Friday's Shoebox

I've been meaning to write this post for a few Fridays.  Now is my chance.

This is my newest grand-daughter who has grown some since this was taken in December.  But here photo she is only a couple of weeks old.  One of the things that I do with babies is try to see the family faces in theirs.  What I really like about doing this is how they change and take on a resemblance to a whole different person. 

I would never in a million years have thought that Lexi bore any  similarity to this woman until I saw the photo of her in the Christmas photo.  It has haunted me and goaded me into looking up the photo that I was remembering.  I thought maybe I was imagining the way she seems to look like her paternal great-great-grandmother.  It could just be a trick of the expression or the angle of the camera lens.  But I don't want to think so.  It intrigues me and I wonder what other characteristics they might share.

Saturday Stash

Er, just a little late, since it's Sunday now.

This is what it looks like here today.  A perfect knitting day. 

I just have a couple of finished pieces to share and they are all about Wendy.  First a scarf which I made from my Christmas gift...a skein of Western Sky yarn.  I used the Crest of the Wave pattern by Judy Jacobs.  There are several others with the same name and it's an easy pattern to use.  The repeats are easy to memorize but complex enough to kep your interest.  I love the many shades of green  against the bright teal and rich chocolate.  And so soft.

The second piece is actually for Wendy.  It's the Jeweled Cowl by Sachiko Uemura with superfine baby alpaca yarn and the 700+ teeny-tiny beads.  I have some left so don't be too surprised if you catch me using them up on another lace project.  I have my eye on a cowl for myself.  Only 57 beads for the next one, though. 

 And now, back to enjoying a day when you are happy to stay indoors.  This snow is really instant slush.  So full of water and heavy on the trees.  Having a snowfall this late is not very unusual here, but it is always a pretty quick event.  Should be mostly over by tomorrow. 

Saturday Stash

Back again.  That was a very quick week!

I thought I'd share one of my particular talents.  I call it horizontal storage - others call it clutter.  But it's really based on the old saying: "Out of sight; out of mind."  I have any number of baskets, lovely hand-knitted project bags in which to store current projects.  But I find that if I put a project away it stays away because I do forget about the ones in the cupboard.  Maybe it's just convenient to forget because I want to get at the next new project made with the latest yummy yarn addition. 

So, if I really want to finish something, I not only can't put it away but I also have to work on all at the same time.  So, a little lace and bead knitting, some socks and a heavy Fair Isle pullover adorn the back of the couch.  With all their attached yarns it looks like a knitting factory to me.  There are also a couple of gratuitous skeins which I want to get at.  Since you've seen most of what is there already, I will just say that they are works in progress. 

A finished piece gets worn as soon as it's ready for the off.  These, my Dublin Bay socks, are so nice.  As comfy as they are beautiful.  Love them.

And, when one pair of socks is off the needles, there is always another to take its place.  This is one of my pre-Christmas yarns - made by the same yarn-maker as the pair above.   I just fell in love with the pastel rainbow of colors.  They are wonderfully swirly and unpredictable when knit up.  As I knit, there are so many different images.  I see a jar filled with layers of colored sand.  A Monet garden of summer flowers. Some times, it's the rainbow sheen on a roadside puddle.  But mostly, they are happy colors which go a long way to banishing winter blahs. These are a gift, though,  so I won't be wearing them.

That's it for today's report.  Back next Saturday. 

Saturday Stash

The weather is beautiful today.  Almost like spring. Well, maybe a little colder but still pretty mild for January.  The fog has lifted and the sun is shining.  The snowdrops are a welcome sight in the garden.  In fact, they make me ant to get out and start doing something meaningful.  But, I don't want to take the blanket off just yet.  January is a funny month and the plants could catch a chill.  So, I'll just stay in and knit.  OK?

I'm still rolling around the beaded the cowl.   You would think on such big needles that the knitting would go quickly but for some reason it doesn't.  After all, there are only 14 beads to put in every other row.  How much could that slow me down?  Lots, apparently.  While putting the beads in is really easy, it will never be one of my favorite additions to knits. Must get it done before the snow melts in Alberta. 

But, neither is Fair isle and here I am doing it again.  So, never say never.  It has taken what seems like forever to get to this point, though.   I bought this yarn over 2 years ago when we were in the South West being awed by canyons.  The sweater is for Anne and she has been waiting patiently while I search for the perfect pattern.  The barriers are many. The first one took more yarn than I had.  This pattern would be a squeaker but I thought I could manage.  As I was getting the yarn out again to wind more for the sleeves, I discovered that there was one gray skein which was actually three in one!  Why I didn't see that before I don't know but it made a huge difference to how I approached the Fair Isle part.  That takes a lot of extra yarn and now I'm not having to be inventive. While there is still the stranded knitting to get through, I can play with the sleeves for a while before I need to get down to colors. 

I had hoped to have the Dublin Bay socks finished but I got stalled at the heel on the second one.  Because...

I was distracted by a friend's new granddaughter and her search for a pink and purple hat.  I thought I could whip up a couple in one night.  Not quite that quick in real life.  Here is one with a tiny piggy tail on top and knit up with the two sock yarns that baby is holding. 

This is number two and I like it a lot more.  The tassel/topknot is more fun and it is slightly bigger.  Also using two varied yarns makes the mix less like stripes.  It's fun mixing the sock yarns just to see what each combination looks like.

And, now, I'm off to set up my quilting frame.  I have an almost-finished quilt for my grandson that I have promised myself will be finished this month.  Onward and upward.