2022: Wk of 8/7-13; Ranunculus update and New Cast-on

RANUNCULUS

I did rip back the ribbing as I had made multiple mistakes. The ribbing in the pattern is a 1×1 Half Fisherman’s Rib. It is much more attractive than the 2×2 ribbing I did. The pattern calls for going down 2 needle sizes for the ribbing but I only went done 1 to allow for my tummy and hips. I have finished the body and should finish the sleeves today as I plan to make very short sleeves. I’ll only be adding about 8 rows to each sleeve before binding off.

I’m liking the fit and I love the collar. I love the yarn, 10 Questions colorway in Hella Hank by Emma’s Yarn, but it definitely hides the pattern in the yoke. I will be knitting another Ranunculus with a solid color yarn so as to show off the yoke pattern. I’m thinking of going down a needle size or two to get a tighter fabric that won’t require and a top underneath.

With the focus on the Ranunculus this week, very little got done on my Dragonfly socks. They should be an FO by next week so I’ll post a picture next week.

BABY BLANKET

We are going to be visiting my stepdaughter, our granddaughter, and new great grandson this coming Saturday. So while I won’t get a blanket done in a week, I did decide to start one for the new great grandson. Hoping I will have it done by Christmas. It will again use up some of the acrylic yarn I have. I am just knitting a basic garter stitch striped blanket so it doesn’t get any more “brain dead”. It will be a good project to take along for the trip since I don’t need a pattern.

IN LOCAL NEWS…

Still trying to start-up a monthly knitting group. There were only 3 of us yesterday as 2 folks cancelled at the last minute. Hoping for a bigger turn out in September.

It’s been a quiet week on the home front for which I’m grateful. We have caught a break from the heat so I’m hoping to spend some time outside on my deck knitting this week for a change. I’m looking forward to my sister and brother-in-law coming into town this coming weekend for an extended visit. We are going to meet up with my brother and father at a pizza joint we used to visit 50+ years ago when I was in high school to celebrate my brother’s birthday and retirement.

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. 

This is a year of projects (YOP12) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts.  YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years.

2022: Wk of 7/31-8/6; An FO and WIPs Update

RANUNCULUS

Everything I read about this being a fun, fast knit has turned out to be true. I can’t believe how fast I’m flying through this tee. Size 10 needles with only 164 stitches per row on the body makes for a quick knit. I definitely see more of these as Christmas gifts!!🎅. I just love this yarn. I have enough leftover for a second one especially if I use some leftover brown sock yarn I have for the neck and cuffs. Or maybe the patterned yoke?? This is a great 1 skein pattern!👍👍

But I have a big question….I didn’t bring my interchangable needle set so I don’t have the next size smaller to use in the ribbed bottom. I started with the size 10. Now the sweater is on hold till I get back home and get my smaller needles. Do you think I can just switch or should I rip out the rows of ribbing I’ve already done? I think I’ll be ripping back as I just remembered I forgot to do the knits as knit through the back loop.😣

DRAGONFLY SOCKS

Making good progress on my socks especially since my Ranunculus is in time out. I’ve had this yarn in my stash for several years so I’m glad to be finally using it. Especially since I have a green Amrum Sweater and will be knitting a green Love Note.

Dragonfly Socks

YOGA SOCKS

Another FO!!! I’m happy with my scrappy yoga socks. What’s not to like, no toes or heels! Really cleaned out my Fixation scraps!

Scrappy Yoga Socks

BEACH VACATION

Weather at the beach has been wonderful. Got to go to the caterer tasting for their daughter’s September wedding. It was fun. That is going to be such a fun week. Got to focus on losing weight when I get back home because the wedding week will be a high indulgence week!!

Morning Coffee

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. 

This is a year of projects (YOP12) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts.  YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years.

2022:Wk of 7/24-30; Casting On!!

ALWAYS SOME SOCKS

FO – I did finish the Spiraling Cable Socks since only the cuffs were left. I’m moving on to knitting Dragonfly socks that I cast-on back in June. I’m knitting these 2 at a time since I don’t need them to be a small “travel” project. I had to modify the pattern slightly as I prefer 68 stitch socks. I added an extra row to extend the design the extra stitches. I also “flipped” the chart since I knit toe up.

Dragonfly Socks

I cast-on Yoga socks for my “travel” socks. They were perfect for knitting on the flight down to the Outer Banks. I’m using up leftover Fixation yarns. These should knit up quickly since there is no heel. I did bring more Fixation yarn “just in case” so that I always have a “walking socks” project. Hubby and I enjoy taking a walk along the beach every morning.

Yoga Socks

RANUNCULUS CAST-ON

I also cast-on my Ranunculus tee this week. I’m knitting the smaller neck version as I’m not a fan of the boat neck. Wow that neck was fiddly!! Plus I’m not used to knitting with such large (US 10) needles with fingering weight yarn! I’m really loving the fall colorway yarn and the 10% cashmere makes it sooo soft. I am enjoying the pattern now that I’m past the fiddly neck. I see a few more of this pattern and this yarn in my future.

Beginning Ranunculus

OUTER BANK

That’s it for knitting this week. Short post. We are enjoying beach time with our friends. We take turns making dinner each night. It’s always a very enjoyable vacation. I should get a lot of knitting done as I don’t have my laptop nor do much tv watching while at the beach.

Atlantic Ocean at Duck, NC

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. 

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts.  YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years

2022: Wk of 7/17-23; Shawl and Shrug FOs

FOs!!!!

Happy dance time!!! I finished both the Stephen West Spiraling Cables shawl for my stepdaughter and the Ladybird Shrug for me. I’m very happy with both.

The shrug color doesn’t go with the initial dress I was planning to wear it with but I think it looks nice with this dress. Now I just need an occasion to wear the dress. Probably Christmas Eve since the dress is velvet. The pattern calls for creating a ribbed border that would run around the neck, down the front sides, and across the lower back. I decided I liked it without the ribbed border.

WIPs

So that just leaves me with the Spiraling Lace socks. Need to finish the ribbed cuff on this one and the leg and cuff on the other. Should be done today or tomorrow. That will catch me up on a pair of socks or a shrug per month. (More happy dancing.)

NEXT…

Cast-on Time!! (Still more happy dancing. I know, I know, I should get back to knitting my hubby’s sweater.) I will cast on a Ranunculus for me this week. I’m using Emma’s Yarn in the 10 Questions Colorway. No idea why it’s called that. To me it is fall colors hence my desire to cast-on now.

This will give me both the Ranunculus and the pair of socks, Dragonfly, that I took on the schooner trip but didn’t knit on, for my trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina the end of this week. I already have the toes knit. I think I’ll take some leftover Fixation yarn to make a pair of yoga socks as a third project. This trip will be the opposite of Maine – very hot. But the house is right on the beach so I’ll have the breeze while at the beach and air conditioning while at the house. No motion sickness! I’m looking forward to 10 days with our friends and their daughter and fiancé. They are getting married in September. We even get to be part of the taste testing of the wedding caterer. I’m giving my daughter a hard time, not really, because we didn’t get to be part of their wedding caterer taste testing (something about being a 10 hr drive away!!)

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. 

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts.  YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years .

2022: Wk of 7/10-16; Schooner Sailing and Knitting

MAINE SCHOONER SAILING

The Schooner Sailing trip went well although truthfully it was probably the last time. No problems with flights getting to Maine. Sailing turned out to be extremely cold. Wind off the ocean made it too cold for me. Thank goodness my husband didn’t come as it was MUCH too cold for him.

There were only 14 passengers and 5 crew. Turns out we had 3 knitters on the sail; I and my friend’s wife plus a man knitting a cardigan for his wife. A mother and daughter knit but didn’t bring projects with them (what the heck 😖).

Got to see harbor seals which I hadn’t seen before as well as Atlantic puffins. Also sheep on Nash Island that are sheared to make yarn (starcroft yarns). The landscape was certainly beautiful. But the trip reinforced I’m just not a traveler as the experience rarely matches the anticipation. Truthfully I was bored after a few days. One day the sea was rough on a long day of sailing leaving everyone, including most of the crew, queasy and sadly a few folks quite seasick. Thankful for ginger candies and tea!!!

I did buy 2 skeins of Maine yarn to knit a tee as a souvenir.

Maine Yarn

SPIRAL SOCKS

I got a lot done on my spiral socks as not needing a pattern was the way to go while sailing. Got the foot and heels done so I’ll be knitting the legs on the flights home. Hoping blocking will make this lace look better.

SHRUG

I made some progress on my shrug as well. Definitely need to block to open up the lace pattern. I was glad to be able to trade off between the 2 projects. I didn’t need the 3rd project I brought. Not a huge surprise that I over packed knitting and under packed warm clothes!

I have a week and a half home before we head to the Outer Banks for 10 days. Quite the opposite of Maine sailing as it will be hot and humid there. But we stay at a friend’s beach house and enjoy great meals together and card games in the evening. Very thankful they invite us every summer for a beach vacation. I think I’ll be able to finish the Spiral Socks and shrug before we head to the beach catching me up on my goal of a pair of socks or shrug every month.

2022: Wk of July 3-9; Shawl and Sailing WIPs

SPIRALING CABLES SHAWL #2

So close but not quite finished. I have a little more rows of trellis to knit and then to knit the roughly 1″ of border. This will have to wait until I return from my trip. I’m super happy with how it looks. Blocking will stretch it out very nicely to better show off the stripes and the trellis section.

SPIRAL SOCKS

Apparently I’m into spiraling at the moment. My Simple Spiral Socks got a lot of attention on my flights to Maine. The pattern is a very simple lace pattern that I could easily memorize and follow making it perfect for knitting during my long day of flying to Maine.

I also plan to get a lot done on my Ladybird Shrug. The schooner has a beautiful table in the middle of the deck under a shade canopy which will be perfect for knitting!!

LETTING GO

I definitely suffer from sunk cost syndrome or “if I bought it, I need to use it”. 3 years ago I liked Patty Lyon’s Roselle Tee so I bought the pattern, bought the yarn, and put it in my Ravelry Queue. Now I have to admit there’s a reason I never got around to knitting it; I don’t like it so much. I want to wear more fitted tees. The yarn is not “wasted”. I already have ideas for the basic cream color yarn I bought. It would be great paired with colorful minis for the Sea Glass Tee I want to knit or by itself in the Breakwater Tee. So I need to let go of my despair for buying a pattern I probably won’t knit. I need to be okay with buying a new pattern that I’m happier with. Rip the band-aid off. I deleted the project from my queue!

MAINE

I’m “schoonering” this week. I arrived safely Saturday afternoon with no major flight delays. I got to enjoy my first lobster roll with my friend and his wife. I’m sending this post with my phone Sunday morning. My friend’s wife is a knitter so we are visiting a local yarn shop before we board the schooner tonight and depart Monday morning. MUCH cooler here than Cincinnati so a nice break from the heat. I’ll be getting to wear some of my hand knit sweaters and socks!! Feels weird to be without my hubby but he would not be able to tolerate Maine’s colder temperature. It got chilly while we ate our dinner outside and he would have been in pain. Absence makes the heart grow fonder right!?

Ladona (stock photo)

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. 

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts.  YOP is starting it’s 12th year. I’ve been knitting for five years and I’m starting my third year in the group.

2022: Wk of June 26-July 2; MidYear Review & Shawl Update

1/2 YEAR REVIEW – PROJECTS

I do a calendar year plan but I still like to check at the midpoint to see how I’m going. Always good for a chuckle.

WIPS – Complete the 4 carryover WIPS	😁DONE!!
SOCKS/SHRUGS/COWLS – Complete 1 per month I have 4 socks and 1 shrug done with 2 socks and 1 shrug on needles. I’m betting by the end of July I’ll be ahead of the game with 6 socks and 2 shrugs.	🙂CLOSE – 5/12
SWEATERS/SHAWLS/TEES – Complete 5 Surprise, surprise. I’m a bit behind. I have one tee and one shawl completed. But as discussed below, I will likely finish a shawl this month putting me back on track.	🙂CLOSE – 2/5
BABY KNITTING – 0 I didn’t set a goal for this year but I did knit a baby sweater for my new granddaughter. Helps explain why I’m a bit behind on my sweater goal as the fingering weight baby sweater took a lot of time to knit.	😁AHEAD!!
MISCELLANEOUS – 1 I wanted to do an advent calendar project since I already have minis from 2 advent calendars and I’ve ordered 3 more!! I do have yarn “packaged” up for a striped sweater using advent minis but truthfully there is a Halloween cowl I want to knit that’s a higher priority to me. Hubby’s sweater also has to be finished before starting an “advent” sweater.	😝BEHIND – 0/1

So not bad. I’m okay with where I’m at the year midpoint.

1/2 YEAR REVIEW – GOALS

Average 1800 stitches per day each month Not surprisingly I missed this in May due to gardening and my daughter’s wedding. I barely met the goal in June. I am still averaging 1800 stitches per day for the year.	🙂CLOSE
Make something Brioche Still struggling with this. I will go back and review the online Brioche class I bought from Patty Lyons before starting the Newspaper sweater. This goal will likely move to 2023.	😝NOPE
Knit Continential I continue to work on this. I can do rows of knits and purls but struggle when the knitting has increases and decreases like a lace pattern.	🙂PROGRESSING
Yarn Out > Yarn In 3 advent calendars will do that to you. Plus finding a new LYS. And a 75% off sale.	😵EPIC FAIL!!
Make something colorwork I am planning a Halloween cowl and maybe some advent socks.	😉PLANNED
Review Stash – Queue Was humbled by how long it will take me to knit my stash. I’m fast approaching SABLE. Sadly being aware of how much yarn I already have has not slowed my yarn acquisitions.	😁DONE
Knit “new to me” Designer/SPECIFICALLY JOJI, EMMA, STEPHEN WEST, PETITE KNITS Knit several “new to me” designers so far – Stephen West, shrugs and sock patterns. Joji (Brioche) and Emma (colorwork) sweaters likely to move to 2023 plan.	🙂KINDA DONE
Learn to Crochet Not a priority. Thought it would help make blankets quicker but blanket making is not a priority for me. Someday…	😝NOPE
Learn to Knit without Looking Still a work in progress. Only can do with all knit rows and DK or thicker yarns.	🙂PROGRESSING
Track Days Worked on Project Yes I have added to my knitting plan spreadsheet. I also now track the number of stitches I knit on each project so that I can better estimate how many stitches a project will take and thus estimate how many projects I can get done in a year.	😁DONE!
Sew a project bag with Charlie Harper fabric Sadly this is a low priority project as I already have plenty of project bags. The fabric is so cute but would just be another bag that I have to figure out where to store. I won 3 project bags this year in giveaways. Now I need to giveaway project bags.	😝NOPE
Knit an Animal Toy I still want to do this but probably will wait two or three years to make one for my granddaughter.	😝NOPE

Definitely not doing as well on my goals as I am on my projects. But I don’t mind changing my mind as the year progresses. Actually I expect it. It’s not a big surprise learning to crochet didn’t turn out to be a big desire. Not a big fan of crochet so I don’t want to use my “good” yarn on crochet projects. Also things happen making sewing a project bag not needed – no matter how cute the fabric. It will get done someday….

SPIRALING CABLES SHAWL #2

Made a lot of progress this week on my stepdaughter’s Stephen West shawl. She is happy with the black yarn instead of the tan I used on my shawl. I’m playing a bit of yarn chicken so I’ll be aggressively blocking it to make sure it’s big enough. I’m a little over halfway done as I’ve started the trellis half. The trellis pattern is much more complicated cabling so I have to follow the pattern more closely. It’s too complicated for me to memorize. Fingers crossed I can get it done this week but I’ll probably be finishing it when I get back from Maine.

YARN ACQUSITION

Really??! I’m supposed to resist a 75% sale on yarn. I bought 6 skeins for only $30. That’s 2 tees. Love the spring/summer colors and the shine that the 15% silk adds. I said I wanted to make a second Anne Hanssen Structured Top with a solid color so that’s the plan for the new spring green yarn. Seeing Eyelet to Eyelet is my pattern planned for the orangish sunflower yarn. So my queue is well into 7 years!!

Hope you have a wonderful week of crafting. This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts. 🙂 YOP is starting it’s 12th year. I’ve been knitting for five years and I’m starting my third year in the group.

2022: Wk of June 19-25; FO and Schooner WIPS

SUMMER SHRUG

I did finish the shrug for my son’s girlfriend. We are both very happy with it. It will be perfect with a black dress she has that has similar color butterflies on the skirt portion. She says my son needs to take her out to dinner so she can wear it! This one really showed the benefit of wet blocking. Amazing how much more even my stitches look after blocking. I tried to only “aggressively” block the 2″ of lace trim so the shrug wouldn’t be too baggy. I suspect it will stretch during wear.

SCHOONER WIPS

I cast on a third WIP for my schooner trip. I wanted something on larger needles and an alternative to knitting socks. So I cast on a shrug for me. I just love this Madelinetosh single ply and this blue teal. It will be a lace pattern, Ladybird Shrug. It’s a free, easy pattern on Ravelry, only an 8 rows pattern (and the even rows are all purls). I think this will look nice with a summer dress I plan to wear to a friend’s daughter’s beach wedding in September. Also it should look nice with a wine color cami I never wear as I don’t like so much exposed skin on me. So hopefully I’ll get more wear out of the cami.

STEPHEN WEST SPIRALING CABLES SHAWL #2

Since my two sock WIPS and my shrug WIP are intended for schooner knitting, I needed to cast-on a project to work on for the next two weeks. Next up was either a Ranunculus for me or knitting a second Stephen West Spiraling Cables shawl that my step-daughter requested. I do want to make sure I have her shawl done by Oct 1 when it will start getting chilly here. Starting the Stephen West shawl won out. It is a fun knit so I’m happy to make a second. This time I’m using a very dark color for the cables. Sadly they don’t show as well. I do have some tan yarn that is closer to what I used for my shawl. But the dark yarn is much nicer alpaca yarn and will be much drapier so I really want to use it.

Having 5 WIPS would normally stress me out but since 3 were specifically cast-on for trip knitting I’m not stressing. I will definitely spend the time after the trip finishing any WIPS that didn’t get done as well as the Stephen West shawl before casting on any new projects.

ACQUISITIONS

I made it through the week without buying yarn!! Everybody seems to be doing summer sales but I am resisting. It helps that my new LYS owner told me she does a big sale starting July 1 with some yarns marked down 75%. I may have new yarn acquisitions in next week’s post. But I did end up buying more reusable project bag tags from Katrinkles. I really like having my bags labeled with what’s inside.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a wonderful week of crafting.

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts. YOP is in it’s 11th year. It’s my second in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years.

2022: Wk of June 12-18; Shrug and Socks Update

SUMMER SHRUG

I did end up frogging almost the entire shrug. I ripped it back to just the few lace rows so back to row 10. I like the small stripes much better than the big blocks although all the color changes makes the knit much slower as I have to tie magic knots every 2-3 rows.

SOCK TOES

Here are the toes for 2 pair of socks that are now in “time out” until I go on my trip in 3 weeks. The should make good schooner knitting.

NEW LYS

I did visit the yarn shop this week that is only slightly further away (3 minutes) than the yarn shop I have considered “my LYS” for the past 5 years. I was thrilled with it. While the shop is smaller, since it’s 100% yarn there is more yarn. And most important to me, the shop owner loves fingering weight yarns so there is LOTS. And she holds knit sessions Mondays at dinner, Tuesdays at lunch, and Thursdays in the afternoon. Turns out the owner lives only a few miles from me. Despite my excessive stash, I felt I couldn’t leave without buying something. I picked up some mohair as I want to knit the Love Note tee with some leftover ITO Shimo that I have. She also had a wonderful display of self striping sock yarn so I picked up a skein of bright summer colors. Since you are supposed to knit with yarn purchased at the shop for knit sessions, I’m now prepared should I chose to go. But at current gas prices, it’ll cost me $5 to make the trip so probably not. I’d rather spend the money on yarn.

SWIM SPA

After the disaster of our in ground pool last year, we purchased an above ground swim spa (you swim in place against jets of water). It arrived just a few days after my husband’s birthday so it was perfect timing. We had to hire a huge crane to lift the pool from the driveway down to the concrete pad next to our bedroom (house is built into the hill thus the bedrooms are on the lower floor). All the rain we’ve had allowed us to fill the pool. (We have a cistern so we live off rain water not municipal water.) My husband has already started swimming in it.

FRIENDS and FAMILY

This was a fantastic week for me with lots of reconnecting with friends and family. I had two lunch dates with friends I haven’t seen since last year. My niece was in town from Texas which made a nice excuse to get together with my father and brother. Plus I got to take her sight seeing in Cincinnati for a day.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a wonderful week of crafting.

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts. YOP is in it’s 11th year. It’s my second in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years.

2022: Wk of June 5-11; New WIP

Hello from rainy Cincinnati. My wish that June would bring clear skies was not to be. It was grey and drizzly for hubby’s birthday party but all had a good time anyway. I do treasure every time it is dry enough to enjoy our decks.

NEW WIP

I did finish the Quirky socks. So I got to cast-on a new project – my son’s girlfriend’s shawl. I’m knitting Summer Shrug by Dana Young. It’s a very basic pattern; 6 rows of “lace” (3 rows of YO, k2tog with a purl row between the YO rows) at the beginning, followed by 40″ of stockinette, finished with the 6 rows of “lace”. I really want to be complimentary of the pattern but I just can’t. I bought the pattern through Ravelry but if I had looked on her Etsy page I would have seen the criticism that it was pricey ($6) for an extremely basic pattern. On the other hand it’s only $6 so lets not nit pick. It’s knit flat as a long rectangle and then the edges are seamed for a few inches to create a slight sleeve. I’ve modified the pattern by putting I-cord edging for what will become the top and bottom edges of the shrug (thank you Steven West for teaching me this in your Spiraling Cables shawl). The only positive of the pattern as that she does provide mattress stitching instructions although I’ve learned from watching podcasts that I should use Bickford seaming for a more invisible seam.

I am using a skein of yarn that is basically a fade through 4 “yarns” that I got in a yarn swap. I cut the yarn into 4 balls since I want to have the second half match the first half. I will use half the mini ball before switching to the next color’s ball. The construction will mean the ‘stripes” will be vertical instead of horizontal. I found a mini that continues the fade if I need more yarn. Turns out I’m not liking the big blocks as stripes. I’m going to show it to my son’s girlfriend later today to get her thoughts both on the colors and the big blocks. It’s likely I’ll rip back to the “lace” and make much smaller stripes. This is a quick knit since it’s just stockinette. It’s a nice change to use a large needle, US 9, instead of the US 0 I use for socks.

WHAT’S UP NEXT??

I have the toes knitted up for one pair of socks to take on the Windjammer cruise I’m taking off the coast of Maine in 4 weeks but I want to take along a second pair as I expect to spend LOTS of time knitting on the boat. So I got the yarn divided in two and wound into balls. I’ll work on getting the toes knit up today. I’m going to use the Simple Spiral pattern as it’s supposed to be easy to memorize while having a slight lace to it.

Plus I really do need to watch the Patty Lyons Fix It video for brioche and work on my swatches. Guess the shrug will be hibernating for a few days.

ADVENT CALENDAR – ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!!

After sharing my 5 year stash plan last week, you would think that I’d be successful in resisting purchasing more yarn. But no. I watched a YouTube video of one of my favorite dyers, AGirlAndHerWool, this week. Wouldn’t you know she is offering a very good price on an advent calendar. Did I mention I’ve already purchased 2, count them 2, advent calendars? Supposedly one of the advent calendars I bought I’m putting away until 2023 so that means I only have one for 2022 right?? She offers 10g mini skeins so I bit and ordered one. I have no self control!! It really is an expensive way to buy yarn but I know I’ll enjoy the little surprises every day in December. 10g will be perfect for the Sea Glass Tee. Downside is I’m going to have to figure out how to store all these new minis.

KNIT IN PUBLIC

Yesterday was “Knit In Public Day”. World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company since knitting is often a solitary craft. I’m trying to get a monthly knit session set up with knitters that I met at my LYS so we met yesterday at Panera. We got to “knit in public” and kick-off a monthly knitting group. It was nice to catch up with folks I haven’t seen in a year or more.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a wonderful week of crafting.

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fiber activities, then update your blog each week. Plans can be calendar year (like mine) or mid-year start (like many). Following the plan is optional and creates some of the fun of posts. YOP is in it’s 11th year. It’s my second in the group. I’ve been knitting for five years.