Misc. Fun

How about these?   I am calling them my "uptown nails".  My DD came for lunch Sunday and had these nails and I just had to have them, too, after all I am the one who collects owls.  So this morning I jumped out of bed and drove over to the nail place to get an appt.  Well they don't do appointments but the person who did DD's nails was available so here I am.  They are gell nails and different from anything I have ever had.  I don't think I like the squared off nails but will get them more rounded when I go back for the fill in two weeks.

My next find are these two row counters.  I saw them advertised on Facebook: they came from Singapore.  I currently am using both of them since the wonderful person who designed the Knit Along (above socks) has the front of the socks doing a different pattern from the back.  Without these row counters I think I would be really confused. 

I find knitting very relaxing but sometimes I don't want to be paying attention to a pattern.  That's when I turn to washcloths.  Here are 15 newly completed cloths.  I use them as washcloths and dishcloths and they seem to last forever.  So I even give them as gifts.  When they get wet they are so soft they are perfect for babies.

I have already shared that I am having fun with my Instant Pot pressure cooker.  I have made mac and cheese, pork roast, and here I was setting up for poached eggs.  And I spend way too much time online looking for new recipes to cook in my IPot. 

 On a livelier note, my Christmas cactus' are getting ready to bloom.  I was afraid that they were not going to produce but last week all kinds of buds were popping out.  I will be buying a new plant in December: this has become my Christmas event.

And last but certainly not least is Abby. I took this at 2am.  I got up to go to the bathroom, an old person's thing to do, and saw this at the foot of the bed.  She likes to sleep under the covers but it seems she needs her nose and feet out.  She looked so cute.  Then when I woke up in the morning she had migrated to the head of the bed to sleep on my pillow.

And now I am off to try to get my socks done before the end of the day.  Wish me luck.

Wooden Needles Don't Click

This is my completed orange cowl.  I am so happy with how it looks and I know that my neck and chin/mouth will be warm this winter.  Again, this is not fairisle, you knit the pattern with one color for two rows and then the other color for two row. 

And, I have the heel done on one sock and am 4 rows away from finishing the heel on the other.  Then it is just the legs, which for me will not be very long, and I'm done.  I did have to take one of the socks off of the Magic Loop because the pattern has you knit in the round a couple of times in the middle of the heel.  I wasn't prepared for that but I rallied, slipped the stitches of one sock on to DPNs and continued with just one sock.  I think I should have these done by the end of the month (hope, hope, hope).

This has been a slightly difficult week and I have retreated into my knitting.  I had a bone scan which showed that the cancer in my complete skeletal system is worse rather than better.  We have made a change in my medication but things are not looking good.  That being said, as soon as I have this pair of socks done I will be once again working on my Sweet 16 again, setting up a little quilt that hasn't been quilted, and cleaning up the studio. 

And I have a new hobby, cooking, something I haven't done for over a year, and with an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  I have made broccoli/cheese soup, Red Beans and Rice, hard boiled eggs, Beef and Macaroni, Applesauce and Jamaican Jerk Pork.

Here you can see the JJ Pork in my sandwich and the applesauce (I did not make the coleslaw).  Everything I have made has been great and because I still cook for 6, we have a lot of great leftovers in the freezer. Eric and I have split up the days that each of us is responsible for dinner.  But with all that is in the freezer, I don't think either one of us will have to cook very often.

We have a quiet weekend planned so I should be able to get a lot done.  Gari

Linking with Patchwork Times

KAL Part 1

I have been knitting socks through a KAL by Knit Purl Hunter.  I decided to follow this KAL because she was putting cables (easy ones) on the socks and I had never done cables.  I have seen several patterns with cables and I have always had to pass them by because I didn't know how to knit cables.

I am way behind in this KAL.  I think that is because I am knitting two at a time.  I do that because I know that I would never knit the second one if I only did them one at a time.  She has released a new to me heel, part 2, and a different cable pattern for the leg, part 3.  And I am now just almost to the point of starting the heels so I obviously have a long way to go. 

Please don't look to closely at my socks.  There are several errors as I learned how to do the cables and not get lost in the pattern.  But I really like how they are looking anyway so I will keep going.

I am also knitting a hat to go with my recent scarf but I don't have a picture so maybe next time.  Have a great weekend.  Gari

Linking with Patchwork Times.