New Mittens for Dad

The first sweater I made back in 2005 was a deep purple raglan. It was made in pieces requiring seaming. I was lucky enough to discover Elizabeth Zimmerman's books within the first six months of knitting, but not in time for my first sweater. I knit the sweater back and forth on long straight needles. I didn't know yet the benefit of working on circulars for both flat knitting and knitting in the round. But the sweater turned out beautifully - my seams turned out really wonderfully. I used Vogue Knitting for reference. Constantly. And as a consequence, I don't mind seaming at all. That sweater was made from Lamb's Pride Worsted - and holy cow, is it a warm sweater.

I made these mittens for my dad from Lamb's Pride. It might be the first time I've used it since my first sweater. I don't know why I haven't used it more - it's easy to work with, has a great little bit of fuzziness to it from mohair, and is sooo warm. This is the first project I have made for my dad.



Needles: size 6 Clover bamboo dpns
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Charcoal

The are mittens from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson. They just need a button for the flip top and they're done. I adjusted the length on these three times. For some reason, I made these very, very long. They needed a lot of shortening. The book is wonderful - great ideas for interesting, yet useful designs, and a smattering of patterns that could easily become stand-bys. Knitting New Mittens and Gloves is a great. I will be adding that to my shopping cart at Knit Picks. Knit picks is currently running their 40% books sale and I think I am going to pick up a few items before the sale ends on November 2. Definitely on the list is Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. I've borrowed that from my library several times and now with its new publication, I can own my own. It is a great reference book, loaded with technique and tips, and enough info to design your own sweater.


I have been thinking of some new ways to occupy myself this winter that aren't working or thinking about working - either at my job or on my house. I'd also like to meet a few people. I've been looking into some book clubs at my area libraries. There are several to choose from - a mystery book club, a knit lit book club, and many that don't have a theme. Second on my potential new activities is a sewing class at Craft Planet, a LYS a few blocks from my house. I am still taking real classes for my grad program, so I don't want to overdo it. That said, I am confident there's more time for fun in a day.

I sold my scooter and bought a sew guitar and amp with some of the proceeds. Oy vey....it is loud in here. But fun, so who cares! I am tapping my feet and bobbin' my head.

Gentleman's Plain Winter Socks

Sometimes projects feel like they finish themselves. I wonder if that's because with some persistence, it is inevitable that things will come to an end. Projects seem to be finishing themselves while sitting in my knitting bag. I've recently finished mittens, socks, a sweater, cutting my pile of unfinished projects by over half. Here is another pair of socks. These are the Gentleman's Winter Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.



Wool: Sock Ease by Lion Brand
Needles: size 0 Addi circs (magic loop method)

These were originally being made for a gentleman, but he said something about adult men not wearing striped socks. He may have also said something about a cheshire cat. So, I made them to fit a ladies size 8 and they fit perfectly! Adjustments include a sturdy slip stitch heel and that's about it. I've also picked up some Lana Grossa Meilenweit Tweed in a great tweedy brown and some Plymouth Yarns Happy Feet for yes, more socks.

October in Minnesota is really beautiful. I work on the Mississippi River - right on the river. I walk on a foot bridge over the river most days of the year. I also see a wild turkey in the work parking lot nearly every single day. (One day I nearly drive over him, but that's another story) And October is usually beautiful. Walks over my lunch hour make me hanker for apple cider, homemade breads and stews. But this year....





Please take note...there are green leaves and snow in the same picture. The leaves hadn't really begun to change. And then the green leaves froze and dropped to the ground. It going to be a long winter.

Next posting...newly finished mittens for my dad from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves.

Mittens for dad and minimalist cardigan

You might think I am getting a good start on Christmas presents for this upcoming Christmas. But these are actually mittens I 'gave' two years ago. I think. In my defense, I did make some flip top mittens for my dad before, but they were horrible. Really floppy and I needed a good pattern.

So, here are some mittens out of Knitting New Mittens and Gloves/ The cable on the top is a staghorn cable. I might need to shorten these just a bit, but that should be fairly easy. Oh yes, and I need to make the other mitten. I am not usually afflicted with disinterest in a second sock or mitten, so I am not worried about that.

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And a good shot of the flip top:



And that's me and the husband in the background at our wedding - 11 years ago.

Needles: Size 6 Clover Bamboo dpns
Yarn: Lambs Pride Worsted in Charcoal

And here's a whole mess of moss stitch (Minimalist Cardigan from Interweave Knits - Fall 2007). I must admit to getting a little tired of this stitch, but I think I will be really pleased with the results.



And I will have to give the full story on 'after thought arms' from Wendy Bernards' Custom Knits book. The Minimalist Cardigan pattern had you making the sleeves separately, but I am not very good with seaming and was intrigued by her instructions on how to pick up arms, make custom sleeve caps, and knit the sleeves down. One arm down and one to go.



Hopefully I will have some finished projects soon - I have a number of things in the works.

End of the season

Our yard is really coming together nicely. We always seem to do more work on the yard toward the end of the season that at the beginning. I think it is because we've always got pressures to keep working on 'more important' things during the first part of the season. But this year, we NEEDED to do a significant amount of heavy work - including getting get rid of a huge and awful pile of wood along the side of our yard that was riddled with gross mushrooms and creating a major eyesore. So, thanks to a couple of bagsters (3 cubit foot bag type dumpsters), the wood is almost gone. And we've planted a vibernum hedge that will hopefully grow very quickly to provide some privacy. We still need to put some edging of some sort along this or it will be really difficult to mow. It looks great, but you know what? 60 privet hedges showed up in the mail yesterday. My husband placed the order and he did not think it went through, but here they are. They come from an online nursery - very small with no dirt - in a dormant state. But they started to sprout on their way to our house, so they need to get into the ground. I guess I know what I will be doing today.


Our sienna maple is just two years old and look how big it has gotten:

It is getting to be the end of planting season in Minnesota, but we've taken advantage of low prices on shrubs.

And a little giant arborvitae, potentillas, and a red twig dogwood - these are a little more well established - maybe five years. And we put in the retaining wall, steps, and cobble stone sidewalks. The potentillas are great because they give yellow flowers all summer long.


And we just created this little corner for a that evergreen and a few perennials. You can see a tarp and some junk in the background. We're building a deck there first thing next fall.


And here is a smoke tree and two hibiscus. I need to get some pots for the hibiscus, so I can bring them in and out of the house. And the smoke tree is going in the front - as far as I know now.


And a weeping Japanese cherry tree, diablo ninebarks, and alpine currants (also just a couple years old!). And we're getting a new drive way poured next spring. I can't wait to be able to shovel a real driveway instead of gravel.


But the real winner of the season is going to be our soffits and fascia. They were damaged in a storm two years ago and we hadn't fixed them - we were having a difficult time finding them and weren't looking forward to the work. But we placed a special order for them and you can see them all wrapped in plastic on sidewalk in the above picture. They are slowly but surely getting on the house. The high wire act isn't very much fun - ladders and hanging off the roof by the skin of your teeth. But it will be done!

I am nearly finished with the back of the minimalist cardigan - more photos soon!

And I know....another new template for the blog layout.

Making progress on minimalist....

or making minimal progress? "Making progress"....this phrase has somehow gotten woven into my regular speech and it has got to go! 'We're making progress' or 'I am making progress' with fill in the blank - projects or tasks at work, yard work, house projects, you name it. And I am tired of if. I am tired of thinking of my life in milestones toward completion of some work that needs to be done by a date that feels like it was picked out of the ether. These self-imposed deadlines are no doubt the result of feeling like things don't get done, but boy, can it suck the fun out of things. I have an inordinate amount of yard work that I'd like to get done this year, along with new carpeting in the living, purchasing new couches, finishing the ceiling in my dining room, getting a walk in closet finished upstairs, and generally having the house poised for projects to do in the winter. This house under constant renovation is a real strain and I want to be living like a normal person again. Maybe the solution is a shift in thinking - some kind of paradigm shift. I will let ya know how that goes.

I was knitting the Minimalist Cardigan this week. I see my photo features the same book I used in the photo last week! I don't take much time taking these photos, but at least the photo isn't taken on the couch next to me as so many are. I frequently set my project next to me (laptop on my lap), grab the camera and take a few shots and call that good. And I think I keep looking at the front of this book not just because of the patterns, but because I think I want my hair to look like the model's hair on the cover! It could happen...



This brown is so pretty. The moss stitch too is a good one to use if you've got any wrist or arm strain from keyboarding or other repetitive stress activities, because are moving back and forth so much. I still really love the color for fall and just recently got a gold silky tank top that should go beautifully with this brown.

So, other things to look forward to....I am selling my Honda Ruckus scooter, because I don't feel safe on it any more and I want to use the proceeds get the husband a new guitar and amp just for the fun of it; I am taking 1 of 2 more classes this fall to finished my masters (perspectives of adult development) and the instructor is very relaxed and creative - I think I will be journaling this fall if that tells you anything!; and I am planning on doing a long weekend camping trip to enjoy the colors and do some hiking before winter.

And I will leave you with this....it has been 90 degrees with matching humidity the past few days - all around icky. This picture was taking in Minneapolis, MN out my kitchen window in January 2009. Yup, 20 below zero - I think the windchill that week was 35 below zero. Scary cold.



Here's to enjoying the rest of summer!