Note To Self

 The next time you buy yarn, remember this picture. You have enough sweaters for Spring in these shades.

 Also, remember, you have a tote to match.  

😊

Summer Fun Along Update

 Readers, just because the kids are back to school for the most part, and we are looking at Labor Day in a week and a half, it is officially still Summer.  Summer goes well into September and these last few days of well into the 90s can attest to that.

Yesterday, I had to run a few errands, and even though it was hot outside, I decided after I picked my Starbucks up, that I needed to take a drive (is that aging me?)

I wanted to share the sights of our local park.  Despite the hot and very dry weather, it was fun to stop and listen to the fountains in the lagoon, the trees blowing their hot breeze and to just take in the beauty of a Summer day in my town.

Enjoy!

Together Apart Update

 We still have almost a month to knit on Together Apart.

To make sure that I didn't lose track of time, I took my pattern and made some notes of potential dates that I would like to have each of the remaining sections completed.

I'm ahead of my timeline right now, but I wouldn't mind gaining a few extra days on this project, so I can start something new.

Stay tuned for a progress report later this weekend.

Tuesday Tip

 If I find a mistake in my knitting that is more than a couple of rows back, I pull it off the needles and rip back to the mistake.  No tinking back for me.  Only issue is once those stitches have been ripped off the needle and back, they like to shrink down.

I solved that issue by always having a size 1 knitting needle with a long cable in my knitting accesorries.

I pick up the ripped out stitches with my small needle and then proceed with my knitting, using the correct size for the next row.

Stitches picked up without losing it.  😊

Indy 500!

Finally, just a few months later, the Indianapolis 500 ran yesterday. 

I pulled out a nice sweater that was all stockinette to knit on, so I could watch the race and not have to pay too much attention.

I got myself a cuppa and put my cuppa marker on my knitting to know where I started at the "start your engines" command.

At the half way mark of the race, 

I had a few rows progress.

By the end of the race, I was happy with how much I had accomplished in a couple of hours.

Even if the raced ended in a crash and a yellow flag, it was nice to have the Indy 500 actually being ran, and a bit of knitting time too.

Saturdays Are Still Saturdays

 Sometimes on Saturdays, despite being retired, I need to start the morning with some sunshine, a hot cup of coffee and some knitting.  I am knitting on my Together Apart Shawl this morning...

And since we put up this Hummingbird Feeder last week, I have found myself watching it more and more.  Who would have thought something so simple would be bring so much pleasure.  It doesn't matter the time of day, we have one who continuously comes back.

Hope you are enjoying your days of Summer as much as I am!

Finally Finished Friday

 I did a little quick knitting projects this week, and now my elbow is paying for it.  It would seem it doesn't like so much knitting on size 9 needles and dishcloth cotton. 😩. 

These two are for one of the ladies I used to work with, I knit both as a little thank you gift for something she did for me.

I had partial skeins of both the blue and yellow, so I knit all the increases in the yellow, and then knit all the decreases to the end in the blue.

This one is for the Comforting Crafts KAL that I am co-sponsoring.  The rest of my dishcloths will be, when I can knit with the yarn again, for this charity.

Also, finished this week, is the Anker's Summer Shirt by Petite Knit.  I knit it out of the yarn called for in the pattern, which was so much fun to not have to sub a yarn.  I leave you this week with all the fun pictures of me in the garment.  Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Tip - Markers

When I am knitting a triangular shawl which requires increases on the right side only, I place a red marker at the start of the right side row to mark where the first increase is to be.  This lets me know right away as I start the row, that I have to stop and think about what needs to be done at the very start.

The rest of the markers are the same colors so I know where the increases are supposed to be done.  These markers are never red, so they also let me know on the wrong side of the shawl that it is just plain knitting with no increases.

I also place a locking stitch marker on the right side of the shawl as I am knitting it, so by looking down at my knitting, I always know when I am on the right side, especially in the case of this Hospice Shawl I am designing  which has some garter stitch in it.

Have a great Tuesday, enjoy this August sunny day!

The Sleeves Have It

The more I knit on my Anker's Summer Shirt the more I love it.  Even if I am at the sleeves.

There is still a lot of Summer left, so I am planning wearing this a lot yet!

 

This will be ready for Finally Finished Friday!

Scrappy Sunday

 So far I am at least doing one square each Sunday on my mitered square blanket.  First up, each of my leftover yarns go into the mitered square blanket.

Then it goes into a bin for my crochet blanket that sits down by the washing machine, and gets just a few stitches in it as I wait for the washer to fill or finish up.  There are a lot of stitches in this one, so it takes a bit to get across each row.

Then, if it is in the Caribbean Blue family of yarns, it goes into my bag that at a future cast on will be another blanket just for me.  The pattern is yet to be decided.

If it doesn't fall into the blue category, then it is going into this vase to be used or donated some day down the road.

The hardest part, as one might expect, is what yarn to use next. 🧶😁

Come Laugh With Us

Episode 45 is up on You Tube and you can find it

here

There is so much fun and enabling in this episode!

What's You Doin Wednesday?

 I've cleaned up the podcast porch in anticipation of Debbie coming down and us doing a little podcasting tomorrow.

And because I'm a tad bit behind on my hour a day Kimono Shawl for Hospice, I am going to spend the rest of the day knitting on it to catch up a bit on it.

But first, I told myself, I had to spend an hour knitting on Together Apart, since we are almost five weeks away from the end of Summer.  What? How did five weeks from the end of Summer happen?

Have I mentioned lately that I am really liking this waxed canvas bag?  I really didn't ever think I would like waxed canvas, and I am admitting here, I was totally wrong.

But, then again, it was just 24 years ago at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp, that I declared I would never knit shawls...Grin!

Mid August Questions?

First question, is anyone out there?  My reader stats appear to be somewhere around 5-9 readers.  Is that so?  And if that is a yes, should I really continue writing a blog?  Are you getting anything out of this blog or is it just my online diary for my future reference? 

Like my podcast, I really started blogging because I thought it would be fun to do, a way of documenting my knitting and other fun things along the way.  A place to put pictures and look back and see what was happening when.  Back in the beginning of my blog,  a lot of knitters were blogging and I really enjoyed reading and seeing what other knitters were up to.  Then You Tube came along with podcasts and Instagram, and it would appear that blogs may be dying off.

Let me know in the comments below, your thoughts, I would really like to know.

Mail Call Monday!

From Briar Rose, soon to be a shawl!

I am totally into this blue thing to go with the blue jean life.

I cannot believe I bought this cone of the finest weight yarn ever.  It may take me a few years to knit it, but a lacey weight Shetland Shawl, I am gonna have, some day!!

Finally Finished Friday

A dishcloth for Comforting Crafts.  Britni is collecting these for El Salvador and is hoping to have 500 to send by the end of this year.  The pjknits group over in Ravelry is co-hosting this with several other podcast groups, and the info can be found there if you want to join in.

 My Soundtrack is going to be a great sweater come this Fall and Winter!

I knit mine out of Alpaca from Webs that I bought years ago at Stitches Midwest.

The slip stitch yoke was so much fun to knit and I think the whole sweater, in my opinion, is so flattering to wear.

 The KAL originally was meant to be done over a 4 day period, but Marie has since extended it to an entire month, which was nice as I needed the whole month.

A bit of blocking and this one will be ready to go!