Zeneedle...needleart as life

Hubby and His Hanukkah Hat

The story starts when I decided to follow Monikita's tradition of knitting her husband a hat for Christmas.  Mr. Smith agreed it was a grand tradition and that he'd like a nice warm beanie to keep his ears warm in frosty weather.  His choice was Fortnight, which I hoped would not take me a fortnight to knit.

On the 3rd night of Hanukkah I finished, and since it was a cold and snowy night, I presented the hat to Mr. Smith just as he was leaving to walk our Moxiedog. The next morning I found it propped up against the menorah (which was such a sweet way to say he loved it).

Mr. Smith is very happy with the way the design covers his ears and protects the back of his neck. He is very happy with the color and the softness of the Shepherd's Wool.  He is not, however, happy with the prospect of having his picture taken. 

Happy Hanukkah, Mr. Smith and a Merry Christmas, too!

Psst-This is post 2070 and comment number 65,000 is >< far away. You have until Sunday evening at 5:00 to comment on this post. Number 65,000 will win a prize, as will a random commenter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear reader!

I Got Lured

I got lured. Carole started it, then Kym got in on the act. Peer pressure got to me and the idea of knitting along with friends took hold, lassoed me in. That's my story. I'm sticking to it. I was lured.

There was no set off date for our autumnal Leftie KAL, but as often happens with like minds, we started knitting within days of each other. I have no doubt Carole and Kym are moving along at a much faster rate, because I have been lured by other things (perhaps that sweater I mentioned).

I also been lured by the idea of warm hands. I like Ragtops.

I do, I do, I do, I DO! Maybe I'm silly, but this new pair of mitts has put a smile on my face.  This past week the weather was warm and delicious, but today it should take a turn toward the chilly. I am well prepared.

Shepherd's Wool Worsted is as soft as cashmere, warm and cozy, as well as nice to knit. Susan was really onto something when she designed this winter necessity. Pulling the ribbing up over the fingers protects them from the cold, but it's easy to fold down if the fingers are needed. 

A Post About Knitting (SHOCK!)

Out of the caldron of burbling WIPs, an FO comes to the surface. The darling Duffers didn't take long to knit and they turned out to be charmingly cute.

A button that matches my two color Duffs "to perfection" was serendipitously found at the LYS, which is the advantage of a large button selection.  I like the slippers well enough, but I will not be one of the many who have made whole hoards of them.  I can see the attraction, but I'm dusting my hands off with one pair.

I'd rather be knitting a shawl, as shawls are part of my daily wardrobe, and I'm of the opinion one can never have too many shawls.  The second WIP to come to the surface of my churning caldron of WIPs is Ziggity!

The colors of Tosh Merino Light, Sequoia the darker of the two and Amber Trinket the light, work better together than I'd imagined.  A failed project left them to marinate in the stash and they came to mind the minute Ziggity was publshed. While there are many more knits to report, this shawl has my rapt attention and, because I love it so, there maybe no forward movement on other knits until this one is complete, which the way I'm going, may not be long.

The Knitting Report

Since the hat makes my hair look weird, I'm pulling a Cookie, and cropping my face away. The hat (a Woolen Rabbit exclusive) feels soft, fits well, and has been a warm covering when I walk. The yarn is The Woolen Rabbit's Mara, the December mailing from the 2011 Yarn Club.  I've heard there will be a 2012 Yarn Club, so you might want to keep an eye out.  I love this hat and the yarn.

My knitting is not at an interesting stage, not very photo-worthy, and it has yet to engage me in much of a conversion. Usually knitting has something to say. It shares a story, a morality tale, a fairytale, or a horror story. But, mine has remained silent. Perhaps, it is just enduring my short attention span, as I just from project to project or, maybe, I’m just hard of hearing.

On my needles is a sock (Kirsten Kapur's Mystery Sock), Kirsten's Ziggity Shawl, Anne Hanson's Luciole (shawl), the Blue Sky Gloves, and the Sky Scarf (which has taken a turn towards gray). Off the needles is a pair of Duffers, a slipper pattern that swept the LYS like a wildfire and popped up on some of my favorite blogs. 

I'm enamored of everything on my needles, which complicates the issue. I feel stretched thin and drawn in too many directions. Hopefully, I'll be able to clear my focus and settle down long enough to work on one or two projects and, perhaps, take a few pictures.

Infinitely

There was no hesitation on my part when it came to knitting Susan's Infinity Scarf. She's a peep, it was a great pattern, the desire and need came together and the right yarn was there, so with all things in the groove, it had to be.

Admittedly, I had no clue as to why the scarf was called the "Two Ribs Infinity Scarf", other than the obvious two styles of rib. What wasn't apparent, at least to this old brain, was the infinity part! Well, the light bulb went on yesterday morning, which set me to wondering...why did it click at that moment and not when I worked the twisty, seemingly infinite cast on.  Why didn't it click during the infinite hours of entertaining, yet meditative, knitting or, even, the FIRST time I twisted the loop  and put it over my head?

That's it, THAT twist , or at least I think it's why. As it turns out, everyone is going to be infinitely envious of my beautiful, soft and cozy scarf because it's truly quite handsome, and totally wearable, warm and lovely.

Susan designed a winner, as I love the way the scarf wraps, its coziness around my neck and the very cool style of the ribs.  The enjoyable hours of knitting were a great way to start 2012!

 

Holiday Knitting

The long Holiday weekend was (mostly) spend in quiet pursuits, that is excluding the very loud previews of movies that came before a not quite as loud Sherlock Holmes.  The movie was a hit with our group of friends. 

With four days off it was nice to spend time reading, knitting, walking, and chatting with Smith.  While I should be wishing for snow (and at times I do), I've enjoyed the the sun streaming through the window, as it makes my room warm and cozy, the perfect place to sit and knit.

Since I seem to be averse to large knitting projects, I decided to have some fun and knit an interesting cowl. Brooklyn Tweed's Setzer fit the bill with its short row shaping. Actually, it wasn't until after I'd perused the pattern that I learned the shaping was done with short rows.  However, short rows don't scare me...they are not new to my knitting repertoire. I do admit to having trouble with execution, but as Susan pointed out, when I went to her for help, I just needed to count my stitches. Yes, this was a very "DUH" moment, but from then on the cowl went smoothly...that is until I ran out of yarn.

When I started the project I knew I'd be close on yardage, but (isn't there always a "but" with me?) I did it anyway, thinking I'd get away with it (hahaha), or I'd only be a couple of rows short, and it would be fine. But (oh yeah), it wasn't fine!  The cowl would be way to short, AND it would be obvious, as there was a whole pattern repeat to do!

Thank goddess for the stash and for the bit of Shepherd's Wool leftover from another project--a beautiful red which was just the perfect touch.  Sometimes, denial works in our favor.

But, don't count on it.

Hello (Quickly)

This week is going to be so busy and I really have no right to be playing around on the blogs (or Ravelry, or FB or anywhere else).  Thanksgiving weekend was wonderfully full of relaxing times, lots of reading, some knitting, and hanging out with friends.

The weather cooperated fully with a tiny storm on T-day, a lovely cloud display on Friday, and clear blue skies both Saturday and Sunday. 

As soon as is possible, I'll share some knitting. Photos were taken of several FO and even an eFfed O(MG).  The sweater I swore never to finish turned out "OK" and it may even see some wear.  The problems weren't caused by the sweater pattern, they were mostlycause by "moi" and my "adjustments" to the pattern.  ohwell  More later, promise.

One of my favorite patterns ever is Susan's Ragtop Mitt (available through Blazing Needles).  When life is a bit on the crazy side it helps to have an easy knit (with great yarn like MadelineTosh). 

There's so much more to say, so much more to share, but I've gotta run. Please share with me your very favorite part of the Thanksgiving weekend. My favorite thing was having free time to use just as I wanted. Now it's back to the mad dash of life!

Weekending

Happy things from the weekend include:

Finishing a pair of Susan's mitts
Sending them a friend
Driving to Park City on clear roads
Spending a lovely evening with friends who are here to ski
Safely navigating through fog on our return trip
Staring at a bluetifully blue Sunday sky (I'll share pictures later)
Time with my wheels and feeling wool slide through my fingers
Quiet time to reconnect with Henley
Being away from the computer
Checking on Smith's poo pots
Drinking a dark chocolate latte while visiting with knitting friends
Laughing, talking about books with the same friends
Not watching the Oscars

Weekending is inspired by Amanda

It's About Time

It takes time to knit a beautiful pair of mittens.

It takes time to deal with life when it comes at you from all sides and Suzy's had more than her fair share lately.

It takes time to get two people together when the weather is cooperative, and. lately, the weather has been far from cooperative.

But, when things work like a waterclock, and everything falls into place, we get to show off how we spent our time. 

Suzy and I have new mittens!

 
It was a cold and sunny day, so we decided to go out and hug a tree.  We didnt care if the tree had a fungus (Smith's is turning all master gardener on us and told us it wasn't moss). The color was a spectacular backdrop for our lovely Clepsydra Mittens so we hugged away.

The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Candied Yams and Steel Cut Oats, with black for the cuffs.  We both agreed it was fun to knit the pattern and the yarn, as the design flowed in a peaceful and easy way.

We knit our mittens independently, as there wasn't much time to get together. However, this pattern gave us hours of good entertainment and, even when we weren't knitting, we were talking about it.

We are both very happy with our lovely, warm and timeless mittens.
(The alpaca yarn we can live without.)

My mitten is Raveled here, Suzy's is Raveled here.

Kirsten has an eBook with both the Clepsydra mitten and the hat. The fun is not to be missed.

The time to knit mittens is over, thus ends Mitten Madness.

My Favorite Mitts

Many times I've dreamed of mitts long enough to cover my arm and long enough in the hand to cover my fingers and for that reason, the minute Susan brought her new creation to SnB I went crazy over it. Everyone there went crazy over it. She had a winner.

There is something about mitts, knitting and wearing them, that attracts me. They make quick, portable projects for on the go and I love the warmth on my hands and wrists, along with the freedom of uncovered fingers. Following Susan's lead I used Malabrigo Rios, a yarn I love, in Azul Profundo. Azul Profundo! How's that for a name!

Leave it to Susan to figure out how to make a well fitting mitt, with an awesome thumb, a top that can be flipped up or turned down, and a long (or short cuff). This is the mitt for all season.

Thereare too many lovely yarns in so many colors and they feed my mitt addiction.  Now, I'm asking myself the question, "Would it be silly to knit a different color mitt for every day of the week?   I might just do it anyway.

 

Just because you'll ask: Susan's new creation is only available at Blazing Needles (with the  purchase of yarn).

Ragtop by Susan Lawrence
Raveled here

Happy a nice long weekend, everyone!!