2022: Wk of Mar 13 – 19; Yarn Road Trip and WIPs Update

YARN ROAD TRIP

What a fun day we had at Four Purls Yarn Shop in West Haven, Florida!!! Every yarn base and color of Emma’s yarn was stocked in addition to several other brands of yarn. I did manage to control myself and only bought one skein, 150g, of Hella Hank that I will use to knit a Ranunculus sweater.

10 Questions Colorway

I would have bought the Slubby Slub for the Ranunculus but they didn’t have enough of the colorway I loved (10 Questions). They had a store sample made with the Slubby Slub and it really looked great. What a unique yarn but it took 2 skeins to make the Ranuculus. We took a class on making bobbles and the Latvian braid. I’m looking forward to adding a Latvian braid to the top of my socks or the cuff on my sweaters/tops.

Bobbles and Braids

My friends certainly made the trip worthwhile for the store and bought a lot of yarn. For them it was quite the treat to be able to touch and see yarns in person versus having to buy yarn online. I forget how lucky I am to living in a city with many yarn stores. A new one just open and I’m looking foward to attending a knit night there.

BABY BLANKET

I have made a little progress on my neice’s baby blanket. It’s a nice mindless knit for watching soccer games or social knitting. This will be my car knitting (if I get any) for the drive back north. A “design element” was created by my mistakenly mismatching the yarn weight of the white yarn with the color yarn. I actually like how it brings the white stripes forward and slightly puckers the colored stripes. Baby blankets get all bunched up anyway so laying flat isn’t really a requirement.

BABY SWEATER TEST KNIT

I finished the sleeves. This weekly I’ll be attaching the sleeves and finishing the yoke. Almost done!! I like to knit sleeves 2 at a time so that I’m sure they match. This pattern sadly on one row of the pattern requires carrying over the last stitch of the backside to the front. This is impossible with magic loop 2 at a time. So I told the designer, Anne Hanssen, that it would be good to warn knitters that they can’t do 2 at a time until after they have completed the cuff pattern. That said, I did my typical “wing it” and didn’t do the carryover. Somehow I was 1 under on the stitch count anyway (lots of complaints of that row is poorly written). The pattern calls for slipping 2 stitches and then putting them over the next knitted stitch. I just slipped 1 and passed it over. It looks fine.

Test Knit Sleeves – 2 at a Time

Swirl E Rainbow Speckle Socks

I’m hoping to get these socks done the same time as I get the Baby Sweater done. They are a suprise gift for my step-daughter to be included when I mail her the baby sweater. I love the Swirl E pattern with this yarn. Fingers crossed I can get everything done so that I can mail the package by the 31st. Our days in Florida are coming to an end. I would really like to put them in the mail rather than pack them for the drive back to Ohio.

Swirl E Pattern with AlwaysBeKind Chirstmas Lights Yarn

Back to Ohio

I have really enjoyed wintering in Florida but I’m looking forward to returning to Ohio come April. It’s getting hot and more importantly humid here in Florida. I spend the winter sitting on our patio everyday. Now it’s getting too hot to sit outside. Hence I’m looking forward to once again sitting outside on our deck and knitting. My son has sent pictures of the outstanding job this contractor did on filling our former pool. I don’t have to dread looking out the window to see the concrete mistake of last summer. We now have a very large lawn that his dog is loving. We will be planting some fruit trees (sour cherry, pear??) when we get home.

Many of my Florida activities will be coming to an end anyway as all us snowbirds leave. I just can’t imagine living some place where more than half the population is only there for 3-4 months. The knitting group that went to the yarn store are year round residents so I’m optimistic the group will continue and I’ll be able to rejoin the group come December. Thanks to the “gifted” yarn, I plan to leave 3 tee projects plus a “walking sock” project in the condo we are renting next year rather than hauling the yarn back and forth. I have a vacuum sealed bag that I’ll store the yarn in. Hubby is happy I shouldn’t need to bring much yarn with me next year beyond WIPs I want to finish.

Another great week of retired life. Hope your days are going well too.

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.

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#49 Finding New LYSs

Is there anything more fun than visiting new yarn stores???  I personally detest shopping for clothes, shoes, etc.  But shopping for yarn… what’s not to like!!  There is no trying on and having to look at those extra pounds.

So I am thankful that despite southern Florida’s heat, there is a yarn store in Naples, Castle Creek Fiber Studio, and a yarn store in Fort Meyer, Hooked On Ewe.  The Naples store is a 25 minute drive; the Fort Meyer store is a 45 minute drive.  I go weekly to the knit night the Naples store.   I don’t expect to visit the Fort Meyer store often since it’s pretty far away.  I met a Cincinnati knitting friend who is snowbirding in Fort Meyer there before grabbing lunch.

I did see a yarn that I now feel I really need to get. 😆  So in 3 weeks when we take our Cincinnati friends that are spending Feb with us back to the Punta Gorda airport, I’m going to make Tom stop so I can buy the yarn to make a summer top.  Gee, one more project to add to my 2021 project plan.😜. My friend is already making the top on display so I feel like I have someone that might help me with questions.

South Florida has turned out to be good for this northern knitter.  I’m enjoying the opportunities these LYSs are providing.

#48 Naples Florida Social Knitting

One of the things I really was concerned about snowbirding in Florida was missing my knitting friends back in Cincinnati.  I love getting together with them every week.  We share pattern ideas, favorite podcasts, fun tools, yarn info, etc.

While I do miss them (thankful for our Facebook group page so I can continue to interact with them), I’m happy to say I have found two groups that I’m participating in here in Naples, Fl.  One group meets every other Tuesday literally across the street.  This group is crocheters so it doesn’t provide pattern or tool sharing that I like but they are certainly friendly and welcoming so it’s an enjoyable evening.  I found them through a Ravelry suggestion to find them on Meetup.  There are about 8 ladies every week.  They are all locals so I’m a bit of the odd man out as a snowbird but they have been accepting.

I am also attending a weekly open knitting session at the yarn shop in Naples, Castle Creek Fiber Studio.  They have two sessions a weekly, one every Wednesday morning and one every Thursday evening.  The Wednesday morning session is too big for me.  There must have been 40 women there!!!  Even last Thursday evening’s group was about 15 so getting a bit large.  These groups are much more filled with snowbirds and are all knitters.  Again they have been welcoming and I enjoy learning from others about various knitting topics such as knitting “conventions”, tools, and techniques.

The net for me is that I’m willing, and even looking forward to, snowbirding again next winter.  I had thought I might fly home the end of January if I was miserable in Naples.  January came and went with me staying in Florida.  I will be glad to reunite with my Cincinnati friends come mid-March but at least I’m not literally counting down the days like I did last year in Miami.

#35. Weekly Knitting Friends

Maybe it’s a summer thing as roughly this time last year I wrote about being thankful for my LYS supporting a “knitting community”.  In addition I’m extremely thankful for the group of friends I’ve made that meet weekly.  We meet at the LYS on “odd” Fridays when the LYS hosts an open knitting session.  Then we meet at a local coffee shop that has graciously allowed us to be in their “spare” room on “even” Fridays.

Thus we get together weekly to knit and share.  It’s through this group that we decided to create a knitting plan for the year to help guide our projects rather than bounce from the latest idea to the next.  This helps my need for control. And helps guide yarn purchases.  We encourage each other as we try new patterns and techniques.  We even have plans to have mini-KALs if 2 or more want to knit the same thing.

We plan the occasional trip such as our girls weekend last December and our trip to the Knitters Pride warehouse sale.  We are already planning a trip to the Young’s Dairy Farm Wool Gathering in September.  I never took “girls” trips before meeting this group.

This group is a big reason that I struggle with living in Florida for months.  I will miss the friendship of our weekly sessions.  I appreciate that groups like this can be “time sensitive”.  Retirement might bring changes.  Employment is definitely bringing change for one.  Hopefully she will be able to join us during school breaks (we may have to throw in a Monday session for some holidays).

Last week we had the sad occasion to attend the viewing of a knitters husband who had died in an accident.  I know she was surprised but pleased to have her knitting friends recognize her grief.

Living means change so I know to appreciate this group for all the richness it has now.  I don’t know what the future will bring but I certainly can be thankful for what this group means time now.