Entrelac

I've always wanted to try entrelac (hand knitting) but never had the nerve to just jump in with a pattern. Well, now I have no excuse. Knitting Daily, the email newsletter from Interweave Press, has offered us a tutorial on entrelac written by Eunny Jang, the editor of Interweave Knits. Its entitled, Beyond The Basics:Entrelac Knitting Block by Block. To get the tutorial, go to http://tinyurl.com/connjv

Once we've followed along with the tutorial, there's a Basic Entrelac Scarf for us to try at http://tinyurl.com/d5tn9l . Just in case you wonder if this knit designer really knows what she's doing, the socks pictured above are her pattern, available for sale at the Knitting Daily pattern store. I think I'll try the free Basic Entrelac Scarf pattern first before I attempt something like circular socks in entrelac. You can get the free scarf pattern here: http://tinyurl.com/d5tn9l and here's a picture of it:

Before you can download these goodies, you may have to join Knitting Daily but believe me, its free and its definitely a great newsletter. I've gotten some fabulous patterns from their site, both purchased and free.

Now, just a little update on the beaded scarf. I have 200 more beads to thread onto the yarn and then I can start knitting the second side. WHEW! This seems to have taken forever but that's ok, it gives me something to do in the evenings while I listen to the TV.

Funny Thing Happened Last Night

It all started the night before, around 8:00 pm my BIL who lives around 30 miles from me called to check up on me (he checks in at least once a week to make sure I'm ok since I live in the woods (a bear might get me ) anyway, I was outside with the pup who won't go out by himself. I didn't notice he called until it was too late to call him back.

The next day (yesterday) I cleaned up around the house quickly and then went to the gym. When I got home I posted on Facebook that I was just home from the gym, checked what all the kids were doing (its fun to see what everyone is posts throughout the day on Facebook). Then I went about feeding the dog, went up to the loft and wove on my the scarf I'm working on. UPS came with a package that I'd been expecting, a broken knitting machine that belongs to a friend in Arizona.

I failed to mention that when I went to the gym, there was people at the next house working on the road. They let me squeeze through with my car (we have a very narrow road). When I came home the road was blocked and there was a hole all the way across. Since this is a dead end road, there was no way to my house except to go up and around neighbors driveway which I did. So did UPS. Later one of the work guys came by to tell me they accidentally cut our phone line. I thought to myself "humm, what would I do if I needed EMS?" But other than that, I went about my evening. fixed supper, watched the news, etc. Then I set about looking at friend's knitting machine.

I didn't get back on the computer but I did go out on the porch to call my friend in the next town on the cell phone to let her know my phone was out. Cell phone is almost always off at home because I can't get reception in the house and who wants to stand out on the porch to yell at a cell phone.

About 9:00 a car puled in, then someone knocked on the door. Creepy feeling...dog barked, pitch dark out..etc...no one comes at 9:00 when its very dark here. So I answered the door gingerly--it was a neighbor from the end of the road, he said my son had called to ask him to check on me. They hadn't seen me on the internet (facebook) and couldn't get me by phone. Apparently my BIL called my son to see if he knew anything about my whereabouts because he couldn't get me the night before. I was actually going to call BIL back yesterday but then the phone went out....etc...

Son, who lives in Michigan called daughter who lives in Tacoma, WA, who left me a text message (which I didn't get of course because it was turned off). Someone got hold of daughter in WI and grandaughter in Washington + grandaughter in Michigan were looking for me also and later I saw were pondering my whereabouts on Facebook.

The neighbor said he'd call my son for me, I emailed my daughter in WA and then sent a txt message to son in MI. Grandaughter in Washington posted in the end that it was a fun puzzle, sort of like a real-life Clue game. Other grandaughter in MI thought it was a great "test run" to find Grandma just in case it ever became an emergency.

I'm glad they had the presence of mind to call the neighbor. Also glad to know someone will be looking for me if something actually does happen. Brother in law said he was really worried about my little dog Biscuit (yeah, I know better).

So that was the Porter excitement for the day yesterday! All is well. Phone should be fixed sometime today. Knitting machine is repaired.

Update on Beaded Scarf

This is the first half of my beaded scarf. I'm not sure I like the different beads, I think it might look better if they were all the same sizes but I'm not taking it out now. The scarf is a cross between Tiny Toes Beaded Scarf kit that I bought in Asheville NC and a beaded fingerless glove in a book I bought. What I learned from the first one was that its a bit heavy and they grow longer with wear, something I might end up taking some rows out of this before I join it to the other side (you make the 2 separately and then graft together in the middle.
ps I know it looks like I didn't put some beads on but I did put them on, they're white and don't show up in the picture.


To graph, since I'm doing a garter stitch, I'm going to Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Workbook for directions on grafting in garter stitch. I'm not real good at grafting so need all the visuals I can get.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a scarfvest on the LK 150. Its a scarf that you wear as a vest. You'll see, when I get it finished. I'm weaving it on the machine and have made a gazillion samples because it keeps rolling up on the edges. I think I have solved that problem now, more later about it once I know for sure its solved.

Meanwhile, if you love to look at knitting projects, have a look at this http://knittaplease.com/KNITTA_PLEASE.html