This summer I have been having a great time driving around on the cart paths. There is just so much to see and do around town.

With the price of gas I have been using the cart for most of my errands too. Peachtree City has about a 100 miles of cart paths that are all around town. I can go workout in the morning or to the store. I also meet friends at the local restaurants. Paul and I have been taking a picnic with us just about every Sunday. We first stop for Paul’s coffee at Starbucks then off we go.

He reads the Sunday paper and I paint or draw. I have also been going by myself when Paul has been traveling. I enjoy taking time to stop and draw and paint the trees and water. I thought I would share with you the latest of my pictures.

Hope you enjoy your summer too!

I have been working diligently on the Baby Carrier. It is a very sturdy, beautiful carrier. I don’t think I would ever make another again because of how complicated the whole process was.  I found I don’t really like to change colors this much and working in all the ends.  But I enjoyed making it for Emily and Alaina. 

The pattern came from “Folk Style: Innovative Designs to Knit” by Mags Kandis. The Tribal Baby Carrier looks like a ancient American Indian designed carrier. It is a beautiful piece.

See I told you there was a lot of colors and ends!!!!!

but the pattern of the base is really wonderful!

It was really grand the way they pleated the ends. You use four double points and fold them back to meet then knitted the three or two stitchs together to pleat. It made a really sturdy end with folds that draped well.

Adding straps and round to close was simple enough.

Lining the project turned out to be easier then I thought after reading the directions.

I am not sure if it will hold safely a larger child so I also made a cloth sling of the same material to put the child in and the carrier over it like a lovely blanket in the cold. I think it would be fine for a small child but I was worried that as the child gets bigger and the carrier older that it would stretch out. I found the pattern for a fabric sling at: Karma Baby

But if you want all different types from ring to padded you can look at this site for more information: baby carriers.

   

The one hint I can give when doing the color work is to not work straight from the color chart! The colors are very hard to see and count then knit. I took the time (about four to five hours but saved much much much more time when I knitted it) and wrote out the chart on a excel file and read from that then referred back to color chart as needed. I got the idea from listening to Kelley Prickens Podcast from KnitPicks #12 on charts vs written instructions and I really thought that was helpful!!!!

Alaina Marie

June 20, 2008

8 lbs 14 ounces

I am pleased to announce our first grandchild. She is beautiful like her mother and dad. She is content and oh so soft! Her granddad and I are so very happy!

So you can see why I have been away so long. Miss Alaina has been our number one ball in the air and we just love her to death.

This is one of my favorite family photos taken.

My daughter Tracy better known as Auntie CC took these pictures and more please enjoy the slide show.  

Hello Everyone! I am so sorry to have so many long pauses in-between postings. Sometimes I feel like a circus performer balancing balls in the air. Unfortunately this is the ball I let fall to the ground.    But I am back now and have all kinds of news from the summer travels and family events!

I bet you thought I fell off the ledge of the earth! No I have just been really busy with home, however, I am never to busy to knit. Or maybe this time I should say crochet too! I have been working on several projects. I finished Paul’s traveling socks, started a red Secret Garden sweater for Alaina, and worked on the Tribal Baby Carrier for Emily Ann. All are coming along fine.

 Paul’s socks from: “2 at a Time Socks”    by Melissa Morgan-Oaks

Tribal Baby Carrier from: “Folk Style: Innovative Designs to Knit” by Mag Kandis

  I am working on the sleeve how so I am a lot farther along than this picture.     Secrect Garden Sweater from: “The Children’s Collection” by A Starmore and J. Starmore.

I have found out however, I am not to fond of intarsia knitting. All the changing of colors and weaving in ends drives me crazy. I have also found out I work much better writing out the entire chart instructions, then slowly reading the color chart. I always seem to lose my place and it is hard to tell the color needed, plus you have to count it every time.  I was listening to Kelley’s podcast from “KnitPicks”  

Episode 33# on how to read patterns and she suggested trying this method. She writes each row of pattern for lace or color chart on one index card. Then she keeps them in a small zip lock bag so that you can keep them in order easily. I tried this for the Journey Shawl that I just finished and it work beautifully.

Japan’s Journey Shawl:  Voyager Lace Stole Pattern from elann.com this is a free pattern.

 So I adapted the concept to the color chart for the baby carrier. The chart is very long and cards would be too much so, I tried it with small sheets to fit the chart holder I have. It took some time to get it all down but I think it was well worth the effort. I am not sure how long or if I would have finished the carrier if I had just used the small color chart given. Make sure you print it with the gridlines and change every other line’s background color to help keep your place. I have been moving right along with this method. Kelley’s podcasts have many helpful hints and she reviews some great books. But this comes with a warning if you start to listen. You will be buying knitting, spinning, and crochet books all the time. She makes each book sound wonderful and so special you can’t live without it. I must say however, she is usually right about the book.

Well, in the middle of all the things I wanted to get done for others projects, Emily Ann seems to be having some difficulties and will deliver early. This makes the baby carrier, and a few other projects on the top of my list to get done now! Except I have been reallllllllly wanting to try my hand at one or two of the patterns I bought home from Japan. I decided to try one pattern that looked like a day project and see if I could follow along with visual clues. I choose the crochet hat from the book with all the crochet projects and began. I really like the results and have been wearing it all the time. In fact I am currently writing this at the airport on my way to visit Pete and Emily Ann. I am wearing the hat on the journey as we speak. I hope you enjoy the pictures and try a straw hat or two. The yarn was bought in Japan but it is very similar to raffia and I am thinking you could use that or a similar feeling yarn.

         To connect the two balls together there is a small plastic tube that you put together than use your blow dryer to warm and melt together to hold. It works really great!   

    I need to shape the bowl of the hat and rim. I went it lightly with warm  water and molded it on a metal bowl. I used a plastic tube to shape the rim and then put a plastic thread through the end stitiches to keep the shape. I think it turned out rathe well.

While in Japan I purchased six books. One knitting, two embroidery, two lace crochet, and one crochet garment book. I thought I would share with you the books and what I found so interesting that I was willing to carry them back to the States. They were the heaviest items in my suit cases. We check three suitcases each were to be no heavier than 30 kg.    One was 27, the other two were 26 and 33 kg. The kind man at the check in let them go by with a cute commit of that he thought it all even out in the end. I still had more stuff in two carryon bags with my knitting and projects.

The six books have become my favorite treasures of the trip. I am not quite sure when I can start all the projects I want to make with them but I have plenty of time to worry about that in the future.

The first of the six books I wanted to share my favorite of them all. It is an embroidery book and not really a pattern book. I think of it as an art book and idea book rather than a how to book with patterns and instructions. It is called “Flowerworks” by Keita Maruyama. The garments in this book are stunning and just exquisite!

It gives me all kinds of ideas to use embroidery in different ways and on different items. The textures are intriguing. The book is a joy to look at and just beautiful. The ISBN is 978-4-579-10924-1. 

The second Embroidery Book called “Embroidery Book an Embroidered Linen” by Mori Reiko.  

This book does have patterns and directions on how to complete the projects. The reason I liked the book is that it had patterns for some really lovely snowflakes. I had been interested in snowflakes as a project for my friend Karen. Her son is getting married January 2009 and she wanted to have white shawls embroidered with blue snowflakes for the wedding party. I volunteered to help her with the project. The book has photographed pictures of the projects with good detail. The visual directions are clear enough to follow and the ideas are just great.  She even has details of how to build the boxes, purses and other accessories shown. I would be happy making and owning any of the projects offered. It is rare to have a book of projects that I am willing to say that.

The third book is the one knitting book I bought. It is a stitch dictionary and not a pattern book. It is called “250 Knitting patterns Book 250”  ISBN 978-4-529-04176-8 I do not know who it is by because I cannot read Japanese Kanji. There are seven sections dividend by color. From what I can tell they are patterns that are used in different ways. It appears to be by how large the overall pattern is. Some would be used as the entire front panel of a garment; some are narrower and can be used in combination with each other or as a small part of the garment. Some are for borders or edgings. I have several dictionary type books but I had not seen several of these patterns before. Most are very detailed and beautiful combinations of twists and cables. The charts are very clear and there are a lot of pictures to give hints in what the symbols mean. I am however, trying to purchase from Amazon Japan two books to help translate the kanji. The only problem I am having is that my credit card company will not clear the purchase. I will have to call them to get it straighten out I fear.

Back to the book I really enjoy the different patterns and the complex but beautiful designs offered in this book.

The fourth book is a crochet book which I cannot give you the name as I cannot read it. It by Sachiyo & Fukao and it is a pattern book of garments and accessories. ISBN 978-4-277-17227-1

I have become interested in crochet again because I have been listening to my favorite podcast “Yarn Thing” Marly is the producer and I just love listening to her. She has review several crochet authors and books on her podcast and they all sounded so interesting that I have been trying my hand at crochet again. Crochet has come a long way in design since my mother showed me how. There are some beautiful garments and items that were never available before. This book is my first crochet book in my collection and I wanted it to be well rounded in a variety of items to make. The hat catches my eye. I also purchased a hat kit at the same store in Yokohama and wanted a book with a few visual directions to help me complete that project. This book offers  some very good directions and pictures that I can figure out without needing to understand the Kanji.

The last two books are really wonderful too. They are both crocheting but they are crochet lace and jewelry.
The first one that I like the best is “Lace” by someone else I can’t read but will include her smiling face. ISBN-10: 4-529-04575-7

I must say that this is my second favorite book I brought home and the favorite for patterns. The grapes and leaves necklace or collar will be the first project I make out of all of the books. It is beautiful! It reminds me of my mother’s era style yet contemporary enough to wear today. Very vintage but stunning.  They are visually detailed enough to follow.   There are also several sweater and top patterns that would be just beautiful to wear.

The second of the lace books is more detailed in directions and will help me understand what to do with the patterns in this book.