Thursday, February 23, 2017

from the land down under...


Oh, that's kind of catchy - they should use that in a song! LOL!
Spotted in the Sydney airport...
3D sweaters! Some of you, not naming names, may remember these as coogi sweaters from like 15 to 20 years ago and they were all the rage in machine knitting circles, mostly done on Passap. In fact somewhere in a really old Knitwords we maybe had an article?? About a lady (I think her name was Delores something from the west coast) who made them...These are very, very fine gauge, much lighter than they were before.
Anyway, I am in Australia, heading for New Zealand. If you'd care to read about my adventures, maybe get a few travel tips or better still, what not to do, check out
travelwithmysis.blogspot.ca

Will be back here at the usual location sometime after March 17 which is our return date to Canada.
PS we are going to a sheep ranch where we get to see a sheepdog herding sheep and see a sheep-shearing done the old-fashioned way. I'm so excited!

PS. I just checked my index files and in KW#23, we had an article from Dolores Faulkner and she called her version 'Patience', made on her Brother 940 single bed.

Monday, February 6, 2017

critical....

involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.;
What is it that happens to me? Just because I made it, I no longer have any sense of critique and just because I made it I think it’s beautiful? What’s that all about? Is it the same thing as with your own cooking? You like your dish better the way you make it and you think you’re the great chef! Or is it the same as you know your own grandkids are the cutest, most talented, smartest, most loveable??
I do admit, I had reservations about this olive garden/rosemary/camo hoodie. But as so often happens, I think it turned out awesome, no question! Now, if you don’t agree, please don’t burst my bubble – let me revel in my own illusions!
If I could just get my zipper orders working as well – I’ll soon have enough stock to start my own eBay zipper store with more on the way! LOL! The green zipper (cedar green with brass teeth, 22 inch) that I thought might work is too short, right colour though.
I have five  light blue zippers and not one is the right one. Blue jay and crayon blue are just as far off as the sky blue. I could install the silver-tooth sky blue – it’s a little short and too bright for my swordfish WCD but it’s the best choice colourwise – after all you’ll only really see the silver teeth when it’s zipped but may not look so great if left open. I have two more coming, a ballet blue and a comet blue both in 24 inch which is the correct length. Those tiny little squares of colour on the zipperstop website are not too accurate – the names don’t seem to help either! I’ve taken to cataloguing the orders because they come unmarked as to colour or length and sometimes the only way to figure the colour is to check your order and hope there are clues there. I have received some errors – too long and a white bottom on a crayon blue zipper – what’s that all about? But as each zipper is about two bucks, it’s obviously not worth returning – we’re talking cross-border shipping here and that’s why I have been ordering 4 or 5 when I really only want one – is that how a stash evolves?
You may have noticed that I edged the front of the navy/swordfish hoodie with the pale blue - I could have done it with navy and just used a navy zipper but I like the look of the contrast vertical line - call me crazy, call me vain, call me pathetic, but I think it makes me look taller and thinner!! Besides, that one's for Janet ;-) - remember when we used to say VBEG for very big evil grin - I think I like that better! But I digress. I did the same thing with the camo one - used the contrast for the dividing front line - I promise I'll post live-wearing photos later to prove it!
I mentioned earlier that I was invited to do the 29th  Monroe Area Knitting Seminar at the La-Z-Boy Center in Monroe, Michigan – that’s near Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Michigan, all within about 35 miles – be sure to check it out – July 21 and 22, 2017 - should be fun and I’ll be ready for hot, warm or cool weather! I wonder if Brooke Shields will be there? (she does those cute la-z-boy commercials and that was a joke, ok. ;-))
If that wasn’t enough excitement, I just heard from the Carolinas Guild – they are having their seminar May 5 and 6, 2017 in Raleigh, NC and they’ve picked me too! I’m so excited! Hope you can make it!