DK the Nautical Knitter

Well, the day at the salon was loooong and stinky. The stylist cut my hair and then it was on to the perm. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I have had my hair permed many times in my life and the smell always makes me wonder why.

Here is the obligatory before shot:

And here are two of my better after perm shots:

I think it is way too curly right now! It will be great for the festival, because I have to put flowers in my hair, etc. But, after we get back home I may look into straightening it or re-perming it on larger rods. Tell me what you think….

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Yesterday, Reba and I had loads of fun.  Even though we were unable to make it to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year, we consoled ourselves with a bit of shopping of our own.  I was on a mission to find the perfect flowers for my headpiece for my Czech costume.  Reba, well, she was out for some S.E.X.  (Stash Enhancement Experience)  As it turned out, I was able to locate all the flowers needed.  Reba managed only to increase my S.E.X by buying me this book for my upcoming birthday.  She is such an enabler and a really good friend, too! 

Once I got back home I was able to complete all the headpieces by bedtime.  I pinned them to Caroline to get the shot.  The top one is a wreath that is typically worn by an unmarried girl and the bottom two are hair clips with long ribbons flowing down the back.  What do you think?

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A time to die

What you see in the photograph is an approximately 40ft tall pine tree that we built our house around as a focal point of the landscape. We were concerned about the tree even before building the house because it looked like it was sickly then. That was two years ago. Now, it is definitely not savable. My friend Reba suggested that it may be the pine beetles or some such thing. Upon closer inspection, there are tiny little holes all over the tree. It looks like someone has been throwing darts at the tree with uncanny accuracy. Millions of holes from this pest have taken our tree.

We are planning on removing it and replacing it with a large water garden. I really want to do this, but am not sure if I will be able to work with the plants enough to keep them alive. Time will tell…

A time to plant

On a more joyful note, we brought home a beautiful white azalea from mother’s memorial service a few weeks ago. I am happy to report that I have not managed to kill it yet.

For those of you who don’t know, I have no green part of my body, anywhere, including my thumbs! Anyway, isn’t it just beautiful? Apparently this azalea is not meant to be in the ground in this part of the country, so it will live out it’s life in ever increasing sized pots. Probably embedded in the pond foliage somewhere.

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My birthday is coming and I feel like dancing!  Could it be because my dear, sweet Mr. K got me a present early? 

Whoo hoo, Seven CD’s of Czech polka and waltz music.  He even bought me some lilies, too!  I am getting so excited about the festival!  Can you tell?

All that is left to do is find the flowers and ribbon for my hair "do" and have my hair cut and permed next Wednesday.  I will be sure to post photos of that adventure.  Oh ya, and try to find calf high black leather boots in spring.  I have been looking but there just aren’t any to be had around here…  Any suggestions?

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A few weeks ago I officially began charting the next Secret of the Stole for the knit a long that will be beginning in August. The theme and name have been selected and the design seemed to flow onto the chart effortlessly. Which is not unusual when the muse awakens and stirs my imagination. Things were going so smoothly.

The test knitting began in earnest, and then everything came to a screeching to a halt! The chart was not right, something was amiss. Time to rip and rework from the beginning.

Five times I went through this process, one time was not the fault of a chart in error though. It was the fault of being on the boat and not paying attention to the stitch that was running down the ladder like a freight train without brakes! Blame it on the dolphins that were playing nearby!

Anyway, apparently the sixth time is the charm and now the chart and the test knitting are steaming right along. Whoo hoo! The issue I was having with the chart was due to pushing the limits of my knowledge and trying to learn more about design.

One of the reasons I work on these knit a longs is so that I can challenge myself and continue to figure out why a particular pattern is working out the way it is, or is not. Learning new things can sometimes be painful, but most of the time it is well worth the effort.

Here is a photo of Sots and the Secret of the Stole III in progress. He is happily cruising along now.

What’s that you say? You say you can’t see it? Hmmm, I guess you will have to wait until the knit a long in August to get a better look….

Sign-ups are not open for the knit a long yet, but if you would like to be notified when sign-ups begin for the Secret of the Stole III KAL, please join the Nautical Knitter Designs Yahoo group.

Happy Knitting…

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Do you often find yourself annoyed distracted by other people or activities going on around you? Perhaps you would be interested in knitting up one of these. Upon closer inspection, it may be possible for this to double as a sweater when not in use as a privacy protector.

I think the one above would make me too hot, not to mention claustrophobic! I like the one below better. Although, I think I would have a problem not being able to see the keys. Additionally, it wouldn’t work for those who type with the hunt and peck method. Just say’n…

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Ok, I couldn’t resist that one. I am so excited that I have finally finished the costumes for the National Polka Festival that begins in less than 30 days.

The dress ensemble is mine to wear in the King and Queen Polka Dance Contest. The slacks, shirt and vest combination are for my father who will be competing with me. Let’s face it, I would look pretty silly out there dancing alone!!

I also made a vest to match my dress for my husband, Scott, who, although he likes to dance with me, does not embrace the same competitive gene that my father and I possess. Last, but not least, the little vest at the bottom left belongs to my grandson, William, who, if I have anything to do with it, will be learning some really cool dance steps next month.

This project was a lot of fun. There was no knitting involved, but the sewing, lace, hand embroidery, and trim work allowed me to be creative and do my own thing. I already have my color scheme picked out for next year’s costume. We are seriously going to have to investigate going to Illinois, Nebraska or Wisconsin for some other festivals during the year. Why save these costumes for only once a year?

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Ok, is there anyone out there who would be willing to create this adorable creature for me? I really love this guy, but have no interest in actually doing the felting.

http://www.owning-alpaca.com/needle-felting-a-dragon.html

I would, however, provide him with a loving home and lots of yummy yarn food…

Let me know….

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Last week I spent an enormous amount of time in various hospital waiting rooms, as you can imagine. Never one to leave my knitting behind, I took along a project that I knew would not take too much concentration and would show some sort of progress quickly to keep my mind and hands occupied. My Civil War Shawl grew, day by day, and at the end of the week looked like this.

I am currently on row 100+ of this shawl. It only has 160 rows in the circular pattern then there is an apparently never ending edging that is quite wide.

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Georgia A. Christal

Born March 28, 1946 and in the presence of the Lord April 9, 2008.

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