Moon rising.

I took these photos when we attended the White Sox game a couple Mondays ago:

The White Sox lost but otherwise it was a good game, just fun to be in the ballpark and eat ballpark food.  There had been terrible rainstorms earlier in the day, with thunder and about four inches total rainfall, but the grounds crew are amazing and there was just a bit of rain delay before the first pitch.  We did not make it through in time to get the commemorative snow globe for "Christmas in July", but enjoyed the trivia.

In other news, I have almost finished the strips for a blanket I plan to donate to Warm Up, America! at DFW Fiber Fest at the end of the month.  It's been something planned for a long time, and I finally got around to making the strips.  I calculated that six strips would make a good-sized blanket and allow for a border (nothing fancy, just to make the edges even), and after finishing the sixth strip this morning I laid them out to check lengths and prepare to sew:

I want to make chevrons - obviously the two
strips on the right need to be swapped.

As you can see, even though I measured the strips against each other as I crocheted, two of them need to have a bit of additional length:

Back to it!  I think I can match the colours for those bits, and if I cut off anything from the cakes, I'll use those bits in the border.  The strips measure about 40"x60", which is between the Child and Adult blanket sizes on the Warm Up, America! site.  I'll let them decide who is the recipient.  Or I might have enough yarn to make a seventh strip - should I?

Her first opera.

Early this week, just a few days before I went to Texas, a friend posted about the Opera Arlington performances of "Carmen", for which he'd designed the lighting.  So we did a quick rearrangement of our plans so that I could see it, accompanied by a friend who had never seen opera before.  The production was updated to the 1920's and instead of bullfighters, they had soccer (futbol) stars, in part as a tribute to the upcoming FIFA World Cup events.  While the set was minimal and the costumes sometimes sketchy, the voices were amazing and I was very glad we had the opportunity to attend.

The next day we did a double header of "Laura" (with fun guessing the murderer among all the red herrings) and "Home, I'm Darling" which had a cute set and nice costumes but an unsatisfactory script and direction.  Well, it was a rare dud in our many weekends of seeing shows.

I got to see friends and do some catching-up with people.  I also finished a baby blanket, with just a very few feet of the pink yarn left, just barely winning at what is called "yarn chicken":

Lillies of the Valley for May

Briefly I worried that I hadn't gotten the May puzzle done in its assigned month - I'd meant to do it all week, and somehow never did - then realized it was because I had been looking into the next week's calendar for work.  So today, I put it together:

Because much of the puzzle is dark, I left some of the pieces
reverse-up for the photo so you can see the shapes more clearly.

It was trickier than I expected, but I finished in about the
length of one side of an LP.  Yes, I still listen to vinyl.

Current project is something I'll show next week, after it is delivered, and this baby blanket made of three balls of the pink/white and one of the blue/white.  I'd intended to work the pink until it ran out, growing the blanket from a corner, then even with the blue, and reduce with the pink.  But I was tired of increasing, so changed to a central square of pink, with a border of alternating pink and blue stripes:

The balls of yarn fit into the blanket, making it very
self-contained, rather like being its own bag.

I finished this month's SciFi Book Club reading today, which means I am not cramming it until the final minutes!  Because the library system's summer program is based on paleontology, we read "Jurassic Park".  I was impressed in some ways, underwhelmed in a number of others, and thought it a bit full of tropes and thinly drawn characters.  But if you are writing for the masses and the movie studios, it's probably spot-on.  We'll have an interesting discussion, I am sure.

Thanks to Books Among Friends, which raises money for the Durham County Public Library, I also have its sequel, "The Lost World", and will start reading it.  I should be able to finish before I get next month's assignment.

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.

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.

Fiberuary - Week 4

 

Day 22 - On The Road

My mother had surgery on Friday, and I went to pick her up on Thursday.  That's my current "car scarf", a simple item (sometimes a "car hat") that I can work on while waiting, or taking into a location in case there is a queue.  The one shown is now finished and I have started another.  I didn't notice until looking at the photo later that the house flag is nicely framed above my knitting.

Day 23 - Self Care

I wanted to have a photo of one of my favourite shawls, but didn't take one before going to my parents' house (I stayed through the weekend to help them while my mother recovered) so had to make do.  It's crocheting and knitting and a wee bottle of a really nicely scented hand lotion, which is the "self care" part, especially as the yarn I am knitting is a scratchy wool.

Day 24 - Memories

Top right is an afghan crocheted by the great-grandmother I never knew, and which I repaired many years ago.  It's very heavy, single-crocheted wool in panels with a lacy connecting stitch.  Bottom right is the aran-style blanket my grandmother knitted.  At left is the last gift I made for her, a lap blanket that I gave to my grandmother on her final birthday.

Day 25 - Handmade Gift

Technically, many gifts - I have a friend who loves to knit socks, and for many years she gave me a pair each year.  These are not all the ones she made for me, just the ones I could grab most quickly when I had a few minutes today to take the photo.

Day 26 - Where in the World

Some of my yarny souvenirs from travels - Argentina, Austria, France, Germany.  Possibly others, I would need to check notes from past trips.  I couldn't quickly locate yarn from New Zealand, and I didn't buy any in Thailand (although I did knit a scarf on that trip that I treasure as a memory), and there are some other yarns that became items I did not include.

Day 27 - Sip and Stitch

Too late I realized I should have taken a photo of my knitting with the drink (tonic water) I was sipping on my flight to Dallas.  Sip & Stitch at 37,000-ish feet up!  This was after I landed, and settled in "my" room at the friends' house where I usually stay when visiting.  They stock Diet Dr. Pepper® for me.

Day 28 - Gratitude

Two friends donated lots of yarn of all kinds to the Urchin Street area at North Texas Irish Festival, with the only requirement that none of it returns home.  The ladies in charge were delighted to receive it and to pose for a photo that I posted so my friends (who could not attend this year) could experience their gratitude.

That concludes my Fiberuary for 2025.  Will I do it next year?  Maybe.  It was a nice distraction this year.  But it's also a challenge - I know, that's the idea - to find a subject each day.

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!

A group hug, in yarn.

A bit before Thanksgiving, one member of the online fiber group I oversee announced that she suddenly lost kidney function and was having to navigate a very new normal.  She couldn't knit, and was frustrated and depressed and a couple people wrote privately to give her encouragement.

As the group is wont to do, we decided to send her what can be considered "a group hug", in the form of a blanket.  The member lives in Minnesota and we saw her with a blanket in one photo on her Facebook page.  A close friend of mine who has been on dialysis for years told me that everybody gets a thin blanket as part of a "welcome to dialysis" package, because you have to lie there for several hours and the rooms are always cool so the machines work better.  We figured a group blanket would be something this person could use and which would remind her she's cared about when her spirits are low.

We agreed on a colour scheme of mostly jewel colours, which I would put together with gold yarn because of a picture the recipient had posted on her social media:

We agreed on making the squares about 8" on a side, of DK or worsted weight washable yarns of any fiber, depending upon what people had available.  This size can be made from leftovers fairly easily, if people didn't want to start a new ball or skein.  It's big enough that we don't need many, because I didn't want to sew together a hundred pieces!  Also, I wanted them big enough that the border wouldn't overwhelm the squares.

First intended deadline was Christmas, but of course with the holidays not all the squares arrived.  Not only were people busy, but a couple packages went missing in the mail.  So those contributors decided to make more, and I had to wait for them to arrive.

Then I had to add borders.  It might have made sense for me to work on them as squares arrived, or when most of the squares were here, but of course I waited until I had all of the pieces here.  I worked three rows of single crochet around most of the squares.  I didn't block the squares, either before or after adding the border, because the different stitches and weights and patterns meant it would be difficult to do, plus the time involved.

Finally, I could try arranging them.  First I divided the squares into colour families:

Clearly, some of the borders need to be redone.  They were.

I found I had many in shades of deep rose, so I arranged those into a checkerboard:

  

The first one was great until I realized I had only four columns, and I needed five.  So, a re-do, adding in another red square for the grid to work.

Then I added the other squares, trying to avoid having the same square of a given colour next to another.  I also tried to keep the few lacy squares away from each other, for blanket integrity.  This is what I thought would be the final arrangement:

Of course that's not what happened, as I did a bit more arranging as I sewed the blocks into rows.  I also had to finish the topmost row, which is where I'd put the blocks that were not to the size requirements and I knew I'd have to adjust.  One is a heavily ribbed, reversible cable block that pulled in quite a bit.  Another is one of the replacement blocks; the sender sent a leftover from another project.  Two were knit on the diagonal, which can be difficult to measure and often come out odd-sized.  The one with a heart I wanted to keep in a special place.  So I worked those together with different amounts of the border on each block, and a fill-in panel, and made sure that row ended up the same width as the others:

You can see a sewing tail I left at the bottom.

Now it is time to sew the rows together, and I noticed that I'd sewn the end block on the final row backwards from the others.  See that four blocks aren't showing a tag?  It turns out I'd done the border from the back instead of the front, and my OCD compelled me to not only take the block off, but to re-do the border before reinstating it.

Then one more big error: instead of sewing the bottom row under the next row, I sewed it on top!  Rather than re-do a long row (a single block is one thing, the row is another) I decided to keep going in that manner, so the blanket would be flipped, except for the second row of odd-sized blocks and the panel.  I want to be sure the heart goes in the correct direction.  This did cause an issue with the green-and-white block, as those are sheep and I didn't want them to be upside-down.  So again, cut off the block and sew it back into place.

Finally, all the squares are together, and mostly blanket-shaped:

Not perfectly even, but not bad given the variations.  Also, most of
the blanket photos are taken from one end and not directly overhead.

After that photo I decided to remove all the tags, as they were no longer needed.  I put each person's name on it, then when I set up the layout I added a code for row (letter) and position (number) to keep them in order as I sewed.  As I removed the tags I created a chart showing who had made each block, in case somebody wanted to know later.  Since some people did one block and others did several, I decided not to include it with the blanket.

Then I added the border:

Close-up of the border - a simple finish.

Also the embroidery, which I am pleased is very neat on the back.  I used chain stitch which I knew would be fast, and adjustable around curves, and fairly thick so the letters would be legible.  More-or less, anyway.  I wrote the message on waxed paper (I didn't have tissue paper handy), pinned it to the blanket, and embroidered, then pulled away the paper:

As we were working on this, another group member announced that she has to undergo chemo due to a cancer diagnosis.  I gently inquired, and no, she has plenty of blankets that she has made over the years - I was relieved to hear it!  But her hair is falling out, as often happens with chemo, and the infusions tire her so much that she can knit on a few stitches on a chemo cap at a time.  So I let the group know and she is likely to have a wardrobe in an assortment of colours very soon.  I mentioned my no-new-projects-during-Lent commitment during our Sunday meeting and a couple people stated that this is charitable work and it shouldn't count.  I have a very soft hat handy but it's colours this member said she doesn't like, so I will have to think about what to do - maybe after I finish one or two other projects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The box did arrive safely; the recipient posted this message:

I came home from dialysis and I was tired. Driving home on the freeway I missed my turn and ended up in a residential area of a Minneapolis suburb - lost and frustrated. I got home and there was a big box waiting for me. In it was a gorgeous blanket knitted in squares by members of the KT family. I can't believe that  you all would make me this blanket; you guys hardly know me!! I am gob-smocked. 

For those who do not know, I lost my kidneys last July. No one knows why. I am one in a million the docs say. Then I spent 3 months in and out of the hospital; mostly in. The docs kept sending me home w/o fixing me. They sent me to a rehab facility and there I spent 3 weeks of very little rehabilitation After an "event" at my daughters house I ended up in another hospital for a week and they sent me to a rehab facility that was more aggressive. After 4 weeks I finally came home much stronger. I am staying with my daughter and family for more recuperation.. I had more in-house physical/occupational therapy. I am stronger than ever but continue to keep active by exercising.

Thank you to Afton, Alison, Annette, Diann, Donna, Helena, Jen, Jill, Kathleen (Hi), Kathy, Kim, Maura, Minerva, Robin, Sue T, Susan A, Trish, Vickie and Margo Lynn. I love all of the squares and the golden trim. I cannot thank you knitters enough. It reminds me of all the good there is in this world. I am still amazed. 

During my physical breakdown, I could not walk, write, had brain fog and lost some memory. That is all better but my knitting skills are not up to par. I will try and post some projects but most of mine are in time-out. Seems like I make so many mistakes in my knitting.

Thank you all for the blanket; I will use it when I go to dialysis to keep me warm.

I love  you all.

Another thing.

Although I have a pile of partly-finished items, and it's "Aftober" on KnitTalk, which means we are challenged/encouraged to finish things, I started a new one:

This is the Radiant Rays Blanket, and I'm doing it in the pattern yarn, which is discontinued but I have some cakes.  Not the six the pattern requires, but the final version is around 55" across with all that yarn, so my three cakes (and a smidge I might use from a similar colourway) should do a decent-sized baby blanket.  As you can see, one cake in and it's about 21" across.

Once you get to the penultimate row, you stop and take all those chain lines, then link them together from the centre to the edge.  The final row locks the loops so they stay in place.  I am debating whether to also add a small border so it's a bit more finished, but I'll see where I am when done with the third cake.

The first two or three rows were challenging, then the wedges had enough stitches to be visible.  Now it's almost at autopilot stage, although the first stitch after the chain line is fiddly.

I've also been doing chores.  And listening to news.  I know people in Israel, and when I was there it was during the Lebanon war and we were traveling close enough one day to hear the shelling.  I've heard quite a bit from friends about the air raids and bombings, and I suppose it being the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War was too tempting.  Plus Shabbat, when many Jews would be observing the day of rest.

I try to not be political on this blog - there are so many of those, if you want to read them.  But how can I not mention this?  I've mentioned the war in Ukraine, which is well into its second year.  Parts of my family may have come from that area (documents are a bit sketchy), certainly from that part of Europe.  Both seem to be just more examples of how certain factions of the world want to destroy Jews.

Genocides and wars keep happening all over the world, not just in these two areas, although they are of the greatest attention to most Americans.  That level of hatred and fear of people - so great that you want to wipe them off the face of the planet - is something I just cannot comprehend, despite the examples that show themselves day after day after month after year............