How we get two things done at once!

Hi Everybody,
I was thinking that it might be important to say a word about multi-tasking. As you may know about me, I love doing multiples of things all at once! I can be found on any particular day knitting, embroidering (on my sewing computer), washing dishes (dishwasher), washing clothes (washing machine/dryer), making bread (bread machine),making ice cream--soy based of course!! (ice cream/sorbet machine), creating newsletters (computer) and/or weaving-- all at the same time!! Yes, we women are pretty good at that--and some men are good at it, too. Machinery and technology can make our lives so much more complex and I feel at the end of the day like I have really accomplished something.
In this regard, I also like to listen to books. I love to read, but don't seem to find the dedicated time for that too often these days. So, instead, I "read" with audio books. In the beginning, it was tapes, then cd's and now I download to a portable lightweight device with a subscription to Audible.com. You can find them at http://www.audible.com/ . I like unabridged books the best, and there are literally thousands to choose from in all categories. Often, when I am doing motifs on the sewing computer, I am also listening to a good book. Most recently, I am reading Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth." I highly recommend it.
Today, I'd like to leave you with some pictures of my deck garden-- just for the sense of relaxation that it brings me, and hopefully you, too.
Have a great day!
Barbara

Working on Knitting and Machine Embroidery

Hello Everyone,

So, lately, the weather has been soggy and cold here in Rhode Island. In fact, it is almost as if summer has decided not to come. I keep reminding myself that once it kicks in, I will be longing for a cool day, but for right now, the rain is making me a little bit crazy!!

Anyway, I wanted to show what I have beem working on since last I wrote. I have been doing a lot of inventory work, adding to the ever growing stash of embroidered tea towels and and knited scarves this week.

Here are some pictures of that work. Also, I am working on learning lace work in my knitting. Hopefully next time I write, it will be to show some pictures of some lace pieces that I can't wait to get to!

Here's to hoping that the sun will find its way to Rhode Island sometime soon!!

Barbara

The Wiggins Memorial Preemie Hat Project

Hi All,

Today I am posting for our wonderful knitting group, Knit Happens http://www.khappens.com/ . Over the past few months, we have been making preemie hats to present to Dr. Doreen Wiggins, in memory and honor of her husband, Dr. Michael Wiggins, who died very unexpectedly last winter.

It is our hope that when she receives and donates these preemie hats, it will bring to her some comfort and joy in knowing that some precious new lives are being kept warm in her husband's memory. This project honors both Drs. Michael and Doreen and the importance of the work that Women and Infants Hospital does for all babies, but particularly premature and at risk babies.

We started knitting hats and were beginning to collect quite a few. Sue mentioned it on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/ and at the Knitting Guild at the Slater Mill, and soon hats began to arrive from Tennessee, Great Britain, Colorado, New Bedford, MA., Slater Knitting Guild RI, Wisconsin, Indiana and even a knitting student of Sue's. Everyone has been so very generous and we want you to know that we have 216 collected and made to date.

We are very grateful to all of you who have helped to make the Wiggins Hat Project so very successful. Here are some pictures of Knit Happens members, stuffing and boxing the hats for delivery and some great shots of our members "just doin'what we do!"

Have a great weekend!

Barbara

Rhode Island Special Olympics and my niece

I wanted to show some pictures of my niece Kathy and her friends at the RI Special Olympics this past weekend. She asked me, and I was very pleased, to embroider a cap for her for her team, The Trudeau Tigers. You can find a lot of good information on the RI Special Olympics at http://www.specialolympicsri.org/

Enjoy!

Kathy's very proud Aunty Barbara

Persistence Pays Off!

Good morning All--




Well, I have learned to do the Magic Loop! Here are some pictures. I am just soooo excited! Look in the last posting to find the link to the You Tube instructional video if you want to learn to do this. It's really very easy once you learn the basics. I never thought I'd be knitting something this small!
Have a great day,
Barbara

Sharing the fun of Weaving and Knitting

Well, it's been a bit of time since I posted last. Things are getting busy here, with knitting projects and weaving as well as the weather that has finally turned sunny and breezy.

I was invited to join a new knitting group, called "Knit Happens," which you can check out at http://www.khappens.com/ . We are a nicely eclectic group, with lots of ideas and projects that we are working on, including a nearly finished project to honor Dr. Wiggins, a recently deceased doctor here in RI. We are making Preemie Hats for the hospital. We have several patterns to work with, each quite lovely.

I have tried to learn the Magic Loop method of knitting in the round for this project, which is done using a long cable (at least 40") size 4 circular needle. Many of the girls in the group have mastered it, but I am still a novice! You can learn how to do this by clicking on this link to You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBSmxGomPk

I am including today a picture of Sue, who is the creator of Knit Happens Rhode Island. She had no idea how addicitive the rigid heddle table loom can be, so I brought it to knitting night and here she is! I believe that soon I will have another "Sister Weaver"!

So, have a great week and now that summer is practically upon us, get out in the sun and do something just for you!

Happy days,

Barbara

A Word About the Space We Work In

The space that we have for our projects is so very important. While it is not always easy to find a dedicated space-- a room vacated by adult children, or an old spare room, just cleaned out of old things-- it is so important to be organized about the space that you have. In years past, our house was not big enough to allow for a room set aside for work space, so usually I would set up my work on the dining table, which usually meant that we ate on TV trays until the project was completed! Not the best arrangement, but if you have a heavy duty machine, or one of the sewing computers put out by Bernina, Pfaff, Janome, etc., you really don't want to always have to think of set-up and break-down every time you set out to work for a couple of hours.

So, when a room became available in our house, it became my work room. As you see in the photos, I do everything in there, from quilting to knitting, to crocheting, to jewelry-- just about everything except weaving.

I like being organized, so you can see that I have a wall for embroidery threads, all set up by numeric order and size. This was taken in the early stages, but you can see that there is plenty of room for expansion of the thread caddies. I also use part of the wall for jewelry findings, so that I can keep that organized as well.

My cutting table folds down to a small roll-able piece that is easily stored in a corner of the room when not in use. The banquet table (purchased from Lowe's in the early Fall, when Thanksgiving is looming and banquet tables are easy to find) is a strong hard plastic, with steel rods and legs for support. It easily accomodates my embroidery sewing computer and the smaller Janome station.

Shelving space is done by construction of several shelf units (again from Lowe's) of steele construction and I utilize plastic storage bins to keep things clean and organized.

There is one closet, which is not in these pictures, and shelving was built in to accomodate any projects or inventory as needed. There is shelf space for books, cd's and tools.

If you can do it, a dedicated space is, for me, a much preferred idea. It's only moments to set up a project, and when finished, just cover or close everything and leave the room behind, so that you can enjoy your dinner at the dining room table!

Have a great week,

Barbara