Votive and Vest

I’ve knit a second wire and bead votive cover and am need only to graft the third. I keep mentally adding potential recipients to a growing list of people for whom I’d like to knit these. It remains to be seen how many I will actually complete and gift. They are so simple and lovely. I simply string a bunch of beads on some 26-gauge wire and cast on nine or ten stitches with some US 8 straight aluminum knitting needles. Then I work in stockinette, knitting in the beads on the knit side until the piece is long enough to go around the candle holder. Then I graft or sew together the ends of the piece together. I finish off the ends, and I’m done. The process is a bit harsh on the hands and fingers, and the set of knitting needles used for the process are now solely dedicated to wire knitting.

I want to knit hats for the young nieces and nephews. One already made his way through the Knit Picks catalog and let me know which blue he would like. He was quite specific about which would be acceptable, and which would not. I need to get an order off to Knit Picks. For one thing, Mom’s vest needs a ball of orange and one of black in Palette to work the embroidery. I didn’t know that when I placed my initial order, but could have figured it out if I had been thinking more. The vest is coming along nicely. I’ve worked my way through the first chart, begun the second chart, and woven in all of my ends. At nearly four hundred stitches to a round, this is taking a long time. It isn’t something I pick up and work on when I have a few spare minutes. It takes some time to sit down, get the two colors organized, find my place on the chart, and get knitting. Still, if I intend to complete this anytime soon, I need to get to it.

We Fit Knitters have been encouraged to share photos of our exercise places. I read that after I had been fitness walking at a local mall. I could have snapped a picture of my stalker. Yeah, I had a creepy guy follow me about as I walked. He first suggestively flicked his pierced tongue at me when I passed him. I thought he was with a significant other and their child. As I continued to make my way through the mall, I saw that it was just he and the little boy in a stroller. Yeah, he’s a class act. At first I thought that perhaps I was being paranoid, but after changing directions, taking shortcuts, and winding my way through a department store and still spotting him behind me each time, I knew I was being followed. About the time I was ready to seek out mall security, he decided to end his little game. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of things or scare the small child, but I was certainly not going to head out to the parking lot while this continued. This is a long-winded way of letting you know that I don’t have a picture of my exercise area for you yet.

Back At It

Long timey, no bloggy, eh? I’ve finally caught up on many things, just to find myself at a time of year when I’m never caught up on things. It looks like we might have three Thanksgivings to attend, and I think I might make a S’more pie for each. I made three of those last week for my stepdaughter. Those went to school. I have a feeling that at least one-third of my efforts went to feeding the high schoolers, rather than the teachers. I don’t mind. I just wish that I had added a bit more chocolate. I’ve never tried making three at once.

I have been knitting the Fetching a bunch lately. Unfortunately, one experiment did not work out the way I had hoped. I read the yardage on the yarn label and knew it would be a long shot. It’s not a big deal. If I want to try again with that yarn, I can just add in a stripe of another color. I’ve seen it done on other pairs of Fetching, and it looks nice. These are Christmas gifts. Too bad most of these folks need easy-care type yarn. I’ve been knitting the pairs right along, but I still need to work the thumbs. One pair has already been gifted for a November birthday earlier this month.

Speaking of the holiday gifties, I tried my hand at knitting with wire to make a beaded votive sleeve. Nope, I don’t have Handknit Holidays, so I just made it up as I went along. I like what I have created. I might like to make a few more of these, but I definitely want to give my hands a break between sessions.

Mom’s Seasonal Fair Isle Vest is coming along, but I don’t think she’ll receive it for her birthday (December 5^th), and maybe not even for Christmas. I’m past the first set of snowmen, and nearly through with the first set of snowflakes. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I may be helping her out with a crochet project. I know, I know. She came across a Leisure Arts magazine from years gone by which contains the pattern for a blanket she crocheted for my younger brother. She wants to make it again for him. She’s having a little trouble with it, and I may end up crocheting it. I’ve tried helping, but between the years since either one of us has crocheted regularly and an issue of Mom being a lefty and me being a righty, well, I think I will be crocheting this. At least it is worked with double-stranded worsted weight yarn on a large hook. It should work up pretty quickly. Maybe Mom will stick with it. I tell her that whatever she keeps doing over-and-over becomes a stitch pattern.

In the meantime, it is all baby doll knitting all the time here; at least for a few more days. It has just been decided that we will combine Thanksgiving and Kaitlyn Olivia’s 2^nd birthday celebrations on Saturday. I’ve nearly completed two little blankets. Hats and socks should be quick and easy. The dolly blankies have me feeling compelled to knit larger blankets for children. I’m sure the feeling will pass soon.

Playing Catch

No, I’m not out engaged in some athletic event, nor am I inappropriately using balls of yarn. I’m in catch-up mode. Not much was accomplished last week, even though there was much to be done. Then it was the excitement of a hospitalized husband Saturday through Tuesday evening. We’re fine. I cannot decide which sounds better and which sounds worse. I could say that they did not find any reversible ischemia, or that they just could not do anything to help. In truth, the former is truer than the latter. Not everything can be fixed. We were taken care of very well, and everyone was wonderful at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. It is an excellent facility with excellent people, and we are blessed to have it. We even had a visit from Birmingham television personality, James Spann, bearing Veteran’s Day cards drawn by students in Carbon Hill.

I knit all I could, and it helped the time to pass and worked to calm my nerves some. I was stuck in some sort of anti-progress time warp, as I do not have much to show for my efforts. I suppose I got just the right amount done to get through the experience. Knitting is a great help to me, and I thank God for it.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. I think I wrote back and thanked everyone personally, but in case I did not, here are my thanks. I will show off my treasures soon, including those acquired in Murfreesboro. I’ll also share my tales of adventure at the fiber festival.