Perseverance Pays!

 With all those projects demanding my attention, I vowed to buckle down and get a couple of them crossed off my list.  I knit elbow patches with a 2.0mm needle and 2-ply reinforcing thread and applied them to a sweater.  I had been pretty nervous about this project as the sweater is fairly formal.  Surprisingly, or maybe not, once sewn on the patches are nearly invisible.  If you do not know they are there, you would miss them completely.  Whew.  One project crossed off!  (No picture as it is not my sweater to share.  Sorry.)

After my fling with the Stargazer, I buckled down to work on the firetruck blanket.  I am so happy to be able to say it is done!  

The shape is not exactly what I envisioned, being way wider than tall.  Upon reflection, however, it is perfect for a youngster and parental figure to snuggle under.  

The yarns used are a combination of Snuggly Sirdar DK and Ella Rae Cozy Soft.  I used a 4.5mm needle as I wanted more drape than a sweater would have.  Turns out that while I CAN handle intarsia it is not my favourite technique.  I don’t think I knit bad words into the blanket, but it may have been close. 

The border was picked up and knitted after the strips were finished.  In part, I wanted to add size to the blanket.  I also wanted to use up as much yarn as possible.  When I was close to the end of the border, I was feeling remorse about the black stripe.  Was there enough remorse to inspire me to rip back?  Eh, not so much.  While pondering this dilemma, a friend suggested alternating red and black for the i-cord bind-off.  Brilliant! Tied everything together nicely.  I had to switch to a 5.0mm needle though to prevent the i-cord being too tight.  The blanket will soon be on its way to surprise the little man in Arizona.  I can’t wait!

For those counting (and I am), that is two projects off my list!

I needed another project to work on at the store.  Coincidentally, we need a sample in the Ella Rae Eco Cotton and Hand Paints.  The Catriona Pullover looked delightful, and so I started!

This is the back (plain) and front.  The front is almost half-finished already! I am using the numbers for the 2-year size and the recommended 3.75mm needle.  Because the ultimate recipient is still growing (and is currently 2 months old, I did not bother with a gauge swatch.  Good thing that it doesn’t need to fit anyone instantly as I am not getting gauge.  I suspect a 3.5mm needle would have been better.  

Still on needles are a pair of socks and the Thunder Snow shawl.  I am just starting part 5 of the shawl, so progress is being made.  It is as beautiful as I remember.  The socks are Reveurs by Cheryl Eaton, from the Operation Sock Drawer book.  So far, I have used two patterns from the book.  Both had errata.  I hope this is coincidence.

Anyway, I hope you are having a delightful Family Day weekend!

Sigh.

 This has been a very strange winter.  So very little snow, and what there is has been ruined by freezing rain.  I really miss my x-c ski outings, even though I was not any good.  I will say, however, that there is one nice thing about the mild winter.  Monday afternoon, we met up with some friends amd had a nice little fire down by the lake, enjoyed some nibblies, drank some wine and watched the sun go down.  We did walk to their house and home again so at least we had some exercise. 

I finished the Soft As A Cloud cowl from Purl Soho.  I used two skeins of Juniper Moon Farms Stargazer in a lovely deep green.  There is a four stitch column of twist stitches, and a three stitch column of fake cables.  All very easy to do, but a bit hard on the wrists and elbows.  I didn’t think I was THAT tight of a knitter, but apparently I could stand to loosen up a bit.

The colour is deeper than shown in the photo — despite the dye coming off on my hands, the yarn retained enough dye to be beautifully luxurious looking.  Here is the store mannequin wearing the cowl —

Overall, I am very happy with this project.  The pattern is free from Purl Soho and offers three variations.  You can do the cowl with only the fake cables, or only the twisted stitches, or as I did with a combination of both.  I can definitely see myself doing this again. 

I have been working on a throw for my newest grandson in Arizona.  The young man is wild for firetrucks, and his bedroom reflects this.  I went searching and found a chart for a firetruck, and I cast on and started improvising.  Last week, the blanket looked like this —

I finally got the third panel finished and attached. Onwards to a border!  I picked up stitches around all four sides.  (Thank heavens for my Addi interchangeables!  I used a connector and have two cables in play!). Each corner has a knit stitch going out diagonally and I am increasing both sides of that stitch on alternate rows.  As I left today I took a photo.

I just have to finish my current white stripe, add a yellow stripe (2 rows) and one more white stripe (4 rows).  Then I plan on doing an i-cord bind off in red.  Adding all the colours to the blanket was an attempt to use up as much yarn as possible.  It is fitting that I will need one more ball of red.

I have started knitting socks for Christmas 2024.  If I can do one pair per month, I stand a good chance of being done by the holiday.  To that end, I present the first pair — Socks on a Plane worked in Gathering Yarns Homestead Painted.  I used a 2.75mm needle and 62 stitches.  The pattern asks for 64, but I was working off memory and these will fit just fine. 

Having completely finished two sweaters, a cowl AND a pair of socks one would think my list of projects screaming for attention would be diminished.  You would be incorrect.  It turns out that I have a hard time counting, and there are still 12 items on the list.  

Sigh.