I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

OK, I finished my Socktoberfest socks within October, but didn't post them before November. Hope that doesn't disqualify me from whatever fame and glory I would have received with a timely post. I made these socks with Melenweit sock yarn using Lucy Neatby's Mermaid Sock pattern. I love how the diagonal pattern makes the socks look like mini entrelac.
I'm also late to post a Halloween photo of Daughter #2 carving her bat theme pumpkin. She decided she was too old (15) to trick or treat, but she loved carving the pumpkin and handing out candy!!
This next photo is crappy, I know. The photos with flash were just as bad as the photos without flash. It is ANOTHER FINISHED OBJECT!!!! It a completed cardigan for ME, the one I started about one year ago, using the now discontinued Sisik yarn. I am posting the lousy photo so that I can check another project off of my unfinished object list!!!! I've been wearing the cardigan for several weeks now and it is warm and comfy.

Yes, I'm making progress working through my seemingly unsurmountable pile of unfinished projects. Now, my mind and the house feel less cluttered. I can take a big knitterly sigh of fresh air, free from the pollution of moldy old projects!! I'm not completely done with my list...... the shaped shawl from Meg Swansen's lace book and the dale or norway for my husband. But, since I've made such good progress, I've started Christmas presents. Whoopee!!! More new projectys on the needles.

But, the most important completed project is in the last photo.
The completed Aran cardigan for my brother. He gets out of the hospital tomorrow!! Sweater was completed 10 days ago. The weather is warm, so he won't need to wear a coat over the sweater for his ride home. In case you haven't been following, my brother had a stroke a month ago. I pulled this unfinished cardigan from my unfinished object stash and got down to business. I started it for him as a Christmas present, FOUR years ago!! I couldn't believe it!! I hoped to knit him into good health by finishing the sweater. At least I've knit him out of the hospital. He still hasn't learned to walk without a walker and without great effort. But, he can move his legs into a lurching walk, with all muscles clenched tightly. He still can't see well, but he has clear sight for very short periods; thus, he hopes that his double vision will resolve at some point. He has very limited energy, but he is very, very excited to be going home. Welcome home, younger brother!!!

End of the semester!!

It's been a long time, it seems, since my last post. I have been overwhelmed with completing my end of the semester projects and papers. I can now say that I have finished everything!!! Last week, I had completed the work for two of my courses. This week, I completed one 17 page paper and two 2-page papers on Tuesday morning. I handed them in and took off for my parent's home, about a 3 hour drive from my home. My mother has had a very difficult year health-wise and she doesn't have the energy or strength to plant flowers. She has always had nice flowers around her house. This year she said she would not plant anything, because my parents will be going to stay at my sister's home in Colorado for 5 weeks. Mom was afraid that anything she planted would not grow--and besides, she couldn't plant anyway. Therefore, for Mothers' Day, I told her I would plant flowers for her as soon as I finished my papers. So, on Tuesday afternoon, I took off. I planted little pink vincas along the walk and geraniums and a trailing plant in the large pots. Someone will come to water the plants every week. I love doing these things for my mom, but I hate that she can no longer do them herself, if you know what I mean. Meanwhile, progress on the full body sock blanket (i.e. leftover sock yarn balnket) progress has stalled because I'm knitting the socks to get the leftover yarn!! I recently finished jaywalkers and the leftover yarn is the pale green and gold square in the bottom row. I'm currently working on socks in my favorite pattern of all time, the feather and fan socks from Socks, Socks, Socks. Meanwhile, the blanket has 39 squares. I'm planning on having 96 squares. You can see that I need to knit lots and lots of socks. However, I am reconciled to this being a long term project.

Meanwhile, I have been trying to finish my spring cleaning--in knitter's talk that means finishing old projects!. A few weeks ago, I finished the little girl's hooded sweater out of ancient but adorable yarn. Now, I'm trying to finish this sweater for myself, started before Christmas. It is a Dale of Norway pattern, using their discontinued yarn, Sisik. Since I am a woman of significantly more years than this lovely model, I plan to eliminate the little flower do-dad where the fronts join. I also eliminated the pockets because I thought they would make me look too hippy (that is, too big in the hips, not too much like the young flower child I once was). I have completed the back and fronts and am now finishing the sleeves. The sleeve on the needles is on its third iteration!!! Here's the StupidSleeve Knitter's History:
1. Knit sleeve #1. Too narrow. Leave as is.
2. Knit sleeve #2. Amend pattern. Just right.
3. Frog Sleeve #1.
4. Begin re-knitting Sleeve #1. Work about 5 inches.
5. Abandon for another project. (No longer recall which project.)
6. Months later, locate sleeve #1. Unable to locate pattern. Merrily knit away, using memory as guide.
7. Ready for sleeve cap decreasing on sleeve #1. Compare to Sleeve #2. TOO NARROW.
8. Frog Sleeve #1 for second time. My parents watch in horror. How can you rip out all that work????? Because I'm stupid, that's why!
9. Locate pattern and notes. Work on sleeve #1. So far, soo good.
10. Take vow to complete Sleeve #1 this weekend!! DO NOT START ANOTHER PROJECT UNTIL THIS SWEATER IS COMPETE!!!!
I'm in the home stretch, now. I plan to finish the sweater this weekend, if gardening doesn't intervene.

It is so difficult to convince my husband that knitting is much more important than yard work.......