My plan was to set aside Sunday afternoons for gift knitting. This would eliminate the last minute knitting frenzy in November and December. Sounds good–right? Not exactly what happened. I started in January 2009 knitting baby sweaters (actually I had a do-over first) then a couple of birthday gifts. When I finished these, July was here. I had learned to weave and decided that weaving placemats would be quicker so gift-knitting Sundays became general-knitting Sundays. In hindsight, they should have become gift-weaving Sundays. I realized November 1 that all the placemats that I’d planned to make would not be done by Christmas but they will be finished in 2010. So I regrouped and drug out 101 One Skein Wonders in quest of quickly knitted gifts. I’d planned sweaters for 3 children which are still in the plan. I then reviewed the list to determine who could receive last-minute-stocking-stuffer-type gifts. Those folks are at the bottom of the gifts-to-knit list. Things are moving along well. So far I’ve finished one children’s sweater (ends are woven but want to make sure it’s long enough first). This is Sailor’s Rib Sweater from Interweave Knits Weekend. Yarn is Berroco Comfort. 
Also finished is an ice scraper mitt from 101 One Skein Wonders in Cascade 220.
I also blocked the Whispering Pines shawl designed my Anne Hanson and knitted in Malabrigo Lace. This project took so long that I nicknamed it the shawl from hell. Knitting it required a great deal of mental attention so only worked on it a couple of hours a day. Here’s a fabric close up
This is not a gift. It’s for me. Also for me is a Cat Bordhi Moebius Cowl in Nashua Grand Opera to match the sparkly sweater
On the needles is the second Sailor’s Rib Sweater 
another ice scraper mitt
and another jelly bean sweater for charity
Here’s a picture of Debit who was helping me block shawl 
To my knitting friends no frogs, no tinks, just knits and to all grace and peace for a happy Thanksgiving.
Yes I’ve been knitting, weaving and spinning. I have some FOs and some WIPs. For my non-knitting pals, that means I’ve finished some projects and started some more projects. The ones on this post are all knitted projects. I’ll post about weaving and spinning later. First the finished objects (FOs). This is Leafprints Neckwarmer from Knitspot in Great Northern Yarn 70% mink 30% cashmere.
These are the mitts that match it.
Here’s the red sparkly sweater which is based on Knitting Pure & Simple Neckdown Shaped T-Shirt. Mine is not shaped. Yarn is Nashua Grand Opera.
Grand Opera is sparkly even though the picture doesn’t show it. Here’s a charity Jelly Bean sweater in Mexican Wave
No for the works in progress (WIPs). Here is a Sailor’s Rib Sweater from Interweave Weekend in Berroco Comfort 
Here’s a scraper mitt from 101 One Skein Wonders in Cascade 220 (my on-the-go project).
Both of the above projects are Christmas knitting. The next one is a for-me project and is a Cat Bordhi moebius cowl in Nashua Grand Opera to wear with my t-shirt.
Maybe if the weather co-operates and I don’t lose my camera again, I’ll blog some weaving projects later in the week.
For now to my knitting friends, no frogs, no tinks, just knits and to all grace and peace.
About a month ago, while searching for something on e-Bay, I discovered a weasel (skein winder) that was in reasonably good shape. Having been searching for one for a while, I bid the opening bid thinking that I wouldn’t win. As ending time drew nigh, I began to experience buyer’s remorse because no one else was bidding. Did I miss something in the description? Was I going to get “burned”? The auction ended and I won and sent my payment. The seller was slow to ship and sent it the slowest mail rate so it was 2 more weeks before it arrived. During which time I worried and fretted that I’d bid too much or that maybe it wouldn’t work. It arrived last week and here it is…
It does work but doesn’t pop but I know that 4 rotations is 10 yards and I don’t mind counting. It has a counter dial and I’m not sure how that works. The big problem is no room in my den/living room/studio for any more equipment. Guess I’ll have to move some furniture out.
I know I promised pictures of works in progress but rainy Monday prevented the photo session.
On the needles, red sparkly tee top in Nashua Grand Opera, the Whispering Pines shawl which should be finished by SAFF time, a Jelly Bean sweater (youth-sized) for charity which also will be finished next week and Nebula socks in Cherry Tree Hill which are taking a nap. Also napping until cooler weather comes is my Oregon Cardigan.
On the loom are some log cabin placemats in Christmas green and white.
On the wheel I just finished plying some alpaca. I think I’ll spin some Gale Arts BFL next.
Debit and I went to the Blessing of the Animals service Sunday. Debit is generally obnoxious when leashed and in the presence of other dogs. She was a good dog at this service. The PD, Lucy, was kissing her on the cheek and Debit didn’t feel the love for this and grumbled a little.
Here we are.
Grace and peace to all and to my knitting friends, no frogs, no tinks, just knits.
One of the reasons that I haven’t settled into a schedule since semi-retiring is that I signed up for a knit-a-long (KAL). I had decreed that I would not participate in any more KALs as they have deadlines and had become very stressful. I’m deadline-oriented and get very stressed when I don’t meet them–even when for fun. My online knitting friends were participating in this one and kept posting their pictures of works-in-progress so I caved to their unintentional peer pressure. The deadline was October 1. So for the last few weeks this project has been the priority.
I finished it on September 30 and blocked it over the weekend.
Here are a couple of pictures which really don’t do the colorway justice. It’s made from Dream in Color Baby in Cloud Jungle colorway.
Hopefully now I can settle into more of a routine.
I attend knitting groups in Danville and in Reidsville weekly and Greensboro a couple of times a month.
Other things on the needles are Nebula socks (only worked about 4 rows), Jelly Bean sweater (my own design) for charity, a sparkly tee top and Whispering Pines Shawl. I’ll post pics of their progress in later posts.
The Whispering Pines Shawl has been on the needles much longer than I like for projects to be in progress and has been nicknamed the shawl from hell. It’s a beautiful design and I love its looks and its feel but it has not been an easy knit for me. I attended a class that Anne Hanson, the designer of this shawl, taught. She stated that to knit lace one must have one’s mind and lifelines. My mind frequently takes vacations and I now appreciate the value of lifelines.
On the wheel is some alpaca which I’m plying. On the loom I’m weaving some Christmas placemats using log cabin design.
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting to my knitting friends.
Okay I haven’t blogged in so long that I couldn’t remember my password. The truth is that I’ve been knitting on a lace project since April and it’s not finished yet. Yes, I’ve finished some other things and I could post pictures. I may do a “catch-up” blog of just pix.
Notice that the name of this post is Ch-ch-ch-changes. I’ve undergone a life-change. I’ve semi-retired (again) and working half days. I received my first social security check this week.
What this means is that, hopefully, I’ll have time to blog more. I’m participating in a KAL (yeah, I know I said no more) which has an October 1 deadline so I probably won’t blog again till it’s done. I leave you with a picture of my last weaving project.
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting/weaving/spinning to my fiber friends.
The last weekend of April I traveled to The Loopy Ewe Spring Fling. I did some knitting but had no FOs. 
I had a great time with knitting friends old and new,
attended classes led by wonderful designer/teachers
and finally was given a new knitting identity to use on Ravelry and other places that require user names. I’m now southparknitter because all my knitting friends called me “Timmeh!” like Timmy on South Park.
Last weekend on Sunday I ventured over to Rising Meadows Farm and the Goat Lady Dairy for open farm. I didn’t get out of the car at Goat Lady Farm as I had inappropriate footwear for the hike from the parking lot and frankly the cheese would need to be exquisite for me to walk that far to get it. I do however and will walk for fiber or yarn.
At Rising Meadows I purchased Cocoa’s fleece (moorit corriedale)
and some roving made from the wool of Josie and Arianna who are Navajo Churros. My plan is to spin and dye (?) Cocoa to knit a sweater.
I finally finished my Daily Sweater. This sweater is from MASON DIXON’S OUTSIDE THE LINES book and knit is Cascade Pima Melange.
Also finished is sock 1 of my St Louis Socks. I’m also working a pair of plain vanilla socks, 2 baby sweaters (one in assembly stage), Oregon cardigan which will be hibernating for the summer for fear that sweaty hands will cause felting and a Comfort Shawl for prayer shawl.
One of the things that happens when I go on retreats is that I come home inspired and ready to cast on new types of projects. This time it was lace. I’ve been “chomping at the bit” for two weeks wanting to cast on Knitspot’s Whispering Pines in Malabrigo Lace Emerald. My new rules require that I finish the St Louis socks before I cast on but rules are made to be broken–right? So last night I could wait no longer and I cast on and knitted a few rows. Hopefully that will satisfy me until sock 2 is done.
Due to technical difficulties (no internet at home for several days), posting of this blog was delayed. I’ve completed several items and have my new loom. Pictures to follow soon (I hope).
Grace and peace to all and happy knitting to my knitting friends.
The last several weeks I’ve focused on knitting one main project at a time in an effort to de-stress my knitting time. I blogged about this earlier. I felt like nothing was getting finished. I still have a gift project, the Oregon cardigan and a small on-the-go project that I’m working. It worked. Knitting time is much more enjoyable. If I sleep knit, so what, tomorrow is another day.
I finished Randy’s prayer/power throw (sorry no picture) and four pencil pouches.
Now I’m focused on my Daily Sweater. This is in Cascade Pima Melange. The goal is to finish the body before I leave for Spring Fling.
I assembled a baby sweater from Plymouth’s Cotton Kisses kit. I like the pattern but the yarn is splitty. The second Cotton Kisses sweater is off the needles but probably won’t assemble until after Fling.
I’ve finished the first chart of the Oregon Cardigan. I will probably increase the amount of time that I work on this as it is going much slower than I’d hoped.
On-the-go, I’m working on wendyknits St Louis Socks in Claudia Handpainted Shells on the Beach. I’ve made a bit of progress as I’m now working it on knit nights.
I also cast on a “plain vanilla” toe-up in Lana Grassa self-patterning yarn. This was mainly to break the tedium of knitting 2.5 inches of 1×1 ribbing around the gazillion stitches of the Daily Sweater body.
Another reason for changing my knitting strategy was to allow more time for other fiber arts such as spinning and weaving. I’ve finished spinning and plying the corriedale-mohair that I bought at Gate City Yarns (see picture) and am now spinning some 50/50 kid mohair and border leicester roving that I bought last year at the Sedalia Festival from Kid Hollow Farm. The finished yarn will be used probably to make a shawl (maybe).
Since starting this post, I’ve completed the ribbing on the Daily Sweater and tried it on. I love the way it fits. It’s now hibernating until after Fling.
To my knitting friends, happy knitting and to all grace and peace…
For the last couple of years, I’ve been a multi-tasking knitter, meaning that I have multiple projects on the needles at the same time. Over this past weekend, I realized that I need to cut back on my on the needles projects so that I can explore other fiber arts, namely weaving, spinning and locker hooking. In total I have 13 UFOs in all fiber arts and that’s very distressing to me. I feel as though I’m not finishing anything when actually I am. I haven’t made a pair of socks for me since November. So enough already!
I will now have one on-the-go knitting project (as in socks or mitts) that rides around in the car and will be queued for finishing so that it doesn’t ride around forever, one main large knitting project (as in shawl or sweater) which will alternate between charity project and “for me” project, one gift project which I will work on Sunday afternoons, Oregon cardigan which will be worked on Fridays and whatever spinning (30 minutes to 1 hour per day) and weaving (Saturdays) I have in the works.
Now as proof that I really am finishing projects here are pictures of my clapotis in Loopy Legends Debra’s Celtic Treasures which I purchased at The Loopy Ewe
Here’s some corriedale-mohair homespun that will eventually become a pair of socks (I think).
And while I was in Gate City Yarns this weekend I found really neat buttons for my February Lady Sweater in Dream in Color’s Spring Tickle which is way on down in my queue. (Have to get buttons when and where you can.)
I’m now working to finish a prayer throw. My goal is Saturday. I have two more bobbins of above to ply, a triangle shawl to assemble, a cotton kisses baby sweater on the needles and one to assemble, my St Louis socks in the car and Oregon Cardigan in the works.
To my knitting friends, happy knitting and to all grace and peace.
When I got back into knitting, I belonged to a couple of Yahoo KALs (knit-a-longs). I stopped participating because I wanted to knit other things (like socks). Or at that’s why I thought I stopped. The last couple of months I’ve been involved in a couple of KALs and have now realized that, while I enjoy the idea of knitting the same item as others and sharing the things we learn, the deadline aspect of KALs is stressing me. My jobs are deadline-oriented so having at-home deadlines was becoming too much. So I’ve decided that I’m KAL-ed out and that I will limit my participation in these in the future.
One of the KALs focused on knitting a KnitSpot pattern. So I knitted my second pair of Snow on Cedars Mitts using some Misty Mountain Farms unknown yarn in unknown colorway. I did get to wear these during cold weather last week and really enjoyed them. The last pair I made need to be darned because the canine member of my “team” bit one of them.
The second KAL is the Loopy Ewe first quarter challenge. We’re knitting Clapotis. Mine is from The Loopy Legends Debra’s Celtic Treasures colorway.
While working on these KALs, a couple of things I really want to finish are languishing. My Daily Sweater and Sudan pencil pouch are resting away. I plan to awaken them hopefully by the end of next week.
Also on the needles is my Oregon Cardigan by Alice Starmore. This isn’t far enough along yet for pictures, but the project is going well. I only work on it on Friday evenings.
Also in the gift knitting department I’m working on a baby sweater from Plymouth Cotton Kisses kit. This kit comes with yarn, buttons and pattern for either cardigan or pullover. The yarn is a little splitty but baby sweaters are like socks in that they are completed quickly.
Yes I did cast on a pair of socks. I’m knitting Wendy D. Johnson’s St. Louis Socks in Claudia Hand Painted Shells on the Beach. The socks are my on-the-go project so they’re mostly riding around in my car but I’ve finished the toe.
I’m still weaving with my tri-loom and now giving serious consideration to purchasing a rigid heddle loom–in particular, an Ashford Knitters Loom. I will be taking a class in rigid heddle weaving later this month.
Meanwhile happy knitting to my knitting friends and grace and peace to all.
Tuesday night I watched the Westminster Kennel Club dog show while working on my Daily Sweater. Since I’m working the stockinette body, the sweater’s appearance hasn’t changed much.
I rewound yarn that Izzy collapsed in hopes that I can use it to weave shawl. My triangle loom arrived Friday and Saturdays will be weaving days. I wove a scarf using some yarn I’d bought on eBay (I believe the seller was Life is an expedition). I learned a couple of things that will be corrected on the next one.
Saturday I went to the shearing day at Rising Meadows farm with my fiber friend Beth. This was a fun experience and below are pictures of the trip. The shearer seemed to be between sheep every time I was in the shearing “shed” so don’t have any pictures of that process–just pictures of sheep, sheep, sheep…
I bought some Navajo Churro roving. As usual Debit closely inspected me and the roving when I arrived back home.
Friday I realized that one of the baristas at Jazzee Java is pregnant and due any time (she’s been wearing coats so this wasn’t obvious). So Sunday I sewed buttons on the February baby sweater, made booties from pattern in Last Minute Gifts book (angora booties) and “designed” a hat made using gull lace and pi shaping. When I was posing the items for this picture, Debit snatched a bootie so now it’s got dog hair all over it. Bad dog!
On the go this week, I’m working on my Snow on Cedars mitt. They need to be finished by 2/28 so I will have to work them more often (or else hurry up and finish Daily Sweater). I suspect that I’ll try to finish Daily Sweater this week and then work mitts next week.
Happy knitting to my knitting friends and grace and peace to all.
