Finished Projects

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I've been working to finish projects using stash.  This sweater, Rambling Rows by Cottage Creations is one of my favorites.  I love mitered squares and combining color combinations.  This project incorporates four colors of Cascade 220 Superwash.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out. 

This baby sweater in Berocco Love It purchased two years ago at Yarnworks in Gainesville, FL, is another of my favorite patterns, # 982 Babies Neck Down Cardigan by Diane Soucy.  I enjoy making top down sweaters; there's very little sewing and I think they are more comfortable to wear when they don't have seams attaching the arms to the body.  This is lovely yarn, mostly cotton with some stretch.

Here's another Rambling Rows sweater, my fifth.  It's knit in Berocco Geode, Cascade 220 and Germantown Worsted.  I think it's perfect for my granddaughter, Linny, who loves purple.  I'm a tight knitter so I used the stitch counts for the 7 to 9 size which came out to the measurements of a slightly large 4 to 6 size.  It should be perfect for her to wear at the end of the summer.  Now I have to come up with complementary sweaters for her brothers.  Fortunately my stash continues to overflow and I just need to rummage around a bit to find something suitable.

I'm working on another baby sweater project right now but it's not something that will lend itself to a work in progress photo.  Once it's done, I'll post it.

Transitions are Hard

The last time I posted here, back in November of 2011, I mentioned my ambivalence about being a snow bird.  I was looking forward to the warm, sunny weather that Florida offers, but I was not eager to leave all the things in NJ that I really enjoy.

We've been in Florida for six weeks now.  The weather has been quite mild, much warmer than the previous two winters.  We've had some chilly mornings, but by midday, it's sunny and pleasant.  It seems, though, that it's been pretty mild in NJ too.  There haven't been any major snow storms to date and temps appear to be moderate for this time of year.

In the past, I've enjoyed the Florida weather to do outdoor activities.  I do try to bicycle with a friend on the Withlacoochee Trail every Monday.  Most other days I go to the gym, a gym that is no where near as nice as NBD, the gym I belong to at home.  Going to the gym every day negates the allure of mild temperatures and outdoor activities.  I find myself pining for the NJ gym and my trainer, Toni.

The things I miss the most though are people; my yarny friends and my NJ grands.  As I follow their activity reports on ravelry, facebook, twitter and my daughter-in-law's blog, I struggle over and over with all the things I am missing.  Christmas, a wedding, a yarn store opening, just to name a few.  There are activities here including two knitting groups, the UU congregation, socializing at the club house, but they just don't seem to measure up this year.  And, there is so little access to culture here.  We see reviews of films that are not playing nearby.  We miss concerts, plays.  Hell, I even miss Starbucks!!

Early in December we looked into spending next winter in a more cosmopolitan area like Sarasota. It looks very appealing but prices are simply out of reach.  We're toying with the idea of spending next winter at home and using NYC as our playground.  Since the heat in our apartment is always on high (with no way to control it but opening the window), we won't be cold and we don't have to go out if the weather is bad.

In the meantime, there are some nice things to look forward to.  I've got a frequent flyer ticket and will be heading to Portland in early February.  Shortly after I return, the NJ grands and their parents will be visiting us.  And, in early March DH and I are taking a knitting cruise with Barry Klein.  Of course, in mid-April we'll be attending the Sarasota Film Festival again. 

I'm knitting, of course.  I've got three baby sweaters and an adult sweater "in process."  One baby sweater is a store sample for All About Ewe, the about to open yarn store mentioned above.  The adult sweater, for me, is Sandrilene, designed by Jesh, a NJ yarn friend.  And, I was recently approached by the owner of a children's store in Philadelphia about providing some baby sweaters for sale in her shop.  Negotiations are ongoing and it may not come to fruition, but we'll see.

6/30

DH and I went to see Tower Heist this afternoon.  A. O. Scott of the NY Times was not enthralled, but I thought it was really funny.  Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy had me laughing over and over.  It's always fun to see a film set in New York because the locations are identifiable and I can say to myself, "I've been there."  The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was icing on the cake.

I'm moving along on the sweater.  The goal is to finish at least an inch a day and a skein of yarn every three days.  There are nine skeins and if I keep I schedule, I'll be finished by November 27th.  It would be really nice to wear it to Thanksgiving dinner, but I don't know if that is possible.  I've written to Rowan yarns about the defective skein and I've tracked down on line sources of additional yarn.  I don't know if the dye lots will match, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Here's a photo of eight plus inches of sweater with six repeats of the deco pattern.  It will look a lot better when it's blocked:

The "check engine" light is on again in my Honda Civic Hybrid so tomorrow, first thing, I'm off to Carmen the Mechanic.  I had the 100,000 mile check up just over a week ago and he told me I was good to go.  I'm hoping Carmen just forgot to reset the computer.

52 in 52 #26

Huggy Bear Hat, Jaeger Baby Merino DK

52 in 52 Project #24

Rambling Rows Jacket, Cascade 220, Berroco Geode, Shepherds Wool

52 in 52 Project #22

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Originally uploaded by rallaronson

Another washcloth, this one for granddaughter #2. All three girls seem to really like them.
It's week #23 and I've finished 22 projects. I'm nearly done with the second rambling rows sweater so there is hope I'll be back on schedule by the end of Panera Knit Group on Saturday...

52 in 52 Project #21

My modification of the Back to School washcloth from Spring 2009 Knitty

Lily Sugar 'n Cream Cotton Yarn

Still trying very hard to be current.  This is week #23 according to my calendar.  I'm two weeks behind but I have a number of UFO's that have the potential to "save my bacon."  Let's see what happens...

52 in 52 Project #20

Same cardi as #18, just bigger

Week #23 and I've only finished project #20.  Obviously I've got to pick up the pace a bit...

More Satisfied Customers

Quite some time ago I made Perry and Linny washcloths that had jack-o-lanterns on them.  Just looked them up on rav and see they were made for Halloween 2008.

When I was visiting Portland in February I noticed that they still used them at bath time.  I decided they needed some new ones. Perry and Linny are very interested in letters. They know what letters their names start with as well as that of their parents and grandparents. I searched on ravelry and found that Rhonda White, from Knitting Knonsense has designed free washcloth patterns with for every letter of the alphabet.  I did some stash diving and set about making a "P" and an "L" cloth from Lily Sugar 'n Cream Cotton.

This one is for Perry

This one is for Linny

And here's the photo that came today with the twins modeling their new washcloths.  Have you ever seen two cuter bathers?

The Saga of the Sweater

Years ago, 2007 probably, when I first started knitting again, I bought Lion Brand Pound of Love in four different colors.  I wasn't really confident about my knitting skills and I wasn't ready to make a big investment in yarn.  I still have lots of this yarn in my stash although the cream color is about gone.

In May of 2008 when my mother was very ill, I traveled to Vermont to be with my sister as we sat by my mother's bedside in the hospital.  I packed the cream (antique white?) Pound of Love in my suitcase.  As my mother slipped away, my sister and I sat together knitting.  It was a way to be present and to pass the time. I take great comfort that we were able to do this.  The nurses stopped in often, both to check on my mother and on our knitting progress.  This is the second sweater I completed during the five day vigil. 

Fast forward to the winter of 2008/2009.  DH and I became snowbirds and rented a condo in Crystal River, FL.  The condo community has a wonderful craft group.  I made a number of knitted items while I was there.  And, I brought along some finished objects to show the group.

Two occurences came together just as I was ready to head back north.  One of the women in the group was expecting a grandchild.  Said grandchild was to be born in Uzbekistan.  The condo community was planning an auction event to raise money to decorate the clubhouse.  At the last craft group meeting, I offered the sweater I had knit the previous May as an auction donation.  It was gratefully accepted.

Many months later I learned that the prospective grandmother had bid on and won the sweater at the auction.  She and her husband traveled to Uzbekistan to visit their new grandchild and took the sweater with them.  It was well received.

DH and I are back in Crystal River again this winter and I am enjoying the craft group and other activities.  I even got to meet the young lady pictured above when she and her parents visited a few weeks ago.  She no longer fits in the sweater because she's grown so much.

Today her grandmother sent me a photo of this darling baby wearing the sweater I lovingly knit as my mother slipped away.  Beginnings and endings.  I guess that's what life is about.  I have tears right now but I'm not sad.  In a way, there is a connection between my mother, who loved babies, and this adorable little one who lives on the other side of the world. 

More Baby Sweaters and Etsy

I finished the first project of 2010 today, a colorful baby jacket based on a pattern by fpea.  I've made this pattern before, using Lockhart wool and Cascade Ecological Wool.  This time I've used Cascade Jewel Hand Dyed and Cascade 220.  It gives the sweater a completely different look. 

I dug around in my button stash and came up with two shiny metal buttons.  I'm not sure if they're pewter but they seem to work just right with the sweater.  Here's a close up.

I've listed this for sale on my etsy site.  I donate all the proceeds from my baby sweater sales to The First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, NJ.

I'm alive and well

Wow! It's been a long time.  I'm alive and well, just very busy.

I've been doing a lot of baby sweater knitting and have sold a number of them.  There was a Holiday Craft Fair at FUSP and along with selling three sweaters, I took orders for two more that must be finished by Christmas.  I worked feverishly this past week.  One is finished except for the buttons and the other is really coming along.  I don't have any photos to post at this time.  I'll get some up when I can photograph the finished projects, which has to be this coming Monday.  I am in Florida and the recipient is in NJ.  If I don't get to the post office by Monday I'll be toast.

We spent the last week cruising the Caribbean.  The trip was sponsored by The Nation magazine and there were many panels, lectures and ad hoc discussions.  Dinner table assignments were rotated each night and we got to meet a lot of interesting people from all over the US as well as a couple from Great Britain.  Howard Dean was along as well as Calvin Trillin and many of The Nation's regular writers.  Holland America always does a good job with the food and accommodations.  Since there is a major snow storm hitting the east coast from Washington, DC to Boston, we're very happy to be staying on in sunny Florida.  We're going to spend a few days exploring the Everglades and then meander up to Crystal River to take possession of the condo.  Right now the weather is sunny and 66 degrees. 

I'm going to sign off now because I have to get back to my knitting.

More Baby Sweaters and Etsy

Well, I've finished another baby sweater. This one is based on the Organic Guernsey by Fawn Pea. I've made it from wool yarn (Brunswick Germantown Worsted) that was gifted to me by a member of my church. I've researched it and it must be quite old. The mill, Brunswick Mills in Pickens, South Carolina, is long defunct. The yarn itself is in excellent condition and is springy and wooly in a pleasant way. It has flecks of green in it that don't show up too well in this photo. In keeping with the age of the wool, I've used buttons I purchased from the vintage button booth at the NJ Sheep Breeders Festival.
Here's a shot of the entire sweater.

So, you ask, what am I going to do with all of these baby sweaters? I no longer have a baby in the family small enough to wear any of them. The answer is I've opened an etsy shop. For those of you not in the knitting/handmade items world, etsy is a web site created to allow people to sell handmade and vintage items. You can see the site here: www.etsy.com and you can see my shop here: www.adoptionmswknits.etsy.com. In the meantime, six of the sweaters have been taken by a fellow knitter to sell at the craft fair to be held Thursday at her place of employment. That's tomorrow.

Since many these sweaters were made using copyrighted patterns, some of which explicitly forbade the commercial use of the pattern or the finished object, I will be donating any proceeds from their sale to The First Unitarian Society of Plainfield.

Selling items on etsy not only requires knitting skills. I'm going to have to work on my photography skills as well. Taking a good picture is really important to allow buyers to see the quality of the work. It will be a good experience for me as I really haven't mastered much more than "point and shoot" with our latest camera, a Nikon D40 SLR.

Another Project Finished

Baby's First Jacket, made from Regia Sock Yarn bought at Knit and Knibble in Tampa, FL. I got the buttons at The Custom Shop in Kennebunk, ME. I'm working on a second version of this pattern using Classic Elite Alpaca Sock.

Busy, busy, busy

I've been working on a number of baby items to use up stash. I took lots of yarn on vacation with me and started one project after another. I've finished a few and am continuing to work on others. It's been very gratifying.

The first completed sweater was my version of Fawn Pea's Super Natural Stripes. Mine is not natural in color or in yarn. It's three shades of Caron Simply Soft. I finished it while we were in the Adirondacks and donated it to the auction for the Adirondack Scholarship Foundation. I'm told the final bid was $25. I hope someone's baby enjoys it.


Next I used more Caron Simply Soft (can you tell I have a lot of it in my stash?) to make my third version of Reynolds Cardigan for Baby. This is a lovely little pattern, knit from the bottom up all in one piece so there is very little seaming. I love the lacy detail around the yoke.


I made another soaker out of left over yarn from the Oriental Lily Dress. I love the color combination. I plan to use it as a sample at the 15th Annual NJ Sheep and Fiber Festival on September 12 and 13. A knitting friend has reserved a booth and invited other group members to display their work. I've put together a portfolio of soaker and skirty photos and will see if there is any demand for custom work.

This is another Fawn Pea pattern called Mossy Jacket. I've made it with Lockhart yarn and accented it with Cascade Ecological Wool. This was another easy knit, from the top down. It's a heavier weight than the other sweaters and would make a nice gift for a baby to wear in the winter.

This one is from the pattern, Kindred Knits Yoked Cardi. I made some modifications including knitting the button band right into the jacket rather than adding it later and turned the finished jacket in side out. I decided the handpainted yarn looked too busy with the ribs on the right side. I also shortened the sleeves for two reasons. I was concerned I would run out of yarn and in the six month size I think the sleeves are too wide the way the pattern is written. I think it would look very cute over a little long sleeve turtleneck, don't you?

I've got three others in process. Two are knit in sock yarn which makes for slower going and the third is Fawn Pea's Organic Guernsey made in very old worsted wool that was gifted to me by a fellow member of FUSP. I'll post photos of them as soon as they are finished.

Finally Finished

Linny in the Oriental Lily Dress

Oriental Lily is a free internet pattern. It was an easy knit. It called for a DK weight yarn but I had the Berroco Geode, a light worsted, in stash and it really knit up nicely. I would think of it as a winter dress, but the weather in Arcata is cool, even in August, and you can see Linny seems very comfortable wearing it for the farmers market on the Plaza.

Perry in Carlos aka Growling Dog Sweater

I started the growling dog sweater in May of 2008 intending to finish it before Perry turned one. Fortunately it's big enough because he's pretty close to turning two now. The pattern is called Carlos and is from the Berroco Design Team. It's knit in Berroco Comfort DK, a soft acrylic yarn.

Traveling

The alarm went off at 4:45 AM. It’s my mother’s alarm clock, one I purchased for her after my father died and she had trouble waking up. For years, he was her alarm clock, never allowing her to sleep much past 7 AM. Once he was gone she began to have real trouble getting up at all. Part of that, I believe, was depression. On the other hand, she may have always wanted to sleep later than 7 but was aware my father needed her company.

My mom had trouble hearing a conventional alarm clock, something I’m very familiar with. Once I take my hearing aids out at bedtime, the world is a very quiet place. So, I bought her a clock aptly named “Sonic Boom.” I’m not sure she ever used it and as we were clearing out her apartment last June, I claimed it.

I’m invariably awake every morning by 6 AM at the latest. Most days I’m up having my coffee before 5:30. Today, in order to make a 6:30 plane to California, I had to be up at 4:45 AM. Having to be up that early always causes some anxiety. I usually don’t hear the regular alarm clock. I can rely on Dick, but I thought it would be an opportunity to try the Sonic Boom to see how effective it is. The alarm clock not only has a very loud alarm; it also connects to the bedside light, causing it to flash off and on at the selected time.

I am happy to report the clock worked well. The alarm sounded and the light flashed. It woke me up. I don’t know if it also awoke our upstairs neighbor. It was pretty loud if I heard it without my hearing aids.

The flight from Newark to San Francisco left on time in spite of heavy rain. I think it was the first time I’ve been on a large plane flown by a woman. The flight was uneventful and arrived in SF on time. I had a window seat and once we were out of the cloudy, wet New York area, the views were amazing. It’s so interesting to see how the landscape changes as you travel west across the continent.

I’m now waiting for the connecting flight to Eureka/Arcata. I had hoped to post live, but the free local wi-fi does not seem to be working and T-Mobile put me through such an ordeal to get a one hour pass that I gave up. Every time I filled out the form, it was rejected for some minor reason. T-Mobile then totally cleared the form expecting me to start over. Even with auto fill, it just wasn’t worth the trouble.

When I wasn’t looking out the window, I was working on knitting projects. I took some progress pictures in the airport. Carlos is so close to being finished:

And, Laughing Carrots is really coming along:

My goal is to finish those two and Oriental Lily before it’s time to fly home.

Various

I had intended to blog regularly while here in Vermont at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy meeting but when I unpacked I discovered I had forgotten the cord for downloading photos from the camera to the computer. What a bummer. As a result, I haven't been very motivated to take pictures.

It's been a good meeting, at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. It's a pleasant enough campus although there is a lot of construction going on. The most annoying aspect of this is the constant beeping of the back-up alarms on the various pieces of machinery. Work starts at around 7 AM and today, at least, is still going on at 5:10 PM. It's been great to see old friends, particularly the women from Maryland who hiked with me when I was completing Pennsylvania, West Virginia and parts of Virginia. I ran into a man who hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc with us all those many years ago and the sister of a Whiting neighbor who lives in Wisconsin. I only see her at these biennial events.

I had registered for a different trail segmant every day except Monday. Saturday, on a hike designated moderate, with a steep uphill climb at the outset, I developed symptoms of heat stroke about a mile in. There was a doctor in the group who stayed with me, helping to cool me down, while the group continued on without us. Ultimately we returned to our cars and drove back to the campus. That was a disappointment. The next day, on another section with a similar elevation gain, the leader went more slowly and I was able to complete the hike. The weather was a bit cooler and less humid, but I wasn't moving along as quickly as I did last year. I think it's a result of my not keeping up with an exercise regimen.

Monday was the biennial meeting. Afterward I went biking on the Delaware and Hudson rail trail with a group. We biked down to Poultney, had some ice cream and biked back.

There has been quite a bit of rain in Vermont this summer and the trails are very muddy. I decided not to hike again because of my lack of stamina (didn't want to be holding other hikers up) and because I was tired of the mud. I've been taking a power walk each day on the rail trail and then spending time knitting and listening to books on my Ipod. I finished The White Tiger by Avarind Adiga and Made in the USA by Billie Letts.

I've got about ten inches done on the body of the Laughing Carrots sweater and I'm about ready to do the waffle trim before I start the carrot pattern and I was drawn back to the pink charity sweater for some reason. I've finished the cuff on one sleeve, almost completed the garter stitch edging on the body and am also working on the second sleeve (both at the same time--don't ask--it's knitting ADD). I don't have too much to finish on the Carlos growling dog sweater and the sleeves need finishing on the Oriental Lily dress. Carlos and Oriental Lily need to be finished before I go to Cali on July 31. I just can't seem to focus on one project at a time but I do ultimately get everything done.

No photos to post because of the missing cord. I'll get some up when I get home.

Tomorrow I'm meeting my sister, brother-in-law and nephew to hike a section of the AT over near Woodstock. Going south to north, which is my preferred direction, it's only 400 feet of elevation gain. Since I did 1500 on Sunday, albeit near the back of the pack, I should be able to manage. I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Then it's time to head home.

Moving Along

Back in June I did a post on Acute Startitis, my diagnosis for the situation in which I found myself. Having nine unfinished projects was a shock to me. I discovered the total number when I cleaned up and reorganized the stash. At that time I made a commitment to get them finished before I started anything new. I've been plugging along and I've decided to do another update. I've made some progress on three projects. I wish I could show you something that's complete, but two of my projects are so close I can almost taste it.

The Opal Lily dress has one sleeve nearly finished.


Carlos, aka, Growling Dog, has one sleeve and the neck finished. I had a hard time picking up the same number of stitches for the second sleeve, but I think it will be okay. I hope to finish this one tonight at Knit Group. It's made of Berroco Comfort DK and I'm not very happy with this yarn. It's soft but it's very splitty. I really think this sweater would be much nicer if the pattern were rewritten for worsted weight yarn.


And, this is Decimal--doesn't look like much, does it? I frogged it today. I really didn't like the way it was shaping up. The original pattern called for a DK weight yarn and I thought I could make it with a worsted weight because I'm such a tight knitter. It just didn't look right and I haven't done any work on it since we got back from Florida. That in itself is a sign that it's a project that is just not meant to be. I'll have to find something new for the yarn.

Various

I'm happy to report that I have finished the Weavers Wool Mini Shawl. Here's a photo of it blocking. The points on the chevron edging were curling up. I'm hoping that blocking will cure that. I have to give real credit to Patrice of ravelry whose modification of the original design I shamelessly copied. That's the wonderful thing about ravelry; the opportunity to see what other knitters have done with a particular pattern. Patrice also used Berroco Geode, in a different colorway, combining it with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I had the Geode in my stash and had some Cascade 220 that complemented it. I'm happy with the color combination. Here's hoping the blocking is successful.


I'm sending off another letter and I discovered four $.18 stamps in the $.15 envelope. They commemorate the Space Shuttle. I'm not sure which year they date to. I've combined two of them with a $.08 stamp to obtain the requisite amount. Click on the photo to get a close-up look at the stamps.