Not Bad For The End of February

Another drop dead gorgeous day and I was home all by myself to enjoy it!  I threw open the windows to get some fresh air in the house.

I sat out on the front porch and knitted while having a cuppa (despite the snowflake Life Is Good T)

I took a gander at my progress on Mona Lisa's Big Girl Blanket that needs to be done in less than two weeks.  (The Snoopy marker is where I was on Friday when I headed out for Knit Away, the macaroon progress keeper is where I was this morning)

And I contemplated on what may be my next project after the blanket is finished may be.

Not bad for Leap Year 2016!

2016 Knit Away

Just a quick post.  The 2016 Knit Wits Annual Knit Away is in the bag.  Had a super great weekend where I knit the whole weekend and did not buy any yarn all weekend or really step out the doors of the Victorian Mansion after I arrived on Friday night until this morning.  It was a great weekend of knitting with my knitting sisters!

And for some total Sunday cuteness that warms my heart --

Finally Finished Friday

Yea!!  Not only am I on vaca until Wednesday, but I am winging my way to Galena for the Annual Prairie Knit Wits Knit Away.

But, before I head out, I've got finished objects to show.

The Heavenly Heathers Hospice Blanket.

 This pattern is my go to baby blanket pattern these days (for non-related babies), but this is my second one for Hospice.  I just love the way you can add to colors to other colors and come up with
different each time.

I'm half tempted to start another one only as a wrap and use some other colors of Pacific with it.

Also, on the finally finished list is Open Sky Shawl.  This one is for Hospice as well and was delivered there yesterday.

Next up, Miss Mona Lisa's big girl blanket.

The Postman Cameth

Some new reading material!

A pattern book I could just not resist, the shawl on the front alone had me drooling over this book.  There are some nice sweaters in it to.

And one skein of yarn that technically did not come through my mail, but I figured this might be a good place to show it off.  This is going to be one of the 40 cowls in 40 months.  I'll blog about that some other time.

I love good mail days!!

The Most Perfect Sunday

It is February 21st!  Who would of thought I would be sitting on the front porch knitting in February!  I've missed my front porch, sitting there with a cuppa, listening to the birds and the rest of the neighborhood virtually silent.

I've got some leftover sock yarn ready to go and started for my sock yarn blanket.  It is in the bag and I think that is what I'll use for my porch knitting.  Pretty mindless and containable.  And also a great pick up and go project should I need one.

I'm pretty proud of myself today.  I've start my own little challenge with myself to get 10K of steps in as many days a week as I can.  I figure with Spring virtually on our door step, it is probably time to ramp it up a bit.  To get me started, I've been doing some steps here at the house, cleaning and sorting through things that need to either go up or down, blocking the Heavenly Heathers Hospice Blanket and just getting some stuff done.

Now to tackle some orders I need to place and then I am hoping to finish the Open Sky Shawl as well.  Hmmm, I see a bit of a trend in this week's Hospice Shawls names this week.  Very interesting.

It is getting a bit chilly so it is time to head inside. Even though it feels like Spring the trees remind me it is not.

Have a great Sunday wherever you are!

Just A Couple of Things

I finally succumbed.  I bought the 3 Color Cowl by Joji Locatelli and this lovely yarn for it.  I had other colors in my hands on Tuesday when I was at Fiber Universe, but they just did not send me.  About an hour later, Erin brought some new tonals in the same yarn that had just came in and well, you know the rest.  

I am anxious to cast on and take next week with me to Galena for our annul knitting weekend, but there are two Hospice Shawls that must come off the needles first.  That is the deal I made with myself.

I picked up this book too on Tuesday.  There is a nice little blanket in it that I thought I might substitute for Miss Mona Lisa, but I've decided to keep knitting on what I already have cast on (at least at this posting).

Most Friday nights now, we spend the evening watching t.v. and I knit.  But, there isn't much on so I have been catching up on my knitting video casts.  There is one in particular I found last week, and if you are inclined to knitting video casts, I totally recommended The Grocery Girls.  The two sisters from Canada are so engaging, much fun to watch and I am finding we like the same things.

Have a great weekend!  Central IL is in the 60's and I am hoping to catch some porch time tomorrow afternoon.

What's On The Needles This Week?

Open Sky Shawl is STILL on the needles.  I really thought/wanted this one to be done and blocking by now, but I found an error just as I finished a lace section and had to rip it back.  UGH and Ugh!  But, today, after spending some time on it knitting at lunch at The Fiber Universe, it is back on track and I can work some more on it tonight, while watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

 



While I was giving Open Sky a bit of a time out, I cast on another Heavenly Heathers afghan for Hospice.  I love this pattern and am giving some real thought to doing it for my assistant's daughter's wedding in June only in beige and seafoam.

This one is from the stash and leftovers from baby blankets last year as was the Open Sky Shawl.  It is going to be red, white and navy.  The Tall Guy actually said he liked at last night when he saw me add the cream to it.

Then, there is this wild hair.  I've been seeing on Ravelry, several of these scrap sock yarn blankets and I said to myself, "hey, self, you have some scraps, how about knitting one of these for a yet to be named purpose".  I cast on this first block a couple of times and I am going to cast it on one more time, on a size three needle to see if I want to go just a tad bit larger.

I coerced my friend Becky to giving me some of her leftovers, so I may have a few more to add to.  This could be kind of fun in and odd sort of way.  It will take some time to complete, but I am okay with that, and I have a nice bag that I can keep them in as I work on it.

And that concludes this week's, what's on the needles.  What's on your needles??

Happy Valentines Day!

It's The Weekend!!!

And it most definitely is Winter.  Tomorrow morning, when we wake up it is going to be frigid, like around 3 degrees, but at least there will be sun.  And a bit of cold is not going to keep me from heading out to 30 30 Coffee for knitting with the Knit Wits.  I'll just throw on a sweater, my heavy coat, a nice scarf and some mittens to keep me warm.

Then, Sunday, a bit of snow is rolling in a range of 1-2 or 3-5 or well, whatever.  At that point, I'll be sitting in my chair watching it with a cuppa by my side and knitting in my hands.  I am hoping to put the finishing touches on the Open Sky Shawl this weekend for Hospice, because I have another lap blanket in my brain that I am so excited to knit on.  Possibly, on Sunday or Monday, I can show it to you in what is on what is off the needles this week.

On some down time at work today, I started making some knitting bucket lists on scrap paper.  I've accumulated a few of these scraps that are taken up residency next to my chair and I think it may be time to corral them into some sort of a journal.  My mind immediately flew to shopping for a journal for just this purpose (like I don't already have multiple notebooks that could serve this purpose??!)  Like bags and shoes, I have notebooks, and I am wondering, what about you all?  Are you too a collector of notebooks?  And if you are, which ones do you like the best?  And where can I get one?  :)

 Or is it just me, this compulsive collector?  Just wondering.  Have a great weekend, stay warm and lets knit the weekend away!

And Sometimes You Get Tears

I'm having a hard time with this post.  I want to tell you about Hospice and the Prayer Shawl Ministry today, but I am having a hard time putting it to words.  It was an emotional morning.  We were back at the Ministry after a two month hiatus. 

Our dear friend, Victoria "walked" in today after being off for a surgery.  We said good-bye to a long term staff person at Hospice as she retires and starts a healing walk of her own. There were some very special moments, when several people stopped in to tell us how much the prayer shawls meant to those they cared for and loved and who now walk somewhere other than beside them.  

 And I received the most heartfelt thing I have ever received in my life, a thank you from the daughter of one of the recipients of one of my shawls.  It made me cry this morning,  and this evening while I sit in my room, typing this post, and with the candle that I won today as a door prize flickering next to the note, it makes me start tearing up all over again.  

 To know that someone who I do not know, has a grandchild that blesses me for doing something that I love, gives me added reasons to be a more faithful prayer shawl knitter!  I do not need a thank you note for every shawl I knit, but in a time where I was feeling like I had nothing to show for having two months off, this renewed my passion to get knitting on those many prayer shawls that have been swirling around in my mind, seeing each of them and the colors they are going to be and the many patterns that are yet to be knit.

The morning was about to end for me as I headed back to work, but not before one of the patients was wheeled down in her bed to the door of our meeting room.  She had heard that the knitters were at the Hospice Home and she wanted to come down to be with us.  

This my friends, is what it knitting prayer shawls is all about.  

Wednesday Website

Knit Fence

I double dog dare you to not say OMG!

New!

My new bag arrived!  Ok, so right up there with shoes and totes and purses is the knitting project bag!  One of my favorite people is The Silver Shed USA.  Her bags are so well made and she has the cutest patterns of fabrics.

And from time to time she adds cute stuff to the purchase.

And she ships pretty quick.  Please check her etsy shop out.  The Silver Shed USA

Happy Monday Knitters!!

What's On, What's Off

So, no, we really are not football fans here in our house.  I'll probably turn it on, mute it and watch something on my laptop while knitting.  When the commercials come on or the half time show, I'll un-mute and watch them, but other than that, it is just another Sunday at our house.

Off the Needles this week, is my Drachenfels.  It is not blocked yet, but I'll get to that this week sometime.

There was a whole lot of garter stitch on this baby, it is all I knit on last weekend at the January Thaw and still did not get to bind off until yesterday.  I loved the iCord bind off on this one!  It makes a super nice edge and it is so stretchy, no popping stitches on this one!

Most of all, I like the very end pattern on this shawl.  I can see this at the bottom of a shawl or two.  I'm keeping that one in the back of mu brain to use on something that needs a bit of something at the end or start depending on where it actually starts.

On the needles this week is a shawl for Hospice, Open Sky.  I am hoping it will be done before Thursday, because I have nothing to show after having two months of not being at Hospice.  One should never take a break from something so important.

Back to the forefront of knitting projects is my Vacillate.  I picked this one out of the many WIPS by putting all the WIPS on pieces of paper and then reaching in and choosing one out of a baggie.  It was bashert that it was Vacillate, because it was the one I wanted to be knitting on right now.

No, really, that is what actually happened, no cheating was involved.  Happy Sunday Everyone!

Happy Friday!

http://www.knitmoregirlspodcast.com/2016/01/directors-cut-stevenbe-knitmore-girls.html?showComment=1454718473220#c1447538831950358278

If you get a chance, I highly recommend listening to the interview the Knitmore Girls did with Steven Berg.  It was so very enlightening to hear of his background and how he approaches knitting.  The best part of the interview that I came away with is my new attitude or rather my continuing attitude when it comes to my stash and works in progress.  I am not apologizing for either.

I think you will enjoy listening to his interview, I certainly did.

Wednesday Website

How to care for sweaters and other knits

What's On The Needles This Week

I would like to say that my Drachenfels is off the needles, but it is not,, even though, it is the only thing I knitted on all weekend long.  But, I can say I am on the last section!  And I am hopeful, that it is finished soon, because I am itching to cast on something new!

And just for a little respite from my Drachenfels, I am knitting on Water's Edge for Hospice.  I am changing the color sequencing up a bit on this one, although, you can't tell it by where it is at right now.

I won't bore you with Labrouste pictures, because it hasn't seen any progress since last you saw it.

Catch you later!

January Thaw

Loved the weekend up in Madison Wisconsin for the January Thaw!  Sun Valley Fibers knows how to put a nice knitting weekend on!

I bought a couple of things, a gradient sock set of sock yarns from Knit Circus (we stopped there on the way to the hotel) and I picked up my bag from Jennie at Kitchen Counter Crafts (the color is so me!)

I spent a lot of time with some of the Knit Wits knitting.

You can tell by the laughing!

And then I waited until almost the end of the last day to pick some yarns for my Hiro Sweater.

I had a class with Melanie Berg in Shawl Construction.  She is so very sweet and I love her shawl designs.  And my get to know you gift exchange, super cool!!

It was a great weekend and I'm definitely putting it on my calendar for next year!