Finished Floral Lace Anklets

I can't believe it but Christmas night I finally finished a the Floral Lace Anklets I'd been working on since August. I had two repeats of lace pattern left and knit them after everyone went home while watching Lifetime Christmas (sob) movies.

Everything else I'd been working on was finished in time (except Dashing) but I didn't grab any pictures. Too bad, 'cause the Tomten would've been good to get a photo of.

Snow

I wish you could see the snow falling here. It's just beautiful. The birch tree out back is shining silver and full with it and its just the prettiest thing ever.

My knitting list has been modified extensively. I haven't left out the chicken though. A Tomten has to have a chicken.

Lovely

This would be the perfect time to take a week off and finish presents. My list seems to get longer. I don't normally do a lot of knitted presents because I get caught up in warped thinking (particularly halfway through) that a knitted gift might possibly be considered the most egotistical present ever. What if they don't like it? What if they hate the color? What if they feel like they have to wear it just because I made it? Will they notice a wrong facing cable cross? Will they notice and entire wrist of wrong facing cable crosses?

Anyway, I've finished little things: Two hats, two cowls, two scarves.

I have still to knit: Socks, chicken, pouch for chicken for Tomten; Fetching, Dashing, Quant and Delicato two machine knit scarfs for two Bills, and a baby blanket.

Wild

Christmas knitting over here, no pictures yet. So far I've finished: Two moebios cowls, one and a half of Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hats, half a beautiful chunky scarf and a Tomten who only needs socks and a bag to hold the felted rooster I haven't made yet either. I made a Just Like a Peasant Cap too but am having a hard time gathering and sewing the back down so it looks just right.

Off early

Got off early today which is a good thing when one implodes at work. Cleaned the house, fed the dogs/cats, did some laundry and made a pumpkin pie for Uncle Bill on the Hill (how you are supposed to tell if a pie is done without sticking an ugly butt knife hole in the middle). Now I am frantically rooting through the stash to find something to knit for someone by the 2nd and thinking of Christmas presents. The fog is rolling off the roof into the windows in thick ropes and its almost a full moon. Everyone is sleeping and safe and I'm just waiting for one to get home safe so the house and me can settle into the night before Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving. May yours come home safe too.

One Skein Shawl

I didn't do the pretty trim like the pattern (Knitters Review One Skein Shawl) calls for. This is the best shot I could come up with. It was a bear to take a photo of.

My mom bought me the ceramic pin at The Rooms when we were up there. It's handmade by A.C. Guest and she called it "Ode to Newfoundland" after Sir Cavendish Boyle's poem:

When spreads thy cloak
of shimm'ring white
at winter's stern command.
Thro' shortened day
and starlit night
We love thee frozen land.

We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee frozen land.

Orion is back. I was looking for him two weeks ago and Friday night after knitting, I looked up and there he was. We're supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow tonight. It's toes up to the woodstove for three months now.

Shawl

I finished a plain, simple garter shawl with the blue glitter stuff on Sunday (thank you Beth for the idea!). Blocked it by threading a curtain rod through the top loops and hung it from the living room window with a hammer hanging to extend the bottom point. The curtain rod is ruined but the shawl is beautiful and done and I don't have to torture myself by saving that tangled bit and I even have the most perfect pin for it.

Good grief

I just can't get out of the way of myself.

I got it!

It got a bit ugly at the end and I lost a yard, but they are ready to wash. Isn't it amazing how if your hands are the tiniest bit tense, knots pop up where you didn't have them before.

Gus

Every Day is Gustevous Day.

Foul

There is a foul wind blowing out of the east tonight. Spinning has been off and on and in the last year more off, so with a quiet sense of accomplishment (my spinning isn't that great still), I finished plying the blue stuff with glitter this evening.



Looking forward to washing and setting, I tried a niddy noddy for the first time instead of pulling out the clock reel. Completely screwed it up and to make things worse, I looked at the freaking skien before taking it off the noddy.



I'm itching to work on a sweater I started on the machine, but there is a very large bear holed up in its growelry that bellows in some kind of language only I can unfortunately understand that the machine sounds like thunder. Cozy Vest is plotzing along about an inch a week but I don't feel like it tonight.

Fleece Artist Celtic Cardigan

I cast on for Fleece Artist's Celtic Cardigan when I finished Moriah and it turned out to be a
quick knit. I absolutely adore this sweater. It was one of those fun
knits you can't get enough of. It's Scotian Silk, color Mahogany. The button is really a labrinth
belt buckle my sweetheart had gotten for me years ago. It had been
sitting in a drawer and when I saw the photos for this sweater online,
I bought the kit for the button.



The color is much better here. Tough time taking photos today.

Holy Cow

I finished a sweater. Here is Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan, from Green Mountain Spinnery, Mountain Mohair, color Patridgeberry. The wool is so soft I was touching it even while he was taking the picture.

\]

Finished Sleeves

For reasons beyond me, I got up at 4:30 this morning and finished the sleeves of Moriah with my morning coffee. I added the project to Ravelry (without a photo), but was too embarrassed to add the project start date. If there was a place to mark how many times I picked it up and put it down, that mark would be longer than my actual knitting time. It's grand getting this far!

Getting there

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t finish the sleeves this weekend. This morning I got up at 5 and it was 42 degrees. We all crawled back into bed with coffee and I knit the last bit to 15 inches. At lunch I can begin shaping the caps and maybe by Wednesday I can start sewing up! Can’t wait to sew the buttons on.

It’s absolutely gorgeous out today.

Loosey Goosey

I'm knitting as much as I can over here, and really having a nice time. I think it is because fall is coming. I finished these plain vanilla socks:





They are too loose I think. My gauge has changed so much in the last two years that generally I have to drop two needle sizes now.

I'm halfway through Jackie E-S's Scotch Thistle Lace Shawl. I've always loved her patterns.



Green Mountain Spinnery's Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan has been my main knitting since week before last when Beth and I met for lunch. (I still can't believe we're so close at work!) I bought Mountain Mohair for wool and the pattern at their booth at Rhinebeck two years ago and have picked it up off and on since. The back and fronts are finished. I've finished 13 inches on the sleeves so far (which I'm working on at the same time or I would definitely screw up the pattern) and I'm hoping to finish them this weekend between housecleaning. Sorry it is blurry and the color is off.

Summertime Sknitches

I can't believe it but summer is almost over. Since vacation, I've managed to finish another pair of socks and half of a shawl I'd already had started, but that's about it! I'm trying to make sure I knit at least an hour a day, but have only been able to manage a half hour or so. This doesn't include sknitches at lunch or in the car.

Had our first new local knitting circle a couple of weeks ago. I'd signed up at meetup.com and called the cafe's marketing director to spread the word a little. About 11 people showed up! I was nervously envisioning sitting alone knitting by myself all night but when I got there, most were already there and knitting away. Good times.

Vacation

Back from Newfoundland! Finished a pair of socks and started a new pair, finished one Delicato Mitt and am halfway through a shawl. The Highland Triangle was too bulky to bring. My knitting has been so scattered this summer that I'm now working on only one project at a time. I've done this before and its pretty effective for me. Maybe I'll have finished photos soon to look back on.

Newfoundland was absolutely gorgeous and the people were amazingly friendly. My only regret (even though I had a lot of knitting time) is that we spent so much time in the car. I'd fly closer if I went again.

41

As luck would have it, I have Lyme's disease again. I'm forcing myself to rest (though I do get to knit while I rest), despite feeling just horrible even resting. This is a time when I wish I had Elizabeth Zimmerman's dvds to watch. I have to get better by August, because I am taking a trip to Newfoundland. Typically, I haven't thought much about what clothing to pack, but have thought a great deal about what projects to bring. It's a lot of knitting time from here to Newfoundland.

Spinning Again

Well, the wee little kittens have all died, despite antibiotics, other medicines, water injections, etc. I think maybe the mother knew that there was something wrong. I never did find her or hear her look for them. At least I know they weren't hungry or cold when they went. They were the dearest little things.

I've been spinning again and have two bobbins of Frustrated Creativity ready to ply. Consistency is still difficult but then I haven't been consistent in spinning. My shawl knitting is very, very slow. I wish I could show pictures but it would be pointless.

It's a beautiful day out today and I hope the same for everyone.