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This past weekend was made for knitters. With temperatures below zero and wind chills making it feel much colder, it was the perfect excuse to sit and knit. Even though I had a date with my paperwork and taxes, I did allow myself a little time for knitting.
Wedge by wedge Diane is getting bigger. I'm at the point where I feel confident I'll have plenty of yarn to make this shawl bigger than the pattern suggests. I'll see if that holds true after a few more wedges.
In fact if I wanted to be certain, I could do some calculations and weigh the yarn to determine how much I'm using on each wedge.
I still have more paperwork to contend with, but there's nothing like Monday to bring me back to reality. Yesterday I ignored the fact that the hot water in the kitchen was frozen. I also used it as an opportunity to ignore the dirty dishes. The water problem didn't sort itself out overnight, and today the situation is serious. We're almost out of clean dishes, and the counter is cluttered with dirty pots and pans. It's time to roll up my sleeves and boil some water.
Some of this week's deadlines have fallen by the wayside, but I finished the birthday hat with time to spare.
Foxy from the Foxy and Wolfie duo. I've done my part. Harper's birthday party is tomorrow, and she will have a new hat.
This birthday party reminded me of the days when my kids were little. They would peruse cookbooks looking for the perfect birthday cake. Sometimes they would pick one with a beautiful glossy picture of a cake with intricate frosting details. Fussy frosting is not my strong suit, so I would explain that I would make the cake but in the end it might not look like the picture. I tried to soften the blow. It can be a big disappointment when the cake your mother slaved over for hours doesn't look anything like the cake in the cookbook.
There I was knitting this hat and reminiscing about cakes and frosting. At one point I thought, this hat is going to be like one of those cakes that only vaguely resembles the picture. All the pieces are there, but in the end they just don't come together for a pretty picture.
I was tempted to stray from the pattern . . . just a little. I reknit the first ear 3 times before I admitted I should follow the pattern. Sometimes knitting requires blind faith. Follow the directions and don't ask questions. That's all it took. In the end I have a hat that looks just like the picture.
We got fresh snow this week, and that always puts me in a cheery mood. This week's color inspiration . . .
Winter white.
This is how my Wednesday is shaping up.
I've been trying to get my modern tunic off the needles, but I was stalled at the pockets. Did I want pockets? They are more decorative than utilitarian. Could I resist the urge to shove my keys in them? When I finally decided that a couple little pockets would be a nice feature, I had to select a contrast color. The yardage for this project is very tight, and I didn't want to get all the way to the top only to realize I was short on yarn because I added cute little pockets to the bottom.
Yesterday I got some color feedback on Instagram. Thanks to everyone who weighed in. I even sent my daughter a text late last night, but she was already asleep and didn't cast her vote in time. I'm going with the gold. Gray was a close second, but I resisted.
After the pocket linings are made, they are knit right into the sweater. Painless assembly. I'm off to finish this construction project.
Sometimes I can be convinced to drop everything for a knitting emergency. Over the weekend my daughter put out the call for a new hat. Her goddaughter turns 2 this week, the party is on Saturday and could I please whip up something fun and cute. I was tempted to remind my daughter that she, too, knows how to knit, but I do enjoy making things for little people. And so I cast on.
The brim is finished, and things are about to get interesting. Perfect timing for a snow day.
There's a new booth sample brewing, so yesterday morning I was busy mixing and matching colors.
You'll notice my beloved gray isn't in the mix. I would be lying if I said it wasn't in the first round of color options, but by the time I reached the final four, I had reluctantly set it aside.
The problem with the final four is I only need three. I'm trying to use colors I haven't worked with in a while, so the tan is a
definite - probably the green too. I like the purple with the green but maybe not with the tan. You see where this is going. I'll sort out the rest of it over the next couple days.
While that percolates, I can focus my attention on this project.
Diane is moving right along. This shawl is constructed with a series of wedges. At the beginning of each wedge, all the markers are reset. I've finally hit my stride with this project and feel like I'm picking up momentum. I'm also highly motivated because I want to wear this.
Remnants of fall provide this week's color inspiration.
Nature's lace.
Over the last few days my sock knitting has taken a back seat to a couple other projects, but I did manage to get this far.
This is the part where I feel like I'm in a canoe. I finished the heel flap, turned the heel and picked up the gusset stitches. The two gusset sides have extra stitches and create a long, narrow cavity - the canoe. It's a little wobbly and a little off-balance, but it never lasts long. I'll work the decreases and soon enough the sock will be back in the shape of a tube.
If you're in New England and looking for a way to break up the winter, check out the Green Mountain Knitting Retreat and Fiber Festival, March 18 - 20. This fiber getaway is held in White River Junction at the Hotel Coolidge. Wonderful food, a historic venue, knitting by the fireplace . . . all the ingredients for a charming weekend. This event is hosted by the good folks at White River Yarns. See the Facebook page for additional information.
As knitters we become attached to our finished projects, but at some point you have to let your tattered handknits go. Recently the heel of a favorite pair of socks blew a hole.
At first I was tempted to repair the heel. I thought about it a little more and realized that overall the socks were getting thin. It wasn't a good use of time and effort to repair the heel if the rest of the sock was going to fall apart. Instead I cast on a new pair of socks.
For some time now my little handknit phone case has been showing signs of wear. I think I first noticed it late summer. The case was feeling thin in a couple spots.
Now we're well into winter, and the case is noticeably frayed.
This weekend I finally started a replacement.
The light blue stripe is for the pocket. It's a good thing this project is moving right along. That old case needs to be retired, and I'm ready to let it go.
