Another Day Another Finished Project

I couldn't resist this project. A knit watchband that I found on knitty.com.
Comfy and quick, I may rescue some bandless watches I have stashed away.

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Current Projects

Knitting is as always ongoing.  I need to find time to warp one or both of my looms--I have ideas for both, but I still have a couple projects on the needles.
Well, to be honest, I have a vast unknown number of projects on needles, but these are the current ones.

 This is my National Knit A Sweater Month vest.  It was 13 inches when this picture was taken Friday, but with only a few days left, not sure if it will make it.  However, it is only a vest, so no sleeves.  We will see what happens, but I am not holding my breath on this one.

This is the yarn for the basket weave scarf I am making for my boss.  The true color is about half way between this and the picture I posted last week.  The color is maple Praline, and the project is due December 18.  Once I see if I make the November deadline on the sweater, I will start working more steadily on this one.
And of course there are still socks, a couple shawls, and at least one other sweater, all in progress that I can think of right off the top of my head, without even trying.

Finally Some Knitting Picks

I mentioned earlier in the week. that my Pi Are Square Shawl was drying on the bed. I have a foldup board for cutting out patterns, and more often for wrapping presents. 
My plans were good anyway.  I spread out the board and lay my blocking mats on top of it.  These are some hopscotch squares that were on clearance for must less than the blocking squares usually cost.  I just put them picture side down and lock them together.  They work great for pinning into.

 I even added a couple extra squares on one side to hold the curved end. .

I ran a stiff blocking whire through the points on each of the straight ends and pinned those down in a couple places.  then I swiveled it around and took a couple of the flexible wires to the curved end and ran though the points again and pinned the wires.  It helped make the curves nice and even on either side.

 You can barely see the wire here.  I think my camera batteries are  low because the pictures are all a little bright.  Anyway I left the shawl all spread out on Tuesday with the fan on to speed drying.  Unfortunately, Hubby couldn't see the reason for the fan, so he turned it off.

 Gertrude has been wearing in the unheated wool room while it finishes drying.  I can't wait to wear it.

 I think it did grow quite a bit in the blocking process.  I had thought it would be rather short, but now am quite pleased with the size of it.

No Shopping Here

At least not in the stores.  I made one online purchase, and that will compromise most of my Christmas shopping.  On the extremely outside chance one of my sons may happen upon this blog, I will only say that the purchase was made here,  my favorite place for farm son shopping.
I had planned on venturing into the local Wal-Mart, to pick up some diet coke and a prescription as much as anything, but after I took Hubby to town to pickup truck with the new DOT sticker, the truck wasn't ready so he needed a ride home.
I will attempt again tomorrow.  Problem is, by then all the people who went shopping in GR and Muskegon, will be shopping here. 
Drats.

Bad Picture, Warm Gift

A very bad picture if I do say so. Dark brown Lanaloft wool, colorway Maple Praline obviously does not show up well in a cell phone camera.
But, hey I had to post something while my Pi Are Square shawl continues to dry. Hubby turned off the fan yesterday, so now it is draped around Gertrude to hopefully finish drying. I hope to post more pictures of that this weekend.
The gift pictured above is a wool scarf for my boss that I have been blatantly been knitting in front of him. A combo birthday/Christmas present. And maybe a warm hat, if I have enough yarn. And I should.

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More Knit Stuff

I just wanted to show a picture to pique some interest.

This blob of knitting, just lying there in a heap, is the Pi Are Square shawl.  It is off the needles, and ready to have ends woven in, and then a dunk in the wash tub, and some severe blocking. 

Since I call it done if it is off the needles, I can call it done.  The second Finished Object in two days. How is that for progress.

And now, on to some shaded brown Lana Loft and a scarf for the boss.

Deer Hunter's Widow's Revenge Day

Saturday was the Deer Hunter's Widows Revenge day at the Old Farm Girl.  Lots of food.  Lots of fun.  Lots of Knitting.

I presented Evelyn with the completed Moebius. I couldn't resist giving it to her. It is definitely her color.  This one begs to be wrapped as a scarf, and since I have nearly no neck, it looks much better on her.  Fun to knit.  I will soon be starting Shrieks in the Night Moebius, in a non-curling stitch.  It is a very fun knit.

As I mentioned, lots of knitting was going on.  I got there with only one underarm to graft on Evelyns Wallaby.  She was delighted to see that ready for her as well.  I also managed to get a good deal of the border on my Pi Are Square Shawl done.

In the meantime, I practiced tabletop stealth pictures.  I got pretty good at it.

We also had games and prices.  Knitting and crocheting blindfolded, one handed and wearing gloves.  Luckily I didn't get pictures of us in our "blindfolds."   Lacking enough scarves, we tucked a brown jersey glove behind our glasses and knit away blindly.

We laughed, we knit, we ate, we laughed some more.  A GREAT time was had by all who came. 

Did I mention we ate?  Best chocolate cookies ever!!

Why Farmmoms Get Gray

Well, I don't know about all farmmoms, but this farmmom finds the strangest things in her kitchen.
In the past I have come home to Oldest Son waxing giant stack-type exhaust pipes in the kitchen. When we were raising pigs, many little piggies found their way into the kitchen to dry off,and warm up. Even one calf sought refuge in front of the kitchen register.
Last night after Knit Nite, I came home to find that Hubby had bits and pieces of chainsaw scattered around the kitchen. Chunks of oily sawdust accompanied the various parts.
And tonight a repeat performance, enhanced with the aroma of WD30
Don't you wish you had my life?
Sigh.

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Oops, Here is The Picture

The picture of my vest in progress didn't post with the previous entry. So here it is, just to prove I am making so progress on it.

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November Sweater

My sweater for National Knit a Sweater Month is progressing nicely. Maybe still a bit ambitious, even if it is only a vest.
But I am also on the hood of the Wallaby, and am working on a shawl and two different pairs of socks. Even if I do finish the wallaby this week...., yeah, maybe a little optimistic.

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The End is Near

No, I'm not referring to the End Times mentioned in Sunday's sermon. The wallaby is almost ready for the neck ribbing, and then the hood.
Is that cheering I hear coming from White Cloud?

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Farm Guys Get 'Er Done

I got a phone call yesterday from Oldest Son.  "You home?"  "Yeah."  "Well, get outside if you want to see my new ride."
The last time I got a call like this was when he came zipping by with the super-big tractor, with tracks instead of wheels.  I could hardly wait to see what he was driving this time.

Keep in mind that most of the farm trucks he drives look like they are held together with duct tape and baler twine.  Like they would crumple if you leaned against them wrong.  Imagine my surpise to see him drive by, honking his air horn, in this beast. 
Yeah, I know the branches got in the way of the cab, but I was lucky to get it this well.  He was trucking right along, and not slowing for pictures.  I had to push the button as he entered the edge of the screen and managed to get the whole truck.  Tandem trailers, shiny tractor cab, and 11 wheels visible on this side, and probably some were duals.  That's bigger than an 18 wheeler--I guess.  I don't know much about trucks, but I knew that this far exceeded his boss's normal farm truck.
I called him back later, to report the picture turned out, he said this belonged to another farm they work picking corn at.  So he was enjoying it while he could.

This morning, on the way to church, I noticed that the farm shop had every truck they own, and then some, including the above truck and another equally nice, loaded with picked corn.  Unfortunately tomorrow they will all probably be sitting in line at the Co-Op, waiting to be weighed and dumped.
There goes opening day of deer hunting.  Maybe.

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Short Armed Preview

Here is the latest shot of the Pi Are Square shawl. My short arms make a self portrait difficult, to say the least.
The edging is going well. I like working on it on chilly days. I can either fling one end over my shoulder, or stretch over my toes. Very soft, and very warm.
It doesn't hang down very long, so once it is entirely finished I think I will block it with a vengeance.
I can hardly wait.

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Thank You Veterans

Gilbert and I want to say thank-you to all those who risked their lifestyle for our country. This means so much now when there is no draft and everyone signs up knowing they will be in harms way sooner or later.
Thanks for liberty.
Thanks for being a vet.

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Busy Random Weekend

You may have seen here that Saturday was a busy day, even before the "Stupid Time Change".  (I believe I have mentioned here before my deep feelings about Daylight Savings Time, probably most recently at the last time change.) (Even now the sun isn't yet overhead till well after noon!) (Enough ranting on stupid time change already.)
Anyway, Hubby had plans for a family dinner with his brother and wife, since we have been having problems getting together.  So I had to miss the baptism at church this past week, but still, lots of knitting was done.
I will need to get some pictures get pictures, but Mr Scream Jeans moebius is off the needles.  I also got about 3 or 4 inches on the sweater month vest during Saturday's road trip.  I am also nearing the final turn on the saw tooth edge bind off on my Pi Are Square shawl. 
I also have about 3 bobbins ready to be plied of my Red Rover chunky so I can make the TappenZee short sleeved cardigan. 
We have another batch of barn kitties who moved into the garage, to be closer to food dish.  Last year, we only had one or two who survived till fall.  This year at least nine.  Maybe some will last till spring.  One, a little tom that was Sandy brought from her brothers will add some well needed new blood if he survives.  And I haven't seen any mice anywhere!
And now, into the new week.

Sandy and Linda's Excellent Adventure

Not so bright and early we took off for Rockford. Found some Yarn Hallow sock yarn there. Then we hit up a bead store. I want a Pandora bracelet. But I just got son starter beads, and some fake leather for Sandy's husbamd to turn into a Pandora wannabe
After lunch of calamari and chicken park, we went to Rivertown Crossings mall. Do not like their HARD floors. We didn't stay long there, but we still managed to get in a lot of shopping elsewhere.
All in all, a fun day.

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National Knit a Sweater Month

I mentioned in passing earlier this past week that November is National Knit a Sweater Month.  So what could I do?  I had to cast on.

The yarn is James C Bretts Marble Chunky.  A cheerful color that should go with lots.  It is acrylic, and was in the stash for a few months.  The pattern is one I got this summer at a fiber festival called The Neighbor Hoodie.  It is a hooded vest and I can't wait to get it done.
Should be a great winter/cool weather item.  And, I know, since I made a cardigan a couple years ago out of this in DK weight, this washes in the machine just wonderfully.
And besides, a vest, in chunky weight, isn't adding that much to my WIPs pile. 
Is it?

We Had Snow!!

No, not much, but enough to whet my taste.

Even Gilbert the Farm Dog was enjoying getting his feet cold in the snow

Not much in the wheelbarrow either, but enough that you can see the flakes, and watch it coming down.  Woo Hoo.

What A Difference a Week Makes

While my Droid phone does allow me to make more frequent posts, they usually lack for pictures.  And sometimes punctuation.  (Darn those fat fingers anyway.) 
So while I may be posting more often, to appease my public, I may still have to make a longer, or a few catchup posts, with pictures. 
Case in point.  Last week I was poised to start my Shrieks in the Night mobius at Evelyn's class.

Isn't this yarn great?  Black, but not quite black.  And instead of using the colorway name of Silver Streaks at Night, my shawl would be Shrieks in the Night.  It was, after all, nearly Halloween.

We managed with great hilarity to figure out the cast on, which is the secret of a seamless Moebius.  Let me tell you, that first row was a stinker.

We all felt a sense of relief when the first row was finished.

As you can see,  I went with a different color.  This is some yarn that Evelyn had dyed in shades of green.  I did the mobius Cat Bordhi calls the Easiest of All Mobius, or the Bipolar Mobius.  Because of the way the shawl is constructed, from the center out, if you knit stockinette all the way, you will end up with the top half being the knit side and the bottom half with the purl side showing.  (Get it?  Bipolar.)  I decided to christen this shawl Mr Scream Jeans.  I had to stick with the theme after all

I decided to bind off with I-cord, even though a tried to figure out a leaf lace pattern to apply around the edge.  Unfortunately the pattern I found I couldn't get to work.  Maybe once I am better at this I can try casting off backwords and it will work.  I found the I- cord did seem to work better with a larger needle.  I had to jump from 9 to 11, since my 10 1/2s were otherwise occupied.

But that is another story.

Moment of Panic

Last night, while watching election returns, I got a lot of knitting done.
I started the decreases for the raglan Wallaby sleeves. I worked on my Mr Scream Jeans moebius.
After a while, I decided to count my stitches, to help me decide on a bindoff border.
I counted right after an eyelet round, figuring it would be easier to count holes than stitches--213. Total stitch count--426. Holy crap! At 4 stitches per inch, that would be over 8 feet around.
That went into time out. I fussed all night and this morning. I couldn't believe I messed up that badly!
The book said I had the correct cast on number for the size I wanted.
Then it came to me. Total stitch count goes around me twice.
Suddenly, all was right with the world.

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As Though I Need More Projects

One of the downsides of seeing so many blogs is that I occasionally fall victim to a new "Must Knit" idea. And now I've caught a beaut.
Did you know November is NaKniSweMo?.  I think that is the proper abbreviation.  It stands for National Knit a Sweater Month.
So among my other projects, I just had to cast on.
I compromised though.  I only started a vest!

Just a Tease

Not a great picture, but something my friend Evelyn has been waiting for.
That, my friend, is a picture of two nearly identical sleeves. Sleeves that are now attached to a sweater body.

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Well That Was Quick

Voting, I mean. The parking lot was full. But everything moved quickly. Now I'm 45 minutes early for work.
So-- editorial moment--VOTE! Vote early, vote later, just don't do as I heard Michelle O say. Don't "vote more than once."

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Knitting Frenzy

Much knitting has been done, and is being done. I didn't start Shrieks in the Night yet, but soon will.
I am doing the prototype in hand-dyed green mystery yarn. It is sort of a Kelly green, with bluish highlites. Again, in honor of the recent holiday, I am calling it "Mr Scream Jeans"
I plan on casting on Shrieks tonight. Another item I have been working on is my Pi Are Square shawl. I have over half the stitches cast off, using the i-corded sawtooth edge. It is very warm and snuggly.
I am posting this from a Blogger app I recently downloaded to my Droid phone. Please any future and current funky words and spelling to my fat fingers.

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