tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40382989169393740112012-02-16T05:37:28.224-06:00Knitting, cakes, and whatever else I feel like talking about.Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.comBlogger831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-11588755754284401992011-03-27T18:44:00.004-05:002011-03-27T21:05:47.869-05:00

In January, I started the Certified Public Manager Program through KU's Public Management Center.  Knowing that I would have less time for knitting between working full time and having homework, I decided at most of my knitting was going to have to be fairly mindless this year.  Fortunately for me, basic stockinette socks are pretty mindless for me.  I have to concentrate a little when working on

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-69529191064809485912011-02-06T23:36:00.001-06:002011-02-18T20:21:40.307-06:00

Based on this title, one might think this post is about guns, but it is not.  It is about poor customer service.  In this day and age, many people have smart phones with cameras.  Pissing customers off is a very bad idea, and as one of my friends commented on my tweet that cross-posted to facebook, it goes viral. A little over a week ago, I went to my usual weekend hangout.  Over the last so many

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-40278673613262027112011-01-01T01:03:00.003-06:002011-01-01T01:03:51.997-06:00

This is the third year I am posting something on New Year's Day, and I feel that it has become something of tradition.  Last year I reflected on how crazy a year 2009 had been and hoped that 2010 would be a better year.  In some ways it was.  I recovered from Pancreatitis.  I traveled to California to visit a friend twice.  I also was accepted into the Certified Public Managers program which is

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-81426066611273777182010-12-28T22:39:00.006-06:002011-03-27T18:32:29.389-05:00

I know I have been really bad about blogging. While I have been knitting, I just have not been in the mood to blog about it. Usually I just post on facebook and Ravelry. Then in July a close friend committed suicide, and I definitely was not in the mood to blog. However, now that the year is coming to a close, I figured I really needed to update on my projects. Last January I bought some

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-82957794096817771692010-05-18T21:28:00.017-05:002010-06-06T17:21:44.504-05:00

While I have not been very good about blogging lately, I have been pretty good about knitting. Since Ravelympics, I have finished two pairs of socks, a pair of mittens, and a pair of fingerless gloves. For some reason I got on a mitten kick. I have downloaded a number of patterns, and so far I have made one pair of mittens. I made the Rubya'it Mittens (available on Ravelry) by Heather

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-44391674851167377462010-03-02T21:32:00.011-06:002010-03-02T22:15:59.298-06:00

Ravelympics is Ravelry's own version of the Olympics. Instead of sporting events, we had crafting events. With the exception of projects that were works in progress, we were not able to start our projects until the opening ceremonies. Mass cast-on was at 6:00 Pacific Standard Time. Works in projects could be started before February 12, 2010, but they had to be dormant for at least a month

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-14372956037474478002010-02-27T15:26:00.004-06:002010-03-02T21:17:42.062-06:00

I spent Thursday evening taking care of things that needed to be done before surgery, such as grocery shopping and laundry. I also packed a bag in case they could not do the surgery as a laparoscopy, figuring at least that way my dad would not have to hunt for stuff at my house. When Dad picked me up Friday morning, I also packed my computer. I did not take it with me, but I figured it would

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-85072929462282359012010-02-10T23:03:00.002-06:002010-02-10T23:14:06.983-06:00

On Monday I called my primary care physician's office to get a recommendation for a surgeon within the same medical practice. They referred me to a surgeon and I called his office to schedule an appointment. They told me they had a cancellation so they could get me in at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday.So I went to the appointment today, and I am very glad I sought a second opinion. The original

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-89865567718777734102010-02-07T20:44:00.002-06:002010-02-07T20:52:19.187-06:00

When I had my first ERCP on November 3, 2009, it turns out there was a 4 cm leak where the pancreatic duct was gone. Fortunately there was still some pancreatic duct left in the tail of my pancreas, so they ran a wire and placed a stent. When they did another ERCP on December 24, 2009, the leak was down to less than 1 cm, and my GI doctor replaced the stent.I had another ERCP on Friday,

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-57398273628582853142010-02-02T20:02:00.008-06:002010-02-07T20:42:47.882-06:00

Back in August I started working on Cold Mountain by Kieran Foley. The plan was to have it done in time to wear to my friend Lynn's wedding on October 3. I used JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk in the colorway Ebony.I actually managed to get a good portion of it done before I got sick. This is the second Kieran Foley design I have done, and I think it was easier than Seascape. After I started

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-78190020854409581872010-01-03T15:21:00.001-06:002010-01-03T15:23:14.147-06:00

While I was in the hospital, I did not feel well enough to knit. Even after I got out of the hospital the first time, I did not feel like knitting much. It was Cailyn Meyer's Wintergreen Gloves that got me interested in knitting again. The pattern calls for Knit Picks Palette yarn, so once all of the colors were available, I put in an order.Before I started the Wintergreen Gloves, I did finish

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-28244505386066471662010-01-01T00:21:00.005-06:002010-02-02T20:18:27.581-06:00

When I posted a year ago, I mentioned that something told me 2009 was going to be an interesting year. Interesting was certainly one way to describe it. I recently learned that one of my cousins had an aortic aneurysm in January. He survived, but he had to have another repair surgery to replace his aortic arch later in 2009. However, he is doing well. In March, one of my friends had a heart

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-84178758569994098172009-12-25T18:23:00.003-06:002010-02-02T20:09:29.354-06:00

Yesterday's ERCP (an endoscopic procedure) went well. When I had the one on November 3, 2009, they overdid it with the anesthesia. My dad thinks that perhaps they did not take into account that I was also on a pretty healthy dosage of morphine at the time. This time, I was not on any heavy duty painkillers, and I would not let them give me any. They mentioned another possibility, but since I

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-9506061520234372012009-12-19T11:40:00.004-06:002010-02-02T20:10:10.425-06:00

When I had my last CT scan on December 2, 2009, the radiologist who I saw that day indicated he wanted to do another one early the next week. However, for whatever reason, that did not happen. I did end up getting a lower dosage of my pain meds so I could start tapering off them, and when I went to my GI doctor's office to pick up the prescription, they set up an appointment for Wednesday,

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-79213500923405032702009-12-03T21:47:00.007-06:002010-02-02T20:10:34.152-06:00

I know I have been really quiet lately, but the road to recovery has had a lot of obstacles. I had a CT scan on October 26, 2009 which ended up showing that the pancreatic psuedocysts they had discovered on the previous CT scan were evolving. Then I ended up going back to the ER the next morning (October 27, 2009). I felt horrible, was in pain, was throwing up, and had chills. Turns out I was

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-54220779275466849452009-10-13T12:37:00.005-05:002010-02-02T20:11:12.584-06:00

Well, I was finally released from the hospital on October 5, 2009. I have not had the gallbladder removal yet, but I should know more about that after seeing the surgeon this week.They never did repeat the endoscopic procedure. It was scheduled for September 21, and about an hour and a half before they were supposed to do it, I was informed that it had been canceled. I later learned that

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-20594334334072333852009-09-16T10:19:00.006-05:002010-02-02T20:11:53.509-06:00

Sorry I have not blogged in a while, but I have a really good reason. Sunday, September 6, 2009 while I was riding to Irish Fest I was not feeling terribly well. It finally passed and I thought it was more of the basic GI distress and associated back pain. I was fine through most of Irish Fest that day, but towards the end of our time there, I started feeling uncomfortable again. Chalking it

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-57768240077329714462009-09-06T10:25:00.004-05:002009-09-06T10:47:58.475-05:00

Here are some pictures of the finished Celtic Knot Stole.I think it turned out very well, especially considering it is only my second serious lace knitting project. And while I feel like I am still a novice lace knitter, one of the judges at KC Irish Fest told me I should not call myself a novice lace knitter, because I would be setting the bar too high. Speaking of Irish Fest, I did enter the

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-88115564837111522782009-08-09T21:52:00.006-05:002009-08-09T22:10:18.757-05:00

I finished knitting the Celtic Knot Stole at the pub late Friday night/early Saturday morning and then wove in the ends Saturday morning.When I had blocked the Seascape Stole, I discovered that by the time I had it on the blocking wires, it was pretty well dry, and that made it more difficult to block. So this time I put it on the wires first. I started that process yesterday, but I did not

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-4951444540657905732009-08-02T22:34:00.005-05:002009-08-02T22:56:04.589-05:00

I know I have been bad about blogging. Most evenings I just do not think about it. That being said, I have made substantial process on the Celtic Knot Stole. I finished the main part of it last week, and I finished the first edge last night.After finishing the main part, I started working on the edge. The designer has the edge charted so that the right side rows are read left to right instead

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-74861885132200798362009-06-06T09:04:00.001-05:002009-06-06T09:05:39.784-05:00

Since the designer of the Celtic Knot Stole has a full Excel chart available on her blog, I broke it into pattern repeat sections and told Excel to print each section on one page. So now instead of having to switch back and forth between charts on different pieces of paper, I have one sheet of paper and can go across the row without having to look at different charts. It has made a noticeable

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-3290600611334935712009-06-01T23:01:00.007-05:002009-06-01T23:13:34.750-05:00

Okay, now that I have managed to get the computer and camera to transfer photos, here are the cakes I did for Kim's graduation party. Kim is finishing up her associates in Mortuary Science, so that gave me all sorts of possibilities for her graduation cake. However, the more I thought about it, I started having serious concerns about doing a theme cake. I am a bit superstitious and something

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-9994838705018451402009-05-11T21:18:00.005-05:002009-05-11T21:34:05.137-05:00

My friend Lynn recently purchased a house with her fiancee, and they had their housewarming a few days after their respective birthdays. Lynn had asked me about doing the cake, and since she helped me move into my house, I was more than happy to do so. She indicated she wanted a My Little Pony cake. As she talked about it more, she said she wanted either Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash.Well, I

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-57389691004205635042009-04-26T21:33:00.010-05:002009-04-29T15:11:24.309-05:00

I don't know what it is, but lately I just have not felt like knitting much. I even procrastinated on this blog post--I started thinking about a few weeks ago. I mentioned this to my friend Brian, and told him that I could envision my dad bursting into song and him (Brian) coming up with some pun. He told me I was an amateur crastinator until I got paid for it.I started working on the Celtic Knot

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-40827808598429009872009-04-18T18:50:00.007-05:002009-04-18T19:48:11.722-05:00

A few weeks ago I participated in The Little Yarn Shop Hop on the Prairie. Well, yesterday while I was at lunch my cell phone rang. Jennifer, the owner of Settlers Farm, called and told me that I had won the grand prize--The Great American Afghan Kit, a bottle of Soak, and some needles.My friends Karen, Merry, Reaona, and Stepheny also won prizes. Karen won a bag of Cascade Lana D'Oro,

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-80175253482581291272009-04-04T20:24:00.004-05:002009-04-04T20:35:59.692-05:00

This year my niece wanted a Kung Fu Panda themed cake. I have found that pattern transfer works pretty well for most cakes, especially if I use a black gel on the parchment paper instead of the piping gel I was taught to use. I have not had good luck with the piping gel transfering over, especially if the icing is not setting up due to high humidity. Besides, using the black gel skips a step--

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-8070954428259564622009-03-29T07:51:00.019-05:002009-03-30T22:03:12.641-05:00

The Little Yarn Shop Hop on the Prairie consisted of nine stores stretching from Overland Park, Kansas to Lindsborg, Kansas and Minneapolis, Kansas.I started in the Kansas City area Friday morning since I was already in the area anyway. I actually went to The Studio in Kansas City, Missouri first. It was not on the hop, but it was on the way from the hotel I had stayed at the night before. I

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-310084082837970792009-03-10T21:29:00.003-05:002009-03-10T21:32:38.246-05:00

My friend Patrick turned 22 a few weeks ago, and he had been talking about having me do a cake. Well, not long before his birthday, he decided he wanted an Irish flag with a leprechaun on it.The cake is chocolate and the frosting is vanilla. It was a fairly big hit at the pub.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-33816280873327272202009-02-14T08:00:00.006-06:002009-02-14T08:29:14.143-06:00

My friends Jaime and Stepheny both had birthdays this week, and since both of them are knitters, I did a knitting themed cake. I do not think it is some of my better work, but people seemed to like it.I made the fondant decorations on Tuesday: knitting needles, a pair of mittens, a pair of socks, a hank of yarn, and a ball of yarn.I baked the cake after knitting group on Wednesday, let it cool

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-60350316552385605202009-02-13T00:00:00.003-06:002009-02-13T00:06:14.279-06:00

I finally finished Peanut's blanket.I really need to find a better place to take a picture than the spot on the floor I used. The shadow on the left side is probably from the end table the lamp is on.It is a bit longer than I had originally intended, but I rather like it. I wanted something before starting the castle to make it appear further in the distance so I used a cabled pattern for a few

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-76584060701387651592009-02-07T21:21:00.006-06:002009-02-07T21:45:57.761-06:00

By January 22, 2009 I had finished the first panel of trees and a section of reverse stockinette. I had not had much time to work on it, and I was still tinkering with the design a bit before starting the next section.January 30, 2009--I really did not like how I finished the window and door on Enchanted Cottage swatch, so I used a reversible cabling technique to bring the cabling to a point. I

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-57591298066055010662009-01-25T20:53:00.005-06:002009-01-25T21:39:43.614-06:00

After finishing swatches, I cast on 132 stitches on January 13, 2009. The next evening at group, I ended up dropping some of the cast on stitches while helping a friend with a provisional cast on. I ripped out, cast on again, and started after counting my stitches. However, I really should have counted a second time, because the next day I discovered I had two extra stitches. So I ripped out,

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-58654243621610692532009-01-11T14:08:00.005-06:002009-01-11T14:34:45.405-06:00

Well, I finished two more swatches, and now it is a matter of putting the design elements together and getting the pattern written up.The three motifs are:These swatches will not be used in the actual blanket, but they have been a good dry run so to speak. I had to modify a couple of them slightly. I do not particularly care for bobbles, and they just did not look right, even though I followed

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-4540223170605010572009-01-01T00:37:00.002-06:002009-01-01T01:04:15.680-06:00

Happy New Year's everyone!Something tells me 2009 is going to be an interesting year. I am not really one for resolutions, but I have made the following resolutions for 2009:Keep enjoying life (life is short, and you never know how much time you have)Trust my instinctsLook into getting a concealed-carry permit

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-49864164682669799622008-12-29T21:07:00.005-06:002008-12-29T21:16:03.105-06:00

My friend Christina modeling the mitts I made for Marcia Stevenson.The mitts I made for my friend Sharon.Pete wearing his Jayne Cobb hat.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-812618831201388242008-12-27T12:43:00.004-06:002008-12-27T13:42:19.713-06:00

My friend Mary is expecting her first child in February. The baby looked like a peanut on the first sonogram, and the name stuck. Peanut will be getting another name once he is born, but until then, he is referred to as Peanut.I have also had an urge to go back to designing stuff, so I decided to design a blanket for her. Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns has a couple of

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-11757423205966358892008-12-25T09:55:00.014-06:002009-01-01T19:18:42.055-06:00

A while ago, I made a fingerless mitt out of camo colored yarn for the hand at the pub. The hand was sort of a gag gift given to Rich Stevenson after his accident in 2007 (his hand is okay).Well, while I was working on the fingerless mitt, my friend Tim complained that the hand got better stuff than he did, so I told him I would make him a pair of fingerless mitts. Tim did not believe me, but

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-19548047206584800522008-12-15T22:08:00.007-06:002009-01-25T21:41:53.095-06:00

I have been in the process of making things for friends Mona and Pete. I decided to make a hat and scarf set for my friend Mona. So far I have just made the hat, and I think the scarf will have to wait, because I really need to get serious about designing the baby blanket for my friend Mary. Anyway, I made her one of SMarieK's Utopia Hats. I knew she liked blue, so I asked what shade. She

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-1230308945081002282008-12-13T20:34:00.007-06:002008-12-13T20:47:57.497-06:00

It took about three weeks, but I finished the pair of Lohengrin socks I was working on:Another view:I really liked this pattern, but it was a bit tricky doing it two at a time by magic loop method. I would not recommend it for a first attempt at doing two socks at a time, but other than that, I encourage people to try this pattern.This pattern is available through Ravelry.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-78241957776715726222008-11-18T19:29:00.009-06:002008-11-18T22:54:07.247-06:00

A while back a bunch of us in knitting group decided to try dyeing sock blanks. KnitPicks started selling socks blanks a while back, and one of us bought one to see how it was put together. Eventually a bunch of us ended up buying hanks of their bare sock yarn, and one of our members knitted up blanks on her knitting machine.We got together to dye the blanks on October 19. We used condiment

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-21540896088874214012008-11-15T11:48:00.007-06:002008-11-18T19:59:56.559-06:00

On November 1, I stopped in at Settlers Farm in Wamego on the way to Manhattan. I bought two hanks of Put Your Best Sock Forward-one in a blue colorway and one in a gray. I mostly do plain old stockinette socks, but I decided I wanted to try a more complicated pattern for socks. I had originally opted to try Eunny Jang's Bayerische Socks. I love the pattern but it just did not show up well

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-1417840430165229962008-10-15T22:35:00.003-05:002008-11-18T20:00:52.194-06:00

Okay, clearly I have not been paying enough attention. I went to a Legislative Update program put on by the Kansas Bar Association today, and heard that there was a proposition on the ballot of Johnson County to elect judges (right now the judges are appointed by the Governor). One of the attorneys from Wichita said that if the attorneys in Johnson County had better be prepared to be deluged

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-59004927378939751772008-10-14T20:27:00.005-05:002008-11-18T20:01:09.000-06:00

WE MADE THE BLOG!!!A few of us from Topeka went to Kansas City last night to see the Yarn Harlot. It was awesome! Stepheny bought coffee from PT's and Jaime brought Tallgrass. It occurred to me today that we should have brought her some Kansas wine. All I had for her was a Ravelry button, which she already had one, but she did not have it with her.As we suspected, Lynn made the blog, because

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-43933317107845271302008-10-05T22:57:00.008-05:002008-11-18T20:01:26.080-06:00

Back in March, I took the Reversible Cables class offered by Needlework University, and in the second session of the class we got the pattern for the Dazzle Your Friends Scarf designed by the instructor. I played around with the pattern for a while, but I did not actually start the scarf until August. Life has kept me rather busy, so I have been working on it on and off.I am using Dark Horse

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-18047505838028159052008-09-05T20:23:00.007-05:002008-11-18T20:01:47.928-06:00

Now that I have my camera back, and have the USB cord to upload the pictures to my camera, here is a picture of the finished afghan.As I mentioned in a previous post, I planned to enter this in the Kansas City Irish Fest's knitting contest. The contest theme was cables. My friend Stepheny and I drove to the fest Sunday (it was a busy weekend), and I entered the afghan. There were only three

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-5169846342459444042008-09-05T20:10:00.009-05:002008-11-18T20:02:07.384-06:00

My friend Tim had his 50th Birthday Bash last Saturday, and as I promised, I did a dragon themed cake. The cake is devil's food with vanilla frosting. The base color is a light blue and then I used some black spray color one one edge of the cake to look like mountains.I had baked the cake the day before, leveled it, and crumb-coated with icing. The icing crusted up nicely overnight, but the

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-36029991829238413332008-08-29T17:40:00.001-05:002008-08-29T17:42:14.004-05:00

Wednesday evening, I finally finished the cabled afghan I have been working on. My goal was to get it finished before this weekend so I can enter it in the Kansas City Irish Fest's Knitting Competition on Sunday.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-54957129043019261512008-08-09T20:46:00.003-05:002008-08-09T20:59:34.571-05:00

I finished weaving ends in on July 25, 2008, but I still needed to block the stole. I used a 40% off coupon to order blocking wires from Joann.com on July 27, 2008, and I received them August 4, 2008. I soaked the stole that night, then wrapped it in a towel to absorb the excess water. Then I feed it on to the blocking wires. By the time I got it on the wires, it seemed almost dry and would

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-67312287675846804022008-06-19T20:57:00.004-05:002008-06-19T21:18:59.971-05:00

The Summer 2008 issue of Knitty came out last week, and I found myself drawn to Seascape. Last Saturday I went to Lawrence to go to Knit Lawrence. Before going to the Community Mercantile where they meet, I went to The Yarn Barn, to look at Rowan Kidsilk Haze, since that is what Seascape calls for. Unable to decide between the Kidsilk Haze in black and the Kidsilk Night in Moonlight, I bought

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-90851723876245288702008-06-19T20:32:00.002-05:002008-06-19T20:57:24.773-05:00

Because I knit my cabled afghan on smaller needles with a worsted weight yarn, I knew I would have to do more strips to make it wide enough. Inspired by Anna Dalvi's Burridge Lake Afghan, I decided to do the other half as a mirror image:Cables from left to right: Braid Cable, Hollow Oak Cable, Six Stitch Cable, Triple Twist Cable, Four Stitch Wave Cable, Celtic Cable, and XOXO Cable.The XOXO

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-6136665218824037122008-05-26T15:26:00.004-05:002008-05-26T15:45:14.807-05:00

Being as it is Memorial Day, I thought this would be a good time to say thank you to all the men and women who have chosen to serve our country.Thank you serving.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-53229128874402580252008-05-12T21:19:00.002-05:002008-05-12T21:53:12.966-05:00

I have finished the Arctic Landscape Bag. It was really challenging, but I think it turned out well.It turns out I am not the only one who ran out of yarn on this project, but I did what the other person did and used the contrast color (navy) for the bottom of the bag.I also have finished the Felted Entrelac Tote by Melanie Smith. This project was both fun and easy, and I think it turned out

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-50284520487470652992008-05-12T19:41:00.004-05:002008-05-12T21:53:46.971-05:00

A few of us from the Topeka knitting group went on a yarn shop crawl of the Kansas City area last Saturday. Our first stop was The Studio. I really liked this store, and I had to restrain myself when it came to buying things. After all, we were going to hit more stores :) I ended up with two pairs worth of Forever Jacquard by Lane Cervinia (two skeins of each colorway) and one skein of

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-49711319701427495492008-04-13T20:33:00.006-05:002008-04-13T21:30:54.346-05:00

While reading SMarieKnits I ended up following the link to the book quiz she talked about in an entry. My result:You're To Kill a Mockingbird!by Harper LeePerceived as a revolutionary and groundbreaking person, you have changed the minds of many people. While questioning the authority around you, you've also taken a significant amount of flack. But you've had the admirable guts to persevere.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-31294522495296091792008-04-07T22:55:00.002-05:002008-04-07T22:59:05.646-05:00

WE DID IT!!! Okay, so I am not a dedicated KU fan, but I did get caught up with the momentum. I watched the game against North Carolina and cheered along with the other fans at the pub. Tonight I watched the game at home. It has been 20 years since our last National Championship, so I think we were due. Granted, K-State will be able to say they beat the national champions, but hey, I can

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-24450779344729849522008-04-06T13:42:00.006-05:002008-04-07T22:59:53.544-05:00

I go to Francis O'Dooley's about every Friday and Saturday night to listen to Rich Stevenson play. I drink Diet Coke (I am my own designated driver), knit (yes, I often knit at the pub), and sing/yell along. However, last night has me rethinking things. Once in a while I do order food, but I primarily go to hear Rich play.Last night was the KU-North Carolina game, and I left my apartment with

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-48270121781752370002008-04-05T12:31:00.007-05:002008-04-07T23:00:16.610-05:00

I started working on the Arctic Landscape Bag again, and I finally seem to have the hang of it. The coloration does not quite shift the way the pattern says, but it is close enough. One of my friends reminded me that since it is a hand-dyed yarn (Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand-Dyed), it varies from batch to batch.There are three other people on Ravelry who have this as a project. One frogged it

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-46856128699697401572008-04-01T22:34:00.006-05:002008-04-07T23:00:43.074-05:00

Two posts in one night! I finished knitting the Persephone Scarf this evening.It still needs some blocking, but other than that, it is done.On another note, I was just poking around on Ravelry, and Julia Roberts has joined. She has requested a private profile, but I cannot say that I blame her for that. She announced when the movie web site for Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs will go

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-4005409686014259182008-04-01T20:02:00.005-05:002008-04-07T23:01:16.095-05:00

Of cakes..Last Thursday evening, I baked a batch of cupcakes for my niece's birthday party. Friday morning I baked the sheet cake before going to work. I took that afternoon off to decorate the cake. I iced it with plain, white icing. After that I stamped it with a letter press. Of course, it turns out I got the T and H in birthday reversed. Oh well :)Next, I traced a picture of the Cat in

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-46681004043516419972008-03-23T16:36:00.005-05:002008-04-07T23:01:34.502-05:00

This afternoon I finished the fourth strip of the plaid afghan that I have been working on and seamed it to the others. I am very pleased with how it is turning out. I think one more strip will make it wide enough.I have also made considerable progress on the Persephone Scarf.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-89194231236561778552008-03-13T22:22:00.006-05:002008-04-07T23:01:58.683-05:00

This evening I received a call, asking if I knew how to do a Dr. Suess themed cake. I checked Wilton.com to see if they had any Dr. Suess character cake pans, but they did not have anything. Then I started looking for graphics I could find online. I actually found instructions for making cakes that looked like The Cat in the Hat's hat, but they both have issues. This cake is for my niece's

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-46018061182946207522008-03-02T19:14:00.004-06:002008-03-13T23:59:33.304-05:00

I finished up my fifth pair of socks last Friday, while at the pub. I think they turned out really well.I washed them today and am wearing them as I type. I know I should get back to other projects, but I feel the urge to start another pair. I have quite a bit of Regia sock yarn, including four colorways of the Kaffe Fassett Design Line, and I also two colorways of Brown Sheep Company's

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-11344921998375983712008-02-28T20:09:00.006-06:002008-03-23T16:48:55.761-05:00

When I signed into Ravelry this evening, I saw I had a new message. So I go to my message box, and I found a request to feature my photo on the page for Cable Throw by Claire Crompton.This picture has all 8 of the cables called for by the pattern, but it is not wide enough for my liking. I am thinking I will repeat most of the cables and attach them in reverse order so the Ripple and Rock is

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-71504745731220686242008-02-21T22:32:00.008-06:002008-03-23T16:49:17.776-05:00

Okay, so I have been really bad about updating my blog. For a while I was too busy knitting. Then I was too fatigued to even knit.Once I was well enough to knit again, I made some progress on the cabled afghan.I also ended up starting over on the latest pair of socks, but now they match up really well.I finished turning the heels last night, so now it is on to the feet and toes. I am also

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-76221457841217240862008-01-20T21:46:00.004-06:002008-03-14T00:00:21.506-05:00

Well, my favorite barrista called in last Wednesday, so I still do not have my size 8 needles back. I did finish another strip of the plaid afghan and seamed them together. I started the third strip this morning and have finished one pattern repeat so far, and I may be able to finish another pattern repeat this evening. The original pattern calls for five pattern repeats, but I am doing six so it

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-16311520175936572082008-01-15T20:17:00.004-06:002008-03-23T16:49:33.736-05:00

Now that the weather has been colder, I have been putting more effort into the two afghans I have been working on. I finished the sixth strip of the cabled throw and seamed the next three strips together.The original pattern called for a bulkier yarn on bigger needles, but I wanted to use the Red Heart Dusty Teal I had. I think I will need to either repeat most, if not all of the panels, or add

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-53499359882324583042007-12-31T22:07:00.002-06:002008-03-13T23:52:53.115-05:00

The stocking is done!Sunday I finished the foot and toe. Then began the task of weaving in the ends. I continued weaving in ends today, and then did the hanging loop. Having looked at the other stocking she provided me with, I decided to pick up 3 stitches and cast on another 3. I tried doing an I-Cord, but it did not look right. So I started over, picking up three stitches. Then I turned

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-38263072625029178432007-12-30T18:53:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:50:00.759-05:00

Last Tuesday night (Christmas), I decided I was not happy with the stocking, so I completely frogged it and started over. I went down a needle size and decided to carry no more than two colors in a row, which meant I would have to do a lot of duplicate stitch.Tuesday:Wednesday:Thursday:Friday:Friday I did not accomplish much. I had a funeral to attend out of town, and while I took the stuff

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-59064611075019615252007-12-22T16:53:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:50:17.106-05:00

A while back I got in contact with a woman who wanted a stocking made for a new member of the family. It has been tradition to do a stocking for each family member, but she does not knit, and all she had was a chart for the cat.With both of us being busy, and the weather not being terribly cooperative, I did manage to get the chart and a finished stocking this week. She had sent me pictures of

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-44403423262874179042007-12-17T22:48:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:52:53.821-05:00

Since I finished the fifth strip of the cabled afghan, I decided to work on the plaid afghan some this evening. I only have one strip so far, and I decided it was not long enough, so I am adding another pattern repeat before finishing off the strip. I am using double yarn on size 15 needles, so it knits up pretty quickly.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-53162520639977354812007-12-16T19:21:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:50:32.372-05:00

I finished the Celtic Cable panel Friday, and yesterday I managed to sew three of the panels together.I have not decided which panel I will do next, but I think it will either be the Ripple and Rock or Hollow Oak Cable.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-69813508839358888772007-12-13T21:01:00.000-06:002007-12-13T21:24:52.304-06:00

Monday night I started watching the closings and cancellations for the next day. When I saw USD 501 (Topeka Public Schools) announced it was closing the next day, I knew it was not good. USD 501 typically does not close unless it is really bad out. I think they even announced before the other school districts in town (at least as far as I could tell), which really concerned me.Tuesday I woke

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-69780975117194137732007-12-13T20:50:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:50:56.045-05:00

I recently started the Arctic Landscape Bag by Billie Marxmiller. After having to frog it four times, I have finally made a little progress:I have started the textured part of the pattern, and I am not thrilled with how it is working out as it is throwing the slanting off. I am seriously considering doing the whole bag in stockinette at this point.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-49139944569763313282007-12-06T22:54:00.001-06:002008-03-13T23:55:38.450-05:00

The mittens are done!Now to let the paint dry :)

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-23640656854283978652007-12-01T13:35:00.001-06:002008-03-13T23:55:58.712-05:00

I started the Lismore sweater by Alice Starmore in 1995 and worked on it for quite a while. I had heard of someone doing sleeves on smaller needles, and I tried that with this one--something I should not have done. If I ever get around finishing this, I will have to frog the sleeve and redo it. I am almost tempted to frog the entire thing and start over, but it is already steeked where I did

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-46920926313017152562007-11-25T09:48:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:51:18.170-05:00

I have finished the second set of cuffs for the mittens, and I just need to sew them in. I try to get over to Lawrence, Kansas for Knit Lawrence at least once a month, and I am glad I went yesterday. I mentioned to the others that I wanted to do something to give the mittens a gripping surface, and asked if anyone knew of anything. One of my fellow knitters said puffy paint, so I will give it

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-54089135697807769332007-11-25T09:35:00.001-06:002007-11-25T09:46:43.884-06:00

Now that Dad has seen his cake, here are some pictures:Dad was very impressed. He also remarked that when he said it was his chessboard birthday, he did not think I would take it literally (there are 64 squares on a chessboard, and Dad is 64). However, I had no idea that he was calling it his chessboard birthday.I first got the idea for this cake back in August when I took Course 2. We worked

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-24282930254068395532007-11-23T10:46:00.000-06:002007-11-23T10:50:08.312-06:00

Well, the cake is not going as well as I had hoped. I thought I had gotten the chocolate tempered when I was melting it, but it bloomed and looked very unappetizing. I have one set made from white candy coating setting up, and I am about to go out and buy chocolate flavored candy coating. At least the candy coating sets up more quickly.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-48000005958955710332007-11-20T22:41:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:51:36.267-05:00

Once I finished weaving the ends, I set about felting. Yesterday, I purchased a 5 gallon bucket, a plunger, and a package of tennis balls. I filled the bucket about halfway full of hot water, threw in the tennis balls, the mittens, and some Woolite, then used the plunger to agitate. It took about an hour, but I think they turned out really well.Before felting:After felting:Now to get some

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-73696366361176962112007-11-20T20:05:00.000-06:002007-11-20T22:43:29.976-06:00

I removed the first set of chocolate decorations from the molds this morning. I did two of each piece so I can stick them together with melted chocolate. A few of them broke, but I think they will be okay once I get them put together the way I want them. If not, I will go get another bag of the Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips and start over.The second set of chocolate decorations is

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-49924376066182541042007-11-19T19:59:00.000-06:002007-11-19T21:06:55.887-06:00

Over the summer I started taking Wilton method cake decorating classes at Michael's. I took Course I in July, Course II and Course III in August, and the Fondant and Gum Paste class in September. Since then I have done birthday cakes for friends and coworkers. My coworkers were certainly more than happy to eat my class projects, as were my friends and family.Some of my cakes:The Happy Feet

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-87336353331266561592007-11-18T22:42:00.003-06:002008-03-23T16:52:07.765-05:00

The mittens are progressing quite nicely. I just need to do the thumbs and weave in the ends before felting.I have not had very good luck using my washing machine to felt items, so I am thinking I will do what was suggested in the Fall 2007 issue of Knitty (Other Handy Uses for a Plunger) and use a bucket, plunger (a new one to use for felting only), and some tennis balls.

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038298916939374011.post-20429940556381177682007-11-18T12:15:00.002-06:002008-03-23T16:52:27.506-05:00

I currently have three projects on the needles: a pair of felted mittens, a cabled afghan, and a plaid afghan.Felted Mittens:The Mittens are the Double Cufff Mittens from Knit One, Felt Too by Kathleen Taylor. My brother indicated he could use a pair of mittens, and since he works outside, I thought felted wool mittens would keep his hand drier and warmer.Cabled Afghan:This is the Cabled Throw

Zandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08527439598144626966noreply@blogger.com0