Festive Friday FO: Broken Garter Scarf

Hello and happy first Friday of December! Our original plan was to go to Baltimore this weekend to be with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat. We were really looking forward to kicking things off with them. But I have had a killer cold and the sore throat from hell since Monday. My Covid test was negative, so I guess it's just an awful cold. I have been so miserable, and though the medicine the doctor gave to me is helping, I knew that it would be a bad idea to still go. I still feel awful, and overnights are the worst. So I if I have to be sick, I'm staying home.

Oh well, a couple of extra days to rest and take my time with Christmastime things.

Do you remember these photos from last November/early December?

 

It was the start of a scarf I was making for The Tim for Christmas. However, I got to a certain point and realized I had not paid close enough attention to the pattern, and one way or another, it was not going to be ready for Christmas. So it got put away until I decided what to do.

Project: Broken Garter Scarf for Tim

Pattern: Broken Garter Scarf - a store pattern from Loop. There are solid color patterns that are similar on Ravelry, you'd just need to decide how to change around the colors.

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in the following colorways: Rage (150), Alabaster (197), Seasalter (178), Lotus Leaf (205), Cinnamon (356)

Needles: US 6/4mm

Modifications/Notes: Well, OK I did modify the pattern, but not intentionally. The pattern tells you to do two rows (1-2) with one color, then two rows (3-4) with the next. Then it says to repeat rows 1-4 40 times. Well, when I "finished" with the last color combination, the scarf was not long enough to go around a neck even once. 

Yep, you guessed it - I was supposed to have *80* rows in each section, but I only had 40 rows. Sigh.

No way was I gonna rip it out, even once I decided I didn't need it for Christmas. Because that was already a lot of knitting. So I decided to do the "last" part for 80 rows, and then repeat the other colors and number of rows on the other side. So the middle would be one long section, and the "sides" so to speak, would match.

I finished knitting and weaving in the ends around the middle of November, and I like it. I think I would like it better if I'd done the pattern as written, but I'd also like a million dollars, you know?

I still think it looks nice, and I know that The Tim will like it. That's all that really counts.

I like the colors I chose, but I have to tell you, the red shade (aka 'Rage') is my favorite! Not just the shade of red, but the name - Rage! I enjoyed telling people I was knitting with rage ... Maybe a Rage Sweater is in my future???

It's a little bit wrinkled from being stored in the project bag, but 1) it's a scarf, it's not going to be perfect anyway, and 2) again, it's a scarf, so it's not going to be laid out perfectly when it's worn.

It was an enjoyable knit for the most part, except when I'd be going along and would realize that I had not changed colors - but that's my lack of attention, not a problem with the pattern. 

And now the knitted gift for The Tim is finished and will be ready to wrap. A year late, but then again, Christmas comes every year, you know?

Clarification and Pretty Yarn

Hello all - I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was productive - well, at least for me lately. 

Today was bill-paying day. Which is fine, I know that if you are alive on the planet, even if you are not someone who buys a lot of stuff, you still have at least a couple of bills to pay. And I don't mind it if I am organized, but today was not one of those days and it took a lot longer than usual. Plus, I had a really big medical bill to pay, and I thought at first that it must be a mistake - surely they had not yet submitted it to my insurance/Medicare. But then I checked online and they had submitted it, and the amount was what I owed AFTER that! Yikes. And after spending a stupid amount of time on the phone with my prescription insurance over another ridiculous amount, I was wondering if I could just go live in a hut somewhere. It would have to have indoor plumbing though, so the whole cycle is just a circle in the end. 😉

Anyhoo, I wanted to make a clarification before I go any further, related to my time at the yarn store. A dear friend pointed out to me that I may have led some people to think it is/was a terrible place with awful people in charge. I reviewed what I wrote and realized it did kind of sound like that. 

I'm here to say that it is an absolutely fabulous place, with more nice, fun, and cool yarn that you could imagine being fit into such a small physical footprint. One of the best things about working there was that you would walk in, see all the colors, and just feel better - even if you had felt OK before! The owners/managers have kept it going like that for nearly 20 years,  and I've known them for that long. You can probably imagine, with so many yarn stores closing, that it's no easy thing to not just stay in business, but make it a place where people want to keep coming back. 

Did I like/get along with/make friends with everyone else that worked there? Nope, but that's never been the case in any job I had. Some of them I will miss terribly. Others I have kinda sorta already forgotten about ... 

So please do not think it's a terrible yarn store with terrible people. Far from it. Some of the issues are the kinds of things that happen everywhere, even when the staff is small - heck, maybe you notice it more when there are fewer people working with you.  But for the record, I have every intention of shopping there when I decide I absolutely positively must have yarn* for one thing or another. (Yes, if you are wondering, I will miss the employee discount!) So you should as well, either in person or online. 

And if anyone had their feelings hurt, I do apologize. It was not my intention.

Onward.

+++

Speaking of pretty yarn, every time I work on my Anker's Summer Shirt, I think the colors in the yarn I'm using are so very pretty:

I don't care how you slice it, that's just pretty yarn! (And you shouldn't slice yarn, to be clear.) I bought this last summer at an end of season sale at Loop. It's Noro Kakigori, which is cotton, silk, rayon, and nylon. (I will regale you with the colorway next time, as currently there is a cat on my lap, and we all know you can't move until the cat does.)

With such pretty yarn, and the fact that I made this pattern a couple of years ago, I'm enjoying it more this time around. Still not a huge fan of 1 x 1 rib, but now I "get" the way the pattern works much better than I did in my first attempt, meaning there is a whole lot less ripping back and re-doing things. Which is nice when you have 200+ stitches. My progress this time around is much better. In fact I may finish while there is still some warm weather. Not that I currently have anywhere to go and wear it, other than to Dr appts and at least for the first wearing, that would be a waste. 

I worked on this project yesterday for about an hour, and about every 5 rounds, I'd say out loud "This is looking so pretty!" Since I was home by myself, and the cats were all elsewhere, no one disagreed with me, which is always nice. 

That's it for now. Now that I have sent all of our money to other people, I think I'll read for a while and try to figure out what to have for dinner tonight. I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be pasta, because when I don't have something already in mind, 9 times of our 10, pasta is the answer. 

Enjoy the rest of your day, and I hope that whatever you fix/eat for dinner is something you enjoy. 😊

*No, in reality I do not actually need any yarn. I'm sure you understand what I mean there ... 

Weekend Trips and Changes

Hello all - I hope if you live in the U.S., you had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend - and if you don't live here, I hope you had a great weekend that was not a holiday. 

We had a lovely trip to West Virginia. We didn't run into any real traffic on our way, and it was a lovely, sunny, cool day to travel. We lucked out with that same weather on Saturday and Sunday as well, which made it perfect for porch-sitting (our fave thing when we are there) as well as our various outings with my sister, brother-in-law, niece Amanda, and her husband Patrick. There were lots of laughs, good eats, lots to drink, and it felt like we were there for a nice long time.

Coming home on Monday, we really didn't run into much traffic either, and fortunately, even though we drove through some rain showers, the serious rain didn't happen until we were on our very last leg of the trip, on roads we know. Still not a lot of traffic there, just fortunately everyone slowing down since it was raining hard enough to make it difficult to see very well. But we made it home safe and sound, much to the pleasure of the kitties, who made friends with the cat sitter but were glad to see us.

As a matter of fact, even Esme made friends with the cat sitter! The service we use has them send us photos from each visit. In one of the photos, Esme was sitting on the arm of a chair in the living room, right nexts to Brian the cat-sitter! It drove The Tim nuts, since she is still scared of him. But Brian is very soft-spoken, so I think that was the difference. The Tim said he was glad we didn't stay longer, because the next picture probably would have shown Esme tap-dancing on Brian's lap! 😂

The changes referenced above relate to my employment status. I am currently unemployed, as of Tuesday. I mentioned a while back that things were getting a bit difficult at the yarn store. On top of that, there are several medical things I have to take care of this summer (nothing life-threatening or overly serious), and it has become impossible to find someone to cover/switch shifts with me if my appointments are on days I'm supposed to work. I have no control over medical scheduling, and even when I've asked them not to schedule me on certain days, when those are the only days available or when certain things are done, I have no choice. So there was that. Also, as of April, my hours were cut by a whole day. I was no longer working on Sundays, which to be honest, was my favorite day to be there. 

And frankly, if the medical things didn't get in the way, I'm not sure how much longer I would have lasted. A new person was hired to be an intermediate level supervisor, and I worked with her every day I was there. She is nice enough, but one of those people who gets super-hyper-focused on something and drives it into the ground. It was making me NUTS, and there were a few times I didn't appreciate things she said about me or my work ethic. 

So here I am at 68 years old, hoping to find another part-time job. Ugh. I've been applying for a while - the yarn shop pay was very low - but nothing has been happening. I get it to some degree, but for a part-time job, I would think you might want an older person who is less likely to jump ship quickly. Of course, that is my own, very self-serving opinion ... 

I did have a really good interview a couple of weeks ago, and thought I had a good shot at the job, but then .... they hired someone else. Oh well. I'm giving myself a couple of weeks to try and decompress and get organized (unless someone wants to hire me tomorrow, LOL), and then I'll look into volunteering, so that I have a requirement to leave the house from time to time.

And that's the latest from here. I have been knitting, and have a good start on all of my projects. Last week, I did in fact get to start my Emotional Support Chicken (good timing!). 

Here is the first part of the back - I have actually finished both parts of the back and they are currently blocking so that I can seam them together before moving on to the rest of it. It was fun to do, and I'm hoping that the rest of it will be as much fun. I have started my Anker Tee and a pair of socks as well, so even though I have no photos, I'm enjoying those projects. 

And of course I've been reading a lot. I have loaded up on some "summer" reads and also am waiting for some books I have on hold at the library to make their way to my name on the list.

And oh - remember the portable leaf blower that The Tim ordered and I mentioned couple of posts back - well, it's supposed to be delivered today. So we'll see a) how portable it really is, and b) how quiet it is. Supposedly it is both of those, but often my definition and their definitions are not the same, you know? 

We Aren't Hoarders, We Just Keep Things ...

Hello and Happy Friday to all of us! It's gloomy and humid here in Philadelphia, and according to the local weather reports, we're supposed to get a rainy evening, rainy day on Saturday, and then some true fall weather settling in. Fine with me, I'm more than ready for cozy season!

The other day, I pulled out our box of fall decorations, as well as a large envelope where I keep paper decorations stored. There's a mix of fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations, and I always enjoy revisiting them. 

I was putting up a couple of paper decorations, and came across these two:

These are Halloween decorations that my nephew's wife sent to us, made by our great niece and nephew. The one on top is the work of Jude, and the bottom one is from Anya.

Who are now 21 and 23, respectively. 😊

We have a lot of holiday decorations from this particular family (4 children in all, they live in Arizona), but these are from the oldest two. And I love that their mom sent them to us all of those years ago. I love the randomness and little kid-ness of them, and how she wrote a message and their name at the bottom of each. Every year, they make me smile when I come across them. 

I posted these on Instagram, and every member of that family sent me a message, saying that they couldn't believe we still had them - even their parents don't have such artifacts!

So, as the subject line says, we're not really hoarders, we just keep certain things ... 😂

*****

In other news, I've just been doing the usual stuff, nothing too exciting to report. My arthritis has really been bugging me, to the point last week where it was painful just to walk around. This week is better, but it's still annoying. I've been knitting and cross-stitching and reading, but have no photographic proof of such activities. This past week was a return to summer-like weather, which was not inspiring at all to me. 

I did teach my first class at the yarn store on Tuesday evening, and that went really well. I am teaching a class to make the Antler Toque, which you may recall I made for The Tim a couple of years ago for Christmas. Our manager decided that it would be a good way for people to learn to do cables, and so I had four enthusiastic students who feared cables when we started, but had made them happen when the class was over. This coming Tuesday is the second/final class, where we learn the cable decreases and take on any questions. I think it is going well, but it does make for a really long day. Fortunately it's my last day of work for the week, so I can catch up on sleep/other things afterwards.

No real specific plans for this weekend, other than my work shift on Sunday. Since tomorrow is supposed to be kind of rainy, I'll probably work on some projects inside. We will also be watching the Phillies game against the Atlanta Braves, hoping that our Phils can pull off a series of wins. An uphill challenge, but if everyone is firing on all cylinders at the same time, it can happen!

Let me know how you have been doing, what you have been working on, etc. I hope your weekend is lovely (unless you are cheering for the Braves, haha. Kidding not kidding!), and that you have the chance to do whatever you like. See you next week!

Just Say No

And I don't mean Nancy Reagan's drug crusade here. I'm talking about telling yourself "no" when you are tempted to say things that well, you maybe should have considered just a bit longer.

For example - at the yarn store, you can call and make an appt for a private lesson if you feel that you need it. It can really be for anything - maybe you don't know how/don't remember how to cast on, or maybe you have been making a pattern that is asking for short rows and you've never done them before. It costs $36.00, and you get someone's undivided attention and help for an hour. Which seems like a good deal, if you ask me.

Tuesday, I had one scheduled for someone who wanted to learn how to weave in the ends on their project. Most people who come in for lessons are nice, and grateful that you can teach them something they didn't know before and they can take their time learning how to do it with someone right there. Then there are those like the Tuesday Lady. Oy.

She was close to the end of knitting a scarf and had used multiple balls of yarn, so she had several ends to work with. But before that, she wanted to know "how long a scarf should be." I asked her if she was using a specific pattern, because the pattern would tell you. But no, she had a moss stitch pattern that she was repeating. So I said, "Well, the one answer is that it can be as long as you want it to be, or as long as the amount of yarn you have to knit it." To which she responded, "How long is that?" Sigh.

So I said, "Some patterns have you knit until the scarf is 60 inches long" (because one pattern I have knit long ago suggested that), and she wanted to measure what she had. What she had done so far turned out to be 59 inches, so she had another inch to go. She then said, "Will you do that for me?" and I told her no, but I'd be happy to sit while she did it. (Spoiler alert: She was not pleased with that answer.)

Then we moved on to weaving in the ends. I showed her how to do it with two ends, and then said she should give it a try. She said she didn't know how, so I showed her once again. It should be noted I had gone very slowly, explaining each movement. Then I said she should try it. She did one, and it was fine, but she then declared she didn't like doing it. I told her she wasn't alone, it was a part of a project that a lot of knitters didn't like. So then she said, "Then you should do them all." I said I'd show her one more time, and then she absolutely had to do the others. Which she did, and they were fine, and she bitched about it the whole time, because she didn't want to do it. 

Then she proceeded to knit another inch to finish the scarf, and she bound off and said that she "couldn't possibly weave in that last end, it was just too much." But I refused to do it for her (this is supposed to be to teach YOU how to do it), and she was not pleased. Then she handed it to me, and said, "You need to block this now for me so that I can give it to the recipient." I told her that we did block things for people, but it was not free and was done with the understanding that it would be done when staff members had the time to do it, and that we charged for the service.  It may not surprise you to learn that she was not pleased. Apparently a store where she used to live was "full-service." You went in and said what you wanted to make, they helped you choose yarn, took your measurements and wrote up a pattern, you knit the pieces, took them back to the store and they seamed, blocked, and finished them, and you "ended up with something really beautiful." Good for them, you know?

Finally, she kept asking me if I could recommend someone in her area who could help teach her more about knitting, and find a knitting group. She lives in a far away suburb (a very wealthy one) that I have heard of, but don't even really have a clear idea where it is on the map. So I said, I wasn't familiar with the area at all, but I know that a lot of public libraries have classes or provide spaces for knitting groups to knit, so she should look into that. And she responded:

"I'm NOT going to a public library. I HATE libraries. They let anyone in who wants to come in, and no decent people go to libraries."

At which point, I told her that I had spent my adult life working in libraries first as support staff, and later as a librarian, so I had no more ideas to share with her.

Now. At this point, the average person *might* have said, "Oh, I didn't mean all libraries," or "Oh I'm sorry if I offended you," or some other thing that you knew they didn't mean but they were saying because they were embarrassed. 

What did this lady say? "I'm not surprised. Only someone who had worked in libraries would make me do all of this myself."

And this my friends, is why it's a damn good thing that my parents taught me manners, and that I was in a professional setting and knew I had to behave as a civil adult.

But oh, she has paid for it all in my imagination, let me tell you! 😉

[Editorial note: I "made" her weave in 8 ends and knit 1 inch herself to finish the scarf. And then I guess "made" her have to block it herself.]

When 2023 Starts With A Friday the 13th

Yep, right off the bat, January gives us a Friday the 13th <cue scary music>.

Do you worry about it at all? I'm not overly superstitious, but I have to admit that I find it fun when a Friday the 13th rolls around. I'm not a fan of scary movies, but I am intrigued by people's superstitions and how for some, they rule their activities. I guess basically I agree with Baby Yoda:

How has your week been otherwise? Mine has, for the most part, been uneventful. Today I have an eye exam (yearly checkup), and I want to pay some bills, and undecorate the Christmas tree so that we can recycle it tomorrow. Philadelphia has locations where you can drop off your Christmas tree and it will be turned into mulch to be used at city parks. We make sure every year that we have ours ready on the last weekend that they collect them.

Tomorrow other than tree recycling, we'll likely put the rest of things away and stay put for the most part. Sunday I have a shift at the yarn store, and The Tim is on his own. 

Speaking of the yarn store, the other day I answered the phone there and a lady was calling from one of the suburbs. She said that it's hard for her to get into the city, so she wanted to place an order, but over the phone, not online. She wanted an actual person (which I guess meant me) to: 1. choose some baby blue yarn in the amount she gave me for a baby sweater; 2. take her credit card info; 3. pack up the yarn and send it to her. She said, "I know that Loop has a good reputation, so I trust that what you think is baby blue will be what I think is baby blue. And I know you will shred the credit card info so that no one will steal it. So please only call me back if you have no baby blue yarn at all, otherwise I'll just expect a package."

So I ... started looking for superwash baby blue yarn to send to her. I had the info on the yardage she needed, and though it didn't sound like she cared all that much about the price, I didn't want to spend too much of her money. (Though I've always thought it would be so much fun to choose yarn and not worry about price. But for me, not someone else, you know?) I found a reasonably priced yarn that a lot of our customers use for baby things in a shade that I considered to be baby blue. It was the day of Wednesday Knitting Circle, so I held up a ball and said to the group, "Would you consider this color to be baby blue?" and they overwhelmingly agreed. So I packaged it up, put through the payment, and hopefully the lady receives her yarn today or tomorrow and is pleased with it. But that is definitely the only time since I've started working there that someone had that type of request. I mean, it's probably less risky requesting something like that from a yarn store than from other types of businesses, but in spite of the "all knitters are wonderful people" trope, I'm not sure I'd ever feel comfortable doing that. 

Anyway, it was a fun if unusual exercise. 😊

Have a good weekend, everyone. I hope you get at least a little bit of time to yourself to enjoy what you like.

(Not Really) Famous and Learning Something New

Happy September 21st!

Each week, the yarn store where I work part-time sends out a newsletter highlighting a specific project, upcoming event, knitalong, etc. I've realized that the newsletter has a large audience, all over the place. Whenever a new yarn and/or project is highlighted, the online orders start to pour in, as well as local people coming in to take an in-person look.  

Well, this week, the highlighted project and yarn included my first project completed for the shop! Yep, I opened up my e-mail and there was the hat I knit being featured and modeled by a co-worker. It was so fun to see, and then also see how many orders we filled for it and how many customers wanted to make the same thing. I forwarded the e-mail to The Tim, telling him that I was famous ... he was not as impressed as he should have been, but it could be because I showed him a terrible photo I'd taken myself of the finished project, so he's already seen it. So now all of you get to see it as well:

I do really like it, and am seriously considering making one for myself. I know that a few of you have mentioned that you are on the newsletter list, so you likely said to yourself, "Well, the gray and white one is especially nice, I wonder what amazing knitter made that?" Right? RIGHT??? 😀

I'll let you know when the "story" goes on the main website, so that you can see a much better photo, and get an idea of how it fits on the head.

*****

Early in 2021, I made a list of things related to knitting that I would like to accomplish over that year. It was a mixed bag, and I had mixed success, which was not a surprise. One of the things on the list was "Trying a brioche pattern." Of course, in order to try a brioche pattern, you need to learn to knit brioche, right? I never went anywhere with that, but still hoped to learn sometime. Well, I got my chance, though it was a bit stressful, to be honest.

Customers can request a special hour of help/a lesson on weekdays during shop hours (for a fee, needless to say). Last week, someone requested a session to learn 2-color brioche. We have a workshop that teaches that, but she wanted a one-on-one session. The person I work with on Tuesdays already knew how to knit 2-color brioche, though she hadn't done it for a while, so needed a refresher. And our supervisor told her to have me learn it as well, so I could sit in on the lesson and help out.

GULP.

Well, the one thing that made me feel better about it was that my co-worker hadn't done it for a few years, so she was more or less starting over too. She said she was glad to have learned it, but decided she really didn't like it that much, so she "immediately forgot all about it." So the two of us worked on figuring it out, with the help of a pattern we were given, some YouTube videos, and on my part, a few websites that explained it literally step-by-step.

After MANY stops and starts, I'm happy to say that I managed to "get" it enough to end up with this:

One side

 

 

Another side

My brain had a hard time with this one, I have to tell you. I could understand what I needed to do, but my brain and my hands were not cooperating with each other. It was a struggle, and though I'm glad I managed to finally "get" it, I'm not at all confident about it, and please don't ever ask me to help you fix mistakes, 'cause I have no idea. 😕

A few years back, I did find a free pattern on Ravelry for a beginner level pattern for 2-color brioche in the round. It was a 2-color cowl, and it was really nice looking. I put the pattern into my pattern library, and maybe sometime next year I'll give it a try. I'm sure there is an additional learning curve knitting brioche in the round, but at least if I do it for myself, I won't feel any pressure, and I have at least become familiar with the terminology.

Anyway, yesterday was the customer's lesson, and my co-worker got her started an on her way. I sat in though I was impressed with how well my co-worker could explain it, and how well the person picked it up (compared to my struggle in particular!), I think that it's one of those things that most people would benefit learning in a group class or workshop. Mostly because you would have more time to work on it, but also because anyone who would teach a class like that would be really well-versed in what it entailed, and would like not be flummoxxed by questions the students asked. But I also realize that everyone learns differently, so as they say, your mileage may vary.

But I'm proud of myself for getting the few rows I did knit to look the way they should. But after spending most of last week using ALL of my knitting time to figure it out, I'm looking forward to working on my own projects at home this week. It will be nice to work on things I actually understand ...

In Which I Realize It Might Be Good to Be Prepared

The other day, I was sitting around thinking - just thinking, not thinking while doing anything else - and it occurred to me that August leads to September, which leads to October, and on and on.  Which also means that December will be arriving (OK it would have arrived even if I hadn't thought about it), and that if things continue as they are, two things will be true: 1) finances will be tighter than ever, and 2) even if they are/were not, it's unlikely that I would be going out to shop for gifts.

And then it occurred to me that I just might want to consider doing something now to avoid worrying about it as the holiday season came closer.  So I poked around to see what I might want to knit for gifts this year, and decided that I will try this pattern and see what I think; if I like the results, it might be something that I will make variations of to give.

(pattern photo from Ravelry)

If I decide that I like it and enjoy knitting it, that would be great since I have soooooo many amounts of scrap yarn to use.  I've already put many of them into my Cozy Squares of Memory Blanket, but there's still some left over even after that.  I attempted to get one started the other day, and I found the right size circular needle, but oh man, was it hard to use!  It was one that I've had since I learned to knit, and I don't exactly remember the specifics, but the needle part has some kind of gray - almost rubbery feeling - coating on it, and the yarn was not willing to move along.  I realized after trying to continue nonetheless, that if I was even going to be willing to make one single hat to see how I liked the pattern, it was going to be unpleasant.  So I powered up the ol' computer machine and went to Loop's website and ordered one of these.  I justified it by telling myself that I would use them over and over, and that I would donate the pair I already had the next time I donated yarn and books to a local shelter.  So today I picked them up and will see if this is going to work out.

Though I fear I may have become a needle snob.  But those coated needles were making me stabby, and I knew there was no way I was going to continue.  If they were the only needles I would/could ever have, I'm not even sure I would have used them.  I'm guessing that when I first learned to knit, I just thought needles were needles and it didn't matter.  Now it does ... at least to me.

I just started this book yesterday:

It was on the opening screen when I went to return something on Overdrive, and I thought I'd give it a try.  So far, I like it, and I find the early days of detective investigations really interesting, so I'm hoping it will be worth borrowing.

Be sure to visit Kat's blog, to see what she and others are reading and knitting this week for Unraveled Wednesdays.

A Very Happy Knit

Recently, I haven't had as much knitting time as I'd like.  But the good news is, when I did have a chance to knit, I managed to finish something that turns out to be one of my very favorite projects ever!

Milo and Jetsam helped me with blocking:

Such good helpers, right?

I had been to Loop early in March, and they had a sample of this, knit in the yarn that had been specially made for the shop.  The sample was in this color, and I just fell in love with it.  So I bought the yarn and the pattern and went home to get started.

The pattern is actually quite simple, and brilliant - once you actually pay attention, that is.  After a few false starts, it finally clicked, and I was on my way.  I would have probably finished it more quickly except that once I started there was an entire week when, for one reason or another, I didn't get a chance to pick it up.

Pip was quite happy to model the finished piece:

So, you are probably saying, if this is such great pattern, where are the details?  Keep reading.

Project:  Rechargeable

Pattern:  Portfolio Scarf, by Erika Flory

Needles:  Size 7 US

Yarn:  Loop Studio, colorway Cadmium (I used most of one skein)

Modifications:  None

Comments:  This is one of my very favorite knits ever.  The pattern is extremely well-written, and involves garter sections interspersed with sections of lace.  You work one part at a time, and cannot wait to get to the next part!  I named mine "Rechargeable" because I read that cadmium is mostly used for rechargeable batteries.  The yarn is soft, and lovely to work with.  I have already worn this a few times, and it is just perfect for springtime.  I see more of these in the future, both for myself and for gifts.

My suggestion?  You should really knit one of these - you will not be sorry!

In Which I Ask: What Was I Thinking???

If you have been a reader of the blog for even a short time, you know that I am not exactly a knitting machine, cranking out things like crazy.  Which I'm fine with, I enjoy knitting, and though there are things I wish I had/would finish(ed), I'm not really in a race with myself.

But I really do have to wonder sometimes.  Take the past two weeks, when - besides working on the Cranberry Waffle socks - I have taken on more projects.  Why?  You may well ask, as I have wondered myself.

Let's review:  I have a pair of the aforementioned Cranberry Waffle socks on the needles, and a long-time-on-the-needles project of my Mallard Sweater, and my Turquoise Narragansett, which I have vowed to finish by the end of the summer.  And there are other bits and pieces along the way.

So ... WHY in the past couple of weeks, have I felt compelled all of a sudden to start knitting:

1)  What I am calling my Lemming Shawl.  It's a KAL on Ravelry by the Loop Group.  I wasn't going to even think of trying it, and then others started posting pictures of their completed ones.  Of course, I bought the yarn and got started.  As a matter of fact, I bought two more skeins in a different color to make another one at a later date!

2)  But Oh, I wanted to make something for my new[ish] great nephew Parker, who lives in San Francisco.  His parents are not much for homemade things, but I have made something for all of my other great-nieces and -nephews, and wanted to make something for him.  I decided a toy was a good idea.  So I started the Baby Bobbi Bear:

and then, 

3)  I decided to try to do something for the Ravellenic Games (formerly the Ravelympics).  Of course, there is a "team" for those who want to finish WIPs, but did I join that one?  It didn't occur to me, as clearly I didn't think it through at all.  So, I have started Caeles:

I have until the end of the Olympics (roughly two weeks) to finish.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  

Dear Diary:

What was I thinking?  Why would I do all of this - or rather, try to - all at once?  Oh diary, I fear that I have done something foolish here.  Hello, my name is Bridget, and I have a problem ...

Love, Bridget

****************

In other news, Pip finds that the Olympic Women's Cycling Road Race can make one quite tired.

A Long Time Comin'

Well, it's been a busy weekend Chez Ravell'd Sleave.  Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Faux Knitting Get-Together, held at my house.  I did this last year (you probably guessed that from the name of said event), and it was apparently a big hit, so people were asking me when it was happening again this year.  The reason it's a "faux" knitting event, is because some of the people are knitters, and some are not - but through Facebook, some of them wanted to meet each other, so I created the event.  I had a great time, and I think others did as well.

Needless to say, today we are all just taking it easy.  Jetsam, Pip, and Dug are exhausted (they were very busy yesterday!), and The Tim is at work, so I got some laundry started, and picked up my knitting while watching the Phillies lose.  (sigh)  Last year, after I made the cozy for my Nook Color, The Tim asked if I would make one for him.  And like most things, I took months to get around to it.  Then I started one that was allegedly a Christmas gift, but didn't finish it.  I did finish it last month, using a different pattern, and decided it was horrible-looking.  So I ripped it out, and started over with the previously used, tried and true pattern.  By now, The Tim had a Nook Tablet, but the size is basically the same.  He requested charcoal gray for the color, which was harder to find than you'd think.  

Anyway, when I picked it up today, it turned out I was only about 4 rows from the end - what an eejit!  But I finished it, wove in the ends, and added a really cool button that I had found on sale weeks ago at Loop.  I think he'll be pleased.  

This is closer to the true color of the yarn ...

But you can see the cable up the middle better in this photo.

And is this not an awesome button?  It's perfect for this - win-win!

Details are here on Ravelry, for anyone interested.  If for some reason you are dying to see the details, and don't have a Ravelry account, let me know and I can send them to you.  (But if you are a knitter, you really should have a Ravelry account - it makes life so much simpler in so many ways, and it's free ...)

Not an April Fool

Happy April Fool's Day!  March was such a great month for me (it usually is) that I kinda hated to see it go.  But April means April Fool's Day, Easter, and getting the garden ready for spring.  I'm not much of a gardener, but I love planting flowers and herbs (The Tim plants crops on our deck and roof), and this year I want to fix up the garden.  We used to spend a lot of lovely time there, but then we got lazy, mosquitoes took over, and it got messy.  So I want to make it an outdoor space that we can use again.

But before we move into April, I wanted to tell you about the class I took a week from yesterday.

If you have read this blog regularly, you know that I am a sock knitter - big time.  And I have no problem with dpns (double-pointed needles, for the non-knitters out there), actually I like making socks with them.  But of course, people use circular needles now as well (called "Magic Loop"), and I've wondered about that technique.  Having the chance to try knitting two socks at once was something I just wanted to learn about.  So when Melissa Morgan-Oakes was here in town at Loop, I signed myself up for the Learn to Knit Two Socks on Circulars workshop.  (They had one the next day about knitting two socks at the same time from the toe up.  I can barely knit one sock at a time, using the toe-up method.  But I digress.)

I had heard of Melissa Morgan-Oakes, and actually kinda felt like I knew her from Facebook, where she was a friend of Carol's, and a regular commenter.  She sounded pretty funny, and also like an interesting person.  I must admit that this chance to take a class with her seemed like it would be a good experience.

There were about 16 of us in the class, and the day itself was kinda dreary, so it was a good day to be inside, knitting.  Melissa was better than anticipated, both as a teacher of a complicated technique, and as an enjoyable person.

And knitting two socks at a time on a circular needle?  Challenging, to say the least.  But she took us all through each step until everyone got it, and by the end of the class, all of us had a cuff, leg, heel, and beginning of a  foot on two tiny socks!

Two tiny heels!

Two tiny socks ready to finish the foot!

By the end of the day, I felt so proud of myself, for having two small items on my needles that actually looked like socks!  It made me think of when I took a class to learn to make socks in the first place, and how amazing it was to watch a tube turn into something that actually looked like a sock!  Such a feeling of accomplishment, you know?

Do I think I'll start knitting socks this way all of the time?  Well, I want to try one regular-sized pair, in the same yarn (rather than two different yarns, so you can tell the difference between each sock on your needle), but like I said earlier in this post, I don't have any problems knitting socks with dpns.  Who knows, maybe it will depend on how I feel when I start any given pair of socks.  I don't know.  

I do know that I'm frogging the pair of Graydon socks (see #4 in that post) I have underway, and using the yarn to give a plain pair a try using this method.  That pattern turned out to be a yarn hog, and I wasn't really pleased with the heel construction used.  So they have been languishing for months.  I think they have been waiting to be my first attempt at two socks at once on a circular needle, and who am I to disappoint them?

I will tell you though - if you ever have a chance to take a class with Melissa, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 - get to your LYS or wherever the class is offered, and sign yourself up!  Not only will you learn something in a comfortable setting, but you will enjoy spending time with her.  

And as the subject line to this post indicates, that's no April Fools' joke!