Into April

I finished the baby blanket:

 Pattern: Inside out Baby blanket

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash 

Size 7 needles (dpn & circular)

I then cast on for a couple of pair of socks…. 

Pair one: Working name is tidal pool duex... more later on this one

Pair two:  April PSC / Journey Cable Socks in Fireweed Dyeworks blue/green

But mostly I have been distracted by welcoming Iowa's newest residents…

If you missed any of the news reports or commentaries, the world seems to have discovered the anticipation of watching and waiting for eagles to hatch.  I have to admit that I was pretty drawn in last weekend and this past week.  I was fortunate to have tuned in just in time to see #3 breaking out of its shell.  It was pretty mesmerizing and a cool experience if I do say so myself.   I'm keeping the link on my favorites so I can peek every now and again to see what’s happening.  It’s fun to see the day to day changes in the eaglets, so this will probably go on until they “fledge” or leave the nest this fall. 

And I'm finally a member of the tribe of ‘smart phones’ … We’ve been eligible to upgrade our phones for about a year now, but put it off for a lot of reasons.  Last month we decided to get it over with… but had to be on a waiting list for about a week or so to get the new phones…. So far it seems to be worth the wait. There's a bit of a learning curve for this old gal, so  I’ve spent a lot of time learning and playing on this thing trying to get myself up to par.  I may even figure out how to post the blog from it one of these days. 

We’ve got a trip to see grandkids coming up,(This may or may not have involved some super-secret knitting that I can't post just yet) so I’m pretty excited about that.  Hopefully the long car ride will help me catch up on some neglected knitting projects.

Happy Knitting,

Nana

Really Random Thursday

Hobbling along

I broke my toe almost two weeks ago.  I can’t believe how stupid a thing this is to do.  (It was also pretty stupid how I did it, if you actually want to see a picture go here).  This is not an injury that lends itself to isolation and stabilization of the affected area. About all that can be done is “buddy taping” the affected toe to its neighbor and wearing a very unattractive over-sized “boot”.  

Da Boot

I’m not walking very long or far these days and it’s a very awkward process.  Also, when the temps dropped into the single digits last weekend, I was very thankful for hand-knit socks.  I ended up with two socks on my bad foot to keep my toes warm. 

Iowa Fashion

I was at the grocery store doing a little people watching the other day and I observed that there seem to be different fashion rules in Iowa.  For example, anything with a Hawkeye logo or a Cyclone logo is considered neutral and can be worn with just about anything.  The most recent sighting was of a young girl wearing a fuscia tutu over matching polka dot tights topped with a Hawkeye football jersey… and in some weird sense it worked.  The other rule is that there does not have to be snow on the ground to wear snow boots, although that is a moot point at the moment.  There is nothing wrong with wearing anything hand-knit, especially for outer wear, and there are no restrictions in matching style or color choices. I find this a good thing.  My favorite example was the guy I saw wearing a Dr. Who scarf with a Candy Corn hat.  This may apply to other “cold climate” locations as well, but I seem to be seeing it more here, than I did in my “sophisticated” Chicago Suburb.  

Knitting

I have been knitting.  Thanks in part to my recent lack of mobility and also due to our typical January weather.  I finished several projects since I last posted.   My Annis Shawl is done and turned out lovely:

Annis - Shadow Shawl

Pattern: Annis by Susanna IC (Knitty Spring& Summer 2010)

Yarn: Noro Kirameki color 158A

Size 8 needles

I liked it so much (and so did my bosses) that I will be using it as a project for an introductory lace class.  So of course I needed to knit another one (so I could use beads).  This is the Mini Version done in sock yarn:

Mini Annis Carnival Shawl

Pattern: Annis / w/mods suggested by Zuzusus from Ravelry beads replacing Nupps
 Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock Color S308
Size 8 Needles

I knit this over a weekend (the one where I broke my toe no less) and it made me thoroughly ashamed that it took over a month to do the first one!

My January Self-Imposed sock club socks were the Journey Cable socks:  

A walk on the beach

I started these in some of the yarn I got on my trip to AK but unfortunately the yardage was a little bit short which was very disappointing because the yarn was lovely and the pattern really worked well in that yarn, but I dug through my stash and found a nice substitute which I think also did the pattern justice.  I love this pattern and will probably repeat it in the future.

I worked up a hat for charity.  

Spiral Striped Hat

 I’ve been a little slacking in that department, so I’m going to try to do a few more charity projects here and there as I get time.  I wanted to try the spiral stripe technique and this seemed like a pretty good project for doing so. As I suspected this is one of those techniques that just made me go “duh” once I got going.  Sometimes all it takes is motivation.

 I also cast on for a pair of bonus socks since I like to have a project to carry around with me for times when I can squeeze in a little knitting.  These are just simple anklets to wear to the gym when I can go again:

sweet sweat socks

Pattern: my own basic sock

Yarn: Panda Cotton

Size 2.25mm dpn

I joined JenHanson’s KAL for the Carefree Shawl.  Go ahead and pop over to her site and see some of her designs.  She is an up-and-coming designer and indie dyer.   I am enjoying this project so far.  I also love how she has her blog set up.  If I can figure out how, I think I might try her page style (if that's okay with her). 

Carefree begins

I’ve got a few other projects on the needles, but there isn’t much to say about them at the moment.  I’ve had a bit of cast-on-itis and I’ve been trying to counter it by sticking with what I’m already working on and swatching for upcoming things.  It doesn’t completely work, but it helps.

Designers

Speaking of designers, Lucy Neatby released some new designs this week; I’m highly amused by this bag.  I’ve also been following several on twitter who have been posting and tweeting about new books and patterns getting ready to be released.  It’s fun seeing all of the lovely new designs.  (The downside is it causes cast-on-itis).  I’ve also enjoyed the stories coming out of the recent Vogue Knitting Live gathering. 

Cats

The cats are enjoying our new location because they have maximum sunlight for several more hours a day.  Each of them has established a priority spot based on the potential for sun absorption.  They then rotate to different spots throughout the day giving them many hours of sun soaked sleep.   Additionally, since we got new furniture which includes a large ottoman*, DH and I can now sit together on the sectional and each have a cat stretched out on our legs when our feet are propped up on the ottoman.  Real family time; I’d take a picture if I could, but that would require someone getting up to get the camera, thereby disturbing the cats, and well, you know….

That’s it for this week.

Happy Knitting,

Nana

* the cause of my broken toe, you can guess what happened :)

Winds of Change

October is done, the election is down in the books, the corn has all been picked, and the winds have blown into our little community and swept most of the leaves off the trees.  Here at casa Nana change is happening.  I got a new job!  Shortly after arriving here in IA, the LYS newsletter announced that the shop was looking for a few people to hire (both for teaching and retail). I knew I was qualified but hesitated to put in an application due to hubby’s impending surgery and the unknown path that would take us down.  Since thankfully that ended up with a good outcome, I felt a little better about the possibility of applying for a job.  I checked in with the owner about the status of the hiring search and ended up with an application to fill out.  I did, had an interview and was hired yesterday.  It should be a good change for us here.  Next it will be hubby’s turn to find something to do :)

I think my knitting woes have finally left as well.  I finished one peacock sock and one of the (giant) Guitarman socks and am still straggling along on the shawl. 

In addition to those projects, I saw this KAL and decided to join in.  It looked like an interesting (and so far) quick project and I had the perfect amount of yarn in my stash.  

So far I’ve got the bottom band done…

Oh, and we did get the TV connection fixed.  I still wouldn't recommend this company to anyone with a choice and am planning to switch as soon as we get one.  Initially we were told we would have to wait until Tuesday (the 2nd) for a repair person, but they did get someone out on Friday, just in time to watch games 2-5 of the World Series.  It was tough picking a team to root for this year since both my DD’s had a team in contention.  So, we went with the underdogs…

Now no more sports talk until April breezes bring baseball back (ha, ha… right!)

Happy Knitting!

Nana

Trivial Thursday

1.  My DH had surgery a week ago; we have had a lot of down-time with his recuperation.  Funny, I haven’t done as much knitting as I hoped.

2.  I knit the entire leg of a sock and then decided my gauge was off, am halfway done reknitting it.

3.  I actually like living in Iowa better than I thought I would

4.  There was a corn-box at the Covered Bridge festival… this amused me greatly.

5.  There were also Alpaca… always a good thing at any festival

 

6.  There was also yarn… I caved and bought this because of the name of the Alpaca it came from…  (It’s always a good thing to know who your fiber is from).

 (C&M Allison)

7.  My parents had a great trip to Ireland and are safely back home.  They are coming to visit next week, and hopefully will bring pictures.

8.  I have my craft area set up completely now and can find what I need.  I guess it’s time to make the kitchen curtains.

9.  John Wayne was born in Winterset Iowa (home of the Covered Bridge festival).

Happy Knitting,

Nana

Quick Update

Hubby is officially a "retiree" again.  We have been busy with a little traveling.  Hopefully this week won't be so hectic!  We're still trying to get a routine back now that he is settled in and the holidays are over.  I think maybe finding a "new" normal is what we're doing.  I'll have some knitting to show off once I get my pictures uploaded.  Have a great week!

Nana

Five Quick Things

I haven’t had much to write about for a couple of days since all of my current projects are

WIPs you’ve seen before and they are still in progress…

But I did cast on for one new thing.  

Pattern:  Squirrely Swedish Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch (Elliphantom Knits)

Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed in Spruce and Eggplant

Size 2.25 needle / Magic loop

I’ve knit the cuff and have worked the chart up to the last row of the squirrels section… see

(Squirrels!)

On Monday, I got this in the mail:

Malibrigo Sock yarn (806 Impressionist Sky) … I’ve wanted to try it, now I need to look for a good pattern

Then the doorbell rang and this arrived:

Flowers from my Mom and Dad

On Tuesday, this came in the mail:

Two Skeins of Knitivity Down Home Sock Yarn and Knitters Winter 09 issue (full of some nice patterns)

And finally, this is what it looks like out my front door…

DH departs from Alaska tonight and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon (Christmas Eve), please cross your fingers that there are no issues with his flights (thanks) that’s the only Christmas present I am asking for this year.

Happy Holidays to all!

Happy Knitting!
Nana

Knitward

The tree (such as it is) is trimmed, the stockings are hung, the gift knitting is finished and the Nana household is as ready as it can be for the upcoming holidays and much, much anticipated return of DH.  The only thing there is really left to do at this point is to get the Christmas cards in the mail and settle in with the winter knitting.

I’d love to show you several FO’s that have been released from my needles recently, but since they are gifts, the pictures won’t even go up on ravelry until after the holidays.  My regular knitting which was suspended in order to complete a few gifts and get the house decorated is not much further along than the last time I showed it.  I’ve finished one sock each of the plain Mountain Color socks and Cut Paste socks (and cast on for the mates).  I finished the back of the big “v” vest and the shawl is growing at a snails pace.  The vest and shawl projects will remain on the back burner in favor of finishing those socks and starting a sweater. 

The sweater pattern name is Bi-Color Cables.  You can see what it looks like here.  My colors will be much different.  I’m sort of excited about doing this since I’ve been in love with this pattern for a couple of years.  I’ve also been sort of in the mood to do cables, so I think now is the right time.

I also need to prepare something for the toe-up workshop I’ll be doing this month, so that’s what I’ve been up to.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some pictures, so that the post won’t be completely devoid of knitting…

More socks and a hat for Miss Sylvia

Happy (holiday)  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 Am Loved

Seven years ago today I had the great fortune to marry a wonderful man. Since we couldn't celebrate together today, he sent this:(some close ups of the individual blooms)

I am very loved by a good man. I miss him a great deal. Hurry home honey!

Fiddle-Faddle

Or as Elizabeth Zimmerman refers to it in the Knitter's Almanac …”sheer fiddle-faddle” basically little bit’s of knitting done without a pattern or reference library, just for the joy of creating. When I had made what I deemed sufficient progress on my vest…

(I've actually knit about 5 more inches since I took this pic) I knit these just for a change of project and pace: (yes; I wrote down the "pattern" )

They will eventually (with some additional embellishments) become something like these:

Nice little doodads which attach to a bag or basket so that I can distinguish that object as belonging to me and me alone. Just some fun happy knitting to get me over a hump.

I hope you knit yourself something fun ... have a happy week!

Nana

Trivial Tuesday Stuff

Sadly there is no real knitting to report, slow progress is being made on the Lakeshore Vest and a little bit on the blue anklets, but I am otherwise not doing too much to take pictures of or post about. Instead I give you some trivial things.

Craft Workspace before and after... this could be contributing to the lack of knitting going on:

With some effort, some improvements have been made:

Ahhh.... planning space (still more work to be done, but having clear space was much needed!)

Saucey is feeling a little better, tomorrow is her last day of antibiotics. I think we'll try to go to the vet tomorrow to see if they can get the needed sample. She says:

"Enough with the paparazzi routine already, just let me rest"

and finally, six things...

Here’s a meme I grabbed from Karen's Blog Rules of the game:* List six unimportant things that make you happy;* Mention and link to the person who tagged you;* Tag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged. (I’m with Karen that I won’t tag anyone, but please feel free to grab this meme if you wish!)

1. A purring kitty in my lap or on the bed next to me. 2. Opening packages and adding new merchandise to inventory at work (especially when it’s new yarn). 3. Phone calls from my hubby and/or kids. (Okay, I confess, this may actually be a VERY important thing) 4. The KIA Soul commercial (click on 'downloads' tab to see it) with the hamsters, so silly, I smile every time I see it. 5. Fresh fruit from the farmer's market. 6. Firework displays (the sight, not the sound).

Happy July!

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