Needlework Tuesday - Knitting...Still

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

This week I worked on two projects. I (mostly) finished the bathmat. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to add a fringe on the short ends. It looks okay without it, but I'm still deciding on that. It really needs to be blocked and I hope to get to that this week.  Here's what it looks like:

 

The other thing I was working on was the next project in the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month, a mesh type carry-all bag.   I hadn't knitted anything in a round before and I admit I had lots of trouble starting. After watching a few YouTube videos, getting the right length of circular needle, and working the first dozen rows or so, it all started to come together.

I only have a couple more inches to knit on the main part of the bag so you'd think I'd be comfortable with the pattern, but I'm not at all. It's only 4 rows long (2 of them are straight knitting), but every second stitch is a yarn over (yo) on the other two rows and I have a hard time seeing if I'm on track or if I've somehow dropped or missed one of those yos...well to me it's just confusing.

Anyway, in the photo just below the centre you can see a section where the mesh pattern is a bit off. I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't tell where I'd gone wrong. There was no way I was going to be able to just rip out a couple of rows, so I kept going and eventually figured out that I needed another stitch to get back on track. Since I was already 4-6 inches in and was finally over the beginning stages I didn't want to start again. I've convinced myself that it's only "subtly" different. There is one small part about 4 stitches wide on 4 rows (not shown) where it's obviously incorrect, but I'm calling it character and moving on. One day in the distant future I might make another one of these and at that time I can redeem myself. I'd definitely feel differently if this project was a wearable item or if I was making it for someone else. A tote bag for me isn't worth stressing over.  Here's a shot of the mess...I mean...mesh:    

 

I'm still loving the colour and I did learn how to do the long-tail cast on, so it's not all bad. I don't think it was required for this project, but in watching the videos it seemed that most people had used that cast on method for knitting in rounds and it was just easier for me to follow those videos if I did it, too. I'm not sure how often I'll use it, but I guess it's something good to know.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so other can enjoy your creations.

Tangled Thursday - Starting Anew

Tangled Thursday is a new occasional post on this blog. Heather at Books and Quilts is hosting these challenges in which we share our latest Zentangle inspired creations.

In an effort to get back on track with these Zentangle challenges, I suggested that we all post something Zentangle related. Whether it be a new creation, a link to a Zentangle-related website or blog, or an old creation not shared before, it was all game.

Since I haven't drawn all summer, I really wanted to create something new, but first I had to find my Zentangle gear....pens, paper, patterns, etc. In case we got flooded, we had moved many items up from our basement, where my craft area is.  Because of that, I really had no idea where my stuff even was. As it turned out, it was easier to find than I thought. Since we couldn't realistically move everything out of the basement, I had just moved some stuff to a higher shelf in the cabinets hoping that would be enough. We did get a little water in the basement, but the damage was contained to the carpet and some drywall...no craft paper or supplies. What I didn't account for was the extra humidity we had in the basement. While the paper didn't suffer damage from direct contact with water, it did feel like it had a little more moisture in it. Next time, I'll be moving it!!! It was still fine for drawing.

Anyway, with my gear found and intact, I created two new tiles.  I figured I'd start with Paradox because that's the first pattern I learned way back when.  I tried something new (for me) with the shading, but it doesn't really show up too well in this photograph.
 

Tangles: Paradox

 

The second tile I did uses some patterns that I've done in the past. I wasn't up to learning something new just yet.

Tangles: Well, Tipple, Warped Eggs, Betweed, Hollibaugh, Purk

 

Sorry about the photograph.  The flash reflected off the shading and created a weird reflection in places.   I'm never sure how to end a pattern once it reaches the border.  Do I draw a line like I did on the left or do I just let the pattern trail off like I did on the right?  Not sure.  Likewise with the string.   Do I treat it was a hard edge or something more transparent? Maybe I'll pay more attention to those two things when I'm looking at tangles online.    

In addition, through my travels I have come across two Zentangle-related blogs. I'm sure most people already know about these, but I wanted to mention them anyway because both contain exquisite art work.  Tickled to Tangle by Adele Bruno and Enthusiastic Artist by Margaret Bremner inspire me every time I visit. If you haven't already, please visit both of these very talented artists.

Be sure to check out the other creations on Books and Quilts.   If you'd like to join us, please do so by linking your post to the Mr. Linky on Heather's post.  

Needlework Tuesday - More Knitting

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

These past two weeks have been busy as far as knitting goes. I'm really glad I have a number of projects lined up to do in front of the TV. It really helps with the stress I've been feeling over our water situation, which still isn't resolved because of all of the rain we've gotten in southern Manitoba.

As far as projects go, I finished all four of the Christmas placemats from the 1st project I received from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. I haven't blocked them yet, but I still have a few months to do that. I only made two of the coasters because I wasn't sure I'd use them at all. Here's a photo of the finished placemat:

I also finished the matching hat for the scarf/hat set I was making for my husband. Here he is modeling the finished set:

 

If the weather we had today is any indication, he might need them really soon.  As if the temperatures weren't low enough, there's a strong north wind that dropped the "feels like" values into single digits.  It feels like late October, not early September.  Brrrr...it supposed to be like this all week.  At least, it's not the snow that fell in Alberta.  Anyway, you can see a front view of the scarf here. After knitting the scarf for what seemed f-o-r-e-v-e-r, the hat knitted up in no time. I was done before I got bored with it.

While I was waiting for my next project to show up in the mail, I started a bath mat to use up some Bernat Handicrafter Cotton yarn I purchased many moons ago. I made a large number of kitchen dishcloths in the past and didn't need anymore, so I thrilled to find a free pattern online for a 20"x"28" bathmat. I didn't have as many colours as I needed to follow the pattern exactly, so I made it up as I went, changing yarns when I felt like it.  It was supposed to be all garter stitch, but I decided to add some seed stitch for texture. Unfortunately, the seed stitch section worked out slightly wider than the garter stitch section so it doesn't quite lay right, but I'm going to live with it.  I'll might try blocking it.  Here's a section of it:

I'll probably finish it within the next couple of days and post a full photo next week.

I mentioned above that I was waiting for the next project in the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month. Well, that showed up yesterday!!! This month's project is a carry all bag. Here's a photo of the project kit:

I just love the colour.  I haven't knit anything in rounds before, so I'm really excited to try that.  I'll be starting that as soon as I get the bathmat off the needles. Yay!

That's it for this week.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, let me know in the comments.   If Heather posts a linky this week, I hope you'll consider linking up so other can enjoy your creations.

Needlework Tuesday - Knit, Knit, Knit

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.
 
This week I was concentrating on a few knitting projects: green scarf/hat set for my husband; Christmas placemats and coasters; and temperature scarf.   I took my projects outside to the deck.  The colours represented in the photos are pretty accurate.  ;)

For the scarf/hat set, I finished off the scarf (including weaving in the ends) and started on the hat. I have the ribbing done and am just about to start on the cable section. After knitting the scarf, which seemed never ending, I've decided that I don't really knitting/purling through the back loop. To me, it doesn't make enough of a difference (in this case) and it really slowed down my knitting. Here's a shot of the scarf:

 

If you are an experienced knitter, you might be able to tell that the straight lines between the cables are knit/purl through the back loop (k tbl/p tbl). Since the hat and scarf will most likely be worn together, I'll continue using method for the hat. However, I'd bet that no one would even notice if I just did regular knitting/purling.

The Christmas placemats and coasters are coming along quite nicely. If you remember,  I was hoping to finish them before the next project from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month shows up in 1.5-2 weeks. I've started the 4th placemat and have completed 2 of the coasters, so I'm slightly ahead of where I had planned to be.  I'm thrilled!  The placemats still need edging on the short sides and blocking, while the coasters will just need blocking. Barring any disasters, I should be able to complete it all before the next project arrives. Here's a shot of the almost-completed placemat and coaster:

 

The last thing I was working on was my second temperature scarf. I didn't take a photo of it, but I'm pretty much up-to-date on it.

That's it for this week.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, let me know in the comments.   If Heather posts a linky this week, I hope you'll consider linking up so other can enjoy your creations.

Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon

In Peter Pan Must Die, a woman has been convicted of murdering her husband while he attended the funeral of his mother. Dave Gurney, a former NYPD homicide detective, has been called in to take a look at this unusual case because some questions remain. As Gurney investigates, he comes across some shady goings on and has to dig deep to get to the truth and ferret out the assassin, who's appearance has earned him the nickname, Peter Pan.

I loved this book. Every time I read a book by Verdon, I can't wait to sit down and write the review. I want to tell everyone just how awesome his books are. However, when I actually get to the writing part, I can't seem to express just how wonderful the book is. It's like there are no right words. I hope my thoughts that follow make sense.

This book is intelligent and so well written. I can't say that enough. Verdon's insight into human actions and interactions are top-notch. The story takes the reader inside the mind of Gurney as he works the case. It's all from his perspective. Even though he has a knack for these types of cases, he's still not perfect. He exhibits many flaws. Some of my favourite parts of the book were when Gurney was working by himself. I got to see how his brain worked and see his thought processes as he sifted through the evidence.

Madeline, Dave's wife, was worried about his inability to let police work go, to move on with his life, and to find a new passion in his retirement. She suggested that he visit a therapist, Malcolm Claret. Their conversations produced some amazing insights into Dave's character and into his past. Suddenly some of Dave's thoughts and actions (in this book and previous ones) started to make sense.

Speaking of Madeline, in the other books, I had a hard time connecting with her. However, I'm happy to say that I finally get her!!! I really loved her this time around. Her conversations with Dave about the chicken coop reminded me so much of my conversations with my husband about things around our house. There's me passionately going on about how much I'd love to do this or that and him answering in a noncommittal way. It made me laugh-out-loud a number of times. I loved that Madeline was into nature, played the cello, and cared for her chickens. She's a perfect complement to Dave. It might seem mundane to some, but to me she, and her life, is perfect.

While this story was much like the Verdon's ones, a true thinking man's mystery, parts of this book, especially the ending, left me breathless. I was flipping pages faster than I thought possible while hoping that things were going to turn out okay. I won't give away the ending, but I'll just say you'll need to hang on tight when you get closer to the end of this book.

The book contains several passages that I loved. I hope they make sense out-of-context:

Crucial action is always based on partial evidence. The hunter who demands a zoologist's affidavit that the deer in his sights is truly a deer will soon starve. The jungle dweller who counts all the tiger's stripes before deciding to retreat will be killed and eaten. (page 172)

Action being the best antidote for anxiety, and information the only remedy for uncertainty...(page 228)

Guilt is a painful hunger for harmony--a need to compensate for one's violation, to restore balance, consistency. (page 254)

We don't think what we think because we see what we see. We see what we see because we think what we think. Preconceptions can easily override optical data--even make us see things that aren't there. (page 271)

I remember an oily politician once explaining that he never engaged in deception; he merely managed the flow of information in an orderly manner to avoid confusing the public. (page 299)

Our brains are so fond of coherence that they confuse "making sense" with the truth. (page 368)

I've read all of Verdon's books featuring Dave Gurney. For the reviews, please see the Reviews by Author page on my blog. Scroll down to "Verdon". I'd recommend them all. I don't think there's a need to read them in order.

Highly recommended. I can't wait for his next book!!!

For more information about this book, please visit the RandomHouse website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit John Verdon's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at RandomHouse for this review copy.

Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon, Crown Publishers (Random House), ©2014. ISBN 9780385348409(Hardcover), 440p.

Needlework Tuesday - Knit Club of the Month

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

Last week I mentioned that I joined Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month. Well, my first kit came in the mail last Friday!!! I was ecstatic that it came so quickly. I love starting new projects. I knew it was going to be a gamble because you don't get to pick your project. It just shows up and it really can be anything. The project for this month is Christmas Placemat and Coaster sets.

Even though I was excited to get started, I had mixed feelings about this one. First of all, I don't do many Christmas crafts. I don't like storing stuff for 11 months of the year. I already have lots of decorations that I have to do that with and don't really need anymore. It would be okay if I was one of those people who LOVED Christmas and kept my decorations up for a lot longer (ahem...Tami...ahem.) ;) Second, I'm not fond of variegated yarns, especially the ones with high contrast colours. Besides all of that, I'm pleased that the first kit has a yarn that I haven't worked with before (Mary Maxim Sparkle) and has at least one abbreviation that was unfamiliar to me, kfb. It turns out that I'm really familiar with doing this increase, it's just that the abbreviation is new.

I love that the kit comes in a plastic bag with a zipper that not only keeps my project pieces all together, but will also be great for storing the pieces afterwards. I toyed around with the idea of making a table runner instead of the individual placemats, but I figured for the first month I'd follow the directions exactly. I'm pleased that the placemat knits up fairly quickly, even though I'm a slow knitter. I'm almost finished the first placemat and have started on the first coaster. Here are some photos:

Kit

Placemat, close up

 

Coaster

 

The pieces will have to be blocked when they are done, especially the coasters. I hope to be done with this one before the next one arrives in about 30 days.  

Because the kit is knitting up quickly, I should still be able to work on the green scarf I showed last week in between. I've already completed 56" of the total 65", so only a bit more to go on it. I also have a second scarf in the wings waiting along with my temperature scarf, which is ongoing.

That's it for this week.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, I hope you'll consider linking up so other can enjoy your creations.

Needlework Tuesday - Knitting Scarves

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

It's been so long since I posted anything that I almost forgot how to do it. It's been crazy around here, but I finally managed to get back to doing a few knitting projects. The first one is my second temperature scarf. I managed to catch up on this one quite quickly, so I'm mostly up-to-date.

 

So far, it's looking pretty much like the first scarf I made.  In a few weeks, I'd show a side-by-side comparison. 

The second thing I've been working on is another scarf. This one with cables. It comes with a matching hat, which I hope to start at a later date. The colour's a bit off in the photograph. It's actually a mossy-green, not quite as drab as the photograph suggests.
 

I love that it starts out with ribbing. Right now, I have about 38" of the 65" done, so there's still a bit to go. Does it look feminine or masculine to you? I think it looks rather masculine or maybe unisex, but I'd like other opinions.  I'm thinking of giving it as a gift, but don't want to insult the recipient.   

The last thing I hope to be working on later this week is a surprise project.  I finally joined the Mary Maxim Knit Club of the Month. Every month, I'll get a small-ish knitting project delivered in the mail. I thought I'd try it for a few months to see how it goes. I'm not happy with the high shipping charges, but I figured I'd give it a go anyway. I'm looking forward to learning new stitches and working with some new yarns. Can't wait to see what the project is for this month!!! Anyway, that's it for this week.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, I hope you'll consider linking up so other can enjoy your creations.