by Kat | Apr 13, 2016 | General, Making
It’s Wednesday and that means Ginny is rounding up the knitters and the readers for her Yarn Along. I am about half way through Raven Black and I really want to get it finished today. I am not totally loving this book, but I have started it and I want to finish it. And, if you are looking for some titles to round out your reading list, yesterday’s 10 on Tuesday hosted by CaroleKnits was all about 10 books that make you D.E.A.R. and the participants all had fantastic book lists – if you are looking for a book to read, head on over there and you will be sure to find a more than a few good reads!
On the knitting front – I seem to have stalled on knitting projects recently. I still have socks in the works, but I have been kind of aimlessly casting on, knitting a few rows, and ripping out. Swatching that is not working – pattern and yarn are not loving each other.
However, this swatching is working out beautifully. My sample is knitting up nicely. I should have this done and washed today. I won’t know that my yarn will match and work completely until I have washed it. Once I am certain that my handspun will work, I will be back carding the Shetland to get ready to spin. This week is supposed to be lovely here and yesterday afternoon saw the completion of the Pergola – and we both lived to tell about it!! I will have pictures later this week, but it will make the perfect place to card that Shetland!
I have been putting the waste wool from the carding process out for the birds, because they don’t think it is waste at all! In fact, they are gleefully snatching it up to line their nests! I know this because of the war we are having with Mr. Robin (who every year wants to build his nest around the light on our porch) thus far, we are winning, but the collection of nesting materials that the wind is blowing all over includes bits of papers from the neighborhood, sticks, grasses, and my wool waste! I would love to let him stay, but the first year he abandoned the nest due to our activity – this is the only door out to our back yard, which we use multiple times a day. I am hoping that our spending more time outdoors will move his efforts to a more suitable place.
And, speaking of Shetland/UK – Ann and Kay are in search of the Knitter’s Holy Grail – Kay is knitting a Kaffe Fassett design and Ann has cast on a Jade Starmore sweater. A knitter’s battle for the ages and a rabbit hole for this knitter to avoid! However, it will be fun to see these projects progress. Kay wants to wear hers to Rhinebeck! What say you Ann? Will you wear yours too? While I might have pulled out my Alice Starmore book, I am in no means jumping on this bandwagon. I have other sweater dreams dancing in my head!
Anyways, enough rambling for today – I have a book to read! Tell me – what knitting successes are you having?!
by Kat | Apr 6, 2016 | General, Making
How ironic that yesterday’s post about things to calm me down would be needed the same day in full force!
Full. Freaking. Force.
The day did not start well, and I could feel the stress rising even after completing my morning meditation.
Does it seem to you that stress produces stress? My answer is a rousing YES!
And, to cap it off, after having recently frogged a good many WIP’s and having all this “wound yarn” lying around – I cast on Song of the Sea. How difficult can a cowl be, I ask you. Well, for me, apparently very. Yes, even after telling myself that casting on over 200 stitches to join in the round is the recipe for a Moebius – I made a Moebius…
A Moebius I that I, sadly, did not discover until I had completely knit the first pattern repeat.
Yeah. Color me a knitting genius!
Good thing my handspun is sturdy because it was frogged yet again.
Stress produces stress – I should have taken a page from Carole and done a bit of house cleaning instead.
Okay, maybe not! LOL
And today, I am feeling that stress trying to creep in around the edges and I am not going to give in to it! I am going to stay calm and carry on!
My solution for a bit of Calming Respite?
I am joining Ginny in her Yarn Along and making today all about knitting and reading.
Over the weekend I finished reading The Marco Effect – I thought it was a great read. Now, I am currently reading Raven Black by Ann Cleeves and so far, so good!
On my needles, I am still plugging away on this sock and doing some very belated birthday knitting (damned small needles and dark yarn!!) and last night I pulled out another OLD WIP (do you get bonus points for yarn maturation while knitting an object??), found were I was on the chart and knit a couple of rows before bed last night.
If anything is a confidence booster – it is picking up and ages old project and finding in a few minutes where you are on a chart. YES!! Moebius joins be damned!
Hopefully today’s knitting and reading kicks stress right out the door and perhaps helps me finish a project sans mistakes!
by Kat | Mar 30, 2016 | General, Making
Ten Years ago there were lots of new things popping up all over:
- Twitter was founded
- NASA launched New Horizon on its mission to Pluto
- Dexter and 30 Rock debuted
And…
Ten years ago today I wrote my very first blog post here, and while there has been some “down time” here at the blog, over the course of these past 10 years blogging has improved my writing skills tremendously and it has increased my sphere of internet friends. I am thankful for the first and blessed by the latter – AsKatKnits has definitely had a positive influence in my life. I would like to thank everyone of you who take the time to read my blog, occasionally or every day. Your interaction here means so very much to me.
Apparently, 10 years ago, all the cool kids were jumping on the blogging bandwagon – who knew! If you have not gotten wind of Kristen’s 10 Year Celebration – you should definitely go here and check out the merriment she has planned for the month of April.
But, today is all about reading and knitting. The socks from last week are inching along and I am about half way through The Marco Effect. But to celebrate today, I am having an EPIC bind off (crochet off?) of, what else, a Kristen Kapur design! Yes, mark another FO in my column for the year!
by Kat | Mar 23, 2016 | General, Making
This week started off deceptively slowly, however today I feel like I am chasing the snowball downhill and I am never going to catch it before it crashes into the weekend!
But, as it is I will try to grab a few minutes today to knit a bit more on my Morwenstowe Socks – maybe just a row or two. The pattern is the right combination between patterning and mindless knitting and the yarn is so lovely. Thanks Yvonne for the great suggestion!
Why so little you ask?
Well, as you can see, I am reading The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen and it is one of those books that is impossible to put down!
Just what my week did not need – an impossible to put down book in a week with a miles long task list!
Thanks to Ginny for hosting Yarn Along, where you can find some really good reads and even better knits! Go look for yourself!
What are you reading this week?
by Kat | Mar 16, 2016 | General, Making
There are days when the yarn and the pattern play well together, and then there is today.
I love the yarn, I love the pattern, but together they don’t work well together. I liked the lace, but the short row sections just are too much bulk for the shawl.
So today is for unknitting, i.e. ripping it all out. There is something quite therapeutic about this process; it is freeing, liberating, moving on, a fresh start!
Fortunately, Wednesday’s Ginny hosts the Yarn Along, and I especially like seeing what projects other knitters are making. Especially today as I look for inspiration for what this yarn wants to become.
Good thing my reading is going better than my knitting! I am reading The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. I am not quite half way through and I am really enjoying the book.
Here is hoping that your knitting is going much more smoothly than mine! Happy Wednesday everyone!
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