Lazy knitting

Now that I've finished the "Not your normal baby blanket" I'm doing some lazy knitting. I'm in between traveling scarves, should be getting one soon (hopefully). I've got the materials to start on my first lace shawl, I'm hoping that by the time I get it finished that my daughter or niece will wear it as a wedding shawl. But that won't be anytime soon, I'm sure. Being bored this weekend but not wanting to take on a big challenge I got out a ball of cotton and started on some dishcloths.

I love dishcloths, the hard part is using them. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to make a dragonfly dishcloth. When I started, I really didn't know what I was going to do with this. I started out with a seed stitch border, and thought to myself, that's good, I could just keep it going all the way, but I kept hearing a little voice in my head "dragonfly". I continued the seed stitch (5 stitches) on the edge, but now I wish I'd only done 3 stitches, it's okay, but leaves less room in the middle for the design. I totally winging the design, I don't have a pattern or a chart, just picturing what a dragonfly looks like and knitting it as I go.

The picture is what I've done so far.

Not your normal baby blanket Pattern!

This will be the first time I've published a design of my own. So here it goes, (if you find any mistakes - please let me know immediately)

Not your normal baby blanket
Materials - I used Debbie Bliss Rialto DK weight 3) A: red 3) B: teal 3) D: orange 3) E: pink 3) F: purple 3) G: lime 3) H: pale blue 3) I: maize 5) C: Adriafil Knitcol - 046 self striping

Needles - size 7 /4.5 mm - 26" circular, tapestry needle.
Guage - 18 stitches x 24 rows = 4 inches

NOTE: To keep from having to turn your work each time you need to switch from knit to purl, I knit backwards for my purl rows. With stitches on right hand needle, insert left needle into the back loop of stitch, wrap yarn from back to front, lift right needle over left and slide stitch onto left needle. The directions are written to turn your work, when you come to a purl section you can knit backwards if you chose.

With A cast on on 160 stitches any cast on method will be okay for this project.

Tier 1 Section 1(Base Triangles)
Row 1: p2 turn
Row 2:k2 turn
Row 3: p3 turn
Row 4: k3 turn (continue in the manner adding 1 stitch on each purl row until you have 8 stitchs purled and a triangle base has formed (1 of 20). DO NOT TURN Leave these 8 stitches alone (you are finished wtih them) starting with the next stitch repeat the process of Section 1 (Base Triangles) until you have 20 triangles on your needles.

Tier 2 Section 2 - (right side triangle)
Row 1: With B k2 turn
Row 2: p2 turn
Row 3: k3 turn
Row 4: p3 turn (continue in this manner adding 1 stitch on each knit row until you have 8 stitches knit and a right side triangle complete)

Section 3 - (left slanting rectangles)
Row 1:*pick up and knit 8 stitches turn
Row 2: sl 1 p7 turn
Row 3: k7, ssk (using 1 live stitch from the middle base triangle) continue in this manner until you have picked up all 8 stitches from base triangle. Repeat from * to end

Section 4 - (left side triangle)
Row 1: (WS) pick up and purl 8 stitch along left side of base triangle turn
Row 2: k6, k2tog turn
Row 3: purl turn
Row 4: k5, k2tog turn, continue until only 1 stitch remains

Tier 3 Section 5 - (right slanting rectangle)
Row 1: With C (WS) pick up and purl 7 stitches (to make up 8 stitches) turn
Row 2: *sl 1 k7 turn
Row 3: p7, p2tog (picking up live stitch from rectangle turn, Repeat from * until all 8 stitches from rectangle have been pick up. Repeat Section 5 until you have completed all right slanting rectangles. Continue using this process switching colors for every tier (3 times)

Bind off Triangles
Row 1:*(WS) facing pick up and purl 8 stitches turn
Row 2: sl1 knit turn
Row 3: p2tog, p5, p2tog turn
Row 4: sl1 knit turn
Row 5: p2tog, p4, p2tog turn
Row 6: sl 1 knit turn
Row 7: p2tog, p3, p2tog turn
Row 8: sl 1 knit turn
Row 9: p2tog, p2, p2tog turn
Row 10: sl 1 knit turn
Row 11: p2tog, p1, p2tog turn
Row 12: sl 1 knit turn
Row 13: p2tog (3 times)
Row 14: sl 1, ssk
Row 15: ssk - 1st bind off triange finished slip last stitch onto right needle and continue from * to complete all bind off triangles

Weave in any ends and you are finished.
Labels: baby, blanket, designs, entrelac

Not your normal baby blanket

So I decided to try my hand at designing and this is what I've done. It's about 1/2 finished and I'd like to know what you think.

My niece is having her first baby and so I decided to make her a blanket, but I didn't want to do the "normal" baby blanket. My sister and I were at Loops in Tulsa, OK and I just had to get this Debbie Bliss "Rialto". Now, I'm sure this blanket would be just fine in whatever color or yarn you'd prefer because I've got about $200 into this blanket so far.

I plan on posting the pattern as soon as I've finished the blanket. Check out my Ravelry page "knakedknitter1"

Tax Refunds

I don't know if you guys know this, I work for a staffing service. We specialize in finding people manufacturing and industrial jobs. We are not considered a TEMP service, because we only have 2% if that, that is really temporary. Anyways, as everyone knows this time of year people are getting back tax returns (some of us are paying). I've been in this business now for 8 years and every single year our employees disapear during January through March. I could never figure out why our hours dropped, numbers were sloping down and then around the end of March beginning of April the people would start calling and wanting to go back to work. A few weeks ago I called someone who had been looking for a job to tell him about a particular opportunity that we had coming up that he could start the next day. He told me he didn't need to work right now because he got his tax refund!!! What??? people actually quit their jobs or don't accept a good job because they are living off a tax refund!!! I thought you actually had to work and pay taxes before you got a refund back, but apparently not! I work everyday, I struggle, I've got mouths to feed, but I don't quit my job if I get a tax refund. Good God, what is the United States coming to?

I hate to be to preachy here, but something has got to change. We need stricter rules for giving people government assistance. Now, let me state this first, I am all for helping people who are out there trying to do for themselves. Let the single mother have daycare assistance, WIC for her children and foodstamps if needed, but the boyfriend who is laying on the couch all day while his single mother girlfriend is working a minimum wage job needs to get his ass up and find a job and quit living off the $100 worth of foodstamps she gets to feed her child. What has happened to work ethics? They need to have a mandatory class in school on work ethics. Kids need to be held responsible for their actions and not given a 3 day vacation when they mess up in school. They need to be given community service at the school, really make them work, clean the cafeteria, scrub the locker rooms, make them wear coveralls and no interaction with other students, zeros on all their work, then they might think twice about screwing up in school. They might pay more attention to their studies and really appreciate a job someday. I know no one likes to work, we'd all like to get paid and still be able to do whatever we wanted whether it's stay in bed all day, watch soaps, garden or hang out with the kids at the zoo. I work because they pay me to be here. How do we make our teens and young adults understand this?

I know I'm ranting, but it just really pisses me off, everyday I see these people coming in saying they want to work, but then no call no showing, or tardies everyday, missing because their girlfriends, step mothers, 2nd cousin is in the hospital. I've heard them all!!!