kmkat and her kneedles

What I knit in 2013.

Hover over the photos to see the comments.

Twelve squares.

 

Five baby bibs.

  

 

Four pairs of socks.*

 

 

 

Four pairs fingerless gloves of varying lengths.

 

 

 

Four hats.

 

 

Four dishcloths.

 

 

I actually knit far more than four. I was on a dishcloth rampage for a few weeks last summer to use up odds and ends of discloth cotton, and it was the perfect mindless project while I was still taking painkillers after the hip replacement. These are the only ones that got photographed, though. The others are in the kitchen rotation and are, of course, no longer camera-worthy.

 

Two scarves.

  

 

Two cowls.

 

 

 

One pair felted clogs.

 

 

One double-knit felted hotpad.

 

 

 

One pair of mittens fit for Sissy Hankshaw, if Sissy Hankshaw were eight years old.

 

One Red Quadrant.

 

One swea--, er, finished one sweater.  

...and started but didn't finish another one.

 

I also dyed some yarn...

and frogged some long cabled stockings... 

...plus any number of intermediate cowls...

...and trials...

...and errors...

...and that is why knitting is such a great hobby: if we make a mistake, we can rip it out and do it again right/better.

 

* Everything with a blue border is something I knit for myself. 

Squared out.

I thought the deadline for the Newtown squares was March 1 so I finished up with them this week. Turns out the deadline is March 31, but I'm squared out after a dozen.

 

As you might be able to guess, the last three squares above are rather less pride-inducing than the rest. From the first of the close-ups:

• Diamond Brocade stitch from Barbara Walker vol.1  (or maybe vol. 2, I'm too lazy to go look it up). 
• Mitered squares with a centered double decrease (sl2tog knitwise, k1, pass slipped stitches over).
• Basketweave stitch.
• Stitch pattern from Yarn Harlot's One-Row Scarf. Problem was NOT the stitch pattern; problem was that I didn't cast on enough stitches and the square is barely big enough.
• Garter stitch, complete with errors (I seem to be incapable of working garter stitch without screwing up; although I used to be able to drop back and fix a goof, when I tried that on this square it looked terrible -- worse than the error), and a mitered square worked in seed stitch. It looks terrible -- apparently seed stitch and miters do not play well together.

All worked on a US#6 using Valley Yarns superwash DK (100% superwash merino; soft and totally machine washable and dryable). ±40, depending on stitch used.

More random.

Elizabeth asked in the comments yesterday whether our heating system couldn't be tweaked to get the maximum heat out of the available water flow. Yes, indeed, the guy who installed it has made at least a dozen trips here to do exactly that. I fear it is as good as it can be. Not perfect, but livable (for us, anyway -- we are adaptable). We will withhold part of the final payment in recompense for the shortfall.

In the meantime, conditions seem to have improved. Still very cold outside, but no wind -- thus, less heat loss through walls and windows.

Based on the anemic flow in the shower the past couple mornings, I have refrained from attempting to wash my hair, fearing that the flow might dwindle to nothing whilst my head was encased in suds. Likewise, I have postponed doing laundry. Forecast is for a warming trend tomorrow through the weekend. I see cleaner days ahead :)

* * * * *

This is the cutest thing EVAH! Got this email from Younger Son this morning:

Subject: Percy is at doggie day care today

With how cold it's been, he hasn't been getting long walks or trips to the dog park lately. Because of this, we dropped him off at doggy day care this morning.

You can watch the live webcam of him here, just scroll down to the "Uptown" pen. They only have one location, in Seward, but three big pens there. He's got his red hoodie on, so you'll know him when you see him.

I'll have that window open on my computer all day... 

* * * * *

My pile of squares for Knitters for Newtown grows apace.

Go ahead, knit a few yourself. Requirements and mailing address are at the link. Deadline is March 31.

 

OTN.

My own, longer fingerless gloves. First one done except for thumb and weaving in ends, the other about one-third done.

Progress interrupted because these (scroll down past the donation information).

Aqua square at right left done in brocade stitch from Barbara Walker's first book, red square at left right done in garter stitch. I have plenty of this superwash DK wool left from my sweater; this is an excellent use for it.

From the organizer:

And it's going to take knitters (and us) a while to make all of these. By the time we're done, the donations will have stopped, the media attention will have died down, and the families will be left to deal with the quiet of their homes. People who have lost a loved one often find that the hard work of grieving comes months after the actual death occurs -- long after people have stopped receiving cards in the mail and meals on their doorstep, they're still left with the weight of loss.  And they often start feeling forgotten.

We do not forget. 

2009: That was the year that was.

January.

Well, there was this (bad).

And there was this (good) (from left, Wendy, me, Chris, and Susan).

On the knitting front:


 

February.

Good intentions.

 

Snow and cold.

Knitting:

March.

Winter melted away.

Knitting.

April.

Spring arrived in earnest.

Yarnover.

End of tax season.

Taste of St. Croix.
 

Knitting resumed after tax season.

 

May.

I scored big at Macy's sale racks, I helped Norm go away, I celebrated Mother's Day in an eco-friendly way, the bears and the ticks came out of hibernation, I picked up trash, I enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend, I bid farewell to our local librarian, and Hannibal discovered the joys of catnip.

Knitting was primarily of a stealth nature, but did include scientific swatching and the F'ing of a couple of O's that had been OTN for nearly, and over a year, respectively. (I am rather proud of that sentence -- and its punctuation -- awkward though it may be.)

 

June

June was for knitting and vacation and celebrating that brief magical time that is summer in the north woods.

 

 

Lots of knitting.

 

 

July.

July was for more vacation -- the rest of the one in Wyoming and another on the North Shore.

And summer.
 

And injuries.
 

And knitting.

 

August.

It was a very good month. I turned 60, had a contest, and laughed. We went to a concert.
 

I learned the difference between eagles and turkey vultures, and I had surgery to remove some extra/unneeded bits and pieces and repair that torn cartilage in my knee.
 

Knitknitknit.

 

September.

In September I had lots of cats on the blog, it was my turn to give the prayer at the beginning of the monthly county board meeting, the county budget process blew up, and the most gloriously gorgeous month of the year was here.

 

The knitting, she continued.

 

October.

I became a biker by proxy,

more new-to-me music found its way into my iTunes, and we celebrated 35 years together

by not-camping on Lake Superior.

The kneedles continued to fly.
 
 

November.

The van that took us on some wonderful vacations met up with an unfortunate bear on the road and was replaced by an older but bigger and more customized van.

Cold weather arrived, and once more I cooked and baked.

 

Mostly, though, I knitted.




Apparently I can crank out hats like other knitters crank out... sweaters

December.

I continued to be thankful (there is a lot to be thankful for).

With the help of Matthew and Maggie, I decorated for Christmas. This decorating thing is never a given.

I showed you my ornaments, y'all showed me yours.

 

We ate well.
 

A bit more knitting* for others.

I pretty much finished my Christmas knitting. (Shhh, the Calorimetry is a surprise.)


The medical mittens are still OTN -- stay tuned.

*For someone who doesn't like pink, I sure knit a lot of it lately...

Thankful Thursday the first.

Carole proposed the idea of Thankful Thursdays, which she picked up from Kate -- isn't this a great idea?

Three things I am thankful for:

1. My health, although far from perfect, is certainly good enough to be thankful for. Hey, any day spent above ground (and not in a wheelchair) is a good one!
2. Smokey Bear, my life's companion and all-around good guy.
3. Our boys, who I am proud to say have turned out to be well-adjusted -- albeit crazy, in a good way -- and happy and productive citizens, plus they are just plain fun to have around.

I wrote the above, then read Kate's post, where she said the same thing in almost the same words. I really am thankful for those three things, but I pride myself on being An Original. Hence, I immediately began thinking of other things to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for our high-speed internet, recently upgraded (for free!) by the local telecom. Now I can watch stupid YouTube videos right away instead of waiting for them to load first.
2. I am thankful for the beauty of the fall colors, although they are akin to getting the lollipop and sticker right before the excruciating medical procedure that lasts for six months and involves snow shovels, tow ropes, and jumper cables.
3. I am thankful for Hannibal's and En Esch's excellent table manners. Unlike every other cat we have been owned by in the past 35 years, they do not bolt their food and immediately vomit it up. It's the little things, guys.

* * * *

I forgot a few things in my "Current Knitting" post a few days ago. There were those two squares for Carrie's blanket

 

and some more squares for Lucia's blanket(s) for supportive housing:

Square #1 is some unknown sock yarn held double, knit into a 6" square on US #6 needles using a stitch pattern from one of the Barbara Walker treasuries. Square #2 is another 6" square knit in 8 tints/shades of blue yarn from an afghan kit I bought at an estate sale years ago, knit on an unknown size needle -- maybe a US #4? -- and using a Barbara Walker slipped stitch pattern. It was shown in the BW book using two colors; I used all eight to produce the plaid. It was a PITA to knit, but Carrie says that square in the afghan is little Eddie's favorite, so it was totally worth it.

The three squares in photo #3 are all Knit Picks Wool of the Andes knit on a US #7 in La Harlot's One-Row Handspun Scarf stitch pattern. Lucia told me she had a thing about reversible stitch patterns, so I made sure to use one so her head wouldn't explode :-)

* * * * *

The Friends of the Polk County Libraries have a table at a craft fair on Saturday, and I have been busily knitting some more wine bottle cozies. Here are two lying on the washer so I don't forget to felt them when I do the laundry today.

 

Here's the third and final one in progress.

 

I have also made a whack of tissue cozies, but I gave most of them to Colleen, the library director, to sew up, so I don't have a photo. I'll get on on Saturday -- they turned out cute¹⁰, if I do say so myself. Here are three I sewed up myself.

Sugar and squares.

It is the last weekend before April 15... and I am not working.

Let me repeat that: I am not working.

I am not sure this has ever happened in the 15 tax seasons in which I have labored since 1993. (I was laid off for a couple years during the post-9/11 recession.) This half-time gig is awesome.

And now, a moment of silence for Carrie K., who IS working.

This past week I had several county meetings for this, that, and the other. During these meetings I discovered that it is sugaring time right now, and anyone who lives in the country or the woods is way busy, what with the tapping and the boiling and the bottling.

"Oh, you need to talk to Kris about that, but not this week. He's up to his eyeballs in maple syrup."

"Yeah, the sap is really running right now."

"I can take care of that next week. This week my wife and I are too busy sugaring."

And so it went. Somehow I had known that people tapped maple trees and made syrup in this part of the state -- the maple syrup I buy in the store here and even in the Twin Cities generally comes from Cumberland, only about 30 miles from where I sit -- but somehow I had not realized how significant sugaring time is hereabouts. The comments I heard this week taught me that it is akin to the fishing opener and the first day of deer season, a time of intense outdoor activity that occupies only a portion of the local population but somehow touches everyone else in the area. Pondering that realization, I now know why it took me so long to awaken to it: it obviously occurs during the latter part of tax season, a time of the year when I am consumed with working and only occasional moments off for eating, sleeping, and commuting.

Like I said, this half-time gig is awesome.

* * * * *

I took a little break from knitting the toddler sweater.

These are for Code Pink, a Radical Act of Knitting for Mother's Day, which I read about at Vicki's blog. I still need to make 2 more pink squares and 2 green ones before I mail them off on Monday. Those four remaining squares should take about 20 seconds. Four-inch squares of knitting worsted on US#7s go INCREDIBLY fast. Every single one of these squares has surprised me by being nearly done before I realized it.

My squares will be somewhere in that fence cozy.