Hat's done. And scarf. Now What Do I Do?

Hat's done!

The hat was hard. Truth be told, it's tricky knitting on four needles with one hand. But I think I'll try another. This one was small, only 88 stitches -- I didn't want to take on too much, but I also wanted something that I could complete. 

The scarf is done too:

Nicky, get off the scarf! Geez....

Here's the scarf:

Just your basic 2x2 ribbed scarf, color mulberry wine.

The next scarf I'm making is from the "Autumn Days" pattern by Aimee Alexander. It's a free download from Ravelry :) I'm using Done Roving Kidding Ewe again, this time in color Cherries Jubilee. Happy knitting!

Finished Some Books

I finished two books this morning. One was "Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon, and it was very good. I think the reason I couldn't read it before was because I was so sick of reading. I'm going to get the next book n the series, "Voyager", but later....it's hard to take so much of Jamie Fraser, lol.

The other book was a quick little read, but inspirational. It's "My Stroke of Luck" by Kirk Douglas. He had a stroke too; he didn't have paralysis but he had a speech impediment, which is very bad for an actor, yet he kept going. Funny how a stroke always nails you where it hurts, like the voice of an actor, the right arm of a knitter and spinner. Maybe there's a reason for that.

My knitting progresses. 
 

I'm very happy with both of them. The hat progresses quite slowly, because I need practice holding it, but I really like it. I can do about an inch, max, on it in a session. I'm working my way up on that though. The scarf flows like butter through my fingers. It is my escape knitting. I think I shall always have a ribbed scarf on hand to knit, the way I used to always have a pair of socks. I worked on it while I sat in the living room, unable to help with any of the Thanksgiving work, but that's ok, I did manage a little cooking before hand :) We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day dinner and I had a perfectly wonderful time.

Ha!

I have discovered how to cast on with double pointed needles and how to join it into a round:

and then I knit one round just to make sure:

Easy peasy :) Don't let me fool you, I'm giddy with excitement!

Here are pictures of Nora inside and outside:

     

Window panes puzzle her.

Hmmm...

My cashmere scarf:

I've gotten pretty far on it. It's fun to knit. But I don't like it. The pattern is kind of wonky and I made some bad mistakes early on.  So, I"m going to rip it out. Cashmere like this deserves some really nice lace pattern, and ya now I've got plenty of time to find it! It won't be long though. I've got it already in a ball :) Actually I have to wait for one of my knitting friends to drop by because I can't unravel it AND ball it up again by myself, and my husband isn't into touching yarn.

One reason I'm feeling alright with waiting though, is this:

I have been anxious to see what it looks like knit up. It is Kidding Ewe from Done Roving Farm in a color called "Mulberry Wine", and I'm just doing a simple 2 x 2 rib with it. And on size 8's, it won't take long to knit up. There's 300 yards in a ball, perfect for scarves, so I am just going to knit til it's gone. It's fun to see what hand-dyed yarn makes for a pattern when you get going on it. isn't it? Sort of like seeing what pictures you can make with a cloud. Hehehe :)

The Raha Is Done!

I finished knitting the Raha Scarf this morning. It is very pretty. I was interested in the k2tog bind off that the Estonian women use in their lace knitting, very stretchy. After I finished knitting it, I had my husband help with squeezing the water out of it and getting it ready for blocking....after about three swear words I could see that blocking is NOT his forte, so I relieved him of the duty and did it myself.

            

This pattern is great blocked. Before, it resembled a knitted tube. Now I can see the lace pattern, as well as the mistakes! On one row I knit when I was supposed to purl, making a garter ridge stand out and says, "Look at this!!!!", but I didn't catch it at all when it was just a knitted tube. I guess I'll have to be more careful with my lace in the future! Luckily it's about halfway down the scarf, so it would probably be behind the neck of the wearer. 

I've got my orange cashmere scarf going. It's openwork too, and a little difficult because I am using laceweight yarn, which resembles thread. I know for a fact that there are mistakes in it, but oh well. I'm learning, right?  But I like it because it's mindless and easy and when it's done, it will be incredibly soft.

Doesn't that little ball look like it is made of gold? But it's cashmere. Same thing, as far as knitters go. And that little teeny weeny ball will make a whole scarf that's as light as a feather, but will keep you very warm, just the thing to wear around your neck this winter. The needles are handturned cherry, I believe, from Al Mather. Just perfect for knitting cashmere!

Under the Dome

First of all, I want to thank you all for the encouragement I have gotten writing this blog again. It's very heartening :) And Victoria, I'll be sure to post kitty pictures!

 

I just finished reading Under the Dome, by Stephen King. The town of Chester's Mill has developed a strange, extraterrestrial force field that has locked the town inside. The story is of how the people try to survive to reach freedom, if they can. For a long book, 1088 pages, it keeps the pace fast and tight, and despite the lengthy list of town characters at the front of the book (inluding "Dogs of Note"), I didn't have any trouble keeping track of them. It was a really good book, parts of it were a little squeamish for me to read, but I still think it was good. 

Now I am going back and finishing Dragonfly in Amber because I don't like to leave a book half done. We'll see if it's gotten any better.

Nicky went to the vet yesterday and had his shot and an EKG. He's fine....has to go in another 6 months for a second EKG. He's a little under the weather today because of his shots:

My Raha Scarf is going well. Here it is at 8 of 12 pattern repeats:

Don't you love the Signature Needle Arts needles? I sure do. I'm using the stilettos, which is perfect for digging into lace for those tricky double decreases. And their slightly ridged shaft, which keeps the stitches where they're supposed to be, not slipping out of the stitches and falling with a clang onto the floor like other metal needles. And I like my little martini glass stitch marker, too!

But most of all, I like my camera which my husband dug up for me so I don't have to take bad pictures on my phone anymore!!!

Makin' Progress on the Raha

I'm making progress on the Raha Scarf:

This is really pretty simple. It would be a good first lace project for someone. If I can just stand it long enough to finish it..... scarves are like that. At the beginning, you think you'll have fun with it, then when it becomes cumbersome and long, you just wish it would be over. At least it is skinny :)

Here is the Rainy Day Scarf:

Sweet. Easy. Fast. Gotta love it.

 

I think my next scarf will be a garter stitch one again - in laceweight cashmere from Springtide Farm.  I hear it calling my name....

 

 

 

Finished a Few Things

I finished a few things. Sorry about the picture quality, I'm using the camera on my cell phone which is crappy. Here's the first scarf I knit after my stroke, worn by my friend Lynne:

And here is the red scarf I finished second:

I finally finished that 2 x 2 ribbed scarf in eucalyptus:

I finished the scarf I was knitting before I had the stroke:

Pretty, isn't it? I used a combination of short rows and increases and decreases to show off the hand-dyed yarn. In real life, it has a subtle glow about it, and it's heavier than you'd think, because there is so much silk in it. The pattern will be available soon :)

I'm nearly done with the Rainy Day  scarf, also silk and wool hand-dyed yarn, but heavy worsted weight this time. I like the Autumn Hollow knitting needles I'm using, really pretty, topped with amethysts. I like knitting wth them.

Here's the next project I'm making, from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia: Techniques, Patterns, and Traditions. It's the Raha Scarf. I'm using one skein of sock yarn, about 400 yards. It will drive me crazy...but that's why I'm doing it :)

The place where I go to have rehab is out by the Coast Guard's office, and there are these old boats across the street. Guess what? I finally found my North Star: