by Kat | Mar 5, 2018 | General, In This Moment
The weekend was kind of a chaotic blur. In the perpetual search for storage in a house with no storage, which is the bane of our existence, we again reorganized/reworked some rooms. It did not end well, and Steve is back at work today, sans that weekend feeling. End result, we fiddled with a few rooms with no real solutions found. Sadly, you cannot create storage space where it does not exist.
On a brighter note, if there had been more knitting time, I might have gotten this little bear done! But, even with the scant amount of time I did spend knitting this week, I got a surprising amount done! Several of you have asked about the Fiddly-ness of the kitting of this little bear. It starts out in a very easy and straightforward manner. The instructions are clear and concise – my one pro-tip, thus far: attach the bear head to the body after you have knit a good bit of the hood. Knitting the hood around the bear head has been the fiddliest part of the process thus far. I will let you know how the arms and legs go, but I am not foreseeing any major issues! I really love how she has configured picking up stitches! It is so insanely easy!
With so much chaos all weekend, it was easy to convince Steve that Sunday supper should include Margarita’s and happy hour food and at least for a few moments we did not care at all that Monday was looming large!
Usually my list for Monday includes several loads of laundry, but today I am passing that task on to Tuesday’s list! I am reclaiming some weekend minutes before Steve gets home from work today.
How was your weekend?
by Kat | Mar 2, 2018 | General
Yes, March has some lion-like qualities here in the ‘Burgh today. The mild weather we had been joyfully experiencing has been replaced with the rude return of winter. Snow, cold, and blowing winds are what my world looks like today!
However, there were some good things to reflect upon as the week ends.
It appears my fix on my Carbeth is a winner! I would have soaked and blocked it again – but this weather has pre-empted that because I am wearing her today!
Last week I had a visit with the optometrist who confirmed there is a change to my prescription… new glasses arrived on Wednesday and my eyes are rejoicing at all the things they can clearly see! (If you follow me on IG, I will post a photo of both the new and improved Carbeth neckline and my new glasses there later today!)
My forsythia has NOT bloomed yet, so I am hoping to avoid the catastrophe that happened last year when they bloomed and then the cold returned destroying all the flowers!
AND, the weekend is here! Which is always a very good thing! I will be heading to JoAnn’s for some Bear in a Bunny Suit stuffing…
There were some very good links this week as well!
First up, a new Sally Melville pattern: Necessary Neutral I really love this, and she is so right with this statement: “Whether or not we knit socks, we buy fingering yarns.”
Twisted Threads and Gravity of color wrap both caught my eye for different reasons. Both are a most wearable shape and they are both currently free.
As winter so harshly reminded me this morning, he is not quite ready to move on so perhaps some mitten knitting is a good idea: Long Reach Mittens or Dreyma Mitts
Oh My Sheep is about the cutest thing ever. Someone should knit one for Vicki’s new grandbaby!
Puddle Studies is also so cute!
Finally, Sarah Jordan has a new sock pattern out: Palestra
That is all I have for today! Have an awesome weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Mar 1, 2018 | General, Words
Today’s things are all about numbers!
Thing One: 12
As in just 12 days to the start of March Madness! Really, this is the best time of the year for a sports loving knitter! (If you are interested in filling out a bracket, Selection Sunday is March 11 and you can download your bracket here!)
Thing Two: 18
As in 18 days until the arrival of spring! I know it is just the beginning of March, but we have had some amazing spring-like weather so the return to winter on Friday makes me want to cry. But, maybe that is just the thing I need to reinvigorate my Strokkur knitting. I seem to have lost my mojo for wooly sweater knitting with the warm temperatures!
Thing Three: 31
I am not fooling when I say that Easter will be here in 31 days, nor am I fooling when I tell you that I am wondering if I can get a Bear in a Bunny Suit done before the Lunar Phase MKAL begins!
These are my things for today! Want to see more marvelous things? Head on over to Carole’s where all the cool kids hang out!
by Kat | Feb 28, 2018 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
And, with a blink of an eye – February is over!
I must confess, I am loving the extra moments of daylight this month brought as well as the bit of spring weather we have had for the past week or so.
This week, there was some unraveling – I ripped out the neck on my Carbeth and am in the process of re-knitting it. I hope that this “theory” works.
I also have had a great deal of fun swatching for the Lunar Phase MKAL. I am undecided with my “dark” yarn. I sent some photos to Vicki yesterday and will wind more yarn today for more swatching! I have narrowed things down a bit:
Option One:
Option Two:
I have one sleeve almost done on my Strokkur, and I hope to get sleeve two done this week, which ushers in the color work knitting which seems to me to be the “fast” portion of lopapeysa knitting. We have snow in the forecast this weekend, so that might give me some incentive to get it done! Ha!
I also got back to work on my MKAL sock. I am to the heel on Sock One. I am listening to The Complete Patrick Melrose Novels on Audible, so I have 25 hours of listening time! More than enough to get these socks caught up (and done as the last clue is out tomorrow!)
Speaking of reading, February was a very good month for books and I finished 11 books!
I loved Winter by Ali Smith, The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie, and Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingale. However, as the month ends, The Woman Who Smashed Codes remains the best book I have read by far!
I have some good books in the queue for March as well! I am especially excited to start reading Rosie Colored Glasses by Brianna Wolfson and Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson.
What did you read this month that you loved?
If you are joining us today – welcome and thank you! Please leave the link to your post in your comment.
by Kat | Feb 27, 2018 | General, In This Moment
This morning was frigid, but glorious. Sunshine and a cacophony of birdsong greeted me when I took Sherman out.
And snowdrops. A plethora of snowdrops!
I did not plant them, they were here when we moved in, just one solo little cluster of tiny flowers. But, this year, they have spread and there are 7 or 8 clusters!
My favorite harbinger of spring with their tremulous little blossoms – hardy and fragile at the same time.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
by Kat | Feb 26, 2018 | General, In This Moment
There is much I am pondering this morning…
There are 21 days left of winter, and my stitching is getting nicely “full” and I spent some time this weekend thinking about how to best use these remaining days so that when winter is done, my stitching “feels done” and too.
That extra-ordinary enabler, Vicki, posted something on IG and it lodged itself in my brain. I spent much of yesterday looking through my stash to see what I might have that might work for Larissa’s upcoming MKAL. This gets bonus points as well because I am itching to knit something besides a sweater these days. I would really love to put something together that has a “lovely watercolor effect” so stay tuned!
Finally, I am anxious to get my copy of Making’s UNIFORM and to get myself prepped, I am going to get going on a dress for spring. This weather has me itching for something new! I am a bit nervous and will be making a muslin over the next few weeks, which will hopefully be successful! I am reading up on “how to” and then attempting to trace a pattern this week!
This is what will occupy my Monday… what about you? What is on your mind today?
