches and my husband had lunch with two grade school classmates. I couldn't take pictures at Stitches, so I took this picture in the parking lot.

I went with every intention of spending money, and I did! This is a sock yarn from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks if 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo, and 10% nylon. Luscious!

This is something new to me! The core is stainless steel which is wrapped in silk. Another choice is to be wrapped in merino. It is called Habu and is like thread. They had a simple scarf displayed but no pattern, so after analyzing it, I came home and have started my scarf, but it is going to be a long process. Also will write up the pattern as I think it will be a nice pattern in any yarn. (Yes, Gloria, you can do it too.)

I met Cheryl Oberle many years ago, so it was fun to get more of her yarn. Today, my thought is to make this into Carol's Clever Little Shawl which is a free pattern on Cheryl's website: www.cheryloberle.com.

A few weeks ago I dug my spinning wheel out and have done a little spinning, but have been very unhappy with the roving I found. It is 10% alpaca, but has so much straw, etc in it, I spend most of my time picking it out and even then the resulting yarn is unusable. So, I'm going to throw all that away and start on this. It is from Karen Poulakos Fiber Arts Studio: www.artofspinning.com.

The necklace is stitch markers made by Jennie the Potter. She is from Minneapolis and makes beautiful pottery, sheep and yarn oriented. Her newest pieces (I think) are yarn bowls which I bought at Yarnover. www.JenniethePotter.com.

Self explanatory: a crochet hook small enough to fit in my fishing tackle accessory box which I carry with me all the time.

I loved this bag! Sorry the picture is sideways.

The sales pitch for this sold me. They are replacements for those rollers with the tape that picks up lint, crumbs, etc. These are made of silicone and can be cleaned by rinsing in water which returns them to their sticky surface. In the demonstration, they picked up seeds, hair, lint, crumbs, a small safety pin and a quarter. I used it last night to touch up a dusty, crumby spot on my hardwood floor. I'm anxious to use it on our screens to get off all the cottonwood seeds.

That part of the trip was enjoyable! Getting there was a challenge! We wanted to stay away from the freeways and tollways, so decided to go down through Decorah, IA and revisit a restaurant we had liked when we were there last fall. From there it was supposed to be a clear shot south, then straight east. But, somehow, we got off on the wrong road and ended up in Prairie du Chein, WI, and a one way street, so didn't know how to turn around and go back. Well, we followed the map and did make it, traveling on little county roads and going through little country roads. Interesting, but it make the drive a little more stressful.

Rylea is One!

My Great Grand Daughter, Rylea, was one year old August 4. Because her mother reads my blog-can you believe that?-and wants to be surprised when she receives gifts, I haven't posted several finished things. Now I can. She received all knitted things from me this year. Next year she'll be old enough to want toys.

This is Bernat Baby Jacquards Ruffle Hat, a free pattern on the yarn label of Bernat web site. I've been going crazy with this pattern and this yarn!

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards Floral

Needles: US 6

I did change the pattern to be knit in the round and also added about an inch of ribbing above the ruffle. (I did not add to the length.)

Party Time Jumper by Doreen Marquart, Small Fry Knits, a small division of Needles 'n Pins Yarn Shoppe in Delavan, WI.

Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering Weight

Needless: Size 2

Clara pattern by Karin Vestergaard Mathiesen, purchased at my LYS.

Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl

Needles 3mm

Thanks to Thora Lee at Amazing Threads, we changed the decrease at the top of the triangles and up the skirt from a Sl 1, K1, PSSO to a double decrease, Sl 2 tog as if to knit, K1, P2SSo.

My Grand Daughter, Kristin, with her daughter, Rylea on her first birthday.
Grand Mothers can have fun. This is my daughter, Gloria, mother of Kristin, grand mother of Rylea modeling Rylea's hat.

It is cuter on Rylea!

Kind Hearted Knitter Award

Today was a special day! At Culver's Knitwits one of the members presented me with this award! Needless to say, I cried! I started this group in 2005 with the help of Culver's Community Representative. We have grown from 4 people at our first meeting to having 40-50 each week gathered to knit and crochet. The purposes of our group were to meet new friends, knit for charity and learn to knit. We have contributed over 13,000 items to local charities. What a good bunch of women. This award was sponsored by www.okaykate.com. Thank you!