Ambitions

 I am being ambitious this year.  Possibly unduly optimistic, but only time will tell.  I am not going to publicly air my plans, in the event they fall thru.  I will say, however, that one of my goals is to keep going with this blog.  So, onwards.

Remember that unfortunate skein of Ella Rae Snuggles that would not cooperate?  (This is a new yarn and not yet listed in the Ravelry databank.)   After pondering its poor life choices, I gave it a second chance.  I pulled out my pattern for the Baby Springtime Cardi and cast on.

The yarn behaved beautifully.  It made stripes, it made little fair isle patterns, it didn't split or anything.  Clearly, I had found what it wanted to be.  I used a 4.5mm needle as specified in the pattern, and just knit away.  When I was finished, there was enough yarn left to make a hat.  Since this was a trial run for the yarn, I gave the skein to Barb so that she could knit with it as well. I liked the yarn well enough; however, it is almost identical to the James Brett Fairground that we already carry.  Additionally, the Ella Rae warehouse is in the United States and I am uncertain as to how tariffs might affect us. 

Another project finished in the last little bit is this cowl.  I used Gedifra Creativo and a 7.0mm circular needle.  We have a hat pattern in the store already, and I mimicked the stitch pattern for the cowl.  Very simple and basic, but quite effective.  The plan is to make a kit up featuring the matching hat and cowl.  There will, of course, be better pictures in the advertising for the project. 

I have also been working on the Waterfall Cardigan as a gift for a very dear friend who has been forced to give up her knitting.  The pattern has been interesting to say the least.  It was originally published in the Cast On, which I believe is the magazine published by the Knitting Guild of Canada. 

I found the pattern to be a bit confusing at first, and actually reached out to the designer with a few questions.  She answered them, and in a reasonable time, so I cannot fault her for that. By the time she responded, I had already figured out what was happening. 

What you see below is a portion of a seam that I used a slip-stitch to close, with the right sides together.  Zoom in and you will see how nice and neat it is.

This second photo shows the seam that I sewed together, like I always do.  Whipstitch with right sides facing me.  I set in a sleeve and worked the underarm seam and most of the side.

After much teeth gnashing and deciding that I really did NOT like the look, I unpicked my seams and started over with crochet.  It is now all assembled and I am pleased that I took the time to redo it.  More photos will follow shortly of the entire project, as well as my observations. 

I needed some brainless knitting for riding to and from our ski outings.  I had purchased a skein of wool at the Fibre Fest in Hamilton last fall, intending it to be my Christmas gift from Doug.  Of course, this means that next year it will be his Christmas socks from me.  And I have now started.  When I find the label (again) I will tell you all about it.

While at the Fibre Festival, the Texture and Twish Shawl by Robbie Laughlin had just been released and I swear every booth had one displayed.  I did, of course, download this free pattern.  After much discussion with Barb (who did purchase yarn to actually make it), I picked up this beautiful pink wool and cast on.  The wool is KFI Indulgence Kettle Dyed Fingering and I love it.  I am always a fool for the kettle-dyed look -- all those intensities of colour just make my heart sing.  This will look fabulous with my brown leather jacket, don't you think?  And the pattern worked out very well.  With a second skein, I had enough to work the pattern repeat an extra time.  Honestly, I could have done another two repeats, but I was afraid that the shawl would be too large at that point.

The last little goodie in my project bag is the Berroco Blanket Mystery Knit Along.  The first square is composed of blocks of three knits followed by three purls.  Easy-peasy and very restful.  There is a great story about this project tho.

I have in the past knit blankets for all of my children -- including my step-daughter.  I have knit a blanket for my first daughter-in-law.  This leaves my newest daughter-in-law and my son-in-law without their own special blanket.  When I saw the introduction for this KAL, I was immediately on-board.  I threw out the question in the family chat about it.  My son-in-law responded quickly and said he would love a blanket.  I sent the daughter and him the links to the colour card for the wool I would be using.  They selected five colours.  I ordered the wool promptly.  

You will note there were 5 colours selected.  Which means that decisions needed to be made about which colour was #1, etc.  I had the kids on a zoom call with the yarns spread out and we were discussing the project.  My darling daughter pointed out that it would be easier to decide colour sequences if they could see the pattern.  The look on her face when I said "No" was priceless.  I do wish I had gotten it on camera.  That's when I explained the concept of a mystery KAL.  

In any event, decisions were made and the project has begun.  Next post I will have the completed square 1 and possibly square 2, along with the Waterfall Cardigan completed.  How's that for a teaser?

We went for a x-c ski last Monday and had a grand time, despite my eternal clumsiness.  There are always new and exciting ways to fall.  I am pleased that I was not injured.  I was looking forward to another ski this weekend, but life had other plans for me.  I experience a little nose-bleed last night (dry winter air and sleeping on my belly) and so will need to take things easy for a couple of days.  This is not all bad -- I will be playing Minecraft Dungeons with my grandsons in Virginia for a while, as well as some more knitting. 

Cheerio, until next time!

A New Year

I am wishing for a happy, uneventful 2025.  With the political scene being what it is both here in Canada and in the United States, I fear I will be sadly disappointed.  In which case, I will hope for happy times and good health for my family and friends, both near and far.

I can report my first finished project of 2025.  A pair of socks destined for holiday gifting next December.  These are Socks on a Plane, wool is Borgo dePazzi Magic Kette, and a 2.5mm needle.  I have started a list of how my family socks are constructed, so I am not going any further here, lest I give a hint to the intended recipient.  Of course, they all know they are getting socks; the only surprise is colour and pattern. In any event, I did start these on Dec. 22 in the car while riding over to Michigan, and finished them today.

Our friend had cat-sitting duties in our absence.  She always leaves Pixel a treat of some sort.  Sometimes it is a new toy; other times it is a yummy treat.  This visit, however, she really outdid herself!

Pixel is really enjoying his new cat cave.  He has absolutely no hesitation in hopping in and having a nap and especially loves napping there when someone is sitting on the couch.  Of course, he gets a bit salty when that person shifts around or gets up, but … he has to learn to live with that minor irritation.

 While riding over to Michigan I attempted to start a Baby Surprise Jacket with a skein of yarn gifted to us (the store) by our sales rep.  The yarn is Ella Rae Snuggles — an acrylic self-patterning acrylic that feels delightfully soft.  The 100g ball contains 210m, so I knew I would be shy of a full sweater.  I compensated by grabbing a skein of Ella Rae Honey in a contrasting solid.  

I will have you know that skein of Snuggles fought me valiantly.  I tried to get started for an hour, casting on a total of five times.  Each effort ended in abject failure due to miscounting, tail too shirt, or dropped stitches.  Arggh.  So I wound the used yarn around the ball band and thrust the skein back into a project bag so it could ponder its unfortunate life choices.  

Doug, rather nervously, inquired if I had a back-up project.  It is, after all, a 7-hour drive to Battle Creek.  It’s like he doesn’t even know me!  I actually had three!  In the meantime, I think I have found a nice little sweater to attempt with the Snuggles.  We will see, since I am making no promises. 

With my remaining awake hours tonight I will get the knitting bag ready for the upcoming couple of days.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my days off.  Time has been spent in real life with family and friends.  There have been several Zoom calls with my children and their families.  I have also been able to play video games online with my grandsons and a good time was had by all.  Turns out I am a terrible driver in the Hot Wheels racing game, but I am improving.  We also played Minecraft Dungeons … wherein the most commonly heard statement from me is “I’m down again!”  Again, I am improving and the young men are so very gracious at restoring me to life and encouraging me in my endeavours.

And so hereI am, wishing everyone an excellent 2025 and even more excellent knitting and crochet projects.

At long last.

 I started 2024 all afire to update and stay on track with my blog.  

I was totally enthralled with my new granddaughter and life in general.  I knew that the plan was that my daughter would be moving west, to live in the same city as her husband’s family.  I knew that it would be occurring end of June or early July. But that was months and months away.  But if I stopped looking at the calendar, time would not pass.  right?

Wrong.  July came, and they packed up and moved.  I have to say that I am delighted to see my little granddaughter surrounded by loving family.  Little critters all the way to grandparents, aunts and uncles.  She is surrounded by love and support.  They are all living their best lives.   The little darling is growing.

She is nearing her first birthday.  Seven teeth, dimples, almost walking, and an obsession with music.  She is her very own person, and her parents are doing a fabulous job of encouraging her to explore this big world.

I did send out a box with some lovely hand knit items.  Not a birthday gift, but a just because I am the grandmother and these items would be fitting her soon.  I see pictures of her wearing them.  It makes my heart smile. 

I would be lying if I said that I do not miss them.  I do.  I miss them ferociously.  We try to video chat, and when we do the little one smiles widely for me.  It helps, but it just isn’t the same as an in-person snuggle.  We are hoping to travel in January for a visit.

I have been knitting quite a bit since my last post in May.  Store samples, socks for the upcoming Christmas gifts.  And I will show pictures of them.  Just not today.  

Right now, I feel the need to peruse my photos and videos of the little one out west.

Hello!

 (Frantically looks for calendar to confirm it is still May.).  Whew.  Second post for May.  Still looking good.  Life is busy and the days flow past, quickly.  I do not know where all my time goes, but it has slipped past.

Remember the fire truck blanket I made for my grandson in Arizona?  Upon completion, I realized that I had made something for the eldest grandson, several items for the granddaughter, and the blanket for the Arizona grandson.  The little guy in Virginia had been overlooked.  This would not do.  When the Virginia crew was up visiting the store, I asked the little guy to pick a yarn.  When I cleared my needles, I called him and we decided what he would like in a sweater.  This is the result!

I used two skeins of James Brett Fairground and 4.0mm needles.  The pattern was a basic crew neck pullover with raglan sleeves.  The young man and I had decided that there should be a pocket, so I figured out how to do that.  (I counted in some stitches sadly I do not remember how many, and then did a knit front and back until I had the same number of stitches left before the end.  Half of the stitches went onto a stitch holder while I knit the body.  Then I went back and knit up the pocket, working 4 stitches at each edge in garter stitch and making decreases to shape the pocket.  When the pocket was as tall as the body, I joined the pocket and body by knitting the two layers together.  Easy peasy!) He has seen a photo of the sweater, and seemed pleased.  I will get it to him this fall, when the nights are getting cooler.

We also took the Victoria Day weekend and traveled to Virginia.  Both grandsons have been playing flag football and I very much wanted to see them in action.  Saturday was cool and wet, but both teams played — and won their games!  The little guy turns out to be a pretty solid quarterback!

Because I “needed”a store project, I cast around and decided that we needed a sample knit in Noro Viola.  It was the perfect  weight wool for the Sommerknus. I had been wanting to knit that design for two years … Now was the time!  I did a gauge swatch, and then ignored the result and cast on.  About 30 rows later, after a discussion about gauge during a Wednesday Sit & Stitch, I checked and sure enough.  I was off.  Way off.  Frogged and restarted, on May 22.  Others at the table were a bit distraught, but I promise I was philosophical about the whole thing.  i only had myself to blame.  In any event — progress to date!

In other news, I have been steadily knitting my quota of socks for *THAT* holiday.  Pair number 6 is finished, and it isn’t even June yet!   These are Gedifra cotton, knit from the top down.

Finally, my little granddaughter will be SIX MONTHS OLD tomorrow. She is such a total sweetheart.  Her uncle and family (from Arizona) will be visiting soon to meet her — which also means that I will have the opportunity to squeeze my son, daughter-in-law and grandson again!  Whee!

I hope you all are having a good spring and early summer.  Cheers!

Happy Mother’s Day!

 And what a beautiful day it is.  The weather is very steadily improving, and there is SO MUCH GREEN outside.  We can proceed with dock installation, followed by boat lifts and boats.  I am so very excited for all these things.

I have actually gotten caught up on my sock knitting for 2024.  I finished these two pair —

Sorry the picture isn’t great.  This is partly an effort to maintain some element of surprise for the recipients.  The pair on the left are Koigu, with a cast on of 68 stitches.  The other is a combination of Wisdom Yarns Pace for rib, heel and toes and some Noro for the body.  Deep stash projects, both.  

Barb had been doing some stash reorganization and discovered a skein of Noro something or other, which had mohair.  No idea how or why it was in her stash as she is allergic to mohair.  So she handed it to me with a request to “do something!” I obliged. 

This is a basic beanie, with the addition of Lion Brand Fun Fur for the ribbing portion.  All in all, I thought it was a nice use of wool.  Enough to make the hat, too little left over to save.

I have gotten the urge to clean and tidy of late.  I started in the bedroom, and have made great headway.  A corner that was filled with boxes, gift bags and tissue paper is now vacuumed, dusted and clear.  I moved around the corner and worked on my reading pile.  Also dusted, vacuumed and tidied. 

And now the embarrassing part … I tackled the yarn hoard.  I did find some yarns to donate to a local charity; I decided that my collection of straight and double point needles need not remain in my possession.  I even found some balls of yarn that were ridiculously small and should never have been saved. Which leaves me with this —

Oh my word, stars and garters.  I suppose you would not be surprised to read that I am heading back into the fray to find storage for these beauties.  

There is some good news out of all this — My daughter had brought an assortment of socks and a scarf to me in hopes of having them mended.  I have found them, and now have a good understanding of how to make the repairs.  She WILL see them again!

Cheers!

Sigh.

 Today is a day absolutely chock full of sighs.  Possibly a typical Monday, for all I know.  

I had such high hopes to get a second blog post in March.  Can someone tell me why February, demonstrably the SHORTEST month in the calendar, seems to d-r-a-g on forever?  Followed by March, one of the longest months, which just whizzes by as if it on speed??  Sigh.

Sitting at breakfast this morning, I discovered one of my earrings is gone.  One of my silver sea gull earrings made by my friends from Kensington Silver Studio.  Gone.  Missing.  Not in the bed.  Not on the floor near the bed.  Not wrapped up in the clothing I discarded last night before bed.  Since Kensington Silver Studio is now closed, owners retired and equipment sold, there is no way I am going to get this replaced.  Sigh.

The morning was bright and sunny — unusual for a day in Ontario when something big is happening in the skies overhead.  At the appointed hour, I took a colander, my knitting, and my cell phone outside to observe and hopefully record the eclipse.  Cue the incoming clouds.  And they were solid clouds.  Sigh.

I went inside.  I must say that the experience was more strange than I expected.  It was dark — very dark.  The street light came on.  A passing automobile had its full headlight system on.  And it stayed dark for a far longer period than I thought it would.  After the world got brighter … you guessed it!  The clouds parted.  Sigh.

My knitting of late has been fraught with mis-steps.  The firetruck blanket was well received, but the young man had moved on to being enamoured with all things Star Wars.  The parental units were very impressed tho, so I will accept that as a win.  But still … Sigh.

I have a client who brought me a half finished sweater with an appropriately sad story.  Her sister had suddenly lost her eyesight and could not finish it.  It was sent to my client, who shied away from the colourwork.  I quoted a price, she agreed, and I was charged with finishing. 

The body was complete up to the yoke.  The sleeves were mostly finished.  So I knitted and then joined everything to work the yoke.  I was halfway up the colourwork chart when I realized that I would be short in the main colour.  I consulted with the client, who was good with an “almost” colour match.  (After all, her sister would not be able to see the mismatch!!!  I am still laughng at this statement.)

I brought home a ball of pink … and contemplated and stewed.  I called my client again, who told me she was good with whatever I chose to do.  I consulted Barb with my dilemma.  We agreed that the best solution was to bring in one more colour … and I finished up the sweater lickety-split.  Just goes to show that when the colours are right, I feel an absolute compulsion to knit.

I am SO happy with this project.  It is a combination of Sirdar Snuggly DK, Patons Astra and Ella Rae Cozy Soft.  That lovely lavender just makes it fabulous, rather than very pretty.  

Another finished object is the Bumble Sweater from Tin Can Knits.  We had gotten a new colour of Noro Viola at the store, and I “needed” to showcase it.  Barb, of course, fell into that rabbit hole as well and selected colours to make sweaters for her new little grandchildren.  Being at the shop full time gave me plenty of time to work on this little baby.  I DID a gauge swatch, achieved gauge, and started knitting.

Four inches into the pattern, I thought to myself “That looks big.”  Instead of the usual knitterly thing of continuing to knit (DeNile isn’t just a river in Egypt!) I measured.  Sure enough.  Instead of gauge, I was off by 1.5 stitches to 10 cm.  I ripped back to the ribbing, and started again with a 6.0mm needle.  

And it fits!  Perhaps a wee bit more closely than planned, but it is way comfortable and cozy.  I wore it all day after this photo, unblocked and everything!

I really like this little style detail —

You don’t see it clearly when I wear it, but it is there.  Absolutely delightful.  This is a slip stitch pattern, in two colours.  I would rate it as suitable for a confident knitter.  

Details of the project — Two balls of James C. Brett Croftland (the white) and one ball of the expensive and beautiful Noro Viola.  I used a 6.0mm needle for the body and 4.0mm for the ribbing.  Did I mention that it fits?  And the sleeves are perfect.  Sigh.  

So I mentioned something about Barb’s new grandchildren.  It is only fair to fill in the blanks.  Baby Girl and Baby Boy were delivered via c-section on the Wednesday before Easter.  Baby Girl spent time in the NICU, but Baby Boy was able to room in with Mama.  They are all home now, and gaining weight as they should.  Barb is assisting with the transition to motherhood, and (woe is her) snuggling babies. Sigh.

My little granddaughter is now 4 months old and doing well. She is able to hold her head up so that a front-facing chest carrier is comfortable for one and all.  Consequently, she is getting lots of outside walks with her mama and papa.  I saw the family at Easter, and my heart is full.  Sigh.

Here's hoping that the rest of April passes a wee bit more slowly than March. 

A few things.

 The blanket for my grandson in Arizona is on its way.  A friend is taking it to Pennsylvania, and will mail it from there.  FedEx was going to be $146 plus taxes.  Yowza!  I am very excited to see the package opening!

In other news, I was working on my February socks — the Reveurse from Operation Sock Drawer.  If you define “working” as looking at the project bag and picking something else up, that is.  I had gotten almost to the heel of the first sock … the realization that I was not enjoying the project made me stop and think.  Then I frogged the entire sock.  I immediately cast on for a vanilla sock, and reluctantly stopped knitting at 10:30pm and 52 stitches.  Far more fun!

This was the second project from the book.  Both patterns had errata.  I am now a bit concerned about the remaining patterns being correct as published.  To be fair, the corrections were easy to find via Ravelry.  Even so, I do not have warm fuzzy feelings about the remaining patterns being accurate.

In store knitting, I had finished a little cotton sweater (Catriona Pullover from Ella Rae).  I had not gotten gauge and figured  a wee munchkin would grow into it.  A dispassionate review of the sweater made me realize that it would only fit Humpty Dumpty.  

Much to the dismay of the Wednesday afternoon group, frogging occurred.  A gauge swatch occurred.  I had to drop to a 3.0mm needle (from 3.75m) to get gauge.  I have now restarted.

The store is hosting a KAL of the Bumble Sweater from Tin Can Knits.  I even did a gauge swatch before starting that!

My Thunder Snow continues.  I have started Clue 5 and am still loving it.  I usually do two or four rows an evening, in the solitude of my bedroom.  Then back to simple stocking stitch, or some other equally non-challenging pattern. 

I am currently reading The Algebraist by Iain Banks.  Heavy science fiction but still an interesting read.  

Since it is a beautiful sunny day, I am now heading out for a walk.  See you soon!

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.

Three down, 12 to go!

 Last week I was commenting about the 15 projects screaming for my attention.  And then I started something new. 

This week i will claim three finished projects — the new cowl which is downstairs soaking in water and vinegar.  Every time I touched that project, my hands turned green.  My stitch markers all have a green tinge to them now.  Only a slight tinge, which will wesr off over time.  But the cowl itself?  Into the water it went, got swished, soaked, got swished.  And the water is still clear without any green.  How does that happen, I ask you.  Pictures next time, I promise. 

I also finished these little guys: 

These are a pattern called Gramps from Tin Can Knits.  This has become one of my favourite patterns, for a lot of reasons.  The sizes available range from newborn to adult 4X; the pockets add a nice touch; and finally who could possibly resist the elbow patches? These were created for the impending arrival of a set of twins, due in early April.  The shower was Sunday, so the need for secrecy is no longer present.

I knit the 6-12 month size, using Estelle Worsted.  I needed two skeins of the main colour and one for the contrast.  There was plenty of yarn left that I could have made hats as well, had time permitted.  In fact, I only needed the second skein to finish the last inch of the second sleeve on each sweater.

 Let me tell you about those buttons.  They are the world’s most expensive buttons.  I needed 10, so off to Fabricland I go.  Three packages of buttons in hand, and I recall I need some interfacing for the book I intend to make for my grand-daughter.  I have the panel already … so I find interfacing.  But wait!  Christmas fabric is on sale at 60% off.  Since I made stockings for my family, it has expanded seven times.  So I pick out seven different fabrics for new stockings.  Sadly, I did not find fabric for the top part of the stockings, but that doesn't NEED to specifically be Christmas fabric.  The young lady started measuring and cutting. I looked at the amounts adding up … bought a membership and saved over $100.  Now I can’t wait to get to my sewing machine.

In other news, the packages mailed to my sons have both arrived at their respective destinations.  They have been opened, to much joy and delight.  And the socks all fit the recipients,  Yay!  Christmas 2023 is mow officially put to bed.

Memories

 My mother was an excellent knitter.  My memories include her always having something on the go.  

One year she knitted afghans for grandchildren.  Meg got one; my three did as well.  Carrie’s was aqua and her brothers’ were a true green and a blue.  Rascal that she was, Carrie climbed up next to my mother, looked her in the eyes and announced that next year Carrie wanted pink.  Having made her wishes clear, Carrie scampered off to tuck her stuffed animals under the new afghan.  Mom looked at me, panic clear on her face.  There was no way she was going to finish an afghan in time.  I reassured her that Carrie would not remember her demand, and I was correct.

I remember the first afghan from this pattern.  It was one where you work a lot of increases in the midst of the pattern sequence.  You had the same number of stitches at the end of row 4 and end of row 1.  Rows 2 and 3 varied widely.  Once she had that understanding, Mom was off to the races and created 4, maybe 5, afghans.

Anyway, the sharing of that memory was spurred by the discovery of this little set that Mom knit.  After her passing, I was given several projects that were in progress.  This finished outfit was included.

I discovered this while gathering together this year’s socks.  Serendipity, I suppose.  It must have been in my possession when the two grandsons were born.  I did not find it at the time, nor did I recall having it.  So, with the discovery happening just as a new granddaughter was present … 

The gift was labelled from “Grandma Dixon” to Carrie.  She was awed, and teary-eyed.  So was I.  This makes Christmas 2023 one of the most special memories ever.   I swear I could feel my mother looking over my shoulder and grinning.

In other news, I have been knitting.  As fast as my fingers allow.  I have 15 projects demanding my attention.  Two of them are sweaters for the impending arrival of a set of twins.  My project bag overflows.

And yet … we always want new samples for the store.  The Juniper Moon Stargazer, a luxurious blend of baby llama and silk, needs a sample.  I had been idly surfing Ravelry to find a pattern I liked.  And then I found The Pattern.  Soft As a Cloud from Purl Soho. 

What IS a knitter with 15 projects screaming to be finished to do? 

I cast on.

A Much Needed Break

2023 has been a topsy-turvy year, filled with good things and bad.  I am thankful for the good things, and sincerely happy to be looking ahead. 

My business partner has been having some medical issues since the first week of August.  She has mostly been off work, only teaching for a couple of hours one day a week.  She, like most women, liked to think she is Superwoman and able to do All The Things.  Realistically, this is not so.  

This means that I have been running the shop pretty much by myself for four months.  This was hard work 17 years ago when I opened.  Being slightly (?) more busy now than then, it has become exponentially more difficult.  The last four months have raced by in a blur — work, sleep, work, sleep.  

I am NOT complaining about my partner’s absence.  I much prefer her to take the time necessary for a full recovery.  She is my best friend and I want her around for many, more years.  

Another truly dreadful experience for 2023 was September, when my son contracted Valley Fever.  He was misdiagnosed and treated incorrectly for just over a week, which nearly cost him his life.  Thankfully, his lovely wife was persistent and vocal with the medical staff and kept me closely informed of all developments.  Finally a qualified lung doctor came on the scene, correctly diagnosed the issue and started the proper course of meds.  Son is recovering, but still has a long way to go.

The best, joyful parts of 2023 were truly joyful.  Son came to Michigan from Arizona with his fiancée and her little boy.  Doug and I traveled over and got to visit for a weekend with them.  The weather was dreadful — freezing rain and all that flows from that — but family reunions made up for it all.

The son was married at the end of July.  I flew down to Arizona and a great time was had by all.  He was patient and waited, and the Right One showed up in his life at the right time.  

My elder sister in Missouri has been battling a lung cancer recurrence for two years.  Her oncologist has advised that if her bucket list included travel, 2023 was the year to do so.  She has always wanted to see a Univ of Mich football game at The Big House (also known as the home stadium).  My youngest brother arranged tickets, and the extended family descended on Dad’s.  The Wolverines won and the weather was conducive to travel.  Sadly, my youngest sister was not able to attend (lingering sinus infection), but the rest of us (5 siblings) had a joyful reunion weekend.  We have hopes for next fall.  As we all know, life comes with no guarantees. 

The final and best thing 2023 brought was a new grand-daughter.  My daughter and her husband welcomed a sweet baby girl on December 1st.  Getting to the post-delivery stage was a bit fraught, but the complications amounted to a hill of beans.  Everyone is now healthy and happy. 

And so the year of socks comes to a close.  I bring you this picture — a family tradition being carried forward. 

A year in Socks

 With the holidays rapidly approaching, I started to concentrate on my socks list.  I knit on them in the car, at our Thursday night get-togethers at the store, during my Monday night visits with the kids, during my monthly visits with family, while watching television … I am sure you get the idea.  This is the result — a full week before Christmas!

Mostly these are plain socks. When I could no longer tolerate the thought of yet another plain sock, I went wild and made a pattern.  I thought I had strayed more than I did, but apparently only once.  I can say that  the first pair for 2024 is NOT plain — and one of the pair is already finished!

Here you see some Regia Tutti-Frutti, KFI Indulgence, Sandnes Garn Tresko, Laines du Nord Paint Sock,  Berroco Comfort Sock, Urth Yarns Merino Sock and Wisdom Yarns Wacki Saki.  All but one came from my store — Never Enough Wool.  Who knew we had such a wide selection?!?

My little men have reached the size where they need more than the residual wool from an adult pair.  Soon, at the rate they are growing, they will need their own skein!  

My daughter has been safely delivered of a beautiful baby girl, and I am so totally enamoured.  When my children were babies, I was a young and nervous mother.  Now that I am the grandmother, I can totally relax and enjoy the time with them.  I plan to do so, as much as my daughter allows. 

If I do not get back here before Christmas (face it, the odds are not in my favour!), I hope that each of you have a lovely holiday season spent with your loved ones and friends.

Sigh.

 This, my friends, is why you use a lifeline AND make copious notes on every project.  Especially if it is a project which will be pushed aside for any length of time. 

I had started the Thunder Snow MKAL last summer.  The last clue was released as I was on my way to Calgary for my daughter’s wedding.  (Hard to believe it is a year already!). I was foolish and neither used a lifeline between sections or made any notes.  When I came back to it … I tinked stitch by stitch four or five rows of 400-plus stitches.  If I had a good stitch count, the stitch patterns did not match the instructions.  Reluctantly, I went to this option n the hopes I could find a row to pick back up.

Most of an episode of Critical Role later, I had this:

I will freely admit that I am the author of my own misfortune.  The big question remaining, however, is have I learned from my mistakes?  I will be casting on again tonight while the trauma is still fresh.

 The MKAL clues included a folk tale about snow/winter from many different cultures.  I loved reading those tales as much as I have enjoyed knitting the shawl.  The best part of all is that I get to re-read all those lovely stories!

In other news, I have finished yet another pair of socks!  

These are the bog standard top-down socks with nothing special added.  Well, except for the love knitted into them.  The wool is from Urth Yarns and is their merino sock yarn.  Apparently, this style of their sock wool has been discontinued. I  have used this wool for projects other than socks and quite enjoyed it.  This time, using an Addi sock rocket I found it to be a trifle splitty.  Still will be a great sock tho.

This is pair number 8 for the year.  Three of the next five are smallish and will be my November and December knitting.  The two adult pair remaining?  I will be knitting them soon — I do not want to become complacent and end up knitting in the wee small hours of Christmas Eve.

Happy knitting and crocheting!

A Tale of Two Socks

 

Way last April, a mere three months ago, when I last posted I promised I would post again.  thankfully, I did not specify when!

In any event, here I am with a report about two sock patterns.  You recall the pattern a frustrated client flung at us?  The pattern, Vanilla Latte Socks, was a toes-up construction.  A brief glance persuaded me that it was confusing.  A longer read through did not change my mind.  

I cleared my sock needles and cast on, using KFI Paint Sock.  I elected to not work the broken rib the pattern suggested, being interested in only the heel turn.  One thing this pattern does that I really like is that the first two short rows use the first and last stitch of the instep, thus dealing nicely with the dreaded gap issue.  Onwards I went.  This designer used a double stitch technique instead of wraps and turns.  The confusing part was that she provided stitch counts (good) but counted the double stitches as two stitches (eh?  Two loops on the needle means two stitches?), thus giving a whopping 110 stitches (or more, I cannot find the pattern right now) before starting to work the gusset.  The first row of the gusset/heel flap had you work a multitude of decreases— knitting the double stitches off, of course.  None of this was apparent to me from reading the pattern, but crystal clear with work in hand.  The back of the heel/flap was a delightful ribbed triangle, working its way up the back of the sock.  Truly a work of art.  From there on, the sock was a perfectly normal toe-up sock.

We were teaching a toe-up sock class at the store, so I also had some plain socks going.  The yarn, Tutti-Frutti from Regia, is a cotton blend and a lot of fun with which to work.  Sunny and happy, which is always a nice feature when knitting in the grey days of February and March.  These socks had a more standard gusset and heel turn.  

I present pictures to show the differences!  First, the side views —Regia on the left and KFI on the right.   Note the increases running diagonally up from the heel on the Regia socks.  The increases in the KFI sock are parallel to the ground.

The fun part is when looking at these socks from the back.  I usually do a ribbed/slipped heel flap on my top down socks.  The Vanilla Latte socks provide a ribbed heel, but without the reinforcing slipped stitches.  The short row heel we taught is just basic stockinette stitch.

Both pair of socks are destined for Christmas gifts for later this year.  A pair knit early in the year, two pair of worsted weight work socks (though only one is shown here and sadly they count as one), and these guys.  I have six pair done and it is the start of July!  

I am caught up!

Random Thoughts after a bit of a break

 So, even though I was all optimistic about posting regularly way back at the beginning of the year, I fell down dramatically.  Do not ask how it is possible that it is already a third of the way through April. 

In March I managed to step into a pothole in the parking lot.  I swear the hole was deep enough for a goldfish to survive in.  In any event, I learned from the previous experience that a trip to the emergency room was a good idea.  No broken bones, and the doctor (intern) was impressed that I owned an air cast.  It is 5 weeks since the fall.  The ankle is still tender and weak, but I have started not wearing the cast in the mornings at home. 

While wearing the air cast, I feel I am channelling my Mother.  She wore a brace on one leg as a result of having polio in her youth ... climbing up and down the stairs reminds me SO much of my mother.  Also walking across the house.  She has been gone 20 years this month, and I am really feeling the loss this year.

Other random thoughts ... since I finished that beautiful sweater in my last post, I KNOW I have accomplished several finished projects.  For the life of me, I struggle to remember what they are.  I know there was a pretty lace scarf because it was a class sample.  I have finished two pair of socks, knit two at a time, for my daughter and her husband (which finishes up Christmas 2022).  Now that it is April, I can safely say that I have finished one -- ONE -- pair of socks for Christmas 2023.  Several months behind in other words. 

We are teaching a crochet class at the store -- a dishcloth, hand towel and scrubby.  The dishcloth was tunisian crochet (also known as afghan stitch), with some single crochet around the edges.  Being left-handed, my rows work backwards to almost everyone else.  We didn't have any lefties in the class this time around ... The hand towel uses tunisian simple stitch, a bobble stitch, and a reverse stitch.  I have managed to master all three of those.  The scrubby will use yet another type of stitch, and I am looking forward to that. 

April 10, was officially "ice out" for our side of the lake.  It was a beautiful day -- sunny and warm.  Makes me itch to get this accursed cast off and be able to take walks.  Swimming and canoeing will come soon.  And sailing.  I am so looking forward to sailing. 

For Easter dinner, Doug and I were child-free.  I made scalloped potatoes, from scratch, with lots of cheddar cheese.  The dish turned out fabulously -- Doug doesn't recall that I had ever made this before.  He definitely says I should make this again.  We also had ham, with roasted brussel sprouts in balsamic vinegar/olive oil/maple syrup.  The veggies and potatoes didn't exactly match in terms of flavours, but brussel sprouts were the only veggie on hand.  Sadly, no children visiting meant that the traditional Easter Bunny Cake did not get made, nor was there any decorated eggs or chocolate bunnies.  Oh well.  Probably better for the healthy eating goal to not have them. 

During my absence from the Blog, we also traveled to Michigan in February.  My middle child brought his girlfriend and her son up from Arizona, in hopes of showing them a Michigan winter.  We had freezing rain ... and as usual, flying was an interesting experience.  They were supposed to land in Kalamazoo, but the weather made it impossible.  He ended up flying into Grand Rapids, which was a bit of our route, but easy enough to accomplish.  Their plane landed just as we drove into the airport.  Even with the freezing rain, we got sleds and went sledding down the hill at my father's house.  Neither the girlfriend or son had done this before, so it was exciting for them.  And on Saturday morning, there was JUST enough snow to make a little snowman.  Tiniest snowman you have ever seen -- maybe 18 inches high -- but he had a hat, scarf, eyes, mouth, carrot nose, corn cob pipe and buttons on his chest.  It was absolutely adorable. 

 A customer came into the store a while back, looking for an easy-to-understand-and-execute sock pattern.  The one she had was confusing, and she flung it at us.  I glanced at it, agreed that it was confusing, and helped her find one she could understand.  Then I held onto the pattern, because I was curious and wanted to see how it worked.  I am now knitting a pair of socks, using that oh-so-confusing pattern.  And it IS confusing.  I have almost finished the heel turn and then it's a straight cruise to the cuff.  You will see pictures and more details next time I post. 

And I WILL post again!  Happy knitting. 

 

New Year and all things are possible

 The New Year has arrived.  I tell myself all sorts of strange things for the upcoming year — I will walk every day, I will exercise every day, I will post every week.  You know, those things we HOPE for, and strive towards, but often miss.  So far, I have walked in the neighbourhood of 3k on Sundays and Mondays.  Easy, because those are my non-work days.  The rest of the week?  Well …

I do, however, have knitting on which to report.

My first finish for 2023 is the Color Evolution design, from Laines du Nord.  (This pattern is not yet available on Ravelry!)  I used the recommended wool, Matera, in four colours and a 4.5m needle for the body.  I have to say that this wool is fabulous — soft in the hand and even better on the body.  I put the sweater on for the picture, and did not want to take it off!  (8 balls of grey, two red and one each black and golf.)  One aspect of knitting that I really like is that I can make the sleeves fit exactly right, something most store sweaters fail to do.

We have been teaching a master knitting class at the store using the design Carnival Blanket from the designer Margaret Holzmann.  Rather than a full sarnize blanket, I opted for a baby size.  Even so, it was a multi-month project!  The multi-colour yarn used in the star shapes is King Cole Tropical Beaches DK (and only one ball!) and the green oval shapes are worked with Sirdar Snuggly DK #490 (3 balls) and a 4.0m circular needle.  The afghan will be finished by working a row of single crochet followed by a row of crab stitch, using the Sirdar Snuggly.

The technique I used for the construction of this blanket was to knit the four oval sections, and then join them together by working the 4-point star.  This worked well for the initial join process; however, when joining the four circles together I ended up with gaping holes.  I sewed those holes up, using the tail from the initial knitted pieces ... and it all looks great in person.  Would I recommend this designer to other knitters?  Absolutely!

Another very recent finish is a wee pair of socks for a little man in my life.  These were meant to be a Christmas gift ... the best intentions often go astray.  In any event, the yarn is Lang JaWolle Cotton Stretch 4-ply in two colours -- the same colours I used for the little man's mama and step-papa. 

Sadly for me, the little man lives far, far away so I had to guess-and-by-golly a bit on the sizing.  I finally decided on a 2.5m needle, 48 stitches and a 7" foot.  I hope to know by the end of next week how close I was on the sizing!

Finally, a finished object from 2022 -- this is the Bragg Creek Cowl, designed by Caroline Sommerfeld.   Our sales rep. was kind enough to leave us two sample balls, and oddly enough the pattern just kind of fell into my Ravelry ... The yarn is Hertig from Ancient Arts and the colours I used are Scottish Mist and Kismet.   Absolutely a delightful wool and an easy-to-read and execute pattern.  I strongly recommend this one too!

That's about it for me today.  Hopefully I will be back soon with more updates!

Pot, meet kettle.

 So, just the other day I was mumbling to myself after checking the Yarn Harlot's blog "I wish she would update more often!"  And then stomped around, muttering over and over about the lack of updates.  

And then I realized that she had, in fact, updated her blog more recently than I had mine.  

Pot, meet the kettle.  Ahem. 

I have a large number of projects currently underway.  Many of them are store projects, using store yarns/wools and worked on at the store.  I have dedicated today's update to my many store projects!

This first picture is my progress on the Carnival Blanket.  I have opted for the designer's second choice, which is to create circle motifs, and then assemble them into the blanket.  I have also decided to make a smaller version -- crib size, if you will.  My blanket will be nine by nine motifs, which means I have one more circle to create, and then three to connect to the blanket body. 

I do believe this designer is brilliant.  The "two point stars" that connect the bottom of the circles are ingenious, and the single point star for the corners works a treat.  I am using Sirdar Snuggly for the solid shapes, and King Cole Tropical Beaches for the stars.   Both yarns are 100% acrylic so the blanket will be easily washed when necessary.  

My next store project is Flax (from Tin Can Knits).  We used this pattern to teach a class both at the store and at the Uxbridge library.  Both Barb and I found the pattern to be easily understood and accomplished; our students?  Not so much.  There is a strip of garter stitch that runs down the shoulders and arms, right to the cuff.  In addition to the top-down construction, the addition of the garter stitch just throws people right off the cliff.  We persevered and our students will have completed sweaters.

I used Uptown Worsted from Universal Yarns in one of their new variegated colourways, and made a 1-2 years size.  My needles were a 5.0m for the body and 4.0m for the ribbing.  

There are benefits to making smaller sizes of projects when teaching.  At the Uxbridge class, early on, someone was terribly confused as to how we were making sleeves at the same time as the front and back.  I was able to hold up my project, where the body was finished and one sleeve started.  The light bulbs blinked on for everyone!  Note to self -- this is a valuable lesson to have learned and now I should hope to remember it!

My next store project has been a delight to knit.  We ordered Laines du Nord Matera for our DK-weight 100% wool offering.  While the wool is NOT superwash, it is labeled "easy wash."  I am not sure what the difference is, but I will certainly find out. 

This design is called "The Color Evolution" and was designed specifically for this wool.  I did find a minor issue with the pattern -- simply an issue of counting rows correctly.  The charts are easy to read and execute.  I did the colour-work using two hands, and carrying the darkest colour in my left.  Of course, the sweater is not quite finished so I cannot tell how well I did but it looks pretty darn good at this point.  I am getting very nice stitch definition, which also makes me happy.

We have had visits from our many sales reps, hawking their offerings for next spring and summer.  One rep also showed us some fabulous new wool from Gathering Yarn.  Barb and I both "oohed" and "aahed" over this one line, and the sales rep was kind enough to leave us some to play with.  I am not at all embarrassed to say that I walked over to the store computer and purchased a pattern -- TWICE!  Once for me, and once for Barb. 

This is the Bragg Creek Cowl, designed by Caroline Sommerfeld.  This pattern was written for the new wool, named Herlig DK from Ancient Arts.   Now, I don't know what a "Viking" sheep looks like, but the yarn is 50/50 Viking and Merino.  Scrumptious, to say the least!  The rep was kind enough to leave another two skeins for Barb.

She also contacted the very kind folks at Ancient Arts and inquired about the possibility of kits so that we could host a knit-along for this project.  AND ANCIENT ARTS AGREED!  We will be able to order kits (2 skeins of wool and the pattern) for our customers!  YAY!

The final store project to be discussed is this:  The December hat for our year of hat challenge.  This hat is Kaiya Mei by Jamie Hoffman.  I used one skein each of Louisa Harding Scintille and one skein of Louisa Harding Amitola Grande.  I have enough left that I can make the same hat again!

I have to say, I absolutely adore the Amitola Grande.  The colours are delightful and the feel is luxurious as you work with it.  Even nicer on the body.  If I could only knit with one wool for the rest of my life, this might be it.  

As you may suspect, there are ... more projects ... currently in progress.  But they are "home" projects and I WILL update their progress in another post.  Hopefully NEXT week ... 

Happy knitting to one and all!