Cattails is moving along nicely again after taking a back seat to Ravellenics projects. I finished the first sleeve last night and hope to pick up the stitches for the second sleeve tonight. It makes great TV knitting. I rented Season One of Chicago Fire from the library. I watched 2 episodes last night. I hope to catch up on the earlier history that I missed. I can also knit on the North Sea socks while watching TV, and I plan to take Whippoorwill out of the closet and try to figure out where I am. I might be able to work on that one while watching, too.
I have other socks to knit but those require attention to the chart and watching my knitting instead of TV so that knitting will happen at another time. I can listen to audiobooks and podcasts while knitting cabled or beaded socks, so I am saving those projects for when I don't want the TV on. I don't usually watch much TV when it's not football season, so that time could be soon.
Eldest son loves his new hat. The Highland Duo Drekkar hat worked well. It's a bit bigger and I like that. I had planned to add some ribbing to the original test knit hat but I think I will rip it out and re-knit it. I don't think I want the ribbing right near the face to be off set halfway up. It won't take long to re-knit and I will feel better. Mom loves her sweater vest and that makes me feel good, too. As I near the end of cattails I plan to swatch for my next sweater. I am determined to knit a sweater from stash yarn and I think Sarah might just be the one. I have had this yarn for a loooong time. It's time for it to come out of the storage in and into the daylight. It's a pretty, bright blue and I think it will make a good winter sweater. I have to verify yardage and swatch to be sure I can do this, or select and non-cabled sweater instead. Fingers crossed because I want those cables. ;-)
We had snow this morning! It snowed for about 2 hours and there was about 1/2 inch on the deck. I was sort of excited because I like snow but also feeling rather let down. I am ready for spring, and my search for crocus and/or daffodils was fruitless. Sigh. I keep reminidng myself that it is really only the end of February and I need to be patient .......
Have a good day, all.
PS I am not really being lazy about posting pictures. I just can't get them to load without a battle, so linking is the next best thing.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Silver or gold - you decide.
I finished Mom's vest version of the Bernhardt sweater. I am happy with it and, more importantly, so is Mom. I finished it early enough to get it blocked and ready to go when younger son headed up to visit NY for the weekend. She tried it on and likes the look and fit of it. So, silver medal for sure. I have not and will not get the North Sea Socks finished before the end of the Olympics but I did finish another WIP. The baby blanket I was working on before the Olympics has been completed. The baby was born early so I had extra impetus to finish it fast. I had no listed the blanket as one of my planned Ravelllenics projects but I did finish a WIP. So, you decide. Silver or gold medal for me?
In other knitting, I started another Drekkar hat with a different yarn and have completed about half of it. I love it. Once I finished Mom's vest and the blanket I picked up Cattails and went back to work on the sleeve. I think the 3 of us that are knitting Cattails are at about the same spot which is nice. We can encourage each other to knit on the sleeves - compare notes on how many stripes we have knitted. I hope to finish it within a month so I can wear it when/if spring weather comes. ;-)
My next WIP that I plan to pick up again is Whippoorwill. I had reached the part where I added the second color, so it should be enjoyable knitting. I have some repairs to make on other knitting and I have them sitting in a basket near my knitting spot in the living room. I have made progress on repairs, and that makes me feel good and will encourage me to make the other repairs. Some are socks, one is a hat. It's nice to be able to put things back into circulation that have been out for a year or more. :-)
My broken foot is healing slowly, the ligaments, too. It still aches, some days more than others. The boot itself hurts and that makes it hard to be good about wearing it. When I am home and not going to be too busy I wear an ace wrap and slippers to give the heel/foot a break. I am supposed to see the doctor on Thursday about the foot. I also get a dexa scan to see how bad my osteoporosis is. Fun times. :-)
We are, as are many others on the East coast, craving no snow and spring weather. I am going out in a little while to look for crocus and daffodils. Have a food day.
In other knitting, I started another Drekkar hat with a different yarn and have completed about half of it. I love it. Once I finished Mom's vest and the blanket I picked up Cattails and went back to work on the sleeve. I think the 3 of us that are knitting Cattails are at about the same spot which is nice. We can encourage each other to knit on the sleeves - compare notes on how many stripes we have knitted. I hope to finish it within a month so I can wear it when/if spring weather comes. ;-)
My next WIP that I plan to pick up again is Whippoorwill. I had reached the part where I added the second color, so it should be enjoyable knitting. I have some repairs to make on other knitting and I have them sitting in a basket near my knitting spot in the living room. I have made progress on repairs, and that makes me feel good and will encourage me to make the other repairs. Some are socks, one is a hat. It's nice to be able to put things back into circulation that have been out for a year or more. :-)
My broken foot is healing slowly, the ligaments, too. It still aches, some days more than others. The boot itself hurts and that makes it hard to be good about wearing it. When I am home and not going to be too busy I wear an ace wrap and slippers to give the heel/foot a break. I am supposed to see the doctor on Thursday about the foot. I also get a dexa scan to see how bad my osteoporosis is. Fun times. :-)
We are, as are many others on the East coast, craving no snow and spring weather. I am going out in a little while to look for crocus and daffodils. Have a food day.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Ravellenics
I am doing the Ravellenics and I already have a bronze medal!
My final goals, decided on the day of the opening ceremony, were to knit the test knit hat (Drekkar - I will link to it when it has been released), knit the North Sea Socks and finish my selected WIP (The vest version of the Bernhardt sweater). I decided that one completion would get a bronze, another item completed would be silver and I would get gold if I finished a third piece (this could be one sock of the 2). With the hat completed, I have a bonze and I fully expect to finish my WIP and get silver by the end of the Olympics. I doubt I will make it to the gold but I'll try. I am knitting both socks at the same time on a different set of DPNs.
We are expecting a huge snow storm tonight/tomorrow. I am expecting to be at home and able to knit at least part of the day. ;-) With my foot broken I have an excuse to not shovel but I enjoy shoveling so I may try to do some of it. If it's too slippery, though, I won't risk another broken bone.
We are borrowing a generator in case we loose power. Lights I can do without. Heat is vital.
Stay safe and warm, all.
My final goals, decided on the day of the opening ceremony, were to knit the test knit hat (Drekkar - I will link to it when it has been released), knit the North Sea Socks and finish my selected WIP (The vest version of the Bernhardt sweater). I decided that one completion would get a bronze, another item completed would be silver and I would get gold if I finished a third piece (this could be one sock of the 2). With the hat completed, I have a bonze and I fully expect to finish my WIP and get silver by the end of the Olympics. I doubt I will make it to the gold but I'll try. I am knitting both socks at the same time on a different set of DPNs.
We are expecting a huge snow storm tonight/tomorrow. I am expecting to be at home and able to knit at least part of the day. ;-) With my foot broken I have an excuse to not shovel but I enjoy shoveling so I may try to do some of it. If it's too slippery, though, I won't risk another broken bone.
We are borrowing a generator in case we loose power. Lights I can do without. Heat is vital.
Stay safe and warm, all.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Sleeves! I am knitting sleeves!
Well, actually just one at a time, but still - I finished the dreaded seed stitch edging on the body of the Cattails sweater and have knit a round or two on the first sleeve. That's progress.
I added another project to my knitting list. I have agreed to do a test knit for Melanie. It's a cabled hat (I love to knit cables) and it's for eldest son. When I showed him the pattern he was very excited about it. The only bad thing is that he wants it in black. UGH. We'll see. Maybe I can find another dark color that he likes that isn't as dark as black. ;-) The pattern is called Drekkar and you will be hearing and seeing more about it shortly. I have to go to the LYS on Thursday to get some alpaca yarn.
Meanwhile, I continue to plug away at the projects on the needles - the mitered baby blanket, Mom's vest version of Bernhardt and Cattails. I knit some on the vanilla sock that is just a carry along project (it doesn't count in the WIP section of my brain) while at the meeting I went to over the weekend and last night (because I was too tired to knit anything else).
I know I should not have taken on the new hat project but I feel as though all of my projects have been around for a while and will be for several more weeks. I need a quick finish project, some instant gratification and this will do nicely. Even my WIPs from last year will take some time to finish. None will be quick, not even the cowl, because it is light weight yarn and beading. I need something quick. Besides, Rob needs a warm hat more than I need a beaded cowl. ;-)
We are expecting more mixed precip and some ice tomorrow. UGH. If the ice is significant, I will not be driving to work, but I would rather come in and save my time off for more fun things. Fingers crossed that it's not as bad as they are predicting.
Have a warm and safe day.
I added another project to my knitting list. I have agreed to do a test knit for Melanie. It's a cabled hat (I love to knit cables) and it's for eldest son. When I showed him the pattern he was very excited about it. The only bad thing is that he wants it in black. UGH. We'll see. Maybe I can find another dark color that he likes that isn't as dark as black. ;-) The pattern is called Drekkar and you will be hearing and seeing more about it shortly. I have to go to the LYS on Thursday to get some alpaca yarn.
Meanwhile, I continue to plug away at the projects on the needles - the mitered baby blanket, Mom's vest version of Bernhardt and Cattails. I knit some on the vanilla sock that is just a carry along project (it doesn't count in the WIP section of my brain) while at the meeting I went to over the weekend and last night (because I was too tired to knit anything else).
I know I should not have taken on the new hat project but I feel as though all of my projects have been around for a while and will be for several more weeks. I need a quick finish project, some instant gratification and this will do nicely. Even my WIPs from last year will take some time to finish. None will be quick, not even the cowl, because it is light weight yarn and beading. I need something quick. Besides, Rob needs a warm hat more than I need a beaded cowl. ;-)
We are expecting more mixed precip and some ice tomorrow. UGH. If the ice is significant, I will not be driving to work, but I would rather come in and save my time off for more fun things. Fingers crossed that it's not as bad as they are predicting.
Have a warm and safe day.
Monday, February 03, 2014
Snow. again.
I thought we might escape. They said the snow would start in the early morning and when I got up at 8:00 it was still raining. It switched to a nasty mix of rain and sleet a short time later and now (9:30) it's snowing heavily. Ugh.
I plan to pack away the Christmas stuff today - dishes, lights, linens, etc. We always keep that stuff out until at least mid January to make the switch worth the work. Its time now for it to go away.
I also plan some spinning, though spinning on the wheel is very tricky with "the boot" on my foot. It's harder than I thought, actually, so I might have to switch to spindles for my sampling. I would like to finish knitting the seed stitch edging on Cattails, too, so I can start a sleeve.
Have a good day and stay safe and warm.
I plan to pack away the Christmas stuff today - dishes, lights, linens, etc. We always keep that stuff out until at least mid January to make the switch worth the work. Its time now for it to go away.
I also plan some spinning, though spinning on the wheel is very tricky with "the boot" on my foot. It's harder than I thought, actually, so I might have to switch to spindles for my sampling. I would like to finish knitting the seed stitch edging on Cattails, too, so I can start a sleeve.
Have a good day and stay safe and warm.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Bronco Bummer
I am back from Dallas. I was all excited to get back and watch the Superbowl, and now I am disappointed. I am happy to be home but the game was a total bust. The Broncos didn't even put up a good fight. :-(
I had quite a bit of knitting time while I was away. Cattails is long enough and so I started on the bottom edge. I was considering using garter stitch for the edging rather than seed stitch but when I looked at the photos of the other projects I liked the seed stitch more. I hate to knit seed stitch. Sigh.
I picked up a cowl that has been on the needles for 2 years and knitted several inches on that on the plane. I finished the toe on a vanilla toe up sock while in the meeting. Now it is a good, mindless project for waiting.
I spent some time today when I got home neatening up and putting things away. We moved the Christmas tree out of the house and onto the deck. We were going to get rid of it but with snow coming tomorrow we decided to leave it on the deck (with the lights on) and light it during the snow storm tomorrow (if it materializes). I am off tomorrow to make up for having to work this weekend. Sometimes things work out well. :-)
Knitting, spinning and putting holiday stuff away is on the schedule for tomorrow. Take care.
I had quite a bit of knitting time while I was away. Cattails is long enough and so I started on the bottom edge. I was considering using garter stitch for the edging rather than seed stitch but when I looked at the photos of the other projects I liked the seed stitch more. I hate to knit seed stitch. Sigh.
I picked up a cowl that has been on the needles for 2 years and knitted several inches on that on the plane. I finished the toe on a vanilla toe up sock while in the meeting. Now it is a good, mindless project for waiting.
I spent some time today when I got home neatening up and putting things away. We moved the Christmas tree out of the house and onto the deck. We were going to get rid of it but with snow coming tomorrow we decided to leave it on the deck (with the lights on) and light it during the snow storm tomorrow (if it materializes). I am off tomorrow to make up for having to work this weekend. Sometimes things work out well. :-)
Knitting, spinning and putting holiday stuff away is on the schedule for tomorrow. Take care.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Alive and Kicking
But not with my left foot, which has a fracture and at least 1 torn ligament. UGH! I stepped off the curb (yes, I was watching where I was stepping but there was snow on the street) and onto a rock or chunk of ice, turned my ankle and landed hard on the outside of the foot. I went into work, iced and elevated the foot for 4 hours, then gave up and went home due to the pain. I iced and rested all weekend and saw the doctor Monday morning. I have a chip fracture and at least 1 ligament torn. I am back in the boot (which I shed just about 3 weeks ago) for at least 4 weeks.
On a more positive note, I have been knitting a lot. I started and finished the Tilted Shadows wrap in yummy Cascade Highland Duo. It's a free pattern from Cascade and it is wonderful yarn to knit with and wear.
I am currently knitting on Cattails, a striped cardigan, being knitted with Silky Wool in a wheat color and plum. I think it will be a very useful sweater. I am knitting a vest version of the Bernhardt sweater for my mother. It starts with the bottom lace ribbing and I have about 6 inches of the stockinette that comes after that finished. I had to calculate a smaller size than what is included in the pattern. I had DH check my math. I hope it works out. It seems to be right so far.
I am knitted the mitered baby blanket for a coworker. The colors are navy, cherry, sunshine and silver gray. It's a boy. :-). The yarn is cascade Sierra. The blanket is knit from the outside towards the center and I am already feeling the rounds go faster. This will be finished well before the due date of April 3.
I am knitting some convertible mitts for eldest son's girlfriend. She appreciates handmade. I am combining 2 pattern to get the cabling I want and the instructions for the convertible part. So far, so good. Her hands are about the same size as mine and the mitt fits me pretty well. Pictures soon.
I have a quandary. My plans for the Ravellenics (the knitter/crocheter/spinners version of the Olympics) had been to knit the North Sea Socks and choose a WIP to finish. Melanie and I bought the yarn and were given the pattern at Rhinebeck. I still like that plan. The sock pattern should be easy to memorize, making it a good TV watching project. I have enough WIPs to choose from in various weights of yarn. I would just choose one of those and have 2 projects to work on while watching the Olympics. I have been going through project bags and bins and wondering, though, if I should finish one (or both) of the mates to the Tour de Socks socks that I didn't finish at that time. I have the Maze socks and the Little Deschutes socks to choose from. I love them both and would love to wear a matching pair. The drawback to that plan is that neither one is conducive to knitting while watching TV. They are both chart watcher patterns. What to do .....?
I leave tomorrow morning on a business trip to Dallas, TX (over the weekend!) I will be back in time to watch the Superbowl. Go Broncos!!!!!!
On a more positive note, I have been knitting a lot. I started and finished the Tilted Shadows wrap in yummy Cascade Highland Duo. It's a free pattern from Cascade and it is wonderful yarn to knit with and wear.
I am currently knitting on Cattails, a striped cardigan, being knitted with Silky Wool in a wheat color and plum. I think it will be a very useful sweater. I am knitting a vest version of the Bernhardt sweater for my mother. It starts with the bottom lace ribbing and I have about 6 inches of the stockinette that comes after that finished. I had to calculate a smaller size than what is included in the pattern. I had DH check my math. I hope it works out. It seems to be right so far.
I am knitted the mitered baby blanket for a coworker. The colors are navy, cherry, sunshine and silver gray. It's a boy. :-). The yarn is cascade Sierra. The blanket is knit from the outside towards the center and I am already feeling the rounds go faster. This will be finished well before the due date of April 3.
I am knitting some convertible mitts for eldest son's girlfriend. She appreciates handmade. I am combining 2 pattern to get the cabling I want and the instructions for the convertible part. So far, so good. Her hands are about the same size as mine and the mitt fits me pretty well. Pictures soon.
I have a quandary. My plans for the Ravellenics (the knitter/crocheter/spinners version of the Olympics) had been to knit the North Sea Socks and choose a WIP to finish. Melanie and I bought the yarn and were given the pattern at Rhinebeck. I still like that plan. The sock pattern should be easy to memorize, making it a good TV watching project. I have enough WIPs to choose from in various weights of yarn. I would just choose one of those and have 2 projects to work on while watching the Olympics. I have been going through project bags and bins and wondering, though, if I should finish one (or both) of the mates to the Tour de Socks socks that I didn't finish at that time. I have the Maze socks and the Little Deschutes socks to choose from. I love them both and would love to wear a matching pair. The drawback to that plan is that neither one is conducive to knitting while watching TV. They are both chart watcher patterns. What to do .....?
I leave tomorrow morning on a business trip to Dallas, TX (over the weekend!) I will be back in time to watch the Superbowl. Go Broncos!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)