Halloween post

I completely forgot to post a picture of my JustNan halloween piece. It's perfect to post it today on Halloween, so maybe it's not so bad after all.



I tried to frame it but the $2 frame from Walmart only accommodates photographs :(

Sewing or not sewing, that's the question.

Yesterday (Sunday) I had no energy. I'm glad this doesn't happen often to me and that normally I have quite a bit of energy. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

I did have the energy to do one thing. I cut down pieced for a tote bag that I wanted to sew. However, when I wanted to sew the bag the stitch didn't look good and I could fix it. I couldn't find the manual either because although I've kept it by the sewing machine (which doesn't have a permenent place to stay), last week I put it away (the manual). Why do I do this!

There was too much tension on the upper thread and the stitches weren't even straight. Do you think I might need it serviced?

Today (Monday) I feel much better. I was a little worried because Clint's been sick. I hope I'm not getting what he has.

Mittens

Not much going on. I'm knitting mittens for the kids. Not a moment to soon. It's gotten a lot cooler in the last few days, 60°F (15°C).

Yesterday we walked to the library and the girls wore the nice jackets/cardigans that their Amma Rósa knit for them. Their fingers got a little cold, so mittens are needed.

I knit mittens for Ása for last winter (when we moved to Ohio), but she's already grown out of them so I sent them to a friend's daughter.

Book Meme

From Marit. I didn't do her last one. But this one I can do.

Perhaps Hafrún, Linda, Rebecca and Ágústa are game?

1: Hardcover or paperback, and why?

Paperback. They are just much more convenient, and cheaper.



2: If I were to own a book shop, I would call it...

The Book Lover's Club



3: My favourite quote from a book (mention the title)


I don't remember any quotes.


4: The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be...

Bill Bryson. He would be a lot of fun and full of good stories.



5:If I was going to a deserted island and could bring only one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be...

A different kind of a survival guide! Probably the whole collection (in one book) of the HHGTTG (Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy).


6: I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that...

could warp time, so I had more time for reading (and knitting, and sewing and hanging out with my kids, and stitching, and and and)


7: The smell of an old book reminds me of...

Antique book shops.

8: If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title) it would be...

Lína Langsokkur (Pippi Longstocking in English)


9: The most overestimated book of all times is...

The DaVinci Code



10: I hate it when a book...

ends.

Woodland shawl

Here are some preliminary photos of the Woodland shawl.



I just found the camera underneath the sofa! So I went straight outside to take a picture of the shawl.



It doesn´t look like much now, in it's unblocked state. Just keep in mind that it'll look much more like the original after it's blocked.

I haven't been knitting much lately due to work. I wasn't even home, except for sleeping, last week. We had our Board Meetings, where our sponsors see what we have done in the last 6 months. Meetings during the day. Dinners during the night. It was an interesting week.

I didn't knit a lot this week. The house needed some serious work, especially the laundry, which I normally do, but was neglected due to work. I caught up on some knitting podcasts today while I was folding the laundry and putting away.

While the girls took their nap, I started Muir! Yes! I got 3 rows into it before Ása Sóley woke up. I'm wanting to start another pattern too. This one would be my own pattern. I'll keep you posted.

Sewing, stitching, whatever.

How did I do with my plan for Saturdays for sewing? Well..... In Icelandic 'sauma' can mean either sewing or stitching so if we keep that in mind I did very well with my Saturdays for sewing plan.

I stitch like the wind on my Ghosties and Ghoulies. So by the time I went to bed yesterday I had this:



A small progress on the Woodland shawl. I worked on it in my library knitting group (first Saturday of the month) and when I was outside with the girls (when we weren't playing hide and seek or tag).

That's it.

Saturdays for sewing

I decided last week that Saturdays were for sewing. That was established in the week before by sewing up of the kitchen towel. This Saturday was a little different. I went to Columbus with couple of knitting friends of mine. The main reason for our 3 hour round trip was a William Wigman exhibition at OSU.

But first things first. The yarn shop was our first stop. I got yarn for Muir, beautiful green (melange forest) Misti Alpaca Lace.

Then I got the girls to go with me to the cross stitch store next door. How nice. That was my first time in a real cross stitch LYS (or LNS?). They hade stitched designs all over the store. Everywhere you could fit them and hanging from the ceiling as well.

I got this, this and this. Are you noticing a theme here? I love halloween and halloween decorations. I never had Halloween before. Once when I was an exchange student in Canada in 1991 and then last year as well. Kamilla is even more exited about Halloween and keeps asking if it is Halloween yet (how about now mom?).

When I got home I got all the stuff ready for Ghoulies and Ghosties and even started it! I haven´t started a cross stitching project in ages (and not worked on one for a while either).

We went to a spice store, where I got Apple Pie spice and dried Coriander leaves. And we had an early dinner at an Indian 'hole in the wall' restaurant called Dosa Corner.



Vexner Hall, the place where the exhibition was held is closed to Urban Outfitters. We popped in there first and I got a new wall hanging on sale ($5).

The exhibition was, in one word, 'funny'. Actually hilarious would describe it better. I encourage you to go and see his works if you have the change.

Last weekend was all about finishing. This weekend was all about starting new projects. I already mentioned the Just Nan Ghoulies and Ghosties. I had this inner urge to start more projects, so I started the Woodland Shawl with Trekking XXL sock yarn. The pattern requires only one 100 gr. ball of sock yarn. This yarn is so soft and yummie.

I also wanted to start Muir, but it didn't go so well. I had to stop in mid-row and when I pulled it up again some stitches had slipped of the needles. I have to start over but I'd only worked couple of rows. It starts with crochet cast-on and I can use the crochet chain again.

Since I didn't get around to sewing this weekend (we went to my coworkers house to dinner yesterday, where I ended up being the mosquitos' dinner) I bid you farwell with pictures of my sewing mistakes from the past (past being August 2007).