Woot! Another FO to report for 2016 :) I knit a pair of "Hidden Gusset" (Mone Drager, knitty.com) between Friday and Saturday. Love them! So quick to do and they look pretty good. They're in my Rav projects under "Mitties"
And I'm happily organizing my projects for the June KAL in Rosemary Hill's Rav group. I'm taking another run at "Alcyone" in a more tonal yarn (Knit Picks Hawthorne Kettle Dye in Delphinium) to not obscure the pattern and thinking about "Verdigris" (Rosemary Hill, knitty.com) as well.
I really liked the first set of fingerless mitts I knit, and with walking with my cane, I find my hand gets chilled easily. I'm quietly amassing a bit of a sub-queue of fingerless mitts! lol Not a bad thing, I'm thinking.
The weather seems to getting Spring-like here in Newfoundland :) Not overly sunny today but definitely warming up after the past couple days of rain.
In kitty news, we're gearing up for a big birthday on Saturday. Miss Maureen Mavourneen turns the big 1-8!! I can't believe it, my ghirlie will be old enough to vote! (And she's probably smart enough to, given the general state of the electorate)
And the Ravellenic Games 2016 organizing is apparently underway :) Thread started a month ago; I found it today lol August is shaping up to be a good time :) Can't wait to see what teams are in this year and what events I can participate in. Gonna be fun!! :)
TTFN
Monday, May 30, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Meditative Thoughts... or Are They?
It's funny how as you age, things that used to annoy you to the point of throwing things now offer an almost meditative calm. Take the lovely hank of handpainted merino I've been trying to untangle since last year sometime. I spent hours the past few days just quietly working through the tangles and loops and instead of getting frustrated like I normally would, I found focusing on the lovely shades of gray very soothing.
I've always disliked the whole "knitting is the new Yoga" comments. Probably because I dislike Yoga. I gave it, I think, a fair shot. I attended beginner sessions on two very separate occasions (with different instructors, even), mostly to see what friends were talking about. I really didn't like it. Really didn't. Not my cup of tea at all. So, those comments have always irked me. Right down to the core of my being. So no fears, this isn't going to turn into one of "those" posts. Just the thought has my teeth on edge, to be honest.
No, I think I've hit upon something about myself. Perhaps, just maybe, in some small way, I'm becoming a calmer and less reactive person. Where I normally would've pitched the tangle at a wall and stuffed it back into the zippered plastic bag after 5 or 10 minutes, I had the patience to sit with it and nudge it through and around and watch the two little balls I've started at each end get bigger and bigger. Add in the purrs of my nearly 18 year old cat and it was a very Zen-like afternoon.
I should add to this that my physical health is not at it's optimum just now. I have the sore sinuses and razorblade coated throat that mean Spring is upon us. And of course, all the aches and heaviness of limbs that goes with those. So sitting quietly is just what I needed; really it was almost all I could do. Maybe that's were the patience came from? The knowing I didn't have the energy to do anything else.
And it could be that I'm over-analyzing my time spent with a tangle of lovely merino yarn and my cat. That's equally possible too.
TTFN
I've always disliked the whole "knitting is the new Yoga" comments. Probably because I dislike Yoga. I gave it, I think, a fair shot. I attended beginner sessions on two very separate occasions (with different instructors, even), mostly to see what friends were talking about. I really didn't like it. Really didn't. Not my cup of tea at all. So, those comments have always irked me. Right down to the core of my being. So no fears, this isn't going to turn into one of "those" posts. Just the thought has my teeth on edge, to be honest.
No, I think I've hit upon something about myself. Perhaps, just maybe, in some small way, I'm becoming a calmer and less reactive person. Where I normally would've pitched the tangle at a wall and stuffed it back into the zippered plastic bag after 5 or 10 minutes, I had the patience to sit with it and nudge it through and around and watch the two little balls I've started at each end get bigger and bigger. Add in the purrs of my nearly 18 year old cat and it was a very Zen-like afternoon.
I should add to this that my physical health is not at it's optimum just now. I have the sore sinuses and razorblade coated throat that mean Spring is upon us. And of course, all the aches and heaviness of limbs that goes with those. So sitting quietly is just what I needed; really it was almost all I could do. Maybe that's were the patience came from? The knowing I didn't have the energy to do anything else.
And it could be that I'm over-analyzing my time spent with a tangle of lovely merino yarn and my cat. That's equally possible too.
TTFN
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
I promised a project round-up...
And here it is :) I'll start with my FO's for 2016 (so far) and go from there.
First project finished this year was my "January Amusement". This was a reknit of Jordana Paige's "Amused" (Knitty, Winter 2008) since I was unable to finish the other one I started. I used 980 yds of Red Heart Comfort, color Jade. Love how this turned out :) It's very cozy. I did modify it slightly in that I made the front opening a bit deeper so it wasn't at the widest point of my bust and I also added an inch's worth of sts into the sides, under the arms, to allow a little more ease for the girls as well. Started January 6 and finished the 14th! As I said, love how this turned out :)
Next up was my "Hap-Hazard" (my head; not available until I get a few bugs worked out). I used 879 yds of Bernat Satin Sparkle in Amethyst for this one. I like how it turned out for the most part but it needs a few tweaks here and there. And a reknit in a blockable fiber! I think that's the main thing with this one. I finished it on February 2.
I decided to give myself a wee challenge on this next one. My "Gansey Style Bunnyhug" ("East Neuk Hoodie" by Kristin Orme, Knit Scene Fall 2014) took 1700 yds of Bernat Satin in Lavender. This one I modified right from the get go. First, the hood wasn't happening. And since the back was plain, I moved the patterns from the back of the hood to the back of the sweater. This one took me a little longer (started February 6, finished March 7) but was well worth the wait :) This has quickly become my favorite thing to pull on if I feel a little chill at home or want an extra layer under my jacket when I head out.
"My Preciousss" started in September as my entry for that month's Rominette's KAL, the goal being to knit with some yarn you'd been saving/hoarding for whatever reason. I chose the skein that Lindsay hand-dyed for my birthday a few years back. Originally, I cast on Romi's "Alcyone", a lovely pattern that was getting lost in the color changes. *sigh* Then I cast on Romi's "Diane"; much better :) I have no idea what the yardage of the yarn was though. I knit more wedges (13 instead of the pattern stated 9) and used 58g of the 101g skein. That says to me I had a lot more than the assumed 410-420yds in the skein! Maybe it was a finer weight than I thought? Anyway, it looks marvelous and I finished it on March 30 :)
I completed my "2015-16 CrackerHabs" ("Crackerjack" by Stacey Simpson Duke, Ravelry download) scarf on April 10, the day after the Canadiens' final game of the season. Unfortunately, no playoffs for the Boys this season :( That kind of bummed me out, after the way the season started. I digress. After knitting the last game rnds, I did a single black purl ridge. Keeping the black as my background color and adding in red for the pattern, I knit in the words "Habs 2015-16", followed by a single ridge of black and ended it with the same border I used to start the piece (working flat): 2 rows of each color: red, white, blue, white, red.
Have I quit knitting since April? No, I've knit a few gifty things that I won't get into in case certain parties are reading ;) And I've been trying to get a bag (tentatively called "Watch the Clock") and a sweater (por moi, s'il vous plait lol) out of my wee little head and onto the needles/ pages of my design notebook. Also have been getting in a few rows on my "Kinelea Lace" as mentioned in my last post.
So that's how my 2016 has been shaping up in the knitting world. Hope your's is going along well, too :)
TTFN
First project finished this year was my "January Amusement". This was a reknit of Jordana Paige's "Amused" (Knitty, Winter 2008) since I was unable to finish the other one I started. I used 980 yds of Red Heart Comfort, color Jade. Love how this turned out :) It's very cozy. I did modify it slightly in that I made the front opening a bit deeper so it wasn't at the widest point of my bust and I also added an inch's worth of sts into the sides, under the arms, to allow a little more ease for the girls as well. Started January 6 and finished the 14th! As I said, love how this turned out :)
Next up was my "Hap-Hazard" (my head; not available until I get a few bugs worked out). I used 879 yds of Bernat Satin Sparkle in Amethyst for this one. I like how it turned out for the most part but it needs a few tweaks here and there. And a reknit in a blockable fiber! I think that's the main thing with this one. I finished it on February 2.
I decided to give myself a wee challenge on this next one. My "Gansey Style Bunnyhug" ("East Neuk Hoodie" by Kristin Orme, Knit Scene Fall 2014) took 1700 yds of Bernat Satin in Lavender. This one I modified right from the get go. First, the hood wasn't happening. And since the back was plain, I moved the patterns from the back of the hood to the back of the sweater. This one took me a little longer (started February 6, finished March 7) but was well worth the wait :) This has quickly become my favorite thing to pull on if I feel a little chill at home or want an extra layer under my jacket when I head out.
"My Preciousss" started in September as my entry for that month's Rominette's KAL, the goal being to knit with some yarn you'd been saving/hoarding for whatever reason. I chose the skein that Lindsay hand-dyed for my birthday a few years back. Originally, I cast on Romi's "Alcyone", a lovely pattern that was getting lost in the color changes. *sigh* Then I cast on Romi's "Diane"; much better :) I have no idea what the yardage of the yarn was though. I knit more wedges (13 instead of the pattern stated 9) and used 58g of the 101g skein. That says to me I had a lot more than the assumed 410-420yds in the skein! Maybe it was a finer weight than I thought? Anyway, it looks marvelous and I finished it on March 30 :)
I completed my "2015-16 CrackerHabs" ("Crackerjack" by Stacey Simpson Duke, Ravelry download) scarf on April 10, the day after the Canadiens' final game of the season. Unfortunately, no playoffs for the Boys this season :( That kind of bummed me out, after the way the season started. I digress. After knitting the last game rnds, I did a single black purl ridge. Keeping the black as my background color and adding in red for the pattern, I knit in the words "Habs 2015-16", followed by a single ridge of black and ended it with the same border I used to start the piece (working flat): 2 rows of each color: red, white, blue, white, red.
Have I quit knitting since April? No, I've knit a few gifty things that I won't get into in case certain parties are reading ;) And I've been trying to get a bag (tentatively called "Watch the Clock") and a sweater (por moi, s'il vous plait lol) out of my wee little head and onto the needles/ pages of my design notebook. Also have been getting in a few rows on my "Kinelea Lace" as mentioned in my last post.
So that's how my 2016 has been shaping up in the knitting world. Hope your's is going along well, too :)
TTFN
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