Posted by: trimitup | April 17, 2013

Knitting to stay calm, grounded,and sane

I have said this before and is worth repeating…….Knitting or crocheting keeps me calm or shall I say, grounded.  It’s a sort of therapy for me physically and emotionally. Physically because my hands can get very stiff throughout the day because I have RA, but too much knitting can aggravate so I must keep that in check for each day I knit or crochet.  Emotionally because, well, it’s just soothing to me and makes me happy 🙂

Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon

When something as senseless as a bombing at the famous Boston Marathon, believe me, we need something to calm down our nerves like knitting.  Knitting, painting, exercise of some sort, scrapbook, socializing, etc.  What ever is a constant in your life to provide assurance and normality can help.  As many people have said, we can’t live our lives in fear.  We need to move forward in our daily lives and take each day as a gift from God!  Always learning, growing, and helping others.  Continued prayers for those hurt in the bombing.

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Last couple of weeks I have been just knitting the simple dishcloths  pattern (click on link).  Ravelry has many patterns to choose from so I encourage you to check them out if you don’t already have a favorite. They make great gifts and I personally love to use these in the kitchen and bathroom. (very soothing to knit) : )

My birthday was yesterday and so to celebrate, my husband took me out to dinner.  It is my second dinner for the week soon to have another dinner Friday and lunch with a friend on Saturday too.  Might as well take advantage of birthday week!!!  I received a gift card from a friend for the KnitPicks online store (she knows me so well) KnitPicks.com has a great selection of cotton yarns for knitting and crocheting dishcloths, check it out here!

Happy knitting and stay sane ; )

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | March 15, 2013

Book review: Circular Knitting Workshop

I bought this Circular Knitting Workshop book from Amazon, by: Margaret Radcliffe a few months ago. The book is very informative for both beginners and the experienced. This book is more of a resource book but also has plenty of patterns to try.

Margaret Radcliffe  shows how to convert flat patterns to circular knitting, which I am very interested in.  She talks about the different needle types to use for circular knitting.  I had no idea there are so many ways to cast-on and bound-off with DPN‘s and circular needles.  She shows finishing techniques too!  All of the instructions were very clear and easy to understand.  Patterns included: Bags, hats, shawls, socks, mittens, gloves, and sweaters.  The only thing I didn’t care for were the garment patterns because they are only in one size (small).  She explains that those patterns are for you to practice on, and finish quickly, so I get it!

If you like knitting in the round like I do, then you might want to purchase the Circular Knitting Workshop book.  One cannot have too many great resource books………..even if space is an issue. 🙂

I bought a new android app for the kitties, they love this one called Cat Toys 3D.  A mouse moves in and out of the screen and squeeks too!  It drives them crazy!!

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Have a great weekend, happy knitting : )

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | March 11, 2013

Meet my text glove model……Thing

2013-03-10 13.32.43Yes! I have a new model for gloves and its name is Thing. Remember the Adams Family? Well they had a family member who was just a hand and was named Thing.   So my husband thought it would be fun to name mine after their hand.  This hand is actually used for drawing art  but I liked the idea instead of mine (ugly) or a regular mannequin hand.

Thing was sitting on the kitty condo when this photo was taken.  Thing is also modeling one of my new text gloves as well.  She/He will come in handy (no pun intended!) for future modeling of my knit gloves.

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This past weekend we were in the South Park District of San Diego next to Balboa Park,  when I saw some yarn bombing.

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Well I had to stop and take a few pics of this incredible feast for the eyes!!  The surf board with a knit cover says “Graffiti Beach”.   Turns out it’s a store which is responsible for all the yarn bombing!!  Their Facebook page is here.

Graffiti Beach is a platform designed to get products and music in the public eye. With an eclectic mix of urban and beach style, the hand selected brands encompass all things hip & trendy, showcasing art pulsating with young life, home decor made from reclaimed materials, fashion and jewelry.   In short, it oozes of California creativity and there’s nothing quite like it on the market.

Happy knitting : )

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | February 9, 2013

My favorite vest ever and Blooming flower tea!

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M2013-01-30 14.24.35y all time favorite vest is called Ribbed Vest that I got through Ravelry. The pattern is from Plymouth Yarn as well as the yarn.  The yarn is called Baby Alpaca Grande and is to die for. It’s the most wonderful yarn I have ever knit or worn!!!  Everyone should knit or crochet with this yarn at least once 🙂  Sooooo soft, the drape is amazing……oops sorry for drooling.  Oh yeah the colorway is indigo.

I ordered this tea through Amazon, and it came in these adorable little containers. 

2013-02-06 13.03.34 2013-02-09 08.45.26 2013-02-09 08.53.28 2013-02-09 08.47.21The tea is by Summit Tea & Company.com.  The flavors are Green Blooming and Jasmine Blooming (cute names)  You place one in a glass teapot, gently pour hot water over the tea.  Then you watch the leaves slowly unfurl to reveal a beautiful flower. (so Fun!) Tastes great and is supposed to be better for you then regular ground tea. I highly recommend this particular brand because the tea is very smooth. One blooming flower will last all day, you just keep adding hot water to the pot.  I bought mine on Amazon but the link above is a direct link to their store.  Be sure to look for the blooming tea as they have so many teas to choose from.

Happy knitting : )

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | February 2, 2013

Groundhog and Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day

Today is the first Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day…. (renamed).  Read the press release here.  I follow the Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior blog, because I do have it and it is not an easy disease to live with. (ask my husband) Here are another links about the RA awareness day: here. Another one: here. RA is very different from regular Osteo Arthritis.  RA can effect the whole body such as the eyes and lungs, so it’s important to get the word out so people better understand the disease and to get diagnosed early.  Yes, I know it’s Groundhog Day too!!

My husband and I started the J.J. Virgin Diet this past week, and the main reason I wanted to try the diet was to get my RA under control.  The diet is basically about cutting out seven key foods that cause food intolerance in the body like gluten which causes swollen joints.  This diet is a good way to find out if you do have any foods that irritate the body, It’s really worth a try!  So far we both lost a few pounds and our digestion is already so much better!!

2013-01-30 14.30.432013-01-30 14.29.28Now, finally, to the knitting…… I’ve finished the afghan, here are some photos of it.  This is a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn Co. called First-Cable Afghan.  I’ve knit and crocheted many afghans but never with a cable stitch so it really was a first for me!

Happy knitting : )

marilynknits

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