It almost makes me wish we had a Wii...

Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders

Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders
by Judith Durant

What a great idea! I have so many sock yarns (61 skeins, the last time I checked) and don't really want to make that many socks. Some of them I bought to make shawls, but even that is a bit excessive. This book has so many great ideas and projects, and best of all, the Barnes & Noble edition I picked up has 5 additional patterns! OK, maybe that's overkill.

I am looking forward to making some wristwarmers, gloves and fingerless mittens as well as scarves and shawls. The baby sweaters are lovely and sock yarns are perfect since they are washable. However, I don't know if I'll be able to part with my yarns, and I don't know of any babies small enough for these sweaters. Doesn't hurt to be prepared!

This book is not on Ravelry...yet.

***** - 5 stars for the projects based on the photos. :-)

Easy Bulky Cowl

Cowl, originally uploaded by toadncat.

I picked up this yarn (Nashua Handknits Sitar) on our trip to Ventura because its colors reminded me of the ocean and islands we had visited. I've been wanting a loose cowl to wear tucked inside the neck of a jacket or coat that I could pin up the excess. Sitar reminds me of CPY Musique in texture and sheen. I’ll have to take a look and compare.

Love the way the colors worked in this cowl! The yarn is very soft and I look forward to wearing it.

Help with Spray Painting

Spray Paint Trigger

I use spray paint for little projects around the house like repainting the outdoor furniture. My latest project is painting the front door. I haven't picked a color for the door itself, but there is a window in the door that is framed by a plastic molding.

Over time, the molding has discolored to a dingy yellow (the door faces west and gets a lot of late afternoon sun all summer). Enter the Krylon plastic-covering spray paint. Now, holding the button down on the can makes my index finger and wrist ache after just a few minutes. And I usually end up with paint all over the hand holding the can, so when I saw a trigger that attaches to the can allowing you to use all of your fingers and hand to press the button, I had to get one.

I found this one (see photo) at the local ACE Hardware store. The best $5.00 I've spent in awhile (not including eggnog lattes)!

Thank You Notes



Thank You Notes, uploaded to Flickr.

I never can find thank you notes that I like, so I've taken to making my own. These use A6 folded cards from Paper Source in "Paper Bag" and thank you stickers. I added scrapbook paper to the front. I like to use the smaller sheets from the stack books, less to trim, less to waste. Pay no attention to the clutter in the background.

If a man plays the saxophone in the woods, and no one is around...

There is a man who plays his saxophone in the woods at the on-ramp from northbound Bascom Avenue to southbound 880. He stands in the trees with his music stand and sax and plays. Today he was walking to the "grove" with a bag that I can only guess contains the music stand, music, and sax. He played there for nearly two hours (we drove by on our way to and from lunch and to and from the Humane Society). And then he packed up and walked away. Does he live in the apartments nearby? Does he practice in the intersection because no one will complain about the noise? You can barely hear the music if you are stopped at the light with your windows down.

In other news, a college-age woman was dancing on the corner of Moorpark and Winchester yesterday afternoon. She went through an entire routine, then took a bow to clapping and honking. And then she started anew. Who knew artists surround us?

It's going to be a Cowl Christmas

Cashmere Island Cowl, originally uploaded by toadncat.

Another cowl, this one is made out of Noro Cashmere Island, which I hear is now discontinued. The pattern is Beech Wood [click to see on Ravelry].

Love the way the colors worked out and loved working the pattern. It had a nice rhythm to it. However, I'm not sure the slip stitch rows really show up well with this yarn.