Tag Archives: knit

Care and feeding

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A few years ago the choir members at Mr. Aitch’s church gifted him with a beautiful sweater, tie and dress shirt.  The dress shirt is 100% cotton and not the wrinkle-resistant kind of cotton.

Though I appreciate the gesture, I do not like the extra work involved.  I have a love-hate relationship with that shirt.  It takes me twice as long to iron it than any of the other shirts.  And I don’t mean a quick press or touch-up.  I mean IRON.  As in dampening the shirt and using spray starch.  I really dislike the care and feeding of that shirt but it does look so nice when I’m finished with it and Mr. Aitch wears it.

Finding the right yarn for a project also means looking at the care and feeding of the finished item.  Acrylic?  No problem.  Cotton?  “Most” of the time it can be machine washed BUT dried flat after reshaping.  Wool?  Depends on if it is superwash or not.  Superwash can be machine washed and dried but best to dry flat after shaping.  Not superwash wool?  Hand wash gently in cool water, roll in a towel to get as much water out, reshape and dry flat.  Of course ALWAYS check the label to see how to take care of the finished item(s).

So when I needed a superwash wool yarn for my special project, I had to go out and buy some as I know the recipient (and his wife) would appreciate an easy care item over a handwash item.

I always include care and feeding instructions with my handmade things be them knitted or sewn.

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Do you take those into consideration when gifting something you’ve made?

New LYS

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I don’t know if you remember that the one and only local yarn store (LYS) closed last year. The nearest one after that was 75 miles away. I bought some great yarn at great prices but one can only knit from stash if one has the right yarn for the project.

I’m on a yarn diet but I did need to buy some yarn for a special project and though I tried to use some from my stash, the yarn wasn’t the right yarn for the project.

Now there’s NEW local yarn store!  Frostburg Fiber Depot is 20 miles away but that’s better than 75 miles.

The husband of one of the co-owners raises alpacas and so it’s a win-win-win for her, him and yarn lovers.

I only found out about this new yarn store when I received a gift certificate from there earlier this year. While running some errands last week, I decided to check out the store and use my certificate for some yarn for the special project.

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I found the special yarn and some Cascade 220 in yellow to knit myself something to go with my new winter coat which, by the way, is yellow!

That’s when I discovered they carry Malabrigo yarn!  I have one hank of Malabrigo that a blog friend gifted me a few years ago when I commented on her blog about never having seen, touched, squished, or smelled said goodness.  It’s beautiful but the wrong color.  And now I can find more and it’s only 20 miles away!

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I couldn’t wait for better light as I wanted to get knitting right away!

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Special project…   And more true to life colors.

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It is such a treat to knit with this yarn.  I’m in love.  ❤

 

 

Finally, a new sweater

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My grandson’s rabbit has been topless for so long and I finally broke down and knit a sweater for him.  It gets cold in Colorado!
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I’m embarrassed that it took me so long to knit it up when it only took a couple of hours.  Better late than never???

Pikes Peak

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denver-001Last week Mr. Aitch and I were in Colorado visiting our daughter and family.  If you are a regular follower, you saw the pictures of our grandchildren wearing their pumpkin hats at the pumpkin farm.  They loved them.  Several people asked where to find them and I directed them to the pattern.

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We took the cog train in Manitou Springs up Pikes Peak.  It was a warm day but we knew it would be cold at the summit.

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The ride was awesome and the views breathtaking once the clouds moved out-of-the-way.

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We were glad to have water to drink on the way up as it helps prevent altitude sickness.  Mr. Aitch and I were a little dizzy once we got to the summit.  Fortunately we didn’t need and extra oxygen.  Our winter coats, hats, and gloves were a necessity!

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You can see the track that the cog wheels fit into to get the train up the mountain.  It is too steep for smooth wheels and tracks.

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The track just stops at the edge.

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Commemorative placard shown above and closer below recognizes Zebulon Montgomery Pike who discovered the mountain in 1806 while exploring the Louisiana Purchase.  Waist-deep snows kept him from scaling the mountain.

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A view of the timber line.

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The only wildlife we saw was in the lodge at the summit.

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It was cold and rocky at the top.

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Pumpkin hats at Pikes Peak Summit!

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