Spring Flowers

Another finished object is off the needles.  This is a modified version of the Pressed Flowers shawl by Amy Christoffers.  I made this out of Rowan Norwegian Wool in the colors Mountain and Frost Pink, all of which was stash yarn.  This shawl was knit as an accessory to wear at the upcoming Nash Yarn Fest.

I modified the patterna a bit.  First, I did not do all of the repeats of the main chart.  The pattern calls for the chart to be worked a total of five times.  I only did three.  I did not want a massive shawl.  The other modification was the bind off.  Instead of the sewn bind off, I did an I-cord.  Part of the reason I didn't do the sewn bind off was the length of yarn needed to execute the sew bind off.  Norwegian Wool is only 2-ply and not tightly plied.  I felt that with all the drag on the yarn as the edge was sewn would cause the yarn to break.  Also, I've done a sewn bind off on a couple recent projects.  I just wasn't feeling like doing it again.  I really feel I made the right choice.  The I-cord gives the edge a nice bit of structure.

Now that I'm done with this project I have to get moving on a couple baby gifts.  I have a Baby Sophisticate on the needles for a little one that has probably already made her appearance.  This little one was due last week.  I am also working on a crocheted afghan for another little one due to arrive in June.  I'm very far behind on that project.  It will probably be my car project when I head to Nashville in a few weeks.

Besides those, I'm make slow progress on my birthday cast on, the Cumulus Tee.  No new pictures because it looks pretty much the same.  I'll share once I get the neckline joined in the round.

 

Becoming My Buddy

 Buddy has been with us for three months now.  He's definitely learned a few of the routines around here.  When I get up in the morning, he taps my arm as I walk past the foot of the bed to make sure I know he is there.  I actually think it is more of a 'Hey! Don't forget to feed me' tap.  He knows when I got out to the kitchen in the morning, the first things I do are put a pot of water on the stove for me tea, refill his water bowl, and give him a treat and a scoop of his kibble.  He thinks I need reminding every morning.

We have also noticed that he waits on the kitchen island when we come home.  Squeaks used to run down the hall to greet us at the door.  Not Buddy.  He waits for us to come into the kitchen and give him a treat.  It's all about food with this guy.

When we first got him, he seemed to be more attached to Ed.  He would crawl on Ed's lap and take a nap.  He has crawled on mine a few times, but only if Ed it not around.  Buddy also went through a few weeks where he bit me any time I tried to touch him.  I threatened to send him back, which made Ed a bit nervous.  But lately, Buddy has settled down a bit.  He's following me around more, being my shadow like Squeaks used to do.  Maybe he's accepting me now.

Today is the first time he has spent any time in the cat tree in my office.  Squeaks would be there all morning with me.  Buddy jumped up there earlier when some birds were flying around the front porch.  He's decided it's not a bad place for a nap.  I'm glad.  I love having the company in my office.

Since my last post, Ed and I took a couple trips.  The first was a long weekend in Florida at our usual spot.  We got there early on a Thursday morning and were able to get into the condo right away.  After getting a bite to eat and a trip to the grocery store, we spent the rest of the trip by the pool.  It was a nice get away.  I was able to relax and get a lot of reading done.

Out other trip was just a stay at Oglebay Resort.  We had never been there and wanted to see what it was like.  We determined that it was nice, but very dated decor.  Also, it didn't have much for us to do.  We don't golf and weren't interested in the museum or small zoo.  After we took a walk on Saturday morning, we decided to head home.  The weather was going to get very stormy and we thought that if we were going to be stuck inside, we'd rather be stuck in our own house rather than a small hotel room.  It was a nice little get away, but we won't go back.  Checked that off our list.

We took another day trip this past weekend to visit Blake.  Ed and Blake went to the shooting range.  They dropped  me off at Hank.  It was a win-win-win for us all.  They got to have fun and I spent the afternoon inhaling yarn fumes.

While at Hank, I bought myself a birthday present: six balls of Knitting for Olive Merino to make myself a Cumulus Tee.  Since I had a few hours there, after making my purchase I sat at a table and cast on.  This may be a slow project since it is on 3mm needles, but I'm enjoying the beautiful color.

Besides this tee, I have another project active on the needles.  This project is for the upcoming Nashville Yarn Fest.

I'm going to NYF with my knitting enabler Cindy and her sister Jenny.  Cindy and Jenny attended the festival last year and made matching cowls to wear.  This year, they decided they would make Pressed Flowers shawls.  I decided to join the fun and cast on one for myself.  Their's will be green and beige.  I decided to make mine green and pink, using some stash Norwegian Wool.  I'm not going to make mine the full size.  After three repeats of the main chart, I decided to move along to the border chart.  It will be more of a shawlette.  Just something to keep my neck and shoulders warm in the cold conference rooms.  I have 6 more double rows and an I-cord bindoff to go.  I'll easily get this done by the time we take our trip in April.

My sewing room is almost done.  I probably have said that a few times aready, but this time it really is.  We need to install the flooring and then Ed and my son-in-law need to do the baseboards and trim.  Then the room is mine to occupy.  First order of business will be a trip to IKEA to get a couple table tops.  And maybe a peg board or two. Arranging my sewing space is the very exciting part.  Stay tuned for some pictures.

Sidney Sweatshirt

 Monday evening I took a class at a local fabric store.  The class was to make a Sidney Sweatshirt using a serger. 

The Sidney Sweatshirt is a pattern from Merchant and Mills.  It is an extremely oversized, boxy sweatshirt.

I took the class for several reasons.  First, it has been a few years since I've sewn a garment.  Second, it has been just as long, if not longer, since I used my serger.  Third, it sounded like a fun excuse to get out of the house for an evening.  Working from home, especially in the winter, does cause some cabin-fever symptoms.

My lovely friend Cindy, also refered to as my knitting enabler, took the class with me.  This time I was the enabler, suggesting she grab the last spot open for the class.  

After signing up for the class, Cindy and I met at the shop a couple weeks ago to pick out our fabric.  We both gravitated toward a wool boucle.  She liked the dark blue and I the green.  But after trying out several options for the ribbing, I decided to look for something else.  Cindy was able to find ribbing that matched.  In the end I settled on a quilted print in rose and burgundy.

During the class the teacher guided us through the steps she recommended for making the shirt.  Having already made one herself, she felt an alternative way for making the sleeves was easier.  By the end of the class everyone had a finished shirt. Trying it on at the end of class, I liked my sweatshirt, but was not completely thrilled with the neckline.  If I am going to wear it, I needed to do something about it.

Yesterday morning I pulled out my serger and made a slight adjustment to the neck opening.  It fits much better now.

I'm still working on my Felix Pullover.  I've started the first sleeve.  My hope is to get this done before a trip next month.

Another project I've started isn't fiber related.  A new batch of vanilla extract is in the works.  I bought a pack of Madagascar vanilla beans and a bottle of vodka.  After splitting the beans in half lengthwise, I popped them into the bottle.  The bottle is now stashed in the back corner of my pantry.  I just need to remember to give it a good shake every couple days.  By the time Christmas baking rolls around this year, I should have a wonderful jug of extract.

Old Man Winter

 I like winter.  I like the cold nights and cozy evenings in front of  a fire.  I always wish for a nice snowstorm over a weekend so I can just hunker down with my knitting and books and watch the snow fall.  Where I live we get some snow, but it's unusual to get more than one good snowfall a year.  And the odds are it isn't going to happen over a weekend.

This year my wish almost came true.  We did get a snowstorm, a very big snowstorm in fact.  And it came over a weekend.  But, as luck would have it, I was previously committed to babysitting the grandkids because my daughter and son-in-law were away on a cruise for their fifth wedding annivery.  Sitting and watching it snow was not in the cards.

Instead, I spent a very cold, snowy day trying to entertain a 3 and 1 year old.

Covering the wall with left over potty-training stickers kept them occupied for about an hour.  Other activities included playing in the basement play room, reading books, watching television, coloring, and eating snacks.

Things were getting a little precarious on this day.  Our area was at a Level 3 snow emergency.  I was with the kids at my daughter's house.  My husband was stuck at our house.  The food was getting low.  Besides allowing the kids to do somethings that weren't normally approved (said stickers and longer than allowed TV time) I had to be creative with feeding them.  I will neither confirm nor deny that cereal might have been served along with the chicken nuggets for dinner.

My daughter and son-in-law got home the next morning at 7:30 am.  Their flight landed at 1:30 am but they couldn't leave the airport because the roads were closed.  Ed picked them up in the morning and picked me up when he dropped them off.  After a hot shower, I crawled into bed for a few hours.  Omi was exhausted!

The snowstorm and following couple weeks were ones for the history books.

Temperatures never went above freezing for almost 3 weeks.  The pond behind our house was frozen solid.

I tried to keep the feeders full for the birds.  My most frequent visitors were juncos, finches, sparrows, and blue birds.

Things are melting now.  It looks like spring is going to be heading our way.

In the knitting world, I have one more finished object.  I made a small hat for my youngest grandson.

I used some leftover yarn from my stash and a couple patterns as a guide for the size.  I babysat the little guy the evening after I finished this.  I am a little disappointed that it just fits now.  He won't be able to wear it for very long.  I guess I'll just have to make another one soon.

I have a couple other knits in the works.  I'm make a Felix Pullover as part of a Knit to Fit class I'm taking from my LYS.  I'll post a few pictures after it is done.

I also have a Cumulus Blouse on the needles.  I need to put it on some barber cords and try it on.  I have a suspicion that it is going to be a bit too big.  Stay tuned for more details in a later post.

I also have a Pressed Flowers Shawl on the needles.  A couple friends and I are heading to the Nashville Yarn Fest in April.  This knit is a buddy knit for this yarn event.

Besides the knits, I have a crochet baby blanket in the works and a couple sewing projects. 

On Monday I'll be taking a sewing class to make the Sidney Sweatshirt.  I have been sewing clothes since I was young, but I decided to take this class since it's been a few years since I've used my sewing maching.  And this is stretchy fabric, which has given me issues in the past.

I am also making a leather bag for myself.  Back before Christmas I bought myself a Babylon Leather kit.  I'm slowly working my way through handsewing the bag.

As with all things, pictures of the finished products will be coming in the next few months.