Two Years Later

A lot was happening two years ago today.  I have many thoughts on what happened that day and in the days since, but I'm not the right one to write about it all.  I remember dyeing my hair purple while watching and wondering about what was happening.   

As it also happened, it was my sister's birthday (she has one every year on this day) and so I sent her a birthday present.  Because it was a milestone birthday, I got her something extra special--a Hue Shift Afghan kit.  I got one for myself, too, and we made plans for a knitalong.  Back then vaccines were rolling out, and we thought that by the time we had made significant progress on our afghans we would be able to gather together, put on a movie marathon to accompany an end-weaving marathon.  We weren't right about so many things.  I've made much more progress on my afghan than she has on hers, but that's neither here nor there.  I can hope that when she makes it as far on hers as I have at this point, we can weave in ends and watch movies.  If it works out, I would even help weave in ends on her blanket for her.  Realistically speaking, that only seems likely if her progress stays at its current pace.  

Anyway, here's my progress shot.  I have not woven in a single end.  My next step is to stop gazing at it, unpin it, and start seaming.  Then I will decide if I feel like picking up and knitting one million (nah, it's only around 250-300 or so depending on the side) stitches and working the border or weaving in all those ends.  I don't dread any of the next steps, really.  The seaming is my least favorite because I am neither as skilled nor as speedy as I would like to be.  That being said, I will gain more experience, and that may help me to improve.  It's a win-win, or something, right?         

It's Groundhog Day!

C'mon.  Admit it.  As you read that, you heard the movie, right?  No?  Just me then, eh?  Oh, well.  Anyway, Happy Groundhog Day!  I hope it is living up to all you hoped it would be.  Small disappointment here in that none of the channels I receive is airing a back-to-back-to-back marathon of the movie.  Other than that, many things make today rather Groundhog-Day-esque.  Bruce is feeling a bit unwell and is sleeping while Law and Order plays.  I'm doing laundry.  I did a Duolingo lesson.  I'm back to that after a friend sent me an invite, and I took that nudge to get me back to it.  Though, I have to wonder if that, ahem, persistent owl put her up to it.  I played Animal Crossing.  I scrolled twitter.  I refilled the bird feeders.  We've switched medical appointments back to virtual rather than in-person.  I did the Wordle for today.  I added some groceries to the online cart for our next delivery.  I medically harassed Bruce (medical harassment is our term of endearment for the multiple intrusions in his day of various medical things like meds and vitals).  The Good People of Genoa City were not particularly entertaining.  I drank coffee.  I did a sign language lesson.  At some point today I'll probably talk on the phone with my mom.  I moved a knitting bag closer to me in anticipation of working on the Hue Shift Afghan.  Yeah, I re-started that after a friend wrote me about it.  Still, it has been more avoidance than knitting.  There are mourning doves and brown-headed cowbirds fussing at the feeders.  I don't know what we're having for supper and don't particularly feel like thinking about it.  While I don't do every one of these things every day, this is a relatively accurate snapshot into our lives.  All-in-all, not too shabby, eh?   

What about you?  What's your endless loop, or is each day a fresh new adventure?  Here's a picture of the inside of that knitting bag with the in-progress blanket and the Groundhog I knit some years back.   

p.s. Happy Twos-day! 2-2-22
    

I've Got Rhythm

Yeah, so "rhythm" isn't something much associated with me, but I've found it with a knitting project.  Hmmm?  What's that?  Yes, I'm knitting.  The Hue Shift Afghan was crawling along, abandoned for stretches of time, and decidedly ignored.  Then my sister mentioned she was working on hers again, so I pulled mine out of hibernation and got going.  I was still on the first column in the second quadrant, and when I began column two, a new color (Alfalfa, in case you were wondering) came into play, and it must have been too much excitement, as I purled a quarter of a row.  I mean, come on, it's a garter stitch blanket.  What was going on with me? Anyway, after that, I was just clicking right along, knitting like I used to knit.  At one point, when my mom was over, she stopped watching the movie we had on (to be clear, she had already seen it and wanted us to watch it) and was just watching me knit. 

The biggest challenges (if you can even call them that) are at the start of the second through fifth columns on a quadrant, and they really aren't much of a challenge.  I just keep knitting along, picking up stitches for the next squares, and have all the yarn (except the border) in a bag next to my seat in the living room.  No longer do I trudge through each square.  I'm cruising through them.  In fact, not only did I finish the second quadrant, I'm about one-third of the way through the third.  When I complete it, I will weigh the remaining yarn and take a guess at if I will need more.  And you know what?  I'm really not worried about that, either.  If I need more yarn, I will just get it.  I'll bring my digital scale over to my sister's and see if it looks like she'll need more, and put in the order.  

So, yeah, there are a lot of really not awesome things happening, but I think this is going well.      

Still a Rainbow

Since it's a knit-a-long, I suppose it would be good to show the kit I chose.  It would be even better if I had gotten a better picture, but I'm not great at capturing all the colors.  Anyway, the pastel rainbow is a nice bit of change for me.  Well, I actually think this will not be for me when it's done, but I'm not even sure about that.  I certainly don't have anyone in mind for it, and by the time I put in all the work to make it, I may not be able to part with it.  

So, obviously, the Hue Shift KAL is well underway.  Before we got going, we were discussing ideas and a few details, and I asked if she wanted to set progress goals.  I asked her how many squares she thought she would average in a week, and she guessed at about four or five.  That seems doable for both of us.  At that rate, we will have the main part of the blanket finished in 20-25 weeks, and then all that would remain are the seaming, border, and weaving in of ends (no, we're totally going to weave them all in as we work each square).  That is not a very cheering thought, so I started to re-frame the way I was thinking about it.  I figure, the time it will take for us all to be fully vaccinated and can be together will be about the same amount of time as it takes us to finish our blankets.  So, finished blanket time will be family party time, right?  I'll think of each square as getting closer to getting vaccinated.  That being said, if we finish our blankets on that timetable and aren't all vaccinated, at least we will have our own blankets to huddle beneath.    

Anyway, the knitting is going pretty well.  It took me a few tries to get gauge.  I'm down from the suggested US5s to US2s, and she had to go up to US7s.  There have been misunderstandings along the way.  For example, my sister thought we were each knitting half of a blanket and that the finished piece would be hers.  My misunderstanding was where I thought she had already begun, so I got started.  Turns out, she was still practicing with scrap yarn to understand how to knit a mitered square.  So, I'm a little bit ahead of her.  While we're both on the first section, she's somewhere on the third strip and I'm at the start of the fifth strip.  However, she is ahead of me in vaccinating--she has received her first dose!   

Coming Out of the Dark

Well, Stacey certainly had it right when she commented on the darkness of the yarn for my Celestarium.  It is not a project I work on in low-light settings or when my eyes are tired, but I think it will all be worth it when I am done.  I am hoping to finish it by the end of the month, but that is not a deadline.  However, I do have some deadlines approaching, so I am trying to keep going on those projects.  I call myself over 50% done with the Christmas knitting, but I cannot rest on those accomplishments.  

Besides Christmas knitting, I have decided to take on making things for a couple of birthdays.  I have almost completed sewing a blanket for Eva's first birthday next month, and I am weaving a blanket for Katie's birthday in December.  As it has been National Spinning and Weaving Week, it seemed the perfect time to get the yarn on the loom for her blanket.  

I didn't quite need sunglasses for this, but almost.  I think it should turn out to be interesting and something she will really love.  The blanket will be two woven panels sewn together, so it should be a nice size for her.  I have some ideas for adding some visual and textural interest beyond the bumpity yarn, but I have not decided anything just yet.  For now, I am just glad to have the loom set up and ready to weave.  

It is so nice to have a room for crafting, especially when it comes to weaving.  I could get started on it without worrying about being in the way of anything else, and being able to stop and come back to it if needed and it not being an issue.  

Marvelous Miters

The timing of the winter games worked for me.  I used the event to help motivate me and as a general guide for a progress and completion timetable.  If you recall, I was knitting a baby blanket, and I finished it.  Final assembly and edging took place on Monday, and I was finally able to get photos yesterday.  Now I just have to write a note, wrap, package, and get it in the post.  

The pattern is Mitered Crosses, and it is a simple, lovely design.  I hardly had to pay attention to what I was doing.  Row after row of garter stitch kept my hands busy and productive whether my mind was empty and incapable of thought or full of all the things.  Knowing that this was just a baby blanket and that I only had to complete nine blocks allowed me to see the progress and keep going.  

Knitting this also reminded me of how nice project monogamy can be.  That isn't to say that I have changed and will only knit one project at a time from now on, but it can be the right way to go sometimes.    

POP! The Final Chapter

Well, it took a little over a year, but now I have a new blanket.  Now that it is finished, I am able to look back and reflect a bit.  I remember the many places I worked on squares.  Given the length of time I took from start to end, most places in my 2013 probably have a square tied to them.  I can even point to a few of them and recall what was happening at that moment in my life as I knit those particular squares.  

Of course, knitting each block was only the first part of the adventure.  I had a few moments of feeling stuck as I contemplated the sorting and joining.  As I did not want to allow the opportunity for dread or over-thinking to set in, I spread a sheet out on the living room floor and just started playing.  First, I sorted by colors and considered math.  Then there were color questions, and possibilities of deliberate patterns or designs.  Finally, I settled on an arrangement that I liked, and I rolled up the whole thing and set it aside for the day, as the process had been exhausting for me.  Over the course of the next few days, I crocheted the squares together.  I clipped together chains of blocks with my Clover locking stitch markers, joined that strip to the previous, unclipped the stitch markers, lather, rinse, repeat.  Once all of the squares were together, I blocked again and considered the edging.  I briefly bumped up against the idea of i-cord, but decided upon crocheting around instead.  I had just a little bit left of the Universal Yarns Classic Shades in Rainforest, and most of it was quite similar in color, (with the exception of a section of bright green that I cut out) so I used it, and quite like the effect. 

As soon as I finished, I curled up under it and took a nap.  The only thing left after that was to wait for the right weather and take some pictures, so that is what I did yesterday.  If anyone is feeling jealousy or ill will toward me for having the weather for a blanket photo shoot, you can take comfort in the fact that there was much mosquito harassment.  

They Doubted His Powers

Maybe people will make a bigger deal out of Groundhog Day next year, eh?  I sure wish I had been able to celebrate it more, but a small celebration can be good, too.  The weather shutting things down for a few days can be good, too.  It reminded me to watch out for being ruled by busyness and to look for the difference between the urgent and the important.  

Today, I am remembering to take a moment to take joy in the little things in life.  Things remain rather rough around here, but life is like that sometimes.  I think the stress of it all is reflected in a flurry of little online purchases I have made over the past week.  I have a couple of sewing machine feet, some knitting needles, and about 1500 beads on their way to me.  As far as stress-shopping goes, that really is not too bad, and I have some plans for most of what I bought.  I even intend to use most of it soon.  Well, soon-ish, and the sewing bits might be more telling on where I am on the lunacy end of things, but it is not as bad as it could be.  

One of the things I plan to make soon from the recent purchases is either Celestarium or Southern Skies.  They are the reason for the bead purchases, and yes, I did order enough beads to make them both, but I do not know that I will.  I still have not bought either pattern, and have not decided whether to knit with or without the YOs.  I ordered a set of faceted ab beads, and a set of clear silver lined seed beads, and am not sure which I will use.  If I wait for both sets of beads to arrive, I should have plenty of time to decide, as one set is projected to be delivered some time in March.  Then again, the tracking for one package showed it out for delivery yesterday, 100 miles away ten hours later, and then showed up today, so whatever happens could be a mega-mystery.  While we wait, I am entertaining thoughts, opinions, and advice on which shawl to knit, which beads to use, and the YO/noYO issue.


In the meantime, I am knitting.  This time it is a baby blanket, and I am making nice progress with it.  Garter stitch is good, and the size of the squares is just right for me.  They do not get too big as to be in the way, but they are large enough that each block completed means substantial progress on the overall piece.  I have a plan that could put completion within a week, but this is a no-pressure, no-stress, and no deadline project, so if it takes a bit longer than that, it is fine.          

Pile of POP!

Well, it would seem that it is that time again.  The season has changed, and it is time to take another look at the state of the Pop! Blanket.  We see that we have another sixteen squares in their unblocked, curling glory.  I know you have been wondering, wishing, and hoping that I would show you how these look before blocking, so this must be your lucky day.  Actually, there are more than sixteen in the pile, and I have knit even more since I took the photo.  I have been knitting a bit here and there in spare moments, and while it feels like I have not been doing much, the little bits add up to real progress.  Oh, how I forget to remember that!  

Anyway, I had left this project alone because I needed the break, but it has sat for long enough.  Speaking of enough, I wonder how many squares I should make.  I have been working on this for so long, it seems like I should have a huge blanket when I am done.  Then again, how big of blanket do I really want?  The other question I must ask myself is whether I am just trying to get out of working on this any longer and wanting to be done.  Letting a project sit undone for too long is not my favorite, but this is the time of year when there are other things I could be making.  On the other hand, it is also getting to be the time of year where having a new blanket will be wonderful.   

POP!

Just popping back in because I have a photo, or something.  Yeah, two more sets of sixteen POP! Blanket squares.  These are the third and fourth sets, if you're keeping count.  Actually, that remains true even if no one is counting, but that is a different topic.  As far as knitting goes, that is pretty much it.  Life goes on as it does, the seasons change, and the fact that I have not blogged each bit of it is something for us to all put in our gratitude jars.    

Anyway, there have been some really nifty and exciting things happening.  For example, my nephew, Harrison, had his first birthday in April.  A month from now, it will be time to celebrate the first birthday of my niece, Madeline.  And before the year is up, Harrison will have a new little brother or sister.  The due date is 11-12-13, and the appointment to discover the branding of new baby is sometime the first week of July.  

I have been thinking about the next knit, and I am just not sure.  It has been quite some time since I have had lace on the needles, and socks seem like I good idea, too.  Then there is the 2013 Entrelac thing.  No, I won't be combining it with either Forest Path Stole or Entrelac Socks, but what I will do next remains to be seen.  In the meantime, I will keep knitting the blanket squares.  It feels like quite the accomplishment that I have kept up with the end-weaving part of the project.  I was trying to recall just how many squares I planned for this blanket.  I think I might have decided on 100, so that means I am over halfway there, but still have plenty more to go.          

Inspired or Insane

Maybe it was the success of the last blanket that inspired me to try another, or maybe I had destroyed that part of my brain that tells me blankets are a bad idea.  Whatever the cause, when I saw the offer of a free pattern from Tin Can Knits, I chose the POP! Blanket.  Then, because I do not want to contract norovirus, I chose a yarn other than Noro.  Yes, the brand and the ailment are bonded in my brain for many reasons, not the least of which was the time I contracted it from a gathering of knitters.  I really do not hate all Noro yarns, but I am weird.  Anyway, for this blanket I am using Classic Shades in Watermelon (and perhaps Rainforest and Tropics) and Sheep(ish) in Grey(ish).  

While I am only twenty-five blocks into the project, I do not yet hate it.  This works very well for on-the-go knitting, and I can complete a square in a relatively short amount of time.  Each piece looks a bit terrible when it comes off the needles due to the curling nature of the stockinette, but I blocked the first square, (as the pattern directs) and it worked out the way it should.  

My squares are a bit smaller than those in the pattern are, but I like the way they feel, so I am not changing anything.  I have not decided just how large I am going to make this blanket, but I do not think I am giving it to a baby.  Then again, I am not very far into the process, and baby-sized may be all I can handle.  As an extra bit of motivation and inspiration, I wove in ends and blocked fifteen more squares, and I really like what is happening.  It even takes the sting away from just how many more I need to knit.  I have been trying to make sure that I keep up with weaving in ends so that part does not become too overwhelming.  



I also bought more yarn so that I do not have yarndage troubles.  I think I may have bought a bit more than I will need.  There is a small story behind that.  At first, I only bought one ball of the Classic Shades in case I did not like knitting this pattern or found that the yarn would not be a good match for it, but since it all seems to be working, I needed more.  I went to the yarn store to get more of the Classic Shades in Watermelon, but they had one fewer than I needed.  I So, I looked at other colorways to find one that might work with it, and I chose Rainforest and Tropics.  Yes, that is two, and I only needed one more ball of yarn, but this gives me the option to make a really big blanket if I so choose.