You Just Never Know

Casting off.

Isn't that wonderful?  I love the colour rust or burnt orange or umber. 

I am looking forward to a proper try on.  That's when I need to decide about sleeves.  I think I know what I am going to do but it then, this is a winging it sort of knit.  You never know which way things will go.  It will depend on the arm openings and how much yarn I have and how I feel.  Might be sleeveless if it is hot today.  

The Last Rust Rows

I didn't get much knitting in but that is okay.  I was on the first row of the rust and was farther along than I thought.

I will get in a lot of knitting today. The guys are stating to work so I will keep myself in my room for the most part, where I have all I need for good knitting.

In my dreams I want to finish the body today.  I am not sure if I will be able to make those dreams come true, but I will try.

It begins!

I am a little slow to start this morning.  Or rather it feels as if I am slow to start.  I am a bit early with my second coffee, I have laundry well under way, I have a my knitting ready for the day.  It is just that it has been so busy this morning that it feels like I already did a days work.    

The kitchen work is underway.  Everything is emptied and ready to go.  We (mostly Keith.  My job is to keep out of the way.) just have a few more things to put into containers to be stored while the work is being done.  

These base cabinets are coming out.  The top cabinets will likely go later. They are little used and usually store things we are too lazy to deal with properly.

The island is being moved to the end of the current run of counter on the sink side.  There will be a bit more than a foot of space between wall and cabinets when we are done, but that space will later be turned into a tall roll out pantry.   What we gain by doing this, is a nice large open space for eating.  Right now, the max for seating is four and even then, we don't have space to easily move around the table.  The only upper that is coming out now is that microwave cabinet.  Utterly useless.  It will eventually be replaced by the uppers from the side that is coming out and some shelving or a wine rack.  

This is our current meal prep set up.  

Pantry

Coffee and cooking.  Toaster/Air Fryer, microwave, rice pot, food processor, etc.

With those things, plus the BBQ we will be able to eat very normally.  The difference is that the prep space is weird. And behind the chair is the dishpan and drying rack that will function as clean up area.  

I have my WIPs chest in my room as well as an extra chair which is where I will do my knitting till this is over.  I have my media center prepared.  I have to pick out a few dvds and the next book in the series I am re-reading at the moment and I am prepared for whatever comes. Might grab a knitting book or two as well.  It is a wee bit crowded in here but it is manageable. 

I did not get quite as much knitting in over the weekend as I hoped.  I really thought I could have the striped tops body complete but it was not to be. I am one row away from the last stripe though so it won't take too much more work. With luck, today.

And so we are off and running.  It promises to be a weird week.  Looking forward to it being all done.

Lunan

I am one happy puppy this morning.  A pattern I have been waiting for has launched.  

Lunan by Rebecca Clow

I saw her wearing this on her Creabea YouTube channel months ago 

and I knew I would knit it one day.  I just knew it would be mine.  I love the collar and the ribbed look is perfect.  I love the crew neck.  I love the sleeves.  

Right now, all I can think about is what yarn to make it with.  I need/want to do a stash dive to pull out something to knit it in.  It might be perfect for some of my cotton wool blend and I can see it looking gorgeous in some of my Maddelinetosh. 

I have things to finish first, an Anyday Sweatshirt, a Folklore Sweater and Linger to start with but as ever, the desire to work with some new yarn, a new pattern and new colour will drive me on to get them done.  

Forward

The redo is finished and has been worn.  I decreased the cast on stitches by ten stitches and that worked much better.  I also knit several rows longer and it fits just right.  

I didn't knit anything else yesterday.  No reason, it just wasn't what I felt like doing.  I was preparing to move a bunch of things to my room so that the living room can become the kitchen et al for a bit.  We are redoing the floor in the kitchen and moving the island to be a regular cabinet.  We both hate this particular island.  It is not electrified and is a standard height.  It is just a thing in the middle of the room that makes the dining area small and weird.  The biggest reason we are doing this is that the flooring has utterly failed.  It started in front of the sink, with the backing of the flooring separating from the top layers.  The top layers stretched and it became a beast we could not stop. By the time we are done, it is going to be a fresh big room that we will be happy to work in and eat in.

This morning I am back to knitting.     

The rust stripes are a lot of fun.  

I am debating about sleeves at the moment.  When I started, I was thinking of having a sort of tab sleeve, very short and not closely fitted.  I think that is what I am going to do, but we shall see once the body is done.  It could also look really good with a fitted sleeve.  I wont really know till I actually start.  

Success and a Redo

I am not much of a goal setter.  Setting big goals always feels defeatist to me because I set unreasonable goals and then feel like a failure.  If  do set goals, it is something immediate, a sort of goal setting on the fly.  

That is what I did yesterday.  I was looking forward to seeing the third and last colour block of stripes that it became an unconscious goal. I only realized how much of a goal it had become when I reached and felt like  I could finally set down my needles. 

I went to bed feeling really content. I really like it.

And this morning, finally it was cool enough to wear my second Tolsta Tee again but there is a problem.  The first fits so right that I didn't question anything on the second.  It fits great, but the neckline s too wide for comfort.  

I need to take off the ribbing and redo it a bit longer and with fewer stitches so that it pulls in just the tiniest bit.  I may have been counting on the shrinkage after the washer and dryer to make it fit perfectly but no such shrinkage happened. It did a little but after wearing it a bit this morning, it is more 'relaxed' than I prefer it to be.  Next Tolsta will start with fewer neck stitches if it s a cotton tee.

So my days work is laid out and my second cup of coffee awaits. Success and a redo.  That is my world today.

That Cherry Tree

Yesterday was laundry day so not a lot of time for knitting.  The heat also sapped any energy I had and I took a nap in the afternoon cutting out a lot of knitting time.  Still, I did make some headway.

It is looking much more top like.  I did a try on and I am very happy with the fit.  I was a bit worried that  I had made the armhole too deep but it will be just right.  I was hoping for a looser fit and I was trying to allow for shrinkage the first time I wash it.  I have that, but enough to keep to looser fit I am hoping for.  

My gauge is large for what is about a DK weight yarn (yarn held doubled), about 4 stitches per inch.  It will keep the drape of the fabric nice and flowing. I am really looking forward to wearing this.  

In other news, I have spoken of the cherry tree this year several times.  I can finally show you why.   

Forgive the quality of the photo.  It is very smoky today.  

There are so many cherries on the tree that in a smaller photo, it looks yellow and sickly.  It is just the extreme load of cherries.  Keith is not a big fan of cherries, though I think he is nuts.  I love them.  They make wonderful jam, and as pie or in a berry crumble, delicious.  These are the smaller Evans cherry so they lean a bit tart, but there is nothing like sour cherry pie.  

I can't bake them this year and keeping any is going to be hard.  We are having the flooring replaced and a bit of other work done in the kitchen.  It is scheduled for starting next week and will take about a week to ten days.  So if anybody wants cherries...

A Great Vacation

There were kids here right till Friday evening and my goodness, do I miss their giggles and their joy in doing silly stuff.  Suddenly, appearing out of nowhere was the idea of paper airplanes. Both boys had flown them, but never made them on their own.  We found a website with good directions and away we went.  For three days panes were flying intermittently through the day and a good amount of paper was sacrificed to the cause.   There was colouring and decoration of planes, and indeed, dragons drawn as pilots. It was wonderful.  

And then there was magnets.  

Need I say more. Ok I will.

And games with Carter.  We had rousing funny games of cards and snakes and ladders and Sleeping Queens. He is teaching me chess and he is a very good teacher. Grandma isn't such a good learner.  I am to study the notes I took.  

All these wonderful kids fill my heart with joy. I am such a lucky person.

There was knitting.  A fair bit actually.  

I am inspired by Creabea's Rebeca Clow's Leith Cardigan and the colour blocked stripes and am turning the cotton I was working on into a simple stockinette striped T.

When You don't know what to do, stripe it. As ever, stripes are fun to knit and I am really happy how fast this is working up. And it keeps my grandpa's blanket in mind without having the weighty look of the lace pattern.

I did give my hands a rest yesterday, not from need but just for a change of pace.  

More squares for my scrap square blanket.  I am working here with the last of the Opal Monet sock yarn.  It is making the prettiest squares. 

I am off and running for the day.  There is much to do, but that is for another day.  Coffee beckons.

Shhhh.  The kids are still sleeping. I am just squeaking in a quick post to let anyone who reads know where I am.  

I am knitting, much more than I thought I could.  The kids are bigger now and tend to entertain themselves. But no time for pictures. Just time for a quick pop in.  

Man do these guys eat. I expected that for 10 year old boys and Cassie.  And dishes!  The dishes are a constant.  It is no wonder I hate doing them.  

Coffee and a playdate with the best grandkids anybody could want await. 

Flying

Google is playing games with photos again.  It wants me to sign in to upload my own photos so I do that and cannot see any photos.  Anywhere.  From anytime.  I know they upload but I know not to where.  When I go to my google photos, it sits and can't connect. I will see what happens.  

So Friday I started a top.  Only gauge was giving me gauge games and it looked clunky and felt heavy for a top.  I loved the look of the stockinette but everything else did not look how I hoped.  So it sat there overnight.  

I pulled it all out and started something different.  I am going to do a u neck striped top with shortie sleeves.  I am taking colour inspiration from some of the recent sweaters out there, with groupings of colour stripes.

I am leaning towards 3 row stripes.  4 row stripes might look too wide, but we shall see.  I am on the third row of green so that decision will be made shortly.

I will knit all the green stipes first, then all the rust, then all the gold. I'm not sure about the sleeves and the striping.  I haven't decided that yet because I have to wait to see if the green holds out.  I have quite a bit less of the green than the other colours so if there isn't enough of it left for the sleeves, the sleeves will be plain. 

Knitting on the fly.  My favourite thing.

Knitting Dreams

I did some knitting on the Anyday Sweatshirt over the last few days.  I love how it is going.  I will make my usual adjustments for fit, but it has otherwise passed to the lovely stage of comfortable knitting, that not quite mindless place I love. 

At the same time, I was feeling the urge for something more.  So I started another project, one that is very different than the Anyday Sweatshirt, but just as comfortable and enjoyable.  And fun.

                                         

I have been dreaming of this project eve since I retuned from my Epic Adventure across Canada a few years ago and realized that I bought the coloured cones of for sale cotton yarn because they reminded me of a blanket I had made for my grandfather many, many years ago. 

Originally I bought them thinking what a lovely vintage look wrap they would make.  When I got home and saw that they were kin to my blanket full of so many memories of those I loved, I felt it should be something more.

Once the idea of more was in my head, I knew it had to be made with the feather and fan pattern and so it has sat, lingering ever on the edge of my knitting plans ever since. About a year ago, I decided a top would be something I would use and because of the gentle kahki green of the colours, it would be a great addition to my wardrobe.  

This knitting dream begins now with fond thoughts of my grandmothers and grandfathers and favourite aunts and uncles and cousins and so much fun.  

Naps and Monkeys

Still almost too hot to knit.  Almost.  I did work on the Monkey socks.

Not a lot, I know. 

I am sure I did something yesterday but I cannot remember what it was.  It was too hot to store the day into memory. I know I had a nap, but I did not intend to.  I just needed to get my feet up for a bit so I lay down in my room and...nap.

It was worthwhile. I missed the worst part of the day.  I may do that again today.  

The only other thing I have been thinking of is cool food.  I do not like lettuce but will eat it occasionally.  It is particularly valuable in hot weather.  But there are other things that are delicious and cool.  Onigiri is one.  I think I will make some rice this morning so it is cool for lunchtime and then I can make a rice with tuna bowl.  Topped with a splash of rice vinegar and some green peas thawed but  not cooked, it will be nice and cool for lunch or supper.  Sushi is another way to go.  

I have some quinoa I could cook up and use for salad with some red onion and cranberries with a nice zippy Italian lime dressing. Too bad  have no cilantro for it.  Oh well.   I could also go for grated carrots and raisins for lunch.  That is always yummy.

But that wll probably be my full day between short showers to keep cool and naps.

Ideas

It was hot yesterday.  Nuff said.  Maybe it would be easier to bear if the heat raised a bit at a time.  This went from 'Gosh it is nice' to 'Sweet hell' overnight.

I worked on the Monkey Sock and had lots of fun.  But I was hot.  And that pretty much was my day.  

I did find  this on the great internet.  It is Spanish but the subtitles are great.  It is giving me ideas.

 

Sock Mojo

One of my very loose resolutions for this year was to knit a pair of socks a month.  I thought about that because I had so much fun knitting the Christmas socks and my sock mojo was back full force.  I did knit four pairs of socks but by May and June my sock mojo was taken over by Tolsta mojo.

It might be back.

I had this sock started, meaning to knit a plain pair of socks letting the colour play.  I picked it up Friday evening and I knew that it needed to be something more, something comfortable to knit, something just a little spicy.  I went back to my favourite actual sock pattern, Cookie A's Monkey Socks.  In no time, I had completed almost two pattern repeats.  I love Monkey socks.

The mail that arrived had some good sock stuff too.  It had this pretty Midnight Orchid colourway of Patons Kroy.

Perfectly simple stripes in pleasing colours. Turning it into socks was fun just because of the colours.

Stripes are so much fun to knit.

I made it to the body of the Anyday Sweatshirt and gave it a try on.  It will be fine.  Pending sleeves and pending actually wearing it, I think the next one will be the next smaller size.  If my gauge is the same with the next yarn, that is.   My current gauge is fewer stitches (5 and the pattern is 5.5) than the pattern calls for so I picked the right size according to charts taking that and the pattern gauge into consideration but in the try on and by measuring, the sweater seems to have a bit more ease than I would like.  I cast on fewer stitches at the underarm to compensate so all should  be well. This is where I diverge from the pattern and start knitting to fit but it is all lovely stockinette.

I have to go and close all my windows now.  It is going to be a scorcher out there all week.  Stay cool.

Mail

Mail!  

Not really super interesting mail.  No fancy hand dyed colours, no trendy yarn names or brands.  Just good old Blanket yarn.  

To make cats.  The problem with making cats is that I needed to get the colours just right.  

I ordered one standby colour that will do in a pinch if none of the others work out

and three variations on a theme to get Mochi's main body colour just right.  

Cat production has to happen soon.  I have the pattern.  I have he yarn.  Now I just need to do it.   Grandma's Cattery Production line is under way.

If a couple skeins of sock yarn fell into my shopping cart too, that is okay too.

Following

And here we have it.  Joined fronts.

I was so thrilled to be at this point last night, that I completely forgot to read the pattern and joined the fronts willy nilly.  I was supposed to set up the little detail at the front of the neck and I completely forgot.  Because the detail has slipped stitches, I am going to go back one row and do it right.  It's not a big deal.  

I can't wait to get to where I can try this one after I join at the underarms.  I have never followed a pattern exactly before or at least have very rarely.   I am on  this sweater for a couple reasons. 

First, it is a completely new shoulder shaping for me.  I have no way to know if the shaping will sit right or feel right till I try it.  I also don't know where it will need adaptations to really fit me the way I want a sweatshirt style garment to fit. It seemed logical to start with the measurements that are given, the gauge as given and place my trust in the designer.

Second, the designer.  Ysolda Teague has long been a vocal proponent of designing sweaters to fit all bodies.  She was an early adopter of size inclusivity and genderless inclusivity. She designs for people. Period. I like that and I have since her book, Little Red in the City as well as her participation on Ravelry on  boards where people talked about sizing issues like patterns graded by percentages rather than how people are built.  I have strong admiration for her work. If I am ever going to put someone else in the drivers seat on a pattern, it would be someone such as her.  

But it is hard, when your whole knitting career has been learning to make it up as you go along.  

       

A Knitter's Day

My day was comprised of fabric fun...and terror.

I did a stupid.  The fabric I am using has a definite pattern.  All the flowers need to be facing right side up to look correct.  I laid it out with the right orientation, but I lay the two lengths of fabric together right side to wrong side.  As any sensible sewer knows you cannot do that.  It has to be rights together or wrong sides together so that your pieces turn out properly. I cut about a foot into the fabric before I realized I was about to mess up big time.

 I took the pattern off the fabric and started the process of flipping the fabrics wrong side to wrong side.  Somewhere in there, I completely lost heart.  I did not have it in me to keep working with these two huge pieces of fabric.  I backed away and went to my knitting and knit out my vey strong feelings about the whole silly thing.  

I kept on knitting and the lines from this old nursery rhyme kept flitting though my mind.  

"Old woman, old woman, old woman, said I, "

It made me laugh and between that and the knitting, I felt better.  I made tea and got on with the rest of the day. It healed my fragile ego.

What you see here is a significant part of the first front section.  I am so thrilled to be here.  It is one step closer to all the lovely knitting in the round.

Old Woman, Old Woman

There was an old woman tossed in a basket,

Seventeen times as high as the moon;

But where she was going no mortal could tell,

For under her arms she carried a broom.

"Old woman, old woman, old woman," said I,

"Whither, oh whither, oh whither so high?"

"To sweep the cobwebs from the sky;

And I'll be with you by-and-by."

Went with the Wind

I had a very good knitting weekend even if I didn't get a much knitting done as I wanted to.  I am almost to the the underarm but have a few more increases to go.

I had hoped to be almost to the fronts done too, but oh well.  It was not to be.

I am really falling n love with this yarn.  How is it that II did not notice its colours back when I bought it and when I wound it?  It is amazing. It looked like it had a funky yellow in it but it really is the MOST amazing shade of greigey lavendery grey.  It is half way between the two photos here.

One device picks up the green grey as brown and the other highlights them as a funky dirty green.  it looks odd here, but it really is wonderful in real life.  There is just no way to capture it.

Instead of spending all of my time knitting, I spent a good bit of the weekend, playing with patterns.  I morphed my circle skirt into a split skirt and have that ready to cut out and I have everything ready to transmogrify the York pinafore pattern into a pair of overalls.  

I know that the split skit will be a great wardrobe addition for me as long as I get the blending of pant and skirt cut right (add enough ease) but the overalls idea is just play.

When I bought the York Pinafore pattern, I was already thinking of overalls.  I love the cut of the top of the York over both of the other overall patterns I have.  I have debated whether making overalls is sensible for a person of my age.  Not in the are they the right look for a senior woman to wear sort of way.  I really don't give a hoot about that, but  my concerns are much more practical.  Will I get them off fast enough in the bathroom?  Because yes.  That is something I think about.  

I have decided I am going to try.  I know just the fabric to use for them. I had my curtains taken down to clean them and they have never gone up again.  It is one of those things I just don't want to bother Keith with.  He already does so much.  There are awful green blinds on the windows (which I really hate) and that will do.  But I have miles of curtains.  I had the same fabric as bed curtains to help divide up the giant space that is my bedroom and they are sitting in a fabric box too.  There is tons of fabric, all in excellent condition waiting to be used.  It is a heavier weight fabric, 100 % cotton and perfect for bottoms.  

So I am going to go all Scarlett O' Hara and use my curtains.  Yup I am going with the wind and winging it.  

You needed that.  :)