A completed project!

Yarn:  Flock Sock by Holiday Yarns in Rainbow Unicorn (March MicroBrew Color at JBW)
Pattern: Xeriscape by Cookie A (March 2015 Club pattern)

LOVED the pattern, LOVED the yarn.  I started out on size 2.25mm which is my go-to for socks, but I found the yarn to be knitting too tightly, so I upped to the 2.5mm and was very happy.  The yarn felt a tad more rustic than other sock yarns I've used recently, BUT, I wore these socks today and didn't find them to be a problem at all.

If you like an easy sock pattern and enjoy the ability to use whatever yarn you want--then I recommend keeping your eyes peeled for this one to go public.  It was quick and easy, almost mindless knitting, but since it's Cookie A it's wonderful and turns out beautifully.

Now, I'm off to work on the complex pattern for this month.  Cables and traveling stitches and loveliness all over the place!

(oh, and I colored today.  happy!)

I never know what day of the week it is

One of the weird things about working in a business that is open 7 days a week is that only a few have a M-F schedule.  Many of us work different schedules, don't have 2 days in a row off, or something along those lines.

I work Saturday through Wednesday right now.  So, when everyone comes to work and says "ugh it's such a Monday," all I can think is "it's Wednesday, right"

And on Wednesday when it's my Friday I'm so happy and tell everyone when I leave "see you next week" because it's MY weekend...well, that's just weird, too.

And on Friday when I'm relaxing or doing errands or doing whatever I used to do on Sundays I read all these posts on Facebook about everyone talking about it being Friday and looking forward to having their weekend...and I'm thinking "but my "Monday" is tomorrow.

It's right confusing, I tell you.

And I really usually have absolutely no idea what day of the week it is.  Good thing I'm good about marking the days off of my calendar because I think I'd forget even worse.

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Today, as in just a few minutes ago, I put this beauty on the blocking mats.

Pattern: Lunaris
Yarn: Yummy by Miss Babs in colors Lagoon and Pool--March 2015 colors to represent Sri Lanka on the 2015 Miss Babs Knitting Tour.

I loved knitting with this yarn.  The dye is gorgeous and the two colors are so special and wonderful.  I'm going to see if I have enough left to make a pair of fraternal socks...and if so those will be cast on this afternoon.

A 2014 Yarn Club Yarn

Since I've declared 2015 the "year of the yarn club" I'm trying to knit all the club yarns that come in relatively close to when they arrive and then knit some old things as I'm waiting on the new stuff.  The Cookie A patterns (and yarn!) were fabulous and I had a few days waiting for the next shipment to come in so I started this one...I think it was from August or June of 2014...definitely hideous summer time...heck it could have been October, but I don't know.

It's Outlander Themed...The yarn is called Stone Circle and is in the Traveler base that Dragonfly Fibers carries.  It's beautiful knitted and that beauty is helping me get through the pattern...which I don't hate but I don't love either.  Maybe I will one day.  But as the shawl grows and the rows get ever longer, I'm just hoping that I finish it before I quit it...

I think I will.

Here it is about 8 repeats in.  I have 11 before starting the border, and I almost finished repeat 9 before going to bed last night...maybe I can get through repeat 10 tonight.  That should give me the motivation to keep trucking along...

As I'm knitting on it I'm glad that it's mostly neutral in tone and that I'll have something that will indeed be a neutral colored accessory.  I find I don't have many of those since I gravitate towards bright happy colors most of the time.

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I finished watching Grantchester yesterday.  What a wonderful show.  I do hope they make a follow-up season.  I so thoroughly enjoyed this one.

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I'm attempting to re-read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.  I loved it when I read it the first time so suggested it for our start-up JBW bookclub...but...I'm struggling to read.  Still don't have the proper attention span for reading, even the easy stuff (and this isn't an easy book).  One day I will, but for now, I get through a few pages at a time.

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I went to see Cinderella at the movie theater last night.  That was fun and enjoyable and highly recommended if you like the fairy tale (Disney version).

Socks that knit themselves

I don't know if you've found your designer, or your project, or you "go to" thing...but I LOVE knitting socks, and I especially love knitting socks designed by Cookie A.  I am on the 3rd pair in a row (Senna, Peachy Keen, and now Pai Mei), and let me tell you that I could start a 4th and not be in the least bit sad or bored about it.

At any rate, the first of this pair is finished and as soon as I'm done typing this I will start the heel flap on the second, which means that it's about 1/2 done.

I believe that this sock knitted itself.  It practically flew off of the needles and made me so happy in the process.  Cookie A designs are genius.  A bit like solving a puzzle.  I love that I can see into the design and figure it out after a little bit (most of the time).  And the effects are just so amazing.

And I also have to say that Anzula Squishy yarn?  If you have an opportunity to splurge, do so.  Heaven in merino, cashmere and nylon.

And since I can barely stand not working on it, I'm heading back to it!

Happy beginning of your week everyone!  I'll be mid-week tomorrow...

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Work continues to be awesome.  Reno is incredibly beautiful.  And if the spring buds everywhere are any promise...spring is about to blow my mind! :)

Voila!

Or as my mom says "Viola!"

The Peachy Keen socks are finished and I have to tell you I'm quite KEEN on these socks.  They are lovely, so soft and luxurious and warm and so pretty to look at.  Made me happy to wear them to work today! (and no, I don't bother washing and blocking my socks first unless I notice some serious dye bleeding...I haven't regretted it yet!)

And because I know you're curious I started the Pai Mei socks by Cookie A...the second club sock for this month.  I'm using Aqua Anzula Squishy.  I promise pictures tomorrow.

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Tomorrow is knit night.  I'm bringing my hitchhiker shawl because it needs to be brought to the light and finished.

And this marks the beginning of my weekend.  I'm very happy about that!  hugs everyone!

I stayed up late...

...and then came home from work and knitted all night.

I'm even thinking that today, today...my day off...I could just sit and knit.  This whole plan to go to the grocery store and be responsible and buy healthy food and cook it so I can eat it and not undo all my amazing progress from last year.  Yeah...that plan is starting to feel shaky because I have amazing socks on the needles.

See...

 Peachy Keen by Cookie A, February 2015 sock club pattern in the club yarn: Anzula Squishy in Begonia.  It's SO AMAZING.  Soft, squishy (of course) and shimmery beautiful.  The pattern is really very simple.  I'm almost done with the leg...and the gusset decreases happen in the foot patterning at the top rather than along the sides of the ankle.  Totally cool :)

And just to prove that I DID finish Feeling Groovy and casted on Peachy Keen RIGHT AWAY.  That's what I stayed up late for two nights ago.

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Work news is cool.  I'll be shifting responsibilities next week from order fulfillment to "back orders and receiving."  I'm really very excited as this is an area I identified in my 3 month meeting.  And I've discovered over the past 6 months (can you believe it's been that long???) that I love doing inventory stuff.  And organizing the yarn.  It's all wonderful and cool and I can't tell you how terrific I feel that I work in a place that listens and helps the employees find "their place" even if it isn't one that existed when they arrived.

Case in point:  I'm a data geek.  (Y'all knew that right?  PhD in research methods testing out some data analysis on a survey instrument that I created...worked for years doing data analysis for grants...) Anyway, I love data and while I don't miss the academic world, I do miss playing around with data and figuring out patterns.  So, Laura recognized this and has put me on a huge (and I mean huge) data project which I'll be devoting 2 of my days of work to (the other 3 to back orders).  She said yesterday in morning meeting "we'll have to give Leslie a new title and a crown or something because she's going to be our yarn expert...with her sticky brain she'll know it all!"  Ha!  I told her I'd accept a scepter. :)

I love having a sticky brain by the way!

Feeling Groovy, Sock 1

I finished the first of the socks last night.  I love it...sort of.  The pattern is "ok"...not bad...definitely turned out fun, but I just don't know how I feel about slip stitches on socks.  We'll see how they wear before I give a final verdict.

I'm desperate to finish them, less because I want them done and more because I WANT TO START THE NEXT PAIR.  Cookie A socks...in a gorgeous peach colored Anzula Squishy.  A luxury for my feet, let me tell you!

Not to mention the blast I'll have in the knitting of it.

News:  Biker dude showed back up at knitting group last week.  He continued to be amazed by me, but didn't speak.  I'm kind of terrified of the whole "talking to a guy" thing so not sure what, if anything, I could do at this moment...though I do have to say I'm curious.

I had color themed carts today at work.  Not all one color all day, but each cart was one color.  It's always interesting in JBW world.

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Also I'm writing.  Which is why I'm here less. Some pretty powerful and amazing things have come through my fingers.  It feels good to get it down.  I know it's not "the thing" that will be whatever it is that I'm doing--(i.e. this is prewriting in its most primal form) but boy is it valuable to me.

I'll share one of the bits.  I don't know what to call these things that I'm writing.  It isn't poetry, and I'm not sure it's connected other than it's my thoughts, but it's there and it's been very healing for me and I do want to share some of this with the world:

In the beginning there was calm.

Calmness that let me think and breathe and see.

 Calmness that allowed me to stop and realize my worth

 Calmness that gave me the strength to do the things I needed to do to move forward.

 Calmness that prepared me to be loved.

 Calmness that allowed me to truly love others.

 Calmness that defeated anxiety.

 Calmness that reached out to others.

Calmness that gave others the strength to breathe, see, realize, do, love.

Yarn Clubs

I went a little (ok a lot) crazy with yarn clubs this year.  I really do love the thrill of getting something surprising in the mail...sometimes a challenging pattern, always a beautiful yarn.  I want to review the ones I've joined so you can get a sense of what I like about them, what I think makes a club successful and what I'm planning to do with my club yarns in 2015...which is similar to what I was planning to do in 2014 but all the drama of 2014 got so in the way of yarn clubs!

Oh, and please don't judge about all the money I've spent on these clubs.  It's been a tough year and I can only explain my indulgence as therapy...

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Vesper Sock Yarn Club:  This is a 3 month subscription to Knitterly Things's Vesper Sock yarn.  The colorways are specially dyed for the club and only available to club members.  I hoard these skeins like the special things they are and pull them out from time to time to make a gorgeous pair of self-striping sock love.  I've also woven a scarf with one skein and it has continued to get raves everywhere I go.

Madelinetosh Magnolia Club:  I debated with myself about joining this club.  I LOVE Tosh.  The yarns we sell at JBW are spectacular.  Knitting with Tosh is always amazing.  The dyed colors are wonderful.  So my logic was that with bases we don't carry in the shop and special colors, I would totally love the club.  And the truth is I don't.  I won't "up" again for the next one simply because it's been "eh"...don't get me wrong, the yarns are gorgeous, but while the yardage is generous it isn't generous enough to do something like a sweater, but is too much for a hat--and honestly, what does one do with extra skeins of yarn?  I know...put them in stash and wait for them to "become something amazing"...but I don't need more stash and part of my exploration in the yarn club is to learn about yarn, and to learn about new patterns and techniques...Tosh didn't do it for me. (maybe I'll feel differently when the yarn does speak to me and tell me what it wants to be. I'll update you when that happens).

Cookie A Sock Club:  I will do the Cookie A Sock club until she quits doing it.  I'm just sad that I didn't start knitting early enough to be a part of it from the very very beginning.  Every other month you get a skein of yarn and two Cookie A patterns that are only available to club members for one year (and then she sells them on Ravelry to anyone).  The yarns are typically sourced from small dye companies and are specially dyed for her pattern.  And they have always been gorgeous.  Only once did I decide that the yarn needed to be something other than the socks that Cookie A decided that it should be (I'm making a Pretty Thing from it...and one day I'll get back to it because it truly is ideal for where I am in my life right now...cashmere neckie...).  Back to the club, though.  It's awesome, the Ravelry group is wonderful.  I do love seeing all the works in progress and listening to people discuss the patterns, etc...and the patterns are genius.  I will catch up on my socks from last year as I'm working through all the clubs from this year.

Rockin' Sock Club:  I really debated whether I wanted to join the RSC this year and am glad that the sign ups were later than the others because I may have skipped it.  I went ahead and joined because the yarn is always spectacular.  Plus this is year 10 and Blue Moon promised amazing things!  You get a skein of yarn every other month along with two patterns--one for a sock and one for an accessory.  I've done the RSC for 3 full years (in other words this is my 4th venture into the club) so I have quite a pile of RSC yarns that will need to be knitted up in my "down time" but since 2015 is the year of the club I suspect that this will happen.  My only complaint about the RSC is that the patterns aren't always to my taste.  This isn't a huge problem as I'll find other patterns to work...but it can be disappointing as I want the full "club" experience.

Dragonfly Yarns Club:  Dragonfly Yarns are truly special.  I love every single skein that I've ever gotten from them.  They're gorgeously dyed and the yarn is high quality.  And in the one instance where I've gotten a bum skein, she was super nice about it.  I kind of debated whether to join again this year because last year I really didn't like the patterns that came along with the yarn...I decided to do so on the simple fact that I have knitted something from every skein (or skeins) that came in last year except for the stuff that came in August and October and that was because I was in "transition" and hardly knew my name.

Among Friends:  This was a total impulse buy...the Outlander Club.  I was so excited by my first shipment that I'm anxiously awaiting my next!  Time does not move fast enough right now!  I'll report more fully when I've had more shipments, patterns, stitch markers and project bags to share, but my first one was amazing.

Finally:  Miss Babs Knitting Tour:  I haven't received my first shipment yet, but I'm really excited. There are 4 shipments, with accessories, yarn and patterns.  Each shipment is themed based on a location...and since I love to travel AND I love to knit...this is wonderful.  I'm totally stoked about getting these shipments and will report to you about them as I go.

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It's a lot, I know.  And I'm really excited about working on my projects as they come in.  I've already completed 2 and started the 3rd (the pedestrian cowl from a month or so ago) and these two socks:

Rockin' Sock Club: Feeling Groovy.  Pattern is 59th Street Bridge

Yarn: Dragonfly's Djinni Sock in "Big Sky" using Cookie A's pattern Senna from last year's club.

Dragonfly January 2015 and Cookie A December 2014

It's a marriage made in heaven. Djinni sock yarn in a gorgeous color called Big Sky and one of the December Cookie A patterns called Senna.

I'm convinced Cookie A is a genius.  I love knitting her patterns.  As I was talking with a girl at work today we commented on how they knit up so quickly BECAUSE you don't want to put them down.  The next row must be knitted because you want to see how it interacts with the one before.

Beautiful.  Genius.  Happy.

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People are buying yarn in the red colorways (pinks, reds, maroons).  One girl at work thinks it's Valentines influencing decisions.  I think it's snow, little sunshine, cold.

Oh, and they're still buying as much yarn as they can.

All you have to do is believe!

I believed, and I set aside some time, and I watched some tv and darn if I didn't finish the Frank Pedestrian Cowl:

While there are buttons, they don't actually work.  I was very disappointed in the teeny tiny button hole that was created by following the directions.  I probably should have ripped back and put in simple YO K2tog button holes, but I didn't.  I reckoned that I'd probably never want it opened so left it as it.

I immediately slipped it over my head and was embraced in a warm super soft cashmere hug.  Life is indeed good.

Buttons are from my stash.  I thought about something retro and sparkly but these with their right angles and straight line grains were really the perfect thing to spruce it up without taking away from the gorgeousness that is this cowl.

I can't wait to wear it to work tomorrow...and no, I'm not blocking it first.  I'm a rebel, but you knew that right?
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On to the next yarn club:  Dragonfly yarn with a pattern from Cookie A from last year.  Double dipping is fine by me...AND I get to knit a Cookie A  pattern in some gorgeous yarn...I believe there's more cashmere in my future, but I'll have news and pictures tomorrow.

Happy weekend everybody. Mine is on its downward slide, but that's ok.  It's been good and restful and just the thing I needed to help get me back on track!

A new project

Yes, I cast on a new project last night.  And no, I'm not at all embarrassed about it.  And yes, I love the idea of a new project because I love my yarn clubs and last year my enthusiasm for my yarn clubs got all bashed around when I was in the midst of my time of turmoil...so...I decided I'm rebooting yarn club enthusiasm in 2015.  So, here's #1:

Outlander, Among Friends.  You got the pics yesterday of the package.  Last night I started one of the suggested projects, the Pedestrian Crossing Cowl.

And let me tell you that it is a really nice pattern.  2 row repeat, super easy and the yarn?  Oh my...the yarn is lovely.  So soft, so squishy, so beautifully dyed. I'm a happy girl and so are my hands in working with this.

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A couple of interesting things:

Yesterday at work I was enamored of the color brown, so of course, working with this color has made me super happy.

I think I'll use blue buttons to have it match my eyes a little.

Those needles are my Marblz Interchangeable set.  I still love them and think they may be my favorite.  I'm keen on the Karbonz, but they are so pointy that I split my yarn to death...these are just the right kind of tip for me, and I love the acrylic...who would have thought I'd ever say that after my initial love of Addi's...

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And finally:  I BELIEVE  I will be wearing this thing to work on Saturday.  I probably won't, but I BELIEVE (at least for now)...so back to knitting and watching the next episode of Downton.

Yesterday I squealed

So, at the end of my shift yesterday I was one of the crankiest persons around.  I didn't want to see or talk to people, I just wanted to crawl into my apartment and pretend that I existed in a vacuum and that when I did finally venture out all the people in the world would be nice and pleasant and fun to be around.

(Like the characters in Julia Quinn's novels.  I decided that she lives in a wonderful writerly world.  I need to create one like that for myself.)

So, I checked my mail on the way home and was beginning to realize that the crankiness...was really the harbinger of a real bonafide migraine...and one that if I didn't nip it in the bud was going to lay me low for at least a day and I did not want to miss work...

SO, I got in the apartment, took a cocktail of every medication I could think of, drank a BIG cup of coffee and settled in to wait this one out.

At some point I walked into the kitchen and remembered that I'd checked the mail and in it were 2 packages of my yarn club.  I opened my Vesper yarn and marveled at the gorgeous self-striping loveliness (I really must just sit and knit socks for about 300 days straight).

But then, I opened the other package.  Which was a totally impulse purchase back in October.  I was sucked in by the advertising in the Sparks stitch markers that I'm pleasantly addicted to (seriously, I have every set that has been "special" at JBW).  This club is focused on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, her Outlander series, which I loved and have read several times over.  I was excited to join this one, but that was October and it was an impulse and honestly I know nothing else about the Among Friends people except that I liked Outlander and the other yarn clubs looks totally cool and awesome and I would get a project bag, a set of stitch markers (I did mention that addiction didn't I) and YARN...oh and patterns to if I wanted to use them.

So, it was with mixed feelings that I opened that package.  Excitement about a new club but not really holding much expectations.  And then...I squealed.  Out loud in the middle of a migraine.  It was a bad idea but I couldn't help myself and I squealed again when I saw the project bag...and then...seriously...giggled outloud and squealed again when I pulled out the stitch markers.  It was at this point that I was sure my head was going to fall off my neck, but I would die a very happy woman clutching my first shipment from Among Friends.

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And for those of you out there without any compulsion about having many WIPs...you know what an empty project bag means, right?  MUST CAST ON, so I found just the right project and did just that.

I'm happy today...and starting my weekend by watching some Downton Abbey Season 5, knitting my new cowl and drinking a glass or so of wine (and yes, I'm even using the stitch markers even though I don't necessarily need to...it's the Outlander book!  How could I not???)

Eye Candy

All the "interesting" work is done on this sock...now it's just plain ribbing until the toe and then the toe and then finish it off.  I love it.  I love the fit, the yarn and the pattern.  I'd love to have a completed pair by the end of this weekend.

Busy day at work today, so I thought I'd just share this really quickly...still crocheting and needlepointing...still totally unfocused, but such is my life right now.

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Daddy's story:  Daddy loved keeping up with the weather.  In fact, he had little tablets that he kept next to his chair and wrote the high and low temps and the sunrise and sunset for each day.  When he was out of town he would have to "catch up."

How he would have loved computers if he hadn't been scared of them.

Genius

As I was about to start typing this post about the genius of Cookie A's sock designs, I got a text from my mom about my uncle who is in ICU ...and then as I was texting David  (who is in NC this week) to let him know I saw on Facebook that Maya Angelou just passed away.

And really, it's all related through the concept of genius.  My uncle is a genius who worked for NASA and could build computers before computers were something people had at home and taught himself to play violin after he retired.  He's young in the grand scheme of things, so I hope they can stabilize him and get him healthy to come home and have a good life.  When I stayed with him and my aunt the week I learned to weave, he stored up a good number of weaving puns to scatter on me each day as I went to my lessons.

Maya Angelou...what can one say about the beauty, complexity, and phenomenon of that woman.  I took my daughters to see her speak when they were only 9 years old despite the fact that they decidedly did NOT want to go and I think we got the last 4 tickets to the show because we were in the very back row and in the middle seats.  "Phenomenal Woman" (which I linked above) and "Still I Rise" were two of the most powerful experiences of my life.  She also had this refrain during her performance of "the walls of Jericho came tumbling down."  It was chill-inducing (though I honestly can't remember what it was connected to other than a breaking down of social barriers, which is important enough in and of itself).  Despite being in the very back middle seats, I was mesmerized (and so were my little girls) and felt like Dr. Angelou was speaking right to me. (In fact, I think Elizabeth said something to that very effect when we left)  I have cherished every piece of writing of hers that I've run my eyes across and will miss the potential of new work to come.  I will also miss the regular updates she posted on Facebook...she had a way of cutting to the core of things and exposing the heart (and sometimes cutting that up a little too) to make us THINK about our actions, thoughts, words and ways of living.  She is indeed an American Treasure, and my little memory of her is but a speck of sand on the seashore to her talent and amazing abilities.  She will be hugely missed.

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Cookie A...Cookie A is a genius of the sock design kind.  I have not met a pattern by her that did not (almost instantly) captivate me and make me want to finish it.  I even like doing stitches that I don't typically like doing if she wrote the pattern...this is something I'm having trouble understanding.  I really find 1x1 ribbing tedious unless I'm working on a Cookie A pattern and then it's amazing.  Go figure.

As I was working on my Drogon sock (pic below) I was fascinated by this very thing.  1x1 ribbing with a twisted knit stitch in a pattern that I was really struggling to understand.  There was this reverse yarn over thing that was NOT turning out right and looked strange on my needles and I couldn't seem to manage the pattern repeat and was having to look at the chart every three or four stitches.

Then...it dawned on me how much of a genius Cookie A is.  As I was working on the difficult part and said, "what's happening here and why am I having trouble with it?" I realized that the reverse yarn over was moving before the stitch it should have been after.  I know it has something to do with the way I knit and I though "this is really inconvenient and I need to just do it 'this way'" and fixed how I was doing the reverse yarn over to a regular yarn over and then twisted it around when I stitched it on the next row.

I should have read the pattern notes because that's exactly what Cookie A suggested we do...if the reverse was causing problems, then just twist it when you get to it.

And you know what happened then?  EVERYTHING fell into place with this pattern.  It was at this point I realized there was an 8 stitch repeat that I could separate with markers on my needles and that the yarnovers moved in a logical pattern that helped me remember how to do the pattern.  Twisting was part of the nature of it and I FLEW!  Simply flew.

It actually reminded me of learning to play Mozart.  Mozart wrote sonatas with rules...there are lots of scales, arpeggios and key changes, but there are rules and expectations to all of those and once you know what they are learning to play and playing them well are just a matter of practice and time.

And that's when I realized that Cookie A is a genius.  I think she spits out sock patterns like Mozart spat out sonatas!  Just think it and there they are!  And the beauty of her work is that while it is difficult, it's accessible and you learn something every single time you work on one of her patterns. (kinda like playing Mozart, huh?).  As I worked through this pattern it became so much easier and so much more fun and so beautiful.  I think this pic is about when I realized how much of a genius Cookie A is...I'm past the heel turn and well into the foot by now.

Yarn is Dragon Sock by Dragonfly Fibers in colorway "Tree of Life" (June Club color).  The pattern is Drogon which is one of the Cookie A April club patterns.

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Daddy's Story:  Daddy could talk like Donald Duck...and he would also make this noise that would make cats jump to the ceiling.  I particularly loved it when he did it around Oliver (or sweet, dumb orange beauty) because he would just keep walking like nothing happened and it was SO funny).

Happenings

Things are happening all the time...sometimes we like it, sometimes we don't.  Sometimes we notice it and sometimes we're completely oblivious.

Sometimes we love it and sometimes we're super-sad.

And sometimes there are things that we have no control over and sitting back and watching things unfold is the only thing we can do.

I'm in the latter position and it's one that I hate.  Being helpless to your fate...it's frustrating and sad and unbelievably stressful.

My response when I get in a situation like this is to want to run and hide...or to play as much as I possibly can.  Unfortunately David is still on his 3 weeks of traveling, so running and hiding has pretty much been my mode...sorry for the absence from the blog.  It if makes you feel any better I also had to take 2 days off of work, and I'm sorry to report that they didn't do much to improve my outlook.

However, they did a TON to improve my knitting production.  Finished projects and new ones started...and an old craft revisited and totally loving it.

Welted Toque Hat in Dragonfly Fibers's Damsel Yarn, colorway Love Your Mother (Earth)

Elm Socks in Lorna Lace's Solemate, colorway Circus

Sampler afghan of my own design using mini skeins and leftover sock yarn

3S Shawl in Vesper Sock Yarn, colorway Woodlands.

A needlepoint canvas revisited with sleeping cat behind.

Taking Knits (and myself) Outside

All the people who talk about taking good photographs of your crafts say "get them outside in natural sunlight."

I am eternally grateful that I found a lovely house that has windows...lots and lots of windows, that when opened let in a lot of natural light because...

I'm terrifically allergic to outside.  Especially in spring when (around here anyway) everything is yellow--even 10 minutes after all the rain has dried up.  I know it's temporary, but right now my eyes are pretty much weeping all the time. I have drops and they help, but still....it's pretty much not fun most of the time.

I did, however, finish my Sugared Violets Shawl (otherwise known as "Love your Mother Earth Shawl") and wanted to have a modeling session with it, outside, next to the azaleas which are finally blooming, so...that's what I did yesterday.

Isn't it lovely?

Tomorrow, I will show you what I've decided to do with the rest of this gorgeous yarn.

Friday Night and Saturday

I laid low this weekend to get better. So I knitted to mybheart's content, got to bed early, slept late...and I do feel better this Sunday morning. Progress on the shawl was phenomenal...the socks got ripped out and a new pair started. After finishing the shawl I knew I needed to do something else with the yarn that was left other than putting it into a scrap blanket, so I started a hat. Happy days!

I'm hoping for a modeled shot with the shawl since David will be home today!

Last night and this morning

Last night, I came home, ate dinner, didn't clean the kitchen, and knitted.  The shawl was calling my name, clambering to be worked on, so that's what I did.  Knitted on the shawl, listened to my book and just chilled until it was time to go to bed.

I'm not sure yet if I'm avoiding the sock, or if the shawl just wants to be knitted that badly.  I haven't thoroughly liked the pattern so far.  In fact, I'm considering just knitting the foot plain so it'll be over more quickly.  That should be a sign that it's not working for me.  We will see.  I THINK what the problem is is that I don't like doing the doubled decrease...the slipping as if to knit-2-together then slipping those 2 stitches over is kind of tight and slow, and I'm not crazy about it...it looks great so I don't want to do a different doubled decrease...so I'm waivering.  Frog now when I just have a few repeats in or sally forth and finish.  It'll be pretty...but it may also never get finished.

I'll make a decision tomorrow because to be honest, today I'm just not up to it.  I'm tired since it stormed from about midnight on last night.  The rain was particularly bad right at the time for me to leave this morning, so I waited to go for about 30 minutes...and even so the roads were very very wet.  I do hate driving on wet roads.

I also feel like I'm coming down with a cold.  We'll see if it becomes anything, but everyone at work has been sick, so it's probably my turn.

Here is the most beautiful shawl.  I've done the first pattern repeat on the lace edged border.  2 more pattern repeats of it to go, then another little eyelet row followed by 2 rows of garter stitch.  This puppy will be finished tomorrow and then it's blocking time.

I wanted you to see how much of the first ball I have left...not much.  And there are lots and lots of stitches on each row right now, so it won't last much longer.  I'm going to do a double knot join so I can not worry about running out mid-row.  Also, I think attempting to weave in ends on a lace is not going to work out very well.

In case you're enthralled by watching this shawl grow, I will post pics tomorrow and Sunday, so stay tuned!

Adrift

Sometimes, after finishing a good book or an awesome knitting project, I feel adrift.  Unfocused.  Unable to settle into something.

That's how I felt last night.

I went to the dentist yesterday afternoon for my cleaning (no cavities! yea me!) and then came home, prepped dinner and lunch, and then sat down to work on something.  Only I didn't really want to work on anything.  I had a hard time concentrating and really couldn't figure out what to do.

So, I got up and cleaned the kitchen since it needed to be done and then settled back down for my new book (Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith) and some knitting.

I did manage to get some knitting done, but not a lot.  I encouraged myself with a small goal--one pattern repeat on the sock, get through the eyelet rows on the shawl--so that's what I did.

Then I went to bed where I slept like the dead until 6am this morning.  Maybe I was tired last night?

Reading...and knitting

I've always been an avid reader.  I read all the time as a child.  I'd have a book in my book bag and one at home and wouldn't mix them.  I loved having multiple stories and characters going through my head all the time.  When I was in 3rd grade I read all the books in the school library section for "3rd grade and under" so they moved me up to the "older" books.  This is when I fell in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I even majored in English in college because I could read and get "credit" for it.  Then I read probably 5 books at a time, finishing 3 or so per week.  It was intense, especially in grad school, but mostly I loved it.

Then one day when I was trying to get myself motivated to work on my English dissertation (which is different from the one I actually finished) I realized that I didn't have to read any book that I wasn't interested in.  This made me feel free, liberated somehow and I ended up combing through my library and ridding myself of any book that I didn't love.  My to-be-read shelf was combed through carefully and books I wasn't terrifically excited about reading got donated to the library.

After deciding that I didn't want the PhD in English and instead starting over (yes, I started over) on a doctorate in higher education leadership, I promised myself that I would never waste time on books again.  If I didn't like it...off it went.  Even if I was just starting, or over half-way through.  I would not ever read a book again if I wasn't having fun reading it.

Then when I was writing my dissertation, I didn't want to read anything "hard" or that made me think.  I told myself that all I'd read while writing was romance novels, so I did.  And I loved it.

Then something weird happened.  I turned in my last revision on my dissertation, looked at my to-be-read shelf and didn't want to read a single book in there.  I got a few books by my favorite authors on my Kindle and I didn't want to read those.  I tried and tried to find something that would interest me, but I was just simply not interested in reading.

And it's very very weird.  What I am interested in instead is knitting, and I'm not skilled enough to do both at the same time.

But, something else happened to me a little over a year ago.  I decided that I was not going to be able to handle, for one more day, the commute to work.  I was terrifically bored on the drive in (about an hour) and going home was torture.  People kept recommending audio books, but I have a hard time paying attention to people talking and thought it wouldn't work for me.  Desperation brought about desperate measures, though, and I bought Outlander.  A book I knew I loved and since the new installment was going to be released "soon" I thought it would be a good experience to start from book 1 and read through.  I had time (these books are super-long).  So, I invited Claire and Jaime to come on my commute and a world of opportunities opened up for me.

I didn't mind my drive in...in fact, I sort of looked forward to it, especially when the books were getting good.  I've re-listened to books I've read before and had different experiences listening to them.  The narrators really do bring a lot to the books and it makes the experiences different--sometimes better sometimes not.

I still like my romances.  I listen to a lot of them.  But I also am starting to enjoy my books that are "harder" reads.  The ones that will challenge me, make me think, and provide me with opportunities to TALK ABOUT books with people again.

How wonderful.

But, you know what else is awesome?  I can listen to books while I knit...it's amazing.  And so much better than watching TV because I don't have to look up or miss anything because I'm not looking up.

I'm so glad that Audible has a wonderful subscription program because if it didn't, I'd probably break the bank in how quickly I'm consuming books this year...but that's ok.  I'm reading again and it's awesome.

The book I finished last night was one that I want to go back and read again.   The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  Go get your copy, read it, be amazed at how the story plays out...the writing, the imagery, the beauty of that book.  And do it quickly because I need to talk with people about this book while it's still on my mind!

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Knitting progress:  I finished the Chicken Socks!  I got to the next eyelet row on the shawl (but only worked on it for a quick stint because I needed to finish the socks).  And I started the next pair of socks.  They are "spring" socks that I'm doing a knit-a-long with the Seasonal Sock Syndrome folks.  The yarn for those is Lorna's Laces SoleMate, which I'm not sure I'm sold on.  It has a tenseness to it that I'm not sure I like for socks, but we shall see how it ends up knitting up.  The colors are gorgeous, as are all LL colors.  This one is called Circus, I believe.  I had a hard time reading the label, but David picked it out of all the yarns that I threw on the floor as the one that sang "spring" to him.  The pattern on the new socks is Celebrate Spring by Anne Budd.