We’ve had a number of rather severe thunderstorms this week, with high winds, lightening, lots of thunder of course, and even hail!
But my daffodills are holding up remarkably well so far!
We have a whole long row of them between the two properties, next to the grapevines.
Some of them are looking a bit droopy, but they will perk back up!
And honestly, I was surprised to find them still all in one lovely piece!
That row of daffodills is one of my favorite things about Spring around here!
And of course there are a couple of hyacinths mixed in as well! 😉 They smell absolutely heavenly!
Stormy weather is also good knitting weather, particularly if the power goes out (because electronics are optional, all you need is a flashlight or a candle or two and you can keep right on knitting!), which it didn’t this time, for which I’m grateful because it’s still a bit chilly around here.
I’ve been working on my Lace Leaf Shawl, and enjoying it very much!
I’ve made it through repeat number eight now, and had to get a longer cable in order to spread it out flat!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with lots of the things you love best!
Today is an exciting day, folks! You all know what I mean…! Not only is it the last day of March, it’s also Lace Leaf KAL Eve!
Are you excited? I know I am!
Today I’m making final preparations before the KAL begins tomorrow. For me, that means I’m doing things like:
Reading my Lace Leaf pattern through one more time, to be sure there isn’t something I missed…
Winding my yarn into balls…
Laying out my needles…
And setting up my project on Ravelry!
In fact, would all of you fellow KALers set up your Lace Leaf KAL project on Ravelry and then select the option to “share” it with our Lace Leaf KAL group please? That way, we can all share, see, and enjoy each other’s work as the KAL progresses!
Once your project is set up, all you need to do to share your project with our KAL group, is to go under Groups (right hand side of your project page), click on the “Share with a group” drop down box, and select our Lace Leaf KAL from the list, as shown below:
What are you all doing to get ready for tomorrow? Feel free to share your favorite KAL prep tips!
Happy Lace Leaf KAL Eve, Everybody! See you tomorrow!
P.S. If you haven’t signed on to do the Lace Leaf KAL yet, but would like to, you are more than welcome to join us! Just join our group on Ravelry; then decide whether you want to knit the Blackthorn Shawl pattern, or the Lace Leaf Shawl pattern!
my brioche shawl in progress, and a nice cup of tea
I admit, I’m a morning person. Always have been. I usually have more energy, can focus better, and get most of my to do list crossed off by early afternoon. After that, things just seem to drag for me; energy flags, and I’m working hard to finish out the day – especially the part where I cook supper once I arrive home… But I like evening too; the quiet, calm part, before bed. Perhaps because I know that evening is a kind of pre-morning – when I wake up, it’ll be morning again with all the potential and endless possibilities of a new day! I really like beginnings!
Though afternoons tend to be my less favorite part of the day, I do find that an early morning knit seems to help the whole rest of my day run smoothly, even the afternoon!
my favorite knitting spot
Do you have a favorite time of day? What do you like about it? What makes it special for you?
Last year, I had such a hard time getting even one (not so great) photo of a robin…
I ran all over the yard for hours, chasing after robins (who were hopping happily to and fro) trying to get at least one photo in which you could tell it was a robin and not some sort of speck. You would not believe how fast those little buggers are! Nor how skittish! In the end, the only way I was able to manage even one meager shot was by hiding behind one tree after another as I hopped after the crazy robin… It’s a really good thing I live out in the country and don’t have any neighbors to wonder about my sanity…
This year, I took a much more intelligent approach. Or maybe it was lazy? I simply sat. In one place. On the back deck. And I waited. For the Robin to hop close enough… and then… I took his picture! Not the best robin portrait ever, but definitely an improvement upon last year…!
The first Crocus in my flower beds, still closed yet from the night’s chilliness…
Later in the day, when it got a little warmer, it opened out all the way!
There are buds starting on trees, folks!
And Daffodils pushing up out of the ground!
And it was even warm enough for a lovely afternoon knit on the back deck…
Miss Fox now has a head, a body, and one little shoe-with-sock! Hopefully there will be time for more out door knitting tomorrow…!
I was so thrilled when my mother-in-law, Phyllis, asked for a handknit sweater for Christmas! The important thing to understand here is that I was longing to knit something for someone who would actually wear it. My dear husband, you see, refuses to wear anything I knit for him ever since the unfortunate incident of the black-hat-with-the-red-angora-lining. And who could really blame him?! But that’s another story for another time. He saves me time and trouble though, by telling me up front, not to knit him anything because he won’t wear it, so at least there’s that. This then, is why the excitement was impossible to contain when Phyllis asked for a sweater!
[Yes, I do realize that we are currently in the month of March, and that this fact makes my Christmas gift to Phyllis about three months late. Fortunately, Phyllis is a fabulously gracious person who didn’t at all mind opening a half-knitted sweater on Christmas, and who waited very patiently while I finished it. ❤️]
Since she was actually visiting at the time, we got online immediately and went virtual shopping to pick out the perfect yarn and pattern together! What a good time we had! It was even better than “normal” shopping because we didn’t get worn out and stressed from walking and driving from store to store and dealing with crowds and traffic. 😊
Phyllis settled on the Cable Down Raglan by Stefanie Japel. She wanted a turquoise color, and the sweater was to be warm, but not too warm in order to layer in Virginia’s mostly moderate winter weather. We decided to go with a cotton yarn, and settled on Knit Pick’s Shine Worsted in Aquamarine.
the yarn
Once the yarn arrived, I could hardly wait to cast on and start knitting! It was really hard to make myself knit gauge swatches, but I’m REALLY glad I did!
the beginning
When one is knitting a garment, especially for someone else, (especially if that someone else does not live in the same house or even what could be called reasonably close by) it is vital to:
1) Take said person’s measurements with care, ahead of time; paying close attention to his/her preferences regarding ease…
2) Note and plan ahead for any alterations in fit that will be preferred… (for example, my mother-in-law wanted the sleeves on her sweater to be full length rather than 3/4. This necessitated planning ahead by ordering more yarn.)
3) Find and maintain the proper gauge…
4) At least one or more fittings along the way to ensure the garment will be a success!
knitting the body
The Cable-Down Raglan, as the name suggests, is worked from the top down, circular fashion, raglan style, and all in one piece.
cables & raglan shaping
I love the cables. I really enjoyed knitting them, and I still enjoy looking at them! You can see the sleeve stitches on hold and the rest of the body in progress.
counting repeats
I put my Grellow & Gray Sirka Counter to excellent use on this project! Would have lost my head for sure without it! At one point I was using all three hands to track three different sets of repeats! What a lifesaver!
knitting nook
This was my first experience with knitting a raglan sweater, and also my first experience with knitting a sweater in the round – all in one piece!
Edit
cable detail
I really like the idea of knitting a garment in one piece. Of the entire ensemble flowing along smoothly in an orderly and aesthetically pleasing fashion. Of not having to go back and sew up seams afterward.
cabled waist ribbing
But I discovered, as I worked on the sleeves of the sweater, that it became very frustrating to deal with the bulk of the body of the sweater while knitting around and around each smaller sleeve. I had to adjust the entire body of the sweater in relation to the sleeve four times per round. It really slowed me down. In the future, I think I may try holding the body stitches and working the sleeves first since they are so much smaller and could be easily pinned in place to keep them out of the way while knitting the body.
weaving in the ends
There were a lot of ends to weave in, but that just goes with the territory! Aunt Peggy had made a gorgeous bracelet that went perfectly with the sweater!
finishing
As a final touch, I sewed in a special label…
a personal touch
Phyllis loves her sweater, and it makes me happy to see her so happy!
It all began with reindeer. My friend Claire Hudson (lovely lady with a fabulous blog, be sure to hop over and take a peek!) and reindeer!
Not long after Christmas, Claire and I were discussing what knitting projects we wanted to make next. (See comments on this post.) Of course, there was a long list… and on my list were several items bearing reindeer motifs! (I have no idea why I kept finding adorable reindeer patterns after Christmas, but whatever! Why not start planning the gift knitting for next Christmas early, I concluded when the trend continued.)
Among those items was a toy reindeer for a child. It was so adorable! I loved it! Wanted to make it for my baby niece, Vera (2 months old). But next Christmas is a really long way away… Claire loved it too! And THEN. She showed me the Little Cotton Rabbits pattern she had recently bought – it was for a toy bunny rabbit! It was beyond adorable! I admit, there were a few squeals of delight…
Even better was Claire’s idea! She proposed that we knit these bunnies together, as a sort of mini knit-a-long! What a fabulous idea! So here we are, both making bunnies for our respective nieces!
We began last Sunday – perfect timing for me as there was a big snow storm here in Virginia, resulting in perfect knitting weather! (Although, for the record, any weather is perfect knitting weather as far as I’m concerned!😉)
I’m using Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 in Grey for the bunny’s body; and Knit Picks Shine Sport in Black, Wallaby, Cosmopolitan, Blush, and Cream for the facial features and clothing…
Ball-winding and tea went together perfectly…
We completed our bunny heads last Sunday! Here is a peek at mine…
This week, we’re working on the bodies and the legs!
This is the body worked as far as the neck…
Here I’m almost finished the body, just a couple more rows on the cute, striped underpants…!
And here is the finished body, all seamed together!
I was really hoping for at least one good snow storm this winter, and here it is! ❄️⛄️❄️❄️❄️
Joe, on the other hand, claims to hate snow, rolls his eyes at my snow-induced glee, and checks every half hour to see if the snow has stopped so he can go out and start clearing it! I think maybe I shall attempt to bribe him into going on a snow-walk with me tomorrow! If he has fun (hope!) then maybe he’ll start to see that snow isn’t all bad… 😊
These cute little birds were all excited about something in our drive! They were so adorable!
By dusk, we concluded that we now have over 12″ of snow!❄️
A nice hot cup of tea and my knitting made for a very cozy afternoon!
Do do you like snow? What are your favorite ways to enjoy it?
sarah inskeep designs 