Back to normal

It feels like its been years since I’ve been online – the house was full, and I didn’t get a chance to look at anything online until today.  But now the guests are gone, and the house is quiet, and we are sitting here on a cold rainy Sunday with a fire in the fireplace…and although it was nice to see family, I have to admit that I’m happy that its getting back to normal.  We had a really nice Thanksgiving – it was great to see my mother, my brother and my nephew (not to mention Andrew home from school!).  The meal was good and I think everyone had a good time.

One of the nice things about having a knitter visit was that I got a lot of time to sit with Mom and do a little knitting…

Yes, I started a new project – Abby.  I am just about done, and I think it will be perfect for a day like today.  I really enjoyed using my handspun, and my mother liked it so much she started one in Koigu from my stash! 

We also took a break from the whole family on Friday to run to the yarn store –  we went to Down Cellar – I really love this store, and was glad to have a chance to show it to my mother.  She bought Cascade 220 in a gorgeous shade of blue and I bought some Malabrigo Silk.  There was so much gorgeous yarn there that it was hard to resist buying more – but I was reasonably good.

Now it is time to for back to normal – back to work, back to school for the kids, and back to knitting my other projects.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and weekend – and now I’m going to catch up on blogs and knitting!

Planning

I’m a planner.  And a list maker.  I just can’t help it.  Even when I try to be spontaneous, I plan it out and make a list of what I need to do to be spontaneous.  So I finally accepted it and keep a pad of paper in the kitchen, notes on my iPhone, lists on my computer.  And today is all about making lists and planning.

My mother is visiting from California for the holiday – she gets in tomorrow, and is staying with my sister until I pick her up Monday after work (I was one day short on the vacation I had left).  And my brother and nephew are coming on Wednesday.  I haven’t seen my brother or nephew in a really long time (12 years!) so I’m very excited.  So I have to plan meals, and snacks, and desserts, and activities and make sure we have enough pillows, sheets, blankets, and all that.  I need to make sure that we have things to do that everyone will like.  Oh, and I need to plan how I’m going to sneak in a little work too.

I thought I’d start by planning Thanksgiving dinner – we have the typical stuff (turkey, potatoes, etc) but I thought this year I’d also try a new cranberry sauce, and new dessert, sweet potato casserole (my brother said my nephew likes sweet potato casserole but didn’t say what kind – but I hope that this is what he meant!) – I might even try a new stuffing.  All of this looking at food makes me hungry – I love Thanksgiving dinner – I look forward to it for months.  I grew up in a big family, so I just love big family holidays – its been just the 5 of us for a couple of years, so I’m excited that its going to be more family this year – even if it means more planning! 

After I plan dinners and food, it will be time to start cleaning.  But I’m hoping to get a little down time today to knit – I definitely have startitis and starting looking at making a new cowl out of some handspun laceweight.  But I’ve resisted so far – but I think I may give in this afternoon and start it. 

 It is a beautiful day here – but so freaking cold.  The picture above is our ornamental grass – this is the first year that its changed like this – last year it just looked like grass, but this year it changed to a beautiful amber color and now it looks like this.  I thought it was so pretty – especially with the beautiful blue sky.  I’m glad that I will be staying in today, planning, cleaning and working – but its nice to look out and see blue sky and pretty grass.

OK, off to write my lists…have a great weekend!

Keeping warm

I haven’t blogged in days because I was waiting for Andrew to send me the pictures from the weekend – I forgot my camera so I had to use his.  I’ve reminded him, nagged him…and still no pictures.  So I can’t show you anything about the weekend – but we had a very good time.  The game was a lot of fun (but a little rainy) – I’ve never been to a college game, and we sat in the student section so it was very loud and um….spirited.  We really had a good time – its too bad that we haven’t gone before – I think we’ll definitely go again!  We went to a really good brew pub for dinner where I had very good beer (I’m normally more of a wine person but the beer was great!).  All in all, a very nice weekend, and a nice get away.

It has beem so cold here this week – it was 32 degrees the other morning when I was walking to work from the train.  I have a new scarf – but I really need some mittens.  I decided that I’d make Peekaboo mittens (Ravelry link) – the opening will be convenient.  The pattern calls for either DK or worsted weight.  I had both – but nothing that went with the new scarf.  So I thought about it and decided that I’d make a scarf to go with the mittens.  Went to the stash, went to Ravelry – and I finally found the right pattern for this yarn – only took three tries

This is My So Called Scarf and it is the perfect pattern for Malabrigo.  And it is the perfect pattern for train knitting.  And I love this scarf.

I started it last night, and it was hard to put down.    I’m going to make this and then make matching mittens – I think I may modify the mitten pattern to use the stitch pattern from the scarf because I think it would look nice – and I love the pattern – I wonder if this would make a good sock pattern?

Isn’t that nice?  It is so soft – and it will keep me warm.  I can’t wait for this to be done so I can start the mittens.  And I’m really looking forward to having warm hands in the morning!

Work has been insanely busy – but I’m taking some vacation next week because my mother is visiting from California (I think the cold weather is going to be a shock for her).  I have to work on my vacation, but hopefully that will be kept to a minimum, and I’ll have a chance to finish some knitting. 

OK, off to knit the scarf – have a great rest of the week!

Raha Scarf

As promised, I have a few more pictures of the scarf – unfortunately, it was dark last night when I got home, and I don’t have time this morning to do a full photo shoot…

Pattern:  Raha Scarf, from Knitted Lace of Estonia (Ravelry Link)
Yarn:  Hand dyed yarn Lori Lawson by Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio
Started:  November 7,  2008
Finished:  November 12, 2008

My last post said I finished this in two days.  I’m not sure why I thought that, but maybe because it just felt like it was a fast knit.  But still – 5 days isn’t bad, and I know that I didn’t knit a couple of those days (now I feel like I’m arguing with myself about whether ir was a fast knit).

I love the pattern – and could absolutely see making another one.  This is a great way to use special balls of fingering weight yarn.  Although the pattern in the book uses a solid, I think it looks good in a varigated because the pattern is so big. 

I had Cieara modeling the scarf, but Dan wanted to try – I think he got into it a little too much.  But you can see the length of it – this made one very nice long scarf.  I’m going to really like wearing it – I hate when scarves are too short.

I bought the yarn at La Petite Knitterie in California a couple of years ago –  I’d link but the link goes to a bad page – I wonder if they are still in business?  I was visiting my mother, and thought we’d go on a yarn crawl.  The store was really nice – but a bit pricey.  Anyway, I bought this yarn there and just loved the colors and softness.  I’m glad to see Lori has a Etsy shop…

All in all, another good project.  Now I just need it to get cold here again so I can wear it!

The reason I can’t take better day time pictures is that we are leaving in a little bit to go visit Andrew in Maryland.  We are going to a U of Maryland football game (yea for the weather forecast of rain and thunderstorms all afternoon!), and then taking him out to dinner – maybe even a movie.  We are staying over and heading back tomorrow after breakfast.  I’m looking forward to seeing him – plus all that knitting time in the car!  I did figure out the socks – same pattern (Tidal Wave), less stitches = more striping.  All is good.

OK, time to go – have a great weekend!

Couldn’t resist

Sure, I know that I have repeatedly said that I would not cast on new projects until I finish a project, and that I have two projects that I haven’t finished…but I just couldn’t resist.

Raha Scarf from Knitted Lace in Estonia – done in two days and gorgeous.  It just had its bath and its drying now…so more details when its dry and I can take better pictures. 

I’m trying really hard not to look at the other patterns in the book – but I find myself looking at a pattern, and then flipping to Ravelry to look at my stash….

I ended up frogging the socks – just too big.  I started over today with Tidal Wave socks but decreased the stitch count.  Now its pooling and I can’t decide if I like it – I’m used to this yarn being sort of stripey.  Not pooling in clumbs.  It is probably not a good sign that I keep on stopping and staring at it.  If I frog it again, the yarn is going back in the stash, and my sister will have to pick something else. 

OK, back to knitting my sweater.  Almost the weekend!