A note from the sidelines

I finished one of my Toasty mitts this afternoon. Toast is the wonderful arm warmer pattern by Leslie Friend of A Friend to Knit With, and Toasty the mitt with the thumb added. The yarn I'm using is called Leche, by Queensland Collection. It's nice and toasty!

I'm happy to have finished just one of them, because my right hand and arm have been strained this past week, due I believe to the work I was putting in on the Lizard Ridge blanket. It's disappointing, but I've decided to stop work on it for the meantime. I can't carry on at this pace without risking injury to my hands, but without carrying on at this pace, it won't be finished by Xmas. The recipient didn't know she was getting a blanket, so she won't be disappointed, but I'm sad it won't be done in time. Well, with any luck, and working in small bits of time, I'll finish it by her birthday in June. I'll have to come up with a small project for her, because I usually make my mom one of her birthday and Christmas gifts each year. She's a big tea drinker, so she might like a tea cozy, or I could sew her something for her table.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention Tony Curtis! I read his second autobiography, American Prince, and found it funny, touching and incredible (Hollywood was pretty lively in those days). I got this photo just after he died earlier this year, and since I love classic movies and movie stars, it's inspired me to start collecting autographs of my favorite old Hollywood stars, the ones who are still with us, that is. I'm not prepared to pay top prices for the long-dead ones just yet! It's too bad that Dana Andrews, Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Ford, Gary Cooper, and Rita Hayworth aren't still around, but I'll continue to do more research. Next up, Lauren Bacall.

Since using the computer mouse for very long is irritating to my hand, I've been looking at knitting books, and I'll show you some things I've been thinking about knitting.


Isn't this a fun jacket? It's not my usual thing at all, but I like it a lot right now. The pattern is by Cirilia Rose. Love the chunky-ish yarn, the tweed, and the quirkiness of it all. What's cool about the back are these ruffles:

PurlDiva's photo

The original was made in Blackstone Tweed aran and chunky weights. I haven't sorted out which one is used where in the garment, but maybe it could all be made in this red Rowanspun Aran. I'm one of those people who is very influenced by the color of something in a photo and have trouble visualizing it in any color other than the one shown. If I had gray, I would choose gray. I'm not a big "red" person, but this yarn is so saturated and a really good red, and that is how it came to live with me in a Ravelry trade.


The other sweater that's caught my eye, and one I will definitely knit since I have the pattern already, is Tortoise and Hare by Kate Davies. There's a lot that's captivating about this pattern, such as (obviously) the little tortoises and hares, the braid just above the ribbing, the natural colors used, and okay, it's just so cute. There are also some new techniques to learn, like the braid and short row sleeves knit on from the body of the sweater. I may have said this before, but I like short sleeved sweaters. They're warmer than they look and no getting stuck on Sleeve Island!


Finally, look at this awesome bike--it's the 2011 Madsen cargo bike. Okay, I admit it, by posting a link to their website on my blog, I've entered myself to win one of these in a contest this month. But can you see riding to the grocery on this (with or without dog)? It could be the SUV of the future. If you think this bike is as neat as I do, get yourself on over to Madsen Cycles and get your own link. Winner announced on November 17th.