If the Knitting is Good then Life is Good

Sometimes everything is just right with my knitting world. Yesterday I was listening to the She-Knits’ podcast and Sharon was questioning cause and effect – something along the lines of - if everything is working right with your knitting, does that make everything better in everyday life or does everyday life influence your knitting. Right now in my life when I feel centered and content with my knitting that helps make me feel more content in my life. I am not sure what that says about me and my life, but it is the way I am focusing my life right now.

With that said, last night was an excellent knitting night. I completed my armhole decreases on the back of Tribeca. I had hoped to be to this point a couple of weeks ago, but I have not been able to get to Knit Night the last two weeks. Now it should be a fairly easy run through the rest of the back. There is still a lot left to do, but it is a good sweater for Knit Night when I can get there and I really like the way the sweater is looking.

I also revisited Juno Regina last night and on the first attempt I got back on track. I got to the last little bit of Row 3 and realized what had thrown me off the other night. It really felt great to know that I had conquered that issue and without any real frustrations I was able to get back on track.

I am really looking forward to having a great knitting weekend. The weather has been so conducive to knitting lately and I don’t really have any other obligations since my class is now done and the kid will be with his dad. I hope you all have the perfect knitting weekend.

Be the Knitting

Last night was the first time in a while that I got home from work and had the house to myself and I could just sit and knit. I had been looking forward to it all day. The challenges of the economy have definitely affected the industry I work in so work days that used to be, on a certain level, stress-free have now become fraught with stress and uncertainty. On top of that, I am just plain tired. I need some time off and that’s not happening anytime soon. So the thought of some quiet, productive knitting time really made me happy.

So what was the reality? There was definitely quiet, but productive? Definitely not! I probably made a mistake when I picked Juno Regina as my project of choice last night. It had been a while since I worked on it and I really wanted to get going on the next chart. So I worked my first two rows and all seemed fine. Then I got to the third row and something just didn’t seem right and I got interrupted a couple of times so I really felt like I had made a mistake. I tinked back not once, but two or three times on that one row and something still didn’t feel right. So then I tinked back that row plus the previous purl row to see if I had set things up correctly in the first row of the pattern and everything was perfect in that row. In the end, I am not sure if I had a mistake or not on row 3. I will only know once I get back to it and try again.

The good news is I was just happy to have my hands in the wool so to speak and I knew there was nothing I could do, but just work through it. So there wasn’t much progress made, but it felt good to just “be” with my knitting. My son has a Life is good® t-shirt that depicts a golfer and the caption is “Be the Ball”. I know I will work through this challenge and sometimes we just have to “be the knitting”.

What Made Me Take the Fall?

I have been reflecting on the purchases I made while I was theoretically off the wagon and I have been thinking about why I chose to buy the things that I did. A big impetus for most of the purchases was that a lot of new patterns came out for Fall and I was also looking at a lot of old magazines and my book collection. I found several patterns that I wanted to make and with a few exceptions most of the purchases were fairly insignificant when you look at them project by project.

I did buy a lot of yarn from Beaverslide – enough for two sweaters, but I did get some of that on sale. I bought yarn for two sweaters from Yarnzilla and both of those purchases featured extremely good sale prices. I have bought some yarn for baby sweaters which were not big dollar purchases. I bought sock yarn that on its own were fairly small purchases. I did splurge on my Dream in Color for the February Lady Sweater, but I am really happy with that yarn and starting in October I am going to participate in the Sleeves off and Buttons On knit-a-long for the lady so I am happy that I can be a part of that and get a beautiful sweater made in the process.

Does a really good sale justify the purchase or should one resist temptation? I know I have too many projects that I want to make and that does weigh on my mind these days. I think once I make some progress getting through those projects that are really close to completion then I will feel better about what I have in the stash and queue. It felt really good when I got out the projects and evaluated what it would take to get them done. If I just don’t procrastinate, I can have a really nice group of sweaters ready for the Fall and Winter.

Gift Knitting

My mom’s birthday is coming up in November and I have a couple of small projects that I want to make for her. On one of my knitting store road trips, I visited The Peace of Yarn in Matthews, NC. It was a lovely shop with a wide variety of yarn and the owner, Cindy, was very nice. While there, I found some Tilli Tomas, Disco Lights, in the Ruby Wine colorway. In the Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 magazine there is a pattern for a little clutch that uses this yarn and it will be perfect for my mom to use during the holiday season and on a cruise my parents are going on in February. Also, last year I started a Noni bag for my mom. I still need to knit the flowers, but then I just need to felt everything and that bag will be pretty much done so she can be the happy recipient (I hope!) of two special handmade gifts this year.

It is a little over three months until Christmas and I have a few things that I want to accomplish in terms of gifts for others. Last year I gave a co-worker a Booga J bag and she has asked for a scarf to go with it. Thankfully, I still have just enough yarn to make her a scarf. I am also thinking that if I can get it done then I would like to give my grandmother the Juno Regina that I have started. I think the color would look good on her and although she lives in Florida, she likes to have something to cover her arms and give her a little bit of warmth when needed. I also would like to send my aunt and cousin maybe a little something. As we were talking about little filler projects the other day, most of my holiday knitting will fall into this category. I need to get organized and prioritize so that I get these projects into the queue and finished in plenty of time. I also should think about something for my sister. There was a little wrap top in the Summer Knitty that would actually be perfect for her and I have some stash yarn that I think would be good for that project. I guess I have my work cut out for me, but none of these projects are too big. So on with the gift of knitting!

Time to Get Back on Track

Falling off the wagon has been fun and it has brought some beautiful yarn into my life, but it has not brought me closer to the goals that I set for myself when I started this journey. Of course I can rationalize it and god knows there have been some great patterns to come out for the Fall season, but I need to deal with what I already have to work with. One of the recent Belle of the Ball podcasts talked about the economy of knitting and with all the news about the economy as a whole I need to get back on track with the economy of my own knitting. I have plenty of great projects to keep me busy … well let’s face it, for a really long time. I am happy with everything that I have available to me in my stash and I feel like I have done a good job of supporting my local knitting stores during these harder economic times. So I have resolved to get back to my original commitment, but with one minor change. From time to time as my budget allows, I am going to put aside some cash from my monthly spending allowance and if I want to buy something, it has to be with cash from my little knitting money stash. That seems doable and if I want something on-line then the cash goes back into the bank to pay for it. Seems like a good modification to the original plan.

It is going to be a beautiful weekend here in North Carolina and I am psyched to have a fiber-filled one. I am looking forward to my Magic Loop class tomorrow morning and learning to do toe-up socks. There are many things that I want to get my hands on this weekend. The big question is…will the Dayflower get finished this weekend? We will see! Have a fiber friendly weekend and I will see you all next week.

Variety...It's the Spice of Life

Yesterday I outlined my many knitting projects and how I like to have different ones that match my knitting mood at any given moment. I was reading Margene’s blog this morning and she was also talking about how she likes to be working a smaller project while she continues with her monogamous approach to only a few big projects. That’s sort of the way I look at my primary projects in process.

I like to have a main project. For a while that was the Dayflower Cardigan. Now, it is the vest. Then I also like to have a pair of socks on the needles. That has been the Spring Forward socks, but they have been edged aside by my Magic Loop sock and my soon to go on the needles first attempt at a toe-up sock. Then I like to have a lace project. Now that I have finished the Lace Ribbon scarf, Juno Regina has filled that space. Then I seem to have some other little project to fill some voids. I made the three baby hats and just like Margene, I have the yarn just waiting for Jared Flood’s Turn a Square hat. I also want to start some fingerless mitts. Yes, this seems like a lot, but it seems to work in a way that keeps my interest high in all of my projects. It provides variety for my hands which seems to ward off hand pain and you know what they say…variety is the spice of life!

My So Called Knitting Life

My work life has been so crazy lately. I work in a field where it is feast or famine. It always seems like there is either too much to do or too little. I prefer to be busy, but it sometimes runs into my free time – thus the reduction in posts lately. When the choice comes down to knitting or posting, I have to choose the knitting!!

I have been working on various projects – some monogamy, but a little bit of knitting ADD too! I was asked to make a pink square for a blanket my local yarn store is making for a breast cancer group. So that had to be finished by today and thankfully I got it done over the weekend. I am also still taking the Magic Loop class so I have been working on that. I completed my homework assignment for last week and now I need to get working on this week’s assignment which is basically to finish the sock. The good news is this coming week I will be the only one in class so the teacher is going to show me how to start a toe up sock. I am going to make the Interlocking Leaves sock from the new Knitty and I can’t wait. I also found the perfect pattern for the three skeins of Malabrigo that I got a few weeks ago. I debated making my sister a Juliet, but she lives in Miami and I wasn’t sure how much use she would get out of it. At Knit Night last week I saw a sample in the shop of a vest and it was one of those moments when you know you have found the right project. I have started it as my sort of no-thinking knitting. I love the feel of Malabrigo and the color is so beautiful – like watercolors! I worked on Tribeca at last week’s Knit Night and I should get to the armhole bind offs this week. After that, I hope the back will finish up quickly.

I had joined the Ravelry group One Day a Week for UFO’s and on Sunday while watching football, I finished the actual scarf portion of my Nicky Epstein Corkscrew Fringe Scarf. Now I just have to attach the fringe. She doesn’t really give directions about the best way to do this so I guess it will be a case of trial and error. I also got out a lot of my UFO’s and photographed them and figured out what it is going to take to get them done. Originally I was dedicating the whole month of September to UFO’s and that didn’t happen because of knitting commitments that I made with deadlines, but I feel like I am making progress and I know I will get them done sooner rather than later. I just need more time. I was busy helping the kid again last night with a project so that ate up my knitting time and tomorrow night we have a required meeting at school so that will also eat up time. Such is life.

What else, I didn’t work on Juno Regina at all last weekend, but I am ready to start the chart 3 and I am looking forward to working through it. This was supposed to be my no-thinking knitting once I got to the middle portion and the hard lace work was over until it is time to start the other end. Gosh, I sure have a lot going on as far as on the needles is concerned, but certain projects match certain moods. I still need to do the finishing on the Dayflower Cardigan. I am procrastinating which is stupid. In my mind I see myself doing it so I have to make the time in real life to just get it done!

To end things for today, a FINISHED OBJECT!! I finally took pictures this weekend and here is the finished Lace Ribbon Scarf. I really enjoyed this project. I was so happy that I was able to find the perfect project for this yarn. Thank you Ravelry!! It blocked out nicely and it has a lovely feel to it. Not sure if it will stay with me or be a gift for someone, but it feels great to get another project into the finished column!

Taking a class does mean there will be homework!

I started my Magic Loop class on Saturday and wouldn’t you know – we have homework! Usually this would not be an issue except it has put a twist in my plan to dedicate September to finishing my UFO’s. With that said, I guess the only thing to do is regroup. I joined the Ravelry group dedicated to working on UFO’s one day a week. So, I will do that instead of dedicating the whole month to UFO’s. I also have another bit of charity knitting due on the 17th so I really need to place my focus in these areas. I am glad that I am taking the Magic Loop class. I am still not convinced about doing socks this way, but I like the idea of trying it for hats and sleeves. The reason I may not be totally on board about the socks may not be so much because of the Magic Loop but because I am using a cotton-based yarn. Even though it contains some wool and nylon, it does not have the elasticity that a wool-based yarn seems to have. Once I learn the whole process then I am planning on making a pair of Monkeys this way and then I will know for sure whether I like it or not.

I got the sleeves blocked for the Dayflower, but I did not get the seaming done. I tended to a sick family member on Saturday and I cleaned and did more laundry than I care to think about, but the house is back almost in order and Project #2 for the kid is actually pretty simple so hopefully this week will be a productive week and as already promised, I need to get some pictures taken!!

Back to Status Quo

Well summer is over and we are back on the merry-go-round known as homework, projects, etc. Now that the kid is in the eighth grade, he is responsible for most of his work, but when it comes to projects, I try to oversee what is happening and make sure that he is doing the best job he can. So…that often adds another layer of stress to my world because we have to work his deadlines around the fact that he stays with his dad on various nights of the week and sometimes during the week he will stay with his dad two nights in a row and that can make my participation complicated. We work it out for the most part, but it can be a real pain sometime. I know that we will be heavy on projects from now until March and then things quiet down for the remainder of the school year. So the last two nights were spent on project assistance instead of going to Knit Night on Wednesday and just plain knitting last night. A mom has to do what a mom has to do.

The first Spring Forward sock is complete and it fits great! I have not gotten around to blocking the sleeves for the Dayflower cardi, but that whole process won’t take long once I get around to it. I am itching for the weekend so that I can get to work on the UFO’s. It should be a quiet weekend and we are waiting to see if we will receive any effects from Hanna. We could use the rain, but it may not get to us here in the Piedmont of North Carolina. I wouldn’t mind a rainy weekend – they are always so perfect for knitting.

I just found out that the Magic Loop class I wanted to take will go forward so tomorrow I will spend two hours learning Magic Loop. I could probably teach myself, but I thought it would be nice to take a class and maybe meet some new knitter friends. I really do like knitting socks on double points, but we will give this a try. I was not totally crazy about socks on two circs so we will give this a try.

I really need to get my house cleaned up. It is in a little bit of chaos because I have not made it a priority, but it is at the point where it is time. It has begun to drive me crazy. So it will be a weekend of nesting and knitting. I hope everyone has a great weekend and there will definitely be pictures on Monday.

A Labor of Love

I have mixed emotions about the coming and going of Labor Day. For so many of us, Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer, the slow slide into shorter days and the end of summertime activities. For knitters, it is the beginning of the time of year where we can turn our attentions to sweaters and hopefully as the temperatures start to moderate we even welcome the thought of wool in our hands and laps again. As I thought about Labor Day, I realized for me what a labor of love knitting has become. I have always enjoyed knitting, but I have such a renewed enthusiasm for my craft and a renewed commitment to getting to the needles as often as life allows.

This year we did not go away for the weekend so I was able to focus on knitting and progress was made on all fronts. I finished the button bands and the neck band on the Dayflower cardigan. I blocked the fronts and the back and all looks really good. I have to block the little cap sleeves which I hope to do tonight and then I just have to set in the sleeves and sew up the side seams. Should be easy enough! I also worked on the Spring Forward Sock and I am in the process of shaping the toe – so that one should be off the needles tonight. I also made another Vine Lace baby hat in an effort to use up the last of the Grace that I have in my stash. This time I made the largest version which is done on size four needles and I guess with experience I have gotten the hang of the pattern because I did not experience all of the issues that I did with my first attempts. I have enough Grace left to probably make three more hats which is fine. They are little projects that make good fillers when I need a break from my other projects.

I also cast on for a new lace/scarf project this weekend. I think I mentioned in the past that I was thinking about participating in the Juno Regina KAL that Manic Purl was hosting. This weekend while listening to her latest podcast she went through the process for the set up rows and I thought – I think I can now get through this and sure enough – I started knitting and this time I didn’t have any problems getting through the set up. I have made it through Chart 1 and I am about to start the second repeat of Chart 2. I am using Knit Picks Shadow from the stash and this will also be a filler project because Labor Day also symbolizes the start of “The Finishing of UFO’s” month.

I am really excited about getting to work on some of my WIP and although I am carrying some August WIP into the new month, I still think I can make some great progress. After the little bit of finishing left on the Dayflower, my Noro Butterfly will be first up. I really have so little left to do on this project, but it is at the make or break point – will the sleeves be too long. After listening to Jasmin on Knitmore Girls, I have decided in the future to reverse engineer my sleeves and work from the top down to avoid the whole sleeve length issue. I know I made the sleeves shorter than the pattern called for so hopefully that will be good enough and if not, then I guess I will rip them back and reknit as needed.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I will try and get some pictures together of everything that has been going on and I hope you will enjoy my month long journey into the land of the UFO!