End of another year....

I can't believe it's the end of another year!  This keeps happening, doesn't it?  Christmas has come and gone, and with it a couple more finishes -- for one of which no picture exists at the moment.  But anyway, I will show my first, big project.  It's this.

It's Marie Wallin's Fair Isle Club 5 blanket, the Moroccan Tiles Throw.  I'm using the kit for the throw, and I do love the colors.  For the first time, I'm knitting color work flat!  I followed Marie Wallin's advice and am working the purl side using her simpler drop and pick up method, as opposed to trying to do it two handed as I usually do color work.  I found in the past that if I try to do two handed color work on the purl side, for some reason my tension is ridiculously loose and just doesn't work out.  So Marie Wallin's method it is!  I'm enjoying the knit, although I have to be aware of my tension and keep on the alert.

Next, my finished hat -- at least one of them.  I finished the Mill Hill Toque by the same designer, but have not taken a pic on the owner's head yet (DH's).  But here is the Botanical Beach hat, on DH's head even though it now resides on DS's head and in DS's home.

I managed not to get a picture of the recipient in the hat before he left.  Sigh.

I also knitted the Nice and Knit Beanie, using a skein of their yarn.  I enjoyed the mindless knit very much.

I need to find a nice, fluffy pompom for it, or make one -- if I can find my pompom maker.

Christmas was very nice, if way too short.  Mia, of course, disapproved, taking up her usual spot on the back of the rocking chair.

But we opened presents around her, and we also managed to make our annual dumplings the day before.

I think DS has officially taken over the kneading of the dough for the skins, and the rolling out of the skins as well.  He loves doing it, and I love the luxury of not doing it.  lol!

The fun part is that DD has again taken up knitting!  She finished a bulky hat from a kit.

And over Thanksgiving, she picked up the scarf that she had started a few Christmases ago.  I'm happy she is trying knitting again. 

And now it's New Year's Eve, which is hard to believe.  Here's to a very happy, very healthy, and very prosperous New Year for us all.  Thanks to everyone who still follows my blog.  :D

A finish that could be a non-finish

Just popping in before the excitement of Thanksgiving for my finish, which might actually be a disaster.  It's the Greis Dress by Kate Davies.

It's a beautiful design.  But user error has interfered with this finish.  I believe the yoke is just too big for the dress.  No matter whether or not I swatch before starting a knit, my gauge on the actual garment is never the same.  The gauge on the yoke is, I think, just too big.  Once the garment is dry (it's currently drying from the blocking), I will see how it fits.  But I have a feeling this one will either be filed away in the closet of shame, or perhaps eventually I will have to reknit the yoke.  Not sure I'm up for that anytime soon.

ETA:  Well, I tried it on, still a bit damp.  It's big, but it's not an unmitigated disaster.  I think it will do.  I hope.

And now a picture to show you the realness behind the diva Mia.  lol!  Mia is one of those cats who has a human, and loves that human, and hisses at the rest of the world.  Yes, she's that cat.  I'm her human.  I'm the one she looks to for food, comfort, cuddles, etc.  DH has always been hissed at, and both kids are now in the hissed at category as well (they left her behind, so they are in her bad books).  DH managed to get a picture of her hissing at him the other day.  Just thought I'd show it off.  Mia looks sweet, but she's a terror in reality.  lol!  Oh, and if you're a stranger to Mia?  Watch out!

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US who celebrate.

October post

Once again it's time for me to say -- where did the month go?  For that matter, where did the year go?  Really?  Almost time for T and C?  Ah well.  Here's what I have to show for the month.

I finished two pairs of socks this month -- I was participating in the Falling Leaves Sock KAL hosted by Earthtones Girl Denise of the Earthtones Girl Podcast.  The first pair is the Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder.  And yes, in case you were wondering, the Hermione referenced is from Harry Potter.   :D  I used Woolly Mammoth Fibre Co Natural Sock in the All Treats No Tricks color way.

I also finished the Goat's Eye Socks by Tracy Millar of the Grocery Girls Podcast.  I used Mondim Yarn, which I love.  Underneath my gold Goat's Eye socks, you can see all the socks I've knitted so far in my knitting life.  It seems like when I travel is when I get the sock knitting yen.

After the sock knitting, I was finally ready to swatch for another color work project.  And I cast on for the Greis Dress by Kate Davies.  I'm using Kate's Millarochy Tweed in the colors called for.  At the bottom is corrugated rib.  It's not my favorite thing to knit, but I do love how it looks.  Sort of like how I feel about over one cross stitch.  lol!

It's going to take forever to get to the color work yoke at the top.  Sigh.

In my last post, I didn't mention that the father type and I were staying for the week in NYC (the end of September and the beginning of October).  We had a grand time.  Probably one of the high lights was seeing Hamilton on Broadway.  What a show!

Here are a few other pictures.  (The bookstore is the new McNally Jackson, down in the Seaport District.  What a gorgeous store!)

Needless to say, Mia was not happy until we were home again.  Then we got our usual scolding.  And then she stuck to me like velcro for a few days.

(Anyone else impatient for the final book in the Book of Dust trilogy?)

Hard to believe that the next time I post will be after that T word happens!

Another finish

It's finished!  It's the Snowdrift Shawl by Emily Foden using a kit of her lovely Viola Yarns plus some Shibui mohair for the borders.  I love it!  I still need to block it but for now I'll just cuddle it.

Had a busy weekend.  On Saturday, I went on a mini NYC Yarn Crawl -- only managed three out of 12 stores.  But seriously, I'm so bad at walking out of a store without buying something.  And I did enough damage at 3 stores!  lol!

We also managed to go to a broadcast of Live From Here at Town Hall.  It's no secret that I love Chris Thile!

And on Sunday, we went to see a matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway at the Schubert Theater.

It was so good, and so relevant to today's world.  I have to say it did justice to the book, although of course you should read the book!!

The Sunday before this past Sunday, we went on a dinner cruise on the Hudson and got to see this view.  It was to celebrate my sweet father type's 60th birthday.  (Which I managed not to post about on this blog.  Whoops!)  Happy belated birthday to my sweetie!

Mia was not thrilled by all the activity.  :D 

Have a great week!

Autumn is coming!!

Here it's the day before September -- how did that happen?!  Seriously, getting old makes time fly even faster.  Anyway, I wanted to check in quickly with a progress picture of my current project, the Yell Cardigan by Marie Wallin.

One sleeve is finished to the ribbing, and the other is almost to the same point.  Being short and short armed, I had to shorten the sleeves.  I'm waiting to do the ribbing till I cut open the front steek and am able to try the cardigan on.  Fingers crossed, the sleeves will be a good length and my calculations were on target!  The picture shows the back of the cardigan.

I'm currently enjoying the US Open (tennis!) and also enjoying the overall cooler weather.  Hoping that Hurricane Dorian blows out to sea!

Happy birthday!

I'm getting worse at wishing my sweet baby happy birthday on this blog.  But I will try.  Have you seen how she still has the same sparkle in her eye that she did as a toddler?

(Thank you, A, for the picture!)

My sweet girl has always had amazing poise and charisma from the time she was born.  And yes, she is smart, talented, thoughtful, courageous,  -- and yes, a wonderful daughter.  We are so proud of her.

Happy birthday to our sweet girl.  I hope your day is extra special!  Love you.  <3 p="">

Wait a second.....

That was my reaction when I checked my last blog post.  Really?  I haven't posted pics of my socks or Navelli as finished items?  Wow.  OK. 

But first, let me show you my progress on my current WIP, the Yell Cardigan by Marie Wallin.  I do love Marie Wallin's designs.

OK, now let me show you the Navelli tee by Boyland Knitworks, on the lovely recipient, my sweet daughter.

(Please ignore that person in the background of one of the pictures.....)

DD loves the sweater, I think.  I hope she gets lots of use out of it!

And here are my finished Simple Sock 1 socks by Melody Hoffman.

I can't wait till the time when it's cool enough to wear them!

I'm trying to think of what's been going on around here.  I guess the biggest thing is a bad attack of vertigo -- complete with throwing up.  Sigh.  Believe it or not, I'm still not feeling absolutely back to normal, and it's been over two weeks since the attack.  But my doctor reassured me that the after effects can take a while to go away.  Figures.  Thankfully, I'm mostly feeling better.  I won't complain!  I just hope I never get another vertigo attack again.

Mia thinks it's too hot.  I hope it's cooler where you are.

The days are flying by....

And as usual, I can't believe it's almost July!  How did that happen?

First, I guess I finished Bressay in June.  So here's a finished picture.

Once I finished Bressay, I moved on to a couple of other projects.  First, I started some socks, because we went on vacation to Maine (of which more later).  I'm still knitting the first sock, but here is as far as I got.

This is the Simple Sock 1 from the Simple Sock Collective by Melody Hoffman.  I'm using the called for yarn, which includes a strand of mohair -- love the fuzziness!

Then once we were home again, I started a Navelli by Boyland Knitworks for my sweet girl child.  She picked out the yarn colors herself from Purl Soho when I went down to the city for a day out with her.  (Note the difference between the color work section and the top section.  I blocked the color work section, so it looks much more smooth and plump and finished!)

I'm actually a bit farther along than this picture shows now.  I can't wait to finish it and give it to her!  I'm using Brooklyn Tweed Peerie.  The pattern calls for a super wash yarn, which Peerie isn't.  So I'm having to make small adjustments to the pattern as a result.

As mentioned above, we went to Maine on vacation in the beginning of June -- much earlier than our usual time.  We went up with my sister and her family, plus my father and stepmother.  The father type brought to our attention that it was the 20th anniversary of our first vacation up in Maine.  That first time we were just with my sister's family.  All the kids were tiny then!  Sadly, the pictures from that trip aren't accessible, but I do have pictures from this trip.

And yes, the last couple of pictures show I did manage to get to a couple of yarn stores as well.  I didn't get a picture of Clementine in Rockland, Maine, but I went there and also to the Cashmere Goat in Camden, Maine.  Both lovely shops!

And here are some gratuitous Mia photos.

And just one more thing:  WIMBLEDON!!!!!  Yay!  :D