A Skirt and a Shawl

I have finished two things from the too-many-projects-on-the-go. As the title indicates, a skirt and a shawl. Bad timing for the skirt as it is not wool skirt weather. Oh well. It is finished and I like it.

I started the skirt in January with yarn purchased in 2011. The pattern is Lanesplitter from Knitty.com. I have made this pattern before and although the pattern calls for Noro Kureyon you can use any yarn as basically you are knitting a rectangle (on the bias) to the length and width you require. A new yarn shop opened in Calgary in 2011 and our knitting group had an outing on its opening day. I purchased some Noro Shirakaba in dark pinks.


I knew this would be great for another skirt but it needed another colour to go with it but the store didn't have any other suitable colourways so I bought it, put it in my stash and stayed on the look out for a suitable match. In the end, when Personal Threads had their end of year sale, I bought more Shirakaba in a different colour.


These colours work well together as they tone each other down.

The main thing I wanted to change on the original pattern was the waistband. On the original pattern the waistband is worked in rib with Tahki Cotton Classic, sewn down to the inside of the skirt and elastic inserted. This made a bulky waistline on my skirt. For the second version I worked a stocking stich band with the Shirakaba. This also meant that I did not have to buy a third yarn. After sewing the seam I picked up stitches along one edge, I had worked out my row and stitch gauge and picked up stitches in this ratio, and then knit (I was working in the round) two rows in each colour until the band was the same width as the elastic. I worked a purl row for the fold line and then worked the same number of striped rows. And then came the fun part. Elastic was measured around my waist and the ends sewn together to make a circle, this was held against the waistband and I picked up one stitch from the pick up edge and knit it with the stitch on the needle thus enclosing the elastic. I really should have taken a photo of this process to show how it was done. After the elastic was enclosed, I cast off. The waistband is exactly the same width as the elastic so it will not twist.

Here's a picture of the skirt and a close-up of the waistband. No photos of the skirt being worn yet.



The other project, the shawl, was a quicker knit in terms of start and finish dates. The Yahoo group for Mystery shawls is very quiet but they decided to have a new mystery starting on March 14 - Pi day. Rather than using lace yarn (and I do have some in my stash) I used a sport weight alpaca that had been in my stash for who knows how long. The only thing I can say is that I purchased it in Calgary and there was an original purpose for the yarn which eventually went out the window. I had four balls of the yarn and intended to knit until I had none left so I knew I would not make the full shawl. I ended up with two full sections and half the edging. This is a circular shawl worked on the Pi basis of doubling rows and stitches, I still doubled the stitches before working the edging although I knew this would make the edge ruffled but I like the effect.

After completion, I just did a gentle block. I soaked it and then spread it out to shape. I really like it but once again the photo does not show it being worn.



I forgot to measure it before blocking, but post blocking it is 112cm in diameter.

Some People Have Firedogs

We have a firecat.

OK it's an excuse for a gratuitous cat picture.

Another Project Bag

In my last post I mentioned that I had started a patchwork bag. It is a bigger bag than the first one I made and should be fine for the shawls that I now seem intent on making.

This was a great way to use the larger scraps of fabric I had kept. And I had some actual lining material left over that was ideal for the interior of the bag. I also used interfacing as the lining material is thin. I messed up adding the interfacing but I hope if anyone notices they are kind enough not to say anything.

The bag is made from strips of fabric sewn together with different strips sewn together for the accent piece at the top of the bag which holds the drawstring. The back and front are at right angles to each other and part of me wishes I had used different directions for the accent pieces.

Make Project Bags of Course

(Like six of them!)

Someone on Ravelry linked to this tutorial for making drawstring bags which they thought would make a good sock project bag. I looked at the tutorial and it seemed easy enough so I decided to make one.

I don't actually have a fabric stash. When we cleared out my mother-in-law's house I brought back with me quite a bit of her fabric. When we moved 2 1/2 years later I had not touched any of it so I gave it all away. Apart from fabric for two designated projects, the only fabric I have are scraps which I am gradually sewing together.

To make the bag, all that was needed was 3 fat quarters and some ribbon for the drawstrings. Easy enough I thought, just buy a pack of fat quarters and sew. No deciding on matching or contrasting colours or designs. So what did I do when I got to Jo-Ann's? Buy three packs of fat quarters. Because if I am trying to use up my yarn stash, why not start a fabric stash?

I set aside some time to make a bag so as not to be interrupted by pesky things like housework or eating. Chose three fabrics from one of the packs and got going. I completed one bag apart from the drawstrings and decided I had time to make more. I wondered if I could streamline the process - stack fabric for cutting, sew the seams in a continuous flow etc. This worked except when you are making five bags and you make a mistake it is likely to be repeated across all five. You know that old adage "measure twice, cut once"? There's a reason for it and the five bags are narrower than the original. When cutting the first piece I read the numbers on the ruler from the wrong side. Oh well. The bags are still sock project size or can be used for gifts.

Rather than buy more fabric for the drawstrings, I used the fabric left over from the main piece. Instead of 2 pieces cut to the required width, I cut 4 of the required width and 1/2 the required length plus extra for joining. I used a diagonal line to join 2 strips together and then continued as the instructions.

I am pleased with my bags. The instructions say three fat quarters plus fabric or ribbon for the drawstrings. You can make one bag out of three FQs but two bags can be made from four FQs as one FQ is enough for accent and lining fabric. There are more bags in my future. I have 3 FQs that have not been cut plus I have started a patchwork bag out of the scraps of fabric I did keep. And by finishing the bags this weekend I did not add to my pile of unfinished projects. I am very pleased with myself.

And as I had the sewing machine set up I completed a few repair jobs that I had been putting off because I didn't want to set up the sewing machine for one small job. (Even though I had three small jobs.)

What To Do When You Have Too Many Projects On The Go

Before I answer that, I should probably explain how you (read I) can end up with too many unfinished projects. A term which can be reduced to a TLA or two; UFO for unfinished object which is a project that has been languishing for so long the chances of it being finished this decade are slim; and WIP for work in progress which is a project that is currently being worked on although it too may be set aside for other projects.

I have an ideal number of projects in progress: 3 + 1. The plus one does not really count as a work in progress as it is a project that lives in the car. This stems from my days as son's chauffeur and if I was early for pick up or practice ran late then I always had something to work on. Only yesterday I knitted a few rows on the car project as we had stopped to look at the sea on the way back from breakfast. (As a side note I love looking at the sea and you can't really do that when reading a book.)



Before I explain my ideal number of 3 I want to explain how I rate projects as easy or hard. The differentiation is the amount of concentration that is required. An easy pattern requires little concentration, it has minimal shaping and patterning and I can read, watch sub-titles, carry on a conversation while knitting (so that the person I am with doesn't think I am focused on my knitting). A hard pattern requires much concentration, the hardest being where the only other thing I can do at the same time is listen to music. Although I would like most of them to be at the level of being able to listen to an audio book. The first shawl shown in this post I classified as hard because of the beads and nupps and changing lace pattern. The neck warmer shown at the end of this post counts as easy because it is a simple rib pattern.

So how do I arrive at 3+1 for my ideal number of projects in progress? The 3 is broken down as one crochet project, one easy project and one hard project and the plus one is the "stays in the car" project. I know many people are monogamous knitters, working on just one project until it is finished and there are others who work on many projects. And then there are the monogamous knitters who work on one project until the next shiny thing comes along and the project is cast aside into the UFO pile. Whatever your knit number, it needs to be at a level where you can finish something once in a while and not too high that you feel so overwhelmed that you can't work on anything.

It is probably becoming obvious from this post that I have exceeded my magic number. (And I am not going to admit that number here as a certain marital partner reads this blog but you can always check my page on Ravelry.) There are many innocuous but insidious ways that a new project creeps into my work basket.

• Firstly the innocent little gift. Usually this will mean all the other projects are put to one side while the gift is worked on. The redeeming feature of gift knitting is a due date so once it is finished, I am back to my ideal number. 
• Next is the mystery pattern. If I want to keep up with the clues I have to cast on on the start date and start each clue on the release date. Depending on the complexity and size of the pattern I can work on one of the "ideal 3" while waiting for the next clue. (Confession - 2 of my current projects started out as mysteries.)
•  And then an easy pattern turns into a hard pattern. So I need to cast on another easy pattern because I can never not have an easy pattern on the go. If the easy project just needs casting off or seaming then it can jump ahead of the current hard project and quickly be finished but if more work than that is involved I know have two hard projects to choose from. 
• Running out of yarn. This doesn't happen very often but when it does, of course, I have to cast on an appropriate project to work on until I get more yarn. 
• Gift yarn. Although I will mostly wait until I have finished a project before starting a new one with yarn I have received as a gift, there are times when I feel guilty that such yarn is still in my stash so I cast on regardless of how many projects I have on the go!

And that's how an ideal of three can easily turn into eight or more.

Next time I'll have the answer to What To Do When You Have Too Many Projects On The Go.

Baby Blanket

It has been two years since I last made a baby blanket. (Excluding those made for WCOBBS.) So when my nephew announced that his wife was pregnant the opportunity arouse to start creating. I wanted to take the blanket with me to England so I could not wait to know the sex of the child before starting the blanket. Also because of this time frame I decided to crochet a blanket as this is usually quicker than knitting. That narrowed the choice down slightly! I needed a pattern and yarn that was unisex. But my first choice of yarn in an oatmeal colour was returned to the store as it was too thick to work with the pattern I chose. I might have been better off sticking to the yarn and changing the pattern. Returned from store with thinner yarn in a different colour and tried pattern again. The pattern still didn't work, so the pattern was scrapped and a new one started. That didn't work either. I had made a mistake early on but after ripping out, didn't restart as I didn't think it worked in the colour yarn I had chosen. So for pattern number three I chose a simple shell stitch and V stitch combo. Worked in a jewel tone blue it will work for a boy or girl. I finished it while in England and left it with a relative to give to the new parents.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Hook: 5.0 mm
Pattern: Cloud-Soft Shells from Our Best Baby Afghans

On Being A Tourist

I have recently returned from a trip to Europe. This was for a family wedding in the UK. We spent some time with family but also spent a couple of days in London and some time in Rome which was first for me and our son.

On this trip I was really aware of people taking photos. Not sure why as these places were just as touristy as other places I have visited. What I noticed was the look on the faces of those who were in the photo. They were posing in front of some famous site (or even sight) and the look on their faces was of pride of being in that place. Unlike my husband whose look is usually of can we get this over and done with and a lack of me being in the photo as hubby doesn't think to take any.

The other thing I noticed is the cameras. It seems that more people have fancy digital cameras. When I had a SLR camera many years ago, most people had point and shoots. Now it is a digital SLR or camera phone. You can take loads of pictures and delete the ones that didn't come out right - so much easier than film. I gave up my SLR when the flash broke. Digital SlRs were expensive so I got a digital camera that was better than a point and shoot but now it is coming to the end of its life and the photos are not as good as when I first got the camera. So of course I want to be one of those fancy camera owners.

I wonder if someone can explain to me why if you are in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, when someone speaks to you in that language instead of replying in English, you reply in a foreign language that you do speak. So on this trip when someone spoke to me in Italian why did I find that I would speak French?

Sweater Quest

A book by Adrienne Martini

Ms Martinis knits Mary Tudor by Alice Starmore, a fair isle design, which you will have to search the internet yourself if you wish to see a picture. Alice Starmore is very - very - protective of her name, her designs and the island where she lives.

I do not know where I first heard about the book Sweater Quest but I finally decided to check it out of the library. I'm not sure why I say finally as it was only published in 2010, but that does make it nearly 3 years old and a lot can happen in three years.

I thought this was a book about knitting, in particular a book about knitting a certain sweater in one year. Non-knitters should search for this design to get an idea of why it could possibly take a whole year to knit a sweater. Although Adrienne's year includes finding the pattern, finding yarn as well as periods of not knitting the sweater. I was concerned when I read the publisher's blurb on the back cover which included a wooly Julie and Julia. Was this going to be another book by a whiny New Yorker? I really didn't need to read another book about the life of a New Yorker who feels entitled to have everything their way because, after all, I'm from New York; oh, and don't forget I'm better than you because I'm from New York, oh and I'm now doubly entitled to be this way because of - well you know what.

So it was with some trepidation I started the book. Its subject matter was something I loved that I did not want the book to ruin for me so that I turned to macrame. Relief, the book was not like Julie and Julia nor that other popular book by a whiny New Yorker. Unfortunately, for Ms. Martini, I am sure that if it was of the same ilk, her book would now be a hit movie. Julia Roberts could not play the man character having starred in the movie version of an aforementioned book; Audrey Hepburn is no longer with us; I wonder if Ms. Martini would like to be portrayed by Brooke Shields? The reason for picking these actresses - they're all knitters of course.

The book is more about knitters than knitting although Ms. Martini does describe the knitting of the sweater. She is almost disappointed when she cuts (yes you read that correctly she cuts) her knitting for the armholes and it is an easier process than she hyped herself up for. So as this is a book about knitters, she visits with various knitterati in the US and Canada. This was fun as you could (OK I could) feel that anyone could pop into these peoples lives and be welcomed. Although it's probably more like my people get in touch with your people and they say your writing a book about knitting a sweater and you famous knitterati person just have to be in it.

There were two recurring questions she had for people she met, one concerned her sweater and the other was the simple question "why do you knit?". This second question annoyed me after a while. Maybe because I couldn't come up with the thoughtful responses that the famous knitters did. But really I was hoping for one person to say they enjoyed the process. Gone are the days when people made their own clothes because it was cheaper. Now people knit (and sew and crochet) for enjoyment, it is a leisure activity not a necessity. Therefore it is a process to be enjoyed; from that premise maybe it can be analyzed down to its zen moment. So the question should not be "why do you knit?" but "why do you like to knit?". Because all the 'it keeps me calm", "it connects me to my grandmother", "I am creating something", make no sense if you do not enjoy the act of knitting.

Another Shower Puff

In February i showed a shower pouffe that I had made for a gift exchange and I commented that i could see myself making more. So with a friend's birthday on the horizon, it was a perfect opportunity. This time I used 100% cotton and made different changes to the pattern. To create a lighter feel, I worked alternatively two rows on size 5.5mm needles and two rows on size 12mm needles until it was a size I liked.

And what better to go with it than soap in the shape of a sheep, which I didn't think to take a photo of and some locally dyed yarn.

And There's More

In my last two posts I mentioned an item that was finished but I needed to redo the cast off. Today I finally managed to take photos.



Another pattern from knitty.com. The yarn was gifted to me by one of my Calgary knitting friends when I left Calgary. It started out as a completely different shawl that didn't work out and I decided it needed a simple pattern to show off the yarn, which is Glimmer by Julie Spins. It was appropriate to make this pattern from this gift as the first time I saw it, was in a yarn shop and it had been knitted by the person who gave me this yarn. They had made it wider and I did too as I wanted less of a scarf and more of a wrap. I knitted until I ran out of yarn and as this is a 15 row repeat I was lucky to be able to use up most of the yarn. I am not happy with the cast on but I am not messing around to get that tighter but I am looking forward to wearing it on warm days.

Finished Objects

In my last post, I had a photo of my latest shawl. At the weekend I persuaded hubby to take a picture of the complete thing so here it is.

I am wearing it today and I love how light it is.

And here is a photo of an item I finished way back in 2010. I had just not been able to take a decent photo of me wearing the skirt so when I wore it to knitting group last week I persuaded another member to take a photo.



I redid the cast off of another item and it needs some good photos but the other item that I said should be finished needs some frogging so it might not be finished this month. And a couple of new projects were cast on. :)

Frenetic February

I know alliterations are so 2012 but the title seemed appropriate for my achievements. February finishers didn't sound as exciting. I have finished three projects; actually I finished four but after blocking I decided that the cast off needs to be redone - it is too loose which is way better than being too tight. I'm also hoping that I'll finish another project currently on the needles before the end of the month.

Here is the photographic evidence.

First off the needles was a shower pouf for a gift exchange our knitting group was having.

The pattern is Bonbon on Knitty.com. It is a simple tube, scrunched and tied in the centre. I cast on more stitches than called for to account for the different yarn and had the purl side of the stocking stitch as the right side. The yarn is Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends although that is a misnomer as it is only 86% bamboo. I can see myself making more of these for gifts.

Next off the needles was a shawl. I had bought two different lace yarns to knit shawls on my road trip but one took a long time. Even so, when it was finished I wanted to cast on the other one. Which was a much quicker knit, for three reasons, smaller size (used less than 1/2 the yardage), easier pattern, and no beads.

This is a close up for the time being, I hope to have some photos of it being worn soon. The yarn is Drops Lace by Garnstudio in a lovely deep blue. It is another pattern from Knitty.com - Forest Ridge; as I had plenty of yarn I worked two extra repeats of the leaf pattern.

And last off the needles was a pair of socks because I still have sock yarn ha ha.

The pattern is Marigold Socks, which I chose as there was a flora and fauna theme in Sock Knitters Anonymous for January. The pattern on the instep has two plain stitches on one side and three on the other so I just decreased one stitch to have the pattern centered. I'm not sure why the designer didn't think of it as she has you decrease a stitch after the heel.

The yarn is Shepherd Sock by Lorna's Laces and was given to me as the next knitter on one of the WCOBBS blankets. As I wanted the leg to be a bit longer than the yardage would allow, the heel was knitted with Araucania Ranco left over from the socks in this post. The pattern is toe-up and here is a photo of Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.

So a very productive February to date, which has reduced the projects on the needles, although another sock has to be cast on so I can get through the sock yarn.

A Prize and a Decision...Maybe

So I frequently reference Ravelry in my posts and in particular a group called Sock Knitters Anonymous. I first wrote about this group in June 2010, the aim, for me, of joining the group was to use up my sock yarn. Except I have not been successful as the group introduced me to many more manufacturers and dyers of sock yarn.

Finally, after 2 1/2 years, I won a prize. Prizes are awarded on a random basis as long as each participant has followed the rules for the sock design and cast on and cast off info. My prize was a project bag.

Which I am now using for socks.

The decision now is whether to continue in the group. One of the incentives for keeping up with the group was the possibility of winning a prize and now I have, although previously winning does not preclude you from winning again. At the beginning of the year, I wrote that I wanted to make a dent in the stash which includes sock yarn. But do I want to continue with the challenges that the group sets? And even if the answer to that is yes, do I want to continue with the group? As with any group, the dynamics change as participation changes although there is a core of regulars and all but two of the moderators have been moderating since I have been in the group but were not the original "founders" of the group. I am now getting the impression that one of the moderators is fed up with the group and injudiciously writes comments that should be left unsaid. Lately the comments have been about the challenge and that certain members are just knitting any old pattern that fits that month's challenge. This had me concerned as previously it had been said that only the individual knew what their challenge was. For me it was using up my yarn. But as these comments were being made more often I was worried that a moderator would decide my choice of pattern was not a challenge for me. Of course there started to be comments about what constituted a challenge and how could the moderators say what was a challenge for one person. This morphed into a separate discussion about what changes could be made to make it easier to follow the rules etc and some of the replies just made me laugh. There was the "how dare you even suggest things need changing" post and the "the moderators are mean" post and after a few days the thread was shut down because one person went too far. And then someone started a new thread asking why the original had closed down! Never a dull moment with sock knitters.

The sniping in itself doesn't bother me too much because the internet is always a place where people are rude but do I want to continue with a worry that my choice is not a challenge? For once I had my next month's choice of pattern and yarn picked out in advance, although that is no guarantee that I will not change my mind after starting. So I will join in for February and see how the group settles down.

Consult a Doctor Before Starting Any Programme

You know all exercise programmes and diets say this. It is a CYA because the purveyors/promotors of these regimes do not want bad publicity or to be sued.

I have always ignored this advice. After all, I am not stupid enough to do something which is going to hurt me. Surely not. But the balmy days have gone to my head and I embarked on a popular exercise routine that has done me more harm than good.

For a long time I have wanted to follow the Couch to 5K programme. I don't know who came up with the concept but there are plenty of examples on the internet. I liked the idea of the running increasing each week and that there was a goal at the end of 9 weeks. I was really keen on being able to say that I had run 5K. Without the limitations of work and weather there was no excuse not to start the programme, which I did the week after Thanksgiving (US). Three times a week I went for a walk/run and upped the running time each week according to the progamme. I felt really pleased with myself after each session and, although, it wasn't easy I was able to increase the running time each week.

Then suddenly my knees started to hurt. And when I say suddenly I mean one day, not even a running day, they started to hurt. And when I say hurt, I mean really painful so I couldn't bend my knees and could hardly walk. As an aside, I have a very low pain tolerance, what can I say, I'm sensitive, and my husband usually hears about every little injury. But this time I didn't want him to know as I knew he would tell me that maybe running wasn't such a good idea. But I couldn't keep it from him when he noticed that I had great difficulty walking down the steps to the beach. And, of course, he told me that I should give up running. I really don't think he got it as to how good it made me feel.

So while I was laid up I turned to trusty Google to research how to make my knees stop hurting (don't run duh!) and what caused the problem. It seems likely that the problem is my running style, more specifically how my foot/feet land after each step. It is possible to check this out and remedy yourself by watching your feet as you run. Which sounds just as body damaging as your head collides with trees, lamp posts etc. Or you could work with a trainer.

Now I need to find another form of exercise that is not going to damage my body but will give me the same sense of achievement and well being as the running.

First in 2013

So here is my first finished item of 2013, although it was started in 2012. It is a quick easy knit so was saved for those times when I didn't want to look at a pattern.

The pattern is Quincy by Jared Flood and it is the third time I have made this pattern. Here is the first time I made it, I also made it for my sister but never posted a photo. Since I first knitted it, I have made a couple of adjustments; I add 5 stitches to the initial cast on as I found the hat only just fit me. Before cutting the yarn after the working the band, I make sure that I have a knit side at one end and a purl side at the other to start the garter stitch graft. An extra row may be necessary depending on the type of provisional cast on.

The yarn is Merisoft Hand Painted Aran by Punta Yarns and purchased just because I liked it; probably because I was with my friend Clair who is a Punta fiend. Having moved, there seemed little point in making hat, gloves or scarf for myself so decided to make this hat for my friend Sally who lives in Calgary and always commented on my pink hat.

It is difficult to photograph this hat but this should give you an idea.



And now my Knit Meter is no longer zero!

A New Year, A New Look

It started with a new widget - the Knit Meter at the top of the blog and then I decided it was time for a new look.

The widget is lying because I have knit this year and yesterday I finished a project. Just need to take some photos and the widget and blog can be updated.

Plans

So much better than resolutions; plans can be changed, resolutions are meant to be kept.

My plans for 2013 are eat better, exercise better, (I need to write a separate post for this), finish work on the house, knit from stash, read more.

Hmm pretty standard stuff for New Year plans/resolutions. Working on the house is in partnership with hubby and, although, it seems that the list is long it is doable. We just have to do it and not go for walks on the beach like we are about to do today. I'm also hopeful that I will read more than last year as the beginning of the year won't involve boxing things up.

On the knitting front I still intend to knit from stash this year with a couple of exceptions. A baby is due in the family and I do not have any yarn to make a blanket and if we have another dishcloth gift exchange I will need more cotton. Because, yay, the dishcloth cotton is mostly gone. There are left overs some of which are big enough to be combined to make a stripey cloth so I'm not sure I can say I achieved the target from last year of no dishcloth cotton but it's darn close. I am going to have to knit socks as sock yarn in equaled socks out but that is better than increasing the total sock yarn. And the lacey thing that has been on the needles for ever, my excuse being that I can't find the right needles to go with the yarn, I'm thinking that if I work two rows a day (one patterned, one plain) that will go a long way towards finishing it and with only two rows the needles won't be such an issue. I also really need to find a pattern to work with the last ball of yarn from the yarn crawl and then all the yarn from big blocks of purchases will have been used. So I'm really hoping that this time next year I can say that I have made a good dent in my stash.

Happy New Year everyone.

Year End Round Up

So just how little did I knit this year? According to Ravelry there were 35 projects on my needles in 2012. Although this number is half of 2011s it is more in line with previous years and I have a very large shawl.

Of these 35 projects, 3 were frogged, 2 are carry overs from last year, one of which should be frogged, and there are 4 others still on the needles. Of the finished projects there were 6 pairs of socks, 5 dishcloths, 1 pair of gloves and a pair of mittens, 3 scarves and 2 shawls, an adult sweater, 4 sections for WCOBBS blankets and a complete blanket, 1 section for Warm Up America and a dress for a teddy bear. Only the sweater has not been photographed.

I was surprised that I had actually made 6 pairs of socks as I completed just one pair in the first 4 months of the year so I still have sock yarn but I don't feel owned by it and even if it does not get all used up in 2013 I am aiming to reduce it significantly. I also knit more (just) than I added to my stash. I have a plan for the yarn I bought in the 2011 year end sales although I have not used it all yet, and I have just one left of the three different yarns I bought in the summer just before we left Calgary. I have used all yarn I dyed in 2011 but still have one skein of yarn left from the yarn crawl in 2010.

On the book front, I read 49, which is not surprising as reading was low at the start of the year and in the fall. As usual my reading has been across the board. We are lucky to have a good library system where we now live.

The changes on the personal front have been recorded here. The most significant being our move from Calgary to Southern California and saying goodbye to our cat. And, of course, all of this has happened because a number of years ago I married my wonderful husband. Happy anniversary darling.

Done in December

I'm not a fan of the word done as I feel writers use it instead of a variety of words so you end up with a sentence like this: the picture done by Monet done in the impressionist style and done in oil was done by sunset. But as I am aiming for alliteration and I need to have this post written by the end of the day (because, surely, I will write a great post tomorrow) done it is.

And done it is, because I finished quite a few things this month. Which is a relief after not having any finished items since the beginning of October. This month I have five finished objects to show you.

Firstly, two small items to show. Our knitting group decided to have a dishcloth gift exchange and make sections for Warm up America.





These were both quick to make and they used stash yarn. The good news is that I have used up most of my dishcloth cotton. The bad news is that it has been suggested that we have another exchange so I am going to have to buy more cotton. The pattern for the section for Warm Up America was from their website which I adjusted for the yarn I used.

I finally finished my road trip shawl. So named as I started it when we were on our moving road trip. I was really glad to finish it especially as I did such a good job with the amount of yarn and beads. I had 5 grams of yarn left and about 1/10th of a pot of beads. (This was a big relief as both yarn and beads had been purchased in Calgary so I didn't want to run out.)

There are two photos of the shawl. One is more of a close up and the other is to show the size.



So, of course, one shawl a month is not enough and I finished one of the shawls I started in October. This was the shawl that had much unpicking as I changed my mind about the order of the colours.



The yarn is my hand-dyed as seen in this post and the end of this post. I used up all the yarn and am really pleased with the end result.

And finally for the month I finished a pair of socks. The pattern was the mystery for November and the yarn was Wollmeise, a gift from one of Calgary knitting friends.



I am looking forward to tomorrow when I count up what I have done/completed/made/achieved for the year.

Nothing Finished November

I can't believe that another month has passed with no finished items. I was so hopeful for this month but obviously 30 days was not enough. But so close.

One of the shawls I cast on in October would have been finished if I hadn't changed my mind about the colour sequence, which I changed my mind about again. If I can stick to the current arrangement it will be finished very shortly. I was also hoping that the road-trip shawl would be completed but that also snuck into December for finishing.

And I cast on a pair of socks. I decided to start the mystery sock for November from SKA on Ravelry. I finished all the clues on time and have started the second sock so am hopeful that will be a December finisher.

Overall it doesn't seem fruitful but December's round up should be full of photos of finished items.

Dogs

or what are their owners thinking?

I've often thought that dog owners assume that as they love their dogs everybody else should too. You know those people who don't control their dogs because "it's OK he's friendly". I remember an acquaintance being quite taken aback when I told her that some people really do not like dogs running up to them, as she related a tale of some teenagers trying to escape into bushes to avoid her dog. She really was surprised by their actions, after all she was standing in her driveway shouting "he's friendly".

I do not know how much dog ownership has increased, so I Googled and found differing statistics with different start years and end years but pet ownership (in the US) has been rising since the 1950s. There are more households with dogs than cats but there are more pet cats than dogs as households are more likely to have multiple cats than dogs.

So with the rise in ownership of dogs as pets has come the expectation of some owners that their dogs should accompany them anywhere and everywhere they go. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is all about the owner with no consideration for the poor dog.

A couple of weeks ago was the village fair. Streets were blocked off and filled with vendors. (As an aside the trains made their way through this without incident.) The weather was wonderful with temperatures hovering just below 90, so you can imagine that it was very busy. And in the middle of this people brought their dogs. (Did they see the posters of burnt paws from hot pavement?) The owners of big dogs kept on short leashes were not a problem, but those girls with their little dogs (why does it seem to be girls in their early 20s who need a living fashion accessory?) on long leashes. Being hugged by children on the same level was the least of the poor canines' problems as many a yelp was heard as they were trod on or run over. But surely that's not the fault of the owners.

And another aside about fairs, the day of making glasses by cutting the top off bottles is over.

Remember

Today is Veteran's Day. Now I am back in the US there are not poppies to be worn to remind us of the sacrifices servicemen have made for us. And for many this was a choice made by government and not their own free will.

The husband of my good friend in Denver is retired from the US Air Force. I never really gave much thought to what he did until one day after 9/11 we were at a BBQ and when another guest found out that Steve was in the military, he shook his hand and said thank you. Even then I thought what's the fuss about because I was blinded by the camaraderie, teasing and joking that goes on between friends.

What had Steve done that prompted a stranger to thank him? From the age of 18 he was prepared to go where the government said he was needed. Nearly half of his career was spent overseas including a year in Korea. Not exactly a relaxing assignment. And this stranger recognized that Steve was prepared to do what most could not, put his life on the line to protect his country.

So Steve for all those times I joked with you about the safety of the US being in peril because you had taken the day off, I'd like to say thank you for serving the country. And thank you to all current and former serving members of the military.

Ongoing October

So to continue the alliteration from last month I had to come up with a catchy title to show that although I have no completed projects to show you, I have been knitting away.

With the relief that came from having just two projects on the needles on the 2nd day of October I had to cast on three projects. Two of which were shawls. Yes you read that correctly two more shawls. Instead of knitting socks I am now knitting shawls; but they are needed as the average day time temperatures are now below 70.

Talking of socks, the other item cast on was a sock. One of the challenges in the sock knitting group on Ravelry was a pattern specially designed for self-striping yarn. I had some such yarn that I was given a while ago and my aim is to use gifted yarn before yarn I've purchased. I chose a pattern from Knitty.com, liked how it worked with the yarn but did not like how the pattern looked. It incorporated short rows and in some places yarn overs had been used to try to hide the hole and in some places there was a hole. I tried to compensate for this by picking up threads/stitches to hide the hole but it was rather tedious especially as the needles I was using were rather blunt. So goodbye to that sock. But here's a photo of what it looked like before I pulled the needle and a picture of the balls of yarn pre-knitting.





So this crazy-knitting lady is actively working on three shawls and as it is the beginning of the month there is a good chance that more socks will be started - from gifted yarn of course.

San Francisco Again

Hubby had to go to San Francisco for a conference so we rented a car and both headed up there. It was very strange not to have a cat with us.

Successful September

I decided that the titles of my monthly update posts needed more excitement than just the month name. So here I have gone for some alliteration; except when I checked Ravelry for completed projects it wasn't as successful a month as I remembered, so the title is "Successful September With a Couple of Days of October Thrown in".

The month was productive as I finished all those projects that were nearly finished and just needed the intent from me to get 'em done.

First off the needles were the socks that I had technically finished in July but I decided were not quite long enough. All that was needed was to unpick the toe shaping add some rows of pattern and then redo the toe shaping - twice.



The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens, the same yarn as these socks and also a Christmas gift from hubby. I decided that I was not going to match the colors on the socks which was a good decision as I came across 5 knots in this ball of yarn. This is totally unacceptable in one ball of yarn but as I was on the road I didn't do anything about it except I had extra ends to sew in.

I also finished the sweater, which just needed ends sewing in and another blocking. I am really pleased with how it fits. No photos yet as it will look better if I am wearing it so I either have to speak nicely to hubby or set up the tripod. It should be just right for Southern California winters.

And then squeezing into October, I finished the easy project that mostly lived in the car. A good number of years ago I bought Teddy Bears when they were on sale with the intention of dressing them in outfits I had knitted and giving them to charity. Well I finally achieved one dressed teddy. Left over yarn was used so that helps in using up yarn left over from other projects.



All I have to do know is knit outfits for the other bears.

So as at the 2 October I had 2 projects on the needles. Both lace shawls so I felt very pleased with my accomplishments. Now for the next projects!

San Diego Honours Members of the Military

San Diego is supportive of members of the military. With a Naval base on Coronado Island and a Marine base just north of where we live it is not surprising. I wonder if it has always been that way here. But that is not a conversation that I will start. And for any non-Americans reading this you have no idea of how members of the military, many of whom were drafted - read no choice - were treated by the press and therefore members of the public during the Vietnam era.

Anyway the purpose of the post is to show a couple of photos I took at sporting events recently. We were lucky to go to the opening home game of the Chargers (football) and the last home game of the Padres (baseball).

Both games honoured members of the military and had fly pasts before the game started. The Padres game was very touching as they honoured Japanese-American veterans from WWII. (Again for non-Americans, some poor decisions were made by those in power during this time affecting Japanese and their American-born children.)

During the singer of the National Anthem at the Chargers game a flag was unfurled. This was the size of the football field (nearly typed pitch there).



You see that it is not smooth. There are people underneath that flag holding it up as the flag is not allowed to touch the ground. And it was a very hot day.

At the Padres game, the team wore their camo uniform. When a baseball game starts the home team runs out on the field and takes their position. Before the start of this last game members of the military stood in the positions which for some reason I thought was pretty cool.

Life At The Beach

Yesterday we walked to the village to hear some live music in a park near the sea. We then went for our usual walk along the beach. Coming back I wanted to capture the sun shining on the sea. These were taken with my phone - not bad.

August

There's even less to say about August than there was July. Nothing was started and nothing was finished.

I didn't do anything to the socks that need to be lengthened and one of the close to completion projects was put in the car for a just in case project. (Which is where it had been residing before our long trip.) The sweater is almost finished. The neckband is attached and the sweater has been blocked - just need to sew in the ends.

I am probably about half way through the beaded shawl. But that is by rows and as it increases in size on every right side row, I am no where near half way through. Part of me wants to make a spreadsheet to work out where I am as a percentage of size and part of me thinks I should just pick up the needles.

That is what I should do - pick up the needles and knit. I haven't opened my knitting bag since we left San Francisco nearly 3 weeks ago. But I have finished a book of over 1000 pages.

What Not To Say When Your Husband Is Driving

Do not start off a statement with an extended arrrrghh just when he has pulled out of the driveway. This will make him pull over wondering where the problem is. Potential accident, disaster, sickness. Whereas really it was an extended excited arrrrgh followed by there's the sea. (You can see the sea from our driveway - it makes me sooo happy.)

Some People Move Houses - We Move Countries

We haven't moved much since we've been married. In fact we've only moved house in the same city once and that was because we started off in a rented apartment (with rented furniture). But when we do move, we have to change the country.

A few days after getting married we moved from the UK to the US; 9 years later we moved from the US to Canada; and 6 1/2 years after that we moved back to the US.

In addition to everything involved with moving house there is all the additional paperwork for moving to another country. For people, belongings and animals. Except as we were driving this time we did not need any paperwork for the cats. Good thing as their vaccination records were not with all the other paperwork I had for crossing the border. (Put in a safe place that I would never have thought of looking if asked.)

As with our other moves, we have moved to a place where neither of us know anyone, although hubby has lived in California before; northern California and now we're in southern California. One big difference about this move is the time of year. The last two moves have been at the beginning of January to places that have winter; a shock to the system but at least you know what you are getting. Having moved here in the summer, I can't imagine that it will not be cold in the winter.

Moving countries presents more challenges than just extra paperwork. Suddenly there is a gap in the records of your life. Credit and employment history shows no activity. To be able to live normally, deposits have to be paid to obtain services and an explanation of every aspect of your life has to be provided to obtain a mortgage. But at last we have a house, internet and cell phones.

Let the good times roll.

A Day In San Francisco

How To Help Your Child Become An Adult

Last month I passed on a parenting tip. But how do you know your parenting skills have worked? After all it is easy to make your child think you are awesome but how does this translate into real life. One sign is when they grow up to be independent human beings making their own way in the world, obtaining information to make decisions secure in the knowledge that they can do this as you have been behind them encouraging and teaching.

And you feel so proud of them when it works out as this example shows.

We are in California and our son is in Calgary. So as I am an awesome mother I sent him a food parcel. The dear child considerately emailed me he had received the notice to pick up the parcel from the post office and he would do so after work. He then asked me what time they close!

One of us needs some work in the growing up to be independent department.

July

I thought I had loads of projects to show you that I had completed in July but I have one to tell you about. Agh, what happened? Well, despite knitting a bunch it still doesn't translate into completed projects. And in July I completed one pair of socks and almost another pair. This pair is technically completed but I want to lengthen the foot so I am not counting them as finished yet.

So here they are, the one finished item. I started the first one on 28 June as the designer - Anne Campbell was a featured designer in the SKA group for June and I had previously queued this pattern. The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens and was a Christmas gift from hubby.

After completing the first sock, I decided to make the second sock with the same colour sequence. Except this ball of yarn was dyed in such a way that it was not possible to make two matching socks. Even where I found the same colours, it was plyed with a darker colour.

I mentioned in a previous post that there were two projects close to completion that I could finish. Well that didn't happen and now I have three projects close to completion. We'll be house sitting in a couple of weeks so if my memory holds up that would be a good time to finish projects.

Ignoring those projects I have just one thing on the needles which is a beaded shawl. Because I have all this time to knit. Huh!