Back to Ribbing

After all the ribbing I knit for my Red Rover shrug, you wouldn't think I would be so pleased to be ribbing again.
But I am.  The lower part of the back is done and I am an inch into the ribbing that goes around the entire waist.  My goal is to finish the ribbing today, and then the back in a couple days.
And it isn't even New Year's yet!

Fresh Starts

You know, it was my idea to make 2013 the Year of Sweaters.  And I can set the rules any way I like.
So...while I do have some projects I can pick up and work on for a couple days, who is going to stop me if I want to start my first sweater a couple of days early.  As I often say, there are no knitting police.
So I am swatching again tonight, while watching Irene Dunne in "Love Affair," but tomorrow I cast on.
Sweater number one: the Green Romney Rib Waist Cardigan begins.

Don't Mess With the Words.

I've been pondering, since Christmas Eve.   At our church we have a service of carols before the regular Christmas service.  A half hour of caroling.  I loved it.  Even if I did almost lose my voice before the regular service. 

But I have to say.....I really hate it when the hymnal tries to muck around with the verses and make them politically correct. 
It is not "Good Christian Folk rejoice", it is "Good Christian Men rejoice".  And God rest ye, merry Gentlemen. 
From my time playing guitar and singing I memorized all the real words.  And I get off track when the words are all messed up and made politically correct. 
The Book of Common Prayer does the same thing with the Lord's Prayer.  There is the "real" version and the modern one and we are supposed to alternate each week or so. 
I have to confess, on the week for the modern one, I mumble the real one.  Same with the songs.  I sing the real traditional words, at half volumne.
Don't mess around with traditional lyrics and prayers.
There, I've had my say.

Christmas Mittens

After a quiet Christmas dinner at home with most of the family I finished my lined Black Boku Mittens.  (Oldest Son always works the holidays.  The cattle must be cared for.) The mittens should have been done long ago, but I was finishing reading The Lord of the Rings.  I had started reading it many times, but this time was able to finish, thanks to my Nook. 
I find I read more, as well as more classics, when reading on my Nook. 
And now that mittens and book are done, I am reading something lighter, and preparing for my Year of Sweaters.
I washed and dried the green Romney handspun.  And the skeins are all wound and waiting. 
I think I will take the little leftover skein and start to swatch.  And work on a few WIPS too.

Preparations

I have picked out the first sweater pattern for 2013. It is Rib Waist Cardigan, by Rita Moreno and it is in the book Curvy Knits 2.  (edited--designer is JILLIAN Moreno, not Rita.  :-b.) I have been admiring the pattern for some time.
So with the pattern in hand, I surveyed the stash. And the winner is green handspun Romney. Home-grown and dyed by my friend Sue Ann (AKA the Sassy Red Ewe) and spun by me.
So today, the wool took a dip and after soaking, was hung to dry in the drying rack in the tub.  I haven't dried this much yarn at one time before.  But it should done in plenty to time to wind before New Year's Eve.
And maybe even swatch!

Knittin' Mittens

After finishing my shrug, I have been busy knitting my new mittens. 
Black and gray Boku (a wool silk blend), gray Kid Melange (a fine mohair), and lined with some Socrates (white alpaca/merino/bamboo/nylon blend).  Nice and toasty.
Below is a picture of one mitten with no lining yet, and one inside out with the lining in progress.
So for now, back to "White Christmas", with Bing and Danny and Rosemary, and the mittens.

A Finished Shrug

I really need to update the sidebar here to show my finished projects.  Because not only is Jac's jacket done, so is the Red Rover Shrug!
As you can see in the pictures below, I decided to go with a closure of a couple crocheted chains.  I always knew with "the girls" that I would need help keeping the shrug some what closed.
As I work on my lined mittens I am mulling the sweater choices.  I have two handspun yarns, and two patterns that I am trying to decide between.
In the meantime I have finished one mitten shell, and will finish the second before starting the linings.
But more on that next time.

What's New?

Well, I finished the Red Rover shrug yesterday.  Seams sewed and everything.  So of course I cast on something new. 
Mittens!  I have been wanting new ones for my black coat.  The yarn below is the black/gray Boku is the main yarn, the gray mohair is knit along with the Boku above the cuff.  And and I have white alpaca sock yarn, Socrates that will be the lining.
These will be nice comfy mittens.

A 2013 Knitting Plan--Sweaters?

While I frequently wear my shawls, I came to the conclusion that perhaps next year, I should concentrate on making sweaters. I can get my shawl and sock fix by finishing some of my Works In Progress. But I can always use more sweaters.

And it isn't as though I haven't knit a few sweaters before.

 

I've knit vests and baby sweaters. And since I can whip them out in two weeks, that still would allow for random baby presents.

I can do that. And mostly out of stash yarn, and at least a couple out of handspun!

Assuming the Mayan calendar doesn't get us before then.

Here's hoping!

 

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A Final Look

A few buttons to sew on and I will be ready to pass along Little Guy's Baby Surprise Jacket.
After sorting through the button box, I ended up needing to buy some buttons.  I had some wonderful yellow ceramic buttons but not enough.  So I found these sunny buttons.
Then on to the next project.

Best Friends, Sorta

Lizzie and Leonardo are beginning to become great playmates. They run and chase and even sleep next to each other. Lizzie hasn't had so much exercise since I adopted her.

The biggest problem is bed time. Lizzie doesn't like to have Leo attacking her tail. And of course Leo thinks Lizzie's tail is a big fluffy cat toy.

Yup, they like to play, but bed time is hard.

Hiy yah!

Let the games begin.

 

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Remember the Resoleable Socks?

Way back last January I started these socks for Hubby to use while snowplowing.  With the utter lack of snow, and with lots of other knitting, they were put on the back burner.  I picked them up occasionally but they were slow going, through no fault of their own. 
Yesterday however, I had a couple hours to kill before picking up Younger Son from work.  So since these were entirely out of yarn purchased at the yarn shop in that town, I took them along and waited and knit at the yarn shop.
(I may have purchased something too, but I'm not confessing to anything.)
In the evening I finished the first sock.
Let's hope the second doesn't take another 11 months.

Harvest Time

A few days ago, Oldest Son harvested his corn. He had planted corn on one of our small back fields. What a year to try to grow corn, with the drought and all.

Lucky for him, that field is one of our wettest fields.

While I didn't get to ride along, I did manage to get some pictures before it was too dark. And the deer did leave him with enough to sell.

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A Weather Rant

Tis the season, so they say to be jolly. But I have problems with the weather we have been having.

all I want is seasonable weather. I mean after all it is December!

I mean what is it with all of these people who hate the cold and snow? And frequently they are the ones bemoaning global warming. Don't they realize I want seasonable weather? They are practically begging for global warming when the temps warm up.

I on the other hand prefer the seasonable late falls we once had. When almost every day of deer huntIng season had snow on the ground. When you could make snowmen all winter and go sledding whenever you felt the urge.

So,all you crazy lovers of global warming, remember that you are killing the planet while I support cooling the planet.

So there!

 

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Off the Needles

Those on FaceBook may have seen these pictures of the semi-finished Baby Surprise Jacket for Torri's Little Guy. 
The first is the sweater fresh off the needles.  That strange shape that is hard to imagine as a sweater.
Next to that is the same sweater, but folded into shape.  Just two little seams, weave in beds and add buttons.
Easy peasy.