Just Stringing Along

Yeah! The girls went back to school today, that break was way too long. They were so bored and yet didn't want to do anything I suggested. Goofballs. You know it's bad when Abby is watching the clock eager to go out to the bus stop. Once they were gone I got the house back into order. Finished up the laundry. Brought the last of the holiday decorations down from the attic. Then I made a cup of tea and strung some more popcorn. Ugh. Every year I swear I will never string popcorn again and ever year I can't help it. I love the way it looks on the tree and garlands.

I also had time to finish my first scarf. The directions said it would end up about five feet long and I'm a few feet short. And the binding into "bell ends" is still in process. I have no clue as to what the directions are telling me to do. To add to my frustrating and fun I started a scarf for Abby with the combination of yarn and fun fur. I bought twice as much yarn so her scarf doesn't come up short too. With Christopher not coming home tonight I plan on knitting and stringing popcorn late. Oh I live a wild and crazy life.

Etsy Addiction

I can't believe today is the last day of November. Why doesn't time go this fast during deployments? Sheesh. With Christmas right around the corner I am in need of some unique gifts for the adults in our family. Off to Etsy I go. It wasn't long before I was side tracked and searching for things I wanted. *lol* That site is so horribly full of amazing things. I started looking at scarfs and found a got to have one with the price tag of $50. Ouch! The cheapskate in me spoke up and said you can make that for so much less. Apparently my inner cheapskate didn't realize I have no clue how to knit. So I started searching the web for any free patterns and beginner tips. Overwhelming. After finding a pattern I was off to the craft store for supplies.

Tip #1 ... Just because someone works at the craft store doens't mean they can knit. Beware. They won't admit to not knowing but will in fact lead you down the wrong path grasshopper.

Silly naive un-knowledgeable me came home with the wrong yarn. Despite being told it was close to the brand the directions called for it wasn't. I bought two of the same color where had I noticed or been told they were knitted together at the same time I could have picked out two different colors. That would have looked amazing.

Tip #2 ... Read, read & read once more. Then research it online. Duh!

I was so concerned with measurements and acronyms that I didn't even think to just looked up the actually brand of yarn being used. Had I done this I would have noticed that it is actually nylon ribbon yarn and not your gramma's type of yarn. Despite all this I am impressed on how quick I have picked it up and can't wait to go shopping for more supplies. For under $20 I bought my first set of needles and two balls of yarn which will complete my project.

Some of the helpful links I found were...
KnittingHelp.com
How To Knit - Casting On
How To Knit - Casting Off
Bernat

I am so amazed at how much fun I am having with this and how relaxing it is. Tomorrow I plan to make another trip to the store for a crocheting needle. I have no patience and want to bind and finish off the bell end, whatever that means.