Small accomplishments.

This has been a week for finishing projects.  First, the wee green cardigan for a friend's cleaning lady:

When my friend noticed the lady is pregnant, she offered (through an interpreter, because my friend does not speak Spanish, despite being a native Texan and Dallasite!) to knit something, and the lady asked for a sweater, which my friend does not do.  So my friend offered a blanket and booties.  When I heard this, I thought that I'd knit a sweater, especially to try a pattern.  The teddy bear buttons make it supercute.  The cleaning lady chose the colour because she doesn't know if it is a boy or girl.  They don't know it's coming - the sweater, I mean!

This is the Yoked Cardigan and I may knit an adult size for me.

Next, my current carry-around hat, a simple 3x3 rib in leftover chunky superwash yarns:

I knit the first row when I changed colours, to
smooth out the transitions.  3 rows each.

And the second strip for an afghan, probably a donation to Warm Up, America!

That may not look like a small thing, but there wasn't much left to finish on the second strip.

I started the shawl I am planning to wear in Paris in May:

It's the Tour Eiffel Shawl out of a miniskeins pack from Destination Yarns of their multicoloured "Paris" colourways.  There isn't enough yarn for the full shawl, so I will do as much as I can.  Maybe in Paris I will buy enough yarn for the whole shawl.  The pattern requires attention so it's not something I can carry around, at least not yet.  I'll see once I get past the startup section.

Fiberuary - Week 3

 

Day 15 - Cozy Corner

This is Judy's sunroom.  I thought it makes a perfect location for "cozy", with the addition of crocheted (not by me) afghans and a mug of tea, and my knitting.

 

Day 16 - Reading/Watching

I knit while watching the opening of the Maria C. Vallejo Lace Collection, and during class (but no photos), and then knitted and read on my flight home.

Day 17 - Monochromatic

I almost forgot to take a photo, then thought I might have to re-use something and I want these to be unique as much as possible.  As I was trying to find something else I noticed the piece of felted wool I'd purchased at last year's Carolina Fiber Fest, to use for shoe insoles and padding.

Day 18 - Twos Day

Photo shows the in-progress scarf to match a hat I knit last year.  I had two skeins of yarn in different colourways and decided to work them into a set.  First the wedge hat, and the rest for a scarf.  I tried to do a scarf in wedges also, but it was more of a challenge than I felt like managing.  So I changed to this pattern, in which I started with one colour, added the second, and when the first colourway ran out, finished with the second.  Bottom photo shows the finished set, which I didn't complete on Tuesday.

Day 19 - Wear It Wednesday

It was a cold and snowy day, so wearing a thick handknit sweater was perfect.  I've seen baby and toddler sweaters with the leaf pattern at the yoke and wanted one in a grownup size.  When I found one, I was very happy that some well-aged yarn in my stash would work nicely.  Lower photo is a better one of the sweater; in the selfie I am at the storm door but the glare prevents you from seeing the snow.

Day 20 - Fiber Friends

I have many photos of people I met through fiberarts, and groups and events I have attended.  Many are just of two of us; this is of the DFW Fiber Fest board and guest teachers from 2011.

Day 21 - Now & Then

The Sock Yarn mittens that were in one of my first blog posts also appear in the "Favourite Things" photo for Day 13.  One has a moth hole I need to repair.

Fiberuary - Week 1

I learned of this challenge late in the day, but still on February 1st, so jumped into the swarm:

The creator addressed going forward with the event even though energy might best be directed elsewhere:

These are my first week responses:

Day 1 - Hi!

I realize it's funny that somebody who modeled as a child hates being photographed, but here I am.  Since I learned of this very late and hadn't planned, I decided I needed to show that I knit and crochet.  Hat is one of my basic hats that lives in a coat pocket and is worn often; sweater is the one I test-crocheted last year.  A bit itchy but very warm - handdyed yarn, of course.

Day 2 - Looking Forward

For me, this means project planning.  Top Row: A skein of Miss Babs Neon Tweed in "Franklin" for a carry-along project; Miss Babs Tarte in "Franklin" paired with Destination Yarns First Class Silk in "Sainte-Chappelle" for a shawl; and three assorted DK weight hanks from UP North Yarns with the remainder of a DK hank from Forbidden Fiber that will be either a really big shawl or a small cardigan, or a bigger one if I add some more hanks.  Bottom Row: Destination Yarns' "Paris" minis set for a Tour Eiffel inspired shawl, and a couple hanks from Fiberlady for another simple top.

Day 3 - Monday Morning

I finished the hat this morning.  Not as simple as most of my "Zoom hats" or mindless knitting projects because of the overall ribbing.  I used doubled sock yarn leftovers, 90 stitches on US#3 needles in a 3x3 ribbing, then changed to 9x9 ribbing and US#5 needles for the body.  I really like how the decreases came together at the top.  Other project is one of the current ones that seems to work colour-wise and which I also did a little bit of this morning.

Day 4 - Inspiration

These two men are inspiring for ways outside of knitting - for being good and kind, for encouraging children to read and to be compassionate and thoughtful.  Since they are wearing sweaters, and it is National Sweater Day, I thought I'd include a couple sweaters that are inspiration for ones I want to make someday: a heavily cabled one that Franklin Habit is knitting, and one of Mick Aston's:

Yes, someday I will collect lots of little bits of yarn, or just use a pile of miniskeins, and knit something like this one.

Day 5 - Work in Progress

No wonder I am feeling overwhelmed!  Left-to-right:  My "car scarf", garter stitch with Red Heart "Americana", to work on while waiting.  Corner-to-Corner blanket piece of Caron "Latte Cakes".  Garter stitch scarf knit of two colourways with transitional changes, to match a hat of same.  Below, that, my "pocket hat" or "Zoom hat", a basic beanie on a circular needle that takes no attention and can be worked anywhere, including audience, dentist, and book club.  All four of these are destined for charity.  Next is a mitten in progress, which I need to finish and get the second one finished, hopefully this weekend.  Next to that my DFW Fiber Fest 2024 shawl, maybe a UFO given how much time has passed, but it is almost done so I am bringing it out for Finishing February.  Finally, the cardigan I started out of some thick-thin wool I purchased in Argentina, and decided I may as well do something simple, plus I want a cardigan.  I may use some plain yarn for the border - or not.

Day 6 - A Pop of Colour

This yarn is a bright pop of colour and it's not even mine!  A friend asked me to pick up a couple things for her at DFW Fiber Fest last year.  She is just learning how to make granny squares, because crocheting is difficult for her, and really wanted the Whimzee Stitches bags.  She also wanted the neon yarn braid, which is blacklight reactive.  The last item is one I picked up at the Carolina Fiber Fest and it's electric purple with a splash of pink - very similar to her hair colour.

Day 7 - Mood Booster

A beautiful sunny and warm day, with clear skies, is enough of a mood booster especially in February!  Let's add some yarn - a "Rainbow Ambrosia" hank on an incredibly soft base from Always Be Kind Yarn.  The dyer supports LGBTQ+ and anti-suicide organizations, and is really supportive of the fiber community and the LGBTQ+ community and individuals.  The other is some handspun from Knitting Lagniappe, somebody I know in the DFW area who is an amazing person.  I've really enjoyed knitting her yarns in the past.  Unfortunately work didn't allow me time to sit in the sun and wind up yarn, or knit, but just looking at them and petting the yarn is a mood booster.

The other Mother's Day.

We had the week-late Mother's Day today, with Thai food and a surprise arrival by the younger granddaughter, driving from her new home in DC (closed on the condo midweek) back to Charlotte to finish packing up and bidding her roommates and their dogs good-bye.

It was a fun afternoon with cupcakes and ice-cream to end the meal, and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and no sugar almond cookies, and stories of the girls as younglings, and my brother and I as wee ones, and fresh eggs from my brother and sister-in-law's chickens.

Different chickens lay different colours and shapes.
The blue one is more intense in reality.

Work was busy, and I restarted the test sweater, and I managed to register for DFW Fiber Fest 2024.  For a few timeslots I had to make a decision about the class to take - which isn't easy!  I checked shows and there aren't ones at most of the theatres I usually visit, so I may have quiet evenings, or I may visit friends.  Geopolitically it's been a tough week.  And I learned that our beloved, retired cantor died in March, and I'm upset at missing the original notice.

Recapping Lent 2024

There is a stress when you limit yourself, by whatever means.  I really wanted to start some new things, especially when I didn't have a small easy-to-knit project when going to the theater this week.  I ended up repurposing a project for the evening, even though it ended up with a bit of a flaw.

Of the items I quick-started on Fat Tuesday, all have been completed:

Instead of two scarves, the Ferris Wheel in "Evergreen" became a scarf and a hat.  I decided to convert the started bit of knitting, then tried to knit the pattern during part of a theatre show, which did not go well:

Restarted and knitting with light and when I could pay attention, I was able to complete the pattern properly.  Then knit up to make the crown, and since it was long enough, just a bit of garter stitch to finish the bottom edge.

How did I do on the UFO pile?  Progress made, but there are still items in the pile.  I didn't finish the Raven Wings socks, nor the mitts, although I decided to restart the mitts with a skein of yarn I bought at the Carolina Fiber Fest which I thought would look better than the stash yarn.

That reminds me, I should post the things I purchased.  I tried to keep to one smallish fiber bag, but one vendor put their items into a drawstring bag that I like, and the kits at the end didn't fit:

Walnut-dyed on the right.

 

Buy three, third one is 50% off, so.....

 

I might skein and dye these.  Maybe just one of them.

Handspun yarns.  I do have plans for most!

  

The grey for the Raven Wings Mitts.
These are all handdyed on a commercial base.

Non-yarn items I couldn't resist.  Felt is for shoe lining.

These were in the fundraiser fiber tools sale.

As for completing UFOs, I finished the Ghost Ranch Cowl and will partly frog the hat and reknit it in the same stitch pattern, so they are more closely a set:

Another set finished is from a skein of hand-dyed acrylic I purchased at DFW Fiber Fest two years ago.  I bought two skeins from this dyer, and one made a scarf that I donated last year, with a hat from the leftovers that is going to the Blue Elves.  So I made a hat and scarf of this skein, having left it at my friend's house in North Texas, so it was an in-progress item:

I almost finished the blue baby blanket, other than not having enough yarn for the edging.  It's no longer made so I have requests out for people to check in their stashes for the yarn or something similar:

I made only a little progress on the Caledonian Cardigan, because I had trouble with the sleeve decreases, but with time to focus I hope to get it finished.

Something I didn't report as a commitment, but which I'd made, is to write out as many Thank You cards for the military as possible.  A friend of mine is a social worker attached to the Navy at Pearl Harbor, and she asks people to send handwritten cards that she can distribute to the troops.  I'd done a bunch in December and decided to try to write five a day during Lent.

I stocked up at dollar stores, and the cards come in packets of four, six, or eight.  I bought as many of the last two as I could, naturally, and since I have two messages decided it was easier to write a pack a day.  Some days I did more, a few days I had to catch up, and when I was writing at the North Texas Irish Festival during some downtime a couple asked if they could buy some of the cards to give to bands.  I gave them three.

My total through March 31st was 337 cards written.  I fit in another 42 so the mailed box contains 379.  Of course I've begun the next one.  And out of curiosity I checked what the postage would have been if I hadn't used a Flat Rate Box.  The machine said it weighed 9 pounds, 13.2 ounces.  According to the USPS site, the cost would be $33.20 for USPS Ground and $51.95 for Priority Mail.  The flat rate box cost $18.40, definitely the winning choice!

Knot quite there.

A report before I head out for some travel, including a cybersecurity conference.

First, I (nearly) finished some things - ends need to be woven in, and that might wait until I return:

  

Those are the very fraternal mittens made from a hank of handspun wool from The Knitting Buddha.  It was going to be a hat, then I changed my mind.  When I decided to make mittens instead I divided the skein in two with a knot at the halfway point - you can see that the second mitten finished just before the knot.  That is the restarted mitten, when that end was thinner enough that the mitten was coming out very differently from the first one.  The cut-off started bit is on top of the mittens, and below is the remainder of the ball of yarn, with the knot marked by a yellow pentagon in this second photo:

I also finished (but it also needs to be blocked) the "Age of Brass and Steam" shawl in Forbidden Fiber's Pride DK, colourway 'Merchant Dynasty' is no longer in production:

  

I changed the pattern by adding rows of eyelet between the stockinette bands, it should have been only one but most have two.  And I was tempted to frog back and make all of them two, but decided that was more reknitting than I wanted because it was almost done when I changed.  I'd been adding a row each time, but didn't have enough for four at the end, so frogged back to the third eyelet band and made it just two.

As for other projects:  The blue baby blanket is ready for it's I-cord bind-off, but I didn't like how the first two starts looked so I am going to wait until I return to try again.  I am down to the "don't think I'll need it" project from the six I quick-started on Fat Tuesday (technically, the red/white/blue C2C scarf isn't finished, but it's bulky enough to wait for my return), and am taking it plus the Caledonian Cardigan on this trip.  Plus a book.

Progress and Possibilities.

I meant to post this last weekend, and for some reason didn't.  This is the Caledonian Cardigan at the end of the first skein - almost finished Row 25:

Yarn is a one-off colourway by Forbidden Fiber.

I wound the second and am progressing, now at Row 27.

I spent some time today (meaning, last Sunday) looking at possible patterns for a set of yarn I received as a Hannukah Advent - and yes, "Advent" is Christian and really doesn't apply, but in the yarny world it has come to mean a set of small gifts you get and open each day of a holiday.  So there are ones for Christmas that run either four (for the four Sundays of Advent) or twenty-four (for the days in December leading up to Christmas) or twelve (for the days December 26th through January 6th = Epiphany), and a few years ago some dyers decided to make them for Channukah also.  So I took a chance on one where Nomadic Knits collaborated with Olive and Two Ewes.

The theme was a tea party (there is also one for Christmas), and the box was filled with wrapped items numbered 1 through 8, plus some bags of tea and a tea bag holder, and information cards.

I worried a bit when I opened the first bag to find a pink skein, as it's my least favourite colour, but the others work together nicely and the set includes a full-sized skein for Day 8:

  

The stitch markers just fit into the little jar; I had to get tweezers to pull them out.  One has a bead to denote "start of round" or any other time you need a special marker.

So I spent a bit of time today looking for a pattern.  The site has a list of suggestions but most don't use the whole set.  I found one I like, but I think it needs more contrast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It is a week later, and I am through the second skein of the Caledonian Cardigan, well into the body:

I have to decide whether I am OK with the yarn colours stacking the way they have done, or if I need to frog and see whether integrating a second skein will break it up more as it was on the yoke.  I may decide after seeing how the sleeves work out.  Now that the second skein is done, I am going to do those, and then all the remaining yarn can be the body.

I've finished the first library challenge book, "Read a Novel in Translation".  Since I started on Science Fiction Day, I selected Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon.  Very interesting to see what he got right given it was almost a century before space travel.

I am being wimpy in the mornings and not going for a walk until the temperature is out of the 30's(F), which means I often get a walk in the afternoon, if work allows and it's not storming.  When I lived up north, anything above freezing was worth a walk, and here I'm no longer that brave.  Or desperate to get out into the wintry sun.

It's a lot worse in many places, with NFL playoff games postponed and people joking about bringing in their brass monkeys and that the temperatures will drop from negative to imaginary numbers.  I always hope and pray that everybody who needs shelter in such bitterness will find it.