Greetings dear Unravelers!
At long last, we have arrived at the last day of January… it has been A. Month. (that felt like a month and a half… at least!)
We had “winter” for roughly ten days… ten glorious flannel sheet days. There was snow for less time, but for those brief days everything felt clean, bright, and hushed. I think snow makes the dark days of winter… well, less dark. But we are back to dark, dreary, with a yard that is like one giant squishy sponge. My game of “whack-a-mole” with the squirrels returns… because of course they STILL are trying to dig bulbs up! (more on those bulbs later this week… )
Happy Handspun Socks!
And yes, on this last day of January… I have a finely finished pair of socks that make me so happy! I have barely taken them off since finishing them last week. My love for them and the love of having a mindless sock to knit while watching television at night caused me to dig out an already wound ball of yarn (from a failed attempt at socks, I think) I tried again… but the yarn is just too fine and I am not going to knit on smaller needles. So I am going to frog this start and get a hat started. I think it will be miles and miles of mindless nighttime knitting once I get past the increase portion, that is. I was going to knit a Musselburgh, but I like the look of Sarah’s crown increases and decreases better… so I made the purchase yesterday. I will get it started later today.
Frogging in 3…2…
As you can see above, the BIGGEST NEWS of all is that I have just ONE button band to go on the Great Cabled Sweater! I have begun the shawl collar increases… which is really a great deal of knitting… and it is pay attention knitting, so it not exactly “mindless” knitting. But I have a method for this madness. My countdown is the row of markers on the completed collar. As I increase, I move one from the completed to the in process… and that countdown is a bit like a cheerleader! I also wanted to begin the “wash and pin out to the correct dimensions” portion of the making…but I woke Tuesday to no water (thanks to a water main break… sigh.) We still have no water at this writing so the sweater blocking will move to another day’s list… hopefully we have water soon!
The reading remains slow… just two finishes this week. I have struggled to “stay awake” to read at night… only to wake around midnight to toss and turn. No reading then, because I am hopeful of falling back asleep… grrr! But, my listens were delightful… The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo was lovely! (It will be published February 13th!) And I listened to Geraldine Brooks Year of Wonders… very different from The Fox Wife, but I liked it as well! Brooks does such a wonderful job on research… and I am so very thankful for vaccinations! Haha!
What about you all on this final day of January?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
Your cables sweater looks like quite a masterpiece in the making—congratulations on the final stretch!
The sun in your third photo is a balm. If I could find a way to wiggle myself INTO it, I would.
And. No water?! Going on day 2?! Sounds like you’re taking it quite well…. I hope you were able to get a few big pots filled, at the least. Fingers crossed for you.
*cableD
That is a lovely mass of cables and markers and I hope to see the FO soon(ish). Those pink socks are the best, and you have cheered up another dull, gray, January day with them. I may need to place a hold on The Fox Wife. Sending you good water wishes!
That is one INVOLVED sweater, Kat! I can’t wait to see it all blocked out . . . and On You. And the socks are really divine. What a perfect foil to the dreary days of winter. (And you’re so right about the snow. . . )
Love those socks! And great progress on the cardigan too. I hope your water is fixed soon though, that’s a nightmare!
What FUN socks and your sweater looks so complicated to moi – LOL. NO WATER???? How are you so calm about that? (Of course, out of your control…but…) Yikes! I do hope you get water back sooner rather than later. I have unfortunately gotten back into the habit of waking in the middle of the night and then not getting back to sleep. So frustrating. I need to get back to drinking my golden milk before bed time – that really seems to help me.
My thought on all things out of my control… stay calm and because I live with one who freaks the eff out over all things out of his control. We can’t both be off the deep end at.the.same.time… LOL
Love the socks and am cheering you on to finish the sweater! I’m sorry about the water issue — I don’t know if other cities have as many water main breaks as we do, but they seem to be such an issue here. I hope your water is back on very soon (and at least the utility isn’t dealing with truly freezing temperatures while they’re fixing it!).
I have to say that I get excited every time I get a pattern sale notification, but it’s even better when it’s a friend who’s made the purchase. So thank you and I hope you enjoy the hat!
I confess… I struggled a bit with the cast on but I finally got it! It is really a smart way to start a small circumference item!
I LOVE those homespun socks, the color and fit….perfect.
Winter on the front Range has been very un-normal. We had our ‘little’ snow and the ‘deep
freeze’ moved through with so much whining and lamenting, now the lamenters are smiling since it is in the 60s+ temp. range. In the late summer/fall is when the crying and lamenting
will get loud…high heat and fires! We need the water.
Years of Wonder is on my to read list, thanks Kat.
What is up with all the water main breaks this year. It’s an epidemic of them around here and they are doing a LOT of damage.
I hope by the time you read this you have your water back.
The new socks are PERFECT!
I have no clue, but we have had multiple instances of lengthy water outages due to main breaks. (and somehow the water company is thinking that doubling the bill “for repairs” is a wise move… Ummm…hasn’t that been what the $$ service fee we have been paying since forever has been for??)
I’m sorry to read that insomnia is still with you. Sending sleepy wishes that stay. Love the count down method, I do things like that similarly just to keep the momentum going.The sun is OUT!!!
That cabled sweater is going to be a masterpiece and a labor of love. I hope we get to see the finished object. Handspun socks are quite an accomplishment. I don’t think any of my handspun is thin enough for socks. I am not a fan of sport and DK weight socks as they don’t fit very well in my shoes. Maybe I need new Birks?! Being without water is no joke. I hope yours is back on soon. Hauling water is quite a chore.
Those socks are bright and cheerful and just right for the month of February! I loved Year of Wonders.
Those pink socks are just such a happy colour. You have reminded me that I am still stuck on the pair I started last year. Time to admit defeat and get some help. Well done on the jumper progress. Keep going.
Congratulations on a lovely pair of socks. The fact that they are knit with your own handspn makes them all the more special. Feeling your pain with the water situation. While you had none, we had too much in the basement. The clean up is always so daunting.