Knitting In Public

So, where’s the knitting on this knitting blog?!?!?

Yes, despite trips and visits and all, I have been knitting along. In fact, I’ve been doing some of that knitting while Dave has been driving! Not much has been finished, but that’s me (and a lot of knitters) - always running off to start a new project.

During this trip I started this child’s cardigan (size 3-4)

I have modified the pattern to be seamless, but didn’t think through it entirely and made a few mistakes that I would do differently if I make this cardigan seamlessly again. It also has sewn-on buttonbands which are one of my least favorite things to do. I have managed to sew one side on and it wasn’t quite the problem I thought it was going to be. I believe this has much to do with the pattern being written as completed x number of rows for all parts - never inches/cm. I still have to sew on the other buttonband and finish the other sleeve. I also found some great buttons for this!

The bubbles cardigan was purchased as a kit from KnitPicks. Molly bought the boys colorway and I bought the girls colorway (and then bought the boys as well, but haven’t started work on it yet). This was really fun to work the yoke (knitted top down) but the kit yardage is very tight, so I’m holding my breath that I’ll manage to not run out. The kit allows for a matching hat, so I can always fudge on the hat colors if needed.

I fell in love with this pattern and bought the yarn called for in the colors shown (sweetpea and teal).  The yarn turned out to be more of an aran weight (a little heavier than worsted), and the sweater just flew off the needles. Unfortunately, these colors are really hard to photograph

and come out looking more like a weird yellow and military blue :( 

I’ve got all the pieces knitted and only have the assembly and neckline left to do, however I’m having trouble finding buttons to work. All the current teal buttons are far more green than blue, and will not work at all. I called Webs to see if they sell the buttons shown on the pattern photo, but apparently they no longer carry those buttons, and everything they have that is “teal” is more green than blue. :(  So this languishes in my WIP pile.

I was so enthused by the pattern, however, that I bought some yarn from KnitPicks to make a second cardigan. This photo isn’t the greatest, either, as the colors are a little duller than in person. The light green really is a “silver sage.” This version is also knit but not assembled, however I did find buttons I like to complete the outfit.

I did finish some items in time for the county and state fairs - and managed to bring home some ribbons

Scottish Fleet, Springy Ring, and Spiral mittens. (Another pair of Springy Ring and Spiral mittens still OTN, waiting for thumbs…)

A lovely “vintage” baby sweater - and I found the perfect buttons! (The photo colors are off, but the buttons really are a close match.) I didn’t get this into the state fair as they have funny cutoffs for baby things, so I am working on a hat of my “own” design and will add booties to make a 3-piece ensemble for next year’s fair.

I’ve been knitting lots of squares for the MKG charity project, including the sample for the December challenge pattern:

and I finished a full crib afghan - remember this?

I made the bottom sections shorter than called for as I apparently was no where near what gauge was supposed to be, and it was getting waaaay too long. Fairly easy pattern and “brainless” knitting, but garter sure gets boring!

I’ve also recently been working on using up stash, and have made two of these and only have the buttons left to purchase and apply. Unfortunately no completion photos, only one “in progress” photo:

obviously taken quite a long time ago! These sweaters were a little funky, but once I made one it was easy. Very quick knit!

Shawn is also (hopefully soon) to be the recipient of another pair of twined mittens:

This one is now completed (except for thumb) and the 2nd one has been started. Hopefully she will have these long before spring! :p

I still have quite a few projects “resting” in my WIP pile and hope to get up the drive to finish those. In the meantime, I’m sure I’ll be starting even more projects! So, what’s on your needles?

This fall we were again fortunate enough to visit our friends, Tom & Michelle at their lovely home on Lake Superior. We anticipated a jaunt into Canada, so I even got a passport so I’d be ready!

We planned a stop in Duluth at Yarn Harbor where I bought a couple of patterns and two balls of Mini Mochi to make these mittens (although I think I’ve changed my mind on using them for this pattern). While I was in the shop, I inquired about participating in their upcoming mitten-of-the-month which starts in January. I was assured that I could manage to do it ‘long distance’ and I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

We encountered some road construction along the way

The weather was hazy and the view was different than we had seen before

It’s always fun to go through the tunnel

As we continued along the lakeshore, we saw large numbers of trees that had been blown over in some kind of storm. It was amazing to see so much damage.

We arrived safely and enjoyed our visit, as usual! Dave & Michelle went to Canada and bought some cheese (I stayed behind with a splitting headache - so much for getting my passport!)

Tom was playing for a radio fundraiser, and when Dave & Michelle returned from Canada, we decided to head to town to hear him play. Unfortunately, he was finished before we arrived - we passed him on the road and tried to chase him down. Thanks to daughter Angie calling OnStar from Georgia, she was able to tell Tom that we were those crazy folks in the car behind him! We decided to stop at Naniboujou - a lodge/restaurant/retreat where Shawn was supposed to go that weekend (but had to cancel). I had never seen it (even though we have driven by it), and it was quite unusual! I had a wonderful salad with Maple Vinigrette dressing (mmmmmm! I tried to get some to take home, but they do not offer it for sale. ) Here’s the restaurant/dining room:

What a wild paint job!

Here is the beautiful and comfy-looking ‘library’/meeting room:

Best of all: the grounds were absolutely breathtaking

The photo really doesn’t do it justice (and yes, that is Lake Superior)

We were on our way home before you knew it - and the ride home was even more foggy/hazy than the ride up (no there’s nothing wrong with the photo - it looked just like this)

Here’s a poor photo of the kind of damage we saw to the trees (I kept trying to get photos and all I managed was blurry blobs)

And of course, our sign that we’ve returned to “real life” and Dave’s favorite part of the trip:

So many knitting groups…so little time! A few months ago, another group of knitting friends started to meet on Thursdays. However, finding a public location that is comfortable to sit for a couple of hours and allows us to hear each other, enjoy a beverage and knit together isn’t as easy as it sounds. Our first meeting was at a local establishment called “Pardon My French”. We discovered that it was not the place to try to knit in a group. The establishment was knitter-friendly, but it is large and loud! After spending our knitting time, I meandered over to the pastry area, and found several goodies to bring home and share with everybody I left slaving away working while I went and played knitted.

I tried to choose a variety of sweets to sample. The bottom piece is sort of a shortcake cookie with fruit on top. Very much like the “fruit pizza” that Ben H. made for us once while visiting the Gaspars. The chocolate - of course - was just a rich chocolate cake-type treat, and the last was a passion fruit cake (if I remember correctly). Trying to cut these into 5 pieces was a challenge (I decided to make 6 pieces and if anyone really liked one, they could have the extra piece).

Here’s another photo without the flash, so you can see the lovely glazed shine…

Mmmmm!

Dave & Chris went to British Columbia for a conference, and I just had to share these photos they took while sitting in the expensive roadster of one of the attendees.

It sure looks like they were having fun!