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Free publicity

I was asked by two of the men in my family to show off for them.  My initial response was, "Get your own blog!"; however I then complied out of the goodness of my heart.

First, son-in-law's new car.

It was kind of comical that when he and K were driving his old car to check this one out at the dealership, that his muffler broke.  

My husband is teaching himself leathercraft so he can make a holster.  I'm the recipient of his first practice article, (a swatch if you will), this cute little keychain.  He said there's a good and a bad side, but they both look good to me.

On to knitting content: 

One baby sweater completed.  It's from Virginia D. McGlynn's  Simple Knit and Crochet Patterns Illustrated: For Watching TV While Talking on the Telephone.  I bought the little pattern booklet several years ago when the guild had a meeting at the late Lace Wings in Warwick.  I bought it both for its funny title as well as the great go-to patterns.  I've made this little cardi several times.  The McGlynn pattern booklets apparently are hard to come by; if you come across one, snag it.

The back of the Garter Cardi is blocking and the first front is underway.

Sunday I went to the Sit and Knit at Eneri Knits.  The time flew by.  There was a shop sample for a Berroco vest I'd had my eye on, and I bought the booklet. (Americano Vest, modeled by the adorable Cirilia Rose.)  I may use the Tahki Cotton Classic from the Ruched Yoke Tee that didn't come out the way I wanted.

Speaking of vests, I'm working on what should be a fast knit- Norah Gaughan's #21 Cabled Vest from VK Fall 2010.  I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky, which is not as bulky as the yarn called for (Berroco Peruvia Quick), so I went up two needle sizes to get gauge.  I won't be wearing it with the camo shorts.

 

Sunday, Jan. 15

There's always that nagging uncertainty especially when knitting for other people, despite repeated measuring,swatching, playing with needle sizes, combining portions of different pattern sizes, modifications...will it actually fit the intended wearer?  Thankfully, my dad's completed Evergreen Vest fits.

The Deborah Newton pattern gets 2 thumbs up, I love both the pattern and the Black Water Abbey yarn.  I have several skeins of BWA left over, as I'd originally planned to make a pullover.  

 The Cabin Fever baby sweater just needs to be blocked and seamed.  In the meantime I started the Garter Cardi baby sweater using Cascade 220 Quatro Superwash in the prettiest heathered spring green.  The back is finished already, mostly done at quilters group Friday night.

Plunging into January

My husband, Kate, and Dan took a Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day.  Much as I wanted to go into the water (not) , I sacrificed and was the designated photographer.  K chose the Plunge at Goddard Park because it had the cheapest donation (for pitbull rescue!) plus it was just down the road from Grampa's so he could watch the crazies.  They lucked out temperature-wise, as it was around 40 degrees.  Unfortunately I couldn't see without my reading glasses to adjust the camera for action, and the in the water shots were a blur.

It was a little unnerving when the lady in charge kept repeating through her bullhorn to stay away from the dogs in the water as the excitement and flailing might send them into "prey mode".

I finished my dad's vest and bought buttons for it at Knit One Purl Too with my Christmas gift card.  The buttons' basketweave pattern coordinates with the vest's basketweave lower border.

 I also bought a few skeins of several washable yarns for baby items- I never seem to have baby yarn on hand, and there are 3 co-workers expecting this year.  With a 20% discount on everything for filling up my shopper's card, on top of the gift card, all this was a steal.

I did start a top-down baby sweater using Cabin Fever Cotton Tweed, a favorite from the stash.

Final post of year

Wheee, still 3 more days before going back to work.  I've done nothing out of the ordinary over the break so far, but it's been rewarding: knitting, reading, lunch with K and Dad, finished a couple of reports...and tonight's annual Chinese takeout.

Usually- or should I say always- by this time of year my outside bike riding is long over.  But this year with temperatures sometimes even into the 50's in December, I've been able to take short rides maybe twice a week before it gets dark and if the weather cooperates, and if I'm not too lazy.  Yesterday and today I got some nice longer rides in, giving me a total mileage of 1760 miles for 2011.  (It's actually more than that as the odometer wasn't working for awhile.) 

There was excellent progress on my dad's vest, while listening to Jon Meacham's  American Gospel and Miss Read's Thrush Green series.  Above you see the attached left front, with its cute pocket sewn in.  Hoping to finish it up tomorrow- just the other front to attach and the button and neck bands to knit on.  Then a button search.

I'd forgotten what my second Dizzy Sheep order was and decided not to check my email receipt so it would be a surprise- yum, Malabrigo 'Glazed Carrot'!

Happy New Year!

Tiger tiger

The yarns in the two items shown remind me of tiger colors.  First is the Therapi Braided Wrap, knit with Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair.  I finished it last month but needed to rip back several rows as it hung too loosely.  I'm still not crazy about the way it sits, and the graft in back looks wonky, but K shows how it can be wrapped as a scarf or ascot as well.

As I worked on the wrap, it reminded me of my much-loved 'Tiger Jacket' (my name for it) which my mom knit for me in the Seventies.  I loved this jacket, made from some unknown acrylic, and wore it constantly.  It's still in great shape, and I'll never let it go.

Thanks to enabling guild member Mary, I learned about the Dizzy Sheep and its daily deals, including only $1 shipping.  For months I've checked it each morning, just for fun.  This week I made my first purchases during their 12 Dizzy Days of Deals.  This is Madeline Tosh Prairie, in Chamomile, though it looks more like a bright marigold.  My other purchase should arrive today.

Christmas gifts

 

Christmas was very nice, except that John isn't here.  I shipped his packages early, which costs an arm and a leg to get to Alaska.  Kate and Dan gave me a gift certificate to Knit One Purl Too, and also gave the two of us their wedding photo in a gorgeous stained glass frame made by Dan.

 Another favorite gift, from my husband, is this coupon organizer, believe it or not.  The last one I had, I looked high and low for in stores to no avail, and ended up ordering it on line.  When it went missing a few months ago, again I couldn't find one anywhere in a real store, and my coupons were piling up, unused and expiring.  He obviously paid attention to my complaints and I received this much sturdier holder, which he ordered from amazon.  

We had dinner at my sister's, and the twins were adorable in their Santa suits.  They are such good babies, smiling and cooing away!

Our Austrian cousin Mickey was there, along with her mother Gabriela/Gabby who is visiting her for a few weeks, her first time in the States, too.  Today they are off for NYC, where they'll see my other sister, (Mickey was also there last month and loved it!), and next week they are off to Atlanta to meet my cousin Joe.  Joe is responsible for this meeting up of transatlantic relatives, as over the past several years of researching the family tree he has contacted kin from 'the old countries'.

Cow was super-happy with his Christmas-catnip-in-a-sock; in fact he broke into his presents on Christmas Eve!

December catch up

I waited until there was something knitting-related to post, besides my great score at the guild's Christmas party Yankee swap.

When I saw a member open the wrapping on Teva Durham's Loop-D-Loop, and figured she looked just 'OK' with it and not 'Yippee!', I decided it would be mine.  I was third to last to choose a gift, so just had to wait patiently for my turn to snag it.  This year we played a little differently- instead of opening a gift before deciding if you wanted to swap, you picked out a gift without opening and gave it to the person whose opened gift you coveted.  This was the first time I ever traded for something else during a swap, since I felt I wouldn't be hurting anyone's feelings by trading an unopened present.  I'm very happy with the book and many of the cool patterns in it.  Some are a tad over the top, but there is a lot to like.  My favorite is the Princess-Seam Jacket.   

The left front of my dad's vest is finished.  One more front to go!  Sorry for the terrible picture.

A UPS package from J in Alaska came today with Christmas cheer.  We'll have to wait until K comes over to see what is in the lovingly duct-taped little package from her dear brother!

And look what my boy got for  me- 3 skeins of qiviut!  What a guy!

Merry Christmas, y'all! 

Doo wop chickens

Entering stage left:

Lead chicken steps forward to introduce the group:

Form a circle to start the chicken dance:

On to more complicated choreography:

Grand finale- singing back up to Special Guest Star:

If they weren't so entertaining, I'd find the chickens a lot more annoying.  They believe that whenever a human appears on the deck,  it is their right to demand a handout.  They frequently come up on the deck to peer in the door to see if anyone is coming out with that intention. If only they would learn to clean up after themselves...

Last night was the quilting group's cookie exchange.  I made the peppermint meringues on the cover of this month's Bon Appetit, in green and red, my first time making meringues.  What a messy job, but they turned out OK. 

We also had the grab bag mug rug exchange.  It was fun to see everyone's interpretation in quilted or knitted or even woven coasters.  I received this pretty quilted one made by RuthAnne.

At long last I finished the back of my dad's Evergreen Vest, shown blocking.  You can't see how highly textured the pattern is in this photo, but if you click on the mug rug you can get a better idea of it in the background.  The Black Water Abbey yarn blocked beautifully.  I'm guessing there's a lot of lanolin in it as it took a long time under the tub faucet to absorb water.  It was dry in less than 24 hours.

Cloisonne Jacket

Finally an FO that fits!  (I'm not tilting; Kate is taking "arty shots").

Pattern: Cloisonne Jacket

Designer: Deborah Helmke

Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2010

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca

I made one purposeful modification, never mind the accidental ones.  If knit as per the chart directions, the entire body, minus the lace border, would be black and the leaf design would be white.  However, I knew my brain would not process the black squares as white and the white squares as black, so I knit them as they looked for the reverse image.  

The black and white alpaca blend is a little annoying as the white fibers shed all over the black.  Also, the blouse in the photo is sleeveless and collarless, so I was itchy, and will need to wear something with long sleeves and collar underneath. 

Here is the second reversible mug rug, front and back.  Both are blocked now and look good.  These make quick and useful gifts.

We had a nice Thanksgiving at my sister El's.  My little grandnieces were both wearing sweaters I'd made- Ella in Nankin and Lily in the Debbie Bliss baby shrug.  I wish I'd had my camera!  

 I'm getting back to my dad's long-neglected Evergreen Vest.  Crumbs, I hope I'm picking up at the right spot, it's been so long.  

Picture post

Catching up-

Above is the Braided Wrap made with Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair in a tigery color.  I love the kitschy yarn, though it shed like crazy pre-washing.  I'm going to undo the back seam, which was a 3-needle bind off of the provisional cast on and the last row, and rip out a few rows either side.  The wrap is a little too big and doesn't sit right.  Modeled photos when it's fixed.

Last week I took my friend Karen out for a birthday breakfast, then we went to a holiday bazaar that guild member Kathy has volunteered at for years, and that other guild members have raved about.  I didn't walk away empty-handed.  One thing I bought, for me, is a pretty red and gold fabric shawl, a simple fringed length of fabric.  I may also have picked one up, in another design, for K...

The quilters group decided to exchange mug rugs of any sort this year.  I chose this linen stitch pattern  and used good ol' Peaches and Creme from the stash (shown unblocked).  I'm making a second one in blue tones for a twofer, as I'm afraid the mystery recipient might not be enamored of these black/white/gray tones.

I ordered a couple of bargain items from Bea Ellis's eBay store.  (I didn't realize she only sells on eBay now.)  There are lots of adorable Christmasy patterns in the booklet.  I also ordered 10 pewter buttons with the Peer Gynt trademark reindeer rider.  Apparently I don't know the story of Peer Gynt- I thought it was an elf riding a reindeer but after a cursory googling learned it's PG himself.  I'll have to go back to learn who he is and why he's riding a reindeer.  Here's a sampling of patterns, plus the buttons:

Yesterday I went into work for a field trip to the zoo with the Lifeskills class.  I hadn't been for years and enjoyed it (as long as you don't think about the poor animals deprived of their natural environment) and the kids had a great time.  Since the trip was on my day off, I got to take today off (though it was only a half day at school).  So today I made the pies to bring to my sister's for Thanksgiving  tomorrow, and I just have to make corn pudding in the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!