Three things on Friday

Because Thursday was a busy day and I forgot.

1. Solstice Hat 

These two yarns ended up next to each other in a box and this design happened:

2. Big Blue Secret Project

Currently looks well on track to be finished. Note to self: next time you say "I never knit for Christmas" -- listen!

3. Music

I am singing in Handel's Messiah tomorrow and Sunday night. Last year was the first time I sang with this choir (or any choir since freshman year in college, in another century . . .). It has become a big part of my life, and I am so glad I got brave and walked through that door. 

Three things on Thursday: me too

Dear Pat,

I love being able to stop the list after just 3 things!

(1) Weave in the ends -- 2 ends, and it's been waiting for a month -- on the red alpaca cowl and block it. 

(2) Gather everything I need for Knitters' Day Out and put it all in one tote. 

(3) Finish one pair of thick woolly New England-y socks for the giveaway box. 

I can do this!

Three Things on Thursday

Dear Elizabeth,

We both knew we could excel at doing three things!  You did excel, didn't you?  I'm jazzed.  I ran, I photographed my lists and I finished a seaman's hat.  I've been sticking my old lists in a box for 10 years.  It was fun to look at all the stuff that's piled up in the box.  I've chosen a random selection of list to travel around with me, prepared for any photo op.  Anyone know where I can find a puddle?

I didn't turn around and start another hat, I'm going to finish something else first, I'm on a roll.  I'm going to dive into my basket of half-knit projects and finish another something (insert jazz hands here).  After I clear out that basket and finish up my fall sweater, I'll start new things.

OK, so my three things for the next week - 9-21-2017:

• Wash, block, photograph the stack of finished knitting items that are cluttering up the laundry room shelf.  I don't want to push too hard but it would be nice to post the pics on Ravelry... we shall see!
• Try the time lapse setting on my camera.  Let me say here, that I had taken notes on how to do the time lapse but they were on the back of my latest list and somehow that list is now MIA.  It could be in with all it's list-y friends or it could be under something on my work table.  Who knows, where will this story end, will there be happiness?
• Do at least four pages in my class sketch book - I'm WAY behind in sketching.

Thanks for the inspiration.  What a great week.

P

Three Things on Thursday....

OK, I've been busy and busier this summer and stuff has slipped through the cracks.  I'm going to do this list thing, I'm a list maker from WAY back!
My three things for the next week - 9-14-2017:

• Photograph my box of old used up lists - don't just take the darn pictures but process them and put them out on the web where everyone can see my infinite craziness.
• Run - fours days this week not just three.  And don't do it in mindless cruise mode but really hit the pavement hard.  No, "I'm over 60" excuse!
• Put down the iPad and pick up the Knitting.  Finish one thing in the next seven days.

Three things on Thursday

(Yeah, I know it's Friday. I forgot to hit Publish.)

I saw this idea on She Shoots Sheep Shots and it resonates with me.

My three things:

1. Find the  yarn for the fingerless mitts I need to finish.
2. Work 30 minutes on secret project code-named Big Blue.
3. Find a new recipe to try.

Pat, want to play?

Independent study

The committee has met and has determined that July and August are to be devoted to independent study. Watch this space. 

A tiny, tiny Band-Aid

I know; they don't look like Band-Aids.

These mittens are waving good-bye as they head out to Syrian refugees in camps somewhere in Europe. It won't fix the big, horrible problems -- but five people will have warm hands.

I used Peace Fleece because I love the colors, I know it's warm, I know it's tough, and I like the message.

time and a half

Pat is drawing a blank on a topic for June. And we always seem to be needing just a leeeeetle bit more time. So -- I propose the following June/July project:

socks for yourself.



Pat, we can either do our plain old autopilot socks -- me top down, you toe up -- or we can kick it up a notch by adding a variable. Maybe a color you never wear (until now), maybe a sparkly new yarn, maybe a technique you've never tried, maybe a pattern that requires a little more attention. . .

We have 52 days. We've got this!

Sorry I'm Late!

Dear Elizabeth,
I had a wonderful time on the Outer Banks, not a lot of knitting time with 23 friends and family around!  I did cast-on a Churchmouse Thinking Cap which is all knit, all the time!

I've knit to the welt, which is 7" of mindless around and around knitting on lace weight yarn.  As it's on somewhere north of 150 stitches, this hat has almost as many stitches as a full-size sweater.  I'm knitting this hat for Chuck, my favorite sailor.  He lost his knit watch cap this spring and I know he will love this one and it will keep him warm, even if he falls in cold water.

Please note that I used a CCTV lens on my good camera for these shots.  Yes, I took a very expensive camera and put a "toy" lens on it and dumbed it down but I just love the random effects you get when you use crazy stuff!  And I love the feeling of old-time photography, figuring out the exposure, hold the camera steady and really thinking about a picture.

I have to admit, I have no idea what our June challenge should be... I'm hopeless!  How about getting together this month, that's challenging enough for the two of us.

Love, Pat

No Purls Progress Report

I got this far on the no-purling project:

That green stripe was a bit of a surprise -- Mr. Noro has an impish color sense.

In my defense, your honor, I also knit 4 1/2 pairs of mittens and 2/3 of a sweater during May. Apparently it was a month for fractions. . .

May Day, May Day

Pat is going to the beach for two weeks and wants an easy category. Why is it that I am not going to the beach for two weeks? Hrumph!! But because I still have a little bit of niceness in me, here goes . . . The guideline is: no purling.

There are lots of ways to accomplish this. I am going to knit yet another Super Simple Cowl, intended for somebody's Christmas present.  I am madly in love with Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn and have a number of onesies hanging around, so each one is different and it stays interesting. Here is the first one I made, finished a few weeks ago:



The second one is almost done (I thought it was going to be a present, but now it is mine), and the third one will be this month's project. I read the comments people posted with their Ravelry entries and made a few changes based on those; I will sum up next time.

Pat, I can't wait to hear if it's going to be garter stitch, or circular, or slip stitches. . .

The last of April

Dear Elizabeth,

Is the month really over; are we headed into summer? I've seen a hummingbird and a scarlet tanager in the trees.  I've been to a yard sale and have been out running (slowly) on my favorite trail for a grand total of 40 miles this month.  All signs that say summer is near!  I do love summer time.

I'd forgotten how fun cables are to knit.  I loved this project challenge (what are we calling this year).  I started with two old, off-white skeins of Filatura di Crosa 501 (137 yds in 50 gr.), size six needles and the Adrian hat pattern.  Using well-aged yarn is so satisfying especially "attic cured" natural fibers.  I changed the pattern to one large cable instead of two, I didn't want to hat to be terribly long with this yarn as it wasn't going to slouch in that pleasing way that the sockhead hat does.  I don't think anyone wants a hat sticking up off their head, cone-head style.  I'm pleased with this as a beanie.  I think Glass Head looks terrific modeling it!

I love that the designer didn't use cables in the traditional Paton's in the 70's sort of way but instead scattered a few around the hat.  Balancing the large cable with a smaller one.  Really fun to knit even though you have to follow the pattern row by row.  Not, as we both know, my forte.

So what are we doing in May?  It's your turn, right??  Don't use up all the good challenges.  I'll be beaching it with college buds for two weeks in May so let's do something easy... just sayin' I might not get that much knitting done ;-}

P.S. I only have one more project to rip out and skein... and that's it, only things I'm actively knitting on in my project basket.

spring colors

What was I thinking when I decided it would be a good idea to blog with a friend who is a master photographer? and me with my phone camera. . .

Pat, how I loved that last post. I remember when you started that Barn Raising project. It has been a while! And I have to get one of those twig balls. I have been entertaining myself by hanging bits of yarn on the Rose of Sharon tree in my front garden, just by the porch. I hang up 15 or 20 strands, then sit back and watch the birds (sparrows, mostly, but I still hope for something more exotic) snap them up. At least one has learned to grab three pieces at once -- watching her (him? I make the sexist assumption that this very competent bird is a she) fold them up tightly so that no edges are flapping reminds me of someone who is truly adept at eating spaghetti.

Here is what I have been doing lately. I have 3 or 4 balls of Noro Silk Garden Sock. This pattern is perfect. You knit it flat, as a scarf, and then sew together to make a cowl. It takes just one ball. I read through the notes on Ravelry before I started, and someone suggested starting with the first complete triangle, not the half-triangle that squares off the end of the scarf. So when you end, you seam the triangles together and if you do it right there's no sign of beginning or end. This one is done now (in the Christmas present box!) and I've started another. This time I used a provisional cast-on and will graft beginning and end together to make it even less visible where the ends are joined. Perfect mindless knitting in yarn that makes you look smart!

Oh, right. It has nothing whatsoever to do with this month's assignment. . .

Bird's Nests!!

Elizabeth,
I just had to write.  I hung the ivy ball less than an hour before I took these photos.  I had all the yarn tucked in.  Look  at the way the birds pulled the yarn out of the ball.  I think there will be yarn in lots of birds nests around the yard.  Exciting!!

P.S. I'm trying to get a photo of the bird on the ball!!

April and feeling foolish

Dear Elizabeth,

© Armenuhi Khachatryan

I didn't get any cable knitting done last month and look I'm posting this note a week late, what is wrong with us?  Is it the warmth of spring, have we set down our knitting needles to go outside?  I did spend a lovely week in the Florida Keys and it really was nice a warm there.  Let's not hang our heads, let's look forward to what comes next!

Our challenge for this month has to be finish cabling something from last month!  I've chosen to knit the Adrian hat.  (I grabbed this photo off Ravelry)

While doing our March assignment, I want you to ponder and answer this question.  What else do you do with your yarn, other than knitting it into amazing things?  I've been saving all my wool yarn-ends and stuffing them in a vine ball.  I'm going to hang it outside this weekend so the birds can line their nests with soft, all-natural fibers.  Supposedly, I will be able to go look around the yard and see my yarn in birds nests.  I will report back by the end of the summer if this works out... or not!

 I'm carrying knitted squares for a barn raising quilt with me when I travel.  They are small and mindless, perfect for travel.  Do you recognize any of the blocks?  Yes, I'm using your left-over sock yarn as well as mine.  I need 9 more to make this project a baby blanket or LOTS more to make this a full size, adult throw.  I've blocked some of the squares, they still curl like mad so I decided not to waste that time.  I'm thinking I should start sewing some of them together.  I think about sewing them together and then I just walk away knowing it will be difficult and a lot of work... this may call for a knitting intervention.  I'll call if things look dire, I know I have enough wine for us...

With hanging head

I confess. I did not finish the March challenge. The yarn for the pattern I really wanted to tackle arrived March 28 so not a chance. The bulky hat I cast on (yup, I can predict the future) is not yet done. Sigh. 

Elizabeth's color block

Hey, Pat -- looks like you had fun!

I did finish on time, as you know (everybody, I sent Pat a photo of these guys in their bath on Tuesday night). And I have been struggling ever since to get the colors to photograph right -- one of these days I will break down and learn to use a camera! The green should be a little more acidic; the other colors are close enough.

I chose these colors because I found them together in a bag -- clearly at some point I had meant to use them together, and that was good enough for me.

March assignment: cables! One or more. I have my eye on a very complex mitten pattern, which means I'll likely be knitting a bulky hat on the last day when I realize that there is no way they're going to get done by the deadline. I guess I had cables on the brain because I am signed up to take a class with Norah Gaughan, the queen of cabling, this month.

Colorblocks

Elizabeth,

I worked all month long to complete 3 pairs of fingerless mittens done in four colors, 2 large areas of color, along with somewhat contrasting colored cast-ons.  I'm pleased with the resulting mitts, they fit a number of random hands very well, the colors are fun and unusual and they really do keep you warm.  I used Mason-Dixon's Squad Mitts for my color inspiration and your excellent Mitten Pattern for my mitten design basis.  I used sport weight yarn and size 3 needles (to get a tight fabric).  I have a cryptic pattern, literally written on the back of an old envelope!

Dear friends of mine co-operated in being my hand models and there were several great ideas for photographing the mitts.  I do think the card game is fun, however; I suspect there was something wrong with this deal... 

But hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil is my all-time favorite!

I gave a pair of the mitts to a girl friend who sits by a window at work and is cold in the winter.  I got this picture this morning.  Nice to see our hand-knits hard at work.

Photo by B.Roth

First crocus

The tradition continues.

day 1

day 2

I still haven't made those yellow socks. 

my pointy hat

It's so much fun to see how two knitters can interpret the same words. I knew right away that I was going to make Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ganomy Hat from her Knitter's Almanac (the very first knitting book I ever bought -- the hardcover was on the remainder table for $2.98 and it took me a month to decide I could afford it after my 25% employee discount). I last made this hat 23 years ago, scaled down to infant size, when my now very healthy nephew needed surgery on his skull. . . the request was for a hat that would stay on but not squash.

Um -- this is not my nephew. But this guy is the only model I could find today.

Please note in the photos below -- point at the top (left photo) and points at the bottom (center photo).

Strangely, many people on Ravelry have reengineered this hat to give it a rounded top -- I think all of the points echoing the other points are this hat's best feature!

Unless, of course, the best feature is the red pompom. Elizabeth Zimmermann recommends knitting the last 14 stitches for 6 rows, then inserting a pingpong ball (or "a rabble of wool ends") and tying the hat below that to make a perfect round bobble. I went the more traditional route.

Bruno's profile is a bit short on detail, but oh, what a hat!

Stopover Pullover

Elizabeth,
I got up this morning and did a sunrise shoot with a dear photobuddy.  We had a great time and Mary took a moment to photograph my finished Stopover sweater.

February is such a blah month.  I think we should knit blocks of colors... does that leave the field wide open?
Pat

Birthday mittens

The pointy hat is happening behind the scenes and will soon be unveiled. Meanwhile, as has become my custom, these mittens were delivered under cover of darkness for my neighbor on her birthday:

I had two balls of alpaca yarn, neither one big enough to become something on its own. I held the strands together for soft, warm, airy hand coverings. Now I wish I had more!

A Pointy Hat

Elizabeth,
I've completed the January challenge of knitting a pointy hat.  I hope this is pointy enough for you.

 A young friend of mine modeled the hat for me and I expect she will do great things in the future.

I've frogged two scarves and am ignoring one other... only time will tell what I should do.
P

New Year, more knitting

Elizabeth,
I can't believe we've been doing this blog for seven years.  That's amazing.  I wish I was a more prolific blogger and a better writer.

I'd like to resolve to blog more often but years ago I gave up making resolutions.  I'd resolved to do something amazing and then I'd quit or give up; it hurt.  So now I knit, workout, play with my camera, read books but I don't resolve to do anything big or spectacular.  I do my best and count all my blessings.

This year like so many before there are no big resolutions, just one tiny one.  I have four scarves "in-progress" that I have been working for over 2 years.  It becomes apparent to me that I'm not enjoying this knitting, I need to stop and rip them back and make something else with that yarn.  That's it, all I resolve to do.

Pat

P.S. I'm working on a very pointy hat!

Now we are 7

Look at that -- it's another year already. We started this blog seven years ago today. We have not been the most visible of bloggers. . . and we realized that we need a little bit of structure to keep us involved. And maybe one that doesn't involve a whole year's commitment. So this year we're trying something new. On or about the first of the month, we'll announce a brief guideline for that month's project. Assignment? Challenge? Topic? I am not sure what to call it. These will be intentionally open to interpretation, and fun, not punitive. You will never see "Take 1700 yards of laceweight yarn and a pattern that involves nupps and a lace repeat of at least 28 rows. . ." (or, Pat, if you do -- I'm not doing it!). I am in charge of odd-numbered months, and Pat will do the evens. Sometimes we'll post in-progress photos; sometimes it'll be just the final thing sneaking in at the last moment on the last day of the month. And, of course, there will be other knitting too! Here is just a sampling from this year:

January project: pointy hat. Watch this space! We're back.