Knitting Needle Sizes

Did you know that a US size 1 dpn needle is just the right size to roll under the desktop scanner completely?

Did you know that a sharpened regular ole number 2 lead pencil is just too wide to fit under the aforementioned flatbed scanner to retrieve the dpn needle?

Did you know that dust bunnies can compress themselves to a very teenie tiny size to fit under undisturbed places to hibernate and will immediately upon removal BREATHE into a very large sized bit of dust upon extraction?

Well now you know. smirk

moral of the story? Do all you can to prevent "rolling" not-in-use-at-this-moment-in-time dpns so you don't have to chase them down only to discover compressed dustbunnies, unless of course you *like* to dust.

Have a grand and glorious day all. Please keep those involved in the aftermath in Katrina all through our wonderful country in your prayers. Pictures on tv are nothing compared to seeing that devastation in person. Not my things but in the communities near to me last year.

Needles up! Pockets open for donating to aid in the efforts of recovery.
denise/deBrat aka Grandma Brattie to-be (Dec '05) aka Mom of last-to-graduate high school (May '06) aka Mother-in-law to be (august '06) What a year it will be!

Panama City Beach August 2005

Where to begin with a perfectly wonderful week in Panama City Beach? I fished and CAUGHT and saw dolphins, up CLOSE! I visited the Florida State Caverns! I went to a quilt guild meeting and saw a Dear Jane program courtesy of an invite extended on Monday evening by the wife of one of my husband's business associates who also quilts. Funny how things happen. I went to a wine tasting, of wines bottled in St Petersburg just one hour from my house instead of 6 hours!

But here are just a few of the pictures for your enjoyment. It was really hard to choose which ones to post on the site as I took well over 200 pictures in just a few days.

Ed putting Sophie off the boat. She was a wee bit upset that she did not get to go on a boat ride. And went to great lengths to avoid being in the same spot as me... or the same room even!



Here is my 24" grouper! a FULL 2" bigger than keeper size requirements. Woohooo!




My keeper sized Red Snapper. This was the 2nd fish I caught that day and then the bait stealling Trigger fish moved in. Ed managed to catch a keeper Trigger fish but *I* got the great eating keeper fish of the day. He is such a great fishing host. :)



Here is a picture of Patty MacMonigal's Dear Jane quilt. Her quilt was very interesting to see because she is not using the traditional muslin background but assorted shirtings. It makes for a very lovely Dear Jane quilt.



I really fell in love with this one block in what I think is Susie Pippin's Dear Jane quilt. Don't you just love the rainbow colors in those tiny pieces? A refreshingly different look to that block.

I took many pictures during Show and Tell and Share but this is a great black and white and red quilt. The blocks were part of an exchange in the Honey Bees sub-group of the guild and I thought it was stunning! Oh and that is Patty MacMonigal holding the quilt up on the left. For those Dear Janiacs who might be reading this.

We went to Florida State Caverns on Wednesday afternoon and I took a LOT of pictures there. I was playing with the settings on the Nikon 8700 camera trying to figure it out. So I took 2 or 3 pictures of most sections of the cave choosing different "background" auto settings on the camera. This was before I started to take multiple shots so it is very yellowish on the left where it is un-naturally lighted by gasp! a light! I think this is the structure on my metal souvenir thimble I got later on in the gift shop.

This picture shows what appears to a pool of water but it is actually shiny like wet ice and hard surfaced. This is the better shot of the two I took but still not to my liking.



The picture to the far right is one of my favorites of the caverns as it shows so many different surfaces in one photo and so many depths too. It has some perfect coloring also and hopefully loaded up the proper direction.

Well now I want to take it back and say that THIS one is the best picture of the lot. Don't you think it is gorgeous?



This picture is too dark online but fine on my moniter. This is the only part of the cave you are allowed to touch. It looked like a totem pole from a distance but up close it looks almost moldy. A black mold, not a green mold. It felt wet to the touch but actually I think it was just cold? Anyway, according to the tour guide, because it has been touched the oils from our skins causes the water(?) that comes down to form the stalagtite/mites whatever the heck they are called, will no longer adhere to the structure.



If you look closely you can see the tail of a cave salamander taking off much too fast for me to catch you in the picture fully. According to our guide, we might see bats, salamanders, snakes and frogs. We saw two bats fly across the pathway/room and two bats stuck on the wall (see next picture for one of them) one very long salamander (must have been at least 12") and gratefully NO snakes. now the frog might have been cute to see. The salamander was very long as very thin and black, in addition to being fast!One of the bats on the wall. It is only about 1 1/2" big and sort of pale-ish white not black like we tend to think of bats as being.This is a picture of the hole Neal thought I should stick my hand into! No way. Besides being chicken, we were told to not touch anything and to me that meant sticking my hand in menacing looking holes too! No need to "make" the snake suddenly appear, eh?The gorgeous view as we exited the caverns. Unfortunately it was way too full of mosquitos to stick around and do either of the two hiking paths so we made a quick run for the gift shop and then off to get in the van. There is a swimming hole/beach we drove up to see in the woods too.And some people were in the water too. to the left of this area is a big sign warning of alligators and a sort of net under the bridge before the swimming area. It was not fenced around the lawn looking grass but who reading this believes that alligators are not smart enough to get out of the water to the left of the netting and walk around on the lawn and get back into the water on the "swimming" side of the netting? oh well, I took the picture from the van window so I'll never have to deal with whether alligators can read which side of the sign/netting they are suppose to be on.
Wednesday night after the trip to the caverns we ate at Pineapple Willy's on the beach and got the best table in the house. Or rather outside or inside the house. Our sunset view looking west.



Same view different camera setting. Closer to the true colors of the sunset but I like what the other setting did by darkening it up.




The southward view looking straight out and the next picture is the southward view looking down!








And the view as we walked on the beach to the east of where we ate dinner. All in all a lovely day, a great vacation!

July 30th

Got to meet up with Derek and Jen in Tampa before they went on a one week cruise with like 50 people they knew! wow! Had a great time and found out that Derek was going to propose to Jen on the trip. wooohoo! what great news that was. I'm so happy to say that she said yes and the date is set for next year hopefully August 12th but that is dependent on location availability.


Here is a picture of the happy couple. One of the last pictures of "the appendage" as her dad calls him and the "girlfriend" before they changed their nicknames to "FIANCEE'"
And I know your eyes are closed in this one Jen but I have to include it because of the loving look that Derek is giving you in this picture. Or should it be more of a "possesive" look? Either way I like the look.

Love and hugs for you both and welcome to the family. Raising a glass and toasting your engagement,
mom

Mystery Solved!

So much happening these past couple of weeks. I finished my knit exchange bag and mailed it off on Sunday/Monday August 14th/15th and so here are the pictures of the finished bag.

PATTERN: The Sheep Tote/Fiber Trends/Bev Galeskas
YARN: Inspired by Noro Kureyon 149/A (but too expensive to use)
Cascade 220 (9458, 8013, 8012, 4002, 8400)
Held with one strand of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes throughout
Hemp Cord and Wool of the Andes I-Cord for the strap NOT felted

I used nearly all of 4 skeins of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes. A 5th skein was purchased and waiting in the wings and highly recommended you do the same.

NEEDLES: Size 13 29" circular

I would have much prefered to have used a belt around the bag for decoration and then attached straps for carrying but the belt I had was too small and I did not pre-plan the "holes" correctly for that and I prefer NOT to cut the felted bag to add the strap holes to it.

Anyway, it is large enough to carry a 17" needle rollup and the Denise's needles case and some yarn and pattern information. The swatch was used inside to provide a water bottle holder but I did not attach it high enough up to be functional in that manner. sigh

But it is done and I was an interesting knitting experience. The bag went to David Bates as part of the knitexchange bag exchange.

Now I am off for the next project(S).

~Test knitting a sock pattern for Bev Warner

~Designing a lacey beaded scarf for DJKnitters at yahoo groups as a part of a contest I started there

~Continuing on the poncho for Ashley From Viva Poncho at www.knitpicks.com the Greta Poncho in knitpicks yarn Summer Sky Andean Treasure

~So much more but these are at the top of the list right now and will have to do

Have a grand and glorious day of knitting and thanks for reading
Keep your needles sharpened and loaded with yarn!
denise/deBrat

This and That

Ooooh I have the best SP5 in the whole world! she sent me the most beautiful glass windchimes. And there was a very elegant alpaca flower pin kit to make. A box full of labels to use on things. And a skein of Hand Dyed Prism by Colinette yarn in Blue parrot!

NOw to ponder what to make with the Blue Parrot yarn, where to hang the windchimes and cast on for the flower pin kit. I'm also going to check and see if I can print on the label sheets using my computer. Then I could make some great labels that are very personalized for my correspondence.

That was the THIS part and now for the THAT

The one skein wonder shrug patttern is something I ahve been admiring and lusting for for quite some time. Today I succumbed and ordered it from Glampyre http://glampyreknits.tripod.com/glampyrephotos/id97.html and guess what? It is a .pdf download file so there was INSTANT gratification involved too! AND the needles it calls for were empty and I just happened to have a skein or two of yarn that might make the shrug for me as it is a 6oz skein and not a 4oz one I figure I'm safe from the 1 and HALF skein wonders I have heard of happening happening to me.

well dinner is ready and the movie is over (Home Alone 4 which I did not think was possible to be worse than the Home Alone 3 but it was.... sigh none of them are as good as the original!)

knitting love and hugs
needles clacking!
denise/deBrat