It has been a minute since I last blogged. We’ve been overrun with our family visiting and it’s been simply wonderful. My hubby’s girls and their husbands and our grandson arrived for a visit about two weeks ago and were here for ten days! We spent lots of time together at the lake with side trips to the coast and to LL Bean. Such fun to reconnect after a bit.
The kids helped repaint and repair our old bridge across the creek (and dug out a bunch of leaves) and repainted some of the porch furniture which was really needed. And now we’re all spruced up and ready for the Fourth of July and round two of family visits … there will be a few this summer and we’re totally thrilled!
While the kids were here our dog, Monk, suddenly started to be really limpy and we got some horrible news at the vet on Tuesday afternoon. One of the lumps on his hip was likely affecting his gait and may well be cancer eating his spine. We brought him home but knew what we had to do and on Wednesday we said farewell to our good boy. Our lumpy, bumpy, humpy Big Brown Dog will be waiting for us with The Littles in heaven. The house is way too quiet right now and we likely needed a few days to be sad (and wash the sheets, remake the beds and get in some provisions.)
Monk
I’ve been knitting very little for the last ten days. A few rows or rounds here and there but nothing of note. I’m way too cognizant of spending time with the family and the grands when they’re with us. Screens and yarn can wait. Suffice it to say that I’ve had yarn in my hands each day but no real progress has been made. I’ve been working away at my granddaughter’s skirt, a second pair of shortie socks for me with leftover yarn, and a couple of rows on my Easy Folded Poncho.
I finished a little hat before the kids arrived and I knitted a new store sample while they were here … This is the Buoy Kerchief by Elizabeth Smith and it’s a part of her new collection. I was privileged to be given an advance copy of the pattern to make a store sample. I love the Berroco Pima 100 cotton yarn and we have tons of colors at the shop. The pattern is a simple kerchief in two colors. A fun knit! I’m not sure the hat will fit the granddaughter’s head. It came out way too small but I have more of the slubby neon yarn and I’ll make a bigger one for her while she’s here. I also have a multi-colored pompom to put on the top. Things happen. (See me shrugging my shoulders.)
So, that’s it … I have to run and get some food in my belly, vacuum the second floor and then shower before the family (round two) arrives.
I had a three day week at the store after a busy day (volunteering) at school. My body would have liked to take the day off today but we have company coming at the end of the week and our house is a “disaster”! I just put the Christmas village away (and still have other boxes to put in the storage area) but it’s not in the living room any more. Even our granddaughter thought it was crazy that we still have a Christmas tree (it’s a small one) up in June.
I did sleep late this morning and we had coffee on the porch with a breeze so it wasn’t too hot. After coffee I took a spin around the yard a pulled some weeds. There are a lot more out there to be pulled. My peonies are blooming. They’re so tall this year and they’re less plentiful as last year but they smell so sweet. Our wild roses are also in bloom. One of them has gotten so big that we’re going to cut it way back after it blooms and hope it’ll come back. The vegetable garden just needs for me to take a “few minutes” to plant the seeds for peas and beans. I cut back my crazy big plant again and have begun the rooting process. And while hubby washed the outside of the porch windows, I vacuumed the downstairs and mopped the floors. I’m now all cleaned up and I’m ready to knit!
Top left, I am making good progress on my Easy Folded Poncho in a charcoal gray Rowan Felted Tweed. This is a great project for when I am tired at the end of the day or when I want to knit and visit with friends. I have inspired several knitters and friends to make this pattern because it’s a great piece to wear in the spring and fall. I will now have two.
I’m also making progress on my fabulous green Broadgate Tabard. I’ve gotten the knack of the textured pattern and I’m just knitting along at a fair pace. I need to get to about 14 rows fewer than the back (it’s finished) before working on the shoulder shaping and then it’ll be time to put it together. I’m excited to wear this piece over a tee shirt or a blouse. And I still love the green!
My second sock has been coming along. If I was to spend any length of time sitting and knitting, I’d get the sock finished. It won’t take long but I haven’t been focused on the socks. I do love the colors I chose and the pattern is really cute. I might make more shortie socks to wear with my sneakers this summer. There are so many good patterns out there!
And finally, I haven’t worked on my granddaughter’s swing skirt for several days. I find the sparkly yarns a bit splitty and this pattern is simple enough that it is almost boring … I am continuing on because I know she’s going to love it. Purple (and pink and blue) are here favorite colors and a bit of sparkle will make it a favorite.
I’ve put my daughter’s wrap cardigan in time out for a bit while I work on other projects but it’s still sitting out there. I need to finish the second shoulder and then wait to see if it’s going to be the fit that she wants. I’m not going to be eager to frog the mohair! Hopefully it’ll be all good. Fingers crossed anyway.
I’ve got so many things that I want to make. Several hats, mittens, and more sweaters, of course. How lucky I am to have time to knit and a decent stash to feed the addiction. LOL.
Today I’m heading off to Compton, Quebec for A Needle in a Haystack, a fibery event in a field next to a fromagerie. That’s about all I know … except that now I know they have a rainy day plan and I’m grateful for that.
Meanwhile this week has been super busy at home and at work. The store has been receiving new boxes of yarn and we are trying to find places for it to live. Carol and I spent the day Thursday reworking the sock yarns to add in a dozen new colors of Cascade Heritage and Heritage 6. When we were done, it was gorgeous and organized in weight-order (fingering … sport … worsted). My classes yesterday, with the exception of the morning class, were smaller than “normal” but it was a pretty day and the weather reports for the weekend aren’t promising. I’d have been planting my vegetable garden if I’d had my druthers.
I’m making such good progress on my tabard! I have reached the twenty-one inches for the front piece and now have to work the shoulders. I am not going to knit a big turtleneck, I will instead knit an inch or so of ribbing and call it done. SO … I think I’m going to start the back and get it to the neck shaping, if there is any, and then finish the front. I still love the green and I’d have said I wasn’t a green girl. I can’t wait to wear this “vest” and I hope I love it as much as I think I will. (I’m also eager to block it out to see how the size changes. I may put the front on holders and wet block it to see what happens. Stay tuned.
Broadgate Tabard in gorgeous green linen
And I have a FO! I have finished my Salty Air Tee by Samantha Guerin. I adore the color and the yarn that I used from Rachel at On the Round in Thomaston, Maine. The Nimble Sock yarn is so round and squishy and the colorway, Harbor, is the perfect grayish-blue. The size I chose is the perfect size and I am thrilled with the final product. I wore it yesterday and it was very comfortable, not to warm, draped well and fit was just what I had anticipated. The pattern was well-written and a relatively quick knit considering it’s a fingering weight yarn on US4 needles. I will wear this shirt a lot!
Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock
So, that leaves a few projects on the needles and I’m planning to take a few with me to Canada today. I have my Easy Folded Poncho (miles of stockinette stitch), and I cast on a skirt for my granddaughter yesterday that is also a bunch of stockinette … but with increases every six rounds. She’s going to love it – it’s a deep purple with stelina sparkles and it will twirl! Pattern is Olive’s Swing Skirt and I’m using Plymouth’s Electra Light, a stashed yarn, that was on the clearance rack at the store.
I’ve also started a new pair of socks, shortie socks, from the Summer Lee Sock Project book. I’m playing with carrying the contrasting color on these socks so I don’t have a bunch of ends to weave in and so far, so good. This pattern uses an afterthought heel … I’ll report my thoughts when they’re done and I can wear them. I still like my heel flap and gusset best of all but I’ll keep an open mind.
My daughter’s Levitate Wrap sweater/cardigan is still in time out awaiting a try-on. I had hoped that I would be able to squeeze in a trip to New York City before our summer family guests arrive on the 19th but I’m not sure it’s going to work out for me. Boo. I will see some of the kids starting in mid-June and in early July and I hope that I can get into New York to see the other kids, too. It feels like it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen them. Not sure what that means for this “old” person who is “semi-retired” but I have been so busy and my calendar is way too full. Even for sitting on the porch and enjoying the hummingbirds!
I have been enjoying the yard and watching the flowers grow. The lilacs are gorgeous! I brought some indoors and they only last a few days before wilting. I don’t know how to make them stay beautiful … they make the whole downstairs smell wonderful! Our first iris are blooming and the day lilies are coming right along. They typically bloom around July 4th.
And I baked! I made my hubby’s birthday requested scones. I make the Levain Bakery recipe and they are delicious every time. We love, love, love them and because they have oatmeal in them, they’re heathy, right? I also made him a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I’ve frozen half of the cake, cut in pieces, and the leftover frosting. He’s a happy man. This was making up for his birthday cake out of a box. Horrors! (Not really, it was delicious!)
I’ve “wasted” a lot of time writing this and I have to focus on packing my knitting and being ready to go … gone knitting!
We had a glorious morning this morning with coffee on the porch and a comfortable temperature. This is the time of year we love every second of living here. We had some good rain over the weekend and while I’m sure it dampened many ceremonies around the country on Memorial Day, we were happy to have the days to rest and relax and contemplate the real meaning of the day – hint: it’s not the barbecue or parade. And with fifteen soldiers recenlty killed in Iran, it gave me more reason to be thoughtful and grateful for their sacrifice.
I made a few discoveries and I made some blueberry English Muffins. My hubby told me that some of the seeds that I brought back from NYC (my daughter’s family had organic veggies from their CSA and for some reason I needed to bring them home and try to plant them) were growing! I am thrilled to show you my mystery veggie babies. I have no idea what they will grow up to be and that’s part of the fun. Maybe peppers or squash? Time will tell. Next week we’ll be planting the vegetable gardens and I hope they’ll take off.
And yesterday I decided to make the blueberry English Muffins the recipe for which I printed ages ago. It was a simple process but the recipe was not the best. It said to add 1 cup of milk and a cup and a half of flour and said it would be a shaggy dough. Soupy isn’t shaggy so I added what probably amounted to another cup of flour (and the dough was still sticky.) After needing for five minutes it was a bit better but still a little sticky and I went ahead and cooked them up anyway. And, Ta Da! They are nice and light, the crumb is good and they taste really wonderful with some Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry Jam. (Bonne Maman is delicious and they do good, too.) Mark it as a success! I’ll make them again but we have six or so in the fridge.
Broadgate Tabard in Antigone by De Rerum Natura
In the early afternoon when I was sitting out in our dooryard, I worked on my Broadgate Tabard. I’m starting to get the hang of this pattern’s zigs and zags. It is not a quick knit and requires some concentration and counting but I am going to love it and the color is extraordinary. I saw this pattern on Millie at Tribe Life Yarn in the UK on social media. I looked for a yarn substitution so I didn’t have to ship from the UK but I couldn’t get the green color out of my mind. I put it on the back burner for a time, too. Finally, I bit the bullet and bought the yarn. Millie has recently sold me more yarn and that’s another story … she wears such colorful knits and they’re so unique and some of them I simply “need” to have. (I have two hanks of hand-dyed silk mohair waiting to make me a sweater from Tribe, too. Oops!) I knitted on this until my iPad got too hot (we were sitting in the sun) and I had to take it inside and let it cool down.)
Salty Air Tee in On The Round Nimble Sock
I had a customer call to ask about a sock yarn last week and she said it was the roundest, squishiest sock yarn and she loved it so much but couldn’t find the label. I immediately thought it was On the Round but texted her a photo of several different yarns before she confirmed the OTR. I know this because I’m knitting with OTR Nimble Sock on my Salty Air Tee. I have really enjoyed this knit. The lace yoke was so much fun to knit and for a fingering weight yarn, it seems to be moving right along at a good pace. I might be able to get the body finished tonight but I don’t think I have time to finish the sleeves and block it too before I leave for Arizona tomorrow afternoon. I’m going to try. I think this will be a super fun to wear tee this summer. The body is fully stockinette stitch so it’s good for knitting with friends or late in the day when I’m tired. And I love the colorway, too. I will knit more in this yarn – it helps that the dyer, Rachel, is a delightful human.
Hubby’s A&C socks are coming along as well. I have gotten to the foot so they should be able to be finished on the plane on Thursday. I will probably have to take another sock project with me because we also have a drive from Phoenix to Tucson and back. I don’t expect to do a lot of knitting when we’re in Tucson because we have a lot of celebrating and visiting to do but the travel time is great knitting time. But you probably know that, right?
We went for a little walk with the dog this afternoon and there were several natural treats along the way. Lots of Lilies of the Valley right next to the road and we even found a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants. I’d like to go back and dig some of them up and transplant them in our yard away from the edge of the street where they’re likely to get squished by cars passing on the camp road. But alas time is not on my side as I have a trip tomorrow … and laundry and packing to do. I pulled a few little flowers to make a little arrangement for the kitchen window sill.
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 been such a good day today. Despite the fact that it’s now nearly 7pm, I thought I’d write about the day and bring you up to date on my knitting. I’m making a lot of progress and it feels really good.
The sun was out this morning and, although it was a bit too chilly to be out on the porch, it was sunny and clear. I always feel better when the sun is out! Today was one of those days. We had our coffee and decided to have lunch at a favorite street-side food truck spot, Ken’s. Really yummy fried seafood. I had scallops and he had clams. We both had french fries. Yum. I stopped by the bank on the way to lunch to make a deposit for work and we may have stopped for me to have some ice cream on the way home. I shouldn’t have but it was way too tempting.
We spent the next hour or two in one of our gardens. We call it “Helen’s Garden” because it was the only spot Ned’s mom seemed to have planted any plants. It had been taken over by ground cover and weeds before we built the new house but we did find some Lily of the Valley there. We’ve continued to try to re-grow Lily of the Valley with no success. Anyway, today we cleaned up the new garden, cut back the hydrangeas, cleaned out the leaves and weeds. It needs some mulch but we didn’t have any today and I didn’t take any new photos. Tomorrow.
I ordered some cedar-based tick and bug stuff (to keep them away) and it’s been in the front hall for days. I spread some of the granular stuff today all around the door yard and the corner of the house where we see little “sugar ants”. With a little time, we’ll see if this stuff deters them. Fingers crossed. AND I finally got the few plants that I had bought for our school event into a pot at the front door. Thankfully, after I got cleaned up, the weather turned and we had some good wind and rain and now all the plants are watered in and the bug stuff, too.
I’ve been knitting away like a crazy woman. It wasn’t very busy at work on Thursday so I had a chance to work on my new pair of socks. I’m knitting a plain vanilla pair based on my Yankee Knitter pattern and they’re for my hubby. I’m loving the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn base. It’s softer than the Regia used to be and I am loving the colorway I chose. He’ll love the socks. I’m knitting again with the 9″ circulars and I’m going to try another forethought heel. I have to search in my (enormous) bits and bobs collection of fingering weight yarns for some heel and toe yarn. (More shall be revealed.) I’m just about at the heel now!
Today I’ve been working on the newest sweater on the needles. This is the one for my younger daughter. It’s the Levitate Wrap and I’m knitting it in Patagonia Organic Merino and Berroco Aerial both in a charcoal gray. Needless to say, it’s one that I’ll have to knit in good lighting. Ha! Ha! I was working my way down the right shoulder and front when my iPad died so I took a break (it was a sign, right?) and started a dishcloth as a palate cleanser. I’ll finish this one tonight.
Yesterday and the evening before I worked on my Hansel Hap Half. I am so happy with this shawl! I can’t think of the last time I enjoyed a project as much as this one … maybe because I’ve wanted to knit it for a long time? Anyway, it’s making me very happy. I am more than half-way around the edge with the border and it’ll be done before I know it. Maybe this week. I am really happy with the colors I chose and also happy that I am using some stashed yarn.
The yard is blooming like crazy! Buds are budding and my (our) daffodils are in bloom. They are such happy flowers. And we have one tulip. Only one. Quite a disappointment, frankly. We did have a bunch of them but the voles must have gotten them. I’d love to plant some more but I’ll have to figure out how to keep them safe from the critters.
And we’ve had some super special bird visitors. Our hummingbirds are back – they arrived Tuesday. I’ve seen a tiny female and a male. My long-necked female isn’t here yet. I hope she comes back again. And we’ve had a Scarlet Tanager and, today, a Baltimore Oriole. We both enjoy sitting in the back yard watching the birds and when the “special” ones arrive, ones that we don’t see often, it’s a special treat. Of course, we have the loons back and they’ve been visiting, too. Apologies for the crummy photo of the Scarlet Tanager … they’re quite timid and I didn’t dare step too far out of the front door.
So, it’s been a good day and we’re having a light supper tonight after our heavy lunch. Of course there’s ice cream for dessert! And tomorrow we have another day and it’s Mother’s Day so I hope I’ll get to speak to all the kids and the grandkids. At least two of our kids have planned dates to come for visits for which we are very grateful. We hope they’ll all get here before the snow flies again.
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!
Queen Bee Knits 