Credits:
"UK Lavender Fields" -- travelthewholeworld.org
"Lavender Flowers" -- en.wikipedia.org
"Sketch: Lavender Flower Bouquet" -- tuningpp.com
Thursday, June 30, 2016
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Perfect Practice"
Another week, another gathering of knitters and crocheters at the local library.Today I focused on practicing the stockinette stitch using size "17" needles and "super bulky" yarn. I opted for Red Heart's "Vivid" yarn in the type of fun, bright colors that appeal to children.
I worked up the entire skein and will soon unravel it and set it aside for some future project.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
"Wednesday; June 29, 2016 -- Pansy"
Credits:
"Pansy Watercolor" -- fineartmerica.com
"Purple & Yellow Pansy" -- thisisonline.org
"Cluster of Pansies" -- magazine.com
Flash Fiction -- "Fools' Gold ... Belle"
NOTE: Published in "Best of Whitesboro Writers" so pulled from WWG/PI blogs!
“Fools' Gold … Belle”
by Miriam E. Waters
“Fools' Gold … Belle”
by Miriam E. Waters
A bit of gold
dust, a meager reward for her services for a drunken prospector. Life’s cruel joke, the murder of her husband
by claim jumpers, had forced her to succumb to the degradation of life as a
lady of the line.
The sounds
of laughter, boisterous voices, and the ancient piano filtered up to Belle. The air in her room was redolent with a blend
of unwashed bodies, cheap whiskey, and stale perfume.
As Belle was
secreting away the precious bits of gold, Old Orville entered the saloon
downstairs. He had found a rich vein of
gold and come into town to celebrate after months in the fields. “Barkeep, pour me a whiskey and keep ‘em
comin’,” he instructed the man who was happy to oblige.
 |
| HenriDeToulouse Lautrec -- "Can Can" |
“Where’s
Belle?” Old Orville demanded of the proprietor just as she descended the
staircase. Without preamble he caught
her up with a whoop and a laugh. “Let’s
head upstairs darlin’. Time’s a
wastin’,” he said.
Once in her
room, Old Orville stripped Belle of her dress, corset, and layers of
petticoats. Only when she stood naked before
him did he remove his own dirt encrusted clothes.
He ran his
callused hand over the smooth contours of her body. Cupping her breasts in his hands he bent to
nuzzle their fullness. He guided her
back until she reclined on the old brass bed.
Without hesitation, he mounted her and penetrated her sex. Within moments he lay satiated upon Belle’s
supine body.
After a
time, Belle extricated herself from Old Orville’s embrace. Weary in heart and mind, she began to dress
desultorily in her saloon frippery. So many nameless faces claiming my body as
their own … how much more can I endure? Belle despaired.
Old Orville
had fallen into a drunken sleep. As he
slept, Belle explored the old prospector’s pockets. She was rewarded by finding a bulging bag
filled with the precious nuggets lusted after by the prospectors. She quietly changed into street clothes and
tucked the bag and all of her hard-earned gold into a sturdy valise.
Belle made
her escape down the back stairway and exited the saloon through the
kitchen. She found her way to the depot
and nightly stagecoach. When it traveled
down the rutted road that led to some far destination, Belle didn’t give the
mining town a backward glance. She left the town with her head held high and a
bag filled with all of the fools’ gold that she had earned during her time in
the life.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
"Tuesday; June 28, 2016 -- Geraniums"
Credits:
"Potted Geraniums" -- www.pelckmans.net
"Variety of Geranium Colors" -- creativehomemaking.com
"Two Pink Geraniums" -- blog.tcgardens.com
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Slow Progress."
Tomorrow holds another session with the local library's needlecraft group. My bags are packed and ready to rock 'n roll with a nearly completed crocheted lapghan (the finish work needs to be done) for "Show & Tell," the lapghan's pattern to share with the group, and three sizes of needles with an assortment of yarns for practicing my knitting stitches. I'm anxious to try out a pair of size "19" needles and size "6" "Super Bulky" yarn in bright primary colors ... it should be fun.
I imagine I'll need help learning to correct my mistakes ... I'm especially good at dropping an entire row of stitches from a needle and twisting them when I try to put them back on the needle.
I have not yet researched "Knitting" topics TBD on "YouTube" ... perhaps I can find a moment or two later this week.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
"Saturday; June 25, 2016 -- Sweet Peas"
Image Credits:
"Sweet Peas" -- bonnieplants.com
"Embroidered Peas" -- Not Known
"Girls Shelling Peas" -- wikigallery.org
"Peas, Card Seed Co." -- www.allposters.com
Friday, June 24, 2016
Thursday, June 23, 2016
"Thursday; June 23, 2016 -- Phlox"
Image Credits:
"Tall Garden Phlox" -- katob427.wordpress.com
"Phlox Seed Package" -- www.pinterest.com
"Phlox Flowers" -- printablecolouringpages.co.uk
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
"Wednesday; June 22, 2016 -- Lobelia"
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Session No. 3."
I've got the faces down, now I'm working on the names of the group members. It's easy to remember "Shirley," because she was the first member I met and she's been extremely helpful.
Today Shirley helped me to explore the mysteries and challenges of circular needles. I was able to knit a few rows and picked up a few tips for working with the alternate form of knitting needles. I'm saving the "YouTube" exploration for another day.
Shirley also provided some pointers for reversing mistakes ...
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
"Tuesday; June 21, 2016 -- Essex, Connecticut"
Photo Credits: Carol Hausch Ossenfort
Connecticut River
Connecticut River Museum
Courtyard Near CT River Museum
Griswold Inn & Restaurant
The Town Dates from the 1700's ...
Connecticut River
Connecticut River Museum
Courtyard Near CT River Museum
Griswold Inn & Restaurant
The Town Dates from the 1700's ...
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Little Progress ..."
 |
| Image Credit: yarnobsession.com |
I spent the evening rolling two balls of fuschia wool yarn from a vintage hank. The yarn was a bit tangled, so the entire project took about two hours. There's something quite relaxing and satisfying about transforming a tangled mass of yarn into a nice neat ball ready for anything.
I'm looking forward to experimenting with the 100% wool yarn ... the texture and hand of the yarn is quite different than the blended yarns I'm accustomed to. I think I may save this yarn for my first attempt at a knitted mitten. The texture and color of the yarn would make an interesting project.
"Man is a knot ... -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery"
Image Credit:
"Rope Sailor's Knot" -- www.inspirationrealisation.com/2011/04/sailors-belt-leftover-story.html
Friday, June 17, 2016
"Fabulous Find -- 'Mikey' by The Crochet Crowd -- June 15th, 2016"
Visit ...
thecrochetcrowd.com/mikey-magazine-june-15-2016/
to download a PDF version of this fun and inspirational newsletter/magazine.
thecrochetcrowd.com/mikey-magazine-june-15-2016/
to download a PDF version of this fun and inspirational newsletter/magazine.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "One DOWN One UP"
The day was disappointing because there were only three members of the library's needle craft group at today's meeting. Since the other two members were crocheters, I was unable to discover the trick to knitting with circular needles from a live tutor. It's back to YouTube to find a demonstration ...
On the "UP" side ... the group donated a quantity of yarn to the LFBG's Good Works Ministry. I spent this evening sorting out the mixed bag of worsted weight yarn, delicate pastel baby yarns, kits, and what-have-you. The materials will be made available to team members at our next meeting on Monday, June 20, 2016.
There is a quantity of tan and cranberry yarn suitable for a lapghan ... perhaps someone will join me in the "Five Lapghans for Veterans" challenge I proposed at the last meeting.
I'm currently working on crocheted lapghan number one. It's made of Bernat's "Blanket Yarn" -- a super bulky, yet amazingly soft and lightweight yarn -- worked in a modified "granny square" pattern with alternating thin and wide bands.
The lapghan's main color is "Sonoma" ... a mixture of rich browns, tans, and cream. I've got one more skein of "Sonoma" to add to the body of the lapghan -- I'm aiming for a finished square of at least 40" per side.
Once the body of the lapghan is completed, I'll design some type of simple border in "Cream" ... perhaps I'll add picots to the edging ... perhaps not.
I'm off in search of a hot cup of "Tazo Cinnamon and Star Anise" tea, a comfortable seat in my recliner, and some quiet time hooking the lapghan. 'night.
"Crochet -- 65+ FREE "Sensational Shawl & Scarf' Patterns -- CrochetStreet.com"
This collection of FREE Crochet Patterns Includes ...
5 Beautiful, Lightweight Scarves and Shawls by Simply Collectible
12 Free Sensational Shawl crochet patterns by Simply Collectible
7 Free and Beautiful Rectangle Light Wraps crochet patterns byJessieatHome.com
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Knitters' Group Session No. 2"
The homework this past week has been to practice, practice, practice my knitting skills.I focused on alternating knit and purl stitches, remembering to knit four stitches at each end of each row to prevent the knitted fabric from curling/rolling, and experimenting with huge needles.
By the end of the week I'd created another wonky practice square out of yellow yarn ... alternating groups of six knit stitches and six purl stitches to make a "basket weave" pattern.
I decided to try my hand at a project using size "17" needles, size "6/Super Bulky" yarn and focusing on the stockinette stitch. I settled on the inevitable "scarf" -- my only other option being a wash/dish cloth given my limited expertise at this point in the "Master Plan." I managed to knit approximately 12 inches of fairly consistent and buttery soft fabric.
The next meeting of the library's knitting group will be held today. I'm going back to seek out someone to teach me how to use circular needles. Wish me luck!
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