Remodeling continued

Progress is being made! Slowly but surely, the work is getting done. Roger and Kyle are at it every evening, pulling something down or nailing something up.


Current state of eat-in kitchen, now minus the lovely lino.
 

The living room, ready for furniture & accessories.

Current state of pool room: doing duty as ship's stores.

Fridge was relegated to the garage. Making coffee is now a multi-step procedure.

 I'm learning that a major remodel is not for the faint of heart. It is a lot of donkey-work and that takes some adjustment, as I've  been enjoying a somewhat effort-free existence lately. It helps a lot if you have a good teamwork going!

 I admit that I've felt a little exasperated at times. I've been through a project like  this before, but it wasn't because my husband and I were sprucing up our house - it was due to the destruction from the devastating Storm of the Century in March of 1993. This is a much happier event, so that makes the short time of inconvenience not only bearable, but enjoyable, knowing it was by choice and not by some awful force of nature out of our control. I'm sure that in the near future, I'll be alone in my wonderfully convenient kitchen, whipping up a grand meal, wistfully thinking of the closeness the Spartan conditions brought!

I did a little research this morning into the art of eating while your house is torn up in the remodeling process. This article is great: Surviving a Kitchen Remodel.

On to other things, and that, dear readers, is Christmas.

Yes, as a matter of fact, you can think of Christmas right now along with everything else you have to do!

Haul out your lists from last year and get them updated.

Now is the time to establish a general Christmas gift place, particularly for those gifts you do ahead of time like you always mean to do. The big problem is that you forget where you put the stuff  and you end up buying even more stuff to replace the stuff you lost, making for wasted money, and even worse, wasted time. So we're going to assume that if you have children, the best gifts to get right now are gifts you won't have to worry about hiding. I don't have that concern, but I do have to worry about finding the presents at Christmas time!

Due to my purging obsession, I always seem to have a spare Rubbermaid tote somewhere, so I designate one for gifts purchased AOC (ahead of Christmas). The gifts that I purchase are the small, "cute" gifts I share with my SILs and various adult nieces. I usually give the same gift to all of them.

The next thing I do is scrounge for some Christmas cards lying around from Christmases past and make up my cash gifts. It doesn't matter what the cards look like, because the older teens they are meant for will never pay any attention whatsoever to the card. ( Score!)

Start thinking about the Christmas cards you'll be sending this year.. Master your printer's options and use it to address your envelopes. This is a great time saver and a nice touch for your season's greetings.

Thanks for reading!

A New (*maybe*)Technique Comes Your Way!

It's called magic-loop knitting.


This picture is from the great blog Knittingdaily

It's an ingenious way to knit in the round on one circular needle. I'm working on a pair of socks using this method.
It's actually less bother than knitting in the round on two circulars - not so many needles flying in your face at once.
I've done a YouTube search so you can peruse the videos and find one you like. Those girls do a much better job on those tutorials than I ever could!


Autumn is quickly arriving in the country. I`m enjoying the early fall hacks through the countryside. Thanks for reading. If you feel like it - leave a comment.


My favorite view.

Revisiting the Dishcloth

The perfect starter project, the perfect small project to take with you!
Here is my pattern:

Cast on 4 sts
Increase:  K2, YO, K to end of row.
Continue in pattern until dishcloth is as wide as you'd like. With worsted-weight cotton crafters' yarn and size 7 or 8 needles, I knit in pattern until I reach 35 sts.
Decrease: K1, K2 tog, YO, K2 tog.
Continue until there are 4 sts on your needle. Bind off.

Knit a bunch for your friends. They'll be thinking fondly of you as your lovely and useful dishcloth helps them complete those tiresome domestic chores.

We're redecorating around here.


This is the "during" phase. Roger's doing all of the work, including the decorating!
 

Thanks to all my readers - I see where you are trickling in. Many thanks especially to my Boston reader!
Have a safe and happy Labour Day.

Individual Trifles

I love trifles.


But you have to be one of the first to dive into a regular-sized trifle, or else you get stuck with the slop in the middle. My solution is individual trifles!

I started out with these glass candle holders form the dollar store.

Use your favorite trifle recipe for this - it's basically all about presentation! If you've never done a trifle before, layering is easy.


First is your dessert cream. Ue your favorite. I used the vanilla pudding recipe from Betty Crocker, only I added almond extract instead of vanilla.
 

 

In next are your cake pieces. Incidentally, this is a great way to salvage a failed cake!



Top cake pieces with fruit and more cream.
 



Top with whipped cream and a jaunty garnish and you're all set!

I WIll Have a Bust in the (Flycatcher) Hall of Fame

Last Saturday while relaxing on the deck of the cottage, I caught sight of something small flailing about in the water. Several seagulls tried to attack it, whatever it was.
A closer look revealed a tiny bird had gone in the drink - probably after skimming the surface for bugs. Luckily the little thing had enough sense to flap over to the floating dock where I could scoop him up. The result? I think I have a friend for life in the bird world.
He snuggled up in the hood of my sweatshirt and nestled there for about forty-five minutes to dry and warm up. For a while it looked as if he had no intention of ever leaving!

Milo probably thought he was going to be blessed with yet another "sibling".

Have you seen this horse?

He's not missing or anything. I just want you to see how awesome he is!

Thank for visiting!

The Donkeys

I've gotten a few requests for this pattern that I'm knitting for The Donkey Sanctuary's gift shop, the Long Ears Boutique.The first attempts at this were a tiny bit frustrating, but I managed to handle the learning curve and I do believe some honest-to-goodness knitted donkeys will be going to the donkeys!

Large Woolley Knitted Donkey Stands 9" high

MATERIALS - Makes 2 donkeys



Two ounces of any 50 gram ball of double knitting in grey, brown or cream and small balls in yellow, black & white, and a few inches in red; No. 10 - 31/4 mm knitting needles; a short length of black 2 ply fingering for the features. Riling.

Note: This pattern is British. Work garter stitch throughout unless otherwise stated. Feel free to knit donkeys in any wool you have available, any colour or texture, as they all have individual personalities, just like their larger real donkey relatives here at the Sanctuary.
Key: Inc. in next st. = knit into front and back of next stitch p. = purl; k. = knit, St-St = Stocking Stitch; sts. = stitches

MAIN PART (For ease in following, mark one side of work with a marker or piece of scrap yarn as RS)

Front Leg:


Cast on 8 sts

Rows 1 RS ( place marker or scrap yarn) knit

Row 2 knit

Row 3 (RS) Inc. 1 st. at the beginning of the next row (9sts)

Rows 4 - 6 Knit, ending with a WS row

Repeat these last 4 rows 4 times (13 sts.)

Break off wool and push the sts to the end of the needle.

Back Leg: On to the same needle, cast on 8 sts.

Rows 1 - 2 Knit

Row 3 Inc. 1 st. at beginning of next row, then k. 2 rows. ending w a S row

Row 6 Inc. 1 st. at end of next row, then knit 2 rows.

Row 9 Inc. 1 st. at each end of the next row (12 sts) then k. 3 rows.

Row 13 K. 2 tog., k. until 1 st. remains, inc K. 3 rows

Row 17 Repeat row 13, then k. 2 rows

Row 20 Inc. 1 st. at each end of the next row (14 sts.), then k. 2 rows.

Row 23: K 14, turn and cast on 10, turn and k. the 13 sts. from the front leg. (37 sts.) Ending with a S row

Body:

Row 1 : Knit all stitches.

Row 2 : Inc., k. to end.

Rows 3 - 4 Knit

Row 5 : Inc., k. to end. (39 sts.)

　

Rows 6 - 11 Knit, ending with a S row

Row 12 K.2 tog., k. to end.

13^th Row: Inc (head end), k to end.

K 5 rows.

Repeat the 13^th row and then the 12^th row.

K. 2 rows.

Repeat the 13^fh row and then the 12^th row. (39 sts.)

K. 1 row.

Cast off 25 sts. at the beginning (tail end) of the next row. (14 sts.).

Neck - Inc. 1 st. at beginning of next row, then k. 5 rows.

Head - Cast on 4 sts. at the beginning of the next row and 3 sts. at the beginning of the following alternate row. (22 sts.)

K. 1 row, then inc. 1 st. at the end of next row.

K. 8 rows.

14^th and 15^th Rows: K. until 10 remain, turn and k. back.

16^th and 17^th Rows: K. until 9 remain, turn and k. back.

18^th and 19^th Rows: K. until 8 remain, turn and k. back.

20^th and 21^a Rows: K. until 7 remain, turn and k. back.

22^nd and 23^rd Rows: K. 2 tog., k. until 6 remain, turn and k. back until 2 remain, k 2 tog.

24^th and 25^th Rows: K. 2 tog., k. until 5 remain, turn and k. back until 2 remain, k. 2 tog.

26^th and 27^th Rows: K. 2 tog, k. until 4 remain, turn and k. back until 2 remain, k 2 tog. (17 sts.)

K. 1 row, then cast off.

Make another piece in the same way.

UNDERBODY


Work as for the main part until the 5^th row of the body has been worked (39 sts.)

K. 2 rows then cast off

Make another piece in the same way. Sew the cast-off edges of the underbody together, leaving an opening

in the centre for stuffing.

Sew along top of head & back of main parts to the top of back legs, then from top of front legs to the

beginning of head, leaving front of head open. Sew the underbody to the main part, leaving the leg ends

open. Turn to right side and stuff. Sew up the opening in the underbody.

Large Woolley Knitted Donkey - Women's Weekly 1954