Return of the Blog?

I haven’t blogged for several months. Anyone miss me?  

Indeed it was early last fall.  It was beginning to be a chore rather than fun.  So I stopped.  

Recently however I have basically dropped off Facebook and wanted a way to chronicle my knitting and other life landmarks.  So I may be back sporadically but I am back.  I will just be posting here, with no more sharing on Facebook so it will be a bit more private.  And maybe a bit less politically correct.

Anyway, earlier this month, a life event happened.  Another grand baby was born, about six weeks early!   I almost missed the event, since it was only announced on Facebook. Although I was tagged, since I had not been Facebook much that day, I had to be informed of the event by a distant cousin in Canada!

Here is the little sweetie in a photo I took last Friday at age two weeks, one day.  Since she was in the NICU in the big city, I hadn’t gotten a chance to see her before then.  I was lost just riding in the passenger seat.  Not sure when she will be home.  No one tells me anything.

Since I was unable to see her in person for so long, much knitting ensued.

First was a week poncho that would work well for car seats.

Which of course was followed quickly by a matching Cupcake Hat.

Then was a sweater that still needs buttons but it turned out a bit large.

While I mulled that over and fretted about not being told anything, I banged these out.  Campfire Fingerless Mitts.

Very comfy.  I had barely started them when I got word of her birth.  

Very quick and comfy.  I finished the second in less than a day.  My only modification was the sideways garter stitch on the bottom, to match the top.  Now they won’t curl like another pair I have.

I may need another pair.

 But first perhaps another baby sweater.

It Couldn't Last

You probably knew I would need to cast on something again soon.

But after all...Christmas! Grandchildren! Knitting Grammy! Put it all together and, well, I have a new project on the needles. Which leads us to "Red Teddy."

I know it looks kind of funny there. But it is the head of a Magic Loop Teddy. I just started this afternoon, after finding a "new to me" cast on of a type used for casting on for toe up socks. It is built off of a long tail cast on and very easy.

I like easy.

I even resigned myself to using Red Heart. But at least this is soft and sturdy. The last I time I used Red Heart, I felt like I was knitting with plastic. This is nice though, since being a toy, I decided against wool for washability. It is knit in the round, all in one piece, except for the ears which are sewn on after finishing. The pattern includes a little vest. I will probably knit that in the remains of silver gray I used for the Scoreboard Cowl.

The head is done and I am ready to start the body.

It is more of a deeper wine color than it looks here. And the pattern is a free one through Ravelry if anyone wants to see it.

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Plugging Along, Plus Moon

Now that I have picked up the Baby Hap Shawl again, I am finally back in the groove of knowing the pattern and following the chart.

That little green stitch marker means I have reach the corner and have one side finished. Fourteen points of lace. Three more sides and then blocking, and then I can give this puppy away! I will try to at least finish a point or two every day.

It definitely is not brainless knitting. I will need to return to the Simple Brainless Sock or the Close To You Blues shawl (that is using my blue handspun) or the Ten Stitch Blankie when I need something easy for traveling or for Knit Nite. And there are still a couple socks that need concentration so I have not gotten to the place where I can cast on anything new.

Um, that is unless I decide to do some gift knitting. There is always that.

Oh, did you see the super duper moon?

We had a lot of wispy clouds here. They gave the moon an eerie looke, like something out of The Wolfman movie. (The one with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Junior.)

 

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Fast Start, Slow Finish?

I started the year so well with blogging regularly. But lately, not so well. Even my knitting has slowed. But I will try to get better. I hope.

Fall has returned, although half heartedly. I am not a fan of these above normal temps, even if it is now in the 50s and 60s. Heck, I wore sleeveless top and sandals to church this week! In November!

The leaves have been falling right along. Usually our yard would be thickly coated. However Hubby discovered last year that if he puts the bagger on the mower he can pick them up and dump them in the manure spreader. He then scatters them in the meadow we leave fallow. The pictures here are less than 24 hours since the last pickup. Our trees drop them one tree at a time, so he will be at it for a while yet.

And another sign of fall. See the dust in the left background?

Our neighbor was harvesting soybeans. They always raise up a cloud of brown dust. There is a red combine in that dust cloud.

And just because I haven't posted anything here about my Little Peanut, here is a shot from this past week, when I got to watch her for a while.

Just like her brother, she wants her hands on the phone.

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Keeping Busy

Between my Daughter in Law's maternity leave, followed by her new job, I won't be getting my weekly Grammy day with the kiddos. But this past week, with the return of the school year, I went to help wrangle the little grand kids, while my DIL managed her yard sale and mowed lawn between customers. At least to the eighth grader came home. (That's right. She has infant, toddler and teen. Pray for her.)

Tough job, but I managed.

When his momma was helping customers, guess who wanted to run the mower? Well, hey, it goes vroom vroom doesn't it?

And, I have done several inches on my Cactus Flower Gold Digger socks. I'm well past this picture taken last Tuesday. Can you see where I used the red reinforcing strand of mohair on the heel?

I am quite sure I will be knitting fewer rounds than called for before beginning the toe shaping.

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Cables After Dark, and Kids

Even with relative bright colors, it seems that once the natural light is gone, cabling difficulties multiply. Especially at 8 stitches per inch on size zero knitting needles.

After I needed to unknit a needle with cabling, I decided to wait until tomorrow to pick this sock back up.

At least it was the back, with smaller cables that needed to be tinkled. I guess I better work on these during the daytime and find other evening knitting.

My visit with the grand kids the other day of course needed a few pictures. Little Farmer was mugging for the camera, as usual.

"See Grammy? I have two ears!"

My Little Peanut showed off her long fingers. Knitting fingers? Maybe I better bring a pair of needles to put in her hands. (And look! Open eyes this time.)

Legend says that is how new knitters are created, by having a knitter place knitting needles in a baby's hand. I need to find some dull needles.

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WIPs Parade

This past Monday, before my Tuesday sock class, I spent some time on several of my active WIPs, or Works In Progress. While the Baby Hap was out of the question due to the heat, I did manage to work on the Ten Stitch Blankie for my Little Peanut.

Once the heat started getting to me, I turned to the Tapestry Hitchhiker. Being a rayon yarn, it was less fuzzy and much more comfortable to knit.

I have quite a bit of yarn left, and it is already wearable.

Poor picture, but you get the idea.

Finally I dug out the poor forgotten Smocked Brown Cow Socks and tried to figure out where I left off.

I figured out that I had left off with the gusset almost done. I am now working down the foot.

And of course on Tuesday I had my class on the Golddigger Socks. I have completed the cuff since this picture and am on the cable set up rows. I need to get through the chart twice before my next class.

I better get back to the charts.

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No Surprise

It should probably come to a surprise to no one that with the completion of the Peanut Dress, for my new granddaughter, that my thoughts have turned to new projects to begin.  Teddy bears, socks, sweaters for me,,,,,
But I quickly came to my senses.  After all, there are quite a few items sitting in the WIP pile, not necessarily in time out, but still not being worked on.  So while visions of new projects continued to dance in my head, I sorted out the projects sitting on deck.
While I will continue to work on the Tapestry Hitchhiker at odd moments, I am designating the Ten Stitch Blankie, which is for Little Peanut as my main knitting emphasis.

If this makes me sound disciplined, toss that thought out of your head.  I also signed up for a sock class at the local yarn shop.  It starts next week.  Book was previously purchased and yarn has been purchased as well.
Swatching has begun. There will be a new project begun soon anyway.  But to anyone who knows me, that should not be a surprise.

My Little Peanut

After a good start blogging this month, life was interrupted with the somewhat early arrival of my little peanut.

Introducing Paislee Jo, hereafter to be known in the blog as Little Peanut. While scheduled to be born today, she had other ideas. Six pounds one ounce and nineteen inches of snuggle bug.

Of course the dress I was knitting wasn't quite done. But if she had waited, it would have been.

It does need washed and blocked, but I would have been on time, if she was a bit more patient.

All are home and well. Grammy can't wait to get her hands on her again.

 

 

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Current Knitting

With just over a week before the scheduled arrival of my newest grandchild, I am concentrating my knitting the little dress for her. I have passed the front back split, barely visible here on the right.

The shoulder shaping is all achieved with garter stitch gradually increasing along the arm split. I should have the back done this weekend I hope. Since I will be working the election on Tuesday, I may not have much knitting time available that day, so I better get cracking.

I also want to share my new watch. I wanted an all purpose yet nice watch, for cheap. I also have a large wrist so I have a hard time finding one that fits comfortably. So I browsed the cheap watches and bands while in Wally World the other day.

And with a bit of work on the part of the sales lady, presto change-o, I had a watch that fit. A $7.88 watch with a $5 band put together into one piece. Affordable and easy to read.

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Family Time

Yes, my Little Farmer still loves the kitty. Wednesday he was having great fun, as the kitty did not run in terror whenever he approached.

Pardon my knee photo bombing the photo.

Since Lil' Farm Gal was away this week, I got bonus time with my Little Farmer. Older Son took his lovely bride (and my favorite daughter in law) out for a birthday dinner. Granted, my little guy fell asleep shortly after they left. But any Grammy time is good time.

I had posted work on the present I knit. And here they are finished:

The Almost Lost Washcloth and, in matching colors, three Mini Almost Lost Washcloths. I love my mini versions...they are great coasters. And they could be used for washing babies. And after all, we have a baby coming in less than two weeks. (Pattern link on Ravelry and at Simplynotable.com.)

I better get cracking on that baby dress. I still have a couple inches before the front is separated from the back.

 

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Busy Day

I had my training today to be an Election Inspector for my township. Wow, that title sounds a bit overwhelming! I saw several people I know, and I think I can handle working once every three months or so. I'm also glad there is a primary before the big event in November.

The local weather guys have been calling this week typically the hottest week of summer. I am amazed at all the wedding anniversaries occurring this horribly hot week, including my own. What were we thinking? All I can say is, I can hardly wait for winter again

I have continued working on the Peanut Dress. I had hoped to work on it Sunday when I was at a graduation party. But the wind was blowing so hard, I didn't want it to blow away. As long as this heat holds, the Baby Hap is remaining in Time Out. Sorry, Purple Princess.

I planned on getting another good chunk of stockinette done tonight at Knit Nite. However, we had no key, and the spare was miles away, and another spare was camping. With the heat and congestion of the Old Fashioned Days.....oops, National Baby Foof Festival, I didn't want to trek across town to knit at McDonalds so we decided to cancel for tonight.

Since I was home, Hubby corralled me to wrangle squash vines do he could rototill around them. I also picked pickles. I posted the picture on Facebook. Here it is again in case you missed them.

Note to self, next year only plant three plants, not six.

And if anyone saw last evenings post, Jumper has decided to stay in his own pen today and just talk to his neighbors over the wall.

 

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