Gauge, You Are My Nemesis

 As you may or may not recall, I was knitting a vest for Younger Son (for Christmas, maybe).  This vest.  I checked my gauge several times while knitting and I was spot on.   14 sts in 4" and I didn't skooch or push to get the gauge.  I didn't even smooth it out before measuring, just laid it flat and measured without moving the fabric at all.  I thought it looked wide, but then (as I said here) sweaters that are knit all in one piece always look wide to me (and I was getting gauge).  Then I washed it.  

Length-wise it's perfect.  30" just as specified in the pattern.  But width-wise?  It's 62", NOT the 51" specified in the pattern.  And no, I did not stretch it while blocking.  I was trying to make it smaller.  I could feel the wool relax when it hit the water.  And it bled too.   Three rinses and the water was still a bit grey.  The only thing I did not do was wash a swatch.  But I'm not certain that would have been enlightening.  Swatches lie, everyone knows that.  Next time I will though, especially when working with 100% wool.  Post blocking gauge?  11.5 sts in 4".   There is no way I cheated that much when measuring.  Gauge, I hate you.  The boy will wear it, big as it is.  If I was sufficiently motivated I could cut and sew it, but I'm not.  I'll sew in the zipper tell him he can wear it over other clothes (all his other clothes, apparently.)

On to other things, I am knitting the JFY7 Mystery KAL.  I've never done a mystery KAL before.  So far I've been able to keep up with the clues, 

I had to brush away the snow for the picture.  This is my shawl/whatever it is, and here are the twins.  

I've reversed the colors.  I'm working from the center and from the outside of the same balls of yarn.  It's actually working out very well, no tangles so far.  I'm on vacation now through Christmas so I'm hoping I'll have no trouble keeping up.

Not Quite

 

I'm not quite done with my How Cold Is It? (warning: -- link contains a bad word) hat.  I was hoping to finish today, but at least I'm past the random graph and am now doing the decreases at the crown.  This will be a good size (I was worried that it wouldn't be long enough) just long enough to cover the ears and be a little slouchy.  Perfect!  Once it's done and blocked I will attempt to get a modelled shot.  I hope the recipient will like it.  For those of you keeping track this will count as Socks #3 of 13.  Still on track for my deadlines, actually pulling ahead a little once I get the zipper sewn in on Younger Son's vest.  I've also been working on Older Son's jacket as well, and have reached the underarm shaping on the back.  Moving right along.  Since I've decided that I want to do JFY7 3 times, those will count as 3 more socks.  If I get them all done by Christmas I'll be way ahead!  Stay tuned for more exciting knitting highlights.  I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat.

Today I Got Yarn

 I've been away so long.  Not feeling the mojo for awhile, but I've been knitting.  I finished Younger Son's vest and am working on Older Son's sweater (more on those later).

I've decided to do the JFY7 .  I'm making two in reversed colors for my BFF Michelle and her twin sister.  These are the colors.  I'm showing off the buttons because they cost almost as much as the yarn!

I also got yarn and button to make one for myself.

Yarn is Cloudborn Fibers Superwash Merino DK, on sale at Webs.

I'm working on the How Cold Is It? (warning - bad word in the link) hat also.  I'm totally over this. The randomness is a big pain in the butt; I have to count every stitch, every round.  I cast on four times the number for the mitten and I made a chart for "random" snow for the other 3 quadrants.  If I was going to make this again I wouldn't bother and just do a geometric in the other 3 quadrants.  But it looks ok, even if my Fairisle technique is not what it should be.  Pictures tomorrow.

Today I Baked Pies

 

Yum!

They are apple-cranberry, pumpkin, and pecan.  A lot of pies.  But Dave likes pumpkin, and I don't feel like it's Thanksgiving without a piece of pecan pie, and we both like apple-cranberry.  We may have to outsource the eating on some of these.  The apple-cranberry boiled over and now the house smells like a fire in a sugar factory.  Also, I've been supremely unsuccessful at pie crust.  I used to make great pie crusts in my 20s and then one day I just lost the ability to make good pie crust.  I don't know what happened.  Sometimes the magic works...

I knitted a bit too.  I'm knitting the Great Grey Vest for DJ.  But for now, I've got to get to bed so I can get up before dawn and get the turkey on.  

3 of 13

 It's like it's a Borg sweater.  My Little Worsted Sock Arms for Gracie.  

Pictured in daylight for truer colors

This picture was taken earlier today while I had the light.  I've been knitting since, and now the knitting is complete.  I just have to weave in a couple more ends and the sweater is complete!  For those of you keeping track, this is sweater number 3 (the blanket counted as 2) of 13 for the year.  I've completed socks number 1 and 2 already.  My Cold As... hat will be socks number 3.  Which reminds me, though the blanket should have been delivered today.  I'm keeping up so far.  Yippee!  

Baking will commence tomorrow for Thanksgiving.  Think good thoughts.

Something a Little Different

 I'm finally (finally!) knitting a color other than blue (or turquoise, or whatever).  

The artificial light doesn't really do justice here to the lime green and bright speckles of the sleeve color here.  I'm totally enamored.  But it could be I'm just excited for it not to be blue.  When I asked DJ to admire it, he remarked "Well, it's really not very colorful."  Hmph.  

I'm moving along like gangbusters here.  The not having to actually work really bumps up the knitting production.  Although, starting tomorrow I'll have to spend time getting ready for Thanksgiving.  I have my Thanksgiving menu planned, every dish a tried and true tradition.  Because, really, that's what we need in this pandemic year; comfort food.  

Bingeing

 I've spent the day binge watching Call the Midwife and knitting.  I have knitted up one full skein and am on to the second in my Sock Arms sweater for Gracie.

One skein down

I did a bit of cooking, too.  Beef stew and fresh home made bread.  I estimate that I've baked up over 50 lbs of flour during the pandemic.  Anyway, I cook almost every thing, every day.  I just can't get past the image of someone coughing into my food right before they close the container it's in. So now I can't stomach other people touching my food.  I'm hoping this will pass, because I did love going out to eat.  It might take awhile, though. 

Dave continues to be fine and symptom free.  He comes down and picks up his dinners here.  I drop things off at the other house for him (we maintain a safe distance) occasionally for breakfasts and lunches (today I took him some eggs, butter, and ham). [Yes, you can see from that list that I'm a firm believer in the Oxford comma!  Also, you can see from my typing that I employ a double space between sentences, which I was shocked recently to learn was now obsolete.  I'm a dinosaur.]   

Plus Ça Change, Plus C'est la Même Chose

 I impatiently hunted up the correct needles this afternoon (a size 5 and size 7 24" circular) and very excitedly cast on for my Little Worsted Sock Arms and then I realised...

Plus ça change...

It's almost the exact same color as the Big Boring Blue Blanket (currently in the dryer following it's bath).  I even started with a 1x1 rib.  Ah well, I'm past that now and am working on the short rows for the "rounded hem".  At least I have the colorful sleeves to look forward to.

As I was sending emails to everyone at work detailing everything that had to be covered/taken care of while I was out (this is one of the things I hate about taking vacation, there's a ton of this prep work, a million emails to send) I looked over and the rainbow from the beveled glass in my front door was falling on the Decade Socks (still here looking for someone to love them).  The light was so beautiful and mellow I had to snap a picture.

Still Life With Knitting

I told everyone I'm taking a pandemic vacation.  I have all the pandemic highlights planned -- some cooking, a bit of cleaning, coloring, knitting, and binge watching tv.  What could be better?

It's Done

The Big Boring Blue Blanket is done!  The knitting at least.  And the casting-off, which was, as everything with this project, interminable.  After several hours of grafting it's off the needles. I have a few ends to weave and then tomorrow I will give it a bath and a tumble so it will be ready to pack up and mail on Saturday.  I feel so...light and free.  The world seems full of new knitting possibilities. 

This picture tries to give an idea of the size.  I wanted to be generous with the sizing.  I may have gone a bit overboard.

 

This picture shows the tubular cast-on and cast-off.  The latter was new for me. A bit fiddly, but I can't deny it gives a nice finish.

Almost There

 Like all interminable tasks, suddenly the Boring Big Blue Blanket is almost done.  Here it is all set up and ready for the grafting of the tubular cast-off. It's just a bit late tonight and I have work tomorrow so I'm off to bed right now.

Almost!

I will be grafting tomorrow and I'm hoping to get the final ends woven in then a wash and dry and all packed up and into the mail to its final destination on Saturday.  A bit ahead of schedule even!  I'll get a finished picture tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll get the boys to aid me in holding it up.  It's longer than I am tall.  It took just over 20 skeins of yarn.  Wow.  That's a lot of knitting.  And then finally on to something else.  A change is as good as a rest, right?

I've Been Under

 Apologies for my absence. I've been under stress and a bit under a cloud.  Last Tuesday Dave called from New York where he was working and told me he'd been exposed to the Corona Virus by a co-worker.  His employer thankfully let him come home.  Since then he's been quarantined at the other house and I have moved in with the boys here.  It's been stressful for me, I'm a worrier. 

I've not been able to manage much beyond logging in to work every day.  What did I do to cope?  Well, it wasn't knitting.  I've just gotten back to knitting today.  For several days, even the thought of knitting left me feeling queasy.  I did a bit of coloring, I do love to look at the way colors go together and putting them next to each other.

Clearly I like all the colors 

This work was over a couple of weeks, but I did do a little less than half of it over the past week.

Dave is doing just fine, no symptoms and he had a test for CoViD19 which was negative.  His employer has sent him back to work, even though I and the CDC think he should quarantine for another week.  This is how the disease spreads.  Granted, it was a very limited contact and he has been asymptomatic, but still.  The boys and I will stay away from him until next week.  

And I'm not behind on my 13 goals yet.  I have until Thanksgiving to get the Boring Big Blue Blanket done.  I might make it.  The socks are definitely done.  Then on to Christmas knitting.  I'll get done what I get done.

  

I Get a New Hat

 The election has been called.  And since it's all about me...The take away here is that I get a new hat!

I can now thankfully retire my PussyHat. I've worn it exclusively since the Women's March in 2017.  But I do admit that I was yearning for a change.

It's apparently all about the hats here.  Which hat should I make?  What yarn?  Oh, the decisions to be made.  It's a brand new world, I tell you.

I'm Over It

 The appeal of watching for updates on election returns has paled.  I'm pretty much over it.  I want the counting to be done and the election to be over.  But like everything else this year, it's not over until it's over, which is way later than you'd hoped for.

Dave is not feeling well.  I'm a little concerned.  He has some CoViD symptoms (a slight temperature and sore throat).  And he does go out and be around other people, so I'm worried.  He's isolating as much as he can and I'm going to urge him to get tested tomorrow, but he's a guy.  He'll say it's not that big of a deal and he doesn't have a cough, or a high temperature.  Still.  He's staying in his room here, but where's he going to sleep?  

It's still just a big blue blob

Slow Motion

 I've been watching the election results.  I think I kind of like this slow motion election results.  I've been watching a map with information from the AP.  It's kind of nice going this slowly, I think.  I have time to adjust my thinking.  Also, it's just me looking at a map with no one talking.  I can crunch the numbers myself.  I periodically report to my sister, who said I was "becoming a statistical genius".  Well, I said, it is kinda my job.  You would think this slow motion thing would be good for knitting, but not so much.  I didn't get any knitting done yesterday, and only a little today.  Some work on the Big Boring Blue Blanket.  Which had the audacity to shed on my black shirt.

In other news, Dave and I have been watching Hinterland and I noticed this hat. 

Nice hat, I said.  I asked Dave if he wanted one, I told him I thought I could find a pattern, and of course I did.  And it's free.  But Dave says he doesn't like this kind of hat.  Oh well...

I Voted!

 

You can barely see my "I voted" sticker here. Despite stories of other people I know facing long lines, we had no trouble. I was prepared, with my knitting bag packed ready to wait in line. There was literally no one in the polling station when I got there. I walked in, was handed a ballot, filled it out and was out the door. I waited longer in the hallway for the boys to finish up. Even so we were there and back home in 15 minutes. I never even had the opportunity to get my knitting out. 

Post Time Change

 

I'm not doing well with the time change.  The older I get, the harder it is.  I woke up Sunday morning at what I thought was 6:00 AM, and got dressed and came to the Little House (where my coffee is).  Imagine my surprise when I realized it was really only 5:30 when I got here.  I mean, Dave had mentioned it, but it didn't really register, you know?  But there was no going back to sleep.  This morning I woke up at 4:00 AM (really) and finally did get a little more sleep, but I'm still pretty tired.  Maybe I'll get adjusted by the end of the month.

In knitting news I'm still working on the Boring Big Blue Blanket.  I realized today that I have until Thanksgiving to get this done to stay on track for my 13 pairs of socks/13 sweaters in a year.  The hat will count as a pair of socks, by the way.  I've got the socks covered until Thanksgiving.  I just need 2 sweaters (which will be the finished BBBB.  

And I've discovered on YouTube an 11 hour video of autumn scenery with relaxing music.  Very beautiful, and relaxing to knit to.  Once it's colder and closer to the holidays I may switch to the 24 hour fireplace.  All the zen drives the guys crazy, but I find it soothing.

Snow

 It's snowing here.  I've been knitting on the Boring Big Blue Blanket.  I've also started knitting DJ's vest.  This is my knitting while reading at night.  It seems very wide to me, but sweaters that are all of a piece (fronts/back knitted at once) always do. 

In other news, Dave's birthday was yesterday and I made him his two favorite desserts.  Cherry cheesecake and pumpkin pie.  Dave made chicken burritos for dinner (which seemed like a present for me, but whatever.) In a somewhat ironic twist of fate DJ complained to me this morning he thought the pie could use more pumpkin spice. 

 

More Pumpkin Spice

 I was weak.  I bought the Pumpkin Spice bread.  And some Pumpkin Spice cream cheese.  They are delicious together -- I had toasted bread with the cream cheese for breakfast twice this week.  Tomorrow I'm planning on stuffed French toast.  Yummy!  

And lots of baking.  Tomorrow is Dave's birthday.  I'm making two of his favorite desserts.  Cheesecake and pumpkin pie.  Why two?  Well, the man just won't commit.  

In knitting news, there is no news.  I'm still working on my hat and the Boring Big Blue Blanket.  I need to break out of the ennui and get moving on things.  

A Little Bit

 I went back to work today, so there was lots of work to catch up on.  I had to work late.  Also I cooked a big dinner (Pork BBQ, scalloped potatoes, and cornbread -- my man wanted cornbread).  And I got a new Netflix DVD (we're watching Joan of Arcadia).  With all of that I just got a little bit of knitting done.  A row on the hat, and while I'm watching tv some Big Blue Blanket knitting. I also got a little bit of untangling done last night as well.  

The Webs catalog came and when I was looking through it I saw the Dassin Cardigan.  I liked it at first, at least a little bit.  But then when I was looking at it I noticed the garter stitch patch.  

Right there on the butt.  Who would need something to call attention to their butt?  How is that a design feature?  I think I'll pass.

Halfway There

 Today is the last day of my vacation.  We didn't really do much -- there was nowhere to go.  I didn't feel comfortable going to the movies, so we just watched some movies here at home (I Am Not Your Negro and Molly's Game) and some TV (Firefly).  I made a cake, and I knit some:

I'm not quite halfway through the chart.  So far so good a few problems with dropped stitches and a weird knit two together that I have no idea .  It needs blocking.  But at this point I'm pretty sure I will get it done for Christmas.  Now I need to find a knitting while reading pattern for the other house (to knit while I'm in bed).  I think I'm going to take the yarn for DJ's vest.  We'll see.  I DID do some untangling of my tangled skein last night.  It took me about 10 minutes to find the end, but after a bit I'm about halfway done with that.  I finished a book and started another.  Now I'm reading Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier.  I like the first in this series (The Sevenwaters Series), Daughter of the Forest.  It was a retelling of the Seven Swans fairy tale.  I like the retelling of fairy tales as fantasy novels, and this tale was one of my favorites.  The retelling was ok, a strong female protagonist, but that was the original story too.