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.

Apples and Knitting

There is nothing like a farm fresh apple this time of year.  And since all my apple farming relatives have sold their farms, that sent me to a nearby friend and farmer.  Since I'm not the self pick type, I quickly left with a peck bag of Courtlands for general eating and cooking, and a half peck of Honey Crisp. So good and snappy fresh. Yum.

One of my favorite activities just started up a week ago.  The local Community Bible Study is a great chance to study and meet and learn with like minded people.  This is my fifth year in the group and this year I am part of the leadership!  I am a newbie leader of one of the small groups! It takes more time and work, but I am loving it so far.    

The "more time" part may cut into my knitting time.  I am still working hard on the Squared Shades Throw for my priest.  Now that it is cooler it is easier to work on a blanket.  It is strictly a "knit at home" project though.  There is much counting involved with this for Knit Nite. But I am almost done with the third quarter so I am making progress. 

Which is good, because....

I have this waiting for Thursday.  I am part of a Craftsy Knit A Long again.  The Tealeaf Cardigan, big boxy and snuggly.  The pattern drops on Thursday.  However, that is CBS day (Community Bible Study), and then I need to take Younger Son to White Cloud to hopefully expedite the return of his driver's license.  So I probably won't be able to download the pattern till Thursday evening.  I expect the speedy knitters will be half way to the arm divides by then.  But my last KAL was finished several weeks late, so I will finish when I finish.

All I. Edit.  Another project in the works.

Project Number Ten

I finished project number ten of the year today.  It was a light enough one that I could work through the heat.  Cooler weather is promised for later this coming week, so I will be able to work more on the blanket for Fr. Stanly as well as the one for my little peanut.

This is the Blue Easy Shaped Shawl, for me.  I started it in May and it is off the needles today, just waiting for cooler weather so I can wear it.  You can see a bit of the back in the mirror behind me.  The yarn is "Shawl In a Ball", in Soothing Blue.  It is a cotton acrylic blend.
Gertrude consented to model it for a better picture.

It is entirely in garter stitch, so I don't plan on blocking this one.  There will be more in the future.  I have another skein to make one for my travel buddy, Sandy, in pink and fuchsia with a touch of gold near the end.

And on the way home from our road trip, I also got another skein for me, in shades of purple.

Knit Sightings, in the Wild

This past Saturday evening was Hubby's 50th class reunion.  That's him in the striped shirt.

While I only knew a few people there, there were many faces familiar from around town.  But one of the evening's highlights was the sighting of a shawl worn by one of his classmates.  I kept describing it to Rosie, a friend we were sitting next to.  (She is legally blind.)  

I wasn't sure if it it was hand made or not, but it was gorgeous lace in dark teal.  Finally, after the meal, when people were up and mingling, I asked her about it.  

Yep, it was hand knit, from one of my favorite pattern books, "Victorian Lace Today," by Jane Sowerby.  It was one of the sampler shawls I have always wanted to knit.  And she whipped it out in two weeks.  And moreover, the border surrounding the sampler section is "true lace". Patterning on both right and wrong sides.  

But I am once again smitten by the pattern, and my fingers are just itching to cast on.  I have the book, I have some suitable yarn in the stash, in the color way Boysenberry.  I even some yarn I am tempted to buy, in a wool-silk blend in Silver to use instead.

I was pretty proud of myself for spotting it. And while it is fun to spot handknits in the wild, it can be bad for the WIP pile (Works In Progress), and sometimes the pocket.

I Said There Was Knitting

I ran out of room and time in my last post before I could share my knitting.

I have almost finished the second square of Fr. Stanly's throw.  The heat and humidity has slowed that down some.  Once I have the first two sides of the circles squared to much of it hangs in my lap.  Hopefully cool weather will be here to stay soon and I can whip it out.

While on my road trip, I uploaded a picture of some of the knitting that had taken place as of the morning of our second day.  I have continued to work on that, at least part time.  You know me, I always have more than one project in the works.  But this is a picture of the Blue Easy Shaped Shawl as of this afternoon.

I was on the Royal Blue when we started the trip.  The color is starting to transition over to light blue again. Every other row the rows are one stictch longer, so it is going slowly now.  But it is an easy knit, just like the pattern said.  I even bought another skein of this "Shawl In A Ball" for another one.

Someday.

I had started the first sock of this pair last week.  And now I am two rows from binding off the second sock.

My first sock with Fixation, a cotton and elastic yarn, and first time using a short row heel.  I had to use the extra contrast yarn on each side of the heel to stitch up the gaps after this picture was taken.  It looks and fits fine now.  As soon as I am done here, I will finish number two.

And as though I didn't have enough projects on hand, a friend gave me this at Knit Nite.

She had kept her size 4 needles, so I transferred it to a new needle and after a few rows, tinked back and tried again with a size two needle.  Much better.  Gauge does matter you know.  

I just need to finish the hood and then the front bands.  I also got a zipper today, so I may install instead of buttons.

I guess I have some knitting ahead of me.  As usual.