Photo of the Tunisian Scarf

I see this one isn't showing it as a circular scarf, but it does show the pattern nicely.  It's a beautiful yarn.

The new iPhone and iPad updates give you all sorts of ways to update a photo in iMessage.  Looks like I am having way too much fun, and it was about 1 in the morning, so you know why.

Can't let you get away without a Brodie photo.  I put his fav couch out on the back covered deck but he would rarely get on it.  It finally dawned on me that he won't get on the furniture unless it is covered with a "doggie" blanket.  What a good boy he is!  Now I find him out there asleep in the early morning hours, when the sun is just peaking over the far away hills and trees - when I get up to make coffee.

Did I post about this?  My DSD gave me this pillow that I think is just darling! It's now resting on the  large long ottoman with another pillow she gave me. Really the pillow case. It says "I'd rather be called The Dog Lady than a people person."  This stems from my dislike of gatherings of people I don't know, and from her dogs who love me to distraction! Well, most everyone's dogs that is. For some reason dogs must think I am one of them.

I'm having a contest at my group on Ravelry and only two people joined in - so instead of me closing a name out of a hat I just went ahead and ordered some yarn for each of them.  My original idea was to rid myself of some of my yarn, but in that I am coming up on some surgery and have loads to do, I just didn't want to go hunting for yarn and see if I could find something they liked. This way I just pay for it…don't have to box it, take it to be mailed, or any of that. SO much easier! Plus it's nice yarn.

Long and Large Moss Stitch Scarf

Scarf for Julie

My DDIL wanted an 8", 8' scarf so I am playing along! She requested one half be in navy and half be in charcoal.  I had to have The Loopy Ewe help me find the colors as my first excursion into purchasing the grey turned out to be more of a lavender hue.  They were so kind and worked hard to find just the right one to go with my Malabrigo Rios in Paris Nights, below. Below that is the Uncommon Threads color called Grit in a DK weight. Even though Rios is a Worsted Weight, they are nearly identical. Close enough in a pinch!

I'm using the Moss Stitch (different than in knitting) for this scarf. It gives it a nice flat classy look.  You just use a sc/chain 1 across, back and forth.  I put the sc UNDER the chain which creates a reversible scarf pattern - both sides look alike. You need to be careful and very aware of where you are placing the stitch because if you put it through yarn anywhere it ends up looking different on the other side messing up the pattern.

So far I have completed 4 ft of the navy and am working on the charcoal color. I have about 3' finished in navy. The photos above capture the color pretty right-on, but I don't seem to be able to get a perfect photo of the two pieces of the scarf. Perhaps when I am finished with it and can take it outside it will show up better.  The grey looks a tad beige, but isn't.  The navy is brighter, too, and darker. 

At least you can see the pattern!

I did finish the other scarf and sewed the ends to gather to make an infinity scarf of sorts. I didn't twist it because the two sides do not match in the slightest!  However, it's still pretty special, and rather lovely I'd say!  I have't taken a photo of it, but when I finish this one I will photograph both.

Have a lovely Sunday!  I am enjoying our lovely sunshine out on the deck, so hope you have lots of sunshine to sooth your weary soul, too!

Tunisian Scarf

I'm working on a scarf in a lovely merino wool.  It is Into The Whirled Dresden DK in the color HiJinks. Very soft and easy to use.

I'm using a trellis type pattern someone who made a square for me in a swap had used. At least I think it is the same pattern. She used worsted and this is DK.

The pattern is TSS, Purl, TSS, Purl, etc to the end. Then you pull it back through as usual and in the next row it is a Purl, TSS, Purl, TSS, etc to the end. Doesn't matter if you have even or odd stitches just be sure you are putting a TSS on top of a Purl and vice versa. 

I don't do the pattern stitch on the last stitch as I like the edges to look the same. I didn't start out that way so you can see on the left for the first five or six rows how jagged the left side looks, and then how the rest is even.

When I do the last stitch in TSS I go through two loops..the regular stitch and the back part of the stitch. It makes for a very nice edge.

Now Brodies turn….

I bought my 135 dog a chair. It is more like a couch…is called a cuddle chair.  He was up on it one or two times and then would not get back on. It dawned on me that I always covered the area on the couch where he was allowed so figured he must have thought he wasn't allowed….or did not like the 'feel' of the material!  I covered it with a lovely soft blanket and he is on it all the time now! Unfortunately with the blanket the chair doesn't look 'lovely'!!

This is with the tan blanket. Didn't go with my green furniture so changed it.

Now he has it in the light green blanket. Hard to see a black dog.

Yes, my dog is spoiled….BUT….I like not having him on the furniture (which is all new and leather) where family and friends sit. The only people who will want to sit on this chair are the little ones and I don't care if they get black lab hair on them! LOL!

Visiting the Olympic Peninsula

First Brodie - I bought a battery operated food delivery system and have it set for 2:30p every day. It will drop 1/2 cup (can drop 1 1/2) of food with his pill wrapped up in something yummy.  He has gotten the hang of it and now about 20 after will take his place near the machine and wait for the drop. I love this as it frees me up from having to rush home to give him his pill (he HAS to have them on time).

My friend of almost 50 years, Cathie, visited from GA. I really enjoy her company as we are so much alike, and yet so different. She is calmer, much more 'together' than I am, and she can cook!!! I did cook quite a lot while she was here, so that gave me confidence to keep it up.

Above is Lake Crescent on state highway 101 in the Olympic National Forest.  We were on our way to Forks, WA. Once we reached the lake the smoke cleared up. It was SO BAD IT HURT TO BREATHE!

We were on our way to Forks, the town written about in the first book of the Twilight series. Stephenie Meyer chose Forks for the setting for her books as it is a small town and is one of the rainiest places in the United States. It wasn't used in the movies because, according to a local, the governor would not give them a tax break, so they filmed in Oregon instead.

He said that when the book came out using Forks as the setting, the tourism picked up 200 fold and it saved the town which was on the brink of disaster.  It is a tiny town for sure, and I for one am glad they are safe for now! I bought a Twilight T-shirt just to help out their economy.

They now have a Stephenie Meyer Day and I guess she has visited a couple of times. They love her!

This is a resident peacock at the Olympic Game Farm in town, not too far from my home. One of MANY.  The Game Farm was basically supported by Disney, who used their animals in films, and retired their animals there, too. Now they don't from what I understand.

I don't know the history behind this bear, but he was very congenial and almost waved. I think he actually does wave at people who feed him. There were lots of bears, tigers, lions, zebras, etc.

I believe this is a Yak…and it looks like he had an accident with his horn! All the other Yak had horns that went up like the one on the right.  They were very friendly and would stick their faces on your windows hoping you had food to drop them.  We passed up driving through the Bison area as were told it is mating season and they can get mean or amorous with your vehicle!

These are the prettiest deer! Remind me of Bambi! I have never seen any so white with such beautiful sable, freckled saddles.  

They also had tons of rabbits all over. They were so so so cute! Clean and pretty and colorful!  Running loose all over near the Bobcat enclosure and where they have wolves and coyotes. 

All in all is was a pretty nifty experience.

Early on Cathie and I went over to Sequim Bay.  We parked at the John Wayne Marina and walked out near the shoreline to check out rocks. As I understand it his family donated the land. It isn't 18 miles east of Port Angeles, but more like 22 miles or more. Why they leave out Sequim from the directional info I don't know, but it is in the Sequim city limits and in Sequim Bay.  Maybe because it is part of the Port Authority.

This is part of Port Townsend and you can see the cliffs of Whidbey Island.

This is Cathie…we traveled over to Port Townsend to see if we could pick up some "sea glass" which was, of course, pretty picked over.  We did find some tiny round pieces and looked long enough to fill up a small baby jar (almost) of the glass so she would have a conversation piece on her shelf.

Since we started with Brodie we will end with Brodie. Sometimes he can be so breathtakingly handsome!

Sometimes he is just an ornery boy!

Black Cat scratched!

Unfortunately the yarn was too too stiff.  After getting it almost finished I just didn't like the feel or the stretch, so frogged it.

This is the 'real' Thin Red Line hat I finished for my sister-in-law.  I wish more of my family wore hats so I could make a bunch.  I really do have to start using up yarn and large projects are a stumbling block for me.

My friend from GA visited so we took a few quick day trips around the are. This is Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Forest area. Thankful to get out of the smoke!

And this is the smoke, except I did darken the photo some so the sun would show up the right color. It was either a light sky and a yellow sun or the orange sun (which is what the naked eye sees) and a dark sky. Since it was the sun I wanted to show, just think of the sky as light hazy blue!

Before the smoke was intolerable, we did some rock hunting on the shore of the Sequim Bay at the John Wayne Marina. Yes, THAT John Wayne. He donated his property from what I understand. Its a really lovely marina, with a nice restaurant and park type area.

Mr. Brodie climbed up on the stack of beds I piled up as I vacuumed around the living room. Did not have the heart to make him jump off. He was pretty tired from guarding the house while we ladies were gone. Such a good boy - still more puppy than adult at three years old, but calming down slightly each passing month or two. Next year I hope he will keep his charm, but lose his propensity for exuberance at the expense of my arm!  Or my guest arm!

Pink Cat Hat!

This is the beginning of the hat for my DSD.  The pattern is Black Cat mentioned in the previous post.

It's pretty easy so far.  I would say the only thing that I noticed which I find not so great is the space between the left facing and right facing front post trebles.  I think when the whole thing is finished I will go back in on the back side and fill those in with some sort of hdc or dc in back.

I have been cleaning and getting prepared for my girlfriend from GA to arrive next week.  Even went out and bought a case of Wasp Spray as well as a bunch of flea/bug bombs!  I'm doing one room per bomb just to make sure no spiders are lurking and no other little crawling thing!

The wasps are still active and I noticed on Friday they have even set up shop in the metal piping that holds up the large gate. Can't imagine how they can even see each other in there, let alone how they would have a nest. It's not even an inch wide on each side. Just a long skinny square piping.

I had to kill off a hornets nest about a week ago.  Looked like the one above, but not quite as big yet.  It was hanging above the entrance to my carport and they didn't like it when I went to my car.  I feared being attacked. That happened to me once when I was a kid and is just isn't fun.  It took several tries with spray over a few days, since I didn't have the wasp spray yet.  I hated to do it as they are a beneficial by removing insects the are not so beneficial, but my health demanded it.  

Also, my dog has a habit of chasing after anything that flies close to the ground. Have had to warn him off the bumble bees!

Rest after a long day!

Busy Hands are Happy Hands!

A funny thing happened on the way to the end of July. My cardigan turned into a vest!

I ran out of time because I had to remake almost 1/2 of the pattern as I misread the instructions on where to place the center of the shoulder. Ugh. One of the lovely ladies in the Loopy group suggested I finish it as a vest, take photos, get credit, and then go back and change it into a cardigan when I'm ready, which will be this winter.  I did as she suggested and posted photos in the nick of time on the Loopy Ewe web site to get camp credit.

This is one of two hats I made as a test for a friend, RubraC on Ravelry. It's a favorite pattern of mine, now.  The hat has a lovely stretch to it so fits snugly on the head.  I will post the other one I made in the same pattern when she has released it. It is super lovely.  Hopefully the link works. I don't know if she has it open to the public. If not, join Ravelry!

This is another one of her patterns.  It is called Black Cat.  I'm making it in pink for my DSD for her trek to the gathering the next time the ladies wear these in protest.  I hope she likes it and can get some use out of it.

I plan on making more hats like the one below this winter.  I made a bunch of these a couple of years ago.  Right off hand don't remember the pattern name. OH, Backcountry Beanie by Liz McQueen. They run big.

I do remember that the pattern was hard on my right wrist but I really love them! So warm and thick.  I made three for my niece and one or two for others in Seattle Seahawk colors and a few others.

Hope your new week is a lovely one!

Maggie Mae Fry

This is Maggie. She passed away earlier this year. She was only 12 years old but her kidney's gave out and she was almost deaf. BOTH of these maladies happened due to the drugs that she was given.  Had I known about the medicine for the ears CAUSING deafness I would never have allowed them to give it to her.  Be ever so careful about meds your vet wants to give you.

She had a limp and was told she had arthritis. The meds caused kidney failure. I would have been better off, and so would she, to just give her CBD/THC drops. When I used them in January prior to her passing, she did super well on them.  Keep that in mind if your dog has arthritis and you are in a state that has legalized the stuff.

I really miss her.

Beautiful Sunny Days!

The hot air balloon flew nearby the house the other day. Brodie, my lab, was barking up a storm while looking (I thought) into the trees. I believed it was the raccoon again, but when I finally looked high enough I saw the balloon.

Ran for my phone to take photos…it passed in front of my rear neighbor's home and looked as if it was going to crash.  It did, however, rise up. The noise it was making is what I think upset the dog the most. Like a growling flying fire eating dragon going overhead!

This is the afghan I've been making for my niece. Did I post this before? Anyway, it is going to be a Christmas present now since 1) I already made her one (duh!) and 2) I had to order yarn and then found out it was the wrong pink, so will have just enough to make it a nice size with what I have on hand.  It's all in half double crochet. Please not 3) I sent her another present which is probably for an older girl, but thought it fit her to have a musical princess jewelry case. She will be into soccer, Legos, Star Wars, race cars and video games soon enough. I'd like her to stay a little princess girl a bit longer!

This may look like a child's puzzle but don't be fooled! I am about a week or two into it and it isn't near finished. Harder that I thought it would be.

Took myself out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere was great, but the fish tacos were not. I should not have ordered the battered ones. I will try again and get something else. Otherwise the restaurant is off my list….EXCEPT for their chips and salsa. They were wonderful!  I could aways order a drink and snack on the chips!

Last but not least, I am working on a super cute hat for a test for a friend. RubraC on Ravelry. It is more of a houndstooth pattern once it is compete.  I'm giving this one to my DSIL, Carol.  It is lace weight so a very light hat. I hope to make it again in a fingering weight to give it some squishy cushiony feel to it, and more warmth. Will make it a Christmas present for someone who might want a classy hat.  

Have a great weekend!

Camp Loopy's Second Project

Cardigan for Me

The Curious Case of the Crazy Stitch Cardigan

I am using Cascade Pima Cotton. It is too heavy for this pattern, but bought 9 skeins for it so plan to use it up!

These two photos are from the front being hooked to the back. See the teal stitch marker on the left near the middle of the piece?  It is marked in the wrong place. It should have been four inches higher. That made all the pieces four inches shorter in front than in back.

This photo below is when I discovered my most horrible error!

The markers should be at the top of the shoulder.  I have had to frog almost four skeins of work to correct the shoulder placement.

Under some conditions I would leave an error, BUT since it was making the whole thing off kilter I could not do it.  It's for Camp Loopy and is supposed to be finish by the end of the month. 

Two weeks worth of work down the drain. Now to see if I can go ahead and beat the clock and finish in time.

Ugh.