I can hardly believe it

...but the Dragonfly Cowl (January yarn club) is finished!  Isn't it gorgeous!?!?

There are so many things I love about this cowl.  The colors are so pretty.  The yarn is sumptuous.  The pattern is complex (I love that now that it's finished).

As I've said earlier, I really enjoy some things about color work.  The finished product is something to behold and makes me very proud.  I love the look, too. It's beautiful and people are impressed with your hard work and concentration.  (let's be honest...part of why we knit it to impress people! :) )

All the love in the world for this cowl, however, will not ever encourage me to do another like it.  It is gorgeous...it is beautiful...I'm very proud of the finished result, but I seriously almost quit about 1/2 way through because I was so frustrated with the making of it.

I've been trying to think of why so that I don't make the same mistake of trying a pattern that I'm going to hate before long.  And to be honest, I think it was the interruption of the scales pattern to make the dragon flies...and of course, when the dragon flies were half finished I couldn't just make scales all the way across.  In the end it felt like a Herculean effort to get me through the pattern.

It definitely takes a special person to dive into this kind of colorwork.  I don't think I'm that kind of special.

All that said, I was actually looking at colorwork hats and thinking about whether I wanted to do another.  They are so warm...they look awesome on...

And then I smacked that little bit of insanity back in its place and told myself to CONCENTRATE on the lace hat I was making a mess of right then and there.  I really do fear that hat is about to be frogged to become a plain old vanilla pair of socks...I want the hat...it's super cute...but I'm really not enjoying the knitting of it.

But I've completed 20 rows of seed stitch over 162 stitches so that I could have that jaunty little bow over my ear...the question then becomes...do I think I can put in a life line after the fact and save the bow and just do a plain old hat???  It's something to think about.  (but then, the yarn is so dark...)   Because that's some gorgeous yarn right there and will be so pretty on my head with that cute little bow over my ear!  Maybe I should just plug on with the lace pattern...definitely worth trying out a few more rows, don't you think?

Yarn is from the Rockin' Sock Club September 2013.  I'm not using either pattern as I didn't like knitting the socks and the hat that was the pattern just isn't my thing.

Visiting and old friend

I had some quiet time on Saturday and decided to bring out the Dragonfly Cowl again.  I also decided to make a second copy of the chart so that I could just mark through all stitches as I did them.  I found this was much better for me and kept me from getting lost of feeling overly frustrated.  I have one more round of the dragonfly and then it'll just be the scales and then the ribbing.  I should crank this out by the end of the day tomorrow, hopefully.  Isn't it lovely?

I can't wait to block it and see how lovely the colorwork evens out.  It's very exciting seeing this one almost finished.

I finished Skew on Saturday morning!

That was one week start to finish.  Wow.

And to round out the yarn club, I pulled out my Rockin Sock Club yarns and patterns, went through and weeded out the patterns I know I don't want to do and then started a pair of socks that I decided I hated.  It was a twisted rib pattern and after 11 rows of 1x1 ribbing, I decided that I didn't want to do that any longer, so I just decided that was the cuff and started working in stockinette.  Only problem was that the sock was going to be too big, so it all got ripped out.

I had a lot of anxiety finding  just the right pattern to do, and finally settled on the hat that I wanted to make around Christmas time.  I've started the brim...and while it's 1x1 seed stitch, I'm not hating it like I did the ribbing...because I know it'll end soon?  I'm not sure, but the hat is lovely and I can't wait to get a little more work done on it to show you a picture.

And if you're keeping tabs, that's 2 pairs of Cookie A sock patterns completed, one in the club yarn, 1 Vesper socks completed (October 2013 colorway), the dragonfly cowl ALMOST finished and the RSC hat started in yarn from September 2013.

After I get these done?  I'm not really sure.  I think I'd like to whittle down my club yarns from Vesper and RSC, so that may be an idea.  Or maybe I'll pull out some of those WIPs that have been ignored for a while.  If I focus on them like I've focused on these, I'll maybe finish a few things off...it's definitely a thought!

Well..it didn't really snow

Worse...it was sleet, freezing rain, a little snow, and a lot of ice.  My driveway is one solid sheet right now.

While it looks pretty is really pretty awful to get out and about in.  We don't have proper de-icing anything in the south.  They throw sand on bridges and wait for people to fly off of them....then put more sand on and tell people to stay home.

Day 2 and I'm still knitting.  I'm at the point in the cowl where I can manage 3 rounds as long as no one is trying to talk to me, and then I get a little cranky.  I'm almost finished with my Bertie Bott's socks--second one...will post the pair tomorrow.  Fun, these are.  After I finish Bertie, I'm thinking another pair of socks need to be cast on.  I want all those "in progress" projects to be finished.  Somehow a skein of yarn that's been caked and is sitting in a bag waiting to be knitted counts as "in progress"...and more urgently so than the other projects that really are in various states of progress.

And if you're curious how I knit while sitting in my cold house on a cold icy day, here is my view...cat butts.

We got a snow-storm a-coming

That's big news around here.  The last time I saw it snow was probably December 2011...maybe 2010?  I can't remember actually.  It was December and David was on the coast and I went outside and took pics of snow on the palm tree.

I'll never get that picture again "thanks" to the tornado, oh well.  I'll be sure to post pics when I do get them though...they think the business will start in earnest tomorrow morning.  I'm actually kind of excited.

(and those of you who knew me when I lived in Kentucky know this isn't normal for me...to be excited about snow...)

I did spend a good bit of the weekend working on my Dragonfly Cowl. I'm laughing at my overly optimistic self of last week that thought I'd finish it on Sunday.  ha!

Colorwork is slow going.  Even if I could knit with two hands, and I can't, I'd have to keep rechecking my pattern...and I'm no good if I have to carry on a conversation while doing it...or listen to a book...or watch tv.  Or even be distracted by Pearl.  I did mention concern that I might not finish because of past mishaps...and not wanting to be stressed or frustrated...

Well, I did make it just shy of half-way.

You can see the bottoms of the wings taking shape.  I do love the look of this yarn. It's so pretty and rich and very soft.  And of course, it's all kind of gorgeous  knitted up like this.  I will persevere and finish...I do know that.  This is definitely what the yarn should be.  A beautiful cowl in dragonflies.

In order to help myself get through the pattern, I decided that I needed to call upon a strategy that I used back when I used to cross stitch.  I'd keep my place in the pattern by marking out the pieces that I'd finished.  I used to be creative and get different colored pencils each day so that the final pattern had a unique look to it too.  What i decided to do with the knitted version is mark in the white squares with the blue pencil on my first pass through the repeat and then red on my second.  It has allowed me to keep track of where I am, get back to it if I have to take a quick break, AND provide a really quick realization when I'm on the wrong row (which did happen).

After this point, I also decided that marking the numbers along the side will help me keep myself on track and make sure that I'm going back to or up on row when needed.

And because I know everyone wants to see the inside of the colorwork...here it is.

I'm working really hard to keep my tension even, but I'm not perfect at it.  I'm also working really hard and making sure that my purple yarn goes to the left when I'm finished knitting with it and the green to the right.  This way I keep them from getting tangled and making a miserable mess of my yarn ends.

And because it's really hard to resist...here is Pearl trying to distract me.  She's very good at distraction, in case you're wondering.

On Friday

Real quickly on this Friday morning in which I'm really tired, a little sniffly, and already counting the hours until the end of the day....

I made it about 1/4 of the way through my Dragonfly Cowl last night.  Isn't it lovely?

I'm finding this particular colorwork pattern to be the kind where I want to do another row and see how the "picture" is emerging.  That's good.  I predict completion by Sunday.  Yes, I plan to do nothing other than knit tomorrow and Sunday.

What's up next begins the little dragonflies that surround the cowl.  I honestly can't wait to get them started but am worried about

1) my ability to concentrate and remember where to start them
2)  my ability not to get frustrated because I can't concentrate
3)  my level of "quitness" should I mess up.  I need easy right now...messing up, having to unknit, that might do me under for a while...

We'll see how I fare and I'll be sure to update you when I'm finished.  In the meantime, I'm going to go get through this day which begins with an appointment with the ear dr, proceeds to a staff meeting, then another staff meeting with my student workers.

I'm so happy there's dinner at the Branch (nicest bar in town) with friends and David.  For now, must shower.

More Color Therapy

During the day on Tuesday, David sent me an e-mail with the January pattern for my Club Dragonfly...I couldn't wait to get the yarn and hardly hoped that it would be here before the end of the week.  Imagine my surprise when I checked the mail and a package was there...I immediately opened it and found this gorgeousness:

How lovely to have something so bright and cheerful and beautiful during the middle of what is turning out to be one of the coldest winters I remember.  (not THE coldest winter I remember...that was 1997 in Kentucky and I thought we might die of the cold then).  This year, it's so cold in Mississippi our aloe veras are dying on our screened in porch while sitting next to a heater.  It's been below 20 more days than I can count, and we're looking at a 10 day forecast with  more 20s and 10s and...oh my!  I'm so glad I have a good house and a good heater and a good job so that I can pay not to freeze to death because it's really cold out there and we aren't built for it down here.

But back to my color therapy.  I was so excited to get this package, and it took me a few minutes to grasp that the thing inside the zip loc bag was actually a knitting bag...with dragonflies all over it--quite apt.  More on the bag in a minute.

I couldn't decide whether I was excited about the pattern or not.  I've had a love-hate relationship with colorwork.  Sometimes it's awesome, sometimes I hate it.  I can't figure out if it's me, the pattern, the yarn I chose or what.  I liken it a lot to cross stitching...reading the pattern, selecting the right color, and making a picture with thread/yarn.  Initially I thought I'd love it...and the first colorwork I did (back in March) I got rather addicted and couldn't put it down.

But then there were these mittens, that while I was super excited to start working on, once I did, I hated them.  hated hated hated them and ended up cutting and not even bothering to rip out.  I've done another hat which I loved and love wearing it in all this cold weather...that double layer of yarn formed from color work truly is very very warm.

So, it was with some reservations and Plan B (striped socks), that I cast on the 192 stitches to start this lovely cowl.  If you look at the pic real carefully, you can see a B&W printout of the pattern.

I have to tell you that I'm thoroughly enjoying this pattern so far.  The yarns are beautiful, and I seem to be in the right frame of mind to do colorwork.  So, I'll plow ahead and see how far I can get in my January Club Dragonfly before some other colorful project distracts me.

Oh, and the bag?  It's a Yarn Pop bag.  It has a hot pink interior a bright green zipper and it just lovely.  I want to get a bag for every project I am working on...I'd need about 30, so the accumulation will be a little while :)

Hats and Cowls

Back when I was using my Nifty Knitter and making hats that were just "ok" but functional and definitely keeping me from going bonkers on the road, I had the idea that a hat without a top was actually a great neckwarmer.  (This was before I really understood or knew about the fashionable accessory called a cowl.)  So, I proceeded to make one that would NOT go over my head.  Turns out that the bind off on a Nifty Knitter is really tight, and the resulting edge has zero stretch.

But, still I knew it was a great idea.

Flash forward to my current prowess with knitting. I love making hats, and I prefer wearing cowls.  And considering that I hate knitting scarves, this is actually not a bad thing.  I like my cowls to fit close to my neck rather than be super-loose.  I'm just not the kind of girl who is going to dress with lots of fluff or items of clothing that will get in the way of doing things.  That said, a cowl, or more appropriately a neckwarmer, is just the thing for me.  It keeps my neck warm when I'm freezing outside, doesn't get caught up in the zipper of my coat, and provide a stylish accessory to go with and potentially match perfectly a hat.

Enter the Spin Cycle Set:

I made this hat the day after Daddy's surgery a couple of weeks ago.  I think he liked watching me knit on it and asked me about my progress every time I came up to visit him.  I finished it that night, and wore it up to show him.  Then the next day I cast on to make a cowl out of the same yarn.  I knit it almost exactly like the hat, having a shorter ribbing on either edge and making it about 5" wide.  The set looks great, is just the right color...and for now was the perfect knit.  It is easy to do (only 2 rows of pattern until the decreasing at which point you have to pay a little more attention).  Mary over at Hugs did a great job on this pattern and suggested just the right yarn for it (I used Noro Iro which is a nice chunky weight wool, silk and angora blend in the amazing Noro color changes).  Noro never disappoints me, but when it's used with the right project (such as a simple stitch like this hat and cowl) it positively sings.

Which makes me happy on this Tuesday morning before a real, serious cold front.  I'll let you know how warm it is tomorrow.

2 finished, 3 started

When David came home from his work-trip on Sunday morning he asked the ridiculous question, "how many projects do you have going anyway?"

I mean really?  Why ask that question. I  have a basket full of project bags sitting beside my place on the couch.  There are 2 shelves of project bags in my studio and a work table full of grouped yarns just waiting to be cast on (most of the time they're waiting on needles, but I'm not going to go there because that might inspire me to buy more needles, and I am NOT buying more needles just so I can start more projects!)

So, today, in the spirit of bragging, I will show you the two projects that I finished.  The first is a buttoned cowl.  It was intended to be a scarf, but I really didn't enjoy working on it.  As I was looking at the project bag on the shelf, I thought, "I just need to see how long it is and see if I can finish it off into a cowl," and guess what!  It's perfect!  See (and please ignore the messy hair...It was Saturday morning, early...and I was home alone...

I like the buttons...I think they are perfect with all the bright color right there at the ends.

As I was looking at the skein and a half that I had left, I thought "what could I make with that besides another cowl or a monster?" and it dawned on me that a matching hat would be just the thing, so I pulled out my book "Weekend Hats" and looked through for a worsted weight pattern, found one that I think will look good with all the long-color stripes and cast on.  (I needed 5 sets of needles for this thing and I'm happy to report that I did NOT have to steal ANY of them from another project).  The hat is pretty far along, and I'll post a picture of it when I'm finished.

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Then I looked at Harold who has been sitting next to me on the couch for 2 weeks while I worked feverishly on the Noro blanket...with only one arm...and I told him I'd go ahead an finish that arm...and approximately 45 minutes later, Harold was finished.  Wow...2 finished projects and it wasn't even 10am!  woohoo!  Here is Harold sitting with Zora.  She isn't pleased.

In fact, she avoided sitting on that chair until Harold got taken away from it.  David has taken Harold to be his office monster.  I'll have a picture of him in his new home soon.

So, of course it was time to cast on for another monster.  I totally ignored the fact that I'm only supposed to work on monsters 30 minutes per day to preserve my thumb joint.  This was a different monster in different sized needles...and  I've been dying to knit a P monster to go with my Z monster (this one will be Pearl).  I'd bought 2 different yarns trying to decide which was best, and I went with the Blue Moon Fiber Arts' BFL Sport--mostly for the size of the yarn, but also because it had enough orange in it, and bright orange at that, to be more like Pearl.  As usual with these little critters, it's all I can do to limit my knitting on them.  She'll be absolutely adorable, but I don't have a picture yet because all she is so far is a tube.  Soon, though, personality will come through.

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And finally, on Saturday afternoon, I decided to pay attention to that little bit of my brain that has been thinking about the Color Affection Shawl and picked out the yarn for it.  I don't know how it all happened, but the Satakieli yarn that I attempted to make mittens from (remember this) told me that it would make a really pretty Color Affection, or two, and that I needed to go ahead and buy the pattern and get it started because it would be a great travel project and it would be gorgeous and all that other stuff that yarn does to convince you that it needs to be cast on right at this very moment.  So, I cast on the blue as my main color and picked out the two oranges to be the contrasting colors and cast on.  I made it through the first section and started the first striping last night.  It's going to be gorgeous and cozy and all kinds of wonderful.

I can't tell you how much I like this yarn better than when I was working on the mitts.  This yarn is so squishy and soft and I can tell that once it's washed it's going to bloom and become all kinds of gorgeous and even softer.  It knits up very easily and quickly and the color is very true and rich.

So, now that I have bitten the Color Affection bug, I have already decided that the other two skeins of this yarn are going to make another CA...and maybe I could get three or four of them depending on how much of the yarn I have left when I'm finished with this one.  I thought about combining it with others of the sock yarn that I have in my stash.  This has started to get a little out of control, but I understand that's what happens with a CA...I'll keep you posted on where things go with it.

Two cowls today and a hat!

I spent the weekend with Mom and Dad and it was really nice.  We celebrated mom's 70th birthday where she got this cowl.

It's made from Trendsetter's Phoenix yarn and the pattern is Sanibel (free from Berroco).  I loved the pattern and the yarn and will be making more Sanibal cowls.  It's a perfect project for any slinky yarn you have.  I didn't even wash/block the cowl when I finished because it looks so perfect.

The other project I knitted this weekend was this cowl for my friend Stacey.

It's made from the Bijou Basin Ranch yarn that I made her hat from (yak and cormo blend, super soft and luxurious, called Bijou Spun).  The hat is pictured below.

The cowl pattern is Cashmere Neckwarmer by Elvira Massa (free on Ravelry) and the hat pattern is Leaves Long Beanie by Melissa LaBarre in Weekend Hats (one of my favorite hat books).  They were both super quick knits and between the two used up about 1.7 skeins of the Bijou Spun yarn.

This weekend I also finished up another hat (for me) and started an iPad cover for Elizabeth's Christmas gift...plus I worked a bit on my Windjammer socks (TGWE #7), my block-a-day blanket and the Noro stained glass afghan.  Turns out I can get a lot of knitting done while sitting around watching football and talking...and having an extra day off of work.

So Much to Talk About

I was unbelievably productive with my knitting last week.  I took Thursday off because my allergies were killing me...

[side note:  any of you that suffer with allergies will understand, but sometimes they make you feel awful.  Like you've been run over by a truck, gotten the flu and just can't move...all at the same time.  That was me on Thursday and Friday...I've heard the mantra "it's only allergies" so many times it makes me want to smack something.  Unlike the flu, or another cold or infection, allergies are typically chronic.  Worse some days that others, but there all the time.  It's enough to wear a person out...and sometimes it does.  That's where I was on Thursday....ok...back to talking about knitting.]

Pretty much all I had the energy for was sitting and knitting.  And I knit and knit and knit.  I had so much fun and knitted some more.  And when my energy picked up I wove some and then wove some more.

I showed you a picture of the Flicka Hat that I finished on Sunday.  Yesterday I showed you a picture of the gorgeous scarf I finished on Saturday (even though I hated it.)  Also, on Saturday I finished this cowl:

I've made this for Ernie, and hopefully it'll fit him.  The bumps and special stitches you see are knitted "Morse Code" for his favorite phrase, "Thank God that's over with, by Louise Brooks."  So, that's what it "says"...if you know how to read it and what to look for.

I used Malabrigo worsted yarn, which is just a little bit of heaven.  It's so soft and lovable that you want to curl up in it and take a nap. (which Pearl does pretty often actually.)

The (not-so) Exciting News

After several days of soul-searching, talking with David, stewing by myself, talking some more with David, not sleeping well, and all the while soul-searching, I decided not to interview for the very exciting job I applied for.  I was beside myself and thrilled to get the interview...so much so that I didn't really think about the practicalities of it at the time.

But, I'm a grown woman now and can examine things with perspective if I'm forced to, so upon looking at the fact that I'd be living apart from David and the entire rest of my family (and friends!) and that I'd not be making any more money than I'm making now...it just didn't make logical and rational sense to do the interview, especially since if (on the long shot) they did offer me the job I would have to turn it down.

Well, it was a hard decision, but I know the right one.  I slept better last night than I have in several weeks.  The challenge now will be to get myself focused back on the life that I'm living right now and enjoy it.

And I do enjoy it...most of it.  There are things that I'd like to change and things I'd like to never change, so I need to be positive and look at the possibilities of the here and now and revel in the fact that I'm truly happy in my life.

And, btw, I slept beautifully last night, in case you didn't catch that earlier...good sleep is a marvelous thing.

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So, I think I put you through a huge teaser last week with the cowl I finished knitting but never bothered to put up here.  Here I am in it.  When I looked at this picture, I don't know why, but I saw Grandma's eyes.  I was a little shocked because I don't know when I got them (and even IF my eyes even look like hers in this picture).  I think they do, but I also think I'm hoping since I've been missing her a lot lately.  I went in search of pictures, but the only color ones I have she has her eyes closed or the color of her eyes isn't popping quite like mine did in this picture!  Which means I've probably made the whole thing up, but for a minute there, I did see Grandma looking right back at me and it made me very happy indeed!

Like meeting up with old friends

You know that experience when you suddenly see or talk to someone you haven't in a long time?  Maybe even the last encounter was less than pleasant, so seeing them is a surprise, and not a bad one.  You realize that you've been silly for holding whatever grudge or avoidance and you think to yourself, "see, that wasn't so bad.  In fact, it was even fun!"  And the thrill of meeting them and the possibilities of seeing them again are rekindled.

And it feels good.

You know the experience I'm talking about?

Well, I've had that experience in more ways that one this week.  One was real...a friend from my past got in touch with me again and we're talking.  After 9 years of not talking.  This was one parting that didn't end well, and I have to admit I'm a little shy and awkward, but I'm trying.  But it does feel good, so I'm hoping that it continues to do so.

The other was metaphorical, of sort.  Remember the beautiful mystery knit-a-long cowl I started in November?  Well, I parted with it on less than amiable grounds.  The needles were too slippery for the yarn or too big for my hands or in general not feeling right.  So, I put it aside for other, more immediate and interesting things (plus I had Christmas to knit for and that took a bit of time).  I pulled it out this weekend as the work in progress I decided to work on in between knitting monsters.  And you know what?  It felt right...so right in fact, I'm not sure why I put it away.  Sure, the needles were still slippery and awkward, but the cowl is gorgeous and the results are wonderful...

...and I finished the knitting of it. I even bought some buttons when I was in London and they are perfect.  I have put the picture of its knitted progress here.  I'll have it modeled in a day or so.

Progress, and lots of it

This weekend I have sat on my rear and knitted...relaxed and basically thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Nothing motivates like a long weekend.

I have completed the 3rd installment in the Downton Abbey Knit-a-long I'm doing...working on a pair for both my mom and me.  Those came out nicely and I'll post a picture of mine tomorrow.

I also completed the monster booties for my friend Aaryn's baby.  I think they're adorable and they were very quick and very fun to make.

I pulled out a work in progress from a couple of months ago...a knit-a-long cowl in this delicious yarn.  I made very good progress on it while watching Downton Abbey with the girls last night. I'm hoping to finish it soon...and will then see if the buttons I bought in London will work for it and if not, then I'll need to hunt down some other buttons...I have lots in my jars, probably better than I could find in any local stores, so we'll see where this goes.

I've also been thinking about the big commission of monsters I have going...planning yarns, thinking about the people they're for and how I'll make them unique.

AND I've agreed to make a monster for my sister-in-law.  She has a very specific description of her monster and I've decided to go with it.  I have just about everything I need here to make it so will get started on that soon...I like that it's going to be uniquely hers.

No weaving to speak of...I just can't seem to make myself go in there and thread the loom.  I know I'll get over it soon but with so many knitting projects calling my name it's kind of hard.

So, it's been a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to another sunshiny day at home since we're off of work today.

The Great Mystery

I do like these little mystery projects.  When I quilted I would go to mystery classes when I had the time and money.  It was always fun to just get little bits of the pattern at a time and see the whole thing progress.  I'm loving this cowl...it's pretty and fun and will be very very warm (perfect for London I'm supposing).

Aren't the stitches incredibly beautiful with this yarn?  The entire time I'm working on this project I'm shocked that the yarn is so wonderful and not scratchy or "wooly" feeling.  Truly lives up to its name, de-vine.

I can't wait until next week to see the next phase.

In the meantime I'll be finishing my mittens and working on my sweater again.  It would be lovely to try it on soon...and that's not too far away, in all honesty.  Updates as they are merited!

...and I'm making a cowl!

I decided to participate in a Mystery Knit-a-Long.  This sounded like a lot of fun.  You get a clue every week for three weeks and in the end you have a beautiful cowl.  I purchased the yarn, which arrived just in time to get the first clue and start.  So, I cast on last night and began knitting.

The hardest decision was choosing the color.  I bought two skeins hoping that when they arrived at home I would be more enamored of one than the other, but I wasn't.  I loved them both.  David picked for me--the color name is Hobbit Garden.  I love the bright aqua color, and the deep purple, which when knitted almost reads as brown. (I highly suspect you're going to see the other colorway, Currier and Ives, in a second cowl seeing how quickly this project is going to knit up!)

The yarn is called Devine, and boy is it.  It's extremely difficult to believe this is 100% wool yarn.  It's soft and springy and very round, and not the slightest bit itchy.

Based on the first clue, I think the cowl will be a sampler of knitting stitches.  The first is linen stitch and the second is herringbone.  I'm currently 5 rows into the linen stitch.  It's it pretty!?