Making progress on Hubby’s sweater. The sleeves have been joined to the body. Still can’t understand the pattern instructions so I’ll plan to kitchener the sleeve underarm to the body. I’m still hoping to have it finished before we leave for Florida in a week. It’s not too warm of a sweater since it’s a cotton/silk blend (Berroco Summer Silk) so he may be able to wear it on those occasional cool mornings in February. If it doesn’t fit, I’ve already warned him it goes to the long term time out corner as I’m not going to delay working on other projects to reknit this sweater that I now hate. (Fortunately due to knitting stripes and breaking the yarn after every stripe, lengthening the sleeves won’t be hard – just remove the cuff, add stripes and kitchener back onto the sleeve).
A GIRL AND HER WOOL
I’m especially glad I ended up ordering an advent calendar from A Girl And Her Wool this year. She announced this week that after almost 4 years, she is ending her yarn dying and thus her shop. I loved her concept of letting you order exactly how much yarn you wanted versus being forced to buy 100 gr skeins. I could order 60 gr of MC and 10 gr of contrast color to make a pair of socks and not have a lot of yarn leftover. Her business was doing well and that was part of the problem, it was taking over her life as she also had a fulltime job. I’m glad that she walks away knowing she can start-up and run a successful online business.
HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!
In the US, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to celebrate friends and family with food so it’s my favorite holiday. Looking forward to turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie with my in-town kids and father. Then it’s Christmas cookie baking on Friday followed by putting up the Christmas decorations on Saturday.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
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 six years.
Finished the body and now I’m knitting the sleeves. I forgot with bottom up that the sleeves are knit separately. I’ve never knit the cuffs first. Since I also knit socks toe up, this whole starting with ribbing from the cast-on was wonky for me. But it’s done and now it’s off to the races. Even knitting two sleeves at a time, each row is only a third of the number of stitches that the body had. This will definitely be my last bottom up sweater. I hate that I have to guess what stripe to start with to achieve the desired length. Yes I’ve measured the target garment and thus in theory the sleeve should be 17″ long. But I know only too well that estimated doesn’t equal target. Ripping out the cuff and adding a stripe doesn’t really work since the stockinette stitches would be in the wrong direction. Fingers crossed I’ve estimated correctly.
FINAL PHOTO – CHRISTMAS STOCKING
This time I mean it, last photo. I made an i-cord for the stocking hanger and duplicate stitched my granddaughter’s name. May I say how much I HATE duplicate stitch. Not a labor of love, just labor!! Used leftover bed sheet material from my Covid masking making days for the stocking lining. But it’s done and winging it’s way to Indiana. My stepdaughter has already requested stockings for her and her hubby. Something to put on next year’s knitting plan.
PROJECT BAG #2
Since I had to get out my sewing machine to make the lining for the Christmas stocking, I decided to sew the second project bag out of the Charlie Harper cardinal fabric I had. It was already cut and the interface fused to the fabric so it was a very quick sewing project. I do love these tiny bags which are perfect for a pair of socks. I may add a long strap to one bag so that I can wear it for my Florida “walking while knitting”. I already have nylon bags for this but the fabric is just so cute! Cardinals are year round birds here in Ohio. They give our dreary winters a spark of color.
NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS
I’m excited that my daughter and son-in-law will be back in Cincinnati this coming week to attend one of her high school friend’s wedding. A much happier reason for a hometown visit. It’s so weird that I’m seeing her 3 times in 4 weeks as we will stop for a day’s rest on our drive to Florida the end of the month. Normally I only get to see her twice a year; on our drive down to Florida and our drive back to Ohio. This year it’s 5 visits!! Not complaining. We will have a preholiday get together with my husband’s side Friday night and with my side on Sunday.
Hope your November is off to a wonderful start. The leaves have fallen off the trees here in Ohio. Everything looks like winter outside which fits with our coming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Weird this year is that even most of the oak trees dropped their leaves. Maybe the drought fall we had?? We are having very unusually warm temperatures (after an unusually cold October). The air temperature feels like early summer. I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt! We cut the grass one last time. Hubby is enjoying this warm weather before heading south.
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 six years.
Not a lot to share this week. Preparing for my nephew’s funeral used up a lot of my knitting time even though my role was simply to provide for the luncheon following the internment. It was wonderful to have my daughter and son-in-law stay with us for the weekend.
CHRISTMAS STOCKING
My granddaughter’s Christmas stocking got most of the knitting this week. I got the heel done and I’m working on the toe. I’ve created a chart so that I can double knit her name down the leg. I should have it done by later today. Then I need to sew a lining for it.
HUBBY’S SWEATER
My hubby is glad that I’ll be getting back to knitting his sweater. I had him try it on and of course, after knitting the next smaller size, now the sweater is a bit tight. I’ll have to block it out. Hubby isn’t as thin as he thinks he is. 🙂 Two more stripes and it will be time to separate for the sleeves. I should have some good progress to show next week.
BABY SWEATER
You may recall that I knit a baby sweater last March as a test knit. Turned out it was too big for my granddaughter then but it fits her well now. Here’s a picture of her in the sweater.
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 six years.
I did end up casting on a Christmas stocking for my granddaughter. So the winter colorwork sock goes on hold until I complete the stocking. I decided to go basic with the Christmas stocking. Kits are expensive and I didn’t want to buy more yarn. I had a skein of Christmas striped sock yarn in my stash. I bought 2 skeins last year and had already knit up one skein into a pair of Christmas socks for me. The yarn is kind of “wooly” so I didn’t want to make another pair of socks. It’s perfect for the Christmas socking. I’m using some stash yarn to make the white cuff. “Unfortunately” since it’s knit with sock yarn, I am not knitting it with a large needle to give my hands a break from the smallish (US 4) needles I’m also using on hubby’s sweater. I hope to add my granddaughter’s name with duplicate stitching down the leg. This should be fun and fast. I will have to line the sock as it’s not going to be strong enough fabric on it’s own.
HUBBY’S SWEATER
With the focus on the Christmas stocking, Hubby’s sweater is getting less love so not a lot of progress. Poor hubby, he always falls to the back of priorities. Good thing I love the yarn. I’ll be lucky if I get it done by Thanksgiving. More like Christmas. The progress keeper shows the progress I’ve made this week.
ADVENT CALENDAR
The first advent calendar has arrived. The others should arrive next month. This one is the Emma’s Yarn calendar. It will make a nice Christmas decoration. Apparently you just pick random ones to open versus being in a numbered order. It will be packed away to open in Florida. I’m thinking of making the Party Cardy with the mini skeins. The pink bag in the middle is a Christmas Day goody added by the yarn store that sold the calendar.
I also receive my autumn mini set that I will set aside for a Christmas in July ’23 opening.
COVID?? FLU??
Sadly I didn’t get to see my granddaughter and stepdaughter yesterday as she had to cancel the birthday party. My granddaughter has been running a fever for the past 5 days and my stepdaughter also came down with a fever, sore throat and body aches. Not sure if we will be able to squeeze in a visit in November before we head to Florida as my stepdaughter needs surgery for a “frozen shoulder”. I’ll have to mail the baby blanket for my grandson’s baby.
DEATH VISITS
Just when I thought things were bad enough with the loss of my childhood friend, “God” sends my family a sucker punch. My brother called me Wednesday evening with words I thought I’d never hear, “Derek is dead.”. Derek is my brother’s 35 year old son. It’s not clear exactly what happened other than he fell on his front steps and hit his head hard. He had a heart attack (?) either before or after the fall. I pray my brother and sister-in-law can survive the death of their son. I cannot image surviving the death of my child. So give your loved ones a special hug, call, or text this week.
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 six years.
Whew! It’s done. Lordy I hope there is a pause in baby blankets as they are not my favorite thing to knit. Good thing is that I’ve used up almost all my acrylic yarn that my daughter-in-all has gifted me over several Christmases.
HUBBY’S SWEATER
Finishing the baby blanket means I’m focusing now on my hubby’s sweater. I had him try it on after completing the hem and knitting 25 rows of the body. Despite making a gauge swatch, it’s way too big. So I ripped back to the hem and removed the added stitches the pattern called for. This results in going down one size. Plus I am going down a needle size. I will check the gauge again after I knit a few inches and see if any additional modifications are needed. Also see the cute Halloween progress keepers/BOR marker I got this week. I also got some Christmas ones.
Twice Sheared Sheep Holiday Markers
I’m probably going to end up casting on a pair of socks or another Ranunculus this coming week just so I have something to alternate between versus endless rows of stockinette. He wants a plain sweater which makes it easier to knit but also a bit boring. The striping does help alleviate the boredom.
OOPS I DID IT AGAIN
I tried to resist since I have already ordered 3 advent calendars but I just couldn’t resist my friend’s “autumn” mini set. Definitely going to have to make a lot of striped tops/sweaters. Maybe I’ll save this set for a Christmas in July so as to knit a tee for autumn. I’ll have forgotten the colors by then! Happy to say her yarn dying business is going well and is now her fulltime job.
Coates & Co Minis
CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR?
I seem to recall seeing someone make ornaments using up leftover bits of yarn. So I’ve been collecting the yarn I snip off after weaving in ends or if I truly have so little yarn left from a project that I’m not going to use it in another project. I would like my small Christmas tree that I have in the Florida condo to be knitting related. So yesterday I bought these tiny (1.4″/3.5cm) clear plastic ornaments and I’m stuffing them with the colorful bits of yarn. I’m planning to make a simple garland out of the leftover yarns from the baby blankets as well.
NON KNITTING STUFF
I got the most recent Covid booster Thursday. WOW. I’ve never had a reaction to Covid shots before. This one left my arm feeling like a professional boxer hit my arm. Then I had the worst headache I can remember in a very long time. Fortunately within 24 hours I was back to “normal”
It is almost the peak of autumn colors. Certainly by next week. Then it will start “raining” leaves. 😦 This is absolutely my favorite time of year. Sunny but cool enough to wear sweaters and wool socks. Bright blue skies. It’s weather and scenery like this that makes it impossible for me to consider moving to Florida year round. Oh and that broken rail at the bottom of the stairs…. a reminder of the incompetent concrete contractor we hired last summer.
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 six years.
I enjoyed knitting Anne Hanssen’s new tee that launched yesterday. But I certainly learned some lessons in the process.
No more test knitting. I just don’t knit fast enough if the project has to be completed in one month, especially if it’s fingering weight yarn. This was my second test knit. I barely got a baby sweater finished in one month. Yes this was a somewhat cropped tee but I still barely got it done and had to abandon all other projects for the month. For me, it would be better to wait until the pattern is for sale and I can knit it on my own time schedule.
Use those numbered stitch counters I bought!!! I apparently miscounted my stitches leading into separating for sleeves, etc. What an unpleasant surprise when I found out this week that I had 20 too many stitches in each row of the body. Turns out I ended up knitting a size larger than I intended. Fortunately it fits okay, just a little more ease than the pattern intended.
Take the time to make a stitch count chart. I usually do this for sweaters/tee but skipped it since I was behind on getting the tee started. Making a stitch count chart has multiple benefits. It forces me to read through the pattern as I determine how many stiches each row should have. I think it would have helped me (coupled with using numbered stitch markers) to make sure I was making the raglan increases correctly. It also would have helped me know how many stitches per day I needed to knit in order to complete the tee in the required time.
Either learn how to pick up stitches (!!!!) or take the time to do a provisional cast-on (as the pattern advised!!!) I’m okay with how the neckband turned out but I didn’t pick up stitches a) correctly or b) quickly. Can’t believe how long it took me to pick up stitches!! Then as I was nearly done I realized I hadn’t done it right.
All in all, I’m glad I got to knit this beautiful tee. I will definitely knit another one with less ease and a less tonal colorway to show off the textured sections better. I will use a provisional cast-on but I will also need to learn how to pick up stitches for the front neckband stitches.
I’m looking forward to someday knitting her Hope Cardigan which Anne gave me for doing the test knit. I will make it short sleeve and keep the sleeve in the lace pattern.
ADVENT CALENDARS
Just in case you might be looking for an advent calender…. based on my research the two “best prices” are Vicki Brown Designs in the UK and Wool Interrupted in Canada. Wool Interrupted is BY FAR the best price based on how much yarn you get. I am seriously considering buying a second advent calendar and saving it for December 2023. One of her choices looks to be lots of different bright colors (lower right photo) which is what I prefer over concentrated in one or two colors. She is using a bamboo/wool mix which should add sheen to the yarn. I’m concerned that she might not have the diverse set of colors as an option or the bamboo yarn if I wait till next year to order one. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it 😉).
She has really upped her game since I bought her 12 day calendar 2 years ago. She now offers multiple choices of color inspiration, better colors, and offers 8 days, 12 days, and 25 days calendars. All calendars include a full skein for the last day.
NEXT……
I am so looking forward to knitting new things. I need to fix the Heldig Tank I knit back in January for my daughter-in-law. It is too tight in the underarms so I ripped out the collar and will add length to the yoke.
Once I get that done I look forward to working on my socks and my neice’s baby blanket. Good knits for the drive to Charleston, SC in mid-May for my daughter’s wedding. I also plan to sign up for Patty Lyons online Brioche class as my next big project will be the Joji’s Newspaper sweater. I’ll be working on mini projects for the brioche class.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
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 did finish my Say Yes to Pie Christmas socks!! I’ll get to wear them to the knitting groups this week. I soaked them in a lanolin wool wash and they are a little nicer to wear but I still don’t like them. I will also try liquid fabric softener. The pattern is great; the yarn, Mary Maxim Festive Feet, not so much. The remainder of the yarn will be used to make Christmas ornaments/garlands, not socks!!
CHRISTMAS ANKLETS
HELDIG TANK
With the Christmas yarn socks done, I am now focused on my Heldig tank top. It’s an easy knit since it’s almost all stockinette. Not much happening on the body so I have about 80 more rows until I have to start working on shaping rows. The unevenness of the gauge shows I’m new to knitting Continental but I’m hoping it will even out during blocking. I’m reminded that if I’m going to have multiple projects on needles, I need to make sure I do a little knitting on each project every day (unless it’s a vanilla sock). After focusing the past week on getting the Christmas sock done, I’ve lost my mojo on knitting the Half Fisherman Rib for the side panel detail. It looked wonky so I pulled out the stitches and put in regular ribbing. At least a lesson learned.
HELDIG TANK TOP #2
NEW SOCK WIP
Since I finished a pair of socks that means a new pair goes on needles. I cast on my favorite brain dead yarn, Berroco Fixation, for a vanilla sock. I plan on seeing if I can knit while taking my walks. The elastic DK yarn is good for knitting without having to look at every stitch.
WALKING (?) SOCKS
SNOWBIRD KNITTING
I joined a new small group of knitters on Tuesday in a nearby town. Their were 5 of us but all are capable knitters. The other 4 all live in Florida year round so I’m hopeful the group will continue and be something I can join each winter. They are knitting the Spiraling Cables Triangle by Stephen West. I do like the pattern but I have other projects I want to work on now. At a minimum I need to wait till I go back to Cincinnati at Christmas so that I can bring back the contrast yarn for the shawl. The yarn my daughter just gave me for Christmas would be perfect for the main color and I do have a beautiful yarn in Cincinnati to pair it with. A podcast I like, Frivolous and Frugal, is doing a cast-on Zoom on New Years Day that would be fun to join. I’m liking the idea of having a New Years Day cast-on. Using yarn gifted from my daughter would make it extra special.
On Wednesdays, a knitting/crochet group meets at the condo complex. The leader is a very proficient knitter but the others are more social knitters/crocheters that only make blankets. I enjoy all types of knitters so I’m thankful to have both groups to share my knitting passion with while in Florida.
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
I hadn’t planned to make Christmas cookies this year as they certainly aren’t on my diet. But the condo complex is having a cookie exchange so I thought it would be fun to participate. I figure cookies can be frozen and then doled out over the next few months. I’ll be baking up 5 dozen double chocolate biscotti today. Additionally my daughter-in-law loved the gluten free shortbreads my husband made so he wants to make more and send them to her. I’ve invited a Florida friend, who just lost her husband suddenly in Oct, to come over for cookie taste testing. She also has to avoid gluten so I’m hoping she will enjoy the shortbreads.
Hope everyone has a great week enjoying the holidays.
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.
Completed the hems and have joined for the body. This is a simple knit although the Daisy yarn is a bit fiddly. Thus this will not be a car knit project. It will get worked on possibly the day of rest at my daughter’s or once we get to Florida.
MARY MAXIM CHRISTMAS SOCKS
I’ve decided to continue the Christmas socks. My husband might like them as house socks in December. Blocking (twice) helped some. They are in the car just in case I get a break from driving.🤞
KNITTER CHRISTMAS
My friends did like their “12 Day” Advent set. Hopefully they will still like the eclectic mix of yarns after they open them all. One of my friends gave me these thoughtful knitting aids – a foldable ruler and a magnetic dish to hold my stitch markers. I have 2 sock rulers, and I like them, but they are too long to fit into my sock project bags. This foldable ruler will be more useful since I can keep it in my sock project bag. The magnetic dish is great! I have a magnetic necklace but found that I accidently end up knocking the stick markers off it so I don’t use it. The dish has a much stronger magnet so even if you knock it off a table, the stitch markers won’t fly off. If you have a metal tray table, like I’ve been using from IKEA, there is no way that dish can even get knocked off!! Then another knitting friend made us all these adorable knitting basket ornaments.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
We had a wonderful time for Thanksgiving. Just 3 of our boys on Thanksgiving. Then the same boys with my dad, brother (and SIL), and nephew yesterday for a delayed Thanksgiving. I just love Thanksgiving foods!! My diet took quite the hit this week but I know I’ll get back to more moderate eating once we are in Florida.
USING GRANDMA’S CHINA AND CRYSTAL
We did not visit my step-daughter and her baby just prior to Thanksgiving. Enough said. As my son who still lives with us while attending college said, “I never want to get on your bad side”.
TIS THE SEASON
I adore Advent season. Christmas lights and decorations. It will be interesting to see how I feel spending Advent in Florida but I think it will be fine since I know I get to spend Christmas in Ohio. There is a multi-street neighborhood near where we rent that does the whole “Christmas With the Kranks” thing so I will definitely be touring the neighborhood. I will miss my northern friends but look forward to seeing my southern ones.
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.
Since I’m neither a fast knitter nor a focused knitter, I’m afraid my next few posts will be progress reports rather than FOs. I did update my 2021 Knitting Plan status and I’m very happy with myself for the year. I had planned 41 “points” worth of knitting and I have completed 46.5 “points” so far. I think the annual plan and daily knitting calendar are helping me be focused. My “points” system is roughly based on stitches required for a project and complexity of the project. A goal for 2022 will be to do a better job of determining the stitches needed for each project so that I more accurately plan how long each project will take.
CHRISTMAS SOCKS
I am loving Cinnamon’s Say Yes To Pie pattern on my self striping Christmas yarn socks. Turn’s out I am a fan of 9″ circulars if I’m not worried about the pattern matching between the 2 socks. (I’ve already made a mistake in the pattern). Also it does need to be a near vanilla pattern at least for my skill level. I find it hard to manipulate the needles for stitches other than knit. But I’m liking the project compactness of knitting a single sock. I am going to soak the first sock before starting the heel to see if I like the feel of the sock yarn before doing any more. If I don’t like it, I’ll frog it and use the yarn for ornaments/garland.
Christmas Sock – Say Yes To Pie
BABY BLANKET
I alternate between the Christmas socks and the baby blanket. This has the benefit of giving my hands different needle sizes as well as a tight round knitting versus a long straight knitting. Practicing my Continental knitting is much easier on the baby blanket too. Added bonus is my daughter-in-law will get to see me knitting with the yarn she gave me for Christmas on the baby blanket when we stop for a visit the end of the month.
Western Hills Blanket
HELDIG TANK #2
I did cast-on this week my second Heldig Tank. This will be gifted to my oldest stepson’s wife as she said she’d like one after seeing the first one I knit for my youngest son’s girlfriend. I might be it done by the end of the year.
Heldig Tank
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Because we are going to Florida a month earlier, my Christmas activities have also moved up a month. Never in my life have I wrapped a Christmas present before Thanksgiving. Usually it’s literally Christmas Eve and I’m cursing that they will be opened anyway the next day so why don’t I just put bags under the tree!! This year I needed to wrap early as we will drop off Christmas presents as we travel first to Evansville, IN on Tuesday (looking unlikely – stepdaughter just informed us we should have gotten the t-dap vaccine updated within the last 3 years even though normal vaccination is every 10 years. Hubby and I are past the 3 yr cut-off) and then in Charleston, SC and Orlando, FL (fingers crossed because DIL has informed us she wants a negative Covid test before seeing us. I was able to score free self test kits!!) the following week. Plus I’ve gotten presents for my youngest son and his girlfriend prior to our leaving and have wrapped them so hopefully a little less stress during our short visit home at Christmas. Christmas cards are usually something I’m lucky to get out by the middle of December. This year they are ready to be dropped into the mail on the 27th. Thanks to slow mail delivery, I’m hoping they won’t arrive to anyone before Dec 1. I am usually a last minute person, drives hubby crazy, so this feels very weird. At least our cold weather and snow flurries has helped make it feel like Christmas. Here’s the chocolates, nuts, teas, and hot cocoa garland I made as an Advent Calendar for my daughter and her husband.
Treats Advent Calendar
FINAL FALL PHOTO
Yarn did arrive this week but I wrapped it as a Christmas present to myself so I won’t share until Christmas. Since it is not Christmas/advent yet, I leave you with a last shot of fall on the driveway. I am thankful the original owner of the property planted oak trees along the entrance of the driveway. He planted them too close together stunting many of them but they still make a beautiful and amazing canopy of trees. The oaks turn red and then brown and hold the brown leaves until spring. Makes it kinda dangerous when we get snow but oak tree branches are strong. We do have to have a tree trimmer clear the interior branches as fire code requires clear space in case a fire truck has to get back to our house.
Nov 17, 2021
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.
Finally finished my Advent 2019 socks. I can’t wait to wear them. The feet are an eclectic mixture of leftover Christmas sock yarns. Adds to the fun of the stripes I think. They will be too hot to wear in Florida but I’m hoping to wear them on the drive to Charleston, SC the end of the month on our way to Florida. Then I’ll bring them back with me when we fly back to Cincinnati for Christmas. I’ll get to wear them at our Christmas party for hubby’s church choir.
ADVENT 2019 SOCKS
CHRISTMAS SOCKS CAST-ON
I got to cast on a pair of Christmas sock yarn. Sadly I don’t like the yarn at all! It is the cheap Mary Maxim yarn. I’m learning I’m very spoiled by hand dyed yarns. The Mary Maxim yarn is very “wooly”. I can’t image wearing the socks and it certainly is no fun knitting them. I am using Cinnamon’s Say Yes to Pie pattern so I’m looking forward to how it knits up. I plan to complete the pair and block them to see if the yarn softens up.
Say Yes To Pie Christmas Socks
BABY BLANKET – WESTERNHILLS
I cast-on the baby blanket for my niece. It’s the Western Hills pattern – a free pattern on Ravelry. I am making myself knit it Continental to give my shoulder a break from my usual English (throw) method. I’m enjoying knitting it this way. I use the Norwegian purl which is a bit slow but let’s me keep the yarn in the back for both knits and purls. I want a nice easy pattern to knit in the car or while visiting our children on the drive down to Naples, FL. I’m using the multi color minis my daughter-in-law game me last year for Christmas. Not much to see so far.
Western Hills Baby Blanket
Don’t know that I’ll get much car knitting. I typically have to do all the driving. I’m thankful that we are able to break up the 18 hr drive by staying a full day with my daughter in Charleston, SC giving me a day off from driving. Then this year we will stop at my son’s near Orlando, FL spending the night before making the final 3 hr drive to Naples. So a 2 day trip becomes a 4 day trip but we get to visit with kids we rarely see. I haven’t seen my son and his wife in person since pre-Covid, so almost 2 years.
FLORIDA KNITTING
Not surprisingly I’ve got my knitting planned for wintering in Florida before what clothes to take. Can’t believe we leave in 2 weeks. A goal for 2022 is to knit a pair of socks per month. That will be aggressive for me. Even so, I’ve caked and packed yarn to make 4 pairs of socks in addition to the Christmas yarn socks I’ve just cast-on. I also packed the yarn to make my hubby’s sweater plus a tee top for me. I will be casting on a tank top for the wife of my oldest stepson before we leave as well. I’m hoping to finish it by the first of the year. I have no doubt all these projects are more than I can complete during my winter in Naples. But I’m looking forward to completing some and starting others.
FLORIDA KNITTING
Time is really rushing by as annual doctors exams, Christmas shopping/gift making and Florida packing is cutting into my knitting time. I’m currently making vegan “soup in a jar” kits to give as Christmas presents to my daughters. Plus I’m making a candy and nuts Advent Calendar garland for my SC daughter.
Soup In A Jars
Today was our first official snow flurries making us that much more anxious to get to Florida!! Have a great crafting week.
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.
Knitting Is So Fun 