Joy

After posting yesterday, I did a good dig in my WIPs bin and I checked on all the projects I had planned to knit this winter.  It seems I have almost run out of winter.  It's time to think summer.  That means there needs to be a stash dive and before that happens, I need to do a good spring clean in my room.  There will be lots to do the next bit. 

Meanwhile I did dig out my Mashup top.  

One side of the front/back body is complete.  The other is about 2/3 complete.  I made a bit of progress yesterday.  It's nice easy knitting,  all garter stitch.  At the moment there is no counting.  It's just straight back and forth.  It gets a bit counted later but only so I can match the side that is already complete. 

I did that for a while.  It was lovely.  I sat surrounded by all the bags of my projects that are bagged and ready to go.  I had a good look at all of them again.  I can't wait to knit these yarns.  Surrounded by my dreams is a happy place.

And then I caved.  

I grabbed one of the projects that would be perfect to wear in this season of some days winter, some days spring.  I started working on my sweater dream I played with on the cowl last fall.  

 The original inspiration for this comes from a garment I saw on Pintrest of all things, and I do have a similar one marked on my Favourites on Ravelry.  All of the sweaters like this that I have seen seem to have used the Margot from Knitty Fall 2009 as a base pattern.  I don't like Margots neckline.  Boatnecks are not my thing.  I am going to use the trusty numbers from Ann Budd's Top Down Sweaters as the start of mine.  

I am using some of my much loved Tove stash and some of my Kauni.  These are both sticky type yarns, mildly rustic.  Toothy is the word I am looking for. I think they will work wonderfully together.  

It was late in the day when I started and you know how that goes.  

 Sometimes, you should wait till morning.  I made a stupid choice and pulled from the center of the skein.  Dumb dumb dumb.  Sticky toothy type yarns don't really like to be pulled from center pull balls.  They much prefer to be used from the outside.  I spent a very good part of my evening sorting the yarn barf.  It doesn't look like much here but I had created a real mess.  

All is good now.  I can get down to some serious knitting today and maybe I can make it to using the Kauni.  I can't wait.  I adore Kauni.  

Complete

And here it is.

I am sorry it is not displayed better but I love it.  It took me most of the day to get the ribbing done on the bottom.  I ended up knitting the ribbing three rows longer than I did at first.  The best way to defeat flipping is to go longer.  That worked and it looks great.  

Today I am going to dig the WIPs bin to find my Mashup Top and make some progress on that.

Substantial Completion

So here we are. 

I am so pleased.  So how come there is this? 

 The sweater remains on the needles.  

I did the bottom with one of those tricks so the ribbing doesn't flip. I really didn't want flipping for this narrow hem.  It's too lovely a sweater.  I tried the trick once before with not great results.  So... what happened this time?  Utter fail.  The flip was worse than ever before.  It's rare that I can't live with small imperfections but this?  This crossed the line.

Right after I finished the second sleeve, I ripped back the ribbing and restarted in my time honored way.  I have a few rows to go yet so while this is technically not completed, we have substantial completion.  Ish. 

As soon as this is done I am going to pull out my Mashup top from the WIPs bin.  Time to get that done.  And the I hope to whip up a couple summer things.  Maybe.  Or a blanket.  We will see. 

And just a shout out to the universe, my coffee tastes SO good this morning.  

Spring Things

This was a very productive weekend.  I almost got everything I hoped for done.  My plan was to finish my London Fog sweater.  

Sleeve one  is done and sleeve two is more than half done.  I could have finished sleeve two but on Saturday morning, this happened.

I simply fell into sock knitting and it felt really good.  If you look at the last post, you can see how far I took it.  It's just fun to work on it.  In a way, it feels as if it rejuvenated my knitting life.

It is more likely that it is the extra sunlight we have in March.  In March it feels like spring even though we are a way away from actual spring weather.  As you see, my London Fog has short sleeves.  That's a spring decision.  (It's also a running out of yarn decision.  I could not have made it to 3/4 length sleeves).  

Spring is in my head and it's time to pull out my Mashup sweater .  This is the third spring for it and I would like to see it be a complete garment.  It's time.

I want it all

I had a good day knitting yesterday.  Indeed, it was a good day overall.

I stuck with London Fog and I am very pleased. I was a bit concerned about having a good match of the colours but it's pretty good. It may look a bit stripey but that is the nature of hand dyed yarns.  I alternate skeins and I am good with what happens.  I hope to finish this sleeve today.   

It's also Friday.  I know that I had planned for socks for Fridays and this week, with my midweek sock day, I am not sure.  

Okay.  I am sure.  It's so cute and I want cute socks. I guess I will knit both!  

Socks

I needed to knit yesterday.  I needed to knit as if spring was right inside my little knitting world.  The problem was that every project I took out was not right.  

I thought for sure the Staffin would be right.  Something new and different but no.  I took out the London Fog but no.  I looked at all the socks and none of it felt right.  I looked at my bag of sock yarns and thought maybe?  

And then this happened.  It was truly delightful.  A pair of basic work socks and my soul is filled.

I started knitting a pair of socks in stash yarn in similar colours a while ago but I was really not satisfied with the yarns.  My main green yarn was too different in weight from the Kroy I was using for the toes.  It was just wrong.  When I ordered this yarn

 to make a Flea for me since my first one had a gauge issue,  (The first can be seen going about cheerfully around Saskatoon.) I also bought this yarn.  

Drops Fiesta.  A really nice Dk weight yarn that is perfect for socks.  

I made a pair of socks last year from it and have leftovers but not enough for more socks.  It seemed right to pick up more Fiest and then, after making my planned socks in this new yarn, could make another pair with the everything that remains.  

So I started another pair of socks.  I have lots of sock yarns and socks on the go but a good pair of socks on 3.25 mm Dpns just what I needed. Yesterday was just the right sort of day for new green socks.  

Today I will go back to knitting on the London Fog.  It's sleeves won't take long if I stick to it and maybe, just maybe, I will have a new sweater to wear next week.   

Just sayin'

Then it's just sleeves.

Almost at the ribbing.

I want to complete two rows in this skein, and then the ribbing will be done with one skein rather than altering two.  And next is simple sleeves.  I have to weigh the yarn I have for sleeves so I can split it in two evenly.  I do have bits left from other skeins but I would rather not use them.  I kind of have a plan for them.

Somewhere in the many boxes of stash there is a single skein of soft kelp green from Midknit Cravings.  It coordinates perfectly with the London Fog color.  I hope to be able to make a nice striped cowl.  At the moment I am thinking a Litmus cowl.  I might not have enough to do that but if not, something in the line of a Huj Tub cowl , striped, will be a perfect wearable for keeping the chill off the back of my neck on windy days.  

On to the ribbing now.  Lots to do.  Plenty to knit.  And endless cups of tea in lieu of my beloved coffee.  One hiccup in a wonderful world.  

Then it's just sleeves.  

My Quandry

I didn't get much done on my socks.  I did not really feel it and my hands were quite shaky.  Saturday was much better for knitting and I had a decent amount of knitting time.  

I stayed with my London Fog sweater.  It is getting so close to the ribbing it hurts, so to speak.  It was still a bit of a challenge to knit though.  It was such an interesting weekend.  It was the second race of the F1 season and with all of the regulation changes, it is a sort of chaos, mechanical troubles, reliability problems but more than that, it is really interesting racing as the drivers learn how to get the most out of their cars.  Its very exciting and I can't knit when it is too exciting.  My tension gets much too tight.

I am staying with the London Fog sweater till it's done.  I think.  I have to tell you that this box of yarn

Is calling to me.  I know there  are things I ought to be doing instead but it's my knitting and I can do what I like.  I am the only knitting police.  At the same time I love finished objects so unless I stick with a thing I won't have it to wear or to snuggle under.  It's such a quandary. 

Did I mention I have a pretty darn good life?  If the worst thing in a day is which thing should I knit, it just cannot be bad.  

Sock Day

It's Friday again and that means socks.  Let's have a look.

Not a huge change since I picked it up last but there is change.  That makes me happy.  It means there will be socks this year.

One of the wee differences between magic loop socks and my more usual dpns seem to be a slightly looser gauge.  It's not enough to make a huge difference between socks in a pair, about two stitches over the whole width, but it is a bit looser.  I am sure that will adjust as I get more practice on the long needle.  

I hope to make it to the heel today.  We shall see.  With our changeable spring weather and the general tiredness from time change, my hands are much shakier than normal.  I will give it a shot and see how it goes.

Almost there.

I made it to the last series of garter ridges. 

I am following the set up and ridges from the Willard sweater for this and it is giving me a very pleasing result.  

This all means that I have 10 to 15 rows of knitting (depending on how long it is) till I start the ribbing.  Then all that remains is sleeves.  

I did a try on before the last ridge set and am very pleased.  I would not have needed the last set of increases but it will be OK.  It's certainly not worth  reknitting.  The top fits really nicely and that's the part that really matters in a sweater.  

I am wearing my Myrtle sweater today.  It's really great to have it back in the rotation.  It also reminds me of the other sweaters that need some repair.  Most of them need some sleeve cuff repair so it won't take much time to do it.  I do need to get it done because several of them are spring favourites.  

And that reminds me of a sweater in my WIPs bin.  It is the third spring from the cast on.  Time to get that done.  I think I am going to have to head there right after the London Fog sweater is done.   

Meandering Through Cowl Patterns

While knitting, I spend a lot of time dreaming about what else I want to knit.  The last few days I have been wearing this and generally admiring it.   

I have spent way to much time looking at it, admiring the colour change and flow.  I love Kauni and long colour changing yarn.  I can hardly wait to knit the Kauni sweater I have planned to knit as this is.  Garter stitch in a plain yarn and Kaubi stockinette.

Wearing this also makes me want to knit cowls that will work with each of the sweaters I knit.  I have always worn my shawls as neckwarmers in winter and as shawls in summer.  The disadvantage of my shawls is the ends untucking and getting in the way.  Cowls don't have that problem.  

Why cowls you might ask.  Because I cant seem to knit a turtleneck that sits right on me.  I have a short neck and jowly chin and find they just bunch up my sweater when I wear them.  It's okay wearing one as an under layer to the days sweater but I don't want to wear one everyday all day.  I can take a cowls off on sunny afternoons when the house warms from the sun shining in.  

Here are a couple that I wear all the time.  

Three colour Cashmere Cowl by Joji Locatelli

Topsy Turvy Moebius by Susan Rainey 

Huh Tub by Natsha Sills

I think there will be more of each of these plus a few more of the Litmus Cowl by Jude Harper which is a plain narrow tube that is striped.  It is perfect when wrapped twice around your neck.  

I am certain there are a bunch of other great cowl patterns out there that will be perfect to wear with my knits. I think today, in between my knitting time, I will take a gander and see what else I can find.

Good Places

While all the things to knit in the future are calling to me and waiting for me, I did the responsible thing and stuck with what is on my needles.  The London Fog continues.

I am on to the last section of stockinette before the last rounds of garter.  I feel pretty good about this because I had no idea if I was going to have enough yarn.  There will be just enough yarn to get to the length I want and a skein and a half for sleeves.  It's a good place to be.

Avoidance and Resolution

I had a profound revelation yesterday about one of my projects.  I was watching Bobbie of the Inspired Knitting podcast yesterday.  She did a 2 part Frog or Finish podcast and it was really interesting to watch her assessment of the WIPs.  Somewhere in there, she spoke and it made me think about my own avoidance troubles with a project I wasn't quite into. 

I have loved my colourwork Scandinavian Star vest pattern since I started knitting.  I planned for it and started to knit it several years ago.  It was one of the projects I was going to knit and finish this winter.     I have been avoiding both my older colourwork projects.  It isn't that I was avoiding them, I realized.  It was that I was avoiding one of them.  The Star Vest is knitted bottom up and that is what it was all about.  I utterly loathe bottom up sweaters.  Utterly and completely.  

The idea of spending time knitting with no idea if it's going to fit seems ludicrous to me.  It might work ok for many but I have fit issues.  My upper body, shoulder to bustline is an inch shorter than average.  I have a large difference from my upper bust measurement to my full bust measurement.  My hip to waist ratio is way off average and has always been an issue when I sewed plus it is short.  And last, the distance from underarm to hip is several inches shorter than average.  All these are things are hard to adjust and adapt if you are starting from the bottom.  Starting from the top means I can try it on as I go to get the fit I want and need.  (All the same issues arise in sweaters knitted in pieces).  No matter what the pattern says.  

So I thought about the vest

and then I very quickly ripped it out.  

I left the bottom bit for now.  It was such a twisty mess.  There was a huge difference between pulling back the stuff knitted in the new way I learned versus the older way I did it.  It will be there if I need it to finish whatever I make.

That job done and that weight off my mind, I set out to find a new pattern for the yarn.  I really do want to knit the yarn.  It's Cascade 220 and who doesn't love that.  

Opps, there I go.  I have a sweater plan already and it will soon be underway.  I think I need to finish London Fog first.  And there is also the gorgeous Hiraeth to do.  Plus that new Staffin.  Yum.  So much to knit and so many more to cast on.  It's a great kind of life, this knitting life.   

Getting there one row at a time.

Hi Fay.  Lovely to hear from you.  The yarn on the blue sweater is some cones I got from Webs sales way long ago.  2008 or 2009 I think.  The colour is very similar to Quoddy Blue from Briggs and Little.  There is no mill tag inside the cones so I have no idea of the source.  

I wore the sweater yesterday for a bit.  Still needs a couple more good washes till the weaving oil is out of it.  The scent of it was so strong on wearing it that I dreamed I could smell it last night.  A couple more good washes till it is wearable.  Maybe three.  It's a beauty but it smells.

 I did not work on my London Fog sweater ( a colourway name from Midknit Cravings).  I sat and watched F1 stuff and then realized I was kind of avoiding knitting.  I craved something new.  I yearned for a change.  I know that I have a gorgeous yellow sweater that is new to my needles.  I know there are many other things to knit in my WIPs bin but oh how strong the urge was.  I caved.

Let me first say, we have a lot of snow yet.  We tend to get lots of snow in March so it might be spring for you but for me it still feels winterish.  I went through all my planned project sweater bags and ended up with my yarn for a Staffin sweater.  The yarn I am using is Ultra Alpaca in this deep cherry red.  It's almost burgundy but not quite.  It's going to make a lovely warm sweater.

It's a very different thing for me to follow a pattern where it is just simple stripes and plain stockinette and a pattern with patterning that determines the look of the garment in it.  I have a bit of a problem when numbers and letters are on the same row and I really find it a struggle.  You have no idea how difficult it is for me to stick, word for word and row by row to a pattern.   I have always admired those of you who can.  For my sweater to look like the design, I have to stick as close as I can to the written words.  

I plucked up my courage and followed as I could.  Everytime my anxiety over this got too much I put it down for a bit.  I decided it was okay to do this until I "got" where she was going with the pattern and the short rows but I was going to stick with it till I made it through.  

When I knit a new shape or something with a lot of texture, and considering my issues with letters and numbers on the same line piling up at the end of a row, I need to understand where the map of the pattern is taking me.  Then I can pick apart everything and put them back where they belong.  Once I understand the heading I can generally muddle that into a sweater.   

I get the Staffin now.  I get what I need to do to get nice increases in pattern.  I get how the design sets up and what goes where.  However...

I have to pull back to fix a glitch.  One side of the front neck currently has this weird gorchy (Klingon pimple) bump and the other a nice smooth slide into the center.  Plus there are some of my raglan increases are just utter crap.  They need to be redone. I am going to pull back to where the short rows start and make it better.  That is the lovely thing about knitting.  You can redo and redo till you get it right.  

It's one of the reasons I love knitting.  It is endless mulligans (golf redo).  You pull back and the yarn becomes a pile of endless possibilities.  That pile of yarn is utter forgivness for whatever we did.  Who couldn't love that.

Today is small thing day.  Time to work on socks and ponder the wonder of knitting.

A Victory

I feel really great this morning.  

I finished the Blue Cones sweater and it's a winner.

It fits just right.  It's a really lovely blue.  It's exactly the right length.  Yes it needs a good wash to get the spinning oils out but it is otherwise quite perfect.  I am weaving in ends as I write.  

I don't know how other knitters feel when they finish a garment but I feel deeply fundamentally satisfied.  I took these cones of string things and turned it into something that is uniquely mine.  I made every single stitch, even the error stitches and no one will ever knit a garment exactly like this again.  This is me, jumping up and down inside my heart.  No one can take this from me ever.  This is success.  This is achievement.  This is the pinnacle of everything I ever dreamed I could do and be.  I clothed myself, a very powerful thing. 

And when I put that sweater on, I am armored and protected from the rest of the world.  Knitted garments, handmade garments have always been that to me.  It's odd but I remember the first time I wore something knitted to work and stroked it during the day, and remembered who I was.  I needed that so badly then.  

Ah well.  That was then.  I am not that person in so many ways any longer, but parts of her remains. It is a layer of long ago memory that is only part of who I am now.    

I am going to put in a good bit of time working on My London Fog sweater today. That one is starting to feel as if it is working up fast.  Yay me.

Blue Sweater

Another sleeve!

Another day or two and it will be done.

I haven't made many posts the last while with chat.  I haven't been feeling too chatty I suppose.  I waffle between contentment and curmudgeonly ness.  Joy is easy to chat about.  Curmedgeonlyness?  I'm not sure that anybody needs more misery in the world right now.  I have no patience for the stupid thing people do and I am pretty sure  my anger isn't going to improve things.  

The other part is that though I feel grumpy as often as most people, it's easier now that I am older to just dump those feelings.  I just decide not to carry the misery.  I still care deeply about things and still feel the same sorrow and anger but I can put it down and put it away.  I choose to look for the good in the world.  I look at snowflakes and water drops and I contemplate their shape and size.  I play with bubbles in my bath.  I breath deep the smell of my coffee.  I watch the sun rise up and the world awaken every day.  It makes my life better.  

I have the power to pick what I will be in the world and today I will be a person with a nice cup of coffee and a sleeve on a pretty blue sweater.

Feeling good

I had a great weekend.  It was one of those weekends where I could knit for hours and still felt good at the end.  Plus it has been light when I got up which means spring is on the way... Even if it's snowing this morning.  

I did knit for a while on socks.  Friday morning till lunch time so not too long but it was enough to remember that I really hate magic loop.  Oh well.  It's working better than with dpns at the moment.  

And then it was time to knit anything else.  

I thought that I would work on the yellow, but my hands ended up with the London Fog sweater. 

I was on the first row of garter ridges when I stopped on it last and now after two great days knitting on it, I am a row from starting the third ridge set.  Last night as I was putting it away for the night, I realized it's now sweater.  

Can I just say again how lovely this yarn is.  It's a speckled yarn and I completely went against the speckles trend, but now that that is over, I get it.  It makes a tweedy looking fabric.  I still could never do a pink with speckles or yellow with speckles, but this gorgeous grungy green muddy grey, with tweedy sparks of teal and mustard and green and garnet.  Now that's a thing I get.  I love how this looks.  

Knitting this is also interesting to alternate to the more rustic blue yarn.  It's so soft and springy.  It's makes me feel delicate and gentle when I am not normally gentle or delicate.  I am more of a mule I think or a bull in a China shop.  Feeling delicate makes me giggle at myself.  The yarn is nice and I appreciate that different sort of cozy.

It's chore day and time to get moving so I can knit.  

Socks or sweater?

I woke this morning thinking about one blue sleeve.  I have been thinking of that sleeve all morning right till the moment I opened this post.  It's Friday and it should be sock day.  Oh the conundrum.  What to do.  

I am leaning to the Blue sweater sleeve just so I can complete it.  So close and yet so far in a way.  Not really.  If I focus on just the sleeve it ought to be ready to wash by Monday.  

Washing is going to be a real task.  I am pretty sure that the swatch I have been fondling these past months has been washed three times before it bloomed nicely.  The sweater is going to need that same treatment.  It won't be a fast finish and wear garment.

Thus, there is no rush to get this sweater done.  In a way. Sort of.  I still can't wait to wear it.  Now that I think about it it will probably a sock day.  I do need socks and I do love to wear those too.  Plus the socks are at an interesting place now.  I get to play with needles and techniques to update my practical sock knitting.  

It sounds like a nice day full of things to do. Coffee and tea and forward I go.

Happy Blue Knitting.

I  made it to the ribbing on sleeve one on Tuesday.

I gave it a full try on to check the length and I am so happy.  It fits just how I wanted it to.  It's going to get all my knitting time till it's done.

I did not knit at all yesterday.  I tried but my hands were too tired.  It was doctor day.  I loathe doctor days.  There is always recovery time needed after till I feel my usual energetic self.  I feel like I do at the end of the day in the morning.  So a quiet day or two is needed and all will be well.  

So on to blue knitting and maybe a bit of London Fog or yellow.  Lots to do.  Lots to knit.  This is what makes my day.  

Back to Blue

I went back to work on the blue sweater like a responsible adult.  And it was good.

If this was going to be a short sleeve sweater, I would be almost done with sleeve one.  It isn't going to be short sleeves though.  At the moment, even though the plan is 3/4 sleeves, I find myself considering long ones.  I will continue to play with the yarn and no firm decisions will be made till I am knitting said sleeve.  

Another knitting day beckons.  I am ready for my coffee.  Time to get moving.

A Tale of Needles

It was a really interesting weekend here.  In a good way and a well gosh darn it way.  

I spent all day Saturday knitting on Hiraeth, my yellow sweater.  

You may not think of it as yellow, but trust me, it's yellow.  I cannot tell you how much fun this is. There are no words but it's such a happy experience.  

I woke up Sunday and thought I really ought to work on some socks.  I pulled out my plain Kroy socks and started to knit.  My hand was shaking badly as it sometimes does. I kept working on it but it was such a pain.  I dropped needles.  I grabbed a wrong needle and pulled it out. I struggled to knit the last stitch and so on.  It felt stupidly impossible.  

A random out of nowhere thought found me wondering if changing the the style of needles I was using might be the answer.  I had just picked up the sleeve on the blue and am using a small circular needles for that rather than DPNs.  I thought about maybe trying the 9 inch circulars  but ewww.  I don't think they will ever be for me.  I decided to try the two sock needle methods I did have, two circs and magic loop.  

I did magic loop first.  It's okay and with my current troubles, much easier than my beloved DPNs.  

Next I pulled out and cleaned the needles I bought to do small circumference colouwork, ie colourwork mittens, a very long time ago.  They are the old style Addi lace with the brass finish.  The brass gets sort of gummy over time.  It's the finish over the brass that's the trouble I think.  It needed a good cleaning and then they work fine.  

These were okay too.  I do have quite a few sets of 2.5 mm fixed needles with different cords and different cables.  There are a few more to play with and try till I find the best of them.  

Sometimes aging and age related changes mean you have to give up things you always liked to do.  Sometimes you just need to adapt to the change.  The other thing to keep in mind is, you might like a certain thing now like dpns or metal tips, but  there is a reason other things are out there.  There will be a point or a project where they may well work for you.  

I don't know about anybody else but I want to keep knitting and having fun.  I am willing to do what I need to.  Goofing around with needles is a small price to pay for being able to knit and wear wool socks.    

And on.

Look at that.  

Two hems and

A sleeve.  A proto sleeve anyway.  It's two rows in (checking it).  Okay just one but the sleeve stitches are picked up and ready to go.  I am so pleased with this sweater.  And excited.  I am looking forward to something new to wear.

This is so much better than shopping in a store.  First I get to shop my stash.  Then I get to play with string things.  And next, I get something new to wear.  It doesn't get better than that.

There won't be a new cast on when this is done.  I am going to settle down and finish my colourwork vest.  The pattern is from an older book, Folk Vests by Cheryl Oberle, and I have wanted to knit it for years.  It is time to finish it.  

And so on

I'm into the rib! I'm into the rib!

  

One row in but still.  The body of the blue is going to be complete today.  With a bit of luck, I will get a start on sleeve one.  

Grumpy puss but better at the end.

It was a good knitting day.  I worked solidly on the Blue sweater.  Front and back hems are now the same length so there is only two inches to go on the back hem.  I am looking forward to getting it done.

Otherwise I am grumpy this morning.  Look away because I am venting.  

I got new bedsheets.  I missed the part where it said sateen.  They are pure cotton which is what I wanted but the sateen weave means it feels as if I am slipping ever so slowly out of bed.  I just wanted a simple cotton plain weave. 

I also got a new pair of shoes.  I really hoped that these would be okay.  They are called a barefoot shoe.  Ha.  My idea of barefoot and the manufacturers idea of barefoot are two very different things.  Very different.  I need a thin sole without a thick clunk at the back of my heel that pushes my feet forward.  I needed a shoe that I can feel the floor through it, protected by the sole but not shaped or controlled by it.  I kept hoping I wasn't going to have to manufacture shoes myself.  Damn.

I can tell I am old.  I have no patience for things that have been new and improved beyond what worked.

The new pillow I purchased is great though.  Quite nice.

In other good news, my fabric arrived from GK Fashion Fabrics.  I have found they are the best supplier to use when I am looking for specific fabrics.  I love Fabricville (the Quebec and online branch of Fabricland) but sometimes they don't carry what I am looking for.  If they do, they are not always giving me enough information for me to feel confident in what I am purchasing.  Gk Fashion Fabrics states very clearly the specific amount of stretch and the weights of fabrics.  

  Plus they always seem to have good old fashioned all cotton waffle weave.  I love that fabric.  Heavy enough for pants but stretchy enough for all around comfort.  

My other fabric, the 4 way stretch is likely a wee bit too light for pants I think (330 gsm: this note is for me for future reference).  Too light a fabric and I will end up with that tights that are not pants look.  It will however, be great for a light close fitting pant/tight style that I can wear comfortably under dresses and tunics.  I need those in my wardrobe anyway.  

I have to finish a few things before I do a major bit of sewing though.  Finish the Blue sweater first.  I want that sweater badly.  I just can't wait!

To knit

It feels like forever since I wrote the last post. Long weekends can be like that.  It was such a good weekend with lots of knitting time.

I did knit on socks on Friday.  Four different pairs to be precise.  I couldn't settle. In the end, I picked up the yellow sweater.  I had started that the day before and it was just fun.  I really wanted to keep going on it.  I stayed with it the whole weekend.  

I really enjoy this.  It's simple but really engaging.  I am just working the second increase set now.  It's not a fast knit for me.  My wiggly shaking finger makes me need to go slowly.  But slowly is good.  Knitting this also confirms my comfort with carrying both of the colours in the same hand.  It feels quite natural and normal.  

And that brings me to one of my big plans for this winter.  I meant to work on and finish my blanket colourwork project

(Just a snapshot of the pattern page)

and my vest colourwork project.  

Now that I am feeling more confident with carrying colours on one hand, I had hoped to get these long term projects completed before winters end but here it is full, mid February.  Winter is running out fast.  

I planned this because I wasn't feeling the burning need for sweaters.  That burning need had been a bit of a bug bear for me the last few years. It was a bit all consuming.  It's fun when that happens in some ways but it is nice when it let's you go.  Lusk was the last urgent sweater.  Why?  I have no idea but it was.  It all feels much more relaxed now.  

It may not stay that way.  Who knows.  I just go with it. The only thing I feel the need for now is to knit.  

Boxes of Joy

It arrived!  The yarn I ordered using the gift from my lovely niece.  It is lovely.  Joyful.  Delightful.  A treat!  

  

I ordered the neon colours that Jo's Yarn Garden had in Cascade Anthem, a very nice acrylic, and one colour from Cascade's Pacific line in the neon orange.  All this will be paired with more of the Anthem in a deep Navy blue.  It's going to be a glorious blanket.  

The blanket is not a challenging one at all.  It's the Sweet Shop Blanket from Laura Penrose.  I saw it on several vlogs, most notably, the Knits from Lincolnshire vlog on youtube.  She just had so much fun knitting it.  You could see her joy with this project just shining out from her when she talked about it.   It's one of those fun, always something new projects that are just great knits.

The bright neons come from watching Jana at Finnish Knitting Stories.  She often has these wonderfully bright cheerful projects and in the dark of winter, I crave the brights.  Not necessarily  neon, but just colours.  Her soft colour choices for with the brights are lovely, but I love strong contrasts,  hence the navy.

And so my stash grows.  The whole stash brings me joy.  I feel like it is time to do a dive but I already did that since the New Year began so no dive for me.  There is knitting.  With the trouble I've been having feeling connected to a project, I was surprised to find myself here.

I'm almost at the length of the front cast off.  Since I want to have the back be a couple inches longer than the front I think I have only 4 or 5 inches to go.  Then it is only sleeves and those are always fast, right?  Right?  

Off I go.  It's sock day today.  Maybe.  The hands might stray to the Blue.  It's calling too.

I watched a bit of news today.  I don't do that much.  It usually makes me angry.    Today though, I am just filled with sorrow.  And the first question I ask myself is how did we fail this family?  How many times did we fail this young person? How much more could we have done to help the young person who did such a terrible thing.  Because of how we as a society failed that young person, so many more are lost. 

We, as a society failed and now so many innocents will bear the cost of that failure.  

Cool

I strayed from the plan.  

And it was wonderful.  

I cast on for the Hiraeth sweater by Hanna/Herbgarden Knitwear.  It's not fancy colourwork and elaborate patterns.  It's simpler looking but no less challenging and just as much fun.  

It's exactly what I needed.  The colour is the perfect mid winter knit.  This time I hope it ends in a full sweater.  I want to wear this brilliant colour this year.  

It's also the first day of testing for the F1 2026 season and I am pumped.  

I gotta go now.  Make coffee.  Watch cool stuff.  Knit cool stuff.  Cool.

Winter Doldrums

I meant to knit on the blue sweater yesterday.  Being so close to finishing the body, you would think that I'd be committed to working on it.  But no.  Not me.   I really don't feel like working on it.  I am giving myself permission to go walkabout and explore something different.  Not too different but out of my routine of late.  

I am going to work on my London Fog sweater today.  If that doesn't get me past this winter doldrums, I may have to bring out the big guns and cast on something new.  

I mentioned last week that I got a gift from one of my nieces.  I debated for many days about what to treat myself with.  My stash does not contain much acrylic yarn.  I have a strong blanket feeling this year.  There are some many neat blanket patterns out there and I feel the need.  I prefer to knit blankets in acrylic, so that's what I decided on.  But not just ordinary acrylic.  I bought a huge pile of neon acrylic with a strong navy contrast.  I am so excited even if, in one fell swoop, I added a half a giant tub of yarn to my stash.  Oh well.  It should arrive next week.  

Good times.

Sometimes when your heart wants to start something new, but your head says wait, it can be hard to settle.  I tried switching projects.  I tried tidying the WIPs bin.  I tried searching through some beautiful yarn and project photos for inspiration.  Don't try this last one if you are looking to get back to focusing on what you have in hand.  

I struggled to settle.  Friday afternoon ought to have been sock time.  I did a few rows.  

Six to be precise.

I tried the blue sweater.

A few rows happened.  4 to be precise.

That was it for Friday and Saturday.  

Sunday I settled a bit and knit on my London Fog sweater.  

That went much better.  I finally found the focus I was looking for and I spent a good part of the day just knitting.

I have made a wee bit of a decision too.  This gorgeous yarn was purchased to be a sweater where the yarn did the talking.  I am going to add one small detail.  I am going to add a double row of garter stitch every 10 or 12 rows.  I'm not sure yet what the scale ought to be.  10 is what my inspiration (the Willard sweater) uses.  12 may be more appropriate for this yarn weight.  The ridges are not meant to show off anything but to highlight, to bring attention to the yarn with the smallest bit of texture.  Ridges also help make the knitting feel faster.  It's like stripes.  There is always something to look forward to.  It will help make a simple sweater in gorgeous yarn be a stand out in my wardrobe. 

As long as it's warm.  That is always my principal goal.  

   

Sticking with the plans

It was an odd sort of day.  I found myself wanting to wind more yarn.  But no.  This is not the time to do that.  I made myself go to do some knitting.  And I did.

A Hem.  The front is complete and I am so happy with it.  It looks exactly how I saw it in my head.  On to the back.  

The split hem is not as long as my original plan.  When I was talking about Vests the other day, I was wearing my purple vest.  I love the way the split is on it but I realized the front and back were a little longer than I needed this sweater to be.  I was going to make this sweaters split front 7 inches long but ended up with about 5 and a half inches.  I did a try on and it ends right where I wanted.  The original intent was to go to 9 inches from the split on the back but I am going to shorten it a bit as well.  

And then sleeves and this sweater will be done and I can cast on one of my many new planned things.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge to keep my focus on what I have on the needles, but I will have to do it.  It is also going to be a real challenge to keep my focus on my planned next up Kauni sweater or my Staffin planned sweater rather than spending my days dreaming about other future sweaters.  Like Flea.