by Kat | Jan 9, 2017 | General, In This Moment
It was a bitterly cold weekend here in the ‘Burgh and my new slippers came in very handy during the weekend of couch residency with knitting in hand.
I started swatching and I am not certain if I got gauge yet (swatch drying is in process) but I really love the yarn. It is very nice and I think it will be an excellent choice for a sweater – and it is not overly processed and there is a faint sheepy aroma and a slight feel of lanolin which is not at all unpleasant in the knitting process. I am expecting the yarn to bloom considerably in washing so it will be interesting to see how much gauge changes pre-wash and post-washing.
I also got back to sleeves on Rock Island – I got a good bit of it done watching a few episodes of season two of The Man in the High Castle. I was having a bit of a panic about not having enough yarn to finish the sweater, but those fears are subsiding a bit for the moment. I have about 4 inches to go on sleeve one and I think I will easily get sleeve two done with leftovers!
I am finding it a challenge to get back on track with my diet – it seems that a couple of weeks of sugar intake has woken my sweet tooth. I am going to try to ignore the sweet cravings this morning, which should make Monday even more amazing than it usually is!
That is all I have for today – if you are blanketed in snow and bitterly cold weather – stay warm and I hope your Monday is gentle! Mine should be – at least I am appropriately attired for it!
How was your weekend?
by Kat | Jan 6, 2017 | General
When winter arrives in Pittsburgh, it arrives with a vengeance. I was greeted this morning with the stellar temperature of 8 whole degrees. (although they are forecasting for it to be well into the 50’s by next Thursday so this cold will be short-lived – which is just insanely crazy and if I was not already coming down with something, you know I would by this time next week!)
But, when it gets this cold – I am so thankful for wool! And, as my slippers from last year have a hole in one heel and I have not tried to darn/mend it yet – I cast on a new pair of my “go to” slipper yesterday. I have one done and am onto the second – it should be done shortly and my feet will be so happy.
Once that slipper is done, I will be working on swatching for a sweater. I have some incredible CVM yarn from Sheepspot and this will be something work related (I mean really, how great is it having a job that requires you to knit!!) Anyways, I have two sweater ideas that I think might work for this yarn – the first is a simple cardigan from Yellowcosmo and the second is Kathleen Dames latest knit along sweater – Basic Cable. I will be swatching for both this afternoon and we will see which swatch wins! Either way, you will find an article about my swatching journey later this month on the Sheepspot blog.
Last month, Caffeine Girl Creates asked me about the size of my Peace Cowl and I wanted to share with all of you my thoughts on how the finished cowl wears. My cowl ended up 8″ x 68″ – so it is BIG! I went up a needle size because my handspun was a bit thicker than fingering weight and I did not want a dense, heavy fabric. Would I want this cowl this big if I were knitting it out of a worsted spun yarn? No, I do not think I would, so I might reduce it a few inches, however in my woolen spun Columbia, I simply LOVE it! It is light but so incredibly warm! I put it on yesterday morning and I wore it all day long. For not having a project in mind when I spun the fiber up, I’d say this was an excellent match of yarn and pattern!
I have some Dorset Down handspun that I was trying to use in another project which has been languishing on the needles as it is not a good match for a couple of reasons – my spinning was not very uniform and I am not sure I have enough yardage to complete the project. However, I think it might work well in the Peace Cowl pattern, so you can look for that to be repurposed in the coming month as well.
Now how about some links?
Tomorrow is Saint Distaff’s Day! So, if you have not used your spinning wheel in the New Year (or in a while…) this is the perfect opportunity to do so!
I am completely smitten with Selbu Norway. (And Selbu Mittens too!)
The OA and The Oa – I love them both!
Field Guide No. 2 is coming!
Water
Alien Trail
If 2017 is your year to try double knitting the Om Shanti Cowl is the perfect little project!
I love these Night Creatures Mittens!
That is all I have for this first week in January – I am off to have a bit of hot tea and to finish those slippers! See you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Jan 5, 2017 | General, Words
This week’s prompt for Think Write Thursday is to write a post called “Hello, January”.
There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues. – Hal Borland
Winter has been iffy in my corner of the world with temperature swings from the 60’s one day to the 20’s the next. And, the rain – my back yard is one giant spongy mess.
However, I know that there is no avoiding the bitter cold that will soon be upon us. January is good at bring the cold – but, the one thing that January also brings is the slowly lengthening days. Each day there is just a bit more daylight than the day before, which is a very good thing!
I have not completely given up on growing things either, despite my Amaryllis failure – I have orchids that are blooming and then there are those Paperwhites… I am completely smitten with their ethereal blossoms balanced precariously on a slender stalk. There is hope blooming during the winter and it makes my mind turn to gardening!
That is right – garden planning will be happening this month. Where will we expand this year? What will we work on? What will we grow? It is perhaps the best time of all – the time when you can dream big! Mr. Borland is right seed catalogues simply are the best diversion for January and I am hoping my Baker Heirloom Seed Catalogue will be here sooner than later!
I am sorry Dear January if it feels like I am cheating on you by wishing it was May but garden planning is the best way to get through you!
If you would like to join Carole and I on this writing journey, we would love to have you! You can sign up here!
by Kat | Jan 4, 2017 | General, Making
- New Year Ö
- New Project Ö
- New Book Ö
Knitting progresses on Rob Roy. It is slow going right now, as I have not found a flow to the cables yet – nor have I memorised the symbols! Plus I ran into a bit of a conundrum with the chart on round three but Mary came to the rescue and it has flowed smoothly since.
I love the texture these cowls have!
I ended 2016 with 2 additional projects completed – Project Peace and Singing Beach. And, 2017 has it’s first item in the completion column – my first PussyHat is complete. I will be casting on another to share and I think I am going to give Laura Nelkin’s mods a go!
New book underway – Moonglow A Novel by Michael Chabon.
And, in its first few days the New Year is perking along nicely!
What are you reading and knitting in the New Year?
Joining Ginny and her Yarn Along.
by Kat | Jan 3, 2017 | General, In This Moment
Tuesday…
Can you hear me drumming my fingers on the desk? Yes…it is annoying!
How about a bit of a rambling post today?
We only have 399 hours remaining of intelligence, grace, and dignity in the White House before the circus comes to town.
I am in the Resistance Camp and I have been girding my loins, as it were. Kym has been sharing weekly ideas that are awesome! The Wall of Us had some great ideas this week. Easy things. Really. Go sign up!
In the same resistance vein, I cannot stress how vital supporting news media has become. I signed up for a digital subscription of the Washington Post and it made me insanely happy to read that they had recently hired more than five dozen journalists. I have been struggling to find a news balance in the sea of media that seems to be okay with giving time to person who believes lies are the truth. It makes me feel like my little support is helping in the fight!
How many of you know about Give Your Amazon Box New Life? Me either, but this could come in very handy for my organization resolution! (Additional partners can be found here)
Finally, and on a brighter note – my Paperwhites have started blooming! Just one slender stalk, but there are buds of promise on the fellow bulbs!
Happy Re-entry Tuesday, everyone!
