A hat over the finish line,

makes finished item number four for Ravelympics.

 

I made Jared's (aka, brooklyntweed) Turn A Square hat for the Seaman's, because they can always use more hats.
I could go on and on and on about how wonderful this pattern is (very ), how fast it knits up (very again), and how many more of these I will be making (lots), but I will spare you all that. I wil just say, if you are a knitter, "You must knit this hat. Soon." (If you aren't a knitter, this hat might just be what should make you learn.)

Life distractions

It has been a bit busy around the home front, but in a laid back kind of way. DTE came home late Saturday night for a shortened spring break. She had to leave this morning to get back to school, even though classes don't start back up until Monday. She needed to be back for Pep Band at Women's Frozen Four. If any of you out there follow Collegiate Women's Hockey, I am sure you have heard of this team more than once. If you have a favorite team that isn't UMD, you probably tremble a bit at the mention of Bulldogs. I will add that DTE is a bit disappointed to be going to nationals in the same town she spends most of her life in these days. She is hoping the team does a repeat next year and they'll be "Band in Boston."
Mostly we were busy hanging out together, cooking, watching a movie, etc. You know, weird family bonding things that distract me from writing a blog. I knew it would still be here after she left.
There was knitting involved while she was home (by me, she doesn't knit). I made her a DW facecloth, but it was not allowed to be photographed. Maybe its owner thought it was shy or something. I also made one for the kitchen, since the first one was claimed by Hubband. (I am not entirely sure what he is going to do with it besides look at it on top of his radio.) Once again, I am drawn to yellow and sage green. I am guessing the West Desert of my childhood isn't blooming yet, but the colors remind of what is to come.

I finished up the last of my Knit For Lent hats. I used red and blue held together until I ran out of the blue and had to finish up with just red. It wouldn't have been my first (or even second or third) choice of how a hat looked/turned out, but since part of what I wanted to do was use up some yarn that I didn't have other plans for, it worked out. Plus, if the yarn is used up, it won't be something I would choose again! All twelve of my hats have been squished into a box and mailed off. I do still have some yarn left, and since they collect hats through out the year, I probably will be knitting some more.
I also knit up the dishcloth pattern/yarn that I got as a prize for my Three Bags Full entry over at WhoDuKnit. Not that my entry was necessarily the best; the prizes are given as a "random draw" from all the entries in any given month. Though some months there aren't very many entries. (I didn't knit anything for the February book, but you can stop in over there if you want to see some one's knitted DNA.) For those of you wondering about it, WhoDuKnit is fun. Great book suggestions, a lot of them that I never would have heard of otherwise, fun swaps and contests, and it is run by a really great lady! It is always open to new members, so feel free to join us!


Oh, I guess you might want to see the dishcloth from another angle.....


Just reminder that since today is the first day of spring (according to the calender anyway), registrations for the Spring Fling Coffee (and yarn) Swap are open from now until the 25Th of March. Short window of opportunity but I am guessing there will be quite a few folks involved.

Hat #4

This is hat #4 and the pattern can be found here. I love the way it looks, but I have to say that 1x1 rib gets old really fast.

Another weekend update

 

We got the second cabinet assembled (without so much help this time) and both of them have been filled. There are a few more things about that probably need some protection, but the major items are covered. The rocks and minerals are items that my maternal grandparents collected years ago and I have become the keeper of them since my grandmother passed away.

The spheres of rocks are also things they collected, but they were in rough form. My grandfather made the machine to shape and polish them before such things were popular. At one point in my life (several decades ago) the only places I had ever seen rock spheres were a Natural History Museum and their house. My big decision that we needed these cabinets came when I walked into the front room and found the large sphere in the back right corner sitting in the middle of the floor instead of on the top of the bookshelf where it belonged. That was when they all got put inside a cabinet until there was a safer life for them.(Oh, those pottery items that also needed a safe haven weren't my grandparents. I made those several years ago.)
We also wound up rearranging some furniture in this process. I have never known a cat to hop into a moving bookcase for a ride before.

 

For Sunday's potluck I made potato gnocchi. I forgot to take a picture after they were all done (it was time to leave for said event), but they didn't look that much different. All I did after that picture was boil them and then saute them in browned butter and herbs.
I also finished hat #4 this weekend and have started #8.

More Hats

Hat #4 and I are having issues, but it might be back on track. Here is how the rest of the week in hats has been shaping up.

#5

#6 Ray's Hat

 

#7

Gifts Revealed

The last package that I had sent with some gift knitting in it has been received, so I am going to let the rest of you see what has been on and off my needles lately. (For those of you that wish to see that is, I'm sure you know how to not look if you don't want to. If you don't, I am thinking that would be your problem to work on, not mine.)


I made a pair of Fetchings for my mom. She likes them and said they will be nice for when her hands get cold in the house. (Which is good, 'cause that was kind of the effect I was going for!)

 

I know Sharon has been busy lately and hasn't had time to post about her Defeat the Winter Doldrums box even though she and her family are enjoying everything. I will show you the knitting I sent her, especially since some of you reading this probably don't read very many knitting blogs. First off she got a football dishcloth in Eagles Green,

and she also got a variegated blue and white one, which I made out of Plymouth Fantasy Naturale. I had never used it before but you can be sure that I will be again!






I had decided to participate in the WhoDuKnit January Mystery Knit-A-Long. We were given clues, starting with “grab some worsted weight yarn from your stash” and then the knitting instructions were doled out in pieces over a couple of weeks. This is what I had when I was done and you can read more about it here if you want. So those are the knitted items that I sent in the DWD box to Sharon.

 

(#1) I believe that is it on gift knitting, but I will toss out some pictures of my first three hats; number four and number five are on the needles. Number four is this hat this hat in the same red yarn as #1. Number five is the same as #3, except that the spiral is going the other way. (#2 and #3 are the same yarn, but #3 without the flas is closer to the real color.)


(#2)

(#3)

 

In the rest of life, a friend is coming over with his snow blower to clean off our driveway. I asked him what I could do to repay the favor and he assured me that I didn't need to. It seems that he just wants an excuse to play with his small tank blower and since his drive is done, ours gets to be a Saturday playground. So of course I made him bread. His wife was trying to convince me it wasn't necessary, but I explained that I just needed to bake and didn't really need bread quite yet, so it worked out really well for all parties concerned. I am kind of glad he is coming over, since we are supposed to get somewhere in the neighborhood of four to six inches of snow on Monday.

Knitting pictures

January's WhoDuKnit book was Three Bags Full, your basic "flock of sheep try to figure out who committed the murder" mystery.




These two dishcloths are my project for it. One can never have too many dishcloths after all!



I think I will be able to post pictures of some of my gift knitting soon. I know my Defeat the Winter Doldrums downstream has gotten her package, but I am going to let her post first.
I have my second Lenten Hat almost done. I finished the first one on Wednesday and cast the second one on afterwards. I think I will finish up the second so that I will have a new one for tomorrow.

Charity knitting and Update

I am sure that those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know that I enjoy knitting (baking, and other stuff) for other people. I recently learned of the Seaman's Church Institute through the Via Media group on Ravelry and have decided to do this project for the upcoming season. (Well, there is a chance I won't stop when Lent is over, but you get the idea.)


Knit 4 Lent
4,000 Hats in 40 Days
You are invited to knit as part of your Lenten Discipline.

Seamen’s Church Institute is asking for hand-knit or crocheted hats for mariners serving along the Gulf Coast of the United States. Hats will be given as Christmas gifts, along with personal items.
Spread the word to your knitting and crocheting friends!
Finished items should be sent to:
The Seamen’s Church Institute
241 Water Street
NY, NY 10038
Attn: Jeanette DeVita
For pattern suggestions:
Seaman's Blog
For home page
Seaman's Church Institute

I will also continue with my regular stuff, but I figure if I only work on charity knitting projects while at meetings, pot-luck/movie discussions, and Kitting In Public, I should be able to get a lot done. It will probably mean I will be scheduling my time for home knitting a bit better too. ( I also figure I will be able to use up at least some of my stash doing this project.)

Updated information on Knit 4 Lent: 4,000 Hats in 40 Days

I have noticed several questions/responses on the K4L Group on Ravelry and thought I would address a few of them here in case anyone was interested in more information.
The new director of the hats project has posted all of this information/changes on the Ravelry group.

"What about colors/type of yarn?"
Any color that is suitable for both men and women is fine, as well as variegated or stripes in hats. Some mariners prefer bright and cheerful, while others prefer dark.
We can use either acrylic or wool. Or a mixture. I just ask that if your item is not machine washable, please attach a note."
(Otherwise known as, "Knit what you want, all hats are appreciated.")

"Should a note be included with the hat when it is mailed into the Institute?"

It’s really up to you. I like keeping records and knowing how many knitting friends we have, but some folks prefer to remain anonymous. Those who include their contact information will (hopefully!) receive a letter. It is fun to know. I have a map, in my office, with little pushpins representing our knitters.
Some knitters include a note to go to the mariner. Every once in awhile they receive a thank you note.

Hat pattern links
Lucky Seven Hat
School Beans Hat
Basket-Weave Hat
Easy Roll-Brim Hat
Seaman's prayer link
Prayers

Knitting update (a day late)

So as I promised yesterday, I will give a knitting update (feel free to skip over any of the details/pictures if this sort of topic makes your eyes glaze over!).

From the last week or two I will start with a missing (to be gifted) dishcloth, another missing (in use) dishcloth,

and move onto my standard ball band dishcloth

(with a close-up just because I love these colors).

 

Moving on, we have face cloths for Posies and Lemon drops. (There is another one on the needles and almost finished.) Then I finished up last week with a missing (also to be gifted) scarf and headed into the weekend knitting.

 

Just as promised, Fetching can be done in a weekend, or less. (I started Saturday around noon.) Instead of using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, I used Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran. I used two skeins since it has less yardage (and is a slightly larger yarn). Well, and because I couldn't remember which one it called for when I was at the LYS and the proprietor didn't know what pattern I was talking about. What is up with that?
I used the same size needles but made seven rounds on the thumb as I wanted it a little longer. I wasn't sure who these were for when I started them, but part way into the first one, I knew they were for me. (However, I did use a hand model for the photo shoot.)

 

After finishing those up, I moved onto starting this hat on Sunday afternoon.
I am using this yarn
in Bijou Blue.

 

In today's mail I got this really cute bookmark from Kathleen, who had gotten my
Zippery Wonder this summer. Well, I think it awesome because it is a pig.I always wanted a pet pig....

I also worked on my Giotto socks this weekend. They have been languishing for awhile . I had realized when it came time to do the lace section I had knit too many rows down from the cuff and had set it aside to make room for finishing up The Scarf. So the sock is all fixed and back on track.

Well there you have it, most of my knitting for the last couple of weeks. Tomorrow starts really early, we have to check in at the vet at 7:30 for surgery. Someone has reached that age in life. I am sure she will have something to say about her lack of food when she realizes I am going to bed.

Plants and dirt, but no planting

Well, I did get to the nursery for potting soil, post bags and some flowers, but I didn't get the stuff planted. I am hoping to get that done tomorrow before I drive to the Twin Cities airport to pick up Daughter The Elder. Guess who gets home from Greece tomorrow!!! She called yesterday after they got back to Athens, and even though she is having a wonderful time and loves Greece, she is about ready to come home. I kind of got the impression that she would be happy to stay longer if her travel companions were somewhat different. She said she has lots of pictures and I am assuming she has lots of stories. I pick her up at four pm and then we drive home in real rush hour stuff; so don't count on a post tomorrow.
I did do a little knitting on a prayer shawl during the last part of a movie (well I knit after I ripped, but hey). It is almost half done, which is good as I have a purse to knit for DTE and yarn coming for a Dr Who scarf for Daughter The Younger. Not like I don't have another scarf going as well, but it is a smaller protect. I really have two Dr Who's to make and may do them at the same time on the same needles. (I will admit that I don't think I have ever had just one knitting project going at a time since I first learned how.) Just think, 40 plus hours knitting time on the train to and from Portland in August! (That is factoring in sleep time by the way. It is about 40 hours on the train one way.)
I will give you more pictures soon!