FO Post: Finished with Time to Spare

Hello all, I hope your week has started well. This is a busy one for us, but I wanted to show you my latest FO, which I hinted at last week.

You may remember when I showed the start to a pair of Christmas socks I was knitting to give to The Tim for his birthday:

Well, I finished them last week, with ten whole days until his birthday arrives, an I'm so excited that I finally did it! I've been wanting to do this for so long, and at last it really happened.

Christmas stripey goodness!

Project: Gingerbread Waffles

Pattern: Blueberry Waffle Socks, by Sandy Turner

Yarn: The Cozy Knitter Bliss Sock Yarn, in the colorway Gingerbread House

Needles: US 1/2.25 mm

Notes: I had this skein of Advent-striped yarn from the Cozy Knitter that I thought would be perfect for these. They are Christmas-y, but not only the bright colors - the muted greens and browns are colors I knew The Tim would like.

Originally I was just going to do plain socks, but then I remembered how much I had enjoyed making the Blueberry Waffle sock pattern a while back, and how soft and cushy the resulting socks were. And I just thought that would be a nice combination with this yarn and for these socks. The white yarn for the heel was a mini that accompanied the skein of yarn, and needless to say, I had a lot of it left, which will be nice for several other projects down the road.

As for the main skein, once the pair was finished, it turned out that I had less than a yard left of the main yarn - phew, I just made it! But I am really in love with the resulting socks, and I can't wait to give them to him this coming weekend. It's a fun pattern to knit, and the combination of the stripes and the pattern stitches made it really engaging and able to keep me going. 

I also know that he will really like them, and it just makes me happy to be able to give him a handmade pair of socks to wear during the holidays.

Now, to work on the fingerless gloves for him for Christmas, and maybe a holiday-themed something for myself! 😊

"Until Then, We'll Have to Muddle Through Somehow"

Happy Christmas Eve!  One of my favorite days, filled with joy, anticipation, bustling around (though granted, this year, the "bustling" is at home), and thinking of those you love, both here and otherwise.  I am writing this post not just for myself, but also as the final entry in sprite's 2020 Virtual Advent Tour.

Whenever I hear the Christmas song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," I think of two things: 1) the movie "Meet Me in St. Louis," where the song debuted, and 2) those I love, both here and gone.  I think it is one of the most bittersweet songs, period, whether or not it is Christmastime.

I don't know if you have seen the movie, but one of the main aspects of the plot is that a family has learned that they will be moving from their St. Louis home shortly before the 1904 World's Fair that will be held in St. Louis.  This sends various members of the family into a tailspin for several different reasons.  One of the family members (played by Judy Garland) sings the song to her younger sister (played by Margaret O'Brien).  The part that *always* gets me are these lines:

"Through the years, we all will be together,

If the fates allow.

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow.

So, have yourself a merry little Christmas, now."

THIS.  None of us is guaranteed another Christmas.  *Every* Christmas is, unfortunately, someone's last one.  And that always hurts.  In my family, both of my parents were people who loved this holiday, especially my father.  Through many years of slim finances, questionable living conditions, and uncertain futures, Christmas was still special.  They have not been here to celebrate for a while, but nothing can take my memories away.  

More importantly, what and who is here today, right now, is what is important.  If you are reading this, you are here.  You may be missing someone, but you are here, and this is Christmas Eve.  Even if you are by yourself, you are here and you can love, and feel, and enjoy, whether or not anyone else is around.

People always say, "If I'd only known ... " Well, none of us knows.  We have right now, that is all that is certain.  It's Christmas Eve, maybe not like before, definitely not lilke ever again.  If you are feeling sad, I wish you joy again soon.  If you are feeling lonely, I hope you know you are loved.  If you are thinking it's all ruined because you can't do what you usually do, you are sorely mistaken.  Don't feel sorry for yourself.  Be glad that those you love are doing OK, and that to some extent, it's because of you and your actions.  

Muddle through.  Have a very merry, happy, loving Christmas.  Because in the end, it's your decision how you want this to be, and how you want to remember Christmas 2020.  Make it a memory of love, and one where you may have been inconvenienced, but in the end it was all OK.

That's all we can do.  It's all we should do.  

I hope you can move beyond your own self and your own feelings to enjoy what is happening and what you are doing for those you love.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas, now.

Alone Can Be Good

Well, we did get some snow yesterday - a really nice amount - but at the end of the day, the dreaded and annoying "wintry mix" moved in for the hours of overnight, so though we have snow on the ground, it's icy, packed snow.  Which is fine for a one-horse open sleigh perhaps, but not much else.  Oh well, it's pretty to look at, and at least other than taking the dog for a walk, I don't have anywhere else to be, at least not today.

I thought I'd write a post for today's Three on Thursday, and my topic is Three Things That Are Good About Just Being Two People At Christmas in This Unprecedented Year.  (And after this year, if I never hear the words "unprecedented year" again, I shall not mind one single tiny bit.)

Anyway, moving along.  I know that tons of people are upset because - if they are being responsible humans and care about others - they have to things differently this year.  No getting together with friends and family, or traveling to see them, no gatherings to exchange and open gifts, etc.  They are on their own, with only their families in the same house with them.  Which for a large part of the population, is just not what Christmas is about.

I am here to tell you (as I have before) that Christmastime is exactly what you make it.  Do I ever wish that we could go back to the years that we traveled home for holidays every year, got to see and catch up with everyone in person, and enjoyed all of the anticipation that went along with it?  Sure.  I enjoy seeing my family and spending time with them.  The Tim does not miss seeing his family, now that his parents have both died.  The siblings are not that close, and so we don't spend much time interacting with them anyway.  

But years ago, we realized that due to job issues for one or both of us, it just wasn't going to happen.  And though it was kinda weird the first year, now we love our very own Christmases, and actually cling to them.  Last month, in the weekend after Thanksgiving, we had a Zoom with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat in Baltimore.  Their original plan was to go to my sister's in WV for turkey day, since everyone would be getting together there this year.  But due to Covid, everyone just stayed put where they were.  Well, Amanda and Pat at least loved it!  As she said, "You know I love them all, but it was nice to enjoy the day and have NO drama!"  😊

And so, let me tell you three things that can make Christmas a wonderful day when there are just the two of you and whatever family members live in your house (in our case, a dog and two cats):

1.  The whole entire day belongs to YOU.  If you want to have candy for breakfast, there's no one to be upset, or no one to say, "But so-and-so is eating candy for breakfast, so why can't I?" which can lead to dirty looks from parents or anyone else around.  Feel like taking a nap in the middle of opening gifts?  Do it, and you can finish when you get up, while the other person does their thing for a while.  Unless you follow a strict daily schedule where every person always has to do a certain thing at a certain time, it's all up to you.

2.  You can still get together with everyone, just virtually, and at a mutually agreed time.  If you are a person who usually sleeps late, there's no requirement to get up at 5 a.m. with the rest of the family and immediately interact while everyone opens gifts together.  Instead, you can say, "Why don't we Zoom/Facetime/whatever at ____ [an agreed time]?"  

3.  Christmas Dinner is EXACTLY what you would like to eat, at the time of day you want to eat it.  I know so many people who complain every year that the one thing they dread is eating Christmas Dinner at 2 p.m., when they are used to dinnertime being at 7 p.m., or having to eat Cousin Mary's cooking because this year it's at her house.  If your Christmas Dinner sucks when there's just two of you, there's only yourselves to blame.

I could think of other things, but you get the gist.  I chose things that I most often hear others complain about.  The important thing to remember is that if you want to get together with everyone, you still can - just differently this year.  If you are a lucky person like I am, whose family enjoys interacting and who have not lost anyone this year, you're still going to be able to "see" them and interact - just not all day, every day.  I promise you will survive, and you might even enjoy it.  How you decide to approach it makes all the difference.

And remember, at a minimum, you may have the same experience as Amanda and Pat - NO DRAMA!!! 😛

It's That Time Again!

For the past few years, I've participated in the Virtual Advent Tour, sponsored by sprite, and it's one of my most favorite things of all about holiday time.  I've also been introduced to so many new blogs, new stories, and new traditions, and I don't know about you but I love when that happens.  (You too can sign up to participate here.)

Today is my turn to write a post, so I thought I'd tell you about the time my mother was thrilled to receive a gift from us that The Tim then had to tell her was actually for *his* mother ...

My mom, much like me (well, I guess I'm much like her actually), loved to open packages.  So it was not unusual for us to give her 4 or 5 things, each wrapped up,  as well as a stocking full of goodies and tiny little wrapped packages.  She was also someone who loved costume jewelry as much as fancy jewelry, so there was always a package of Christmas earrings, or a necklace, etc. - you get the drift.  

The Tim's mom was a different story.  She was first of all, really difficult to buy for because she could be really critical even while thanking you for something.  And she didn't really like a big variety of things.  So this particular year, The Tim saw that one of the department stores near us was having a pre-Christmas sale on their 14K gold jewelry, and he decided to buy his mom a pair of gold hoop earrings.  

When we used to travel home for Christmas, we would have two large bins in the car - one filled with gifts for my family, one filled with gifts for The Tim's family.  He was always in charge of packing the car (still is), because he has a certain way he likes it to be done.  This particular year, we were going to be with my family first, and then travel to his family.  

Christmas morning, we opened gifts, and everyone was having fun, and so excited with everything.  My mother opened a box, and I just happened to look up as she opened it and realized that it was the pair of earrings for my mother-in-law!  She of course, not having a clue about anything, was thrilled with them, and kept saying how pretty and fancy they were.  

Apparently when the car was being packed, one of the bins got bumped, and The Tim didn't notice that a single package had fallen into the other bin.  It was marked, "To Mom from Bridget and Tim," so we didn't notice it either.  Now, if we just shrugged and let my mom keep the earrings, it would mean we did not have a single gift for my mother-in-law!  So The Tim had to gently explain to my mother that a mistake had been made.

Fortunately, she completely understood, and even thought it was funny.  She did comment on how odd she thought it was that we gave her so many other gifts PLUS the fancy earrings, though.  

All's well that ends well, but it's become a Christmas tradition in our family that someone reminds The Tim of it every year.  Even some of the nieces and nephews, who had not even been born when it happened, will say, "Uncle Tim, do you remember when you gave Gram the earrings for your mother and then made her give them back?"

My mother-in-law was never any the wiser.  Let's just say that probably was a good thing.

FO Post: OK, I Think This Is Really the Last Gift Knit

I hope your weekend was as good as ours was!  Even better, it seemed nice and long, but in a good way.  Plus, I managed to finish what I am 99.99999% certain is really and truly the last gift knit for this year! 

Project:  Tim's Christmas Shortie Slipper Socks

Pattern:  Just a plain vanilla sock pattern, made into shortie socks, with a few tweaks (I can share it if you like, but it's nothing new I have to warn you!)

Yarn:  Plymouth Encore Worsted in the colorways Merry (main color), and Christmas Red (accents color)

Needles:  US size 5

Notes:  I have been wanting to make another pair of shortie slipper socks for The Tim, and when I remembered I had some Christmas-y yarns, it seemed like the perfect idea.  I knew I could get them finished fairly quickly, since they were both shortie socks, and the yarn was worsted.  And they did zip right along, taking only two weeks of somewhat regular knitting.  I'm so thrilled with how they turned out, and have decided that this is the pair I will give him for his birthday, so that he can be wearing them during Christmastime.  He has been wearing the previous pair of mismatched ones I made for him over the summer almost non-stop the past couple of days, since we've had some cool and damp temperatures.

However, I won't be able to make a matching pair for me, since this is all of the main color yarn I have left:

I must say this pleases me, since I like it when I don't have a lot of yarn left over - this will be just fine for an accent on something, or even for a little decoration or ornament.  😊

Unless I come across someone who simply *must* have something very quick for the holidays, I would say I'm finished with my gift knitting - yay!  Of course, The Tim has been known to casually mention something like, "Oh you know what would be nice if you wanted to knit me a gift - [insert item]."  Usually, though when he sees me working on gifts, he'll mention it and so far this year he hasn't so I should be safe, to to speak ...

Yesterday afternoon, I put 4 blocks onto my Cozy Squares of Memory blanket, but other than that, right now, I have nothing going on my needles!  But never fear, yesterday I wound up a skein of yarn for a pair of socks for me, and even knit a swatch for a future project.  The socks will definitely be started today, and we'll see what the swatch has to say before moving forward on anything else.

I should have plenty of knitting time this week, as the only day I will be going into to work is on Thursday.  I generally also go in on Tuesdays, but tomorrow morning I have a couple of medical things, and decided that instead of worrying how long anything might take, I'd just use the day as a sick day.  It always makes me extra anxious to sit in a waiting room and wonder how late I'll be to work, and these days, I decided I just don't need the extra stress if it can be avoided.

I hope it will be a good week for all of us.  I can't believe it's already the last week of October.  Time seems to be either standing still, or zooming along - no in betweens, at least for me.  Take care, and happy knitting, reading, stitching, or whatever pleases you!

Here's Another FO for Monday!

We had a nice weekend.  I got my hair cut on Saturday morning, so that was the highlight for me, because not only did it feel good to get my hair under control, but I had someone to go, legitimately!  Other than that, we did the usual - meaning we stayed close to home - but the weather was nice, and we were not on anyone else's schedule.

You may remember that last week I mentioned being behind on a couple of FO posts - the first was the Yukon Cornelius socks, which you saw here, and now here's the second one.

Project:  Amir's Scrappy Hat

Pattern:  St Mungo's Simple Hat

Yarn:  The only scraps of yarns that still had bands on them were Ancient Arts Fibre Sock in the Orange Tabby colorway, and Nomadic Yarns Trusty Sock in the Slutty Pumpkin colorway.  All of the rest are either additional leftovers, or minis from an Advent calendar a couple of years ago.

Needles:  US size 6

Modifications:  None.

Notes:  This is the last of the hats I was knitting for Christmas gifts this year.  Amir is the son of one of my nieces' partners, and though I'm not sure he will care for either the hat nor the colors, it's a gift and up to him to do what he wants with or about it.

I love the way it turned out, and again was pleased that I was able to finish off so much leftover yarn.  This is the second time I've knit this pattern, and it is definitely a keeper.  It knits up quickly, and you can make the yarn(s) do the talking, or just make it plain and conservative if you prefer.

Plus, the crown of the hat is just so cool!

So now all of the gifts I need to mail are finished, and it's just a matter of getting them ready for that once things get closer.  But even more exciting to me, is that I've used up SO MUCH leftover yarn!  I still have plenty of odds and ends left, but these projects for gifts definitely took care of more than half of what existed previously.

And because I've really liked all of the scrappy projects I've made, I have an idea in my head for one I'd like to make for myself.  I don't know why I never knit any scrappy projects before, and now I'm kind of hooked on them.  😉

FO Post: Look I Made a Hat!

 [With apologies to Stephen Sondheim, but I like to think he would appreciate it.]

We had a lovely weekend at our house - perfect weather, and it was one of those weekends where the days were a combination of getting things accomplished and just enjoying the day.  Topped off with a win by the Eagles last night - finally!  

One thing that pleased me was finally being able to get some decent pictures of a finished project - the hat I made for a Christmas gift for my great-nephew Zach.

Project:  Zach's Scrappy Hat

Pattern:  St Mungo's Simple Hat, by Stephanie Offer (a free pattern)

Needles:  US size 6

Yarn:  All leftovers from my stash - two strands of fingering to create a DK weight yarn.  The brim is a combination of leftover Hedgehog Fibre Sock in the Construct colorway, and an unknown yarn, followed by Construct held with leftover Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Mixed Berries colorway.

The bulk of the hat is Cedar Hill Farm Company Mission Sock in the Sweet Strawberry colorway, and Fiberstory Fave Sock in the Tranquil colorway.

Modifications:  None

Notes:  This was a really simple, well-written pattern.  The brim took the longest to knit, simply because it is really long so it can be folded up.  My metric-challenged brain needed help with the measurements and needle size, but that was easily enough resolved, so don't let that keep you from knitting it if you are in the U.S.

I plan to make one more hat for a Christmas gift, and then unless something strikes me for The Tim or even for the critters, I'll be finished with my holiday gifts for this year!

This pleases me greatly.

Let's hope this week will be more pleasing to all of us - I know better than to get much more carried away than "more pleasing" ... 😉

A Quick Little FO Post

Hello on a cool and sunny morning.  I'm getting ready to head out for a Covid-19 test bright and early today.  We are required to get one before returning to work (though I have been back at work since the beginning of August, so timing??).  Fortunately, I have no symptoms, so I just need to have it checked off the list for my file.

The weekend was nice, nothing elaborate one way or another.  Our hearts are broken with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was a heroine in this house.  And though she does belong to all of us, I really wish that her family could at least have her to themselves in death.  It was somewhat of a cloud on the weekend, but I am also grateful that any suffering she experienced is over.  I am also very grateful that I lived in a world where she lived.

In any case, I stuck to my knitting and ended up with an FO!  Granted, it was a quick knit to start, but I had not originally planned to start and finish something over the course of a single weekend.

(front)

Project:  Jan's Headband

Pattern:  Lisa Headband, by Birgitte Reiten (Ravelry link)

Needles: US size 4, 6

Yarn:  Various fingering weight yarn leftovers, held together to make DK weight 

Modifications:  I used this pattern for the basic stitch counts, and for the help with making increases/decreases that worked more seamlessly in appearance.  

Notes:  This was a really quick knit - I started it on Saturday afternoon, finished it Saturday evening, blocked it and joined the ends to finish it on Sunday.  Originally, I planned to follow the pattern as written, but it was so vague and confusing that I decided to work with the numbers only.  

(back - not perfect mattress stitch, but not too awful)

This is a Christmas gift for the daughter of a niece's partner.  She is a preteen, so she may not even be interested, but then again, I know I see lots of girls her age and older wearing these headbands instead of hats when it gets cold, so maybe she'll actually use it.  But no matter what, it pleases me to have another gift made and ready to go.

That's all for now.  Off to get my stuff together and walk over to my testing site.  I hope this week treats all of us well.  I for one, am excited that tomorrow is the first day of autumn!!

Friday FO: When Four Quarters Make One Gift

I am feeling quite pleased with myself at the moment, because I have completed a project for Christmas gifts that means one entire family is already marked off my list!

Project:  KJPO Hats (Ravelry link)

Pattern:  Olmsted Hat, by Jaclyn Salem (also a Rav link)

Needles:  Size 4US

Yarn:  See each individual project. Everything was leftovers from previous projects.  Except when I used yarn that remained from my Crazytown Cowl (which was DK yarn to being with), I used two strands together to make the DK weight needed for the pattern.

Notes/details/modifications:

K Hat - leftover sock yarn, held together to make DK weight. The whole thing uses some Hedgehog Sock yarn in the colorway Construct; the other two yarns used are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway Spats (around the brim), and Ancient Arts Fibres in the Grey Tabby colorway.   

Knit exactly as pattern indicates.  Started: August 17 ... Finished: August 24.

J Hat - leftover yarn from my Shift Cowl by Andrea Mowry; a small amount of Good Ole Pip in Plucky Sock; Orange Tabby from Ancient Arts Fibre Sock; Slutty Pumpkin from Nomadic Yarns; two random amounts from minis.  Followed pattern as written, but started the decreases at 6 inches instead of at 6.5 inches.  Started:  August 30 ... Finished: September 4.

P Hat - leftover yarn from my Shift Cowl (aka Crazytown Cowl) by Andrea Mowry.  Adapted for a kid's head. Cast on 96 stitches, and knit for 5.5 inches before starting decreases.  Started: August 25 ... Finished: August 29

O Hat - used Ancient Art Fibres sock in Grey Tabby, along with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Peppermint Mocha; Nomadic Yarns Twisty Sock in the McGonigle and the Dumbledore colorways.  Cast on 92 stitches, and knit for 5 inches before starting decreases.  Started:  September 1 ... Finished:  September 12.

I love how each hat turned out - different but with some similarities.  After making a hat for The Tim last year using this pattern, I thought that it would be very adaptable to size, since it is a pretty versatile pattern that starts out stretchy when you follow the pattern exactly.  I adjusted sizes mainly so that none of the hats would be too slouchy, because when I tried on the one I made for The Tim, it fit me just fine, but there was a lot of extra material to be either slouchy or for a large folded over brim.  In any case, I highly recommend this pattern.  It is very clearly written, very straightforward, and knits up quickly, since the only point where you have to pay close attention is when you get to the decreases.  

So now I have some Christmas knitting completed - early enough to give me some time to decide what else I should attempt for others. 😊

******

I've been able to do a lot of knitting during the pandemic, and I have to say that not only has it given me something to keep my mind and hands busy, but it has also helped me maintain a certain degree of normalcy.  True, there have been plenty of times when the world has been too crazy and too upsetting to even consider doing anything at all that required any brain power or concentration.  But when I was able to rein in the panic, being able to read or knit or stitch meant that I wasn't constantly in a state of major anxiety.  

Unfortunately, it's not looking like things will settle down anytime soon here, at least not in the U.S., so I hope I can continue to manage my feelings with things that are only only enjoyable, but that take my thoughts in another direction and allow an escape, no matter how brief.

I have never been more grateful to have a decent sized stash, let me tell you!

******

I hope all of you have a good weekend.  It's the last weekend of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and in Philadelphia, there has definitely been some hints of autumn in the air.  Whereas some people find that depressing, since it takes us into the seasons of colder weather, and fewer hours of daylight, I look forward to the cozy.  

I'm especially grateful my biggest concern right now is locating some warmer things to wear; I don't have to deal with flooding from hurricanes or evacuating due to wildfires, or face the daunting fact of starting over with nothing.  

Take care, everyone.

I Have a QO to Show You!

Happy last Friday in August - though I realize it's not the same as most Augusts are.  But still time goes right along, and it seems only right to mark it.  Because I have a Zoom meeting at 1:00 today that I know will only make me angry, I thought I'd use this time to write a happy post.  That way, I can be in a good frame of mind before it starts, and spend the afternoon knitting away my anger and aggravation.  

And so, I wanted to share my QO with you.  You may think, "What in the ever-loving universe is a QO???"  My response to you is, that *this* is a QO:

Then you will say, "But Bridget, that looks like a hat, and like it's an FO."  Which means that yes, you are quite observant, but then again, not quite.  Because although this particular piece may be a Finished Object in and of itself, it is only 1/4 - a Quarter - of an overall planned project.  Hence, the term QO = Quarter Object.

This is a hat for Keith, who is married to my niece Julie.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that I am making the same hat for everyone in the family for Christmas, which then became the KJPO Hat Project.  Above you see the K hat.  I am using the Olmsted Hat pattern by Jaclyn Salem.  I have already used that pattern to make a hat for The Tim, which he really likes and wears a lot in the cold weather.  It uses DK weight yarn, so for me, it was a perfect chance to use some stash!  This one used two strands of sock yarn knit together.  I used some leftover Hedgehog Sock in the Construct colorway for all of it; the brim which looks gold and blue is leftover (and now completely used up - YAY - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Spats colorway; and, the bulk of the rest is Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts sock yarn in the Grey Tabby colorway.  I like how the brim turned out, though I must admit it was as much dumb luck as anything else, because I didn't really do a lot of planning - just grabbed and started knitting.  I followed the pattern exactly as written, and again have to say, it's a great pattern and makes a nice, squishy hat.

This took me about a week to knit, though in fits and spurts.  I'd get a lot done one day, and then not knit at all the next.  So this is all definitely doable.

And now?  I'm working on the next one in the group, which is the P hat.  I've adapted the stitch count for a kid's size, based on other kid-sized hat patterns I've seen.  As you know, baby and child knits go so quickly, I'm just moving right along on that one!  I want to try and get all four of them done before I move on to any other gifts for anyone else.  That way, at least one group will have handknit gifts this year. 😉

*****

I'm feeling pleased with myself this morning because I have been able to get a few things accomplished - got a flu shot and the first part of my shingles vaccine, took a LOT of old but still in good shape towels and dropped them off at the vet's office where they were much appreciated, and I'm almost finished with the laundry.  Always a good feeling to check things off the list for the day.  We have no particular plans this weekend.  Tomorrow it is supposed to rain the entire day, pretty steadily, so it will be a day of inside projects.  Sunday promises to be lovely, and so The Tim is thinking maybe we can take Hamlet to one of the large parks nearby where we can all walk around and not have to worry about crowds.  I hope we can do that, it would be a real treat.  

And that's all of the excitement from my life.  I hope all of you have a nice weekend and get in some time to do the things you really enjoy.  See you next week!

Another Friday FO! Plus, Leaving the House!

At the beginning of December 2019, I started a pair of Christmas-themed socks for me, knowing that with everything else happening during Christmastime, it was likely they may not be finished.  And by the time the holiday season was over, I had one sock completed.  Which was fine with me, I figured I'd start sock #2 sometime around November 2020, so they'd be completed for that holiday season.

You know, thinking 2020 would be pretty much like any other year.  And we all know what *that's* taught us! 😲

Project:  Rudolph and  Clarice Socks
Pattern:  Vintage Fairy Lights, by Helen Stewart
Needles:  US size 1
Yarn:  Sweet Sparrow Sock Yarn, colorway Rudolph and Clarice
Modifications:  I knit the foot of the sock plain, rather than continuing the ribbing.  I remember that when I was knitting the first sock, once I got past the heel, I forgot completely about the ribbing, and got to a certain point and just figured I'd go with it.
Notes:  Thanks to Christmas in July, now both socks are finished!  The second one took longer than I expected because I had just started the foot when I realized that after the patterning at the top, I'd stopped doing the ribbing at all!  So I ripped back because I knew that it would bother me (particularly on a pair of Christmas socks!), and re-knit in the ribbing until the heel flap.

I've had this yarn for a couple of years, and if you have read my blog for any amount of time, you can surely understand why I purchased yarn in a colorway called "Rudolph and Clarice."  The pattern was well written and easy to figure out (I have since noticed that this is the norm with Helen Stewart patterns), and the yarn was lovely to knit.  It was fun watching the "fairy lights" start to show up, and I would definitely knit this pattern again. 

Now I have a finished pair of socks for July, as well as a finished pair of Christmas socks.  Plus, a reminder of my very fave Christmas show.  Who knows, I may just get them out and look at them every year instead of wearing them! 😉

******

This is supposed to be another hot and steamy weekend here in Philadelphia - you know, the kind where you wonder why you bothered to even shower since you don't really dry off the whole day.  I want to do a couple of organizing projects on our third floor, which has an air conditioning unit, so there may actually be chance they will at least get started ... but the most exciting thing coming up for me is that TOMORROW I AM GETTING MY HAIRCUT BY AN ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL!!!!!  Don't get me wrong, I've appreciated The Tim's willingness to do what he could a couple of times, but I'm looking forward to an actual haircut by someone who is trained to do just that.  When I made the appt soon after it was announced that salons could open, I made sure to make it enough in advance so that I could determine if it seemed like a good idea to go.  Lately there has been an uptick in Covid-19 cases (don't go there with me), but most have been traced to restaurants and bars in the area, none to hair salons.  I checked on some local websites, and it sounds like the place where I am going (which is new to me, because of course) is doing an excellent job of cleaning, social distancing, etc. and receiving excellent reviews.  So I'm gonna give it a try.  As I told The Tim, from everything I have heard and read, they seem to be on the ball.  He says that as I am a person who is so abundantly cautious, he feels confident it will all work out.

And of course I want it to, because this is a huge venture for me at this point.  But if the worst happens, at least my hair will look better ... ?

Saturday FO: The Last of the Official Gift Knits

I am feeling very proud of myself - last weekend, I finished the last of the "official" gift knits for this year.  What, you may ask is an "official" gift knit?  Well, that is a gift knit that you planned in advance for a specific date - in this case, Christmas - and finished and is ready to gift.

Here they are - finished, with all of the ends woven in as of Sunday, November 24, which I might point out is a full month before they needed to be ready.  This is a new record for me.  Granted, in the past, I have put aside knitting for The Tim until the very last minute, so finishing and weaving in ends late on Christmas Eve and then hurrying to wrap the gift has in fact happened.

But not this year.

Project:  Christmas Vacation Socks
Pattern:  Generic Vanilla Sock pattern in my brain
Needles:  US size 1
Yarn:  Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso, in the "Oh Clark!" colorway
Modifications:  Nope.
Notes:  As I mentioned here once before, our family has a ridiculous and wonderful connection to the National Lampoon movies, especially the Christmas Vacation one.  So when I saw the name of this colorway, I decided to break my no-buy and get the yarn to make socks for The Tim.  These were fun to knit, watching the stripes and speckles show up.  They went quickly since there was no real pattern to concentrate on, so I was able to work on them while watching TV, or listening to music, watching a podcast, etc.  I also worked on these while The Tim was around, and I am 99% sure that he will nonetheless be compeletely surprised with them on Christmas morning.  :-)

The only concern I have is that this yarn seems like it might not be too sturdy.  I hope I'm wrong, but I just got that feeling while I was knitting.  It didn't give me problems while knitting, it just didn't feel like a lot of other sock yarns.  We'll see.

Now, my big decision is whether or not I want to start any other quick projects and still call them potential gifts.  I am seriously considering starting something and not calling it a gift, or calling it a gift for myself.  We'll see.  I also want to cast on 1,000 things, so I just really need to narrow it all down and start something and just enjoy the knitting.  That's the whole reason for doing it in the first place anway, right?

FO : Christmas in July Socks

I'm feeling quite pleased with myself because I had set a goal to finish these socks by the end of July.  And I actually finished them last Thursday, so I was days ahead!

Project:  Christmas in July Socks

Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family, by Melinda Goodfellow (my go-to vanilla sock pattern)

Needles:  Size 1US

Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Peppermint Mocha colorway

Modifications:  I used the Eye of Partridge Heel flap pattern, to add some texture and visual interest.

These socks are for The Tim, who of course assumed I was knitting for myself, and kept mentioning how great they looked, so I know he will like them!  They went pretty fast, partly because I just hit the right mode, and partly because I loved the colorway, and wanted to see how it would knit up.  I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and wish it could be cool enough to have  Peppermint Mocha to celebrate ... :-)

Hamlet is not a knitter, but he has no problem posing with knitted items.  As you may imagine, Pip had a lot to say about this - not because he usually poses with knitted items, but because THE DOG was doing something ...

My other project that I was hoping to finish this month will carry over into the beginning of August.  I received the yarn I needed to finish it in plenty of time, but when I picked things up to start knitting again, I did something that caused me to have to rip back ~16 rounds.  Ugh.  But things are back on track, though there is no way I'll finish this evening.  Which is fine - I've put so much effort into it so far, why not have a finished knit that makes me happy?

A Proud HO!

I recently heard several podcasters refer to a half-finished project as a HO and found it so amusing, I decided to adopt the term.   Because I will always glom on to something that amuses me.  Work with me here, people, I have to take it where I can find it.  :-)

I have been off work today for medical stuff.  I left the house around 9 a.m. this morning and got home about 15 minutes ago.  That's a long day of prodding, poking, scanning, and whatever else they felt like doing.  Fortunately, it's all routine to guarantee that nothing NOT routine shows up.  But it is still tiring.  Having said that, it's still better than a day at work for me, which is sad but true.

Anyway, I mentioned previously that I was moving along on the fingerless mitts requested by The Tim.  Before I left for my appointments this morning, I'd been able to add the middle finger.

Once I had knit the ring finger, I knew what to expect, so the middle finger didn't take long at all.  Even better, after that it was a pretty short road to a HO:

I just finished weaving in the ends and closing a few gaps a big ago, so the poor thing is pretty wonky-looking, but it looks like what it is supposed to be - YAY!  I tried it on my hand, and it was too big enough that I think the finished pair will fit The Tim just fine.

Someone (Bonny, I think?) asked me about the pattern.  I initially started with a couple of free patterns from Ravelry, but to be perfectly honest, they were not well-written, and since I had never made fingerless mitts with separate fingers, I wasn't able to extrapolate what I should really do (others might not have a problem, but my mind doesn't easily handle that sort of thing, especially if I've never tried before).  So I ended up purchasing the Iron Horse Mitts pattern, and I'm really pleased that I decided to do that.  Though I do think the original pattern designer might have used more than one color of yarn, since it occasionally refers to the Main Color (MC) and Contrast Color (CC) but the mitts in the pattern photo are one color, so once I determined that I was truly not missing something important, I was good to go.  I won't be adding leather palms to them, because I don't really like them that way, and also we try to avoid leather when we can.

I'm very pleased with the first one, and will get started on the second later today or tomorrow.  I think it will be very doable to have them both completed well in time to give as a Christmas gift.  It's also a good feeling to know that I was able to do something new (to me at least) successfully, so it's a real boost for the day!

Down the road, I may even make a pair for myself ... :-)

Christmas Eve 2016

The wait is nearly over.  We once again have the chance to start anew.  I hope your holiday, whatever one you celebrate, will bring you happiness, merriment, laughter, hope, love, and peace.

Whether you are in the circle of your family and/or friends, or learning a new way to celebrate, I hope it's one of the best holidays ever.  Know that you are loved, even if that is sometimes hard to remember.

Happy Hanukkah!

Merry Christmas!

May the light of the season bring you joy.

The Last of the Turn A Square Hats

Yep, they are all finished!  I wove in the ends of the last one - the one for my niece Annie's boyfriend Patrick - on Sunday evening.  And, though you have seen every single other one, and know my thoughts, I'm still showing you the last two!

First, my great-nephew Zach's hat, in orange and black, the colors of his favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles:

I was working on these near the time of Halloween, and people kept saying, "Oh how cute, a Halloween hat."  So I guess if he decides that's what it is, that's what it can be.  But when I chose the yarn and was knitting, it was all Baltimore Orioles to me ...

And the final hat, for Patrick, in black and tan (though the pictures make the tan look more whitish):

By now, you know the details of the pattern, and the only different thing is the tan yarn, which is Berocco Vintage in the colorway Oats.

If you want to review things, and/or see them all "lined up" together, here is the link to the project page on Ravelry.

I am both pleased with how well they all turned out, and that they were all made with yarn already in my stash!  Win-win.

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Thank you for your good wishes that my cold will move on soon.  So far, it's still digging in, but at least I have medicine that is making me able to function pretty well, and good cough syrup that makes it possible for me to get a decent amount of sleep at night.   At this point, I think it's just a matter of waiting it out.

I'll be back tomorrow for the last day of NaBloPoMo - see you then!