Moira Update

I have been obsessed (not an exageration) with working on Moira.  Progress is being made!!

I put the neck on yesterday.  Big news for me since it involved picking up and knitting stitches.  It went pretty well.  I realized after doing it that it didn’t mean to knit the stitches that had been on the front and back holders, and instead, I should have kept in pattern.  But, alas, the neck is on!!  I pulled it on after finishing the neck just to see if everything was sizing up ok, and I really do think I am going to like it!  As you can see I have 1 sleeve done, and the 2nd is about 1/4 of the way done!  YAY!!

On the front I did a Cable 2 twist on the border edge of the center panel.

This yarn is a little drapey and squishy for this large (and rather heavy) project.  So I thought it just gave better definition than the simple K2 that the pattern states….see…..

I have a feeling the heaviness of the sweater is going to make it pull out of shape.  But it feels wonderful and shows off the cables so nicely!  AND I really thought I was going to run out of yarn.  I am getting ready to wind my last hank to finish the sleeve….then with the bits I have left from all of the other hanks I am hoping to make it to the finish line!

AWOL

Yes, I have been AWOL.  I’ve missed reporting on my 1 year blogiversary, my 30 something birthday, and loads of other things.  I have no good reason.  There has been no catastrophe – unless you count the national financial crisis, the local financial crisis (if you’re not from here Mr. Petter is in big trouble and taking a lot of things & people down with him), and an election that many people can’t stop talking about…I guess that’s not a catastrophe, but it’s getting old. 

The days are getting short, the weather is getting cold, and my body and mind have started to go into hibernation.  My house is not very tidy, and I am still showering in my basement bathroom because I have not found a plumber to come fix my leaking pipe in the upstairs shower.  See…..it’s a funk.  Nothing horrible has happened, I just happen to have a horrible attitude.

To try and shake my funk I went to the Apple Orchard on Saturday with a friend and a couple of kids.  WOW!  Chaos!!  It was a gorgeous day and I think everyone from the city had the same idea!  The kids had a blast and I now have some very nice apples that I have been snacking on.  I am going with the “apple a day keeps the doctor away” slogan.  It was the 1st time I had ever went on this fall adventure and will probably do it again next year, but will check out a different fine orchard.

I have been knitting….finished my beautiful red Vintage Velvet Scarf, cranked out a fun silk/cotton scarf for a friend, and Moira is soon going to have a front and a back.  However, I can only talk about these because I cannot get a decent picture to save my life (I’m blaming the lack of sun, not my lack of talent).  So even if the house is a dusty mess I am finding peace in my lovely stitches! 

 

And finally.  The other night I was reminded that as a kid I was an avid fan of commercials.  I sang the jingles whenever I was reminded of one – the grocery store was really bad…I was so annoying – and remember them better than most shows.  I now tend to fast forward through commercials or not be amused by them.  This one, however, is awesome!

Fall

Fall feels like it is right around the corner here in the great white north.  I have stopped wearing cute summer skirts and have broke out the slacks for work.  The nights are very cool and I think I shut the air conditioner off almost 3 weeks ago. 

Fall is probably my favorite season.  I always laugh at the beginning of You’ve Got Mail when Tom Hanks talks abouting loving fall and  sending a bouquet of pencils because of it.  It’s true!  I don’t get back to school clothes, school supplies, or any of that, but it is firmly ingrained in my feeling of fall.  In addition, I feel like I should go to some kind of outdoor football game and attend a bonfire in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

This cooler weather also reminds me of all of the projects that I wanted to get done this summer that I have not.  Yes, this is the nasty adult side of me coming out that has responsibility way in front of fun!  So last weekend I started refinishing my dining room table.  It has needed it since I bought it 2 years ago at Oronoco’s Gold Rush Days.

I stripped it (I mentioned to a guy at work that I was stripping in the garage and we both a got a good laugh out of it!).  Then stained it this past week after work.

Now this weekend I need to get the thing Polyurethaned.  I am also heading to the outlet mall today with a friend, so that I don’t feel like the entire weekend it work (some of that fall shopping and all)!

These past few weeks have also been full with a friend of mine.  She had a baby on Thursday.

He is totally precious!  I do love babies, and usually think they are just cute because they are babies.  But I saw this little guy less than 12 hours after he was born and he’s not red and blotchy or anything!  Perfect!

Then there was Knittin’ Nite on Thursday also.  T has just gotten back from a road trip with a friend of 30 years.  There was knitting to be shown off that she got done/started, pictures to be admired, yarn to be drooled over, and, of course, the awesome souvenir license plate/stitch marker she brought me!

I can be silly.  I really hadn’t thought a lot about it, but must have assumed it would only be something that you can get in the US.  Since the 1st words out of my mouth were…”well, I guess they do have license plates up there too, huh?”  Yeah, there are times it’s readily apparent why I should think before I speak!  Once again, so happy that she thought of me!!

And while time and life are marching on with me trying to keep pace I have also been knitting.

The color block blanket is almost done.  I just need to finish the edging.  Then it will be gifted to the cute little guy pictured above!

Ooooh……Something shiny!!

(Beware there are a lot of exclamation points and all CAPS in this post.)

I had been faithfully working on Moira….

(I apologize for the poor color & quality, it is dark and it’s the best I could do.)

But then Ravelympics started.  That meant I HAD to start and finish the Celtic Tote.

Upon completion I was rather frazzled (deadlines and all).  So I wanted something less complicated than Moira.  The weather has gotten cooler (read: fall-like) and with Christmas right around the corner, I NEED my red Vintage Velvet Scarf!  My sister moved and needed help painting the inside of the new house over Labor Day.  So I started my pretty red scarf in the evenings while I was there.  It’s portable, takes less concentration than Moira, and did I mention Christmas is coming!!!

THEN while taking a break from my painting duties, I HAD to visit a LYS.  Both my Mom and sister had been there and I had not…that’s just not fair!  So String of Purls sucked me in with their cute store, fun yarns, and nice ladies working.  I purchased my 1st kit.  A very cute primary color block blanket out of primary colors.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  I had martini night with the girls (the pineapple infused vodka was a total hit), which then means that Sunday is rather quiet around my house.  In preparation for staying out too late I do all of my chores on Saturday, which leaves Sunday very free.  So while working on the above scarf, I get the uncontrollable urge to play with the new yarn that I purchased at String of Purls!

So I do it….I cast on for a 3rd project!

I finished with the 1st block while watching Army Wives Sunday night.  I am now slightly obsessed with seeing how all of the colors are going to work together.  And I love how quickly it knits up!

So you see, I have had a bit of knitting A.D.D.  And 3 projects for some people is fine.  But it is most unusual for me to have cast on for 2 new ones in such a short period of time.  I’ve been working on Moira FORVER and swear I will have it done by Thanksgiving!  In the meantime, the small projects are giving me a huge sense of accomplishment!

The Celtic Tote is Done!

Well, I finished it!  I thought I finished in time for the Ravelympics, but I think I got confused.  I was watching the closing games as I finished getting it together, but I think there was something about midnight in China that I missed.  So, no prize, but it’s done!!

The pattern was fun.  The embroidery outline was killer!  It probably took me just as long to do the edging as it did to knit the darn thing.  I then proceeded to overfelt it slightly, but I still like the finished product.

You might notice that the handles are not knitted the way the pattern requests.  I don’t like the feel of wool and it can make me red and blotchy, so I opted to buy some premade ones.  No animals were harmed in the making of this tote, but this bag did lose its handles ($7 at WalMart) for my carrying enjoyment.

Things have been busy during the making of this bag (preseason game at the Dome to see the Vikings play the Steelers, yardwork, obsession with Scramble on Facebook, planning a fall vacation, etc) but it is done.  I may end up lining it, but a FO within 2 weeks is really good for me!

Ravelympics

Yes, I joined on the bandwagon for this one.  I don’t do well knitting under pressure, but really enjoy participating in things.  So I am attempting to finish the Celtic Tote by the time the torch is out.  I am off to a good start.  The back side is complete and the front side is well under way.  Don’t mind my grade school photography skills.  I don’t do well under normal circumstances and photgraphing black was beyond my skill level.

And I will say that it has kept me actively following the Olympics.  I usually prefer the winter games and just catch snippets of the summer games.  But I have discovered I truly love to watch swimming.  It might be because I would love to be a better swimmer (read: do something beyond the dog paddle) or just because the race is long enough for me to get engaged without being so long it loses my attention.  I have always loved to watch women’s gymnastics (again I wanted to do that so badly when I was a kid), but find the whole scoring thing confusing and way to subjective.  And then there is sand volleyball!  That is awesome!  I played volleyball in high school and sand volleyball on a coed team for many years, and let me tell you we didn’t look anything like these teams, but it is something I can relate to.

So in my quest to finish my project before the end of the Olympics I have discovered that the knitting will probably not be the problem.  It will be the finishing.  I have a little bit of trouble staying focused on the putzy details!!

BTW, the badly worn deck that is the background of most of my pictures got powerwashed today!  It still looks like a speckled mess, but hopefully it will be stained next week and be ever so beautiful!

Iowa State Fair

Instead of seeing Fields of Dreams as I was driving down to Iowa I saw fields of these (not a bad photo since I took it out of my side window as I was driving down I-35)

Growing up in western Iowa the big state rivalry was Nebtraska and Iowa.

Why does all of the corn in Iowa lean to the West…..Nebraska sucks.

You get the idea.

Since I have lived in MN, I realize that Minnesota feels about Iowa the way my part of Iowa felt about Nebraska.  When asked where I grew up, I know that I will start hearing the Iowa jokes.  Upon first moving up here my parents and I were visiting a local church and had met the minister prior to the service.  Yep, he then cracked an Iowa joke from the pulpit.  I never went back (though that had more to do with other parts of the service…healing people with a touch….that were a little out of my comfort zone).

So when asked what I did for the weekend I am leery of admitting I went to the Iowa State Fair.  The competitive spirit is immediately kindled.

“Is it as fun as the MN State Fair?”  “Is it as big as the MN State Fair?”  “Is the food as good as the MN State Fair?”

Honestly, makes me laugh!  For me personally I love the Iowa State Fair and do prefer it over the MN State Fair.  It is more agriculturally based and has a different feel than the MN State Fair (hard to put into words.  maybe more rural rather than urban?).  I also have personal connections at the Iowa State Fair.  My college roommate’s family is actively involved. 

They camp (her family, her sister’s family, and her parents) all 10 days at the campgrounds and enter all kinds of entries in the competitions.  A large part of my visit at the Fair is spent visiting the different buildings to see if I can find their entries and see what ribbons they won.  I then follow up through the remainder of the Fair keeping up with what the family ribbon count is.  My college roommate’s youngest boy got 3 blue ribbons and 2 rosettes this year.  He thinks he is pretty cool (as do I), and that slew of ribbons is not too bad for a 5 year old!  Her parents met at the Fair and have a sincere love for the activities and traditions they have established for their family.  I keep threatening to enter my own entries to “give them some competition”.  And maybe next year I will actually stay organized and send in my entry requests.  But I am kind of afraid the competition in the knitting category might be a little stiff for me. 

I got so busy looking at everything, picking up free stuff (lots of reusable grocery bags this year), and eating that I didn’t take one picture at the Fair.  But trust me the weather was gorgeous, the people were friendly, and I went home bone-weary….another successful year at the Fair!

Since I don’t have any other visual aids in this post, I will post the pictures of my Pie Wedge Shawl that I finally got around to taking.  i don’t think it came out too bad if I do say so myself!!

And this one kind of looks like I’m trying to fly

Lusting

Several blogs I read pointed me to the Twist Collective Premiere Issue.  I really like having another online publication to peruse in my down time.  And it has given me another alternative for this.

Will it be the Central Park Hoodie or Bonnie?????  I have admired the Central Park Hoodie for quite a while, but I can’t seem to get the asymmetrical pattern of Bonnie out of my head……

Project Review

Where to start?  It has been a while since the last post and there’s been a bit going on.  In addition to the LYS closing in my last post, there is another one leaving the Twin Cities.  This one has always been cozier and the staff has been extremely friendly, and I will miss it.  I found out about it last weekend, which was about 2 weeks into their closing sale.  So selection was very limited, but the Yarn Cafe still came through with some treasures for me!

When I saw Saffron Cables in IK I knew I wanted to make it.  But, seriously, it is huge and takes a ton of yarn!  Well at a little over $2/hank and the 40″ circulars that I need to make it on ringing up at $2.50, it became extremely affordable and isn’t that yellow gorgeous?  It will go beautifully with the new colors I am working into my bedroom.

I don’t think of myself as a greedy person.  But when it comes to yarn my self control is a bit lacking.  In addition to the wool for the blanket I also picked this up for a sweater.

My original intent for this was the sweater in the latest Vogue Knitting that I had previewed on Ravelry.  The cabling on the back of the sweater is beautiful.  For some reason I had it in my mind that it was a cardigan.  So when I got my issue of the magazine this week and ripped it open to find the pattern, I was disappointed when I saw the front, I was not as in love with it.  So now I am thinking I may do the Central Park Hoodie instead.  I have drooled over it many times on Ravelry and really had my heart set on this yarn being a cabled hoodie.  But since casting on for this is taking a backseat to all of my other projects right now, I have some time to think about it.

 But before you think that all I do is plan projects…..I do actually finish things once in a while!

Cinxia is officially done!!  (OK, I am going to add a button to it, but the knitting and blocking, etc is done!!)  Since this picture I have tacked the cuffs up so they are even, are a smidge shorter than shown, and won’t uncuff on me.  When I started this I didn’t realize from the pictures online that the decreases were going to create this textural striping effect on the yolk. 

I must say I really do like it!  I am debating on whether I should sew some kind of ribbon along the front inside edge of the opening.  The darn stockinette wants to curl even after blocking.  I thought a little polka dot ribbon would give it some support and be an interesting detail if it flips open.

The Mirasol T’ika yarn was really nice to work with.  It’s 100% cotton, but it has a nice sheen that works well to show off the reverse stockinette stitch pattern.  I used 13 hanks of yarn (which included my frantic run for 1 extra to finish the collar), which is only 1 more than the pattern prescribed.  And I am assuming that is due to the fact that I lengthened it a couple of inches in the body and the sleeves.  Since it is Pima Cotton it is really soft and I plan to get a lot of good out of it.

Finally a finished project!  Now if the humidity would just drop so I can wear it!

Celtic Project

I found out that Knit Wits in Chanhassen is going out of business.  So in my quest for more yarn (since I just don’t have enough), I went over at lunch (since their closing hours are only until 4 PM) and found myself some fibery goodness…on SALE!

When perusing my IK I saw the Celtic Tote Project which caught my fancy.  Even with my love of handbags, I have never had the urge to own a knitted bag.  I did, however, really like the knot design on this one.

So I purchased some Tahki Donegal Tweed to make it.  I did forget to pick up the contrasting yarn, so I may have to head back over today to take another peek!

However, in the excitement of 30-40% off I did have to make a couple of impulse buys.

It was Tilli Tomas silk on SALE!  Yeah, I couldn’t resist.  The feel of silk sucks me in every time.

But the cream Ultra Alpaca was very practical!    Won’t it make a gorgeous sweater!