YOP January Sock done!

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7

Checks date. Ummm… I seem to be behind. But the January sock is finished! I am pleased. I did mess up the Kitchener stitch at the toe a bit, so I will have to redo it. (I am afraid a hole will develop where the goof is.) But here it is for now:

My sock

January Sock!

This past weekend was the annual Haliburton retreat. A bunch of us drive to Haliburton (an experience of it’s own in February) and we sit and knit and eat and drink and roll in yarn. Some people snowshoe across the lake but I had a strict no activity policy (which was thrown out the window when we had to push cars out the long, slippery, uphill driveway).

Just the same, you’d think with all the knitting done I’d have gotten further with my projects.  I have about 2″ of February sock done:

February sock

See how much I have done!

And about 3″ of the Susie Hoodie completed:

Susie Hoodie edge

It is long though

But much fun was had. Yarn was acquired. Much food was consumed.  And the nice thing with going with 10 other women… everyone does a bit so it seems that the food just appears and the cleaning just happens. We ended up being delayed (due to being stuck at the bottom of a long slippery uphill driveway), and so we all cleaned the place in 5 minutes.  11 women * 5 is almost an hours work. Magic.

 

YOP – I’m back

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I’ve been sick. Both physically and overwhelmed with depression. The cough/cold/flu thing has mostly gone and I am trying to fight the depression with various degrees of success (depending on day, week, hour). But I have kept knitting. The hem of the Susie Hoodie is almost finished so I get to switch to my signature needles soon.

And I am almost finished January’s sock. Checks calendar, hmmm…. there may be a problem. On the bright side I am going away next weekend for a knitting retreat. Knitting, eating, drinking and, in theory, snow shoeing and running. Hopefully I’ll make a dent in my socks and Susie.

January sock (oops)

Meanwhile, my two washcloths for January and February are finished, so I haven’t been a complete Zombie. Yes I know washcloths are pretty much instant gratification but they are done and the boys love them!

Dishcloths!

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Alright so I said I’d do 12 socks in 2012 and 12 washcloths. This might be a bit of a surprise but the washcloths are coming along better than the socks.  I have finished the gusset decreases on January’s sock and it is past the middle of February! On the bright side I have small feet, so this means the sock is almost done. Still not the best start.

But the washcloths. Yes, they are doing better. I’ve got two of those done. January and February! Granted a washcloth is pretty close to instant gratification. But hey! I’m making some progress.

January!

February!

Sorry

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Sorry to all my readers.  (Both of you ;)  ) I haven’t been writing lately.  I have been sick.  As I have mentioned I have been battling depression for the last while and it flared up badly.  Besides that, or maybe as a cause of that, I have come down with a very bad cold/flu/cough thingy that will not go away.  I wake up in the middle of the night coughing and cannot get back to sleep.  Lack of sleep does not help depression, or help you  heal.

And there are now >1000 spam messages waiting for me.  Well it now down to 836… but when I logged in it was >1000.  Nothing like motivating me to get back at it.

On the bright side, the knitting has progressed.  Somewhat.  I am almost finished the gusset of my January sock.  At least I have small feet so that does mean it is almost done.  I’ve also almost finished the hem of my Susie hoodie.  And I’ve knit two washcloths.

Anyways I’m feeling better… but still break into horrific coughing fits on occasion.  I will start writing regularly again.

YOP – Slow progress

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YOP

I’ve finished the first sleeve of the Susie Hoodie. And I’ve started the body. At 235 stitches a row it is rather slow going.  So in the interest of finishing something this lifetime I have started the washcloth for January.  I have chosen Gulls and Garter Washcloth. I am using the yarn my boys picked out some time ago. F is loving the result with all the colours.

January Washcloth

 

 

WIP Wednesday… Still cold

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More WIP's here

Okay technically it isn’t nearly as cold as it has been, or as it is inclined to be this time of year. Instead of sunny and -20C it is drizzling and about freezing. If you aren’t used to this weather be very thankful.  It sucks the heat right out of your bones. It makes you want to curl up on the couch, watch bad TV, and drink hot chocolate (I suggest the Cook’s Illustrated Hot Chocolate, it has extra cream and chocolate). Or maybe that is the cold I am brewing.

Either way, I REALLY want a finished Susie Hoodie to wear. I have one sleeve.  It is a whole sleeve… but it is one sleeve.  The rest of me is still quite chilled. (Well the parts of me that aren’t also covered by 3yr old boy as I try to type. Actually he is quite warm…I think I’ll keep him. Nope he wandered off.)

Warm arm.

So far it has been a fun knit.  But I have to say, the write up says that the cable is complex looking but easy to knit.  Now most cables are easy, and I can cable without a cable needle, but this is the most difficult to knit cable I have encountered.  All wrong side rows are straight purl back so no patterning there, but some of the right side rows have almost every stitch cabled! And every right side row is patterned. Still the cable is lovely and really sets off the sweater perfectly.  It is well worth doing.  And cabling in general is quite easy so I do not hesitate to recommend this sweater. I just found that comment amusing.

Off to continue knitting, or chase the kids or whatever.  Maybe wrap myself in a blanket and frantically knit Susie so I can have a warm sweater jacket to wear.

The perfect yarn

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My Mom has requested that I knit my sister a long jacket. After correcting her time frame and pointing out to Mom exactly what she had requested, we settled into choosing the finer details.  We decided to riff off of Cordoba. Since there is no way my sister could wear the requested yarn we went looking for other options.

My sister is sensitive to wool. And I just happened to have the recommended Ultra Alpaca in my stash.  We all agreed it was far to scratchy for her. So I rummaged my stash and found my Polworth Silk from Indigodragonfly. Now this yarn is not at all scratchy (and I can feel scratchy really well – it just doesn’t bother me like it does my sister.) But it is 75% wool (and 25% silky yumminess). If she has a real wool allergy then she won’t be able to wear it. But I strongly suspect she does not have an allergy but a sensitivity to the scratchiness.  As I said this yarn is NOT scratchy.  So I figure I will knit her a little swatch, and have her put it in her bra for a day.  At the end of that we will know for sure.

And as I said, I have this yarn in my stash, just not enough, or in either of the desired colours (a whole other issue.) So I can knit it up immediately.  Right after I wind the hank. All 750yds of it.  For a 2X2″ swatch.

Jar for scale... it is a big skein

For some reason I am procrastinating.

Deep chill

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YOP

The problem with knitting is when you are deeply motivated to knit something, you already need it. I am working on the Susie Hoodie andit is -12C out. Obviously, I’d really prefer that it was finished.  And on me. Instead I am most of the way through the first sleeve.  By most I mean past the elbow.

No I don't have unusually short arms. I have an unusually large imagination with respect to what I have completed

Meanwhile Keri over at When did I become a Knitter is leading me into the dark side with her washcloth challenge. She is doing one every two weeks. I could squeeze in one a month.  Maybe.  I’ll try to hold out.

Also I am starting to compile next year’s YOP list. Mom asked me to knit my sister a long sweater jacket for my sister.  Fortunately she is 5’2″ and tiny. Still not a minor project… about those washcloths…

As for my first sock in my 12 in 12 challenge… well I have about 1 cm done. At this rate… well at this rate there is no rate.

Well I should get back to frantically finishing Susie.  Then I could wear it. And maybe be warm. And warm socks might be nice… more knitting, less (well it is the kids that consume most my time… fewer kids is not an option if I want to keep the police out of here.)

Susie Hoodie… Big and Beautiful

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Pretty

My parents are visiting me from Newfoundland (they are off to warmer climes for the winter as Newfoundland winters are, frankly, evil). Since they have been here I have been working on my Susie Hoodie in the glorious Vlads colourway from Miss Babs. I’ve got one cuff and almost to the elbow done of one sleeve. (A friend who knits LOTS of sweaters uses sleeves as gauge swatches… it seemed like a good idea).

(Really that paragraph was one thought in my head… and all related).

So mom is here and she is watching me knit this gorgeous sweater jacket and casually says: when you are done that, if I buy the yarn will you knit one for your sister’s birthday.  I laughed.  There are many problems with this request.

  • I am not a fast knitter and two sweater jackets (plus whatever else I am knitting) is not happening by May.
  • Susie Hoodie is from “More Big Girl Knits“. The sizes start at L and go up from there.  My sister is 5’2″ and has trouble topping 100lbs.
  • 2 full sweaters the same in a row does not suit my temperament. I like the fact my 6 yr old wears odd socks… no second sock syndrome when I knit for him.

So we compromised.  The sweater jacket will be for Christmas. It will not be Susie and, while my Mom would prefer red, we will most likely go with green since I suspect two red sweater jackets in a row is also too much for my temperament.

Now to find the perfect yarn.  My sister is sensitive to wool… I found one that is 75-25 wool/silk that I think will do.  I need to knit her a swatch to see if it bothers her. And then, after my jacket is done, and maybe after two or three other things are done, I’ll knit that for her. I must really love my sister.  Or my Mom. Or both.

FO Friday Semele!

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More Finished Objects Here

Semele is done! Finished! and Beautiful!

Finished

Detail

I used Indigodragonfly Merino Cashmere yarn in “Only the exact phrase I used was Don’t”. The beautiful yarn, combined with being knit on my new Signature circular needles made this a very fun knit.  The pattern looked a little intimidating with lots of different symbols but it actually knits up quite easily, where each row naturally flows from the one before it.

For more creative fun check out: Creative Friday, and Fibre Arts Friday.