Posts

This and That

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Ordinarily I'd start writing about the weather, but I'm tired of this weather.  We had record local flooding in near by towns, I lost my electricity for 3 hours on Monday night (thank goodness it was only 3 hours!)  and now it's raining, again after 48 hours of sunshine.  From now until mid-September, I find myself in an anti-summer state of mind.  I started a new book,  Sing Unburied Sing,  and the first chapter captured my attention and I'm immersed.  The content is hard to read at times but so worth the read.  I know many of you have read this book.  I finished Pachinko, which was a fabulous multigenerational novel. I highly recommend adding the book to your reading list.  I learned a lot about Japan and Korea and realize my knowledge of world history is lacking. I wrote a to-do list for my husband and placed it near his papers.  He's been doing the tasks and crossing them off.  I might have write more lists like that.  All of the tasks have been outsid

Cloverleaf Shawl

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Well, well, well.  It seems to me that when you focus and knit on one project exclusively, that said project gets completed in a timely manner.  I worked on this knit daily for two weeks and knitted more than what was already completed before my knitting marathon. Those progress markers work. I enjoyed this knit and the mindlessness of a 12 row repeat (I think 12 rows).  I created this shawl out of my own imagination and used a Barbara Walker pattern dictionary (the first book published).  The cloverleaf stitch pattern was a delight to knit. What made this stitch pattern nice was the simplicity and repeatability of the design and I could knit and watch tv at the same time.  I would definitely recommend the yarn, Manos del uruguay Marina .  This single ply yarn was soft and lovely to have in my hands. Ravelry notes are here

Weekends

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Happy weekending, assuming that is a word.  How are you?  Did you have a great weekend?  Mine was lovely.  Yesterday was bliss.  I'm currently fighting a sinus infection with modern medicine (yay) and decided to stay home and do 'nothing' except rest.  My husband left early in the morning to drive up to Boston to get our son and then drove back on the same day.   I was thrilled to not go because a) my back is good but not great and car riding just ruins any progress.  b) I tend to be a huge buzz kill when there is work to do and get a little too bossy in the process.  I believe my way is the best way and there lies the problem.  Some people (husband) thinks his way is the best way. Anyways I stayed home. a good book, you should read it!  I read my book, then I knit a bit, then I got up and did laundry -stretched my back, did back exercises and started all over again.  I didn't cook either, I dug around for left overs for lunch and dinner. thinking  In

Summer Blues

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I've decided to focus mainly on the above project in the evenings.  Each day I place a new marker to see how much I can knit and feel like I'm not swimming in endless knitting.  This technique works for me (you should try it).  I've added more than 12 inches in one week.  I'm determined to finish something soon. Once August shows up and back to school sales are popping up (paper, pens oh my!), I become wistful for the fall season.  I've made a resolution to not wish away any season.  However, I'm challenged every single summer season. My mother used to get the 'winter blues' at the end of February, she'd exclaim her hatred to winter, snow, the dark days etc.  I would be in my glory, loving the snow, the dark and yes all the wintry blah-ness. I have the 'summer blues'.  I'm tired of wearing capris, sandals and being hot.  My sinuses hate going from heat and humidity then AC.  (But God bless AC!).  In complete defiance I made c

Knitting News

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I am not feeling like there is much progress, but with this shawl  I started placing a pin marker every time I work on it so I could SEE the progress.  I remember when I started this in mid - May and my excitement to have a light and airy lace weight knit that could be easy to take with me on summer adventures.Now, I want to have this knit finished and sooner than later. I need to start knitting Christmas gifts in September.  So the self imposed deadline is looming on all of my projects. I love knitting this summer top .  I finished the waist decreasing and have about 3-4 inches until the armhole.  Easy peasy stockinette knitting is bliss! My son's blanket  is over a third of the way completed.  I have the pattern memorized and so I just dedicate an hour a day to add to the length.  I wish I could cast on something new but I'm resisting the urge until one of the above three projects is off the needles.  Wish me luck! What are you creating this week?  Have

Weekends

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Do not be fooled into thinking I am starting a new project, I swear I just balled up the skein and perhaps picked out the pattern.  I did not start...yet.  You and I both know it's only a matter of time.  I'd love to finish one more of my other three projects but those three projects are lots and lots of knitting and will not be done in the near future. Sometimes you have to cave into temptation. How was your weekend?  Mine was interesting.  We stayed home, which you know very well thrills me to no end.  I love being home!  There's no place like home.  The hot weather arrived and I've been inside the whole time ignoring that rotten weather.  Why can't summer stay at a comfortable temperature? Sorry to all of you summer lovers but I cannot wait until a frost, some cold wind and snow. My weekend was slow and mostly uneventful, I'd like to bottle up the uneventful and save it for a day that is crazy busy.  I read some, I knit more and completed cl

The Best Ordinary Days

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Only two more weeks left of my summer break, this season is whizzing by in certain ways and yet when the heat and humidity are abundant, this season is taking forever for me to get through.  I'm trying my best not to grumble about the humidity, in fact - I am defiantly wearing jeans daily.  I've been chipping away on some tasks around the house partly in preparation of the next few weekends of a full house with family and partly because I've procrastinated enough already.  I recycled earlier this week (driving my recyclables to a center) and today I am donating four bags of clothing.  These bags have been around since May when my son came home with them.  For weeks they've been in his room with the door closed and forgotten.  This past weekend I put them in the laundry room so I would trip over them and remember to do this task. chocolate from my daughter and son in law from their trip to Switzerland My husband has a few weeks off this month and we a

Dingleberry Hat

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Call me crazy but I'm getting pretty good at taking photos all by myself.  My hat is complete!  I worked exclusively on this project over the weekend so I could finish a project in a timely manner. After three weeks of being unable to sit and knit without back pain, this quick project was the perfect project to work on now that I'm recovered (mostly).  Hats are a great way to see quick progress, try new stitches or color work patterns, or to have instant gratification of finishing a project. The yarn is from a mini-skein bundle named 'Dr Who' by A Hundred Ravens .  The yarn was soft, smooth and a delight to knit with for this project. What are you working on this week? Joining Ginny