Life is Unpredictable

Well, I have some knitting to tell you about, but first, I have a story or two to tell. On Saturday, my DH and I went out to breakfast. This is not all that unusual, but it’s the first Saturday in a month we’ve been able to do so because I was teaching a Saturday class last month. We like to go to the local IHOP because they usually do the eggs right and of course; the pancakes are always good there. So, we had a nice leisurely breakfast and then as we were leaving, the strangest thing happened. I fainted. It wasn’t pretty. So we spent the next 4 hours or so in the ER so they could check all the things that might have caused me to faint (no idea) and see whether I broke my nose (inconclusive). I have a lovely souvenir of that episode:

I’m recovering well, the bruises are mostly faded and the cut doesn’t look quite so deadly now. Sunday I took it easy and believed things would get back to normal with a fresh new week. I started writing this post on Monday, trying to put a positive on the start of the week, but; when I opened my email on Monday I got some really bad news. The yarn shop I have been working at for the past couple of years has been struggling for the past six months or so (I knew this because I have had pay checks bounce a time or two) and the owner notified us that she will be closing the shop at the end of May! Whoosh - a whole new round of bad landed on our doorstep.

I can’t say it was a huge surprise because at our last staff meeting she indicated we might have to close at the end of the summer, but the suddenness really caught me off guard.

One hidden blessing is that if DH decides to take a job in another location (which he may do) it will make deciding much easier because I won’t have to worry about leaving mine. Yesterday at work many of my current and past students affirmed that they really enjoyed taking my classes and would wish to continue with private lessons if I am willing, so it gives me something positive to take away from the experience. I won’t surrender to the bad just yet!

One thing about being under a lot of stress is that I cope by knitting. So knitting has been going on at full speed. If I had posted this on Monday when I started I’d be showing you several WIPS. But since several days have passed, I can now show you a couple more FO’s.

First, I finished knitting my Vines and Leaves Cardigan last week. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I finished on Thursday, but couldn’t take a picture over the weekend because the sun was just not very cooperative. I don’t have the clasps yet, so you’ll have to imagine them.

Pattern: Vines and Leaves Cardi, Creative Knitting

Yarn: SWTC Terra (alabaster and gold)

Size 4 & 6 needles

The socks I showed you in progress on the last post are finished. I call them Spring in my Step, because the colors remind me of a lawn covered with dandelions (which seem to be everywhere this month).

Pattern: Prism Socks

Yarn: Rio de la Plata Multicolor ply SP30 and Lang Jawoll (83.0043)

Size 2.5mm dpn

I also worked up the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Opinionated Knitter / Knitting Workshop) all of the adjectives other knitters have used to describe this project are apt. It was fun and relatively quick to knit. I added an I-cord edging to the border to give it a little polish. I might do this one again if I have need for a quick little baby gift. Yay EZ! 

 (still needs buttons)

Yarn: Collinette Cadenza Color Gauguin

Size 5 needles

I also started a little shawl, but I’m kind of winging it, so I’m not sure what this will end up looking like, I’ve ripped and reknit the pattern part a couple of times because I can’t get the edge stitches to integrate into the design the way I like, but I’ll come up with something that works.

I also have a two more pairs of socks started and am finishing up the pair I started for my last sock class.  The first pair I started was the Skew pattern from Knitty. This pattern seems to be the most appropriate thing I’m knitting at the moment considering all the events of the past week or so.   I originally started it in this yarn: 

(Knitivity Surprise Me Feb 09/chocolate covered cherries), but it started pooling like this

 and I had to abandon that and find a different yarn. I switched to Knitivity Aint Gail color way and am still getting some pooling but I don’t find it quite so ugly that I’m unwilling to knit further.  

 

The chocolate covered cherries yarn is being given another chance to redeem itself with the Annetrelac pattern but I haven’t’ started the actual entrelac portion yet, so we’ll see how it goes. 

So that’s what I’ve been up to.  The cats are unaware of all the drama in our life which is just fine. 

Saucey says, I got a good report at my vet appointment, can I please have a treat?

Happy Knitting!

Nana

Noro Fever

Some people get cabin fever this time of the year; I seem to have developed a slight case of Noro fever. After finishing the second pair of Winter Stripe socks …

I rewound the leftovers and added them to my collection….

And then after knitting a bit on the right squirrel mitten, I gave in to the idea that had been percolating in my brain since grafting the toes on the second pair of Noros ... AND.... I cast on for another pair…

For this pair is using some S102 and S164 and I’m doing the stripes a little different; so far I like the result. Oh and there’s plenty yarn left from two other colorways so I can make one more pair…. But I may have to hold off on those so I can get something else done. Maybe I’ll even have some other FO’s to post soon!

In other news, DH will be out processing from the Army this week so the ticker above will be disappearing and the next stage will be for him will be to find a job… wish us luck!

Happy Knitting!

Nana

And We’re Off...

It’s been a busy but fun holiday season here at Nana’s. 

On Christmas Eve, I got the best gift ever when DH arrived in Milwaukee to begin his final leave before finishing up in January.  We attended the service at church and then snuggled in front of the fireplace at home, having exactly the kind of Christmas we’d both been dreaming of.  On Christmas day we headed down to Central IL for Christmas with my parents and brother.  My Brother was also on leave after preparing for a year of Army service and imminent departure to Iraq (he returned to base the next day and departed on the 30^th – prayers will be appreciated!). 

Both I and the kitties are very happy to have DH home.  Zelda is having a hard time figuring out which lap to sleep on. 

For New Years we headed to MI to see our daughter there and catch up with the MI grandkids.  My how they have grown!

And knitting?  Well, there was some scheduled and some unscheduled projects.  I’ve made too small of progress on the sweater to take up space with a picture.  I did finish the left squirrel mitten:

If you notice the thumb is on a holder still.  I love this pattern and am enjoying getting the two handed stranding technique down.  This pattern is extremely well written and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice Fair Isle mitten pattern (except of course the Yarn Harlot).

The only problem I have actually encountered so far is with the thumb.  My fault not the pattern; I am finding it tricky to get the tension right at the needle change point.  I’m magic looping and perhaps should have switched to dpns for the thumb, but a) I was being too lazy to find my matching dpns for the project and b) stubborn, so I continued to knit the whole thumb even after I realized that I was not being consistent in making adjustments.   

 (can you tell?  The bottom is tight and the top is loose... ugh!)

So realistically, I will probably frog this thumb and reknit it once the right mitten is done. 


In a little unscheduled knitting, I decided I needed something simpler than the mittens to work on while I waited for hub’s flight to arrive and something less complicated than the sweater, less boring than the plain white anklets I already had on the needles…. So I cast on for a pair of Noro striped socks (this time for ME).  Just enough happiness with the color changes but nothing so complex that would succumb to errors caused by the distraction of excitement and anxiety that I was feeling that day.  I got through the heel of the first sock while knitting at the airport since I arrived early (it was rainy and blech and I get nervous driving in those conditions so I allowed myself plenty of drive time).  No biggie when you have knitting to keep you company.  I worked on these off and on and finished two socks, but the colors are so different that I immediately started another pair which I think will end up being totally mix and match. 

I’m using colors S233 and S102 this time.  I’m up to the toe shaping on sock #3, since these knit really quickly and make excellent travel knitting. 


So 2010 is off to a good start and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens as this year unfolds.  I’m also looking forward to many fun planned and unplanned knitting projects. 

I’ll leave you with this shot of Zelda taken shortly after the New Year dawned:

Happy 2010!

May your knitting adventures take you many places this year and may the detours be just as fruitful.
Happy Knitting!  

Nana

A Slight Problem with Finishing

I really wanted to post a picture of my finished vest. The best I can do today is post the blocking shots I took the other day. But first let me distract you with some cute cat pictures:

 "Did St Louis really get swept?  Say it ain't so Mommy!"

Okay, now where was I? Oh the vest. I am having a problem with the finishing of it. I think that although my stitch gauge was good, my row gauge might have been a little off. When I picked up the 245 stitches (three times!) I got bunching fabric and a ripple effect down the front. This was not at all the result that I had hoped or envisioned for this project. Actually the first two times, I was mainly worried about getting the buttonholes spaced correctly and it wasn’t until the second bind off that the ripples really started to be noticeable. The first bind off got ripped back because I might have made the “watching my team get swept in the playoffs” mistake, again - too tight; but I digress. I have determined that I actually need to pick up additional stitches and maybe go up a needle size to correct the problem. So the vest is in time out again until I can figure out exactly how many stitches I need to add to as Tim Gunn puts it “make it work.” But I do have some really swell buttons if I ever get that far. So here’s a sneak peek at the as yet unfinished vest:

And the button(s)

I did finish some socks. So fear not, there is a finished object to show off. These are the second pair of Sister Stripe Socks from the Noro Kureyon Sock Colors S40 and S164.

These will be mailed off to DD #2 sometime later in the week.

The other pair of socks I’ve been working on actually got frogged, but I cast on a new pattern and they are coming out much better. I loved the original pattern (cut-paste-socks) that I was working, but that pattern and this yarn didn’t make a good pairing. This pattern (Bubble Wrap Socks) is working very well for this yarn and I will be finding a better yarn for the other pattern because now that I tried it out, I’d really like to knit it.

So I give you the Rainbow Bubble socks in progress:

I've also cast on for the next vest.  More on that in another post.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

Nana-a-go-go

That’s me.

I feel like I’ve been on the go for several weeks now. Having some quiet time here in TX with DD1 while we await the birth of her daughter is a real blessing and necessity. I won’t be able to recap everything, but needless to say it has been a very busy couple of weeks.

My brother and Niece spent about a week visiting me and we did a quick weekend trip to WI so he could attend a friend’s wedding. We had a little extra time after arriving and he graciously took me to this shop where I enjoyed meeting the owner and checking out her shop. The night of the wedding I hung out in the hotel watched baseball on TV and knitted, mostly getting this going: (another pair of Noro Skinny Stripe socks)

Last week was mostly a normal schedule for me while my brother reacquainted himself with our area and found fun things to do with his daughter. On Weds we went to Stitch-n-Pitch with the Chicago White Sox (Sox 6; Angels 2). It was my first time at the new Sox stadium and we all had great fun, here are a few of the pictures from the game: Thursday Mom and Dad picked up my brother so they could visit with him for the rest of his trip and Friday I got in the car and drove the first leg of my trip to TX. I arrived on Saturday and installed myself and the kitties in the guest room / nursery at my daughters house. The kitties are still adjusting to meeting their “nephew” kitties. It’s been an interesting process to watch.

This is what Saucey and Tony have been doing mostly...

Since there is still a day or so before the baby is due, DD has taken me to some of her favorite places here in TX we visited the Fort Worth Stockyards (sorry no pic), the delightful Fort Worth Zoo where we enjoyed a very pleasant morning and saw several great animals as well as the flamingos on parade and we also visited Jennings Street Yarns , but mostly we have just been enjoying each other’s company. She’s as prepared as she can be for the baby’s arrival, so it’s just waiting time now. I’m nearly finished with the baby blanket (just two more octagons): So I’m about as prepared as a Nana can get. If I finish the last two octagons before she goes into labor, I still have a couple of pairs of socks I need to work on. Well hopefully the next post will be pics of my new granddaughter (with the finished blanket of course!) Happy knitting Nana

What’s Happening At Nana’s?

Each day that I put off posting the size of this post has grown. So, instead of making this a really wordy post, I decided to make it pictorial instead, so if your browser is slow, be patient…I had lots of pics on the camera, so I know I’ve been busy. Here’s a quick look at some of the things I’ve been up to:

I knit another octagon: And then started a heptagon? OOPs do you hear amphibians...

Sherry and I went to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Festival. I Did some knitting, bought some stuff, tried fried twinkies and fried milkyway bars, and found the best gift for my new granddaughter:

On Sunday, my brother and niece arrived at the downtown train station, so I went downtown and picked them up, I had a little extra time since the train was delayed, so I checked out some city sites, couldn't resist this shot of the "new" Willis tower (so touristy):

I started a new pair of socks (name that yarn!):

And am nearly finished with the vest (working on front band today):

If time cooperates over the weekend, I'll try to write a decent post about the acquisitions from the festival and my new sock, and hopefully there will be a finished shot of the vest.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

I Love a Parade!

Today was interesting. A lot of the towns and villages in our area have festivals this time of year to celebrate various meaningful events. These festivals usually include a parade or other kick-off extravaganza. So Linda signed the shop up to participate in one of the towns nearby where a lot of our customers are based. Since I don’t normally work on Saturday, she asked if I minded helping out, and since I actually hadn’t made any other plans for the weekend, I said sure! Why not, parades can be fun. So if you ever get asked to be in one, go for it. By my rough count, this makes about the 10th or so parade that I’ve been in. It was fun.

(I apologize for the quality, we all forgot our cameras and had to use my cell phone to take this. That's me on the left in my new Cardinals cap that DH sent for my birthday)

The hardest part was that we were one of the last entries, so by the time it got around to our turn to march, I had gotten past the heel turn on the sock I was knitting and was ready to pick up stitches for the gusset. This as I discovered is not really that easy to do while walking. So I just went with smiling at the crowd and waving my sock… I did the harlot proud! So, I know I promised a knitting post and this one is meant to be it. I’ll get back to the parade sock eventually. I finished the Monkey socks that I knitted on at every opportunity during TNNA. So without further ado, I present the Mixed Up Monkeys Pattern: Monkey Socks, by Cookie A. Yarn: Claudia Hand Paint Fingering in Desert Dusk, dye lots 8030.01. 009 and 015 Needles: Size 0, magic loop I’ve also made reasonable progress on the Blue Simplicity socks, but they are just shy of being finished (but apparantly didn't take a picture). I started the second Diamond Delight Vest which I am calling Lakeshore, because the colors remind me of (wait for it) taking a walk along a lake shore (hee, hee). This is for a class / KAL that I am teaching at the shop. I’m knitting it in Rowan Pima cotton, seven different colors:

I also cast on for the Christmas Stocking that will be my July sock class, since we are doing a “Christmas in July” promotion at the shop. It’s not very interesting yet, so, no picture. Then there are the parade socks; just a simple striped anklet in Panda Cotton, in colors Baby Blues and Deep Water. It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but when it was taken before the parade I was just starting on the first dark stripe.... as I said, we had enough wait time for me to turn the heel before we actually started down the parade route. Even though I tried to pick up stitches during the times we had to stop for the cheerleaders in front of us, I ended up ripping out most of them. But, as you can see, I fixed it, picked up the stitches and started the gusset after I got home. This sock will go on the back burner while I get serious on the Christmas Stocking and vest projects. But maybe I’ll try to finish the blue sock during the solstice party I’m going to tonight (it’s a knitting party!).

And one last thing: the front of the shirts we wore in the parade had our shop logo (same as sign), the back says:

Hope you have a great weekend and Happy Knitting!

Nana