Long Time No See.....

Almost a year and a half has gone by and I didn't write. I will tell you why in a moment.
I moved one year ago from Highland/Yucaipa Calif. (southern California) to southeastern Idaho. I live in a tiny town of 5,000 people now.
I moved to American Falls, ID. and I love it. We get all the seasons here. No more 5 months of sweltering heat.
I love the snow. I love the frost. I love the autumn that we are having now.

Last weekend we went to a corn maze in Blackfoot ID. It was fun. This is my son and his wife.

We took the girls, my granddaughter and my kids nieces.

It was a beautiful autumn day. Warm. The trees are turning.

Already we have had ice on the birdbath in the morning.

I bought a house here that needed so much renovations. It took a long time. But I am settled in now. I need to go plant my tulip, daffodil and crocus bulbs so that I have flowers in the early spring. This is great since I could not grow tulips in SoCal.  

Now the reason why I didn't blog for 1 1/2 years. I was busy with the move but it was because after having this blog to call my own for a few years it changed. One day my granddaughter wanted an email. We decided to go with gmail. When I finished signing her up everything in my computer was put into her account.  Blogger was the worse. It won't let me change ownership back to me. It shows her email as my user name. She is just a little girl too. So I stopped blogging. I was so mad.  All my searches of what to do came up empty. The chat boards for help all said that Blogger doesn't have a way to let one select which email is the primary on Blogger. Blogger will select their gmail as the default. You can't change it.  I think Goggle is very invasive. I don't have a gmail account myself. 

Anyway, that is why I stopped blogging. I want to come back. I will just have to over look that my user name is a childs email address. Grrrrr

52 Weeks of Happy 1/52

I saw this on Irish Girlie Knits blog.  Once each week for a year I will post something that made me happy that week.  This will give inspiration to me to blog more.  I have been very lazy in my posting.

Spinning with friends makes me happy. I went to the spinning group and started this braid of Falkland wool.  Is is so pretty spun up.  I am about 1/3 of the way into this. I am trying to spin thin so that I can get a sport weight yarn.



Last week we got more snow.  This photo is from a few weeks ago but the mountains look the same.
I try to enjoy the green color on our mountains because in a few months they will be dry and brown.
In the lower mid-section of the photo is a large orange grove. I live to the right of the grove.  My backyard is next to this grove.  In April when the trees begin to bloom the air is so sweet.


And lastly here is a knitting project that is making me very happy.  This is lace.  I am knitting with lace weight yarn. It is like knitting with string.  My yarn is 50% merino wool and %50 silk.  It is so soft and beautiful.  I have knit shawls before but nothing so detailed.  So this is my first lace shawl in lace weight.  I am loving it.  I did start and rip out 3 times. But now it is going very good.
The red thread is my life line.  That is incase I make a mistake or drop a stitch and can't fix it. Then I can undo the shawl back to the red thread and go from there.


So there is week one of Happy.
Join in if you like.
God Bless,  Carol

A post from the Past: May 27, 2008 - My History

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009

May 27, 2008  First Blog post on Live Journal

mmm...my first post. I am still figuring out how this works. I am familiar with posting blogs on MySpace. But I am having problems figuring out how to insert photos. I tried for an hour and no luck. It shouldn't be this hard. I love to see lots of photos on a blog.
I will try again right now.................



This is my daughter Sierra. I lost her a year ago. She was my only daughter and I do miss her so so much. She was 23 when she died by a gunshot to her beautiful head. It's so sad. Her little daughter Peanut is living with me now. We are taking each day one at a time. Life is certainly changing for us. Here we are...



We were dressed for Halloween. On this night 10/31/06 my daughter was taking the photo. Then my daughter Sierra, Peanut and I walked around my neighborhood to trick or treat. 
Sierra and I had several good times like that before she died Jan. 2007. 
I miss her so. I do not understand why she was the one person out of hundreds or thousands who would die by a gunshot. We are not gun people. I never had handguns in the house ever, never in all my life. She only had that gun in her house for 3 weeks before a fight broke out between her and her boyfriend. No one is sure what happened. The police think the boyfriend is responsible. The coroner put gun shot wound to the head.  But it is the boyfriends word of what happened on that day. Peanut saw and heard the fight. She was watching from her room when the gun went off. I think her dad was blocking her view of the gun so she only knows what he told her happened. She was only 5 years old. What a horrible tragedy to have in a young girls life.



This beautiful granddaughter is living with me now. I am in a guardianship case trying to get full custody. For more than a year I have been in and out of court. I finally got Temporary custody on 10/30/2007. What a long wait.
It is not an easy road. Peanut is in therapy now. We are both grieving so much. But we are having good times. We took a trip to Idaho 2 weeks ago. My son Dustin, her uncle, got married. He lives in Idaho. Peanut and I have a goal to move to Idaho before the end of this year.

My new love is WOOL and KNITTING!!!!! more on that in the next blog.

Today and everyday, I thank God for carrying me this far in my grief journey. He has taken my burden. On days that I have a very heavy heart is usually when I have not looked at the LORD to give him praise for blessing me with my children, Peanut, a home, food, clothing, love and good friends. I have a lot to be thankful for.


Seven years ago my handsome, wonderful, hardworking husband died of cancer. I miss him so much. He never knew his grandchildren. He was my high school sweetheart. We were married 28 years. I was 45 and he was 47 when he died. I believe he is in heaven holding our daughter in his arms. God bless my family in Heaven.

So there is my first POST on Live Journal.
Yeah.....I'm glad to be here!!!!!!

40 Tips for Writing Good English

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.

2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

3. Avoid cliches like the plague; they’re old hat

4. Employ the vernacular.

5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

7. Remember to never split an infinitive.

8. Contractions aren’t necessary.

9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

10. One should never generalize.

11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.

14. Be more or less specific.

15. Understatement is always best.

16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

18. The passive voice is to be avoided.

19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

21. Who needs rhetorical questions?

22. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

23. Don’t never use a double negation.

24. capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with point

25. Do not put statements in the negative form.

26. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

27. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.

28. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

29. A writer must not shift your point of view.

30. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)

31. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!

32. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.

33. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

34. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

35. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

36. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

37. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

38. Always pick on the correct idiom.

39. The adverb always follows the verb.

40. And always be sure to finish what

First blog on iPad2

This is my first time to blog on my iPad2. Yesterday I had to take my MacBook Pro laptop in for repairs. The DVD drive was not working. So how could I go a full week with no Internet?

I use my computer for business and financial stuff. I don't have a smart phone so I decided to buy an iPad2. I have wanted one ever since the first iPad came out.

I am trying to get use to this touch keyboard. I'm use to typing without looking at the keyboard but with this touch screen I do have to look. Or maybe this is my learning period?

Update on Oliver. He is still missing. We have walked the whole neighborhood and can't find him. I miss him so much.
I'm not letting Coraline out anymore and she is kinda crazy. She stares out the window. She runs through the house like a maniac. She is bored too and sleeps a lot.



Here is some knitting I am doing. This is the back ok the Cassidy sweater. The yarn is Madelinetosh DK. I love the color but not sure if it is too variegated.
The cables are easier than I had anticipated.

I'm also working on some gloves and a hat at the same time.

Well I do like this iPad. It is different and I'm glad that I have the Mac for serious typing. I also don't know yet how to see all the blogs that I usually read from my mail.

Have a great day. It is windy here with the Santa Anna winds keeping us cold and with hair that looks like we put our finger in a light socket.

Happy Knitting!
Carol

Knitting and Spinning update

In looking back at what I have been blogging about, there has been a lot of time passing without any fiber news.  I have been knitting and spinning a lot.  I have many projects on the needles too.
So lets begin with the spinning.

Here is some Merino from Crown Mountain Farms  that I spun up. It is 2 ply and DK weight yarn. This merino is from Australia. I gifted this skein to my sister of  Design Diva Susan . She is working on a project for it now.
Info from CMF:

Merino Top

Australia where the real merino boom started.

What a fine fiber - staple length of 3-4 inches with a micron count between 19-24.Not to forget the crossbreeds with merino - the finest fiber from sheep. A delight to every spinner and knitter.

Above is what the Merino sheep look like.

Below is my fiber from the Norwegian sheep.

Here is fiber also from Crown Mountain Farms. I love the dyeing that Haas does. He is an artist.  This is Norwegian fiber (wool) from the fiber club. The color is called Mandala
Here is the description from CMF website.

Norwegian Top

The old norwegian sheep - also called Villsau - was widespread all over Scandinavia, the Faeroes and Iceland.

A special sheep breed to the famous vikings who made their sails out of wool to conquer the world in their ships.

Staple length of up to 4 inches and a micron count of 32 makes this fiber very interesting to all hand spinners.

Or better said to all spinners in the northern hemisphere who have to deal with cold winters and snow -

we here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA have sometimes no idea what a real winter is and therefor do not

understand the real value of some fibers - we just want it soft and softer - like our brothers and sisters in the South.

Above is the Norwegian sheep. He is from Norway.
Below is the norwegian fiber spun up. I navajo plied it.

Spun to a heavy Worsted weight.   I wish I had spun it thinner because it was hard to find a pattern to show off this beautiful fiber.

Knit into mitts.  I was surprised how the colorway turned darker on me.  I tried to mix up the dark and light as I spun but I guess I need more practice.
Also in this photo is the beginning of my watercolor/sketchbook.  It is a Moleskeine.

With the left over yarn I knit this granny square. I love how the colors look like a watercolor painting.  I only had enough yarn to crochet this one square.

Here is some Welsh Top.  It is also from CMF.  LOOK at the moss growing in my yard. I didn't plant it.  I really love it.  I love this fiber. It's coarse but rustic looking.
Info from CMF:

Welsh Top

From the mountains and hills in Wales comes this small, hardy sheep.They can withstand extreme weather conditions like high rainfall and freezing winter conditions. Their fleece is course with a staple lengthof 3 inches and a micron count of 36.You will find the fiber mainly in carpets and rugs.Hand spinners may create nice outer garments with the Welsh Top.Good for felting projects as well. 

These are Welsh sheep.  I really am loving spinning this fiber.

This is Welsh Top. It spins like a dream.  It is a little scratchy. I might use it to knit a purse or some French Press slippers.  Or perhaps more granny squares. 

This is Corriedale Top.  I will spin this after I finish with the Welsh Top.
Don't you love it?  It is also from CMF.  The colorway is Chinon.
Info from CMF:

Corriedale Top

The legend has it that Innanas (Ishtar) husband Dumuzi was the God who took care of the livestock in ancient Sumer - thousand of years before there was even a mentioning of the bible. But be it as it may - from Mesopotamia (Irak) one of the finest sheep breeds conquered the rest of the world. The phoenicians brought the merino sheep to North Africa and the Arab Moors brought it into Spain - which gave Spain  an advantage for many centuries over their rivals in the midevil worlds.

Of course the royal houses were interconnected so at some point in time the merino sheep from Spain made its way to France (Rambouilett) and Germany (Saxony Merino) and then to the colonies like Australia where the real merino boom started.

What a fine fiber - staple length of 3-4 inches with a micron count between 19-24.

Not to forget the crossbreeds with merino - the finest fiber from sheep. A delight to every spinner and knitter.

Here we have a perfect fiber for the spinner and felter - even the dyer. A staple length of over 3 inches and a micron count of 28.

Somewhere in 1860's on the South Island of NZ a new breed was created by crossing Merino dams with an english lincoln longwool sire.

A fabulous result for future generations. In 1902 the name Corriedale was given as the development started on the Corriedale Estate of Otaga.

In 1916 the first Corriedale Society was founded in Laramie, WY - USA.

Since then this breed spread throughout the world and adapted mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. From there we get our great fiber quality today.

This is a Corriedale sheep from New Zealand. 

I'm still knitting.

This is a sock knit in Bugga yarn. I have turned the heel and I am decreasing the gusset.  I have one more sock to go before Christmas.

I knit these mitts for my son in Idaho.  I finished these in October for his birthday.

They are of 2 colors of Bugga yarn. They are my own pattern and very soft.

Still working on the Farrow scarf.  It is of Malabrigo merino/silk DK. I only knit on it when I am in the car. Slow going.  Kinda boring.

Still working on my Sprossling Sweater by Anne Hanson.  I am using Bugga yarn. I love the colorway and the feel of the sweater.  When I work on this sweater exclusely then I really make progress.  I just get so distracted by my metal crafting and stuff like Christmas.  Good stuff.

The Sprossling sweater has finished:

1. Back 100%

2. Left front 95%

3. Right front 0%

4. Two sleeves 0%

5. Button bands 0%

6. Seaming 0%

7. Washing and Blocking 0%

Why do I feel like I am almost done?  I guess because the back is the largest piece of knitting and I am almost down with the left front.

I am going to knit the sleeves at the same time so that my tension is equal on both.  My last sweater has a tight sleeve and a loose sleeve because I let my tension loosen on the 2nd sleeve.  By knitting 2 at a time I will have the same tension. If I get loose then I will be loose on both sleeves.

I will wind up 2 cakes of yarn and knit the sleeves on my #5 - 3.75 mm needles. I'm not sure if I will use the straights or the circulars.  Both will give me enough room for all the stitches.  I'll use whatever floats my boat at the time.  I am leaning towards the circulars.

So that is all in my fiber world.  I am itching to cast on for the blankie that Christine is knitting.  It looks so fun.  I have a lot of left over yarn too.

I think I need to catch up on my projects before I begin something like this.

So now I will go and I will leave you with some photos of my Roses in Winter from my yard here in So. Calif.

This is BELLE STORY, a David Austin rose.

Here is THE PRINCE, a David Austin rose.  The fragrance is so mmmm yummy

And here is PERFECT MOMENT, a hybrid tea rose.  She is the whore with red panties in my yard.  Very gaudy but she does grab your eye in the yard.

Happy knitting

hugs Carol

I Made a new HEADER

Good Morning,
Yes it is a good morning. The day is cooler today. I am so loving this cool summer. When I say cool I mean high 70's to low 80's.  Why can't it be like this every year?

So I made a new header. I went over to Picnik and used my own photo.  I like this photo of my handspun Targhee fiber on the swift.   Here is how the yarn looks with a wide view on the swift.  Oh and for those who are not into knitting, a "swift" is a wooden device that you can use to put a skein of yarn on,  You can adjust the diameter of it by sliding the wooden ring under the umbrella up and down and then tightening it.  Usually you use a swift to put your skein on and then you find the end of your yarn and wind it into a cake with a ball winder.


I like my new header and then it needed a new background. So now we have grain in green hues.
Here is my question.  Why when I am on my  Profile Page  over on Ravelry, does my website not show my photos?  It looks like a WHITE box.   It use to show my website in color  on my profile page.  I waited a day to see if it would show up and it doesn't.  I logged out, then today logged in.  I'm baffled.



Isn't this yummy yarn?  It is Malabrigo Silky Merino.  It's color is natural.  I love it.

Have a great day and Happy Knitting!!!!!!
Please leave me feedback about the header problem.