Not Spring!

It is definitely not yet spring here in Wisconsin. I don't have any dreadful photos to post about rain, cold temperatures and the snow that is falling as I write this in the northern part of the state. My daffodils have bravely sent up some green shoots, but with tonights low temperatures, they are wishing they could reduce themselves right back into the ground.

My knitting progress is not much to brag about. While on our spring break tour of colleges for daughter #2, I tried some stash reduction. I had two large skeins of some of Sirdar's wool/acrylic bulky yarn, and I thought I would have a flash of genius for what to do with it.

Something simple, I needed, that I could do in the car while still navigating and that I could do while paying attention at the college introductory presentations. I decided to make a small Linus blanket that would be used as a security item, rather than something used for warmth. For a pattern, I thought I would do a variation on the garter stitch diagonally knit washcloth (k2, yo at the beginning of each row until half the size you want; then, k2, yo, k2tog at the beginning of each row.)

For my variation, I thought I would do sections of reverse stockinette and stockinette stacked on each other--dividing the little blanket into quarters. Can you guess what I forgot? I forgot that garter stitch is square and stockinette stitch is rectangular--taller than it is wide. Thus, the garter stitch wash cloth is square because the rows and stitches are square. Stockinette on the bias using the same k2, yo, etc., at the beginning of each row makes a diamond. NO amount of blocking will turn that kite into a square. It looked a little bizarre, to say the least. I couldn't give that thing to a sick child in the hospital.

So, I purchased some pretty ribbon in different colors, and threaded it through the yo holes.

It's still a diamond, and the ribbon kind of makes it look more like a kite, but I think it's OK. I hope that some sick child will enjoy holding this blankie close, playing with the ribbons and maybe thinking of spring!

Twin Happiness

I have two wonderful daughters, fifteen years apart! They are my pride and joy and I have loved every minute of motherhood. Some minutes, of course, I would have paid someone to take them off my hands, but, as does labor, those minutes fade from one's consciousness.
However, I daily thank my lucky stars that I did NOT have twins. I admire mothers and fathers of multiples. How they make it through every day is a feat that should be studied by efficiency experts. I know that I would not have survived to the first birthday of a set of twins, should I have had a set.

My daughter's choir director had a set of twin boys four days ago. This woman also has a 2.5 year old daughter. She is a middle school choir director. And the director of three youth choirs at our church. And the director of another serious youth choir. And she does solo performance work. And, did I mention, that she just had twin boys??? I've had a hard enough time making two blankets for the boys, much less pushing them out during LONG labor, then feeding them, diapering them, feeding them, diapering them.......
Last October I knit this fabulous Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket for the baby, that was later determined to be two babies. I used the softest acrylic yarn every produced--by Pinguouin--called Mousse. I'd been waiting to know of a baby so that I could make the pattern. The knitting was great fun, but I didn't want to repeat it. It requires a pattern at one's disposal for every other row. Bummer.
I knew I had to make another blanket for baby #2. I know that twins are close, but I didn't think they would want to share their lovey blanket. So, I had a problem. The Mousse yarn has been discontinued for quite a number of years. The yarn I had was in my stash for who knows how long. Fortunately, I found more of the same yarn, in a brighter blue, on E-Bay. But, I didn't have a lot of time to complete the second blanket. And, I wanted something I could knit without keeping a pattern at my side. So, I decided to make Bonnie Evans' Pinwheel Blanket, found here on the internet. then I started to worry. What if Baby #2 was jealous of Baby #1's fancy alphabet block blanket?? Would Baby #2 develop an inferiority complex because his blanket was plain?? And, what would the mother think??? Fortunately, the pinwheel blanket has ten segments. I knitted in the numbers from 1-10, in reverse stockinette.
After completing half of the numbers I realized that the numbers would have been more recognizable if I had done them in seed stitch, rather than reverse stockinette. But, I was knitting on a deadline and I was not about to rip out the interior of the blanket. There are some limits to which I will not go for a baby blanket-- that will absorb spit up, spilt milk and worse. The "9" above looks pretty good, but the "1" below gets lost in the curling of the reverse stockinette. I tried blocking it, but I know the acrylic will "sproing" back to its curling. I don't think the mother will notice--she's got her hands full with other matters now.
I applied the same lace edging that was on the Debbie Bliss blanket, so that the two blankets look like fraternal twins, even if they are not identical twins like the babies. I used an acrylic called Smooth, dk, by King Cole. It has the glow of a satin blanket edging. I thought that the babies might like to chew on the edge, and this yarn should stand up to chewing better than the fuzzy Mousse. I would not recommend the Smooth for anything that requires backbone. It is the drapiest stuff I ever used and it was hard to keep the yarn on the needles, even when using bamboo.
Here is the entire pinwheel blanket. I love it. the numbers worked out great. Not that I would like to have twins myself so that I could knit another one, however.


My 15 year old decided the blanket made a great shawl. But I don't think she would want to wear it outside of the house!!
Earlier this month, Brooklyntweed posted a nice retrospective of some great Komi mittens he made last year. He commented on how well they were standing up, etc. Well, my retrospective pales by comparison. Below is a pullover I made for the 15 year old when she was 9 or so. I used a Sirdar yarn that was nothing but fuzz held together with thread. I couldn't tell when I was knitting or purling. In fact, although the pattern called for ribbing, it was impossible to tell that I had ribbed, or when I had dropped a stitch! And, I couldn't tell front from back or inside from outside (it was knit in stockinette). In fact, the 15 year old calls it her "dryer fluff" sweater. She never wore it when she was 9, or when she was 10. But, when she was 11 she wore it when the weather was so cold that she couldn't stay warm. Since then, she wears it on the coldest days of the year, but not out of the house. Somehow, the sweater grows with her!! the sweater looks just as good (or bad, depending on your point of view) as the day it slid off the needles.


I'm wondering whether she will take it to college with her???
My next retrospective is a modified tote bag from a Just One More Row pattern. I used leftover wool warn from my stash instead of the Himalayan Silk called for in the pattern. And, I made a ribbed strap/handle that I attached to the side gussets rather than the I-cord short handles attached to the front and back panels. And, I lined it and the handle/strap. I love it. I have used it for three years now and it still looks as good as the day it slipped off the needles!! Everytime I am in public with it, I get comments from men and women alike. Knitters and non-knitters. Of course, I live in the snowy, down-home, unfashionable Midwest where we can get away with almost anything. But, I love, love, love the bag. I loved the construction and the knitting. I did not love making the lining, so I outsourced that part of the project to my mother. (she hates to knit, but has sewed for about 70 of her 81 years. She wanted to know what she could get me for christmas, so I allowed as how I would love a lining for my purse....)
Finally, I give your this belated valentine strawberry. It was in the box of strawberries I purchased for Valentine Day dessert. I hope you had a loving day with your family and/or friends.

Fabulous February

Ah, I love February. Christmas is done; the Christmas ornaments, decorations and tree are packed away (we hope) and we can get on with the serious business of enjoying winter. Finally, here in Wisconsin, we have snow on the ground, bright blue cold skies, and serious winter temperatures of 0 Farenheit at night and in the single digits during the daytime. Snow crunches underfoot and all the knitted hats and scarves come out of the closets!!! My daughters leave the house wrapped in items I made for them. It warms a mother's heart.

My Komi mittens, from Charlene Schurch's book Knitting Marvelous Mittens are finished, felted and on my hands keeping them warm!!! In my previous post, I proudly showed how I had inverted the color design on the palm of the mitten, just for fun. I blithely did the same on the second mitten, but forgot to watch for the thumb placement. Rats!!! Pay attention, Gail!!! Oh well, no one notices that my mittens are different for each hand and I kind of like the "joke". I love looking at the difference in the patterns on each hand. I also made a matching earwarmer/headband using the Mountain Colors yarn. Today ears need to be covered to avoid frost bite.
I just purchased a new computer--a MacBook laptop. I love it, but am still getting used to the programs. I thought I had adjusted colors and turned all the photos to be right side up, but when I went to load them onto Blogger, I only found the original photos to upload. The colors in the mittens should be brighter and they should be standing up. But, you can get the idea, I hope.

I am also having a great time designing a blanket for one of the twins expected soon by my daughter's choir director. My daughter is 15 and she has been singing with this director since she was 4 years old!! I made the first blanket in October; it is Debbi Bliss' Alphabet Blanket that you can view here. I used Pinguoin Mousse that I had in my stash from decades ago. Because the yarn was discontinued, I couldn't purchase any more of it for the second blanket. Then, I searched on E-Bay and found some Mousse in another color--a bright turquoise type blue!. Perfect!! The twins are boys.
I am using the Pinwheel Blanket pattern as a base. Because this blanket has ten segments, I decided to put the numerals from 1-10 into it. I didn't have time to figure out how to match the lace alphabet letters, so I am doing the numerals in reverse stockinette stitch. Great fun.
Here is the chart I made for the numbers.
And here's the blanket thus far. (whoops, don't know what happened with the coding, but since the photos are there, I won't worry!!)
catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDG-oZ8SR_IuVX1AJHFDCI4Cqx-K0hgL_lBdoH4tyJk0wGswKwrg86y5Bs4mGT29v-rEVlmLTspE00-taMvv0XYJPAXQIf3Oo6717wEZuyePgM01_lOzfKmBqEthbi73OFefF-Q/s1600-h/102_1632.JPG">I know, lit looks like a great big tam at this point. But, if you look carefully at the knitting closest to the needles (on the middle left) you can see the beginnings of a number!! I don't know if the twins (boys) will ever read the alphabet letters and numbers on their blankets, but I know the mom will.

As if I don't have enough to do already with my three courses (Spanish Advanced Grammar, Instructional Design and Technology and Children's Literature) and my family knitting projects, I started a blanket for our church auction. Ten of us are knitting squares for the blanket out of Cascade 220 using colors that "match" our church building; the building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is a National Historic Landmark. We are making diagonal squares and will assemble them along the lines of Tikkupetto's blankets. Check her design #44. Here's my first square--at least half of it!! We hope the finished project is fabulous that that we sell lots of raffle tickets for it!!



And, not last but least, is this lonely sock from one of Lucy Neatby's patterns--the Marietta sock. I love Lucy Neatby's sock patterns, and all of her patterns. But they do require some attention with the brain and not just the fingers. I'm not sure when I will have time to knit this sock's mate. I long to have both socks on my feet, but will have to wait until I have time to knit for myself again. First, I have to finish that pinwheel number blanket, then the Dale of Norway sweater for husband. I hope it will still be cold outside when I finish that second sock!!

Yahoo!! More projects done!!

Whoppee!! Yahoo! Yes!! Two more FO's on my list!! First, my pride and joy, the lace alphabet blanket from Debbie Bliss' " The Baby Knits Book" (link two posts ago). I used some old Pingouin Mousse yarn, now out of production. The blanket is for one of the twins expected by my daughter's church choir director--a vibrant young woman who already has a 2-year-old. Gender is unknown--therefore, I added the white lace border so that it could be appropriate for either gender--at least, I hope so. After searching the internet and e-Bay, I found some more Pingouin Mousse in turquoise. I will use that for the second blanket. If subsequent ultrasounds show the twins to be girls, I may add some pink lace trim. Or, maybe I'll stick to white trim on both blankets and just forget about colors being tied to gender.
Another of my FO's is the second sock of a pair of Mermaid Socks! Pattern used is from Lucy Neatby's book Cool Socks Warm Feet. (link two posts ago) The socks fit wonderfully, even thought the ankle looks a bit skinny in this photo. It is skinny in real life also. However, the winding ribbing makes for a snug fit that keeps the sock cuffs up and prevents them from falling down. I modified the pattern by making a 30 stitch garter stitch cuff, rather than a 15 stitch cuff. I used an Opal yarn and I don't know the color # because I threw the band away. I was afraid that one skein would not be sufficient, however it was!! I have enough left over for a pair of baby bootees!
My last photo is one of me and my older daughter on her 30th birthday. I remember my 30th birthday vividly. her father gave me Willie Nelson's "Stardust" album (a vinyl record, this was before CD's everyone) with the notation that it was "goldie oldies for a goldie moldy!" Since we are from the generation that believed no one over 30 was to be trusted, turning 30 was a life-shaking event. Sigh. I'm not really old enough to have a 30 year old daughter; nevertheless, she went and turned 30 anyway. I have been blessed to have her living in "my" same town for the past 3 years. This coming January, however, she will move to New Zealand to pursue graduate studies at the University in Auckland. I will miss her very, very much. Letting go of our children is the hardest job parents have. We raise them to be wonderful independent adults, and then they thank us by leaving the home nest!!! My daughter deserves every exciting moment she can squeeze out of life and should be free to follow her dreams wherever they lead. But I will miss her.
For the perceptive readers, you have noticed that I am wearing my Violets by the River shawl, designed by Hazel Carter and made out of silk/merino laceweight from Blackberry Ridge. The color is true to life. The best lavender/violet every made. I love their yarns and their patterns. Lucky for me, their mill is about 30 miles from my home.

My UFO list is shrinking. I need to do the lace edging for my Dale of Norway cardigan for myself and the second sock for my Pomatamous pair. I need to work on my husband's Dale of Norway multi color ski sweater. And, I need to finish my brother's aran sweater that I started 3 years ago. And, I need to finish that lace shawl for myself made out of yarn I bought when I attended Meg Swanson's Knitting Camp in 2002-- Joslyn's Fiber AngleHair. the colorway is a deep, deep cherry that doesn't seem to be made anymore.

Hmm, this isn't a short list, is it. Don't tell anyone that I already cast on for a new pair of mermaid socks that will be a Christmas present. I am using Meilenweit colortweed, color way 1001. If you can find theyarn, use it. It is the colors of a fall sunset.

Race of the UFO's

Rats! I want to put new yarn on the needles, begin new projects, try out some of new patterns. But, I have a pile of UFO's that should have been finished long, long ago. I lost a bit of knitting time when I was in the hospital, but my brain is now nearly fully recovered and I am at full knitting strength!

Rats, again! I tried to take photos of my UFO's so you could vote on which to finish first, but my camera opened, then told me the battery was dead, and closed again! so, I don't have photos. But, I'll make a list. Oldest first. [Remember the March Race of the UFO's? There are some repeats on this list!!)

Item #1. I began this project four years ago, during a car trip across the United States from Wisconsin to Oregon and back. It is the Shaped Triangle lace shawl designed by Katie Nagorney and Ann Swanson in A Gathering of Lace.

Item #2. I don't know when I began this (cursed) Main Vest from Mission Falls Quinte Scrapbook. I quite forgot about it. Completely. Gone from the memory bank. Then, this summer, my husband brought out a red bookstore bag filled with "some knitting stuff". Puzzled, I opened it and voila, an almost finished vest!! (God, I hate it when my husband finds the hidden unfinished objects!!!) The two fronts were done and the back was done. Hmm, I thought, this will take only one evening to sew together and finish! Wrong. After sewing one of the front shoulders to the back, I discovered that I had two left fronts!! Then, I discovered that the neck shaping for the sewn-in left front was on the armhole side, not the middle side!! I frogged both fronts. Then, I frogged the armhole ribbing twice. Then, I frogged the entire neck and front ribbing twice. Now, I lost the buttons that I bought in Seattle last month. Now I know why the red bookstore bag was hidden--the project was in a multi-year timeout!!

Item #3. A Dale of Norway one color sweater that is almost, almost done. Started last December. This was supposed to be a fast, simple, comfortable sweater that would take a few weeks. But, I have lost the pattern. It's somewhere hiding. I know it is almost done--sewn together. I need to do the neck and front band. the pattern is #13 Lerk, from the Adult Fall 2003 No. 126 booklet. It is make out of Sisik, a great yarn that was discontinued. Sigh. I'll find the book or wing it soon.

Item #4. My husband's Dale of Norway sweater. Started January 2006. Enough said. (See my March 16, 2006 post!)

Item #4. Socks. After seeing so many of these socks on blogs I broke down and started the Potamous socks. Of course, now I can't find a link to the pattern or who wrote the pattern, but I love the socks. I'd wear them if I had only one foot. Seems that I started these in late spring, then summer came........

Item #5. Socks. Lucy Neatby's Mermaid socks. Started in Seattle in August 2006. Still unfinished.

Favorite Item #6. Baby Blanket. Started September 2006. Yippee!!! I know of three babies that are due to be born in the next few months. My daughter's choir director is expecting twins!!! She already has a two year old. A female faculty member in my husband's department is expecting a baby in October. So, I started a baby blanket out of some old Pingoin Mousse-a very soft acrylic. And, I've always wanted to knit the lace alphabet blanket from Debbie Bliss' "The Baby Knits Book" I started two weeks ago and already I am knitting on the lace edging!! I've been knitting up a storm. Do I want to make a second blanket so these are for the twins, or should I give it to my husband's colleague. There is LOT of knitting in this cuddly blanket....I don't really know the colleague well. I know the choir director much better, and she has nurtured my daughter in her singing for 11 years......

Knitter's Vow: I firmly resolve that I will finish all these UFO's before starting a new project, no matter how tempting the yarn, no matter how tempting the pattern!!!!