Weekending.

Looking back on my photos from the weekend, Friday night seems like ages ago (maybe because I've had two solid nights of sleep since then?!)

Yes, I got to spend the evening with my two favorite little guys ... who are full-speed non-stop ... until they fall asleep. I then had almost two hours to myself at their kitchen counter. a pleasant change of pace from my own. as was the pizza salad Katie ordered me for dinner ... and the espresso that I had after the glass of wine. The TV show is The Brief on Amazon Prime. sadly only eight episodes (and I still have one to go).

The rest of the weekend was almost all about the knitting.

The top row was Saturday - with friends, on my own, watching a new Triple Crown winner. And then about 4:30 yesterday ... bound off ... and a little later, Holly-approved.

This morning I wove in the ends, then washed and dried (in the machine!) Super pleased with the results, but you'll have to wait a few more days to see.

Despite what these photos say, I really did not spend the entire weekend inside. The weather was nice. We had blue skies and clouds, a run and a walk (and two rounds of golf). The butterfly bush in our front yard is full of blooms and bees ... and I can only hope the butterflies get the memo that we're ready for them.

Happy Monday!

Unraveled Wednesday | The Blanket's Tale (part four).

Joining in with Kat and friends to share what I hope is the final in-progress update on Sara's blanket. I leave for New York next Wednesday and my plan is to have the finished blanket wrapped and packed on Tuesday!

As long as I don't lose focus, I should be fine. That row marker (7 repeats into the fifth and final color) tells me I have 23 repeats to go. I was averaging five repeats a day until this past week (when I slowed down a little) ... and if I can get back to that pace I'll finish with a couple days to spare. A few of you asked how big it would be. I'm guessing about 43" wide and 55" long, but the yarn is super wash and it could be bigger (which wouldn't be a problem). I have one more skien of the main color ... the end is definitely near!

The slower pace of knitting was partly because there was less TV (and we still haven't seen the latest Patrick Melrose), but also because there was other cool stuff to do.

Like a pedicure.

same color as last time - a coat of OPI's Frenchie Likes to Kiss topped with a coat of Bubble Bath - new summer favorite!

Two visits with my friend Deena

Deena's knitting Sunset on the Plateau ... it's gorgeous and has us both very excited for Kirsten's upcoming MKAL

and her dog Roxie.

yes, it felt very weird to have another dog on my knitting ... but I know Sara would love Roxie!

and two meetings of the author selection committee for this November's book festival.

I couldn't knit during the meetings because we moved quickly - reviewing over 60 books in the two two-hour meetings! - and I was taking fast and furious notes. But Deena is the co-chair of the committee and had to be there early. No problem, I said!

At the end of last night's meeting, each of us got to vote for our top 22 books. The first 15 or so were easy choices for me ... but the last few were tough. The committee leaders meet tonight to review all the votes; the final slate, taking into consideration the authors' schedules will be available in August. Some of the books I loved are already out and I plan to start reading as soon as I can track them down (these are books I will likely buy because I will - hopefully! - have a chance to meet the authors). More to come (since of course all of this is still confidential!)

I'm pretty sure Sara would enjoy a few of the books, too ...  maybe curled up on her sofa with the blanket!

I hope you're having a good week ... and sharing at least a few good experiences with your knitting!

Unraveled Wednesday | The Blanket's Tale (part two).

Joining in with Kat and friends to share another update on Sara's blanket.

When I'm knitting something for someone else, I pay closer attention than usual to what sorts of experiences I "expose" the piece. And for an epic knit like this one, it can tell quite a tale! Here's a brief glimpse of the best parts since I shared last week's update.

Sara and Holly have a special bond and much of this blanket's at-home knitting time has been just like this.

Friday evening

A most happy occasion.

Saturday morning

Time with friends.

Monday afternoon

Time with a very special TV show.

Tuesday afternoon 

...because it has personal significance for Sara, too!

Porch time.

today

Not bad for a week, right?! Now I'm curious what tale the next installment will tell.

I'm not quite to the halfway point, but I have knitted through the two balls in last week's photo. The color change from gradient 2 to gradient 3 is a bit more subtle - hence the locking marker so I can count the repeats.

...and finally, I'm reminded that pausing every so often is good. Look what I found when I took the photo above.

Yep, there's going to be a bit of unraveling! (but just a bit - it will be tedious, but I can fix that slipped stitch boo-boo by dropping down the stitch marked in orange to the stitch marked in green.)

On the while-I'm-alone listening front, most of this week has been spent with Simon Vance (one of my all-time favorite narrators) reading A Tale of Two Cities. I have about five hours left to listen and this book would satisfy several of my Bingo squares, but I'm not sure I can wait til Saturday to find out how it ends!

Has your knitting seen or heard anything especially good this week?

Unraveled Wednesday.

First, thank you for all your kind and supportive comments last week about Edie. I am happy to report that the ripping and re-knitting was worth it ... and I hope to have finished shots to share soon.

Joining in with Kat and crew today to share another - much less traumatic - knitting report.

This is the Purl Soho Tonal Blanket that I'm knitting for Sara. and planning to take (finished!) when I visit her in NYC next month (!!!yes! I have a plane ticket!)

As written, the pattern calls for a sport weight yarn and, reading the comments, appears to result in LOTS of leftovers. I'm making two modifications:

1. using DK weight yarn (Plucky Sweater, a super wash wool/nylon blend) so it goes a little faster (32 fewer stitches per row adds up quickly!); and

2. making each section about 11-1/4" (the finished blanket will be a little longer than the pattern suggests) to make the absolute most of the yarn I have - seven skeins of the Main Color (that's the beige, a great neutral called Twill). I weighed all seven skeins and counted rows/weighed the yarn as I knit through the first section. Now I just have to count repeats for the next four sections (with fingers crossed my calculations are sound 😨).

I also need to stay focused. To finish, I'll knit through all the yarn in that photo above plus five more skeins of Twill (about 2,400 yards on a size 6 needle). I fly to NYC on June 13. Good thing a lot of my early summer reading plans are audiobooks ... and it's kind of addictive to see how the beautiful Plucky colors come through.

I just joined the 2nd contrast color - a slightly darker shade - so pretty!

Unraveled Wednesday.

Warning, y'all - this post contains graphic evidence of actual unraveling!

Much to my dismay, I was not delighted with the finished Edie when I finally tried it on Monday afternoon. It was long. as in needs leggings long. Even my slim-legged white jeans and sandals didn't make it work. I wore it to knitting anyway, hoping the girls would change my mind. They didn't. I held out one last hope that Diane might ... but when we FaceTimed yesterday afternoon, she agreed. I could either wear the sweater with leggings or make it shorter. The sweater is meant for warm weather; wearing it with leggings seems silly. So after dinner last night, I took the plunge ... and unraveled.

That photo to the left is the one I snagged during my FaceTime with Diane - where we agreed on what the length should be. The photos to the right show my progression over several hours ... figuring out how far to rip back so my finished sweater would fall about where I wanted it (gah! this part made me mad because it took way too long ... sometimes something as easy as converting the schematic measurements to actual rows based on my blocked row gauge ... just escape me), finding the end (after I appreciated how neat the wrong side did look), actual unraveling, and the finished result - all the stitches back on the needle with locking markers ready for working the short row hem shaping this morning.

It was nearly 10pm by this point. I poured a glass of wine and went back to my happy place from the weekend.

I tackled the re-knitting this morning. The finished sweater is now drying and I'm hopeful.

That 17" matches the schematic ... we'll see what happens as it dries.

Thanks to all that, I now have just over two hours to finish Ready Player One. I am enjoying it immensely (it's not amazing, but it's very good) and look forward to finding out how it all comes together.

I hope your week hasn't included any actual unraveling - but if it has, I hope you had a good book to keep you company!

Joining in with Kat and crew.  Happy Wednesday!

Unraveled Wednesday.

The only thing that has unraveled this week is my thinking that I could finish Calyx by Sunday, when the Sweater KAL in Elizabeth Doherty's group on Ravelry ends.

I still have two shoulder pieces to knit and join, then two sleeves, a neckline and a hem to pickup and knit. And plans today and tomorrow that won't allow much knitting time. So yeah, probably not gonna happen. But soon, for sure, because the knitting is just plain fun. The pattern is - of course - extremely well-written (I'm now on page 10 of 16) and - of course - very cleverly constructed.

On the reading front, I haven't made much more progress on As Bright As Heaven (I still haven't gotten to the flu part), but I'm almost finished with Winter's Tale. I have a little less than two hours to listen and I'm hoping for an awesome ending to redeem the somewhat sloggish two-thirds through point I hit yesterday (yep, 20 hours into a 28 hour book and I was ready to quit!) We'll see. It's  a very good thing that I've got such an interesting sweater on the needles or I'd have a lot less patience for the book.

Up next in the ears I have Ready Player One and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Hopefully they'll be good company for the stockinette in the round (Edie) and long rows of garter stitch (Bateaux Mouches) that I'll have left on the needles once I finish Calyx.

Joining in with Kat and crew this week ... what are you unraveling?

Unraveled Wednesday | Yes, No and Maybe.

Happy Wednesday! I'm joining in with Kat and friends today to talk about knitting - specifically, an update on last week's next-up post.

I'll start with the Yes!

This is Edie, almost halfway through the body. The colors are most definitely outside my comfort zone, but it is fun to see how they play together in the knitting. Apparently, I'm also getting lazy a lot more relaxed about swatching. When I blocked the swatch (knit on 4's), it shrunk. So I cast on with 6's...fingers crossed!

The No! is True Colors. 

I love the pattern. I love the yarn. I do not like them together. The reality of the design in anything more than two colors is ends. and it's not just weaving them in. It's also making sure the tension at the beginning and end of each color is right. I've decided the pattern needs a sticky yarn and I'm playing around with my little stash of Kidsilk Haze to find a color combo I like. I've decided the yarn needs a multi-colored pattern that lets you carry the colors. Maybe Color Affection? stay tuned!

The Maybe! is Calyx. 

With Lydia's help, I did find a "goes with dark blue and white jeans" color of Berroco Remix in Beaufort (the actual color is little lighter than the almost-dry swatch on the right). This morning I swatched. First with 7's (right) and then with 6's (left).  One questionable gauge project is apparently as much excitement as I can handle! The pattern suggests 6-10" of positive ease, so I'm not too worried about stitch gauge. But Elizabeth has a whole paragraph about Row Gauge Considerations in the notes. I don't want to calculate a bunch of adjustments, so I'm hoping one of those swatches nails it. We'll see!

Balise is still in its project bag. Yes I'm going to knit it. No I haven't started yet. and Maybe it will be ready for Memorial Day 😉.

What's a Yes! in your world right now?

Home.

...for about 25 hours now. We had a wonderful weekend and I had all the best intentions of telling y'all about it today. Instead I finished the green cardigan.

All the seams, ends and buttons took way longer than I imagined (honestly, if I'd imagined how long ... I probably would've put it off for another day 😉) and now all I want to do is pour a glass of wine and read about what all of you have been up to!

Unraveled Wednesday | Next-up.

The pieces of the green cardigan are dry and ready to seam and I'm on the last 20 grams of Bateaux Mouches, but all my knitting thoughts have turned toward what to knit next.

clockwise from lower left: Balise, Edie, True Colors and Calyx.

I've been talking about Balise for months and I think I'm almost ready to start. The swatch is done and the the yarn and needles are in a project bag. soon....

Yesterday, I wound yarn for Edie (stash from one of my last visits to Sara's Madison LYS) and swatched.

I also wound yarn for True Colors. This project - one of the MDK Final Four and eligible for the March Mayhem KAL - has intrigued me for weeks. It's not at all what I usually knit (colors? stripes? ends??!!), but once I found gypsythedog's version (three colors, and not at all too bright), I couldn't get it out of my head. I had an idea to knit it out of linen and I ordered Sparrow last weekend. It arrived ... and I'm smitten.

The wildcard is Calyx. This is the latest design from Elizabeth Doherty and I was all set to pass (because I still have Archer in my queue) ... until multiple WIPs and FOs showed up in my Instagram feed this past weekend. The pattern calls for two Shibui yarns held together (I don't want to spend the money), but the result is DK. And it just so happens that the LYS in Beaufort carries Berroco Remix Light (which I love - I knit a cardigan with it last summer). Of course we're going to visit that LYS this weekend. and if I can find three skeins in a color that will go with white and dark denim, I'm in. and quickly - Elizabeth is hosting an "any sweater KAL" in her Ravelry group and it ends May 6. yep... 😀.

Here's what all those plans look like right this second.

left to right - Edie, True Colors, Balise

I hope to have a much different version to share with y'all next week!

Check out Kat's post to see what others are unraveling about. Happy Wednesday!

Sometimes Mondays.

...bring a much-welcome win!

I rearranged a few things today to make time to seam the shoulders and knit the neckband. When I weighed the yarn I had left and compared it to the sleeve I still needed to finish, I actually thought I was going to win by a lot. That little ball weighs just over 3 grams. But adding in the few other scraps, there's plenty to seam the sleeves and underarms and sew on 7 buttons. whew!

Hope your week is off to a winning start, too!

Unraveled Wednesday.

Hello and Happy Almost Thursday!

I am making slow but steady progress on my second Quintessential Cardigan. But - I'm worried I won't have enough yarn. I have no idea why I just assumed I would, but ... I did! After I knit that first sleeve, and was a little into the back - maybe when I joined the 2nd or 3rd ball? - I noticed that I didn't have a lot of balls left. I weighed the sleeve, weighed all the yarn I had left, looked at my notes from last time and realized I was going to be close. Worst case, I can knit short sleeves - which will mean unraveling the one I already knit - and best case, I'll be ok.

This morning, I finished the first front and got the scale out again.

On the left are the first sleeve and first front. On the right is the yarn I have left. That yarn needs to knit a second sleeve, a second front and a neckband. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I've started the second front and I'll do the neckband next. Stay tuned!

On the reading front, I just started listening to The Signature of All Things ... and when I grabbed that link I saw that a few of y'all didn't care for it. I'm just two hours in (with 20+ more to go), but so far, I'm enjoying it. We'll see! (cautiously optimistic again.)

Check out Kat's to see what everyone else is knitting and reading - hopefully all good stuff!

Unraveled Wednesday.

I wrote last week about the Coffeehouse Mysteries. Just now I finished the fifth one, something like 50 hours of audio since I started listening to the first back on March 18. I'm a dedicated serial listener, and #6 is on hold, so now I'll be taking a break.

But not from coffee! Clare Cosi, the main character and manager of the coffeehouse, is a huge fan of the stovetop espresso machine. I pulled mine out and was reminded how much I love that strong brew. and that I need to get some fresh coffee. I'm pretty sure grind in the cupboard was from Marc's last Asia trip ... in early 2017! (Clare would be appalled, I'm sure.)

and (of course!) not from knitting. That 5th book was great company for the sleeves on the latest Quick Sand.

Now I've got ends to weave in (not too many) ... and a new audiobook for company. My library is participating in the Big Library Read and I downloaded Flat Broke with Two Goats. I have no idea what it's about ... but I'm hoping it won't be set in a coffeehouse 😉.

Check out Kat's to see what others are unraveling this week!

Unraveled Wednesday.

Not everything has been going my way lately, but thank goodness, the knitting and reading are not letting me down. Since last Thursday, I've started two of those spring cardigans. The sleeve-as-swatch has dried and I think it's going to work out fine. and the purple Quick Sand has really kept me entertained.

I'm a huge fan of the design, which Heidi has published for two gauges - Fine Sand (lightweight) and Quick Sand (heavier weight). This is my 4th time knitting it (1, 2, 3, 4), so it feels really comfortable - and rather than put all the stitches onto waste yarn to try it on before separating the sleeves, I simply measured it against its three cousins. It looked good ... but this morning I was thinking the gauge was maybe big?! ... so I put all the stitches on waste yarn and tried it on.

whew, right?! There is even a little part of me that thinks a new sweater is a reasonable tradeoff for laying low this week. (a very little part!)

On the reading front, I've finished a lot of books. I have a reading update planned for early April and I'll share more then, but for now,

The Great Alone - too much domestic violence to justify finishing
Winter - so good!
The Power - amazing!! recommending to any and everyone, especially the fierce young women
The Coffeehouse Mysteries - I picked this series up through Overdrive because it was available - I just finished listening to #2. Perfect ear candy for me right now. a little sex, a little mystery (I didn't figure out the murderer in either book - but that's not saying much) and a LOT of coffee (which is a very good thing for me). I also love that it's set in NYC.

Joining in with Kat and friends ... and hoping nothing important has unraveled for you!

Unraveled Wednesday | Tempting Spring.

When I finished All the Love, just before our trip, I had planned to start a spring cardigan once we were home. But when I checked the weather forecast on Saturday, it seemed like I might have time for one more cool weather sweater.  I have this weird thing where I need to wear something I knit for myself when I finish it, to bond with it, I guess ... otherwise I seem to never wear it. So knitting "just for the season" can be tricky. I'd made peace with leaving Comfort Fade Cardi until next fall, but I gave into the temptation on Sunday. and I cast on.

Ravelry details here

I split for the sleeves yesterday and I'm already halfway down the body (well, except for 3" of ribbing at the end). Isn't that fade cool? must admit, the 36 rows in between the fade sections are the slowest part of the sweater ... especially now that it's just plain stockinette.

This is a very straightforward topdown seamless cardigan knit in a DK yarn. In other words, it shouldn't take too long, which is a good thing (#BangOutAFade).

I just checked the 15-day forecast

The weather at the end of next week will be perfect for its debut.

Of course spring is a fickle season. This sweater just might shepherd in some (really) warm weather!

Head on over to Kat's to see what others are unraveling about today 😊.

Unraveled Wednesday.

As of this morning, I have not one, not two, but three new sweaters for our trip.

First, the black cardigan. Thankfully, there wasn't any more unraveling after the story I shared two weeks ago.

Then, the blue tank, which also works great as a layering piece.

And last, All the Love. I finished the body in early January and set it aside to finish Bodie (then Footprints and the two sweaters above). Adding the two sleeves and a neckband was quick! I've got the fan blowing full speed; hopefully it will be dry to wear on the plane Friday morning. The fiber is a wool/silk/yak blend in a DK weight; I think it might even work with white jeans for a casual evening. We'll see.

After all those sweaters, it feels kind of weird to have just one project on the needles. I'm sure it won't mind a bit of monogamous attention for two days 😊. 

On the reading front, I'm slogging through Before We Were Yours. A few of y'all read and loved it but I'm finding it bleak and cruel. It turns into a pumpkin tomorrow and I still have 40% to go. If it weren't a bookclub pick, I'd just give it up. If you have any encouragement for me, please share!

Hop on over to Kat's to see what others are knitting and reading!

Unraveled Wednesday.

I spent today with little Sam ... who in spite of that big smile you saw from Sunday's breakfast was not well enough for school today. It was honestly hard to tell he was sick, except that he didn't eat much and he took a great nap. Not gonna lie - I needed the break!

naptime entertainment

The knitting is that Heidi tank I shared last week (in a brand new-to-me yarn) and the book is #2 in the Longmire series. I finished listening on the drive home tonight (4-stars!) and might be purchasing #3 to keep me company for tomorrow's drive.

So yes, tomorrow is a Thursday with Sam, and there might not be a post. But hopefully by the weekend, I'll have at least a few fun things to share.

Happy Wednesday!

Unraveled Wednesday.

Joining in with Kat and friends today to talk about knitting. First, a quick look at the Parallelogram Scarf ... I know it's getting longer, but those two balls don't seem to be getting any smaller!

Honestly, though, I haven't knit much on it, except in the evenings (watching Longmire), when it should be too dark to knit on the black cardigan. But this past weekend, I didn't even set it aside for that.

Saturday evening

Because Saturday afternoon, just as I was getting ready to start the short row shaping at the bottom of the body, I finally counted all the stitches. The fronts were good (I'd counted them periodically to be sure they matched and I hadn't forgotten to make one of the "every six rows" increases along the front  edge), but the back was not. Looking carefully - in the bright light of Starbucks - I found the problem. Way back - nearly 80 rows back - I'd worked a right lifted increase when I should've worked a left.

I ripped. and you can be sure I counted often as I reknit the body! Monday I finished the body and started the first sleeve. Now it just needs a second sleeve (and a good soak) and it's done.

It's really hard to photograph a black sweater, especially on rainy day, but if you look really carefully, you can see the pretty lines down the back - right lifted increases on the left side and left lifted increases on the right. just like Heidi designed it!

Now that I'm feeling really confident about finishing this piece, I'm wondering what else I could knit for our trip (we leave two weeks from Friday ... that gives me ten days). I have about 900 yards of Maggiknits Linen that I've been thinking would be a cardigan, but maybe it should be a easy tank I could layer? Unfortunately, the "easy tank" I want to knit is this one (yep, another Heidi design) and my swatching so far hasn't worked (gah, I even tried the yarn doubled ... and even if the fabric hadn't been stiff like canvas, I decided there was no way I could knit with six strands!) So now I'm contemplating a trip to my LYS to buy Kestrel, but not until I finish the black cardigan. I must say, a little yarn purchase might be just the push to make that second sleeve fly off my needles!

That said, I'd really like to use the yarn I have. If you have any suggestions for 900+ yards of yarn that knits nicely to 4-1/2 stitches per inch, please share them in the comments! (thanks in advance 😀)

Check out the comments in Kat's post here to see what others are unraveling about today.

Unraveled Wednesday.

I've spent most of today right here, drinking tea, snuggling Holly and alternately knitting and listening to The Immortalists (on my phone, which I had to pick up for the photo) with reading pages from To the North (which thanks to some actual daytime reading time has captured my attention ... but not enough to totally set aside the knitting and listening!) ... there might've even been a quick cat nap :-)

also listening to The Immortalists ... on my phone, which I had to pick up to take this photo

because yesterday afternoon/evening looked like this!

I spent an hour at Katie's with my two favorite kiddos before picking up Sara. The three of us had a wonderful dinner out. I can't remember the last time it was just the three of us. for dinner. or I got home at 10pm after an evening out!

observant readers might note that I'm wearing a new sweater ... hopefully to be revealed later this week!

Thankfully there has been no unraveling on my latest project - a black cardigan! This is the second time I've knit Fine Sand (another one of Heidi Kirrmaier's wonderful designs), so it's helpful that the pattern is familiar. I don't even really need to look at the knitting except on every 6th row; that's when those pretty lifted increases happen. And that, my friends, is the secret to knitting black yarn - don't look!

Happy Wednesday!