What WAS I thinking??

Yet another unfinished project from the past.

When looking backwards in time I have often wondered, "What on earth was I thinking?" when trying to figure out why I did what I did--or didn't--do.  My vow to complete all of my unfinished knitting projects has prompted me to wonder this many times.

Recently I've been trying to finish a lovely lavender lace cardigan, made out of a cotton/viscose/silk yarn.  I found this poor abandoned item at the bottom of a knitting bag for another project.  Turns out that I began this project in 2011. I love the lace cardigan pattern, the color of the yarn, everything.  Why on earth did I stop working on it?  What WAS I thinking??
 
I had completed the body of the sweater, one complete sleeve and one half of the other sleeve.  I was almost finished.  And I left it, abandoned, in the bottom of a knitting project buried under a larger project, never to see the light of day again until recently.

Maybe I just didn't want to sew the darn thing together.  Maybe the season changed and I didn't want to wear a cotton cardigan in the fall, and started a warm wool project. Maybe Christmas present knitting took over.  Maybe I got all the entertainment value out of the project and was seduced by a new, more interesting project.  I can't possibly get into my state of mind back in 2011. 

But, it turns out that my failure to complete on time was serendipitous. 

Look closely at the top third of the photo on the left.  The top third of the front of the cardigan.  It's subtle.  I didn't see it at first either.

And, look closely at the top third of the photo on the right.  Can you see anything that looks odd??    I didn't until I took the project to my favorite yarn shop cum coffee shop, The Sow's Ear.  There, under better lighting, I noticed that the yarn had changed color!!!  No, this wasn't magic.  The color changed when I started a new skein of yarn, having run out of the previous skein.

I diligently checked the ball band for the yarn.  All the ball bands indicated the same dye lot. 

Conclusion, one skein of yarn obviously was a different color, even though the company sold it as the same color. 

So, the question is, was this the reason for abandoning the project?  Did I throw it into the bottom of the project bag in disgust?  Sometimes having to rip out hard work is annoying, to say the least.  Luckily I have other skeins of the yarn that match the color of the rest of the cardigan. So, why didn't I just rip and re-knit the sections back in 2011??  I'll never know. 

So, the past week I've been ripping out the aberrant color and re-knitting--in between working on the cute, fun red and white baby sweater.  Today I finished the second sleeve and after careful study determined where I was in the complicated cable in the front of the sweater when the color changed.  I'm now on the path to completion.

New vow--no more work on the cute, darling, fun-to-knit baby sweater until I fully complete this troublesome summer lace cardigan.  Tomorrow I hope to finish re-knitting the front, sew the thing together and shop for the pretty little buttons.  Then the neck band, the button band and FREEDOM!!! 

p.s.  In case you want to know, the pattern is Jamaica, from Dale of Norway.  The yarn is Svale, now discontinued.

Starting All Over Again

How time flies!!  I've been neglecting my blog for four years and it's time to get back into the blog-o-sphere.  I find that Facebook is not sufficient for saying much of import.  Not that I have much of import to say!  But, at least here I can expand on my knitting projects!

The Yarn Harlot admitted to having at least four unfinished projects.  I have been going her one better by proclaiming all of my unfinished projects on Facebook, one at a time! 
I made a knitter's vow after Christmas  that I will finish all of my incomplete projects before starting a new one!!  Thus, far I have almost stuck to my promise.  Here is where I stand.

1.  Sipsy's Folly.  Designed by Amy Detjen.  Available on Craftsy.  
Excuse for not completing: 1.  Charted the poetry for the inside hem five times, and knit the poetic hem three times.  I'm not doing it again.  I have to live with the fact that the letters are upside down.  2. The hip/waist shaping is too dramatic for me, a woman of a certain age.  I have ripped back to the hem and am starting anew.  

Where it stands now:  In time out, once again. 

2.  Lingerie Socks.  I promised these socks to a friend for her birthday, back in August 2013.  I finished them after taking my vow on February 14, 2014.  I think the socks are beautiful, but they remained incomplete for a long time due to: 1) intervening Christmas knitting; 2) the need to carry a pattern with me at all times.  Status: friend loves them.

3.  Lengthen beanie made for Daughter #1 years ago.  Status: Done!!  Excuses for delay: 1) needed to find matching yarn in my yarn bins; 2) Ripped out two different extensions that were unsatisfactory. 3) acceptable to Daughter #1. Status: The Black and Blue corrugated ribbing was a successs!  Ears warm.

4.  Make Shawl for church auction, Exception #1.   For this, I needed to violate my vow; I started this as a new project post-vow taking.  I know, Knitter's Vows are not really worth much, but I felt this was for a good cause.  At least I used yarn already in my stash.  I whipped this up as quickly as possible and it sold for $60 at the fundraising auction!! Yarn used: Noro Taiyo sock yarn.  Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl, with applied lace edging.  

5.  Socks for purse knitting, Exception #2.  Ok, I admit it.  I made another exception to my vow.  Purse knitting.  Easy knitting for which no pattern is needed and that fits in my purse.  Knitting I can do at a stop sign, while waiting in line at the grocery store, when I need to really pay attention to the friend with whom I am talking.  I can't carry my incomplete projects with me at all times, so I need a bit of a project for my purse.  Besides, I need to replenish my sock drawer.  Status: happily living in my purse.

6.  My Wonderful Mittens.  I started these Winter Wonder Mittens before Christmas, using Fresco yarn., made of wool, alpaca and angora!!!  The ultimate in soft warmth.  Excuses for not completing: 1) Intervening Christmas knitting.  2) Finishing Lingerie socks, above.  3) not really NEEDED.  4) items for me tend to go to the bottom of the heap.  Status: Knitting completed.   Now I am looking for supple white leather to put on the palms so that I don't wear holes in them due to driving, etc.  This is Wisconsin, people, mittens are not worn just for show!!

7.  Heirloom Blanket.  I don't recall when I started this blanket, but I fell in love with the motif, swatched it, and started knitting with Kauni yarn in long lengths of purple to blue to green.  I am still deeply in love with the project.  But, it has been marinating in the knitting bag for a LONG time.  Excuses for not completing: 1) This is a 5.5ft by 4ft blanket people!! 2)  I'm using size 3 needles!!  3)  The Kauni yarn does not pull evenly and gets stuck on my fingers, for pity sake!!  The knitting is a slog.  Status: since taking my vow I have knit 12-14" and it is now about 4 ft long.  

8--????.  More incomplete projects.  I actually have more incomplete projects, but I am too exhausted from having confessed my knitterly sins and from the daunting task ahead of me.  I'm not sure when I can ever start a new project.  Clearly, being bored and thinking that I can just whip out a small project without affecting progress on larger projects is misguided and has landed me in an ever deepening abyss of Unfinished Projects!

Stay tuned for more, unless this also makes you depressed!!

15 Seconds of Fame

I'm basking in my 15 seconds of fame. Kay of Mason Dixon Knitting recent blog posting showed me (minus my head) and my recently de-bottomed Dale of Norway sweater. The "Gail" she described, that's me!! She thought I was brave/delusional/insane for cutting the bottom off of my recently finished sweater. No one else has knocked at my door to admire my sweater, but I'm honored nonetheless.

Here are some photos of my other Olympic entries.


1) Completed Blackberry Mittens, pattern from Blackberry Ridge. Made out of sock yarns from Shi Bui (hand dyed) and Kraemer (white). I made one mitten two years ago for my Christmas gift basket. Unfortunately, no one selected the mitten as a present, even though I promised to make a second one. Therefore, during the Olympics I started and finished the second mitten and now I am wearing them. Perfect weight for Wisconsin early spring-late winter.




2) Leftover Sock Yarn Blanket. Before Christmas I finished the leftover sock yarn blanket for daughter #2. (More about this blanket in a later post.) Upon seeing the blanket, daughter #1 asked, "Where's mine?" Note that I worked for four years on the blanket for daughter #2. Not wanting to be accused of unfair or unequal mothering, I began to make squares for the second blanket. During the Olympics, I sewed these squares together, to show my good faith in actually making a blanket for daughter #1. Check back in 2014 to see the completed object. Meanwhile, I'll be generating leftover sock yarn by continuing to make socks.

Tonight I'll be scrubbing mold and mildew out of the shower, from under old caulking. Nasty job. I'd rather be knitting. But, the state of the shower was caused by regular knitting rather than regular house cleaning. Rats!!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

"And the fire is so delightful,
Since we've no place to go,
Let it snow
Let it snow
Let it snow." (with gratitude to the composer Jule Style and lyricist Sammy Cahn)

Being a true Wisconsinite, this is one of my favorite winter songs. I also managed to convince daughter #2 that this is the best song in the world. She and I would sing it with great vigor and enthusiasm when she was little, sitting in front of the fire and watching the snow come down outside. I have successfully raised her as a winter-lover.

Therefore, when I opened the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting's Mitten Issue, I fell head over heels in love with the "Let IT Snow" mittens. Perfect Christmas present, I thought. I finished only the "Snow" mitten for Christmas, however, and made the second in early January.
I used Paton's sock yarn so the palms would last forever. Maybe that threw off my gauge. The first mitten was wide enough for two hands. Realizing that I could not simply wash and shrink the mitten (cause I was using sock yarn) I had to rip out the first mitten and alter the pattern. I took four stitches out of each side of the pattern (16 stitches in total).

My color choice (blue and green) was determined by a hat I made for my daughter when she was in grade school and that she still loves. She refuses to let me knit her another hat. "I already have a hat, Mom!" How many 17 year old girls do you know who refuse new clothing??

Although I love the backs of the mittens with the pine trees and drifting snow flakes, I also heartily love the palms of the mittens.

As a special treat, I told my daughter that I would knit an angora lining into the mittens. She declined. Her hands are too sensitive, apparently, for even angora. She begged for polar fleece lining. Sigh, what is a knitting mother to do??

I went to JoAnn Fabric store to find some microfleece. Nada. So, I purchased the lightest weight non-pilling fleece that I could find--a remnant with seashells on it!! I figured that the incongruous fabric would be inside the mittens and no one would know that serious winter mittens are lined with a beach scene fabric!! I simply traced the mitten on the fleece, extending the thumb a bit, cut it out and seamed it up.
I slid the fleece mitten inside of the knit mitten,

and whip stitched the two together at the cuff. I made the fleece cuff a little narrower so that the mitten would hug the wrist to stay on.

My daughter loves the mittens and wears them when the weather is really cold. She has some cheap, lined acrylic mittens (given to her by a school friend for Christmas) that she wears for normally cold Wisconsin weather. (Here in Wisconsin we need a variety of mittens to get through winter. When the temperature is below 0 F and the wind is blowing, unlined mittens are useless!! For snowblowing and snow shoveling, I use insulated, deep cuffed leather gloves that look like something for Antarctica.

I've been wearing her mittens recently and I find that the fleece lining is very soft, nice and insulating and cozy. Not too bulky. Very fast to make. Much faster than angora knitting. I may be on to something.

Somewhat Fetching Peace Fleece

Too many of my knitting projects evolve erratically from repeated failures rather than develop serenely from swatches and careful planning. If the Yarn Harlot's friend, Lene, made me a Christmas Knitting Schedule, there is no way I could possibly keep up with it. It would be doomed from the beginning.

Example #1.
While sipping coffee in my favorite LYS/Coffee Shop I found some lovely grey/blue/white speckled Peace Fleece. Who could resist Peace Fleece at this time of year?? Let me quote from their website:

Peter Hagerty and his wife Marty Tracy started buying wool from the Soviet Union back in 1985 in hopes that through trade they could help diffuse the threat of nuclear war. Since then they have worked with shepherds in Russia, Kyrgyzia, Israel and the West Bank, as well as in Montana, Ohio, Texas and Maine. By working with people who tend livestock every day, they hope to find a common ground that slowly leads to mutual understanding and economic interdependence. After twenty-one years, their goals remain the same.

Definitely the world needs peace in 2007 as much, if not more, than it did in 1985. So, I bought the Peace Fleece, determined to give a friend or family member some hope for peace as well as a warm hat. So, I made a hat.
Cute, I thought. I avoided the pitfalls that caused previous hats to be rejected by my youthful and fashion minded daughters. First, the hat shall not cover the ears. Who would want warm ears in Wisconsin winter?? Second, no dorky ribbing at the bottom of the hat. Instead, I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's I-cord cast off to give a finished edge. the pattern was from Lion Brand yarns from which I removed the dorky ribbing.

OK, I had yarn left over. How about some fingerless gloves to match?? I thought I would have enough yarn for fingerless gloves. The Fetching gloves from Knitty looked pretty good. Of course, Peace Fleece was heavier than the yarn called for, and I used size 8 needles for the hat, so I reduced the number of glove stitches to 30. And, I ALWAYS make thumb gussets--I hate it when mittens and gloves stretch uncomfortably then I move my thumb. So, I added thumb gussets. Good enough.

So far, so good. Now we enter the knitting zone called "WHAT WAS I POSSIBLY THINKING???"

I finished the hand part of the gloves and was about to start the short thumb when I decided that I had enough yarn for a full thumb! So, I made two full thumbs on fingerless gloves.!! I saved you the horrible vision of these deformed Fingerless-but-not-thumbless-gloves by not taking a photo. Rather than simply rip out the thumbs, I realized that I had enough yarn to make mittens!!! Let's look carefully at the lovely Fetching fingerless gloves and think about what problem we could avoid when turning them into mittens, shall we?

Do you see any problem?? No? Well, neither did I. so, I blissfully removed the cast off edge, and continued the cute cable pattern to the tip of the new mitten. Now do you see the problem?
No? Maybe the photo is too dark. I didn't see a problem either. I was floundering in the knitting River of De Nile (denial!).
What was I possibly thinking??? Skinny narrow cabled mitten tops?? Cables eat up width. Fingers do not like to feel constricted. Fingers like to splay out at times, wiggle, breathe. They do not like to be folded up upon themselves. I determined to remove the cables. But, thankfully, I had not cabled the palms.
It seems that in knitting once completely submerged in the River of De Nile I tend to stay there. I can't quite get out of it. Rather than frog the entire tops of the mittens, down to the thumb, I decided to SAVE TIME by dropping down the cabled stitches and knitting them back up. Dear reader, does this sound like a good idea to you? Did you say, "no"? If so, you are much smarter than I. You, dear reader, are not dog paddling in the River of De Nile with me.

OK, here is what the mitten looks like when you drop the first of the four stitch cables. Did I think this was a problem?
Nooooo,.......... Here I am with my faithful cable hook picking up the first of the four cable stitches to form stockinette ribs of 4 x 1.
Here is the mitten-in-progress with the first of the cables removed and replaced with stockinette. Is there a visible problem at this point, dear reader? No. I think not. Let's continue.

Here are the finished mittens.
They look pretty good, don't they?? Cables on the cuffs. None on the hands. None on the fingers. Good. But no, now some type of weird perfectionism crept in and I continued to tread water in the River of De Nile. In examining the mitten I remembered that cabling four stitches takes more yarn than knitting those same four stitches in stockinette. This meant that the last stitch that I crocheted up after dropping each set of four stitches was looser than the other stitches. This, I felt, would let in too much cold winter air. This, I felt, would not go away after blocking.
Again, WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I frogged the entire top of the mittens , down to the thumb, and re-knit the mittens from thumb to tip.
Tell me, dear reader, had I saved any time??? No, I had not saved any time. By this time, I had gobbled up approximately three times the amount of time needed to knit the entire mitten!!! Fortunately, I realized this after re-knitting the first mitten. I left the second mitten as is. I think it is fine, just fine. I have finally crawled up the bank and and onto the sandy shore of the River of De Nile!!
And, voila, here they are! The beanie hat without dorky ribbing and the Somewhat Fetching thumb gusset mittens!

Ok, let's take a break from knitting. As I write this it is snowing heavily outside. Here's the view out of my front door.
Look closely in the lower corner!
A melange of Christmas and Halloween decorations! We never managed to remove the pumpkin from the bench, although we got Santa up. The Snowman wind sock is draped over the bench, awaiting being hung from the tree. Oh well, with the cone of snow on top, it kind of looks like a Halloween elf helper for santa!
At least this Christmas decoration is completely up. The antique wagon belonged to my husband's mother, who played with it as a child. My husband also played with it when he visited his grandparents in rural Iowa. Now, we keep it at our front door. My mother in law passed away a number of years ago, but we honor her every year by filling it with wrapped (but empty) boxes, ready to deliver. We like to think that Helen is watching from heaven and smiling.
In 1971 I sent out my first batch of Christmas cards as a young adult. This was the time of the Vietnam war, which we opposed. I found a card with a lion and lamb on it, and with the message "Peace" inside. Each year since I have sent Lion and Lamb Christmas cards, but they have been harder and harder to find--just as world peace each year has been harder and harder to find. At Christmas time I scatter little lions and lambs around the house, in the hope that I will do all that I can in the coming year to work towards peace and understanding. May 2008 be filled with peace, understanding and acceptance for you and for the world!

Knit on, through all crises

More Crises
I don't know if you recall, but my youngest brother (age 45) had a stroke last fall. His recovery has been slow. Although he has been back at work, he is able to work only part time. In addition, his vision is not sufficiently restored to be able to drive or read well. Each day involves a tremendous amount of effort, physical as well as emotional.
Last Friday, after a week of full time days at work, he developed severe headaches. Although he went to the ER twice, the diagnosis was only tension headache. Finally, on Sunday morning, his vision was worse. One eye drifted off to the far side and his eyelid was closed. Another trip to the ER resulted in a MRI, which showed a tumor on his pituitary gland that had swollen and bled, resulting in pressure on his optic nerves. The headaches were the first sign of the swollen and bleeding tumor. Last night he had emergency neuro surgery to remove the pituitary gland. Once again he is in the hospital. Pituitary surgery would be difficult enough, but the recovery is compounded by his ongoing, slow recovery from his stroke.
I went to the ER and hospital last night to stay with my sister-in-law. The surgery went well and there will be further tests, etc., today. My brother is absolutely exhausted, as one might expect.

My Knitting Life
My knitting seems to pale in comparison with the seriousness of my brother's situation. However, my last two posts have not shared any photos, and I am proud of my few efforts on the knitting front. My graduate school projects have taken precedence this semester!!!

Saving Well Loved Mittens
First of all, my wonderful nordic mittens from Charlene Schurch's book wore thin. I described this problem in a previous post. The angora contrast yarn did not stand up to normal wear. Here you can see the broken and thin light blue angora.
I love these mittens. So, I dedicated two days to duplicate stitching all of the light blue angora on the palms and thumbs. I know, perhaps this angora will also wear away. But, I love the feel of the angora on the inside. Now, with duplicate thickness, I am hoping for two more years of wear.

Inability To Save Cold Teenage Feet
I have also been trying to make something that my 15 year old daughter will wear. She is the yarn-heathen, conservative fashionista. She won't wear anything that will call attention to herself. This means, she must wear only what EVERYONE else is wearing. Nothing on the fringe. It's cold here in Wisconsin in the winter!! She wears little white cotton sock-ettes and clog type shoes. She walks home from school, in the snow and cold, and her toes are blue with cold when she arrives home. I thought I had the perfect solution!! Wool sock-ettes!!! Fashion perfect. Hidden by the long jeans!!! Keep the toes warm. I used sock yarn she had admired.
See, aren't they cute and perfect??
I was very impressed with them. I used a picot hem at the top. And, they even fit!!

I bet the Yarn Harlot's three teen-age daughters would LOVE to have such a pair of sock-ettes!!! These socks, however, have stayed out of sight in my daughter's sock drawer since they were finished. They have never seen the light of day, much less the dark of the inside of a pair of shoes. Daughter-dear says she loves the socks. She just won't wear them. They would make her stand out. "People" will laugh. Other people would not be seen dead in such socks. Sigh..........

Saving My Sanity
I tend to take my laptop to knitting cafes in order to do homework for my courses this semester. Usually I have a small project in my backpack, purse or car and I struggle with concentrating on my homework when the project is whining and begging. Two weeks ago I was at the knitting cafe with NO PROJECT!!! I worked on my homework, but then I couldn't stand it any longer. My fingers itched. My brain needed the salve of rhythmic repetitive actions. I gave in. I purchased some yarn and some needles. Size 4. I have at least 10 size 4 needles--either straight pairs or every length of circular--at home. But I needed the NOW!! I purchased some hand dyed sock yarn and cast on. Here's the result.
A one-skein Seafoam stitch narrow scarf. 36 stitches wide. Size four needles. Aren't those colors fabulous????
Unfortunately, in my crazed, addicted state of mind at the yarn shop, rushed to get the project on the needles, I ripped off the ball band and tossed it aside. I believe it is ArtYarns sock yarn. Don't know which colorway.

Socks For Me!!!
The two pair of Lucy Neatby Mermaid Socks that I made before Christmas went to good feet, but not my feet. Daughter #1 took the blue ones. Step-daughter took the fall colored ones. My feet needed some of those spectacular, snug-but-not-too-tight fitting socks. So, I cast on for myself.

Sock #1 done, sock #2 on the way. Don't you just love what this pattern does to self striping yarns?? It looks like entrelac, but it's not. Lucy Neatby, you're my hero!!

Church Project
I haven't blogged about this yet. My church has been growing in the past few years and we have missed the intimacy of the smaller congregation. As a result, the church started some Chalice Groups--small groups of 10 or so who meet regularly to explore some theme of issues and to create community. I decided that knitting, as a spiritual/creative activity, was a good theme for a Chalice Group. I started a group of fiber artists--some knitters, weavers, quilters--and we meet monthly. Each Chalice Group must do a service project. We decided to make a blanket for our upcoming church auction. Our church building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and it is too small for the congregation. We are in the process/throes of having an addition designed and built. In honor of our historic structure (which remains intact) we selected colors and themes from the building. The blanket is still under construction--as will be the new addition at the time of the auction! Here are some sneak previews.




Square-placement design is driving us nuts!!!!

Milestones Reached
Daughter #2 has received her learner's permit for driving. Thus far she has spent 2 hours behind the wheel in a large and almost-empty parking lot. I was along for one of the sessions, in the back seat knitting and providing moral support. Dad was in the front seat giving directions. Daughter was behind the wheel nervously trying to accelerate to 15 mph, turn square corners,, etc, and telling Dad that his directions were confusing. Dad was trying to defend his instructions. I was trying to mediate. Knitting was essential to sanity.

I leave you with photos of our favorite season--SNOW!!! All the snow here is gone and spring bulbs are forcing up their tentative green shoots. We miss our snowman and snow tunnel.




Happy Spring to All!!!

Not knitting!

I am sitting in a local yarn/coffee shop with NO knitting in my bag. How did that happen??? I have my laptop and my homework for three classes. Am I doing homework?? No. I'm browsing through knitting books I have already memorized, I'm inspecting yarn on the shelves and in bins, and I'm contemplating purchasing needles and yarn for a new project. Not that I need a new project mind you; I have several projects on the needles at home. I find it soooooo hard to focus on my homework.

The past few weeks have been filled with homework, visits from my parents, cooking, cleaning, shoveling snow, grocery shopping. Not much time left for knitting. Why is the world so incredibly boring without knitting? I despair at the fact I am not sufficiently witty or creative to make a living on writing about knitting or designing knitting patterns. Spending my life centered around knitting, wouldn't that be wonderful???

I don't have my camera with me so I can't show you the gorgeous view from the window--beautiful blue ski and the dazzling white snow atop the frozen lake. Ice fishermen are huddled on their overturned pails or cozy inside their shanties hoping for the best perch/bluegill/other fish to bite. I'm inside the shop, seated next to the window, drinking a latte and munching on some cherry/flax/pecan bread. I don't think you could ever get me to sit on a frozen lake, atop a plastic pail, with a string hanging through a hole in the ice--not unless it was warm enough to take off my mittens and knit. In that case, it would be too dangerous to be out on the frozen lake.

Alas, I also can't show you the pair of Lucy Neatby Marietta socks I finished for myself, made out of flourescent green, yellow and black Trekking yarn, or the first of a pair of Mermaid Socks, another Lucy Neatby pattern, made out of some rose and green Trekking. The first of the Marietta socks is here. Thankfully, I can't show you that I've made NO progress on my husband's Dale sweater. However, I would like to show you that I actually duplicate stitched the palms of a pair of Norwegian mittens I made last winter--I used angora for the lighter color and it did not hold up to wear on the palms. I won't make that mistake again. It took an entire Harry Potter movie plus an evening of CSI to repair the palms. I must remember that angora is only for dress mittens, not for everyday use. It feels sooooo soft, but it doesn't stand up to driving, opening doors, running the snowblower, etc.

I'm sure my husband would want me to take a photo of the 15 balls of yarn sitting on a table in the family room since Thanksgiving. I intended to use up that yarn before Christmas on hats, scarves, etc, etc. I still haven't put it away. I'm relieved I can't show you that I have not yet removed the Christmas decorations from the front door. We still have deep snow on the ground, so the season isn't officially over!!

Thanks for listening to me. I will return to my homework--an analysis of Walk Two Moons, an essay for Spanish 226, and planning an interactive instructional technology lesson. Urgh........

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!!