Happy New Year! A Finished Christmas Sweater

 

Hello Everyone, I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last posted.  I hope you had a wonderful Holiday, whatever you celebrate.  We have enjoyed a mild winter so far…no snow except for a little bit before Winter hit.

Good news, I finished my latest sweater.  It’s another Carbeth; I used stash yarn.  I ran out of wool, (twice,) so I knit in some self patterning acrylic I had leftover from a pair of slippers.  I crocheted them ten years ago…it felt satisfying to use up the yarn.  What do you think?

Carbeth is designed to be a short, cropped sweater, but I decided to make this one long and cozy.  It covers my bum.  The yarn was from a farm and it had no label, so I wasn’t sure how much I had.  It was given to me by a lady in my knitting group.  She bought it decades ago, in the 1980’s.  It sounds strange, but I feel like the yarn is happy and appreciative to finally be used and worn.  

How are you?  Did you have a nice Christmas?  

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Knitting Challenges

 I am sorry I haven’t posted in a while.  I have been busy with home maintenance appointments, knitting, and working in my yard.  I have a lot of cutting back to do with the lilacs and periwinkle.  

I am making progress on The Nicole Shawl.  I had an enjoyable private lesson with my beloved knitting teacher last week.  She showed me where I had dropped two yarn overs, which had thrown off my stitch count.  It was at the very end of each panel.    I am getting the hang of it.  Lace is so rewarding; I love the texture.   It is an exciting project. I can’t wait to wear this shawl once it’s finished.

This hawk landed on my deck, made strong eye contact with me, and started chattering.  He is so beautiful.  How are you spending your end of summer days?

Thank you for your comments.  They add so much talent and energy to the blog.  Please reply in English.  I’m sorry, but those with links will not be published.  If you enjoy the posts here, please share them.  Comments may take a few days to appear; they are moderated.

Back to Knitting Socks

 

I have been knitting another pair of socks with my favorite sock yarn, Austermann.  I love these colors.  I have just finished the heel on the second sock, and should have the pair completed by tomorrow.  I am planning on finishing another sweater, too.

Today I got some support on the phone from Lenovo.  I have an Ideapad that I purchased from them at Costco.  For some reason, my camera app disappeared.  I tried a few techniques from Youtube, then called the help line.  I wasn't able to figure out where it went, but the technician who assisted me was superb.  

I gave her my serial number, and she went into the system and quickly started pushing buttons.  In a minute of two, I saw my reflection on the screen.  I looked amazed and happier than I can ever remember. "You're a genius! I praised her.  "And such a good teacher."  Computers can seem so complex at times.  I thanked her profusely and wrote her an excellent review.

Now I will be able to attend my next Zoom meeting.  I love Zoom.  What have you been up to lately?

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Knitting To Reduce Stress and Get Centered

 

This morning I got comfortable on the couch with a cup of coffee, two delicious smelling pillar beeswax candles, and my knitting.  I found this beanie pattern online, and decided to plough through it.  I had a skein of soft alpaca chunky yarn in my stash.  I thought it would be perfect.

It is a simple ribbed pattern, and I did the straight needle version.  It brought me back to my early knitting days.  I knit many dishcloths on these secondhand vintage needles that I purchased at a local church thrift shop.  I had it completed and on my head by early afternoon.  Yesterday I finished a pair of wool socks that I began over a year ago!  

To my delight, it fits perfectly!  I love how the light-colored caramel yarn shows off the ribbing.  The older I get, the more I prefer neutrals, in natural colors from the sheep and alpacas.  Mother Nature knows what she's doing.  

This will get a lot of use.  I think these would make great gifts, as well.  My kind of project: easy, fun and practical!

Knitting Socks During the Lockdown

I finished the socks today.  Phew!  It was so satisfying to get something done.  I plan to send them to a woman in Pennsylvania.  She is the founder of the dance studio, Steps on Broadway.  I posted a photo of them on Facebook, and she complimented me.  "Wow! Some socks," she wrote.  I taught at Steps when I was in my twenties.  It was a highlight in my dance teaching career.  It's a spectacular studio.  This is the first time they have had to close in forty years.

I planted some celery that I re-rooted in the window sill.  It has sprouted tiny leaves and stalks, so I hope that it gets healthy and strong in the soil.  I saw an earthworm as I was covering it with mulch.  That's an encouraging sign.

What are you doing to stay sane during this time?  Have you been cooking, baking, or knitting?  I am practicing yoga in the evenings to calm down.  Reading all of the death tolls makes me feel sick to my stomach.  I have to force myself to shift my focus and stay positive.  I made an appointment with an agent to buy Long Term Care Insurance.  It's seems even more important now.  Are your affairs in order?

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Oodles of Yarn I Was Given

Santa came early to the pink cottage-I even get to keep  the bins!

 
Yesterday a friend of mine's face popped into my mind as I was knitting.  I remembered her telling a new knitter,  "I knit for two hours a day."  She was trying to explain to the women who had just started knitting that it takes time, patience, and practice.  They were wanting to jump ahead to complicated patterns before they had the skill and understanding.  I nodded in agreement.  I am a huge believer in drilling the basics.

This lady is the one who gave me the hand spun grey skeins that  I used for my first Carbeth sweater last year, in addition to a lot of other quality yarn.  I've made socks with it, and a short sleeved vintage sweater.  She always buys such nice quality stuff.

swatch for the Carbeth Cardigan: it came out exactly on gauge

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from her that very morning offering me more of her luxurious stash.  I got to pick out all of this wool!  She still has more to donate to the Senior Center.  I was careful to choose only what I knew I would use.  I am just thrilled.  It feels like an early Christmas present: enough yarn to knit through my retirement.  It's fabulous, and I've got big plans.

I am determined to finish the pink blanket.  It's been very cold, and I wake up during the night.  (even though I sleep in a Lanz flannel nightgown,  flannel sheets, on a featherbed mattress, underneath a down comforter, and topped with an alpaca throw that I knit.)  I think the second alpaca blanket will do the trick.  I am very thin, and I seem to get colder as I get older. I only weigh 112lbs. now, which is very light someone who is 5'8".  I eat like a horse, though.  Lula presses against me to keep warm.  She's so funny.     

I have been wearing the Carbeth pullovers that I made every day, up at the cabin.  They are perfect for the snow.  I bought the Carbeth cardigan pattern, and plan to use the Cascade Ecological Wool for it.  There's plenty.  I find I always reach for the neutrals when I open my sweater drawer.  How is your crafting going?

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Knitting Gloves

Fingerless gloves are a very popular project with knitters.  I am knitting a pair of soft  gloves with fingers, out of recycled cashmere yarn. I bought this skein on clearance. I used a gift card that my youngest brother gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.  It's lovely. I know that my neutral, simple knits are the ones that get the most use. 

Gloves are not that difficult to make. You need good eyesight, and working in the natural sunlight helps. I made my first pair about six years ago, using some colorful leftover sock yarn.  The pattern consists mostly of stockinette stitch, and is done on double pointed needles. There is a lot of counting, and you slip a certain number of stitches onto  scrap yarn to put on hold for each finger.

I'm using a simple pattern from Ravelry. It's called Dancing At Lughnasa Gloves, by Anne Carroll Gilmour.  These shouldn't take too long. The pattern moves very quickly. They're nice and portable, too.  If you can knit socks, you can probably make gloves. I wear the other pair that I knit every single day in the winter. They make practical gifts, too.

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Progress on the Stockholm Sweater

I've been making headway on the Stockholm Sweater. The body is finished, and the short row shaping on the first sleeve is completed. Now I can zoom through stockinette down to the wrist with  some decreases. The fabric is  really light, because of the fingering weight yarn. I am hoping to have it finished in a few weeks.

Lula was in the dog house yesterday. I'm not sure why, but she made a couple of small wet spots on my bed. It was  covered with a dog sheet, because she likes to lounge, Still...I can't have that happening. Maybe because it's Springtime. I seem to remember this same situation with another on of my dogs at this time of year. I got out Carlie's old crate and set it up in the bedroom. Instead of driving to knitting, I stayed home and washed the duvet cover and my down comforter. It dried well in the afternoon sun.  Oh well. Pets can cause us some extra work at times. I'm glad that I saved this kennel.  She really seems to like it.

The sun has been shining, and it does a fantastic job of line drying the clothes. I love how clean and fresh the nightgowns and bedding smell.  It really saves on energy costs, too. I placed the pineapple in the windowsill for a couple of days.  I had some earlier, and it was fantastic! The flavor was so sweet and tangy. What a treat! I am looking forward to all of the fresh summer fruits that we have  in store. They are so delicious.  Are you enjoying this weather?

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Fixing Shadow Wrap Short Rows

This afternoon I fixed the shadow wrap short rows on my Stockholm Sweater. I redid the right side. I will work on the left side tomorrow, It also needs to be redone. The first couple of rows have some puffy stitches. I think I was slipping them over to the opposite needle incorrectly. It could also have been that I was binding off too loosely, too. I'm not sure.

I had been avoiding ripping this back and fixing it. I found a video on Youtube that demonstrated the shadow wrap technique, and watched it several times. It isn't hard, but it's just very different than what I'm used to doing. I've done a wrap and turn short row in the past. I love the effect of this one, though. When done properly, the line is invisible. It kind of reminds me of how kitchener stitch looks on the toe of a sock.

Once I'm finished fixing the rest of the short rows, it will be smooth sailing. Most of the remainder of this sweater is in stockinette, and the decreases are the standard SSK and K2tog.  The bottom is ribbed. I may learn an Italian bind off to stretch my skills.

 I'm so excited to be past that difficult section. Fingering weight yarn held doubled is a challenge. (especially when you are working with four skeins at a time.) How was your weekend?

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90 Sales On Etsy

Ojai clouds and mountains

On Sunday I hit my goal of ninety sales in my Etsy shop, pinkcottagesoaps.etsy.com. It was very rewarding. Now I will shoot for a hundred. It's hard to believe that my little home based business has grown and developed so quickly.  I started it after having my hips replaced. I had always wanted a mail order business, especially after closing my dance and yoga studio.  I find it so much easier to work from home. You don't have to worry about paying business rent and all of those other expenses.  I just listed a couple of new batches of soap. The Shea Butter Goat's Milk and Coconut Dream soaps have finished curing.  I need to pick up some macadamia nut oil and coconut milk at Sprouts so that I can make more Shampoo Bars. I am sold out of them. I bought the avocado oil for that recipe at Costco yesterday. I paid for it separately, with my business debit card.  

Short rows on Stockholm Sweater

I am completing the pair of blue ribbed  hand knit socks today. Tomorrow I will  focus on the Stockholm Sweater. This is what I have so far...isn't the yarn  gorgeous?  All of the ladies in class were knitting it in different colors. The shades were just divine! I want to make one in purple. It's so lovely. I am happy with my choice of color, though. For some reason, knitting with other women seems to trigger yarn envy.  I mean it  in a positive way, though. It's more like admiration. We were oohing and aahing at each others' work.

Huge orange trees near the highway

I'm cooking a rack of lamb and  baked potatoes for dinner. I made a spinach salad earlier for lunch. I will season the lamb with fresh rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. It should be  delicious; I love lamb.  I spent a huge amount of money at Costco yesterday, but stayed in my monthly budget. I will need to buy very little for the rest of March. I like to have a full fridge and pantry. It gives me a feeling of security.

Ojai Spanish casita

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Close Friends That You Can Call

I've been reading a book called Boundaries, by Dr. Henry Cloud. In it, he mentions that you should have at least six people that you can call if you need to talk. That way, if one person is busy, you have other friends or family members who will support you.

I thought about how true this is. Many people are feeling isolated due to social media. I made a few phone calls to close friends. I had a long, laughter filled conversation with a woman I did 42nd Street in Europe with; it was so good to catch up with her. She told me that she had been thinking about me all week. Those connections are so important to our mental health. We need to communicate with people who are on our same wavelength.  It's healing for our hearts and souls.

I left a message for another old friend from the same show. We usually talk now and then on Sunday afternoons. I always look forward to our conversations. Just hearing his voice puts a smile on my face. Close friends are treasures. I met both of these dancers almost thirty years ago. They are both so kind and compassionate.

I spent a lot of time today finishing up my blue Carbeth sweater. I completed the ribbing on the turtleneck and bound off loosely. I weaved in some of the ends, and grafted together the stitches underneath one of the arms. I will do the rest of it tomorrow. Working through the final touches on a hand knit sweater always takes me twice as long as I think it will.

 It's really a gorgeous design; I'm so excited to wear it. It looks completely different than anything else I own, because of the Icelandic wool. I absolutely love the vibrant blue color!

Here are some more photos from my trip to Ojai. I went back up the next day and attended a fabulous knitting group. I signed up for a sweater class that uses an interesting method of shaping the shoulders with German short rows. I bought the yarn and got started on the back. With this cold weather we've been having I have been getting daily use out of my hand knit sweaters. I rarely buy yarn, but this time I made an exception. I am so excited about taking a class again. I have always loved being a student. I get such a charge from the joy of learning.  I felt very comfortable with this group of knitters. Most of them live in Ojai or Santa Barbara. They are artistic, trained, and talented.  The vibe of that area really pulls me... like a magnet.

I also signed up for a writing course with Rhonda Hetzel. I took her blogging course on Skype and really enjoyed it. I did the homework today and emailed her  my questions and writing sample. Phew! There is a lot to look forward to with these classes and teachers.  How are you doing? 

Making Gauge On Your Hand Knit Sweater

How important is it to match the gauge of the designer when knitting a sweater? Very. A woman in one of the knitting groups I attend asked the ladies why the hat she had crocheted didn't fit. She had made two of them, designing as she went, and was disappointed in the result. "It's too small," she explained.

One of the women asked me what I thought. I answered that I always use a pattern, and make a gauge swatch before  starting to  knit the item. Each yarn will knit up differently. For Carbeth, for example, I made gauge on my first swatch. I used some dk weight yarn that I had in my stash, held double. The pattern is designed that way. The needles worked, the yarn worked, and I could get started immediately.

I loved the sweater so much that I decided to make another one with some bulky weight yarn from Iceland. I needed fourteen stitches in four inches. The first swatch I did on size 10.5 needles, which the pattern suggests. I got 12 stitches. I was two stitches short, so I tried a second swatch on size 10 needles. I ended up with 13 stitches. I switched to size 9 needles, and hit 14 stitches exactly. Phew! It took three tries, but was worth it.

When you are within the parameters of the pattern and its measurements, you will be much happier with the end result. Your sweater will look like the photo, it will fit you, and you will have enough yarn. (It helps to buy a skein of extra yarn, just in case.)

Although some knitters don't like to swatch, it really is worth the time and energy. You are not going to feel stressed and worried about the size of your sweater. You can just relax and knit. Following rules and guidelines in the beginning gives you freedom and confidence in the end.

I have known knitters who refuse to swatch. Some have exploded  into rage if I mention that I do it. I have never seen any of them wearing a hand knit item. It just makes all the difference. It's like laying your clothing on a piece of graph paper.  It insures that your garment will match the pattern. 

This morning I received a message from a gorgeous dancer who I worked with thirty years ago. She had seen a photo on Facebook and  wants to order one of my turtleneck sweaters. Fantastic! This is where swatching is super important- when you don't have the person in front of you to try on what you are making.  She is built like a Ford model, and will look fabulous in it. Still, I am getting her measurements. The length of the sleeves, body, and neck are so important. Everyone has a different shape.  It's more than just being a small, medium, or large. The details make it art. With careful planning, you will end up with a sweater with sleeves that come right to the ends of the wrists, your desired length, and a comfortable fit in the neck.

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Carbeth Completed

The stitches look so much smoother and more uniform after blocking

On Tuesday I finished my  Carbeth sweater. I wore it yesterday morning to Sprouts and Valley Produce. The two women behind the counter at Sprouts complimented me on it. When I thanked them and told them that I had made it, they went nuts. It was really sweet. They were so enthusiastic and impressed. It made my day.  This younger generation seems so passionate about fiber arts and the old fashioned ways.  It warms my heart.

The cashier asked me if I sell them. I do sell  sweaters and hand knits on Etsy. It takes a significant amount of time, energy, and yarn to make one, so they are expensive. The price for a raglan sweater like this one would be very high because the yarn is doubled. Sometimes you can find yarn on sale, though. It could also be knit in a single strand of a chunky yarn. I was so fortunate to be given such a large amount of this grey yarn; the hanks were huge!

Final fitting before blocking

After soaking the turtleneck in water for about an hour, I spun it dry in my Nina Spin Dryer. I then carefully laid it out on my Meyer Lemon Tree, avoiding the thorns.  I was amazed at how quickly it dried. It only took a few hours, out in the fresh air.  I was able to wear it to my knitting group that afternoon. I think this is my new favorite sweater. I've been living in it.  How are you? Is it cold where you live?  I hope you are staying warm and comfortable.

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Almost Finished With My Carbeth Sweater

I am nearly finished knitting Carbeth. It's such a soft and plush sweater. I love the way the shaping looks under the bust. I've been working on the rolled neck. I started off  using a circular needle, but just switched to dpn's. Mine are a bit short to hold nineteen stitches a piece, but if I'm careful, it works. I much prefer the feeling of straight needles to circulars, always have. There is something about the feeling of the wood in my hands that grounds me.

I can't wait to try it on and to see the turtleneck. I only have five more rows to go. I may do extra rows, depending on the fit. I have a long neck.  The designer is petite, and much shorter than I am. I am so glad that I still made a size small. I added more more inches to the body, rather than keeping it cropped at the waist.  I am long waisted. I also made the arms much longer. It's easy to adjust the fit so that it matches your shape perfectly.

Last night I stayed up until 11:00 p.m. I normally go to bed at 9:00 p.m.  I was so excited to keep knitting and reading about the other Carbeths that people have made. It's the kind of sweater that really comes to life once it's on your body.  The simple construction is very flattering and it has lovely diagonal lines. I have a feeling that I will be making another one of these, maybe in red.  How is your knitting going?

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Finished The Christmas Socks!

Yesterday I finished the Christmas socks; I'm really pleased with the fit.  The ribbing makes them feel nice and spongy. I am getting more used to doing this style of heel and gusset now. I stuck to a short row heel for many years. I like both of them. The more you practice a technique, the easier and more natural it becomes.  The sock yarn is Austermann. It's hand dyed. I absolutely love it.

I spent quite a while this afternoon untangling my poor, neglected Carbeth sweater. It had slid off of the circular needles while sitting in my bag for the past month. It took me a couple of hours to backtrack, put all of the stitches back on the needles, and to find the join. I had actually been knitting in the wrong direction for a while. Unbelievable. Because there are two balls of yarn, it was more complicated to organize.

I was feeling very reluctant to continue with this project. I toyed with the idea of ripping it all out and starting over from the top. (Well from the bottom, since it's a bottom up pattern.)  I realized that doing so would have been crazy. I am so closed to being finished. I figured out why I was having trouble. I had used the safety pin style markers, instead of the small circles. I didn't do the decreases on each side of the sleeve, because I didn't see the markers right in front of me on the needles. I also misinterpreted the pattern.  I was distracted and yakking at one of my knitting groups.

I said a prayer for some help, and things went along swimmingly. The yarn feels incredibly luscious. It is so soft and warm. I think it must be hand spun.  (There is no label.)  It is going to be the most divine sweater. It should be finished with it in the next few days. It is cold, (well, cold for California,) and I can't wait to wear it! I will post photos.   

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Happy Thanksgiving

delicate feverfew flowers in bloom right now

I hope that you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I stuffed a chicken with Mrs. Cubbinson's stuffing, just like my mom and I used to do. It was delicious. I prepared a simple version of the traditional meal: chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and orange cranberry sauce. It was delicious.  The homemade apple cranberry cobbler made a delightful dessert. I baked it a few days in advance. I roasted the stuffed chicken last night. I find it easier to do everything in stages. That way there is not an overwhelming amount of work to do on the big day.  The leftovers are divine!  I gave Lula the liver, onions, and neck meat from the giblets. That was her doggie treat for Thanksgiving.

today's freshly harvested zucchini and a pumpkin on the vine

I used fresh oranges in the cranberry sauce  from the Navel Orange tree in my backyard. We finally had some rain last night. It was such a relief. The garden looks so green and healthy today. I picked a couple of zucchinis this morning, and noted the progress of my pumpkins. They are small, but are steadily growing. Their color is still yellow. I hope that they make it to orange. They grow a lot faster when planted during the hot weather. They don't need as much water this time of year, though. It's been an interesting experiment. It's so exciting to grow vegetables from seed. Their transformation is like magic!

my Carbeth sweater

Yesterday I went to our  knitting group and worked on my sweater. I thought that I was almost finished, but then  realized that I had made another mistake. I should have done decreases before and after each sleeve. So, now I have to rip it back to the underarm join again. (sigh) Oh well. "Win a few, lose a few," as my Aunt Mary  used to say. It's going to be a fabulous sweater, though. I tried it on to check the fit.  It will be better once it has twice as many decreases, like it's supposed to have.  I am eager to get it done. How was your Thanksgiving?

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Chicken Fried Steak and Mashed Potatoes

This afternoon I made one of my favorite meals: chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. I bought the grass fed beef on special at Sprouts. Round steak is one of the tougher cuts of meat, so I tenderized it  using a wooden mallet. I hammered at the meat on both sides to flatten the pieces. After that, I soaked them in citrus juice for an hour and fifteen minutes. I used lime juice, since I had bought fourteen limes for a dollar last week at Valley Produce. I made a glass of limeade to have with lunch using the leftover juice.

After letting the meat soak, I pan fried it in olive oil. First you dip the pieces into the flour, and then season them  with salt and pepper. They fried up quickly,  needing just  five minutes on each side.

I served them with whipped potatoes. To make them, just boil  some russet potatoes in water with an onion cut into quarters. After draining them in a colander, add  some milk, and beat them on high with an electric mixer. Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste  My mom always used white pepper, but I was out of it, so I substituted black pepper. This is a delicious, tasty, satisfying, and frugal meal. It's amazing how citrus changes the consistency of the meat. It was tender and easy to chew. You can also use apple cider vinegar. I am a huge meat and potatoes fan. The leftover drippings make an excellent country gravy.

I have been working on my knitted shawl each day. This is another La La Simple Shawl, designed by Laura Linneman.  It is a free pattern on Ravelry.

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A Visit To A Yarn Shop

While visiting  the Bay Area over my birthday, I decided to take a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I continued driving north on the 101 freeway, and exited in Healdsburg. I had been there a couple of times to visit my friend who has a home on Russian River. I was enchanted with how the downtown area had changed. When we were kids, it used to be just a grocery store and a gas station. Now it is an artsy, hip, upscale area. There are all kinds of quaint shops and restaurants.

I had taken Lula with me in the car. She's an excellent traveler. We walked around the square, and stopped at a bakery. They had a beautiful outdoor patio with a heater, and they allowed dogs. I ordered some French onion soup and bread. The waiter brought Lula a  bowl of water in a stainless steel bowl, on a tray. It was so sweet. He also gave her some homemade bacon dog treats from the bakery. They were shaped in small ovals, like cookies. Lula gobbled them up, eagerly. I was so impressed that I bought a bag of them. I also picked out a small lemon tart to take home and share with my dad. 

As I was heading back to my car, I thought to myself, "I wonder where the yarn shop is?" My friend had told me that they had one, and that the ladies there sit and knit. It turns out that I had parked right in front of it when I pulled into the parking spot! I didn't notice, because I had my focus on Lula, and was busy getting her on her leash.

I stopped in and chatted with the ladies who work there. They complimented me on the vest that I was wearing. It's the sweater vest that I knit for my mom. I bought a birch shawl pin for it. They encouraged me to come back again and to bring my knitting. I'm sure I will!

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Working Through Discouragement and Finding the Light

Today I finally  finished the LaLa Simple Shawl. It was a jubilant feeling. As I bound off the last few stitches, I felt so happy and free. I had almost given up on it, because I was having so much trouble counting all of those stitches. The finer the yarn, the more stitches you have. This one gradually increased to over three hundred stitches. But, it was worth all of the frustration and  backtracking.   I blocked it this afternoon, and have been wearing it this evening. It is so light and airy; I love the feathery feel of the yarn. My other shawls are all knit from worsted weight wool or llama. This one is perfect for the months and  months of warm weather that we have here in Los Angeles.

After that, I decided to tackle the Carbeth sweater that I started months ago. I had put it aside during the heat, and have been feeling guilty for neglecting it.  I just couldn't sit with a pile of hot wool on my lap in this weather. I pulled it out of my knitting bag, and it was a huge mess. I untangled the yarn, straightened everything out, and measured the sleeves. To my surprise everything actually looked very good. I sat with the pattern and studied what needed to be done. Things are always worse in my mind.

I was a little confused with the instructions. I didn't understand what I was supposed to do with the underarm stitches that I had on scrap yarn. I read through the finishing section, and discovered that  you graft those stitches together. Ahh! That was like a revelation. I use the same technique on the toes of my socks.

Sitting comfortably on the couch, I began the round where you connect the sleeves to the body. It went very well. This pattern is a breeze, after doing all of that tedious work on the shawl. If all goes well, (and that's a very big if,) I should have it finished tomorrow. It's done on size 10.5 needles, so it moves quickly. I'm so excited about it. Once again, I am very glad that I came back to what I started and recommitted. Part of me wanted to give up, because I didn't feel connected to the project anymore.   It's absolutely beautiful yarn, (that was given to me by a fellow knitter,) and I know it will become one of my favorite sweaters.   How are your crafts going? 

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Another Baby Blanket and Cool Evenings

I started a baby blanket today. It's going to be  for my friend's grandson. He is due in October. This is the stroller blanket that I usually crochet for gifts. I had the yarn in my stash. One of the ladies I used to knit with gave me several balls of baby yarn that she didn't need. It's so nice to have a variety of colors and wool available for gifts. It saves me money,  and provides hours of enjoyment. I had forgotten how meditative crocheting is. It really relaxes me.

The Hermiones Socks are coming along well. I completed the gusset today. Now it's smooth sailing. I just need to finish the foot and the toe, and then will do the second sock.  It's a different toe  than I have done in the past. Following the pattern will make me think. Sometimes I like doing patterns I know well, because it is pretty stress-free. I try to keep a balance of challenging projects and easy, simple knits. I still need to finish that Carbeth sweater. Some of the knitters on Ravelry were knitting it in four days. I just can't deal with alpaca when the temperature has been over 100 degrees. I think I'll wait till it's cooler. No wonder I was calling it Carpark.

The evenings have been cooler. I enjoy sitting out on the patio and watching colors of the sky shift and change. Each time I exercise Lula,  I walk by my neighbor's  horses and goats.  It gives a nice feel to our street to have farm animals. So many of the residents have chickens. You can hear the roosters crowing each morning. I love the sound of the hens squawking after they lay their eggs. It's the perfect natural  music to listen to as I drink my morning coffee. How are things with you?

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