Still Snowing
March 15, 2023
But it will soon be spring and the snow will melt! The temperatures are becoming more bearable as well, and I don’t feel like I’m freezing most of the time. Also, drinking more espressos help.
Let’s see what’s going on in my knitting. Last time I said I was knitting a pair of cabled, beaded socks by Heidi Nick. The pattern is Hello, Sweetie and I got the first sock done yesterday:
The toe looks like it is very long — but it measures just 2 inches, which is about right. I think the ribbing makes it look longer. The sock feels a bit tight in circumference but I think that will be taken care with blocking and wearing. My goodness these socks are soft! I can see more socks out of Capretta in my future.
Although I knit the ribbing with two size 1 circular needles, I switched to double pointed needles for the rest, which made it easier for me. Almost every row in this pattern has two to six cables in it which made it go slower and I had to pay more attention to these socks than most, but it was fun. Not every pair of socks is meant for mindless knitting! I’ll start the second pair of socks today, I promise. I always like knitting the second sock more than the first!
My Bits and Bobs blanket has grown considerably.
It’s now at the two foot mark, so it’s one third done. I knit about an inch every night while watching TV. I also make a lot of mistakes that look like purl bumps because I just knit a stitch when I was supposed to knit in the row below. I leave the mistakes in because it makes a random pattern and because this whole row-below thing is ferociously hard to take out properly if you make a mistake. Since it’s a blanket for me and my husband which probably will be used on the porch, it doesn’t really matter. I just like that it’s squishy and warm!
I started another project last week to give me a break form little tiny needles and lots of cables. I’m using 4+ skeins of my handspun black yarn, which uses up most of it, leaving enough to make maybe a hat and mittens. It’s good to use up the yarn. I’m making the Tasha Tudor Shawl by Nancy Bush which was really popular around 2001 or so, maybe later or earlier. A long time ago anyway. It was really popular for making prayer shawls and probably still is. I am making this one for me for keeping me warm!
In the Amaryllis Saga, the 2021 amaryllis is growing like a wild creature and is getting ready to bloom:
I think it’s going to be red again because the bud contains something that appears to be a dark color.
The 2022 amaryllis got a late start but it’s much darker green and more robust looking and working hard to straighten up after being confined in a box:
We should have an amaryllis blooming a long time here!
I should have my socks done by the end of the month, and maybe my shawl as well. Maybe another foot of my blanket too! See you then!