No, it isn't a dream

After being worried that I would run out of time, abandoning housework for days, and knitting like crazy, I have a TdF report; today was my race of truth. I was running out of time, the trial was upon me this morning, I had no slipstream available anywhere.

They have no teammates to rely on, no others around to gauge their effort. It is simply the cyclist on the open road against the stopwatch.

Hubband and I spent several hours on the road today, with time limits on us, both there and back. Fortunately for me, Hubband drove and I was able to get a lot of knitting time in. (Hmmmm, I need to ask him if he was providing me with a slipstream after all.)

 

I made great progress and have crossed the finish line completely! This is actually a day early, which I had never guessed would happen a week ago.

 

Everything is done, including all seams and ends woven in. (Not to mention photographs and updates!) Well, everything, except for the trying it on Mr. A to see if it fits, but that part can't happen until August 9. If it doesn't fit, I guess I will be making another one in a couple of weeks.

 

FYI: No frogs were hurt in the production of this sweater and it was knit completely without the aid of any performance enhancing drugs. (No, caffeine doesn't count as a PED.)
Now comes the mountain stage of catching up on the housework.

See! There is a pocket!

After some difficulties with starting the pocket (the words "crochet hook" were in the instruction, so that was not a good start and at least some of us know I can't count), it all worked out and the pocket grew up and became one with the sweater.

 

For some reason the little frog decided to make sure that it wasn't completely "One with the Sweater."

I have to admit I am still a bit nervous about the fit between child and sweater, but if it is too small, I do know how to make another one. I found a tip for the pocket that doesn't involve crochet hooks!

The daughters and I just got home

from the midnight movie premier. Very, very, good movie.

I do have progress on the "blob of black knitting," though it is no longer just black. When I did the measuring needed, it came out the way I was hoping for. I have no real idea if it will fit the intended recipient, as I was told a couple of weeks ago, "Auntie Barbara, Dad doesn't know how to measure me correctly. When he does it, it tickles." (I told him I wasn't sure that was all his dad's fault.) Well, we will find out in a couple of weeks if it fits as the sweater will be done, and the nephew will be here for his annual visit!!!!! We have big plans for all the things we will do and places we will go! I'll give you some sweater picture updates after I get some sleep.

A little of this and a little of that

Yesterday afternoon the bird bath was all nice and level, when these creatures came along and unrevealed it. (That seems to happen on a fairly regular basis.) I took this picture from inside the kitchen as they tend to get a bit excited and run off when we open the door. "Off" being to the edge of the yard and into the forest.

 

It turns out that Anita had forgotten to put some things in my KCSD swap box, so she sent me a second one. She sent some of my favorite things in it! Raspberry preserves, Earl Grey tea, a pottery mug, a North Carolina cookbook ('cause that is where she lives), Gingerbread men, and flowers from her garden for mine! She has white iris that she was so kind to share with me, so I planted them this evening near my purple ones. It will be fun to see them bloom in the spring and know that she is seeing them as well. I forgot to mention the other day that she has an Etsy shop and makes very cool clay items. You really should go look.

 

This is the latest picture of the TdF sweater progress. It is ready to have the pocket started, but I decided to wait until tomorrow to do that sine the light will be much better then. Well, and my eyes won't be quite as tired as they were at eight tonight. Black yarn and old eyes, you know.

 

Just for the heck of it I thought I'd give you a Sadie picture. This is what she is leaving behind without too much work these days. Only a few minutes of brushing and only one side produced that pile.

 

 

I will leave you with a picture of that which was making strange noises in our neighborhood tonight. This was taken right over the trees in our yard, so you can tell it was pretty close. It came from somewhere across our street, across our yard and over the forest/field right behind us and then we think it ma have put down on the hill just past that. (Which would make a lot more sense to you if you have been to our house, or know how to look us up on Google maps I am sure.) Trust me on the "It was really close and low."

TdF Sweater progress

is moving along. I am to the point of adding the pocket, but decided I should put the whole thing on some waste yarn and measure to make sure it it the right size. I did make gauge earlier, but just want to check before proceeding any further. Call me nervous, I don't care. For the record, I have a sweater in pieces hiding in my basement that had a "on gauge" swatch but the sweater came out too small.... I'll get a progress picture for you all then.

Sleeve progress, Part 2

The sleeves are finally done. (Really, I promise, 17.5", unstretched. Yeah, I know, they are still on the needles, but I did say "unstretched".) I have decided I am not very crazy about two circulars, mostly because it makes reading and knitting difficult since I had to stop more often than I prefer. Well, that and keeping track of which needle I pick up. I think I might work on the Magic Loop method instead sometime. (Not that I had a needle the right size and length this time around....) But, on the big plus side, both sleeves are done! Now on to starting the body; that will go a lot faster I am sure.
Well, I might not be able to start right now, it looks like we may be having to making a trip to the basement in a little bit. Oh well, it is the first one for our area this year. I think I will skip trying to get you a green sky picture. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to give you big hail ones later.

Current sleeve progress

I still have plenty of time to lengthen these today, but took advantage of the sun coming out from behind the clouds and drying up some rain. Now to fix dinner and knit, not necessarily in that order.

Tour Food (again)

In honor of the Tour de France and a BBQ with friends, I made my "French Potato Salad" that I posted about last year during the Tour. (Repeat of last year's picture as well as the link to the recipe. Seriously, how many pictures of potato salad do you think I need?) Now I am off to work on some sleeves and then take their picture.......

Unseen blob of black

is busily growing over here at Casa Coffee Yarn. Seriously, I promise it is. I have just been busy knitting and not taking pictures before dark and just didn't feel like staging one in the house. I have started with the sleeves, and am doing both of them at the same time on two circular needles. I will say that really isn't my preferred method of knitting, but I figure it really will go faster in the long run, and they will the same size with no real trouble. Plus they will both be done at the same time. I have 8.5" of them done and they only need to be about twice that, so I figure they can easily be done by tomorrow night. I promise to get a picture in daylight tomorrow. (With any luck the owner of this sweater will be allowed to look at progress pictures over the next few weeks. I might need to ask a question or two about design issues after all. Hint. Hint.)

Knitting update

You may remember a while back I made myself a pair of toe-up socks. As it happened, Hubband really, really liked the yarn, the stripes, and all around how the socks turned out. So I had told him I would see if I could find some similar yarn to make him a pair (he said if I could find the same yarn in browns it would be extra great). I found exactly what he wanted and thus his anniversary socks were destined. I finished them up this week and he is over the moon about them.



Fortunately, our socks seem to like each other and are looking forward to hanging out.




You may remember that last year I participated in the Tour de France Knit-A-Long as a Yellow Jersey rider; aka, the general category. (Well maybe not so much on the remembering, especially if you weren't hanging out here at Casa Coffee Yarn last July.) I am doing it again this year, but this time I am going for the Green. This is what the TdF KAL web site says about it

Green Jersey – also known as a Sprinter. You are choosing a project of average skill for yourself BUT you plan to speed knit and finish it before the end of the Tour. This category is all about the race against the clock.

I will be knitting a Wonderful Wallaby for my sprint over the next three weeks. So don't be surprised to see a blob of black growing furiously over here.