Insomnia

Tossing and turning. Not much sleep tonight. Maybe that decaf frappuchino wasn’t really decaf. I know it wasn’t light because it was loaded with whipped cream.

I have knit more for SSK2017.

Still have the Alpine Cowl to finish by April 30.

And now I am going to knit two baby blankets, Moderne Log Cabin from Mason Dixon Knits, for family members.  Little boys due July 2 and sometime in September.  I am pretty sure I will be late with the first one. No more pastels for modern babies.

 

I will try to get some sleep

 

 

 

SSK knitalong progress and more

I have finally finished the first project for the SSK KAL   A basic sock pattern by Ann Budd. Very much like my regular basic sock pattern. I used a black/purple sock blank dyed by KnittyandColor. I love how it turned out 

Sock blanks are my new obsession.

You never know what the knitted item will look like. It’s a potato chip thing.

I am now working on another sock blank by Gale’s Art called Extreme 71.

I also love how this is turning out.

Find Your Fade Shawl seems to be the BIG thing now in the knitting world. I don’t usually jump on the band wagon but Steve of Dramatic Knits brought up the fact that it would be a good stash buster. Really!?!?  So I decided to see if I had 7 yarns that would work for this project. And I did.

I am now on the 4th color and like it. Hope the next 3 work together as well.

Slow Start

I have been slow starting my KALs for SSK FOR 2017. I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to knit because I really want to finish my Ketterdam and Find Your Fade shawls. 

So eventually I found a basic sock pattern in Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns. I am using a sock blank from Knitty &a Color. 

So that’s my plan for now. Use vendor yarn and knit socks. Also get moving on charity hats. 

Today I am dog sitting for my daughter so she can get school work done. Pronto (Little Man) is spoiled and needy.  Walking Little Man. 

Stressful Week

Although I live nowhere near the path of Hurricane Matthew I have family and friends that do. A very pregnant granddaughter and a grandson live in Hilton Head. They both evacuated early. The granddaughter went to her parents in NC where they only got tons of rain. The grandson to his girlfriend’s home in FL also out of the path. There is so much damage where my grandson lives and works. At this time as far as I know he still doesn’t know what he is going to find when he goes back. 

On to knitting. After starting  these socks twice, I have decided to frog them. The yarn just doesn’t want to be this pattern. 

I planned to knit the pattern On the Spice Market by Melanie Berg for a KAL. But that project doesn’t want to be started. So I will knit it at another time. 

I did finish a cute little hat for future great granddaughter. 

Still knitting on Annisa by Ambah O’Brien.  This is being knit with the yarn  plus another color from a frogged shawl that I didn’t love. 

At the end of Sept I went to a car show. My favorite thing are the grills. It’s a shame cars don’t have them any more. 

I finally decided what I was going to do with my scoreboard scarf from last season’s football. Sending it to the daughter in Myrtle Beach who evacuated during hurricane Matthew. She had no real damage and went back on Sunday. Waiting for things to settle down in the area before I mail it. 

I am enjoying the cooler weather we are having here. Walking was such a pleasure this morning. Hope the extreme heat doesn’t come back. 

New Orleans-City Park and more.

Our annual convention was held in New Orleans this year. We have been there before but there is always something more to see. This time it was the WWII museum. We heard it was a must see and it was. It could take days to see it properly but we just took hours. There is a fantastic film moderated by Tom Hanks. That really is a must see if you go.

This year we also took a city bus tour. It is a good way to really see what is available in the city.

New Orleans City Park was amazing. The sculpture garden and the Botanical Garden were a couple of the highlights.

Medal of Honor WWII

Cafe du Monde

 

I know we will go again. Always something else to see. It is such a relaxed city.

Back from SSK2016 or Super Summer Knitogether

SSK2016 in Nashville Is over. It is held at Scarrett Bennett Center.

Best buds

Prizes

Marketplace

Best buds, prizes & marketplace

And a wonderful time was had by all. It was really hot but that is not unusual.

We met up with friends from previous years. Knit,shopped, ate and laughed. Came home with many memories.  Looking forward to next year.

And I bet you thought I had quit.

It has been awhile. First I didn’t have anything I felt like writing about. Then I lost a month when my husband spent 25 days in the hospital after surgery with complications in April. He is doing well now. Still has a long way before he gets his strength back and adds back some of the weight he dropped. 

It took me all of May to catch up on things and start to have a normal life again. 

WOW! I didn’t think they would all load. A lot of the daylilies that have already bloomed this summer. Because my husband wasn’t home to groom the flower beds our yard is wild and wonderful. 

My knitting mojo died most of the beginning of this year. But I think it is finally coming back. I have started working on the Vivid Afghan I started a year or two ago. I am almost finished. Maybe today or tomorrow. 

I have also been working on a pair of Laura Linneman’s Easy Peasy Socks from a class I took from her in 2007. The yarn is Fibernymph Dye Works Inversibles sock yarn.  The stripe colors will reverse on the second sock. This is for the SSK KAL. Knit a-long for non-knitters. 

I am using both of these projects for The Knitgirllls Stashdash 2016. Which ends August 25 or near that date. I have a lot of WIPs or works in progress that I could use for stash dash but it just depends on whether I will want to knit them. 

The Addi flip sticks needles in the picture above are new and this is the first time I have used them. I really really like them. I only wish that I had a second pair to start the second sock. 

Better get back to knitting or I won’t make any goal for Stash Dash. 

Knit alongs

I finally finished my first project for the SSK or Super Summer Knitogether. It is the Purless shawl by Romi Hill. I started it in December. But December is not a good month to start things that have nothing to do with the holidays. Also I was at the end of the last diamond pattern before starting chart 2 when I dropped a stitch at end of the pattern side which has knit through the back loops and a yarn over before the first stitch of the row.  I could not pick it back up correctly and started to tink back to where it appeared correct when I saw another mistake about 4 rows back so I tinked back to that error. Then I saw yet another problem almost at the beginning of that wedge. It was disheartening but I had no choice. It is done now but not a favorite. I prefer a curved neck edge instead of straight and I like a longer wingspan. 
I have started my second project for the KAL. Not sure if I will get it finished in time. It is Sagebrush by Romi Hill using Fibernymph yarn. I think I am going to like this Infinity Scarf.

The sky was really beautiful on my walk last week.

Walking is so much easier in winter when it is cooler except for maybe today when my face felt frozen.

Fitbit challenges and knit alongs

I don’t like either of them. I like to set my own goals and not feel forced to do something when I am not in the mood.

I am almost finished with scoreboard KAL. There are playoff games coming up. Do I add them to my already lengthy cowl?  We will see.  I do not intend to buy anymore yarn. The latest picture of the cowl is missing 2 games.

I have started a KAL for SSK or Super Summer Knitogether. So looking forward to going in July but for the first time not excited about the KALs.  I think now that the holidays are over and the New Year has begun I will be more into knitting them.

I have no real knitting goals this year except to find time to knit things I really want to knit.

 

On to the next project.

Esjan is finished. I did have to buy another skein of the light gray of which I only used about 15 yards. But I am happy with the finished product.

Now I am knitting the Yowza Weigh it Shawl 4 by Susan B. Anderson with yarn bought at the 2015 SSK.  It is an easy shawl the requires little brain power.

The Scoreboard KAL is moving along. The cowl is going to be very long if the games continue as they have so far. Picture below does not include the last game which added 45 rows

I am enjoying the Fall weather. So much easier to walk and accumulate my daily Fitbit steps. Except for the continuous rain for 2 days that my husband helped me power through on the first day. So many of the houses in my neighborhood have decorated for Halloween and Fall. Makes me realize I am late getting my little door scarecrow out.  I have bought candy to hand out.  My husband is working his way through one bag but there still should be plenty.