Sunday, May 24, 2015

T Minus Four

The final countdown has begun: only 4 more days (not including today) until I head to Vicksburg, MS to the Magnolia State Fiber Festival with two of my yarnie besties (Melissa and Lorelei) and I can’t wait.  This year, the festival is being held at a new and improved location and I’m already excited about the vendor list, especially Lost City Knits whose yarns are so lovely, I literally haunt their booth every year, trying to decide how many of their beauties I can bring home without The Husband divorcing me.  Not to mention I’m taking two classes this year, one on Fair Isle knitting and the other on using a drop spindle which will hopefully help along my sad attempts to spin with the spindle I bought last year.  


The absolute BEST part though, is always the company!  Last year, Melissa wasn’t able to go and Lorelei missed the first day but this year, we’ll all be together again and in our favorite rooms at the B & B that has become our traditional accommodation during the festival.  And then there’s the food we eat.  So, so good.  I’m totally bringing my stretchy pants.  Or maybe I’ll wear dresses for some added comfort.  Because I DO intend to stuff myself.  

And I don’t feel the least bit bad about it.  Because...

Since I started the job at the hospital, my fiber time is severely limited.  So much so, I often hear sad music play in my head every time I look at all of the projects I’ve made little or no progress on because of my day job.  I haven’t been to my LYS in forever.  So next weekend, it’s all about friends, food, and fiber, baby!  

Speaking of my nearly non-existent fiber life, in the very few hours I’ve had to knit, I HAVE made some more progress on my Steampunk Pullover.  I just finished the chart for the color work yoke so I’m nearly done.  It has been a real challenge to keep my knitting loose enough through the stranded work.  I’m not an exceptionally tight knitter, but I have had real problems in the past keeping my work loose enough that it doesn’t pucker.  I hope I’ve done a better job on this sweater because I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it.  At least if it still fits by the time I’ve finished it.  That’s not a guarantee, you know, because uh…stretchy pants.  Plus I won’t be able to wear it until the fall which is a lot of time for waistline expansion to occur.  Sigh…

I’ll start my diet right after the festival.  Maybe.


Lisa

Monday, May 18, 2015

Not-So-April Showers

Rain?  Yes, we're still getting that.  But more than rain…a baby shower!!  

This past Saturday, there was a baby shower for my DIL in our hometown in Ohio.  Unfortunately, I could not arrange to be there, but I sent a couple of knitted items up and can now share them with you!

You’ll remember when my son and DIL first told me about the baby, it was this past Christmas and they did so by giving me a cup that made the announcement stuffed with a skein of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.  So I used it plus a little more to make this:


Pattern is Welcome to the Flock by Julia Farwell-Clay.  My color work still needs a lot of practice but it came out okay.

The nursery is being done in a safari/giraffe theme and so I also sent up this:


It’s a Woobie Giraffe by Kris Carlson.  This is the second woobie I’ve done and you'll remember it's inauspicious beginning, but I was very pleased with how he turned out.  Yarn used was Cascade Yarn’s Avalon, which I picked simply because they had the colors I wanted in the fiber I wanted but I was glad I did - it turned out to be a really nice yarn which I think will hold up well.

Of course, I have a couple more things that I’ll either ship up early or take with me when I go to meet my new grand in July.  Can't wait!!

Hope you had a happy Monday!

Lisa

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Boom Clap

No, not the song, the weather on this Saturday morning.  Thunder and rain, glorious rain!  “Wait,” you say, “isn’t this the same chick who moans and complains about the rain when it comes?”  Why yes, you are correct, that is my usual response to rain, but it hasn’t rained here in South Mississippi for weeks and we sorely need it.  Plus, the rain today means I won’t have to haul water out to my recently planted trees.  So give me a moment while I do a little happy dance…

Today is the day for my daughter-in-law’s baby shower up north, so I’ll have pictures of finished baby items in my next post, but I did finish a couple of other things in the last week.

My generic toe-up socks are done. They are, as someone once said, fraternal twins rather than identical, but I’m good with that.  Yarn used was Patons Kroy Socks. I feel like I’ve mastered toe-up sock knitting, although I will at some point experiment with different heels.  So far, I’ve used only a short row heel and that’s fine, but I have always liked the heel flap on my cuff down socks - just seems so much sturdier.  And now that I’ve learned to knit toe-up socks, maybe someday I’ll get back to that sock design that’s half charted and laying on a corner of my desk.


I also completed the little dress for a coworker’s baby.  The picture is lousy because I shot it quick at work with my phone since I forgot to take one at home.  The pattern is Emma Tunic by Jennifer Alexander and I used Knit Picks Comfy Worsted.  The baby's name is Emma, so I couldn't resist.  I didn’t embellish it as much as I’d have liked, but I just didn’t come up with the right idea for it.  Turns out, the wee girl will be swimming in it for a good while.  Usually I knit things too small - this time too big.  C’est la vie.




Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and my darling daughter got me a beautiful orchid.  Since one of the doctors I work for got us all orchids as a gift over a year ago, I’ve become quite fond of them.  I love the color of this one and hope it does as well as my first (read, hope I don’t kill it).

Happy Saturday, y’all!


Lisa

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Almost Here!

A little over a week, and I’ll be able to show you some of what I’ve worked on for my first grandchild.  The baby is almost here!  I sent a few things ahead of me for the baby shower that’s being held the middle of this month.  I won’t be able to attend, but wanted to be there in a fiber sense.  :o)  I can’t wait to show you what I’ve finished for the baby!

In the meantime, I’ve worked on a few other projects.  I’m on my second of a pair of generic toe-up socks.  It stalled for a while, but I’m past the heel and only a few inches from being done.  


I really want my next pair of socks to be my own design I’ve had in the wings for a while but I can’t seem to concentrate on anything much more than baby knitting!

I’ve also made some progress on the first sleeve of my Steampunk Pullover:


And finally, you remember the little baby dress for a co-worker’s daughter that looked like this a few posts ago?


Once I got to the yoke, I hated it.  Absolutely hated it.  So I pulled it all back to the seed stitch hem and did this instead:


The Emma Tunic

Now I’m just looking for the perfect button so I can finish the yoke.  I’ve scoured Etsy and haven’t found just the right one.  Maybe the local fabric shop will have something that inspires me.

What’s inspiring YOU right now?

Lisa

PS - I've started another blog (I know!  Crazy, right?) and you can find it at www.thepincidentalfoodie.com.  I started a separate blog for my food adventures.  Give it a visit if you want!