Dragon's Orchid Garden

I'm thankful for family and friends, a roof over my head, nice yarn, and muppets. Enjoy.

Here's just one little reason why.  Weeks ago, I dragged him to my favorite lys, Fiber Art , when we were out running errands.  I needed a certain size needles and some yarn.  Actually, I just needed the needles, but the yarn just jumped at me and landed in my arms begging to go to my house.  It was Berroco Lustra in teal, but I digress.  Then, this last Sunday, I joined a knit-along group on Ravelry .  All of us are going to knit the Echo Flower Shawl .  I went online to KnitPicks to order a ball winder for the yarn I was going to use, because I'm weary of winding yarn by hand (though I'm damned good at it).  I also ordered a set of Options interchangeable needles, and though I was going to use yarn already stashed, I bought 3 hanks of Alpaca Cloud Lace in midnight heather because it was a great deal and the shawl will look gorgeous in that color.  Getting to the awsomeness now...after making my online purchase, I walked into the den to tell Wayne I'd bought the needl

A while ago, I downloaded a free font program to chart knitting patterns called Knitting Symbols by CET V2.00 . I've run across a couple of lace patterns I really like and just finished a dishcloth pattern I found on Ravelry . It's called Elvish Leaves. The first time I started knitting it, I frogged it after 20 or so rows because I ended up with 45 stitches on my needle when I should have had 39! I need pictures. Charts speak to me. I can follow them. So I made one for this really nice lace pattern created by Kelley's Yarns . I hope it links correctly here. Please let me know if you cannot access the file. I'll make more of these cloths. It was really fun to knit.  This  link should take you to a pdf file for the chart.   Updated document on 1/31/10 to correct row 7, which should be k3, purl 33, k3.

After spending hours of my vacation knitting a gift for my cats, it was finished. I staged a picture of the finished Mouse Mat by putting Sasha on it. She obliged and lay down. For two seconds. Long enough to snap a picture. I've put it various places around the house to no effect. Except for Knucklehead, who did lay on it once, they've ignored it. I want to make several of the mats and replace the crappy Petsmart cat beds, which, once imbedded with fur, do not ever get clean again no matter how many times you toss them in the washer and dryer. So...I put the mouse mat on the table in front of the window where they all hang out, removing one of the three crappy beds. Later, I walked into the room to see three cats in two beds and the mouse mat forlornly empty. Sasha and Lenny were squished into one bed. Which is weird, because Lenny doesn't usually tolerate Sasha being that close to him. Got a picture of that, too. I think Sasha must have sensed that my feelings were hurt,

Finished first mouse mat. I'll have to make it bigger next time.  Many more to go. With 4 cats here, dear Mom-in-Law with 20 or so, friends Jimi & Leon with 6, gonna need a lot more chunky wool yarn. I've been off work most of this week, sleeping in til 10 AM, reading and knitting. Talked to DSS David in Las Vegas a couple of times and he sent another fabulous self-portrait via email. Here's Dave's extremely handsome mug, along with pics of Sasha enjoying her mat.