Looking back #2: snowmen

From the aforementioned knitting group at the library, a number of snowmen took shape during breaks in the staff room. The pattern is Mr. Flurry, (other Ravelry interpretations are here) and he was adorned in many different colors by group members. One was even made with green yarn as the body and sported a Santa hat and scarf. I wish I had gotten a picture of the Grinch snowman!

These first guys are dressed for Clemson football and are now living with my 3 grandsons in Columbia. They are knit with Berroco Comfort Kidz Orange #9731 and Purple #9722. The colors did not photograph well indoors. The weather was awfully bleak before Christmas.

This snowman is sporting his house colors for Gryffindor and is living at Hogwarts in Mississippi with my other grandson. Dark Horse Yarns Fantasy #26 dark yellow and  #32 cranberry were used for his hat and scarf.

Simply Soft white #9701 was used for the basic snowman. This one has not  received his outfit yet,

but he was in his element on Christmas Day- our last white Christmas was in 1963!

Looking back: library bears

Since January is a time for looking back as well as looking forward, I thought I'd take a few days and do some editing of posts that were conceived in 2010. It has been a long labor!

A small group of us who work together at the library try to knit together one evening a week. Last year we decided to make some bears for a "future donation." These guys were finished by our February 2010 blizzard of 2-3" and enjoyed a romp outside.

After a long and highly unusual spring/summer/fall hibernation in a box in my closet (we got involved with making personal items and gifts) a few more bears joined the group later in the year. In December they rode in a box to the local Children's Shelter that was the library's charity for Christmas.

The original pattern is from the Mother Bear Project. A similar free pattern can also be found at Teddies for Tragedies.

We will be determining a new project for 2011.  Maybe we'll even get a few more knitters to join our group!

January First

 Ah, the New Year. Time to make plans, knowing full well that the "best laid plans of mice and men..." I need to have a more positive attitude!

I do have some hopes and dreams:

I hope I will be at least 10 pounds lighter by this time next year. I really do not know my weight now, but I know I will know when my clothes fit better. I haven't had to go up a size in  long time, but my current wardrobe is feeling tight... (no photo is necessary!)

I hope that if I am not in a new house/apartment/condo by next year at this time that my current house will be in shape to put on the market- from clean rugs and refinished floors and new paint to a clean exterior and manicured landscaping. (It's pouring rain, so I cannot take a pic of the crumbling retaining wall.)

I hope that I can knit through my stash of acrylic. I have nothing against acrylic (or a stash,) but I would hope to have less when I move into the aforementioned dream house/apartment/condo. It will definitely require downsizing. Right now, I am planning the Year of the Hat- a hat a week until the acrylic is gone. I'll donate them to some charity next fall. Here is a portion of the yarn that will be used:

So, what was my first purchase of the New Year? Acrylic Homespun (color Herb Garden), with a super coupon from Michaels. I hope (eventually) to knit a prayer shawl in each (well, most) of the Homespun colorways: 14 down, a little over 50 to go...

I hope to finish organizing the boxes of generational pictures and articles and artifacts. So far I am done with my Mom's family. Next I'll do Dad's, then start on the years we were a family of 4. Later comes the marriage and children and that new family. If it's a fantastic year, I may even get to my children's new families with their children!

I hope to stay healthy, to take my medicine and see the doctor when necessary. That includes eating healthy,  getting enough sleep,and (aargh) exercise.

I hope to finish reading the Newberry Award books (60 more to go.)

I hope to keep hopeful, to know more and more that "the God of hope will fill (me) with all joy and peace as (I) trust in him, so that (I) may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Peace-

Five UFO's disappeared!

What a wonderful weekend! I had been discouraged with a project that was challenging but fun to knit because I do not think I have enough yarn. Instead of stewing over it, I started looking for something else to start. Lo and behold, I found a basket of projects to finish! The result was extremely satisfying!

The lacy baby cap is from a Brunswick Babies pattern book (volume 696) that I have had for about 25 years. I have used several of those patterns multiple times! The yarn is Brunswick Delf-Baby, in a pastel ombre colorway. I have no idea how old the cap was- all it needed was to be sewn together and to have a crocheted cord. Apparently Brunswick is no longer in business
.

The Buttercup Baby Sets (Creative Knitting May 2009) were both knit with Simply Soft on size 10 needles. Since I know my ribbing is usually tight, I did not change to a 6 when I reached that part. Also, I do not enjoy sewing seams. The yellow one needed the sleeves sewn- not my favorite thing to do, which is why it has been languishing in the basket! For the white one, apparently I had decided to try to do the sleeves in the round. One had been (almost) completed, so  I finished it as well as the second sleeve. I do not like the way the sleeves come together under the arms, so I need to do some further research. (I have another UFO baby sweater somewhere that I think I used a different technique that worked better. Maybe I'll finish it next weekend!!)

I had the ribbon in my stash, but I'm not sure if I like it- I may remove it and just use a crocheted chain.

The two pink sweaters are Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jackets. The are made with some really old Coats and Clark Red Heart Baby Sport Pompadour and some relatively new Caron Simply Soft. One needed only buttons; the other needed the top seam sewn and buttons. I think I knit these about a year and a half ago. Great intentions, poor follow through! I may try to make cuffs on one to see how they look. I need  to see a BSJ on a real baby to check the proportions!

The buttons were in my stash.

 Everyone is happy, except the bunny, for some reason.




Maybe he is uncomfortable with the two holes in the bunny buttons...

Decision #2

This decision was based as much on timing as it was on yardage. Time won out (completed August 2010,) but I had enough yarn left that had I not been working on a deadline I could have made the scarf into a more wearable shawl for me.

The Anne Shoulder Scarf, made with Schaefer Anne hand painted yarn, turned out just a bit too small for my liking. When I started it, I knew it was more of a scarf than a shawl, but I still carry in my head the image of my body from 40 years ago!! I thought it would "look bigger" on my perceived frame, and draw attention away from the problem areas. Of the original 560 yards, I had over 200 yards left. I wish I had knit a few more rows, so it would BE bigger and possibly hide more! I was trying to finish this to wear to a wedding in the Georgia mountains in August. Even warm summer evenings have been almost unbearable, though. "Hot," "hotter," and "hottest" best describe the summer of 2010. I ended up not wearing the scarf after all, and have been eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer carbs to try to shrink the tummy. Who knew that a scarf could make a person look fat!

It is perfect, however, for my daughter.

Surprise

While trying to make decisions on those projects, I had a coworker tell me of a surprise grandchild coming her way. Naturally, the juices started flowing and I abandoned my decision making woes and decided to start a new project. A Knitting Guild friend used to work for a yarn company and was given some samples several years ago. She graciously shared some of them, and I received 7 skeins of an acrylic or acrylic blend in baby colors. There was no wrapper, of course, since it was just a test yarn.

I decided that to be on the safe side, yardage wise, I would knit the generic diagonal dishcloth/blanket pattern, increasing at the beginning of each row until I had used 3 skeins, then decreasing with the rest. It is a perfect break/lunchtime knit, with food and chatter and no real pattern to clog my brain. It is finished, with plenty of time to spare. All the little lambs are happy. I hope the new one will be happy, too!

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!!