WIP: Any Minute Now

This is what I'm doing tonight:

I've eyed this pattern booklet for months, and it went on sale the other day. I figure that was fate talking to me.  I love patterns that combine random-seeming yarns. And I love mittens.

I am hoping to improve my fair-isle knitting skills. Even though I have done a pair of salt-n-pepper mittens, I'm still very slow and awkward.

We'll have to see how that goes.

WIP: It's A New One

Earlier this month, I blogged about how I want to make the Harriet Sweater. I bought the yarn and pattern at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. Lucky for me, my partner in yarn accumulation saw that the Harriet Sweater is adapted from Cottage Creations' Babies & Bear Sweater, so I picked up that pattern, too.

For once, I am going to think before I plunge into a major project. I am going to make the baby sweater first. I think it's a good idea because the construction of the sweater is unique: You knit it in two halves, beginning with the cuff of each arm, and then you use the Kitchner stitch to sew the backs together. Suzy has made the baby sweater before and assures me it's a bit strange but not too hard.

Besides, I just felt like casting-on something new and different. This school year is shaping up to be a challenging one, so I wanted to treat myself. It's a hectic week with the Jewish New Year starting tonight. I will take off Thursday to observe the holiday, which I always enjoy. Still, it's hard to miss a day at school. Special ed students, even more than other middle-schoolers, crave predictability!

I'm linking up with Ginny for Keep Calm, Craft On.

WIP: Yes, I Am Finally Back

It is quite rare for me to have a two-week gap in blogging. I think I can genuinely blame my job. Between trainings and getting ready for the new school year, I have been working 12 or more hours a day. I'm hoping all this preparation will pay off when the students show up today. At any rate, I do apologize to my blog friends and I promise to catch up with my blog reading this week!

Though I haven't been blogging, there has been knitting. I've been focusing on this pair of socks because it is going to be a holiday gift. Its an original design, and I do like the way it looks. It feels even better, I discovered when I finished sock No. 1.  I do find that it's a slow lace pattern, so I am determined not too leave it until the last moment.

While it looks like I'm going to have a lot of challenging students this year, I am trying to stay focused on the positives. Right now I am grateful that my own children are doing well. They both started graduate school last week and are happy with their programs. A mom really can't ask for more.

And this afternoon, I stopped at Walgreens to pick up key locks for some students who can't manage combinations. I ran into a student from 5 or 6 years ago. I gotta say that this kid was kind of a mess in 8th grade. However, it turns out that he graduated from high school and has a full-time job with a pest-control company. I would like to think that my work does a little bit of good in the world.

WIP: One Sock Almost Done

My first Dragonfly Sock is almost done -- and in record time. I should have time tonight to kitchner the toe and cast on sock number 2.

More importantly, we are cautiously optimistic about my son. The latest round of blood test results came in yesterday and he is negative for everything, including Lyme Disease. A few of you mentioned Lyme, and you were right on; the doctors thought that was a possibility. He is finally feeling better, after 6 weeks. At this point, the conclusion is that he had a really nasty bacterial infection.

I really, really hope it is over because he is so excited to start veterinary school next month.

WIP Wednesday: Not Too Exciting

All I have for you is another pretty dull photo of my second "28's Cousin 57!" For once, I'm doing pretty monogamous knitting on two projects that are mostly garter stitch. Still loving the yarn, which is from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Karida Collins started dying yarn in a basement apartment in Washington, D.C., and has since relocated to an artists' community in Baltimore, Md. Her colors are nothing short of scrumptious. I wish I knit faster so I could buy more of them.

There is a reason for such mindless knitting: My graduate class on teaching writing started Monday, and it is amazing. Intellectually stimulating, challenging, fun, thought-provoking. There are 15 students in the class -- all teachers in one form or another -- and every single one of them is smart and creative. I'll share more about the class in the coming weeks, as all of us bloggers are also writers. Let me add that the class is also exhausting. We meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and there is ton of homework!

This is also the reason that I'm behind on my commenting, so please accept my apologies. I'm planning to catch up after school today and tomorrow!

Don't forget to see what everyone else is up to with Tami Amis.

WIP Wednesday: I'm Blaming the Yarn

Who could resist this ball of yummy, scrumptiousness?

Certainly not I. So I cast on a 28's Cousin 53! even though I haven't finished anything -- and I swore I was going to do more binding-off than casting-on this summer. Is my sin at all diminished by the fact that this is a gift?

This is the second time I've knit this pattern and I'm still enjoying it. It is a super-simple pattern, perfect for TV watching or socializing. The simplicity is perfect for showing off great yarn.

It's another gray day here, so I'm glad I took advantage of yesterday's sunshine to pack up my work and take it on the road. I sipped on some bubble tea while I did the reading for my graduate class this summer. On my way home, I stopped to enjoy the beauty of boats along Lake Mendota.

 See what everyone else is up to with Tami Amis.

WIP Wednesday: Onto The Third Sock

Before I go into knitting I have to say that it is 7:30 a.m. here and as dark as night. Heavy storms are predicted. We had a number of tornadoes touch down about 36 hours ago, some just a few miles from our house. Climate change: What's not to like? I'm wondering if I should build a cellar to protect my stash and favorite knitted items.

In the meantime, I'm working on this

This sock has a 2x2 rib on the cuff so it will match with the sock on the right in this photo:

Some of you may remember that it wasn't until I finished this "pair" that I noticed that the cuffs did not match. I am not a knitting perfectionist, but this was too much of a flaw for me So I ordered another skein of the yarn and am working away at sock number 3, which will be followed by 2 number 4.

I love Opal yarn. I love these colors, but I am getting a little tired of them!

Go on over to Tami Amis' blog to see what everyone else is working on.

WIP Wednesday: Not Having Fun Yet

I couldn't wait to start this pattern:

It's the Ojo de Dios Shawl from the Winter 2014 issue of Interweave Knits, and it is a stunning pattern. It uses Plymouth Yarn Company's Gina yarn to achieve a dramatic effect. I saw a finished shawl at a yarn store in New Mexico when we traveled over winter break and fell in love.

It took me a while to get my hands on the yarn. Apparently the popularity of this pattern caused a run on Gina. Because of the delay, I could have read pattern notes on Ravelry. But I didn't. I just plunged in blindly.

As you can see, you knit one triangle and then pick up stitches to add the rest, forming the lower portion of the shawl. If I had read Rav, I would have known that backwards loop is not the only way to add stitches for additional cast-on. I hate knitting the first row of backwards loop stitches! It is quite fiddley and frustrating. Now I know.

And you can see that curling is a huge problem. Some knitters on Rav were able to block the edge flat; others said it was impossible. I may end up following the example of knitters who picked up stitches along the bottom and added a border to keep it flat.

This is a lot of work. I hope it's worth it!

I hope everyone is having more fun with their WIPs. You can find out by checking with Tami Amis.

WIP: No SSS Here

Second Sock Syndrome that is:

I love the colors of this yarn so much that I cast on number 2 as soon as I kitchnered (that is a verb, right?) the first. Hermoine's Everyday Socks is the pattern. Super easy and goes quickly.

Half-way through a four-day week. Today was fun because we took a group of our 8th-graders over to the high school for a visit. I love this annual day because I always run into some former students. And they all love you when you are a former teacher. Sometimes it's sad. The first one I ran into this morning was wandering the halls during class -- clearly he's not faring well. But then I ran into Emma, one of my all-time favorites. A truly awesome young lady. Many hugs ensued.

Ten more days with students before summer vacation. I have mixed feelings. I always have a hard time saying goodbye, but I can't complain about having my days to myself!

Don't forget to check in with Tami Amis!

WIP Wednesday: Mukluk

Although this may look like an FO...

... it really is a WIP:

It won't be done until I sew up the seam that runs along bottom!

I am really loving this pattern, but this first slipper took me forever to finish because the yarn is hard on my hands. It is Encore Chunky Tweed: 75% acrylic, 25% wool, and 3% rayon. I don't usually have problems with acrylic-wool blends, so I'm thinking that it's the chunky-ness that is hurting my hands. It is giving me the same kind of pain that I get from Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn.

I looked up the yarn on Ravelry, but couldn't find similar complaints! Knitters gave it 4 out of 5 stars, even. So then I looked up Sugar'n Cream, and it also gets 4 out of 5 stars. Which reminds me of my issue with reader ratings on Amazon. In both cases, these are not statistical surveys. Rather, the respondents are self-selected. I've realized that romance books that I think are terrible get high ratings on Amazon because the people who choose to read them like romance novels.

I would like to point out that Lion Homespun (possibly the most hated yarn out there, though not by me) gets 3 out of 5 stars. And Red Heart Super Saver Solids gets 3 stars, too. Now that is a yarn that I cannot stand the feel of. It's the kind of material that could survive a nuclear holocaust. Still, a lot of knitters like it.

Does anyone know of a yarn that got fewer than 3 stars?

Don't forget to check out other WIPs with Tami Amis.

WIP: Color!

I started these a while ago:

It is the start of my second pair of Hermoine's Everyday Socks, the free, viral pattern that has been popping up all over the Web. My friend Marsha knit a pair of these a few months ago, and I fell in love with the yarn -- Regia 4-ply, color 05048. Luckily, I ran into the yarn myself and snapped up two skeins.

My first Hermoine's were gifted, but I'm keeping these for myself. I need the color given the rarity of sunny days here. It's rain, rain, rain!

Only twenty more teaching days. Not that I'm counting! Actually, I have great kids this year and I am sad about saying good-bye to them in a month. However, I am looking forward to more time for family and creative pursuits. Besides, I got my list for next year, and it's looking like it is going to be, well, more challenging.

See what everyone else is working on with Tami Amis.

WIP and Weather

(Excuse the sideways photo as I'm having wifi issues this morning!)

I will have an FO (finally!) Friday, and I have somehow resisted the urge to cast on something new. Instead, I returned to some holiday knitting I started a while ago:

Although you can't tell, at this point I've knit the bottom and sides of the slipper and have begun the instep. Not the most exciting knitting, but I think the finished product will be worth it. I'm hoping so. If these turn out to be as cute as they are in the photo, I plan to knit a bunch for gifts.

The weather this spring has been wet! But we had a beautiful day yesterday and I got on the bike for the first time since I broke my leg in April 2013!

I had grown absolutely terrified of biking -- and no, that's not how I broke my leg! I'm reasonably famous for being uncoordinated. Add to that the fact that breaking my leg made me aware of how fragile we all are. So, I am quite pleased with the 20-minute jaunt I took around my very hilly neighborhood. I need to build up my strength if I'm going to bike with my friends.

I also may need to learn to tolerate biking in the rain, as the rest of the week is forecast to be wet!

WIP Wednesday: Slow But Steady

I'm still plugging away at my "28's Cousin, 53" shawlette. The early morning light doesn't show off the sunny yellowness of this yarn, but it was the best I can do.

Going back to school after break yesterday was tough. I thought the 8th-graders would be relaxed and happy for at least a day. I thought wrong! They were wound up and restless. I'm hopeful that today they will be back in the swing of things.

The shawlette is quite mindless, so I'm planning to go home, make dinner, and sit down with the shawlette for a few episodes of "Call the Midwife."

Go on and see what others are working on with Tami Amis.

WIP: Disorganized!

 

I cast this on over the weekend (clearly in a state of denial about my many WIPs). It's the Present cowl, a free pattern whose simplicity is perfect to show off beautiful yarn. Nothing but knitting and purling in the round. 

The yarn is gorgeous. Unfortunately, I can't find the ball band, though if I had to guess, I'd say it's a Mountain Colors yarn. In this photo it has an orange cast; in the wool, though, it's more pink.

It really was the perfect thing for finishing the last season of Breaking Bad.

Check out other WIPs with Tami Amis.

WIP Wednesday: Low Mojo

I started this on December 19, when the bulk of a long and very cold winter was ahead of me:

This is actually the second in a pair of leg warmers. I raced through the first one. Les Cables de Faux is an easy pattern and I knew I'd have lots of opportunities to wear leg warmers. Leg warmers, like scarves, can feel endless, though. Once I started the second one, my mojo evaporated and the whole project sat around for for a couple months. Maybe I would have been more motivated had I known exactly how long and cold this winter was going to be.

I came across it when I was whipping through my pre-wedding cleaning. At that point, I had only done the cuff and a few rows of the pattern. I would like to be able to have this one wrapped up -- I don't see myself wanting to knit legwarmers in July -- but I'm really struggling to stay focused on it!

Are there any projects you've really had to push yourself to finish?

Don't forget to see more WIPs at Tami Amis' blog.

WIP: Autumn Trellis

I know that the last thing I should do is start a sock (way too many WIPs, but more on that later). But I just couldn't wait because this is the first time I've "designed" a pattern:

I am calling it Autumn Trellis. I have the "designed" in quotation marks because this is really just a variation on the basic top-down sock pattern. I don't remember where I found the stitch pattern, but I changed it a little bit so it's kind of original.

I don't envision myself as a knitting designer, but it's kind of fun to do something semi-original.

Don't forget to check out other WIPs with Tami Amis!

WIP Wednesday: Pink

No, I never do seem to tire of mitered squares. So, I'm gradually adding to a pink baby blanket:

Unlike the last two blankets, this one is not being knit under a deadline. I'm just assuming that someone will have a baby girl one of these days ... but not before I finish this blanket.

All three baby blankets have been made from Lion Brand Jiffy. One of my goals is to knit up all the Jiffy in my stash. It'll be interesting to see what I do with the left-overs from both the boy and girl blankets.

What's on your needles? Check out more WIPs with Tami Amis.

WIP Wednesday: The Second Sock

Is it just me or does the second sock go faster than the first?

Actually, a lot of knitters complain about SSS -- Second Sock Syndrome -- which implies that they find the second one harder to push through.

At any rate, I'm already on the gusset of the second Hermione's Everyday Socks, and I'm looking forward to being done. This yarn (which I'll discuss in another post) is lovely but kind of boring. I'd like to try this pattern with a wilder yarn.

See what other knitters are knitting via Tami Amis.

Languishing WIP

I hate posting bad photos, but it's still pretty dark here at 7:00 a.m. so I had to use flash:

This finished section of the Colorbox Jacket has been sitting in my knitting basket for about a year. The sleeves are finished, too. I can't seem to find the mojo to seam it all together. Then there is the issue of all those loose ends.

But I think the biggest block for me is that I think it came out, well, garish! I can't look at it without thinking: What was I thinking? Still, I have yet to knit a sweater that fits, so I do want to sew this one together. If it turns into a wearable item, I know I'll be happy with it, even as loud as the colors are!

When I checked this morning, Tami hadn't posted yet, but I hope to see what everyone is working on her blog this morning.

WIP Wednesday: The Trouble With Monogamous Knitting

You've seen a photo similar to this:

But what is a monogamous knitter to do? I've been knitting steadily on my Garland Shawl, and today I hit the halfway point!

Monogamous knitting is not typical of me -- and I think that blogging is part of the reason. Really. Who wants to see the same project over and over, with just a few more inches each time?

I could probably be 75% of the way done if I haven't had to frog and re-knit so much. I don't know why I've been making so many mistakes. I can't blame the designer as the pattern is very clear. I guess it's just my ADD brain.

Is it my imagination: The garter section looks ragged. Hopefully it will all block out!

I've finally gotten on board with Tami Amis's Work-In-Progress Wednesdays. You can join in the fun here.