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Aunt Sarah has on her production-elf-hat and the stitches are flowing. There are the effs that have been oh-ed, the things waiting for the post office, the items already gifted, (oh, those December birthdays!) the projects nearing completion, those waiting for a quiet moment of attention, the ones not yet begun, a last-minute addition or three to the list, and that is just the knitting. I have plans for three of four scarves I want to weave, and a general idea for the fourth.
Today I can show you a quick, satisfying, well-received gift. Last week was Katie's birthday, and I gave her a hat I knit from her handspun. It is a bit on the small side, but she loves it, paraded around in it, said she was going to bring it for show-and-tell, and patiently posed endlessly for her mother at the camera. She was even sweet enough to let me get a snapshot, too. Let me just add, that, in certain situations, knitting with extra-bulky yarn might not be the worst thing in the world.
I am feeling much more peaceful after the resolution of a stressful situation. It really was not so much about me, but rather someone else's issues spewing forth in a most unpleasant manner, and I was in the line of fire. I was beginning to think that it was going to turn into a great big deal, and it nearly did, but at the last moment the person was able to see what was happening and turned it around and things are back to being good.
I am not feeling quite so much peace about some postal issues. I have been expecting packages and they have not arrived. There is a possibility that they have not yet been mailed and I do not want to pressure anyone, (and we all know how bad I can be about mailing things) but I also do not wish to appear to be someone who does not acknowledge receipt of a package. Beyond concern that they could have gone missing, I am not really worried.
However, I am a bit worried that the ukuleles I ordered for the nieces and nephews will not arrive in time. Apparently, they are still out-of-stock, but we remain hopeful. Their books and pitch pipes are here already, and we have something of a backup plan for just in case, but I really want the ukes to be here for Christmas.
I hope you are all having a wonderful, peaceful day. I am celebrating Christmas, though not sure whom we will see or have the chance to talk to, nor what all we will do. There is a decent chance 
that we could sleep all day. We are very tired. I stayed up all night finishing crocheting my brothers' gifts. I completed them in time for the gathering at my mom's on Christmas Eve. My fingers are a bit sore. Still, I grabbed yarn and needles in a last-minute attempt to knit a mohair moebius for my sister to go with the hat I knit for her. I surprised myself with how far I got on it. If I get up in the morning, I might be able to finish it and give it to her when I see her later. Then again, I may start playing the Super Mario Bros Wii game that she gave me, and that could take over for a bit.
Anyway, my brothers were pleased with their gifts. The older one grumbled a bit when I asked him to sit next to the younger one so that they could unwrap together. I packaged both in the same box since I made the same things for them. The mild irritation at being directed by me could not survive in the face of what I had made. I crocheted a Strong Bad for each of them. I am not too familiar, but know they are fans, and when I saw the pattern, I knew it would be perfect for Christmas gifts for them.
The mad-crochet-frenzy of the past few days has me appreciating deadline-free living. Of course, the tight gauge of those two creations and the resultant achy fingers mean that I would be unlikely to be able to make anything under pressure right now. It also means I am pushing out of my brain any thoughts about the sweater my younger brother envisions wearing next year for Christmas. He asked whether I could make my own sweater pattern. It sounds like what he wants is something that would incorporate both intarsia and fair isle, and Homer Simpson in a Santa hat. No, I am not thinking about it for at least the rest of this year.
No, not my mood, but instead, it is my latest FO. I knit a Darkside Cowl for a sister-in-law. With all of her on-the-go busyness and cat shelter volunteerism, I figured a cowl was a better idea than a scarf. I was checking my Rav projects page and saw that I knit one of these December 17-18 last year, too. The more things change and all that, eh?
Anyway, it was a quick, enjoyable knit. It has been my accompaniment for trips back and forth, and all around town. It made errands seem less hectic, and lines seem shorter. It even helped others in line who became captivated by what I was doing. One woman asked, "Excuse me, but is that needlepoint, or CRO-shay?" When I told her that it was knitting, she responded with, "Oh, I couldn't tell because your hands are moving too fast."
Knitting this also gave me an even greater appreciation of my Hiya Hiya Interchangeables. Their shortest cable is the perfect size for this project. It made the knitting of the cowl even smoother. Not only was the knitting smooth, the finished cowl is nice and smooshy.
I think the color will suit my sister-in-law very nicely, and keep her warm without getting in her way. In fact, I like the color (unsuccessful though I have been at capturing it with the camera) so much, I am trying to decide whether to use the second ball to knit a Darkside Cowl for myself, or turn it into fingerless mitts for the sister-in-law. However, I must first finish two other things before I can consider casting on again with the purple.
As I am sure you had probably already guessed, I fell behind hard on my deadline-secret-laceknitting goal. If I had kept to schedule, I would have blocked at the end of last week. I can either continue deluding myself with the idea that I can knit the remaining stitches (totaling about 35,000) and have it blocking by Wednesday morning, or accept right now that I am not going to meet my self-imposed deadline. Then I can work out a revised plan and get on with it. I actually had a second deadline scenario for this project, and I will make that work. December has double and triple special dates for some people, so I can make these shifts and not really be late. In fact, giving this piece later might be better, or maybe it will just be different. I just know that I am not going to torture myself about this.
Speaking of torturing myself, I googled a pattern the other day. I was inspired by someone else's wonderful knitting, and wanted to knit that same piece. Anyway, I found the pattern. I thought, "Neat! I did not realize this was a free pattern!" I began thinking about knitting it for different people, and maybe even one for myself, and then I thought about the yarns I would use, and how fancy it all would be. Then I began to think that it did not make sense that this pattern would be available online for free. I searched a bit more. I saw it available for sale exclusively through one retailer. I contacted the designer and the shop selling it. The shop owner replied that this was indeed a mistake, and she would take care of it. Out of curiosity, I googled it about a month later, and the pattern was still out there for all to find. Since it was only the retailer who replied, I wrote back to let her know that the situation had not been resolved, just in case she did not know, and there was no response. I just checked again, and, yep, anybody can still snag the pattern, and further investigation reveals that it has been this way since July. I feel bad for the designer, and the shop owner with the exclusive deal. I am amazed that it seems like more people have not discovered this, and wonder about the fallout when it is.
Ah, but time and energy are too valuable for me to fret any longer about a problem that is not mine, nor something I can solve. I have knitting to do. Of course, the only knitting that is going well is the super-secret-deadline-lace, so I am a bit where I was at the start of this, eh? The pile next to me on the couch of knitting that did not work is too big to ignore any longer. I am returning yarns and needles to their proper places in hopes that the more ordered state helps me. So far, my efforts have yielded one lost hat. Yes, I found the hat in the same spot I looked for it last night. That does not say much for my looking or organizational skills, now does it? At least it was in the stash room, close to where it should have been, and not in the pile next to me on the couch.
Is a newly finished knit a great way to push past the midweek meh, or what? Yes, the second moose has is done. I went down one needle size to a US 3 (3.25mm) to make this one slightly smaller. Bruce prefers the colors on this to the first. I like them both for different reasons, and cannot pick a favorite. I was surprised to enjoy the knitting of a second of these so soon, but I did. I also think that I am glad to be done knitting them for a bit.
This will soon go off in the mail with its partner. A few days later, it will arrive at its destination. And there it will sit for about a month. I have it on good authority that at this house they do not unwrap gifts before the occasion arrives. In this case, it is too bad, as I am sure their temperatures are low enough that a worsted weight, stranded, wool hat would be good.
Speaking of wool hats, I believe I might have a request for a new wool hat. My stepdad has made comments about his dissatisfaction with his commercial hats made of synthetic yarn. I have made him a hat before, but that was a few years ago, and I think that maybe it has been lost. His preferred style of hat is black and plain. I need to find out if he does indeed want a new hat. If that is the case, I am going to try to secretly discover if he is perhaps open to a little bit of variety. If not, I will pick up some black superwash wool and knit the standard issue winter hat. I don't do this for just anybody, but this one is worth it. While I may not think I want to knit a plain black hat, I could find out that he would wear a moose hat everywhere. I already know that he finds them to be amusing.
It feels so good to have another finished knit. It feels even better that it is so soft and pretty. I like the choices I made with this hat. Now that I am done, I would say that it is only inspired by the original pattern, but it is just right. I am ready to wrap it up and give it to my sister.
The experience with this hat has given me a much-needed confidence boost. I trusted my instincts, and it worked well. I can become caught up in so much thinking, planning, and researching that it sometimes overshadows the joy available in the things I do. Knitting this hat reminded me that I have some experience and abilities, and it can be good to let them be my guide sometimes.
The flash of inspiration came and went quickly. The mountain of mohair appeared to be in danger. I put it back in the bag, placed it on top of the books, and brought it to the stash staging area in preparation for putting it away. Then, I did not sleep. I almost caught up on blogs and email. Then maybe there was some kind of magic that eludes recall, I had the same pile of mohair back in the living room along with beads and a different book, and I am casting on for something new.
I am knitting the Beaded Cloche from Folk Hats. I remember that my sister liked this hat, and I wanted to knit a gift for her. 
Well, I am actually knitting a hat that is inspired by that pattern. Of course, I am not using the recommended yarn, and I am making several other modifications, chief amongst them being the fact that I am not pre-stringing the beads. The pattern calls for 910 beads to be threaded onto the mainly mohair yarn before knitting. I knew that was not about to happen. I also figured that I was going to have different gauge, looked at the chart, reduced the initial number, and decided to see what would happen. I know that is risky business when mohair is the main fiber, but I think it is working.
Already, I find myself thinking about knitting another, all the while mentally flipping through lists of potential recipients. Wanting to be able to give the knit to several different people all at once is always a good sign.
With the secret lace back on track, it has become safe to allow my mind to wander. That can end poorly. However, I sometimes remember important things, solve problems, or have good ideas. Doing this while knitting lace is especially inspiring without allowing my brain to run too far. Today it found its way to a general list of to-knit items.
I have been planning to knit some lace scarves, but have not gotten any further than that. I decided to get on with process, and happened upon a theme. All of the yarns I selected have mohair as the main fiber content. Still unsure of what to knit, I reached for A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and Knitted Lace of Estonia from the bookshelf. Now all that remains is selecting patterns. Oh, and the knitting of course, but that is the easy part, right?
I am not even bothering to calculate how many steps back I am. We have coffee once more, so whether I keep sliding back, or if I make forward progress, I will do so a bit more quickly. Or, as it has been written elsewhere, "Drink coffee, do stupid things faster with more energy."
Speaking of making mistakes with speed that take hours to fix, I have been tinking lace. Instead of being fifteen rows ahead, I am behind by about ten. Also, I do not think I like The Manchurian Candidate, but cannot be objective because the rip and repair occurred while watching that 
particular movie, and most things were to my dislike at that time. Still, there are things that I like very much. For example, this silk cap that my grandma sent me. Mmmm...worm spit.
I am working on a super-secret-deadline-lace project. If my calculations are correct, I must complete 27 rows, which totals around 2500 stitches (give or take, what with changing stitch counts) each day to finish in time. I have remembered to include time for blocking and drying. I am currently choosing to believe that my biggest challenge will be the sharing of the one magnetic board for my two current chart projects. Yes, they are both deadline knitting.
On a local Freecycle group, I saw a curious posting. Offer: Bachelorette Accessories
Yesterday's Ten on Tuesday topic has been detrimental to my productivity. I have been playing games and having fun.
I have lost part of a fancy hat I began knitting in September. I had the opportunity to check fit on the intended recipient, and it is nowhere to be seen. It is in none of the cleverly organized places it should be, and asking me where I last saw it is not helpful.
Scarves are often stubborn, tricksy, and false. I have been knitting on what is attempting to be the Red Corrugator of Doom often, and sometimes for extended stretches. It is not yet 36" long. I wanted to have at least three good scarves for the Red Scarf Project, but this second scarf is out to get me.
Not that I do not enjoy having you here, but I thought I would send you away in hopes that you will win prizes. The deadline is today to enter for Hillary's contest. You have a week to make it over to where Phyllis is giving away some beautiful fiber.
I won this gorgeous skein of yarn from Becky. She included a cute card with a nice note. In it, she wrote that she has a skein of this yarn, but bets that I will knit mine first. I have been lovingly petting the new yarn and thinking of what I would like to knit with it, but I believe it will have to wait. I think I am preparing to move into serious gift-knitting mode, with a side of UFO-finishing.
I am excited about some of the presents I want to make. Thinking about them sometimes makes me wonder about the possibility of family members who may have found the blog, but are keeping quiet about it. If that is happening, (beyond the one who was told about this space) people might find their gift-y surprises rather unsurprising. Of course, I could always keep the projects secret until after I give the gifts, but that is decidedly unappealing.
Another option would be doubling up the knitting and spinning so that I have more content for the blog. Yeah, that is not going to happen. I could have enough of a challenge finishing gifts in time. I am still considering the significance of a piece of information we received this week. The son was filling us in on the happenings of his life, (not a normal occurrence) and within this conversation, Bruce asked him whether things are getting serious with the girlfriend. For the first time ever about any relationship, the son replied in the affirmative. It makes me wonder whether she could be making her way onto the knit-gift-list sometime soon.
It also makes me want to stick my head in the fiber bin and breathe in the soothing wool fumes. Then I could calmly make a list of gifts I want to make, along with a schedule for completing them. Either that or I could sift through books, patterns, and Ravelry for the perfect pattern to use with my new yarn.
A nice, mindless knit is wonderful company. It is great when the brain is foggy and sluggish. It makes waiting time seem shorter. It is soothing during stressful times when anxious worry threatens to take over. A simple scarf like The Corrugator is a perfect example of such a knit.I often cast on for a scarf with much enthusiasm, and for the first three feet feel like I will be done in 
no time. Then my will to knit usually seems to die, or I feel like hanging myself with the yard of fabric. However, that was not the case with this scarf. I made it to the halfway point, baked a loaf of bread, and was ready to keep knitting. Whether laundry avoidance played a role, I am not saying.
Anyway, I enjoyed knitting the scarf, and have the bonus of a timely finish. It is a birthday present for my brother. I hope he likes it. I think it is right for him. The color works with some of his preferred sports teams, and therefore his other apparel. Also, the yarn, ONLine Linie 21 Marly, is superwash.
Since this scarf did not kill me, I am ready to begin another, but this one in red. I have not decided whether to do this pattern again, or go for something different. If I want mindless again, but a different pattern, I could go with the One Row Handspun Scarf. Perhaps I should go for a bit more excitement and try a Palindrome Scarf.
The scale is unable to reflect the weight I have shed, but I feel the difference. Yes, I have been exercising and monitoring my food intake with FitDay, but this has nothing to do with that. So, what has me feeling as though I am light enough to float away? I finished the baby blanket! The bind-off took a few hours, but the method I chose really gave it a nice finish. We only have to look at it one more time.
I know you must be thinking, "Sarah, it is yellow around the edges and looks larger than the 31"x31" as listed in the pattern." Why, yes, observant readers, it does have yellow around the edges and 42"x42" are its finished dimensions. I ran out of the lilac yarn, and the lady who asked me to knit this chose yellow as the best option for finishing. Personally, I cannot decide anything about it other than the fact that I knit it well. Not listing the gauge in sts/in(cm) but rather in finished dimensions of wonky square-ish pieces that are difficult to get proper measurement before finishing the blanket, or in finished depth of the edging, which, again, cannot be determined before finishing the blanket, makes this outcome a bit more understandable. That is the last thing I have to say about that pattern, other than the fact that I do not think I will knit it again for less than $1000.
I have already delivered the blanket, and it is out of my life. I was already considering the next cast-on as I worked the bind-off for the blanket. There are so many possibilities, and now I can take the time to enjoy whichever will be next.
I did a little math, and have a better understanding of why I am not done with the baby blanket. On every other round of the border, two yarn-over increases are worked in each of the four corners. The total stitch count as written in the pattern reflects this increase in eight stitches. 
What it fails to take into account are the two yarn-overs for each of the 64 leaves. That would be 136 stitches increased on each of six rounds. That put the stitch count at 1460 stitches per round, but not for long. While the corner increases are still happening, on those same rounds, I get to decrease two stitches from each of the 64 leaves. Well, that's quite enough pattern chatter about a blanket no one else is likely to knit. It will be a lovely gift, and I will finish it soon.
We kept my niece overnight on Saturday. While she was in the bathtub, she spent some time inspecting the washcloth. She knew that I had knit it, and was pointing to various parts and asking how I made them. Since it is a garter-stitch piece, there was not much to explain. Then she asked how I made the holes around the edge of the cloth.
Me: Those are yarn-overs
KOH: Harn-yovers?
Me: Almost. They are Yarn-Overs
(mischievous grin) KOH: They're Hard-Yovers, lots and lots of Hard-Yovers.
She was so pleased at her bit of teasing that she could hardly stop laughing, and I was soon laughing with her. I was also laughing about what her new knitting term brought to my mind. I immediately thought of the knitters who take one look at lace and declare that it is something they could never do because it is too hard. Even when a helpful knitter tries to explain that it is just a combination of decreases and yarn-overs, they will not hear of it. They have already convinced themselves that knitting lace requires Hard-Yovers. I get that various types of knitting require different levels of concentration, and that certain techniques and styles come more naturally to some and not so much to others. I just do not understand those declarations that one cannot do it at all. It may not be easy, it may require a quieter environment and greater concentration, and after trying, you might decide not to do it again, but if you want to, you can do it.
Sometimes it is just easier that way, even when I know it is not the truth. I can see that I will finish this baby blanket, but possibly, not by week's end the way I hoped. I was so pleased to have completed and sewed together the four center squares, but then there was the picking up and knitting. That process bothered my hands and wrists, but I finally had 484 stitches and was on my way with the edging. I 
only have about 55 more rounds to go, and right now, it is only 556 stitches around, but at the end, a round will consist of 756 stitches. Perhaps I should not look any further at these numbers. Instead, I will look again at the completed, sewn-together center.
If go for a small project, surely that will help me make it through, right? A hat would be a logical choice. Yes, that might have been a good idea, if it were not for the horrible, tangled mess that exploded from the ball of yarn. If knitting is going to take the credit for good feelings, good times, coping with life, and everything else, I suppose it will have to receive a bit of blame occasionally.
That's right, there has been an abundance of Aunt Sarah time lately. I like being an aunt, and I love the kids. I just do not always hold up so well to so much of it back-to-back. For a period of about 2 1/2 weeks, I think I had two days without youngsters. That certainly has knocked my productivity down a notch. Add to this the fact that I operate best (and that is relative, to be sure) on a different schedule than the one that kids do, and it is no wonder that I am behind in many areas.
I did give the first knitting lesson to the youngest niece. She has been asking to yarn, and I told her I would teach her. She did not quite take to it. I do not know that I am much of a teacher, or perhaps at 4 1/2, she is not ready to learn. As it turns out, she had given a good deal of thought to this yarn adventure. When she saw that the yarn and needles we were using were sitting on the table while I was knitting something else, she was perplexed. She wondered why I was not knitting her scarf. I explained that I was knitting a baby blanket. Still hopeful that I was knitting for her, she asked if it was for a real baby or a baby doll. She was not brightened at all when I suggested that a scarf could be a nice present for her birthday or for Christmas. Ah, she'll learn.
I cannot decide what I should do about the GVC. I would like to send it to time-out, but if I do, I think I 
may never finish it. I want this sweater, but it may not be meant to be. The seaming on the sleeves was gorgeous, and I hated to rip. I really ought to be able to figure this out, but I feel stumped sometimes. For now, I just take it out of the bag and work on it for a while. It is a good deal of knitting and ripping, but at least I know that the yarn holds up well. The other positive--it makes knitting on the deadline baby blanket less unappealing.
I do not recall whose turn it is, but I am going to pick up the needles and make some progress. It is about survival. I do not dislike my knitting, but I am not quite feeling the love, either. That is hiding, but possibly in the stash. When we find each other, it will be good.
*why I like that commercial or the other like it is beyond me, but I do
When I came home the other day, there were two messages on the answering machine for me. The tone sounded urgent, and the second even more so than the first. My husband thought that it must mean dire news. Since the message was addressed solely to me, I doubted it would be serious. It was a request for me to knit a baby blanket. I can handle knitting a baby blanket. I have seen several patterns I would like to knit. However, she had already purchased a kit. The finished dimensions are listed at thirty-one inches square, so it should not take too long. The pattern directs you to knit four squares, sew them together, then pick up and knit stitches to work the border in the round.
Yep, that is what I am telling myself as I knit this. I am not overly fond of deadline knitting, and I feel a bit of anxiety when people ask me to knit for them. That being said, this is for a very kind woman. She has another grandchild due later this year. I knit a blanket for one of her great-granddaughters a couple of years ago. I figure that if she asks me to do this every few years, I can continue to say yes. Besides, I like to be nice, and this is purple. Also, I have almost finished the first of the four squares for the center. I would show you my progress, but I cannot locate my camera cable.
Reaching amongst the collection of brown paper bags for the psc intimidates me right now. I just finished the second round of SM3, and that was an involved pair of 
socks. Please, do not misunderstand. I like my new socks. They were worth the effort. It just took me a while to find my rhythm. My niece helped me pick out the colors, and now I have the perfect pair for Sunday.
Speaking of Sunday, I have been assigned the dessert. So far, the suggestions have been Red Velvet Cake, Boston Cream Pie, and Coconut Cake. I still have not decided. The menu for the day has been changed around so many times, and I am not even sure where we are getting together. I only know that it will not be at my home.
Pattern: TokenaYarn: Knit Picks Palette Lilac & BlushNeedles: US0 & US1Knit When: April 4-8
Speaking of home, that is where I stayed Monday night. I wanted to get out to knit with people, but I am a bit under the weather. One of the Skanks is scheduled for heart surgery next Monday, and I decided to play it safe. I miss knitting with everyone.
Next time, perhaps I will share a tale of knitting fail.
Apply, rip, repeat.
I have made my way over to the Darkside (Rav link) in cowl form. 
These were fun, quick knits, and I think I need to knit one more. I used Mission Falls 1824 Wool for them both. I love them, and hope the recipients enjoy them.
I have come to accept that some of the mailed packages will arrive late. At first, I was a bit frantic, but when I saw I could not make it happen on time, I finally relaxed. Actually, I do not know if I gave up or relaxed. I suppose the result is the same either way.
We have not done baked any cookies or made any candy. I figure that might happen next week if it happens at all. I keep thinking that some unexpected person or invitation is going to pop up and set us back to scrambling. Unless something like that happens, I think I am staying home. Have you been out there? It is more than a bit nutty. We have rainy, foggy, drizzly weather and it was nearly 70 degrees today. Sunday they have predicted a wind-chill of 15 degrees.
Today I can show you a quick, satisfying, well-received gift. Last week was Katie's birthday, and I gave her a hat I knit from her handspun. It is a bit on the small side, but she loves it, paraded around in it, said she was going to bring it for show-and-tell, and patiently posed endlessly for her mother at the camera. She was even sweet enough to let me get a snapshot, too. Let me just add, that, in certain situations, knitting with extra-bulky yarn might not be the worst thing in the world.
