Lady Kina Progress

I often feel like photos of wip are like ultrasound photos...is that the head...well, my Lady Kina is finally at a point where the photo shows the developing garment.

Life and Knitting

Snow and sleet overnighit followed by freezing rain this morning. Not much accumulation but with that combination quantity is never the issue. I only listened to the local weather for about three minutes this morning. I turned off the radio the minute they started going to reporters based at various locations to report on "conditions."

Kitty, of course, had to see what all the fuss was about.

Piccy's of my Lady Kina. I've bound off and knit one sleeve. Getting ready to knit the back, bind off and knit the other sleeve. I have to confess, until about noon today, I’ve been knitting on faith and trust the the instructions were right. It seemed there were too many stitches and that this was going to be enormous. For the 100th time, I reread the instructions for where I was in the knitting and I where I needed to go and realized that I was at the point where it was time to place the stitch markers and start binding off for the sleeves. It was doing those steps for one sleeve and draping the knitting over my shoulders that showed me that so far this fits!!! I haven’t been this excited since I knit the heel and gusset on my first sock.

I'm really enjoying the Rowan Creative Focus yarn. It's a bit loosely spun, the alpaca content makes it hairy, but I'm glad I am knitting more of a vest with it than a sweater because it is going to be a garment that will keep me warm.

One of the bad things about shopping on the Internet is that since you don't bring the items home in hand, you often forget what you order. I bought several books with just lucious patterns and information. A Fine Fleece, Fresh Fashion Knits, Two Sticks and Strings were all purchased used but are in perfect condition. I also purchased Knit Fix from the KP sale, which has already helped me solve a consistent problem I've had with my knitting.

Because of a major meeting at work this year, I won't be able to participate in the AKF Steps That Count Walk. After looking at washcloths, discloths, cotton swifter covers, I've settled on knitting a couple of lap blankets for kidney patients that can be auctioned off at the walk.

I opened Netflix today and one of the recommended Watch Instantly categories based on my selected criteria was Critically Aclaimed Movies about Mid-Life Crisis. I was gobsmacked. Who wants to watch films like that on a dreary Saturday morning?

Manic Monday

Toupie on top of the bookshelf looking quite annoyed that he's being photographed...again.

The Hurricane Hat in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool Birch Tweed. Easy peasy knit that would have taken me one day had I not gotten so engrossed in A Dance to the Music In Time (more about that later).

Okay, so I knit the hat this weekend. Wore it this morning. Walked into Crumbs and Coffee. Two people ahead of me what do I see: a woman wearing the Hurricane H, at. A friend had knit it for her.

Wore the Mitered Mitts today. Toasty.

Lady Kina Progress Update: Knit on to a 40” size 7 circular. Lost a little time this weekend having to undo half a row (thank goodness for lifelines) after misunderstanding an increase. Back on track now. Knitting the 4” before the sleeve bind off. Will do more piccys when I start the sleeves.

Now back to A Dance to the Music In Time. Watched this on Saturday. The reviews on Netflix were deadful and off putting. It's a particularly English drama. As I watched it, while engrossed, I can understand why most American viewers were put off. It's full of little, very British references--some of them quite witty--which if you don't get it, you don't get it. I got them; I got the cliquey old school tie relationships that guide you through life bit and how the experiences and relationships formed in a private school setting end up making you very comfortable with people from that environment whether you like them or not. It was sort of Glittering Prizes set in the 1930's.

I bought a yarntainer. Been wanting one forever. It was on sale with free shipping. What can I say. It's really nice, much better than ziploc bags for holding your yarn. Makes moving projects from chair to chair to bed very easy.

Have seen some delicious Madelinetosh yarn in Nutmeg, Copper, and Walnut. Can I afford three skeins of Madelinetosh. Must do budget.

Bought my sister a microwave steamer today. It's on it's way to her.

Had lovely snow which won't last and will probably reemerge as black ice just in time for rush hour tomorrow morning.

1710mg of sodium

I've been eating one raw meal a day for over a month. Took a bit of getting used to but now it's so much easier. But yesterday, I was feeling a bit peckish (I ate lunch at 11:30) in the afternoon and wanted something hot and cooked. I decided on a hamburger. I rejected Burger King. Wandered into 7-11 and one look at their frozen, microwaveable hamburgers sent my blood pressure sky high. The hambuger (not the cheesburger) contained 1710mg of sodium. That's a little less than .75 of the total recommended amount of sodium per day. Sheesh. I fled the store trembling, went to the coffee shop and got a whole wheat bagel toasted with regular cream cheese.

Why are Target lemons .52 each and Safeway's .99 each? Long live Trader Joe's who sells 6 lemons for about $1.50.

I've not been feeling well which I put down to diet. I've cut out most everything that isn't healthy (with the exception of the bagel and a slice of Fresh and Natural Pumpkin Spice cake--justified on account that all the ingredients are organic and it contains no eggs or hydronated oil). I've even had a few coffee free days. I'm starting to feel the difference.

I'm making progess on my Lady Kina. This weekend I will start the sleeves.

Doesn't look like much at the moment. Will post more piccys on the weekend.

Mitered Mitts Done; Top-Down Gauge Swatch Drying

Well I did the thumb trick and I don't like it. It's too nerve racking plain and simple. I think the fact that the stitches were at an angle made it more nerve racking. On the right hand glove the thumb begins too close to the center and the left thumb is at an odd angle. But both gloves are wearable. The salmon is a lovely color (I don't think any of the photos really capture that.

I do love the pattern and will make again. There is a thumb that others have done on Ravelry, which I will take a look at. I am also considering just knitting with a provisional yarn at the 5.5" point in the glove and then unravelling the provisional yarn, picking up the stitches and knitting the thumb that way. I don't have a yarn scale, but I reckon I used .75-.80 of a 220 yd skein. That works out to wool and alpaca mittens for under $5.00.

Something finally registered this morning as I was reading the pattern for the Mobius Cowl with the
I-cord edging knit at the same time as the cowl in Knitting Around. I'm amazed how dense I can be sometimes.

Legwarmers have been on my wish list and I'd sort of set aside the Gansey Legwarmers as a potential, which they still are. However, this morning I spied these but the pattern wasn't for sale this morning, but it was this afternoon, so I bought it. I am considering Cascade Eco+ in Cinnamon.

I'm participating in the top-down sweater KAL. After being horridly undecided, I finally settled on Lady Kina. Since there is such a difference in my shoulder and bust width, I'm knitting size 44 but using a cable cast on and will knit the garter stitch rows using a size 5 needle to compensate for the propensity of garter stitch to grow. I've also decided to do bust darts using the instructions from the Knotions website as a guide.

Haven't felt well all weekend and today I have sore throat. Been drinking hot water with lemon all afternoon and finally broke down and took a motrin. Should have known something was up when I went to bed at 7:30 on New Year's Eve and then took a three hour nap yesterday morning :(.

2011 Year in Review

The best moments of 2011:

Being blessed by the Karmapa

Changing Jobs: having the confidence to step into the unknown

Knitting socks that fit

Realizing I have more bras than at any other time in my life

Realizing I have more shoes than at any other time in my life (Watch out Imelda)

Recognizing that by leaving friends, I’m not losing friends

When the neighbor who always slammed his front door…MOVED OUT

Worst Moments of 2011

My sister in the hospital

Changing Jobs: leaving the familiar for the unknown

Most Fun of 2011:

Being serenaded by my co-workers on my last day at work
Brandi’s Wedding and getting to spend the weekend with Tori

Most Embarrassing Moment of 2011:

Going splat on the sidewalk twice

Scariest Moment of 2011:

Realizing that it wasn’t just a large truck making the building shake, but an earthquake

Most useful purchase of 2011:

A little microwave steamer: prevents you from killing food

Slow cooker
 

Funniest Moment of 2011:

The shocked reactions to my wearing a skirt and heels to work

Seeing myself in group photos and realizing, I’m really short.

Best Yarn Moment of 2011:

Finally buying the Knit Picks City Tweed for a sweater

Finally buying the Cascade Eco+ for a vest

Worst Yarn Moment of 2011:

When the Knit Picks Shimmer yarn became so tangled, I had to scrap it and use another colour because, of course, the Cumulus colourway has been discontinued and it was such a dead gorgeous colourway that no one on Ravelry wants to sell or trade any. Don’t blame them.L

Resolution for 2012

Be open with confidence to whatever arises.

Tomorrow the Thumb Trick

Both mittens are now knit, ends woven and are awaiting the "thumb trick". I've read about it; seen it done, and tomorrow I'm going where I've never gone before.

What occurred to me as I was finishing the second mitten, is that I don't ever remember having mittens before. Gloves, yes; but never something so simple as mittens.

What came almost as instinct, since I didn't do a gauge swatch, was knitting them on size 5 needles when size 7 is recommended on the yarn label. I knew as the fabric grew on the first mitten that I'd made the right choice; the fabric is firm but not stiff and just wide enough for my fingers, without the thumb, to be comfortable.