Can you believe summer is almost over?????

Time seems to be moving so fast these days. I wish we had another month of summer left, but.....the leaves are beginning to fall, flowers are dying, and harvest time is upon us. Halloween decorations are appearing at the stores...so there is no stopping it....FALL is coming!!!

The good news, it will soon be time to wear all those luscious new sweaters and accessories that we have finished off....OR DID WE?

I must admit, that I have been sidetracked on my UFO project, lately...How about you?

I did start two new projects a tank and a short sleeved sweater. The tank is finished and the short sleeved sweater is nearing completion.

I designed two new scarf patterns. One is finished and the other is nearing completion. Photos and patterns will be available to all who are interested, shortly.

I have been busy communing with my fibers and needles.

The new vogue knitting magazine arrived and I am in love with almost every design in there. It is just incredible. If you are not a subscriber, get a copy of this magazine, it is one of their best issues ever.

The Nicky Epstein scarf on the front cover is to die for....exquisite. I spent some time today combing the internet for the alchemy yarns, without luck. So I have decided to select my own yarns in complimentary colors and give it a whirl. Some are handspun and some are purchased.

Here is what I have assembled so far. I may use more than three colors, as per the original.

I also went to Santa Barbara, California with UFO boyfriend. It was incredibly beautiful.

Here is a photo of the Harbor, right outside our hotel.

Fresh seafood, beautiful clean beaches, perfect weather, wonderful homemade fudge, wines, inspirational stores in old town on state street and lots and lots of walking.

I highly recommend this as a vacation destination. I would love to move here, but the real estate prices make New York look cheap!

Here is a photo of the harbor. The smoke over the mountains is from a fire started on July 4th, 2007 that is being contained but, will not be put out until the fall.

And, lastly, we won second place, in our division at the New Hope Auto Show....weeks ago, which was pretty cool! It was the first time the white alfetta was entered, which made it a bit nicer....yippeeeee!


wishing you all a wonderful labor day weekend.
smiles to you,
DC

I am on my WAY....BE READY!!!!

So here I am, getting ready for the NEW HOPE AUTO SHOW...the first day. Here is the vintage car UFO boyfriend is showing...fresh from the restoration body shop.... an Alfa Romeo GTV Alfetta. It is for sale, if any one is interested, inquire here for price and additional details...or come on out to the show today or tomorrow.

His plan is for me to help detail the car when he arrives. He called ahead to let me know this. My plan is to work on my two current knitting projects. My process for getting ready, is to pack both knitting projects, walk the pups,take a shower....and while he is waiting, HE CAN DETAIL HIS OWN CAR!!!! I have knitting to do!

Hopefully by the end of the show, today, at least one project will be finished and ready for photos to show you. I am using blue heron softball cotton for a sleeveless surplice sweater of my own designs. I can not recall the colorway at the moment, but it is beautiful shades of blue green, teal, yellow and blue. It was a joy to knit....very soft. While I was researching possible edgings for the bottom, I came
accross project two........

The second sweater, is a nicki epstein design, with a three bobble cluster edging. The bobble clusters are a project of their own. I have made 8 and have 12 more to go. I decided to make all the clusters first, so that I can have this for my mindless knitting project. The rest is basically stockinette stitch and can be done at traffic lights, bank lines and doctor's offices. I am making this sweater with blue heron beaded cotton in the SAND colorway.

I need to get moving....or my knitting will not get packed....everything else can wait....rightttt????

what is the problem with men..............

okay....get your sticks and your fiber....and listen up........MEN are weird...
they can't help it....they JUST ARE!

Just when you think that things are settling down to a nice rhythmic pace...
they always come up with something.........UFO boyfriend sends me an email today....subject: I think I am dying.......

My response........oh brother!!!! LOL!!!

He is apparently sure that he is riddled with cancer....and does not have
long to live. His comment: You are not going to have me for long!!! LOL!!!

My comment: do you think we can take a vacation to see a formula one race...before the end of the year....since you do not have long to live...????
(note: we love formula one grand prix racing and all the drama!!!)

his comment....NO ANSWER!!!

my comment....don't worry....you will outlive most of the people on the planet...it is people like you that kill all the rest of us...with YOUR ANXIETIES!

This after a weekend of, I am so fat.....and I thought that was my line!!! LOL!!!

When did MEN become so dramatic....and women soooooooooooo SOBER? Can MEN BECOME PRIMA DONNA's? or am I partly to blame for this travesty?

AND, why am I so focused on designing soapsacs? Is that symbolic...of desiring a CLEAN SWEEP!!!! I am wondering this as I finish my second sac....with novelty yarn....which is nearing completion....picture promised...shortly!

Did I mention, someone invited me to Paris for ten days...and I declined! Is this evidence of insanity????

going back to knitting my soapsac II it is the most sane thing in my life today!!!

toodles,
DC

FREE PATTERN FOR SOAPSAC

Here is a photo of the soapsac, I designed and knitted this past week....
my store bought one was disgraceful...and I might

add has been a disgrace for some time.....so I consider this

another UFO off my list of things that NEED DOING!!! Yippee!!!

I used one ball of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton, 4 ply aran worsted weight, 1 3/4oz/50g,...which is similar to lion brand cotton....NO YARDAGE IS GIVEN on the label.........don't you just hate that!!!

In any case, this was sale yarn found in my stash....cost 50 CENTS!

so....I bought it anyway.........so this is a DOUBLE YIPPEE
for using up some STASH YARN....which, I seriously need to do.

Sorry LYS....but, I must confess, no yarn purchases in the year 2007 to date.......and there will not be, until I empty out my exercise room of
yarn bins, which CAN NOT OCCUR UNTIL THE QUANTITY OF PLASTIC BINS IS REDUCED, drastically....I can not see the equipment...which does have its virtues!!!!

The yarn calls for #7 needles....you may adjust this pattern to your own personal soap and needle preferences....by increasing the stitches, increased for smaller needles/gauge yarn or decreasing the increases for larger needles...your choice. Remember cotton sags when it gets wet.

You also could opt to use wool...which will shrink and felt as it gets wet and soapy, in which case, I suggest your soap sac should be much larger than your soap bar size.

Another suggestion would be an aran weight novelty yarn with bumps...which might have a massaging quality, I am working on one such soapsac, NOW.

I used 4- #3 DPN needles and #3 - 16" circular needles....for the soapsac pictured above.

Here is the knitting recipe:

Cast on to a #3 DPN - 9 stitches using any preferred cast on method. Divide the stitches onto three needles and join.

Row 1 - Knit 2 and knit into the back and front of last stitch - 4 stitches/ needle, repeat from* twice. -12 stitches. place marker.

Row 2 - and all even rows - purl all stitches.

Row 3 - knit 3 and knit into the back and front of last stitch - 5 stitches/ needle, repeat from * twice - 15 stitches

Continue in increasing this manner every other row....until there are 12 stitches on each needle, 36 total...and change to circular needles if you want...or continue with the double points.

Work even in garter stitch pattern until the sac is 5 inches long for extra large soap bar....or till sac is big enough for your soap bar. end with purl row.

next row: make eyelets for tie....*Knit 1, yarn over, Knit 2 together, repeat from * til end of row.

next row: purl all stitches and knit 1 in the back and front of last stitch - 37 stitches.

begin lace top pattern (and this is where it is much easier to use the circular needles):

Lace row one: Knit 1, *Yarn over, Knit 4,( slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slip stitch over k2tog), knit 4, yarn over, knit 1. repeat from * to end of row.

Lace row 2: purl all stitches.

Repeat these two rows 5 times and bind off loosely.

Darn in ends at top and bottom.

With remaining yarn chain stitch the tie to desire length, leaving some yarn length to thread beads, if desired and pull through eyelet row made.

This makes a great gift when given with a wonderful smelling soap...and can also be used to scent your lingerie drawers.....until use of soap is desired.

2007 copyright Konoponop Designs....for YOUR personal use and gift giving only...enjoy!

GOOD NEWS...besides the fact the SUN has decided to SHOW UP!

There are finally FINISHED OBJECTS to REPORT.... I actually accomplished something beyond removing worms, dead leaves, japanese beetles and rather large brown spiders that decided to take a swim in MY pool....

and....I refurbished the pool net thingey with some old fiberglass screening found in my master bath linen closet...and that, is a bit longer of a story....related to the day I decided that my jacuzzi for two was a waste of space....and should become my papermaking studio...LOL!!!

One benefit of being a pack rat queen....is that with a little creativity, I can construct just about anything that I need without ever having to leave HOME!!!! But, I digress......from the point of my post today.....

I finished some STUFF!!!! :~)



First item....UFO boyfriend scarf has been BLOCKED....and is BEEAUTIFUL.....if I have to say so myself.......Here is a photo....of the FO.....with instructions to follow...sometime in the NEAR future..........














Second item....A white cotton trapeze tank from a Knitter's Magazine from several years ago (made w/ Sirdar DK Opium, 58% cotton, 37% acrylic, 5% silk from MY STASH)... which, still needs to be blocked...but, is sewn up and actually fits. It was all knitted and rolled up in a bag waiting to be sewn together, for the last year.....hey, DON'T RUSH ME! It took only an hour....PLUS OR MINUS A YEAR or SO...to sew it up
......INSTEAD


....I was busy starting NEW PROJECTS!!!!!



....and, a photo....of the two
Finally Finished OBJECTS...
hanging out together!!! ;~0



Third item.....I harvested my strawberries this year and made some delectable strawberry jam.



Very easy to do: wash strawberries, add organic sugar and lemon to taste....bring to a boil and spoon into a canning jar or saved jar.....cool and refrigerate....ENJOY!


AND....the most significant of all completed PROJECTS to report....IS, that I finally sat down
and organized all those patterns/ technical information/ inspirational photos printed out from the web into nice notebooks with dividers UNTIL 3AM last evening........I HAVE A FEW INCHES OF FLOOR SPACE...in my office/fiber studio...........YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!!!

That was big. I truly believe that CLUTTER is a state of mind.....and I am focused on changing
the STATE OF MY MIND...in 2007.

I also have had a request for some jewelry photos....so here are two....they were used for postcards for craft shows..... The first pair of earrings is hand formed Sterling Silver with garnets and glass beads.... the second photo earrings are cast and hand fabricated with onyx drops and an orange red stone whose name escapes me at the moment...and the matching bracelet uses the same stones and was hand fabricated by moi....and I am not sure if they are still in inventory or have been sold....if you are interested email me and I will investigate and
give you a price quote.
AND.... until the Computer Geek arrives on Monday, to figure out what COMCAST did to my computer, when they tried to replace my modem....I have no scanner, no cd, no dvd, no emails prior to JUNE 20th, 2007...........no workable ITUNES library....

Lastly, the bad news...is while I finished two knitting projects, I began two new projects at the pool...because, I just can not resist that old temptation to begin a NEW PROJECT!!!

Two out, Two in...is that progress....or NOT???...I have not decided!!!

A tank top, which I am using taupe cotton and a noro multi colored rayon carry along...and a NEW SoapCloth which I am designing with beige bernat cotton that I found in one of my
unearthed UFO's....an old bag project that I am never going to finish....but, will FROG this week and it will become a NEW something or other. It is a hopelessly UGLY project...where the yarn just did not suit the design found in Knitter's Magazine 3 years ago.

I will post both the SoapCloth pattern and photo...when it is finito....as well as the promised pattern for the ubiquitous UFO BOYFRIEND SCARF....which, by the way drove the clean up of paperwork in my studio....I could not find my pattern design notes...it is amazing they were still underneath a pile of papers...and glad to report....was rescued!!!!

Time to go out to the pool...for a bit of a swim....and some sunshine!!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend....filled with at least ONE FINISHED PROJECT.....

Smiles to you,
DC

well it has been a wild and wooley month!!!!

ufo boyfriend has been a handfull!!! but beyond that, i was in a car accident....in my beloved porsche cabriolet...not my fault, police bias...etc, etc, etc....yeah, NOT IN MY WORLD....yes, it can happen to you.

What happened to HONOR????

I have realized, yes, one that lives in her own artistic, and perhaps, world of make believe, high hopes. yes, pie in the sky apple pie hopes....

has the world gone crazy? and if it has....don't you just know it, that it is because....of all the UFO's out there...the unfinished business of DREAMS....

Do you remember your childhood....50 year olds plus or minus....the land of OZ....we did not watch the tube..or internet....we went out there and created our FUN....we free-formed it...we made due with what we had....and made it work...and it did not matter that it was realistic....forget the details....the impressionwas there!!!!

TODAY....there are too many details, requirements, boundaries, what the media says what it doesn't!

In any case, boyfriend has admitted, he is a UFO....I have admitted, HERE on the great BLOG network...I am a UFO....and I struggle day to day....to finish that which I HAVE BEGUN....before my attention is drawn to someplace else............


YES....the jacket is still a UFO....but thank you..........it is nearing completion.

MY QUESTION IS THIS....IS THERE A UFO PLAN???? is this a weakness?

and my point of contention...is that I cleaned my aunt's house after her death. she was not a happy person....and there were so many UFO's in her house, especially in the attic..... I saw myself...there....

Do I want those that inherit my life....to see UNFINISHED OBJECTS....and what will that say about me.... ??????

that I took on more than I was capable of....or worse yet.... that I did not believe in MY OWN VISION....

the time is ripe...and it is a time to create...and support...your vision....FINISH UP.....because you never do know when the TIME IS UP!!!!

sincerely,
konoponop designs.....

surprise, surprise, surprise............

blogger and google finally got there stuff together..........and figured out how to fix my old blog.....it only took them a month and a half to respond..........

does this count as a resolved UFO? Or do I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE
DISPOSITION OF THE OLD BLOG?

meanwhile, UFO boyfriend is back in the fold..........but, the problem is, I am
not happy with the situation, nothing seems to have changed. Why do I still
think it will?

He got his first music gig.........so if you live in the Philadelphia area....he is
playing two sets on Friday nite at Zesty's in Manyunk, beginning at 9:30pm
....I will be there...so stop by to hear some great jazz and blues. He is a great
musician....I must admit....maybe that is the attraction????

I have been preoccupied thinking about the situation....while I am still sewing
together scrumbles. I am happy to report that all is done except the right
front, which I am now assembling this week. And then, the entire jacket....
it should be done in next week. What a chore. I thought I was closer to being
done than I was.......

I also am busy with spring clean up outside, and it is a nightmare of weeds and
trimming. This was a harsh winter and everything is blooming at a faster
rate than usual.... I am totally exhausted from all this gardening.......I hope
I finish soon!!!

smiles to you,
DC