Knitting Socks

Okay, all I’ve been doing lately, it seems,
is knitting on my socks! 

I am having so much crazy fun, it’s ridiculous!!

First of all,
I made the decision that I would come home from class,
and begin the 2^nd sock and do to it,
whatever we did to the 1^st sock in class that week.

For example, the first class we knitted the cuff and the leg. 
So that’s what I knitted that week on my 2^nd sock. 
Kinda like extra homework.

Then the 2^nd week, 

we knitted the heel flap, turned the heel, 

and picked up the gusset stitches.  

So that’s what I did to my 2^nd sock, too.

I figured that I’d better do it again 

while I still remembered what we did!!

And this way I would avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome.

(google that if you please!)

And you know what?  It’s been fabulous!

I am painlessly knitting my second sock 

while reinforcing what we learned in class.  

Yaaaay!! 

And…
I was having trouble with my heel flap the first time,
and this allowed me the opportunity to try it out again
and see if it worked better the second time.

It didn’t.   hahaha!

But, thanks to the internet,
I was able to find something else that yielded excellent results. 
Yay!

Isn't that Eye of Partridge stitch pretty on the heel?

And thanks to Denise

at Lost City Knits http://lostcityknits.com,

I was able to try her “stacked increase”

to avoid that crazy hole that one gets at the top of the gusset.

And it worked beautifully...

Thanks, Denise--you are brilliant!!

Here’s a link to her instructions:

http://lostcityknits.com/2012/01/02/a-stacked-increase-m1/

She has a great blog, but she also sells patterns
and has beautiful yarn on her website. Check it out.

(She’ll be at the Edmond Art Show in May
 this year, too, for you locals!)

What would we do without the internet?? 

It is such a great problem-solver!

So... my next problem to solve??

What color of sock yarn to buy next!

TGIF, everybody!!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

Miscellaneous Fun

A bookmark.  (And sadly, so true!)

(click on the images to see a bigger version)

'Cause it's always BLACK ink, right?

Some fun with glitter.

More fun with glitter.

Progress on the Potato Chip Scarf.

TGIF, everybody!!!!!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

Oops

So… I forgot to post last Friday.  

Did you notice??

I was crazy-busy running down to Dallas to meet up with family. 
Gosh, why did I think that I could post something that morning,
before I packed up the laptop? 

Obviously, it was silly of me to think I could pull that off,
‘cause it fell right outa my head.

I’ve noticed that things fall out of my head
much more now that I’m in my 50’s. 

Used to, if I didn’t get something done,
it was because I procrastinated about it. 

Now, it’s because I truly forgot all about it. 
Oh well.  I guess that’s why they invented Post-it’s!

You know, packing is just a necessary evil to me, anyway. 
I really really hate it. 

Once we’re on the road, I do pretty okay,
but I just hate the packing part. 
That’s probably because we take half the house
with us when we travel.  LOL 

I mean, we take almost the same amount of junk
whether we go off for 1 night or for 7! 

Aaarrrggghhh!! 

Maybe that’s why I don’t enjoy traveling like I should. 
Sigh.  If I could just “blink” myself there... 

Now that’s how you ought to be able to travel!
Then you could blink yourself home at bedtime
and not even have to pack at all!  hahaha

ANYwhoozlebees…

 It’s practically Spring already here in Oklahoma.  

We had such a mild winter and now the daffodils are blooming
 and the Bradford Pear trees are white with blossoms.

And we have a lot of Bradford Pear trees here. 
They musta gone crazy, planting them 20 years ago,
 ‘cause our area is just full of them.

And they are just beautiful when they bloom,
but the blooms don’t last long. 
Maybe only a week, and then they start greening up. 
So you have to enjoy them right now.

Hey, it sounds like it’s time to take the dog
out for a little scenic drive, don’tcha think??

Wednesday was sunny and 74°,
and yesterday was 39° and rainy with a biting wind.
 That’s Oklahoma for you! 

We had a front move through and bring us
some badly needed rain, so that’s a blessing. 
But it’ll be warm again here in a few days, which is good. 
I need to work on my flowerbeds.

I deadheaded last week and now I need to get up some leaves. 
I tell you, it’s always something!

 At least you get a break with Winter:  a break from bugs
and a break from outdoor chores.

But now on the indoor front….  
I started a new knitting class last night:  socks!!! 

Gosh, we’re having such fun!
And I bought some real pretty yarn for them. 

It’s a faux Noro-type yarn from Hobby-Lobby,
made by Lion Brand and is called Amazing. 

And I also bought some new yarn while we were in Plano,
and I got a free pattern for a Potato Chip Scarf.
 You only use the knit stitch along with “short rows”,
and it self-ruffles.

I’m using Rowan Kidsilk Haze, and I think it’s coming along. 
What do you think?

Okay, okay….  I’d better scoot.

Happy early Spring, everybody!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog
♥

Colonoscopy Prep Tips

Let’s enjoy a pretty photo first…

Ahhhh….  That’s nice.

You see, I had planned an entirely different blog entry for today, but Life Happens, and you just have to go with it.

Because truly, as candid as I am, I never thought I’d blog about something like having a colonoscopy, but there you have it.  We just go wherever we need to, right?  We don’t let that stop us from sharing good stuff, do we??  ♥

(And if this is all just Too.Much.Information, then we’ll just catch you next Friday.  Not a problem at all!)

It’s just that I blogged about one of my favorite products the other week, Balneol, and it failed me this week.  Truly a first.

Because I really still stand behind it under the aforementioned circumstances….  Just not this one.

You see I was doing all my “prep” the day before my colonoscopy, drinking that vile solution that you have to drink.  Oh, and let me tell you, I couldn’t get through that were it not for smelling and even tasting a little sugary pickle juice between sips (anything with a strong taste would do), and then rewarding myself with a piece of hard candy afterwards.  Merciful heavens!

And as if that were not bad enough, and it was, then the “wiping” began.  But I thought, “Oh ho, I have my Balneol.  This won’t be a problem.”  Well, let me tell you, it stung instead of soothed!  My wonderful Balneol failed me!!!

Okay, okay, I thought, at least I know what to do for Plan B:  a warm wet washcloth compress to the rescue.  And that was better, and helped a lot, but still I was in trouble!  I survived, but not without great pain.

And I have to go through this all over again the next morning???  Horrors!

So, off to the Internet I went.  I googled “colonoscopy prep pain” and got the best hit and found exactly what I needed to know.

And it was worded so cute, too:  “..you may experience some skin irritation”.  Right.  More like razor blades were slicing me up!  LOL

They recommended 3 things to avoid such “discomfort”:

1.  Before you even drink the prep stuff, coat your business end with Vaseline or Desitin ointment. 

2.  Then use alcohol-free wet wipes instead of toilet paper.

3.  And if you need to, sit in a sitz bath of warm water afterwards for 10-15 minutes, re-applying the Vaseline after you dry off.

So!  I tried the Vaseline the next morning, and it was like night and day.  Apples and oranges.  A complete 180.  I think it waterproofed the skin, or something.

So why wasn’t this on the sheet from the doctor with all the instructions???  <sigh>

So my dear readers….  I couldn’t let my blog steer you wrong, leaving you to think that Balneol would work for you under these most trying conditions.  Not under these wet conditions, anyway.  For “D”, yes, but not this.

Nope, it was Vaseline and wet wipes to the rescue.  And you just feel free to re-apply that Vaseline as often as you want.

And….  Thank the good Lord above, after my colonoscopy, I got a good report from the doctor, and don’t have to go back for 10 years!!!!!

Surely by then they will have a better-tasting product to “prep” with.  One can only hope.

And surely, we can move onto to some lighter topics for my blog.  <whew>

In fact, I think I feel a “Knitting Lace 101” entry coming on.
Okay, so, TGIF, everybody!!!

XOXO,
Lucky Dog  

♥

What if?

What if every disease on earth was cured tomorrow?

What if every business transaction was ethical and fair?

What if every road was smooth and beautifully paved?

What if grass never needed mowing?

What if every job was done right the first time?

What if you could make electricity from smiles?

What if everything was wireless?

What if there were no calories?

What if everyone lived 10 minutes from their job?

What if laughing made you physically fit?

What if you got everything you wanted?

XOXO,

Lucky Dog  

♥

ORB

I have a confession to make. 

A lot of the hardware in our home is polished brass,

and worse, it doesn’t really bother me that much. 

I know, I know, I’m so out of it.

However…

Some of our outside doorknobs have seen better days,

and we’ve been thinking about replacing them.

But then I saw this on Pinterest:

Before.

After.

They spray painted their hardware with

Rustoleum Metallic in Oil Rubbed Bronze:

But would it really look that good in real life??

So Mr. Man went to Lowe’s,

bought some black automotive primer

and some ORB spray paint,

and tried it out on some old hardware that we had leftover,

sitting out in the garage.

And it works! 

It really is quite amazing.

I was afraid it would look cheesy up close, but it really doesn’t.

 (In fact, I think it looks better in person than in this photo)

I’m so impressed; we may do more than those 2 doorknobs.  (!)

I googled it and found some more photos,

and found out that all sorts of gals are doing this: 

ORB’ing their hardware. 

ORB=oil rubbed bronze 

It’s a noun, an adjective, and apparently, a verb!

For now, we’ll probably stick to some doorknobs

and a maybe a porch light, but what a deal! 

New ORB hardware for about $8!

Another good find.

Thank you, Pinterest!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog  

♥

Nebula OP188

Here is a photo of my latest pastel painting!

I was wanting to try out my new handmade pastels
that I got for Xmas,
and just had to paint another nebula.  (!) 

These space paintings are just so much fun. 
I know I’ve painted several of them,
but I always love painting another one.

Which leads me to an observation…

Sometimes when we go to art shows,
all the pieces in an artist’s booth look alike.

This used to bother me. 

It was like, hello, it’s all the same! 
Sometimes, right down to everything being done
 in the very same colors.

At first I thought it was a lack of originality,
but I slowly realized that it was a sign of the artist’s style.

And then one time we were at an art show,
and the opposite happened. 

The booth was full of paintings,
and none of them were even remotely alike. 

12 paintings and they looked like
they came from 12 different people.

My husband and I talked about it later
and we both wondered about the artist: 
so which one of these pieces is “you”??  J

Anyway, these little space paintings are definitely “me”. 

And if they were all together in one art booth,
yeah, they might tend to look alike.
But I hope you enjoy them anyway!

I still wish you could see them in person... 
They look so much better in real life.
Oh, well!

TGIF, everybody!!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog
♥