It's Here!

 Advent Day 1 PJKnits Style

The Advents:

Door County Coffee - Today's selection was Jingle Bell Java and I used a cup from the memory bank.  My Mom loved to shop for holiday treasures at a good price, and I was the recipient of quite a few of those treasures including coffee cups.  Now, isn't that just so appropriate with my love of coffee, how would she have known?

Imagined Landscapes Gnana's Visit, a Mystery Gnome - my first ever gnome 

Just blindly following on with this knit

With an appropriate stitch stopper which was part of the Timber Yarns Kit

Next up is the Woolens and Nosh mystery sock skein, which is the first time that I have ever used her yarn.  This Advent is different that the yarn is hidden in a bag, already wound, and when you get to the black thread it is time to stop for the next day.  Very interesting

I have one other Advent, a swap of 4 of us knitters.  There isn't anything to show in the way of progress today, I am still searching for the perfect project, not wanting to start another scrappy blanket, so for now each of the 20 grams per day will go into a baggy until I come across just the right project.

That's all for Day 1, catch you on the purl side!

Getting Advent Ready

 Holy Moly, Advent starts tomorrow!  I'm not ready with spare needles. 

But, I'm still not sure what two of my yarny advents are going to be. 

 I have a swap that I am leaning toward one of the Knit Vents 2023 from Helen Stewart, Trifle.  The Woolens and Nosh ( a first time Advent for me) has me stumped.  I'm leaning towards the Musselburgh Hat or another pair of socks?  I'm not sure I want to do another pair of socks, as I have been knitting a couple recently, but if I do the Musselburgh that will be three of them on the needles.

Such a dilemna!  The one Advent that I am absolutely certain is Gnana's Visit.  This will be my first Gnome that I have ever knit, and I am so looking forward to doing one.

And of course, there is the annual Door County Coffee Advent!  A pot a day!!

What Advents do you have for this year?

Sure Signs Fall Is Gone

The porch is so empty!

 I am going to miss my early mornings, afternoons, and evenings from my special spot on the porch.  It is always a bit sad when I have to put everything, because this space has brought me so many memories in the last 10 years.

But, in the meantime, I am curating a bit of a comfy space for early mornings until Spring comes back.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

Vested Interests

 Podcast Number 128 is up on You Tube with some of my Vest Want To Ideas!  You can watch by clicking

here

Knitting All The Things

 I just want to knit everything, and not what I should be.  Have you ever had this happen to you?  When this happens, I find that I have to just knit what I want to, otherwise, I'm not a happy knitter.

So, this IS what I am knitting right now~

I'm three weeks behind on this MKAL, technically it is no longer a Mystery KAL, but I still have good intentions to finish it by the end of the month. The pattern is by Chit Chat Knits, called Better Than Fiction.  I am knitting it out of Heritage Sock yarn in some nice Fall colors.

Also, knitting on a Test Knit for Beth Macdonald Stone, Get Out of the Pool Tee.  It is not due to come out until January 3rd, and really is a tee for next Summer, but I am having fun with this new to me yarn from my local yarn shop, The Fiber Universe.  Nice part of this knit is that it is all garter, down side, I have to sew it up.  Eventually.  But, it is a great knit for when I just want to knit.

I'm also doing what I am calling Fiber Fridays, working with fibers that I only knit with when I dream of Knitting Camp or traveling to Shetland, using wooly wools.  The first goal is to finish this up as it is a 2 year standing WIP (the Burra Cowl), but also getting back into the groove of knitting with other fibers that are not all squishy and soft.

And to get myself ready to tackle this one in the new year!!  

I'm super excited to start it in January, using a heavier Shetland yarn and actually doing a whole garment in colorwork, not just a yoke.

There are others on the needles that I have been playing around with, I'll share them at a later date.

Until then Knit Something Fun and always what you want!!

No, It's Really It's November

 I'm not complaining, but it has been so nice (read that as not cold) on the front porch, and this morning and  for a bit tonight, I actually could sit out for a bit, in between rain bouts.

Here are my views from the porch this morning.

The trees down the street are still gorgeous, reds and oranges.

My little rose bushes are still flowering, although, a little puny looking, it is still fun to see them in November.

A sure sign of Fall, the burning bushes are going red, even though there is still quite a bit of green in there.

I have no idea what kind of tree this one is across the street from me, but every Fall it gets these red berry like things on them.  So fun to watch for them every year.

Last week, I took the cushions off of my rockers and the rug off for the year.  I need help putting the rockers away in the shed, so I have been able to still sit out and knit occasionally when it is not so windy or super chilly.

And tonight, well, I couldn't pass up almost 70 degrees to do a bit of knitting with a cuppa.

I'm Not Given Up.

Finally Finished Friday - Bermy Edition

 Bermy Basic 18 by Beth Macdonald Stone that is!  

It is going to be the perfect kick around home/throw on and go sweater for this Winter.

With extra long and wide sleeves to cuddle up in.

I knit it in Rowan Felted Tweed from deep PYS, opting for a rolled hem neck to accommodate any type of top underneath!

I feel like this is going to be one I come back to again and again in the coming months!

I Did A Thing Or Two

 Check out episode 127 of the PJKnits podcast to find out what I did!  You can check it out by clicking

here

Who Needs Rhinebeck?

When you have yarny friends that will come to your area and spend the weekend knitting, laughing, eating, drinking, dyeing and just have the best time.

There was a charcuterie board to start the weekend off along with homemade truffles to die for!

I found a new Summer drink for the porch, the Bourbon Slush, yum!

On Friday, we went to Leading Men Fiber Arts for a dyeing afternoon.  

So much fun and I have such a new appreciation for dyers!  We went in threes and started with a sample skein,

We just chose three dyes and did a practice skein.

Then each of us, chose our colors for our skeins with the assistance of Andy.

After we were all done, we went to lunch and came back to our yarns ready to go home with for some more drying. 

Saturday brought knitting at our local yarn shop, The Fiber Universe, some went to lunch and a couple of us went back to the house to enjoy the beautiful Fall weather and colors and some knitting on the porch,

I popped my yarn out in the sun for a little bit more drying.

Saturday night, out for a delicious dinner at the Fish House and then back to the house for Bourbon Pecan Coffee and then good byes, but we are all in agreement that we will do it all again next year!  

So, who needs Rhinebeck, when you have Yarny Friends!

 

I've Been Wearing My Knits, Have You?

 Fall is definitely here, which means bringing out the knits and wearing them to knitting.

Sea Salt by Laura Ayler is first up, an unusual construction and one that kept my interest for sure.

One of my all time faves is Autumn League, a really fun sweater to wear and I get a lot of compliments on it.  They don't know how easy the pattern is and is just like your old sweatshirt to wear in the same yarn designed in.

The tree outside our LYS, The Fiber Universe is just dropped dead gorgeous every Fall and warrants a picture every year.

It's been too chilly to do early mornings on the porch the last couple of weeks, but, I could not resist heading out there this morning to catch these sunrise pictures.  And if you put the knits on, my Garter Marler Cardigan and my Half and Half Wrap over the legs, add a cuppa and it was nice to be back on the porch again.

And last, but not least, is today's pairing for heading out to knitting!  Probably one of the last times, I'll wear the sweater, Yume this year.  I paired it with the Fog Shawl to keep my arms warm in the shop.

Finally Finished Friday - Musselburgh Edition

 The Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague is now what was once my go to socks.  I just love knitting these hats for no particular reason, other than to use up PYS single skeins of finger weight yarn.  

Which means there are a couple on the needles now, after finishing this one.

The yarn is from Les Garcons and was one of a three month club I did from them back in Spring of 2023.  I decided to use some of the mini for the stripes.  Next time, I will start those stripes right after the increase is finished.  I am dubbing the above finished as Musselburgh #4.

#2 was once in my car, but I have brought it in to work on it while on the porch or just when I have a spare minute.

And Musselburgh #5 is now my new project in the front seat, for just in case knitting, and on the go.

I am having so much fun with these hats, that is after that pesky pin hole cast on at the beginning, which definitely tests my good nature. LOL!

The Wooly Wools

 The latest episode of PJKnits is up on You Tube and it is all about the wooly wools, and wooly knits I'd like to do next year.  You can watch it by clicking here

Do you want to knit a long with us next year?

Another Choice For Shawl Knitting in October

 And it starts today...

Darcy from Chit Chat Knits designed a Mystery Knit-A-Long that all of the proceeds of the pattern will go to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library that supplies a book a month to children from ages birth to five, at no charge.  My local library, Pekin Public Library just became an affiliate for the program, as well.

Besides knitting, I love to read, and am so pleased that my older two grandchildren love to read as well, so naturally, this Mystery Knit A Long was one I could totally get behind.

It only takes three skeins of fingering weight yarn, which I could pull from PYS to knit it!  There are six clues, coming out once a week.

And so, if you aren't knitting on that other Mystery Shawl that is going on, we would love to have you join us!

Another Windy Day

 Day 2 of Beautiful Fall Weather on the porch.  But, also, quite windy.  There is still a lot of green on the trees and of course, you all know, another hurricane coming to Florida that is going to be serious.  It is so sad, and we are thinking about our friends down there, and hoping it calms down before it gets to them.

For today, here in Central Illinois, we could not ask for a better day to spend some time on the porch with our knitting!

I've got so many knits in my brain that I want to do, just wish my hands would catch up.

Have a great end to the weekend!!