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All the holiday preparations can be distracting, but I do have new projects brewing in the background. The dye pots are still simmering, and I have a long list of potential ideas that I'm exploring.
One project requires a color progression. This possibility had been on my list for a while, so the other day I finally dyed the samples. I'm sure I'll do some tweaking, but it's a good start. One thing is for sure, I'm getting my fill of the blues. See previous blog post.
Over the weekend I managed to squeeze in a little time for the website. Bertha, Lillian and Lucia have all been updated with a few fresh colorways.
And now it's time to get to work. The countdown is on, and today is all about knitting.
The head cold that had been flirting with me made a move the other day. It didn't let me go about my business and muddle through the day. No, instead I had to take two long, extended naps. I'm not big on napping because it's precious time that could be spent on something more tangible. If I do go down for a nap, it's the equivalent of calling a truce and waving a white flag.
After I surrendered, I came out of my cold-induced naps feeling foggy but on the road to recovery. As is my nature, I felt compelled to make up for lost knitting time. After all the holiday season is upon us.
I knew I didn't want to pick up anything that was too taxing or required too much thought. All I could handle was a mindless movie and effortless knitting.
I grabbed the project bag with these little goodies and got to work.
The most challenging part was counting and re-counting the cast on. With a little effort I got all 252 stitches on the needles. After that it was full steam ahead.
Dipped Infinity Scarf. I just added the third color in the progression, and I'm hooked. I can't seem to put this down for one of my other projects. Maybe after one more color . . .
This week's color inspiration is all about contrast.
Vivid outside, mellow inside.
Earlier this fall I polled family members to find out what everyone wanted in the way of holiday handknits. While I enjoy knitting for everyone, I only want to make things that will actually be put to good use. It was also my feeble attempt to avoid a last minute knitting crunch. I received a couple requests. I had hoped more would opt for made-with-love handknits, but a light workload in the holiday knitting department has some advantages.
Yesterday a cold winter wind was blowing, and my knitting situation changed. One son, who earlier said he didn't need anything, admitted the weeks and months ahead would be more comfortable with warm wool. He asked for a pair of fingerless mitts. "Are you sure you don't want full mittens?" I asked. No, fingerless would be enough. The other part of the request? The mitts have to have individual fingers, and they have to be made with sock weight yarn.
We looked at patterns, talked about colors, hatched a plan. I didn't delay and got right to work. Since it's already the second week of December, it's reassuring if the project is at least on the needles.
It's a good thing I started because later in the day another son made the same request. Hmmmm . . . two sons who want identical mitts. I smell a conspiracy.
Don't tell. My daughter's birthday cowl is finished.
She requested it but didn't actually see me working on it, so I hope there's at least an element of delight when she gets it. For some reason my kids don't realize they can track my movements via the blog.
The pattern is Dovetail Cowl.
The knitting goddess must have been watching over me, because I didn't slosh one sip of coffee on this almost-white yarn.
You might remember that I made this pattern once before. This time around I had to make the pattern fit the skein of yarn my daughter selected. I fiddled with the numbers to make it all work.
In the end it was close but not I'm-going-to-run-out-of-yarn close. I had 11 grams left - a comfortable cushion. The yarn tag has vanished, and I can't remember the name. That will teach me to tidy my desk.
Now I'm off to the kitchen. The birthday girl has requested chocolate cheesecake for her celebration.
Knitting is one situation where it can be beneficial to add weight. Most of my recent projects have been with fingering weight yarn. While I love working with this weight, every once in a while I crave something that knits up quickly. I don't need bulky weight where I can crank out a hat in no time, but something that takes shape without investing hours and hours would be nice.
To satisfy my craving and my desire to make a dent in my holiday knitting, I started a new project.
All it took was worsted weight. Compared to what I've been working on, this mitt is moving at breakneck speed. It's giving me both instant gratification and hope.
The website has a couple updates. The Ravi Junior Kit is now available online. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. If you're a spinner, I also posted some fiber.
It's been a gray week here, so I was looking for a splash of bright for this week's color inspiration. I found it.
Weathered red.
Storytime. Yesterday I was waiting at the skating rink. I look forward to the kids' ice time because it means knitting time for me. I was knitting away, lost in thought, oblivious to people coming and going around me. An elderly man startled me and brought me back to the skating rink. "India, India," he said to me and made a knitting motion with his hands.
I started to say something only to be cut off with the phrase, "No English." For a brief moment I was transported back to the days when I worked for a deaf human services organization where the primary form of communication was American Sign Language.
The man and I proceeded to communicate back and forth with hand gestures. He had a broad smile and his eyes twinkled as he made the knitting motion again. He indicated long sleeves and a full body covering. A sweater. Ah, knitters in India must make sweaters. I showed him what I was working on, and he gave me the thumbs up. He wrapped up our exchange with another round of "India, India" and a final knitting motion. With that, he walked off. Knitting can bridge even a language barrier.
As an aside, this interaction made me very curious about knitting in India, so I started to poke around. If you're interested in more information, I came across this article about a vibrant knitting community in the Himalayas.
As to be expected, the weekend whizzed right by. I had high hopes of accomplishing a week's worth of work in a couple days, but Monday morning dawned right on schedule. My desk is still cluttered, and my workroom is a jumble. I helped a friend move over the weekend - time that could have been spent on tidying up. When you own a truck, you're always first to get the call. It was time well spent.
Knitting was at the top of my weekend list, and I did manage to carve out time for that. My plans for holiday knitting are a little fuzzy right now. Since we turned the calendar page to December, I should probably pull those plans into focus.
I do have a couple projects that are definite, so I took a break from knitting and did a bit of winding. While I was at it, I may have wound a ball earmarked for myself. I'm really tempted by a sweater right now, so indulging in only one ball of sock yarn felt very virtuous.
Back to work. It's Monday, and the workroom is waiting for me.
