Decision #1

Ta-dah! The Citron Shawl is complete.

 This was my first major blocking project. I have some wire, but not enough, so I used the cables of two circular needles to hold part of the ruffle. I did read somewhere that some people let the ruffle stay ruffly, but I chose otherwise.

I decided that I was going to stick with the pattern, and I am glad that I did. Just for fun, I did knit 2 extra rows of the final ruffle. I ended up with about 13 grams left of the 3rd 50g ball.  Why can't the world agree on one unit of measurement? Converting grams to ounces and meters to yards taxes my fading algebra skills!! I finally went through all the weighing and converting (only grams and meters on the label) and figured I had about 55 yards left. I enjoy creating spreadsheets, and thought I'd try to figure out just how many stitches I knit and purled: over 24,000, adjusting for miscounted rows and forgotten increases/decreases!! Nobody's perfect.

A corollary decision to this project is what to do with it. I had the unloved yarn in my stash, and after my daughter knit the Citron, I though I would try it. I do not like the color. I do not know where or when or with what I would wear it. If I knit it again, I will use a happier color and do one more 20 row round. For the time being, the shawl will live in my emergency gifts drawer. The right recipient will will emerge. The fit will be perfect.

Decisions

Making decisions is the bane of my existence. Going out to lunch with my coworkers is a joyful respite to the stresses of the job and the rumbling of the tummies, but when we need to decide where to eat, well, we all fall back on our good Southern upbringing and politely ask where the others want to eat. The good news is that we always end up eating somewhere, usually by default. Any place is good, as long as we are with friends.

Then there are other decisions to make. To knit or to read? (answer: audiobooks.) To eat or to knit? (answer: a bib and plenty of napkins.) HGTV, TLC, or Hallmark (answer: why do they all have commercials at the same time?) To nap or to clean house? (answer: obvious.)

I have no answers yet for the following  knitting projects:

Anne Shoulder Scarf

Is there enough yarn to do a few more rows or should I follow directions and do edging now?

(The lifelines are a result of a missed stitch and a dropped stitch marker, which led to several rows of frogging and a great deal of frustration figuring out how to pick up yarnovers!)

I have 2.5 oz left of the original 4 oz ball of yarn...

Green Gable Sweater

With my body type, do I do the decreases as written or just knit straight down?

Citron

Again, is there enough yarn for another pattern repeat or do I do the finishing ruffle now?

I have 40 grams left of an original 150 grams...

Prayer Shawl

To fringe or not to fringe?

 Stay tuned for the answers...

Sometimes Not Knitting

Sometimes I am not knitting. I work at a public library (and knit during breaks and lunch and some evenings with coworkers.) I eat (semi-regularly.) I sleep (alot.) I clean (sometimes.) I think (way too much.) I watch HGTV (while knitting.) I read. It's this last activity that is the subject of this blog. Before I was addicted to knitting, I was addicted to reading.

Many years ago, I kept a file box with an index card for each book I read and a short summary. That obsession died out for awhile, but then I started taking notes, underlining, and starring pertinent passages in books I owned. I have some sort of mental block that keeps me from remembering what I read, but I know those stories and their truths are filed away in some box in my brain!

While cleaning out a literal box from my closet, I found a list of Newberry Award winners. Apparently I had planned, back in 1996, to get caught up reading children's books. Now that it is 2010, it is time to complete that project. Of course, there are now 14 more books on the list! Like knitting, as soon as I think I've read the last book (or finished a project- hah!) another year produces another winner or another project just has to be knit.

I was appalled at how few of the books I remembered reading. So far this summer, I have spent time in Wisconsin with 2 young girls in 2 different centuries, waited with rabbits for the New Folk to arrive, gone on adventures with a cowhorse, worried about the mysterious disappearance of a dog, met a talking twig, walked the streets of medieval Poland, seen how a cat can get to heaven, celebrated life with Chinese folk tales, crossed the high seas with a young pirate, and tried to be more of a noticer. All that, plus my normal grownup reading of anything from spy thrillers to spirituality, plus knitting, has made for a happy summer.

(The project on top of the books is the Anne shawl, which I am trying to finish before I go to a wedding in Georgia in 3 weeks...)

To knit or to read? That is the question...

Catching up

Before I started my "miles to go" project, I actually did get some knitting done. Our Knitting Guild has had wonderful charity projects ever since its inception, and this year is no exception: we are knitting baby blankets. Members may knit any style blanket using any yarn, but there is a suggested yarn, suggested colors, and suggested patterns. The yarn is Plymouth Encore Worsted; the colors are red, blue, yellow, and green; and the patterns are programs for meetings throughout the year. Learning to knit to gauge, mitered square, intarsia, cables, trinity stitch, linen stitch, and bobbles will be featured. The finished 6" knit squares will be whipped together for blankets.

I have been knitting for a number of years and understand the techniques involved, so I went ahead and just did my own thing. For almost 3 months, I had an insatiable addiction to mitered squares.I designed a grid for 2-color squares and finished one blanket.

The squares were the perfect take-to-work-and-knit-on-my-break-and-lunch-hour projects. I could not stop. After finishing that blanket, I realized I could not stop. I started turning out random patterns with random colors. I was unstoppable, until I ran out of yarn.

I turned in these squares to be mixed in with the squares from the other members.
Now it's time to tackle my own stash. My knitmeter for this quarter is now at 225 yards.

"And miles to go before I sleep..."

(The conception of this entry occurred about 2 months ago after listening to a podcast of Stash and Burn and bemoaning my personal lack of knitting discipline. It was partially written 2 weeks ago, and has been waiting for the pictures...)

The end/beginning of the fiscal year is upon us. It is yet another opportunity to start anew. Since I missed New Year's resolutions and a Lenten discipline, I'm ready to embark on a fiscal fantasy: I will knit at least one mile of yarn for the next four quarters. I wanted to set a higher goal, but I am both a dreamer and a realist. It has been awhile since I have actually reached any goal that I set, and I need the warm fuzzy of completion!

One thousand seven hundred sixty yards of yarn. That really is not much:

3 prayer shawls + a few chemo caps...

4 pair of socks + a single sock...

Of course, there are a number of UFO's that need to be completed...

Generic socks

             

      Green Gable Sweater

Prayer Shawls

                                                                                                                

(Other UFO's are planted too deep to unearth and photograph right now.  Maybe there will be time to harvest them in the fall.)  

Four miles of knitting this year barely puts a dent in my stash. I believe I have gotten down below the marathon level I once had, but I still have quite a collection. I also plan to do some weeding. The weeding is the incentive to make way for any new yarns which just might take root in my "yarn garden." Hmmm- another metaphor to make stash more palatable and acceptable...

Is Three a Crowd?

I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils

If three is a crowd, then my yard qualifies for almost spring!

I can only imagine Wordsworth's ten thousand...

..For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude:

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.
-William Wordsworth

O Ye Of Little Faith vs Be Prepared

Yes, I finished my Olympic challenge!

Part of my challenge to finish a project was also to use up some stash. I have a basket of Simply Soft that needs to be emptied. I checked the yarn requirements for the size 6 T-Top: 12 ounces. I had one full skein of Dark Sage (7 ounces,) a partial skein (about 3 .5 ounces,) and some Ecru which I did not bother to weigh. Big mistake. Of course I would have enough- most patterns overestimate the yarn requirements anyway! Along about Monday of week 2, I began to panic. Would there be enough to finish? Maybe. Maybe not. I could make the body a bit shorter and the sleeves a bit shorter. These sweaters are not knit for an specific individual, so surely someone would be able to wear it not matter what size it was. But I wanted it to look good and be able to keep someone warm.

I was so torn. Would I have enough to finish?

I caved. I pulled out my trusty Michael's coupon and headed to the store on my lunch hour. I purchased the backup skein. I knit and knit and knit.

I finished it!
This is what was left:

I now have added back a skein of Simply Soft.

The basket is groaning! Maybe, though, I will knit a hat to match. There's always room for redemption!

The Frog at the Olympics

Thursday I joined the Knitting Olympics- my first ever join-up for something sponsored by a blogger. Even though Ravelry has its own Ravelympics, I decided to support the Canadian Yarn Harlot, since she came up with the original idea 4 years ago.

My entry form stated that since I had to work Friday night, I'd be praying for snow and an early closing of the library. Thanks, God!

Did anyone else see the frog at the opening ceremonies? He was there, rippiting rippiting, representing all the athletes who, despite years of training, failed to take the day seriously and counted on former glories to see them through. The yarn and needles were ready, the pattern (Guideposts Knitted T-Top) was somewhere in another room (but no matter- I had knit the sweater several times before,) and I was ready. The pattern calls for the the sweater to be knit in 2 pieces, but I planned to do it in the round. However, apparently I cannot multiply by 2. Not only that, but also I forgot that knitting the garter stitch in the round requires purling every other row. Rippit.Rippit. Another also is that I cannot watch orcas flowing through light water or ice floes breaking up without dropping a stitch.

Results for the first 3 Olympic hours?

One (1) inch of knitting.

Snow total?

Four (4) inches.

5 inches

The prediction was for AT LEAST 5 inches of snow/sleet/freezing rain, scheduled to start sometime Friday afternoon.

This is what we got, which did not even start until almost midnight on Friday:


"Due to the anticipated winter weather" the library closed at 6 Friday night, giving me an extra 3 hours of knitting time to produce a real 5 inches:



The library is closed again today. Snow in the south is a boon to extra knitting time!!

Two Roads

Two meandering roads converged into one last night. It was gentle, satisfying, surprising, and completely unexpected.

I turned onto Road #1 a few nights ago when a friend called several of us to come over, eat supper, and help decorate her tree. I was not planning on decorating a tree this year, since I will be driving to Columbia on Saturday to be with David and his family for an early celebration and I am driving to Mississippi on Tuesday to be with Jennifer and her family for Christmas. There is a bow on the mailbox, a wreath on the door, and a candle in 3 of the windows.

I was already on Road #2, thinking of my mom. She adored Christmas, especially the giving part. My mom was a needleworker extrodinaire and loved making ornaments for her friend's grandchildren (as well as her own children and grandchildren.) She was a knitter, of course, but was mesmerized by needlepoint on plastic canvas. Orders from Annie's Attic and Herrshner's filled her mailbox.

I have not been as generous to my friend's grandchildren- or even my own. The ornaments were Mamama, not me. I could never fill her shoes. It was her tradition. But this year I made these as as my gift to a friend's 3 grandchildren:


And those roads? I made a quick side trip to a box. The roads became one. I can gift like Mom. My Mom's gifts live on. These are a few of her gifts to me:

They became my Mamama Tree.

I have a Christmas tree.

Christmas Knitting

The Christmas knitting is done
and
the Christmas gifting has begun!

There are new homes for 60% of the dishcloths I made last spring and summer. All my coworkers in the Circulation Department at the County Headquarters Library will receive a "Christmas Clother" (my version of a Christmas Cracker.)

This is what they look like all piled together:

And this is the piece of gold in the center:

Ferrero Rocher

Charity Knitting

One of the charity projects for the Spartanburg Knitting Guild this year was making ornaments for a tree to be auctioned at a Festival of Trees to benefit Hospice in our community. I contributed a few miniature sweaters and caps.

I was not able to be with the decorators, but I assume the following photos were taken before the tree was moved into position with the others trees.



We were thrilled that the sale of our tree raised over $300 for Hospice!

Dishcloth Frenzy

I did it! I even did it about 3 months ago. I used up my Peaches 'n Cream and Sugar 'n Cream yarn...even almost all of the usable scraps! This is all that is left of my final mile of dishcloth cotton:
I have 42 new dishcloths, many of which will be given to my coworkers in the Circulation Department at the library.
However, some well-meaning friends, loot from our knitting retreat, and winning a door prize have put me back on the map...

Clapotisn't

Aargh. When I decided to make my clapotis a bit larger so it could be a shawl, I was not worried about the yardage since I had 2 other skeins that I had ordered at the same time as the original skein. I finished it last week, then pulled it out of the bag on Sunday to block. Imagine my surprise when I stretched it out on the floor and saw...

(The wrong side is up for blocking.)(Not only do I have a lousy camera...but also I am a lousy photographer! The lousy photo does more justice to the shawl than it deserves...the lower left side, where I added the new skein, is significantly lighter than the rest of the shawl.)

I was so sad. I was having such fun knitting it that I did not notice the more than slight color difference. I had such high hopes for my newly-named Jacob Shawl. But I will not let my hopes be dashed. Nothing we make is perfect. I spent many Thursday nights knitting on it with my library staff knitting friends. It is still beautiful.As I have contemplated its flaws as well as its beauty, I also began to think more about the ladders. I like to think of Jacob's ladder as going directly up between earth and heaven (or directly down between heaven and earth.)
In this shawl, the ladders do reach the other end, but they are slanted and a bit catawampus- just like me.

For Jennifer

Spring sprang, summer sizzled, and fall fell. Well, there is still a bit of a chance for a fabulous fall, but most leaves have fallen already or are still green and may not realize that it is time dazzle the eyes with golds and reds and oranges before they just turn brown and fall to earth. We may still have leaves on the trees at Christmas!
Mom Nature has provided a few spectacles, but not as spectacular as previous years. Nanabana is working on a spectacle, too...
Several years ago, while visiting my daughter in Mississippi, I purchased a beautiful wool/ acrylic/mohair blend yarn by Ornaghi filati in a gorgeous colorway with autumn muted greens, oranges, golds, and browns. The blend is called "Wonderful," and it is. Unfortunately, I do not believe it is still in production. About a year ago I started a Clapotis with it and then bogged down. It has come out of the bog, has found its rhythm, and is going to be finished before the last leaf falls...and with this weather, I still have a good long time to work on it! If I do a Clapotis again, though, I will use a less fuzzy yarn. Those dropped stitches do not run on their own! I did add an extra repeat or two to make it a little wider so that it could be used as a shawl. I'm thinking that with the ladders of dropped stitches it could be called the Jacob Shawl, full of angels and prayers traveling up and down each ladder that was knit to be unknit. Hmm. Sometimes when we are unraveled, ladders form to keep us together. The stitch is no longer visible, but there is still a means of communication, something that holds the piece together. Horizontal and vertical. We need both. My goodness, I think too much and try to make metaphors from molehills. I am on a constant search for grace and redemption!

Unfortunately, the colors in the photo do not do justice to the true colors.


OK Jennifer. I blogged!