Look!

I filled the bird feeder a few weeks ago, which has provided us all with much excitement!

There are a pair of Jays who often visit, as well as many other birds.

This is the view out the window (conveniently located just behind the couch, so that one can lie on the back of the couch and watch the view. Comfy and entertaining at once!)

I've been knitting a lot as well--finished several projects, started one or two, and am nearly done the Sheeps sweater! Sadly, though, I've not taken any photos to share of late.

Oh! And Virtual Yarns have released photos of the designs in the new version of Tudor Roses! Some are pretty identical to the old, some are quite elaborately re-worked, and some are brand new. VERY exciting!! I can't wait for my copy to arrive...

Excitement Abounds!

We've moved, and we're loving our new house.

I love the space, the lightness, the lack of connected-neighbors, and the feeling of rightness.

The kitties mostly like the abundance of windows--but hey! We're all really enjoying our new space. (They are also especially fond of Marie's couch, which was given us along with much other furniture. They can sit on the back, and look out the window. Comfort and entertainment in one!)

The past month or so we've been working weekends, getting ready for Rhinebeck and SAFF. And I've been really tired in the evenings, so there's still a fair bit of unpacking to do, but that'll happen soon, I hope.

There has also been knitting. First I focused on the Hotel Tassel shawl, to get it done in time for the shows. Which I did!!

Unblocked, since I haven't seen it post-blocking.

Now I'm having a bit of start-itis, I think. I want to finish my brown lace cardi by SAFF (unlikely, but possible). I'm wanting to work on Marina and the Sheeps! cardi as well... but I cast on some mitts for Vicki, and a Romi shawl, and am very tempted to keep starting more and more projects!

Back to knitting, now!

Bit of a gap... but lots of news!

Life has become very exciting. Barring any major upheaval, I will be closing on a house this week, and maybe moving in the following weekend! Since I was sort-of planning on moving slowly during September, and having some movers the third weekend, this means I must seriously increase my packing speed.

I've been trying to figure out how to pack my large knitting library in a manageable way,  and I think perhaps using as many of the cloth bags as possible will help make the weight of books not too much to handle. (Since the boxes I'm taking from work tend to be in the 14x16x20 category, filling, or even partially filling one, with books makes for TOO HEAVY a load!) Now that that's sorted in my head, I should really spend the rest of the day re-packing the few boxes of books that are filled, and sorting things out!

There has, of course, been knitting progress. I finished several projects last month, including the mother's day scarf, Wasp and Rose, and Brickless (which still needs blocking). I am now focusing on:

The Sheeps! cardi--partway up the neck and armhole shaping.

Marina--not worked on this much since I'm at the pay-attention point, and I haven't had a whole lot of spare attention recently. But I did cast on before finishing the body of Sheeps!, and it makes me happy to know that I've got a Starmore in progress (and at an interesting spot!)

Megan's Vest--I've got about half of a front left to knit. Maybe I'll try to finish this this week?

The very-hard-to-find-more-yarn-for Brown Lace Cardi--I love the pattern and yarn paring, and after frogging several false starts, I think I've got a good gauge and size going! So this is coming along nicely.

Miss Sarah--Sarah is moving (has moved!) to Chicago, so she needs some hats. This one has been in my queue for a bit, and I thought it'd be a nice, simple project. I'm at the body of the hat now, and should be able to finish in a few evenings once I pick it back up!

Origami Winkle--Martina published a gorgeous new pattern, and after several days of pondering what yarn to use (yarn diet=can't just buy a gorgeous new Babette) I remembered the skein of Origami I bought myself for my birthday last year. It was one of those "I need this skein. Don't ask what it will be" purchases, so everything worked out beautifully! This is my carry-around project right now, so I mostly knit on it once a week at knit-night.

Red Socks--started while working at Ewe and I ages ago, re-discovered last month. I finished the second sock, so now I just need to re-bind-off the first one (it's too tight!) and then I'm done!

Seychelles--I would like to finish both last year's and this year's projects for the Knitting Tour by the end of the year, and I was without a lace project...so I cast on! I'm about 7 repeats in, and quite enjoying it! My first time beading, and while I like the look, I don't like how it slows down the knitting. Not sure how often I'll bead in the future, but I'm guessing not too often.

So, you see, there are a few things on the needles to keep me busy, when I'm not stressing about the move/buying a house.

I'm a bit worried how the babies will do settling into our new home. I think once they are used to it, they will quite enjoy all the extra space, and the ability to look out first floor windows. (Many more windows for them to enjoy!) But I think there will be a few rough weeks while they adjust, to which I am not looking forward. So I'll just give them extra snuggles right now, and they can watch my odd new pastime of packing things into boxes, and we'll trust that everything will turn out for the best!

(Posting without photos, as it has been three days since I wrote this, and I have yet to take any!)
(Then I remembered I could add some photos of the house, since those are already on the computer. Yay!)

View from the Top of the Bed

The other day, this is how the bed looked:

There are always lots of snuggles at my house.

And I am always welcome to join--lucky me!!

Of course, they're always welcome to join me on the couch while I'm knitting. And I am often and often reminded that it is now "pet Gino" time or "pet Penny" time, and must put down my knitting. Which, of course, I do, as I am a huge sucker for my kitties. They make life happy.

Speaking of knitting (when do I ever speak of anything else? Well, besides kitties, but I've already done that...) I've finished Zauberflote!

In the end, I made several modifications. 

• I shortened the sweater a bit, because the tunic length Jade likes so much doesn't work too well for me. I started the armseye steek at row 38, and then started neck shaping on row 9 (after a full repeat, of course.) This ended up to be about 23 rounds fewer than the pattern.
• My gauge is looser than called for, so I knit a size small, which fits just fine.
• For the sleeves, I knit as written, and then knit straight through round 10, knitting rounds 11-17 in garter for the cuffs. This brought the length to about the same as Abalone, which is what I was trying to copy. (I was very curious as to why the pattern was written to repeat the most recent section for the cuff--this is not at all usual, and not what I wanted, so I ignored it and did what I pleased.)
• Picked up fewer stitches for the button bands to compensate for the shorter body. (This took some thought--I forgot about it, picked up about 3/4 stitches/rows, counted, and thought, "where do I get those extra stitches???" Took me ages to remember.)
• Also, since I bought the buttons for this sweater before I bought the kit, and they are larger than what Jade calls for, I used 7. I'm not a huge fan of small buttons on these sweaters anyway--I often use only 7 or so buttons for the button bands, and ignore that part of the directions. I'm a big fan of ignoring directions, I think.

Anyway, I finished the knitting two weeks ago, and the finishing this past week. (I am not a big fan of finishing work. But it's always nice to have something fully finished...) Now it is blocking:

I've also cast on Anne Hanson's Wasp and Rose in Tulipa Yasmin for a sample. I do love Yasmin, and this pattern is pleasant. I need to finish it by the beginning of August, which shouldn't be a problem!

I'm also hoping to finish a few more things this month... Megan's vest, which has been languishing for years, shouldn't take too terribly long to finish. This project, especially, reminds me of how much one can accomplish if one spends actual time with a project! The back is done, and one of the fronts is about a quarter done. It'll make a nice break from the shawl, although they are both purple!

So, for a break from purple, I'm hoping to finish the body at least of the Sheeps! Sweater. This is partially because I like the sweater, but not too much the knitting, and would like to make some progress. This is probably one of the few projects that are more of a product than a process knit for me--I just love sheep, though, so I know I'll love to wear it once it's finished. But also, I need that size needle to cast on the next Starmore I want to knit, Marina. Added inspiration!

And lastly, I think it would probably be a good idea to finish the mother's day scarf by the next time I see my mom, in early August. So I shall swap that one to the project that lives in my bag, to encourage myself to knit on it in spare moments. 

At the moment, this all seems fairly reasonable. Of course, it won't all happen, but surely I will make good progress on at least several of these projects!

Oops... I knit a sleeve

I was being so good, working on the two scarves that were on my Holz and Stein 16" 3s. But this is our vacation week, and what I really wanted to spend it doing was knitting on Zauberflote while sitting on the couch with the kitties, listening to a good book. So on Saturday I slipped Marie's scarf onto some Hiya needles, and cut a steek.

(Well, actually, I knit a few repeats onto the Hiya needles. I am making *some* progress there, though not as much as I should have... see??)

This morning I finished the cuff on Zauberflote's first sleeve. 

I didn't like the instructions for the sleeve-- it seemed like it would be too short. Also, they wanted you to do the first few rows of the up-side-down pattern, and then the garter chart. Since the garter chart and the first few rows are the same design, this repetition seemed odd to me. 

I decided to knit straight until I liked the length (using Abalone for guidance), and then knit the next section in garter.

I don't think it turned out too badly... and I don't mind a deeper cuff than suggested. I'm wondering what I'll do for the front bands and collar, though, since the sleeve cuff is not what it is supposed to be. I think I'll probably use the garter chart, so they'll match the bottom band.

I've just knit the first few rows of the second sleeve, and am taking a lunch break. I think it quite likely I may finish Zauberflote this week!

I've also made some progress on the Perfect Woman Scarf-- it has grown since the last photo!

Certainly won't be done by this weekend, but it is coming along.

The kitties have been at their usual posts: Gino next to me on the couch, and Penny a siren on the bed, luring un-suspecting passers-by in for snuggle sessions.

They are excellent helpers.

Progress on Two Fronts

Lots of progress happening 'round here!

Kitty progress:

Annie has just visited me, and she actually got to snuggle with Penny! Pen sat on Annie's lap for at least half an hour. Considering in the past there have just been walk-bys as Penny decides if the visitors are safe (and this only after several hours or days of a visit) I consider this excellent progress.

And I have photographic proof of this, even!!

Look how happy they both are!!

Then Annie got to at least see Gino when he wasn't under my bed... yesterday morning, Gino, Pen and I had a lovely three-way snuggle. Gino was sitting on my lap when Annie got up, and he didn't immediately bolt! So I called her in, and she peeked 'round the door, and got to see his magnificence before she tried to walk in and he ran under the bed. So that's good progress for him as well, since up to now he's not even wanted any not-Helen-people to see him!

I'm also hoping to make good knitting progress today. I'm hoping to finish the Not A Scarf socks for Marie, the Cherry Me shawl, and Jen's Backup Mitts.

Not A Scarf Socks-- lacking a Toe and about 4 rounds.

Cherry Me. I've got about a golf-ball sized ball left... I think I should be able to finish another set of leaves before binding off.

Backup Mitts. Jen's Birthday is Tuesday! Need the top of one mitt and both thumbs.

Having finished at least two of the three projects, I'll probably give myself permission to start something new, which will quite likely be the Leftie I've been wanting to make since Christmas!

Or I may keep knitting on the Sheeps! sweater, and/or one of the scarves I need to finish before I can start Zauberflote's sleeves. Either way, it'll be a lovely, knit-full day!

He ALWAYS Does This!

Gino and I will be on the couch snuggling. Then I'll need to get up to put the kettle on, cake another skein, or use the toilet.

As soon as I get up:

Gino steals my spot.

Then, a minute later when I return:

He's settled in.

At least he doesn't mind shifting a bit, because a minute later, we're back in position and ready to go:

Snuggled next to my knee.

Lots of knitting projects going on. I've finished the body of Zauberflote, but both good needles of the size and length needed for the arms are in use, so I've got to finish a scarf before I can move on with that. There are, of course, many other projects I'm also working on!

Life is good.

Monogamy

Monogamy is an amazing thing. Although the first half of Annie's Graduation Shawl took about 5 or 6 months, most of it was knit in two weeks. And then the second half was knit entirely during ONE week, as the graduation was fast approaching and I had great hopes of finishing on time.

I did! (Although ALL the photos I took are backlit, and not that great. Sigh.)

I blocked the shawl two days before heading up to Arlington...

And then she wore it during our dinner after graduation.

I do quite like this photo, though I still want some nice ones!

Anyway, it always amazes me how quickly one can finish a project when it is the ONLY project one works on! But then, once I've finished a monogamous project, I usually crave variety, so the amazing feeling of productivity decreases, and I revert to my normal, piecemeal ways.

Today I have off, and plan to knit on whatever pleases me. This will likely mean great progress on Zauberflote!

Noses

I like to look at noses in profile, and my kitties have excellent ones.

Gino was very obliging in letting me take a photo:

Gino naps next to me while I knit. Nose has lots of character!

Penny was less so... she wanted to snuggle! (But was cute, so I forgave her)

Pen climbs on my lap for snuggles.

Best photo I got of her nose. A lovely slope!!

In other news, someone washed away the graffiti I photographed for last week so that the rock says only "Narnia" at present. Still amusing, but not nearly so nice as the full message, in my opinion.

Marie's (exceedingly belated) graduation quilt still lacks a lot of work...

Several hours left here!

While Annie's is close to completion!

Although there are probably more hours left here!
(Note the beauty of unblocked lace... a big muddly mess!)

I'm fairly sure I'll finish the shawl in time, although I'm thinking in terms of total hours it will take more. However, knitting is more in favor at present, so it gets more time. I'm still hopeful I'll be able to finish them both before heading up to Arlington, though!

Randomness

This showed up on my drive to work recently. It makes me smile. (In case it's hard to read here, it says: "To Narnia Not an Entrance"

I get a kick out of it, because someone sprayed it directly onto the rocks, and I can totally see there being an entrance to some sort of magical place along the drive...

In other news, Annie's Graduation Shawl is coming along apace. I've decided to do 8 repeats of the blossom pattern on each side of the center, and am 6 repeats on. I don't think it will be done in time, but I'm kind of hoping that if I focus in on this for the next two weeks I may finish before she graduates... We'll see.

And, of course, the kitties have been being cute recently... (I decided to document this, since it is such an unusual occurrence!)

Penny, and the couch that still needs patching. I like the idea of a patchwork couch! Plus, then they'll have something else to tear up.

Gino likes to help me knit. Always.

I met with a new agent this week, and we saw two houses. One was not so nice inside, but the other, although under repairs, looks quite nice. I'm excited to see it again once the repairs are all done!

This is Not a Drill!

Quick, Babies, get into Emergency Nap Position 1!!

Excellent, Gino!

Great Job, Pen!

Everything seems to be in progress-- nothing seems to get finished! I know this is temporary, and that things will finish soon... but there's just so much IN PROGRESS!

- my many knitting projects (because there are so many, they take a LOOOONG time to get done! And there's always the temptation to cast on something new...)
- my house search (continuing bumps in the road)
- the new website
- the additional studio space

It is a wonderfully blustery day, and may soon storm. This is excellent for my purposes, as it encourages inside pursuits. Otherwise, you know, I would be mightily tempted to spend the day outside! I'm hoping to finish the Super Secret Knitting Project today, and work on several others. Perhaps I'll finish the back of Megan's way-late vest?

Happy!

I woke up this morning and thought, "There's so much I want to do!" So many knitting projects, some sewing projects, tidying my apartment (not so much a want-to as a should, but still), sorting yarn, snuggling kitties, reading books...

This made me really happy. I can tell that I'm very depressed when I don't want to knit. Since I've got about 6 or 8 knitting projects right now that I'm having a hard time deciding between, I figure this means I'm in a really good place. The sewing projects have been more and more tempting recently as well, so I may actually sit down at my machine soon-ish. I do so love textiles!

Recently, I was doing some research for our booklet on Tokyo for the most recent Knitting Tour booklet. It made me remember how much I enjoy researching! (And this research culminated in a short, conversational style essay, which is so much more my writing style than the dry prose favored in college, so that helped, I'm sure.) I think I may start reading non-fiction sometimes, and perhaps pick a research topic.

Back to knitting now. Later today, I'll take some photos and publish this.

(While caking a skein earlier, I was admiring a bookshelf full of knitting books, and realized I've never read No Idle Hands all the way through. So that's where I'll start.)