theraineysisters knitting and so much more

February 20, 2009

From Susan — Stealth Knitting for Family!

Filed under: Back Story,Completed Projects — lv2knit @ 5:15 pm

Sally’s daughter Nora is the proud recipient of the original Baby Elefante!  She whined expressed so much enthusiasm about the original that it only seems fitting that she is his new buddy. The chocolate orange was a bonus; Sally hunted high and low for chocolate oranges at Christmas and came up empty-handed. I found them at the convenience store near my house. Go figure.

Nora and Elefante by you.

ETA from Sally: Tomorrow I shall reveal a Finished Object!!! I know — it’s been a long time since I had one.

February 15, 2009

From Susan — Sisters Apart

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 10:22 am

It is on days like this that it’s hardest to live so far away from my sister.  I really wish I could say this in person:

Happy BD2 by you.

If I was there, I would take you shopping and then out to lunch.  We could go to Blackwater Salt for shrimp pasta or to Le Pain Quotidien for a fabulous salad and dessert.  Or maybe just grab an egg sandwich at Praline’s and head to as many yarn shops as we could fit into a day.  Or you would take me because I cannot drive in DC!

Sally wrote about how well I took care of her when she was here for the Bohus Exhibit, but she takes care of me, too.  She listens to my ongoing work sagas (allowing me to go on and on about things she does not care about or understand), and when I call her sad and depressed, she spoils me.  Rotten.  I mean it!

She is such a good friend to me and sometimes is the only one who understands me.  I don’t know what I would do without her.

So, Surly, please enjoy your special day.  If I was there, I would make you a Cockeyed Cake to enjoy with coffee AND some shortbread cookies to nibble with tea.  And we would sit and admire your Bohus and sort through your fabulous stash looking for inspiration.

It would be a really fun day shared with my little sis.

Candles by you.

 

January 26, 2009

From Sally — Sometimes Bigger is Better

Filed under: Back Story — surly @ 9:21 am

I’m back in our nation’s capital, finally feeling well enough to drink some coffee without flinching.

I wanted to give a public shout out to my big sister, who took such good care of me while I was in Minnesota. She handled my luggage, dropped me off everywhere we went while she parked (to protect my fragile system from the cold), cooked bland foods for me, and basically waited on me hand and foot. I couldn’t have survived the first day or so of the trip without her nursing care.

It was such a wonderful event — I wish I had felt more able to enjoy it. I met so many wonderful people, and if I seemed a bit “unsocial” I hope you will all understand.

Thank you again to my big sister!

December 24, 2008

From Susan — Merry Christmas!!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 8:17 pm


Merry Christmas to all!

SantaMantel005.jpg picture by lv2knit

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions for Maureen — she will cast on December 26!

December 21, 2008

From Susan — Let’s Help Maureen with Ideas!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 11:34 pm

We received this request from a loyal reader, Maureen:

“I’m a devoted reader of your blog and hope you can help me since although I knit, I don’t have a blog site. Would you please be kind enough to ask your readers for some suggestions…my good friend was just diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer and I would like to knit for her. Any ideas for a soft but warm yarn for hats for sleeping and going outside for medical appointments (we live in New England)? I also want to make a warm and easy to care for prayer shawl (I’m not a big lover of Lion Brand Homespun even though it meets the criteria). Knitters are always so generous with their time…I know it’s the busiest time of the year, but I need to cast on A.S.A.P.”

I know our knowledgeable readers can come up with some great ideas.  One idea for a Chemo Cap is the Shedir Hat designed by The Girl From Auntie (aka Jenna Wilson) for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (scroll past the Booby Scarf!) — it is a free pattern from Knitty.com.  It is made with one skein of Rowan Calmer and many knitters have made this one.

The Pi Topper is another free pattern designed by Corey Laflamme specifically for chemo patients because of her own personal journey.

There are a ton of prayer shawl patterns with a few linked to my Wrapped in Care posts.   There are many lovely and easy care yarns other than Lion Brand Homespun.

I found a really cute cashmere scarf (free pattern) that would be a great warm up and incredibly soft called the Ruffle Fluff Scarf by Amy Swenson.  It could be made of other soft yarn as well.

Let’s give Maureen some ideas — STAT!  She has some knitting to do!

December 17, 2008

From Susan — Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet…

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 9:16 pm

…nor dark of night shall stay these knitters from their holiday gathering.  It’s true!  Knitters rock!  Last night was the December Minnesota Knitters Guild meeting, and it is a special one at that.  We do a silent auction to benfit the charitable work of the guild and bring treats to share in a festive, holiday atmosphere.  Enter bad weather!  The streets were gridlocked and people could not get anywhere in the snow.  About 15 minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, a handful of us were sitting and knitting and wondering if the meeting was a “go.” 

We decided to go into the large meeting room, set up a couple of tables and eat the cookies people brought.  All of a sudden, hordes of knitters appeared out of nowhere!  We ended up with about 60 people, a very successful auction and tons of yummy food.

cookies.gif CHRISTMAS image by Shltie

December 13, 2008

From Susan — The Day the Knitting Stood Still

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 9:14 pm

Okay.  I finally made time to see the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).  I’ll share my “review” with this proviso: I am an atypical movie viewer.  I like a lot of movies that the critics do not like, and I hate many well-loved movies (case in point, “Sound of Music” ).  My review is meant to enlighten only and not meant to influence you in any way to spend your hard earned dollars!

There were MANY things I loved — I mean, really loved — about this movie.  I loved the premise (which differs from the original), I loved the beginning, I loved Kathy Bates.  Keanu was as wooden as Pinocchio, but it worked for me.  I just wanted more.  They would take the story line as far as ‘B’ and I wished they had gone to ‘G’ at least — they did spend time with some of the characters and let things unfold, which I like in a movie (the Spider-Man movies are great at that).  John Hamm and Kathy Bates basically had cameo parts (John for sure).  Some plot changes from the original worked for me and others did not.  They did leave in a signature scene, but it was better in the original (I won’t give away which one).  The special effects were not overblown, as they were in “I Am Legend” (really bad “CGI” zombies!).  I would see it again, and I will buy the DVD.  But many of you would probably be disappointed — esp of you love the original and/or go with high expectations.

The really irksome thing about the experience had absolutely nothing to do with the film itself.  First, I paid $10 for an afternoon matinee.  I was shocked, as was the woman in front of me — where is the afternoon discount??  Rip off.  Then, I sat in the theater with my $10 small soda and small popcorn to watch no less than 30 minutes of commercials.  Not previews of upcoming movies — there were some previews, but they were few and far between.  These were full-blown, unending, regular, “as-seen-on-TV” commercials that went on and on, non-stop for at least a half hour.  There you are, trapped, nowhere to hide, watching this parade of drivel.  I just sat there getting angrier and angrier!  By the time the movie started, I could barely remember why I was there!  Susan’s blood pressure starts to rise as she re-lives the horror!

Susan settles down…….Anyway, on a scale from 1-5, I would give it a 3.75.  Most would give it maybe a 3.  Worth an afternoon of knitting — for me, yes.

PS: My sincerest apologies to Becca!  Please don’t hate me because I do not like the Sound of Music!  I know it is an aberration and evidence of my dominant male movie gene!

PS2: In the interest of balanced reporting, I’ll share Irv’s take on the movie, “The new version is AWFUL! I hated it from beginning to end. Don’t waste your time or money. Kathy Bates must have really needed the money to do this. It is by far the worst performance she has ever given. And I’m a big fan of hers. Reeves’ performance is laughable at best. If you go, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

Irv, tell us how you really feel! 😉

December 12, 2008

From Susan — Down to One Cough!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 11:37 am

I do feel a bit better — thanks to all for your well wishes! 

My mom always said if we were too sick to go to school [work], then we were too sick to go to the party.  So yesterday I dragged my sorry, snotty, coughy self into work so I would not have to miss my ‘Thursdays at Four’ soiree.   And it was WELL WORTH IT. 

Mary is the hostess with the mostest and has opened her home the last few years.  She is the warmest hostess and waits on us hand and foot — which we feel guilty about and love at the same time.

We ate, we talked, we knitted, we laughed, we ate, we ate…okay, you get the idea!  We also had a gift exchange and look what I got!!  I love him!

He is supposed to be a pincushion, but no pins are going into my lil baby.  He will join Santa this year on the Santa mantel.

I am making progress on the Baby Cables and may get done with the body today.  However, I also have to go to see “The Day the Earth Stood Still” today at some point.  

I am a sc-fi fan, a fan of the original movie, AND I love Keanu Reeves (after all, he is ‘The One’).   I know, I’m a nerd .

November 30, 2008

From Susan — Something Worked!

Filed under: Back Story,Knitting Tips — lv2knit @ 1:04 pm

When something works, it is an amazing thing, so I thought I would share such an experience.  I don’t know about you, but over the years I have struggled with how to organize my myriad of knitting needles.  Because I like to knit upstairs with other humanoids, a lot of my knitting paraphernalia has migrated to the family room.  This has created aggravation for everyone!

I used to store all my knitting needles, etc. in one large box.  Each size needle had its own labelled zip-lock bag.  This meant that every time I finished using a needle, I would have to hunt for its bag, and place it into the bag.  Do you think this ever happened?  No.  SO, every so often, I would spread the mess out on the floor and “organize” my needles — trying to sort them and place them into their respective bags.  This task was so daunting that it happened very rarely.  It always looked like a knitting bomb went off in our family room.

I knew something had to change — and it did, and it works!  I went to JoAnn Fabrics in search of some kind of drawer system.  My plan was to have a drawer for every 2-3 needles sizes.  I ended up with 4 sizes per drawer:

This drawer system is made for scrapbooking.  The drawers slide out and have an attached, snap on lid.  I thought I would be completely annoyed by the lid, but I love it.  I also wasn’t sure at first how I would like to mix the needles together, but the way I did it works out wonderfully — as I start a new project, I grab the drawer with the likely suspects.  All the needle lengths are there and the next size up or down for swatching.  When I am done using a needle, I just need to put it into the right drawer, which takes a second, vs trying to find one particular baggie.  Because it is so easy, I actually do it!!  Yay!

Every drawer has a needle sizer, so I never have to look for one.  I have one drawer for dpns, and one for all of my random accessories:


The Altoid tins hold pins

The cart rolls out of sight into a closet.   I’m sure many of you developed your own great system far sooner than I, but I am a little slow on the uptake.  All I know is that my system is working, my family room is in control, and I no longer have to listen to people complain about the knitting mess.  Woo Hoo!

I can also share another very small FO.  I made a pair of Fetching Glovelets for my niece for Christmas using less than one skein of Cascade Dolce yarn, Color 959.   These knit up very quickly of course, and make a cute gift:

I’m making another pair in dark blue Dolce and trimmed in silver gray silk for my youngest daughter — last year I made her a pair in butter-soft cashmere, but now she wants her school colors.  Okay, anything you say, Princess! 😉

November 27, 2008

From Susan and Sally — Happy Thanksgiving!!

Filed under: Back Story — Both Sisters @ 10:51 am

Even in these troubled times, we have much to be thankful for.  Please enjoy this day with family and friends.  And, please, even if you HATE IT, please oh please, go shopping tomorrow!  Neither of us enjoys shopping on Black Friday, but by venturing out tomorrow, you will help turn the tide of the economic slump by showing confidence in the future.

PS to Deepa: You struck a chord with “craptastic!”  We love the whole “-tastic” thing and crack ourselves up with new words.

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