This photo is from yesterday … sorry, I’m too lazy to go back downstairs and then come back upstairs and the view today looks essentially the same. The swim float for the campground next door is in the water and that means summer is on the horizon. We’ve had a couple of hot summery days and now we’re getting more springlike weather again. Welcome to New England where they say if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It always changes.
With the weather changes, though, the lilacs are blooming and the daffodils are fading. The grass is almost ready to be mowed. We do try to adhere to “No Mow May” in order for the early bugs and birds to have some natural food sources but the grass is getting tall and the side yard is covered, at least half of it, with dandelions. My father would have been out there deadheading them so they don’t spread. I think they’re pretty.
In Threes Cardigan in Malabrigo Rios
The little cardigan, In Threes, is finished. I bought buttons on Thursday and sewed them on after work. I just need a tag and to trim the yarn ends (I never trim the woven in ends until the sweater/garment is blocked just in case.) I’ll get those things done today and box them up to be sent to Atlanta. Baby Elise was born two weeks early and is a bitty little beauty. She won’t be wearing this sweater for a little while. (And it’s a bit warm for a sweater in Atlanta.) I am really pleased with this pattern and with the yarn I chose. It’s so soft and the colorway is lovely. It’ll be a total surprise to the mom and dad. Tee. Hee.
Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock
I made a lot of progress yesterday at work and last night. I got the yoke of my Salty Air Tee finished. I have four rounds to go in stockinette stitch before I separate the sleeves from the body. After that, I have inches and inches of stockinette stitch which will be perfect for plane knitting on the way to Arizona later this week for my brother’s 70th celebration. I am so excited to be with my family!
I also worked on my second sock for my hubby in the new Arne & Carlos sock yarn, Socks and More. I really like the new base, as I have said before and I’m getting more used to knitting socks with a nine-inch circular needle. I am working hard to find the blessings in these needles. I do believe that my tension while doing colorwork on the Escher socks, the second sock, was better than with my DPNs, the first sock. I have since washed the socks and I haven’t yet checked to see how they look now. I did find a couple of sweaters that I have to sew tags into – the back of the sweaters are marked with a stitch marker. Ha ha! That’ll happen today.
My goal is to do some knitting on the porch. I hope the breeze is manageable. At least today the sun is out and it’s pleasant temps. The rest of the weekend sounds less so.
My hubby was up quite a bit earlier than I was this morning. He saw the sunrise. I did not. BUT by the time I got up, the lake was covered in pollen. You can’t see it here but, believe me when I say, it is covered and my allergies (that my doctor says I don’t have) are going crazy! I may have to close up the windows in my atelier today and turn on the air conditioning to manage my breathing.
Yesterday I was busy! cleaned our bedroom windows and screens, changed the bed and put on fresh sheets, washed sheets and towels, cleaned the bathroom and even made some chocolate zucchini bread to use up some of last summer’s zucchini that I had forgotten about. I’m not sure what else took up the day but when I went upstairs for my meeting it was nearly two o’clock. When my hubby got home from work he wanted to install the air conditioner in my atelier (it was hot, to be fair) so we got that done, too. I didn’t feel badly climbing into bed early last night at all.
I have all but finished the little sweater, a gift for a dear friend’s daughter (the daughter was my daughter’s best friend in high school) who has adopted a baby girl. The baby was born last week and she’s now home with her family. She’s a beauty and I hope one day that I get to meet her. It’s fun to watch the children raising their families … and gives us “old folks” a chance to love our children’s children as we might have liked to love our own children … but we have all grown some in the between years and this older generation has learned more patience, and I am in a much better relationship and in a better financial place so that I can enjoy the kids and the grandkids in a different way. This is not to blame or cast aspersions. We all do the best that we can under the circumstances. I was a good mother to my kids and I will likely be an even better grandmother. I’m proud of myself for what I’ve done, the children I’ve raised, for finishing my college degree later in life, and for starting over at 50 and finding a new, wonderful life.
The little sweater is In Threes. I knit it in Malabrigo Rios in the Melissa colorway. Rios is so soft, it’s perfect for knitting children’s garments for against-the-skin softness. It’s a superwash Merino and as such wants to be knitted with some structure (texture or cables or seams) and it likes to be knitted at a tighter gauge … otherwise it’ll pill before it’s even finished. (Not really but close.) I chose to knit this sweater at a tighter gauge and a larger size. I could have gone down to a US6 but I used a US7. I knit the second size hoping that by fall it’ll be a good fit. Fingers crossed. Since baby Elise’s mother is Melissa, when I chose the color and then looked at the name of the colorway, I had to take a hank or two home. I used just about one hank to knit the sweater … I just have to find some buttons at work on Thursday (that’s tomorrow!)
In Threes in Malabrigo Rios
I have gotten to the toe of my hubby’s first sock and he’s tried it on so I can Kitchener the toe and start the second sock. Yay! I really am liking the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More sock yarn base … it seems softer than the old Regia base. Less coarse. I am knitting this pair in the Yankee Knitter way (which I have memorized) for a palate cleanser and then I am going to start another pair of colorwork socks the yarn for which I bought at La Laine Biscotte in Quebec.
Yankee Knitter Socks for the Family #29 in Arne & Carlos Socks and More
Today I think I’ll finish the sock and start the leg of the second sock but then focus on the Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock in the Harbor Colorway. I really want to get this done before we leave for Tucson at the end of the month. I have one hand-knit tee in a linen/cotton blend using Zooey by Juniper Moon Farm and the second one will be a good addition, I think.
I made good progress last week on my second, charcoal gray Easy Folded Poncho by Churchmouse Yarns in Rowan Felted Tweed. I love my orange one so much and when I saw the charcoal … I just had to buy it. I may even make another! The photography of this garment isn’t thrilling as it’s a simple stockinette stitch rectangle but …
Easy Folded Poncho in Rowan Felted Tweed
I have set aside my daughter’s Levitate Wrap until I can have her try it on. I am not 100% on gauge with this garment and there’s mohair involved so I don’t want to have to frog it too much if it doesn’t fit. I’ll get the second shoulder started one of these days and I’ll have her try it on when I head to NYC next month. I’m having withdrawl from seeing my kids and granddaughter!
There may be another Gansey Afghan in my future … orange like my knitting chair perhaps … stay tuned.
It’s a beautiful sunny Monday morning and I wanted to show you my baby Rhubarb plant that my friend and coworker gave me last fall-ish. It originally came from their camp which is next door to our house and now a piece of it has returned “home”. I can’t wait until it grows up and we can make yummy pies with it. A celebration of generosity and friendship.
I have two FOs to share today! Yippee! I have completely finished and wrapped up to send the Vanilla Sweater to my college roommate. I’ll stop at the post office on my way to town today. I hope she loves it and loves the fit!
I sewed in my label yesterday and cut off all the leftover bits of long yarn (there weren’t that many because I spit-spliced the majority of joins. I’ve wrapped it in white tissue paper with a yellow QBK ribbon and it’s ready to go. I added a couple of rows of seed stitch to the bottom hem to see if it will stop rolling (mine rolls) and I lengthened the sleeves a bit, too. I can hardly wait to see it on her! This is a wonderful pattern by Corinne Tomlinson of the Wooly Thistle fame and I knit it with the Rauma Finull, a 100% Norwegian wool, fingering weight yarn. The sweater itself is a fairly straight forward top-down raglan pullover with a split hem.
I also finished the knitting on my Hansel Hap (Half) by Gudrun Johnston in Jamiesons and Jamieson & Smith Shetland yarns. I have a small stash of this yarn from a former series of classes that I took where I also bought the yarn packages and then didn’t knit all of the projects. I’ve used up some of that yarn here and have plans for some Shetland-style caps to use up some more of it. Anyway, I loved knitting this shawl. My colors make me happy and I particularly liked knitting with the natural Shetland yarns. The finished hap is quite large but it was a fun knit and it will be a fun shawl to wear when it’s chilly at night this spring and maybe summer. For sure next fall and winter! The shawl is blocking now on our guest room bed where it’ll be for a few more days until the fiber relaxes after it’s good soak. I love how the yarn blocked out – even stitches and soooooo stretchy! I’ve used my blocking wires to pull the points of the border out and to hold the top of the shawl straight.
I’ve been working on my daughter’s Levitate Wrap and once I’ve finished the shoulders, I’m going to put it on hold until I see her to make sure it’s going to fit. The Patagonia yarn held double with the Aerial makes a lovely soft fabric that I think will drape really well. The sweater doesn’t really look like anything yet so I’ll post more later on that.
Meanwhile, I’m going to start a tee and I think it’s going to be a Salty Air tee in some stashed On the Round yarn in a fingering weight. I’m really trying to use up some stashed yarns! I have a denim-y blue colorway and three hanks of it so I think that’ll work. I like the Salty Air and also the Maven top so it’ll be a toss up. I’m not sure what I’m waiting for. I also want to cast on my Broadgate Tabbard. I bought that green linen yarn that I adored on a UK shop owner’s social media … she’s now sold me two sweater quantities of yarn and I have to stop watching her posts! The Tabbard seems like a good summer knit because it’s not to bulky or heavy and I could perhaps see wearing it over a tee shirt or light summer blouse. It does have a textured pattern on it so I will have to pay attention to it until I get the rhythm down.
A quick post today because I’ve got errands to run before I meet a friend for lunch and we’re going to see the Sheep Detectives movie this afternoon.
Can you see something is different this morning? LOL. We have a boat next door and it’s not supposed to be there. It must have broken free of its mooring yesterday when the lake was super rough. We had lots of wind and white-tipped waves splashing up onto our dock and the shore, too. The sailboat was there when I got home from work yesterday and my hubby had been over to check it out and found out that it was untethered and yet stuck somehow. Without going “swimming” there was nothing more he could do about it but he was concerned, and rightly so, that it would free itself again and could run into our dock and/or our neighbor’s dock. I called the game warden and my friend who has connection the Christian camp next door and our neighbor on the other side just to pick peoples’ brains … what does one do when a boat is loose? Long story short, it turnedt out that the owner knew the boat was loose, came out in a motor boat to check on it last night before dark and then came and got it this morning. He headed across the lake and south which makes sense. Godspeed!
You guys! I have been a finishing machine! I finished two more projects yesterday!!! I am excited to report that I have finished the Vanilla Sweater for my college roommate and it’s been blocked and is drying. I hope she’ll love it. I am a little bit nervous knitting for other people who are at a distance because I am not SURE of the fit. Little kids are one thing … adults are another. And each of us likes sweaters to fit a certain way. Well, we shall see. When it’s dry, I have to add the label and then clip the ends that are already woven in and then I’ll send it off.
What I like most about this sweater pattern is the ease with which it’s knitted and I have to be honest, I love the wooly wool. I used Rauma Finull again this time in a heathered lavender and it’s a wonderful yarn to knit with. I love that it is wooly and I can spit-splice it when I come to the end of a ball. There are so few ends to weave in at the end. I had to bind off the collar twice; I was a bit too aggressive in the first one, apparently, because it was quite tight despite the larger needle size.
Vanilla Sweater off the needles – pre-blocking
I also finished my Escher socks. Yay! I was ready for these and I have to tell you that they are far from perfect. Far. From. Perfect. Here’s the deal … I wanted to knit these socks on short circular needles but I didn’t have the right size needle when I started so I started with DPNs and knit most of the first sock on them. After I found the right size 9″ circular needles, I started the second sock with them … and oh, boy! What a difference in the gauge/size of the socks. I wasn’t sure the second sock would even fit on my foot but it does. So, last night I finished both forethought heels. Not my favorite heel. Sorry not sorry. I still love me a heel flap and gusset. This heel seems too shallow? I have a knitter who says she knits more rounds before the decreases and that may make it deep enough to make me happier. AND because the gauge is slightly different, the leg of the socks seems a bit different, too. Once they’re dry, I’ll try them on again and measure to see if it’s me or the socks.
They’re very pretty and they have HUGE holes on each side of the heel. I am sure there is a way to “fix” this but I feel like it shouldn’t be there in the first place. Grr. I blocked the socks before I fixed this mess and I’ll fix them when they dry. I have four big old holes to fix. Ugh. Well, they’ll be fine. And they’re finished. Next socks I have planned with my new yarn from Quebec City’s Biscotte … or I may just knit a simple pair. I haven’t really decided.
Still in WIP form … I am still working on the Hansel Hap Half. I have reached the border edging and it’ll take me a bit to get that done and finished and blocked but not too long. It’s a long edge to add a border to. I am still quite pleased with this shawl and I am eager to wear it. What makes me happy about this shawl is that none of it was purchased … it was all stashed. Bits and bobs of yarn that I have purchased over the years now turned into a shawl. Yay!
I think I’ve knitted five “bumps” on the edge and I have a lot more to go. It’s just a bunch of increases and decreases, simple enough but it does take a little bit of attention to stay on track. I think once it’s blocked, it’ll be a good sized shawl and may be the one that lives in my studio for those times I need a little bit of warmth.
I am going to cast on my daughter’s cardigan and a baby sweater for a friend’s daughter (she’s my eldest daughter’s best friend from high school) who is adopting a baby girl around the end of the month. I found the perfect colorway with the mother’s name on it. I knew that I needed to bring it home when I saw this! But on this note, I’m going to go knit for a bit and listen to a podcast. It’s my day off and I’ve not knitted yet … and it’s nearly 5pm! Yikes! Back to work tomorrow.
I went out this morning to take my “photo of the day” when there was a loon just sitting out in the lake … and just as I snapped this photo, it dove and it was too damp and chilly to wait for it to pop up again. Today is a good day for loons. Rainy and gray and damp but a well filler (we live on a well and are already in drought conditions) so I won’t complain … I have given myself permission, after a few crazy busy weeks, to do “nothing”. That generally means doing only what I feel like doing which today may be hanging in my atelier watching something on TV and knitting. I have another two weeks before life returns to “normal” (the boss is out of town for a month, adding to all of our work routines) and I need to stay healthy to keep up with the pace. I’m not usually at the store three or more days a week. None of us are. But when she leaves, it’s either we step up or … I’m not sure what would happen because we always step up.
This is the principal at Maine Arts Academy yesterday letting some of the artists/students add some bling to his face paint. This school, where I’m happily a volunteer and board member, is wonderful. I love being associated with it and truly believe it to be an example for public schools everywhere. Yesterday we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Maine Arts Academy with a brunch, awards, performances, and heart. It’s been a year in the making but the event went off without a hitch and it was fantastic from start to finish. I think I can speak for all of us that we are so glad to have it in the rear view mirror – all we have left is a review and thank you notes.
I have been having a challenging knitting week. It seems like everything I knit I un-knit. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m inattentive or what but I’ve been making all the silly mistakes. Knitting sure can humble you.
I’m working my way down the foot of my Escher sock #2. Somewhere along the line, I changed from using DPNs to a nine-inch circular needle and guess what? The gauge of the sock has also changed. So, having completed the same number of pattern repeats, I am still an inch shy of where the toe decreases should go. (The circumference is a bit narrower, too.) I like the fabric of the second sock better so I am going to finish it to be the correct foot length and I probably have enough yarn to make a third sock if I need to. I am also going to go ahead and knit the heel of the first sock (probably before finishing the second sock’s foot) and see how it fits. When they say that it makes a difference what needles you use, they’re so right! I certainly know better but I really did want to try the 9″ circs and when I happened to be at a yarn shop that had one, I jumped. Oh well.
Escher Sock #2
I’ve also been working (and reworking) on my Hansel Hap. I stopped paying attention somewhere along the line and worked well past a row that needed to be a “lace” row and it would have affected the pattern had I ignored it and gone on. So, I frogged back a few rows and then re-knit. At the same time, I ran out of one colorway that I was using … most of the way across the second row … and had to adjust that, too. I tried to just change colors but that didn’t work and I ended up frogging back and changing the colorway entirely. Thank goodness the pattern is somewhat flexible with the color order. I am one row from doing the edge border and then it will be done … just in time for summer?
Hansel Hap Half
I’ve also been working on my roommate’s Vanilla Sweater and have finished the body and started the second sleeve. I was waiting for her measurement specifications before finishing the lengths of the sleeves and the body but now I’m on the way. I added a couple of extra rows of seed stitch to the split hem in hopes that it won’t roll up like mine does. The color is really lovely and the yarn is so wonderful to work with. I love working with wooly wool and spit-splicing the yarn so there are not too many ends to weave in at the end. This should be finished in the next week or so and blocked and sent off to Connecticut.
Vanilla Sweater
I’ve finished the two little purple crowns for my granddaughter and her little friend, Madeline. They’ll be sent off to NYC this week (or if I can figure out a way to get down there, I’ll carry them down.) I’ve also finished a gnome MKAL (mystery knit along). Sarah Schira is brilliant and I always enjoy her gnome patterns. This one is no exception. I am collecting quite a few of her patterns and have knitted a bunch including one in worsted weight so he’s HUGE! I have several that I have never knitted and this reminds me to knit more of them. Maybe I need to collect them all from my atelier and take them outside some day to photograph! Anyway, this one was another fun knit and I do love her – her name is Gneddy, according to the designer. I finally went out and bought a big bag of the poly pellets to weigh their little bodies down so they don’t tip over. I have put beans in before but I’m worried that the organic origin of beans may be problematic over the years. Isn’t she cute?
Bear Cozy Gnome KAL
The day lilies are about six-inches tall now and the forsythia bush is still waiting to bloom. I did a little walk around the yard to see how it was going and the perennials are coming back and greening up. I discovered that our forsythia has sprouted a second plant that we’ll dig out and move after they bloom. They should bloom soon. Meanwhile, the Maple trees have popped and the leaves are opening. Spring is here in Maine and we are so grateful for longer days. (The full moon the other night sure did throw off my sleep! It was a powerful moon, big and bright, it lit up the whole inside of our bedroom!)
It’s been a busy week and it’s not over yet! I am missing the sun this morning and the “energy” that comes with it but I’m trying to make it a good day. We had our coffee indoors this morning; between the lack of sun, wind and lower temps it was too cool to sit outside. BUT as you’ll see, our dock is in and summer can begin whenever it would like to!
I’ve been working away at finishing a few little projects and working on some bigger ones, too. My Hansel Hap Half has been languishing in its project bag untouched while I get the Vanilla Sweater for my college roomie finished. I’ll start with the Vanilla Sweater.
Vanilla Sweater
I’ve completed the first sleeve and have picked up where I left off at the bottom of the body. I have split the hem and am working my way down the back half. I’ll knit a couple of extra rows so it doesn’t flip up like mine does. One day I may even go back and add a couple of rows to mine. Stay tuned.
I’ve been participating in the Mystery KAL Beary Cozy Gnome by Sarah Schira and we have received the final clue. I was a little bit behind and hope to catch up today but my volunteer job with Maine Arts Academy is taking a bit of extra time this week because we have our tenth anniversary celebration on Saturday. Regardless, I’m doing some knitting and this is so close! I won’t post any photos today so I don’t spoil the mystery part. Stay tuned.
I’ve also been working on my Escher Socks by Summer Lee. I love this pattern and the socks are going to be gorgeous! I am now past the heel on the second sock. I worked on this sock and the gnome all day yesterday (well, as I had time).
Escher Socks
The socks absolutely will not match and that’s ok with me. I just started working the second sock where the first sock left off. I think they’ll be even more fun this way. Not everything has to be matchy matchy.
I have two finished little purple crowns that will be sent to NYC as soon as they’re dry. AND I have finished the new store sample for Mothers Day. Both were interesting “challenges”. The shop sample is the Pressed Flowers Kerchief made in a yarn that we “found” in the shop, in kits that haven’t sold. We thought if we could come up with a cute pattern they might sell in smaller kits. This is the pattern of our choice and it’s adorable and a fun knit. If I had my druthers, I’d have made it a little bit bigger but the thing about sample knitting is that you have to follow the pattern directions. Period. No playing with it. So, this is the kerchief knitted to the pattern specifications and it’s a small kerchief. 30 inches long and about 9 inches deep. Big enough to wrap around your head or your neck. The yarn is very soft and it was a fun, quick knit. I am guessing that you could knit two of them from the two hanks of yarn. There’s a lot left over. Maybe to be sure, you could reverse the colors – I keep meaning to weigh the kerchief and the left-over yarn but my husband took the kitchen scale back to the kitchen. Horrors. 🙂
The crown are another laughable story where I initially looked at the shop sample and assumed that the crown was knitted from the band out. I started knitting and the directions were “wrong” immediately. What was actually wrong was my assumption. The crown is knitted from the pointy bits down to the band. I should know by now that when I assume things or think I know what I’m doing is when I make my best mistakes. Anyway, I have managed to finish two purple crowns and they’re blocked and drying. And I am humbled once again.
The plants around the house are starting to pop their heads up out of the soil. I love this time of year! My bulbs are bulb-ing and the bleeding heart and day lilies are growing so fast you can almost watch them grow. We’ve (the royal we) been out raking leaves out of the gardens and trimming back the bushes and trees. We’ve also had some fun birds at the feeder – yesterday I was watching the Hairy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and a few others who never leave. The Chickadee’s call will forever be a sound of Maine to take with me. The loons are back, and little Mayflies, too.
What a beautiful sunny morning we are having! It’s been quite a long work week and I appreciate the sunshine and empty schedule today. My hubby asked what I wanted to do over our coffee this morning and my response was, “nothing”. I have been on the go all week and I just want to hang at home and get myself caught up. Thought I’d come here this morning to tell you what I’ve been up to as most of it is yarn related.
Monday I had a beautiful day at home and baked for the first time in awhile. We were out of my homemade granola (hubby often takes it to work with some yogurt for his second breakfast) and I had some bran flakes cereal in the pantry that I wanted to use up so I baked some bran muffins with blueberries. They’re yummy. Hubby’s been a happy man this week. I was at work on Tuesday and on Wednesday I did the house work – changed our bed, did the laundry, ordered and picked up groceries, cleaned the kitchen and made soup for dinner. One of my knitting buddies came over to knit but we ended up sitting and yakking until she had to run to her exercise class and I had to run to pick up the groceries. It was a good day, though.
I have spent the last three days at the store working and teaching and by yesterday afternoon, Carol and I were “done” (cooked, pooped, drained … the list goes on!) Yesterday was Local Yarn Shop day, our Saturday knitting group was in the shop, and I was teaching a Brioche Workshop in the morning so it was a busy day at the store. I had a great group of 13 women who learned a new technique – Brioche knitting. I wish I’d had another hour for them but it went well and most of the class really honed in on their new skill.
My brioche workshop group hard at work
After the workshop I had a brief but sweet lunch with one of my students who I know from high school. We reconnected last year when she came to my workshop. What a surprise! It was really fun to chat in person and get (sort of) caught up on the years between high school and yesterday. We will need to meet up more than once a year to really catch up and we have so many things in common! And then it was back to work for the rest of the day. So, you can understand that today is a day for “nothing” for me … I maybe should say that I will do only what I want to do, on my own schedule. And today will include knitting … I have already had some coffee on the porch with yarn in my hands but the wind kicked up and sent me inside.
I’ve been working on several projects and making a little bit of progress on each of them. This morning I was working on my “poor” Escher socks that have been ignored for a bit. I’m trying nine-inch circular needles for the first (second?) time and I think I finally have the hang of it. What I do like is that I don’t have to be concerned about changing from needle to needle on DPNs which really helps me with the tension, especially at the small circumference. It’ll be very interesting to compare the first sock knit on DPNs to the second sock knit with the nine-inch circ. I am using my ChiaoGoo Shorties set for one of the first times. So far, so good. The Escher socks need to get finished so I can knit another pair of socks with my new Biscotte yarn! 🙂
I have finished one purple crown and begun a second for my granddaughter and her friend. That is quite another funny story and maybe I’ll write about it another day. The pattern is free on Ravelry, Elegant Crown, and I’m knitting in Plymouth Encore worsted. It takes little or no time to knit these up and I think the girls are going to love them.
Next up is the new sample I’m knitting for the store. It’s called the Pressed Flowers Kerchief and is another free Ravelry pattern. We had several shawl kits that were not selling, even on sale, and we thought we could separate the yarn and find another something to knit with it. The yarn is a cashmere blend and we found this cute little kerchief and I’m knitting a sample in hopes that the yarn will sell in its new iteration for Mother’s Day, maybe. The pattern is very potato chippy and the yarn is delicious so it’s an easy one to choose when I sit to knit. The kerchief is small enough, too, not to feel like a burden to knit when I have a lot of projects on the needles. I’ve rounded the corner (so to speak) and am working my way through the second half of the project. I’ll block it and have it in the store next week. Fingers crossed.
Still on the needles and getting marginally closer to the finish line is the Vanilla Sweater that I’m making for my college roommate. I’ve finished one sleeve and have started to finish the body of the sweater now that we’ve settled on the length that she wants. I’ve just split the hem and if I really concentrate, I should be able to get this sweater finished soon. As an aside, My Vanilla sweater tends to roll up on the front and I don’t want that to happen to hers so I’ll do an extra round or two on the hem before binding off. I’m so close!
This coming week will be a little less work and a little more volunteering. We have a big 10th Anniversary celebration at Maine Arts Academy on Saturday so we have several committee meetings set up and I have a meeting with the CEO, in addition to being at the event on Saturday morning. Add my normal work days in at the store and it will be another full week. I’ll write about the event next week but after it’s over, it’ll be “smooth sailing” into the summer.
We are busy cleaning up our gardens, the perennials are starting to peek their heads out of the ground and the bulbs are coming up. At least the daffodils are crocus are … I’m still waiting for the tulips. Last summer the kids all helped to repaint our guest cottage (it’s gorgeous to look at now) and we will be planting up in front of it this year. It still needs some interior work and then a good cleaning and we will be able to use it and/or rent it this summer. Hopefully it’ll rent by word of mouth and we’ll see how we like having people here. It’s a sweet space (if it was insulated and heated, I’d make it my studio!) that we lived in for seven months with our (then) three dogs while we built the house. I loved living there!
I don’t know about you but I love the show Ted Lasso. I am not a sports buff nor a sports fan, if I’m honest, but I loved the show and it must be because it’s the coach who’s a coach against all odds. And Coach Lasso says the damndest things! (The title quote is one of his and a favorite!)
Yesterday was a busy day at our house. I spent several hours at my desk writing most of a newsletter for the yarn shop where I work and making calls and catching up on emails for the board that I sit on. I also made a couple of calls to find out why nobody had returned my calls last week or several months ago. Does it bother you that the service industry, at least in part, seems to have lost its ability to return calls? This is what we used to call “customer service” and I’ve noticed that lots of organizations simply don’t know how to provide it.
My first call was to my doctor’s office. I had left a message last week Tuesday to get a prescription changed so I don’t have to refill it every 30 days. AND I wanted to know what the office protocol is when test results come back into the office – do they call patients with results or should patients be on their online records portal? When I called, the person answering the phone looked and said that I’d left a message about tests results. Well, sort of and no. I told her that I wanted to know what their protocol was and that I’d had three tests over the course of the last six months or so (don’t worry, I’m fine, they’re just normal stuff – allergy test, mammogram and follow-up blood) and was not called. She said a letter was sent out and read it to me. I suspect the letter was sent out AFTER I called last week but time will tell. After speaking to the office manager, too, I feel like nothing will change and the “healthcare home” that I am looking for is not there. My assigned practitioner doesn’t seem able or willing to make those calls and I will have to follow myself on the portal. Others love the portals but I like a good old fashioned phone call. It’s a way to build a relationship with the person who is watching over my health and as I age it becomes more and more important.
Next I called an insurance broker who I had reached out to before year-end and we were slow getting her photos of our property but my hubby sent photos in December. Since then, crickets. So, yesterday I reached out to her, too. Wouldn’t you think she’d want some new business? Doesn’t that mean some additional money for her? Good grief! Why do I have to do the work?
(update: I have spoken to the insurance broker and it seems that our town records are incorrect online. I’ve spoken to someone in the Assessor’s office who has changed the record to indicate that the house was rebuilt in 2015 rather than renovated and emailed me a copy of the record for the insurance company. BUT there is still about a half-dozen mistakes on the card: siding materials, insulation, it says we have a fireplace (we don’t) and it says it’s a seasonal residence (it’s not). The Assessor is only in his Belgrade office one day a month … what are the chances that this is addressed in a timely manner? Can you see me cracking my skull against my desk?)
AND when I get frustrated and the point of this diatribe is that I baked my frustration away. I had been cleaning out some of my old photos that don’t need to be kept on my phone and came across a screenshot of a recipe for “Ted Lasso Shortbread”. If you watch the show, you’ll know that Ted brings the boss lady shortbread in the morning in a little pink box. My hubby loves shortbread and I have never made it for him but I always buy some for his Christmas stocking. I decided yesterday that it was the day to give it a shot. Simple as pie instructions (maybe simpler than pie, actually) and only five ingredients. I tossed it all into the food processor and when it was mixed up, I pressed it into an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper beneath. Baked it for a bit and …. OMG! This stuff is so yummy that I like it, too!
I thought I’d share the recipe and tell you what I did a little bit differently. I did not cut them before I baked them – they crumbled apart and it was a mess. I baked them for 35 minutes and then cut them when they were just out of the oven. I then returned them to the oven to finish baking. I used Turbinado sugar sprinkled on top. Next time, I may use my edible flowers with a bit less sugar sprinkled on top. We both taste-tested them and they were good when they were warm but they were even better this morning with my coffee.
Ted Lasso Shortbread by Chouquette Kitchen
Screenshot
I took a quick walk around the yard looking for signs of spring yesterday when the temps were more favorable for such a thing. I did find a few signs. Some of my tulip bulbs have survived another winter and there are daffodils coming up, too. Yay! The wind off the lake is still really cold, though, and we may be getting a bit of snow later this week. Stay strong little flowers-to-be!
I stayed up way too late last night to finish my socks. AND, I got them done. Phew. I like them well enough but I probably won’t choose to knit with this particular yarn again. I don’t love the base (and it’s already pilling a little bit.) But they’re done. I also took a bunch of time to work on the Vanilla Sweater and have gotten the sleeves divided and am heading down the body of the pullover now. And with that progress, I need to cast on another pair of socks and another sweater project: my daughter’s wrap cardigan.
I’ve also signed up for a shawl KAL with the Wooly Thistle yarn shop which is in New Hampshire. (And will be a weekend road trip soon!) I haven’t decided which shawl I’m going to knit but I’m thinking I’d like to knit Gudrun Johnson’s Hansel Hap (Half Hap). I have a sweater’s worth of Jamieson’s jumper weight in a neutral beige-y color and tons of little balls of Jamieson’s or J&S which are interchangeable and that may work. I’m already behind on this project, of course, but I really am trying to make myself finish up some older WIPs before starting new ones. I also think I know which socks I’m going to knit next. I have a student who’s knitted the Escher Socks with a ball of cream solid fingering and a ball of Crazy Zauberball. I happen to have both in my stash! She also knit the Sunny Side UP socks and I have plenty of stashed yarn for those, too. So, with that in mind, away I go!
Today’s been a really pretty day and I’ve had only one meeting which means lots of time to knit and to do a bit more planning for the workshop I’m having in April at the (yarn) shop where I work. It’s been almost a year since I’ve done one … life is so wonderfully busy and I count my blessings every day.
Before my meeting I worked on my second sock for a little bit. I’ve put them aside for several days and it’s time to get them off my needles. I’ll be focusing on them and the sweater I’m knitting for my college roommate for the next few days. I’ve neglected the sweater for a couple of days while I finished Noah the Horse (click for the magic link). Anywhooooo …
Two-Color Brioche is a different colorwork stitch. Two colors of yarn are used to make a super squishy thick fabric that almost looks like it’s got horizontal stripes. And it’s reversible (if done right.) Brioche is two rounds combining to make a double fabric. A pattern of slipped stitches with a yarn over “shawl” and then a knitted or purled stitch, knitting the former round’s shawl stitch and it’s slipped partner as one. The main color (white in my sample) is the more prominent colorway. The first brioche round is made by knitting the slipped stitch and it’s shawl and then with the yarn forward, slipping the next stitch and making a yarn over “shawl”. The following round is worked with the the contrast color and slipping the stitch with the yarn over and to the front and then purling the paired slipped/shawl stitches as one. The stitches and their shawls are always counted as one stitch. The pattern that I’m going to recommend to my students is Easy Brioche Hat for Beginners … two colors of worsted weight yarn and the pattern I followed for my sample OR Beginner Brioche Slouch hat with two DK weight yarns.
I finished the hat for my workshop sample … and to help me remember how to knit 2-color brioche. I don’t knit a lot of it and I needed a refresher. I have made a couple of “mistakes” or mis-stitches but over all, I’m happy with it – the pattern and the knitter. I am choosing to present the sample to the class with the reminder that even as the teacher, I still make mistakes and mis-stitches. I have no idea how I missed them, but I did. It’s all good – it just isn’t reversible. And it may be the medium size but it fits on my giant noggin. (You can see the two mistake stitches … likely that I missed a “shawl” (yarn over) somewhere, somehow. Can you see me shrugging my shoulders. It’s all good. And I will re-do it in good time. Luckily there is enough yarn left over for a second hat (I think. I need to weigh it to be sure.)
I’ve used my ChiaoGoo shorties two days in a row to finish both this hat and Noah the Horse. I’ve not used them a lot because I didn’t think I liked the super short needle tips, in particular. However, I have discovered that I like them when a sixteen inch needle is too long. I was happy to have them both times and I’m now thinking that the next pair of socks that I knit will be made on shorties! Why not try something new?
This evening I’ll be pulling out the Vanilla Sweater for my college roommate and getting going on it. I’m using Rauma Finull Garn which is the same yarn that the sweater was designed with and I love knitting with it – it’s reasonably priced, 100% wool, blooms like crazy when it’s blocked, and comes in a bunch of great colors. She chose a really lovely heathered lavender colorway.
The snow is melting in the sunshine. This morning I took my photograph a little bit late and it is starting to feel like coffee on the porch season. I can hardly wait.
One more post this week because I can and because I’m so happy with my newest FO (finished object.) I have just this minute finished and photographed Noah the Horse. He is completely done. Done!
This pattern is from the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther. Let me tell you how well-written the pattern was; it was easy to follow and fun to knit. I am not one who loves seaming and assembling stuffed toys so it’s on me that I waited so long to get this (relatively) small project finished up. Now I can get it boxed up and mailed out to its new home.
I bought all of the yarn to make three of the animals in this book and Noah the Horse is the first one I attempted. The knitting was not difficult at all and he came together pretty quickly once I made the commitment to get it done. The clothes took just a couple of days and it was one morning to get all the buttons sewn on. And now he’s done and I am tickled!
To celebrate I’m going downstairs to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies before my next virtual meeting.
Queen Bee Knits 