End Notes

 Since Iowa has been ending the year with serial dreary gray (and sometimes precipitation filled) days, I don’t have much in the way of pictures to share.  I assure you there has been a knitting challenge and I’m almost at the conclusion.  I guess you’ll have to wait for the first sunny day of 2011 to find out the details and see the results.  In the meantime, I can show you how Saucey plans on celebrating.  The exact same way she celebrated this Christmas…by taking a little post-nip nap.  

"hoppy halidays...hic"

ZZZZZZ

I hope you have many good things come your way in 2011.

Happy New Year and Much Knitting Next Year!

Nana

Settling In

Things are finally starting to get more settled here at the new house. We have most everything unpacked and put away. We have some rearranging to do to make everything fit or work the way it should and we still need to get the pictures up on the walls, but life is gradually starting to have a more normal feel. The cats are learning which windows are best for looking out at various times of day and have located and worked out rotations for all of the sunny spots.

Zelda's found her spot

I have managed to knit a little here and there amidst the hubbub, but much slower than my normal pace and (it seems like) with more ripping and restarting than usual. I finished the two pair of socks that I was working on since early August and I cast on for a third pair and am making good progress on those. Heck, I may even cast on for my September “personal sock club” pair today! I also started a shawl out of some lovely fall colored lace yarn. It’s going to be a longer term project than a pair of socks, so I might not post about that much. So here’s a little bit about the socks. Since I’m done knitting them I won’t go thru all of the ripping and re-knitting drama that occurred, but each pair had its challenges:

First finished:

Pattern: Sandalwood Socks by Caitlin Stevens rom Interweave Knits, Winter 2008
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Solid
Size: 2.25 dpn

I ended up really liking these once they were done. That said, I found that because the lace pattern was actually a combination of three separate lace stitches it required a lot of close attention to the chart while working on the leg. Once I turned the heel and was working the lace on the instep only, the pattern got a little easier to follow and I could almost work it without referring to the chart, but wasn’t silly enough to actually try. This was my first time using the Arancunia yarn and I think it is nice. I will definitely use it again if I get the opportunity.

The second pair was my challenge pair. It was definitely that.

Pattern: Staccato Socks by Veronik Avery (from Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarn)
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4 colors 124, 252, 143 plus a small quantity of Samantha in Stitches FootCrazy in Purple Thunder
Size: 2.25 dpn worked toe up

I liked the finished socks, but would probably never knit this pattern again as written. First of all, the idea of using up small quantities of leftover yarns is a good one, but you have to be prepared for a hard reality. When the knitting is done, you have something like this

to deal with. Many, many ends to weave in; headache … next, although I searched everywhere for any hint of an error, the pattern as written didn’t come out to the number of rows knitted (seriously) and the foot ended up being a little short when I started the heel (riiii-iiip). Next, the heel specified was unpleasant. I substituted a different heel which required (horror) math on my part. Also, I failed to keep good notes on the changes I made on sock one (due to all of the other stuff going on at the time) so, when I got to this point on sock 2, things might not have come out quite the same. (oh, well) Finally, working the stitch pattern around the leg, made it much too tight to get over my foot, so I had to modify and substitute a 2x2 rib on the back of the leg. I think if I was going to do a sock which purpose was to use up scrap yarn, I’d stick to something simpler. When the frustration with these socks reached a peak, I cast on for these:

I gave some of my nieces and cousins and a few others some socks at the family reunion back in July, but my 12 year old niece has smaller feet, so we discussed a custom pair. I asked what color she liked and she said “neon”. I found this yarn at the LYS near where we were staying and she approved of it, so now I’m knitting her socks. The pattern is Ampersand. It’s sort of a simple pattern, (and I’ve been thinking of ways to modify it while I’ve been knitting). But right now, simple is just the ticket. The repeat is two rounds and very easy to memorize. I need that sort of knitting at the moment. I’ve turned the heels and almost finished the gusset since I took this picture.

Finally, there is the shawl that I started.

A lot of people did the Pi shawl in honor of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s 100th birthday back in August, well I was late to the party but I did have it as a project in my queue. I had even hoped to be able to follow the knit-along that Wendy Johnston was doing, but couldn’t get going in time for that, either. So, I’m about a month off with a great tribute project. I started with the basic EZ pattern and am combining it with Mwaa’s 100th anniversary verson. So far it sort of looks like something I don’t want to step in after one of the cat makes ominous noises. I’m sure it will get better as it gets bigger.

Anyhow, that’s what’s on and off my needles at the moment.  I’ll try harder to stay more current as things get back to normal.  I can’t believe it’s almost fall, but the weather has been dropping hints, so I’ll probably have no trouble getting my knitting routine back.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

I'm still here

Sorry no pictures to share today.

We're mostly dug out from under our stuff and the new house is actually starting to look like a home. I have to a) find the camera and b) take and post some pics of the couple of things I've managed to knit in the last few weeks. I finished both pair of socks I was working on, but not much else. Now that the house is more settled, maybe I can get things back on track. The next thing to do will be to find a good knitting group to join. I miss my meet-ups already.

The Done, the Almost Done and the Undone

Whew!  August is here and I can’t believe all the stuff DH and I packed into July. Much driving; house selling, house buying, family visits, a festival, a fair, and a LOT of knitting!

First up, since there were several comments; yes, we sold our house in three weeks!  (Five if you count the week and a half it took waiting on the offer-counter-offer transactions).  Unbelievable; we truly didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.  If you read the paper or watch the news you will know that it is still very much a buyers market and from our recent house-hunting I can tell you that buyers can afford to be very picky and they will be.  (At least we were!)  The only thing I can say is that it helps to have a really nice house in a good location, to clean it really well before any showings and to price it right.  Those are my real estate tips for the day.  On the buying end, we did find a house in Central Iowa on our last trip and are waiting on the final acceptance from the seller; I’ll have more to tell when everything is solid.

So in-between all of that excitement we packed in a lot of travel.  The big trip was the Family Reunion for my Mom, her Sister and their offspring.  There were 5 kids in my family and my Aunt has 4 kids.  All in all we are a big group.  Here’s a group shot of my Mom, Dad and 4 out of 5 of us kids with spouses, 10 of 16 grandkids (plus a couple spouses) and three great grandkids. 

My youngest brother couldn’t attend because he is still over in Iraq but his wife and sons did.  Some of the nieces and nephews couldn’t attend due to work/life etc.  (One niece was on pregnancy-related bed rest / baby born July 28^th). Only my biological daughters attended from our family since the step-daughters weren’t available.  Still a big group with missing family members!  We had a weekend with my cousins and a whole week with our clan.  Great fun; and of course much spoiling of my two grandkids who were there.  

Now I’m sure that you are ready for some knitting right?

I got the Flower Child sweater done:

(and a shot of the recipient modeling it!)

Pattern: Flower Child by Nora Gaughn

Yarn:  Berroco Pure Pima in Nectar

Size 6 Needles

I actually had to let DD do the neck edging in the car on the way to the airport (for her flight back home) because she crochets much better than I do.  This was a fun pattern, but way too much seaming involved in the construction for me.

I finished some socks:

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A (Knitty)

Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in Eat Your Veggies

Size 2.5mm needles /dpn

The Lone Monkey is alone no more! I knit one sock originally as a shop sample and when the shop closed I picked up another skein of the yarn to knit sock #2.

 

Then I finished the July Challenge socks from the pre-empted Summer of Socks II Challenge. 

Pattern: Angee by Cookie A (Sock Innovation)

Yarn: Knitpicks Essential Kettle dyed in gold

Size 2.25 mm needles / Magic loop 2 at a time

I also got a new job teaching at a shop that just opened in a nearby city.  Of course I broke the heart of the owner when I told her I’d be leaving after August.   But, she asked me to do a sample and I couldn’t resist the yarn or the pattern:

Pattern: Design 26 from Noro Designer Mini Knits by Jenny Watson

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, color 87

Size 6 / 8 US needles

This was a really quick knit and I may make one again for me someday.  It’s missing buttons because I didn’t have any in my stash that worked and I’ll be taking it in to the shop tomorrow, so I’ll pick some out then.

I also finished one of the two hoodies I’ve been working on for our twin nephews. 

Pattern:  Daisy by Stephanie Pearl McPhee (Knitty)

Yarn: Super 10 “Butterfly” Cotton, color Midnight / Scarlett

Size 5 needles

This also needs buttons because I didn’t have a needle/thread with me on that trip. I also cast on for the next one which will have the colors reversed.

I started a pair of anklets:

Pattern: Simply Lovely Lace Socks by Karen Baumer (IK Spring 2006)

Yarn: Panda Cotton

Size 2.25 mm needles magic loop

And I think I might have shown you this project or maybe mentioned it, Big Ball of Joy – I’m making this for a friend at church who is expecting (soonish).  I have 5 out of 12 pentagons knitted.

Hmm, there might also have been a square for a swap and bazillion dishcloths for the ladies at the family reunion, but now things are getting hazy.  Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing; I can already tell you that August is going to be a wild ride, so I’ll do my best to stay up to date.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

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

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a …. Post!

The top 10 reasons I haven’t posted in a while:

1. Knitting (or more like serial casting- on)
2. Some family things
3. Cats
4. Work
5. Work stuff that needed doing at home
6. Home stuff that needed doing
7. Lack of inspiration
8. The camera needs a new battery
9. Non-knitting (aka petting the stash)
10. The weather

Seriously, I know it’s sort of cliché to whine and make a bunch of apologies for not posting often enough, which actually, in reading others blogs it does seems to be in season.  There really have been a bunch of things going on lately that have kept me from taking the time to put my thoughts together and remember to take pictures and actually sit down at the computer and pull a post together.  I’ve had about five versions kicking around in my head all week and just couldn’t get the other parts together to actually write one. 

I finished a pair of socks.  These were my purse / work project during knitting Olympics so I had to put them on the back burner for that last week or so of the games.  It didn’t take long to finish these once I could devote a little bit more time to them. 

Pattern:  Rib & Cable Socks by Nancy Bush (Interweave Knits Fall 2005)

Yarn: Dream in Color Knitosophy in Strength

I really liked this yarn and am anxiously awaiting the reorder to arrive at the shop so I can stash some more in another colorway.  It’s the same base as Smooshy with a little bit different dyeing approach.   The pattern was good until I got to the heel and toe parts.  I modified the toe and would definitely modify the heel as well if I knitted it again. 

I got caught up on the knitting of my Big “V” vest, but made a mistake on the neck shaping of the fronts and need to rip back about 2 inches.  It’s currently in time-out; therefore no picture. (besides it is really boring)

I knit a cute intarsia hat for baby Sylvia, but had some serious issues with the pattern construction (knit flat-seamed).  Seaming hats is not a talent I possess apparently. This turned out so horrible that I refuse to even share a photo. But, I do have sufficient yarn for a redo. I put the whole project on hold for now while I rethink the process for knitting the pattern in the round. 

I made some progress on the Loksins socks which I cast on sometime in the middle of the pair of rib and cable socks.  Sock #1 is nearly finished and will probably be done tonight.(Yarn is Cascade Heritage Hand Paint)

 As of last Tuesday the Big V and Loksin socks were the only projects on the needles, so I got a little itchy and have since cast on for:

The Knotty but Knice socks from Interweave Knits Fall 08 (project name Forget me Knots) this is a pretty fun pattern once you get going.  I actually started it twice.  I cast on, knit the cuff and started the first pattern repeat thinking there was something not-quite-right going on.  Then I looked over the pattern info again.  D’oh.  I’m knitting a top-down version and sort of just winged it on the cast on. I knit the cuff in k1, p1 ribbing which looks pretty nice, but if you look at the flow of the pattern, it would have been better to cast on and knit the ribbing according to pattern rows 1-3 which then flows directly into the pattern.  The picture below illustrates that pretty well.  Top (on dpns) is the first go; bottom (on ML) is the second with the corrected ribbing.  I also changed needle size to get a little bit better stitch definition (and fit, too).  Little things can make a big difference. 

The Pukas sweater from the current issue of Knitters (more Dream in Color, loving it).

 (left sleeve)

And I’ve been working up the samples for my April color work class.   

Whew!  I think that’s it.  I know I have at least two more projects ready and waiting to be started. But… maybe I’ll try to finish something first.

Happy Knitting!

 

Nana

On Track

It really seems to help when you have a “deadline” for finishing up a knit project.  Since I made a goal to finish up my Bi-Color Cables sweater as part of the Knitting Olympics, the project has seemingly become a quick knit.  I’m sure there’s some fancy psychological term for all of that, but whatever the effect is, it’s certainly a good thing at the moment.

This weekend I finished up the body of the sweater and started the sleeves.  I’m knitting the sleeves two at once since I am working against a deadline.  I’ve got the body pinned out and blocking.  After I finish the sleeves, there’s still a collar to knit.  I’m not 100% sure that I will get this completely finished by Sunday, but I feel pretty good that I might be able to get most of the knitting accomplished. 

In my main event, I finished the Silk Smoke Ring last night.  The pattern called for it to be 17” in length, but my yardage was shorter than what the pattern called for.  Regardless, I knew I wouldn’t knit it that long even if there was enough yarn.  My finished cowl is more like 10”.  I probably could have squeezed out one more pattern repeat which would have made the finished length closer to 12” with the fragments from the frogging, but I felt pretty good about the length. Besides, that would have meant fussing with extra ends to weave in right in the middle of the pattern.  Not my cup of tea.

I took a picture of it blocking, but it doesn’t look like much, I’ll try to get an action shot once it’s dry and post a good picture.

I have a semi-busy week ahead, but I’m going to keep moving towards the goal. 

Speedy 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

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

Back to Everything

I haven't solved the problem I was having with pictures entirely, but I did manage to get it to work with a couple of work arounds... so here's the knitting post I promised. I’ve been back home from my trip for well over a week, and I feel like I have been in constant motion. There always seems to be something more to do that I just can’t quite get to. I like being busy, but sometimes I appreciate being able to slow down a bit, too. Vacation was a great time for that, but it seems like I had to pick up the pace right where I left it. That’s getting harder to do with each successive birthday. I got a little knitting done while I was traveling and a little after I got home. I’ve been trying to restore some sense of order to my office/craft room since it looked like it exploded with all of the (new) yarn everywhere and patterns and magazines and ‘nuff said. It’s slightly better, and I hope before long it will be in some sort of working order.

So here’s what I’ve knit recently:

I finally finished the Rib Fantastic Socks aka Perforated Purple. The pattern wasn’t too bad, but just complex enough that it required complete attention and made for a bad knitting group knit. I knit them magic loop which compounded the complexity as I had to adjust the stitches on the needles when the pattern shifted. I like the stitch pattern well enough but disliked the heel / toe used by the designer. I’d probably knit these again on dpns and with some pattern modifications.

Pattern: Rib Fantastic from Knitting Socks with Hand painted Yarns

Yarn: Samantha in Stitches, Footcrazy, color Purple Thunder

Size 2.25 mm needles / Magic Loop

I also finished a lone Monkey sock. We needed a sock sample in the Claudia Handpaint and I fell in love with this colorway (surprise) but couldn’t see myself wearing a pair of socks this color, so I figured this would make a good sample and the monkey pattern looks fantastic in Claudia… so I give you Lone MonkeyPattern: Monkey By Cookie A

Yarn: Claudia Hand Paints, Color; Eat Your Veggies

Size 2.25 needles

Then I needed a sample for my next technique class, so I whipped this up:

Pattern: Diamond Head from Hats, a Knitter’s Dozen

Yarn: Wisdom Poems in colors 556 and 558

Size 4 needles

This was pretty quick as projects go, although a little fiddly if you just want to make a quick hat, but since it matches the scarf I made last winter, it was worth it to me. It is a good project for teaching miters, which is why I chose it, so I hope people sign up for this class.

And finally, I cast on for a project that has been on my list for a little while:

(I'm actually almost done with the back now)

Pattern: The Chevron Vest from Knitter’s No 87 (Summer 2007)

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy / Neat Stuff from Prism

For some reason now I’m craving oreos…

I'm also working on two other socks, but they will have to wait for 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