I want to go to your sister. . .

I have always loved Manos del Uruguay's Wool Clasica. In years (too many years) when money was tight, I would allow myself to go to a yarn shop once a month, and I'd buy a skein of Manos as a treat. That led to an exceedingly undisciplined collection of colors, still waiting for me to figure out how to put them together.

But one year Manos introduced a line of naturals, and I fell hard. By that time I was able to buy a little more, a little more often, and I indulged myself by collecting a whole bunch, with the intent of someday making a blanket.

Last February, the skeins had matured to the point where it was time to cast on. I decided on my beloved bias squares, knit from two sides down to the last 2 stitches. And I cast on. Three rows into block #1, the blanket said to me, "I want to go to your sister." I had thought this one would be for me, but when the knitting talks. . .

celebrate in whatever way makes you happy

 

Best wishes from elizabeth and pat . . .

What I did this summer

I have a lot of yarn.

 

I started a project to work through the many, many single skeins in my stash.

And all of these things went off to Maine this week to help keep homeless teens just a little warmer.

Azalea time

I was knitting on the front porch when I noticed an interesting juxtaposition:

I am racing the yarn to the finish -- will report back!

Pitter Patter

Of very little feet. I finished these booties yesterday morning, just in time for the afternoon's baby shower.

But -- silly baby decided to be born yesterday morning. Shower postponed, and I guess he won't be wearing these home after all. . .

The pattern is Hodge. Yarn is a no-longer-labeled sock yarn that was in my collection and available. Finished weight (booties, not baby!) 20 grams.

It's been a great winter for knitting

But the first snowdrops are here! Battered and frostbitten, true, but here at last.

Uh oh

Happy birthday

Every year on this day [posted a day later than planned -- January 24 is the official date] I leave a present on friend S's porch so she will be greeted by it when she leaves the house. This year, with nasty weather and the date falling on a Saturday, I didn't know how early that will be. So I tiptoed over right after midnight and left it well wrapped in plastic (we are having a Winter Weather Event -- involving every form of precipitation you can name, all of them cold and wet).

I decided last August to use up some of my random skeins of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica making the Four Seasons Throw. I knit in individual blocks rather than strips because I wasn't sure what colors I'd ultimately use. If you have a chance to plan ahead, I'd definitely urge you to go with the strip technique!

By about block 3, I realized that S might really like this. She is a person who appreciates wool, so a good target. I finished all the knitting by November. And then, suddenly, on Tuesday of this week I realized I'd only sewn two blocks together and the birthday deadline was imminent. It's amazing how well I work with a deadline. . .

a little warmer now

I won't be getting any points for originality when I mention that it's kind of cold today -- 12 degrees Fahrenheit at 9 this morning (Celsius folks, that is minus 11 for you). Which has finally made me put these things in a box and send them off to Maine, where they will be distributed at a shelter. I'm a little cold right now -- but I am inside my house, with more warm clothes to put on, and a way to make hot food and drinks, and I have never, not even once, had to live with the realization that I couldn't keep my kid warm. Except for the two hats, these things are toddler- and kid-sized, and they need to get on up there fast.

First project completed in 2015

Of course, that doesn't mean the project was started in 2015 -- I'm not sure, but I think these have been hanging around since 2013. One strand Lamb's Pride worsted, one strand miscellaneous sock yarn. I couldn't decide whether I liked them or thought they were hideous. My sister liked them a lot, and I came around to agreeing with her -- so I finished them today while we had coffee and handed them right over. I love stealth presents. . .

January 1. Again.

Well, here we are, as has become customary, on the first day of the year. It's hard to believe that today is the fifth birthday of this very sporadic blog. And guess what? This year there is no plan. We aren't knitting to topic, we aren't knitting for a specific organization. . . we're just knitting. You can count on that. We hope that the absence of pressure will lead to more blog posts!! Of course, we'll continue to contribute to afghans for Afghans whenever there's a chance, and we'll do other stuff too -- it's just that none of it is Required this year.

In honor of the idea of beginning the year as you mean to go on, I have, indeed, cast on a new pair of socks. . . I hope you will join me.