What took so Long?

I was going to post about a trip in late October to northern Michigan but seems a little late for that.  It was a great trip with great Michigan color, bike riding, pretty sunset and then a stormy day with lots of waves on Lake Michigan

What I have been doing is a lot of knitting and only a little quilting (Nothing picture worthy yet). I started and finished a pair of socks.  Wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. But at 8 stitches per inch they are really tight. I hope this will extend their life as the recipient is very hard on the bottoms of his socks.

Then there was the bear project. I needed a bear for the Lansing Comfort Bear Project (bears are placed in police cars for when there is a distressed child event) I started with a commercial pattern and actually followed it - sort of. Then for bear # 2 I made some significant modifications, #3,4,5 more modifications, then finally wrote out a new set of instructions to share with my knitting friends. This was a really challenge and I don't think pattern writing is for me. Design part OK, but I don't like the process of writing out the detailed instructions for someone, who probably can't read my mind. Anyway I made 11 bears total - 5 for grandkid's Christmas presents and 6 for the Comfort Bear Project. Even thought I have enough yarn for many more bears I think I'll move on to something else for a while.

Hats, Hats and More Hats

As a way to use up lots of left over stash yarn ( and I have a BIG stash) I have been making hats for several charities. Our knitting Guild donates hats and mittens to the school system that lets us use their conference room with no charge. This is our way to say Thank You. Then there are chemo hats for a local hospital. One of our members brought it to our attention that their are few donated caps for men. So I raided the stash and made several for this cause. All total so far 31 hats. These I will keep making because it's easy to keep a tote bag stocked with hat yarn, and they really don't require a lot of thinking for a basic hat. Great waiting in line knitting!

Should have some quilting projects in the next update and the Search for the Perfect Tote Bag.

Still Trying to Catch Up

WOW  I'm still trying to catch up from a week in North Carolina. Over 2,100 miles (47 on bikes), 40 hours of driving.

Cades Cove, TN



Cades Cove traffic jam



We started the trip with a few days in the Smokey Mountains and rode our bikes through Cades Cove. There are signs all along the road about not stopping and not approaching or feeding the wildlife.

So coming around a corner we come on a traffic jam.  Got off our bikes and worked our way through the stopped cars hoping it was not an accident. Nope, a bear and 2 cubs in a tree and all these people were rubbernecking. There was a ranger there trying to get things going but she was not having much success. Tried to take a quick picture and get out of the area. 

Look carefully, there's a bear in the tree.

Found this cute guy along the road. Hay Bale Art!

Next got to Topsail Island, North Carolina,  and it was great. Great weather and a wonderful time with the family and grand kids. But after getting back to Michigan I can really appreciate our weather. North Carolina beaches are very humid. Everything is sticky and damp. But great place for a vacation.

  

Sun rise from our ocean front deck







Family Picture (Baby Teak is sleeping under an umbrella)









 I planned on several knitting projects and I did accomplish a lot on my husband,s sock.
But still only one sock still on the needles and no progress at all on the other 3 projects I took.


What I did do is repair the "Wubby" And what exactly is a Wubby?  Have to ask the 3 year old about the name, but it is a knitted cotton blanket that is permanently attached to her. No naps, no car trips, no sleep without the Wubby. I tried last year to knit a replacement but no go. This time her mother asked it I could fix the Wubby. So that is what I did on my fall vacation. This was a real challenge of knots, fraying cotton yarn and trying to knit in high humidity. But although I did not use up all the original yarn and had a pile left over I think it is a success.



Wubby Before

Wubby After, with pile of leftover small pieces

So got home safely after 9 days. Lots of laundry, not much quilting but lots of new ideas floating around.

Started a knitted bear marathon and will post info on this challenging exploration soon.

Tale of 2 Slippers and a Sock

As my friends know I don't really knit socks. I love the yarn but I find double pointed needles awkward. But I have made one or two pair, and Christmas Socks so this is something I can do. So when a friend e-mailed me looking for Old Fashioned Bed Slippers for a sick cousin, I said I could do this. Knitting for someone you don't know can be a challenge - What size? What color? What style? So I suggested that a tube sock would be the most practical option. 

 

I knit them on 2 - 16" circulars and used 2 strands of sock yarn for a soft squishy sock.

  

Then I went web surfing and found a pattern for the slippers. Aunt Maggie Slippers. Looked pretty simple so I started knitting to try out the pattern. I thought they were kind of loose so I added a ribbed cuff and SUCCESS. Only problem I used a dull blue yarn. Not something for someone who needs cheering up. So second slipper was in turquoise with a small lime flower.

Now I just have to finish the second sock and slipper.