Neiman's says COZY KNITS are in for FALL.......

wow, just found this Neiman note in my inbox this morning......so get out your sticks and string.....

and click here




for some inspiration......

this is a knitted dress from diane von furstenberg.....Love the gauloshes, too!

Fall is just around the corner, time to take your knitting into high gear....

I am working on the rib tunic from Vogue Knitting Fall 2007, and using annie

blatt angor anny....in a pale gray green.

Have not made much headway....am still working on my aunt's estate paperwork......What a mess?

Which brings me to my next point......get thee to an attorney, find a form online, but organize your effects so those near and dear don't have to do it....At the minimum get a three ring binder and put your important papers in one place....all bank records together, stock records together, deeds to property, titles to cars, boats and other vehicles......Write down what you would like for your funeral, so your loved ones are not guessing or arguing over what to do..........it is hard to make these decisions for someone else, when you are so sad.

If you told someone they could have something after you die, then write it down....so they get what you want them to have........or put a note taped under the item.......it helps. Otherwise let's face it, anyone can say anything......which is worth nothing.........after you are gone and can't verify it....oh well. These are just some of the things that have run through my mind, during this process.

I am buried in papers, and now buried in my aunt's papers as well.....and wondering, if I have a tree's worth here in my home.....and I have clutter issues of my own.......LOL! It is sort of upsetting to be organizing her things, when I do not have time to organize my own........but, it has sure been a wake up call for me......as I know, if I croaked in the middle of the night, my family would be cursing me out........and hey, who could blame them.....because, I am not organized for life, let alone upon my death. LOL!

Here's hoping you are all knitting, while I am sorting through papers....papers, papers.......and more papers!

SMILES TO YOU.......

DC

Life is conspiring to thwart my progress..........

or no matter how hard I try, I seem to always be treading water......

I regret to admit, my Deadbeat Blogger status, remains unchanged,due to circumstances out of my control....it has been a month since I last posted, because my aunt died.

It seems like I have been running on overdrive,
since June 18th. First the coroner, then the funeral home, the priests, the graveyard.....and then the lawyers and the register of wills.....and the estate........papers, things collected over a lifetime...all under my care to resolve, dissolve, distribute.




and silence in my life, where her spirit once roamed.

This is a photo of her beloved backyard sactuary. A place for birds and wildlife to still roam that she created on almost 3 acres of land.....in an area that is overburdened with suburban tract homes... it is beautiful with a
creek running through it.....

She lived a long interesting life, she was 88 1/2 years old......and suffered from all kinds of illnesses ....that would have killed most, 20 years earlier.....proving that the will to live is much stronger than medical science. She wanted to die in her own home, and that, she did.......no nursing homes for her. Active and independent to the last day of her life. Oh and her name? Jessie P. Falcone....aka Celsimmina Bonpina Paradiso.

My aunt had a really remarkable life, admist her medical problems that plagued her from the time she was a young adult, she never let them stop her from living life. She kept moving and doing until her very last days.

She is a testimony to the strength of the WILL TO LIVE....and that anyone can overcome the trials and tribulations presented by life, if they have the true wish to endure. This was my aunt.

Her life was about knowledge, beauty and art. She was always impecably dressed and poised. Good manners, grammar and education were important to her..... She loved her family.

She loved collecting memorabilia and visiting museums. She was someone that could accomplish anything that she put to her mind.

She was tough as nails, irascible, smart, intelligent, well dressed and there was one way to do anything, HER WAY, the right way...........and she let you know, in no uncertain terms, what her opinion was.

Jessie grew up in Manyunk on Umbria st. She attended roxborough HS. She went to work as a confidential secretary for MR. Mellor, in the insurance industry. She stayed in contact with Mr. Mellors son's throughout her life.

She was very loyal to those that she loved.

She is the last of our maternal aunts........last of her generation of the paradiso family........ and although this is sad, there is joy knowing that she was able to live independent to her last days in her beloved home, filled with all the things and memories she loved so dearly. We will miss them all, her two sisters, sarah, parma....her
mother josephine.........her two aunts Caroline and Mary.



I would like to say I knit through all that I have gone thru this past month, but, I have not had a minute to myself.....

with all the arrangements I had to make.........will be writing more in the coming weeks on Death....grieving and our system of processing death.......of which, I have many thoughts.....spinning around my head.



Wishing you all a lovely summer weekend.....

SMILES TO YOU,

DC

The Canon SD IS Digital Elph Camera Arrived.........

finally. It was very quick. I never redeemed Amex points before and am really happy with the process. They said expect the camera in 14 days. I ordered it Saturday and it was here by the following Wednesday. This camera is very tiny, not much bigger than my LG Chocolate phone. I love the cherry red color, which is a departure for me, because it is not black or gray. My phone is blue. Very odd, must be going through a color phase in my life.

But, I digress, I have not read through the literature yet, but did load up the new software and took a few pics....and am very happy with the photos and the clarity. I think I like this better than the Canon SD 1000 I had or have lost somewhere in my yarn stash room.....LOL!! It is very easy to use.....even without reading the instructions, which I despise doing.

The LED screen is very large and clear and it also has a viewfinder, which I like. It is very slick, she said with a big fat smile on her face! Great design Canon!!!

And, here are the very first photos.......The first set is of the T-Squared Tank I designed and discussed in the prior post.

If you are interested in purchasing the design recipe for this tank top, please email at konoponopdesigns@comcast.net . This is modular design and is customizable for all needle sizes and gauges of yarn. The instructions will be sent by email only. The cost for the pattern will be $5 payable by paypal.

And here is a photo of the current design I am working on. I am using Blue Heron Beaded Cotton Rayon yarn, in the colorway DAWN. I love the colors....and yes they do remind me of dawn....they sort of have a bronze sheen. This yarn is from my stash...and I only had 402 yards. I had intended to make another T-squared tank.....and was wondering how it would look with mitered squares....and then the design morphed into something else. Here are some photos of the start.

















It is 6 squares wide.....and I am working on the third row of squares.
So far I am happy with the design.

The yarn though seems to be a bit brittle after you cut it, with tufts of
cotton rayon coming off the center base cotton string. I found myself
wondering if it had something to do with the dye used by Blue Heron.

In any case, I want to get back to my project and make some further progress..



Wishing you a wonderful rainy evening of fiber pursuits, if you are living in PA........

Smiles to YOU,
DC

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Camera 12.1Mp ELPH Series RED

Here is the new camera, I just ordered...having still not found mine....
I used credit card points, so it will take 14 days to get it. UGGH!
But, I could not afford to put out $$$'s to replace it.

Here are some details about it, per the Amex website.


Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Camera 12.1Mp ELPH Series RED

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Camera - Red - 16:9 - 3x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.5" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

Features 3x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, a 2.5" LCD, and HD movie shooting capability. Includes 2GB SD memory card, battery and charger, wrist strap, USB/AV cables, and CD-ROM.
Dimensions: 3-2/5" W x 2-1/5" H x 7/10" D;


It may be the slimmest Digital ELPH Canon has ever created. I liked the reviews I found on it.....here

My lost camera is the SD1000 which, I loved..........I miss it so much...

I bet you any amount of money the second the other arrives, the missing camera will be found....LOL!

Finished my T-Squared project, which is a modular tank top with beaded dangles...that I designed. I am happy with the way it turned out, except the color of the yarn is not the best for my complexion......c'est la vie. Will have pics for you as soon as the camera arrives......

Wishing you all a great spring day,

Smiles to You,

DC

My Stash Swallowed up.......

my digital camera....and after a week and a half I still can not find that camera.

I am crazed. Does it mean the stash does not want to be sold? Does my yarn stash have a life and will of its own? I have tried to pray to every saint that I know, even prayed to the house ghosts to release my camera......retraced my steps, called up friends, hoping they might think of something I did not....NO LUCK!

I am close to giving up and buying a new camera, tonite, which probably means I will find the old(under a year) camera shortly afterwards.....

I hate when I lose important things, it makes me insane. Clearly, THE STASH is a sign of a person with hoarding issues....loss, disposal, etc...are foreign concepts to packrats.

Any suggestions for finding a rogue digital camera, would be appreciated.

On knitting news, I am almost finished my new design. I am tentatively calling it T-Squared. It is a tank top made from modular squares and triangles. I saw it in a dream and woke up and have been working on it incessantly for the last week. All pieces are complete and almost assembled. I would add a photo, but, THE CAMERA GOT SWALLOWED BY MY STASH! UGGGGGGGGH!

WISHING YOU A GREAT DAY,
SMILES TO YOU,
DC

My Stash is Totally and Unbelieveably OUT OF CONTROL....

there, I admitted it.........I need to have a stash sale.......because, if I live to be a hundred years old, I can never use all the yarn and fiber that has some how made its way into my home. I would venture to say that I have a small yarn shop in my home. I would also say, this is proof........absolute proof, that I should have owned a yarn shop for the last 20 years of my life. UGGGGGGGGGH!!!

What has driven today's confession, you might be wondering.....along with the fact there are NO PHOTOS????

Last Sunday afternoon, I decided to put some of my yarn up for sale on ebay......which, drove me to go into the stash room. Yes, it has its own room and probably needs its own address.....maybe zip code. In any case, I made the mistake of taking my digital camera with me........BIG MISTAKE!!!

I put it down, in a mindless state of euphoria, while opening yarn bins....and touching my stash....some of which has not seen the light of day since my separation.....and after, I filled a large box with some yarn....I left. Sat down and said, I need to take photos...........OOOPSSS, no camera. Yup, you guessed it......that camera, is somewhere in my
stash room.......lost for one entire week.

My project on this beautiful spring day, was to find it. I started at 10:30 am, it is now 7:31pm and I have been through all the bags of fleece.........and about 20 bins and NO CAMERA. I am 1/3 through the room. I have taken maybe a 2 hour break..........and NO CAMERA.

I am thinking, this is a light bulb moment.......and all I wish I could do at this moment is take a photo of the room so you could understand what I am writing. I have seen photos of incredibly large stashes, online.....and I was afraid mine was possibly bigger.......Now, I am fairly sure........it could be, and that is totally ridiculous.

Over consumption.....and possibly worse than my UFO SITUATION. I am never going to attend another stitches conference, maryland sheep and wool show, Rhinebeck, or yarn store until this STASH is reduced to 1/4 of its present size.

I am now going to go back in there to find enough yarn to sell, to pay for a NEW DIGITAL CAMERA.......because, chances are, it is lost in the BLACK HOLE OF STASHDOM.........and will not see the light of day.......until I get rid of most of that YARN one way or another......So stay tuned for the announcement of the yarns for sale.......and if you are reading this blog and looking for a particular yarn or dyelot.....let me know.........I might have what you are looking for.......in other words, I am taking special requests. Leave them in the comments section.

Wishing you all a great day,
Smiles to you,
DC

Discontinued Noro Yarn on EBAY

Just posted these two discontinued and rare NORO yarns on auction at ebay.

The first is creams and taupes and is noro yamabiko, 60% wool, silk and angora mohair.

I have 5 skeins available...starting price is $6.99/skein
total of approx 550 yards.








The second yarn is NORO kureopatra....starting price is $7.99 per skein. 5 skeins available, this is the leftover yarn, from my everyone knows jacket....so if you scroll down you can see how it knits up.

It is also a rare discontinued NORO yarn....in a great colorway.




Happy Memorial Day........about to go bbq some spare ribs for my dinner.....can not wait!! YUMMM!

Smiles to you,
DC