It’s the Sunday before Memorial Day and I’m resting up for a very busy travel week next week after a very busy week last week, too. Why did I ever think that being semi-retired was going to mean lots of down time? Hubby’s up on the third floor watching movies on Apple TV (I got a new laptop and with it 3 months free.) I am in my atelier watching my YouTuber “friends” and knitting. Aren’t you shocked!?
Today I’m working on my hubby’s socks. The new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn that I bought in Quebec City is quite wonderful and, as always, the vanilla sock knitting is a good rest for my tired brain. I’ve been working on my new 9″ circular needles. I’ve tried my ChaioGoo interchangeable minis and the fixed 9″ circs now and I have to say that I prefer the fixed 9″ circular needles. I think it’s because the cord is more substantial. The interchangeable minis cord is significantly thinner and flimsier thus requiring my hands to do more work supporting the needle tips than is necessary. The fixed circs take less thought to hold onto. And I really do like that the tension is even all around. I’m eager to get these socks finished and knit another pair of colorwork socks to see what I think going forward. I have also tried a couple of methods with the heels. On the first sock I did the heel flap and gusset with my circs … it was a struggle but I did it. This time I slipped my heel stitches on to a single DPN and did my heel flap and turned the heel then slipped them back onto the circular needle. I think that second option is what I’ll do going forward. I still have to use DPNs on the toe decreases, too.
Our house is an absolute disaster, my atelier needs a good vacuum and the laundry needs done. BUT here I am knitting my fool fingers off. Last night I got to the part of the body of my Salty Air Tee where it’s all stockinette stitch, too. The remaining project that requires a lot of thought on my part is the Broadgate Tabard. I worked on it for a short time yesterday when we were sitting on the porch. The light is so good out there, it’s a perfect place for working on the tabard which has both texture and crossed stitches forming a series of Xs across the garment. I may have to go back to working on it this afternoon to see if I can get another repeat of the chart completed before we go away. I know this is not a travel garment.
I am having trouble deciding whether I’d rather try to finish the Salty Air Tee or work on the Tabard. If I finish the tee, I could wear it to Arizona this week. Hmm. Time will tell, I guess.
Meanwhile, the weather is so gross here today. Windy and too cool for being outside. My fingers have been perennially cold today. I refuse, however, to turn the heat back on. I’m a New Englander and I’m tough. (I think.) I do have blankets that I’ve knitted and I may choose to put one around me when I retire to my knitting chair. I went for a little walk around the yard again this morning, though, and the plants are really popping up. I think we’re going to have to move our lone blueberry bush because it’s being taken over by a wild rose. We won’t plant our veggies until we return next week but the gardens are just waiting for their plants and we are waiting for our homegrown food! I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of the yard … gone knitting.
OMG! It’s a gorgeous (and warm) morning here on the lake. The first coffee on the porch morning where I can actually sit comfortably in my pjs. Yay! I may be on the porch all day long. I’ll start with a coffee and maybe end with a cocktail. You can believe there will be yarn!
We’ve been enjoying the spring visitors to our yard, too. We’ve seen the Baltimore Oriole, Red Breasted Grosbeak, Cardinals, and our “regular” birds, too. Our Hummingbirds are back, too. The Dandelions have popped and leaves are all budding out. We have one tulip and a bunch of daffodils and the bleeding heart is just about to fully bloom, too. I love this time of year when life in the yard comes back and it’s always a surprise to see what’s come back to life.
I’ve been working on several different projects this week. I’ve been so busy that it feels like I’ve only made a small dent in my knitting but some weeks allow more knitting than others. I’ve pulled out my Broadgate Tabbard in this gorgeous green linen. This pattern, however, is kicking my butt. I seem to have begun the knitting on the wrong side OR added a stitch that I can’t find. I’m going to take it to the porch today for one last chance at figuring it out. If I can’t, I’m going to frog it and start again. The green is a perfect green and I know I’m going to love the garment so maybe a fresh start will make it “easier” after all.
I’ve been working away, too, on a new pair of socks for my hubby. I’m using the new colorway of the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn that I bought in Quebec City a few weeks ago. I’ve successfully turned the heel and decreased the gusset stitches on the nine-inch circular needles that I’m trying to learn to knit with. (Some days are more successful than others.) The new A&C yarn seems like a softer base than their old Regia yarn base. I like it!
I also cast on another tee for me (third photo above). I’m knitting the Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock yarn in the Harbor colorway. I love, love, love the yarn color and the feel of the yarn, too. I have gotten to the start of the lace yoke knitting which will be fun and a bit of a challenge (counting is difficult these days) and lots of fun to watch it develop into a pattern. Once the yoke is done, it’s just stockinette stitch around and around! (The color in the photo above is not accurate, it’s a light denim-y blue.)
There’s no photo because it’s literally a huge stockinette swatch but … My “brainless” knitting is another Simple Folded Poncho by Churchmouse. I bought the charcoal Felted Tweed in Quebec City, too. Again, it’s going to be finished and then set aside for the summer … if today is any indication of how warm the summer will be, we’re in for a really dreadfully hot time. It seems we need to get the air conditioners out and into the windows!
I have one more little cast on to make and that’s a baby sweater for my daughter’s best friend from high school who is adopting a little girl who was born this week. I found the perfect yarn for an In Threes cardigan for baby Elise. I hope to have enough yarn to make a hat and mittens, too. They live in Atlanta so that will be perfect for the fall and winter in the south. I love good news!
And I want to make Knitting for Olive’s Swing Skirt for my granddaughter, too. I have the perfect purple sparkly yarn for it. Sized for fall when she goes back to school. The kiddo is growing like a weed and I haven’t been able to hug her (or her parents) in person for way too long. We have a trip to Tucson planned at the end of the month and then I am heading to NYC to see my kids. My son’s had a birthday, broken his leg playing soccer, there is a new grand-dog, and … it’s just been too long for this mama/yaya.
So, with that, I am going to gather my projects and head to the porch. I’ll update my calendar for the week after the sun goes down. The birds and flowers await!
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.
It was a glorious sunny morning this morning. We are very fortunate, wish we had planned it this way, to have a full passive solar benefit in our living room in the winter. The sun streams in and, bonus, reflects off the snow, making our living room toasty warm. Sometimes it’s so warm that we take off our sweaters or extra shirts (hubby may even take off all his shirts.) Today was one of those days.
When it’s sunny like this my attitude is brighter, too. I woke up late (have been ever since my flu bout) and was making my protein drink when my son called to confirm the name of our granddaughter’s school. They had her overnight and were taking her to school this morning. That’s a whole other long story that I won’t go into here. I always love hearing from my son even when it’s just a two minute call. Hubby did all the snow blowing as I had a cup of coffee, showered and got dressed for my morning dental appointment. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t the whole new crown that I was expecting. I had a broken “overlay” and she fixed it with a filling. There was enough tooth that she thinks it’ll stick. If not we’ll go back to the original plan. I’m happy – 30 minutes and I was out of the office and my tooth is working well so far.
Since the snow is “perfect” I decided to attempt to snow wash my hubby’s three pullovers that really needed some attention. Mine are really in good shape. I hope we have another snow like this in a couple of months! I may take some out tomorrow just for fun. ANYway, the hubby’s sweaters were put out on the snow and covered with a bit of the light fluff. I left them out for about an hour and then went to check on them. One was looking good. It’s also his least soiled. The other two I scrubbed a couple of spots with some new snow and left them out for another hour. They’re drying now after a good shake and then I’ll de-pill them and take a photo or two so we can all compare. It sure was an easy process … I hope it works.
Here’s the before … the blue one has been worn as a work sweater, I think. It’s the worst.
Here’s the during …
The first shot is all three sweaters under snow. The subsequent photos are of the two dirtiest.
The sweaters are slightly damp after being out for nearly two hours. I gave them all a really good shake and then hung them up inside to dry. Once dry I will get my tools out to de-pill them all.
Meanwhile, I worked on two projects yesterday. I started a little crochet project. The pattern I found on instagram and it was such a cute idea. I’ve pulled two shades of similar cotton yarns and have begun the body of the creature … in blue. I have a peachy color for its mouth. I’ll have to buy safety eyes or sew on tiny buttons. The pattern is Softloop Sausage Mouth Car Key Case by Softloop. I hope I can make it come out as cute as the photo in the pattern. I’ll show it to you as soon as it’s finished. Here’s where I am today …
And I got the six inches of 1×1 rib for my Norwegian resistance hat done. I started with the decreases at the top and quickly realized that there were two around the hat not four and had to frog back a bit and re-start but that was handled pretty quickly. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I make my best mistakes when I think I know what I’m doing and don’t read the instructions. LOL. You’d think I’d learn, right? (See me shaking my head?) Anyway, I should be able to get the first one finished today. AND I really do intend to finish my hubby’s Christmas socks. This is the perfect weather for him to wear them under the big snow boots.
And here are two of the three sweaters, all done. They look pretty good, I think. I’m quite happy with the results. The yarn is soft, feels clean (it didn’t before) and they look good! I could probably spend more time pulling pills off but I want to knit! Geesh, it’s almost 4pm and I’ve not knitted a stitch today.
I started this post yesterday, Sunday when the big one was coming! LOL. It has now been here for less than 24 hours and we’ve had about a foot of snow. It’s beautiful light and fluffy snow. As I type this morning, the flakes are getting bigger and, according to my weather app, it’s going to stop early this afternoon. Hopefully we (the royal we) can get some clean up done before it begins again this evening. We’re only supposed to get a couple more inches overnight and Tuesday is supposed to be cold but sunny.
We ran a couple of errands Saturday after we sat through a 4 hour town meeting. Things are still done here the old fashioned way, in person at a town meeting. Full-time residents are invited to participate in the democratic process and vote to approve (or not) the town budget. It was a fairly grueling meeting as our taxes have gone way up over a relatively short amount of time and it seems they’re going to go up more. It feels like the majority of town residents don’t want the services to be cut (we have a library, a town history building, a rec center and a volunteer fire department with very old, outdated facilities) and yet, don’t want to pay more taxes. I’d like to see the town cut expenses somewhere but I can’t really criticize because I’m not involved enough to really know how they operate. I may become more involved.
Anyway, we treated ourselves to lunch at the Red Barn (filled our bellies with fried seafood) after the meeting. It was yummy.
Sunday we ran out ahead of the storm so I could get yarn. I have learned about the “Melt Ice” hat that came from Norway in the 1940s as a silent protest against the Nazi’s occupation of their country. There were enough of them then to be banned by the Nazis in a couple of years! Anyway, the pattern for the hat was rewritten for knitters today and is the top selling pattern right now on Ravelry. We’ve had a lot of customers in the store late in the week buying red yarn and I decided this morning that I have to make a couple of red hats. So my husband and I got into the car to make a run into town to procure some red yarn. I chose a DK Patagonia Organic Merino and a light worsted Malabrigo Rios.
We zipped back home with a stop for a green pepper for our chili for dinner. My plan was to start knitting right away but I ended up in the kitchen baking what I am now dubbing “Snowmageddon Cookies” (aka peanut butter blossoms). They’ll be yummy to nibble on while we watch the snow fall for the next 24 hours. We are supposed to get up to 16 inches of snow over the next 24 hours. The biggest storm we’ve had in years. And it’s also going to be cold all week.
I have fully recovered from my bout with the flu and I am so grateful for modern science and vaccines. It wasn’t fun but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been either. I had a lot of time to knit over the three weeks that I wasn’t feeling well.
I have finished my Gansey Afghan. Yay! And I am so happy with the finished blanket. I am seriously thinking of making another one for us to have (me to have) in my studio. Maybe in orange!
I’ve been working on my husband’s Christmas socks and am making good progress there. I really like this pattern, too, but they’re worked on a smaller needle with pretty heavy-weight yarn so they’re hard on my hands and I can only work on them for a limited time. But I’ve only got one more repeat of the cable pattern before I can speed up to the cuff. There’s a little bit of color work and then I’ll be done! I still love the Raggi yarn so much and wish we could still stock it at our LYS! It makes the warmest boot socks!
Thompson River Socks in Jarbo Raggi
I haven’t worked on my Ranunculus at all. I decided to cast on my good trouble “Le Bandana” shawl. I cast on with my sport weight yarn on a US 4 and I’m not thrilled about the fabric. It seems stiff and I’m concerned about the drape or lack thereof. I have more yarn than the pattern calls for so I wonder if I go up a needle size if I’d like the fabric better. I think I am leaning toward giving a larger needle a try. This is Lola Bean Yarn Company’s Soy Bean base in the Good Trouble colorway that I pre-ordered. I love the colors and it will match the red hat!
Le Bandana in LolaBean Yarn Company “good trouble” colorway
I’ve also been working on a new pair of socks. The yarn is so deeply stashed that I’m not sure how long ago I ordered it. Dare I say we were still living in Florida? It’s very possible. I bought the yarn from an indie dyer, The Yarn Enabler, after I bought her Number 2 Pencil sock yarn. This one is her Paper colorway … dyed to remind us of the notebook paper we used in school. I’ve got the first leg knitted and need to choose what heel I’m going to knit. I’m basing the sock on the Yankee Knitter pattern. I use a 1.5US dpn and cast on 64 sts. I’m knitting the leg in stockinette stitch to show off the yarn. Aren’t they fun?
I have also cast on my Melt Ice hat in Malabrigo Rios. The pattern is written for fingering, DK/sport and worsted. I chose Rios because it’s a light worsted, maybe even closer to a sport, and it’s soft. I chose the Ravelry Red colorway. I love the color across all of the Malabrigo bases. I expect it will bleed a bit when I block it. I’ll have vinegar at the ready!
There is six inches of 1×1 rib to begin the hat … I’ll be ribbing for a while!
I have pulled a couple of my hubby’s hand knit wool sweaters to snow wash them. They need it. I’ve never tried to snow wash sweaters but “they” say it works and I have before photos to see if I can prove or disprove the theory. I sure hope it works! I’d be really bummed if I spent time out in the cold and the sweaters were still dirty! I’ll let you know if it happens.
I’ve found a cute crochet pattern for a car key fob holder(?) that I thought was really silly. I pulled some cotton out of my bins of left-over yarn and have very slowly begun to give it a try. I will show you my progress as I make some. I’m not a confident crocheter and I am painfully slow. BUT I’m trying and we’ll see if I succeed!
Speaking of learning, I had an opportunity to teach some new knitters ten days or so ago. One of my friends and co-workers was my super helper because what I thought was six students turned out to be six-teen students. That’s a big group to teach to knit in one hour! BUT together we taught them how to cast on and knit. There are a few in the group who had knitting experience and they will teach further. This group was part of Colby College’s Jan Plan class that’s being taught by my friend Katherine Ferrier. The students will learn to mend, to hand sew patchwork, to knit/crochet and yarn bomb and I may have forgotten something. I’ll be heading to Colby after work on Thursday to see what they have accomplished in their short month-long class. It was really fun to work with Katherine and to see the students pick up knitting. I look forward to seeing their yarn bombing! I love helping new knitters learn to knit – and grateful for Bette’s help!
Jan Plan “Radical Stitches” Class – I hope I got the title of the class right!
I’ve written way too much today but I wanted to get caught up. I’ll leave you with this morning’s post from the porch. It’s so pretty in the snow! The rocks along the shoreline are all covered up! I hope this snow and cold kills some ticks!
I’m taking the time to blog today because we’ve been busy getting projects done and the sun came out! Today it was beautiful and sunny and the lake was calm for coffee on the porch. My mullein plant is getting really big and soon (maybe tomorrow) I’m going to pick a leaf or two to make a tincture. Mullein is supposed to be good for the respiratory system and anybody who knows me knows that my respiratory system is challenged by allergies and a chronic allergic cough.
This morning I cut the garlic scapes! And then I ran out to do a couple of errands and made a stop at the store to help with getting ready for the Maine Yarn Cruise to begin. Tickets for drawings, stamp and ink for the passports, a QR code for the digital guests, and just plain remembering what we need to have tomorrow. This is the 8th year and, woo doggies, it’s another challenge. The boss insists on water and snacks and free books which all sounds great until there is a crowd around the register and all the pieces need to be done which adds to the regular craziness that is a family business. It’ll be “fun” they said. Ha! Ha!
When I got home I started making some of the food I have been craving … lobsters were on sale yesterday so I had Hannaford steam two for me and I made lobster salad for lunch and while I was chopping celery for lobster salad, I chopped some for potato salad. Summer and potato salad just go together. My mom always added onion, hard boiled eggs, and mayo and mustard and a few spices. It’s in the fridge all ready for dinner. I also chopped a bunch of veggies for Ratatouille which will be ready for dinner, too. Yummm!
Ratatouille
This weekend we bought veggie plants for our raised beds and the compost to amend the soil. The compost was added yesterday and tomorrow I’ll put the plants in when it’s a bit cooler in the morning. BUT I did get the flowers into the window box and the front porch pot and I also got two of my lemon trees (started from seeds) re-potted and settled in the dooryard for the summer months. I just have to give them a good trim to shape them up a bit.
We bought a pair of Adirondack chairs for our afternoons outside. We often have a good stiff breeze off the lake in the afternoon so we sit around back to get some calm. These chairs and the table that will go between them will be so comfortable after a busy day. I’m quite pleased with the way the dooryard is shaping up. I’d love to have a flagstone patio built next with a path to the garage when it gets built. So many projects!
And I have been knitting, too. I finished three dishcloths for our kitchen and put them in the rotation already. They’re quite cheery. I also have been working on Delores’s caftan outfit and yesterday I made it to the second shoulder. It’s a different way to build a caftan but it works. It does make me giggle when I think of knitting for a sheep (and a stuffed one at that.) She makes me happy. I’ve also made some good progress on my Big Love cardigan. I’m well into the button band decreases and pretty soon I will have the body done. The pattern makes a cropped cardigan and I think I’ll make mine a little bit longer than cropped. I’m not sure of cropped garments on me … my Bolin cardigan is cropped and I think I’ll have to be particular about what I wear it with but rest assured that there will be no midriff showing on this girl.
And last but not least, my hubby has been working away to create a gate on the end of our porch to keep little ones, both two-legged and four, safely on the porch. The lake is so close and kids move so quickly, I think this will make it possible for Sylvie to have some freedom this summer when they’re here. She will, of course, be reminded over and over, to stay off the dock and out of the water when she’s not with an adult, too. One can never be too careful around water. Hubby’s guest cottage bathroom project is almost complete, too. The new shower stall is built, the floor is in and the holes in the porch and the porch screens have been repaired. He’s working on the screen door now. Soon, we will get it all cleaned up and buy a bed for it and then it’ll be available for friends and family to use when they come to Maine. I think we’ll be putting it up on AirBnB or one of those apps next year as a weekend rental. See how it goes.
I’ve got a zoom meeting to attend so I’m off. Gone knitting.
It’s a beautiful blue bird day here on the lake today. I have had a slow morning, a late wake-up after a middle of the night interruption by the smoke detector battery at 3:30am. I’ve been on meds for my sinus infection for 24 hours and hope to feel like a new woman by tomorrow. (No worries, right?)
I’ve been working away bit by bit on my Jelly Roll Blanket and yesterday came across a very pleasing combination of colors. I tried to take a photograph of them but it’s not coming out very true so you’ll have to just trust me. When I can knit outdoors again, maybe I can get a really good photo. Ha! I still have a basket and more of bits and bobs of fingering weight yarn scraps so I am planning to keep going. Maybe I’m half-way there? I knew this was going to be a long-term project.
Headband in progress
I’ve picked up and am just finished grafting the seam on the headband I’m making for one of my daughter’s friends who is like another one of my kids. He’s an avid runner, even in the winter in New York City. For Christmas, I made Sheldon a pair of fingerless mitts for running in his signature shade of blue. I had an extra skein of the yarn and offered to make him a headband or hat. I decided on Petite Knits’ Weekend Headband which is a 1×1 rib, cast on with live stitches so that they can be grafted at the end. I made a mistake at the point of the cast on without realizing it until I was ready to graft in 1×1 rib and realized I had live stitches from the cast on that were all knit stitches. Hmm. What’s a knitter to do? I certainly wasn’t going to frog and begin again. So, my answer was to knit a round of stitches and graft them in regular Kitchener stitch. While the graft doesn’t look bad, it would look MUCH better in rib but since it’ll be on the inside of the headband, I think it’s passable. The headband is soaking now and will be blocked and sent off. I made the smaller size because he doesn’t have a big head. I hope it’ll work. I still have more yarn, just in case.
Meanwhile, my daughter has also asked for a new headband so once I’ve finished another project on the needles, I’ll have to find a pattern for hers. AND finish her sister’s fingerless mitts. Since I’ve been under the weather, I haven’t had the headspace to work on them.
Winter’s Finery … lace gone amok
My Winter’s Finery shawl has taken some backwards steps. I thought I had finished the lace through the last chart row and something didn’t line up. I frogged a few rows to see if I could fix it and just kept needing to go back again. So, finally, I decided just to go back to the start of the lace and start over and this time I won’t knit the lace while watching the final few episodes of Outlander. (If you haven’t watched Outlander, you’re really missing something quite wonderful. Part time-travel, part love story, part historical fiction, I have really enjoyed it.)
I started my “Bang Out a Sweater” sweater on January 31 and then it stalled. Seems I have all of my US 6 needles out in projects somewhere. I’m not sure how that could be but it seems to be true. SO … it’s sitting and waiting for me to finish my Winter’s Finery shawl or get the store for work tomorrow and buy an extra needle (or two). I can’t believe I have no US 6 needles that will work for this sweater. I will work on the shawl today … and if I can get close to 11 rows of lace knitted, I’ll finish the shawl first. If I don’t, I’ll buy new needles. Don’t tell my husband. Ha!
I have a sweater’s worth of so many yarns in my atelier. A rust-colored organic merino, a navy blue worsted wool, sport weight grey (with a red for some contrast/pattern), and an orange felted tweed and complimentary orange lace weight silk mohair. What do you think of an orange cardigan? I’m not getting a lot of knitting done this week because I don’t feel well, but I may have to cast on another something … the two hats for my client, the headband for my daughter. Something that doesn’t take too much headspace.
It’s the day after Labor Day and the Hummingbirds, at least the females, are still here. I don’t expect they’ll be here long because the nights are getting much cooler. Our coffee on the porch mornings require long sleeves and a (hand knit) blanket for my “Florida boy”.
Over the last few days I’ve managed to finish a few things and have several gifts ready to be mailed out and delivered. I’ve finished three baby top knot hats and fingerless mittens for three babies … one already born and two on the way. I loved working with the Lang Merino Bebe 200 yarn. It’s soft and will be fine against a new baby’s skin and the colors are amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting with it. The pattern for the hat is one I picked up in the store and have adapted it because I thought it was too large for a new or new-ish baby while the mittens were small. So, I will probably be writing up the pattern and using it as a beginner knitter design. The hats were knitted on a US 2 and US 2.5 needle and the mittens on a US 3. Lots of tiny stitches! I wanted the hats to be a tighter gauge because precious itty bitty heads need to stay warm. Right?
I also finished my great-nephew’s sweater for this fall. I knitted another French Macaroon for Noah in Berroco Vintage DK which is easy care for busy parents. They won’t have to fear felting this sweater and I really do like Berroco Vintage yarn. I much prefer it to Plymouth’s Encore (fiber content is the same). I chose a couple of different colors for Noah because he’s not really a baby any longer. He’ll be two this month!
I really like this little sweater. It’s simple enough, knit flat in two pieces and, if you pay attention, it’s simple enough to seam. I spent one Friday knitting class seaming the shoulders with right sides together rather that with right sides facing me. Oops. I pulled it out and re-did it in the afternoon knitting class and got most of the seams finished, too. Just needed to weave in the ends. Now it’s been blocked (washed and laid flat to dry) and I will pack it up and send it on to Salem with a pair of the Toddler Cabled Mitts that I wrote about here. My plan is to knit one more for Sylvie, my granddaughter, but I had chosen pink and white and I think I want to change up the colors for her, too, because she’ll be two next month!
WIPs – Yesterday I got the Christmas stocking commission started. I’m waiting for measurements because the last time I knitted one of these family stockings I knitted it at the wrong gauge and it’s larger than the others. I suspect that I knitted it with a US7 needle and I’m going to hope that I can knit this one on a US6. (That’s what I’ve started it on.) With measurements, I’ll know if I’m close. With wool yarn, I can block it a bit larger or smaller if need be. I’m bummed that the last one is too big. My friend says it’s ok but I’m still bummed.
I have started a pair of socks for my brother-in-love. Last night I finished the first sock and started the second one. I should have them finished by the end of the week and that will be a good Christmas gift! I want to knit low socks for my sister-in-loves in LA and some regular socks for my MA s-i-l. I think that I will have made socks for everyone of my siblings and their “spice” (plural of spouse, right?)
I still have other WIPs on my needles that I’ve mentioned in earlier posts and I’ll try to get them finished before the end of the year. I’m really itching to start knitting animals from the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther. I went online to order the yarn to make three of the critters in the book – the duck, the horse and the pig. I’m eager to try the recommended yarn and have seen a few of the animals knitted up. They’re really great. There may be another Octopus in my future, too. The grandchild loves sea creatures and I want to keep mine in pristine guest room bed condition.
I’ve got to stop writing and get out to run a couple of errands. Happy unofficial start of fall. I can feel the change in the air (and I love it!)
While I was sleeping this morning my dear husband took this beautiful photograph of the sunrise. I, obviously, missed it but can still share it with you. A week ago we had ice from shore to shore. We are watching the water birds return to the lake. I’ve been told that the loons are already here, too. I’ve not heard nor seen them but I am watching for them.
Tomorrow I am heading to the store for work, our long winter yarn sale is over and I’m back to working by myself. Today I’ve been busy vacuuming my studio and cleaning up, washing our bedroom sheets and towels, cleaning up the kitchen and I baked bread.
I’ve been busy knitting, too!
I finished my Sunset Highway sweater by Caitlin Hunter back in 2019 but I’ve only worn it a couple of times. When I put it on to help me decide what to do with it, I saw the problem (I think) … it’s too long. So, I’ve spent the last couple of days unknitting the bottom of the sweater and stopping 13 inches from the underarm. I’ve got it on a cord now and I will try it on when I get undressed tonight and then I’ll decide if 13″ is the best length or if it needs to be a little longer or shorter. I will complete the ribbing again and then I hope I will wear it.
I’m also reassessing the sleeves which I feel look heavy compared to the rest of the sweater. I now have a bunch of the body yarn and I may change the burgundy out for the white speckled. Time will tell.
Ruby Ray the Mega RayRuby’s belly
I did a crochet thing! My daughter, as I mentioned before, sent me a photograph of this ray with some little fishies on it’s back … a big hint. Ha! Ha! BUT it looked simple enough and I have been saying that I have to do more crochet to get better at it so I went off to Michael’s to get the jumbo chenille yarn and the size L crochet hook. During a long meeting last week I crocheted the blue back piece and earlier this week the white belly. Yesterday I got some 25mm eyes (they’re HUGE!) and finished it up. It’s very cute. I’m not sure how it’ll hold up to the abuse of an 18 month old but time will tell. My son and his fiancee are coming for a visit this weekend and I’ll send the ray back for Sylvie for Easter.
I’ve been working on my second Fiddlehead mitten and Jelly Roll blanket. AND the Christmas socks for my daughter. All three are coming along. I love the Jelly Roll blanket a lot – it’s so potato chippy – I have trouble putting it down. The socks are down to the foot so they should be finished soon. Maybe by Friday. I am itching to cast on Susan B. Anderson’s Christopher Bunny but I’m “making” myself finish up a couple of projects first.
On Saturday my friend and co-worker, Glenda, is coming over and we are going to reinforce and steek our Oorick vests. We both participated in the Year of Techniques ages ago, before we really knew each other well, before we worked together. But we’ve both finished the little vest (wee slipover?) and we’re ready for next steps. It’ll be fun. Just a bit of ribbing after that and one more project will be completed.
I woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning and, as usual, it made the start of the day at 5:45am perfectly fine. Although it felt like noon at 8am when I thought I needed to get moving and get some chores and errands run. Ha! Ha!
I spent the morning writing the store newsletter and getting the weekend plans and reminders together and planning my calendar for next week. I went downstairs for breakfast after 11am and we went out to run some errands around noon time.
I was sent a photo of a crocheted ray by my daughter that she saw on Instagram. We don’t carry the yarn at Yardgoods so today, one of my errands was to go to Michael’s to see if they had any there. I bought two balls of Michael’s Sweet Snuggles a jumbo weight chenille yarn. They had a limited choice of colors in the store but light blue and cream will work. I also bought a L crochet hook … wish me luck. I may be an expert knitter but I’m a mediocre crocheter at best.
Ray … I’ll be attempting this someday soon
I’ve been rolling along on my Stashbuster Shawl. I’m nearing the end of the project and have taken a bit of time to count my stitches and estimate how much yarn I will need for casting off. I typically give myself three times the width of the edge to be cast off. I made a knot there and I’ll knit up to that knot or very close to it and then bind off with my fingers and toes crossed and my legs, too, maybe. When I bought this yarn I thought it was in shades of gray. Turns out that it’s navy blule. It’s all good, I wear a lot of blue and this one is slightly larger than the multi-colored Stashbuster that I knitted a while back. I think it’s going to be a good addition to my shawl collection.
Haven’t made a lot of progress on my daughter’s Christmas socks or the Oorik slip over for my granddaughter. I hope it’ll fit her in the fall but I’d still like to check it off the list. I haven’t touched the Fiddlehead mittens or my pink embroidered mittens but I’ll get to them. I’m enjoying all the knitting that I’m doing so it’s all good.
This afternoon we attempted to install a new digital TV antenna on our roof. The original one hasn’t been working for a while. We got a few channels but none of the ones that we really want from more than 60 miles away so we will return this one and get one with a larger range. For a couple of “old” people we can still crawl in and out of the windows and walk on the roof. My husband has a new hip and it seems to be working well. I’m grateful for that!
Queen Bee Knits 