Three Days To Go

Til the big move.  I am so ready for life to get back to normal, but that is probably not happening anytime soon.  I really want to be back to my spoiled life style where I get to knit at night and go to the yarn shop on Saturday mornings.

You know it is getting close when your must haves while you are moving, gets moved to the new house.  Just a few short weeks ago, it was my basket of knitting that was left here for me to play with while the rest of it went to it's new home.

The Tall Guy and Baby Boy B took pity and helped me move my assortment of knitting magazines and one more book case.

What took me all morning to get into the car, they had in the basement at the new house in a flash.  It makes a big difference when they can carry two or three at a time, and I'm taking one at a time.

Tonight, I am going to kick back and knit a bit while I do our and Baby Boy B's laundry.  This will be the last time I have all of our laundry though.  He is the recipient of our washer and dryer so now he can do his own.

31 years later and it is back to just the Tall Guy and I.  A new chapter.

Race Day

I'm taking most of the day off from new house packing/moving boxes for the Indy 500.  It has been a tradition in our house since I was in grade school when Dad would get tickets to the race and finally took me with him and my brother to the race.  After Dad passed away, we went the year after, but since then, I have been watching it from home.  Almost nothing gets in the way of me sitting down to watch the race.

During the commercials, I may do a bit of packing, and cleaning of the room that Baby Boy B vacated yesterday when he moved into his new house.  That room is going to need a major overhaul in the coming weeks.  (It was his room, so no, I never cleaned it, I just shut the door.)  I sure am going to miss those walls.  And no, I did not pick out the color, he did many years ago.  As I recall, it was a basketball team color.  

During the race, I am also going to take time off from my Birds Nest Shawl.  I have finished the first section of lace and now it is on to the straight bit of knitting.  I have to say those markers I put in every repeat truly helped.  It may be a bit excessive on the markers, but sometimes I still have problems counting to 11.

This morning, while it is quiet, I am going to try and see where I went wrong with my Stora Dimun Shawl.  I am off by one stitch at the end of the row.  It may be time to add some markers to it as well.  I surely would like to have this one done by Camp to wear.

My race project for today is kind of a secret, so this is all I am showing for now.  It is for me, I'm just not ready to show it in it's form yet.  I can tell you it is super soft and something I treasure as it was a gift from my friend and fellow knitter.  I hope I am doing it justice.  

One of the things I have to remember when I go over to the house today, is to get a better bag than a plastic bag for my special knitting project.  

And finally for today, a couple of moving pictures.  I have peonies of my own!  And they are beautiful.

Enjoy the race!  Or your Sunday, whatever you are doing today.

Curbing My Appetite

My yarn is all at the new house, except for this bit.

Almost all of my books are in the car ready to go into the new house.

So, when I surf the internet and Ravelry and find something I am tempted to start, I stop myself, because the yarn is not right next to me nor are my books.

That is one way to curb one's appetite for new projects.  Now, if I could just move all of the food into either the new house or out into my car, that might help with other appetites as well.

From Yarn Room to Yarn Wall

In our "old" house, I had a yarn room.  Books, yarn, projects in bags.

In the "new" house, I have a yarn wall.  And the many bags I have collected are back on the bag tree.

But, if one is not careful, one will take over the kitchenette for yarn as well.

Tonight, I finished the yarn wall, but there is so much more to do before move in date sometime in June.

But, there is a three day weekend coming up!

Reading My Knitting

A couple of weeks ago, over on the Knitaway Ravelry Group, we started knitting the Birds Nest Shawl.  As I started the lace pattern on mine on Friday, I remarked at how easily this particular lace pattern was to knit, the kind of lace pattern where a fairly unexperienced lace knitter could perhaps even knit it while watching t.v. or at a knit night.  Thing #1 I learned -  don't admit how easy something may be until you have really knitted it while talking, watching t.v. or both a the same time.

When I first started knitting fairly easy lace patterns or charted patterns for cables, I took the written instructions and put them on my note cards so that I can at a glance read and knit the lace at the same time.  You know, while watching t.v., talking or both.  It worked well for me in the past.  But, then, I thought maybe it was time to give up the crutch and start reading charts while knitting.

I've graduated to knitting from charts (and sometimes the written stuff in a pattern) from my old system.   I am knitting from the chart, using my highlighter tape.  I place my highlighter tape above the row I am working on.  This way, I can tell what the stitch pattern should look like from the view of whenst I have come.  It is not something I came up with, but rather something that I read about and it really helps me read my knitting much better.

I am also not much of a life line putter inner or user of markers.   I use them to signify a change in what is going on at the beginning or end of a row, but don't as a rule to separate the pattern repeats.

But, maybe I should, (thing #2 I learned) because it would seem that a marker for the repeat would have been helpful to tell that I dropped my yarn over and the subsequent row above it not once but twice, and had to rip back aways on the row when I finally got around to looking down and seeing that the number of yarn overs on the chart did not equal the number I had on my knitting.

Thank goodness, both of them were an easy fix and now I am on my way again on my shawl!

Today's moving photo - anybody got a tape measure I could borrow?

A Little Attitude!

Summer Knitting??!

Oh my gosh, it has been in the 50s here in Central IL ever since hitting 91 on Monday.  Last week, I took over my "winter" shoes figuring I'd be wearing sandals the rest of the season.  Good thing I left a couple of pairs of shoes here at the house!

So you can understand why it is hard to think about Summer knitting projects, right?!  But, I've got a couple of Summer yarns either in the planning stage or on the needles that I think have possibilities.

This is going to be just a cute little Summer top out of Cottonation, another tape like yarn.  I really have to say I am enjoying these tape yarns or at least it would seem so, since I have a long sleeve out of a Lang version on the needles and this short sleeve top on the needles out of the Plymouth Yarn version.

I picked up this super soft Lang yarn in March at the Pipeline Retreat.

My mind has it knitted into something like this tank pic that I purloined from the internet.  Problem is, I cannot find the original pic to see how I can get the pattern.  I'd even settle for how to make that front happen if I could.  In the meantime, the yarn may just have to be some sort of color blocked top or tank.

My Sunseeker yarn from Cascade has been kicked around a bit.  I originally bought it in Janesville in the Winter of 2013.  At the time, I just loved the yarn and thought it would make a nice little something.  Very rarely, do I buy yarn without knowing what it initially wants to be, but this time, I just bought what I thought I might need.  At one time, a Summer shawl was in the running, but I have since nixed that idea.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across Sunseeker used in a Berroco top and I really liked the look of it, so I've decided I have enough yardage to do it.

I'm pretty pleased that I have a plan for my Summer knitting or at least of a couple of my Summer yarns, it sure takes the pressure off, for now.

You Don't Have To Hit Me With A Hammer

Something became very very obvious to me this weekend.  I knew it, but I have been in a very serious case of denial for a very long time.  I have a problem. I will never live to knit all of the yarn I have.  I have no business ever buying more yarn again or patterns or books or needles.  If you are a knitter, you know what I mean.

It became quite evident as I loaded garbage sacks full of yarn from the yarn room -  Oh, no, this is not the first set, this is the second set.

The first set is at the new house awaiting dispensation.  Along with some of the project bags.

And then I started sorting bags, one for Barb at work, she has nieces and nephews who could use yarn scraps for different craft projects.  Do you this bag will see them through?

Then I start texting friend Debbie, hey do you want this really cool blue Reynolds Saucy for your grandson?

There is a bag of yarn for Yarn Over started for next December  (the one on the left), the garbage bag is going to the new house.

A bag of bags for friend Sue, she wanted one, she is getting three.

I've got a bag just for Pacific.

And a bag of Spring/Summer yarns from Springs and Summers of days gone past.

And this is my basket of what I am currently knitting on.  I put it all in a basket, so I would know where it is while moving.

But, I'm okay.  I have discovered with all the bagging up what wonderful yarns I have and I am looking forward to revisiting the knitting of them in the years to come.  It also made me really aware that I need to start finishing projects, but I'll leave that for  a post later this week.

I Did It!

In the wee hours of the morning, I finally mastered Emily Ocker's Cast On.

Sure, I did it maybe once or twice painfully, but early this morning I googled it and it came up with this video that just made a lot of sense to me.  I'm book marking it for future reference.
http://newstitchaday.com/emily-ockers-cast-on/

Now, you might ask what is this you are knitting on and how does it relate to the post of yesterday?  I thought you were talking Summer knits?  Well, frankly, it doesn't, but while I was doing a bit of gawking on other people's blogs, I stumbled upon a post where they had knitted Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi Shawl from the Knitter's Almanac in Malabrigo Sock.  I really liked the look of the lightweight yarn being used for the shawl and remembered that I had some Madtosh Sock that I wasn't quite sure I knew what it wanted to be.  I just knew that I had to have it a couple of years ago and it is way too dear of a yarn to be left sitting around unknit.

So I cast on (did I say in the wee hours of the morning?).  And was so amazed after looking at the video of how nice my cast on looked.  I had to tell myself to take it nice and easy and exercise patience as I was knitting with just a few stitches on four double pointed needles, to resist the urge to fling them across the room when the stitches were tempted to slide from the needles.  Anxious to get it onto circular needles and off of the double points, I kept knitting until they were on the circular needles.  Right now, the project is going to be in my purse as my on the go knitting, as it is perfect to pick up and put down when waiting for whatever.

Now, after that brief interlude, back to knitting something for Summer.  It is becoming clear to me that this one is going to be better for early Fall wearing.

I had a bit of a brain fade last Wednesday when Debbie and I were knitting on the porch of the new house.

I picked up the front of my sweater and commenced knitting.  I knitted all night at Knit Night on Thursday night, but when I picked it up last night, I wondered about when the armhole shaping was going to occur.  Duh, like right at the break, like two times of knitting it ago.  I ripped it out last night (early this morning) and now I am ready to read the directions and knit!

If I really hurry, I maybe able to wear it later next week, at least once, when the weather is going to be in the 60s again.  Otherwise, I am afraid this one will be best suited for Early Fall.

It Really Is Just The Beginning of May

But, I have blogged this one before, as knitters we should really be one season ahead in our knitting.  Like getting fit, knitting ahead is constantly on my list of things to be better at.

And the Spring/Summer knitting magazines are coming out in full force to spur me onto some Summer tops to knit.  Problem is  there are so many tops that I want to knit.  My favorites list for Summer Tops is growing.  http://www.ravelry.com/people/pennyj/favorites?q=summer&in=tag

My stack of magazines for Summer knitting seems to be multiplying as well.

The one thing I do not have is a lot of solid color yarns in lighter weights.  I guess I must gravitate toward heavier weight yarns for Summer.  But, I am really really trying to not buy new yarn if I can help it.  Cause, well, you know, I gotta move it all, too.

Adding to this influx of Summer knit want tos, is a group on Ravelry with yet another KAL and a website geared to Summer Tops.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/very-shannon/2909454/26-50

http://veryshannon.com/tttkal

The gods are testing me.  There are some lovely ideas for Summer tops on these two webpages and I encourage you to go have a look and find some nice Summer tops for your knitting pleasure.   I am.

So tell me what are you knitting to wear this Summer?  And what wonderful yarns are you using?  I'll blog about what I have in my stash for Summer knitting later this weekend.

Wednesday Website

We're KALing


Join us!

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/knitaway/2887472/26-50#46

Squirrel!!

It's out of my system.  I tried it, I stayed up late, I knit on it a bit this morning, it is now history.

I cast on last night and yes, it is a easy pattern to do, I think I will like it, but not out of lace weight.   It seems like my chosen yarn and gauge just is not showing the pattern nor the lusciousness of the  yarn off to it's full potential.   I think I want mine to be more of a light fingering and I think I will save it for my Summer of Shawls.

I am, however, swatching for the Birds Nest Shawl KAL over on the Knitaway Group on Ravelry.

I am using my silver Just Beautiful Alpaca.  I love this yarn!  If you aren't knitting on anything, come join us!

A Bit of Diversion

Finally, the new house is painted.  We wrapped it up today with my new yellow kitchen, which is going to have some Caribe Blue accents.  Cupboards are all clean and airing out and waiting for moving in.

 But, we are so far from a move in date!  Next step is to get the carpets cleaned.  I am hoping to schedule that in the next week.  I am anxious to start moving some things over, but so far just a few boxes have made the trip to the basement.  While I await the cleaning of the carpets, I'll be boxing up whatever I can that I can live without until we move.

I've finally made it to the front of my Lang sweater.  This seems to me like it has been a long knit.  I have to admit, I am really getting tired of it, and afraid that it won't get any wear until the Fall now.  But, I will keep knitting on it, even though,

I am itching to cast on something new.

I've been loving a certain shawl since  camp last year -  The Radiance Shawl.  The yarn called for in the pattern is a laceweight and I happen to have a couple that fit the bill, but I think this  shawl calls for something soft and drapey, like Cheryl Oberle's Gossamer.

I am thinking about casting on this tonight just for fun a bit of diversion from packing and the Lang sweater. Sometimes, you just need a bit of diversion from your normal routine.