Happy New Year 2009........

wishing all my readers their deepest desires found in the NEW YEAR.....and piles of UFO knitting projects becoming FO garments and accessories!

This was a tough year, and unusual year for most if NOT ALL.......the market crashing, jobs lost, sky high gasoline prices to low gasoline prices.....lifestyles changed......and although difficult to fathom and even harder to come to grips with on a short term basis....I can't help but, believe with UPHEAVAL, comes CHANGE for the better. Trust in this....warm your hearts with what TRULY matters this New YEAR......LOVE. Love of family, LOVE of friends, Love just for Love sake!!!

Give a smile to that stranger in the street, they may need it more than you could ever know....it could be the best part of their day....and it will cost you nothing but, to exercise those sagging facial muscles. It is the gift, that can warm the world.........A SMILE!

Help someone that is struggling with their arms full, open a door for someone, thank the cashier clerk that has been on his/ her feet all day........give the bank teller a thank you........remember those that pass through your day, unknown. Shake their hand....wish them well.....make their day special....because they are there to make yours special.

Wishing all my readers a very special New Years Eve filled with the stuff dreams are made of, wrapped up in a silver ribbon.......JUST FOR YOU....

Goodbye 2008, I am so happy to see you go..........and looking forward to what the new year will bring........and hopefully it will have more SMILES THAN TEARS.....for me.

Smiles to you,
DC

Xmas Decorations/ Ornaments on EBAY.....

I have been non stop ebaying for this entire month, unloading my aunt's collection of christmas ornaments, decorations, etc. She was a worse packrat than I was, because many of the ornaments and decorations were never opened.

So please visit my store and check out her Christmas stash and take it off my hands.......and to a new home that will love it as she did.

http://stores.ebay.com/konoponopdesigns

She even had these darling crocheted angels...

still in their original gift box. Check out the vintage angel with a handpainted wooden face.

On the subject of knitting, nothing new completed or really worked on because of the ebay sales....sorry to say.........I MISS MY KNITTING TIME......and can not wait for the holidays

to be over.....so I can be one with my sticks and string....

Not even a knitted gift for anyone this year.........Oh well, this too shall pass.

Wishing you a wonderful fiber day.......

SMILES TO YOU,

DC

New way to make cash.....and find out about NEW PRODUCTS

I just found this great website that pays you to try out new products, services, and websites. You can make $5 to $75 per survey, and you even get to keep the products you review! The surveys are really easy, and the membership is ABSOLUTELY FREE, so there is NOTHING to lose!

Check it out by clicking HERE!

This appears to be a bonafide site...they do not sell your information.

They actually pay you for each and every survey that you complete. It is not one of those sites that you are entered into a sweepstakes to get paid. Each survey pays you cash, which can go directly into your paypal account. I signed up, because it has a payout per survey completed....without leaving your home.

So far they sent me 5 surveys: $5, $8, $5, $5, $5 = $28 in the last 24 hours...and I just started and that was before I filled out my complete profile, which they paid me an additional $2 for doing.

I need to earn money anyway that I can these days..... I know that with all the financial mess these days, I am not alone in needing to find alternate means of support.

I hope this helps others as well. If you know someone out of work that needs some real income without having to shell out money, in order to obtain the online info....send them this link or direct them to my blog. Most online make money deals, cost money upfront....and I have learned that they DO NOT WORK.....by actually signing up for a few of them. If someone is really employing you, they will not ask you to be paid to be employed!

It makes me crazy that people are using others misfortunes to get rich, by making them pay upfront fees to join these money making sites. They get paid by their clients and by the people they get to do the work for them. They take from both sides. This is PURE GREED!!!

All the mystery shopping sites are like that. You can not make a dime doing mystery shopping unless you own the company. It is only beneficial if you actually need those services, like an oil change or something that they reimburse you for purchasing. Or you were on your way to that location anyway. Otherwise, you will not make a profit. I know I tried.

It just is not right. I am not saying you can pay the mortgage with this deal, but, this will help with the groceries or perhaps give you money to buy some gifts...or you can use this money to make charity gifts that help others eat and give those that are homeless shelter, with NO COST OF MEMBERSHIP or to You, that I have personally seen yet.

Let me know if you try it out....and do not agree with my assessment so far.

Wishing you all a wonderful day,
SMILES TO YOU,
DC

IT'S FINISHED..................

the lace wrap cardigan from HELL! Which I renamed the UNWRAPPED lace cardigan, since I modified it majorly!!!

I was not happy with the fit, as a wrap cardigan...my boobs were too exposed, plus it was too long waisted for me. So it is now a lace up v-neck sweater that has a loose empire waist baby doll look in the front and fitted in the back.

I had it on today and actually DO like it now. I used a crocheted scallop edging on the neck edge and larger treble stitch crocheted scallop edging on the bottom.

I wove the silk binding ribbon through the bottom edging and through the neck edge scallops. I found the ribbon in my stash which, matched perfectly!!!


Other modifications include, only two stitches used on the body, instead of three. I changed pattern E because I did not like the purl background with all the other knit background stitches. I used the pattern stitch for the middle part of the sleeves for a longer row repeat than suggested and reordered the patterns selected for each sleeve.

I am so happy that this turned into a wearable garment, with all the angst I went through knitting it. Someone did finally post a finished garment on ravelry...and it looks great. She knitted a small and did not have all the problems with the pattern that I did. On the other hand it could have been all the errata I worked out with LISA from vogue before hand. Thank you lisa, for your assistance.
I started the #14 Hooded Pullover in Vogue Winter 2008/2007 by deborah newtown, which is turning out great. No problems so far. Thank you DEBORAH NEWTON for writing a great pattern.

I am using this fabulous yarn Silwood Sensations 50% superfine kid, 25% alpaca, 25 % wool from new zealand. I adore this yarn. If you can find it, buy it!!! Knitting with it is like heaven!!!!

I have about 9 inches done on the body now. I made a stitch pattern chart on excel for the body stitch pattern changes.

If you would like a copy, leave me a message in my blog comments with your email and I will be happy to send it to you. It helps tremendously.

I modified the pattern for a smaller size. I cast on only 118 stitches and hoping to get a 39" bust. The small was incredibly large. I am also using # 8 needles throughout the project....which is working well. I can't wait to finish this one up, it is a real pleasure to knit.

I also finally finished the knitting on the lace cable cardigan from 2004...a former UFO, that is actually near completion. Just need to sew it up and knit the button band and it will be officially removed from the UFO heap. I made a chart for the sleeves which, really helps. If interested...leave comment on my blog.

wishing you all a happy week......
Smiles to YOU,
DC

Part #5 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008 - Lace Cardigan

Yesterday morning, following the first Snow storm to hit Pennsylvania, I was greeted by this view from my deck.

Two huge limbs literally were almost sliced off my Bradford Pear tree. Ugggh! I turned around and went back for another bolt of Java.

and decided, that it was best to walk the dogs in the front yard. I had things to do...and just could not face the mess in the backyard.

And that was just the beginning. I want to say here, the coffee was one of the highlights of my day.


I decided to trade some stock, got stuck in a position, and literally willed it to finally go back up........and just as I hit my profit point, and go to click the sell button..........my computer seems to have no internet connection....

I turned it off and on, but, no help. I am freaking. go to call the broker, and NO PHONE either...LOL! It is 3:30p and the market is closing....and I WANT OUT OF MY POSITION BEFORE it is closed.

I finally get a broker on the phone that wants to lecture me......while he does the stock plummets 35 cents.......yes, out of the profit, I sell and wake up this morning...to find the stock opened at ...15.50 about $2. 35 higher than what I sold at......Was fate trying to tell me something ....?

With the tree, I knew what to do.....go out the front door....and forget about it, enjoy the morning...with the stock I forced the issue........and lost out big time......$2, 350. to be exact.

Money I could have used....big time! Lessons surround us every day...if we learn to accept ....as opposed to forcing our will over our world.

In any case, next was comcast.........to reset the cable modem.......move the table to stand on a chair.........and what is there? A DEAD BABY MOUSEY!....too frazzled by that time to scream..and hey who was gonna hear me........the cable tech guy in DELAWARE...LOL! Grabbed the pooper scooper...great tip....and got rid of the mouse....

fixed phone and internet. It is now 5:30p, should be in the shower getting ready for the knitting guild meeting........outside, trying to figure out how to make a pathway through the giant limbs for the dogs and I to walk in the back yard....till 7:30P. No guild meeting....worked on the nemisis, left sleeve..........half way done after frogging the entire sleeve. Have the fronts and backs sewed together and the right sleeve is sewn together. I am nearing completion of this
Lace Cardigan from HELL! Hopefully, by tonight....it will be off the needles and awaiting finishing touches.

I am thinking of using a crochet lace border for the front edges and bottom edges. I am also seriously contemplating using satin ribbon.......for the ties. I do not like the I-cord ties....just not pretty enough for the sweater. If I finish the sleeve this evening. I will post the photos in a separate blog post.

Anyway, my day today was much better, made a nice profit in the market, and knit when I grew tense. Now just have to figure what to do with the mess outside.......

Here is a great Xmas gift to buy for family and friends......I found this today when I was shopping around. What a fabulous idea.....with the high cost of razor blades today......



wishing you a fabulously warm evening.......filled with the clicking sound of your needles.....
SMILES to YOU,
DC

Part#5 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008- Lace Cardigan

First, this is how the correct Chart C pattern looks when knit properly. It is nice.

This is a photo of my right sleeve after

blocking. I used Charts A, C and B.

I used Charts E, D and A for the left

sleeve below......

sorry about the photos...

they reflect my mood,

depressed!

Here is the left sleeve blocking in all its mistaken glory!

Uggggh....there is a mistake in this sleeve, that I just noticed while blocking it........

DO you see it? The Line in thelower third of Chart D of the sleeve...which, is most of the knitting that I did on the sleeve TODAYYYYYYY!

Do I hear FROGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG?

This sweater is my nemesis, it has a life of its own........it hates me, it is torturing me.....LOL! I actually looked at it...for 10 minutes, then got a glass of scotch...I figured I needed something extra strong to take this in...hoping that a couple of sips, might make it look better. It did not work.

This means the Lace Cardigan from Hell, is going to have to be ripped back and instead of doing ebay this evening, I intend on finishing this sleeve, if I have to stay up all night to finish this up. UGGGGGGGH!

Here's hoping your knitting went better than mine this weekend,
Smiles to you,
DC

Part #4 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008 - Lace Cardigan

Well....I am just finishing the last Sleeve. The left sleeve. I got to the cap and there were more errors in the instructions. I am finished writing Vogue. They should pay me for tech editing this pattern. Someone should.

Here goes.

The right sleeve says Bind off 4 or 5 stitches twice, then dec 1 st each side on next row, **then every other row 5 times.** 30 sts left size small

the left sleeve says the same.........except ....from ** then every other row 4 times." 28 sts size small. ( my math gets me to 32 sts left size small.....but, hey what do I know, I am unemployed....)

Don't even ask me who does their math for them........they are hopeless. I would think that after I wrote so many comments to Vogue, someone would have gone through the entire pattern with a fine tooth comb. Obviously, NOT!!!

and I decided I am not working for them for free. So this error notice is only found here.

I am going to use the right sleeve decreases as written for the left sleeve. It looks good and like it will fit. The right sleeve is blocked and looks good. I am praying to the knitting gods, that this sews up with my adjustments and is wearable after all this angst.

The funny part about this project, is I started it as the stock market began crashing, for some stress relief and none was to be found. This project has been sheer hell!!! Just hope it was worth it. I do like the yarn, it is fabulous and highly recommend it.

Wishing you a wonderful sunday evening,
Smiles to you,
DC