It's Trad

Off today for the North Texas Irish Festival.  Weather is supposed to be warm and rainy, although now Sunday may be sunny.  Better than the icy years!

Mom is worried because of terrorists and flying in storms and because it's the first time I've traveled away from her since Dad died.  We'll see how we manage.

I've packed a small bag, but overfull of items, including a green WFMT sweatshirt (because the buildings are always chilly) that I forgot to include in this photo:

Three days, three yarn projects - right?  One a hat I am designing to go with the Carolina Fiber Fest Crochet Craft-Along scarf; one the CFF Knit-Along pattern (and I just saw they've posted a second option); and one the Shamrock Cowl from Kelbourne Woolens, because that seems appropriate.

Fiberuary 22-28

22:  Different ballpark, same Sidewinder Hat.

23:  Knitting on the trip home.  Checking size of hat against the length of my book, because the instructions said the hat should be about 8" long before the top decreases and my book is about that size.

24:  Home!  But not quite, stayed at my mother's due to the late hour our flight arrived home.  Busy with helping her unpack, sort mail, and of course work was heavy.  So not too much more knitting.

25:  The Sidewinder Hat is at the point of decreasing.  But it's late so I will do that tomorrow.

26:  All day conference, took a shawl I began out of a skein of handdyed yarn purchased at last year's Carolina Fiber Fest.  It's the Tiny Kerchief pattern but continuing until I run out of yarn.  I didn't have the pattern in the bag (ooops!) so had to hunt as I wasn't sure I remembered it correctly.  Luckily I finally found it, and it's free, so now downloaded to my phone.  A couple people asked what I was doing, and one said it was a "baller move" to bring it - I pointed out it's just a fidget item that helps me focus.  After I returned home I finished the Sidewinder Hat, adding a fluffy pompon purchased at Michaels.  I debated white or black, hope I chose correctly.

27:  I took a garter stitch scarf to a concert at the community center tonight, and got a bit done.  The yarn has long passages of spotted, then a bit of solid, so it feels as if you're not making progress then it goes very quickly.

28:  I worked on the scarf a bit at a community brunch (helps to prevent unnecessary nibbling), then remembered I need to finish a friend's embroidery - begun by her husband, and my friend doesn't stitch.  I did a bit but realized one colour is missing, so I'll have to pick up another skein if possible.

Ending the month by working on the UFO Blanket.  And I finished the February puzzle:

   

Baseball Knitting.

As one does:

Started at Sloan Park - we saw two Cubs games, they lost both.

White Sox winning at Camelback Ranch

The group is scheduled for Cubs games on Friday and Saturday.  Opening Day game is against the White Sox; two years ago the Cubs won, this year the White Sox won.  On Saturday the Cubs lost again.  Sunday the group doesn't have a plan, so people can golf, go to the spa, lie around the pool, or pick up another game.  My tradition is to go to the White Sox home park, which is older and smaller and a very different experience.

I continued working on the Sidewinder Beanie on the way home, measuring progress against the book I am reading, which I'd started on the previous trip two years ago and somehow never finished:

I started the knitting craft-along for this year's Carolina Fiber Fest on the trip out, and made no other progress, so I'll have to work on it in the next week:

A couple non-knitting photos from the parks:

Fiberuary 15-21

15:  I had insomnia so finished the replacement hat and decided to give it to the person who'd flown in for the memorial, and who had commented about it several times over lunch.  Then in the bustle of everything, I forgot.

Second MTI hat, with two braids for Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Replacement hat on the right, Chemknits Creations alpaca yarn.

16:  Busy day at work, despite being a holiday.  I want to start something new but am focusing on finishing items first.  I need to figure out what to take on this week's trip, and I saw that a pattern I've been thinking about is on holiday sale, so I bought it.  I've nearly finished Row 30 on the UFO blanket.

17:  A little more done on the UFO Blanket, but work has been busy, and Mom and I decided to vote before going out of town, so that took up a bit of time.  I had a BOGO at Paris Baguette so we stopped on the way home and the counter clerk apologized that they only had savory items left since it was end of day.  Perfect for supper!

18:  I finally wound yarn for the Carolina Fiber Fest knitting Craft-Along, and packed it along with two other projects.  Because I'll be gone for five days, with three baseball games and two long plane flights.  I'd debated whether to use fingering yarn doubled for the pattern, but in the end selected a thin worsted weight that I think will work up as the DK the pattern requires.  I didn't want to knit the fingering weight alternative!  The yarn is pale, which should show the cabling and other pattern stitches better than a multi that the designer used.

19:  I took the CFF knit CAL pattern and yarn on the plane, and have done most of the starting border.  I need to count the number of repeats but haven't had time - I also had to work on the flight.

20:  Baseball begins!  I knit the border of the Sidewinder Hat, but didn't pull out the pattern to start the sides/top because it was too close to end of game.

21:  I continued knitting on the Sidewinder Hat, having shifted to the body pattern before we left for today's game.

Fiberuary 8-14

8:  I worked on the replacement hat a bit, and finished adding straps and buttons to the sleep sack I bought at The Scrap Exchange.  The straps are long pieces of double crochet with a border of single crochet; the spaces between stitches make a nice snug buttonhole and it can be anywhere on the strip to adjust for the baby growing.  I forgot to take a photo before delivering it.

Then during the Big Football Final (plus a bit of the Winter Olympics) I worked on a baby blanket UFO I'd found whilst looking for the sweater.  I had marked the copy of pattern so knew where I was, and made a slight adjustment to the additional rows on top and bottom to elongate the rectangle a bit.

9:  Back to work!  Very busy day, I did get a bit more done on the ribbing of the replacement hat.  I decided to do a deep ribbing that I can turn up for extra thickness over the ears when wanted.

10:  More work, more ribbing.  I am figuring out yarns for another sweater for me - which pile, which pattern?  Leaning towards the Elizabeth Zimmerman Tomten in some heavy handspun and yarns of similar weight, or thinner handspun held together.  I replied to a question about the Triangle Fiber Guild's participation in the Carolina Fiber Fest; we've been asked to run a community contribution event.  Originally they wanted a relay race but I pointed out that we don't have time (one month) to publicize it properly, so they agreed to a gaming-style event.  Now I have to locate my dice, which are scattered.

11:  Switched to the plain part of the replacement hat just in time to go to the dentist for my annual cleaning and to have a tooth checked.  It will have to be removed.  I've decided the replacement hat is not "me" and will give it away or sell it or donate it once done.  I decided to pull out the UFO baby blanket and get back to it.

12:  Worked on the blanket after my final mini-MBA class.  During class I knit on the current charity scarf, of Lion Brand Fair Isle.  I like the yarn.  Blanket is at a point where I need to keep count so I am adding a safety pin to mark the larger loops on the border, to be sure I can find them.  Then I start working the next row, and the instructions are confusing and the counting isn't quite right, so I'm fudging.

13:  More progress on the blanket.  Now on Row 30 of 35.

14:  Worked on the charity scarf during Torah Study, and the replacement hat (for which I may have found a new owner, if I get it finished by tomorrow) while out on errands and an unexpected lunch date.  I checked out three stores in a chain that was advertising items that people think are from Joann's end of bankruptcy sale, and found some crafts items in two, no fabric, and a little bit of yarn in one.

Fiberuary 1-7

In the past, some people have celebrated February as "Fibruary", with adventures in all things having to do with the world of fiber: dyeing, spinning, knitting, crocheting, weaving, and so on.  Or, posting about things you're doing with no specific requirements of a craft.  I haven't seen any prompts or challenges for this year, so am making my own record of fiber-related activity.

1:  Finished the scarf for Carolina Fiber Fest's Crochet Craft-Along.  Many, many ends being woven in require bright light because the colours are Red Heart Super Saver in "Turqua" (turquoise) and Big Twist Value in black, my only yarn purchase in January.  Started a Melt-the-Ice hat for bestie in Patons Classic Wool in "Bright Red".  Online meeting of KnitTalk people.

2:  Continued work on bestie's hat.  LOTS of 1x1 ribbing, and it's a work day, plus the first day of a mini-MBA program.  Not much time for knitting, but I managed to get the ribbing to 5".

3:  Ribbing on red hat to 6.5" and two inches of the top part done.

Finished hat.  I used twisted ribbing instead of plain
so it twists a little.  Hat was photographed unblocked.

4:  Red hat for bestie finished, and mailed.  Started a second hat, about 1.25" done during SciFi book club.  I am using a different pattern for this one, but flipping it because I didn't want to do something fiddly during book club.  By bedtime I'd finished 2" of ribbing and started on the plain part.

5:  Second red hat is past the 6" of body and I did the second round of decreases (every fourth row) before bedtime.  I also found a skein of handdyed yarn to wind and knit at the Twisted Threads Guild meeting on Saturday, since I feel awkward working on acrylic items there.

6:  Second red hat done but I'll have to get a photo after it's out of the wash.  I keep faffing about deciding on a yarn to use for the Carolina Fiber Fest knit Craft-Along pattern.  I thought I had a good yarn, a tonal instead of the multi used for the model, but it's rather dark and then I decided it coordinates well with a DK sock set from M1 Yarns so........

7:  I located the UFO sweater!  And wound an extra hank of yarn so I could start alternating.  At the fiber group meeting, I realized I'd fastened (with a safety pin) the end of yarn on the body, so I could work the sleeves then use the remaining yarn for the body.  I started and about ten rounds in I realized the colour was spiraling on the sleeve, so I decided to alternate the two balls and see how it goes.  Less obvious.  So I will continue, and maybe make bracelet-length sleeves.  I also realized that while the sweater fits nicely across the back, there is a gap at the front, so if I want it to close I'll have to add bands to each front,  I'll see how much yarn I have after making the sleeves.

Of course, while looking for the sweater I kept finding other yarn possibilities, and want to start other things, but other than the replacement hat I'll try to keep focused on the sweater for a bit.

End of a long month.

It's still hard to focus sometimes, but I am getting better.  I think we all are.  I am geographically closest to my mother, so am usually there to help with things, informally check on her, and whatever one does after the other parent dies suddenly.

I've stepped into a role Mom had in the past, since she isn't doing it: Storm Soups.  When weather got bad, Mom would make a big pot of soup.  It would warm the house while simmering, and feed us for a few days.  After they moved, portions would go to the neighbors.  Mom isn't up to it right now.  So last weekend, when Winter Storm Fern brought ice, I made a pot of 15-bean soup, with plenty of vegetables and some p'tim or large couscous or soup pearls, and delivered a big jar to her across-the-street neighbor who is a widower and becoming increasingly disabled, plus a smaller jar to Mom.  I arrived at the neighbor's house just as he returned home from getting groceries, so I helped him carry them into the garage, from where he would take them into the house using a trolley.

This weekend, it's split pea soup with vegetarian sausage, because that's what we found in the freezer.  I cooked the peas with a bit of carrot and onion, then took some of the peas out and used an immersion blender to make the rest smooth.  Peas returned, sausage added, and all cooked together a bit.  The neighbor was delighted to see this week's jar and said he would eat it for the next meal.

I had a potato that was starting to sprout, so boiled it and added it to what is left of my soup, for the next couple of meals.  Both soups are hearty and satisfying, just what is needed on very cold days.

If the weather continues to be cold, next weekend I'm making chili.

Getting other things done, of course derailed earlier this month.  I am very close to finishing one of the craft-along items for Carolina Fiber Fest, and it caused me to break my "dry January" plans by buying more yarn, because I needed a specific colour.  That was my only purchase of yarn - or any crafting stuff - in January.  I also have the sleeping bag to which to add straps for the Welcome Baby collection.  I am, as usual, behind in reading the book for my SciFi Book Club's February meeting, but did finish the one for January, although I didn't go to the meeting.

I did finish a long-pending UFO, which needed the i-cord binding added:

Yes, it needs to be washed and blocked.  It's reversible.

On Wednesday I needed something to carry-around so started a garter stitch scarf out of a ball of yarn that's been hanging around, for a charity project.  Tonight I started what will probably be my first red hat.  Some scoff at the making, but it's like the pussyhats in 2017: a visual symbol.  Accessible for people who cannot go into the streets or otherwise take a more visible stand.  A way for people to show what side they are on.  And for people who cannot do more at this time, a way to show solidarity and contribute in a way that they are able to do.  Red yarn is going out of stock at many shops.

Today I received a box of puzzles I'd ordered, and which I wasn't sure would arrive in January.  A friend mentioned Nautilus Puzzles, and I was intrigued.  I love puzzles.  I saw that they have round puzzles for each month of the year, reminiscent of or based upon Tiffany stained glass, and thought it would be fun to get the set and put together each month's puzzle in its month.  They arrived today:

I decided to try putting together the one for January, and was successful:

   

I might do the one for February tomorrow, or wait until later in the month.

For those counting, the last hostage (technically, his body) has been retrieved.