Down the Rabbit Hole

There was a lull in my day and I fell down the rabbit hole to start this.  

My version of the Flea sweater.

I am going to keep falling down this rabbit hole because I can hardly wait for the colours.

My original plan was to have the MC be white but I think the Marble Heather colour will be better now that it is going to be a colour in the rest of the garment.  It replaces the plain grey I originally had with paired with a purple.

When I showed this colour scheme to my brother, I had to laugh.  His face!  It was so funny.  I suspect that he feels that I am putting too many colours together and it is going to be bad.  The thing is, when I look at all the sweaters people have made in this pattern, there are no bad ones.  There are some that I like better but they all work.  I suspect is that there are really no colours that do not really go together.   That it is the values of the whole that pop out when you combine many colours.  It is rather like Kaffe Fassett  I think.  Have a look at his page and you will see what I mean.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I have this right.  No matter.  It will be so much fun.

Dad and the fans

I pulled out the big guns last night.  I put the big square fans in the windows.  And that always makes me think of my dad.

Years ago, when I was at my little house, my dad worried about it heating up during the day.  It was small and was a modular home, which typically have a bad reputation for being poorly insulated.  The modern sort as mine was are well built with the downside being no basement with it summer cool depth.  

My house had wide window sills, and dad said to get a few window fans to sit right on the window ledge to cool things off at night.  It made a huge difference and they have been my mainstay in keeping cool ever since.  Setting them right in the windows cools a space off fast.  

The addition to the fans that Keith made here is rolling screen doors.  Our front and back doors are right across the house from each other and with both doors open and the screens in place, that huge mass of open, really helps.  The doors are closed at night, but first thing in the morning, we open them.  At 6 a.m. the air is quite a bit cooler that later in the day.  We got the idea for these from dad.  He had one at his condo.

As the heat rises, we close up tightly and stay cool inside.  We have one trick left in our stay cool arsenal, emergency blankets.  We used them to block the massive bay window on the south side in the kitchen.  Eventually we will shade the back deck with a pergola but till then, emergency blankets work.  Curtains to block the heat, the old fashioned tin foil in the windows, all the other options cost much more than emergency blankets, shiny side out.  Dad would have liked this solution.  

Anyway, while we work to keep the house cool in the heat of the day, I think of my dad.   

I decided to go with a longer bottom welt.

If I were going with my original plan, I would be on the cast off row.  I measured and I don't quite have the length I wanted yet.  I need another full inch till I am there. More garter stitch rounds to go. 

One of the things I had planned from the get go for this sweater was a folded collar that overlapped at the front center  The neckline is wide and it would look good.  However, when I started the lace pattern, I was not sure how to deal with short rows for the back neck.  I did some but I am nor sure I did enough.  I now what to add some short rows to the back neck on the collar.  That led me to think a better collar option would be garter stitch but in a manner akin to a shawl collar on a Cowichan sweater. I am not sure if that is feasible, but it would be an interesting way to go.  It also may just be a garter stitch band that is wider at the back.  Time will tell.

Anyway off to knit till it is time to do windows and doors.  It promises to be really hot today again and likely a bit too warm this evening.  It is what it is and managing temperatures inside is all about open at night and early in the day and close it all up tight as the heat builds.  

Till it is time

Guess what?  

Garter stitch!  I am at the bottom of this sweater!  

I love doing garter in the round but that is solely due to the kind of knitting my hands naturally do.  It becomes the easiest thing if you knit eastern uncrossed.  Wrap your purls the wrong way and on the next row,  knit through the back loop.  

It will probably be two good inches of garter, but that should be done by yhe end of today.  Garter goes fast.  Then I think I am going to do the collar.  That way, when I get to the sleeves, I don't have to worry about conserving enough yarn to do the collar.  Because there will be worry about some trifling thing or other.  I have two full balls for sleeves and there is a healthy half ball left for the knitting I need on the body and the collar.  I have plenty of yarn.  I am not going to run out...and yet, I worry.  It is what I do.

After a stinking hot day yesterday, and a stinking hot evening, this morning is quite glorious.  It is cool with little breeze so the doors and windows are wide open.  The air is crisp and fresh and there is native bird song in every room of the house.  You cannot ask for more.  

Plus, there is this.  The sun is almost at its apex shining in my living room.  Before the equinox, it will be shining on the last of my bookcases.  I love when I get up early to see it.

Suddenly, I feel a bit chilly.  I need to put on a small shawl, maybe a sweater.  Maybe socks.  It's May, in Canada.  Time to knit till it's time to close windows.

Inches

I'm doing a bit of a stash dive this morning.  I am taking out what will be the main colour, or rather the collar and ribbings colour for the Flea sweater.

I am currently going with the Knit Picks Palette Marble grey for it.  I will try this with it for swatching at least.  

If I don't like it, I will switch to the white.  I do have a bag of the darker Asphalt Heather too but I have other plans for that, that may or may not come to be. Play will commence soon because of this.

I only have an inch to go before I start the garter stitch at the bottom. Just inches left for the body of this sweater.  That is the difference that sticking to one project has:  actual progress.

I am looking forward to the Flea sweater.  I really am going to enjoy the colours and the stripes and the joy that stripes are.  I hope it goes fast.  It is fingering yarn and that means many many stitches. Still in stripes, it should be fun, right?  

Flitting

Instead of sticking with the London Fog sweater and it's mathiness, my hands fled to something easier.

Okay.  It was my brain that was weary of math.  I changed to this nice simple straight forward knitting.  Only a few more body inches to go.  For once, I have plenty of yarn. I will easily get the three quarter length sleeves and the length I want from the three and a half balls of yarn I have left.  That is a bit of a treat to feel for a change.  

I will go back to the London Fog sweater but today I would like to get to a bit of sewing. We shall see though.  You never know when the need will strike to knit on that soft lovely yarn again.  There is also the remainder of my Lego Christmas gift to set.  I am really enjoying the innovative construction of flowers.  And then there is the yarn stash.  Part of me wants to do a big dig, a really deep dive into its glory.  

I will flit thither and yon and let the wind take me where it will. Because I can.  

But first...

I stayed working with my London Fog sweater yesterday.  And guess what.  I am still struggling with the math.  

I decided to take it off the needles and lay it out so I can see what really is going on.  I don't trust the math.  

Why so many ends?  It's making me batty.

It looks really good so far.  That is also a way better photo of the actual colour of my yarn. 

I need to pin it out flat at the points I want to measure and the see exactly what I need to do to make this gorgeous yarn something to fit me nicely.

My day is going to be full of math and prayers, dreams and wishes and if I am lucky, by the end of the day, a sweater where I know exactly what I have to do.

But first, coffee.

Resisting and sticking with it.

There was a really good chance that the Linger vest could have sat forever, waiting to be finished.  I really wasn't in the mood for weaving in ends.  What I really wanted to do was to cast on something new.  Anything.  I resisted.  

I wore it for about an hour and it was so warm and cozy. This is going to get good wear in winter.  I sized it to go over another sweater so it could be used as outerwear as well as around the house.  

A shot of how the raglan sleeve fits without the sleeve.  It's is really nice.  

I stayed strong and picked up one of my many WIPs.  My Midknit Cravings London Fog sweater was the choice of the day.  It was perfect. The lighter weight of the Comfort Sport and its softness were exactly right for hands needing a rest.  

I simply can't capture the richness of this yarn.  It washes out in photos but it is the perfect casual, laid back fabric.  

I also spent some time knitting on the Mrs. Hunter's pattern sweater.  It was a pretty good weekend across the board.  

It  is weirdly quiet here today.  Keith has been on vacation the last two weeks so I was getting used to him coming in and out through the day as he did yard work. It was nice but this is nice too.  It feels like a fresh new thing to be here, master of all I survey again.  

Waste it Wisely.

If these things have been pulled out to work with today, what does that mean?

This.  It means this.

The knitting is done and I am really pleased.

There isn't too much finishing but there seems to be a ton of ends to weave in.  I think that is because the dark blue was 50 gram balls.  This vest used 15 balls of the dark blue worsted weight and about 6 balls of the 100 gram light grey blue worsted weight. That is a lot of yarn.

Today is a good day to finish it.  The weather is chilly and the sky is gloomy and grey.  Time to put on some silly light Sci fi (Eureka) on to work by and use this first long weekend of summer wasting my time wisely.

Winning the day

I won the day and it felt good.  

Bottom ribbing done.  

But more than that

Neck ribbing. Done.  

I am so pleased.  It's an almost finished thing.  

Button bands today.  I did have doubt about needing them.  The fabric is quite stretchy and I want ease but not slop.  I tried the vest on yesterday and found that over a regular winter sweater, it's good but buttonbands will make it better.  I had been thinking of hook closures but now I can go with standard buttons from the button box.  The buttons are cheap.  The closures would not have been.  So yay me.

So another good day is on the horizon.  How nice.

Winning at yarn.

Yesterday was a great day.  A really great day.  

Because this.

I am on the ribbing! The half fisherman's rib is done.  

I ought to be able to finish the bottom rib today.  Then, there will be finishing the neck and possibly the buttonband and it will be done.  Huge. Victory.  

I am looking forward to wearing it.  It has a depth of warmth in its fibres that is going to be perfect for winter and spring and fall and even the chilly mornings and evenings of summer.  It is all season wear when you live in Canada.

It is chilly today, and damp outside.  Might be a good day for baking.  It feels like a good day for a stew.  And dumplings. I am saying dumplings because Keith doesn't care for dumplings, but I do and I hope he makes them.  

It is also a great day for looking at patterns.  One of my favourite designers, Joji Locatelli needs the roof of her studio and home replaced.  She has a code available for a huge discount on her patterns.  There are always Joji patterns that I want to knit so I am going to purchase some.  Without using the discount.  Because I can.  I can't do Patreon.  The budget won't stand to something like that, so I am going to do what I can.  

I have my head in Vests right now so Aridata and the Emery vest and pullover are looking great.  I love the Arco Iris too.  That is three on my list without even blinking an eye.  There are more.  

Please check her out on Ravelry and see what you can do to give this lovely person a hand.  

Have a good one

I took a full day of rest from knitting yesterday.  The vest and the weight of it as well as the stitch mean that my hands are being stretched to the limit.  Since I do not want to end up not knitting all summer, I took the day and putzed.  But oh how my mind wandered.  

The projects that I have taken back to the beginning have plans now and I ache to knit them.   I am not casting on mind you.  I am sticking to clearing up some of my longstanding projects first.  The Linger and the Scadinavian Star Vest are the ones I want done first.  Then the grey Mrs. Hunter's pattern sweater.  The process to do these things is easy.  Just sit and knit.  However, the gumption and resolve to do them waver constantly.  

Somewhere in the day, I want to swatch for the Flea sweater. Not because I need to knit it but because I dream of knitting all those glorious colours and I would like it to stop being a dream.  

I saw a podcast the other day where one of the comments was about using the leftovers and colours of your stash with class.  That kind of bugged me because what looks good, what anyone feels classy in, is very subjective.  The reasons to knit certain colours together is also a very deeply personal thing.  Flea is a sweater that takes all the colours and makes them joy.  

That is what I was thinking of as I woke this morning.  Putting colours together with joy.  Putting yarns together with joy.  I need more hours in a day to knit and I need a stronger set of hands.  Oh well.  That part is what it is, and the joy that I find, the sheer depth of satisfaction, fulfillment and pleasure are what will carry my day.  

Have a good one.

Going for a Vest

I managed to stick with the WIPs.  Nothing new was started but it was so hard.  I pulled out two different yarns to start things but I stayed firm.  Besides...

this.

I pulled off the completed sleeve and I worked ribbing around the arms. I am pretty chuffed.  It is step one at getting a completed garment from this lusciously deep warm half fishermans rib.  

I am now working on getting the body to optimal length.  I need two more inches before I reach that and can add ribbing to the bottom.  

Just look how cushy this is.  It is wonderful stuff.

I have to be careful.  After working really hard on Saturday and a less hard on Sunday, my hands are feeling a tired.  They are not overtired.  I won't let it go that far but there is a noticeable weariness in them. I can manage the simple back and forth much easier than small circumference knitting like sleeves. 

I will limit my time with it today and will take it easier.  I am really looking forward to the solid colour ribbing though.  Then I know I am near a rest and a really great vest.

Trusting the Math.

I am ripping back this morning.  Yuck.  

I think I got a little math happy and started the increases for the slope you need at the side of the fronts and backs to fit just before the base of the arm pit.  I also forgot to stop increasing the arms.  There is a point where I ought to stop so that the arms don't end up too wide once you get the armscye stitches on and I forgot about that.  

By the math, that is and I am getting better at trusting the math.  

So...

I think that is it.  My heads are deep into something else, knitting wise, but I have to finish another project up before I will let me start something new. Or maybe not.  Maybe I will cast on something.  You never know.

Something different

Look Ma!  It isn't socks!  

The sock kick is not over, but my hands needed something different yesterday.  I pulled out the London Fog sweater and made a good inch on it. Another two or three inches and it will be time to start knitting in the round.

Of course there is a lot of knitting still to be done.  I have not yet gotten to the bottom of the v neck and I don't have enough stitches on the sleeves by any means.  If I did it right, both of those things will happen very close to the same time  If not, I will have to fudge a bit but that will be ok. I don't think I will get there today, but by Friday if this is all I work on the rest of the week.

It promises to be hot today, really hot.  so my plan is to take it easy and have a nice shower in the afternoon to cool down.  Keeping cool is a major goal for summer and since summer heat seems to be here, I am putting those plans into practice now.  

I am dithering. Time to get knitting.

Socks!

Here we go.  

A complete sock.  

I forgot to plug my tablet in last night and my phone is dead so this is it for today.  And my computer is in my bedroom which I cleaned yesterday.  Today is the kitchens turn.  Might be down to listening to radio which I never do. 

If you think there wasn't cheering...

There was and it was great.

First pair for the year.  Since I am in a sockish sort of mood, I thought that I would keep on working socks.

I pulled two yarns from the big bag o' sock yarn.  The grey is a ball I have had for many years.  It was originally bought for Mr. Needles and after he was gone it just sort of sat.  It is a wool bamboo blend, and I have always been a little hesitant about it since my criteria for sock yarn is that it be hard wearing.  I am not sure that I put bamboo in that class. The other yarn is a wool and nylon blend but it is not tightly spun or is a single.  I wasn't sure it would wear well on its own either.  

What to do with two iffy sock yarns?  Work them together I thought.  

A bamboo blend might not wear as hard as a wool nylon blend but these two yarns are making the most delightful socks. I spend a lot of time running my hands over it.  The wool nylon blend adds its bit of fuzzy edges to the whole and it feels as if the sock has mohair in it. Luscious.

I was planning on making shortie socks for this pair and I will probably do that even if part of me wants to see how the upcoming green section looks on the leg of the sock.  This way, the second sock will be mostly green.  Still the fun of it all is just letting it happen so if I have a shortie pair that look nothing alike in colour, that is okay by me.

It was a F1 race day and since the sock was into the heel section at race time, I pulled out my Musselburgh.  For the first time in a while, it was just the thing.

I don't really care to work with short circs, even on sleeves.  It always leaves me feeling out of sorts some how.  This time, it was right.  I just knit.

I had a short stint of company again this weekend so I was pleased with how much knitting I fit in. This week, there might not be quite so much focus on knitting.  I have the urge to sew something and there is always some interesting fabric waiting for me.  I love a good stash be it fabric or yarn or books. Today, sadly, is chore catch up day.  I set some chores aside the last while and things have piled up. Time to deal with the pile before it topples over.

No Cigars

Close but no cigar.

I so wanted to finish this sock so I could mark my first pair of socks for the year.  It was not to be.  I am pretty close though.  Only the ribbing to go.  

That's it for today.  I think.  

Quick

It will be a quick one this morning.  I have a book I want to start this morning.

I got a good chunk of knitting done even though I did not spend much time knitting.

Making it past the heel is always nice.  I knit them using a double stranding of yarn and on my 2.5 mm needles, they end up good and firm.  The fabric is a bit stiffer than I like to knit but they do not wear out.  

I am hoping to get this pair done today.  

I did want to show a bit of an upgrade I made on my sock blocker.  

See that little notch at the ankle on the top of the foot?  When I am knitting from the toe up, measuring is not always the answer.  A garter toe is a very stretchy toe, so it helps to measure the sock foot when it is stretched out.  That notch is to tell me the foot is long enough.  

I generally only knit socks for me so I can do this on my blockers.  And that is it for today.  Quick.