Wool and snow

Spent much of yesterday knitting while the snow fell (fell?  More like, was pushed).  No point in shoveling during that blowing mess, although we did do some so the sidewalks wouldn't be hip deep today.  Got the cars of the workers cleared off this morning so we can get out tomorrow - drifts were over my knees on the passenger side.  Thank wool for the neighbor with the snow blower - Saint Ray is getting a box of steaks as a thank you for doing the front sidewalk and removing the wall left by the plow.

I now have half of the Hue Shift afghan finished and am on the second block of the third quarter.  Progress!  I have over a foot of cashmere feather and fan scarf done, and did a couple lines of chart 2 of my lace shawl, after inserting another lifeline.  But today is for more prosaic things, like shoveling, and changing litterboxes, and making pasta sauce.

Two things of interest to serious knitters: I found a website for the Knitting Guild Association.  You can join for $25 - $35 depending on whether you want the online or print edition of their magazine, and they offer classes and certification as a Master Hand Knitter.  This got my attention, but who are these people, and how do they get to judge who is a master or not?  But reading the tasks that need to be accomplished to get that certification it looks pretty comprehensive - there are swatches and garments to make and design, questions to research, reports to write.  I think I might do this as a personal challenge. It might take years, but it would force me to learn some things I don't know and improve some things I do know.

Second is a knitting retreat sponsored by WEBS, the yarn store.  If you have money you don't know what to do with and feel like spending a weekend in Amherst taking classes and buying yarn, check it out.  These things always intrigue me, but I haven't succumbed to the urge yet.  I think I have to hoard whatever vacation days I have this year, so probably not this one.

Stay warm and dry!

Warmed by critters

It's funny, but when I look at what I bundle myself up in during winter weather, little of it is stuff I made myself, or even knitwear.  Wool, although lovely to work with, makes me itch.  Alpaca is good, but makes kind of flimsy scarves.  Knitted hats don't keep my head as warm when the wind blows as polyester fleece.  I do love my musk ox cowl, which is thin, not itchy, and very warm and lightweight, but doesn't fit as tightly around my neck as I could wish.  I have an alpaca scarf I made years ago before I learned about blocking, so the simple stockinette rectangle has rolled itself into a tube.  Next time I block something I'm going to throw that in and flatten it out so it covers more of my neck.  I have plenty of mittens, but somehow not in matching pairs.

I took stock on a cold day last week and counted the critters keeping me warm: silk glove liners, down coat, musk ox cowl, wool woven shawl used as a scarf, alpaca sweater and mittens.  It's more of a committment for some of them - no getting a second shearing from the silk worms or geese.  But I thank them all for their contribution.

All of the Star Wars figures that were requested have been made and given, and I gave the pattern book back to its owner because when somebody asked me this week whether I had any more Darth Vaders at home I could truthfully say, "No, and I don't have the patterns any more".  They are cute, but like many amigurumi they take more time than you would think, especially the multicolor ones.  When you have tiny little bits to crochet, you can whip out the stitches in a minute but then you might have to weave in ends and sew pieces together, which can take longer than the initial crochet work.  I'm working on a red panda, which is quick to crochet, but then you have to cut out felt in just the right shapes, embroider the felt, glue the felt pieces on just right, and sew on the legs and ears and weave in all the ends.  Tedious.  No more custom orders this year, especially since I don't feel right asking people to pay for them.  I suggest they give a donation.

I have 44% of the Hue Shift afghan done.  I finished Chart 1 of a shawl in lovely burgundy laceweight alpaca, and thank wool I learned about using lifelines in lacework which has saved me a few times when I dropped stitches.  I finished a cowl whose original pattern I can't find, but it's very simple: cast on a multiple of 8 (say 80 or 88) stitches minus one (so actually 79 or 87 stitches), then work 4K, 4P over and over and over again, which produces a nice diagonal effect.  That used up a handpainted skein from Rhinebeck.  I started a scarf in a feather-and-fan pattern with some cashmere that I got on sale.  And I started a baby sweater, but the pattern had so many flaws and mistakes in it I gave up.  This is supposed to be fun, not ridiculous effort, and I just wasn't up for the brainwork it would take to make it right.  Maybe later.  I have been planning to make this sweater for about 2 years, and I have the yarn, so I just need the correct state of mind.  And I took a pair of needles and a skein of very manly alpaca to work so I have something to do during meetings.  It's okay, they know me there.

During the summer the CSA provided all kinds of things I couldn't consume, so many got frozen away, along with the strawberries in May and the wild raspberries in June.  This week I thawed some frozen cooked squash - some of it was butternut, but some was a big ugly lumpy thing that had dark orange meat (dense with beta carotene!).  I sauteed some onions and garlic, then added coriander, garam masala, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and curry powder, then dumped in the squash and some water and let it cook for an hour.  When it cooled I smoothed it out with the immersion blender and added a can of coconut milk.  Man, is that good!  It needs something crunchy, though, and gluten-free Chex actually work pretty well as croutons.  Now I need to try not to forget the kale and beets.  And the year-old frozen gluten-free lasagna I discovered while rooting through the freezer was pretty good, too.

Gotta go - yarn is calling me.

A start

Although saying that January 1 is the beginning of a new year is kind of arbitrary in the grand scheme of things, why not.  It's as good a time as any to declare what you want to change and let other people observe your success or failure.  Obviously I don't want to gain weight, need to spend more time at the gym and off my butt, continue to avoid sugar to control my reflux, but what about the yarn arts?  Don't they need some attention?  Indeed they do, so here are some yarn resolutions for 2016.

I want to learn a new stretchy cast-on well enough to teach it.

I want to learn at least one stretchy bind-off well enough to teach it.  Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off is often mentioned as a good one.

I want to learn to knit using the Magic Loop method instead of DPN's.  Just as an alternative, not all the time.

I want to get more items finished earlier for the Warm and Fuzzy Fundraiser.

I want to only buy yarn for intended projects, and bag up the yarn with its pattern right away, stashing them where they are easy to find.  And I will not whine about the cost of printer ink to print out the patterns.

That should do it.  I already have a good start on the yarn/pattern thing.  I went to the store Knit in Newtown, PA and picked out some yarns based on a list that I actually wrote out and took with me.  I went through my unmade patterns, noted the weight and length of yarn needed, then actually put it in the envelope with the yarn money (yes, there's money set aside just for yarn!), checking off the matched yarn/pattern combos.  Now I'm itching to get to them.

And I have been busy:

This is the cotton summer sweater I worked on during my cruise to Alaska.  Not sure whether I like the fit, so I'm going to throw it into the washing machine and see how it comes out.  I also had an "aha" moment when I started to crochet the edging and remembered that this was a British pattern, so what they call "double crochet" is what we call "single crochet".

Alpaca from Rhinebeck that looked nicer in the skein.  I will probably keep it for myself.  No pattern, just 2 x 2 rib all the way up.

About 19% of the Hue Shift afghan.  Currently working on square 24 of the first 25, and starting to see why you make it in 4 pieces of 25 squares each - it's getting heavy and unwieldy.  Just like the kitty.

Darth needs arms attached, light saber, and cape.  Also finished R2D2.  Not has been no help at all, but he is a pretty boy.

This hat is similar to the Cable Baby hat from last year, but at adult size.  I still have nearly half of this skein, so I need another project.  I can't throw away yarn until I have used up as much of it as possible.

And I started a cowl with a very simple pattern so I have something portable, and I'm working on a lace shawl with some beautiful yarn from Rhinebeck, but that's something I can only do in strong light.  I need to make another Boba Fett to go with Darth and R2, and then on to something else.  But I have thoroughly enjoyed all of this time off since before Christmas.  I have a good job, that give us all this time off.

Got any resolutions?