2023: Wk of 5/28-6/3; Sea Glass Tee Update, Cozy Cast-on, and Trees

“SEA GLASS” TEE

I am totally loving this sweater. The one row striping looks great. Using the multi-texture yarn for the light color was a good call. It helps add visual appeal that the multi-color light yarn would have provided. The bits of teal in the colorway helps make the top a little different from my usual autumn colors. Definitely love the lighter weight of the top.

“WINTER” COLORWORK SOCKS

Getting close to finishing. I’ve used up the leftover Lollipop yarn. Obviously one ball had more yarn than the other so the “toe” of one sock will be longer than the other sock. No one will ever see it. I should get these finished this week.

TUMBLER COZY

I did cast-on a tumbler cozy to use up leftover fixation yarn. This tiny project was perfect to take to last night’s soccer game while I waited for the game to start and traffic to clear once the game was over. While hubby has NEVER worn the sweater I knit him, he literally wore out the tumbler cozy I gave him. I’m happy to use up leftover yarn and he gets a new cozy. Win-Win

MIMOSA TREES

Sadly, this year it is very depressing to look our Mimosa trees. This is what the one that we can see out our back windows looked like last year. This year there are hardly any leaves on the tree and no blossoms. Back on Dec 22, we had a 39F drop in temperature over six hours. That’s a record and “shattered” the previous one. Many trees and shrubs did not survive. All 4 of my mimosa are barely hanging on with just a few leaves. I plan to wait till next year to better assess if they simply should be cut down or if they will recover over time. Sadly we are experiencing drought already so I’m afraid they are going to get hit with a double whammy. Again, HIGHLY unusual for this lack of rain in May and June. We are having to have water delivered since we depend on rainfall for our water supply.

Speaking of the decking, this week hubby and I did a lot of restaining the wood which is where my knitting time went. Also, turns out I have been gripping and pressing on the paint roller so hard as I’m staining the spindles that I’m hurting my wrist and hand. I’m taking a few days off from staining to let them recover.

Hope you had a wonderful week of crafting with lots of fun projects for the coming week. This has been a YOP12 post. YOP is a Ravelry group of crafting bloggers that create a yearly crafting plan and then provide updates. Sticking to the plan is optional. 😉

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2023: Wk of 5/14-20; Ranunculus Progress, Colorwork Socks, and Hat Cast-on

RANUNCULUS UPDATE

This is a super easy knit now that it’s just a stockinette in the round for the body. I’m almost out of yarn so I’ll be finishing off the body today. Then I’ll use the collar mini to make a very small ribbed cuff for the sleeves followed by a small garter hem. Probably will have to use a second mini to be able to finish the hem.

“WINTER” COLORWORK SOCKS

Arg. The risk of making this a sometimes project. Could not find the background yarn for the second sock’s purple stripe. So I had to rip it out on the first sock and reknit the sock with a different purple background yarn. Definitely an eclectic pair of socks. I need to knit the final 2 stripes on the second sock and then I’ll knit the foot in some leftover sock yarn. The yarns don’t match in any way but I almost always wear shoes so no one sees the foot of my socks. These are supposed to be “whimsical” and just use up leftover yarn. They aren’t a gift for anyone, just fun ones for me to wear.

NEW HAT and POM POM ACQUISITION

Despite my logic that it would be more fun to cast-on the colorful rainbow yarn for the next hat, I cast on the same tan tweed I used in the first student hat. Decided I was more interested in “finishing off” the yarn. I did order a bunch of faux fur pom poms to hide my less than pretty crown decreasing. At only $0.50 a pom pom, I felt the hats could enjoy the splurge. I’ve also found a use for a crochet bag I bought several years ago. It’s now my “hat yarn” bag.

COVID

It took 3 years but hubby and I finally came down with Covid. My test result went positive so fast I it did a second time because I thought I did something wrong! Doc put us on meds, Paxlovid for me and something for hubby that didn’t interfere with his blood thinner. We are both doing much better although have persistent tiredness. Fortunately for us our insurance still covers Covid testing and treatment until mid-July.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week of crafting. This has been a Ravelry Year of Projects post. Bloggers are encouraged to share their fiber plans for the year and then post weekly updates. Sticking to the plan is not required. 😉

2023: Wk of 4/2-8; Buttercup Tee FO and What’s Next

BUTTERCUP TEE FO

As predicted, I didn’t get much knitting done this week. I did get my Buttercup Tee finished.

While it’s a much thicker yarn than I like, I think I will enjoy wearing this tee. It is tunic length so it will pair with leggings.

My daughter did like the Deschain as knitted so she kept it. I will now use some stash yarn to knit one for me. Sadly I have a 50g skein of hers leftover that I have no idea what to do with it. Tempted to buy a second skein and knit mine in the same color/yarn. The Sea Glass tee was a bit large on her, as it is on me, so as expected it came home with me. I will knit another one for her with less ease. I thought about possibly giving it to my stepdaughter but my daughter and friends have encouraged me to keep it since it looks so great. Definitely too warm for Florida but would be good for spring and fall in Ohio.

YARN ACQUSITION AND NEXT UP

I was welcomed home by some yarn I ordered. I think this will make a fun top, white with bright color speckles. I plan to cast-on the Promenade Blouse tomorrow but I’ll make the sleeves taper and probably only three quarter length. Close up that neckline too.

SOCKS

I didn’t get much knitting done on my socks. The Fixation socks will become my car project to have on hand if I find myself waiting. I do want to focus on getting the Vivaldi Spring socks finished. Not sure what small project I’ll work on next.

ADVENT CALENDARS!!

Arg!!! The advent calendar sales have started!! I already have one for 2023 since I bought 3 last year. And I don’t need more minis!! But, but…… (as I stare at my wall of yarn). Maybe I’ll continue my “prebuying” trend and promise myself it’s for 2024??? Are there any you are already looking at for advent? I’m really tempted by Southern Skeins’ advent calendar.

GREAT WEEK

Hope you had a great week. Today was my birthday and yesterday was my stepson’s 50th birthday so my daughter flew in for the weekend. What a wonderful treat. She was able to get a cheap flight arriving Thursday night and then left tonight. We got to get in a visit with my dad and brother on Friday. Then she went to the MLS soccer game with me last night and WE WON!! Today we had a quiet Easter dinner with the “Cincinnati boys” plus my daughter. Could not have had a better birthday.

2023:Wk of 3/19-25; WIP Updates

BUTTERCUP TEE

I’m very pleased with how this tee is turning out. The fit is going to be great. It is using up a lot of yarn so I may actually need more than I have with me to finish it off. I want it to be a tunic length so it needs to extend past my bottom. Fortunately a have more skeins at home back in Ohio. About 6″ below the armpit, I went up a needle size to provide a little more ease. I actually did wet blocked what I had knit after a few inches just to be sure I couldn’t see a line when I went up a needle size. I plan to decrease stitches as I create the sleeve cuff to create a bit of a puff sleeve. The tee will be a bit thick due to the aran weight yarn. The drape would be better with the DK weight yarn called for but I’m glad I was able to use up some stash yarn.

VIVALDI SPRING SOCKS

I’ve made some progress on my Vivaldi Spring socks. Just a couple more stripes and it will be time to knit the heels in the orange contrast yarn. Looks like I don’t have much yarn to knit the leg even of a shortie socks. Fortunately I have a grey mini with me to “extend” the leg.

FIXATION VANILLA SOCKS

I’ve started the second sock so that I have something to knit on my last few days of walking and knitting. The first sock is almost ready for the heel so it’s time to catch the second sock up.

HEADING HOME

We are down to our last few days in Florida. If I get some of the above projects finished this week I may “have” to cast-on the Sophie scarf for car knitting. But it’s likely I’ll be doing most of the driving. The highways will likely be clogged as many snowbirds go back north on the first of April. The activities at the condo complex pretty much grind to a halt by the mid April since more than half of the residents are snowbirds. I already have some coffee dates set up with some knitting friends once I get back to Ohio. I’m also looking forward to getting to sit with my kitty while I knit. I know my stepson has taken good care of her but I’m looking forward to her curling up beside me on the couch.

Hope you had a good week crafting.

This has been a Ravelry Year of Projects post. Bloggers are encouraged to share their fiber plans for the year and then post weekly updates. Sticking to the plan is not required. 🤣

2023: Wk of 3/12-18; Yarn Store Visit and WIP Updates

TRUNK SHOW MEANS YARN ACQUISION

Some knitters that I meet with weekly while in Naples made a road trip yesterday to visit A Good Yarn, a yarn shop in Sarasota FL for a trunk show of Miss Babs yarns. It was fun to have a “girls trip” to shop for yarn and enjoy lunch together at a French cafe. We got to meet Miss Babs and definitely bought a lot of yarn. I did pretty good on my haul. Only 4 skeins. 3 skeins of mohair to go with yarn already in my stash to make projects I already had in mind (Promenade Blouse, Lace & Fade Boxy, Ranunculus). The “slurge” was a skein of cashmere/silk that I will use to knit the Sophie Scarf.

BUTTERCUP TEE

HahHa. Not surprisingly I didn’t do either thing I thought I would last week with this tee. The neck was indeed too big to just add a few garter rows so I frogged it. I was only 5 days into the project so not a lot of lost time.

Instead of moving to a pattern designed for my yarn I decided to give the Buttercup Tee one more go. This time I reduced the cast-on from 58 stitches to 38 stitches to match the reduction in the lace panel I did last time by eliminating one pattern repeat due to the thick yarn. This means I’m really winging it when it comes to how often to do raglan increases. I’ve measured the desired sleeve width and back/front widths so that I can make increases to get the needed measurements before splitting for sleeves. I do like the yarn and the colorway. (Butter Ball – not sure I like being a Butterball. I think Sweet Corn would be slightly more appealing.) It will be a wonderful summer top if I can figure out the sizing.

SOCKS GOT MINIMAL ATTENTION THIS WEEK

I do love the fall colorway of my Vivaldi Spring socks so I’m tickled I’m ending up with a pair of shorties from it. To prevent one sock syndrome, I force myself to knit both toes, then both feet, followed by both heels, both legs, and finally both cuffs. No finish a sock and start all over again with the second one hoping they match. Not much to see this week so I’m not going to post a picture. Similarly the Fixation socks got a little attention this week but not enough to justify photo.

FINISHING UP

Sadly our friends from Cincinnati just called to say they were headed back to Cininnati after driving all the way to Atlanta yesterday. They were supposed to join us here in Naples, FL for a week but the hubby experienced a medical issue last night. Nothing life threatening but best to go home for medical attention as needed. We head north on the 31st. I’m looking forward to spending an evening with my son and his wife in Gainesville, FL before heading to Charleston, SC to spend an evening with my daughter and her husband. Plus I’m already making plans to connect with knitting friends back in Cincinnati in April.

Hope you have had a good week and have fun things to look forward to in the coming week.

This has been a Ravelry Year of Projects post. Bloggers are encouraged to share their fiber plans for the year and then post weekly updates. Sticking to the plan is not required. 😉

2023: Wk of 3/5-11; New Cast-Ons

I finished the Deschain sweater this week. I did decide to add a few garter rows to create a cuff on the sleeves. I think the neck looks fine as is so I’m not picking up stitches and creating a collar as the pattern calls for. I also finished the vanilla socks. I’m ready for the trip to Charleston at the end of the month. I can have my daughter try on the Deschain and the Sea Glass Tee. She can keep them if she likes them and I’ll knit new ones for me. Or I can keep them and knit new ones for her based on modifications she would like. The socks are ready to gift to her friend.

BUTTERCUP TEE

I cast-on Heidi Kirrmaier’s Buttercup Tee. I’m loving this yellow Rowan Tweed yarn. The silk/cotton yarn is perfect for a spring project. It’s a bit thick since it is aran weight yarn so my gauge is way off. I’m following the instructions for the smallest size but I think it’s still too big. The neck opening is way larger than I planned. I’m going to knit it till I separate for sleeves and knit some of the body so I can try it on. I’ll probably pick-up stitches around the neck and add extra rows of garter. Then if I still don’t like it, I’ll frog it and knit a pattern designed for aran weight yarn.

NEW SOCKS

Since I finished the vanilla socks this week, I needed a new pair cast-on for walks and social knitting. The Buttercup Tee is not a good project for walking knitting and needs too much concentration at this point thus is not good for social knitting sessions. I’m tired of knitting only vanilla so I’m finally knitting one of the “seasons” from the Vivaldi Sock Pattern. This has been in my queue for over a year. The sock actually incorporates 4 patterns, one for each season. I found from a previous multiple pattern sock I knit that I prefer using just one pattern on a sock. Plus this will be a shortie sock so definitely not enough rows for 4 patterns. I’m using up the leftover yarn from the vanilla socks I just made. I’ll be playing yarn chicken.

Even though the pattern is fairly simple, it’s not really a good “walking” project. I had some Fixation yarn here in Florida so I cast-on a vanilla sock. The Fixation yarn is perfect for walking knitting since it’s DK and the cotton yarn does better than wool in Florida’s humidity. I don’t love the colorway, Holidaze, so the socks will be for me. The “Christmas colors” are very muted. The colorway reminds me more of pink and red carnations or wild roses. I have a fun red “I knit so I don’t kill people” t-shirt which will pair nicely with the socks.

That’s it on the knitting front. It has been a wonderful week here in Florida. I’ve enjoyed knitting on the lanai and sipping coffee. We are winding down and trying to clear out the frig and freezer as we prepare to return to Ohio. Seems like the time went fast but then all time seems to zip by quickly. We have finalized all paperwork for our rental next winter so we have that to look forward to. Fortunately we also have lots to look forward to once we get back to Cincinnati as well.

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). YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. You can find more detailed information about my projects on my project pages in Ravelry (MaureenHD).  I’ve been knitting for six years.

2023: Feb Review and Almost FOs

FEBRUARY REVIEW

WOW, Another month “gone”. Time flies!! Welcome Spring, my favorite time of year. I adore when the trees start budding and the bulbs pop through the ground and bloom. But first, a quick review of what projects started February and what projects finished.

STARTING OFF – 3 Project On Needles

I started the month with a pair of vanilla socks, a pair of colorwork socks that are a carryover project from 2022, and a my Sea Glass Tee.

ENDING – 3 Project On Needles

The vanilla socks and the carryover colorwork socks are still on their needles. The Sea Glass Tee got finished so the Deschain sweater got cast-on.

STASH MANAGEMENT – 250g Out

I ended up with 40g in but does that really count? I didn’t ask for the yarn. I did a yarn swap with a fellow Ravelry knitter and she include 2 mini skeins as a thank you. So I have successfully resisted yarn purchasing in 2023! Before I toot my horn though, I am going to a Miss Babs trunk show with my Naples knitting friends in March and I know I’ll buy some yarn so that has fueled my resistance. I finished my Sea Glass Tee so that was ~250g out. Yea!!

DESCHAIN – Almost FO

Well, I’ve seamed the pieces together. On the positive side, I’m learning. 🙂 I am not particularly happy with the seam made by the mattress stitch for joining the front and back pieces. The thick seam runs atop my shoulder from the neck down the arm. If it bothers me too much, I’ll remove the seam by picking out the cast-on stitches that need to be seamed to create live stitches that can then be kitchenered. If I knit this pattern again, I will use a combination of a provisional cast-on for those stitches that need to be kitchenered together and a regular cast-on for those stitches that make the neck opening. I also now know to knit the first 6″ of the front and back panels and then join them in the round and avoid needing to do side seaming as well. I definitely will avoid seamed sweaters in the future.

I’m nearly done as my daughter likes it as a tee so I don’t need to knit the sleeves. The pattern only calls for one repeat of the hem but I’m going to knit a second repeat before binding off. While it is cropped, the yarn is linen/cotten so it will likely grow a little. Any other changes will wait until she can try it on in a few weeks. I’m thinking about picking up stitches on the sleeves and then doing one repeat of the hem pattern.

VANILLA SOCKS – Almost FO

I have completed the legs on the socks and have started the ribbed cuffs. These will be finished today or tomorrow, definitely in time to gift at the beginning of April.

COLORWORK SOCKS

I was playing around with stripes for these socks. Not sure I like the stripe pattern I “created”. The yarn is white with bright rainbow speckles. I decided to purl all speckle stitches to create a random textured pattern. I think I will incorporate purl stitches into the next stripe so that it also “puffy”. Then the stripes will alternate between “flat” colorwork and “puffy” colorwork. This is a case where knitting one at a time is good in case I decide I don’t like my “puffy” colorwork stripes and rip the sock back to the first stripe.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Deschain and vanilla socks should be off the needles in the next day or two. I really want to knit another Sea Glass Tee/Sweater but I’m going to resist until I have my daughter try mine on to see if she a) likes it, b) needs size modifications, and c) wants a tee or sweater length sleeves. Also, I want to knit an alternating single row of stripe with the Sea Glass pattern but the colored yarn I want to use is back in Ohio so I have to wait until next month to start it. Next in my queue is to knit the Buttercup Tee by Heidi Kirrmeier. That will get cast-on this week.

I think I’m going to knit myself a pair of shortie socks with the yarn leftover from the vanilla sock above. By using contrast yarn for the toes, heels, and cuffs I should have enough for a pair of shorties.

That’s it for the week. Hope your year is going well and you had a great 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). YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. You can find more detailed information about my projects on my project pages in Ravelry (MaureenHD).  I’ve been knitting for six years.

2023: Wk of Feb 19-25; Deschain Update, 37 Years

DESCHAIN SWEATER

The Deschain is proving to be a pretty easy and fast knit. I’ve knit the front and the back for a total of 6 repeats. I’ll be seaming the front and back together this week. I didn’t complete the hems as I plan to pin it together this afternoon so I can try it on before deciding if I should do one more repeat before the hem. I’m using Juniper Farms Zooey which is a DK instead of the called for aran weight yarn. As feared, the back gauge does not match the front gauge so I’m hoping I can seam it without puckers. We will see. The yarn in the picture looks tan but it’s actually a sage green. I made the gauge tighter than the pattern calls for because I wasn’t sure I wanted such on open fabric. Now I’m concerned the fabric is too dense. Oh well. I’ll finish it and see if my daughter likes it this way. If not I can always reknit it, especially since it’s such a fast knit. Or I’ll keep it for me and knit her a different one. Since it’s cotton/linen, I can wear it here in Florida.

COLORWORK SOCKS

I needed a break from the all stockinette knitting of the Deschain back piece and the Vanilla socks so I went back to one of my 2022 carryover WIPS. I finished the last few rows of the ribbed cuff and knit the first stripe. My intent is to make the stripes more “winter” than Christmas so that the socks can be worn all winter. I’m using the Advent 2019 sock pattern. If my daughter doesn’t want them, I’m pretty sure my stepdaughter will enjoy wearing them. They will be too hot for me to wear in Florida.

37 YEARS

Hubby and I “celebrated” our 37th anniversary this week. We celebrated by going to happy hour at a restaurant where I had gotten gift cards for winning the condo cookie exchange back in December. I’m tired of my husband complaining that he could have “made it better and made it for less” on the rare occasion that we go out to eat. With the increase in food prices and labor wages, it would be even worse this year. So I forced him to go out to use up the gift cards. He did make a wonderful chocolate babka, using the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, as our celebration dessert. It was delicious.

Considering our ages when we got married, mainly his, I definitely wasn’t convinced we would make it to this many years. We actually have a 50/50 chance of making it to 50 years based on the longevity calculator. Who knows!?

Wishing everyone a good week, knitting and otherwise.

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). YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. You can find more detailed information about my projects on my project pages in Ravelry (MaureenHD).  I’ve been knitting for six years.

2023: Wk of 2/12-18; Sea Glass Tee FO, Deschain Cast-on, and Socks WIP

SEA GLASS TEE FO!!

Happy dance. I think this is almost a record. Knit this tee in one month. Yes, I knit a tee last year in one month but that was for a test knit and I swore I’d never put that much pressure on myself. Being all stockinette certainly added to this being a quick knit. I didn’t have to keep checking a pattern or a chart. I just love it and I’m looking forward to knitting more. I do think I’ll try knitting it as stripes with alternating dark/light rows instead of stitches so that the fabric is not double thick. As is, it is going to be a very warm tee.

DESCHAIN SWEATER CAST-ON

Next up is the Deschain sweater. This project has been in my queue for years. It was recommended years ago at my LYS when I was starting to knit sweaters. As it turns out, not really a good first sweater in my opinion since it’s a pieced sweater. It was popular at the time which I think is why the salesperson recommended it. I didn’t realize it was pieced until I just reviewed the pattern. Ugh. I had planned to avoid pieced sweaters. Oh well. I’m going to give it a go since it’s for my daughter. I have to knit two sizes larger since I’m using DK instead of the called for Aran weight yarn. I hope to have it done by the end of March.

VANILLA SOCK WIP UPDATE

I’ve knit the heels in both socks so I’m back to easy stockinette knitting as I work up the legs. I forgot to switch to the contrast yarn for the heels. Oh well. I’m sure I’ll be able to use the remaining yarn for contrast toes in another pair of socks.

That’s it from sunny Florida. It was a quiet week. Wishing everyone a good week, knitting and otherwise.

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). YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. You can find more detailed information about my projects on my project pages in Ravelry (MaureenHD).  I’ve been knitting for six years.

2023: Wk of Feb 5-11; WIPS and Beyond

KNITTING WIPS

Not a lot to report on this week knittingwise. Still plodding along on my Sea Glass Tee. Getting close but still not done. Fingers crossed I’ll get it finished this week.

Also I made progress on the socks. I’ve started the second sock but I’m still on the foot of both socks. I need to knit about 3 more stripes on each sock before starting the heels. The recipient has requested crew length so they will take a bit longer to complete than the ankle length I usually knit. On the other hand it will be nice to use up the yarn.

BEYOND KNITTING

That’s it on the knitting front. This was more of a social week which is good too. I had a wonderful day on Wednesday going birding with another couple and the man that used to run a bimonthly birding group at our condo complex. Sadly he can’t walk very much any more so we aren’t having the birding sessions this year. We went birding mostly from the car and the parking lot of a bird sanctuary but saw lots of wonderful birds. Then we took him to lunch to celebrate his 81st birthday. Thursday night was the Valentine’s dinner and dance at the condo complex. My husband and I love to ballroom dance so we enjoyed the evening. Saturday we met up with some of my old college roommates that also winter in Naples, FL. for lunch by the water. Today it’s watch the Super Bowl and indulge in lots of snacks.

RAVELRY

Also this week I ended up doing a yarn swap via the mail. Someone on Ravelry reached out to me to see if I planned to use the full skein that was part of my AGirlAndHerWool advent calendar. She had also bought the calendar and was making a shawl with the yarns but needed more of the large skein as her main color. I had no plans for the brown tonal skein and truthfully it wasn’t a colorway I would have bought. She offered another skein that she had purchased from AGirlAndHerWool, a brown and gold skein. That yarn will be perfect for the pair of socks I want to knit for my daughter’s friend who served as the officiant at her wedding last year. So our skeins are in the mail and should arrive to their new homes this week.

Wishing everyone a good week, knitting and otherwise.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). YOP started it’s 12th year in July and I’m starting my third year in the group. You can find more detailed information about my projects on my project pages in Ravelry (MaureenHD).  I’ve been knitting for six years.