Wednesday, December 26, 2012

More sock yarn?

Three months ago, I bought the yarn, I started the project, and then I realized I couldn't post it if I wanted it to be anything of a surprise.  I may have blown my cover, but it has been gifted now.
I love the feel, the quality of the yarn, and how it will be displayed:  In clear rubber knee-high boots!
It's a leg warmer attached to a sock. It's perfect for "Auto-Knitting": In the car, watching something else, talking,... The yarn does it all: Indulgence 6-ply (Knitting Fever).  It moves along (as well as expected of a long, knee-high stocking) using 3 mm needles.  I'm expecting there to be enough left for short ones for me!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Another Year!

I missed celebrating my November 25th Bloggiversary:
Three years,  Solstice 3 years ago

600+ blog posts, smiling like a crazy-woman!

125 knit projects,  (16 pairs of socks, 25 mini socks for Advent, numerous partials...) and 7-1/2 miles of yarn slipped through my fingers just this year.
More laughs than tears!
Happy New Year!  May 13 be your lucky number.
Link to Bloggiversary:
November 2010 Blog Post


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How to avoid confusion?

Answer:  Don't put things down.
Have you ever knitted something part way?  (No, I always finish a project before starting something new.)
Have you ever looked at your list of "hibernating" projects (on Ravelry-- what a sobering list) and decided to finish something?   (No,  I always finish a project before starting something new.)
Have you ever looked at a half-finished project and thought, "What the...?"  Where was I?  This doesn't look right! #%#@$^&#**  Why didn't I mark where I was in the pattern those many months ago? (Oh, yeah,  I always finish a project before starting something new.)
It took me awhile, and I wasn't interested in something new, and granddaughter is arriving soon, so I picked up the pieces, and... BRILLIANT!  There was a sticky note on the pattern indicating an approximate starting point...whew!  Could have been a melt-down.
Will it be assembled in the next weeks?  Hmmm, experience tells me it is unlikely!!!
First cast on December 22, 2011, when I knew my granddaughter wouldn't be near for Christmas.  It's all different this year!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Finally! A winter storm...

Just in time for my daughter, who thought she was escaping winter weather, we had a great amount of snow.  It normally lasts no more than a day, but now it's cold enough to keep some lingering white in shady areas.
The trip to the airport takes us north into Colorado, and a rise in altitude.  The road to the airport (albeit a "back road", and the shortest distance) looked like this today.  It was stunning with vistas of white mountains in the bright sunshine an hour later!  Melting...
More storms coming!  And we calculate that we will be at the airport every 7 days for the next month!
Coming, going, going, and coming home...  Maybe it will be drier next week, but everyone has hoped for moisture...

Friday, December 14, 2012

Laughing and Crying

One crying? One laughing? It must be Knit nite! We were all laughing so hard... See what you missed?
But FIRST!  The coup d'etat!  Bee fin... fin... fin...ished!!! not just a project, but a baby blanket!  Gorgeous work!  Duly admired, fondled, and encouraged to knit another one...  A lucky baby, with an orange nursery... EXCELLENT!
 Then we moved to the herd of sheep, a bit frightened by the herd of balls... A sheep's life is all DRAMA!
 And then MB brought out the tour de force:  And made us weep with laughter.

 Just a sample of Stitchy McYarnpants.  Making fun of older patterns and designs, and adding insults of our own!  The "Worst Case of Dandruff" was just the beginning!  BEST night Ev-ah!!
For more information see: Museum of Kitschy Stitches
I love irreverent knitting blogs!

Monday, November 26, 2012

How much?

Remember how I listed all of the knitting I would take with me to the mountains?
Well, I certainly didn't live up to my expectations... I put the finishing touches on ONE item,.... after I got home.
What got in the way?
Beautiful weather, monstrous mountains, inviting geocaches, thin air, comfy hotel, and lazy days.  Those first three items were confined to 6 hours of sunlight a day... the sun didn't shine until it cleared the mountain (a 14,000 ft'er) at its peak about 9:15 AM and disappeared behind another peak... (I wondered how it could be so exact, and not go down at a lower elevation or valley...) at 3: 20 PM.
Somehow, I/we wiled away the hours days and I "only" accomplished one project, but it's a good one!
I used leftover yarn from a pullover (in February):
And made this:
It may be a bit on the short side... but we'll see in a few weeks, when it gets modeled.
I used a Norwegian pattern for both of these and Dale of Norway "Falk" yarn.  (Click to enlarge.)
Ahhhhh.  A week of R&K.  I could get used to that!

Monday, November 12, 2012

More Art Forms

This isn't like me, but tonight I stumbled upon two great areas... (I'm not in the least enticed to attempt them, but I like looking!)
First, I follow Astronomy pictures.  Here's an astronomy Quilt!  Fascinating use of colors and shapes... and the next solar eclipse?
Second, I did something as simple as "Next Blog" when viewing my own last post.  And I found this:  Jewelry, which doesn't interest me in the least, yet somehow I couldn't stop myself from scrolling down, picture after picture.
Is this cheating?  Showing off the work of others?  Hope you don't feel cheated...

Friday, November 9, 2012

Less than perfect

The maximizer in me just won't let it go.  The continuing saga of "Sojourner."
First, you can see what happens when I re-knit with yarn that has been kinked from blocking. And it "almost" looks like I twisted the stitches I picked when continuing the stockinette.  (I don't think I did...) The stitches have a different shape. Fingers crossed that will resolve itself with a second blocking.

By the way, you are seeing the back neck edge with seed stitch continuing from the front button bands. Big question:  How do you make a decent, discrete join where they meet?  (It's not in the instructions, my friends!)
I took a tip from Nancie Wiseman.  She wrote in The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques which is my go-to source of "how-to's".  She doesn't address seed stitch, but there was a kitchener method of using waste yarn that I thought might be helpful.  I added an extra row to both ends using waste yarn, and attempted to duplicate stitch over it.  Here's what it looked like (not a pretty sight)!
Loose ends EVERYWHERE!  And what I got? That's in the first picture.  It looks OK at the top edge, but I must have missed something at the first few stitches.  (Yes, lavender is difficult to photograph... every picture is a different color.  Really, it's all the same.)
Here I am, modeling my sweater, which is totally wearable, and feels YUMMY WONDERFUL on this chilly day, and I don't WANT to take it off (WAAAHHH!) to undo the "messed up kitchener"... (pout).

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Can't wait...

Every day for a week, I think, blog-sojourner-blog-sojourner-blog-sojourner...  Quite consuming!! Yet I have a class to prepare for (four days a week), and rehearsals and laundry and meals and... 
I really WANT to finish my Sojourner Sweater and I really want to show it off in my blog post.
It's SOOOO close now, and I'm running on fumes here, so here it is:  Incomplete.
Decided to block before seaming:
 The sleeves...
 After I seamed the shoulders, I discovered that the back was too long.  I ripped out down to the stitch holder:  !!  Quite a lot, but it fits nicely.
 Next worry:  Will the sleeves fit?  Maybe...
It's a nice dk weight... I'm motivated!  I want to wear it!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Can Cozy!

After everyone was stressed out by cables, there was a request to have a go at color work.  I put together a little project to use two colors at a time.  For some, it was a snap!  Others found they weren't THAT interested, and that's ok!
A couple of comments about stranded (two-color knitting):

  • We used 100% wool, so if the 36 stitches weren't quite right for your container (can or bottle), try swishing it around in hot water, and letting it dry on the container for a perfect fit.
  • I forgot to mention that I learned the hard way to keep track of which hand is holding which color.  For example, if you hold the red in your right hand, and the blue in your left, keep it that way.  I found that by switching part way through a project, there was a noticeable difference. (I have to write it down... I'll old.)

Of course, your can or bottle won't be offended!
We also learned a new cast-on:  Estonian Double Cast On, by Nancy Bush.  You can find it on youtube.  And I finished mine off doing the Estonian Double Bind Off... They almost match.  Here's where I found those instructions:  Cindy's Sock Knitting

Stocking stuffers, anyone?

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Cozy Cable!

I'm teaching again!  And again...
I can't believe it... after "feeling" like I'm retired, I got hooked/called/snagged/whatever into teaching a brand new class (to me: unknown content) which meets for 8 weeks, 4 days a week, 3 credits.  However, you may point out, who said yes?  All I have to do is look in the mirror.
In addition to that class, I've been running a few sessions of "Knit Doctor" which was intended to teach tricks about fixing and avoiding mistakes. (Maybe that's something I should take to the personal level, but I digress.)  I had a great group of 6 women who were quite accomplished, and we shared many stories of knitting tragedies, while grumbling about picking up stitches.
In addition to fixing things, we explored cables one week.  Off the top of my head I created a little cable project that went like this:  (Green= cable to right/front, Purple= cable to left/back)
Cable practice:  Cast on 18 sts.
Row 1:  k2, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k2
Row 2 (and ALL even numbered rows):  k4, p4, k2, p4, k4
Rows 3 & 4:  (as Rows 1 & 2)
Row 5:  k2, p2, sl2, k2, grab (use left hand) last 4 stitches from right needle, remove right needle, with right needle pick up stitches 3 & 4 from your hand (skipping over 1 & 2), with left needle pick up stitches 1 & 2, k these 2, p2, yarn forward, sl2, yarn back, k2, yarn forward,  grab last 4 stitches from right needle, remove right needle, with right needle pick up stitches 3 & 4 from your hand (skipping over 1 & 2), with left needle pick up stitches 1 & 2, k these 2, p2, k2.
Row 6:  (as Row 2)
 No cable needle necessary.  And clear as day to me!  Maybe it needs the visual demonstration, too.
While searching for one that matched my style, I realized how many variations there are!   Here's one that is closest to what I do:



Thursday, October 18, 2012

So many things! Tie up and stuffing!

You might think I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, but no.  This has to do with smart people!  Makes me feel almost... Smart! LOL
Two things that I stumbled upon this morning:
1) Scarves:  I have some lovely non-knit scarves lurking in my closet.... and often feel so dorky when I try to wear them.  Besides wearing all black and gray, here are some tips:  Tying Scarves  Very clever!
If you see me wearing a (non-knit) scarf... you'll know I'm working on the new me!
2) Mittens:  I bought a "thrumming" mitten pattern while in Canada, but this one goes further.  It's called Stuffed Mittens.  What a surprise!  Alas, NM is not the place for such except for that one night a year when we gather at the river with luminarias.  It's always the most frigid evening of the year...
Just sharing!  Better get that turkey thawing!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Sojouner, Continuing

A week ago, after much wandering, touching, feeling, and storing MORE yarn that I "found" in my suitcase, I decided to return to a project that made my jaw drop... it dropped more than two years ago, and I cast on 1-1/2 years ago, but never mind!  I picked it up, and have been full speed ahead.
On my Ravelry page, I posted a picture I took at WEBS of the model that caused this stand-still/jaw-dropping/purchase moment, but now I've really gotten to the part that is exciting:  The cable work!  Design elements... I still like it.

What you see is the fancy waistband.  I looked back at my previous blogs about this here and here, and after a moment of self-induced panic, I thought... I better measure this again!
Again, the bottom edge is longer than I expected, but the waistband bit is 6" less, so I think I'm good!  Oh, bring on winter... 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Another Fall story

From Norway, here's a link to a blog that I enjoy because it keeps me in touch!
These stories usually include information that makes sense of some of the things I rave about!
Here's an account of the various berries available.  I/we always pack one or two jars of tyttebær and "Cloudberries" in our baggage on Norway trips.   Link: Berries
Because I might refer to it again, I posted it to my "Countries Visited" page which you can access at the tab above.
Let me know if your mouth doesn't start watering...

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Perfection, I guess...

In February, my daughter presented me with a pattern and yarn, we shopped for beads, I bought extra yarn, just in case, and I cast on:  Mademoiselle.
I stalled, I put it away, I knit numerous other things, and then as September approached I realized that winter weather and sweaters are inseparable, and I got out the whip sleeves and started again in earnest.  The impending season AND a visit by my daughter looming was enough to get me focused, but little did I know that it would take me up to the final day that I could put it in her hands.
It was a good thing I had her body with me, because there's no better way to get a fit and a "look" than to see it modeled.

 I did the sleeves first.  It was earlier agreed upon that they would be 3/4 length.  Then the body turned out to be overly "hour glass" shaped.  C thought that was great;  she likes a close fit.  Then came the collar in contrasting color, pattern, and with beads.
 It traveled from New Mexico, to Canada, visiting Niagara Falls, drove to South Carolina where I was watched by dogs, and it grew, grudgingly it seemed!
 Finally it was "sew the sleeves in" time, and when modeled...  it definitely needed more at the neckline.  I picked up stitches and made a raglan decrease to keep it from falling off the shoulders. (The weight of the beaded collar would surely drag it down.)  This extra neckline I knitted and ripped four times until I finally had it right.  With a stockinette finish, the collar would still pull it outward... so

 In the end I finally had a reverse-stockinette, and not too tight, not too loose bind-off.  Whew!  (I imagined that it was going to be a Christmas present after all!)
Nice hems on the cuffs, and the same for the bottom edge of the body, but at the (almost) last modeling, it definitely needed a few more inches of overall length!
 I unraveled the hem and added 3 inches, a new hem, and voilá!  Finé!
Never blocked.  North Carolina humidity would mean that C would have to take it wet, and NC weather ... Well, there's NO excuse that I didn't snap a picture when it was finished and modeled... Shame on me.  Someday, I'll surprise you!

 By the way, the sweater can be worn backwards or forwards.  C prefers the split of the collar to the back.  It is the YUMMIEST of yarn.  I loved the feel in my hands.
 Lucky me!  I WAY over-estimated the amount and have plenty left for another project.  (Not exactly stash-busting, is it! LOL)

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Fall on the Blog

Fall=Autumn, by the way...
I have noticed such beautiful pictures from all over the world.  Leaves are turning, and my own yard looked better than usual when I returned from a month away!
Morning Glories are blocking one whole window, but I'm not complaining!  And they stay out all day, not just mornings.  They are SO cheerful.
Who knows why I have purple in one window, and pink in the other?  Soil?  They've been there so long that I don't remember when I first threw seeds in there.  They miraculously reseed themselves every year*.
And then the real "Fall" flowers waited until I left.
 The tomatoes are eeking out their last existence.   Tomato weather during the days, they will survive awhile longer if I think of them at bedtime.
 And who can resist a photo-op?  Clyde and Bonnie have been very needy since I returned! They follow me everywhere.
Enjoy the day! Carpe diem!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Not much of a pose!

Juju gets to wear her new Grandma creation. It's big around the neckline, even after tightening it up a bit. Others on Ravelry mentioned that being a problem. With another shirt under it, and another year of growth, it will be perfect!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

In Bear Country


Life in Western North Carolina:  the weather has been perfect, hiking in the Blue Ridge, our yard is a nicely  wooded site where we have activities called "Backyard Crafts", and wifi!
The second night our trash can was tipped over, and our trash was discovered up the mountain behind the house. Hal went for a little wander to see if he could get to the mountain top and wondered why someone would throw trash, suspiciously like our trash, in the woods... Then, putting together the clues, he realized it WAS our trash.
At the cottage we came to the conclusion that since no bears were mentioned in our briefing for the cottage rental, the culprits must be raccoons. Our trash has been moved into the cellar.

Today as I napped, midday, M&J stood on the bridge that takes our driveway to the road, and between them and the house a mama black bear with two cubs passed through the yard, and ran straight up the mountain behind the house!  C and Hal were watching on the porch, and I, in my bed, missed the sighting.  The first time any of us have experienced bears in the wild!  Pretty cool, even if I didn't see them myself!  Raccoons?  Maybe not.
A few hours later they returned and I was ready. This pic is one of the cubs in front and mama in back keeping an eye out. I was on the porch. Neighbors say they are looking for food, and have an uncanny sense that tomorrow is trash pick up day!
They are beautifully black, people shy, mama isn't very big, and the kids are half her size. By mama's appearance, she is still nursing those big guys.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Singing in the creek

Mick and Juju enjoy an afternoon of sitting in the middle of the creek, and singing "Eensy weensy spider...Out came the sun..."
Juju is sporting her new knit smocked dress.  Yes, in the middle of the creek... Fashion is everywhere for a three year old.
Life and living! Love it!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Collar

I haven't finished the sleeves...they need a try-on before proceeding, so I went back to the collar. It uses three beads every other row. Can you see them between the rows of cables?  A little tricky to handle beads in the car, so as we were 'resting' in South Carolina, I added a few rows, between sock knitting. The collar is knitted separately and attached around the neckline.  ....I have less than two weeks to get this done.  It (the collar) is officially over the one-third mark, but taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r--…. Hopefully assembly will be quick, and blocking. And... Whatever else needs to be done. Knitting in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
I hear... Insects, chirping up a storm.  The voices of my uncle and aunt in the next room. It's great having them here.  Easy people to talk to, and my only relatives outside of my immediate family. I'm glad we made this trip to connect for a few days.
And can you imagine how much I appreciate my life-long friend?  She took a family vacation with my family, and will spend two extra days with my uncle and aunt--in a car--letting them visit friends--hope they all survive!  I love them all!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Striped purple sock

Couldn't resist the colors, couldn't resist casting on, and more colors to come.  What's been happening otherwise?
We got in the car and traveled south. Put away NY and PA, and MD and a tiny bit of WV before resting our heads Monday night.  The above sock grew to what you see now.
Yarn: Jawoll Magic by Lang
Got hours of personal time with my Uncle and Aunt. We gave them a ride to visit friends. It was great to spend time (almost two full days), time to think about all the questions you wish you had thought of after a visit. 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

All wet

A reward for being so diligent with our knitting progress: Our task-master allows us a leisurely evening paddle. We must have been very, very, good!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Guild

How many knitters does it take to form a Guild?  I don't know, but this one is pretty impressive.  There were at least
200.  Maybe someone would like to count! The Rochester Knitting Guild sure impessed us. Much more business-like than groups of 10, but I can see the benefits: A huge number of people knitters to carpool to events, and if one is gregarious, ahem... you can find all kinds of things of interest. I wouldn't get much knitting done, but who does in a group setting? I'm trying to be positive, but it's really like herding cats. (Teehee)

Friday, September 14, 2012

A trip to the Falls

Denise is in Canada!  I'm in US!  Ahhh!!
Having fun with the tourists, at Niagara Falls.  Spent
one afternoon looking and getting wet, then we came back the next day to walk across the bridge.
A Texas sized "WOW"

Sunrise at Boot Camp

Oh! I just missed an early morning fishing boat...  Maybe this will be a lay-low-retail day!  Tomorrow is the weekend which brings another fair/festival!


LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...