Snowy February Days

I enjoy winter.  Really I do.  I love to go cross-country skiing.  Not that I am any good, but I do enjoy the challenge.  Except when there is too much ice and not enough snow.  My coordination is not great at the best of times, and when ice is there it is positively dreadful.  So yesterday, when the snow started, I was pleased to see snow.  Lots of snow.  Too bad I have to go to work tomorrow and not skiing.  I am hopeful that the snow will stay until the weekend, without having freezing rain added to the trails.

This is my second attempt at a blog post.  The previous one, I had done lots of work, added all the links, looked up all the patterns, and in general done what every good blogger is supposed to do.  Well, except that pesky "save" feature.  Or having an opened blog post on two different devices.  Whatever the issue was, I am here to rectify it!

This is the beginning of a gauge swatch for Genista, from Juniper Moon.  I am using the specified wool -- Findley Dappled -- and a 3.25mm needle.  I did finish the swatch, and measure, and got gauge with the specified needle.  Currently I am at row 4, just getting ready to start the lace pattern.   I expect this will be a delightful summer top, and sure to get lots of use this summer.  I don't know why they chose that yellow colour for the pattern picture; I think my colour will be far better!

Last fall, one of my ladies made a visit to Scotland.  She surprised me with a skein of Croft from West Yorkshire Spinners.  It was a very thoughtful gift, and much appreciated.  I made a hat for myself, with plenty of left-over wool. 

When the store needed a sample pair of gloves knit up for our January class, I grabbed a skein of Patons Classic Wool and jumped in.  The gloves were completed, with left-over wool, from one skein.  I had what I thought was a brilliant idea -- combine the two partial skeins (with 98g combined) and make another pair of gloves!  I had more than 2g left from the Patons, so I figured it would work. 

Because I am a belt-and-suspenders kind of girl, I did the gloves two-at-a-time.  If I ran out of wool, at least I would be at the same place on both gloves.  Clever, eh?  And, of course, I did run out.  My customers listened to me grouse and complain about having to buy a whole skein of Patons, just for two thumbs.  Whatever would I do with the remainder? 

Another of my kind customers has a talent for locating yarns.  She went to work, and found another wool shop nearby that carried Croft.  I called, and they did in fact have my colourway.  So ... last Sunday I jumped in the car and off I went.

Now, I ask you -- what are the chances that a skein of wool found in Canada would match the dye lot of a skein purchased five months ago in Scotland?  I think I've used up all my luck for 2019, because I did in fact match the dye lot.  (Please note -- I was happy to purchase an expensive, full price ball of yarn from another shop rather than the skein from my own shop!) 

Now that the gloves are finished, I am contemplating purchasing a skein of Patons Classic and combining it with the remaining Croft to make up a cowl.  Imagine this -- a hat, cowl and gloves all from the same wool!  What a concept!

The March theme for the Sock Challenge is Wendy Johnson.  Turns out that she mostly designs socks from the toes up, so it is only fitting that this picture is upside down.  (I won't bore you with the details of why this happened, but it is typical Carol, and also explains why the original post disappeared!)   I had the book so I decided upon the Diamond Gansey Socks, grabbed a skein of Berroco Comfort Sock and my needles and was off to the races!

This sock challenge has been loads of fun to watch.  The customers at the store have really embraced the challenge!

Friends of ours had a baby last January.  Yes, last January.  I kept thinking that I would "get to it" and knit a baby gift.  Sadly, that did not happen.  Until now.  This is the Finn Sweater, from Martin Storey.  I used three skeins of Ultra Pima, 3.75mm needles and had lots of fun.  What a delightful little garment, even with all the seed stitch.

The last project I have been working on is the Mystic Midsummer Wreath by Anna Dalvi.  I am using a skein of luscious handpaint alpaca which my daughter gifted me for Mother's Day.  I had been waiting for the right project ... this is actually my second attempt at a pattern but I am far happier with this one than my original choice.  And, sadly, this is my second attempt at the pattern.  Row 15 really warped my brain, dropped stitches, and general confusion meant that I started over.  Lace does't look like much pre-blocking, so I didn't try very hard for a good picture.  Hopefully next week there will be more to show ...

Due dates, do-overs

So last Monday I was supposed to post a weekly update.  I did not get to it. "Why?" you ask.  It turns out that an e-book was due back in the library, soon to disappear from my I-Pad, and I really wanted to get it finished.  The Sphere by Michael Crichton    I enjoyed the book, right up to the last four paragraphs.  Really?  I spent my day off for THAT ending?  Yes, yes I did.  I was disappointed, to say the least.  Because this was an e-book and not an audio book, I lost a lot of knitting time!

Remember the cowl I was working on a while ago?  No, of course you would not, because it happened during the time of not blogging.  So anyway, I was working on a cabled cowl for a class sample, using the pattern from Paton's Next Steps Six.  The wool was Ella Rae Cozy Alpaca, a delightful and squishy alpaca and acrylic blend.  I have been having difficulties relating to stress with reading comprehension, and I totally messed up the directions.  I made one panel, and then made a second, identical panel and seamed the sides together to make a cowl.  What the pattern REALLY said was to make one panel, 24" long, and then seam the cast-on and cast-off ends together.  Right in class, I started to unpick the seams I had made so that I could do the cowl correctly.  Our students seem to find it reassuring when I goof up and have to redo things.  Now that the redo has been completed, it looks like this:

which is actually a lot like it looked in the beginning.  Oh well. I know that it has been done correctly.

I have also finished knitting my Water Cycle Socks, which defined the Sock Challenge for February at the store.  I just decided to make them because I liked the different lace patterns and the heel feature.  I didn't read the story about their design.  When one of my ladies mentioned it, I re-read the pattern page and ... how cool.

I really LOVE these socks.  Of course, now that I have finished my socks for February, I have to wait until the 20th to find out the theme for March.

The Newsom cardigan has been finished, but not yet blocked.  My blocking space has been occupied by an abundance of paperwork waiting to be processed.   I used 3.25 skeins of James Brett Innocence in a pale lavender.

The knitting of this little cardigan was actually quite fun.  The construction starts at the centre back, with garter stitch panels stretching around to the front and stocking stitch for the back.  Sleeves are knitted separately and then joined as you finish the yoke and fronts in garter stitch.  I can heartily recommend the pattern, and unless something dreadful happens in the blocking, will also be able to do the same for the yarn.

The last project of which I will speak is my Ebba, being knit in Berroco Aero, colourway no. 8019.  This is a very fluffy and light alpaca/nylon/wool blend yarn, and it is working up beautifully.  You can see how close I am to done --



and this is with only a week of working on it.  Of course, the 10mm needles help move things along quickly.

In other news, our Pixel has had an interesting 10 days.  Last Friday he didn't demand outside time, which is strange for him.  Doug brushed him Friday night and everything seemed normal.  Saturday morning when I got up, he had endured an abscess which had ruptured overnight.  A trip to the 24-hour vet, a wound cleaning (under very loud protest) and an antibiotic needle, and he came home to recuperate.  He started to feel better almost immediately, and often inquired if we would let him outside.  Not with an open wound, thank you very much, and he was pretty darn good about it all.  Wrangy from boredom, but not demanding to be let outside.  We have been dragging a string for him, throwing a furry ball, playing pounce on the covers, etc., but he is B-O-R-E-D.  Today he asked, and I let him out.  He came back about 40 minutes later, none the worse for wear.  Of course he wanted to be a swinging door kitty, and I have put the kibosh on that idea.  So now he is sleeping the day away, waiting for Doug to come home and play.

And that is the story of my last two weeks.  Now I am off to my knitting corner to listen to an audio book and knit!  On my day off!  Yippee!